Weve been making our case to the American people on the issues that matter most to them, but were very excited to hear that the RNC is so pleased with its rapid-response operation, said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the DNC. The Affordable Care Act is more popular than ever, GOP candidates cant even talk about the tax cuts that were supposed to be their signature campaign issue, and most Americans want to counter Trumps agenda by electing a Democratic Congress. So whatever it is theyre doing over there, we hope they stick with it.
Goldy was fired from her job at the Rebel after she appeared on a podcast produced by the neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer during last years white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville. She has also questioned whether immigration is contributing to a white genocide in Canada and earlier this year promoted a 1936 book by a Romanian fascist who denounced the Jewish menace and the parasitism of the Jews. Goldy later walked back her recommendation, claiming that she had endorsed the book before she was aware of its entire contents.
I said, Admiral, how would you like to head up the VA? Trump recalled. I want somebody great. Youre an admiral, youre a leader. And hes 50 years old. He never had a problem in his whole life. And he said, Sir, I had never thought of it, but Ill do whatever your wish is, sir. He didnt really want it.
Tufts, 61, is a former consultant and attorney. It was unclear how her background qualified her for an inspector generals role. Her resume, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by the advocacy group American Oversight, shows that she volunteered for Trump-Pence 2017 by helping to train and deploy lawyers in the field. She also cites work with the Republican National Lawyers Association on behalf of the Trump-Pence campaign in both Philadelphia and in New York, and said she was responsible for recruiting and training 20 percent of the attorneys sent into the field.
As anyone knows who knew Jamal  or read his columns  he was dedicated to the values of free speech and open debate. He went into exile to promote those values, and now he may even have lost his life for his dogged determination in their defense, Hiatt said in a statement. It may not be surprising that some Saudi-inspired trolls are now trying to distract us from the crime by smearing Jamal. It may not even be surprising to see a few Americans joining in. But in both cases it is reprehensible.
But while dozens of Democratic candidates have called for new leadership, only about a dozen have said categorically that they will not vote for her on the floor or aired TV ads opposing her. Most of those candidates are running in long-shot races, meaning if they win, Democrats could have a big-enough majority that she might not need their votes.
The postponement of elections in Kandahar marked the latest setback in plans for the long-delayed nationwide polls, which have been plagued by charges of advance vote-rigging and the distribution of false voter ID cards, as well as by numerous violent attacks on candidates and campaign rallies. Because of insurgent threats, authorities had already planned to shutter hundreds of polling places in especially vulnerable areas on Saturday.
In Amritsar, video footage showed that the effigy of the demon Ravana had just been lit and firecrackers were going off when the train plowed into the crowd while people were craning their necks and applauding the show.
Beijing has previously signaled that growth would naturally fall this year as it coaxes Chinese companies to cut down risky levels of investment and debt, but the underwhelming GDP figure  combined with poor industrial output  may deepen anxieties given that many economists dont think the effect of the trade war has even shown up yet in Chinese data.
The decision was the latest twist in a drama that has gripped Poland  and troubled Europe  for more than a year. By injecting itself so forcefully, the ECJ has raised the stakes in the standoff between Polish and European authorities. Defiance by Poland would further escalate the debate over whether the country, and its ally Hungary, are fundamentally out of step with European values.
With the possible exception of Nov. 20, the day of Francos death, the Valley of the Fallen is not a site that attracts far-right gatherings. In fact, there is no powerful far-right faction in Spain that comes close to mirroring those in Italy, France or Germany, let alone Poland or Hungary. Even in the face of a staggeringly high unemployment rate  16 percent  and a recent uptick in migrant arrivals, Spain seems strangely immune to populist rancor. In short, Franco is not a rallying cry, and there is no real nostalgia for the political order he built.
The preliminary investigation conducted by the prosecutor found that the suspects traveled to Istanbul to meet with Khashoggi, as he had expressed an interest in returning to Saudi Arabia, the official news agency said. Discussions that took place developed in a negative way and led to a fight and a quarrel between some of them and the citizen, it said. The brawl aggravated to lead to his death and their attempt to conceal and cover what happened, it said.
The Russian violation of the treaty is dangerous, but it is still possible to get Moscow back into compliance with the agreement, said Alexandra Bell, a senior policy director at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. One formal strategic stability dialogue in 22 months does not represent an earnest attempt at diplomacy. The State Department needs to be leading technical conversations with the Russians about how to resolve this violation.
The operation did not seem to include any outright hacking efforts. In a statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said officials do not have any evidence of a compromise or disruption of infrastructure that would enable adversaries to prevent voting, change vote counts or disrupt our ability to tally votes in the midterm elections. But the statement noted: We are concerned about ongoing campaigns by Russia, China and other foreign actors, including Iran, to undermine confidence in democratic institutions and influence public sentiment and government policies. These activities also may seek to influence voter perceptions and decision making in the 2018 and 2020 U.S. elections.
The Turks have leaked information in drips and drops, ultimately in my estimation to increase the price of settlement, said Joshua Walker, a former Turkey specialist at the State Department. Turkey has been in a tough economic situation since the summer, and as we have seen with its relationship with Qatar, it is not above leveraging its relationships, he said, referring to a pledge by Qatar in August to invest $15 billion in the Turkish economy.
Mattis has not been a fan of the decision to suspend the military exercises, according to former U.S. officials, who said that he had urged against putting them on the table during negotiations. The Pentagon sees regular exercises as a critical way to deter would-be enemies and assure allies that Washington will come to their defense in the event of a conflict.
In the weeks since Turkish officials first accused Riyadh of responsibility for his disappearance, and as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has come under mounting scrutiny for his ties to the alleged killers, the online army has worked tirelessly to smear Khashoggis reputation. It has also intensified attacks on dissidents, many of them in exile.
The migrant caravans have been occurring for years, offering a safe way for migrants to make their way north, while also intending to draw attention to the plight of the region's more desperate people. But before the Trump Administration, they attracted little attention. Although there might be as many as 3,000 or 4,000 people in the current caravan, that number is dwarfed by the more than 450,000 people who have been apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico border this year.
The Campbell High School community was in shock on Friday morning after news a Year 10 boy died after an accident on Mount Ainslie on Thursday.

The teenager was in a school physical education class on the mountainside, when the accident occurred in the late morning. No details have been released but it is thought to have involved a log. The boy was taken to hospital but died soon after.

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The boy's family have requested that his name not be released and have asked for privacy.

The school principal, Steve Collins, was to address students at 9am on Friday. The school's social was cancelled on Thursday night after the accident. While some students stayed away, school resumed on Friday in a subdued mood with students filing in amid a media presence.
It seemed fitting that week eight of the Morrison government ended with the lights flickering on the Parliament House computer network and the communications coming to a halt.

Scott Morrisons new administration was left with frozen screens as everyone waited for emails that never arrived. Those who thought Australian politics was broken suddenly had an online apocalypse to prove it.

Everything else has stopped working, so why not the network as well? The past week has been an astonishing shambles for the new government and makes a mockery of claims of a comeback for Morrison and his team.

The stakes could not be higher ahead of the Wentworth byelection on Saturday, yet Liberals and Nationals are falling over themselves to display their chaos to voters. They do this even though they know they could lose a seat that should be unassailable.
The Pacific Solution is septicaemic and threatening the political life of the Coalition. Legitimate refugees and failed asylum seekers languish on Manus and Nauru desperately waiting for resettlement. The much-vaunted US deal is turning slowly with the anticipated uplift of 1250 refugees failing to reach even half of that target. The level of mental ill-health among both refugees and asylum seekers has reached an appalling state.

Its time to get them off Manus and Nauru. There is no longer any advantage to keeping them there, except to the host countries, which have been living off the largesse of the Australian taxpayer for five years. Even the mantric justification of "preventing drownings at sea" is no longer valid. The desired deterrent effect is well and truly seared into the psyche of people smugglers and asylum seekers  if you try to get to Australia by boat, youll be intercepted and taken to a hell hole in the Pacific for at least five years. This has deterred all but the occasional probing venture.

Its what the Coalition does next which can make or break that deterrent effect, influence its prospects of retaining government, and either redeem its international reputation or further corrode it.

Bringing all of those who dont make it to the US to mainland Australia is an unpalatable option for the Coalition. First, it will feel like buckling, which is not within the political character of either Peter Dutton or the hardened conservatives of the party.
From a necklace made out of pasta dipped in gold paint to stuffed toys for their unborn baby, the Duke and Duchess were showered with hundreds of gifts from admirers during their whirlwind tour of Melbourne.

Each time the royals visit another country, or during royal outings within the Commonwealth, rain, hail or shine, ordinary folk line the streets for hours for the chance to thrust flowers, gifts and cards into their arms.

World leaders also offer their greetings with diplomatic tokens.

So, what will happen to all the gifts bestowed on the royals during their Australian tour?
Prominent Jewish community leader Mark Leibler has accused former prime minister Kevin Rudd of making false claims and peddling "far-fetched conspiracy theories" about the pro-Israel lobby in his new book.

In the memoir, Mr Rudd details how agents for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad forged Australian passports for their operations and claims Mr Leibler "went off" at the government's decision to punish the Israeli government for a 2010 incident by expelling a diplomat believed to be an intelligence officer.

Jewish community leader Mark Leibler. Credit:Luis Ascui

Mr Rudd said Mr Leibler berated him for the "hostile act" during a dinner at the Lodge in Canberra and did not believe Mr Rudd when he told him it was not the first time the Israelis had forged Australian passports. The former prime minister claims an angry Mr Leibler excused the Mossad conduct as typical of the intelligence world and made a veiled threat about helping Julia Gillard take the Labor leadership.

In a statement, Mr Leibler said the meeting took place but emphatically rejected Mr Rudd's claims, calling the account "completely false, virtually from top to bottom".
So there you go. Libertarian MP skips WA Parliament for NZ airsoft war games Liberal Democrat MP Aaron Stonehouse was missing from parliament this week, telling reporters who tried to contact him he had a cold and wasn't available for interview. Liberal Democratic Party MP Aaron Stonehouse MLC. He appeared on the Hansard record briefly on Wednesday afternoon, in a failed attempt to overturn the state government's plastic bag ban.

But then it was overheard on the hill by WAtoday that he flew to New Zealand later that evening, missing Parliament on Thursday. Mr Stonehouse told WAtoday he was in New Zealand on parliamentary business attending a "weekend long airsoft event". He was hoping to change the law to make the shooting sport legal in Western Australia. "It's a great way to learn about the sport and to meet stakeholders, as players from across Australia travel to New Zealand to participate in this event this event," Mr Stonehouse said. Mr Stonehouse said he left Perth on Wednesday to arrive in New Zealand on Thursday ahead of the airsoft competiton which started Friday.

"But it is not unusual for MPs to be away from the chamber on other business (attending events, meeting constituents, etc)," he said. "I go to great efforts to ensure Im in the chamber as often as possible, but with an eight hour flight and the time difference, I had to leave one day early to arrive on time." Mr Stonehouse said he was indeed unwell, had been cooped up in his hotel room and probably wouldn't be enjoying his time at the airsoft event. Loading The good news was, however, that he would be staying on in New Zealand next week on leave while Parliament wasn't sitting.

The South Metro MP copped some heat this week over his policy of not taking "unscheduled phone calls" from his consituents. Collier rips 'Alfoil government' on transparency Liberal frontbencher Peter Collier ripped into the McGowan Government in Parliament on Thursday morning over its record on transparency. Labor was elected in 2017 promising to set a new standard of transparency in government. "The public interest must come first, transparency must come first, openness must come first," he told reporters before the election.

Mr Collier said instead of being a "Glad Wrap" government, Labor had become an "Alfoil" government. "We cannot see through this government because we cannot get answers," he said. "We receive vague and ambiguous responses to our questions or no responses at all and no reports are being tabled. "Quite frankly, it is an absolute disgrace."

Mr Collier blasted the government for the late tabling of everything from annual reports to questions on notice to travel reports. He also had a crack at the Premier for hiding messages to 6PR listeners in his written answers to parliamentary questions. "It should be noted for listeners of the Rumour File program on 6PR that the Premier has no intention of moving from Dumas House and enjoys being in the same building as his ministers," Mr McGowan wrote in an answer. "I am sure he has his little minions, his little Young Labor movement guys who do these questions and think, 'Let us put on this about Rumour File. Look how smart we are'," Mr Collier said. Tweet of the Week
Kandahar: One of the most devastating Taliban assassination strikes of the long Afghan war has killed a regional police chief with a larger-than-life reputation as one of the last stalwarts against the militants. The top American commander in Afghanistan narrowly escaped injury.

The assassination, just two days before national elections already undermined by violence, took place inside the provincial governor's compound in Kandahar city.

In what appeared to be an insider attack, at least one gunman killed the police chief, as well as the provincial intelligence chief. The governor of Kandahar and another senior police commander were also targeted; reports about their fate were conflicting.

Assassinated: General Abdul Raziq, Kandahar police chief, in 2016. Credit:AP

The police chief, General Abdul Raziq, had survived dozens of attempts on his life and was widely considered an indispensable US ally with influence across critical areas of southern Afghanistan, in the Taliban heartland.
Some interesting reads for a Heroes Day...

How the Myth of the 'Robber Barons' Beganand Why It Persists

The widely-accepted "history" of America's Gilded Age was grossly inaccurate, but it told a compelling story that many fell for hook, line, and sinker.

by Burton W. Folsom

Capitalism Worked, but We Were Told It Didn't

We study history to learn from it. If we can discover what worked and what didnt work, we can use this knowledge wisely to create a better future. Studying the triumph of American industry, for example, is important because it is the story of how the United States became the worlds leading economic power. Free markets worked well; government intervention usually failed. The years when this happened, from 1865 to the early 1900s, saw the U.S. encourage entrepreneurs indirectly by limiting government. Slavery was abolished and so was the income tax. Federal spending was slashed and federal budgets had surpluses almost every year in the late 1800s. In other words, the federal government created more freedom and a stable marketplace in which entrepreneurs could operate.

Read the entire article here...

Victims of capitalism?

by Dr. Jaana Woiceshyn

When the Canadian government recently announced its plan to build a monument to victims of communism, Elizabeth May, the Green Party leader (and the partys sole MP) tweeted: no mention of monument to victims of capitalism. While the government should not build any monuments by spending our money without our consent, Ms. Mays tweet warrants comment. It reflects widespread ignorance of capitalism, and not just among politicians.

Read the entire article here...

Dont Get Fooled Again: The Continuing Necessity of Anti-Communism

by Murray Bessette
As I prepared to write this letter I serendipitously clicked on one that was written in May 2017 which expressed the sense of optimism and anticipation I felt for the new beginning following the election that, sad to say, has been short lived. That 2017 positive energy is draining away - I am so fed up of being fed up when one gubment tends to be as disappointing as the last!

I have asked myself why this is so, and reckon it is due to several reasons, the main being that we continue to use the same formula of relying solely on foreign direct investment  a form of beholden servitude  and expecting a new result. It wont happen  we are still stuck in the rut of same story, different day!

I applaud Leonard Sands, the former President of the Contractors Association, who continued to question the discrepancies in the employment ratio of foreign workers to Bahamians at The Pointe, about which I expressed concern in several letters to the press over the year. Although my voice was being lost in the wilderness, he was the only one who spoke out on a consistent basis, also to no avail, since the Residences opened this week and Margaritaville is moving right ahead into the sea!

The Disney debate/debacle has stirred up more bogglement. I have never been a fan of the cruise ship industry that takes way more than it gives. They dictate to the gubment and the gubment lets them which I find pathetic! Who is in charge of our country? Who is looking out for our country and for the greater good of our people? Even though the statistics show, and the gubment quotes, the significant discrepancy between the cruise ships low spend versus that of the stopover visitor - we continue to encourage them to come here and we bend over backwards, lackeys that we are, to accommodate their every wish.

Disney is building more ships and bigger ships  would they be making that type of investment if they are not raking in big money? Furthermore, the recent articles on the destruction of destinations due to over tourism (i.e. too many visitors) that is happening all around the world, strengthens my aversion to the cruise industry even more. But we are just going to let them cruise along and buy our islands and take them over to do as they wish, whilst offering a few menial jobs to the natives! Has anyone visited the many Bahamian islands that the cruise ships now own and seen what type of money they pay Bahamians and spend with Bahamian companies? What types of jobs do Bahamians hold, how many high paying Bahamians do they employ? Cruise Ships = plenty, Bahamas = nuttin!

Why are we continuing to sell off, or lease for a ridiculous pittance  our precious land, including crown lands, which should be fiercely protected as our birthright and our childrens children inheritance - to foreigners in the first beginning? Its a crying shame and a disgrace that the skewed laws of this land, the lawyers, the real estate agents, and the gubment, allow this to happen over and over again!

Let me ask about the recent town meeting in South Eleuthera: where did the pro-Disney t-shirts come from  who paid for them, and who designed and paid for the skewed survey? Added to this, we are so stupidly conditioned to begging for one job that we cant even see how pathetic that is, when we end up being a mere low level employee for a couple days working for the name brand company, instead of becoming self employed, self sufficient, and independent. Our ancestors did it  why then in this 21st century, when we should have more sense and opportunity, cant we?

Entrepreneurship and the small and medium sized businesses are what make any country develop and grow. Bahamians abound with creativity and natural talent that only needs the opportunity to grow and flourish. This is where governments focus and energy should be placed - to facilitate the flourishing of this sector instead of kowtowing to the foreign direct investor. Balance the playing field and do the right thing, gubment!

Where is that government with the testicular fortitude to speak from a position of strength, to own our own with pride, to protect our heritage, and look to the future for the greater good of our people instead of going to massa with money and begging them please sir, may I have some more of my own tings?

What a disappointment!

Yours sincerely,

Pam Burnside

October 13, 2018
Date: Thursday, November 15, 2018 Location: The University of The Bahamas. Harry C. Moore Library Lecture Hall.

The Nassau Institute & Templeton Religion Trust, in Collaboration with the Banking Economics & Finance Department & The Economics Society of The University of The Bahamas

Present

Art Carden

Speaking on: Leave Me Alone and Ill Make You Rich: How the Bourgeois Deal Made the Modern World.

Lecture Summary

Things like natural resources, free trade, science, and thrift are great to have, but they only explain a small part of the Great Enrichment that has happened since the middle of the 18th century.

Other explanations for why the west is rich like slavery, colonialism, and empire also dont do the job. Drawing on my collaboration with Deirdre McCloskey titled Leave Me Alone and Ill Make You Rich: How the Bourgeois Deal Made the Modern World (currently in progress), I argue in this talk that the modern world emerged from a combination of institutional, ethical, and rhetorical changes that revalued commercial society.

About the speaker

Art Carden is an Associate Professor of Economics at Samford Universitys Brock School of Business. In addition, he is a Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Faith, Work, and Economics, a Senior Fellow with the Beacon Center of Tennessee, and a Research Fellow with the Independent Institute.

His research has appeared in the Journal of Urban Economics, the Southern Economic Journal, Applied Economics, Public Choice, and Contemporary Economic Policy, and his commentaries have appeared in Forbes, Productive!, USA Today, Black Belt, and many other outlets.

He earned a BS and MA from the University of Alabama and an AM and PhD from Washington University in Saint Louis.

Before joining the faculty at Samford, Art taught economics at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife and three children.

Sponsored By:

Templeton Religion Trust

Compass Point Beach Resort
"In a bold new book about Hayek, the George Mason economist says "too much time and effort has been put into repackaging and marketing a fixed doctrine of eternal truths."

by Nick Gillespie

"With populism on the rise, capitalism under attack, and socialism back in vogue, the work of Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek (18991992) is more relevant than ever. Hayek started his career as a wunderkind professor, joining the faculty of the London School of Economics in his early thirties, and was a central figure in the debates that consumed the profession during the Great Depression. He would go on to spend most of his seven-decade long career as an outsider, his work diverging from the mainstream following the Keynesian revolution of the 1930s and '40s. Eventually the world circled back to Hayek's ideas, and he was one of two recipients of the 1974 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics.

"Today, Hayek is best known for his enduring insights on emergent order, for his critique of central planning, and for his argument that all knowledge in society is decentralized and that a modern economy thus relies the coordinating role of prices and private property. In his final book, The Fatal Conceit, Hayek attacked wrote that "the curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design."

Read more and listen to the podcast at Reason here...
The Anne Frank that Eva Schloss remembers was filled with pre-adolescent hope for the future.

How much of that spirit Frank would have held onto  had more than her diary survived the Holocaust  Schloss is uncertain about.

At the time, she still believed in the goodness of mankind, Schloss said of the playmate she knew before both went into hiding in 1942. If Anne would have survived, she would have experienced life in the camp and the unbelievable cruelty of those young Nazis. She might still have wanted to publish it. But she probably would have changed quite a lot.

It took Schloss four decades to recover enough from her own experience in Auschwitz to start talking about it. Since then, she has not stopped.

I dont walk too well, but my mind is still OK, Schloss said in a phone interview, pausing after a delayed flight from Chicago to Nashville, where she had an appearance scheduled the next day. As long as I can, I would like to carry on with my message.

Frank died before Schloss became her step-sister. In 1953, Schloss mother, Fritzi, married Otto Frank, Annes father.

Approaching 90, Schloss is on a 13-city American speaking tour. She is set to bring her message to the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28. The appearance is sponsored by Chabad of Fairfield, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht.

Sometimes referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, Kristallnacht marked a large wave of violence against Jews that broke out in Germany and Austria on Nov. 9 and 10 of 1938.

It will be Schloss first trip to Connecticut, she said.

Eva Schloss at the Klein Sunday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m., followed by VIP reception Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave. Bridgeport Admission is $25 for adults, $10 for students, available by visiting, www.ChabadFF.com/4108700 See More Collapse

Rabbi Shalme Landa said it would be an honor to host Schloss.

Eva is a courageous individual who works tirelessly to end the violence and bigotry that continues to plague our world, Landa said. We are honored and excited to play host to this great person.

Schloss will tell you she was just a rather shy, tomboy whose survival is rooted in stubbornness and a great deal of luck.

I was not ready to die, she said. And there were incidents that occurred that gave me a chance to live another day.

Schloss  then Eva Geiringer  was an 11-year-old-school girl whose family had relocated from Austria and Belgium to Amsterdam when she came to know a girl on her block named Anne, who was a month older and much more sophisticated.

I was withdrawn and she wasnt, Schloss recalls. She was quite sure of herself. She wanted all of the attention.

Schloss said Anne was a real little girl  interested in hair styles, in clothes and in boys.

Though not best friends, Schloss said that like all children in the neighborhood, they played together.

It was 1942 when both girls and their families separately went into hiding. The Geiringer family split up. Eva went with her mother; her older brother Heinz went with her father. Two years and several hiding places later, the Geiringers were captured. It was Evas 15th birthday.

She would end up in Auschwitz, where she faced brutality and starvation until she and her mother were liberated by the Russian army in January 1945.

They would reconnect with Otto Frank soon after. He had found Annes diary, but wasnt sure he should publish it.

A diary is really personal, Schloss said. But he was very, very proud of her. 

Schloss would not read it until it was published in Dutch in 1947.

I must admit, at the time I was still full of my own loss and my own suffering. Schloss said. I lost my family ... Later, when my emotions had calmed down, I realized that it was more than about hiding. It was about the messages she gave the world about accepting each other. That is what is so wonderful about her diary.

It is a message she said still needs to be told. Some of the same atrocities that occurred then, she said, are occurring now. Antisemitism is on the rise.

You read every day (about) racial attacks, she said. It is happening. Smaller scale, but we have to stop that. I was a refugee myself. I suffered. When there are wars and refugees and families persecuted  such as in Syria  we need to accommodate those people. We just cant turn a blind eye.

After the war, Schloss married and moved to England. She had three daughters and five grandchildren, all of whom, she said, want to change the world. Her husband of 62 years died in 2016.

The author of three books, Schloss travels often to tell her story. She was interviewed by the Steven Spielberg-founded Shoah Foundation project and participated in a hologram project sponsored by the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California. The holograms answer questions posed to them.

As more and more Holocaust survivors pass away, Schloss calls her efforts important.

I am one of the younger ones (who survived), Schloss said. Every day we lose some of them. It is important for me to carry on.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck
(This article was previously published at www.ImmigrationReform.com. Published here with permission.) If the Biden administration carries out threats to fire ...

As of November 2021, a majority of developing countries have vaccinated less than a quarter of their populations. The Biden...
Winnipeg is losing a major head office after Bayer Canada informed employees last week its moving the former Monsanto headquarters to Calgary.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/10/2018 (1126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg is losing a major head office after Bayer Canada informed employees last week its moving the former Monsanto headquarters to Calgary.

The move impacts 71 staff located at the former Monsanto office at the University of Manitobas Smartpark. It isnt known yet how many of the staff will be extended job offers in Calgary.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Monsanto Canadian headquarters at the University of Manitoba will be relocated to Calgary.

German multinational company Bayer bought U.S.-owned Monsanto two years ago, but regulatory approval wasnt finalized until this summer.

The two companies were not even allowed to talk to each other for much of that period. Part of regulatory process saw Bayer divest some crop science assets to another German company, BASF.

One of Bayers first acts following regulatory approval was to decide where to locate the Canadian head office of the combined companies. Bayers Canadian head office was already in Calgary.

"They didnt want to move ahead offering people roles without knowing where those roles would be located," said Trish Jordan, Bayer public and industry affairs director. Those roles will become more defined in the next month or so, she said.

The shuffle includes Jordan, who moved to Winnipeg with her family to work at Monsanto in 1996.

The decision to relocate also comes as a blow to Winnipegs reputation as the centre of the Canadian grain sector. The crop sector does not have as strong a presence in Calgary.

Bayer struck a committee, including an internal real estate board, to determine where the Canadian head office should be located. A number of factors were reviewed, including company headcounts at each location, the number of employees needing to relocate, available office space, taxes, cost of living, etc.

Economic development offices in Winnipeg and Calgary also duked it out.

Monsanto had more employees in Winnipeg than Bayer in Calgary, but that was before Bayer had to divest assets to BASF.

"We knew it was a tough battle for us. But YES! Winnipeg put together a really impressive package to say why Winnipeg was a great choice for Bayer," said Dayna Spiring, CEO of Economic Development Winnipeg, which oversees YES! Winnipeg.

"We talked about Smartpark, and promoted the fact we are a leader in food research and innovation, advanced crop research and precision agriculture," she said.

YES! Winnipeg also enlisted two top Bayer clients in Cargill and Richardson International to help convince Bayer to set up in Winnipeg. Mayor Brian Bowman telephoned the president of Bayer, as well.

"We gave it the old college try, but we came up short on this one," Spiring said.

Spiring said Calgary is hurting from the downturn in the oil sector and has a lot of vacant downtown office space right now.

"Calgary is not doing well right now. Youll see their province and the city really throw great incentives at companies because the reality is their downtown is empty," she said.

Monsantos name had become synonymous with genetically modified crops and evolved into a dirty word among environmental activists. But Monsanto was a major force in modern agriculture, particularly with its invention of glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world today.

"It basically revolutionized agriculture," Jordan said.

Glyphosate also allowed farmers to adopt environmentally-friendly practises like no-till farming so soils didnt have to be disturbed and potentially blow away.

"We were an innovator and leader in changing agriculture and bringing science and biotechnology to crops," she said.

Monsantos Canadian head office has been located in the University of Manitobas Smartpark since 2005, and it was located on Scurfield Boulevard before that. Jordan said Monsanto has been in Winnipeg at least 30 years.

In about 2000, Monsanto sold off its pharmaceutical division and focused solely on crop science.

Employees will have to move to Calgary before September 2019. Bayer will pick up moving costs.

The announcement last week was for people largely in finance, human resources, marketing and commercial sales. It doesnt include the former Monsanto canola breeding program that accounts for another 20 employees, many of them plant scientists. That is being reviewed with a decision expected soon.

Neither has a decision been made on the Monsanto office on Berry Street in Winnipeg (16 employees), the Carman research farm (nine employees) or the Headingley research farm (11 employees).That means a total of 56 employees are still waiting for a decision regarding location.

The Monsanto jobs generally are high-paying jobs, with plenty of employees being professionals and having PhDs, and many who have been with Monsanto a long time, Jordan said.

Bayer has over 100,000 employees worldwide and three divisions: pharmaceutical, consumer health, and crop science. Monsanto had about 22,000 employees focused entirely on crop science.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
Mayoral candidate Don Woodstock is promising to impose quotas for hiring, training and promotion of Indigenous people on the civic workforce if he wins the election next week.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 18/10/2018 (1126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mayoral candidate Don Woodstock is promising to impose quotas for hiring, training and promotion of Indigenous people on the civic workforce if he wins the election next week.

Woodstock said city halls efforts to assist the Indigenous community have largely been symbolic and ineffective at addressing real change.

Don Woodstock said civic officials told him that only about eight per cent of the civic workforce identifies as Indigenous, which he said is below the 13 per cent representation in the greater community. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files)

"Why is (the quota) important? Thats how we get people out of poverty, thats how we get people out of crime," Woodstock said Thursday at a news conference adjacent to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. "Im suggesting we can do better."

Woodstock was accompanied at the event by Ron Evans, the former grand chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, who endorsed Woodstock for mayor.

Evans, whose firm is working to be recognized as a qualified provider of Indigenous awareness training, said Woodstock was the only mayoral candidate to approach him about what he was doing and what could be done to change the environment for Indigenous people at city hall.

"That says a lot about Don and thats why I would encourage others to support him," Evans said. "He may not be the most popular candidate at this time but he certainly has the right ideas," adding he is impressed with Woodstocks other campaign commitments, including his promise to direct city spending towards inner-city youth sports.

Woodstock said civic officials told him that only about eight per cent of the civic workforce identifies as Indigenous, which he said is below the 13 per cent representation in the greater community. That number is expected to increase to more than 20 per cent by 2020, he said, adding city hall needs to do more.

Woodstock said that hiring, training and promoting more Indigenous people would demonstrate that the city is truly inclusive.

Woodstock and Evans dismissed previous initiatives that have been undertaken by city hall to help Indigenous people.

City hall established its Indigenous relations division in 2013. In response to the 2015 Macleans magazine article that identified Winnipeg as the countrys most racist city, Mayor Brian Bowman created the Winnipeg Accord, where individuals, business and organizations commit to improve how they deal with the Indigenous community and publicly acknowledge their efforts.

City council has mandated Indigenous awareness training for all civic employees, politicians and their staff. Bowman created an Indigenous advisory council for his office and the Winnipeg Police Board also set up a similar body for itself.

Evans said there is little to show for those efforts.

"Weve looked (at what city hall has done) but its not very meaningful, its all symbolic stuff," he said. "If (all this) was working, we wouldnt have the issues were dealing with currently."

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
It was a low point in a campaign full of them.

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This article was published 18/10/2018 (1126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a low point in a campaign full of them.

Coun. Jeff Browaty issued a news release earlier this week, alleging there may be a secret deal between Mayor Brian Bowman and the owners of properties at Portage Avenue and Main Street to buy their support for re-opening the intersection to pedestrians.

It's complicated, but in short, Browaty alleges as of 2019, the City of Winnipeg could be on the hook for repairs to all portions of the area's underground concourse, which is leaking and in need of major rehabilitation. Currently, the city is only responsible for one part.

Coun. Jeff Browaty alleged without proof that there may be a deal between Mayor Brian Bowman and the owners of properties at Portage Avenue and Main Street to buy their support for re-opening the intersection. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

The allegation was completely unfounded. Private landowners have not struck a deal with the city to cover their portion of concourse repairs. In fact, the companies that own property and manage the buildings have already paid for their own engineering studies and are on the record as being committed to paying for their share of the concourse upgrades.

Browaty's allegation is a masterpiece of the "I'm-not-saying-it's-true-but-I-can't-prove-that-it's-false" style of political attack.

"Brian Bowman needs to come clean and let Winnipeggers know if taxpayers will be paying millions more for the refurbishment of the concourse because he has been trying to ram through the opening of street-level pedestrian crossings," said Browaty, who is running for re-election in the North Kildonan ward.

Come clean about something Browaty himself could not prove... Fascinating.

If this were the only instance of questionable ethics and integrity.

The 2018 civic election  Winnipeggers go to the polls Oct. 24  may go down as one of the lowest, most ethically challenged campaigns in the city's history.

In no particular order, consider some of the other incidents competing for the title of low point.

Grant Nordman started advertising on bus benches prior to registering as a candidate, which is a violation of civic election laws. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Former councillor Grant Nordman is trying to make a comeback in Charleswood-Tuxedo after losing in 2014. Someone noticed Nordman had signage posted on bus benches mere hours after registering as a candidate; paying for that signage before registering is a clear violation of civic election laws.

Nordman's reaction: "At the end of the day, weve got bigger fish to fry than what hour a sign went up."

He likely knew, despite allegedly breaking the rules, no one was going to try and punish him. True to that theory, no action has been taken against him.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mayoral candidate Don Woodstock wearing his 'Order of Canadians' medal.

Then, there is mayoral candidate Don Woodstock, who was rarely seen in public without a gleaming medal and ribbon on the lapel of his dark business suit.

Asked about the medal, Woodstock initially suggested it was a lower tier of the Order of Canada. That was proven to be untrue, and later established that it was a reward from a community organization that promotes public safety.

That group indicated he shouldn't be wearing the medal, and asked for it back.

Early in the campaign, mayoral challenger Jenny Motkaluk issued a news release, accusing Bowman of illegally skimming money from the crowd-funded "Team Open" campaign advocating for a return of pedestrians to Portage and Main.

Mayoral challenger Jenny Motkaluk issued a news release accusing the mayor of illegally skimming money from the crowd-funded "Team Open" campaign. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

She suggested, coyly, the incumbent was having trouble raising money, and the money flowing into Team Open coffers from an online crowdfunding website would be at his disposal.

There was no evidence to support the allegation.

Although he has been the target of a variety of dirty tricks, Bowman has not been free of concerns.

The incumbent has kept up a relentless schedule of mayoral appearances during the 2018 campaign, which he's allowed to do under current election laws. The fact that it's not illegal does not, however, make it right.

Mayor Brian Bowman has been busy with mayoral appearances during the campaign, which provide him with an advantage over his competitors. (Ruth Bonneville / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Those mayoral events provide him with a clear advantage over his competitors, which makes it an ethical issue.

Those are all fairly obvious signs of ethical shortcomings. However, integrity and ethics have also come into play in other, more subtle ways in this campaign. Such as with the decisions candidates make about where they run.

Incumbency is a pretty devastating advantage in a civic election campaign. So much so, hopefuls vying for council seats tend to flock to wards where there is no incumbent.

In this election, there are five such wards, averaging 5.8 candidates each. Compare that with the 10 wards with an incumbent  and the reworked St. James ward, where two incumbents are facing each other  the average number of candidates is 2.5. That includes Waverley West, where incumbent Janice Lukes was acclaimed when no one stepped up to challenge her.

Where do all those additional candidates come from? The city has no requirement for candidates to reside in the ward in which they run. Which means candidates come from all over the city, and even outside the city, to take a shot at four years' work at city hall.

Consider the race in Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry, as an example. The ward was vacated when veteran councillor Jenny Gerbasi announced she would not run for re-election. Now, there are seven candidates on the ballot, but only three live in the riding. (Stephanie Meilleur, whose principle residence is in Warren, rented an apartment in the ward in the spring to establish her bona fides.)

Harry Wolbert (St. Vital), Peter Koroma (North Kildonan) and Sherri Rollins (River Heights) seem to have been attracted to the riding mostly because of the absence of an incumbent. Had all three run where they live, they would have faced off against incumbents Brian Mayes, Browaty and John Orlikow, respectively.

It is not illegal to run in a ward where you don't live, and there is an argument it can be an risky political strategy, particularly if longtime resident candidates decide to make it an issue of ethics.

Politics at any level can be messy, and it's not unusual to see emotionally charged debate, unfounded allegations, and ethically compromised tactics. It's just unfortunate it comes at a time when politicians really need to prove they are worthy of a vote.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
Even as the initial hype of legalization started wearing off on Thursday morning, a steady stream of customers showed up at Winnipeg's legal marijuana stores.

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This article was published 18/10/2018 (1126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Even as the initial hype of legalization started wearing off on Thursday morning, a steady stream of customers showed up at Winnipeg's legal marijuana stores.

At 11:00, a handful of shoppers browsed through Tokyo Smoke's Exchange District store at 264 McDermot Ave. The downtown shop opened at 4:20 p.m. Wednesday.

"Yesterday was awesome," said store manager Deanna Garand. "I think, given our location, we got a huge influx of people around the end of their business day."

Garand said she expected business to pick up later Thursday.

Smoking weed outdoors is no walk in the park For many people who use cannabis, there is no better place to partake than in the great outdoors. But Manitoba law bars marijuana lovers from doing so even in the vastness of provincial parks: getting caught smoking weed carries a $672 fine. click to read more For many people who use cannabis, there is no better place to partake than in the great outdoors. But Manitoba law bars marijuana lovers from doing so even in the vastness of provincial parks: getting caught smoking weed carries a $672 fine. Manitobans have one option for smoking weed by a campfire on a starry night: cannabis consumption will be allowed in certain areas of national parks, which are under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada. Adults can use cannabis within "registered Parks Canada campsites" at those parks, the Parks Canada website says. In Manitoba, that means either Riding Mountain National Park or the much more remote Wapusk National Park. Marijuana use remains prohibited in public areas of Parks Canada parks, campground common areas such as kitchens, bathrooms or roads, in the backcountry, on trails, and on playgrounds. Cannabis use is also prohibited in public areas of the town-site of Wasagaming in Riding Mountain. Even though The Forks is a national historic site operated by Parks Canada, you can forget about legally smoking a joint where the Red River meets the Assiniboine. The Parks Canada website says provincial cannabis laws apply in historic sites such as The Forks and Lower Fort Garry. Close

"Now that people know we're fully functioning  Tokyo Smoke has been blasting on social media that we're open  I think we'll get a good influx today, once people are out of their cannabis experiences from last night and ready to come back for more today."

In Osborne Village, there were no lineups outside the Tweed cannabis store at 120 Osborne St. as of 11:45. But inside the store, about 15 customers were queued up to buy dried marijuana. Some cannabis strains and package sizes were sold out at the Tweed store on Thursday, but the company said more weed was on the way.

"We are going to be replenishing very, very shortly," said Carlo Bevilacqua, the director of national retail operations for Tweed store owner Canopy Growth Corp.

"So it'll start to level off, and we're working through a lot of those (supply issues)."

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Corbin Cyr, of Tokyo Smoke, showing different strains to Carrie Bryson and Kate Urquhart on Thursday.

In the meantime, said Bevilacqua, Canopy's Tweed stores were quickly learning what customers want. Medium package sizes such as 3.5 gram and 7 g containers were particularly popular, he said. Package sizes at legal cannabis stores range from 1 g up to 30 g  the maximum amount of marijuana that can be legally carried in public under the new law.)

"I think people are being conscious about their first-time purchase, and being modest with understanding the strains, and trying them out," Bevilacqua said. "And then I think it'll lead to a bigger purchase down the way, once they know what's good for them or what they like."

Most of all, Bevilacqua said, Tweed customers just seemed happy to be buying their weed in a legal retail environment.

"I have to say, despite any hiccups or lineups, or any growing pains, the customers coming in here are really great  and very patient, with I think every retailer across Canada."

A bit further south, there were no lineups outside the Meta Cannabis Supply Co. store at 548 Pembina Hwy. Inside the store, though, at least 20 customers were busy shopping at 12:30 in the afternoon. Those shoppers had been snapping up 1 g containers of marijuana as fast as they could get them  only the "Shishkaberry" variety was left in that size.

"Grams are a hot seller," said Matt Ryan, vice-president of marketing for parent company National Access Cannabis.

"For the masses out there, these brands and strains are new, so maybe people are just being selective. Rather than buying the full case of beer, they're buying the six-pack first to see if they like it."

Like Bevilacqua at the Tweed store, Ryan said Meta's first customers have been remarkably patient as staff, who are called "friendly guides", shepherd shoppers through complex transactions.

"We want people to look around in the store, and we anticipate that if you speak with a friendly guide and you have a few questions, you could be speaking with someone for 10 to 20 minutes... Which is different than a lot of retail, especially different than how the grey market was working before."

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Tokyo Smoke on McDermot Avenue was busy Thursday.

Eventually, Ryan expects customers to move through the stores much more quickly as they establish brand preferences.

In St. Vital, at least 40 customers of all ages packed the Delta 9 Cannabis Store at 1 p.m. Thursday.

"You see the mix here  it's a lot of seniors," said Al Roney, Delta 9's vice-president of retail operations. "Some are looking for some pain control, some are looking for relaxing, and lots of different issues."

Delta 9 was the only marijuana retailer in Winnipeg that would disclose its Wednesday sales figures to the Free Press. The store at 827 Dakota St. sold about 25,000 grams of cannabis on the first day of legalization, with $125,000 in online sales and $200,000 in-store sales.

"The smaller sizes, 1 g and 3.5 g bottles, are selling the fastest," said Roney.

Shoppers were also hungry for cannabis accessories, Roney added, especially vaporizers and "one-hitters," small pipes designed for small amounts of weed.

Just then, Delta 9 CEO John Arbuthnot walked up. He said the company's biggest legalization surprise was the strong demand for home delivery.

"We've seen about 50 per cent of orders are coming through online. Initially we were thinking, maybe 80/20 in-store to online, and it's actually closer to 50/50."

Third-party courier Pineapple Express would add more drivers to meet demand, he said, and Delta 9 employees were making deliveries.

"This is part of the learning curve where we made assumptions coming in, and now we're figuring out what was right and what was wrong, and then go from there," said Arbuthnot.

"The amazing part, to me, has just been the excitement from everyone."

solomon.israel@freepress.mb.ca

@sol_israel
A 30 km/h speed limit on residential streets? Most Winnipeggers dont like the idea at all.

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This article was published 18/10/2018 (1126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 30 km/h speed limit on residential streets? Most Winnipeggers dont like the idea at all.

According to a Probe Research poll commissioned by the Free Press and CTV News Winnipeg, nearly two-thirds of the citys residents think reducing the residential speed limit from its current 50 km/h to 30 is a bad idea. In fact, almost one quarter (23 per cent) called it a "very bad idea."

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS 30km/h school zone speed limit sign on Grosvernor Avenue near Wilton Street.

Only 35 per cent of the polls 653 respondents were in favour of making the change, which Probe also framed as a means of replacing reduced-speed school zones.

"This is very unequivocal," said Probe Research president Scott MacKay. "There is a strong consensus here that that limit should not be reduced."

In 2011, amid a string of deadly collisions in Toronto, Dr. Bert Lauwers, then-Ontario chief coroner, published a review of pedestrian deaths. Lauwers recommended all municipalities consider reducing speed limits to 30 km/h on residential streets, as well as adopting speed limits of 40 km/h on other streets unless otherwise posted.

"When a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle travelling at speeds up to 30 km/hr, 10.3 per cent were killed or hospitalized with a serious injury," Lauwers found among the collisions he analyzed in Toronto that year. That rate doubled when the speed increased to 40 km/h, and at 60 km/h, more than half of pedestrians hit were killed or seriously injured. In 2015, Toronto lowered the speed limit to 30 on certain stretches in the city, and Jennifer Keesmaat, a candidate to become the citys mayor in its upcoming election, proposes that the rest of the city follow suit.

In 2015, Winnipeg Coun. Janice Lukes, then the citys chair of public works, revisited a previously defeated motion brought forward by then-Daniel McIntyre Coun. Harvey Smith to lower the limit, proposing a pilot project in Fort Richmond. The motion failed and the idea stalled, too.

"I had vicious emails and phone calls when I threw that concept out there," Lukes said Wednesday. "Those (poll) results are not a surprise at all.

"Cities all over the world do it, and maybe someday Winnipeg can too," she added.

Graham Larkin, the executive director of Love30 Canada, a grassroots campaign aimed at reducing urban and residential speed limits across the country, said he wasnt surprised to see the lack of support for the policy, which many cities in Europe have embraced, and which Calgarys city council recently endorsed.

"Its not surprising, and its disappointing," Larkin said. "When it comes to road safety, in many ways, (Canada) sucks."

Calgary's administration will report back to council's transportation and transit committee in 2019. The report will examine where to implement the reduced speed limits and, if so, at 40 km/h or 30 km/h.

Despite support for reduced speed limits among urbanists and other advocates, the general consensus Probe found is that if the majority of the city's residents had a say, they'd be in stark opposition.

"People really don't like this idea," said MacKay. "It's really a non-starter, as far as they're concerned."

Certain groups, however, were more likely to support a 30 km/h limit than others.

Forty-eight per cent of respondents with children under the age of 16 thought the reduced-speed limit proposal was a good idea, compared with 29 per cent of respondents without children at home.

Residents in the city's core supported the 30 km/h limit at a rate higher than the city-wide results (42 per cent vs. 35 per cent), and respondents with lower household incomes supported the policy at a much higher rate than those earning more money.

Among the respondents who live in households with income less than $30,000, half supported the reduction. Meanwhile, among people living in households with income over $100,000, only 32 per cent of respondents indicated support for the idea.

The data, particularly regarding families with children at home, made sense to MacKay, as speeding tends to be of greater concern to parents of young children than the general population.

As for Lukes, who's been acclaimed for another term as councillor for Waverley West, reducing the speed limits and increasing road safety for pedestrians remains a concern, moving forward.

"To do that, it'll take strong leadership and good communication, but we don't have much of that right now," said Lukes, who has endorsed Jenny Motkaluk's campaign for mayor. "(Reducing speed limits) will happen. I'm confident in that, but not in the near future."
A Peguis First Nation father who neglected his toddler daughter and left her to "waste away" while she was being physically abused by her mother is considering whether he'll appeal the eight-year prison sentence he received for contributing to her death.

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This article was published 19/10/2018 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Peguis First Nation father who neglected his toddler daughter and left her to "waste away" while she was being physically abused by her mother is considering whether he'll appeal the eight-year prison sentence he received for contributing to her death.

Daniel Williams, 37, was sentenced Friday to eight years in prison after a jury convicted him of manslaughter in the July 2014 death of his 21-month-old daughter Kierra Williams. A year after Child and Family Services took Kierra out of foster care and returned her to her parents, she died at the hands of her mother.

Kierra Williams

"To say that this case is tragic is an understatement. Kierra was completely helpless and she suffered. She was mistreated and neglected by her own parents. She was withdrawn from contact with her extended family and her community. The facts in this case are both horrific and heartbreaking," Court of Queen's Bench Justice Sadie Bond said as she delivered the sentence.

Advocate's investigation underway As the criminal process comes to a close in Kierra Williams' death, a child advocacy investigation is ramping up to look into gaps in social services that may have affected the 21-month-old before she died. Ainsley Krone, deputy Manitoba advocate for children and youth, said Friday the advocate's office will be able to interview Kierra's family and those who knew her once the appeal period closes on Daniel Williams' sentence. At the same time Williams was being sentenced Friday, the office was releasing its first public child-death report. Krone said the public can expect a commitment to transparency in its future investigations, including Kierra's case. click to read more As the criminal process comes to a close in Kierra Williams' death, a child advocacy investigation is ramping up to look into gaps in social services that may have affected the 21-month-old before she died. Ainsley Krone, deputy Manitoba advocate for children and youth, said Friday the advocate's office will be able to interview Kierra's family and those who knew her once the appeal period closes on Daniel Williams' sentence. At the same time Williams was being sentenced Friday, the office was releasing its first public child-death report. Krone said the public can expect a commitment to transparency in its future investigations, including Kierra's case. "Our key focus is going to be on wanting to speak to people who knew the child and who provided service to the child and their family. Those are the pieces that are on hold for us right now while the criminal (process) is underway," Krone said. "If there are gaps in the system, then what are the recommendations that our office can make and track to see changes and improvements for kids that are dependent on public services? "So there's a few different focuses of the report, but certainly telling the story of the child is the key focus for us." During the criminal case, the advocate's office was able to review written files related to Kierra's death, and Krone said it's not uncommon for them to review court material as well, although that's not the goal of their investigation. The court process for Kierra's parents involved preliminary inquiry testimony from two CFS workers who said they didn't notice any abuse or see any signs something was wrong. CFS stopped visiting Kierra's home about six months before she died and officially closed the family's file a month before her death on July 17, 2014. "I never had any concerns. I would have noticed if something was wrong because Ive worked with so many children," a retired CFS worker testified in 2016. Kierra was placed in CFS care when she was born because her two older siblings had already been taken into care due to domestic violence allegations Bushie made against Williams in 2012. He was charged with assault and uttering threats in April 2012, as well as another count of assault and breaches in September 2012. All of those charges were stayed soon afterward and the family completed programming to regain custody of their children. Close

Vanessa Bushie fatally assaulted her daughter after subjecting her to months of malnourishment and serious injuries including broken bones and a cracked skull. Bushie is serving a life sentence after she pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Kierra's death, and Williams argued he should be spared jail time because he was also a victim of Bushie's abuse.

The judge disagreed.

A Mountie escorts Vanessa Bushie into the community hall at Peguis First Nation for her preliminary hearing in 2016. (Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"In my view, that Mr. Williams may have been intimidated by a domineering or abusive spouse has a very limited impact on his moral blameworthiness in this case. It may be that Mr. Williams felt that Ms. Bushie would not listen to him, but that doesn't explain how he could have left Kierra to waste away and suffer from her injuries without care," Bond said.

"He was not kept a prisoner in his home. He could have reached out for help."

Crown prosecutors were seeking a nine-year sentence, while defence lawyer Greg Brodsky argued Williams should receive a suspended sentence and probation because he suffered "learned helplessness" as a symptom of Battered Spouse Syndrome.

A counsellor who started seeing Williams in April 2015 previously testified Williams showed signs of the syndrome and would've been afraid to challenge Bushie's parenting decisions because of the verbal, emotional and sometimes physical abuse she inflicted on him. Bond said there was a lack of independent evidence about how Bushie treated Williams, since the counsellor made the assessment based only on what Williams told him after Kierra died.

Brodsky, who was the first lawyer to successfully use the defence of Battered Spouse Syndrome in Canada in the 1980s, questioned the judge's reasoning in court Friday and later said her interpretation of the syndrome was "somewhat unexpected."

"He shouldn't be punished for being a battered spouse," Brodsky told reporters outside the courtroom, saying he is considering an appeal.

"Fortunately or unfortunately, he trusts me, so whether we appeal or not, whether he wants to appeal or not, we'll wait until I digest better the judgment the judge ordered today."

Timeline for Kierras case Oct. 8, 2012  Kierra Elektra Star Williams is born in Winnipeg, apprehended at birth by Child and Family Services and taken into foster care. A few months later, supervised visits with her family begin. Jan. 30, 2013  Kierra is temporarily removed from a foster mothers care due to an argument between the mother and another foster daughter. The incident is unrelated to the care of Kierra and no criminal charges are laid. click to read more Oct. 8, 2012  Kierra Elektra Star Williams is born in Winnipeg, apprehended at birth by Child and Family Services and taken into foster care. A few months later, supervised visits with her family begin. Jan. 30, 2013  Kierra is temporarily removed from a foster mothers care due to an argument between the mother and another foster daughter. The incident is unrelated to the care of Kierra and no criminal charges are laid. March 2, 2013 Kierra is returned to her foster mother. She is treated for an ear infection and a rash that developed while she was away, and is considered healthy. July 2013  Kierra is returned to her parents after they complete all programming required by CFS, which had conducted a home inspection, developed a reunification plan and decided the baby and her two older siblings were safe to return. July 2013 to late-2013  CFS officials continue to monitor the family and set up a contract for another family member to work in the home as a support for the parents. She is to be responsible for looking after the children and helping ensure they are well cared for. October 2013  Kierras mother, Vanessa Bushie, has a heart attack and recovers. Jan. 12, 2014  CFS visits the home for the last time, and finds nothing of concern. The agency decides to close the file. February 2014  CFS agreement with Kierras older half-sister, Jasmine Bushie, expires. Jasmine Bushie contacts the CFS agency, Intertribal Family Services, about her cheque. She reports children are doing fine  the last information CFS has about their care. June 2014  The CFS file is officially closed. July 17, 2014  Twenty-one-month-old Kierra is rushed to hospital after paramedics receive a call about an infant in distress. Medical staff try to revive her, but are unsuccessful. She is pronounced dead. January 2015  Kierras death is deemed a homicide. RCMP lay criminal charges against the girls mother, father and sister. Dec. 5, 2016  A preliminary inquiry begins to determine whether there is enough evidence for the criminal case to go to trial. The Crown drops charges against Jasmine Bushie. Dec. 20, 2016  Vanessa Bushie and Daniel Williams are committed to stand trial in Manitoba Court of Queens Bench. Jan. 19, 2017  Jasmine Bushie sues RCMP and Intertribal Child and Family Services, claiming they wrongfully accused her in her sister's death and seriously damaged her reputation. The lawsuit is still before the court. The attorney general issued a statement of defence in April 2017 saying Manitoba RCMP conducted a "careful, cautious and conscientious" homicide investigation. April 3, 2017  Bushie pleads guilty to second-degree murder in her daughters death. Aug. 2, 2017  Bushie is sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole for 14 years. Feb. 26, 2018  A jury convicts Williams of manslaughter in Kierras death. July 26, 2018  Court of Queens Bench Justice Sadie Bond hears sentencing submissions. The Crown seeks a nine-year sentence for Williams, the defence asks for no jail time. Oct. 19, 2018  Williams is sentenced to eight years in prison. Bond describes the case as "horrific and heartbreaking." Close

Bond emphasized Kierra's parents made a "deliberate choice" not to take her to the hospital or allow her to be seen in the community because they feared CFS would again take away their two older children.

"We both made that decision because we didn't want to lose our other babies," Williams told RCMP when he was interviewed during the police investigation. "I was hoping she would get better, but she didn't."

It's "simply impossible to accept" that Williams believed Kierra would heal without medical intervention, Bond decided, because of her obvious injuries.

By the time paramedics rushed her to hospital on July 17, 2014, Kierra's skin was already turning grey. She weighed only 17 pounds and looked more like a nine-month-old baby than a nearly two-year-old girl. She had several broken bones, a cracked skull, five missing teeth, a dislocated shoulder and an eroded nose, which was blamed on eczema.

According to testimony from Kierras older half-sisters, who babysat for her and saw how Bushie treated her, the toddler was hit, pushed, slapped, force-fed and kept in a locked room for hours or even days without food or a diaper change and made to sleep on the floor.

CFS workers didn't notice the abuse, according to previous court testimony. A social worker visited the family's home for the final time in January 2014, finding the house well-kept and the children well cared for. Kierra was sleeping at the time.

Before he was sentenced Friday, Williams had been on bail since his arrest in the homicide and is considered a low risk to reoffend, having been described as a gentle, thoughtful, hard-working man who had a stable upbringing with his seven siblings. He previously told Bond he devoted himself to his work and didn't pay enough attention to what was happening at home.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Metis survivors of the 60s Scoop are in Winnipeg at a special symposium this weekend to advise leaders on what they want from the Canadian government.

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This article was published 19/10/2018 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Metis survivors of the 60s Scoop are in Winnipeg at a special symposium this weekend to advise leaders on what they want from the Canadian government.

The event at the Fort Garry Hotel will spotlight the Metis, who were never acknowledged to be among the thousands of Indigenous children who were removed from their homes and placed with non-Indigenous families from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Some accounts have put the Metis number at a quarter of all displaced children: as many as 5,000 out of the estimated 22,000 adults seeking redress.

"There will probably be about 100 survivors here, as selected by the provincial Metis governments, to speak on behalf of Metis survivors and families and tell us what would be justice for them, so we can put that together," Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) president David Chartrand said by phone Friday.

Delegates were picked by Metis groups in British Columbia, Ontario and across the Prairies. Trauma counsellors will be on hand and a video team available to record accounts.

The MMF is hosting the symposium to get direction on a framework to negotiate with the Canadian government. Its expected to include a strong focus on reconciliation measures, not just financial compensation payments.

Theres a sense of urgency to get a deal done as the clock ticks down to the next federal election in October 2019.

"A year sounds like a long time, but its not in politics," Chartrand said. "To me, its very important that framework be done as expeditiously as possible.

"The messaging Im hearing from the Conservatives worries me. At this point, we have a prime minister that cares and ministers that are sincere. Theyve proven themselves. Time is not on our side."

A year ago, Metis and non-status Indian survivors were excluded from an $800-million settlement that ended a number of class-action lawsuits against the provincial and federal governments.

If approved, the settlement would generate payouts in the range of $25,000 to $50,000 per person for status Indians from First Nations and Inuit survivors.

The settlement ran into trouble with survivors who opposed the $75-million cost for legal fees.

This summer, the settlement was held up in court when a senior Ontario judge ruled the fees were "excessive and unreasonable."

One Metis suit was filed in Saskatchewan on the grounds the settlement discriminated against the Metis by leaving them out.

Ottawa has indicated it wants a settlement with the Metis on the issue and Chartrand said thats what hes working on, but first needs to hear from people who were part of the Scoop.

Many Scoop survivors who made their way back to Canada as adults reported trauma similar to what happened in residential schools with accounts of physical, emotional and sexual abuse and the connections they lost to family, cultures and languages.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca
I was first in touch with Jamal Khashoggi  the Saudi journalist who disappeared on Oct. 2  while setting up an interview with Osama bin Ladens former close friend and brother-in-law, Mohammad Jamal Khalifa, for the CBC back in 2003.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/10/2018 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

I was first in touch with Jamal Khashoggi  the Saudi journalist who disappeared on Oct. 2  while setting up an interview with Osama bin Ladens former close friend and brother-in-law, Mohammad Jamal Khalifa, for the CBC back in 2003.

It was two years after Sept. 11, 2001, when 2,977 victims were killed by four co-ordinated attacks against the United States by the al-Qaida terrorist group, and the world was still searching for reasons behind the tide of anti-Americanism across the Arab world.

Khalifa was a murky character at the time (he has since died in a mysterious killing in Madagascar in 2007). After Sept. 11, 2001, he always maintained publicly that he had fallen out with bin Ladens decision to form al-Qaida in 1988. He was accused of being a major financier for the al-Qaida-aligned Abu Sayyaf terrorist group and reportedly also played a controversial role in the arrest of the group that attempted to blow up the World Trade Centre in 1993.

Khashoggi, then the deputy editor-in-chief of Arab News, a Gulf English language daily, was one of dozens of Saudi-based journalists and political observers I reached out to in an effort to track down Khalifa. For several months, all my calls and emails went unanswered. And then Khashoggi responded.

Yes, I know Khalifa, he told me via email. And yes, he could help facilitate an in-person interview with him.

From a news perspective, it was a great scoop: a rare opportunity to speak to someone who had once been close to bin Laden. Khashoggi not only followed through with the interview, but he also sought out several other English-speaking political analysts to take part in another separate television segment  a panel discussing Saudi affairs.

A wide source-list: Saudi royals and terrorists

I know I am not alone among foreign journalists who have had similarly positive experiences working with Khashoggi. Any reporter or policy researcher who has covered the Gulf countries can attest to how difficult it is to find helpful, credible and thoughtful voices who are willing to share their insight on life inside the elusive kingdom.

In this respect, Khashoggi was a breath of fresh air. He always seemed to be fine with appearing on camera and being identified in news reports.

But Khashoggi was also noticeably cautious. This caution likely prompted any reporter who used him as a source to assess him with a healthy degree of scrutiny. How many journalists after all  no matter how high they are  can honestly say they have sources to both international terrorists and elusive members of the Saudi royal family?

Its no secret Khashoggi had parallel careers as both a reporter and a government adviser. From 2003 to 2006 he was the right-hand man of the powerful Saudi prince, Faisal bin Turki, a former spy chief and ambassador to the U.S. and the United Kingdom. Clearly, he was no ordinary journalist.

Polite requests for new freedoms

But he was also no ordinary political adviser. Under his editorial direction at Arab News, for instance, he bravely published editorials that called for more personal freedoms and greater employment for Saudi youth, and allowed coverage of public demands by migrant workers and Shia minority communities in Bahrain. These are virtual no-go areas in Gulf news outlets.

It would be misleading, however, to portray him in the way some leading journalists have since his disappearance last week in Turkey. Khashoggi wasnt "a fierce critic" of the Saudi regime.

Before he decided to start using The Washington Post last year as a platform to effect change (after being constantly suspended from writing in various Saudi media), his criticism of the leadership could probably best be described as subtle with polite reservations of the kingdoms policies.

"Khashoggi was a smooth, articulate and polite defender of the realm," says Madawi al-Rasheed, a visiting professor at the London School of Economics in a column for U.K. publication Middle East Eye. "His reservations on Saudi policies have always been subtle and tolerated."

They were especially tolerated  and no doubt appreciated by the ruling elite  when he publicly supported the Saudi position on the disastrous war in Yemen (although his recent editorials in the Washington Post take on a decidedly different tone), the execution of leading Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in 2016 and the 2011 Saudi-led military crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired activists in Bahrain.

Khashoggis disappearance

In the days after Khashoggis disappearance, its worth noticing that many of the experts, journalists and political officials he regularly debated with on air also expressed sorrow  and respect for what he stood for. "Jamal Khashoggi and I disagreed on many issues, but unlike many of his Saudi and UAE colleagues he was always civil and polite to me and other Iranians," tweeted Mohammad Marandi, a professor of English literature and orientalism at the University of Tehran.

Another journalist in Bahrain who has been imprisoned numerous times for covering the violent Saudi crackdown on unarmed activists, vehemently disagreed with Khashoggis perception of Iranian encroachment in the region, but told me he still credits Khashoggi for trying to bring reform. "You dont survive in Saudi if you dont have friends. I can tell you from experience he was focused on getting the real story with all views out."

In the end, it was Khashoggis own "friends" that silenced him. And if the latest accounts of his death by Turkish media and authorities are true  that there was an assault and a struggle inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he was last seen walking into  then he follows a long line of other critics who have paid tragically to speak truth to power.

Its a vital reminder not only of Riyadhs crazed obsession with stifling dissent, but of the need to genuinely respect and value intellectuals with diverse perspectives.

Shenaz Kermalli is a journalism instructor at Ryerson University.

This article was first published at The Conversation Canada: theconversation.com/ca.
Once the dust had settled on the lists of registered candidates running for Winnipeg city council, we discovered there would be one acclamation: incumbent Coun. Janice Lukes in the new ward of Waverley West. The news must have irked Mayor Brian Bowman, since Lukes has become one of the mayors most ardent and vocal council critics. Bowman is now campaigning for re-election against Jenny Motkaluks scrappy challenge, while Lukes coasts unopposed to a second term on Winnipeg council.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/10/2018 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Once the dust had settled on the lists of registered candidates running for Winnipeg city council, we discovered there would be one acclamation: incumbent Coun. Janice Lukes in the new ward of Waverley West. The news must have irked Mayor Brian Bowman, since Lukes has become one of the mayors most ardent and vocal council critics. Bowman is now campaigning for re-election against Jenny Motkaluks scrappy challenge, while Lukes coasts unopposed to a second term on Winnipeg council.

Three other council incumbents  North Kildonans Jeff Browaty, St. Bonifaces Matt Allard and St. Vitals Brian Mayes  all appeared to be cruising toward acclamation themselves. But they were foiled in this respect when challengers threw their hats into the ring.

Still, Browaty, Allard and Mayes must be considered the odds-on favourites to win their wards. Incumbency is a powerful benefit in most Canadian local elections.

Incumbent councillors begin their races with name recognition. They have had four years to position themselves front-and-centre before their constituents, either via the media or through their own local efforts to reach out to residents of their wards and represent those residents interests on council. In contrast, challengers may have to spend the entire campaign period trying to build the name recognition incumbents take for granted. Many challengers simply dont make it out of the gate.

Further, most municipal elections in Canada are non-partisan in nature. Political parties are good at organizing policies and conflict and they give voters a shortcut to follow when they vote. In doing so, parties can help to circumvent the incumbency advantage. They may also provide funding and volunteers to challengers to help them take on incumbents. Without parties, challengers are always playing catch-up.

As a result, incumbents might scare off challengers. In the current council races, we can see how a lack of an incumbent can drive interest in the position. In Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry, Jenny Gerbasis retirement has seen seven candidates line up to replace her. Its the same story in Transcona, where the absence of an incumbent following Russ Wyatts decision not to seek re-election has led to no fewer than nine candidates in the race. Potential candidates understand that incumbency is a major strength in municipal politics and that they stand a better chance when running for an open seat.

Acclamations are an entirely different story. They may be a testament to the strength of the incumbent in the race. We know, for example, that in the "race before the race," potential candidates are dissuaded by the presence of strong incumbents.

So, Lukes can pat herself on the back in thinking her decision to run in Waverley West likely scared off potential challengers.

On the other hand, we should worry about acclamations. What could possibly explain why out of the roughly 40,000 residents of Waverley West, not a single person was willing to step forward to challenge the incumbent? A healthy democracy depends on vibrant competition between candidates in elections and acclamations deprive the voters of a choice. If we see many acclamations and uncompetitive races, it may reflect that potential candidates do not see the role as sufficiently important to be worth pursuing.

Further, acclamations have serious implications for accountability. Elections are opportunities for voters to hold incumbents accountable for the decisions they have made and the actions they have taken over the course of their terms in office. Incumbents campaign on the basis of what they have achieved, while their opponents try to cast doubt on that record. If incumbents have failed to represent the interests and concerns of their constituents, they should expect to be held accountable when they stand for re-election. But when there is no race, there is no opportunity for voters to hold the incumbent accountable.

How often are candidates for municipal politics in Canada acclaimed? With respect to mayoral races: in Canadas 100 largest cities between 2004 and 2014, only 13 mayoral elections (four per cent) were decided by acclamation. That is not a particularly high percentage, but anecdotal evidence suggests the number would likely be higher in less populous municipalities where the talent pool from which to draw candidates is limited.

In terms of competitiveness, school-trustee elections in Winnipegs several school divisions have produced mixed results. There are several acclamations, but also races in which the number of candidates is high and competition is fierce. In Ward 3 of the Pembina Trails Division, for example, nine candidates are running for three trustee positions. One only need to drive through these neighbourhoods to see the number of campaign signs erected by trustee candidates to realize that local democracy is alive and well.

Royce Koop is an associate professor and head of the political studies department at the University of Manitoba.
Most Americans abhor trophy hunting, as is evident from the anger that erupts each time we hear of a killing spree by an American trophy hunter abroad.
Sanctuary cities, Sessions said, reject the law, reward criminals and put U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in peril. Then he smiled and began attacking Jim Kenney, Philadelphias Democratic mayor.

Philadelphia had emerged as one of the largest thorns in the Trump administrations side. It wore its sanctuary reputation like a badge of honor, and its leaders, including Kenney and District Attorney Larry Krasner, continued to find creative ways to outmaneuver ICEs enforcement efforts. Just a week earlier, Philadelphia won a federal lawsuit that Kenney filed against the Department of Justice. At risk had been a $1.6 million law enforcement grant, and the critical question of whether Philadelphia  and, by implication, cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco  could limit cooperation with ICE without being penalized by the federal government.

The attorney general told his audience that hed seen a video of Kenney dancing giddily in the wake of the court victory. He is celebrating keeping criminals in Philadelphia that by law should be deported, Sessions said. But it was worse than that; cities like Philadelphia, he said, send a message to criminals: Stay here, and we will protect you. That directly attracts more criminals.

Kenney saw his administrations role in a more noble light. By wielding policy to fight back against Trump and ICE, the citys leaders believed they were sending an important message: Immigrants could trust the city and feel comfortable reporting crimes.

Philadelphias violent crime rate has fallen by more than 17 percent, to levels not seen in decades, since it became a sanctuary city in 2014.

To Kenney, Sessions criticism of so-called sanctuary cities and counties, which had shot up to more than 700 since Trump took office, were less about public safety and more about pandering to anti-immigrant voters. Trump and Sessions and those folks rule by division and fear, by putting out intentionally wrong views of who people are and what they are, and what they aspire to be, Kenney said in an interview. Trump wants to use Philadelphia to play to the heartland of people who are scared of anyone thats a different color than them.

This is the immigration debate most people are familiar with, writ large: each side seeing itself as good, the other as bad, and neither willing to move beyond the lines drawn without worrying that it will appear, to their supporters, like a surrender.

But the reality of life in a sanctuary city like Philadelphia is far more complex

The citys police union, like many across the country, heartily endorsed Trump in the 2016 election, but many commanders and rank-and-file officers are committed to winning the trust of immigrant communities by not asking about peoples immigration status or contacting ICE to share data. And Krasner, elected on a reformers platform, has prosecutors regularly adjusting plea deals to help immigrant defendants avoid deportation.

But ProPublica and the Philadelphia Inquirer found that the citys resistance to ICEs agenda comes with some surprising caveats: On two dozen occasions, police, probation officers and even one of Kenneys top deputies have quietly provided tips to ICE about undocumented immigrants who were charged with crimes. Other forms of information-sharing still continue, which shows that even the most extreme of sanctuary cities eventually bend to comply with a federal law that says local governments cannot restrict sharing immigration status with ICE.

For the undocumented immigrants who dream that cities like Philadelphia can shelter them in a protective bubble, these contradictions are a reminder that true sanctuary doesnt exist anywhere in America.

Ive Beaten Myself Up About It

Not long into the first year of the Trump administration, Brian Abernathy, Philadelphias deputy managing director and one of Kenneys closest aides, had a difficult decision to make. On separate occasions, city prison officials alerted him to five undocumented inmates who were being released on bond before they faced trial on felony charges that included attempted murder and the rape of a child.

An executive order signed in 2014 by Michael Nutter, the mayor at the time, and later reinforced by Kenney, barred officials from giving ICE advance notice about the pending release of undocumented inmates, or from detaining those individuals for ICE unless its agents obtained a judicial arrest warrant. But Abernathy found these crimes particularly disturbing.

His dilemma called to mind a notorious case that ICE officials have repeatedly tried to use to undercut Philadelphias sanctuary policies: Juan Ramon Vasquez, a Honduras native arrested in the city in 2014 in a domestic assault case. ICE supplied the city with a detainer request for Vasquez, who had been deported in 2009, but the city wouldnt honor it. Prosecutors eventually dropped the charges, and Vasquez was released. He was arrested again in 2016  this time, for raping a young relative. He is now in prison.

The episode highlighted the potential risk  critics argued Vasquezs crime was the citys responsibility.

Abernathy made up his mind. He told an ICE official about the five suspects. Agents apprehended the men late at night, outside of city jails. At the time, I thought it was the right thing to do. Looking back on it, I dont think it was, Abernathy said recently. Its a hard issue, and Ive beaten myself up about it.

He wasnt the only public employee reaching out to ICE. Even after the city adopted its sanctuary policy, Philadelphia police notified the agency about undocumented suspects they arrested on about 10 occasions, according to federal court records.

The Kenney administration chalked those instances up to a simple misunderstanding about the policy and has since clarified no notifications are to occur going forward for any reason. But there were others, outside of the mayors control.

Officers from the Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department have also turned in clients who they believed were undocumented to ICE. In the last three fiscal years, information from probation and parole officers led to 84 ICE arrests in Philadelphia; the most common crimes involved driving under the influence, assault and drugs, according to ICE data compiled by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

Richard McSorley, the deputy court administrator who oversees the probation department, declined to be interviewed by ProPublica and the Inquirer.

But this practice got on the radar of the Kenney administration. During a September meeting with city and court leaders, the probation department agreed to restrict its officers from asking clients about immigration status or contacting ICE if they learn someone is undocumented  even though probation officers work for the First Judicial District, which isnt obligated to follow the mayors executive order.

ICE officials said they were unaware of the probation departments new stance.

Immigration advocates have been pushing for cities to rein in their cooperation with ICE ever since deportation rates climbed to an all-time high of more than 200,000 a year in the early years of Barack Obamas presidency; most of this was due to new databases that made it easier for ICE agents to sweep up undocumented immigrants in jails and prisons.

With national immigration reform at an apparent impasse in Congress, local resistance seemed like the best hope for protecting immigrants who were here illegally, but had set down roots, raised families and contributed to their communities, to avoid getting caught up in a deportation dragnet.

Under Trump, ICEs increasingly aggressive pursuit of immigrant communities in states like Pennsylvania has only succeeded in pushing leaders of sanctuary cities further apart from their federal counterparts. Every inflammatory comment from Sessions or Trump, who referred to immigrants as animals during a meeting with California sheriffs this year, makes it difficult for sanctuary city officials to contemplate a dialogue with ICE about compromises.

The rhetoric thats happening on a national scale  illegal immigrants are causing crime, taking your jobs, all that posturing  drives a political base and has made it impossible to have a conversation, Abernathy said. I cant cooperate with ICE on immigration enforcement because what theyre doing is wrong.

ICE officials met with Kenneys office this summer in an attempt to discuss the impasse between the city and ICE, and they left frustrated.

Their stance was basically they treat every single individual in the city of Philadelphia as all U.S. citizens, said an ICE official, adding: Unfortunately, theres hundreds of thousands of people waiting to legally immigrate into the U.S.  How fair is it to those people, trying to legally come in, if we allow people to stay here illegally that committed crimes?

This summer, Philadelphia inflamed the Justice Department anew. Krasner and the mayor, amid pressure from protesters who camped outside City Hall, announced that the city would not renew its contract with ICE that gave immigration agents access to a citywide database of real-time arrest information, known by the acronym PARS, that included a persons Social Security number, country of birth, address and police report.

Kenney presented the move as a moral decision to stop ICE from targeting innocent immigrants. All of us have ancestors who were once immigrants, he said at a City Hall news conference. All of us.

ICE officials complained about the loss of the useful intelligence tool. In a letter to the city solicitor, the agency wrote ICE has neither violated the PARS contract nor abused its use of information derived from PARS. ICE does not use PARS to target victims and witnesses and does not engage in racial profiling.

Months before cutting ICE off from PARS, the city began sending  at the urging of the federal judge presiding over their lawsuit  information to the agency culled from the Philadelphia prison systems Lock and Track database. With Lock and Track, agents could see some inmates name, race and self-reported country of origin, but Kenneys administration believed the information wouldnt be of much use to ICE and would remove a point of contention in the case.

It Takes Into Consideration His Ability to Stay Here

For Krasner, who was swept into office with a promise to reinvent Philadelphias criminal justice system, there was no conflict: The DAs Office would find ways for immigrant defendants who were guilty of crimes to be punished without falling into ICEs hands, and to avoid probation officers altogether.

One of Krasners first decisions was to hire Caleb Arnold, a bespectacled former public defender who had been working at a local immigration law firm, to a newly created immigration counsel position.

Arnolds job was to craft plea deals to help prevent immigrants from being deported or losing other legal rights if they were convicted of low-level offenses.

He is taking into account and recognizing the immense consequence of deportation, Arnold said of Krasner. He feels it should be considered in the criminal justice system.

The stakes are high: An immigrant convicted of a crime could lose legal status, while a conviction for an undocumented immigrant would erase almost any shot at being spared deportation through a humanitarian visa.

In late May, Arnold arrived at an eighth-floor courtroom in Philadelphias Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice, where a nervous-looking young man in a short-sleeved button-down and saggy blue jeans stood in the hallway.

Jose Ramirez-Disla was a 19-year-old from the Dominican Republic who had lived in the U.S. legally on a green card for almost two years.

In the spring of 2017, he got into a fight inside the Chihuahua, a bar in Philadelphias Olney neighborhood. He chucked a beer bottle at another man, fracturing his orbital bone, and was charged with a felony count of aggravated assault and related offenses. If convicted of an aggravated assault, he would face deportation.

Thats where Arnold came in. For 20 minutes, Ramirez-Dislas lawyer and a young city prosecutor huddled in the hallway with Arnold, who sketched out the terms of a favorable deal: If Ramirez-Disla pleaded to a misdemeanor and took 11 months in jail with no probation and no right to appeal, the DAs Office would drop the more serious charge. He would do more time than if he had been convicted of aggravated assault, but hed get another chance to remain in the country on good terms.

Thats fair. He has to pay his time, Arnold explained. It takes into consideration his ability to stay here.

This sort of negotiation had become routine. Arnolds office has assessed more than 200 cases since February, though they dont intervene in all of them and some of the adjustments are minimal. Krasner said he wont consider deals for sex offenders and murderers, but hes still faced backlash from veteran prosecutors and some judges to this newfound approach.

Krasner isnt fazed by internal resistance. Youre dealing with multigenerational, self-selected prosecutors in this office, whose politics are not necessarily identical to my politics, or the politics of the movement that elected me, or the politics of Caleb Arnold, he said.

When asked for case information about all of the agreements Arnold has overseen, the DAs Office refused. It provided anonymized summaries of nine, to show a range of outcomes. In one instance, a defendant was charged with robbery and theft after stealing someones backpack. The defendant agreed to a downgrade to simple assault and theft, with a recommended sentence of 5 1/2 to 11 months.

Presented with the case of a green card resident whod been charged with possession of child pornography, Arnold didnt intervene.

Back in the eighth-floor courtroom, Ramirez-Disla discussed Arnolds offer with his lawyer and grew teary-eyed. But agreeing to spend nearly a year in jail was his only chance to stay in the country. He decided to accept.

We Are Not in the Immigration Business

Despite the warnings from Sessions in Scranton about the terrible impact sanctuary policies have on public safety, violent crime in Philadelphia has plummeted in recent years.

The homicide rate has risen 9 percent this year, but Kenney insists the people who are going out and shooting those people are Philadelphians, not immigrants. Philadelphia police say this is anecdotally correct, but dont have data to bear it out, since officers dont ask people about their citizenship status.

As proof that community policing and sanctuary policies work, immigration advocates and police point to South Philadelphias Third District, which is home to large Mexican and Asian communities.

Capt. Frank Milillo, the districts commander, deploys a handful of bilingual officers to engage immigrant residents and explain they can contact police in an emergency without having to worry about attracting ICEs attention. Sometimes his officers visit the Mexican Consulate, where they try to bond over coffee and doughnuts with immigrants who initially cringe at the sight of someone in a badge and uniform.

I assure the community that you can come and report a crime, and were not asking about your immigration background, Milillo said.

His boss, Police Commissioner Richard Ross, has identified the Police Departments primary concerns as combating the citys gun violence epidemic and building stronger relationships in minority communities. We are not in the immigration business, Ross has said.

During the federal lawsuit, David ONeill, an assistant director from ICEs Philadelphia field office, said he was not aware of any data that showed deporting more immigrants from Philadelphia reduces the citys crime rate.

Though ICE officials prefer to talk about the agencys work pursuing criminals, its actions show an increased focus on deporting anyone who is in the country illegally, clean record or not. ICE didnt appear to be pursuing many criminal targets in Philadelphia through the criminal justice system. In 2016 and 2017, ICE filed 164 detainer requests with the city for undocumented immigrants  court records show  one to two a week, on average.

Of the 164, only 27 were people with prior felony convictions; of those, most were for nonviolent offenses such as criminal trespass and shoplifting. ICE obtained judicial warrants for just six of the 164 inmates it wanted turned over.

ICE has long said the insistence by sanctuary city officials for judicial arrest warrants before holding someone in jail was an unreasonable burden. In many cases, it doesnt have standing to request one. ICE also said 61 percent of immigrants without criminal convictions arrested this year came to the agencys attention because of criminal charges, even if they were not convicted.

U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson, who presided over the federal trial, all but scoffed at ICEs explanation for why it couldnt comply with the citys requirement for judicial warrants. Baylson, a Republican appointed by President George W. Bush, wrote in a 93-page decision that there was no reason why ICE officials couldnt craft a solution with the local U.S. Attorneys Office to more easily meet Philadelphias demands for an arrest warrant.

The federal government is appealing Baylsons decision.

Is Pablo Here? We Want to Talk to Him

Immigrants are still drawn to Philadelphia, hoping to find refuge and a small piece of the American dream in the shadows of gleaming new skyscrapers and old rowhouse neighborhoods. But even in the most determined sanctuary city, they wont find unbreachable protection.

For Enid Melissa Bartolomei and Pablo Castillo Trujillo, Philadelphia seemed as if it might hold the key to unlocking the life they wanted to build together.

Trujillo, 41, hired someone to help him cross the Mexico border and into the U.S. in the summer of 2017. He ended up in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, a Burlington County suburb a dozen miles east of Philadelphia, where Hispanics make up less than 5 percent of its 41,000 residents. There he met Bartolomei, a 36-year-old Puerto Rico native who worked at a local law firm, and settled into what seemed like a welcoming environment for immigrants: Gov. Phil Murphy had vowed to make New Jersey a sanctuary state, and his administration, like Kenneys, sued the Justice Department.

Trujillo and Bartolomei got engaged, and Trujillo worked landscaping jobs to help support her parents. The couple made multiple trips to the Mexican Consulate in the heart of Philadelphias historic district, believing officials there could devise a path to citizenship for Trujillo.

In early April, Bartolomei heard a knock at her front door.

She found two men standing there in vests that identified them as ICE agents. One had gone into her mailbox and was looking through the bills, including one addressed to Trujillo. A third lurked in her backyard.

Is Pablo here? one agent asked. We want to talk to him.

Hes not, she said. Whats this about?

Her mind raced. As far as she knew, Trujillo hadnt gotten into any legal trouble in the time they were together. Then Bartolomei remembered that police talked to her a few weeks earlier at her apartment, with Trujillo in the background, after a neighbor complained her car was blocking a shared driveway. Maybe thats how ICE ended up at her door, she thought.

The ICE agents left, and Bartolomei called the consulate in a panic. An employee told her to leave her apartment and not return. She and Trujillo spent the night at her parents home. Well go to the consulate in the morning and figure this out, he told her.

The next day, they began driving to Philadelphia. They could reach the consulate in 20 minutes if they hurried. Bartolomei wondered: Could the consulate keep her fiance safe? Would he be better off trying for sanctuary in a church?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a cruiser filled with ICE agents, who pulled her over, ordered Trujillo out of the car and took him away from her.

According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security records, he had been deported once before, in 2015, when he entered the U.S. illegally. In May, he was sent back to Mexico.

Bartolomei plans to fly there soon to marry Trujillo, but their reunion will be short-lived. Her family needs her in New Jersey, and Trujillo cant apply to return to the U.S. legally for 20 years.

She recently sat in a local Starbucks, dabbing at tears with a napkin as she mulled the question of what a sanctuary city really means.

It doesnt mean anything, she said. ICE just finds a way around it.
A fourth former member of Scott Walkers cabinet has condemned him publicly for lacking integrity and placing his political ambitions above the interests of the state.

Republican Paul Jadin is a former mayor of Green Bay and was the first secretary of Walkers scandal-plagued economic development agency, commonly known as WEDC. Jadins signature appeared today on an open letter slamming Walkers unethical, self-serving behavior and his mismanagement of the state, particularly his handling of education, transportation and safety issues.

The letter was also signed by Walkers Corrections Secretary Ed Wall and his former Financial Institutions Secretary Peter Bildsten. All three Republican said theyre backing Democrat Tony Evers for governor.

Former Transportation Department Secretary Mark Gottlieb also has been critical of Walker, but he did not sign the letter and has not publicly endorsed Evers. A Republican Assembly leader before joining Walkers administration in 2011, Gottlieb recently said Walker was not truthful and increasingly inaccurate in comments about transportation funding.

In their letter, Jadin, Wall and Bildsten wrote, Gov. Walker has consistently eschewed sound management practices in favor of schemes or coverup and has routinely put his future ahead of the state. The result is micromanagement, manipulation and mischief. We have all been witness to more than our share of this.

The three former officials wrote they had believed in Walkers agenda when they began working for his administration, but had become disillusioned. They said during Walkers run for president in 2015, he sacrificed Wisconsins interests to his political strategy in the early-voting primary states Iowa and New Hampshire.

Walker was the first Republican to drop out of the race, due to his inability to manage his campaign budget, even though at one point he led with fundraising. It took two years for Walker to pay off his $1.2 million campaign debt, which he finally accomplished by selling off his donor list.

Ed Wall's tell-all book "Unethical" In his book Unethical, former Wisconsin prisons secretary Ed Wall wrote that Scott Walker and Attorney General Brad Schimel drove him to the b

'Manipulation and mischief'

While Jadin, Wall and Bildsten didnt elaborate on Walkers manipulation and mischief, Democrats for years have complained about his pay-for-play dealings with his financial donors and his dictatorial, Trump-like management style.

Walker has centralized power in the governors office to an alarming degree, drastically reducing the ability of municipalities and local governments to make taxing and spending decisions. He slashed state tax revenues that are shared with local governments, choosing instead to spend the money on tax breaks for the states wealthiest Republican donors and their businesses.

Many Republican officials have criticized Walker, although until now very few have spoken out publicly for fear of his well-documented penchant for retribution.

Wall went so far as to write a tell-all book about his experiences as a member of Walkers cabinet. In the book Unethical, the former Wisconsin prisons secretary wrote that Walker and Attorney General Brad Schimel drove him to the brink of suicide by ignoring problems at the states troubled youth prison and then making him the fall guy when the press caught wind of the abusive conditions at Lincoln Hills Youth Prison.

Many political observers on both sides of the aisle have complained about Walkers handling of WEDC. The agency was supposed to award financial support to companies in exchange for job creation in the state, but it failed to track the number of jobs that its awardees created and retained. A 2017 report by the Legislative Audit Bureau found that WEDC had handed out nearly $10 million in bad loans over the prior two years and had failed to turn over millions in tax credit repayments to the state.

Not only had WEDC failed to recover loans made to troubled companies, it gave out $126 million without a formal review. Millions of taxpayer dollars disappeared through WEDC and have never been accounted for, even as Walker slashed spending on education and health care because he said the state couldnt afford the expenditures.

Following the bureaus audit, Walker tried to shut it down, claiming that it was partisan because its findings cast him in a negative light. He has succeeded in terminating other non-partisan bureaus that issued reports that were critical of his administration.

By packing the Supreme Court with judges loyal to him, Walker was able to change state election law retroactively to protect himself from prosecution for illegally coordinating his campaign with supporting super PACs. Federal law prohibits such coordination, as do all the other states, except for Florida.
How 2018 Became the Year of the Black Progressive

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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.

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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.
Conagra Brands, Inc. engages in the manufacture and sale of processed and packaged foods. It operates through the following segments: Grocery and Snacks; Refrigerated and Frozen; International; and Foodservice. The Grocery and Snacks segment includes branded, shelf stable food products sold in various retail channels in the United States. The Refrigerated and Frozen segment comprises branded, temperature controlled food products sold in various retail channels in the United States. The International segment consists branded food products, in various temperature states, sold in various retail and foodservice channels outside of the United States. The Foodservice segment focuses in the branded and customized food products, including meals, entrees, sauces, and a variety of custom-manufactured culinary products packaged for sale to restaurants and other foodservice establishments in the United States. The company was founded by Alva Kinney and Frank Little in 1919 and is headquartered in Chicago, IL.

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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.
8 hours ago

The TJX Companies Is Breaking Out To New Highs

The TJX Companies Is A Retailer You Can Buy Earnings from the retail sector have been robust this quarter and The TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) is participating in the trend. The company not only reported better than expected earnings but gave an indication business trends were still advancing.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, 2nd Road Pty Ltd., ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Ltd, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Innovation Singapore Holdings Pte, ?What If! Limited, ?What If! Shanghai Co. Ltd, ?What If! USA LLC, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD Dialeto Agencia de Publicidade SA, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Beijing) Mobile Technology Co Ltd, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co Ltd, Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (South Africa) Pty Limited, Accenture (UK) Ltd, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Azerbaijan Ltd, Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BV, Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A, Accenture CAS GmbH, Accenture Canada Holdings Inc., Accenture Capital DAC, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd., Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SAS, Accenture Customer Services Limited, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Ltd, Accenture Delivery Poland sp. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital France Holdings SA, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance (Gibraltar) III Ltd, Accenture Finance GmbH, Accenture Finance GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II GmbH, Accenture Finance II GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Finance II Ltd, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services Srl, Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Ghana Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Ltd., Accenture Global Services Ltd, Accenture Global Solutions Ltd, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services Ltd, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc., Accenture Holding GmbH, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holding GmbH in liquidation, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SAS, Accenture Holdings plc, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazylym Cozumleri Limited irketi), Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company (Accenture Endustriyel Yazlm Cozumleri Limited Sirketi), Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture Insurance Services SAS, Accenture Insurance Services SpA, Accenture International BV, Accenture International Capital SCA, Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture International Sarl, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea BV, Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Managed Services SpA, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Middle East B.V, Accenture Middle East BV, Accenture Minority I BV, Accenture Minority III Ltd, Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi (Pty) Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Newco LLC, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations Sp. z o.o., Accenture Outsourcing SRL, Accenture Outsourcing Services, Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations BV, Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru S.R.L, Accenture Peru S.R.L., Accenture Post Trade Processing SAS, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process Ltd, Accenture Product Lifecycle Services, Accenture Properties, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture S.A., Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture SAS, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sendirian Berhad, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Ltd, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.r.l., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services Sp. z o.o., Accenture Services Sp. z.o.o., Accenture Services and Technology Srl, Accenture Services fur Kreditinstitute GmbH, Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Servicos Administrativos Ltda, Accenture Servicos de Suporte de Negocios Ltda, Accenture Solutions Co Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Sp. z o.o., Accenture Sp. z.o.o., Accenture SpA, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc., Accenture Sub Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag KFT, Accenture Technologia, Accenture Technologia Consultoria e Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Technology Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions SAS, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn. Bhd., Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures BV, Accenture Technology Ventures S.P.R.L., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co., Accenture Vietnam Co. LTD, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Limitada, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Customer Insight Limited, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Agave Consultants Limited, Agilex Technologies Inc., Allen International, Allen International Consulting Group Ltd, Alnova Technologies Corporation S.L., AlphaBeta Advisors, Altima, Altima Asia Ltd., Altima SAS, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Appaloosa Technology SAS, Arca, Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Avanade, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade (Thailand) Co Ltd, Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Denmark ApS, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Ltd, Avanade Europe Services Ltd, Avanade Federal Services LLC, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SAS, Avanade GZ Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd. (SH), Avanade Guangzhou, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy SRL, Avanade KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Netherlands BV, Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland Sp. z o.o., Avanade Poland Sp. z.o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain SL, Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Ltd, Avanade do Brasil Limitada, Avanade Osterreich GmbH, AvantBiz Consulting Limited, Avenai, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Benext, Bionic, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Boomerang Pharmaceuticals Communications Ireland Limited, Bow & Arrow, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brand Learning LLC, Brand Learning Ltd, Brand Learning Partners Limited, Brand Learning Pte Limited, Bridge Energy Group LLC, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CadenceQuest Inc., Capable Marketer Limited, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc., Certus Solutions Consulting Services Ltd, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cimation UK Limited, Cirruseo, Cirruseo SAS, Clarity Insights, Clearhead, Clearhead Group, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas (SN) (PTE.) Limited, Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Ltd., Cloud Talent Limited, Cloudsherpas, Cloudsherpas Inc., Cloudworks, Codagenic Pty. Ltd., Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda., Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda., Context Information Security, Coritel S.A., Corliant Inc., CreativeDrive, CustomerWorks Europe SL, Cutting Edge Solutions Ltd, D5 Global Holdings LLC, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Ltd., DMA Solutions Limited, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (Australia) PTY LTD, DayNine Consulting (Deutschland) GmbH, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting France SAS, DayNine Consulting Japan K.K., DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings, Declarative Holdings LLC, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digiplug SAS, Digital Consulting & Software Services LLC, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Ltd., Duck Creek Technologies, Duck Creek Technologies LLC, Deja Vu Security LLC, ESR Labs, Elcurator SAS, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting L.P., End-to-End Analytics, Energuia Web, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Ltd., Energy Quote Private Ltd., EnergyQuote JHA, EnergyQuote JHA Ltd., EnergyQuote Trading Ltd., Enimbos, Enkitec, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V. , Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enterprise System Partners PR LLC, Enterprise System Partners S.A.S., Entropia, Epylon, Ethica Consulting Group, Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Exton Consulting, Fairway Technologies Inc, Fairway Technologies LLC, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, First Annapolis International, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Focus Group Europe Limited, Formicary, Formicary Holdings Limited, Formicary Limited, FusionX, FutureMove Automotive, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, Genfour Limited, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gestion Altima Canada Inc., Gevity, Global Public Firm S.L., GlobalView SAS, GoodFilm GmbH Filmproduktion Stuttgart, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Hytracc Consulting UK Limited, Hytracc Holding AS, I-Faber S.p.A., IBB Consulting, IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INCAD, INSITUM, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Imagine Broadband (USA) Ltd, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Industrie&Co, Infoman AG, Infoman Schweiz AG, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Infusion Development Inc., Infusion Development UK Limited, InfusionDev LLC, Innoveer Solutions India Pvt Ltd, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria Brasil LTDA, Insitum Consultoria Colombia SAS, Insitum Consultoria Europa SL, Insitum Consultoria Peru SAC, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., Intrepid, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Advertisement (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inventor Technology Limited, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, Javelin Group (Bulgaria) EOOD, Javelin Group Limited (UK), Javelin Group SASU, K Comms Group Limited, KCS.net AG, KCS.net AG West, KCS.net Deutschland GmbH, KCS.net Holding AG, KCS.net Osterreich GmbH, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Ltd, Kogentix Singapore Pte. Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kunstmaan NV, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon UKI, Kurt Salmon UKI Ltd., Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LabAnswer, LabAnswer Government, LemonXL Limited, Logistics Market Place Limited (UK), Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Corporation, Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte. Ltd., Mackevision UK Ltd, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd., Maihiro, Matter, Matter Llc, Maud Corp Pty Limited, Maxamine International, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing Corporation, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mindtribe Product Engineering LLC, MobGen, MobGen Technology S.L, Moonrise NV, Mortgage Cadence, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, N3 LLC, NBS Marketing Inc., NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile, Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Chile SpA, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda., New Energy Aborda, New Energy Associates Ltd, New Energy Group, New Energy S.r.l., NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage China Ltd., NewsPage Pte Ltd, Nice Agency Limited, Northstream, Northstream AB, Northstream Holding AB, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology LTDA, Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Octo Technology SPRL, Octoman SAS, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Openmind, Openminded, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium Consulting Ltd, Orbium GmbH, Orbium Holding AG, Orbium Inc., Orbium International AG, Orbium International sp. z o.o., Orbium Licences AG, Orbium Limited, Orbium Pte. Ltd., Orbium Pty Ltd, Orbium Services sp. z o.o., Orbium Sarl, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PCO Innovation Canada Inc., PCO Innovation EURL, PIXO PUNCH Limited, PLM Systems S.r.l, POC Holdings, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, Pach Invest SARL, Pach Invest SAS, PacificLink Group, PacificLink iMedia Ltd., Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald Inc., Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Partners Technology Mexico Holdings BV, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production K/S, Perseroan Terbatas. Accenture, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Ltd, Pragsis Technologies S.L, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Ltd, Procurian Germany GmbH, Procurian Inc., Procurian International I LLC, Procurian International II LLC, Procurian LLC, Procurian Singapore Pte. Ltd., Procurian Switzerland GmbH, Procurian USA LLC, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co Ltd, Radiant Services, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Limited, Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (Asia) Pte Ltd, Redcore (India) Private Limited (India), Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Renacentis IT Services, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Rothco, Rothco Holdings Designated Activity Company, Rothco Unlimited Company, S.C. EnergyQuote S.r.l., S3 TV Technology Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SEC Servizi, SEC Servizi S.p.A., SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Sagacious Consultants LLC, Salt Solutions, Sanchez Capital Services Pvt Ltd, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Airline Planning Group, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace Asia (Hong Kong) Limited, Seabury Aviation Consulting LLC, Seabury Cargo Advisory B.V., Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Human Capital LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Seabury Structured Finance LLC, Search Technologies BPO, Search Technologies BPO Inc., Search Technologies GmbH, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LATAM, Search Technologies LATAM S.A., Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Sente Partners LLC, Sentelis, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Shackleton, Shackleton Barcelona S.L., Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton Madrid S.L., Shackleton S.A., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., Silveo, Simian Pty Limited, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Commerce GmbH, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., SinnerSchrader Swipe GmbH, Sistemes Consulting S.L., Solutions IQ, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Storm Digital, Storm Digital B.V., Structure Consulting Group, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Systor AG, TQuila Limited (UK), Tadata Creative Unlimited Company, Tara Insurance DAC, Tara Risk DAC, TargetST8, TargetST8 Consulting LLC, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica Ltd., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Limited, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Total Logistics Supply Chain Consultants Limited, Tquila, Trivadis AG, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Verax Solutions, Verax Solutions Corporation, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong, Vertical Retail Consulting Hong Kong Ltd., Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd., Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, Weblinc Pty Ltd, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wire Stone Sarl, Wolox, Workforce Insight, Yesler, Zag, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines, Zenta Global Philippines Inc., Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc., Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, and solid-serVision.com GmbH.
Agilent Technologies, Inc. engages in the provision of application focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets; Diagnostics and Genomics; and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers application-focused solutions that include instruments and software that enable to identify, quantify, and analyze the physical and biological properties of substances and products, as well as the clinical and life sciences research areas to interrogate samples at the molecular and cellular level. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment consists of activity providing active pharmaceutical ingredients for oligo-based therapeutics, as well as solutions that include reagents, instruments, software and consumables. The Agilent CrossLab segment includes startup, operational, training and compliance support, software as a service, and asset management and consultative services. The company was founded in May 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA.

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Schlumberger NV engages in the provision of technology for reservoir characterization, drilling, production and processing to the oil and gas industry. It operates through the following business segments: Digital and Integration; Reservoir Performance; Well Construction; and Production Systems. The Digital and Integration segment combines the company's software and seismic businesses with its integrated offering of asset performance solutions. The Reservoir Performance segment consists of reservoir-centric technologies and services that are critical to optimizing reservoir productivity and performance. The Well Construction segment includes the full portfolio of products and services to optimize well placement and performance, maximize drilling efficiency, and improve wellbore assurance. The Production Systems segment develops technologies and provides expertise that enhances production and recovery from subsurface reservoirs to the surface, into pipelines, and to refineries. The company was founded by Conrad Schlumberger and Marcel Schlumberger in 1926 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

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Medtronic Plc is a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of device-based medical therapies and services. It operates through the following segments: Cardiac and Vascular Group; Minimally Invasive Technologies Group; Restorative Therapies Group; and Diabetes Group. The Cardiac and Vascular Group segment consists of products for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of cardiac rhythm disorders and cardiovascular disease. The Minimally Invasive Technologies Group segment focuses on respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, renal system, lungs, pelvic region, kidneys, and obesity diseases. The Restorative Therapies Group segment comprises of neurostimulation therapies and drug delivery systems for the treatment of chronic pain, as well as areas of the spine and brain, along with pelvic health and conditions of the ear, nose, and throat. The Diabetes Group segment offers insulin pumps, coninuous glucose monitoring systems, and insulin pump consumables. The company was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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Baker Hughes, a GE company provides integrated oilfield products, services, and digital solutions worldwide. Its Oilfield Services segment offers drilling, wireline, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention services; and drilling and completions fluids, completions tools and systems, wellbore intervention tools and services, artificial lift systems, pressure pumping systems, and oilfield and industrial chemicals for integrated oil and natural gas, and oilfield service companies. The company's Oilfield Equipment segment designs and manufactures products and services, including pressure control equipment and services, subsea production systems and services, drilling equipment, and flexible pipeline systems; and onshore and offshore drilling and production systems, and equipment for floating production platforms, as well as provides a range of services related to onshore and offshore drilling activities. Its Turbomachinery & Process Solutions segment provides equipment and related services for mechanical-drive, compression, and power-generation applications across the oil and gas industry, as well as products and services to serve the downstream segments of industry. Its product portfolio includes drivers, compressors, and turnkey solutions; and pumps, valves, and compressed natural gas and small-scale liquefied natural gas solutions. This segment serves upstream, midstream, onshore and offshore, industrial, engineering, procurement, and construction companies. The company's Digital Solutions segment provides sensor-based measurement, non-destructive testing and inspection, turbine, generator and plant controls, and condition monitoring, as well as pipeline integrity solutions for a range of industries, including oil and gas, power generation, aerospace, metals, and transportation. It serves through direct and indirect channels. The company is based in Houston, Texas. Baker Hughes, a GE company is a subsidiary of General Electric Company.

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The Bank of Nova Scotia provides various banking products and services in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Colombia, the Caribbean and Central America, and internationally. It operates through Canadian Banking, International Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Global Wealth Management segments. The company offers financial advice and solutions, and day-to-day banking products, including debit and credit cards, chequing and saving accounts, investments, mortgages, loans, and insurance to individuals; and business banking solutions comprising lending, deposit, cash management, and trade finance solutions to small businesses and commercial customers, including automotive financing solutions to dealers and their customers. It also provides wealth management advice and solutions, including online brokerage, mobile investment, full-service brokerage, trust, private banking, and private investment counsel services; and retail mutual funds, exchange traded funds, liquid alternative funds, and institutional funds. In addition, the company offers international banking services for retail, corporate, and commercial customers; and lending and transaction, investment banking advisory, and capital markets access services to corporate customers. Further, it provides Internet, mobile, and telephone banking services. The company operates a network of 952 branches and approximately 3,540 automated banking machines in Canada; and approximately 1,400 branches, 5,200 ATMs, and 22 contact centers internationally. The Bank of Nova Scotia was founded in 1832 and is headquartered in Halifax, Canada.

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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.
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..
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 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.
Unum Group is engaged in providing financial protection benefits. It operates through the following segments: Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, Closed Block and Corporate. The Unum US segment comprises of group long-term and short-term disability insurance, group life and accidental death and dismemberment products, and supplemental and voluntary lines of business. The Unum International segment engages in the operations of UK business, which includes insurance for group long-term disability, group life, and supplemental lines of business that include dental, individual disability, and critical illness products; Poland business primarily includes insurance for individual and group life with accident and health riders. The Colonial Life segment includes insurance for accident, sickness, disability products, life products, and cancer and critical illness products. The Closed Block segment consists of individual disability, group and individual long-term care, and other insurance products no longer actively marketed. The Corporate segment refers to investment income on corporate assets and other corporate income and expenses not allocated to a line of business; and interest

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HDFC Bank Ltd. engages in the provision of banking and financial services, including commercial banking and treasury operations. The firm also provides financial services to upper and middle income individuals and corporations in India. It operates through the following segments: Treasury, Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking and Other Banking Operations. The Treasury segment consists of bank's investment portfolio, money market borrowing and lending, investment operations and trading in foreign exchange and derivative contracts. The Retail Banking segment provides loans and other services to customers through a branch network and other delivery channels. The Wholesale Banking segment provides loans, non-fund facilities and transaction services to large corporates, emerging corporates, public sector units, government bodies, financial institutions, and medium scale enterprises. The Other Banking Business segment includes income from para banking activities such as credit cards, debit cards, third party product distribution, primary dealership business, and the associated costs. The company was founded by Aditya Tapishwar Puri in August 1994 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India.

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Invesco BulletShares 2020 Corporate Bond ETF's stock was trading at $21.13 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, BSCK stock has increased by 0.3% and is now trading at $21.19.

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iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF's stock was trading at $27.57 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWN shares have increased by 91.2% and is now trading at $52.71.

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Hertz Global's quiet period expires on Monday, December 20th. Hertz Global had issued 44,520,000 shares in its public offering on November 9th. The total size of the offering was $1,291,080,000 based on an initial share price of $29.00. During the company's quiet period, insiders and underwriters that worked on the IPO are prevented from issuing any research reports or earnings estimates for the company because of regulations issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Following the expiration of the company's quiet period, the brokerages that served as underwriters will likely initiate research coverage on the company.
ICICI Bank Ltd. engages in the provision of banking and financial services, which includes retail banking, corporate banking, and treasury operations. It operates through the following segments: Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, Treasury, Other Banking, Life Insurance, General Insurance, and Others. The Retail Banking segment includes exposures of the bank, which satisfy the four qualifying criteria of regulatory retail portfolio as stipulated by the Reserve Bank of India guidelines on the Basel III framework. The Wholesale Banking segment deals with all advances to trusts, partnership firms, companies, and statutory bodies, by the Bank which are not included in the Retail Banking segment. The Treasury segment handles the entire investment portfolio of the bank. The Other Banking segment comprises leasing operations and other items not attributable to any particular business segment of the bank. The company was founded on January 5, 1994 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India.

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There is not enough analysis data for Input Capital.

4.7 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Input Capital has received 244 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Input Capital has received 100 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment Input Capital has received 70.93% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Input Capital and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe INP will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe INP will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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EMIS Group plc, through its subsidiaries, provides connected healthcare software and systems for healthcare professionals in the United Kingdom. It operates in two segments, EMIS Health and EMIS Enterprise. The EMIS Health segment supplies integrated care technology to national health service markets, including primary, community, acute, and social care. The EMIS Enterprise segment focuses on B2B technology sector in the healthcare market, such as management of medicines, partner businesses, life sciences, and patient-facing services. The company offers clinical software to healthcare organizations under the EMIS brand; patient-centric medical and wellbeing information and digital front door services under the Patient brand name; and service management solutions to the community pharmacy market under the Pinnacle brand. It also operates Patient.info, an online health platform that provides personalized online patient-facing services and healthcare content; Patient Access, which enables people to book appointments; and ProScript and ProScript Connect that enable pharmacies to manage the dispensing process and handle tasks, such as labelling and endorsing, patient records, ordering, and stock control. In addition, the company provides non-clinical ICT solutions for healthcare professionals and other public and private sector organizations; and supplies ICT infrastructure and hosting services. The company was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Leeds, the United Kingdom.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Abbott Laboratories: 3A Nutrition (Vietnam) Company Limited, ABON Biopharm (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AGA Medical Belgium, AGA Medical Corporation, AGA Medical Holdings Inc., ALR Holdings, AML Medical LLC, APK Advanced Medical Technologies LLC, ATS Bermuda Holdings Limited, ATS Laboratories Inc., Abbott, Abbott (Jiaxing) Nutrition Co. Ltd., Abbott (UK) Finance Limited, Abbott (UK) Holdings Limited, Abbott AG, Abbott Asia Holdings Limited, Abbott Asia Investments Limited, Abbott Australasia Holdings Limited, Abbott Australasia Pty Ltd, Abbott B.V., Abbott Bahamas Overseas Businesses Corporation, Abbott Belgian Investments, Abbott Bermuda Holding Ltd., Abbott Biologicals B.V., Abbott Biologicals LLC, Abbott Bulgaria Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Capital India Limited, Abbott Cardiovascular Inc., Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., Abbott Delaware LLC, Abbott Diabetes Care Inc., Abbott Diabetes Care Limited, Abbott Diabetes Care Sales Corporation, Abbott Diagnostics GmbH, Abbott Diagnostics International Ltd., Abbott Diagnostics Technologies AS, Abbott Doral Investments S.L., Abbott Equity Holdings Unlimited, Abbott Equity Investments LLC, Abbott Established Products Holdings (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Finance Company SA, Abbott Financial Holdings SRL, Abbott France S.A.S., Abbott Fund Tanzania Limited, Abbott Gesellschaft m.b.H., Abbott GmbH & Co. KG, Abbott Health Products LLC, Abbott Healthcare (Puerto Rico) Ltd., Abbott Healthcare B.V., Abbott Healthcare Costa Rica S.A., Abbott Healthcare LLC, Abbott Healthcare Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Healthcare Private Limited, Abbott Healthcare Products B.V., Abbott Healthcare Products Ltd, Abbott Holding (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding GmbH, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited, Abbott Holding Subsidiary (Gibraltar) Limited Luxembourg S.C.S., Abbott Holdings B.V., Abbott Holdings LLC, Abbott Holdings Limited, Abbott Holdings Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Hungary Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Iberian Investments (2) Limited, Abbott Iberian Investments Limited, Abbott India Limited, Abbott Informatics Asia Pacific Limited, Abbott Informatics Canada Inc, Abbott Informatics Corporation, Abbott Informatics Europe Limited, Abbott Informatics France, Abbott Informatics Germany GmbH, Abbott Informatics Netherlands B.V., Abbott Informatics Singapore Pte. Limited, Abbott Informatics Spain S.A., Abbott Informatics Technologies Ltd, Abbott International Corporation, Abbott International Enterprises Ltd., Abbott International Holdings Limited, Abbott International LLC, Abbott International Luxembourg S.ar.l., Abbott Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Ireland, Abbott Ireland Financing Designated Activity Company, Abbott Ireland Limited, Abbott Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Kazakhstan Limited Liability Partnership, Abbott Knoll Investments B.V., Abbott Korea Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Bangladesh) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco (Dos) SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Chile) Holdco SpA, Abbott Laboratories (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Laboratories (Mozambique) Limitada, Abbott Laboratories (Pakistan) Limited, Abbott Laboratories (Philippines), Abbott Laboratories (Puerto Rico) Incorporated, Abbott Laboratories (Singapore) Private Limited, Abbott Laboratories A/S, Abbott Laboratories Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Abbott Laboratories B.V., Abbott Laboratories C.A., Abbott Laboratories Finance B.V., Abbott Laboratories GmbH, Abbott Laboratories Inc., Abbott Laboratories International LLC, Abbott Laboratories Ireland Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited, Abbott Laboratories Limited - Laboratoires Abbott Limitee, Abbott Laboratories NZ Limited, Abbott Laboratories Pacific Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Poland Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Laboratories Products B.V., Abbott Laboratories Residential Development Fund Inc., Abbott Laboratories S.A., Abbott Laboratories SA, Abbott Laboratories Services Corp., Abbott Laboratories Slovakia s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories South Africa (Pty) Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Laboratories Trustee Company Limited, Abbott Laboratories Uruguay S.A., Abbott Laboratories Vascular Enterprises, Abbott Laboratories d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories de Chile Limitada, Abbott Laboratories de Colombia S.A., Abbott Laboratories de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Abbott Laboratories druzba za farmacijo in diagnostiko d.o.o., Abbott Laboratories s.r.o., Abbott Laboratories(Hellas) Societe Anonyme, Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios S.A., Abbott Laboratorios del Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Abbott Laboratuarlari Ithalat Ihracat ve Ticaret Ltd.Sti, Abbott Laboratorios Lda, Abbott Laboratorios do Brasil Ltda., Abbott Limited Egypt LLC, Abbott Logistics B.V., Abbott Management GmbH, Abbott Management LLC, Abbott Manufacturing Singapore Private Limited, Abbott Mature Products International Unlimited Company, Abbott Mature Products Management Limited, Abbott Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Abbott Medical (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Abbott Medical (Portugal) Distribuicao de Produtos Medicos Lda, Abbott Medical (Schweiz) AG, Abbott Medical (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Abbott Medical (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Australia Pty. Ltd., Abbott Medical Austria Ges.m.b.H., Abbott Medical Balkan d.o.o. Beograd (Novi Beograd), Abbott Medical Belgium, Abbott Medical Canada Inc./ Medicale Abbott Canada Inc., Abbott Medical Danmark A/S, Abbott Medical Devices Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Espana S.A., Abbott Medical Estonia OU, Abbott Medical Finland Oy, Abbott Medical France SAS, Abbott Medical GmbH, Abbott Medical Hellas Limited Liability Trading Company, Abbott Medical Ireland Limited, Abbott Medical Italia S.p.A., Abbott Medical Japan Co. Ltd., Abbott Medical Korea Limited, Abbott Medical Korlatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Abbott Medical Laboratories LTD, Abbott Medical Nederland B.V., Abbott Medical New Zealand Limited, Abbott Medical Norway AS, Abbott Medical Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Medical Sweden AB, Abbott Medical Taiwan Co., Abbott Medical U.K. Limited, Abbott Medical spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Abbott Middle East S.A.R.L., Abbott Molecular Inc., Abbott Morocco SARL, Abbott Nederland C.V., Abbott Nederland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Netherlands Investments B.V., Abbott Norge AS, Abbott Nutrition Limited, Abbott Nutrition Manufacturing Inc., Abbott Operations Singapore Pte. Ltd., Abbott Operations Uruguay S.R.L., Abbott Overseas Cyprus Limited, Abbott Overseas Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Overseas S.A., Abbott Oy, Abbott Point of Care Canada Limited, Abbott Point of Care Inc., Abbott Poland Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Procurement LLC, Abbott Products (Philippines) Inc., Abbott Products (Spain) S.L., Abbott Products Algerie EURL, Abbott Products B.V., Abbott Products Distribution SAS, Abbott Products Egypt LLC, Abbott Products Limited, Abbott Products Limited Liability Company, Abbott Products Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Products Operations AG, Abbott Products Operations LLC, Abbott Products Romania S.R.L., Abbott Products Tunisie S.A.R.L., Abbott Products Unlimited Company, Abbott Resources Inc., Abbott Resources International Inc., Abbott S.r.l., Abbott Saudi Arabia Trading Company, Abbott Scandinavia Aktiebolag, Abbott Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, Abbott South Africa Luxembourg S.a r.l., Abbott Strategic Opportunities Limited, Abbott Trading Company Inc., Abbott Universal LLC, Abbott Vascular Devices (2) Limited, Abbott Vascular Devices Limited, Abbott Vascular Inc., Abbott Vascular Instruments Deutschland GmbH, Abbott Vascular International, Abbott Vascular Japan Co. 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. Ltd., Alere Colombia S.A., Alere Connect LLC, Alere Connected Health Limited, Alere Connected Health Ltd., Alere Diagnostics GmbH, Alere DoA Holding GmbH, Alere GmbH, Alere GmbH (Austria), Alere GmbH (Germany), Alere HK Holdings Ltd., Alere Health B.V., Alere Health BVBA, Alere Health Corp., Alere Health Sdn Bhd, Alere Health Services B.V., Alere Healthcare (Pty) Limited, Alere Healthcare Connections Limited, Alere Healthcare Inc., Alere Healthcare Nigeria Limited, Alere Healthcare S.L., Alere Holdco Inc., Alere Holding GmbH, Alere Holdings Bermuda Limited, Alere Holdings Pty Limited, Alere Home Monitoring Inc., Alere Inc., Alere Informatics Inc., Alere International Holding Corp., Alere International Limited, Alere Lda, Alere Limited, Alere Limited (New Zealand), Alere Medical BVBA, Alere Medical Co. Ltd., Alere Medical Pakistan (Private) Limited, Alere Medical Private Limited, Alere North America LLC, Alere Oy Ab, Alere Philippines Inc., Alere Phoenix ACQ Inc., Alere Pte Ltd, Alere S.A., Alere S.r.l., Alere S/A, Alere SAS, Alere San Diego Inc., Alere Scarborough Inc., Alere Spain S.L., Alere Switzerland GmbH, Alere Technologies GmbH, Alere Technologies Holdings Limited, Alere Technologies Limited, Alere Toxicology AB, Alere Toxicology Inc., Alere Toxicology S.r.l., Alere Toxicology Services Inc., Alere Toxicology plc, Alere UK Holdings Limited, Alere UK Subco Limited, Alere ULC, Alere US Holdings LLC, Alere s.r.o., Alisoc Investment & Co, Amedica Biotech Inc., Ameditech Inc., American Generics S.A.S., American Medical Supplies Inc., American Pharmacist Inc., Antares S.A., Apica Cardiovascular Limited, Aquagestion Capacitacion S.A., Aquagestion S.A., Arriva Medical LLC, Arriva Medical Philippines Inc., Arvis Investments Limited, Atlas Farmaceutica S.A., Avee Laboratories Inc., Axis-Shield AD III AS, Axis-Shield AD IV AS, Axis-Shield AS, Axis-Shield Diagnostics Limited, Axis-Shield Ltd., BBI Animal Health Limited, BBI Diagnostics Group 2 Public Limited Company, Banco de Vida S.A., Bioabsorbable Vascular Solutions Inc., Bioalgae S.A., Biohealth LLC, Biosite Incorporated, Bosque Bonito S.A., Branan Medical Corporation, Brandex Europe C.V., British Colloids Limited, CFR Chile S.A., CFR Interamericas EL Salvador Sociedad Anonima de Capital Variable, CFR Interamericas Nicaragua Sociedad Anonima, CFR Interamericas Panama S.A., CFR Pharmaceuticals, California Property Holdings III LLC, CardioMEMS LLC, Caripharm Inc., Cephea Valve Technologies, Cephea Valve Technologies Inc., Colibri Medical Aktiebolag, Comercializadora y Distribuidora CFR Interamericas Honduras S.A., Concateno South Limited, Concateno UK Limited, Consorcio Tecnologico en Biomedicina Clinico-Molecular S.A., Continuum Services LLC, Cozart Limited, Dextech S.A., Diagnostik Nord GmbH, Distribuciones Uquifa S.A.S., Domesco Medical Import-Export Joint-Stock Corporation, Duphar International Research B.V., Endocardial Solutions, Epocal (US) Inc, Esprit de Vie S.A., European Chemicals & Co, European Drug Testing Service EDTS AB, European Services S.A., Evalve Inc., Evalve International Inc., FARMINDUSTRIA S.A., Fada Pharma Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Fadapharma del Ecuador S.A., Farmaceutica Mont Blanc S.L., Farmacologia Em Aquicultura Veterinaria Ltda., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV Ecuador S.A., Farmacologia en Aquacultura Veterinaria FAV S.A., Fernwood Investment S.A., First Check Diagnostics LLC, Focus Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Forensics Limited, Forestcreek Overseas S.A., Fournier Pharma Corp., Fournier Pharma GmbH, Fournier Pharmaceuticals Limited, Framed B.V., Gabmed GmbH, Garden Hills LLC, Global Analytical Development LLC, Globapharm & CO LP, Glomed Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Golnorth Investments S.A., Gynocare Limited, Gynopharm Sociedad Anonima, Gynopharm de Centroamerica S.A., Gynopharm de Venezuela C.A., Hi-Tronics Designs Inc., IDEV Technologies Inc., IG Innovations Limited, IMTC Finance B.V., IMTC Holdings B.V., IMTC Technologies Inc., Ibis Biosciences LLC, Igloo Zone Chile S.A., Igloo Zone S.L., Inmobiliaria Naknek S.A.C., Innovacon Inc., Instant Tech Subsidiary Acquisition Inc., Instant Technologies Inc., Instituto de Criopreservacion de Chile S.A., Integrated Vascular Systems Inc., Inverness Canadian Acquisition Corporation, Inverness Medical (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Australia Pty Ltd., Inverness Medical Innovations Hong Kong Limited, Inverness Medical Innovations SK LLC, Inverness Medical Investments LLC, Inverness Medical LLC, Inverness Medical Shimla Private Limited, Inversiones K2 SpA, Inversiones Komodo S.R.L., Ionian Technologies LLC, Irvine Biomedical Inc., Kalila Medical, Kangshenyunga S.A., Knoll UK Investments Unlimited, LLC VeroInPharm, Laboratoires Fournier S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano Lafrancol S.A.S., Laboratorio Franco Colombiano del Ecuador S.A., Laboratorio Internacional Argentino S.A., Laboratorio Synthesis S.A.S., Laboratorios Lafi Limitada, Laboratorios Naturmedik S.A.S., Laboratorios Pauly Pharmaceutical S.A.S., Laboratorios Recalcine S.A., Laboratorios Transpharm S.A., Laboratory Specialists of America Inc., Lafrancol Dominicana S.A.S., Lafrancol Guatemala S.A. Sociedad Anonima, Lafrancol Internacional S.A.S, Lafrancol Peru S.R.L, Lake Forest Investments LLC, Lightlab Imaging Inc., Limited Liability Company Abbott Laboratories, Limited Liability Company Abbott Ukraine, Limited Liability Company VEROPHARM, Lung Fung Hong (China) Limited, Mansbridge Pharmaceuticals Limited, MediGuide LLC, MediGuide Ltd., Medscreen Holdings Limited, Metropolitana Farmaceutica S.A., Midwest Properties LLC, Murex Argentina S.A., Murex Biotech Limited, Murex Biotech South Africa, Murex Diagnostics Inc., Murex Diagnostics International Inc., Natural Supplement Association LLC, Negocios Denia Sociedad Anonima, Neosalud S.A.C., Nether Pharma N.P. C.V., NeuroTherm LLC, Normann Pharma-Handels GmbH, North Shore Properties Inc., Novamedi S.A., Novasalud.com S.A., Nutravida S.A., OJSC Voronezhkhimpharm, Omnilab Iberia Sociedad Limitada, OptiMedica, Orgenics France SAS, Orgenics International Holdings B.V., Orgenics Ltd., PBM-Selfcare LLC, PDD II LLC, PDD LLC, PT Alere Health, PT. Abbott Indonesia, PT. Abbott Products Indonesia, Pacesetter Inc., Pantech (RF) (PTY) LTD, Pembrooke Occupational Health Inc., Penagos S.A., Pharma International Sociedad Anonima, Pharmaceutical Technologies (Pharmatech) S.A., Pharmatech Boliviana S.A., Polygon Labs S.A., Quality Assured Services Inc., RF Medical Holdings LLC, RTL Holdings Inc., Ramses Business Corp., Recben Xenerics Farmaceutica Limitada, Redwood Toxicology Laboratory Inc., Rich Horizons International Limited, SC VEROPHARM, SJ Medical Mexico S de R.L. de C.V., SJM International Inc., SJM Thunder Holding Company, SPDH Inc., Saboya Enterprises Corporation, Salviac Limited, Scanax AS, Sealing Solutions Inc., Selfcare Technology Inc., Shandong Abbott Dairy Product Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Medical Devices Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai Abbott Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Shanghai Si Fa Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Sinensix & Co., Spinal Modulation LLC, St. Jude Medical, St. Jude Medical AB, St. Jude Medical ATG Inc., St. Jude Medical Argentina S.A., St. Jude Medical Asia Pacific Holdings GK, St. Jude Medical Atrial Fibrillation Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Brasil Ltda., St. Jude Medical Business Services Inc., St. Jude Medical Cardiology Division Inc., St. Jude Medical Colombia Ltda., St. Jude Medical Coordination Center, St. Jude Medical Costa Rica Limitada, St. Jude Medical Europe Inc., St. Jude Medical Export Ges.m.b.H., St. Jude Medical GVA Sarl, St. Jude Medical Holdings B.V., St. Jude Medical India Private Limited, St. Jude Medical International Holding, St. Jude Medical LLC, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings II, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings NT, St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings SMI S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Luxembourg Holdings TC S.a r.l., St. Jude Medical Mexico Business Services S. de R.L. de C.V., St. Jude Medical Middle East DMCC, St. Jude Medical Operations (Malaysia) Sdn. 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.
iShares MSCI Chile ETF's stock was trading at $25.05 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, ECH stock has decreased by 1.2% and is now trading at $24.76.

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iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF's stock was trading at $158.09 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, IWF stock has increased by 93.3% and is now trading at $305.59.

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KION GROUP AG provides industrial trucks, warehouse technology, supply chain solutions, and related services worldwide. The company operates through Industrial Trucks and Services, Supply Chain Solutions, and Corporate Services segments. It develops, manufactures, and sells forklifts and warehouse trucks, such as counterbalance trucks with electric drive and internal combustion engine, ride-on and hand-operated industrial trucks, and towing vehicles under the Linde, Fenwick, STILL, Baoli, and OM Voltas brand names. The company also manufactures and sells spare parts; leases industrial trucks and related items; offers maintenance and repair, and fleet management services, as well as provides finance solutions. In addition, it provides integrated technology and software solutions, including conveyors, sorters, storage and retrieval systems, picking equipment, palletizers, and robotic solutions under the Dematic brand. The company was formerly known as KION Holding 1 GmbH. KION GROUP AG was founded in 2006 and is based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

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Lilis Energy, Inc., an independent oil and natural gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of conventional and unconventional oil and natural gas properties. Its total net acreage in the Delaware Basin is approximately 20,400 acres. The company's oil and natural gas properties are located in the Delaware Basin in Winkler, Loving, and Reeves counties, Texas; and Lea County, New Mexico. As of December 31, 2018, it had proved reserves of 42,707 million barrels of oil equivalent. The company was formerly known as Recovery Energy, Inc. and changed its name to Lilis Energy, Inc. in December 2013. Lilis Energy, Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.

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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

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Nabors Industries Ltd. engages in the provision of platform work over and drilling rigs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. The U.S. Drilling segment includes land drilling activities in the lower 48 states and Alaska, as well as offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Canada segment consists of land-based drilling rigs in Canada. The International segment focuses in maintaining a footprint in the oil and gas market, most notably in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, Kazakhstan, and Venezuela. The Drilling Solutions segment offers drilling technologies, such as patented steering systems and rig instrumentation software systems that enhance drilling performance and wellbore placement. The Rig Technologies segment comprises Canrig, which manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools. The company was founded by Clair Nabors in 1952 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

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iShares MSCI Austria ETF's stock was trading at $15.26 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWO shares have increased by 69.5% and is now trading at $25.87.

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Capital One Financial pays an annual dividend of $2.40 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 1.56%. Capital One Financial has been increasing its dividend for 2 consecutive year(s), indicating that it does not yet have a strong track record of dividend growth. The dividend payout ratio of Capital One Financial is 8.96%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, Capital One Financial will have a dividend payout ratio of 12.49% next year. This indicates that Capital One Financial will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

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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.

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Associated British Foods plc operates as a diversified food, ingredients, and retail company worldwide. It operates through five segments: Grocery, Sugar, Agriculture, Ingredients, and Retail. The Grocery segment manufactures and sells grocery products, including hot beverages, sugar and sweeteners, vegetable oils, balsamic vinegars, bread and baked goods, cereals, ethnic foods, and meat products to retail, wholesale, and foodservice businesses. The Sugar segment is involved in growing, processing, and sale of sugar beet and sugar cane to industrial users. The Agriculture segment manufactures and sells animal feeds; and provides other products and services for the agriculture sector. The Ingredients segment manufactures bakers' yeast, bakery ingredients, enzymes, lipids, yeast extracts, and cereal specialties. The Retail segment is involved in buying and merchandising clothing and accessories through the Primark and Penneys retail chains, which offer womenswear, menswear, children's wear, footwear, accessories, homeware, and skincare products. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom. Associated British Foods plc is a subsidiary of Wittington Investments Limited.

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The following companies are subsidiares of SAP: Abakus, Abakus Europe Limited, Abakus Ukraine Limited Liability Company, Adatfeldolgozasban Informatikai Kft., Altiscale, Ambin Properties Proprietary Limited, AppGyver, Ariba, Ariba Czech s.r.o., Ariba Inc. Palo Alto, Ariba India Private Limited, Ariba International, Ariba International Holdings, Ariba International Singapore Pte Ltd, Ariba Slovak Republic s.r.o., Ariba Software Technology Services (Shanghai) Co., Ariba Technologies India Private Limited, Ariba Technologies Netherlands B.V., Beijing Zhang Zhong Hu Dong Information Technology, Business Objects, Business Objects Holding B.V., Business Objects Option LLC, Business Objects Software Limited, CNQR Operations Mexico S. de. R.L. de. C.V., Callidus Software, CallidusCloud, Christie Partners Holding C.V., Clear Standards, ClearTrip Inc., ClearTrip Inc. (Mauritius), Cleartrip MEA FZ LLC, Cleartrip Private Limited, Coghead, ConTgo Consulting Limited, ConTgo Pty. Ltd., Concur (Austria) GmbH, Concur (Canada), Concur (France) SAS, Concur (Germany) GmbH, Concur (Japan) Ltd., Concur (New Zealand) Limited, Concur (Philippines) Inc., Concur (Switzerland) GmbH, Concur Czech (s.r.o.), Concur Holdings (France) SAS, Concur Holdings (Netherlands) B.V., Concur Technologies (Australia) Pty. Limited, Concur Technologies (Hong Kong) Limited, Concur Technologies (India) Private Limited, Concur Technologies (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Concur Technologies (UK) Limited, Concur Technologies Inc. Bellevue, Contextor, Coresystems, Crystal Decisions (Ireland) Limited, Crystal Decisions Holdings Limited, Crystal Decisions UK Limited, Emarsys, EssCubed Procurement Pty. Ltd., Extended Systems, Factory Logic, Fedem Technology AS, Fieldglass Europe Limited, Financial Fusion, FreeMarkets Ltda., Frictionless Commerce, Gigya, Gigya Australia Pty Ltd, Gigya Ltd., Gigya UK Ltd, GlobalExpense Limited, Highdeal, Hipmunk, Hybris (US) Corp., Hybris GmbH, Inxight Federal Systems Group, KXEN, Khimetrics, LLC "SAP Labs", LLC "SAP Ukraine", LLC SAP CIS, MaXware, Merlin Systems Oy, Multiposting Sp.z o.o., Nihon Ariba K.K., OpTier, OutlookSoft, OutlookSoft Deutschland GmbH, PLAT.ONE, PT SAP Indonesia, PT Sybase 365 Indonesia, Pilot Software Inc., Plat.One Inc., Plat.One Lab Srl, Plateau Systems LLC, Quadrem Africa Pty. Ltd., Quadrem Brazil Ltda., Quadrem Chile Ltda., Quadrem Colombia SAS, Quadrem International Ltd., Quadrem Netherlands B.V., Quadrem Overseas Cooperatief U.A., Quadrem Peru S.A.C., Qualtrics, Recast.AI, Right Hemisphere, Roambi, Ruan Lian Technologies (Beijing) Co., SAF, SAP (Beijing) Software System Co., SAP (Schweiz) AG, SAP (Schweiz) AG Biel, SAP (UK) Limited, SAP (UK) Limited Feltham, SAP AZ LLC, SAP America, SAP America Inc. Newtown Square, SAP Andina y del Caribe, SAP Argentina S.A., SAP Asia (Vietnam) Co., SAP Asia Pte Ltd, SAP Australia Pty Ltd, SAP Australia Pty Ltd. Sydney, SAP Belgium NV/SA, SAP Beteiligungs GmbH, SAP Brasil Ltda, SAP Brasil Ltda Sao Paulo, SAP Bulgaria EOOD, SAP Business Compliance Services GmbH, SAP Business Services Center Nederland B.V., SAP CR, SAP Canada, SAP Chile Limitada, SAP China Co., SAP China Co. Ltd. Shanghai, SAP China Holding Co., SAP Colombia S.A.S., SAP Commercial Services Ltd., SAP Concur, SAP Costa Rica, SAP Customer Experience, SAP Cyprus Limited, SAP Danmark A/S, SAP Deutschland SE & Co. KG, SAP Deutschland SE & Co. KG Walldorf, SAP Dritte Beteiligungs- und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, SAP EMEA Inside Sales S.L., SAP East Africa Limited, SAP Egypt LLC, SAP Erste Beteiligungs- und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH, SAP Espana - Sistemas Informatica, SAP Estonia OU, SAP Fieldglass, SAP Financial, SAP Finland Oy, SAP Foreign Holdings GmbH, SAP France, SAP France Holding, SAP France Levallois Perret, SAP Global Marketing, SAP Hellas S.A., SAP Holdings (UK) Limited, SAP Hong Kong Co., SAP Hosting Beteiligungs GmbH, SAP Hungary Rendszerek, SAP India (Holding) Pte Ltd, SAP India Private Limited, SAP India Private Limited Bangalore, SAP Industries, SAP Industries Inc. Newtown Square, SAP International, SAP International Panama, SAP Investments, SAP Ireland Limited, SAP Ireland US - Financial Services Designated Activity Company, SAP Israel Ltd., SAP Italia Sistemi Applicazioni Prodotti in Data Processing S.p.A., SAP Italia Sistemi Applicazioni Prodotti in Data Processing S.p.A. Vimercate, SAP Japan Co., SAP Japan Co. Ltd. Tokyo, SAP Kazakhstan LLP, SAP Korea Ltd., SAP Labs, SAP Labs Bulgaria EOOD, SAP Labs Finland Oy, SAP Labs France SAS, SAP Labs India Private Limited, SAP Labs Israel Ltd., SAP Labs Korea, SAP Latvia SIA, SAP MENA FZ L.L.C., SAP Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., SAP Malta Investments Ltd., SAP Mxico S.A. de C.V., SAP National Security Services PA, SAP Nederland B.V., SAP Nederland B.V. s-Hertogenbosch, SAP Service and Support Centre (Ireland) Limited, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP d.o.o., SeeWhy, Signavio, SuccessFactors, SuccessFactors Inc. South San Francisco, Sybase, Syclo, TopTier Software, Triversity, Vimercate, Virsa Systems, Visiprise, Wicom Communications, and conTgo limited.
Wageworks Inc (NYSE:WAGE) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November, 8th. The business services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the Zacks' consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.04. The business services provider earned $115.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $117.09 million. Wageworks had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 2.95% and a net margin of 2.17%. The firm's revenue was up 30.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.34 EPS.

View Wageworks' earnings history.
The following companies are subsidiares of Sealed Air: A.P.S. (Holdings) Limited, AFP Trading (China) Co. Ltd., AFPTOH LTD, APS Automated Packaging Systems GmbH & Co. KG, APS Verwaltungs-GmbH, Air Ride Pallets Hong Kong Limited, Austin Foam Plastics Inc. (dba AFP Inc.), Automated Packaging Systems, Automated Packaging Systems Asia Holding Company Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Comerciale Importacao do Brasil Ltda., Automated Packaging Systems Europe, Automated Packaging Systems LLC, Automated Packaging Systems Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Southeast Asia Co. Ltd., B+ Equipment, B+ Equipment SAS, Beacon Holdings LLC, Biosphere Industries, BluPack (New Zealand), Blue Dot Packaging Pty Ltd., Cactus (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Cryovac (Malaysia) SDN. BHD, Cryovac Brasil Ltda., Cryovac Holdings II LLC, Cryovac International Holdings Inc., Cryovac LLC*, Cryovac Leasing Corporation, Cryovac Londrina Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal  Embalagens Ltda., Cryovac-Sealed Air de Costa Rica S.R.L., DELTAPLAM Embalagens Industria e Comercio, Diversey, Diversey J Trustee Limited, Diversey Trustee Limited, Entapack Pty. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packaging Co. Ltd, Fagerdala (Shanghai) Foams Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Shanghai) Polymer Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Suzhou) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Thailand) Limited, Fagerdala (Xiamen) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Leamchabung Limited, Fagerdala Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Fagerdala Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Mexico Supply Chain S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Packaging Inc. (Indiana), Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd, Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Ltd., Getpacking.com GmbH, Invertol S. de R.L. de C.V., JSC Sealed Air Kaustik, KRIS Automated Packaging Systems Holding Company, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal Limited, Nelipak Holdings, Pack-Tiger GmbH, Polyrol Limited, Polyrol Packaging Systems LLC, ProAseptic Technologies S.L., Producembal- Producao de Embalagens LTDA, Reflectix Inc., SLD Air Packaging Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Saddle Brook Insurance Company, Sealed Air (Asia) Holdings BV, Sealed Air (Barbados) S.R.L., Sealed Air (Canada) Co./CIE, Sealed Air (Canada) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Limited, Sealed Air (Israel) Ltd., Sealed Air (Korea) Limited, Sealed Air (Latin America) Holdings II LLC, Sealed Air (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sealed Air (New Zealand), Sealed Air (Philippines) Inc., Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Sealed Air (Ukraine) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Pty.) Limited, Sealed Air Americas Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Sealed Air Argentina S.A., Sealed Air Australia (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Real Estate Pty Ltd, Sealed Air B.V., Sealed Air Belgium N.V., Sealed Air Central America S.A., Sealed Air Chile SpA, Sealed Air Colombia Ltda., Sealed Air Corporation (US), Sealed Air Cyprus Ltd., Sealed Air Denmark A/S, Sealed Air Finance B.V., Sealed Air Finance II LLC, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Funding LLC, Sealed Air General Trading LLC, Sealed Air GmbH (Germany), Sealed Air GmbH (Switzerland), Sealed Air Hellas SA, Sealed Air Holding France SAS, Sealed Air Holdings (New Zealand) Pty. Ltd., Sealed Air Holdings South Africa Proprietary Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK I Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK Limited, Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Sealed Air Hungary Ltd., Sealed Air Investment and Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Japan G.K., Sealed Air LLC, Sealed Air Limited (Ireland), Sealed Air Limited (UK), Sealed Air Luxembourg (I) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg (II) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Management Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Sealed Air Multiflex GmbH, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) I B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands Holdings V B.V., Sealed Air Norge AS, Sealed Air OY, Sealed Air Packaging (India) Private Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Packaging LLC, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging S.L.U., Sealed Air Peru S.A.C., Sealed Air Polska Sp. Zoo, Sealed Air Pty Limited, Sealed Air S.A S., Sealed Air S.r.l., Sealed Air South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Sealed Air Svenska AB, Sealed Air Taiwan Limited, Sealed Air UK Limited Partnership, Sealed Air US Holdings (Thailand) LLC, Sealed Air Uruguay S.A., Sealed Air Verpackungen GmbH, Sealed Air de Mexico Operations S. de RL. de C.V., Sealed Air de Venezuela S.A., Sealed Air s.r.o., Shanklin Corp, Shanklin Corporation, TTS-Ciptec, TXAFP Asia Pacific Ltd., TXAFP GP LLC, and Trigon Industries.
The following companies are subsidiares of Sherwin-Williams: Acquire Sourcing LLC, CTS National Corporation, Comex North America Inc., Compania Sherwin-Williams S.A. de C.V., Contract Transportation Systems Co., Dongguan Lilly Paint Industries Ltd, Duron, EPS (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., EPS B.V., Geocel Holdings, Geocel Limited, Guangdong Valspar Paints Manufacturing Co Ltd., Inver East Med S.A., Inver France SAS, Inver GmbH, Inver Industrial Coating SRL, Inver Polska Spoka Z O.O, Inver Spa, Invercolor Bologna Srl, Invercolor Ltd, Invercolor Roma Srl, Invercolor Torino Srl, Invercolor Toscana Srl, Isocoat Tintas e Vernizes Ltda, Isva Vernici Srl, Leighs Paints, M.A. Bruder & Sons, Omega Specialty Products & Services LLC, Oy Sherwin-Williams Finland Ab, PT Sherwin-Williams Indonesia, PT Valspar Indonesia, Paint Sundry Brands, Pinturas Condor S.A., Pinturas Industriales S.A., Piton Paints Limited, Plasti-Kote Co. Inc., Plasti-kote Limited, Productos Quimicos y Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Quest Automotive Products UK Limited, Quetzal Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Ronseal (Ireland) Limited, SWIMC LLC, SWIPCO  Sherwin Williams do Brasil Propriedade Intelectual Ltda, Sherwin Williams Colombia S.A.S., Sherwin-Williams (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Belize) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Caribbean) N.V., Sherwin-Williams (Ireland) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Coatings Technology Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Company Limited, Sherwin-Williams (S) Pte. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Shanghai) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sherwin-Williams (Vietnam) Limited, Sherwin-Williams (West Indies) Limited, Sherwin-Williams Argentina I.y C.S.A., Sherwin-Williams Aruba VBA, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Mexico S.de R.L.de C.V., Sherwin-Williams Balkan S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Bel Unitary Enterprise, Sherwin-Williams Benelux NV, Sherwin-Williams Canada Inc., Sherwin-Williams Cayman Islands Limited, Sherwin-Williams Chile S.A., Sherwin-Williams Coatings India Private Limited, Sherwin-Williams Coatings S.a r.l., Sherwin-Williams Czech Republic spol. s r.o, Sherwin-Williams Denmark A/S, Sherwin-Williams Deutschland GmbH, Sherwin-Williams Diversified Brands Limited, Sherwin-Williams France Finishes SAS, Sherwin-Williams Italy S.r.l., Sherwin-Williams Norway AS, Sherwin-Williams Paints Limited Liability Company, Sherwin-Williams Peru S.R.L., Sherwin-Williams Pinturas de Venezuela S.A., Sherwin-Williams Poland Sp. z o.o, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings, Sherwin-Williams Realty Holdings Inc., Sherwin-Williams Services (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sherwin-Williams Spain Coatings S.L., Sherwin-Williams Sweden AB, Sherwin-Williams UK Coatings Limited, Sherwin-Williams do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda., Spanyc Paints Joint Stock Company, Syntema I Vaggeryd AB, Taiwan Valspar Co. Ltd., The Sherwin-Williams Acceptance Corporation, The Sherwin-Williams Headquarters Company, The Sherwin-Williams Manufacturing Company, The Sherwin-Williams US Licensing Company, The Valspar (Asia) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Australia) Corporation Pty. Ltd., The Valspar (Finland) Corporation Oy, The Valspar (France) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (France) Research Corporation SAS, The Valspar (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd, The Valspar (Nantes) Corporation S.A.S., The Valspar (Singapore) Corporation Pte. Ltd, The Valspar (South Africa) Corporation (Pty) Ltd, The Valspar (Spain) Corporation S.R.L., The Valspar (Switzerland) Corporation AG, The Valspar (Thailand) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar (UK) Corporation Limited, The Valspar (Vietnam) Corporation Ltd., The Valspar Corporation, The Valspar Corporation Limitada, UAB Sherwin-Williams Baltic, Valspar (India) Coatings Corporation Private Limited, Valspar (Shanghai) Management Co. Ltd., Valspar (Uruguay) Corporation S.A., Valspar (WPC) Pty Ltd, Valspar Aries Coatings S. de R.L. de C.V., Valspar Automotive (UK) Corporation Limited, Valspar Automotive Australia Pty Limited, Valspar B.V., Valspar Coatings (Guangdong) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Valspar Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd, Valspar D.o.o Beograd, Valspar Industries (Ireland) Ltd., Valspar Industries (Italy) S.r.l., Valspar Industries GmbH, Valspar LLC, Valspar Mexicana S.A. de C.V., Valspar Paint (Australia) Pty Ltd, Valspar Paint (NZ) Limited, Valspar Powder Coatings Limited, Valspar Rock Company Limited (Japan), Valspar Specialty Paints LLC, and ZAO Sherwin-Williams.
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.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Ingersoll Rand: 211 E. Russell Road LLC, Air-Relief, Belliss & Morcom Brasil, Belliss and Morcom, Boardwalk Enterprises, Charm Merger Sub Inc., CompAir, CompAir (Hankook) Korea Co. Ltd., CompAir Acquisition (No. 2) Ltd., CompAir Acquisition Ltd., CompAir BroomWade Ltd., CompAir Canada, CompAir Finance Ltd., CompAir GmbH, CompAir Holdings Limited, CompAir Holman Ltd, CompAir International Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, CompAir Korea Ltd, CompAir South Africa (SA) (Pty) Ltd., CompAir UK Ltd, CompAir USA, Consolidated Distribution Holdings Ltd., DV Systems Inc., Emco Wheaton, Emco Wheaton GmbH Branch, Emco Wheaton Gmbh, Emco Wheaton UK, Emco Wheaton USA Inc, Enza Air Propriety Limited (South Africa), GD Aria Holdings #2 Limited, GD Aria Holdings Limited, GD Aria Investments Limited, GD First UK Ltd, GD German Holdings GmbH, GD German Holdings I Gmbh, GD German Holdings II GmbH, GD German Investments GmbH, GD Global Holdings, GD Global Holdings II, GD Global Holdings UK II Ltd., GD Global Ventures I B.V., GD Global Ventures II B.V., GD Global Ventures III B.V., GD Industrial Products Malaysia SDN. BHD., GD Investment KY, GD UK Finance Ltd., Gardner Denver (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Gardner Denver Austria GmbH, Gardner Denver Bad Neustadt Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Belgium NV, Gardner Denver Brasil Industria E Comercio de Maquinas Ltda., Gardner Denver CZ + SK sro, Gardner Denver Canada Corp, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments II Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd., Gardner Denver Cyprus Investments Ltd. - US Branch, Gardner Denver Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Engineered Products India Private Limited, Gardner Denver FZE, Gardner Denver Finance II LLC, Gardner Denver Finance Inc & Co KG, Gardner Denver France SA, Gardner Denver France SAS, Gardner Denver Group Services Ltd, Gardner Denver Group Svcs Ltd, Gardner Denver Hoffman, Gardner Denver Holdings, Gardner Denver Holdings Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Investments Limited, Gardner Denver Hong Kong Ltd, Gardner Denver Iberica, Gardner Denver Industries Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd., Gardner Denver Industries Pty Ltd. Branch, Gardner Denver International, Gardner Denver International Ltd., Gardner Denver Intl Ltd Middle East Regional Rep Office, Gardner Denver Investments, Gardner Denver Italy Holdings S.r.L., Gardner Denver Japan, Gardner Denver Kirchhain Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Korea, Gardner Denver Korea Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd, Gardner Denver Ltd South Africa, Gardner Denver Ltd., Gardner Denver Ltd. Branch (Ireland), Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co, Gardner Denver Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Gardner Denver Nash Brasil Industria E Comercio De Bombas Ltda, Gardner Denver Nash Deutschland GmbH, Gardner Denver Nash LLC, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd, Gardner Denver Nash Machinery Ltd., Gardner Denver Nederland BV, Gardner Denver Nederland Investments B.V., Gardner Denver Oberdorfer Pumps, Gardner Denver Oy, Gardner Denver Petroleum Pumps, Gardner Denver Polska Sp z.o.o., Gardner Denver Pte Ltd., Gardner Denver S.r.l., Gardner Denver Schopfheim GmbH, Gardner Denver Schopfheim Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver Schweiz AG, Gardner Denver Slovakia, Gardner Denver SudAmerica S.r.l., Gardner Denver Sweden AB, Gardner Denver Taiwan Ltd., Gardner Denver Thomas, Gardner Denver Thomas GmbH, Gardner Denver Thomas Pneumatic Systems (Wuxi) Co., Gardner Denver Thomas Real Estate GmbH & Co KG, Gardner Denver UK, Gardner Denver Water Jetting Systems, Garo Dott. Ing. Roberto Gabbioneta S.r.l., Hamworthy Belliss & Morcom, ILMVAC (UK) Ltd., ILS Innovative Labor Systeme, ILS Inovative Laborsysteme GmbH, Indonesia Foreign Trade Representative Office, LeROI, LeRoi International Inc, MP Pumps Inc., Mako Compressors, Nash, Nash Elmo, Oina VV, Oina VV Aktiebolag, Robuschi, Rotary Compression Technologies, Runtech Systems, Runtech Systems (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Runtech Systems Inc., Runtech Systems OY, Shanghai CompAir Compressors Co Ltd, Shanghai Compressors & Blowers Ltd., Syltone, TCM Investments, TIWR Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG, TODO AB, Tamrotor Marine Compressors AS, Thomas Industries, Thomas Industries Inc., Tri-Continent Scientific, Welch Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zinsser Analytic, Zinsser Analytik GmbH, and Zinsser NA.
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through four strategic business units: Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S. Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; and Capital Markets. The company offers chequing, savings, and business accounts; mortgages; loans, lines of credit, student lines of credit, and business and agriculture loans; investment and insurance services; and credit cards, as well as overdraft protection services. It also provides day-to-day banking, borrowing and credit, investing and wealth, specialty, and international services; correspondent banking and online foreign exchange services; and cash management services. The company serves its customers through its banking centers, as well as direct, mobile, and remote channels. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was founded in 1867 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Systemax Inc., through its subsidiaries, operates as a direct marketer of brand name and private label industrial and business equipment and supplies in North America. It sells a range of maintenance, repair, and operation products, including storage and shelving, material handling, janitorial and maintenance products, furniture and office products, workbenches and shop desks, HVAC/R and fans, safety and security products, outdoor and grounds maintenance products, tools and instruments, and office and school supplies. The company also sells plumbing products and pumps, packaging products and supplies, electrical and lighting products, food service products and appliances, raw materials and building supplies, motors and power transmission products, pneumatics and hydraulics, medical and laboratory equipment, metalworking and cutting tools, vehicle maintenance products, and fasteners and hardware. It offers its products under the Global, GlobalIndustrial.com, Nexel Paramount, and Interion brand names. The company offers its products to businesses, educational organizations, and government entities through relationship marketers, catalogs, and e-commerce sites. Systemax Inc. was founded in 1949 and is headquartered in Port Washington, New York.

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WKTV Back to Work Job Orders for October 22  October 26, 2018

Contact your local Working Solutions office:

Herkimer County: 315-867-1400

Madison County: 315-363-2400

Oneida County  Utica: 315-793-2229

Oneida County  Rome: 315-356-0662

Monday, October 22, 2018

Job Title: Associate Quality Engineer City: Herkimer, NY

Summary: Develp, apply and maintain quality requirements and standards. Serve as quality assurance resource to department supervision for problem identification, resolution, loss reporting and continuous improvement. Design and implement methods for process control, process improvement, testing and inspection. Promote and execute quality standards, inspection processes, test methodology, quality control plans, documents and reports.

Pay: Not specified Job Order # DE5414301

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Monday, October 22, 2018

Job Title: Call Center Representative City: Utica, NY

Summary: full time openings on morning, afternoon and evening shifts. All new hires will train for three weeks, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. After that, you can choose a shift that fits your schedule. All shifts are 5 days per week with one weekend day included. Morning, afternoon and evening shifts available. Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance and 401K.

Pay: $12.25/hour Job Order # NY1277378

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Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Job Title: HVAC Installer City: Utica, NY

Full time position for a well-established company. Requires a minimum of 5 years' experience installing commercial hi-efficiency gas furnaces , boilers, central air conditioning and commercial rooftop units. Must have refrigerant certification. Must pass a motor vehicle records check. Benefits include paid vacation, medical, dental, and retirement.

Pay: $15-$25/hr Job Order # NY1280870

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Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Job Title: Machine Operators/Assemblers City: Utica, NY

Full time positions include 1st & 2nd shift CNC Press Brake Operators, 1st & 2nd shift Assembly, 1st & 2nd shift Metal Finisher, 2nd shift Supervisor. Qualifications: High School Diploma or equivalent. Good math skills. Ability to read and use measuring tools. Ability to read blue prints (will train). Strong work ethic and positive attitude. Prior experience preferred but not required. Ability to lift 50 lbs. Strong attention to detail.

Pay: Not specified Job Order # NY1280633

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Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Job Title: Environmental Health/Safety Manager City: Oneida, NY

Summary: provide full time environmental health and safety support to the operations and will ensure that all practices are in compliance with regulatory requirements. The position will be responsible for coordinating regulatory programs and its permitting applications. Support the development and coordination of training programs. Bachelors Degree with at least 5-10 years of safety experience required. Safety Certification(s) preferred.

Pay: Not specified Job Order # DE5374734

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Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Job Title: Political Canvasser City: Utica, NY

Summary: Part time, temporary job in Utica, NY until November 6th. Job Duties: Go door to door in assigned neighborhoods to ask voters about issues affecting them. Encourage people to get out and vote. No experience necessary. Full training will be provided. Days and hours: Monday through Friday, 3pm to 8pm; Saturday 12pm to 5pm; Sunday 1pm to 6pm. Work as many or as few shifts as fit your schedule.

Pay: $15/hr Job Order # NY1281122

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

Job Title: Real Property Administrative Officer City: Utica, NY

This is a second level supervisory position responsible for delinquent tax, sales, and foreclosures. The incumbent performs related work as required. Candidates must meet the minimum qualifications at time of application. Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with an Minimum requirements: Associates Degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, Computer Science, or Computer Information Science AND three (3) years of experience.

Pay: $46,378/hr Job Order # NY1280998

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

Job Title: Residence Counselor City: Oneida, NY

Summary: The Residence Counselor with assist and support individuals in the Apartment Treatment Program enhance their independent living skills. Responsibilities: Provide advocacy, supportive counseling and referral and linkage services for program residents as needed and as assigned by the program supervisor. Maintain the quality of the apartment living environments compatible with high standards of service delivery. Provide coverage for the program as reflected in the staffing plan.

Pay: Not specified Job Order # DE5400535

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Friday, October 26, 2018

Job Title: Field Representative City: Utica, NY

Summary: nterviewing respondents for data collection purposes. Explaining purpose of survey; asking questions as worded. Using a laptop to record responses and other vital information. Light travel may be needed depending on geographical area. Requirements: U.S. citizenship; valid SSN; drivers license and insured vehicle. Desire to work with the public, be self motivated, and be able to follow detailed instructions. Mixed schedule consisting of full time, part time and intermittent schedules to accommodate varying workloads.

Pay: $14.30-$18.33/hr Job Order # NY1281060

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Friday, October 26, 2018

Job Title: Retread Shop Trainee City: Rome, NY

Summary: Full time for a state-of-the-art retread shop in Rome, NY. Operate equipment to retread truck tires. Perform other duties as assigned. No experience necessary, but tire shop experience would be a plus. Must be able to read instructional manuals and have some mechanical ability. Must be dependable. Valid NYS driver license required. Minimal heavy lifting required. Must have references.

Pay: $10.40-$15/hour Job Order # NY1280206
ONEONTA  The state Attorney Generals Office has announced a major settlement with manufactured home park owners to reform their rent-to-own practices, and one of those companies is based in Oneonta.

Attorney General Barbara Underwood says that the eight companies, including JKLM Communities in Oneonta, together own more than 100 manufactured home parks throughout the state. Those park owners have agreed to make significant reforms to their rent-to-own practices, and they must also reimburse tenants for any down payments, and allow tenants to rescind their Option to Purchase Agreement.

The AGs Office says that rent-to-own agreements have become popular among low-income people with poor credit who are hoping to become homeowners. However, the AGs Office says their industry-wide investigation found that by marketing rent-to-own and lease-option contacts as home sales, and treating the potential buyers as an owner rather than a tenant, many of the manufactured home park owners are operating in a grey area and using rent-to-own contracts that lack basic tenant protections.

One of the key findings of the investigation was that people entering a rent-to-own agreement usually make a significant upfront, non-refundable payment, and if they default before the end of their option period theyre subject to eviction and forfeit their deposit.

Another key finding is that optionees agree to take the manufactured home as is and become responsible for all repairs and maintenance during the option period.

One change agreed upon by the companies involved in the settlement includes park owners returning down payments within 45 days after the lease term ends, if the optionee chooses not to purchase the home.

For more information about the settlement, the companies involved and the changes that will be made, click here to view the AGs Offices full release.
As long as youre of age, its now legal to buy recreational marijuana in Canada. Marijuana advocates like Gary Colmey, who heads up a local push for legalization called Legalize It CNY, sees the Canadian law as a big win.

"Canada Legalized cannabis, or had their very first day of legalized cannabis. To me it represents much more than just the legalization of the use of a plant. It represents a milestone in terms of peoples freedoms. Something I think that we hold very dear in our Country too."

But those freedoms dont apply in New York. Oneida County Sheriff Rob Maciol is warning people who are thinking about going to go to Canada and coming back to New York with some pot.

"Its still against federal law here. So I think youre going to see a lot of Americans who may head to Canada for that reason, and when they come back theyre going to be subject to search and seizures. Theyre going to be subject to not being allowed back into the country. Theyre going to be subject to arrest. I guarantee it."



The cannabis industry is projected to bring $4 billion into Canada. According to BDS Analytics, the United States took in nearly $9 billion in 2017. Gary Colmey says its only a matter of time before New York becomes landlocked by states who are making the drug legal.

"Well go back to money if you want to talk money, and its not my main reason at all but certainly, obviously thats something the government cares how much money they can get out of it. Well, theres going to be millions, billions leaving New York State in any direction you want to go, so that alone is reason."



Money is certainly a government motivator, but the Sheriff isnt seeing any gold at the end of this rainbow.

"You look at the history of State government. When revenue increases do they lower our debt? Do they do more do they solve the financial problems were currently struggling with? No."
When President Donald Trump visited Utica in August to attend a private fundraiser for Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney, the congresswoman said she hoped the president would return for a public rally in the fall.

With less than three weeks to go before Election Day on Nov. 6, the possibility of that happening is still unknown.

NEWSChannel 2 reached out to the White House, and we were told to instead call Tenney's campaign. Meanwhile, Tenneys campaign says to call the White House.

RELATED: President Donald Trump speaks at Tenney's fundraiser in Utica

At Wednesdays forum with Democratic challenger Anthony Brindisi, Tenney said she didnt know if the president would be coming back to the area.

Earlier this week, House Speaker Paul Ryan attended a fundraiser for Tenney in Binghamton.
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Pre-eclampsia 'linked to dementia risk'

Pre-eclampsia can lead to serious complications for pregnant women

Pregnant women who suffer from pre-eclampsia have a greater risk of developing dementia, new research suggests.

The study found that the pregnancy condition is related to the onset of dementia later in life, particularly vascular dementia which is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain.

Pre-eclampsia sees pregnant women experience an onset of high blood pressure and other signs of organ dysfunction, which can lead to several serious complications.

Higher risk

Published in the British Medical Journal, the study examined data on all Danish women who gave birth between 1978 and 2015.

They found that after an average follow-up of 21 years, women with a history of pre-eclampsia had a 3.5 times higher risk of vascular dementia compared with women who did not.

They also had a 1.5 times higher risk of Alzheimer's disease and a 1.4 times higher risk of other or non-specific dementias.

Risk of any dementia was higher for women with a history of recurrent pre-eclampsia than for women with pre-eclampsia in a single pregnancy.

"Pre-eclampsia was associated with an increased risk of dementia, particularly vascular dementia," the authors concluded. "Asking about a history of pre-eclampsia could help physicians to identify women who might benefit from screening for early signs of disease, allowing for early clinical intervention."

Hospital trust introduces new pre-eclampsia test

Meanwhile it has emerged that one NHS trust in England has decided to adopt the use of a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved diagnostic test for pre-eclampsia following a hospital trial.

Roche Diagnostics said that its test, combined with a clinical examination, can predict with almost 100% accuracy that a pregnant woman will not develop pre-eclampsia within the following seven days.

Roche said in 2016 Nice guidelines recommended that a test be used to help rule-out pre-eclampsia in women presenting with suspected pre-eclampsia between 20 weeks and 34 weeks plus six days of gestation in conjunction with standard clinical assessment and subsequent clinical follow-up.

Geoff Twist, managing director at Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland, said: "I am delighted that Oxford University Hospitals will be introducing the test as within standard clinical practice, reducing uncertainty and enable care to be focused on those who need it most.

"This test has been recommended by Nice and has the potential to be quickly expanded at many hospital sites."

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France has suspended some political visits to Saudi Arabia over the case of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the countrys president said Thursday. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Emmanuel Macron said clarification on Khashoggis disappearance is needed, noting the information received so far is "extremely serious and worrying". He said the decision was made in coordination with other European countries, including the UK, Germany and the Netherlands. As part of the decision, Macron said a planned trip by Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to attend an economic conference has been cancelled. Responding to a question on relations with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Macron said bilateral relations between the two counties will continue. - Khashoggi case Khashoggi has been missing since Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. On the day of Khashoggi's disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was still inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey. On Wednesday, crime scene investigation units arrived at the official residence of Saudi Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi around 4.40 p.m. local time (1340GMT). Al-Otaibi had left Turkey for Riyadh on Tuesday. Officials from a joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case early Thursday after searching the residence as well as the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Mexico announced Thursday that it would ask the UNs refugee agency, UNHCR, for help in processing the arrival of a caravan of up to 4,000 migrants at its southern border that is bound for the United States.

In a press release, Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray said he would formally submit the request later that day in a meeting with UN General Secretary Antonio Guterres in New York.

This measure aims to ensure the security and integrity of migrants -- particularly of minors, elderly people and women -- and to prevent them from becoming victims of criminal organizations dedicated to human trafficking who would put their lives at risk, the statement said.

On Oct. 13, a thousand migrants left on foot from Honduras for the United States -- an estimated 2,500 kilometers (1,553 miles) away. On Thursday, the group, which reportedly grew to 4,000 people in Guatemala, was headed to the southern border of Mexico, with some of its members already at the border.

In a joint statement, Mexicos Interior and Foreign Relations ministries reiterated that the migrants would not be allowed to enter the country without proper documentation.

Migrants are required to have a visa granted by Mexican authorities, and those who dont must either individually apply for refugee status, which could imply up to 90 days of detention, or face deportation.

We deny that the existence of a transit visa exists for people to cross the national territory, the statement read.

A previous caravan of around a thousand migrants headed to the U.S. in April had been granted temporary visas to cross Mexico, angering U.S. President Donald Trump.

Over the past few days, Trump has made escalating threats on Twitter, saying Thursday he would use the military to "CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!" while demanding Mexico "stop this onslaught" from reaching the U.S.

In a local radio interview on Thursday morning, incoming Mexican foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard, who will take office in December, qualified Trumps declarations as unsurprising, predictable and electorally motivated in light of midterm elections due in three weeks.

President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday he "planned to offer more work visas for Central Americans" as soon as he is sworn into office on Dec. 1.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listened to an alleged audio recording of the "murder" of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, ABC News reported Thursday, citing a senior Turkish official.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post newspaper, has long been feared killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after he entered on Oct. 2 and was never seen exiting.

According to ABC News, the Turkish official said Pompeo listened to the recording Wednesday during a meeting in Ankara, adding he was also given a transcript of the recording.

ABC News also reported that "Turkish officials believe that Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate following a struggle that lasted eight minutes and they believe he died of strangulation".

The State Department denied the report.

"Secretary Pompeo has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript related to Jamal Khashoggis disappearance," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

Prior to his visit to Ankara, Pompeo traveled to Saudi Arabia, where he held talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Khashoggis disappearance.

Addressing reporters at the White House after his return to the U.S., Pompeo said he advised President Donald Trump to give Saudi Arabia "a few more days" to complete their investigation into the matter.

On the same day of Khashoggi's disappearance, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while he was still inside, according to Turkish police sources.

All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.

On Wednesday, crime scene investigation units arrived at the official residence of Saudi Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi around 4.40 p.m. local time (1340GMT). Al-Otaibi had left Turkey for Riyadh on Tuesday.

Officials from a joint Turkish-Saudi team completed an investigation into the case early Thursday after searching the residence as well as the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
The 80th anniversary of the founding of the Fourth International, the world Trotskyist movement, will be celebrated in December with meetings in Australia and New Zealand. These events will follow powerful rallies that have already taken place in Sri Lanka, and meetings in major cities across the United States.

The keynote speaker will be David North, the chairman of the international editorial board of the World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Party (US), who, for over 40 years, has been at the forefront of the theoretical, political and practical struggle for Trotskyism waged by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI).

The commemoration meetings will take place in Sydney on Sunday, December 2, in Melbourne on Thursday, December 6, and in Wellington, New Zealand on Sunday, December 9. They will enable workers, youth and professionals opposed to social inequality, authoritarianism and war, all products of decaying capitalism, to learn about and discuss the critical political lessons drawn by the Trotskyist movement in the course of eight decades of struggle for socialist internationalismagainst Stalinism, Laborism, and every form of nationalist opportunism.

Under conditions of the deepening crisis of global capitalism, the impoverishment of hundreds of millions of people around the world, and the rapidly intensifying US-led preparations for war against China, there is no more important task.

As David North explained in Colombo, Sri Lanka:

  it is impossible to fight for socialism in the twenty-first century without studying and assimilating the lessons of Trotskys struggle against Stalinism in the twentieth century. This remains the fundamental theoretical and political struggle of the last century, of the most profound and immediate significance to every critical issue of political strategy that confronts workers and all those seeking seriously the correct path of struggle against capitalism in the contemporary world.

The Socialist Equality Party in Australia, the Socialist Equality Group in New Zealand and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) urge our members and supporters, and all readers of the WSWS in both countries, to attend the meetings and advertise them as widely as possible.

To media representatives who wish to interview David North during his visit to Australia or New Zealand, or to speak with event organisers, please email sep@sep.org.au.

Meeting details:

Eighty Years of the Fourth International (1938-2018):

The class struggle, revolution and socialism in the 21st century

Wellington, New Zealand

Sunday, December 9, 3:00 p.m.

Lecture Theatre 3, Pipitea Campus

Victoria University of Wellington

Rutherford House

(near Wellington Railway Station)

Tickets: $7/$5 concession
Mehring-Verlag, the German imprint of Mehring Books, has published a new volume on the resurgence of fascism in Germany, entitled Why Are They Back? Historical Falsification, Political Conspiracy And The Return Of Fascism In Germany by Christoph Vandreier.

Vandreier presented the book in a well-attended lecture at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Saturday.

Christoph Vandreier speaks at the event

We had long been thinking about writing a book about the experiences of the last five years, in which the rise of the right wing, the return of fascism and war were ideologically and politically prepared, Vandreier said in his introductory remarks.

After the neo-Nazi riots in Chemnitz, we decided that this project was urgent and that the book had to be completed by the time of the Frankfurt Book Fair, he said.

The neo-Nazi attacks on refugees and a Jewish-owned restaurant, Vandreier said, have made clear that the fascists are back and that the political issues of the past have returned with a vengeance.

The previous day, AfD politician Bjorn Hocke spouted his right-wing extremist views at the Frankfurt Book Fair, protected by dozens of police in battle dress, facing off against hundreds of protestors gathered in the main staircase. The Social Democrat Thilo Sarrazin, a purveyor of racism and eugenics, presented his new book Hostile Takeover, and other right-wing thinkers and publishers also exhibited their publications.

Among the masses, the neo-Nazis are hated, Vandreier stated, pointing to the mass anti-fascist demonstration taking place in Berlin that same day. The fact the extreme right is able to act so provocatively can only be explained by the support it receives from the political establishment.

As an example, Vandreier cited the journalist Mariam Lau, who writes for the liberal newsweekly Die Zeit and is mentioned in the book for her defence of right-wing extremist professor Jorg Baberowski and her remark that refugees should be left to drown in the Mediterranean.

Ahead of the book fair, Lau had complained in Die Zeit that the right-wing newspaper Junge Freiheit hadbeen given a less prominent place at the fair. She accused critics of the racists and right-wing extremists of discourse hygiene.

The fact that the chairman of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alexander Gauland, could publish a contribution in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which paraphrased a speech by Hitler, shows how the right-wing extremists are being courted. Der Spiegel columnist Jakob Augstein, who calls himself a left-winger, attested that Gauland had written a sage text about Germanand Westernmisery.

The chapters in this book deal in detail with the role of academics, the media, political parties, and the state apparatus in building up and strengthening the AfD, Vandreier said. It is not written from the standpoint of a neutral observer, but as a contribution to the struggle against the return of militarism and fascism.

The lecture at the Frankfurt Book Fair

Vandreier added: This book was only possible because the Socialist Equality Party and its youth organization, the IYSSE, opposed the attempts to rehabilitate Nazi ideology. It was only in this struggle that the extent of the shift to the right by the ruling class and the enormous opposition against it became clearly visible among students and workers.

Vandreier then discussed the individual chapters of the book. He explained how, in early 2014, with the return of German militarism, a comprehensive campaign to falsify German history was launched. For example, German responsibility for the First World War was denied and even the crimes of the Nazis were trivialised, in preparation for new wars. The Humboldt University historian Jorg Baberowski had said in Der Spiegel that Hitler was not vicious and downplayed the Holocaust.

For three years, not a single professor or journalist objected to these crass statements. This deafening silence was a prerequisite for todays extreme right to act so aggressively, Vandreier read from the book. The management of Humboldt University and numerous media outlets attacked Baberowskis critics and defended the extreme-right ideologue.

Now the AfDs policies were being implemented by the grand coalition of the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, Vandreier continued. It was the most right-wing government since the end of the Nazi regime, as demonstrated by its massive increase in armaments spending for the Bundeswehr (Armed Forces), its austerity measures and the establishment of a system of concentration camps to detain refugees.

The shift to the right by the political establishment and the government is a result of the deep crisis of capitalism, which, as in the 20th century, led to fascism and war, Vandreier explained. As war and class struggle return today, so does the historical question Rosa Luxemburg posed during the First World War: socialism or barbarism?

The cover of Why are they back?

This appraisal was defended by Leon Trotsky against Social Democracy and Stalinism, which had disarmed the working class on the eve of World War II. Trotsky maintained that only an independent movement of the working class can prevent war and fascism. This perspective is now gaining enormous significance, concluded Vandreier.

The presentation was followed by a lively discussion. The meeting was chaired by Sven Wurm, who also played a key role in the fight against the return of right-wing and militarist ideology at Humboldt University. He stressed that it was important to build the IYSSE at Frankfurt University, and encouraged all participants to continue to explore these issues.

Why are they back? met with great interest at the book fair, and the first print run sold out.
The past two weeks since US Vice-President Mike Pence delivered his bellicose anti-China speech have confirmed that his remarks, carefully prepared in advance, signaled an escalation of the Trump administrations reckless confrontation with Beijing on all frontspolitical, economic and military.

In his blistering xenophobic attack, Pence accused China of military provocations in the South China Sea, economic aggression which has in turn emboldened its growing military, the theft of US intellectual property, and, without providing a shred of evidence, interference in American politics, including the upcoming mid-term elections, with the aim out undermining and removing Trump.

As we speak, Beijing is employing a whole-of-government approach, using political, economic, and military tools, as well as propaganda, to advance its influence and benefit its interests in the United States, Pence declared. The wild, unsubstantiated accusations are intended to justify the Trump administrations whole-of-government strategy aimed at undermining what it regards as a dangerous strategic competitor, at any cost.

Since Pences speech, the anti-China drumbeat from top US officials has increased.

* In a press conference with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on October 8, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lashed out at China over trade and defended US steps to bolster ties with Taiwan, saying we have a fundamental disagreement and great concerns about actions that China has taken.

* Testifying to a US Senate committee on October 10, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the hearing that China posed a greater danger to the United States than Russia. China in many ways represents the broadest, most complicated, most long-term counterintelligence threat we face, he declared.

* In a radio interview on October 12, Trumps National Security Adviser John Bolton signalled further aggressive measures against China across the board. After boasting that Beijing had never seen an American president this tough before, he warned, I think their behavior needs to be adjusted in the trade area, in the international, military and political areas, in a whole range of areas.

Bolton singled out Chinese actions in the South China Sea and indicated that the US and its allies, including Britain and Australia, were going to be engaged in freedom of navigation provocations to challenge Chinese maritime claims. He also provocatively suggested that the US could back more exploitation of mineral resources in the South China Sea with or without Chinese cooperation. On October 16, the Pentagon flew two nuclear-capable B-52 strategic bombers close to Chinese-controlled islets in the South China Sea.

* Speaking prior to arriving in Vietnam on October 16, US Defence Secretary Mattis also hit out at Chinas alleged militarisation of the South China Sea and declared that Washington was highly concerned about Chinas predatory actions. He attacked what we consider to be almost predatory, in some cases certainly predatory, economic behaviour that was encouraging small countries to build up massive debt that they would have difficulty repaying.

Similar accusations of countries being caught in a Chinese debt trap are increasingly being made in the US and international media. While China certainly uses aid and loans to further its interests, the US and other imperialist powers have for decades cynically exploited aid and loanseither directly or through agencies such as the IMF and World Bankto compel smaller, economically backward countries to carry out their economic and strategic demands.

Mattiss declaration that China must have respect for international rules and for all nations sovereignty, whether theyre large or small is utterly hypocritical given US imperialisms long history of bullying, political coups and wars to achieve its ends.

As for the defense secretarys claim that the US is not out to contain China, it is simply absurd. Beginning under Obamas pivot to Asia and accelerated under Trump, the US has sought to isolate and encircle China by strengthening ties and alliances throughout the Indo-Pacific especially with Japan, Australia and India. It has greatly expanded its military presence in the region and recklessly inflamed dangerous flashpoints such as the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan and the South China Sea.

There is no doubt that the Chinese regime is prosecuting the interests of the thin layer of super-wealthy oligarchs who have enriched themselves through processes of capitalist restoration since 1978, at the expense of the Chinese working class. Nevertheless, Beijing is reacting to the very real threat posed by US trade war measures and the danger of war with the US, still the worlds largest economy and by far the greatest military power.

The Trump administrations National Security Strategy released last December branded Russia and China as revisionist powers that threatened the international order dominated by the US, and declared that great power competition not the war on terror was now the US priority.

A day after Pences speech, the Pentagon released a report surveying American reliance on foreign sources, particularly rivals such as China, for key strategic materials and items. It declared that Chinas economic strategies posed significant threats to the US industrial base and thereby pose a growing risk to US national security and called for a solid defence industrial base, and resilient supply chains to be a national priority. In other words, the US had to have the secure industrial capacity for protracted total war with China.

As the Trump administration plunges the world towards a catastrophic conflict involving nuclear armed powers, the working class is the only social force capable of halting the threat of war through the struggle for an internationalist and socialist alternative. That was the perspective advanced by the Fourth International in 1938 on the eve of World War II: the unification of workers around the world to abolish the capitalist profit system and its reactionary division of the world into rival nation states that is the root cause of war.
Donald Trump threatened Thursday to deploy the US military to close the US-Mexico border as a caravan of 4,000 immigrants fleeing Honduras in search of asylum approached the southern border of Mexico.

Calling the caravan an onslaught and an assault, Trump demanded that Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico all use armed force to stop the immigrants, tweeting:

In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!

Deploying the armed forces to seal the border poses the threat of mass arrests, mass detention and extensive military checkpoints. It raises the specter of martial law and violates the democratic principle of posse comitatus, which bars the military from carrying out law enforcement activities within the country.

The immigrants marching north have maintained a hopeful and defiant spirit despite Trumps threats. The caravan, which is made up of people who would normally make their way separately toward the US border, has been transformed into a political demonstration whose daily movements are followed closely by all the regions major media outlets, along with the US Spanish-language network Univision.

As the marchers, many of them mothers with young children, moved northwest en route to the United States, they chanted and waved Honduran flags and greeted onlookers, who delivered donations of food and water.

These Honduran workers and impoverished peasants are fleeing a country ravished by imperialist exploitation and US-backed death squads and thrown into disarray by the 2009 coup that overthrew the countrys elected president Manuel Zelayaan international crime overseen by Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In press interviews, the immigrants are gaining widespread popularity for denouncing the inequality, corruption and state violence that plague all of Central America.

The Mexican government has responded to Trumps orders by preparing to carry out the dirty work of his administrations crackdown on immigrants, including physical repression. Yesterday, black airplanes carrying several hundred Mexican federal police armed with riot gear arrived at the Mexico-Guatemala border. Helicopters were also deployed to monitor the border region.

The Mexican consulate in Guatemala published a statement saying immigrants who wish to enter Mexico must have travel documents and a visa and that those who enter into the country in an irregular manner will be returned to their country of origin, in a secure and orderly manner.

US discussions with the Mexican government have involved both the administration of outgoing president Enrique Pena Nieto and representatives of incoming president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who won election in July and will take office December 1. Trump dispatched Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Mexico City yesterday for meetings today with Pena Nieto, sitting Foreign Secretary Luis Videgaray, and his soon-to-be replacement Marcelo Ebard.

The threat to deploy the military to the border was greeted with outrage across Mexico, a country that lost half its territory to US invasion in the Mexican-American war of 1846-48 and was invaded by the US on multiple occasions during the Mexican Revolution of 1910-20.

Lopez Obradors incoming foreign secretary, Ebard, cynically dismissed Trumps threat in a radio interview on Radio Centro: The position of President Trump is the same he has always put forward, I dont see this as anything surprising, it would surprise me if he took a different position.

The Trump administration and the Republican Party have elevated the false threat posed by the caravan to whip up fascistic xenophobic sentiment in the run-up to the midterm elections, less than three weeks away. Trump also tweeted yesterday:

I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to U.S...

Trump and his administration are working toward the reimplementation of a version of the family separation policy enacted last spring, when thousands of immigrant children were taken from their parents and loved ones. As Trump said during his recent 60 Minutes interview, When you allow the parents to stay together, OK, when you allow that, then what happens is people are gonna pour into our country.

Officials within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have issued hysterical statements calling for the re-establishment of family separation.

Katie Waldman, a spokeswoman for DHS, demanded politicians close catch-and-release loopholes in the law that would allow authorities to detain and remove family units safely and expeditiously However, the removal of actual family units, or those posing as family units, has been made virtually impossible by congressional inactionwhich will most likely result in record numbers of families arriving illegally in the United States this year.

The Democratic Party has instructed its candidates to ignore or to publicly support Trumps attack on immigrants in the run-up to the elections.

At a recent speaking engagement in Austin, Texas, Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi told candidates not to focus on Trumps attacks on immigrants, explaining that calling for shutting down ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] merely serves the presidents purpose. Pelosi said she tells Democratic candidates that focusing on the issue would waste energy.

At an event at Harvard University this week, Pelosi proclaimed the Democratic Partys desire to find common ground with Trump, explaining that Democrats have to always try to find ways to work with Trump. She said she thought Trumps proposal to construct a border wall between the US and Mexico would be expensive and ineffective at stopping immigrants. She portrayed Trumps desire to build a wall as a gender issue, explaining it was merely a manhood issue for the president.

Trumps threats and the willingness of the Democratic Party to help him conduct the crackdown on immigrants underscore the sharp threats posed to the working class, immigrant and nonimmigrant alike. The ruling class is preparing to respond to the class struggle in the same way that it is moving against immigrants: with repressive violence and martial law.
Yesterday, gruesome details emerged on the torture and murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul that shocked millions of people around the world.

Recordings from the consulate confirm that a team of Saudi operatives beat, tortured, killed and dismembered the journalist, an opponent of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The details of the killing are abhorrent. It was unclear, the New York Times wrote, whether Mr Khashoggi was killed before his fingers were removed and his body dismembered. Once he was dead, a Saudi forensic specialist expressly sent to Istanbul began helping the others to dismember and hide the remainsadvising them to listen to music in order to relax while cutting up the corpse.

The Saudi oil monarchys resort to murder to destroy a political opponent, and try to terrorize the rest into silence, evokes anger and revulsion internationally. The Khashoggi murder is, however, only the most grotesque expression of a growing resort by the ruling elites to police-state repression, in order to intimidate rising political opposition.

Early Tuesday morning in Paris, thousands of kilometers from Istanbul, a police squad armed with assault rifles and bullet-proof vests barged into the apartment of Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the Unsubmissive France (LFI) party. Fifteen other squads descended on the homes of other LFI officials, and on LFI party headquarters. When Melenchon arrived at LFI headquarters, where police were confiscating materials and downloading all the data on LFIs computers, they illegally denied Melenchon and other LFI members entry.

When Melenchon and other LFI deputies from the National Assembly forced open the doors, they faced a squad of police, one of whom tackled an LFI member as Melenchon demanded they leave.

The next day, an orchestrated campaign began in the media, denouncing Melenchon for posing as a political martyr, in Liberations words, and the courts began investigating him on charges of obstructing justice and assaulting police.

The WSWS unequivocally condemns this outrageous police-state assault. The attack on LFI, a party with hundreds of thousands of sympathizers that received millions of left-wing votes in last years presidential elections, aims to intimidate broader opposition to the austerity and police-state policies of French President Emmanuel Macron. It came after two weeks in which Macron, despised as the president of the rich, tried and failed to name a government; due to Macrons unpopularity, politicians refused to join his cabinet, fearing it could end their political careers.

The WSWS has fundamental political differences with Melenchon, which it has documented extensively. However, he is a leading politician who still commands substantial support. His right to conduct his politics and to protect his headquarters is of fundamental importance.

The interior ministrys decision to send heavily-armed police to Melenchons apartment, as if he were a terrorist bomber prepared to shoot it out with police, is an unmistakable threat to masses of people in France, across Europe and beyond. A decade after the 2008 Wall Street crash, the ruling elites are aware that their grotesque wealth and policies of austerity and war are overwhelmingly unpopular. Weak governments take desperate measures, and they aim to use ruthlessly the police-state powers built up during the war on terror against political opposition.

Like the Saudi regime, the Macron government and governments across Europe, desperate in the face of enormous popular opposition, are lashing out. Last year, the Spanish government sent thousands of police to Catalonia to assault thousands of peaceful voters in the October 2017 Catalan independence referendum. After suspending the elected Catalan regional government, Madrid jailed top Catalan politicians for organizing the referendum or calling for peaceful protests against Madrids crackdown, holding them as political prisoners.

And, just after the police raid on Melenchon and mass anti-fascist demonstrations opposing her government in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that as the European elections get underway, her government will step up surveillance of opposition parties. She said she would create guidelines for parties which actively spread disinformation in their campaigns, in order to tighten domestic security.

The principal target of this censorship and police-state repression is the nascent political opposition in the international working class to capitalism. One diplomat told the Washington Post that the Saudi regime, as it sets about murdering its critics, knows that if meaningful jobs were not found for Saudi Arabias young and highly educated population, and if the oil-dominated economy were not diversified, they were doomed.

And in the most advanced capitalist countries, the radicalization of the working class is proceeding rapidly. Amid mass unemployment and a decade of deep austerity since the 2008 crash, the European Union commissioned a poll last year that found that most European youth under 35 would like to join a mass uprising against the social order. In America, similar polls found that young workers prefer socialism over capitalism.

The raids on LFI are a warning: if the ruling elites internationally accept to use such brutal methods against Melenchon, a former government minister and well-known figure in official politics, they will try to move ruthlessly against the workers and youth.

The central task emerging today is the construction in the working class of an international movement against militarism and police-state repression. In the face of the universal turn to mass spying and police repression by capitalist oligarchies desperate to defend their privileges, the way forward for the working class to defend democratic rights is in a struggle for socialism.

The unanimous turn against Melenchon in the French media, many parts of which once styled themselves as socialists, is a warning. The layers of the affluent middle class drawn from the post-1968 student movement that dominated what passed for left politics have shifted far to the right and cast their lot in with the police state. The struggle to defend democratic rights requires above all the struggle for the political independence of the working class from other class forces.

In particular, while the WSWS unconditionally and unequivocally defends Melenchon against Macrons repression, it maintains its criticisms of his policies, which played no small role in creating the police-state regime. His party, a relentless promoter of French nationalism, voted after the 2015 terror attacks for the state of emergency that suspended democratic rights and vastly increased police powers. And his recent pledge to ally with the right to defend the French Republic against Macron only strengthened the police forces that are now baying for his head.

Instead, fundamental principles in the struggle against police-state dictatorship include:

The struggle against police-state dictatorship must be based on the working class, the great revolutionary force in society, uniting behind it all progressive elements in the population.

It must be anti-capitalist and socialist, as there can be no serious defense of democracy except in the fight to end the dictatorship of finance capital and put an end to the economic system that is the fundamental cause of militarism and police-state rule.

It must therefore, of necessity, be completely and unequivocally independent of, and hostile to, all political parties and organizations of the capitalist class.

It must, above all, be international, mobilizing the vast power of the working class in a unified global struggle against imperialism.
Last Monday, Liberal-National Coalition senators voted unanimously for a resolution by Senator Pauline Hanson, the leader of the anti-immigrant One Nation Party, promoting a notorious white supremacist slogan. In a revealing political stand, they openly joined far-right senators in backing Hansons it is okay to be white motion, which was only narrowly defeated, by 28 votes to 31.

The vote caused widespread outrage, and attracted international media attention, because it so nakedly aligned the government with the type of far-right and fascistic elements emerging in Europe and the United States. With a crucial by-election in the Sydney electorate of Wentworth this Saturday, there was also evident nervousness that the line-up with Hanson could cost the Liberal Party votes.

Recently-installed Prime Minister Scott Morrison publicly back-tracked the next day, saying the Senate vote was regrettable. Cabinet ministers blamed an inexplicable administrative error. At the suggestion of the opposition Labor Party, the Senate vote was placed back on the notice paper so that Coalition senators could reverse their vote on Tuesday.

Whatever the short-term tactical calculations behind the about-face, the fact that the government embraced the slogan, long championed by alt-right and neo-Nazi groups in the US and elsewhere, has a far-reaching significance. It underscores the lurch to the right within the entire political establishment signalled by the August 24 backroom removal of Morrisons predecessor Malcolm Turnbull.

By lining up with Hanson, who has agitated against Muslims, Asians and Aborigines for two decades, the Morrison leadership is pitching to a still-small but vocal socially conservative and xenophobic base. Above all, it is seeking to divert mounting political and social discontent throughout the working class in reactionary nationalist and racist directions.

Hansons motion stated: That the Senate acknowledges: (a) the deplorable rise of anti-white racism and attacks on Western civilisation; and (b) that it is okay to be white. Thus, it linked a well-known white supremacist slogan to the supposed defence of Western civilisationitself code for anti-Islamic and anti-Chinese xenophobia that feeds into support for US-led militarism in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific.

Mondays vote was no mistake. Among the 23 Coalition senators voting for the motion were some of the governments most senior figures. They included deputy Senate leader and Trade Minister Simon Birmingham, Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash, Resources Minister Matt Canavan, Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion and deputy National Party leader Bridget McKenzie.

They joined hands with Hanson and her fellow One Nation senator, Peter Georgiou; Australian Conservatives senator Cory Bernardi; the free market libertarian David Leyonjhelm of the Liberal Democratic Party; and Fraser Anning of Katters Australian Party. Anning recently devoted his maiden speech to calling for a final solution to ban non-European immigration and reintroduce the White Australia policy.

Moreover, the Coalition senators voted according to instructions from the office of Attorney-General Christian Porter, who quickly tweeted his support for their stand. The Government Senators actions in the Senate this afternoon confirm that the Government deplores racism of any kind, he said.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, a central figure in the ousting of Turnbull, echoed Porter, tweeting: The Government indeed deplores racism of any kind.

Porter later claimed that his staff issued the voting instructions, without his knowledge. Cormann said it was just an embarrassing mix up. But Hanson had tabled the motion last month, and promoted it in an interview on Rupert Murdochs Sky News, giving the government ample time to consider its response.

Equally implausible is any suggestion that the government was unaware of the white supremacist connotations of the its OK to be white slogan. Far-right groups, including the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis, have long used the slogan to stoke racial division as a means of splitting and diverting the struggles of the working class.

White supremacist propaganda has promoted the slogan since at least 2001, and it was given new prominence around October 2017, when 4chan message board users began broadcasting it as a means of popularising alt-right themes. The worlds most prominent neo-Nazi website, the Daily Stormer, promoted the campaign, and former KKK grand wizard David Duke claimed it was sweeping the US.

Most recently, when Canadian alt-right activist Lauren Southern visited Australia in July, and met with Hanson, she provocatively sported a T-shirt declaring its OK to be white.

Significantly, the Morrison governments decision to back away from openly fomenting jingoism, at least for now, was condemned by some Coalition MPs, notably those who agitated for the dumping of Turnbull.

Former military general Senator Jim Molan said the government looked weak in blaming its initial support for the motion on an administrative error. Lower house backbencher Luke Howarth told Sky News: They should have just come out and said straightforward that the reason that they voted for it is because when you read what Senator Hanson said, in itself, (it) is fine.

Even after the government reversed its vote in the Senate, another Queensland MP, George Christensen, reiterated his support for the its OK to be white proposition.

The attempt to whip up nationalism, and anti-Chinese sentiment in particular, has been brought to the very centre of official Australian politics.

Under Turnbull, with Labors full backing, the government pushed through draconian foreign interference laws. It announced new Australian values and English language tests for immigrants, and presided over a witch hunt against members of parliament who were entitled to any foreign citizenship.

But Turnbull, a member of the financial elite, opposed efforts by the Liberal Partys most right-wing faction, centred around ex-Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, to fully shift the party behind the most extreme right-wing populism.

When Hanson staged a provocative anti-Muslim stunt in the Senate in August 2017, wearing a burqa to agitate for a ban on the Islamic headdress, government ministers joined their Labor Party and Greens colleagues in feigning outrage. Turnbull also criticised the racist speech of Fraser Anning.

Since Turnbulls ouster, the refashioning of the Liberal and National parties to the right has accelerated. Morrison has flagged proposals such as forcing new arrivals to live and work in designated zones of the country in a blatant attempt to blame migrants for the soaring living costs and deteriorating basic infrastructure that confront millions of working class people.

At the same time, Morrison has aligned Australian policy unequivocally with the Trump administrations America First aggression. This week Morrison proposed following the US in shifting the countrys Israeli embassy to Jerusalem. Turnbull, by contrast, had been treated with suspicion in Washington because of his efforts to shore up relations with China, Australian capitalisms biggest export market.

Amid the outcry over the Hanson motion, there was much hypocrisy from the Labor Party and the Greens, who urged Coalition MPs to change their votes. As much as the Coalition, however, they are responsible for creating the economic and political conditions in which far-right elements can gain traction among segments of the population.

Decades of worsening living standards and ever-more glaring social inequality, imposed by Coalition and Greens-backed Labor governments alike, have permitted nationalist agitators like Hanson and Bob Katter to posture as opponents of the elites and champions of those impoverished by them.

Moreover, Labor and the trade unions have waged anti-immigrant and protectionist campaigns that blame immigrants and foreign workers for the corporate assault on workers jobs and conditions. They have railed against the entry of workers on temporary visas, pursued a vicious bipartisan drive to block all refugees from fleeing to Australia and joined scare-mongering about Islamic terrorists and African crime gangs, effectively demonising entire layers of the population.

Since 2001, Labor and Coalition governments alike have used the bogus war on terror as the pretext for participating in criminal wars in the Middle East, and eviscerating fundamental civil liberties. In 2011, Labor committed Australia to backing the confrontational US military build-up in Asia, which has escalated under Trump into open trade war and preparations for war.

Against the danger of war and the promotion of fascistic elements, the only progressive alternative is the fight for the unity of the international working class, in a common struggle for the socialist reorganisation of society in the interests of all, not the profit dictates of the corporate elite.

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Italys right-wing coalition government and its fascist Interior Minister Matteo Salvini have ordered the removal of all refugees from Riace, known as the village of hospitality, in southern Calabria. On October 2, the mayor of Riace was placed under house arrest.

Last Saturday, the Interior Ministry issued a circular declaring that all migrants living in Riace should leave the village and move into various state refugee camps. Initially, the measure was to be executed this week but on Monday the deadline was extended for a period of sixty days. This leaves the refugees to an uncertain fate.

A week ago, several thousand people demonstrated against the detention of Mayor Domenico Mimmo Lucano and denounced the government's fascist immigration policy.

Due to Lucano's initiative to welcome migrants and refugees into his village, the former ghost town of Riace has been imbued with new life and is now known throughout Europe. In 2010, Wim Wenders shot his short film Il volo (The Flight), in which he honored the model-town on the Calabrian coast and its mayor. Lucano has been awarded several international prizes, including last year's Dresden Peace Prize.

Of the approximately 2,000 inhabitants of the village, more than 400 are immigrants and another 500 have returned from emigration. The first migrants came from Kurdistan twenty years ago and have largely adopted Italian citizenship since then. Refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Syria, Ghana, Eritrea, Somalia and other countries came later.

About 200 of them are directly threatened by the announced deportation. The Interior Minister's decree has caused great concern amongst the immigrant population. On Sunday, a group gathered in front of Lucano's house, where they kept emphasizing: "We don't want to leave Riace. Our new life is here."

The locals support the immigrants, as Riace has gained greatly from its new inhabitants. Thanks to the influx of new residents, the local school did not have to be closed. Dilapidated houses were rebuilt and the whole townwith its cafes, shops, studios and serviceswas given new life. Lucano, who initiated the project twenty years ago as a teacher, was elected mayor in 2004.

For two weeks he has been prevented from leaving his house or receiving any visits. The government is demanding that the municipal council submit a new bill for all additional expenditures incurred by immigration, regardless of the fact that Riace has not received any state funds for special expenses in more than a year.

Thousands are taking to the streets against the government's pitiless refugee policy. On October 6, 6,000 people gathered in Riace to express their solidarity with the mayor; further demonstrations took place in Rome and Milan the same day. Several thousand school and university students also showed their solidarity with the migrants of Riace and its mayor on the October 6 and 12.

However, all these opposition protests have no voice in politics. Reports about them can be found almost exclusively in the blogs or Twitter accounts of the relevant initiatives and networks. The mainstream media either report them very scantily or not at all.

The merciless position of Salvini is an expression of the crisis and weakness of the government. It seeks to divide and intimidate the population while also diverting attention from itself as it prepares massive attacks on the entire Italian working class.

Salvini justified his tough stance in Riace by attacking mayor Lucano, stating, Irregularities in the use of public funds cannot be tolerated. This is all the more preposterous as Salvini's own party, the far-right Lega, has misappropriated 49 million euros of taxpayers' money in just three years (2008 -2010) and must now repay it in annual installments, as confirmed in September by the highest court in Italy, the Cassation Court.

This is awkward for the coalition partner M5S, which has always claimed to be against corrupt politicians and whose voters do not fully support Lega's witch-hunting of refugees. As a result, several M5S leaders have attempted to cautiously distance themselves from Salvini in public. While Roberto Fico (M5S), the President of the House of Representatives, has not distanced himself from Salvini's decree in Riace, he has criticized his migration policy in the past.

Salvini had recently praised the decision of Sarah Casanova (Lega), the mayor of Lodi, to exclude refugee children from school meals if they did not pay the maximum contribution. In a very short time, more than 60,000 euros were collected via the Internet for foreign childrens school lunches in Lodi. Fico then called upon Lega politicians Salvini and Casanova to rescind their decision in Lodi, to apologize and to ensure that these children return to the school canteen. In the case of Riace, the M5S has openly welcomed the end of a model, as of October 7.

Fico is certainly not worried about the refugee children of Lodi, but rather the crisis of the Five Star Movement, which is visibly losing its support base. While it was still the strongest party in Italy in Aprils general election, it has now fallen behind, with 28.5 percent, trailing the Lega (33.8 percent).

While the Lega mobilizes its fascist supporters through its brutal immigration policies, Beppe Grillos party owes its rise to a slightly different clientele. Claiming to be neither right nor left, it benefits the most from the demise of the social Democratic Party (PD). According to the polls, the PD would currently only achieve 17 percent.

The M5S will not be able to fulfill its campaign promises to withdraw the Fornero pension reform and introduce an unconditional basic income. Italy's budget deficit, at 133 percent of gross domestic product, is already more than twice the EU target. This week, the Italian government must submit its budget for 2019 in Brussels and calm the financial markets to avoid the Milan Stock Exchange crashing.

To counter the growing popular opposition, PD and other opposition politicians and union leaders are responding to the inhuman government policy in Riace with hypocritical protests. For example, Naples mayor Luigi de Magistris described the decision as a shame and called on the government to take action against the Mafia instead.

The mayor concealed, however, that Salvini's refugee policy draws upon that of his predecessor, Marco Minniti (PD), and the decisions taken by the EU that have caused thousands of people to drown in the Mediterranean, die of thirst in the Sahara or suffer in the torture camps of Libya.

The trade union leader Susanna Camusso called the decision to deport the Riace migrants not only a wrong decision, but an inhuman act of dubious legality. It is a malicious, disproportionate step. It must be prevented.

This comment reveals the full extent of the hypocrisy. The boss of the CGIL, a union confederation with five million members, including almost three million active workers in state-owned and metal working factories, let the matter rest with this comment. In reality, she supports nationalism and the right-wing politics of the government.

The previous government of the Democratic Party (PD) under Matteo Renzi had already canceled the special tax revenue for the village of Riace.

The case of the threatened deportation of the inhabitants of Riace demonstrates that the working class in Italy must become active independently of the old organizations. If it wants to defend its social and democratic rights and protect the refugees, it must join forces with the international working class and not with the nationalist parties and bureaucratic apparatus of Italian politics. To this end, it must establish a section of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
Ruby Sinreich knew "something didn't smell right" as soon as she responded to a Facebook invite this summer for the 2019 Women's March in Raleigh, North Carolina.

A web developer and long-time activist, Sinreich grew suspicious when she noticed the page was posting what she recently called "weird, partisan memes that seemed totally out of character." Then she saw that the event page was promoting the wrong date for the 2019 march.

No one she knew in the activism community in North Carolina seemed to know who was behind the event. Besides, it was August, months before January's Women's March, and local organizers had yet to post the details for the march online.

"This is *exactly* how the Russians/Republicans have been manipulating our communication, politics, and elections for over 2 years now," she wrote in a Facebook post in August in which she warned her friends about the page.

Sinreich wasn't alone. Activists in Maine, Vermont, and elsewhere began noticing similar event pages advertising marches in their cities and listing the wrong date.

But the pages were not run by the Russian trolls who meddled in the US' 2016 election, and have continued doing so since. They were run from Bangladesh, a CNN investigation has found  and they were designed to exploit Americans' interest in politics and protests in order to sell t-shirts.

In all, there were 1,700 separate Facebook pages designed to look like they were run by local Women's March organizers, a source familiar with Facebook's investigation into the issue told CNN.

While the vast majority of the pages and events had no followers or attendees, some of the fake events promoting the wrong march date became popular. Fake events for Philadelphia and Chicago received more than 10,000 RSVPs; the event posted for Seattle picked up more than 20,000. (As ever with numbers on social media sites, it is possible that at least some of the RSVPs came from fake accounts used to make a page seem more popular).

The network of fake pages highlights the increasing challenges facing both American activists and companies like Facebook as bad actors, both foreign and domestic, use social media platforms to tap into the highly charged and partisan nature of American politics for financial or political gain.

While the Bangladeshi group's motives appear to have been financial, rather than ideological, they used the same playbook and exploited some of the same vulnerabilities  the ability to create pages essentially anonymously online, and the tendency of all people to rush to support causes with which they agree  that Russian government-linked trolls utilized to sow division in the lead-up to the 2016 US presidential election.

Facebook removed the specific event pages that were advertising the wrong date for the march in late September and early October.

The Bangladesh group's use of the wrong date appears to have been an oversight. Still, it illustrates the negative effects that can come out of this kind of exploitation of American politics: The people doing it don't care about any cause but their own, and so don't worry about details that could have a real-world effect on the people they're taking advantage of.

"There are a lot of ways that it is damaging and dangerous. People show up on the wrong date and don't go to the actual event. People leave feeling angry and frustrated instead of feeling unified," Sinreich told CNN.

Other organizers told CNN that they communicate safety and emergency information through Facebook for their events. When a fake page that real activists have no control over becomes popular, it prevents them from reaching some people who might need that information.

Facebook acts

Soon after Facebook removed the fake events with the wrong march dates in late September and early October, a whole new network of pages began to emerge. Using data gathered by Benjamin T. Decker, a research fellow at the Shorenstein Center at the Harvard Kennedy School, CNN identified almost 100 new pages. Women's March activists with whom CNN spoke said they were not behind the pages.

"What is particularly notable about the relative sophistication of dozens of fabricated Women's March Facebook pages is the co-opting of official images and logos, hashtag hijacking, using pre-existing hashtags such as #womenswave to attract attention to the pages, as well as the localized targeting of urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country," Decker told CNN.

After CNN provided Facebook with a list of the pages over the weekend, the social media network removed them. But by that point the company had already launched its own internal investigation into the network of scammers, and were working with organizers of the national Women's March to identify the fakes.

A source familiar with Facebook's investigation told CNN that more than 1,700 Facebook pages and corresponding events were created as part of the campaign and that the administrators of the pages were in Bangladesh.

Andy Stone, a Facebook spokesperson, said in a statement provided to CNN, "People need to be able to trust the connections they make on Facebook. That's why we have removed Pages and events associated with fake women's marches. These Pages and events appear to have been created in order to profit from people interested in the event by selling march-related merchandise. We continue to investigate, remove additional associated fake events and Pages, and take action against those involved in creating them."

A Woman's March spokesperson told CNN they were "grateful Facebook has been so responsive and helpful to us as we track and report these pages, so we can get back to our real work: organizing a women's wave to take this country back.

But local activists are frustrated with the social media company.

"Their customer service is lacking, you can't talk to a real human," Sara Gaba, the co-chair of Women's March Maine, told CNN.

Gaba and her colleagues noticed a fake Women's March event for Portland, Maine, with the wrong date, spreading on Facebook back in June.

Gaba told CNN that she and at least five of her colleagues reported the event to Facebook, but the page wasn't removed for months.

As an activist, she said, she remains concerned about these kinds of scams. "There is so much misinformation out there. How are people going to know to spot the fake pages when they look so real?"

Sinreich, in North Carolina, had the same experience in August when she reported a fake to Facebook.

So too did Women's March Vermont co-chair Kristen Vrancken when she noticed a fake event in August organized for Montpelier. Last week she spoke to Seven Days, a newspaper in Vermont, about the mystery of the fake group. Her story prompted CNN's wider investigation.

Why Bangladesh?

Some of the fake events linked to pages selling unofficial Women's March merchandise on Viralstyle and Teespring, websites that allow users to design and sell t-shirts and other merchandise without having to print or produce the merchandise themselves. While many of the pages CNN identified did not link out to merchandise sites, Facebook's investigation determined the network of pages were being run for financial gain.

Hundreds of LinkedIn users list themselves as being based in Bangladesh and affiliated with California-based Teespring.

More than a dozen LinkedIn users list themselves as living in Bangladesh and affiliated with Florida-based Viralstyle.

Some Bangladeshi designers and marketers use a Facebook group called "Viralstyle Bangladesh" to share tips on increasing sales through the site, including YouTube videos describing how to target Facebook ads.

CNN provided Viralstyle with links to several Women's March items that had been for sale on its platform before being removed. In a statement, a company spokesperson said, "Our system identified the user account associated with these campaigns to be fraudulent (via unverified email), and the account and campaigns created by it were ended immediately."

Of the Bangladesh Facebook group for its company, the spokesperson said, "When there is enough interest in our platform from a specific area of the world, we will usually create a specific group for that country or area. The main purpose of these groups is to provide support, training, and brand awareness."

Teespring didn't say if it had removed any Women's March merchandise.

"Teespring does not directly employ any creators or sellers. Bangladeshi users are self-employed, like the rest of Teespring's community. They use the platform and are not employed by the company," Teespring said in a statement provided to CNN.

A Women's March spokesperson told CNN that "many of these fake pages are used to sell merchandise, with the proceeds benefiting individuals instead of our movement. The efforts to capitalize on movement work isn't new, but it is frustrating, particularly as we make an effort to only sell ethically sourced and produced merchandise  a rule these imposter pages don't abide by."

CNN also identified pages tied to the fake network on the blogging platform Medium and the ticketing service Eventbrite.

Eventbrite had removed the events before CNN contacted it; Medium removed the pages after being contacted by CNN. Neither company would say who was behind the pages, or if they were run from outside the United States.
The powerful police chief of Kandahar province in Afghanistan was killed Thursday in an attack following a security meeting with the top US commander in the city, three Afghan officials told CNN.

Two Americans also were wounded in the shooting attack at Kandahar Palace, said Col. Dave Butler, a spokesman for US Forces-Afghanistan. US Army Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was present but uninjured in the attack, a statement from US forces said.

Afghanistan Asia Continents and regions Crime, law enforcement and corrections Kandahar Law enforcement Middle East Middle East and North Africa Policing and police forces South Asia Armed forces Crimes against persons Criminal offenses Military North America Shootings The Americas United States

While Butler initially said three Americans were wounded, he later issued a statement clarifying that the three wounded personnel were all members of the NATO-led coalition but only two of the wounded were Americans.

The police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq Achakzai, was one of the most prominent security figures in Afghanistan. The Taliban released a statement claiming responsibility saying they killed "the notorious police chief" who was their primary target in the attack.

US Defense Secretary told reporters that he had met Raziq previously and called his death "the loss of a patriot."

Miller offered similar praise in a statement provided by the NATO-led coalition.

"Today I lost a great friend LTG Raziq. We had served together for many years. Afghanistan lost a patriot, my condolences to the people of Afghanistan," Miller said.

"The good he did for Afghanistan and the Afghan people cannot be undone," Miller added.

The shooter was killed by the US military, one official said. The Americans wounded in the attack included one US service member, a coalition contractor and one US civilian government employee, according to two US military officials. They were evacuated and are in stable condition.

All of those shot were in close proximity to Miller, one official said, adding that the US assesses that Raziq was the target because the shooter had the first choice of shot and went for Afghans, not Miller.

Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani confirmed later Thursday that the chief of police and the Kandahar director of Afghanistan's intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security, were killed in the attack.

"My condolences with Afghan people specially people of Kandahar," Ghani said, saying he had ordered Afghan security officials to investigate the incident.

While Kandahar has been one of the more relatively stable provinces in Afghanistan, the high-profile insider attack and assassination of a key American ally raises questions about the region's future stability as the Afghan government readies for this month's parliamentary elections.

"We remain absolutely committed to an Afghan led Afghan reconciliation. We need to find who has done this. But right now ... we are going toward the election and we will continue to defend the Afghan people," Mattis said.

This story has been updated to reflect new information from US authorities.
President Donald Trump on Thursday seized on a new migrant caravan approaching the US to frame the midterm elections as a fight over border security while blaming Democrats, without evidence, of supporting the influx.

"It's going to be an election of the caravan," Trump said at a campaign rally in Missoula, Montana. "You know what I'm talking about."

In an extended riff about illegal immigration and the caravan, Trump told the crowd that Democrats were banking on the caravan to arrive before Election Day so they could vote for Democrats -- even though as asylum-seekers, they wouldn't be citizens and therefore would not be able to vote in the congressional elections.

"As you know, I'm willing to send the military to defend our southern border if necessary, all 'cause -- because of the illegal immigration onslaught brought by the Democrats because they refuse to acknowledge or to change the laws," he said. "They like it. They also figure everybody coming in is going to vote Democrat, you know. Hey, they're not so stupid when you think about it, right?"

Trump has repeatedly accused the Democrats of wanting "open borders," though he hasn't provided evidence for that claim. Although Democrats typically call for more relaxed policies toward undocumented immigrants, major party officials still advocate for some measure of regulation and security at the border. President Barack Obama was dubbed the "deporter in chief" among some immigrant advocacy groups for steps his administration took, and more than 2.4 million people were deported during his administration.

Responding to Trump's rally on Friday, Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, compared Obama's efforts to assist Central America to stem illegal immigration to Trump's actions.

"They almost want there to be an immigration challenge because they are looking for some way to create something to frighten the American people during an election," Merkley told CNN's John Berman "New Day."

Trump slams US laws

Trump also claimed that "if a foot hits the ground" -- if an undocumented immigrant sets foot on US soil -- the US is powerless to deport them, even though his administration has aggressively sent thousands of undocumented immigrants back to their home countries.

"A foot hits the ground -- you know, if a foot hits the ground, we're not allowed to say 'Hey, go back.' Every other country in the world, they say go back. 'Can't come in, sorry.' A foot hits the ground, we have to, by law, with these horrible people that are making their own rules having nothing to do with our Constitution," Trump said, apparently referring to Democrats.

"We have to take those people in even if they are criminals. And we have hardened criminals coming in. You think those people are perfect? They're not perfect. We have some bad people coming in, and by law, we have to take them in and then we have to -- it's called 'catch and release,' you ever hear this one?"

"Catch and release" refers to the fact that many undocumented immigrants end up living in the US for years because of a deeply backlogged immigration court system. When deportable immigrants are arrested, some go into mandatory detention but some must be released as the US can only physically detain about 40,000 immigrants at a time. Many immigrants deemed not to be flight risks and not dangerous have been released on their own recognizance or with monitoring technology.

Adding more immigration judges could alleviate the backlog, though Trump has questioned the process of immigrants going through the court system and has called for deportations without "judges or court cases."

At one point Thursday, Trump said he was "taking full blame" for illegal immigration because he has "created such an incredible economy" that was attractive to non-citizens.

An election about 'law and order'

This week, Trump, who has made combating illegal immigration a cornerstone of his political career, has pointed to the caravan making its way from Honduras as part of his efforts to galvanize Republicans ahead of the midterms.

He said Thursday the midterms represented "an election of (newly minted Supreme Court Justice Brett) Kavanaugh, the caravan, law and order, and common sense."

"That's what it's going to be," he said.

Trump has threatened on Twitter to cut money and aid to Honduras if the caravan was not "stopped and brought back" and has broadened his warnings to include other Central American nations as well.

The Honduran migrants, trekking in a caravan toward Mexico's southern border, say they're headed for the United States to flee violence and searching for economic opportunity. The US has leaned on Mexico to stop them before they reach the US border.
Tupelo Partly Cloudy 67 Hi: 76 Lo: 55 Feels Like: 67 More Weather Columbus Partly Cloudy 67 Hi: 77 Lo: 55 Feels Like: 67 More Weather Oxford Mostly Cloudy 66 Hi: 76 Lo: 54 Feels Like: 66 More Weather Starkville Partly Cloudy 67 Hi: 77 Lo: 55 Feels Like: 67 More Weather

A cold front will change our weather forecast for our Wednesday night and into our Thursday. We will see a good chance for some scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms overnight and into our Thursday morning. Also, some much cooler temperatures.
BRANDON, Miss. (AP)  Officials are shutting down boating in part of one of Mississippi's most popular lakes, stepping up the fight against an invasive aquatic plant.

Giant salvinia was found in June in the Pelahatchie Bay area of Ross Barnett Reservoir, north of Jackson. The fast-growing aquatic fern is native to Brazil. It can form thick mats that choke aquatic life and hamper swimming and boating.

MORE: Information on Giant Salvinia

The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District on Thursday announced it will ban boating beginning Friday in Pelahatchie Bay and continue extensive herbicide treatment. It will also drain some water from the lake over the winter, seeking to expose salvinia to freezing weather.

People must remove boats from area docks by Nov. 5

The district says it anticipates Pelahatchie Bay will remain closed for six months.
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CHEYENNE  The four candidates competing for Wyomings lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives took to the airwaves Tuesday night to convince voters they should be heading to Washington, D.C.

The wide-ranging debate, hosted by Wyoming PBS, featured Republican incumbent Rep. Liz Cheney, Democrat Greg Hunter, Libertarian Richard Brubaker and Constitution Party candidate Daniel Cummings...
Camille Grammer is looking fit and fabulous at 50  just ahead of her second wedding.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, who celebrated her milestone birthday last month, shared a few swimsuit snapshots from Hawaii, where she will marry her attorney fiance, David C. Meyer, this weekend. In the photos, she sported a tiny blue bikini as she stood by the shore after a workout. The cancer survivor was feeling good and looking good  and her fans couldnt get enough.

While internet comments are usually a mixed bag, nearly every person who commented on the series of photos was complimentary: stunner, gorgeous, phenomenal, that body. But they didnt stop there. Numerous people told the former Playboy model that she looked decades younger, including, Hotter than most 20-somethings in a bikini.

The reality stars fans sent well-wishes ahead of her nuptials. Best wishes for your wedding and for a life of wedded bliss, wrote one. Cant wait to see some pictures! Another wrote, Perfect body for that wonderful wedding day. And several of the commenters shook their heads at her first husband, Cheers star Kelsey Grammer, from whom she bitterly split in 2011. Look what Kelsey lost, wrote one. Kelsey Grammer is a moron, posted another. (They share two teen children, Mason and Jude.)

Camille Grammer and David Meyer, pictured in 2017. (Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images)

In her post, Grammer mentioned the C word  she had a radical hysterectomy for endometrial cancer in 2013  and used the hashtag #lifeinremission. That led to other cancer survivors sharing their stories or applauding her for what shes done for cancer awareness.

One of the few lone negative comments was one suggesting that she had digitally enhanced a tiny part of the photo. Photoshopped just above left hand? Look closely. But why? wrote eagle-eyed commenter dnick1313. Sure enough, when you zoom in on that one spot, it is mysteriously blurry while the rest of her body looks unretouched.

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Tiny blurred spots aside, Grammer looks ready for her weekend wedding to Meyer, who popped the question a year ago. Expect the nuptials to be featured in the upcoming season of RHOBH. It will be a busy season wedding-wise, as her new co-star, Denise Richards, was recently married as well.

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., speaking during the Open Markets Institutes conference in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

COLUMBIA, S.C.  New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker offered sharp criticism of the White Houses handling of the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a campaign event at Allen University on Thursday. He also tied the issue to larger concerns about Saudi Arabia and suggested America should reevaluate its close ties to the Gulf kingdom.

Booker was asked about Khashoggis case when he took questions from audience members following the event. He immediately linked the issue to Saudi Arabias military strikes in Yemen, which have led to widespread civilian deaths and food shortages in that country.

I just want you to know I think it is right that theres such a response and frustration about that, Booker said of the reaction to Khashoggis disappearance. But you have to understand, I have been critical of the Saudis for a long time, say, for example, whats going on in Yemen right now, which is a humanitarian disaster.

Booker suggested that people should be outraged about what happened to Khashoggi and the situation in Yemen, which has garnered far less attention.

This is one man that died gruesomely, which is horrific, and we should condemn it and whats happening right now to thousands  tens of thousands of people, children in Yemen right now, massive famine, humanitarian disaster, Booker said.

Booker noted he has previously criticized U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia and American military involvement in Yemen, which has included providing targeting information for Saudi strikes. He also criticized President Trump for showing a lack of moral leadership.

We need to reexamine that entire relationship, Booker said of Saudi Arabia. We need to be a nation that leads the moral light of the world, not retreats from our morals, he said, also criticizing the Trump administration for stepping back from international leadership in areas such as climate change.

In the Senate, Booker has voted against U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia during both the Trump and Obama administrations. He has also backed efforts to limit U.S. support for Saudi military operations in Yemen and publicly pushed the Trump administration to press Saudi Arabia on human rights issues.

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Khashoggi, who was a U.S. permanent resident and contributor to the Washington Post, went missing on Oct. 2 after going into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, to file paperwork required for his upcoming wedding. In recent years, Khashoggi had become a prominent critic of the Saudi monarchy.

The Turkish government, which has a tense relationship with Saudi Arabia, has said that Khashoggi was killed by a Saudi team. Saudi Arabia initially denied any role in Khashoggis death, but may now be preparing to admit that the dissident writer died in the consulate during a botched interrogation.

So far, the White House response to the situation has largely consisted of a push to get Saudi Arabia to conduct an investigation into the matter with Turkish participation. Critics have argued that the White House response is inadequate and questioned the Trump administrations close relationship with Saudi Arabia, particularly the countrys new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who has repeatedly engaged in repressive behavior despite marketing himself as a reformer.

Booker echoed this view in his appearance on Thursday and suggested he was skeptical of Saudi efforts to investigate the situation.

Im worried that this has been skewed from the start. Im worried about efforts to cover this up and Im worried about our administration willing to just go along and get along because of a lot of the financial interests that we might have, Booker said.

Americas morals are not for sale. Americas values are not for sale and we need to stand up for who we are as a country, Booker also said. I hope that whoever ever holds that presidential office stands as a moral leader nationally and globally and not somebody that would compromise for arms sales.

Booker has been the subject of growing speculation that he might mount a White House bid in 2020, which has only increased with groundwork the senator has begun and recent trips he has made to influential primary states like South Carolina. Booker addressed the presidential buzz at the event on Thursday when an audience member asked him about his future plans. Booker, whose event was aimed at turning out voters for the midterms, said hes focused on that election and will consider the future afterward. He subsequently told reporters that hell think about what the next steps are for me in the days following the Nov. 6 midterm races.

I will be glad to have that conversation in 20 days. Lets focus on one election at a time. Lets focus on this one before us, Booker said. Somebody asked me the other day, Are you running for president? I said, Sir, Im running from the president.
On Thursday, October 18th, the Department of Justice announced that the medical director of a substance abuse treatment center in South Florida had pleaded guilty to unlawfully distributing controlled substances, specifically opioids, barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Kenneth Rivera-Kolb, 65, was one of more than 100 people arrested in the region in June in what federal authorities called the largest health care fraud crackdown in history. According to an NBC News investigation, state and federal authorities blame a lack of regulatory oversight for allowing numerous treatment center operators to prey upon vulnerable people struggling to get sober in order to milk them for insurance money while providing inadequate, unlawful care.

In 2013, Rivera-Kolb was hired by the substance abuse treatment facility Angels Recovery, which also operated several sober homes for recovering addicts, and was responsible for writing patient prescriptions. At the time he was hired, Rivera-Kolb had two reprimands from the state licensing board and was under investigation in relation to a patients death, yet the Department of Children and Families (DCF) didnt raise any red flags. In February 2015, his license was suspended for four years as a result of that investigation, yet the facilitys owners, Tovah Lynn Jasperson and Alan Martin Bostom, allowed him to continue working in his same capacity until September 2015. According to the DOJ, Rivera-Kolb was also actively abusing prescription opioids and cocaine during his time at the facility.

DCF allowed to remain open even after Bostom and Jasperson were exposed as complicit in Rivera-Kolbs medical malpractice. But that was just the tip of the iceberg of the illegal activities going on behind the scenes at Angels Recovery. According to the DOJ, Bostom and Jasperson were running illegal kickback schemes, offering operators of sober homes money in exchange for referring residents with good insurance to the treatment program, which charged $1,400 for a day of outpatient group counseling and $2,700 for lab services, like testing urine samples. Bostom also gave third parties the cash to set up new sober homes, in exchange for referrals.

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Albert Jones was one such third party. Bostom provided Jones with the funds to open up two sober homes in Boynton Beach, along with $150,000 for referring residents to Angels Recovery. Mercedes Smith was newly sober when Jones hired her to manage one of the homes, called No Drug Zone, and gave her $550 a week to go looking for people with suitcases near Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

We would have to ask them, Do you have insurance? We have a place you can go,' Smith told NBC News.

According to Smith, No Drug Zone was hardly a safe place for recovery  there were needles on the ground, and on more than one occasion, a resident overdosed. In October 2015, Katie Cruea, a 23-year-old mother battling opioid addiction, moved in to No Drug Zone after spending the summer at Angels Recovery. By early 2016, she had relapsed and moved out; in February, she was found dead of a fentanyl overdose.

Angels Recovery shut down in late 2015, so Jones found a new facility to refer No Drug Zone residents to  Reflections, run by an operator named Kenny Chatman. By then, Smith had moved out and Mikaya Feucht had moved in, and taken over her job recruiting new residents with good insurance. According to employees and court records, Reflections didnt care if patients showed up to group therapy high, so long as they brought their insurance cards. Chatman, who was also arrested as part of the DOJs investigation, has since admitted that he and his employees routinely falsified medical records, and he copped to giving clients drugs and prostituting several of Reflections female patients. Chatman plead guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and was sentenced to 27 years in prison in May 2017.

Feucht was a patient at Reflections up until her boyfriend got into a fight with Jones, and he kicked them both out of No Drug Zone in July 2016, dropping them off at a seedy motel where law enforcement had responded to 17 overdose calls since 2010. By the end of the month, Feucht was the 18th, having been found dead on the floor of her motel room.

In March 2018, after pleading guilty to participating in a health care fraud conspiracy and maintaining a drug-involved premises, Jones was sentenced to more than 5 years in prison and ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution. Two months earlier, in January, Jasperson and Bostom also pled guilty to federal charges and were sentenced to 78 months and 30 months, respectively, in prison. Rivera-Kolb is facing 20 years in prison and will be sentenced in January 2019.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have given us more swoon-worthy moments on the first leg of their 16-day tour of Australia than we can handle. Between their pregnancy announcement, Harry adorably dancing when a fan played their wedding song, and even Harry reinventing the art of hand-holding with not one, but two hands, it's safe to say the bar has been set pretty, pretty high for #relationshipgoals. Not only has their PDA been off the charts, but the royal couple is getting open and honest throughout these meaningful appearances.

While in Bondi Beach on Friday, Meghan and Harry spent time with OneWave, a local surfing non-profit group focused on mental health issues and the power of "saltwater therapy." They were greeted with leis and sat in an "anti bad vibe circle" with the group to share their own stories. According to People, Prince Harry opened up about his own mental health struggles and the importance of fluid conversations.

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"Basically he showed us that actually opening up and talking about your emotions is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness," one of the OneWave co-founders told the publication. "And the sooner you can do that, it actually helps you so much. That was the thing that helped him so much . . . He shared what he's learned along the way, how powerful it is, just community and people helping people. And just being there to look out for each other. And talking."

Since losing his mother, Princess Diana, at just 12 years old, Prince Harry has been open about his battles with difficult times. In fact, just a few days prior, he spoke to a group of people in Dubbo about how important it is to speak up. "Asking for help was one of the best decisions that I ever made," he told the group. "You will be continually amazed at how life changes for the better."

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He helped his pregnant wife take off her black espadrilles, he exposed a vulnerable side to himself in front of strangers, and he still couldn't help but look at Meghan like the frickin' heart-eye emoji. Their love is just too pure. Read on to see some of the gorgeous and emotion-infused photos from their time on Bondi Beach, and keep up with all tour moments that prove Meghan and Harry are going to make the best parents.

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Meghan Markle Is Glowing on Her Australian Tour With Prince Harry - See All the Photos!
ET teamed up with Qantas Airways to send our very own Kevin Frazier Down Under.

Frazier is tracing every step of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's trip to Australia. The royals flew Qantas Airways, which has more flights that go to Australia than any other airline.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga, but before they embarked on their official duties, the two would have had the option to visit the Qantas Airways first class lounge, where they would have been offered the opportunity to enjoy a tasty meal.

According to Frazier, the comfort level on the plane makes you feel like you're at home.

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While Prince Harry and Meghan are away, it seems Prince William and Kate will play  or at least host secret parties. The royal couple have managed to stay under the radar back at Kensington Palace while Harry and Meghan are abroad on their whirlwind tour through Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and Tonga.

According to a posting yesterday in The Court Circular (the royal familys calendar of past engagements), The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge this afternoon gave a Reception at Kensington Palace for the finalist of BBC Radios Teen Hero Awards."

The couple welcomed three inspiring teenagers making waves in their communities  Lily Rice, Junior Flood, and Siena Castellon  to their home to honor them for their incredible work.

RELATED: Wow, Kate Middleton Actually Changed Up Her Hair

One of the honorees, 16-year-old Siena was recognized for mentoring autistic students and students with disabilities.

It was such an honor and privilege to meet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Kensington Palace, she revealed to Hello! They were both incredibly warm, supportive, and encouraging!

The British news outlet also reported that Kate, who wore a burgundy colored dress with white dots to the reception, has been hosting other secret engagements this week. On Tuesday morning, the royal mom of three hosted a meeting at the palace with experts to discuss her latest project, the Early Years Initiative, which will focus on education and mental health awareness.

We're sure our invites to both events just got lost in the mail. Right, Kate?
From Waffle House to Publix, Southern organizations are stepping up big time to feed their neighbors affected by Hurricane Michaels historic wrath.

Among those who have made their way to hard-hit Panama City, Florida, is Mercy Chefs, a Virginia-based disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization that serves professionally prepared, restaurant-quality meals in emergencies and natural disastersthe brainchild of Louisiana-born celebrity chef Gary LeBlanc.

Mercy Chefs arrived in the Panama City area last week, poised to feed victims, volunteers and first responders at two main sites: Destiny Worship Center in Panama City Beach and Emerald Coast Fellowship in Lynn Haven. According to a release, additional satellite sites for meal service are set up at locations in downtown Panama City and Northstar Church in Callaway.

The Mercy Chefs team is working out of two mobile kitchens, including the organizations largest mobile kitchen, Mercy 3. The organization has been busy serving as many as 18,000 meals a day, with numbers increasing every day.

Our team of professional chefs and volunteers have been busy serving restaurant-quality meals since Friday to those in need, hoping to restore their hope and provide comfort at a time when they need it most, LeBlanc said in a release. The need is so high here in Florida that weve added another main site for meal distribution and two satellite locations for service.

WATCH: How Hurricane Harvey Brought Two Heroic Strangers Together in Texas

Mercy Chefs recently responded to Hurricane Florence, the Carr fires, the Houston floods and Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

To support meal service in Florida, go to MercyChefs.com.
Move over, Los Angeles, because millennials arent interested anymore. According to Priceline, these are the 15 most popular destinations among millennials.

Priceline defined millennials at those between the ages of 22 and 36. The company calculated the data by analyzing cities based on where top air and hotel bookings overlapped for those in that age range.

The top destination was Las Vegas, with the average daily rate of a hotel at $117. Close behind were Orlando, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, St. Louis, Charlotte, Nashville, Philadelphia, and Seattle.

(Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

Also among the top 15 spots were Boston; Indianapolis; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; and Baltimore. The cities span all across the continental U.S., but Kevin OLeary, a senior analyst at Priceline, wasnt surprised by that fact, labeling many of these places as unique to millennials.

These are cities with a vibrant nightlife and a good mix of experiences to enjoy, OLeary said.

He attributes the fact that Orlando is the second-most popular destination to the number of older millennials who are newly married with young children. That would make those individuals the ideal people to visit places like Disney World and Universal Studios in that city.

The option to explore the world around you is always available

OLeary also pointed out that millennials have more reach than ever before, in terms of technology.

Most people today book travel via their mobile device, versus desktop, he said. This is true in particular of millennials, who grew up alongside mobile devices. Since you can book a trip on your phone, through an app, anywhere, at any time, the option to explore the world around you is always available.

Travel apps like Priceline, Skyscanner, Expedia, and Hopper allow users to book flights and other aspects of their trip all in one place, an ideal scenario for millennials who prefer everything to be in one place in order to speed things along.

If you can book a trip instantly, at a price you like, youre going to travel more and more widely, he said. Millennials are exploring the country more because they have the tools to do so, in a way that past generations did not.

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Millennials want to see all parts of the US. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski

OLeary anticipates the list shifting over time, but cities like New York and Chicago remaining popular. New cities, however, will enter the most popular destinations for different reasons, he said.

Detroit is one example, he explained. The city has gone through a renaissance, and is thriving now as a travel destination in a way it was not a few years prior.

Budget airlines have also made millennials travel desires into realities. Portland, Oregon, is a popular destination with Virgin America. Spirit Airlines serves Chicago, Orlando, and Las Vegas. Frontier Airlines offers flights to many of these popular cities as well.

Portland is becoming a go-to destination for millennials. REUTERS/Richard Clement

As for travel trends in the foreseeable future, only one thing stands out in particular to OLeary.

Mobile booking is the prevailing trend in travel, he said. We are seeing that traditional trips  a flight, single hotel, few days in a destination, then a flight home  is becoming a thing of the past.

Millennials can book a flight out on one carrier and fly home on another. They can choose to stay in a hotel, a private apartment, or a yurt on the beach. And all of this is bookable on your phone. There are so many more options available, and were seeing that travelers today are taking more inventive, exploratory trips.

Adriana is an editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.

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Jeremiah Harvey, the 9-year-old boy accused of groping a woman at a Brooklyn convenience store last week, told Good Morning America that he was deeply embarrassed by the allegation, which was proved false.

The incident was the latest to go viral on social media in which a white person called the police on a black person over apparently innocuous actions.

Ive had this lately on my mind, Harvey, who is black, said while seated next to his mother in the tearful interview that aired Friday.

I felt humiliated, he added.

The incident happened when Harvey was at the convenience store with his mother, Someko Bellille, and his younger sister. Surveillance video showed the woman, Teresa Klein, who is white, leaning over a counter when the boys backpack seems to graze her rear, his hands clearly not touching her.

But Klein thought Harvey groped her and appeared to call police. (New York police told CNN they had no record of any such call.) In video of the incident, she is seen shouting into her phone that she had been sexually assaulted by a child.

The video, which bystander Jason Littlejohn posted to Facebook, pans to show Harvey and his sister crying on the sidewalk next to their mother. Dubbing Klein Cornerstore Caroline, a nickname in line with others intended to deride the parties who call police for trivial reasons, Littlejohns video has racked up more than 8 million views.

Bellille explained that, as the family walked away, her son was afraid police in the neighborhood were going to take his mother.

Klein later apologized after seeing the surveillance tape.

I was wrong, she told a New York ABC affiliate. Young man, I dont know your name, but Im sorry. Klein said that Bellille had escalated the situation and she had lost her temper at Harveys mother.

The child initially refused to accept the apology, telling the station, I dont forgive this woman, and she needs help.

But in his Good Morning America appearance, the boy changed his mind. Asked whether he forgave Klein, he said, Yes, yes I do. Friendship is the key.

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Bellille told the program that it would take time to move past the upsetting incident.

To be having a conversation with your son about sexual assault at the age of 9? she asked. I never thought I would be having this conversation at all.

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KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban issued a fresh call for Afghans to boycott this week's parliamentary elections on Thursday, denouncing the vote as a foreign-imposed process that went against both Islam and Afghan culture. The statement was the third such call and followed a similar message on Wednesday telling teachers not to participate as election workers in polling stations, many of which are located in schools. It said the elections "have no Islamic or Afghan essence but are a foreign plot to prolong occupation" and said it was the duty of every Afghan and Muslim to oppose them. "Consequently, preachers and prayer leaders must inform their constituency, while tribal leaders and influential figures must prevent participation by the public," the statement said. The elections for the lower house of parliament are due to take place on Saturday but preparations have been dogged by chaotic organization and allegations of widespread fraud as well as worries that polling stations will be attacked. Thousands of police and soldiers have been deployed across the country to ensure security but already nine candidates have been assassinated and hundreds of people have been killed and wounded in election-related attacks. Although the Taliban say they will not deliberately target civilians, security officials say attacks are likely on Saturday morning to deter voters from going to polling stations. The Taliban's strong opposition to the vote comes against a backdrop of contacts with U.S. officials over possible talks to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan, with both sides attempting to secure the upper hand before any formal negotiations begin. The elections, which have been repeatedly delayed, are seen as a key credibility test for Afghanistan's democratic institutions but with two days left until the vote, officials were still rushing to complete preparations. Untested biometric voter registration equipment introduced at the last minute at the demand of political parties was still being sent out and set up in remote provincial voting centers and it was unclear whether it would be ready in time. Some 8.8 million names have been registered but millions of these are believed to be fraudulently recorded and the real number of likely voters is unknown. The lower house of parliament, with 249 seats and an extra seat reserved for the small Sikh community, has little power but the elections are seen as a vital step before more important presidential elections in April next year. District council elections, which were due to be held alongside the parliamentary elections, have been abandoned and in Ghazni province voting will be delayed because of arguments over the representation of different ethnic groups. (Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Afghans are bracing for more deadly violence on Saturday as voters turn out for the long-delayed legislative election across the war-torn country that the Taliban has vowed to attack.

Some 54,000 security forces have been deployed to protect polling centres, which open at 7:00 am, but there are concerns the killing of a powerful police chief on Thursday will scare off many voters.

Voting has been delayed in the southern province of Kandahar after a Taliban-claimed attack on a US-Afghan security meeting that killed three people, including General Abdul Raziq.

General Scott Miller, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, escaped injury in the shooting, but 13 others were wounded.

Almost nine million people have registered to vote in the parliamentary election, which is more than three years late and only the third since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

But the threat of militant attacks and expectations for massive fraud are expected to deter many voters from showing up at the more than 5,000 polling centres.

In the days leading up to the poll, the Taliban has issued several statements urging candidates to withdraw and voters to boycott what the group calls a "malicious American conspiracy".

Shambolic preparations for the ballot have been made worse by a wave of poll-related violence that has left hundreds dead or wounded.

At least 10 candidates out of more than 2,500 contesting the lower-house election have been killed so far.

The most recent victim was Abdul Jabar Qahraman, who was blown up Wednesday by a bomb placed under his sofa in the southern province of Helmand.

Most of the candidates are political novices and include doctors, mullahs and journalists. Those with the deepest pockets are expected to win.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, which has spearheaded international efforts to keep Afghan election organisers on track, on Friday urged voters to "exercise their constitutional right to vote".

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The poll is seen as a crucial test for next year's presidential election and an important milestone ahead of a UN meeting in Geneva in November where Afghanistan is under pressure to show progress on "democratic processes".

But the eleventh hour introduction of biometric voter verification machines, which have never been used in an Afghan election, threatens to derail the process.

Observers are concerned the results could be thrown into turmoil if the devices are broken, lost or destroyed.

There are also fears the data could be manipulated before preliminary results are released on November 10.

Votes cast without the controversial machines will not be counted, the Independent Election Commission has said, even though polling centre workers have received little or no training in how to use them.
Mourners attend the burial of Gen Abdul Raziq, whose assassination has led to the delay of elections in Kandahar - REUTERS

Voting for parliamentary elections in Afghanistan's second city has been postponed after a key security official was assassinated and the country braced for widespread insurgent violence on polling day.

Taliban commanders on Friday tried to further disrupt the election by issuing a nationwide demand for people to remain at home rather than head to the polls.

The vote is seen as a test of president Ashraf Ghani's grip on the country after a grim year of soaring casualties among his forces and civilians and further encroachment by a buoyant Taliban.

Dr Ghani's weary international backers, particularly Donald Trump, are desperate for signs of stability and progress after 17-years of pouring troops and money into the country.

Yet preparations were dealt a severe blow on Thursday when Kandahar's powerful police chief, Gen Abdul Raziq, was shot dead in an insider attack claimed by the Taliban.

Election workers prepare for the country's third parliamentary poll since the Taliban were ousted Credit: Reuters

Gen Raziq had been a bastion against Taliban encroachment in the region with a ruthless campaign against the insurgents which had largely stabilised Kandahar and made him the most powerful government figure in southern Afghanistan.

The attack at a meeting with US commander, Gen Scott Miller, killed the local intelligence chief and critically wounded the provincial governor, wiping out the local leadership at a stroke.

Kandahar, once considered the stronghold of the Taliban movement, was on edge the day after the attack, as funerals were held and officials decided to postpone voting for a week.

The Taliban have vowed to disrupt an election they declare a sham and its military council issued a statement warning voters that participation in this process is aiding the invaders. It ordered Afghans to remain indoors and desist from bringing out any means of transport. A bloody or badly flawed election is predicted to strengthen the Taliban's hand in fledgling talks to find a political settlement to the conflict.

More than nine million Afghans are registered to vote in what is only the third parliamentary poll since the Taliban were ousted after the 9/11 attacks.

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Around 2,500 candidates are standing for 249 seats in a parliament which has in the past decade gained a reputation for graft and greed.

This year's polls have already been delayed since 2015 because of rifts within Dr Ghani's government and rows how to clean up the voting system.

The vote sees a new generation of election hopefuls, many younger and better educated than previous candidates, take on an old guard frequently tainted with accusations of corruption or involvement in the bloodshed of the 1990s civil war.

But the new generation also contains a raft of candidates whose fathers were formerly some of the country's most prominent Mujahideen warlords of the 1990s, and who have been towering figures of Afghan life for decades.

This year's voting lists include children of notorious leaders including Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Uzbek strongman Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum, and the Herat powerbroker Ismail Khan.

Jamaluddin Hekmatyar, whose father is remembered for indiscriminately bombarding Kabul as he squabbled with his former comrades in the 1990s, is standing as a member of his father's Hezb-e Islami party.

The 42-year-old told the Telegraph he had not gained his candidacy through nepotism and wanted to represent the people and fight for their rights.

I have learned from my father to fight for our values, each nation has the right to be independent and we must fight for a good future, no matter how long that fight would be but we should resist.

He said it was not for him to answer for the deeds of the Mujahideen commanders.

I think its not a good analysis if we say only Mujahideen leaders committed mistakes here, we should note foreigners role in Afghanistan too.

The possible rise of children whose fathers presided over the destruction of the 1990s is eyed warily by many Afghans.

There will be no deference between the Mujahideen leaders and their children, said one Herat resident who lost two uncles during the barbarity of the 1990s, they are just a shadow of their dads.

Mujahideen leaders want to rule their policies through their children. They are all educated in the West by the money that their dads received by selling the blood of innocent Afghans.
Chize (France) (AFP) - Fishermen illegally trawling the Indian Ocean might soon find they have more to worry about than the proverbial albatross around their neck -- real bad luck might now lurk in the form of one of the birds spying on them from the sky.

A scientific programme, designed to study the feathered giants of the air, might also help identify poaching fishing vessels, according to the Chize Biological Study Centre, a French research body which seeks to help preserve the endangered bird species.

Between November and March, 150 albatrosses, from the remote French southern Indian Ocean islands of Crozet, Kerguelen and Amsterdam, will be equiped with tiny beacons which will automatically detect radar signals put out by ships they meet at sea.

The programme known as "Ocean sentinel" and funded by the Council of Europe was first tested In South Africa early this year,

One of the main threats to the birds comes from commercial longline fishing as albatrosses seeking fish get hooked on the lines and drown, according to Henry Weimerskirch, director of research at the French centre.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature says 18 of the 22 albatross species are threatened, some with extinction.

The beacons, weighing 70 grams (2.4 ounces) and built in cooperation with New Zealand, will be fitted to the back of the birds, thereby allowing researchers to follow them and analyse their feeding habits.

But they will also pick up radar emissions as they pass over ships.

Vessels intent on illegal fishing turn off their automatic identification system (AIS) when entering off-limit fishing grounds, so cutting themselves off from automatic satellite tracking.

But they still rely on low-level radar emissions for safety reasons and it is these that the airborne equipment will be able to pick up.

"Half the boats we detected (during tests) did not have their AIS switched on," said Weimerskirch.

With an albatross picking up signals from five kilometres (3 miles) away "we can localise a boat within half an hour of contact", and if its seeking to avoid detection pass the information on to authorities "for possible interception," he added.

Ocean Sentinel is also expected to be tested next year in New Zealand and in the Hawaiian islands.
Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and his government have offered no indication that allegations of involvement in the kidnapping and reported murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey will affect the kingdom's future policies.

Despite widespread and enduring international condemnation, Saudi Arabia's most important supporters appear willing to help contain the outrage. Officials in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian Authority, the UAE and the Yemeni government in exile in Saudi Arabia have all come out in support for Riyadh amid continued speculation it dispatched a special team that killed Khashoggi in the consulate.

President Donald Trump has also pushed back against the criticism, telling The Associated Press on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia has been treated as "guilty until proven innocent." Trump has said Salman and his father vehemently deny any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, a U.S. legal resident, outspoken critic of the Saudi government and regular contributor to The Washington Post.

That support appears to be enough to reassure the Saudi government that there is little chance of punitive international action, including from Congress, experts say.

"So long as Trump continues to express his explicit and implicit support for MBS and Saudi Arabia, I don't see any major changes in the Saudi kingdom's foreign policies, at least not in the near future," says Noha Aboueldahab, a regional expert and fellow at the Brookings Doha Center in Qatar, using a popular acronym for the crown prince.

"It's important to remember that the arbitrary detention and torture of Saudi dissidents and activists is fairly routine," she says. "Khashoggi is a singular but high profile case because of his close ties to the Saudi royal family and his pieces in The Washington Post. That, combined with the brutal scenes described by the Turkish investigators into his alleged torture and killing, is what drew international attention to Khashoggi's disappearance."

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Aboueldahab and others point to other Saudi actions that have drawn widespread rebuke, including a military campaign against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen that has involved what the U.N. calls war crimes. Saudi Arabia has also sought to isolate Qatar and has engaged in diplomatic and economic spats with Canada and Germany in recent months.

Each of those sparked criticism but ultimately did not adversely affect the kingdom and indeed those governments continue to provide what Aboueldahab calls "unconditional military and political support." So, experts question, why should Riyadh believe this incident won't turn out the same way?

"The Saudis don't seem to see this as a particular problem," says Emma Ashford, a research fellow at the Cato Institute. "Their sense seems to be that this will blow over."

"My own take is that the Saudis were really caught off guard with the reaction from the international community," says Colin Clarke, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Institute for Politics and Strategy. "They've done so many things before that would likely be considered more severe."

The Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C. did not respond to requests for comment.

[SEE: The 10 Most Corrupt Countries in the World, Ranked By Perception]

Attention to Khashoggi's disappearance on Oct. 2 has been buoyed in large part due to the government of Turkey -- considered one of Saudi Arabia's chief rivals in the region. Turkish intelligence and government officials have released a steady stream of information to international news outlets in the subsequent weeks, including grim details that a team of assassins dismembered Khashoggi's body, that a cleaning crew wiped the crime scene of evidence, and that Turkey has audio of a brutal interrogation gone wrong that led to Khashoggi's death. Turkey released passport scans to The Washington Post of Saudi agents it says carried out the operation.

Trump previously said Riyadh would face "severe punishment" if evidence emerged that it was involved in Khashoggi's reported killing. But the president also backed away from talk of sanctions, saying that jeopardizing the billions of dollars of Saudi defense spending in the U.S. would harm American businesses. Subsequent reports say current Saudi business in the U.S. is worth $4 billion, not $110 billion as the president claimed. And the kingdom's prior reliance in American equipment means it could not shift quickly to a Chinese or Russian alternative, as Trump has said. Its F-15s, for example, still need spare parts and maintainers to be able to fly.

Yet this support from the U.S. does not mean that Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, who has spent the last few years pushing a narrative that he and his government are in a period of deep reform, won't come under increased international pressure.

Several high-profile individuals and companies, including Google, CNN, Bloomberg, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and the CEOs of J.P. Morgan Chase, Blackrock, Blackstone, Ford and MasterCard, have already pulled out of sponsoring this year's Future Investment Initiative, a fundraising event in Saudi Arabia known as "Davos in the Desert."

And a growing number of members of Congress are pushing for sanctions under the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that would allow the government to further punish human rights offenders, including freezing assets and barring entry into the U.S.

"The United States must send a message that this killing will not go unpunished," Sen. Dianne Feinstein said in a statement on Tuesday. The California Democrat and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee added she would not support further arms sales to Saudi Arabia or ongoing U.S. intelligence, refueling and logistical support for its war in Yemen.

"For any country to feel emboldened to kill a man in this manner speaks to a breakdown in international norms that must be addressed," she said. "We must strongly rebuke any government that would kill an individual in its own consulate."

Speaking on the Fox TV program "Fox and Friends," Sen. Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that the crown prince "had this guy murdered," and that he has "no interest in engaging with this government" until "something new happens in Saudi Arabia." The South Carolina Republican, rumored to be a potential replacement for Attorney General Jeff Sessions, added that the crown prince has "got to go."

[MORE: Saudi Rift with Qatar Exposes Growing Division in the Anti-Iran Alliance]

Trump dispatched Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to meet with Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday; Pompeo told reporters after his meeting that the crown prince pledged he would "conduct a thorough, complete, transparent investigation." Pompeo added that "they made a commitment, too, to hold anyone connected to any wrongdoing that may be found accountable for that, whether they are a senior officer or official."

But when pressed about the details of the incident, including whether Khashoggi is indeed dead, Pompeo remained firm.

"I don't want to talk about any of the facts. They didn't want to either, in that they want to have the opportunity to complete this investigation in a thorough way."

The secretary arrived in Turkey on Wednesday to meet with counterparts there.

Clarke, who also is a senior research fellow at The Soufan Center, says the widespread attention to this incident may cause autocratic countries to pause before they do something similar in the future, and that Saudi Arabia may have lost political capital it could use to gain the benefit of the doubt regarding potential future claims of abuse. But ultimately this incident will blow over, he says.

"Something else is going to dominate the headlines. The Saudis have been violating international norms for a long time now. A lot of money is involved, and people come crawling back to the money," he says. "I'm not sold that this is going to have a lasting impact."

Paul D. Shinkman is a national security reporter for U.S. News & World Report. You can follow him on Twitter or reach him at pshinkman@usnews.com
JOHANNESBURG (AP)  The World Health Organization has announced that Congo's latest outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus is not yet considered a global health emergency. Some aid groups expressed alarm when the rate of new cases more than doubled this month. With the area compared to a war zone, resistance to health workers sometimes turning violent and confirmed cases found near the heavily traveled Ugandan border, the risk of regional spread is "very high."

Here's a look at the outbreak that has had 185 confirmed cases, including 107 deaths, since it was declared on Aug. 1.

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WHAT IS EBOLA?

Ebola is a virus that without preventive measures can spread quickly and is fatal in up to 90 percent of cases. The symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and at times internal and external bleeding. Symptoms can start to occur between two and 21 days from infection, according to WHO.

The virus is spread by close contact with the bodily fluids of people exhibiting symptoms and with objects such as sheets that have been contaminated. Health care workers are often infected, and burial practices that call for close contact with Ebola victims can spread the disease.

Dozens of people in this outbreak have received one of several experimental Ebola treatments but their effect is yet to be fully studied.

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WHY IS THE REGION COMPARED TO A WAR ZONE?

Multiple rebel groups are active in Congo's far northeast and they have killed hundreds of people in recent years. Attacks in Beni, the center of Ebola containment efforts, have led to a traumatized population that can be wary of outsiders. A "dead city" strike in Beni to protest one attack forced Ebola work to be suspended for a few days, with worrying results. Congo's health ministry says the crucial work of finding and monitoring suspected contacts of Ebola victims is lower in Beni than elsewhere, increasing the risk of the virus spreading unnoticed.

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Health workers describe being accompanied by armed guards from the U.N. peacekeeping mission or Congolese security forces, hearing gunfire daily and having to finish by sundown to avoid being caught out by rebels.

"When we arrived at the airport we noticed that the area is heavily militarized," says Dr. Marie Claire Kolie with ALIMA (The Alliance For International Medical Action). "Personally it scared me a little, I must say. But ... we can't just leave these people."

Congo's health ministry this week reported a "remarkable advance." After a confirmed Ebola victim fled into a "red zone" considered inaccessible to health workers  one of the biggest fears in this outbreak  long negotiations with one of the most feared armed groups, the Mai Mai, led to a vaccination team being allowed to enter.

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WHY IS THERE COMMUNITY RESISTANCE?

This is the first time an Ebola outbreak has occurred in this part of Congo, and health workers must explain the importance of safe burials and other preventative measures. And yet some residents have rejected Ebola vaccinations and fled, or attacked health teams, or in one case drove off with the corpse of an Ebola victim. One confrontation left Red Cross volunteers seriously injured .

This has hurt containment efforts. On Saturday, Congo's health minister said the majority of confirmed Ebola cases reported this month have not been on the list of known contacts and the epidemiological links "were only identified after profound investigation."

After "numerous aggressions" against health workers, the ministry this month announced new measures in Beni. They give authorization for health teams to call on security forces during safe burials. They also threaten criminal sanctions against those who hide suspected Ebola cases or don't send them to treatment centers.

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IS THERE A NEW EBOLA VACCINE?

Yes, and it has been shown to be highly effective. Congo's health ministry on Wednesday said more than 18,000 people have been vaccinated. The vaccine must be kept very cold, at minus 60 degrees Celsius, which presents a logistical challenge in tropical Congo, which does not have reliable electricity.

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Follow Africa news at https://twitter.com/AP_Africa
AFP/Getty Images

Police are investigating reports of reports of an "active shooter" at a defence company General Dynamics in Portsmouth, Virginia.

The call was received earlier in the day fro a security guard on site and Portsmouth police have called for people to stay clear of the area.

Police are currently searching the facility although there has been no confirmation of a weapon being found.

Police are investigating a report of an active shooter at 2 Harper Ave. Dispatch received the 911 call at 1146am. No further information at this time. pic.twitter.com/qCVvtWyZGH  PortsmouthPD (@PortsmouthPD) October 18, 2018

Officials said it is an active investigation and there was no further information at this time.

Workers at the facility were either being held outside the building, or inside rooms within the compound.

More than 80 per cent of the business has been searched so far.

A spokesperson for General Dynamics said that no shots had been fired.
Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, named by Turkish officials as one of 15 Saudi suspects in the suspected killing of Jamal Khashoggi, is seen (circled). In a still image from outside the consulate - Sabah

All evidence in the case of missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi points to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a former MI6 chief has said, warning he could soon face a reckoning at home.

Sir John Sawers, who headed the overseas intelligence service until 2014, claimed the theory of rogue elements floated by US President Donald Trump was blatant fiction.

Turkish government sources have alleged the Washington Post columnist was tortured, murdered and his body dismembered by a Saudi hit squad flown in from Riyadh.

On Friday night, Saudi state media confirmed the journalist's death, saying investigations suggested Khashoggi died after getting into a fight with people inside the consulate.

Ealier, Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, told the BBC that such actions would be "totally inconsistent" with British values, but said the UK had a strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia, and seemed to back away from the idea of ending arms sales.

Jamal Khashoggi, looks on during a press conference in the Bahraini capital Manama in 2014 Credit: AFP

Sir John added that the UK must distinguish between its relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is an important regional ally, and the personality of the crown prince who has brought some very promising changes to the country but has to be forced to act in a way which is in accordance with international acceptable standards."

He said there would likely be a reaction from members of the royal family, the Saudi business community and conservative clerics who did not like the direction the country was taking.

"I think all of them will take advantage of the damage that this murder in Istanbul will do to Mohammed bin Salman's reputation," he said. There will be some correction.

Pressure is growing inside the royal court over how to limit fallout from the affair.

Ailing 82-year-old King Salman, who had delegated most of his powers to favoured son Prince Mohammed, was forced to step in after the crisis showed no sign of dying down.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, on October 16 Credit: AFP

The king dispatched his most trusted aide, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, to Istanbul last week to try to defuse tensions with Turkey.

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Sources told Reuters that questions were now being asked over the 33-year-old heir-to-the-thrones fitness to govern.

The alleged killing has sent shockwaves through the world, dwarfing outrage over the kingdoms recent arrest of womens rights activists and its involvement in the deaths of civilians in the war in Yemen.

In the last few days, foreign diplomats have suspended scheduled visits to the kingdom and more than two dozen top officials and executives from the US and Europe have cancelled plans to attend the Future Investment Initiative, dubbed the Davos of the Desert.

Western companies concerned over the risk of their reputation are likely to put any new business in the country on hold.

Turkish forensic officers use a search and rescue dog to investigate the Saudi consuls residence. Credit: Sedat Suna/EPA

The move will be a major blow for the crown prince, who had ambitious plans to reduce Saudis dependence on oil and open up the hermit kingdom to foreign investment.

What can the House of Saud do? Firstly, it is likely that the elderly King will have to step up and take more control of the Kingdom, said Michael Stephens, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank..

He pointed out that the Khashoggi affair marks the third occasion this year, the other two being the issue of Palestine, and the IPO for state oil giant Aramco that the king has been forced to take the reins.

King Salman might have hoped for a more leisurely semi-retirement, but he seems left with little choice at this juncture than to reset the kingdoms global image as a rising power that seeks stability and prosperity, he said.
At least 50 people were killed on Friday after a train ploughed into revellers celebrating a Hindu festival in northern India, police said, the latest major accident on the country's crumbling rail network.

A crowd had gathered on railway tracks in the city of Amritsar in Punjab state to watch a fireworks show marking the Dussehra festival when the train barrelled down the line at speed.

"There are more than 50 dead. The priority now is to take the injured to the hospital," Amritsar city police commissioner SS Srivastava told reporters.

More than 60 people who were injured were being given emergency treatment at various hospitals across the city, he added.

An AFP photographer at the scene said some victims had lost limbs in the accident while others suffered head wounds.

A crowd gathers at the site of the train accident Credit: Prabhjot Gill/AP

"There was a lot of noise as firecrackers were being let off and it appears they (victims) were unable to hear the approaching train," a police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

An eyewitness told a local TV channel there was "utter commotion" when the crowds noticed the train "coming very fast" towards them.

"Everyone was running helter-skelter and suddenly the train crashed into the crowds of people," he said.

Indian relatives and revellers gather around the bodies of the victims of a train accident during the Hindu festival of Dussehra in Amritsar Credit: NARINDER NANU/AFP

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered an investigation into the deadly accident and announced a monetary compensation of 500,000 rupees ($6800) each to the family of the victims.

"We have reports that some 50-60 people have died. We have asked all hospitals to remain open through the night so that the injured can be treated," Singh told reporters.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the "heart-wrenching tragedy" and asked officials to provide immediate assistance to the injured.

Some relatives of the deceased blamed the authorities for allowing a "big function" to be held next to the railway track.

An eyewitness said people were taking pictures on their mobile phones and "they were not given any warning that they should not stand on the tracks."

India's railway network is the world's fourth largest and remains the main form of travel in the vast country, but it is poorly funded and deadly accidents often occur.

The country is home to hundreds of railway crossings that are unmanned and particularly accident prone, with people often ignoring oncoming train warnings.
London (AFP) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sued the Ecuador government on Friday for violating his "fundamental rights" and limiting his access to the outside world while in asylum at its London embassy.

The 47-year-old Australian's legal action comes with speculation mounting that Ecuador is preparing to end its standoff with the British government by terminating his high-profile stay.

Assange found refuge in the embassy in 2012 after a British judge ruled he should be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault.

That case has since been dropped but Assange fears being extradited to the United States to face charges over the WikiLeaks website's release of troves of sensitive US government files.

WikiLeaks said its general counsel arrived in Ecuador on Thursday to launch a legal case against the government for "violating (Assange's) fundamental rights and freedom".

"The move comes almost seven months after Ecuador threatened to remove his protection and summarily cut off his access to the outside world, including by refusing to allow journalists and human rights organisations to see him," WikiLeaks said.

It added that the embassy was requiring Assange's visitors -- including journalists and lawyers -- to disclose "private or political details such as their social media usernames".

The Ecuador government issued no immediate statement in response.

Quito confirmed blocking Assange's internet and mobile phone access in March after accusing him of breaking "a written committment" not to interfere in Ecuador's foreign policies.

A protocol governing Assange's stay at the embassy -- revealed by Ecuadoran internet site Codigo Vidrio and never denied by Quito -- warns that further breaches will lead to "termination of asylum."

The website reported that the embassy intends to stop paying for Assange's food and medical care in December.

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WikiLeaks lawyer Baltasar Garzon told a press conference in Ecuador on Thursday that Assange's conditions were "inhuman".

"It is not a comfortable situation, it is an inhuman situation, because the solution that should already have been reached by the involved states is extending over time," said the lawyer.

"We have to find a solution, to comply with what is established by the international law and certainly not aggravate the humanitarian situation of an individual, as I say, who is not deprived of liberty."

Britain's Press Association news agency said the case is expected to be heard in Ecuador next week.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in March 2017 that arresting Assange for leaking sensitive US government files through his websites was a "priority".
Words by Bianca Soldani

Theres nothing more Australian than kicking your shoes off and getting your toes stuck into the sand at the beach  which is exactly what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did on Friday.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle started the fourth day of their debut international tour at Sydneys iconic Bondi Beach, and the first thing they did when they hit the sand was take off their shoes.

While it seems like the most normal and natural thing to do, its actually not very royal.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry visited Sydneys Bondi Beach on Friday and took off their shoes. Photo: Getty

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex got into the spirit of the visit. Photo: Getty

When the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton visited Sydneys Manly Beach back in 2014, she kept her wedges firmly on her feet, just as Harry and Meghan did on Melbournes South Beach yesterday.

Likewise, Princess Diana did not remove her heels when she visited the NSW beach in Terrigal on her debut visit Down Under back in 1983.

This is because its very un-royal to go barefoot, and all royal women in particular are required to wear tights on public occasions.

Kate Middleton wore wedged heels during a visit to Manly beach in 2014. Photo: Getty

Likewise, Princess Diana left her heels on while visiting the NSW beach of Terrigal back in 1983. Photo: Getty

Its very un-royal to take off your shoes. Photo: Getty

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry chose to keep their shoes on during a visit to South Melbourne beach yesterday. Source: Getty

Interestingly, there is one exception to this rule that was demonstrated by Meghans mother-in-law Camilla Parker Bowles, earlier this year.

While she and Prince Charles were strolling along the sand in Northern Ireland, Camilla took off her heels but left her skin-coloured tights on.

It wasnt the most natural look, but technically it did not break royal protocol.

Earlier this year, Camilla chose to go barefoot, however, kept her nude tights on during a beach visit in Northern Ireland. Photo: Getty

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Bondi Beach stop

Harry and Meghan arrived at Bondi Beach early on Friday morning for day four of their 16-day royal tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji.

It was Fluro Friday and the honeymooners met with a local surfing community group raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing, known as OneWave.

One Wave co-founders Grant Trebilco and Sam Schumacher use surfing as a way to help people talk to each other about mental health, and on Fluro Fridays they ask people share their experiences while enjoying yoga.

Photo: Getty

Photo: Getty

Participants were dressed up in their best coloured outfits, and even helped the Duke and Duchess get into the spirit by giving them leis to wear.

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The pair spent over 20 minutes speaking with members of the group within the Anti Bad Vibe Circle where people of all ages discuss their experiences with mental health issues.

The Duke and Duchess then went on to meet members of the public who had gathered on the beach to meet them, and were handed bouquets of flowers and even a bunch of carrots.

Photo: Getty

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Melbourne

In Melbourne on Thursday, Meghan was taken by surprise during an official appearance in the Victorian capital.

The 37-year-old accompanied Prince Harry to a special engagement to learn about some innovative programs developed by young Victorians, but she wasnt expecting a slight fright when she met a particular group of school students.

Source: Seven

Meghan and Harry diligently inspected a scaled miniature Formula 1 car designed and made by Trinity Grammar students, but as the mini vehicle zoomed down a makeshift track, Meghan jumped and covered her mouth, before nervously bursting into laughter.

Prince Harry and the school students giggled along with the Duchess of Sussex after her startled moment which was captured on camera.

Earlier that day the Duke and Duchess met locals along Government House Drive before heading into Government House for a reception hosted by the Governor of Victoria the Honourable Linda Dessau AC.

Photo: Getty

Harry and Meghans Dubbo visit

Earlier in the day, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex met five-year-old schoolboy Luke Vincent, who was overjoyed to come face-to-face with the royal couple.

Hed been waiting for the royal couple for hours, and in a heartwarming moment, the kindergartener dove straight in for a cuddle with Harry as the royal bent down to greet him.

The five-year-old Dubbo schoolboy gave Meghan a bunch of flowers and a huge hug. Source: Getty

The young boy, who has Down syndrome, was fascinated by the Duke of Sussexs scruffy beard, and he reached in to touch it before presenting a pregnant Meghan with a some flowers and a hug.

According to Lukes mum, he loves beards.

Lukes favourite person is Santa Claus, isnt it? she told 7News, to which Luke replied, Yeah, Santa Claus.

Meghan seemed to find Lukes fascination adorable. Source: Getty

Mrs. Vincent admitted she was slightly concerned after Luke jumped up on Harry, as she was told there was a no touching rule around the royals.

I was very concerned once he started rubbing Prince Harrys face and his hair, but Prince Harry was completely gracious, she said. And was so polite and realised what was happening and his infatuation with his beard.

We can only thank him so much for treating Luke with such respect.
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier arriving at the European Council summit (Retuers)

EU Brexit chief Michel Barnier has warned that a deal could fall at the final hurdle if a solution isnt found to the Irish border issue.

Barnier revealed on Friday morning that the Withdrawal Agreement is now 90% complete as the result of intensive negotiations with the UK last week  an increase of 5% on the previous week.

But the French politician replied with a clear yes when asked whether the impasse over the Irish border issue could make his work on the rest of the deal irrelevant.

90% of the accord on the table has been agreed with Britain, he told France radio. Im convinced a deal is necessary, Im still not sure well get one.

That was a notably less optimistic assessment than the one given by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, who on Thursday confidently predicted a deal will be done.

MORE: EUs Juncker confident Brexit deal will be done despite delay

Barnier put Brexit down to nostalgia and said voters were not told all the consequences at the time of the referendum.

But he said he hoped the negative negotiations would conclude with a deal within a few weeks, a few months, as soon as possible.

Intensive negotiations between the UK and EU are set to resume the week after next in a bid to resolve the one issue holding back a deal.

The EU insist the backstop must apply to Northern Ireland only, which is fiercely opposed by the DUP, whose MPs prop-up the government.

But German chancellor Angela Merkel is among EU leaders pushing for Barnier to provide a guarantee that the backstop never comes into force so that May can get a deal through the UK parliament.

German chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Barnier to offer flexible solutions to solving the Irish border impasse (Getty)

Where there is a will there should be a way, she said on Thursday.

One idea discussed at this weeks European Council is to extend the transition period long enough for a free trade deal, which made border checks unnecessary, to be agreed and come into force.

Mays admission that she was considering the proposal sparked calls for her to resign from within the Conservative party.

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Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Friday: There is a situation in which youve negotiated a free trade agreement and its going to take a few months more to implement  months not years  when it might be helpful to have the ability to extend the transition period.

Another possible solution is to include provisions for a UK-wide customs union with the EU to kick-in if there is a gap between the transition ending and a free trade deal taking effect.

MORE: Theresa May admits longer Brexit transition is possible

EU politicians will discuss the state of play in Brexit talks next week at the European parliament in Strasbourg.

Syed Kamall, the leader of the Conservatives group, is quite confident that there will be a deal by the end of the year, a spokesperson said on Friday.

Although he added he was a bit afraid MEPs could veto the deal for ideological reasons.

A spokesperson for the centre-right EPP, the largest group in the parliament, said any Brexit deal will only be blocked if there are no clear conditions to avoid a border in Ireland.

The prime minister has been invited to address European parliament. She refused to speak to all MEPs but agreed in March to meet the leaders of political groups.

However, a European parliament official said there had been progress made towards setting a date for the meeting.

MORE: EUs Juncker confident Brexit deal will be done despite delay




As the US midterm elections edge closer, Democratic candidate Beto ORourke is ramping up his campaign to unseat Texas Republican senator Ted Cruz.

The 46-year-old congressman who is considered a rising star in his party, has been boosted by a surge of grassroots support since entering the race last March. If the left-leaning politician manages to beat Mr Cruz next month in the traditionally conservative state, he would become Texas first Democratic senator since 1994.

The battle between the pair has attracted widespread attention because the Lone Star State is seen as one of the Democrats best chances to gain control of the Senate. The Democrats must pick up two seats nationwide to win a Senate majority.

This would allow the party to block Donald Trumps agenda.

Video: Texas Voters Say Machines are Changing Ticket Choices

Who is Beto ORourke?

After beginning his career as a businessman Mr ORourke moved into politics in 2005. At 32 he was elected to the El Paso City Council. The Democrat joined the House of Representatives in 2012 after successfully running to represent Texas 16th congressional district, winning 65 per cent of the vote.

His campaign to unseat Mr Cruz has been largely funded by small donors and he raised over $38 million between July and September, the biggest quarterly haul of any Senate candidate in history.

He is a firm supporter of universal healthcare, has called for new gun-control laws and believes marijuana should be legalised.

Democrat Beto ORourke is locked in a race for the Texas Senate seat (Laura Buckman/AFP/Getty Images)

Will Beto ORourke beat Ted Cruz?

Despite his grassroots support, the Democratic hopeful is flagging behind the former Republican presidential candidate in recent opinion polls. A CNN poll of 716 likely Texas voters, conducted by SSRS last week, put Mr Cruz on 52 percent with Mr ORourke on 45 per cent.

Mr Cruz has made gains by repeatedly highlighting his rivals liberal stances on key issues which he believes are out of step with Texan voters. During a televised debate earlier this week, Mr Cruz said: Every time there is a choice between left-wing national activists and the people of Texas, he goes with left-wing national activists.

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Mr ORourke hit back by accusing Mr Cruz for his unwillingness to stand up to Donald Trump on a number of issues. He claimed the senator had failed to stop the president from pushing trade tariffs that would hurt Texas farmers and businesses.

What has Donald Trump said about Beto ORourke?

The US president is due to appear at a campaign rally in Houston next Monday in support of Mr Cruz and other Texas Republicans.

After this weeks debate, Mr Trump praised Mr Cruz for securing cuts in taxes and regulations and protecting gun rights.

He tweeted: Beto ORourke, who wants higher taxes and far more regulations, is not in the same league with Ted Cruz and what the great people of Texas stand for and want. Ted is strong on crime, the border and second amendment, loves our military, veterans, low taxes. Beto is a flake!
Many people cannot remember the last time they stepped into a bank branch.

Yet the largest U.S. banks are racing each other to build hundreds of branches in new cities across the country, showing that the brick-and-mortar model isnt dead  its just evolving.

On their third-quarter earnings calls, the two largest U.S. retail banks  JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Bank of America (BAC)  pledged expansions into new cities with a flurry of new physical branches. The CEOs of both companies say that while mobile banking is still important, they see plenty of markets where they can grab market share through new stores.

Opportunity

Both banks are making moves as the next two largest banks  Wells Fargo (WFC) and Citigroup (C)  pump the brakes on their branch growth.

Wells Fargo, hobbled by an asset cap from the Federal Reserve amid its reputational issues, has said it will shrink its branch network by about 800 locations by 2020. Company CFO John Shrewsberry said on a third-quarter call that they are on track to close about 300 branches this year. While most will be consolidated, 52 of the planned branches will be sold.

Citi, meanwhile, is focused on pausing its branch expansion while it measures its online performance. The company said that it will build new branches if it sees heavy credit card client use in concentrated cities, but said digital activity will determine their focus.

Whether we do it out of a Branch on Fifth Avenue or whether we do it online, weve got the same connectivity to the products, Citi CEO Michael Corbat said.

Enter: JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.

Filings from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency show that JPMorgan Chase is applying to open the most branches among the five largest U.S. banks. Credit: David Foster / Yahoo Finance

Applications filed with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency show that Chase Bank has proposed 161 new locations in the last year, a number of which are in new cities like Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Yahoo Finance reported that the company is also planning new stores in Minneapolis, Nashville, Kansas City and Raleigh.

Every time we open branches in a new market we bring the full force of JPMorgan Chase to that community, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in the companys third-quarter earnings release.

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Bank of America, which has about 500 fewer retail stores than Chase, is prioritizing a build-out of its existing presence in the few large cities where it not among the top three banks in terms of deposit market share: Denver, Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.

A digital-only institution, in our mind, is not the way that you should go, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said.

Minnesota nice

One battleground in the branch fight is in Minneapolis, where JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America are both mounting an attack on U.S. Bancorp (USB), the fifth largest U.S. commercial bank.

But the Twin Cities-based U.S. Bancorp is doubling down on digital banking. At a conference in September, U.S. Bancorp CEO Andy Cecere said the company would be shrinking its physical footprint and using its mobile app to reach markets where it has few or no branches. Cecere listed Texas, Florida and North Carolina as examples of new frontiers for U.S. Bancorp  areas where both Chase and Bank of America compete.

But Cecere said that the branch is still important, and said the company would continue to prioritize its presence in smaller towns where the only other competition is community banks.

That combination of digital capabilities together with the physical presence is the way we think about the future, Cecere said.

On the whole, the five largest banks are still consolidating and closing more branches than they are opening, but the pace of openings appears to be picking up.

Filings from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency show that branch openings are ramping up at the five largest U.S. banks.

Rob Berini, a managing director with Deloitte Consultings banking group, says the branch model is far from dead, but acknowledged that every company is attempting a different balance of physical and digital banking.

Its an experiment and banks are having different results, Berini said.

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Prudential Financial to shed its post-crisis too big to fail label

Big banks reveal challenges in consumer credit, mortgages
Kabul (AFP) - A Taliban attack on top US and Afghan security chiefs inside a highly secure compound in Afghanistan is a major coup for the insurgents that threatens to torpedo peace talks and destabilise the country's south, analysts say.

A gunman wearing an Afghan security forces uniform opened fire on a group including General Scott Miller -- the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan -- and powerful Afghan police chief General Abdul Raziq on Thursday as they ended a meeting in the southern city of Kandahar.

Within seconds Raziq, an anti-Taliban strongman and key US ally who was credited with keeping a lid on the insurgency in the south, was dead along with Kandahar's provincial intelligence chief and an Afghan journalist.

Miller escaped unhurt in the bold attack the militants said had targeted the US general and Raziq, whom they had previously accused of killing thousands of Taliban detainees and had attempted to assassinate dozens of times.

The interior ministry said Friday three suspects have been detained over the shooting, which also wounded 13.

That the Taliban could mount a deadly insider assault on top US and Afghan security chiefs in such a secure location has rattled a country long used to high-profile targeted killings and violence.

It signalled the Taliban could "strike whenever and wherever it wants" and would embolden the insurgents, said Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center.

"This attack is a huge blow to stability," he added.

- Increased attacks -

The Taliban, which controls or contests swathes of the war-torn country, has made significant territorial gains and threatened provincial capitals in recent months as it steps up attacks.

The increased aggression had been seen as an attempt by the Taliban to strengthen its negotiating position in talks with the United States to end the 17-year war.

Taliban representatives have met with US officials at least twice in Qatar in recent months, most recently on October 12 with newly appointed US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, raising hopes for peace.

Story continues

But analysts said the latest attack may have jeopardised those tentative efforts.

"There will be questions asked whether the Taliban are really serious about peace talks," said Rahimullah Yusufzai, an expert on the group.

Afghanistan Analysts Network said the Taliban's claim that the shooter, who officials said was a member of the wounded provincial governor's security team, had targeted Miller -- something the United States disputes -- would complicate the US position.

"It is difficult to imagine how the US government will be able to defend holding talks with an organisation that claims it attempted to kill the US supreme commander in Afghanistan," AAN said in a report.

- 'Expect a meltdown' -

Raziq, whose power extended beyond Kandahar to neighbouring provinces in southern Afghanistan, was either "respected or feared" by Afghans, said military analyst Atiqullah Amarkhail.

His death would be demoralising for beleaguered security forces and leave a dangerous power vacuum that would be difficult to fill.

"It will be hard for the government to find someone who could replace him as a powerful force against the Taliban," Amarkhail said.

Yusufzai said killing Raziq was "one of the Taliban's biggest achievements in this war".

"Expect a meltdown in Kandahar," a foreign diplomat told AFP.

"He was the one guaranteeing security in Kandahar."

But US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday that Raziq's death would not fundamentally change the security situation in the province.

"It's a tragic loss of a patriot for Afghanistan. But I don't see it having a long term effect on our area," Mattis told reporters on the sidelines of a security summit in Singapore.

Miller made a public appearance in Kabul on Friday, visiting an Afghan security checkpoint where he expressed condolences over the "tragic event".

"My assessment is that I was not the target. It was a very close confined space. But I don't assess that I was a target," Miller told Afghan broadcaster Tolo News.

The government is now scrambling to secure the south on the eve of parliamentary elections that the Taliban has vowed to attack.

A spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said elections in Kandahar would be postponed for a week following the attack.

Preparations for the ballot, already more than three years late, have been marred by bloody violence and there are concerns that Raziq's death will deter even more voters from turning up at polling centres around the country.

Almost nine million people have registered to vote for the poll, which is seen as a crucial test for next year's presidential election.

Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded in poll-related violence. At least 10 candidates have been killed, most of them murdered.

"The Taliban would be very pleased that they've done this on the eve of the election," Yusufzai said.

str-mam-us-ds-amj/gle
Brussels (AFP) - A European Union summit this week broke up with little progress towards a Brexit deal, just months before Britain is due to leave the bloc on March 29, 2019.

EU leaders agreed to keep talking but refused to confirm a special meeting in November to seal the agreement, pushing any possible deal back to a December summit.

Before that, British Prime Minister Theresa May must win a parliamentary vote on her government's budget on November 1, a test of her ability to get the final Brexit deal approved.

Here is an outline of what could happen next:

- Budget day

May's Conservative government depends on its majority in the House of Commons on the 10 MPs from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party.

The DUP has threatened to vote against the budget if May agrees a Brexit deal with the EU that threatens the status of Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom.

Media reports suggest some hardline eurosceptic Conservative MPs, who believe May has already conceded too much to Brussels, could also use the budget vote as a show of strength.

- Leadership challenge?

Losing the budget vote could spark a challenge against May from inside her Conservative party.

The support of 48 MPs -- 15 percent of the parliamentary party -- is needed to trigger a vote of confidence.

Her critics have the numbers to do this but say they have held off so far because they believe she would survive.

May needs a simple majority to win any such vote.

If May loses, there would be a leadership contest with the winner becoming prime minister, without the need for new elections.

- New elections?

In the past, budget votes have been viewed as votes of confidence in the British government and losing one would trigger a new election.

A 2011 law changed this, setting a programme of elections every five years except in two specific circumstances.

Either two-thirds of MPs back a new election, or they pass a motion of no confidence in the government and fail to agree an alternative within a fortnight.

Story continues

- Brexit deal?

If the prime minister survives the November 1 vote she will press on with Brexit negotiations.

Agreement at a formal December summit is viewed by all sides as the final deadline, to leave enough time for its ratification by the British and European parliaments before Brexit day.

It will become clear then if there is no deal.

- Will British MPs accept it?

If there is a Brexit deal with the EU, it will be presented to the 650 MPs in the House of Commons for their approval.

May's Conservatives have 315 MPs and with the support of the DUP's 10 lawmakers could get the deal through.

But if the DUP or her hardline eurosceptics fail to support her, she must turn to the opposition Labour party.

Labour, which has 257 MPs, has warned it will probably oppose the deal but some MPs have indicated they would defy their party to avoid a damaging no-deal Brexit.

- No deal

Failure to reach any agreement on Britain's exit could see legal, security and economic ties with the EU severed overnight, leaving planes grounded, expatriates left with no rights and goods stuck at borders.

If the December summit breaks up without an agreement, there could still be some mini-deals in areas such as aviation to avert a potential catastrophe.

If British MPs reject the plan, they might demand the government try to negotiate a new deal, but that would require more time.

London is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, although the bloc's leaders could agree to delay this.

The question is, with the Conservatives and Labour divided over Brexit, whether there is a majority in the House of Commons for any other withdrawal plan.

Failure to agree a deal at any stage is also likely to spark a leadership challenge against May, which in turn could see new elections.

- Forget Brexit?

There are growing calls in Britain for a referendum on the Brexit deal, possibly with an option of staying in the EU.

But a majority of MPs must agree and May's government is opposed, although Labour has refused to rule it out.

burs-ar/dt/dc/nla
John Sawers (PA)

Brexit will make Britain more vulnerable to attacks like the Russian novichok poisoning in Salisbury, a former boss of MI6 has claimed.

Sir John Sawers said the Russian chose to attack in Britain because the country looks weak.

He added they would never have tried doing the same thing in the USA or Germany.

They thought they could pick on Britain and bully us because we were looking weak, he told BBC Radio Fours World at One programme.

And he said such attacks could become more regular after Britain leaves the European Union next March.

I think what it is is its do with Britain looking weak, looking isolated, he said.

Soldiers in protective gear carry out investigations following the Salisbury poisonings (PA)

The Americans to some extent are walking away from their relationship with Europe, and we are walking away from the relationship with the European Union. The west is fragmented.

Sawers, a critic of Brexit, said Britain would be losing influence by leaving the EU.

We will no longer be shaping the rules for data sharing and data privacy in Europe, which is increasingly vital to our security.

We will not be automatic members of the information systems that European countries use for advanced notification of the movement of dangerous people.

Ex MI6 boss John Sawers' argument that the Russians wouldn't have attempted the Skripal poisoning but for Brexit would carry more weight if the Russians hadn't killed Alexander Litvinenko with polonium in London in 2006, a decade before the Brexit vote  James Forsyth (@JGForsyth) October 19, 2018

And we wont be members of things like Europol and the intelligence centre. he added.

However critics quickly pointed that the Russians attacked Alexander Litvinenko in London in 2006, long before the Brexit vote.

Sergei Skripal was poisoned in March this year, along with his daughter Yulia, by Russian agents with the nerve agent novichok in the historic town of Salisbury.

Story continues

The British authorities said two Russians, using the names Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, were the men who carried out the Skripals poisoning.

They subsequently appeared on Russian TV to say they had visited Salisbury to look at the towns cathedral.

A subsequent novichok incident in the town led to the death of a local woman Dawn Sturgess.
Miami Herald

She waited five years to confront Tom Privett, her former high school teacher, the man who groomed and manipulated her on campus. The man who raped her over and over inside his classroom.
10 of the 20 members of the Huddersfield grooming gang.

Sixteen men have been jailed for a total of 221 years for abusing 15 girls in Huddersfield between 2004 and 2011.

The men embarked on a campaign of rape and other sexual abuse against vulnerable teenage girls aged between 11 and 17.

The information can now be released after a reporting ban on the cases set a year ago was lifted.

Donald Trump has praised the Congressman who violently attacked a journalist from The Guardian.

The President said that Greg Gianforte is my kind of guy for performing a body slam on the political reporter.

Mr Trumps praise of the assault was met with cheers and applause from the crowd of supporters in Montana.

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been released from prison just over two years after being convicted of inciting support for Isis.

He was later seen entering a probation hostel in North London, where he will be closely monitored.

His early release, halfway into a five-and-a-half-year sentence has sparked outrage after the prisons minister admitted Choudary is genuinely dangerous.

Local newspaper the Plymouth Herald trended nationwide on Friday after a tweet by an MP went viral.

Johnny Mercer tweeted another user: Ill give you one chance at honesty. Did you insinuate my wife was a prostitute on the Plymouth Herald comments section?

The bizarre tweet was seized upon by social media users and turned into a meme.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey is seeking to strike a fine balance in the controversy over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, aware the aftermath could boost its economy and diplomatic hand but prove highly damaging if the case is mishandled.

The probe strikes at the heart of one of Turkey's most sensitive diplomatic relationships, with its ties to fellow Sunni Muslim heavyweight Saudi Arabia marked by public politeness and deep economic links but also years of rivalry and diverging interests.

For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "it's a very delicate balance he's attempting to strike," Mujtaba Rahman, Europe managing director for the Eurasia Group, told AFP.

Khashoggi, a regime insider turned critic of the kingdom's current rulers, has not been seen since he walked through the doors of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 for marriage paperwork.

The pro-government Sabah and Yeni Safak dailies, not known to print explosive news that displeases the Turkish authorities, have reported that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate by a Saudi hit squad linked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

- Eye on Turkish economy -

But in public, Erdogan and top figures have remained extremely cautious, referring to a prosecutors' investigation and stopping short of pinning the blame on Saudi Arabia.

Yet, if the Sabah and Yeni Safak reports are correct, Turkey possesses an audio recording proving the alleged killing of Khashoggi by a Saudi team. It is a piece of evidence that would allow the kingdom no room for manoeuvre if made public.

Instead, Turkey is keeping up the pressure through a drip-drip leaking of information to loyal media, showing Riyadh that Ankara holds the cards while giving the kingdom time to react.

Analysts say that Erdogan is mindful of not provoking Riyadh, at a time when the fragile Turkish economy is in need of all the economic support it can get after the lira slumped this summer.

Story continues

According to official Turkish data, almost 586,000 Saudi citizens visited Turkey up to the end of August this year, up from around 373,000 in 2016. Many are coming for more than just tourism, snapping up property and other big investments.

"Given the state of Turkish economy, Ankara might be seeking financial aid from the Saudis," Gonul Tol, founding director of The Middle East Institute's Center for Turkish Studies, told AFP.

- 'Competing for leadership' -

Erdogan has had a complex relationship with Riyadh in the last years that has swung from turbulence to calm and back, but always with a veneer of public respect.

Ties were battered by the ousting of the pro-Ankara Islamist Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 which was cheered by Riyadh. Then, the accession of King Salman to power in 2015 appeared to prompt a warming.

But the Saudi-backed embargo imposed against Turkey's ally Qatar from 2017 strained ties again. This coincided with the rise of Salman's son Crown Prince Mohammed, seen as the driving force of the embargo.

Yet while Erdogan gave full backing to Qatar, even he stopped short of public criticism of Riyadh, calling on the Saudis in July 2017 to behave like the "elder statesman in the Gulf region". While he happily lashed out at NATO allies like Chancellor Angela Merkel, he never once publicly targeted Prince Mohammed.

And in recent speeches, Erdogan has avoided discussing the Khashoggi case altogether. As fresh claims made new global headlines Thursday, Erdogan was in the Moldovan region of Gagauzia, busying himself with the concerns of a Muslim minority in one of the former USSR's most obscure backwaters.

"At a time when Turkey's economy is going through a challenging period, Saudis visiting Turkey and their real estate purchases will remain an important source of forex revenue," said Rahman.

But he noted: "But both countries are on the opposite side of the Qatar crisis, ideological enemies and competing for leadership in the Sunni world."

- 'Outstanding issues with US' -

Turkey is also keeping close watch on its relationship with the administration of President Donald Trump, which unleashed the currency crisis in August by sanctioning Ankara over the detention of a US pastor who was finally released on October 12.

Trump, whose administration had built up close ties with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has also been conspicuously reticent in the crisis although he did warn of unspecified severe consequences for Riyadh if its involvement was proven.

"Turkey is trying to leverage the evidence it claims to have on the alleged killing of Khashoggi to push the Saudis and Americans for concessions," said Tol.

She said despite the release of pastor Andrew Brunson, there were "outstanding issues" in US-Turkey relations, notably a looming fine on Turkish lender Halkbank for busting Iran sanctions.
Harvey Weinstein, left, and his lawyer Benjamin Brafman, right, arrive to court at 100 Centre St. Photo: Seth Wenig/AP



The criminal prosecution of former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein for allegations of sexual assault appears to have encountered turbulence.



In the span of less than a week, the case against Weinstein lost one of three accusers after it was revealed that the New York City Police Department detective leading the investigation didnt turn over witness testimony that contradicted the accusers allegations that Weinstein assaulted her in 2004.



Several days later, the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.s office disclosed that the detective, Nicholas DiGaudio, who in May was given his own star turn when he was photographed leading a handcuffed Weinstein out of an NYPD precinct house during the disgraced producers highly publicized arrest, told another accuser who says Weinstein assaulted her in 2013 to delete certain information from phones that were being submitted into evidence.



Meantime, prosecutors are bracing for a broadside from lead defense counsel Benjamin Brafman of Benjamin A. Brafman & Associates, who said last week he will file to dismiss the full indictment against Weinstein based on DiGaudios alleged misconduct with handling the accuser from 2004, aspiring actress Lucia Evans.



Also in the past week, media outlets reported that the FBI has looked into any connections between how Vances office handles cases involving powerful figures and political donations to Vance; and that two prosecutors working on the Weinstein case have recently left the office.



According to a letter from Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi, the lead prosecutor in the case, to Brafman that was made public by Vances office, a woman who says Weinstein attacked her in 2013, who is not named in court papers, told DiGaudio that she had several cellphones in her possession that she used to interact with Weinstein but expressed concern that the phones may contain personal information.



The accuser said that DiGaudio told her to delete anything from the phones that she wouldnt want others to see and that we just wont tell Joan, referring to Illuzzi.



When asked to comment on how confident the Manhattan DAs office is in its case moving forward, Danny Frost, a spokesman for the office, referred to remarks by Illuzzi, who told Manhattan Supreme Court Justice James Burke at a hearing last week that her office is continuing to talk to witnesses and gather evidence.



We look forward to, over the next few weeks, continuing to meet with witnesses and gather evidence, not only to prepare for trial, but also to determine whether there are additional complainants or incidents for which the defendant can be charged, Illuzzi said on Oct. 11 at a hearing in which one count of criminal sexual act against Weinstein was dismissed.



A spokesman for Brafmans firm did not respond to a request to comment for this article.



While the crime of sexual assault is certainly serious, to falsely accuse someone of sexual assault is equally serious, Brafman said last week to reporters gathered outside a Manhattan courthouse.



Weinstein is charged with one count of predatory sexual assault, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of first-degree rape and one count of third-degree rape pertaining to his alleged assault on the accuser from 2013.



The remaining charges, one count of predatory sexual assault and one count of first-degree criminal sexual act, pertain to Mimi Haleyi, a production assistant who says Weinstein forced himself on her in 2006.



Brafman has previously attacked the credibility of the accusations from the 2013 accuser, arguing that emails between Weinstein and the accuser following the alleged attack show that the two had a consensual, romantic relationship.



Last week, NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea said the department is conducting an internal investigation into the allegations against DiGaudio.



When asked for comment on the progress of the internal investigation, the department issued a statement expressing confidence in its investigation into Weinstein.



The evidence against Mr. Weinstein is compelling and strong, said NYPD Det. Sophia Mason. The NYPD will continue its work with the prosecution to deliver justice for the courageous survivors who have bravely come forward.



Veteran criminal defense attorneys who have clashed with Vances office in the past said they wouldnt go as far to say that the prosecution against Weinstein is unraveling.



But high-powered Bronx attorney Murray Richman said that the recent developments indicate that, following criticism that Vances office didnt bring cases against Weinstein in the past when other accusers came forward, prosecutors face considerable pressure to get a conviction on Weinstein and that they may have bent over backwards to bring charges.



Im not saying that Mr. Weinstein is innocent or guilty, Richman said. Im just saying that in the attempt to get him they may have cut a few corners.



Ronald Kuby of the Law Office of Ronald L. Kuby said new developments in the Weinstein case have revealed a broader issue with the way that Vances office brings cases that may not come to the fore when its going after defendants without deep pockets: a dont ask, dont tell culture in which prosecutors dont hold police accountable for improper investigative tactics.



Most defendants dont have the resources that Harvey Weinstein has, Kuby said. Most of them dont have Ben Brafman. As a result, generic misconduct by the police doesnt get caught, Vance gets his conviction and injustice gets to continue to sail forth.



With respect to a report from the New York Daily News that Vances office is under investigation for allegations that his office has dropped cases against well-heeled defendants after their attorneys make donations to Vances campaign fund, the FBI did not respond to a request for comment and Frost said Vances office was not aware of a federal investigation.



Earlier this year, following a study by Columbia Law Schools Center for the Advancement of Public Integrity into Vances fundraising practices at the DAs request, Vances campaign announced that it would implement several reforms to his fundraising practices, including a blinding procedure that conceals the names of donors as well as caps on donations from attorneys with business before the DAs office.



Also this week, the New York Post reported that Rachel Hochhauser and Jennifer Gaffney, who were working on the Weinstein prosecution team, both left the Manhattan DAs office in September for new positions.



Their departures were long planned and had nothing to do with the case, Frost said of Hochhauser and Gaffney. Following their departures, Assistant District Attorney Brendan Tracy has joined the Weinstein prosecution team.



Read more:



Court Tosses Charge Against Harvey Weinstein as Brafman Faults NYPD Handling of an Accuser's Account



Weinstein Sex Trafficking Charges Survive Motion to Dismiss



Vance to Eschew Donations From Lawyers With Business Before DA's Office
SheKnows

It looks like another Christmas will pass without Prince Harry and Meghan Markle joining Queen Elizabeth at Sandringham. While it is understandable that the long journey (and likely negative U.K. press) makes it a tough time of year to make the trip, it does come on the heels of Prince Philips death in April, which []
The world's longest sea bridge, connecting Hong Kong, Macau and the Chinese mainland will open to traffic next Wednesday, officials said, after complaints about the secrecy surrounding the project.

A grand opening ceremony had already been announced for the day before in the southern mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai -- possibly attended by China's President Xi Jinping.

Hong Kong lawmakers have criticised a lack of transparency over when traffic will be able to use the bridge, while local bus companies have also complained about being kept in the dark.

The 55-kilometre (34-mile) crossing, which includes a snaking road bridge and underwater tunnel, links Hong Kong's Lantau island to Zhuhai and the gambling enclave of Macau, across the waters of the Pearl River Estuary.

Construction of the massive infrastructure project began in 2009 and has been dogged by delays, budget overruns, corruption prosecutions and the deaths of construction workers.

Supporters of the bridge promote it as an engineering marvel, while others see it as a costly political project designed to further integrate Hong Kong into the mainland at a time when Beijing is tightening its grip on the semi-autonomous city.
(Photo: )

Days before Indias Supreme Court overturned a colonial-era law that made gay sex a criminal offense, we were struck by the story of K, a single mother from a conservative background in India who had long wondered why she had always struggled to establish romantic relationships with men.

At the age of 45, with a daughter well in her teens, K sought answers from a familiar source: the internet.

I remember sitting in an empty house and gingerly typing on Google: 40-year-old woman coming out, K told HuffPost.

She was inundated with accounts from women who had gone through a familiar cycle of denial, self-doubt and guilt about their sexual orientation. In the end, she said, It was OK, and more importantly, its normal  I was absolutely fine!

We have all been in Ks position  turning to the internet for evidence that we are not alone in our desires, experiences or choices.

A study of some of the internets most searched queries suggest that social media-triggered anxieties have us turning to search-driven forms of reassurance, introspection and self-diagnosis.

HuffPost worked with Simon Rogers and Keila Guimaraes, data researchers at Google, to understand the internets most pressing preoccupations. The resulting data set shows people searching for a wide variety of queries that begin with phrases like:

Is it normal __?

Why am I __?

Why do I __?

Moreover, the list of top queries starting with those phrases gives us a window into the cultural concerns and taboos that leave many of us unable to ask anyone, except internet search engines, the most urgent questions of our lives.

In the U.S., for instance, the most common ending to Is it normal __? is Is it normal for your period to be late? In India, its Is it normal to bleed after losing your virginity?

Users in Canada, U.K. and the U.S. invariably ask Why am I so tired? and Why do I sweat so much? while Brazilians have far more existential queries: Why am I like this? and Why do I exist?

Story continues

But the internet is an unreliable confidant: The information on offer is often incomplete, poorly researched or just plain wrong. For example, the top result to Why am I so unlucky? on Quora includes: We can burn our ego with simple food eaten in the fields where it is grown by farmers who work there whole day growing and picking what has ripened because that is what they need to do.

At HuffPost, we want to help people find reliable, fact-based answers in their most anxious moments. Our new series, Searching For Normal, is an attempt to answer Google users most pressing questions about themselves.

We are not doctors or psychologists, but we will bring you clear, accurate and professional insights from experts. We hope to broaden the perception of what normal really is by making the search for answers less anxiety-inducing and more inclusive.

So the next time sex, exhaustion, anxiety or self-doubt have you turning to the internet for answers, remember that it is perfectly normal to wonder if you are normal.

Related Coverage

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
By Tim Reid SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - In a packed Texas convention center, Democrat Beto O'Rourke drew cheers last weekend with a blistering critique of Republican rival Ted Cruz's support for deporting young undocumented immigrants, part of a stump speech aimed at inspiring Hispanic voters in the country's most expensive and closely watched Senate race. It was the kind of rousing rhetoric Democrats have hoped would rally the states surging Latino population around O'Rourke in his quest to become the first Democratic candidate to win a Texas statewide race since 1994 - a feat that would shake Texas political identity. But that tide of support is not happening. And Democrats are worried. ( Beto O'Rourke's uphill battle: https://tmsnrt.rs/2pg6PRh) (Battlegrounds in the U.S. congressional elections: https://tmsnrt.rs/2OqGizy) (Full coverage of the U.S. elections: https://www.reuters.com/politics/election2018) Despite a record fundraising haul, a dizzying travel schedule to all 254 of the state's counties and a Republican president who has disparaged Mexico and pursued a hard line against immigrants, ORourke is struggling to win over Hispanic voters on the scale needed to unseat Cruz in the Nov. 6 election. The trend is playing out with Democrats across the country. For ORourke, a telegenic U.S. congressman and fluent Spanish speaker, the issue dogs a campaign that built a fundraising juggernaut from small donors. O'Rourke raised over $38 million between July and September, the biggest quarterly haul of any U.S. Senate candidate in history. Yet he is falling behind Cruz in opinion polls that just a month ago showed the race nearly even. Democrats need a net gain of two seats to take control of the 100-seat Senate in next month's congressional election. But they are defending 26 seats, including 10 in states Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. They have a better shot at assuming control of the House of Representatives, where they need a net gain of 23 seats to win the majority. Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez, executive director of Jolt, an organization focused on getting young Latinos to vote, said ORourke cannot win Texas without significant Latino support  and he needs more than he is getting now. The Democrat trailed Cruz by seven points among likely voters in a CNN poll conducted on Oct. 9-13, drawing 62 percent of Hispanic support compared to Cruz's 35 percent. Other recent polls showed O'Rourke attracting between 56 to 61 percent support among Hispanics, but behind Cruz by five to nine percentage points overall. O'Rourke needs backing from at least two thirds of Hispanics to have any chance of beating Cruz, said David Wasserman, a congressional analyst with the non-partisan Cook Political Report, an electoral-analysis firm that considers the Texas race a toss-up. "It's his main problem at the moment," said Wasserman, and added it was one shared by Democrats in close Senate races in Florida, Arizona and Nevada, which have large Hispanic populations. Nationally, Hispanic voters favor Democratic congressional candidates over Republicans 60 percent to 32 percent, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling data. Translating that into electoral gains is difficult. Hispanic turnout hit a record low in the 2014 midterm congressional elections, according to the non-partisan Pew Research Center. "Its a challenge if Beto is not able to make gains with Hispanic voters, and it's a challenge for any Democrat," said Emmy Ruiz, a Democratic strategist from Texas. "But he is also taking a multi-strategy approach: he's prioritizing Latinos but also looking to expand the (Democratic) electorate in more conservative parts of the state, and with younger voters." O'Rourke and Democrats more broadly face another issue: many voters in Americas heavily Catholic, socially conservative Hispanic population disagree with their support for abortion rights, gay marriage and gun control. Twenty-seven percent of registered Hispanic voters support additional fencing along the U.S.-Mexican border, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows. Take Roger Luna, a metal sheet worker who boasts of his Mexican immigrant forebears. ORourke is a good man, he says, but there's no way he's voting for him. Hes too liberal for Texas and too weak on border security, says Luna, who is convinced he will do nothing to stop dangerous, violent immigrants from entering America. "That wall has to be built," said Luna, who lives in San Antonio, the state's second-most populous city where more than 60 percent of the residents are Hispanic, referring to the wall that Trump has vowed to erect along the U.S.-Mexican border. ORourke's campaign did not respond to requests for comment. CRUISE MISSILES VS. KINDNESS In a year of surging Democratic enthusiasm, ORourke, a one-time member of a punk rock band, has received a rock-star reception in a seemingly improbable run as a left-wing progressive Democrat drawing large crowds in one of the nations staunchest Republican states. He has said he wants to undo parts of Trumps 2017 tax cut, ban assault weapons and legalize marijuana. At a time of polarized and coarsening politics, O'Rourke, 46, casts himself as a beacon of civility and compassion. Some Hispanic voters said O'Rourke was just what the state needed. "He seems to be more empathetic for people who are really struggling," said David De La Rosa, a car dealer who has voted for both Republican and Democratic candidates. Leslie Cavazos, a school cafeteria worker, said she liked his ideas. "It is time for a change." Local activists and political strategists disagree on whether O'Rourke is doing enough to engage Hispanic voters, who make up one in three of the state's eligible electorate. O'Rourke, an Irish American known by a Latino nickname since his childhood in El Paso, is fiercely critical of Trump's immigration policies. He opposes a border wall and supports granting citizenship to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children, known as "Dreamers." In his first Spanish-language television ad, launched last month, O'Rourke said he wanted "to represent every person in our state." His refusal to hit back at attack ads from the Cruz campaign is hurting him, said Albert Morales, senior political director at the polling firm Latino Decisions and a Texas native. Cruz is launching cruise missiles, ORourke is responding with letters of kindness," he said. "That doesnt work in Texas." ORourke became more aggressive during a debate on Tuesday, calling Cruz dishonest. Cruz, 47, a Cuban-American who supports Trump's call for a border wall and an end to illegal immigration, is running a digital ad featuring his father. Rafael Cruz, popular with many Hispanic voters, recalls in Spanish how he escaped Cuban Communism and went on to live "the American dream." Emily Miller, a spokeswoman for Ted Cruz, said: "We believe his optimistic vision for Texas that continues to embrace low taxes, reasonable regulations, and individual liberty resonates with Texans of all walks of life, including Hispanics. Tzintzun at Jolt said she worries the ORourke campaign is not doing enough door-to-door campaigning and spending in Latino communities to get them out to vote. As of Tuesday, 58 percent of Hispanics in Texas had not been contacted by any political campaign, according to a poll by Latino Decisions for the nonpartisan National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. "O'Rourke has a lot of ground to make up with Latino voters, and victory for him is very difficult without them," Tzintzun said. (Reporting by Tim Reid; Additional reporting by Chris Kahn in New York; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Jason Szep and Frances Kerry)
By Amanda Becker, Richard Cowan and David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - If Democrats win control of the U.S. House of Representatives or Senate next month, nearly every aspect of Donald Trump's presidency could face swift examination  from his long-elusive tax returns to possible business ties with Russia and conflicts of interest, congressional sources say. While numerous probes have been expected if Democrats win a majority in the Nov. 6 elections, the sequencing and scope of their inquiries has only begun to emerge in recent talks among party leaders and prospective committee chairs. Leaders are clear about what's not on the agenda: impeachment of Trump  at least until the outcome of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections and possible Trump campaign collusion with Moscow. But congressional aides say Democrats would move quickly to obtain Trump's tax returns to look for business ties to Russia and possible conflicts with the Republican president, his family businesses and U.S. government interests, along with a possible examination of his handling of security clearances. (Congressional election battlegrounds interactive graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2OqGizy) Trump has refused to release his tax returns, unlike recent U.S. presidents. Polls show Republicans likely to lose control of the House while possibly expanding their majority in the Senate. Few congressional aides and leaders will speak openly about the Democrats' investigative agenda. Democratic majorities in the House or Senate would bring more money and staff for investigations that could derail or delay Trump's agenda, but aides said Democrats will still aim for some bipartisan cooperation lest their push seem too overtly political ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview with Reuters, said there is a risk the Democratic probes could be "reminiscent of the late 1990s when we thought it was a good idea politically to impeach Bill Clinton and the public got mad at us, and felt sorry for him." "It could end up not working well for them, at all," McConnell added. 'TWO-LANE' APPROACH Democrats are poised to act on what they see as a "crisis of corruption in the Trump administration," Democratic Representative Elijah Cummings told Reuters. "The waste, fraud and abuse is plain to see." If Democrats take the House, Cummings would likely be the chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which can examine any federal agency, person or company. He is now the panel's top Democrat. During Trump's presidency, Democrats on that committee have sought 64 subpoenas, which Republican committee members have denied. If Democrats win control of the House, those subpoenas would not suddenly be issued all at once, aides said. But they offer a roadmap of Democrats' intentions. Cummings said he would take a "two-lane" approach, examining Trump's businesses and potential conflicts of interests, while also probing "day-to-day" issues such as prescription drug pricing, voter suppression and questions about citizenship added to the 2020 U.S. Census. Another early item on the agenda would likely be Trump's revoking of security clearances from perceived political enemies and his granting of an interim security clearance to an aide who later resigned amid allegations of spousal abuse, aides said. Cummings would also examine the use of private email at the White House by Trump's son-in-law and aide Jared Kushner, aides said. Democrat Hillary Clinton's use of private email as secretary of state was an issue in the 2016 presidential election. The oversight panel later sent a bipartisan letter to the White House seeking information on Kushner's emails but got no response. Cummings would issue a subpoena if needed, according to the aides. Probes into Trump would also be conducted by the House Judiciary Committee, the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. There is no plan for a special temporary committee, but Democratic leaders would coordinate investigative efforts with the heads of the committees, aides said. The committees would spend January organizing, with investigations cranking up as soon as February, they added. The Ways and Means Committee would use its authority to request Trump's tax returns from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The judiciary and intelligence committees could then use the returns to dig into whether Trump got anything of value from foreigners or had business ties to Russia. Senate Democrats have a list of Trump-related concerns that runs about 100 pages, according to a document seen by Reuters. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel, wrote on Friday in the Washington Post that the Republican-controlled Congress had abdicated its oversight duty and "been complicit in some of the president's most egregious attacks on our democratic institutions." Schiff said Democrats must "restore Congress as an equal branch and check the ambition of an imperial and erratic president." (Reporting by Amanda Becker, Richard Cowan and David Morgan; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Doina Chiacu; Editing by Paul Simao; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh, Jason Szep and Paul Simao)
By Aaron Maasho ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - A former president of an Ethiopian region who was arrested on charges of human rights abuses and stoking deadly ethnic clashes tried to escape by climbing out a window while in police custody ahead of a court appearance, police said on Friday. Abdi Mohammed Omer, a former administrator of the Somali Region, was forced to resign on Aug. 6 and arrested weeks later after violence broke out in the provincial capital Jijiga. He has since been accused of presiding over widespread rights abuses that included torture, rapes and killings. "In his escape attempt, he broke a window before choking a member of the police force," the state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporation news outlet said, quoting a police statement. The agency said Abdi subsequently denied the claim in court, and said the accusations were aimed at "tarnishing his name". Rights groups have routinely accused Abdi's administration of abuses such as torture. At least 20 people died and thousands fled Jijiga as mobs looted properties owned by ethnic minorities and burned down several Ethiopian Orthodox churches during the outbreak of violence in August. The central authorities said the unrest in the region had been triggered by local officials fearing arrest on human rights abuse charges. The Somali Region has been plagued by violence for the last three decades, in which the government fought the secessionist Ogaden National Liberation Front before the group declared a unilateral ceasefire this month in the wake of reforms. The province holds four trillion cubic feet of oil and gas reserves, government estimates show. Chinas GCL-Poly Petroleum Investments has been developing two gas fields there since 2013. Ethiopia has been ruled for decades by a government that maintained a strong emphasis on security and tolerated little dissent. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who took office in April, has enacted reforms, released political prisoners, made peace with militant groups and reached a rapprochement with regional foe Eritrea. (Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by George Obulutsa and Peter Graff)
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Hanoi (AFP) - A dissident Vietnamese blogger known by the pen name "Mother Mushroom" was on her way to freedom in the United States on Wednesday after being released from prison where she was serving 10 years for anti-state propaganda, sources told AFP.

It is rare but not unheard of for political prisoners to be released early from jail in Vietnam, a one-party state whose communist leadership has waged a brutal crackdown on critics over the past two years, drawing ire from Western allies and rights groups.

But Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh's release came as US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Vietnam, which has been keen to build ties with its old foe Washington as it nervously eyes the rise of its giant northern neighbour China.

Mother Mushroom -- a name that came from her daughter's nickname "mushroom" -- became one of Vietnam's most outspoken critics before she was put behind bars in 2017, thanks to her writing on the taboo topic of deaths in police custody, the environment and politics.

She was freed from jail Wednesday and put on a flight to the United States, an American embassy source, friends and a Vietnam official told AFP.

"Quynh was sent to the US earlier today," a Vietnamese government official confirmed to AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Family friend Nguyen Lai said "congratulations" on Facebook to Quynh, adding she would soon be in a "free country" with her two children and mother.

Mother Mushroom was arrested in October 2016 after visiting a fellow activist in prison -- but even from jail she remained steadfast in her opposition to the communist government.

Her family told AFP she held several hunger strikes, most recently in July when she stopped eating for two weeks, according to the 88 Project, a political prisoner watchdog.

Earlier this year she was moved from a jail in her home province of Khanh Hoa to a prison hundreds of kilometres away, a move her relatives objected to because it made it harder to visit her.

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Officials did not give a reason for relocating her, but her family feared it was to punish her, they told AFP.

- Cause celebre -

Former US ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius, who had protested the length of her sentence, welcomed the news of her release.

"I'm delighted that she's out of jail, I know she was ill and I know her family has been terribly worried about her," he told AFP.

Quynh became a cause celebre and received an International Woman of Courage Award in 2017, presented to her in absentia by US First Lady Melania Trump.

Months later, Quynh's young daughter penned an emotional letter to Melania Trump appealing for her mother to be freed.

The release coincided with Mattis' trip, the second visit he has made to Vietnam.

US President Donald Trump's administration has previously come under criticism for putting issues of free expression and human rights on the back-burner, especially in Vietnam.

Trump's predecessor Barack Obama met with several civil society activists and journalists when he visited Vietnam in 2016.

During his own visit last year Trump noticeably failed to publicly mention rights, instead focusing on the trade deficit and urging Hanoi to buy more American goods.

Observers have drawn links between Trump's apparent blind spot on rights issues and Vietnam's most recent crackdown on critics, which picked up pace in 2016 when a new conservative leadership came to power.

At least 55 activists have been jailed this year alone, with several handed steep prison sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

One of those dissidents, Nguyen Van Dai was secretly released in June and put on a plane with his assistant to Germany.

Dai, who co-founded the Brotherhood for Democracy human rights network, had been sentenced to 15 years in jail for attempting to overthrow the government. His assistant Le Thu Ha has been sentenced to six years.

Vietnam has freed other high-profile dissidents in the past, usually in cooperation with foreign governments, and they are almost always sent abroad with the understanding that they are not welcome back.

Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International's regional director, said in a statement that the release was good news but also served as a reminder of the country's worsening rights record.

"While Mother Mushroom is no longer imprisoned, the condition for her release was exile and there are over one hundred people languishing in jail because they peacefully spoke their mind  in public, on blogs or on Facebook."
It certainly looks as though missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, Donald Trump has admitted.

The US president threatened very severe consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered the Washington Post columnist in what appeared to be a toughened response to the situation.

Ahead of Mr Trumps comments, the administration announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had pulled out of a major upcoming Saudi investment conference and a US official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader was at stake.

Turkish reports have claimed that Mr Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2, was killed and dismembered inside by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed the reports but have not provided an explanation as to what happened to the writer.

Disappeared  Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was last seen going into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2 (Picture: AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File)

Asked if Mr Khashoggi was dead, Mr Trump said: It certainly looks that way.  Very sad.

Asked what consequence Saudi leaders would face if they are found to be responsible, he replied: It will have to be very severe. Its bad, bad stuff. But well see what happens.

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Leading human rights and journalists organisations have urged Turkey to ask the United Nations to launch an investigation into the disappearance and possible extrajudicial execution of Mr Khashoggi.

In Istanbul, a leaked surveillance photo showed a man who has been a member of the crown princes entourage during trips abroad walking into the Saudi Consulate just before Mr Khashoggi vanished there.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader is at stake (Picture: AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The US vice-president Mike Pence said earlier in Colorado that the world deserves answers about what happened to Mr Khashoggi, and those who are responsible need to be held to account.

And in Washington, Mr Pompeo said of the investigations in Istanbul: I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how, or if, the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr Khashoggi.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said secretary-general Antonio Guterres remained very concerned about Mr Khashoggis fate and has repeatedly called for the truth to come out in this situation.
A majority of white women voted for Donald Trump: Its the statistic that launched a thousand narratives. You know, I got 52% with women, President Donald Trump said at a press conference in late September, falsely conflating the figure for white women with the figure for women overall, whom he did not win. Everybody said this couldnt happen52%.

Trump is hardly the only one invoking the stat. The idea that a majority of white woman voted for Trump has become a meme ever since the 2016 election, featured in countless arguments that make sweeping claims about its meaning. In the Presidents telling, the 52% stat refutes the notion that hes unfriendly to women. To conservatives, it proves that Trump-hating liberal feminists are out of touch with what a lot of real American women believe. To liberals, it shows that white women are complicit in the sins of the patriarchy, perhaps because they benefit from access to its spoils.

Theres just one problem with this statistic: Its probably not true.

The idea that 52% of white women voted for Trumpcompared to 43% who supported Hillary Clintoncomes from the 2016 exit polls, an in-person survey in which Election Day questioners ask people at polling places across the country how they voted, then adjust the results to match the actual tally reported by election authorities. But exit polls, which are conducted by Edison Research for a consortium of news organizations, suffer from systemic biases and are notoriously flawed.

Exit polls tend to overrepresent the kinds of people who are likely to stop and agree to talk to a pollster, and underrepresent the ones who dont. Theyre also conducted on the fly, attempting to snapshot the electorate in real time, so theyre naturally not going to be as accurate as an analysis that combs through voter files and other data that show who actually turned out. (Ironically, the thing the exits are worst fordetermining the demographic breakdown of the electorateis the thing theyre most often cited to illustrate.) Later, more careful analyses have corrected many of the exits snap judgments, busting many myths about the election along the way.

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The 52% statistic appears to be one of those myths. According to a later analysis that experts consider more reliable, a study published in August by the Pew Research Center, the percentage of white women who voted for Trump was actually 47%, compared to 45% for Clinton. Thats still a plurality, and still makes white women more Trump-positive than the overall electorate, which supported Clinton by a 48%-46% margin. White women, who will again be a critical demographic group in the 2018 midterms, were considerably more pro-Trump than nonwhite women, who went for Clinton by a huge margin, 82%-16%. But its essentially a tie, which makes for a very different story than a 9-point margin for Trump.

How do we know the exit polls were wrong overall? In 2016, there were a few obvious clues. The exits said 50% of the electorate was college-educated, but for that to be true, 97% of all college graduates in America would have to have votedan absurd idea. The exits also claimed that voters under 30 made up a larger share of the electorate (19%) than voters over 65 (16%), something experts consider similarly implausible based on demographics and history.

With additional time, its possible to get a more accurate picture using public voting records and other data, which can take months after the election to become available. The Pew report matched these records with a survey conducted in November 2016, just after the election, to create what it called a detailed portrait of the electorate. This portrait depicts a voting population that is older, whiter and less educated than the exit polls would have you believe. College graduates were just 37%, rather than half of voters. Voters over 65 made up 27% of the electoratemore than double the share of under-30 voters, 13%. And while the exits showed Trump winning college-educated whites by 3 points, Pew found he actually lost them by 20.

The exits also overstated womens support for Trump, according to Pews research. Overall, the center found, 39% of all women voted for Trump, while 54% supported Clinton. White women, who made up 41% of the electorate, went for Trump by a 2-point margin, 47% to 45%, but neither candidate got a majority of their votes. Trump won 35% of college-educated white women and 56% of white women without college degrees. Most of the differences with the exit polls originate in the composition of the sample, Carroll Doherty, Pews director of political research, tells TIME.

These flaws in the exit polls have led to flaws in the way 2016 has been interpreted by analysts and political strategists, as the New York Times Thomas Edsall pointed out. Edsall argues that Pews study shows that Democrats must continue to appeal to working-class whites. Similarly, the error in womens voting preferences has produced grand narratives based on the 52% figure.

But in statistical terms, the difference between 52% and 47% is insignificantlikely small enough to have resulted from routine sampling error. The differences arent that dramatic; its more the importance that has been attached to that number, Doherty says. There is a narrative that was created around the 52% that has continued to this day. Rather than make new stories based on new numbers, we should accept what both the exit polls and the Pew study really show: when it comes to Trump, white women were simply divided.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - More than 350 economists -- among them a Nobel Prize winner -- have signed a declaration saying Brazil's frontrunner to be president, far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro, is not the best choice for his country.

The experts stated that Bolsonaro's leftist rival, Fernando Haddad, was "the best alternative" to uphold "Brazilian democracy and the institutions of the Rule of Law," according to the text and list published by the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper on Friday.

With Brazil's presidential run-off election just over a week away, on October 28, the statement was seen as a counterpoint to the wave of investor enthusiasm that has greeted Bolsonaro's candidacy.

A large part of that comes from Bolsonaro's choice to be his economy minister: Paulo Guedes, a US-educated liberal economist who has talked of reducing Brazil's notoriously protectionist policies, selling off state assets to reduce the public debt, and streamlining taxes.

The signatories of the published declaration -- counting 200 Brazilian economists and 160 from the US, Britain, France, Germany, India and other countries -- include professors, economists, researchers and former consultants to bodies such as the World Bank.

The most prominent names were George Akerlof, an American professor who shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in economics, and John Williamson, a British economist who coined the term "the Washington Consensus" for a set of policy prescriptions for developing countries in crisis.

The declaration said many on the list were critics of the economic policies enacted by Haddad's Workers Party when it was in power in Brazil between 2003 and 2016.

But they shared a view that democracy, civic freedoms, and tackling prejudice and inequalities were "essential values" at stake in the election. Thus they supported Haddad's bid "for political and economic stability, environmentally-sustainable development, social inclusion, and the fight against corruption."

Haddad has pledged to put a lid on privatizations, maintain the over-generous pension system, tax the super-rich, and boost spending in an effort to reignite Brazil's economy, which is in the doldrums after two years ago exiting its worst-ever recession.

Bolsonaro is the comfortable favorite going into the run-off, having handily won the October 7 first-round election. Polls credit him with 59 percent voter support against 41 percent for Haddad.
Irish airline Ryanair announced fresh progress with unions on Friday. Photo: Marcel Kusch/AFP/Getty Images

Ryanair wants passengers and investors to believe its tumultuous season of strikes is winding down as it reaches new labour deals with unions across Europe. But the situation isnt as rosy as it may seem.

Europes biggest budget airline published a statement on Friday saying it had signed a new agreement with its Portuguese pilots union after recently signing similar deals in the UK and Italy.

But these agreements still have to be ratified by union members, which isnt a sure thing. Other markets  including Germany and Spain  are still in negotiations, which raises the risk of fresh strikes and cancelled flights.

The German pilots union VC, which serves one of Ryanairs (RY4C.IR) biggest markets, continues to promote a picture at the top of its website with bright yellow text saying, RYANAIR MUST CHANGE!

Theres still significant markets out there where [Ryanair] hasnt made progress, Daniel Roeska, an aviation analyst at Bernstein, told Yahoo Finance UK. What youre hearing is more PR and negotiation ploy.

The UK pilots union BALPA lashed out at Ryanairs statement, noting that theres no agreement until members vote.

Whats happened I think is that Ryanair has got itself a little bit over-excited at the thought of a potential agreement, said BALPAs general secretary, Brian Strutton. They should calm down until weve put the proposal to the members to vote which we will do over the next few weeks.

Ryanair has been plagued by strikes for months, leading to hundreds of cancelled flights. Photo: John Thys/Getty Images

Ryanair has struggled with labour relations since it bowed to pressure to recognise unions for the first time almost a year ago. Ryanair executives, led by CEO Michael OLeary, have been openly antagonistic towards their pilots and unions, leading to a string of strikes and acrimony.

Cabin crew took part in a walkout across six European countries last month that disrupted the plans of more than 40,000 passengers.

You can never walk away from a union  It is not going away. Its like a bad marriage and you cannot divorce, warned Roeska, noting that the German union seems to be digging their heels in.

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These high profile union squabbles and concessions have raised costs at the airline and contributed to a rare profit warning this month.

Airlines across Europe are also struggling with tough competition and higher fuel costs on the back of rising oil prices. Many smaller airlines have gone bust in recent months.

Shares in Ryanair have dropped by 23% since the start of the year. But it has faired better than its competitors. Low-cost carrier EasyJet (EZJ.L) has seen shares drop by about 26% in 2018, while Air France-KLM (AF.PA) and German airline Lufthansa (LHA.DE) have seen shares plunge by roughly 40%.

Air France union breakthrough

Air France-KLM also announced on Friday it had reached an agreement with various Air France unions on pay.

Benjamin Smith, the new CEO at Air France-KLM, was tasked with signing a deal with unions after his predecessors had failed. The agreement covers both ground staff and cabin crew workers.

With files from Reuters
TALLINN (Reuters) - Estonia said on Friday it was planning to toughen anti-money laundering rules by forcing people suspected of benefiting from suspicious financial transactions to prove their wealth came from legitimate sources. Up to now, prosecutors have been forced to show that wealth was illegally obtained, but the proposal will put the burden of proof on the suspect. Similar legislation is in force in Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands and Slovakia. "This would mean that there is a real danger of losing one's assets when attempting to launder money through the Estonian financial system," Finance Minister Toomas Toniste said in a statement. Estonia has been under the regulatory spotlight after Denmark's Danske Bank said payments totaling 200 billion euros ($229.90 billion), many of which it described as "suspicious", had been moved through its Estonian branch between 2007 and 2015. Earlier this month, U.S. authorities launched an investigation into Danske's activities in Estonia. Estonia's Anti-Money Laundering Commission has been tasked with drawing up a set of proposals on strengthening anti-money laundering (AML) legislative measures, which is due to be presented to the government in October. The October proposals to the government will also report on the actions of the financial regulator, the Financial Intelligence Unit and the prosecution authority in relation to their actions in the Danske Bank case. (Reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Simon Johnson and Louise Heavens)
BRUSSELS (AP)  European Union leaders agreed Thursday to pursue the cooperation of countries in North Africa and to beef up the bloc's external borders to stop large numbers of migrants from entering Europe.

A statement from an EU summit in Brussels where the leaders of member countries discussed migration emphasized the need to work with the countries that Europe-bound migrants depart from or travel through.

Working with those countries on "investigating, apprehending and prosecuting" smugglers and traffickers that take refugees and economic migrants on dangerous journeys by land and sea should be intensified," the leaders said.

Well over 1 million migrants entered Europe in 2015, most of them Syrians and Iraqis fleeing conflicts in their homelands. The number of arrivals dropped significantly after the EU struck a deal with Turkey to stem the influx.

Turkey was offered at least 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) in aid for Syrian refugees in exchange for efforts to prevent migrants from leaving for Europe. The EU wants to reproduce the model elsewhere.

The EU leaders also called for an improvement in external border surveillance, without going into details.

One reason the EU has looked outside for solutions is the refusal by some member countries to accept refugee quotas or to share the job of hosting the newcomers, the majority of whom arrive via a handful of southern European nations.

Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Italy and more recently Spain have complained of being abandoned to manage the influx alone. Tensions over how best to handle migrant arrivals  which pale in comparison to the number of refugees fleeing to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan  have fueled support for far-right parties in Europe.

"We can't just say that a country with a border on the sea is suddenly the only one responsible" for migrants, Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said. "The problem is European, and the solution should be a European one as well."

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Amid the standoff over quotas, momentum is gathering for countries to pay more money  to destination countries like Greece and Italy, for example, or for development aid to countries of origin  instead of hosting refugees.

"We're recommending that instead of mandatory quotas that we go the way of solidarity. This means that each country will provide a contribution where it is possible and where it makes sense," Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, said.

European Parliament President Antonio Tajani said such a strategy might work.

"It's possible, no refugees but more money," Tajani told reporters, adding that it must be substantial funds, "not nothing, not peanuts."

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel questioned the idea of "solidarity commitments."

"The title sounds good, but if everyone says, 'The commitment to solidarity I am choosing is the solidarity of giving more money for Africa,' then we won't have solved certain problems and the arrival countries will be left alone again," Merkel said.

Migration experts and nonprofit organizations have expressed doubt about the effectiveness of any scheme that doesn't involve relocating refugees to more countries.

As the EU looks abroad for a solution, Egypt has appeared as a prime candidate for a new partnership. Kurz and European Council President Donald Tusk held talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, and both praised him for stopping people from leaving Egypt's coast for Europe.

The aim would be to get the Egyptian coast guard to patrol the waters off Libya  the main departure point for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea in hopes of reaching Italy  and to return any people rescued to Africa.

In response to criticism that it's neglecting the rights and well-being of migrants, the EU has said that it works closely with the U.N.'s refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration. Both agencies have noted that more people are dying during the sea crossing  more than 1,700 so far this year  and a "dangerously toxic" debate about immigration in some parts of Europe.

"The current tenor of the political debate - painting a picture of Europe under siege - is not only unhelpful but completely out of touch with reality," U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said. "Debate is welcome. Scapegoating refugees and migrants for political gain is not."

___

David Rising and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Luxembourg (AFP) - The European Union's top court on Friday ordered Poland to "immediately suspend" its decision to lower the retirement age of its Supreme Court judges, which it said threatens judicial independence.

The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, last month took Poland's rightwing government to the European Court of Justice for lowering the age at which Supreme Court judges must retire from 70 to 65.

"Poland must immediately suspend the application of the provisions of national legislation relating to the lowering of the retirement age for Supreme Court judges," the European Court of Justice said.

The Commission had asked the court in Luxembourg to take a decision as "soon as possible", warning that Warsaw was accelerating retirements.

Speaking in Brussels, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his government had during "the last few hours received the court of justice decision".

"We will certainly respond to it," he added.

"We will see what these (EU) institutions are proposing. When we take them into consideration, several possibilities will be analysed."

The court said the order to suspend retirements "is to apply with retroactive effect" after noting that several judges had already been forced to retire.

The court, which said it would issue a final ruling at a later date, could impose fines if it finds Poland in breach of EU law.

The Commission has expressed concern the new retirement age will hasten the departure of judges appointed under previous governments, allowing the appointment of figures seen as loyal by Warsaw's current leadership.

The new retirement age requires more than a third of current Supreme Court judges to step down, including chief justice Malgorzata Gersdorf.

Calling the law a "purge", Gersdorf has refused to step down, citing a constitutional guarantee that she serve a six-year term until 2020.

The law more broadly violates Poland's obligations under the EU treaty, which it signed onto when it joined the bloc in 2004, the commission said.
Washington (AFP) - Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort will be sentenced on February 8 after being convicted of fraud charges, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Manafort, 69, appeared in a wheelchair for a scheduling hearing in the northern Virginia federal court, with news reports quoting his lawyer as saying he has "significant" health issues that have arisen from his being jailed after his August 2018 conviction.

The former Republican consultant and advisor to former Ukraine strongman Viktor Yanukovych could spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of eight counts of bank and tax fraud in a jury trial.

He came to the court wearing a green prison jumpsuit, after the judge earlier this week rejected his request to appear in a suit. Manafort is known for his expensive taste in hand-made Italian suits.

He is also awaiting sentencing in a separate case in the federal court in Washington on money-laundering charges related to tens of millions of dollars he moved through anonymous accounts in tax havens for his work for Yanukovych's political party.

In both cases, his sentence will depend on the extent of his cooperation with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign and Russia.

In a deal with prosecutors revealed on September 14, Manafort pleaded guilty to two counts in the Washington case and pledged to cooperate in Mueller's probe.
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Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with advertisers on this site.

Government regulators opened an investigation this week into why some Ford heavy-duty pickup truck power tailgates are falling open.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into the problem, which affects 2017 Ford F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks.

Ford issued a technical service bulletin in October 2017 that warned dealers of a possible water leak that could affect the wiring harness that operates the power liftgate. A service bulletin has instructions from automakers to its dealers on how to handle a problem with their vehicles.

The investigation covers 54,400 trucks, according to NHTSA, and could lead to a recall.

NHTSA reported that it received a complaint from an F-250 owner from Oxnard, Calif., saying his tailgate had fallen open 16 times between November 2016 and May 2017, often while he was hauling cargo and pulling a trailer.

In his complaint, the owner said that his Ford dealer blamed him for accidentally pushing the tailgate button on his key fob, which the owner said wasnt possible. The truck owner ultimately disconnected the wiring to the power tailgate himself, according to the complaint he filed.

The agency says five complaints have been filed so far.

On Ford owner websites such as ford-trucks.com, consumers reported that they resorted to using ropes and bungee cords to keep their tailgates secured. One pickup owner found his tailgate open against his garage door and then again after driving. Inside his tailgate, he found his wiring harness connector was full of water.

A Ford spokeswoman declined to answer specific questions from CR about the consumer complaints, the potential safety defect, or why the company hasnt recalled the pickups.

We take the safety of our customers very seriously, Elizabeth Weigandt, the Ford spokeswoman, said in an email. Whenever a safety-related defect is identified, Ford takes quick action. We will cooperate with NHTSA on their investigation, as we always do.

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A NHTSA spokesman, Derrell Lyles, declined to outline a timetable for the agencys investigation or its next steps. Once the investigation is over, the conclusion will be posted to the site, he said in an email.

This is a preliminary evaluation, the first step in NHTSAs investigation process. Automakers often recall vehicles during this stage if they come to agreement with federal investigators about a problem.





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Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright  2018, Consumer Reports, Inc.
David collapsed on holiday in Egypt (Facebook)

The body of a British tourist who died on holiday in Egypt has been returned to the UK without his heart or kidneys.

David Humphries, 62, collapsed after playing in a hotel pool with his young grandchildren last month.

The family group, which included Davids wife Lynda, 59, their daughter Anita and two grandchildren, were on a two-week holiday in the resort of Hurghada when the tragedy happened.

David and Lynda had been married for 39 years (Facebook)

Following chest pains, David had visited the Red Sea Hospital where he had been given antibiotics for a chest infection and sent back to his hotel. He died days later.

The family say that they had asked for no post-mortem to be carried out in Egypt, but that they were told it was necessary given the concerns they had expressed about the hospitals treatment of David.

Anita said: We didnt trust anyone anymore but they told us it was a police inquiry.

When the body arrived home we were told it was in no state to be seen. Thats when alarms started ringing. His heart is most likely the thing that will tell us how he died. Now well never know.

The shocking discovery that Davids heart and kidneys were missing was made soon after his body arrived home, when the UK coroner requested a second post-mortem.

Lynda, his wife of 39 years Lynda, said: We want answers.

MORE: Huge rise in number of Britons applying for German passport and most are descendants of Nazi victims

MORE: British tourist, 23, facing 10 years in prison in Thailand after being caught on camera spray-painting graffiti

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson told The Sun: We are assisting the family of the British man who died in Hurghada on 18 September.

Our staff in Cairo continue to request further information from the Egyptian authorities to share with both the family and the UK coroner.

Organ trading has long been an issue in Egypt, with poverty driving some people to illegally sell body parts. In July, 37 people were convicted of illicit human organ trading in a Cairo court.
William McSwain



Federal authorities have launched an investigation into the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania, roughly two months after the state's attorney general issued a detailed history of sex abuse in parishes across Pennsylvania.



The investigation, first reported by The Associated Press, kicked off last week when subpoenas were served to four of the state's dioceses, including Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Erie and Allentown.



"The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has received a subpoena issued by a federal grand jury, which requires the production of certain documents," the church said in a statement Thursday. "The archdiocese will cooperate with the United States Department of Justice in this matter."



Allentown issued a similar statement, "The diocese will cooperate fully with the request, just as it cooperated fully with the information requests related to the statewide grand jury. The diocese sees itself as a partner with law enforcement in its goal to eliminate the abuse of minors wherever it may occur in society.



The AP reported that U.S. Attorney William McSwain of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ordered the subpoenas and is looking into whether clergymen or others within the church have committed any federal crimes.



A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.



The bombshell grand jury report detailing 70 years of sex abuse in Pennsylvania dioceses was released by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro in August. The report said that 301 priests had molested nearly 1,000 children during that timeit also pointed to a concerted cover-up effort orchestrated by the highest echelons of the church to make it all disappear.



Although the report names many of the abusive priests, it was redacted to remove the names of some of the alleged abusers who claim that the grand jury proceedings violated their due process rights. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is set to decide whether it stays that way.
Marseille (AFP) - France said Friday it would send its aircraft carrier to the Indian Ocean next year, to defend freedom of navigation at a time of growing Chinese assertiveness in disputed waters.

The Charles de Gaulle, currently in the southern French port of Toulon undergoing renovation, should be ready to sail to the Indian Ocean early next year, Defence Minister Florence Parly said.

France "has always stood in the front line in defence of the inalienable right of freedom of navigation in international waters," Parly told La Provence newspaper.

"Whenever there are infringements of this fundamental principal of international law, as is currently the case in southern China, we shall make a show of our freedom to act and sail in such waters," she added.

In May, the French helicopter-carrier Dixmude cruised the South China Sea, while a French air squadron flew over the region in August.

Also in May, French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking on a trip to Australia, said no country could be allowed to dominate the region.

France, Australia and India had a responsibility to protect the region from "hegemony" -- a veiled reference to Beijing's growing might, he said.

France has a number of island territories in the Pacific Ocean.
The aviation industry is advancing faster than ever currently [Photo: Getty]

Flying has changed almost beyond recognition since the first commercial airline flight took off in January 1914. Piloted by Tony Jannus, there was just one paying passenger on that 23-minute journey across the bay from St Petersburg to Tampa, Florida, made in an open-aired flying boat.

Today, we can jet off to virtually anywhere in the world in aircrafts that can hold hundreds of people (the double-decker Airbus A380 is the worlds largest passenger airline, capable of carrying up to 853 passengers).

Air travel has never been more popular and weve grown used to the convenience of flying  nearly 20 million passengers flew on domestic flights in the UK in 2015.

As well as planes getting larger, flights are getting longer. This month, the worlds longest flight launched  a 10,400 mile journey from Singapore to Newark, New Jersey, which took 17 hours and 25 minutes. Operated by Singapore Airlines, the route was reintroduced after a five-year break in response to high consumer demand for the non-stop journey.

Singapore Airlines boasts suites on its new A380 aircraft, including double and single beds [Photo: Singapore Airlines]

And we are demanding these direct routes like never before, with non-stop becoming a buzz word in aviation. Up until this year, flying to Australia from the UK required at least one stopover and took around 24 hours.

But in March, Qantas launched a 17-hour, non-stop service from Perth to London  the first regular passenger flight linking Australia directly with Europe.

Now the airline is eyeing up a direct route between London and Sydney, which could start around 2022 if they can produce the right aircraft for the 20-hour flight.

Qantas launched its 17-hour, non-stop flight to Perth from London earlier this year [Photo: Qantas]

Clearly, non-stop routes, which shave precious time off your journey, fit well with our busy lives.

Airlines are also responding to this by speeding up travel time. A flight from London to New York that takes just 3.5 hours  around half the time it currently takes  is in the pipeline.

If the Richard Branson-backed Boom Supersonic plane is approved, the first passengers could be travelling around the world at speeds of 1,687mph by 2023. But reaching the Big Apple so quickly will come at a price  according to estimates, tickets could cost as much as 1,700.

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An idea of what the Boom Supersonic, sleek aircraft might look like [Photo: Boom Supersonic]

However, although travelling at supersonic speeds may only be for businessmen and those with deep pockets, air travel is generally becoming more affordable. We have already seen the emergence of budget airlines such as Ryanair and easyJet, and in recent years the low-cost long-haul revolution has been sparked.

Norwegian now flies to US cities including Boston, New York and Los Angeles, while WOW Air travels from Britain to destinations including San Francisco, Toronto and Montreal.

Even Qantas new non-stop Perth to London route is only marginally more expensive than indirect routes. According to Google Flights, Qantas Perth to London route costs from 763 return. In comparison, Cathay Pacific is offering return fares from Perth to London, via Hong Kong, from 625.

For most people, the biggest changes well notice will be with the aircraft itself. Modern planes have a host of benefits for travellers, such as mood lighting, onboard wifi and cleaner air in cabins, which can reduce the effects of jet lag.

Economy, business and first class will also disappear as we know them. Airlines are making economy as efficient as possible with smaller seats, and more options to upgrade your level of comfort, such as buying extra legroom. Some airlines, including VivaColombia, is even investigating the idea of squeezing more passengers onto flights  and slashing fares  by introducing standing seats.

Meanwhile in first class, you are now pampered with everything from moisturising PJs and sheepskin-style blankets (Emirates) to in-cabin massage chairs (Air Canada). The recent Singapore to Newark direct flight has no economy seats at all, just business and premium economy class.

The next decade could also see a wider use of biofuels in a bid to reduce pollution, and electric planes powered by rechargeable batteries are also in store. Airbuss two-seater E-fan plane has already successfully flown across the English Channel  paving the way for a more environmentally-friendly form of passenger flights in future.

With so many developments on the cards, it seems our passion for flying will continue to soar for many years to come.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.

Read more:

Flying long-haul? This is how to beat the dreaded jetlag?

Why everyone should pay to fly first class once in their life?

17 hours in the air: This is what the non-stop flight from the UK to Australia is really like
Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: John Amis/AP, Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The race for governor of Georgia, which rarely attracts much national interest, is suddenly exciting this year, with a charismatic Democratic candidate in Stacey Abrams facing off against a standard-issue Southern Republican, Brian Kemp. But the national attention for the race  partly owing to Abramss mediagenic personality, partly because Kemp is in the anomalous position of running in an election that he also oversees as Georgia secretary of state  is directed toward a state with a long history of viewing outsiders with skepticism and suspicion.

Georgia history matters, and Georgia has a unique political history that has historically inflated the politics of localism and the definition of what is Georgia and what is Georgian, Jason Morgan Ward, a historian at Emory University, told Yahoo News.

Much of this psychology springs from, and is sometimes intertwined with, the states legacy of segregation and Jim Crow. As in many Deep South states, resentment still simmers toward outside agitators  a term Kemp actually used in an official statement  who marched and organized for civil rights in the 1960s.

But suspicion of out-of-staters is so deeply embedded in the states political psyche that many times the conversation around outsiders bears no relation to race.

Typically a candidate in Georgia, particularly running for governor, wants to say, Look at all this support I got from Hahira or Savannah or Cuthbert, rather than what Im getting from New York or San Francisco, said James Salzer, an investigative reporter with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who has covered Georgia politics for 28 years, in a recent episode of the newspapers podcast Politically Georgia.

Greg Bluestein, host of Politically Georgia, agreed with Salzer, noting that Abrams was not trying to hide her association with national Democrats, calling it a pretty big shift.

Abrams had raised $16 million as of the end of September, with much of it from outside the state but also a good portion from small donations in Georgia. For his part, Kemp has received millions from the Republican Governors Association, which takes unlimited contributions from donors around the country.

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Kemp is calling Abrams as a radical for her positions on health care, taxes, immigration and other issues.

Two years ago, when Abrams was leader of the House Democrats in the state legislature, conservative writer Charlie Harper noted that her support for a broad gun control bill in the state legislature marked a departure for a Democrat in the state. The bill, which did not pass, would have banned assault weapons, large-capacity magazine and armor-piercing bullets and allow[ed] the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to seize and take possession of those types of firearms and ammunition, according to the Journal-Constitution.

Harper contrasted Abramss support for the legislation with past practice, when Georgia Democrats did not want to be seen with a national Democrat like President Bill Clinton.

Im not saying I could never work with these people.  I know the respect that [Republicans] in the House [have] for minority leader Abrams. She knows how to work her politics, she knows how to get involved on key issues. Shes been part of key decisions such as Saving Hope, Harper said, referring to Abramss work with Republican Gov. Nathan Deal on reforms to higher education assistance programs.

Im saying the future brand of the Democratic Party in Georgia, this is a signal that its going to align with the national party, not continue to try to put an asterisk and say, On some things were like them but were really not, Harper said.

Harper also noted that rural Georgia Democrats pretty much dont exist anymore. He didnt mention that most rural Democrats in the state would have been white, but that was the historical reality. And when talk turns to the tension between rural and urban Georgia, the distinction between what is Georgian and what is not slips back into a clear racial divide in the state.

Until 1962, Georgia used what was known as the county unit system to allow rural counties to exercise more power over state politics than urban centers such as Atlanta. It was a method of indirect election, former President Jimmy Carter wrote in his 1992 book Turning Point, that elected statewide officials by votes allocated to each county based on their geographical size, not their population.

Carters election to the state Senate in 1964 was made possible by the dissolution of this system under court challenge.

But until then, the county unit system penalized minorities and cities, wrote historian E. Stanly Godbold Jr. in his 2010 book Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter: The Georgia Years, 1924-1974.

It was a convenient vehicle to nullify the ballots of the few African-Americans who voted in the 1950s, Godbold wrote. By mid-20th century, Atlantas densely populated Fulton County had less representation than the states sparsely populated southwestern counties.

So for Abrams, the calculation to embrace outside money and outside support may have been based on the conclusion that she would be treated as inauthentically Georgian by many Republicans and white rural conservatives even if she tried to moderate her liberalism in an effort to win them over.

If you ask for a composite of an outside agitator  it would apply as much to Atlanta as it would to New York or Chicago, said Ward, the Emory historian.

And all of this may explain partly why Kemp used the term outside agitators to dismiss his critics in a recent official statement from his post as secretary of state. It was a term commonly used in the not-too-distant past by white supremacists and segregationists to delegitimize civil rights activists.

But its also rooted in the states long-running hostility to anyone from outside the state, which has bled into the states political psychology in ways that often surface in nonracial terms.

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Read more Yahoo News midterms coverage:
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  In ads and speeches, Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is pounding Missouri voters with a single message: Her Republican challenger wants to end health insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

The Republican, Attorney General Josh Hawley, says it's not true and has been forced to defend himself.

Virtually the same campaign is playing out across the country in numerous races for Congress and governor, as Democrats flip the script on Republicans who ran and won in previous elections on promises to repeal former President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

At issue is a federal lawsuit filed in Texas by Republican attorneys general representing 20 states. It seeks to repeal Obama's health care overhaul in its entirety.

If the Republicans succeed, it would mean an end to all aspects of the law. That includes parts of it that have grown widely popular over time, such as allowing adult children to stay on their parent's insurance until age 26 and preventing insurers from charging older Americans far more than younger ones.

But one provision in particular  requiring insurers to cover those with pre-existing conditions  has become a central focus in races across the country, including the neck-and-neck contest for the Missouri Senate seat.

Hawley is among the Republican attorneys general who joined that lawsuit, giving McCaskill an opening to slam him at every opportunity.

She has highlighted the stories of 30 Missourians who have pre-existing conditions. Last week, her campaign launched a quiz that shows how voters' health insurance would be affected if the Republican lawsuit succeeds.

"Hawley doesn't have to pursue this lawsuit. And he doesn't have to lie about it," McCaskill wrote in a recent Facebook post. "If he was serious about keeping protections for people with pre-existing conditions, then he would take his name off the lawsuit tomorrow."

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When he joined the lawsuit in February, Hawley described the Obama health overhaul as unconstitutional and said his office will "fight to take health care choices out of the hands of DC bureaucrats and put them in the hands of families and physicians."

Hawley insists that he still supports pre-existing condition coverage, even though those protections would go away if the lawsuit he joined succeeds. The only way that and other protections remain is if Congress swiftly passed a replacement bill, but so far congressional Republicans have been unable to agree on what such a plan would look like.

When asked by a reporter during a recent campaign stop if he's concerned about a potential gap in protection, Hawley said no one would lose their coverage and that "Congress is going to have to act, no matter what."

"Repealing Obamacare is the right thing to do, and I think there are ways to do that where there is no gap in coverage for folks," he said. "Nothing is going to instantly disappear."

He did not explain how that would be the case without Congress passing replacement legislation.

In an ad he's running that features his two young sons, Hawley says his oldest has a pre-existing condition  a rare bone disease: "We know what that's like," says.

Hawley is not the only Republican who has had to defend their support for repealing Obama's health care law while simultaneously trying to explain how they would preserve its protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Mike Braun, the Republican challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly in Indiana, supports the GOP lawsuit while also saying Republicans should support legislation that protects pre-existing coverage. That made for a pointed moment in a recent debate.

"Mike, I can hardly believe that you can stand here and tell everybody you are for coverage of pre-existing conditions," Donnelly said. "Stand here tonight and tell us you'll denounce that lawsuit."

Republicans running for governor in Connecticut, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Rhode Island and Wisconsin have all said they now support coverage protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

Attorney General Mike DeWine, Ohio's Republican nominee for governor, reached back a quarter century, to a U.S. Senate debate from 1994, for evidence that he supports such protections. That's despite DeWine joining another Republican lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act on his first day in office in 2011.

His Democratic rival, Richard Cordray, has barraged DeWine with attack ads highlighting the issue.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is seeking a third term, has been working for years to repeal Obama's health care law and signed off on the state attorney general joining the lawsuit against it.

But earlier this year, Walker called for a state law that would bar insurers from denying a person health coverage due to a pre-existing condition. In talking about his support for the protections, Walker said the step was necessary because "Washington failed to act" on passing a replacement for the Affordable Care Act.

His Democratic rival, Tony Evers, launched an ad calling on Walker to drop his support for the lawsuit.

"Actions speak louder than words," Evers said.

Protecting the most popular parts of the health care act has emerged as one of the key election issues in Republican-dominated states, such as McCaskill's. She's among 10 Democratic Senate incumbents running in states won by Trump.

Insurance coverage for those with pre-existing conditions "affects a lot of people, whether they're liberal, conservative, middle-of-the-road (or) don't care about politics," said University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill political scientist Jason Roberts.

Hawley has proposed requiring private insurers to cover pre-existing conditions at no extra cost. Under his plan, the federal government would collect premiums from those patients and then cover insurance costs that exceed a certain amount.

McCaskill's message: Don't trust that from someone who is actively trying to repeal the law that already provides that exact protection.

"He wants the whole thing thrown out, and he knows there's nothing there to back it up," McCaskill said during a September debate. "Nothing."

___

Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; Christina Almeida Cassidy in Atlanta; David Eggert in Lansing, Michigan; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Jennifer McDermott in Providence, Rhode Island; Jim Salter in St. Charles, Missouri; Brian Slodysko in Indianapolis; Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio; and Will Weissert in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Summer Ballentine at https://twitter.com/esballentine
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas on Thursday pledged to launch an investigation into rocket fire at Israel the previous day, in an apparent bid to calm fears of a new war.

Israeli children returned to schools near the border with the Palestinian territory that had been closed on Wednesday after the pre-dawn rocket fire from Gaza badly damaged a family home in the southern city of Beersheba.

But the risk of a new war, whether through miscalculation or design, remained.

Three children had a narrow escape after their mother moved them into the safe room, as much of the rest of the house was destroyed, the army said.

Hamas, which has ruled Gaza for a decade, issued a joint statement with its ally Islamic Jihad publicly disavowing the rocket fire.

But Israel rejected their denial, saying they were the only groups armed with rockets of a range sufficient to reach Beersheba -- 40 kilometres (25 miles) away -- and the sea off Tel Aviv -- 70 kilometres (45 miles).

Israel in any case holds Hamas responsible, as Gaza's de factor ruler, for all fire from the territory regardless of who launches it.

"There are security service investigations in Gaza to uncover who is behind the rocket fire and there will be harsh measures against those (found guilty)," senior Hamas official Bassem Naim told AFP.

He said the rocket fire "aimed to sabotage Egyptian efforts" to broker a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel, which have fought three wars since 2008.

A video published by Hamas's military wing on Thursday showed militants preparing rockets for launch, with the caption: "Read us correctly, a mistake would not benefit," written in Hebrew.

- Beersheba mum 'averted war' -

Near daily protests along the border since March 30 against Israel's crippling 11-year blockade of the impoverished enclave have sparked repeated clashes with the army.

More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, while one Israeli soldier has been shot dead.

Story continues

Wednesday's rocket fire triggered retaliatory Israeli air strikes that killed one suspected militant and raised fears of a new escalation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chaired a meeting of the security cabinet lasting several hours on Wednesday evening.

But no statement was released afterwards and Israeli media reported that ministers had failed to agree on how to respond to the rocket fire and the persistent protests.

The mass circulation Yediot Aharonot newspaper said the swift action of the mother in Beersheba to protect her family had probably prevented a new war.

"If the rocket attack had resulted in casualties, the political echelon's manoeuvring room would have been reduced to zero, and Israel would have launched, just like it did four years ago, a military operation that it neither wants nor which it believes will be effective."

Hamas seized control of Gaza from loyalists of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in a near civil war in 2007 and the split has made peace negotiations with Israel harder.

Egypt and the UN have been seeking to broker an agreement that would see Israel relax its blockade of Gaza in exchange for a prolonged period of calm from Hamas.

Abbas's Fatah movement opposes any such deal, saying it amounts to a recognition of Islamist control in Gaza.

Egyptian Intelligence Minister Abbas Kamel had been expected in Gaza on Thursday for his first visit since taking up the post in January, fuelling talk of a deal.

Hamas official Naim said the minister was forced to postpone because of a timetabling problem.

But an Egyptian delegation led by senior intelligence official Ayman Badea did travel to Gaza and met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniya.

An Egyptian official told AFP they were still hopeful of achieving a long-term deal to restore calm.

Egypt is one of only two Arab states to have official relations with Israel and plays a key role in indirect negotiations between the Jewish state and Hamas.

Mukhaimer Abu Saada, a political analyst in Gaza, said those who fired the rockets wanted to prevent the Egyptian minister's visit and "stop reconciliation and a truce."

Fringe Islamist groups opposed to Hamas have previously fired rockets. Suspicion could also fall on factions within Hamas and Islamic Jihad opposed to a truce deal.
Radical preacher Anjem Choudary has been released from prison.

The 51-year-old is thought to have been taken from high security Belmarsh prison in south-east London early on Friday morning.

Choudary, once a leading figure in the now-banned group al-Muhajiroun, was jailed in 2016 after being convicted of inviting support for the Islamic State terror group.

He was due for automatic release after reaching the halfway point of a five-and-a-half-year sentence, and will be subject to a strict supervision regime for the rest of his sentence, including being monitored by agencies including the police and security services.

Released  hate preacher Anjem Choudary is believed to have been released from prison (Picture: PA)

It is thought Choudary will initially be placed in a probation hostel and will have to comply with more than 20 licence conditions.

There are a number of standard requirements, including maintaining good behaviour, receiving visits from and keeping in contact with his supervising probation officer, and not travelling outside the UK without prior permission.

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The former solicitor will also be subject to further measures while on licence, which are expected to include: electronic tagging; a night-time curfew; requirements to stay within a set area and only attend pre-approved mosques; a ban on contacting individuals who he knows or believes to have been charged with or convicted of extremist-related offences without prior approval; and restrictions relating to internet use and mobile device ownership.

Breaching any of his licence conditions could lead to him being put back behind bars.

Protests  Anjem Choudary protested in support of Islamist cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri outside the High Court in London in 2012 (Picture: REUTERS/Luke MacGregor/File Photo)

Choudary, from Ilford, east London, has also had his name added to a UN sanctions list, which means he is subject to an assets freeze and travel ban.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Theresa May said authorities are equipped to supervise Choudary after his release.
Jerusalem (AFP) - Three major Holy Land churches on Friday called on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to block draft legislation they said was aimed at expropriating their property.

In a letter to Netanyahu seen by AFP, heads of the Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches in Jerusalem and a senior Roman Catholic official condemned the bill as "disgraceful".

They said its inclusion on the agenda of a government committee meeting scheduled for Sunday reneged on previous commitments to withdraw the law.

Swathes of Jerusalem are held by various churches, in many cases under long-term leases from the state.

The churches then sublet the properties on the commercial market.

In February, Jerusalem municipality began enforcing tax collection on church property -- excluding places of worship.

Separately, parliament was working on a law that would allow the state to intervene in the resale of leases to commercial property developers.

The religious leaders protested by closing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site in Jerusalem where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried.

Israeli authorities then froze both the tax measures and the legislation, committing to a dialogue with the churches over the issues.

In their letter Friday, the churchmen said Netanyahu himself had written to them in July giving "assurances to withdraw the legislation".

"We were astonished to realise that this disgraceful bill was listed on the agenda of the ministerial committee for legislation this coming Sunday," it said.

"We are therefore compelled to call yet again for Your Excellency's urgent intervention to stop this bill once and for all."

The cabinet office listed the bill among several "added to the agenda" of Sunday's meeting.

Listed as a bill for tenants' rights, it aims to safeguard residents of properties assigned to "various bodies" on 99-year leases during the 1950s.

The bill's sponsor, MP Rachel Azaria of the centrist Kulanu party says it was meant to solve the problem of "thousands of Jerusalem residents who could lose their homes due to the demands of developers".
Paris (AFP) - A global financial watchdog on Friday warned Iran to clamp down on terrorism financing by February or face a deeper squeeze on its sanctions-hit economy.

The Islamic republic, already hurt by a resumption of US sanctions over its past nuclear programme, this month approved one bill to help meet demands imposed by the international Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

FATF, following a meeting at its Paris headquarters this week, welcomed the legislation and extended a suspension of counter-measures that has allowed Iran to escape further isolation from international finance.

But nine of the 10 "action plan" items needed to remove Iran from an FATF blacklist have yet to be adopted by Tehran, according to Marshall Billingslea, the US assistant treasury secretary for terrorist financing.

"In our plenary, here in Paris, we expressed our disappointment that the majority of the action plan remains outstanding," said Billingslea, who currently chairs the FATF, told a news conference.

"We expect that they will have adopted all these measures by February," he said.

Billingslea said if measures were not adopted by February next year, the FATF will take further steps to protect against the risks from Iran's lack of action.

- Pressing finance needs -

For Iran, access to finance has become particularly pressing since the United States walked out of a 2015 nuclear deal earlier this year and began reimposing sanctions.

Iran's foreign ministry in a statement reacted favourably to the FATF decision, saying it considered the extension of the suspension of countermeasures "another victory" for Tehran's diplomacy.

However the ministry urged the financial watchdog to "resist political pressures" in its dealings with Iran.

The other parties to the deal -- Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia -- have sought to salvage the agreement and maintain trade with Iran, but have demanded that it accede to the FATF.

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Among the further steps demanded by the FATF, originally an initiative of the G7 nations, was for Iran to identify and freeze extremist assets in line with UN Security Council resolutions.

Another was for Tehran to remove an exemption from its legislation that allows financing towards groups deemed to be attempting to end "foreign occupation, colonialism and racism".

Iran has long been accused by the United States, Israel and regional rivals such as Saudi Arabia of financing a web of extremist groups, including the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.

In a statement, the FATF said it will review Iran's remaining legislation once it is in place to determine whether Tehran had met its demands.

It urged FATF members to exercise heightened checks on transactions involving Iranian businesses and nationals.

Iran is one of only two countries on the FATF blacklist.

The other is North Korea, and Friday's statement reiterated "serious concerns" about the Asian country's illicit activities to finance its missile and nuclear programmes.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Friday that a possible extension of Britain's post-Brexit transition period would not diminish Ireland's need for a "backstop" to avoid a hard border with Northern Ireland. He also told reporters on the third day of EU summit meetings in Brussels that it would be up to British Prime Minister Theresa May to decide whether she had to defy opposition from her unionist Northern Irish allies and agree to the EU's proposed backstop, which would potentially create trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the British mainland. He said it was a "judgment call" May would have to make but said that without an Irish backstop, any withdrawal treaty might not be ratified by the European Parliament. He acknowledged that May faces a difficult domestic political situation, running a minority government with internal divisions on the Brexit issue. Varadkar also renewed a warning that a return of customs posts on his country's border with Northern Ireland could see a return to violence in the British province: "Certainly it's something that's in the back of my mind as a potential consequence if we get this wrong." On the issue of extending Britain's transition period, he said: "I'm open to the idea of an extension or a longer transition period, but that's not an alternative to a legally binding Irish backstop. So, certainly not an alternative, it's just something that might be part of the mix." (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald and Antonia Kerrigan, Editing by Gabriela Baczynska)
GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers shot and wounded 130 Palestinians during protests near the Gaza Strip border on Friday, the enclave's Health Ministry said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said about 10,000 demonstrators massed at the border and that some threw burning tires, grenades and explosive devices at the troops across the fence. But the protest was relatively small - some of the previous gatherings included about 30,000 people, a sign that tensions that have built up in the past few days may be easing. On Thursday Israel had ramped up armored forces along the Gaza border, a day after a rocket fired from the enclave destroyed a home in southern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed "very strong action" if attacks continued. A Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Egyptian security officials had held separate meetings in the past few days with Israeli counterparts and with leaders of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group that rules Gaza in an effort to prevent an escalation in violence. Palestinians have been protesting along the border since March 30, demanding an end to Israel's blockade of the territory and the right to return to lands that Palestinians fled or were driven from upon Israels founding in 1948. About 200 Gazans have been killed by Israeli troops since the protests started, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures, and an Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper. Palestinians have also launched incendiary balloons and kites from Gaza into Israel and on occasion breached the Israeli frontier fence. More than 2 million Palestinians are packed into the narrow coastal enclave. Israel pulled troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land and sea borders. Egypt also restricts movement in and out of Gaza on its border. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars in the past decade. (Reporting by Nidal Almughrabi; Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel's supreme court on Thursday overturned an entry ban imposed on a US student over past support for a pro-Palestinian boycott campaign, leading to her release after more than two weeks of detention.

The three-judge panel upheld Lara Alqasem's appeal against the ban, allowing the 22-year-old to take her place on a master's degree programme at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

The interior ministry's decision to bar her from entry, the court ruled, "was not within the bounds of reason and is revoked".

Alqasem landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on October 2, but despite having a visa she was not allowed to clear immigration due to a 2017 law barring supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

Ordered to return to the United States, she decided instead to stay in Israel and challenge the ban.

She had since been in detention at the airport while lower courts rejected two appeals.

A spokeswoman for the immigration authority said she was released from the holding facility on Thursday evening.

Alqasem, whose father is of Palestinian descent, had been president of a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) during her undergraduate studies at the University of Florida.

The group has supported boycott campaigns against Israel.

Alqasem says she left SJP in 2017 and is no longer part of the BDS movement.

Alqasem's lawyer argued before the supreme court that the state should apply common sense when applying the law against BDS supporters.

"Why would she want to enter Israel to call for a boycott?" Yotam Ben Hillel asked.

The Hebrew University has said it wants Alqasem to take up her studies.

A university representative said foreign students and researchers provided "oxygen" for local academia and their presence could in fact counter boycott efforts.
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Jimmy Carter has branded newly-confirmed judge Brett Kavanaugh unfit to serve on the US supreme court.

The former president told an audience at Emory University in Atlanta on Wednesday that Mr Kavanaughs confirmation by congress earlier this month was a very serious mistake.

I thought that whether or not he attempted to rape that woman, whether or not, I thought he was temperamentally unfit to serve on the Supreme Court because of his outburst during the hearing, Mr Carter was recorded by an audience member as saying.

"And I think most of the American people were not in favour of him being on the Supreme Court, but he's there now. And because the Senate is quite subservient to Donald Trump, they're afraid of his displeasure."

Mr Carter, who became only the fourth president to complete his term without nominating a Supreme Court judge, added of Mr Kavanaughs performance in front of the senate judiciary committee last month: I saw him lose his cool.

Mr Kavanaughs confirmation proceedings were roiled by allegations of decades-old misconduct from three women, including California college professor Christine Blasey Ford, who testified to the committee that a drunken Mr Kavanaugh assaulted her while both were in high school.

The judge has angrily denied all allegations.

Mr Carters comments came ahead of a new poll which suggests just one in four Americans think Mr Kavanaugh was completely honest when he gave sworn testimony in congress last month, with Republicans and Democrats holding starkly distinct opinions of his credibility.

Overall, 39 per cent said they believe Mr Kavanaugh was mostly honest but was hiding something when he testified. Another 31 per cent said he was largely lying, and 25 per cent said he was totally truthful.

A combative Mr Kavanaugh denied Ms Ford's testimony to the committee that he sexually assaulted her at a 1980s high school gathering when they were teenagers, and he rebutted classmates' descriptions of him as a heavy drinker.

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The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey also found that Donald Trump, Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats and the FBI each earned approval from 32 per cent or less.

Tellingly, however, six in 10 Republicans, including 57 per cent of men and 64 per cent of women, said they think Mr Kavanaugh was entirely truthful when he appeared before the judiciary committee.

Additional reporting by AP
Joe Biden, who this week led a poll as the top Democratic choice to challenge President Trump in 2020, said its too early to think presidential polls  but said his age will be a factor in deciding whether to run for president.

I dont think about polling data, the former Vice President told CBS This Morning Thursday. I think about whether I should run based on very private decisions relating to my family and the loss of my son and what I want to do with the rest of my life. But I dont think of it in terms of can I win, can I  will I lose. Thats not part of the calculation.

Biden, 75, added that his age would be a legitimate issue were he to run in 2020. Trump, 72, will turn 74 before the 2020 election.

I think people are going to judge it, if I were to run Biden said. I think theyre going to judge me on my vitality. Can I still run up the steps of Air Force Two? Am I still in good shape? Do I have all my faculties? Am I energetic? I think its totally legitimate people ask those questions.

Biden echoed a statement he made earlier in the week during a Q&A at the Economic Club of Southwestern Michigan Speaker Series on Tuesday, CNN reports.

I think age is a totally legitimate thing to raise, he said. I think its totally appropriate for people to look at me and say if I were to run for office again, Well God darn youre old. Well, chronologically, I am old.
Dubai (AFP) - A complex man of contradictions, journalist Jamal Khashoggi went from being a Saudi royal family insider to an outspoken critic of the ultra-conservative kingdom's government. Now even Donald Trump fears he is dead.

In what might be his last ever column for The Washington Post, Khashoggi perhaps presciently pleaded for greater freedom for the press in the Middle East.

"The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power," he writes, in the column released two weeks after he disappeared in Istanbul.

"We need to provide a platform for Arab voices," he argues.

Now it appears his voice may have been permanently silenced.

The Saudi journalist -- last seen on October 2 entering his country's consulate in Istanbul to obtain some marriage papers -- went into self-imposed exile in the United States in 2017 after falling out with Saudi's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

His disappearance has been shrouded in mystery, and triggered an international crisis for both Riyadh and Washington as Turkish officials have accused Saudi Arabia of a state-sponsored killing.

Riyadh has denied the kingdom gave orders to kill Khashoggi and agreed to investigate his death.

But the US president on Thursday said for the first time he now believes that Khashoggi is dead. "It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Trump told reporters.

- Bin Laden to Muslim brotherhood -

Khashoggi comes from a prominent Saudi family with Turkish origins.

His grandfather, Mohammed Khashoggi, was the personal doctor of Saudi Arabia's founder, King Abdul Aziz al-Saud. His uncle was the notorious arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.

A friend of a young Osama bin Laden; a Muslim Brotherhood sympathiser; an aide to the Saudi royal family; a critic of the kingdom's regime and a liberal -- such conflicting descriptions have all been ascribed to Khashoggi.

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After graduating from Indiana State University in 1982, he began working for Saudi dailies, including the Saudi Gazette and Al-Sharq al-Awsat.

When he was sent to cover the conflict in Afghanistan, a picture of a young Khashoggi holding an assault rifle and dressed in Afghani clothing was widely disseminated. Khashoggi did not fight in the country, but sympathised with the Mujahideen in the 1980s war against the Soviet occupation, which was funded by the Saudis and the CIA.

He is known to have been drawn to the Muslim Brotherhood's policies seeking to erase the remnants of Western colonialism from the Arab world.

It was this shared vision that brought him closer to a young Saudi called Osama bin Laden, who went on to found Al-Qaeda which carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

As a young journalist, Khashoggi interviewed bin Laden several times, garnering international attention. But later in the 1990s he distanced himself from the man who called for violence against the West.

- 'Too progressive' -

Born in the Saudi holy city of Medina on October 13, 1958, Khashoggi spent his youth studying Islamic ideology and embraced liberal ideas.

But Saudi authorities came to see Khashoggi as too progressive and he was forced to resign as editor-in-chief of the Saudi daily Al-Watan in 2003 after serving just 54 days.

Over the years, he maintained ambiguous ties with Saudi authorities, having held advisory positions in Riyadh and Washington, including to Prince Turki al-Faisal, who ran Saudi Arabia's intelligence agency for more than 20 years.

When Faisal was appointed ambassador to Washington in 2005, Khashoggi went with him.

In 2007, Khashoggi returned to Al-Watan newspaper, lasting almost three years before being fired for "his editorial style, pushing boundaries of discussion and debate within Saudi society", according to Khashoggi's website.

He became close to Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal and together they launched in Manama a 24-hour news station, Al-Arab.

However, Bahrain -- a staunch Saudi ally -- shut it down in 2015 less than 24 hours after it broadcast an interview with an opposition official.

- 'Fear, intimidation' -

Khashoggi fled Saudi Arabia in September 2017, just months after Prince Mohammed was appointed heir to the region's most powerful throne.

Months later, Prince Al-Waleed and hundreds of officials and businessmen were arrested in November 2017 in what the Saudis called an anti-corruption campaign.

In an article published in the Post last year, Khashoggi, whose 60th birthday was on October 13, said under Prince Mohammed -- the kingdom's de facto ruler -- Saudi Arabia was entering a new era of "fear, intimidation, arrests and public shaming".

He said he had been banned from writing in the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat for defending the Muslim Brotherhood which Riyadh has blacklisted as a terrorist organisation.

And he said Saudi authorities had banned him from using his verified Twitter account after he said the country should be "rightfully nervous about a Trump presidency".

Trump has expressed support for Crown Prince Mohammed, and his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner has deliberately cultivated close ties with the prince, known as MBS.

Khashoggi, who was due to marry his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz this month, has also criticised Saudi Arabia's role in the Yemen conflict and opposed a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar.

"For his domestic reform programme, the crown prince deserves praise. But at the same time, the brash and abrasive young innovator has not encouraged or permitted any popular debate in Saudi Arabia about the nature of his many changes," Khashoggi wrote in the British daily The Guardian in March.

"He appears to be moving the country from old-time religious extremism to his own 'You-must-accept-my-reform' extremism."

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  The Latest on the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month (all times local):

4:15 a.m.

Asked whether he thought Saudi Arabia's explanation for the death of Jamal Khashoggi was credible, President Trump said "I do. I do."

But Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump supporter, and other lawmakers are expressing skepticism about Saudi Arabia saying that the Saudi writer and critic of the royal family died during a "fistfight" in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

The Republican Graham tweeted: "To say that I am skeptical of the new Saudi narrative about Mr. Khashoggi is an understatement."

Trump says that he'll work with Congress on the U.S. response to Khashoggi's death but that he'd rather not see billions of dollars in arms sales with the kingdom cancelled because that would cost American hundreds of thousands of jobs.

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3:50 a.m.

President Donald Trump says Saudi Arabia's announcement of arrests in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a "good first step," but that what happened there is "unacceptable."

Trump said Friday that he wants to talk to the Saudi crown prince before next steps are taken. He says it's important that Saudi Arabia made arrests.

Trump says that he'll work with Congress on what the U.S. response should be, but that he'd prefer not to hurt American companies and jobs by cutting billions of dollars in arms sales to the kingdom.

He says the death of Khashoggi was a "horrible event" that has not gone "unnoticed."

Trump spoke during a defense roundtable at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, where he holding a political rally.

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2:50 a.m.

A high-ranking Democratic lawmaker in the United States is expressing doubts about the credibility of Saudi Arabia's explanation that Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a fight inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

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California Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said Friday that Saudi Arabia's claim that he was "killed while brawling with a team of more than a dozen dispatched from Saudi Arabia is not credible."

Schiff says that if Khashoggi was fighting inside the consulate, he was "fighting for his life with people sent to capture or kill him."

He says if Trump's Republican administration won't hold Saudi Arabia accountable for Khashoggi's death, Congress will.

Trump has previously warned against jumping to conclusions that Saudi Arabia was responsible for Khashoggi's disappearance.

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2:40 a.m.

The White House is acknowledging the announcement from Saudi Arabia that journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and that 18 Saudi nationals are in custody on suspicion of involvement in his death.

In a statement Friday night, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says the U.S. will closely follow international investigations into Khashoggi's death and will advocate for justice that is "timely, transparent and in accordance with all due process."

Saudi state-run media reported that prosecutors believe The Washington Post columnist was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in a quarrel. He was last seen Oct. 2.

Turkish officials previously said they believe Khashoggi was dismembered. He was a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The White House offered condolences to his family, fiancee and friends.

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1:40 a.m.

Saudi Arabia's state-run news agency says King Salman now has a proposal on the "urgent need" to restructure the kingdom's intelligence services after the slaying of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency made the announcement early Saturday.

It came immediately after the official announcement by the kingdom that Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was killed at the consulate and that 18 Saudis were detained as suspects in the killing.

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1:30 a.m.

Saudi state-run media is reporting that prosecutors in the kingdom believe Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in a quarrel.

State media also quotes prosecutors as saying 18 Saudi nationals are being held on suspicion of being involved in the Washington Post columnist's death.

Saudi state TV and the state-run Saudi Press Agency carried the statement early Saturday morning.

___

11:55 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he could consider sanctions against Saudi Arabia over missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump told reporters after signing a presidential memo in Arizona on Friday that he'll involve Congress in any decision. But he says he'll be making "certain recommendations."

He says that it's still "too early" to determine potential consequences but that he expects to know more by Monday.

He says: "We're going to find out who knew what when and where and we'll figure it out."

Trump acknowledged Thursday that it "certainly looks" like Khashoggi is dead and threatened "very severe" consequences if the Saudis are found to have killed him.

The journalist's disappearance has sparked global outrage and threatened the U.S.-Saudi relationship. He was last seen going into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

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11:05 p.m.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Trump administration will consider a "wide range" of responses if it is determined that Saudi leaders or officials played a role in the alleged murder of U.S.- based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo declined to comment on what the options might be and stressed that it is not yet certain exactly happened to Khashoggi after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey more than two weeks ago. Amid Turkish reports that Khashoggi was brutally killed and dismembered by a Saudi hit squad with links to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, President Donald Trump has said he believes it is likely the Washington Post contributor is dead.

Pompeo would not speculate on Khashoggi's fate but said he told Prince Mohammed and other Saudi officials in Riyadh this week that the U.S. does not "approve of extrajudicial killings." He said he told the Saudis that that kind of activity is not "consistent with American values" and that it was their responsibility to get to the bottom of what happened in their consulate.

Pompeo made his comments in an interview Friday with the Voice of America while on a trip to Mexico.

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4:50 p.m.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency says prosecutors are questioning a number of employees of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Private A Haber TV said as many as 15 employees were being questioned on Friday. The station said they included the consul's driver, technicians, accountants and telephone operators.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on Oct. 2. Turkish reports say Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless.

Earlier, an Associated Press journalist witnessed a group of people leaving the building, getting into a van belonging to the Saudi mission and being driven away.

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4:40 p.m.

A former head of Britain's MI6 overseas intelligence agency says missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was probably killed on the orders of people close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

John Sawers, who headed MI6 between 2009 and 2014, said "all the evidence points to it being ordered and carried out" by people close to Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler.

Sawers told the BBC that "I don't think he would have done this if he hadn't thought he had license from the U.S. administration to frankly behave as he wished to do so."

Sawyers said the fate of Khashoggi  whom Turkish authorities say was killed inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul  was a wake-up call to the Trump administration about "just how dangerous it is to have people acting with a sense that they have impunity in their relationship with United States."

___

12:40 p.m.

Turkey's foreign minister says his country has not shared any audio recordings from Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance with U.S. officials.

The state-run Anadolu Agency also quoted the minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, as saying that Turkey would share "with the world" the results of its investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance. Khashoggi vanished on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Cavusoglu made the comments during a visit to Albania on Friday.

A report on Wednesday by the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi's slaying, said a Saudi team accosted the 60-year-old journalist after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him.

___

11:20 a.m.

A Turkish official says investigators are assessing the possibility whether the remains of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been taken to a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul or to another city, if and after he was killed inside the diplomatic mission earlier this month.

The official told The Associated Press on Friday that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the Saudi consulate left the building on Oct. 2  the day Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

The official says one vehicle went to the Belgrade Forest outside Istanbul while the other traveled to the city of Yalova. It's unclear if police had already searched these areas.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the secrecy of the ongoing investigation. Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey;
MILAN (AP)  The Latest on Italy's spat with the European Union over its budget (all times local):

4:50 p.m.

The EU's budget chief says that the European Commission won't interfere with Italy's economic policies and called for disagreements over the draft budget to be resolved in an "intelligent and serene way."

Pierre Moscovici said Friday after two-days of meetings in Rome that the ball is in Italy's court now that he has delivered a letter outlining the European Commission's concerns with Italy's planned spike in spending. He said the main concerns revolve around the higher deficit, Italy's debt load and the possibility for growth. He said that the 2.4 percent deficit in and of itself was not the key issue.

Moscovici told reporters that European partners want to see Italy remain "firmly in the center of Europe," and that Italians themselves consider the euro currency "very important."

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2:25 p.m.

The head of one of Italy's two ruling parties says the government won't fall over a dispute on the budget draft, which would offer a tax amnesty to Italians with accounts abroad.

Luigi Di Maio, the head of the 5-Star Movement, said Friday that he was sure a solution would be found, adding "we will hardly let the government fall over an amnesty for whoever launders or self-launders money." Di Maio alleges that the draft budget contained unauthorized language extending a tax amnesty to Italians' assets abroad, a measure that the 5-Star Movement says would benefit organized crime or tax cheats hiding money abroad.

The League party contends the language had been approved by both parties. Premier Giuseppe Conte has called a Cabinet meeting for Saturday.

___

12:00 p.m.

The European Union's presidency says Italy must change it draft budget because otherwise the country would only threaten its own financial health as well as that of its partners.

Prime Minister Sebastian Kurz of Austria, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said Friday that Italy reduce its spending plans because "we as the European Union are not prepared to take on this risk, these debts for Italy."

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The EU's executive Commission, which must vet Italy's 2019 draft budget, has already warned that the nation's significantly higher deficit targets represent a deviation "unprecedented in the history" of EU budget rules.

Kurz said: "If one breaks these rules then this means that Italy is endangering itself but of course also is endangering others beyond that."

___

11:55 a.m.

Italy's financial markets are shaken following the European Union's stinging rebuke of the new populist government's budget bill, which pushes the deficit far beyond previously agreed levels.

Italy's government borrowing rose, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year bond on Friday hitting its highest level since 2013. The increase suggests investors are more nervousness about the impending budget showdown with the EU.

Despite the strong language in a letter deeming the budget inadmissible, both the Italian premier and economic minister continued to voice optimism that they could win consent by illustrating their plans.

The European Commission's letter said the difference between the expected budget deficit and the one now foreseen was "unprecedented in the history" of EU budget rules, and that it means Italy would be unlikely to lower public debt as promised.
SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP)  A Macedonian prosecutor has filed hate speech charges against a local journalist over comments posted on social media allegedly celebrating a deadly wildfire in neighboring Greece.

The Skopje prosecutor's office said Friday that the remarks posted after the July 23 blaze, which killed 99 people east of Athens, "promoted hatred against ... Greeks," by spreading "racist and xenophobic material."

The suspect was not named, and the prosecutor's statement did not provide details on the comments. Local media said the comments allegedly described the fire as divine retribution against the Greeks.

If proved in court, the charges carry a maximum 5-year prison sentence.

Greece and Macedonia are trying to settle a 27-year-old dispute over Macedonia's name, which has bolstered nationalist fervor in both countries.
Skopje (AFP) - Macedonia's parliament on Friday voted to start the process of renaming the country North Macedonia, a major step towards ending a decades-long stalemate with Greece and opening a door to NATO and the EU.

The razor-thin majority was reached after a tense week of debate and back-room negotiations in Skopje, where it was unclear until the last moment whether the government could secure votes from two-thirds of parliament.

Amendments will now be drafted to incorporate the new name into the constitution, after which another parliamentary vote will be required to enshrine the changes.

"I can confirm that with 80 'yes' votes the parliament adopted the proposal by the government to start the procedure to change the constitution," said Talat Xhaferi, speaker of the 120-member assembly.

Although more legislative hurdles await, it is a crucial victory for Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, who had to win over several MPs from the right-wing VMRO-DPMNE party that has been staunchly against the deal.

Under the accord, which Zaev struck with his Greek counterpart in June, the Balkan state would rename itself North Macedonia in exchange for Athens' promise to stop blocking its entry into NATO and the EU.

Greece has stood in Macedonia's way for 27 years in protest at the country's name, which it argues is an encroachment on its own province called Macedonia.

Macedonian critics of the deal have slammed it as an embarrassing concession to Athens.

But enough of VMRO-DPMNE's MPs were eventually persuaded to break ranks with the party leadership.

"I want to say thank you to every MP and especially to the MPs from VMRO-DPMNE who put the state's interests above party and personal interests, despite the unnecessary pressure over them," Zaev said after the vote, adding that he would "guarantee" their safety.

- US, EU support for name change -

Among the 'yes' voters were three VMRO-DPMNE politicians who were granted bail from house arrest this week.

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They are facing trial for their alleged involvement in a bloody mob attack on parliament on April 27, 2017, when nationalist supporters of VMRO-DPMNE stormed the assembly and injured scores, including Zaev.

The Prime Minister refused to say Friday whether there had been any negotiation for their eventual amnesty.

"I personally forgive everyone," he told reporters, reiterating a call her made earlier in the week for "reconciliation" over the incident.

He also denied an accusation from VMRO-DPMNE that his government had offered bribes for votes.

In recent weeks US and EU officials have voiced strong support for the name-change deal, pitching it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Macedonia to cement an alliance with the West.

"A great day for #democracy in #Skopje!" EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn tweeted after the vote.

"I expect that the free choice of all MPs is fully respected, especially of those who crossed the aisle tonight," he added.

- 'Crudest interference' -

Russia and the US have traded allegations of interfering in Macedonia's affairs.

Last month Washington accused Moscow of running a disinformation campaign to sour the public on the deal ahead of a referendum on the changes.

On Thursday Russia, which opposes Macedonia's NATO aspirations, fired back.

"There is a continuation of the crudest interference of the US and EU in Skopje's internal affairs, the level of which has already surpassed conceivable boundaries," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

It mentioned a letter that US Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell sent to VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski this week, saying he was "disappointed" with the party's stance.

Foreseeing a rocky road towards securing the necessary parliament votes, Zaev's government organised a "consultative" referendum on September 30, in hopes that strong public approval of the new name would make it difficult for VMRO-DPMNE to kill the deal.

While more than 90 percent of those who voted approved the name-change the low turnout, in part because of opposition's calls for a boycott, undermined the result.

If the name change is approved, Greek parliament will then need to ratify the deal to finalise it.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras congratulated Zaev after the vote Friday, writing on Twitter: "Tonight's vote is a big step towards our common success."
Canopy Growth CEO Bruce Linton, left to right, poses with the receipt for the first legal cannabis for recreation use sold in Canada to Nikki Rose and Ian Power at the Tweed shop on Water Street in St. Johns N.L. at 12:01 am NDT on Wednesday Oct. 17, 2018. (Paul Daly/The Canadian Press via AP)

Some analysts predict the cannabis market could be one day worth $500 billion. With big box retailers like Walmart (WMT) now conducting retailing studies in the space, the reality of cannabis-related products (i.e. nothing with THC) hitting shelves could happen fairly quickly. And Walmart is just one of the latest mainstream consumer brands to announce its interest in cannabis products.

Coca-Cola Co. may be in talks with Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB.TO) to develop cannabis beverages. Then theres the deal made between beer giant Constellation Brands (STZ) and Canopy Growth Corporation (WEED.TO). This deal saw an additional CAD$5 billion investment from Constellation Brands put into Canopy. Constellation Brands put CAD$245 million into the company last year, too. Molson Coors Canada Inc. also announced a partnership with The Hydropothecary Corporation (HEXO.TO), one of Canadas leading cannabis producers. The pair plans to unveil non-alcoholic, cannabis-infused products for the Canadian market following cannabis legalization.

For consumer and retail expert Tony Chapman, the focus is on Amazon right now. Whatever Amazon does Walmart will probably follow suit but it will be a while until they gets aggressive in retail about [cannabis], Chapman tells Yahoo Canada Finance. Chapman also points to the medical cannabis space, which could prove to be very lucrative and an easier sell than recreational or adult consumption products.

Look at Shoppers Drug Mart and their place in medical cannabis, says Chapman, referring to Shoppers being a licensed medical marijuana producer. But also Ontario will have independent private run retailers come April 2019. These shops will not only sell cannabis but every accessory they can make money off of. They can sell cannabis, some oil, papers and bongs  cant sell edibles yet though.

You also have to think about zoning too, you know that specialty shops arent close to schools, for example, adds Chapman.

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The other snag for traditional brick-and-mortar retailers is that in Canada, medical cannabis cannot be sold in pharmacies. The only way for patients to access medical cannabis is via mail delivery, after purchasing online or over the phone. Respecting that model, we will share more information about our plans in the coming weeks, Catherine Thomas, senior director of external communications at Loblaw Companies Ltd. (owner of Shoppers Drug Mart) explains via email.

Shoppers Drug Mart has received a product license from Health Canada, but there is a second part to the process, the sales license, that is still needed to be secured. Weve signed a number of agreements with Canadian LPs (Licensed Producers) who will provide us with medical cannabis. The second is the sales license which will then allow us to provide it to our patients, explains Thomas, who says there are no immediate plans to produce cannabis in-house.

Cannabis is a disruptor

How cannabis and retail will come together remains to be seen, however not having a cannabis strategy in place right now could be a big problem says Jesse McConnell, CEO of Rubicon Organics. If big CBG, big alcohol or big tobacco companies dont have a cannabis strategy theyre going to be in a lot of trouble in the future, thats how disruptive this is, he tells Yahoo Canada Finance.

Rubicon Organics is an organic cannabis company with operations in Canada and the U.S. (currently in California and Washington) and has developed one of the first large-scale, high tech, certified organic greenhouses in the world, according to a statement on behalf of the company. Rubicon just listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange as of October 10 (ROMJ.CN).

Cannabis is a massive global disruptor and this isnt about where you are going to buy your flower so you can smoke it on Friday, on a Friday evening, says McConnell. This is about everything from functional foods and beverages to pharmaceuticals to cosmetics to adult use, so weve got a huge, huge scope and different kinds of products that are going to come out of this.

Lisa Harun is the co-founder of Vapium, which designs and manufactures vaporizers for both the medical and recreational markets. She notes the company is also in talks with these mass retail companies but did not cite any specific names. Harun did note that mass market expansion is welcome for the company thats been in business for six years and has sold products in 20 countries.

Cannabis retailing isnt just about the big distributors and Harun points to companies like Greenlane and the head shops they supply, explaining they are all a big part of the past and of the future of selling and marketing cannabis. The depth of product knowledge that you find in these shops is outstanding and we think they deserve to continue as part of the cannabis ecosystem. Well certainly continue to work closely with them as well as new retailers, Harun says.





Problems with retailing cannabis and increasing awareness

One of the concerns facing this market and its mounting convergence of consumerism is that regulation in Canada differs province to province. Each of the 10 provinces has their control over how cannabis is marketed, distributed and so on, which makes it tricky to monitor without a uniformed approach country-wide.

Its certainly interesting  Harun says, referencing the varying cannabis guidelines set by provinces. Its a challenge that in Canada the provinces have to come up with different plans for retailing cannabis  from complete government control to purely private models and a number of hybrids in between.

Everyone is trying to get a position on the Monopoly board not quite knowing how the consumer is going to go around it, says Chapman.

Theres also been a push from clicks-to-bricks operations, where digitally native companies are moving offline to further connect with their customers, offering services to encourage the opening of brick-and-mortar shops.

If I was a mass merchandiser I would probably get into some accessories but Id probably start online before moving out to bricks, says Chapman. Id let the consumer know its available though. Its only [useful for] people searching for it. Its not like Id go into Walmart and the Friday special of the week is flank steak and a bong. Its about selling to people that want it.

McConnell thinks it will take a year or so to really see the legal market shifting over and maybe two years for it to stand up to the black market.

The stigma, however, is what McConnell thinks is going to be wiped away quickly.

The stores arent going to be grungy and weird when you go in them. Its going to feel different, sophisticated he adds. Every big company has been worried about reputational risk, he says, but its just going to be business as usual. The supply chain is going to shift and new products are going to emerge and new interest will be generated by those that didnt want to engage in any civil disobedience beforehand.

Theres already dispensaries in major cities selling every kind of derivative you can possibly imagine, youre not breaking new ground here. Lets test the products and make sure theyre safe and secure with a regulated supply chain and allow the consumer to choose what they think is appropriate for product use. Consumers are already there, were playing catch up, says McConnell.

Recreational marijuana for adults may now be legal, but medical cannabis may be the route taken by companies moving forward. The chances of seeing more medical cannabis specialty shops in comparison to products being sold at a Loblaws is where Chapman sees the legal cannabis industry headed.

I dont think Loblaw would ever be in the business of selling legal cannabis  theyre not just going to start selling in grocery stories, too many people have their own licenses and more will come, but think about medical cannabis. If Im prescribed medical cannabis and I go every two weeks to fill my prescription, Im making that margin on the drug and Im also making margin on the prescription, for filling that prescription. This is smart business, he says.

Loblaw expects to have our 10 locations open on October 17. These are all in Newfoundland, in small, existing tobacco shops, adjacent but separate to our Dominion grocery stores, says Catherine Thomas on behalf of Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Now would independent cannabis shops love to see them and a Wine Rack, an aesthetician, a dry cleaner and a mechanical shop together? No question, but thats in the hands of the government.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
Meghan Markle was up at 4:30am on Friday in Australia doing yoga. Photo: Getty Images

Words by Sarah Carty.

She travelled from England to Australia on the night of Princess Eugenies wedding, and shes pregnant with her first child.

But Meghan Markle proved shes not slowing down anytime soon by revealing that she was up at 4:30am on Friday morning and tried to beat her jetlag with yoga.

The 37-year-old Duchess of Sussex, who visited Bondi Beach this morning to meet a local surfing community group and greet members of the public, told locals she was working out before the sun came up.

Lisa Nicholls and Charlotte Bodell chatted with the Duchess on Bondi Beach. Photo: Supplied

She was saying yoga is what she does. Its her outlet, Kavie Jarrott, from surfing community group OneWave, told Yahoo Lifestyle.

So at 4:30 in the morning she woke up. She was jetlagged and she just got up, did her yoga in the house and that was enough to give her the energy to get her through the day.

Charlotte Bodell, who lives in Sydney, told Yahoo Lifestyle that Meghan told her the exact same thing.

With the jetlag at the moment shes up at 4:30am and she said what I do, I do yoga straight away, she said.

She hasnt just got jetlag but shes got a beautiful baby on the way as well.

Lisa Nicholls, who drove for seven hours to meet Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, said the Duchess told her yoga helps her with the mindfulness of trying to push anything bad out of your mind and breathing.

Back in 2015, Megan gushed about her love of yoga with Best Health magazine, saying she practices it a couple of times a week.

The Duchess of Sussex practices yoga to beat jetlag. Photo: Getty Images

Yoga is my thing. My mom is a yoga instructor, and I started doing mommy-and-me yoga with her when I was seven, she said at the time.

At this moment in my life, I would define yoga as the balance between desiring more and being content with what is.

Meghans former Instagram page was also scattered with images of her contorting her body into mind-boggling yoga poses.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also took part in the Fluro Friday session at Bondi Beach today, which saw people of all ages share their experiences of mental health issues.

Story continues

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for non-stop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.

Read more from Yahoo Style UK:

Barefoot Meghan Markle and Prince Harry break royal protocol on Bondi Beach

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MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A group of companies and individuals have agreed to pay $3 million in reparations to the United Nations Refugee Agency to settle allegations by Mexico of overcharging for basic food-aid packages distributed by the Venezuelan government, the Mexican attorney general's office said on Thursday. Since 2016, the Venezuelan government has distributed subsidized food, mostly imported from nearby countries, to help address Venezuela's severe shortages of basic goods. Army officials and government-supported groups in Venezuela tasked with distributing food amid widespread shortages in the crisis-hit OPEC member have long been suspected of fraud with food distribution, often with the help of businesses and individuals based outside of the country. In April, the United States and Colombia showed new evidence of fraud in the program, saying part of the funds ended up in the hands of corrupt government officials. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has defended the program, saying it has allowed his administration to fight capitalism and an international boycott against him. The companies and people involved in the sales from Mexico, whose full names were not revealed, have also agreed to stop shipping food or medicines to the Venezuelan government under the program, known as CLAP, the Mexican attorney general's office said. "This group of Mexican and foreign companies and people have obtained funds by diverting them from their humanitarian purposes, buying food and speculating with them instead," Israel Lira, head of the Mexican office specialized in organized crime investigations, told reporters. Lira said prosecutors found about 1.8 million food boxes in 1,300 shipping containers in Mexico sold by these companies, but allowed them to continue on to Venezuela as part of the agreement. "We would run the risk of aggravating the food crisis in that country, products would be getting out-of-date or could be delivered that are not fit for human consumption," Lira said. Many of the products shipped from Mexico under the program were considered low-quality by authorities, according to Luis Alfonso de Alba, a Mexican deputy foreign minister. Information about the case will be shared by Mexican officials with other countries, including Colombia, to avoid fraud or money laundering, de Alba told reporters on Thursday. . (Reporting by Marianna Parraga and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
A 28-year-old middle school teacher in Georgia was found dead earlier this week amid an investigation into his allegedly inappropriate relationship with one of his students, PEOPLE confirms.

Zachary Meadors body was discovered slumped over in a vehicle along a Lawrenceville highway on Wednesday night, police say. It appears he shot himself, according to authorities.

Meadors was a sixth-grade English teacher at Freedom Middle School in Stone Mountain where he had taught for two years, according to local TV station WSB. Hed been on leave without pay since Friday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He was last seen alive on Saturday and was reported missing by his family on Monday.

Ga. Middle School Teacher Dies Amid Abuse Investigation

They told police that he was being investigated over alleged impropriety with one of his students, according to an incident report obtained by PEOPLE, but the allegation was not further described.

WSB reports that he was being sought on charges of child molestation, computer pornography and child exploitation. His suspected victim is a 12-year-old boy, according to the station.

Police have confirmed a warrant was out for Meadors arrest at the time of his death, but they did not say if it was in connection to the investigation at his school.

In a letter sent home to families on Tuesday, the Freedom Middle principal described alleged misconduct involving a teacher and students but did not provide more details or identify Meadors by name.

Meadors had been scheduled to meet with the school district on Monday but failed to show up, according to WSB.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Before his suicide, he was seen leaving an iPad and three letters at his familys doorstep, the police report states.

The iPad contained a video of Meadors apologizing to his relatives, according to the report.

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In one letter, he apologized for for all the chaos he caused in an unidentified persons life, the report shows. In another, he told his family how much they loved him and apologized for he image they may have of him now.

The final letter asked for his finances to be split equally between his immediate family and two people whose names were redacted.

Additional details of the investigation were not immediately available and PEOPLE could not reach district officials for comment.

In a statement to WSB before Meadors was found dead, the district superintendent said school police were investigating the allegations, which were not described more

We are angered and disappointed to learn of the allegations facing one of our staff members at Freedom MS, the superintendent said, in part. The safety of our students is a top priority, and we are determined to protect them, under any circumstances, from harm.
Concurs de granturi adresat COMUNITATILOR (APL) pentru sporirea rezilientei lor la schimbarile climatice si FEMEILOR ANTREPRENOARE in vederea dezvoltarii unor afaceri prietenoase mediului
A caravan of thousands of migrants continues to slalom its way through Central America in hopes of reaching a safe haven beyond the southern U.S. border.

The group, consisting mostly of Honduran migrants, is making its way through Guatemala and hopes to continue northward through Mexico. Hundreds slept on the floor of a school in Guatemala City this week, The New York Times reported, while others were left out on the street.

Many said they were making the journey for economic reasons. Others, suffering from health issues, were hoping to seek medical treatment.

There isnt work or anything. You cant live in Honduras, Jennifer Paola Lopez, a 16-year-old farmworker, told the news outlet. There isnt money. Theres no help from the government. Theres nothing.

Migrants have participated in caravans for at least a decade, fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries. Yet the topic has gained attention from President Donald Trump, who regularly conflates immigration from Latin America with crime, drugs and violence.

Trump has no plans to allow the migrants to set foot in the U.S. He threatened to seal the border on Thursday to prevent the entry of MANY CRIMINALS from Central American countries. He also threatened to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Snapshots depict the groups burdensome voyage, which encompasses everything from trudging through murky water to taking care of infants in the back of a truck:

A Honduran migrant drinks soup during a new leg of their travel in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, on Oct. 18, 2018.

Honduran migrants rest inside a shelter in Tecun Uman.

A moment alone.

Migrant children take shelter from rain.

Migrants lift each other into the back of a truck.

People wait in line as they continue their journey northward.

Another truck packed with people weaves through Central America.

A young migrant child is confronted by police.

A man feeds his child in the back of a truck.

People clutch children and belongings as they wade through currents.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Thousands of migrants rush across the border towards Mexico, in Tecun Uman, Guatemala - AP

Migrants making their way towards the United States as part of a caravan of 3,000 people charged at the border between Guatemala and Mexico on Friday, cutting the wires and confronting rows of border police.

Mexico had warned the migrants that they would need a visa to enter the country and sent riot police to the Guatemala-Mexico border city of Tapachula as the caravan moved north.

Some of the migrants ignored the warnings and charged across, leaving them facing arrest. Manelich Castilla, spokesman for Mexicos federal police, said that buses were arriving at the border to allow women, children and the elderly to get off the border bridge and be processed.

But at the bridge migrants, who have formed orderly lines, were last night refusing to board the buses fearing that they will simply be deported.

Some violently shook fences at the border. A handful jumped into the Suchiate river below to swim for rafts. Others turned back toward Guatemala.

Migrants tired of waiting to cross into Mexico, jumped from a border bridge into the Suchiate River Credit: Oliver de Ros/AP

Donald Trump, the US president, praised Mexicos efforts.

"It's being stopped as of this moment by Mexico. So, we appreciate very much what Mexico is doing," he said, speaking in Arizona ahead of a rally last night. "As of this moment, I thank Mexico. I hope they continue.

Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, was in Mexico City to meet his Mexican counterpart and described the situation as approaching a moment of crisis. The caravan has been an obsession of Mr Trumps since it set out from Honduras a week ago.

On Thursday night, at a Make America Great Again rally in Montana, Mr Trump said that the caravan was now the defining issue of next months midterm elections. Earlier in the day his chief of staff, John Kelly, and national security advisor, John Bolton, had a furious shouting match about the caravan  a disagreement so intense some speculated Mr Kelly would resign.

The White House issued a statement saying the startling row was a sign that they were all passionate about solving the issue of illegal immigration.

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The department of homeland security is currently compiling the year-end figures, but it is expected that the numbers of immigrant families arriving at the border will likely break records on a monthly basis.

Migrants pushed through first line of Guatemalan police. Now right up at gate #CaravanaDelMigrantepic.twitter.com/8o3pCQeac3  James Fredrick (@jameslfredrick) October 19, 2018

To put that in context, in the early 2000s the authorities were arresting 1.5 million undocumented immigrants a year, while in 2018 so far there have been under 400,000 people detained.

However, the Trump administration remains upset and frustrated.

Mexican authorities, in a bid to soothe Mr Trumps fury and to deter the migrants, without appearing to violate international law, have asked the United Nations to set up a migrant processing centre near its southern border. They have also sent two Boeing 727s full of police reinforcement and riot gear.

The migrant caravan reached the Guatemala-Mexico border on Thursday, overwhelming the border town of Tecun Umans shelters and forcing hundreds to sleep in the towns central plaza, in the pouring rain.

Their week-long procession through Honduras and Guatemala had been supported by locals, who stood by the side of the road in solidarity offering food, water, money, blankets and even a pram for a baby.

"I decided to come because of the unemployment situation," said Wendy Lorena Benitez Ramirez, 43. She said she had volunteered to make the journey on behalf of her family, and send money home from working in the US.

"My daughter has a little girl and can't find a job, and my son has a little boy who needs oxygen - up to three tanks a week. He can't earn enough money to support his family."

Migrants passing through Guatemala, towards the border town of Tecun Unam

But some in Tecun Uman were concerned that the 3,000 migrants could be prevented from entering Mexico, and forced to remain sleeping rough in their town.

Hugo Arnoldo Benitez, 29, a Guatemalan volunteer, pointed to the Honduran men sleeping on the street. He told The Telegraph: This is what Tecun Uman was like 10 years ago. People sleeping in the streets, begging, piles of trash everywhere. It breaks my heart to see this, but there is nothing more we can do. I think this will wind up like the Colombian border, with all the Venezuelans crossing over. Many people here are afraid of that.

Two women cooking for the Hondurans in the shelter were whispering: But when are they leaving?

Central Americans have freedom of movement throughout their region, but must show a visa before crossing into Mexico. A previous caravan, in April, was assisted by Mexico granting humanitarian transit visas for those seeking to apply for asylum: now, under intense pressure from Washington, Mexico looks set to enforce the visa requirement and block their passage.

Smugglers in the town, meanwhile, said that they had been warned not to help the caravan, or else the police would put a stop to their own lucrative cross-border contraband trade.
Mexico City (AFP) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that illegal migration across the US-Mexican border is near crisis levels, as a caravan of Honduran migrants prepared to enter Mexico bound for the United States.

"President (Donald) Trump's been clear about the largest issue we face today. We are quickly reaching a point which appears to be a moment of crisis: record numbers of migrants," Pompeo said during a visit to Mexico City.

"The challenge related to security for our southern border is... a challenge for American sovereignty. We have to fix US laws in order to handle this properly," he told a joint press conference with his Mexican counterpart.

"This moment has enormous implications for the opioid epidemic in the US," he added, linking two issues Trump has repeatedly used to argue for his planned border wall: drug trafficking and illegal migration.

Video: Why Honduran Migrants Are Heading North

For more news videos visit Yahoo View.

Pompeo's trip came as a caravan of thousands of Honduran migrants prepared to cross the border from Guatemala to Mexico on their northbound journey, drawing warnings from Trump that he would cut aid to the region, deploy the military and close the US-Mexican border if authorities did not stop them.

On Thursday, Trump branded the migrants an "onslaught" and an "assault on our country" in a series of typically fiery tweets.

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray insisted Mexico would not cave to pressure to detain the migrants, vowing to respect their human rights and urging the Trump administration to address the root causes of their northward flight: violent crime and poverty.

"Mexico's migration policy is for Mexico to decide," he said.

"Our position, in essence, is to respect human rights and dignity and protect this group of migrants, particularly the most vulnerable: children, the elderly, pregnant women."

Story continues

However, on the border, there were signs Mexico was complying with Trump's wishes.

Beneath a sign reading "Welcome to Mexico," hundreds of riot police formed a barricade on the bridge at the border crossing near where the migrants have gathered, in the city of Tecun Uman, Guatemala.

Mexico has vowed to detain any migrants who cross without visas, though it has also said it will process their asylum requests, and has asked for the UN refugee agency's help in doing so.

Trump has made curbing illegal immigration a keystone of his presidency.

Barely a week goes by without him warning about the danger posed by ultra-violent Central American gangs like MS-13, while chants of "build the wall" are a staple of his pre-midterms campaign rallies.
Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Scott Olson/Getty Images, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

Like so many things in American life these days, political conversation can feel more like war than an exchange of opinions. Polarization is so pronounced, especially around anything related to President Trump, that any concession to the other side seems like total capitulation.

But a new book by veteran CBS News journalist Major Garrett  Mr. Trumps Wild Ride: The Thrills, Chills, Screams, and Occasional Blackouts of An Extraordinary Presidency  is that rare thing: an examination of the Trump presidency that keeps its wits about it.

Garretts book was released a week after Bob Woodwards book, Fear: Trump in the White House, landed like a bomb in the news cycle. Garrett and his publisher discovered the scheduling conflict last summer only after they had locked in their own publication date, he said during an interview for the Yahoo News podcast, The Long Game.

But, Garrett said, Our books are very different.

Fear is about things that sounded scary and didnt happen. My books about what did happen, Garrett said.

Another major difference is that Garrett takes Trump and his supporters seriously, granting that the president has garnered some accomplishments while also putting those attainments in context, discussing the downsides or caveats involved in them, and holding nothing back in criticism.

Even the title of the book, with its use of the honorific Mr. before Trumps name, is a nod to how Garrett wanted to execute his analysis.

One of the things I try to do in the book is to make sure the voice of Trump supporters I met during the campaign are in the book, Garrett told me.

I wanted the book to do two things in this regard: get out of Washington a little bit, and remind myself and the reader that the voice of Trump supporters matters in this context. Theyre not in the book to persuade you if you dont like the Trump administration or Donald Trump, said Garrett, chief White House correspondent for CBS News and host of The Takeout podcast. Theyre there to illustrate the ideas, the concepts, the thoughts of people who found within Donald Trump something they hadnt found before and attached themselves to.

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Some Trump critics might read an isolated passage here or there in Garretts book and find it to be too solicitous of the Trump point of view. There are many complaints about false equivalence or false balance in the news these days.

Trump supporters have never felt emotionally closer to a president. Trump critics can barely breathe, so strangled do they feel by his perceived selfishness, indifference to facts, contempt for institutional norms and haphazard management style, Garrett writes.

Perceived? some will ask themselves.

Or this: Is Trump a racist? No one can know but Trump, Garrett writes in a chapter titled simply, Race.

You can imagine the groans that will elicit from many Trump opponents and haters.

But this might be the best example of the way that Garrett sets the table for Trump supporters to hear some tough criticisms of their hero. The 14 pages that follow Garretts sidestep of the racist question  he defines the term as an attitude or view that one can only see by peering into the soul or mind  contain a devastating critique of Trump on racial issues.

His immigration policy has inclined toward white European favoritism and appealed to a cultural and nostalgic yearning for an earlier, whiter America, Garrett writes. Trump knew that the Friday night rally around the statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville  the night before violent clashes between white supremacists and protesters  had included Nazi salutes, chants of Jews will not replace us and other horrors. Trump intentionally refused to blame white supremacists, Garrett writes. And this is the closest this fringe element had been to political legitimacy and power  since [former segregationist Alabama Gov. George] Wallace.

Trump doesnt know much about the Civil War, Garrett also writes, and uses terms like heritage as a segregation-era code word  unfurled in common cause with white nationalist sensibilities. And when Trump rages against those who advocate for removing Confederate statues as wanting to change history, the history he refers to has been, in the main, a celebration of white, Protestant Christian dominance which has sanitized  the institutionalized racial brutality visited upon African Americans and Native Americans

Not much equivalence there.

CBS News chief White House correspondent Major Garrett at the White House, and (inset) the cover of his new book, Mr. Trumps Wild Ride. (Photos: Amazon, Chris Usher/CBS via Getty Images)

And yet the book should be taken seriously by Trump backers, because it approaches his presidency through the lens of his achievements, with a somewhat agnostic view of whether those accomplishments are positive or negative.

The only goal of the book, Garrett writes, is to examine the lasting impact of Trumps presidency. He has chapters, many of them steeped in the last two decades of political history and buttressed by exclusive interviews with major players like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., White House adviser and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Federalist Society President Leonard Leo on the judiciary, immigration, the failure to repeal Obamacare, North Korea, deregulation and tax reform.

Garrett also has a chapter on Trump and Kushners relationship with Saudi Arabia and in particular Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which looks quite prescient now with the apparent murder by Saudi agents in Turkey of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Kushner spoke at length with Garrett in the summer of 2017 about his relationship with the prince, who is effectively in control of the Saudi kingdom. Garrett said that after Michael Wolffs book Fire and Fury was released at the beginning of 2018, the White House shut down interviews with senior officials for all book projects, including his own.

Garrett treats Trump as a historic figure, which by default he became once he was the Republican nominee for president. Yet even that kind of fact can feel like a concession to many who recoil at Trumps debasement of the office. But emotion can often be an obstacle to seeing Trump clearly, and Garrett is adept at clearing away distractions in order to focus.

Trumps removal of regulations is the most fundamental shift in 40 years, Garrett writes. Most of it you probably missed.

He goes on to explain how Trumps administration has been able to remove more regulation than past Republican presidents in large part because Ronald Reagan didnt have a Congress as far right as Trump has.

And in one of the more remarkable passages of the book, Garrett details a memo from Trumps own White House budget office, which was basically ignored by the White House itself, that demonstrated that federal regulations provide between three and eight times the amount of economic benefit as they cost the economy. That is an astounding fact, made even more noteworthy by the fact that Trumps own administration reported it, finding that regulations can and often do bring order to markets, impose safety discipline and create means by which compliance can be checked and enforced, in Garretts words.

Garretts chapter on the passage of tax cuts by Trump and the Republican Congress grants full bragging rights to the GOP for getting it done. But Garrett also explains the ways in which the cuts abandoned fiscal responsibility in a way that experts believe is giving the economy a sugar high that is ultimately completely unsustainable.

And Garretts chapter on Trumps approach to North Korea does a fantastic job of drawing a connection between the inability of Congress to pass new budgets each year and the way that has hamstrung the Pentagon from making long-term plans, leading to a weakening of our military. And the U.S. military, Garrett concludes, is not the invincible behemoth Trump often brags about, but is rather more vulnerable and overextended than ever before, in large part because of congressional dysfunction.

He does not let Trump off the hook for his total disregard for norms of a constitutional republic and for basic civility.

One of the most consequential aspects of the Trump presidency [is] its coarsening influence on political dialogue and its effect on our national ability to discuss and communicate about the vital issue of race, he writes.

Perhaps most refreshingly, Garrett admits that he  an expert on American politics, the presidency and the Congress  has been forced to approach the Trump phenomenon as a student. When it comes to unlearning that which you have studied for nearly 20 years, I will concede it is more difficult than I imagined, he writes.

And he acknowledges that trying to focus on substance amid the Trump hurricane has been exceedingly difficult  like trying to light a candle standing behind a jet engine. He at one point even describes covering the Trump presidency as a form of trauma.

In an interview for The Long Game podcast, Garrett expanded on that: There have been times when I have woken up on a weekend after a particularly long and taxing week and said to myself, I feel like Ive been in a couple of car accidents. It feels that way, he said.

But he was also optimistic that credible journalism always outlasts incredible politicians. And with his book, he has created space for people of different opinions in this divided time to come together and potentially discuss a set of shared facts.

We better have a national conversation about this divide, or were never going to get anywhere, he said.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The next summit meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is likely to happen early next year, a senior administration official said on Friday. The two sides have been engaged in talks on the leaders' second meeting after the first, unprecedented, one in Singapore in June. A meeting is likely sometime after the first of the year," the U.S. official told a small group of reporters. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday he hopes to meet his North Korean counterpart soon to lay the groundwork for a "big step forward" on denuclearization during the next summit. Pompeo, in an interview with Voice of America on a trip to Mexico City, said Kim told him two weeks ago he was committed to the promises he had made to Trump during their first summit. "Im very hopeful well have senior leader meetings here in the next week and a half or so between myself and my counterpart to continue this discussion so that when the two of them get together there is real opportunity to make another big step forward on denuclearization," he told VOA. Pompeo met North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. A State Department spokeswoman declined to clarify if Pompeo meant he would meet his counterpart in Washington, saying she had no meetings to announce. The United States and South Korea on Friday said they had suspended upcoming joint air defense drills in a bid to ensure diplomatic efforts with North Korea continue. The two Koreas have held three summits this year. (Reporting by Steve Holland, David Alexander and David Brunnstrom; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Oslo (AFP) - A Russian man suspected of spying at the Norwegian parliament was released from prison on Friday after Norway's intelligence service withdrew an appeal against the decision.

Mikhail Bochkarev, 51, was arrested on September 21 at Oslo airport after attending a seminar in Norway's parliament, accused of having collected data on the building and its network.

Television footage showed Bochkarev leave Oslo prison on Friday in a car from the Russian embassy.

His release came after a Norwegian judge ruled on Thursday that investigators had failed to substantiate their case.

The PST intelligence service initially appealed the decision but on Friday the agency made a U-turn.

"The PST has decided to withdraw its appeal... He is released today," the agency tweeted without an explanation.

Russia had denounced the charges against Bochkarev as "false" and "absurd".

He remains under investigation but is free to leave the country, the PST said.

"This was the only solution. It shows that the PST also realises that the suspicions are unfounded," Bochkarev's lawyer, Hege Aakre, told NRK radio.

There had been speculation that Bochkarev might be used as leverage in efforts to obtain the release of a Norwegian held in Russia on suspicion of spying, although the PST has denied any connection between the two cases.

Frode Berg was arrested in April and is still waiting trial. Berg admitted to having helped the Norwegian intelligence services by acting as a courier several times.

"The possibility of an exchange has now definitely gone," Berg's Norwegian lawyer Brynjulf Risnes told Norwegian news agency NTB.

"The release of Mr Bochkarev is a lost opportunity for us," he added.

Norwegian officials regularly accuse Russia of attempted hacking and espionage.
Brasilia (AFP) - A female lawmaker who was once told by Brazil's presidential frontrunner Jair Bolsonaro that she was "not worthy" of being raped said on Thursday that she fears for her country if the far-right candidated triumphs.

"With what has happened to us women, with what happened to me... we fear that (a Bolsonaro victory) would legitimize even more violence" against women, Maria do Rosario told AFP in an interview. The runoff vote is in 10 days.

"Brazil is the champion of violence done to women," said 51-year-old member of the leftist Workers Party.

It was in the Chamber 15 years ago that Bolsonaro, a seven-term deputy, disdainfully told do Rosario that "I would not rape you, because you're not worthy of it" as cameras recorded his insult.

The comment was made during a debate on a bill that would stiffen criminal punishment for minors following a vicious attack on a couple by teenagers.

With the recording of his words playing across TV networks, Bolsonaro later said he had reacted after alleging that do Rosario had called him a rapist.

But in a 2014 interview he reiterated his insult and expanded on it. "She doesn't deserve to be raped because she's very ugly. She's not my type. I would never rape her. I'm not a rapist. But if I were, I wouldn't rape her because she isn't worth it," he said.

Bolsonaro's latter comments earned him a conviction that he took on appeal to the Supreme Court.

- Law-and-order candidate -

The controversial remarks are still being used against him by detractors, and are in evidence in protests organized to show female resistance to his presidential bid.

According to a non-governmental organization, the Brazilian Forum for Public Security, 4,473 women were murdered in the country in 2017 and 60,018 were raped.

"Just imagine if this violence were institutionally encouraged," do Rosario said.

Bolsonaro is running on a law-and-order platform, promising to ease gun laws so armed citizens can defend themselves.

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But do Rosario said: "These weapons -- we know that they'll be turned against women, against blacks, gays, lesbians."

Bolsonaro has also held out proposals of chemically castrating rapists, and has tweeted that women "must be respected and protected."

The 63-year-old former paratrooper looks likely to win Brazil's highest office. He easily won the October 7 first round election against 13 other candidates, and on October 28 he is the favorite against his closest rival, the Workers Party Fernando Haddad, a former mayor of Sao Paulo.

Do Rosario, who was the minister for human rights between 2011 and 2014 when the Workers Party was in power, was re-elected in the general election that also took place October 7.

But she, like politicians from several parties of all stripes, has been caught up in a cascade of corruption allegations that have snared Brazil's political and corporate elite in recent years. She is under investigation for allegedly receiving $35,000 from a construction group, Odebrecht, for her 2010 election campaign.
Panama City (AFP) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Thursday in Panama at the start of a tour of the Central American region that President Donald Trump blames for an "onslaught" of US-bound migrants.

Pompeo, who will head to Mexico on Friday, had talks in Panama City with President Juan Carlos Varela and Foreign Minister Isabel Saint Malo, who is also vice-president.

There were no statements after the meeting that lasted less than an hour but officials earlier said illegal immigration would be among the topics for discussion.

Pompeo's arrival in Latin America comes amid tensions over a caravan of thousands of Honduran migrants heading through Guatemala to Mexico with the hope of reaching the United States.

Earlier Thursday, Trump threatened to send the military to close the US-Mexican border against an "onslaught" of Central American migrants.

In a Tweet, Trump called the caravan "an assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador."

On Tuesday, Trump threatened Central American countries with aid cuts if they failed to stop the caravan.
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Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump on Wednesday denied covering up for ally Saudi Arabia in the suspected murder of a critical journalist and said that he expects to learn the truth about Jamal Khashoggi's fate within days.

Trump's comments followed the publication in pro-government Turkish media of allegations purporting to confirm that Khashoggi was not only murdered by Saudi agents in their consulate in Istanbul, but tortured and dismembered.

"No, not at all, I just want to find out what's happening," Trump told reporters in the White House when asked if his consistently cautious approach to the scandal amounts to a cover-up. "I'm not giving cover at all."

The president said he would get a "full report" from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo -- whom he is to meet at 10:00 am (1400 GMT) on Thursday -- after the diplomat's return from meetings with Saudi and Turkish leaders, allowing him to assess what really happened.

"We will probably know that by the end of the week," Trump said.

The US president has been on the defensive ever since Khashoggi -- a US resident and Washington Post contributor who had been critical of powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- vanished on October 2 after visiting the Istanbul consulate.

The Post published a column from Khashoggi on Wednesday in which he wrote of the important role a free press could play in the Arab world -- a piece the newspaper admitted appears to be his last.

According to the latest reports, the Saudi journalist was assassinated by a squad that included agents tied to Prince Mohammed, a son of King Salman and a lynchpin in the trend toward ever-tightening relations with Trump's White House.

The controversy has blown a hole in Prince Mohammed's bid to promote himself as the modern face of Saudi Arabia and led to a spate of cancelations by titans of global finance and business at a major Riyadh investment conference scheduled next week.

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But Trump has downplayed the possibility of action against Saudi Arabia, which he has repeatedly praised as a major customer for the US weapons industry.

At one point he suggested "rogue killers" could be to blame for Khashoggi's disappearance.

Earlier Wednesday, he told Fox Business that the US relies on the kingdom to fight terrorism.

Pompeo was also tight-lipped after meeting the Saudi leadership in Riyadh, telling journalists he did not want "to talk about any of the facts. They (Saudis) didn't want to either."

Adding to the picture of Saudi influence potentially weighing on American decision-making about Khashoggi, US media reported that $100 million for Washington's stabilization efforts in Syria was deposited by the kingdom as Pompeo arrived in Riyadh.

- Fresh paint in consulate? -

Turkish police and forensic experts on Wednesday searched the residence of the Saudi consul in Istanbul and also searched the country's consulate for a second time.

The consul, Mohammed al-Otaibi, left Istanbul for Riyadh on a scheduled flight Tuesday afternoon, with Ankara insisting he had not been expelled but left of his own choice.

Turkish police had on Monday night carried out an eight-hour search at the consulate, taking away soil and DNA samples. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who also met with Pompeo, said there was evidence that some materials had been freshly painted.

Several US media outlets said Monday that the Saudis are preparing a report that Khashoggi's death resulted from a botched interrogation, but there has yet to be any sign of this being published.

Pro-government Turkish daily Yeni Safak reported it had heard audio recordings of Khashoggi being tortured during an interrogation, having his fingers cut off and then being decapitated.

It said Otaibi can be heard on one tape saying during Khashoggi's torture: "Do this outside. You are going to get me in trouble."

The daily reported that in another tape, an unknown individual tells Otaibi: "If you want to live when you return to Saudi Arabia, be quiet!"

- Senators question Trump-Saudi ties -

The New York Times reported Tuesday that a suspect identified by Turkey was a frequent companion of the prince's. Three other suspects are linked to his security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic doctor, The Times said.

Adding to embarrassment for the petro-state's royals, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde became the latest to pull out of Prince Mohammed's much-trumpeted investment conference next week. An IMF spokesman said she had postponed her planned trip to the Middle East with a stop in Saudi Arabia.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he will decide Thursday whether or not he will attend the conference.

There was also new political pressure on Trump with nine senators from the opposition Democrats writing to express "significant concerns about conflicts of interest" between Trump and Saudi Arabia concerning deals done through his real estate empire.

The letter cited decades of business deals and asked Trump to provide information regarding recent and future financial ties to Saudi Arabia.

Trump defended himself on Monday, tweeting that "I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter). Any suggestion that I have is just more FAKE NEWS (of which there is plenty)!"
For the second year in a row, President Donald Trump is upset about a caravan of Central American migrants headed to the United States.

As the group of some 4,000 people from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras heads toward the U.S. border with Mexico to seek asylum, Trump has called for stricter border enforcement, threatening to cut foreign aid to the three countries and possibly rip up trade deals.

But experts on refugees say those moves are unlikely to stop this caravan or stem future ones, since the migrants are primarily driven by conditions in their home countries, not U.S. policy.

Eleanor Acer, the senior director of refugee protection at Human Rights First, warned that cutting aid might actually lead to more migration.

Until the human rights abuses and violence and deprivations and underlying issues are addressed, people will continue to flee their countries, she told TIME. The Trump Administration is not going to be able to address migration challenges if it looks only to short-sighted initiatives. In the end, we actually have to deal with the problems that are causing people to leave their homes.

This years group began traveling from Honduras on Oct. 13 and has swollen to 4,000. Many of the migrants may chose to stay in countries along the route, though the Mexican government is already preparing a response. NBC News reports the Mexican government sent 500 officers to the countrys border with Guatemala ahead of their approach.

In a series of tweets, Trump blamed Democrats, leaders of Central American countries and existing weak laws for the influx.

....The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA. Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border. All Democrats fault for weak laws!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2018

The threats follow a similar playbook he used in April, when a caravan of around 1,500 took a similar journey. It was at that time that President Trump deployed National Guard troops along the border and threatened to rip up the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

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But the caravan is just the most visible face of ongoing migration, which happens regularly with less public work with smugglers. In fact, the number of family units crossing the southern border reportedly spiked in September, just months after the Trump Administration ended a policy of separating children from their parents at the border.

The Obama Administration responded to a 2014 surge of unaccompanied minors at the southern with face-to-face diplomacy with leaders from Central America and a $750 million worth of direct aid.

In June, former Vice President Joe Biden called on the Trump Administration to try aid again.

This migration will only continue unless we keep up the pressure and provide the support to make the Northern Triangle of Central America a prosperous and secure place to call home, he wrote in an op-ed in the Washington Post.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Mexico on Friday for a meeting with the countrys top officials, where the caravan will likely be among the topics of discussion.
As some 3,000 Hondurans made their way through Guatemala, attention  and pressure  turned to Mexico, after President Trump threatened Thursday to close the U.S.-Mexico border if authorities there fail to stop them  a nearly unthinkable move that would disrupt hundreds of thousands of legal freight, vehicle, and pedestrian crossings each day.
Neymars release clause has been revealed

Neymar has a 215m release clause in his PSG contract that could see him leave the French champions.

The Brazilian superstar left Barcelona for Paris in the summer of 2017, a move that shocked the Catalan giants.

He moved to pastures new with the intention of catapulting himself onto the same level as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but has failed to do that with a string of disappointing displays on the big stage.

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Real Madrid have regularly been linked with a move for Neymar, although statements from the club have denied that more than once, while talk of Barcas interest in re-signing the 26-year-old has gained traction this week.

Now, according to Spanish paper SPORT, Neymars release clause has been revealed.

If a club can stump up 215m then they can sign Neymar  but only in the summer of 2020 and not before.

Neymar is reportedly unhappy at PSG, despite winning Ligue 1 last year

That does not mean he cannot leave earlier, just that a club would have to haggle with PSG if they wanted to sign him and it would probably be for a fee greater than his 2020 release clause.

In fact, Mundo Deportivo report that Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu has spoken to senior figures in the Nou Camp dressing room about how they would feel about Neymar coming back.

The paper says that the clubs stars, including Lionel Messi, would welcome the Brazilian back into the fold, despite his acrimonious departure.

It would be a stunning return for Neymar, just two years after he left Spain as he felt hed never leave Lionel Messis shadow.

But the emergence of Kylian Mbappe as a global icon has handed him the same problem at PSG and Neymar has reportedly decided hed be happier back at Barcelona.




Russia investigates whether student who killed 20 in Crimean college 'mass murder' acted alone originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

The death toll from a college shooting and bomb attack in Crimea has grown to 20, as a top Crimean official said authorities are searching for possible accomplices who may have helped a student carry out the massacre.

At least 42 who were injured remain hospitalized, six in a critical condition, according to authorities in the Black Sea city of Kerch, where the attack happened on Wednesday.

MORE: Lone 18-year-old kills 18 people, many of them teens, in shooting and bomb attack at college, Russia says

An 18 year-old student, Vladislav Rosylakov, has been identified by police as the attacker. Russian authorities had said Roslyakov acted alone at the school, but on Thursday, Crimeas leader Sergey Aksyonov said he believed the student must have received help preparing for the attack.

"In the college he acted alone, but the task is to establish who prepared him for this crime," Aksyonov told reporters at the scene of the attack. "He could not, in my view, have carried out such prepared events alone."

PHOTO: Law enforcement officers stand guard at the site of an attack outside the Kerch Polytechnic College, Oct. 17, 2018, in Kerch, Russia. (Viktor Korotaev/Polaris)

Investigators are still trying to establish Roslyakovs motive and suggested they are treating it as a school shooting similar to those that have plagued the United States. It was unclear to what extent Russian law enforcement shared Aksyonov's assessment.

Russian authorities initially thought the school shooting was a terrorist attack, before they reclassified it as "mass murder" after Roslyakov was identified. Security footage showed him entering the Kerch Polytechnic College, where he was a fourth-year student armed with a 12-gauge pump action shotgun and bags police said were filled with homemade grenades.

According to witnesses, Roslyakov began tossing the explosives into classrooms and opened fire. Police said a bomb packed with metal objects that was planted in the school also detonated. Roslyakov killed himself at the school after police arrived about 10 to 15 minutes later, police said.

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The precise details of the attack remain unclear. Some accounts described a large bomb exploding, while others described only gunfire and grenades. Pictures from the scene published in Russian media showed a bag found at the school filled with what appear to be improvised explosives. Russias National Anti-Terrorism Committee said it had defused a second bomb at the school on Wednesday.

Russias health minster, Veronika Skvortsova, said that most of the people killed were hit by gunfire, but that doctors had also been removing metal objects from people injured by what she said was a powerful bomb.

"The children's muscles are all 'minced', basically, with small pieces of metal," Skvortsova told reporters in Kerch, "We have found nuts and metal balls in the liver, guts, and blood vessels of those whose internal organs were ruptured. This is how powerful the explosion was," she said, saying others had lost lower limbs.

Friends and relatives of Rolyakov, speaking to Russian and foreign media, have described him as a quiet, isolated young man from a troubled background, fascinated by guns.

Russias main state newspaper, Izvestia quoted a source close to the investigation who said Roslyakovs father had told police during questioning that his son had broken off contact recently with one of his few close friends and that he had been aware of his sons interest in weapons.

Gun laws are strict in Russia and civilians are permitted only to own hunting rifles and smoothbore shotguns, and have to undergo background checks. Roslyakov had obtained his gun license only around two months ago, local officials said. Security camera footage aired by the Russian channel Ren-TV, showed him buying shotgun shells in store four days before the shooting.

PHOTO: A prayer service is held for the people killed during an attack in the Kerch Polytechnic College, Oct. 18, 2018, in Kerch, Russia. (Viktor Korotaev/Polaris)

Ordinary Russians and authorities are struggling to come to terms with the attack in a part of the world where school shootings are practically unheard of. People in Crimea and at a war memorial dedicated to Kerch near the Kremlin in Moscow have laid red mourning flowers and soft toys at makeshift shrines.

The aftermath of the shooting, however, is also unfolding against Crimeas unusual political backdrop. Russia seized control of Crimea in 2014 using unmarked troops and has since periodically accused Ukraine of dispatching saboteurs to blow up infrastructure on the peninsula.

MORE: Trump: Crimea's People Prefer Russia, But If He's Elected Putin Is 'Not Going Into Ukraine'

Some in Russia suggested that the Kerch attack may have ties to Ukraine, though there is no evidence so far.

In one of Russia's leading newspaper, Kommersant, anonymous security officials said investigators were examining whether Roslyakov had links to nationalist groups in Ukraine, referring to another case in which Russian prosecutors alleged a young Ukrainian man, Pavel Grib, tried to persuade a Russian teenage girl in Sochi to place a bomb at her school.

Officials though appear to be mostly grappling with a phenomenon grimly familiar in the U.S. but all but unknown in Russia -- mass school shootings.

Wednesday's attack was the deadliest act of violence at a Russian school since the Beslan terrorist attack in 2004, when 333 people, many children, died after Chechen fighters seized a school.

In Crimea, officials said they would review security measures at schools. On Thursday, armed riot police were temporarily deployed to guard all schools on the peninsula.

At a forum in Sochi, President Vladimir Putin told an audience that the Kerch shooting was the "result of globalization."

"It all started with those tragic events in American schools," Putin said. "Young people with unstable minds create false heroes for themselves. It means we are not creating the necessary interesting and healthy content for young people. They have only this surrogate heroism and it leads to these sorts of tragedies."
A British woman could be facing the death penalty in Malaysia after she was arrested on suspicion of murdering her husband.

Samantha Jones, 62, from Somerset, is charged with stabbing to death spouse John at their home on the tropical holiday island of Langkawi.

Detectives allege she repeatedly knifed the former firefighter, also 62, after an argument in the early hours of Thursday morning.

She confessed that she stabbed her husband in the chest during a heated argument but this is still under investigation, police chief Mohamad Iqbal told the Associated Press news agency.

Officers went to the couples bungalow at 2.30am following calls from neighbours.

They are understood to have arrested Ms Jones, a retired insurance clerk, after finding Mr Jones dead in the bedroom. She has been remanded in custody and will appear at Alor Setar High Court on Tuesday.

The pair had lived on the island for 11 years after being granted residency under the countrys My Second Home programme.

Murder in Malaysia carries a mandatory death sentence by hanging at present but the government has previously announced proposals to abolish capital punishment.

Authorities said all executions would be put on hold pending a final decision on potential changes to the law.

A spokesman with the UK Foreign Office said: We are supporting the family of a British man following his death in Malaysia, and are in contact with the Malaysian authorities.
The disappearance of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi brought to the forefront an open secret in Washington: Saudi Arabia is spending heavily to influence the nations capital.

Since Khashoggi disappeared after walking into the Saudi consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2, lobbying firms that work on behalf of the Saudi government have found themselves under increasing scrutiny.

The Saudis have poured money into lobbying for decades, but the numbers increased dramatically under the Trump Administration.

According to data compiled by the Center for International Policy, a foreign policy think tank, that was provided to TIME, the Saudi government spent $10 million on lobbying in 2016. By 2017, that number had nearly tripled, increasing to almost $27 million.

Dr. Ben Freeman, director and founder of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative at the Center for International Policy, said that the Saudi government saw an opening for improved relations with Trumps presidency, and immediately began investing  both monetarily and diplomatically.

The Saudis had a pretty strained relationship with Obama, said Freeman, noting that the Saudis werent happy wth the Iran deal. But with Trump I think they saw the opportunity for a pretty important reset in US-Saudi relations, and really for Trump they had someone who was already pretty biased to their point of view.

Trumps fondness towards Saudi Arabia was also reflected in his policies; he made a point of improving diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia once he took office. But Freeman said he believes it was Trumps business interests that motivated the Saudi Arabian government to increase their lobbying efforts once he became President.

He had these personal business connections that I think the Saudis were pretty prepared to capitalize on, said Freeman.

For the record, I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter). Any suggestion that I have is just more FAKE NEWS (of which there is plenty)!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018

Trump has denied he has any financial interests in Saudi Arabia, calling such allegations fake news. Although the Trump Organization has no properties in Saudi Arabia, Trump himself has said their real estate purchases benefit him. I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me, they spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much, he said of Saudi Arabians at a campaign rally in Alabama in 2015.

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Over the years, Trump has had a number of business dealings with Saudis. In 1991, he sold a yacht named the Trump Princess to Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in 1991, in 2001 the Saudi government bought an entire floor of the Trump World Tower in New York and in 2016 business from the Saudis at the Trump hotel in Chicago helped offset losses there from reduced bookings. On Wednesday, 11 Democratic Senators sent s letter to the President and the Trump Organization requesting a full disclosure of their ties to Saudi Arabia.

But Saudi influence operations in the United States arent just limited to Trump. In fact, theyre a bipartisan affair.

The more than 15 firms the Saudi government employed in the last two years  according to those who have registered under the Foreign Agent Registration Act  span both sides of the aisle.

Former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman is Senior Counsel of Hogan Lovells, which received over $1 million from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in both 2016 and 2017, according to CIP data. Joel Johnson, a former aide to Bill Clinton, founded both the Glover Park Group and the Harbour Group. Both of those groups were among those to cut ties with the Saudis. But the law firm Squire Patton Boggs, which entered into a contract with Saudi Arabia in September of 2016 for $100,000 month, currently employs former House Speaker John Boehner and former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, and previously employed in the past White House Counsel Don McGahn.

In addition to Glover Park Group and the Harbour Group, BGR also reportedly severed ties with Saudi Arabia in the past week. The others did not respond to request for comment or said they would be continuing.

Saudis influence also extends beyond lobbying. The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that the kingdom was the largest single source of investor funding for startups in Silicon Valley, with Salman directing investments totaling $11 billon since 2016. Some of the United States biggest financial institutions, like J.P. Morgan and BlackRock, have been doing business with Saudi Arabia for years. Khashoggis disappearance coincides with an investor conference in Saudi Arabia that was designed to host the major players in the finance world, although several, including JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, have pulled out. On Thursday morning, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also backed out.

Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.  Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) October 18, 2018

In the wake of Khashoggis disappearance, both Republican and Democratic lawmakers voiced disapproval with Saudi Arabia and said there must be immediate action. A bipartisan group of 22 Senators sent a letter to President Trump on October 10 triggering an investigation into Khashoggis disappearance under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.

Some lawmakers were more mum, however, on the Saudis financial influence.

I dont know  let me think about that, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy told TIME on Wednesday when asked if lobbying firms should continue to work on behalf of Saudi Arabia. Everyone has the right to petition the government but I dont know about that.

Freeman, for one, thinks this crisis ultimately wont make much of a difference when it comes to their sphere of influence.

I think ultimately were [going to] see the Saudis do what they always do and thats double down in times of crisis, he said, noting that they went on a lobbying spree after 9/11, after it was discovered that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi Arabian. I wouldnt be too surprised if we saw more firms sign with Saudi Arabia.
High school junior Chanese Knox (right) was suspended for her reaction to being called the N-word at school. (Photo: Courtesy of Diannia Merriett)

A teen who was reportedly called the N-word repeatedly at school was suspended and had the police called on her after standing up for herself.

On Wednesday, Chanese Knox, a junior at Greendale High School in Wisconsin, led her friends in protest, alleging that her suspension in September was the result of a racially charged environment on campus that the school has failed to address.

Knox and her friends were walking to class on Sept. 12 when a white female classmate referred to the group using the N-word. My daughter was upset, particularly because the girl said it loudly and none of her peers intervened, Knoxs mother, Diannia Merriett, 43, tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

The 16-year-old reported the incident to the school guidance counselor, and Merriett met with the principal the following day. But the conversation went nowhere, the mom says.

Walking to class with friends the following day, the same student again called Knox the N-word. This time, my daughter responded by saying, Why are you walking away?  and there were profanities, Merriett says. There was no physical contact.

Thirty minutes later, Knox was pulled out of class by the vice principal, who met the teen in her office with two police officers. The police told her, Were here for disorderly conduct, and we want you to stay calm,' Merriett claims. They said, Youre not going to jail this time, but theyll speak to you about your conduct.'

Merriett, who was not present for the meeting, says they suggested to her daughter that school security footage showed her body language toward the other student appeared threatening.

She says the police took no action against her daughter (a representative from the Greendale Police Department did not return Yahoo Lifestyles request for comment), but Knox was suspended for one day. Two weeks later, Merriett attempted to appeal the suspension without success.

On Thursday, Greendale Schools Superintendent Gary Kiltz sent a statement to Yahoo Lifestyle: Greendale Schools is committed to the safety and well-being of all students. District administration takes every student, family and staff concern seriously and investigates all matters brought to our attention. Threats, hate speech and harassment have no place in our school community.

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The statement continues: In accordance with Federal student privacy laws, we are not able to provide specifics regarding the incident and student consequences referenced. We can tell you that the students involved in this situation have been counseled and appropriate school actions have been taken in accordance with District practice. School administration continues to offer to work with the student and her mother to ensure she feels safe at school. We take these concerns very seriously and will continue to investigate the matters raised.

But according to Merriett, Knox and her peers frequently experience racism at school, which they claim the institution does not deal with. Last year, a classmate posted a Snapchat video of herself dressed in white saying, Im going to join the KKK,' Merriett says. When Chanese took a screenshot for the vice principal, she was just interrogated about how many people viewed it.

Parents have emailed me about their children dealing with racism at this school and white parents whose children have witnessed it, she adds.

Since her suspension, Knox has suffered from nightmares and anxiety. She has missed homecoming and two swim meets, and her grades have dropped. But Merriett, who filed a police complaint against her daughters accused aggressor, says the protests will continue  the next gathering will be Monday afternoon in front of the school. Well continue until the school takes action.

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Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., made some waves Wednesday when she said she would be in favor of reopening the investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh if the Democrats retake the Senate. During a debate with Democratic challenger Kevin de Leon in San Francisco, Feinstein was asked about the recent Kavanaugh confirmation hearings, which became a political and cultural flashpoint after three women accused the judge of sexual assault or misconduct.
White House Counsel Don McGahn: Jose Luis Magana/AP

White House counsel Don McGahn has officially left his position in Donald Trump's administration.

Attorney Pat Cippolone will take over the position in a couple of weeks according to reports. Attorney Emmett Flood will take over as Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President, effective immediately. Mr Flood served as special counsel in the George W. Bush administration as well.

Trump had originally appointed Mr McGahn in 2016 after Mr McGahn served in the Trump campaign as general counsel. Mr McGahn introduced Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to the president and supported Mr Kavanaugh through his confirmation hearings.

However, Mr McGahn and Trump did not always see eye to eye. Mr McGahn had been cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe into the 2016 presidential election, voluntarily giving 30 hours of testimony, prompting a series of angry tweets from the president.

In August, Mr Trump tweeted that Mr McGahn would be leaving in the fall. The Washington Post reported that Mr McGahn was not aware of this decision before Mr Trump sent the tweet.

Staffers leaving, quitting or being fired is not rare in the Trump administration. In March, Politifact reported that 43 per cent of Trumps most senior staffers had quit, switched roles or been forced out. The previous record for highest White House senior staff turnover was during administration of Ronald Reagan, with 17 per cent turnover.

President Trump recently announced that Mr McGahn would leave after Mr Kavanaugh had been confirmed, although it was expected to see out to the end of the year. Turns out that is not the case.
Lima (AFP) - A sacked Supreme Court judge on the run as he faces trial for corruption in Peru was arrested in Spain on Friday, the South American country's president, Martin Vizcarra said.

"Today at dawn, ex-supreme judge Cesar Hinostroza was captured by Spanish police and Interpol Peru," Vizcarra said on twitter.

Spanish police in Madrid confirmed Hinostroza's arrest to AFP and said he would be brought before a court for extradition proceedings.

Vizcarra had sent a request to Spain on Thursday to arrest and extradite Hinostroza, who is accused of being the ringleader in a scandal involving influence peddling and the sale of lighter sentences.

The scandal came to light in July after local media published tapes containing compromising telephone conversations.

In one of them, Hinostrroza can allegedly be heard offering someone found guilty of raping a minor either a reduced sentence or even an acquittal.

A Spanish foreign ministry source confirmed on Thursday that Hinostroza had entered Spain the day before.

On Wednesday, Peru's interior minister, Mauro Medina, resigned after it was revealed that Hinostroza had slipped over the border into Ecuador and boarded a flight to Madrid, via Amsterdam.

Authorities prevented his 16-year-old daughter from travelling to Madrid but his wife, Gloria Gutierrez Chapa, has been in the Spanish capital since October 11, according to local press.

Hinostroza, 62, was sacked by Congress a fortnight ago and is the central figure in a scandal that has sparked street protests and led Vizcarra to promise sweeping judicial reforms.

Vizcarra has accused Hinostroza of leading a "criminal organization" while the Peruvian government offered a reward of 40,000 soles ($12,000) for his capture -- he escaped 12 days ago with the help of an immigration inspector.

The president told RPP channel he had spoken with Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, by telephone.

He also hit out at Hinostroza for claiming asylum in Spain, insisting the case was "strictly judicial, the battle against corruption."

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For days the ex-judge's lawyer denied Hinostroza was on the run, right up until his presence in Madrid was confirmed on Wednesday.

Since the audio recordings, originally made by police tracking a drug-trafficking ring in Callao, Peru's main port, near Lima, came to light, several top officials have either resigned or been sacked.

Supreme Court president Duberli Rodriguez resigned while Justice Minister Salvador Heresi was sacked.
Buenos Aires (AFP) - The lights dim and the musicians start tuning the instruments they cared for along the arduous journey across South America, from Venezuela to Argentina, where they are about to perform their first concert.

This is the Latin Vox Machine, an orchestra of trained Venezuelan musicians who have emigrated to Buenos Aires to escape the economic crisis gripping their home country.

When the concert finishes, they are showered with applause, and even donations.

"This orchestra is special because when we play together it's as if, for a moment, we were back in Venezuela," said 22-year-old cellist Veronica Rodriguez.

"There is this energy that inundates the whole place when we're playing together. We're all from the same house, we're all siblings. I think that's a major influence when we're playing."

Rodriguez left Venezuela at the end of 2017 due to the country's collapsed economy and descent into widespread poverty.

She originally hoped to go to Paris where she had earned a place at a music school, but she didn't have enough money.

Encouraged by a friend, though, she left the country for Brazil, where she took a flight to Buenos Aires.

At first she found work caring for the elderly but now she teaches music in a school.

Most of the Latin Vox Machine orchestra were trained in Venezuela's prestigious El Sistema program and only arrived in Buenos Aires within the last year, taking to busking in the subway to a earn a living.

- 'You made my day' -

At the Jujuy station, violinist Fedosky Suarez plays Vivaldi while Cesar Perez, on the platform opposite, responds with his bassoon.

Passengers waiting for trains applaud and throw notes into Suarez's case.

"Dude, you made my day," said one.

Latin Vox Machine's founder Omar Zambrano says he got the idea to create the orchestra after hearing the classically-trained Venezuelans playing in the subway.

"There was a moment in which I started hearing high quality music in the underground," he told AFP.

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To his delight, the 36-year-old, who studied the piano but now works in audiovisual production, discovered the artists were, like him, Venezuelans.

"We started meeting up to see what would happen and how many there were: and there were a lot. It occurred to us that we should start an orchestra."

It was at that time that the orchestra made contact with South Korean music director Ahn Jooyong, who moved to Buenos Aires two years ago following a career in the United States.

Someone showed him a recording of the Venezuelans playing and he was instantly smitten.

"They are all incredible musicians. To train young musicians like them to become professional musicians, it's my goal and my mission," said the 66-year-old.

The Latin Vox Machine's first concert took place on October 9 at the Globe Theatre. Zambrano couldn't contain his emotions.

"I'm deeply moved because you stop being a you and become a group of people with the same mission and same motivation, which is making music and art and continuing to transform lives," he said.

- Passport and instrument -

Jaime Nieto, 34, says the musical "instrument is for us one of the most valuable things."

He specializes in the flute and piccolo and played a concert at the Colon Theatre in Buenos Aires when a child.

Leaving Venezuela six months ago he says "the passport and the instrument were the most important" things he took with him.

"It's an extension of us and we look after it with our lives. I knew I would come here to make music. It's happened and I'm happy for that."

The orchestra isn't just the preserve of Venezuelans, though, as it includes among its 90 members three Argentines, a Chilean and a Colombian.

"We want to share our space, integrating Argentines. We don't want to be a ghetto," said violinist Jocelyn Zambrano, 32.

Ahn added: "I would like to mix with Argentinian culture to make a unique orchestra."

Ultimately, though, Nieto dreams of returning home one day, with the orchestra.

"We never imagined we would leave, but this is going to be a development for us and for all of Venezuela.

"One day the Venezuelans will return and take with them all the good they've reaped."
The US midterm elections are fast approaching, and Tennessee is one of the key states to watch.

Although the southern state has been solidly Republican in recent years, there are a few races that could shake things up.

Heres a brief overview of where both the Senate and House races stand in Tennessee, a look at whos running for governor, and why this could be a very important state for the Democrats on 6 November

Senate race

It is the Senate race that is most exciting to look out for in Tennessee this year. Former Democratic governor Phil Bredesen, who was in office from 2003 to 2011, will take on Republican Marsha Blackburn.

Although a red state, moderate Democrat Phil Bredesen may be in with a chance. The latest polls, according to Real Clear Politics, suggest Ms Blackburn currently holds a 6.5 per cent lead, but from April to the end of September this year, it was in fact Mr Bredesen that was the favourite to win.

Other predictions put Mr Bredesen in front, with a poll from CNN showing him leading by five points over 50 per cent to Ms Blackburn's 45 per cent.

Democrats only need two states to turn blue to take control of the Senate, making Tennessee a key state to watch. Although with a number of Democrat-held seats up for election across the country, that may be tougher than it looks.

Mr Bredesen is seen as a popular candidate from his previous tenure, as well as strong name recognition, giving him a genuine chance at taking the seat from Marsha Blackburn.

House races

All 99 house seats in Tennessee are up for election this year. There are Republican candidates running in 82 of these districts, with the remaining 17 being safe Democrat seats.

There are also 14 Independent candidates running, none of which are incumbent.

Governor race

Tennessee is one of 35 states holding an election for governor in 2018. After serving two consecutive terms, Republican Bill Haslam will no longer be Tennessee governor. Running for his party is Bill Lee, taken on by underdog Democrat Karl Dean.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - At least 130 Palestinians were hit by Israeli gunfire Friday as thousands protested near Gaza's border with Israel, the health ministry in the enclave said.

Following calls to avoid an escalation in violence, the demonstrators largely kept their distance from the fortified frontier fence.

But at least 130 Palestinians were injured by live fire in clashes with Israeli soldiers, the health ministry said.

An Israeli army spokesman told AFP that while most of the protesters stayed back from the fence, some came close and threw explosive devices and hand grenades at troops, while burning tyres.

"The soldiers who were there responded with riot dispersal means, along with gunfire in accordance with the rules of engagement," he said.

Rockets fired from Gaza on Wednesday had brought the territory's Hamas rulers and Israel closer to a widescale confrontation.

Since March, Palestinians have moved right up to the border fence every Friday and occasionally breached it, leading to clashes in which more than 200 Palestinians and one Israeli have been killed.

While thousands again gathered for the latest protests in northern Gaza, the demonstrators largely remained at least 100 metres (yards) from the border.

An AFP correspondent said Hamas security officials in at least one location were seen discouraging protesters from nearing the fence.

Kites and balloons equipped with incendiary devices were launched across the border into southern Israel, and the Israeli army said one of its aircraft targeted a group of men launching balloons.

An Egyptian security delegation visited the Gaza Strip on Thursday and encouraged Hamas leader Ismail Haniya to calm the protests, an Egyptian official said.

United Nations envoy Nickolay Mladenov, in a tweet, also urged all sides "to exercise restraint, to proceed in a peaceful manner, and to avoid escalation".

On Wednesday, two rockets were fired from the Palestinian enclave at Israel, with one destroying a house in the southern city of Beersheba.

In response Israeli air strikes targeted around 20 Hamas targets in Gaza.
No deal: Jacob Rees-Mogg (PA)

Arch-Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg has said Brexiteer MPs would vote down a plan for Britain to extend the transition period when it leaves the European Union.

Rees-Mogg, who chairs the European Research Group of MPs that lobbies for a hard Brexit, called Theresa Mays plan to push back the deadline waffly.

The Prime Minister revealed yesterday that she is ready to consider an extension to the implementation period.

But, after being hit with a barrage of criticism over the idea, Mrs May later backpedalled on her statement, insisting the extension was an idea not a proposal.

Rees-Mogg told the Today Programme: If the government is saying to us we will pay 39bn plus, for the extension, 15bn or 16bn more per annum, and we dont have anything in return other than a waffly political declaration, I think that will be very hard to get through the House of Commons.

I think it will be very hard for anyone to justify to their constituents.

Pro-EU Conservatives march in London last month (PA)

The current plan for transition is a period of 21 months, until December 2020, in an effort to smooth Britains exit from the EU.

The EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier proposed last week that it could be extended until December 2021.

During this time the UK would still be bound by EU laws and would be obliged to pay into the EU budget.

Nigel Farage, who has campaigned against the stance taking by Mrs May in negotiations (PA)

The idea has prompted more Tory in-fighting over Europe.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt Jeremy Hunt has urged warring MPs to get behind Mrs Mays strategy.

He insisted this morning that the PM had not caved in to Brussels, in response to Iain Duncan Smith saying that negotiations were more like a capitulation than a negotiation.

The starkest language came from vocal backbencher Johnny Mercer, who used an interview with The House magazine to open fire on the leadership, calling the current situation a shit show.

He said if the party tore itself apart and let Jeremy Corbyn into office it would not be forgiven for a generation and wouldnt deserve to be.

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The chairwoman of the Treasury Committee Nicky Morgan the party had been put under existential strain by Brexit.

She said: I still believe that we absolutely can come back together after this, but its going to have to be because people want to do that, there are still many, many issues which unite us as Conservatives, but yes I think there are friendships and relationships that will never be healed from this in the party.




Despite the fact Spider-Man DIED in Avengers: Infinity War, Tom Holland turned up on Jimmy Kimmel to show off his new Spider-Man suit.

The set up involved Holland coming onto the show to retrieve his mask from Kimmels mate Guillermo, with the Marvel star getting a huge cheer when he took off the traffic cone he was wearing as a replacement mask (it was all a bit Partridge) and the audience realised they were seeing the real new suit.

Tom Holland reveals new suit for Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel

And, no, it wasnt made of dust. Its a darker outfit than we saw in Homecoming, which could suggest that Spidey comes back from the brink in a moodier place in Far From Home.

That would be in keeping with the Far From Home title, and the fact that superhero sequels tend to go darker. Could Far From Hom be The Dark Knight of Spider-movies?

Tom Holland paid a visit to Jimmy Kimmel in his brand new Spider-suit (YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel Live)

Well, probably not  it doesnt really work for the character to go bleak, so this is probably just a costume designer having some fun. Its nice to speculate though, isnt it?

First official look at Tom Holland in the new #SpiderMan suit from Far From Home. Looks so good, I love the new design. pic.twitter.com/CujO9g9ANd  Austin Grant (@AustinPlanet) October 19, 2018

Were getting this new look at the character, because filming has just wrapped in London. When asked if Far From Home would stay in high school, director Jon Watts had this to say last year, I think that would be a lot of fun. Theres still a lot of unexplored territory.

Tom Holland chased Guillermo in this bizarre Kimmel skit (YouTube/Jimmy Kimmel Live)

To deal with the fallout of Infinity War and be a junior in high school, I think sounds like a pretty good movie to me, Watts said.

As for the issues of how Spider-Man can appear in the movie when hes clogging up a vacuum cleaner in the MCU, Kevin Feige had this to say. Well, when does that movie take place? Feige pondered in an interview earlier this year. We know its the summer. I think its summer vacation. I think hes going to Europe with his friends. I dont know what summer I mean, I do know [but you dont].

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Spider-Man: Far From Home will land in UK cinemas on 5 July, 2019.





Read more

How Venom complicates the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Jake Gyllenhaal in talks to play Mysterio in Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel

Tom Holland Pays Tribute to Spider-Man Creator
By Ismail Sameem and Hamid Shalizi KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - General Abdul Razeq, one of Afghanistan's most powerful security commanders, was killed on Thursday in a shooting attack by a bodyguard that dealt a severe blow to the Afghan government ahead of parliamentary elections on Saturday, officials said. General Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan who had been at a meeting with Razeq and the governor of the southern province of Kandahar only moments earlier, was not injured in the attack. But Razeq, the Kandahar police commander, and the local head of the NDS intelligence service were both fatally wounded before the attacker was himself killed. Kandahar Governor Zalmay Wesa was severely wounded and contradictory reports about whether he had survived could not immediately be resolved. Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the assault, which decapitated the security command in one of the country's most strategically important and contested provinces. The Taliban said they said they had targeted both Miller and Razeq, who had a fearsome reputation as a ruthless foe of the Islamist insurgents in their southern Afghan heartland. Security officials had warned of likely attacks ahead of the election but the death of Razeq caused deep shock that officials fear may keep away voters, after Taliban warnings not to take part in what they consider a foreign-imposed ballot. "General Razeq's death will have a huge impact on security and the election in the south because a lot of voters may not feel safe to go to vote," said a senior security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Taliban released a picture of a young man in military-style uniform who they said was the attacker and Afghan officials identified him by the name of Gulbuddin. It remained unclear how the insurgents managed to infiltrate a gunman so close to such senior commanders. Officials said Razeq, Miller and the other officials were walking toward a landing zone as the helicopter taking the U.S. general's party back to Kabul approached to land when the gunman, who was waiting outside, opened fire on the group. "Provincial officials including the governor, the police chief and other officials were accompanying the foreign guests to the aircraft when the gunshots happened," said Said Jan Khakrezwal, the head of the provincial council. The attack underlined how precarious the situation remains in Afghanistan even after Taliban and U.S. officials have opened preliminary contacts aimed at establishing the basis for future peace talks. But a Pentagon spokesman said Washington remained committed to its strategy of maintaining heavy military pressure on the Taliban to force the insurgents to the negotiating table. "This attack will not change U.S. resolve in our South Asia strategy. If anything, it makes us more resolute," U.S. Defense Department spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner told Reuters. BODY ARMOR President Ashraf Ghani said a team led by the head of the NDS, Masoom Stanekzai, would be sent to Kandahar to bring the situation under control and investigate the incident, which sharply heightens security concerns around Saturday's election. At least two hand grenade explosions and sporadic gunfire from around the compound were also reported by officials, in a sign the attack was carefully coordinated. The three Afghan officials were all hit in the fusillade from the gunman and two Americans and a coalition contractor were hit in the crossfire. But Miller, who took command of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and the NATO-led Resolute Support mission last month, was not harmed. "The brutal police chief of Kandahar has been killed along several other officials," a Taliban statement said. A flamboyant commander, whose men wore badges bearing his name, Razeq had survived several attempts on his life over the years and narrowly escaped an attack last year in which five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates were killed in Kandahar. A U.S. Embassy official said eyewitness reports indicated that claims Miller was a target in the attack were false, but he gave no detail. Local officials said Miller appeared to have been saved by his body armor but there was no immediate confirmation from NATO headquarters. Razeq was criticized by human rights groups but highly respected by U.S. officers who saw him as one of Afghanistan's most effective commanders, largely responsible for keeping Kandahar under control. Although technically only a police commander, he was a powerful political figure in his own right and had clashed repeatedly with Ghani in the past, using his unchallenged position in Kandahar to resist attempts to sack him. A cameramen working for Afghanistan's RTA state television was also killed on Thursday, according to the director of the Afghanistan journalists center, Ahmad Quraishi. (Additional reporting by Rupam Jain and Abdul Qadir Sediqi in KABUL, Jibran Ahmad in PESHAWAR and Idrees Ali in WASHINGTON, Writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
NEW DELHI (AP)  A speeding train ran over a crowd watching fireworks during a religious festival in northern India on Friday evening, killing at least 60 people and injuring dozens more, police said. The train failed to stop after the accident on the outskirts of Amritsar, a city in Punjab state, said the state governing Congress party politician, Pratap Singh Bajwa. Railway police officer Sukhwinder Singh said Saturday morning that the death toll had risen to 60. Another 50 people have been injured and hospitalized. The Press Trust of India news agency said two trains arrived from the opposite direction on separate tracks at the same time, giving little opportunity for people to escape.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Tens of thousands of Afghan forces fanned out across the country as voting began Saturday in parliamentary elections that followed a campaign marred by relentless violence. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani marked his ballot at the start of voting. In a televised speech afterward, he congratulated Afghans on another election and praised the security forces, particularly the air force, for getting ballots to Afghanistan's remotest corners. He also reminded those elected to Parliament that they are there to serve the people and ensure the rule of law. The Independent Election Commission registered 8.8. million people. Wasima Badghisy, a commission member, called voters "very, very brave" and said a turnout of 5 million will be a success.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Afghanistan is holding parliamentary elections on Saturday despite deep security concerns and ongoing fighting in as many as 20 out of the country's 34 provinces. A look at the elections, the figures and key issues: ___ HOW MANY SEATS, HOW MANY CANDIDATES AND POLLING STATIONS? There are 2,565 candidates vying for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament, including 417 women candidates. Voters will be able to cast ballots at more than 19,000 polling stations in 33 provinces. Of those, the elections commission says as many as 11,667 polling stations are reserved for men and 7,429 for women, while 46 will serve Afghan nomads, known as Kochis, and 22 will serve minority Sikhs and Hindus.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  A brazen attack that the Taliban says targeted the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is a stark reminder of the formidable task the Trump administration faces as it tries to extricate America from its longest war. The commander, Army Gen. Scott Miller, escaped unharmed from Thursday's attack. Elections for the lower house of parliament are still expected to be held as scheduled Saturday in much of the country. And administration officials said U.S. resolve is unshaken. "We remain absolutely committed to an Afghan-led Afghan reconciliation," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters Friday on the sidelines of an Asian security conference in Singapore.

SINGAPORE (AP)  The United States and South Korea are scrapping another major military exercise this year, a Pentagon official said Friday, citing a push for diplomatic progress with North Korea. The top Pentagon spokeswoman, Dana W. White, said Washington and Seoul are suspending an air exercise known as Vigilant Ace "to give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue." It was the latest move aimed at trying to nudge North Korea, which despises such U.S.-South Korean exercises, into negotiating about giving up its nuclear weapons in a way that can be verified. Vigilant Ace is an annual exercise last held in December 2017.

TOKYO (AP)  European and Japanese space agencies say an Ariane 5 rocket has successfully lifted a spacecraft into orbit for a joint mission to Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. The European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency say the BepiColombo spacecraft successfully separated and was sent into orbit from French Guiana early Saturday to begin a seven-year journey to Mercury. The mission is complicated by the intense gravity pull of the sun, forcing the spacecraft to take an elliptical path that involves two fly-bys of Venus and six of Mercury itself. Once the spacecraft arrives in late 2025, it will release two probes that will independently investigate the surface and magnetic field of Mercury.

BEIJING (AP)  China reported economic growth sank to a post-global crisis low as finance officials launched a media blitz Friday to shore up confidence in its sagging stock market. Growth in the quarter that ended in September slipped to 6.5 percent over a year earlier from the previous quarter's 6.7 percent, official data showed. It was the slowest rate since early 2009. The world's second-largest economy already was cooling before a tariff war between Beijing and President Donald Trump erupted. Beijing tightened controls on lending last year to rein in a debt boom. That has weighed on housing sales and consumer spending.

LYON, France (AP)  The wife of the former Interpol president who is being detained in China on bribery charges says she's been contacted by Chinese diplomats, who have told her they're holding a letter from him for her. Grace Meng says, however, that she'll only agree to meet Chinese officials if a lawyer and reporters are present. She says Chinese officials haven't responded since she told them that condition. She says she also asked that the letter from her husband, Meng Hongwei, be given to French police, so they can give it to her. She has been living under French police protection in the French city of Lyon, where Interpol is headquartered, since she reported that her husband went missing while on a trip to China in late September.

UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The United Nations asked the government of Sri Lanka on Friday to immediately repatriate the commander of its 200-strong contingent assigned to the U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali following a review of his human rights background. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced Friday that the request for Lt. Col. Kalana Amunupure to leave the troubled West African nation was made "based on recently received information." He gave no details. A report in The Guardian newspaper in July quoted a confidential report that claimed the Sri Lanka commander in Mali  who was not named  is alleged to have committed war crimes during the finale of Sri Lanka's 26-year civil war against Tamil Tiger rebels that ended in 2009.

BRUSSELS (AP)  Europe and Asia presented a united front Friday in support of free trade based on international rules and cooperation, starkly underscoring their differences with U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" policy. That support for free trade "is the most important signal from this summit, especially valid in the current geopolitical context," EU Council President Donald Tusk said at the end of a two-day Europe-Asia summit in Brussels. The meeting comes at a time when Trump is increasingly distancing the United States from global organizations like the United Nations. Trump told the U.N. general assembly last month: "We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism." Those at the summit  30 European leaders, their counterparts from 21 Asian nations as well as top officials from the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations  have the economic clout to stand up to that kind of rhetoric from Trump.
Washington (AFP) - US National Security Advisor John Bolton will meet Saturday in Moscow with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, amid reports that Washington will tell Russia it plans to quit a landmark nuclear weapons treaty.

The visit comes ahead of what is expected to be a second summit between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump this year.

Bolton, who will also meet Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, announced the visit to Moscow in a tweet, saying he would "continue discussions that began in Helsinki," referring to a summit held in July.

The New York Times said the Trump administration plans to inform Russian leaders in the coming days that it is preparing to leave the three-decade-old Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF.

The newspaper said the US accuses Russia of violating the deal, signed in 1987 by president Ronald Reagan, by deploying tactical nuclear weapons to intimidate former Soviet satellite states that are now close to the West.

US-Russia ties are under deep strain over accusations that Moscow meddled in the 2016 presidential election, as well as tension over Russian support for the Syrian government in the country's civil war, and the conflict in Ukraine.

However, Washington is looking for support from Moscow in finding resolutions to the Syria war and putting pressure on both Iran and North Korea.

No new summit between Trump and Putin has been announced, but one is expected in the near future.

The two leaders will be in Paris on November 11 to attend commemorations marking the end of World War I.

A senior Trump administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said another potential date would be when the presidents both attend the Group of 20 meeting on November 30 to December 1.

"There are a couple possibilities, including the G20 in Buenos Aires or the Armistice Day parade in Paris. At the G20 is probably more likely," the official said.

"President Trump's invitation to Putin to visit Washington, DC still stands."
President Trump acknowledged Thursday that it "certainly looks" as though missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened "very severe" consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him. His warning came as the administration toughened its response to a disappearance that has sparked global outrage.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump reiterated his support for a Montana congressman who body-slammed a reporter last year, even as he came under criticism on Friday from U.S. lawmakers and press organizations. Trump's praise for Greg Gianforte, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives who pleaded guilty to an assault charge for the incident involving the reporter, coincides with an international outcry over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "Any guy that can do a body-slam, he's my guy," Trump told a political rally in Missoula, Montana on Thursday night, referring to Gianforte. Trump has been holding frequent rallies before the Nov. 6 U.S. congressional elections in which Trump's fellow Republicans seek to retain control of the House and Senate. Gianforte body-slammed Ben Jacobs, a correspondent for Britain's Guardian newspaper, in May 2017, the day before a special election to fill Montana's only House seat. Gianforte, who is running for re-election, pleaded guilty. On Friday, asked whether he regretted praising Gianforte amid the Khashoggi controversy, Trump said he did not. "That was a different league, a different world ... Greg is a tremendous person. He's a tough cookie," Trump told reporters. Trump drew rebukes from several lawmakers including U.S. Senators Jeff Flake, a Republican, and Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, as well as Gianforte's Democratic opponent Kathleen Williams, and from the spokeswoman for the United Kingdom's prime minister. "In dictatorships, they don't have freedom of speech. They do attack reporters. They do body-slam reporters. We should not be encouraging that in the United States. We should be the beacon of freedom," Leahy told CNN, and called Trump's comments "terrible" and "irresponsible." Theresa May's spokeswoman told reporters on Friday: "He obviously made comments at a political rally, and those are for him. But more generally we would always say that any violence or intimidation against a journalist is completely unacceptable." Trump has frequently criticized journalists, calling the news media the "enemy of the American people" and deriding some news organizations as "fake news." Olivier Knox, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, accused Trump of "cheerleading for a violent act targeting a free and independent news media" in a statement. But some dismissed the criticism. Rep. Steve Scalise, a House Republican leader and a victim of a shooting last year, said in a tweet: "President Trump was clearly ribbing Congressman Gianforte for last year's incident ... He was not encouraging his supporters to engage in attacks." (Reporting by Makini Brice; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington and William James in London; Editing by Will Dunham and James Dalgleish)
Washington (AFP) - The United States has never been especially consistent in raising human rights, but President Donald Trump's administration, with its kid-glove treatment of Saudi Arabia, has sent a message clearer than ever before -- allies need not worry about criticism.

Since journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, President Donald Trump has cast doubt on widespread reports that the writer was killed and praised the kingdom for launching its own investigation.

Both Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited Riyadh on Tuesday, said they found reasons not to risk ties with the oil-rich monarchy, including its role as the biggest foreign buyer of US weapons and its support for the US campaign against regional rival Iran.

"All administrations and, frankly, all governments suffer from the need to sequence and decide when they focus on national security, when they focus on human rights, when they combine the two and use the leverage to address the one versus the other," said Sarah Margon, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch.

Under former president Barack Obama, human rights at least came up rhetorically and issues such as approval of arms sales were considered pressure points to influence governments, she said.

"But Trump and his cabinet officials have just dropped the pretense completely and they've made it clear that the primary interest is American sovereignty and America's short-term economic and security concerns," Margon said.

- 'Openly embracing dictators' -

Rob Berschinski, who worked on human rights in the Obama administration and is now senior vice president for policy at Human Rights First, said that Trump's message was even more unsettling in that he has embraced leaders with dire records on how they treat their citizens, such as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

"From trying to eliminate funding for foreign assistance aimed at promoting democracy and human rights, to openly embracing dictators, to calling journalists 'enemies of the state,' President Trump has made clear that he believes that there is no benefit to the United States in being seen as a force for good in the world," Berschinski said.

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One of the few areas on which the administration has aggressively supported human rights is religious freedom, an issue dear to Vice President Mike Pence and conservative Christians who are politically crucial to Trump.

Trump placed sanctions on Turkey over its detention of an American pastor, Andrew Brunson, who was welcomed to the White House after his release last week. But the United States has spoken little of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, whose rulers impose an austere form of Islam and prohibit the public practice of other faiths.

The lower focus on human rights is no spontaneous shift. Near the start of the Trump administration, the State Department's then director of policy planning Brian Hook wrote a leaked memo saying that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rise of China and the troubled Arab Spring had lowered hopes for bringing change.

"In the case of US allies such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines, the administration is fully justified in emphasizing good relations for a variety of important reasons, including counter-terrorism, and in honestly facing up to the difficult tradeoffs with regard to human rights," Hook wrote to then secretary of state Rex Tillerson.

"It is not as though human rights practices will be improved if anti-American radicals take power in those countries. Moreover, this would be a severe blow to our vital interests," he wrote.

- Still vocal against adversaries -

Hook now heads the State Department campaign to pressure Iran, considered enemy number one for the Trump administration.

The Trump team on a near-daily basis attacks Iran over its treatment of its citizens and also takes the clerical regime to task over its military involvements around the Middle East.

The United States even recently denounced Iran's record on the environment -- a curious focus for an administration not known for its interest in conservation.

As relations sour with China, largely over trade, the United States has also opened a new front by denouncing China over its sweeping detentions of Uighur Muslims and other religious minorities.

But human rights have taken a backburner when it comes to North Korea, improving relations with which Trump considers a signature foreign policy triumph.

Rights groups consider North Korea one if not the most draconian regime in the word, with a 2014 UN study finding that Pyongyang imprisons 80,000 to 120,000 political prisoners in four large camps where they face deliberate starvation.

While an annual human rights report at the State Department continues to document North Korea's record, Pompeo has made clear that he is only focusing on the state's nuclear, missile and other military programs in his diplomacy with Kim Jong Un, who met Trump for a landmark summit in June.

Richard Haass, the president of the influential Council on Foreign Relations, recently tweeted: "At some point an amoral foreign policy becomes an immoral foreign policy.

"US foreign policy under (Trump) has reached such a point."
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host a summit on the Syria conflict with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France on October 27 in Istanbul, his spokesman said Friday.

The summit will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as French and German leaders Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said, cited by the state-run Anadolu news agency.

It will seek efforts to find a "long-lasting solution" to the Syria conflict as well as the situation in the last major Syrian rebel-held bastion of Idlib, Kalin said.

Erdogan had previously planned to host the international summit in September, but it did not take place then.

Syrian regime-ally Russia and rebel supporter Turkey announced an agreement on September 17 to create a demilitarised buffer zone ringing the Idlib region, home to three million people.

The deal to create a 15-20 kilometre-wide zone came after a flurry of activity as Turkey sought to avoid an assault by Damascus and a further influx of people across its border.

According to the deal, the zone would separate rebel and regime zones under the supervision of the two sponsor countries.

It gave opposition and jihadist fighters until October 10 to clear the buffer zone of any heavy weapons.

James Jeffrey, Washington's special representative on Syria, hailed Wednesday the Russian-Turkish deal as a "major step" that has "frozen" the country's devastating seven-year war.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Friday widened the investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi after his visit to the Saudi consulate, searching a forest in the city and interviewing the mission's staff.

Ankara denied giving any audio recording to US officials from the investigation about Khashoggi, a former royal insider who moved to the United States after becoming a critic of the current House of Saud leadership.

US President Donald Trump acknowledged that Khashoggi was likely dead, even as his fate remained unclear 17 days after he vanished.

Pro-government Turkish media have repeatedly claimed that Khashoggi was tortured and decapitated by a Saudi hit squad inside the consulate, although Turkey has yet to divulge details about the investigation.

But the controversy has already put the kingdom -- for decades a key Western ally and bulwark against Iran in the Middle East -- under unprecedented pressure amid reports it is scrambling to provide an explanation to take the heat off its rulers.

It is also a major crisis for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a favourite of the Trump administration who has portrayed himself as a modernising Arab reformer, but whose image and even position at home could now be gravely undermined.

Close ally the United Arab Emirates warned on Friday the controversy should not be exploited to "destabilise" Saudi Arabia.

- Turkish employees testifying -

Fifteen staff, all Turkish nationals, were testifying Friday at the chief prosecutor's office, state-run news agency Anadolu said. It has been reported Turkish employees were given the day off on October 2, the day Khashoggi disappeared.

Among those giving statements inside Istanbul's main courthouse were the consulate driver, technicians, accountants and receptionists.

Istanbul's Belgrad forest became a target of the investigation after police focused on the vehicles which had left the consulate on the day Khashoggi disappeared, NTV television reported. At least one vehicle is suspected to have gone to the forest.

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The forest, a vast area and sufficiently remote for even locals to regularly get lost there, is nearly 15 kilometres (over nine miles) from the consulate.

Investigators already conducted two searches of the consulate and a nine-hour search of the consul's residence this week.

Pro-government daily Sabah on Friday published new CCTV images of some of the Saudi team arriving in Istanbul and reported that two of the men landed in the city on October 1.

Previously, local media said the 15 men arrived in Turkey on October 2 on two private planes.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu did not reveal probe details but promised to share information in due course "in a transparent manner".

"It is out of the question for us to share this or that information with any country," he said.

- 'No tape given' -

The key potential piece of evidence in the investigation is an alleged audio tape whose existence has been reported by pro-government media. They say it proves Khashoggi was tortured and then killed.

ABC News on Thursday quoted an unnamed Turkish official saying US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heard the audio tape and was shown a transcript of the recording during his visit to Ankara.

But Pompeo said he had neither "seen" nor "heard" a tape and had not read a transcript while in Ankara where he met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Cavusoglu.

Cavusoglu on Friday also denied the claims and said it was "out of the question for Turkey to give any kind of audio tape to Pompeo or any other US official".

Trump said he now believed Khashoggi was dead and warned of "very severe" consequences should Riyadh be proven responsible.

- US gives Saudi more time -

The New York Times reported that Saudi leaders could blame General Ahmed al-Assiri, a top intelligence official close to the crown prince.

Previously US media said Saudis were preparing a report that Khashoggi's death resulted from a botched interrogation.

As Washington seeks to avoid a long-term rupture with its ally Riyadh, Pompeo told Trump the Saudis should be given "a few more days to complete" an official probe.

The furore has also blown a huge hole in next week's Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh. It was meant to showcase Prince Mohammed's plans for reform but has now been hit by a stream of big name cancellations including US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

But the UAE state minister for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted that Abu Dhabi was "firmly" opposed to "politicisation (of the case) and efforts to destabilise Saudi Arabia."
By Jeff Mason and Orhan Coskun

WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday he presumes missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be "very severe" but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.

Turkish police are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for the remains of Khashoggi more than two weeks after he vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters.

Trump, who has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and the 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, had likely been killed.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One on a political trip. In an interview with the New York Times on Thursday, Trump based his acknowledgment that Khashoggi was dead on intelligence reports.

Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate and his body chopped up and removed. Riyadh strongly denies the allegations and said it is investigating the disappearance of the journalist, who was critical of Saudi rulers, calling for reforms.

Trump spoke hours after receiving an update from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the results of Pompeo's emergency talks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week.

In the New York Times interview, Trump also expressed confidence in intelligence reports that suggest a high-level Saudi role in the suspected killing of Khashoggi. Trump said, however, it was still "a little bit early" to draw definitive conclusions about who may have been behind it.

Pompeo told reporters that he advised Trump that Saudi Arabia should be given a few more days to complete its investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi, which has caused an international outcry and strained Saudi relations with western countries and corporations.

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Trump said he was waiting for the results so that "we can get to the bottom of this very soon" and that he would be making a statement about it at some point.

Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: "Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens."

The United States considers Riyadh a linchpin in efforts to contain Iran's regional influence and a key global oil source, and Trump has shown no inclination to mete out harsh punishment to the Saudis. The United States and other Western nations are in a dilemma of how to respond because of lucrative business ties, including weapons sales to Riyadh.

Referring to the Saudis, Pompeo said he told Trump that when the Saudi investigation was completed "we can make decisions about how - or if - the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

By casting doubt on whether the United States will respond at all, Pompeo reflected the internal struggle among Trump and his national security advisers on what to do should the Saudi leadership be blamed for what happened to Khashoggi.

"I think it's important for us all to remember, too - we have a long, since 1932, a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Pompeo told reporters, also calling Saudi Arabia "an important counterterrorism partner."

A U.S. government source said that U.S. intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced of the crown prince's culpability in the operation against Khashoggi, which they believe resulted in his death.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin abandoned plans to attend an Oct. 23-25 investor conference in Riyadh as did executives from Goldman Sachs Group Inc., putting the high-profile event in question.

"This incident is unacceptable and clearly they have to answer questions specifically regarding this incident," Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told CNBC.

Earlier on Thursday, senior government ministers from France, Britain and the Netherlands also withdrew from the Riyadh conference, joining a list of international officials and business executives.

How Western allies deal with Riyadh will hinge on the extent to which they believe responsibility for Khashoggi's disappearance lies with Prince Mohammed and the Saudi authorities.

Trump previously speculated without providing evidence that "rogue killers" could be responsible.

POLICE SEARCH FOREST, RURAL LOCATION

After investigations at the Saudi consulate and the consul's residence, Turkish authorities have widened the geographic focus of the search, the senior Turkish officials said. Investigators tracked the routes and stops of cars that left those two places on Oct. 2, the officials said.

Khashoggi's killers may have dumped his remains in Belgrad Forest adjacent to Istanbul, and at a rural location near the city of Yalova, a 90-kilometre (55 mile) drive south of Istanbul, the officials said.

"The investigations led to some suspicion that his remains may be in the city of Yalova and the Belgrad forest, police have been searching these areas," one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A "farm house or villa" may have been used for the disposal of remains, the official said.

The pro-government Sabah newspaper published a series of photos of a man it identified as someone who travels with the Saudi crown prince. The time-stamped photos showed the man outside the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul on the morning Khashoggi disappeared, Sabah said.

Khashoggi went to the consulate seeking documents for his planned marriage to his Turkish fiancee, who was waiting outside, and was never seen again.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Washington and Orhan Coskun in Ankara; Additional reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun, Umit Ozdal, Yesim Dikmen and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Istanbul, John Irish and Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris, Bart Meijer in Amsterdam, Alistair Smout and Kylie MacLellan in London and Susan Heavey and Yara Bayoumy in Washington; Writing by Daren Butler, Stephen Kalin, Steve Holland and Mary Milliken; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Will Dunham, Grant McCool)
(ISTANBUL)  A Turkish official said Friday that investigators are looking into the possibility that the remains of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been taken to a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul or to another city  if and after he was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

The official told The Associated Press that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the consulate, left the building on Oct. 2  the day Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

One of the vehicles traveled to the nearby Belgrade Forest while the other traveled to the city of Yalova, across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the secrecy of the ongoing investigation.

It was not immediately clear if police had already searched the areas.

Turkish reports say Khashoggi was brutally murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Prince Mohammeds rise to power.

President Donald Trump, who first came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but had since has backed off, said Thursday that it certainly looks as though Khashoggi is dead, and that the consequences for the Saudis will have to be very severe if they are found to have killed him.

Saudi Arabia has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press over recent days over Khashoggis disappearance.

On Friday, Turkeys pro-government Sabah newspaper printed more surveillance camera photographs allegedly showing members of a Saudi team that was brought in to Turkey to dispose of Khashoggi.

A leaked surveillance photo published by the same paper on Thursday showed that a member of Prince Mohammeds entourage during several trips abroad had walked into the Saudi consulate, just before the writer disappeared there on Oct. 2.

The man, identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, has been photographed in the background of Prince Mohammeds trips to the United States, France and Spain this year.

This week, Turkish crime-scene investigators searched the Saudi consul generals residence in Istanbul and carried out a second search of the consulate itself. Authorities have not said specifically what they found, although technicians carried out bags and boxes from the consul generals home. He left Turkey on Tuesday.
Saint Petersburg (AFP) - Two people died and several more were injured on Friday in an explosion at a fireworks factory outside Russia's second largest city of Saint Petersburg, regional authorities said.

"The explosion took place at the Avangard factory in Gatchina," a town 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of Saint Petersburg, the regional authorities' health committee said.

"Two people died and several people were injured according to preliminary information."

Conflicting sources put the number of injured as between three and six people, including a 13-year-old girl who was hospitalised after breathing in fumes from the fire that broke out after the explosion.

The regional Investigative Committee launched a criminal probe into breaches of safety rules at the factory.
By Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali SINGAPORE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea have suspended upcoming joint air defense drills to give diplomatic efforts with North Korea "every opportunity to continue," the U.S. military said on Friday. The Pentagon said the decision to suspend Exercise Vigilant Ace, which had been scheduled for December, was taken by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, who met in Singapore on Friday. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement that the decision had been taken to "give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue." "Both ministers are committed to modifying training exercises to ensure the readiness of our forces. They pledged to maintain close coordination and evaluate future exercises," White said. She added that Mattis had spoken with his Japanese counterpart as well on the issue. The two Koreas have held three summits this year. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also held an unprecedented summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, where the leaders promised to work toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Vigilant Ace is one of several exercises that have been suspended since the summit to encourage dialogue aimed at getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Last year, Vigilant Ace had more than 230 aircraft, including six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, and around 12,000 U.S. service members. Trump caught many U.S. officials off guard earlier this year when he announced after his summit with Kim that the United States was suspending the summers joint military drills with South Korea, known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian. "If we continue to suspend the major exercises, our military capacity will begin to atrophy," said Abraham Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia under President Barack Obama. Denmark said the U.S. military could likely tolerate the suspension of major exercises for about a year before serious challenges to military readiness and capability. Last month, the Pentagon's pick to be the new commander of U.S. forces in South Korea said the decision to suspend some joint exercises between South Korea and the United States was a "prudent risk" but had caused a "slight degradation" in military readiness. Denmark said joint exercises were particularly important as a new commander, U.S. Army General Robert Abrams, takes charge of U.S. forces in South Korea. Washington and Seoul both publicly insist they are on the same page about dealing with Pyongyang. But behind the scenes, there are growing signs of disagreement as South and North Korea forge ahead with plans to defuse military tensions and rebuild economic ties. "The U.S. continues to make these major, substantive concessions and the North Koreans continue to drag out any sort of diplomatic process towards denuclearization," Denmark said. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by John Stonestreet and Alistair Bell)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A U.S. student's court victory against the Israeli government's attempt to bar her from the country may prove only a short reprieve in the "battle" over a law targeting some pro-Palestinian activists, one of her lawyers said on Friday. Lara Alqasem, 22, was allowed out of Tel Aviv airport on Thursday after Israel's Supreme Court overturned her Oct. 2 detention there on suspicion of being active in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement - charges she denied. The case has touched off a debate in Israel over whether democratic values were compromised by the 2017 law that bars the entry of foreigners who publicly support boycotts of Israel over its policies toward the Palestinians. Israel's government slammed the Supreme Court ruling as short-sighted. But a lawyer for Alqasem, who is of Palestinian descent and a former president of a small local chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine group at the University of Florida, hailed the ruling as "an incredible day for Israeli democracy". "We're celebrating, but yesterday was an intermission and the battle goes on," the lawyer, Leora Bechor, told Reuters. Bechor said Israeli legislators appeared poised to draft even tougher laws against suspected pro-Palestinian boycotters. "The court decision rules that thought-policing has zero place in Israeli democracy. Unfortunately, the court decision fell on deaf ears," she said. Alqasem, who was due to enroll for a year-long master's program at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, voiced relief, in a brief statement issued by her lawyers, at being let into Israel. Some BDS activists say they aim to promote Palestinian rights. Others advocate Israel's elimination. Israel describes BDS as anti-Semitic. Gilad Erdan, one of the Israeli security cabinet ministers charged with implementing the anti-boycotter law, suggested that Alqasem's studies at an Israeli university were no guarantee against future BDS activity. "We will examine the legal criteria in order to ensure that the original intent of the law is maintained," he tweeted in response to the Supreme Court ruling. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Gareth Jones)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations has asked Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate a commander serving in the peacekeeping force in Mali following allegations that he was linked to atrocities committed during Sri Lanka's war with Tamil Tigers.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday that the request to send Lieutenant Colonel Kalana Priyankara Lankamithra Amunupure home was made following "a review of the human rights background of the commander."

The commander of Sri Lanka's contingent in the MINUSMA peacekeeping force was screened before he was sent to Mali but "new information recently came to light," Dujarric said, without providing details.

Sri Lankan forces crushed the Tamil Tigers in a no-holds-barred military offensive that ended their long-running guerilla war in May 2009, leaving more than 100,000 people dead.

In the final months of the war, Sri Lankan forces are accused of killing up to 40,000 Tamil civilians.

The expelled commander is said to have led Sri Lankan special forces in operations against Tamil civilians during the brutal, closing chapter of the war.

The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), a South Africa-based non-governmental organization that documents mass atrocities from Sri Lanka's war, in April sent to the United Nations a list of 56 Sri Lankans who should be barred from peacekeeping.

The ITJP charged that UN officials had failed to properly vet Sri Lankan troops for peacekeeping.

The 56 officers and other personnel were either alleged perpetrators or were involved in frontline combat in the final stages of the war, when crimes were committed by security force units.

Dujarric said UN officials were working with the Sri Lankan government and the country's human rights commission to set up an "effective domestic screening process."

The United Nations has 15,000 troops and police serving in the peace mission in Mali, which began in 2013 and is considered one of the UN's most challenging operations.

Sri Lanka has deployed about 200 troops in MINUSMA and has sent smaller contingents to UN peace operations in Lebanon and in the Central African Republic.
Upstate by Tema Stauffer Rivers edge, Hudson, N.Y., 2017. ( Tema Stauffer from the book Upstate published by Daylight Books)

Combining poetic landscapes and interiors with portraiture, American fine art photographer Tema Stauffer explores the visually and historically complex community, culture and architecture of one of the oldest regions in America in her new monograph, Upstate (Daylight Books, October 2018). The city of Hudson, on the shores of the upper Hudson River, was the first American city to be chartered after the American Revolution. Incorporated in 1785 to honor Dutch explorer Henry Hudson, it developed rapidly as a thriving whaling and merchant seaport.

After an economic downturn in the early 19th century, Hudsons economy rose during the middle of the century thanks to heavy industries such as iron factories and mills. The Hudson River School  a mid-19th century art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters that included Thomas Cole and Frederic Edwin Church  portrayed the natural beauty of pastoral landscape in the Hudson Valley and themes of discovery, exploration and settlement.

In the 20th century, Hudsons economy suffered during the Great Depression; factories closed and manufacturing were jobs lost. In recent decades, Hudson has experienced new economic growth, revitalization and transformation as a result of the arrival of newcomers from larger cities.

Stauffers Upstate photographs, shot on color film and exquisitely bathed in natural light, lyrically depict ordinary houses, front porches, decaying barns, ruined factories, parked cars, winter branches and evocative landscapes, along with compelling portraits of local residents. Some of her photographs reveal a melancholic atmosphere that permeates the Hudson Valley, where the past still resonates. Others evoke a quiet beauty and mystery emanating from the architecture and artifacts reflecting the industrial era, the rural setting of upstate New York and the shifting economic conditions over time.

In many ways, the ups and downs of Hudsons cultural and economic landscape reflect the experiences of dozens of other post-industrial cities all across America.

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Tema Stauffer is a photographer whose work examines the social, economic and cultural landscape of American spaces. Her work has been exhibited at Sasha Wolf and Daniel Cooney galleries in New York as well as at international galleries and institutions including the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Her work has been included in numerous print and online publications, including the New York Times, the Chicago Reader and the Village Voice. In 2010, she was awarded an AOL 25 for 25 grant for innovation in the arts for her work as an artist, curator and writer. She received third prize in the Photo Review Competition 2012 and was a finalist for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013. She was also the recipient of the 2012 Women in Photography  LTI/Lightside Individual Project Grant and a 2014 CCNY Darkroom Residency for her documentary portrait series Paterson, depicting residents of Paterson, N.J., during the years following the economic crisis. She received her BA from Oberlin College and her masters degree in photography from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Stauffer is an assistant professor of photography at East Tennessee State University.

There will be an Upstate book signing and reading Oct. 24 at Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University. The exhibition runs Oct. 22-Dec. 14.

Photography by Tema Stauffer

See more news-related photo galleries and follow us on Yahoo News Photo Twitter and Tumblr.
Washington (AFP) - The United States downgraded its main diplomatic mission to the Palestinians on Thursday, placing it under the authority of the US embassy to Israel.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the consulate general, a separate office which handled dealings with the Palestinians, would be replaced by a new Palestinian Affairs Unit inside the controversial new US embassy in Jerusalem.

The move will make the US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who is reviled by Palestinians over his support for Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the main interlocutor with the Palestinian leadership.

The change, quickly condemned by the Palestinians, follows a series of setbacks for them at the hands of President Donald Trump, who has turned US policy sharply towards Israel.

Pro-Israel advocates hailed the decision, saying it confirmed the US recognized the whole of Jerusalem as part of Israel.

"This decision is driven by our global efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations. It does not signal a change of US policy," Pompeo said in a statement.

He said the United States "continues to take no position" on how any peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians would take shape.

- 'Unprecedented' -

The Palestinian leadership rejected Pompeo's "efficiency" explanation.

The decision has "a lot to do with pleasing an ideological US team that is willing to disband the foundations of American foreign policy, and of the international system, in order to reward Israeli violations and crimes," the Palestinians' chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

"The Trump administration is part of the problem, not part of the solution," he added.

International powers have for decades maintained separate and autonomous representations to Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of supporting the eventual creation of an independent Palestinian state.

They have insisted that the status of Jerusalem, which both the Israelis and Palestinians see as their capital, should be negotiated between the parties as part of any end deal.

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Last December, Trump reversed longstanding US policy and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, prompting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to boycott his administration.

The embassy was officially transferred on May 14.

Since then, the Trump administration has forced the Palestinians to shutter their Washington mission and has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars in aid, in a bid to force them to the negotiating table.

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, alongside Friedman and peace envoy Jason Greenblatt, has been working for months on a still-secret peace proposal, which Palestinians fear will be overly one-sided toward Israel.

The move Thursday nearly closes off all direct diplomatic contacts between the United States and the Palestinians, analysts said.

Ofer Zalzberg of the International Crisis Group think-tank said the US would be the only major power without a separate, independent representative office for the Palestinians.

"Other countries have gone to great lengths to avoid having the same representatives to Israel and the Palestinian Authority," he told AFP.

Robert Danin, a former senior US government official dealing with Israeli-Palestinian issues, said the move was a victory for "hard right partisans" who have sought to eliminate the Palestinian-focused consulate general "for decades."

The consulate general "is THE eyes and ears into Palestinian politics and society. Its independence from US Embassy Israel provided Washington w/solid, unvarnished reporting and analysis," he said on Twitter.

But Eugene Kontorovich, a law professor with the Jerusalem-based Kohelet Policy Forum and advocate for the embassy move, said the decision was more evidence the US considered Jerusalem to be fully part of Israel.

"This step confirms that the US recognizes the entire city as Israel's capital," he said.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert defended the move, saying the new Palestinian Affairs Unit inside the embassy would maintain contacts with Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem at the same level as before the change.

"We value our relationship with the Palestinian people. We look forward to continued partnership and dialogue with them and, we hope in future, with the Palestinian leadership," she said via Twitter.
Washington (AFP) - US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and senior ministers from Europe on Thursday pulled out of an investment conference in Saudi Arabia, deepening the kingdom's isolation amid an uproar over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Officials from some of Saudi Arabia's leading Western allies joined a slew of corporate bigwigs who are now shunning next week's gathering, touted as a high-powered showcase for the economic reforms of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In an announcement that sent stocks tumbling on Wall Street, Mnuchin said he had decided with President Donald Trump that he would "not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia."

The decision was given in a terse tweet after Trump and Mnuchin were briefed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has just returned from Saudi Arabia and Turkey to probe for answers over the journalist's disappearance in Istanbul.

Mnuchin gave no explanation. But Britain and France -- which like the United States are leading suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia -- made clear their disquiet over Khashoggi's fate as they yanked their own representation at the Riyadh conference.

"We have taken this decision in a coordinated manner among Europeans," President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels.

"It is what's required in the short term, taking account of the gravity of the facts, in the absence of (Saudi) clarification," he said, after French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire confirmed he was staying away from Riyadh.

British International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said "the time is not right" to go to the Saudi capital for the October 23-25 conference, dubbed "Davos in the Desert."

- Holding to account -

Khashoggi, who was living in self-imposed exile in the United States where he contributed to the Washington Post, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

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Turkish media report that he was killed and dismembered inside the consulate by a hit squad which arrived from Riyadh -- claims denied by the Saudi government.

"The UK remains very concerned about Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance," a British government spokesperson said in a statement, insisting that the Saudis abide by their pledge to carry out a full and transparent investigation.

"Those bearing responsibility for his disappearance must be held to account."

The Netherlands said Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra was no longer going to the conference, and that it was also canceling a planned trade mission to Saudi in December.

Working with the EU and other partners, the Dutch government would "look at ways international concerns about Khashoggi could be addressed", Foreign Minister Stef Blok said.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde already pulled out of the conference this week along with several Western business leaders and media groups.

But while withholding judgment on the case, Trump and Pompeo in recent days have stressed the depth of US-Saudi cooperation in financial and counterterrorism matters stretching back for almost a century.

burs-jit/ft
On the loose  a black panther is thought to be on the loose in Scotland (Picture: Getty)

Police have warned people in two villages to look out for a black panther on the loose.

Police Scotland said they received a report of a suspected sighting of the panther in fields near the B730 road between the villages of Drongan and Coalhall, East Ayrshire, at around 8.45am on Friday.

Officers are trying to track down the animal and a police helicopter has been drafted in to help with the search, as well as an animal expert to confirm the identity of the big cat, which could be injured.

The force said: Residents in Drongan and Coalhall are being advised by officers to be vigilant after a report has been received of a sighting of what is believed to be a black panther in the fields near to the B730 between the two villages.

It added: Officers are currently working to locate the animal which may be injured.

The area is popular with dog walkers so care should be taken and if anyone sees the animal we would ask you not to approach it, but to contact Police via 101 quoting incident number 0780 of Friday 19 October 2018.

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A spokeswoman said a thorough search of the area had been carried out on Friday morning but they had not been able to trace the animal.

Alistair Hill, animal rescue officer at animal welfare charity the Scottish SPCA said they had liaised with Police Scotland but would not be getting involved as they are unequipped to deal with big cats.
Its almost time to do your patriotic duty and cast your vote. But if you think youre going to have trouble getting to the polls on Election Day, have no fear  absentee ballots are available.

Since 2004, the number of citizens voting early has been steadily increasing. According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, absentee ballots made up 17% of the votes cast in 2016.

All 50 states will mail an absentee ballot to certain voters who request one. The keyword here is certain: 20 states require voters have an excuse to vote by absentee ballot.

Here are some of the most common reasons people need to vote by mail:

Absent from polling site on Election Day

Member of the armed forces

Temporarily living outside the U.S.

Fallen ill

Physical disability

Oregon and Washington are the only states where voters cast their ballots entirely by mail.

Colorado automatically sends absentee ballots to all residents; if these are returned, citizens are able to cast their vote at polling stations.

But dont delay: All absentee ballots need to be mailed by Oct. 30.

However you plan to do it  just vote.
Long Island resident Ronald DeRisi, 74, was arrested Friday and charged with threatening to assault and murder two U.S. senators over their support for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Starting in late September, the man allegedly left more than 10 threatening voicemails at the offices of two unidentified senators about Kavanaughs nomination and confirmation, according to a Department of Justice release. The expletive-laced messages initially warned the lawmakers not to support the nomination, and later admonished at least one of them for doing so.

Late last month, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh had tried to rape her in high school. Two other women also came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct. After weeks of hearings, protests and Senate fights, Kavanaugh was confirmed on Oct. 6. in a 50-48 vote, with every Republican but one (Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski) supporting him, and every Democrat but one (West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin) opposing him.

In one voicemail, the suspect allegedly spoke of Kavanaugh and described a present he had for one senator: a 9 mm, apparently referring to a gun. In a voicemail for the other senator, he said you better pray this guy dont get in, and followed up with another message saying, Im gonna get you.

Law enforcement authorities identified the suspect through phone records and voice samples, according to the Justice Department release. He was scheduled to appear in court later on Friday.

Representative democracy cannot work if elected officials are threatened with death for simply doing their job, New York District Attorney Richard Donoghue said in the release. The First Amendment  the pinnacle of American achievement  protects debate, disagreement and dissent, not death threats.

In June, a Maryland teen was indicted on charges of threatening to murder Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) on the day of the nationwide gun control rally March for Our Lives.

Story continues

Related Coverage

Watch Christine Blasey Ford Give Her Powerful Testimony On Brett Kavanaugh

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Brett Kavanaugh Confirmed To Supreme Court As Senate Rejects Me Too Movement

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Harare (AFP) - An inquiry probing the killing of six people after soldiers opened fire on post-election protesters in Zimbabwe will summon police and the army to appear before it, an official said Friday.

Kgalema Motlanthe, the former president of South Africa and the commission chairman, said the military and police would give evidence next month.

"We will be hearing from the army and the police," Motlanthe told a news conference in the capital Harare where the killings occurred on August 1.

"We will ask all pertinent questions and expect to get pertinent answers," he said.

Motlanthe was appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to lead a seven-member team to investigate the killings.

The deaths occurred after protesters took to the streets accusing the country's electoral commission of delaying the announcement of results for the July 30 general election.

Mngangagwa succeeded long-time ruler Robert Mugabe who was ousted in November 2017 following a brief military takeover.

This week, several witnesses, including relatives of the deceased, gave their testimony.

Elizabeth Rubinstein, sister of one of the victims, Gavin Dean Charles, called for justice.

"I find what happened to him was brutal and it... (caused) indescribable pain to my family. The perpetrators should face justice," a sobbing Rubinstein said in her evidence to the inquiry.

She said her unemployed brother was hoping to get a job after Mugabe's ouster.

"He just wanted a better life. He was harmless, and to be shot twice, unarmed. The pain has been indescribable. My mum is not well, she had a stroke (and) she is not aware of his death. If we tell her it will kill her," she said.

Some of the relatives want the government to compensate the victims' families.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), the main opposition party has vowed not to take part in the inquiry calling it a "circus" and a "big sham".

"The actual issue is supposed to be on how soldiers ended up in the streets, firing live ammunition at unarmed civilians," MDC said in a statement on Thursday.

The commission has three months to complete its investigations and report back to the president.
The candidates

Dan Newhouse

 Age: 63.

 Party: Republican.

 Occupation: Politician and farmer. He previously served as director of the state Department of Agriculture from 2009-2014.

 Education: Bachelors degree in agricultural economics from Washington State University.

 Previously held office and volunteer work: U.S. House of Representatives, 2015 to present; state House of Representatives, 2003-2009.

 Website: www.dannewhouse.com.

Christine Brown

 Age: 68.

 Party: Democrat.

 Occupation: Journalist. Most recently she worked at KNDU/KNDO TV from 1989 to 2014. She also worked at KAPP-TV from 1983 to 1987.

 Education: Bachelors degree in recreation from Central Washington University.

 Previously held office and volunteer work: Served as a guardian ad litem, a person appointed by a court to recommend the best course of action for a child. Shes been on the board for several local and regional organizations including the Greater Yakima Chamber of Commerce and Campfire USA.

 Website: www.christinebrownforcongress.com.
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Despite the official call of the "March of Return" campaign's organizing committee to attend the weekly Gaza border riots, Hamas is expected to tone down the display of violence in comparison to last week's demonstrations, according to Palestinian sources.

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The sources added that talks held with Egyptian intelligence heads and Israel's warning that further escalation in the strip would force it to launch a military campaign in Gaza, would prompt the terror organization to curb the violent skirmishes.

Video calling Palestinians to attend "March of Return" riots

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Meanwhile, the Hamas-led committee organizing the riots released a video marking the 30th week since the "March of Return" campaign was launched with the slogan: "Together Gaza rises up and the West Bank unites."

The video calls the Palestinians to attend Friday's riots in droves.

Israeli decision-makers believe that restraining the clashes along the border fence would restore calm there.

IDF ramps up forces along border (Photo: Roee Idan)

Skirmishes resembling to last Friday's riots , during which the Palestinians placed an explosive device on the fence, with 20 of them breaching it, and prompting the IDF to open fire, would obligate Israel to launch a limited military campaign in Gaza, a credible source told Ynet.

On Thursday, it was reported that the IDF had started ramping up its armored forces along the Gaza border in a daylight show of force following a Security Cabinet decision to escalate retaliation for any violent incidents originating in the strip.

Among the forces that amassed at the border were dozens of tanks, artillery, infantry APCs and engineering vehicles.

The Security Cabinet convened Wednesday in Prime Minister's Benjamin Netanyahu's Office to discuss possible security development following the rocket fire launched from Gaza, hitting a house in the city of Be'er Sheva and the sea off the coast of a city in central Israel.

House in Be'er Sheva hit (Photo: Ido Erez)

According to a preliminary investigation by the Home Front Command, the rocket weighed about 20 kilograms, and penetrated through three concrete layers.

Due to the size of the rocket and the force of the impact, heavy damage was caused to the house that was hit and it is at risk of collapse. A house next door was hit by shrapnel from the rockets, and its balcony collapsed.

In retaliation, the IDF attacked Wednesday morning over 20 targets, including a terror tunnel in the Gaza Strip.
A four-way summit between the leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany and France on the conflict in Syria will be held in Istanbul on Oct. 27, the spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Friday.

Ibrahim Kalin said the latest developments in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province and the political process for the resolution of the conflict would be discussed at the summit, adding that the sides would aim to coordinate joint efforts, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Russia provided Syria with three S-300 PM-2 anti-aircraft missile systems, which are more advanced than the S-300 system Moscow has recently delivered to Damascus, Russian newspaper Izvestia cited a Russian Defense Ministry official as saying.

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According to the report, the S-300 system differs from the S-300 PM-2 system by its cutting-edge radars and advanced ability to identify targets as well as its mobile command center.

S-300 anti-aircraft missile system (Photo: Shutterstock)

It was also said that the S-300 PM-2 system is able to handle fifth-generation fighter jets and can intercept not only short-range ballistic missiles, but also medium-range rockets of up to 250 kilometers (155 miles).

In addition, the system is capable of defeating electronic warfare systems.

Meanwhile, officials from the Russian Defense Ministry denied that Iranian forces are operating the new system.

The officials stressed the Iranians have never worked with the advanced system, which only Russian troops know how to operate.

Last month, Russia provided Syria with an S-300 anti-missile system, following the downing of the Ilyushin IL-20 by the Syrian forces that tried to intercept an Israeli missile strike on the coastal city of Latakia.

Russia views Israel as the responsible for the downing of the plane. Moscow claims Israel has misled it about its attack zone and did not inform the Russian air force enough time in advance about the strike.

While speaking with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the phone, Putin said that Russias actions "are aimed at protecting its military."

The anti-aircraft missile system came into use by the Russian army in 2010, and has not yet been delivered to any other county.

A Russian official said last week that before the S-300 system was delivered to Syria in September, it had been used by Moscow, which began using the more advanced S-400 defense system.

The S-300 defense system was transferred to Syrian free of charge.

Footage showing S-300 system transfer to Syria (:   )

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At the beginning of October, the Russian Defense Ministry released footage showing the transferring of the S-300 system into Syria's territory.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu then informed President Vladimir Putin that "The equipment transferred includes 49 unit of military gear, among them radars, operation systems and four launchers.

He also added that it will take three months to train Syrian personnel to operate the system.
Chancellor Angela Merkel will attend the Istanbul summit on Syria that was earlier announced by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, a German government spokeswoman said on Friday.

The spokeswoman said the focus of the discussions between her and the presidents of France, Russia and Turkey would be the situation in the enclave of Idlib and supporting the implementation of the Sochi agreement between Russia and Turkey.

"The Federal Government sees Russia, as an ally of the Assad regime, as a partner with a very particular responsibility," the spokeswoman said. "At the same time, Turkey, with its Sochi agreement with Russia, has also taken on a very particular responsibility."
Anti-Semitic graffiti appearing in several locations across Ukraine has aroused concern among the local Jewish community.

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David Roitman, a Jew who was born in Ukraine and immigrated to Israel, detected such a writing calling to "Kill the Jews," while visiting Odessa, one of the prominent cities in the east European country.

David Roitman next to spray-painted writing calling to 'kill Jews' (Photo: David Roitman)

Roitman immediately posted a photo of the racist graffiti on his Facebook page that gained thousands of shares.

The writing was deleted the next day, and replaced by graffiti of three red hearts.

"My goal was for people to start talking about the ant-Semitic writings appearing across Ukraine, without fearing their neighbors will kill them, "Roitman told Ynet.

"We know what happens when people are silent. We've experienced it in 1933 and 1939," he added.

"Odessa is considered a main touristic location. Dozens of Israelis arrive here every year and dozens of Jews still reside in the city," Roitman elaborated.

Graffiti calling to kill Jews began popping out in Kiev, Ukraine's capital, as well as in other cities throughout the country.

Writings calling to 'kill Jews' in Kiev (Photo: Eduard Dolinsky)

Eduard Dolinsky, executive director of Ukrainian Jewish Committee, also shared several of the racist writings on his Facebook page.

Roitman stressed that in the past most of the writings said, "Clean Ukraine of Jews," and "Throw the Jews out of Ukraine."

He explained that Ukraine and its Jewish citizens remained silenced, leading to a rise in anti-Semitism, with graffiti now calling to "kill the Jews."

According to Roitman, those who deleted the writing were the ones responsible for it, claiming there is to other way for someone to find it without prior knowledge of its location.

He called on the Jews of Ukraine to publish every hateful writing they come across on social media, and not to look the other way in order to eradicate the phenomenon.
The Hamas-led organizing committee of the weekly "March of Return" riots issued an unusual announcement Friday, telling demonstrators not to approach the Gaza border fence during the protests.

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The Palestinians were asked not to come near the border fence so Israel would not have an excuse to attack the coastal enclave.

Gaza border confrontations (Photo: AP)

"Your blood is valuable, keep it to establish the homeland," the announcement read.

Earlier, Palestinian sources in the strip told Ynet that even though the committee had released an official video calling on Gaza's residents to attend the protests, Hamas is expected to restrain the violence near the fence.

Video calling Palestinians to attend "March of Return" riots

X

The sources added that talks held with Egyptian intelligence officials, as well as Israel's warning that further escalation in the strip would force it to launch a military campaign in Gaza, would motivate the terror organization to curb the violence.

Israeli decision-makers believe that restraining the clashes along the border fence would restore calm there.

Skirmishes resembling to last Friday's riots, during which the Palestinians placed an explosive device on the fence, with 20 of them breaching it and prompting the IDF to open fire, would leave Israel with little choice but to launch a limited military campaign in Gaza, credible sources told Ynet.

Seven Palestinians were killed during last week's demonstrations.
The United Nations' Mideast peace envoy urged Israel and the Palestinians to exercise restraint Friday ahead of protests organized by Hamas on the Gaza Strip's border fence.

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Thousands of Palestinian protesters were expected to mass along Israel's border with Gaza for another weekly protest, testing Egypt's efforts to mediate a lasting cease-fire between Israel and the Hamas terror group.

Mosque loudspeakers in the Palestinian enclave urged Gazans to attend Friday's demonstrations, despite statements by Gaza's leaders that Hamas seeks to rein in the protests.

UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov (: AP)

"In light of today's planned Gaza march, I urge all to exercise restraint, to proceed in a peaceful manner, and to avoid escalation," Nickolay Mladenov said in a statement. "The UN is working with Egypt and its partners to avoid violence, address all humanitarian issues and support reconciliation."

Meanwhile, the Hamas-led organizing committee of the weekly "March of Return" riots issued an unusual announcement, telling demonstrators not to approach the Gaza border fence during the protests.

The Palestinians were asked not to come near the border fence so Israel would not have an excuse to attack the coastal enclave.

"Your blood is valuable, keep it to establish the homeland," the announcement read.

Palestinian protesters (Photo: Reuters)

Egyptian intelligence officials met with Hamas and Israeli officials on Thursday in efforts to broker a cease-fire and ease months of deadly border protests. Egypt and the UN have attempted to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas for weeks in a bid to ease tensions in the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Hamas has organized weekly protests since March that seek, in part, to secure an easing of the Egyptian-Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave imposed after the Islamic militant group seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 in an armed coup.

At least 156 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire at the protests, and an Israeli solider was killed by a Palestinian sniper.

The protests have intensified in recent weeks as Egyptian and UN cease-fire negotiations have faltered, and cross-border violence earlier this week has brought tensions to a simmer.

On Wednesday, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip destroyed a house in Be'er Sheva in the worst bout of violence in recent weeks. Israel retaliated with airstrikes and has beefed up its military forces along the border.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet resolved to retaliate more severely to cross-border attacks, but has thus far refrained from further action, suggesting it was giving the Egyptians a chance to restore calm.
Some 10,000 Palestinians protested as part of Hamas's "March of Return" campaign at several spots along the Gaza border on Friday evening, with Israeli defense officials saying the clashes were the calmest over the past seven months and that Hamas has been able to rein in the violence.

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The IDF said most of the protesters have been keeping their distance from the border fence, while dozens were burning tires and throwing rocks with slingshots closer to the fence.

There were also fewer incidents of rioters hurling explosives, Molotov cocktails and grenades at IDF troops. Israeli troops responded with crowd dispersal measures.

Defense officials estimated Hamas deployed armed men to the border fence area to calm down protesters and prevent violence. In addition, Lebanese TV network Al Mayadeen reported the IDF also sent text messages to Gaza residents, warning them not to come to the border.

Nevertheless, Palestinians managed to breach the border fence, enter Israeli territory and flee back into the strip three times. In one of the cases, the IDF opened fire at the infiltrators. The IDF said "all infiltration incidents were being monitored by the forces."





Hamas' al-Aqsa TV aired footage of Palestinians climbing over the fence and others breaching it and entering into Israeli territory. Others used cutters to tear down parts of the barrier.

Palestinians sabotaging border fence

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Gaza's Health Ministry reported 130 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire and six of them were in serious condition. About 30 Palestinians suffered tear gas inhalation.

The IDF has deployed large forces along the border and has been preparing for the possibility the "March of Return" protest will escalate later. IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot held a situation assessment on the border.

(Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

An IAF opened fire at a terror cell launching incendiary balloons from Gaza into Israel.

Meanwhile firefighting teams with aid from the KKL and the Nature and Parks Authority have been working since the early morning hours to put out three fires caused by incendiary balloons.

Incendiary balloons flown from Gaza (:  )

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The Hamas terror group said in a statement that "the persistence of the people in Gaza and the mass participation in the 30th week to the 'March of Return' to break the blockade is the biggest response to the threats of the Israeli enemy, as it serves as a great incentive for our people.

Hamas official Ismail Radwan added that "no element has asked us to stop the protests. Even the Egyptians stressed it is our right to protest."

Earlier, the Hamas-led organizing committee of the weekly "March of Return" riots issued an unusual announcement, telling demonstrators not to approach the Gaza border fence during the protests.

The Palestinians were asked not to come near the border fence so Israel would not have an excuse to attack the coastal enclave.

"Your blood is valuable, keep it to establish the homeland," the announcement read.



Sources in Gaza further told Ynet Hamas is expected to tone down the display of violence.

The sources added that talks held with Egyptian intelligence officials, as well as Israel's warning that further escalation in the strip would force it to launch a military campaign in Gaza, would motivate the terror organization to curb the violence.

Israeli decision-makers believe that restraining the clashes along the border fence would restore calm there.

Skirmishes resembling to last Friday's riots, during which the Palestinians placed an explosive device on the fence, with 20 of them breaching it and prompting the IDF to open fire, would leave Israel with little choice but to launch a limited military campaign in Gaza, credible sources told Ynet.

United Nations' Mideast peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov also urged Israel and the Palestinians to exercise restraint.

"In light of today's planned Gaza march, I urge all to exercise restraint, to proceed in a peaceful manner, and to avoid escalation," Mladenov said in a statement. "The UN is working with Egypt and its partners to avoid violence, address all humanitarian issues and support reconciliation."
Christian leaders in Jerusalem urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday to stop a bill that the churches say would allow the state to appropriate land sold to buyers.

Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian church leaders wrote a letter to Netanyahu saying the vote "constitutes a flagrant disregard" of his earlier assurances to block the legislation. The government's Ministerial Legislation Committee will reportedly vote on the bill on Sunday.

The bill's sponsor, lawmaker Rachel Azaria, has said the questionable sales of these properties have plunged thousands of Jerusalem residents into uncertainty over their living conditions.
SINGAPORE - The Pentagon and South Korea are canceling another major military exercise this year, citing a push for diplomatic progress with North Korea.

The top Pentagon spokeswoman, Dana W. White, says Washington and Seoul are suspending an air exercise known as Vigilant Ace "to give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue."
A US student's court victory against the Israeli government's attempt to bar her from the country may prove only a short reprieve in the "battle" over a law targeting some pro-Palestinian activists, one of her lawyers said on Friday.

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Lara Alqasem, 22, was allowed out of Ben-Gurion Airport on Thursday after the Supreme Court overturned her October 2 detention there on suspicion of being active in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movementcharges she denied.

The case has touched off a debate in Israel over whether democratic values were compromised by the 2017 law that bars the entry of foreigners who publicly support boycotts of Israel over its policies towards the Palestinians. Israel's government slammed the Supreme Court ruling as short-sighted.

Lara Alqasem (Photo: AFP)

But a lawyer for Alqasem, who is of Palestinian descent and a former president of a small local chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine group at the University of Florida, hailed the ruling as "an incredible day for Israeli democracy."

"We're celebrating, but yesterday was an intermission and the battle goes on," the lawyer, Leora Bechor, told Reuters.

Bechor said Israeli legislators appeared poised to draft even tougher laws against suspected pro-Palestinian boycotters.

"The court decision rules that thought-policing has zero place in Israeli democracy. Unfortunately, the court decision fell on deaf ears," she said.

Alqasem, who was due to enroll for a year-long master's program at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, voiced relief, in a brief statement issued by her lawyers, at being let into Israel.

Some BDS activists say they aim to promote Palestinian rights. Others advocate Israel's elimination. Israel describes BDS as anti-Semitic.

Gilad Erdan, one of the security cabinet ministers charged with implementing the anti-boycotter law, suggested that Alqasem's studies at an Israeli university were no guarantee against future BDS activity.

"We will examine the legal criteria in order to ensure that the original intent of the law is maintained," he tweeted in response to the Supreme Court ruling.
Iran has reportedly stepped up its shipments of advanced weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Fox News reported on Friday, citing American and Western intelligence sources.

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According to Fox, one of the shipments arrived in Lebanon only three days ago, transporting GPS components to make unguided rockets into precision-guided missiles, increasing the threat to Israel.

An Iranian cargo plane reportedly took off from the Tehran International Airport on Tuesday at 9:33am, flying to an unknown destination. It later arrived in Damascus and then continued to Beirut, where it landed just after 2pm, Fox News said, citing flight tracker software.

The next day the plane left Beirut and flew to the Qatari capital Doha, landing there just after midnight Thursday. It returned to Tehran at 6:31pm.

Last month, during his speech at the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed Hezbollah has attempted to build an infrastructure for the conversion of surface-to-surface missiles into precision missiles near an airport in Beirut, aided by Iran.

(Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

"In Lebanon, Iran is directing Hezbollah to build secret sites to convert inaccurate projectiles into precision-guided missiles. Missiles that can target deep inside Israel within an accuracy of ten meters," Netanyahu said.

(Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

"Hezbollah is deliberately using the innocent people of Beirut as human shields. Theyve placed three of these missile conversion sites along Beiruts international airport," he revealed.

(Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

In response, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said his organization now has highly accurate ... missiles and that, should Israel impose a war on Lebanon, it will face a fate and a reality it never expected on any day.

(Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

Netanyahu later dismissed Nasrallah's threats, saying "If they confront us, they will suffer a crushing blow the levels of which they cannot imagine."

In August, Reuters reported that Iran has given ballistic missiles capable of striking Tel Aviv to Shi'ite proxies in Iraq and is developing the capacity to build more there to deter attacks on its interests in the Middle East, according to Iranian, Iraqi and Western sources.

The move is meant to give Tehran the means to hit regional foes, the sources said, and would place Israel within direct striking ditance.

The Zelzal, Fateh-110 and Zolfaqar missiles in question have ranges of about 200 km to 700 km, putting Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh or Tel Aviv within striking distance if the weapons were deployed in southern or western Iraq.

The Western source said the number of missiles was in the 10s and that the transfers were designed to send a warning to the United States and Israel, especially after air raids on Iranian troops in Syria.

Iran rejected the Reuters. "Such false and ridiculous news have no purpose other than affecting Iran's foreign relations, especially with its neighbors," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said, according to IRNA.

"This news is solely aimed at creating fears in the countries of the region," Qassemi added.
WASHINGTON - A Russian woman was accused Friday of a sweeping effort to sway American public opinion through social media in the first federal case alleging foreign interference in the 2018 midterm election.

The Justice Department prosecution targets Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, a St. Petersburg woman who prosecutors say helped manage the finances of a hidden but powerful Russian social media effort aimed at spreading distrust for American political candidates and causing divisions on hot-button social issues like immigration and gun control.

Prosecutors say Khusyaynova worked for the same social media troll farm that was indicted earlier this year by special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign.
It is possible, it is definitely possible, that the State of Israel should've allowed Lara Alqasem to enter the country from the outset. The damage that may have been done to Israel by denying her entry, as quite a few articles argued, sometimes exceeds the benefits of enforcing the law.

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But with all due respect to the writers of these articles, article D(2) of the Entry Into Israel Law clearly states that: an entry permit will not be granted to someone who is not an Israeli national "if he, the organization or the body he acts on behalf of knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel."

Alqasem headed a local chapter of the Students for Justice in Palestine, the body that leads the boycott against the State of Israel, and whose heads reject the very existence of the State of Israel.

Lara Alqasem (Photo: AFP)

There is no argument that the government's ministers acted in accordance with their authority. But the Supreme Court reversed the decision on Thursday because, in the opinion of the honorable justices, it is unreasonable: "Alqasem's desire to study in Israel is in contradiction with the idea of boycotting Israel." Excuse me?! Do these judges live in Israel? After all, Israel's universities have both lecturers and students who support the boycott movement. And the boycott movement's most prominent leader, Omar Barghouti, was, and perhaps still is, a student at Tel Aviv University. He's travelling around the world and preaching for the eradication of Israel. Is his or Alqasem's insistence to study at an Israeli university an indication of anything?

I could go on with more and more arguments mentioned in the decision, but there is not enough space to cover all of them. Because the problem with the ruling was and remains in the determination that the decision to deny Alqasem entry was unreasonable.

The range of reasonable responses is supposed to be broad. Very broad. Otherwise, the executive branch's discretion should be revoked and transferred to the jurists. Some citizens would disapprove of the decisions made under the executive branch's discretion. But if everything citizensmostly if they belong to the media and academic elitedisapprove of becomes unreasonable, we could declare democracy dead.

Furthermore, two lower courts have already ruled that the decision was reasonable. Meaning, common sense says that if both government ministers and two judges in two courts consider the decision reasonable, it necessarily falls within the range of reasonable responses. But not for the Supreme Court justices, that the more they minimize the range of reasonable responses, they minimize democracy. And in general, based on the rule created on Thursday, any BDS supporter could say he changed his mind and infiltrate Israel.

The absurd in the reasonability claim becomes far more disturbing when checking the list of those denied entry in other democratic countries. Britain denied entrance to American nationals Michael Alan Weiner (Michael Savage) and Shirley Phelps-Roper, as well as Israeli politician Moshe Feiglin because of their views. The US denied entry to Swiss academic Ramadan Tariq, British teen Luke Angel and Liza Maza from the Philippines because of their views. And there are many others. They were not members of organizations that reject the right to exist of the countries that denied them entry. But in Israel, as late judge Menachem Elon once said, there's sometimes confusion between the rule of law and the rule of the judges. On Thursday we saw another example of that.
LT. DONALD Horn bags groceries at Ironwood Super One as part of the Wakefield Post's partnership with the store for the Michgan State Patrol's annual drive to stock shelves of local food pantries. The food drive continues through next Friday.

By STEVE NEWMAN

[email protected]

IRONWOOD - As he was bagging groceries at one of the cash registers at Ironwood Super One, Lt. Don Horn said he has big goals for the annual Harvest Food Drive put on by the Michigan State Patrol's Wakefield post.

"We want to raise over 30,000 pounds of food," he said.

The annual drive is a statewide effort by State Patrol posts, and the post's drive has been one of the most successful. "Our area has led the state the last five years," Horn said. Last year's drive yielded 24,000 pounds of food for food shelves.

Residents can go to Super One and bu...
CHICAGO, Ill.  Louise A. Levra, 92, passed away peacefully on Oct. 9, 2018, at Covenant Home Assisted Living in Chicago.

Louise was born March 18, 1926, in Iron Belt, Wis., the daughter of the late Joseph and Mary (Perrero) Levra. She attended Iron Belt schools, graduating with the class of 1944. She worked for a short time in Ironwood, Mich., before moving to Chicago, where she was an administrative assistant for Vlasicol Chemical Corporation until her retirement in 1988.

Louise was a longtime member of St. Andrews Catholic Church in Chicago. In addition to participating in their Golden Leisure senior group, she was an avid bowler, bingo player and enjoyed all types of needlework. In her earlier years, she was an avid world traveler.

Louise is survived by a brother, George (Mary Ann), many nieces and nephews, cousins and special friend, Paul Perrero. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by brothers, John, Tony and Joseph Levra, and sisters, Catherine Snarski, Mary Levra, Agnes Gulan, Thomasina Gulan and Margaret Gulan.

Out of respect for Louises wishes, cremation has taken place. A celebration of Louises life will be held at Covenant Home in Chicago on Oct. 27 at 2 p.m. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Marys Catholic Church in Hurley, Wis., on Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Frank Kordek presiding, preceded by visitation at 10 a.m. at the church.

Rite of committal will follow at Hillside Cemetery, Iron Belt, followed by lunch at Sidekicks in Iron Belt. Christian Funeral Home of Chicago is assisting the family.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - Bailey Figueroa is graduating from Arizona Western College with her associates degree thanks to Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) funding.

She was initially inspired to pursue higher education after watching her older sister, Tiffany, become the first person in their family to graduate from college. Bailey wanted to follow in her sisters footsteps, but finances were an obstacle. Without financial aid, she would have only been able to take two classes per semester due to cost.



After learning about FAFSA, however, she discovered that the process to apply for financial aid was simple.



By following the online step-by-step instructions, I was able to complete the application successfully. If I ran into a question I did not understand, I was able to contact the AWC Financial Aid Office and they assisted me, said Bailey.



With the financial aid I received, I have been able to get all of my college expenses covered so I can focus on my studies. I did not have to worry about finding a full-time job to pay for tuition, books, or meals - because FAFSA funding provided all of that for me.



Bailey works part-time at AWCs Financial Aid Office as a financial aid clerk where she helps her peers through the same FAFSA application process that granted her an opportunity to receive her degree. She will be graduating in December with her Associate in Arts degree and plans to continue on with her education at Arizona State University to complete her bachelors degree in Secondary Education. Her sister also attends ASU and is working on her doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy.



Oct. 1, was the first day that students could go online to complete their FAFSA application for funding for the 2019-2020 school year. The application uses tax information from two years prior (2017 taxes).



Visit www.fafsa.ed.gov to apply for FAFSA. For more information, visit www.azwestern.edu/finaid or contact the AWC Financial Aid Office (located at the top floor of the 3C Building on the AWC Yuma Campus, 2020 S. Ave. 8E) at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (928) 344-7634.
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People often become more blessed when they give than when they receive. Bible verses about giving help people understand the importance of giving because most people including Christians do not know the principles of giving well. When you read the Bible with an honest and open heart, you will understand that God is encouraging us to give generously and frequently. In his teachings, Jesus stresses that we should give using money. Most of us do not understand his teachings, but we obey the teachings because we are afraid. Giving is significant in building a good relationship with God and also receive his blessings. Below are Bible verses that can help you understand the reasons associated with giving.

Giving makes us more blessed than when we receive. We become happy when we see how God is glorified through our giving and when we see Him bless other people through our giving. Giving teaches us to find security in God and to depend on Him for all our needs. So you should give with a generous and glad heart because giving does something within us. Giving allows generosity among us to grow and destroys the demon greed.

READ ALSO: Best Christian Family Prayer for Thanksgiving Day

How did the early churches give?

The early churches did not just give a mere ten percent, but they gave abundantly out of deep poverty. The churches gave more than what God expected them to give. They gave abundantly because of the love they had for God and knowledge of what he has done for them. The motives of the early churches were astonishing to other people living with them. We should adopt the norms of early churches. God does not force us to give beyond our means, but we need to give generously for what God has done for us. People from the early churches had completely surrendered to Christ which made them give everything.

Giving in the Bible

Sharing a Bible verse about giving inspires people to give generously. The Bible provides us with great nuggets from individuals who lived generous, and attainable lives on a daily basis. In the New Testament, Jesus introduced us to men and women who were strong in their faith. Jesus uses these examples to teach us about the importance of giving.

Scriptures on giving

The scriptures about giving help us understand the benefits associated with giving. Below are Bible quotations on giving and their explanations:

So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full (Mathew 6:2).

In the above quotation is a scripture on giving where Jesus was talking to his disciples, and he used the word "when" and not "if." This means that the lord requires and expects us to give. Therefore, when it comes to giving we do not have an option, but it is essential. In the old testament, Christians had to give, but in the new testament people give if they want to. This habit is not in line with Jesus' teaching. He wanted all his follower to be frequent and generous givers.

On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come, no collections will have to be made (Corinthians 16:2).

The above Bible verse about giving teaches us that giving is a form of worship. Paul explains to Christians that the act of giving is an act of worship and he encourages them to give regularly to symbolize Lord's day worship. When individuals put their money in the plate, they are worshiping God in accordance with His word. In the quotation, Paul is talking about the "collection for the saints" which means giving by the church to the church for the church.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake, He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).

This quotation teaches us that our giving should be performed in the light of the incarnation. Some people believe that the (10% of our income) is standard when it comes to giving to the church. Paul used the quotation to explain to the people that there is no standard of giving. He suggested that we should determine our standard of giving using Christ's self-giving. Therefore, our giving should be instructed and inspired by Christ's inexpressible gift.

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6)

The verse teaches us that the liberty of the Gods blessings received by us is directly proportional to our giving. We have seen that both Jesus and Paul believed that there is a relationship between Lord's giving to us and our giving. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:4 that whatever you do to others, God will do it to you. This means that our reward associated with giving comes from God. Therefore, the means and desire to be generous comes from God. God has given us much, so we should give much.

Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return (Ecclesiastes 11:1).

The primary reason why people do not give is as a result of fear. They fear that if they give out too much, they will not have enough to cater for their needs. When people give sacrificially, above what is easy and comfortable, they are expressing their faith and trust in God to provide for them and their families. Many people know that joy results from casting crumbs of bread upon the waters and then multiple loaves of bread return after some days.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).

The above Bible quote teaches us that giving exhibits Gods heart. The scripture says that God is the giver of every perfect and good gift. Because we are Gods image bearers we should copy his giving to us. In other words, we should be mini-pictures of his infinitely large heart. The wider our hands and the larger our hearts, the larger the picture we paint concerning God's character.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap (Luke 6:38).

In this verse, Jesus is telling us that we should give so that it will be given to us. He means that the measure you use while will be the measure that God will use while giving to you. The passage is informing us about hypocrisy and how Christians use measures while giving. Give to God sacrificially because he may give you back plus ten times.

READ ALSO: Bishop Obinim dares God again on UTV

Benefits of giving in the Bible

Giving and happiness have a close relationship. According to Paul in the Bible, God loves people who are cheerful givers. Paul was referring to Christians who made huge donations to help the poor in the society. In 2 Corinthians 8:4; 9:7, Paul was talking about how people were happy because they were able to give. Studies conducted by scientists supported the verse as they showed that giving money to someone else, lifted the happiness of the giver more than when they spend it on themselves.

Giving is good for our health. The Bible states that a kind man benefits himself, but a person who is cruel brings trouble on himself (Proverbs 11:17). This means that kind individuals are generous and are willing to give themselves their energy, time, and care. The approach benefits them in many ways. You should, therefore, understand that generosity is good for your health. Scientific studies have supported this because they have discovered that those who have volunteered have fewer cases of aches, pains and depression.

There are so many benefits associated with giving. The Bible verses about giving help us understand the importance of giving to God and us as Christians. Jesus teaches that we should not use measures when giving our tithe and offerings because God will use the same measures to give back. Giving helps us to build a good relationship with God. Giving is a form of worship, so we should frequently give to show our commitment to worshiping God. When you give, you will feel happy unlike when you spend the money on yourself. Giving is also good for your health.

READ ALSO: Top trending latest gospel songs in Ghana 2018

Source: Yen Newspaper
Provision of quality education to young men and women who are hungry for knowledge had been left to the government for a long time. Kings University Ghana is a result of an initiative by a group of private investors who took up the challenge of helping the government to offer quality education through private institutions. These schools offer cutting-edge programs, which are not only result-oriented but also address the challenges of professional development in the region. As such, Kings University College of Ghana came into existence. This article brings to light some of the most important things you ought to know before enrolling at Kings University Ghana.

Kings University College started as a minor community of problem solvers and business lovers who were determined to help others acquire knowledge and intellectual power to solve the diverse problems facing the region. This was achieved through the University's mission which is to provide broad and superior undergraduate education that imparts knowledge, skills, and values to all people. Since its foundation, Kings University has gradually grown to a point where it offers about 27 programs in two campuses. This article highlights King's University College courses, admission requirements, and contact addresses among other details.

About Kings University College

Kings University College is a private institution that was established in February 2009. Kings University collaborates with the Liaoning University in China and is affiliated to the University of Cape Coast. The University received both institutional and program accreditation in January 2010. The main campus is located on a 40-acre piece of land at Aplaku hills Weija while the city campus is found in the heart of Accra, Ghana. Kings University College is organized into one school and three faculties as follows:

School of Business

Faculty of Business Administration

Faculty of Law, Governance and International Relations

Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering

The University, in partnership with other bodies like CISCO, CA, CIMA, ACCA, and CIM that offer internationally-recognized professional courses to the students. This makes the University competent not only in Ghana but in Africa at large.

READ ALSO: Kwadaso Agric College admission requirements and courses

Courses offered at King's University College

Kings University College offers a wide range of competent programs, which place the institution at a desirable rank in the country. Business administrators, engineers, and lawyers from KUC are among the best in the country. Here are some of the courses offered by the institution

School of Business

The school offers a Bachelor in Business Administration in the following specifications

Masters degree courses

Masters in Business Administration, Accounting

Masters in Business Administration, Human Resource Management

Masters in Business Administration, Banking and Finance

Masters in Business Administration, Strategic Management

Masters in Business Administration, Risk Management

Masters in Business Administration, Marketing

Undergraduate course

Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting

Bachelor of Business Administration in Human Resource Management

Bachelor of Business Administration in Banking and Finance

Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing

Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering

This faculty is directly affiliated to the University of Cape Coast. It only offers degree programs as follows:

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Bachelor of Science Information and Communication Technology.

Faculty of law, governance, and international relations

This faculty is responsible for producing great lawyers who can defend the law of the land. Law students who go through this program from Kings University are awarded a degree by the University of Cape Coast in Ghana. A program offered in this faculty is;

Bachelor of laws (LL.B)

READ ALSO: Institute of Commercial Management courses, accreditation and requirements

Kings University Ghana tuition fees

Studying at Kings University College gives you value for your money. KUC ( Kings University College) is among the most affordable private institutions of higher education in Ghana. It offers friendly fee structures with friendly terms of payment.

The institution provides flexible payment options as follows:

Students who are working with the government of Ghana or any other institution will be required to pay 10% of the total fees during registration and pay the rest in 12 equal monthly installments. The installments will be deducted directly from their payroll. Students who are non-workers will be required to pay 50% of the fees during registration. 25% of the fees should be paid one month after registration while the remaining amount should be paid two months after registration. This payment plan applies to both local and international students Students who wish to pay all the tuition fees are advised to do so at the University admissions office at the beginning of the semester.

Here is the breakdown of the fees in a table format:

More details on the fee structure can be accessed from the website.

King's University College Ghana admission requirements

If you have gone through the courses offered by the University and their fees requirements, you now need to know if you qualify to study at Kings University College. The University offers an opportunity to study for both local and international students who have attained some minimum qualifications. Below are some of the basic entry requirements into the university.

Entry requirements for masters in business administration

These include the following requirements:

The applicant should be a holder of a relevant first degree with at least a second class lower division.

An applicant holding a third class with an equivalent five years working experience will be considered to pursue MBA.

Any other relevant professional qualifications will be accepted

Entry requirements for the faculty of law, governance and international relations

King's University College faculty of law is a critical area, and therefore, strict entry requirements are put in place to ensure that the institution admits only competent students. The requirements are as follows:

WASSCE/SSSCE/NECO holders who want to apply for consideration into the Kings University must have attained at least a C/C4 in English language, a C/C6 in any two other core subjects including core mathematics and a C/C6 in three (3) elective subjects.

G.C.E A or O level certificate holders who want to be considered for admission into the University must have credit passes in 5 subjects including core mathematics, science subjects and English language at the G.C.E level.

Applicants should also have at least a C in two subjects at the G.C E advanced level.

Mature students entry requirements

Candidates who want to seek admission into the University through this criterion must meet the following:

Must be 25 years of age or older

Candidates must show proof of age by providing a birth certificate or any other legitimate document, which is at least five years old.

Must go through and pass an interview

The applicant must pass the mature student entrance examination which is conducted by the University. This examination consists of English language, mathematics, and a general paper.

Provide an introductory letter from an employer or show any proof of employment

Higher national diploma (HND) applicants

HND holders who want to secure admission into the institution must meet the following requirements:

Candidate must have at least HND lower credit or have attained at least second class lower division.

Candidates who have done one year in the Nigerian system will be considered for year 1 of study.

Candidates holding a national certificate from a recognized College or institution will be accepted to join year 1.

Note: Students taking this program will be admitted to level 100.

Admission requirements for faculty of Business Administration

Candidates who want to pursue a bachelor of Business Administration must meet the following minimum requirements:

WASSCE/SSSCE/NECO holders who wish to pursue this program must have at least a C/C6 in three core subjects including core mathematics and English language.

Candidates must have at least a C/C6 in three elective subjects

GCE A or O level holders who want to be admitted into Kings University must have credit passes in at least five (5) subjects including mathematics, science subjects, and English language.

Applicants should at least have a C in two subjects at the G.C E advanced level.

Mature applicants

Mature applicants who wish to pursue the bachelor program at Kings University must meet the following requirements:

Must have a minimum of 25 years.

Candidates must show proof of age by providing a birth certificate or any legitimate document, which is at least five years old.

Must go through and pass an interview

The applicant must pass the mature student entrance examination which is conducted by the University. This examination consists of English language, mathematics, and a general paper.

Provide an introductory letter from an employer or show any proof of employment

Higher National Diploma (HND) applicants

HND holders who want to secure admission into the institution must meet the following requirements:

Candidate must have at least HND lower credit or have attained at least a second class lower division.

Candidates who have gone through one year in the Nigerian system will be considered for year 1 of study.

Candidates holding a national certificate of education from a recognized College or institution will be accepted to join year 1.

Admission requirements for the faculty of Computer Science and engineering

Candidates who want to secure admission to pursue a degree in this faculty must meet the following minimum requirements:

SSSCE/ WASSCE holders who want admission to pursue a degree in Computer Science or Information Technology must have credit passes (A-D; A1-C6) in three core subjects including Core Mathematics and English language and Integrated Science. Applicants should also have passed in three (3) elective subjects.

Applicants with G.C.E O level qualifications must attain credit passes (1-6) in six(6) subjects including Mathematics, English language, science, and any other three subjects.

Applicants with G.C.E A level qualifications must have passes (A-D) in any two subjects except for the general paper.

Applicants holding a higher national diploma (HND) and wish to pursue a degree in this faculty must have passed well in Mathematics and English language. HND holders must also have passed with at least a second-class lower division.

Mature applicants

Applicants who seek admission into Kings University College to pursue a degree in Computer Science or Engineering must meet the following requirements.

Applicants must be at least 25 years of age or older

Applicants must show proof of their age by producing a birth certificate or any other legitimate document, which is at least five years old.

Applicants must pass the entrance mature student examination. The examination consists of Mathematics, English language, and a General paper.

Applicant must produce a recommendation from an employer.

READ ALSO: KNUST admission list 2018 - 2019

How to apply to be admitted into the Kings University College

Students who have certified all the qualifications for admission and are interested in pursuing any program from the University should seek admission. Qualified candidates are required to apply to Kings University College of Ghana. The procedure for application is as follows:

Manual application

Here, applicants are required to download an application form and complete all personal details. Names and contact details of the applicant should be genuine and reliable. The University's administration will use those details to contact successful applicants. To apply, consider the following:

Scan the completed application form with WASSCE/SSSCE results

Send all the scanned documents to admissions@kuc.edu.gh

To be on the safe side, candidates are advised to call the University admissions office and inform them of their application. Contact details of the admission department include: +233 (0) 303939619/24 +233 (0) 201 651 924

Online application

Under online application, students will be required to visit the University's website and apply. Like in manual application, the online application involves filling all personal details and academic results as instructed in the application. Candidates can also call for clarifications and directions through: +233 (0) 303939619/24 +233 (0) 201 651 924 or send email through admissions@kuc.kuc.edu.gh

Students who face difficulties in using the above procedures to apply can visit any of the two campuses to collect an application form. The completed application form should be forwarded to the University through the following address: Kings University College P.O Box 18835, Aplaku Hills, Weija Accra.

Kings University College contact information

Important Kings University College address and contacts for the main campus are as follows:

Aplaku Hills, Weija, Accra

P.O. Box 18835, Accra

Tel: 0303964007 / 0245707922

City campus

YMCA Premises, Castle Road

Asylum Down, Accra

Tel: 03320 95435 / 020165 1924

Email address: enquiries@kuc.edu.gh

Kings University College is one of the best private institutions in Ghana. It offers the best programs at an affordable cost. Students in Ghana who want to acquire high-quality knowledge and skills should seek Kings University College admission and pursue the program of their choice. This is a highly recommended institution for anybody who wishes to be competent on the job market. Kings University Ghana courses will prepare you appropriately.

READ ALSO: Cape Coast Technical University programmes and admissions

Source: Yen.com.gh
Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority is a very significant part of Ghana. West African residents considering to partner with ports and harbour organization to help them in shipment businesses often consider the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority as their go-to option. The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) is the national public port authority of Ghana. Its primary responsibilities are to govern, maintain and operate the seaports of Ghana. The port of Sekondi-Takoradi, the Port of Tema and the Fishing Harbour at Tema are principally manned by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority. The GPHA looks forward to being the Leading Trade and Logistics Hub of West Africa by providing efficient Port facilities and ensuring the quality services to the Port users. GPHA is a statutory corporation that was established under Ghanas Provisional National Defence Council Law (PNDCL 160) of 1986.

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority are the preferred hub ports in the Sub-Saharan region as described recently. This panegyric did not pop out of the blues; it was a result of the good management of the ports and the Harbours and the hard work put into it. The development and growth of the foreign trade as well as the promotion of Ghana, in being the most preferred transport and trade corridor in the sub-regions is the responsibility of the GPHA. Check out the following Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority address for when next you need to contact them.

READ ALSO: Ghana Revenue Authority head office contacts and branches

Ghana Ports and Harbours

The Tema Harbour and Takoradi Harbour and ports both serve the Sekondi-Takoradi. The Tema ports and its Harbour serve as the manufacturing centres, for the handling of cargo in transhipment to and from the neighbouring countries, North of Ghana.

Ghana Ports and Harbour Tema location

The current administrative offices of Port of Tema are located on the former fifth floor of the GPHA headquarters building. The purpose of the relocation was to give room to the reconstruction of the previous space of the Port Training Academy. The new facility that holds the administrative offices is strategically located between the customs long room and the Tema regional Police headquarters across the dual carriage road in front of the old office block.

The types of business offered at Tema Port include:

Transportation, Sea and Stevedoring

Business Services, Transportation and Stevedoring

Public & Social Services, Public Administration, Government Institutions

Following the relocation of Tema Ports, all the dealings with the general public and the stakeholders that were handled in the previous facility should be directed to the new facility. The new facility comes with some advantages over the former facility in terms of management because all the port business transactions are made much easier and smoother than before.

The Fishing Harbour at Tema

The fishing Harbour at Tema is a separate port facility at Tema. It is both an industrial and a fishing port that is made up of four major areas that include:

Inner Harbour

Outer Harbour

Canoe Basin

The Commercial Area

The role of the harbour is to handle the catch from the commercial deep-sea fishing and canoe fishing.

Takoradi Harbour

This is another branch of the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority located in the Western region of Ghana specifically in the industrial district of Sekondi-Takoradi. It lies roughly 230 Kilometres from Accra, the capital of Ghana. Takoradi Harbour is the oldest harbour in Ghana and it handles the majority of the international exports and the international trade for the landlocked countries in the Sahel region of West Africa.

Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority head office

The GPHA head offices are located in Tema, Greater Accra Region at the GPHA Towers adjacent to the Transit Truck Park in Tema. The types of the business offered at the GPHA head office include:

Public and social services

Public administration

Government Institutions

The location is very strategic and it is accessible from any point in Ghana.

READ ALSO: ABC transport Ghana contact number, price list and offices

Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority Headquarters

The Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority headquarters are strategically located at Tema in Ghana. Here are the GPHA headquarters contacts and the address for the stakeholders and the General Public so that they can easily access the services at the GPHA headquarters. Consider the following Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority contact details.

Physical address: P.O BOX 150, Tema, Ghana.

Telephone: +233 (0) 303 202631-39

Fax: +233 (0) 303 202812

Email address: headquarters@ghanaports.net

Website address: www.ghanaports.gov.gh

It is important to note that Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority head office is located at the headquarters.

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Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority branches contacts and address

For easier access to the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority services through its Tema and Takoradi branch ports, here are the contacts and the physical address location that will serve as a direction for you to get there.

Tema Port

Here are useful Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority Tema location contact details you ought to know.

Physical Address: P.O BOX 488, Tema. Ghana

Contact Telephone: (+233) 30 3204385/ 030 3204137/030 3204138

Fax : (+233) 30 3204136

Email address: tema@ghanaports.net

Website address:ghanaports.gov.gh

Takoradi Port

Physical Address: P.O BOX 708, Takoradi, Ghana.

Telephone: +233 (0) 3120 24073

Fax: +233 (0) 312022814

Email address: takoradi@ghanaports.net

GPHA security department

In the event that security issues need to be addressed with the office, you can either use the telephone or the SMS Short code contact digits provided and this includes the CCTV queries.

Telephone (Ops Room): +233 (0) 576 519 629.

SMS Short code: 5055

Telephone (CCTV): +233 (0) 576 519 630

SMS Short code: 5056

The GPHA has over the years worked on the expansion and growth of the organization and through these, various programmes have been initiated for enhancing the capacity and the efficient operation of the ports at their various locations. GPHA has successfully completed the Master Plan Study with assistance received from the Japan International Corporation (JIC). This project aimed at improving port land usage focusing majorly on infrastructural development. The GPHA is looking into the creation of Inland Container Depots (ICDs) to provide stakeholders with the ample working environment in order to enhance their prosperity. Besides the GPHA expansion projects, the entity focuses on building the best relations with the customers and the stakeholders as they provide magnificent services. The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority continues to be an entity that supports the livelihood of many Ghanaians.

READ ALSO: Ghana Post contact numbers and office location

Source: Yen
Travelling can be cumbersome, especially if you do not get the right services. This is why you need the Kenya Airways Ghana contact details within reach, more so if you travel by air a lot. Kenya Airways is one of the best air service providers in Africa. When you book Kenya Airways Ghana reservations, you will know that you are travelling with Africas leading economy airline. When you decide to fly on the Kenya Airways flights, you can find great deals and specials for your airfare. One thing that makes Kenya Airways outstanding is that it has destinations across the globe. Find out what this airline can offer so that you make up your mind to fly at a discount to Central, West, Southern and North Africa, the Far East, Middle East, India, Europe and North America. It is important, however, to know which Kenya Airways Ghana contact number to call if you need any assistance.

Kenya Airways was established on 22 January, 1977 and it commenced its operations on 4th February, 1977. This was following the breakup of the East African Community and subsequent disbanding of the jointly owned East African Airways. The Kenya Airways has its headquarters in Embakasi, Nairobi, with its hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. To know more about the Kenya Airways Ghana office location, read on.

READ ALSO: Ghana Post contact numbers and office location

Kenya Airways bookings and flights

Kenya Airways has made it easier for their customers to book their flights over the internet. Thus, one can book their flight at the comfort of their home using the Kenya Airways portal by simply indicating the departure and return date, the place of departure and the destination. You should also mention the flight class as well as the promo code. There is an 'upgrade my flight' option. This allows customers to conveniently consider flight upgrades whenever necessary.

Kenya Airways is now in Ghana, Accra. This vibrant city seems to attract a lot of visitors considering its historic sites and other tourist destinations. Kenya Airways is a great facilitator of air transport to this great city for anyone seeking to enjoy the view. Customers in Ghana can easily book their flights to Freetown, Mumbai, Johannesburg, Monrovia, Nairobi and Mombasa, just to mention but a few. The KQ (Kenya Airways) mobile application has enhanced flight booking and management since you can make all the bookings via phone.

KQ's vision

To consistently be a safe and profitable Airline that Guarantees World-Class Service.

KQ's mission

To maximize stakeholder value by consistently:

Providing the highest level of customer satisfaction

Upholding the highest level of safety and security

Maximizing employee satisfaction while being committed to corporate and social responsibility.

KQ's goals

To achieve world class standards in service delivery, product quality and operational performance.

To be the Airline of choice in Africa

To develop JKIA as a premier hub in Africa

To pursue a business model that will deliver a consistent level of profitability

READ ALSO: African Regent Hotel contact numbers and location

Businesses conducted by Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways is a global company that undertakes many businesses and among them include:

Transportation, air and airlines

Tourism, Holiday services and Airlines

Business Travel, Business Services, and Airlines

Business Services, Aviation and Airlines

Kenya Airways Ghana location

The Kotoka International Airport acts as Accras main airport that is used for both commercial and military purposes. To understand the contacts to reach, you need to decide on which flights you will book. Check out the following Kenya Airways Ghana office contact details.

The contacts for direct flights from Accra are:

Physical Address: Silver Star Tower, 4th floor, Off Liberation Road, Airport City, Accra

Telephone: Office sales: (+233)030 221 5300/ Airport desk: 030 278 5013

Email: reservationsghana@kenya-airways.com

Website: www.kenya-airways.com

READ ALSO: ABC transport Ghana contact number, price list and offices

Kenya Airways Accra city office address

Find below all our customer care details of Kenya Airways Ghana, including their physical address, telephone numbers, the email address, Fax numbers, and the official website for Kenya Airways.

Physical address: Nester Square Building, 1st Floor, Airport Office City, Accra, P. O. Box CT 11307

Telephone :+233 307 001333 / 0307001331 / 0307001332

Email Address: reservationsghana@kenya-airways.com

Official website: https://www.kenya-airways.com

Online Check-in: https://kenya-airways.com/online check-in

Check flight status: www.kenya-airways.com/flightschedule

Kenya Airways Accra Airport office address

Physical Address: Domestic terminal building, Kotoka International Airport Office

Telephone: +233-302-785013

Mobile number :+233 244 328 883 / +233 266 012 072 / +233 (0)302243893

Fax: +233 (0)302243897

Email: accgutea@dlh.de

Area manager office of Kenya Airways Ghana

The other contact you need to be familiar with is the manager's contact. You never know when you will need to make use of this number.

Area Manager-West Africa (Anglophone),

Physical Address: P.O BOX CT 11307,Accra, Ghana

Facebook: Kenya Airways

Twitter : @KenyaAirways

Instagram : officialkenyaairways

LinkedIn: Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways Ghana working hours

The Airport and city offices are opened daily in the time frame. The opening hours are on a daily basis from 16:00 pm to 24:00 pm. The contacts provided above are to aid customers who have queries or inquiries concerning the Kenya Airways in Ghana. Alternatively, you can choose to visit the offices in Accra, Silver Star Towers, and Kotoka International Airport Offices. You can reach Kenya Airways Ghana for new flight bookings, refunds, cancellations, cheap airfares, baggage claim, deals or other queries concerning their diverse services. The customer care contacts are your trusted source for correct phone numbers, physical addresses, and email address. You can also get reliable info. from the company's website.

At Kenya Airways, actions, behaviours and attitudes at work are all driven by the desire to guarantee customer safety. Customer satisfaction and quality consideration are the key points that matter to the company. Kenya Airways customers in Ghana are now able to fly from Accra to whichever destination they desire. The Kenya Airways airline operates globally and offers the best services. With the above Kenya Airways Ghana contact, you are sorted each time you need to travel to and from Ghana using Kenya Airways.

READ ALSO: Ghana Revenue Authority head office contacts and branches

Source: Yen
Papas Pizza is a fully Ghanaian-owned pizza company that has over the years grown to be the most preferred pizza place in Ghana. Having the papa's pizza contact is a must for anyone that loves great pizza. The company serves a huge population of Ghanaians that love pizza. They are the best pizza house in Ghana and beyond hence the popular saying, Papas Pizza taste it, love it. This is almost an assurance that you will love what you eat at the pizza joint once you try it.

Papas Pizza, Accra is one of the biggest and the most popular pizza restaurants in Ghana. They are located in Spintex, East Legon, Osu, Circle and their recently opened branch in Tema. They give wonderful customer service and their food delivery is extremely efficient. All it takes is for you to know the papa's pizza contact email and numbers to get your order delivered.

READ ALSO: Alisa Hotel contact number and locations

Papas Pizza Ghana contact details

This is Papa's Pizza East Legon contact and other branch details that you need to have.

Physical Address:

Near American House, Freetown or American House Rd, East Legon

Telephone:

020 636 8703, 024 882 0535, 024 115 0555

Opening hours

Sunday to Thursday 10 am -11 pm

Friday to Saturday 10 am - Midnight

Email:

papaspizza.gh@gmail.com

Kwame2nd:gmail.com

Website:

www.papaspizza.getafricaonline.com

Facebook

Papaspizza Ghana.

Twitter

@papaspizzagh1

In case help is needed;

Telephone +233242724347

Monday to Saturday 11:00 am  01:00 am

Papa Pizza East Legon contact

The official contacts are:

Physical address:

Opposite the Guest Hotel Acheampong Junction, La-Bawaleshi Road, East Legon, Accra, Ghana

Telrphone contact:

+233 20 636 8703

+233 24 431 5866

Working hours

Monday to Sunday 10:00 am  12:00 am

Papas Pizza Osu

The following are Papa's Pizza Osu contact you need to have.

Physical location:

Trinity House, opposite. Fire station headquarters, Osu, Accra

Telephone:

+233 (0) 266 356 498

+233 (0) 266 356 520

Opening hours

Monday to Saturday 10:00 am  12:00 am

Sunday 12:00 pm  12:00 am

Papas Pizza Spintex

Physical location:

Kotobabi Rd, Spintex Rd, Accra

Telephone:

0+233 50 291 1720

Website

http://www.papaspizza.com.gh/

Working Hours

Monday to Saturday 10:00 am  12:00 am

Sunday 12:00 pm  12:00 am

Papas Pizza Ring Road

Physical Address

Ring Road Central, Accra, Ghana

Telephone

+233 24 115 0555

Working hours

Monday - Sunday 10:00 am  12:00 am

READ ALSO: CFAO Ghana contacts and showrooms

Why choose Papa Pizza

Papas Pizza East Legon and Osu are their most popular branches in Accra. Papas Pizza is headquartered in East Legon, Accra (Papas Pizza East Legon). They make their own dough, which guarantees freshness each day. They mix the dough with different cheeses to get the best taste . In addition to these, they also use the freshest toppings which is what gives the entire pizza a unique and unforgettable flavor.

They are committed to:

Customers: They value their customers very much, customers are the reason why they go the extra mile to deliver the best quality pizza more on time and with a smile.

People: they focus on the welfare and the development of their people who are the drivers of their success.

The community: They are a community at work so teamwork is very significant in their daily activities. They also care about the communities in which they live and do their work.

Fun: They use innovations to create fun at work and also share the fun with their customers.

Profitability: Their business cannot survive without profits, so they uphold the ethics and all that is needed to ensure profitability.

Living the values: This explains why (Papas Pizza Accra)

Serves the freshest meals Serves the best in town Is fast and nice service

The pizza place has a laid-back, welcoming atmosphere which is perfect for business lunches, family gatherings, or just hanging out with friends after work. The workers welcome you to come experience pizza the way it was meant to be.

READ ALSO: Mechanical lloyd contacts, phone and offices

Papas Pizza dishes

Many feel that this is the closest pizza to the American pizza in Ghana. You can even have the BBQ chicken. Look out for their wonderful dishes and the deals offered on Mondays and Wednesdays. Papas Pizza has a menu with scrumptious dishes apart from just pizza. The most ordered dishes in papas pizza, Accra include;

Special fried rice

Fried rice / Jollof & pork

Big Papas pizza

Ghanaman pizza

Pepperoni passion pizza

Meat eater pizza

Magherita pizza

Papas favorite pizza

Chicken delight pizza

Chicken supreme pizza

Vegetarian supreme pizza

Sweet moments

Abom pizza

Full piri piri chicken

Papas full house

Opana pizza

Full BBQ pizza

Papas love

No Kissing babe pizza

Though the dishes differ from one branch to another, for instance Ghanaman pizza might be on the menu at Papas pizza in East Legon but the same pizza might not be available at Papas Pizza Ring road. But the most interesting thing is that all the popular dishes cut across all the branches and for sure you will not be frustrated when you walk to any of our branches in the country be it East Legon, Osu, Ring Road or Tema.

At Papas Pizza, we listen to our customers and welcome any feedback you may have. If you wish to contact us, please fill out the contact form below and someone from our management team will reach out to you shortly

Papas Pizza promotions and delivery

Papas Pizza is surely the best place to be and place your orders as you enjoy the services and the promos. Each day comes with its own different style; Monday is referred to Monday madness where the customers enjoy one liter of selected soft drink after buying any large pizza from the company at GHC 40.00; and on every Tuesday for every customer who buys one large pizza, they get one for free. The promos are too many, including the lunchtime offers and the monthly offers that are given to customers without any favoritism. The deals are not available on public holidays hence, enjoy them while they last.

When it comes to the issue of delivery, all branches have prompt delivery services available to customers once they place their order. The Papas Pizza Ring Road is not left behind. Other deals include; buy 1 extra-large pizza and get 2nd pizza half price and buy 2 large pizza, get the third free. With the current deliver service, you can as well place your order online. Choose from the tasty Papas Pizza menu and place an order. With the papa's pizza East Legon delivery contact, you are sure that your order will be delivered on time.

Papas Pizza Ghana is the number one Pizza joint in Ghana that is loved by many people, not only because of the tasty dishes but also the services and the offers provided to customers. With the right Papa's pizza contact details, you too can enjoy the excellent services offered by the company at the comfort of your home or office. Call and inquire for deliveries.

READ ALSO: Africa World Airlines contact information, schedule and fares

Source: Yen
Founder of the Glorious Wave Church International, Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi, believes the reason why many Christians are suffering is because of their foolish behaviours.

According to him, most Christians truly know God, but choose to worship him in a way that does not bring any blessing to their lives.

The preacher wondered why some Christians would spend all their time in the church instead of working to make a living.

Prophet Badu Kobi. Source: Deposited images

Source: Instagram

READ ALSO: My 3 observations after listening to Shatta Wale's Reign album

He said God purposely created both day and night so that His people will use the former to work hard.

God knows exactly why he separated day from night, so that man can use daytime to work hard and make a living, not to be in church praying, yet Christians choose to pray more than working which is wrong, Christians know God but are fools, Prophet Badu Kobi said on Agoo TV.

The controversial man of God also kicked against church services that are held on weekdays.

According to him, he will only practice that when God Himself directs him to go such a tangent.

He explained that such a thing is never written in the Bible and its time Christians realise that.

As a Christian you must not be poor but financially sound both physically and spiritually, so that you can support your family, nation and church. Some Christians know nothing when it comes finance and economy, which is very bad, he added.

Ghana News Today: President Akufo-Addo Commissions NaBCo Graduates | Yen.com.gh

READ ALSO: More lovely pregnancy photos of Dumelos wife break the internet

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Source: Yen
Public universities across the country have been directed to remove all staff who are aged above 65 years from the government payroll.

This was contained in a letter addressed to all the public universities by the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE).

The letter said from October 31, 2018, only academic staff aged between 60-65 years must be given post-retirement contracts.

Professor Kwesi Yankah is the minister in charge of Tertiary Education. Source: Myjoyonline.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Christians know God but are fools  Prophet Badu Kobi

It further stated that staff aged above 65 years can only be reassigned as "consultants" to the university.

The NCTE letter, signed by its Executive Secretary, Professor Mohammed Salifu, added that universities who retain the services of persons aged above 65 will have to pay them from Internally Generated Funds.

The directive comes following numerous concerns raised about post-retirement contracts and the need to seek clearance for the engagement of staff on such terms.

The Auditor-General, Daniel Yao Demelevo, has consistently stressed this point, insisting it is the best way to save the public purse.

The NCTE said retired public officers must not be engaged for a period exceeding five years after retirement, as the 1992 constitution states in Article 199 (4).

READ ALSO: I went to chase cash to feed my family - Normalization Cttee Latecomer replies critics

The letter said: "Consequently, you are by this letter being requested to ensure that effective 31st October 2018;

1. Only post-retirement contract staff in the age group 60-65 years should remain on Government of Ghana (GoG) payroll as prescribed by the 1992 constitution.

2. All academic staff above the age of 65 are taken off the GoG payroll and reassigned as "consultants" if their services are still required. Such staff may be paid from Internally Generated Funds of the institution.

3. All non-academic staff on post-retirement contracts are deleted from the GoG payroll. In the meantime, the NCTE and Ministry of Education shall continue to hold discussions with the PSC and the Ministry of Finance on how post-retirement contract staff above age 65 should be treated. Please treat this as urgent and ensure compliance.

Ghana News Today: President Akufo-Addo Commissions NaBCo Graduates | Yen.com.gh

READ ALSO: Shatta Wale buys Benz for his birthday; customises plate 'Advice' to tease Sarkodie

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Source: Yen.com.gh
- Nana Obiri Boahen has jumped to the defence of ex-President Rawlings

- He said ex-President Rawlings and his wife had no hand in the murder of the judges

The Deputy General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen, has defended former President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife in the murder of the judges and an army Major, saying they have no hand in it.

Nana Obiri Boahen, who is a lawyer by profession has advised Rawlings to desist from reacting to radio commentaries and the evil ploy by others to soil his solid integrity as history judges him better.

Nana Obiri Boahen (Photo credit: Ghanaweb.com)

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kennedy Agyapong reveals what Rawlings did to his mum

Speaking on Kumasi-based Hello FM, the tough-talking NPP official defended the integrity of ex-President Rawlings stating that he has no hand in the murder of the judges.

He, however, called on Ghanaians to stop trying to implicate the Rawlings in the hideous scandal.

I lived in the country around those moments, I have read the SIB [Special Investigative Board] report, I have read Prof. Adu Boahens account and a host of other literatures. No where did they say Rawlings was involved in the murder of the judges, he said.

I can confidently say that Rawlings and his wife had no hand in the judges murder, neither were they aware prior to their execution, he said.

READ ALSO: Kennedy Agyapong labels politicians from the North as 'greedy and selfish'

Details of the Murder

On 30 June 1982, the judges  Justices Kwadwo Adjei Agyepong, Poku Sarkodie and Mrs. Cecelia Koranteng-Addow  and a retired Major in the Ghana Armed Forces, were abducted and branded enemies of the revolution under MR Rawlings PNDC junta.

Lance Corporal Amedeka, Tony Tekpor and Dzandu, all soldiers, took their captives to the Bondase military firing range and executed them. The murderers carried along a gallon of petrol with which they set fire to the bodies to destroy all evidence, as MyNewsGH.com reported.

But it rained that night, so, the bodies did not burn as the murderers had wanted.

READ ALSO: Were doing in 20 months what Ghana hasn't done in 60yrs - Bawumia

Following a public outcry, the PNDC set up the Special Investigation Board (SIB) headed by former Chief Justice Mr Justice Azu Crabbe, to unravel the mystery.

It turned out that all the three judges were reviewing cases brought to them by aggrieved citizens in connection with the treatment meted out to them by the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council junta, which Mr Rawlings led in carrying out his 4 June 1979 coup.

The SIB established that the abduction and murders were a plot hatched with the connivance of members of the PNDC. The Board found that the plot was master-minded by Capt. Kojo Tsikata, PNDC member in charge of National Security. The PNDC rejected that aspect of the report and let Capt. Tsikata and four others off the hook for lack of evidence.

The remaining four of the nine suspects were jailed. When, on 19 June 1983, there was a jail-break at the Nsawam Medium Prisons and the Ussher Fort Prisons, L/Cpl Amedeka escaped from captivity and has since not been seen. But his three accomplices, Tony Tekpor, Dzandu and Hekli, as well as ex-PNDC member Amartey Kwei, were executed by firing squad.

Mr Rawlings has always insisted that before Amartey Kwei was executed, he confessed, at the stakes, to falsely accusing Mr Tsikata of involvement.

Rawlings Defends himself

Mr Jerry Rawlings in a meeting with the student body of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) last Saturday said history, as told by the recent JoyNews documentary, has been skewed to smear him.

According to him, If he was that blood thirsty as the documentary is posing him to be, on the 15th of May 1979, he could have ignited the thing and left it when people were calling for blood, I could have just let go and let people do the killings.

How do I come back in the 80s when things have cooled down and say I want to kill judges? It was a terrible thing some of our people did. How do you choose how to knock me down without going too low? I have enough true stories about these characters.

On Saturday, 13 October 2018, veteran journalist Abdul-Malik Kweku Baako, editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper also stated that he was befuddled by former president Rawlings noisy attack on Multimedias Who Killed The Judges? documentary.

In his opinion, the Special Investigation Board (SIB) that probed the 1982 murder of the three high court judges and the retired army officer under Chairman Rawlings Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime, directly implicated the former military leader in its report but he, for decades, let it go."

Ghana News Today: President Akufo-Addo Narrowly Escapes Jet Crash | Yen.com.gh

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Source: Yen.com.gh
A teacher at the Akwatia Technical Institute in the Eastern Region is currently battling for his life after he was stabbed by one of his students.

According to a report by Accra-based Adom FM, the student stabbed the teacher with an object, identified as scissors.

The victim, Mr. Sakyi, is reported have instructed the student to stop loitering around after the break-time had passed.

READ ALSO: Christians know God but are fools  Prophet Badu Kobi

The teacher further directed the student to head to his classroom, however, the angry student refused and rather stabbed the teacher following an altercation.

Headmaster of the school, Mr. Owusu confirmed the story, saying the stabbed teacher has been rushed to the St. Dominic Hospital for treatment.

He said the victim had severe wounds but is currently responding to treatment and in a very stable condition.

He added that the student, identified ad Edward Darkwah, has since been arrested by the Akwatia Police Command to help with investigations.

Meanwhile, it is currently unknown if the injured teacher will press charges on the suspect or allow for an out-of-court settlement.

Ghana News Today: President Akufo-Addo Commissions NaBCo Graduates | Yen.com.gh

READ ALSO: Universities directed to remove lecturers above 65yrs from payroll

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Source: Yen
The CEO of Advanced Body Sculpt Centre (Obengfo Hospital), Dr. Dominic Obeng-Andoh, has disclosed that he is often stunned by the curvaceous nature of some ladies who visit his facility.

The body contour specialist is one of the most popular in the country, with many ladies usually visiting his facility for body sculpting.

Despite the fact that he gets to see different ladies with different body shapes all the time, the doctor has admitted that he is still sometimes wowed by naturally curvy women.

Dr. Dominic Obeng-Andoh, CEO of Obengfo. Source: Peacefmonline.com

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Student of Akwatia Technical Institute stabs teacher with scissors

God has created things; sometimes even I, as a doctor sitting in my office, say: Wow God has done well when I see certain clients walk into my office, Dr. Obeng-Andoh said on Accra FM.

Because sometimes, these women have not even done any body sculpting, sometimes the client could even be a mother-of-two or three but when you look at her natural body, it is beautiful. Some women are naturally curvy; some, too, might have done body sculpting before they come to me.

Body sculpting is a procedure that alters the shape of the human body into the form that an individual wants it.

This includes procedures that eliminate or reduce excess skin and fat that remain after previously obese individuals have lost a significant amount of weight, in a variety of places including the torso, upper arms, chest, and thighs.

Clients who visit the Obengfo Hospital can have a butt-lift, slender waist, and breast enlargement, the doctor said.

READ ALSO: Universities directed to remove lecturers above 65yrs from payroll

His further revealed that his facility is often visited by many people, including some high-profile people in society.

Meanwhile, Dr. Obeng-Andoh is currently in court over the death of former Deputy Chief Executive Officer for the National Entrepreneurship Innovation Programme (NEIP), Stacy Offei-Darko, who died at his hospital earlier this year.

The doctor, however, maintains that he had nothing to do with the dead of the public official.

Ghana News Today: Shatta Wale's Reign Album Launched Big | Yen.com.gh

READ ALSO: Christians know God but are fools  Prophet Badu Kobi

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Source: Yen Ghana
Ghanaian Dancehall stalwart has disclosed that, Nigerian musician, Wizkid had wanted to feature on his 'The Reign' album which was released last Saturday.

According to him, Wizkid wanted to feature on his Exodus track on the Reign album but due to his busy schedules, the collaboration did not materialise.

Shatta Wale made the disclosure while speaking in an interview on Zylofon FM in Accra on Friday.

Wizkid wanted to be featured on Exodus on the Reign Album when he came to Ghana but due to his busy schedule he has to leave, he told Showbiz Agenda host Sammy Flex.

Shatta Wale's statement comes after a lot of bashings which have followed the release of the album.

READ ALSO: Father turns whistleblower as he reports his own son for doing 'sakawa' to buy house

Though Shatta Wale held, arguably, the biggest ever concert by a single Ghanaian artiste to launch the album, critics have described the album as empty.

If the collaboration had really it could have gone a long way to enhance the image of the album and would have also shown how far the two artistes have come since their social media war last year.

It will be recalled that in November last year, Shatta Wale stated on radio that he does not see Nigerian musician as a superstar.

I will not see Wizkid and be stunned, I rather want him to see me and be amazed because I dont see anything extraordinary about him, even though he claims to the best African artiste, Shatta stated on Kasapa FM.

READ ALSO: Pastor in trouble as his wild adult video with beautiful church member leaks

This caused so many arguments between Nigerians and some Shatta fans from Ghana on social media.

However, the two patched up after Wizkid came to Ghana earlier this year and even performed together on one at the Ghana Meets Naija concert.

They were even seen partying together at Shatta Wale's house after the concert suggesting they had become friends.

It is therefore no surprise if talk of a collaboration between the two went on at the time.

Ghana News Today: Shatta Wale Rocks Fans at Reign Album Launch | Yen.com.gh:

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Source: Yen
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Market Overview:

The global potato chips market is growing substantially and is projected to capture a healthy CAGR and achieve million-dollar growth over the forecast period 2017-2023. The growth can be attributed to growth in the savory snacks market which is favoring the growth of the chips market. Growing demand for convenience food, changing eating habits, easy availability and affordability of potato chips are the primary drivers of the market. Additionally, the introduction of newer flavors owing to increased demand for innovative varieties of flavors has resulted in a plethora of tastes and novel additions to the chips market. Rise in demand for packaged and on-the-go-foods owing to hectic time schedules, the rise in disposable income, and the rise in young population who prefer potato chips and the introduction of attractive and smaller packages are augmenting the growth of the market.

Furthermore, the introduction of healthier varieties of potato chips owing rising health awareness such as chips without any added artificial flavors or colors, baked varieties of chips and non-GMO ingredients are also aiding in market expansion. Availability of resources and large consumer base provides favorable growth opportunities for market expansion. Moreover, advancement in production technology and improved distribution network also provides opportunities for significant players. The growth of emerging markets is also expected to propel the demand for potato chips market.

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Even though the potato chips market is a lucrative one, it is not one without constraints. Price fluctuations in prices of raw materials, availability of potatoes due to crop failure and climatic changes, the threat from alternatives or healthier snack options are major factors impeding the market. Potato chips contain partially hydrogenated fats, starch derivatives, blended solid fats, GMO, added colors or artificial flavors, and various emulsifiers which makes them quite unhealthy for increased consumption. Rising awareness regarding the ill effects of the use of potato chips and growing health consciousness among people have resulted in reduced consumption of potato chips which might hamper the growth of the market.

Major Key Players:

The key players operating in the market include PepsiCo, Inc. (U.S.)., Diamond Foods, Inc.(U.S.), Lorenz Bahlsen Snack-World Group (Germany), Herr Foods Inc. (U.S.), and Intersnack Group (Germany).

Industry Updates:

In April 2018, PepsiCo, global snack manufacturer introduced immensely popular Australian snack brand, Red Rock Deli Potato Chips to the US market. They have unique flavors and are non-GMO project verified and do not contain any artificial color or flavoring agents.

In June 2018, PepsiCo announced its intention to set up a new snack plant in Zimbabwe. The potential snack plant would be a subsidiary of PepsiCo, and the company plans to invest USD 100 Million on the plant, and it would benefit local potato farmers as the company intends to buy from them if standards are met.

Segmentation:

The global potato chips market has been segmented based on flavor, product type, specialty food type, and distribution channel. By flavor, the market has been segmented into, barbecue, cheddar & sour cream, salt & pepper, classic potato chips, spicy jalapeno, cheese & onions, and others. The salt & pepper segment is most popular and is expanding significantly. By product type, the market has been segmented into salted, chilly, plain, flavored and others. The salted and chilly segment is most popular in the Asia-Pacific region. By specialty food type, the market has been segmented into gluten-free, GMO- free, vegetarian, kosher, organic and others. By distribution channel, the market has been segmented into supermarket/hypermarket, convenience store, e-commerce and others.

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Regional Analysis:

The key markets of the global potato chips market are North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Rest of the World (ROW). North America accounts for the largest share of the global potato chips market. Acceptance of convenient food options and availability of flavors unique to the region is responsible for this major share in the market. The UK and the Netherlands are the major contributors of the Europe market and growing demand for potato chips and packaged food drive the market in the region. The Asia-Pacific market is expected to exhibit steady growth over the forecast period owing to the adoption of western food consumption patterns and rising disposable income in the emerging economies.
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MRFR Published Half Cooked Research Report on Global Bio-Based Chemicals Market Research Report - Forecast to 2023.

Synbra Holding bv, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Hisun Biomaterials Co., Ltd, TEIJIN LIMITED, BASF SE, BioAmber Inc., Braskem, Danimer Scientific, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Myriant Corporation, Koninklijke DSM N.V., PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited, NatureWorks LLC, Corbion, and Metabolix, Inc. among others are the prominent market players at the forefront of competition in the Global Bio-Based Chemicals Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.

Bio-Based Chemicals Market  Overview

Bio-Based Chemicals are produced from animals, trees, and plants. Bio-Based Chemicals possess excellent properties such as low carbon emission, enhanced fuel efficiency, and excellent material compatibility which make them suitable for usage in numerous end use application such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, industrial chemicals, food products, and others. The Bio-Based Chemicals Market is expected to witness significant growth due to their unique properties along with excellent usage in various end use industries specifically in pharmaceutical and agriculture. Among the product segment, in 2016, biofuels holds for the largest product segment and is expected to retain their dominance on account of rising environmental concern and depleting crude oil reservoirs. The factors attributed to the Bio-Based Chemicals Market growth are significant growth of personal & homecare in developing countries, rising demand of biofertilizer in agriculture industry, and expanding packaging industry. Moreover, expanding population coupled with burgeoning demand for good quality food has raised the consumption of bio-based fertilizer in agriculture which is likely to propel the growth of the market over the assessment period.

Geographically, Asia Pacific is estimated to hold the largest Bio-Based Chemicals Market share in 2016 which is followed by North America and further trailed by Europe. North American bio-based chemicals market is predicted to exhibit moderate growth during the forecast period owing to increasing awareness regarding the benefits associated with product along with raised consumption in end use application in this region. Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness tremendous growth during the review period in Bio-Based Chemicals Market on account of rising application of Bio-Based Chemicals in various end use application segment. In Asia Pacific, the demand for Bio-Based Chemicals is predicted to expand in various countries such as China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and India due to increasing population along with shifting of manufacturing facilities for most of the key operating players in this region. In Europe, Bio-Based Chemicals Market is expected to register above average growth due to stringent regulations of REACH and shifting consumer preference towards the Bio-Based Chemicals.

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Industry/ Innovation/ Related News:

May 2018- DuPont Industrial Bioscience, a subsidiary of DowDupont, along with Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) opened worlds first bio-based furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME) pilot production facility in Illinois. This material is expected to fulfill the demand for bio-based plastic in packaging application.

March 2018- Joint venture DuPont Tate & Lyle Bio Products, LLC announced to expand its Loudon, Tenn., production facility to raise the annual production of bio-based 1,3-propanediol by 35 million pounds. This capacity expansion will help company to expand its market reach in personal care, cosmetics, fibers, flavors, and polyurethane markets.

November 2017- Braskem and Haldor Topsoe signed an agreement to manufacture bio-based chemicals. This new established partnership will help company to develop MOnoSAccharide IndustrIal Cracker solution that forms the basis for a rising portfolio of bio-based chemicals manufactured through patenteted processes.

Competitive Landscape

The Bio-Based Chemicals Report has examined the level of competition amid the major manufacturers in Bio-Based Chemicals Market as well as industry growth and market scenario. The Global Bio-Based Chemicals Market composed of wide range of producers operating in the market which involves small scale and medium level suppliers. Some of the major operating manufacturers of Bio-Based Chemicals which has strong hold in the market have shifted their focus towards growth association specifically by Asia Pacific as moderate level and high-level suppliers belongs to this province specifically from Taiwan, Japan, Australia, China, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, India, and Thailand. Furthermore, the key manufacturers of Bio-Based Chemicals are observed to follow various strategic plans to enhance their product portfolio such as product launches, strategic acquisition, distribution agreements, joint ventures, and mergers, and exclusive agreements. Some of the key producers in this market are estimated to enhance their manufacturing capacity of bio-based chemicals to meet the increasing demand for Bio-Based Chemicals across the globe.

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MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by Components, Application, Logistics and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.

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Market Highlights:

The sternal closure systems market is expected to register a CAGR of 5% and reach USD 2500 million during the forecast period. Open heart surgery has been a huge success today. Sternum closure systems are used to close the sternum and are the last step in open heart surgery. This technique involves steel wires that are wrapped around the halves of the sternum to close it. The global sternal closure systems market is majorly driven by, rising geriatric populations, abuse of alcohol and drugs, the high prevalence of cardiac diseases, and growing penetration of key market players. Furthermore, raising awareness of healthcare, favorable reimbursement policies, increasing advanced technical devices, increasing innovations in research and development of medical devices, as well as rising average income of individuals, are fueling the market growth. However, factors such as high cost of devices, complicated and costly surgical procedures involved and risks of getting infected due to sternum closure devices are likely to hamper the growth of the market. Lack of proper healthcare infrastructure, as well as awareness regarding cardiac diseases in middle-income countries, is a major challenge to the market growth.

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Regional Analysis:

Americas is the global leader for Sternal closure systems market owing to increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases among adults and older population. Additionally, factors such as increasing government initiatives and funding for research, development in advanced medical treatment options, and rising demand for technologically advanced treatment are likely to enhance the growth of sternal closure systems market in the American region. For instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year about 610,000 people in America are a victim of heart diseases and annually about 735,000 Americans suffer due to heart attacks. This alarming rate of cardiovascular disorders is expected to have a direct effect on the growth of sternal closure systems market as it finds whole and sole application in cardiovascular disorders. Presence of pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer, Merk, etc. also propels the market growth in this region.

Europe is the second largest market and holds a healthy share in the global sternal closure systems market. The European market is expected to grow during the forecast period due to major driving factors like availability of advanced treatment facilities, increasing healthcare expenditure along with growing need for better healthcare infrastructure and government initiatives of healthcare reform. For instance, according to 2017 statistics presented by the European Society of Cardiology, there were more than 6 million reported new cases of cardiovascular diseases in the European Union and more than 11 million in Europe as a whole. Hence cardiovascular disease being one of the major concern in Europe contributes significantly to the market growth of this region. Additionally, Europe spent around 210 Euros in 2015 for treatment of cardiovascular disorders. This rising healthcare expenditure due to cardiovascular disorders is expected to have a positive impact on the sternal closure systems market. But the popularity of minimally invasive procedures, as well as risks associated with open heart surgery and close sternum devices, may hamper the market growth.

Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market. According to report published by the United Nations in 2015; between 2015 and 2030, the number of older persons aged 60 years or over in the world is predicted to grow by 56 %, out of which 66% of the older population would reside in Asia-Pacific regions. This makes the region prone to metabolic disorders that would further aid the chances of cardiovascular. Owing to the huge patient pool, a faster adaptation of healthcare technology, government initiatives to increase the healthcare quality, availability favorable insurance and reimbursement policies market growth will be accelerated during the forecast period. Moreover, with key players like Boston Scientific Corporation, Pfizer, Merck, etc. have been setting up their regional headquarters and manufacturing plants in Singapore, China, Japan, Korea, and Australia growth curve of sternal closure systems market will see a positive trend.

On the other hand, the Middle East and Africa is expected to witness a slow growth due to limited access to healthcare facilities and affordability issues among the population. In the Middle East, the growth of the market is driven by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates because of the well-established healthcare infrastructure, awareness for good health among the residents, as well as accessibility to modern medical technology methods.

Key players of Global Sternal Closure Systems Market:

Depuy Synthes

Zimmer Biomet Holdings

Orthofix International N.V.

A&E Medical

Kinamed Incorporated

Abyrx

Jace Medical

Jeil Medical Corporation

Acute Innovations.

Segments:

The global sternal closure systems market is segmented on the basis of product type, procedure, closure material type and end-user. According to the product type, the market is segmented closure devices and bone cement. Closure devices are further segmented into wires, plates & screws, clips, and cables. Considering the type of procedure, the market is segmented into median sternotomy, bilateral thoracosternotomy, hemisternotomy, and others. According to the closure material type, the market is segmented into stainless steel, titanium, and others. On account of end-user, the market is segmented into, hospitals & clinic, research institutes, and others. Based on region the market is segmented into Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. Americas region is segmented into North America and South America. Similarly, Europe is segmented into Western Europe and Eastern Europe.

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BRIEF TOC:

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope Of The Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

4.2 Restraints

4.3 Opportunities

4.4 Challenges

4.5 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.6 Technology Trends & Assessment

TOC CONTINUED

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Quick question: Who would you want to see John Rambo fight more? A bunch of dudes, or a bioengineered super monster that supposedly can't be killed by anyone but the world's greatest hunter? Whatever your answer was, the good news is that a movie is being made to cater to your tastes. The bad news is that it won't all be in one neat little package.

After the release of Rambo IV: Rambo (actual title, don't check that) in 2009, Sylvester Stallone started floating the idea that he wanted to base the next Rambo movie on the pulp novel Hunter by James Byron Huggins. Hunter is about the world's most badass tracker being tasked with hunting down a government-made human-monster hybrid in the cold north. Sounds a little out of Rambo's shirtless comfort zone, but Stallone clearly picked the novel because its protagonist, Nathaniel Hunter (no, really), is already such a blatant Rambo knockoff.
The Trumpist Regime is working on p.r. with the Saudis to come up with a sanitized version of what happened to Jamal Khashoggi. Remember way back on Tuesday when Trump bellowed , "For the record, I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter). Any suggestion that I have is just more fake news (of which there is plenty)?" Here's some "fake news" for you. At a Trump campaign rally in 2015 Trump told the morons who thought they were watching an episode of his sit-com reality show: "I like the Saudis; they are very nice. I make a lot of money with them. They buy all sorts of my stuff-- all kinds of toys from Trump. They pay me millions and hundreds of millions." We have a me, me, me illegitimate president and compulsive liar in the White House.

Yesterday Carlotta Gall and David Kirkpatrick reported for thethat an audio tape (possibly recorded on Khashoggi's Apple watch) proves that Khashoggi's killers were waiting for him when he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and that he was " dead within 7 minutes ." The Saudis and Trump are still floating trial balloons to see which lie about the murder the western public will by-- but the fact remains: "Fifteen days after he entered the consulate in Istanbul and was never seen coming out, the Saudis have yet to give an explanation."

The leaking of such details, on the same day Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was visiting Turkey, reflected an escalation of pressure by the Turkish government on Saudi Arabia and the United States for answers on the fate of Mr. Khashoggi, a prominent dissident journalist who wrote for the Washington Post.





...Top Saudi officials have repeatedly denied any involvement in Mr. Khashoggis disappearance-- denials that they repeated to Mr. Pompeo when he visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.





A team of 15 Saudi agents, some with ties to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was waiting for Mr. Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate the moment he arrived, at about 1:15 p.m. on Oct. 2.





After he was shown into the office of the Saudi consul, Mohammad al-Otaibi, the agents seized Mr. Khashoggi almost immediately and began to beat and torture him, eventually cutting off his fingers, the senior Turkish official said.





Do this outside. You will put me in trouble, Mr. al-Otaibi, the consul, told them, according to the Turkish official and a report in the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak, both citing audio recordings said to have been obtained by Turkish intelligence.





If you want to live when you come back to Arabia, shut up, one of the agents replied, according to both the official and the newspaper.





As they cut off Mr. Khashoggis head and dismembered his body, a doctor of forensics who had been brought along for the dissection and disposal had some advice for the others, according to the senior Turkish official.





Listen to music, he told them, as he put on headphones himself. That was what he did to ease the tension when doing such work, the official said, describing the contents of the audio recording.





Such information would not have been disclosed in Turkey without the consent of the government. Turkish media outlets and newspapers are closely controlled: They are either government-controlled or owned by pro-government business executives. Censors are often present in newsrooms, and reporters and editors take close instructions from officials in the presidency.





The Turkish leaks implicating Saudi officials in the Khashoggi case have followed a distinctive pattern, beginning quickly after his disappearance. The leaks stopped as diplomatic steps to address the matter escalated: King Salman of Saudi Arabia called President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and sent a high-level delegation while President Trump suggested that he was taking the accusations seriously and sent Mr. Pompeo to Saudi Arabia for answers.





But the leaks appeared to resume on Wednesday after Saudi leaders repeated their denials of involvement to Mr. Pompeo, and Mr. Trump defended the crown prince as having been unfairly accused.





Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said the administration had requested access to recorded evidence from the Turkish authorities if it exists and that it probably does. Mr. Trump also said he expected to get a full report from Mr. Pompeo when he returned.
Former Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) DIG Kaushal Nalaka de Silva arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) a short while ago for the second day to give a statement over the inquiry into the alleged assassination plot on President Maithripala Sirisena and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Nine-hour long statement was recorded from him yesterday also over the same incident.
Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said it was the present government that rescued Sri Lanka from the Chinese debt trap and thus ended the era in which not only our land but also its airspace of was entrusted to China.

However, China announced earlier that Chinese loans only accounted to ten per cent of Sri Lankas total debt burden.

The minister said this at a function to mark the opening of a grain storage facility in Embilipitiya. He said though some elements accused the present government of ensnaring the country in a debt trap, this administration only resurrected the country from it.

The minister said similar grain storage facilities would be set up in different parts of the country.
KABUL AFP Oct19, 2018-Afghanistan postponed legislative elections in Kandahar province on Friday, after a Taliban-claimed attack on a US-Afghan security meeting killed a powerful police chief and threatened stability across the south.



Saturdays parliamentary ballot would be delayed by one week, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement, following an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council.



The Independent Election Commission would announce the new date, he added.



Preparations for the vote in Kandahar, the Talibans birthplace, were thrown into turmoil on Thursday when a gunman wearing a security forces uniform opened fire on a gathering of US and Afghan officials. General Scott Miller, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, escaped unhurt, but Kandahar police chief General Abdul Raziq was killed along with the head of the provincial intelligence unit and an Afghan journalist.

Another 13 people were wounded in the assault inside the heavily fortified provincial governors compound, including the governor and two Americans. The gunman was killed.
October 16th was marked by the first visit Ambassador Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka and Madame Sanja Jayatilleka paid to Russias academic community, meeting with the Ambassadors long-standing contacts at the Russian Centre for Policy Studies, known to the international community as PIR CENTRE.



The Ambassador and Madame Jayatilleka were welcomed in a fine 1870s estate, which, since 1944, has been home to the Soviet, then Russian Diplomatic Academy, the core institution of Russian Foreign Service education and research. PIR CENTRE, established exactly 50 years later in 1994, has been widely recognized as one of Russias leading think tanks in international policy studies, with particular focus on non-proliferation and disarmament, global security, nuclear policy, with a strong regional studies component covering Iran, Middle East and Asia-Pacific studies. Numerous publications, periodicals, analyses and reports are published by PIR and made available through Internet, including the longest-established Russian journal on international security, Security Index, in which Dr. Jayatilleka collaborated during his postings as Ambassador in Geneva and Paris.

Numerous publications, periodicals, analyses and reports are published by PIR and made available through Internet, including the longest-established Russian journal on international security, Security Index, in which Dr. Jayatilleka collaborated during his postings as Ambassador in Geneva and Paris



Though a fully independent non-government institution, PIR CENTRE has provided valuable expertise for some of the Russian Foreign Ministry programs; most of PIR scholars are staff or guest lecturers at MGIMO (Moscow State University of International Relations under the Russian MFA) and lead seminars and other activities at MFAs Diplomatic Academy.



Notably, the Dual Degree MA program in Non-Proliferation Studies was founded by PIR CENTRE in 2016, as a joint curriculum of MGIMO and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (USA), enrolling not only Russian and US students but also those from several other countries, including China, Canada, Spain, Mexico and others. PIR CENTRE noted the large numbers of Sri Lankan students coming to Russia every year and invited those of them with background and further interests in international policy, global security and counter-terrorism studies, to join this 3-semester program, or PIR CENTREs Summer School on international security.



The Ambassador received an open invitation to participate, as a guest of honour, lecturer or discussion leader, in any of the academic events organised by PIR CENTRE. The invitation was acknowledged gratefully with a note that such academic events would highlight the growing role of Sri Lanka in the Indo-Pacific region in the context of new global policy trends, dynamics and problems.



Ambassador Dr. Jayatilleka and Madame Jayatilleka were happy to meet again, this time in Moscow, with their long-term academic contact  Dr. Vladimir A. Orlov, PIR CENTRE founder, Security Index editor-in-chief and member of the Advisory Board of the Russian Federation Government. The Ambassador acknowledged his fruitful correspondence with PIR CENTRE CEO, Dr. Albert F. Zulkharneev whom Dr. Jayatilleka was happy to meet in person, and their colleagues Dr. Vadim B. Kozyulin, Director, Asian Security Studies, Dr. Adlan R. Margoyev, Director, Non-Proliferation, Russian Nuclear Policy and Iranian Nuclear Program Studies Director, Dr. Andrey A. Baklitsky, Leading Expert in Middle East Studies, along with Ms. Julia Tseshkovskaya, Advisor to PIR CENTRE Founder.
Mangala Samaraweera

Pic by Nimalsiri Edirisinghe

Finance minister says 2019 budget will allocate more funds for Enterprise Sri Lanka, Gamperaliya

Govt. has so far spent Rs.5.2bn worth of public funds as loan subsidies under Enterprise Sri Lanka

Over Rs.53bn disbursed as Enterprise Sri Lanka loans last 5 months alone; Rs.20bn pumped into rural economy under Gamperaliya

Says govt. committed to economic liberalisation; stresses import restriction a temporary measure

By Nishel Fernando

The government is planning to give a further boost to its Enterprise Sri Lanka (ESL) loan scheme and Gamperaliya rapid rural development programme from the 2019 budget, aiming to stimulate the domestic economy in a sustainable manner.



Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday revealed that banks have already disbursed over Rs.53 billion under the ESL loan schemes for small and medium enterprises in value-added agriculture, fisheries, export manufacturing, renewable energy, IT and tourism.



Further Rs.20 billion has also been pumped into the rural economy under Gamperaliya for 45,000 new rural infrastructure development projects.



Samaraweera was addressing Sri Lanka Retail Forum 2018, organised by the Sri Lanka Retailers Association in Colombo, yesterday.



He said these programmes would be further expanded in the upcoming budget to provide the necessary stimulus to the drought-hit rural sectors as well as urban areas.



Over Rs.53 billion has been disbursed as ESL loans last five months alone, in keeping with our objective to create 100,000 new entrepreneurs within next year.

This year alone, we have injected Rs.5.2 billion of public money as loan subsidies and we hope to expand it even further when I present the next budget on November 5, he said.



Speaking of the Gamperaliya programme, the minister stressed that 45,000 development projects have covered almost every village in Sri Lanka and these projects are on track to be completed by November 30.



The government has a clear strategy to provide stimulus to growth in a sustainable manner. While short-term consumption-based stimulus would have been positive for the retail sector, in the long run, such measures are typically counterproductive, Samaraweera commented.



He expects these programmes will boost the productive capital in the domestic economy in the long term and is of the view that they will have a positive impact on the consumption and retail sector in particular.



He was hopeful that the economy would gather momentum in the second half and the country would register a higher economic growth than the first half.



While reiterating that restrictions on imported non-essential goods are temporary, he assured that the government is committed to rapid liberalisation of the Sri Lankan economy. These are all temporary measures and they will be reviewed accordingly.

The government has no intentions to restrict imports on a permanent manner and we have no plans to go back to the closed economy of 1970s. The government is committed to rapid liberalisation of the Sri Lankan economy, he said.



Samaraweera noted that Sri Lanka is facing a massive debt repayment burden running into Rs.5.9 trillion Rs.1.9 trillion this year and Rs.4 trillion in 2019-2020.

While we face a couple of challenging years ahead in the short term, we have built the necessity stability to face up to these challenges. The future holds tremendous potentiality and Sri Lanka is in the fastest growing South Asian region, he stressed.
The Executive Director of FINAP, Mr. Kutila Pinto and the Director/CEO of Bartleet Electronics, Mr. Omar Lebbe

Fintechnology Asia Pacific Lanka (FINAP) recently signed a MOU with Bartleet Electronics (a part of Bartleet Innovative Technologies) with the purpose of developing a strategic partnership to market the FINAP Micro Banking Platform to banks and other financial institutions. The Executive Director of FINAP, Kutila Pinto and the Director/CEO of Bartleet Electronics, Omar Lebbe represented their respective companies at the signing of the MOU.

FINAP Micro Banking is an extended platform for delivering a complete range of financial services to deliver an effective financial inclusion solution. It can also be configured to any combination of financial services, market or demographic and organizational type. While identifying and addressing a need in the micro banking sector, FINAP Micro Banking enables Micro Finance Institutions to expand to remote areas with ease and offer efficient customer service.

FINAP relies on past experience, market trends, value creation and an in-depth understanding of the industry combined with professional experience and state-of-the-art software developments to cater the specific requirements of clients.

A trailblazer in the ICT sector since 1979, Bartleet Electronics is a branch of the hundred-year-old Sri Lankan conglomerate, the Bartleet Group. Bartleet Electronics was the first ICT solutions provider to introduce the world of cyber civilization to Sri Lanka. Following the success of its earlier pioneering efforts, the company has managed to maintain its position in the fast-paced and ever-changing global arena of technology. Bartleet Electronics specializes in providing custom-made service solutions that are specially made for a variety of specific requirements.

The partnership of FINAP and Bartleet Electronics will assist in the evolution of the microfinance industry of Sri Lanka and bring all stakeholders of microfinance; (the provider, customer and the regulator) on to a single platform.
Colombo Chief Magistrate Ranga Dissanayake today clarified his order on Ravi Karunanayake being named as a suspect, observing that the order does not say he cannot be a suspect in the inquiry but questions the process by which he was named a suspect.

He said this when a motion was taken into consideration in the magisterial inquiry on former minister Mr. Karunanayake in connection with giving false testimony at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on August 2 last year.

The Magistrate previously made an order on October 8 directing certain individuals and the Global Transportation & Logistic Ltd (GTL) to provide details requested by the prosecution on or before October 22. In this order the Magistrate had also observed the way in which Mr. Karunanayake had been named a suspect and that it was not legally correct.

Filing a motion at the outset of the inquiry, President's Counsel Shavendra Fernando, who appeared for GTL, which has connections to former Mr. Karunayake, requested Court to allow two more weeks to comply with the October 8 order directing GTL to provide details of bank statements, vouchers, fund transactions, decisions of directors, etc., between January 2015 and August 2017.

However, when the Chief Magistrate asked why time was needed, the defense counsel said they needed more time to obtain more legal advice because the prosecution's request for the details contained some confidential matters as well. The defense counsel said these details covered a period of more than two years and that was the reason for requesting for more time.

The Chief Magistrate observed that the court could not consider the need for more time on an order already given. He said if a party did not agree with the order, there is legal provision to file a revision application in the High Court and seek relief against the order. (Shehan Chamika Silva)
The Industry and Commerce Ministry yesterday said it rejected a request to increase the prices of LP gas by the state-owned Litro Gas Lanka Limited, Sri Lankas largest cooking gas importer, cylinder distributor and supplier.



Sri Lanka will not allow any sudden hike in domestic LPG gas prices right away  even if the global crude rates continue to gallop, a ministry statement said.

The Litro representatives at a recently held meeting were making a strong call on Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to upwardly revise the transport cost component within the LPG pricing formula already agreed by with the CAA.



The Litro representatives said that the diesel costs have continuously escalated since 2007, making their LPG transport costs too to escalate, thereby eroding their margins.



However, the CAA officials had reiterated that the Sri Lankan domestic LPG prices in the market are now determined by a pricing formula agreed between the two LPG players (Litro and Laugfs) and the CAA and sudden ad hoc changes are adverse to the consumers and households that are heavily dependent on

the cylinders.



The crude price hike is hurting our economy in many ways and the LPG industry is no different. At present, global crude oil prices are at a four-year high and our consumers are facing the impact directly.



Very recently, in the CAAs September 27 determination, we already allowed the district-to-district LPG prices with adjustments for transport, which is the pricing framework now in effect. Revising these already revised LPG market prices again at this moment is very damaging to our consumers, Bathiudeen said.
The good economic cooperation between Uganda and Tanzania is important in boosting trade and investment opportunities in the East African region, according to a high ranking official.

This comes as the two countries continue to strengthen their bilateral relations to open new possibilities of doing business and expanding their GDP as well as economic performance in the regional bloc.

For instance, the recently signed Uganda  Tanzania Joint Permanent Commission (JPC) Ministerial Meeting is a fundamental factor in improving the ease of doing business between the two parties. During the second phase of the summit held in Kampala, Uganda both countries finalized matters concerning the energy sector signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the industry.

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The JPC is a potential platform for enhancing and consolidating bilateral cooperation frameworks between the two countries. It brings together companies and business people from both Tanzania and Uganda consisting of manufacturers, importers, exporters, clearing agents and transporters to discuss opportunities for trade between the two countries, and identifying challenges to be resolved.

According to Ugandas Ambassador to Tanzania Richard Kabonero, the signing of critical agreements covering trade, and railways between Uganda and Tanzania increased cross-border trade and reduced the cost of doing business. The gesture should be bait to lure more investors into seizing the opportunities available for business.

Recently Tanzanias Communications Minister Harrison Mwakyembe praised Ugandas relations with Tanzania which he said continue to grow from strength to strength as evidenced by landmark bilateral trade agreements signed recently. They have experienced healthy trade relations with historical linkages over the years.

President Yoweri Museveni and President John Pombe Magufuli are both steering the economic development of their states by facilitating trading activities. Trade, security, education, agriculture, and energy are the main areas of investments with the potential to escalate their economic outlook in the future.

The UgandaTanzania Crude Oil Pipeline (UTCOP), the latest investment in the energy sector is planned to have a capacity of 216,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The $3.5 billion worth East Africa crude oil project has the potential to increase the flow of foreign direct investments in East Africa which could increase the competitiveness of the regional market.

Both presidents have gone all out to ensure the stability and sustainability of their nations as long they are on the helm. They have emphasized business incentives and better business environments to attract foreign firms and support the local sectors to boost productivity to boost export receipts.

Their commitment is geared at benefiting the East African community as well by bolstering its economic output. The region is a luring investment region to various investors.

Tanzania exported $62.2 million worth of goods to Uganda in 2013 while Uganda shipped $62.6 million worth of goods to Tanzania the same year. Looking at the neighboring state, Kenyas s total food exports to Ugandarose to a record $15 million while its exports to Tanzania was $424.19 million during 2013, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database.
In align with the world Childrens day celebration, Hameedia, Sri Lankas leading menswear specialist launched a special retail internship programme across the Island. In an ongoing effort to nurture young talent and empower the nations youth, Hameedia and My Friend Foundation initiated this project and endorsed by the Sri Lanka Retailers Academy, and will be supported by several partnering companies including Keels, Orange Electricals, National Youth Model United Nations and Center of Business Service & Excellence.

This program is especially designed for students, school-leavers and undergraduates aged between 18 and 23 years, the six-month internship programme will initially enroll 25 interns, who will receive valuable experience and exposure in the field of Marketing, Sales and Retail. Selling is vital for any profession, so by enrolling to this internship program you will be able to get the exposure and experience to sell. This program will continue throughout the year and providing opportunity for all the youths across the country.

While the core focus of the internship programme will be on Sales and Retail, interns will also be exposed to interesting new skills and concepts such as designing shirts, eating healthy and engaging in community initiatives. In addition to the rare opportunity to experience Hameedias dynamic working environment, the exclusive programme will also give interns the chance to custom-design a shirt and present it as a gift during the Christmas season. During the training period, interns will learn to embrace a more holistic approach to dressing and living well, and will be trained on how to prepare an array of wholesome and healthy meals, which they can recreate at home for their families. The participants would be able to engage in Outward bound training so that the participants will be physically fit as well.

Commenting on Hameedias upcoming Retail Internship Programme, Fouzul Hameed, Managing Director  Hameedia stated:

We are pleased to announce the launch of our Retail Internship program where we will offer a selected group of young people the rare opportunity to learn and explore the nooks and crannies of Sales and Retail. At Hameedia, we have always been passionate about recognizing and grooming local talent and building a brighter future for the younger generations of Sri Lanka. I believe that this exclusive internship programme will allow us to do just that, as it will pave the way for youngsters who are interested in the field to get a feel for industry, discover their talents, tap into their potential and develop and fine-tune their skills. We are also pleased that with the help of our partners, we will be able to take this training programme beyond the scope of our showrooms and outlets, and make it an enriching life experience which our interns can share with their families and loved ones.

Established in 1949, and with nearly 70 years of experience, Hameedia has grown to become a pioneer in the Sri Lankan retail fashion industry. The fashion store is renowned for delivering high quality custom tailoring under the bespoke category as well as ready-made clothes for gentlemen. The Hameedia, multi-brand retail stores house a collection of quality menswear brands such as Adidas, Le Bond, Envoy London and Signature, to name a few. Hameedia also prides itself on offering outstanding standards of service to ensure that all clients enjoy a shopping experience that is positive and personalized. With a network of over 30 outlets across Sri Lanka and a large and experienced team, Hameedia has a strong local presence and has also extended its operations to the global fashion industry.
Despite a news item that went out from the President's office on Wednesday (17) to the effect that the President had dissolved the Boards of the Bank of Ceylon, Peoples Bank and the Sri Lanka Board of Investment, as of last night none of the heads of these institutions had resigned from their posts, it was reported.

Unofficial sources revealed that the Chairmen and Directors of these institutions had taken a decision not to resign from their posts as ordered.

The Bank of Ceylon and Peoples Bank are entities that come under State Enterprises and Kandy Town Development Minister Lakshman Kiriella while the Board of Investment comes under Strategic Development and International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama. The Chairmen and Directors of these institutions had been appointed by the subject ministers and no intimation had been received from them by these officials even as late as yesterday evening telling them to resign from their posts.

Meanwhile, Secretary to the Ministry of State Enterprises and Kandy Town Development Ravindra Hewavitharana yesterday said that the President had given instructions to Minister Lakshman Kiriella to reconstitute the boards of the Bank of Ceylon and Peoples Bank as their tenure had ended.

He states further that with the concurrence of the President and the Prime Minister steps in this regard would be taken in the near future and until the changes are affected the present Boards would continue management activities without any interruption.

The Secretary to the Treasury has the power to appoint and remove the heads of the Peoples Bank and the Bank of Ceylon. (Ranjan Kasthuri)
(rt.com), 18 October 2018 - The 700 hostages captured in Syria by Islamic State terrorists include US and European citizens and are being killed off 10 people a day, Russiaa President Putin said, criticizing American forces for catastrophic failure.



Islamic State terrorists have delivered ultimatums and made certain demands, threatening  to shoot ten people every day, the Russian leader said, adding that the hostage-takers had already started carrying out their threats and executed ten hostages two days ago.



This is just horrible, it is a catastrophe, Putin said, adding that the US forces that claim to control the area around the east bank of the Euphrates River, relying on the Kurdish armed forces on the ground, stay conspicuously silent on this crisis.



They [the US] have clearly fallen short of their target, Putin said, adding that Washington and its allies apparently failed to combat terrorists in the part of Syria they occupy.
Police used teargas and water cannon to disperse the protesting university students outside the University Grants Commission (UGC), Police said.

Heavy traffic was reported in and around Town Hall as a result of the protest carried out by the Inter University Students' Federation (IUSF).
The Cabinet approval had been granted to award a Rs.314 million-contract to J. Walter Thompson Institute to promote Tourism in Sri Lanka.

Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs Minister John Amaratunga had submitted the proposal to award the contract of implementing a wide advertising program to promote Sri Lanka as an attractive tourist destination.

The approval had been granted at the Tuesdays Cabinet meeting.

J.Walter Thompson (JWT) is a world renowned marketing communications brand headquartered in New York, US. It has more than 200 offices in over 90 countries including Sri Lanka.
This is a country which is harping on solving its national question; how to find a viable solution to the grievances of the minority Tamils. But despite this question being spoken about in the open, there is a question that seems to be addressed behind closed doors. That question is; how to unite the president and the prime minister?

The relationship between Maithripala Sirisena and Ranil Wickremesignhe was deteriorating over the past several months and reached boiling point just a few days ago.

According to reports tensions rose to the surface at a recent meeting when the President and the Premier disagreed about how to progress with the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port. The Premier informed of his wishes to see the port being developed with Indias aid, but these views were shot down by Sirisena who affirmed that the sea port should be kept within the ambit of Sri Lanka.

These happenings leaking out to the media just prior to the Premiers scheduled visit to India can affect the relationship between the two nations.

Sri Lanka has other reasons to worry about with regard its relations with India. Newspapers were buzzing with the news that about an alleged plot to assassinate President Sirisena. The Presidential Media Division has sent a statement denying that the president had mentioned about an involvement of an Indian Intelligent Service in this regard. In the attempts to do some damage control Sirisena has taken the initiative and got in touch with Modi. Meanwhile the Indian High Commissioner called on Sirisena to seek clarity on the matter.

It is clear that the relationship between the two nations has been healthier after the 2015 presidential elections. India values this healthy relationship and so does Sirisena and Wickremesinghe.

The Premier is hellbent on promoting his ideas to stabilise the depreciating rupee. This is why he wants India to play a huge role in the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port, backing his thinking with the claim that the bulk of the container traffic towards the Colombo Port is originating from Sri Lankas closest neighbour.

Indias interests in Sri Lanka are associated with the Mattala Airport, Palaly Airport, the East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port and a Natural Gas Plant in Kerawalapitiya. Premier Wickremesinghes visit to India is aimed at accelerating the progress of East Container Terminal of the Colombo Port.

Both Sirisena and Wickremesinghe have treaded cautiously on the aspect of keeping ends warm with India. The duo is also aware that former President Mahinda Rajapaksa also keeps in touch with Indian Premier Narendra Modi. Given this background, the most aggressive claims about the involvement of Indian Intelligence Agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in an assassination attempt in Sri Lanka are being made by the Joint Opposition; a force which is working closely with Mahinda Rajapaksa. India is quite aware of Rajapaksas clout in Sri Lankan politics. Any person with an iota of political knowledge knows that India has a huge interest in who wins the 2020 Presidential Elections.

This story of there being a plot to assassinate the president is being investigated in Sri Lanka and an Indian national was arrested and questioned in this regard.
By Nishel Fernando

Daraz, a top e-commerce platform in South Asia, which was acquired recently by Chinas Alibaba, said Sri Lankas e-commerce industry could expand to US $ 500 million during the next five to seven years, with appropriate investments.



Daraz.lk Country Manager Bart Van Dijk told Sri Lanka Retail Forum 2018 yesterday that with the right kind of investments, Sri Lankas ecommerce could grow to US $ 500 million in a five to seven-year period, from the current US $ 50 million, given the growing amount of pre-purchase research online.



According to him, online e-commerce interest has been growing steadily in Sri Lanka and 64 percent of consumers have engaged in pre-purchase research online in 2017, which is a growth of 30 percent compared to the previous year.



Dijk pointed out that the retail requirements expected from an e-commerce entity is more demanding than from a typical retailer.

He noted that the expectation from an e-commerce entity ranges from faster processing time, investor tracking to omni-channel

approach to creating your own digital signature.



Though local e-commerce firms have progressed, Dijk said that more needs to be done in order to achieve the full potential of the sector.



He revealed that Daraz in Sri Lanka recorded 300 percent growth last year, compared to the previous year and several plans are underway to further popularise Daraz among Sri Lankan consumers.



Daraz plans to hold the largest online shopping festival in Sri Lanka next month on Black Friday, introducing the 11.11 concept to Sri Lanka.



Dijk revealed that Daraz also plans to engage in cross-border trade in the future, including exporting to other countries.
By Lahiru Pothmulla

Finance and Mass Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday requested the media institutions not to turn a blind eye to the governments achievements and

development activities.



He said the media institutions mostly stick to the glass half empty concept, when it came to the development activities and therefore, invited the media to follow the glass half full concept instead.



Addressing a forum held in Colombo, the minister said some 47,000 projects worth Rs.20 billion are being implemented across Sri Lanka at the moment under the Gamperaliya programme, without being noticed.



There are other large-scale projects by the Housing and Megapolis Ministries as well. Even amidst all these projects, some only focus on topics such as Chinese debt trap or taxes.



We are not saying the faults of the government should be concealed. We are all for revealing frauds, corruption and waste of public funds. However, at the same time, the governments achievements should also be reported, the minister said.



He said the reports usually circulate claiming the government has sold this asset and leased out that land. He said the government does not sell assets out of a habit and that it only takes decisions based on sound economic principles formulated in 2015.

Commenting on selling the governments stake in the Hilton and Hyatt hotels, he said it is not the duty of a government to operate hotels.



The government should act as a facilitator. When there is a private sector capable of making investments, they should be facilitated to do so.

Meanwhile, he said that the leaders of the previous government have got its priorities mixed.



Projects worth Rs.700 billion were implemented in Hambantota between 2005 and 2014. However, there are 15,000 families in Hambantota without access to toilet facilities. The population that has no toilet facilities is close to one million islandwide, he said.



The minister reiterated that the first agreement signed between China and Sri Lanka over the Port City project was detrimental to the country and that it was the current government that got rid of the harmful clauses of the agreement after having lengthy deliberations.



The first agreement gifted a 50-acre land plot from the Port City to China. The airspace of that land would have belonged to China. There was also a clause that said Sri Lanka should have to pay compensation to China if that particular land was damaged by any natural disaster. We got rid of all these harmful clauses. It is us who saved the country from the Chinese debt trap, he stressed.
Responding to former president Mahinda Rajapaksas remarks on the Court acquitting former MP Johnston Fernando, State Minister Ajith P. Perera said it showed Mr.Rajapaksa had admitted to the fact that the judiciary independent under this government.

He told a news briefing held at the Power and Renewable Energy Ministry that Mr.Rajapaksa and his supporters repeatedly claimed that the judiciary was not independent today and was unduly influenced by the government and therefore they did not trust it.

Both Mahinda and Johnston have now given a certificate of praise to the judiciary. We appreciate and thank them for confirming the independency of the judiciary under this government, the state minister said.

He said the people now realised that the law was being enforced equally without any consideration to wealth or status and that the former presidents statement confirmed it.

The State Minister said he was happy that Mr. Fernando was acquitted of all charges following a proper investigation and trial.

He said there were some 120 important cases of fraud and corruption and 20 of them were in the High Court while the rest were pending indictments.

The people can judge who are guilty and who are innocent when these cases are heard soon. The advantage of hearing these cases daily is that the witnesses will not forget their evidence, the state minister said.

He said there was only one special high court out of the proposed requested Justice & Prison Reforms Minister Thalatha Atukorale to set up the rest as early as possible.

To increase the efficiency of the judiciary, the number of High Court judges has been increased to 110 from 75. The number of State counsel at the Attorney Generals Department has been increased from 118 to 218. Their salaries and allowances have also been increased. The Special High Court system to hear the cases daily has been implemented. All these measure have been adopted by the present government to safeguard the independence of the judiciary, he said.

The state minister recalled how the previous administration had insulted and humiliated the then Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake before a committee was appointed to review the charges against her.

He said MP Wimal Weerawansa was also a member of that committee.

He highlighted the fact that the unity government was able to implement good governance and that the former presidents statement confirmed it. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
Vatican, (Daily Mail), 18 October 2018 - Pope Francis today indicted he is willing to visit North Korea after he received a verbal invitation from Kim Jong-un, conveyed to him by South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a 35-minute meeting in the Vatican.



Any visit would be the first by a pope to the reclusive state which does not allow priests to be permanently stationed there. There is little information on how many of its citizens are Catholic, or how they practice their faith.



Asked if Kim should send a formal invitation, Moons office quoted the Pope as responding to Moon: your message is already sufficient but it would be good for him to send a formal invitation.



I will definitely answer if I get the invitation, and I can go.



The pope is expected to be in Asia during a trip to Japan next year.
A group of Bahraini Shiite religious figures, who were detained as part of Manamas Ashura crackdown last month, are set to remain in police custody for at least another 15 days.



AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A group of Bahraini Shiite religious figures, who were detained as part of Manamas Ashura crackdown last month, are set to remain in police custody for at least another 15 days.



The kingdoms public prosecutor announced on Thursday that Sheikh Mohammed Al-Reish, Sheikh Hani al-Banna, Sheikh Yassin al-Jamri and Sheikh Majid al-Sahlawi, are still being investigated and would have their detention extended.



The group is among dozens of Bahrainis arrested over their participation in annual Ashura commemorations  a 10-day mourning period during the Islamic lunar month of Muharram that honors the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS).



The allegations against the men range from inciting hatred against the regime to harming social harmony.





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Security for Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has been stepped up following the discovery of an alleged plot to assassinate him, two of his advisers said on Thursday.

An Indian national, named by Indian and Sri Lankan media as M Thomas from the southern state of Kerala, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the plot on September 22. Former Sri Lankan defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa was also a target, a police officer said.

The president is very serious about this, Shiral Lakthialaka, one of the advisers, told reporters in Colombo.

People in charge have taken measures to strengthen his security. Certainly his security has been beefed up. We need a broad investigation into this. The alleged plot first emerged in late September after a police informant called Namal Kumara published a telephone recording between him and a senior police officer where he said there was a plan to kill Sirisena.

It is not clear whether there are any other individuals that are alleged to be involved.

The plot briefly threatened to cause tension between Sri Lanka and its much larger neighbour India, after a report that Sirisena had accused India's intelligence services of involvement - a claim that New Delhi and Colombo have both denied.

India's The Hindu newspaper said on Tuesday that Sirisena had accused India's intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of being involved in the plot.

Both Sirisena's office and Sri Lanka's foreign ministry have denied he made the comments.

The office of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said in a statement on Wednesday that Sirisena had called him to say the allegation he had accused RAW were utterly baseless and false.

A coalition between Sirisena's centre-left Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's centre-right United National Party (UNP) has grown increasingly strained in recent months.

Both coalition partners suffered heavy defeats in local elections in February, and Sirisena loyalists backed a no-confidence motion in April against the prime minister, who survived after a majority of legislators voted to support his coalition government.
By

D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Maithripala Sirisena is a man of many surprises. Sri Lankas sixth executive President has a penchant to make controversial remarks and startling revelations on more than one occasion. Most of these sensational disclosures explode in the public domain with a powerful bang and then fizzle out into pathetic whimpers. The latest in this series were some comments purportedly made by President Sirisena at the Cabinet ministers meeting last week concerning an alleged conspiracy to assassinate him and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The remarks which seemingly insinuated that Indias overseas espionage agency known as RAW (research and analysis wing) was involved in the plot, naturally struck a raw nerve in New Delhi. This could have caused a major dispute between India and Sri Lanka but thankfully a potential crisis seems to have been averted for the moment due to diplomatic damage control done adroitly by our big neighbour across Palk Strait. And in Sri Lanka, once again sections of the media were made the scapegoats!



It all began with a news story in English appearing in the website Economy Next. The website run competently by experienced professionals has built up a solid reputation through its interesting and informative reports. Several national newspapers in Sri Lanka re-produce news stories appearing in Economy Next, sometimes even as lead stories.



Sri Lankas Cabinet of ministers chaired by the President usually meets every week on Tuesdays. The current weeks Cabinet meeting was held on October 16 and was presided over by Maithripala Sirisena himself. Two items of interest in the Cabinet meeting were a heated discussion between President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over the issue of awarding the East Port Terminal at the Colombo Harbour to India and President Sirisena complaining that the government had not taken any constructive action about the alleged plot to assassinate him and Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It was the assassination affair that caused the big stir later on. Earlier, a media conference had been scheduled at noon on 16th where details of the conspiracy to assassinate President Sirisena were to be revealed. However, this was postponed. It is surmised that the press conference was timed to coincide with the Cabinet meeting revelations. However, the expected to be explosive media meet did not take place as planned on October 16. But verbal fireworks did explode at the Cabinet meeting on the same day.

Two items of interest in the Cabinet meeting were a heated discussion between President Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over the issue of awarding the East Port Terminal at the Colombo Harbour to India and President Sirisena complaining that the government had not taken any constructive action about the alleged plot to assassinate him and Gotabaya Rajapaksa



POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT IN ECONOMY NEXT

In journalist parlance Economy Next had a scoop about what transpired on the Cabinet meeting. The website posted a news story written by its political correspondent at 9.24 p.m. on October 16 under the heading Sri Lanka President drops bombshell, accuses India. Following is the news story in full 



Sri Lankas President Maithripala Sirisena shocked his Cabinet on Tuesday by accusing neighbouring India of plotting to assassinate him on the eve of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes visit to New Delhi, a ministerial source said.



A visibly upset Sirisena accused his senior coalition partner, the United National Party (UNP), of not taking an alleged conspiracy to kill him as well as former secretary to the ministry of defence, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, seriously.



The President said that RAW (Indias external intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing) was behind the plot, a minister, who declined to be named, said.



Sirisena also said he was unhappy with the police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) inquiry into the plot and faulted the Law and Order Minister for what he called the very slow progress of the inquiry.



A ministerial source said the Prime Minister was unusually assertive at Cabinet on Tuesday and appeared to be irritated by Sirisenas barrage against his government. The premier had also retorted in annoyance, much to the surprise of some of the juniors in Cabinet.



The alleged plot was disclosed by a paid employee of the presidential secretariat earlier last month. He had also worked as an informant of the police. Based on his testimony, the police have suspended a Deputy Inspector-General Nalaka de Silva who is said to have been involved in the alleged assassination plot.



Weeks after the so called whistle blower identified as Namal Kumara went public about the plot to kill Sirisena and Rajapaksa, the Presidents office issued a statement denying he was in their pay and called for a separate investigation into his conduct.



However, media reports said the Presidential Secretariat had issued letters to Namal Kumara confirming his employment with an anti-narcotics task force directly under the President.



Official sources close to the investigation said they have not found any evidence to support Namal Kumaras claims of a plot, which also involved an Indian national who was resident in Sri Lanka pending an asylum application with the UN agency for refugees.



The ministerial source said the President did not give details of how India was involved in the plot and several Cabinet ministers were aghast at his claim. I think it was uncalled for (to accuse India) because he did not provide any evidence to support his claim, the source said.



So far, what we have is the figment of someones imagination of an assassination plot, the source said. What can now be done is to look at the genesis of this story and how it came about.



The Presidential Secretariat scheduled a press conference at noon on Tuesday to disclose what it called the details of the assassination plot, but cancelled it at the eleventh hour. The Presidents former Coordinating Officer and the current Senior Advisor Shiral Lakthilaka was to preside at the press conference.



In the meantime, Gotabaya Rajapaksa has lodged a formal complaint with the police over media reports of the twin assassination plot. When he was asked if he suspected any credible plan to kill him, the former official had said he was making the complaint to have the media reports investigated.



The atmosphere in Cabinet had been unpleasant when they were discussing the awarding of the East Terminal of the Colombo Port to India, those at the Cabinet said. Sirisena is opposed to granting India access to develop the terminal just next to the China-run Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT).



The CICT was at the centre of a diplomatic spat with India during the last year of the Rajapaksa administration when the then government allowed Chinese submarines to dock there without New Delhi being in the loop.



Wickremesinghe travels to New Delhi on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speed up Indian-backed projects in the island, including the East Terminal project.



On the cards is also the development of the currently unused oil tank farm at China Bay in Trincomalee.

The Sri Lankan Government issued an elaborate denial of the report and clarifications came from the highest level. Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera slammed it as a disinformation campaign, urging reporters to be responsible



MEERA SRINIVASAN IN THE HINDU

A few hours after the Economy Next report, the Indian English newspaper The Hindu also posted a news story on its web edition filed by its Colombo Correspondent Meera Srinivasan. The news item was posted at 11.04 p.m. on October 16. It was subsequently updated at 3.44 p.m. on October 17. The news story by Meera Srinivasan in The Hindu headlined Sri Lankan President Sirisena alleges that RAW is plotting his assassination read as follows 



In a charge that might seriously impair New Delhi-Colombo relations, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday accused Indias Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of plotting his assassination.



At the weekly Cabinet meeting, Mr. Sirisena told ministers that the Indian intelligence agency was trying to kill him, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not be aware of the plan, The Hindu has learnt from sources present at the discussion.



We were just shocked when he said it, a source said, requesting anonymity.



When contacted for verification, a senior officer at the Presidents media unit said: We will verify this and revert. However, there has been no response till Tuesday night.



President Sirisenas claim comes days before Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes scheduled visit to New Delhi, meet Mr. Modi and discuss bilateral matters, including key, India-assisted projects on the island.



This is not the first time a Sri Lankan leader has accused the Indian agency of interference. Following his poll defeat in 2015, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa held RAW among those responsible for the change in regime.



Mr. Sirisenas allegation, the sources said, came when he raised concerns over the governments indifference to an assassination plot targeting him. Reports of the said plot emerged last month when an individual named Namal Kumara, part of an anti-corruption outfit, claimed he was aware of a plan to assassinate Mr. Sirisena and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.



The CID interrogated Mr. Kumara. The police subsequently arrested an Indian national late in September. Local media reported that the Indian, identified as M. Thomas hailing from Kerala, claimed he knew of the plot.



However, the Sri Lankan Government issued an elaborate denial of the report and clarifications came from the highest level. Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera slammed it as a disinformation campaign, urging reporters to be responsible.



At Tuesdays meeting, Mr. Sirisena reportedly said the Indian national must be a RAW agent trying to kill me. The Indian PM may not be aware. That is often the case. Trump may not be aware of CIAs similar moves.



The Hindu, on Tuesday evening, spoke to multiple sources in government  across political parties  who attended the meeting, and they confirmed this.



Tuesdays meeting also saw a heated argument between President Sirisena and Mr. Wickremesinghe, when a Cabinet paper on developing the Colombo Port came up for discussion. Sources said Mr. Sirisena vehemently objected to any Indian involvement in upgrading its east container terminal  a project that New Delhihas been keen to take up.



However, Mr. Wickremesinghe is said to have countered by saying Colombo had promised New Delhi on collaborating on the project, and it was important to rope in India at the terminal, given that about 80% of the cargo handled at the transshipment hub was meant for India. He reportedly sought a weeks time to sort out the issue, since he would be meeting Mr. Modi soon.



Meanwhile, the Presidents media unit on Tuesday called off a scheduled press meeting by Mr. Sirisenas advisers on the reported assassination plot.



When contacted, Presidential Adviser Shiral Lakthilaka told The Hindu: We cancelled it because we are awaiting more information. Asked if it was connected to Mr. Sirisenas reported remarks at the Cabinet, he said: No, it had nothing to do with that.



SPOKEN TO TWO CABINET MINISTERS

The Hindus Colombo correspondent Meera Srinivasan made it a point to emphasise in her report that she had spoken to multiple sources in government  across political parties  who attended the meeting, and they had confirmed it. Subsequently, in an Editors note published in The Hindu it was said the correspondent had spoken to two Cabinet ministers and got indirect confirmation from two others before filing the report after extensive checking and cross-checking.



Apart from Economy Next and The Hindu several Sri Lankan newspapers including the Daily Mirror also reported details in different degrees of the controversial Cabinet meeting. The London-based Lanka e-news website had also carried a news story with some interesting details about the Cabinet meeting. At least one Colombo newspaper re-published the Hindu story as its lead story. Although Economy Next had broken the news first, it was the news story appearing in the Hindu that had greater impact particularly in India. Economy Next was only a recently begun website whereas The Hindu celebrated its 140th anniversary a few weeks ago. The newspaper has acquired a reputation over the years of being the most authoritative voice on Sri Lanka related issues in the Indian media. Therefore a Hindu story on Sri Lanka was effectively credible. Besides the news story had a significant Indian dimension to it.

Taranjit Singh Sandhu however cancelled the trip in order to meet President Sirisena on Wednesday. This he did and secured an appointment at very short notice to meet Sirisena. By this time President Sirisena too was fully aware of serious concerns in New Delhi about the remarks allegedly made by him at the Cabinet meeting. The President was prepared to explain what had happened to the envoy



The Hindu news story sent alarm bells ringing in Indias South Block. The Central Secretariat in India is situated on Raisina Hill in New Delhi. The Central Secretariat comprises two symmetrically constructed identical buildings known as North and South blocks on either side of the Rajpath boulevard leading to Rashtrapati Bhavan or Presidents House. The North block houses the key Finance and Home Affairs Ministry while South block has the Prime Ministers office and Ministries of Defence and External Affairs.



With Indias South block being alerted by the news in the Hindu, events began to move rapidly. It may be recalled that President Sirisena during his trip to the USA in late September had in a speech to an audience of Sri Lankan origin in New York stated that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were planning to launch air strikes from an airport in Tamil Nadu and bomb Colombo during the final phase of the war in May 2009. This implied that India was harbouring and aiding the LTTE on Indian soil to attack Sri Lanka. Sirisenas assertion was outrageously false. Yet, New Delhi ignored it without any diplomatic query seeking clarification. One reason for that was due to the speech being available only in YouTube and a few websites. It was not reported in any major Sri Lankan or Indian media outlet.



RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS WING (RAW)

President Sirisenas purported reference to RAW at the Cabinet meeting however was different. It had been allegedly made at the all important Cabinet meeting. It had been reported in an important Indian newspaper and other media organs. Moreover, it could not be taken lightly as Indias external agency the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) had been directly implicated. Although President Sirisena had reportedly given a clean chit to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying Modi would not have known, the reality was that Maithripalas remarks amounted to an affront to Premier Modi. This is because the RAW is an adjunct of the Cabinet Secretariat coming under the direct purview of the Prime Minister.



The RAW or R&AW set up in 1968 during the prime ministerial tenure of Indira Gandhi is currently headed by Anil Dhasmana. The chief of RAW is designated as a secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat under the direct command of the Indian Prime Minister. The RAW chief reports administratively to the Cabinet Secretary who in turn reports to the PM. So President Sirisenas reference to the Indian espionage agency placed Narendra Modi in a difficult position. On the one hand it implied that the Indian Prime Minister may have had a hand in the alleged assassination plot. On the other hand if the RAW was acting independently of Modi it meant that the premier was not in control of a key agency under his direct command.



What agitated South block officials further was the personal interest displayed by Premier Narendra Modi in this matter. After being informed of this news the Indian PM told key officials in the External Affairs Ministry and Prime Ministers Secretariat that this matter if true was  very serious and instructed them to give top priority to it. The Indian PM urged his officials to find out the full truth and brief him as soon as possible.



VIJAY KESHAV GOKHALE

Indias South block therefore was understandably concerned over President Sirisenas purported remarks about a RAW hand in the alleged assassination conspiracy. In fact it struck a raw nerve (pun intended) in the upper echelons of the Indian establishment. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj who was in Belaurus was informed of what happened. Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale contacted Indian High Commissioner in Colombo Taranjit Singh Sandhu and was briefed. The Foreign Secretary told the High Commissioner that this allegation against the RAW was a slur on Indias national external intelligence agency and that Prime Minister Modi was hurt by this. High Commissioner Sandhu was instructed to meet President Sirisena as early as possible and seek clarification.



Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale also communicated with his Colombo counterpart Prasad Kariyawasam. The Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary a seasoned official who has served in New Delhi realised the gravity of the situation at once. He in turn communicated with Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana who contacted the President and briefed him of the seriousness of the situation. Minister Marapana also informed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. As a result of all these efforts certain damage control initiatives were taken. Colombo went into a defensive mode. Statements were issued by the Cabinet Secretary and Presidents Secretariat. The Sri Lankan External Affairs Ministry also issued a statement.

Meanwhile, High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu got cracking. Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was scheduled to visit India this week and the Indian envoy was to go to New Delhi on October 17 as advance party to finalise the itinerary. Taranjit Singh Sandhu however cancelled the trip in order to meet President Sirisena on Wednesday. This he did and secured an appointment at very short notice to meet Sirisena. By this time President Sirisena too was fully aware of serious concerns in New Delhi about the remarks allegedly made by him at the Cabinet meeting. The President was prepared to explain what had happened to the envoy.



TARANJIT SINGH SANDHU

Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu met with President Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on October 17. The President was scheduled to meet with several political party delegations on Wednesday. Some of these appointments were put on hold or delayed in order to accommodate the Indian High Commissioner.



After respectfully explaining the ramifications and implications of Maithripala Sirisenas reported Cabinet meeting remarks, the Indian High Commissioner sought specific clarity from the Sri Lankan President on three counts. Firstly what was the basis on which the President suspected an Indian link in the alleged conspiracy to assassinate him? Secondly what was the basis on which the President suspected the involvement of the research and analysis wing in the plot to assassinate him? Thirdly was there any explicit reference to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Presidents purported remarks?

Mr. Sirisena told ministers that the Indian intelligence agency was trying to kill him, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi may not be aware of the plan, The Hindu has learnt from sources present at the discussion

President Sirisena recounted in detail the information received so far about the alleged assassination conspiracy. The President said he was deeply disappointed by the lack of concern or interest shown by the Prime Minister or other UNP ministers in probing the alleged conspiracy. He pointed out that Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera had cast negative aspersions on the credibility of the alleged conspiracy. Members of his own government seemed lethargic to take action and investigate an alleged threat to their government heads life and this deplorable attitude was very hurtful. President Sirisena said his safety and security was at stake and he had been compelled to increase his own personal security. The President made it clear to the Indian envoy that his remarks at the Cabinet meeting were basically critical of the PM and UNP component in the government about no action being taken to probe the assassination plot. He did not criticise or blame India in any way for this state of affairs.

Speaking further President Sirisena told the Indian envoy that one person arrested on suspicion of involvement and detained was an Indian national who was a Malayalam-speaking native of Kerala named Thomas. Now they are saying he is mentally unstable. He said that no further action had been taken.

President Sirisena stated that he had merely remarked that an Indian national had been implicated and thereafter had speculated that an Indian espionage agency could have been involved. He had never pointed the finger specifically at the R&AW. Sirisena also told Sandhu that he had never accused Premier Modi in any way. In fact he had gone out of his way to say that Narendra Modi would not know what an espionage agency was doing. The President said he had remarked in the same way about Donald Trump not knowing what the CIA was doing. These were all general remarks and were not specifically directed against the RAW or Premier Modi.



PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI

President Sirisena also blamed some ministers in his Cabinet without naming them as the cause for the controversy. He said his remarks had been taken out of context and distorted and published in the media because some ministers had given journalists wrong information. It was part of a conspiracy by sections in his own government to tarnish his image and portray him as an enemy of India. Speaking further Maithripala Sirisena said he had very high regard for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and enjoyed a close relationship with him. In fact he had lengthy discussions with him in person in Nepal recently. Both of them were common people who had risen to the top through hard work and support of the masses. Therefore some elements hostile to him were trying to drive a wedge between him and Shree Modi. The President also emphasised that he was a genuine friend of India and that should be conveyed to Premier Narendra Modi.



Seizing upon the sentiments expressed by President Sirisena, High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu suggested diplomatically that it would be better if President Sirisena himself spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and explained matters. The suavely articulate Indian envoy told Sirisena that his Prime Minister too held the Lankan President in high esteem and that a personal one to one conversation could allay any doubts about the matter. He said the Indian premier was very concerned about this entire issue and would very much appreciate hearing from Sirisena personally. Such a conversation could bring about greater mutual understanding and strengthen ties between the Lankan President and Indian premier at a personal level as well as enhance Indo-Lanka friendship and cooperation.



President Sirisena was more than willing to talk to Prime Minister Modi. High Commissioner Sandhu suggested that it would be better if the telephone call was initiated from Colombo by the President. Again President Sirisena was ready to do so. Having obtained the Presidents consent High Commissioner returned to his office and hurriedly briefed the External Affairs Ministry. Prime Minister Modi was appraised of the situation. He too was willing to talk to Sirisena. Thus a convenient time was arranged in the afternoon of October 17.



AYU BOWAN EXCELLENCY, HOW ARE YOU?

At the appointed hour a call was initiated from Colombo on behalf of President Sirisena. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came on line. Narendra Modi began the telephonic conversation by saying Ayu Bowan Excellency, how are you? Then followed a very interesting 20-minute conversation between the two leaders. Details of the Modi-Sirisena dialogue and consequent developments will be related and analysed in a continuation of this article next week.



D.B.S. Jeyaraj can be reached at dbsjeyaraj@yahoo.com
Mr. P.C. Fernando passed away 20 years ago, on 23rd October, 1998, at the age of 64 years. He was born to a very respectable family on 2nd April, 1934.



He graduated from Peradeniya University and was a very Senior Class I Officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service. Luckily I had the opportunity of working for him since 1982 when he was the secretary at the Ministry of State Plantations till his transfer to the Ministry of Fisheries in 1990. He retired from service prematurely in 1991 for personal reasons at the age of 57 years.



He was extremely a kind hearted, peace  loving, very good tempered, upright and generous gentleman of par excellence who led a simple, honourable and tranquil life throughout. First class decision making efficient officer who dealt everything meticulously, shrewdly, scrupulously and promptly.



The period of my working under him was remarkably the best one for me out of my 37 years of service; because, though he was my Boss, he never bossed me or dictated terms and orders, and had implicit trust in me. Accordingly, allowed me to perform my duties freely and independently, without any interferences. Besides, he looked after me very well without any discrimination what-so-ever. Similarly, he moved with everybody in a friendly manner and harnessed the full potential from the limited number of staffs available and got the maximum quanta of work done by them in a very harmonious manner.



Apart from the Ministrial functions, he solely handled the family welfare supervisors project for the estates that had been funded by the U.N.F.P.A for several years which he had able to accomplish successfully in a marvellous manner. In addition, he was entrusted with the Tree Crop (Tea) Rehabilitation Project work, funded by the World Bank and that too was well done and completed within the target period and that had been very highly commended by the Treasury and the World Bank at a Seminar held in Washington.



P.C. Fernandos daughter-in-law, Mrs. Murdu Fernando is in the judicial service and recently she was promoted to the post of Supreme Court judge which is an enviable achievement and it is a great honour for the family in general. If Mr. P.C. Fernando had been alive by now, certainly he would have been very highly delighted over her helm of success in her profession. What a pity that Mr. P.C. Fernando is no more to rejoice over her professional success.



My Boss, Mr. P.C. Fernando had been very helpful to me officially and personally and I am ever grateful to him. Specially during the communal riots that erupted in July, 1983, when all our belongings, house, etc., were set on fire and we were left mere destitute, with the only clothes we were wearing on that day. At that dangerous and precarious situation, Mr. P.C. Fernando boldly came to the place where we were sheltered, rushing his life to our rescue and brought us to the Refugee Camp for safety of our lives by his car. Also provided us with food, clothing, etc.

According to our sacred Thirukkural, Helping the people at a crucial moment when they are in difficulty is far more greater than the world. As such, I gratefully remember and pay my tribute to my Boss, Mr. P.C. Fernando on his 20th Death Anniversary. May he rest in peace in the Arms of Jesus! Also, I invoke his blessing on all his dear and loved ones.

Suppiah Thiyagaraja
Saudi Arabia is planning to blame one of its top intelligence officers for journalist Jamal Khashoggis death, it has been claimed.



The kingdoms rulers could point the finger at General Ahmed al-Assiri, who is close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sources have claimed.



They will say he was responsible for a botched interrogation of the writer that the countrys leaders knew nothing about, the New York Times reports.



Khashoggi, 60, went missing having entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago sparking claims he was tortured and murdered in the building.



The New York Times said it had spoken to three people with knowledge of the Saudi plans relating to General Assiri, who had earlier served as the spokesman for the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen before being promoted to his current job in intelligence.



Two of the sources said Saudi rulers are set to explain that Assiri had been given verbal permission from the Crown Prince to capture Mr Khashoggi for questioning in Saudi Arabia but that he either overstepped the authorisation or misunderstood his orders.



The newspaper said Assiri had not responded to requests for comment. Earlier US President Donald Trump said he now believes Khashoggi is dead and warned of very severe consequences should Saudi Arabia be proven responsible.



Asked about the potential US response to Saudi Arabia, which is accused of murdering the Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi regime, Trump said: It will have to be very severe. Its bad, bad stuff.

Saudi Arabia, (Daily Mail), 19 October 2018 -
Sri Lanka has reversed a decision to award a $300-million housing deal to China in favour of a joint venture with an Indian company, the government said, ahead of a visit by the prime minister to its South Asian neighbour.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will meet his counterpart Narendra Modi on Saturday in New Delhi, the Indian capital, for talks. The two countries have long-standing ties, partly because of cultural and ethnic links with Tamils, many of whom live in the island's north and east.

In April, state-run China Railway Beijing Engineering Group Co Ltd won a tender worth more than $300 million to build 40,000 houses in Jaffna in Sri Lanka's north, with China's Exim bank to provide funding.

But the project was halted after residents demanded brick houses, saying they preferred their traditional type of dwelling instead of the concrete structures the Chinese firm had planned.

On Wednesday, government spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said the cabinet had approved a new proposal for 28,000 houses worth 35.8 billion rupees ($210 million) to be built by Indian firm ND Enterprises and two Sri Lankan firms in the north and east.

The planned homes are part of a total requirement of 65,000, he added.

The rest of the houses will be given to firms which are ready to build them at lower prices, Senaratne told reporters in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, adding that China could also be considered in future for the remaining housing projects.

In Beijing on Thursday, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing China's cooperation with Sri Lanka was derived from consultations on an equal footing and he hoped that cooperation would be viewed objectively.

Critics have said a big Chinese port project and related infrastructure in Sri Lanka's south have been dragging the country of 21 million people deep into debt.

India has built 44,000 houses in the country's north in the first phase of reconstruction after a 26-year-war with Tamil Tiger rebels, and plans to rebuild Palaly airport and Kankesanthurai harbour, both heavily damaged in the conflict.

But in recent years, China has swept in, building ports, power plants and highways as part of Beijing's String of Pearls strategy to build a network of friendly ports across Asia.

India has long considered Sri Lanka, just off its southern coast, as within its sphere of influence and sought to push back against China's expanding maritime presence. (Reuters)
Australian Police on Friday dropped terrorism charges against Sri Lankan students in Sydney, Mohamed Kamer Nizamdeen, who was accused of an assassination plot targeting Australian politicians, Australian media reported.

Nizamdeen, a 25-year-old PhD student, was charged with creating a document in connection with preparing for a terrorist act but was released on bail on September 28 after spending four weeks behind bars.

Lawyer of the student said that they will now seek students legal costs and compensation.

Mr Nizamdeen, a contractor at the University of NSW, was not present in Sydney's Central Local Court on Friday when prosecutors withdrew the charge after which his lawyer, Moustafa Kheir, said he would apply for his legal costs as well as take action in the NSW Supreme Court.

"What authorities have done to this young man is absolutely unforgivable," Mr Kheir told reporters outside the court.

"We will be seeking justice for him in the NSW Supreme Court SBC news agency said quoting Kheir.

"It's a terrible experience, as a young man who has done everything right in life, he has gone through supermax jail in unforgivable circumstances."

Mr Nizamdeen's costs application was set down for hearing on November 23 in Central Local Court, his lawyer told reporters.

Nizamdeen spent about last four weeks in jail before being bailed last month. His family and supporters maintained his innocence, and the case prompted protests in his hometown in Sri Lanka.

Nizamdeen is in Australia on a student visa while he completes his studies.

He had no criminal history, and he was promoted by the University of New South Wales in its advertising. Nizamdeen also worked as a contractor for the university.

A court earlier heard that no extremist material was found on his computer or mobile phone.
KANDAHAR REUTERS Oct 18 - Gen. Abdul Razeq, one of Afghanistans most powerful security officials, was killed on Thursday when a bodyguard opened fire following a meeting in the governors compound in the southern province of Kandahar, officials said.



Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan who had been at the meeting with Razeq only moments earlier, was uninjured in the attack, but the local commander of the NDS intelligence service was killed and the provincial governor was severely wounded.



The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they had targeted both Miller and Razeq, who had a fearsome reputation as a ruthless opponent of the insurgents.



The brutal police chief of Kandahar has been killed along several other officials, a Taliban statement said.



Razeq was criticised by human rights groups but highly respected by U.S. officers.
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Photo: VGP

The fund aims to encourage people across the country and overseas Vietnamese to look towards Vietnams sea and islands in general, and particularly to Spratly islands and DK1 frame-house; increase the awareness of agencies, localities and people on the role of sea and islands for national construction and protection; bring forward the resolution on the sustainable development of Vietnams sea economy until 2030 with a vision until 2045, satisfying the demand for increased social involvement in protecting the sovereignty of sea and islands and continental shelf.

Additionally, the fund is established to mobilize financial assistance to gradually increase the material and spiritual lives of the soldiers and people on the islands.



A leader from the Ministry of National Defense will be assumed as Head of the steering committee for the fund./.




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SEATTLE  Seattle Parks and Recreation will hold a community meeting Nov. 1 to get ideas about designing a new park for the Little Saigon neighborhood.

The city bought a quarter-acre site at 1224 S. King St. in 2013 to provide more open space and a connection between King and Jackson streets. Seattle Park District has allocated $1.7 million for planning, design and construction. Design starts next year and construction starts in 2020.





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By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO

Associated Press

Anne D'Innocenzio via AP [enlarge] Renting a villa in the medieval hill town of Cortona let you travel easily to nearby villages for wine tasting and even take a train to Florence.





CORTONA, Italy  After my breast cancer diagnosis and as I was going through what would be more than a year of treatments that included chemotherapy and radiation, I vowed I would return to Italy. Both sets of my grandparents emigrated from there, and I always turned to Italy as a source of comfort.





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By KATHERINE ROTH

Associated Press

A little mindfulness is part of the collection at many American art museums, which are offering yoga, meditation and other wellness programming as part of the art-viewing experience.

In New York City, the Brooklyn Museum offers yoga and meditation sessions. The Metropolitan Museum of Art last year featured workouts taught by professional dancers. And the Museum of Modern Art has long offered quiet mornings, when museum-goers can enjoy the art in a more contemplative atmosphere, without the usual ambient chatter.





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The article praises President Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam - Egypt relations on online newspaper Al-Ahram (Photo: vov.vn)

The writer expressed his surprise when he listened to Dr. Do Hoang Long, Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt, shared that President Ho Chi Minh visited Egypt three times in 1911 and 1946.

In the article, Mr. Kamal not only expressed his impressions on President Ho Chi Minh when he visited Egypt but also his ability to lead the Vietnamese nation over the invasion and occupation of the French and American. Ho Chi Minh, a hero of the Vietnamese nation, the first President led the Vietnamese nation to escape the invaders and came to unify the country on April 30th, 1975.

President Ho Chi Minh reserved special love for Egypt and he was loved and admired by millions of people in the world and Egyptian people, and called "Uncle Ho".

Egypt was one of the first countries worldwide to establish full diplomatic relations with Vietnam in 1963. The government and people of Egypt supported Vietnam in the struggle against colonialism and the two leaders Gamal Abdel Nasser and Ho Chi Minh connected with each other in close friendship.

On that basis, the Vietnam-Egypt bilateral relationship is the positive historical relations, witnessing unprecedented growth in 2017 and 2018; exchanging high-level visits and signing agreements to increase trade exchange to USD1 billion by 2020. Many Vietnamese companies commit to invest in Egypt in areas of agriculture, fishery and shipbuilding, as well as promoting bilateral cooperation in the fields of tourism, education and culture.

The writer stresses that in an analysis entitled Common dynamics and interests in Egypt-Vietnam relation development published in an international political magazine released in September 2017, Dr. Heidi Wajih pointed out the Vietnamese model in state building, and Egypt can learn from Vietnam's leading development experience in order to build the country and restore its position in the region and in the world.

Dr. Heidi said that Vietnam pursues the motto of "Adding more friends and reducing enemies" and has strengthened investment flows from all countries in the world; contributing to removing Vietnam from the list of poorest countries, recognized by the World Bank with an unemployment rate of nearly 2.6%. Vietnam is ranked 55th in the International Competitiveness Report 2017/2018.

Dr. Heidi's article suggests that Egypt is interested in learning about poverty alleviation and hunger eradication experiences carried out by Vietnam between 2001 and 2010. The author also points out various motivations for the development of bilateral relations between Vietnam and Egypt, in which Vietnam is seeking to expand to Africa and seek the support of Egypt to become a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Both sides want to expand trade and promote cooperation in the fields of agriculture, tourism and culture./.
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FEDERAL WAY  The Hampton Inn & Suites at 31720 Gateway Blvd. has sold for $33.1 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Royal Hospitality LLC, which acquired the land in 2005 for $600,000, then developed it.





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Aerial photo taken on Sept. 20, 2018 shows a car running in an area of Kekeya's greening project in Aksu, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

URUMQI, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Over 30 years ago, a war against desertification was waged silently in Kekeya, a little-known place in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. But the influence was earth-shattering. Locals won the battle and passed on the spirit of fighting mother nature's ills to those who will continue striving for a better environment.

Located at the northwestern edge of the Taklimakan, the largest desert in China, Kekeya was once notorious for its erratic weather and constant sand storms.

Taklimakan Desert covers 337,000 square kilometers, slightly smaller than the size of Germany. It is also the world's second-largest shifting sand desert.

An afforestation project to prevent the desert from expanding and to reduce the impacts of sand and dust storms on nearby residents was launched in Kekeya in 1986 and completed in 2015.

Over the past 30 years, a great "green wall" stretching around 77,000 hectares has been gradually erected between the desert and towns.

The remarkable achievement of Kekeya, located in the Aksu Prefecture, has inspired more people to participate in ecological campaigns, which are already underway and expected to transform the desert into an oasis.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

People in Kekeya suffered from droughts for hundreds of years.

Historical records show that, during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a local official hired people to drill wells and explore underground water in Kekeya. But authorities abandoned such attempts, as the total cost was likely to be extremely high.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, locals made a second attempt, digging several wells in Kekeya, but no water came out. In the 1960s, a project to channel water from a river in the city of Aksu was also forsaken.

"Planting trees in Kekeya is no different from farming fish in sand," said Eli Sulayman, 77, a retired forester in Kekeya.

Eli said Kekeya suffered around 100 days of sand and dust storms every year. "In spring and winter, fierce winds blew up and sand engulfed the cities. Residents had to turn on the lights even during the daytime."

"Either we endured or we escaped," said Eli.

In 1985, heads of departments in Aksu decided enough was enough. A head office for desertification was then established the following year to improve the situation.

Many people had doubts about the risky decision, but Bi Kexian, then director of the local forestry department, said that, "For the sake of our next generations, I was willing to take the risk of turning the bare land into green."

Bi took the lead by surveying the soil environment. Huge obstacles ahead included deep ravines and salty soil in need of water irrigation.

Groups of technicians and workers headed into Kekeya to solve soil and water problems, and built roads to aid the transportation of plants and trees in the barren land.

Meanwhile, the local government had been mobilizing the masses to grow trees from the very beginning. Later, people from all walks of life in Aksu voluntarily joined the campaign, digging holes for trees and fertilizing the land.

"Until now, I often dream about digging tree holes, which made my entire body ache," said 50-something Lai Qing, reminiscing about the days of tree planting when she was 20.

From 1986 to 2015, 3.4-million-person-time volunteers planted about 13.37 million trees in Aksu, according to the local forestry bureau.

The dusty days in a year decreased sharply, from about 100 days to 29, the local meteorological department said.

Thanks to the efforts of forest rangers, the survival rate of trees in Kekeya also exceeded 87.5 percent, way beyond expectations.

"I would feel guilty if I failed to take care of those trees that people had worked so hard to plant," said Imam Memet, who has been patrolling and protecting Aksu's forests for three decades.

MISSION CONTINUES

In a memorial hall in Kekeya, a red account book showing records of afforested areas in the region is displayed. The figures have been increasing without a stop thanks to the completion of Kekeya's greening project.

Three more ecological projects on the peripheries of the Taklimakan Desert were launched after Kekeya's project was completed.

In the basin of the Aksu River, an 84,000-hectare greening project has been completed. This autumn, a 71,000-hectare project in the Ogan River Valley is on track to completion. In the spring, Kongtailike District planted 4,000 hectares of trees.

Transport networks, irrigation and reforestation in the three areas have also been developed along with the three ecological projects, which are expected to benefit 1 million residents after all of them are completed by 2020.

For the better preservation of the hard-won forests and to further stabilize residents' incomes, the local government has introduced more cash crops including apple trees, walnut trees and jujube trees.

The sweet juicy Aksu apple has become signature to Xinjiang's agricultural products, which are widely known among Chinese people.

After years of development, Aksu has become a major forestry and fruit production area in Xinjiang, with the output of the prefecture reaching over 13 billion yuan (1.88 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017.

To improve people's living standards, the local government has also been increasing pollution control and city construction, and residents are encouraged to go for a walk by the clean rivers, new parks and squares around the city.

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[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
We can transform Michigans democracy in time for 2020  and your support is needed

Theres a reason that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jennifer Lawrence are focused on Michigan as the most important election of our lives nears.

Its not just because we have a historic all-women slate of statewide candidates. And Its not just because we have a chance to reject several Republican Members who celebrated their vote to uninsure 23 million.

No state  with the possible exception of Florida, which could back the largest voter enfranchisement of the century  has a better chance of fixing its democracy that the state Donald Trump only won by about 10,000 votes.

Schwarzenegger and Lawrence are focused on Proposal 2, which would allow voters to set up an independent redistricting commission in one of the most gerrymandered, undemocratic states in the Union. But thats just the beginning of the new hopes for democracy on our ballot.

Proposal 1 would legalize marijuana and use the more than $260 million that will be generated to fund our schools, roads and local communities, which have been starved by the GOP thirst for tax cuts. Add that to the $90 million well save for not prosecuting silly pot crimes and were suddenly talking the kind of big money Trump and his dad stole from taxpayers.

And then theres the most historic ballot measure most of us will ever have a chance to support  Proposal 3. MLive reports Proposal 3 would:

Automatically register people to vote when they obtain or renew their drivers license or state identification card, as long as they are a U.S. citizen and age 18 or older. Currently, Michigan residents must request and fill out separate paperwork for voter registration.

Allow people to register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day, including on Election Day. The current registration deadline is 30 days before the election.

Allow voters to obtain an absentee ballot without providing a reason. Absentee balloting is currently limited to people who are age 60 and older, disabled, poll workers or who sign an affidavit saying they will be out of town on Election Day.

Reinstate the option of a straight-ticket vote for all candidates of a particular political party by marking one spot on the ballot. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed a law ending that practice, and this November election will be the first time that option is not allowed.

Michigan would become the first swing state Trump won to have automatic registration and you should not discount the importance of this innovation. In his new book An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy in an Age of Trumpian Disinformation and Thunderdome Politics, Greg Sargent has an amazing chapter that unveils how this leap forward for voting rights reduces and eliminates many of the perverse incentives against voting. Candidates that actually want people to vote will be freed up from one of the greatest burdens of campaigning to focus on issues. And voters will suffer fewer of the unnecessary hoops to vote that all send the most vulnerable citizens the same message, stay home.

And to preserve these wins for democracy against a federal judiciary captured by conservatives and their corporate backers, we need a state judiciary that represents the people, not the politicians. And for the first time in a generation, progressives can take and hold our State Supreme court by electing Sam Bagenstos and Megan Cavanagh.

This is a lot to communicate! And we want to make the stakes and opportunities clear to the whole state, which is why were launching a state-wide guide next week. And this is in addition to all the other amazing work Chris Savage and the team he assembled do at Eclectablog and on the GOTMFV podcast.

We hope youll join with our committed community of supporters now, if you havent already given all your money to Beto ORourke. We could turn shame of 2016 into one of the greatest victories for democracy this century.

Heres how to help.

You can use the handy PayPal form at the top of the right sidebar to make a one-time donation via Paypal in the amount of your choice. Second, you can send a check (which avoids Paypal taking out a percentage of your donation) to Chris Savage, P.O. Box 32, Dexter, MI 48130. Please make the check payable to Eclectablog.

Want to make a monthly donation? Enter the amount you want to pay each month: $

USD Sign up for

If you simply arent able to make a donation of any kind (and we appreciate support at ALL levels), please continue to share our posts throughout all of your social media platforms to ensure that the hard work of our most excellent staff is seen by as many folks as possible.
By now its no secret that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Schuette used his office and staff for his own personal work. From working on political operations and promoting his book tour to conducting multi-million dollar real estate transactions and hiring Republican campaign activists as staff in his office right before the 2016 campaign began, Bill Schuette appears to view tax dollars and his government office and his state government staff members as things he can use for his own personal benefit.

Turns out that the same is true for Mike Bishop, the Republican Congressman from Michigans 8th District. Back in 2015, I broke the story that Bishop was using tax dollars to pay for the apartment of his Chief of Staff Allan Filip. Filip, as it turns out, used the apartment for liaisons with 53rd District Court Judge Theresa Brennan. Brennan, who was cheating on her husband with her boyfriend, was cheating on her boyfriend with Filip and testified to visiting him at his apartment in Washington D.C.. Again, this man was Bishops Chief of Staff.

This week, we have more evidence that Bishop is, even now, using government resources for his own benefit, in this case to salvage his downward spiralling re-election campaign against the formidable Democrat Elissa Slotkin.

During two recent debates, one on television and one on the radio, while Slotkin came with just a pen and a pad of paper, Bishop showed up with a giant Trapper Keeper-like binder full of talking points:

Oh look. Mike Bishop showed up for a radio debate With @ElissaSlotkin with his Trapper Keeper full of Republican talking points. You can almost see Granholm and Pelosi screaming from the pages. pic.twitter.com/IMDSEvTHrA  Chris Savage (@Eclectablog) October 16, 2018

LOL. Mike Bishop couldn't debate Elissa Slotkin without a giant binder full of spin. I've never seen a candidate with this much written material during a debate. Have you? #mi08 pic.twitter.com/GXeAgBWZMu    (@grahamdavis) October 7, 2018

At a third debate this week, this one an official televised debate, Detroit News journalist Jonathan Oosting snapped this photo of Bishop clutching his giant binder while exiting the studio:

Presented without comment: U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop's notebook at today's October 2018 debate. #binderbeat pic.twitter.com/BynCi9sG7p  Jonathan Oosting (@jonathanoosting) October 16, 2018

Take a closer look at the cover of the binder:

The cover says U.S. Congressman Mike Bishop / August 2018 Binder / 115th Congress and has the official seal of the U.S. House of Representatives suggesting that it was put together by his Congressional staff using government resources.

Both Bill Schuette and Mike Bishop are shameless about their use of taxpayer dollars to promote their own interests and those of their friends and family. Its little wonder they are struggling in this election cycle.

You can help Elissa Slotkin send Mike Bishop back to being a pocket lint wrangler for multi-millionaire Matty Moroun by clicking HERE.
Fu Fanping picks apples at an orchard in Shangzhuang Village of Yunyan Township in Yicuan County, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Oct. 15, 2018. Fu Fanping, a 46-year-old villager of YIshi Village in Yichuan County, strides ahead in the battle against disability and poverty. She has established an online store on her own, selling agricultural products of apple, pear and the like. Fu got disfigured and disabled in an accidental fire in 1990 that killed four of her beloved relatives, in which her hands were badly hurt. Fu once felt her life was in despair. But after a long struggle, she decided to strive for a better life. She raised sheep, planted trees, did small business and just everything she could to make a better life for her family. In 2015, she was enlightened by the e-commerce boom after receiving a training course. She opened an online store selling local specialties like apples and pears. Taking photos, writing product introductions and keeping contact with customers, She did everything on her own. Her endeavors paid off, as the sales of her e-commerce business have been rising year after year. She believes by persisting effort, she can reach her goals and make the impossible possible. Fu has also set up a poverty-alleviation base for disabled people to support them to find employment. "I hope to inspire more disabled people to get rid of poverty," said Fu. (Xinhua/Liu Xiao)

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[ Editor: WPY ]
Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, presides over a symposium on the use of clean energy for winter heating in the country's northern region held during his research trip to Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, Oct. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)

SHIJIAZHUANG, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng on Wednesday stressed the use of clean energy for winter heating in the country's northern region.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a symposium held during his research trip to Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province.

China should ensure that people in north China will be kept warm and safe in winter while at the same time making progress in improving air quality, Han said.

To clear up the air, China has been encouraging the use of natural gas and electricity instead of coal for winter heating.

Authorities must make sure of the source of natural gas before taking down old heating facilities, Han said, adding that efforts should be made to increase the natural gas supply.

After decades of rapid development that left the country with a thick, gray haze, China declared a war against pollution, with intensified efforts to crack down on polluters and incentives for clean energy use.

By the end of October 2018, a total of 3.62 million additional households in Beijing, Tianjin and 26 other cities in nearby regions will have had their coal-fired heating systems converted, according to an official plan released earlier this year.

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[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
Altay tank countdown for mass production

Negotiations for contract concluded, contract can be signed even tomorrow, says Turkish Defense Industries head

Turkish Defense Industries president on Friday rejected claims that the project to manufacture indigenous battle tank -- Altay -- will be delayed.

"WE CAN SIGN IT EVEN TOMORROW"

Speaking to Anadolu Agencys Finance Desk, Ismail Demir said: Negotiations for the contract have concluded and we can sign it even tomorrow.

He said Altays production could be started after 18 months after signing of the contract.

TURKISH BATTLE JET IS COMING

Demir also said Turkey also negotiated with some countries and companies for the engines of national combat aircraft's TF-X project.

"We want to be a local company at the core of the project," he noted.
British media tries to land Khashoggi murder on Turkey

A black negotiation is going on between the US and Saudi Arabia over Jamal Khashoggi murder. English media started to blame Turkey.

Jamal Khashoggi, who had visited the consulate to file paperwork for his wedding has not been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October, where Turkish officials allege he was killed. Turkish investigators searched Saudi Arabias consulate on Monday, 13 days after journalist Jamal Khashoggi vanished while visiting the mission.

NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE US AND S. ARABIA

Even though Saudi Arabia said Khashoggi left the consulate on Tuesday after completing his paperwork, there is no evidence that he left the building. As the mounting pieces of evidence target a possible premeditated murder, there are several negotiations started between the US and Saudi Arabia.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met on Tuesday with Saudi Arabia's King Salman over the disappearance of Saudi journalist. The same day that Pompeo landed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Saudi government supplied the money support as they promised the Trump administration $100 million for US support for terror organization YPG in Syria. President Trump made clear that whatever the outcome, the US would not stop weapon trade deals with Riyadh.

BLACK PROPAGANDA

Now British media started a black propaganda against Turkey.

The Times columnist Richard Spencer wrote an article about the case that blames Turkey. Turkey can keep the full details of its inquiry secret and release enough evidence to fit a narrative that admits Saudi culpability but spares Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. In return, it can demand confessions from Riyadh, perhaps over its dispute with Ankaras ally, Qatar, or perhaps just investment. Spencer said.
On October 17 noon, the European Commission (EC) agreed to submit the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to the European Council to seek its approval for the signing of the deal slated for late 2018 and to the European Parliament (EP) for ratification in 2019.

At a press conference on October 17 afternoon, the EU affirmed its commitment to putting the document in place as soon as possible.

During his trip, PM Phuc held talks with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of Austria, which is assuming the EU Presidency, and with Prime Minister Charles Michel of Belgium, which accommodates EU agencies.

He also met with other leaders and businesspeople of the two countries, and delivered speeches at business forums, calling for the implementation of these documents.

The same day, the PM had a meeting with Bernd Lange, Chairman of the EPs International Trade Committee.

He applauded the role and contributions of Lange to enhancing the partnership between Vietnam and the EU in general and between the Vietnamese National Assembly and the EP in particular.

Lange expressed his delight at the ECs decision to send the EVFTA to the European Council for signing, saying this is an important step so the EP can begin the ratification process.

He affirmed his support for all-round cooperation between Vietnam and the EU.

During his meeting with EP President Antonio Tajani the same day, PM Phuc praised the fruitful relations between the Vietnamese legislature and the EP, saying Vietnam considers it an important pillar of the Vietnam-EU comprehensive cooperation.

For his part, Tajani stressed the EP will make efforts to ratify the documents in early 2019, which, he said, would support both sides and benefit trade in Europe and Asia.

The EP will continue with its support for the implementation of cooperation programmes between the EU and Vietnam, as well as Vietnams sustainable development, he said.

He lauded cooperation between the EU and Vietnam at international forums and organisations, affirming his support for efforts to maintain peace and security, avoid escalating tension and respect interests of parties concerned in the East Sea on the basis of international law.

The ECs adoption of the EVFTA ahead of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, which opens on October 18, has demonstrated all sides efforts to step up connectivity between Asia and Europe.

In a press release, the EU cited EC President Jean-Claude Juncker as saying that the trade and investment agreements with Vietnam are exemplary of Europe's trade policy. They bring unprecedented benefits to European and Vietnamese companies, workers and consumers.

By adopting them a few hours before welcoming the participants to the ASEM Summit in Brussels, the commission shows its commitment to open trade and engagement with Asia, he said.

Juncker said he expects the EP and EU member states to work to ensure the agreements enter into force as soon as possible.

EC Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom said Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, with a vibrant market of more than 95 million consumers, an emerging middle class and a young, dynamic workforce.

She expressed her hope the EP and EU member countries will approve the agreements swiftly to allow businesses, workers, farmers and consumers to reap the benefits as soon as possible.
BMW SA Open hosted by the City of Ekurhuleni

Glendower GC, City of Ekurhuleni, Gauteng, South Africa
New York City

Miznon, Paris

New York

Paris

So how does the Miznon in New York City measure up to the one in Paris? Not quite as well, I'm afraid to report. At least not cauliflower-wise.Last year, visiting our older son at the Sorbonne, we ended up in La Marais, "The Swamp," the old Jewish quarter, (birds of a feather...) where we jammed ourselves into Israeli chef Eyal Shani's outpost of "Mediterranean street food." (The original, not the second one opened earlier this year). It was wall-to-wallcommotion and aroma and a mild roar of French and Hebrew. But we claimed a spot at the bar, and ordered the speciality of the house, despite its unpromising premise: roasted cauliflower.You wouldn't order it, would you? I sure wouldn't. But it was, I was firmly told, what people order. You have to. It's obligatory. Always surprising what you'll do when told you're supposed to. "Get the bucket of raw cow brainsBuzzfeed said it was exquisite..."Maybe that's because peopleThe wisdom of crowds. The roasted cauliflower was an epiphany. If you can't imagine eating and entire cauliflower with a knife and a fork, well, trust me, it's that good. The broccoli I had insisted on also orderingI like broccoliwas an anti-climax, superfluous and sad. My wife viewed the vegetable as if it were a personal flaw of mine, after that superlative cauliflower, which we not only ate, in transport, but then cherished the memory of eating, and tried reproducing the wonder ourselves at home but couldn't come close. We suspect it's somehow treatedsteamed, soaked, somethingbeforehand.When I saw that a Miznon opened earlier this year in Chelsea Market, not far from my older son's law school ("It's following him!" I said) giving it a try was my primary mission during our trip to New York. See the boy, then get that cauliflower and, oh I suppose, go to a museum or a play or something. I couldn't tell if I wanted the jet-setting joy of going to both locations (there's also an outpost in Tel Aviv) or just wanted the pleasure of tasting that roasted miracle.You can't go home again. Maybe the surprise of that first perfectly prepared cauliflower can never be recaptured. Maybe the vegetable itself wasn't as good (although it should have been; cauliflower are in peak season in the fall). My wife pointed out that this didn't have the delectably-charred leaves. We still gobbled up the thing (well, I did, as she pointed out, without a smile, later). We also ordered the "bag of beets"roasted beets, which weren't that bad. Or at least I wasn't blamed for them.The restaurant was very loudsome kind of DJ blaring some kind of sounds, music apparentlyand we quickly moved on try out a nearby taco place that had received high marks. Having been to Tel Aviv once, that's plenty for a lifetime, and I have never been tempted to go back for any reason. Not until I realized that if I go, I could complete the hat trick, Miznon-wise. Suddenly, the Promised Land beckons. I can be strange that way.
Funding for four key projects from Failte Irelands New Horizons on the Wild Atlantic Way 2018 Grants Scheme were announced today by Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Brendan Griffin.

Minister Griffin outlined details of 651,437 in funding to develop and improve visitor experiences along the Skellig Coast in Co. Kerry.The four projects along the Wild Atlantic Way to receive funding are: The Transatlantic Cable Story, Valentia Island - 161,437 Leading Lights at Cromwell Point, Valentia Island - 90,000 Portmagee Whiskey Experience and Seine Boat Experience - 200,000 Daniel OConnell at the Old Barracks Heritage Centre, Cahersiveen - 200,000The Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Brendan Griffin T.D., said:Todays announcement is a welcome boost to the tourism industry in Kerry and along the Skellig Coast on the Wild Atlantic Way. The aim of Failte Irelands New Horizons on the Wild Atlantic Way 2018 Grants Scheme is to drive visitor numbers to the regions and to lesser visited areas and attractions within them. As we know, tourism is a very competitive market and todays significant grant funding announcement is aimed at ensuring that Kerry and the Wild Atlantic Way continues to offer visitors worldclass experiences and attractions boosting the region and increasing revenue and employment in the local tourism industry.Head of Failte Irelands Wild Atlantic Way, Miriam Kennedy said:Developing and unlocking the growth potential of visitor attractions is one of the main aims of Failte Irelands New Horizons on the Wild Atlantic Way 2018 Grants Scheme. Failte Ireland will continue to invest in projects that ensure that we have the top class tourism infrastructure, which attract and encourage visitors to stay for longer and that create sustainable employment opportunities along the Wild Atlantic Way.Two projects on Valentia Island, the Transatlantic Cable Story and the Leading Lights at Cromwell Point received funding of 251,437 in total. Vincent Kidd of the Valentia Island Development Committee in welcoming the funding said:The announcement of just over 251,000 in grant funding for our two key projects is a fantastic day for the people and community of Valentia Island. The funding will greatly enhance the work of VIDC (a non-profit organization with charitable status). It is just four year since we first opened the lighthouse to the public and this year 15k people visited the facility. The grant of 90K will enable us to enhance the customer experience and to grow the visitor numbers and create jobs. The 161,437 for the Cable Station sets us up well in developing this facility with the ultimate goal of UNESCO recognition and help to create a facility that will ultimately aim to attract well in excess of 30k people per year and in turn create sustainable jobs all year around.

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According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the rice cultivation area accounts for around 60% of the total area of annual crops and rice production is an important source of income for roughly nine million rural households in Vietnam.

Vietnam is one of the three largest rice exporters in the world, with an annual shipment of 5-6 million tonnes to 150 countries and territories worldwide, bringing in US$2.5 billion.

However, many economic experts have stated that Vietnams rice exports still have many shortcomings. Despite a high export volume, the quality of rice has yet to met market demands; therefore the export value has been too low.

Under the Strategy on Vietnam Rice Export Market Development for 2017-2020, with orientation to 2030, the country will gradually improve the quality of its exported rice. The annual rice export volume will be reduced to four million tonnes per year, while the export turnover will increase US$2.3 billion  US$2.5 billion.

In order to implement the strategy, the Government issued Decree No.107/2018/ND-CP on rice export businesses and a specific strategy on the development of the rice export market, to replace Decree No.109/2010/ND-CP.

On October 11, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in collaboration with The Rice Trader Magazine, held the 10th World Rice Conference, with the participation of representatives from hundreds of rice producers, exporters and importers from 30 countries around the world. The event demonstrated Vietnams important role in coordinating with its foreign counterparts.

In addition, the rice sector should provide many types of delicious rice that the markets needs instead of the existing varieties. Therefore, Vietnamese rice export enterprises need to study, build and promote the brand of high quality and aromatic rice.

It is also crucial to clarify information and market prices as well as take measures to promote the export of high quality rice to major markets. Localities should proactively plan and build high quality rice production regions and sub-regions, while applying scientific and technological advances, to serve the fastidious market and take opportunities, contributing to improving the position of Vietnamese rice in the world.
Police in France arrested a Ukrainian citizen who allegedly faked his death as part of an intricate and large-scale corruption scheme.

French police said the unnamed man, arrested on October 5, was a high-profile Ukrainian.

EU law enforcement agency Europol nicknamed him King of the Castle.

The King was arrested at his 12th century castle Chateau de La Rochepot outside of Dijon. Police also recovered a vintage Rolls-Royce Phantom, jewelry, and three works by Salvador Dali, according to reports.

French police began investigating the King after a Luxembourg-based company purchased the castle.

The companys beneficial ownership was a Ukrainian citizen suspected of corruption at a large scale in his country.

Europol worked with French, Ukrainian, and Luxembourg authorities to discover the King had forged his own death certificates and was not only alive, but was enjoying a lavish lifestyle in France.

Ukraine is currently tied at 130 with Sierre Leone and Myanmar on the TI Corruption Perceptions Index.

Earlier this year, the country appointed a new auditor for the National Anti-Corruption Bureau. Some local anti-corruption activists considered the appointee, Vladimir Vasilenko, to be a pocket candidate of the establishment and were disappointed by the selection.

A Ukrainian court ruled in September that authorities should have access to the cellphone data of an investigative reporter working on stories about anti-corruption investigations.

____

Harry Cassin is the managing editor of the FCPA Blog.
Alpkit Limited, a Nottingham, UK-based outdoor clothing and equipment retailer, raised 1m in funding.

Foresight Group made the investment from the Foresight Nottingham Fund, alongside bank funding provided by HSBC.

Founded in 2004 by a group of friends who loved outdoor adventure, including the current Managing Director, Nick Smith, and led by David Hanney, who joined the business as CEO in 2014, Alpkit is a designer and retailer of outdoor clothing and equipment. Targeting the outdoor adventure enthusiast, the company provides over 500 lines across clothing, equipment and bikes. All products are designed at the companys HQ in Newthorpe, Nottingham, with a focus on technical performance.

The company plans to use funds to invest in its website to both improve customer experience and to create international language sites to increase sales from its growing global online traffic and open new stores in selected locations throughout the UK.

Over the last two years, Alpkit has opened its first two stores, strategically located in the Lake District and Peak District, to increase brand awareness. As well as selling its products, the companys expert staff in the stores provide advice, product repairs and run adventure courses. In the last four years, staff numbers have grown from 12 to 62 and over the next three years, Alpkit aims to create a further 40 jobs.

FinSMEs

19/10/2018
Incorta, a San Mateo, CA-based hyperconverged analytics software company, raised $15m in Series B funding.

Backers included M12, Microsofts venture fund (formerly Microsoft Ventures), and Telstra Ventures.

This funding brought the round total to $30M.

Led by CEO Osama Elkady, Incorta provides a hyperconverged analytics software platform for IT to deliver new reports within minutes and for business to feed data curiosity by conducting real-time conversations with their data to make accurate and timely decisions.

Incorta is currently deployed and powers analytics for some of the worlds largest and fastest-growing companies.

The round coincides with the companys Fall 18 product release, which makes the platform horizontally scalable for any volume of data without the need for partitioning, performance tuning or query optimization.

FinSMEs

18/10/2018
MobiKwik, an Indian full-stack fintech platform, acquired Clearfunds, a Mumbai, India-based online wealth management platform.

The acquisition will enable MobiKwik to enter the wealth management business. It will be investing US$15m over the next one year to scale up its wealth management business.

Founded in 2016, Clearfunds uses data analytics and automated processes to deliver the best investment experience. It uses computer algorithms to build, monitor and rebalance diversified mutual fund investment portfolios suited to an investors stated goals, time horizon and risk tolerance.

It has $45 million worth of assets under advisory and allows clients to access 3,000+ direct mutual fund schemes across all 36 Mutual Fund Companies (AMCs), and 4 Registrar and Transfer Agents (RTAs).

Post the acquisition, Kunal Bajaj, Founder and CEO, Clearfunds will lead MobiKwiks wealth management business. He has over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry and has held leadership positions at worlds leading financial institutions like Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and Jefferies India.

Founded in 2009 by Bipin Preet Singh and Upasana Taku, MobiKwik is a digital financial services platform with over 3 million merchants and 107 million users, who will soon be able to invest in mutual funds from their MobiKwik app.

The company has raised four rounds of funding from Sequoia Capital, American Express, Tree Line Asia, MediaTek, GMO Payment Gateway, Cisco Investments, Net1 and Bajaj Finance.

FinSMEs

18/10/2018
At the first award ceremony, Forbes Vietnam sought to honour a prominent Vietnamese woman who has gained accomplishments and made contributions to a field, society or country.

In order to select the candidates for the award, the Forbes Vietnam team consulted a panel of prestigious figures in society, including business leaders and intellectuals.

Mai Kieu Lien has been leading Vinamilk for over 40 years, helping the company to become one of the most successful examples of state-owned enterprises in the renovation period.

Continuing to hold key positions in the company, especially the two most important positions as Chairwoman and CEO of Vinamilk, Mai Kieu Lien is the only businesswoman in Vietnam to be consecutively on the list of the 50 most powerful business women in Asia, from 2012 to 2015, as voted by Forbes and named the winner of the 20th Nikkei Asia Prize - Economics and Business Innovation.

In addition, Mai Kieu Lien is one of the 50 most influential women in Vietnam as voted by Forbes Vietnam in 2017. In 2015, she left the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors, focusing on the CEO role.
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Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defence, Senior Lieutenant General Le Chiem, who is also Chairperson of the Vietnamese Government Specialised Committee, co-chaired the event with Senior Advisor of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Seang Lapress, who is also Vice Chairman of the Cambodian Governmental Specialised Committee.

Senior Lieutenant General Le Chiem highly appreciated the effective direction from the Cambodian Government's special committee on the organisation and implementation of coordination activities with the Vietnamese side in the search and repatriation of Vietnamese martyrs who sacrificed themselves in Cambodia.

He affirmed that, despite the global situation witnessing fluctuations, Vietnamese and Cambodian relations have been constantly strengthened and developed in the spirit of " good neighbours, traditional friendship, and sustainable, long-term and comprehensive cooperation," contributing to strengthening and deepening the good neighbourly relations between the State, military and people of the two countries.

During the 2017-2018 dry season, the authorities of the two countries have coordinated in collecting 690 martyrs remains. The result reflects the high responsibility and efforts of the Cambodian military, local authorities and people, expressing their deep gratitude to those who sacrificed themselves for the independence of each country and the interest of both parties for the search and repatriation of Vietnamese martyrs, volunteers and experts remains in Cambodia.

Advisor Seang Lapress affirmed that, based on the agreements signed between the two Governments, the two governmental committees have developed plans and directed the military zones, localities and working missions to effectively deploy the work of searching for, collecting and repatriating the Vietnamese martyrs remains in Cambodia.

He affirmed that Cambodia will continue to cooperate with Vietnam in the work in order to achieve high efficiency as planned, contributing to strengthening the growing friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

At the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue coordinating the search, collection and repatriation of the remains of Vietnamese martyrs, volunteer soldiers and specialists during the wartime in Cambodia until there is no information on the burial sites of the remaining graves.

Both sides reached a consensus that the two countries' governmental committees should work closely together to direct the propaganda and mobilisation of local people to provide information on martyrs and their graves, improve the efficiency of the search and collection, and regularly coordinate and exchange to remove difficulties in organising the work.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese Governmental Specialised Committee provided support funding to the Cambodian side to cover the search, collection and repatriation of Vietnamese martyrs remains in Cambodia during the 2018-2019 dry season.
The deputy PM made the remark while hosting a reception for Niigata Governor, Hideyo Hanazumi, and a delegation of Japanese investors in Hanoi, on October 18.

He stated that the friendly relations and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan are growing finely, strongly and substantially in various spheres, with political exchange and trust between the senior leaders of the two countries having been increasingly strengthened.

Vietnam attaches importance to strengthening the cooperation between the two countries localities, considering it as a substantial and effective channel to enhance their bilateral economic, trade and labour ties and boost people-to-people exchanges, Deputy PM Dung affirmed.

He asked the Governor to encourage Niigatas firms to further invest in Vietnam in the fields of the prefectures strength, such as manufacturing, agro-forestry and fisheries, high technology, and especially rice.

He also call on Niigata and other Japanese localities to strengthen their cooperation with Vietnam in human resource training and education, via increasing the reception of Vietnamese interns, in addition to promoting tourism, culture and people-to-people exchanges between Niigata and Vietnamese localities.

Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi shared the hosts idea that the Vietnam-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership is growing vigorously across diverse fields and at different levels.

Niigata wishes to establish closer relationships with Vietnamese localities, he said, stating that Niigata wants to foster cooperation in the specific areas of economics, trade, investment, health, education, tourism and aviation.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, and head of the Vietnamese Mission to the EU, Vu Anh Quang, briefed the PM on the communitys situation and a range of embassy issues.

Quang said that the embassys top priorities are to promote the Vietnam-EU Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation, and further develop friendship and collaboration between Vietnam and Belgium, as well as between Vietnam and Luxembourg.

An estimated 13,000 Vietnamese people live in Belgium, he stated, adding that the community is lauded for abiding by the host countrys laws, integrating well into Belgian society and maintaining Vietnams culture.

President of the General Association of Vietnamese in Belgium, Huynh Cong My, shared that Vietnamese people in Belgium are delighted with Vietnams achievements in poverty reduction and economic development, and eagerly anticipate an early signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

PM Phuc shared the positive developments with the participants, stating that the European Commission (EC) had, on October 17, agreed to adopt the EVFTA and an Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) to submit them to the European Council for approval of the official signing of the documents.

If approved, these documents will be submitted to the European Parliament for ratification, Phuc added.

The agreement will have a huge impact on Vietnams development, he affirmed, adding that many European enterprises have already signaled an interest in investing in Vietnam in anticipation of the agreement at the Vietnam-EU Business Forum held the same day.

He also asked the Vietnamese community in Belgium to maintain their traditional culture and continue teaching young people their native Vietnamese language.
Black women die from breast cancer more often than others.
Federal Office for Migration and Refugees missed deadline : Hostage-taker from Cologne was supposed to be deported

Cologne The hostage-taker from Cologne was supposed to be deported already in 2015, according to Focus Online, quoting security circuits.

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Back then, Mohammad Abo R. from Syria came to the Czech Republic and was registered as an asylum seeker. On March 2, 2015, he travelled on to Germany. First his asylum application fell through at the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf), because he was already registered in the Czech Republic. According to the Dublin Agreement he should have been deported to Prague, but the Baff missed the deadlines. Therefore he had to be tolerated here.
Deputy PM Binh expressed his hope that the economic, trade and investment ties between Vietnam and Italy will grow further, matching their potential and strength.

He urged the two sides to lift the bilateral trade to US$6 billion in the time ahead, and encouraged Italian businesses to step up their investment in Vietnam in such areas as support industry, manufacturing mechanics, infrastructure, energy and tourism.

The official highlighted the fruitful strategic partnership between Vietnam and Italy across fields, from politics-diplomacy to trade-investment, culture, education, science-technology, justice and environment.

The two countries have organised diverse activities this year to celebrate the 45th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties and five years of the implementation of the strategic partnership, he said.

For his part, Roberto Fico lauded achievements in socio-economic development and international integration Vietnam has recorded, describing the country as a bright example of development.

He shared the Vietnamese Deputy PMs view on the need to increase meetings and exchanges between the two countries as well as their legislatures.

The Italian parliament stands ready to join hands with Vietnam in enhancing cooperation in economy and other fields like health care, tourism and education and training, thus benefiting people of both countries, Roberto Fico said.

He also applauded the contributions of the Vietnamese community in Italy to cultural diversity and prosperity in the host country, and to promoting relations between the two countries.

On this occasion, Deputy PM Binh extended National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngans invitation to the Italian Lower House Speaker to visit Vietnam at a suitable time. Roberto Fico accepted the invitation with pleasure.

The Deputy PM is paying a visit to the Vatican from October 18-20.
At a conference held in Hanoi on October 18, the SAV presented the certificates of merit to 30 collectives and 47 individuals for their contributions to the success of ASOSAI 14.

In addition to Nhan Dan Newspaper, the other four honoured press agencies included Vietnam Television, Vietnam News Agency, Dai Bieu Nhan Dan (The People's Representative) Newspaper, and Vietnam Hoi Nhap (Vietnam Integration) magazine.

Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairman of National Assembly (NA) Phung Quoc Hien said that ASOSAI 14 was one of Vietnams three largest multilateral events in 2018. It was more successful than expected and highly appreciated by both domestic public opinions and foreign organisations.

The SAVs Auditor General Ho Duc Phoc emphasised that the ASOSAIs success marked a new development in foreign affairs, as well as improved the SAVs influence and position in the world arena, contributing to promoting the image of Vietnamese land and people.

The ASOSAI 14, which took place in Hanoi from September 19-22, attracted 84 press agencies, with 260 reporters covering the event.
The event has gathered the senior leaders of 53 ASEM members, including 21 Asian countries, 30 European nations, the European Union (EU) and the ASEAN Secretariat. Prior to the opening session, President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, co-hosted the official welcoming ceremony for ASEM leaders with solemn rituals.

In his opening remarks, European Council President Donald Tusk highly appreciated the achievements that the ASEM forum has obtained since its 11th Summit in Ulanbato, Mongolia, in 2016, highlighting the ASEMs role as a leading cooperation and dialogue mechanism between the two continents, taking the lead in promoting multilateral cooperation and rule-based international order, and contributing to the maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region and the world.

Under the theme Europe and Asia: Global Partners for Global Challenges, the 12th ASEM Summit, the first summit in the third development decade of the forum, is of great significance, aiming to set out the directions and visions for ASEM cooperation in the new decade, across its three pillars of political dialogue, economic cooperation and cooperation in other fields.

In the following speeches, the President of Mongolia, the host of the 11th ASEM Summit in 2016, and the Prime Minister of Austria, the EUs rotating presidency, stressed that amid the rapid and profound changes in the international situation and the situation in the two continents, ASEM should continue promoting its leading role in sustaining economic growth and facilitating connectivity, sustainable and inclusive development, and more effective responses to global challenges, thereby affirming the forums increasingly important position. The leaders also highlighted the need for concerted efforts to develop the Asia-Europe partnership in a deeper and more effective manner, while upholding the ASEMs core values and fundamental principles on equality, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation.

The ASEM leaders were informed on the recommendations of the five activities held en route to the 12th ASEM Summit, by the Presidents of the 10th Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (September 27-28), the 12th Asia-Europe Peoples Forum (September 29 to October 1), the 11th Asia-Europe Labour Forum (October 16-17), the 16th Asia-Europe Business Forum (October 18), and the third Asia-Europe Foundation Young Leaders Summit (October 15-19).

On the same day, the leaders attended an official banquet hosted by European Council President Donald Tusk at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels, which featured unique arts performances imbued with Asian-European cultural, historical and traditional identities.

The 12th ASEM Summit will continue on October 19 with three sessions focusing on discussing economic and financial issues, global challenges, and emerging international and regional issues.
Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation.
The state Department of Health this week approved medical marijuana use for people who suffer from some severe manifestations of autism, most of whom are children.But before doctors can recommend marijuana, the health department has implemented several safeguards "to ensure that patients are being treated safely."Those safeguards require doctors to first try a new FDA-approved medication, also derived from marijuana, with the active ingredient CBD. The medication does not include THC, the mind-altering component of marijuana.Doctors must also first consult with a child psychiatrist or pediatric neurologist in cases involving children and then follow up with those specialists three months after the initiation of medical marijuana. And if medical marijuana isn't working, the doctor must discontinue treatment.The department's decision doesn't pertain to all patients with autism, but only those of "a very specific patient population," said health department spokesman Joseph Wendelken.Some examples would be patients who engage in aggressive repetitive movements "in a way that jeopardizes their health or the health of the people around them" or are so antisocial that their health is jeopardized.The department's decision to include autism spectrum disorder as a qualifying condition for medical marijuana use sprang from a parent's request earlier this year. The department held a public hearing in August in which parents testified that they had seen improvements in their children after trying CBD.Seven other states have made autism a qualifying condition for medical marijuana, according to advocacy group #cannabis4autism: Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Oregon, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.Massachusetts allows some autism patients to use medical marijuana because it is considered a "debilitating medical condition."
In an unprecedented court filing Wednesday, Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian accused top legislative officials of ignoring subpoenas issued by his agency in its investigation of sexual harassment at the Oregon Capitol.The filings seek contempt of court rulings and $1,000 a day fines against Senate President Peter Courtney, House Speaker Tina Kotek, Senate Republican Leader Jackie Winters and nine others who Avakian accuses of disregarding subpoenas. A contempt finding can carry a sanction of jail time.The subpoenas were necessary because Avakian has reason to believe they would protect key documents from "imminent destruction," the filing states.It is the first time in memory that the Bureau of Labor and Industries has sought contempt rulings, said spokeswoman Christine Lewis.Through a private attorney, Edward Harnden, legislative officials subpoenaed by the bureau all declined to turn over requested records and sit for interviews.They argued its demand for information was overly broad, and said compliance would require them to break pledges of confidentiality made to the people who reported harassment.Representatives for Courtney, Kotek and Winters on Thursday directed questions to Harnden, who said he is confident a judge will find no wrongdoing by members of the Legislature. Avakian is overstepping his authority "and he knows it," Harnden said.The judge in the case, Judge Stephen Bushong of Multnomah County, set a hearing for Nov. 19 to consider Avakian's arguments.In a rebuke of his fellow Democrats, Avakian in August accused Courtney, Kotek and the others of covering up a culture of sexual harassment at the Capitol when he filed a complaint with his own Bureau of Labor and Industries.That set in motion a civil rights investigation, under which the subpoenas were issued. Rather than investigate his own complaint, Avakian instructed his civil rights attorneys to carry out the investigation.In his complaint, Avakian charged that Kotek, Courtney and officials including Dexter Johnson, the Legislature's attorney, and Lore Christopher, its human resources director, failed to stop sexual harassment by then-Sen. Jeff Kruse despite longstanding complaints against him.A legislative investigation found Kruse, a Roseburg Republican, had sexually harassed or groped many women at the Capitol -- including fellow senators, a lobbyist and two interns. Kruse resigned in March after 26 years in office.Avakian was not immediately available for comment Thursday, said Lewis, his spokeswoman. The investigation of sexual harassment at the Capitol he prompted will likely be Avakian's last major case before he leaves office next year.His bureau's request for contempt rulings and fines demonstrate Avakian's determination to get answers, even if from lawmakers who were once political allies.That Courtney, Kotek and others disregarded the subpoenas did not come as a surprise, the documents show. In response to the subpoenas, Harnden, the Legislature's attorney, turned over publicly available documents. But declined to provide to other records, saying it would publicly expose those who complained about Kruse after they were promised confidentiality.Lawmakers have argued they are exempt from labor laws that govern other employers and are not susceptible to the labor commissioner's investigatory powers.Avakian responded tersely.He wrote that the legislators "are not above the law and their conduct is not beyond all scrutiny."
A divided Washington Supreme Court on Thursday held that a life sentence for juveniles convicted of aggravated murder constitutes cruel punishment and is unconstitutional.The justices ruled 5-4 that trial courts may not impose a minimum term of life without the possibility of release for 16- and 17-year-olds convicted of aggravated first-degree murder, with Justice Susan Owens writing in the majority opinion that "the direction of change in this country is unmistakably and steadily moving toward abandoning the practice of putting child offenders in prison for their entire lives."But the minority opinion, authored by Justice Debra Stephens, argued the majority is reinterpreting a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court decision addressing mandatory juvenile life sentences, Miller vs. Alabama -- known as the Miller decision -- and that the majority has improperly eliminated trial judges' discretion to sentencing 16- and 17-year-olds to life in prison for the crime of aggravated murder.Before the state Supreme Court abolished the death penalty last week, finding capital punishment to be imposed in an arbitrary and racially-biased manner, the only possible punishments for adults convicted of aggravated murder was life in prison without the possibility of release, or death.Thursday's ruling upheld a state Court of Appeals decision in the case of Brian Bassett, who was 16 when he fatally shot his parents with a stolen rifle and drowned his 5-year-old brother in a bathtub at the family's home in McCleary, Grays Harbor County, in 1995.The appeals court last year agreed with Bassett, now 39, that a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release for juvenile defendants is unconstitutional because it violates the state's prohibition against cruel punishment. Prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court."It's an excellent decision. The U.S. is the only country in the world that sentences people to life for something they did as a child," said Bassett's attorney, Eric Lindell. "It's very consistent with our state constitution and the science that's developed and proved the minds of juveniles are different from the minds of adults."But Grays Harbor County Prosecutor Katie Svoboda said she was "frustrated" by the decision."When someone commits a triple homicide like Bassett did, that wasn't a youthful impulse kind of crime, like a drug deal gone bad or a robbery gone bad," she said. "It was a premeditated triple homicide crime, including a 5-year-old child who was drowned in a bathtub. I think the facts of the case matter and the victims matter."According to the state Department of Corrections, there are 30 inmates in Washington who are currently serving life sentences without the possibility of release for killings committed when they were 17 or younger and two of them -- including Bassett -- were resentenced to life without parole.In King County, there is one case that will be impacted by Thursday's decision, according to the prosecutor's office. Alex Baranyi was 17 in January 1997 when he and his best friend, 18-year-old David Anderson, killed four members of a Bellevue family. Both were convicted of four counts of aggravated first-degree murder and sentenced to four consecutive life terms."A sentence of life without the possibility of parole will no longer be possible in that case," a spokesman for Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said in an emailed statement about Baranyi. "We are closely reading the opinion to determine what sentence is allowed under the Supreme Court's decision."With Thursday's decision, Washington now joins 20 other states and Washington, D.C., in abolishing life without parole for juvenile offenders -- and is representative of the ongoing evolution in the way the criminal-justice system treats juveniles who are convicted as adults.The shift is based on neuroscience that's proven adolescent brains aren't fully developed until age 25 -- and as a result, juveniles are considered less culpable than adults for criminal behavior. Science also has shown that adolescents possess a greater propensity for change and rehabilitation compared to adults.The neuroscience prompted a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found it unconstitutional to execute defendants who committed their crimes when they were under the age of 18. Then, in 2010, the high court ruled juveniles cannot be sentenced to life in prison without parole for crimes other than murder.Two years after that, the Miller decision eliminated mandatory sentences of life in prison without the possibility of release for juvenile homicide offenders but didn't categorically bar such sentences.Instead, Miller found that juveniles are not as criminally culpable as adults and have a greater capacity to change, so required judges to consider as mitigating factors youth and its attendant characteristics, such as impulsivity, failure to appreciate risks or consequences and susceptibility to familial or peer pressure.In 2015, the state Legislature passed what is known as the Miller fix, to bring state law into line with the Miller decision. The statute already bars minimum life sentences for juveniles who commit aggravated murder when they are 15 or younger, requiring them to serve a minimum of 25 years with a maximum term of life.But before Thursday's ruling, judges still could sentence 16- and 17-year-old to life terms for aggravated murder after considering age and other mitigating factors.Bassett was resentenced to life in prison in 2015, which prompted his appeal to the Court of Appeals.According to Thursday's ruling, a pediatric psychologist testified that Bassett had suffered from an adjustment disorder and struggled to cope with homelessness after his parents kicked him out of the house. Bassett later said that at the time, he wasn't able to comprehend the long-term consequences of his actions, according to court records.He hasn't had any prison violations for 15 years, has earned his GED and was on the Edmonds Community College honor roll. He got married in 2010."Brian, now under this opinion, has a chance to get released some day in the future. He went to prison as a 16-year-old boy with no hope of getting out, no light at the end of the tunnel and what he's done over the last 20 years is extraordinary," said Lindell, Bassett's attorney.He expects Bassett to go before a Grays Harbor County Superior Court judge to again be resentenced but doesn't know when that might happen."All I want is for Brian to get a fair shake," Lindell said.Times reporters Paige Cornwell and Hannah Rodriguez contributed to this story, which includes information from Times archives.
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GIS - 19 October, 2018: A workshop regrouping representatives of Credit Unions was held yesterday, in the context of the International Credit Union Day, at the National Cooperative College in Bois-Marchand. On this occasion, the Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Mr L. Monvoisin and the President of the Mauritius Cooperative Savings and Credit League, Mr S. Bathilde, were present.

In his address, Minister Bholah, highlighted the relevance of credit unions at the core of the socio-economic cohesion of the country and their valuable contribution in empower ing vulnerable people by providing access to loans and other benefits. He pointed out that credit unions have enabled these people to undertake major professional, personal and educational projects that have improved the quality of their life.

He outlined that there are 150 credit unions in Mauritius and Rodrigues with some 60, 000 members which generate a turnover of around Rs 2.9 billion each year. These statistics show that credit unions occupy a niche which is expanding over time and is evolving as an alternative to other financial institutions, he observed.

On this score, the Minister underlined that according to the Report of the Truth and Justice Commission, more models of credit union should be replicated for the welfare of impoverished people. Each member of the society has equal rights as regards economic democracy and repayment conditions, he added. He concluded by reiterating Governments struggle against money laundering and malpractices at the centre of credit unions.

For his part, the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, Mr L. Monvoisin, underscored that it is high time to consolidate the basis of credit unions in Mauritius since a lot of people are gradually losing their faith in these institutions. Credit unions, he emphasised, should promote principles of good governance and transparency for its successful operations and for gaining the trust of its members.

With regard to the workshop, he highlighted that it will help create more understanding between credit unions and will encourage them to work side by side for development of the sector. He also urged the participants to benefit from training and expertise of other credit unions in the Indian Ocean region and to collaborate for future endeavours.

International Credit Union Day

The International Credit Union Day, observed on third Thursday of October each year, celebrates the spirit of the global Credit Union movement. Its main objective is to reflect on the Credit Union movement's history, promote its achievements, recognise the hard work and share member experiences.

The theme for this year, Find your platinum lining in Credit Unions, illustrates that members of Credit Unions never stand alone in their struggle for professions, personal choices and career paths.
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GIS  19 October, 2018: A delegation from Groupe damitie France-Maurice, led by the Member of the French National Assembly representing the department of Gironde, Mrs Sophie Mette, and accompanied by the Ambassador of the Republic of France to Mauritius, Mr Emmanuel Cohet, met the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, yesterday at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

In a statement, Mrs Mette underlined that the visit of Groupe damitie France-Maurice delegation to Mauritius further reinforces the friendly relationship between Mauritius and France. She highlighted that the meeting with the Prime Minister was cordial and discussions focused on a range of issues comprising the environment and coastal erosion, as well as the drug scourge in Mauritius.

She pointed that since the drug scourge in the region is an issue that concerns Reunion Island as well, France is committed to help Mauritius in the fight against drug dealers who are a threat to young people.

Mrs Mette highlighted that, as a member of Commission des affaires culturelles et de leducation, she commends the proposal made by Prime Minister Jugnauth in the National Assembly on 16 October 2018 of sensitising young people on drug issues. In the fight against the drug scourge, prevention campaigns targeting young people play a crucial role so that youth are fully aware of the consequences that drugs can have on their health and their lives, she added.
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GIS 19 October, 2018: A Health and Wellness Screening and Awareness session aiming to sensitise citizens on leading a physically fit lifestyle was held yesterday at the Trefles Community Centre in Rose Hill in presence of th e Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Outer Islands and Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo, the Honorary President of Mauritius Diabetes Association (MDA), Lady Ursule Ramdanee, and other personalities.

The event comprised health screening, free diabetes testing, foot care demonstrations; and yoga session.

In her address, Vice-Prime Minister Jeewa-Daureeawoo, underlined that Government is making provision of quality health care services for the welfare of all citizens of the country. She emphasised that with the high rate of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and cancer, various programmes are being put in place to create awareness among the population against the risk-related factors, complications and prevention measures of NCDs.

On that score, she urged the residents of Trefles to benefit from the facilities that are being put at their disposal and to encourage their family members and people of their locality to adopt a healthy lifestyle by doing physical exercises. The Vice-Prime Minister further pointed out that women, as pillars of the family, are called upon to play a key role by inculcating in their children the importance of good eating habits while adding that p eople of all age groups should take precautionary measures for a healthier and a longer life.

For her part, Lady Ursule Ramdanee, highlighted that the MDA as a member of the International Diabetes Federation since 1982, has as objectives to educate the population on diabetes and its prevention. She dwelt on the health problems associated to diabetes while underlying that every 10 seconds, one person dies due to diabetes-related complications. Obesity, she said, is one of the key causes of diabetes and people should be continuously sensitised on the ways of leading a healthy lifestyle.

On that occasion, the President of the MDA, Dr Veenoo Basant Rai, conducted a counselling session to advise the residents on the ways to have a proper balanced meal with more fruits and vegetables, more consumption of water daily and avoidance of sugar sweetened beverages.
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GIS 19 October, 2018: The Oceangoers Ltd, incorporated in The Oceangoers Ltd, incorporated in April 2018 to become the Mediterranean Shipping Company Cruises (MSC) exclusive hiring partner in Mauritius, was launched yesterday by the Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations, Employment and Training, Mr. Soodesh Callichurn, during a ceremony held at the Taylor Smith House in Port-Louis.

The Oceangoers Ltd aims at providing professional and dedicated manning services to MSC Cruises, a leading international organisation in the cruising industry, while ensuring that its standards are compliant with the Maritime Labour Convention.

In his address, Minister Callichurn underlined that the ocean economy has been set out as a new pillar of economic development for Mauritius in the Government Vision 2030. The partnership with MSC, Taylor Smith and Oceangoers Ltd comes at an opportune time in our vision for the development of the ocean economy, he stated, while recalling that the group guarantees world best practices in its field of expertise.

He pointed out that by virtue of being an island State, shipping plays a vital role in the economy of the country and that it relies heavily on maritime trade. Accordingly, Government is embarking on several projects for the sustained development of the ocean economy sector namely, the bunkering hub, the expansion of the harbour and research related to the ocean, which will create job opportunities for the youth, he said.

Other measures in this regard, listed out by the Minister, include the ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 on 30 May 2014, which came into force on 30 May 2015 and the setting up of a dedicated Ministry to oversee ocean related activities namely, fisheries, shipping, marine resources and outer islands.

Furthermore, Minister Callichurn underscored the pivotal role of the human element for a safe, secure and efficient shipping industry. According to him, it is crucial to ensure that the workforce is equipped with the required competencies and experience in line with international standards for a safe, secure and efficient shipping industry.

The Minister further underlined the paradox of the acute shortage of seafarers being felt globally, despite the interesting career prospects and remunerating packages that the maritime industry offers. He added that in order to address this shortage at the local level, Government is poised to collaborate with other stakeholders to provide the support required for manpower in this emerging sector.

On that score, he urged young Mauritians to avail themselves of the tailor-made courses being offered by the maritime training institutions to acquire the required skills and be prepared to tap those opportunities, adding that they have the advantage of being bilingual to pave their career in the domain.

The MSC has already onboard over 1000 Mauritians who are working in its different departments and over 500 new recruits will be required by 2019.
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GIS  19 October, 2018: The Senior Minister of the Government of Ghana, Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, who is leading a thirteen member delegation, called on the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, this afternoon at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

In a statement, the Senior Minister highlighted that the meeting with the Prime Minister was cordial and that both parties are committed to enhance Mauritius-Ghana ties as well as to further strengthen bilateral collaboration.

In addition, Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo indicated that his delegation is currently in Mauritius in the context of the ongoing reform of the public sector of Ghana. Mauritius along with Rwanda have been recommended by the World Bank to act as role models in this endeavour, he pointed out.

The Senior Minister also conveyed his delegations keenness to have a good exchange of knowledge and experience and to learn the best practices from Mauritius. He expressed satisfaction with regards to the fruitful interactions that the Ghanaian team had during meetings with different local institutions.
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GIS 19 October, 2018: The second edition of the Mauritius Cinema Week , under the branding East Meets West, was launched yesterday at La Demeure, St Antoine in Goodlands. The The second edition of the, under the branding East Meets West, was launched yesterday atin Goodlands. The Minister of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport, Mr Nandcoomar Bodha, the Minister of Tourism, Mr Anil Gayan, the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun, and other personalities were present on the occasion.

The event which is being held from 18 to 21 October 2018 , is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Ministry of Arts and Culture, the Economic Development Board and the Mauritius Film Development Corporation. It aims to promote the Mauritian creative industry and make of Mauritius an island of cultural creativity.

In his address, Minister Bodha, as Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Mauritius Cinema Week, underpinned that the cinema is a powerful vehicle of universal language and emotions that transcends fiction and makes it become a reality and vice-versa. The aim behind the event is to promote Mauritius as a shooting destination as well as a one stop shop for financing of films. The event will enable the Mauritian film industry to be better structured and more inspired to celebrate talents, thus, producing amazing films, he said. As regards to the Film Rebate Scheme and the Offshore Sector of Mauritius, they can be helpful for the financing of films, he added.

For his part, Minister Gayan expressed optimism that the international artists present for the event will help to enhance the Mauritian film industry with their expertise, experience and knowledge. The focus of the second edition of the Mauritius Cinema Week, he highlighted, is on creating business linkages in particular with regard to film financing and also providing opportunities for actors, film producers and stakeholders to discuss on how to develop the film industry in Mauritius.

Furthermore, the Minister observed that Mauritius is a unique country of peaceful coexistence whereby people of different cultures and religions co-exist in harmony. He indicated that filmmakers should take advantage of the multiculturalism and multi-ethnicity that reign in the island. The Mauritian tourism and the film industry should coexist and together they should promote the film industry and enhance the countrys visibility on the international front, he added.

As for Minister Roopun, he highlighted that the event will become the crossroads of Hollywood meeting Bollywood, hence influencing the shaping of new trends in the film art as well as giving a new impetus to the development of the cinema industry on the island. He also pointed out that several master class sessions will be organised during the Cinema Week on the creative aspects of the film industry. The objective of these events, he indicated, is to identify young talents in the country and help them develop their potential so that they can in turn contribute to the Mauritian film industry.

The Minister encouraged all stakeholders of the film industry to come forward and take advantage of the master class sessions that are being organised during the cinema week.
Vice Chairwoman of the HCM City Peoples Council Truong Thi Anh received Vice Chairman of the Shanghai Peoples Congress Xu Zezhou on October 19.

The host official said the Shanghai delegations working visit will help strengthen relations between the two cities, including between the HCM City Peoples Council and the Shanghai Peoples Congress.

She noted that over the past few years, relations between the Communist Party of Vietnam and the Communist Party of China, as well as between the two countries, have enjoyed great strides. As such, the publicly-elected bodies of HCM City and Shanghai are obliged to further tighten links across all spheres.

The HCM City Peoples Council hopes to reinforce connections with the Shanghai Peoples Congress through the exchange of experience so as to contribute to bilateral economic ties, Anh added.

For his part, Xu said the people of his city also want to develop their friendship with HCM City. Both cities are populous and share many similarities in history, the role in their respective countries economies, along with challenges facing their development, especially in terms of environmental pollution and sustainable development problems.

He voiced his hope that the peoples representative agencies will step up joint activities such as exchanging delegations and sharing experience in making decisions and monitoring executive bodies performance, thereby promoting other cooperation activities between the two cities.

At the working session, the two sides also introduced the structure and activities of the HCM City Peoples Council and the Shanghai Peoples Congress to one another.
Massachusetts-based startup ClearGov has announced a new budgeting tool for small governments and school districts to better forecast revenue and expenses, communicate between departments and document the process in case of an audit.Building on the companys past data platforms for comparing small and mid-sized public agencies, ClearGov Budgets is essentially an online portal for creating and sharing budgets. This puts it in competitive territory already occupied by companies such as OpenGov, Questica (now part of GTY Holdings ) and Neubrain.ClearGov CEO Chris Bullock said the platform was inspired by what he heard from clients who wanted to simplify, visualize and update their fiscal planning processes. With an Excel spreadsheet, he said, it can be difficult for outside parties like city council members to participate or see how the budget evolved over time.In addition to improving communications and documentation, the new platform is supposed to reduce the potential for human errors that occur when people collaborate on something as complex as an annual budget across multiple spreadsheets.We started talking to [officials] about their budget processes, and it became very clear that budgeting was one of the most, if not the most, painful processes that any town or school district goes through. And a large majority seemed to be stuck in spreadsheets, Bullock said. There are two problems with that: one, there are transcription errors, often versioning issues as well, and two, from the perspective of the department head, theres very little transparency into the budget thereafter. They submit their numbers to the finance team, and its difficult for them to track changes to their budget over time.Streamlining communications is not a replacement for in-person meetings and hearings, he said, but the platform helps put everyone on the same page while creating a thorough record of their decisions.A lot of those conversations happen behind closed doors and theres no record of them, Bullock said. Here, theyre having those conversations within the platform, and its giving a digital audit trail that can be exported at any time.A news release from the company touted another feature  a forecasting tool for estimating future expenses and revenues, one that uses a form of artificial intelligence called a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) recurrent neural network for making complex predictions from small data sets. Bullock said with this technology, specifically building upon the Keras neural network as the framework, ClearGov Budgets can predict funding and expenditures per line item, even where available data is inconsistent.The more advanced regression analysis were doing through neural networks allows us to overcome that lack of data. It uses some pretty sophisticated artificial intelligence to make more accurate forecasts, he said. Were dealing with small to mid-sized governments that just dont have the staff or the resources to do [those analyses otherwise].Bullock added that a more detailed budget forecast can drive better bond ratings, too.
(TNS) - The state will distribute $20 million on Long Island for projects including an underwater cable in Freeport and raising the peak of some streets as part of efforts to help communities prepare for future natural disasters and repair past damage from superstorm Sandy and other storms, officials said Thursday.The spending, announced Thursday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, is part of $41 million in such grants officials will distribute statewide this fall, officials said.In Nassau and Suffolk counties, the funding includes:$7 million to replace a cable beneath the Freeport Channel that carries power to the Village of Freeport.$2.1 million to raise East Baldwin Road in the Town of Hempstead to better shed heavy rains and to build several drainage improvements.$1.79 million to create an Office of Emergency Management in Long Beach in City Hall.$2.1 million for permanent generators at critical community facilities in the Town of Oyster Bay including emergency shelters, fire stations and community centers.$3.8 million to restore streams and riverbanks and pay for other measures to curb flooding.$522,500 to equip Amityvilles main firehouse with a generator and other equipment.$2.6 million to provide permanent generators and other equipment at Bay Shore facilities including the fire department, the YMCA and the Town of Islips Second Avenue Highway Garage.$522,500 to install a permanent generator at the Rainbow Senior Center in Lindenhurst.The three generator projects, along the flood-prone South Shore . . . in Lindenhurst, Amityville, and Bay Shore-Brightwaters are critical to the resiliency of each community" and provide "needed electrical support that will keep residents safe during extreme weather, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said.Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said, This collection of projects reflects the local needs and assets of communities across Long Island. It also embodies their overwhelming desire to apply lessons learned from recent storms and, in the process, to cultivate more sustainable communities.By Michael Gormley michael.gormley@newsday.com @GormleyAlbanyMichael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.2018 NewsdayVisit Newsday at www.newsday.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS)  For longtime proponents of renewable energy, figuring out how to keep the lights on when the wind doesnt blow and the sun doesnt shine has been a key challenge. Harnessing the excess energy from a turbine or solar panel to use later was the holy grail or golden key, as one Colorado utility executive calls it.Times have changed. Xcel Energy-Colorado, the states largest electric utility, will add a total of 275 megawatts of large-scale battery storage to solar arrays in its newly approved Colorado Energy Plan. The three separate clusters of batteries  two near Pueblo, one near Commerce City  are part of Xcel Energys overall push to increase its use of renewable energy sources to 55 percent by 2026 and cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 60 percent.The storage projects, among some of the largest in the country, are scheduled to go live in December 2022.Building a 200- to 300-megawatt project, thats real stuff. Thats a real deal, said Paul Denholm, a principal analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.And the pace and extent of the changes that have made it possible for utilities like Xcel Energy and United Power, a Brighton-based electric cooperative, to start using batteries has surprised even industry experts.Its big. We used to talk about individual battery installation, Denholm said. Ten years ago, we werent talking about (large-scale projects) at all.As with solar and wind power, faster-than-expected declines in prices and advances in technology have produced results sooner than anticipated.We saw some extremely competitive pricing for these projects, frankly, Jonathan Adelman, Xcel Energys vice president of strategic resources and business planning, said of the battery facilities.Outside contractors will install and operate the solar and battery projects.The cost of large-scale battery storage installations has dropped more than 70 percent since 2010, according to the Energy Storage Association, an advocacy and trade organization.Costs of grid battery storage are half of what they were four years ago, and in another five to six years, costs will be half of what they are now, Marissa Gillett of the association said in an email.At end the of 2017, storage projects with a total capacity of 800 megawatts were in place nationwide.The technology of stationary storage batteries has benefited from advances in automotive batteries, Denholm said.Cell phones and other consumer electronics have driven the scale of the lithium-ion battery market. Electric vehicles are riding the wave, and grid batteries are the next in line. So, we have our device addiction to thank for how cheap the batteries are today, said Mark Dyson, a principal at the Rocky Mountain Institute, a research organization that focuses on making the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.When Xcel Energy installs the full 275 megawatts of storage, the batteries will help it meet about 5 percent of its peak hourly load on a summer day, when demand is typically the highest, according to the utility.Until Xcel Energys new plan is fully implemented, United Power might have bragging rights for the largest lithium battery in Colorado. The electric cooperative, whose territory forms a kind of horseshoe around Denver to the north, is working with Chicago-based SoCore Energy to install a module of batteries manufactured by Tesla at a substation east of Longmont. The facility will have a capacity of 4 megawatts.Construction at the 7,000-square-foot site is expected to be completed next week and the facility should be up and running in early November.Storage is almost considered like the golden key to expanding the use of renewable energy, said Jerry Marizza, the cooperatives new business director.However, United Power is not pairing the battery with a solar or wind facility. It will store energy generated by all sources overnight, when demand is low, and discharge the energy when demand is high, typically in the afternoon to early evening.And United Power doesnt plan to use the battery every day. In fact, Marizza expects to rev it up fewer than a hundred days a year.The primary business case for this is peak shaving  lower our peak demand on hot summer days, really any time, Marizza said.The battery, which would run for up to four hours, will help United Power offset roughly the equivalent of power for 600 to 700 homes. United Power expects the facility to save about $1 million a year by storing energy that otherwise couldnt be used, allowing the utility to cover the projects cost in seven to eight years.United Power is fielding questions from other rural electric associations in the state and beyond as it gets ready to start using the battery, Marizza said. The utility was in a similar situation when it started a community solar program, which allows customers to pay for a solar panel in a central array in exchange for credit on their bills.As a utility, we have to keep our hands in the mix, Marizza said.
(TNS)  A San Diego appeals court ruled Wednesday that prosecutors dont have to give a man defending a murder charge the software, source code and other materials that make up a powerful new DNA analysis tool that connects him to a decade-old killing.The unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal concluded that the makers of the computer program STRmix, a private company that developed the program and sells it to crime labs around the nation, are not part of the prosecution team.Because of that, the San Diego County District Attorneys Office cant be forced to hand over the companys material, which reveals how the program works and the software it runs on. The decision reverses a ruling in March by Superior Court Judge Charles Rogers, who concluded that the companys product  called STRmix  provided crucial evidence linking defendant Florencio Jose Dominguez to the killing, and thus prosecutors should hand it over.The dispute centered on an emerging area of contention in criminal courts, where the use of more sophisticated forensic tools that rely on computer algorithms is becoming more common. Many of these tools are developed by private companies who guard the source code and other techniques that drive the tools.That can conflict with a defendants due process rights and right to confront and examine evidence used against him or her, civil liberties advocates have argued. The Dominguez case presented such a conflict and drew attention from national groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, which urged the appeals court to uphold Rogerss ruling.The appeals court concluded it was a stretch to call the company that developed STRmix  Environmental Science and Research, a joint venture between the governments of New Zealand and the state of South Australia  a member of the prosecution team. Among other reasons, it noted that the company did not do anything unique or specific to Dominguezs case, but simply sold its product and provided some technical support and product updates to the San Diego Police Department crime lab, which then used it.Under state laws that dictate discovery  the legal process under which each side is required to exchange information  as well as U.S. Supreme Court rulings that say what evidence prosecutors have to provide to defendants, that work by ESR is not enough to qualify them as part of the prosecution team, Associate Justice William Dato wrote.That was the key question in the case that forced the issue. Matthew Speredelozzi, the lawyer for Dominguez, had tried to get access to the source code, software, user manual for the program and validation studies  which would show how well it works  so his hired expert could examine the source code to determine how the program is working.But the company said Speredelozzi would have to sign a restrictive nondisclosure agreement first, claiming the code was a privileged trade secret it could protect. The lawyer contended such a condition violated his client's constitutional rights, and filed a motion to get the District Attorney's Office to turn over the code as part of the pre-trial discovery.Prosecutors argued they could not force the company to do so. On Wednesday spokesman Steve Walker welcomed the ruling.Were pleased that the court agreed with the position we have held all along that the District Attorneys Office has no control over the property of a private company and we cannot distribute a companys intellectual property without limitation, he said in a statement.ESR said in court papers that developing STRmix took 27,600 hours of work, and it has been validated in 33 scientific publications. The company has said it allows defense lawyers to examine the code but the non-disclosure agreement is needed to protect the companys product.Speredelozzi said Wednesday he was disappointed with the ruling, which he said highlights a growing problem for defendants. The current discovery rules just arent adequate for defendants any more, with the increasing use of this kind of technology in the criminal justice system, he said.Much of that technology  which includes things like facial recognition software and risk assessment tools that determine how dangerous someone might be  are developed by private companies and not technically in possession of prosecution agencies, making them out of reach for defendants to examine.For a defendant who wants to make meaningful challenges to this technology, there are a lot of barriers to them doing it, he said. He said it was too soon to know what the next steps would be, which could include asking the state Supreme Court to review the ruling.Dominguez was serving a life sentence for the murder of Moises Lopez in a San Diego park in 2008. After two trials, he was convicted in 2011, largely on the strength of testing that found his DNA in a bloody glove found at the scene  one that contained DNA from more than one person.Such mixture DNA samples have been controversial among forensic scientists, because it is difficult to clearly identify one person as a contributor especially when there are low-levels of genetic material. In 2010, a national forensic science body recommended changing how such samples are analyzed to a more conservative interpretation that would classify some evidence  like Dominguez's  as inconclusive.In 2017, Dominguez's murder conviction was thrown out by a San Diego judge. In preparing for a new trial, prosecutors reanalyzed the evidence  this time using the STRmix tool.The technique uses computer software that runs millions of calculations and produces a "likelihood ratio, which essentially says a match between a defendants DNA and the evidence is a certain number of times more likely than a coincidental match. The program does those complex statistical and analytical computations quicker and with greater accuracy than humans can.That analysis again concluded Dominguez's DNA was part of the bloody glove mixture.
(TNS)  Technology that has helped the Lexington Police Department find suspects in the 2015 murder of Jonathan Krueger and 2017 drive-by shooting of Amya Catching is now available in-house to help solve violent crimes.The department announced it had acquired the state-of-the-art computer and program called NIBIN (National Integrated Ballistic Information Network) , which can analyze shell casings and help police solve some crimes more quickly.Lexington investigators previously could use the program once just once a week at the Louisville Metro Police Departments headquarters, according to Lexington police chief Lawrence Weathers. Time matters.We can get out there more quickly, we get that interview, get a piece of evidence we otherwise might lose if we didnt have this type of technology, Weathers said of a NIBIN computer now in Lexington.NIBIN, managed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives , compares images of cartridge casings recovered at crimes scenes and firearms recovered by law enforcement to connect shooting incidents and identify shooters, according to a release from the Department of Justice.The deployments of this NIBIN equipment will help fill gaps in the intelligence and investigative networks and allow for a more efficient processing of firearm related violent crime evidence, the release continues.All firearms place unique marks similar to fingerprints on spent shell casings. Only gun evidence and fired ammunition components are entered into the system, according to ATF.Lexington mayor Jim Gray said the city is tackling the problem of gun violence head-on.This ATF partnership is an important tool for our officers who work diligently to get violent criminals off the street, he stated.Nineteen of last years record 28 homicides were as a result of gunfire. Eighteen of the citys 21 homicides this year were committed with guns.For three years, Lexington police investigators have used Louisvilles computer to find matches in several noteworthy cases, the police department said in a release. NIBIN has helped police in the 2015 murder of University of Kentucky student Jonathan Krueger , the 2017 drive-by shooting that critically injured 12-year-old Amya Catching , the 2017 shooting death of Charles Shyrock and this years murder of Mikel Willis Malik Nelson, already in jail charged in the May shooting death of 21-year-old Christian Cubert, was charged in the earlier slaying of Willis.Jemel Barber, then 18 and from Georgetown, was charged in August 2017 with Shryocks July murder. He had already been charged with murder in the death of Tyrece Lionel Clark, 40. Clark died a day after Shryock. Barber was in the Scott County jail on unrelated charges when he was charged in the homicides.Stuart Lowery, special agent in charge of the ATF Louisville Division, said the computer will allow its investigators to connect the dots and solve crime in a more timely manner.The difference between hours, days and weeks of getting this type of comparison done on ballistic evidence is huge, he said. We are talking about violent crime scenes, possibly homicides ... where evidence can be lost, witnesses can be lost, suspects can move around. The sooner the better in terms of making the connections between a recovered crime gun at a scene or two different shooting scenes.Lexington is one of 175 sites throughout the country, including Louisville and Cincinnati, to offer the NIBIN technology, Lowery said. ATF provided the system at no cost to the city, according to the police department.
(TNS)  During more than 25 years as a factory worker, David Young has seen a parade of robots take over tasks he and his colleagues used to do by hand.So Young, a machine operator, isnt fazed by the sleek new cobot  collaborative robot  perched at his workstation at Kay Manufacturing in Calumet City, Ill.The silver cobot, resembling a modern desk lamp, is being trained to do visual inspections of the automotive parts that Kay makes, its arm rotating the part so that an attached camera can detect any defects.Its a task Young says he wont miss doing himself, just as he doesnt miss the manual work that gave him arthritis in his hands and feet before other robots took over those duties.It is hard to see every little thing, said Young, 58. This will make my job easier.Collaborative robots, one of the fastest-growing segments in robotics, are becoming an increasingly popular automation tool for manufacturers seeking to boost productivity.Designed to augment the capabilities of human workers rather than replace them, cobots are billed as safe for people to interact with, easy to program and inexpensive to install  a potential game-changer for small- and mid-size manufacturers that have lagged their larger competitors in the automation game.Whether cobots maintain their promise as human helpers rather than substitutes remains to be seen. Their impact on employment may not be so benign once the technology evolves beyond repetitive tasks and they become better at thinking and learning, said Darrell West, founding director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution.I dont think they represent a major threat to humans, West said. But the prices are coming down and these cobots are getting more sophisticated, so down the road they could.Yet cobot manufacturers insist the machines will free up their human colleagues to do more interesting jobs.There are endless needs for companies to get workers doing high-value tasks, said Walter Vahey, president of the system test group at Massachusetts-based Teradyne, a leading supplier of industrial automation that owns two of the biggest cobot brands, Universal Robots and MiR.Cobots, currently 3 percent of all robot sales, are forecast to have a 34 percent share by 2025, when global spending on robotics is estimated to hit $13 billion, according to the Robotic Industries Association.Jurgen von Hollen, president of Denmark-based Universal Robots, calls the technology the big equalizer that will help smaller manufacturers grow amid challenges to hire and retain manual labor. It also will help them meet customers increasing demand for flexibility as product life cycles get shorter, customization abounds and tariff policies shift, he said.We are in the embryonic stage of people understanding the potential, said von Hollen, whose company projects 50 percent annual sales growth over the next five years; it recently sold its 25,000th cobot to Kay and this week one of its cobots rang the closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange. The challenge is to get that message across about what this can actually mean to a small company.Even unions representing manufacturing workers are excited about cobots, as it is actually a cutting edge thing to have humans and robots work in the same place, said Brad Markell, executive director of the Industrial Union Council for AFL-CIO in Washington, DC.Losing jobs to automation, including cobots, is inevitable, Markell said. What matters is that employees have a voice in how the technology is used and are given training and access to the higher-quality jobs that might be created by the robots introduction, he said.Brian Pelke, president of Kay Manufacturing, said robots have allowed the 72-year-old company to grow, and he expects his new cobots to give him an additional competitive edge.Kay, which introduced robots to its plant in 1996, has never laid anyone off as a result of automation, Pelke said. Though its workforce declined to 40 from 120 during the Great Recession, Kay Manufacturing now has 180 employees across two factories. If we didnt have automation there would be no jobs, Pelke said.Kay purchased its first three cobots from Universal Robots this summer, after Pelke demurred for years because he worried the technology was too good to be true. He has been impressed with how quickly employees learned to use them.Traditional industrial robots typically take six months to get up and running and work inside of $200,000 safety cages, Pelke said. Kays first cobot, which cost about $47,000, was fully deployed within 30 days, he said. It takes employees 87 minutes to complete the basic tutorial on how to program it.In addition to being easy to program and repurpose for different uses, cobots are distinct from traditional industrial robots because of safety features that allow them to work side-by-side with humans. They automatically stop when they bump into an obstacle, and can be programmed to run at reduced speed when their sensors detect a human is nearby. They are limited in speed and how much weight they can hold.On a recent walk through the Calumet City factory, Pelke, a former professional racecar driver who took over the business from his father about 10 years ago, pointing to the various challenges he hopes cobots can solve. One example: three women standing around a bin inspecting completed wheel hub assemblies could be reassigned to higher-paying jobs driving forklifts or operating machines if a cobot does that work, Pelke said.We want them to use their brains more than their hands, Pelke said.One of Kays cobots helps machine operators spot visual defects on auto parts. Humans, who can get tired or distracted, only catch defects nine times out of 10.At Kays plant in St. Joseph, Mich., a cobot helps package completed parts. Pelke estimates he is saving $150,000 a year by shifting packing duties away from the machine operators, who can focus instead on changing tools, measuring parts and making adjustments to the process. And employees are earning more money as productivity rises, thanks to a program that awards them a bonus based on the prior weeks performance.It is really helping us compete in a very aggressive environment, he said. Without this solution we wouldnt be winning the work we are winning.Though the market for collaborative robots is still emerging, their roots can be traced more than 20 years back to a Northwestern University engineering lab in Evanston, Ill. Mechanical engineering professors Michael Peshkin and Ed Colgate partnered with General Motors to design robots that would help the car manufacturers employees with assembly, and in 1996 founded Cobotics.Cobotics  later sold to Stanley Assembly Technologies  departed from the conventional vision of robots at the time, which saw a future in autonomous machines.Instead, the idea was for humans and robots to work hand in hand, combining the superior capabilities of robots, such as lifting heavy things, with the tasks humans do better, such as adjusting to unexpected changes, Peshkin said. The strategy represented a less expensive way to ease ergonomic issues and boost productivity because it didnt require redesigning the factory around the robots.The cobots being marketed today have departed some from the inventors original vision. Rather than close physical human-robot collaboration, they tend to focus on user-friendly design, Peshkin said.As manufacturers roll out various types of human-friendly robots, there is some debate about what counts as a cobot; the International Federation Robotics is working on an official definition.Omron, a global automation manufacturer with U.S. headquarters in Hoffman Estates, debuted its first collaborative robot arm this week at the Pack Expo convention at McCormick Place. With a longer reach and higher weight capacity than some existing models, plus an integrated camera in its head, the cobot is like having another set of hands available to the worker, said Mike Chen, president of Omrons automation division.Some say another form of collaborative robot is the autonomous mobile robot, a wheeled box-like creature that self-navigates through factory or warehouse floors delivering items. Autonomous mobile robots, whose safety features allow them to mingle with humans, can operate in fleets of up to 100 at a time, managed through a system much like air traffic control, Chen said.The Danish company MiR, a leading supplier of mobile industrial robots, had its roving robots rolling around the floors at McCormick Place recently during the International Manufacturing Technology Show, pausing when they sensed an object or person in their path.Within the next six months MiR plans to launch artificial intelligence that allows the robot to detect whether the obstacle in its path is human or an object, so that it can decide whether to stop or go around it, said MiR CEO Thomas Visti. Another goal of the company is to make the wheeled robots so easy to use that a customer can take them out of the box and install them immediately, like Ikea furniture or an iPhone, Visti said.Some companies outside manufacturing are finding creative uses for the human-friendly bots. A film production studio purchased a Universal Robots cobot arm to mount a camera for fast-moving shots along a pre-programmed trajectory, and a California startup is working on using a robot arm to perform deep-tissue massages.Mobile robots are being used in hospitals in Europe to deliver pharmaceuticals to patients rooms, their cargo locked in a chamber that can only be accessed by the appropriate doctor or nurse, Omrons Chen said. He envisions them in airports, helping travelers with disabilities transport their bags to their gates.Some of the more futuristic uses  like delivering beverages to customers in restaurants  are already happening in parts of Asia, which has embraced robots faster than the U.S. and dominates the world in robot adoption.The U.S. is the No. 4 sales market for industrial robots, according to the International Federation for Robotics. China is No. 1 and the fastest growing. South Korea and Japan are Nos. 2 and 3.Despite excitement about cobot technology, many applications are still limited and the platform is young, said Stephen Laaper, a principle at Deloitte Consulting who advises companies on incorporating automationSafety concerns are holding back some of the collaborative uses. Employers are being cautious while they figure out how intimate humans should be with their robotic helpers and what tasks are most appropriate for them to team up on, Laaper said. After all, the safety features may not help much if the mechanical arm is handling blow torches.As capabilities continue to advance, cobots will have a critical impact on the workforce, but Laaper believes it will be positive. Cobots will help employers fill mundane roles they struggle to find people to do and give rise to a new positions that demand a different skillset.There is a net add to the workforce because there are more skilled operators required, and additional maintenance personnel, Laaper said.Helping people transition to new jobs, rather than mass unemployment, will be the greatest challenge as cobots and other forms of automation proliferate, research suggests.Four out of five U.S. manufacturers are preparing for an increase in automation, and a fifth say they plan to shrink employee count as a result, according to a survey this year by L.E.K. Consulting. Half plan to upgrade the skill set of their workforce.Up to a third of the U.S. workforce may need to change occupations by 2030 as automation upends a variety of industries, from manufacturing to retail, according to a McKinsey Global Institute report. Some 39 million jobs in the U.S. could be displaced by automation by then, but the losses can be more than offset by new occupations and concerted efforts by governments and business leaders to create more jobs, the report said.The challenge is the risk of mismatch between the positions available and what employees can or want to do, said West of the Brookings Institution. For the transition to be successful, the country will have to adopt a model for lifelong learning and launch new programs to retrain workers for more advanced jobs, he said.To Markell, of the AFL-CIO, the key to peaceful coexistence with automation is to create quality employment throughout the economy so that factory workers eventually displaced by their cobot colleagues arent forced into low-pay, unsustainable jobs.They key is making all the jobs we have decent jobs, he said.
F1 will stick with Barcelona as its exclusive winter testing venue ahead of the 2019 season.

There had been suggestions the teams might agree to head to an overseas location like Bahrain to guarantee better weather.

But El Mundo Deportivo reports that the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will in fact host the only winter testing for the fifth consecutive year.

All eight days of winter testing will take place at the Spanish grand prix venue between February 18 and 21, and February 26 and March 1.

(GMM)
Esteban Ocon and Robert Kubica look to be tussling with incumbent Sergey Sirotkin for the second race seat at Williams for 2019.

We reported this week that Kubica has secured $10 million in backing by a Polish oil company that puts him in the running for the promotion from reserve driver.

But Williams boss Claire Williams said in Austin that Ocon, the talented Frenchman who is losing his seat at Force India, is a top contender.

"Having someone with Esteban's talent, if only for one season, is something I'm open to," France's Auto Hebdo quotes her as saying.

Like Ocon, Williams' confirmed driver for 2019, rookie George Russell, is a leading member of Mercedes' driver programme.

"We signed George because we could sign an agreement for several seasons that allows us to build for the future," Williams added.

"We have been working hard for six months to ensure that our 2019 budget allows us to hire drivers on merit.

"For the second seat we do not have the same room to manoeuvre. We would like to proceed as we did for the first driver but the road to get there is harder.

"We are working hard to ensure that Esteban stays in F1 next year by coming to us. We are doing everything we can to get there," Williams added.

Ocon admitted he hopes his Mercedes connections help give him a boost for the seat at Williams.

"I think it's a good thing that Mercedes has managed to place one driver because it's been a little difficult for me and Pascal (Wehrlein)," he said in Austin.

"There is still the other seat so we'll see what happens. There are still discussions," Ocon added.

He said he does not feel pushed down the Mercedes pecking order just because Russell was signed up ahead of him.

"He has signed for several years and that was not our intention," said Ocon. "He is at a different point to me in his career and I don't see it that he stole my place."

(GMM)
Top defence officials of the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) attended the meeting. The Vietnamese delegation was led by Minister of National Defence General Ngo Xuan Lich, who is also a Politburo member and Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission.

Addressing the event, Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen emphasised the importance of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) in the regional architecture as it helps promote strategic dialogue and practical cooperation among ASEAN members.

Aside from agreeing to set up a network for coping with new security challenges, the ministers also pledged to push ahead with fighting terrorism on the basis of defence and military cooperation, and coordinating in joint sea and air exercises to minimise unexpected damage and prevent tension escalations.

They also reached a consensus towards investing efforts in implementing the Our Eyes initiative on sharing intelligence information in the region.

The ministers reiterated the importance of solidarity and unity in the ASEAN bloc to effectively cope with common security challenges.

In the context of a rapidly changing strategic complexion, they stressed that ASEAN needs to continue enhancing cooperation with major partners to maintain peace and stability in the region.

Concluding the 12th ADMM, the ministers issued a joint statement affirming the commitment to keeping peace and stability in the region and fostering cooperation to deal with current security challenges.
Opinion

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One In Two People Face Starvation In South Sudan, As Extreme Hunger Hits More States

Nearly half of South Sudans population is facing extreme hunger, the countrys highest proportion of food insecure people in the last 10 years, Save the Children is warning.

JUBA, 18, Ocotber 2018 [Gurtong]-More than six million people currently need urgent food assistance, including more than one million children. Near-famine conditions are predicted in four of South Sudans states, a rapid and worrying increase from 2017, in which famine was only declared in one state.



Areas of continuing conflictincluding Jonglei, Upper Nile, Western Bahr El Ghazal, and Unityshow the highest levels of food insecurity.



South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, has been affected by frequent conflict since it gained independence in 2011. Children continue to bear the brunt of this conflict with serious humanitarian consequences.



As the lean season (when food stocks are low) begins earlier than usual this year, 270,000 children in South Sudan are severely malnourished (SAM) and at risk of starvation. Some 20,000 could be expected to die from extreme hunger before the end of 2018.



Limited access by humanitarian organisations, coupled with reduced aid funding, makes it difficult to provide assistance to malnourished children. The South Sudan Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is currently only halfway funded. This is compounded by violence against aid workersnearly a third of all attacks in 2017 occurred in South Sudan, making it by far the most dangerous place in the world for humanitarians.



Malnourished children have substantially reduced immune systems and are at least three times more likely to contract and die from diseases like cholera and pneumonia than healthy children, says Deidre Keogh, Save the Childrens Country Director in South Sudan.



Without urgent funding to increase and maintain humanitarian services, many children are in danger of dying.



The revitalised peace agreement signed in September provides hope for millions of children to be protected and thrive if implemented effectively. To ensure South Sudans children are protected from a further decline into starvation, Save the Children calls on access to children in need to be guaranteed, humanitarian assistance to be enhanced and sustained, and for a lasting end to the conflict.
South Sudan: UN Report Urges Release Of Hundreds Of Abducted Civilians

A UN report has documented the immense suffering of civilians in the Western Equatoria region of South Sudan where 900 people were abducted and 24,000 forced to flee their homes during a surge in violence between April and August.

GENEVA / JUBA, 18 October 2018[Gurtong] In April 2018, after several months of relative calm, the pro-Riek Machar Sudan Peoples Liberation Army in-Opposition (SPLA-IO (RM)) intensified attacks against villages and targeted civilians in Gbudue and Tambura. The Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA)s offensives to dislodge SPLA-IO (RM) forces also resulted in harm to civilians, as these operations failed to distinguish between civilians and combatants, the report by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the UN Human Rights Office says.



Corroborated victim and witness accounts indicate that women and girls as young as 12, abducted by opposition forces, were paraded and lined up for commanders to choose as wives. Those who were not chosen were left for other fighters who subjected them to repeated rapes. Abducted young men and boys were forced to be fighters or used as porters.



Most of the abducted civilians are, as far as we know, still being held captive. The SPLA-IO (RM) must immediately release them, first and foremost the children, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. As part of the revitalised peace process, it is also essential that the Government of South Sudan acts to hold the perpetrators of the abuses and violations detailed in this report to account.



The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, David Shearer, said it was disappointing that the spike in violence took place while warring parties were negotiating a new peace agreement and despite positive reconciliation efforts in the affected community at the time.



A new peace agreement has been signed which puts the onus and responsibility on the warring parties to ensure that no atrocities are committed in future. UNMISS will be closely monitoring any potential violations and abuses, said David Shearer.



The report documented SPLA-IO (RM) attacks on at least 28 villages, a settlement of internally displaced persons and a refugee camp, in Gbudue and Tambura. Serious abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law occurred during these attacks, including unlawful killings, abduction, rape, sexual slavery, forced recruitment, and destruction of property.



UNMISS Human Rights Division has identified three SPLA-IO (RM) commanders who allegedly had effective command and control of the forces committing these abuses, which may amount to war crimes.



SPLA forces also carried out military operations that were characterized by serious violations, including unlawful killings and destruction of civilian property, particularly around Nagero in May 2018.



Among its recommendations, the report calls for accountability and for the reinforcement of existing recovery and resilience programmes to re-establish access to basic services, particularly medical and psychosocial support for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, and for the provision of economic alternatives for young fighters.




Haiti - Social : Laureates text Contest on the thought of Dessalines





Thursday at the Primature, in the presence of Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the Minister of National Education, the Prime Minister's Office Director, Jimmy Albert and the Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister in charge of Citizenship and Patriotism, Guy Andre Junior Francois, the 40 winners (4 per department) of the Contest of text around the theme "Dessalines, the imperative necessity of the inclusion of all Haitians" were rewarded during a ceremony.



Recall that this contest launches last October 4th https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25742-haiti-212nd-dessalines-launch-of-the-activities-and-of-a-text-contest.html offered the participant the choice in two subjects :



1- "In which the Dessalines' thinking about the imperative need to include Haitians is still relevant ?"



2-: "The development requirements of Haiti in 2018 can they find an anchor in the thought of and the actions of Toussaint Louverture, Alexandre Petion, Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Christophe ?"



According to the list published by the Directorate of Secondary Education of the department that ran this contest, the winners are great in first place Jean-Louis Christina, fourth year student of the renovated secondary school at the Cent-Cinquantenaire high school (West), with 90 points out of 100, followed ex aequo by Pierre Phebee, a student of the college Vie de France (South-East) and Christelle Gerome of Catherine Flon College (West) with 86 out of 100.



Speaking to thank the organizers, Jean-Louis Christina surprised the audience with the quality of her text and vision of an inclusive country where all Haitians would have their place like the Dessalinian ideal. For Christina, inclusion is the essential condition of the Haitian dream of development. Thanking the President, the Prime Minister and the Ministry for this activity which allowed the students to highlight their ideas, Christina and Christelle invited all the leaders to take inspiration from Dessalines' spirit of inclusion.



Guyserge Pompilus, one of the prime advisers to the Prime Minister, announced that other competitions in the same vein are coming soon, including November 18, the day of commemoration of the Battle of Vertieres.



At the end of the ceremony, the prizes were awarded following the ranking in including laptops, books and digital tablets.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Vice Standing President of the council, Judge Sebastiano Ardita, briefed his guest of its organisation, functions, missions, operations, and role in the judicial system of Italy.

He affirmed that the council is willing to cooperate and share experience with Vietnam in the building of its judicial system and ensuring its effective operation. The council is also interested in finding out more on the experience of countries with numerous judicial reforms, including Vietnam and some East European countries.

He lauded the achievements of the Vietnam-Italy relationship over the past 45 years, especially since the two sides set up bilateral strategic partnership.

The Italian official congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in development and international integration in recent years, as well as its progress in judicial reforms towards building a democratic and modern judicial system.

Judge Sebastiano Ardita poses with Deputy PM Truong Hoa Binh and the high-level Vietnamese delegation. (Photo: VNA)

For his part, Deputy PM Binh briefed his host on the judicial system of Vietnam, as well as the outcomes of the countrys judicial reforms over the past few years, especially through the Judicial Reform Strategy for 2020 with an aim to making the sector stronger and more democratic and modern; protecting justice and human rights; and serving the people and nation.

He lauded the role of the Italian High Council of Judiciary and expressed his wish to strengthen cooperation, experience sharing, and technical support in the judicial sphere for the Supreme Peoples Court of Vietnam.

At the meeting, the two sides agreed on the need to enhance cooperation between the two governments as well as the two judicial bodies. They also stressed the significance of signing a cooperation deal between the Supreme Courts of Vietnam and Italy.

The same day, Deputy Chief Judge of the Supreme Peoples Court of Vietnam Le Hong Quang had a meeting with his Italian counterpart to seek cooperation orientations in the future, especially in human resources training and the sharing of experience and information in judicial management, as well as information technology application in the field.
(Bloomberg) The descendants of Campbell Soup Co.s founder are standing by the companys directors, dealing a blow to activist investor Dan Loebs efforts to oust the entire board. Relatives of John Dorrance that together hold about 41 percent of the Camden, New Jersey-based companys shares will vote for its current board at its annual meeting on Nov. 29, according to a statement Wednesday. Those holders include siblings Bennett Dorrance and Mary Alice Dorrance Malone, grandchildren of John Dorrance who have sat on the companys board for nearly 30 years.

To read this article:
The District Court of Helsinki on Thursday found him guilty of a total of 16 criminal charges, including three counts of aggravated defamation, two counts of ethnic agitation, and a slew of copyright and secrecy offences.

Ilja Janitskin, the founder and frontman of the anti-immigrant online publication MV-Lehti, has been sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison.

Janitskin served as the owner, managing editor and editor-in-chief of both MV-Lehti and Uber Uutiset in 20142018, according to the court.

MV-Lehti has published a number of racist and defamatory articles. The articles have included erroneous information and derogatory suggestions, as well as sensitive information about the personal lives of people, the ruling reads. Publishing the articles was not in the public interest from the viewpoint of freedom of speech or any other justifiable reason. The instances of defamation were so flagrant that it was justified to intervene in freedom of speech.

The motive for the actions was to destroy the reputation and question the professional ability of people in public, the judges determined.

The District Court of Helsinki also handed down a suspended prison sentence of 10 months to Johan Backman, who was found guilty of the aggravated defamation of a journalist working for YLE.

Janitskin, Backman and the third defendant, a 54-year-old woman, were additionally ordered to pay roughly 136,000 euros in damages and compensation to the plaintiffs. Sanoma, the publisher of Helsingin Sanomat, for example was deemed entitled to 75,000 euros in compensation for journalistic content used without permission by MV-Lehti.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
One of the proposals would promote the use of biofuels in transport and that of biogas-fuels in heating and manufacturing. The other, in turn, would prohibit the use of coal for energy production as of 1 May 2029.

The Finnish government re-affirmed its commitment to combating climate change by submitting two legislative proposals to the Parliament on Thursday.

The legislative proposals presented today by the government all strive towards the same goal: to take swifter and more resolute action to combat climate change. In terms of coal, we want to be at the forefront of countries phasing out its use, tells Kimmo Tiilikainen (Centre), the Minister of the Environment.

Finland has adopted the objective of gradually phasing out the use of fossil fuels for energy production and moving towards an entirely emissions-free energy system. Prohibiting the energy use of coal is the first step on this journey.

The government highlights in its press release that the use of coal for energy production is already decreasing steadily. Prohibiting the energy use of coal altogether, it estimates, would have a major cost impact particularly on the district heating networks of Helsinki and Vaasa, where it would require that investment in replacement technologies are brought forward.

The rest of coal-fired energy plants are to be replaced by 2030.

Fossil fuels were used to produce over 60 per cent of district heat and 30 per cent of electricity in Helsinki in 2017, according to Helen, a producer of electricity and district heating fully owned by the City of Helsinki.

Helen points out in a press release that it began phasing out the use of coal in energy production already in 2015, when it initiated preparations to phase out the coal-fired Hanasaari Power Plant by 2025. It adds, however, that the plants under construction and recently completed will not suffice to satisfy the demand for district heating in Helsinki.

The first of the replacement power plants are already producing energy, it says, referring to its pellet and heat pump-powered plants.

The fastest way to replace coal on large scale is the use of biomass. Prohibiting coal increases the demand for biofuels in Finland. The supply of biofuels is a major question  there is not enough domestic biofuel.

Helen also estimates that because the investment decisions on replacement production methods must be made over the next two to three years, the replacement investments are unlikely to be too ambitious.

It will be impossible to take new, developing technologies into consideration in this time frame, it explains.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Source: Uusi Suomi
The CEOS, established in 1984, is tasked with coordinating international activities related to space and Earth observation. CEOS encourages interaction, support and complementarity among Earth observation satellite systems through coordinated planning, promoting non-discriminatory data access, establishing data standards, and promoting data compatible with the relevant products, services, and applications.

Currently, CEOS has 32 members, including the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES), the UK Space Agency (UKSA), the Russian Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and 28 associate members.

In 2013, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology became an official member of the CEOS and assigned its VNSC agency as the focal contact to the CEOS.

Assuming the post of CEOS Chair in 2019, Vietnam will perform various specific tasks, including playing a central role in coordinating the current and future missions of the CEOS members; supporting the Group on Earth Observations (GEO); coordinating with the Chair of the CEOS Strategic Implementation Team and the CEOS Secretariat to build, connect and extend the membership, and engage in CEOS activities.

Vietnam will also coordinate other support activities with the GEO, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the global observation of the Earth's atmosphere, ocean and land, and with the G8/G20 countries.

According to Dr. Pham Anh Tuan, in 2019, Vietnam will propose two main initiatives, including carbon observation over forested areas, in collaboration with Earth observation to support forest monitoring and management, and agricultural observation, which is very useful in evaluating Vietnam's agricultural development and will be expanded into the Mekong delta countries.

Previously, at the CEOS 32nd Plenary in mid-October, two Vietnamese initiatives received support from the CEOS member organisations in sharing satellite data, human resource training and opportunities to participate in potential projects.

The 2019 CEOS plenary session hosted by Vietnam will be held in Hanoi from October 14 to 16 next year.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Vietnam Anar Imanov emphasised the close traditional relationship between Vietnam and Azerbaijan, noting that the school demonstrates Azerbaijan's appreciation for the bilateral relations with Vietnam.

He expressed his belief that the friendship and traditional relations between the two countries would be consolidated further in the future.

The Ambassador added that the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which is headed by Azerbaijan's First Vice Presidenf Mehriban Aliyeva, has carried out a number of social projects in Vietnam and other countries that hold a special relationship with Azerbaijan.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Giang province, Tran Duc Quy, said that Azerbaijan is one of the countries that has provided much support for Vietnam during and after the wars.

Quy noted that the people of Ha Giang would like to thank Azerbaijan and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for funding the building of a school in a remote mountainous area in Ha Giang province.

He said that the new school with better facilities will help local teachers and students to improve the quality of teaching and learning.
The 43-year-old tourist was on the Ovation of The Seas, a cruise ship flying the Bahamas flag en route from Ho Chi Minh City to Singapore.

After receiving the request for help, the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre immediately instructed the ships crew members to give first aid to the tourist and asked the ship captain to steer the ship towards Vung Tau at maximum speed.

The centre then dispatched rescue ship coded SAR 413 to Vung Tau in order to help with the rescue effort.

By 7h30, the victim had been transported to a wharf at Vung Tau and handed over to onshore healthcare workers. The centre also informed the Canadian Embassy in Vietnam to coordinate in dealing with the incident.
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The debate was included in the agenda of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 73).

During the event, countries exchanged experience in ending poverty and outlined challenges to the effort facing the world and each nation, particularly in terms of resource shortages. They agreed that eradicating poverty is the most inclusive goal which is fundamental to the fulfillment of other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To end poverty in all its forms, appropriate development strategies are needed for all three pillars of economics, social affairs and the environment. Social policies to ensure welfare, deliver basic public services, promote gender equality and others are decisive to the sustainability of each countrys economic growth and elimination of inequality.

Furthermore, developed countries should provide developing countries with increased support and technology transfer to narrow the science and technology gap among nations and within each nation.

A representative of Vietnams mission presented the countrys achievements in poverty reduction and challenges it faces to alleviate poverty in restructuring the economy, finding proper sustainable growth models, maintaining what has been achieved, reducing the impacts of climate change and addressing social inequality, in an effort to leave no one behind, especially vulnerable people such as ethnic minority groups.

Vietnam also urged the UN to continue assisting the country in realising the poverty eradication goal through the provision of resources, policy consultancy and access to international financial institutes.
Cyprus PIO: Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review, 18-10-19 Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article From: The Republic of Cyprus Press and Information Office Server at <http://www.pio.gov.cy/> Turkish Cypriot and Turkish Media Review-19.10.18 No. 202/18 [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS Contents [A] Turkish Cypriot Press [01] The two leaders' meeting to take place on October 26; Statement by an anonymous diplomat [02] Erhurman made statements on yesterday's tension between Turkey and Greece [03] Erhurman: "Political equality is a sine qua non for the Turkish Cypriots" [04] Denktas argues that the "loose federation" is not a very different view from a two-state federation [05] Nami in Izmir [06] A "delegation" of the so-called assembly held contacts at the European Parliament [07] Mobile phone subscribers in the breakaway regime are over 800,000 [08] A cooperation on the archive system between Turkey and the "TRNC" [B] Turkish Press [A] TURKISH CYPRIOT / TURKISH PRESS [01] Turkish navy reportedly stops Greek frigate from harassing research ship in Eastern Mediterranean [02] Turkey and Moldova agree on full rights for Gagauz region [03] Cavusoglu: Turkish investments in Albania total $2.5B [A] Turkish Cypriot Press [01] The two leaders' meeting to take place on October 26; Statement by an anonymous diplomat Turkish Cypriot daily Kibris newspaper (19.10.18) under the title: "The leaders' meeting will take place on October 26", reports that the meeting of President Nikos Anastasiades with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci was set to take place on October 26, at the residence of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative Elizabeth Spehar, in the buffer zone. Within the framework of the meeting, the two leaders will focus on the latest developments on the Cyprus problem and the issue of the opening of Apliki and Deryneia crossing points. Invoking reliable sources broadcast by the Demiroren News agency (DHA) the two leaders' meeting will be duplex. Firstly they will discuss the issue of the opening of Deryneia and Apliki crossing points and they are expected to set a date for their openings. The two crossing points are expected to open by mid-November. The second stage of the leaders' meeting will focus on the latest developments on the Cyprus problem. In statements to DHA, a higher-level diplomat said the following: "Quarrels are taking place in the island recently on the issue of 'loose federation' and 'two states'. Greek Cypriot leader Anastasiades speaks on the one hand about 'federation' and on the other hand about 'loose federation'. Anastasiades should make clear what he has in his mind exactly", the diplomat stated. The same sources argued that Akinci will discuss with Anastasiades, in a sincere way, what his thoughts are about the future of the island. "This meeting does n ot mean the resumption of the negotiation talks", added the anonymous diplomat. (AK) [02] Erhurman made statements on yesterday's tension between Turkey and Greece Turkish Cypriot daily Halkin Sesi (19.10.18) reports that the self-styled prime minister Tufan Erhurman speaking to Bayrak commented on the developments regarding the research started by Barbaros seismic ship and the tensions allegedly created between Turkey and Greece on the issue. Commenting on the allegations that a Greek frigate harassed Barbaros, Erhuman said that tension is in no one's interest and expressed the wish that a smart road to be found. He went on to add that everyone has rights in a controversial area. He also said that he held a meeting regarding the incident with the "deputy prime minister and foreign minister", adding that they have following the issue. Erhurman said that co-operation and not tension is needed for the natural resources around the island, adding that with tension everyone is losing, with co-operation everyone is winning. Erhurman finally added that this is an issue between Turkey and Greece and the embassies of the two countries took action on it. (CS) [03] Erhurman: "Political equality is a sine qua non for the Turkish Cypriots" Turkish Cypriot daily Vatan newspaper (19.10.18) reports that so-called prime minister Tufan Erhurman, delivering a speech at the "Leadership Academy and Strategy workshop" which was organized by the Chamber of Trade and Industry of Silifke in Turkey's province of Mersin, referred, inter alia, to the Cyprus problem and alleged that the Turkish Cypriots wish for a formula to be found on viable and fair solution of the Cyprus problem, which will be based on the "political equality of the two people, protecting at the same time their rights". "Such a solution will contribute to the economy of the country and also will make openings to the people and the businessmen", Erhurman argued. Erhurman further claimed the following: "Whether it will be the central government that will be powerful in Cyprus, or its wings (constituent states), the issue of political equality is a sine qua non for the Turkish Cypriots". Erhurman claimed further that the reason behind the fact that Anastasiades proposed a "loose federation" at the current stage is because he cannot explain to his people how to accept the political equality. "And we say that no matter if it will be the central government that will be powerful in Cyprus, or its wings (constituent states), for the Turkish Cypriots the political equality is a sine qua non. This is what he should explain to his people", Erhurman supported. Referring to the "economy" of the occupation regime, Erhurman called on Turkish businessmen to cooperate with the Turkish Cypriot businessmen. On the issue of the "electricity interconnection" between Turkey and the occupation regime which is planned to take place with underwater cables, Erhurman alleged that the feasibility works on this project continue, supporting that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has undertook personal initiatives on this matter. (AK) [04] Denktas argues that the "loose federation" is not a very different view from a two-state federation Turkish Cypriot daily Haberator newspaper (19.10.18) reports that Serdar Denktas, who was guest in a radio programme of VATAN radio, commented on the financial difficulties due to the rise of the exchange rate and on the Cyprus issue. Referring to the Cyprus problem, Denktas commented on the "loose federation" arguing that it is a form of government where the central government is weaker. He further argued: "When we were talking about a two-state federation for years now, we did not mean anything very different from this view, which is being discussed today". Denktas further claimed that the intentions of the Greek Cypriot side in the Cyprus talks are not sincere, they are playing with time and they are just wasting time and the world's time. Referring to the economic crisis due to the devaluation of the Turkish lira, Denktas noted that in some working places, even a salary cut may occur, adding that he was referring to the "public institutions" that they may need to take some precautions. Denktas also noted that the interconnecting system to transfer electricity from Turkey to the occupied area of Cyprus through cable is in the agenda but it will take some time because the cost is much bigger now. (DPs) [05] Nami in Izmir Illegal Bayrak (19.10.18 http://www.brtk.net/?english posts=nami-in-izmir ) broadcast that "minister of economy and energy" Ozdil Nami will be attending the inauguration ceremony of Azeri SOCAR's STAR oil refinery in Izmir. The ceremony will be held under the auspices of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to information released by the self-styled economy and energy ministry, Nami who will attend the ceremony as guest of the Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez. A statement released by the Turkish Presidency said Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, officials from the Azeri government, representatives of relevant institutions and organizations, directors of various energy companies and high level bureaucrats will attend the ceremony, as well. The STAR oil refinery, which is the biggest private sector investment on a single spot in Turkey, is amongst the biggest petrol operations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The refinery is the first project in Turkey which has the "Strategic Investment Incentive Certificate". [06] A "delegation" of the so-called assembly held contacts at the European Parliament Turkish Cypriot daily Star Kibris newspaper (19.10.18) reports that a delegation from the so-called assembly, consisting of Fikri Toros, "deputy" with the Republican Turkish Party (CTP) in occupied Keryneia, Erek Cagatay "deputy" with the People's Party (HP) in occupied Keryneia and Oguzhan Hasipoglu, "deputy" with the National Unity Party (UBP) in occupied Famagusta, held "official contacts" in Brussels between October 15-18. According to the paper, the "parliamentarian delegation", met with European MPs of several political groups at the European Parliament, with several members of working groups which are responsible of the EU member countries' enlargement and neighborhood policies. The "delegation" attended further round table meetings organized by the Belgium Federal Assembly. WithIN the framework of its "contacts" in Brussels, the occupation regime's delegation conveyed the Turkish Cypriot side's view and approaches on Cyprus negotiation process. The "delegation" expressed further the Turkish Cypriot side's views on the method and the methodology that could pave the way for the negotiation to move forward, pointing out to the necessity for the new negotiation process not to be open-ended and to be result-oriented. The "delegation" referred further to the two empty seats belonging to the Turkish Cypriots at the European Parliament and undertook initiatives so that the Turkish Cypriot side to be able to elect its own representatives during the forthcoming European elections that will take place in May 2019. Within the framework of its contacts, the "delegation" recalled further that the Turkish Cypriot side is one of the two "equal sides" in the island, and thus, asked for the "lifting of the isolation". The "delegation" further expressed the Turkish Cypriot side's view on the "one-sided and unilateral report on Maras" which was prepared by the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament. (AK) [07] Mobile phone subscribers in the breakaway regime are over 800,000 Turkish Cypriot daily Havadis (19.10.18) reports that the number of mobile phone subscribers in the breakaway regime are 824,313, according to a report of the "Information Technology and Communication Organization" for the second quarter of 2018. According to the paper, the active mobile subscribers are 698,463. It is also reported that the greatest number of telephone conversation was towards Turkey, followed by Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkmenistan. (CS) [08] A cooperation on the archive system between Turkey and the "TRNC" According to illegal Bayrak television (19.10.18, http://www.brtk.net/?english posts=trnc-tc-cooperation) , the "national archive and research department directorate of "TRNC" and the Turkish Presidential State Archives Department signed a protocol today at the "presidential palace" in the occupied part of Nicosia. "The protocol aims to increase cooperation between the archive systems of the TRNC and Turkey. It provides for experts from the two archives sharing information in order to modernize the system and carry out restoration efforts. Exchanging publications between the two institutions, carrying out meetings and organizing exhibitions are also provided for within the protocol signed." Meanwhile, following the signing of the "protocol" Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci met with "president of the TRNC national archive and research department" Mehmet Borak and the President of the Turkish Presidential State Archives Department Prof. Dr. Ugur Unal. Speaking during the visit, Akinci expressed the hope that the protocol will be beneficial for both sides. [B] Turkish Press [01] Turkish navy reportedly stops Greek frigate from harassing research ship in Eastern Mediterranean Turkish daily Sabah newspaper (18.10.18, https://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2018/10/18/turkish-navy-stops-greek-frigate-from-harassing-research-ship-in-eastern-mediterranean) reported that the Turkish navy on Thursday reportedly stopped a Greek frigate from harassing a Turkish research ship in the Eastern Mediterranean. The paper claimed: "The seismic and drilling vessel Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa was carrying out research activity, as had been previously announced, on the Turkish continental shelf of the Guzelyurt (occupied Morfou area) Research Coast off the Republic of Northern Cyprus (editor's note: the breakaway regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus), Anadolu Agency cited unnamed sources as saying". According to Sabah paper, the Greek frigate began harassing the research vessel in the early hours of Thursday morning, in violation of international law and conventions. Turkey's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Turkey would continue to exercise its sovereign rights and jurisdiction over its continental shelf. "We recommend that Greece abstain from acts that would cause an escalation in the region," the statement read, warning that Greek "insistence on unrealistic claims" would only result in harming bilateral relations and regional stability. Turkey's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources also made a statement later on Thursday again urging Greece to avoid inflaming tensions and stating Turkey would continue to defend its rights under international law. A Greek defence source denied there was an incident but said the Greeks were monitoring the activity of the Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa. It said the vessel appeared to be in an area claimed by "Greek Cyprus" (Republic of Cyprus) for future hydrocarbons exploration, west of the island. Turkey had issued a Navtex, an advisory to ships including coordinates, that it would be conducting seismic surveys in the Mediterranean Sea from Oct. 18 to Feb. 1. [02] Turkey and Moldova agree on full rights for Gagauz region According to Turkish daily Hurriyet Daily News (18.10.18, http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-and-moldova-agree-on-full-rights-for-gagauz-region-138041), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Moldovan President Igor Dodon and Irina Vlah, Governor of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia, said on Oct. 18 they "agreed" for concrete steps to be taken for the autonomous status of the Gagauz region to be fully in function. "With the [Moldovan] President and the Government's support as well as the determination of the Governor [Irina Vlah] and Gagauz authorities, we have agreed for concrete steps to be taken for the autonomy [of the Gagauz region] to be fully in function", Erdogan said during joint a press conference in Comrat, the capital of the Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia. Dodon, on his part, said he would do his best in order the laws of the autonomous status the Republic of Moldova has granted to the Gagauz region to be fully functioned. The Moldovan President also said he would work on including these articles in the constitution of Moldova and the Gagauz people are at home in Moldova. Despite his remarks on the autonomy of the Gagauz region, the Turkish President underlined that Moldova's territorial integrity is of "vital importance to Turkey". "We are happy to see the will displayed by Moldova and Gagauzia to live together in peace and tranquillity since 1994", Erdogan said. () [03] Cavusoglu: Turkish investments in Albania total $2.5B According to Ankara Anatolia news agency (18.10.18, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-investments-in-albania-total-25b-cavusoglu/1286011), Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking to a group of businesspeople on Thursday in Albania's capital Tirana during a meeting organized by the Albanian Turkish Chamber of Commerce (ATCC), said that Turkey's investments in Albania total some $2.5 billion. "Albania isn't just a country where we will cooperate in the region, but a real friendly country which we have deep-rooted and historical ties with," he added. () He added that the 2008 free trade agreement between the two countries needs revision. "We will start negotiations again for the entrance of more agricultural goods and the inclusion of services and investments. We need to revise it with a win-win understanding," he further said. He also called on Albanian investors to invest in Turkey and to continue working to reach a $1 billion bilateral trade volume from the current $411 million. Seyhan Pencabligil, the ATCC's head, also said that Turkish firms in Albania provide 10,000 people with jobs. TURKISH AFFAIRS SECTION (DPs/ EH) Cyprus Press and Information Office: Turkish Cypriot Press Review Directory - Previous Article - Next Article
Accreditors to Visit BCC's Nursing Program Wednesday, Public Meeting Scheduled

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  BCC's nursing program will be reviewed for accreditation during a site visit on Wednesday.

The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing's review includes a public forum on the accreditation process. ACEN has a full day scheduled and has set aside 1:45 until 2:45 p.m. to hear from the public on any questions, opinions, or concerns about the program.

"It is just an open conversation ... they look at stakeholders and the community is a stakeholder," said program adviser Ann Tierney. "They really want it to be a free-flowing conversation."

Tierney said program officials won't even be on hand during the meeting so that ACEN can hear any type of input. It is part of a full day of review of the program and it is the first time since 2015 that ACEN has performed a site visit as part of its accreditation review.

ACEN's review comes at a particularly important time for the college. During its last visit in 2015, ACEN found two deficiencies and the college was given two years to make those corrections.

To address the accreditation faults, the college hired two new faculty members, aligned the curriculum to meet standards (which was approved), and worked with ACEN and a consultant to create a systematic evaluation plan to address concerns with outcomes.

By the spring of 2018, ACEN still had concerns with program outcomes and documentation. It sent a letter to the college with more feedback and said it would like to visit in the fall. "We took their feedback and we've taken steps to be more transparent about documentation," Vice President of Academic Affairs Jennifer Berne said. Those concerns became a piece of what triggered the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing to hold its own site visit, which led to the downgraded approval status as well.

The Board of Registration found a number of issues during its site visit in May and ultimately dropped its rating from approved to "approved with a warning."

ACEN accredits the program while the state board approves it. The two bodies have different items that each is particularly looking into but work "in concert with each other," Tierney said. The college has been working toward addressing the cited issues by both boards in hopes to get back into full accreditation and full approval.

"The program is working toward full accreditation," she said. "We've been moving into alignment."

In the midst of those challenges, the program's director Tochi Ubani resigned. But in short order, the college appointed Christine Martin, who has longstanding ties with the program and Berkshire Medical Center, to serve as an interim director.

Wednesday's visit could help get the nursing program back in ACEN's good grace with a full day of interviews and reviewing documents planned by the body.

Tierney said MABORN could also visit at the same time but she isn't sure if it will. It is likely MABORN would hold a separate visit to re-examine the program's approval status.
Mark Ziemba poses with members of the Berkshire Jammin' Critters 4-H Club who raised $1,700 for Broadlawn Farm. The club will next raise money for Michael Mach's efforts to help animals in the North Carolina flooding. Broadlawn has about 300 head of cattle and milks nearly 200. The 4-H club gets to see the calves. The farm is trying to reuse the concrete pad in the foreground. PreviousNext

Fire-Damaged Adams Farm Looks Forward as Help Pours In



Ziemba and Sonia McWhirt show what the farm had looked like before the fire last month. ADAMS, Mass.  A devastating fire in September nearly cost the Ziemba family their family farm and livelihood.

But in the last several weeks the farming community has rallied around Broadlawn Farm with help coming from the youngest 4-Hers to a former governor.

On Thursday, members of the Berkshire Jammin' Critters 4-H Club of North Adams rolled up with advisers Teri Goodermote and her father, Jerry Goodermote, to present a check for $1,700.18.

"The outpouring of support has been amazing," said Mark Ziemba. "Between friends, family, community, everybody - even the volunteer fire department was amazing putting everything out."

In addition to 4-H, a GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $66,000 toward a $75,000 goal. There have been a number of fundraisers with the lastest a spaghetti dinner being held on Monday night beginning at 4:30 at Bounti-Fare.

Adams firefighters and a host of other departments from around the area responded to the early Sunday morning fire that destroyed a large L-shaped barn (the electrical fire started in the connecting corner) that housed the dairy's cattle and feed. The cows, luckily, were outside at the time but the farm's bull was killed in the blaze when they couldn't get him to leave the barn.

The fire was battled to a standstill that saved the adjacent structures including the milking barn and the house. The farm crew had hustled the cows around the burning barns that morning to get them into the shed for milking.

"There's no looking back, look forward and keep going I guess," Ziemba said. "Since the milking was here, we could decide to milk the cows for a week or two and decide if we think we're going to make winter.

"If the milking was gone, the cows were gone a day later ... there's no question. We can't milk them, they can't stay."

But, he said, "with the support coming in we could decide and things move forward every day."

The dairy farm's been in the family for more than 75 years since it was purchased by Stanley J. Ziemba Sr. It's currently operated by a number of relatives including Victor, Mike, Chris and Laura Ziemba.

The Ziembas have about 300 head of cattle, about a third of those calves and just under 200 being milked.

The 4-H group had spent a Sunday outside Walmart in North Adams seeking donations and their bucket had filled as fast as they could empty it, Teri said. "It's enough to feed the cattle for 3 1/2 days," her father said.

Broadlawn's been getting a little more help in that direction as well. Wrapped bales of hay were piled up in a side yard courtesy of farms ranging from Vermont to New York and closer, including Burnett's, Balawenders and Ioka. The Galushas had cropped the farm's hundred acres of corn and calls had come in from as far east as Boston.

Perhaps most importantly, backhoes were clearing where the north/south part section of the barn had been. The concrete pad was still in good shape largely because of the protection offered by the felt pads that been under the burned away rubber mats.

"We're getting along but weather is our biggest obstacle right now," Ziemba said, as a cold wind blew through the yard. "We're working on new barns, part of one of the barns has been delivered already."

The Ziembas are working to get up at least a partial shelter and have been speaking with Sheds N Stuff in Cheshire and its Amish suppliers to build a barn on the old location after a Christmas.

"But if we can get one of the sections up first, we can at least get the cows in it. Get them shelter," Ziemba said. "We've got a month window, roughly a month and a half, so hopefully by the first of December we'll have something up or close to being up and we'll go from there."

On the other side of the existing red barn, long poles have been delivered  the first part of a large shell structure from former Gov. Jane Swift's Cobble Hill Farm in Williamstown. The governor's husband, Chuck Hunt, had operated a horse boarding and riding school some years ago before they had moved to Vermont for a time. They had been looking to sell some of the structures and now it's going to good use to help save Broadlawn Farm.

"We're working on the foundation plan for that. We need engineers to design a foundation for it," Ziemba said. "So that's paperwork holding us up right now."

A local structural contractor and relative who has experience is getting the arena delivered and back together again.

"If it does get up, we'll get everybody back and show them where their donations go," he said. "Hopefully."
fundraiser for Moments House will feature live music by Whiskey City and The Hotshot Hillbillies, line dancing with instruction by Cheryl Wendling, food, games, raffles, balloon magic with Bowey the Clown, face painting, a photo booth and more.

3-10 p.m. at the new Proprietor's Lodge (formerly the ITAM), 22 Waubeek Road.
The programme is expected to see more than 300 participants from the region, who will take part in various activities aboard Nippon Maru and visit five countries, namely Vietnam, Japan, Brunei, Thailand and the Philippines, from October 23 to December 13.

The Vietnamese delegation will bring on the journey a song, written by its members, titled Embracing Vietnam with the video produced in three regions of Vietnam.

Speaking at a meeting with the delegation on October 18, Youth Union First Secretary Le Quoc Phong expressed his hope that the 28 Vietnamese delegates will build on their confidence, language skills and social knowledge to affirm themselves during the entire journey.

You will be goodwill ambassadors to present the beautiful images of Vietnam before international friends, Phong emphasised.

SSEAYP is a joint programme between Japan and ASEAN countries in which youths from respective countries participate in various activities to promote friendship and mutual understanding.




iciHaiti - Diaspora : Visit of the Minister Ternier to the Kiosque of MHAVE





As part of the arrangements for the project "MHAVE at the Listening" Marnatha Irene Ternier, the Minister of Haitians Living Abroad, this week conducted a visit to the kiosk of the Ministry of Haitian Living Abroad (MHAVE) in Toussaint Louverture International Airport.



During this visit, Minister Ternier was able to get an idea of the current operation of the Kiosk and discussed with the officials of this space. She also met Irving Mehu, the Director General of the National Airport Authority (NAA) to discuss the project.



Recall that the Project "MHAVE at the listining" https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25853-haiti-diaspora-launch-of-the-training-of-the-operators-of-the-mhave-call-center.html is intended to boost the Ministry's relations with the diaspora and strengthen the services offered to compatriots to facilitate their integration into national life.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25853-haiti-diaspora-launch-of-the-training-of-the-operators-of-the-mhave-call-center.html



IH/ iciHaiti






















iciHaiti - Music : Sale-signature of the album Drum, ancestral soul of percussionist Welele Doubout





As part of the Songs of Haiti (Chansons d'Haiti) project, the Odette Roy Fombrun Foundation (FORF) is pleased to invite the general public to the sale-signature of the musical album "Tambour, ancestral soul" (Tambour, ame ancestrale) which presents 10 drum rhythms, most common to Haitian musical culture, percussionist Welele Doubout



Saturday, October 20, from noon to 3:00 pm at the Bookstore La Pleiade, Bois-Patate, the FORF awaits you in large numbers music lovers, musicians, insiders, academics and all other fans at this sale-signature.



In addition, a conference on the theme "Importance of rhythm in everyday life" will be given by percussionist Welele Doubout. Come and support the project Songs of Haiti and its immense work of safeguarding Haitian musical heritage with a contribution of 1,000 gourdes giving you the right to a CD.



IH/ iciHaiti


















As more and more evidence emerges about the gruesome nature of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the IFJ has called on the international community to stop appeasing the Saudi regime.

As more and more evidence emerges about the gruesome nature of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the IFJ has called on the international community to stop appeasing the Saudi regime.

Converging reports from Turkish and international media and video footage indicate that the journalist was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul by Saudi hitmen, some with links to the government.

Furthermore, Turkish investigators announced that the search of the consulate on Monday has brought more evidence that Mr Khashoggi was killed there.

In a statement issued today the IFJ said:

"It is increasingly clear the Saudi government is engaged in weaving a carefully orchestrated tissue of lies to cover up their role in Jamals killing.

The idea that it takes days for the Saudi regime to find out what happened inside their own consulate is unbelievable  it is an embarrassing charade. The impunity with which the Saudis are acting is grotesque but it is in many ways matched by the sight of leading governments around the world displaying their willingness to aid and abet this gross cover-up to protect their own financial and political interests.

All over the world human rights advocates are speaking out, some companies have already imposed sanctions and boycotted events linked to the Saudi regime. Now governments must act  they have economic levers, diplomatic tools and international instruments to seek to bring the killers and those who ordered it to justice.

The EU and US have sanctioned Russia and Venezuela over claims of state sponsored killing. Why the lack of action on Saudi Arabia?".

In the coming days, IFJ affiliates across the world will call on their governments to halt cooperation with Saudi Arabia until its government tells the truth and arrests the perpetrators.

An IFJ delegation will meet with officials at the UN in New York early next week to press for further action against impunity and an independent international investigation on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.
The IFJ has welcomed the signing of a collective agreement on journalists safety working in public media by the SNJT with the Tunisian Radio Establishment and the Tunisian Television Establishment at the syndicates headquarters in Tunisia.

The agreement was signed on Wednesday 17 October by Neji Bghouri, SNJT President, Abderrazaq Tabib, General Director of Tunisian Radio and Mohammed Al-Asaad Al-Dahish, General Director of Tunisian Television.

The preamble of the agreement emphasises the importance of protecting the freedom of expression as a means to bringing about a democratic society, the significance of strengthening the value of public service broadcasting and stress the need to guarantee journalists' social and professional rights as the basic foundation for media freedom.

The agreement is based on the commitment of both public broadcasting establishments to providing human and financial resources to strengthen the safety of their journalists and field media crews. It includes the development of professional safety procedures within establishments, material and moral preparation of journalists for dangerous tasks, providing professional safety training, equipment and ensuring field crews against work accidents.

We applaud the positive partnership with the directors of Tunisian Radio and Television establishments in framing this agreement, which will also ensure providing a service that meets the needs of the diverse community," said Neji Bghouri, president of the SNJT, at the signing ceremony.

The SNJT will also work on similar agreements that will be discussed soon with the rest of the public and private establishments, which would set additional commitments for directors of media establishments to protect their journalist crews. The SNJT is also committed to ensuring that the occupational safety center is fully prepared to help media organizations improve their performance and to train their journalists, he added.

Mohammed Al-Asaad Al-Dahish, General Director of the National Television Establishment, and Abderrazaq Tabib, General Director of the National Radio Establishment, praised the agreement and affirmed their commitment to protecting their journalists. They also expressed their pleasure in being the first public media establishments in the Arab world to sign such an agreement.

The agreement covers journalists working at 10 national and regional radio stations which form the Tunisian Radio Establishment, as well as journalists working at two TV channels in the Tunisian Television Service.

Mounir Zaarour, Middle East and Arab World Policy and Programme Director at the IFJ, who witnessed the signing ceremony of the agreement, said: "Signing his agreement, which reflects the commitment of media establishments to the duty of care towards their employees, is a historic day for journalists in Tunisia and the Arab world. It comes at difficult times when journalists face an unprecedented wave of oppression, abuse and denial of their right to a safe life and work, to stress that trade unionism and professional solidarity are essential to guarantee the rights of journalists. We are very grateful to the General Directors of Audiovisual Media in Tunisia for their cooperation in commencing the path we hope that public media establishments in the Arab world will pursue."
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that the United States plans to merge its embassy and consulate general in Jerusalem to improve efficiency.

A plaque commemorates the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem, Monday, May 14, 2018. [File photo: AP/Sebastian Scheiner]

In a statement issued by the State Department, Pompeo said that "following the May 14 opening of the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, we plan to achieve significant efficiencies and increase our effectiveness by merging U.S. Embassy Jerusalem and U.S. Consulate General Jerusalem into a single diplomatic mission."

U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman will guide the merger, Pompeo said.

"We will continue to conduct a full range of reporting, outreach, and programming in the West Bank and Gaza as well as with Palestinians in Jerusalem through a new Palestinian Affairs Unit inside U.S. Embassy Jerusalem," he said.

The merge decision "is driven by our global efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations," Pompeo said.

"It does not signal a change of U.S. policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip," he said. "The United States continues to take no position on final status issues, including boundaries or borders. The specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties."

Pompeo said that the Trump administration is strongly committed to achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and looks forward to continued partnership and dialogue "with the Palestinian people and, we hope in the future, with the Palestinian leadership."

The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, while Israel wants all of Jerusalem to be its eternal capital.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem in the 1967 war and declared the whole city as its eternal indivisible capital in 1980, but the move has not been recognized by the international community.

Palestinians have been boycotting the United States since it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and moved its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
In a press conference with Gov. Dan McKee Tuesday afternoon, Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott of the Rhode Island Department of Health announced that the state of Rhode Island has expanded eligibility for COVID-19 vaccine booster shots to all adults over the age of 18. Citing rising case numbers in the state, Alexander Scott and state officials are hoping to encourage residents of the state to get the booster shots ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday and winter months. Are you planning on getting a COVID-19 booster shot? Why or why not? Let us know below.

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The course textbook, Economic Evaluation and Investment Decision Methods, 15th Edition, 2017 by Franklin J. Stermole, John M. Stermole, and Andrew H. Pederson, demonstrates the evaluation techniques presented using a variety of applications for people with technical and non-technical backgrounds, with or without previous evaluation experience.

Classes for Economic Evaluation and Investment Decision Methods will be held on the campus of Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado USA. Specific locations on campus for each session will be identified in material sent to each registrant prior to the first day of class.

The campus is located near Denver, Colorado and is about a 45-minute drive west on I-70 from Denver International Airport. Directions to the campus, campus maps, and campus parking information are available.
Khashoggi Is Not The Only One Reason The US Should Cut Its Saudi Ties By Medea Benjamin and Mary Miller October 18, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Saudi Arabia has made headlines recently for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. What happened to Khashoggi is certainly tragic, but its far from the only crime committed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Despite its history of thuggery, the US has been cozy with the kingdom for decades. Heres 10 reasons to sever this nefarious alliance with the Saudi kingdom. There is no political freedom in Saudi Arabia. While most of the worlds monarchies have evolved to lessen the role of royalty, Saudi Arabia remains one of the worlds last absolute monarchies.The Saud royal family picks the king, who then has ultimate authority in virtually every aspect of government. There are no national elections and political parties are banned, as are unions and most civic organizations. Mohammad bin Salman is falsely hailed as a progressive hero. Since becoming Crown Prince in 2015, Mohammad bin Salman has been credited with a number of reforms, such as granting women the right to drive (despite arresting the very women who advocated for that right). These highly publicized changes serve to distract the global community from bin Salmans ruthless policies, such as escalating the war in Yemen, cracking down on human rights activists, and increasing the number of executions. The government represses religious minorities. Trump says he is promoting tolerance by working with Saudi Arabia, but this theocratic Sunni regime is based on repressing the Shia minority and non-Muslims. It is the only country in the world to ban all churches, and atheism is a capital offense. Year after year, the U.S. governments own Commission on International Religious Freedom says Saudi Arabia commits systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. The regime is one of the most misogynist, gender-segregated countries in the world. Saudi women famously gained the right to drive recently, but the kingdom maintains its oppressive male guardianship system where women must obtain a mans permission before doing things like getting married or divorced or applying for a passport. Gender segregation persists as well: women are separated from men in public and even private places, like restaurants. Womens rights advocates are frequently arrested for their activism. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The Kingdom primarily functions on the backs of mistreated foreign laborers. Of the nations 30 million people, some 10 million are foreigners. Workers from poor nations seek economic gains within Saudi Arabia, but are often lured under false pretenses and then not allowed to leave the country without permission from their employer. Female migrant workers, treated like indentured servants, often face physical and sexual abuse. Free speech and free association are forbidden in the kingdom. There is no free speech or free press in Saudi Arabia, and criticizing the government or royal family is punishable by flogging, jail time, or even execution. Tragic examples include Samar Badawi and Nassima al-Sadah, two womens rights activists who were arrested in 2018; Raif Badawi, Samars brother, who was sentenced to ten years in prison for blogging in favor of a more liberal society; and Ali al-Nimr, who was sentenced to death in 2014 for his participation in the 2012 Arab Spring protests and is still on death row today. Saudi Arabia has one of the highest execution rates in the world. At least 146 people were executed in 2017, mostly by the gruesome practice of beheading. The government does not have an official interpretation of Sharia law, meaning a judge can consider nearly any offence serious enough to warrant the death penalty. The death penalty has been meted out for offenses such as atheism, homosexuality, and sorcery. The Saudis export an extremist interpretation of Islam, Wahhabism, that has formed the ideological foundation of extremist groups around the globe. A Wikileaks-revealed 2009 cable quotes then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying, Donors in Saudi Arabia constitute the most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide. In Syria, the Saudis are supporting the most extreme sectarian forces. Together with the Emirates, Saudi Arabia has recruited al-Qaeda fighters in their war with Yemen. And we must not forget that 15 of the 19 hijackers who carried out the 9/11 attacks were Saudis, as was Osama bin Laden himself. Saudi Arabia helps maintain the worlds destructive dependence on oil. Saudi Arabia is the largest exporter of oil in the world. With its vast potential for solar energy, Saudi Arabia could lead the world in renewable energy. Instead, the economy remains almost dependent on oil and on the international level, Saudi Arabia works with the United States to oppose global climate agreements that would affect oil profits. They have engaged in a catastrophic war in Yemen. For over three years, Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of the horrific war in Yemen. Thousands of civilians have been killed and three million have been displaced. A Saudi-run blockade have caused a famine that has killed over 50,000 children. The US is indirectly responsible for these crimes because it continues to sell arms to Saudi Arabia. On August 9, 2018, for example, a US-made bomb hit a school bus in Yemen, killing 40 children. By maintaining close ties with Saudi Arabia, the US is sending a message to citizens around the world that it values money and power over human rights. Now that Khashoggis gruesome death has opened peoples eyes to the murderous ways of the Saudi Crown Prince, its time to peel away the layers to expose the rot at the core of this repressive monarchy. Medea Benjamin is cofounder of the peace group CODEPINK and is author of Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the US-Saudi Connection. Mary Miller is a CODEPINK researcher/analyst. Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here. ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy
By Ramzy Baroud



October 18, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Bearing in mind the irreparable damage created by the new sheriff in town, Haley certainly will not be missed in Palestine.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, has made her post a more glamorous position than her predecessors  as President Donald Trump described Haleys 2-year term at the U.N., following her resignation announcement.

We may never know the nature of Haleys purported glamour at the U.N., but we certainly know that, during her relatively brief stint, Haley has further diminished her countrys struggling reputation, entrenching U.S. isolation in the worlds most vital international political body.

In her own words, Haley concluded that her mission at the U.N. was accomplished, commending herself on three achievements: the U.S. has become more respected, it saved a lot of money, and it strongly defended Israel against U.N. bias.

All of those things have made a huge difference in the U.S. standing, she said. The U.S. is strong again. And the U.S. is strong in a way that should make all Americans very proud.

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Nothing could be further from the truth and Haley, who is suspected of engineering a run for the White House in the future, has no evidence to back up her claim of new-found strength and respect.

During his speech before the General Assembly on Sep. 25, Trumps preposterous claims were not met with thundering applause but humiliating laughter  so much for respect.

However, there is no question that Haley was a good fit to be Trumps representative to the international community. Her aggressive and self-aggrandizing language tallies with the political discourse emanating from the White House.

That aside, considering the violations of human rights committed by Israel during Haleys time at the U.N., her relentless defense of Israel is no laughing matter.

Haleys supposed achievements of saving money and supporting Israel are intrinsically linked. Indeed, the U.S. saved $1.3 billion dollars  by cutting off funds to organizations that were critical of Israel or supportive of the Palestinian people.

Haleys political outlook is not influenced by true conviction. In his bestselling book "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," Michael Wolff describes Haley as an opportunist who is as ambitious as Lucifer.

In fact, there can be no rational explanation for Haley's palpable hatred of Palestinians and Arabs, and love for Israel, other than sheer opportunism.

The U.S.-Israel pact at the U.N. is as old as Israel itself, but the last two decades have taken this relationship to new heights. The already slanted U.S. position on Israels occupation of Palestine, and its brazen use of its veto power to shield Israel from international criticism, reached its zenith during the term of George W. Bushs ambassador to the U.N., John Negroponte (2001-2004).

The Negroponte doctrine  the instant rejection and, if necessary, vetoing of any U.N. Security Council resolution critical of Israel  remained a staple in U.S. foreign policy until today, with the notable exception of Resolution 2334.

On Dec. 23, 2016, the Obama Administration abstained from voting on a resolution that condemned Israels construction of illegal Jewish settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Obamas final act violated the main tenet of U.S. diplomacy at the U.N..

Soon after, Haley arrived in New York with a clear and urgent mandate: to do everything in her power to recover the traditional U.S. position in support of Israel.

Eager to reassure Israel that it has not been abandoned, Haley launched her pro-Israel campaign at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in March 2017, using bizarre, tactless language.

Theres a new sheriff in town, she announced before nearly 18,000 conference attendees, intoxicated with excitement. I wear heels. Its not for a fashion statement, she declared. Its because if I see something wrong, were going to kick em every single time.

Haley was true to her words. The Haley doctrine went even further than Negropontes, as the latter was largely confined to blocking resolutions critical of Israel. Haley, on the other hand, supported Israel at every possible opportunity, and, along with Israeli Ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, she conspired to punish countries and U.N. agencies, such as UNESCO, UNRWA and others for recognizing Palestinian rights or providing aid to Palestinian refugees.

Haley, therefore, tried to manage the U.N. from within  rewarding and punishing as she saw fit  to end what she wrongly perceived as the organizations systematic targeting of Israel.

On a visit to Israel in June 2017, she accused the U.N. in a press conference held jointly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of bullying Israel. If theres anything I have no patience for, its bullies  and the U.N. was being such a bully to Israel because they could, she said.

The notion, that the U.N.s supposed unfairness to Israel, was at the heart of Haley's skewed discourse.

In December 2017, the self-proclaimed anti-bullying diplomat threatened those who voted in favor of an Egypt-sponsored draft resolution that expressed "deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem." She vetoed the draft, which was supported by all other members of the Security Council, calling the vote an 'insult' that would not be forgotten.

On May 14, Israeli snipers opened fire at unarmed protesters at the fence separating besieged Gaza from Israel, killing more than 60 and injuring thousands. Haley was the only member of the Security Council who could not comprehend the international outrage over one of the worst Israeli massacres in years.

"No country in this chamber would act with more restraint than Israel has," she lectured the other ambassadors.

While Haley was duly criticized by Palestinians for impeding international law, she was enthusiastically celebrated by Israel and its friends in Washington for being a true friend of Israel.

Soon after her resignation was announced, Danon spoke fondly of Haley for challenging anti-Israel bias in the U.N..

For Palestinians, however, Haley was a stumbling block in their efforts to finally achieve the justice and rights they need and deserve.

The U.S.-Israeli love affair at the U.N., and their ongoing war on Palestinian rights, are likely to remain unchanged, long after Haleys departure.

Bearing in mind the irreparable damage created by the new sheriff in town, Haley certainly will not be missed in Palestine.

Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of Palestine Chronicle. His latest book is The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story (Pluto Press, London, 2018). He earned a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies from the University of Exeter and is a Non-Resident Scholar at Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, UCSB.

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Home Search ICH Scientists Warn World Facing Major Famine, Could "Lead To Severe Shocks To Global Food System"



By Tyler Durden October 18, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Researchers from Washington State University have published a new report of the Great Drought, the most destructive known drought of the past 800 years - and how it sparked the Global Famine that claimed the lives of 50 million people. The scientists warn that the Earth's current warming climate could spark a similar drought, but even worse. One of the lead researchers, Deepti Singh, a professor in WSU's School of the Environment, used rainfall records and climate reconstruction models to characterize the environmental conditions leading up to the Great Drought, a period in the mid-1870s known for widespread crop failures across Asia, Brazil, and Africa. The drought was connected to the most extreme manifestation of the El Nino supercycle ever recorded. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/Global-Famine.jpg "Climate conditions that caused the Great Drought and Global Famine arose from natural variability. And their recurrence -- with hydrological impacts intensified by global warming -- could again potentially undermine global food safety," lead author Singh and her colleagues wrote in the Journal of Climate, published online Oct. 04. Are You Tired Of The Lies And Non-Stop Propaganda? Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter The release of the study came days before the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that global warming could cause intense droughts, floods, extreme heat and poverty for hundreds of millions of people. WSU says Global Famine was among the worst humanitarian disasters in modern time, comparable to the influenza epidemic of 1918-1919, World War I and World War II. As an environmental disaster, it was the worst. "In a very real sense, the El Nino and climate events of 1876-78 helped create the global inequalities that would later be characterized as 'first' and 'third worlds'," writes Singh, who was influenced by "Late Victorian Holocausts: El Nino Famines and the Making of the Third World," which detailed the social impact of the Great Drought and additional droughts in 1896-1897 and 1899-1902. Singh's report is the first global-scale analysis of climatic conditions for the 1870s. There are no other in-depth studies that characterize the dynamics of what led up to the Great Drought. "This is the first time that somebody is taking multiple sources of data -- like rain gauges and tree-ring drought atlases that let us go back 500 and 800 years (respectively) -- as well as multiple datasets of past climatic conditions, to quantify the severity of this event and the severity of the conditions that led to it," Singh said. "The length and severity of the droughts promoted the Global Famine, aided in no small part by one of the strongest known El Ninos, the irregular but recurring periods of warm water in the tropical Pacific Ocean. That triggered the warmest known temperatures in the North Atlantic Ocean and the strongest known Indian Ocean dipole -- an extreme temp difference between warm waters in the west and cool waters in the east. These, in turn, triggered one of the worst droughts across Brazil and Australia," said WSU. Singh said natural variations in sea-surface temps induced the drought, a similar weather event could occur today, but a lot worse. With rising greenhouse gases and global warming, the researcher said El Nino events could become intensified in the future, in which case, "such widespread droughts could become even more severe." http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/el-nino.jpg Singh warns that "such extreme events would still lead to severe shocks to the global food system with local food insecurity in vulnerable countries potentially amplified by today's highly connected global food network." While the WSU scientists, UN, and IPCC warn of impending climate danger, President Trump on Sunday told CBS' 60 Minutes in an interview that climate change scientists have a "political agenda" as he casts doubt on whether humans were responsible for Earth's rising temps. . @LesleyRStahl : Do you still think that climate change is a hoax?



Pres. Trump: Look, I think somethings happening, somethings changing, and itll change back againhttps://t.co/EVT05KB0UY. @60Minutes pic.twitter.com/VbHTsJDGfn  CBS News (@CBSNews) October 15, 2018 Trump suggested that climate change might not be caused by humans, and added that he did not want to take action that could cripple the American economy. "I think something's happening. Something's changing and it'll change back again," said Trump. "I don't think it's a hoax. I think there's probably a difference. But I don't know that it's manmade. I will say this: I don't want to give trillions and trillions of dollars. I don't want to lose millions and millions of jobs." While WSU scientists, IPCC, and now President Trump have all stated that global temperatures are, in fact, rising, it seems that all parties are at disagreement to what is actually causing the anomaly. One thing, however, is likely: a sharp increase in temperatures, for whatever reason, could trigger the next big El Nino supercycle that would devastate global food supply chains and trigger another famine, a contingency for which the world is not prepared. This article was originally published by " Zero Hedge " - Do you agree or disagree? Post your comment here. ==See Also== Note To ICH Community We ask that you assist us in dissemination of the article published by ICH to your social media accounts and post links to the article from other websites. Thank you for your support. Peace and joy Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.


But is the U.S. now allowing its last remnants to survive in Syria to spite Tehran?





By Scott Ritter

October 18, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Until recently the United States viewed the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, as a major threat to regional stability in the Middle East. Barack Obama made it a mission to roll back ISISs territorial and propagandistic gain, and Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to kick ISISs ass. The United States expended considerable effort, both military and political, in a campaign to defeat the terror group in Iraq and, to a lesser extent, Syria.

But there is also no doubt that the bulk of the effort came from Iran, not the United States. Without Iranian involvement, ISIS would still have a formidable presence in both Iraq and Syria.

ISIS was born out of the ashes of the American invasion of Iraq. Their rise was the logical extension of a process that saw the fabric of secular Sunni society torn asunder by an American occupier unwilling to further empower a Sunni ruling elite that had been loyal to Saddam Hussein. Washington failed to understand the resentment engendered within the Sunni community when Iraqs Shia, some of whom were beholden to Iran, came to power.

Traditional Sunni tribal power structures were eviscerated as a result, only to be replaced with radicalized Sunni youths beholden to only themselves. Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) was al-Qaeda in name onlyits mission wasnt to export jihad to the West, but to free Iraq from the grips of an American and Iranian occupation.

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Americas campaign against AQI never resulted in that movements destruction. Instead, the United States, in an effort to free itself of the burden of war created when it invaded Iraq in the first place, withdrew from Iraq in 2012, leaving the final phase of AQIs destruction in the hands of the Iraqi government. This period coincided with the start of the civil unrest in Syria and the creation of a radicalized Islamist opposition to Syrias president, Bashar al-Assad. The willingness to cede large swaths of Syrian territory to Islamist forces as a means of destabilizing Assad created the conditions for the birth of ISIS in the deserts of both central Syria and western Iraq.

When ISIS advanced on the Iraqi cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, the American-trained and -equipped Iraqi army was unable to halt its advance. Soon the major city of Mosul fell to ISIS, and its forces pushed down the Tigris River valley to the outskirts of Baghdad.

The story of Iraqs struggle to form a viable resistance to ISIS in the aftermath of the fall of Mosul is little known, and even less appreciated, by the United States. The formation of so-called Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMForganized at the behest of Iraqs senior Shia leadership, and trained, equipped, and led by Iranwas the single most important factor behind the halting of ISISs drive on Baghdad and its eventual eviction from Iraqi territory.

Western media have paid a disproportionate amount of attention to the actions of a select few American-trained Iraqi security forces, which, with ample support from U.S. airpower and advisors, helped end fighting in and around Mosul. All the while, theyve ignored that the lions share of the fighting was done by the Iranian-directed PMF. This fact was not lost on the Iraqi people, many of whom (though not many of the Sunnis) hold the PMF in the highest regard. This sentiment has propelled many of the senior leadership of the PMF into political prominence in Baghdad.

For Iran, the ISIS phenomenon is not limited to Iraq. It is seen as part and parcel of a concerted effort undertaken by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf Arab nations to overthrow Assad in Syria, diminish the power and influence of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and roll back Iranian influence in both Syria and Iraq. ISISs geographic presence in Syria, concentrated as it was in the central and northeastern deserts, made it a secondary target compared to the al-Qaeda affiliates operating in and around Aleppo and Damascus.

As the Syrian government, with the assistance of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, gained the upper hand in the fight against the American- and Saudi-backed al-Qaeda groups, however, the importance of ISIS as a source of anti-regime resistance grew. While ISIS never had the power to challenge Damascus directly, the efforts undertaken by the Syrian coalition to defeat ISIS diverted resources needed in the larger fight. As such, the continued existence of a viable ISIS presence on Syrian soil was deemed an acceptable outcome by the United States as it sought to contain Irans presence on Syrian soil.

ISIS in Syria lingers on, despite the fact that U.S. military power could ensure its almost immediate elimination. The reason for the stay of execution is not entirely clear, but it could well be that the U.S. sees ISIS as a useful foil against Iran. Efforts by the United States to roll back Irans presence inside Syria have recently become more volatile in the wake of fiery rhetoric from senior Trump administration officials and actions undertaken by Iran to harden their positions. The American policy of Iranian rollback includes the re-imposition of economic sanctions and support for opposition groups opposed to the Iranian theocracy.

The latter point is very sensitive. This sensitivity has only been heightened by remarks from Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman suggesting that any struggle for influence between Riyadh and Tehran ought to take place inside Iran, not in Saudi Arabia, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeos encouraging Iranian Arab minorities to rise up in opposition to the Iranian government.

When gunmen linked to ISIS attacked a military parade in the Iranian city of Ahvaz, killing and wounding dozens, the Iranian government was quick to blame the United States and Saudi Arabia, among others, and promise retaliation in kind. This prompted National Security Advisor John Bolton to declare to Iran that there will indeed be hell to pay if Iran or its proxies attacked the U.S. or its allies.

A few days later, Iranian rockets were launched, not against American targets in Basra, but locations in Syria linked to ISIS. While the Iranian strike was in clear retaliation for the Ahvaz attack, the rockets were emblazoned with slogans hostile to the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. This made it clear that the strike was meant for a broader audience. Among those who took notice were the American forces located a mere three miles away from the targets struck by the Iranians.

Rising tensions and strong rhetoric, if not carefully managed, could easily lead to an unintendedand dangerousescalation of hostilities. This could test President Donald Trumps uncertain appetite for direct conflict. Moreover, the American effort to stir up an Iranian opposition could do more to unite competing power factions within Irans leadership, and unite Iranians behind that leadership, than to divide and weaken the Iranian polity. The Trump administration seems to operate under the delusion that Irans president, Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and Irans supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, are operating in different spheres with somewhat disparate interests. U.S. efforts to drive a wedge between Rouhani and Khamenei will not only prove fruitless, but backfire, closing the door to any potential negotiations and cementing a hardline response that will have Rouhani, the IRGC, and the supreme leader united in their opposition.

The United States is engaged in a dangerous double game with ISIS that is not only hypocritical in the extremegiven the 9/11 attacks on American soil that precipitated this whole sorry affairbut counterproductive to American national security interests. It has both empowered and legitimized the very Iranian theocracy it seeks to contain.

Rather than relying on ISIS as a foil to blunt Iranian influence in Syria and terrorize its citizenry at home, the Trump administration should recognize the positive role that Iran has played in defeating ISIS. It should build upon that recognition to craft a wider regional peace process that both recognizes the realities inherent in Syria today and reduces the tensions that prompt Iran to lean forward in such an aggressive manner. Unfortunately, such thinking seems beyond the capabilities of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton. As such, America will continue to pursue poorly thought out policies with no chance of success without any thought to either cost or consequence.

Scott Ritter is a former Marine Corps intelligence officer who served in the former Soviet Union implementing arms control treaties, in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, and in Iraq overseeing the disarmament of WMD.

This article was originally published by " The American Conservative " -

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A note from Karen Attiah, Global Opinions editor I received this column from Jamal Khashoggis translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul. The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together.

October 18, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - I was recently online looking at the 2018 Freedom in the World report published by Freedom House and came to a grave realization. There is only one country in the Arab world that has been classified as free. That nation is Tunisia. Jordan, Morocco and Kuwait come second, with a classification of partly free. The rest of the countries in the Arab world are classified as not free.

As a result, Arabs living in these countries are either uninformed or misinformed. They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative. Sadly, this situation is unlikely to change.

The Arab world was ripe with hope during the spring of 2011. Journalists, academics and the general population were brimming with expectations of a bright and free Arab society within their respective countries. They expected to be emancipated from the hegemony of their governments and the consistent interventions and censorship of information. These expectations were quickly shattered; these societies either fell back to the old status quo or faced even harsher conditions than before.

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My dear friend, the prominent Saudi writer Saleh al-Shehi, wrote one of the most famous columns ever published in the Saudi press. He unfortunately is now serving an unwarranted five-year prison sentence for supposed comments contrary to the Saudi establishment. The Egyptian governments seizure of the entire print run of a newspaper, al-Masry al Youm, did not enrage or provoke a reaction from colleagues. These actions no longer carry the consequence of a backlash from the international community. Instead, these actions may trigger condemnation quickly followed by silence.

As a result, Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate. There was a time when journalists believed the Internet would liberate information from the censorship and control associated with print media. But these governments, whose very existence relies on the control of information, have aggressively blocked the Internet. They have also arrested local reporters and pressured advertisers to harm the revenue of specific publications.

There are a few oases that continue to embody the spirit of the Arab Spring. Qatars government continues to support international news coverage, in contrast to its neighbors efforts to uphold the control of information to support the old Arab order. Even in Tunisia and Kuwait, where the press is considered at least partly free, the media focuses on domestic issues but not issues faced by the greater Arab world. They are hesitant to provide a platform for journalists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Yemen. Even Lebanon, the Arab worlds crown jewel when it comes to press freedom, has fallen victim to the polarization and influence of pro-Iran Hezbollah.

The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power. During the Cold War, Radio Free Europe, which grew over the years into a critical institution, played an important role in fostering and sustaining the hope of freedom. Arabs need something similar. In 1967, the New York Times and The Post took joint ownership of the International Herald Tribune newspaper, which went on to become a platform for voices from around the world.

My publication, The Post, has taken the initiative to translate many of my pieces and publish them in Arabic. For that, I am grateful. Arabs need to read in their own language so they can understand and discuss the various aspects and complications of democracy in the United States and the West. If an Egyptian reads an article exposing the actual cost of a construction project in Washington, then he or she would be able to better understand the implications of similar projects in his or her community.

The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices. We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.

his article was originally published by " Washington Post " -

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Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, who has now resurfaced having disappeared since September 2019, will address Biafrans from Jerusalem 6pm Sunday 21st October, according to latest reports.

Kanu, who had sparked lots of speculations about his wellbeing after he disappeared for many months, with family and supporters claiming not to know his whereabout, was seen in a video shared by Biafra radio, earlier today, October 19th.

The Nigerian government and army were even accused of having something to do with his disappearance, following an alleged attack on his community during the Operation Python Dance, threatening that the government must produce him.

IPOB Deputy Leader, Uche Mefor has also confirmed that the Igbo secessionist leader is alive and well and currently in Israel

Uche Mefor revealed IPOB will boycott all elections in Nigeria in the coming year, adding that, the IPOB leader will address all Igbos tomorrow from Jerusalem.
JD.com, one of China's most influential e-commerce companies, has officially launched an individual express delivery service.

Users can place a delivery order through the JD APP and WeChat, and after providing relevant information, the courier will come to the doorstep and pick up the goods in about one hour.

The new business was announced at the 2018 Global Intelligent Logistics Summit in Beijing, and is aimed at improving global supply chain levels.

JD.com accumulated hundreds of thousands users during the trial period in first-tier cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, where the service is now available online.

JD.com plans to promote the service to up to 50 core cities in China and spread it to the national market next year.

Wang Zhenhui, the CEO of JD.com's logistics said JD will build a global smart supply chain infrastructure network (GSSC) with the community in the next five to 10 years.
Not long ago, it used to be that people would move away from their parents as young adults, perhaps rent for a few years, and then buy a property  often with a significant other. But recently, the desire of adults to get on the property ladder appears to have eroded, with a sense that there is no longer an urge to get a house to live in or to improve and sell  or flip.

Some claim that this is due to the millennial mindset of wanting to have many experiences before settling down and spending as little as possible on living expenses. The other argument is that the cost of buying a house has gone up at a rate that the average wage has not, meaning that fewer people are finding themselves with the financial stability thats capable of purchasing and owning a property.

The housing situation across the world is very different, and yet the idea that adults want to get on the property ladder has been thrown into debate in many countries. In Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, we can see very different reasons why owning a property is becoming a less appealing venture.

Availability of property on the rise in Nigeria

IMAGE SOURCE: Pixabay

In Europe and North America, the age group known as the Baby Boomers, aged 65 and older, are becoming the largest age group. This, in turn, has led to a lessened demand for new housing as many elderly people move to communities to be surrounded by others of their age group and support if necessary. In Nigeria, however, the 18-to-34-year-olds are becoming the largest demographic, and they are the ones who will more likely seek housing.

However, its not just that the age group seeking housing is becoming the largest group; its also that the availability of housing for those on a lower income is relatively sparse. As the market has been controlled by its own forces, lower-cost housing has been neglected. For this to change, the government needs to step in and ensure that a venture into creating houses for low-income families is attractive for both developers and sponsors.

But, in 2017, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, declared that new houses being built would be allocated to Nigerians without any bias. Speaking in Maiduguri, Fashola stated that regardless of financial status or ethnicity, everyone in the area would be given an equal opportunity to get one of the new houses. Its part of a nationwide effort to meet the housing needs of Nigerias growing population seeking houses.

In Nigeria, there is a clear desire for adults to own houses for the purposes of living, as opposed to the other venture on the property ladder of flipping. The government is heading in the right direction to making houses available to people of all economic persuasions.

Affordability the issue in the UK

IMAGE SOURCE: Pixabay

There is a very common thinking in the United Kingdom that house prices have increased by too much and are now unaffordable. People tend to have to borrow money from relatives, get grants from the government, and find any other way of just making up the cash for a deposit and surrounding fees. Despite the perceived high cost of owning a property, housing is the priority among adults in the UK.

When costs and fees become a relative non-factor, it was found that the vast majority of people in the UK would prioritize the purchase of a house or pay off of a mortgage if they had the money. In a survey of 3000 people by Betway, 58 per cent would prioritize housing if they won 1 million (480 million) as opposed to other debts or buying luxury items like a new car or holiday.

But, new findings have found that the affordability of houses in the UK is getting better, meaning that perhaps people who want houses dont have to strike it rich to afford the fees involved. As found by This is Money, the affordability of housing in eight of the 11 regions of England, Scotland, and Wales has risen, with only the east, London, and south-east lowering in affordability. With affordability graded by the difference between average wage and house price, this implies that housing is more available to the many people who want to get on the property ladder.

Flipping is a less worthwhile venture in the USA

IMAGE SOURCE: Pixabay

In the United States of America, it seems that people give a huge range of reasons against owning a house  with the nation possibly still reeling from the after-effects of the United States financial crisis in 2007 that followed the housing bubble bursting. While, for the most part, consumer confidence has returned, per Wharton Knowledge, the housing market has only recovered in a few areas. Across the USA, just over one-third of homes have risen back up to their prices before the financial crisis while it could take a further seven years for everything to get back to how it was.

A popular use of housing for many in the USA was buying, improving, and then selling houses for profit. But, due to the reduced properties in need of flipping and the increased competition in the area, profits from flipping have decreased. As noted by USA Today, from the third quarter of 2016, the return on investment dropped from 51.2 per cent to 47.7 per cent a year later.

The situation for adults is rather different when comparing these three nations. In the United Kingdom and Nigeria, adults have a clear desire to get on the property ladder, but house prices and house availability have become issues. In the USA, there has not yet been a full recovery from the market collapse, potentially leaving distrust among potential buyers.
Various awesome award categories have been unveiled for nominations in the 2018 edition of The Entrepreneur Africa Awards. Some of the categories come with cash prizes and material gifts.

Visit www.theentrepreneurafrica.com/awards to see which of the 27 categories of The Entrepreneur Africa Awards you or your business fits into. Then NOMINATE!

You can nominate yourself/your business or someone else/their business. Nomination closes on 20th October, 2018, so rush to nominate now. The Award Dinner/Nominees Reception Cocktail holds on December 8, 2018, at VCP Hotel, V.I Lagos.

Follow @the_entrepreneur_africa on Instagram for updates. For sponsorship/partnership, call 0803 930 6054.

This is a reward for enterprise and Innovation.
BBNaija reality star, Cee-C shared a new photo on social media leaving her social media friends and fans intoxicated.

King Cee-C as she is fondly called spread her fresh legs as she rocked a bump short.

and maybe

thats just how it works

the beauty isnt in just what we become

But also in what it takes to become it she captioned the one above.

Cee-C is one of the most followed of the Big Brother Naija 2018 reality show which ended several months ago. Cee-C, a young lawyer has been involved in branding, modeling and marketing since the show ended in South Africa.
It appears Shehu Sani will not be returning to the Red Chambers, at least not via his present party. A list of All Progressives Congress (APC)candidates to represent Kaduna State during the senatorial elections in 2019, emerged and the Lawmakers name was conspicuously missing.

Shehu Sani, who has been in a fierce battle with the Governor of his state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai and also a strong critic of the APC and president Muhammadu Buhari on social media, sparked defection rumours among Nigerians awhile back.

Many of his supporters were shocked when the senator remained in the ruling party, even after senate President, Bukola Saraki and Dino Melaye dumped APC for the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP).

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Minister of Works Housing and Power, Babatunde Fashola has come under fire over a statement attributed to him, that no government can fix electricity issues in Nigeria in six(6) months. Fashola, who was at the inauguration of the 2x100MVA, 132/33kV power transformers at the Ejigbo Transmission Substation, Lagos on Thursday, said although the electricity supply in the country is improving slowly, no one can perform magic.

In his words:

We have come to hand over this expanded transmission substation, the Ejigbo Transmission Substation, to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company. This substation was built in 1970; the capacity was 60MVA then; except for the addition of another 60MVA, this community has grown exponentially; so they have exceeded the installed capacity here.

Between that time and when President Buhari came three years ago, some people were there. But they will come back to you; so, when they come back, ask them if they didnt know where to buy transformers.

The problem of electricity is slowly being solved, one by one. Anybody will tell you he will do magic; tell him, How? He should explain to you. We inherited 800 containers for power equipment left in the port for 10 years. President Buhari gave us approval, and we have recovered 690.

However, Nigerians have taken to social media to fault the Minister over the statement, saying it he didnt have such leniency of the past administration, when he said a responsible government should be able to fix electricity issues in the country in 6 months.

See how they reacted to Fasholas statement

2014: Any responsible government can solve our electricity problem in 6 months  Fashola Fashola in 2018: Electricity problems cant be solved by magic  Fashola Smh  Akajiaku (@WilliamsXL) October 19, 2018

Any Serious Government Fix its Power Problems In Six Months, The Only Way To Have Steady Power Supply Is To Vote Out PDP  Fashola

After APC, Buhari and Fashola came into power: Electricity Problems Can't Be Solved By Magic  Fashola Mavrodi is better than fashola  K Capstone (@Koladearest) October 19, 2018

https://twitter.com/realkingofboyz/status/1053164848723513344

Fashola promised Nigerians that a responsible government will fix power in 6 months.He has stayed nearly 4 years as Minister of power yet power has not been fixed. Clueless!  Ndamzi Kingsley Wali (@ndamzi2) October 19, 2018

Any responsible govt can solve our power problems in 6 months, its not rocket science..fashola in 2014 It seems like rocket science 3 yrs down the road, well u still have 6 months till the next hand over date, just try and fix it baba, we need light  Nimi Dadiowei (@NDadiowei) October 19, 2018
Few weeks back, well-known hacker and researcher, Ian Beer, from Googles security-focused Project Zero team had announced plans to release exploits for iOS 11.4.1  iOS 11.4.

As promised, Ian Beer has released exploits for iOS 11.4  iOS 11.4.1 titled iOS kernel UaF due to bad error handling in personas, iOS kernel stack memory disclosure due to failure to check copyin return value and iOS/MacOS sandbox escape due to mach message sent from shared memory.

The exploits released by Ian for iOS 11  iOS 11.1.2 and iOS 11.2  iOS 11.3.1 (iOS 11.4 beta 4) had been used to develop jailbreak tools for iOS 11  iOS 11.1.2, and iOS 11.2  iOS 11.3.1. So not surprisingly, the release of the exploits has sparked off speculations that they could be used to jailbreak iPhone. However, as developer we shouldnt get too excited as it is still early days. iOS developer Jake James points out that this is still proof of concept.

At the moment, you can only jailbreak iOS 11  iOS 11.3.1 using Electra jailbreak or Unc0ver jailbreak. It remains to be seen if either coolstar, developer of Electra Jailnbreak or Pwn20wnd, developer of Unc0ver jailbreak will be able to make use of the exploits to develop a jailbreak for iOS 11.4.1  iOS 11.4.

Have you been eagerly waiting for jailbreak for iOS 11.4.1 or have you already upgraded to iOS 12? Let us know in the comments.
Earlier this month, there was a report that detailed an exhaustive effort from Chinese spies to integrate specific chips onto servers used by some of the largest companies in the United States, namely Apple and Amazon.

The story was explosive right away, detailing how international spies had managed to find a way on the hardware level to access these companies, with the obvious implications being a major security breach. However, the story itself quickly spiraled out of control, and there was constant pressure from Apple (and Amazon), denying the story outright. Furthermore, security researchers, and even the Department of Homeland Security, all sided with Apple in the matter, finding no reason to doubt Apples statement that its servers had not been breached.

And now weve got Tim Cook, Apples CEO, weighing in directly with a statement made to BuzzFeed News on Friday. Cook says that there is no truth to the original report from Bloomberg, and goes on to say that he believes the publication should print a retraction, saying they need to do the right thing.

There is no truth in their story about Apple, Cook told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview. They need to do that right thing and retract it.

Cook then goes on to say that they actually did quite a bit to try and find any truth to the original report, saying they turned the company upside down, even searching emails, looking through financial and shipment records, and looking through datacenter records.

Cook says he has been in the mix with the original report from the publication right from the start, saying that he spoke to the reporters on the story, along with Bruce Sewell, Apples General Counsel at the time. Cook says that each time the story was brought to their attention it changed in some way, and Apple would go further into separate investigations on the matter. Each time, according to Coook, they found nothing to actually corroborate Bloombergs reporting.

Cook says that the report is based on vague secondhand accounts, and states that the reporters did not provide any specific details about the malicious chips in question.

We turned the company upside down, Cook said. Email searches, data center records, financial records, shipment records. We really forensically whipped through the company to dig very deep and each time we came back to the same conclusion: This did not happen. Theres no truth to this.

That has been Apples stance on the matter from day one, and it does not look like its going to be changing. And that is the case for Bloomberg as well, which is refusing to backdown on the matter and says it stands by its reporting, with a statement to BuzzFeed News:

Bloomberg Businessweeks investigation is the result of more than a year of reporting, during which we conducted more than 100 interviews, a spokesperson told BuzzFeed News in response to a series of questions. Seventeen individual sources, including government officials and insiders at the companies, confirmed the manipulation of hardware and other elements of the attacks. We also published three companies full statements, as well as a statement from Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We stand by our story and are confident in our reporting and sources.

Neither side of this story appears to be backing down anytime soon.

Our Take

Apples Tim Cook calling for a retraction on a story of this magnitude is pretty crazy. But the fact that so many independent agencies, including the DHS, have backed Apple on this matter does give the company a lot of room. The story itself has spun into something else entirely, almost eclipsing the original spy story altogether at this point.

[via BuzzFeed News
The first China International Import Expo (CIIE), set to kick off on Nov. 5 in east Chinas Shanghai, is expected to gather top-of-the-range products from all over the world, and some exhibitors have given guests a sneak-peek in the lead up to the event, Chinanews.com reported on Oct. 18.

Food from New Zealand and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries will be on display during the CIIE, alongside cooking equipment from Germany.

Praised as the last piece of unpolluted land on earth, New Zealand will bring high-quality food and drink produced by a renowned health food company, including mineral water, honey, red wine, and natural seafood.

Fructus Swietenia Macrophylla, a healthy fruit from the Solomon Islands, and the Moringa tree, also described as the Indian miracle tree, the roots of which are one of the raw materials in many curry dishes, will be on show in the ASEAN exhibition hall.

German multifunctional food cookers with integrated recipe chips for manual, automatic and guided cooking will also be on display, alongside a smart tea-making machine from Germany which has settings for tea washing, tea separation, multiple brewing and many other functions.

The UK, Russia, and Japan will bring medical and healthcare products to the expo.

Virtual reality (VR) medical simulation facilities from the UK will be displayed within the expo's technology transfer zone, which will provide doctors with risk-free VR medical training. The country will also present a genetic testing package at the exhibition.

Russia will bring an artificial lens that could help cure cataracts, while Italian hydrotherapy instruments for chronic intestinal diseases are also expected at the event.

Japan, regarded as the best medical care provider in the world, will display many new products, such as an electric bed, a four-legged walking stick specially designed for patients and the elderly, as well as supporting belt and chair harnesses to make bathing easier.
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A screenshot of the Google shopping page [Photo: China Plus]

E-commerce giant JD.com will launch an online store on Google by the end of the year, another major move of the retailer to dive deeper into the U.S. market.

According to Bloomberg, JD.com is opening a flagship storefront on the shopping platforms of Google and setting up its own centers for shipping orders, while the U.S. search giant will handle payments and behind-the-scenes order processing.

"We are shipping from U.S. fulfillment centers to U.S. end-customers," JD.com Head of Logistics Bao Yan told Bloomberg.

The partnership was initially published in June, when Google announced investment of 550 million U.S. dollars in JD.com.

Unlike Alibaba, JD.com's major rival in China, the company operates more like a traditional retailer with its own warehouse and delivery services, akin to Amazon.

JD.com does not sell directly in the U.S. currently, though it does sell products via its major partner Walmart. The online store partnership with Google is expected to provide a more direct approach to U.S. consumers.

The move will also help Google to expand business in e-commerce and earn more advertising revenue, according to Bloomberg.
The Egyptian and Saudi armed forces have concluded joint military drills in southern Egypt, Egypt's military spokesman said on Friday.

The 10-day Tabuk 4 exercises took place in Egypts southern military zone, headquartered in Assiut, and involved land and air forces. Inspectors from other Gulf Arab countries also took part.

The final phase of the military training exercises included a joint operation targeting a hideout of armed terrorists in a residential area, spokesman Tamer El-Refai added in a statement published on the militarys official Facebook page. The operation involved aerial reconnaissance, hunting terrorists through mountainous areas and using artilleries to target them.

Observers from Oman, Bahrain and the UAE took part in the exercises which also involved the use of combat grenades, practical and tactical training as well as demonstration of a number of emergency situations in order to "measure the ability of the forces to work together."

Egyptian deputy defence minister attending the final phase of the drills conveyed the greetings of Egypt's Minister of Defence Mohamed Zaki to the participating forces, emphasizing the "depth of the Egyptian-Saudi military relations," while praising the level of coordination and cooperation between the forces to achieve all the objectives of the training "in light of the development of the size and nature of the terrorist operations and current challenges in the region."

Deputy Commander of Royal Saudi Land Forces Ahmed Abulla Al-Muqrin conveyed greetings from the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdel Aziz to the participating forces, adding the training is an "extension of success of previous Tabuk exercises in enhancing combat capability of the armed forces of both brotherly countries."

The Egyptian army earlier said that the drills aim to "develop and strengthen military cooperation between the Egyptian armed forces and their Saudi counterparts."

It is the latest in a series of exercises between the two countries as part of efforts to develop "joint action in light of current challenges in the region," according to Egypt's military.

Saudi Arabia, one of Egypt's closest regional allies, was one of a number of countries that took part last month in the Egyptian-US Bright Star military training exercises in Egypt, the largest of their kind in the region.

In August, Saudi Arabia took part in the Eagle Response 2018 trainings, alongside Egypt, the UAE, and the US, in Egyptian territorial waters in the Red Sea.

The two countries also held the Morgan joint naval exercises in 2015 in the Red Sea, the Faisal air military training exercise in September 2017, and the Gulf Shield drills in Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

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Cannabis Care, an unlicensed cannabis dispensary in St. John's N.L. was raided by the RNC and inspectors from the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corp on Thursday, October 18, 2018. The downtown store which opened earlier this year was not approved to legally sell cannabis. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly
Egypt's Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid discussed the challenges in the Middle East and US-Egyptian military cooperation with Marine General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the sidelines of the US conference against terrorism and extremist organizations in Washington DC.

The conference, which was held this week, was attended by the chiefs of staff of the countries participating in the war against terrorism, the spokesperson of the Egyptian Armed Forces said in a statement on his Facebook page on Friday.

Farid, who was accompanied by a high-level military delegation, returned to Cairo on Friday.

Farid and Dunford discussed "supporting military cooperation, joint training and exchange of experiences" between the two countries, the Egyptian military said.

They also discussed "countering terrorism and challenges facing the Middle East region."

During the conference, Farid presented on the security and developmental dimensions of Egypt's Operation Sinai 2018, the large-scale counter-terrorism operation Egypt launched in February.

Lieutenant General Farid also met with the chiefs of staff of various countries participating in the conference to discuss military cooperation..

The conference also tackled efforts by the US-led international coalition fighting Daesh, unity of efforts to eradicate terrorism in the region and across the world, illegal migration and cross-border crime.

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Air Marshal Mohamed Abbas Helmi, commander of the Egyptian Air Force, talks to Ahmed Eleiba about the evolving role of the Air Force

On 14 October 1973, the Israeli air force launched an offensive against Egypts airports in the Delta with the purpose of sapping Egypts aerial strength and preventing its planes from striking Israeli forces.

Egyptian planes, taking off from the Mansoura and Anshas airbases, intercepted the attack.

The skirmishes, in which more than 150 aircraft from both sides took part, lasted more than 50 minutes, making what would be called the Battle of Mansoura the longest aerial battle in modern history.

Despite the numerical and qualitative superiority of the enemy, Egypt downed 18 Israeli planes.

The remainder turned tail and fled, a scenario that would recur during the rest of the war.

The crucial aerial victory is why 14 October was named Armed Forces Day. To mark the occasion, Al-Ahram Weekly interviewed Air Marshal Mohamed Abbas Helmi, commander of the Egyptian Air Force, who spoke of the role of the Egyptian Air Force in the 1973 War, and its role today.

A preliminary air strike paved the way for the crossing of the Suez Canal in the October 1973 War. How was it executed, and how extensive were the preparations?

Preparations for the October War began immediately after the end of the 1967 War. The Air Force had learned lessons and began to equip itself for the next war conflict.

The first step was to rebuild a combat force of aircraft and pilots. The air force was restructured into separate brigades. An aerial reconnaissance brigade was created and equipped with modern surveillance and tracking equipment.

Although the number of pilots at the end of the 1967 War exceeded the number of aircraft, the reconstruction phase required yet more pilots and enrolment in the air force academy was increased. It was also necessary to prepare the theatre of operations.

The Air Force constructed new airbases and fortified operation rooms at every airport and airbase. It increased the numbers of runways and built fortified bunkers to house the aircraft and for maintenance purposes.

The Air Force played an important role in the War of Attrition which helped prepare it for the October War. On 10 December 1969 Egyptian pilots had their first confrontation with the Phantom, the most modern aircraft in the American arsenal.

An aerial battle took place at 11am over Ain Sokhna in the Gulf of Suez. Eight phantoms attacked the area to strike an Egyptian radar station. They were intercepted by eight Egyptian MIG-21s. An Egyptian pilot downed the first Phantom in Ras Al-Masallah on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Suez.

What was on the role of the Air Force during the 1973 War?

The Air Force was at the vanguard of the combat action. A preliminary air strike threw the enemy off balance at the outset of the war.

More than 200 aircraft took part in the main offensive which targeted Israeli installations in Sinai. The operation was conducted in total radio silence to avoid being picked up by enemy monitoring devices.

To avoid detection, aerial formations flew at very low altitudes and along carefully chosen flight paths. The passage of our aircraft over the heads of our ground forces played a huge part in raising the morale of the troops on the ground.

Our planes crossed the Suez Canal in a single sortie and struck the Israelis main command centre at Um Marjam in order to sever the enemys communications.

They continued to strike pre-identified targets, knocking out three main runways in three airfields  Al-Maliz, Beir Tamada and Ras Nasrani  as well as three subsidiary runways in the same air bases.

They took out 10 HAWK air defence batteries, two artillery installations, and numerous administrative sits. The operation lasted for about 30 minutes. Since more than 90 per cent of targets were hit successfully a planned second sortie was cancelled.

How do you rate the skills of Egyptian pilots today?

Egyptian pilots grasped the technological innovations of the latest aircraft, the Rafale and the F-16 block 52, in record time.

The same applies to technical crews. The latest pedagogical techniques, equipment and facilities are used to train and equip pilots and technical crews to the standard required by the Air Force.

During the October 1973 War the Egyptian pilot proved his resilience and efficacy in combat and it is a source of pride that todays pilots carry on that tradition.

The current generation has proven its skills on every occasion in the Air Force has been called into play, in the Martyrs Right Operation in Sinai, Comprehensive Operation Sinai (COS) 2018, missions to safeguard borders and deter terrorist infiltration, joint drills and manoeuvres with allies and participation in combat operations with Saudi Arabia such as the Revival of Hope Operation.

To what extent does the Egyptian Air Force cooperate with the air forces of friendly nations in training and the transfer of expertise?

Our Air Force has always been held in high esteem by our allies, witness the desire of so many nations to participate in joint exercises that involve the transfer of expertise and combat skills.

Among the many joint manoeuvres with Arab states are the Yarmouk 3 aerial exercises with Kuwait, the Hamad 2 joint aerial/naval exercises and the Khaled Ibn Al-Walid joint drills with Bahrain, the Faisal 2 and Gulf Shield 1 joint aerial training exercises with Saudi Arabia, the Aqaba 3 joint exercises with Jordan and the Khalifa 3 joint naval drills and the Zayed 2 joint air/naval drills with the UAE.

We also hold joint exercises with allies outside the Arab region, the Eagle Salute and the Bright Star series of exercises with the US, the Cleopatra series of joint naval exercises with France, the Medusa series of joint naval exercises with Greece and, more recently Cyprus, and the Protectors of Friendship series of joint paratroop manoeuvres with Russia. In all these joint drills we benefit from the exchange of expertise.

The Air Force is equipped with different hardware systems. How does it deal with the diversity?

Diversity in weaponry is an advantage. For one thing it means we are not dependent on a single supply source.

The Air Force designs training programmes for specific weapon systems. Integrating them involves staging joint exercises to enhance interoperability.

Teams are also rotated so they become familiar with the different systems and the particular advantages of each.

How have regional transformations, and changes in the threats facing Egypt, affected the Air Force?

Regional instability and the penetration of terrorist organisations into some countries have imposed a new reality which demands constant, around-the-clock vigilance.

The Air Force, with its comprehensive weapon systems, undertakes assignments in coordination with the Armed Forces general command and set by the political leadership.

Air Force units have collaborated in raids against terrorist lairs in all parts of the country. They undertake reconnaissance sorties, surveillance activities and other necessary operations to secure Egypts borders in all directions and intercept infiltrators.

The war against terrorism has placed new tasks on the shoulders of the Air Force. What expertise has the Armed Forces acquired during this ongoing battle?

Irregular warfare has proliferated, pitting small groups of non-state actors against standing state armies. Our pilots have acquired new skills and combat methodologies while carrying out the additional tasks which have been assigned to the Air Force, not least intercepting arms and drug smugglers.

Because of the internal security situation in the country the Air Force has also had to undertake such tasks as transporting funds and even student exams to the provinces given the difficulties of safeguarding land routes.

The Air Forces flying ambulances have also transported people from all parts of the country to hospitals to enable them to receive emergency treatment.

Air Force personnel are trained to undertake these extra duties without neglecting combat readiness and combat efficacy. When performing irregular tasks assigned to it the Air Force never suspends training for operations. It works unceasingly to protect Egypts skies.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Protection from above

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CHARLES CITY, Iowa - More than 75 million people, or one of every 5 people, in the United States now live in what the AARP called a "livable community."

And now, Charles City will be added to that list.

The AARP selected the Floyd County seat as their next community in the country to be a member, with the AARP defining a livable community as "safe and secure, has affordable and appropriate housing and transportation options, and offers supportive community features and services."

In addition, the town is being selected for a pilot rural outreach program for seniors.

A community feedback meeting with AARP representatives and civic leaders will be held next Tuesday at the Charles City Public Library to hear from residents on priorities and ideas on making the town a great place for people of all ages.

Jim Davis has been in talks with AARP to get the membership, and says that it will be a big honor for a town the size of Charles City.

"Previously, their projects have been done in metropolitan areas like Des Moines and Cedar Rapids with a larger base."

In addition, he adds that Charles City can fit the description.

"You start with housing, you start with medical services, you start with retail shopping opportunities, and you start with recreational opportunities. So all of that is stuff that goes into a sustainable community."

Charles City will join over 300 towns, cities and counties in the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  The final tally on how much marijuana was seized earlier this week in Rochester has been released.

Authorities said 227 pounds of marijuana was seized after Jeffrey Lawstuen was arrested and a search warrant was executed.

Police said the home at 1822 18  St. NW resulted in finding storage bins and equipment relating to the marijuana.

Rochester police said the investigation centered on a person believed to be transporting narcotics and marijuana from California to Rochester.

Lawstuen, 44, of Rochester, was arrested and found with a loaded handgun in his vehicle at 3:30 Thursday morning near Interstate-90 and Highway 63. He is facing charges for first-degree sales of a controlled substance.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - During Minnesota Educator Academy break, also known as MEA break, Minnesota schools kids have Thursday and Friday off from school while teachers attend the conference.

Traveling is a popular activity over the break, but some high schoolers opt to take the opportunity to go on college visits.

University of Minnesota Rochester's director of admissions Brett Hartnagel explains that while summer and weekends may be more convenient for families to visit colleges, visiting while the campus is more active can be more beneficial for prospective students. "You don't always get the best feel for a campus because it's dead. Students go home, they go away for the weekends. If at all a student and family can get out and visit a campus during a week day, that's always the best because you get the best feel for what a campus is actually like," he says.

High school senior Hannah McMillin attended UMR's tours and resource fair for prospective students. She's visiting colleges to help weigh her options. "I plan on going to medical school, which is very expensive, so an in-state college public college really would be helpful to minimize debt," she says.

UMR is having tours and the resource fair again Friday. Riverland Community College had a preview day Thursday and will have tours Friday. The Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences had an open house Thursday night. Winona State University is hosting prospective students throughout the long weekend.
NORA SPRINGS, Iowa - It's a historic landmark, one of the earliest homes built in Nora Springs. And now, it's being torn down.

Crews began demolishing the Gaylord Mansion Wednesday evening, with the rest of the house coming down Thursday.

Colleen Shanks grew up in Nora Springs, and knows the historic significance of the house, as it was built by one of the first settlers, Edson Gaylord.

"Mr. Gaylord was the first man or one of the first to settle in our area, so it has a lot of historic implications."

And it was built with materials he found on his land.

"100,000 bricks and the 500 bushels of lime. He made the brick. The lime was on his property, and so he had access to lime so that he could build these bricks."

But over the years, it deteriorated, and was a frequent target of trespassers and vandals that would break in and spray graffiti on the walls, as well as erroneously rumored to be a haunted house.

Charlotte Ranney bought the property in 2003, and despite efforts to keep unwanted people away and wanting to retain the house, made the final decision to tear the house down.

Denver Larson with Larson Salvage is in in charge of that important task.

"I've watched it deteriorate over time from everybody going in and out of there and trashing it."

The hope is to save some contents of the house during demolition.

"A bunch of it is going to be saved, so we're going to take it a little bit by little bit as we go and save what we can."

Ranney tells KIMT that once the house is torn down, she plans to build a new structure on the property, though not on the old foundation.

The property initially housed the first house in the area, a log cabin also built by Gaylord, before the brick house was completed.
KIMT NEWS 3- Harvest is in full swing for farmers like Andy Hill of Worth County who said he is ready to finally be out in the fields.

Im excited to be able to run, he said. The sun is shining the winds blowing and the crops are drying.

But Hill said there is a lot to think about while out in the combine this year, including tariffs.

Myself and our neighboring farmers are thinking about what the crops are worth, Hill said. Am I going to be able to make money this year and how long will this tariff last?

He said emotions among farmers vary with some angered and others more accepting.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds was in Mason City Thursday. She said many of the farmers she has talked to said the trade issues will only help the national economy in the long run.

Farmers know that China has been sticking it to us for years, said Governor Reynolds. They understand that we have to get this fixed. We have to get this right and I think they believe President Trumps going to get that done.

Though the President recently announced year round E-15, a new trade deal between the US, Mexico and Canada and Taiwan buying more soybeans, Hill and other farmers said the uncertainty wont end until the nation has a trade deal worked out with China.

Each time we get something thats better for the ag economy, E-15 for example, those are just band-aids, Hill said. Until we get back to where we were two years ago trading with China and doing better our economy wont be healed.

Reynolds opponent, Fred Hubbell, said the tariffs are hurting Iowas ag economy.
Abdel-Hadi Al-Qasabi, head of the majority Support Egypt parliamentary bloc, tells Gamal Essam El-Din that parliament will pass a series of long awaited laws in its upcoming legislative season

Abdel-Hadi Al-Qasabi began his political career as an elected member of the local council of the city of Tanta, the capital of the Nile-Delta governorate of Gharbiya.

After the 30 June Revolution, which led to the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, Al-Qasabi, who heads the Supreme Council of Sufi Orders, joined the Constituent Assembly which drafted Egypts new constitution.

In 2015, Al-Qasabi became an MP.

He was elected head of parliaments Social Solidarity Committee, deputy chairman of the Future of Homeland party and played a leading role in drafting the new NGO law.

How do you see the upcoming session in legislative and supervisory terms?

MPs are obliged to review the implementation of the governments 2018-19 policy statement. Subcommittees will be formed to follow up on the implementation policies which Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli outlined before parliament in June and gauge the extent to which the government takes on board the concerns expressed by MPs that those on limited incomes should not bear the brunt of the economic reform programme.

MPs also want to see how far the government promotes local industry, cuts imports and increases the total area of cultivated land. MPs are pushing the government to submit a quarterly progress report on the implementation of policies and for periodic meetings to be held with the prime minister to discuss important development.

We intend to exert stricter supervision of the governments performance in the coming session, examining the performance of individual ministries alongside that of the government in general.

What about parliaments legislative agenda?

We want to see the long delayed law regulating local councils passed, as well as legislation amending criminal procedures, landlord-tenant relationships and litigation of personal affairs.

Some laws are ready for discussion. The Local Councils Law will top parliaments agenda and could be discussed as early as next weeks plenary meetings.

Landlord-tenant legislation and laws regulating personal status will need to be the subject of a national dialogue. The Social Solidarity Committee will hold hearings on personal affairs litigation.

Many members of the public have expressed concern over the impact of any legal changes. We dont want to introduce legislation that will shake families and their children.

What about the NGO law which has been widely criticised in foreign circles?

Although it was passed by parliament in November 2016 and ratified by President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi in May 2017, the NGO law has yet to be implemented. T

he drafting of its executive regulations still needs to be completed. We explained these facts to American Congress members we met in Washington during the summer of 2017. We also told them amendments to the law were drafted by MPs, not by the government, and targeted the funding terrorist organisations.

Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel-Aal also told US Congress members that the new NGO is not sacrosanct and can be changed

Abdel-Aal said that once the executive regulations are finalised the new NGO law will go into effect. If it then emerged that it somehow placed obstacles in the way of the registration of new NGOs then it could be amended.

We were able to correct many misconceptions about the law, always stressing it supports the work of credible NGOs and targets only those organisations seeking to use foreign money to undermine the state.

What other issues are on the Social Solidarity Committees agenda?

In addition to reviewing personal affairs litigation we will review the way the Ministry of Social Solidarity supervises orphanages and rehabilitation centres.

We will also examine how prisoners are rehabilitated so they can integrate into society once they leave prison.

We want to assess government readiness to cope with the coming rainy season in vulnerable areas such as Alexandria, Hurghada, North Sinai and Suez.

We dont want to see thousands of citizens evacuated from their homes due to heavy rain any more.

MPs have come in for a lot of criticism for failing in their supervisory duties

The majority of MPs are keen to play their legislative and supervisory roles in a positive way. Since 2016 parliament has forced the government to change a number of policies and remove cabinet ministers who were not up to scratch.

We believe MPs and the government are in the same boat and should cooperate rather than engage in mudslinging. The country is still in a critical situation and this requires that MPs assume objective positions.

MPs affiliated with the leftist 25-30 group say the majority bloc and the speaker have turned parliament into little more than a rubber-stamp for the government

The majority coalition welcomes any constructive criticism that could boost Egypts economic and political progress. My message to the 25-30 group is this: let us cooperate and discuss issues objectively, for the sake of the national interest.

But I would also stress the majority of MPs stand against any kind of extortion and will refuse to allow parliament to become a stage for the exchange of insults and unsubstantiated accusations.

The 25-30 group also claimed that parliamentary committee elections were manipulated by the majority coalition.

The elections were competitive and transparent. They received extensive media coverage. They took longer than usual because there was such stiff competition.

The chairman of the Culture Committee  former information minister Osama Heikal  won by just one vote, whereas in the past he had been elected unopposed.

The head of the Energy Committee Talaat Al-Sewidi faced fierce competition from two candidates. Many majority MPs lost their positions, and members from opposition parties were elected heads of committees.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Voice of the majority

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MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa  It has been three months since a tornado ripped through Marshalltown  destroying homes and structures throughout the city.

If you take a look around town, youll likely see or hear construction.

Fortunately, local home and business owners are beginning the rebuilding process and re-entering their properties.

From a structural standpoint, we lost the back quarter of the roof, said Justin Wood, a local business owner.

But the town is finally getting to make some progress on repairing their properties.

We actually got our roof finished up last week and we just got our backdoor finished-up completely yesterday, said Wood.

Just in time for hundreds of croiss country runners and their families to come to town on Thursday for the state qualifying meet.

Kevin Holubar tells KIMT the support from the cross country community has been amazing.

A lot of people have comments to us about the tornado and theyre glad to support us in any way, said Holubar.

But, Justin says seeing the way the community has supported one-another is what has been special to him.

We saw people from every community arounf the state of Iowa who tried to help us get back on our feet, said Wood. Its a very long processwe have a long ways to go.
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP)  A man who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted as a child by the same man who abducted and killed Jacob Wetterling will get a chance to tell his story in court.

Jared Scheierl was 12 when Danny Heinrich assaulted him in Minnesota, nine months before 11-year-old Jacob was kidnapped in October 1989.

Jacob's abduction grabbed national headlines and was unsolved until 2016, when Heinrich confessed as part of a plea deal in a child pornography case. He's serving 20 years in federal prison.

Heinrich also confessed to kidnapping and assaulting Scheierl but could not be charged because too much time had passed.

Scheierl sued Heinrich, accusing him of sexual battery and false imprisonment and alleging Heinrich caused severe and permanent psychological injuries. He is expected to testify about the trauma he experienced in a trial that starts Friday in St. Cloud.

The lawsuit seeks more than $50,000 in damages for income loss and the cost of psychological treatment.

The trial, which will be before a judge instead of a jury, will include other witnesses. Minnesota Public Radio reported that Heinrich is serving his prison sentence in Massachusetts, and he and his attorney aren't expected to attend.

The Associated Press does not routinely name victims of sexual assault, but Scheierl has spoken publicly about his case.

He has said that on Jan. 13, 1989, he was walking home in Cold Spring when Heinrich approached him and asked for directions.

Heinrich then grabbed Scheierl and forced him into his car, threatening him with a gun. He drove Scheierl to a secluded area, sexually assaulted him, then let him go, telling him not to look back or he'd shoot.

Nine months later, Heinrich abducted Jacob Wetterling at gunpoint near the boy's home in the central Minnesota community of St. Joseph. Jacob's whereabouts remained a mystery for nearly three decades, until Heinrich led authorities to his remains.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  A Mason City man is pleading not guilty to a gun crime in Floyd County.

John Everette Green Jr. is charged with possession of a firearm by a felon. He was arrested after a drug raid on a Nora Springs home on September 12. Police said Green could be accused of drug crimes pending test results on substances seized at the home but no such charges have been filed, so far.

Greens trial is scheduled to begin on November 8.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  A Stewartville man is pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct with a juvenile.

Craig Dean Jech, 62, was arrested in June after the Olmsted County Sheriffs Office said he inappropriately touched the victim several times on two different occasions. Authorities say Jech and his victim know each other.

Jech pleaded guilty Friday to 4th degree criminal sexual conduct, while 3rd and 4th degree counts of the same crime were dismissed. His sentencing is set for January 7.
FORT MADISON, Iowa  The Iowa Department of Corrections says an officer was assaulted by an inmate Friday morning.

It happened around 8 am at the prison in Fort Madison. The Department says the correctional orricer was conducting routine duties in a living unit when the inmate punched the officer, knocked him to the ground, and starting kicking him. Additional prison staff was able to quickly come to the officers assistance.

He was taken to the Fort Madison Community Hospital, where he was treated and released.

This incident remains under investigation.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  A man charged with six felonies reaches a plea deal with prosecutors.

Souleysi Brandon Singharath, 19 of Rochester, was accused of burglarizing three Rochester homes between February 7 and February 8. Police say he stole electronics, jewelry, cash, and personal information. He was also arrested in July for threatening people at the Smoke Shop on Elton Hill Drive with a knife. Officers say he was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time that had been stolen from a police car while it was being repaired.

On Friday, Singharath pleaded guilty to 2nd degree burglary and threats of violence. Two other counts of 2nd degree burglary, illegal possession of a firearm, commission of a crime while wearing a bulletproof vest, and a misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property were dismissed.

A sentencing hearing is set for December 12.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  A woman accused of attacking an ex-boyfriend with a knife is pleading not guilty.

Jessica Marie Smith, 30 of Rochester, is charged with 2nd degree assault, stalking, domestic assault, and 5th degree assault. Police say she cut a man across the chest and left superficial wounds on July 10 in the parking lot of the Paragon Chateau Theater. The victim and another woman were sitting in a car when police say Smith opened the passenger side door and grabbed the woman.

Police say the victim lunged over the passenger seat and thats when Smith cut him.

Her trial is scheduled to begin on April 1, 2019
Despite the generally consensual political climate in Lebanon, there has thus far been no success in forming a new government

Although Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri handed a formula for a national-unity government to President Michel Aoun last month, there is still no sign of the promised new government in Lebanon.

No one has the formula but the president and myself We have not discussed it with anyone else. The ideas for it were derived from all the political forces, Al-Hariri tweeted.

Since the Lebanese legislative elections in May, the countrys political parties have been vying over ministerial portfolios, while international officials and donors have feared that the delays will aggravate Lebanons economic problems.

On 10 October, Al-Hariri said a new cabinet would see the light of day within the next ten days because of the urgency of the economic situation that had compelled concessions in the national interest.

However, he also said in a statement to the press that should he fail to form a government this time round, he would turn down an invitation to try again. The remark was seen as an attempt to pressure the parties to stop haggling over the formation of the government.

Lebanese Future Movement MP Rola Al-Tabsh said the complications were domestic ones and that there had been no foreign interventions. Of Al-Hariris intimation that if he failed to form a government this time round he would refuse a request to try again, she said that we hope things dont reach that point because it would mean disaster for Lebanon.

Al-Tabsh stressed that the lack of a government was causing further deterioration in the economic situation. While the security situation was stable under the caretaker government, the economic situation could no longer wait, she said.

Hold-ups to forming a new government are related to various developments including the Free Patriotic Movements insistence, backed by the president, on retaining an obstructive third in the cabinet, meaning a third of the seats plus one giving the party or bloc that controls it the power to block decisions or force the government to resign.

Retaining this principle has long been a demand of the Hezbullah-led 8 March Alliance that includes the Free Patriotic Movement, to which the president belongs, and the Amal Movement.

Lebanons Christians have also made demands about the way in which the Christian quota of ministerial portfolios is divided among the Christian parties.

While the Marada Movement has created difficulties, contentions between the Lebanese Forces Party and the Free Patriotic Movement have presented greater problems.

The formers flexibility concerning the size of its representation in the cabinet has alleviated this problem, but this has yet to meet a positive response from the Free Patriotic Movement, according to reports.

The presidents quota remains one of the most controversial obstructions. According to convention, the president has the right to name a certain number of ministers, and Aoun is insisting on his share of cabinet seats in his capacity as president, in addition to the quota reserved for the Free Patriotic Movement (headed by his son-in-law) that controls the largest bloc in parliament.

Critics of Aouns demands have recalled his remarks in 2011 at the time of negotiations to form a government under president Michel Suleiman. Aoun, then head of the Reform and Change Bloc, asked what gives the president of the republic the right to a share of the seats in the government?

Ahmed Fatfat, a former Future Movement MP who attended the negotiations for the Doha Agreement reached by the rival Lebanese factions in May 2008, said that it was agreed at that time to give the president a share in the cabinet because he was not represented in parliament and needed a political presence to exercise his authority.

But the Doha Agreement was a temporary arrangement. The idea of granting the president a cabinet quota emerged in connection with the raid on Beirut [the invasion of western Beirut by Hizbullah and the Amal Movement in May 2008].

That crisis ended with the electoral battle of 2009, and everyone agreed that the Doha Agreement then also ended and that we should return to the Taif Agreement, which does not grant the president a quota of ministerial seats, he said.

An even more intractable problem is with the Druze representation in government in view of Druze leader Walid Jumblatts insistence that this should be the preserve of his Progressive Socialist Party.

Talal Arslan of the Lebanese Democratic Party (also Druze) has no right to a share of the Druze quota because others are representing the Druze, Jumblatt said.

The Jumblatt and Arslan clans have historically led Lebanons Druze community, but the former has grown more powerful with the result that the Arslan presence in government is contingent upon agreements with the Jumblatt clan or with non-Druze political forces.

Talal Arslan, head of the Strong Lebanon bloc, said on a social-networking site that contrary to reports of a breakthrough in the so-called Druze problem, the subject is still pending. Anything beyond this is pure speculation.

The Lebanese factions thus continue to blame one another for obstructing the formation of a new government, while Al-Hariri has confined himself to urging all the parties to compromise.

Emad Wakim of the Strong Republic bloc led by the head of the Lebanese Forces Party Samir Geagea accused Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement and foreign minister in the caretaker government, of obstructing the formation of a new government because he dictates conditions and assumes the role of prime minister and president.

Bassil denied the accusations. Many people are praying for a problem to arise between me and Prime Minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri, but that wont happen. I believe that the president, together with the largest parliamentary bloc, should get the ministries of the interior and finance and that minorities have a right to be represented in the government, he said.

Our aim is not 11 ministries or any other quantity. That is a question of representation. The president and the prime minister do not need the obstructive third. That is just an idea thrown out there to distract people, Bassil added.

He also underscored the urgency of forming a new government. Referring to a powerful media that distorts the facts, he said that we are seeing an unnatural war to undermine our agreements. These require bringing in a government that we know will work and be productive.

Of the portfolios his party seeks, Bassil said that we want the Ministry of Labour as well as the Ministry of Energy. Otherwise, we want reassurances that those who do get them will not use them for electoral purposes.

Another MP from the Strong Lebanon bloc, Assaad Dargham, said the understanding with Al-Hariri regarding the formation of the new government was still in effect and that if he failed to forge a government this time round the Free Patriotic Movement (the main party in the Strong Lebanon bloc) would once again nominate Al-Hariri as prime minister.

Meanwhile, the paralysis has prevented Lebanon from obtaining billions of dollars in grants and loans in order to revive the countrys tattered economy. It has raised fears of further decay, which would impact on the Lebanese lira.

The current climate surrounding the formation of a new government is more consensual than ever before, however, in view of the agreement between the two Christian poles, Aoun and Geagea, and the alliance between the two former foes, Al-Hariri and Aoun, easing tensions between Al-Hariri and the Lebanese Shia group Hizbullah.

However, the improved climate has not kept Lebanese politicians from locking horns over details. Relations remain strained between Geagea of the Lebanese Forces Party and Bassil of the Free Patriotic Movement despite the understanding signed between the two parties that paved the way for Geageas supporting Aouns nomination as president.

There are also problems between the Future Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement in spite of the apparently cordial personal relationship between Al-Hariri and Aoun.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 18 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: No new government in Lebanon

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Lee Hong-gi poses for a photograph at a press conference held in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap



By Kwak Yeon-soo



Lee Hong-gi, Korean pop-rock band FTISLAND's lead vocalist, released his newest solo single "Cookies" from his second mini album "DO n DO," Thursday.



During a press conference to promote the new album, he revealed the back story of the title. "We usually use the phrase 'again and again' for doing things over and over again, but the phrase 'do and do' struck in my head because it sounded cute to me," Lee said.



Inspired by a nickname for Marvel post-credits scenes, "Cookies" is an electro-pop track quite different from Lee's typical musical style within FTISLAND. BTOB's Jung Il-hoon features as a guest rapper for the upbeat song.



"I wanted to pick up dance music instead of rock ballads because it's more mainstream and better portrays my light-hearted personality," Lee said.



Full of warm and positive messages about the future, the single was written as a "love letter" to fans before his military enlistment. Its heartfelt lyrics include lines such as "Even if the song ends, it ain't over. The days will come when we'll make better days together."



"Since this is my last album before joining the army, the song reflects my feelings about this temporary hiatus and is meant to cheer up fans while I'm away," he said.



Lee also mentioned that he'll dance to the song, saying he received help from 1Million Dance Studio. "It's my first time dancing to a title track in the 11 years of my music career. I had no intention of dancing on stage, but that thought suddenly came to me when I was composing the song," he said. "It turned out that I'm not a bad dancer," he added.



On this album, Cheetah features in the pre-released song "I AM," while DinDin appears on "Campfire" and SF9's member Zuho on "Come to Me." The other two tracks are "Yellow" and "Good Night."



He confided on the military issue, saying "I plan on enlisting in the army next year. I wanted to enter with all the FTISLAND members, but Min-hwan has a baby. So the plan is the older members join first and the younger members follow us after a short interval in order to minimize the band's hiatus as much as possible."



FTISLAND, which consists of members Lee, Choi Jong-hoon, Song Seung-hyun, Lee Jae-jin and Choi Min-hwan, debuted in 2007 with the album "Cheerful Sensibility." The five-member band has enjoyed popularity in Korea with their hits including "Lovesick," "I Hope" and "Severely."


KB Kookmin Bank CEO Hur Yin delivers a keynote speech at the KINTEX exhibition center in Illsan, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, during a job fair for soldiers who are about to complete their military service. The bank and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs hosted the fair, inviting 5,000 soldiers and 50 companies. Courtesy of KB Kookmin Bank
Financial Services Commission Vice Chairman Kim Yong-beom, third from left, speaks at a meeting at the Government Complex in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Friday. Members of a special taskforce set up under the regulator discussed deregulation measures in a bid to foster financial market development. / Yonhap
British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Friday that allegations regarding the case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi would be totally unacceptable if true but any response by Britain would be "considered".

"Part of our reaction will depend on the Saudi reaction, and whether we sense that they are taking it as seriously as we are taking it. But this is a very, very serious matter," Hunt told BBC radio.

"Our relationship with Saudi is a strategic relationship as well. Our response will be considered... (but) in the end, if these stories are true, we have to be absolutely clear, it would not be consistent with our values."

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Bank to hold board meeting to draw leadership structure



By Park Hyong-ki





Woori Bank CEO Sohn Tae-seung

Woori Bank will be holding a board meeting Oct. 26 to check on its progress in transforming into a financial holding company, according to officials.



But also, the board members may discuss whether to have a chairman and a bank chief executive, or a single leader allowing for one top decision-maker to run both the holding company and the bank.



Some potential candidates for these positions have been introduced only in the news, which the bank's spokesman said, were "just market rumors."



The candidates included Oh Gap-soo, president of the Global Finance Society, and Shin Sang-hoon, former president of Shinhan Financial Group. Oh was also a former adviser for the Moon Jae-in camp during Moon's run for president, and is a visiting professor at Seoul National University Business School.





Shin Sang-hoon

And there is Sohn Tae-seung, the incumbent Woori Bank CEO, who is raising a lot of questions in the market as to whether he will take on the double duty of chairman and chief executive of the envisioned holding company and the flagship bank.
President Moon Jae-in smiles after receiving a rosary case from Pope Francis as a gift during their meeting at the Vatican Thursday. At right is first lady Kim Jung-sook. Moon and Kim are both Catholics. / Yonhap.



By Yi Whan-woo



President Moon Jae-in's vision for peace on the Korean Peninsula is expected to gain further momentum after Pope Francis accepted a handwritten letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inviting him to visit Pyongyang, according to analysts, Friday.



The letter was presented to the pope by President Moon, Thursday



If realized, this will be the first visit by a leader of the Catholic Church to the North Korea, and could speed up Pyongyang's efforts to be recognized as a "normal state" connected to the outside world. This is in line with Moon's vision, the analysts noted.



"The pope has been a symbol of peace and reconciliation. Because of this, Pope Francis' possible North Korea trip is not only historical but can also reshape the global image of the internationally-isolated regime," said Park Won-gon, a professor of international relations at Handong Global University. "This can eventually heighten global awareness toward denuclearization as well as Moon's determination to declare an end to the 1950-53 Korean War."



The professor pointed out that Pope Francis has been praised for helping normalize relations between countries or parties in conflict. Among them are the United States and Cuba, and the Colombian government and the FARC rebel group.



Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said the papal visit could help stop the suppression of underground churches and human rights violations by the reclusive regime, as well as assist it in reconciling with democratic countries.



Human rights abuses, along with its nuclear program, have been the main reasons for international criticism of Pyongyang. The Kim regime has denied the abuse accusations.



"Of course, the Vatican and Pyongyang will need to coordinate the agenda and other details, and whether human rights issues will be discussed," Yang said. "But even so, such a visit will force Kim Jong-un to decide on whether to continue deceiving the world or to improve human rights in line with international norms."



Some analysts say a papal visit may influence the Donald Trump administration's North Korea policy.



Washington has insisted on retaining sanctions on North Korea and has called for progress on inter-Korean relations to be in lockstep with progress on denuclearization.



It has apparently been displeased with the Moon government as Seoul has been speeding up efforts for cross-border cooperation.



"I don't think a papal visit will change the course of U.S. policy on North Korea. But it can at least influence Washington to think the policy over," a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy said on condition of anonymity.



Professor Park speculated a papal trip could speed up arrangements for a second summit between Kim and Trump.



Pope Francis' acceptance of the invitation to visit North Korea was a surprise because the Vatican previously insisted that this would only be possible if Catholic priests were allowed in the country.



The Kim regime has no Catholic priests, or a Catholic Bishops' Conference, another condition required by the Vatican for a papal visit.




By Jung Hae-myoung



A long-standing controversy has been reignited recently over whether it is proper for an "unstable mental condition" to be a valid reason for leniency shown toward criminals. The issue reemerged following a murder committed by a man suffering from depression.



The suspect, 30, stabbed a 21-year-old part-time worker in an internet cafe in western Seoul Oct. 14. The man was arrested three days later, but told officers that he had been suffering from depression for 10 years and was on medication, according to police.



This led many people up to protest the leniency of criminal law, under which judges can reduce prison terms when the crime is committed by a "mentally unstable" person. "Mentally unstable" people are defined as those incapable of making proper decisions for various reasons, including those with mental disorders or who were under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The latter two "reasons" are no longer recognized for sex crimes.



More than 510,000 people have called for harsher punishment for such cases on Cheong Wa Dae's website, saying leniency should not be allowed.



"To what extent should we tolerate lenient punishment just because the suspect has depression, a mental disorder, or is mentally unstable?" a petitioner wrote. "If someone has bad intentions, they can be prescribed depression medicine and then commit a crime, knowing the punishment would be lessened using the mentally unstable argument."



Experts say that as this is a case of murder, it is only the beginning of the investigation and it has yet to be seen whether a court will recognize the suspect as being mentally unstable because of his consumption of anti-depressants.



But the public reaction is believed to have stemmed from previous brutal cases where criminals claimed to have been mentally unstable when they committed the crime and have had their punishment reduced.



In 2008, Cho Doo-soon, who raped an eight-year-old girl  permanently damaging her internal organs  had his term reduced to 12 years from 15 years, because he was "drunk." After the case, the law was revised so that those committing sexual crimes under the influence of alcohol or drugs could not receive reduced sentences.



Some worry the current law can be taken advantage of by people with prescriptions for mental disorders. Experts say courts need to follow strict scientific and medical evidence in deciding whether to reduce the terms for criminals claiming mental instability.


Three foreigners were given suspended prison terms on Friday for faking asylum applications earlier this year.



The Jeju District Court sentenced a 34-year-old Indian man to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for violating the immigration law and obstructing justice with a deceptive scheme.



The man, who arrived on South Korea's largest island of Jeju on March 26 this year without a visa, applied for asylum with the Jeju Immigration Office on March 30 by submitting doctored documents that falsely said he had been persecuted for a religious reason in his home country, according to the court's ruling. Since 2002, Jeju has operated a visa-free program to boost tourism on the resort island.



On April 3, he was granted asylum and issued an alien registration card that allowed him to move to other areas of South Korea.



The man helped two Sri Lankan men -- one 35-year-old and the other 34-year-old -- to obtain refugee status using the same trick he used for his case -- falsely claiming they would be persecuted if they returned home -- and received $1,100 from them.



The two Sri Lankan men gained refugee status and alien registration cards from the local authorities.



Under Friday's ruling, the Sri Lankan men were sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years.



The court suspended the sentences, positing that the men have no criminal records in South Korea and are likely to be deported to their countries of origin. (Yonhap)




South Korean President Moon Jae-in was set to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit and hold bilateral summits with leaders of Britain, Germany, Thailand and the European Union in Brussels on Friday.



Moon arrived here late Thursday following his three-day official visit to Italy and the Vatican.



The biennial ASEM summit was set to begin early in the morning, involving the leaders of 21 Asian countries and 30 European nations.



Moon will deliver a keynote speech at the summit, which focuses on ways to increase cooperation by the two regions under the theme of "Global Partners for Global Challenges."



Later in the day Moon plans to hold bilateral talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.



Moon will then head to Copenhagen, the last stop in his five-nation European tour that earlier took him to Paris. (Yonhap)




The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Friday expressed hope that Pope Francis' potential visit to North Korea will help speed up denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The pope effectively accepted an invitation to visit North Korea Thursday when President Moon Jae-in relayed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's verbal invitation. Pope Francis said if the North sends an official invitation, he will "certainly" respond to it.

"The pope's possible visit to North Korea indicates the international community's support for peace on the Korean Peninsula," Hong Young-pyo, the DP's floor leader, said at a meeting with senior party members.

"If realized, his trip will be momentum to induce the North toward the path to denuclearization," he said. "We need a flexible approach to elicit (Pyongyang's) denuclearization."

The North's leader expressed his willingness to invite the pope to his country during his third and latest summit with Moon in Pyongyang last month, according to Moon's office.

No pope has ever visited North Korea.

Seoul's presidential office Cheong Wa Dae expects that a papal visit could help expedite the process to bring peace to the divided peninsula, the world's last remaining vestige of the Cold War.

For North Korea, the pope's visit can help its efforts to become a normal state and improve ties with the U.S. (Yonhap)
South Korea, as an independent sovereign state, doesn't require the United States' approval before lifting its sanctions on North Korea, a security adviser to President Moon Jae-in said.



Moon Chung-in, a special presidential adviser for unification, diplomacy and national security affairs, made the remark in an interview with the JoongAng Monthly Magazine, saying that South Korea-U.S. relations should be viewed from the perspective of a sovereign state interacting with another sovereign state.



Moon's comment came after U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that South Korea would not lift sanctions on Pyongyang without U.S. approval, after Seoul's foreign minister suggested earlier that her government was reviewing the so-called May 24 Measures imposed in 2010 in response to the North's sinking of a South Korean warship.



The script of Moon's interview was released on Thursday.



"The word 'approval' is wrong. Instead, 'consultation and consensus' is proper. He should have said South Korea won't lift sanctions without U.S. consultation and consensus," the adviser said, referring to Trump's statement.



"(South Korea) is an independent, sovereign state. How can the U.S. president say so? Why do we have to just follow the U.S.? If so, are we a sovereign state?" Moon said.



He then speculated that Trump, who often speaks impulsively, may have used the word approval while trying to emphasize the word consultation.



"The two Koreas have held private sector exchanges and reunions of separated families that are not in violation of the U.N. Security Council sanctions. If we're bound by the May 24 Measures, all inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation will come to an end," said Moon.



The adviser said Pyongyang and Washington should make efforts to build mutual trust as they seem to have different positions on the declaration of North Korea's nuclear program, for instance.



"North Koreans reportedly say they have 20 to 30 nuclear warheads, whereas the U.S. intelligence authorities estimated the number at 60 to 65. Even if the North declares 20 warheads, the U.S. will still harbor doubts. Then the negotiations will fall through," Moon said.



One of the ways to enhance mutual trust between North Korea and the U.S. is a declaration to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War, he added. (Yonhap)


By Lee Min-hyung





Vincent Brooks, commander for United Nations Command and U.S. Forces Korea
President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with British Prime Minister Theresa May during a meeting on the sidelines of an EU-ASEM summit in Brussels, Belgium, late Friday (KST).



President Moon asks Merkel for Korean steel products to be exempted from EU safeguard measures





By Kim Yoo-chul



BRUSSELS, Belgium  President Moon Jae-in asked British Prime Minister Theresa May to support Seoul's initiative to partially ease sanctions on North Korea to get the reclusive regime to speed up the dismantling of its nuclear capabilities.



"In order for the talks on North Korea's denuclearization to move forward and be sustained, providing some sanctions relief and humanitarian aid is needed. Within that context, I want the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to start discussing this matter," Moon told May at their summit held here late Friday (KST).



The U.K. is a permanent member of the UNSC. The President wants to get sanctions on Pyongyang eased by persuading the five permanent members of the UNSC to discuss a possible revision. Moon is using his nine-day trip to European capitals to build a consensus and persuade the permanent members to take a step that "will make a real difference" in the ongoing denuclearization talks.



Chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan didn't specify whether May accepted Moon's request. In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron made it clear that France supported sanctions and pressure on North Korea until it was fully denuclearized, while not commenting on the idea of providing sanctions relief.



The U.K. requested the meeting with Moon, which was put on his schedule at the last minute before his arrival in Brussels to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Moon met May for a second time for 15 minutes, after his summit with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.






Rep. Kim Sung-tae, right, floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, calls for an investigation into the recent nepotism scandal at Seoul Metro, in a party meeting at the National Assembly, Friday. / Yonhap



By Lee Suh-yoon



Accusations over nepotism at Seoul Metro have been growing following allegations that over 100 workers acquired permanent employment contracts with the public firm through insider information provided by relatives already working there.



Seoul Metro, a city-owned company that operates subway lines Nos. 1 to 8, promoted 1,285 of its temporary employees to permanent jobs in March. The move was spurred by the death of a 19-year-old subcontracted mechanic in 2016, who was overworked and alone when the accident happened at Guui Station.



The city government then announced it would hire temporary workers filling safety management positions as regular workers.



But 108 of those who were promoted to be permanent workers were found to have family ties to workers who were already working at the company, according to company records.



Opposition lawmakers claim that this was not a coincidence, and was a result of planned maneuvers by union members who they claim encouraged relatives to sign on as contract workers just before the city government's move to switch temporary employees to permanent workers.



"The privileged class of workers in unions are taking away job opportunities from others, who are powerless," Kim Byung-joon, chairman of an emergency committee formed by the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, said during a National Assembly audit into the city government Thursday.



The suspicions were further compounded by the recent revelation that the head of the recruitment department at Seoul Metro intentionally left out his wife, who was also made a permanent worker in March, from the list of new hires he had to submit to an internal investigation.



"Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon should take responsibility for the unfair privileges unveiled in switching contract workers to permanent employees at Seoul Metro and other city-affiliated firms," Rep. You Min-bong of the LKP said.



Floor leader Rep. Kim Sung-tae said Friday that he was filing for a formal state investigation into the matter. He and other LKP members claim the "labor-friendly" President Moon Jae-in was also partly responsible for the scandal.



"We must conduct a thorough investigation of public companies with illicit hiring practices to stamp out nepotism under the Moon administration," Kim said.



In response to the attacks, Mayor Park said he did not believe there had been corrupt practices involved in the hiring but added he would request the Board of Audit and Inspection to look into the matter.



"The signing of permanent employment contracts was carried out on the understanding that no lives should be put at risk again in the name of economic efficiency following the Guui Station accident," Park said in his defense, Thursday.



In addition, the city government pointed out in a press statement that 34 of the 108 new permanent workers with relatives at Seoul Metro were hired before the accident.


A four-way summit between the leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany and France on the conflict in Syria will be held in Istanbul on Oct. 27, the spokesman for President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying on Friday.

Ibrahim Kalin said the latest developments in Syria's rebel-held Idlib province and the political process for the resolution of the conflict would be discussed at the summit, adding that the sides would aim to coordinate joint efforts, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

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Catholic leader shows interest in visiting Pyongyang



President Moon Jae-in's visit to the Vatican, the highlight of his nine-day European tour that began in France earlier this week, concluded Thursday with some impressive results.



Moon's visit to the Vatican started with a unique mass at the St. Peter's Basilica for peace on the Korean Peninsula, which was introduced in Korean. After the mass, Moon spoke to the congregation for about 10 minutes, which was also out of the ordinary.



During the speech, Moon recounted the amazing developments on the peninsula this year owing to his peace initiative and thanked the Pope Francis for his staunch support. "The U.S. and North Korea sat down together to end 70 years of hostility," Moon said. "As his holiness prayed ahead of the U.S.-North Korea summit, we are paving the way for the future of peace on the peninsula and around the world."



The Vatican visit drew keen attention because Moon was expected to relay North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's intention to invite the Catholic leader to Pyongyang. During an inter-Korean summit in the North Korean capital last month, Kim reportedly told Moon that he would wholeheartedly welcome a visit by the pope.



Many Koreans have been wondering how the pope would react to the invitation. During his audience with Moon, he reportedly said he would be "available" to travel to Pyongyang. If realized, it will be the first time for the head of the Catholic Church to visit North Korea, which is notorious for its religious oppression.



Pope Francis spent 55 minutes talking with Moon, which is much longer than the 30 minutes he spent with U.S. President Donald Trump last year. This reflects his special interest in Korea, which has been evident since the beginning of his papacy in 2013. He launched his first Asian tour in Korea in August 2014, travelling to various parts of the country.



If an official invitation arrives and the pope accepts, the visit is likely take place during his tour of East Asia early next year. Pope Francis has expressed his wish to visit Japan, and China has also invited him.



It is too early to get excited because there will be many hurdles to overcome before the visit is realized. The pope's visit to Pyongyang would be a great blessing for the peninsula. But for the peace-making efforts to bear fruit, North Korea must fully commit to the denuclearization process.




By Baek Byung-yeul





Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 9 smartphone / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have decided to buy back used smartphones and implement other promotion programs to boost the sluggish sales of their latest communications devices.



Despite the much hype surrounding the Galaxy Note 9 and the V40 ThinQ, Samsung and LG largely failed to ignite interest in their latest premium smartphones.



On Tuesday, Samsung began a trade-in promotion allowing consumers to trade in their smartphones and receive cash rewards when purchasing the Galaxy Note 9 smartphone. Samsung added it doubled the trade-in values of specific smartphones such as the Galaxy S7, S8, Note Fan Edition and even Apple's iPhone 6 and 7 smartphones.



To receive the cash rewards, those used phones should meet certain requirements. The phones must be able to power on and off and there should be no critical damage to them.



Samsung explained it launched the trade-in promotion program as the sales of the Note 9 phone here exceeded 1 million.



Samsung said it took 53 days to reach the 1 million mark. This is about a week late compared to its predecessor Note 8 which took 48 days to do so last year.



Given the firm had sold 11 million Note 8 smartphones last year, Samsung is reportedly known to set its sales goal of the Note 9 at 12 million. The firm said the promotion will help boost the sales of the Note 9, but it remains to be seen whether the latest premium phone can exceed the number due to its slow sales.



Samsung already provided a fruitful sales promotion before launching the Note 9 phone here in August. For those who preordered the Note 9 with 512GB storage, Samsung bundled its Gear IconX wireless earphone, which is worth 220,000 won here.





LG Electronics' V40 ThinQ smartphone / Courtesy of LG Electronics
Participants waive their hands at the opening ceremony of Samsung Electronics' Montreal AI research center in Canada, Thursday. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Baek Byung-yeul





Gregory Dudek, head of Samsung Electronics' Montreal AI Center / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Holding firm structure enhances management transparency, corporate value



By Nam Hyun-woo





Hyosung Chairman Cho Hyun-joon announces the company's transformation into a holding firm structure at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, on June 1. / Courtesy of Hyosung
Korea Development Bank officials were stopped by union members of GM Korea at the carmaker's plant in Bupyeong, Incheon, Friday. Despite the union's strong protest, GM Korea shareholders approved the company's a plan to establish a separate research and development unit . / Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo



GM Korea shareholders approved its plan to establish a separate corporate body for research and development Friday, despite its union's effort to disrupt their meeting.



At the shareholders' meeting held at its plant in Bupyeong, Incheon, the automaker's shareholders gave the green light to the plan to establish a GM Korea Technical Center despite objections from the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB).



GM holds a 77 percent stake in GM Korea, with KDB and SAIC Motor controlling 17 percent and 6 percent, respectively.



After the approval, GM Korea said, it would complete registration and other subsequent processes, and would develop new cars at the new corporate body.



A series of legal battles and disputes with its union is expected to follow, however, because the approval was made without the participation of the second-largest shareholder, the Korea Development Bank (KDB), at the meeting.



Union members staged a sit-in protest at the ant's main building, preventing KDB officials from entering.



"KDB officials were waiting in front of the building, but GM Korea suddenly gave notice that the plan had been approved," a bank official said.



Union members said they set up a perimeter to stop the meeting after skirmishes with hired private security.



"As far as we know, the majority of executives did not enter the meeting room," a union official said. "It is doubtful whether the meeting was held legitimately."



GM Korea has been pushing the plan to spin off its R&D unit from GM Korea's manufacturing facilities, saying the move would allow each unit to focus on their respective activities and improve efficiency.



After its board approved the plan, the company said it would seek the final go-head at the shareholders meeting, but did not disclose the venue.



The union has been opposing the plan, saying the move was a preliminary attempt to sell the Korean unit, allowing GM to withdraw from Korea.



The union had already voted to go on strike during a two-day vote, with 78 percent of the 10,234 members agreeing to a walkout to protest the spinoff.



KDB also expressed its opposition to the plan, saying, "GM Korea did not discuss and explain the plan sufficiently with the KDB, which was a violation of the MOU which it signed in return for receiving aid from the state-run bank to address the company's financial troubles."



In the MOU, GM Korea stated that approval from shareholders with a total of at least an 85 percent stake was required for "special resolutions" of the company, giving the KDB, the second-largest shareholder with a 17 percent stake, the power to exert its influence on GM's decision making.



However, GM Korea and the KDB disputed whether the spin-off plan could be regarded as a special resolution.



Another option for the KDB to disrupt the plan was its right to veto the approval.



According to GM Korea, the MOU states that the KDB can use its veto when the company attempts to spinoff or sell more than 20 percent of total assets. The new R&D body is valued at 350 billion won ($309.4 million), which accounts for 4 percent of GM Korea's assets.



After the KDB, GM headquarters, GM Korea and its union agreed to the MOU and the aid in which the headquarters offered $6.4 billion and KDB poured in $750 million, the carmaker seemed to be recovering from the feud, introducing new cars here.



However, the dispute over splitting the company is again dragging GM Korea down.
Pro-democracy lawmakers display placards "Press freedom persecution" to protest while Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam delivering her policy speech at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong Wednesday, Oct. 10,2018. AP



As Hong Kong's 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 "the penetration" of the National Party or risk prosecution.



And this month, Hong Kong refused to renew the work visa of Victor Mallet, Asia news editor for the British-based Financial Times newspaper, after he hosted a speech by an independence activist.



"We can see them (the government) being much more assertive in using these powers and in shaping their policy decisions to reflect the national interests," said Professor Simon Young of the University of Hong Kong's law school, saying the courts may be a last line of defence against government overreach.



Serving and retired police officers, lawyers and lawmakers describe intensifying political operations by the police force's Security Wing, an elite unit that officially handles sensitive tasks including VIP protection and counter-terrorism investigations.



Sources familiar with the wing's work say it led surveillance and monitoring operations against the National Party and more than a dozen other groups.



The Hong Kong Journalists Association recently described the prospect of tougher national security enforcement as "a sword dangled above the heads" of reporters.



The Financial Times said it was appealing the decision denying Mallet a work visa. In his role as first vice president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong, Mallet in August hosted Andy Chan, head of the National Party.



The party was banned last month as an "imminent threat to national security" as the government invoked little-known clauses of a law regulating private groups and societies.

Authorities have so far refused to explain their decision on Mallet, except to say that no independence advocacy will be tolerated.



Chan, a bespectacled 28-year-old interior decorator, says that his ideology springs from China's broken promises towards Hong Kong and that claims he might destabilise China are preposterous.



But Hong Kong's government is treating even the consideration of independence as a vital threat.



"Worryingly, they have been parroting the ideological and authoritarian line of Beijing ... irreparably undermining their reputation," one diplomat said of the city's government.



In the letter to schools last month, the Education Bureau said, "should students have erroneous and extreme thoughts, principals and teachers should correct them with facts." Some teachers described this to Reuters as a "gagging order."



That appears to run contrary to Hong Kong's mini-constitution, known as the Basic Law, which stresses freedoms of speech and assembly.



Some youths who drove the pro-democracy "Umbrella Revolution" street demonstrations in 2014 say there is a growing sense of despair at the pressure on civil society and individual rights.



Daniel Cheung, a 29-year-old photographer who worked on "Chronicle of a Summer," a documentary on activists such as jailed independence leader Edward Leung, said the situation was worsening fast.



"Put simply, if you see Hong Kong as a house built by the British, this house is now crumbling and leaking. It has been hit by a typhoon and close to toppling over," Cheung said.



The Basic Law requires the city to create laws against treason, secession and subversion of the national government, effectively updating those from the colonial era.



The laws from British rule, while broad, do not outlaw calls for independence or self-determination.



Previous attempts to draft a harsher new national security law, known as Article 23, were met with mass protests and abandoned. Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who took office last year, has not yet proposed a new version, a reflection in part of lingering public concern.



But many observers say the government is using the Security Wing to tighten its grip even without Article 23.



The wing's officers were deeply involved in producing the 700-page dossier the government used to justify banning the National Party. The document tracked its statements, public appearances and activities.



For some, that has echoes of the colonial-era Special Branch, which monitored potentially subversive Chinese and Russian communist activity across Hong Kong during the Cold War. The agency was disbanded in 1995, two years before Britain handed Hong Kong back to China.



"It is clear it (Security Wing) is doing much more political work now," said James To, a veteran democracy advocate who has spent much of his 27 years in the city's parliament scrutinizing the government's security policies.



"My worry is that when you monitor people's political life and thoughts you are going against the spirit of the human rights provisions of the Basic Law. There is a need for balance," To said.



To said the government had repeatedly refused requests by Hong Kong's legislators to discuss the Security Wing's operations in detail.



Headed by an assistant commissioner, the Wing has over 700 staff, according to government information provided to lawmakers in recent years, some of whom have close ties with mainland Chinese counterparts as well as foreign diplomats based in Hong Kong.



One former senior officer familiar with the branch's work said he was witnessing a sea change in the government's previously hands-off approach.



"It is back to the future," he said. "It is eerie to see them embark on the same kind of monitoring and control operations that we used to do with an entirely new generation."



Police declined to comment on whether other activists or groups, including those calling for greater autonomy in the longer term such as Joshua Wong, were being targeted, saying the department wouldn't "disclose details of operations and investigations."



Some observers see an expanding clampdown as inevitable given the political climate.



"They (the police) are clear what China's thinking is on this issue," said a senior police source, who declined to be named given the sensitivity of the issue. (Reuters)


Turkey has not shared audio recordings said to document the reported killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, its foreign minister said on Friday, dismissing reports it had passed them on to the United States.

ABC News, citing a senior Turkish official, reported on Thursday that the recording had been played for U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to Ankara a day earlier and that he was given a transcript.

Pompeo denied the report, telling reporters, "Ive heard no tape, Ive seen no transcript."

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters during a trip to Albania: "Turkey has not given a voice recording to Pompeo or any other American official."

"We will share the results that emerge transparently with the whole world. We have not shared any information at all with any country," he added.

Turkish police meanwhile are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for Khashoggi's remains, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters on Thursday.

His disappearance and presumed death has caused an international outcry and strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the West.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and senior ministers from France, Britain and the Netherlands have abandoned plans to attend an Oct. 23-25 investor conference in Riyadh, joining a list of Western business executives and putting the high-profile event in question.

Airbus said on Friday its defence chief Dirk Hoke would no longer attend either.

"VERY SERIOUS MATTER"

British foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Friday allegations regarding Khashoggi would be totally unacceptable if true but any response by Britain would be "considered".

"Part of our reaction will depend on the Saudi reaction, and whether we sense that they are taking it as seriously as we are taking it. But this is a very, very serious matter," Hunt told BBC radio.

U.S. President Donald Trump had initially appeared unwilling to distance himself too much from the Saudis, citing Riyadh's role in countering Iranian influence in the region and tens of billions of dollars in potential arms deals.

However, on Thursday, he said he believes Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be "very severe" but that he wanted to get to the bottom of what happened. He has previously speculated without providing evidence that "rogue killers" could be responsible.

Trump says the United States has asked Turkey for any audio or video evidence, while Pompeo said Riyadh should be given a few more days to complete its own probe.

Turkish authorities widened the geographic focus of their search after tracking the routes and stops of cars that reportedly left the Saudi consulate and the consul's residence on the day Khashoggi was last seen.

Investigators have recovered many samples from searches of both buildings, senior officials have told Reuters, and will attempt to analyse those for traces of Khashoggi's DNA.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Recreational pot sales have been legal in California for the better part of a year now -- but that doesn't mean all pot in Los Angeles is being sold legally.

Unlicensed businesses still make up a huge chunk of L.A.'s cannabis industry. By avoiding taxes and regulations, they can undercut their legal competitors with much cheaper products.

"It's rough out there, if you're a licensed operator. In general, you're getting crushed," said Adam Spiker, executive director of local cannabis group the Southern California Coalition.

The city has been trying to shut these unlicensed businesses down. It's filed criminal charges against more than 500 people in connection with more than 100 businesses. But that hasn't been enough to stop the lucrative black market.

So on Friday, L.A. City Council's Rules Committee began exploring ideas to smoke out illegal operators. Here are five new ways the city could start playing hardball:

1. Shut off their water and power

The city may be struggling to choke off the supply of black market cannabis to illegal shops. But could it cut off their basic utilities?

It's an idea that follows efforts in other California cities. Last month, council members asked the the L.A. Department of Water and Power to look into whether the approach would work here.

The department has reported back, saying other city departments would have to be responsible for determining which establishments to target. And it requested police protection for any staffers who have to physically go and disconnect utilities at these potentially criminal business sites.

With those precautions in mind, the motion is moving forward.

2. Padlock their doors

The city may already be arresting people connected with illegal businesses. But there's concern that they just go right back to work after they're freed.

So how about literally locking shops down?

Council members are asking staffers to get back to them on the possibility of passing an ordinance "to barricade, padlock, fence or secure an unlawfully operating cannabis business that has failed to comply with an order by the City to cease operation."

3. Increase fines for workers

Council members say crackdowns should mostly focus on property and business owners, the ones profiting the most from black market sales. But they want to punish workers in those businesses too.

A new motion seeks to come up with plans for handing out citations to employees caught working for unlicensed businesses.

The motion says the "fine amount should be based on the number of citations and increase for every citation, with individuals who are repeatedly caught working in an illegal cannabis-related business subject to misdemeanor charges."

4. Create a new building code enforcement squad

One way illegal businesses skirt the law is by ignoring the city's building codes. Assembling a new team of building code cops could be another strategy the city uses to go after businesses breaking the law.

In a new motion, city council members Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Bob Blumenfield say the city should create a new enforcement unit within the Building and Safety department. Those workers would then fan out across L.A., inspecting cannabis businesses to make sure they're following all the right codes.

5. Hand out emblems for legal shops

This idea wouldn't directly crack down on illegal businesses. But it might give an edge to businesses following the rules.

The city's Department of Cannabis Regulation is recommending that L.A. join a County program to distribute emblems to law-abiding shops.

Legal business owners would be required to display these emblems prominently in their stores -- kind of like how restaurant owners have to hang up their health department rating cards where customers can see them.

The emblems would basically signal to customers, "This shop sells legal, lab-tested, appropriately taxed cannabis." And customers would know to avoid shops that don't display an emblem. At least, that's the idea.

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Inmates in Orange County's jails say they've launched their second hunger strike this year to protest the alleged misuse of solitary confinement.

Some inmates at the Theo Lacy Facility and the county's Intake Release Center started to refuse food at breakfast on Wednesday, Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said.

She insisted it is not their policy to keep inmates in prolonged isolation.

Inmates planned to refuse meal trays and refrain from buying commissary snacks for three to four days "to get the message across," said Philip Sloan, who's awaiting trial in the Theo Lacy Facility on charges of felony assault, among other charges.

"We are protesting the overall treatment -- or mistreatment -- of inmates of all ethnic backgrounds," Sloan told LAist in a phone interview. "We are still human beings ... We've got constitutional rights."

Daisy Ramirez, coordinator of the ACLU of Southern California's jails project, said many inmates' housing arrangements are virtually solitary confinement. Inmates are "being locked in very small, windowless cells 22 to 23 hours a day without any human contact or activity," she said.

"A lot of the people that we have been in communication with fall under that situation," said Ramirez, adding that it "exacerbates mental health issues."

Isolation has become the "go-to thing to do," she said, claiming that inmates are isolated for very "arbitrary" and "varied" reasons. "There is no consistency in the way that it is used."

Braun declined to comment on individual inmates' housing circumstances, but she said some require separation.

A letter from inmate organizers posted on Facebook attacks the Sheriff's Department's "Extremely Inhuman and Torturous" use of "Indefinite Solitary Isolation." It says inmates have been kept in disciplinary isolation cells, each referred to as "The Hole," for months and even years, even though they're "designed for punishment ONLY, up to 30 days maximum."

"Disciplinary isolation is something that is used, but we do it within protocol," Braun said, who declined to say whether inmates have been held in isolation for more than 30 days. The jails "are inspected regularly," and "we consistently receive very high remarks," she added.

Ramirez said she was told that about 1,000 inmates were refusing to eat. Orange County's jails have a total of about 6,000 beds. They hold individuals awaiting trial and those who have already been sentenced.

Braun declined to confirm the number of protesters, adding that the department doesn't consider someone to be on a hunger strike until they have not eaten for three straight days. At that point, officials activate a protocol that includes monitoring the inmate's medical condition, she said.

The ACLU has been documenting abuses in Orange County's jails since 2015, said Ramirez, who said the group's findings include excessive force, violence instigated by jailers and a grievance system that can result in retaliation.

In July, inmates took turns refusing food over the course of 10 days to protest what they and the Orange County ACLU claimed was prolonged isolation, lack of access to medical care and excessive use of force, among other things, according to the Voice of OC. Undersheriff Don Barnes said the allegations were "not valid."

The sheriff's department estimated that at the July protest's height 150 inmates were refusing food. The ACLU estimated the number at 200.

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Sarah Winchester. The name may not sound familiar, but if youve ever been to the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, youve seen her legacy  a weird, rambling mansion ostensibly built to house the spirits of the dead killed by Winchester rifles, source of the family fortune she inherited in 1881.

The story of this reclusive woman, haunted by ghosts and tormented by guilt about her connection to the guns that took thousands of lives in the Civil War and beyond, has inspired Inheritance, a chamber opera making its debut at UC San Diego s Prebys Experimental Theater on Oct. 24, 26 and 27  just in time for Halloween. Winchesters story, interwoven with contemporary gun-related issues, is set to haunting music and enhanced with multi-screen projections.

The hour-long opera was commissioned and produced by music professor Susan Narucki, a Grammy award-winning soprano who will be singing the leading role. For three years, shes been fundraising and assembling an impressive group of talents for the piece. The composer is her music department colleague Lei Liang, who collaborated with her on Cuatro Corridos, a chamber opera about human trafficking that premiered here in 2013 and has been staged in multiple venues ever since.

The libretto is by Matt Donovan, director of the Poetry Center at Smith College, whom Liang met when they were both Fellows at the American Academy in Rome. The director is the New York-based opera, film and theater director Cara Consilvio; and performers include music grad students in multiple roles, along with rising star baritone Josue Ceron from Mexico City. UCSD distinguished professor, conductor, percussionist Steven Schick is the music director, leading an eclectic ensemble of trumpet, guitar, bass, harpsichord, two percussionists and two clarinets.

The opera, Narucki explained, is really a continuation of the work shes been doing for the past seven years; creating chamber operas that involve contemporary social issues. Gun violence was something she and Liang both wanted to address.

The piece is not didactic; its very engaging, she said. Its a serious subject, but there are moments of humor, and the music and visuals are beautiful. We want people to reflect on what theyre seeing: Who are the ghosts here? What is real? Its a large-scale production, and weve been lucky to get funding from the NEA, New Music USA and Creative Capital, as well as local underwriters. And its great to be able to bring in artists from outside the university, to open things up. Like Cara Consilvio, the director  shes young, energetic and has a terrific vision for the project.

Recently, other artists seem to have discovered Sarah Winchester. In 2016, there was the French Opera Fantome, a short opera/ballet film than can be see on YouTube. Earlier this year, Helen Mirren starred in an Australian-American full-length supernatural/horror feature film, Winchester.

But now, for three nights only, you have a chance to experience a whole new version of the Winchester story, performed live in an intimate setting by topflight artists, while considering the complex issues that underscore this rich Inheritance.

 IF YOU GO: Inheritance performs 7 p.m. Oct. 24, 26 and 27, 2018 at the Experimental Theater inside Conrad Prebys Music Center on the UC San Diego campus. (Directions and map: music-cms.ucsd.edu/about/directions.html) Tickets: $25 at (858) 534-8497 or artpower.ucsd.edu/event/inheritance and inheritance-opera.com
As a journalist, Rebecca Traister is always hoping her books are timely. Her first, Big Girls Dont Cry, came out in 2010, soon after the bruising 2008 Democratic primary season she chronicled in its pages. Her second, All the Single Ladies, arrived in 2016, a celebration of womens power at a time the country seemed poised to elect its first female president.

But thats nothing compared to Traisters newest. Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Womens Anger was published by Simon & Schuster on Oct. 2, during the week the nation was riveted by Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Reached by phone as she rode in a car from the San Francisco airport to a series of interviews and appearances, Traister, who was among those advocating against Kavanaughs confirmation, sounded weary but resolved. She acknowledged that this isnt the kind of timeliness an author always wants.

I feel pretty torn about being out there selling books in the midst of this, and selling books to some degree off of this, she said. This is a terrible time. Obviously, there have been many terrible times over the past two years, but this time the thing thats being absorbed is that the terrible time is going to extend deep into our future, for the rest of our lives.

In addition to Kavanaughs lifetime appointment to the nations highest court, Traister continued, what made the confirmation battle so difficult was the way the hearings illustrated a cultural imbalance when it comes to anger.

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Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh during testimony during Kavanaughs US Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, September 27, 2018. (Getty Images)

Thats what the last two weeks have shown us, Traister said. A man yelling on his own behalf very quickly appeals to a certain segment of the population. Its reflectively understood that his anger is amplifying his case. Whereas the woman  women arent permitted to be angry and still taken seriously. They are treated as fundamentally irrational, animalistic, infantile; their anger takes away from whatever point they want to make.

While Kavanaugh yelled and wept as he rebutted accusations of sexual assault, his accusers appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee was notably careful, restrained and quiet. Would I have ever advised Christine Blasey Ford to be as angry as she has every right to be, while giving testimony? Traister asked, before answering her own question: No, I would not. There are penalties to be paid for anger, and the way that anger is used to discredit the women who give voice to it.

In Good and Mad, Traister argues that womens anger  as dangerous as it can be to voice it  has sparked social and political action throughout American history. Its no accident that cultural messages discourage women from voicing anger; all of them stem, Traister writes, from the correct understanding of those in power that in the fury of women lies the power to change the world.

Bella Abzug, center, with feminists marching to the first annual convention of the National Womens Political Caucus in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 10, 1973. (AP)

The stereotype of the angry feminist was very much in vogue when Traisters writing career began, first as a film reporter for the New York Observer at the turn of this century. Id been raised in a world with the idea that to be a feminist was to be not listened to, was to be reflexively marginalized, to be caricatured as unpalatable, furious in a way that I understood was bad, she said. Her own early feminism, she added, was rudimentary, lacking an understanding of the intersections of race, class and gender. Covering two decades of social change  from riot grrrls to slut walks, from #MeToo to the Black Lives Matter movement, from the 2016 election to the Womens March  has deepened her understanding.

In particular, Traister said, its crucial for white women like herself to deeply listen to women of color, to actively fight against white supremacy in feminist and other social movements. My only prescription is to start taking the anger of women around you seriously, politically seriously, socially seriously, even if its anger at you, she said.

All social movements are messy, she added, but seeking unity at the expense of shutting down other womens voices is not the answer. When those with less power interfere with those who have more power, theyre seen as disruptive, Traister said. But in a country where a majority of white women have voted Republican since tracking began, she added, I believe this anger needs to be aired. The internal back and forth within feminism is crucial to its good health. I think the key is to welcome as many people who want to be in this fight as we can, and at the same time to say, But that doesnt mean its going to be about you: Youre not going to be the center. Look for leadership to those whove been here a long time. Do a lot of listening.

Tarana Burke, center, founder of #metoo, at a march in Hollywood on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017. (Damian Dovarganes / AP)

But doesnt anger tend to turn inward, leading to depression and burnout? Ive been thinking a lot about this, Traister said. I wrote a book thats generally on the side of anger, but it also acknowledges that anger can corrode, it can sap your energy, it can divide, it can create confrontation. But at the same time, she added, I also see anger as a great connector. One of the reasons that womens anger is suppressed and discouraged is because it keeps women who are angry about inequity isolated from each other.

The current moment is unusual, Traister said, in its combined political seriousness and social upheaval. Women are angry about all kinds of inequities. But when it comes to a kind of mass fury about gender inequality, these things can only happen about every 60 years, because its so hard, she said. Because to question the gender hierarchy and the gender power structure means interrogating some of our most intimate relationships. It means interrogating not just bad guys, but our good guys. If it were easier, we would have done it a long time ago.

It wont happen overnight. We cant snap our fingers and change the cultural messages about angry women that have been with us since antiquity. This is old, deep stuff, Traister said. The dangers America faces right now, she added, are very grave. The power abuses at the top right now mean that we might not survive  as a country, as a democracy. Still, she said, I do believe in the power of social change. This country was founded with slavery as its economic and cultural base, with women disenfranchised, legally barred from full economic or political participation. It took centuries of labor, and people living and dying, to make those changes. But they did get them changed. So I cant bring myself to get hopeless yet.

Rebecca Traisters new book is Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Womens Anger (Victoria Stevens)

Traister profiles a long line of angry women in Good and Mad, including notable names such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Fannie Lou Hamer, Audre Lorde and Gloria Steinem. But she also explores the narratives that omit female anger and agency  such as the myth that Rosa Parks was just a tired seamstress (in fact, she was an experienced civil rights activist)  and the double bind that effectively silences women who want to use their voices in politics. We dont have models for women who convey anger in a way that can be identified as righteous, in a way that might be politically and electorally useful, Traister said. And, of course, we have that for men.

Watching Kavanaughs furious denials, Traister added, she knew it was likely to work. Thats not to say I didnt have hope in my heart; I did. But I also felt pretty sure they were going to jam this guy through, she said. The Supreme Court is poised to become much more conservative now, she added. The purpose of the court as it is being remade right now, is to first of all reverse the progress that has been made by previous generations. Its to undo everything from voting rights, labor protections, collective bargaining rights, affirmative action, reproductive rights, various avenues to access to birth control. All those things are on the table.

And yet that isnt cause for despair. I think if we didnt feel optimism at this juncture, it would be very deadening. And what are we going to do, if were not going to keep fighting? I believe that continuing to fight is a moral imperative for those who want to make the country a better and more just place.

Tuttle is the president of the National Book Critics Circle.
Airbus said its defence chief Dirk Hoke will no longer attend the Future Investment Initiative conference in Saudi Arabia, the latest senior industry executive to skip next week's event amid concern about the fate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Deutsche Bank's CEO, Christian Sewing, has also cancelled plans to attend the summit, a source close to the matter said on Friday.

Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who had been trying to rebuild strained ties with the kingdom before Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2, called the situation "unacceptable". He told reporters that Berlin would draw its conclusions once Riyadh provided a statement on the issue.

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist critical of Riyadh's policies, went missing after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Saudi Arabia has denied accusations of killing or forcedly disappearing Khashoggi.

Airbus said Hoke would not attend the Saudi investment conference given a new guideline ordering executives to abstain from high profile engagements there, but the company would not break off contact with the Gulf kingdom.

"We believe it is important to maintain engagement and dialogue in a country which hosts about 1,000 of our employees," a spokesman said.

The investment summit, dubbed Davos in the Desert, in Riyadh typically attracts executives from some of the world's largest companies and media organisations.

Many of those slated to attend, including U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, have cancelled their participation, but the Saudis have said they plan to move forward with the conference, scheduled for Oct. 23-25.

Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser has not yet announced whether he will attend.

Opposition lawmakers are calling on Berlin to halt arms deliveries to the kingdom, the second largest customer of German weapons this year behind Algeria.

Germany approved a total of 416 million euros in arms sales to Saudi Arabia in the first nine months of 2018, economics ministry data showed.

Maas told reporters: "If the rumours should prove true, it's not only shocking, it's unacceptable. We believe that it is about time now for the statement that Saudi Arabia has promised."

He said Germany would respond promptly after the statement, and in coordination with its European allies.

The German government decides on any arms exports individually, with a particular eye on human rights in the receiving country, a government spokeswoman said.

Annalena Baerbock, leader of the left-leaning Greens party, called for all German arms deliveries to Saudi Arabia to "be put on ice immediately" and urged Kaeser and other executives to cancel their participation in the conference.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Some issues in public life lend themselves to endless, inconclusive debate. Is the minimum wage good or bad for employment? Is a tax cut good for the economy and a tax hike bad? Does a strikeout happen because the pitcher is an ace or the batter a stiff?

Sometimes the answer is elusive because the empirical evidence is thin, and sometimes because it depends on the debaters vantage point. When the topic is rent control, both factors are in play.

Rent control is back on the front burner of public discussion nationally because rents are squeezing middle- and lower-income Americans from coast to coast, and locally because the issue is on the California ballot in the guise of Proposition 10.

Rent control should be seen as one tool in a toolbox. I cant see why you would want to remove that tool. Manuel Pastor, USC professor

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Before getting into the pros and cons of rent control, lets be clear about what Proposition 10 would do and not do. Thats necessary because its been hopelessly obfuscated, mostly by the opposition.

Proposition 10 would not change rent control laws anywhere in the state. Rather, it would overturn the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, a pro-landlord measure signed by Republican Gov. Pete Wilson in 1995. Costa-Hawkins barred municipalities from imposing rent control on single-family homes, condos or apartments constructed after Feb. 1, 1995, and sometimes even earlier. It generally mandated vacancy decontrol, in which a rent-controlled apartment is exempted from control after a tenant moves out.

Proposition 10 would take those handcuffs off municipal lawmakers and voters. Developers have spent heavily over the years to keep the handcuffs in place, and the current campaign is no exception. The No on 10 campaign has raised more than $45 million, much of it contributed by apartment developers such as Michael K. Hayde and Geoffrey H. Palmer. The Yes campaign has raised more than $24 million, much of it from the measures sponsor, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, headed by persistent government gadfly Michael Weinstein.

Nineteen California municipalities have some form of rent control, including the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. But theyre all constrained by Costa-Hawkins.

That brings us to the question of whether rent control is a good idea, including whether it leads to more available housing, less or no change. This debate is generally waged between economists and urban planners.

The former, consulting their textbooks and economic orthodoxy, are certain that rent control contributes to a housing shortage, on the principle that when you cap the price that can be charged for something, youll get less of it. Housing advocates examine the issue from the standpoint of existing renters, who are protected from being priced out of their homes.

Indeed, rent control generally becomes more popular when affordable housing grows scarce  a housing shortage just after World War II produced some of the strictest such measures in U.S. history. A crisis is building again. In California, more than 54% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing, a benchmark for unaffordability. Housing experts at UC Berkeley blame the cost of housing for the states persistently high poverty and homelessness rates.

Even economists skeptical about rent control tend to acknowledge that its good for people living in rent-controlled units. Theyre less sanguine about its other social effects.

Stanford economist Rebecca Diamond and colleagues, examining the evolution of rent control in San Francisco from 1979 through the present, found in a recent paper that the law enabled a sizable percentage of residents to remain in the city rather than being driven out. But they also asserted that it encouraged landlords to seek exemptions for their properties by converting them to condos or moving in because owner-occupied buildings also were exempt. As a result, they say, rent control fueled the gentrification of San Francisco and increased income inequality by creating more housing for rich tenants and condo buyers. (Its also probable that the tech-fueled housing demand in that city encourages gentrification on its own.)

Most California renters are in the category of overburdened by housing costs (@latimesgraphics)

The biggest mistake made in discussions of rent control is viewing it in isolation. Rent control cant address the housing affordability crisis on its own, and it wont have much effect on housing availability by itself. On the other hand, its one housing policy that can be implemented quickly.

Making up for 40 years of insufficient rental housing production is going to take a minimum of another 20 to 30 years, says Stephen Barton, a former housing director for the city of Berkeley and coauthor of a brief on rent control for UC Berkeley. So what do you do when you have immense hardship now and the ultimate solutions are very long-term? Pretty much the only thing on the table is rent control.

Few would dispute that the neighborhood stability fostered by rent control is a crucial social good. We know we value stability, says USC sociologist Manuel Pastor, the lead author of a recent study on the positive aspects of rent stabilization. But we dont have tools to protect it for low-income renters. Rent control should be seen as one tool in a toolbox. I cant see why you would want to remove that tool.

Nationwide, the rent burden is placing increasingly severe pressure on lower-income Americans. (Federal Reserve Board)

In other words, the question of whether rent control in general  or Proposition 10 in particular  will lead to more or less affordable housing is a distraction. Relieving the housing crisis requires many other measures, such as streamlining the housing permit process and creating better incentives for construction of market-rate and affordable units.

Rent control is not a silver bullet, but without it, all the other solutions will come too late, says Nicole Montojo, lead author of the Berkeley brief.

The No on 10 advertising campaign has been remarkably fact-free (and misleading when it claims to be purveying facts). It stands out even when compared with typical California ballot measure commercial campaigns, which almost invariably are garbage.

One theme of the No campaigns commercials is that Proposition 10 has no protection for renters, seniors, veterans or the disabled. But thats just gaslighting. The proponents of Proposition 10 dont claim it does  the measures goal is to place the protection of those groups into the hands of local officials, where it belongs.

Which California muncipalities would be most likely to enact new rent controls if Proposition 10 passes? These are major the cities with the highest percentages of residents in rental housing. (US Census data, via city-data.com)

Another No on 10 TV ad features anti-tax crusader Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. asserting that Proposition 10 would allow unelected bureaucrats to impose government fees on all housing.

The claim is attributed in the ad to the state Legislative Analysts Office, but that misrepresents the LAOs analysis. The LAO said that Proposition 10 would allow local governments to enact broader rent-control measures, some of which might involve fees on owners of rental housing  but that would be up to elected government officials and voters, not Coupals sinister unelected bureaucrats.

My favorite part of this ad is the hand-wringing by Robert Gutierrez of the California Taxpayers Assn. about how Proposition 10 puts taxpayers on the hook to defend it if the measure gets challenged in court. Yes, it costs money to defend an enacted law from challengers, who in this case would probably be the real estate developers and other property owners who help to support campaigns by organizations like Coupals and Gutierrezs.

Gutierrezs warning that taxpayers might have to defend the law against anti-tax advocates like himself is reminiscent of the ancient joke about a mafia hood visiting a shakedown target: Nice little business you got here  Be a shame if something happened to it.

The right approach to Proposition 10 is to take it on its own terms. Its not a rent-control mandate, nor is it designed to bring new protections to renters or encourage the construction of new housing, affordable or otherwise by itself. The initiative is an enabling measure aimed at giving municipalities greater flexibility to design rent control ordinances that fit their local conditions. Its up to them to decide how to protect renters or place rent control in the context of policies aimed at increasing their housing stock.

If the initiative passes, we should expect communities with a majority of renters to consider expanding rent control. My prediction is that Bakersfield [share of residents in rental housing: 43%] wont impose rent stabilization, Pastor says. But you would see it in Los Angeles and Long Beach, where the politics are different and housing problems are more severe. In those cities, about 60% of residents are renters.

Too often, the argument against rent control boils down to the threat that landlords will be skinned, leaving them without resources or incentives to keep their properties in good repair. The history of rent control doesnt lend much support to that fear. Indeed, a string of state court decisions prohibits localities from depriving landlords of a fair return on their investments.

As long ago as 1983, a California appeals court ruled that a suitable rent control law would permit an efficient landlord to pay all actual and reasonable expenses and receive a fair profit while  having affordable and properly maintained rental housing available to the citizens of the community.

Pressure for rent control ordinances, the same court observed seven years later, would continue so long as the states urban population continues to grow and the urban space available for new housing remains finite.

Thats where we are today. A law that ties the hands of municipalities while offering home builders and landlords loopholes for evasion needs to go. Costa-Hawkins was a boon for developers, but it didnt avert a housing crisis. Proposition 10 wont solve the housing crisis, but it will at least allow local city councils to try balancing protections for tenants while allowing developers to build more at a profit. Thats good enough, for a start.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.

UPDATES:

8:57 a.m.: This post has been updated with revised figures on contributions to the Yes on 10 campaign.
Ferrari fever burns on.

Four months after a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO sold for $48 million at an RM Sothebys auction in Monterey  the highest price ever paid for a car at auction  a race car from the Ferrari history books may set a new Southern California high-water mark.

On Dec. 8, a rare 1956 Ferrari 290 MM is expected to fetch $26 million when it crosses RM Sothebys block at Los Angeles Petersen Automotive Museum.

The car took second place at the 1956 Mille Miglia, driven by Peter Collins and Louis Klemantaski. In subsequent races it was driven by legends Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips and Sir Stirling Moss. (Diana Varga / RM Sothebys)

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The 56 290 MM  so named because it was designed to compete in the then-prestigious Mille Miglia Italian road race  has an illustrious history. Rolling off the Ferrari floor as the last of four 290 MM models built that year, the car took second place at the 1956 Mille Miglia, driven by Peter Collins and Louis Klemantaski. In its subsequent racing history it was raced by legends Juan Manuel Fangio, Phil Hill, Wolfgang von Trips and Sir Stirling Moss.

This is a competition Ferrari, with a winning history, that was driven by several famous drivers, said Ken Gross, a classic car historian and former Petersen director. That ticks all the boxes for desirable classic cars.

Built at the express direction of company founder Enzo Ferrari, the 56 was bodied by the Italian car design firm Scaglietti and powered by a 3.5-liter Tipo 130 V-12 engine.

It is rarer than the 250 GTO sold last August, Gross said, because fewer of them were made, and rarer than the 1963 250 GTO reportedly sold last January for $70 million in a private transaction to entrepreneur and racer David MacNeil.

The Ferrari 290 MM at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1957. (Klemantaski Collection / RM Sothebys)

Even though the 290 MM has no special local provenance, RM Sothebys Alexander Weaver said the auction house is bringing the car to the customer.

If you look at great car collectors and car collections of the U.S., a great majority are in a 100-mile radius of the Petersen, Weaver said.

This is kind of Ferrari mecca, said Terry Karges, executive director of the Petersen.

Weaver has reason to be optimistic. RM Sothebys sold an almost identical 1956 Ferrari 290 MM for $28 million at a 2015 New York event. That car  chassis number 0626  was another of the four original 56 290 MMs. Driven by Fangio, it took fourth place at the 1956 Mille Miglia race, to this vehicles second-place finish.

The Ferrari, shown in 1957, was powered by a 3.5-liter Tipo 130 V-12 engine. (The Revs Institute for Automotive Research / RM Sothebys)

The auction is a coup for the Petersen, Gross said. The museum will receive a fee from Sothebys for the use of its facilities as well as worldwide attention from bidders, viewers and fans who will watch the auction online.

The Petersen has a mixed history with auctions, he said. But in this case its a known venue and an important car, and can draw from a very wealthy and enthusiastic L.A. market.

Southern California is not known for its big car auctions, which are typically hosted by giants RM Sothebys, Gooding and Co., Mecum, Bonhams and Barrett-Jackson. The highest-price sales invariably occur at high-profile auctions during annual car shows at Pebble Beach, Amelia Island or Englands Goodwood.

Six of the 10 highest prices ever paid at public auction, including the $28-million 290 MM sold in 2015, were for vintage Ferraris. Seven of those top-10 sales occurred in California.

Southern California is home to some major Ferrari owners, collectors and enthusiasts  among them real estate baron Bruce Meyer and watch and jewelry magnate David Lee. It is not unusual for 300 or more classic Ferraris to appear at the annual Petersen event that honors the birth date of the founder of the Italian car company.

Among the roughly 40 vehicles to be included in the RM auction will be a 1965 Ferrari 33 GT, a 1957 Porsche 356A Speedster and a re-creation of Ed Big Daddy Roths 1962 Mysterion.

The Ferraris rarity and clear provenance will attract heavy buyer attention, confirmed John Wiley, analyst at the classic car insurance company Hagerty. And the racing history helps: The names associated with racing this car definitely increases the desirability, he said in an email.

But thats no guarantee of a sale. At North American auctions over the last 18 months, Wiley noted, only 44% of cars offered at prices above $10 million have been sold.

business@latimes.com
A healthy dose of job growth has long been seen as a likely cure for poverty. But new research suggests that poor Americans are frequently left behind even when their cities or communities benefit from hiring booms.

When cities such as Charlotte, N.C., and Atlanta enjoyed a job surge in the 20 years that began in 1990, for example, the job gains mostly bypassed residents  often African American  who had been born into poverty.

That is among the findings of a study led by Raj Chetty, a Harvard economist whose newly launched Opportunity Atlas found no association between job growth and economic mobility for poor residents of the affected areas.

Job growth is not sufficient by itself to create upward mobility, Chetty said. Its almost as though racial disparities have been amplified by job growth.

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His finding challenges much of the conventional thinking  of government officials, business executives and economists  that job gains are the surest way to lift up people in impoverished communities.

President Trump pledged to save neglected towns through jobs, jobs, jobs. His rival 2016 presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, asserted that government investments to foster hiring would help create an economy that works for everyone. Governors and mayors have traded tax breaks for pledges by companies to create jobs in distressed communities.

But Chetty and his colleagues, whose atlas examined communities down to census tract levels, found that economic mobility hinges more frequently on other factors. A persons race, for example, plays a pivotal role. Economic mobility varied widely among people of different races who lived in the same neighborhoods in Los Angeles or Houston, among other places.

Additionally, living in neighborhoods with many two-parent families improves the likelihood of emerging from poverty  even when someone was raised by a single parent. Mobility is often greater for children who come from neighborhoods with higher-priced housing. And its generally better when a high proportion of adults in a neighborhood are working, according to the analysis by Chetty; economists Nathaniel Hendren of Harvard and John Friedman of Brown University; and researchers Sonya Porter and Maggie Jones of the Census Bureau.

In the two decades that ended in 2010, the Charlotte and Atlanta areas were flooded with jobs. But many of the people hired were moving to these areas, so people from poorer neighborhoods essentially got cut out of the boom.

Metro Pittsburgh, on the other hand, lost jobs between 1990 and 2010, yet its residents economic mobility improved as the area became a nexus for college graduates working in technology and healthcare.

In the Seattle area, the home of such corporate powerhouses as Amazon and Microsoft, jobs and economic mobility both grew over the same period. (Those gains have, in turn, caused home prices to jump to levels that could threaten continued economic mobility.)

Disparities exist not just among metro areas, but also among neighborhoods within the same city, according to an Associated Press examination of the data in the Opportunity Atlas.

In Baltimore, the Old Town neighborhood near Johns Hopkins Hospital is a mecca of entrepreneurship. The number of jobs there surged 21% between 2004 and 2013, compared with job growth of just 3.4% nationally.

Yet the neighborhood  which has a 93% non-white population  is marked by abandoned storefronts and public housing. More than half of its residents live in poverty. And the Opportunity Atlas shows that a low-income child from that neighborhood is likely to become even poorer as an adult.

Connecting its residents with employers has proved problematic, as it has in poor communities across the country. The disparity between residents and workers in the neighborhood suggests that the jobs have gone to people who either live in other, more prosperous neighborhoods or who commute from the surrounding suburbs.

For nearly four years, a program called Turn Around Tuesday has been trying to address this mismatch between employers and residents in the neighborhood.

Backed by the interfaith group Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development, the program seeks to match employers such as Johns Hopkins to workers who have lived in poverty, have struggled with drug addiction or have criminal records but who are regarded as qualified for a job.

Recently, about 40 people gathered in a church basement as Melvin Wilson, the co-director, offered a prayer before getting into the business of getting and holding onto steady work.

Pray for jobs, he said. Though weve created 555 living-wage jobs, you know, as we know, God, thats not enough.

The gap in outcomes among Baltimore neighborhoods is hardly surprising to City Councilman Leon Pinkett, who represents a western slice of the city and has worked in economic development.

What the data does for us, he said of the research, is that it validates all the things that we know to be true: that many of the residents of these communities start at a deficit, and little is done through policy or investments to assist them in closing that gap.

Part of the challenge is that even when poor communities manage to add jobs, residents who finally have reliable incomes often move to neighborhoods with less crime and better housing. They, too, tend to seek a better quality of life.

Octavia Mason, 53, has attended Turnaround Tuesday for the last nine months. She is a dedicated mother to her adult children, yet she lost her license as a pharmacy technician after a broken marriage led to drug use. Shes now on the path to regain her license and find work. But she hopes to leave the western Baltimore neighborhood where she grew up, which has stagnated because of unemployment, crime and a breakdown in trust.

Theres a lot of families that arent working  and youve got generations of that, and thats their normal, she said.

Boak writes for the Associated Press.
In what campaign finance experts say may be a first, California outdoor clothing company Patagonia is endorsing two Senate candidates in the western United States, where protecting the public land in which its customers recreate is a key concern.

The Ventura-based retailer announced Friday that it is backing two Democrats: incumbent Sen. Jon Tester, who is running for reelection in Montana, and Rep. Jacky Rosen, who is seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Dean Heller in Nevada. The two Senate races are among the most competitive in 2018 in a chamber in which Republicans hold a razor-thin, 51-49 majority.

Public lands are center stage there, in Montana and Nevada, Patagonia spokeswoman Corley Kenna said. And we felt by motivating our community to vote, we could help protect the public lands and waters in those places.

Many corporations, such as AT&T, Exxon Mobil and UPS, have established political action committees that take donations from employees and give it to candidates. The companies themselves stay mum on their preferred candidates.

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Some chief executives and other high-level executives endorse candidates as well. For example, Facebooks chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, backed Hillary Clinton in 2016, while casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson endorsed Donald Trump. But neither the social networking firm nor Adelsons company, Las Vegas Sands, issued endorsements.

What Patagonia is doing is different. For as much money as corporate interests have pumped into politics after the Supreme Courts Citizens United decision in 2010, Patagonias move may constitute the first time any corporation has explicitly endorsed a candidate for office, experts say.

I am not aware of a similar corporate endorsement of a candidate, said Richard Briffault, a Columbia Law School professor and campaign finance expert, although I cant say it never happened before.

Michael Kang, a law professor and campaign finance expert at Northwestern University, similarly could not recall any other public endorsement of a candidate from a corporation.

Consumer-facing companies traditionally shy away from taking sides publicly in candidate races, so it would make sense if nothing comparable has happened since Citizens United, Kang said. Before Citizens United, a public endorsement of this type wouldve been illegal, so its a relatively new opportunity in any event.

Brenden Quinn, outreach coordinator for the Center for Responsive Politics, added that no one there could think of any other time a company has explicitly endorsed a candidate other than endorsements printed in the opinion pages of newspapers.

Were frankly in an era where nothing really should surprise us, Quinn said. It is something that took our entire office by surprise.

For Patagonia, this is hardly the first time it has dipped its steel-toed boot into politics. For more than a decade, the company ran get-out-the-vote campaigns in stores and online, encouraging customers to support the deployment of renewable energy and to oppose the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure.

Since President Trumps election, Patagonias public political activity has sharply increased. Last year, the company sued the Trump administration after the administration shrank in size two national monuments in Utah. Patagonias website declared, The President Stole Your Land. Company founder Yvon Chouinard appeared on CNN to call the government evil.

Im not going to sit back and let evil win, Chouinard said.

Republicans saw the proclamations from Trump to scale back the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments as a much-needed reversal of federal overreach that they say elbowed ranchers and other locals from the land.

Democrats, however, decried the loss of protections for about 2 million acres of wilderness. Rosen called the decision thoughtless while Tester called it an unprecedented and historic rollback that threatened the outdoor recreation economy.

So the companys position polarized the clothing brand in Washington. The top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Maria Cantwell from Washington state, registered a protest of the national monuments decision by donning a Patagonia jacket at a committee hearing.

On the other side of the Capitol, Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee, led by Utahs Rob Bishop, accused the company of hijacking our public lands debate to sell more products to wealthy elitist urban dwellers from New York to San Francisco.

A spokeswoman for the Federal Election Commission said the agency does not track corporate endorsements of federal candidates. But the commissions website does explain that companies may endorse candidates as long as they do not coordinate the announcement with the campaign. Patagonia said Wednesday that Testers and Rosens teams were unaware of the endorsements.

There are a robust set of laws around campaign finance issues, said Rob Tadlock, a lawyer at Patagonia, and were confident were within those bounds.

Grandoni writes for the Washington Post.
UTC Aerospace Systems plans to wind down manufacturing at its Chula Vista aircraft plant beginning early next year, eliminating around 300 jobs.

The company  a division of Farmington, Conn.-based conglomerate United Technologies Corp.  said the decision stems from ending production of certain commercial aircraft models. The Chula Vista plant builds aerodynamic engine pods and mounts for customers such as Boeing and Airbus.

UTC Aerospace plans to keep aftermarket spare parts distribution, engineering test labs and administrative support jobs in Chula Vista.

We remain committed to being in Chula Vista, said Stacey MacNeil, vice president of communications for UTC Aerospace. There will still be 1,500 jobs there. We are not shutting down the entire location.

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The closure of manufacturing, however, will end production of aircraft components at the plant, which has been building planes and supplying aircraft subsystems since Fred Rohr founded Rohr Aircraft Co. in 1940.

We recognize the impact this decision will have on our employees and their families, and will not begin the wind-down until 2019, the company said in a statement. We expect the entire process to take place over a two-year period.

The layoffs include about 265 sheet-metal workers who are members of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Nonunion supervisors, purchasers and other salaried workers involved in manufacturing also will lose their jobs.

In July, UTC Aerospace Systems notified the union of the planned shutdown. The union contends that the company has systematically channeled work on active aircraft programs to other, lower-cost factories.

Work that could be done in Chula Vista has been sent to Mexicali; Foley, Alabama; and up to Washington, said J.P. Fletcher, area director for District 725 of the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. You just see UTC outsourcing and outsourcing. A lot of the components that are now being done in Mexicali are shipped back to Chula Vista and then distributed to wherever in the country.

Robert Martinez Jr., president of the union, sent a letter to President Trump in September objecting to the closure.

At one time, this facility employed several thousand workers who were involved in state of the art programs, Martinez wrote. A few years ago, many of them lost their jobs when their work was moved to Mexico. At the same time that aerospace work has been decimated in Chula Vista, aerospace work continues to grow in Mexico.

MacNeil denied that work had been moved elsewhere and attributed the shutdown to shrinking production of older-generation commercial aircraft.

United Technologies has come under criticism for job cuts with other companies it owns. In 2016, while Trump was on the campaign trail, it announced plans to move its Carrier heating and air-conditioning plant from Indianapolis to Mexico. The expected loss of more than 2,000 jobs became a hot-button topic when Trump sharply criticized United Technologies.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, former governor of Indiana, reached a deal with Carrier to keep about half of the jobs at the plant in return for up to $7 million in tax incentives and training grants. United Technologies said last year that about 1,100 people would remain at the Indianapolis facility, while roughly 600 jobs would be relocated, according to news reports.

Over the years, the Chula Vista UTC plant has built components for several high-profile aircraft programs. They include the engine pods, or nacelles, for World War II-era B-24 long-range bombers and portions of the F-14 Tomcat starting in the 1970s. It also designed solid rocket motor casings, seals and nozzles for the space shuttle program that launched in 1981.

More recently, the company built engine pods for Boeings 787 and Airbus A350 commercial aircraft.

Goodrich Corp. bought Rohr Aircraft Co. in 1997, and then United Technologies acquired Goodrich in 2012.

The first round of layoffs is expected in the first quarter of next year, with a second round slated late in the year. The final round of layoffs would occur in the fall of 2020.

mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com

Freeman writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Scott Bernstein, the longtime Universal executive turned independent film producer, is ready to call it a wrap in Los Feliz. Hes listed his character-filled home in the historic neighborhood for sale at $4.495 million.

Set high up from the street, the Spanish Revival-style home was built by prolific developer Charles A. Gault and completed in 1924. The four-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom house has been updated while retaining such character features as arched doorways and groin vault-style ceilings and. Dark hardwood floors, colorful tilework and French doors add to the period elegance.

The multi-level floor plan includes a living room with a tiled fireplace, a formal dining room, an office and an eye-catching chefs kitchen. Balconies on each level create additional space outdoors.

1 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 2 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 3 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 4 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 5 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 6 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 7 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 8 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 9 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 10 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 11 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz) 12 / 13 default (Adrian Van Anz) 13 / 13 Scott Bernsteins Los Feliz home | Hot Property (Adrian Van Anz)

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The house sits on about a quarter of an acre with a tiled swimming pool, fountains and patios. The grounds were done by noted landscape designer Michael Baer.

Tori Barnao and Gersh Gershunoff of Pacific Union International are the listing agents. Calls made to the agents office were not returned.

Bernstein previously spent a decade with Universal, where he served in a number of high-ranking roles including executive vice president of production. He left the company in 2014 to become an independent producer and has credits that include Straight Outta Compton (2015) and Ride Along 2 (2016).

He bought the property four years ago for $2.46 million, real estate records show.

neal.leitereg@latimes.com | Twitter: @LATHotProperty
Paying rent can be a problem, whether youre an Angeleno or a sitcom character.

The cultural zeitgeist has long been suspicious of certain characters ability to afford their apartments, namely the crews from Seinfeld and Friends. After all, New York holds 27 of the countrys 50 most expensive ZIP Codes for renters.

Could their fictional pocketbooks afford a place in L.A.?

Analyzing the hypothetical salaries, rents and living expenses of 30 sitcom characters, custom furniture company Joybird found that 60% wouldnt be able to afford their lifestyles. The list includes Kramer from Seinfeld; Monica, Rachel, Phoebe and Joey from Friends; and Mac, Dennis and Charlie from Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

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The findings cross-reference Zillow housing data with salary estimates for the characters jobs. For example, Rachel from Friends would make an estimated $1,176 a month as a waitress, but her Greenwich Village apartment would likely set her back $3,250 a month.

A move to Southern California probably wouldnt help. In Los Felizs 90027 ZIP Code, the average apartment of any size costs $2,265.

Monica, however, could probably make rent in L.A. As a chef, her estimated monthly salary is $3,872. It might require tight budgeting, but she could afford a place in downtown L.A.s 90012 ZIP Code, where the average apartment rents for $2,574.

Ross, who works as a paleontologist for an estimated $6,244 a month, would have a bit more flexibility.

He could head to Santa Monicas 90401 ZIP Code, where the average apartment costs $3,682, or he could spend most of his paycheck to live in Californias priciest ZIP Code  Westwoods 90024, where the average apartment costs $4,883.

Seinfeld stars Wayne Knight, left, as Newman; Michael Richards, center, as Kramer; and Jerry Seinfeld as himself. (Joey Delvalle / NBC)

In Seinfeld, Jerry pulls in an estimated $3,750 per month as a comedian and pays $1,850 for his NYC apartment. If he wanted to live next to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in the 90028 ZIP Code, hed have to shell out $2,803 per month.

Manhattan digs will always cost a fortune, but unlike comparable West Coast units, some areas are getting cheaper. Although the borough holds 26 of the countrys 50 priciest ZIP Codes for renters, nine saw decreases in rental price averages year over year.

In contrast, California ZIPs make up 18 of the top 50 spots, and each one saw rent prices rise when compared with the previous year.

Three Bay Area ZIP Codes experienced the biggest surges in lease averages. In Sunnyvales 94085 ZIP Code, the average lease price rose 10.2% year-over-year, while ZIP Codes in Corte Madera and Mountain View climbed 9.2% and 6.8%, respectively.

In L.A., the mid-Wilshire ZIP Code of 90048 saw the largest average rent increase at 6%, followed by Santa Monicas 90401 at 5.8%.

jack.flemming@latimes.com | Twitter: @jflem94
The stage is bare but for a single chair, yet a remarkable journey  taking in scenes as varied as a placid Colorado fishing spot, a patriotic soldier sendoff and a bomb-blasted World War I battlefield  unfurls in the Actors Gangs presentation of Johnny Got His Gun.

A ring of light defines the borders of this experience. Beyond is blackness.

We are inside the mind of a 20-year-old soldier. War has left him horrifically injured and unable to communicate, yet his brain is quite active, its workings brought to life through pure, descriptive language; spare but evocative movement; and a riveting central performance.

The staging by Tim Robbins, the Gangs adventuresome leader, pulls us so wholly into this world that, 80 minutes later, we are surprised to realize weve been sitting in a brick-walled theater in Culver City the whole time.

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However, there is proof of our travels: tear-slicked faces and a feeling of elation. Thats because the soldier dwells not so much on the nightmare of his situation as on the joys stored in his memories and the exhilaration of reconnecting with the everyday world.

Some theatergoers will have read Johnny Got His Gun in school. The novel was published in 1939, when Trumbo was a fledgling screenwriter, a blacklist-beset career that, nevertheless, delivered two Oscar-winning scripts, the clandestinely written Roman Holiday and The Brave One, as well as such screenplays as Spartacus and Exodus.

Bradley Rand Smith adapted the novel to be performed by one person. It was first presented in 1982 in New York with Jeff Daniels.

In Robbins version, most of the text is still spoken by a single actor, the riveting Nathan Woodworth, but he is surrounded by eight others. They are like neurons firing in his mind, multiplying out through space. They echo the soldiers thoughts, mirror his emotions and occasionally become the people in his memories.

Everyone is dressed in black or gray, causing their bodies to be swallowed into the semi-darkness and leaving us to focus on their marvelously expressive faces.

The title echoes a recruiting slogan that George M. Cohan wove into his World War I ditty Over There. The song is heard faintly at the beginning as the soldier recalls his hometowns big sendoff for enlistees.

Imagining that he has returned from battle, he calls out to his sweetheart: Im here!  Just like you remember me.

Moments later, his smiling reverie turns to wide-eyed panic. My God, he realizes, Im hurt bad.

By the time hes done taking stock, he realizes that he is not home, but in a hospital somewhere, and that hes been reduced to limbless, faceless flesh. He no longer has a mouth or eyes, nor can he hear.

Yet what we see is a whole, handsome young man, which is fitting because the most vital part of him remains uninjured, and it keeps him connected to the world.

Nathan Woodworth (Ashley Randall)

To stay focused, the soldier works his way through multiplication tables or names the planets. Memories are his greatest consolation: simple pleasures like listening to his mother hum to herself during chores, fishing with his father, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend. He becomes particularly energized as he devises ways to tell time, then to communicate with the outside world. Woodworth and the actor-neurons work with such precision and surging excitement here that you want to stand and cheer them on.

Bosco Flanagans lighting design puts Woodworth in a spot of light, the others in shadow unless they are especially active. This keeps Woodworth constantly in focus, but then, who could look anywhere else while hes progressing through every emotion known to man? Its a thrilling display.

With the soldier as an indelible symbol of the true cost of war, Johnny is in many ways an argument against armed conflict. Yet still more its a catalog of life, sending us off to experience more of it  and reminding us to savor every moment.

          

Johnny Got His Gun

Where: Actors Gang Theatre, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays (no performances Oct. 20-21); ends Nov. 10

Tickets: $25-$35; Thursdays pay what you can

Info: (310) 838-4264, theactorsgang.com

daryl.miller@latimes.com

Twitter: @darylhmiller
Reviews by Leah Ollman (L.O.).

Museum Openings

Beyond the Earth and the Sky: Dia de Los Muertos Juried display of art and altars by local artists. Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach. Now open; ends Nov. 11. Closed Mon.-Tue. $7, $10; under 12, free. (562) 437-1689.

Untitled (Question) Reinstallation of L.A.-based artist Barbara Krugers politically-charged 1990 outdoor mural. The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo, downtown L.A. Now through Nov. 2020. (213) 626-6222. www.moca.org

The National Geographic Photo Ark Images of animal species living in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries around the world. Annenberg Space for Photography, 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Century City. Now open-ends Jan. 13. Closed Mon.-Tue. Free. (213) 403-3000. www.annenbergphotospace.org.

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OCMAExpand Orange County Museum of Arts new temporary space exhibits works by artists including Kathryn Garcia, Valentina Jager and Alan Nakagawa, plus Forsaken Utopias featuring photographs from the museums permanent collection. OCMAExpand-Santa Ana, South Coast Plaza Village, 1661 W Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. Now open; ends March 17. Closed Mon.-Wed. Free. (714) 780-2130.

World on the Horizon: Swahili Arts Across the Indian Ocean More than 150 artworks from Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Oman and India. Fowler Museum, UCLA, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North, Westwood. Opens Sun.; ends Feb. 10. Closed Mon.-Tue. Free. (310) 825-4361.

Rauschenberg: The 1/4 Mile Exhibition of the pioneering artists quarter-mile-long assemblage of 190 panels incorporating photographs, textiles, etc., plus everyday objects (opens next Sun.; ends June 9). Also on display: Merce Cunningham, Clouds and Screens, a salute to the acclaimed choreographer that includes immersive video installations created by Charles Atlas and Andy Warhol (opens next Sun.; ends March 31). Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Closed Wed. $10-$25; members and children 17 and under, free. (323) 857-6010.

Also recommended

The Incongruous Body Humor and the human body serve as brackets loosely containing the sculptural work in this 14-person show. Not all here is comic, and not everything manages to muster heat from the rub of expectation against direct experience  curator Tim Bergs organizing principle  but the show has enough radiant moments to redeem the whole. Standouts include works by Kim Tucker, Kristen Morgin, Jeremy Brooks, Elana Mann and Robert Arneson. (L.O.) AMOCA, 399 N. Garey Ave., Pomona. Open Wed.-Sat. Ends Jan. 20. $5, $7; 12 and under, free. (909) 865-3146.

GALLERIES

Reviews by Sharon Mizota (S.M.), David Pagel (D.P.) and Leah Ollman (L.O.). Compiled by Matt Cooper.

Critics Choices

Living With Clay: California Ceramics Collections Six collections are represented in this terrifically engaging show, each decades in the making and thousands of works deep. The samplings from each are largely stellar, and the installation is fresh and inventive. Huge photo-murals illustrate the home environments of the collectors and some of the furnishings and sculptures from those rooms appear in the gallery, making for an experiential lesson in living with art. (L.O.) Nicholas and Lee Begovich Gallery, Cal State Fullerton, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. Ends Nov. 17. Open Mon.-Thu., Sat. (657) 278-2011.

Ron Jude: 12 Hz How cheapened the term awesome has become, punctuating every mundane exchange. A visit to Judes ravishing show presses the reset button and restores to awe its rightful measure of stunned respect. There are six large photographs here, each a view of pristine, unpeopled landscape. Acts of homage and acts of witness, the prints have a lush, velvety surface and an extraordinary range of tones. (L.O.) Gallery Luisotti, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. Ends Nov. 17. Open Tue.-Sat. (310) 453-0043.

Also recommended

Hung Liu: Unthinkable Tenderness Lius gratifying but also problematic show features her earliest series of work and her most recent. The intimate plein air sketches made surreptitiously in the early 70s when Liu was a student in her native China are lovely, earnest, and quiet acts of rebellion against the aesthetic dictates of the state. The newest works, large, vibrant portraits based on Dorothea Lange photographs, are dazzling but disturbing, in the way of colorized classic films. (L.O.) Walter Maciel Gallery, 2642 S. La Cienega Blvd., L.A. Ends Sat. Open Tue.-Sat. (310) 839-1840.
Having trouble recognizing the world you thought you were living in? Take a number. Echoing W.B. Yeats prophetic poem in which Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold, the plays in this weeks roundup from the small theater scene reflect a sense of unraveling norms and ethical free fall  historical, political, sexual, economic and criminal.

The Tragedie of Macbeth: An Immersive Experience at Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles

The essentials: If Shakespeare were alive today, would he be writing for theme park attractions? The idea might not seem all that far-fetched, considering Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles immersive, fast-paced take on Macbeth and its bloody tale of a kingdoms natural order upended by regicide and betrayal. Nine actors playing all the roles conduct audiences through multiple playing spaces in and around the companys expansive downtown building. Further paring the Bards shortest play down to 70 minutes, this limited-run production intensifies the spookiness of the original text and plotlines with illusions that combine state-of-the-art stage technology and centuries-old magic techniques.

Why this? In pursuit of its mission to bring Shakespeare appreciation to wider audiences, SCLA has a long track record of lively, engaging productions (most recently with the companys sold-out Henry IV featuring Tom Hanks as Falstaff). Director Kenn Sabberton, an alumnus of the UKs Britains Royal Shakespeare Company, enlists former Disney Imagineer Chris Runcos design wizardry in this project, which looks to be insightful, inventive and fun. Note: includes walking and use of stairs and ramps.

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Details: A Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles production at Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, 1238 W. 1st St., Los Angeles. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, ends Nov. 3. $39. (866) 710-8942, www.shakespearecenter.org.

Taylor Lee Marr, left, Natasha St. Clair Johnson and Troy Dunn in Winter Solstice (Paul M. Rubenstein)

Winter Solstice at City Garage

The essentials: In the West Coast premiere of German playwright Roland Schimmelpfennigs 2017 comedy of deepening dread, a complacent bourgeois couple find their naive assumptions about the stability of their Western democracy challenged by an unexpected dinner guest with impeccably suave manners and a monstrously malevolent political agenda. Though set in Germany, the broader cautionary message is urgent and compelling as the play explores the seductive power of far right extremism and the seeming impotence of intellectual liberalism to combat it.

Why this?: A longtime presenter of avant-garde European theater, City Garage specializes in provocative, challenging material that would rarely be attempted elsewhere in L.A. This production incorporates live video with the companys typically artful design sensibility, a visual style well-suited to the plays sharp pivots between naturalistic dialogue and surreal narration.

Details: A City Garage production at City Garage at Bergamot, 2525 Michigan Ave. Building T1, Santa Monica. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays, ends Nov. 25. $25 (Sundays pay-what-you-can at the door). (310) 453-9939,www.citygarage.org.

Sarah Jones in Sell/Buy/Date (Chris Whitaker)

Sell/Buy/Date at Los Angeles LGBT Center

The essentials: In a return engagement of her acclaimed solo show, Sarah Jones demonstrates her astonishing powers of self-transformation with 17 vividly realized characters based on interviews with people whose lives have been touched and often disrupted  by the sex industry. Her multicultural parade of men and women, all struggling to navigate a shifting social landscape, is by turns hilarious, insightful, moving and ultimately inspiring.

Why this? Jones is a worthy successor to Robin Williams and Jonathan Winters in her seemingly limitless ability to instantly adopt the dialect, vocabulary, physical mannerisms and psychological sensibilities of thoroughly believable people drawn from far-flung corners of our melting pot society. Using her performance artistry in the service of social activism, her intimate, engaging manner helps us to identify with them, in the process slyly bridging their otherness. About the shows previous sold-out run at the Geffen Playhouse, critic Margaret Gray wrote in The Times: The intelligence, humor, empathy, fierce criticism and even fiercer optimism of Jones solo work make it a must-see.

Details: An Andrew Carlberg and Foment Productions presentation at the Los Angeles LGBT Center Renberg Theatre, 1125 N. McCadden Place, Hollywood. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m. Nov. 1, ends Nov. 3. $20-$75. (323) 860-7300,www.lalgbtcenter.org/theatre

Radiant Vermin at Odyssey Theatre

The essentials: Conscience can be terribly inconvenient when it comes to doing whatever it takes to realize our dreams, but that obstacle proves surprisingly easy to overcome in British playwright Philip Ridleys savage black comedy. Courtesy of a mysterious government gentrification program, a perky, upwardly mobile young couple are given a bare-bones starter house free of charge; they soon discover that a magical force enables them to make desired home renovations  but only at the expense of those less fortunate. The more they acquire, the easier it becomes to rationalize the relative worth of the have-nots.

Why this?: Fans of the 1985 movie Eating Raoul will recognize the territory, though Ridleys sharply written satire is definitely of the moment. An ambitious new company of transplanted artists from the theater scene in Portland, Ore., Door Number 3 hits the ground running with the split-second timing and increasingly frenetic pacing required for this edgy piece. Almost imperceptibly, the audience becomes complicit in the slippery slope that drives the neighborhood slogan: Enough is never enough. Words to live by  as so many do nowadays.

Details: A Door Number 3 production at Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, ends Nov. 18. $32. (323) 960-5521, dn3theatre.org/radiantvermin.
Israeli soldiers shot and wounded 130 Palestinians during protests near the Gaza Strip border on Friday, the enclave's Health Ministry said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said about 10,000 demonstrators massed at the border.

But the protest was relatively small - some of the previous gatherings included about 30,000 people, a sign that tensions that have built up in the past few days may be easing.

On Thursday Israel had ramped up armoured forces along the Gaza border, a day after a rocket fired from the Israeli-besieged enclave destroyed a home in southern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed "very strong action" if attacks continued.

Palestinians have been protesting along the border since March 30, demanding an end to Israel's blockade of the territory and the right to return to lands that Palestinians fled or were driven from upon Israels founding in 1948.

About 200 Gazans have been killed by Israeli troops since the protests started, according to Palestinian Health Ministry figures, and an Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper.

More than 2 million Palestinians are packed into the narrow coastal enclave. Israel pulled troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005 but maintains tight control of its land and sea borders.

Israel launched three miltiary offensives on Gaza during the past decade.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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The Gotham Awards nominations have kicked off the awards season. And if you loved Paul Schraders First Reformed  and, cmon, you did revel in this remarkable film, right?  then youre probably thinking things got off on the right foot. (Or the good foot, as the Godfather of Soul would have it.)

Welcome to the Gold Standard, the newsletter from the Los Angeles Times that helps guide you through the ins and outs of the awards season leading up to the Oscars, not to mention providing links to essential James Brown songs.

Im Glenn Whipp, The Times awards columnist and your newsletter host.

Gotham Awards provide early awards season boosts

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The bogus Hollywood Film Awards trumpets that its the Official Launch of the Awards Season. (Yes, its apparently trademarked.) But its the Gotham Independent Film Awards, whose nominees and winners are voted on by small committees of writers, critics and programmers (27 in all, including Times film critic Justin Chang), that really kicks things off because  transparency. Unlike the Hollywood Film Awards, we know whos voting here, and the prizes arent simply given because the honoree agrees to show up to the ceremony.

For best picture, the Gotham nominees included Yorgos Lanthimos biting historical dramedy The Favourite, Paul Schraders searching character study First Reformed, Barry Jenkins striking adaptation of James Baldwins If Beale Street Could Talk, Josephine Deckers barely seen, improv-heavy drama Madelines Madeline and Chloe Zhaos beautiful rodeo story The Rider.

Notably absent was Alfonso Cuarons festival favorite Roma, though, historically, Gotham Awards voters have shied away from presumed awards season favorites to champion smaller titles such as Madelines Madeline that might otherwise be overlooked.

Times film writer Mark Olsen reported on the full slate of nominees, which included two additional nominations for First Reformed (Schraders screenplay and actor Ethan Hawke) and a special jury award to Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz for their ensemble performance in The Favourite. (During awards season, Fox Searchlight will be campaigning Colman for lead and Stone and Weisz in supporting.)

Maggie Gyllenhaal stars in The Kindergarten Teacher, now streaming on Netflix. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Dont forget Maggie Gyllenhaal for The Kindergarten Teacher

The Gotham Awards dont have supporting acting categories, making for a real jumble and some inevitable omissions. Because voters like to spotlight unconventional films and performances, it would have been great to see Maggie Gyllenhaal win some love for her terrific titular turn in The Kindergarten Teacher. But that voting panel went in a different direction. (Michelle Pfeiffer boosters do take loyalty to another level.)

I spoke to Gyllenhaal recently about the film and the ways she recognized herself within the character, a woman whose life changes when one of her kindergartners spits out a transcendent poem after class.

As a woman artist, youre always bending over backwards to fit into something that isnt natural to fit yourself into, Gyllenhaal says. I didnt have to do that with this film. I didnt have to dig it out. There was a magnetic pull inviting me in. Thats rare. Really rare.

The Kindergarten Teacher is now streaming on Netflix.

Russell Hornsby stars in The Hate U Give. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Russell Hornsby: Sometimes you know you have to go that extra mile

The Hate U Give, an adaptation of Angie Thomas popular YA novel, is viewed as an awards season long shot. But maybe its being underestimated. The film, starring Amandla Stenberg as a high-school student who witnesses an unprovoked police shooting, has earned stellar reviews (read The Times Kenneth Turans take) and has done well commercially since its release earlier this month.

There are a number of strong performances in the movie, including Stenbergs powerful lead turn. But Russell Hornsby, playing the girls loving and protective father, is the standout. Times film writer Trevell Anderson spoke with Hornsby, who considers The Hate U Give to be this generations Boyz N the Hood, a movie he holds dear.

We learned about aspects of our community, about aspects of our society, about aspects of blackness and life at that time from Boyz N the Hood, Hornsby says.

Sometimes, he continues, you have those projects where you know you have to go that extra mile and work extra hard because its not just for you. And for us, we wanted to be authentic. That holds a lot of responsibility.

Feedback?

Id love to hear from you. Email me at glenn.whipp@latimes.com.

Cant get enough about awards season? Follow me at @glennwhipp on Twitter.

glenn.whipp@latimes.com

Twitter: @glennwhipp
Anniversary Screening Set in the car cruising culture of 1962 Modesto, director George Lucas 1973 coming-of-age classic American Graffiti featured a constellation of future stars including Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard and Harrison Ford. Co-stars Candy Clark and Charles Martin Smith will join co-writers Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck for a post-screening Q&A. Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre, 8556 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, (310) 478-3836. Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m. $12-$15.

Lessons Learned: Teachers and Students on Film Australian director Peter Weirs 1975 classic, Picnic at Hanging Rock, is a sun-drenched but utterly haunting tale of a group of schoolgirls, all lovely in their long-white dresses, who disappear along with one of their teachers at a Valentines Day picnic. The series continues with Akira Kurosawas 1993 Madadayo (Nov. 2) and 1967s To Sir, With Love starring Sidney Poitier (Nov. 9). Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 449-6840. Picnic, Oct. 26, 5:30 p.m. Free with museum admission.

Down and Dirty in Gower Gulch The series celebrating the so-called Poverty Row Films, low-budget B movies from the 1930s and 1940s, kicks off with the 1933 pre-code horror film The Vampire Bat. Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas and Lionel Atwill star. UCLA Film & Television Archive, Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Ave., Hollywood. UCLA: (310) 206-8013. Oct. 27, 9 p.m. $10 for movie only. Gala and movie, $250+. Series continues through Dec. 8.

Old Town Music Hall The rare original cut of the 1925 silent horror classic The Phantom of the Opera stars Lon Chaney in one of his most unforgettable roles. Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo, (310) 322-2592. Oct. 26, 8:15 p.m.; Oct. 27, 2:30 and 8:15 p.m.; Oct. 28, 2:30 p.m. $8-$10. No credit cards.

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All Night Horrorthon The hardcore (and nocturnal) audience will be rewarded with seven feature films, special guests, pizza, coffee and Monster drinks. Jason X (2002); Body Melt (1993); Link (1986); Maximum Overdrive (1986); Zombie 3 (1988); Curtains (1983) and Antropophagus (1980). American Cinematheque, Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 260-1528. Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m. $20-$25.

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@LATimesMovies
It is strange to remember, in this age of full-frontal, heavy breathing, American premium-cable sex madness, that respectable old PBS was once the hottest network around, thanks primarily to the importation of British series whose perceived seriousness let a little nudity or an adult situation sneak onto our otherwise demure domestic airwaves.

Oh, they can seem modest enough with their famous British reserve, but you dont have to dig far to find they are as repressed and obsessed as we are by things of the flesh. Three new imported series mix mystery  another traditional British specialty  and desire to varying degrees.

Adapted and inflated by Nick Payne from his 2010 play of the same name, Wanderlust, a BBC co-production now streaming on Netflix, fits one scene of unsuccessful intercourse and two of comically interrupted masturbation within its first six minutes. (Other characters talk about masturbation for another three.) We are therefore waiting for good sex to happen.

The series begins with a card defining its title  strong longing for or impulse toward wandering  as if that word had somehow fallen out of common use, and the main point wasnt the punning lust in the title. This is a show about sex  as urge, satisfaction, distraction. (And love too, but mostly about sex.) Toni Collette and Steven Mackintosh play Joy and Alan Richards, a psychotherapist and English teacher, respectively, and parents of three children, mostly grown. Having tired of each other, sexually but not personally, they decide to try other people while staying together.

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Well, you can imagine.

This is a show about sex  as urge, satisfaction, distraction.

Fortunately, they are not our only company. Their kids stories, which figure into the tightly woven tapestry, are the more compelling, perhaps because they carry only a little bit of baggage  a backpack, as opposed to a full set of Samsonite. Daughters Naomi (Emma DArcy) and Laura (Celeste Dring) are stumbling out of sadness into new relationships. Teenage son Tom (Joe Hurst) is almost all innocence and only a little experience; his relationship with best friend Michelle (Isis Hainsworth), who has a crush on him, and Jennifer (Anya Cholotra), on whom he has a crush, is exactly the stuff of what seems like a thousand teenage comedies, running back through John Hughes all the way to Andy Hardy; but it is gold stuff too.

In the Wanderlust family: from left, Emma DArcy, Celeste Dring, Toni Collette, Steven Mackintosh and Joe Hurst. (Matt Squire / Netflix)

What the series does particularly well is catch what it feels like to be on the verge of intimacy  the pause on the doorstep, the strangeness of another persons space, the charged moment that leads to (or away from) a first kiss.

Characters head off on their various journeys of self-exploration and examination. (Arent we the real mysteries, after all?) The penultimate episode is a real-time, hourlong therapy session, with Joy as the client and Sophie Okonedo playing the therapist  anyone missing In Treatment should be pleased  which is, in its way, a kind of interrogation with more comfortable chairs.

If none of the couples extramarital pairings  most notably Alan and his younger colleague Claire (Zawe Ashton)  make particular sense, their own pairing doesnt quite make sense, either, in part because Collette comes off the screen more forcefully than Mackintosh. Indeed, her performance leaves an impression that amplifies and even justifies Joys bad choices  you import the magnificence of the player into the part. The last minute of the series is nothing but the literally naked Collette, and she makes of it a little symphony of complicated reactions that wont let you rest.

The flamboyantly named Jed Mercurio, who created the well regarded police procedural Line of Duty, is the creator of Bodyguard, a conspiracy thriller beginning Wednesday on Netflix. Richard Madden (Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, which will mean the world to some) plays Sgt. David Budd, a tight-jawed security officer who, after averting the terrorist bombing of a London-bound train, with only a cool head and powers of persuasion, is assigned to guard Home Secretary Julia Montague (the ever-welcome Keeley Hawes). Shes a Conservative hawk, and hes a veteran whos had enough of war.

Its not giving away anything to say that Madden and Montague become involved in a way they might not have expected but any viewer will, even one who had not seen that similarly titled Whitney Houston flick. Things get sexy, I mean, which makes them dangerous. And things also get dangerous, which makes them sexier.

Richard Madden plays a police agent charged with protecting politician Keeley Hawes in the new Netflix series Bodyguard. (World Productions/Netflix)

Some elements of the series struck me as odd, including what seems an endorsement of the surveillance state, and certain climactic revelations had me talking to the screen. But the action is well mounted and the tension tightly wound; it uncoils, when it does, with a satisfying snap. Interestingly, apart from Madden, all the best roles  the power roles  have been written for women, including Pippa Haywood as Budds superior officer and Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command.

And so to PBS. Sunday brings Wilkie Collins 1859 The Woman in White in the sort of classic literary adaptation that still has no ongoing American counterpart. It piles on chance encounters, strange resemblance, a secret society and clever heroines such as Jane Austen crafted 40 years before, but even pluckier and less conventional.

Ben Hardy as Walter Hartwright and Jessie Buckley as Marian Halcombe fight a dark villain in the PBS adaptation of Wilkie Collins Victorian thriller The Woman in White. (Steffan Hill / Origin Pictures)

Handsome, only slightly bohemian Walter Hartwright (Ben Hardy) takes a post teaching art at a far-flung estate to half-sisters Marian Halcombe (Jessie Buckley, dark and earthy) and Laura Fairlie (Olivia Vinall, light and airy) under the indifferent care of their self-involved, Uncle Frederick (Charles Dance, having fun). Frederick plans to marry off Laura to one Sir Percival Glyde (Dougray Scott), whom you will correctly assess as bad news even before you meet him.

Adapted in five parts, the better for you to soak in its candlelit atmosphere, its a story made for serialization, and, unlike some Victorian television adaptations, it doesnt employ garish audio-visual effects to galvanize the modern viewer. Screenwriter Fiona Seres follows the outlines of the novel (and finds a way to maintain its multiple-testimony narrative), with some economical compression and original elaboration in the denouement.

Seres has also shaved 20 years and a couple of hundred pounds off the villainous Count Fosco, as Collins wrote him, to sex it up a bit. Sydney Greenstreet played him, appropriately, in a 1948 American version; here he is played by Riccardo Scamarcio, aiming smoldering looks and saucy imprecations Marians way and getting all up in her personal space. And where Collins goes on at length about Marians looks  not in a nice way  the producers have got the very handsome Buckley to play her, a choice that is hard to argue with on any other account. Shes a splendid heroine.

Wanderlust

Where: Netflix

When: Now streaming

Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)

Bodyguard

Where: Netflix

When: Any time, starting Wednesday

Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)

The Woman in White

Where: KOCE

When: 10 p.m. Sunday

Rating: TV-PG (may be unsuitable for young children)

ALSO:

How Toni Collettes turn in the years scariest film lends Hereditary its terrifying power

PBS brings Little Women to a new generation

Review: Magic and period drama meet in Masterpieces The Miniaturist

robert.lloyd@latimes.com

Follow Robert Lloyd on Twitter @LATimesTVLloyd
Family is terrifying.

There, I said it.

Netflixs new horror series The Haunting of Hill House (no relation) is garnering praise for its moody  if slow-moving  cinematic scares. But as much as the eponymous home dishes out psychological damage on its occupants, its nothing compared to the emotional trauma that family members inflict on one another.

The adaptation of Shirley Jacksons renowned novel Hill House is split between two timelines, one set in 1992 and another in 2018. The Crain family  including parents Hugh and Olivia Crain and children Steven, Shirley, Theodora (Theo), Luke and Eleanor (Nell)  survive their stint living in a ridiculously haunted mansion, for the most part.

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They move out, they grow up, but they never move on. The wounds they suffer remain open and raw because theyre never allowed enough distance to heal.

Because family.

Like the Crain family, I grew up in a family of seven, and though we didnt live in a desiccated manor full of ghosts that resulted in mass psychological scarring, our shared experiences formed a bond that transcended blood.

And its that bond that allows so much of horror to take root and blossom into something grotesque.

So many of the most effective films in the genre are based on a central familial relationship, pulling at the edges and distorting what was once love and care into something else entirely.

In the greater Halloween canon (though not depicted in the 1978 original or the 2018 film), serial killer Michael Myers pursues Laurie Strode relentlessly, looking to kill her as he killed their sister.

In Carrie, the titular character is abused by her God-fearing mother after being told that her menstruation had been brought on by thinking unclean thoughts and, consequently, forced to repent.

In Psycho, Norman Bates is so psychologically warped by his overbearing mother that he murders her, assumes her identity and becomes a sexually repressed, misogynistic monster.

And in Texas Chainsaw Massacre, well lets just say that you should stick to potato salad at that family reunion.

Milly Shapiro, from left, Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne and Alex Wolff in a scene from Hereditary. (James Minchin / A24)

Even modern horror, including this years breakout hit Hereditary, understands that the connection among family is more powerful than nearly everything else, except maybe demons.

Or consider Lizzie, a new film starring Chloe Sevigny, which dramatizes the life of Lizzie Borden, who was tried  and acquitted  in 1893 for the gruesome murder of her father and stepmother.

For the Crain family, the heart of their dysfunction comes not from the events in the house, but in their continued existence afterward.

Each member of the family becomes a living, breathing reminder of the worst time in their lives. What they suffered was a mystery, and every encounter with one another becomes not an opportunity for support, but a representation of all they lost and everything they still dont understand.

Moreover, with some familial strife, your relatives become real-life versions of the ghosts that lurk in the shadows. Family knows who you are, who youve been and, in some cases, knows you better than you know yourself. For some, that realization is a tremendous burden.

And family isnt so easy to dispense with. The wounds suffered by the Crains while inhabiting Hill House dont heal because they are opened anew every time they connect. And yet they keep trying.

Until they dont. As difficult as their lives become, the family doesnt truly begin to self-destruct until they start trying to sever that very connection.

Calls are sent to voicemail and siblings abandoned in facilities. Secrets are kept and grudges are formed. And because it hurts too much to be close, the family tries to rip itself apart, accomplishing far more damage than any ghosts ever could.

In the best of scenarios, a family of survivors would find a way through their collective pain to a place of healing. But its not easy and its not always realistic.

The Haunting of Hill House is about a haunted house, yes, but its mostly about a family haunted by themselves. Its not a horror; its a tragedy.

The Haunting of Hill House

Where: Netflix

When: Any time

Rating: TV-MA (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 17)

libby.hill@latimes.com

@midwestspitfire
What am I?

Ive been thinking a lot about this since Elizabeth Warren revealed that she has proof she has a Native American forebear.



For the record: Sen. Elizabeth Warren was misidentified as the junior senator from Massachusetts. She is the senior senator.

As it happens, I am half Armenian, one-quarter English, one-eighth Irish and one-eighth Norwegian.

And, of course, 100% American.

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Growing up in the San Fernando Valley, it was too complicated to explain my fractional family ties, so when people would ask what I was, Id just say half Armenian.

My father, who was born in the Central Valley hamlet of Reedley, used to joke that my Armenian side is the only half that counts.

He married a woman who came from outside the tribe  an odar, or other, as the Armenians say  but I dont think his parents objected. His family was very busy assimilating.

My mothers maiden name was Blodgett, and we grew up understanding that her side of the family arrived in the New World early on  aboard the Mayflower.

I grew up being told I was a descendant of the Englishman and Mayflower leader Edward Winslow, who became a governor of Plymouth Colony. I have done no genealogical research, but I have no reason to doubt my mother. I mean, she bestowed the middle name Winslow on one of her four kids. What other proof would you need?

And if my provenance goes back to the Mayflower, I am nothing special really, just one of an estimated 10 million people who can claim Pilgrim provenance.

I know of no Native American blood coursing through my veins, though if I had any, I would not expect you to consider me a minority or disadvantaged underdog.

I would not expect to receive no-bid federal contracts, as in the case of William Wages, the brother-in-law of Republican U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who has used a dubious claim of Cherokee heritage to land no-bid federal contracts in Central California.

Nor would I allow myself to be touted as a woman of color by any employer looking to boost its diversity bona fides.

Lets face it: No matter how swarthy my fathers people were, no matter that they ended up on American shores because they were driven by genocidal Turks from their homeland, Im white.

In my life, I have tacitly or willingly benefited from every privilege that accrues to me because of my skin color.

Which brings me to Elizabeth Warren.

::

Warren, the senior senator from Massachusetts, is a fierce and relentless advocate for American consumers. She is an accomplished law professor who helped right the economy in 2008, and championed the creation of a federal Consumer Protection Bureau, which President Trump has gutted. In 2012, she made the leap to politics.

She grew up in Oklahoma, where she and her brothers were told that their mother was descended from the Cherokee and Delaware tribes. Not only that, they were also told that their fathers parents opposed the match because of this blood tie, so their parents eloped.

Over the years, based on this family lore, Warren has claimed to be part Native American. That is hardly nefarious.

Being Native American has been part of my story I guess since the day I was born, Warren has said. These are my family stories, I have lived in a family that has talked about Native American and talked about tribes since I was a little girl.

Where it gets sticky is that, according to the Boston Globe, she identified herself or allowed herself to be identified as Native American three times during her career.

From 1986 to 1995, she listed herself as a minority in the Assn. of American Law Schools. In December 1989, two years after she started teaching at the University of Pennsylvania, she had her ethnicity changed from white to Native American, the Globe reported. And, the paper said, four months after she was granted tenure at Harvard, she was described as its first female law professor of color, a fact of which she said she was unaware.

And yet, as a richly reported Boston Globe investigation discovered, At every step of her remarkable rise in the legal profession, the people responsible for hiring her saw her as a white woman.

Enter Trump, whose displays of racism are only exceeded by his viciousness.

For the last two and a half years, he has derided Warren as Pocahontas, and offered to give her a million dollars if she could prove she is, as he put it, an Indian.

As we know, she took that DNA test, and has been shown to have a Native American forebear  eight to 10 generations back. By any stretch of the imagination, however, that does not give her the right to claim she is a Native American. Warren, lets face it, is white like me.

She can claim to be a person of color as credibly as Trump can claim to be a self-made billionaire. Or a straight shooter.

Or a champion of women.

::

Warren was naive to have raised the notion of her Native American heritage in anything other than private conversation.

But she was downright foolish to get sucked into Trumps racist, misogynistic game. No one ever comes away clean when they try to beat the gutter king on his own turf.

In addition to giving more ammunition, not less, to the yapping conservative chorus of Warren critics, she has also managed to tick off Native American tribal officials, who are sick of Trumps racist attacks, tired of white poseurs, and unhappy to be caught in a stupid battle between two political celebrities that will do nothing to advance their interests.

Have we learned nothing from the whackadoodle demands for Barack Obamas birth certificate?

Did producing the long version of his birth certificate shut Trump up? Of course not.

Trump never cared about where Obama was born. In fact, I swear on Trumps honor, Ill give him a million dollars if he can prove he really believed Obama was born in Kenya.

Nor does Trump give a fig about whether Warren has Native American ancestors, which, we now know, she does.

He cares about lobbing insults, about turning her into a caricature in order to undermine her if she runs against him in 2020. She made up her heritage, which I think is racist, he once said.

I know some have speculated that Warrens timing is strategic, aimed at getting this issue off the table if she decides to run against Trump.

I dont think thats possible. I mean, good heavens, his fans are still yelling Lock her up at rallies, even as members of his own political team are actually sitting in jail.

Lobbing insults is what they do for fun. The fact that insults like Pocahontas are racist? So much the better.

robin.abcarian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AbcarianLAT

robin.abcarian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AbcarianLAT
A veteran teacher who was pulled from the classroom after she described the childhood oddities of Trump aide Stephen Miller has returned to her classroom at Franklin Elementary in Santa Monica.

Nikki Fiske, 72, had been placed on home assignment while school district officials determined whether she had violated rules against disclosing information about students.

Much has been said and written about how a liberal enclave could produce someone like Miller, 33, who is substantially credited with (and blamed for) some of President Trumps most hard-line policies.

Fiskes recollections, published in the Hollywood Reporter, centered on her memory of him as a third-grader in her class. She recalled a messy child who would spread glue on his arm, pull off the dried strips and eat them.

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The brief article was presented as Fiskes account as told to Benjamin Svetkey, who is a senior editor at the publication.

Fiskes decision to describe her former student was widely denounced, both by Trump supporters and others who felt she was out of bounds to disclose a childs behavior in this way, even though Miller is no longer a child.

But others defended her, and she has a following as an educator.

She has taught two of my children and is a wonderful teacher, wrote Marc Abraham in an email. Smart, talented, loaded with patience, who cares deeply about her kids and takes that responsibility so seriously. We need dedicated men and women like her more than ever.

Fiske has avoided the media spotlight since the article was posted.

Santa Monica school officials wont say whether Fiske was disciplined. Lesser forms of discipline could include a warning or a letter in a personnel file  or her short time away could be recorded as a paid suspension.

Whatever the case, she gets to keep her job, according to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

We have conducted a thoughtful review and we have addressed the matter with the teacher, said spokeswoman Gail Pinsker.

howard.blume@latimes.com

Twitter: @howardblume
A California official who enforced the states liquor laws in Koreatown schemed with a businessman to shake down karaoke bar owners as part of a brazen ploy that went on for years, federal prosecutors alleged Friday.

Wilbur M. Salao, 46, and Scott Seo, 49, appeared in court this week on an array of federal crimes stemming from the fraud allegations. Both men pleaded not guilty and were released on bond, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a statement.

The alleged con was detailed in a 26-page indictment handed down by a grand jury last month and unsealed this week.

Salao, a long time employee of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, awarded valuable liquor licenses, directed investigations and meted out punishments to bar owners in Los Angeles Koreatown for several years until he left the agency in 2017, the indictment said.

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According to prosecutors, Salao accepted more than $28,000 in bribes and kickbacks from Seo, a former ABC employee who owned a consulting business that targeted Koreatown bars that needed help navigating the states stringent liquor laws and licensing requirements.

In exchange for the money, Salao allegedly took his cues from Seo on which karaoke bars and other businesses should be targeted for raids and investigations. Once they were in ABCs crosshairs, Seo would offer to help bar owners resolve their problems for a fee, according to the indictment.

Seos attorney, Stanley L. Friedman, declined to comment. A lawyer for Salao could not be reached.

As part of the scam, Salao would expedite license applications for Seos clients and delay those of owners who refused to work with the consultant, the indictment said. He also tipped off Seo when Los Angeles police officers were conducting undercover operations at Koreatown bars, prosecutors alleged. He once sent Seo a photo of an undercover LAPD officer, prosecutors said, so Seo could warn his clients to keep an eye out for him.

We will not tolerate the shakedown of local businesses by corrupt public officials and their cohorts, said U.S. Atty. Nick Hanna. All businesses subject to enforcement and licensing requirements should be able to play on the same level field.

The mens dealings involved at least eight businesses in Koreatown, according to the indictment.

One was a bar ABC officers raided in 2011. Afterward, Seo allegedly charged the owners $60,000 to help them avoid losing their liquor license, which is required to serve alcohol. Prosecutors said Seo used some of the money to pay off Salao, who issued a temporary license that allowed the establishment to continue operating.

In text messages included in the indictment, Seo and Salao openly discussed their scheme, referring to it as Asian Persuasion Control and Asian Persuasion Coalition.

Some karaoke bars and clubs in Koreatown are often cited for, among other violations, serving liquor after the legal last call at 2 a.m., serving minors and exploiting doumi  for-hire women who are paid by bar patrons for their company.

Los Angeles officials have said the Koreatown area has the highest concentration of liquor licenses in the city. For years, it had a reputation for its anything-goes nightlife  indoor smoking, after-hours bars and doumi  that operated exclusively for and by Koreans, out of view to law enforcement and state authorities.

As Koreatowns nightlife became increasingly popular with non-Koreans, vice squads operating out of LAPDs Olympic station attempted to crack down on some of the practices. Yet the enforcement was largely a cat-and-mouse game, based on random checks by police and the ABC team in the area, which was led by Salao.

Salao was part of a compliance check in 2015 at a karaoke bar that was observed by a Times reporter. Seeing hostess girls in the private rooms with windows taped over with paper, Salao told the owner at the time he was facing a 15-day suspension and fines for the violation.

joel.rubin@latimes.com

Follow @joelrubin on Twitter

UPDATES:

5:55 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about enforcement activities in Koreatown.

This article was originally published at 3:15 p.m.
A federal appeals court appeared skeptical Friday about a nationwide injunction that has prevented the Trump administration from broadly exempting nonprofit groups and others from the Affordable Care Acts contraceptive mandate.

During a hearing, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals questioned whether California and other states had standing to challenge federal rules that provided the exemptions.

In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court decided 5 to 4 that closely held private companies could deny contraceptive coverage to their female employees for religious reasons.

The Trump administration, responding to myriad lawsuits challenging the contraceptive mandate, issued two rules in 2017 that expanded the exemption to nonprofit groups that have religious objections to contraception and to companies that are not publicly traded that have moral objections.

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California, Maryland, Delaware, New York and Virginia sued to block the rules, and a federal judge in San Francisco last year issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against them.

The judge ruled that the Trump administration had violated a federal administrative procedures law by issuing the rules without prior notice and comment.

The federal government and religious nonprofit groups, including the Little Sisters of the Poor, which runs homes for the indigent elderly, argued the states lacked standing to sue because they had not been directly injured by the rules.

The states countered that they would have to offer contraceptive services to women if their employers refused.

Judge Susan P. Graber, a Clinton appointee, pointed out that the federal government had acknowledged that the rules would cost the states money in public assistance. She suggested that evidence was enough to give the states standing.

But Andrew Kleinfeld, appointed by former President George H.W. Bush, seemed dubious. He said women who were unable to obtain contraceptives could still sue if the court ruled the states lacked standing.

Judge John Wallace, a Nixon appointee, criticized the lower court for applying the injunction to the entire nation.

Kleinfeld, appearing to agree, also questioned why a nationwide injunction had been needed. Graber pointed to a 9th Circuit precedent that said nationwide injunctions must be backed by substantial factual findings.

The rules broadening the exemptions to the contraceptive mandate require notice and comment before adoption unless there is good cause.

Lawyers for the federal government and religious groups argued the good cause exception involved protecting vital religious liberty guarantees enshrined in law.

Mark L. Rienzi, representing the Little Sisters of the Poor, said the federal and state governments ought to be able to find ways to provide women with contraceptives without involving nuns.

California Supervising Deputy Atty. Gen. Karli Eisenberg, representing the states, said the federal government can skirt administrative requirements in emergency circumstances only when real harm would come.

From Little Sisters of the Poors perspective, Kleinfeld shot back, real harm would come.

Eisenberg also told the court the case would become moot once the federal government adopted final rules. The injunction covered only interim rules that went into effect last year before the injunction was handed down.

California has argued that the rules would allow nearly any employer or health insurance company to exempt themselves from the contraceptive coverage requirement.

The regulations thus transformed an important legal entitlement to no-cost contraceptive coverage into a conditional benefit subject to an employers or insurers veto, state lawyers told the 9th Circuit in written arguments.

The 9th Circuit could rule at any time, though decisions typically are not issued until several weeks or months after arguments.

maura.dolan@latimes.com

Twitter: @mauradolan
A television personality on a popular Persian-language network who acted as an immigration consultant was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison on Thursday for bribing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers, authorities said.

Vida Heravi, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald for paying cash bribes to USCIS officers in exchange for approving applications for citizenship, according to the U.S. attorneys office in Los Angeles.

Heravi of Beverly Hills co-hosts a talk show on the Tapesh TV Network. She pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to bribe public officials employed by USCIS.

The officers approved applications of ineligible immigrants to become naturalized citizens and received $1,000 per immigrant, federal officials said. Heravi paid the officers at least $39,000 on behalf of 43 immigrants.

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In court, Heravi said she gave USCIS at least 20 fraudulent medical waivers that falsely showed the immigrants had conditions that exempted them from English-reading and language requirements in the naturalization process.

She then used the waivers to help the officers evade detection and mislead others, the U.S. attorneys office said.

Heravi did not act alone, authorities said.

Mojdeh Erfani, 50, also was charged in the bribery conspiracy. She worked as an immigration consultant, document preparer and translator. Erfani, of Irvine, has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

Court records show that Heravi and Erfani worked as consultants in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The indictment lists two immigration services officers and two immigration consultants as unnamed co-conspirators.

The scheme allegedly began around April 2009 and lasted through July 2013. According to the indictment, Heravi and Erfani would solicit money from applicants seeking to obtain naturalized citizenship. Erfani would pay Heravi about $1,500  around half of what Erfani charged clients  for help in arranging to an immigration services interview.

A former USCIS officer was sentenced to three years in federal prison for taking bribes from Heravi and others in 2016.

Two other people affiliated with Heravi have also been charged, authorities said.

sarah.parvini@latimes.com

For more California news follow me on Twitter: @sarahparvini

UPDATES:

9:45 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details from the indictment.

This article was originally published at 6:15 p.m.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose on Thursday released the names of 15 priests accused of sexually abusing children, becoming the latest of several California dioceses to release such lists in recent weeks.

Of the 15 priests, nine are dead and the rest have been permanently banned from the ministry. Four of the men had been convicted of sex crimes. All worked in Santa Clara County.

In a letter released with the list, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath called the sexual abuse of children an appalling crime and a sin.

There can no longer be a culture of secrecy in the Church, but one of transparency and accountability, McGrath wrote. Our work will not be complete until all of those who have been harmed have received assistance in healing and until the evil of child sexual abuse has been eradicated from society.

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After a Pennsylvania grand jury this year detailed rampant sexual abuse committed by Catholic clergy there, some dioceses have moved toward greater transparency by releasing the names  in some cases for the first time  of priests accused of such crimes.

The San Diego Diocese updated its public list in mid-September. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles and the Diocese of Orange are reviewing their lists of credibly accused priests  which were last updated in 2008 and 2016, respectively  to see whether any names should be added. The San Bernardino Diocese released the names of 34 priests on Oct. 8.

The list released by the San Jose Diocese did not describe the cases in detail. The reported allegations occurred from 1961 through the early 2000s.

The men on the list are those who have admitted to the offense, been criminally convicted or who have been deemed credibly accused by a diocese review board.

More names could later be added to the list, according to the diocese.

In November, Kathleen McChesney, a former FBI executive assistant director, will head an independent team that will audit priest personnel files, McGrath said in his letter.

Should additional allegations surface during the investigation, those names will be added to to the list that I am providing today, he said.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson
A Russian delegation will take part in the Future Investment Initiative business forum next week in Saudi Arabia, where it will meet Saudi officials and present Russian art, the Russian Direct Investment Fund on Friday.

A string of Western executives who had been due to attend the summit have pulled out amid international concern over the fate of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"RDIF has put together a representative delegation from Russia to participate in the forum, which includes more than 30 leading Russian entrepreneurs and leaders of major Russian companies, as well as public figures," the fund said without giving names.

The delegation, which will be led by Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev, has partnered with the State Russian Museum, located in St Petersburg, to present the works of 20th-century Russian artists including abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia did not have enough information about the unexplained disappearance of Khashoggi to justify spoiling ties with Riyadh.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.

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Tom Heaton thought it was crazy when, back in the 1970s, he first heard about the concept of an earthquake early warning system.

Japans high-speed rail system already was using the technology to slow down trains before shaking from a distant earthquake hit. But the more the young Caltech scientist did his calculations, the more he dreamed of bringing the system to California.

By 1985, he proposed what still was considered radical, a seismic computerized alert network for the state. Over the next decade, major earthquakes in Northern California and the San Fernando Valley added urgency to the effort.

On Thursday, Heaton was at Los Angeles City Hall to watch a demonstration of the warning system that culminated his lifes work  sirens and audible announcements aimed to air before the shaking arrives, declaring, Earthquake! Earthquake! Drop. Cover. Hold on. Protect yourself now!

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Within months, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said, some residents could begin to have access to a network on their smartphones that would offer crucial seconds of warning before shaking from a major quake strikes.

Its been a long time coming, for me personally, said Heaton, who is approaching retirement. I mean, I got excited about this in 1979. And that was a long time ago.

The rollout of the U.S. Geological Surveys earthquake early warning system is a crowning achievement for California  all the more remarkable as it was built during a period without a catastrophic temblor striking to spur terrified lawmakers into action.

Just a year ago, there was a proposal by the Trump administration to end federal funding for the network. But an unlikely bipartisan coalition in Congress rallied to save it.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) was an early champion of the warning system. And Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Corona), chairman of an influential House subcommittee, in the last year had become an open fan, Heaton said. In March, the federal budget added $22.9 million for the project, more than doubling the amount Washington had allocated the previous year.

An earthquake simulation shows ground shaking motion as a hypothetical magnitude 7.8 earthquake runs up the San Andreas fault from the Salton Sea to the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

And that was really critical to putting today together, Heaton said. The fact that Calvert and Schiff were working with each other on this  I mean, its like a miracle. And kudos to them, really.

Its a good thing for California.

The system has become politically popular among state lawmakers as well.

Where officials once banned the use of state general fund money for the system, now Gov. Jerry Brown and legislators have earmarked $25 million to build out the remaining sensors needed.

And in a shift, the Trump administration has moved to help get the system operational.

This month, Ryan Zinke, secretary of the Department of the Interior, issued an order to expedite the approval process for the installation of seismic sensors on federal land, a process that has been bogged down by red tape. The agency dispatched a deputy assistant secretary to attend the ShakeAlert demonstration Thursday.

Science helps us protect people, the official, Austin Ewell, said. The goal is to make sure a disaster does not become a catastrophe.

In the coming months, an app called ShakeAlertLA  developed by AT&T  will be made available for city employees to begin testing on their cellphones, Garcetti said. If the system holds up as thousands of people start using the system, ShakeAlertLA will be rolled out to the public, perhaps as soon as the end of the year.

By advancing earthquake early warning technology, we are making Los Angeles stronger, making Angelenos safer, the mayor said. And itll help save lives, most important, by giving people those precious seconds to stop elevators, to pull to the side of the road, to drop, cover and hold on.

All that will not happen the first day we launch, Garcetti said. But together, with the private sector, we will build the software and the hardware that will allow us to be able to anticipate and react to an earthquake before we even feel it here.

Santa Monica-based Early Warning Labs also is seeking permission from the USGS to begin distributing its warning app on a testing basis to as many as 100,000 people.

Because earthquake shaking waves move slower than modern communications, users farther from the epicenter might get seconds, or perhaps tens of seconds, of warning before the shaking hits them.

In 2014, Pasadena received six seconds of warning from the prototype system when a magnitude 5.1 earthquake hit La Habra. Later that year, Berkeley was given a five-second warning, and San Francisco eight seconds, before shaking arrived from a magnitude 6 temblor in Napa.

Earthquake early warnings already are a reality for many agencies, with transit networks, hospitals and police stations tied into the system. Theres even one system designed to automatically open locked gates at a condominium garage before shaking arrives, so power outages dont trap motorists inside.

Getting elevators to stop on the closest floor and open the doors before the shaking cuts out power is also a priority. An estimated 22,000 people in the Bay Area could be trapped in 4,500 stalled elevators in a hypothetical magnitude 7 earthquake on the Hayward fault, said Keith Porter, research professor of structural engineering at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Implementing the system at full capacity wont come immediately. The current text messaging system is too slow; a recent National Wireless Emergency Alert System test showed that the average delay in users receiving a text message was about 22 seconds.

Years could pass before cellphone systems are fast enough to carry early warnings, but improvements should come as fifth-generation 5G cell network technology is rolled out.

Push alerts through cellphone applications have the promise to be much faster in the short run. They will be put to test in the coming months as the apps are more widely distributed.

A lot of work remains to realize the full life-saving potential of the earthquake early warning system, but its clear we are making tremendous progress, Calvert said in a statement. Significant investments are still needed to complete the system, but as we see applications come to fruition, Im hopeful we can attract additional resources and partners in this important endeavor.

This is a wonderful milestone, Schiff said at a Caltech news conference Wednesday. We can now see the end, I hope, in two or three years where the system is fully built out and funded.

ron.lin@latimes.com

@ronlin
An additional 95 women sued USC this week, saying longtime campus gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall had sexually assaulted them and that the university had failed to protect them despite complaints.

The claims of 93 of the women were filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, bringing the number of patients suing USC to more than 400. Represented in two lawsuits, they allege that USC deliberately concealed abuse by Tyndall for decades.

Andy Rubenstein, whose Texas firm D. Miller & Associates is representing hundreds of Tyndalls former patients, said in a statement that the survivors we represent are furious, and rightfully so. They are not going away.

Generations of Trojan women have had to endure the same emotional pain and scars because USC did nothing, Rubenstein said. Since this story broke nearly six months ago, there has been no significant effort by USC to come clean or enact substantive change in the way it handles allegations of sexual assaults against its staff.

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USC has indicated that it wants to resolve the cases as a group. Chairman Rick Caruso of the universitys board of trustees recently told The Times that he wanted to see the cases settled as quickly as possible.

Allegations of misconduct by Tyndall were brought to light by a Times investigation published in May.

The Times reported that an internal USC investigation had concluded that Tyndalls behavior during pelvic exams was outside the scope of current medical practice and amounted to sexual harassment of patients. But in a secret deal last summer, top administrators allowed Tyndall to resign quietly with a financial payout.

The university did not inform Tyndalls patients. Nor did USC report him at the time to the Medical Board of California, the agency responsible for protecting the public from problem doctors.

In previous interviews with The Times, Tyndall denied any wrongdoing and said his exams aligned with medical standards. He said he engaged in frank dialogue to counsel patients that were mostly in their late teens and early 20s.

In a news conference near the USC campus on Thursday, more than 20 former patients asked California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra to launch an independent investigation of the university administration.

In another lawsuit filed this week in federal court, two former patients also alleged Tyndall performed inappropriate pelvic exams and made lewd remarks.

Serena Anis alleged that Tyndall did not use gloves during two to three of her exams between 2009 and 2013, according to the lawsuit.

Katherine Sloat, who said she saw Tyndall twice between 2010 and 2014, claimed in the suit that the gynecologist asked her for graphic details of her sex life and also performed vaginal exams without using gloves.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno
President Trump on Friday directed federal agencies to speed up their environmental review of major water projects in California and to develop plans to suspend or revise regulations that hamper water deliveries.

The directive will have little immediate practical effect. But it comes a bit more than two weeks before a midterm election in which some Central Valley Republicans are in close races to hold on to their congressional seats.

Railing against environmental regulations that have hurt water deliveries to the valley is a perennial GOP battle cry  and one that could give a political boost to Republican incumbents. But the presidential memo also illustrates the legal constraints that prevent the federal government from single-handedly sending more water to San Joaquin Valley growers.

The memo sets 2019 deadlines for the U.S. Interior and Commerce departments to issue updated environmental rules that govern water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta  the center of Californias sprawling water supply system.

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The review of export limits under the Endangered Species Act started under the Obama administration, which signaled that the protections could grow more restrictive because populations of imperiled fish continue to plummet.

Federal biologists could retreat from that, loosening export limits when they issue the new rules next spring. But if they do, the action will inevitably be challenged in the courts, which blocked a similar effort by the George W. Bush administration.

Californias massive federal irrigation system, the Central Valley Project, must also adhere to state environmental regulations and water rights permits.

In tweets this summer, Trump echoed farmers protests that water flowing to the sea is wasted. In one tweet that was quickly condemned by state officials, Trump incorrectly claimed that water that had been diverted into the Pacific Ocean was inhibiting efforts to fight Northern California wildfires.

The Trump administration signaled that it was wading into California water politics in August.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ordered the Bureau of Reclamation, which oversees the Central Valley Project, and other Interior agencies to develop an initial plan of action that would  among other things  maximize water deliveries, streamline federal environmental reviews of project operations and prepare legislative and litigation measures to increase deliveries.

The efforts have been led by Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, a former partner in one of the nations top-grossing lobbying law firms, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. There, he represented the politically influential Westlands Water District, which would be among the chief beneficiaries of improved deliveries to south-of-delta Central Valley Project customers.

In a briefing on Fridays directive, Bernhardt said it could be the single most significant action a president has taken on Western water in his lifetime.

The memo, which Trump signed on a trip to Arizona, also sets a 2019 deadline for environmental reviews of the Klamath Project, which delivers water for irrigation in Oregon and Northern California.

Five Republican congressmen from the Central Valley  House Majority leader Kevin McCarthy, David Valadao, Devin Nunes, Jeff Denham and Tom McClintock  watched as Trump signed the memo after a fundraising lunch in Scottsdale.

Trump then handed the pen to Nunes, who for years has introduced legislation attacking the federal Endangered Species Act. Several of his proposals have passed the House only to die in the Senate.

This will move things along at a record clip, Trump told the group. And youll have a lot of water. I hope youll enjoy the water youll have.

McCarthy, casting the signing as another promise kept by Trump, said the order could increase deliveries to the Central Valley by more than a million acre-feet. He gave no details as to how.

Three valley Republicans are facing serious challengers, although Denham, of Turlock, is the only incumbent polling behind his Democratic challenger. Josh Harder, a former venture capitalist, has a 5-point lead among likely voters in Californias 10th Congressional District, according to a recent poll conducted by UC Berkeleys Institute of Governmental Studies. The race is listed as a Republican toss-up by the nonpartisan political handicapper Cook Political Report.

As water exports from the delta increased in recent decades, populations of migrating salmon and delta smelt  a finger-sized fish found only in the delta  plummeted. That has triggered endangered species protections under state and federal law that periodically limit the intake of the government pumping plants that divert supplies to San Joaquin Valley fields and Southland cities.

State water quality standards also mandate that a certain level of fresh water flows through the delta to keep salt water from the San Francisco Bay away from the delta pumps.

Legal experts say that any attempts by the Trump administration to skirt state environmental regulations could run afoul of a 1978 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a case that pitted California against the Central Valley Project.

The high court found that, under the 1902 Reclamation Act, federal irrigation projects in the West must conform to state laws.

Kate Poole, an attorney with the environmental group the Natural Resources Defense Council, has waged numerous legal battles to uphold Endangered Species Act protections in the delta. She saw more politics than policy in the memo.

We cannot comment on campaign stunts, she said after reviewing Trumps directive.

Times staff writer Maya Sweedler contributed to this report.

bettina.boxall@latimes.com

Twitter: @boxall

UPDATES:

3:25 p.m.: This article was updated with details of the signing, Central Valley congressional races, and a comment from environmental attorney Kate Poole.
UCLA police on Thursday sought public help to identify a person of interest wanted for questioning in connection with a sexual assault at an off-campus fraternity party.

A UCLA student, whose age was not disclosed, told campus police that she was assaulted shortly before 12:30 a.m. last Friday in the 600 block of Gayley Avenue by a man she did not know, said campus police Lt. Kevin Kilgore.

The man was described as Persian or Indian, 18 to 23 years old, 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 11 inches tall, with a medium build, black hair, brown eyes, full eyebrows and a short beard. He wore black pants and a T-shirt described as having a tuxedo photo on it.

The specific fraternity is not being released at this time due to the ongoing investigation, Kilgore said.

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Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the UCLA Police Department detective unit at (310) 825-1491.
The tug of war over Pocahontas  the Native American chiefs daughter who was born on the James River and died on the Thames River  has been going on for more than 400 years.

Since the first years of the Virginia colony, the girl with a short life and a long history has been a pawn, moved this way and that to serve the interests of colonists, nations and tribes, tobacco sellers, moviemakers and activists.

Now shes been dragged into 21st century politics, her name regularly invoked as a slur by a U.S. president against a U.S. senator  Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)  who might try to unseat him.

On Oct. 16, President Trump tweeted: Pocahontas (the bad version), sometimes referred to as Elizabeth Warren, is getting slammed. She took a bogus DNA test and it showed that she may be 1/1024, far less than the average American. Now Cherokee Nation denies her, DNA test is useless. Even they dont want her. Phony!

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Appearing in a presidential tweet is only the latest incarnation of a name that first showed up in colonial reports written by quill and then in 17th century London newspapers. After a long absence from public attention, she reappears in the discourse of antebellum Virginia, celebrated as the first ally of white settlers in the New World.

They were sick of hearing about the pilgrims and the Mayflower as the beginning of it all, when really it all began in Virginia, said Helen Rountree, a professor emeritus of anthropology at Old Dominion University. They were trying to assert a national identity, and they used her to do it.

In 1995, Pocahontas joined the pantheon of modern Disney princesses, an animated blockbuster that has played out ever since on DVDs and in academic papers alike. Books, reenactors and toymakers have all put their spin on Pocahontas, portraying her as a thrilling girl-power heroine at one turn, a tragic emblem of cultural appropriation at another.

Whatever the myths, her real life was a painful one. She lost a husband, left her homeland and died abroad, all by her early 20s. The historical record is conflicted and controversial, but there are settled facts. Her actual name was Matoaka, and she was born in about 1596 to a Powhatan chief ruling over more than 30 Algonquin-speaking tribes, according to the National Park Service history of the Jamestown Colony site. Pocahontas was a nickname of sorts, often translated as playful one.

The English settled Jamestown in 1607. Relations with the native residents were mixed, with the Powhatans providing food but also chafing under the demands of colonists, who died by the hundreds in the settlements early years. They were constantly seeking more help. Pocahontas, often portrayed as a sprightly 11- or 12-year-old, frequently accompanied deliveries of food to the English and became something of a darling to them.

English Capt. John Smith, in later years, related the story of Pocahontas saving his life at a time of conflict with the tribe, stopping the blow that would have killed him by placing her head on his. This thrilling drama driven by a young maidens love has been irresistible to storytellers from the early colonists to Disney animators.

But scholars say it is unlikely  not to mention unseemly  that an Indian child would have been romantically involved with a grown foreigner. Todays Pamunkey Indians, descendants of Pocahontas tribe, cite their oral tradition to contend that she would have seen Smith as an elder to be honored and that his life was unlikely to have been in danger.

In any case, Smith went back to England, and Pocahontas married a man from a related tribe. In 1613, a new English captain, Samuel Argall, hatched a scheme to kidnap Pocahontas as a way of gaining leverage over her chieftain father. He lured aboard his ship and then demanded a ransom for her release  possibly food and the release of English prisoners.

The captive was placed in the care of an English priest, Alexander Whitaker, who reportedly instructed her in English and Christianity. By the colonists telling, she willingly converted and fell in love with one of the settlers, John Rolfe, who had introduced tobacco as a promising crop to the colony. They wed with her fathers blessing (her husband agreed to a divorce), she was baptized Rebecca, and the couple left for England.

By the Pamunkey telling, which is also included in the Park Service history, she left her people only because she was dragged or duped, acquiescing because it was the best way to help her people. Rather than being in a marriage of love, Pocahontas was a prop the English would use to promote the colony back in London.

She was being used as a PR ploy by the colonists, said Angela Silver Star Daniel, co-author of a history of Pocahontas based on oral tradition, during a 2008 C-SPAN interview. The colonists wanted to show to the English people and the crown that everything was fine and that people were getting along in the colony.

Pocahontas did tour the British capital with her husband and their new son. They had just embarked on a return trip to Virginia in 1617 when she fell ill and was taken ashore at Gravesend, downriver from London, died and was buried there. Researches note that a dysentery outbreak was reported aboard. The Pamunkey history suggests she was poisoned.

Rolfe returned to the colony, and, eventually, so did their son, Thomas Rolfe. They became part of the states genealogical fabric, and Pocahontas family line extends down the generations. Robert E. Lees wife, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, could claim her as an ancestor, as could Edith Wilson, first lady to President Woodrow Wilson.

And she is a direct ancestor of U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire.

Hendrix is a Washington Post correspondent.
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Friday, Oct. 19, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

L.A. voters have committed more than $1 billion to providing housing for homeless people, whose continued presence on the streets has emerged as a critical issue both for the city and for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti as he considers a run for president in 2020. But exactly where to put that housing  temporary and permanent  has become a vexing and emotional issue in recent months. Proposed homeless shelters in Koreatown, Sherman Oaks and San Pedro have sparked anger and accusations that City Hall is ignoring residents wishes as officials pick sites. And many have looked to Garcetti for leadership to balance the need for housing with community concerns about blight and crime. This week in Venice, the mayor listened as angry residents vented and tried to make his case for shared sacrifice. Los Angeles Times

 A new documentary tries to tackle the complexities of L.A.s homeless problem. Los Angeles Times

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 Fear on the streets of skid row. Pacific Standard

 A once hotly contested way of cracking down on San Franciscos homeless appears to be on the decline. SF Gate

Democrats dilemma

How much should California Democrats focus on Trump in their efforts to flip the House? Its a subject of debate. Some Democrats see attacking Trump as essential in an election that will show whether Americans want Congress to put a check on the president. Others avoid Trump and focus on contrasts with specific GOP candidates. Which path they choose depends on a high-risk calculation of whether mentioning the president might backfire with even a sliver of voters in a close contest. Los Angeles Times

 With election day near, Trump again tries to use immigration to fire up crowds. Wall Street Journal

 Trump threatened to send troops to the border and cancel a trade deal with Mexico to stop a migrant caravan. Los Angeles Times

-- Even Republicans are amazed by California Democratic fundraising. San Francisco Chronicle

Prop. 10s woes

An initiative that would expand rent control in California faces a steep deficit as election day nears, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. Los Angeles Times

Get the Essential California newsletter 

Barbara Krugers mural Untitled (Questions), displayed from 1990 to 1992 on whats now the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, will be reprised. (MOCA)

L.A. STORIES

Shes back: A veteran teacher who was pulled from the classroom at Franklin Elementary in Santa Monica after she described the childhood oddities of Trump aide Stephen Miller has returned. Los Angeles Times

Enter the King: The Lakers lost the first game of the LeBron James era, but this dazzling graphic of the Lakers and the quest for perfection will console you. Los Angeles Times

Clipper Nation: Owner Steve Ballmer wants to reinvent how you watch a Clippers game. Variety

Chavez Ravine: A good time to remember what was there before Dodger Stadium. LAist

CRIME AND COURTS

On video: An Orange County Sheriffs Department dashcam video shows a deputy repeatedly punching a motorist in the face while arresting him for misdemeanor public intoxication earlier this year, an action the mans attorney calls excessive force. Los Angeles Times

Deputy shot: Two Los Angeles men were arrested in connection with a shooting that wounded a San Bernardino County sheriffs deputy in Adelanto on Thursday. Los Angeles Times

Gangland: The long, brutal shadow of MS-13 in the Central Valley. Fresno Bee

Predator files: In what is becoming a trend, the San Jose Diocese has opened its files and released names of predator priests of the past. Mercury News

But: Sacramento delays action, saying it wants a review. Sacramento Bee

Interesting: Why the L.A. County Sheriffs Department makes up a good percentage of the countys sexual assault payouts. LAist

In Newport Beach: From reality TV star doctor to serial sexual assault suspect. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

About-face: A handful of Republican lawmakers and candidates, including Costa Mesa Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, have filmed ads about their childrens medical conditions  the kinds of health problems that without Obamacares protections would make insurance coverage unaffordable. Yet Rohrabacher voted to repeal Obamacare, along with its protections for preexisting conditions, dozens of times, including as recently as 2017. He is not alone. Los Angeles Times

Pulling punches? Did Kevin de Leon go soft on Sen. Dianne Feinstein during their one and only joint appearance? San Francisco Chronicle

The legacy of Gov. Moonbeam: Through it all, Brown has relished his reputation as an indecipherable oddball. Los Angeles Review of Books

Fungus among us: The California disease made worse by climate change. Buzzfeed News

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Timely times two: 1990 marked an important social and political moment. The Soviet Union was falling apart. HIV became one of the top 10 causes of death in the United States. And the U.S. was heading toward a war with Iraq. It was the moment for a mural in downtown L.A. that made a statement. Now, in the age of Trump, its having a second act. Los Angeles Times

Sigh: There was a time you could have purchased one of the Bay Areas most storied islands for $200,000. San Francisco Chronicle

Yum: The anatomy of the Tijuana-style taco stand  where the meat is cooked twice and the ladies handle the tortillas. L.A. Taco

Old versus new America: The Sikh activist from California who took on Dear Abby and created a storm. New York Times

Money, money, money: Here we go. 2019 is shaking up to be a gilded age for Silicon Valley, where some huge names are poised to go public. Wall Street Journal

And: Look at these images of the old San Francisco Mission District when it was more barrio than hipster playground. The New Yorker

History lesson: Remembering the great quake of 1868. Mercury News

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: sunny, 88, Friday and Saturday. San Diego: sunny, 82, Friday; sunny, 83, Saturday. San Francisco area: sunny, 71, Friday; sunny, 68, Saturday. San Jose: sunny, 82, Friday and Saturday. Sacramento: sunny, 85, Friday and Saturday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Ren Bloom:

Right after college, I came out from the East Coast for an interview in downtown L.A. The day was bright; it was early morning. People were walking to work and milling about the Civic Center. I walked (in the wrong direction) down to what I would later learn was Japantown. I had never been to anything like it before. I was late to my interview with the L.A. County Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, but I still remember the feeling of exhilaration I had. I was in California! More than two decades later, memories of the blue sky and sun on that day still bring a smile to my face. Ive never stopped loving California and cant imagine living anyplace else. BTW, I got the job.

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
Recreational marijuana use became legal in Canada this week, allowing adults to freely buy and consume cannabis. But admitting to using it could still get a Canadian traveler banned from the United States for life.

Thats because the U.S. government continues to treat marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug  the classification reserved for the most dangerous drugs, like heroin. On Wednesday, when our northern neighbor opened the door to recreational cannabis sales, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reiterated that it would not adjust its policies in response to Canadas decision to liberalize its drug laws.

Instead, the agency will continue its stringent enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which bars travelers from entering the country if they admit to working in the marijuana industry, investing in a marijuana business or just having used marijuana. Even one lawfully consumed pot brownie could get a Canadian traveler blocked at the border  potentially forever.

Pretty crazy, eh?

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This is just another example of how the federal governments failure to acknowledge the shifting politics and public opinion on marijuana is creating an illogical morass of conflicting policies.

It makes no sense to turn away Canadian tourists, who spend nearly $20 billion a year in the U.S., rather than update the nations outdated drug laws.

Weve already seen this play out in the U.S., where eight states have made it legal under their laws to use marijuana recreationally and 30 have allowed the medicinal use of marijuana  even though federal law still prohibits cannabis cultivation, sale and use. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions rescinded the Obama administrations largely hands-off policy toward pot operations that complied with state laws, leaving it to the U.S. attorneys in each state to determine which ones to prosecute.

Meanwhile, banks wont serve pot companies for fear of being penalized. As a result, those companies are forced to do business and pay taxes in cash, which is hard to track and makes them targets for robberies. Thats bad policy  not only is it dangerous, it encourages tax evasion. Yet federal lawmakers have yet to fix the conflict.

Now the federal government is continuing the same head-in-the-sand approach to border enforcement.

The U.S. has already been blocking Canadians who admit to having used marijuana or working in that countrys existing, legal medical marijuana industry. In theory, the law helps border agents identify and exclude drug traffickers and addicts. But the policy has already swept up many Canadians who are neither addicts nor dealers but nevertheless get blocked from traveling to the U.S. to see the sights, do business or visit family.

One 57-year-old construction worker from British Columbia told The Times he was banned for life after he made the mistake of telling agents the truth when they asked if he had smoked pot before he got his official medical marijuana license.

Customs and Border Protection officials said last month that agents were not planning to interrogate every Canadian traveler about marijuana use. But border agents can pull travelers aside at random for additional screening, or when a traveler raises suspicion. Agents have broad discretion to ask questions of people seeking entry to the U.S., and they retain the authority to turn away noncitizens who admit to having used a controlled substance, ever.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

This puts Canadian pot users in an impossible situation. If they admit to using a product that is legal in their country, they could be banned from coming into the U.S. If they lie about using marijuana and get caught, they also face a travel ban. Excluded travelers can seek a waiver from a lifetime ban, but it costs about $600 to apply, plus legal fees.

Even more confounding is that a traveler could visit, say, Seattle or San Francisco  two cities where cannabis use is allowed under state law  and legally smoke marijuana, then return to his home country. If on his next trip to the U.S. he honestly answers a border agents inquiry on marijuana use, he could be banned for life. In other words, travelers could be blocked because of something theyd done legally in this country. Thats ludicrous.

It makes no sense to turn away Canadian tourists, who collectively spend nearly $20 billion a year in the U.S., rather than update the nations outdated drug laws. Congress needs to revisit the federal prohibition and respect states and countries that want to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana.

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President Trump is proving once again that he has little awareness of, or much appreciation for, the reasons so many Central American families continue to flow northward in search of a sanctuary. The latest flash point is yet another migrant caravan that set out a few days ago from Honduras.

Reportedly numbering about 2,000 people, the caravan has already crossed into Guatemala on its way to Mexico en route, for many of the migrants, to the United States. Such caravans, which have existed for years, are part publicity stunt by immigration advocates and part self-defense mechanism. The overland trip from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador is arduous and dangerous, so traveling in groups offers some protection from marauding gangs, rapists and others who prey on the desperate.

Rather than recognizing these caravans for what they are, the president sees them as an assault on our country. He went apoplectic in April when a caravan of about 1,200 Central American migrants moved through Mexico; government officials there dispersed most of the migrants and only about 150 reached the U.S. border. For comparison, so far this year, border agents have arrested an average of 42,651 migrants per month.

The United States cannot simply close its borders to people seeking asylum, which is what most of the caravan members ultimately are seeking.

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The caravans are a drop in the immigration bucket and pose no significant risk to the United States. Nevertheless, they provided fodder this week for another presidential Twitter tantrum meant to rile up his nativist base  Great Midterm issue for Republicans! Trump tweeted, later referring to the migrants, absurdly, as Democrat Party led. He threatened to withhold aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador if those governments didnt stop the exodus. He declared that anybody trying to cross the U.S. border will be arrested and detained. And on Thursday, he threatened to shut the entire border  hed disrupt supply chains and halt trade with Mexico over this?  and secure it with U.S. military forces, which is likely illegal. (The Posse Comitatus Act bars the military from performing civilian law enforcement within the United States, although it can help the Border Patrol with surveillance and logistics.)

Mexico has already warned that only caravan members with proper documents, or those seeking asylum in Mexico, would be allowed into that country. So Trump appears to be flipping out over a relative handful of migrants moving on foot two countries away from a U.S. border that many of them are unlikely to reach. This is political theater, not a crisis.

Heres the cold hard reality that Trump and his acolytes ignore: The United States cannot simply close its borders to people seeking asylum, which is what most of the caravan members ultimately are seeking. Laws and international agreements require the federal government to give such petitioners a chance to enter and make their cases. And beyond the governments legal obligations, to deny asylum-seekers a fair hearing would be cruel and inhumane. Just because Trump doesnt like something doesnt mean he has the authority or right to unilaterally shut it down.

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

And threatening to withhold foreign aid to the Northern Triangle governments is foolishness. In recent years, the aids key purpose has been to stabilize the countries, shore up democratic institutions, and offer economic development to address the conditions that send the desperate fleeing north in the first place: violence and poverty. The way to handle caravans and unaccompanied minors and young families fleeing gang-infested neighborhoods is to beef up efforts to improve conditions in those countries, not slash them.

Granted, the number of families detained as they seek asylum jumped 80% last month over July, according to the Washington Post, reaching 16,658 family members in September. That reportedly has White House officials contemplating a new version of the family separation policy that was so disastrously implemented this summer. Its a thorny issue that has bedeviled even competent administrations.

But the caravan is offering Trump a pretext to do something he was trying to do anyway. In his 2018 budget request, Trump sought to cut aid to Latin American countries 36% and redirect the money from governance and economic growth to security programs. Congress, fortunately, didnt go along and limited the aid cut to 4.2%. But the administrations approach  bullying and threatening while seeking to rein in assistance  runs contrary to U.S. interests and misconstrues the nature of illegal immigration today. New immigrants who are in the United States without authorization tend to be people from Asia who enter the country legally and then overstay their visas, not desperate border-crossers from Latin America. But the latter serve as a convenient bogeyman for Trump to rile up the xenophobes among his supporters. Do not be fooled by the man behind the tweets.

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Carl Sagan, spokesperson for real stars, famously said the moon was boring. Were he still alive today, I bet hed admit he was wrong.

Earlier this year, scientists found, as they put it, direct evidence of surface exposed water ice in the lunar polar regions, the first time such indications were so clear. Another group of researchers has found that water seems to be mixed into the lunar regolith  the soil found all across the moon. And yet another study, looking far back in time, hypothesizes that the early moon may have harbored liquid water on its surface billions of years ago: in other words, oceans, or in Darwins famous phrase, warm little ponds  the perfect breeding ground for microbial life.

While we partake in half-century nostalgia for the Apollo space-flight era  witness the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man scientists, space agencies and entrepreneurs are plotting a do-over. Mars continues to elude us as an immediate destination for crewed missions  for now, it is too expensive and too dangerous get there. But with these recent lunar discoveries, the mantra Moon to Mars is beginning to make a lot more sense.

The moon is visually sublime and scientifically compelling, and now it has renewed capacity to instill wonder.

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Although additional lunar robotic missions are needed to suss out details, the existence of surface water ice at the moons poles and bound-up water in the regolith at least allows us to imagine humans living and working there. Dust and radiation will present dangers to humans on the moon, but these problems will be more easily solvable on a body just three days away from Earth, rather than nearly a year away, like Mars. Thats why NewSpace entrepreneurs Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, as well as NASA, are targeting the moon.The odds are good that we will see humans orbiting it, and on its surface, in the 2020s.

And when humans do land on the moon again  to stay  they should add a search for signs of ancient life, including fossils to the mission profile. How amazing would it be to find the first evidence of extraterrestrial life right next door?

We dont have to be rocket scientists to see that the moon isnt boring. All we need are our eyes.

Saturday is International Observe the Moon Night. The moon will be partly in darkness, which creates sharper contrasts along the divide between light and shadow and thus a better view of many lunar features than during a full moon. (At a full moon, though, the naked eye can best make out what Galileo called the dark and ancient spots, the vast maria  Latin for seas  made up not of liquid water but hardened lava.)

Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute from L.A. Times Opinion 

There will be multiple free Observe the Moon events in Southern California, including one on the roof of the UCLA Mathematical Sciences Building (telescopes available starting at 7 p.m.). Viewing the moon through the eyepiece of a telescope can almost make you feel like you are orbiting our nearest neighbor in space. It offers earthlings our best opportunity to see the nooks and crannies of another world, in the words of Charles A. Wood and Maurice J.S. Collins, authors of 21st Century Atlas of the Moon, a guide for amateur astronomers such as myself. They rightly call the moon a topographically exuberant landscape.

I look at that landscape as often as I can from a backyard in Tucson or from a cabin in the Utah mountains, where I spend part of each summer. Ive learned to find my way across the moons ridges, craters, mountains and maria, and Ive learned a good deal about its human and nonhuman history. I can wax poetic about how approaching sunlight transforms darkness into light-tipped, rugged hills that slowly blossom into the sharp slopes and etched rims of deep craters. I can spy lovely, frozen waves of rock lap against a mountain range and narrow channels that once gushed with thin lunar lava.

The moon is visually sublime and scientifically compelling, and now it has renewed capacity to instill wonder. Its up there whether you live in the city or out in the country. With your own eyes, with binoculars, with a telescope, you can set sail for it. At a time when we are looking back at the 1960s race to the moon, we should also look ahead to what our scientific and even cultural future with the moon might be.

Start by looking up.

Christopher Cokinos is an English professor at the University of Arizona, where he is also affiliated with Institute for the Environment.

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To the editor: The so-called public conversation between Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and her opponent, state Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), ended up being nothing more than a lovefest. With neither the moderator nor the candidates displaying any interest or enthusiasm in the affair, it served as an antidote to insomnia.

And while Feinstein offered up a recitation of her experience in the Senate, including her role in the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, De Leon continued to play his divisive, group-identity warfare card.

Consequently, if there is any benefit to be derived from a Feinstein victory, it will hopefully be one of ending De Leons political career.

Jim Redhead, San Diego

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To the editor: According to a recent USC-Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll, it appears that many Republicans will vote for De Leon just to get even with Feinstein for her handling of the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.

If there was ever a better reason to get rid of the top-two system for deciding which candidates will run in the general election, this is it. It was a dumb idea when California voters enacted Proposition 14 in 2010, and its still a dumb idea.

Ralph S. Brax, Lancaster

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To the editor: How could the Democratic Party ignore Feinsteins many years of experience and leadership in the Senate and endorse De Leon?

The L.A. Times question to Feinstein of whether she could commit to serving a full six-year term in the Senate if she was reelected was ridiculous. Its based on an ageist assumption that she might tire of her job and quit.

Feinstein has withstood the test of keeping her wits and stamina under the extreme conditions of Kavanaughs confirmation hearings. She is a model of loyalty and fairness to our democracy. Lets not break ranks and push her aside.

We need a person in the Senate who demonstrates wisdom, intellect and empathy for those in need. Feinstein is one of the finest women in politics. De Leons time will come.

Karen Finell, Santa Barbara

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The US has said it will maintain a military presence in Syria until further notice, thus putting a political solution out of reach, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an address to the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) this week that the US would not help fund the reconstruction of Syria as long as Iran and militias loyal to Tehran are in the country.

He added that the administration of US President Donald Trump wanted to see a political solution to the conflict, but Iranian forces and those supported by Iran [must] leave Syria for good. If Syria does not guarantee the complete withdrawal of Iran-backed forces, it will not receive a single dollar from the US for rebuilding.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton had earlier said in September that we will not leave until Iranian troops are outside Syrias borders, including Irans allies and their armed militias.

The French newspaper Le Parisien also quoted US officials discussing a permanent US military position in Syria, or at least until Iran and its allies in the shape of Shia militias exit the country.

This declaration and the US escalation appear to show the US wanting to push political change in Syria, but they do not mention any mechanism that would obligate Iran to leave the country.

In January 2018, former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson set out US policy on the Syrian crisis and the Middle East in general.

He said that US troops would remain in Syria to fight the Islamic State (IS) group, the regime led by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, and Iran, and that their presence served US national interests.

Al-Assads departure from power as part of a peace process led by the UN will create a climate of permanent peace, Tillerson said, adding that free and fair elections with the participation of those who had fled the Syrian conflict would lead to the departure of Al-Assad and his family for good.

He accused Al-Assad of turning Syria into a lackey of Iran, stressing that Iran will not be allowed to come any closer to its main goal of controlling the region.

This weeks announcement was not the first time that US officials have hinted at an extended US presence in Syria.

Washington earlier sent some 2,000 soldiers into the country as part of the international war on IS, and in January the Pentagon announced that the US would continue its military presence in Syria as long as necessary to prevent the return of IS jihadists.

These earlier statements by US officials are similar to those being made today, which again sends a message to Russia that its attempts to circumvent the UN and to involve Iran in a solution or create a Turkish-Russian alliance will come up against US opposition.

The US will not entirely abandon its alliance with Turkey since the latter is ranked 17th among the worlds economies and has one of the largest armies in the Middle East.

In Syria, Turkey controls armed opposition groups that dominate a key portion of the north of the country, and supplies would not reach the 2,000 US soldiers based in northeast Syria without land and air routes from Turkey.

Washington understands that Ankara is keen on continuing its military occupation of northern Syria as a barrier in the face of separatist Kurdish fighters.

The US does not object to this even though it has been making tactical moves that have troubled Turkey.

Our alliance with Turkey is not superficial, Tillerson said earlier this year. It is not about temporary interests. It is an alliance that is time-tested and had been built on joint interests and mutual respect.

From now on, the US and Turkey will not act individually, which was why the US and Turkey had created a mechanism for conflict-resolution in order to reach middle ground on contentious issues and bolster relations between the two countries, the US and Turkish media have said.

The US declaration that it would not leave Syria has led to relations with Turkey gradually warming as Ankara had attempted to join the US against Russia. The tough US stance on Russias boundaries in Syria and on Iran have helped improve US relations with Turkey.

A US congressional delegation has visited Turkey to try to convince Turkeys leadership to abandon its S-400 missile deal with Russia in return for a shipment of F35 planes despite a congressional decision banning the sale of these fighter jets to Turkey.

It appears that the US is trying to redefine the Turkish-US alliance because this would facilitate its permanent presence in Syria.

Both countries share key interests that will likely prevent them from drifting apart. The US cannot contain Russian and Iranian influence in the Middle East by relying on Israel alone, for example, and it wants to see a Turkish role.

The US declaration of an open-ended war in Syria should worry the Syrian opposition, especially since it means a political solution has been kicked down the road or does not exist on the US agenda.

The US presence will make the regional and international players present in Syria continue their unending war, increasing the direct and indirect confrontations between these players.

This is especially the case since the Iranian presence in Syria over the past two years has changed from boots on the ground to the infiltration of Syrian society.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 18 October, 2018 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the headline: Unending war in Syria

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To the editor: I taught in Los Angeles in the 1960s. I chose to work in the inner city because I hoped to make a difference. (Austin Beutner and Alex Caputo-Pearl: Two leaders on a collision course toward a teachers strike, Oct. 17)

One year I was assigned 43 sixth-graders in a bungalow with no cross breeze and, of course, no air conditioning. Some students were still struggling to write their own names while others were as much as two grade levels ahead in reading. Some students didnt come to school because they lacked enough clothing; others used a local gas stations bathrooms.

Some things have improved; others have not.

My point is that not just teaching is at the root of low test scores. It is extremely challenging for educators to help students who struggle just to get the the basic necessities of life. Charter schools have more control over which students attend their campuses, while teachers at traditional public schools have a lot more on their plates than creating lessons and grading papers.

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Teachers deserve higher pay and more support.

Carol Kohler, Agoura Hills

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To the editor: Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Austin Beutner seems to worry a lot about money. He says the school district is teetering on the edge of insolvency and therefore cannot fulfill every contract proposal made by United Teachers Los Angeles.

The teachers union president, Alex Caputo-Pearl, wants the district to spend some of its $1.7-billion reserve to reduce class sizes and fully staff schools.

Those of us who live paycheck to paycheck or have no paycheck at all worry about money too. Beutner, a millionaire many times over, draws an annual salary of $350,000. Why are we paying him so much?

Clive Leeman, Ojai

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To the editor: If a teachers strike does happen, the students and the district will be the losers.

The money appears to be there for teacher raises and the increased staffing that is necessary for schools to operate effectively. To blame teachers for low test scores is not the answer to improving the district, and the teachers do deserve more support.

Charters have been allowed to drain students and funding from the district, preventing LAUSD from being a viable option for many students and parents. Blame should fall not only on teachers, but also on everyone who allowed this to happen.

However, Beutner needs to know a little more about Caputo-Pearl, who recounts his distress at being transferred from his beloved job at Crenshaw High. I was the principal at Crenshaw then, and Caputo-Pearl organized several student protests. So much for valuable instructional time.

I do not doubt that Caputo-Pearl is ready for a strike.

Charles T. Didinger, Manhattan Beach

The writer was an LAUSD employee for 40 years.

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The Zheng drug trafficking organization was hardly clandestine. The Shanghai-based network sold synthetic narcotics, including deadly fentanyl, on websites posted in 35 languages, from Arabic and English to Icelandic and Uzbek.

The Chinese syndicate bragged that its laboratory could synthesize nearly any drug and that it churned out 16 tons of illicit chemicals a month. The group was so adept at smuggling, and so brazen in its marketing, that it offered a money-back guarantee to buyers if its goods were seized by U.S. or other customs agents.

Over the last decade, federal officials say, the Zheng group mailed and shipped fentanyl and similar illicit chemicals to customers in more than 25 countries and 35 U.S. states. U.S. officials say the syndicates success, laid bare in a recent federal indictment, partly helps explain Americas skyrocketing death toll from drug overdoses.

Fentanyl, 50 times more potent than heroin, and related laboratory-crafted drugs have become the No. 1 cause of opioid-related overdose deaths. And rogue chemical companies in China  operating openly and outside the reach of U.S. authorities  are the largest single source of the deadly drugs, law enforcement officials say.

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People in labs in China are producing this substance that is killing Americans, Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein said in an interview. This is a real crisis. The Chinese government has the ability to stop this if they want to. We believe they should want to do that.

(Los Angeles Times)

U.S. officials have pushed Beijing to shut down the labs, and say Chinese authorities have taken steps to police chemical makers. The push comes even as relations with Beijing have grown acrimonious amid an escalating trade war and U.S. unease over Chinas increasing economic and military clout.

Nearly 29,000 people died last year in the United States from overdoses linked to synthetic opioids, a category that experts say is dominated by fentanyl and its chemical cousins  a staggering surge from the 3,100 such deaths reported in 2013.

One reason for the spike: The drug is so powerful that a sugar-packet-sized bag of fentanyl can contain 500 lethal doses. That also means it can be smuggled through the mail in what officials call micro-shipments that are far harder to identify and interdict than bulkier loads of heroin, cocaine or marijuana.

Chinese companies send fentanyl in small quantities to dealers in the United States or Canada, but ship the drugs in bulk to criminal cartels in Mexico. The cartels then mix the synthetics into heroin and other substances, or press them into counterfeit pills. The product is then smuggled across the border.

While total fentanyl seizures more than doubled last year, to 1,196 pounds, officials say far more of the illicit drug is getting through. Some of the biggest fentanyl seizures have been in California because of the Mexican connection.

Last month, for example, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized 52 pounds of powdered fentanyl at the Pine Valley checkpoint near San Diego  and that wasnt a record. In December, officers discovered nearly 80 pounds in a college students car.

This summer, authorities discovered 20,000 fentanyl pills in a hidden compartment of a Mini Cooper at the San Ysidro checkpoint, a week after confiscating 11,500 pills in another vehicle.

U.S. drug dealers also purchase directly from China with a few clicks of a computer mouse on company websites or shopping in so-called dark web drug bazaars, where communications are encrypted and dealers often pay with cryptocurrencies or gift cards that are difficult to trace.

Fentanyl drove drug overdose deaths to a record high in 2017  about 200 a day  CDC estimates 

A 33-year-old Long Beach man, for example, was sentenced in June to more than 26 years in federal prison for illegally importing chemicals in bulk from China, including a fentanyl analog, and then producing tens of thousands of pills in a homemade lab.

When agents raided his lab, federal prosecutors said, they seized more than 11 kilograms of acetyl fentanyl, an analog 15 times more powerful than morphine. During a nine-month span, prosecutors said, the Long Beach lab sold an estimated 300,000 pills nationwide.

In Utah, a former Eagle Scout is awaiting trial in Salt Lake City after he and five others were charged with turning his mothers basement into an illicit pill lab. When her house was raided in November 2016, police found 70,000 pills laced with fentanyl and $1.2 million in cash, prosecutors said. The group allegedly sold hundreds of thousands of the pills on the dark web.

The ease with which dealers can buy fentanyl from China is a challenge because its creating traffickers who are not affiliated with larger organizations or with cartels, said Paul Knierim, a top Drug Enforcement Administration official.

It isnt hard to find fentanyl and similar drugs on the internet, and sales tactics rival those of online retailers, according to federal investigators.

(Los Angeles Times)

A simple Google search of fentanyl for sale returned a number of potential sellers, according to a Senate Homeland Security Committee report released in January.

It said investigators, posing as a first-time fentanyl purchaser, had contacted six online sellers overseas, and each offered to ship purchases to the United States  sometimes with aggressive salesmanship.

The sellers actively negotiated  to complete a deal by offering flash sales on certain illicit opioids and discounted prices for bulk purchases, the report said. When investigators failed to immediately respond to an offer, the online sellers proactively followed up, sometimes offering deeper discounts to entice a sale.

Fentanyl was developed decades ago as an ultra-powerful painkiller  100 times more potent than morphine  for use in surgery. It is still used to help hospice-level cancer patients.

Drug dealers began dabbling in the drug in the mid-2000s, but it surged in popularity in 2014 and 2015 because it was easy to obtain and hugely profitable.

A $1,500 kilogram can bring $1.5 million in profits after the drug is cut and sold on the street, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

There was only one place to obtain the drug: China. It has a robust chemical and pharmaceutical sector, as well as lax regulations and widespread corruption.

Regulatory gaps have led to a large increase in the number of unlicensed or semi-legitimate chemical manufacturers or distributors, Bryce Pardo, an analyst from the Rand Corp. think tank, recently told Congress.

A lack of oversight and government and corporate accountability increase opportunities for corruption, he added.

Chinese dealers targeted a loophole that let them send packages to the United States through the mail without providing detailed information on the sender or the contents of the package. Private carriers, such as FedEx and UPS, are required to provide such information to customs inspectors, which can help authorities identify smugglers and smuggling patterns.

Congress this month passed legislation designed to close that gap, and President Trump is expected to sign it into law.

U.S. officials long have pressed China to more aggressively police its chemical manufacturers, and China has strictly regulated the production of 175 chemicals, including fentanyl and some of its analogs.

Drug Llama, accused of selling 50,000 fentanyl pills over the dark web, is linked to babys death 

That chemical-by-chemical approach, however, permits drug companies to tweak chemical formulas to get around a ban.

U.S. officials want China to follow the lead of the DEA, which in February used emergency powers to categorize fentanyl-related substances as controlled substances under federal law. The move was designed to make it easier to prosecute offenders and thwart chemists from slightly altering formulas.

A Chinese Embassy representative in Washington declined comment but forwarded remarks made by Hua Chunying, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, at a January news conference in Beijing.

Anti-drug cooperation is one of the highlights of China-U.S. law enforcement cooperation, Hua said. In recent years, the two sides have conducted some highly effective cooperation on cracking down on cross-border drug-related crimes and advancing psychoactive substance listing and control, which has won wide approval from the public of the two sides. Chinas attitude on this issue is very clear.

The Justice Department has brought charges against several Chinese manufacturers of synthetic opioids. They are unlikely to end up in U.S. courtrooms because Washington and Beijing do not have an extradition treaty, and China has generally refused to send its citizens to the United States for criminal trials.

Last October, the Justice Department unveiled the first-ever indictment against Chinese manufacturers of opioids, accusing two groups with operating illicit labs that sold fentanyl and other drugs to U.S. dealers. The rings were vast  one involved at least 100 distributors  and authorities were able to trace at least four deaths to fentanyl and related chemicals sold by one of the groups, court records show.

Then in August, federal prosecutors in Cleveland unveiled a 43-count indictment against the Zheng organization. It alleged that Fujing Zheng, 35, and his father, Guanghua Zheng, 62, both of Shanghai, ran a global organization that manufactured tons of illicit chemicals each month.

U.S. officials said the Zhengs were adept at staying ahead of regulators  and police. When China banned unregulated production of one synthetic narcotic, officials said, the Zhengs used their expertise to adjust the formula to skirt the prohibitions and keep the drugs flowing.

We work diligently to make every possible chemical to meet the needs of our customers, the Zhengs wrote on one of their websites, according to court papers. We will create custom-made products for you.

To get their product to U.S. customers, the Zhengs often relied on middlemen who hid the drugs in bulk freight shipments and then helped redistribute them. Prosecutors said that helped obscure the narcotics origins.

The Zhengs could not be reached for comment for this story.

But their operation had a deadly effect halfway across the world. In February 2015, Leroy Steele, 38, a small-time drug dealer in the Akron, Ohio, area, sent the Zheng organization an email seeking to purchase acetyl fentanyl, according to court papers.

Send me prices as well as information on where I can send the money, Steele wrote.

A member of the Zheng group quickly replied, prosecutors alleged, and claimed he represented professional acetyl fentanyl manufacturer in China, our products are all best quality, a lot of U.S. and Europe customers purchase largely from us every month.

Tell me how many quantity you wanna buy, the member wrote. Do you wanna have a sample order?

Steele wired the Zhengs $3,500 for half a kilogram of the narcotic.

The dealer, who later would be sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug distribution charges, soon was slinging heroin laced with acetyl fentanyl to his customers, prosecutors said.

Within a few weeks, federal officials said, two of Steeles customers, a 37-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman, were dead  from overdoses.
The apparent murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi coincided, coincidentally, with one of President Trumps periodic media offensives.

In the two weeks since Khashoggi, a U.S. resident, disappeared, Trump has given almost daily interviews, answering questions from dozens of reporters. Thats not because of the missing journalist, of course, but because the president sees himself as the administrations best salesperson heading into the midterm elections.

According to a compilation by ABC News, as of Thursday, Trump had answered nearly 300 questions from reporters over an 11-day period. Hes been most prominent on Fox, as Eli Stokols wrote, but the interviews have gone well beyond that. The scope of questioning was a display of openness surpassing any of his recent predecessors.

Simultaneously, however, Trump provided cover for the Saudis after they practiced the ultimate in press censorship, murdering an American-based journalist who had criticized the Saudi government, according to U.S. officials. And, at a rally Thursday night, Trump praised a Republican congressman who pleaded guilty last year to assaulting a reporter.

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The juxtapositions say something about Trump  a president who likes to play with authoritarianism  as he deals with a Saudi ally who practices it in deadly earnest.

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SOUND A QUAVERING TRUMPET

Since Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2, Trump has publicly wavered about what to do.

His administration has tightly embraced Saudi Arabia as an ally, especially in the U.S. confrontation with Iran. Trump watches gasoline prices, knowing that a sudden increase could cause political harm. And his son-in-law and advisor, Jared Kushner, has developed a close relationship with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the countrys de facto ruler and the man widely suspected of having targeted Khashoggi.

For days after Khashoggi disappeared, the administration said almost nothing. Then Trump expressed sympathy for Khashoggis fiancee, but continued to give credence to Saudi denials that the journalist had been killed.

By Sunday, as Laura King wrote, Trump had shifted ground somewhat, saying in an interview on 60 Minutes that if the Saudis were involved in anything as terrible and disgusting as the murder of a journalist, there would be severe punishment.

The next day, as Tracy Wilkinson and Stokols wrote, he wobbled back in the other direction, floating the deeply implausible idea that rogue killers might have gotten into the heavily secured Saudi Consulate in Istanbul where Khashoggi was last seen and killed the journalist.

The king firmly denies any knowledge of it. He didnt really know. Maybe, I dont want to get into his mind, but it sounded to me like maybe it could have been rogue killers. Who knows? Trump told reporters as he recounted a phone call he had with Saudi King Salman.

Were going to try to get to the bottom of it very soon, but his was a flat denial, Trump said. It sounds like he and also the crown prince had no knowledge.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo met with Saudi rulers, and on Wednesday, Trump and Pompeo defended the Saudis.

Trump went so far as to compare the Saudi crown prince to his Supreme Court appointee, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, saying that both men had been judged guilty until proven innocent  a comparison that might have caused shudders in Kavanaughs judicial chambers.

Then, on Thursday, after Pompeo returned to the U.S., the administration abruptly shifted again. Trump acknowledged Khashoggi was probably dead, seemed to accept that Saudis had killed him, and Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin announced that the U.S. was pulling out of a major international investment conference in Riyadh that most U.S. allies already had abandoned.

The gyrations reflect an administration caught between contending forces, unsure of how to respond, as well as a president who often stubbornly refuses to accept facts that cause him personal or political trouble.

Saudi officials won Trump over early in the administration by playing to his vanity with a lavish welcome when he visited the kingdom. He counts a strengthened relationship with Saudi Arabia as a big win for his administration.

And, of course, Trump loves to talk about all the things that he says the Saudis have promised to buy from the U.S., although, as Noah Bierman reported, he uses badly inflated figures to exaggerate the benefits.

At the same time, Republican members of Congress, including Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida, have called for the U.S. to punish the Saudis for what they see as a brazen atrocity. And Trump knows that its not hard to convince Americans to see Arab monarchs as villains, having done plenty of that himself.

Administration officials still hope to bring the saga to a close without long-term damage to relations with the Saudis  perhaps with a Saudi statement blaming Khashoggis death on an underling. The next couple of weeks will tell if they can pull that off.

DECISION CALIFORNIA  THE MIDTERMS

One major factor as midterm election campaigns wind toward a close  Democrats are out-raising Republicans by millions. Christine Mai-Duc looked at the wave of small-dollar donations swelling Democratic bank accounts in Californias most competitive House races.

The same phenomenon is taking place nationwide  a sign of Democratic anti-Trump fervor and the lefts success in building a vast network of small donors, using the Bernie Sanders model.

As far as voter preferences, in California theres little suspense at the top of the ticket, Phil Willon reported. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has a commanding lead over John Cox, his Republican challenger, according to the latest USC-Dornsife L.A. Times poll.

In the same poll, the Senate race between Sen. Dianne Feinstein and state Sen. Kevin De Leon, both Democrats, has more of a twist. De Leon has run against Feinstein from the left, but much of his support now comes, ironically, from Republicans, Sarah Wire reported. With Democrats outnumbering Republicans in the state, Feinstein still has a big advantage.

De Leon has had difficulty demonstrating a clear ideological difference between himself and Feinstein, as their debate showed on Wednesday, Wire reported.

Two ballot initiatives  a measure to repeal the recent gas tax increase and one that would expand rent control  both seem headed for defeat, the poll found.

Meanwhile, a major new initiative is headed for the 2020 ballot that would change part of Proposition 13 to allow higher property taxes on commercial buildings, Liam Dillon wrote.

THE TRICKY POLITICS OF INDIAN ANCESTRY

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who is planning a presidential run for 2020, fought back this week against Trumps Pocahontas taunts. As Bierman wrote, she released a DNA test that shows she likely does have some Native American ancestors.

Whether the move helped her politically remains to be seen. Warren got a lot of flak, including from some tribes, but addressing the issue early may yet prove a smart move.

Meanwhile, as Paul Pringle and Adam Elmahrek reported, House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthys family benefited from U.S. program for minorities based on their disputed claim of Native American ancestry. McCarthys brother-in-law claims affiliation with the Northern Cherokees  an unrecognized tribe that appears to be widely claimed by people seeking government contracts.

The Bakersfield-area congressman disclaimed any knowledge of his brother-in-laws business.

DEMOCRAT ON THE MOVE, BUT TO WHAT?

Its no secret that Rep. Adam Schiff has higher ambitions. Sarah Wire took a look at the question the Burbank Democrats colleagues and others keep asking: Whats his next political move?

HEALTHCARE DOMINATES CAMPAIGNS, RUSSIA NOT

GOP lawmakers who voted for years to repeal Obamacare now say they want to save popular parts of it, Jennifer Haberkorn reported. In campaigns around the country, Republicans now claim that they support protections for people with preexisting health conditions, even though their voting record points in the opposite direction.

Healthcare has dominated campaigns back to 2010, but this year, its the Democrats who are on offense on the issue.

By contrast, few Democrats focus on the Russia investigation, Chris Megerian wrote. He looked at why the Democrats dont press the issue more.

Republicans had hoped the campaign would turn on the good economy, but as Mark Barabak wrote from Nevada, Trumps unpopularity in many parts of the country outweighs the low unemployment rate.

Men have done it since the Founding Fathers. Now female veterans are hoping to parlay military service into political careers, Haberkorn wrote, looking at the large crop of female vets running in both parties.

AS GOP TRIES TO REACH WOMEN VOTERS, TRUMP ATTACKS HORSEFACE

A federal judge on Monday dismissed Stormy Daniels defamation suit against Trump. As Michael Finnegan wrote, the judge ruled that the 1st Amendment protected Trumps comments about the porn actress, whom he paid off after she claimed a sexual encounter with him.

Trumps twitter jibes at Daniels, were in the realm of rhetorical hyperbole that the 1st Amendment covers, the judge wrote, and he ordered her to pay the presidents legal fees.

The defamation suit was only one part of the litigation surrounding Trumps alleged affair with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Trump, however, claimed total victory and labeled Daniels Horseface.

Thats probably not what Republican campaign strategists were hoping for in an election in which theyre trying to improve the partys image among women.

MATTIS COMING OR GOING?

In his 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, Trump applied a different label to Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis, calling him sort of a Democrat  not a compliment from Trump  and musing about whether he might leave after the midterm election.

The next day, however, Mattis told reporters that Trump gave him vote of confidence in a telephone call.

He said, Im with you 100%, Mattis told reporters traveling with him to Asia.

The exchanges were the latest example of how Trump likes to publicly toy with senior officials.

DRUGS FROM CHINA

The main item on the agenda for Mattis trip was an effort by U.S. and Chinese officials to try to reset relations after months of growing tensions, both militarily and economically. Mattis aides conceded that the talks made little progress, David Cloud reported from the scene.

Another big issue in the U.S.-China relationship: Fentanyl smuggled from China is killing thousands of Americans, Del Wilber reported, looking at major cases across the country. The Chinese have promised to crack down on illegal operations that manufacture and ship synthetic opioids. U.S. officials say theyve seen little progress.

LOGISTICS

That wraps up this week. Until next time, keep track of all the developments in national politics and the Trump administration with our Essential Washington blog, at our Politics page and on Twitter @latimespolitics.

Send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com.

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David.lauter@latimes.com

@davidlauter
The Justice Department on Friday unveiled the first foreign-meddling conspiracy case to arise from the 2018 midterm campaign, charging a Russian accountant with helping to spread election disinformation through fake social media accounts.

Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, 44, was allegedly the chief accountant for Project Lakhta, a disinformation effort spearheaded by the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, which was also accused of interfering in the 2016 presidential race.

U.S. officials described the agency as a troll farm, known for its prolific output of inflammatory and often false social media posts. The organization is funded by Yevgeniy Viktorovich, an oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Spending on such online subterfuge has increased, according to a newly unsealed affidavit, as Moscow advances its effort to inflame political divisions in U.S. campaigns that will determine control of Congress.

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Social media posts from accounts with names such as @TrumpWithUSA and @wokeluisa pretended to highlight debates over gun control, illegal immigration and protests by professional football players during the national anthem. But none of them were written by Americans, officials said, and all of them were intended to amplify controversial viewpoints.

Viktorovich was previously charged by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is leading the investigation into Moscows meddling in 2016 and whether anyone from the 2016 Trump campaign conspired with Russians. However, the case against Khusyaynova is being handled by the Justice Departments national security division.

Americans disagree in good faith on all manner of issues, and we will protect their right to do so, said Assistant Atty. Gen. John C. Demers in a statement. Unlawful foreign interference with these debates debases their democratic integrity, and we will make every effort to disrupt it and hold those involved accountable.

Khusyaynova has not been arrested and, as a Russian national living in St. Petersburg, is unlikely to be extradited to stand trial.

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

The Russians developed detailed guidance on how to target social media posts. Liberals were believed to be more active at night, which was daytime in St. Petersburg. And workers were told that conservatives would see their posts when they wake up in the morning if you post it before you leave in the evening.

Some posts spread false information about former President Obamas ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or claimed that every deported family of illegal immigrants would save the country $700,000. Social media campaigns were centered around articles from fringe U.S. websites such as WorldNetDaily, which published The 8 Dirtiest Scandals of Robert Mueller No One is Talking About in August 2017.

Russian workers were encouraged to share the article by describing the special counsel as a highly politicized figure and insisting there will be no honest and open results from the investigation.

At the same time, Russians also posted messages supportive of Muellers investigation.

Still think this Russia thing is a hoax and a witch hunt? Because a lot of witches just got indicted, one tweet said.

President Trump downplayed the new charge on Friday, saying the Russian effort had nothing to do with my campaign. Asked whether he had any warnings for Russia or other countries who try to meddle in U.S. politics, Trump said, Ive already said that. He blamed Obama for not doing more about the problem in 2016.

The charge comes as the Trump administration is still grappling with foreign election meddling. The Homeland Security Department organized a briefing on Friday morning to detail how local, state and federal officials are prepared to handle misinformation surrounding the elections and attempts to hack the voting process.

John Bolton, President Trumps national security advisor, announced he would visit Moscow this weekend to meet with the Russian foreign minister and other officials, and election issues are expected to be on the agenda.

In addition, top national security officials issued a rare joint statement saying theyre tirelessly working to identify and counter threats.

We believe the greatest strength of our society is an engaged and informed public. Adversaries target U.S. elections to divide America along political lines and influence key policy decisions that are in their national interest, said the statement released by the office of Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence.

U.S. officials have said Russian efforts do not appear to be on the same scale as two years ago. During the 2016 presidential race, Russian military intelligence officers hacked Democratic Party emails and distributed them online to embarrass Hillary Clintons campaign, according to an indictment obtained by Mueller this year. They also probed state election offices, although theres no evidence of any tampering with votes.

Federal officials said Friday that they continued to believe that midterm election ballots would be safe.

Were not aware of any compromises, said Christopher Krebs, a Homeland Security undersecretary.

However, the latest criminal case makes it clear that disinformation efforts have not ended.

The conspiracy has a strategic goal, which continues to this day, to sow division and discord in the U.S. political system, including by creating social and political polarization, undermining faith in democratic institutions, and influencing U.S. elections, including the upcoming 2018 midterm election, said the affidavit filed last month and unsealed on Friday.

The affidavit said Viktorovichs companies  Concord Catering and Concord Management and Consulting LLC, both of which have already been charged in a previous indictment  used roughly 14 bank accounts to funnel money to Project Lakhta while claiming the payments involved software development and other business functions.

Khusyaynova kept detailed financial records, according to the affidavit, tracking spending on social media marketing, computer servers, salaries and office rent.

In 2016, Project Lakhtas expenses were $12 million, or 720 million rubles, the affidavit said. Spending rose to $12.2 million in 2017, even though there werent national elections.

The budget appeared to continue expanding this year as well. More than $1.9 million was requested in June, the latest month included in the affidavit.

Social media networks have pledged to crack down on foreign influence campaigns, deleting fraudulent accounts and increasing transparency around their operations. But the affidavit said Russians continued to purchase advertisements on Facebook and Instagram in the first six months of this year, spending more than $66,000. Another $18,000 was allegedly budgeted for managing Twitter accounts.

Despite the ongoing efforts, the misinformation campaign has not reached the same scale as 2016 yet, according to U.S. officials.

Im kind of paranoid by disposition, Krebs told reporters during Fridays briefing. When Im not seeing a lot of activity, there gets me thinking, what are they doing, might they be waiting for the last minute?

chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @chrismegerian

UPDATES:

3:25 p.m.: The article was updated with comments from President Trump.

2:45 p.m.: The article was updated with more details about the case.

The article was originally published at 11:35 a.m.
President Trump continued to draw sharp criticism Friday over his praise at a Montana political rally for a Republican congressman who pleaded guilty last year to assaulting a reporter.

At the rally in Missoula on Thursday night, where Trump continued to brand Democrats as an angry mob in the run-up to Novembers midterm election, he told supporters of the congressman, Greg Gianforte, Any guy that can do a body slam, hes my candidate. Hes my guy.

The presidents comments were especially criticized for coming amid the global outcry over the alleged slaying and dismemberment of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi by officials with ties to Saudi Arabias royal family  a furor the president has been reluctant to join in the more than two weeks since Khashoggis disappearance.

All Americans should recoil from the presidents praise for a violent assault on a reporter, said Olivier Knox, the president of the White House Correspondents Assn., in a rare public statement Friday.

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This amounts to the celebration of a crime by someone sworn to uphold our laws and an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has solemnly pledged to defend it.

Trump did not apologize Friday during an exchange with reporters, and drew a contrast between Gianfortes act and Khashoggis apparent murder. That was a different league and a different world, he said.

Before leaving Washington on Thursday for a three-day Western campaign swing, Trump acknowledged for the first time since Khashoggis Oct. 2 disappearance that the journalist is likely dead.

At the rally that night in Montana, in more than an hour onstage delivering familiar lines of self-praise and partisan attacks, Trumps seemingly ad-libbed remarks about Gianforte stood out  even for a president who has consistently maligned the media as fake news and the enemy of the people.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge after his May 2017 attack on Ben Jacobs, a reporter for the Guardian. Jacobs had asked then-candidate Gianforte about the Republican Partys plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, a subject the candidate had taken care to avoid on the campaign trail.

After winning the special election for Montanas lone House seat the following day, Gianforte was sentenced to perform community service, pay a fine and take anger-management classes. The congressman also apologized in a letter to Jacobs and donated $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

My physical response to your legitimate question was unprofessional, unacceptable, and unlawful, Gianforte wrote in the letter to Jacobs weeks after the incident. I made a mistake and humbly ask for your forgiveness, he added.

Despite that history, Trump, who has at times seemed to condone violence against protesters at his rallies and the media, celebrated the incident at the Missoula rally as supporters applauded and laughed.

I had heard that he body slammed a reporter, Trump said, recalling that he learned of the incident while on a presidential visit to Rome. I said  this is like the day of the election  I said, Oh, this is terrible, hes gonna lose the election....Then I said, Wait a minute. I know Montana pretty well; I think it might help him. And it did.

Kathleen Williams, the Democrat challenging Gianforte, saw political advantage in Trumps reviving the incident: Her campaign quickly bought time starting Friday on statewide TV for a new ad using an audio recording of Gianfortes attack against Jacobs.

The Guardians U.S. editor, John Mulholland, responded to Trumps comments quickly in a statement Thursday night: To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it.

Mulholland added, In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats.

Republicans, many of whom have echoed Trumps rallying cries about a Democratic mob, were mostly silent about the presidents remarks. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a House Republican leader, defended the president, tweeting that Trump was clearly ribbing Gianforte.

The presidents son Eric Trump similarly scoffed at the criticism during an appearance on the Fox News Channel, and said of his father, He can have fun. The episode was a reminder of why my father won, he added: People were tired of the perfectly scripted politician and liked his father because hes un-P.C.

Some Democrats, however, took the comments quite seriously, especially after Khashoggis possible slaying. Critics have said autocrats such as the Saudi rulers likely feel they have more license to act against journalists, given that Trumps frequent media attacks suggest they have little to fear from the United States.

Rhetoric like this, which has become commonplace for this president, is even more appalling on the heels of Jamal Khashoggis murder, said Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) in a tweet. Violence is never acceptable, and applauding an assault on a reporter is beyond wrong and detrimental to our democracy.

The latest from Washington 

eli.stokols@latimes.com

@EliStokols

UPDATES:

2:20 p.m.: This article was updated with quotes from President Trump, Rep. Steve Scalise and Sen. Richard J. Durbin, and news of Kathleen Williams TV ad.

9:55 a.m., Oct. 19: This article was updated with reactions from the White House Correspondents Assn. and the Guardian editor.

This article was originally published Oct. 18 at 7:50 p.m.
As President Trump has faced increasing pressure to punish Saudi Arabia over its suspected torture and murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, he has repeatedly cited the countrys value as not only an ally, but also a customer.

Theyre a tremendous purchaser of not only military equipment, but other things, Trump said this week. When I went there, they committed to purchase $450 billion worth of things, and $110 billion worth of military. Those are the biggest orders in the history of this country, probably the history of the world.

Trumps open talk of sales figures as a factor that could outweigh human rights concerns is a rare stance for an American president, one that conflicts with long-standing national values. Compounding the controversy, the presidents figures are significantly inflated, speculative and further in doubt owing to international revulsion at the Saudis over Khashoggi, according to defense experts and current and prior reviews by The Times.

To go around and throw a number like that around is really highly misleading, and thats being generous, said Richard F. Grimmett, who spent three decades compiling the most authoritative accounting of U.S. military arms sales for the Congressional Research Service before retiring in 2012.

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The military sales figures are murky because it takes years to negotiate, approve and build weapons systems for sale to another country. So far, contracting experts and government officials estimate that the Trump administration has agreed to somewhere between about $15 billion to $22 billion in sales to Saudi Arabia, many of which were negotiated during the Obama and George W. Bush administrations.

Trump, amid outcry over murdered journalist, praises an act of violence against a reporter 

Its showmanship in lot of ways. This $100-billion deal over many years is still much yet to be negotiated, and much of it may never happen, said Jeff Abramson, a fellow at the nonpartisan Arms Control Assn.

The presidents promise to boost the U.S. economy through Saudi purchases dates to his sumptuously feted visit to the kingdom 17 months ago. As his first international trip as president, Trumps tour was a powerful symbol of his intent to reorient American foreign policy in the Middle East and throughout the world.

As Trump was being celebrated by the Saudi royals  led by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now the nations de facto ruler and widely blamed in Khashoggis suspected death  the administration announced a $110-billion arms deal and a series of commercial deals that it said would lead to a combined total of upwards of more than $350 billion in investment in the United States. The Saudi government valued the package at in excess of $380 billion.

Trump administration officials could not say where the president came up with the number he used this week, a total of $560 billion. Nor could they provide a list of itemized investment projects.

From the beginning observers raised questions about the commercial aspects of the deal. When the announcement was made in May 2017, administration officials allowed a Times reporter to view a list of 23 projects that were the basis for the presidents investment and jobs claims. The two-page list contained broad ranges of dollar figures, however, and an important caution at the top: Economic Impact figures are supplied by Saudi sources and are not verified.

A deeper look at the list underscores why American officials were reluctant to take it at face value, at least behind the scenes.

The biggest project, a $100-billion investment fund backed by the Japanese telecom giant SoftBank, is based far from the United States, on the British island of Jersey. The so-called Vision Fund is expected to benefit American companies and workers. Yet it also has operations in London and Tokyo and plans to invest in technology companies around the world.

An official familiar with the funds plans told The Times last year that it viewed the United States as an attractive market but that the firm had no single geographic focus.

Courtesy of a pledge by the crown prince, the Saudi contribution is supposed to be $45 billion  not the full $100 billion listed by the Saudis as its economic impact. Yet even that lesser amount is now in jeopardy.

SoftBanks chief operating officer, Marcelo Claure, said at a technology conference in Silicon Valley this week that the company is anxiously looking at what is happening in the kingdom after Khashoggis disappearance, according to the Financial Times. Claure said there is no certainty that the tech company will launch phase two of the Vision Fund.

The commercial fallout over Khashoggis disappearance could yet run wider. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin announced Thursday that he, too, would skip next weeks Saudi-sponsored Davos in the Desert, an international business and media conference in Riyadh, joining numerous other foreign officials and corporate leaders in the shunning of the event.

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin still plans to attend Saudi anti-terror finance meeting after Khashoggi disappearance 

Stephen Schwarzman, the chief executive of the Blackstone Group, the asset management firm, also pulled out of the conference. Blackstone is the second-largest business partner with the Saudi government on the list, with plans to create an infrastructure fund seeded with $20 billion from Saudi Arabias Private Investment Fund.

Significantly, Trumps hoped-for military sales to the Saudis also face trouble closer to home: Members of Congress, who have the power to block future arms sales, are expressing bipartisan anger with Saudi Arabia for its human rights record, including widespread deaths and displacement of civilians in Yemen from Saudi bombings there.

A State Department official, who was not authorized to speak on the record, said the United States has so far signed letters of acceptance for $14.5 billion in weapons systems since Trumps $110-billion announcement last year. The signed agreements are for helicopters, tanks, ships and other weapons and training; most date to the two prior administrations.

Other defense analysts, using different measures, put the numbers closer to $22 billion. The biggest project by this reckoning, a missile defense system known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, would cost about $15 billion. Because a final agreement has not yet been reached, that amount is not included in the State Department figure.

The American relationship with Saudi Arabia has had a strong financial component from the start, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, based on the desert kingdoms oil riches. The country became a bigger arms client in the late 1970s, after the Camp David accords by which President Carter brokered peace between Israel and Egypt.

By such sales, the United States wanted to assure the Saudis that they would not be left defenseless against a more powerful Israel, which got heavily subsidized American arms, said Gordon Adams, a professor emeritus at American Universitys School of International Service who specializes in defense contracting. Saudi arms sales rose under President Obama, when he sought unsuccessfully to placate the kingdom as the administration brokered a multinational deal with Iran, the Saudis enemy, to freeze that countrys nuclear program.

Under Trump, the United States has grown much closer with Saudi Arabia, as he abandoned the Iran deal while speaking more openly about his transactional desire to wield American power for the sake of U.S. business.

He has been probably more explicit than any American president has ever been in saying, This is money, this is jobs, this is work for American defense contractors, and why would you kiss it goodbye? Adams said.

But the horrific accusations from Turkey that Saudi officials tortured, killed and dismembered Khashoggi, a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post, have complicated that thinking and put pressure on both Trump and Prince Mohammed.

In taking sides, the Trump administration is now dancing with the devil, Adams said. Saudis are their allies, Saudis are their friends. And this Khashoggi thing is very uncomfortable.

Trump is more concerned about the press effect on the relationship and how to manage that than he is on the relationship itself, said a member of the foreign policy community with ties to White House, speaking on condition of anonymity. Were not going to give up on the Saudis.

Follow the latest news of the Trump administration on Essential Washington 

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman
A California initiative that would repeal gas tax increases is falling well short of the majority support needed to pass, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll, jeopardizing a Republican strategy to use the measure to draw conservatives to the polls next month in hopes of helping GOP candidates in congressional and legislative races.

Despite the Republicans best efforts to make repealing the new taxes a decisive issue in the states midterm election, 17% of California voters are undecided and nearly half are not familiar with the initiative, the statewide poll found.

The initiative would repeal a law signed last year by Gov. Jerry Brown that raised the base excise tax on gasoline by 12 cents a gallon, increased taxes on diesel fuel and created a new annual fee ranging from $25 to $175 based on the value of a vehicle.

Brown and Democratic legislative leaders argued that the more than $5 billion to be raised annually by the new levies is needed to help the state tackle a $130-billion backlog of road and bridge repairs in California.

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The poll result sets up a scramble for uncommitted votes by Proposition 6 proponents who are running low on campaign cash and are up against a $40-million opposition effort by the construction industry, labor groups and Democratic leaders including Brown.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and the partys candidate for California governor, John Cox, helped put the initiative on the Nov. 6 ballot in hopes it would help GOP candidates by creating a surge of conservative voters.

With the election looming in three weeks, 41% of likely voters said they support Proposition 6 or are leaning toward supporting it after reading the official ballot title and description online. The poll found 42% are in opposition or leaning that way, while 17% remained undecided with no leanings.

The latest poll numbers indicate that the campaign against Proposition 6 has created doubt among voters around the risks of repeal, said Robert Shrum, co-director of USCs Center for the Political Future and a longtime Democratic strategist.

The proponents of the gas tax, who seem to have a fair amount of money, have turned it away from just being the gas tax, to being: Are you going to drive on unsafe roads? Is your bridge going to collapse? Are we not going to be able to support economic development in this state? Shrum said.

Proposition 6 would dismantle a transportation funding program seen by many as a significant piece of the governors legacy as he prepares to leave office in January. The campaign against the initiative has flooded television with ads, warning voters that the loss of the tax funds would prevent the state from fixing dangerously deteriorated roads and bridges.

Supporters of Proposition 6 raised $1.7 million to get it on the ballot, but they have added just $3.4 million since then for the campaign.

The California Republican Party, a big donor to the petition drive to qualify the measure, recently explained it has had to focus the limited resources on close legislative races.

Taxes have long been a potent issue in California politics.

In June, voters recalled state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) as part of a campaign launched by Proposition 6 leader Carl DeMaio that focused on the legislators vote to approve the increase in gas taxes and vehicle fees.

Democratic Gov. Gray Davis was recalled from office in 2003 after he rescinded a law that lowered vehicle license fees, increasing what recall proponents called the car tax. Davis recall resulted in Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger becoming governor.

Mike Murphy, chief strategist for Schwarzenegger during the recall effort, said there are key differences between how voters responded to the recall of the governor over the car tax and the current initiative to repeal a gas tax increase.

The Davis recall, he said, was also propelled by the states electricity crisis and voter frustration with state government, and unlike Proposition 6, the car tax was tied to one politician, the governor. In addition, Proposition 6 proponents have not had the money to stoke voter outrage as Schwarzenegger did, Murphy said.

The repeal side hasnt quite had the dollars to really punch it through, Murphy said, adding that proponents of the initiative havent gotten the level of media attention received by Schwarzeneggers campaign. I think if fully litigated with dollars [repealing gas tax increases] is an attractive issue, but were just not there yet.

An earlier Times survey, in May, gave hope to Proposition 6 proponents, finding that 51% of registered voters in the state supported repealing the gas tax increase, but that was before voters received ballots with the official title and description.

Shrum said it appears the official title is turning more voters away from supporting the measure.

The title originally issued by the state attorney generals office for the initiative, which was the basis of the Times poll, says in part, Eliminates Recently Enacted Road Repair and Transportation Funding by Repealing Revenues Dedicated for those Purposes.

The final ballot further shortened the title, and the repeal campaign said both titles are misleading.

The repeal campaign led by Cox acknowledged at a rally Thursday morning in Burbank that the ballot title is hurting their efforts, saying it fails to make sufficiently clear that the measure would repeal increases to the gas tax and vehicle fees, and instead emphasizes the elimination of funds for road repairs.

We have a challenge, DeMaio said at the rally on the latest stop in a statewide bus tour to get out the vote. Because these politicians changed that title on a simple initiative, the gas tax [increase] repeal initiative, they are trying to defraud California voters of an honest election.

As he has said repeatedly on the campaign stump, Cox said at the Burbank rally Thursday that the tax and fee increases are unnecessary.

Instead of spending the money they have more efficiently, they decided to raise your taxes, Cox told a cheering crowd, adding that the gas tax increase will hurt working Californians who are already having a tough go of it in this state.

Despite advertising from both campaigns and the arrival of ballots and voter guides in Californians mailboxes, the poll found 45% of voters were not at all familiar with Proposition 6, while 40% are somewhat familiar.

The confusion and the number of undecided voters is perilous for both sides, said Murphy, a longtime Republican strategist who, along with Shrum, is co-director of USCs Center for the Political Future.

He said confusion over ballot measures has historically led people to vote against them. Proposition 6s road to victory could be more challenging because those who oppose the gas tax increase must vote yes for the repeal initiative.

The yes people are going to need some more money to break through, Murphy said. This one could really break either way, but yes has a lot of headwind.

The margin of error for likely voters is 4 percentage points in either direction; the margins of error are larger for subgroups. (Swetha Kannan / Los Angeles Times)

If the people who are undecided vote in the same pattern of those who have decided or are leaning one way, up to 49% of the total vote could be in favor of Proposition 6, according to Jill E. Darling, survey director for the Understanding America Study at USCs Center for Economic and Social Research. However, she said, voters tend to default to a no vote if they remain undecided on election day.

The initiative remains popular with Republican voters, 65% of whom support or are leaning toward supporting Proposition 6. But the GOP accounts for less than a quarter of the states registered voters. The initiative is supported by 32% of Democrats voters and 37% of independent voters, the poll found.

Brown has been a leading proponent of raising the gas tax and vehicle fees, so it may not be a surprise that 58% of those who think he is doing a good job oppose or are leaning toward opposing Proposition 6.

Of those who disapprove of the job Brown is doing, 64% support the repeal initiative, the poll found.

The poll indicates there is a geographical split in the state over gas taxes. Proposition 6 is supported by 53% of voters surveyed in the Inland Empire and Orange and San Diego counties combined, but it is favored by only 42% of voters in Los Angeles County and just 20% of voters in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Shrum said one explanation is that voters in the Inland Empire are more conservative.

There is also a division in the state based on age. The repeal initiative is backed by 51% of voters 65 and older, and by 34% of those 18 to 44, while 41% of middle-aged voters are in favor.

The poll also found that the measure is supported by 58% of white voters without college degrees, but 30% of those with one.

The argument by the Proposition 6 campaign that it will hit the working poor hardest has not yet translated to support.

The poll found 38% of voters who make less than $50,000 support or are leaning toward supporting the initiative, while the support level is 42% for those with incomes of $50,000 or more.

The Dornsife/Times poll of 1,180 eligible California voters included 794 likely general election voters and was conducted online from Sept. 17 to Oct. 14. The polls margin of error is 4 percentage points in either direction for likely voters. More information about the poll is available at bit.ly/USCpolldata.

Coverage of California politics 

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcgreevy99

UPDATES:

12:40 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the gas-tax increase and a quote from Mike Murphy.

This article was originally published at 3 a.m.
A California appeals court sided with the city in a case involving a Burbank police officer who sued on allegations of racial and gender discrimination, along with pregnancy harassment.

Cindy Guillen, who identifies herself as Burbanks first Hispanic female officer, sued the city in May 2009, claiming that she was ridiculed after getting pregnant, discriminated against because of her race, gender and pregnancy, and retaliated against after reporting the discrimination.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge threw out most of the case, which prompted Guillens appeal. Meanwhile, a jury deliberated on the pregnancy discrimination claim and eventually sided with the city.

In an opinion filed Friday, the 2nd District Court of Appeal affirmed the judges rulings.

Guillens attorney Solomon Gresen declined to comment on the case other than to say, Were evaluating our options.

According to the opinion, Guillen had claimed that supervisors and colleagues said  in her presence  that women had no business being detectives and that women should be assigned to parks management because they were useless.

In another incident, one officer allegedly told her, using profanity, to be quiet or he would bend her over and sexually assault her.

She also alleged that she outperformed a male officer on the detective exam, yet he was promoted and she was not.

When she became pregnant, she claimed officers ridiculed her and that she was reprimanded for her improper height to weight ratio.

In the opinion, the appeals court wrote that Guillen provided evidence of a few sporadic incidents of pregnancy harassment that did not show severe and pervasive harassment as required under (the Fair Employment and Housing Act).

The appeals court also upheld the previous ruling on her discrimination claims, citing that she did not show that adverse employment actions were taken against her because of her race or gender.

Regarding her retaliation claim, the two adverse actions she claimed were taken against her included one that occurred before she complained and another that was not alleged in her complaint, according to the opinion.

Burbank Senior Assistant City Atty. Carolyn Barnes said Tuesday that the court made the correct decision based on the facts it had.

Guillen was one of five former and current Burbank officers to jointly sue the city, but each case was adjudicated separately.

When reached Tuesday, Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse said he had not read the opinion, but that his objective is for the agency to have closure from the slew of civil lawsuits filed around the same time involving claims of discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination. Together, these cases have cost the city more than $8.5 million.

Guillen, who has worked in the Community Outreach and Personnel Services bureau since 2011, is high up on the list of those vying for a promotion to sergeant, he said.

--

Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek
Shes on television weekly as Dr. Catherine Fox. But many fans remember Debbie Allens days as dance teacher Lydia Grant in the epoch-making Fame, on both the big screen in 1980 and on the subsequent TV series for which she won a Best Actress Golden Globe in 1982.

Im still being recognized so much for Fame, said Allen, 68, who will give a keynote address at the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana on Oct. 24. I once went to South Africa and discovered they were doing their own Fame. Its very nice to be celebrated like that and be respected like that after all these years.

As the old saying goes: Life imitates art.

And art imitates life, said Allen, herself a longtime dance instructor even before she founded her Debbie Allen Dance Academy in 2001. When I did Fame, I taught dance, and a lot of that character was already truthful to my experiences. Actually, I feel art is more a reflection of life than an imitation of it. It can inspire. Hopefully, it can change ones life for the better.

The event at OCSA is not open to the public, but Allen plans to address more than 250 arts leaders and arts educators, as well as 120 dance students as part of the Arts Schools Network Conference.

My address is about the value of arts education, she said, and the need to explore how we can take the arts and go beyond what people think the arts represent. Arts education should be at the core of every public school education. It is one of the most important disciplines, along with math, English and science. Arts education is so fundamental in other parts of the world  why not here?

The arts are about the spirit of creativity. Artists think a lot. They consider the world. They bring information and reflection to the truth of our lives.

Debbie Allen and Norm Nixon attend the 2018 Carousel of Hope Ball at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Oct. 6 in Beverly Hills. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images)

Allen is a multihyphenate artist. In addition to her responsibilities as an actress, director and executive producer, she will begin November by putting on her own gala in Beverly Hills, where her students will dance. She will end the month by curating a show at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem.

Allen credits her Renaissance mother  artist-poet-playwright-classical pianist Vivian Ayers Allen, who is 95 and still kicking!  for her nonstop energy and continued passion. She is also close to her older sister, Phylicia Rashad (The Cosby Show), whom she calls daily.

Thanks to my mother being my biggest influence, Im still going at it. I dont think Im going to die anytime soon, she said with a laugh. Theres just so much ahead of me. And to do what I do and affect peoples lives  that gives me joy and pride to keep on working. I have to keep going to make things happen.

The Debbie Allen Dance Academy, which has been in Baldwin Hills since 2012, has well over 200 students, and recently added a class to uplift young, battered women through dance. Allen, who made her stage debut as part of the corps de ballet in Verdis Aida in her hometown of Houston, also says she would love to direct opera.

Despite her accomplishments, its the her family she cherishes the most. And theyre about to welcome a new member.

Im blessed, she said. Im most proud of my children, my beautiful family, who are all healthy and finding their way in the world  Finally, the gift I always wanted: to be a grandmother.

Michael Rydzynski is a contributor to Times Community News.
A Saudi investment conference will go ahead later this month with an updated programme that includes heads of state from Arab world, Africa and Asia, a conference spokeseperson said on Friday.

A string of Western executives have pulled out of Riyadh's Future Investment Initiative conference in the wake of the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

But the spokesperson said plans were moving ahead on an updated programme.

"This includes heads of state from the Arab world, Africa and Asia, as well as business leaders, investors and innovators from across the world."

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The Costa Mesa Police Department has stepped up investigative efforts in and around the citys College Park neighborhood following reports of increased coyote activity.

Despite some public claims to the contrary, officers have found no evidence of a den in the area, officials said this week.

Based on our observations, we believe an adult and two teenage coyotes have habituated the area, Police Chief Rob Sharpnack said in a statement. In response, we have conferred with [state] Fish and Wildlife and placed traps in the neighborhood.

The traps  which are designed to snare animals without harming them  have been out for a few weeks and are checked multiple times per day by animal control, Sharpnack said. Thus far, we have yet to trap a coyote.

The department also has placed traps in the area around the Costa Mesa Civic Center on Fair Drive, but no dens have been found there either.

According to the city, the department has employed traps to help monitor the area but any coyotes that are trapped must be euthanized because it is against the law to relocate them.

According to Coyote Cacher  an online system that tracks reports of coyote activity  there have been roughly a dozen sightings of the wild canines in and around College Park and the Civic Center in the past 30 days.

While most of the encounters seem benign, some residents reported that the coyotes did not seem afraid of humans, and one person reported that a coyote had killed a neighbors cat.

Im thinking something really bad could happen if somebody doesnt get on it, College Park resident Bruce McClary said Thursday. Weve already lost cats and dogs.

McClary, who has lived in the neighborhood for 24 years, said coyote sightings arent necessarily new, but it seems to be really bad right now.

Theyre predators; they shouldnt be here, he said. Im afraid something bad is going to happen, like a small kid getting bitten.

Several residents in the neighborhood have turned out to City Council meetings in recent weeks to urge the city to take additional action to curtail coyotes in the area.

Such concerns are nothing new in Costa Mesa. Residents over the years have complained that the animals can be aggressive and sometimes attack or kill their pets.

Officials unveiled a city coyote management plan last year that emphasized the importance of removing things that can attract coyotes, such as food or water sources, and cutting down overgrown plants that can provide cover. It also outlined strategies for hazing  scaring the animals away by yelling or making loud noises.

Residents are urged to report any sightings to Coyote Cacher at ucanr.edu/sites/CoyoteCacher, or to call the citys hotline at (714) 754-4899.

For more information, visit costamesaca.gov/residents/coyote-information.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney
The Citizens Police Academy has returned to the Costa Mesa Police Department as the departments staffing inches closer to the citys goal.

On a recent Wednesday night, 17 Costa Mesa residents stretched on purple latex gloves to participate in a crime scene investigation session, one of the eight parts of the fall program.

The academy, dormant since 2015 when the last crime prevention specialist retired, returned Sept. 12 and runs through Nov. 7. It is designed for everyday residents to learn about police operations from instructors drawn from all levels of the department. It covers CSI and forensics, patrol, bike detail, responding to a simulated traffic collision and shoot-dont-shoot simulations.

There is much to learn about a police department, said spokeswoman Roxi Fyad.

The department hopes to run the course each fall and spring, with an additional summer session for children, police said.

The academy is back thanks to increased police staffing, said Fyad, who oversees crime prevention programming, including the academy.

As of this month, the department has 128 sworn officers, with six recruits working through the police academy and pre-academy. That puts the agency on track to have 134 sworn officers, just two short of the 136 the city has budgeted for.

The departments overall staff consists of 220 members.

The current officer number is a marginal increase from January, when Chief Rob Sharpnack said he anticipated being fully staffed by the end of summer.

But at the beginning of 2017, the department had 114 sworn officers, 22 short of its target. In recent years, the department says, more staff and other resources have been assigned to recruiting and expediting the testing process for new recruits. City officials have said since 2015 that the department was primed to fill its ranks and fire on all cylinders.

The number of sworn officers began to shrink in 2011 after City Council members voted to cut Police Department staffing through attrition. Officials also delayed hiring to fill anticipated vacancies as some council members pushed to reduce pension benefits for new recruits.

At the end of 2012, the department brought in its first new sworn personnel since 2008. Still, in June 2014, only 86 sworn officers were available to work because of vacancies, injuries and other factors.

A Costa Mesa Citizens Police Academy participant brushes for fingerprints on a glass jar. The academy has returned after being cut in 2015 due to reduced Police Department staffing. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

During the academy CSI session, investigator Krystal Aleman walked participants through the steps of lifting fingerprints off glass jars, soda cans and shower tiles.

After dipping a small brush of fiberglass fibers in a fine black dust, she delicately swirled the brush on a white bathroom tile as the dust stuck to the ridges, revealing a perfectly defined fingerprint.

But she offered a caveat that real-life suspects often leave less-pristine specimens.

If they are super sweaty, it will be smudged, Aleman said.

Jason Ambriz, 24, of Costa Mesa was one of the younger participants in the group, though hes a veteran of the citizens police academy in Santa Ana, where he is a student at Santa Ana College studying criminal justice in hopes of becoming a CSI officer. With 2 years done, he has one more semester to go on his way to joining the Orange County sheriffs academy.

At the Costa Mesa academy, Ambriz moved through the fingerprint lifting with ease, then watched his classmates.

Hes going to be good, fellow participant Fran Gruenthal said.

Completing the academy is a prerequisite to volunteering with the Police Department, so some regular volunteers are completing it retroactively now that its off hiatus.

Gruenthal, of Costa Mesa, is one of those volunteers. Fingerprinting isnt new to her  she worked the live scan fingerprinting desk before being transferred to records.

Now her job is to file and file and file, Gruenthal said.

Uniformed instructor Krystal Aleman, center, tells participants in the Costa Mesa Citizens Police Academy how investigators collect fingerprints from a crime scene. (Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

To be eligible for the Costa Mesa Citizens Police Academy, one must be 21 or older, live or work in Costa Mesa and have no outstanding warrants or pending criminal cases, no felony convictions and no misdemeanor arrests in the past three years.

After completing an online application, eligible candidates will undergo fingerprinting and a background check.

The current academy is full, and an announcement hasnt been made about a spring course.

For more information, call (714) 754-4876 or email CP@costamesaca.gov.

julia.sclafani@latimes.com
The city of Huntington Beach and the Orange County district attorneys office have taken legal action against what they believe are five illegal in-home businesses in Huntington, marking the first in a planned series of lawsuits.

City Attorney Michael Gates and District Attorney Tony Rackauckas are asking an Orange County Superior Court judge to grant an injunction against the five locations and require them to surrender any ill-gotten gains. They also seek civil penalties of $2,500 for each violation on the properties and each day a violation existed.

The lawsuits, filed Oct. 12, contend the facilities are a public nuisance, operate without proper licensing  violating Californias civil code and Huntingtons municipal code  and constitute unfair competition for legal businesses.

Coastline Recovery is based at 8301 Yorktown Ave. in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

The operations and property owners listed in the lawsuits  StepHouse Recovery Inc., Nevaeh Re 1, Coastline Recovery, David and Andrea Lacy and Anthony Roxstrom  have locations throughout Huntington Beach and are alleged to be operating as residential alcohol or drug rehabilitation facilities, also known as sober-living homes.

Sober-living homes typically house recovering alcoholics and drug addicts who are considered disabled under state and federal laws and must be provided with certain accommodations for housing. The facilities require licenses from the state and a separate permit from Huntington Beach if operating in that city.

Anthony Roxstrom owns 21892 Starfire Lane in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

A license is required from the state Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs for treatment facilities that offer non-medical services such as detox, group and personal therapy sessions, educational workshops on addiction-related issues and treatment planning, according to Dual Diagnosis.org.

Facilities such as group homes may require licensing from the state Department of Social Services.

Last weeks legal filings are part of a new partnership between Gates and Rackuckas to crack down on illegal in-home businesses after receiving the green light from the City Council in September. A broader proposal will be given to the council Nov. 5.

Rise Above Recovery is based at 9061 Mediterranean Drive in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

Coastline Recovery, at 8301 Yorktown Ave., did not return messages seeking comment. Roxstrom, whose property is at 21892 Starfire Lane, and Nevaeh, at 10321 Christmas Drive, could not be reached.

StepHouse Recovery, which is headquartered in Fountain Valley, offers a full spectrum of detox, rehab, care and other services for recovering addicts, according to its website. It offers sober-living residences throughout Orange County, including a Huntington location at 10412 Christmas Drive.

George Vilagut, who owns StepHouse, said in an interview that the services are offered only at the headquarters, which he said has a permit from Fountain Valley.

StepHouse Recovery owns 10412 Christmas Drive in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

The Huntington location, he said, offers independent living for people in need. Gates classification of it as a business is up for debate, Vilagut said.

There isnt anything illegal about renting or leasing out a space as long as there arent any services; were not a board and care, Vilagut said.

He said StepHouse isnt in the category of short-term rentals  which are illegal in Huntington Beach  because its program is for a year or longer, not 30 days or less.

David Lacy, who owns a property at 9061 Mediterranean Drive, said in an interview that he was under the impression the facility was licensed when he leased it to Rise Above Recovery in 2016.

I havent received any complaints about anything, Lacy said. This is the first thing Ive heard about a nuisance. All I know are the people running it. I didnt know it was illegal. Since I found out somethings wrong, were gonna try to rectify it.

Nevaeh Re 1 is at 10321 Christmas Drive in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

After learning about the lawsuit, Lacy said the tenant would be gone by the end of this month.

Rise Above Recovery did not return a call seeking comment.

Residents in some areas have complained that sober-living homes have negative effects on neighborhood noise, parking and safety, but Gates said the issue isnt where the facilities are but whether theyre licensed.

Huntington Beach has about 100 sober-living homes, of which 50 to 75 are illegal, Gates said.

Gates said illegal businesses are selected for legal action based on the highest number of neighborhood complaints. City code enforcement officers research the businesses in question while Gates works with the district attorneys office to determine which to sue.

On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 to give initial approval to Rackauckas proposed ordinance to require private alcohol and drug abuse programs in the countys unincorporated areas to register each year with the Orange County Health Care Agency.

Supervisors Shawn Nelson and Todd Spitzer, who is running against Rackauckas for the district attorney seat in the November election, abstained.

The ordinance would require programs to identify their locations, owners and affiliated programs and facilities. By creating a roster, consumers and the public could make informed decisions, protect patients from conflicts related to their care and help prevent billing fraud, according to the proposal.

Spitzer said in a statement that the ordinance doesnt go far enough because it duplicates a 2005 state law requiring facilities to register. He also objected that cities werent included and a cost analysis wasnt provided for taxpayers.

But the ordinance is only a starting point, according to Susan Kang Schroeder, chief of staff for the district attorneys office.

If programs register, she said, it could help weed out insurance fraud because the registration would list all of a programs affiliations.

The goal is to encourage cities to pass their own ordinances so they can pick up where the county cannot instead of going through a criminal process, she added.

The Board of Supervisors will consider final adoption of the ordinance Oct. 30.

Priscella.Vega@latimes.com

Twitter: @vegapriscella
Living only a few miles from South Coast Plaza, that location is typically my shopping venue for gifts. In past years I usually park near the Sears store and make my way from that point to the other stores for my shopping and can always find my car just outside Sears when finished.

I still recall some old anchor tenants like May Company, Robinsons and Bullocks  all of which are gone now. The concept of shopping as we know it has changed drastically to the extent that our beloved Sears will soon become just a memory.

Im wondering what will be put in that vacant shell that used to sell us just about everything we ever needed. I guess I am old school and prefer to shop live at stores with other people rather than buy online. My new problem now is where will I park at South Coast Plaza after the Sears sign rides into the sunset?

Bill Spitalnick

Newport Beach

*

Diane Dixon warrants reelection

As a former mayor and Citizen of the Year, and a 50-plus-year resident of Newport Beach, I urge my fellow Newporters to re-elect Councilwoman Diane Dixon in District 1. I know Dixon to be a hard worker, an excellent listener, smart and caring, and a natural leader. She has demonstrated all these qualities in her first four years in office.

I have watched with admiration as she has navigated the crosscurrents and occasional storms of city politics with balance and grace  and always with the best interests of the city as her first concern.

Her investment in the community goes well beyond the home she owns here. It includes also the hundreds of hours spent in meetings, town halls and one-on-one discussions with residents, in briefings and reading reports from the city staff and other agencies as well as non-governmental stakeholders, and the late nights in meetings of the City Council and other boards and committees she serves on.

Smart, capable, ethical and dedicated to the residents of Newport Beach and our shared quality of life, Dixon is exactly what a City Council member should be. Lets recognize and reward her excellent work, and return her to office on Nov. 6.

Evelyn Hart

Newport Beach

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Keep parties out of city races

If the question was asked of District 6 candidate Joy Brenner whether she prefers Cheerios or Wheaties for breakfast the answer would be that it has nothing to do with the Newport Beach City Council. The same can be said if questioned about her political party affiliation. The answer again would have to be that political parties have nothing to do with the City Council. It is nonpartisan. Those who try to make the City Council race about political parties evidently did not pay attention to high school civics.

Using partisan politics to attack Joy Brenner in a nonpartisan election must mean that her opponents have nothing of critical substance to say about her record of decades of outstanding selfless, volunteer community service in many areas of Newport Beach.

I have known Joy for 33 years and worked with her as a volunteer in her earlier years. She is honest, responsible and dedicated to serving her community. She politely listens to input from all sides and objectively makes her decisions. She loves her hometown of Newport Beach, where she grew up, and is not beholden to doing the bidding of any special interest or political party.

Carol Boice

Newport Beach

*

Rouda is the better choice

The Republican Party has become the party of President Trump, and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Costa Mesa) has simply tagged along. We already know of his trips to Russia and support for Vladimir Putin. He doesnt believe property owners should be compelled to sell to gay buyers and denies climate change.

This all may be fine in the Trump world but in no way benefits his constituents or represents the Republican Party I used to know. Im hopeful independents and other Republicans can see through Rohrabacher and vote for Harley Rouda.

Daniel Ardell

Laguna Beach

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Rohrabacher is the better choice

Although congressional candidate Harley Rouda claims to be a champion of small business, he rails against the Trump tax cuts for the rich. I dont know if this is simply a Democratic talking point he feels the need to parrot or something he truly believes. If its the latter, he cant be interested in promoting small business since most private sector job creation comes from small- to medium-sized businesses. Proprietors of these small businesses are taxed at the personal level. Raising taxes will disproportionately affect those among us who have the ability and willingness to create jobs.

Steve Borowski

Laguna Beach

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How to get published: Email us at dailypilot@latimes.com. All correspondence must include full name, hometown and phone number (for verification purposes). The Pilot reserves the right to edit all submissions for clarity and length.
After Julie Webber read the June 2, 2018, column about my husbands familys three years at a relocation camp in Poston, Ariz. during World War II, she sent me an email about her fathers trip to another relocation camp during that same time period.

I grew up knowing about this shameful period in our history because in 1943, my dad, his sister and five other friends traveled to Manzanar to participate in a judo competition with the internees. Their interim teacher wrote for, and was granted, permission to take them on this friendship delegation. Theres a whole interesting story behind that event and the xenophobia-driven aftermath.

In a series of follow-up emails, Webber explained that her father, John Hamilton, was a student at John Marshall High and that his older sister, Janet, attended school in Pasadena.

Through a family friend, Jack Sergel, a black belt who taught judo at the Los Angeles Police Academy, the siblings and several others, including Jans friend, Frances, took up the sport. Their teacher was Seigoro Murakami.

Then came the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor and the incarceration of those of Japanese ancestry. When Murakami was sent to Manzanar War Relocation Camp, Sergel took over the dojo.

The young students were soon ready to earn their brown belts, but could not advance, as everyone who outranked them was locked up in internment camps, Webber recalled.

And thats why, in the spring of 1943, her dad, his sister, and several others made the lengthy trip to Manzanar, on the eastern slope of the Sierras in Northern California.

After the competition, a photo of the contestants was taken, excluding, however, Janet Hamilton and her friend Frances, even though they had also competed and earned their brown belts.

The young students faced enormous controversy when the story of their visit hit the local newspapers.

Ive seen clippings of articles with inflammatory titles and derogatory racist remarks, Webber said. One showed my aunt flipping an opponent on the mat and the title of the article read Girls wrestle Jap men.

Jack was accused of Emperor worship because of a photo taken of him and the students reverently bowing at the beginning of class to a portrait of their interned teacher.

Sergels loyalty as an American was questioned, Webber wrote.

An LAPD review board said he not only had to quit teaching judo at the academy (because they had service weapons and didnt need to resort to tactics of the enemy as an alternative to lethal force), but also that he had to give up practicing judo in his private life or hed be fired.

In late 1944, Sergel quit the LAPD and went to work for actor James Cagney, who hired him as a judo instructor for an upcoming war propaganda film.

The movies climactic scene was a bout between Cagney and Sergel (playing the villainous Captain Oshima under the stage name John Halloran) crashing through the rice-paper walls of a burning ryokan.

That film, Blood on the Sun, was the start of Jacks career as a character actor, according to Webber.

John Hamilton graduated from Marshall early, and with permission from his father (an Army captain), enlisted in the Navy before his 18th birthday.

When Dads class graduated in June 1943, he was on a battleship headed for the South Pacific, Webber added.

The last living member of the group of friends who competed in Manzanar was Clyde Tichenor. In 2012, Julie and her husband, Steve, took him to what is now the Manzanar National Historic Site to participate in an oral history event. Tichenor, who recently passed away at age 92, was thrilled to return, she noted.

After the 1943 competition, Tichenor went on to earn his 5th degree black belt in judo and a 6th degree black belt in jiu jitsu.

He had to quit competing when he turned 80 because no one wanted to throw him to the mat and risk injuring him, Webber observed.

Interestingly, he was a pacifist and would not enlist but ultimately was drafted. In those days, when drafted you could choose which branch of the military you wanted to serve in, so he chose the Navy, like my dad, and was stationed on Guam. He had learned to read and write Japanese, so one of the jobs he was given was as an interpreter. He could still read Japanese at the time of his interview in 2012.

Webbers memories of the stories her father told about his 1943 trip to Manzanar and about the people he met there remain vivid. Its a story shes proud to share.

KATHERINE YAMADA can be reached at katherineyamada@gmail.com. or by mail at Verdugo Views, c/o Glendale News-Press, 202 W. First St., Second Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Please include your name, address and phone number.
Across our state and at every level of government, few issues are as topical and imperative as homelessness. As I have said numerous times before, the greatest immediate problem California faces is the housing crisis and the subsequent homelessness epidemic that has led to upwards of 100,000 people living on streets throughout our state. Most of us do not need to look any further than our own neighborhoods to understand the desperate and dire conditions under which our fellow Californians live. While finding a solution may at times seem like an insurmountable challenge, hope is growing as community leaders and elected officials work together to take care of our vulnerable neighbors.

In June, I worked with my colleagues here and in Sacramento to secure $600 million in state funds to increase services for homeless Californians. And the people of Los Angeles are to be commended for voting to tax themselves to help fund homelessness services and shelters. The overwhelming majority of the funding will go to block grants for local governments to help them meet the needs of their residents. Its critical funding that will go toward outreach, treatment and housing in communities across our state and its long overdue. Im proud of the work weve been able to do in the Capitol to invest in communities, but Im even more proud of the advocates and service providers that work to provide care and compassion.

Every day in Los Angeles County, we have a dedicated corps of service providers working tirelessly to help Californians in crisis. With the help of county officials, theyre able to come together once a month to provide essential services in the field through Homeless Connect Days. Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to coordinate a Homeless Connect Day in Los Feliz with other local offices, community groups, and neighborhood councils.

A Homeless Connect Day is a one-day event that brings together providers and government agencies at a specific location where individuals in need of care can access a wide range of services. For the Los Feliz Connect Day, I partnered with the office of Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, the office of Mayor Eric Garcetti, Council District 4, the city of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council, the Los Feliz Neighborhood Council and the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council. We held the event at Griffith Parks Friendship Auditorium due to its proximity to the Los Angeles River, a location chosen to help the underserved and difficult-to-reach homeless population living in the area. The logistics alone are impressive.

Over the course of the day, we were able to connect over 70 people with services and individual care. Providers were on hand to offer everything from medical care, showers, clothing and haircuts, to help with enrollment into the Coordinated Entry System and information about employment, mental health and substance abuse programs. We even had DMV staff on hand to help attendees access ID cards.

The result of the collective effort of these volunteers and organizations was powerful to behold. Every service was provided with compassion and tailored to meet the individual human needs of every participant. While its impossible to change a life in an afternoon, it was amazing to witness the transformation that takes place and the hope thats offered in the short amount of time between when a person checks in to when they leave.

This event made it clear to me that when tackling homelessness, compassion and collaboration are essential. We are not going to solve homelessness by pushing this population further out to the fringes, but by opening our arms and embracing them as our neighbors. Our neighborhood councils exemplify the success of welcoming our homeless and viewing them as part of the community. Members of SELAH (a neighborhood homeless coalition), the Atwater Village Neighborhood Council, Los Feliz Neighborhood Council, as well as the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council and the Los Feliz Improvement Assn. all played key roles in the coordination of this event and providing funds for lunch for all the participants.

It is awe-inspiring to see everyone do their part, and I would like to thank those involved with this event. My hope is that this is just the first of many Los Feliz Connect Days for this section of my district, and that as the events continue to take place across Los Angeles County, people in need of services can continue to find vital help that will improve their lives and lead to stability and housing. Homelessness is not an unsolvable problem, but finding solutions is going to take communities across our region stepping up to work collaboratively and taking active roles. I am committed to continuing to work in partnership with all stakeholders until the homelessness crisis is under control. If you want to know how you can help, please contact my district office at (818) 558-3043.

Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) represents La Canada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Montrose, Glendale, Burbank and neighboring communities in the the 43rd Assembly District.
Come Saturday, Arizonas Lake Havasu City will embark on a medieval British tradition that involves driving a herd of sheep over London Bridge. Its part of a celebration to mark a half-century since the 19th-century bridge was bought and 40 years since the surrounding city was incorporated.

Lake Havasu City Mayor Mark Nexsen will lead the sheep, which are on loan from a local 4H youth program, with Londons 690th Lord Mayor Charles Bowman. Its the first time livestock will have set hoof on the bridge that once spanned the Thames River in London.

Sheep crossings date back hundreds of years when freemen were afforded the privilege of bringing their tools and animals into London without paying a tax. Nexsen became a freeman in a London ceremony last May, and the city decided to adopt the tradition to mark its own anniversary.

The event begins at 10 a.m. when Gov. Doug Ducey presents a proclamation to the city. The crossing begins at 11 a.m. and is expected to last about a half-hour. Its free and open to the public.

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British television personality Alan Titchmarsh drives sheep across London Bridge during the annual Sheep Drive in central London on Sept. 30. (Will Oliver / EPA-EFE/ REX)

London held its own sheep crossing in September over its London Bridge, which opened in 1973. The annual event also raised money for charity.

Now about those London Bridges. The one in Arizona, built in 1831, was bought from the British, packed up and delivered to the desert in 1968, where it was carefully reassembled. Fun fact: The lamps on the bridge are made from melted-down cannons used by Napoleons army, according to Lake Havasu City Convention & Visitors Bureau. The bridge didnt open to the public until 1971.

The resort city around Lake Havasu and the new landmark grew and incorporated in 1978. The bridge and surrounding resort draws 835,000 visitors a year, the states second-most popular attraction after the Grand Canyon.

Info: Visit Lake Havasu

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Go to Kauai for a jam session with a sweet taste

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Fall colors have just arrived in Plumas County. Right now the sparsely populated swath of Northern California between Lassen Volcanic National Park and Tahoe National Forest is spectacular, with purple, orange, red, yellow, vermillion, gold, lime, pink and green colors.

Thats the word from CaliforniaFallColors.com, which tracks where and when the leaves are turning throughout the state.

Aspens in Meadow Valley, Plumas County (Michael Beatley)

Once youve located Plumas County on your map app, head to Meadow Valley near Quincy, the county seat, to see the colors from sugar maples, aspens and oaks.

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Scenic locations on the go now list include Frenchman Lake, Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, Antelope Lake, Feather River Canyon, Sunflower Flat Trail and Red Clover Valley.

A glorious sugar maple at Thompson Ranch in Quincy, Plumas County (Michael Beatley)

Itll take you more than eight hours to drive there, mostly on Interstate 5. But you can expect a peaceful experience once you arrive. The county has just eight residents per square mile, compared with L.A., which has 7,544 people per square mile.

Apples on the tree in Oak Glen in the San Bernardino Mountains (Alena Nicholas)

Closer to home, the San Bernardino Mountains show good color again this weekend in Big Bear, Green Valley Lake, Lake Arrowhead and Grass Valley Lake. Take time to visit Oak Glen, where you can add apple-tasting to your leaf-peeping.

Youll find gold canopies along the Lower Rock Creek Trail in the Eastern Sierra (Gigi de Jong)

Farther north, popular spots in the Eastern Sierra are past peak, but youll find gold aspens putting on a show along Highway 395 from Toms Place north to Topaz. Lower Rock Creek Trail is canopied in golden leaves, and aspens are glowing along nearby June Lake Loop. The area is about 320 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Must-see fall color locations in Mono County this weekend include Lee Vining Canyon at 6,781 feet in elevation.

Take Log Cabin Mine road for colors that will be good for the next two weeks, the report said. And seek out Lundy Lake and Lundy Canyon at 7,858 feet.

For more details on locations and color updates, go to CaliforniaFallColors.com.

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LAX will get worse before it gets better, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti warned travelers this week, as the airports busiest airline, American, began work on a $1.6-billion overhaul of Terminals 4 and 5.

But it will get better, the mayor assured travelers. LAX is the fifth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States (after Atlanta). The city-run facility has long struggled with the amount of elbow room it has in the face of growing passenger traffic.

The latest project will reconfigure American Airlines entrance areas into a single large hall with more windows, larger bathrooms and additional power outlets. Ticket counters and check-in areas are also being revamped to reduce wait times before TSA screenings.

The mega-project is expected to take 10 years. At the end of the project, LAWA said, it will reimburse American for most of the work, as part of its lease agreement.

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Artists rendering of the People Mover, scheduled to open in 2023. (LAWA)

Over the past decade, LAX has spent $8.5 billion on new projects and renovations.

Construction begins soon on a $4.9-billion elevated train, dubbed the People Mover, that will loop through the airport and connect to a unified rental car facility and the nearby Green Line. The project will result in construction cranes throughout the already-congested terminal horseshoe.

Set to open in 2023, the People Mover will funnel customers to the rental car operation and eliminate the companies need for shuttle vans, which contribute to terminal dropoff congestion.

Last year, crews also began work on a midfield passenger terminal that will add dozens of gates west of the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

travel@latimes.com
Afghan election commissioners recommended suspending Saturday's parliamentary vote in the southern province of Kandahar after the assassination of one of the country's most powerful security chiefs dealt a stunning blow to the Western-backed government.

General Abdul Razeq, the Kandahar police commander, was killed outside the provincial governor's office on Thursday, when a bodyguard opened fire on a group of officials as they left a meeting with General Scott Miller, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Miller was not injured but the regional intelligence agency commander was killed and the provincial governor severely wounded, decimating the leadership of one of the country's most strategically important provinces.

Although nominally a provincial police chief, Razeq was one of the most powerful political figures in Afghanistan and a formidable opponent of the Taliban, with unchallenged authority across the volatile south of the country.

The recommendation to suspend the vote in Kandahar province must still be approved by a vote of the National Security Council and other government agencies and some officials warned that any delay would threaten the whole process and hand the Taliban a major propaganda victory.

"The security agencies will vote to hold the election in Kandahar on time because there are enough troops to provide security," said one senior official.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said it was too soon to say what effect Razeq's death would have but added that the U.S. military's mission was unaltered.

"We need to find who's done this," Mattis told reporters travelling with him in the southeast Asian city-state of Singapore. "But right now, we are going toward the election and we will continue to defend the Afghan people."

Thursday's attack underlined how precarious the situation remains in Afghanistan after more than 17 years of war and even after Taliban and U.S. officials have opened preliminary contacts to find a basis for future peace talks.

It was unclear how the attack would affect a peace process, following a meeting last week of Taliban officials and the U.S. special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, but it complicates an already difficult situation.

"You're going to start asking questions about, 'Well, how trustworthy are they? What influence do they really have?'" said one former Defense Department official who left the Pentagon recently, referring to the Taliban.

"And you know the bottomline question is, 'Why are we still dealing with them?' or 'Should we deal with them?'"

Mattis said he had not spoken to Miller and could not confirm the Taliban's claim of responsibility but believed the attack would not affect Miller's security arrangements or U.S. military movements in Afghanistan.

The Taliban issued a fresh warning not to take part in the election on Friday, telling people to stay at home and saying it would shut down roads and would be "closely monitoring all developments".

Mattis was cautious about whether the Thursday attack could hit voter turnout but said the U.S. aim of finding a negotiated, Afghan-led political solution to the conflict was unchanged.

"We remain absolutely committed to an Afghan-led Afghan reconciliation," he said.

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Miller, who knew Razeq well from his previous tours of duty in Afghanistan, issued a statement saluting a "great friend".

"Afghanistan lost a patriot," he said on Twitter. "The good he did for Afghanistan and the Afghan people cannot be undone."

A disarmingly youthful-looking figure, with a toothy smile belying a fearsome reputation, the 39-year-old Razeq was accused of building a fortune from extracting millions of dollars from traders and businesses.

He was also accused of torturing prisoners and other abuses, which he denied.

Last year, the United Nations Committee against Torture cited "numerous and credible allegations" that Razeq was complicit in severe human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and secret detention centres.

He clashed frequently with President Ashraf Ghani, defying attempts to sack him, but he enjoyed popular support in Kandahar and the surrounding provinces and was adept at navigating the region's complex tribal politics.

He was also highly respected by U.S. officers who saw his ruthless methods as the most effective weapon against the Taliban in both Kandahar and the wider south.

"Razeq was, kind of, the embodiment of security, not just in Kandahar. It is Uruzgan, it's Zabul province," said the recently retired Defense Department official.

"He had a lot of sway over other senior officials and certainly in the police."

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The 1960s Bunker Hill redevelopment forced the removal of many Victorian-era homes. Preservationist saved two structures  the Castle and the Salt Box.

A story in the May 18, 1964, Los Angeles Times reported:

"The Castle," a faded former mansion atop Bunker Hill, has been given a new lease on life.

Built in 1882, the two-story, 20-room home was a showplace in a fashionable neighborhood peopled by the famous figures of the city. But time and weather have taken their toll.

In order to preserve it as an example of early architecture, the city's Cultural Heritage Board has designated The Castle at 325 Bunker Hill Ave. as a historic-cultural monument, thereby blocking its destruction.

The mansion was given its nickname by the Daniel Francis Donegan family, which bought it in 1893, probably attracted by its 19th century craftsmanship and wood detailing.

Some of it has survived over the years, including entrance doors of leaded art glass and an interior hardwood stairway with 4-ft-high carved newel posts. Once they were topped by ornamental gas lamps.

Carl S. Dantzel, president of the board, has suggested relocating the building at the top of Angels Flight.

The Castle, along with the Salt Box  another landmark Bunker Hill home  were moved in March 1969 to the future site of Heritage Square Museum in Montecito Heights.

But on Oct. 9, 1969, a fire of suspicious origin destroyed both structures.

The book "Bunker Hill, Los Angeles: Reminiscences of Bygone Days" by Politi was published in 1964.

An earlier version of this post was published on Aug. 9, 2013. This version was updated with five additional images.

May 12, 1966: The skeleton of the 40-story Union Bank Square building rises over Bunker Hill Victorians. The Castle, on the right, was saved while the home on the left was demolished. John Malmin / Los Angeles Times

Sep. 10, 1966: A demolition crane takes a bite out of a Victorian home on Bunker Hill. The Castle and Salt Box were saved from demolition. Ray Graham / Los Angeles Times

Nov. 7, 1968: Workmen begin moving the Salt Box, left, past the Castle on the way to its new location. R. L. Oliver / Los Angeles Times

Dec. 26, 1968: Two Bunker Hill Victorian mansions, the Salt Box, left, and the Castle, sit at temporary location en route to their new homes. Boris Yaro / Los Angeles Times

A reproduction of a Los Angeles Times clipping from Oct. 10, 1969, shows the ruins of the Castle, left, which was totally destroyed, and the still-standing remains of the Salt Box, right, after suspicious fire. Bruce Cox / ProQuest

See more from the Los Angeles Times archives here
Their faces beam down from campaign billboards and banners blanketing the Afghan capital: young people, more than ever before, competing in this months parliamentary elections.

Nearly half of the roughly 2,500 candidates on ballots are younger than 40, an unprecedented wave that is challenging entrenched power brokers and promising to fight corruption and mismanagement in Afghanistans beleaguered government.

We have seen in the past that most Parliament members were not educated or were notorious war criminals, corrupt or convicts, said Javid Faisal, a 26-year-old former government spokesman now running to represent the southern city of Kandahar in the 250-seat legislature.

Now its the time and opportunity for voters to elect and recognize the best candidate  not to vote for those malefactors again but to vote for competent and qualified candidates.

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Zohra Nowruzi, a 29-year-old TV anchor running to represent Kabul  and one of more than 400 female candidates in the elections  adopted the campaign slogan People have the power.

Laws in the Parliament havent met the demands of the people, and I think people havent achieved their legal rights, Nowruzi said. Ill be there to join a group of young parliamentarians with the motivation to reform laws and enact new plans for the benefit of the people.

The emergence of a new generation of first-time candidates is, to many Afghans, a bright spot at a time of worsening security, growing casualties among civilians and government forces, and a deepening sense that, despite fledgling peace overtures, a war now in its 18th year seems further than ever from resolution.

Taliban insurgents oppose elections as a foreign plot and have staged attacks in the days before the vote. On Thursday, the Taliban claimed the brazen assassination of a powerful police chief in Kandahar province, a day after it killed a candidate in the neighboring province of Helmand by detonating explosives planted under a sofa in his office. He was the fifth parliamentary candidate to be killed during the campaign.

Election officials said Friday that voting in Kandahar would be postponed by a week because of the attack. Balloting had already been canceled in Ghazni province, southwest of Kabul, because of disputes over ethnic representation, along with fears of violence. The Taliban control several Ghazni districts, and in August, it thrashed the provincial capital for several days, killing scores of soldiers and civilians, before retreating under a U.S.-backed government offensive.

The insurgents have remained on the offensive even as President Ashraf Ghani and the United States try to persuade the groups leadership to join peace talks for the first time.

Last week, U.S. officials met with Taliban representatives in the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar, the most recent in a series of meetings aimed at building confidence for face-to-face talks to end the fighting.

The Taliban said in a statement this week that the upcoming vote is a foreign plot to prolong occupation and warned that its fighters would attack schools where voting would take place, urging teachers and students to stay away.

As a precaution, the government has closed public schools until the day after the election and deployed 50,000 security forces nationwide to protect polling centers. Preliminary results are expected Nov. 10.

In the last parliamentary elections, in 2010, 93 candidates younger than 40 won seats. Financial and security problems, as well as political bickering over election commissioners, combined to delay the upcoming vote by three-and-a-half years.

Afghanistan does not have traditional political parties, so the vast majority of candidates are running as independents. The vote is seen as an important milestone before presidential elections scheduled for the spring.

These will be the third parliamentary elections since the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban in 2001, and Afghans faith in their elected officials has eroded over the years.

Lawmakers and government ministers have accused members of Parliament of various crimes  including embezzlement, land grabbing, illegal construction and smuggling of drugs and alcohol  but no Parliament member has ever been convicted of the charges.

This month, the independent Afghanistan Institute for Strategic Studies published a poll showing that less than 10% of Afghans were satisfied with the performance of lawmakers, and 53% believed they followed personal interests rather than those of their country or constituents.

Still, nearly 70% said they were willing to vote in the elections despite security fears and frustration with the government. In a country where two-thirds of the 35.5 million population is younger than 25, many said the Afghan government needed new faces.

The patriarchal and tribal policies institutionalized in the country that have caused disappointment among the youth  and the advancement of technology and developments across the globe  are forcing these youths into confrontation with the current system, said Mohammad Shafaq Khawati, a sociologist at Avicenna University in Kabul.

Not every young candidate has been a sign of potential change, however. Many children and relatives of ex-warlords and ethnic militia leaders are also on the ballot  including the son of the controversial vice president, Abdul Rashid Dostum, and the son of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, a militia commander formerly known as the Butcher of Kabul, who recently entered into a truce with the government.

Hekmatyars son, 40-year-old Jamaluddin Hekmatyar, said he was also part of the youth wave because he was seeking office to carry out my national and religious responsibility.

Some first-time office-seekers acknowledged they were at a disadvantage against entrenched power brokers, who have greater influence and resources.

These irresponsible peopleuse force and compel people not to vote for us, and force them to vote for their own favorite candidates, said Jamalnaser Farahmand, a 28-year-old journalist and candidate from the northern province of Faryab.

Khawati said it would take a few election cycles to dislodge the older generation of representatives.

We cannot expect this transition to be completed in this election, he said. The young generation will find its place in the government gradually.

Special correspondent Faizy reported from Kabul and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

Special correspondent Faizy reported from Kabul and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Shashank Bengali is South Asia correspondent for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @SBengali
Dressed in army fatigues and a helmet, television journalist Kavitha Jakkal trekked toward a renowned Hindu temple in southern India on Friday surrounded by 300 police officers, with a chance to make history.

But about 500 yards from the temple entrance, the officers advised her to turn back.

For three days, conservative Hindu groups, temple authorities and devotees have formed a human barrier at the gates of the Sabarimala temple complex to block women from entering, in defiance of an order by Indias top court.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the temples long-standing ban on women of menstruating age  instituted because the temple deity, Lord Ayyappa, is considered celibate  was unconstitutional and infringed on womens freedom of worship.

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Indian journalist Kavitha Jakkal, wearing protective gear, is flanked by police near the Sabarimala temple. (AFP/Getty Images)

But conservative Hindu groups as well as tribal women from the area are continuing the fight for the temple to ban women.

The case has exposed social fault lines in a country of 1.3 billion people, the vast majority of them Hindu, where traditional faith practices often prevail over the liberal, secular values enshrined in the constitution.

Hinduism isnt the only Indian faith to adhere to such traditions. Other religions regard womens menstruation as impure. And until last year, India allowed Muslim men to divorce their wives simply by stating their intention three times  a practice known as triple talaq.

The Hindu temple, situated in a hilly mountain range of the Western Ghats in the coastal state of Kerala, for centuries has disallowed entry of women ages 10 to 50. One of the busiest pilgrimage sites in India, it is open only for a few weeks every year, and when it reopened Wednesday for the first time since the Supreme Court ruling, hard-line Hindu demonstrators were ready.

Hindu devotees shouted slogans praising the deity Ayyappa during a protest against the Indian Supreme Court verdict revoking a ban on womens entry to the Sabarimala temple. (Arun Sankar / AFP/Getty Images)

Protesters gathered at Nilakkal, 14 miles from the temple, at a spot where cars traveling there must cross. Despite a heavy police presence, the protesters checked the passing buses and private cars for women.

If women enter Sabarimala, then we will be forced to shut the temple, head priest Kandararu Rajeevaru told the CNN-News18 network. I will walk out with the keys.

Some heckled and hurled stones at television crews. At least 10 journalists, five female devotees and 15 police officers were attacked. Police charged at the protesters with batons. No serious injuries were reported.

The protests continued Friday when Jakkal, a journalist with Mojo TV, a Telugu-language station based in the southern city of Hyderabad, and social activist Rehana Fathima separately sought to enter the temple. Both turned back before they reached the protesters, acting on the advice of police after the head priest said he would shut down the temple rather than let them in.

Both pledged to try again if they were provided security.

We are feeling proud to come here, Jakkal told reporters. You have seen what a dangerous situation we faced.

Indian activist Rehana Fatima was denied entry to the Sabarimala temple grounds by Hindu hardliners. (AFP/Getty Images)

The temple is due to close Sunday, not to reopen until mid-November.

Several groups of devotees have asked the Supreme Court to review its decision, arguing in a petition that the ruling was untenable and irrational, if not perverse.

Faith cannot be judged by scientific or rationale reasons or logic, the court filing stated.

The Supreme Court did not immediately schedule a hearing in the matter. Such review petitions are rarely successful.

Indian men stand beside a portrait of the Hindu deity Ayyappa outside the Sabarimala temple (Arun Sankar / AFP/Getty Images)

The Travancore Devaswom Board, the temples governing body, initially declined to be a party to the review petition. But on Friday, the group held a meeting and said it planned to approach the court to attempt to reach a compromise to end the standoff.

Political parties in Kerala, a left-leaning state run by a Communist party, have also taken sides.

The states top official, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said his government would deploy more female police personnel to protect women devotees.

Women, too, have the right to worship in a temple like any other women, he said. This government is committed to implementing the Supreme Court verdict.

The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party  which runs the national government in New Delhi and has been trying to make inroads in Kerala  has backed the Hindu protesters. The partys general secretary in the state, K. Surendran, told reporters that if the state government sought to force womens entry into the temple, we will prevent it, even by taking the law into our hands.

Women from a group called the Save Sabarimala Forum responded to the police action against the protesters by marching outside the Kerala inspector generals house in the state capital.

Masih is a special correspondent.
Thousands of Central Americans in a U.S.-bound migrant caravan began pushing their way from Guatemala into Mexico on Friday, pulling down border fences and storming toward the Mexican immigration post.

One way or another, we will pass! the migrants chanted as they approached the gates in the Guatemalan town of Tecun Uman.

The migrants rushed past Guatemalan soldiers onto a bridge that crosses the muddy Suchiate River, which separates the two countries.

But Mexican police in riot gear, at one point using tear gas to keep the crowd at bay, appeared to have stopped the group, which originated in Honduras last week, from bypassing immigration controls and illegally advancing further into Mexican territory.

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The caravan of more than 2,000 people  men and women, teenagers and infants  on foot and in vehicles has become politically explosive. President Trump has made it an issue in the midterm election and threatened to cut aid to Central American nations, close the U.S.-Mexico border and deploy troops there if Mexico failed to stop the migrants.

At a campaign stop in Arizona on Friday, Trump expressed gratitude to Mexican officials for their efforts to deter the caravan. Its being stopped as of this moment by Mexico. So we appreciate very much what Mexico is doing, he told reporters in Scottsdale. As of this moment, I thank Mexico. I hope they continue.

As they neared the Mexican side of the bridge, the migrants clashed with Mexican authorities, and several people were injured  including migrants, police and at least one Mexican journalist.

While a Mexican federal police helicopter hovered overhead, hundreds of migrants remained massed on the bridge, demanding that they be allowed to cross.

Migrants gathered outside the Mexican immigration headquarters shouted Ayuda! for help, as some women in the group appeared to be fainting in the sweltering heat.

The Mexican government brought a large bus to the crossing, and a small number of migrants, mostly women and children, were allowed to board. It appears they were to be processed for refugee status or other potential protections.

Honduran migrants remove a barrier Oct. 19 at the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state. (Pedro Pardo / AFP/Getty Images)

Mexican authorities, who have also sought help from the United Nations, said each migrant would be subjected to immigration inspection and that those lacking legal papers to be in Mexico would be detained and deported. Those seeking asylum would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Many shops here in Ciudad Hidalgo, on the Mexican side of the border, were closed because of fears of violence and looting. But residents of the town lined up to watch the spectacle.

As the day wore on, migrants began jumping from the bridge and swimming to the Mexican side or climbing aboard makeshift rafts, which ferried them to shore.

Darling Mejia, 20, had been waiting on the bridge for two hours before he began to worry that he might suffocate and decided to jump. He emerged on the shore shaking and dripping wet, his red shirt hanging off his thin figure.

You have to understand, he said. All we want is a better life.

It was the kind of chaotic scene that Mexican authorities had hoped to avoid.

1 / 36 Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the U.S., get on a truck near Pijijiapan, Mexico. (GUILLERMO ARIAS / AFP/Getty Images) 2 / 36 Honduran migrant children heading in a caravan to the U.S., travel on a truck near Pijijiapan, Mexico. (GUILLERMO ARIAS / AFP/Getty Images) 3 / 36 Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the U.S., travel aboard a truck near Mapastepec, Mexico. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP/Getty Images) 4 / 36 Honduran migrants take a bath in a river in Pijijiapan, Mexico. (Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press) 5 / 36 Central American migrants traveling with a caravan to the U.S. climb onto to a trailer bed, hitching a ride to Pijijiapan, Mexico. (Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press) 6 / 36 Melvin Marquez from Honduras, relaxes after having a bath in a river in Pijijiapan, Mexico. (Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press) 7 / 36 Central American migrants traveling with a caravan to the U.S. make their way to Pijijiapan, Mexico. (Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press) 8 / 36 Central American migrants rest for the night in Pijijiapan, Chiapas state, Mexico, as their caravan slowly makes its way toward the U.S. border. (Rebecca Blackwell / AP) 9 / 36 Central American migrants walking to the U.S. start their day departing Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico. (Moises Castillo / Associated Press) 10 / 36 Hondruans bath at a river in Huixtla, Mexico, during their journey to the U.S. (JOSE MENDEZ /EPA /REX / Shutterstock) 11 / 36 A Honduran migrant woman taking part in a caravan heading to the U.S., has an ultrasound done to check her pregnancy during a stop in their journey at the Central Park in Huixtla, Mexico. (JOHAN ORDONEZ / AFP/Getty Images) 12 / 36 Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the U.Ss, rest at a makeshift camp during a stop in Huixtla, Mexico. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP/Getty Images) 13 / 36 A Central American migrant traveling with a caravan to the U.S. plays basketball on a temporary shelter in Huixtla, Mexico (Moises Castillo / Associated Press) 14 / 36 Honduran migrants aboard a truck on their way to Tapachula, Mexico, as they head toward the U.S. border. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP/Getty Images) 15 / 36 Honduran migrants in a caravan to the U.S. border on their way to Tapachula, Mexico, in a truck. (AFP/Getty Images) 16 / 36 Aerial view of Honduran migrants aboard a truck as they take part in the caravan on the outskirts of Tapachula, Mexico. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP/Getty Images) 17 / 36 A Honduran migrant family taking part in a caravan heading to the U.S. border rest on their arrival in Huixtla, Mexico. (JOHAN ORDONEZ / AFP/Getty Images) 18 / 36 Aerial view of Honduran migrants in Tapachula, Mexico, as they walk toward the U.S. border. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP/Getty Images) 19 / 36 Honduran migrants rest on their arrival in Huixtla, Mexico, as they take part in a caravan heading to the U.S. border. (JOHAN ORDONEZ / AFP/Getty Images) 20 / 36 Thousands of Hondurans continue caravan 21 / 36 A Central American migrant, who fell from the back of a moving vehicle and died, lies on a highway outside of Tapachula, Mexico. (Moises Castillo / Associated Press) 22 / 36 Central American migrants traveling in a caravan to the U.S. border rest in a central park in Huixtla, Mexico. (Moises Castillo / Associated Press) 23 / 36 A Mexican federal police officer speaks with Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the U.S. on the road linking Ciudad Hidalgo and Tapachula, Mexico. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP/Getty Images) 24 / 36 Honduran migrants on a makeshift raft cross the Suchiate River, on the Guatemala-Mexico border, in Ciudad Hidalgo. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP/Getty Images) 25 / 36 A Honduran migrant in a caravan toward the U.S. waits to cross the border from Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico. (ORLANDO SIERRA / AFP/Getty Images) 26 / 36 Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the U.S. rest at the main square in Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP/Getty Images) 27 / 36 An aerial view of migrants in a caravan headed toward the U.S. on the road linking Ciudad Hidalgo and Tapachula, Chiapas state, Mexico. (PEDRO PARDO / AFP/Getty Images) 28 / 36 A group of Honduran migrants arrives to the Mexican side of the border after crossing the Suchiate River aboard a raft made out of tractor inner tubes and wooden planks, on the the border with Guatemala, in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico. (Moises Castillo / AP) 29 / 36 Thousands of migrants from Honduras who forced their way through Guatemalas northwestern border flooded onto a bridge leading to Mexico and waited in the hope of continuing their journey to the United States. (Pedro Pardo / AFP/Getty Images) 30 / 36 Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the United States board makeshift rafts to cross the Suchiate River, natural border between Guatemala and Mexico, in Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala. (ORLANDO SIERRA / AFP/Getty Images) 31 / 36 Members of the migrant caravan from Honduras rest on a bridge over the Suchiate River which forms the Guatemala-Mexico border in Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala. (John Moore / Getty Images) 32 / 36 Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the United States cross the Suchiate River, natural border between Guatemala and Mexico, in a makeshift raft, in Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala. (ORLANDO SIERRA / AFP/Getty Images) 33 / 36 A Honduran migrant traveling as part of a caravan prepares to jump into the Suchiate River from the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge, near a Mexican Federal Police officer, in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state, Mexico. (Pedro Pardo / AFP/Getty Images) 34 / 36 Honduran migrants heading in a caravan toward the United States wait to help fellow men get down to the Suchiate River from the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge, in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state, Mexico. (Pedro Pardo / AFP/Getty Images) 35 / 36 Honduran migrants heading in a caravan toward the United States rest at a temporary shelter in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state, Mexico. (Pedro Pardo / AFP/Getty Images) 36 / 36 Hundreds of demonstrators with a Honduran flag protest in favor of the caravan of migrants who are currently stuck on the Guatemala-Mexico border, in front of the American embassy, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. (Fernando Antonio / AP)

In recent days, as the much-publicized caravan traversed Guatemala, Mexico dispatched planeloads of federal police and other authorities in anticipation of an influx.

Most of the migrants are citizens of Honduras, and many waved its blue-and-white national flag.

It was not immediately clear how many had entered Mexico.

One who made it in was 19-year-old Mario Leon, who abandoned the caravan after a week and crossed Thursday in a raft.

He left Honduras, he said, because he had no choice. Theres no work. Theres no money, he said. The work there pays just three dollars a day. How can I make a life?

Now Leon was waiting for two of his aunts who he said were stuck on the bridge. Waving a Honduran flag to cheer on the migrants, he didnt seem particularly worried about Mexican immigration authorities.

Stopping illegal immigration and erecting a wall along the border with Mexico have been hallmark promises of Trump since he was a presidential candidate.

Late Thursday, Trump retweeted an image of reinforcements arriving at Mexicos southern border and wrote: Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!

For Mexico, the caravan had posed a major dilemma, pitting compassion for the migrants and respect for human rights against the countrys relationship with the United States.

Mexican authorities have vowed to respect the human rights of the migrants but said those lacking legal authorization to cross into Mexico would be detained.

The essence of our position is the respect of the human rights and dignity of the people, and the protection of this migrant group, particularly the most vulnerable, Mexicos foreign secretary, Luis Videgaray, said Friday at a meeting in Mexico City with U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo.

Pompeo said the situation was reaching a moment of crisis.

Mexicos interior secretary, Alfonso Navarrete Prida, denounced violence and acts of provocation by some of the migrants in the caravan and vowed that Mexico would respect the rights of those seeking entry into Mexico.

Some in the caravan had broken an accord with Mexican authorities to proceed in an orderly fashion at the border, Navarette said.

Mexico has long been the major route for Central Americans seeking to make it to the United States. Organized groups of smugglers assist the migrants on their way north, charging $5,000 or more a person.

In recent years, Mexican authorities have stepped up efforts to stop Central Americans from illegally entering the country, and set up checkpoints to catch those who get past the border.

Between January and August, Mexican authorities deported 69,929 Central Americans, an almost 40% increase compared with the same period during 2017.

Linthicum reported from Ciudad Hidalgo and McDonnell from Mexico City. Cecilia Sanchez of The Times Mexico City bureau and Times staff writers Tracy Wilkinson in Washington contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

4:10 p.m.: This article has been updated throughout with staff reporting.

12:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional reporting on the gate being taken down.

This article was originally published at noon.
With the cloud of uncertainty around what Brexit will look like, it is worth clarifying the effect, or lack of effect it will have on European patents and the UK.

Full withdrawal from the EU, a so-called hard Brexit, does not result in withdrawal from the European Patent Office (EPO) which is a very different entity.

The EPO is a public international organisation established by the European Patent Convention. It is not a European Union or Council of Europe institution. Thus, the EPO is completely unaffected by Brexit, as are its employees and users. Put simply it is business as usual for patent applicants and users of the EPO, regardless of the outcome of Brexit negotiations.

It is worth noting at this point that the EPO has historically always included countries which are not in the European Union (EU) such as Turkey, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. Any qualified European patent attorney can act before the EPO and obtain patents on behalf of their organisation or their clients. Becoming a European patent attorney involves passing tough examinations, and the bulk of qualified attorneys reside in the UK, Germany and France.

The EPO has provided a system which while a little unwieldy and bureaucratic at times (although these issues have been widely addressed now) is generally good for one-stop prosecution of patent applications. Its popularity has in fact led to some problems which were unforeseen by the EPO when it was founded in 1977. It remains the most popular choice for patent protection across its member states including those in the EU and outside the EU.

There will be no change in the existing system used by UK patent attorneys to prosecute, oppose and defend patents at the EPO  they will be in the same position that patent attorneys based in non-EU states, such as Switzerland, have been for many years. Moreover, European patents will continue to protect all the member states of the EPO including the 10 or so countries which are not members of the EU but full members of the EPO. Whether Britain chooses to be in or out of the EU circle makes no difference.

This is good news for all patent applicants whether they are based in Europe, the EU, or elsewhere.



Helga Chapman

Chapman IP

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Southampton SO15 2AT

United Kingdom

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In Deckers Outdoor Corp. v Australian Leather Pty. Ltd., the US District Court in Illinois addressed the issue of whether a term found to be generic in Australia should compel the conclusion that such term is generic in the US, and whether the doctrine of foreign equivalents should apply to a term used in another English-speaking country.

Deckers, the owner of the UGG brand, had filed a complaint against Australian Leather asserting claims for trade mark infringement, among other things, based on Australian Leather's sale of boots which it called "ugg boots". In response, Australian Leather claimed that "ugg" was a generic term for a kind of sheepskin boot which had been popularised by Australian surfers in the 1970s and, therefore, Deckers' trade mark registrations for the UGG mark should be cancelled and Deckers barred from preventing third parties from calling their boots "uggs". Each of the parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment.

The crux of Australian Leather's argument was that the term "ugg" is generic in Australia and should be treated as generic in the US pursuant to the doctrine of foreign equivalents. The Court, however, held that even if Australian Leather could establish that the term "ugg" was generic in Australia, it was not able to link that finding to consumer perceptions in the US which, in the case at hand, was the relevant public. The Court noted that "although evidence of how Australians use the term "ugg" could be relevant to consumer perception in the US, generic usage is not enough on its own to infer generic meaning in the US." Even if the Court were to assume that the term "ugg" was generic in Australia, there was no evidence that it was generic in the US.

Australian Leather further asserted that the term "ugg" was generic among American surfers in the 1970s. In response, the Court held that such a claim was not supported by any evidence and, even if it were, there was no reason to construe the relevant public so narrowly since "sheepskin boots are not a specialised technology that appeals only to some limited consumer base."

The Court held that the application of the doctrine of foreign equivalents suggested by Australian Leather was not correct. The Court indicated that the doctrine of foreign equivalents provides that "a word commonly used in another language as the generic name of a product cannot be imported into the US and be transformed into a valid trade mark." Firstly, the Court held that the doctrine is used to analyse the use of non-English terms in the marketplace and not a term from another English speaking country. Secondly, the doctrine serves as a prohibition on allowing a trade mark to monopolise a generic term and Australian Leather was not able to provide evidence that either Americans are familiar with the Australian usage of the term "ugg" or that Australian visitors to the US "would be misled into thinking that there is only one brand of ugg-style sheepskin boots available in this country."

Ultimately, a Court in the US will look to the US marketplace and US consumer perception as determinative.





Karen Artz Ash Bret J Danow





Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

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New York, NY 10022-2585

United States

Tel: +1 212 940 8554

Fax: +1 212 940 8671

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In Thailand, trade mark applicants often encounter rejections on the ground of non-distinctiveness, where the application is principally composed of an acronym or a combination of unpronounceable letters. The Thai Trademark Office has consistently found that combinations of such letters in only a slightly stylised manner do not form an invented word and as such cannot pass the distinctiveness requirement. These decisions are then, almost without exception, upheld by the Thai Trademark Appeal Board (TTAB). At that point, many applicants refrain from appealing to the Thai courts due to the lengthy litigation process and the significant costs involved.

Recently, there have been several Thai Supreme Court decisions indicating that the Thai Trademark Office's position on letter combinations should be modified.

Section 7 Paragraph 2 of the Thai Trademark Act enumerates various mark categories that are presumed distinctive by the registrar, for example, invented words (subparagraph 3) or stylised letters or numerals(subparagraph 4). Where a mark falls under one of the listed categories, its distinctiveness is often easily settled. However, problematic cases arise where the mark does not meet the specified criteria of any category for presumed distinctiveness.

Logically, in these cases, the subject marks should be assessed based on the general criteria of distinctiveness, which is defined in Section 7 Paragraph 1 as the ability of a mark to "enable the public or users to distinguish the goods with which the trade mark is used from other goods." In practice, however, failure of a mark to fit into one of the specified distinctiveness categories often results in a non-distinctiveness rejection.

In Beiersdorf AG v The Department of Intellectual Property, (casenumber 5432/2551 (2008)), the Thai Supreme Court was tasked with assessing the distinctiveness of the mark . The trade mark registrar and the TTAB decided the mark lacked distinctiveness as it did not constitute an invented word or a mark made up of highly stylised letters. The Supreme Court found distinctiveness of the mark must be assessed by the ability of the mark to indicate a source of the goods/services claimed that is distinguishable from the source of others.

The subject mark comprised the letter combination BFD, with minimal or no stylisation, followed by a series of four ordinary opaque circles. The Court had the view that, although the mark was composed of simple letters and geometrical shapes, the distinct arrangement of the generic elements rendered the resulting mark capable of distinguishing the relevant goods/services. Furthermore, the Court noted that the Roman letter combination BDF is derived from the applicant's company name, i.e. Beiersdorf AG. As there was no evidence this letter combination is commonly used in the trade connected with the claimed goods/services, the Court deemed it effective in designating the applicant as the origin of the goods/services claimed.

The Supreme Court employed an identical reasoning in HTC Corporation v The Department of Intellectual Property, (case number 13879/2556 (2013)), where the mark was deemed distinctive, as the letter combination forming the mark was derived from the applicant's company name and was not commonly used in the relevant trade.

The Central Intellectual Property and International Trade Court, with first instance appeal jurisdiction over trade mark cases, also demonstrated an affinity with the Supreme Court's analytical methodology, as reflected in its decision in BFT S.p.A. v The Department of Intellectual Property, (red case number TorPor.88/2559 (2016)), which was affirmed by the Supreme Court earlier this year.

Despite a wealth of jurisprudence on this point, we observe that the Thai registrar and the TTAB continue to issue and affirm lack of distinctiveness rejections for trade marks composed mainly of letter combinations that are not highly stylised. Thus, we recommend that trade mark owners wishing to obtain registration for their marks falling in this group be prepared to appeal their cases to the courts, where the chances of success will significantly increase.

Dhanasun Chumchuay

Dhanasun Chumchuay, Daniel Grief and Saowaluck Lamlert

Spruson & Ferguson

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Tel: +66 2 305 6893

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Pamba : Two days after the Sabarimala temple opened for the first time after the Supreme Court ruling lifting the centuries old ban on entry of women of all age groups, no women has yet been able to visit the Lord Ayyappa shrine. Two women, including a reporter from Hyderabad, began trekking to Sabarimala hill Friday amid strong protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

Police led by IG S Sreejithhave have thrown a security ring around the women who had requested security to go to Sabarimala Sannidhanam. There have been strong protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple. The woman reporter is in her late 20s while the details of the second woman, who was carrying Irumudikkettu (holy bundle), was not immediately known.

If they climbed the hills, they would be the first women from the menstruating age group to visit the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa after the Supreme Court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine. However, they're facing huge protest from the devotees. In an attempt to calm down the raging protesters, Inspector general of police S Sreejith has conveyed to the protestors that the police will not go back on implementation of the Supreme Court ruling. ( PTI )
Sannidhanam : Amid the furor over the entry of women into the Ayyappa shrine, Dewasvom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said that the temple activists should not turn the temple as place to prove their strength and ideology.

Asserting that the government does not want to turn the place into a riot land, the minister also added that the government wont be able to provide unprecedented security for such people.

'We came to know that they were activists, only after they reached Sannidhanam, the minister added. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala slammed the state government and Intelligence Bureau for their lapses for not distinguishing the activists.
Sannidhanam : The two women activists who attempted to visit the Ayyappa temple has decided to drop the plan following the huge protest of temple priests and devotees. According to the reports, they have informed the police to drop the plan to trek the hills.

In the morning, temple has halted the pooja's of the temple and staged a sit up protest below the sacred 'patinettampadi' of the temple. The head priest also informed the the cops that they will be closing the inner sanctum of the shrine, if they steps into the temple,

As the atmosphere continues to tense, the Kerala Governor P Sathasivam has sought an update from Kerala police on the Sabarimala deadlock.

Meanwhile, head priest Kandarau Rajeevaru has informed the Panthalam Palace that the temple will be closed if someone tries to infringe the customs of the temple.

Dewasvom Minister further said that the Kerala government's duty is to give protection to true devotees wishing to visit the shrine.
The Department of Transportation and San Miguel Holdings Corp. have resolved the issues on right of way and local government permits for the P735-billion New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan province. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said San Miguel Corp., the original proponent, agreed to bear the cost of right-of-way acquisition and local government permits to ensure that the Swiss Challenge would be completed this year. I will issue a certificate of successful negotiation by next week. Then on that basis it will go to Neda [National Economic and Development Authority], Tugade told reporters at the sidelines of the 44th Philippine Business Conference in Manila. We have agreed the Swiss Challenge will be done before the end of the year, Tugade said. San Miguel president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang confirmed that his company would shoulder all costs related to ROW and LGU permits. We will pay for right of way and local government permits. In short, we will shoulder everything so that there is no dispute, Ang said. Ang said the project would be a game changer and would bring more foreign tourists to the Philippines. The New Manila Airport Project will be undertaken over a period of five to seven years to full completion.The project, which was approved by the National Economic and Development Authority chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte in April, involves the construction of a world-class, major international gateway with four to six parallel runways, modern terminals, a sea port and an industrial zone. It is located 27 kilometers from Ninoy Aquino International Airport, or 45 minutes from any point in Metro Manila via multiple expressways. The new airport is expected to create one million jobs during the construction phase, according to Ang. San Miguel proposed to build the massive airport complex on a 2,500-hectare property in Bulakan, Bulacan. San Miguel said earlier it tapped Standard Chartered Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. as co-financial advisors for the planned project. Ang said SMC, the parent company, was fully backing SMHC for the airport project. Ang said he agreed with the Department of Finances position that both companiesSMC and SMHCshould sign a joint liability agreement.
President Rodrigo Duterte can unilaterally withdraw the countrys membership from the International Criminal Court even without a concurrence from the Senate, according to a lawyer aspiring for the post of associate justice in the Supreme Court. During a public interview conducted by the Judicial and Bar Council on Thursday, lawyer and mediator Rita Linda Jimeno said Duterte can unilaterally withdraw from the Rome Statute, agreeing that the chief executive can apply the principle of rebus sic stantibus. Yes, Your Honor, Jimeno replied. Because under that principle, if there are substantial changes in the circumstances which would then completely change what was agreed upon, then the president may withdraw from a treaty that was earlier signed by him and even affirmed or ratified by the Senate. The legal doctrine of rebus sic stantibus allows for a treaty to become inapplicable if there has been a substantial change in the circumstances upon which it was founded. In withdrawing the Philippines from the ICC, Duterte cited as reason the baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks against him by United Nations officials, as well as the attempt by the international court to place him within its jurisdiction, in an alleged violation of his right to due process and presumption of innocence. Consolidated petitions have been filed with the Supreme Court seeking to declare as unconstitutional the Presidents decision to withdraw from ICC for lack of Senates approval. The Constitution requires the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senate for a treaty to be valid and effective, but it is silent on whether or not a withdrawal is bound by the same rule. Particularly referring to the case of the intended withdrawal from the ICC, Jimeno said the executive can do so under the rebus sic stantibus doctrine even without Senate concurrence. Jimeno is one of 12 nominees vying for associate justice post vacated by retired Teresita Leonardo-De Castro, who was appointed chief justice last August.Jimeno is one of only three candidates who are not incumbent justices of the Court of Appeals. Meanwhile, Jimeno described the current state of affairs at the Supreme Court as more stable. Compared to how it was before, it is now more stable and more calm in the eyes of the public because there are no longer disputes questioning the appropriateness or propriety of one justice sitting as a justice of the Supreme Court, the lady lawyer said. Jimeno added that the strength of the Court is its resilience, claiming it had withstood a series of crises while maintaining its integrity and completing its work in the most sober manner. Jimeno also said that she did not think the Court could be swayed by whims and caprices. Aside from Jimeno, the other aspirants include Sandiganbayan justice Alex Quiroz, CA justices Oscar Badelles, Manuel Barrios, Apolinario Bruselas, Jr., Rosmari Carandang, Stephen Cruz, Edgardo delos Santos, Japar Dimaampao, Ramon D.R. Garcia, Amy Lazaro-Javier, and former Ateneo Law School dean Cesar Villanueva. Jimeno, a University of the Philippines law graduate, is managing partner at the Jimeno Cope & David Law Offices, the associate dean of the Centro Escolar University law school, and is a Supreme Court-accredited mediator.
Israels 50-Year Time Bomb, Pushing Palestinians to the Edge

Why Is the Trump Administration Compounding Palestinian Distress?



In the quest to change Israel's very nature, the Netanyahu government is pushing Palestinians to an edge - with the support of the Trump White House.



Recently, a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that deepening rifts between key stakeholders and surging violence in Gaza further imperil prospects for peace. That should not come as a surprise anymore.

While economic and strategic polarization is steadily deepening between Israel and the Palestinians, the "peace initiatives" of the Trump White House are undermining half a century of American diplomacy and pushing the region closer to an abyss.In the past, the Netanyahu government has vehemently opposed all parallels with South African apartheid. Unfortunately, new data suggests that under apartheid South African blacks had more to hope for than Palestinians today.

Unsettling parallels



Between 1994 and 2017, Israeli GDP per capita, adjusted to purchasing power parity, increased by 150%; in West Bank and Gaza, the comparable figure was 160%. Yet, the Palestinian starting-point is so low that progress in living standards is largely fiction.



In 1994 - amid the peace talks in Oslo - Palestinian living standards were only 6.4% ($1,526) of the Israeli level ($23,693) (Figure a). At the time, the hope was that peace would bring increasing stability, which would foster prosperity and rapid catch-up growth  until the radical-right assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin triggered still another cycle of violence.



Last year, Palestinian living standards were about 7.3% ($2,494) of the Israeli level ($34,135). After more than two decades of new wars and friction, terrorism and restrictions, the catch-up has amounted to less than a percentage point.



Lets set aside political debates about the causes and only focus on economic facts; i.e., changes in income polarization. And let's compare the last two decades of apartheid South Africa with the past two decades between Israel and Palestinians. In the mid-70s, black South Africans annual per capita income relative to white levels was about 8.6%; that is, two percent higher relative to the Palestinian level vis-a-vis the Israelis. By the time apartheid came to an end with the formation of a democratic government in 1994, black South Africans per capita income relative to the whites had climbed to some 13%. In contrast, the comparable Palestinian level was half of that figure last year (Figure b).

Figure Unsettling Comparisons

GDP Per Capita PPP: Israel Vs West Bank and Gaza (1994-2017)

Living Standards: Palestinians/Israelis and Black/White South Africans

Source: a. World Bank. b. Palestinians/Israelis: World Bank. Black and White South Africans: OECD.

Ironically, South African apartheid was more conducive to economic progress in its last two decades than life in the West Bank and Gaza in the past two decades.



Moreover, the Netanyahu governments economic policies have also dramatically increased economic polarization in Israel. In the early 1990s, the Gini coefficient, a measure of inequality, was around 35 in Israel, at the level of Portugal and Italy. Closer to 43 today, it is among the highest in OECD countries, and at the level of Nigeria and Zimbabwe. But there may be still worse ahead.

Undermining Israeli Constitution



Protests in Gaza ahead of, and turbulence since Israels Independence Day and the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in May, mark the most serious escalation since the 2014 war. With his decision, President Trump departed from the decades-long U.S. executive branch practice not to recognize Israeli sovereignty over any part of Jerusalem.



Meanwhile, a steep decrease in Palestinian Authority and external funding to Gaza since 2017 has worsened already dangerous humanitarian conditions there. According to the World Bank, Gazans real per capita incomes have fallen by one-third since 1994, owing largely to the West Bank-Gaza split and to Israels and Egypts tight controls on goods and people transiting Gazas borders.



Instead of seeking to alleviate acute distress in the region, the White House has given de facto support to the new nation-state law, which defines Israel as a Jewish nation-state, despite a significant Arab minority. Unsurprisingly, the new law has been opposed by demonstrations and a high-profile petition by Israeli intellectuals - including Amos Oz, David Grossman, A. B. Yehoshua, Eshkol Nevo, Etgar Keret and Orly Castel-Bloom - who demand the Netanyahu government to abolish it: "The nation-state law, according to which the State of Israel is the national state of the Jews only, expressly permits racial and religious discrimination, nullifies Arabic as an official language alongside Hebrew, does not mention democracy as the foundation of the country and does not mention equality as a basic value."



In this status quo, Trump's indiscriminate support for the Netanyahu government effectively nullifies any remaining impression about the U.S. as a neutral arbiter in the peace process. What makes the moment even more dangerous is Netanyahu's inclination to ignore the warnings of Israel's highest defense authorities, the willingness of the Trump administration to embolden these fatal shifts, and the erosion of any remaining hope on the Palestinian side.

50 years of missed warnings



At the eve of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when I toured the West Bank and Gaza, what was most striking was the apparent calm on the surface and the lingering tensions behind the official facade. It was this odd mixture of hollow expectations and raw realities that accounted for the nightmares that ensued.



After the Yom Kippur War, the Labor coalition began to expand the boundaries of Jerusalem eastward, which encouraged a group of Messianic settlers to create a foothold in the West Bank, including Maale Adumim by the Gush Emunim which sparked a protest by the Peace Now movement. I was there, as was my good friend Amos Oz, the famous Israeli author and one of the leaders of the peace movement. The concern was that if the settlers were permitted to create a substantial de facto presence, it might be legitimized over time with de jure measures, which would undermine Israels foundations, polarize the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians, while fostering cycles of terror and conflicts.



Despite a relatively broad popular opposition against the settlements, successive Israeli governments failed to contain them, despite Egyptian President Sadats bold peace initiative. Once again, the writing on the wall was ignored and the 80s wars in Lebanon ensued, along with the first large-scale Palestinian uprising against Israel in the West Bank and Gaza at the turn of the 90s. Thats when the Madrid Conference in 1991 and the subsequent Oslo Accords offered a glimpse of an alternative future scenario  but one that perished after Rabins assassination.



Today, half a century has passed from the Six-Day War and the Israeli conquest of the West Bank and Gaza. According to the Peace Index by the Israel Democracy Institute, last July three out of every four Israelis (74%) viewed the chances of Trumps peace plan being a success as low or very low. According to the most recent survey, 89% of Israeli Jews do not see peace in the horizon. Almost half of Israeli Jews believe the Palestinians should have a state of their own. More think the two-state solution would be impossible to implement. After a generation of increasing bitterness, the share of the skeptics is relatively higher in younger age groups.



The message is fairly clear. Most Israelis believe that President Trumps initiatives are undermining peace in the region. Most support a two-state plan. But since Washington is not seen as a neutral arbiter, a lasting peace plan is not enforceable.



As the U.S. provides one-third of the annual budget of the UNRWA, the vital relief agency for Palestine refugees since 1948, and has refused to make further contributions, some 5.4 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank and Gaza, and in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria find themselves in a new situation.



Reportedly, Israel supported only gradual reduction of the UNRWAs funding and no reductions in Gaza until Netanyahu changed course without consulting his own security officials. Meanwhile, leading Israeli defense authorities have suggested that steep UNRWA cuts could further radicalize Gaza and destabilize the West Bank.



As the IMF data suggests, the status quo is entering an entirely new stage, in which economic agony could result in a failed state before an actual state is formed, while militarization of the crisis and the absence of hope on the Palestinian side could unleash even more desperate waves of terror internationally.



Half a century of policy mistakes should be an adequate warning.

Dr Steinbock is the founder of the Difference Group and has served as the research director at the India, China, and America Institute (USA) and a visiting fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (China) and the EU Center (Singapore). For more information, see http://www.differencegroup.net/

 2018 Copyright Dan Steinbock - All Rights Reserved

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Whilst her dancing skills have been found somewhat lacking in recent months, Theresa May has become an expert at one thing: kicking the can down the road. Of course, she has been aided in this by the real masters of this practice: the European leaders, who have turned the making of political fudge into a fine art over the last decade. But no matter how much May and her negotiating partners attempt to duck and dive, they cannot dodge the final bullet. One way or another, Britain and the rest of Europe are heading for an explosion. The only question is when.

Brexit means...?

The Prime Minister had hoped to convince her counterparts in Brussels this week that progress could  and would  be made in negotiations over the UKs departure from the European Union. But the only outcome was an agreement amongst the EU27 that there was no outcome. As a result, next months planned Brexit summit has been cancelled, seen rightly be the European leaders as a waste of their time.

Faced with the continued (and insoluble) problem of the Irish border, May was forced to quietly leave the summit without anything to bring back home other the suggestion of a further extension to the already  agreed transitional period, originally set to expire in December 2020. Now the Tory leader has suggested that this might be prolonged by a matter of months, in order to avoid the ever  growing possibility of a no-deal train-crash Brexit.

A lobby of bankers, bosses, businesses, and Blairites is seeking to overturn the result of the 2016 EU referendum altogether. No wonder Rees-Mogg and co. are up in arms / Image: Socialist Appeal

Unsurprisingly, this proposal did not go down well with the Tory Party faithful. Brexiteers instantly leaped to their feet, declaring this yet another betrayal; another step towards relegating the UK to the status of a vassal state.

The Leavers are fearful that their promised Jerusalem will never be reached, and that Britain will instead be stuck in a permanent limbo of BRINO: Brexit in name only  leaving the EU formally, but continuing to follow its rules and pay money in, all whilst losing any vote or seat at the table.

And their concerns are justified. After all, an ever-growing lobby of bankers, bosses, businesses, and Blairites is seeking to overturn the result of the 2016 EU referendum altogether. The cacophonous call for a 2nd referendum  a Peoples Vote  has become deafening. No wonder Rees-Mogg and co. are up in arms: they can see their beloved Brexit slipping through their fingers.

Their suspicions will have been confirmed by the warmer reception Mays suggestion received from UK big business, who are keen for any move that maintains the countrys access to the Single Market for longer. For example, the CBI  the bosses union  was amongst those at the top to welcome the Prime Ministers latest offer.

Walls closing in

Everywhere Theresa May looks, the walls are closing in on her attempts to reach an agreement.

Her parliamentary partners, the reactionary DUP, are threatening to pull the plug if a backstop is put in place, which would see the North of Ireland align with the South in terms of trading arrangements, effectively pushing the border back into the Irish Sea. Remain supporters, as already noted, are mobilising to push for a 2nd referendum. And Corbyns Labour Party have stated that they will help to vote down almost any deal presented to Parliament, in the hope of forcing another general election and kicking the Tories out.

The walls are closing in on May's attempts to reach an agreement on Brexit / Image: Socialist Appeal

All the while, the Brexiteers believe that they have one trump card up their sleeve: the ability to dethrone their party leader.

This sword of Damocles hangs ever more precariously above Mays head. Former cabinet ministers Boris Johnson and David Davis are amongst the Eurosceptics who responded to this weeks developments in Brussels by signing an open letter which stated that the British people would not forgive May if Brexit was reduced to a choreographed show of resistance followed by surrender.

Spinning plates

The Prime Minister's only hope now is to embark on an impossible balancing act. To the European leaders, she is making pleas for concessions, warning of a cliff-edge Brexit if her Chequers deal is not accepted. To the Remain-supporting MPs within her own party, she is asking for support against the Leave fanatics. And to the Brexiteers, she is alerting their attentions to the fact that her departure could lead to a snap election, putting Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street and ending their Brexit dream.

But May cannot maintain such a state of spinning plates indefinitely. Eventually, the Prime Minister will have to decide: does she bend to pressure of her party ranks, standing firm against the oppressors in Brussels and marching the country out of Europe without a deal; or does she capitulate to the EU and make a humiliating retreat back past all the so-called red lines that she has previously declared.

The Prime Minister must perform an impossible balancing act. To the European leaders, she is making pleas for concessions; to the Remain-supporting MPs within her own party, she is asking for support against the Leave fanatics; and to the Brexiteers, she warns a snap election could put Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street / Image: Tiocfaidh

The former option will plunge Britain into the unknown, cutting big business adrift of its largest export market, and threatening the stability of an already fragile European  and world  economy. This is of no concern for leading Brexiteers. To paraphrase Tacitus, the Roman historian: this they falsely name Empire, and where they make a wasteland, they call it victory.

The latter option, on the other hand, will in effect be political kamikazee for Theresa May. The bosses and bankers will get their way, retaining access to the Single Market  but at what cost?

Firstly, it is uncertain whether she could even stumble over the finishing line. The demands of EU negotiators could be too much for May to swallow. Eventually the Prime Minister would be forced aside by those in her own party, opening the door for a new, unreliable, arch-Leaver leader.

Most importantly, this would pave the way for a Corbyn Labour government  confident, emboldened, and radicalised: a prospect that sets off as many alarm bells in the City of London as the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

For a socialist Europe

The Corbyn movement must argue the case boldly for a radical transformation of society  for a Socialist United States of Europe / Image: Socialist Appeal

Sooner or later, judgement day will come for Theresa May. And the opportunity for Corbyns Labour to form a government will present itself. At that point, Britains new Prime Minister will face his own choice: submit to the sabotage of the markets, or break with the bosses Europe and the capitalist system.

The Corbyn movement must prepare now for this showdown. And that means arguing the case boldly for a radical transformation of society  for a Socialist United States of Europe.
The British Marxists of Socialist Appeal will be hosting the Revolution Festival 2018, starting tonight at 7pm (London time) and running over the weekend. The event will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the revolutionary year of 1968, in addition to providing a range of discussions and panels on topics such as Marxism and the black struggle, the fight for women's suffrage, resisting the far right, AI and human consciousness, the US-China trade war, and much, much more! Many of these sessions will be livestreamed to the Socialist Appeal Facebook page, so our international audience can tune in from all around the world!

The first session, taking place tonight at 7pm in London, will cover the events of the 1918 German Revolution. The discussion will be led by Rob Sewell (editor of Socialist Appeal) and Marie Frederiksen (editor of the Danish Marxist journal, Revolution, and author of a new book, Reclaiming Rosa Luxemburg: a true revolutionary). They will also launch Rob's brand new book: Germany 1918-1933: Socialism or Barbarism (available for pre-order via WellRed Books): an essential addition to any Marxist's revolutionary library!

The full timetable of sessions (in British time) are available from revolutionfestival.co.uk.
President Donald Trump praised a Republican congressman who body slammed a reporter last year, saying the lawmaker was my guy.

Trump, speaking at a rally in Montana, said Rep. Greg Gianforte, who pleaded guilty to assaulting a reporter who asked him a question, was a good guy.

Greg is smart and, by the way, never wrestle him, the president said, motioning as though he was slamming someone to the ground. Any guy that can do a body slam  hes my guy.

He added Gianforte was a great guy and a tough cookie.

Christal Hayes

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/10/18/donald-trump-greg-gianforte-bodyslammed-reporter-my-kind-guy/1690729002/

***

Trump hails Gianforte for assaulting reporter, implies Montanans approved

President Donald Trump regaled a laughing, cheering audience in Missoula Thursday night with a rousing endorsement of Rep. Greg Gianfortes assault of a journalist in 2017, saying it may have helped him win Montanas sole seat in the U.S. House.

It certainly earned him the presidents endorsement and admiration, Trump told a crowd estimated at 8,000 at the Minuteman Aviation hangar west of Missoula.

Never wrestle him. Never, Trump said of Gianforte. Any guy that can do a body slam, hes my kind of  hes my guy.

By Laura Lundquist
Visitors to Cascade County spent about $203.8 million at local restaurants, bars, hotels, gas stations, retailers and more, according to data from 2015-2016.

Bed tax collections in the Great Falls area have also been trending up since 2007, according to Dax Schieffer, director of the non-profit Voices of Tourism.

Schieffer spoke to a group of hoteliers, business owners and civic leaders in early October about the role tourism can plan in local economies.

by Jenn Rowell
Medill Justice Project investigation leads to release of Miami man convicted of murder

Investigation conducted by 20 Northwestern students found new witness who cast doubt on the conviction

October 18, 2018

Andre Gonzales drops is head back after finding out the murder charges against him were being dropped (photo courtesy of Miami Herald/Carl Juste) Andre Gonzales hugs his son the day Gonzales is released from prison Andre Gonzales is pictured on the day is released from prison

A Medill Justice Project investigation led by Northwestern University students in 2015 resulted in overturning a murder conviction for a Miami man.

Andre Gonzales, who spent 12 years in prison for a murder he said he did not commit, was freed from prison Tuesday.

Im feeling outrageous right now, Gonzales, who also goes by Tony Brown, told The Medill Justice Project. Im just so happy, thrilled.

Twenty NU students working for MJP investigated Gonzaless murder conviction, researching and conducting extensive interviews with people involved in the case. The project, part of the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications, has investigated potentially wrongful convictions, probed criminal justice issues and conducted groundbreaking research since 1999.

"We are pleased that the Medill Justice Project is able to shine a light on cases that merit additional consideration to ensure that justice is truly served, said Medill Interim Dean Charles Whitaker. The Medill students who work myriad hours on these cases learn the tenets of investigative journalism, which they use throughout their careers. We remain committed to this very important work."

This week, Florida prosecutors dropped all charges against Gonzales a month after a Miami circuit court judge vacated his 2005 murder conviction and ordered a new trial.

The September order from Judge Miguel M de la O followed a November 2017 evidentiary hearing where a key eyewitness, Arnold Maniac Clark, testified that he witnessed the murder and that Gonzales, now 46, was not the killer. Clark first told his account to The Medill Justice Project in 2015 and said then that he would not testify at the original trial because he was fearful of retribution.

Gonzales credits MJP and the work of the students with his release.

Lets not forget now that Medill is the most important thing that happened for me because Medill and the students did such an excellent investigation and it really helped, he said.

The Medill Justice Project receives hundreds of letters and tips every year from attorneys, inmates and their families, said Medill Associate Dean Beth Bennett. MJP looks at all requests and then carefully selects cases where there are questionable circumstances around the conviction. The Andre Gonzalez case is exemplary because what the students found was so revealing.

Philip Reizenstein, Gonzales attorney, called Gonzales release one of the highlights of his career.

This is why you do public interest law, when you can help somebody and free [people] whove been wrongly convicted, Reizenstein said.

In 2005, Gonzales was convicted of second-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, armed robbery and attempted armed robbery after a shooting that took place outside of a nightclub in Miamis Liberty City neighborhood. Almost 10 years later, MJP identified and tracked down Clark, who said he witnessed the armed robbery and vouched he is certain authorities got the wrong man.
[October 19, 2018] Huawei Helps Converge ICT Build ISP Network to Promote Philippines Digital Economy SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Philippines offers a wide variety of economically significant local specialties such as mangoes from Luzon Island, Barong Tagalog shirts; the wood carvings from the Banaue Rice Terraces; and a diversity of bags and carpets made from Manila hemp, just to name a few. Local sales are limited if sold only to tourists; but with the advent of Internet 2.0, eCommerce has become the most-promising channel for boosting revenue for Philippine vendors. Having network bandwidth available is essential for enterprises and individuals engaged in eCommerce. To ensure vibrant development of eCommerce reliable, high speed and affordable network services is a must. Of course, eCommerce is only one sector of the Internet 2.0 era. Many new economic patterns and business models are constantly emerging based on digital platforms such as online gaming, HD video, and social media. Other than goods like these, the Philippines has become the Call Center Capital of the world. Thus, network development is vital to the advancement of the national digital economy of the Philippines. Converge ICT (Converge) is a pure fiber Internet service provider. Converge is a leading player in the all-optical broadband access industry with licenses for operating fixed networks, fiber optics, cable TV, enterprise private lines, fixed broadband, and wireless broadband services. Driven by a mission to fulfill the demand for high speed network services, the company is dedicated to deploying a modern and scalable network infrastructure as it's contribution to the development of a modern Digital Economy in the Philippines. Converge has deployed an extensive Fiber Optic network covering Central Luzon, the national Capital Region and South Luzon. Its objective is to be able to provide affordable, high-quality Fiber Internet services to as large an audience as possible. Converge's Plan for New Services Converge started as a cable TV operator. Its live network was a Hybrid Fiber-Coaxial network on which medium speed services were deployed and was the base for the growth of its Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) service. With continuous innovations, bandwidth-hungry services like 4K and 3D video began to proliferate, which in turn is driving exponential increases in the need for bandwidth. In fulfillment of Converge's mission to ensure that the country is empowered to cope with the ever-changing and increasingly-demanding digital times, the company has taken it upon itself to roll-out the Philippines' first pure end-to-end fiber network. And since their initial roll-out, Converge has been able to provide its clientele the kind of connectivity that allows them to maximize th internet. Today, Converge is expanding its in the Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) service market in Metro Manila by providing customers with highly reliable, high-quality and high-speed optical network services. To this end, Converge has specified a reliable and elastic network that will deliver high input-output ratios that meet contemporary data center requirements. According to Converge's requirement, this network must also improve support for the current enterprise private line and home broadband access services, and contribute to future plans for services such as FTTH, enterprise data services, data center services, cloud services, and Smart City services throughout the country. "Early on we felt we needed a network that was reliable, scalable, cost-effective, and allowed us to easily implement new products and services," said Jesus Romero, Chief Operating Officer of Converge. "And we are very pleased that we were able to, in fact, get that with Huawei." Huawei's Professional Network and Business Consulting Team Huawei serves the top 50 network operators worldwide, and has built more than 1,500 networks, is a member of more than 360 standards-defining organizations, industry alliances, or open source communities. Huawei currently holds more than 300 leadership positions in organizations such as IEEE-SA, IIC, BBF, ETSI, TMF, and WFA. With Huawei's Innovation Research Program (HIRP), the organization is conducting cooperative innovation with over 400 research institutes and 900 enterprises in more than 30 countries or regions around the world. After years of practical experience, Huawei has built a professional network of consulting, planning, construction, and maintenance teams. Since 2006, Huawei's global consultants have provided professional consulting services for over 120 operators in more than 70 countries or regions to help operators resolve business pain points and improve core competitiveness. With a full understanding of Converge's current network situation and future plans, Huawei helped Converge sort out and explore potential high-value customers, develop solutions for network construction, and outline future-oriented service plans. Agile WAN Solutions Meet Large Bandwidth and Network Evolution Requirements Huawei proposed its Agile WAN Solution to Converge, which will use NE40E universal service routers to build a Fixed-Mobile Convergence (FMC) 2.0 network. The network will help Converge construct an intelligent, ultra-broadband, and simplified network that meets our service development and network evolution needs. IP + optical synergy affords one-click service deployment. The 'IP + optical synergy' solution applies cross-layer network resource integration and automatic cross-domain topology discovery, simplifies O&M, and achieves end-to-end service deployment in minutes.

The 2 Tbit/s large-capacity line cards to meet large bandwidth service requirements. Built on a 2T platform, the NE40E series energy-efficient routers support smooth capacity expansion to 2 Tbit/s per slot, which allows for large-capacity service support and the ability to meet increased bandwidth requirements in the future.

Hierarchical Quality of Service (HQoS) meets user service experience requirements. HQoS is applied in an end-to-end manner. It allows fine-grained service scheduling by differentiating users and services, and provides large buffers, low latency, and high reliability to ensure superior service quality and meet individual user service experience requirements.

Broadband remote server access in multiple scenarios and hot-standby technology ensure non-stop services. Users can access the network in Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE), Internet Protocol over Ethernet (IPoE), dial-up, private line, wired, or wireless modes. Five authentication modes are supported, affording unified user access for the entire network. And hot-standby technology allows user information to be backed up between active and standby devices with rapid and covert traffic switching. Assisting Converge to Become One of the Best FTTH Providers From the Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) backbone and Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) core, to the MAN, and all the way down to the access network, Converge's network is largely built by Huawei. The renewed Converge network is more reliable and stable, and achieves lower latency, higher rates of speed, and easier O&M - all of which help Converge to launch new products and services quickly. Most importantly, the new network will help Converge to better meet customer requirements and automatically distribute services suited for market needs. The network is beneficial for eCommerce companies that sell Philippine specialties; Internet enterprises providing online live streaming and HD video services; innovative enterprises that engage in local social media or sharing platforms; and citizens - all helping to vigorously promote a robust Digital Economy in the Philippines. In partnership with Huawei, Converge has enhanced its reputation for providing FTTH services that create superior customer experiences. "Huawei has been responsive in terms of support," Romero said. "In terms of pricing, they remain competitive, and they help us a lot with strategy planning, what to do next, and where to go - which is one key area where we feel we should continue and expand cooperation." SOURCE Huawei

[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com/wimax's Homepage ]
ABINGTON  An Abington woman has spurred the cleanup and maintenance of the Abington Town Center and other township areas in need of repair. Brentwood Manor resident Adele Kubel presented photos and a petition, signed by more than 200 residents, asking officials to keep a better eye on conditions at commercial properties at the board of commissioners Nov. 10 meeting....
Blair Mill Elementary students Fun Run raises more than $5,000 for school
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International

Trump says Saudi journalist likely dead; Turkey searches for remains

WASHINGTON/ANKARA, Oct 19 (Agencies) | Publish Date: 10/19/2018 12:11:31 PM IST

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he presumes missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be very severe but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened, Reuters reported.

Turkish police are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for the remains of Khashoggi more than two weeks after he vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters.

Trump, who has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and the 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, had likely been killed. It certainly looks that way to me. Its very sad, Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One on a political trip. In an interview with the New York Times on Thursday, Trump based his acknowledgment that Khashoggi was dead on intelligence reports.

Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate and his body chopped up and removed. Riyadh strongly denies the allegations and said it is investigating the disappearance of the journalist, who was critical of Saudi rulers, calling for reforms.

Trump spoke hours after receiving an update from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the results of Pompeos emergency talks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week. In the New York Times interview, Trump also expressed confidence in intelligence reports that suggest a high-level Saudi role in the suspected killing of Khashoggi. Trump said, however, it was still a little bit early to draw definitive conclusions about who may have been behind it.

Pompeo told reporters that he advised Trump that Saudi Arabia should be given a few more days to complete its investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi, which has caused an international outcry and strained Saudi relations with western countries and corporations.

Trump said he was waiting for the results so that we can get to the bottom of this very soon and that he would be making a statement about it at some point.
By Reuters

GENEVA: Disputes over US tariffs and retaliatory moves by other states have sparked 12 requests for adjudication at the World Trade Organization, signalling an escalation in global trade tensions.

The agenda for an Oct. 29 meeting of the WTO's dispute settlement body on Friday confirmed the legal moves, which Reuters reported late on Thursday.

The dispute procedure begins with a 60-day window for talks to try to reach a settlement. The meeting agenda show that those talks have failed.

By asking for adjudication, the disputants are triggering litigation that could last years.

China, the European Union, Canada, Mexico, Norway, Russia and Turkey have all requested that the WTO set up a panel of adjudicators to judge the legality of steel and aluminium tariffs which US President Donald Trump imposed in March.

In return, the United States has asked the WTO to adjudicate on tariffs imposed by Canada, China, Mexico and the European Union in response to those US steel and aluminium tariffs.

It has also asked for adjudication in a separate case against China. Washington wants to impose tariffs on Beijing for its alleged failure to protect US intellectual property rights.

Opponents of the 25 per cent US duty on steel imports and 10 per cent on aluminium say they breach WTO rules. Washington says they are a national security matter, and therefore outside the WTO's jurisdiction.

The wheels of WTO adjudication are slow, and particularly congested at the moment, with a record number of disputes working through the system.

The defendants in the disputes can reject the adjudication requests at the Oct. 29 meeting but would have to accept them at the November meeting.

Then a search for adjudicators will begin. Once they are appointed, which will take months more, they may take two years or more to report on the disputes.

The sides can then appeal, but the United States is threatening to cripple the WTO appeals system by blocking the appointment of judges.
Sreejani Bhattacharyya By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: India has slipped one position and secured ninth rank out of top 50 valuable national brands, according to a report titled Nation Brands 2018 released by Brand Finance, a leading brand valuation and strategy consultancy.

Though there has been a slip in the rank, Indias brand value has witnessed an increase of 5 per cent  to $2,159 billion from $2,046 billion in 2016. Indias brand-rating remained stagnant at AA. Italy replaced India to secure the eighth spot.

The rating is not entirely based on what a specific country is doing. It also depends on how the other countries are doing as well. It is basically in a comparative context. The brand-rating has not dropped from AA is actually a good indicator for the nation. The calculation also incorporates forecast for the country in the next five years and includes a variety of parameters like people, infrastructure and so on, explained Samir Dixit, managing director, Brand Finance Asia Pacific.

USA topped the list with a 23 per cent increase in brand value (TO $25,899 billion from $21,055 billion). China came in second with a 25 per cent increase in brand value (to $12,779 billion from $10,209 billion). India did not feature in the Top 10 Best Performing Nation Brands with cyprus leading the list and and Democratic Republic of the Congo coming in second.

The effect of a countrys national image on the brands based there and the economy as a whole is now widely acknowledged. In a global marketplace, it is one of the most important assets of any State, encouraging inward investment, adding value to exports and attracting tourists and skilled migrants, David Haigh, CEO, Brand Finance, said in the report.

The methodology used by the London-headquartered consultancy is based on the royalty relief mechanism employed to value the worlds largest companies, covering indicators like national brand strength, national brand rate ratings, royalty rate revenues, weighted average cost of capital and brand valuation.
By Online Desk

Happy Mcgarrybowen, an ad-firm in Bengaluru, saw its CEO Kartik Iyer, Managing Director Praveen Das, Senior Creative Director of Happy Creative Services Bodhisatwa Dasgupta and National Creative Director of iProspect India Dinesh Swamy resign from their positions after sexual harassment allegations.

This move comes after Journalist Sandhya Menon tweeted anonymous #MeToo stories from four Happy Creative on October 10. The stories described how the bosses joked about prostitutes and sleeping with the employees, and the completely unsafe environments during the office parties.

The accounts also explained how the officials kept asking for sexual favours. When the victims tried to complain about the harassment, it was laughed off.

Four women at Happy (an ad firm in Bangalore) on email.



Vile vile. pic.twitter.com/gkLA1F5ZOT  Sandhya Menon (@TheRestlessQuil) October 10, 2018

Dinesh Swamy, who was from the other Dentsu company IProspect, was also known for cracking sex jokes as described by another victim.
By Online Desk

MUMBAI: Chitrangda Singh, who claimed Nawazuddin Siddiqui did not take a stand against her alleged harassment, has said she is not pointing a finger at the actor.

While talking to the media at an event on Wednesday, she said, "I don't want to blame Nawaz entirely because I think he didn't know how I was feeling. I am sure he must have had his reasons. So I am not pointing a finger at him."

While recalling her harassment story, Singh had reportedly said that Nawazuddin did not come out in support when she was asked to take off her saree, get on top of the hero and rub herself on the sets of 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz'. She was cast alongside the 'Gangs of Wasseypur' star in the Kushan Nandy-directorial, but was later replaced by Bidita Bag.

The 42-year-old actress had earlier this week told Dainik Bhaskar that despite being present when Nandy had told her apna petticoat uthao aur ragdo aapne aap ko (translation: remove your petticoat and rub yourself), Nawa did not come to her defence.

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, she said: I pleaded that this was not in my comfort zone. I said I was wearing only a petticoat underneath the saree. The director told me not to fuss and just do what was required. I was intimidated, bullied and threatened into doing it. Some crew members were mortified. But, Nawaz just sat there waiting for the storm to blow over."

The actress said that instead of asking her if she was okay, the director Kushan Nandy asked: Are you doing the scene? "I said no. He left. Nawaz couldve taken a stand against my harassment. He didnt. When empowered men in the film industry do not take a stand, the harassers feel encouraged.

She told Dainik Bhaskar: "Nawaz was there, the DOP (Director of Photography) was there, a female producer was there but nobody stood up for me. And to top it all, during the films first press conference they very blatantly said we are glad she left as we got a better replacement. During one of the film promotional events, Nawaz went on and made a statement that humne toh doh baari mazze kar liye (We got to enjoy twice)."

After the incident, Chitrangda Singh had walked out of the film citing discomfort in doing an intimate scene with Nawaz.

'I do not intend to file legal complaint'

But the Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi actor has no intention to file a legal complaint. "I don't intend to take a legal action. The producers had told an altogether different story, that's why I had to come forward and share all that," she said.

Chitrangda Singh further explained how she felt the need to talk about the alleged incident in the wake of the ongoing #MeToo movement. "Since the #MeToo movement has started, the issue came up again and that's the reason I explained it again but there are cases which are worse than this," she stated.

She further stated that there are cases worse than hers and they need to be dealt with responsibly while adding that people cannot be forced to share their #MeToo stories. The 'Soorma' actor also said that it is important for big names of the industry to support the movement.

On the work front, Chitrangda Singh will next be seen in 'Baazaar' alongside Saif Ali Khan and Radhika Apte. The flick will hit the big screens on October 26.

(With inputs from ANI)
By Express News Service

Film: Dakini

Director: Rahul Riji Nair

Cast: Sarasa Balussery, Sethu Lakshmi, Pauly Valsan, Savithri Sreedharan, Saiju Kurup

Rating: 3.5/5

When the trend these days is to do a 'family entertainer' (preferably featuring 20-somethings) that would get people into theatres, most filmmakers would naturally be tempted to try something light-hearted because it's the safer option. But sometimes the safer option is much more challenging.

Rahul Riji Nair, whose debut film Ottamuri Velicham hasn't seen a theatrical release yet in spite of winning four State awards, is the latest example of a filmmaker who stepped out of his comfort zone to make something that would appeal to a wider audience. His second film Dakini is a family entertainer alright, but Rahul manages to do a couple of things that are out of the ordinary while still staying within the limitations of the genre.

ALSO READ | Dakini will be different from Ottamuri Velicham: Director Rahul Riji Nair

For starters, its main characters are not youngsters. What would happen if four grandmothers decided to take on a dreadful mafia don? This is the basic premise of Dakini. But before that, enough time is spent establishing the characters and the little details of their world (like their eagerness to learn about WhatsApp) instead of rushing into things. Just like its four leading ladies -- played by Sarasa Balussery, Sethu Lakshmi, Pauly Valsan, and Savithri Sreedharan -- the film doesn't behave in a way that others expect them to. There is nothing exciting happening in their lives, and, naturally, they yearn for an earth-shattering adventure.

Enter Kuttan Pillai (Alencier Ley), an old flame of Pauly Valsan's character Molly. One can say that Molly is the 'hero' of the story because it's her history with Kuttan that serves as the catalyst to the events that are about to follow. We learn that Molly had chosen to lead a life of celibacy after Kuttan disappears from her life when they were youngsters in love. But there is a reason why Kuttan left her and there is a reason why he came back now -- both involve Mayan (Chemban Vinod Jose), the aforementioned mafia don and Kuttan's former employer. You see, Kuttan had run off with Mayan's money.

But it doesn't take long for Mayan to snatch him. But he wouldn't kill him yet (that's what he normally does to people who betrayed him) because he wants back the money which has now unexpectedly gone missing. No one knows where it is and who has taken it. Molly, now visibly transformed by the re-ignited passion, refuses to let go of Kuttan the second time. This provides the necessary impetus for the other three to join her in a daring plan to rescue Kuttan. Giving them company are two youngsters, Jeemon (Aju Varghese doing what he does best) and a so-called local gangster Vikraman Parudeesa (Saiju Kurup, also doing what he does best).

ALSO READ | Dakini to release on Thursday

Obviously, what we have is an unusual situation. Mayan is a character inside a comedy, sure, but in order to give us a sense of who the lead characters are up against, Rahul gives us a few moments to show us what Mayan is capable of. One of them includes viciously killing a man in front of his young daughter -- after giving the girl a candy and then reminding her father of the story of Judas ("Are you trying to turn me into Jesus?"). But Rahul also puts him in a couple of comical situations which tones down his menace considerably. Indrans (in another eccentric performance) plays Mayan's crippled father Raju Bhai.

Though a couple of situations didn't work (one with a monkey, for example), Dakini surely deserves a pat on the back for taking a road less travelled. A lot of care has gone into its presentation. The usual bland TV serial look, which is typical of many Malayalam family entertainers, is ditched in favour of a more colourful, comic-book aesthetic. Every shot is neatly composed and is straight out of an interior design magazine.
By Online Desk

Noted Malayalam actor Dileep, accused in the infamous actress-abuduction case has formally resigned from actors' body, AMMA. AMMA has accepted Dileep's resignation said AMMA President and popular Malayalam actor Mohanlal on Friday, while addressing the media at a press meet held in Kochi.

Association of Malayalam Movie Artsits #AMMA president @Mohanlal says AMMA has sought and obtained the resignation of actor #Dileep who is accused in the actress assault case. A forum has been constituted within AMMA to address women's issues says @Mohanlal @NewIndianXpress  Sovi Vidyadharan (@vidyadharansovi) October 19, 2018

AMMA has asked Dileep to tender his resignation after this was demanded by the Women in Cinema Collective(WCC) members, added Mohanlal.

ALSO READ: 'Qarib Qarib Singlle' actor Parvathy reveals the downside of #MeToo in Mollywood

The decision got delayed because of the Kerala floods and AMMA needed the permission from all members.

"AMMA didn't want to delay the matters further. I called Dileep and asked him to resign from the actors' body," Mohanlal said at the meet.

"Malayalam actors have formed AMMA as a charity organisation, we are sad about how things have taken such a sad turn. If someone who resigned from AMMA asks for reinstatement, then s/he should submit an application to the body. We will decide whether to take him or her later," he added.

Association of Malayalam Movie Artists #AMMA president @Mohanlal says Women in Cinema Collective #WCC members who quit the association can be taken back only if they give application. Can't immediately solve issues raised by WCC, need breathing space, he says@NewIndianXpress  Sovi Vidyadharan (@vidyadharansovi) October 19, 2018

ALSO READ: Women in Cinema Collective making 'childish' allegations, says AMMA

During the press briefing, Lal once again mentioned WCC members as 'actors', without naming them.

"Three actors who are part of AMMA are now working against the body. There is no difference between actors Jagdish and Siddique," said Lal.
By Online Desk

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday blamed RSS for the ongoing violent protests against women's entry into the Sabarimala shrine.

"Sabarimala has a uniqueness that other temples lack; it allows entry for people of all faith. Sangh Parivar and RSS have always been intolerant of this fact. They have made many attempts to erase this distinction of Sabarimala," Vijayan tweeted.

"These attackers are motivated by casteist and feudal ideologies. Encouraging such movements will eventually lead to the banishment of backward classes from places like Sabarimala. All believers must condemn this attack on Sabarimala.The role they played in eliminating the rituals performed at Sabarimala by Adivasi-Malayaran community is common knowledge. The present troubles must be seen in this light. The RSS backed attackers are obstructing believers and spreading terror," he further added.

Kerala temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran reportedly presented a senior RSS leader's audio message asking the cadres to go to Sabarimala's monthly pooja disguised as pilgrims. The clip also urged the cadres not to go in groups due to Section 144, and carry irumudi that the devotees take during the pilgrimage.

The minister claimed that this call was made to create trouble at the hill shrine.

RSS in its annual Vijayadashmi address, changed the previous stance on the whole issue, saying that a large section of women follows the tradition of not entering the holy shrine.

"This tradition had been there for so long & was being followed. Those who filed petitions against it are not the one who will go to temple. A large section of women follow this practice. Their sentiments were not considered," said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
By Online Desk

PAMBA: In view of the volatile situation at the Sabarimala shrine, the Pathanamthitta district administration has extended curfew for three more days. The curfew will be enforced from Illavungal to Sannidhanam, said officials. Police have booked cases against 200 people for blocking the entry of women, according to media reports.

On Friday morning, an entry point near the Lord Ayyappa temple virtually turned into an area of confrontation after two women of menstruating age attempted entry.

After a few hours of protests, Kavitha, a reporter from Hyderabad along with Ernakulam-based activist Rehana Fatima, who were just 500 metres away from the Sannidhanam (sanctum sanctorum) of the shrine , agreed to go back after talking to the police team led by IG S Sreejith.

The two young women had reached three-fourths of the distance to the shrine, which is in itself a first. They wore traditional black attire meant for the pilgrimage along with helmets.

After the women arrived at the Nadapanthal, the temple priest's aides started an unprecedented protest in front of the shrine's 18 steps after stopping their daily pooja. They ended their stir after 11 am.

Later, around noon, 46-year-old Mary Sweety from Sharjah was forced to return midway after she requested entry into the shrine.

On Thursday, Suhasini Raj, the New Delhi-based woman journalist was stopped midway. The journalist was accompanied by her foreign male colleague. A case has been registered against devotees who allegedly prevented her trekking.

Here are updates from Friday:
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Several BJP leaders Thursday supported RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's push for a law to enable construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, saying legislation is a constitutionally valid option.

Opposition and Muslim leaders, however, linked Bhagwat's call for legislation to allow a Ram temple where the Babri Masjid stood to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, saying his demand is "politically motivated."

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Bhagwat's remarks indicated that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Bharatiya Janata Party believed in totalitarianism and not in the rule of law.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy said Bhagwat made a constitutionally valid demand and the government should bring an ordinance for construction of the temple.

Shrikant Sharma, a minister in the Uttar Pradesh government and its spokesperson, echoed the view.

He said the legislation to build the temple at Ayodhya will be in accordance with the Constitution Sharma said there have always been two options for constructing the temple - one is to take the legal course and another to build a consensus.

An ordinance can be part of the legal route, he said. He said the matter has been delayed long in courts.

In his customary Dussehra address at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, Bhagwat said the government should clear the path for the construction of a grand temple through an appropriate law.

"What Mr Bhagwat said is within the Constitution, is constitutionally valid. We have been seeing that the Sunni Waqf Board lawyers are only trying to delay the proceedings in the court. There is nothing really left, except delay, government should bring an ordinance," Swamy said.

Terming Bhagwat's speech historic, former BJP MP Vinay Katiyar rejected the contention that he made the demand for a law for the temple with an eye on the 2019 elections.

BJP spokesperson G V L Narasimha Rao said a grand Ram temple must be built at the birthplace of Lord Ram. He said this is the desire of all Hindus.

In Lucknow, opposition parties and Muslim leaders said Bhagwat's call was meant to serve political interests.

"The statement on Ram temple given by the RSS chief is a political statement before the upcoming elections," Samajwadi Party spokesman in Uttar Pradesh Rajendra Chaudhary told PTI.

UP Congress spokesman Anshu Awasthi said it is an open secret that whenever the RSS and the BJP speak about Lord Ram it should be understood that elections are round the corner.

"Now they are out to raise the name of Ram shamelessly at election time to serve their political interests," Awasthi added.

Darul Uloom Farangi Mahal rector Maulana Khalid Rashid Farangi Mahali said even a child knows that the Ram temple issue is raised by the RSS-BJP every time before the elections.

Babri Masjid Action Committee convenor Zafaryab Jilani said Bhagwat is trying to influence the court, referring to the title suit for the disputed site in Ayodhya.

In Hyderabad, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Bhagwat's demand indicated that that the RSS and the BJP believe in "totalitarianism".

"The RSS and the BJP believe in totalitarianism. They don't believe in pluralism or rule of law," Owaisi told reporters.

The Hyderabad MP said the Supreme Court had clearly stated here cannot be an exclusive law for any particular religion.

Firebrand Hindu leader Pravin Togadia questioned why such a law was not enacted in the last four and a half years of the BJP rule.

The RSS is raising the issue now because elections are round the corner and the BJP government's performance is dismal, he said.
By PTI

PANAJI: Manohar Parrikar will continue as the Goa chief minister, Sudin Dhavalikar, leader of the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), a BJP ally in the coastal state, said Thursday after meeting the high-command of the saffron party in Delhi.

However, another ally, Vijay Sardesai of the Goa Forward Party (GFP) who also met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah separately, claimed that the saffron party was "looking at who will succeed Parrikar".

Parrikar returned to Goa on October 14 after being treated for a pancreatic ailment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi for about a month.

With Parrikar ailing, Shah had called Dhavalikar and Sardesai for separate meetings.

On his return to the coastal state, Dhavalikar told reporters that it was decided at the meeting that "the chief minister will continue in the chair. He (Parrikar) will rule till he is there".

It was also decided at the meeting that Parrikar will give some additional portfolios to other members of the cabinet, he said.

Dhavalikar, the state PWD minister, told the BJP leaders that they should "give credit" to the alliance partners, which would help the saffron party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Goa, he told reporters.

"If they care for the alliance partners, they will definitely win with a good margin," the MGP leader said.

However, Town and Country Planning Minister Sardesai, who also met Shah, said the BJP was looking at "who will succeed Parrikar and there is a serious discussion on it".

"The coalition which we had cobbled for Parrikar will continue," he added.

Asked who were the probable chief ministerial candidates, the GFP chief said, "There is no decision as yet, only some names were discussed."

He also took a dig at the Congress over its failure to stop two of its MLAs from crossing over to the BJP.

Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte quit the Congress and joined the BJP Wednesday.

"The state Congress president (Girish Chodankar) had said they will topple the government and they do not require (help from) Vijai Sardesai for it," he said.

"Even now, some Congress MLAs called me to say that we are with you. What does this mean? The Congress, the grand old party of India, is acting immaturely. The reason is, those who cannot get elected even as municipal councillors have become the president of the party in Goa," Sardesai said.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday attacked the Modi government over the Rafale issue alleging that Indian pilots were at risk flying the "ancient" Jaguars due to the NDA renegotiating the Rafale aircraft deal that did not allow transfer of technology to the country.

In a Facebook post, Gandhi alleged the NDA renegotiated the UPA deal to benefit crony capitalists and reduced India's prestige globally.

India could not get transfer of technology as negotiated during the UPA rule and it was shameful that Indian pilots have to put their lives at risk flying the ancient Jaguar aircraft as the new technology did not come into the country, he said.

He cited a media report to allege that instead of getting 126 Rafale aircraft together with transfer of technology that would have transformed the Indian Air Force, the NDA government renegotiated the deal to get only 36 aircraft made in France.

"Since 2014, instead of taking to closure deals that had been negotiated by the UPA Government, the present government has focussed on renegotiating those deals to benefit crony capitalists.

"For instance, the UPA's Rafale deal for 126 aircraft would have transformed the Indian Airforce allowing us to scrap and replace ancient aircraft like the Jaguar.

"It involved the transfer of technology to HAL which would have helped make us become more self reliant in the future. Instead, the deal was re-worked for Anil Ambani's benefit and reduced to just 36 aircraft - all made in France. These aircraft will take years to arrive in India," he claimed in his post.

Gandhi later tweeted, "Thanks to the PM's massive corruption, the best pilots in the world now have unlimited access to French junkyards for Jaguar spare parts, rather than new, Indian made planes."

Thanks to the PMs massive corruption, the best pilots in the world now have unlimited access to French junkyards for Jaguar spare parts, rather than new, Indian made planes.https://t.co/z53yRryl3W  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 18, 2018

Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group has denied the Congress' allegations in connection with deal.

Gandhi and his Congress party have been attacking the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, alleging corruption and favouritism.

The Government has dismissed Rahul Gandhi's allegations, while the BJP has accused him of spreading lies on the issue.

The Congress chief alleged that India's pilots are forced to put their lives at risk each day, flying ancient Jaguars, that are kept in the air "using parts scrounged from junk yards in France and other parts of the world".

"Not only is this shameful, it reduces India's prestige globally and puts the lives of our pilots at risk," he said.

He cited a media report claiming that "India is the only air force in the world still flying the Jaguar aircraft, and will now 'cannibalise' retired aircraft for spare parts".
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: Five militants were killed in two gunfights with security forces in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Friday, while militants triggered a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast targeting an Army armoured vehicle in south Kashmir, injuring seven soldiers.

Defence spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia said Army men deployed in Rampur sector along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri in north Kashmir's Baramulla district noticed a group of militants trying to sneak into this side of the LoC.

He said the Army men challenged the infiltrating militants and fired on them. "In the ensuing gunfight, three militants were killed," Kalia said.

ALSO READ | Pregnant woman dies in cross firing as militants hurl grenades at army camp in J&K's Pulwama

He said the identity of the slain militants and the outfit to which they owed allegiance was being ascertained.

Four AK-47 rifles and four haversacks were recovered from the encounter site.

An Army official said troops along the LoC had been put on maximum alert and the counter-infiltration grid strengthened to prevent militants from sneaking into this side of the LoC.

"With winter approaching, we are expecting a rise in infiltration attempts by militants, and as such troops have been placed on high alert to foil the infiltration bids," he said.

Another encounter erupted between militants travelling in a cab and security men at Kralhar, Baramulla in north Kashmir.

A police official said at around 1.30 pm, a vehicle coming from Srinagar was signalled to stop at check point near Kralhar, Baramulla by security personnel.

"While being searched, two militants boarding the vehicle fired on security forces. In the brief exchange of fire, both militants were killed," he said.

A policeman sustained minor injuries in the gunfight.

ALSO READ | Situation in Kashmir under control: Union Minister Hansraj Ahir

He said an AK rifle, two pistols, three grenades and two UBGL grenades and other ammunition was recovered from the possession of the deceased militants.

"The driver of the vehicle was arrested and the vehicle seized by police," he said.

Police sources said the deceased militants belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad and were identified as Faizan and Wahab.

Meanwhile, militants triggered an IED blast near Trichal bridge in south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday evening when an Army armoured vehicle was passing through the area. The militants also fired on the Army vehicle.

The explosion caused damage to the vehicle. Seven Army men travelling in the vehicle were injured and evacuated to a nearby military hospital. Three of the critically injured soldiers were evacuated to the Army hospital in Srinagar.

The militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad claimed responsibility of the attack.

A Jaish spokesman claimed that three Army men were killed and seven injured in the attack.
By Online Desk

Fighter jets produced by the Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under foreign licences are costlier than the same aircraft made by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), a recent Ministry of Defence (MoD) review has found.

The development comes amid the Modi government and Opposition slugfest on the state-owned company being excluded from the Rs 7.87-billion euro Rafale fighter jet deal under which Dassault Aviation will supply Indian Air Force (IAF) 36 units of the fourth-generation, twin-engine, all-weather, multi-role fighter jet under fly away condition. Anil Ambani's Reliance Group will be the offset partner in the pact.

The department of defence production is studying the document, said an anonymous Ministry source to the Hindustan Times.

The review document has found that the HAL-made Su-30 MKI of the Indian Air Force is about Rs 150 crore costlier than its Russian counterparts produced by the JSC Sukhoi Company. The Russian versions cost Rs 269.77 crore, whereas the same jets produced under Russian license in India, come at a price range of Rs 417.69 crore.

The aircraft produced at HAL comes at a significantly higher cost when compared to direct purchase from the OEM, the document added.

The audit also found a huge cost difference between the British-made Hawk trainer aircrafts and the ones made in India. 24 of these 62 jets, bought in 2004, were acquired in a fly-away condition, whereas the remaining were to be manufactured by HAL.

While the British-made Hawks would cost Rs 78 crore, the HAL-made ones would come under the price range of Rs 88 crore per unit. The manufacturing costs in India shot up to Rs 98 crore and Rs 153 crores respectively, during 2010 and 2016.

Read | Rafale deal: France, Dassault Aviation contradict ex-President Hollande on Indian partners

The report also cited factors like lesser efficiency and exorbitant man hour rates behind the price rise.

On the other hand, the state-run defence firm is running on a continuous depleting order book, as per A Times of India report,

The company's fixed-wing aircraft division in Bengaluru, with about 3,000 employees is running idle, after completing the Jaguar and Mirage fighter Jets' upgradation projects.

Since the government had decided to buy only 36 Rafales through flyaway condition, the company, which ramped up its production facility to make the remaining 108 French fighter jets (as per the scrapped UPA-era deal), will now be looking to divert some of its employees to the LCA Tejas division, where already 2000 are working.

The Tejas project is also in troubled waters. Although the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the procurement of 83 of the indigenous fighter jets, the IAF has not placed the actual order yet. There are also complaints about the project's high cost.

The Sukhoi complex in Nashik too facing a similar problem, as they have to deliver only the last 23 of the original order of 222 Su-30 MK-I jets. The proposed Fifth-Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) programme with Russia hasn't taken off so far.

It's the orders of 73 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), along with other projects like Light Combat Helicopters (LCH), joint Kamov chopper deal with Russia and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) to keep the PSU's helicopter division going.

It is interesting to note that while Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has blamed PM Narendra Modi and the NDA government in Centre multiple times for keeping out HAL out of the Rafale deal, it was his party-led UPA government, which scrapped the previous deal of buying 126 Rafale fighters from the French Defence manufacturing giant Dassault (108 would have been assembled in India, while 18 would be bought under fly-away clause) because of HAL's reportedly high man-hour cost, as the state-owned firm would have required 2.7 times more such hours than their French counterpart.

Also Read | Dassault chose Reliance on its own; Francois Hollande contradicted himself, says Arun Jaitley

While responding to the HT, a HAL spokesperson said, Cost escalation from 2005 (for the Hawk jet) is normal. We also need to take into account the life-cycle cost of each product against off the shelf purchase from overseas. The indigenous benefits, the ecosystem HAL creates for the larger benefit of the country should be factored in also. Importantly, staggered or small orders deny economies of scale to HAL.

The official also pointed to supply chain issues adding to cost.

Given that multiple agencies get involved in our manufacturing process, kit cost from OEMs and other delays like raw material and spare part supply issues, which are also endemic to the aerospace industry in India, the increase in cost must be evaluated in the right spirit, the source added.

The deal became the thorn in the flesh for the Modi government, as a French investigative journal claimed they had a document showing that Dassault considered its alliance with Reliance as "imperative and mandatory" to bag the fighter jet contract.

The French aviation giant, in turn, clarified that it freely chose the Anil Ambani's firm as its partner to fulfil the offset requirements.

IAF boss Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa too, while defending the deal, had said that his force was consulted at appropriate levels before Centre finalizing the deal. He also remarked that neither Modi government nor IAF had any say in Dassault's choice for offset partner.

Read | HAL, Dassault Aviation had serious differences when UPA was negotiating Rafale deal: Sources

Reliance, on the other hand, denied receiving any contract from the Defence Ministry and said that incorrect allegations were deliberately made to mislead people and cloud the issue.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Railways Friday rushed its top officials to Amritsar as several Dussehra revellers were run over by a passing train, while Union minister Piyush Goyal said immediate relief and rescue operations are being conducted.

Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani and Northern Railway general manager Vishwesh Chaube are rushing to the spot, officials said.

READ | At least 50 dead as train runs over Dussehra revellers in Punjab

"Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident that occurred in Amritsar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly.

Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident that occurred in Amritsar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly. Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations.  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 19, 2018

May God give strength to the bereaved and injured. Railways is proving all possible assistance at the site.

I have cancelled all engagemnts in USA and immediately returning back to India.  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 19, 2018

Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations," Goyal tweeted from the US where he had gone to attend an event.

READ | Punjab CM Amarinder Singh announces Rs 5 lakh aid to kin of deceased

While Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced Rs 5 lakh for kin of each deceased and free treatment for the injured, officials said there was no decision as yet on any compensation from the railways.
Harpreeet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: At least 61 people, including women and children, were mowed down by speeding trains that left 72 others injured near Amritsar on Friday, as Dussehra revelry spilled on the adjacent railway tracks.Tragedy struck around 6.45 pm at Dhobi Ghat near Jaura Phatak railway crossing at gate number 27 between Amritsar and Manawala when revellers were watching an effigy of Ravana burn about 200 ft away while standing between railway tracks.

#WATCH The moment when the DMU train 74943 stuck people watching Dussehra celebrations in Choura Bazar near #Amritsar (Source:Mobile footage-Unverified) pic.twitter.com/cmX0Tq2pFE  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

They were perhaps distracted by the noise of firecrackers as the Nakodar Jalandhar DMU No. 74943, a local passenger train, came speeding in. The happy crowd were shooting videos of the event when the first train hit them. As another train arrived from the opposite direction at the same time, people on the track had little opportunity to escape.There were about 500 people at the spot when the accident occurred. The accident set off a stampede with people running helter-skelter for safety.

#Punjab: At gate no. 27 b/w Amritsar & Manawala. As Dussehra celebration was taking place some incident had occurred& people started rushing towards closed gate number 27 while a DMU train number 74943 was passing the closed gate: CPRO Northern Railway; Visuals from accident site pic.twitter.com/TMJILYC6Or  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

It all happened in a flash and dismembered body parts lay strewn on the blood-soaked ground. Many bodies could not even be identified. Wails of people filled the air as friends and relatives frantically looked for their near and dear ones. Severed bodies, including that of many children, were still lying on the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing the authorities to remove them.

I have lost my minor child. I want him back, an inconsolable mother wailed.

Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of state local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu was the chief guest of the event. Locals alleged she left the venue moments after the accident.Punjab will observe a day of mourning on Saturday. All offices and educational institutions will remain closed.

READ | Punjab CM Amarinder Singh announces Rs 5 lakh aid to kin of deceased

Administration, Dussehra panel blamed

As Dussehra celebration were under way, people started rushing towards closed gate number 27 while a DMU train number 74943 was passing by, said a railway official. An eyewitness said, The administration and the Dussehra committee are at fault. They should have raised an alarm when the train was approaching; they should have made sure the train halted or slowed down.

There were no barricades near the railway tracks and people were forced to see the Dussehra ceremony standing on the tracks, said another eyewitness. Amirtsar Police Commissioner SS Srivastava said, There are more than 50 casualties. We are evacuating people and the injured are being taken to the hospital. Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Amritsar I, Rajesh Sharma, said 50 bodies had been found and at least 50 injured had been admitted to a government hospital.

#Punjab: Eyewitness say, "The administration and the Dussehra committee are at fault, they should have raised an alarm when the train was approaching, they should have made sure that the train halts or slows down." #Amritsar pic.twitter.com/xdwXpr0L1H  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has ordered a probe into the accident. He was scheduled to leave for Israel on Friday evening, but postponed his trip and will fly to Amritsar in the morning to assess the damage and meet families of the victims.

ALSO READ | Railway officials rush to train accident site

Fifty bodies have been found so far| PTI

Acting on the Chief Ministers directives, Rehabilitation Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Health Minister Brahm Mohindra have already gone to Amritsar. The Home Secretary and the Health Secretary, along with the DGP, Law and Order, have also left for Amritsar .He announced ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased .The Amritsar administration has set up a helpline (No. 01832421050).
By PTI

AURANGABAD: Burning effigies of Ravana is a common practice on Dussehra, but some "harassed" husbands celebrated the festival here in a slightly different way - by burning an effigy of Surpanakha, sister of the mythical multi-headed demon king.

These men - members of 'Patni Pidit Purush Sanghatana', an organisation of victims of harassment by wives - burned the effigy on Thursday evening at Karoli village near Aurangabad in Maharashtra.

Talking to PTI, founder of the organisation Bharat Phulare said, "All the laws in India are against men and in favour of women. They are misusing it to harass their husbands and in-laws over petty issues."

"We condemn this tyranny against men in the nation. In a symbolic move, our organisation burnt an effigy of Surpanakha on the occasion of Dussehra last evening," he said.

As per Hindu mythology, Suparnakha was the root cause behind the battle between Ravana and Rama.

In order to avenge the insult of Surpanakha, Ravana disguised himself as a sage and kidnapped Sita, which ultimately led to the war.

Phulare claimed that as per the 2015 records, of the total number of married people who committed suicide in the country, 74 per cent were men.

Some members of the organisation also raised question marks over the ongoing #MeToo movement.
By Express News Service

BIKANER/JAIPUR: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said technological solutions in border security, which were being implemented by India, would eliminate the need for a soldier to stand guard round-the-clock to protect the borders.

He said a Comprehensive Integrated Border Management System (CIBMS) was being implemented by the government to strengthen border security and a pilot project under the system was launched in Jammu and Duhari in Assam.

"We want that such technological solutions be used where there is fencing because it gets damaged after some time. This will ensure a complete border security," Singh said while addressing BSF soldiers in Rajasthan's Bikaner.

"We are going to implement this too... this will take time but our soldiers will not have the need to stand guard constantly round-the-clock on the border for protection," he said.

"They will get to know if any intruder is entering India and the nearest border outpost will be alerted by the command and control centre and security will be ensured," he said.

Singh said there would be a command and control centre where the soldiers would monitor activities on the border.

On a two-day trip to Rajasthan, Singh also performed 'Shastra Puja' on Dussehra, a tradition followed by the shatriyas (warrior caste). But this became the first time that a central minister performed the puja at the BSF sector head quarter.

Motivating the men, Singh said the Pakistan Army is scared of the India because of the brave BSF Jawans that the country has. "Pakistani Rangers fear the BSF jawans. This feeling of nationalism amongst you is inspirational. This was the same feeling that the freedom fighters like Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh and Khudiram Bose had, he said.

Singh also talked about the victory of good over evil on the festival of Dussehra. He said that Ravan was more powerful and richer than Ram but still he was defeated as Ravan's character wasn't pure. Touching the topic of Kashmir he added that their government had allocated a bigger budget to Kashmir because they want peace there and Kashmir's growth is vital to the country.

Earlier on Thursday, Singh had held meetings with BSF officers. He had also inspected the living conditions, the rooms and the kitchens of the soldiers after which there was an interaction with the families of the jawans.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: India Thursday said it was engaged with the US, Iran and other stakeholders on the issue of American sanctions on import of Iranian oil which will come into effect from November 4.

Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs Raveesh Kumar said India has already conveyed to the US about its position on the matter.

Asked about how India will make the payments to Russia for the S-400 missile deal, Kumar said India is also engaged with the US on the issue.

"We are engaged with the US on the matter. We have shared our position with the US sides at different levels. These discussions have contributed to a better understanding by the US about our objectives and concerns as well as our sensitivities and expectations," he said.

On October 5, India and Russia signed the USD 5 billion S-400 air defence system deal, notwithstanding US sanctions on military transactions with Moscow.

On US sanctions on import of Iranian oil from November 4, Kumar said, "Our discussions are on with Iran and other stakeholders.

It will not be proper to go into the details how we will deal with the situation.

" He said US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook held talks with officials of various relevant ministries here on the issue.

"We have conveyed to him that the price of crude oil is a matter of concern for our domestic economy and directly affects the common people," he said at a press briefing.

Kumar said India's "expectations" have been made known to the US side, adding India appreciated the statement made by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that intention of imposing sanctions on Iran is not to hurt India.

"We do intend to continue our engagement with the US and other statekeholders to ensure our energy security and to protect our national interests," Kumar said.

He said India was trying to see how it can find a solution to the issue.

There has been indication that India may not totally stop import of crude oil from Iran.

Kumar said India will do everything possible to ensure the country's energy security.

In May, the US brought back sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal which was struck in 2015.

The US has told India and other countries to cut oil imports from the Gulf nation to "zero" by November 4 or face sanctions.

Iran is India's third-largest oil supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Iran supplied 18.

4 million tonnes of crude oil between April 2017 and January 2018 (first 10 months of fiscal 2017-18).

Sources said India is also looking at the possibility of falling back on the rupee-rial arrangement for importing oil from Iran in the wake of US sanctions.

The rupee-rial arrangement was used to buy oil from Iran before sanctions were lifted against it three years ago.

Under the mechanism, India used to pay in euros to clear 55 per cent of its dues through Ankara-based Halk bank.

The remaining 45 per cent payment was remitted in rupees in accounts Iranian oil companies had with the Uco Bank.
By PTI

NOIDA: A former senior news producer of a private television channel was booked by the Noida Police for allegedly sexually and mentally harassing a junior reporter, officials said Thursday.

The accused, however, has alleged that the complainant woman and her fiance were trying to blackmail him and extort money.

He too has made a complaint to the Ghaziabad police, according to officials.

In a written complaint to the Noida Police, the woman accused one of her former colleagues of ill treatment in December 2016, prompting the police to register a first information report (FIR).

"He asked me about the shape of my body parts and told me that he was conducting a survey. But eventually, his questions kept getting worse. He also mentally harassed me in the office," she alleged.

The woman said she could not say anything then because she was "new in the job" and "scared" to speak up.

"But when I got to know from some other women that he had done the same with them also, I decided to take this step, although the other women do not want their names to come up," she claimed.

The junior reporter said even though the accused had apologised to her, she wanted "legal action against him so that he does not repeat it with other women in the future".

The police said on the basis of the complaint, an FIR was lodged under Indian Penal Code sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), besides invoking charges under the Information Technology Act.

"The FIR was lodged Thursday and we have initiated a probe in the case. The statements of the complainant and accused will be recorded in a magistrate's court and evidence will be gathered during the course of the investigation," Station House Officer, Sector 20 police station, Manoj Pant told PTI.

The accused has also made a complaint at the Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad against the woman and her fiance, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ghaziabad, Vaibhav Krishna said.

"He has alleged in his complaint that the woman and her fiance were trying to blackmail him and extort Rs 25 lakh," he added.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: A pregnant woman died in cross firing in Shadimarg village of south Kashmir's Pulwama district on Friday.

A police official said militants attacked army's 44 Rashtriya Rifles camp at Shadimarg village of Pulwama district with grenades in the evening.

"The militants fired UBGL grenade towards the army camp and also fired from automatic weapons towards the soldiers deployed there. The army men also returned the fire," he said.

The official said in the brief exchange of fire, a woman sustained bullet injuries in the next. The injured woman was shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead. The deceased was six-months pregnant.

The south Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag have emerged as stronghold of militants after the 2016 unrest following killing of Hizb commander Burhan Wani.
By PTI

AHMEDABAD: Former Gujarat Chief Minister Suresh Mehta Friday claimed that the "Statue of Unity", a memorial dedicated to Sardar Patel, is "illegal" and has been built by the BJP to garner votes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to unveil the 182-metre statue, touted as the world's highest, in Kevadiya in Narmada district on October 31.

Mehta alleged that the BJP government in Gujarat went ahead with the construction of the statue despite local tribals registering their protest when the project was first conceptualised some years ago.

Mehta, along with several project affected tribals, Friday held a press conference here.

He announced that over 5,000 tribals living in the vicinity of the memorial will observe a fast on October 31.

Mehta claimed that the state government violated the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) (PESA) Act of 1996, which empowers local residents to take decisions through "gram sabhas".

"Under the PESA Act, decisions taken by gram sabhas are final and binding. But, when tribals of that area, through gram sabhas, raised objections against the project, the state government did not listen. This is a violation of the Act" Mehta told reporters.

"This project is also illegal because the government did not conduct any environmental impact assessment. It is only meant for publicity. It is a politically-motivated project keeping in mind the 2019 elections" said Mehta.

He added that budget meant for the maintenance of Narmada canals was diverted for this project.

"Land of six villages were first acquired by the government in the 1960s for the main dam project. We have not received any compensation for that till date. Now, that land is being used for the statue project. We want the government to compensate us before unveiling the statue" said Shailesh Tadvi, a tribal from Vagadiya village.

Another tribal, Arvind Tadvi, claimed that though water of the Narmada has reached Kutch through canals, around 28 villages near the dam are yet to get water.

According to tribal activist Lakhan Musafir, people living in 72 villages near the dam will observe fast on October 31 as a mark of protest.

"We have also urged tribals of the eastern belt of Gujarat, from Dang till Ambaji, to join our protest," said Musafir.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

Lucknow: The body of Congress stalwart and only leader to have headed two states as Chief Minister, late Nairan Dutt Tiwari will be brought to Lucknow on Saturday. The former chief minister of Uttarakhand and UP, Tiwari died after a prolonged illness at a private hospital in Delhi on Thursday, his 93rd birthday.

Having had his own identity and stature in Indian politics, ND Tiwari's body will be brought here in a special plane and it will be kept in the Assembly house for people to pay their tributes and last respect to the departed leader.

Tiwari will be cremated on Sunday, October 21, 2018, in Uttarakhand. He breathed his last at a private hospital in Delhi at 2.50 pm on a day which happened to be his birthday.

He had been ailing and admitted to the hospital since September last year. He was intermittently shifted in and out of ICUs depending on his health condition. In July this year, after he developed multiple organ failure, doctors had described his condition as 'very critical.' With the demise of UP's three-time former chief minister ND Tewari, a glorious chapter in the history of UP Congress came to an end.

He was the last CM of the party in Uttar Pradesh and had his third term between June 1988 and December 19989, after which the Congress has not been able to reclaim its stature in the biggest state of the country.

After 1989 elections, Congress has been projecting a dow ward trend and its seats have seen a constant decline. In the present assembly, the Grand Old Party has just seven MLAs and it is now looking for alliance partners to keep itself afloat.

Earlier, Tiwari held the UP CM's post twice -- between 1976 and 1977 (14 months) and August 1984 to 1985 (13 months). Tiwari was elected to UP Vidhan Sabha in the first elections in 1952 from Nainital constituency and then again in 1957 on Praja Socialist Party ticket.

Thereafter, he joined Congress in 1963 and shifted to Kashipur assembly seat. He became a minister for the first time in 1965. After his first tenure as the CM, he went to national politics and won from Nainital Lok Sabha seat. He served as a Union minister in several ministries. He also became deputy chairman of planning commission.
By Online Desk

Two men vandalised the house of Kochi-based rights activist, Rehana Fathima, after she and a journalist from Hyderabad, Kavitha Jakkala, tried to enter Sabarimala temple on Friday.

The two women were stopped by protestors at the entry point into the sanctum sanctorum (Sannidhanam), despite having protection from a police force made up of more than 100 men.

Rehana Fathima forced to return from Sabarimala (Left); Rehana's house vandalised (Right)

As she was making her trek to the hill shrine, two unidentified men on bikes, according to reports, attacked Rehana's house in Kochi on Friday morning.

ALSO READ: Sabarimala is not a place for sex tourism, says Former Travancore Devaswom Board President Gopalakrishnan

Window panes were shattered and a gas cylinder and flower pots were thrown onto the road in front of the house. There was no one present in the house at the time of the attack.

FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES | Sabarimala entry: Third woman forced to return after protestors stop her at Pamba

Rehana Fathima is also a model, a mother of two, and an employee of BSNL. She acted in 'Eka', a film about intersexuality, directed by her husband Manoj K Sreedhar.

Rehana had stirred up a controversy in March when she posted topless photos of herself with watermelons after a Kozhikode-based professor comparing women's breasts to watermelons. The photos received both backlash and support until they were finally taken down by Facebook. She was part of the Kiss of Love campaign against moral policing in 2014, and was also one of the first women to participate in the Thrissur pulikkali in 2016. Pulikkali is a traditional dance form performed by men dressed like tigers during the festival of Onam in Kerala.
A Chinese medical team working with the Chinese peace-keeping troops at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) on Wednesday conducted medical examinations for students of an Orthodox school in southern Lebanon.

The Chinese medical team also donated school bags and stationery to students in Lebanon's southern town of Marjeyoun.

"The medical and educational help comes within the framework of the Chinese battalion's program in helping civilians in southern Lebanon," Luo Maohua, an official responsible for the field hospital for the Chinese battalion in Marjeyoun District, told Xinhua.

Around 130 students, aged between five and 12, and 28 teachers will receive medical examinations, Luo said.

Ziad Abla, the school director, expressed gratitude to the Chinese battalion for providing assistance for his school.

Similar activities in other areas in southern Lebanon are expected in coming weeks following the two-day medical examinations at the Orthodox school.

The UN Security Council established the UNIFIL on March 19, 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. Its mandate was expanded following the 2006 Lebanon War.

Since 2006, China has maintained a peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon as a part of the UNIFIL, tasked with missions such as mine-sweeping, project construction, medical rescue and humanitarian assistance.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: It is official now; Actor Dileep, who is the accused in the actor abduction case, is not a member of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (A.M.M.A) anymore, confirms the organisations' president Mohanlal. However, the actor's announcement is a sharp deviation from the stance taken by actor Siddique, the Executive Committee member, who the other day said that the decision on Dileep's resignation will be taken at the next General Body meeting.

Briefing media here after a meeting of the available Executive members, Mohanlal said he as the A.M.M.A president, asked for the resignation. "Following the WCC meeting, we were about to demand Dileep's resignation. However, Kerala witnessed one of the worst calamities in its history, the floods, which delayed the proceedings. However, I personally demanded his resignation as the A.M.M.A president. The available members of the Executive Committee have approved it and now it is official- A.M.M.A has ousted Dileep," said Mohanlal.

Association of Malayalam Movie Artsits #AMMA president @Mohanlal says AMMA has sought and obtained the resignation of actor #Dileep who is accused in the actress assault case. A forum has been constituted within AMMA to address women's issues says @Mohanlal @NewIndianXpress  Sovi Vidyadharan (@vidyadharansovi) 19 October 2018

Regarding resignation the four actors including the survivor, who has resigned from A.M.M.A, Mohanlal said they should submit an application. " Nobody is insisting that they should apologise. however, if they want to come back to the organisation, they should come forward and say that they want to be back," said Mohanlal.

ALSO READ | Women in Cinema Collective making 'childish' allegations, says AMMA

Regarding the contradictory remarks made by Siddique and A.M.M.A treasurer Jagadeesh, the latter said Siddique said his personal opinion. "Please do not ask about my remarks the other day. We are good friends and we use to have "friendly quarrels" in the past too. There is no difference of opinion between me and Siddique," the actor added.

Seek Explanation from Alencier

A.M.M.A will seek an explanation from actor Alenicier, whom actor Divya Gopinath has accused of sexual harassment "The next Executive Committee will discuss the issue. Divya is yet to submit her complaint to A.M.M.A. Even though she is not a member of A.M.M.A, we will accept her complaint if she files it. In actor Mukesh's case, more clarity is needed. That is why we are yet to take an action," added Mohanlal.

Term "actors" used again for Revathy, Padmapriya and Parvathy

Mohanlal, on Friday's press conference too called the actors who represented W.C.C as actors. When quizzed about Revathy, Padmapriya and Parvathy complaining that he used the word "actors" instead of their names, Mohanlal said that he did not use the word deliberately or with an intention to belittle them. "The reporters asked me what is my remarks on the complaints raised by the three actors. In the same tune, I sued the word "actors" in my reply too. I do not think there is anything wrong in that. See, I do not understand why everybody is taking it as Mohanlal vs WCC or other organisations. Things are getting personal and I am getting affected out of it," said Mohanlal. he also said that he will quit as A.M.M.A president if he feels that a majority do not want him in that post.

ALSO READ: 'Qarib Qarib Singlle' actor Parvathy reveals the downside of #MeToo in Mollywood

Siddique's Stance

Taking a sharp U-Turn from the claims that he was officially assigned to air A.M.M.A's official version, actor Siddique on Friday said all that was his personal opinion. "However, I still have a personal opinion that there is some conspiracy behind the whole move of W.C.C. I even suspect that they are conspiring against Mohanlal and is trying to personally target him," added Siddique.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday downgraded the status of its main diplomatic mission to the Palestinians by placing it under the authority of the US Embassy to Israel.

The move, which was immediately denounced by the Palestinians, is a victory for US Ambassador David Friedman.

He had long sought to end the Jerusalem consulate's independent status but had faced resistance from within the State Department.

ALSO READ | United States cut in aid amounts to 'cheap blackmail': Palestinians

Friedman's push picked up steam in May after the Trump administration moved the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem over the objections of the Palestinians, who claim the eastern part of the city as the capital of an eventual state.

The consulate had for years served as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians but will now be known as the Palestinian Affairs Unit of the embassy.

It will remain in its current location, at least for now.

The step, which was announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, means that the Jerusalem consulate will no longer have a separate channel to Washington to report on Palestinian affairs.

The consulate had for years served as a de facto embassy to the Palestinians.

In a statement, Pompeo said the merger of the consulate into the embassy is intended to "achieve significant efficiencies and increase our effectiveness" and denied that it signalled any change in US policy toward Jerusalem or the Palestinian territories.

"The United States continues to take no position on final status issues, including boundaries or borders," he said.

"The specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties.

" Although Pompeo sought to portray the move as a bureaucratic management shift, the downgrading of the consulate has potent symbolic resonance, suggesting American recognition of Israeli control over east Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The Palestinians, who cut off nearly all contacts with the Trump administration after it recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, quickly denounced the downgrading of the consulate.

Nabil Shaath, the international affairs adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said it was a "very bad decision" that violated past agreements and continued Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"Now, he is cutting the last connection he is said to have with the Palestinian people.

He is practically saying Jerusalem is for Israel," Shaath said.

"This decision has nothing to do with peace. It complicates peace and makes it impossible.

It is just the latest in a series of decisions by President Donald Trump that the Palestinians say shows bias against them.

The administration late last year recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, ending a decades-long US position that the status of the city should be determined in negotiations.

In January it slashed, and then ultimately, ended funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees as it also did with the vast majority of bilateral assistance to the Palestinians.

Last month, the administration ordered the closure of the Palestinian diplomatic mission in Washington, citing US law that mandates its closure unless credible peace talks with Israel are underway.
By IANS

BEIJING: A former head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, responsible for Internet censorship in the country, pleaded guilty on Friday to receiving $32 million yuan ($4.6 million) in bribes, the state-owned Global Times newspaper reported.

Lu Wei, appearing before the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo in eastern China's Zhejiang province, admitted to receiving bribes from third parties, the report said.

Lu, 58, is awaiting the court's verdict, the date for which is yet to be known. He accepted bribes not only during his four-year tenure as head of the Cyberspace Administration but also when he held senior positions in the state-owned Xinhua agency, the municipality of Beijing and the propaganda department of the Communist party, according to the public prosecutor's office in July.

Lu exercised an important role as head of the Cyberspace Administration, involved in censorship of Internet content for its nearly 750 million users.

Web pages such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram have been blocked in China for years, along with several foreign media entities.
By IANS

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has praised Montana Republican Representative Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter during his campaign last May and called him "my guy".

"Any guy who can do a body slam ... he's my guy," Trump said at a Montana rally on Thursday night and made a gesture mimicking a body slam, according to CNN.

"I shouldn't say this," but "there's nothing to be embarrassed about," the President said amid laughter and applause from the crowd.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanour assault in June 2017 after he was convicted of "body slamming" The Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs. A judge sentenced him to a 180-day deferred sentence, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management and a $300 fine along with an $85 court fee.

Trump said he found out about Gianforte assaulting a reporter when he was travelling in Rome and said initially he was concerned it would hurt the Republican in the election.

"Then I said, well wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him. And it did." He called Gianforte, "one of the most respected people in Congress" and a "tough cookie".

Gianforte won the election the next day and apologized to Jacobs during his acceptance speech.

Guardian US editor John Mulholland slammed Trump's joke, saying: "To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it."
By PTI

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Thursday he now believes journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and warned of "very severe" consequences should Saudi Arabia be proven responsible.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Trump told journalists when asked if he believed that Khashoggi, who disappeared more than two weeks ago, is no longer alive.

Asked about the potential US response to Saudi Arabia, which is accused of murdering the Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi regime, Trump said: "It will have to be very severe. It's bad, bad stuff."

ALSO READ: Washington Post publishes missing journalist Khashoggi's 'last piece' on Arab press freedom

This marked a hardening of tone from the Trump administration, which has been reluctant to blame ally Saudi Arabia, despite mounting evidence that Saudi agents killed and dismembered Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul more than two weeks ago.

A former regime insider, Khashoggi had become a critic of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the point man in ever-tightening military and commercial relations between the Muslim petro-state and the Trump administration.

Just hours earlier Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had told Trump the Saudis should be given "a few more days to complete" an investigation.

Only then, Pompeo said, "we can make decisions how or if the United States should respond."

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi (Photo | File/AFP)

Four prominent human rights and press freedom groups on Thursday urged Turkey to request a United Nations investigation to prevent a "whitewash" of the alleged crime.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders said such a probe established by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would finally clear up the affair.

But the United States, the Saudis' most powerful patron, has repeatedly given the Saudi royals the benefit of the doubt, with Trump and top officials stressing that the US-Saudi relationship cannot be put at risk.

ALSO READ: Saudi suspect in Khashoggi disappearance case killed in 'accident'; search widens

Trump has repeatedly praised massive Saudi arms purchases, while Pompeo used much of his brief remarks on Thursday to recall Washington's "long strategic relationship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

The Saudis "continue to be an important counter-terrorism partner, they have custody of the two holy sites. We need to be mindful of that as well," he said.

The furor has also blown a hole in next week's Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, which was meant to showcase Prince Mohammed's plans for modernizing the desert kingdom.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was pulling out, joining senior ministers from Britain, France and the Netherlands, as well as a string of corporate leaders.

Mnuchin's announcement on Twitter helped push down stock prices on Wall Street.

His withdrawal "raises worry that the administration is being pushed to take a harder line against Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi murder and there could be retaliation," said Karl Haeling of LBBW.

Responses from Saudi Arabia could include selling US Treasuries, or punishing US companies seeking business in the kingdom, Haeling said.

Most analysts don't think Saudi Arabia would cut off oil supplies.

Oil prices were off modestly at midday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, took a dig at Washington, saying that "the US holds a certain responsibility over what happened to him."

But he said Moscow would not "start deteriorating relations" with Saudi Arabia as long as "it did not know what really happened."

Neither Turkey nor the United States has publicly confirmed that Khashoggi is dead or said officially that Riyadh is to blame.

But a steady stream of unconfirmed leaks from officials to Turkish media have painted a detailed and horrifying picture of Khashoggi's last minutes, allegedly at the hands of 15 Saudi agents waiting for him when he came to the consulate for paperwork.

The pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper on Wednesday claimed it had heard audio tapes in which Khashoggi's alleged killers tortured him by cutting his fingers off before his decapitation.

The pro-government Sabah newspaper on Thursday said Saudi security official Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, believed to be close to the crown prince, was the leader of the operation.

"Here is the head of the execution team," said Sabah's headline, and the paper then detailed Mutreb's movements on the day Khashoggi went missing.

Giving precise times based on CCTV footage, the newspaper reported that Mutreb went into the consulate more than three hours before Khashoggi entered the building.

In a series of CCTV images, Mutreb was then seen outside the consul's residence, then later at his hotel near the Saudi mission with a "large suitcase," and finally at the airport in the early evening.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: The US and the UN have condemned the terrorist attack on a high-level security meeting in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province in which three people, including a top Afghan police chief, were killed.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

ALSO READ | Afghan national polls: Another candidate killed in Taliban blast, toll touches 10

In a Twitter post, the Taliban said NATO commander Gen Scott Miller and Kandahar provincial police chief General Abdul Raziq, who was killed, were the targets of the attack.

Miller escaped unhurt in the attack in which at least three people were killed and nearly 12 people were injured.

"The United States condemns the attack directed today on Afghan provincial leadership in Kandahar," sad US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

In a late-night statement, he extended his sympathies and condolences to the families of General Raziq and the other senior Afghan officials who were killed in the attack.

"We also extend hope for the speedy recovery of all those injured in the attack, including two Americans and one Coalition member who were present at the time," he said on Thursday.

Pompeo said the US was resolved to continue its support for the Government and people of Afghanistan as they work to provide security for all Afghan citizens, including for the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 20.

Afghanistan has witnessed a spate of terror attacks ahead of the parliamentary elections.

"Recent attacks against parliamentary candidates in the final days of campaigning in Afghanistan stand in stark contrast to the aspirations of the Afghan people for peace, security, and economic stability.

The right and desire of the Afghan people for their votes to be counted must be respected," Pompeo said.

At the United Nations headquarters in New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all political leaders to work together to ensure full respect for the electoral process, in which every voter, particularly women and minority groups, will be able to cast their ballot.

"As Afghanistan prepares for parliamentary elections on 20 October, the Secretary-General encourages all eligible Afghan voters to exercise their right to vote and contribute to the development of sustainable democratic institutions and creating conditions conducive for a more stable and peaceful Afghanistan," a statement said.

Against the backdrop of existing security challenges, the UN Secretary-General encourages relevant authorities and all political stakeholders to take the necessary measures to do their utmost to prevent any forms of electoral violence, it said.
By PTI

BRUSSELS: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has met Prime Ministers of Greece and Portugal here and discussed ways to boost bilateral ties through greater economic cooperation and people to people exchanges.

Naidu, who is here to attend the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, met on Thursday Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras and Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and sought his collaboration to strengthen ties in areas of defence, space, infrastructure and startups.

Tsipras informed the Vice President about the economic conditions of Greece and the efforts taken by the government to restore stability to the financial system.

"He commended that the growth of the Indian economy over the last few years has had a positive influence on the global economic situation," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Tsipras encouraged Indian companies to consider investing in Greece, particularly in the port sector and extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Greece at an opportune time, it said.

The Vice President called for greater tourism flows between the two countries. He thanked Greece for its support for India's membership to the various export control regimes and its candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.

Two countries agreed to further strengthen the bilateral ties through greater economic and people to people exchanges. In his meeting with Naidu, Prime Minister Costa said he was happy with the ongoing positive momentum in the bilateral relations.

"He said that India-Portugal bilateral trade was on the rise and that Portuguese companies were encouraged by the potential of the Indian market," the External Affairs Ministry statement said.

Naidu thanked Costa for joining the Committee set up to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi worldwide. He said India and Portugal should collaborate in new areas of cutting-edge technology.

Naidu said defence, space, infrastructure and startups were areas that offer potential business opportunities. He also thanked Portugal for reiterating its support for India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Greece's economy has stabilised and grown slowly after the subsequent Great Recession and Greek government-debt crisis that plunged the economy into a sharp downturn. It asked for a financial rescue by the European Union and International Monetary Fund.

Bailouts - emergency loans aimed at saving sinking economies - began in 2010. Greece received three successive packages, totalling 289 billion euros, but they came with the price of drastic austerity measures.
Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe (right) shakes hands with US Defense Secretary James Mattis during a meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) security summit in Singapore on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Defense ministers from China and the US on Thursday highlighted the need to expand high-level ties to ease tensions and prevent an escalation of conflicts, while analysts stressed that the US should better reflect on the true nature of its motives and role in recent provocative military actions in the South China Sea.

Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe met with US Defense Secretary James Mattis on Thursday on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Singapore, where the two agreed that the world's two largest economies need to deepen high-level ties, enhance trust, expand communication and manage disputes to ensure that the military ties are contributing to the stability of bilateral ties, China's Defense Ministry said in a statement released on late Thursday.

China's stance on the Taiwan question, South China Sea issues are unshakable and Chinese military's determination to safeguard soverignty and national security are also firm, Wei stressed.

Mattis said that though China and the US have disputes, they are not confrontations and competition does not have to result in confrontation, the statement said.

The meeting indicates the Chinese and US militaries are willing to manage disputes and make relations between the two militaries a keystone to the stable development of relations between the two countries, a military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Strengthening communication between the two militaries is never a gift from one side, it must be mutually beneficial," the anonymous expert said.

The meeting between Wei and Mattis comes after the US flew two B-52 strategic bombers near islands in the South China Sea, US media outlet CNN reported on Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a daily briefing on Thursday that "China resolutely opposes countries using freedom of navigation as an excuse to harm other countries' sovereignty and disturb regional peace and stability."

China will take necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and security interests, Lu said.

The Chinese military expert noted that the US has created a paradoxical struggle. On one hand, it expects to avoid major conflicts with China as conflicts would only bring harm to both and world peace, which is why the US also supports continued interactions to manage disputes, said the expert.

However, the US continues to stoke tensions in the South China Sea in order to contain China and seek excuses for maintaining its massive military presence and influence in the region, the expert noted.

In late September, two B-52 bombers flew over the South China Sea, and on September 30, the USS Decatur, a US navy destroyer, also entered South China Sea waters before being driven away by a Chinese navy ship.

No step back

While the US accuses China of "militarizing" the South China Sea, its motive is to alienate China from other countries in the region and to gain leverage on other issues in the region, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.

While the accusation is groundless, the US itself is causing military disputes in the region to create the illusion that the US is "indispensable to the region's stability," said Li.

Ni Feng, deputy director of the Institute of American Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday that China is not likely to counter US military actions with military actions.

"A military confrontation can easily trigger domestic hostility in the US, which may result in more serious consequences than the trade dispute," Ni warned, noting that China does not want to see the issue get out of control.

Tensions in the South China Sea have significantly de-escalated in the past two years, with countries directly involved in the disputes returning to talks and negotiations, said a commentary People's Daily Overseas Edition published on Thursday.

The US will be seen as a disrupter in the South China Sea if it continues to believe it can gain something at the expense of China, it said.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Becoming partly cloudy after some evening rain. Low 32F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Becoming partly cloudy after some evening rain. Low 32F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Higher wind gusts possible.
By Li Yun

BEIJING, Oct. 19 (ChinaMil) -- Three IL-76 transport aircraft of the Chinese PLA Air Force, carrying the PLA ground forces to participate in the "Peace and Friendship 2018" joint military drill among China, Malaysia and Thailand, took off from Beijing and Wuhan respectively on the morning of Oct.18 and headed to the designated drill area via Hong Kong (Chek Lap Kok) International Airport.

Before then, the guided-missile destroyer Wuhan (Hull 169) and the guided-missile frigate Yuncheng (Hull 571) of the Chinese PLA Navy, each carrying a ship-borne helicopter, set sail on Oct. 14 from a military port in Zhanjiang, a port city in south Chinas Guangdong Province. The two ships are expected to arrive at the designated port on Friday.

According to the consensus reached by the Chinese, Malaysian and Thai armed forces, the joint drill will last from Oct. 20 to 29 in Malaysia. The joint drill will be carried out in two stages.

The first stage is the staff headquarters exercise. In the context of the "compulsory peace action crisis response", the drill aims to apply the standard operation procedure and military decision-making process to train the joint planning process of the multinational joint task forces.

The second stage is the actual combat training. The ground troops will conduct drills on such 11 subjects as special sniping, jungle tracking, hostage rescue, and armed escort at a comprehensive training ground in Port Dickson of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The naval troops will carry out drills covering 10 subjects including ship damage control and tactical exercise in Port Swettenham and the offshore area of Selangor, Malaysia.

The "Peace and Friendship 2018" is a planned joint exercise program within this year. Its main purpose is to enhance mutual trust, cooperation and traditional friendship among China, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as consolidate the development of military security cooperation between China and Malaysia, and China and Thailand.

The drill is also to demonstrate the confidence and determination of the three countries to safeguard peace and security in the South China Sea and enhance the capability to jointly cope with various security threats. The joint drill is not targeted at any third party and has nothing to do with the current regional situation.

The Chinese participating troops consist of 692 officers and soldiers, one guided-missile destroyer, one guided-missile frigate, two ship-borne helicopters, three IL-76 transport aircraft and four vehicles principally from the navy under the PLA Southern Theater Command, the PLA Hong Kong Garrison, and the PLA Macao Garrison.

During the drill, the Chinese, Malaysian and Thai participating troops will also organize various cultural exchange activities. The Chinese naval vessels will be open to local residents and overseas Chinese.




SOME fuel stations are deliberately hoarding and limiting supplies to consumers for speculative purposes thereby creating artificial shortages that have resulted in continued long queues for petrol and diesel.







Yesterday, the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (Zera) said limiting supplies to consumers was illegal and culprits will be prosecuted and their licences revoked.





Zeras statement buttresses Governments position that there is enough fuel in the country despite long queues at fuel stations in the past two weeks.





It has come to the attention of the Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority that some petroleum licensees are deliberately hoarding or limiting fuel supplies to consumers for speculative purposes.





Isolated cases of service stations charging fuel prices that are above regulated threshold have also come to Zeras attention, reads the statement.





Such actions are in violation of the Petroleum (Fuel Pricing) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (No.1) published in the Statutory Instrument 20 of 2015 which prohibits the withholding of petroleum products for speculative purposes and charging fuel prices that are beyond the prescribed limits.





The regulatory authority warned that those breaking the law risk being prosecuted and having their licences revoked. Zera said its compliance officers have been deployed to the ground to monitor the situation.





Members of the public are advised to report all fuel retailers who are suspected of deliberately withholding or limiting fuel supplies for speculative purposes.





The public is also advised to report retailers who are charging fuel prices that are above the approved threshold to Zera, reads the statement.





It said members of the public can report unscrupulous fuel service stations on landline numbers +263 242 780 010; +263 242 253416 or on 0800136 which is used as both a toll free and WhatsApp number.





People can also report at Zeras offices situated at 24 Samora Machel Avenue, 14th Floor, Century Towers in Harare or send an email on @[email protected] or make a report through its website www.zera.co.zw.





Zera also warned the public against hoarding fuel saying this could result in destructive and fatal fires.





The use of containers increases chances of fuel contamination which compromises fuel quality and results in damage to motor engines, Zera said.





Meanwhile, in Tsholotsho, two service stations are allegedly demanding United States dollars and South African rands from motorists, claiming to be importing fuel from the neighbouring Botswana.





Tsholotsho Business Against Crime Forum of Zimbabwe (BACFOZ) chairperson, Mr Ernest Maliwa said the only fuel station that has not been demanding forex had run out of the commodity leaving them at the mercy of unscrupulous dealers.





He said motorists have been left to resort to two fuel stations located at Tsholotsho Business Centre, Phumelela Service Station and Majokotshoko Service Station that are demanding forex payments.





The proprietors of the two service stations could not be reached immediately.





However, Mr Maliwa said: One of them is charging R17,50 or US$ 1,25 per litre for both petrol and diesel. This one has totally refused to accept any other form of payment for his fuel even after our team approached him. The other one is charging R14 or US$ 1.10 per litre of petrol and R13 or $1.02 per litre of diesel. After approaching this one, he now charges $2 per litre, both petrol and diesel with customers limited to only $10 bond purchase and nothing more.





He said motorists are forced to look for bond notes and trade them for rands on the black market.




"We've had a complaint, we were contacted by Gabriella Engels informing us that one of Mrs Mugabe's sons in South Africa contacted her, and tried to convince her not to go ahead with the case. We have informed the police, that they should look at this because it is interference with the judicial process and we believe that is very unfortunate," AfriForum's CEO Kallie Kriel told journalists in Pretoria.
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By Li Wei and Wang Youwei

LAHORE, Oct. 19 (ChinaMil) -- The 2nd International Physical Agility and Combat Efficiency System (PACES) Competition undertaken by the Pakistani Army concluded in Lahore, the second largest city of Pakistan, on October 15. The Chinese team won the group champion.

The competition kicked off on October 8, consisting of five contests such as 3.2km running, comprehensive combat skills, push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. Thirty-three teams from the Armies of 12 countries, including Pakistan, South Africa, Maldives, Kuwait, the UK and Sri Lanka, participated in the competition.

At the invitation of Pakistani side, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) sent eleven members selected from a special operations brigade of the76th Group Army to participate in the competition.

In the end, the Chinese team won four team events in 3.2km running, comprehensive combat skills, push-ups and chin-ups, and two individual champions in push-ups and comprehensive combat skills.
(Newser)  A 4-year-old UK boy is $130,000 closer to traveling to the US for cancer treatment after a mystery donor contributed that amount to the cause. Zac Oliver was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in May, but he has the near-haploid strain of the disease, which affects just one in 200 childhood leukemia patients. He is thought to be the only child in the UK with that strain of the illness, the BBC reports. Friends and family have been working on raising the more than $650,000 needed to get Zac to Philadelphia for a promising new treatment the UK is not yet ready to deliver, according to a JustGiving crowdfunding campaign for the little boy. Zac's mom, Hannah Oliver-Willetts, says she was recently shocked with a phone call from someone who told her "not to worry" and to "pack her bags."

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Hours after the call, the massive donation appeared in the family's bank account, she says; the amount reportedly pushed the total to what the family needs to afford the CAR-T therapy and all associated costs. The 4-year-old's plight had already been getting big attention, with Simon Cowell pledging about $65,000 to the cause. With the goal reached, "This means that as soon as all of the money which people have raised and told us about has been banked, we will be able to show The hospital of Philadelphia and get financial clearance," Zac's mom posted on Facebook, per the Shropshire Star. "As soon as we get financial clearance, we can send this to the Embassy and get Zacs visa confirmed. ... We honestly can't express just how happy and excited we are right now to be able to say that we WILL be able to get Zac the treatment he needs to have the best chance of survival." (This man sang one Garth Brooks song for 36 hours straight for a great reason.)
(Newser)  There was shouting in the West Wing on Thursday, and it was even more intense than usual, sources tell CNN. The blowup"profanity-laced," per Bloomberg between Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Advisor John Bolton was related to an ongoing disagreement over how to handle increased crossings at the Mexico border. Sources tell CNN that Bolton took a verbal swipe at Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, Kelly's former deputy at the DHS, saying she needs to start doing her job. President Trump reportedly sided with Bolton, further angering Kelly.

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It got so bad that startled staffers speculated that Kelly would resign, a source tells Bloomberg. Sources say that Trump is aware of the argument, although he later told reporters, "I've not heard about it. No," according to CNN, which adds that arguing is commonplace "in this divided West Wing" but the Kelly-Bolton blowup "went well beyond" what is typical. Later, a White House official said everyone had cooled off and Kelly was not going anywhere. (Trump is threatening to shut down the border.)
(Newser)  Amid a massive wave of international condemnation, Saudi Arabia might be ready to publicly blame somebody for the apparent killing of Jamal Khashoggiand it isn't Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Instead, sources tell the New York Times, Saudi officials are preparing to point the finger at Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, an intelligence official who serves as an adviser to the prince. The sources say the Saudis plan to claim that Assiri received instructions from the prince to capture Khashoggi for interrogation and the journalist ended up dead after Assiri either misunderstood or exceeded his orders. The Times notes, however, that this explanation would involve admitting that the prince "ordered an operation to abduct a resident of the United States."

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A Turkish official tells ABC News that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo heard an audio recording of Khashoggi's alleged murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul when he visited Turkey this week, though the State Department denies that he has heard the recording or seen a transcript. President Trump said Thursday that there will be "severe consequences" if Khashoggi was murdered. Trump supporters, however, including some conservative radio hosts and House lawmakers, have been defending the president's reluctance to punish the Saudis by smearing Khashoggi as an "apologist for terrorists" and misrepresenting his reporting on Osama bin Laden in the 1980s, the Washington Post reports. (Pompeo wants the US to give Saudi Arabia more time to complete its investigation.)
(Newser)  The "Dear Abby" advice column has been appearing in newspapers since 1956and after a recent response to a question about "foreign names," critics accused it of being stuck in that year. Columnist Jeanne Phillips was accused of racism after telling a reader he was right to be worried about his wife's wish to give their children Indian names instead of Western ones, the New York Times reports. "Not only can foreign names be difficult to pronounce and spell, but they can also cause a child to be teased unmercifully," she wrote. "Sometimes the name can be a problematic word in the English language. And one that sounds beautiful in a foreign language can be grating in English."

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Author Valarie Kaurwho named her son Kavi, meaning poet, to honor his Sikh poet great-grandfathersaccused Phillips of "clinging to an old America, where white is considered the norm and everything else deviant and inferior," while Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi called the column "deeply racist and problematic." "Names have meaning," she tweeted. "They tell us who we are and where we come from." Others accused Phillips of hypocrisy, noting that she writes the column under the name "Abigail Van Buren," which is made up of a Hebrew first name and a Dutch surname, KSAZ reports. Phillipswhose mother, Pauline Phillips, founded the columnhas yet to respond to the controversy. (In 2016, the columnist was accused of blaming a teen girl for her own rape.)
(Newser)  Plenty of people answered the call when Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald asked for 100 able-bodied volunteers to search for "missing and endangered" teen Jayme Closs on Thursdaybut the search along a 14-mile stretch of Highway 8 near Barron, Wis., didn't find anything that could provide a breakthrough. The sheriff's office said in a Facebook post that "nothing of evidentiary value" was found, though they have received more than 800 tips, CNN reports. Closs, 13, has been the focus of an intensive search since early Monday, when her parents were found shot to death in their home minutes after a cryptic 911 call was placed.

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The town of Barron, which has fewer than 3,500 people, has been deeply shaken by the murders and the disappearance, reports the Wausau Daily Herald. Police have said they don't know whether it was a random attack or a targeted one. "We dont know anything and thats hard," says Barron resident Cyndi Bragg. She says the community is "stuck in limbo" while the search continuesand she has told her own children to be extremely cautious. Fitzgerald has said he has a "100% expectation that she's alive," though there have been no credible sightings confirmed since her disappearance. The sheriff's office says Jaymee is 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, with strawberry-blond hair and green eyes. (The sheriff believes Jaymee was home when her parents were killed.)
(Newser)  Four decades after she first encountered Michael Myers, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) meets the killer for what is said to be the final time in David Gordon Green's Halloween, a follow-up to John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic that overrides all the other sequels that have come before. According to critics, it's worth the fright.



"Halloween, the 2018 version, is the B-movie sequel Halloween, the 1978 version, has always deserved," writes Richard Roeper at the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's one ruthlessly efficient killer of a movie." Actors Nick Castle, Judy Greer, and Will Patton earn his praise, while Curtis is "badass terrific," to boot, he writes.

Though the film "may not accomplish everything it sets out to do," Monica Castillo appreciated that it embraced trauma and survivor's guilt as an "explicit subject" as opposed to ignoring such real-life struggles. Aiding this story line, Curtis delivers a "moving" performance, her character's instability "palpable," Castillo writes at NPR.

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Rex Reed was not impressed. Green "is not an imaginative director, so the result is a disappointing collection of the usual familiar cliches," he writes at the Observer. "There are a few gory scares" but the film is missing "any new ideas or fresh suspense," he adds. "It just lays there, like leftover pumpkin."

Green's "best tricks are borrowed from Carpenter," but the director jets out on his own for an "excellent final act," in David Sims' view at the Atlantic. "This is a revenge tale for each character, and once Green starts telling it from both sides, the film sings with purpose," he writes, also applauding "fantastic work" from Curtis.

Prefer movies that are scary bad? Browse this list . (Read more movie review stories.)
(Newser)  Either somebody on Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly's campaign is a big Veep fan, or it's a heck of a coincidence. The Democrat's new campaign ad, "Axe," bears a very strong resemblance to "Chopping," a campaign ad on the sitcom for fictional candidate Jonah Ryan, Mediate reports. Both ads feature a candidate outside chopping wood on stumpsand both have plenty of corny puns. "I split with my own party to support funding for Trump's border wall, the liberal left wants to chop defense spending," Donnelly says as the axe falls. "Vote for Jonah Ryan," the Veep ad's voice-over says. "He'll chop President Selina Meyer down to size."

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The Indianapolis Star points out one big difference between the two ads: Donnelly, with safety goggles and boots on, looks like a man who has chopped wood before. Ryan's fictional bid for Congress was a successful one, while it remains to be seen whether Donnelly, currently ahead in the polls, will prevail in his tough re-election battle in Indiana, the Washington Post reports. His Republican rival, Mike Braun, tweeted an edit of the "Axe" ad called "The Whining," and pointed out that the axe Donnelly was using was made in Mexico. (This lawmaker laughed so hard at Veep he knocked himself out.)
(Newser)  A new mass group of migrants in Central America is walking toward the US border, and President Trump on Thursday suggested the timing is fishy so close to the midterms. At a rally in Montana, Trump seemed to back a conspiracy theory that Democrats or their supporters were paying migrants to join the caravan, reports the AP. "Now we're starting to find outand I won't say it 100 percent, I'll put it a little tiny question mark on the end, but ... a lot of money has been passing through people to try to get to the border by Election Day, because they think that is a negative for us, the president said, per Politico. Earlier Thursday, Trump tweeted a video, originally posted by Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, showing a man handing out cash, presumably to migrants. It is not known when or where the video was shot.

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"Can you believe this, and what Democrats are allowing to be done to our Country?" Trump wrote in his tweet. Gaetz went further, wondering whether someone such as George Soros was funding the caravan. Gaetz initially said the footage was from Honduras, where most of the migrants in the caravan are from, but he later posted a correction after questions sprang up: "Because a Honduran government official sent me this video, I believed it came from Honduras." During his rally, Trump said Democrats favored the caravan because they assume "everybody coming in" will vote for them. "They wanted that caravan and there are those that say that caravan didn't just happen," he added. "It didn't just happen."

(Read more migrants stories.)
(Newser)  After Wednesday's massacre at a vocational school in Crimea, Russians are looking for answersand some of them are looking toward the West. Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the gun and bomb attack carried out by a student in Kerch "appears to be a result of globalization," the BBC reports. "On social media, on the Internet, we see the creation of entire communities," he said. "Everything started with the tragic events in schools in the US." State-funded broadcaster RT has described the attack as having a "shocking resemblance" to the 1999 Columbine mass shooting, with the attackers in both cases setting off explosives in cafeterias, shooting fellow students, and killing themselves in school libraries.

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Political analyst Sergey Mikheyev blamed the attack on "Western subculture," CNN reports, which "builds its matrix on the cult of violence," he said on state television. "The one who has a weapon in his hands is right. This is a purely American approach to the matter." The death toll in the Kerch attack reached 2015 students and five teachersafter one of the injured died Thursday, the AP reports. Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova says most victims died from gunshot wounds, but the shrapnel-packed explosive device caused many horrific injuries, with some victims losing their legs or feet. Few details have been released on attacker Vladislav Roslyakov, an 18-year-old student at the school. (Putin said Thursday that Russians killed in a nuclear strike will "go to heaven" as martyrs.)
(Newser)  Final preparations are underway for the launch of a joint mission by European and Japanese space agencies to send twin probes to Mercury, reports the AP. An Ariane 5 rocket is scheduled to lift the uncrewed spacecraft into orbit from French Guiana shortly before midnight Friday, the start of a seven-year journey to the solar system's innermost planet, which is only slightly larger than Earth's moon and has a massive iron core about which little is known. The European Space Agency says the $1.5 billion mission is one of the most challenging in its history. Mercury's extreme temperatures, the intense gravity pull of the sun, and blistering solar radiation make for hellish conditions.

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The BepiColombo spacecraft will have to follow an elliptical path that involves a fly-by of Earth, two of Venus, and six of Mercury itself so it can slow down sufficiently before arriving at its destination in December 2025. Newly developed electrical ion thrusters will help nudge the spacecraft, named after Italian scientist Giuseppe "Bepi" Colombo, into the right orbit. When it arrives, BepiColombo will release two probesBepi and Miothat will independently investigate the surface and magnetic field of Mercury for clues about the formation of the solar system. The probes are designed to cope with temperatures varying from 806 degrees Fahrenheit on the side facing the sun to -292 degrees in Mercury's shadow. (Earth's last visitor to Mercury crashed.)
More than 60 world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, will travel to Paris next month for commemorations of the end of World War I a century ago, French officials said Thursday.

On Nov. 10 -- a day before the commemorations in Paris -- French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will also attend a ceremony near Compiegne, northern France, where the armistice ending the war was signed on Nov. 11, 1918, Macron's office said.

The main ceremony will take place at the Arc de Triomphe war monument in Paris at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 -- marking the time when guns finally fell silent after four years of trench warfare and general European slaughter.

Later in the day, guests will be invited to participate in a Peace Forum, to be opened by Merkel, an event which France wants to turn into an annual multilateral peace conference.


(Newser)  Just like with bottled water, over 90% of the world's table salt contains microplasticsenough that the average human ingests 2,000 pieces each year from salt alone, according to new research. It's been known for years that microplastics are present in salt, per Quartz, but the surprise of the research is just how abundant they are. The research team from South Korea's Incheon National University and Greenpeace East Asia found microplastics in 36 of 39 tested brands of sea, rock, and lake salt harvested in 21 countries across six continents, finding a particular concentration in salt made in Asian countries. They produced the salts with the most microplastics, including nine of the 10 sea salts with the highest amounts of microplastics, per the study published Tuesday in Environmental Science & Technology.

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This not only confirms Asia to be a hot bed of plastic pollution, but links human ingestion of microplastics to pollution in a particular region, reports National Geographic. The highest amounts of microplastics were found in salts from Indonesia, which has 34,000 miles of coastline and was named as having the second-worst level of plastic pollution in the world in 2015. "It's clear that there is no escape from this plastics crisis," researcher Mikyoung Kim says, per USA Today, noting it's pollution consumers should be worried about. Microplastics in table salt account for only 6% of an average person's microplastics ingestion per year. The rest comes from mollusks, tap water, and, cringingly, the air you breathe both inside and out, per Quartz. (An economist suggests an unsexy solution.)
(Newser)  "For whatever reason, they decided Xavier Davis was the guy." That from the lawyer for 31-year-old Davis, arrested in January as the suspect in a sexual assault in Grand Rapids, Mich. The problem: DNA evidence and Uber and phone records showed Davis wasn't the guy, and charges against him were dropped in July, per MLive.com. Before that, though, he was in prison for 129 days, then attached to an e-tether for two months, and now he's suing the City of Grand Rapids and three cops for false imprisonment and defamation, among other allegations, per WOOD. "I'm telling them, 'You have the wrong person,'" Davis says of his arrest, which he says was based on a sketch that doesn't even look like him; WZZM has a picture of it. It gets a bit complicated: Davis was already under investigation for a burglary and arson when he was arrested for the rape of a woman in her car in late December.

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At his January arraignment, Daviswho was sent to prison for more than a year in 2012 for a home invasion and also has been convicted of window peepingwas then charged with another sexual assault at his workplace, though his lawyer says he started working there after the assault report. In both cases, Davis contends police led the victims to believe he was their attacker, and that even after the DNA and other evidence started to surface in February showing he wasn't in the car case, he was still incarcerated for months. He also says his face and name were plastered everywhere after his arrest, and he lost his two jobs and was evicted from his home after he got out of jail, per WOOD. He said he told cops during his initial questioning: "You guys are gonna be sued after this if you don't fix this." Charges in both cases were dropped, and WOOD notes Davis has since secured a new job and place to live. (Cops hope DNA will lead them to the Zodiac Killer.)
(Newser)  Rockefeller University Hospital in New York says multiple people experienced "inappropriate" behavior at the hands of a late doctor who treated children there for decades, inklings of which were known since 2004. An investigation that year, said to be in response to a single patient's claims, found that pediatric specialist Reginald Archibald "likely" acted inappropriately. It also turned up two prior reports on Archibald from the 1990s, reports NPR. But the hospital, which reportedly contacted the Manhattan district attorney's office, says it was unaware of other cases until another former patient came forward this year, more than a decade after Archibald's death. A second investigation, which involved talking to former patients, uncovered disturbing sexual misconduct claims, and at least one allegation of rape, reports the New York Times.

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The Times also spoke with 17 people, mostly men, who said they were abused between the ages of 6 and 17. The men say Archibald, who worked at the hospital from the 1940s to the 1980s, would masturbate them or ask them to masturbate, measure their erect penises, and take photos of them naked. One describes being drugged and raped by Archibald at his summer house in Canada. A few victims say they complained, to no avail. "To know that they knew about this in 2004 and didn't reach out to people, it's absolutely outrageous," says one man. "Appalled" by the reports, the hospital says it will create a fund to cover counselling for victims. Though the statue of limitations has passed, a proposed law would create a one-year window for all victims of child sexual abuse to sue. (In New York, the Catholic Church's settled with abuse victims.)
(Newser)  Tina Turner is finally speaking out about the July death by suicide of her oldest son, Craig Turner, and she tells the BBC she's as baffled as everyone else. "I still don't know what took him to the edge," she says of her 59-year-old son, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though she concedes that in hindsight, some of her final conversations with her "introverted" and "shy" son suggested "a change" in his demeanor. The 78-year-old notes Craig Turner, her son with musician Raymond Hill, had seemed pretty content with things in the last few months of his life, finding a new girlfriend and a new job at an esteemed real-estate firm in California. "I have no idea what pulled him down, except something that followed him with loneliness," Turner says, adding in her new memoir, My Love Story, that he was "a troubled soul," per USA Today.

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Other revelations about her life also emerge in her book, including Ike Turner making her go to a brothel on their wedding night in 1962, and having his "goons" shoot up her house after she left him in 1976. She also writes she tried to kill herself by taking sleeping pills while married to him. She says she's since found love with husband Erwin Bach, whom she married in 2013, and that she's "happier than I've ever been in my life." Despite that, Turner seems at peace with her own eventual departure from Earth, a Buddhist-influenced resignation she says evolved after she reportedly suffered a stroke in 2013 or 2014, followed by kidney failure and a cancer diagnosis in January 2016. The BBC notes she's even signed up with a group that advocates for assisted suicide. "Death is not a problem for me," she says. "I really don't mind leaving." (Turner reveals her husband donated a kidney to her.)
(Newser)  There's turbulence, and then there's turbulence. Passengers and crew aboard Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 1303 experienced the latter Thursday during a flight from Florida to Argentina, the Miami Herald reports. Fifteen of the 192 passengers on board were injured, suffering "blows or bruises due to the sudden movements" during the "severe" turbulence, per a statement from the airline. Of the injured, seven were treated at Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires upon arrival, USA Today reports, and eight were taken to the hospital. The airline described the injuries as "minor."

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"Once the turbulence zone was crossed," Aerolineas said in its statement, "the crew in charge of the flight was dedicated to assist the injured passengers." According to the airline, the turbulence, caused by the collision of air masses of different temperatures, occurred during the flight's "cruise" phase. Images from the flight shared on social media show dangling oxygen masks and the plane's cabin strewn with food and other debris. The flight, a daily run to Argentina's capital, left Miami at 9:16am and landed at its destination about a half hour behind schedule. Frightful as it may be, turbulence does not "jeopardize the safety of the aircraft," the airline says. ("Wake turbulence" caused this flight to nosedive.)
(Newser)  Some 3,000 Central Americans traveling in a mass caravan broke through a Guatemalan border fence and streamed by the thousands toward Mexican territory Friday, the AP reports, defying Mexican authorities' entreaties for an orderly migration and President Donald Trump's threats of retaliation. Arriving on the Mexican side of a border bridge, they were met by a phalanx of police with riot shields. About 50 managed to push their way through before officers unleashed pepper spray and the rest retreated. The gates were closed again, and a federal police officer used a loudspeaker to address the masses, saying, "We need you to stop the aggression." Waving Honduran flags and carrying umbrellas to protect against the sun, the migrants arrived earlier at the Guatemalan side of the muddy Suchiate River that divides the country from Mexico, noisily demanding they be let in.

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Young men began tugging on the fencing and finally succeeded in tearing it down, and men, women, and children rushed through and toward the border bridge just up the road. Edwin Santos of San Pedro Sula was one of the first to race past helpless Guatemalan police, clutching the hands of his father and wife. "We are going to the United States!" he shouted euphorically. "Nobody is going to stop us!" Earlier Friday, Mexico's ambassador to Guatemala said his country intended to enforce what he called a policy of orderly entry in the face of the thousands trying to cross. Trump has made it clear to Mexico that he is monitoring its response. Early Thursday, he threatened to close the US border if Mexico let the migrants advance. Later, he retweeted a video of Mexican federal police arriving at the Guatemalan border and wrote: "Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!"

(Read more immigration stories.)
Europe and Asia should use their combined economic clout "to tackle global challenges such as trade tensions that put millions of jobs at risk" and the threat of climate change, a top European official said Thursday.

European Council President Donald Tusk spoke in Brussels as he opened the Asia-Europe summit, which brought together 30 European leaders with their counterparts or top officials from 21 Asian nations. The gathering accounts for 55 percent of global trade and 60 percent of the world's population.

Amnesty International and some European lawmakers urged EU leaders at the meeting to call out their Asian counterparts on human rights abuses, including the persecution of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims and China's internment camps for an estimated 1 million Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang.

In a speech Monday, outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the Chinese government "is engaged in the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities that is straight out of George Orwell."

China has characterized the mass internment of ethnic Uighurs as a push to bring into the "modern, civilized" world a destitute people who are easily led astray.

EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said European leaders would raise rights issues with their Asian counterparts and singled out the Rohingya crisis as an area of particular concern. "We'll have discussions... on seeing how we can try to help the United Nations to have proper access and have the return of the Rohingya in a safe and dignified manner," Mogherini said.
Bahrains children would be more productive than their Arab peers when they will be engaged in the labour market, said Education Minister Dr Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi yesterday. Citing the latest report issued by the World Bank, the Minister said that the Kingdom in attaining the ranking has outdone several top countries around the globe including Turkey, Ukraine, Malaysia, Argentina and Brazil. The latest report, Minister said, issued by the World Bank showed that Bahrain is on top of Arab nations in the indicators of education and 47th internationally out of 157 countries.

The Minister said this in a congratulatory message to HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, hailing his leadership and directives. On behalf of the Education Ministrys staff, the Minister extended sincere congratulations on Bahrains achievement, thanks to HRH the Premiers leadership and directives. The same report indicated the extent of development in the educational field, and that Bahrain is the most successful Arab country in terms of investing and developing its human resources, the Minister said.

The Minister said the Boston Consultant Group, in its July 2018 report on levels of well-being around the world, said that Bahrain was ranked in the fourth position among the Middle East and North African countries with regards to Education Indicators, noting it was occupying the 12th position in 2011. The Minister pointed out the UN Development Programme (UNDP)s report issued in September 2018, which classified the Kingdom among the countries with very high human development, ranking it 43 out of 189 countries and territories.
Rising temperatures and increasing saline intrusion are rapidly shrinking Bahrains freshwater resources, a spokesman for Bahrains environment council has told the Guardian. According to the official, the climate change effects are expected to reduce Bahrains freshwater resources by between 50 to 100 million cubic metres of water per year in the short-term. This, according to the environment council spokesman, is well above the global average and posing a unique risk to the kingdoms water security.

Bahrains application to the Green Climate Fund is about addressing the severe threat posed by global climate change to the kingdoms freshwater supply, the spokesman told the Guardian referring to Bahrains request for a $10 million assistance from the Green Climate Fund (GCF). As a committed signatory to the Paris agreement, the Kingdom has already taken significant steps to counteract the impact of climate change, including the development of a new national water strategy. We now seek assistance from the GCF to help support these critical interventions, the statement adds. Kingdoms report will be discussed during the third and final meeting of the GCF Board this year which is being hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain in Manama.

The meeting which began on 15 October and concludes on 21 October will consider 20 new funding proposals from its Accredited Entities valued at USD 1.1 billion, which are targeted at low-emission, climate-resilient development. Alongside the consideration of new project proposals, the board will also discuss the accreditation of 16 new project partners, as well as a number of policy proposals, including those designed to strengthen and streamline project approval processes.

The Green Climate Fund is governed by a Board of 24 members representing developed and developing countries equally. The meeting will be co-chaired by Paul Oquist and Lennart Bage, Board Co-Chairs for 2018. GCF board, in its March 2018 meeting, approved 23 projects, valued together at USD1,093.5 million of GCF funding. The approvals brought the GCF portfolio to a total of 76 projects and programmes, amounting to USD3,730.2 million in GCF funding to assist developing countries in their low emission and climate resilient development.

The meeting in Manama is being attended by more than 300 participants, including observers from civil society and private sector organisations, National Designated Authorities (NDAs), which are the national conduits to the Fund, and Accredited Entities and other partners who assist in delivering climate finance to developing countries.
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland  Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) in Busaiteen yesterday played host to a special conference focusing on Professionalism in Healthcare, under the patronage of Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.

The event was organised in collaboration with the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), the Bahrain Medical Society and the Bahrain Private Hospitals Society, and featured a series of presentations and workshops. The keynote presentation on Healthcare Professionalism in the 21st Century was delivered by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, a member of the UKs House of Lords, professor of palliative medicine and past President of the Royal Society of Medicine.

NHRA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Maryam Al-Jalahma meanwhile, presented the NHRA regulations of professional standards in Bahrain. Among the other topics in focus by local medical experts and members of Bahrain Medical Society were the three elements of medical professionalism; healthcare professional etiquette and the meaning of patient-centred. Further workshop sessions looking at patient safety; difficult conversations; improved communications and professional judgement, also took place.

RCSI Bahrain is a constituent university of RCSI, which was established in Dublin, Ireland in 1784. Licensed as an independent private university, RCSI Bahrain is a not-for-profit health sciences institution focused on education and research to drive positive change in all areas of human health worldwide.
A Youth Entrepreneurial Development Initiative is launched to inspire Bahraini Youth towards their entrepreneurial aspirations, as part of Manama Entrepreneurship Week (MEW) events. The initiative includes a launch workshop whereby participants will be forming their individual development plan, followed by a series of workshops and functions. The initiative will include a one-year mentorship programme whereby each participant will be paired with a business and community leader. The MEW events will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, the Governor of the Capital Governorate, from October 21 to 25.

Co-Founder of the Initiative, Mohammed Al Haddad said, This Initiative aims at enabling and expanding capabilities of Bahraini youth to compete in the International entrepreneurial sphere, transforming young people from job seekers to job creators, who build and support sustainable and transparent enterprises, and achieving the vision of Bahrain 2030.

He added that the Initiative will be a valuable asset for those wishing to pursue development themselves and explore their entrepreneurial aspirations. The launch workshop will be conducted by the initiative Co-Founder Christiane Saba, who is an international expert in socio-economic development and youth empowerment, consulting for international institutions, local governmental institutes and NGOs.
A Bahraini court has ordered to detain the Editor in Chief of Al Watan Newspaper Yousif Al Binkhalil in connection with a defamation case.

The Court in its verdict said that Al Binkhalil remains free on a BD100 bail or by accepting a manual community work to replace the punishment. The Bahrain Journalist Association, in a statement, expressed its shock at the case filed against Al Binkhalil by a member of the House of Representatives, while affirming its obedience and respect to the Bahraini law and judicial system.
BDF will continue carrying out the royal directives to boost the readiness of its units and weaponry, said the Commander-in-Chief of Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa. The commander also paid tribute to the BDF personnel fighting alongside their brethren in the Arab Coalition Forces in defending the right and legitimacy in Yemen.

He was holding a discussion with Commander of the Royal Artillery Major-General Shaikh Khalifa bin Hassan Al Khalifa, Head of the Royal Artillery Operations Division Colonel Khalifa Thamer Al Kaabi, Commander of the Field Medical Battalion Colonel Khalid Mohammed Al Buainin, Acting Commander of the Special Battalion/83 Major Shaikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Lieutenant Saqr Khalid Al Khalifa.

The BDF Command - er-in-Chief listened to a briefing on the combat readiness of the Bahraini forces deployed on the southern border of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He said this participation is in line with the noble directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the Supreme Commander, to defend the borders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Two Holy Mosques. He added this participation is also within the framework of the GCC and Arab joint defence agreements.

The meeting was attended by BDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Dhiab bin Saqr Al Nuaimi, Assistant Chief of Staff for Supply and Catering Rear Admiral Yusef Ahmed Malallah and Joint Operations Director Brigadier Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Al Khalifa.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has pulled out of an investment conference next week in Saudi Arabia, as Riyadh continues to face questions about its involvement in the disappearance and alleged killing of a U.S.-based Saudi journalist in Turkey.

Mnuchin made the announcement Thursday on Twitter, following numerous Western corporate chiefs who have dropped out of the three-day gathering that starts Tuesday in Riyadh.

As reports from Turkey have mounted alleging Saudi agents tortured, killed and dismembered Jamal Khashoggi two weeks ago inside Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul, the chief executives announced they will not be attending the Future Investment Initiative conference.

Saudi Arabia has denied killing Khashoggi, a critic of the country's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, on Thursday alleged that $12.7bn worth of crude oil was stolen from the country between 2011 and 2014.Falana spoke at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria in Abuja, and called for the immediate recovery from oil companies, royalties that ought to have accrued to the Federation Account since 2014.He also called on PENGASSAN to prevail on the anti-corruption agencies to probe and trace the funds, as well as determine the culprits.The lawyer said the crude oil theft data was released by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, and promised to make the report available to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and other stakeholders.The study revealed that the value of the money from oil stolen from Nigeria is $12.7bn. The oil was discharged in one port. We have identified who the oil majors are and the shipping companies involved; but since 2014, we have been begging the Nigerian government to recover the money, Falana stated.He urged PENGASSAN, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers and the Nigeria Labour Congress to institute a probe, track and investigate the volume of crude oil stolen from the country and discharged at ports in the United States, India, China, France and Britain, noting that if the issue was taken seriously, Nigeria would see the return of over $100bn.This is the real money that should be recovered. That is why I am appealing to NUPENG, PENGASSAN and the NLC to assist in going to the root of this criminality at the international level and recover the money and put it in the federations coffers so that our people can enjoy the benefits of the oil and gas industry, Falana said.The legal practitioner also challenged the labour centres to look into the Halliburton case to ensure that justice prevailed and see to it that recovered funds were used for the benefit of the country.The Group Managing Director, NNPC, Maikanti Baru, urged PENGASSAN to collaborate with the corporation.He said, The NNPC appreciates your consistent involvement in the industrys policy formulation, the most recent being the Petroleum Industry Bill; the corporation also appreciate your advocacy for robust local content development as well as your complementary role to grow a virile and productive economy for the country.These have gone a long way to demonstrate the high stake you have exhibited in the service of the industry and the nation. I can only add that you keep up your good work.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari signed t...





The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Executive Order 6 to target the assets of people under trial over allegations of corruption.





He said the true intention of the Executive Order 6 was to make sure that assets connected to such persons were not squandered.





Featuring on Channels television, on Thursday, the AGF said: The essence of the Executive Order number 6, is to attack the economic undertones that constitute the source of strength, the source of desire of the person, in terms of nailing down the process of judicial determination of process.





Malami also dismissed claims that Buhari has no regards for court orders.





He said: You cannot adjudge an aggrieved person or party that has gone on appeal against a judgment or order to be in disobedience of the court order when he or she has a pending appeal which has been supported with a stay of execution.




The South Korean ministry of food and drug safety has cautioned Nigerians against the use of drugs imported from China, as they may co...





The South Korean ministry of food and drug safety has cautioned Nigerians against the use of drugs imported from China, as they may contain human remains.





The ministry issued this warning in a memo dated October 12 and directed to the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA) and other agencies including the ministry of health, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).





The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the national security adviser (NSA) also received the memo.





According to the memo, South Korean customs service intercepted 2,751 drugs containing human remains imported into the country by some suspected Chinese nationals.





The drugs are alleged to boost stamina and cure diseases including cancer and diabetes.





The memo said the South Korean ministry discovered the drugs to contain millions of viruses which could prove harmful to human health.





It therefore called on the NIA and the other agencies in the country to warn Nigerians to be mindful of drugs imported from China.





The agency also called the attention of mail delivery services in Nigeria to be at alert and monitor cargoes with drugs coming into the country.





The South Korean Customs Service, on 30 September, 2018, revealed that it had seized two thousand, seven hundred and fifty-one (2,751) Chinese drugs/capsules, containing human remains from foetuses, infants and flesh imported into the country by some Chinese nationals, the memo read.





The manufacturers claimed that the drugs/capsules can boost stamina, cure cancer, diabetes and some other terminal diseases. The capsules were smuggled in suitcases and through international market.





South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug safety indicated that eighteen billion, seven hundred million (18.7 million) viruses, including hepatitis B virus, were found in the capsules.





It stressed that the making of the human remain drugs and consuming them are crimes against humanity, which can also lead to serious health challenges.





The Agency is monitoring the situation for detailed information. However, it is Important for all relevant health regulatory agenc1es In Nigeria, especially the Federal Ministry of Health, NAFDAC, NDLEA and SON, to sensitise Nigerians of this development and warn them of the inherent dangers of patronizing drugs imported from China.





The Customs Service, NIPOST and other mail delivery services, should also step up monitoring of cargoes and packages with drugs imported into Nigeria.





When contacted NAFDAC, Abubakar Jimoh, its spokesman, confirmed that the agency is in receipt of the memo.





Jimoh, however, said there was no cause for alarm as all relevant departments were at alert.





He added that NAFDAC was on top of the situation, while urging Nigerians not to panic.





First and foremost, we are in receipt of the letter from the NIA. The director general, professor Christiana Moji Adeyeye, has given an instruction, a marching order to the director of ports inspection, to the director of pharmacovigilance and post market surveillance, to the director of investigation a and enforcement, Jimoh said.





These are the three major directorates in NAFDAC. They are in charge of policing the environment. The ports director is to police all the points of entries to ensure that nothing comes in. The post marketing surveillance, in case by chance, anything comes in, they are the ones combing the market. The investigation is to get ready and arrest anybody who happens to be involved.





So, this is the modus operandi. It is not just about this alert, every other alert, whether we get it from NIA or from ordinary Nigerians. This is not the first time we are getting such either from the NSAs office or the NIA or at times, the SGF. So, all government agencies concerned are involved in this.





When reached out to, John Achema, NDLEA spokesman said the agency is only concerned with illicit drugs.





Achema said he could not confirm if NDLEA received the memo.





Efforts to reach Joseph Attah, NCS spokesman, proved abortive as he did not pick calls.




The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Friday raised the alarm over an ongoing attempt by Justice Chinwendu ...

The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Friday raised the alarm over an ongoing attempt by Justice Chinwendu Nworgu and the Rivers State Judiciary to frustrate the appeal of the judgment handed down by the judge on October 10, 2018 in favour of Senator Magnus Abse supporters.





APC alleged that despite having entered an appeal and stay of execution of the judgment, Justice Nworgu has frustrated its efforts to obtain a certified true copy of the judgment in a bid to enable its legal team perfect the appeal process.





A statement by the spokesperson of the state chapter of the party, Chris Finebone claimed that earlier in the week, its sources revealed that shortly after the judgment was handed down, a tripartite accord was struck by Gov. Nyesom Wike, Senator Abe and Justice Chinwendu Nworgu to ensure that Rivers APC is frustrated by whatever possible means from swiftly perfecting its appeal process through the delay in making available to the party a certified true copy of the judgment.





The statement contained a letter by Lateef O. Fagbemi, SAN, Counsel to the Respondents (Ojukaye Amachree-led EXCO).





The statement quoted Fagbemis letter addressed to the Director (Litigation) and copied to the Registrar, High Court of Rivers State, as saying: Considering the nature of the case, being a pre-election matter of which time is of utmost essence, efforts have been made by the Respondent, prior to this application, to obtain a certified copy of the judgment so as to enable her exercise her constitutional right of appeal against the said judgment in good time, but to no avail. It is now more than 7 days after the delivery of the judgment in the open court, yet all effort to obtain copy of the judgment has proved abortive.





We make bold to state that the inexplicable delay to make available the judgment 9 days after Justice Nworgu read it in the open court runs against the requirement that such judgment should be made available to parties within 7 days. Unfortunately, there appears not to be any intention by Justice Nworgu and officials of the Rivers State Judiciary to comply accordingly.





We cannot but disclose our findings which unequivocally revealed that Justice Nworgu is awaiting directive from Gov. Nyesom Wike on whether to release the judgment to us or not. This is despicable and should be condemned by all who cherish the integrity of the temple of justice.




I just watched a video of Nnamdi Kanu in Israel. And truly, it was him. In the video, he stands before the Wailing Wall, wailing; ...

I just watched a video of Nnamdi Kanu in Israel. And truly, it was him. In the video, he stands before the Wailing Wall, wailing; a voice in the background spits platitudes as the supreme leader prays. He then terminates his ritual and turns to the camera to affirm his invincibility.





Choreographic marvel!





But many young Igbo lives were lost because of Kanu. When he was incarcerated in Nigeria, young, impressionable men and women staked out relentless protests across the south-east for his sake. Some of them died in the struggle.





When Kanu effectuated an insurrection in Abia state after his release from prison, many young men paid with their lives  all for his ego agitation. Operation Python Dance was launched in the south-east because of him. No doubt, the operation led to the loss of some innocent lives and property.





But where was Kanu in all of these? He was in a safe place; totally unscathed.





Obviously, there is an umbilicus of cowardice connecting the late Emeka Ojukwu with Kanu.





Ojukwu started a war unprepared. Besides other genuine reasons for his action, ego took the better part of his thinking. More than a million Igbo sons and daughters died in the war; most of them of starvation. But Ojukwu and his family were not hungry. He fled the country with his family afterwards to Ivory Coast, far away from the death and destruction in the land he gambled to liberate from Nigeria.





I doubt if Ojukwu suffered any loss in the war.





He is safe. And home and dry. Kanu has taken the same path. After many deaths resulting from his agitation, he flees to Israel.He is safe. And home and dry.





But even after breasting victory in Cuba, he was not sated. He dreamt of liberating all of South-America from capitalist vultures. However, he died in the pursuit of that glory. Aspiring revolutionaries or liberators must be sincere to their struggle. They must be ready to go the whole hog. Che Guevara died in the struggle to free Bolivia from anti-progressive forces. He had teamed up with Fidel Castro to oust the corrupt government of Fulgencio Batista before the Bolivian quest.But even after breasting victory in Cuba, he was not sated. He dreamt of liberating all of South-America from capitalist vultures. However, he died in the pursuit of that glory.





There is just something revolting about people who lead other people to battle only to flee to safety in the heat of it.





And by the way, why is Kanu revealing himself now, a few months to the general election?





I do not know though. But I am suspicious of that bolt out of the blue.





Fredrick is a media personality.




Mike Ozekhome, human rights lawyer, says efforts are in place to secure release of Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, fro...





Mike Ozekhome, human rights lawyer, says efforts are in place to secure release of Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, from the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) custody.





Ozekhome said this in an interview with NAN in Abuja on Thursday.





On Monday, Fayose reported at the EFCC office in Abuja to answer to some allegations levelled against him while in office as governor.





Ozekhome said Fayoses lawyers are already taking steps to enforce his fundamental human rights by getting him released. Yes, his lawyers will go to court to enforce his fundamental human rights.





The EFCC has no right to keep him for over 24 hours. If they have done that by obtaining a Magistrate Courts Order that will be in the form of holding charge which has been declared unconstitutional and illegal by the Supreme Court. Holding charge is illegal. It is unconstitutional.





Ozekhome said section of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) permitting a magistrate to detain a suspect for 14 days was illegal.





According to him, any action outside the provisions of section 35 of the constitution which specifically provides for 24 hours, is illegal and unconstitutional.





He explained that the ACJA allowed for detention of a suspect for 14 days, but that section 35 of the constitution made it clear that a person could only be detained for 24 hours.





So, when there is a clash between the statute, like the ACJA, and the constitution, the constitution prevails by virtue of section 1(3), he said.




Cheong Wa Dae quoted Moon as telling the pope in their meeting at the Vatican, "During my visit to Pyongyang in September, I suggested a meeting with you to Kim, and Kim expressed his willingness to welcome you if you visit Pyongyang."

Pope Francis said Thursday that he would be willing to visit North Korea after President Moon Jae-in passed on an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Asked if Kim can send him a formal invitation, the pontiff said, "I will definitely answer if I get the invitation, and I can go," according to presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan.

"I strongly support the South Korean government's efforts that are pushing for a peace process on the Korean Peninsula," the pope was quoted as telling Moon through an interpreter.

Earlier, he attended a mass for peace on the Korean Peninsula led by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Moon and the pope then had dinner at the residence of the South Korean ambassador to the Holy See before Moon flew to Brussels to attend the Asia Europe Meeting.
The Federal Government says it is engaging foreign media organisations, networks and think tanks to shape their opinion on the true position of things and to also correct the negative narratives about the country and President Muhammadu Buharis administration.The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this in London after an engagement with the Royal African Society, a body founded in 1990 to promote relations between the UK and Africa.Specifically, the minister said that the engagement was to shape their minds and opinion on the true position of insurgency in the North East, farmers/herdsmen clash and the achievements recorded by the Buhari administration, which were being downplayed.The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the minister arrived in London on Sunday and delivered a lecture in Chatham House, the UK-based Royal Institute of International Affairs.He also interacted with foreign and Commonwealth Office officials, All Party Parliamentary Group and featured on Aljazeera television news hour.The minister also met with the largest global news agency, Reuters, New African and African Business magazines and African Report.Mohammed said that the essence of the engagements was to correct the negative narratives about the country and place on the table the giant strides of the Buhari government.He added that the whole idea of the trip is to engage foreign media organisations, networks and think tanks to actually explain the activities of government.As you were aware, we have been to the UK twice and the U.S. on this kind of mission.I think generally it has been quite fruitful because it offered us the platform and opportunity to explain to them what this government has achieved in the areas of security, fighting corruption and in revamping the economy.It also gives us the opportunity to disabuse the minds of the people about the insecurity in the North-East and how the government has succeeded in returning normalcy in affected areas.It offers us the opportunity to explain that the farmer/herdsmen clash is largely due to population explosion, climate change and criminality, as against the naysayers position that it is ethnic or religious.Really, it has been quite helpful and we will continue with the engagements.The minister said he was satisfied with the level of reception and understanding achieved during the visits; even as he has also been scheduled for more engagements before returning to Nigeria.
The U.S. has asked South Korea for a list of potential cross-border projects and timetables and asked it to guarantee that they do not violate UN sanctions against North Korea, an American official said Thursday.

Alarmed by the announcement that the two Koreas want to kick off reconnecting cross-border railways and roads before the end of the year, the U.S. warned that it could withdraw support for all cross-border projects if even one violation of sanctions is discovered.

A senior official in the Trump administration told the Chosun Ilbo on Thursday that the U.S. does not oppose cross-border projects under the joint declaration signed at the inter-Korean summit in April. But the official added that the U.S. asked South Korea to submit a list of the projects it wants to pursue as well as a timetable and check which areas could potentially violate sanctions.

The official said there is a lot of potential for violating sanctions in the projects and it will not be possible to pursue all of them.

The official said the aim is to achieve "transparency" in talks about the projects, adding that Washington has warned it could withdraw support even for projects that already got the green light should any violations be revealed.


The position covers diplomacy with the Korean Peninsula, China, and Japan. His predecessor Susan Thornton stepped down in July amid rumors that she was too moderate, whereas Stilwell is thought to be a hardliner.

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Air Force veteran David Stilwell as assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, according to the White House on Wednesday.

It can be hard to tell why people come and go in the frantically revolving doors of the Trump administration, but Stilwell's appointment may reflect the fact that hardliners are increasingly gaining the upper hand. Trump only recently described Defense Secretary James Mattis, who is thought to have been a steadying force, as "sort of a Democrat."

The White House described Stilwell as "an Air Force veteran with more than 35 years of experience as a pilot, commander, and Korean linguist."

He retired in 2015 with the rank of brigadier general and is currently the director of the China Strategic Focus Group at the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Headquarters in Hawaii.

He learned Korean in a military language school in California and served as a fighter pilot in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, from 1993 to 1995. He also speaks Chinese and some Japanese.

Stilwell is said to be very close to U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris, with whom he shares a hawkish stance on China. Stilwell is the latest and the last addition to senior management within the State Department who deal with Korean issues. It took one year and nine months to complete the lineup.

He joins Special Representative for North Korea Steven Biegun, Marc Knapper, the acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Korea and Japan affairs, Mark Lambert, the acting deputy assistant secretary of state for North Korea, and Harris.
iStock/Thinkstock(CHARLESTON, W.Va.) -- A few hundred West Virginians are poised to cast a federal election vote on their cell phones this November. And depending on the outcome, theyll have Bradley Tusk to thank -- or to blame.



Tusk, a 45-year-old former political operative and early Uber investor who once specialized in helping the rideshare giant beat taxi regulations, is bankrolling an effort to allow West Virginians serving in the military or living overseas to cast absentee ballots through an app on their smartphones.



Modernizing voting to make it easier, Tusk says, is the answer to the low voter turnout plaguing our dysfunctional, polarized democracy, and he hopes to see the program expand to other constituencies and other states in the near future.



Its a system that was built for an agrarian society 250 years ago, Tusk told ABC News. People do it if you make it easy enough, but if you dont make it easy enough, theyre not going to.



Its believed to be the first time U.S. voters in a federal election will make their mark via smartphone app, but what might otherwise be celebrated as a pioneering milestone is instead saddled with suspicion.



Tusks project comes at a time of heightened concerns over vote hacking following Russias efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, when many election-security watchdogs - both inside and outside of government - are calling on states to move back to paper ballots.



Lawrence Norden, a prominent election security expert at the Brennan Center for Justices Democracy Program, didnt hesitate to deliver a harsh verdict on the project.



I think its a horrific idea, he said, suggesting states should focus on spending money to enhance cybersecurity rather than rolling out new voting methods.



West Virginias voting app has ignited a debate over whats more important - using new technologies to expand voting access to those who may have a hard time casting ballots or protecting the integrity of the vote itself from the hacking of those new and potentially vulnerable technologies.



Tusk, the developers of the app, and election officials in West Virginia all say the tradeoff is worth it. Election-security experts are, to say the least, not so sure.



Heres how it works. According to a state-issued video tutorial, voters will download an app, called Voatz, and use it to take pictures of their government-issued ID cards (West Virginia implemented a voter-ID requirement this year) and verify their identities by taking selfies and letting the app match them to the faces on their IDs.



With the option of mobile voting for uniformed and overseas citizens, the videos narrator said, West Virginia is leading the nation in serving those who serve us.



The app uses blockchain technology, which will store a record of a vote several different computers or servers at different locations, each of them checking the record against each other. It wont say who owns those computers, but it has hinted that some will be its own and some will belong to the state government.



The scope will be extremely limited. Following a two-county trial run in the states May primary in which 16 votes from six different countries were cast, the state hopes that between 200 and 400 votes will be cast via Voatz in November.



Tusk led the effort to connect a reliable app with a willing state, and when he found Voatz and West Virginia, he put up the money to make it happen. Through his philanthropy, Tusk Montgomery Philanthropies, Tusk has already spent $250,000 to subsidize the project in West Virginia, and he says hes prepared to spend eight figures - at least $1 million - to advance it elsewhere.



He says he is negotiating with other jurisdictions to adopt cellphone voting in some municipal and state elections next year.



Tusk insists hes not in it for the money -- he has no plans, he says, to invest in Voatz or any other voting-app startups - but he has nevertheless set an ambitious goal.



I want everyone to be able to vote on their phones because I want everyone to be able to vote, Tusk said.



West Virginia, for its part, does not share Tusks expansionist attitude. The state only plans to use cellphone voting for military and overseas absentee voters.



The states top election official, Secretary of State Mac Warner, served in Afghanistan and entered office with a priority of making it easier for service members to vote while serving overseas. His son, an active service member, was the first to cast a cellphone vote in the states primary, Warners spokesman said.



Any risk in using the new technology is worth the reward of making it easier for service members to vote, Warner said.



When you get sent into harm's way, you want to have a voice in who sent you into harm's way. You want to vote for the person who's gonna get you out of harm's way, Warner told a gathering of election officials at an Election Assistance Commission summit on election readiness in Washington, D.C., this month. That's what we're facing.



Election watchdogs, meanwhile, are less than thrilled.



They've done nothing to demonstrate in a public way why it's been secure, Jeremy Epstein, vice chair of the Association for Computing Machinery Technology Policy Committee, said of Voatz.



Tusk, the company and the state point to an audit following its May trial run that revealed no problems.



National election watchdogs arent satisfied. They want to see the results of audits Voatz has conducted to assess security before a live election is effectively used as a test run for a new technology.



Theyre not thinking a lot of this stuff through very much, because I think theyre too hell-bent on the outcome, said Susan Greenhalgh, policy director at the National Election Defense Coalition.



Experts have been urging states to move back to paper and use the $380 million Congress appropriated this spring for election upgrades to do away with paperless electronic voting machines and sure up cybersecurity practices - not to move further into electronic voting territory.



Voatz co-founder and CEO Nimit Sawhnney argued that the risk is worth the reward.



Nothings 100 percent safe. We know that. Even the paper ballot system we currently use is not 100 percent safe, Sawhnney told ABC News. But there are safeguards built in, and you accept risks and rewards and you move ahead.



As for the state, Warner has made his case.



Its much more secure than taking a paper ballot, sending it overseas, letting it sit in a dusty mail room, Warner said.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
GM Korea workers on Thursday threatened to strike to protest against the automaker's plans to establish a research and development company which they fear are a precursor to pulling out of Korea.

The move came after the company announced that it will get the plans approved in a shareholders' meeting on Friday, but the union says it is a fig leaf for a gradual pullout of manufacturing.

To complicate matters, state-run Korea Development Bank, which is GM Korea's second-largest shareholder, is also protesting against the plans. KDB says it cannot understand why GM Korea needs to establish an R&D company here now instead of putting its promised investment into the manufacturing operation, and has threatened legal action.

GM headquarters promised to pump billions into GM Korea over the next five years in return for a lavish government bailout aimed at saving manufacturing jobs. But the union and banks suspect that this R&D company is a swerve aimed at keeping the promise without commitment to production lines.

The biggest problem facing GM Korea is its dire sales. The company has been deeply in the red since 2012 and is expected to post a record deficit in the W1 trillion range this year (US$1=W1,135).

The only time GM Korea achieved a profit was in 2013. But cumulative losses from 2012 to 2017 stand at W2.5 trillion and are expected to reach W3.5 trillion this year. GM shut down the Gunsan plant because it was running at only 20 percent capacity.

In May the government and GM agreed to pump in US$7 billion, but there is simply not much of a market for American cars wherever they are produced.


The South Korean and U.S. air forces can no longer conduct air raid drills in frontline areas because an inter-Korean military agreement significantly widens the no-fly-zone on both sides of the border, an opposition lawmaker said Thursday.

The Liberty Korea Party's Baek Seung-joo cited Air Force information that South Korea and the U.S. have so far staged close air support and airborne alert attack drills in a 27 to 54 km-area from the military demarcation line.

They practiced incapacitating North Korean tanks and armored vehicles to support South Korean ground troops in a war and striking North Korea's long-range artillery.

But the military pact the two Koreas signed on Sept. 19 expands the no-fly zone as of Nov. 1 so that no military aircraft can fly within 20 km of the MDL in the western area and 40 km of the MDL in the eastern area. This means the drills can no longer be staged as they have been.

The U.S. Forces Korea has protested because aerial reconnaissance activities and air raid drills will be restricted, which it fears will weaken the response capability against any surprise attacks from the North.

The North has deployed 70 percent of its Army within 10 km from the MDL together with about 350 170-mm self-propelled guns and 240-mm multiple rocket launchers trained on the Seoul metropolitan area.

The USFK left the 210th Field Artillery Brigade in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province north of the Han River to counter North Korean artillery when it withdrew most of its troops further south to Pyeongtaek.

The South Korean Air Force wants to designate a new area for the drills south of the new no-fly zone, but the USFK has not yet agreed. A military officer said, "Seoul has sought consent from the USFK several times to the expanded no-fly zone but the USFK still opposes it."

Baek warned that relocating the air-raid drills "is tantamount to giving up a strategic advantage that can deter the enemy's determination to launch provocations."


Shanghai targets becoming global supply chain center

By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2018-10-18 14:31

The Ministry of Commerce held a conference on national supply chain innovation in Shanghai on November 17. According to an insider, Shanghai will promote the coordinated development of the citys supply chain and enhance its comprehensive competitiveness.

Supply chain innovation is a key task for the Chinese government, and also provides an important opportunity for Shanghai to achieve higher quality development in the new era.

Currently, Shanghai is striving to cultivate 100 national leading innovation and application demonstration enterprises in the field of supply chain management by 2020, among which more than 10 will be global supply chain leaders. The supply chain competitiveness of key industries will have entered the national and world front, making Shanghai a globally influential supply chain resource configuration center.
#Korean Series Red-hot hitter finds nothing unusual about teammates' Korean Series woes Through two games of the Korean Series, designated hitter Jose Miguel Fernandez has been the one-man wrecking crew for the Doosan Bears, the only dangerous bat in an otherwise feeb...
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Yes, the Internet at large is full of beauty influencers and makeup artists who will teach you how to accurately beat your face. But there is one special jewel who stands out above all vloggers, a star who shines brighter than Sirius A, which according to a cursory Google search is the brightest star in the sky. It is Rihanna. Rihanna has blessed us with another makeup tutorial.

After her Vogue makeup video went viral, it seems that the Badgal has leaned into her new persona as a beauty vlogger. She'll now be dropping weekly tutorials for Fenty Beauty's YouTube channel. Praise the lord.

The first in the series focuses on Fenty's latest drop, the holiday #CHILLOWT collection. #CHILLOWT includes a frosted selection of glosses, lip crayons, lipsticks, and the brand's first-ever full highlighter palette, which includes seven shades of its wildly popular Killawatt Foil Freestyle Highlighter. The collection skews glittery, with packaging that recalls wintery ice.

Rihanna's tutorial incorporates lavender shades, including a bold purple lip. It's efficient, and Ri carefully explains every step. "I'm going to try to make it as easy and simple as possible for all of you," she says. She does!

The video shows Ri focusing on eyes, lips, and lots of highlighter, including on  gasp  her ears. It's a very cute look, and the video is full of useful tips. But even if you don't wear makeup, even if you have zero interest in the medium whatsoever, it's worth watching! Because it is Rihanna, and Rihanna exudes charisma and humor with every fiber of her being. Check it out, below.

Photo via BFA
Vogds, pronounced "Vogue, with an s," is the rare kind of pop creator who has their hands, as they put it "in every cookie jar." It's refreshing in a mainstream landscape where the modern pop star rarely goes anywhere, does anything, or even speaks without the hand-to-mouth assistance of a handler or dozens. Some might say this is because many millions of dollars are usually at stake, and where that kind of money's involved, there is little if any room for error.

Vogds, then, is a welcome DIY-antidote to pop's glistening machinery. The Chicago-based, interdisciplinary non-binary artist leads a cadre of fellow creators called the Radical Visibility Collective (encompassing local talents like Ariel Zetina, Imp Queen, Sky Cubacub of Rebirth Garments, Compton Q, and others). Together, they challenge and push the boundaries of what pop and art can be, with an steely gaze fixed on a more equitable future for queer people who dare to live boldly.

Like all of Vogds' projects, their latest work, Pocket Monster, is an evolution of their debut solo EP 2015's PostCamp and their collaborative effort from this spring Radical Visibility Collective. And while all of their work is built in collaboration with their community, it is a self-directed labor of love  from elaborate set designs and styling to idiosyncratic beats and melismatic vocal riffs a la Mariah Carey). Pocket Monster, a Pokemon-referencing, three-song collection released last week, further positions Vogds as a politically charged anti-pop heroine. The project as a whole examines the ways queerness is scrutinized online and IRL, the demise of American society through capitalism and patriarchy, and gender identity and expression.

And like big-budget pop productions, Vogds creates engrossing sounds and visuals that hold our gaze and soothe our ears. The catch is: because Vogds is behind it all, their pop transforms into brilliantly self-reflexive meta-commentary. It has to be seen to be believed. And see it you will. PAPER premieres Vogds' self-directed "Shark Weak" video (full of dance battles and lewks for days) from Pocket Monster, below, and they open up about Chicago's innovative DIY scene, "being a non-binary alien," and more.

In many ways, the sensibility of the music feels almost anti-pop, while embracing pop conventions. And yet, it doesn't teeter too far into parody. What was your intentional musically? What do you think about pop music/the machine, as it were? The idea of anti-pop and alternative pop is definitely tasty to me. I feel as though a lot of pop music we are offered today is still very normative, watered-down, and often discussing fantasies of excess, party-culture, and hetero-centric love. I almost never write about love, and if I do, it's secretly about social technology. Some of my biggest inspirations are Missy Elliott, Bjork, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, FKA Twigs, and SOPHIE, to name a few. Missy being number one because I think she mixes visual genius, cultural critique, camp, incredible vocals, and unique beats all into one. I also think it is very exciting what queer artists like SOPHIE and Ariel Zetina are doing to fuck up and find the edges of pop music in order to reclaim it; to fight for a more radical and nuanced sound. In producing my own music, I love being able to challenge structure and create riddles within the beats while still playing with typical pop tropes. With this album, I keep the beats very stripped down after building them up for some time. If I create a loop with my beats, I always customize every moment so the beats very seldom repeat the same sequence exactly, keeping the listener on more of an edge, not knowing what's coming next. I truly enjoy mining for sounds to use for beats online; some of my favorites for this album being N64 video games and Pokemon evolution sounds. It's interesting you mention parody because with my first EP PostCamp, I felt like I was making music in parody of pop-trends at the time, [as] myself the caricature, critiquing and embracing the camp within Tumblr-aesthetics etc.

Photography: Adam Mayer

What is the significance of naming your new EP Pocket Monster? I go by Vogds now, and I feel it is doing something totally different, something I've always wanted to do. Live and make work as my truly authentic self, as campy as I can be sometimes. The three songs on Pocket Monster are a sort of haunting prelude to the coming and current disasters and dystopias of online social platforms, capitalism, and our current political climate. I often think about algorithmic structures within Instagram robotics in terms of how they format our desires via [Instagram] features like popular pages and posts you may like. Queerness always seems to be under attack online, through Instagram shutting down queer activists' pages and posts, our government censoring our conversations of sex and sex work on online spaces, and through simpler things like instilling the feeling of inadequacy by constant comparison to other users. Pocket Monster also refers to a touch screen or phone, or even a phallus. I also have always had such a deep love of riffing. In my performance art pieces, I usually perform in an original fashion installation while vocally riffing for hours on end to exhaust the pop-trope in real time. This is similar to how I find melodies in my music. I riff on the beats I create for long periods of time until I find little bites I like. I also love having the verses surprise you in the way they riff around an idea  always thinking of my vocal love, Mariah Carey.

"My collective and I often call ourselves non-binary aliens [who are] here to spread queer futurism and radical visibility through fashion and interdisciplinary work as a counteraction to conservative politics."

Speaking of the machine, it's obvious that you are very self-motivated. How long did it take you to create the sets, make the music, produce all of this? What pushed you to want to create it in the first place? I think it's all about forcing yourself to do the things you really want to be doing and creating deadlines with yourself and others that keep you accountable. This was definitely the biggest solo project I've ever worked on and am thrilled that it all came together. It took me about a month and a half to make the new original fashion works for the video, some were from the Radical Visibility collection. I had about a week and a half left after finishing all of the fashion to make the sets/props. I definitely had a chaotic apartment for this entire process and worked solidly for weeks. The music I had finished in midsummer, and the first song I started, "Shark Weak," was in January, so I've been anxiously sitting on them for some time. I was working on these songs alone while working on the "Radical Visibility Collective" multi-collaborative album, which features beat-makers and artists like Ariel Zetina, Bon Bon, K I A M, Saki NoSaki.

I always go back and forth between being a recluse and making my work require human contact. so I'm able to connect with the beautiful intelligent queer community around me. I drew my album cover in colored-pencil, made all original fashion, produced my own music, edit the photography, edit the video, build sets, design, which is definitely not saying I don't have amazing people collaborating and helping, but I love to have my hand in every cookie jar. Chicago definitely teaches you to be very DIY. But on top of this, there are so many amazing artists in the city that are willing to collaborate and help each other grow together, which is also crucial to my practice. In 2017, I was mainly creating visual artwork, as a sculptor, painter, and performance artist. However, with the Radical Visibility Collective album and especially Pocket Monster this is my announcement to the world and community that I am fully dedicating myself to my music while swirling all of my other practices around it. I also am driven to create by the desire to express my non-binary identity. My collective and I often call ourselves non-binary aliens here to spread queer futurism and radical visibility through fashion and interdisciplinary work as a counteraction to conservative politics.

Related | 50 LGBTQ Artists You Should Prioritize

Photography: Grace DuVal

Photography: Grace DuVal

What do you make of all the queer art coming out of Chicago (Imp Queen, Ariel Zetina, you, others)? What has being in community with other artists taught you? I have such a deep, passionate love for Chicago and the artists and queer community here. Since it is slightly more affordable to live here [than other major cities], there is more room for underground and DIY culture to thrive and experiment. The queer community here is so resourceful and finds so many interesting ways to fund their practices to untie from capitalist pressures and hack the capitalist system to work for us. Working with Ariel Zetina on the Radical Visibility Collective album was a dream. Her sensibilities and innovations are next planet. Same can be said over and over for Imp Queen, and her doing makeup for this video also blew my mind. I think Chicago is in a queer renaissance regardless of our political circumstances, we are fighting back by being radically visible, aggressively present, and so hyper stylized and home-made it's impossible to recreate. It is Chicago's scene no doubt, that keeps me pushing myself, keeps me wanting to inspire others in the community because they have inspired me beyond words. I am so excited because as a visual artist, I could feel so alone in my studio and through my music, performing, and fashion-making, I am able to be a much more active member. I have learned through making this video that it is okay to ask for help when you think you have to do it all yourself, and that there is such a powerful community there to uplift each other.

Stream Pocket Monster by Vogds, below.

Lead photo: Olivia Vogds




Some mobile phone users are kicking against an imminent tariff increase by service operators.



According to the consumers, the planned increase announced by the Chamber of telecommunications, will make life unbearable for them.



The sentiments by the mobile phone users follow a statement issued Wednesday by the Chamber announcing tariff adjustments following the revision of government taxes.



The Chamber said the tariff modification has become necessary following the implementation of the new tax laws - VAT (ACT 970), NHIL (ACT 971) and GETFL (ACT 972).



Users of MTN, AirtelTigo and Vodafone who are expected to bear the brunt of the increases says they cannot bear the tariff increases. But the Chamber of telecommunications says the modifications have become imperative.



Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Ashigbey told Joy News, the impact of the tax review will necessarily also affect the telecom companies.



These levies have become sales taxes. It is a consumer tax. As an industry it is just deciding that the principle of saying there is a tax that has been imposed, the government has clearly identified who the incidence is on so it ought to be passed on, he said.



He added the telcos would have to explain to the consumers what the issues are so they can prepare for it.



Shortly after the announcement of the new taxes, some business groups and trade unions like the Food and Beverages Association, lamented the impact of these new taxes on their members with the Association of Ghana Industries AGI calling for a review of the five percent flat rate tax imposed on goods and services approved by parliament in July.



Chief Executive Officer of AGI Seth Twum Akwaboah told Joy News the association is still engaging with the Finance Ministry to review some of the taxes going into the 2019 budget.



When the tax law came up we were having difficulty with the whole arrangement especially for us manufacturers because of the cascading effect of the tax, he said.



According to him, they have raised their concerns in writing to the Finance Ministry and are having discussions on a possible review of the taxes in the 2019 Budget.

Source: JFM/Ghana









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Vice President of policy think-tank MANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has warned government against using taxpayers money to pay off people who lose their investments through ponzi schemes or illegal activities.



Speaking at an economic dialogue organised by Media General, he argued the government has no responsibility whatsoever, to step in when such ponzi schemes either collapse or run away with peoples investment.



Government has no responsibility, legal or moral, to pay citizens for losses incurred as a result of engaging in illegal activity, he stated.



The forum is themed Investment in the Face of Ponzi Schemes: How Do we Clean the Mess?.



BoG governor, others to speak on Ponzi schemes

A ponzi scheme is a form of fraud in which the unsuspecting public is tricked to invest in a non-existent investment scheme, with the promise of offering them ridiculous percentage as their investment returns.



In order to build the scheme, the fraudsters pay earlier investors using funds from new investors, which entice more people to join.



About 10 of such ponzi schemes have operated and either collapsed or owners ran away with huge sums of money being the investment of the unsuspecting public.



The canker has over the years caused loss of thousands of cedis to the public while others have lost their lives as a result.



In the recent case of DKM, the government stepped in to liquidate the company after which it paid off investors.



Again in the banking crisis that rocked the country, government spent 13 billion of taxpayers money to liquidate seven banks in a bid to safeguard the investment and savings of thousands of Ghanaians, President Nana Akufo-Addo revealed two weeks ago.



Emotional notion



Mr. Bentil noted some Ghanaians have formed what he termed as emotional notion based on nothing, that once someone loses his investment in an illegal activity such as ponzi schemes, the government ought to step in to pay out their investment principal.



There is not such responsibility, he pointed out.



According to him, politicians are partly to be blamed for such notion because in certain situations Im aware the government paid some money One of these days, somebody should sue them for wasting our money.



He advised that people begin to think hard about such ponzi schemes which disguise as genuine investment firms offering mouthwatering returns on investments.



You need to know that you dont have any protection, he advised.

Source: 3news.com









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The Vice President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, left Ghana on Thursday, 18th October, 2018 to attend the Ghana Investment and Opportunities Summit, taking place in London, United Kingdom, from 23rd to 24th October.



Organised by the Ghana High Commission UK in partnership with the Ghana Investments Promotion Centre (GIPC), the two day Summit, under the theme Mobilising for Ghana beyond Aid, is billed to showcase Ghana as one of the best investment destinations in Africa, help Government attract strategic and development funds and investments for key projects as well as match local businesses with international partners and Investors.



Executives from some of the largest global firms, Venture Capitalists, Private Equity Fund Managers, Investment Bankers and other business leaders from across the globe will be present, providing a networking opportunity with potential Investors and various Government Officials.



The Vice President will also meet with the Secretary of the UKs Department for International Development (DfID), Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP; meet with Westminster Businesses, and attend a reception hosted by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.



Ahead of the Summit, the Vice President will interact with the Ghanaian Community in the UK on Saturday 20th October, 2018, and deliver a lecture on Ghanas digitization towards the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) on Monday 22nd October, 2018.



Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia returns to Accra on Thursday, 25th October 2018.

















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Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region, are reportedly carting dead tilapia for processing as dry salted fish locally known as koobi.



Although authorities are yet to determine what killed the fishes which were seized by the Fisheries Commission, the fishmongers are secretly carting the dead fish for sale to the unsuspecting public.



Over three trucks full of dead tilapia have so far been buried by a Chinese fishing company, Fujian Farm at Asutsuare, under the supervision of the Fisheries Commission.



Whereas officials of the company have dug a big pit where the dead tilapia are being buried, local folks at Aveloenye are carting the dead and rotten tilapia across the Volta Lake.



When they saw our team coming they just sped off in their boats and crossed to the other side of the Volta Lake. They were spotted with more than six bags of the dead fish, he added.



Speaking to Citi News, Municipal NADMO Coordinator in the Lower Manya Krobo area, Zakaria Adam said they are going to involve the police to stop the trend.



In fact, we have just invited the police to come because they [those carting the tilapia] have crossed the river and we dont have any speed boat to follow them. And we are coordinating with our colleagues here in this district to ensure that we will have people supervising the burial at every time.



Zakaria said he will also engage the local NADMO officials to do follow ups in neighbouring towns to ensure that the dead tilapia are not used for koobi or consumed by anyone.



We are not conversant with this area because this is not my jurisdiction. Immediately what I have to do next is to contact the NADMO officials here so that we move in immediately to parts of the villages to ensure that we stop those preparing the Koobi with what they gathered here. It has happened already, but we should be able to curtail it so that it does not spread, he added.



There are fears some of the fishes are already on the market because per reports, the fishes started dying a few days ago.



Meanwhile, the co-founder of Fujian Farm, Jonathan Aryee, has denied reports that fish mongers are carting the dead tilapia for koobi.



Speaking to Citi News, shesaid Im not aware of that situation.



What I know is that all the dead tilapia are being discarded properly. Weve reported to the various sector state institutions including EPA, Standards board. They all have come for samples of water for analyzing. We are yet to receive a full report as to what the cause is.



18 tons of tilapia destroyed



The shoals of fish, believed to be about 18 tons, were were allegedly imported into the country from China.



But Mr. Aryee said the fishes were not imported from China.



These are speculations by other rival companies. But as far as we are concerned they are all local tilapia, he added.



Unwholesome tilapia situation under control  Fisheries Ministry



The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development has assured the public that it is safe to buy tilapia from the market despite this incident.





Source: citinewsroom.com









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The total silence of the former President Mahama some 24hours since news broke of the diversion of part of $175M government loan facility for party activity leaves much to be worried about.



Report by Joy News have revealed that, under the guise of a health survey, the erstwhile Mahama led administration also conducted a research on the partys chances of a re-election in 2016, out of the $175million loan, meant for projects under the Health Ministry.



Unlike previous instances, where the communication bureau of either former President Mahama, or the party itself, would swiftly respond to allegations against it, especially those that came from their opponent, same is yet to be seen on this recent accusation.



At the time of filing this report last, neither the Office of President Mahama, or the Leadership of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), had come out to debunk the allegation.



This paper monitored the usual medium (Facebook, Twitter) through which Mr Mahama normally responded to issues as these but found nothing in this regard, though there was an update on his campaign.



However, a former Deputy Health Minister, under whose watch the contract was signed, Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo issued a statement debunking the allegations, whilst providing his side of the story.



According to the contract signed between Ghana and NMS as reported, Mr Mettle Nunoo was the head of the Project Steering Committee.



In his statement yesterday, Rojo stated that as part of the overall execution of the contract, the main contractor, NMS, had responsibility for selecting a firm to conduct the operational health research.



The selection and justification of the locations of these hospitals required that they were based on scientific medical data, access and prevalence of certain diseases. The proper procedures were followed through Cabinet and Parliament for the approval of the seven district hospital project to be undertaken by NMS.



The aim of the project was to achieve access for all Ghanaians to healthcare at district level. To succeed in this broader goal, it was vital to carry out a detailed survey. This had to cover a wide range of searching questions, not just a review of ailments, populations and geography.



It had to obtain a detailed understanding of factors affecting peoples access and attitudes to modern medicine. The survey was therefore a comprehensive assessment covering sociology, demography, geography, culture, employment, wealth, belief systems, traditional influences, confidence in authority, electricity supplies and media, attitudes to previous outreach programmes and aid and much more. This was one the largest medical surveys carried out ever in Africa.



Thirty thousand households were interviewed all over the country and the results gave solid data, upon which to structure the correct healthcare into most needy areas. This information was expected to drive the best use of Ministry of Health resources by building the right establishments, of the right size, in the right place and giving the right capabilities.



The survey drove project architecture of not just the buildings but also content and all the supporting systems. Part of delivering capability was the need to provide not just a fully equipped hospital but also to support the infrastructure during its nascent years.



Therefore the claim and or suggestion by Joy FM, that the operational health research in question was for political and electioneering purposes and that it was used to assess the chances of President Mahama in the 2016 elections, is baseless and misleading, the release read.



That notwithstanding, the report by JoyNews indicated that the research for the political party, whose activities must be different from government, was a sub-contract under the said loan.



Report say the $175million facility was awarded to British infrastructure company NMS for the construction of seven district hospitals and an integrated IT system.



Conducted by a UK-based SCL Social, mother company of Cambridge Analytica, the researcher was paid an amount of six million dollars to undertake a nationwide survey to provide data for the proper planning of healthcare needs of Ghana.



The contract read in part that: the work consist of two discrete political and public health elements. The political and public health elements. The political element is testing the attitudes and perceptions of the population towards contemporary issues faced in Ghana and public confidence in the capacity and competence of the current administration to implement appropriate timely solutions.



As well as the current level of satisfaction regarding the performance of the NDC at the district, regional and national level is also tested and the research incorporates how this may translate into future electoral success, JoyNews quoted.



According to the report, an employee of Cambridge Analytica said in 2012, Ghana among countries such as Guyana and Kenya offered the firm election contracts.



Again, Job Rabkin, Head of Investigations at Channel 4 News, who broke the scandal that involved Cambridge Analytica and Facebook last year, told the investigator the role the data mining company played when it was hired by the Health Ministry, under John Mahama.



He said the government of Ghana paid for the whole project of gathering health data, adding that, the project also gathered very important information that could be used later for political purposes.



Cabinet approved the agreement on July 18 2018, which subsequently went through Parliament. Surprisingly, members of the Select Committee on Health held that they were not aware of the sub-contract to conduct research for the NDC.



Chairman of the Committee, Dr Kwabena Twum-Nuamah told JoyNews the deal would not have seen the light of day if it was brought to the notice of the House.



Mr Mettle-Nunoo lamented that their research report got to the presidency but did not get the needed attention.



Sometimes people want to hear what they want to hear. I believe strongly that our message  our research data  was not accepted. It did not impact the strategy of the election and it was a disaster waiting to happen, he told JoyNews.



Mr Kojo Hastings, the country director of NMS, told JoyNews that the political purposes of the research was done on his blindside.





Source: The Chronicle









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The National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Sam George Nettey has urged Ghanaians to blame President Akufo Addo and his cousin the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta for the imminent tariff increase in the telecommunications sector.



According to him, the duo have purposed in their hearts to burden Ghanaians with more taxes even though the generality of the public are complaining of hardship.



The upward adjustment of the tariff will take effect on November 1, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications notified Wednesday in a statement on behalf of AirtelTigo, MTN and Vodafone.



The tariff medications, according to the chamber aims at giving effect to the conversion of National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) and GETFund Levy (GETFL) into levies that are not subject to the input-output mechanism, and delinking them from VAT by removing the option of input tax deductibility, thereby giving both levies a unique and different legal identity and distinguished from VAT.



Speaking to Kasapa News, Sam George Nettey whos a member of the Communications Committee of Parliament stated that the Minority caucus cannot be blamed for watching on for the introduction and passage of the new taxes by the House, as they had earlier unequivocally laid bare the governments intention to increase the rate of Value Added Tax (VAT).



When the bill was presented in Parliament the Minority side in July held a round table discussion where we told Ghanaians that, that budget was laden with new taxes that will tax bring a lot of discomfort for the public in terms of communication services. Now it is clear that therell will be tariff reviews on voice and text services, that of mobile money tax will be introduced in the next budget to be presented in November. We opposed it and so cannot be blamed in anyway for allowing its introduction.

Source: kasapafmonline.com









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An aspiring National Youth Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Wonder Madilo has raised concern over the number of unemployed graduates registered under the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCo) that passed out on Wednesday, at the Independence Square.



According to him, the number of recruits that showed up at the inaugural ceremony is less than the 100,000 members government claims to have recruited, hence he suspects ghost names in the scheme.



He made this allegation during a pre-election debate for aspirants in the partys upcoming National Executive Elections.



President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday graduated recruits of the NaBCo who have accepted their postings.



Graduates from the Central, Western, Ashanti, Eastern, Volta and Greater Accra regions converged at the Black Star Square for the national ceremony, whiles the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and the Brong Ahafo regions were asked to send representatives to the ceremony.



However, there was a low turn out of the recruits at the inaugural ceremony.



The NDC believes the recruits are not up to the number being speculated by government.



Mr. Madilo who is former MCE for Akuapem North, said I know the capacity of the square. Are you telling me that the number of people there was equal to anywhere near the 100,000? I know there will be ghost names on that payroll.



Pre-Election Debate



The debate which is the first of its kind, was organized by the Centre for Social Democracy (CSD-Ghana) in partnership the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).



Aspiring candidates for the National Youth Organizing position made up of Yaw Brogya Gemfi, George Opare Addo and Wonder Madilo, took turns to communicate their ideas to delegates who had gathered at the auditorium.



The debate was attended by Ambassador Lee Okran, Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhunyi, and some members of the NDC.



It seeks to promote a healthy competition among aspirants to explicitly explain their idea to delegates and also engender internal democracy within the NDC.









Source: the publisher









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.

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Some aggrieved polling station executives of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Ketu South Constituency of the Volta Region who allegedly maligned the Ketu South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Edem Elliot Agbenorwu, and the Constituency Chairman, Mr Wisdom Samuel Doe, Haligah, have landed themselves into big trouble.



These executives are Ben Sedewodzi, Zimba Akoussa, Kudzo Adoglo, Macfamous Kudoloh. And they are alleged to have been supported by the Ketu South Constituency Chairman of the party, Mr Gosoo Daniel Akpalu, to attack the MCE and Mr Doe Haligah.



Today was reliably informed by sources within the NPP in the area that Mr Daniel Akpalu was scheming to take over the substantive chairmanship position from Mr Doe Haligah, hence his plot to support the group to actualise his intended dream.



The troubles of these embattled executives, Weekend Today gathered, began when the chiefs, youth, constituency executives and coordinators of Ketu South of the NPP charged them to immediately render an unqualified apology to the MCE and Mr Doe Haligah, for their unguarded actions against the two.



Failure by the polling station executives to retract their unguarded statement and apologise to the two high profile personalities would see them incur the displeasure of members and supporters of the NPP in the area, Weekend Today has learned.



Reacting to the development in a statement signed and issued by the leadership of the Ketu South Electoral Coordinators of the NPP in the persons of Equavoo Yaw Michael, Roland Vinyo, Emmanuel Amediwole and Austin Ameku, they asked, How can you [referring to the polling station executives] speak like this?



The statement further quizzed: We were surprised that the executives coming out from the NPP would tag their MCE and Mr Doe Haligah as corrupt, selfish, disrespectful and non-performing persons. What exactly where they trying to achieve?



The statement, which was copied to Today in Accra yesterday, said: We the executives of the coordinators of Ketu South of the Volta Region deem it very necessary to organise this press statement so as to distance ourselves from the egoistic tendencies of the polling station executives to create panic pandemonium in the constituency.



We want to make it clear that the disunity as claimed by the polling station executives is non-existence in the party in the area. This is because the coordinators together with constituency executives and communication teams have been meeting regularly, the statement said.



The statement stressed that there was no auditing report from the Presiding Member (PM), Mr Simon Gbedevie, indicted the current MCE on misappropriation of funds.



According to the statement, the MCE was duly appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to address the social and infrastructure development challenges facing Ketu South municipality



We the undersigned coordinators of the NPP want to inform all and sundry that the MCE and constituency chairman have not done anything untoward to merit dismissal, the statement re-affirmed.



However, in an interview with Today, the Ketu South Constituency Secretary of the NPP, Mr Jarvis Koffie, described as blatant lies the allegation that most government contracts, which came through the assembly had all been awarded to known NDC sympathisers in the constituency.



It is not true that the MCE has also turned the assembly into a haven for NDC sympathisers who wish nothing but the downfall of the party, he stressed sward.



Meanwhile, responding to the allegation the Ketu South Constituency Vice-Chairman of the NPP, Mr Gosoo Daniel Akpalu, described as stupid and ridiculous the allegation of him supporting the polling station executives to fire salvos at the MCE and his chairman.



According to him, the action by the polling station executives to organise the event was as a result of an earlier unprintable word the Constituency Chairman, Mr Wisdom Samuel Doe Haligah, hurled at them.



Why would Mr Wisdom Samuel Doe Haligah as the Chairman go on a local radio in the area to say that the polling station executives are illiterate, uneducated, Mr Akpalu asked.





























Source: today









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National Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams, has downplayed the decision by five presidential aspirants in the party to work against the chances of former President John Dramani Mahama.



Mr Adams believes the contenders lack the political gravitas to do any damage to Mr Mahamas bid.



I laugh sometimes when I hear people saying Mahama is not capable of winning the flag-bearership slot. And I hear some aspirants are ganging up against him. In fact, you lack the strength to compete for yourselves, how much more joining forces to beat Mahama. Do they even have that strength, he quizzed while speaking on Okay FM in Accra.



It was reported that five (5) NDC flag-bearer hopefuls had held a meeting with the objective of ensuring that John Mahama is not selected as NDCs flag-bearer.



The five, all of whom have expressed interest in leading the NDC in the 2020 election, are Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Goosie Tanoh, Sylvester Mensah, Alban Sumana Bagbin and Kweku Ricketts-Hagan.



Two others, Stephen Atubiga, and Professor Joshua Alabi, were, however, not present.



However, Mr Adams was of the view that Mr Mahama remains the most sellable candidate.



John Mahama will win hands down, the race to lead the party, and proceed to beat President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2020 elections to make history. Mahama is best, I will say it again and again, he is the best, Mr Adam stated.





Source: today









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Vice President of the Republic, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, left Ghana on Thursday, 18th October, 2018 to attend the Ghana Investment and Opportunities Summit, taking place in London, United Kingdom, from 23rd to 24th October.



Organised by the Ghana High Commission UK in partnership with the Ghana Investments Promotion Centre (GIPC), the two day Summit, under the theme Mobilising for Ghana beyond Aid, is billed to showcase Ghana as one of the best investment destinations in Africa, help Government attract strategic and development funds and investments for key projects as well as match local businesses with international partners and Investors.



Executives from some of the largest global firms, Venture Capitalists, Private Equity Fund Managers, Investment Bankers and other business leaders from across the globe will be present, providing a networking opportunity with potential Investors and various Government Officials.



The Vice President will also meet with the Secretary of the UKs Department for International Development (DfID), Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP; meet with Westminster Businesses, and attend a reception hosted by the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.



Ahead of the Summit, the Vice President will interact with the Ghanaian Community in the UK on Saturday 20th October, 2018, and deliver a lecture on Ghana's digitization towards the Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) on Monday 22nd October, 2018.



Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia returns to Accra on Thursday, 25th October 2018.



Signed



Frank Agyei-Twum

Communications Director

Office of the Vice President

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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An Accra High Court has placed an interim injunction on the upcoming election by the opposition National Democratic Congress to elect its National Youth Organiser.



This is in response to a case filed by National Youth Organiser aspirant, Elikem Eric Kevin Kotoko after he was disqualified from partaking in the race to become the partys Youth organizer.



Mr. Kotoko was disqualified with one other aspirant, Wonder Madilo, for not meeting the criteria for contesting the position.



The two were said to have not held any position in the party prior to their decision to contest the position of a National Youth Organiser.



But Mr. Kotoko disagreed with the party executives and headed to court to seek an injunction against the election, which the Accra High Court granted him interim injunction.





Source: 3news.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.

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John Dumelo has won the baby jackpot because whilst most people have to wait nine months to have a baby, the actor was able to do so in only five months.



John married Gifty Mawuenya in May and in October, they have already welcomed their first child together. This has left Ghanaians scratching their heads trying to work out the math of how that was able to happen..



The obvious answer is that Gifty was pregnant before the couple got married, which actually dovetails with reports from the time of the marriage that John had to marry his Mawuenya because he had knocked her up.



After someone tweeted at him about the issue, Dumelo responded.



LOL.



Check out twitter interaction below









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.

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During a Montana rally last night, Donald Trump endorsed violence against press when he gleefully spoke of Montana Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte body slamming Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs last year. The speech follows allegations that Trump is complicit in the cover-up of the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Background

On the eve of the Montana special election last year, then-candidate Greg Gianforte physically assaulted Jacobs after the reporter attempted to ask him a question. According to Jacobs, Greg Gianforte just body slammed me and broke my glasses. He added, There was a local TV crew there when Gianforte body slammed me.

Witnesses  Fox News reporters in the same room  corroborated Jacobs story noting:

Faith, Keith and I arrived early to set up for the interview in a room adjacent to another room where a volunteer BBQ was to take place. As the time for the interview neared, Gianforte came into the room. We exchanged pleasantries and made small talk about restaurants and Bozeman. During that conversation, another man  who we now know is Ben Jacobs of The Guardian  walked into the room with a voice recorder, put it up to Gianfortes face and began asking if him if he had a response to the newly released Congressional Budget Office report on the American Health Care Act. Gianforte told him he would get to him later. Jacobs persisted with his question. Gianforte told him to talk to his press guy, Shane Scanlon. At that point, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the man, as he moved on top the reporter and began yelling something to the effect of Im sick and tired of this! Jacobs scrambled to his knees and said something about his glasses being broken. He asked Faith, Keith and myself for our names. In shock, we did not answer. He then said he wanted the police called and went to leave. Gianforte looked at the three of us and repeatedly apologized. At that point, I told him and Scanlon, who was now present, that we needed a moment. The men then left. To be clear, at no point did any of us who witnessed this assault see Jacobs show any form of physical aggression toward Gianforte, who left the area after giving statements to local sheriffs deputies.

Heres audio of the assault originally published by the Guardian:

Though local law enforcement initially offered him preferential treatment in refusing to question or take him into custody, Gianforte eventually faced legal consequences for his assault but was still elected and seated in Congress. He even went on to brag about his win in the face of violently assaulting a reporter

Several months later, Trump picked up where he left off.

The Montana Rally

After being introduced by Gianforte at the Montana rally held last evening, Trump said, any guy who can do a body slam, adding, hes my guy as he mimicked a body slam.

He continued, I shouldnt say thistheres nothing to be embarrassed about.

He went on to recount his own experience of hearing of the assault, noting both that hed endorsed Giranforte and that the candidate was way up in the polls at the time of the assault.

Then I said, well wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him. And it did, Trump said.

Heres video of that part of Trumps speech:

Heres the video of Trump on Greg Gianforte body slamming Ben Jacobs: Any guy that can do a body slam, hes my kind of guy. pic.twitter.com/8tWxLXE6Jx  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 19, 2018

Reaction

The Guardian immediately released a statement condemning Trumps remarks glorifying violence against the press. Guardian editor John Mulholland said:

The President of the United States tonight applauded the assault on an American journalist who works for the Guardian. To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it. In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats. We hope decent people will denounce these comments and that the President will see fit to apologize for them.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also released a statement. We are disturbed once again to see President Trump standing up for those who would attack the press, said CPJ advocacy director Courtney Radsch.

Additionally, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke with The Guardian to denounce Trumps endorsement of violence against press. The Guardian noted:

Asked about Trumps comments, Theresa Mays spokeswoman said: He obviously made comments at a political rally, and those are for him. But more generally we would always say that any violence or intimidation against a journalist is completely unacceptable. While oblique, the criticism is relatively strong by the standards of Downing Street, which generally tries to play down condemnation of Trumps often erratic behaviour, mindful of wider UK-US ties as well as the presidents promises about a post-Brexit trade deal.

Aside from the optics of celebrating violence against a journalist the same week another journalist is brutally tortured and murdered abroad, Trump faces other criticisms for his celebration of Gianfortes assault on Ben Jacobs.

Evaporating Norms

As Trump praised Gianforte last night for assaulting a reporter, far right conservatives have begun a campaign to discredit Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in an attempt to justify his murder. The Washington Post noted:

Hard-line Republicans and conservative commentators are mounting a whispering campaign against Jamal Khashoggi that is designed to protect President Trump from criticism of his handling of the dissident journalists alleged murder by operatives of Saudi Arabia  and support Trumps continued aversion to a forceful response to the oil-rich desert kingdom. In recent days, a cadre of conservative House Republicans allied with Trump has been privately exchanging articles from right-wing outlets that fuel suspicion of Khashoggi, highlighting his association with the Muslim Brotherhood in his youth and raising conspiratorial questions about his work decades ago as an embedded reporter covering Osama bin Laden, according to four GOP officials involved in the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly. Those aspersions  which many lawmakers have been wary of stating publicly because of the political risks of doing so  have begun to flare into public view as conservative media outlets have amplified the claims, which are aimed in part at protecting Trump as he works to preserve the U.S.-Saudi relationship and avoid confronting the Saudis on human rights.

They added:

The conservative push comes as Saudi government supporters on Twitter have sought in a propaganda campaign to denigrate Khashoggi as a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement once tolerated but now outlawed in Saudi Arabia as a terrorist organization. Trump wants to take a soft line, so Trump supporters are finding excuses for him to take it, said William Kristol, a conservative Trump critic. One of those excuses is attacking the person who was murdered. Several Trump administration aides are aware of the Khashoggi attacks circulating on Capitol Hill and in conservative media, the GOP officials said, adding that aides are being careful to not encourage the disparagement but are also doing little to contest it.

Additionally, Trumps remarks last night fly in the face of midterms slogans meant to characterize Democrats and liberals  and not conservatives and Republicans  as the real violent threat. This has been a theme for several weeks across conservative media as personalities at Fox News and talk radio pundits all accuse the left of being a violent mob.

During his speech, Trump said the midterm elections next month will be an an election of Kavanaugh, the caravan, law and order, and common sense. Thats what its going to be. He added, without a hint of irony, Democrats create mobs. Republicans create jobs.

As a matter of fact-checking, the majority of politically motivated murders in the United States since Trumps election have been committed by far right extremists. In fact, a report published last year by the Anti-Defamation Leagues (ADL) Center on Extremism examined hate motivated crimes committed over the last decade and found right-wing extremism accounts for nearly three-quarters of all violent events.

Moreover, as economists have repeatedly pointed out, the economy improving is not the same thing as job prospects for the average American improving. The performance of the stock market has very little bearing on Americans ability to find and retain well paying jobs. In fact, Trumps tariffs may be offsetting any actual gains his positions and other economic policies have established.

But its more than that. By now most people know Trump lies constantly  even about trivial matters. That he would lie about who is prone to commit violence should surprise no one.

Its the larger Republican partys willingness to go along with that lie thats disconcerting.

Complicit

Whether theyre rationalizing the murder of a journalist who the U.S. had a sovereign duty to protect or inventing a narrative about the violent left to scare conservative voters enough to get them to vote, Republicans have, on the whole, adopted Trumpism as their standard operating procedure.

Media Matters looked at the various coordination of their most recent scare mongering noting:

If you tuned in to Fox News over the last week, you may have heard Democrats described as a nascent brown shirt party or a lynch mob led by a street thug who is urging party activists to physically assaultRepublicans. The conservative network has been warning its audience of GOP base voters that their very lives may be at stake if they dont turn out to vote in the midterm elections and allow Democrats to triumph. That message aligns with what President Donald Trump, the Republican National Committee, and congressional Republicans have been arguing as the elections approach. Fox has long acted as the Republican Partys communications arm, serving as a megaphone for the party and championing its candidates. Now, that effort has been super-charged by its feedback loop with the president as he and the network unite to try to get Republican voters to the polls next month.

After noting that right-wing outlets blatantly ignore actual examples of right-wing extremist violence  such as the Proud Boys hate crimes in New York  they added:

Much of the right-wings mob critique involves breathlessly reading comments from Democrats in bad faith to claim that those Democrats are issuing calls for violence, rather than using metaphors. For much of last week, right-wing media were transfixed by comments by former Attorney General Eric Holder, which conservatives took out of context to suggest that he literally called for Democrats to kick Republicans. It was mind-numbingly obvious that Holder was speaking metaphorically  indeed, he specifically said as much at the time. On Fox & Friends this morning, the crew attempted a similar smear against actor Alec Baldwin. During a Sunday night speech at a fundraiser for the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Baldwin said, The way we implement change in America is through elections. We change governments here at home in an orderly and formal way. In that orderly and formal way and lawful way, we need to overthrow the government of the United States under Donald Trump. There is no fair way to read these comments as anything other than a call for Americans to vote for Democrats in order to change the party that controls Congress. Nonetheless, Fox & Friends did it. The program aired portions of Baldwins remarks  neatly excising his specific references to elections  then hosted right-wing commentator Dan Bongino to discuss them. Bongino called Baldwin a deranged lunatic, adding, There isnt a lawful way to overthrow the government. Edging perilously close to the truth, Doocy responded by suggesting that Baldwin might have been referring to elections. But after Bongino and co-host Brian Kilmeade quickly rejected this obviously correct theory, Doocy responded, I dont know what hes talking about.

The midterm elections are 18 days away. This is how the right is mobilizing their base  through unsubstantiated fear of mob violence, praise for those who literally assault the free press, and cover for foreign entities that murder journalists.

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Peacock Panache readers:

Tim Peacock is the Managing Editor and founder of Peacock Panache and has worked as a civil rights advocate for over twenty years. During that time hes worn several hats including leading on campus LGBTQ advocacy in the University of Missouri campus system, interning with the Colorado Civil Rights Division, and volunteering at advocacy organizations. You can learn more about him at his personal website.

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A Canadian Pacific Railway employee walks along the side of a locomotive in a marshalling yard in Calgary, Wednesday, May 16, 2012. Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. says it notched the biggest profits of its 137-year history last quarter, bolstering a balance sheet that suffered earlier this year from service interruptions tied to labour action. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
In this Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, photo, British Furlong Lee, right, and Canadian Brittney Lorretta Katherine Schneider, second right, stand in front of Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai province, northern Bangkok, Thailand. They face up to 10 years in prison on charges of spraying paint on the ancient wall in northern Thailand, police said Friday. (Chiang Mai News via AP)
(Courtesy: Ariel Mendoza) Ariel Mendoza, 24, of St. Paul, Minnesota, shared a photo project revealing the most upsetting comments people made to her since she lost her son.(ST. PAUL, Minn.) -- A woman who lost her newborn son is spotlighting what she feels are the most unintentionally upsetting comments that people have made to her.



Ariel Mendoza of St. Paul, Minnesota, shared the photo series onto her blog and Facebook page, A Rainbow From Onyx, where it received over 4,000 shares. Mendoza told ABC's Good Morning America that she wants to create a platform so those who experienced the loss of a child won't feel so alone.



"A lot of people seem to really resonate with the comments -- it's bittersweet," Mendoza said. "You won't often read an entire article but you will look at a picture. That's why I decided to make it visual rather than just words."



Mendoza, 24, told GMA that earlier this year, she and her boyfriend Will were surprised to learn that they were expecting a child, considering that Mendoza had been diagnosed with secondary infertility.



Before becoming pregnant with her son, Onyx, Mendoza had experienced two miscarriages, she said.



"I didn't want to get attached, but I didn't want to not enjoy him or the pregnancy because of that fear," Mendoza told GMA.



Mendoza gave birth to Onyx after 20 weeks and 3 days pregnant. His lungs were not fully developed at birth and doctors were unable to save him, she said.



"I never really grieved my first two miscarriages," Mendoza said. "I kind of just bottled up my feelings and moved on with my life, but I wanted him [Onyx] to be remembered."



Following her son's passing, Mendoza launched A Rainbow From Onyx -- where she educates people on what not to say to parents who are in mourning.



Using a letter board, Mendoza featured the comments and photographed them for her website.



"Death in general is considered really taboo especially when people typically don't know what to say," Mendoza said. "The other part is making themselves feel comfortable when they feel uncomfortable, and that how the comments come out."



Mendoza said she hopes her blog and Facebook pages become an online community for grieving parents.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

Mom reveals the most heartbreaking comments people have made to her since she lost her baby
India Considering 14 Day Free Single Entry for Malaysians

The Minister of Human Resources (Menteri Sumber Manusia Malaysia) M. Kulasegaran released a press release statement yesterday stating that India Considering 14 Day Free Single Entry for Malaysians. This is good news as we are considering to visit India (since a few years ago).







You can read the official statement below.

In short, India is now considering a 14-day visa free single entry for Malaysians after he raised the issue with Indias External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during his visit to New Delhi last week.

India External Affairs Minister has agreed to consider the request and will let Malaysia know as soon as they make decision on the matter.







The price of Indias eVisa increased from Rm 200 to RM 320 this July and they tried to increase the visa 240% last year but the Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia T.S. Tirumurti managed to maintain the eVisa fees. Over the counter India Visa is priced at RM462.56 (excluding service charges) and is valid for one year.

We hope India can consider the 14 Day Free Single Entry for Malaysians as this will encourage more Malaysians to travel to India and spend more too! The revenue from the travellers will be more than the Visa fees for sure and that will help to boost the India local tourism economy.

If there is 14 Day Free Single Entry for Malaysians, we might make our way to India next year for traveling. We just have to wait and see for it!







Wilson Ng A Father and traveler who enjoys to eat, shop, travel and taking pictures with Samsung S21 Ultra. Im a full time blogger, youtuber and father for two.

I travel around 17 International trips per year. Remember to follow us at www.instagram.com/placesandfoods and www.youtube.com/placesandfoods. For advertisements or features, contact me at [email protected] See author's posts
Miina Harma Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 17 October 2018

Star rating: 4.5

Estonia and the Baltic was the theme for a pair of concerts which revealed little-known riches



From Tallin to St Petersburg gave us a flavour of the various influences in Estonian music with songs by Estonian composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, Russians Sergei Rachmaninov and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and the German Johannes Brahms (who was from the Hanseatic port of Hamburg). The rush hour concert was given by the Scottish group This year's Oxford Lieder Festival is celebrating the Grand Tour, and as well as the major stops in European music we have some less well known musical cultures. As part of my day at the festival on Thursday 17 October 2018, I caught their visit to the Baltic. The evening recital was given by the Estonian mezzo-soprano Kai Ruutel and pianist Roger Vignoles gave us a flavour of the various influences in Estonian music with songs by Estonian composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, Russians Sergei Rachmaninov and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and the German Johannes Brahms (who was from the Hanseatic port of Hamburg). The rush hour concert was given by the Scottish group Mr McFall's Chamber who presented a programme of Baltic instrumental music, with works from Estonia, Latvia and Finland, including some Finnish tango! And to give us a flavour of the Estonian language being sung in the evening, the day started with a useful Estonian language lab, where Kerli Liksor introduced us to the basics of the Estonian language.

Ester Magi

Mart Saar

Veljo Tormis

Toivo Karki

Unto Mononen

For the evening concert at Holywell Music Room, Kai Ruutel and Roger Vignoles' programmebrought out the different foreign links to Estonian music. Though a Russian colony in the 19th century, Estonia had a long tradition of being locally governed by a German merchant class thanks to the Hanseatic links. So whilst 19th century composers went to study in St Petersburg, the peasants also adopted German habits which is where how the Estonian tradition of communal song developed.Ruutel had clearly put a lot of thought into the programme, not only did she sing the entire thing from memory but she had contributed English translations to many of the Estonian songs. Luckily the programme was being recorded by the BBC for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 at some future date.We started with a song by Miina Harma (1864-1941),. Harma studied at the St Petersburg Conservatoire, and is still revered in Estonia as a choral composer and conductor and in fact(written in 1896) is often sung by choirs. An elegiac, folk-like piece, Ruutel sang it unaccompanied.The Brahms group followed, four songs from hiswritten between 1885 and 1886.though nicely flowing was perhaps a little too sober and serious, but it did give us a fine flavour of Ruutel's rich-toned mezzo-soprano. She relaxed more intowhich was beautifully shaped with a sense of a still, quiet centre, and a moment of vibrant drama towards the end.was lighter and more characterful, though still with a serious demeanour.started with Roger Vignoles' dramatic piano, and the vocal line had the feeling of dramatic recitative, again very focused, serious and intent.A group of songs by Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) followed.was full of melancholy longing, with its evocatively chromatic piano and richly romantic vocal line, sung by Ruutel with lots of vibrant yet focused tone.was still melancholy, yet a little folk-inspired with a haunting melismatic passage at the end.flowed beautifully, moving from a sense of longing to a radiant end.Ester Magi (born 1992) is evidently a sprightly 96 and regarded as the first lady of Estonian music. She studied with Mart Saar (who had studied with Rimsky Korsakov) in Tallinn and then with Vissaron Shebalin at Moscow Conservatory. Infrom 1981 she sets the lyric poetry of Betti Alver (1906-1989), slightly elliptical folk-inspired poems which tell stories yet tantalise and intrigue.used folk-like musical material but shaped to the drama of the text, with Magi complementing the folk-ish melodic lines with complex harmonies to very striking effect.was very dramatic with the piano almost providing interruptions to the vocal line. It was a very intense piece, and clearly tailored to the shape of the Estonian language in the text. In fact, this sense of the primacy of the language was something which struck me about a number of the pieces in the programme. The final songcombined a rather folk-inspired melody with quite a busy piano. In all the songs, Kai Ruutel was most persuasive, clearly at home in the musical style and conveying much with a simple musical gesture and a look. Veljo Tormis (1930-2017) also studied at Tallinn Conservatoire and at the Moscow Conservatory with Vissaron Shebalin. He is best known for his choral music, and his song cycledates from 1958 and sets four poems by Minni Nurme (1917-1994). The four songs didn't so much tell a story as each evoked a particular mood. The first three songs,andeach combined a flexible, fluid vocal line which followed the shape of the text, with a busier, more complex piano part. These were songs which prized not only the Estonian language, but the folk-influenced ways of setting Estonian text. The lovely final song(Love) had more of a sense of formal melody.After the interval we returned to Russia for a group of songs by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908).with its exotic is quite well-known but many of the others seem to be unduly neglected.continued the vein of melancholy with the piano seeming to comment on the drama, whilststarted with a delightful piano introduction, before the voice's quasi narration with piano twinkling round it.was a big dramatic piece matching the texts description of the waves in the sea, and finallycombined a richly complex piano texture with a lyric narration from Ruutel.This form of construction with a lyrical, folk-inspired vocal line combined with complex piano, re-occurred in the songs by Rimsky-Korsakov's pupil the Estonian composer Mart Saar (1882-1963). Saar wrote over 180 songs, making him Estonia's most prolific song composer; Ruutel and Vignoles performed six of them, all dating originally from around 1905/1906.was more clearly a folk-ish, closed-form melody but Saar's treatment was quite romantic with a richly texture piano part.was a flowing, long-breathed melody setting a description of Autumn in a way which emphasised the Estonian text.was dramatic and more demonstrative, again with a complex piano part.moved a long way from folk-song, it was a quietly dramatic and intense piece which conveyed a strong feeling of anxious anticipation.was more straightforward, though beautifully constructed with a powerfully affirmative end. Finally we had the lyric melancholy of, again with striking piano accompaniment.This was a fascinating and illuminating programme, at the end of a striking day of Estonian and Baltic music. Kai Ruutel and Roger Vignoles recital in particular gave us an idea of the song riches which are lying, relatively undiscovered, in Estonia.Earlier on in the day, at the rush-hour concert in the Holywell Music Room, Mr McFall's Chamber's programmewas based on their 2015 disc of the same name [see my review ], which chimed in with the day's theme of Estonia and the Baltic. The ensemble consisted of Cyril Garac and Robert McFall (violins), Brian Schiele (viola), Su-a Lee (cello), Rick Standley (double bass) and Maria Martinova (piano). They began withby Aulis Sallinen (born 1935) written in 1997, which introduced us to Finnish tango, but first there was the sober and rather densely texture, though eventually the piano started subverting it with tango motifs and the second half erupted into tango with terrific energy.by Arvo Part (born 1935), for solo piano, dates from 1976 and is one of his earliest pieces in his tintinnabuli style. Spare, short and intense, the individual notes were left to resonate (with the sustaining pedal on), each hanging in mid-air. Completely magical.Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tuur (born 1959) trained classically at Tallinn Conservatory but also played in a prog rock band, and the two very different genres infuse his music.for cello and piano was written in 1990. Starting with dramatic gestures from cello and from piano (with the pianist Maria Martinova playing inside the piano) the piece alternated these gestures with more lyrically romantic material, sometimes getting rather rhythmic. The result was rather striking and dramatic.The Finnish pianist Olli Mustonen (born 1967) is also a composer, ploughing his own rather distinctive furrow. Hisfrom 1989 is written for piano, string quartet and double bass. It rather fascinatingly combines passages which seem inspired by Sibelius with passages which re-work material from Bach's, often giving this latter material a rather dark and intense feel. The result was undoubtedly rather dramatic, particularly the ending and though I found it rather strange and unsatisfying the audience was most enthusiastic.is a 1985 piece by Latvian composer Peteris Vasks (born 1946) written for violin (Cyril Garac) and piano (Maria Martinova). A series of short movements, each uses material that is rather folk-inspired and despite the differences in the melodic and harmonic styles, the treatment sometimes reminded me of Bartok's. We started with a free rhapsodic movement, and then the music was by turns melancholy, lively, meditative and dramatic. One fascinating aspect of the work was that each movement ended up in the air and merged into the next.The full ensemble returned to the platform for the final three items. Firstby the Finnish composer Toivo Karki (1915-1992). Karki was one of the best known Finnish tango composers andis one of his most popular. The tango came to Finland in the early part of the 20th century purely as a dance, it seems to have been the Second World War which crystalised Finnish tango as a very particular genre. This one was both melancholy and vibrant, despite some very crisp rhythms the tone was elegiac yet it put a smile on your face.is all that survives of a song written by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) for a stage play. The melody has been arranged for piano sextet to atmospheric effect. The final piece of the printed programme was another tango, this time by Unto Mononen (1930-1968)., written in 1955 was a lovely combination of lyricism, rhythm and melancholy.But there was one final item, a striking arrangement of the best known melody from Sibelius'with cellist Su-a Lee playing the musical saw!This was a fascinating programme, giving a series of glimpses of music from the Baltic countries which does not always travel abroad regularly. It was a packed programme, with substantial spoken introductions by Robert McFall, and perhaps it was slightly too long for the rush-hour slot.
Embed from Getty Images

Earlier this week, it was reported that Texas has passed legislationSenate Bill 30, also known as the "Community Safety Education Act"that requires all high school students in the Lone Star State to watch a 16-minute educational video that seeks to teach them how to safely interact with police officers during traffic stops.

"The primary purpose of this instruction is to ensure the safety of both officers and citizens before, during, and immediately following traffic stops," says the Instructor's Guide that accompanies the videodubbed "Flashing Lights."

The instructor's guide further states, "Drivers and passengers should be aware that unknown items in a citizen's hand may cause safety concerns for officers. The key point for students to remember is that officer instructions are focused on ensuring the safety of all involved."

The instructor's guide advises school teachers to "partner with a school resource officer or a representative of local law enforcement to provide this instruction."

The instructor's guide also suggests that educators assess students' attitudes toward traffic stops.

"Assess whether attitudes have shifted following instruction," the guide says. "Make sure to address any misperceptions."

"Misperceptions" is an interesting word, especially given the widespread misperception of law enforcement among a significant segment of the American population.

Lacking Basic Knowledge

"Only a quarter of Americans can name all three branches of government," according to a report by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. Nearly a third of Americans cannot name any [emphasis added] of the three branches of government.

According to the American Federation of Teachers, only nine statesand the District of Columbiarequire one year of U.S. government or civics education, while 30 states require only a half year.

Eleven states have no required civics education whatsoever.

That's just sad.

I've long held the belief that a year-long civics class should be a requirement nationwide. Further, these classes should include more than just the basic structure of government. Curriculum should incorporate information such as that provided by the video now mandated in Texas.

However, how to safely interact with a police officer during a traffic stop is just the beginning.

Curriculum should include Constitutional Law and Supreme Court cases related to the Fourth and Eighth amendments, as well as police policies, procedures, and practices.

Lessons in Case Law

As it stands now, most public education institutions requiring some manner of civics class provide instruction principally on American history and systems of government. Given the stats above, it's questionable that this instruction is having much of an effect, but I digress...

Even when United States Supreme Court Cases are discussed, the focus tends to be on things like the 1803 decision in Marbury v. Madison, which established the authority of the Court for judicial review over acts of Congress, or Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 decision in which the Court declared the doctrine of "separate but equal" as unconstitutional.

That's all well and goodthese cases helped shape our Nation, and having our kids educated on them is valuablebut what about cases such as Tennessee v. Garner, Terry v. Ohio, or Miranda v. Arizona, which govern law enforcement policies and procedures? What about Graham v. Connor, which defines how an officer's actions are to be judged after an incident?

It seems to me that woefully few Americans are even aware that such cases existmuch less understand their ramifications.

For example, if citizens had an understanding of Grahamwhich states, "The 'reasonableness' of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, and its calculus must embody an allowance for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions about the amount of force necessary in a particular situation"we'd have a lot fewer members of the public and the press second-guessing an officer's actions with the clarity of 20/20 hindsight.

Or maybe not.

But trying to educate the masseswhile they're youngseems to me to be a worthwhile enterprise.

Americans should know all 27 amendments (many high school students certainly take unlawful advantage of the 21st), but those indicated abovewhich directly relate to interactions with policeshould be the mandatory minimum.

Police Policy and Practice

If I were King, I would declare that every person in the Kingdom must complete a 36-hour (minimum) citizens' police academy.

During a typical citizens' academy, students learn about various aspects of police policies and procedureshopefully coming to an understanding that everything they learned from TV and movies is implausible, improbable, and/or impossible.

Most citizens' academies teach participants the basics of criminal law, defensive tactics, firearm safety, hostage negotiations, patrol tactics, SWAT, traffic stops, and many other subjects.

Most citizens' academies even allow students to go on a ridealong.

Exciting!

But this is not a Kingdom and I'm not the King (sigh...), and there will be no declaration of mandatory attendance to a six-week after-hours course at the local police academy.

However, we can try to teach some of those topics in our schools.

In essence, we can provide the citizens' academy via delivery.

Academy via Delivery

In my version of civics class, students would not only learn about the United States Constitution and the law-enforcement-relevant Supreme Court cases, but also the content delivered in a citizens' police academy. We can have law enforcement officers be the instructorseven if for just a portion of the class.

I think this is best done in the eighth grade.

The kids' brains are developed enough that there can be a reasonable expectation that they will actually grasp the material, but not "old and chiseled" enough to discount the information merely because of teenage angst and the urge for rebellion.

Indeed, such a class will not have the intended effect on every kid.

That's of no matter. Plenty of kids flunk algebra or chemistry and manage to graduate and go on to a productive life.

SIDEBAR: I know this truth firsthand. Fortunately for me, I need neither the knowledge of the periodic table nor an understanding of the quadratic equation in order to faithfullyand legallyserve my community.

Again, I digress...

The fact that we might only have a positive effect on a third of the kids we teach about law enforcement seems to be about par for the coursethat's roughly the same percentage of kids who know that there's an executive, legislative, and judicial branch of government.

But a third is better than nothing.

It's certainly worth a try.
According to the Star Advisor, a woman and her daughter died on Thursday in a house fire at the home of an officer serving with the Honolulu (HI) Police Department.

Neighbors heard a "loud boom" and saw a large plume of smoke at the time of the fire, according to reports.

Neighbors identified the deceased as 33-year-old Connie Moribe Wharton and nine-month-old Sophia.

"We are supporting our officer during this heartbreaking tragedy," acting Honolulu Police Chief Jonathon Grems said in a statement. "We will continue to support him in the days to come."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Embed from Getty Images

The Shreveport Police Department will no longer host or promote prayer vigils after the Freedom From Religion Foundationa national nonprofit that advocates for the separation of church and stateargued that the practice was unconstitutional, according to the Shreveport Times.

In a letter to the department, the group argued that the department pose violated the United States Constitution becausethey saythe department promotes or "prefers religion over nonreligion [sic]," which violates the Constitution's Establishment Clause.

This clausein the First Amendment to the Constitutionprohibits the government from unduly preferring religion over non-religion, or non-religion over religion, according to Cornell Law School.

"As a police department, you serve a diverse population that consists not only of Christians, but also minority religious and nonreligious citizens," the Freedom From Religion Foundation letter said. "We hope you will agree that law enforcement must avoid any appearance of bias toward some citizens or hostility toward others."

The Shreveport Police Department has 15 volunteer chaplains in a city Pastor on Patrol Program, which hosted the vigils.

"A chaplain's employment, even if volunteer, is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion," the activist group's letter said.

The city does not plan to end the chaplain program, but the vigils will be discontinued.
When Des Peres Department of Public Safety Detective Trent Koppel asked members of the department to help fill two new tip jars to replace those stolen from two local kids, every single member of the department made a contribution. Image courtesy of Des Peres Department of Public Safety.

When Veronica Zarfasmother of eight-year-old Liam and 12-year-old Isabellaentered her Des Peres, MO, home, she discovered that she had been burglarized.

The worst part, according to WDAF-TV, was the thieves made off with her kids' "chore jar" containing loose change they received in compensation for performing odd jobs around the house.

The kids were understandably upset at their loss. So too, was Des Peres Department of Public Safety Detective Trent Koppel.

So Koppel asked members of the department to help fill two new tip jarsevery single member of the department made a contribution.

A few days later, Koppel was joined by members of the police and fire departments outside the Zarfas home. Koppel presented the jars to the kids, along with some small gifts.

Detective Koppel told POLICE Magazine via Facebook "chat" that eight officers were present at the time of the presentation.

"We are a department of 53 most of which have children at home no different from these," Koppel said. "Each person in the department provided something to the cause as it was important to make sure the family knew that each of us were equally invested in this case and wanted to make it right."

Koppel added, "We operate under a Community Involved Public Safety platform and without each other no one succeeds. So to us this family was merely an extension of our own and we needed to make sure they knew we were there no matter what."

Mrs. Zarfas told the local news station that she was overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of the department.
TODRA GORGE





kasbahs I passed on my drive through the High Atlas Mountains fueled that impression. Yet, almost every rocky corner would yield a green patch - the life source of which seemed to be a mystery. Morocco existed in my imagination as a sun-scorched land. The numerous dried up wells and abandonedI passed on my drive through thefueled that impression. Yet, almost every rocky corner would yield a green patch - the life source of which seemed to be a mystery.





In Todra Gorge, at least, there was no shortage of water to be found. Located in the eastern part of the Atlas Mountains,

(also spelled Todgha Gorge) was birthed by the Todra River and the Dades River. The rivers carved out what is called the Grand Canyon of the Sahara . Todra Gorge is a literal breath of fresh air: a constant cool breeze skims over icy-cold streams and rivers that gush through terracotta-pink corridors of rock. The limestone walls of

reach up to 400 metres, providing a cool shade uncharacteristic to Morocco I was told that during wetter times of the year, the canyon floor is flooded with strong torrents; but in this dry season, hikers and rock climbers come to explore and conquer its unusual landscape.





is not as remote as it once was, but it is still somewhat off the beaten track. The nearest town, Tinghir, is tiny and decidedly untouristy. How wonderful to have explored, albeit briefly,

while it is still a little-known treasure.
MUMBAI, October 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The first-ever WPP India's Date with Data Summit witnessed industry experts, clients, agencies and partners exchange ideas and insights on data-driven marketing and the use of technology across marketing solutions. Key-note speakers and masterclass presenters emphasised the evolving role of data and its profound influence on the industry across all sectors.

Speaking on the relevance of Audience Planning: A Journey or a Destination, Gauravjeet Singh, Head of Media South Asia, Hindustan Unilever, said, "It is a great experience to attend industry forums like this, which really discuss the cutting-edge work that is happening around data. It is important to validate what one believes, which helps during discussions with panellists and eventually leads to the right direction."

As part of the panel discussing Connected Commerce: Decoding The Last Mile, Kashyap Vadapalli, Chief Marketing Officer, Pepperfry.com, said, "Data is an extremely important aspect of what we do day-to-day. We're dealing with customer data and product data and the session really provided an understanding as to how other practitioners, agencies and business are looking at it. It sparked new ideas, so it was very useful. Data is such an emerging field with a lot of public interest and the audience at 'Date with Data' were very well informed."

Addressing the growing need for marketeers and thought leaders in the industry to efficiently utilize the power of data, Country Manager WPP India, Mr. CVL Srinivas said, "WPP strongly believes in driving collaboration amongst various stakeholders of the industry and this event is our attempt to create a platform for sharing different perspectives on how data is helping reshape marketing and businesses. As responsible users of data, we strive to enable thought-provoking discussions around important themes. We witnessed great participation from our clients, partners and colleagues."

The day-long summit opened with masterclasses on Data Visualisation-To Drive Data Adoption and Data Driven Thinking; Building a Data Driven Organisation; Unlocking the True Potential of Mobile Data; Data Privacy and Responsibility and Connecting Data (Data Integration) and Generating Targeted Insights (Data Analysis). These sessions were conducted by experts from Google Cloud, InMobi, Kantar and Data Alliance.

The afternoon saw lively panel discussions on topics such as Decoding The Consumer: Fundamentals to Future, that addressed advancements in insights, research and analytics; Connected Commerce: Decoding The Last Mile, which highlighted how data and analytics are being leveraged to bridge the gaps in commerce. Audience Planning: A Journey or a Destination touched upon innovative approaches of using data whilst Data as a Source of Creative Inspiration explored how data can be used to inspire creative content and communication planning.

Speakers and participants from companies such as Vodafone, ITC, Pepperfry, Hindustan Unilever, Ford India, Google, InMobi and Nykaa were amongst those that delivered key presentations and business insights.

With an overwhelming response from the over 250 participants attending the summit, WPP India will continue to engage stakeholders on furthering data solutions and relevance, in order to deliver business performance and efficiency.

About WPP

WPP is the world leader in communications services. The company provides a comprehensive range of services including digital, ecommerce & shopper marketing; advertising & media investment management; data investment management; public relations & public affairs; brand consulting; health & wellness communications; and specialist communications. For more information, visit http://www.wpp.com .

About WPP's Data Alliance

The Data Alliance is a WPP company that supports the Group's data business by enhancing access to data and data-driven marketing applications. The Data Alliance leverages a global network of expert leaders from across WPP in data investment management, analytics, CRM, media, and digital to prioritize what data is secured and how it is used. In support of operating companies, Data Alliance assists in internal and external data partnerships and connects WPP's centres of excellence to address client data opportunities. For more information, visit http://www.dataalliance.com.

Notes to the Editor:

Additional details of WPP India Date of Data: http://www.wppdatewithdata.com/index.php

Media Contact:

Brinda Iyer

[email protected]

+91-9820506845

Sr. Consulting Associate

Genesis Burson Marsteller

SOURCE WPP
Seara launches the new line of halal antibiotic-free chicken in the Middle East Region in November of this year

SAO PAULO, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Seara Alimentos, a major Brazilian food company present in more than 150 countries, will participate in SIAL Innovation Selection Paris 2018 with its product line Seara 100% Natural, which was selected by professionals in the food industry, including chefs, journalists, food sector specialists, and professionals from the packaging industry, as one of the most relevant global product innovations. The product line introduces Halal certified poultry parts of chickens raised without antibiotics, international animal welfare certification, and raised in independent farms on a special 100% vegetable-based feed. To achieve its position among 400 most innovative products in the world displayed during Sial 2018, the line Seara 100% Natural was selected among more than 2,300 products, divided into 13 food categories. The 100% Natural will be part of the Sial Innovation display.

"Following the company commitment to Innovation and Quality, Seara's products have international certification, which strengthens our dedication to production processes, and contributes to Brazil recognition for excellence in poultry exports. Our goal is to provide the best service to our customers so that our products reach more consumer homes worldwide," said Joanita Karoleski, President of Seara Alimentos.

The line 100% Natural was developed exclusively for the Middle East, and will start being sold in November in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Seara will be the first Brazilian food company to offer this kind of product, which meets the Halal requirements and Islamic rules. It also ensures the well-being of the animals, and assures that during any stage during the animal's life, the chickens do not receive any type of antibiotic. In Brazil, products of the line Seara 100% Natural line were launched in 2015 under the brand Seara DaGranja.

Guillermo Henderson, Managing Director of Seara in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), explains: "Seara has been growing in the Middle East in recent years through alliances with important partners in multiple distribution channels. The company's goal is to strengthen these relationships through products and innovations that meet local needs and preferences, aligned with global trends. Therefore, Seara's launchings for SIAL 2018 were developed exclusively for the Middle East with products that attest the Company's commitment to the Q of Quality, from the farm to the table of consumers."

"This will be the first market outside of Brazil to receive this innovation. Before starting to export to the Middle East, Seara tested products and concepts with local consumers, and the results were very promising" said Marcos Delorenzo, Director of Marketing & New Business Development at Seara MENA (Middle East and North Africa). In addition to the 100% Natural, Seara is presenting other product launches at Sial 2018 as the new line Seara Perfect Cuts, which offers finest hand-cut chicken parts that are ideal for preparing traditional Middle Eastern recipes such as Shish Tawook. "Our objective is to bring constantly more innovation and variety to our portfolio in the MENA region," Delorenzo added.

The Sial Paris 2018 is one of the most important events of the food industry and it is a source of trends to the industry. It takes place in Paris during 21st to 25th of October. Seara presents its range of international innovations in its stand 6L 102.

About Seara

With more than 60 years of expertise, Seara is a Brazilian food brand that is completely committed to high quality products, offering a large portfolio in the In-Natura meats and Poultry segments (frozen and fresh), as well as prepared and industrialized food solutions. Seara Alimentos, is part of JBS company the largest chicken and beef producer in the world. Seara is present in more than 150 countries (such as China, England, Kuwait, France, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United States and United Arab Emirates), and it has international certifications for excellence in production, such as BRC (British Retail Consortium), SWA (Supplier Workplace Accountability), Global GAP (Global Certificate for the Agricultural Chain), Swiss Law, ISSO 14001, Halal Certifications, Certificate of Conformity (ESMA Halal National Mark), among others.

Seara Press Contacts:

Valeria Santoro | (11) 5090-8942 | valeria.santoro@ketchum.com.br

Ida Kazue | (11) 5090-8900 R: 8731 | ida.dalco@ketchum.com.br

SOURCE Seara
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
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Russias DIA seeks to seize property worth $101 million from ex-head of IntrustBank

 Fotolia/ Irochka

10:38 19/10/2018

MOSCOW, October 19 (RAPSI)  Temporary manager of IntrustBank, Russias Deposit Insurance Agency, has filed an application with the Moscow Commercial Court seeking to seize property of the banks former board chairman Boris Yepifanov evaluated at 6.7 billion rubles ($101 million), the court ruling reads.

In August, Yepifanov filed an appeal against a court ruling imposing subsidiary liability against him.

During examination of circumstances that led to the banks bankruptcy it was found that Yepifanov did not provide a large number of documents and digital database of the organization. The temporary manager also pointed out that the former board chairman did not take measures to prevent bankruptcy.

In October 2014, the court granted a request of the Central Bank of Russia and declared IntrustBank bankrupt. The Central Bank stated that the latters debt reached 9.7 billion rubles ($147.6 million).
Posted by Jeremy on at 09:10 PM CST

QUE LA FUERZA TE ACOMPANE!

This Saturday - October 20th - the Teatro Empire in Buenos Aires will play host to Guerra Estelar Con 2018!There will be panels, stands, vintage and modern toy displays plus collecting panels with some familiar guest speakers.Check out the full programme for more details and find out more information on the venue at www.facebook.com/guerraestelarbook
The car is expected to hit the road on October 23 and is being launched as Hyundai celebrates two decades in the country.

Industry sources say that it will be priced at Rs 3,70,000 to stay competitive with its biggest competitors, Tata Tiago and Maruti Suzuki Celerio.

Photograph: Kind courtesy, Hyundai Motor India

Korean auto major Hyundai is bringing back its iconic brand after a three-year hiatus.

To be called the 'All New Santro', its unchanged moniker is the result of a consumer poll that overwhelmingly voted to keep the same name.

The car is expected to hit the road on October 23 and is being launched as Hyundai celebrates two decades in the country.

Industry sources say that it will be priced at Rs 3,70,000 to stay competitive with its biggest competitors, Tata Tiago and Maruti Suzuki Celerio.

At an event to announce the impending return of Santro, managing director and CEO of Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL), Y K Koo said that of the five lakh people polled, close to 67 per cent had asked that the name be unchanged and the company has abided by their wishes.

The new Santro that competes in the mid-compact segment is targeted at first-time car buyers. Buyers in the age group of 30-35 will account for nearly 65 per cent of the total sales and the majority will come from rural, tier-II and III cities.

"Rural, tier-II and III markets are the key, while metro is additional for us," said Koo.

Photograph: Kind courtesy, Hyundai Motor India

Santro is placed between Eon and the Grandi10 in the Hyundai compact vehicles family and was a big hit in its past avatar.

The relaunch of a blockbuster brand in the automobile sector is a new trend, but Harish Bijoor, CEO of Bijoor Consults, believes that the market is likely to see many more comebacks in the coming months.

"I believe it is a very good piece of thinking to bring it back and call it Santro again," he said. He believes that the auto major is hoping to revive the consumer connect that the old product had with its new branding strategy.

In the mid-compact segment, counted as one of the fastest growing categories at one time, the old Santro had carved itself a niche. But growth had begun to peter off by the time it was discontinued in 2015.

The segment has picked up since, the success of Tiago has pumped fresh energy into sales volumes and Puneet Anand, group head, Marketing at HMIL believes that this is the right time to bring Santro back.

For one, the segment is growing and secondly, Hyundai is celebrating 20 years in India, he explained.

The company has not looked for a brand ambassador for the Santro, although Shah Rukh Khan, who is the Hyundai corporate brand ambassador, will helm the launch events and early promotions around the car.

Interestingly, Khan had been signed on as brand ambassador for the Santro in its old avatar. But this time around, the car is the hero in the entire narrative, Anand said.

The Santro is being offered as a value-purchase rather than a budget-buy.

"Today's customers are smart they are not looking at price, they are looking value," said Anand, hinting that the company may keep affordability in mind but would not skimp on all the trappings that one has come to expect even in an entry-level vehicle.

The new launch is expected to increase the company's total market share to 17-17.5 per cent from the current 16 per cent in the Indian passenger car market, Anand added. The company expects to tap into new consumers and also old ones who are drawn to the brand out of a sense of nostalgia.

Koo said that the six key pillars for All New Santro include style, its tall boy design, comfort, premium cabin experience, new age technology and customer-centric safety.

The company has set a target of 100,000 Santro cars in the domestic market and 25,000 units for export in its first year.

Hyundai expects to wrest around 30 per cent share of the mid-compact segment, which is currently estimated to sell around 30,000 units per month.

The new Santro comes with all the safety features, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system and will also be the first Hyundai to be equipped with an automated manual gearbox.

The product will be available in CNG version also.

Koo ruled out a diesel version because he believes that the demand for such vehicles has not been too encouraging for India.
Employees allege breach of transfer policy, accuses HR of non-transparency; protests to resume on October 22

Dissatisfaction has risen among staffers at the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) at recent transfer orders and the policy in this regard.

A letter on Wednesday from the Sebi Employee Association (SEA) to chairman Ajay Tyagi says the staffers are collectively feeling let down.

An email from Business Standard to the Sebi management was not answered.

According to sources, the human resource (HR) department had on Monday issued transfer orders for about 80 people, a tenth of the total staff strength at the markets regulator.

That was a sequel to an SEA protest on promotion policy, beside opposition to an order of October 4 for the transfer of Manoj Kumar, chief general manger and president of SEA.

In the letter to the chairman, the SEA cited a circular on the transfer policy, dated August 22 last year.

It has said this policy is being breached. According to this, the management had to seek the preference of an officer before issuing a transfer order, especially when the move was from the Mumbai headquarters to a regional office.

In this case, Kumar was being transferred to Delhi as a regional director, without seeking his preference.

Kumar is also investigative officer in the NSE co-location matter.

The 80 other officials, too, are being transferred for protesting against Sebis new promotion policy, issued via a circular dated September 27, said a source.

The new policy has reportedly raised the minimum service requirement for a promotion from three to five years.

An oral assurance was given that the circular shall be kept in abeyance and certain changes made in the policy.

"However, an order for personal promotion was issued in terms of the new policy.

"This has led to apprehension that the oral assurance is not being followed and the HR department has started implementing the said circular,the SEA said in the letter to the chairman.

The letter also criticises the performance review process.

Promotions have been made on the basis of PAR (performance appraisal review), which have been normalised by the HRD.

"The normalisation process is against all established principles of assessment of performance, as performance is being rated by someone who has no supervisiory role over the officer and has, thus, no capacity to assess his/her performance, goes their letter.

The employee association has also raised the issue of appointment of external executive directors (EDs) in the letter. Last year in April, the SEA had sought a review of the rule on EDs appointment, asking that half be taken from within Sebi.

Accordingly, Sebi changed the rule and decided to increase the number of EDs to nine, from eight. Six of them would be staffers and the rest hired laterally or on deputation.

However, protests the SEA, recently, two advertisements have been issued for the post of ED on contract basis, contrary to the proportion being followed for the appointment of three external and six internal EDs.

The issues raised indicate the HR department is taking actions against established policy and rules in a non-transparent manner and oral assurance by HR on employees are not being followed.

"Because of this, employees are collectively feeling let down and would resume their protest from October 22 onwards, SEA added.

Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters
'Piyush Goyal is the chief and it is always the chief who is considered to be responsible.'

IMAGE: A survivor in Friday's train accident undergoes treatment at a hospital in Amritsar. Officials said at least 60 bodies have been found and many more injured have been admitted to a government hospital after the accident near the site of Dussehra festivities. Photograph: PTI Photo

Haldwani, Uttarakhand-based Right to Information activist Gurvinder Singh Chadha has been fighting a crusade against unmanned level crossings in India for the last seven years.

In April he had spoken to Rediff.com after the tragic death of 13 school children when a train rammed into their van at a level crossing in Khushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.

On Friday night, he spoke to Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com about the accident in Amritsar in which more than 50 people were killed while watching the Ravan Dahan ceremony standing on railway tracks and were mowed by a speeding train.

Your first reaction to this accident.

By sheer coincidence I am at the same place, Amritsar, where this tragic incident has happened. The people are very angry and agitated.

All trains are now halted on the Amritsar route. Some are halted in Ludhiana and Jalandhar.

I think the death toll will be much more than 50 even as I am approaching a hospital now to donate blood to the injured victims.

Would you blame the motorman for this tragedy?

There is no mistake of the engine driver in this accident because when the Ravan effigy was burnt there were some people standing close to it.

The sparks of the Ravan effigy started falling on the ground and people started running helter-skelter, to the left and right side of the tracks.

The driver did press the horn, but the noise of firecrackers was so loud and therefore people could not hear it and did not move out of the tracks in time.

What could the railways have done differently to prevent such a tragedy?

I feel such gatherings must not be allowed near railway crossings and tracks.

The railways, as a precautionary measure, if it had posted RPF (Railway Protection Force) officers (at the site), then many lives would have been saved.

So in that sense, on moral grounds Railway Minister Piyush Goyal must resign.

This is what our earlier railway ministers used to do. When Lal Bahadur Shastri could resign as railway minister in the 1950s because of one rail accident, why not Piyush Goyal now? It is his moral duty.

But what can Railway Minister Goyal do when the event was being held on a ground which was close to the railway tracks, he is not even in the country?

Piyush Goyal is the chief and it is always the chief who is considered to be responsible.

But now let us wait and see gaaj kis par padhti hai (who gets punished). Right now there is too much of sadness at this place.

We spoke about such accidents in April. After that did the government or railway ministry take any steps to prevent accidents at railway crossings?

Nothing, they have done zilch.

I again filed an RTI plea on this issue to apply pressure on them so that they do something.

There are hundreds of railway crossings in India alongside which similar functions must be held routinely. Don't you think the event organisers must be held responsible?

In this case, the role of the railways, local administration and organisers -- all three are to be blamed.

But the railway ministry is responsible. The lineman had to inform the seniors in advance that some kind of function was taking place near the railway tracks.

So somewhere some mistake has taken place on the railways's part.
'It is wrong to assume that it is only after 1991 that we started following this ritual.'

'Ayyappan himself instructed where the temple had to be built, the rituals that had to followed and the route that had to be taken by devotees to the temple.'

IMAGE: Sabarimala temple head priest (thantri) Kandararu Rajeevaru addresses devotees staging a protest against the Supreme Court verdict on the entry of women of all ages into the shrine. Photograph: PTI Photo

As the Sabaramila issue rages on, Sashikumar Varma, president, Pandalam Palace coordination committee, has spoken about how the Supreme Court verdict has affected the family.

Legend has it that Lord Ayyappa was born in the Pandalam Palace.

"We have been praying 'Ayyappa rakshikane (Ayyappa, please take care of us).' Now, we are praying 'Ayyappane rakshikane (please take care of Ayyappa)'," Varma, below, tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.

As the president of the Pandalam Palace coordination committee, you were part of many protests against the Supreme Court verdict on Sabarimala.

I feel the judges were not aware of the rituals and traditions of the temples in Kerala, especially that of Sabarimala.

The rituals and traditions followed by Sabarimala are different from the other Ayyappa temples in Kerala. They should have tried to understand the background and the reasons behind such rituals.

We were eagerly following the judgment and when they said 'We are not worried about the rituals of the temple; we are only worried about the fundamental rights of the citizens of this country', we knew the verdict was going to be against what was being followed in the temple.

Do you feel the lawyers may not have presented the case well enough for the judges to understand?

It is not a question of not understanding the Sabarimala temple. They were only worried about fundamental rights.

They would not feel strongly about the traditions or rituals of a Kerala temple like we, who live in Kerala and who have been associated with the temple, would feel.

As you know, the Sabarimala temple is very different from other Kerala temples.

What I feel is they could not understand this fundamental difference. Or they were not interested in understanding. Or they might have had an opinion earlier itself.

The verdict had 400-odd pages, but nowhere it talks about the arguments put forward by our side.

You say the judges looked at only the aspect of fundamental rights. But the criticism is that the rituals followed at the Sabarimala temple are discriminatory because it does not allow women of certain ages there.

The Sabarimala temple is not discriminatory at all. It is misunderstood.

See, only women belonging to a certain age are not allowed at the temple. There is a reason for that.

It is not that these men do not understand the reason. All these men are born to women and none of them are swayambhu (created by their own accord). We had submitted all these details and the history behind the temple. I was also associated with preparing it with our lawyer.

It was in 1991 that a case was filed at the high court here. At that time, the high court judge had called all the people associated with the traditions and rituals for the hearing so that he could have a comprehensive idea about what was happening in the temple.

He had called the senior-most person from the Pandalam Palace too. His verdict was that women between the ages of 10 to 50 would not be allowed in the temple.

If the Supreme Court also had followed such a process, they would have had a better knowledge of the situation at Sabarimala.

Many people say before that high court verdict in 1991, women of all ages could pray at the Sabarimala temple...

This is one hundred percent false. You must have heard a retired bureaucrat proclaiming on all the TV channels that his choroonu was performed at Sabarimala and his mother who was 27 also was there.

I am sorry to say many people believed him and now people think that this particular tradition was not there earlier. This is not true.

If you look at the Indian survey conducted by the British, it very clearly mentioned that such a ritual was followed at Sabarimala.

Even the book Temples of India, published by the Government of India, talks about this particular ritual at Sabarimala.

It is wrong to assume that it is only after 1991 that we started following this; it has been there for decades, ever since the temple was built.

What was the reason for this?

Traditions and rituals followed by each temple are different.

In the case of Sabarimala, it was Ayyappan himself who instructed where the temple had to be built, the rituals that had to followed and the route that had to be taken by devotees to the temple.

There is a special section in Kumudanada Geetham, Ayyappa Geetham, which is part of his dialogue to his father when he asks Ayyappa not to go to the forest.

It is in this Geetham that he asks devotees to take a vratam of 41 days and why he wants them to do so.

How does the Pandalam royal family, to which Ayyappan belongs, look at the verdict which is against Ayyappa Geetham?

It has been extremely painful, maybe something more than pain.

We are in a situation where we cannot do anything. We feel so helpless and orphaned.

We have been praying 'Ayyappa rakshikane (Ayyappa, please take care of us).' Now, we are praying 'Ayyappane rakshikane (please take care of Ayyappa).'

If a small change happens in the rituals followed at Sabarimala, we feel it.

The first protest rally against the verdict was in Pandalam which was followed by rallies in many places. Did it surprise you that thousands of women participated in it saying they did not want to go now and that they were willing to wait?

Yes, this is an extraordinary uprising of women, a new phenomenon.

I was behind the first protest rally in Pandalam and there was no huge announcement about it; only word of mouth and through WhatsApp.

We had expected a crowd of 2,000 to 3,000, but to our surprise 65,000 people gathered for the protest rally.

It was only the beginning. After that, I must have attended at least 30 such rallies and everywhere around 25,000 to 50,000 people gathered. This is unprecedented.

A criticism against these protests is that it is an upper caste movement and that Hindu society in Kerala is divided on caste lines. Do you agree?

I won't even call it criticism. This is a concerted effort, propaganda, by a certain group of people to divide the believers who have come out to protest against the verdict.

There is no division among us and this is not an upper caste movement.

The criticism is because only the Pandalam family, the priests and the Nair Service Society are together, the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam has not joined the protests...

Didn't they see that the political party led by the son of the SNDP leader (Thushar Vellapally) was leading most of the protest rallies?

It is true that some vested interests are trying to divide Hindu society. They are telling the socially backward people that what is happening is against them and in no time, they would not be allowed inside temples.

I would say there is a political agenda behind this campaign.

When unity among the believers in the Hindu religion occurred, it created jitters among some political parties.

Let me reiterate that there is no caste division in this uprising. In fact, so many believers from other religions have participated in the protest rallies.

Some political parties are trying the divide and rule policy here. It will not work.

What do you think will happen, both politically and socially?

The political party that is in power is very keen to implement this court order, but I feel this will become a major issue in future. This will result in Hindu consolidation.

Till now, a majority of Hindu votes had been going to the LDF (CPI-M- led Left Democratic Front) while the UDF (Congress-led United Democratic Front) had the support of a majority of Christians.

There will be a shift in this pattern. There is a feeling among Hindus that the government is moving against the traditions and rituals followed by Hindus.

At the same time, there is an effort by them to divide Hindus.
'The BJP should be really wary of Nitish Kumar, or he will also take the BJP down with him.'

IMAGE: Rashtriya Lok Samata Party Working President Nagmani, left, with Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha, centre, at an event in Patna. Photograph: Kind courtesy @UpendraRLSP/Twitter

It is no secret now that all is not well within the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar.

A major constituent of the group, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party, whose chief Upendra Kushwaha is a Union minister in the Narendra Modi government, has long been demanding a 'fair share' of seats in the coming Lok Sabha election.

So far, the party has been firing salvos at the Janata Dal-United, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. But it is now openly attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party, the senior partner of the alliance.

The party has rejected all media reports about seat-sharing and demands a discussion over the issue involving all NDA members in Bihar.

Days after Kushwaha mocked a report of a proposed 20:20 formula for seat sharing (where the BJP gets 20 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in the state while the remaining 20 will be distributed among other allies with the JD-U getting the largest share), RLSP Working President Nagmani went so far as to say that the BJP is 'pushing' their party towards the Mahagathbandhan -- the grand alliance of Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress.

If the BJP doesn't give due respect and recognition to his party, Nagamani tells Rediff.com's Utkarsh Mishra, "We are free to talk to any other party."

Why did you say the BJP is 'pushing you' towards the Mahagathbandhan?

See, we and the BJP are partners. And the BJP should treat us like partners. We are not slaves of the BJP. They are not our maalik that whatever they will say (we will accept).

The BJP should hold talks with us as equals and seat sharing should be according to the strength of the respective parties in Bihar.

Our party is the most popular in Bihar after the BJP and the RJD and holds the largest mandate after these two parties.

Nitish Kumar has only 1.5 per cent vote of the Kurmi community. And we have 10 per cent consolidated votes. And they (the BJP) talk about giving 15 to 17 (Lok Sabha) seats to Nitish Kumar and only 2 to 3 to us. Is this acceptable?

People have to vote in elections, not the MLAs or MPs.

There should be proper discussions and seats should be given according to the strength of respective parties.

If they (the BJP) don't do that, then our party is free to talk to any other party.

So an alliance with the RJD is also possible?

Why not?

When you will not value us, when you will not treat us according to the mandate our party wields, then we are also an independent party. We are not tied to the BJP.

We are partners and we will talk like partners.

And will you insist on Upendra Kushwaha being made the CM candidate in case of such an alliance?

This is our party's choice. Bihar has had CMs from various castes, so why not Kushwaha?

After the Muslim and Yadav vote, the Kushwaha vote is the strongest in Bihar. It is 10 per cent. So this is one ground (to make Upendra Kushwaha CM).

Secondly, Upendra Kushwaha enjoys a clean image. He has no accusations against him.

That's why our party has clearly declared that if Upendra Kushwaha is projected as the CM face, then the NDA will definitely win a majority of Lok Sabha seats (in Bihar

And if they won't do that, then nobody can avert a disastrous defeat of the NDA in Bihar.

Our vote is the balancing vote. If it stays with the NDA, the NDA will have an upper hand.

And if it goes with the UPA, the UPA will have an edge.

And that is the reason why both the alliances -- UPA and NDA -- want us to be with them.

We are in the NDA right now. If we get our due share and if we are treated with respect, then we will remain in the NDA.

We have 3 MPs in the Lok Sabha while the JD-U has two.

And what we see in media reports is that Nitish Kumar's party will get 15 to 17 seats and we will get 2 to 3. Do you call it just?

The BJP should be really wary of Nitish Kumar, or he will also take the BJP down with him.

What should be the ratio of seats according to your party? Who should get how much?

This is a matter of discussion. We will not talk about it through the media.

All I want to say is that it should be according to the strength and mandate of respective parties.

If we did not enjoy people's support, why would the RJD be making attempts to pull us on their side? They are doing it because of our strength.

And the BJP doesn't realise this strength.

It is also being said that because of Prashant Kishor -- who is now in the JD-U and who is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah -- the BJP is inclined towards the JD-U and the RLSP is being alienated.

I have no comments to make on the relationship of Prashant Kishor with Nitish Kumar.

I'm saying that seat sharing in the Lok Sabha elections should be according to the mandate of respective parties.

Do you feel the BJP is apathetic towards its allies?

We are presenting the genuine demand of our party. I told you that our party will provide decisive strength to whichever alliance it goes with.

Now it is for them to decide about how they take us.

But the JD-U has more MLAs than your party. Does that weaken your case?

I tell you that the victory (in the 2015 assembly elections in Bihar) was neither due to Nitish Kumar nor because of Laluji.

(Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief) Mohan Bhagwat gave a statement about a review of the reservation policy. And Laluji made a big issue of out of it. Dalits and backward castes felt that if the BJP comes to power, they will end reservations.

The Muslims were already firm on not voting for the BJP.

Now when the Dalit, backward and Muslim vote came together, then what could 10 per cent upper caste vote do?

So it was a victory of that collective vote, not of Nitish Kumar or Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Laluji has his mandate. But Nitish Kumar has only 1.5 per cent Kurmi vote. He doesn't have the mandate to talk to us like that.

And if the BJP isn't prudent enough to realise this in time, the 'Nitish factor' will destroy it.

Your views on the law and order situation in the state.

I have already said that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has gone mad. There is no law and order in the state.

Not a day goes without someone being murdered in broad daylight.

You see, only a courageous ruler can run the administration. And Nitish Kumar has lost all courage and dignity, because he doesn't have people's support.

Once when Lalu Yadav was the CM, there were some reports of riots being planned.

Lalu declared that he will bulldoze the powers planning riots in the state. Nobody dared to foment riots in the state after that.

So the point is that the CM should have courage, and not be feeble like Nitish Kumar.

Deputy CM (Sushil Kumar Modi) pleads with criminals with folded hands not to commit crimes. You tell me, will a thief heed such requests? They should be stopped, not appealed to.

It is the fallacy of the administration (that they don't do that).
Women's rights activist Trupti Desai, who had threatened to block Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy at Shirdi town in Maharashtra, was detained by police in Pune on Friday morning, an official said.

Desai, president of Bhumata Ranragini Brigade, has been batting for women's entry into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

Modi is on a visit to Shirdi on Friday, where he is set to take part in functions to mark the conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Samadhi centenary programme organised by the Sai temple trust.

He will also hand over keys of houses to some beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

A few days ago, Desai had sought a meeting with the PM in Shirdi to discuss the Sabarimala issue and warned that if she was not allowed to meet him, her outfit would block his convoy.

"Today, before she could leave Pune for Shirdi (in neighbouring Ahmednagar district), officials from Sahakarnagar police station took her into preventive custody," a senior police official said.

"She was taken into police custody early in the morning as she had threatened to disrupt PM's visit in Shirdi," the official said adding that she has been currently kept under detention at Sahakar Nagar police station.

Meanwhile, talking to PTI over phone, Desai said she had written a letter to Superintendent of Police, Ahmednagar and sought a meeting with the PM on the issue of women's entry into Sabarimala temple.

"In the letter, we had warned that if the meeting with PM is not facilitated, we would block the PM's convoy and urge him to hold talks," said Desai.

She said the kind of 'alertness' the police showed today in taking action against her, was not shown in acting against those protesting the entry of women into the Kerala temple.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers prayers at Shri Sai Baba Temple in Shirdi on Friday. Photograph: Press Information Bureau of India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday targeted the previous Congress-led governments, saying they were 'not serious' about poverty alleviation and their sole objective was to promote the 'name of a particular family'.

Addressing a gathering in Shirdi after launching several public welfare works, Modi sought to highlight the difference between his government and the previous governments and said the current dispensation was 'working faster' on development and welfare projects.

Noting that Maharashtra has produced several reformers who ensured social harmony, Modi also called for defeating forces which divide communities for their political interests.

"In the last four years, the government has made serious efforts to provide proper houses to the poor living in shanties.

"Efforts were made in the past too. But unfortunately, their sole objective was to promote the name of a particular family, instead of empowering the poor by giving them shelter. Their aim was to create a vote-bank," he said, in an apparent reference to the Nehru-Gandhi family.

"Our target is to ensure that there is not a single homeless person in India by 2022, when the country celebrates its 75th years of Independence. We are making serious efforts for the uplift of the poor," he said.

The objective of the present government, Modi said, is only welfare of the poor.

"Because of this, the poverty alleviation works have expedited," he added.

Modi observed that the previous regime built only 25 lakh houses for the poor in its last four years of rule, while his government has constructed 1.25 crore houses in the same time span.

"It would have taken 20 years to construct 1.25 crore houses, had the previous government been still in power," he said.

Modi also talked about the Centre's Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme and assured assistance to Maharashtra government in view of the water shortage caused by deficient rainfall.

Before his address, Modi performed puja at the Saibaba temple. He also participated in an event marking the conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Samadhi centenary programme organised by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust.

He also issued a silver coin in the name of Saibaba.

Modi said the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana (PMAY) was his government's endeavour to eradicate poverty and urged the beneficiaries of the scheme to empower their next generations through education.

Modi said those who have got pucca houses under the scheme should also avail the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme.

"You will get my letter. If you submit it to the hospital, you will get a gold card, through which you can avail assistance for hospitalisation of family members. For serious illnesses, Rs 5 lakh per year to each family will be given," he said.

Interacting with the beneficiaries mostly in Marathi, Modi asked if the quality of houses under the PMAY was good and if they had to bribe anyone to get the funds for the houses.

When the beneficiaries replied in the negative, he said under the NDA rule, the middlemen have become helpless.

While interacting with people from tribal-dominated Nandurbar district, Modi recalled how he used to visit the place frequently in the past and have 'Chaudhary ki chai'.

He said just like he speaks Marathi, people from Nandurbar can also speak Gujarati. "After all, you are our bigger neighbour," he said.

He asked a beneficiary, Ahilya Padvi, if she would be able to welcome more visitors in her new house now.

When Modi asked the women beneficiaries in Thane how many of them were educated, only one raised her hand.

To this, he said, "You should ensure that your next generation gets education. The housing scheme is a fight against poverty and along with new houses you can avail health benefits under the Ayushman Bharat scheme."

To the beneficiaries in Solapur, he asked if the men were angry as the ownership of the house was given to women. To this, the women said it was a good decision.

Interacting with the beneficiaries in Satara, the prime minister said he had a special connect with the place since his teacher Laxman Namdar hailed from there.

He also asked people in Latur if they knew about the government's Ayushman Bharat Yojana and the cleanliness drive. He told them to promote the schemes in their villages.

The interaction was conducted at the 'e-griha pravesh' ceremony for 40,000 beneficiaries of the PMAY. Before the interaction session, the PM handed over symbolic keys to ten beneficiaries.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said 2.5 lakh beneficiaries got ownership of houses under the PMAY on Friday.

He said the state wanted six lakh more houses and if allotted, they would construct them by October next year.

"Construction of four and a half lakh houses is on and will be completed by December this year," he said.
IMAGE: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh performs shastra puja at a BSF camp in Bikaner, Rajasthan, on Friday. BSF Director General Rajni Kant Mishra is also seen. Photograph: Press Information Bureau of India

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday celebrated Dussehra and performed 'shastra puja' in this forward post of the Border Security Force along the highly sensitive Indo-Pak border, officials said.

This was for the first time that a senior minister of the central government conducted the 'shastra puja' or worship of weapons on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami along India's border with Pakistan.

The home minister, who arrived at the frontier headquarters of the BSF in Bikaner on Thursday evening, celebrated Dussehra festival with the jawans, an official said.

'Shastra puja' is part of the Dussehra festival which is celebrated for the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana.

During the two-day visit, the home minister interacted with the family members of the BSF personnel, attended a feast with the jawans and addressed the security personnel, another official said.

Singh also reviewed the situation on the border and assessed the progress in various infrastructure projects.

The 3,323-km-long Indo-Pak border is considered to be highly sensitive.

Even though the border in Rajasthan is peaceful, the border guarding forces of the two countries often engaged in massive firing in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to loss of human lives and properties.

Last year, the home minister had celebrated Dussehra at Joshimath in Uttarakhand along the Sino-Indian border.
IMAGE: Protesters oppose the entry of women to the Sabarimala Temple. Photograph: PTI Photo

Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday demanded to know why the Centre was not applying the yardstick of equal treatment of women it used on the triple talaq issue to the Sabarimala row and blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party for whipping up communal passions for electoral gains.

The top Marxist party leader said roughing up of women journalists and the stir led by groups wearing saffron head bands at Sabarimala indicated a pattern seen during the demoliton of Babri masjid in 1992 and blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for it.

Women journalists forming part of television crew were roughed up and "it is exactly the pattern, which is also very similar at the time of Babri masjid demoliton...you have the heads of volunteers wearing saffron bands (leading protests)," Yechury said.

Such scenarios unfolded during the Babri protests and a "similar thing is done here; it is an organised thing that the RSS is doing and that will be fought," he said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh would "lose the Sabarimala battle," Yechury said.

Asked if his party-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala will oppose review pleas on Sabarimala issue before the Supreme Court, he said it was for the government to answer.

In a historic judgment last month, the apex court had lifted the ban on entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the hill temple.

Citing the Centre's advisory to Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to take precautionary measures in view of some Hindu outfits planning protests, he said law and order was being maintained by the Kerala government.

"Those disturbing law and order will be dealt with they are being dealt with," Yechury told reporters in Chennai.

On triple talaq, he said the Centre recently promulgated an ordinance making it illegal saying the practice was unequal treatment of women, he said.

"The government did that saying equality of men and women is fundamental to our constitution and that it should be protected."

"Therefore triple talaq is unequal treatment of women and they brought this ordinance. Same principle why they are not applying for Sabarimala?" he asked.

His party had taken a stand against triple talaq for its "arbitary use and instant application so we said that needs to be reformed."

The Centre still has the option of going in for a legislation or ordinance to circumvent the apex court verdict on Sabarimala "if they are really interested," the way it did for the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.

However, "the real point here is to whip up communal polarisation with the hope that it will get some political and electoral benefit," he said.

Accusing the BJP of playing a "worst form of vote bank politics," he said "they are seeking the consolidation of Hindutva communal vote bank at the expense of destroying our social harmony, unity and integrity of our country and this is very dangerous."

He accused the BJP and the Congress in Kerala, of "duplicity" on Sabarimala issue adding the saffron party and the Congress reversed its stand after initially welcoming the verdict.

Yechury said the state-wise electoral strategy (for the Lok Sabha 2019 election) would be worked out as per the recent central committee meet resolve to defeat BJP and its allies, strengthen the CPI-M and the Left in Parliament and work for an alternate secular government at the Centre.

The Muslim Women -- Protection of Rights on Marriage -- Ordinance was promulgated last month and a bill in this regard was passed by Lok Sabha last year which is now pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Recently, the Parliament passed a bill to overturn a apex court order covering arrests under the SC/ST Act and to restore the original provisions.
IMAGE: A demonstrator holds picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest in front of Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. Photograph: Osman Orsal/Reuters

United States President Donald Trump has said it looks like Saudi Arabia's missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and warned of 'very severe' consequences if the kingdom is responsible.

Trump's remarks came after he was briefed on the investigation by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Khashoggi, 60, who has not been seen since entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul earlier this month, is feared to have been killed inside the mission.

The incident has resulted in a global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for The Washington Post.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad. Certainly, looks that way, Trump told reporters at Joint Air Force base Andrews before boarding Air Force One on his way to Montana for a campaign rally.

This is the first time that the US has officially acknowledged about Khashoggi's death, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Turkish investigators have told local media and also to the US media that Khashoggi was brutally killed inside the consulate on October 2.

"Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters when asked what would be the consequences of such an unfortunate incident.

The President's remarks came hours after he had a detailed meeting with Pompeo, who a night earlier arrived from his trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, where he talked to them about the missing journalist.

"We are waiting for some investigations, and waiting for the results. We will have them very soon, and I think we'll be making a statement, a very strong statement. But we're waiting for the results of about three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon," Trump said.

Trump so far has resisted the call for strong action against Saudi Arabia.

During his meeting with Trump, Pompeo advised that Saudi Arabia be given some more time to complete investigation.

"We've made clear to them that we take this matter with respect to Mr Khashoggi very seriously. They've made clear to me they, too, understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi," Pompeo said.

"They also assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion, and that this report itself will be transparent for everyone to see, to ask questions about, and to inquire with respect to its thoroughness," he said.

"And I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that. At which point we can make decisions about how or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr Khashoggi," said the top American diplomat.

Meanwhile several lawmakers led by Congressman Jim McGovern introduced a legislation in the House to prohibit all US arms sales to Saudi Arabia until Secretary of State determines that the Saudi regime is not responsible for the disappearance or death of Khashoggi.

If the Saudi government is found to be culpable in Khashoggi's disappearance, the legislation prohibits all US military aid and sales to Saudi Arabia until Congress passes a resolution approving such sales.

House Democratic Whip Steny H Hoyer said the reported death of Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi officials is appalling, as is the Trump Administration's failure to hold the government of Saudi Arabia accountable for its actions.

"Given the reports surrounding Mr Khashoggi's disappearance, America's relationship with Saudi Arabia ought to be carefully scrutinised, as should any possible sale of US weapons to Saudi Arabia," he said.

"If the President refuses to stand up to Saudi Arabia, it is incumbent upon Congress to take a stand to not only defend US values, but to send a strong signal of support to journalists and democracy activists everywhere," Hoyer added.

In a related development, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders on Thursday urged Turkey to urgently ask UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a UN investigation into the possible extrajudicial execution of Khashoggi.
IMAGE: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray addresses the Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Thursday. Photograph: Mitesh Bhuvad/PTI Photo

Making a strong pitch for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said he would visit the Uttar Pradesh town on November 25 and 'question' Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue.

Addressing the party's annual Dussehra rally in central Mumbai, a few months before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray said a '2014-like wave' is not prevailing in the country.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had attributed its 2014 electoral success to the 'Modi wave'.

Thackeray also asked Sena workers to be prepared for polls.

In the party convention held earlier this year, the Sena, a constituent of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra and the oldest member of the National Democratic Alliance, had declared to go solo in future polls.

"I will go to Ayodhya on November 25. I will ask questions to the prime minister (over alleged delay in constructing the temple)...We are not enemies of the prime minister, but we don't want to play with the emotions of the people," Thackeray told a huge gathering of the party workers.

He also sought to know why Modi had not visited Ayodhya in the past four-and-a-half years, after becoming the prime minister.

Thackeray asked the ruling BJP to declare its promise to construct the Ram temple as a 'jumla' (gimmick) if it is not going to implement the same.

The Sena chief also sought to dispel perception that his party is sticking to power in Maharashtra even as it has been unrelenting in criticising the BJP and the prime minister.

Thackeray said his party has been targeting the government over non-performance of the BJP government.

"Now the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) is also speaking the same language as ours... Recently, RSS leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi said it is the duty of Raja (king) to keep people happy. We all know who is the king in democracy," Thackeray said, without naming anyone.

"You ask us to walk out of the government (when the Sena criticises the government)... Why don't you ask the RSS to tell the BJP to walk out of the government now (for its criticism by the Sangh)?" Thackeray asked.

He also hit out at the BJP-led government over several issues, including price rise, alleged delay in implementing the promise of abrogating Article 370 and for not acting tough against Pakistan.

Thackeray also criticised the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government for 'delay' in declaring drought in the state despite several parts reeling under water shortage.

Referring to a Maharashtra BJP leader's comment that PM Modi is the 'eleventh incarnation' of Lord Vishnu, Thackeray asked, "If that is the case then why the Modi government cannot control skyrocketing prices?"
World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Bangladesh : Adivasis

Publisher Minority Rights Group International Publication Date July 2018 Cite as Minority Rights Group International, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Bangladesh : Adivasis, July 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/49749d5841.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Profile

The term Adivasis is not confined to any particular geographical or political boundaries but is generally used in the Indian subcontinent to denote indigenous peoples. Like India, Bangladesh has its Adivasis, though their proportion in the population is much smaller: official figures suggest around 1.8 per cent, amounting to around 1.6 million - though community representatives state that the total is considerably higher. The Adivasis of Bangladesh, again like those of India, represent a broad category encapsulating at least 27 different indigenous peoples. Despite their many differences, Bangladeshi Adivasis share major ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic distinctions from the majority Bengalis.

Adivasis inhabit the border areas of the north-west and north-east Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh. Both prior to the creation of Bangladesh and afterwards, successive governments have been reluctant to take a census of the Adivasi population on the basis of language and religion. It is widely believed that the Bangladesh government has deliberately undercounted the Adivasi population to emphasize its marginality. Lower numbers mean that their legitimate demands can be more easily dismissed or ignored by governments and thus excluded from relief aid or development programmes. Undercounting also allows Adivasi land claims to be seen as more tenuous and their traditional ways of life as mere fragments of the past rather than as a living culture.

Almost all Bengalis, including many Adivasis, speak Bangla; and indigenous languages have assimilated many Bangla words as their own. Adivasis who have been formally educated through the school system, mostly males, are more likely to speak Bangla than those who are illiterate, especially women. By religion the CHT inhabitants are mainly Buddhist, while Khasi and Mandi are predominantly Christian. Other indigenous peoples have retained their original animism or have affiliated with Hinduism, especially the Hajong, while Rajbansi either are Hinduized or have become Sunni Muslims.

The most populous indigenous peoples in Bangladesh are the Santal, Chakma, Marma and Mandi. Of these the first and last are considered plains-dwelling Adivasis, with the Mandi living in north-central Bangladesh and the Santal in the north-west. They have a strong relationship with the land and there is a deep interrelationship between their religious beliefs (animism) and their social structure.

The CHT covers 10 per cent of the total area of Bangladesh and is home to twelve or thirteen different indigenous peoples of which Chakma, Marma and Tripura total approximately 90 per cent. Sometimes known collectively as Jumma, because of their traditional shifting - jum - method of cultivation, these groups belong to the Tibeto-Burmese language group. Chakma account for more than half the indigenous population of the CHT. They and the Marma are Buddhist, while Tripura are Hindus.

Historical context

Whereas communal land ownership represents a vital element of their life pattern, the major problem for all Adivasis is so-called 'landgrabbing' by Bengalis. Although all indigenous land is theoretically considered to be communal land, it was fortunate that plains Adivasis for the most part received individual title deeds to their land under British rule. Communal land claims have proved far more difficult to sustain in law. Yet individual landholdings are also threatened in many ways. These include seizure by fraud or force and, as in the case of Hindus, illegal application of the Vested Property Act. Adivasis generally have been discriminated against and persecuted, although the position of those of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) has aroused the greatest concern and gained the most international attention.

Most of the CHT peoples migrated into the area from the south between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries although the arrival of Bengali settlers forced many CHT peoples to retreat further into the hills. The British colonial period saw the promulgation of laws granting a measure of autonomy, most prominently reflected by the promulgation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulations of 1900. These measures confirmed that in internal matters the CHT was largely self-governing within the recognized structure; and they delineated categories of land, notably khas (government) land, specifically excluding non-indigenous peoples from settling in tribal areas.

At the time of the Partition of India in 1947 the award of the CHT to East Bengal, despite the fact that it contained almost no Muslim population, raised considerable opposition among the peoples of the CHT. Soon after, the Pakistan government allowed Bengali Muslims to move into the CHT, causing resentment among the indigenous peoples. The pace of Bengali settlement increased once the special status of the CHT was abolished in 1964. The years 1979-83 witnessed large-scale government-sponsored programmes of Bengali settlement in the Hill Tracts.2 Successive governments have actively pursued this policy, with the aim of forcibly assimilating the indigenous peoples of the CHT as well as depriving them of their lands.

Prior to the creation of Bangladesh, the Kaptai hydroelectric project had a devastating effect on many indigenous peoples. Built in the 1960s, the huge Kaptai dam flooded large tracts of cultivable land. More than 100,000 people - a quarter of the population of the CHT - were displaced. It is estimated that 40,000 environmental refugees fled to India, where many of them are currently living in the north-east state of Arunachal Pradesh, citizens neither of India, which has refused to grant them citizenship, nor of Bangladesh, and having no rights in either.

The civil war of the Bengali people against the West Pakistan military and politicians and its ultimate success, with the overt support of Indian forces, gave renewed hope to the hill peoples of a realization of their right to self-determination. A delegation representing Adivasis petitioned the new government for a restoration of autonomy for the CHT, but it received an unsympathetic response. The government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman considered the request to be secessionist, and the government launched raids into the CHT in 1972. As a reaction to this the Jana Samhati Samiti (JSS) United People's Party, and its military wing, the Shanti Bahini (peace force), were formed to resist government forces. Numbering up to 15,000, the Shanti Bahini was staffed mainly by Chakma, but also contained Marma and Tripura, and it conducted a guerrilla war against the state, with brief interludes at the negotiating table.

During its discussions with the government between October 1987 and February 1988, the JSS put forward a number of demands, contending that this was the only way of protecting Adivasi interests. These demands included: withdrawal of Bengali settlers and the prohibition of future settlements by non-indigenous peoples; withdrawal of all Bangladesh military forces from the CHT; retention of the CHT Regulations of 1900; a specified degree of autonomy within the CHT; guarantees that these provisions could not be changed without a plebiscite within the CHT; economic development to benefit Adivasis; dismantling of the model villages and release of JSS prisoners; and the involvement of international agencies such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the implementation of such an agreement. Successive governments have failed to accept such terms, particularly where the issue of autonomy is concerned.

Although an apparent cease-fire was in operation and the government began negotiations with the JSS in November 1992, massive human rights abuses continued to take place in the CHT including torture, threats and killings, along with army destruction of houses and temples. Many instances of overt discrimination against Adivasis, both by the public as well as by governmental officials, have been recorded, and the most serious threat to the peoples of the CHT remained the policy of depriving them of their lands.

A major breakthrough in the enduring conflict came through the signing of the Peace Accord on 2 December 1997 between the government of Bangladesh and the JSS. The accord provides a number of rights to indigenous peoples including limited autonomy. A Land Disputes Commission was to be established to deal with land-related issues, with the promise that it would provide quick and inexpensive remedies in cases of land dispossession taking into account local customs and usage. A majority of the members of the Commission were intended to be from indigenous communities with the added advantage of their local knowledge and experience of land issues.

However, while the Peace Accord called for the demilitarization of the CHT, the area has remained highly militarized. State security forces have been accused of conducting attacks against Jumma communities, not intervening in incidents of communal violence and facilitating the influx of Muslim settlers. Despite implementing legislation such as the Land Commission Act of 2001, no cases of land disputes have yet been solved by the commission and land encroachment continues. Follow-up legislation was drafted under the CHT Land Disputes Resolution Commission Act (Amendment) and passed in 2016 in corrected form.

At the same time, the CHT has seen regular outbreaks of violence against indigenous communities, despite the heavy policy presence. In June 2014 for example, over 250 Chakma and Tripuri people reportedly abandoned their homes and fled to the Indian border at Tripura after clashes with Bengali settlers. In December 2014, around 50 indigenous people in Rangamati district had their homes razed by Bengali settlers in apparent retribution for the destruction of the latter's pineapple and teak saplings.

The Peace Accord was further eroded when bills passed on 23 November 2014 changed the composition of district councils in three indigenous areas - Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban - from five to eleven members, with three non-indigenous unelected members. The Accord stipulates that the council members must be elected, but the government has instead handpicked the council members. Indigenous civil society groups demonstrated in Dhaka against the bills, calling for their immediate withdrawal.

Current issues

Indigenous communities continue to be targeted regularly across Bangladesh, typically over land disputes, by Bengali settlers, security forces and other groups. In November 2016, for instance, an indigenous Christian Santal community was attacked in Gaibandha District, north western Bangladesh, after a land rights dispute with an adjacent sugar mill factory. The Santals claim that the disputed 1,840-acre land is part of their ancestral territory and that they had attempted to take back the land, leading to a clash with factory workers. Preliminary investigations by the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum concluded that local ruling party MPs colluded with police to burn down their houses. Amateur video footage showed what appeared to be police burning houses. Three Santal men were killed by indiscriminate firing by police. In December, the Bangladesh High Court ordered Gaibandha's chief judicial magistrate to investigate police involvement in setting the fires. Around 2,500 families were forced to flee the area.

Land disputes have also afflicted the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), the ancestral territories of the indigenous peoples collectively known as Jumma, and were a key issue in the 1997 CHT Peace Accord. The Peace Accord put an end to decades of fighting between the government and Jumma resistance, but many of its provisions remain unimplemented. On 31 July 2016, however, the Cabinet approved the amendment of the CHT Land Disputes Resolution Commission Act, which empowers a commission to settle disputes over illegally settled and occupied lands. It is hoped that such changes will help to restore the rights of CHT indigenous people to their lands and solve the roots of conflict between communities in the area. The resulting Land Disputes Commission finally met in early 2018. Although it discussed ways forward, including the opening of two district offices, the chair noted that approximately 22,000 land-related complaints had been filed so far - with none as yet resolved.

Nevertheless, to date the government of Bangladesh has systematically eroded the right of its indigenous peoples to self-determination, particularly control over their ancestral lands, closely related to the realization of their collective cultural rights. The Constitution of Bangladesh, through an amendment in 2011, asserts that 'The people of Bangladesh shall be known as Bangalees as a nation', effectively creating an even more restrictive national identity that excludes the indigenous non-Bengali population. While the amendment also stated the importance of protecting the 'unique local culture and tradition of the tribes, minor races, ethnic sects and communities', it disregarded calls to use the term 'indigenous peoples' or 'Adivasis'. Indeed, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, in its October 2015 Concluding Observations, noted its general concern about 'the lack of recognition by the State party of indigenous identity of the Adivasi indigenous peoples'. This is reflected, for instance, in official educational policies. Although the 2010 National Education Policy asserts that children have the right to be instructed in their mother tongue language, in practice education is largely in Bengali, with little emphasis on indigenous history or culture, leaving many students struggling with language barriers. Despite some limited government efforts in recent years to support indigenous learning, the survival of many languages remains in the balance.

Tourism too poses an increasing threat to the rights of indigenous peoples. According to the CHT Peace Accord, local indigenous communities must be consulted in development that affects them, yet Jumma activists continue to report cases of land grabbing to accommodate tourism developments. So too in south-central Bangladesh, coastal tourism development has been destroying the way of life of the indigenous Rakhine community in Kuakata. Land donated by the then prime minister in 1999 for community improvement purposes has been illegally confiscated to build a shopping complex in this resort town. Rakhine have found it increasingly difficult to maintain their distinct culture as their sacred waterways, cremation grounds and temple lands are reportedly under threat, damaged or occupied by new migrants to the area. Their Buddhist religious sites have also been destroyed and in some cases, ransacked: in 1906, there were 19 Buddhist temples in the area, but today there is only one left.

Updated July 2018

Copyright notice:  Minority Rights Group International. All rights reserved.
"Whoever they met, they would cut and kill": displaced Congolese recount rebel atrocities

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 12 July 2018 Cite as IRIN, "Whoever they met, they would cut and kill": displaced Congolese recount rebel atrocities, 12 July 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a18726.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

News feature  In-depth

By Alex McBride, Freelance journalist and IRIN contributor

IRIN gained rare access to civilians and militia leaders in Rutshuru, where two years of tit-for-tat attacks have left villages burnt, more than 100 dead, and communities divided along ethnic lines

RUTSHURU TERRITORY/The Democratic Republic of Congo, 12 July 2018

At the camp for displaced people in Rukoro, nobody can remember the last time they saw an aid worker. There are no tents and tarpaulins for the roughly 300 people that live here  just a collection of tiny, tunnel-shaped huts tucked out of sight down a dirt track in this remote corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo's Rutshuru region.

Eugenia Nzamukosha, one of the residents of Rukoro, would like to return home. She would like to drink water from somewhere better than the dirty pond under the nearby bridge; to eat food more nourishing than the bananas she forages from the bush, or the beans she receives from locals (on a good day).

But Nzamukosha cannot go home because, like the other families here, she has no home to go back to. Last September, men from a militia composed of a different ethnic group entered her village and burnt down the small hut she and her seven children lived in.

A few weeks earlier, her son, Moise Nkurunziza, was stabbed in the back and shoulder by his own school teacher, who was from a different ethnic group. In another attack, her neighbour was chased by militiamen, caught, and cut into pieces with machetes.

"When he was dead, [the fighters] put banana leaves on his body and started burning him like a pig," Nzamukosha said.

"The crisis is ignored"

In May, with the help of the Congo Men's Network (COMEN), a local NGO that fights against sexual violence in the region, IRIN made a rare visit to villages across Rutshuru, meeting displaced people who told tales of terror at the hands of armed groups.

Rutshuru's displaced are among 4.5 million people currently uprooted by conflict in the country, the highest number since the beginning of the Congo wars two decades ago. This year more than 13 million Congolese will need humanitarian assistance, far more than the year before.

For the past two years, whole swathes of Rutshuru and Lubero, two territories in eastern Congo's North Kivu Province, have been reeling from an inter-communal conflict that is  even by the standards of what has been dubbed the "world's most neglected crisis"  flying under the radar.

Factions of two militias  the Nyatura and the Mai-Mai Mazembe  that claim to defend different ethnic groups have been burning houses, killing civilians, and dividing communities along ethnic lines. Media reports mention around 100 killings over the past couple of years, but IRIN heard testimony about many more and a large number likely go unreported. Frequent kidnappings, attacks on aid workers, and challenging conditions for those attempting to document the conflict mean there has been little attention on the violence.

"The crisis is ignored," Hubert Masirika of COMEN said, simply.

The violence is one among a series of localised conflicts that have embroiled Congo following President Joseph Kabila's failure to organise elections and leave office in December 2016 when his second (and constitutionally mandated final) term expired. Kabila has said elections will now be held in December 2018, but he hasn't publicly ruled out standing for a third term and further delays remain possible.

There are many armed groups in Rutshuru, but during the current conflict two are causing particular damage: Nyatura, a collection of around 15 ethnic Hutu militia groups that emerged in the past few years to protect the region's Hutu community; and Mai-Mai Mazembe, a patchwork of Nande self-defence militias that formed in early 2016 to combat abuses by the feared Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)  a Hutu rebel army that includes remnants of the militia responsible for the Rwandan genocide.

Ethnically-based rivalries between groups considered indigenous to Congo such as the Nande, and Hutus and Tutsis of Rwandan origin, known collectively as Banyarwanda, are nothing new in North Kivu. Decades of Banyarwanda migration into eastern Congo has caused bitter disputes over land, property, and who counts as Congolese.

Recent tensions between Nande and Hutu communities flared in late 2015 however, following military operations by the Congolese army (FARDC) against the FDLR, which fled into eastern Congo straight after the 1994 genocide.

During its operations, the FARDC proved unable to defeat the FDLR on its own, and relied strongly on proxy militias including an armed group known as the Nduma Defense of Congo (NDC) and the NDC's then Nande allies, Mai-Mai Mazembe.

On the back-food and lacking manpower the FDLR turned to various Nyatura factions from the Congolese Hutu community to fight on its behalf. Civilians on both sides were targeted and relations between Nande and Hutu communities were subsequently poisoned.

The number of atrocities has since diminished due to the segregation of Nande and Hutu communities into separate villages. But attacks and killings by both groups have continued with at least 22 reported dead during two days of inter-ethnic violence in February.

At another settlement for displaced civilians in Kiwanja Parish  a short drive from Rukoro  more than 100 displaced Hutu families live in huts made of dried banana leaves wrapped up in plastic sheeting.

The latest arrival was Vianney Nzamuye. The 45-year-old recalled how he was in his field last December brewing banana beer with his wife and two neighbours when Mazembe fighters armed with rifles, machetes, and spears approached them in the bush.

The militiamen stripped the group naked before tying their hands behind their backs and forcing them to climb inside a hole dug for the fermenting bananas. Next, they "began pouring earth inside and burying us alive," Nzamuye said. The group was eventually saved from death after promising to pay a $60 ransom per person.

Children killed and forced to fight

Standing to Nzamuye's right was one of the camp's first residents, Andre Ayubu. The 53-year-old came to Kiwanja 12 months earlier from a village called Luhanga in Lubero, a territory to the north of Rutshuru.

Ayubu recalled how Mazembe combatants stormed his village one evening and killed at least 30 Hutus living in a displacement camp by a UN base. Ayubu helped collect and bury the dead the following morning. Among the bodies, he found five young children who had been impaled on the barbs on a four-metre high thorn bush.

"They didn't even take any money," he said of the Mazembe fighters. "They just came to kill and burn everything."

In Kibirizi, a four-hour drive from Rutshuru town on roads stalked by armed groups, IRIN heard similar stories. Eric Kasereka, a local leader among displaced Nande civilians, said he arrived in the small, dusty town in December after Nyatura fighters stormed his village of Bwalanda at 2am.

Kasereka said he saw men slit the throat of an elderly man named Kivhula before tossing his corpse into a burning hut. In the same attack he saw fighters throw a young boy into another burning home while he was still alive. The rebels held the door shut, he said, as the boy burnt to death.

"Whoever they met, they would cut and kill," he said.

Innocent Kasereka (no relation), a local leader from nearby Kishishe, said a group of Nyatura fighters attacked a school in his village last October while children were still in class. Kasereka said a teacher was cut in the back with a machete while children, some as young as six, were beaten with "big sticks that they would use as spears".

Now, more than 1,500 Nande households from Kishishe have moved to nearby Kibirizi. But with each new attack the number grows bigger, said Kasereka. "Whenever it happens more people move," he said.

According to the UN, both Nyatura and Mazembe have forcibly recruited child soldiers. In Kibirizi, IRIN met five children aged between 15 and 17 who had been separated from a Mazembe faction a month earlier. They sat pressed up to the wall of an orange-coloured hut, a streak of light shining across their faces.

In the forest they had been part of the same unit, conducting daily patrols with instructions to shoot at Nyatura fighters on sight. Their commanders would give them drugs, alcohol, and magic water that could supposedly protect them from bullets. On several occasions, they were forced to return to their villages and rape women.

"If you refused, they would beat you," said a 15-year-old whose parents were killed by Nyatura in 2016.

Limited access, little aid

In Rutshuru, most of the displaced are living outside camps in host families that have little to offer. Since arriving in Kibirizi last August, Muhindo, 36, and his family of eight have been forced to move house five times for lack of money. "If you are not able to pay, they chase you away and you move into another place," he said.

In exchange for cultivating his host's fields, Muhindo said his family receives a small serving of cassava flour and beans each day, or the equivalent of roughly one dollar. Neither is sufficient.

"The children are severely malnourished," he said.

Bad roads and insecurity have weakened humanitarian access. In February, two members of the Congolese NGO Hydraulics Without Borders were killed by armed men causing NGOs to suspend their activities for several weeks.

The risk to aid workers is currently so high, in certain areas "a helicopter is necessary for the delivery of humanitarian aid," the UN's emergency aid coordination body, OCHA, said in May.

With so many armed groups present in the region and operating autonomously from one-another, "it is impossible to reach an understanding [with them] where we can access the area and not have a security incident," said one aid worker, who asked not to be named.

Back at the Rukoro camp, there was no clean water or health services on-site and just two latrines for more than 40 families. Five children had died in the past 12 months, according to the mother-of-seven, Nzamukosha; the last of malnutrition just a few days before IRIN's visit.

"Here, we have nothing at all," she said.

Meeting the commanders

It is rare to see the commanders who are responsible for these crimes. They hide deep in the forests and hills of Rutshuru and Lubero, in camps that can take hours to reach even with the strongest vehicles. But in rare interviews, IRIN met two of the most powerful Nyatura commanders: Domi and John Love.

A squat man with a wide smile, Domi stood on the slope of a remote hilltop base in a plain Congolese army uniform sold to him, he said, by a starving army soldier. His baby-faced fighters lounged and chatted in the elephant grass, a few heavy weapons distributed between them. But what he lacked in manpower, he made up for in rhetoric.

"We are sure that one day we can take power," he said.

While most know Domi, whose real name is Dominique Ndaruhutse, as the leader of a murderous local militia, the warlord and his unit commander, John Love, see themselves differently.

In separate interviews they introduced themselves not as Nyatura but as the military wing of a political group they called the Collective of Movements for Change (CMC).

They described the CMC as a rainbow coalition uniting 10 different armed groups from across the region. Its objective is not to defend ethnic Hutus or fight against opposing militias, they say, but to challenge President Kabila.

"We are without a legal government since December 2016," said Love, who, like Domi, denied responsibility for attacks on civilians. "We want the population to vote for their own leaders."

The CMC is one of a number of new coalitions to emerge in eastern Congo with the stated objective of challenging Kabila. In Butembo, to the north of Rutshuru, is the National Movement of Revolutionaries (MNR), which includes a cluster of mostly Nande Mai-Mai leaders, including some Mazembe factions.

In neighbouring South-Kivu Province is the National People's Coalition for the Sovereignty of Congo (CNSPC), led by a former national army ally William Yakutumba, whose group Mai-Mai Yakutumba is one of the most powerful in the region.

The coalitions involve groups traditionally considered local militia with local interests and rivalries. Now, said Love, "the primary objective is to eliminate tribal conflict" and challenge central power.

To this end, Domi said the CMC has recently held peace talks with Mazembe. But an agreement has not been reached and Nande and Hutu civilians interviewed by IRIN remain sceptical of both groups' true intentions.

In Katolo, a small village of tin-roofed huts a short drive from Domi's position, charred, blackened homes dot the hillside.

Nyatura fighters entered the village one evening last November. They killed nine people and burned down 68 houses, according to Paul Muhindo, chief of the displaced population.

Hundreds of Nande fled to nearby Kibirizi, where they remain, he said, unable to return for fear of Nyatura, "who control the fields [where we farm]".

If the government does not put an end to armed groups operating in the region, "there is a risk we will never go back home," added Marcel Kambale, leader of the displaced community in nearby Bambo.

"There is no safety at all," he said.

Link to original story on IRIN website
An island in the Philippines hopes for peace but braces for war

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 23 July 2018 Cite as IRIN, An island in the Philippines hopes for peace but braces for war, 23 July 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a19234.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

News feature

By Wes Bruer, Freelance journalist covering militancy and conflict

Civilians on parts of Mindanao fear the rise of extremists linked to so-called Islamic State

DATU SALIBO/The Philippines, 23 July 2018

After years of bloodshed, the southern Philippine island of Mindanao is on the verge of a hard-won peace deal granting greater autonomy to minority Muslims.

But on the edges of sprawling Liguasan Marsh, civilians like Tamano Bandila are bracing for more violence. He fled his home last year, after hearing rumours that militants linked to so-called Islamic State (IS) were near.

"I'm worried that IS will come back and recruit the youth and there will be more conflict," he said, adding that civilians, again, would be the collateral damage.

Bandila's home sits in the middle of a resource-rich marshlands in central Mindanao that is also a stronghold of the island's largest Muslim armed group  the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. For more than 40 years, grievances among the island's Moro Muslims have fuelled a separatist movement that has battled the army of the majority-Catholic Philippines.

The backdrop is the spectre of last year's five-month siege of Marawi, about 120 kilometres north of here, where fighting between the army and Islamist militants levelled the city and uprooted 360,000 people. The destruction both deepened long-held frustrations against the government among Muslims  and raised fears that further missteps in the peace process will only fuel extremism here.

The government declared an end to the Marawi siege in October, but clashes with Islamist militants continue in places like Liguasan Marsh. Here, the MILF has done what was once unthinkable: formed an uneasy alliance with its former enemies, the Philippine army.

IRIN recently accompanied MILF fighters as they patrolled their territory in search of militants who scattered into the area after government forces reclaimed Marawi.

Weaving through canals on narrow canoes and speeding by patches of mangroves, the soldiers passed signs of recent clashes: a shed with an artillery shell-sized hole through the sheet metal roof, a madrassa seized from militants, a MILF fighter still nursing a bandaged gunshot wound to the stomach.

Today, the MILF and the military coordinate operations in the vast marshlands in a tenuous alliance of former adversaries: the army providing airstrikes while MILF fighters lead the charge on the ground.

"We are the one who assaults the enemy directly,"A? said Von Al-Haq, spokesman for the MILF's military arm.

It's another turn in the protracted peace process on Mindanao, where the separatist movement has morphed and fractured over decades of instability and collapsed accords.

Over the years, the MILF tempered its demands for outright independence in favour of more political autonomy. The MILF signed its peace treaty with the government after years of negotiations in 2014, but other factions rejected the deal.

Now, President Rodrigo Duterte is on the cusp of signing  as early as this week  the Bangsamoro Organic Law, implementing the peace accord and granting greater autonomy and fiscal powers to a Moro Muslim homeland on Mindanao. But many here  local activists, displaced civilians, the MILF, and other militant groups  warn of more violence to come.

Waiting in the wings is an array of armed factions opposed to the peace deal  including a new generation of extremist militants who claim allegiance to IS. In June, clashes between the army and insurgents displaced more than 23,000 people in the marshlands, and another 15,000 people elsewhere.

There are many layers to conflict and displacement in Mindanao, with a range of armed factions, powerful clans, private armies, and paramilitary groups fighting for control on different parts of the island. Here's a look at a few key players:

Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF): Came to prominence in the early 1970s and carried the banner of pro-independence Moro Muslims on Mindanao for more than two decades. The MNLF originally demanded an independent state, but later settled for autonomy. Factions within the organisation saw this as an unacceptable compromise and broke away, including elements that would go on to form the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. After years of conflict and peace talks with the MNLF, the government created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or ARMM. But critics say the political entity suffered from dysfunctional governance and lacked financial resources and power. Today, the MNLF is divided, with some factions still opposed to the MILF's treaty with the government, while members of other factions have been included in peace deliberations. MNLF factions reportedly had a fighting strength of 3,000 in 2016, down from an estimated 17,000 two decades earlier.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF): Split from the MNLF in 1977 over the latter's acceptance of autonomy with the Philippine government. However, the MILF later embraced peace talks with the government, which continued in starts and stops throughout the 2000s. The group eventually dropped its demands for full independence in favour of a government offer for an autonomous region with more powers than the current ARMM. The Philippine Supreme Court quashed an early agreement between the two sides in 2008, setting off a new round of conflict. The MILF later signed a new peace deal with the government in 2014, leading to the current deliberations for a new autonomous region. Primarily based in central Mindanao, the MILF is estimated to have about 12,000 fighters in its ranks.

Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF): Rejecting peace talks with the government, a faction of the MILF split to form the BIFF in 2010. BIFF factions remain opposed to the current peace process. Spokesman Abu Misry Mama told IRIN the group continues to seek an independent Muslim state. The BIFF had previously pledged support for the so-called Islamic State, but the spokesman now denies any allegiance: "ISIS has no clear directions. The Bangsamoro struggle does not need this kind of struggle in Mindanao," he said. BIFF is believed to have a fighting strength of several hundred people.

Abu Sayyaf: An Islamist separatist organisation founded by Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, who recruited former members of the MNLF in 1991. Traditionally operating on the islands of Sulu and Basilan to the southwest of Mindanao, the group was responsible for numerous kidnappings, bombings, and attacks on civilians, often targeting foreign nationals. Isnilon Hapilon emerged as the most prominent commander. The group pledged allegiance to so-called Islamic State in 2014, and Hapilon claimed to be the "emir" of IS supporters in the Philippines. In 2017, Hapilon was the target of a military operation in Marawi, which led to the five-month siege that levelled the city.

Maute group: Led by brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute, it grew out of an influential local clan in Lanao del Sur province, in the heart of Muslim Mindanao, and started clashing with government forces. The Maute group declared allegiance to IS in 2014, and its fighters participated in the 2017 taking of Marawi, where both Maute brothers were killed in the subsequent siege. The remnants of the group have scattered and the Philippine army has said they may now be led by Abu Dhar, a former lieutenant to Hapilon. According to the International Crisis Group, the Maute faction previously recruited former MILF fighters.

Clan-based groups: Feuds between rival clans in western and central Mindanao have been a frequent cause of displacement for civilians, adding another layer of complexity to conflict on Mindanao.

New People's Army: A communist insurgent group formed in 1969, the NPA continues to be active in parts of Mindanao (as well as elsewhere in the Philippines). Clashes between the NPA, the army, and paramilitary units have also been one of the main drivers of conflict and displacement on the island.

"What happened in Marawi City . . . is one offshoot of the frustration of the people, especially the young people," Mohagher Iqbal, a senior member of the MILF and its chief peace negotiator, told IRIN.

"When people are frustrated and the frustration is extreme, then people will go to extreme measures."

Abu Sayyaf, known for kidnapping and beheading foreign hostages, reportedly pledged allegiance to IS in 2014, as did another group led by brothers Omar and Abdullah Maute. Both Maute brothers and former Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon were killed in Marawi.

"We have to drive them away so that the incident in Marawi will not be repeated," said Grand Mufti Huraira Abdulrahman Udasan, the highest-ranking Islamic religious figure in central Mindanao, who issued an edict condemning violent extremism during last year's siege. "We have been permitted by Islam to take a temporary drastic measure in order to quell the violence. Sometimes, only violence can quell violence."

Many here condemn the newer groups, but they are also quick to add that such extremism is rooted in generations of marginalisation rather than jihadist ideology.

Though Mindanao is believed to be rich in untapped mineral deposits and natural gas reserves, poverty rates in Moro Muslim areas hover over 50 percent  more than double the national average, according to government statistics. And poverty rates have climbed over the last decade on Mindanao, even while falling nationwide.

"These young people are a product of social injustice," said Hamidullah Atar, a sultan in Marawi  part of the traditional clan leadership structure in the area  who also runs a peace-building organisation called RIDO. "They become more radical and more extreme because of what happens in our society."

But Atar said successive governments have only ever had a military response to insurgent groups on Mindanao. What's missing, especially amid the rise of more extremist groups, is a sustained effort to tackle the roots of violence by creating jobs, making education more accessible, and improving people's lives. He noted that while the army killed the leaders of the Maute group in Marawi, they were quickly replaced.

"Over the past 400 years in Mindanao, militarisation has never been the solution," Atar said. "They killed the Maute brothers, but now all the subordinates, and all other young people second in line, have now become more extreme than the Maute brothers. So is counter-terrorism and killing them the solution?"

Sky-high expectations surround the MILF's peace agreement with the government. Yet local community groups worry that in practice, the resulting law will be stripped back from what was originally negotiated in 2014.

The Philippine Congress has wrangled over matters of tax revenue, control over resources and waterways, and even the basic question of how outlying municipalities will accede to a new autonomous territory. While the MILF says the current agreement is an imperfect but acceptable new beginning, Islamist militants could still use any failings in the resulting deal as fodder in the future.

"There's still a lot of mistrust toward the Manila government," said Carlos Conde, a Manila-based researcher with Human Rights Watch.

"Civil society groups, Muslim groups, are trying to build this bridge and remove this distrust. But it's difficult when you take into account the fact that the Muslim region . . . really doesn't have anything significant to show after all these decades."

Proponents of the peace accord say it's a starting point for disaffected Moro Muslims, giving a better chance for local leaders to improve lives over the long-term. But for now, militancy continues in Mindanao despite the peace deal, leaving civilians trapped in the middle.

Fighting has forced Mariam Maunan Usop to flee her home twice before. Now she lives in a MILF compound near Liguasan Marsh, where she runs a store from her small home.

"We are already so tired of moving from one place to another . . . " Usop said. "I don't think we can survive another displacement."

Link to original story on IRIN website
Zimbabwe ruling party accused of using food aid to buy votes

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 24 July 2018 Cite as IRIN, Zimbabwe ruling party accused of using food aid to buy votes, 24 July 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a19410d.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

News

By Mark Phiri

2.4 million people at risk of hunger on eve of first post-Mugabe elections

HARARE, 24 July 2018

Zimbabwe heads to the polls on Monday for landmark elections, the first since Robert Mugabe was ousted in November after 37 years in power. But despite promises of a new corruption-free era, monitors, experts, and the opposition allege that once again the ruling party is trying to buy votes with food aid.

Almost two and a half million Zimbabweans are at risk of hunger, but as the country gears up for 30 July presidential, parliamentary, and local elections, government promises that food aid will be distributed according to need rather than party affiliation are ringing hollow.

After taking the helm when Mugabe was ousted in November, President Emmerson Mnangagwa pledged Zimbabwe would turn over a new leaf, ending corruption such as the politicisation of food aid. He also promised the elections would be "free and fair" and extended the first invitations in almost two decades to foreign governments to observe the polls.

Now, the Zimbabwe Peace Project, an NGO monitoring the pre-election environment, says it has received reports from across the country of people excluded from food aid because of their political affiliation, allegations echoed by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

"People are being deprived of food aid on account of them being supporters of the opposition. That must stop," MDC presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa told the Africa Report website. Chamisa, who according to a recent report by Afrobarometer is polling just three points behind Mnangagwa, has repeated the allegation several times on the campaign trail.

Mugabe's regime was often accused of using food aid as a political tool. In 2016, amid a spate of anti-government protests and a devastating drought, Zimbabwe's Human Rights Commission said officials of the ruling Zanu-PF party "were the major perpetrators in violations linked to distribution of food, agricultural inputs and other forms of aid," and that such practices violated UN Principles on Fundamental Human Rights to Food.

Government-run handouts

In Zimbabwe, the coordination of food distribution is done by provincial governors, who are appointed by the central government.

Opposition parties have criticised placing food aid in the hands of government officers, claiming it has led to politicisation as most are ruling Zanu-PF party supporters, some of whom are contesting parliamentary or local seats but have not  in line with election laws  resigned from their posts.

"There is undoubtedly political manipulation," said Pat Thaker from the Economist Intelligence Unit, a London-based analyst group. There are "many reports of people who require aid being required to show a Zanu-PF card," she told IRIN.

When Zanu-PF campaigned last month in Bulawayo, the country's second largest city, ruling party officials distributed rice donated by China only to party members, several witnesses told IRIN.

Some Bulawayo residents said they were unaware that food aid was available in the city.

"We are hearing it from you," an elderly widow told IRIN.

"They usually give this food to their supporters, and since I do not know anything about politics I guess that's why we did not hear about the rice," she said.

Acting Minister of Information Simon Khaya Moyo, who doubles as Zanu-PF national spokesman, told IRIN that any grassroots party officials found selectively distributing food aid would face internal party disciplinary measures as "the president has made it clear no one should be discriminated against."

Massive needs

An estimated 2.4 million Zimbabweans - about 28 percent of the rural population - are projected to require food assistance during the coming peak hunger season, which runs from January to March, 2019, according to the 2018 Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee Report.

Lloyd Chadzingwa, advocacy and communications officer at the Food and Nutrition Council (FNC), a government agency set up to monitor and advise on food insecurity and malnutrition issues, referred IRIN's questions to local officials, noting that "they are the ones who coordinate food distribution on behalf of government."

Chadzingwa did say the number of food insecure people in urban areas jumped from 1.1 million in 2016 to 1.5 million in 2018, largely because incomes remained stagnant as the prices of basic commodities rose.

Across the country, "widespread poverty, HIV/AIDS, limited employment opportunities, liquidity challenges, recurrent climate-induced shocks and economic instability all contribute to limiting adequate access to food," according to the WFP.

The latest forecast from US-funded food security and malnutrition watchdog FEWS NET says crisis levels of food insecurity are expected across much of the country between August 2018 and January 2019.

Link to original story on IRIN website
The orphans of so-called Islamic State left in Libyan limbo

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 25 July 2018 Cite as IRIN, The orphans of so-called Islamic State left in Libyan limbo, 25 July 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a196a.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Feature

"The plight of these children is a consequence of war"

MISRATA, 25 July 2018

A year and a half after so-called Islamic State was kicked out of its last stronghold in Libya, 24 parentless children of its foreign fighters are growing up in a high-security, makeshift orphanage tucked away down a sidestreet in the northwestern city of Misrata.

They are the last of 155 children brought out of Sirte in late 2016 after many of their parents were killed in a six-month battle to liberate the northern coastal city from IS.

Most have since been repatriated, released to extended family members, or reunited with female relatives incarcerated in a prison in Misrata, some 275 kilometres northwest of Sirte. But Najeeb al-Raiss, head of the Misrata branch of the Red Crescent, said the governments of the remaining children's parents  Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana  have shown no interest in repatriating their young citizens.

So they remain in a walled-off orphanage guarded by a local militia, cared for by an organisation that never expected to look after them for more than a few months. Raiss said the local Red Crescent has spent more than half a million dinars ($350,000) on medical treatment and basic care for the orphans and is running out of money.

"The government, the international community, and [aid] organisations all deluded us," said Raiss, who began caring for the children on what was meant to be a temporary basis in late 2016. "[International organisations] all talked about humanity, charity, and amnesty and promised lots of help, but it was just words. Nobody stuck to their promises and now we are alone."

Life in a high-security orphanage

Misrata makes an odd refuge for children of IS members: forces from Libya's third largest city led the fight against the militants in Sirte, and many lost their lives. The Red Crescent is worried about revenge attacks from locals as well as IS sleeper cells who might take an interest in the children, so they've put up high walls and employ a small local militia for round-the-clock security.

"Our city paid a very high price for liberating Sirte, and there is a chance that someone crazy could try to do something bad to these children," Raiss told IRIN. "It's not likely, but we have to be alert to that threat."

The walls are high enough that the children can play in a small courtyard  half sand, half astroturf  without being seen from neighbouring houses. The outer gate and main living areas are locked.

The Red Crescent employs a nanny and a tutor in lieu of formal schooling and, on the rare occasions the children leave the orphanage, the road is sealed off before they are ushered onto a bus, under guard.

In the early evening, the orphans' high-pitched recitations of Quranic verse can just be heard in the courtyard, before the older children carry large cooking pots of macaroni into their small living area. There are only three bedrooms, and everything here is modest. Donated clothes are often outsized, trousers tied with string, furnishings are sparse, and they have few toys.

The staff appear to have strong relationships with the children, but the locked doors and its small size mean this home sometimes resembles a prison. One little girl grasped the hand of a departing visitor, pleading: "Please take me with you."

But Raiss said this is still the best and safest option for the orphans, the youngest of whom was carried out from the rubble of Sirte when she was just two days old, and has known no other home. The oldest is 14.

"These children are a big responsibility, and we do as much as we can for them," said Raiss. "We know it's not much, but we do our best."

Unwanted and forgotten

The children first came into the Red Crescent's care traumatised and withdrawn, recalled Dr. Faisal Mohammed Jelwal, a psychologist who volunteers at the orphanage. Many did not speak for months, others refused to eat and drink.

Once they began talking, Red Crescent volunteers, with the help of the imprisoned widows of IS fighters, were able to build a database of their names and nationalities.

They were helped by the fact that all IS families were hunkered down together in the final months of the battle for Sirte, contravening the group's practice of separating families by the social standings of their husbands.

"They knew each other very well in the end, so we've been able to identify names and nationalities of all the children, even the babies," explained Jelwal.

Some children were reunited with female relatives in Misrata prison, while any Libyan children were released to extended family members. According to the Libyan Red Crescent, only 27 IS-affiliated women and children  from the Philippines and Sudan  have been repatriated by their governments since 2016.

Taher al-Baher, head of the technical department of the Misrata charity Alemdad, which initially worked with the Red Crescent to care for the children and works closely with the UN on multiple projects, told IRIN that earlier this year 21 Somali, Eritrean, and Djiboutian women and children were taken to Canada as part of UN-funded evacuation programmes. He said one woman was taken to Germany. The UN's refugee agency, UNHCR, did not respond to IRIN's requests for comment on the resettlements.

Raiss and Jelwal said the remaining orphans' home countries  21 of them are from Tunisia and Egypt  have expressed no interest in taking them back.

"We've tried to contact all international humanitarian agencies and tried to keep the pressure up on relevant governments  both [on] the Libyan government and these orphans' home governments, to get them to take them back to their own homes and preferably family members," Jelwal said. "Unfortunately, we've received no responses."

A spokesperson from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told IRIN it "has been "working on restoring family links with . . . [the children's] families, with the aim of eventually facilitating their repatriation."

Injured and traumatised

While the Red Crescent hopes to eventually send the children home, for now it provides much-needed medical and mental healthcare.

Food and drinking water were scarce in the final months of the battle for Sirte, and those who escaped were severely malnourished. Some children still bear the scars from injuries they sustained, including gunshot and shrapnel wounds: the arm of one three-year-old had to be amputated, while another little girl has extensive burn marks across her face and neck.

Jelwal said the psychological damage was just as serious. It took about four months for the children to begin exploring the orphanage or to ask after their parents and family members. The younger children have regained some sense of normalcy and talk to the orphanage's occasional visitors  they mostly ask for toy cars  but the older ones are uncommunicative and withdrawn.

The trauma is not surprising given the horrors many of these children have seen. Major General Mohamed al-Ghossri, former spokesman of the Libyan forces who fought in Sirte, told IRIN that 15 women detonated suicide vests in the civilian corridors that the children used to flee.

Two of the children currently housed in the orphanage ran away in terror after watching their father pour petrol over their mother and her sister and set them alight  an apparent effort to protect them from arrest by the advancing military.

Part of Jelwal's work is countering IS ideology, although not all the kids know their parents were a part of the group.

"The younger ones don't realise their parents were with IS and don't understand everything that happened. But some of the children, mostly aged seven or older, perhaps understand their parents were with IS," he said.

Little help . . . and what future?

While Jelwal volunteers his time, taking care of the children has been expensive. Heavily reliant on private donations, the Libyan Red Crescent is struggling financially.

Raiss was frustrated. He described support from the UN and major aid agencies as "disappointing", limited to modest funds from the ICRC and beds donated by the UN's migration agency, IOM.

"We hear in the media about many huge humanitarian organisations working all over the world, but here we have seen no humanity from the international community," Raiss said. "Most of these organisations have only visited these children to take photos and collect information. But [they have] not given any concrete help."

An ICRC spokesperson told IRIN it had sent a local team to do renovations on the orphanage, and provided toothbrushes, soap, and other hygienic goods.

Jelwal singled out UNICEF for providing no assistance at all, but the UN agency's regional spokeswoman Juliette Touma told IRIN: "UNICEF has provided some recreational assistance to the children in this orphanage. UNICEF continues to advocate with local authorities for the release of children affiliated with armed conflict and the reunification of these children with their extended families."

While one Senegalese girl may soon be sent home to her grandparents, the rest of the children are likely to remain in this small Misrata compound for the foreseeable future. It's not clear how the local Red Crescent will cope.

"Every day the children are getting older and bigger and need more space," said Jelwal, stressing that  whatever role their parents might have had during IS rule in Sirte  the orphans themselves were blameless.

"The plight of these children is a consequence of war," he said. "They had no part in IS or the war. They are victims who have been left very vulnerable. The world should care about them."

Link to original story on IRIN website
"Praying for peace": Malians pick new president amid rising violence

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 30 July 2018 Cite as IRIN, "Praying for peace": Malians pick new president amid rising violence, 30 July 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a198a.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

News

By Philip Kleinfeld, Freelance journalist and IRIN contributor

The country is beset by Islamist extremism and emerging inter-communal strife

BAMAKO, 30 July 2018

On Sunday, millions of Malians cast their votes in the first round of fiercely contested presidential elections amid accusations of fraud and a spike in jihadist and inter-communal violence in the West African nation.

Candidates had promised a path out of a brutal six-year conflict that has left more than 61,000 people internally displaced as of 31 May (up from 38,000 last December) and a further 130,000 people as refugees in neighbouring countries.

The government said it deployed 30,000 defence and security force personnel around the country to secure the vote, after militia groups in central Mali and al-Qaeda-linked extremists in the north vowed to disrupt it.

Voting day passed off calmly enough in the capital, Bamako, but 644 out of 23,000 polling stations around the country were forced to close following reports of gunmen burning stations and ballot boxes and intimidating electoral agents, mostly in central Mali. Rockets were also fired at a UN base in the northeast.

Opposition candidates have already raised the alarm about potential electoral irregularities, triggering fears that first-round results, expected on Tuesday, or those after the second-round run-off on 12 August may be contested.

Concerns centre around a so-called "parallel" electoral register that contains 1.2 million more voters than a register audited by the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) in April. The opposition said some of the voters are duplicates or fictitious.

"There is a high possibility of post-electoral troubles," said Yalla Sangare, a Mali researcher at Canada's Sainte-Anne University.

"The old man must go"

A total of 24 candidates took part in Sunday's vote, their posters jostling for space above the crowded, dusty streets of Bamako, offering promises to "Save our Mali" and "Restore hope together". A single female candidate, Djeneba N'Diaye, stood under the slogan: "Vote for a woman, the men have failed".

Analysts predict a two-horse race between the incumbent, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, 73, in power since 2013, and opposition frontrunner Soumaila Cisse, 68, a former finance minister.

Keita arrived at a polling station in Bamako early morning on Sunday dressed in a long, white robe. He was greeted by a throng of supporters and a heavy security presence as his motorcade wound through an unpaved side-street made muddy by overnight rain.

The supporters chanted "Boua ta Bla", which translates roughly as "the old man won't give up". It is a response to a refrain popularised by Bamako's youth activists during the campaign: "Boua ka bla", "the old man must go".

Keita, commonly known as IBK, inherited a country on the brink after a 2012 armed uprising by separatist Tuareg rebels from the north. The uprising triggered a military coup by a group of soldiers dissatisfied with then-president Amadou Toumani Toure's handling of the crisis.

Amid the chaos, separatists took further control of key population centres in the north. They were joined and later sidelined by al-Qaeda-linked militants who imposed strict sharia law on areas under their occupation.

French troops intervened in January 2013 to push back the Islamist advance, and a 12,000-strong UN peacekeeping mission, known by its French acronym MINUSMA, was established three months later.

Violence rises

Keita's special advisor and spokesperson, Blaise Sangare, told IRIN the security situation has "improved" under the incumbent's watch. Extremist violence, he said, "is not only a Malian issue  it is shared by the whole region".

Supporters also point out that the Malian economy has expanded under Keita, with GDP growth of 5.3 percent in 2017, bolstered by agricultural and mining production.

On Friday evening, thousands of Keita's followers crowded into a public square on the edge of the Niger river in Bamako for a final campaign rally. Abdourahamane Sissoko, a 32-year-old teacher, said Keita should be applauded for his five years in office.

"He came when Mali was down on its knees," he said. "He has picked the country back up."

But Keita, who beat Cisse by a landslide in a 2013 run-off, has seen his popularity slide in recent times, largely due to insecurity. Despite the presence of UN, French, and regional soldiers, extremists have steadily expanded their zone of influence from the porous north into the centre of the country.

They have also launched specular attacks on the capital, including a high-profile assault on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako in 2015, and have turned MINUSMA into the most dangerous mission in UN history with 170 fatalities to date.

The run-up to Sunday's vote was marred by attacks on a base belonging to the G5 Sahel, a regional counter-terrorism force, and an airport in the central town of Sevare.

Malian security forces have also been implicated in extra-judicial killings in the centre, where inter-communal violence has cost the lives of at least 300 people this year, according to the UN.

An Algerian-brokered peace deal between separatists and the Malian government was signed in Bamako in June 2015, but analysts say it has not been meaningfully implemented.

"We voted for IBK in 2013, hoping he would bring peace," said Abdrahamane Camara, a 50-year-old handyman, while queuing to vote. "But things have become worse."

"Corruption, nepotism, clientelism"

Detractors also criticise Keita for promoting family members to top positions, churning through five prime ministers in as many years, and squandering money while poverty remains high and food insecurity grows.

"Youth with a clear vision oppose IBK," said Ibrahima Kebe, a leading youth activist. "He has been unable to bring real solutions to the country  just corruption, nepotism, clientelism."

Kebe and other prominent youth activists including Youssouf "Ras Bath" Bathily have publicly backed Cisse, who is likely to be the one contesting the second-round vote against Keita. Analysts say both candidates could win a run-off but see Keita's control of state media and funds as giving him an advantage.

Whatever the result, "the challenges facing the winner are enormous," said Andrew Lebovich, a visiting fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations.

"While all the candidates have spoken about the need to reduce corruption and improve growth and development, it will be an immense challenge to make sure any improvements reach the majority of Malian citizens," he said.

Of chief concern will be improving security in the north and ending a rapidly escalating inter-communal conflict in the centre that pits Fulani herders against a newly formed militia of Dogon hunters.

Earlier this month, Barry Hamadou, a Fulani herdsman, was ambushed by militiamen hiding in a tree on a main road near the central town of Bankass. A bullet tore through his arm, now wrapped in a cast and tied in a sling.

On Saturday morning, the 45-year-old arrived with his family of six at an informal Fulani displacement camp on the outskirts of Bamako. With no voter card and no national identification, Hamadou was unable to vote the following day. Asked what he hoped the outcome of the election would be, he said: "I am praying for peace".

Link to original story on IRIN website
High-profile terror trial speaks to an emerging threat in Senegal

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 1 August 2018 Cite as IRIN, High-profile terror trial speaks to an emerging threat in Senegal, 1 August 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a19aa.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Analysis

By Momar Niang, Senegal-based freelance journalist covering West Africa

Light sentences raise questions about the state's response to Islamist extremism

DAKAR, 1 August 2018

Unlike other nearby West African countries like Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, and Mali, Senegal has so far been spared a major attack by Islamist extremists. But experts say an unprecedented trial of dozens of Senegalese terror suspects that concluded two weeks ago in Dakar is a timely wake-up call about a nascent and growing threat.

The verdicts and sentences delivered on 19 July in the cases of 29 Senegalese citizens accused of planning to establish a terrorist cell in Senegal's southern Casamance region were far from an unmitigated success for the prosecution.

A key defendant, Alioune Ndao, whom the state wanted to see jailed for 30 years, received only a one-month suspended sentence for the unlawful possession of firearms, while 15 of the accused were acquitted for lack of evidence, and sentences handed down to others were shorter than the prosecutors' recommended jail terms.

Thirteen of the accused were given prison sentences ranging from five to 20 years for crimes that included terrorism financing and criminal conspiracy. Lawyers for at least one of those convicted have said they will appeal.

"To think that Senegal is safe from this evil would be a dangerous illusion," prosecutor Aly Cire Ndiaye said when the trial began in earnest in April (multiple adjournments followed the official start date in December 2017). "Dangerous because it would make us neglect the colossal efforts needed to dismantle the scaffolding on which terrorism finds strength."

Senegal makes for an attractive target for extremists because of its strong international connections, with military cooperation agreements in place with the United States and France, and its sizeable troop contribution to the UN's peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, an intervention opposed by many Senegalese.

As the regional hub for numerous international institutions, Senegal is "a luxury target . . . like the jackpot for terrorist groups," said Bakary Sambe, director of the Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute, which tracks violent extremism.

Islam in Senegal, which is followed by some 94 percent of the population, is dominated by a moderate, tolerant form of Sufism headed by powerful brotherhoods that have long been considered the country's principal defence against extremism.

But change is also occurring. Money is increasingly being pumped in from foreign states to build mosques and open Koranic schools, or daaras, which teach alternative interpretations of religious texts  more conservative Salafi and Wahhabi influences are beginning to take hold.

Sambe believes Senegal's school system is its greatest vulnerability. "We are one of the few countries in the world that does not have a complete hold on our own educational system," he told IRIN. "There is a formal system controlled by the secular state and another in which foreign powers such as Saudi Arabia and Iran interfere."

Imam of concern

According to the prosecution's case, the Casamance cell would have served as a base from which to carry out attacks against French targets and the Senegalese state. The court heard that the accused planned to extend the influence of this new so-called caliphate into neighbouring countries, including The Gambia, Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau.

Some of those in the dock were rounded up in 2015 during a large-scale police operation against what were perceived to be hate-filled sermons in mosques. Others were detained while travelling to, or returning from, Nigeria.

Ndao is a Salafist imam who until his arrest in 2015 preached at a mosque in the town of Kaolack, 200 kilometres southeast of Dakar. He was accused of being the spiritual guide and coordinator of the cell.

Ndao appeared in court in the centre of the line of defendants, dressed in flowing white robes that matched his white beard. The trial was well attended by his supporters, and the courtroom erupted when the verdict was read out, with disciples of Ndao either rising to their feet or throwing themselves on the floor praising God.

One such supporter was Imam Diene, who had travelled 100 kilometres for the occasion. "He is not a terrorist," he asserted. "There are no terrorists here in Senegal  there's no proof! Only when you have proof can you say there are terrorists."

The jihadist threat in the region has strengthened following the merger in 2017 of a handful of groups operating mainly out of northern Mali, including Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), to form Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

The group's leader, Iyad Ag Ghali, confirmed in April 2017 that Senegal is on its list of target countries. JNIM has been behind numerous attacks in recent months, including a twin assault in March on the French embassy and the national army headquarters in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, that killed eight people and wounded 80.

Many of the defendants in the Dakar trial were accused of having links with Boko Haram, including the alleged ringleader, Makhtar Diokhane, who received a 20-year prison sentence for terrorist acts by criminal association. The court heard how Diokhane spent time with Boko Haram militants in northeastern Nigeria before being sent back to Senegal with six million naira (around $20,000) to launch an affiliated cell.

Growing religious conservatism

Most of those convicted last month had travelled abroad to receive training from extremist groups, including Boko Haram and AQIM, but experts like Sambe warn it would be a mistake to ignore the rising influence of more conservative strains of Islam within Senegal itself.

Senegal's northern town of Saint-Louis, once the colonial capital of French West Africa, is a prime destination for religious learning.

It hosts a large number of renowned Koranic teachers, or marabouts, running daaras that attract students known as talibes  from boys as young as five to young men in their twenties  from other parts of Senegal and the wider region.

The daaras are unregulated by the state in terms of both their curriculum and living standards. "Anyone can decide to set up a school and start teaching the Koran," said Baye Ndaraw Diop, a former director of a child protection service within Senegal's Ministry of Justice.

Evidence of Salafi influence is becoming apparent in some daaras in Saint-Louis, including one located near the northern tip of the historic island town that is attended by more than 1,000 talibes. Although not a Salafist himself, the presiding marabout is known for accepting students regardless of their religious leaning, so long as they wish to study the Koran.

"We've noticed a change in behaviour among some of the older talibes in this daara," said Issa Kouyate, a campaigner working to improve the rights and living conditions for talibes. "They dress differently and refuse any kind of physical contact with women."

IRIN accompanied Kouyate on a visit to the daara. Feet protruded from tarpaulin-roofed rooms set around an open space where clothes were haphazardly hung out to dry. In keeping with the living conditions in many of the country's Koranic schools, the students are housed in derelict buildings and bathe in the dirty river nearby; diseases such as scabies are commonplace.

A dozen young men were gathered under a large tree outside their makeshift lodging. The tinny sound of recorded Koranic verses played from a mobile phone as one young man made tea, while another shaved the head of a younger talibe. The majority wore skull caps and plain tunics with trousers cut shorter than those customarily worn in Senegal  a sartorial hallmark of the more conservative forms of Islam.

The young men originate mainly from The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau and stick together. Their common language, Mandingo, is not widely spoken in Saint-Louis. One stated that their sole motivation is to learn the Koran.

State response

The Senegalese government has won praise for its efforts to combat extremism in an increasingly unstable region. February 2016 saw the launch of the Inter-Ministerial Counter-Terrorism Intervention and Coordination Framework, known as the CICO. Chaired by the interior minister, the CICO is defined by the government as a "coordination and strategic monitoring mechanism in the fight against terrorism".

"The CICO relies particularly on intelligence, and is focused on monitoring our borders," a source in the interior ministry, who requested anonymity, told IRIN. The ability of the state to effectively monitor jihadist activity using social media was demonstrated by the arrest of Momodou Ndiaye, an accomplice of Diokhane's, after the Department of Investigations tracked interactions via a Facebook group.

Some believe the state's efforts are superficial, others that they go too far. "Senegal wanted to show the world and its donors that it was committed to the fight against terrorism," said defence lawyer Assane Dioma Ndiaye on the conclusion of the trial. But, he continued, "there has been an exaggeration. It may be that some people in Senegal were tempted to respond to the call of terrorism. But the legal response was disproportionate."

For Sambe, however, the Senegalese government is falling short and needs to put forward some pre-emptive policies to tackle violent extremism.

"What we need now is an inclusive prevention strategy involving religious leaders, civil society, and the educational world," he said.

At the 2016 edition of the Dakar International Forum on Peace and Security in Africa, President Macky Sall appealed for a "doctrinal response" to jihadist propaganda, a vague-sounding call for a coordinated response that goes beyond simply military action.

But while Senegal is a secular state, politicians are heavily dependent on religious leaders at election time for securing votes.

This helps to explain why religious institutions and the extensive daara system are largely unregulated, and the growth of foreign ideologies  whether benign or otherwise  is left unchecked. "There is complicity between the religious power and the political power," said Diop, the former justice ministry official. Another shortcoming in Senegal's response may be a general unwillingness to acknowledge the problem. The jihadist threat is not a common topic of discussion, and few Senegalese journalists cover the issue.

Kouyate, the campaigner, is frustrated by this national complacency. "We need to de-taboo what is taboo," he said. "It is obviously better to pre-empt than to heal, but here in Senegal the medicine only comes after death."

lr-mn/am/ag

(Additional reporting by Momar Niang)

Link to original story on IRIN website
In Iraq, families linked to so-called Islamic State suffer for their relatives' sins

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 9 August 2018 Cite as IRIN, In Iraq, families linked to so-called Islamic State suffer for their relatives' sins, 9 August 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a19ea.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

News feature

By Annie Slemrod, Middle East Editor

Guilty by association, they find themselves unable to leave camps and return home

AMERIYAT AL-FALLUJAH/KILO 18/BAGHDAD/Iraq, 9 August 2018

Basa'ad has spent the last two years in a camp in Iraq's western desert, slowly losing her eyesight and coming to the realisation she might never go home.

One of her sons, aged 25, was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for taking a job as a water truck driver for so-called Islamic State after the militant group took over her small village near Fallujah.

This association means she and her extended family are unable to receive the security clearance all displaced Iraqis need to return to their villages, towns, or cities.

Across the country, thousands of Iraqis  families of IS members, even their drivers, cooks, and cleaners  are stuck in the same limbo: rejected by their own societies and left to an uncertain future.

"I'm living in a very bad situation," Basa'ad says, clasping her tattooed hands as she sits on the floor of her tent in Anbar province's Ameriyat al-Fallujah camp. "I'm so tired, and I can barely see . . . What will become of me?"

Her question is one Iraqi officials and local leaders are struggling to answer. Most agree this sort of prolonged isolation doesn't bode well, neither for those unable to leave the camps nor for the future of the country. But nobody seems quite sure what to do.

Fear of radicalisation

Iraqi officials, especially those from majority Sunni Anbar province, are quick to point out that they have firsthand experience of the relationship between lengthy detention and extremism.

The US Army held tens of thousands of men in Camp Bucca, not far from Basa'ad's hometown, as it fought off a violent insurgency that grew after the toppling of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Prolonged detention provided fertile breeding ground for radicalisation: by the time Camp Bucca closed in 2009, it is believed to have held no less than nine men who later formed the leadership of IS.

It's a cycle nobody wants to see repeated. Khaled Saadi al-Yawar, who represents Anbar on the prime minister's National Reconciliation Committee, tells IRIN he doesn't want his children to see the violence that was visited on his hometown of Ramadi, the provincial capital that IS occupied for more than seven months in 2015.

He calls stopping the pattern "a war without a rifle", and believes it will only be won if the families of IS members  now mostly in camps  are reintegrated into society.

"I don't want my kids to live the same tragedy I live," al-Yawar says. "And if I continue punishing the children of IS, I will eventually create an enemy for my children."

But that doesn't mean al-Yawar, or other Iraqis who fell victim to IS, are ready to let bygones be bygones. Fallujah mayor Issa Saer al-Assawi says that while he wants to see family members come home again, it's still early days.

"To live under IS control for three years, it's not a short time, and it's not easy to fix."

"We live in a tribal society, and [bringing families home] is a complicated process," he says. "We're worried about revenge attacks by those who can't separate between the family and the crimes of the son or father."

Renunciation

There is a path home for those with connections to IS, but it's not one everyone is willing to take.

For any family in Anbar, returning home means first obtaining permission from multiple intelligence and military bodies.

This process involves several (sometimes conflicting) databases, usually takes months, and is easily drawn out by the smallest complication, like having the same name as a wanted member of IS.

For those related to convicted IS members, or related to those missing or dead who are suspected or known to have been members, one path home can be renunciation  declaring, in court, that they have no connection with their relative who belonged to or worked with IS.

Al-Assawi says this happens; he's even seen fathers go as far as signing warrant letters for their own sons.

But not everyone is ready to make this sacrifice, including Basa'ad, whose other four sons and husband are missing. She opted not to renounce her son even though a tribal leader told her it was the only way she could go home.

"I will not renounce him," she says, with tears in her eyes. "I don't know what is going to happen to the rest of my family . . . I only have him in prison, to be released in 15 years. That's the only son I have."

Re-education and reconciliation

Many officials insist IS families need some sort of re-education before they can go home, but there's been no countrywide attempt to make this happen.

"With these families, especially with the kids who have committed no sins  it was their fathers  the issue needs to be resolved ideologically," Sattar Newrouz, spokesman for the Ministry of Displacement and Migration, tells IRIN. "It's possible some of them have been negatively influenced by the thoughts and beliefs of terrorists."

The government doesn't want to leave these families in camps, he says, but they need to "look after . . . those who might be easily influenced by extremism."

"We are lying to our people and to ourselves; we say that we are securing Iraq [from IS and extremism] but in reality we are creating an extremist generation."

Fallujah mayor al-Assawi would also like to see some sort of re-education process, and says the government's reconciliation committee should be consulting psychologists, doctors, security officers, and tribes to get it right. So far, he says, the committee is moving "very slowly", and from what he's seen "all they have done is held workshops in Baghdad."

Al-Yawar, whom IRIN met at one such event in the Iraqi capital, agrees that the committee he sits on isn't doing nearly enough  but he says that's because it has virtually no budget to put its plans in place.

The workshop was hosted by Sanad for Peacebuilding, an Iraqi non-governmental organisation bringing together leaders connected with Anbar  including al-Yawar, tribal sheikhs, and security officials. It was aimed at rethinking a covenant many tribes signed (but not all implemented) when IS first came to Iraq, putting in place strict barriers to return

The officials mulling how and when to bring families back home all say they know camp life was hard, and they often mention the harsh conditions displaced children are growing up in. But they are also concerned about what separating one group of Iraqis from society could mean for the future of the country.

"We are lying to our people and to ourselves; we say that we are securing Iraq [from IS and extremism] but in reality we are creating an extremist generation [by keeping families in camps]," says General Tariq Yousef al-Asl, deputy commander of the Anbar Hashd (Sunni tribal militias who have officially joined up with the majority-Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces).

"Not necessarily an Islamist extremist generation, but maybe [an] ideological or criminal [one]," he adds.

In the absence of major government initiatives, it's often left to tribal leaders to conduct small-scale reconciliation in their communities.

Sheikh Fawzi Abu Risha, one of the leaders of a powerful Anbar tribe, describes vouching to the security services for the parents of a dead IS fighter. This was after he had held many meetings with their neighbours to remind them that the couple had committed no crime.

He says the tribes interested in reconciliation (not all are ready yet) need more support from the state "to distinguish between who is clean and who is dirty".

Abu Risha says he knows how difficult life is for the family members stuck in camps. But it's been hard for him, too. Asked how he's able to think about helping the relatives of men who killed his own family, the elderly sheikh tears up: "We just feel sympathy for the kids and women, this is the main reason. We will sustain the pain and suffering, just for the kids."

Link to original story on IRIN website
BRIEFING: All you need to know about South Sudan's new power-sharing accord

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 14 August 2018 Cite as IRIN, BRIEFING: All you need to know about South Sudan's new power-sharing accord, 14 August 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a1a0a.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Analysis

By Sumy Sadurni, A regular IRIN contributor based in Kampala

Will it help end the war and improve civilian life?

KAMPALA/UGANDA, 14 August 2018

After months of negotiations aimed at ending a civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced some 4.5 million from their homes since December 2013, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar signed new power-sharing and ceasefire agreements on 5 August.

The conflict, coupled with a dire national economy, the difficulty of delivering humanitarian aid to warring areas, and the widespread disruption of livelihoods, has left some 60 percent of the population at risk of not getting enough to eat.

This briefing, drawn from interviews with analysts, rights advocates, aid workers, and refugees, assesses whether the new agreements represent a major milestone in ending the civil war or are more likely another false dawn for efforts to forge lasting peace.

What exactly did the parties sign?

The title of the document is a bit of a mouthful: Agreement on Outstanding Issues on Governance and Security Arrangements. Its signature by Kiir, Machar, and, in a last-minute policy U-turn, representatives of several other armed groups (under the umbrella of the South Sudan Opposition Alliance), marks another step towards the signing of a revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (ARCSS).

The original ARCSS, supposedly a comprehensive peace deal, was inked in 2015 (by fewer signatories) but quickly collapsed. It was derided by some as fundamentally ill-conceived. The main difference between it and the new power-sharing formula is that the envisaged cabinet and parliament have been expanded to include more people.

Other recent steps in resuscitating the ARCSS were the 27 June signing of the Khartoum Declaration  which included a permanent ceasefire (which is largely holding) and a commitment to withdraw troops from urban centres  and a detailed agreement on security arrangements signed on 6 July.

Three days after signing the latest power-sharing agreement, the president granted a general amnesty to Machar and other rebel leaders. Another round of talks began in Khartoum on 13 August to tackle some unresolved issues.

What does the deal mean for civilians in need?

More than six million people in South Sudan are facing "crisis" or "emergency" levels of acute food insecurity, according to UN agencies. "Emergency" is just one level down from the worst situation, famine, which reached some parts of the country in early 2017.

In areas affected by conflict, "it will be difficult for households . . . to realise a harvest . . . and the possibility of extreme food insecurity through to January 2019 will remain," the UN agencies warned, pointing in particular to Leer and Mayendit counties in former Unity State, in the Greater Upper Nile region.

Several aid agencies told IRIN they see potential for the latest deal to bring an end to the suffering of millions of civilians, especially if it leads to improved access to areas where it has been too dangerous to deliver assistance.

"When people see aid workers doing their work in safety, they will be better able to conduct their own day to day activities," said Rosalind Crowther, country director for CARE.

But the country's 12 million citizens are not a primary consideration for the agreement's signatories, according to Jok Maduk Jok, a former government minister who is now the executive director of the Sudd Institute, an independent research group.

"Leaders will now work for their entry into public offices, but none of them will think about the people who suffered so gravely from a war that was none of their choosing," he wrote in a Facebook post.

How will power be shared?

The latest agreement paves the way for Machar to return to South Sudan as one of five vice-presidents under Kiir in a three-year transitional government of national unity, due to be formed within three months of the final peace deal being signed. No date for that key event has been set.

The agreement also provides for a 35-strong cabinet, with 20 ministers drawn from the government, nine from Machar's Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition and six from representatives of other opposition groups. The legislative assembly will have 550 lawmakers, 332 from government, and 128 from the opposition.

There has been a reduction in fighting since the Khartoum Declaration was signed, and humanitarian access to several areas has improved.

What role did regional and global leaders play?

Pressure from the likes of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, and his Sudanese and Kenyan counterparts Omar al-Bashir and Uhuru Kenyatta, coupled with a 13 July UN Security Council arms embargo and extended targeted sanctions, helped drive Kiir and Machar to sign the power-sharing deal.

Daniel Akech Thiong, an independent consultant focused on politics and economics on South Sudan, said the pair were keen not to disappoint their respective backers, Museveni (in the case of Kiir) and al-Bashir (for Machar) "who are themselves motivated by the hope of cashing in during peacetime . . . [having] seen an economic opportunity to exploit, but which requires the end of the civil war."

Thiong pointed to the $26 Khartoum receives in fees for every barrel of oil that landlocked South Sudan exports through Sudan, and explained that "South Sudan's share of the oil wealth will be spent on buying goods from Uganda."

Is the end of the war within sight?

Relief and some jubilation swept across Juba when news of the signing of the new accords reached the South Sudanese capital. But a tweet from Museveni, one of the guarantors of the peace process, immediately put things in perspective. "We are congratulating ourselves over many dead bodies in South Sudan over the last four years," he wrote.

A reality check was provided on 10 August when Britain, the United States, and Norway  the so-called "Troika" that helped end Sudan's protracted civil war in 2005 and deliver South Sudan's independence six years later  dismissed the current peace process as a road to nowhere.

"We are concerned that the arrangements agreed to date are not realistic or sustainable," they said in a joint statement. "The best hope for sustainable peace is a process inclusive of ordinary men and women, civil society, religious leaders, ethnic minorities, and other excluded groups."

Jok's assessment echoed some of those concerns. "The threats to this arrangement will most likely come from outside the government, from youth groups, from ethnic communities that were most affected by conflict that are clearly excluded and who will now be waiting for some sort of reparations in the form of money and reconstruction efforts," he told IRIN.

For Juliette Paauwe, research analyst at the US-based Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, it will take more than a power-sharing deal between two bitter enemies who have already broken about 10 previous agreements to end the bloodshed.

"Only time will tell if this agreement will last or simply be a brief pause before the killing resumes," she said. "The people of South Sudan deserve lasting peace with justice, not gestures without substance."

Could the conflict, in fact, escalate?

Mistrust, rather than reconciliation, still defines the relationship between Kiir and Machar, a fact underlined by the former's snubbing of the latter's bid for a handshake at the signing ceremony.

This mistrust "is a major risk factor for relapse to war," warned Jok.

Thijs Van Laer of International Refugee Rights Initiative, an advocacy group, lamented the absence of any reference to accountability in the agreement.

"Not only does the document fail to reaffirm the urgent need to judge those responsible, but it also further empowers those responsible for atrocities, by giving them positions and resources, and fails to mention how spoilers of the agreement will be sanctioned," he said.

Van Laer suggested some of those who signed the deal had been pressured to do so and that this makes it more likely they will take up arms again, while other individuals or groups might be tempted to resort to violence "to get a slice of the cake".

Mike Brand, a US-based conflict and atrocities prevention consultant, pointed to other glaring omissions.

"This new agreement has many unanswered questions and doesn't do anything to solve the underlying political and security issues that led to conflict in 2013 and 2016, many of which could easily cause the entire process to derail," he said.

Priscilla Pita, one of 60,000 South Sudanese living in the Imvepi Refugee Settlement in the Ugandan district of Arua, agreed. "It might be a short-lived deal and war breaks out again. We are tired of this war. We can't continue suffering. We need peace, freedom, and joy," she said.

Fellow refugee John Dada said he feared the latest deal would remain mere "ink and paper". "But let it be the last chance. If they fail to implement and continue with war, the International Criminal Court should hold them accountable for war crimes."

However, another refugee, Agnes Poni, was more optimistic. "I see seriousness. I congratulate President Kiir and Machar. They will implement it," she said.

What next?

Issues under discussion in the current round of talks include the powers of the president and vice-presidents, representation in the judicial authority, as well as revision of the country's administrative division and the naming of new ministries.

A number of other issues need to be resolved to improve the chances of lasting peace, including: the logistics of organising elections, how to integrate some rebel fighters into a national army and demobilise others, and how a cash-strapped government will fund the enlarged administration and still pay for essential goods and services across the country.

In its statement, the Troika underscored the importance of clarifying "how resources will be used in a transparent and accountable way for the benefit of all South Sudanese . . . how security will be provided in Juba during the transition period, and how meaningful checks will be placed on executive power."

Another key challenge will be dealing with armed groups not party to the agreement such as the People's Democratic Movement and the National Salvation Front.

Kiir and Machar have little to no command and control over various splinter groups within their respective forces, a fact that several analysts pointed to as one of the most considerable obstacles to resolving the conflict.

As Jok put it: the "massive elephant in the room" is "how to translate this elite pact into peace for all communities, overcoming the communal feuds that were made worse by the elite rivalry but not resolved by the peace deal."

Link to original story on IRIN website
Syrian war: Understanding Idlib's rebel factions

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 3 September 2018 Cite as IRIN, Syrian war: Understanding Idlib's rebel factions, 3 September 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a1a8a.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Analysis

By Nazeer al-Khatib

STOCKHOLM, 3 September 2018

As the Syrian government prepares for an offensive on the rebel-held province of Idlib, rebel factions are divided in their loyalties and outlooks. Here's a look at who would be fighting President Bashar al-Assad's forces in what could become the last major battle of Syria's war.

While Turkey controls the rebels in nearby Afrin and al-Bab, the landscape in Idlib is more complex. Two major factions dominate  the National Liberation Front and Tahrir al-Sham  and they differ on their positioning towards Ankara.

Turkey's favourite is the NLF, which is led by Fadlallah al-Hajji, a Muslim Brotherhood ally. The NLF includes Turkey-friendly Islamists like Ahrar al-Sham, the Noureddine al-Zengi Brigades, Failaq al-Sham, Jaish al-Ahrar, and groups that fought under the Free Syrian Army banner, like the Victory Army and the 2nd Coastal Division.

Big but brittle, the NLF is held together by Turkish sponsorship and shared enemies: al-Assad's government, Syrian Kurdish groups, and hardline jihadists.

The NLF's main rival in Idlib is Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist group that controls the provincial capital, the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, and other key areas in Idlib.

Led by Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Tahrir al-Sham grew out of what used to be the Nusra Front, Syria's official al-Qaeda franchise. It is classified as a terrorist group by the UN as well as by the United States, Turkey, and many other nations. Moscow and Damascus typically point to the group's presence when launching new military offensives.

Tahrir al-Sham has a murky relationship to Turkey. Al-Golani appears to engage pragmatically with Turkish intelligence but refuses to fully submit to Ankara's diktat.

To his dismay, Turkey keeps pushing for control over the entire Idlib insurgency. Turkish officers tell rebels the only way to appease Russia and keep al-Assad out of Idlib is for Tahrir al-Sham to dissolve and let its members join the NLF.

Some Tahrir al-Sham members seem to agree. Syrian analysts, including Ahmed Aba-Zeid, a well-connected Syrian researcher who supports the non-jihadist opposition, told IRIN that Turkey now dominates one wing of the group.

Al-Golani is also under pressure from jihadist hardliners who portray him as a Turkish tool and a sellout.

"Al-Qaeda leaders in Syria tend to see Tahrir al-Sham, and Abu Mohammed al-Golani in particular, as unprincipled and treacherous," Cole Bunzel, a research fellow in Islamic Law and Civilisation at Yale University, told IRIN. Bunzel said hardliners view Tahrir al-Sham as "having disobeyed the al-Qaeda emir [leader] in breaking off from the organisation, and since then persecuting al-Qaeda members in Syria."

Some of al-Golani's jihadist critics, many of whom are Jordanians and Palestinians, have gathered in a pro-al-Qaeda splinter faction known as Hurras al-Deen. The group is small, but its religious criticism stings and adds to al-Golani's challenges. He must now simultaneously fend off further defections to Hurras al-Deen and prevent his other flank from being peeled off by Turkey, whose "good cop" attitude is backed up by the threat of a regime offensive.

A Tahrir al-Sham official again rejected calls for the group's dissolution on 28 August, but added that it seeks "a salutary solution in the liberated north that spares our people the expected aggression." Behind the scenes, the group appears to be negotiating with Turkey, while Turkey negotiates with Russia.

In Aba-Zeid's view, how Tahrir al-Sham evolves in the future will depend on Ankara and Moscow.

"If Turkey reaches an understanding with Russia to let Turkey handle the jihadist file in Idlib, one can expect to see Tahrir al-Sham split" between members who join the Turkey-backed block and hardliners who draw closer to Hurras al-Deen, he said.

Minor factions and Chinese jihadists

Complicating the picture in Idlib are several second-tier rebel factions.

On the jihadist side, Hurras al-Deen is accompanied by a number of small foreign-led factions close to Tahrir al-Sham, including the Chechens of Junoud al-Sham. The so-called Islamic State also operates clandestine cells in the area, hunted by both the NLF and Tahrir al-Sham.

Jaish al-Ezzah, a Free Syrian Army-flagged faction based near Hama, has not joined the Turkish-backed NLF like many of its former comrades. Some see the group as a covert Tahrir al-Sham ally, while others say their base is simply too far from Turkey for joining the alliance to make sense, so they are surviving by ducking out of intra-rebel rivalries.

In the western part of the enclave, Jisr al-Shughour has emerged as a stronghold of the Turkestan Islamic Party, TIP, a group of Uyghur Chinese jihadists. The TIP's presence in this strategic area (it's near the border with Turkey and government-controlled Latakia) plus its links with both Tahrir al-Sham and Turkey could give this group a pivotal role in any upcoming battle.

TIP has worked closely with Syria's jihadist factions in the past, but also seems well acquainted with Turkish intelligence. After staying out of intra-rebel clashes for years, the group shed its neutrality policy this spring to help Tahrir al-Sham beat back a surprise attack by Turkey-backed Islamists.

Aba-Zeid, who follows intra-rebel conflicts in Idlib closely, said TIP helped swing that battle in al-Golani's favour. But, he still believes that "Turkey's influence on TIP remains greater than the influence of their alliance" with Tahrir al-Sham.

If all of this sounds complicated, it is. But to the Syrian government, Idlib's rebels are all terrorists pure and simple  and the Idlib fighters themselves also see al-Assad as their primary enemy, transcending factional divides. Aba-Zeid insisted that if Russia green-lights a Syrian government offensive on Idlib, no matter how the various groups view Turkey or each other, they would all "prioritise repelling the attack".

Mustafa Sejari, a leader in the Ankara-backed Moutassem Brigade, agreed. "This is the last fortress of the Syrian opposition and preserving it is everyone's obligation," he said.

Link to original story on IRIN website
"I have lost everything": In central Mali, rising extremism stirs inter-communal conflict

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 4 September 2018 Cite as IRIN, "I have lost everything": In central Mali, rising extremism stirs inter-communal conflict, 4 September 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a1aaa.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

News feature

By Philip Kleinfield, Freelance journalist and IRIN contributor

Once confined to the desert north, unrest is spreading south, taking lives and emptying villages as it goes

MOPTI REGION/Mali, 4 September 2018

Head bowed, white boubou robe billowing in the breeze, Badomou Dara trudged over what remained of his house in Kara, a small mud-built village in Mali's central Mopti region.

His door and iron-sheet roof were missing; his granary was a mound of rubble on the floor. In his hands, the 59-year-old held out a pile of charred groundnuts he had cultivated, before crumbling them into dust.

"It is painful to look at," he said.

Besides one stoic village chief who sat sharpening his knife on a rock under the baking sun, there is nobody left in Kara. Everybody else fled the ethnic Dogon village one morning in May when armed men from the neighbouring village  populated by Fulani herdsman  climbed over a sand dune shooting wildly in the air.

Everything of value was stolen; the rest was burnt.

Kara is just one among dozens of villages looted and torched in the past few months as a conflict between armed members of Mali's Dogon and Fulani communities ripples through the heart of the country, claiming hundreds of lives and displacing thousands of people.

Analysts say the conflict has been triggered by the increasing presence of jihadists linked to al-Qaeda in central Mali. They have recruited heavily among Fulani herders, fuelling distrust with other ethnic groups, including the Dogon, some of whom have organised into abusive new self-defence militias.

"Both sides are killing each other," said Fatou Thiam, head of the Mopti office of the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA.

The conflict underscores Mali's struggle to restore order three years after a peace deal was signed between the government and armed groups in the north, including separatist Tuareg rebels, who seized large parts of the country following a 2012 military coup in the capital, Bamako.

Islamist militants, who joined forces with the separatists before a French-led intervention pushed them back, have gradually expanded their sphere of influence from the desert north into Mali's previously peaceful centre.

This year 5.2 million Malians are in need of humanitarian assistance, compared to 3.8 million in 2017. The number of internally displaced people has also doubled since January to 75,000, according to the UN's emergency aid coordination office, OCHA, the majority in the central Mali.

In July, militant groups forced the closure of hundreds of polling stations during the first round of presidential elections, eventually won by the incumbent, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, 73.

Thousands of Western and UN troops deployed in the country have been unable to prevent the situation from deteriorating.

"Mali and the international community have been outpaced by the Islamists' clever strategy," said Corrine Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "Notably how they've exploited local grievances, weak state presence, and long-seated ethnic tension to expand their sphere of influence."

Villages burnt, villagers starving

Before the emergence of jihadism, the social fabric in central Mali was already fragile. For decades weak governance and competition over land and water caused lingering conflicts between the Fulani pastoralists, who move their herds across the region, and largely sedentary Dogon, Bambara, and Songhai farming communities.

Those tensions were exacerbated by the rise of jihadist groups in the centre, including the Macina Liberation Front led by an influential radical preacher known as Amadou Koufa, and Ansaroul Islam, a Burkinabe Islamist group that uses southern Mopti as its rear base. New Fulani self-defence groups have also emerged in recent months.

Analysts say the jihadists have deliberately stoked ethnic tension to drive recruitment and legitimise their presence. Local government officials and respected members of the community are systematically targeted in anticipation the Fulani community  most of whom deny supporting the jihadists - will face collective punishment.

"Then the jihadists swoop in and present themselves as the Fulani's protectors," said Dufka.

In a part of Mopti popularly known as Dogon country, this strategy began as early as 2015, when the jihadist's presence was still embryonic. The killing of a well-known Dogon hunter called Theodore in Segue village sparked particular outrage among the local Dogon community.

But this year the violence has risen to a whole new level as armed Fulani men, who many believe to be the jihadists, have gained strength; restricting Dogon communities from accessing fields and local markets, stealing livestock, and attacking villages.

"They wouldn't let us do anything until they finally chased us away," said Amadime Kodio, 73, from Kara.

Doguel Kodio (no relation), 38, from nearby Enema, said militants stormed his village for two hours one afternoon in May. His wife and eight children lay pressed to the floor of his single-room mud house as gunfire echoed through the village.

After the attack the villagers fled, finding, on the outskirts of town, the corpse of a middle-aged Dogon man shot through the temple. The next day the attackers returned, Kodio said, to loot village granaries and burn down houses.

"There was no door they did not kick down, no house they didn't set on fire," he said.

Prevented from accessing their fields by jihadists, many Dogon are now also dying of hunger. Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation and Mopti's regional health department began investigating the spread of what local media had characterised as an unusual disease in three Dogon villages in Mondoro commune.

A report by the health department, seen on 17 August by IRIN, said at least 35 people, predominantly women and children, had died and 224 people had fallen ill since 15 March from what is now believed to be severe acute malnutrition. Improvised explosive devices have also been planted around the villages by "armed men ready to shoot anyone caught outside", the report says.

Hunters unite

Convinced the state cannot protect them, traditional Dogon hunters, known as Dozos, have decided to fill the void themselves, forming a new self-defence militia they call Dana Amassagou, which translates roughly as, "hunters in God's hands".

The group is responsible for a string of indiscriminate attacks on Fulani civilians and is alleged to have received weapons and training from the Malian government. Fellow Dozos from the Ivory Coast and Niger are also believed to have joined their ranks.

Support from the Dogon community itself is mixed however, with many accounts of Dogon chiefs and civilians protecting their Fulani neighbours against the hunters.

The national coordinator of Dana Amassagou, 47-year-old David Tembine, denied pre-emptive attacks on Fulani villages and civilians, and said the group signed a ceasefire in mid-July.

"The Dogon never attack," he said from a restaurant in Sevare, north of Mopti town. "The Dogon defend themselves".

But the ceasefire agreement is thought to have caused a split in the Dana Amassagou ranks, with many leaders rejecting it.

In person, the Dozos are far less diplomatic. IRIN met 50 of them during a rare encounter with international media, sat under the shade of a mango tree at a base outside a village called Walia.

They wore dirty brown ponchos with ammunition belts tied around the waists. Their weapons included scythes and sticks and artisanal hunting rifles that leant against the tree's thick trunk.

The hunters say they never wanted to fight; that their goal is for Dogon country "to be like what it was before"  a world heritage site that attracted tourists from around the world.

But their activities no longer resemble the work of a self-defence group. They now accuse all Fulani communities of harbouring the jihadists ("it is like they are their parents") and the most vocal of them, Mamadou Poudiougo, 44, has come to a radical conclusion: "We will have peace only if the Fulani are not around".

"I never want to see anything like this again"

It is not an empty threat. In Bankass, a dust-blown town in southern Mopti, thousands of Fulani have been forced to take refuge in the courtyard and classrooms of a local school. Interviews with chiefs from seven separate villages paint a picture of brutality at the hands of the Dozo, who have killed scores of civilians and burnt down dozens of villages and hamlets.

In Gueourou, 56-year old Aly Boly said 17 people were killed in his village during an attack shortly after morning prayers one Monday morning. Sixteen of the dead were men  shot while fleeing the village  the other was a baby boy, accidentally left in a burning hut during his own naming ceremony. He died before receiving one.

"I never want to see anything like this again," Boly said.

Amadou Barry, a village chief from Dialou-Guel told IRIN he received a personal visit from a group of hunters one morning in mid-May telling him the Fulani would have to leave. Barry asked them why, "but they didn't give a reason", he said. "They just told me: aFulani we find, we will kill'".

As the residents packed up their belongings, Barry tasked five of his children, aged between 13 and 24, to shepherd the village's cattle by foot from Dialou-Guel to Bankass. But in a nearby village called Tenssagou his children were ambushed by hunters. The cattle were taken; the children killed.

"I have lost everything," Barry said.

Analysts say young Fulani in Mali are joining the jihadists not out of religious conviction but out of desperation in the face of bad governance, corruption, and, more recently, state and militia abuses. This year Malian defence forces were implicated in a string of mass atrocity crimes against Fulani after a series of mass graves were discovered in Mopti in June.

The Macina Liberation Front (FLM)  which seeks the revival of the 19th century Macina Empire, a theoretic Muslim state which existed in modern-day Mopti  has wreaked havoc on Fulani communities too: imposing strict sharia law, closing hundreds of schools, and settling scores with summary killings.

Fulani chiefs told IRIN they now feel trapped between the brutality of the jihadists and the hunters and government forces who accuse them of supporting the groups.

"In our village there is nobody from the FLM," said Belco Barry, 60, from Sinda. "But still the hunters came and attacked us."

Countering militancy

Since 2013 a medley of international and regional forces have arrived in Mali to try to stabilise the country. The French have a 3,000-strong counter-terrorism force called Operation Barkhane; five West African countries have established the G5 Sahel Joint Force, focused on cross-border security; and MINUMSA has 14,000 troops.

But they are all struggling. The G5 Force, headquartered in Mopti, is barely operational; in June its base in Sevare town was attacked by jihadists. MINUSMA, meanwhile, has earned the moniker of the most dangerous UN mission in the world.

Until a recent visit from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, MINUSMA's Security Council mandate did not even cover the centre of the country.

"Everything was focused on the peace agreement and the north," said Thiam, the UN official in Mopti.

MINUSMA's latest mandate does finally make reference to the centre but makes no provisions for additional resources. The two peacekeeping companies based in the region spend most of their time escorting convoys and protecting UN bases.

A Senegalese rapid reaction force was deployed to Mopti last year but takes its orders from UN headquarters in Bamako and has a mandate that covers all of Mali.

"We don't have enough resources to show more presence in the field," said Thiam.

Meanwhile, the jihadists keep getting stronger. Last year the FLM became part of a wider al-Qaeda-affiliated organisation called Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, or JNIM. Its new weapons of choice are IEDs and car bombs.

As it expands, so does the number of civilians suffering. At the school in Bankass, displaced Fulani keep on arriving  and keep on telling the same story. Lying on a mat on the ground, Oumar Barry from Kanama said Dozo hunters told his community to leave their village a week before.

Hollow-eyed, the village chief, who arrived an hour earlier, said he first fled to neighbouring Birga, where he stood watching on, as thick smoke filled the sky and flames licked over his village, "destroying everything".

A week later, he looked traumatised. It was as if he was still there, still watching.

Link to original story on IRIN website
Zamfara: Nigeria's wild northwest

Publisher IRIN Publication Date 13 September 2018 Cite as IRIN, Zamfara: Nigeria's wild northwest, 13 September 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9a1aca.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

News feature

Hundreds have lost their lives this year as a fertile region descends into worsening conflict

By Obi Anyadike, Editor-at-Large

ZURMI/Nigeria, 13 September 2018

It was a set-up and Buharin Daji walked right into it. The notorious cattle-rustling kingpin had arrived for a meeting in the northern Nigerian bush, ostensibly to settle differences with one of his senior lieutenants, but instead was shot dead.

Daji's murder in March has had consequences in an already deeply troubled Zamfara State, where years of building unrest have claimed thousands of lives and driven whole communities into destitution.

This underdeveloped yet agriculturally rich region has been unstable for many years. What began as unresolved clashes between Hausa farmers and Fulani pastoralists over access to land has transformed into a lucrative illicit economy of banditry and cattle-rustling dominated by men like Daji.

Zamfara is different from highly politicised farmer-herder clashes in other parts of Nigeria where largely Muslim pastoralists push south in search of pasture and meet increasingly populated Christian farming areas. Instead, Zamfara is overwhelmingly Muslim and, human rights groups argue, the violence here is fundamentally about the government's abdication of its responsibility to protect its citizens.

According to Amnesty International, more than 370 people have been killed by the outlaws so far this year. Others have been kidnapped and held for ransom  payments are encouraged with phone calls to loved ones as those being held undergo torture.

Daji was viewed as a solution to the crisis. In a case of poacher-turned-gamekeeper, he was put on the state government's payroll at the end of 2016 to help stop the violence he himself had stoked.

The idea was that Daji would use his influence to rein in other brigands and help with a gun amnesty drive, all in exchange for a salary and impunity. But this didn't address the underlying causes of Zamfara's lawlessness, and the state government's dysfunction prevented it even from making the regular payments to Daji, Adamu Abubakar, director of the Centre for Community Excellence, a local NGO, told IRIN.

The death of Daji was the final blow to already frayed attempts to forge peace. With him gone, Zamfara risks unravelling further and faster.

Roots of lawlessness

Northwestern Nigeria has a long history of banditry. The first recorded case occurred somewhere between "western Hausaland" and the Niger border in 1901, when a 12,000-strong camel train "laden with assorted grains" was attacked and 210 merchants killed.

The tragedy for modern-day Zamfara is that more than a century on, there are still ungoverned spaces where the state is incapable of stamping its authority.

Control is so weak in some regions that bandits can come into rural towns, typically three-up on a motorbike, unchecked. In some areas they lay down the law and become the local authority: "It's fast justice, and there is no appeal," explained Abubakar.

Hausa and pastoralist Fulani communities coexist in Zamfara, with competition over land and water sources historically managed through mediation. Banditry has introduced a new level of friction between the two, with the Fulani, marginalised from local political power, more closely associated with brigandage  men like Daji being an example.

Nigeria is a big country that is thinly policed. In Zamfara's rural districts there are likely just two poorly equipped and under-motivated policemen to serve many inaccessible communities, according to Zamfara State government spokesman Ibrahim Dosara.

Historically, state governments have turned to vigilantes to deliver the manpower and local knowledge the federal police lack. In Zamfara these groups are provided with some motorbikes, uniforms, and locally made single-shot hunting rifles, but little other support to meet the rising tide of banditry.

Payment of allowances is often late, they are outgunned, and some vigilantes turned on the people they were supposed to protect  stealing and extorting  while also murderously targeting Fulani. "Along the way, part of the vigilante became part of the bandits," said Abubakar.

Killing fields

Aisha is just one face of the emerging crisis. Until a few weeks ago her home was the village of Kagara in central Zurmi district. Now it's a disused petrol station in Zurmi town, where she and her extended family rely on the hospitality of the station owner and the generosity of the town's people, who help with food when they can.

Aisha is here because Kagara was attacked by bandits who killed her husband and then beat her with rifle butts when she tried to protect her younger brother by covering him with her hijab. They shot him and four male cousins dead as they burned and looted, combing the village for homeguard vigilante who had formed to protect the village with locally made muskets.

The bandits had turned up on motorbikes, armed with AK-47s, speaking both Hausa and the Fulani language, Fufulde, with some taking care to cover their faces. Aisha recognised none of them. She suspects some might have come from neighbouring Niger or further afield, in a transnational criminal free-for-all.

Asked why she thought they'd attacked Kagara, Aisha gave a now-familiar response: "Only God knows." But "they have our phones and call us to say they will kill us if we go back," she added.

The bandits, seemingly able to move at will, took over three districts in Zurmi in June, a total of some 18 villages and towns. But now the state government is insisting the thousands of people displaced by the rolling violence should go home.

When IRIN visited Zurmi the authorities had just closed a camp for those displaced by the violence in the local secondary school. Aisha has no intention of going back anytime soon, but her 19-member extended family was unsure what to do.

Bala Aruna, the petrol station owner, stepped in after he spotted them by the roadside. "I said, aI have a place you can shelter out of the rain'," he recalled.

"Only God knows when this problem will end," he said. "Yesterday, [the bandits] attacked people that had returned home, just three or four kilometres from here."

Government failure

Despite the chaos, which helps keep Zamfara the poorest state in the federation, Governor Abdulaziz Yari is frequently absent. He is loudly criticised for spending much of his time in the federal capital, Abuja, where he chairs the powerful Nigeria Governors' Forum.

"Banditry is a failure of the state to fulfill its primary purpose of providing security," Chidi Odinkalu, of the Open Society Justice Initiative, told IRIN. "Yari should go back to Zamfara and do his job and govern his people."

The state government spokesman, Dosara, insisted that Yari is "fully engaged" with the affairs of the state.

At the paramilitary Civil Defence Corps headquarters in Zurmi, a bare, solid low-rise building, the commanding officer spoke candidly about the IDP camp closure being premature. His alarming analysis was that the bandits in this region were trying to clear a corridor along the border with Sokoto State and north to Niger  which includes Aisha's village.

"That's their base. Anyone they kidnap, that's where they keep them," he said. "[If there's trouble] they run into Niger or Sokoto."

The federal government last year responded to the crisis by sending in an army battalion. When that didn't work it deployed an Air Force special forces Quick Reaction Group in June, complete with helicopter gunships.

Although that deployment is having some success, "the military can only suppress the problem, they can't resolve it," said Abubakar, the NGO director, describing a balloon effect that means wherever they squeeze the outlaws just pop up elsewhere.

Crime pays

Banditry exists because it is profitable. From around 2011 there was a surge, which some commentators linked to increasing regional livestock prices. Rustling is now an entrenched and thriving underground business, with stolen cattle kept in the forests that dot Zamfara's border regions (including the equally troubled Binan Gwari area of Kaduna State) before being discreetly sold to meet the ever-growing demand for beef in southern cities.

"Before, it was the Fulanis that were rustling cattle, then the Hausas joined in. Now, every criminal in Nigeria has come to Zamfara," said Suleiman Abakar  a wealthy farmer, until his 60 head of cattle were stolen. "There is no other way to make money as quickly as rustling."

In the bad Spaghetti Western that is now Zamfara, cattle rustling is not the only profitable enterprise. Abakar, the former farmer, is now an artisanal gold miner. It's a job that carries significant risk as gold deposits here are usually found next to highly toxic lead.

The more immediate danger is not lead poisoning but being shaken down by bandits. "They take whatever they want," said Abakar.

The insecurity induces an understandable paranoia. Everybody IRIN spoke to knew at least one victim of the violence, and in every conversation mention is made of shadowy "informers" who spy and sell out their neighbours for a share of the loot.

The guessing game of who the masterminds are protecting the bandits runs the gamut from senior state officials to traditional rulers  an assumption of high-level impunity and corruption exposing the deep distrust people have for those in power.

To tackle the broader problem of farmer-herder clashes in Nigeria, recent studies call for effective systems to track livestock movement and trade, new strategies to curb illicit firearms, coherent political approaches to address rural insecurity, and policies that promote rural development and diversification.

There's little evidence of any of this happening in Zamfara.

Link to original story on IRIN website
Burkina Faso's Alarming Escalation of Jihadist Violence

Publisher International Crisis Group (ICG) Author Rinaldo Depagne Publication Date 5 March 2018 Cite as International Crisis Group (ICG), Burkina Faso's Alarming Escalation of Jihadist Violence, 5 March 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9cbc37.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

What do we know about the 2 March attacks in Ouagadougou?

The attacks represent an alarming escalation for Burkina Faso in terms of organisation, lethality of armaments and length of engagement. The attacks were claimed on 3 March by the Group to Support Muslims and Islam, known by its Arabic acronym JNIM, which is part of a wider coalition in the Sahel linked to al-Qaeda.

Operations were carried out by two groups of at least four to five assailants each. While the incidents were confined to the city center, they hit two symbolic targets at the heart of power in the country: the army headquarters and the French Embassy. The official death toll is sixteen, including nine assailants. Reliable sources indicated more than 30 dead. The number of wounded is around 85.

At the army headquarters, it seems up to five men in a vehicle either used a grenade or rocket-propelled grenade to blast their way through the entrance gate, where they then shot at soldiers in the courtyard and detonated a vehicle full of explosives by the main building. This version is confirmed by two different French and Burkinabe security sources.

At the French Embassy, a group of at least four men tried to force their way into the embassy. Unable to enter, they took up positions nearby and exchanged heavy fire with Burkinabe security forces. French soldiers, who have played a leading role in Burkina Faso's security for decades, quickly reinforced the building with men lowered from helicopters. Shooting continued for several hours.

Burkinabe forces relied heavily on French support to respond to the attacks. A French military source told Crisis Group: "Burkinabe forces were crushed at the beginning. We helped them". Even so, compared to the previous two attacks in Ouagadougou in 2016 and 2017, the response time and organisation of the reaction seem slightly improved.

Violence in the Sahel long seemed to spare Burkina Faso. How has Ouagadougou become a target?

It is not only Ouagadougou that has become a target; so has the north of the country. Long spared by the Sahel's armed groups, Burkina is now part of the wars of the Sahel.

Since January 2016, the country has experienced several deadly attacks from regional and international terrorist networks. Nineteen people were killed and 25 others injured when suspected jihadists opened fire on a Turkish restaurant in central Ouagadougou on 13 August 2017. Thirty people were killed in similar circumstances in January 2016, not far from the Turkish restaurant, in an attack claimed by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

Since 2015, northern Burkina Faso, which borders troubled Mali, has also experienced 80 attacks that are increasingly frequent and lethal. These attacks are mostly done by Ansarul Islam, a group founded in December 2016 that is locally rooted, albeit with ties to other groups in Mali.

One reason why Burkina Faso has become an easier target may be the weakness of the country's security apparatus. Since the departure of former President Blaise Compaore in October 2014, the army is significantly less organised. The special forces unit known as Presidential Security Regiment (RSP) under Compaore was dismantled after his departure, and no equivalent has replaced it. Intelligence gathering appears to be weak, judging by the failure to detect or disrupt the major attacks that happened on Friday. Two teams totaling at least eight men were able to cross the city center carrying heavy weapons and driving a car full of explosives without being spotted.

Under Compaore, intelligence capacities were based on strong individuals. Spymaster Gilbert Diendere, Compaore's personal chief of staff, headed an impressive regional and international intelligence network. Those individuals have left. It is taking time to rebuild efficient institutions in their wake.

Is the attack in Ouagadougou a purely domestic affair, or linked to broader violence in the Sahel region?

The relationship between the Burkinabe government and the various armed groups of the Sahel has changed. From the mid-2000s to 2012, Compaore's regime cut deals with armed groups, allegedly providing them with logistical support in exchange for their neutrality. This evolved with the 2012-2013 Malian crisis. Thousands of Malian refugees fled from their homes to the Burkinabe border, raising fears in Ouagadougou that war would spill over. New armed groups appeared, with which Compaore's regime had less established relations.

Compaore therefore revised his strategy, slowly switching from arrangements with armed groups to more direct military intervention. Burkina Faso deployed 1,000 troops along the Malian border after January 2013, and 650 troops in Mali as part of the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This may have put Burkina Faso in some jihadists' firing line. In February 2013, a spokesperson for the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), one of the groups that controlled northern Mali for almost a year in 2012, said: "Bamako, Ouagadougou and Niamey are targets for our suicide bombers".

Where do the Ouagadougou attacks fit into the context of jihadist violence in the Sahel, and the regional response to it?

This attack happened at a moment when the level of violence in the Sahel is very high. On 3 March, the Group to Support Muslims and Islam (JNIM) claimed responsibility for the Ouagadougou attacks. Part of a wider coalition linked to al-Qaeda, JNIM comprises several jihadist factions, including groups formerly known as Ansar Eddine, al-Mourabitoun, and the Macina Liberation Front. It is headed by Iyad ag Ghali, a Malian Tuareg. JNIM said the attack was in retaliation for a French airstrike on 14 February, which killed several leaders, including al-Mourabitoun deputy leader al-Hassan al-Ansari, and Malick ag Wanasnat, a close associate to Ghali.

This French airstrike was part of a surge in military operations in neighbouring Mali, conducted by either the Malian armed forces (FAMA), the French counter-terrorism force known as Barkhane, or a combination of both together with the support of the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). The Malian and French operations aim to reverse a rising tide of jihadist attacks and jihadists establishing control of swathes of territory. They also aim to pave the way for presidential elections in Mali in July 2018. The main jihadist groups on their target list include: the JNIM itself; a faction of the JNIM previously known as the Macina Liberation Front, which operates in central Mali under the leadership of Hamadoun Kouffa; and a local affiliate of the Islamic State (ISIS) that operates in Menaka along the border with Niger, led by Adnane Abou Walid al-Sahraoui.

At the same time, progress is being made toward the operationalisation of the G5 Sahel joint force, formed between Burkina Faso, four of its neighbours, and backed by France. Launched in February 2017 and analysed in a 12 December 2017 Crisis Group report, the G5 has secured funding, begun formal planning for its relationship with MINUSMA, and has now conducted two operations in the border areas between Mali, Niger and Burkina. According to the Burkinabe minister of security, a meeting on the G5 may have been in progress at the army headquarters when the attack happened. In its statement, JNIM wrote that it wants to discourage the "Burkinabe regime and others that raced to join the G5 and fight on behalf of the French".

With targets attacked including the army headquarters, is there a possibility that the attackers may have been helped by some Burkinabe army members?

Burkinabe authorities declared that they suspect some army members of helping Friday's attackers, leaking key information. Attackers at the army headquarters wore Burkinabe military uniforms and most of them were Burkinabe nationals. As a retired colonel of the Burkinabe army put it on Friday in a local TV interview: "Terrorism is a multi-facetted issue and we shouldn't rule out any hypothesis".

The retired colonel noted that 566 members of the army and air force were summarily dismissed in 2011. Some of these men, who have been barred from rejoining the army for the rest of their lives, became bandits or joined Islamist groups in Mali, including Malian al-Qaeda offshoots, as discussed in Crisis Group's 22 July 2013 report Burkina Faso: With or Without Compaore, Times of Uncertainty. Also, other members of the former Presidential Security Regiment have been sacked or dispersed to other units, and they are very frustrated.

Many Burkinabes, including some senior members of the current government, privately suspect that former collaborators of Compaore could be behind these terrorist attacks due to the links those individuals built with armed groups. There is, however, no direct evidence to support those suspicions. In its statement, JNIM referred to those past good relations. It said the previous Burkinabe government's position of non-interference meant it avoided "falling into a swamp of blood".

Some former Compaore allies, who allegedly built and maintained those relations, are now living abroad. Others, accused of supporting a short-lived 2015 coup against the current post-Compaore order, should have been on trial in Ouagadougou last week. The trial was suspended after their lawyers protested it would not have been impartial. No direct evidence supports accusations of their involvement in Friday's attack.

How does Friday's attack affect Burkina Faso's stability?

If information of possible help from security forces to the attackers is confirmed, it will further divide and disrupt an already fragile army. This will also harm popular confidence in the government and military. Relations between current authorities and the former Compaore-era political elite will become tenser and increase the climate of suspicion in the country.

The attacks could, in any event, have significant economic and social consequences. The more Burkina Faso is under attack, the more the government will be tempted to spend on the military. As Crisis Group pointed out in its 12 October 2017 report on The Social Roots of Jihadist Violence in Burkina Faso's North, the less the government spends on development, the less it is able to answer strong social demands for better public services and governance that emerged after Compaore's departure. Its continued failure to meet those demands risks provoking street protests and perhaps even riots.
DONBAS: Donetsk: Places of worship seized, sealed

Publisher Forum 18 Author Felix Corley Publication Date 12 October 2018 Cite as Forum 18, DONBAS: Donetsk: Places of worship seized, sealed, 12 October 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5bc9d1044.html [accessed 17 November 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Rebel authorities of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, an unrecognised entity in eastern Ukraine, have continued in 2018 to confiscate or seal places of worship to prevent religious communities from meeting. A Baptist Church in the southern seaside town of Novoazovsk, confiscated and sealed against entry in September, is the latest known confiscation. Also seized in 2018 were a mosque in Donetsk and a Baptist Church in Makeyevka.



Pro-Russian rebels seized parts of Ukraine's Donetsk Region in April 2014 and proclaimed what they called the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). Heavy fighting ensued. The rebel administration currently controls nearly half of Ukraine's Donetsk Region.



Between 2014 and the end of 2017, the rebel authorities are known to have confiscated or sealed against entry other places of worship, including Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Halls, a Muslim prayer room, a Seventh-day Adventist church and a Protestant-run University (see below).



Members of religious communities of a variety of faiths told Forum 18 that they fear that meeting for worship in private homes could lead to raids and possible punishment.



Sergei Gavrish, the head of the Religion and Nationalities Department at the Culture Ministry in Donetsk, refused to discuss why the authorities have seized numerous places of worship. "Our Ministry has no involvement in this," he told Forum 18 on 11 October. "I don't know who does this."



The State Property Fund often seizes the places of worship on the pretext that they are unused and without an owner. Religious communities contest these claims. Officials of the Property Fund refused to discuss the seizures with Forum 18 (see below).



The Donetsk Mosque was closed on the pretext that it was spreading "extremist" literature. The State Security Ministry (SSM) in Donetsk refused to discuss the seizure with Forum 18, or whether any criminal cases are underway against two mosque members (see below).



On 26 September, the rebels' Donetsk Supreme Court banned Jehovah's Witnesses entirely. The ban on Jehovah's Witnesses followed several Supreme Court decisions declaring their literature and international website "extremist". The authorities "use the pretext of fighting extremism to persecute Jehovah's Witnesses for their peaceful worship", Jehovah's Witnesses complained to Forum 18.



The Supreme Court has also declared some Muslim literature "extremist" .



As well as the accusation of "extremism", the General Prosecutor's Office accused Jehovah's Witnesses of not having local registration. However, Culture Ministry and Justice Ministry officials told Forum 18 that no religious communities currently have registration. An amendment to the Religion Law gives religious communities until 1 March 2019 to lodge registration applications .



Pro-Russian rebels also seized control of parts of Ukraine's Luhansk Region in March 2014 and the following month proclaimed what they called the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). Heavy fighting ensued. The rebel administration currently controls about a third of Ukraine's Luhansk Region. That rebel-held area adjoins the rebel-held area of Donetsk Region. In rebel-held Luhansk armed men  often officials or police  often raid religious communities, halt worship meetings and seize religious literature Novoazovsk: Baptist Church seized, sealed



In September 2018, officials in the southern seaside town of Novoazovsk seized and sealed the Baptist Church. "Members of this church are deprived of the opportunity to conduct worship meetings," fellow-Baptists lamented to Forum 18.



Oleg Sidorenko, first deputy head of Novoazovsk District Administration, said he did not know about the seizure of the Baptist Church and said he would find out. Asked why places of worship are being seized, including in Novoazovsk, Makeyevka, Donetsk and Gorlovka, he responded: "And in Kiev and Lvov." He then put the phone down.



Makeyeka: Baptist Church seized, sealed



On 6 July, officials seized the two-storey building of New Life Baptist Church in Makeyevka. "About midday, seven officials  including some with weapons  arrived and told us that our building no longer belongs to us," Pastor Aleksandr Moseychuk recounted on his Facebook page the same day. "Despite all our persuasion and discussions, they sealed the building."



The seal on the door was signed by a Justice Ministry official A. S. Bashkatov, according to a picture seen by Forum 18.



Asked by Forum 18 about the church seizure on 11 October, the official who answered the phone at Makeyevka Justice Department immediately put the phone down.



Pastor Moseychuk noted that each Sunday "people heard the living word of God, many of them repented of their sins and we have people preparing for baptism." He added that the church had also provided food and clothing for local people in need in the four years since fighting began.



"The church building has not been returned to its owner," fellow-Baptists lamented to Forum 18 on 9 October. "What's worse, the building has been placed on the list of ownerless property."



After the July seizure of their place of worship, church members in Makeyevka met in other churches' property. "However, churches renting their premises then began to suffer persecution," Baptists told Forum 18. Church members can now meet only in small groups in homes.



Donetsk: Second mosque seized, sealed



On 21 June 2018, one week after the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, SSM officers arrived at Al-Amal Mosque in Donetsk's Kalinin District, the Ministry noted on its website on 27 June. They searched the building, seizing prayer books and other literature. They also seized copies of the Ukrainian-language Umma newspaper.



Officers then sealed the building, Said Ismagilov, Mufti of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Ukraine UMMA, told Forum 18 from Kiev on 10 October. He said the building belongs to a private owner who sponsored its construction.



Ismagilov, the Donetsk-born former Imam of the Al-Amal Mosque, fled from the rebel-held area in September 2014 fearing arrest. Both in his time and since, men in camouflage were often present during the namaz prayers and inspected books present in the mosque, he noted.



Following the June 2018 raid, officers took the current Imam, Rinat Khabibbudinov, and a congregation member from nearby Makeyevka for questioning. A criminal investigation appears to have been launched against the two men for spreading "extremist" literature, Ismagilov added. The two had to sign pledges that they would not leave the city.



The SSM, describing the mosque community as a "pseudo-religious organisation of Islamic orientation", claimed it was linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and was distributing "extremist" literature.



Among the books officers seized the Ministry identified two: "Fortress of a Muslim", a collection of Muslim prayers which, as it noted, is banned in Russia; and "The Last Journey", a book published by the Ukrainian Muslim organisation Al-Raid and which has also been declared "extremist" in Russia.



The duty officer at the SSM in Donetsk refused to put Forum 18 through to anyone who would explain why officers forcibly closed the mosque in June, or whether criminal cases against mosque members are underway. "No one will give you the phone number of anyone here," he told Forum 18 on 12 October, "as we don't give such information by phone." He then put the phone down.



Another small Muslim prayer room in rented first floor premises elsewhere in the city had been closed in 2015 or 2016, also on alleged grounds of "extremism", Ismagilov added.



One other mosque still functions in Donetsk, the large Akhat Jami Mosque in the city's Oktyabrski District, which is affiliated to another Islamic group, the Spiritual Centre of Muslims of Ukraine.



Earlier place of worship seizures



The Donetsk rebel authorities seized various places of worship and religious institutions after they took control locally in 2014. One Pentecostal Church was among those seized, but was later returned to the community, a Pentecostal told Forum 18.



In July 2014, rebels seized Donetsk Christian University, a Protestant theological college with its own campus. They threatened those in the college with a summary field court if they failed to leave. Confiscations of places of worship continued in the following year. It was at about this time that a Muslim prayer room in Donetsk was forcibly closed (see above).



On 16 November 2016, armed men came to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Gorlovka. They told those present that the town administration had declared the two-storey building its property and that the church must vacate it immediately, the Church noted at the time. The men seized all the building contents as well, including equipment and the library, except for the pastor's personal possessions.



Officials  who had given no prior notice of the seizure  said the Church was unable to document its ownership of the building. Church members dispute this and say they provided the town administration with all necessary documentation.



"The Church was a beautiful building, and we received no compensation for it," an Adventist familiar with the situation told Forum 18 from the Ukrainian capital Kiev on 11 October 2018.



Forum 18 was unable on 11 and 12 October to reach Ivan Prikhodko, the head of Gorlovka administration since July 2016. Another administration official  who did not give his name  refused to give Forum 18 any information the same day. "We only talk to media which have accreditation."



Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall seizures



On 3 September 2017, local Jehovah's Witnesses found that their Kingdom Hall in Donetsk had been vandalised and desecrated, Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18.



From that month, the authorities began seizing Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Halls, handing them to local administrations. Titles to the properties had often already been seized in anti-"extremism" raids on the Kingdom Halls earlier in 2017. Officials seized Kingdom Halls in Gorlovka, Donetsk, Telmanove, Yenakievo, Uglegorsk and Debaltsevo.



The Gorlovka Kingdom Hall seizure was typical. In an 8 September 2017 order, seen by Forum 18, the head of the State Property Fund Sergei Kaida declared that the building was abandoned and would be taken over by the Town Administration. Ten days later a State Property Fund Commission, accompanied by Town Administration officials, visited the building and confirmed the decision.



On 27 September 2017, the Gorlovka Jehovah's Witness community appealed to the Interior Ministry in Donetsk for their Kingdom Hall. In his 3 November 2017 reply, seen by Forum 18, deputy minister Major-General Igor Melnikov outlined the confiscation on the grounds that the building was allegedly unused.



In a 21 November 2017 response to the community seen by Forum 18, Kaida of the State Property Fund told the community leader that the Kingdom Hall was being seized for one year "as it had the signs of being without an owner". It claimed the State Property Fund's decision had been taken "in strict conformity" with laws governing ownerless property.



Olga Pushnova, a State Property Fund official who had prepared Kaida's November 2017 response to Gorlovka's Jehovah's Witness community, refused to discuss why its property had been seized. "I'm not working on that property," she told Forum 18 from Donetsk on 12 October. She then put the phone down.



The Debaltsevo Kingdom Hall seizure was similar. On 25 October 2017, the State Property Fund declared that the building was abandoned and should be managed by the town administration, Jehovah's Witnesses told Forum 18. On 22 November 2017, the police welded shut the entrance door.
Vancouver, BC -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/19/2018 --As a team of Canadian immigration lawyers, Sas & Ing have just released an article about Canada's new Student Direct Stream (SDS) program which fast-tracks study permit applications for international students from China, India, Vietnam and the Philippines. For more, go to: http://canadian-visa-lawyer.com/canada-implements-fast-track-processing-for-international-students/



International students from these countries who meet the SDS criteria can now have their study permit applications processed within four weeks.



According to the post "International students are a key part of Canada's immigration program. Currently, there are nearly 500,000 international students studying in Canada and the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) reports that there has been a 20% increase since 2017. Statistics from the CBIE show that almost 56% of international students in Canada come from one of these countries. Similar programs to the SDS have been in place in these countries. However, IRCC has now aligned them into one collective, consistent program to enhance the processing times of applications."



The SDS is a perfect option for students who meet the requirements and are looking to begin their studies in Canada as soon as possible. However, to utilize the new, fast-track system, qualifying students must demonstrate that they have the language skills and financial capability to succeed academically in Canada.



With programs such as the SDS, Canada continues to move towards becoming a premier destination for international students. As IRCC improves its international Student Program, the intention is to further expand the SDS program in 2019 to include additional participating countries.



To learn more about the SDS Program, bringing a family member to Canada, or becoming a permanent resident, please call (604) 689-5444 to speak to one of the Vancouver Immigration lawyers at Sas & Ing.



About Sas & Ing Immigration Law Centre

Sas & Ing Immigration Law Centre has over 30 years of continued in-depth and comprehensive expertise in most aspects of Canadian Immigration practice. Sas & Ing have facilitated applications to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Service Canada and Canada Border Services Agency. Catherine & Victor work closely with other lawyers specializing in Business, Employment, Tax and Real Estate to provide comprehensive legal advice to companies and individuals as they navigate the regulatory requirements necessary for temporary or permanent establishment in Canada.



For additional information, please visit canadian-visa-lawyer.com or call (604) 689-5444



Sas & Ing Immigration Law Centre

Catherine Sas

604-689-5444

Company website: canadian-visa-lawyer.com
BBR Music Group/BMGIt's been twenty years since Martina McBride's platinum-selling yuletide collection, White Christmas, was released. Today, the companion album, It's the Holiday Season, comes out.

"I'm super-excited about it," the four-time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year says. "It's a big band Christmas record, kind of in the Frank Sinatra kind of style. We cut it in L.A. with a big band... at Capitol Records."

For Martina, soaking up the feel of the legendary studio enhanced the experience.

"Just being in that studio where all those great Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra albums were cut, there was a really cool vibe... and spirit there..." she explains. "Some of the same musicians that played on my record played on their records."

"And Patrick Williams wrote all the arrangements and directed the orchestra," Martina continues, "so it was really special. It was just something that I don't get to do very often."

In fact, the album is dedicated to the legendary TV and film composer, who passed away last summer.

The release of It's the Holiday Season kicks off a busy time for Martina. On October 30, her second cookbook, Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life comes out, ahead of the launch of her new Food Network series, Martina's Table, on November 18.

She'll host ABC Radio's Holiday Season Serenade, which will premiere Thanksgiving weekend, before appearing on this year's CMA Country Christmas special on ABC-TV.

On November 23, she kicks off her The Joy of Christmas Tour in Biloxi, Mississippi as well.

"We're doing dates with symphonies," she points out. "We're actually doing three dates in Nashville, my hometown. I've really never done a Christmas tour with a symphony before, so this will be all new."

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
SUPERVALU INC. (SVU) announced that at a special meeting, stockholders approved the proposed acquisition of SUPERVALU by United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI). Approximately 80.82% of the shares of SUPERVALU common stock outstanding and entitled to vote adopted the merger agreement. These shares represent approximately 97.56% of the shares voted at the special meeting.

The company noted that the transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions. SUPERVALU expects the transaction to close on October 22, 2018.

SUPERVALU serves customers across the United States through a network of 3,606 stores composed of 3,495 wholesale primary stores operated by customers serviced by SUPERVALU's food distribution and 111 traditional retail grocery stores in continuing operations operated under three retail banners in three geographic regions.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
American Express Co. (AXP) Thursday reported a 22 percent increase in third-quarter profit, driven largely by revenue growth reflecting higher card member spending and loan growth. The company also lifted its full-year 2018 outlook.

New York-based American Express' third-quarter profit rose to $1.65 billion or $1.88 per share from $1.36 billion or $1.51 per share a year ago. On average, 28 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of $1.76 per share for the quarter.

American Express, the biggest credit-card issuer on the basis of purchases, said revenues, net of interest expense, for the quarter grew 9 percent to $10.14 billion from $9.29 billion a year ago. Twenty analysts had a consensus revenue estimate of $10.05 billion.

The growth in revenues reflected higher spending by consumer, small , and corporate Card Members. Revenues for the quarter also benefited from higher loan volumes and fee income.

Card Member spending grew 8 percent and 3.0 million new cards were acquired, the company said.

Provisions for losses were $817 million, up 6 percent from a year ago. Total expenses for the quarter increased 8 percent to $7.21 billion last year.

"This marks our sixth consecutive quarter of strong adjusted revenue growth and our investments in new benefits, services and digital capabilities continued to generate momentum as we enter the latter part of 2018," said CEO Stephen Squeri.

American express now expects adjusted earnings to be $7.30 to $7.40 per share, up from prior forecast of $6.90 to $7.30 per share. The company now expects 2018 revenues to be up 9 to 10 percent, compared to previous outlook of at least 9 percent.

Analysts currently estimate earnings of $7.27 per share and revenue growth of 20.40 percent for the full year 2018.

AXP closed Thursday's trading at $102.84, down $1.50 or 1.44% on the NYSE. The stock, however, gained $0.66 or 0.64% in the after-hours trade.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
French stocks fell notably on Friday, a day after several European Union leaders raised concerns over Italy's budget spending and the European Commission dispatched a letter to Rome warning that the nation's significantly higher deficit targets represented a deviation "unprecedented in the history" of EU budget rules.

The benchmark CAC 40 was down 34 points or 0.66 percent at 5,083 in opening deals after declining 0.6 percent on Thursday.

Tyre maker Michelin slumped 7.8 percent as it cut full-year market forecasts, citing slowing Chinese car demand and new emission standards.

Conglomerate Bouygues lost almost 10 percent after a profit warning over ongoing problems with two biomass power plants in the U.K. and a data centre in Ireland.

Spirits group Remy Cointreau lost over 2 percent after it reported 5 percent growth in first-half sales.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Spanish utility Iberdrola S.A. (IBDSF.PK) agreed Friday to sell its solar thermal power plant in Spain to Ence Energia, which involves the sale of 90% of the shares in Iberdrola Energia Solar de Puertollano, S.A., the company which owns the 50-megawatt (MW) solar thermal generation unit.

The transaction amounts to 181.1 million euros, of which 72.3 million euros correspond to the sale of Iberdrola Energia Solar de Puertollano, S.A.

The remainder comprises the assignment to ENCE of the participating loan granted by Iberdrola to the company holding the shares, plus outstanding accrued interest. In addition, payment of a 6.3 million euros earn-out has been agreed.

The deal will have a positive impact in the 2018 consolidated results of the Iberdrola group, which will be quantified at the closing of the transaction.

Also, both companies have reached an agreement whereby Iberdrola will operate and maintain the plant for two years.

The sale is conditional on the partner holding the remaining 10% at Iberdrola Energia Solar de Puertollano, S.A., namely the Instituto para la Diversificacion y Ahorro de la Energia (IDAE), waiving its right to preferential acquisition of the shares being transferred.

The divestment of this asset in Spain is part of the 3 billion euro asset rotation plan announced by Iberdrola at last February's presentation of its Strategic Outlook for 2018-2022.

The company maintains its renewable energy strategy in the Spanish market, focused on wind, hydroelectric and solar photovoltaic technologies.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MACK) announced the termination of the SHERLOC study, the company's randomized, open-label Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating MM-121 in combination with docetaxel in patients with heregulin positive non-small cell lung cancer. The company said the the data demonstrated that the addition of MM-121 to docetaxel did not improve progression free survival over docetaxel alone in this patient population.

Based on the results, Merrimack is implementing a comprehensive review of its drug candidate pipeline, including assessing the impact of these results on the continued development of MM-121. Merrimack will provide an update on its pipeline and the results of its portfolio review on its third quarter 2018 financial results call on November 7, 2018.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
U.S. President Donald Trump has said it looks like missing dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is no more.

Talking to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews for an election rally in Montana on Thursday, Trump warned Saudi Arabia of "very severe" consequences if the kingdom is found responsible for Khashoggi's apparent murder.

Trump was briefed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about an investigation to establish the truth regarding what happened to Khashoggi.

Trump addressed the media after holding a detailed meeting with Pompeo, who traveled to Saudi Arabia and Turkey on a brief fact-finding mission earlier this week.

Asked if he believes Jamal Khashoggi is dead, Trump replied, "It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad. Certainly looks that way".

To another question, Trump said that his administration is waiting for the results of three different investigations. He added that he will be making "a very strong statement" once he "gets to the bottom fairly soon."

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who had been living in the United States, has not been seen since he entered a Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd.

Turkish authorities suspect that Khashoggi was abducted and murdered by a team of Saudi agents inside the consulate and his body then removed. But Riyadh denies the claims.

Saudi Arabia allowed Turkish investigators to search the Saudi consul's residence and the consulate Wednesday night.

BBC quoted sources close to the investigation as saying they have audio evidence of Khashoggi's torture and eventual murder at the diplomatic facility.

Saudi Arabia is one of Washington's closest allies and the Trump administration has been reluctant to take strong action against Saudi Arabia.

This is the first time that the U.S. has officially acknowledged Khashoggi's death.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and U.K. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox have pulled out of a major investment conference in Riyadh next week.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) said it plans to open a new corporate office in Manchester in 2019 and also create more than 1,000 highly-skilled jobs in the UK.

As part of the ramp up of its UK investment, Amazon will increase the capacity of its Scotland Development Centre and Cambridge Development Centre. The company's 1,000 new staffers will work on research and development in Manchester, Edinburgh and Cambridge.

Amazon's decision to invest comes amid news that the UK now expects to extend the proposed length of the post-Brexit transition period by a few more months as it has so far failed to reach a deal with the European Union.

Amazon's new corporate office in Manchester will lead to the creation of at least 600 new roles in the city. Amazon will also expand its Development Centre in Edinburgh, providing capacity for more than 250 new, highly-skilled roles, while its Cambridge Development Centre will create capacity for an additional 180 new roles.

According to Amazon, these highly-skilled teams will work on projects including software development, machine learning and R&D. They will complement the existing work at Development Centres in London, Cambridge and Edinburgh.

"With the UK taking a leading role in our global innovation, we are delighted to announce plans to create capacity for over 1,000 new highly-skilled roles across the country. These are Silicon Valley jobs in Britain, and further cement our long-term commitment to the UK," said Doug Gurr, UK Country Manager of Amazon.

The new site in Manchester and additional investment in Scotland as well as Cambridge follow the opening last year of Amazon's new UK head office and Development Centre in Shoreditch, East London as well as the expansion of the company's Development Centre in Cambridge.

Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than 9.3 billion pounds in the UK to build and run its operations.

The company said it is on course to grow to 27,500 roles in UK by the end of 2018, including over 6,500 roles in its corporate, Amazon Web Services or AWS, and R&D divisions.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
After gapping open sharply higher, shares of PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL) continue to see significant strength in afternoon trading on Friday. PayPal is currently up by 7.3 percent.

The initial jump by PayPal came after the payment services company reported third quarter results that exceeded analyst estimates on both the top and bottom lines.

PayPal reported third quarter adjusted earnings of $0.58 per share on revenues of $3.68 billion, while analysts had expected earnings of $0.54 per share on revenues of $3.66 billion.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
After ending the previous session roughly flat, treasuries showed a modest move to the downside during the trading day on Friday.

Bond prices moved lower early in the session and remained stuck in negative territory. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, rose by 2.3 basis points to 3.198 percent.

The early weakness among treasuries came on the heels of a rally by Chinese stocks, which rebounded strongly from an initial move to the downside despite disappointing GDP data.

Data showed Chinese GDP climbed an annual 6.5 percent in the third quarter, shy of estimates for 6.6 percent and down from 6.7 percent in the previous quarter.

However, investors reacted positively after three top Chinese financial regulators stepped in to bolster investor confidence.

The heads of the People's Bank of China, the Securities Regulatory Commission and the Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission all issued statements expressing support for the .

Meanwhile, traders largely shrugged off a report from the National Association of Realtors showing a much steeper than expected drop in existing home sales in the month of September.

NAR said existing home sales plunged by 3.4 percent to an annual rate of 5.15 million in September after edging down by 0.2 percent to a revised rate of 5.33 million in August. Economists had expected existing home sales to drop by 0.7 percent.

With the much bigger than expected decrease, existing home sales slumped to their lowest annual rate since November of 2015.

The U.S. economic calendar for next week is relatively quiet, although reports on new home sales, durable goods orders, and consumer sentiment are still likely to attract attention.

Traders are also likely to keep an eye on the Federal Reserve's Beige Book as well as speeches by several Fed officials.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Crude oil futures ended higher on Friday with investors weighing the possible impact of U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil exports on crude supply in the market.

Oil was also supported by data showing refinery throughput in China rising to a record high of 12.49 million barrels per day in September, after some independent plants restarted operations.

Crude oil futures for November ended up $0.47, or 0.7%, at $69.12 a barrel. On Thursday, crude oil futures ended at a five-week low at $68.65 a barrel, losing $1.10, or 1.6%.

For the week, oil futures shed about 3.1%.

The sanctions on Iran's oil exports come into force on November 4.

Meanwhile, U.S. politicians have spoken of sanctioning Saudi officials found culpable in the killing of U.S. journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Saudi kingdom has stated that it would respond with greater action, if it receives any action from the U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he presumes Khashoggi had likely been killed and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be very severe.

Oil prices tumbled in the previous two sessions, after data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed a much higher than expected increase in crude inventories last week. Traders were also speculating a likely drop in crude demand due to the ongoing trade disputes between the U.S. and China, and on concerns about the outlook for global economic growth.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis


Saudis may blame intelligence official for Khashoggi killing: Post (File photo) The rulers of Saudi Arabia are considering blaming a top intelligence official close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post reported. The plan to assign blame to Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, a high-ranking adviser to the crown prince, would be an extraordinary recognition of the magnitude of international backlash to hit the kingdom since the disappearance of Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi dissident, it said.



A resident of Virginia and contributor to The Washington Post, Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate here on October 2. The Post based its report after speaking to three people with knowledge of the Saudi plans.



Blaming Gen. Assiri could also provide a plausible explanation for the apparent killing and help deflect blame from the crown prince, who American intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced was behind Khashoggi's disappearance, the daily said.



Turkish officials have said they possess evidence showing that 15 Saudi agents assassinated and dismembered Khashoggi in the consulate.



After two weeks of blanket denials and mounting pressure from Turkey and Washington, Saudi Arabia said it would conduct its own investigation to determine who was responsible, the Post said.



But even with the investigation still ostensibly underway, the Saudis are already pointing to Gen. Assiri as the culprit, it said.



Whether that move will be enough to calm the international crisis and what it may mean for Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's day-to-day ruler, remain to be seen, the Post said.



Gen. Assiri, who previously served as the spokesman for the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, is close enough to the crown prince to have easy access to his ear and has considerable authority to enlist lower-ranking personnel in a mission.



The Saudi rulers are expected to say that Gen. Assiri received oral authorization from Prince Mohammed to capture Khashoggi for an interrogation in Saudi Arabia, but either misunderstood his instructions or overstepped that authorization and took the dissident's life, according to two of the people familiar with the Saudi plans, the Post said.



"Even in this scenario, however, Prince Mohammed would still have ordered an operation to abduct a resident of the US, apparently only on the basis of his public criticism of Saudi leaders," it said.




Dear Editor,

A headless body loses its life. It is the reason why foreign military invaders historically go after the leaders first of the invaded communities. Take away the leadership and the community will scatter making it easier to defeat them.

The United States did this with the Royal King Kamehameha family in Hawaii as an example of such tactic. We are currently experiencing such oppression cleverly disguised however, through the hands of our own government.

A Constitutional Amendment in Parliament introduced by the Prime Minister (PM) and his friends in Parliament, deals with what appears to be a simple issue of amending the Constitution, to remove the salutation of Highness that we normally address our leader with, the Head of State (HOS).

This may seem trivial and insignificant, but unfortunately, facts surrounding this subject in its totality, indicate a calculated political move aimed at aligning our Nation with Communism ideology, by removing what our Tu ma Aganuu had set in place, beginning with the leadership roles of our Tama o Aigas. A headless body loses its life. Here are the facts in totality.

Fact One: The PM recently, finally publically admitted that the future of the Nation is with China as published by the Samoa Observer on October 7, 2018.

Fact Two: As reported by the Samoa Observer on October 6, 2018, the PM and his HRRP party members introduced a Bill to amend the Constitution for the sole purpose of banning the use of the honorary salutation of Highness in addressing our HOS. According to the PM, by disallowing the use of Highness, it will make the office of Head of State more professional. How it makes it professional has not been clarified by any government official yet.

According to same article, the PM is quoted claiming that anyone can be a Head of State as long as one has a Matai Title, and approved by the Parliament. In this same Bill, the Parliament also increased the salary of the Head of State and other Members of the PMs Councils of Deputies.

Fact Three: This Bill also forbids the Head of State from hiring own staffs. The Prime Ministers office gets to do this for his Highness. The reason given by the PM is that since it is the government that pays salary of the HOS, the government will hire staff for the HOS. The government also pays salaries of government Ministers and CEOs and other government Administrators, but unlike the HOS, they have the power and authority to hire their own staffs.

THE HUMILIATION OF A NATION!

TO THE TAMA O AIGAS: The revelation that the PM has chosen to align the nation with China goes against our Foundation as a Nation founded on God.

It is such a serious contradiction to our foundation that a referendum and consultation with Tumua ma Pule was warranted before this decision was made. This calls for an immediate response by our leaders, that of the Tama o Aigas.

China being a Communist nation, does not believe in our God or any other. Therefore, China has a history of not just oppressing Christians, but murdering them. The imposition of taxation and harassment of our Church Leaders with confiscation of personal accounts and private properties, is consistent with what Communist China does to their citizens.

If our Nation is founded on God, then pay attention to Israels first rebellious act: they chose to socialize with non-believers instead of kicking them out of their inherited land as instructed by God. Deuteronomy 7: 1-11 was even though a record of the history of Israel, but an event of social and political significance for us. China is now our very own Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, the non-believing nations Israel was supposed to avoid socializing with to avoid their influence, just as China is. Israels punishment was the eventual loss of their land. If you pay attention, our government had been buying customary lands which is essential in the operation of Communism.

The Land Titles Registration Act of 2008 (LTRA) was drafted to move control of customary lands to a central government, and the initial scheme to open up our customary lands for development through the LTRA surprisingly, was drafted by a Communist Chinese bank.

The basics of Communism ideology, is that all men are equal in status (means there are no royal bloods), equal in wealth (all must be shared wealth equally), and that no one owns private properties but all belong to the state (all lands belong to the government for example). So this Constitutional Amendment to remove the Highness salutation, is consistent with Communism ideology in that all citizens are equal in status, meaning that no single individual holds any higher position, prestige, or more prominence than any other.

Our Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa, is opposite of this ideology. We use the salutation of Highness in addressing our HOS, or Tama O Aiga, as this denotes the prestige of the status as Tama O Aiga, or leader. Even our Matais have a ranking system.

O Samoa ua uma on tofi means that the structure of our governing ideology, that of the Tu ma Aganuu, is set in place. What the PM is doing through this amendment, is ordering the whole nation not to confer on the HOS or the Tama o Aigas the prestige conferred on to them by our Ancestors, our Tu ma Aganuu.

It may seem trivial, but the intent of the amendment, is the removal of the prestige accorded to the Office of the Head of State, especially that of the Tama O Aiga. This is in line with Communist ideology.

This is supported by two important facts outlined above.

When the Constitution was constructed, it is not clear today whether the intent was for only Tupua Tamasese Meaole and Malietoa Tanumafili II, the Tama o Aigas at the time, to hold the office of HOS; or was it to be passed to descendants of all Tama o Aigas in rotation? According to the Constitutional interpretation by the PM, the Office was only meant for these two, and not their descendants. So now, anyone can be a HOS.

This is error and Constitutional invalid. The HOS is the office that belongs to the Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa; whereas the office of the Prime Minister is the Head of the Parliamentary system, a form of government introduced to us by foreigners.

These are two different forms of governments. The reason why a Tama o Aiga was decided upon to be HOS by the committee of Tumua ma Pule that were involved in the construction of the Constitution, was because these families had been historically our leaders. For them to hold the HOS positions, it maintains and continues their role as leaders, thereby keeping the roots of our Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa in place.

This separates two governments: the HOS for the Tu ma Aganuu, and the PM and Parliament to administer daily social affairs. Their roles even though were not clearly clarified by the Constitution, but the enactment of the office of the HOS pointed out the intent of the Committee of Tumua ma Pule that our historical leaders, the Tama o Aigas, were to play a role in governing our affairs.

The Chinese being much more educated understand this and have decided to eliminate the power and authority of this office. Not only is the prestige going to be removed, but so will the leaderships of our Tama o Aigas.

So the intent of this Amendment, is to cut off the Head of our Nation, by weakening the authority of the HOS, the Tama o Aigas especially. By simply forbidding the nation of honoring the Tama o Aiga with the Highness salutation, it removes the prestige and honor accorded to him and others as Leaders of our Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa.

To ensure that the head is kept away from the body, the Constitution had also been amended making it possible for any Matai to be a HOS as long as it is approved by the Parliament.

So our historical leaders, that of the Tama O Aigas, will now be separated permanently from the community and leadership will be executed exclusively by the office of the PM and Parliament. With how the PM prefers Chinese communist ideology over the Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa, this means our orders will come from China in the future.

What the Germans did during the Mau movement of isolating our leaders such as Lauaki Namulauulu Mamoe and others to weaken the movement, it is no different here. It is just packaged more slyly with sweets.

There, it came in the form of physical isolation where they were sent away to another country whereas today, it is a psychological isolation. Both with the same goal: to weaken community by removing the head (leader) from the body (community). The Tama o Aigas will no longer be leaders, but for ceremonial purposes only.

They will be there with Titles passed on to next generations, but their roles as leaders of the Nation as was imposed on them by the Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa, weakened already by our acceptance of this Parliamentary foreign form of government since independence, will now be relegated to parental duties.

They will now be equal to all others in status as consistent with Communism, without prestige and honor, and psychologically isolated from the community once this amendment is approved.

In this same Amendment, includes a joke. The PM and his HRRP in their wisdoms, thought it appropriate to also increase salary of the HOS. I initially suspected this move was in preparation for the PM to be the next HOS, and to pay more of our taxes to the PMs friends as our child begging factory hires more. But on a second review of facts, this paints a horrible picture for me.

This Amendment forbids the nation from honoring our Leader, then pays the Leader more money, a Tama o Aiga no less, to sign and approve of the elimination of the honor and prestige granted to his Highness by the Nation.

Again, this is not a trivial thing. What this increase in salary does, amounts to paying the Tama o Aiga to hang himself. By signing this Amendment, his Highness HOS Tuimalealiifano, will unknowingly approve the removal of the honor and prestige accorded to his own self as the Tama o Aiga. He will unknowingly remove himself as a leader of the Nation.

It is a form of Japanese hara-kiri, a suicide by opening up the stomach of a Samurai warrior with his own sword, but here, its a suicide by pen. With a signature, the influence of the Tama o Aigas will surely come to an end.

It is not enough to remove the honor and prestige from the Tama o Aiga through the force of Constitutional law no less, but humiliate him by giving him money to do what amounts to a psychological suicide.

The PM and Chinese are applying Judass move except this is much worse. Judas was given money to betray Jesus, but here, the HOS is given money to betray himself. The Chinese will be toasting and having a good laugh at our expense as this is a good one.

This is the kind of story that will be legendary in their historical record for generations. What the PM and the Chinese are doing here, follow tactics promoted by the Chinese General Sun Tzu as recorded in the book titled Art of War.

One of his famous tactic from this book was his belief that The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Here, the laughing part is the fact that our own government had been used to subdue our own leader without his knowledge.

The humiliation part comes from the fact that one of our Tama o Aiga, is being seduced with money like a two-bit street walker. His Highness the HOS will not end up disemboweling himself, but the rest of other Tama o Aigas without their consent as this law will affect their prestiges and honors of their families as well.

To prove to the Chinese that the HOS, a Tama o Aiga no less will be equal to a log without life, this Amendment forbids him to appoint or hire any of his own staffs. This may also seem trivial, but unfortunately this part of the Bill is not.

It just adds more support to my claim that this Constitutional Amendment, is for the purpose of cutting the head off the body.

Something so trivial as granting the honor to the Tama o Aiga to choose his own staffs, people he trusts to be with him everywhere he goes, but the PM has to make a Constitutional Amendment to forbid it no less! This act symbolizes more than the loss of prestige and honor, but proof that the hara-kiri, the disembowelment of the Tama o Aiga, will be effective and final.

Without the head, the body is lifeless. A headless body, will not have any brains to pick its own staffs. To prove that the prestige and honor of the HOS is dead, the PM allows other government Ministers to hire their own staffs, including government CEOs without Matai Titles.

Remove the head and the body is lifeless. This part of the law, symbolizes the end of the power of the HOS, especially of the Tama o Aigas. The dismantling of the oldest democracy of the world; that of our Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa has begun.

REMEDY

I therefore humbly urge the Honorable HOS, your Highness Tuimalealiifano, not to sign this law. Let the PM and the HRRP go on record, to dismantle our foundation themselves. The public declaration by the PM that our future lies with China amounts to an official public policy.

This partnership will dismantle our foundation, that of the Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa as our structure is opposite that of Communism.

This will never be a partnership of equals but of one dominating the other. We will not be dominating China thats for sure. China had made a move and the only counter we have is your pride as our Tama o Aiga, our Leader.

I also humbly urge both Tama o Aigas in place at this moment, that of the HOS and Tui Atua, to seek counsel from Tumua ma Pule whether the office of the HOS should be held only by descendants of Tama o Aiga, or all are entitled as claimed by the PM and HRRP. The vagueness of the Constitution as to the intent of the Tumua ma Pule Committee who approved of the HOS, has been taken advantage of and there is a critical need for clarification. The HOS, is the voice of our leader representing of our Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa and must be preserved at all cost. This is our identity!

To Madame Iuni Sapolu and Members of SSIG Samoa, if its not too much trouble, I also humbly urge your team, that the Toeaiigas, Aigas, Nuu ma Itumalos must be notified of these points of argument here if there are any merits to it.

The LTRA, as it was drafted up to move customary lands to a centralized government office, is consistent with communism ideas of centralized control.

So all these Constitutional Amendments, including the disembowelment of our Tama o Aiga, are all tied to what had been clarified publically by the PM, that he is a follower of communism ideology. We must explain this communism thing to the villages because of the danger to our culture and traditions since they are opposites in structures.

But most important of all, is the preservation of the Office of our Head of State, to be held by Tama o Aigas. This is not about individual honors, special privileges and prestige, but of the preservation of our Tu ma Aganuu Faa-Samoa. Again, this is our identity. God bless my beloved Samoa.

Faapale Taumua.
A group of Geography undergraduate students from from the University of New South Wales, Australia, is in Samoa.

They visited the Food and Agriculture Organization (F.A.O.) Subregional office while on a study tour to learn about food systems and the role of FAO in Samoa.

Assistant F.A.O. Representative, Fata Philip Tuivavalagi, welcomed the students and explained the long-term commitment F.A.O. has to mainstreaming food security and nutrition.

Achieving food security for all is at the heart of F.A.Os efforts  to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives, Fata said.

There was significant interest shown by the students regarding issues of postharvest waste in Samoa.

To explain postharvest waste, F.A.O. Agribusiness consultant, Shukrullah Sherzad, took the time to explain.

Postharvest waste is a major issue for Samoa, not only does it reduce smallholder farmer profit but it decreases the amount of fruit and vegetables available for sale to consumers, he said.

A significant proportion of the postharvest loss occurred in the municipal markets, and to a lesser extent through on-farm harvest practices.

The students were accompanied by Senior Lecturer in Geography, Alec Thornton.

The students are doing small research projects for their course. Many of the projects concern agriculture such as postharvest, cash cropping and including opportunities for women.
World Bank Vice President (Sustainable Development), Laura Tuck, is leaving Samoa impressed with the progress made in projects to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Ms. Tuck made the point on Thursday night during a meeting with women working to mitigate the effects of climate change, commending them for driving real change.

During a visit to Samoa with a delegation of the World Bank, Ms. Tuck made time to dine with the Women in Climate Change (W.I.C.C.) network, an organisation established this year to connect like-minded women in Samoa.

Ms. Tuck said her work in sustainable development needs local organisations like the ones represented in W.I.C.C. to ensure changes happen.

A lot of the policy we do goes nowhere without the work of communities who understand that will that requires us to take care of our planet, she said.

Furthermore, the work done between the organisations to cooperate and teach each other did not go unnoticed by Ms. Tuck.

The importance of sharing information cannot be underestimated, she said.

Ms. Tuck said she wanted to visit Samoa, where action against climate change is already making waves.

First I wanted to visit the Solomon Islands because its really a challenging situation and you can really feel how difficult things are and how they are still learning how they can move forward.

And then I wanted to come here because there has been so much progress, and we really feel you have taken the initiative with your partners to move an agenda and really start implementing some of these programmes.

Examples of those successful programmes were shared with the room from guest speakers, Sua Julia Wallwork, Tuigamala Marina Keil, Christina Leutu Tuioti Mariner and Tofilau Fiti Leung Wai who told the visiting delegation how they were mitigating climate change through education, waste management, carbon offsetting and corporate social responsibility.

I wanted to actually see your programmes, said Ms. Tuck.

There is nothing like seeing it and feeling not only the challenges, but also the successes of the commitments here.

I hope to take back to Washington what we can do with you and for you as we develop these projects to go forward.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi has challenged British American Tobacco (B.A.T.) Samoa Limited to expand its horizons to Samoas Pacific neighbours and beyond.

Tuilaepa issued the challenge during the celebration of the companys 40th Anniversary held at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum on Thursday night.

The celebration was closed to the media.

But the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinets Press Secretary released a copy of the Prime Ministers speech yesterday.

I wish to congratulate the management and staff of B.A.T. Samoa for their 40th year milestone anniversary, Tuilaepa said.

I challenge you to expand your business horizon to our Pacific neighbours and beyond. Technology has made business very convenient and fast to date, where you do not have to physically establish in a remote location, but through the use of the Internet, you can do business from Samoa given the availability of our new I.C.T infrastructure.

B.A.T Samoa, formerly known as Rothmans Tobacco Company Limited, began business operation in Samoa in 1978.

Tuilaepa acknowledged that the arrival of Rothmans was at a very challenging time when the Government was seeking new business investment and employment for Samoa.

B.A.T. is one of the oldest companies in the country, and has ever since committed to expanding its investment and providing more employment opportunities for our people, over the last four decades, he said.

I am informed that your company employs 50 Samoans and renders business to more than 800 retailers around the country. These are telling figures of B.A.Ts tangible contribution to the development of Samoa.

The government acknowledge B.A.Ts contribution to employment creation and in generating revenues for government. We welcome genuine and long term business investments such as B.A.T. Samoa; because what it means is that our children and future generation will have secure jobs and will make meaningful contributions to our growth and progression.

The Prime Minister also touched on health issues surrounding cigarettes.

As we all know smoking is largely attributed to numerous non communicable diseases as openly expressed by the health experts, he said.

This is a global concern and is not new to Samoa. The government through relevant legislation and policies continues to address these concerns through taxation.

Currently there is an amendment before Parliament that will further regulate tobacco licensing regime to control tobacco licensing fees for manufacturers, importers and distributors.

This is a normal practice in any democratic country. While these amendments will provide business challenges for B.A.T., the government remains open to dialogue in this area and will endeavour to find workable solutions in future.

At the same time the government acknowledge with appreciation B.A.Ts compliance with government legislation and policies over these many years, and its efforts in creating business and employment for our people.
Five police officers from the Samoa Police Service (S.P.S.) have been deployed to South Sudan on a one-year peacekeeping mission under the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (U.N.M.I.S.S.).

The officers are Senior Sergeant Misipele Fiatau, Sergeant Mose Lotomau, Corporal Leone Filemu, Corporal Eliu Iakopo and Corporal Ainea Uiese.

During a farewell ceremony, Police Commissioner Fuiava Egon Keil congratulated the officers for making it through the tough selection process.

Fuiava said that they should learn and gain the experience at their deploying destination and reminded them of their roles as ambassadors of Samoa serving under the leadership of the U.N.

Today, these police officers continue to write the S.P.S. proud story of service to our country, Fuiava said in a press statement.

It is a great honour and a privilege for the S.P.S. to take part in the U.N. mission for being those whose service will make South Sudan a better and safer place for their people.

We hope that the words expressed today (yesterday) are but a small down payment on our lifelong debt of gratitude to our deploying officers and to your families.

Fuiava told the officers they are truly the unsung heroes of Samoas national security.

We salute you for your service to Samoa. We look forward to your return to your families and to a warm S.P.S. homecoming. Until then, our prayers will be with you and good Lord our God keep you safe in His loving arms.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Europe and Asia presented a united front Friday in support of free trade based on international rules and cooperation, starkly underscoring their differences with U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" policy.

That support for free trade "is the most important signal from this summit, especially valid in the current geopolitical context," EU Council President Donald Tusk said at the end of a two-day Europe-Asia summit in Brussels.

The meeting comes at a time when Trump is increasingly distancing the United States from global organizations like the United Nations. Trump told the U.N. general assembly last month: "We reject the ideology of globalism, and we embrace the doctrine of patriotism."

Those at the summit  30 European leaders, their counterparts from 21 Asian nations as well as top officials from the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations  have the economic clout to stand up to that kind of rhetoric from Trump. The officials came from countries that represent some two-thirds of the world's economic output, 55 percent of global trade and 60 percent of the world's population.

A written statement said the leaders "highlighted the vital need of maintaining an open world economy and upholding the rules-based multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization at its core."

Trump slapped 25 percent tariffs on steel imports and 10 percent on imported aluminum from the EU on June 1. He said the move was to protect U.S. national security interests, but the Europeans claim it is simply protectionism and breaks global trade rules.

The EU hit back with tariffs on about 2.8 billion euros worth ($3.4 billion) of U.S. steel, agricultural and other products.

The stakes are even higher in Trump's trade war with China. Trump has imposed tariffs on about $250 billion worth of Chinese products amid U.S. accusations that China engages in cyber-theft and coerces foreign companies into handing over technology in return for access to the Chinese market, as well as by Trump's anger over China's trade surplus with the U.S.

The wide-ranging agenda in Brussels also included discussions on fighting both climate change and cybercrimes. In their closing statement, the leaders expressed "profound concern that current global efforts are insufficient" to meet goals set out in the 2015 Paris climate accord. Trump has removed the U.S. from that deal.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the EU signed a pact with Vietnam that aims to tackle illegal logging and was to sign a free trade deal with Singapore.

The two-day meeting also was the backdrop for numerous bilateral meetings  EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini discussed human rights violations in Cambodia and Myanmar with those countries' representatives, while British Prime Minister Theresa May tried to talk up her nation's post-Brexit relationship with China, South Korea and Singapore in meetings with officials from those countries.

In another of the meeting's conclusions that ran counter to U.S. policy, European and Asian leaders praised the Iran nuclear deal  another multilateral initiative rejected by Trump.

"Preserving the nuclear deal with Iran is a matter of respecting international agreements, and promoting international security, peace and stability," they said.

One region where the leaders in Brussels were more closely aligned with Trump was the Korean peninsula, where the U.S. president has been involved with efforts to end North Korea's nuclear program. The statement in Brussels hailed efforts by South Korea and "other partners" to "achieve lasting peace and stability on a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons."

Rights groups and lawmakers had called on the European leaders to push their Asian counterparts on human rights, citing abuses in many Asian nations, including the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Buddhist-majority Myanmar's military is accused of widespread rights violations against the Muslim Rohingya  including rape, murder, torture and burning villages  which has forced about 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh since August 2017.

Without mentioning the Rohingya by name, the leaders underscored the need to pave the way for the "safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of displaced persons to Rakhine State" in Myanmar.

A U.N. mission reported last month that at least 10,000 Rohingya are believed to have died in the violence. The U.N. has called for Myanmar's top military generals to be prosecuted for genocide and crimes against humanity for their treatment of the Rohingya.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP)  Thousands of Palestinians massed Friday along Israel's frontier, with dozens approaching and breaching the perimeter fence that separates Gaza from Israel, even as Egypt stepped up efforts reach a lasting cease-fire between the territory's Hamas rulers and Israel.

The militant Hamas group praised the turnout as a challenge to Israel, which was mulling a large-scale military response after a rocket was fired from Gaza on Wednesday and destroyed a house in southern Israel.

Gaza's Health Ministry reported 77 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire and six of them were in serious condition.

"The Israeli enemy's threats have effectively motivated the crowds to participate powerfully in the protest," said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, which has staged the protests since March.

The large attendance was a test to Egypt's efforts to push Hamas into scaling down the protests and rein in marchers who venture out to the fence and breach it, triggering deadly Israeli fire.

At least 156 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the protests began more than six months ago, and an Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper.

Protesters Friday burnt tires and threw rocks with slingshots toward the heavily guarded fence. Hamas' al-Aqsa TV aired footage of Palestinians climbing over the fence and others breaching it and entering into Israeli territory. Others used cutters to tear down parts of the barrier.

Israeli forces showered the demonstrators with tear gas and occasionally live fire.

In southern Gaza Strip, an aircraft hit a group of Palestinians launching flaming kites and balloons toward Israel near one protest location, the Israeli military said.

Earlier on Friday, the United Nations' Mideast peace envoy urged Israel and the Palestinians to exercise restraint ahead of the protests.

"In light of today's planned Gaza march, I urge all to exercise restraint, to proceed in a peaceful manner, and to avoid escalation," Nickolay Mladenov said in a statement. "The U.N. is working with Egypt and its partners to avoid violence, address all humanitarian issues and support reconciliation."

Egyptian intelligence officials met with Hamas and Israeli officials on Thursday in efforts to broker a cease-fire and ease months of deadly border protests. Egypt and the U.N. have attempted to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas for weeks in a bid to ease tensions in the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Hamas has said the protests will continue until there is an easing of the Egyptian-Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave that was imposed after the Islamic group seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 in an armed coup.

The protests have intensified in recent weeks as Egyptian and U.N. cease-fire negotiations have faltered, and cross-border violence earlier this week has brought tensions to a simmer.

On Wednesday, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip destroyed a house in the Israeli city of Beersheba in the worst bout of violence in recent weeks. Israel retaliated with airstrikes and has beefed up its military forces along the border.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet resolved to retaliate more severely to cross-border attacks, but has thus far refrained from further action, suggesting it was giving the Egyptians a chance to restore calm.
Local drugmaker TP Therapeutics has brought in $80 million to push forward its research for a cancer therapy to treat tumors that are resistant to existing cancer drugs.

The company, which made the announcement Friday, plans to put the cash to work funding a mid-stage trial that tests its drug, Repotrectinib, in humans. The therapy is targeted to treat specific cancer mutations to the genes ALK, ROS1, and TRK, which are all tied to lung cancer and other solid tumors.

TP Therapeutics was founded in 2013 by well-known drug designer Jean Cui and her husband Y. Peter Li. Cui is best known as the lead inventor of top-selling Pfizer cancer drug, Xalkori  an achievement that earned her prestige (along with many awards and honors) in the scientific community. Thats because Xalkori trounced chemotherapy in a 2014 lung cancer trial and is one of Pfizers top selling drugs, pulling in $600 million per year in annual sales in 2017.

When Xalkori reached the market in 2011, Cui wasnt satisfied with her contribution to patients.

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I saw problems with Xalkori and other drugs available for this type of cancer, and I knew that someone needed to work on these problems so that we could provide better medicines for patients, Cui said in an interview with the San Diego Business Journal in 2016. Thats why I resigned from Big Pharma  to start a company that could solve these problems.

The biotech has been hard at work ever since. But this new money came with a shakeup to the companys executive team. Athena Countouriotis is being promoted from chief medical officer to chief executive officer. Co-founder Li, who has been chairman and CEO since the company was founded, has moved into a new role as head of TP Therapeutics Asia. Cui, whos serving as president and chief scientific officer, has additionally assumed the role of chairman.

Located in the Torrey Pines area, TP Therapeutics was founded in October 2013. It now has 32 full-time employees, Countouriotis said. The company expects to have about 40 full-time employees by the end of this year,

Countouriotis, who joined the company in May of this year, has extensive experience in developing cancer drugs. This is the first time shes been a CEO.

I stepped out of oncology about a year ago, and then I was enticed back by our board of directors, Countouriotis said. I knew most of the people who were already part of this company.

Countouriotis said Cui played a particularly important role in convincing her to join.

Cui and Li made it clear to Countouriotis in March that the company was looking for a CEO with experience in both public and privately held companies, which Countouriotis has.

Most recently, Countouriotis had been senior vice president and chief medical officer at Adverum Biotechnologies in Menlo Park. Before that, she held the same role at Halozyme Therapeutics in San Diego.

Additionally, Countouriotis was chief medical officer at San Diegos Ambit Biosciences, where she led development of the acute myeloid leukemia drug quizartinib. Ambit went public shortly before it was purchased by Japanese drug company Daiichi Sankyo in 2014 for about $315 million.

Countouriotis also worked in clinical development at Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb for the cancer drugs Sutent, Mylotarg, Bosulif, and Sprycel.

TP Therapeutics may be gunning for an IPO in the near future. The company just raised a $45 million Series C financing round last May that included a number of crossover investors  usually a sign that a biotech is considering going public soon. This recent $80 million equity financing was a mezzanine round.

Foresite Capital and venBio Partners led the round, with participation from new investors HBM Healthcare Investments and Nextech Invest, among others.

Cancer patients and others interested in clinical testing of repotrectinib can find more information at www.tptherapeutics.com/pipeline.

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bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020
The popular yet rocky industry of coding boot camps has suffered its latest blow. Origin Code Academy, a San Diego-based school for software developers, is closing its doors next month following repeated financial setbacks.

The school, founded in 2015, taught students coding skills to help them get jobs in the tech industry, selling its three-month course for $13,500. Since its founding, Origin has placed 100 of its 116 total students as full-time developers  an in-demand role that often garners high salaries. Origin is one of dozens of such schools in the state that opened up shop in response to a growing demand for software developers in tech hubs like Silicon Valley and New York.

But the companys founder and CEO Jeff Winkler said Californias regulatory red tape was too much to contend with, forcing Origin to shutter on Nov. 16. The closure, first reported by Xconomy, follows public complaints from two former Origin students, who told ABC 10 News in June that the boot camp didnt live up to their expectations. Those students later got refunds for their tuition, but it was just the start of Origins worries.

California requires code schools like Origin to get approval to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, or BPPE, the government agency that protects consumers from fraud and predatory tactics sometimes practiced by for-profit schools. Although founded in late 2015, Origin didnt apply for state approval until May 2017. Winkler said it was a decision he made after attending a quarterly meeting of the BPPEs advisory committee in February 2016, at which he was told regulations would be changing in 2017. Winkler said he was advised to hold off applying for certification until 2017, when new rules had been sorted out.

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At the meeting, they said it would be at least 12 months until they saw our application anyway, so it would be best to wait until 2017 to submit it, Winkler said.

A spokesperson for BPPE said the agency is unaware of anyone providing this type of information at a workshop.

Origin applied for certification in May 2017, and a month later got an unannounced visit from a BPPE agent, who notified Winkler that Origin must be shut down until its application was approved. The agency fined Origin $100,000 for operating without approval, and the coding school had to stop teaching for 90 days while its application was pending. When Origins application was finally approved in July  more than a year after it was submitted  the agency reduced the fine to $25,000. But the BPPE also ordered the coding school to refund tuition to all students who requested a refund before the schools approval date. This, Winkler said, was the tipping point for the business.

It was like a wave hit, Winkler said. Students were coming out saying they wanted a refund. One guy waited until he graduated and then immediately asked for his money back and reported us to the BPPE.

The closure of Origin leaves only two locally headquartered coding schools in San Diego: Learn Academy and a program offered through UC San Diego Extension. Learn was also fined $100,000 for operating without approval, but that was reduced to $25,000 last month after Learns approval came through.

One of the pioneers of coding boot camps  San Francisco-based Dev Bootcamp  also closed its San Diego location in 2017. The company said it was unable to find a financial model that would support the business.

Winkler said even though Origin eventually got approval to operate in California, the whole lengthy, confusing, and costly process put a bad taste in his mouth. If he starts a coding school again, it will be in a different state.

California takes a tough stance on for-profit education ventures that run astray of the law. Last year, California sued San Diego-based Ashford University and its parent company, Bridgepoint Education, alleging that they made false promises to entice students and engaged in unlawful practices to collect overdue debt. The suit, filed by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, claimed that the online school and Bridgepoint, a for-profit college chain, used illegal business methods to deceive and defraud students.

Launched in 2010, the BPPE was tasked with protecting students from this kind of fraud and predatory practices.

Winkler said hes glad that students have protection from the agency. He just wishes the agencys approval process was more streamlined and less confusing. He also thought the agency hadnt quite figured out how it should regulate coding schools.

Theyll figure it out eventually, Winkler said. I was a guinea pig; a casualty of a new industry.

A BPPE spokesperson said code schools have no separate requirements for certification, but did acknowledge that the application process for state approval is lengthy and dependent on completed information from the schools.

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brittany.meiling@sduniontribune.com 619-293-1286 Twitter: @BrittanyMeiling
UTC Aerospace Systems plans to wind down manufacturing at its Chula Vista aircraft plant beginning early next year, eliminating around 300 jobs.

The company -- a division of Farmington, Conn.-based conglomerate United Technologies -- said the decision stems from ending production of certain commercial aircraft models. The Chula Vista plant builds aerodynamic engine pods and mounts for customers such as Boeing and Airbus.

UTC Aerospace plans to keep an after-market spare parts distribution, engineering test labs and administrative/support jobs in Chula Vista.

We remain committed to being in Chula Vista, said Stacey MacNeil, vice president of communications for UTC Aerospace. There will still be 1,500 jobs there. We are not shutting down the entire location.

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The closure of manufacturing, however, will end production of aircraft components at the plant, which has been building planes and supplying aircraft sub-systems since Fred Rohr founded Rohr Aircraft Co. in 1940.

We recognize the impact this decision will have on our employees and their families, and will not begin the wind-down until 2019, the company said in a statement. We expect the entire process to take place over a two-year period.

The layoffs include about 265 sheet metal workers who are members of the International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers. Non-union supervisors, purchasers and other salaried workers involved in manufacturing also will lose their jobs.

In July, UTC Aerospace Systems notified the union of the planned shutdown. The union contends that the company has systematically channeled work on active aircraft programs to other, lower cost factories.

Work that could be done in Chula Vista has been sent to Mexicali, Foley, Alabama, and up to Washington, said J.P. Fletcher, area director for District 725 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. You just see UTC outsourcing and outsourcing. A lot of the components that are now being done in Mexicali are shipped back to Chula Vista and then distributed to wherever in the country.

According to documents that UTC Aerospace supplied to the union, the company is looking to vacate 725,000 square feet of manufacturing space -- leaving buildings on nearly 60 percent of its 86-acre campus vacant.

Robert Martinez Jr., president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, sent a letter to President Donald Trump in September objecting to the closure.

At one time, this facility employed several thousand workers who were involved in state of the art programs, wrote Martinez. A few years ago, many of them lost their jobs when their work was moved to Mexico. At the same time that aerospace work has been decimated in Chula Vista, aerospace work continues to grow in Mexico.

MacNeil denied that work had been moved elsewhere and attributed the shutdown to shrinking production of older generation commercial aircraft.

United Technologies has come under criticism for job cuts with other companies it owns. In 2016 while Trump was on the campaign trail, it announced plans to move its Carrier heating and air-conditioning plant from Indianapolis to Mexico. The expected loss of more than 2,000 jobs became a hot-button topic when Trump sharply criticized United Technologies.

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, former governor of Indiana, reached a deal with Carrier to keep about half of the jobs at the plant in return for up to $7 million in tax incentives and training grants. United Technologies said last year that about 1,100 people would remain at the Indianapolis facility, while roughly 600 jobs would be relocated, according to news reports.

Over the years, the Chula Vista plant has built components for several high profile aircraft programs. They include the engine pods, or nacelles, for B-24 long-range bombers and portions of the F-14 Tomcat. It also designed solid rocket motor casings, seals and nozzles for the space shuttle that launched in 1981.

More recently, the company built engine pods for Boeings 787 and Airbuss 350 commercial aircraft.

Goodrich Corp. bought Rohr Aircraft Co. in 1997, and then United Technologies acquired Goodrich in 2012.

The first round of layoffs is expected in the first quarter of next year, with a second round slated late in the year. The final round of layoffs would occur in the fall of 2020.

Initial negotiations have begun between the company and the union over severance, benefits and training, said Fletcher.

In this case there is a sister facility in Riverside that we are looking to see if there are any openings where we can get our people transferred up there, he said. The issue is training. Up in Riverside theyre doing composite materials, where in Chula Vista its sheet metal.

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mike.freeman@sduniontribune.com;

Twitter:@TechDiego

760-529-4973
Finding forever homes for animals is the goal of the San Diego Animal Support Foundation, which is holding its annual Howl-O-Ween Hounds MEGA Adoption event later this month.

The foundation hosts seasonal themed animal adoption events during the year at Grossmont Center, teaming up with dozens of local rescue groups to bring together dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, turtles, tortoises and more.

This years fall event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20, at the La Mesa mall.

More than 20 local nonprofit rescues and shelters will participate with more than 200 adoptable dogs and other animals available.

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Last year, 111 animals found their way into a home during the event.

Its all about saving lives, said San Diego Animal Support Foundation Executive Director Darlene White.

We dont make any money or sell sponsorships or rent booth space, White said. Our single intention is to bring as many adoptable animals together with as many potential adopters, all in one place, so that we can save as many lives as possible in the four hours that we have. Theres really nothing else in it for us. Save lives. Thats it.

The public doesnt have to be afraid of people selling them something they really dont want, or trying to sign them up for e-mail lists, White said. The event is not a street fair.

We bring together as many adoptable animals as possible in one place, and make it easy for adopters to find their perfect pet, she said. No bands, no booze, just a lot of furry friends looking for a family to love.

White said the event is also a great place for potential volunteers to meet the various animal welfare organizations to see which one theyd like to work with.

Some of the organizations with animals to adopt at the event are:

Animal Welfare Foundation of San Diego

Baja Animal Sanctuary

Chihuahua Rescue of San Diego

Fallbrook Animal Sanctuary

FAD: Free Animal Doctor

Friends of Cats, Inc.

Friends of Humane Services in Tijuana

Frosted Faces Foundation

Greyhound Adoption Center

Happy Hearts GSD Rescue

Its The Pits Dog Rescue

Katty Korner

Labradors and Friends Dog Rescue

No Wagging Tail Left Behind Animal Rescue

Open Arms Rescue - San Diego

Parrot Education and Adoption Center

Passion for Pitties Rescue group

PAWS4thought Animal Rescue

San Diego Spaniel Rescue

San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society

St. Pacos Second Chance Dog Rescue

S.T.O.P. Save The Orphaned Pets, Inc.

Volunteers For Indigent Vulnerable Animals

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
Oceanside declared a shelter crisis this week, the second time this month the City Council has approved emergency action to address its persistent homeless population.

The unanimous decision makes the city eligible for a share of about $6 million available to San Diego County cities through the states Homeless Emergency Aid program.

Oceanside declared a similar temporary shelter crisis Oct. 3, an action several North County cities take annually to clear the paperwork for Interfaith Community Services to set up its temporary winter shelters at local churches.

Homeowners near the San Luis Rey River, where many of the Oceanside homeless are camped, opposed Wednesdays resolution, saying any additional aid or services will only attract more transients to the area.

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These are not homeless, but habitual vagrants who cant live in regular society, said homeowner Drew Andrioff, founder of the group Take Back Oceanside. The groups Facebook page says it formed in September to address the increasingly dangerous and violent transient population and that it has more than 500 members.

Andrioff urged the City Council at a meeting Wednesday to immediately clear all transients from the riverbed, where he said there are hundreds, and to cut off all assistance to the homeless. He said the city should cite all transients for any violations no matter how insignificant, and remove all vegetation along the river to discourage their return.

Several other residents had similar attitudes. They said the homeless are criminals, drug addicts and prostitutes, and that their presence discourages tourists and reduces property values. Some said they believe other cities send their homeless to Oceanside to take advantage of the tolerance and generosity.

The people that have invaded the San Luis Rey River  do not want help, said Joe Corbett, another member of Take Back Oceanside.

Get them out now, please, he said.

City officials have said they cant just order the homeless to leave when they have no place to go. Efforts to clear transients out of one area, such as a canyon along the freeway, generally send them somewhere else close by, like the riverbed.

Despite the pleas from angry homeowners, council members agreed Wednesday to proceed with the application for a state grant, which could be used for a variety of programs for people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

If we get more than $50,000 out of this, Ill be surprised, said Councilman Jerry Kern.

He said the citys Police Department created a Homeless Outreach Team a few years ago that has helped get people off the streets. Oceanside also encourages the construction of low-income housing and contributes to various social services programs.

Its working, Kern said. We cant just round them all up and send them home.

The city has services for those who want it, said Councilman Jack Feller. We definitely need to pray for a lot of people who dont want help.

Chris Megison, founder and CEO of Solutions for Change in Vista, opposed the citys decision to apply for a state grant, saying it would do more harm than good. His program provides transitional housing for families who have been homeless, but only on the condition that they remain sober and work to improve their living conditions.

The state program only provides grant money for shelter first programs, in which shelter is the top priority for people whether or not they have kicked their drug or alcohol addictions.

It requires you to house active drug users, Megison said. That will make the riverbed worse.

Oceanside Director of Housing and Neighborhood Services Margery Pierce said there are many philosophies about the best way to help people.

Shelter first is based on the idea that people are more likely to find jobs and seek other services, such as addiction treatment, once they get a roof over their heads, she said.

There is no one-size-fits-all, she said.

Oceanside needs to work with San Diego County and other cities in the area to find regional solutions, said council members Esther Sanchez and Chuck Lowery.

We dont want to be some sort of honey pot, Lowery said, but he added that we currently have zero housing in Oceanside and even minimal housing is better than sleeping under a bush.

Oceanside consistently has one of the countys highest homeless populations outside of downtown San Diego, according to the one-day, Point-in-Time Count done by the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.

This years count showed a total of 483 homeless in Oceanside, 490 in Vista, 411 in Escondido and 210 in Carlsbad. El Cajon had 679 and the city of San Diego had 4,912, more than half of the countywide total of 8,576.

San Diego Countys total this year was down slightly from 2017, when it was 9,116. Five years ago, in 2013, the county total was 8,879.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
To celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary in June, Keith and Julie Topliffe decided to book a queen-size cabin for a three-month stay aboard a passenger ship in the Southern Atlantic Ocean.

But the Carmel Valley couple didnt spend last spring sipping daiquiris in deckchairs. They were working as full-time volunteer crew members aboard the Africa Mercy, the worlds largest non-governmental hospital ship.

The experience was so profound for the retired couple that as soon as they returned home in June, they signed up for another 10 months of service. She reported to ship duty in late July and he followed a couple weeks later after finding someone to rent their house. Through June 2019, theyll be stationed on the ship, which is docked in the port city of Conakry in the West African nation of Guinea.

Julie Topliffe, 61, serves as a ship chaplain. Her 64-year-old husband is helping create a permanent dental clinic in Conakry and he serves as a ships carpenter, a job that has included designing a young amputees prosthetic leg. They describe their work aboard the ship as a ministry, a mission and a privilege.

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When youre in Africa you see extreme poverty, illness, deformities and suffering, she said. But I also see the faith of people who have committed 20 to 30 years of their life to the ship. We went for an adventure and an experience. It became a calling.

Keith Topliffe said hes at his happiest when hes serving others.

It helps me get out of my own head and stop thinking about my own needs, he said. Its refreshing, liberating and cleansing.

Volunteer Keith Topliffe of Carmel Valley, bottom right, watches a 13-year-old patient named Ruben try out the new prosthetic leg that Topliffe built for him aboard Africa Mercy, a hospital ship providing surgical and dental care to impoverished people in West Africa. (Elizabeth Nain / Mercy Ships)

Africa Mercy, with a crew of nearly 400 volunteers from 40 nations, is operated by the faith-based international charity Mercy Ships. Founded in 1978, it, too, is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

During Africa Mercys 10-month stay in Guinea, the all-volunteer staff will provide more than 2,000 surgeries aboard the ship and will treat more than 8,000 people at a land-based dental clinic. The crew is also training local medical and dental students so they can take over the publics health care once the ship moves to its next 10-month posting in Senegal next summer.

Africa Mercys head chaplain Andreas Schmid said as soon as the Topliffes arrived on the ship last spring, the crew noticed that they were not only dedicated to their responsibilities but also to the needs of others.

I could list their contributions, such as writing business plans for young men in West Africa or responding to the emotional needs of patients in our hospital, Schmid said in an emailed comment. But their most significant contribution is their dedicated heart to serve the people in West Africa. We are happy to have them onboard.

The Topliffes said many of the patients theyve seen aboard Africa Mercy are economic and war refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia. Many are hungry or have treatable diseases that have grown unchecked for years. Its common to see children with face tumors, deformed legs, cleft palates and clubfoot and adults with end-stage diseases, cataracts, burns and anal fistulas.

Julies most memorable patient encounter was with a 25-year-old woman named Benedicte. She had a flesh-destroying disease that had left her with a hole where her nose should be. Over six weeks, the medical team built Benedicte a new nose.

Keiths favorite patient was Ruben, a 13-year-old boy who lost his right leg to elephantitis. He built and fitted a temporary peg-style prosthetic for Ruben in the ships woodshop. He said that in Africa people with deformities and disabilities are often seen as cursed so they live in the shadows, shunned by other villagers.

These surgeries do more than just give them back their health, he said. It gives them a new beginning.

Volunteers Julie Topliffe of Carmel Valley, right, poses with a 25-year-old patient named Benedicte who had her nose reconstructed aboard the Africa Mercy, a hospital ship providing surgical and dental care to impoverished people in West Africa. (Jonas Kaufmann / Mercy Ships)

The Topliffes say their many medical, youth and faith missions in San Diego, Mexico and Honduras prepared them for the work theyre doing with Mercy Ships.

We feel like God opened the doors and prepared us for this years in advance, Julie said. Its hard to step away when youre meant to be there.

The Topliffes met on a blind date in the mid-1970s when they were both students at San Diego State University. The married after graduation and had three children: Neil, now 36, Lauren, 33 and Bradley, 29. Julie worked in marketing for Qualcomm for 17 years before retiring in 2011. Keith worked for many years in the aerospace industry for United Technologies and Hamilton Sundstrand until he retired in 2012.

Since then, the Topliffes have devoted their time to visiting their children and grandchildren around the country and doing faith-based volunteer work through Gracepoint Church in Carmel Valley. Theyve taken part in medical missions in Tijuana and youth outreach programs in Honduras. She spent three years volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House in San Diego. And since 2014, he has volunteered for Centro Shalom in Tijuana, where hes overseeing the construction of a 600-capacity church complex.

Keith said choosing a hospital ship mission over a luxury cruise was a no-brainer when his wife suggested it after seeing a TV news report on Mercy Ships two years ago.

Initially, they committed to a three-month stay during Africa Mercys posting in Cameroon, but just six weeks in, they were hooked and decided to return. The only downside is being so far away from their four grandchildren, who they video-chat with regularly via WhatsApp on their cellphones.

The Topliffes were back in San Diego this week so Keith could take a ship fire safety course and they could have a brief family reunion. Theyre eager to head back to Africa on Saturday.

Julies job involves working with a team of three other chaplains to provide Sunday services, bible study, devotional meetings and private counseling for the ships crew and medical staff. She said it can be a pressure cooker job. Cultural differences can cause conflict and tension can easily build in the close living quarters of the 500-foot retrofitted ferry ship.

Depending on how long crew members commit to working on the ship, volunteers pay between $250 and $700 a month to cover crew fees plus personal expenses. There are jobs in medical and dental fields, ship operations, the kitchen and for teachers, who provide schooling for volunteers who live aboard with their children.

The Topliffes say that the experience on Africa Mercy has been more fulfilling than any volunteer work theyve ever done and it will be hard to transition back to regular volunteer work when they return next summer.

We will be different when we come home, Julie said. For now, were just taking things day by day.

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
In a new twist in a tumultuous race, San Marcos Unified School District Board challenger Christina Linden has obtained a temporary restraining order against her opponents husband following a confrontation at a street fair.

The incident emerged from what has become a bitter race in San Marcos first district-based elections. In these races, voters choose representatives for specific areas of the city, a strategy intended to increase diversity of representation.

In the first race for Trustee Area E, in the northern part of the school district, however, both candidates are Latina Democrats who would appear to be like-minded colleagues, but have emerged as adversaries in a bare-knuckle political brawl.

The latest clash led to Lindens request for a restraining order against Daniel Finkenthal, the husband of school board president Stacy Carlson, pending a court hearing on her complaint. The court action follows an argument at the San Marcos Fall Festival Sunday, when Finkenthal approached Lindens booth about a missing campaign sign.

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A video of the incident shows Finkenthal arguing with representatives at Lindens booth about the sign and other campaign issues, but doesnt include footage of the alleged assault. Linden said Finkenthal grabbed her phone while she was recording the exchange, and pushed her as she tried to retrieve it.

San Marcos Unified School Board candidate Christina Linden (Courtesy of Christina Linden)

He physically took my property and was very aggressive, very threatening in his behavior, she said. I dont know what anyone is capable of, so if hes willing to do that in public, of course I would want to protect my family and my kids.

Finkenthal and Carlson said they had not been served the temporary restraining order yet, but Finkenthal obtained a copy from the courthouse Thursday. They said they had not had a chance to review it and couldnt comment on its allegations.

I actually dont know what shes alleging, Carlson said. I havent seen it. We havent been served. She made sure that the media got it before we got it, which is kind of strange. If youre so terrified of somebody that you need to get a temporary restraining order, you think you would make sure they get it.

The San Diego Union-Tribune received an emailed copy of the restraining order from the Linden campaign Tuesday, and independently obtained the document from the San Diego Superior Courts North County Division. In the restraining order request, Linden alleges that Finkenthal made profane and derogatory comments, would not leave her campaign booth, then grabbed her cellphone.

The temporary restraining order requires Finkenthal to stay 100 yards from Linden and her family, as well as their home, schools and workplaces, and to surrender any firearms. Those restrictions are valid until a court hearing on the complaint, scheduled for Nov. 2.

Carlson said Linden and her campaign volunteers are the ones who are stoking conflict between the candidates.

I understand that I am a public figure, but I also have a right to privacy, she said. These people have done everything they can to invade my privacy and incite people. I dont think that people like it. I dont think that voters like it. I dont think San Marcos likes it.

The election has been unusually rancorous for a school board race, particularly for San Marcos, a North County suburb known for its stable civic life and subdued politics. Linden has taken aim not only at Carlsons voting record, but also at her personal finances and educational background. Her campaign sent media outlets copies of legal documents about financial disputes regarding Carlsons home, and posted those on her website.

San Marcos Unified School Board Member Stacy Carlson (SMUSD)

Last month, Lindens campaign noted that Carlson, who had listed a degree in business administration from Vanguard University in Orange County, had not actually completed graduation requirements.

Carlson attributed the conflict to a misunderstanding with the college, and said she had made up the required credits in 2002, and believed that she had earned her diploma. However, after meeting Vanguard officials following Lindens complaint, Carlson said she is taking steps to finalize her degree.

Lindens involvement in the school districts politics  and her disagreements with Carlson  began before she ever ran for office. In October 2016, she was one of two plaintiffs in a lawsuit demanding district elections for San Marcos schools. The suit filed by Malibu-based attorney Kevin Shenkman alleged that disenfranchisement of the Latino community is so complete, that it is believed that no Latino has ever been elected to the district board.

Carlson, who had served on the board since 2014, disputed that, pointing out her ties to Latino civic groups, and her fathers Mexican heritage.

In spring of this year, Linden began contemplating a run for school board, and in August she filed papers for her candidacy. An active member of parent teachers organizations with her childrens schools, she said her chief platforms have been increasing community influence with the school board, and adding busing routes, in order to reduce the distance that students must walk to school.

Out of the gate, Linden took aim at Carlson, delving into opposition research. Lindens campaign released financial paperwork on her adversary online and to news outlets, probed Carlsons school records and protested her endorsements by the San Diego Democratic Party and the San Marcos Educators Association, the districts teachers union.

Michael DeVries, president of the teachers union, said Linden was scheduled for an endorsement interview in May, but did not show up. Linden said she had a scheduling mix-up, but felt the union should have held the interviews later, after the candidate filing deadline. The union endorsed Carlson, a decision that DeVries said is supported by her school board record.

Our feeling is that she has been an advocate for both students and teachers during her tenure on the board, and we feel she will continue to do so, he said. Christina Linden had the opportunity to meet with us for our endorsement process, and she did not.

DeVries said the vitriol of this race has surprised him, even after 11 years as union president.

Weve been involved in a school board campaign every year, he said. Ive never seen a campaign like this one, that the Lindens are running. Ive never seen one thats this dirty, where theyve made it this personal.

When Linden posted the names of teachers slated for layoffs on her Facebook page, DeVries asked her to take them down, saying it was upsetting the teachers. Linden said this week that she had since removed the names, but as of Thursday, the names were still posted on her page.

Linden countered that the union is protecting its interests in the election, not the political high ground.

Stacys campaign is run by the union, Linden said. This is the first time a candidate has ever challenged the union directly. They call it acrimonious because I disagree with their candidate.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
Restaurant writers know to expect three things: constant requests for recommendations (fun!); frantic appeals for advice on where to go for a special wedding anniversary (pressure!) and hate mail when you write a Best Of or Top 10 List (cmon people, its only food!).

Im not sure what it is about burgers, bakeries and barbecue that brings out, shall we say, the saltier side of people but clearly Italian food lovers are a more gracious group.

Since my story, For my list of Top 10 San Diego Italian restaurants, I could only find 7 published Thursday, my email inbox has been was jammed with letters from readers who politely agree to disagree with me or who told me I was right on target with my critique. I got a few that asked seriously? but nearly all the readers wanted to share the name of their favorite Italian restaurant or one they thought I should have included. Cin cin to civility!

Here are the Italian restaurants you love and wish had appeared on my list:

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Have you tried Alta Marea on Cass Street in PB, across the street from the library? Its where the native Italians I know go frequently, especially for northern dishes. Homemade fresh gnocchi, which is hard to find in this town, and risotto that you have to wait for and so is never overcooked.  Give it a try, but you have to bring your own wine.  Mike Thrift, via email (Note: Alta Mareas name has been changed to Oltre Mare.)

Your article was most interesting, especially since we LOVE Italian food. But I think you missed out by not including Trattoria Positano in Cardiff. Family owned and excellent food.  Maybe another article needs to come out in the future. In the meantime, I plan to try some of the restaurants on your list. Thank you!  Carol Hirsch, via email

Dear Ms. Parente, I am not an Italian. I am not a pasta snob. I am, however, a world traveler who has eaten a lot of meals in many places overseas. I am interested if you purposely left Piacere Mio off of your list for some slight that would not matter to me. I find the fare, wine and atmosphere to be as good as the restaurants that I enjoyed in Palermo, Ragusa, and Catania. I am sorry, but most of my travels have been by sea and courtesy of the U.S. Navy, so I may have a different perspective in how I rate a restaurant.  Paul Broadway, via email (Note: Two other readers also recommended Piacere Mio.)

Thanks for your article in the Trib about Italian Restaurants, sad that you feel you can only find 7 good ones....I think you need to try a little harder (might even need some larger yoga pants to do so!!).  Next time in Vista, try Uncle Tonys in Shadowridge. Best Calzone I have ever had. How about Cafe Luna in Carmel Mountain? You have to try their housemade sausage. Thanks again for the article.  A reader whos the son of a 100% Italian father (Genovese) and who loves Biga, via email

Ristorante Illando is the best Italian restaurant in Little Italy.  Sean Smith, via email.

My name is Jerry and I am also an Italian-American San Diegan in search of good Italian food. Thank you for your list of 7. And have you tried these two? a.) Volare (Midway District) b.) Mama Cellas (Rancho Bernardo). These two might not be Italy-Italian, but they are two good Italian-American places that deserve you attention. Thank you!  Jerry Puorro, via email.

Just completed reading your article. I dont disagree. I love Franco (Francesco basile, chef/owner of Antica Trattoria), I was there within the first month of Franco and Pietro opening Antica Trattoria. In early 2000s, when working in Italy, I was even able to visit with Francos family in Sicily over a weekend, what roots. I sit at the bar routinely to this day and eat frittura mista, just this past Tuesday lunch, in fact. I think the list is missing one of my very favorite Italian restaurants, Bacis in Bay Park, and I would be amiss if I didnt mention it, since I frequent San Diegos Italian restaurants often. I would have at least thought it deserved an honorable mention in your article in the neighborhood portion. I love the old-world product, servers dressed appropriately, comfortable setting, and Mimo is truly one of the very best Italian chefs in San Diego. His mother used to make the cannoli in her backyard for Antica no less.  Rustin Brown, via email. (Note: Three other readers recommended Baci Ristorante.)

I love reading your reviews and couldnt resist sending you two of my favorite Italian recommendations. First, Jack & Giulios in Old Town. The Scampi alla Giulio is fantastic and the Tortellini Verde is one of our favorites. Then we have Jays Gourmet in Carlsbad. The Linguine with Fresh Clams in White Sauce is superb as is the Chicken Marco Polo. That said, having been to Italy, I agree that we could use more choices of excellent dishes featuring few but superior ingredients. Bon appetit!  Karen Wirrig, via email.

  I dont ever comment on food or restaurants ... but I have my favorite bars and restaurants all over town. Just read your article online, and I beg to differ. Im no expert on Italian food (you might notice from my name that Im Austrian descent) but frankly, I cant believe you missed on Solare. Chef Accursio from Sicily literally won the top pasta chef in THE WORLD, put on recently in Italy by Barilla pasta. They might know something about pasta. One of 20 chefs invited to Italy to compete. His winning dish, Seafood Pasta Carbonara was offered by Solare after he won for a two-day special period. My wife and I got to enjoy it, and I can assure you, flat out the finest pasta dish of my life.  No, I dont have any financial interest in the restaurant.  Wayne Raffesberger, via email. (Note: One other reader recommended Solare, at Liberty Station.)

Have you ever tried Lidos in Lemon Grove? ... Marinara & meat sauces delicious. Many regular customers. I ate their wonderful pizza when I was in high school. As a senior, continue to appreciate them & many other items.  Geri Miller, via email.

Also recommended by readers via email, sandiegouniontribune.com and Twitter: Old Trieste (Morena Boulevard), recommended by two readers; Vigiluccis (multiple locations); Fresco (Bonsall); Osteria Panevino (Gaslamp); Villa Capri (Poway); Cicciottis Trattoria (Cardiff, also located in Carlsbad); Osteria Romantica (La Jolla); Bencotto (Little Italy); Pomodoro (Point Loma); Rosannas (Encinitas); Pummaro (Point Loma)..

* A note on my original list of 7: I should have added a caveat to my enthusiastic endorsement of Monzu Fresh Pasta. The East Village restaurant/retail shop may have excellent food but the customer service can be unreliable. Its nearly impossible to reach by phone and its hours can be spotty. A reader told me he had made several unsuccessful attempts to contact them and eat there. So Ill add an asterisk to my listing of Monzu  its delicious but until the customer service is more reliable, you might want to have a Plan B. (B for Biga, not far away and also on my list, perhaps?)

michele.parente@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @sdeditgirl
In its powerful local premiere with San Diego Repertory Theatre, Anna Zieglers drama Actually plays out entirely on a bare stage with just two actors and two chairs.

Its a fitting tableau. Virtually all of the news stories in recent years about the rape culture on college campuses ultimately boil down to just two people with two stories on whether their sexual encounter was consensual or not.

As one counselor in the play tells the male defendant before a college disciplinary hearing, the decision on whose story is the most credible comes down to just 50 percent plus a feather.

Although Actually was written by a woman and its directed here by a woman  San Diego State Universitys head of directing, Jesca Prudencio  this is no #MeToo clarion call.

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Sharply realistic performances by co-stars Emily Shain and DeLeon Dallas and Zieglers carefully weighted script make it difficult for audience members to take a side. Both characters are deeply troubled, needy and carry personal baggage that has long shaped their attitudes on sex and relationships.

The whip-smart script is delivered almost entirely in monologues. The characters not only tell their own stories to the audience and panel, they also tell each others  or at least their sometimes-biased interpretations of the others story and motivations.

The play takes place at Princeton University, where acquaintances Amber (Shain) and Tom (Dallas) have very different memories of a drunken sexual encounter after a campus party.

Just two months into their freshman year, they end up in front of a faculty panel on sexual conduct. Whichever way the panel decides, its clear that both of their lives will be forever changed.

Amber is an excessively awkward Jewish girl who is desperate to be noticed, particularly by men, since the death of her father years before. Tom is a fatherless, first-generation black college student. Even though his good looks attract numerous women, he feels unwanted on the Ivy League campus.

When they first meet, Amber tells Tom he only got into Princeton because hes black. That sort of prejudice would end most relationships right there, but Tom is conflicted with uncertainty about who he is. He sees her as a lonely kindred spirit.

Amber is clearly the aggressor in their brief relationship, but on the night in question, do problems in Toms personal life push him too far? To say any more would ruin the carefully calibrated suspense that Prudencio builds in the fast-paced 90-minute play.

Despite the simplicity of the physical production, Prudencio moves the actors around Justin Humphres raised boxlike platform set in fascinating ways, particularly the propulsive moments when the students are tossed about by percussive waves of accusations.

Chris Rynnes moody lighting design isolates the characters in a vast pool of darkness. Columns of white light resemble both the ivory columns of the universitys buildings and the prison of suspicion where Tom becomes trapped.

Melanie Chen Coles sound design is intentionally unsettling, including the fuzzy pulsing club beat at the school party and an eerie growing buzz of instruments as the tension builds. Anastasia Pautovas costumes give a freshman youthfulness to the actors.

Actually, which is named for a word Amber uses to express her desires on the night in question, is a great conversation-starter. Men and women audience members may not agree on who is at fault here, but its a good opening for an important dialogue.

Actually

When: 7 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. (Some exceptions and additions; check with theater.) Through Nov. 4.

Where: San Diego Reps Lyceum Space, 79 Horton Plaza, downtown.

Tickets: $25-$69

Phone: (619) 544-1000

Online: sdrep.org

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen
October 19, 1973 Evening Tribune

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.

Friay, October 19, 1973

In 1973 C. Arnholt Smith's U.S. National Bank Bank was declared insolvent.

The San Diego institution that had once had more than 60 branches and nearly $1 billion in assets was $400 million in debt, much of it from bad loans that U.S. National made to Smiths other businesses. At the time, it was the biggest bank failure in U.S. history.

Here are the first few paragraphs of the story:

By Tom Gable, Tribune Busines Editor

United States National Bank, the largest San Diego-based bank in terms of assets, has been declared insolvent by the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, placed into receivership of the Federal Deposti Insurance Corp. and taken over by another bank.

It is the largest bank insolvency in U.S. history, a Federal authority said, and is the greatest of three blows struck by the government agencies against the troubled empire of San Diego financier C. Arnolt Smith. His bank is gone. The Securities and Exchange Commission is trying to force him out of Westgate-California Corp. The Internal Revenue Service has levied against all his assets.

The announcement came at 3 p.m. yesterday as the bank's 63 branches closed for the last time under control of Smith. Teams of liquidation specialists and bank examiners from the FDIC moved into the main office and branches to seize the assets.

Today the bank opened for business as part of Crocker Bank, a San Francisco-based institution with $7.9 billion in assets. Crocker was the successful bidder with the FDIC to take over the commercial banking and trust business of U.S. National by acquiring certain assets and assumption of certain liabilities, including all demand and savings deposits. The Crocker bid was approved in U.S. District Cout in San Diego late last night.

"This will mean that normal banking services will be offered by the assuming bank (Crocker) and virtually all depositors will have full use of their existing deposit balances with United States National Bank," a spokesman for the Comptroller of the Currency said.

A spokesman said U.S. National had $940 million in deposit liabilities and assets of $1 billion but the comptroller's office had classified some of the bank's assets as troubled. He said the last evaluation of the troubled assets showed some $45 million in loans as loan losses and another $90 million as of doubtful collectability, he said.

Generally speaking, loan losses are total losses, the spokesman said, and about 50 per cent of doubtful loans are total losses. This would mean $95 million in loan losses.

Some of the loan losses were loans to Westgate-California Corp., he said. Smith is chairman of Westgate, former chairman of the bank and owner of more than 36 per cent of the bank's outstanding common stock.

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.
An Orange County Sheriffs Department dashcam video shows a deputy repeatedly punching a motorist in the face while arresting him for misdemeanor public intoxication this year, an action the mans attorney calls excessive force.

Mohamed Sayem is facing a felony resisting arrest charge over a confrontation with Orange County Sheriffs Deputies Michael Devitt and Eric Ota that turned violent in the early hours of Aug. 19. He has pleaded not guilty, according to court records.

Devitt claimed in an incident report and in an interview with his supervisor following the scuffle that Sayem assaulted him after the deputies found him intoxicated in his Jeep in a Stanton parking lot. Devitts accounts of the incident are contradicted by footage recorded on police dashboard cameras, Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders alleged in a motion seeking the deputies personnel files.

A statement Thursday from the Sheriffs Department said a review of the full video indicates that the deputy made every attempt to deescalate the situation and provide the subject multiple opportunities to simply provide his identification. The subject refused to do so and attempted to physically engage the deputy, during which the deputy used force appropriate for the situation.

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Neither Devitt nor Ota could be reached for comment.

The encounter unfolded when the deputies woke Sayem and and asked for his identification, which he didnt provide. Sayem appeared to be intoxicated, was slumped over in the drivers seat and gave a number of partially understandable answers, statements, and insults  often chuckling and falling in the car as he delivered them, according to court records.

Devitt placed his hand on Sayem in an effort to keep him in the vehicle after Sayem put his left leg out of the car, apparently in an effort to get out. Sayem yelled at the deputy not to touch him and tried to pull away. Thats when the scene took a violent turn.

Devitt grabbed Sayem by the left arm and pulled him out of the vehicle. The horn sounded as Sayem clung to the steering wheel with his right hand as Devitt lobbed several blows at his face.

During the third or fourth punches, Sayem lost his grip on the steering wheel and fell to the ground. After the scuffle, Sayem asked the deputies if they were going to shoot him. Devitt responds no, while Ota said hed like to.

Sanders alleges that Devitt fictionalized key details, including Sayems violence, in order to justify using force to his supervisor and in a subsequent report. Details of his story also change between the first interview and the report, Sanders said.

Devitt told his supervisor that he planned to charge Sayem with felony resisting, which requires a threat or violence, because he tried to bear hug on me.

In his report, he doesnt mention the bear hug. Instead, he alleges Sayem grabbed his vest and pulled on it.

I used my left hand and pushed his face in an effort to create some space between us, Devitt wrote. He did not let go of my vest and continued to physically struggle. Due to his aggressive demeanor, and the fact he was already resisting, I believed Sayem was going to continue to try and physically assault me.

The second dashcam video shows the deputies talking with supervisor Sgt. Christopher Hibbs about the incident. Devitt doesnt mention this version of events to Hibbs, who interviewed him minutes after the incident, Sanders said.

He unjustifiably used very significant violence against my client, and he knew he did it without justification, Sanders said Thursday. His answer was to make my client a felon for the rest of his life, so he doesnt get held accountable for his act of violence.

Sanders also questioned whether the Sheriffs Department handled the incident properly, noting that Hibbs was charged in 2009 with felony assault and battery and felony use of a Taser for shocking a handcuffed man sitting in the back of a police car. That case eventually ended in a mistrial and was dismissed. According to reports at the time, prosecutors blamed the result on a code of silence among testifying deputies. Hibbs could not immediately be reached for comment.

I think that this agency believes they have impunity, Sanders said Thursday. Folks are not standing up to them, and theyre not being punished. Theyre completely fearless. Theres something at the core thats very wrong with whats going on here.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry

UPDATES:

6 p.m.: This article was updated with a comment from the Sheriffs Department.

This article originally published at 3:25 p.m.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting four women in attacks that began in July, the Long Beach Police Department said.

Authorities say Isaiah Elijah Andino lured three of the women online. After meeting them at a designated location in Long Beach, Andino drove the women to an alley, threatened them at gunpoint and sexually assaulted them, police said.

Andino is suspected of forcing a fourth victim into his car at gunpoint. That incident was reported near a liquor store in Inglewood. After forcing the woman into his car, police say Andino drove her to an alley in Long Beach, sexually assaulted her, then let her out and drove away.

The previous attacks occurred July 5, July 22 and Aug. 1, officials said, with the latest assault reported on Tuesday.

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Andino was charged Wednesday with kidnapping and oral copulation by force or injury. Hes being held at Long Beach City Jail without bail.

The four women who reported the attacks are between the ages of 18 and 22, police said.

Investigators think there may be other victims and are hoping they will come forward. Anyone with information can call (562) 435-6711.

melissa.etehad@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @melissaetehad
A flight instructor landed a small plane with a student on board on Interstate 8 in El Cajon on Friday, avoiding motorists on the busy highway and escaping injuries, authorities said.

A California Highway Patrol officer radioed about 11:30 a.m. that an aircraft appeared to be in trouble. The pilot told authorities that the single-engine plane started to lose power as the student was flying toward Gillespie Field, so he took over and landed the aircraft in the westbound lanes near Second Street, roughly three miles from the airport.

They were on course to land at the airport  knew they werent going to make that path so he diverted the plane off to the south a little bit and was able to successfully make that emergency landing on Interstate 8, CHP Officer Travis Garrow told reporters at the scene.

The pilot managed to avoid road signs, power lines and cars as he landed the plane, a feat that Garrow said was pretty much a miracle.

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The fact that he was successful in landing it out here was a pretty good achievement, he said.

The Piper PA-28-161, built in 1979, is registered to So Cal Leasing at Gillespie Field in El Cajon, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. The California Flight Academy at Gillespie Field confirmed it operates the aircraft.

Two freeway lanes were blocked for a time as the plane was steered off the freeway to the Mollison Avenue off-ramp. Traffic on the interstate backed up as motorists slowed to check out the unusual sight.

The plane will remain on the off-ramp until it can be towed away. A mechanic might have to take the wings off before authorities can move the aircraft, Garrow said.

The FAA could not immediately be reached for comment.

Repard writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Fry is a Los Angeles Times staff writer.

UPDATES:

1:20 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details from the California Highway Patrol and the flight school.

This article was originally published at noon.
One of seven women a Newport Beach surgeon is charged with drugging and raping filed a civil lawsuit this week against the doctor and his girlfriend, alleging the couple assaulted her in 2016.

The woman is seeking unspecified damages from Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 38, once dubbed Orange Countys most eligible bachelor, and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley, 31, based on accusations that they prevented her from leaving their Newport Beach home and touched her without consent, according to court documents.

On Wednesday, Robicheaux and Riley were charged with additional assaults, and Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory W. Jones also prohibited Robicheaux from practicing medicine as a condition of his bail. That order was affirmed by the Medical Board of California, which restricted his license until after his trial.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit says she was in her mid-30s when she was introduced to the couple through a mutual acquaintance at a Halloween party in 2016. Prosecutors say the couple drugged the womans drink with GHB and raped her in the bedroom of their home.

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The woman told KNBC-TV that she floated in and out of consciousness before she woke up in the couples bed.

I thought maybe I was just feeling sick and they had put me to bed, but when I woke up with Grant on top of me, I was definitely very confused, she told the station. He was getting rough with me, and hard to say, but I just kind of laid there and took it.

The woman said she remembers Cerissa saying, Thats enough, Grant, thats enough. Stop.

Prosecutors said the woman reported the assault to the Orange County district attorneys office after news broke that charges had been filed against the couple in connection with similar incidents.

The Times does not typically identify alleged victims of sex crimes.

Robicheaux and Riley are accused of rape by drugs, kidnapping, oral copulation by anesthesia, assault with intent to commit sexual offenses and other crimes. They face up to 82 years and 63 years in prison, respectively, if convicted. Both are out of custody on $1-million bail, according to court records.

During a court appearance in Newport Beach on Wednesday, Robicheaux was newly charged with sexually assaulting five women, while Riley was accused of being involved with attacks on three women. The pair initially were charged with drugging and raping two women. They have pleaded not guilty.

We unequivocally deny all allegations of nonconsensual sex and absolutely deny any allegations that we have ever secretly drugged anyone for the purpose of having sex with them, Robicheaux and Riley said in a statement through their attorneys.

Public records and a Hoag Hospital profile identify Robicheaux as a board-certified orthopedic surgeon who received his medical degree from Louisiana State University in 2007 and did his residency at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange.

The accusations against the surgeon date to 2009. A woman who was in her mid-20s at the time told authorities she began dating Robicheaux after they met at a bar in Newport Beach in September that year. Prosecutors say the doctor raped her at his home after she told him she didnt want to have sex. She told authorities that she knew Robicheaux had weapons and she was afraid of him.

Several of the new charges against the doctor are linked to allegations of incidents that occurred before he began dating Riley, a former teacher.

Prosecutors on Wednesday said the couple preyed on their first victim together in March 2015, raping a woman in her mid-20s who was unable to resist because she was under the influence of intoxicating and controlled substances.

Authorities began investigating the couple in 2016 after two women separately told Newport Beach police they were taken to Robicheauxs house on 44th Street and assaulted. One woman described the couple as a Bonnie and Clyde team who drugged her and forced her to engage in sex acts, according to court documents.

No arrests were made after either incident, but detectives continued to work on the case for two years.

Prosecutors now say Robicheaux and Riley attacked three other women, including the woman who filed the civil lawsuit, during that time.

As part of that investigation, police searched Robicheauxs home in January this year and found a video of at least one of the women being assaulted, authorities said. They also discovered videos and photographs of other potential victims on the couples phones, some of which were taken at festivals including Burning Man and Splash House, prosecutors said.

The search turned up large quantities of illegal drugs, including GHB, MDMA and cocaine, along with two illegal, unregistered assault rifles, four other firearms and several large-capacity magazines, prosecutors said.

Riley has been a substitute teacher in Fullerton, according to a video in which she appeared that Rackauckas played at a news conference last month. She has held substitute teaching permits since 2014. She received a teaching credential in 2017, but the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing suspended it for misconduct, according to the agencys website.

In 2014, Robicheaux appeared on the Bravo show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male, which followed his search for a girlfriend. He was declared Orange Countys most eligible bachelor by Orange Coast magazine in 2013 and used the online dating name InGoodHands.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry
You dont know him, but you probably love him.

Caroll Spinney is a tall, bearded man who has spent the last 49 years playing Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on Sesame Street. Earlier this week, the 84-year-old Spinney announced that he is retiring from the beloved childrens program, where  as an original cast member  he helped turn two completely different puppet characters into pop-culture icons.

Spinney stopped doing the physically demanding puppeteering part of the Big Bird and Oscar jobs in 2015, but he continued to do their voices until this week, when he recorded the 50th anniversary episodes that will air next year on HBO and on PBS in 2020.

Just because Spinney is retiring from his life on the Street doesnt mean the characters are going anywhere. Spinneys longtime apprentice, Matt Vogel, will take over as Big Bird, and Eric Jacobson will take on Oscar. Thanks in no small part to Spinney, most viewers wont even know hes gone.

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Because regardless of who is inside the 8-foot, 2-inch yellow suit or who is crouched behind Oscars trash can, the essence of the characters  Big Birds boundless enthusiasm, Oscars curmudgeonly snark  was created and distilled by Spinney. And if you want to know why that formula has stayed so potent for so long, have I got a documentary for you.

Its called I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story. Funded by Kickstarter and directed by Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker, this 2015 documentary is available on Amazon Prime, iTunes and Vudu. The unassuming Spinney may be one of the worlds most famous strangers, but the 87-minute film does a sweet job of showing you the tender heart that beat inside Oscars mangy fur and Big Birds flamboyant feathers.

Not surprisingly, Spinney was a bit of an odd duck. The son of a nurturing, artistic mother and an abusive father, the Massachusetts-raised Spinney was a solitary kid who latched on to puppetry early. He bought his first puppet for 5 cents at a yard sale, and quickly started putting on shows in the little theater his mother built for him.

Cursed with big ears, a geeky hobby and a first name that was usually reserved for girls, Spinney was subjected to some severe bullying as a youngster, and he never forgot it. In fact, Spinney always had one foot planted in the rocky soil of a difficult childhood. His ever-fresh memories were a source of pain, but when Spinney got to Sesame Street, his ready access to the kid inside was the spark that made his characters come alive.

When Muppets creator Jim Henson drafted Spinney for this new public-television show, Big Bird was envisioned as kind of a goofy hayseed to be deployed for comic relief. Spinney didnt see the character that way. And his idea that Big Bird was really just a big, guileless kid in a giant body was the hunch that made all the difference.

He can go back in time and create the feelings and thoughts and questions and fears of a youngster, says Michael Davis, author of Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street, a detailed account of the shows creation and explosive success. Without Big Bird, Sesame Street would not be what it is.

The same generous instincts applied to Oscar the Grouch. Longtime Sesame Street director and writer Jon Stone saw Oscar as an edgier character who would appeal to his young audiences naughtier side. Spinney wanted the trash-can dweller to be a grump with a redeemable heart, and he gave him the blustery voice to match. Once again, Spinney struck zeitgeist gold.

Given the magic of the Muppets, I Am Big Bird could have spent more time on the puppetry aspect of Spinneys art. The segment on the technical demands of the Big Bird costume  how Spinney had to work the beak with one hand and the wings with the other, while also reading his lines, watching the monitor strapped to his chest and moving around the set without tripping over anything  is fascinating. More would have been even better.

But in the end, we did not fall for Big Bird because he was an amazing puppet. We fell for him because Spinney turned him into a friend. A friend whose every sympathetic head tilt, silly dance move and befuddled question told us that he understood what it meant to be a square peg in a round world, and that we would be OK anyway.

As of this week, Caroll Spinney has flown the coop. But Big Bird will soar on. Because when art comes from your heart, the skys the limit.

Twitter: @karla_peterson

karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com
Its almost unthinkable, given our political history, but theres an outside chance that San Diego County will be represented in the 116th Congress by five Democrats and zero Republicans.

A GOP wipeout, unthinkable two years ago, would not reflect a political shift so much as self-defeating blunders by a party that prides itself on its strategic discipline. (See: Supreme Court.)

In the regions two closely contested congressional districts, both held by Republicans, Democrats have drawn vulnerable candidates who are the answer to progressive prayer.

In the 49th Congressional District, Orange County Democrat Mike Levin is pitted against OC Republican Diane Harkey.

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The anti-Trump wave appears to be cresting in retiring Congressman Darrell Issas swing district, which Hillary Clinton won in 16 by more than 7 points.

Republicans had a chance to support Assemblyman Rocky Chavez, a Latino Marine colonel with crossover appeal to independents and Democratic veterans. But party-line primary voters went for Harkey, a partisan figure who can be welded to Trumps hip, while rejecting the centrist Chavez.

A couple weeks out, the 49th appears to be Levins to lose (though nothing is certain in low-turnout midterms).

More intriguing to students of political nature, however, is the 50th, the deep-red congressional district far from the madding coast.

Seventeen months ago, when I first took the temperature of this race, Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, Trump-adoring son of former Congressman Duncan L. Hunter, was struggling to explain his familys penchant for dipping into campaign funds to support his free-spending lifestyle.

The working estimate of the looting at that time was a mere $60,000, which Hunter paid back in the hapless hope that he would not be indicted and the scandal would blow over.

But Democratic activists, engorged with anti-Trump bloodlust, were imagining the unimaginable: A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to flip the 50th if  and only if  the congressman somehow managed to fight off Republican challengers, thus opening a narrow lane for a Democrat to steal the seat.

Back in May 2017, Democratic activists met in San Marcos. The prevailing assumption in the hall was that the 50ths 15-point GOP registration advantage required a centrist Dem who fit the sprawling conservative district.

About 250 liberal activists listened to seven candidates to determine who could plausibly appeal to not just the left-wing room but the conservative district. In other words, which Democrat could Republicans stomach in the event that Hunter made them sick to their stomachs.

In a straw poll, the favorite was Josh Butner, a former Navy SEAL, Jamul rancher and school-board trustee.

Butner was low-key, not a ball of fire, but he was a vet who best fit the district, the Democratic majority judged.

One candidate, however, stood out as perhaps the most dynamic candidate but an unorthodox fit. As I wrote in a column, the youthful charisma award went to Ammar Campa-Najjar, a young American of Latino and Arab descent, a confident speaker with a background in community organizing, campaigning to re-elect Obama in 2012 and working in the Obama White House.

The young candidate seemed smart, eager and likable, but would he play in the 50th? Cmon, I thought.

As history records, Hunter answered Democratic prayers, running in the June primary and ultimately limping into the runoff. Hunter hoped to mimic his Russia-plagued role model by declaring war on the Justice Department as well as the fake news media. To win, he had to hold on to Republican voters whose loyalty to the Hunter dynasty would erase dark questions about his character.

Democrats in the 50th, like Republicans in the 49th, went with their hearts, not their heads. Campa-Najjars energy, despite a name and heritage as multiculturally colorful as Obamas, won the right to stalk Hunter in November.

Honestly, I thought the Democrats screwed up, turning an outside shot into a blank.

In retrospect, I could be proved wrong.

I underestimated how much worse it would get for Hunter. An exhaustive indictment pumped up the pilfering to $250,000. Embarrassing details about Hunters lifestyle have become common knowledge. He can no longer play the Christian family values card without eliciting derisive laughter. He has become a punchline to all but tribal followers who dont know how not to vote for a Hunter.

Adding to his baggage, Hunters campaign is further disfiguring itself by framing Campa-Najjar, a Christian, as a dangerous Islamic security threat.

Yes, Campa-Najjars grandfather was a notorious Palestinian terrorist who deserved a violent death long before his grandson was born.

But imagine if the American granddaughter of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg  lets describe her as an earnest young woman who worked in government and received a security clearance  was linked in campaign ads to the treason of her executed Jewish grandparents. Americans would say: This is not fair. This is not my country.

So I take back my judgment that Campa-Najjar is a bad fit for the 50th. Given Hunters racially charged ads, Campa-Najjar may be the right fit for a district that prides itself on its American values.

Campa-Najjar may be the same fit Obama was in 08 when swing voters, including many moderate Republicans, took pride in voting for a black man with a foreign-sounding name and associations that conspiracy theorists twisted to question his love of country, his religion, even his citizenship.

Campa-Najjars upset victory would be a historical anomaly in which a significant number of conservative voters in East and North County elevated the content of character over tribal party loyalty.

Hunters victory, on the other hand, would reflect the opposite, a stark lesson in partisanship that could very well result in a special election if Hunter is eventually convicted of corruption.

The 50th, no matter how the election plays out, will be the most captivating result on the ballot.

logan.jenkins@sduniontribune.com
In an email arranging to hand off proprietary Navy information to the flamboyant contractor Leonard Francis, Navy Cmdr. Troy Amundson described himself as a small dog just trying to get a bone.

Later that night, Francis procured the services of several prostitutes from Mongolia for Amundson, prosecutors say, just one in a string of bribes that Francis paid for leaked military data.

On Friday, Amundson was sentenced to 30 months in prison. He joins the ranks of more than a dozen other Navy officials whose military service is now tarnished with felony records for getting cozy with Francis in what has become the worst corruption scandal to hit the Navy in decades.

Amundson, a decorated combat pilot, told the judge that, at the time, he didnt realize what he was doing was illegal. The ship schedules laying out port visits in Southeast Asia that he passed on to Francis werent classified and were regularly given to contractors, his lawyers said.

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But the judge disagreed, pointing to the secrecy with which Amundson operated.

It was calculated. It was deliberate, U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino told him on Friday. I think you certainly knew what you were doing, sir. As decorated as you were, its hard to fathom why youd sell out for so little.

Unlike some other Navy officials who served Francis  nicknamed Fat Leonard  and his Glenn Defense Marine Asia contracting company, Amundson didnt accept any cash bribes. But he had a good time on Francis dime: lavish meals, parties, hotel stays and the services of prostitutes.

He has agreed to pay $21,625 in restitution as part of the plea deal  an amount that Amundson says stems from a night of playing blackjack at a casino  and the judge also ordered a $10,000 fine.

Amundson earned several medals for his combat flying in multiple conflicts, including recognition for saving six lives. He flew unarmed aircraft into battle zones and directed in armed aircraft to engage enemy forces.

From 2008 to 2012 he was based in Singapore as a Cooperation Afloat and Readiness Training, or CARAT, Exercise Officer and Theater Engagement Manager for the Commander, Logistics Group Pacific. The role had him leading joint military exercises with other nations.

Amundson said during that role, hed always been suspect of GDMAs seemingly excessive billing practices and did not deal with Francis. GDMA provided husbanding services to visiting war ships, from trash removal to water to security.

After he left his position in the CARAT program, Amundson said he went to a Francis-funded karaoke party with several other naval officers  a regular affair in ports where Francis operated. It was after that that Francis approached him and befriended him.

Amundson said his replacement at CARAT was no longer sending out the ship schedules to contractors in a timely fashion, so Francis asked Amundson to pass the info along.

GDMA already had the contract to do the husbanding, Amundsons attorneys pointed out in a sentencing memorandum. The CARAT information merely told GDMA what port and what type of ship it would have to husband.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Pletcher argued it was much more than that.

In December 2012, after another Francis-paid night out for Amundson and other officers, which included the services of prostitutes, Amundson gave Francis a manila envelope containing confidential, proprietary Navy information relating to Amundsons work on an upcoming CARAT exercise, noted prosecutors.

A clearer example of quid pro quo is difficult to imagine, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.

Amundson communicated with Francis on Blackberry messenger, Yahoo email and WhatsApp rather than his Navy email account.

At one point, he told Francis he cant use Blackberry messenger because he was 100% sure he was being monitored.

In March 2013, he wrote: Handoff? and then told Francis his program is awesome. I am a small dog just trying to get a bone  however I am very happy with my small program. I still need 5 minutes to pass some data when we can meet up. Cannot print.

After 24 years of service, Amundson retired from the Navy in May 2013, staying in the Far East. He married a woman from Indonesia and they had two daughters. He also has a daughter entering college.

Francis was arrested in September 2013 at a San Diego hotel after being lured here by authorities. Soon after, federal law enforcement visited Amundson and asked him about his dealings with the contractor. After the interview, Amundson deleted all his email correspondence with Francis, prosecutors said.

Like many of the naval officers who have come before Sammartino for sentencing, Amundson said he fell victim to Francis charming overtures of friendship.

Amundson apologized for his conduct, saying the crime has taken an enormous toll on him and his family. He lost his job at General Dynamics in the Minneapolis area after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery.

I am living with self-disgust I feel for having compromised my duty to country, he wrote in a letter to the judge.

His attorney, Roseline Feral, said Amundsons behavior in the case was aberrant and blamed his mental state on the effects of war.

What he has done for this country will never be erased by where he is now, Feral told the judge, as Amundson stood beside her.

While 21 people, including Francis, have pleaded guilty in the case, 12 others continue to fight the charges.

Francis has agreed to pay $35 million in restitution but is still awaiting sentencing as he cooperates with the investigation. His health is failing so much so that he was granted bail and is living in an undisclosed location near his physician in the San Diego area.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
Neighborhood opposition in the city of San Diego has dramatically slowed progress on a $215 million regional bicycle-lane network  even as the increasing popularity of electric scooters and plans to fight climate change have ratcheted pressure on elected officials to deliver the long-delayed upgrades.

Since launching the ambitious program in 2013, planning and transportation officials with the San Diego Association of Governments have completed just 7.5 miles and spent about $94 million dollars.

In the city of San Diego the planning phase has been challenging, said Charles Stoll, director of land use and transportation planning for SANDAG. These are projects that are in existing streets and neighborhoods where were proposing to change things, and that takes a lot of back and forth and outreach.

Officials maintain the tax money has been well spent  largely on planning and design efforts that will eventually result in the construction of 70 miles of new bike lanes throughout the county within the next six years.

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SANDAG officials said that currently 6.5 miles of lanes are under construction, with 56 miles in various stages of planning and design.

Still, contentious, hours-long meetings in urban neighborhoods have taken their toll in recent years. Residents and business owners from University Heights to Hilllcrest to Talmadge have routinely blasted plans for new bike lanes that would overhaul streets and remove parking.

Residents, such as Ralph Teyssier, who lives near a planned lane along Monroe and Euclid avenues, have repeatedly raised concerns about safety, increased traffic congestion and loss of parking spaces.

If they really want to put the bikeway in they have to look at other options that make it safer, Teyssier said

All of our parking over here at night is flooded with people that dont even live in the neighborhood, he added. They could take away up more than 46 spots.

Resulting delays and changes have demoralized bicycle advocates. Since the bike networks inception, the plan has been scaled back from 77 to 70 miles, and extended by a year into summer 2024.

There was a lot of energy and hope and that has dwindled of late because of delays and outright cancelations, said Judi Tentor, executive director of the nonprofit BikeSD.

Tentor and others had hoped elected officials would more aggressively champion bike lanes despite neighborhood opposition, especially because increasing bicycle ridership is a key part of limiting tailpipe emissions from driving under the citys Climate Action Plan.

The elected officials recognize there is a political cost to supporting bikes in San Diego, and their political concerns are larger than their concerns for the environment or increasing diversity of our transportation system, Tentor said.

SANDAG staff said that they approach such situations cautiously, looking for leadership from the mayor and City Council.

Its really important that we have the citys buy-in at all levels, said Stoll, of SANDAG. When there is some difference of opinion we really try to go off the lead of the city before we take it forward.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconers office released this statement to the Union-Tribune in response to concerns about the lack of progress on bike lanes throughout the city:

Mayor Faulconer supports the continued development of a regional bike network to encourage people to use alternative modes of transportation and help achieve the goals of the Citys Climate Action Plan. There will always be critics of any major infrastructure project, and the key is to strike the right balance between community concerns and whats best for the region as we seek to become more bike-friendly.

Under Faulconers climate blueprint, the mayor has called for 6 percent of residents in transit corridors  those who live within a half-mile of a major transit stop  to bike to work by 2020.

According to SANDAG data, just that number was just under 2 percent in 2012.

And with the citys benchmark year fast approaching, the mayors office has yet to provide an update on the share of commuters using bicycles.

Since the mayor took office in 2014, the city has installed about 56 miles of new bike lanes, equaling roughly 28 miles of street with lanes running in both directions. The mayors office is also quick to point out that it has also overseen improvement to another roughly 155 miles of existing lanes.

However, the mayor has also delayed a 9-mile network of buffered bike lanes downtown, even as dockless electric scooters have flooded sidewalks.

Faulconer initially said the new lanes would be completed by 2019. But recently his office said that construction wouldnt start until next year and that it had no estimated date for completion.

SANDAGs bike network improvements accounted for about two of the citys recently added 56 miles of lanes. Opened to the public last year, the $15.6 million, 12-foot-wide bike lane along the state Route 15 connects Mission Valley to Normal Heights, between Adams Avenue and Camino Del Rio South.

While additional lanes along Meade, Howard and University avenues, among others, have yet to materialize that could be changing.

Newly elected city councilmembers representing those neighborhoods have vowed to support the construction of lanes.

The implementation of these major infrastructure improvements are critical to the success of our climate goals and to stronger neighborhoods, said Councilman Chris Ward, whose District 3 stretches from downtown to Normal Heights. I have made clear to SANDAG, city staff, and community members that I fully support these projects with ongoing active community engagement so they continue to stay informed about proposed design alternatives.

Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of the Hillcrest Business Association, has been at the center of many of the debates between residents and SANDAG staff. He said that the agency has recently become more receptive to addressing the needs of the community.

I think Hillcrest is going to end up with SANDAG-funded bike lanes, Nicolls said. What the community really wanted is a bike lane that works and doesnt try to ignore cars.

Two years ago, if Id proposed something to SANDAG, theyd sit on it for a couple months and theyd say no, he added. Now, theyre like lets do it.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
Hundreds of San Diego State University undergraduates who received vaccinations against type B meningococcal disease at Viejas Arena on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8 must receive replacement inoculations.

Walgreens Inc. determined that the doses it delivered were improperly handled.

In a brief statement, the company said that it became aware that the vaccine temperature at the time of administration was not optimal for 350 students who the pharmacy chains workers immunized during the two mass vaccination clinics.

The clinics were prompted by a three-case outbreak that the county declared in September.

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The company said it believes that re-vaccination is necessary to ensure the full efficacy of the vaccine, but assured the affected students and their families that receiving an off-temperature vaccine posed no associated safety risk.

Dr. Wilma Wooten, San Diego Countys public health officer, said Friday that Walgreens assertions are accurate. Studies, she said, have not found safety problems when vaccines are not kept withing the proper temperature ranges.

Loss of effectiveness is the primary issue that can occur when the proper temperature isnt maintained, Wooten said.

A 2018 research paper from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined five years of data from the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System and discovered 476 reports of vaccines that were used after being kept outside their recommended temperature ranges.

Researchers found that 32 of those reports involved patients who experienced adverse vaccine reactions. Minor local reactions such as swelling and soreness or redness at injection sites were the most common consequences of receiving an off-temperature vaccine.

Many different vaccines, and all of those that target meningococcal disease, require refrigeration to maintain their potency.

Package inserts approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration state that Bexsero and Trumenba, the only two type B vaccines on the market, must be refrigerated at all times and kept between 36 degrees and 46 degrees Fahrenheit.

Typically, on-site vaccination events, like those that occurred at Viejas Arena, use special coolers equipped with logging digital thermometers to keep running tallies of vaccine temperatures during transport. These special temperature gauges must have formal accuracy certifications, allowing public health investigators to verify that vaccinations were always held at the proper temperature.

Its a chain of custody that presented an extra layer of complexity during the county health departments recent hepatitis A vaccination campaign which sent small foot teams of public health nurses, paramedics and other health care workers into homeless camps, canyons and other out-of-the-way locations to give more than 100,000 doses. At all times, everyone doing this work had to be trained in properly using the temperature logging equipment to keep the vaccine supply within the specified temperature range even when working outside during the hottest months of the year.

Wooten said all county employees who handle vaccines, herself included, are required to take annual training in proper handling procedures.

It was not clear Friday morning whether Walgreens employees received similar training or how long the vaccines in question were held outside the proper temperature range. A company spokesman said such additional information was unavailable.

Wooten said the county health department does not investigate such incidents, which are within the purview of the California State Board of Pharmacy.

In addition to Walgreens, nurses with Kaiser Permanente and county public health nurses were present at the two early-October vaccination events at Viejas Arena. Wooten said that about 3,000 doses were administered across all three organizations during the event, and all doses given by Kaiser or county nurses met temperature requirements.

Health Playlist On Now Video: Why aren't Americans getting flu shots? 0:37 On Now Video: Leaders urge public to help extinguish hepatitis outbreak On Now San Diego starts cleansing sidewalks, streets to combat hepatitis A On Now Video: Scripps to shutter its hospice service On Now Video: Scripps La Jolla hospitals nab top local spot in annual hospital rankings On Now Video: Does a parent's Alzheimer's doom their children? On Now Video: Vaccine can prevent human papillomavirus, which can cause cancer 0:31 On Now 23 local doctors have already faced state discipline in 2017 0:48 On Now EpiPen recall expands On Now Kids can add years to your life

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FREMONT, Ohio  A high school students writing assignment about overcoming obstacles in her life led to a man pleading guilty to raping her and two sisters years ago, authorities said.

Detectives in Sandusky County began investigating after school officials from Vanguard Tech Center alerted children services and the sheriffs office about the essay.

She had disclosed that she had been sexually abused as a child, said sheriff Det. Sgt. Kenneth Arp.

A county judge sentenced 43-year-old Anthony Knight to 20 years in prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to felony charges of rape. A message seeking comment was left with Knights attorney.

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The three sisters said they initially reluctant to come forward because they had not reported it in the past, but they all discussed being raped and reported different forms of abuse, Arp said. The youngest was 7 when she was first sexually abused, he said.

The siblings statements to detectives corroborated information authorities had gathered in other interviews, he said.

This happened years ago, Arp said, adding that the three sisters showed a lot of courage coming forward.

Authorities credited the school with quickly alerting them to the allegations in the essay. The schools superintendent declined to comment because he wanted to protect the student.
The manager of this McDonalds cant be loving this.

Cops say a worker at the Hackettstown, N.J., eatery was bamboozled on Wednesday into pulling out $1,200 from a store safe after receiving a call from a man claiming to be from the corporate office.

The unidentified employee was ordered to use the cash to buy gift cards so corporate could deposit the money to help save jobs.

The devious schemer then called for a cab to pick up the worker and drive him to a store for the gift cards, reported NJ Advance Media.

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The duped employee then told the gift-card story to the scammer before returning to the restaurant, stated Hackettstown Police.

Both the city cops and the Warren County Prosecutors Office are investigating the fraudulent plot.

Police are asking unsuspecting people to be very cautious of any caller demanding money or payment immediately.
A Vietnam War veteran has been sentenced to seven years in prison for possessing a gun he purchased in the early 80s.

Alfred Pick, 70, of Plano, Texas, pleaded guilty to buying a fully automated M14 rifle at a gun show decades ago. The rifle was similar to the weapon the vet used during his time as an Army lieutenant.

This gun was very rare, Picks attorney Ryan Sandel told KTVT. At that time it was rare to see one, so he instantly, you know, had a connection to it.

Last year, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided Picks home where they discovered the weapon, just two weeks after his wife died of cancer. The serial number had reportedly been scratched off the M14. Authorities also found marijuana in the house and added a second charge.

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Pick and his wife were gun enthusiasts owning 14 weapons they considered collectors items.

A friend of the ex-soldiers, Mark Shackelford, said Pick was a good person and never took the rifle out of its case.

Hes had it all these years never robbed a bank or done anything with it, Shackelford told KTVT. Somebody that made one mistake and now 50 years later, hes paying a really big price for it.

During Picks time in Vietnam, he was a POW for a short time and earned a silver star for his participation in over 100 combat missions  factors that friends and attorney argue should have shortened his sentence.
A Houston shelter for unaccompanied migrant children is seeking a security monitor with military police experience, according to a job listing.

The preferred candidate is preferably a Marine of Army with Military Police experience.

The Southwest Key facility, which is licensed to hold up to 54 children between the ages of 10 and 17, lists seven job openings  including the security position  CBS News reported.

THIS IS NOT A POLICE JOB, but carries dual responsibilities as surveillance monitor and enforcing compliance, the job description reads.

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Listings for similar roles at other Southwest Key facilities do not require a military or police background.

A Southwest Key spokesman said the surrounding communitys crime rate is what led the facility to seek candidates with background in military policing, CBS News reported.

The job opening was posted on a Texas Workforce Commission employment site on Sept. 25 and remains active.
As some 3,000 Hondurans made their way through Guatemala, attention turned to Mexico, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Thursday to close the U.S.-Mexico border if authorities there fail to stop them  a nearly unthinkable move that would disrupt hundreds of thousands of legal freight, vehicle and pedestrian crossings each day.

With less than three weeks before the Nov. 6 midterm elections, Trump seized on the migrant caravan to make border security a political issue and energize his Republican base.

I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught  and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER! Trump tweeted, adding that he blamed Democrats for what he called weak laws!

The threat followed another one earlier this week to cut off aid to Central American countries if the migrants werent stopped. Trump made a similar vow over another large migrant caravan in April, but didnt follow through and it largely petered out in Mexico.

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On Thursday, Mexico dispatched additional police to its southern border after the Casa del Migrante shelter on the Guatemalan side of the border reported that hundreds of Hondurans had already arrived there.

Mexican officials said the Hondurans would not be allowed to enter as a group and would either have to show a passport and visa  something few have  or apply individually for refugee status, a process that can mean waiting for up to 90 days for approval. They also said migrants caught without papers would be deported.

Marcelo Ebrard, who is set to become foreign relations secretary when President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office Dec. 1, said Trumps tweets need to be understood in the context of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

The electoral process is very near, so he is making a political calculation, Ebrard said in an interview with Radio Centro.

Trumps stance, he said, was what he has always presented, adding he saw nothing surprising in it.

Still, the idea that Mexico could close its porous southern border  or that the United States would choke off the lucrative trade and other traffic between the two nations  strained the imagination.

There would be huge economic impacts for both the United States and Mexico ... but limited effect on illegal immigration, said Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute.

The president certainly can slow down crossing at legal border crossings where about a million people cross each day. That would really hurt legal transit between the two countries and manufacturing and trade, which would affect American workers, Selee said. But it would have much less impact on illegal border crossings between ports of entry.

Stephanie Leutert, director of the Mexico Security Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin, said she interpreted the tweet to mean Trump could send troops not to ports of entry but elsewhere where the illegal crossings take place.

If thats the case, I dont think Mexico should be too worried because in a sense ... its the same kind of thing U.S. administrations have been doing for a long time, Leutert said.

Like Guatemala and Honduras, Mexico is a country of many migrants, raising the question of whether the political will exists for a confrontation.

Lopez Obrador wants to avoid repression against migrants and also to avoid angering the United States. He said this week that Mexico would offer jobs to Central Americans. Anyone who wants to work in our country ... will have a work visa, he said.

By Thursday, the caravan had dispersed a bit, with the youngest and strongest of the migrants walking ahead together, some boarding buses or trying to hitch rides. On a bridge leading out of the Guatemalan capital, Hondurans marched single-file behind a woman holding a baby in her arms as a school bus rumbled past.

Juan Escobar, 24, said he had heard about Trumps comments but said they would not dissuade the migrants from continuing their journey.

Only God on high can stop us, Escobar said.

Carlos Lopez, 27, said he was concerned by Trumps threats, but you have to keep fighting.

Trump also warned that he prioritizes border security over even the recently struck trade deal to replace NAFTA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA.

The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA. Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border, Trump tweeted.

Analysts didnt see the pact as being in imminent danger, though trade attorney Daniel Ujczo of Dickinson Wright PLLC said there is a significant concern Trump could hold the agreement hostage over future issues.

Leaders around the world are skeptical that any deal with this U.S. administration is actually final, Ujczo said, particularly one such as the USMCA where the ink has not been put to the signature line.

U.S.-bound migrant caravans have been going on for years  with traveling in numbers seen as offering protection from assaults, robberies, even shakedowns by police. Theyre also a cheaper alternative to the $7,000 to $10,000 that smugglers, charge for passage to the border, Leutert noted.

Still, it wasnt until this year that the caravans received widespread attention.

There have been these caravans through the years, but they become prominent because the president tweets about them, Selee said.

He predicted that, like the caravan in April, Mexico will respond with measures like granting asylum to some migrants who qualify while deporting others who dont, perhaps not eliminating the caravan entirely but significantly reducing its size before it reaches the U.S. border.

But the direct, public pressure from Trump puts Mexico, already an uneasy ally the last two years, in an uncomfortable spotlight.

Ironically, the way President Trump responds to these caravans makes it harder for the Mexican government to cooperate with the U.S. on immigration enforcement, Selee said. There is a lot of disposition in both the current and the incoming Mexican government to cooperate with the U.S. on some aspects of immigration control. But it becomes much harder when President Trump makes this a political issue in which he bashes Mexico.
A chaotic scene unfolded Friday as throngs of migrants making their way north through Central America stormed a gate and clashed with cops as they tried to cross Mexicos southern border.

Hundreds of the mostly Honduran migrants rushed across a bridge spanning the Suchiate River from Guatemala into Mexico, tearing down a border fence as helicopters hovered overhead.

We are not smugglers, we are immigrants! the crowd shouted as they pushed through the large, yellow metal gate.

Dozens of Mexican federal police officers held their position on the bridge, with hundreds more behind them on the shore. Officers used pepper spray to keep the members of the massive caravan  which included women, men and children  at bay before things settled down.

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Some in the group began to arrange themselves in orderly lines as others settled in for a long wait to apply for asylum.

Mexicos ambassador to Guatemala said his country had decided to enforce a policy of metered entry as the group of 3,000 migrants waited to enter Mexico, some with hopes of reaching the U.S.

President Trump has recently latched onto the caravan as a campaign issue, painting it as the latest example of the need for his tough stance on immigration. Trump tweeted earlier in the week that the caravan was an assault on our country at our Southern Border.

Trumps oversimplification of the issues behind the mass migration  which includes his claim that the migrants home countries are sending them  has little connection to the reality of extreme poverty and gang violence the families want to escape.

The United Nations special investigator on the human rights of migrants called on both the Mexican and U.S. governments to respect those traveling in the caravan and to consider each case individually.

Felipe Gonzalez Morales, speaking at the international bodys New York headquarters, said that there cannot be massive collective expulsions, for instance, in violation of international law.

Gonzalez noted that countries such as the U.S. have seen a trend toward xenophobia which has left many migrants fearing to go into public for fear of being attacked or not taken seriously.

He said Mexico and the United States should establish channels for regular migration.

Gonzalez said he requested an official visit to the United States in March but has not received a response from the Trump administration.

Earlier Friday, thousands massed along the muddy banks of the Suchiate and waved Honduran flags, chanting: One way or another, we will pass.

A Honduran migrant hold his national flag, climbs the border fence in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Migrants broke down the gates at the border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico and began streaming toward a bridge into Mexico. (Moises Castillo / AP)

Jose Porfirio Orellana, a 47-year-old farmer from Yoro province in Honduras, said the hopeless economic situation in his country led him to seek out a better life to the north.

There is nothing there, Orellana said.

The first members of the caravan began massing in the Guatemalan border town of Tecun Uman after arriving on buses and trucks early Thursday.

Thousands more stumbled into the border town on foot in a downpour late in the afternoon and into the evening.

Jonathan Guzman, who joined the mass procession caravan en route, told the Associated Press that he dreams of finding a construction job in Los Angeles.

Its the third time that Im trying to cross, the 22-year-old Salvadoran said.

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray said those with passports and valid visas would be let in immediately, though he acknowledged that we anticipate those are the minority.

Anyone caught entering illegally will be deported, he added.

Those looking to apply for asylum in Mexico are welcome to do so if they have a vulnerable situation in their country of origin, Videgaray told the Televisa network.

Trump, who without any evidence has accused Democrats of backing the caravan, made it clear to Mexico that he is monitoring its response.

Early Thursday, he threatened to close the U.S. border if Mexico let the migrants advance.

Later, he retweeted a video of Mexican federal police arriving at the Guatemalan border and wrote: Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!

With News Wire Services
Southern California Border Patrol agents arrested a convicted felon and discovered a car with nearly 100 pounds of drugs hidden inside it in separate incidents Wednesday, authorities said.

The drugs, discovered in secret compartments in a 2014 Ford Focus after an agency dog zeroed in on the car, were discovered around 8:40 a.m. at the San Clemente checkpoint just north of San Diego County on northbound Interstate 5, according to Border Patrol officials.

Agents inspecting the car found 51 packages of methamphetamine weighing 87.3 pounds and five packages of cocaine weighing 11.8 pounds, officials said. Those drugs  found hidden inside the spare tire well, quarter panels and rear seat  have an estimated street value of about $441,500.

The Fords driver, a 25-year-old Mexican woman with a green card, was arrested and turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration along with narcotics, authorities said. Border Patrol agents seized the car.

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Around 4:35 p.m. Wednesday, agents patrolling the border near the Tecate Port of Entry in southeastern San Diego County spotted a man about 20 yards north of the international boundary, Border Patrol officials said. After detaining the man, the agents identified him as 55-year-old Mexican citizen.

Ramon Barajas-Gallegos has an extensive criminal history, according to the Border Patrol, with prior convictions for forcible rape, robbery with a firearm, assault with a firearm and kidnapping to commit robbery with a firearm.

Barajas-Gallegos was being held in federal detention Thursday pending his removal from the country, according to Border Patrol officials.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
TAHIR AMIN



ISLAMABAD: Adviser to Prime Minister on Commerce, Textile, Industry and Investment, Abdul Razzak Dawood Wednesday said customs/regulatory duties on the import of raw materials and inputs used by textile sector would be brought down to zero percent, while cotton production will be increased to 15 million bales for the revival of textile sector.



We want trade with India, Afghanistan, Iran and all regional countries, said Dawood while talking to mediapersons.



Different kinds of duties on import of raw materials are increasing the cost of business/production and the government will bring them down in the next two years to promote the export sectors, he added.



The advisor said that Pakistans share in international trade dropped from 1.93 percent to 1.65 percent, besides the country lost share in the regional trade which is not a good sign.



He further said that during the upcoming visit to China, Pakistan will ask for market access, but clarified that the country will not sign ChinaPakistan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Phase-II as the government needs time to go into details. We want to consult all stakeholders before signing FTA with China, Dawood added.



The government would seek Chinas support for research, poverty alleviation, innovation, industrial cooperation and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).



He further said that Pakistan will approach Japan and Canada for duty free market access, which it is currently giving to Bangladesh. He further said that ideally there should have been no duties on import of raw materials for exports sectors and that is why the government slashed duties on cotton yarn.



He also announced to introduce a five years policy for textile, but did not give exports target, while saying it would be shared in next two to three months. He said that de-industrialisation is taking place. When textile sector representatives opt for other businesses, it is not a good sign, he added.



The advisor said that Pakistan was producing 14 million cotton bales which came down to 10.8 million bales. Cotton was being grown on 3 million hectares of land which came down to 2.7 million hectares resulting in drop in production. At one stage Pakistan was exporting cotton, but now it is importing it, said the advisor, adding that Pakistani cotton is among the most contaminated and hence being sold at discounted price. We will take cotton production back to 15 million bales to earn billions of dollars, he vowed. He said that APTMA is not giving fair price to ginners and the reason they are quoting is contaminated cotton.



He said that the government reduced gas prices for the five export-oriented sectors, which has brought down their cost of production.



He further said that the government has allowed export of one million metric tons of surplus sugar without any subsidy which would bring around $300 million foreign exchange. He further said that during the last five years, subsidy of Rs 23 billion was given to utility stores, but the government can no longer afford it.



He further said utility stores have to pay Rs 11 billion to people. He said that procurement has been stopped for a few days; however another chance would be given to utility stores for revival.



He further said that government will depend on engineering, chemical and IT sectors exports and that is why it has been decided to review Engineering Development Board.




Police on Thursday sought information regarding the whereabouts of an Egyptian citizen in the days before his body was found floating in the water a few miles off Mission Beach with a thin chain around his waist.

Haitham Max Abdelkader Elshayeb, 37, was found around 10:20 a.m. on Oct. 10 after a fisherman spotted seagulls flocking around something floating in the water, San Diego police said.

The fisherman went to investigate and radioed lifeguards after realizing it was a corpse. A San Diego Fire-Rescue Department lifeguard vessel retrieved Elshayebs body about 2.5 miles from shore.

Haitham Max Abdelkader Elshayeb (Courtesy of San Diego Police Department)

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Elshayeb was clad only in swim trunks and had a chain made of half-inch links around his waist, Dupree said last week. The chain raised concerns about the cause of death, and homicide detectives were called in to investigate, though there were no obvious signs of trauma on Elshayebs body.

His death is currently being investigated as suspicious, Dupree said in a statement Thursday. The San Diego Police Department is seeking any information regarding Haitham Max Elshayeb and his whereabouts prior to Oct. 10.

In an email, Dupree said detectives were conducting due diligence to find out some more (information) about the days before his death to make sure it wasnt suspicious.

Elshayeb had been on an extended visit to San Diego, Dupree said Monday. The Medical Examiners Office has not yet determined how Elshayeb died, and the case remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about Elshayebs whereabouts in the days before his body was discovered was asked to call the SDPD homicide unit at (619) 531-2293 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
A pair of bandits robbed a Pacific Beach cellphone store Thursday afternoon, with one of the men holding three employees at gunpoint while his accomplice ransacked a safe, police said.

The bold heist happened about 4:10 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless store near the corner of Garnet Avenue and Jewell Street, San Diego police Officer Robert Heims said. The cellphone store shares a building with a busy Vons gas station and market, and its only entrance faces the stations dozen pumps and a parking lot shared by a drugstore and several other businesses.

When the suspects walked into the Verizon store, one of them pointed a handgun at the three employees, told them to go into the back office and then followed them, Heims said.

One of the employees opened a safe, and while the gunman continued to hold the employees at gunpoint in the back office, the second suspect pillaged items from the safe, Heims said. Police did not disclose what was stolen.

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The suspects were last seen leaving through the front door and walking east on Garnet Avenue. They were both described as dark-skinned Hispanic or light-skinned black men between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet tall.

Police described the gunman as weighing about 170 pounds and wearing a gray hoodie, black pants, black and white shoes and carrying a black backpack. The second suspect had a goatee and was described as slightly heavier, about 180 pounds, wearing a green hoodie, dark gray pants and white shoes. He carried a gray or green gym bag.

Robbery detectives from the San Diego Police Department were investigating the bold daytime robbery, which the suspects pulled off along a busy street

Twitter: @Alex_Riggins

(619) 293-1710

alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com
Shabbat, noun. 1. The Jewish Sabbath. 2. Much, much more.

This terms definition is being expanded by Shabbat San Diego, Oct. 21-27, a full week of events celebrating Jewish faith, culture and traditions. The schedule includes 70-plus dinners, movies, concerts, challah-baking sessions, cooking classes and lectures on Judaisms influence on everything from astronomy to the Beatles.

Everybody is invited, Jewish and non-Jewish, said Simone Abelsohn, one of the organizers. There are a lot of interfaith families where the husband is Jewish but the wife is not, or the wife is Jewish and the husband is not. We want them to know that they are all welcome.

Originating in South Africa, annual Unity Shabbats now take place in 1,500 locations scattered across 97 countries. Most, though, are limited to a day or two.

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We are the first city to try this, Abelsohn said of the super-sized Shabbat experience. They are giving us a shot to see how we do. All eyes are on us!

Entering its fifth year, Shabbat San Diego has broad geographic and thematic reach. In previous years, sessions devoted to baking challah, a traditional bread often eaten during ceremonial occasions, were so popular, there will be six mega challah bakes this year, at locations extending from Oceanside to Tijuana.

The Jewish Community Foundation is sponsoring several events, including a visit to Donovan state prison to observe the foundation-supported inmate-run dog training program, Prisoners Overcoming Obstacles & Creating Hope (POOCH).

That was our very first event to sell out this year, Abelsohn said. It was on the schedule and done, even before we were advertising.

Another unique event is the Oct. 27 Unity Havdalah at La Jollas Congregation Beth El. Rabbis from synagogues across the county will gather on stage and lead a short prayer service before a concert.

Thats unity right there, Abelsohn said.

And dont forget the Shabbat Dinner Challenge, which  in keeping with this years theme  is bigger than ever. Were going to show the world that this city on the border can host 1,000 Shabbat dinners in one month, Abelsohn said.

A complete list of events is at shabbatsandiego.org.
Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin has decided to take part in an anti-terror finance meeting with Saudi security officials and their Middle Eastern counterparts in Riyadh later this month, opting to attend despite growing global outrage over the suspected murder of a U.S.-based journalist at the hands of Saudi operatives, according to three people familiar with his travel plans.

The security gathering next week is separate from a Riyadh financial summit that Mnuchin announced on Thursday he would not attend. Numerous other Western officials and corporations have pulled out of the so-called Davos in the Desert financial summit because of the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote for the Washington Post.

The event Mnuchin still plans to attend  a gathering of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center in Riyadh  would include participation by Saudi security services that are under scrutiny in Khashoggis death.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the presumptive king and one of President Trumps closest allies in the region,- is under growing pressure to explain the disappearance of Khashoggi, who U.S. intelligence officials believe was killed and dismembered by a Saudi murder team inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey on Oct. 2. He has not been seen since.

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The White House has been hesitant to criticize Saudi Arabia, although Trump acknowledged for the first time Thursday that Khashoggi was likely dead.

In announcing his withdrawal Thursday from the financial summit, called the Future Investment Initiative, Mnuchin said he reached the decision with the help of Trump and Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo.

Mnuchin did not give a reason for pulling out of the conference, but he was under growing pressure from congressional Republicans not to attend as it could have been seen as a sign that the Trump administration was not concerned about the alleged killing. He joins an exodus of government officials and corporate titans who have announced their withdrawal from the summit, including Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Bill Ford of Ford Motor Co. and AOL founder Steve Case. Fox Business also announced its departure after Mnuchins announcement Thursday.

The Terrorist Financing Targeting Center is a new entity co-founded by the United States and Saudi Arabia that Mnuchin helped establish last year. It includes the governments of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump administration officials have not revealed who Mnuchin plans to meet with from the Saudi government during his visit.
The San Diego Unified School District board has placed a tax increase for a third mortgage on the November ballot. This third tax is for even a larger amount than imposed in 2008 or 2012.

The new tax will increase the cost of housing and virtually everything in the city for generations. Children in school now and entering school in the future will still be paying off these three borrowing schemes when they have families and children of their own. This new bond tax makes permanent the unaffordable nature of San Diego housing by piling on yet another tax burden. It places families in the difficult position of choosing between affordable housing or believing in the renewed promises for better private charter and public school buildings.

Related: How school bond will help repair, upgrade San Diego schools

The new tax funds a school bond that binds city residents to a promise to pay $7.5 billion in taxes to gain less than half of that for continuing school projects. Our schools would receive $3.5 billion for projects. We would pay back that amount plus another $4 billion in interest for the next 30 years. This new debt is in addition to the taxes and interest imposed by the first 2008 bond tax of $2.1 billion (Proposition S). The second 2012 bond tax of $2.8 billion (Proposition Z) again raised housing costs. These two previous billion-dollar bond promises have not been fully spent or paid off; but these taxes and interest payments will be obligations for our childrens children.

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Philanthropist and technology billionaire Irwin Jacobs, in promoting the previous bond measure, claimed Proposition Z will help ensure high quality educational facilities for all children and will go for repairs and renovations at San Diegos 200-plus schools and that it ensures that campuses are safe for students, and updates basic infrastructure including plumbing and electrical systems.

The current bonds will complete school air conditioning and meet safety and security needs now; so there is no need to wait for this new bond. Now, here we go again with city schools asking for more billions for substantially the same projects.

School funding appeals hit to the heart. Who can ignore a plea based on the needs of our children and their future? Almost any appeal based on its for the kids, teachers and public schools is normally on firm ground. Add promises for safety, security and removal of toxic lead plumbing and you have the voters heart. However, the devil is in the details. The new tax hits in the pocketbook of affordable housing.

I recommend that you read the excellent analysis of this new school bond tax, by the San Diego Taxpayers Association, and the school boards actual 197-page ballot measure, on the internet. I believe that the analysis will prepare you for slogging through the actual ballot measure. Look for the page after page repetition of the same things promised in the last tax measures and what is not there. Claims of job creation are never backed up by the number of actual city schools residents employed. Is there any promise to complete any project or even a general range of monies to be spent on your school and when?

A big sleight of hand, in all these 197 pages of detail, is two little lines for a project with no budget or other detail. Inserted on page A-53, between the Edison Elementary School project description and the Emerson/Bandini Elementary School project description, is:

Education Center

Acquire property for, design and construct new school administrative facilities and/or renovate existing school administration center facilities.

Does this language give the politicians authority to build a fancy new administrative center? How many tens of millions is going to be spent on this new central office and will it be built before all the security and safety promises are met?

My impression is that the real intent of this new tax is to create a permanent additional tax on property and housing, paid by property owners through the rents of their tenants. Voters deserve an honest assessment of how $5 billion from the recent bond measures are being used before saddling future generations with additional new debt.

I recommend that San Diego voters reject this third school bond tax and wait until the next 2020 election or until the results from past promises about billion-dollar spending plans can be measured  whichever comes first  before approving a third school bond measure.

Stump previously served on the SDUSD Bond Oversight Committee and the California League of Bond Oversight Committees. He is a founding plank holder of the San Diego Housing Federation, San Diego Workforce Partnership-RETC, and past president of the City Heights Community Development Corp.
San Diegos Measure YY school bond will be the last item on your ballot on Nov. 6. But, when it comes to helping our kids and supporting our schools, Measure YY is first in importance.

Measure YY will provide $3.5 billion of urgently needed funding for repairs, renovations, health and safety upgrades (including removing lead from school drinking fountains), and up-to-date technology for 200-plus neighborhood and public charter schools serving nearly 130,000 students.

Without Measure YY, San Diegos School Repair and Renovation Program will come to a halt.

Related: Why another school bond will hurt housing costs

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Prior bonds made essential first steps. Measure YY insures we can continue to address repair, renovation and modernization issues in every neighborhood school. Every dollar from San Diego Unified School Districts previous bonds has been fully allocated for critical repairs, renovations and revitalization of our neighborhood and charter schools, notes Betsy Mueller, chair of San Diegos Independent Citizens Oversight Committee, which oversees prior bonds.

Most of San Diegos schools were built in the 1950s. Today, after decades of use and long periods of funding cuts, many schools are literally worn out.

As with prior bonds, Measure YY includes strict safeguards insuring every dollar is spent as promised. Scott Barnett, former executive director of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and former schools trustee, says, San Diego Unified set the standard for taxpayer protections. Their bonds are models of sound fiscal management, accountability and transparency,

Critical repairs: Measure YY removes lead from school drinking fountains, hazardous asbestos from ceilings and floors, and lead paint and mold from school walls.

Weve learned a great deal since the 1950s about toxic hazards. In 2014, following revelations about lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, San Diego schools tested every school drinking fountain and removed from service any fountain that endangered student health. Measure YY will thoroughly replace pipes and plumbing throughout the district and insure we have safe drinking water at every school and educational facilities.

Another legacy from the 1950s, ceiling tiles made of asbestos that pose no hazard unless disturbed, are being replaced. Measure YY also replaces old wiring, aging plumbing and leaky roofs; renovates outdated electrical/heating systems; and fix cracked sidewalks, broken steps and deteriorating bathrooms.

Campus safety: Measure YY provides vital school safety upgrades including improvements in emergency communications, cameras, single-entry access, high-tech locks, renovated fire alarms and safety doors. Notes SDUSD Police Chief Michael Marquez, A recent attempted school shooting in Northern California was thwarted and no children or teachers were hurt because the school was equipped with safety upgrades and trained staff.

Measure YY will help prevent dangerous incidents before they happen.

Preparing students for college and 21st-century jobs: Measure YY continues San Diegos nationally recognized drive to renovate classrooms/science labs with up-to-date technology for teaching math, science, engineering and technology.

Originally passed by the voters in 2008, the district brought high speed internet into our schools and technology into every classroom, transforming the learning experience, with lessons downloaded instantly from the internet and teachers monitoring student progress in real time.

Measure YY also expands vocational and job training facilities to teach skills needed in the current and future economy and ensure non-college bound students obtain good-paying, 21st-century jobs.

Neighborhood schools and charter schools: Measure YY funds both neighborhood schools and public charter schools. Approximately 16 percent of San Diego students attend charter public schools. Measure YY explicitly allocates a $580 million pro-rata share for charter schools, thereby insuring all public school students benefit. In 2012, San Diego was the first district to make this commitment and it has served as a model for districts throughout the nation.

Installing solar: Measure YY continues the districts aggressive program to utilize solar energy at every school, relieving a cost normally paid by the schools operating budget and thereby freeing up funds that can help retain teachers and protect math, science and college prep programs.

Ironclad taxpayer safeguards. Annual audits and an Independent Citizens Oversight Committee will monitor Measure YY. By law, no funds can be spent for administrators salaries and all funds must be spent locally.

The district has been lauded by taxpayer groups for prior bonds, winning three Golden Watchdog Awards from the San Diego County Taxpayers Association and a 100 percent perfect score for transparency. The districts prudent financial management earned a AAA bond rating, lowering costs and saving taxpayers an estimated $170 million.

Vote yes on Measure YY. It may be last on your ballot, but it is first for our children.

Katz is past president, San Diego Workforce Partnership. Freeman is a former San Diego Unified Teacher of the Year and past president, San Diego Educators Association. Martel is a retired San Diego school principal.
Proposition 12 would modify Proposition 2, the 2008 voter-approved state law that establishes standards for confinement of farm animals. It would require that farms give all egg-laying hens at least 1 square foot of usable floor space by the end of next year and that farms be cage-free by the end of 2021. It would mandate that calves raised for veal be given at least 43 square feet of usable floor space and that breeding pigs be given 24 square feet. Farms that dont comply with the rules would be forbidden from selling their eggs and meat in California.

Any measure that claims to promote animal welfare is likely to be an easy sell with state voters. But Proposition 12 has a flaw that is serious enough that some animal welfare groups have split with the measures sponsor  the Humane Society  and come out against it. Proposition 2 required farms to provide enough room to confined chickens, pigs and veal calves to stretch, lie down, stand up and turn around in their cages by 2015. Animal-rights advocates say this means chickens should be allowed to stretch their wings  which requires at least 2 square feet. State regulators have not accepted this standard. But the Humane Farming Association, a San Rafael organization that lobbies for improved conditions for farm animals, says Proposition 12 amounts to a step backward for chickens.

Because of this flaw  and because of ample signs that consumer pressure is leading grocers and farmers to care much more about the health of farm animals  The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board recommends a no vote on Proposition 12.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

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Killing defenseless animals is not a sport

Re I shot a whole family of baboons, official boasts (Oct. 16): Now Im going to join in on the outrage on this one. I find this story pathetic and sad.

Sometimes it baffles the mind how such a he-man can brag and so proudly display his defenseless kills that he brought down with his high-powered rifle.

Dangerous beasts, those giraffes and baboons. Such a hero. To quote someone wiser than me: Is it really a sport if the other team does not know you are playing?

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Ill bet the baboons and giraffes did not.

Joe Secola

Carlsbad

Regarding the Idaho game commissioner who poses with a family, including young, of baboons he slaughtered in Namibia: This guy is a menace. Of my multiple travels in the African bush, including Namibia, Ive seen thousands of baboons, many close enough to pick fleas.

Never saw any aggressive or very wary of man. A female with baby once held up a long column of baboons so a man could walk by. Twice baboons ran over my feet. In two instances baboons in a tree warned a walking man of a lion stalking him.

For the most part baboons are sitting ducks to anyone good with a sling shot. Commissioner Blake Fischer is a menace and a moron.

And he went on to kill a leopard. In all my time in the bush Ive only seen two leopards. If it was up in a tree asleep after dining on an impala, its an easy kill at a safe distance. Legal in much of Africa means little in corrupt, uncaring or near broke governments.

Quinn Matthewson

El Cajon

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Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/19/2018 -- Global Buruli Ulcer Treatment Market: Overview



Buruli ulcer, caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans is an interminable devastating disorder that impacts basically the skin and bone now and then. The organism has a place with the gathering of microscopic organisms that causes tuberculosis and disease. The right strategy for transmission is dim. The essential weight of disease falls on kids living in sub-Saharan Africa, however stable people of all ages, races, and financial classes are defenseless. In spite of the way that it has been represented in more than 33 countries around the world, the best weight of the disease is in the tropical ranges of West and Central Africa, Japan, and Australia. It essentially impacts kids between 5 to 15 years. In any case, in some astoundingly endemic districts in Ghana, the regularity of Buruli ulcer has been evaluated to be as high as 150.8/100,000 individuals, and in southern Benin, a present survey has uncovered area rates of 21.5/100,000 consistently, higher than for either tuberculosis or uncleanliness.



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This ailment consistently prompts ulcers on the arms or legs, which can in like manner destroy skin or delicate tissue. Exactly when not properly treated, the disease can realize irreversible distortion or whole deal functional failure. The illness is in like manner endemic in a couple of various countries outside Africa, including nation regions of Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, French Guiana, and Mexico. In Australia, Buruli ulcer treatment remains phenomenal, however there have been additions in both quantity and occurrence of endemic territories over the latest 15 years.



Buruli ulcer, brought about by Mycobacterium ulcerans is a perpetual crippling sickness that influences primarily the skin and bone sometimes. The organism has a place with the group of microscopic organisms that causes tuberculosis and infection. The correct method of transmission is hazy. The fundamental weight of malady falls on kids living in sub-Saharan Africa, however sound individuals of any age, races, and financial classes are vulnerable. Despite the fact that it has been accounted for in more than 33 nations around the globe, the best weight of infection is in the tropical areas of West and Central Africa, Australia, and Japan. It basically influences kids matured 5-15 years. Notwithstanding, in some exceptionally endemic regions in Ghana, the commonness of Buruli ulcer has been assessed to be as high as 150.8/100,000 people, and in southern Benin, a current review has revealed location rates of 21.5/100,000 every year, higher than for either tuberculosis or leprosy. Disease regularly prompts ulcers on the arms or legs, which can likewise devastate skin or soft tissue. At the point when not appropriately treated, the ailment can bring about irreversible disfigurement or long haul practical inability. The disease is likewise endemic in a few different nations outside Africa, including country territories of Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, French Guiana, and Mexico. In Australia, Buruli ulcer treatment stays uncommon, however there have been increments in both occurrence and the quantity of endemic territories over the most recent 15 years.



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Buruli Ulcer Treatment Market: Drivers and Restraints



Growing incidence of Buruli ulcers is expected to increase demand for antibiotics and surgeries.. As per WHO (World Health Organization) major have likewise been accounted for from South East Asia , Australia, South America and Central regions in Africa. In the course of the most recent 2 decades the rate of Buruli ulcer has expanded, in spite of critical underreporting of cases. In 1999 there were 6000 new cases in Ghana; in 2004 (Australia), there were 25 new cases, 47 more in 2005 and 72 in 2006. Ordinarily, 05 cases for every year happen in the Daintree area (Australia) in any case, in 20112012, there was a noteworthy flare-up, with no less than 75 cases recognized. In Victoria (Australia), 157 cases happened in 20112012. The development is basically determined by expanded prevalence. New companies in the antibiotics industry have indicated expanded competence and safety profiles along with lessening the chances of ulcers. The ulcer showcase likewise has majorly two different procedures of treatment, which are via antibiotics and surgery. Late information recommend that combinations of anti-mycobacterial antibiotics that incorporate rifampicin and either streptomycin or amikacin can execute M. ulcerans in human injuries. Temporary rules now suggest the utilization of chose hostile to mycobacterial drugs, generally consolidated with surgery, for the treatment of Buruli ulcer. Effective treatment will abbreviate the course of the sickness and limit distortion. Skilled surgery, expert nursing care, and therapeutic physiotherapy are regularly required to accomplish great results.



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/18/2018 -- Domestic heating appliance is a device or system which is used to produce heat to accomplish various tasks. It also acts as a combustion appliance and having heat generation capacity up to 50 kW. Several domestic heating appliances includes heater, condensing boiler, heat spreader, hot water storage tank, fan heater, geysers, electric Iron, furnace, stoves, oil burner, radiator, space heater, solar water heater, immersion rods and wood-burning stove. Domestic heating appliances are used for both residential and commercial purposes. Global domestic heating appliances market is segmented into electric storage heating radiators, soil heating, non-electric heaters and electric heating resistors. Among various segment soil heating and electric storage heating radiators together hold the largest market share and accounts more than 40.0% share in domestic heating appliances market. Growing economy in developing country is one of the key factors for the growth of domestic heating appliances market.



The demand of high efficient, energy saving and safety domestic heating appliance is growing more in the market. This demand is seen more in urban market especially in high-tier cities as compared to rural area or low tier cities. Desire to live a comfort and luxurious life among individual is one of the key factor due to which, individual leads to invest more over domestic appliance including heating appliances. This helps in the growth of domestic heating market in all across the globe. Large investment over research and development on various domestic heating appliances and introduction of new and innovative technology in the market further helps in the growth of domestic heating appliances. Product upgrading is also one of the important factors for healthy growth of domestic heating appliances market.



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Asia pacific is one of the prominent markets for growth of domestic heating appliances. Growing housed hold income level of individual leads more investment over domestic appliances including heating appliance. Asia Pacific is expected to witness fastest growth rates in domestic heating appliances market during forecasted period 2014- 2020. Nations such as China, Japan and India hold the largest market share in domestic heating appliances market in Asia Pacific region. Japan is the second largest market of domestic heating appliance after China. Large population base in Asia Pacific offers huge market potential for growth in domestic heating appliances market. Asia pacific holds the largest market share in domestic heating appliances market. Tanzania, Jordan, Bolivia and Philippines are some of the fastest growing market for domestic heating appliances. These nations are expected to grow in double digit during forecasted period in global domestic heating appliances market. In North America, the U.S. holds the largest market share for domestic heating appliances. Germany accounts the largest market size for domestic heating appliances in European region. The global domestic heating appliances market is expected to grow in a single digit growth rate during forecasted period 2014- 2020.



Some of the major companies operating in global domestic heating appliances market are Clatronic GmbH Severin Elektrogerate GmbH, Sunbeam, Glen Dimplex, Ariston Thermo UK Ltd, Bajaj Electricals Ltd, Baxi Heating UK Ltd, Bosch Thermotechnology Ltd, Danfoss Randall Ltd, Honeywell Control Systems Ltd, Ideal Boilers Ltd, Quinn Radiators Ltd, Rettig Ltd, Vaillant Ltd and Vokera Ltd



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New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/19/2018 -- Based on the Optical Parametric Devices industrial chain, this report mainly elaborates the definition, types, applications and major players of Optical Parametric Devices market in details. Deep analysis about market status (2018-2015), enterprise competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise Products, industry development trends (2018-2025), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also be included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel will be presented as well. In a word, this report will help you to establish a panorama of industrial development and characteristics of the Optical Parametric Devices market. A new market assessment report on Optical Parametric Devices market brings to light a detailed statistics on the dramatic shift in the competitive landscape and business environment of the Optical Parametric Devices market for the forecast period 2018 - 2025. The comprehensive study offers an overview of the current state of development of the business as well as predicts the course of progress across different regions. A large number of factors including the major driving forces, threats and opportunities are taken into account to present an analytical picture of the industry portrayed in the report.



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Major Players in Optical Parametric Devices Systems are:



Spectra-Physics

A.P.E Angewandte Physic & Electronic GmbH.

Radiantis

Trumpf

EKSPLA.



Extensive documentation of the market performance across demographics and forecast of expected returns for a stated period enables business evangelists to speculate investor decisions in the coming years. Further, organized effort to accumulate information about the market share of leading manufacturers coupled with their sales figures, production value and brand positioning reveal a lot about the industry's future potential. The study also offers data focused on topics including result-oriented marketing strategies or tactics adopted by major manufacturers operating in the Optical Parametric Devices industry.

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Major Regions play a vital role in Optical Parametric Devices Systems are:



- North America

- Europe

- China

- Japan

- Middle East & Africa

- India

- South America

- Others



The study is a professional probe into the revenue generated and capacity estimates for the Optical Parametric Devices market for the forecast period 2018 - 2025 empower the business owners to maintain a competitive edge over their rivals. The research further examines and provides data on the market by type, application and geography interspersed with illustrations and other graphical representations. The market analysis not only determines the attractiveness of the industry but also the evolving challenges and opportunities and their association with the weaknesses and strengths of prominent market leaders. Other factors taken into consideration when studying the industry include profitability, manufacturing capability, distribution channels and industry cost structure and major success factors.



Most important types of Women High Visibility Pants products covered in this report

are:



Optical Parametric Amplifiers (OPAs)

Optical Parametric Generators (OPGs)

Optical Parametric Oscillators (OPOs)



The study segments the complete Optical Parametric Devices market on the basis of different application, end-use, end-user, and production capability. From a business standpoint, the industry has been thoroughly examined across various countries located in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and others. The size of the industry for the forecast period 2018 - 2025 is evaluated on the basis of current sales figures and past financial report can be used to forecast future sales.



Most widely used downstream fields of Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs covered in this report are:



Laboratory

Outdoors



There are 13 Chapters to thoroughly display the Optical Parametric Devices market. This report included the analysis of market overview, market characteristics, industry chain, competition landscape, historical and future data by types, applications and regions.

Chapter 1: Optical Parametric Devices Market Overview, Product Overview, Market Segmentation, Market Overview of Regions, Market Dynamics, Limitations, Opportunities and Industry News and Policies.

Chapter 2: Optical Parametric Devices Industry Chain Analysis, Upstream Raw Material Suppliers, Major Players, Production Process Analysis, Cost Analysis, Market Channels and Major Downstream Buyers.

Chapter 3: Value Analysis, Production, Growth Rate and Price Analysis by Type of Epoxy Adhesives.

Chapter 4: Downstream Characteristics, Consumption and Market Share by Application of Epoxy Adhesives.

Continue...



Table of content:



1 Optical Parametric Devices Introduction and Market Overview

1.1 Objectives of the Study

1.2 Definition of Car Headlight

1.3 Optical Parametric Devices Market Scope and Market Size Estimation

1.3.1 Market Concentration Ratio and Market Maturity Analysis

1.3.2 Global Optical Parametric Devices Value and Growth Rate from 2018-2025

1.4 Market Segmentation

1.4.1 Types of Car Headlight

1.4.2 Applications of Car Headlight

1.4.3 Research Regions

Continue...



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The research provides answers to the following key questions:



- What is the estimated growth rate of the market for the forecast period 2018 - 2025? What will be the market size during the estimated period?

- What are the key driving forces responsible for shaping the fate of the Optical Parametric Devices during the forecast period?

- Who are the major market vendors and what are the winning strategies that have helped them occupy a strong foothold in the Wave Power Generation equipment market?

- What are the prominent market trends influencing the development of the Optical Parametric Devices across different regions?

- What are the major threats and challenges likely to act as a barrier in the growth of the Women High Visibility Pants market?

- What are the major opportunities the market leaders can rely on to gain success and profitability?



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Press Release

October 19, 2018 De Lima seeks probe on appointment of foreign presidential advisers Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has sought for a Senate investigation into the appointment of foreign nationals to public office, notably of Chinese national Michael Yang who identifies himself as Mr. Duterte's economic adviser. De Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 922 urging the appropriate Senate committee to look into Yang's appointment as presidential economic adviser and determine the extent of his "official engagement" under the present Duterte administration. "The independence of the State from foreign control necessitates that the questionable citizenship of a presidential adviser be authenticated, and the nature and scope of his influence over foreign policy be fully disclosed," she said. Yang, also known as Yang Hong Ming, has been publicly issuing business cards which identify him as "presidential economic adviser" using the official seal of the Office of the President of the Philippines and the official logo of his firm, Full Win Company. He has also been reported to have hosted Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade in his office as presidential economic adviser. Last Oct. 4, Duterte revealed of Yang's close relations with Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua during his speech before the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association. He also disclosed that Yang was part of th4e Philippine delegation to China. "In conformity with the requirement exacted from public officers to at all times maintain allegiance and loyalty to the Philippines, there is a need to inquire into the citizenship of presidential appointees as public office held by a foreign national is inimical to the public interest and welfare," the former justice secretary stressed. De Lima pointed out that there is a need for the sake of public interest to determine the authenticity of Yang's appointment as presidential economic adviser, his relationship with Mr. Duterte and the extent of his access to sensitive state information. "More stringent penalties must be imposed upon any foreign national who willfully, knowingly and conspicuously usurps into public office," she said. The Senator from Bicol also proposed for more severe penalties upon foreign nationals for violation of the law that prohibits the use publicly and improperly of the official insignia of public offices, particularly the Office of the President and Office of the Vice President.
Trae Patton/NBCTonight on The Voice, Keith Urban continues supporting Blake Shelton in Part 3 of the Battle Rounds.

The Aussie superstar -- and former American Idol judge -- was all too happy to help out on the show that was once his TV rival.

"I had a blast doing it," Keith says. "I love that side of it. You know, I love being able to try and offer any advice, feedback, insight, guidance -- anything -- to a lot of these guys and girls who haven't had that opportunity, haven't been around people who can give them specific help, you know."

"But I loved it," he adds. "Blake was fun to work with."

After being in the trenches with Team Blake, Keith says his relationship with the Oklahoma native is even deeper.

"I like Blake a lot. I liked him even more after spending that whole day with him and getting to know him a little bit more," he admits.

"I realized I didn't know him that well. You know, I've never really spent any time with him. So I really enjoyed it."

Thomas Rhett's helping Blake's rival Kelly Clarkson during the Battles. You can watch for TR and Keith both Monday and Tuesday night starting at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The Knockout Rounds start on Monday, October 29.
Press Release

October 19, 2018 On media queries re martial law extension in Mindanao

Maraming peace initiatives tulad ng kapapasang Bangsamoro Organic Law, kaya di kailangan ng batas-militar: Kiko I opposed Mindanao-wide martial law then. There is no indication that there was or is an actual invasion or rebellion, as required under the Constitution. We just passed the Bangsamoro Organic Law. On the one hand, we see peace initiatives making major headway and unprecedented stride. On the other hand, the iron fist of military rule is being extended. It looks like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.
The Global Dairy Trade platform is looking to boost liquidity, GDT director Eric Hansen told the NZX Global Dairy Seminar in Singapore.

As of May, the 10-year-old platform had seen US$23 billion traded across multiple products in more than 200 trading events.

While growth had been significant we really need to do a lot more work to boost liquidity on the platform, he said.

A number of initiatives are underway, including a "major upgrade" of the platform itself. The new system is due to launch in April or May.

"It is incorporating much more modern digital features to make it more attractive for bidders, Hansen said.

Fonterra Cooperative Group owns the platform. It's currently reviewing all of its assets to get a better return on its capital.

While the original platform was fit for purpose when it launched a decade ago, it is quite a rigid table-like structure but doesnt really take advantage of all that modern technology has to offer," he said.

Among other things, users in future will be able to log a bid from multiple devices, a move aimed at helping bidders who may have issues around connectivity on one device but not another.

Talks also continue around the possibility of developing a new auction platform for European markets.

We have been going through a very extensive consultation programme and the feedback has been very encouraging, he said.

Hansen said GDT is now working with various vendors on a possible solution, a process that will continue through the end of the year.

Looking ahead, GDT is thinking and strategising" on what comes next and the market's needs a few years out.

Above all, our first, second and third priority is focused on increasing liquidity, he said.

(BusinessDesk)

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The NZX is looking to market its market as part of a refresh that kicked off just under a year ago.

The Investment in New Zealand Seminar in Singapore yesterday showcased five firms as a cross-section of the New Zealand equities offering. NZX aims to replicate the event, held alongside the NZX Global Dairy Seminar, on an annual basis.

The key feature is to tell everyone we are a lot more outward-focused, a lot more connected to our clients, NZX chief executive Mark Peterson said. We want to connect across the globe.

Increasing liquidity is central to the exchange's five-year strategy, which began last November. The first seminar was about showcasing the market to get more interaction, more flow into the market, which will improve liquidity even more, he said.

The five companies showcased were Synlait Milk, Meridian Energy, Pacific Edge, PushPay and Heartland Bank.

Synlait chief financial officer Nigel Greenwood told the seminar that it expects its current year profit to increase albeit not at the same rate as in FY18. Regarding its strategy, he said the company remains focused on diversification to lower risk.

Meridian chief financial officer Paul Chambers said New Zealand has long-term growth prospects which are very attractive. Pacific Edge chief executive Dave Darling said it expects to see continuing sales growth over the next year from "new and existing customers and aims to become cash-flow positive as soon as possible.

Heartland chief executive Jeff Greenslade remained upbeat about the firm's reverse mortgage product, which underscored it is a different kind of bank.

PushPay chief financial officer Shane Sampson said there was enormous potential for growth in the 'faith' sector as currently only 15 percent of giving to churches  around US$127 billion last year in the US  is done digitally. He reiterated the companys forecast that it will break even at the cash flow level by year-end.

Former Prime Minister Bill English said it was gratifying to see that only one of the companies - Meridian - was an old core economy company.

The others are all relatively new and demonstrate that New Zealand  as a small economy  has small, narrow but deep pools of expertise, he said.

If you are looking for scale of investment, it can be hard to find. Someone said to me" 'there just arent enough zeros'. But if you look carefully youll find the depth, as was on show today.

Peterson said the NZX market has been a very strong performer globally with the highest dividend yield across Asia-Pacific exchanges.

While "interesting" events occurring on the world stage will have some effect, "the fundamentals of the business are actually pretty good. The market has also retained its appeal to offshore investors, with around 38 percent of New Zealand listed shares on issue being foreign-owned.

Peterson added that the NZX is looking at having an office in Singapore or at least a presence in Asia.

Be it in equity, debt or fund product, New Zealand is open for business, he said.

(BusinessDesk)

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Turners Automotive Group Limited (NZX: TRA) delivers 24% increase in HY22 earnings

AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited (NZX: AFT) reaffirms guidance and progresses growth plan

18th November 2021 Morning Report

Blis Technologies Limited (NZX: BLT) Challenging market conditions in US impact half year result

EROAD Limited (NZX: ERD) NZ Commerce Commission Clears Coretex Acquisition

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New Zealand First needs to halt the governments planned ban on new offshore exploration before it can harm the countrys energy security and manufacturing sector, Greymouth Gas says.

Chairman Mark Dunphy said it was time for the party  Labours coalition partner  to nail its colours to the mast and halt legislation which he says will do nothing to reduce emissions and is more likely to raise energy costs for households and businesses.

Ending oil and gas exploration doesnt bring renewables any closer. Cutting off a strong revenue source only reduces New Zealands future options, he told Parliaments environment select committee yesterday.

If New Zealand First really is for the businesses and households of New Zealand, its caucus is asked to demonstrate this by joining the call to send this bill to the bin.

The committee has spent the past three days hearing submissions on legislation the government is rushing through Parliament to effect the ban it announced in April. It has heard dozens of submitters challenging the governments belief that existing exploration acreage is sufficient to ensure long-term gas supplies as the country transitions to a net-zero economy by 2050.

Powerco, which distributes both electricity and gas, said the proposed ban posed an unreasonable and unnecessary risk given the Productivity Commission believes New Zealand needs about 3,000 PJ more gas out to 2050  even allowing for the take-up of new lower-emitting technologies for transport and agriculture the commission modelled in its study on creating a low-carbon economy.

Current gas reserves are about 2000 PJ.

Greymouth produces about 10 percent of the countrys gas and is challenging the proposed ban in the High Court.

Dunphy noted that no new fields have been discovered since 2013, and he cited the current gas shortage in the North Island as an example of the stress on manufacturers and generators that could result without on-going exploration.

Renewable generation has fallen below 80 percent this week as Genesis Energy switched to full coal burning at its Huntly Rankine units to make up for the gas shortfall and dwindling South Island hydro storage. It has also ordered more coal from Indonesia.

The Houston-based International Association of Geophysical Contractors may also sue the government if the ban proceeds. It says it will seek to recover the $104 million its member seismic companies have invested gathering more than 75,000 square-kilometres of data for exploration since 2013.

Under the current regime those firms were granted a 15-year licence by the Crown to sell that data to potential explorers.

Minter Ellison partner Rachel Devine, submitting on behalf of the association today, said the abrupt law change  without any consultation  had harmed New Zealands reputation among international investors across all sectors.

She said it was surprising the government had thought changing laws overnight without consultation would go unobserved around the world. Some of her firms other international clients, such as IT companies, had noted the greater sovereign risk they perceived for investment in New Zealand.

The committee received more than 2,200 written submissions and scheduled about 100 oral submissions. Virtually all support the intent of the bill.

But critics say the ban ignores the role of gas as a lower-emission fuel for industry and an essential dry-year operation for the countrys electricity generators. It will increase electricity costs and may also increase emissions, they say.

Supporters cite the urgent need to reduce global emissions, and the lack of action by governments and industry to take effective action. But many also mistakenly connect the ban with a move away from local use of petrol vehicles, or believe that activities powered by gas at the moment can easily be switched to using wind and solar.

Genesis Energy chief executive Marc England told the committee yesterday his company believes the generation sector can get to about 90 percent renewable generation  from about 85 percent now  with existing technology.

But even getting to 95 percent becomes a stretch because of the weather risks posed by hydro and wind. Having access to gas is key during sustained dry periods and a core part of the companys own strategy to end its coal use by 2030, he said.

Methanex New Zealand general manager Dean Richardson told the committee there seemed to be a mistaken belief that if the firm reduced its operations there would be more gas available for other users.

As the countrys biggest gas user, it has been able to under-write exploration by effectively agreeing to buy any gas that an explorer can deliver to market. Were it not doing that the gas would most likely stay in the ground, he said.

Stuart Dixon, general manager of Powercos gas business, said the country needed to be reducing emissions irrespective of their source. This bill would reduce those options and might limit the countrys ability to take advantage of rapidly changing technology, he said.

Green MP Gareth Hughes challenged that assertion. Powercos product was cooking the planet and the market should be able to deliver the next best and cheapest alternative, such as hydro, batteries or greater use of demand-response, he said.

Dixon said burning natural gas does release CO2, but that may not always be the case. And he said gas is one of the lowest-cost options for ensuring the reliable power supplies the country will need if it is to use electrification to reduce fossil fuel use in transport and industry.

Its all about maintaining as many options as you can, Dixon said. This bill removes one of the least-cost options.

He cited two large-scale projects underway in the UK where natural gas is converted to hydrogen and the residual CO2 doesnt go into the atmosphere.

So its not necessarily the case in the future that gas will cook the climate.

(BusinessDesk)

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The application for surrender, filed through lawyer S P M Tripathi, said Ashish Pandey, the son of former BSP lawmaker Rakesh Pandey, has been wrongly framed in the FIR and has been subjected to media trial.

The accused approached the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh and moved an application seeking to surrender.

New Delhi : Ashish Pandey, a former Bahujan Samaj Party MPs son who had brandished pistol at guests and threatened them in the foyer of a five-star hotel in New Delhi, surrendered on Thursday before a Delhi court which sent him to one-day police custody.

It said Ashish Pandey is ready to submit before the court voluntarily and police may be directed to take him into custody if required.

However, since the magistrate concerned was on leave, the plea, seeking judicial nod to surrender, of Ashish Pandey was referred to another link judge who was hearing urgent matters of other courts whose presiding officers were on leave.

Meanwhile, the court staff of Metropolitan Magistrate Dharmender Singh informed police about Ashish Pandeys surrender plea to be taken up by link magistrate Neetu Sharma.

The accused along with his lawyers appeared before Metropolitan Magistrate Sharma to press for his surrender plea and police personnel were also there to seek custodial interrogation of Ashish Pandey.

The magistrate, at the outset, allowed the policemen to formally arrest and quiz Ashish Pandey in court premises for 20 minutes.

Later, the public prosecutor submitted that police was seeking a four-day custodial interrogation of Ashish Pandey on various grounds.

Accused is from Lucknow. The weapon has to be recovered and also it has to be verified whether the gun has a licence. The accused is also required to be taken to Lucknow and other places to know whereabouts of other accused, the prosecutor said.

The counsel appearing for the accused opposed the application moved by police.

The police knows that the gun is licensed. I (Ashish Pandey) am not required. I am ready to provide the gun. I am also not involved in previous cases. This case is highlighted only because the father of the accused was a politician and the matter is hyped by the media. No notice was served to the accused and NBW was issued malafidely, the defence counsel said.

The court, however, granted one-day police custody of the accused.

The court had on Wednesday issued a non-bailable warrant against Ashish Pandey for brandishing a pistol at guests and threatening them in the foyer of a five-star hotel here.

A video of the incident, that occurred early on Sunday, had gone viral on social media resulting in public outrage. It prompted police to step in and launch a hunt for the accused who had gone missing after the incident.
The women then said they will not enter the temple. The police will now escort the women down from the temple in the same way that they were escorted up.

This comes after the Sabarimala priests said prayers will not be offered and the temple will be closed if the women enter.

: The two women attempting to enter the Sabarimala shrine on Day 3 after the temple opened for prayers, have decided to return.

Two women, including a reporter from Hyderabad, began trekking to Sabarimala hill Friday amid strong protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

Their attempt to reach the shrine came a day after a New Delhi-based woman reporter of a foreign media outlet made a failed bid to visit the temple.

Police led by IG S Sreejith have have thrown a security ring around the women who had requested security to go to Sabarimala Sannidhanam. There have been strong protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple. The woman reporter is in her late 20s while the details of the second woman, who was carrying Irumudikkettu (holy bundle), was not immediately known.

Protests against the entry of women of all age groups in Sabarimala Temple continued on Friday with protesters saying, "No woman between 10-50 years of age will enter here. We are protecting Sabarimala."

On Thursday, the New Delhi-based woman journalist was stopped midway by devotees opposing the entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine.

The journalist accompanied by her male colleague, a foreigner, descended the hills from Marakkoottam area in the face of mounting protests.

A case has been registered against devotees who allegedly prevented her trekking and forced her to climb down the hills.
In a series of tweets, Trump also threatened to stop all American financial assistance to countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala from where illegal immigrants flow in, and blamed the opposition Democratic party for supporting such illegal migration.

: US President Donald Trump threatened to close the US' southern border with Mexico and deploy the military to stop the flow of illegal immigrants from Central America.

"I am watching the Democrat Party-led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to US," Trump said in his first tweet.

"In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the US military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!" said the president in a strongly-worded tweet.

Trump said the assault on the US at its southern border, including the criminal elements and drugs pouring in, is far more important to him as president, than trade or the recently agreed upon US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

"Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border. All Democrats' fault for weak laws!" he tweeted.

The tweets came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is set to visit Mexico ahead of the December inauguration of President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as well as Panama.
UN Security Council to meet on Myanmar atrocities report



United Nations, United States, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



The UN Security Council is scheduled to hear a briefing next week from the head of a UN fact-finding mission that has accused Myanmar's military of atrocities against Muslim Rohingya, diplomats said Thursday.

Nine countries including the United States, Britain and France requested the briefing that is likely to be opposed by China, which has friendly ties with Myanmar's military.

The meeting was scheduled for October 24 despite objections from Myanmar, which has rejected the findings of the UN inquiry.

The fact-finding mission released an explosive report last month that called on the council to refer the Myanmar situation to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, or to create an ad hoc international criminal tribunal, as was done with the former Yugoslavia.

The report said that Myanmar's top generals, including Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing, must be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in Rakhine State.

Myanmar has rejected accusations that its military committed atrocities in the crackdown last year that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee over the border to Bangladesh.

Myanmar's Ambassador Hau Do Suan said in a letter to the Security Council this week that his government "strongly objects" to the request to hear the chairman of the mission.

Britain, France, Peru, Sweden, Ivory Coast, the Netherlands, Poland, Kuwait and the United States requested the meeting that could still be blocked by a procedural vote.

If there is no move to block the meeting, the council will hear from Marzuki Darusman, an Indonesian lawyer who was appointed last year by the UN Human Rights Council to chair the mission.

In its report, the mission said there were reasonable grounds to believe that the atrocities were committed with the intention of destroying the Rohingya, warranting the charges of "genocide."

Myanmar maintains that the violence in Rakhine was triggered by Rohingya extremists who attacked border posts in August 2017.
China regulators deliver rare joint pep talk for worried markets



Shanghai, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



Three of China's top financial officials launched a coordinated attempt to shore up confidence in the country's stock markets and economic prospects on Friday in an unusual expression of top-level concern over what one of them called "abnormal" share price falls.

The timing of the rare intervention by the heads of the central bank, securities commission and banking regulator -- in interviews with Chinese media -- comes amid a bruising stock downturn and were released ahead of data showing slowing economic growth.

"Momentum for the economy to maintain steady growth has increased," People's Bank of China governor Yi Gang was quoted saying.

"Overall, current stock market valuations are at historically low levels, which is in contrast with China's stable and improving economic fundamentals."

Markets are being pummelled by concerns over the economy, the escalating trade standoff with the United States and an official crackdown on excess debt leveraging in the financial system.

The government is becoming increasingly worried about the losses, which have made the country's markets the world's worst-performing in 2018, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down around 30 percent from its January peak and sitting at four-year lows.

The comments by Yi as well as China Securities Regulatory Commission Chairman Liu Shiyu and Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission chief Guo Shuqing are the most concerted effort yet in a series of recent top-level statements targeting concern over the equities decline and the economy.

They were aimed at easing fears China was swerving away from pledges of financial reform, and that private enterprises may suffer from a strengthening state hand on the economy.

Both the Shanghai index and the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on the country's second exchange, fell more than one percent at the opening on Friday.

But they quickly reversed course after the officials' comments and the economic growth figures filtered through the markets.

By late morning, the Shanghai index was up 0.65 percent, while Shenzhen gained 0.75 percent.

The government said the world's second-largest economy expanded 6.5 percent in July-September, the slowest quarterly pace in nine years.

Banking regulator Guo said Chinese financial markets have recently seen "a large number of abnormal fluctuations due to various factors, which is seriously out of line with China's economic development fundamentals and inconsistent with the overall soundness of China's financial system".
China launches full-throated bid to ease fears as markets fall



Shanghai, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



China's top economic supremo on Friday led a coordinated drive by top financial officials to shore up confidence in the country's stock markets and economy, in a rare expression of concern over what one called "abnormal" share price falls.

The intervention Vice Premier Liu He and heads of the central bank and securities and banking regulators comes amid a bruising stock downturn and preceded the release of data showing a slowdown in economic growth.

Liu, who has overall control of economy policy, sought to ease worries about the effects of China's increasingly bitter trade row with the United States, which has seen both sides exchange tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of goods.

He told state-run media that "the psychological impact is greater than the actual impact" and that China's suddenly more-affordable shares were "creating good investment opportunities".

Markets have tumbled on concerns over the economy, the China-US trade standoff and an official crackdown on excess debt leveraging in the financial system.

The losses have made China's markets the world's worst-performing in 2018, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down around 30 percent from a January peak and sitting at four-year lows.

Those remarks were joined by People's Bank of China governor Yi Gang, who was quoted in Chinese media as saying: "Momentum for the economy to maintain steady growth has increased.

"Current stock market valuations are at historically low levels, which is in contrast with China's stable and improving economic fundamentals."

Friday's comments represent the highest level effort to address concern over equities and the economy.

The officials sought to ease fears that China was swerving away from pledges of financial reform, and that private enterprises may suffer from a strengthening state hand on the economy, though they announced no major new reform initiatives.

The government said Friday the world's second-largest economy expanded 6.5 percent in July-September, the slowest quarterly pace in nine years.

The Shanghai and Shenzhen composite indexes fell early on Friday but quickly rebounded after the comments filtered out. Both closed 2.58 percent higher for the day.

Zhang Gang, a strategist at Central China Securities, said investors had been awaiting a strong signal from the government but that more than mere words was needed.

"Although the rebound was large today, turnover remained low. The government needs to strike while the iron is hot and implement positive policies soon to fully restore confidence," he said.

Banking regulator Guo Shuqing said Chinese financial market swings had been "abnormal" and "seriously out of line" with China's economic fundamentals and the soundness of its financial system.

Donald Trump has embarked on a trade battle with China this year over what he considers predatory trade practices.

Trump, who often boasts of the US stock market's gains during his presidency, has pointed to China's equity troubles as a sign that Washington was winning the trade conflict.

Stock markets are major source of official Chinese concern following a 2015 stock meltdown that the government is widely blamed with worsening through policy miss-steps.
China launches full-throated bid to boost confidence in stocks



Shanghai, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



China's top economic supremo on Friday led a coordinated drive by top financial officials to shore up confidence in the country's stock markets and economy, in a rare expression of concern over what one called "abnormal" share price falls.

The intervention by Vice Premier Liu He and heads of the central bank and securities and banking regulators comes amid a bruising stock downturn and the release of data showing a slowdown in economic growth.

Liu, who has overall control of economy policy, sought to ease worries about the effects of China's increasingly bitter trade row with the United States, which has seen both sides exchange tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of goods.

He told state-run media that "the psychological impact is greater than the actual impact" and that China's suddenly more-affordable shares were "creating good investment opportunities".

Markets have tumbled on concerns over the economy, the China-US trade standoff and an official crackdown on excess debt leveraging in the financial system.

The losses have made China's markets the world's worst-performing in 2018, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down around 30 percent from a January peak and sitting at four-year lows.

People's Bank of China governor Yi Gang was quoted in Chinese media as saying the economy maintained good momentum.

"Current stock market valuations are at historically low levels, which is in contrast with China's stable and improving economic fundamentals," he said.

Friday's comments represent the highest-level effort yet to address concern over equities and the economy.

The officials tried to ease fears that China was swerving away from pledges of financial reform, and that private enterprises may suffer from a strengthening state hand on the economy, though they announced no major new reform initiatives.

The government said Friday morning the world's second-largest economy expanded 6.5 percent in July-September, the slowest quarterly pace in nine years.

The Shanghai and Shenzhen composite indexes fell early on Friday but quickly rebounded after the comments filtered out. Both closed 2.58 percent higher for the day.

Zhang Gang, a strategist at Central China Securities, said investors had been awaiting strong signals from the government but that more than words was needed.

"Although the rebound was large today, turnover remained low. The government needs to strike while the iron is hot and implement positive policies soon to fully restore confidence," he said.

Banking regulator Guo Shuqing said Chinese financial market swings had been "abnormal" and "seriously out of line" with China's economic fundamentals.

Donald Trump has embarked on a battle with China this year over what he considers predatory trade practices.

Trump, who often boasts of the US stock market's gains during his presidency, has pointed to China's equity troubles as a sign that Washington was winning the trade conflict.

Share prices are a major source of official Chinese concern following a 2015 stock meltdown that the government is widely blamed with worsening through policy missteps.

The officials said various measures would be introduced to ease Chinese companies' financing difficulties and further stabilise the financial system, and that China would stick to a "neutral" monetary policy.

kwa-dma/rox
Khashoggi crisis shines light on Saudi ties to Silicon Valley



San Francisco, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



The crisis surrounding the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and concerns that he may have been killed in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, has highlighted the role of the Middle East kingdom in the US economy, especially in Silicon Valley.

Saudi money has been a key source of capital for startups and other technology firms in recent years, led by the huge Saudi sovereign wealth arm known as the Public Investment Fund, but also from individual members of the Saudi royal family and the Kingdom Holding Company, the investment arm of Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal, according to the research firm CB Insights.

The most prominent of the investments was a $45 billion contribution in 2016 to the SoftBank Vision Fund launched by the Japanese conglomerate focusing on tech and startups, followed by a pledge of another $45 billion this year.

That gives the Saudis at least an indirect role in some of the hottest companies in the tech sector, including Uber, Slack, WeWork and Nvidia.

But the Saudi funds and royal family members also have made direct investments in Silicon Valley, including the $3.5 billion infusion in Uber from the sovereign PIF fund, a deal which helped put the fund's managing director Yasir Al Rumayyan on the Uber board of directors.

Despite the big Saudi investment in Uber, its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced he would skip the high-profile investment conference in Saudi Arabia next week, joining a number of US and European business and political leaders who are staying away as a result of the Khashoggi controversy.

PIF has invested $461 million in the mixed reality startup Magic Leap, which has also raised capital from Google, China's Alibaba and others.

The PIF was also in focus recently when Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said in a tweet that he had secured funding -- which turned out to be untrue -- from the fund to take the electric automaker private.

The PIF later announced it was investing more than $1 billion in Tesla rival Lucid Motors, which is aiming to deliver its first vehicles in 2019.



- Focusing on transport -



The transport sector is a key focus for the Saudis: the Vision Fund has taken a stake in GM-backed autonomous car unit Cruise, and Kingdom Holding has shares of Uber rival Lyft.

Prince Al-Waleed meanwhile has investments in Twitter and Apple, and a 2.3 percent stake in Snapchat parent firm Snap.

Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key market for US tech giants as the kingdom embarks on its "Vision 2030" plan to reduce dependence on oil and create a more diversified, tech-focused economy.

Microsoft earlier this year launched its cloud computing platform Azure Stack in Saudi Arabia in partnership with Saudi-based Sahara Net and China's Lenovo, estimating the value of the market to be worth some $29 billion.

The importance of Saudi money was seen in a visit this year by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, seen as the effective power in the kingdom to Silicon Valley, where he met top executives from Google and Apple.

In his US visit, Prince Mohammed also went to Seattle where he met Microsoft founder Bill Gates and its CEO Satya Nadella, as well as Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

For Bezos, the relationship with Saudi Arabia is complicated. His company operates the Souq ecommerce platform in the kingdom, but he personally owns the Washington Post newspaper, for which Khashoggi was a contributor and which has made repeated calls for information about the missing writer.
China, SE Asia to hold maritime drill to ease tensions



Singapore, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



China and Southeast Asian states will hold their first joint maritime exercises next week, officials said Friday, in a move aimed at easing tensions but which may spark US alarm.

Beijing's expansive claims to the South China Sea have long been a source of friction with rival claimants in Southeast Asia, as well as the US which has traditionally been the dominant naval power in the area.

Despite disagreements over Beijing's territorial ambitions, China and Southeast Asia are trying to strike a more conciliatory tone in an effort to stop tensions from spiralling dangerously out of control.

As part of this, the navies of China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to hold their first joint drills, which will take place in the South China Sea.

"As we speak, the navies of ASEAN are en route to Zhanjiang in China for the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise," Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said.

Making the announcement at a gathering of ASEAN defence ministers, also attended by US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart, Ng said the drills would help to "build trust, confidence".

The city of Zhanjiang in southern China is home to the South Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army.

Tabletop exercises between ASEAN and China were held in Singapore in August to prepare for next week's drills.

US officials may however be alarmed that traditional allies in Southeast Asia appear to be drawing closer to China, at a time when concern is already growing in Asia about American commitment to the region under US President Donald Trump.

In an effort to lessen any such fears, Ng also said ASEAN was planning to hold maritime exercises with the US for the first time next year.

Four ASEAN members -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- have conflicting claims in the South China Sea with Beijing. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire area, including waters near the shores of smaller countries.

Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand are ASEAN's other members.

Concerns have escalated dramatically in recent years as China started building artificial islands on reefs in disputed waters, and it has also constructed military facilities and airstrips.

Washington has expressed alarm over the island-building, saying it could affect freedom of navigation in the sea, which hosts some of the world's most vital commercial shipping lanes.
China, SE Asia to hold maritime drill to ease tensions



Singapore, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



China and Southeast Asian states will hold their first joint maritime exercises next week, officials said Friday, in a move aimed at easing tensions but which may spark US alarm.

Beijing's expansive claims to the South China Sea have long been a source of friction with rival claimants in Southeast Asia, as well as Washington which has traditionally been the dominant naval power in the area.

Despite disagreements over Beijing's territorial ambitions, China and Southeast Asia are trying to strike a more conciliatory tone in an effort to stop tensions from spiralling dangerously out of control.

As part of this, the navies of China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to hold their first joint drills, which will take place in the South China Sea.

"As we speak, the navies of ASEAN are en route to Zhanjiang in China for the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise," Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said.

Making the announcement at a gathering of ASEAN defence ministers in Singapore, also attended by US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart, Ng said the drills would help to "build trust, confidence".

The city of Zhanjiang in southern China is home to the South Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army.

Tabletop exercises between ASEAN and China were held in Singapore in August to prepare for next week's drills.

US officials may be alarmed that traditional allies and partners in Southeast Asia appear to be drawing closer to China, at a time when concern is already growing in Asia about American commitment to the region under US President Donald Trump.

In an apparent effort to lessen any such fears, Ng also said ASEAN was planning to hold maritime exercises with the US for the first time next year.



- 'US not losing ground' -



Hoang Thi Ha, a political analyst with the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said next week's exercises were aimed at "demonstrating that China and ASEAN are managing well their maritime problems".

But she added its significance should not be overstated as it was a one-off drill in waters that were not disputed. "The US is not losing ground exactly because ASEAN chooses to be open and inclusive," she told AFP.

The Southeast Asian defence ministers also agreed on guidelines to prevent unplanned encounters between their military aircraft, and will propose them to other countries, including the US and China, at a meeting on Saturday, Ng said.

They are aimed at reducing the likelihood that a chance encounter could spiral into conflict in the case of a miscalculation.

Four ASEAN members -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- have conflicting claims in the South China Sea with Beijing. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire area, including waters near the shores of smaller countries.

Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand are ASEAN's other members.

Concerns have escalated dramatically in recent years as China started building artificial islands on reefs in disputed waters, and it has also constructed military facilities and airstrips.

Washington has expressed alarm over the island-building, saying it could affect freedom of navigation in the sea, which hosts some of the world's most vital commercial shipping lanes.

At Friday's meeting, Mattis reiterated Washington's concern "about the militarisation of the features in the South China Sea".

"No single nation can rewrite the international rules of the road, and we expect all nations -- large and small -- to respect those rules," he added.

The Pentagon chief met Thursday with his Chinese counterpart, General Wei Fenghe, on the sidelines of the gathering as they sought to normalise military relations that have dramatically soured over trade and sanctions tensions.
Radical UK Islamist cleric Choudary released from prison



London, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



Radical cleric Anjem Choudary, a long-time thorn in the side of British authorities, was released from prison on Friday having served half his sentence for encouraging support for the Islamic State group.

The 51-year-old was jailed for five-and-a-half years in 2016, and will serve the rest of his sentence under strict supervision orders having been released from Belmarsh top-security prison in southeast London.

He made no comment to reporters and photographers when leaving a probation hostel in the British capital.

Prisoners the UK are typically released early but with conditions attached to their activities outside custody.

Choudary is expected to return to his home in Ilford, east London, although he will not be able to use any internet-enabled devices without permission.

Other restrictions include bans on leaving Britain without permission and on attending certain mosques and he will only be allowed to meet with people approved by the police.

Choudary is the former head in Britain of Islam4UK or al-Muhajiroun, a now-banned group co-founded by Omar Bakri Muhammad that called for Islamic law in the UK.

For two decades, the former lawyer of Pakistani descent stayed on the right side of the law, becoming Britain's most prominent radical preacher.



- 'Pathetic groomer' -



Among those radicalised by Muhajiroun were the suicide bombers who killed 52 people on London's public transport system in July 2005, and the men who murdered soldier Lee Rigby in the capital in 2013, police say.

The court heard that Choudary had broadcast speeches recognising Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the leader of the Islamic State.

Choudary and his co-defendant Mohammed Rahman were arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command on September 25, 2014.

Former counter-terror police chief Mark Rowley insisted Friday that Choudary was not "some sort of evil genius".

"We have to be careful not to overstate his significance," he told BBC radio.

"At the end of the day, he is a pathetic groomer of others."

The father-of-five previously hit the headlines for organising a pro-Osama bin Laden event in London in 2011.

He also belonged to a group that burned poppies, the symbol of remembrance for deaths in war, during an Armistice Day protest in the British capital in 2010.

In a 2014 interview with AFP, Choudary called on Western journalists, civilians and troops in "Muslim countries" to "completely withdraw and allow us to implement the Sharia".

Former police terror chief Richard Walton called him a "hardened dangerous terrorist" who had had a "huge influence on Islamist extremism in this country".

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart has said he will be watched "very, very carefully" out of jail.
32 civilians killed in coalition strikes in east Syria: monitor



Beirut, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



Air strikes by the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State jihadist group in eastern Syria have killed at least 32 civilians in less than 24 hours, a monitor said Friday.

Strikes on the village of Sousa killed 18 civilians including seven children late Thursday and 14 more civilians on Friday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Dozens were wounded and many remained under the rubble in the village in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor near the Iraqi border, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

Nine IS fighters also lost their lives in the raids, he said.

A coalition spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

IS overran large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, proclaiming a "caliphate" in land it controlled.

But the jihadist group has since lost most of it to various offensives in both countries.

In Syria, the group has seen its presence reduced to parts of the vast Badia desert and a pocket in Deir Ezzor that includes Sousa.

A Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by the coalition last month launched an offensive to wrest the Deir Ezzor pocket from IS.

The Syrian Democratic Forces has said the battle will likely take longer than expected.

Since 2014 the US-led coalition has acknowledged direct responsibility for more than 1,100 civilian deaths in Syria and Iraq, but rights groups put the number killed much higher.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says coalition strikes in Syria alone have killed more than 3,300 civilians.

Syria's war has killed more than 360,000 people since it erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
A Kosovo army would 'jeopardise peace': Serbian leader



Belgrade, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Friday that the creation of Kosovo army would "jeopardise peace and stability" and put the Balkan country in "big trouble".

The warning came a day after Kosovo took the first steps towards creating its own army, ten years after it declared independence, despite fierce opposition from the ethnic Serb minority and Serbia itself.

Since the end of the 1998-1999 war between Serbia's armed forces and pro-independence ethnic Albanian guerillas, NATO-led international forces (KFOR) have been tasked with security in Kosovo.

More than 4,000 KFOR troops are currently deployed throughout the breakaway territory whose independence is recognised by more than 110 countries, but not by Serbia which still considers it to be its southern province.

Since it unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, Kosovo has sought to establish its own army but those efforts have been met by bitter opposition from Serbia, which has a crucial influence on the Kosovo Serb minority and their MPs in the parliament.

After meeting US State Department official Matthew Palmer, Vucic said he had urged the United States, a strong supporter of Kosovo's independence, "to well understand that it (the army creation)could jeopardise peace and stability and lead to tragic consequences."

"We would be in a big trouble and pushed into the corner... if policy of creation of Kosovo army... continued," Vucic told reporters.

The parliament in Pristina on Thursday passed three bills laying the groundwork for transforming the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) -- an emergency force trained to respond to disasters -- into a regular army.



- 'Horribly difficult position' -



The move is aimed at avoiding the need for a constitutional change to legally establish armed forces, a measure that would require a two-thirds majority of both ethnic Albanian and the 20 non-Albanian MPs, half of whom are ethnic Serbs. Serb MPs have blocked any such initiative in the past.

NATO has repeatedly made clear that it would prefer the KSF to be transformed into a regular army via constitutional changes and "in consultation with all communities in Kosovo".

"NATO supports the development of the Kosovo Security Force under its current mandate," a NATO official in Brussels told AFP earlier Friday.

"Should this mandate evolve, the North Atlantic Council would have to re-examine the level of NATO's engagement in Kosovo," the official said.

On Thursday Vucic warned that creating a Kosovo army, as well as the possible departure of the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) -- deployed after the war to run the breakaway territory until its status was solved -- would push Serbia into a "horribly difficult position".

In such a position "we have no choice any more... than to protect our country and our people," Vucic was quoted by Beta news agency as saying.

The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on normalising ties have been stalled for months but started generating attention -- and concern -- this summer after Vucic and his Kosovo counterpart Hashim Thaci signalled an openness to the idea of border changes.
Brexit Negotiations Watching a Country Make a Fool of Itself

No country in the world has cultivated arrogance the way Britain has. But the sad truth is: The former global power can't even find its way to the door without tripping over its feet.
English18/10/2018

SRNA News Roundup /II/ - October 18, 2018

REPUBLIKA SRPSKA



BANJALUKA - This years autumn seeding of crops in Republika Srpska will be carried out on 65,616 hectares of land and the regular disbursement of agricultural incentives will resume, reads the information on establishing a new production cycle for 2018 adopted by the Government of Republika Srpska on Thursday.



BANJALUKA - The Government of Republika Srpska has agreed to sell a portion of immovable property at the site of the former joint stock company Wood Processing Industry Jadar Zvornik and ordered the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Mining to engage a permanent forensic expert in civil engineering to determine the market value of the immovable property, prepare the necessary documents for the sale and submit them to the Government for consideration and making a decision.



BANJALUKA - The City of Banjaluka on Thursday published a call for the sale of a 10,883 square metre plot in the Ramici Business Zone at the initial price of BAM456,106. The plot is intended for the construction of business buildings.



BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA



SARAJEVO - The Council of Ministers did not hold a meeting scheduled for Thursday as the Croat representatives did not show up. Leaving the room where the session was supposed to begin at noon, Minister of Security Dragan Mektic briefly told the press there was no possibility to hold the session in the absence of three Croat ministers, in accordance with the rules of procedure.



BANJALUKA - Milorad Kojic, head of the Centre for Research of War, War Crimes and Search for the Missing of Republika Srpska, expects the new Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina to urgently adopt the Revised War Crimes Strategy in order to ensure equality of citizens before the law and that the crimes committed against Serbs are prosecuted.



SARAJEVO - Officers of the State Investigation and Protection Agency /SIPA/ of BiH requested and took the documents about employment in the Central Bank of BiH in Sarajevo, Srna has found from the institution.



SARAJEVO - The Central Bank of BiH stated on Thursday that it had submitted the requested documentation to the SIPA regarding an employment dispute launched by a bank employee.



FEDERATION OF BiH



MOSTAR - Bosniaks have elected a Croat representative in the BiH Presidency as well as the Croat and Serb representatives in the FBiH House of Peoples, says Ivan Vukoja of the Institute for Social and Political Research from Mostar.



ISTOCNO SARAJEVO - SIPA officers searched a passenger vehicle in Kladanj in the Tuzla Canton on Thursday morning and took a person who was transporting migrants into custody.



SERBIA



BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic warns that Serbia will face a difficult situation if Pristina forms an army of self-declared Kosovo and that he will make sure that something like that does not happen and will make decisions only if it happens.



BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the EU must play a stronger role in the Western Balkans in order to maintain peace and stability in the region.



BELGRADE - Head of the Serbian Government Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric stated Thursday that Belgrade is truly interested in achieving compromise for the Kosovo issue that would create the conditions for permanent stability and peace in the region.



GRACANICA - Serbian Patriarch Irinej stated Thursday in Gracanica that Serbs should remain in Kosovo despite the fact that their position is now more difficult than ever, and said there was no room for a redrawing of borders and that he could not agree to having the Serbian churches in Kosovo in some other state.



BELGRADE - Academician Matija Beckovic will open the 21st International Book Fair in Belgrade on October 21, which has become the countrys cultural brand and the most representative and most visited literary event in this part of Europe.



REGION



THE HAGUE - President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals Theodor Meron submitted a semi-annual report on the Mechanisms operations to the UN General Assembly and pointed to the most important events of the past year.



BANJALUKA - The Association of Workers and Disabled Workers who fled Croatia and hold the citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina filed 10 lawsuits against Croatia to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg over the Serbs inability to achieve acquired rights in the country, head of Association Nikola Puzigaca said on Thursday.



SKOPJE - Macedonia is beginning official talks on accession to NATO in Brussels on Thursday, even though the national parliament did not adopt constitutional changes about changing the state name to the Republic of Northern Macedonia, which is one of the conditions for joining the alliance. The negotiations will be held between Brussels, Skopje and Athens. /end/ds
Staff and students at Askham Bryan College's Cumbria base at Newton Rigg have teamed up with industry experts resulting in field scale grass trials sown on 18 acres/ 7.24 hectares, with 8 different leys at the college's Sewborwens Farm.

Askham Bryan specialises in running agriculture and rurally-based courses and has been the venue for the Grassland North event for a number of years. Working with the College are teams from Agrovista, Barenbrug, Carrs Billington, CF Fertilisers and Pioneer.

James Todd, Farms Manager at Newton Rigg said:

Cumbria is well known as a good grass growing area with a dairy specialism so it makes sense to capitalise on that, for the benefit not only of our students, but for farmers in the region and beyond as they look to maximise yields and improve land management.

As a college we are keen to share best practice and working with our partners enables us to have the science to inform the practical delivery, making our forage work harder for us and also informing the wider industry.

Students studying agriculture will be involved in the project getting real time experience including gathering and analysing data - grass quality, growth and yield will be measured  as part of their studies.

James added:

We want those students to not only increase their knowledge, but to take it back to their own farms or employers and question decisions about why things are done the way they are and to start quantifying the outcomes. That way, British farming continues to progress and improve.

Seed for the trials has been provided by Barenbrug, through Carrs Billington. Mhairi Dawson, Barenbrug's Research & Development Manager said:

When Carrs Billington approached us about getting involved we were keen to participate. Jamess plan to increase milk from forage is a good goal which all forward-thinking farmers will be emulating so it's very topical.

The other big draw is to be able to have the opportunity to engage with existing farmers directly and indirectly via these plots to pass on our grass expertise but also, and equally importantly, to involve the many next generation farmers who pass through the College each year. The trials will measure dry matter content, D value, ME, sugar content, NDF and yield.

Agrovista has been working with Newton Rigg for a number of years, and latterly to a greater extent, including involvement with the college's forage maize crop trials.
The governments Tree Champion Sir William Worsley visited the forestry project Snowden Close at Gilsland, in north east Cumbria to launch the pilot Forestry Investment Zone on Thursday 18th October.

The government will trial a new approach in Cumbrias forgotten lands and work to encourage investment in the zone through measures such as the existing Countryside Stewardship and Woodland Carbon Fund grant schemes. A Forestry Investment Zone officer will also offer tailored support to businesses.

Government will also work nationally with the forestry and timber processing industry to accelerate planting as new approaches to rural funding and payment for public goods are developed.

The pilot launch comes during Green GB Week, an annual week dedicated to highlighting the opportunities clean growth offers the UK - and raise understanding of how business and the public can contribute to tackling climate change.

Forestry Minister David Rutley, Conservative MP for Macclesfield said:

Planting more trees is central to our ambition to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.

This innovative new pilot project will not only help landowners realise the benefits of woodland creation, but also drive forward our commitment to plant 11 million trees.
ABCNews.com(BARRON, Wisc.) -- The morning Denise and James Closs were shot dead in their Wisconsin home, someone dialed 911 from Denise Closs' cellphone.



A 911 dispatcher heard "a lot of yelling" in the call, which came in just before 1 a.m. Monday, according to sheriff's department records.



The dispatcher called back but was unable to leave a voicemail. More attempts were made. The phone went unanswered. Officials also tried to reach the home's landline but it was disconnected, according to Barorn County Sheriff's Department records obtained by ABC News Friday.



When authorities responded to the home in Barron, they found the door kicked in, records showed.



Denise Closs' husband, James Closs, had answered the door.



Multiple rounds were fired and the couple was found shot dead.



Their 13-year-old daughter, Jayme Closs, was believed to be home at the time of the killings but had been abducted by the time police arrived minutes later, according to authorities.



Friday marks the fifth day of the desperate search for the girl who authorities say is in danger.



Since Monday authorities have received over 1,000 tips and conducted hundreds of interviews in the search for Jayme, Fitzgerald said Friday.



The sheriff also said he's encouraging people to recall if their friends or family changed behavior earlier in the week, saying, "People may act differently shortly after committing a violent act."



Fitzgerald said the public should be mindful of someone who missed work suddenly; missed scheduled appointments; suddenly left town without a reasonable explanation; changed appearance; is acting anxious, nervous, or irritable; or is paying an unusual amount of interest -- either too much or too little -- to the progress of the Closs investigation.



It's unclear if the attack was random or targeted, the sheriff said.



An Amber Alert has been issued for Jayme. Anyone with information is asked to the tip line at 855-744-3879.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Regardless of President Donald Trumps temperament, suitability for the job or the character of his supporters, many of his domestic policies  from promises to actions  line up squarely with long-recognized values of the Jewish faith.

Border wall

The presidents signature campaign promise was to build a big, beautiful wall. (And what a deal if Mexico pays!) Is there anything un-Jewish about protecting our borders? Border security is against Jewish values only if Israel erecting a high-security border fence to keep out economic migrants betrays Jewish values.

The barrier on the Egyptian border, in contrast with the barrier with Gaza intended to protect against terrorism, has stopped the illegal economic migration targeted. In 2011, 16,000 primarily African economic migrants crossed; in 2016, only 18.

ADVERTISEMENT



Those familiar with Jewish teachings might counter, Let your home be wide open, and let the poor be members of your household. (Ethics 1:5) This value, however, is not a suicide pact. Americas policy of benefits-for-all is both a blessing and one that requires protection.

Our government-funded, social safety net did not exist during the early last-century migration. Unmitigated, illegal, economic migrants flooding benefits rolls and burdening public amenities  such as schools and hospitals  risk todays America. Poor Americans are most vulnerable.

Jewish values teach to build a fence around that which we hold precious. (Ethics 1:1) By taking steps to strengthen the border and control illegalimmigration, the president preserves the most important of our Jewish values in maintaining our safety net for fellow citizens and those immigrants who follow the rules.

Amnesty

Trump opposes granting amnesty as a right to those who have entered illegally. Amnestys unfairness to those who follow the rules/wait-in-line motivates him. Nothing is more congruent with Jewish values than acting with fairness to those who respect our laws.

Deregulation

Perhaps the presidents most unsung accomplishment is deregulation. Even his nomination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh speaks to his deeply felt desire to dismantle the administrative state.







First, the president seeks to limit his own power by nominating a justice who will restrict the power of the executive branch by removing the arcane Chevron deference legal doctrine, an administrative law principle that compels federal courts to defer to a federal agencys interpretation of a law passed by Congress with ambiguous interpretation.

Second, by limiting the size of government, the President seeks to devolve power away from those who seek to aggrandize it most. That, along with the Presidents avowed dislike for government, more visceral than President Ronald Reagans terrifying words (Im from the government and Im here to help), can be traced directly to our forefathers advice directing us to avoid intimacy with the government. (Ethics 1:10)

A smaller, less-centralized government will help keep the worst (think: powerful, well-funded special interests) from untoward government intimacy at our expense.

Pro-Life

A pro-life president deserves immediate Jewish value accolades. The Torah compelled Jews to choose life, an extremely novel and unpopular message we have communicated from ancient times through today. The president has fulfilled his promise of doing what he can do to return the decision to protect innocent life to voters. In asking for the trashing of the inscrutable Roe v. Wade, he asks state voters to decide how to balance a fair protection of innocent life without putting at risk a mothers life (even the law discarded in Roe protected the life of the mother).

Budget

I grant the president fails a frugality test. His political opponents propose $30 trillion dollars of new obligations; hes budget-conscious in comparison. Overspending is frowned upon throughout the Talmud.

Charlottesville

Calling Nazis kind names seems outlandish  but he didnt do that. He said that there were bad people among the white nationalists and that there were good people on both sides of a debate about monument removal.

Regardless, maybe Trump can find the good in all souls and praise people for goodness.Much as my esteemed rabbi, just passed, did for those who came his way, the president, albeit temporarily, found the kindest of values: Judge every man to the side of merit. (Ethics 1:6)

Edward Coach Weinhaus is a faculty lecturer at UCLAs Anderson School of Management and will be pursuing post-graduate doctoral research in Cryptocurrency and Liberty at Washington Universitys School of Law in January. In 2008, Coach chaired the Js Tour de Fun and presented more than 200 parent signatures to Parkway School Districts Board asking for an independent investigation into Hit a Jew Day. He is not a member of any political party.
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
Mihin Lanka never filed Performance Reports despite repeated reminders By S. Rubatheesan View(s): View(s):

Even six months after its launch in 2006, the government-funded Mihin Lanka failed to submit its Performance Report (PR) to the Dept of Public Enterprises (DPE), through the relevant line ministry, DPE Director M.C.N. Balasooriya informed the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to Investigate Alleged Irregularities at SriLankan Airlines (SriLankan), SriLankan Catering (SL Catering) and Mihin Lanka (Mihin) this week.

Mrs Balasooriya told the CoI that the DPE had written to the then Mihin Chairman several times, requesting for the PR, but there was no response from the management.

The CoI was told that it was mandatory for state-owned and funded organisations to submit annual PRs to the DPE, though most failed to do so.

When the Attorney Generals Dept. team asked how the DPE would ensure continuous monitoring of those State-owned institutions for better performance, Mrs Balasooriya replied that the DPE can only write letters again and again, requesting them to comply with existing regulations.

At present, some 200 state-owned companies come under the DPEs purview for the DPE to monitor and analyse the performances and submit comprehensive annual reports, along with observations, to the Cabinet. Following Cabinet approval of the PR, it would be submitted to Parliament.

After the inception of Mihin in 2006, its management secured government funding of Rs 1. 9 billion, with Treasury approval, for its operations, through Lankaputhra Development Bank.

State-owned Lankaputhra Development Bank, to support Small & Medium Enterprises and Mihin were both launched in 2006, and the LKR loan secured from a recently inaugurated new bank. Up to 2009, Mihin had failed to generate any significant revenue from its operations.

The LKR loan of Rs 1.9 billion was utilised to settle 4 short term loans and due payments to various institutions including Rs 138 million to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.

On March 2009, then Mihin Chairman Kapila Chandrasena sought by letter, a Treasury guarantee for an LKR loan of Rs 1.2 billion from BoC. However, BoC issued an LKR loan of Rs 170 million, after negotiations.

Then Srilankan Chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe had allocated Rs 2.4 million to rent an apartment in Dubai, under the cover of accommodating Srilankan executive trainees from 2012- 2014, for the private use of a Sales Support Officer (SSO).

Srilankan Head of Finance, Yasantha Dissanayake, said that his Dept. was instructed by Chairman Wickremasinghe to allocate a monthly payment for an apartment in Dubai, claiming it was for the use of executive trainees in Dubai.

However, the Dept. came to know later that it was rented to an SSO in Dubai named Shehani Rodrigo, as all the billings were addressed to the said person, and not under Srilankan. In addition to the apartment rent, the officer was also paid a housing allowance, as requested by the former SriLankan Chairman.

Srilankan Human Resources (HR) & Administration Manager Lasantha Liyanage said the Sales Support Officer had previously served as a Flight Attendant at SriLankan and he was personally requested by Chairman Wickremasinghe to grant her a years No-Pay leave.

Mr Liyanage said that onetime Flight Attendant Ms Rodrigos official designations were arbitrarily changed many times, through the recommendation of the then Chairman, without the approval of the HR Dept., from SSO in Singapore to Manager- Ticket Office & Marketing in UAE.

Documents revealed that this particular SSO was paid a total housing allowance of Rs 1.3 million as per her Letter of Appointment. In addition, another allowance of Rs 826,509 was paid without any approvals from the HR Dept, and in violation of Standard Procedures, after the said officer requested Chairman Wickremasinghe for one-years No-Pay leave on compassionate ground.

Under the directions of Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Niel Unamboowe P.C., State Counsel (SC) Sajith Bandara, assisted by SC Chathura Gunathilake, led the evidence of Mrs Balasooriya, for the AGs Dept.

Evidence of Mr Dissanayake and Mr Liyanage were led by ASG Niel Unamboowe P.C, assisted by SCs Chathura Gunathilake and Sajith Bandara.

The CoI comprises retired Supreme Court Justice Anil Gooneratne (Chairman), Court of Appeal Judge Gamini Rohan Amarasekara, retired High Court Judge Piyasena Ranasinghe, retired Deputy Auditor General Don Anthony Harold and Sri Lanka Accounting & Auditing Standards Monitoring Board Director General Wasantha Jayaseeli Kapugama. The hearings will continue tomorrow.
The regional Health authority claimed this week that just 13% of primary healthcare workers (GPs and paediatricians) went on strike on Monday and Tuesday this week, the first two days of ongoing action called to express the professionals' frustration at cuts and lack of resources in the Andalusian Health Service (SAS). In other words, 97 doctors out of a total of 749 hung up their white coats and walked out of their surgeries.

The doctors' union Sindicato Medico de Malaga (SMM) and the Basta Ya protest group, however, said that in reality 63 per cent of doctors had supported the strike and accused the authority of "twisting the figures".

The union and protest group also complained that prior to the strike days, the authority had established compulsory minimum services that were "abusive", as high as 50, 60 or 70 per cent in some health centres. This, they argued, prevented many doctors from joining the strike and reduced the impact of the action.

"There were more doctors on duty in health centres to comply with minimum services [50%] than the entire staff during the summer holidays [30%]," said Basta Ya spokesperson, Carlos Bautista, at the protest in Malaga on Monday.

Around 200 people gathered outside the Health Department offices in Calle Cordoba, including representatives from other provinces, retired doctors and patients.

Further strike dates have been set for 22, 23, 24, 29 and 30 October if no agreement is reached with the authority.
A council has offered to use some of its own money to put in breakwaters to stop sand being eroded from popular tourist beaches, despite it not being its responsibility to build them.

The mayor of Benalmadena, Victor Navas, wants to find a permanent solution to sand being swept away by expanding the offshore breakwater that protects the resort's Las Gaviotas beach by 80 metres. In addition he wants a new breakwater to shelter nearby Santa Ana beach.

Navas said, "Over the last few winters, that part of the coast has been the most affected [by storms], causing considerable damage to businesses on the beaches and pushing water onto the promenade."

At a meeting with central government in Madrid last week, council representatives proposed that Benalmadena town hall put up some of the money to get the breakwater scheme moving. Madrid is normally responsible for coastal defences.

The mayor explained, "At the meeting, we at the town hall promised to draw up an agreement to cofinance the work, with the aim of speeding up their creation because of the urgency of the problem."

Central government said back in January that it was preparing to go ahead with the construction, however the council feels it can be done faster with its financial help. The work to expand the Las Gaviotas breakwater alone was estimated to be 500,000 euros and the council plans to use a budget surplus to help fund the work.
The first of several doctors' strikes took place this week as a result of an ongoing conflict over medical staff's dissatisfaction with the Health Department's failure to act on their demands for improvements to the Andalusian Health Service (SAS).

The aim of the stoppages, which GPs and paediatricians throughout the province of Malaga were urged to support, is to jolt the health authority into action and start to rebuild the public health service to provide better healthcare for the local population.

The strike was called by the medics' union Sindicato Medico de Malaga (SMM) and the protest group Basta Ya, which is formed by around 300 primary healthcare doctors (GPs and paediatricians) and has the support of the Colegio de Medicos (official medical association).

Doctors want to be able to order diagnostic tests without the current restrictions

Their demands include the recruitment of more medical staff for health centres in the province of Malaga (the SMM claims that 150 more GPs are needed and 50 more paediatricians), job stability with long-term contracts, at least ten minutes appointment time for each patient (now the average is six) and salaries in line with the Spanish average (Andalusian doctors earn 600 euros less than the average).

They are also calling for more security in health centres in light of the increase in cases of violence against professionals, more freedom to prescribe medication, to be able to order more diagnostic tests for patients with a waiting time of no more than 30 days for the results, and for health centres to have more autonomy to manage themselves.

The strike comes after months of unrest among healthcare professionals which reached boiling point after a summer described as "disastrous" by Basta Ya. The protest group decided at a meeting in September that indefinite partial stoppages were the only solution and agreed on the strike dates with the doctors' union.

"The situation is unsustainable. The summer has been bad due to the lack of locum doctors being taken on [to cover holidays]. The SAS has taken no notice of our requests. Doctors are starting to feel exasperated. The strike is the only way out and the way to make the authorities see our discontent," the Basta Ya spokesman Carlos Bautista told SUR.

The president of the union SMM, Antonio Martin Noblejas, stressed the significant deterioration that primary healthcare in Andalucia has suffered in recent years.

"The SAS hasn't known how to sow seeds to reap rewards. The staff increase that the regional Health Department has announced is good, but we believe we need more doctors, because there has been a huge deficit in Malaga for years," said Martin Noblejas, who added that around 800 primary healthcare GPs and 400 hospital doctors have signed a document in support of the demands made by the union.

The president of the Colegio de Medicos, Juan Jose Sanchez Luque, said, "The strike responds to the feeling of impotence among staff at primary healthcare centres and the increase in cases of assault on professionals this summer. We have to find urgent solutions to the problems." The medical association is in favour of a second reform of primary healthcare.

According to the SMM's delegate for primary healthcare, Jose Antonio Becerra, what GPs want is to be able see their own patients without also having to take on those of absent colleagues who have not been substituted, which means a lack of time to provide a decent service.

"We have to be able to devote an average of at least 10 minutes per patient and each doctor shouldn't have more than 1,500 patients in his or her care; the average is currently around 1,700," said Becerra.

Improvements announced

The regional Health authority has announced a series of improvements included in what it calls its primary healthcare renovation strategy, however these have been deemed insufficient by doctors.

The plan includes, among other measures, an increase in the staff in the province's health centres of 282 workers, of whom 64 would be GPs and nine paediatricians. The recruitment will take place between October and December, the jobs will be long-term and add to the 88 new staff contracted last year. The new recruits promised for health centres will also include 124 nurses, three midwives, 12 physiotherapists, five social workers, 29 porters/drivers, nine radio-diagnosis specialists and 21 administrative assistants.

The director of the Malaga-Guadalhorce health district, Jose Luis Gutierrez, told union representatives that before 1 November there will be commissions set up to assess and manage the demands of each health centre. He added that 95 per cent of appointments made by patients are "satisfactory". "This means that the service is not overflowing," said Gutierrez.

Delays for patients

Primary healthcare doctors consulted by this newspaper said at the end of last week that they would go on strike to make the Health Department see how disillusioned they feel with their profession and let down by the authority.

"I don't care about the financial side. If I have decided to go on strike it's because of the deterioration that the health centres have been suffering for years," said one GP. Another point that concerns the professionals is the delays patients have to put up with when referred to specialists.

"In August I referred a patient to a traumatologist and they've given him an appointment for December. That is a four-month wait when really he ought to be seen within a maximum of 60 days," said another doctor.

This same professional also referred to patients who have had to wait eight months for a colonoscopy and when the test was carried out they were found to have colon cancer.

"We can't allow this to happen, nor can we allow a year's wait for an electromyography (EMG) or six months for an ultrasound scan. These delays are past tolerable," he said.
Francisco Tejon, also known as 'Isco', was until Wednesday the authorities' most wanted man in the Campo de Gibraltar area. The head of the notorious Los Castana drug gang handed himself in to police close to his home in La Linea de la Concepcion as part of an arrangement organised by his team of lawyers. His arrest, as well as that of his brother Antonio in July, means that the organisation, the largest responsible for bringing hashish into Europe, is now leaderless.

Isco had been wanted by the authorities since November 2016 after he managed to escape arrest and fled to Morocco with his brother. In Morocco, a number of his family members were arrested, including his brother, but he was released after an administrative error in the extradition order.

Police investigations recently tracked Isco back to La Linea which was his comfort zone where, protected by family members, he first ventured into the criminal underworld, stealing tobacco from smugglers then later realising that hashish could be a lot more profitable.

Despite an apparent air of impunity which led him to appear in a recent reggaeton video filmed by Cuban band Class A, Isco already knew that the police were closing in on him so set about negotiating terms for turning himself in.

As part of the deal, police took him into custody close to his home and took him straight to court, rather than prison. Having already heard of the news, family members and close friends gathered outside the court to show their support.

Isco will face three charges: drug trafficking, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organisation.

Police sources have denied that any deal had been reached beforehand.
A meeting with your child's teacher can be a positive experience, and a useful way to keep communication flowing. However, some parents find it difficult because they don't speak much Spanish. Schools in Estepona have a large number of foreign pupils and they naturally learn the language, but the same cannot be said for many of their mothers and fathers.

With this in mind, the town hall has set up an initiative to provide interpreters for people who don't speak Spanish, when they have to attend meetings with their children's teachers or tutors. So far 15 volunteers have signed up to provide this service, covering ten languages: English, French, Russian, Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Norwegian, Hungarian, Ukrainian and Arabic.

The mayor of Estepona, Jose Maria Garcia Urbano, who presented this new project this week, explained that it will enable people to have a better grasp of how their children are doing at school, and will help them to find out whether they need extra assistance or support.

The interpreter service will be available in all the junior schools immediately, and in forthcoming weeks it will be extended to secondary schools as well.

The mayor pointed out that there is a "social dimension" to the project as well, "because it means we are solving a problem for foreign residents who need to speak to their children's teachers but find it hard to do so because of the language barrier".

To raise awareness of this new facility the council has produced an information poster in each of the ten languages, and these are being given to the parents of children of those nationalities.

From now on, every time a meeting is scheduled between these parents and their children's teacher, the school will contact the relevant volunteer so they can also attend the meeting as interpreter.

The head teachers of the Sierra Bermeja and Mar de Alboran schools, Irene Martin and Antonio Sanchez, respectively, say they welcome this initiative because although in their experience children from other countries usually integrate easily and quickly learn Spanish, their parents find it more difficult. They believe the scheme will benefit teachers and parents alike, and hope it will grow and expand in the future.

Solidarity

David Milne Gordon, one of the volunteer interpreters, also stresses the importance of this project and says he is convinced not only that it will be successful in Estepona but that it will also be introduced in other towns.

The mayor says that Estepona "has always been an open, multicultural town which shows solidarity towards those who need help", so he is sure this initiative, which has been organised by the Foreign Residents Department and the Education Department at the town hall, will be instrumental in assisting residents of different nationalities to integrate.

At the presentation of the new service, he also took the opportunity to congratulate the interpreters for their "magnificent work", because for several decades volunteers have been providing this service to foreign residents at the local health centres as well.
The Australian-first Aerostructures Innovation Research Hub (AIR Hub) will bring together the best of Victorias aerospace research, design and manufacturing leaders to work with industry on the next generation of air mobility.
HullWiper moves into the Panama Canal

HullWiper is offering hull cleaning in the Panama Canal in partnership with subsea services provider, Talleres Industriales.

This marks the latest agreement signed under HullWipers global leasing programme introduced in 2017, by which the company will work with worldwide partners to offer shipowners and operators a cost-efficient, brush- and diver-free alternative to traditional hull cleaning methods that is claimed to be friendly both to the environment and to the bottom line. Managing Director, Simon Doran, said:With our ROV now available in the Panama Canal, owners and operators of commercial vessels in the transit queue can use their waiting time to remove marine fouling and enjoy the benefits of improved vessel performance, fuel savings and lower GHG emissions, without any extra downtime or harming the marine ecosystem. HullWipers patented ROV system uses adjustable seawater jets under variable pressure to remove fouling, instead of brushes or abrasives, minimising the risk of damage to anti-fouling coatings. No divers are used, thus alleviating the risk to human life and cleaning can be conducted day or night in most weather conditions, and whilst cargo operations are underway. Removed residues are collected by an on board filter and deposited into dedicated drums onshore for locally-approved environmental disposal. The filter also reduces the risk of cross-pollination of waters with alien species. We are excited to introduce HullWiper in the Panama Canal area, said Talleres Industriales managing director, Lino Arosemena.Our company has been serving the area for half a century, and now more than 1,200 vessels we attend to every year will have the opportunity to use this new service. HullWipers green credentials make it a good fit with other environmentally friendly technologies in which Talleres has invested in recent years, including sulfur cap solutions, ballast water system installation and a pollution control division. Launched in Dubai in December, 2013, HullWiper can be found in ports worldwide, including Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Singapore, Spain, Netherlands, Egypt, Australia, UK, United Arab Emirates and  on an ad hoc basis  at key locations across the Middle East, and is also available for lease where the company does not have a base.




Markets - owners v charterers battle as rates rise

After the rush of activity during the past two weeks, with earnings rising to over $40,000 per day for VLCCs, this week saw charterers focusing on older and more challenged tonnage for early November dates.

There is still resistance this week, especially from owners with modern tonnage, Fearnleys reported. The balance of the 1st decade November window might prove more promising for owners in order to gain momentum, as we move into the more traditional active winter months. As for Suezmaxes, last week ended on a quiet note in West Africa after a recent substantial rally in rates. This week has started off quite active, clearing out the remaining cargoes for October dates with rates hovering around the WS100 mark for UK/Cont/Med discharge. Good activity level in all areas still persists and with few natural candidates left for WAfrica, we could see rates firm in the near future. Those looking to charter a ship for an eastbound voyage will have to dig deep as weather and safe itineraries were hard to come by in the Americas. There is growing resistance among owners in the Atlantic to send their ships east and rates increased substantially from already high levels. Turning to Aframaxes, in the North Sea and Baltic, rates continued to firm this week. Quite a few vessels are due to discharge outside the area and as a result, tonnage supply is very tight for the end October and early November fixing window. Compared to last week, owners are currently enjoying double earnings in the Baltic and North Seas with further upward pressure on rates. In the Med and Black Sea, we continued to see a downward rate trend. The list of available tonnage was still too long, and owners were doing their best to keep the market at three digits. However, surrounding markets were looking strong and could attract some of the Med-positions. The Black Sea programme is looking decent for November, and this, combined with expected weather delays at this time of year, could give owners better returns going forward, Fearnleys concluded. In the US, a crude oil export dock at Corpus Christi is to be used to load Suezmaxes, according to local media. A joint venture between Dauphine Midstream and Mercuria Energy Group, called Pin Oak, signed a contract with the port to load tankers at Public Oil Dock 14, which is able to load product at a minimum rate of 40,000 barrels an hour, or 960,000 barrels a day. The 10-year deal can be extended for another decade and would allow Pine Oak to load and unload smaller crude oil tankers, such as Aframaxes and Panamaxes. Corpus Christi is currently deepening and widening the ship channel to accommodate larger vessels and more traffic. The port has also been trying to develop a crude oil export terminal on Harbor Island, two miles from the Gulf of Mexico, that could fully load VLCCs. A VLCC-capable offshore crude oil export terminal being proposed by Trafigura, some 12 miles off the coast but this initiative is being opposed by the Port of Corpus Christi, the media reports said. According to a Reuters report, the Chinese port of Dalian is set to become a hub for Iranian oil exports when sanctions on Tehran's nuclear programme take effect next month. Nearly a dozen VLCCs owned by NITC has recently carried oil to Dalian, compared with the usual rate of just one or two per month. According to traders, the sanctions are likely to be even more effective than initially expected. I think the consensus has moved to its going to be well beyond 1 mill barrels per day thats cut, and maybe 1.5 mill," said Trafigura's co-head of oil trading, Ben Luckock, speaking to the media last month. Iran's exports peaked in April at 2.4 mill and fell to just 1.7 mill barrels per day in September. South Korea and Japan are winding down their purchases, and China's state oil companies have reduced their volumes. However, Iran is likely to still have a few buyers after sanctions take effect. India has committed to continuing its purchases, and it may be buying even more than has been officially reported, if satellite tracking analyses are accurate, Reuters said. During the last round of sanctions, Dalian's bonded tank farms served as an overseas storage point for blacklisted Iranian crude and as a result, NITC used Dalian's storage to make shipments to India several times in 2014. Brokers reported that Koch had fixed the 2018-built VLCC New Champion for two years at $29,750 per day, while undisclosed interests took the 2000-built VLCC Chryssi for 12 months at $18,750 per day. Trafigura was said to have fixed the Aframax sisters Samra Alkhaleej and Alhani for 12 months at $20,500 per day each and ST Shipping was believed to have taken the 2016-built LR2 Kleon for 15 months at $15,750 per day. Stena Bulk was believed to have taken the 2016-built MR Nord Variant for 12 months at $13,250 per day, plus options. In the S&P market, Pakistan National Shipping Co was thought to have purchased the 2011-built Red Eagle for a rate said to be in excess of $20 mill. In the newbuilding sector, IRISL was reported to have ordered three Aframaxes at Sadra Shipbuilding and Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers has agreed a letter of intent with Cosco Shipping Heavy Industries to build two 154,000 dwt shuttle tankers with options for another two ships. The newbuilding contracts were signed on Thursday in Shanghai by KNOT CEO Trygve Salem in the presence of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, who were on a state visit to China.




Shipmanagers to work together

This week, a group of shipmanagers discussed plans to work together to identify solutions to the challenges facing todays shipmanagement sector.

They agreed to talk about the plans at InterManagers AGM held in London on Tuesday at the London offices of Willis Towers Watson. At the AGM, president, Bjorn Jebsen, said: Going forward, InterManager members will pool resources and share experience to seek solutions and identify best practices to meet the challenges our sector faces and identify innovative and successful solutions. The strength of our association is in gathering like-minded people and I encourage our members to co-operate closely and exchange ideas to ensure we support each other as we embark on this voyage towards tomorrows shipping industry, he said. Highlighting challenges, such as the 2020 sulfur cap, he said shipmanagers are concerned about the potential impact this stringent new regulation may have on vessel operation and crew safety. We appreciate that 2020 will pose a serious challenge on many levels, not just in terms of the environment and economic measures but also in relation to human health, he said. We must ensure we approach matters carefully, doing our homework and considering all angles. Jebsen told members that 2018 has been a very successful one for the organisation, particularly in terms of its position at the heart of international shipping. In particular, he said that InterManager was proud to be a non-governmental organisation (NGO) at the IMO attending meetings on behalf of its membership and the wider shipmanagement sector. This summer InterManager has been pleased to see IMO adopt some of the findings from the important crew fatigue research - project Martha - with which the association has been actively involved for several years. Over the past year InterManager has also participated very actively in many maritime industry committees, including the Human Element International Group; the International Lifeboat Group (InterManager is the only organisation which keeps comprehensive records of lifeboat accidents, stretching back 13 years); the Equasis Editorial Board, and anti-piracy initiatives including the production of the recently-published BMP 5. We ship and crew managers have a very important role to play and I will make sure that we continue on this path, Jebsen stressed. At the conclusion of the AGM, the Executive Committee re-elected Jebsen to serve as president for a further two years.




STI and Stena Bulk opt for scrubber technology

Following an agreement to retrofit 15 of its LR2s with scrubbers, Scorpio Tankers (STI) has recently signed letters of intent, with suppliers, engineering firms, and shiprepair facilities to cover the purchase and installation of the equipment for most of its fleet.

The equipment will be fitted on nearly all of STIs remaining owned and financed leased LR2, LR1, and MRs - around 75 vessels- between the second quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2020. At least 55 will be fitted with Ecochlor systems. The scrubbers and their installation are expected to cost between $1.5-$2.2 mill per vessel, and STI said that between 60-70% of these costs will be financed. Emanuele Lauro, Chairman & CEO, commented We have long maintained that the IMO 2020 regulations are both disruptive to the shipping industry generally, as well as a powerful demand catalyst for product tankers. Although many well-capitalized and publicly-listed shipowners can source capital and publicise their intentions to pursue scrubbers, most of our industry cannot, and will rely on cleaner fuels to the benefit of tonne/mile demand for product tankers. Irrespective, our focus remains on operating the most competitive fleet in our marketplace, and this has led us to carefully evaluate and ultimately opt for the benefits of fitting hybrid-ready scrubbers on approximately 90 ships in our fleet, he explained. As for Stena Bulk, the company has signed a turnkey scrubber solution agreement with Chinese Bluesoul to equip its Suezmax and IMOIIMAX fleets. In total, Stena Bulk will fit 15 vessels with scrubbers and have an additional six options for installation prior to 2020. Shanghai Bluesoul Environment Technology, with is based in Shanghai, has had an agreement in place with the Stena group for more than a year. Bluesoul is the first Chinese enterprise to be awarded Lloyds Register Exhaust Gas Cleaning System Machinery General Design Appraisal, as well as DNV GL and ABS AiPs. By installing scrubbers, we will be well equipped to meet the 2020 regulation and are protected from price volatility as well as fuel shortage. In relation to market developments, todays market predictions are attractive in theory and currently seems to be so in practice too, despite there being a couple of parameters that remain uncertain. However, there are opportunities already available today to lock in some of the uncertainty, which might be appealing when looking for a more secure investment. We are very happy to be able to confirm this order with Bluesoul, which has performed very well in terms of quality compared with more reputable manufacturers, said Erik Hanell, Stena Bulk President & CEO. The scrubber types to be installed are open loop hybrid ready with water cleaning, which not only removes the sulfur but also particles from the exhaust. In a webinar, DNV GL claimed that over 1,000 scrubber orders had been placed in the last six months, brining to total up to around 1,850 vessels, either fitted or with equipment on order. The majority of the orders placed were for retrofit installations, followed by newbuildings on order in China and South Korea. DNV GL now estimated that 2,500 of ships would be fitted with scrubber systems by 2020, less than the IMOs earlier estimation of 4,000 ships. There are more than 20 different scrubber suppliers with confirmed projects. The three largest suppliers - Wartsila, Alfa Laval and Yara Marine - hold over 50% of the market share. When it comes to types of systems proven to be the most popular, the open loop scrubber system is deemed the most practical and economic solution.




Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has advised BNP Paribas Hong Kong Branch as facility agent on a $116.5 mill loan facility to AVIC International Leasing.

The loan is being used to finance five product tankers under a sale and leaseback transaction between AVIC Leasing and NYSE-listed Scorpio Tankers (STI).

BNP Paribas, Hong Kong Branch and Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale, Singapore Branch acted as joint mandated lead arrangers and lenders.

WFWs Hong Kong international finance team involved as advisors for the transaction was led by Partner and office head, Madeline Leong, supported by Senior Associate, Ryan Tan, Legal Manager, Ariel Chen, and Legal Assistant, Kathleen Wan.

Leong commented: This transaction demonstrates our active involvement in respect of facilitating collaboration between Western banks and Asian leasing houses to tailor a multi-tiered financing structure to fit the needs of vessel operators. The WFW team provided strong co-ordination between multiple parties to ensure the vessels were delivered smoothly and on schedule against a very tight timeline.
Water woes as drought leaves Germany's Rhine shallow



Berlin, Oct 19 (AFP) Oct 19, 2018



Months of drought have left water levels on Germany's Rhine river at a record low, exposing a World War II bomb and forcing ship operators to halt services to prevent vessels from running aground.

The water level on the Rhine on Friday reached just 77 centimetres (30 inches), 4 cm below a previous record low of 81 cm recorded in 2003, Cologne's waterworks authorities said.

Although rainfall is expected next week, forecasters said it would not suffice to bring up water levels in Germany's most important waterway and a key shipping route for the Netherlands and France.

Freight ships have had to reduce the volume of cargo carried in the shallow waters.

Passenger liners plying Cologne and Mainz have been halted since Monday because of the low water level, operator KD said.

Meanwhile the dried out riverbed has exposed all kinds of objects, including a 50-kilo (110-pound) World War II bomb that would have to be defused in the coming days.

Ahead of the operation, water traffic around the site in Cologne has been halted.

Germany, like much of Europe, has enjoyed a prolonged period of warm and sunny weather.

But farmers have long complained that the persistent drought was wreaking havoc on crops, with annual production expected to be down by a fifth.

Fourteen of Germany's 16 states have applied to benefit from a federal aid programme for farmers.
150-million-year old, piranha-like specimen is earliest known flesh-eating fish



by Staff Writers



Washington DC (SPX) Oct 19, 2018



Researchers reporting in Current Biology on October 18 have described a remarkable new species of fish that lived in the sea about 150 million years ago in the time of the dinosaurs. The new species of bony fish had teeth like a piranha, which the researchers suggest they used as piranhas do: to bite off chunks of flesh from other fish.

As further support for that notion, the researchers also found the victims: other fish that had apparently been nibbled on in the same limestone deposits in South Germany (the quarry of Ettling in the Solnhofen region) where this piranha-like fish was found.

"We have other fish from the same locality with chunks missing from their fins," says David Bellwood of James Cook University, Australia. "This is an amazing parallel with modern piranhas, which feed predominantly not on flesh but the fins of other fishes. It's a remarkably smart move as fins regrow, a neat renewable resource. Feed on a fish and it is dead; nibble its fins and you have food for the future."

The newly described fish is part of the world famous collections in the Jura-Museum in Eichstatt. It comes from the same limestone deposits that contained Archaeopteryx.

Careful study of the fossilized specimen's well-preserved jaws revealed long, pointed teeth on the exterior of the vomer, a bone forming the roof of the mouth, and at the front of both upper and lower jaws. Additionally, there are triangular teeth with serrated cutting edges on the prearticular bones that lie along the side of the lower jaw.

The tooth pattern and shape, jaw morphology, and mechanics suggest a mouth equipped to slice flesh or fins, the international team of researchers report. The evidence points to the possibility that the early piranha-like fish may have exploited aggressive mimicry in a striking parallel to the feeding patterns of modern piranha.

"We were stunned that this fish had piranha-like teeth," says Martina Kolbl-Ebert of Jura-Museum Eichstatt (JME-SNSB).

"It comes from a group of fishes (the pycnodontids) that are famous for their crushing teeth. It is like finding a sheep with a snarl like a wolf. But what was even more remarkable is that it was from the Jurassic.

"Fish as we know them, bony fishes, just did not bite flesh of other fishes at that time. Sharks have been able to bite out chunks of flesh but throughout history bony fishes have either fed on invertebrates or largely swallowed their prey whole. Biting chunks of flesh or fins was something that came much later."

Or, so it had seemed.

"The new finding represents the earliest record of a bony fish that bit bits off other fishes, and what's more it was doing it in the sea," Bellwood says, noting that today's piranhas all live in freshwater. "So when dinosaurs were walking the earth and small dinosaurs were trying to fly with the pterosaurs, fish were swimming around their feet tearing the fins or flesh off each other."

The researchers call the new find a "staggering example of evolutionary versatility and opportunism." With one of the world's best known and studied fossil deposits continuing to throw up such surprises, they intend to keep up the search for even more fascinating finds.

Research Report: "A Piranha-like Pycnodontiform Fish from the Late Jurassic"





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Basel, Switzerland (SPX) Oct 15, 2018


Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump told reporters Thursday that he is concerned Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi might be dead.



"It certainly looks that way to me," Trump said as he departed from Joint Base Andrews. "It's very sad. Certainly looks that way."



While U.S. officials are awaiting the results of three investigations, the president said he feels confident "we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon." He added that he would consider "severe" consequences if oil-rich ally Saudi Arabia was involved.



Vice President Mike Pence went a step further during a stop in Denver earlier in the day and vowed: "the world deserves answers."



"If what has been alleged has occurred. If an innocent person lost their life at the hands of violence, that's to be condemned," Pence said. "If a journalist, in particular, lost their life at the hands of violence, that's an affront to a free and independent press around the world. And there will be consequences. But we'll wait for the facts, we'll wait for all the information to come in."



The comments from the president and vice president were some of the strongest from the pair to date in the wake of mounting questions over the journalist's fate. It also adds to the drumbeat of American politicians and business leaders demanding answers and, in the meantime, withdrawing support from Saudi-sponsored functions.



Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin took to Twitter Thursday to announce his withdrawal from a Saudi-hosted, major investment forum called the Future Investment Initiative, sometimes referred to as "Davos in the Desert". He said he made the decision after speaking with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.



Several business leaders and media companies have also pulled out of the event over concerns about the Khashoggi episode, including Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish, Virgin and its CEO Richard Branson, venture capitalist and AOL co-founder Steve Case, LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, Bloomberg Media, and CNN, among others.



Earlier in the day, Pompeo said he told President Trump that the Saudis should have a few more days to complete their investigation into Khashoggis disappearance.



We made clear to them that we take this matter with respect to Mr. Khashoggi very seriously, Pompeo said following his nearly hour-long briefing with the president. They made clear to me they too understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi. They also assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr. Khashoggi and they will do so in a timely fashion and that this report itself will be transparent for everyone to see, to ask questions about, and to inquire with respect to its thoroughness.



Trump echoed Pompeo's comments shortly after, tweeting that the secretary of state met with him Thursday morning and discussed in "great detail" the investigation and meeting with the crown prince.



Pompeo again stressed several times in his statement the long strategic relationship the U.S. shares with Saudi Arabia and their status as an important counter-terrorism supporter.



He said between the Turkish and Saudi investigations they expect a complete picture will emerge for what actually transpired here.



Pressed why the Saudis should be entrusted with an investigation into themselves, Pompeo said: Were all going to get to see the work product.



We're all going to get to see the response the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes with this, Pompeo said. All of us will get a chance to make the determination... whether it's fair and transparent in the way they made a personal commitment to me and the Crown Prince made a personal commitment to the president when he spoke to him the night before last.



Pompeo's comments also come amid ongoing speculation that Turkey may have audio tapes that reveal what happened to Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and royal insider who has been missing for over two weeks after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.



Pompeo met with Turkish President Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Wednesday but refused to express any doubt or skepticism about the legitimacy of a Saudi investigation into Khashoggis disappearance.



Following that meeting, Trump stressed that his earlier comments about Saudi Arabia's denials of any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance were not an attempt to give the oil-rich ally cover.



No not at all, I just want to find out what's happening, Trump told reporters.



Khashoggi, who had been living in the U.S., visited the consulate to file paperwork for his wedding and has not been seen since. Turkish officials allege Khashoggi, who has written critically about the Saudi government, was killed, which the Saudis have fiercely denied.



Turkish officials say that a hit squad of 15 Saudis flew to Istanbul for just hours surrounding Khashoggis disappearance, and they reportedly claim to have audio recordings of Khashoggi being interrogated and murdered.



Trump told reporters Wednesday the U.S. has asked for the recordings if it exists.



We don't know if it exists yet. We'll have a full report when Mike [Pompeo] comes back, that's going to be one of the first questions I ask him, he said in the Oval Office.



In his first sit-down interview with U.S. media, a close friend of Khashoggi's described to ABC News what he'd been told in briefings by Turkish security officials.



"I talked with some Turkish government and security officials and they said Jamal was killed. I didn't know what to do. I really couldn't answer. Then I called a few colleagues, again security officials, trying to have them verify it, saying 'Is this really true?'" Turan Kislakci said Wednesday. "They said, 'Yes, Turan, and let's tell you even beyond that, he was killed in a very barbaric way.' I was shocked. They not only kill him in the consulate, but also in a barbaric way."



Khashoggi warned of increasing efforts to silence the media in the Middle East in a column he wrote just before he vanished earlier this month. The "final column" was published online Wednesday.



Karen Attiah, global opinions editor for The Washington Post, wrote that Khashoggis translator sent the article a day after the journalist disappeared while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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Linkedin Umar Juoro (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018

The main message from the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group in Bali last week was that multilateralism should be kept to work and the trade war between the United States and China be stopped. Keep the global economy open despite some hurdles by populist movements. There is also a call for the US Federal Reserve to be more considerate regarding the impact of its money tightening policy on emerging markets.



Unfortunately, the US-China trade war will most likely continue and the Fed will raise its interest rate once more in December and three times next year. This means that emerging economies like Indonesia would still be facing a high risk of capital outflow, thereby pressing down the rupiah, and it would be rather difficult to significantly increase exports.



Bank Indonesia (BI) and the Finance Ministry have coordinated well in coping with the financial market volatility and in arresting the rupiahs depreciation.



BI has increased its policy rate five times to 5.75 percent and will likely increase the rate again several times later this year and in 2019. BI also has been intervening actively in the foreign exchange market, developed swap and local non delivery forward markets and expanded bilateral currency swap with main trading partners.



The Finance Ministry has raised income tax on the import of many consumer goods, taken measures to bolster exports and tourism and controlled the budget deficit way below the 3 percent legal limit. However, the policymakers themselves have acknowledged that the external pressures would continue at least up to next year. Indonesia has to adjust more to the impact of the Fed interest rate increase and the repercussions of the US-China trade war.



BI puts the fair range for the rupiah rate at the level of 14,800 to 15,200 per US dollar and the government and the House of Representatives have agreed an average rate of 15,000 for the entire 2019 fiscal year. Even though international trade still booked a surplus of US$230 million in September, the surplus was generated more by a significant decrease in imports, rather than by higher exports. Moreover, oil and gas trade continue to be the main driver of the current account deficit and capital goods imports have been rather stagnant.



The rupiah has thus far depreciated by almost 11 percent as a result of capital outflows from the financial market (equities and bonds). These outflows actually could be offset if foreign direct investment increased significantly. But we cannot expect any rise in direct investment because of the weakening investor appetite in the run up to the April 2019 presidential and legislative elections. During the current election campaigns, the political noise has increased and the wave of nationalistic sentiment has reared its ugly head again.



Yet, more worrisome is the continued weakness in investment in the oil and gas industry and production decline in the major oil and gas fields such as the Mahakam bloc in East Kalimantan, which was taken over by state-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina early this year. Pertamina itself does not have the financial resources to invest in exploration and production development, especially as it is now under increasing financial pressure as a result of the larger fuel subsidies it has to bear at least until it receives reimbursement from the government.



Indonesia is more desperate for foreign direct investment now to cope with its rising current account deficit, which has risen to three percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Investment is badly needed in export-oriented industries.



The problem though, is that Indonesia has been seen as an increasingly protectionist country, both in the sectors of international trade and foreign investment. No wonder export and import now account for only 38 percent of GDP, compared to over 100 percent in other ASEAN major economies.



The problem is that while additional structural reforms are needed to maintain the market confidence in the economy and to cope with the external pressures, the government is now in a difficult position to take painful reforms due to the limited political space for unpopular measures such as cutting fuel subsidies. The recent flip-flop policy as regards the fuel subsidy shows how awkward the government position has been on the wasteful fuel subsidy.



The blunt fact is whatever economic platforms both presidential candidates (Joko Jokowi Widodo and Prabowo Subianto) promote during the election campaigns until next April, and whoever will win the upcoming presidential election, the main challenges will include the pressing requirement to slash fuel subsidies to maintain prudent fiscal management and more concerted measures to woo foreign direct investment.

***

The writer is a senior fellow at the Center for Information and Development Studies and the Habibie Center.

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Linkedin Donald K. Emmerson (The Jakarta Post) Stanford  Fri, October 19, 2018 13:10 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087785d7ec 3 Opinion foreign-policy,cifp,Indonesia-foreign-policy Free

You will not find Kota Kasablanka in Morocco. But you will find this years Conference on Indonesian Foreign Policy (CIFP) in Kota Kasablanka, Jakarta, on Oct. 20  he 2018 edition of Ambassador Dino Djalals amazing annual gathering on Indonesian foreign policy. It is a unique event. Thousands of young Indonesians are expected to attend. Attendance will be free and participants will be active, as if to echo Indonesias free and active foreign policy. Speakers and listeners will freely and actively convey and consider diverse views and ideas.



In most countries, people are affected more by domestic than foreign conditions and issues. Linkages to foreign affairs may not be obvious. Too often, discussions of international relations are the preserve of analysts unfamiliar with the consequences of foreign policy for everyday life. A demagog may then try to fill the gap between elite knowledge and mass experience. I wish that CIFP-comparable occasions  a set of conferences on American Foreign Policy?  were available to attract the younger generation in my own politically polarized country, especially in rural areas.



The theme of this years CIFP is A dangerous drift? Ideas to fix a broken world. One can hardly imagine a more important and timely topic. Consider the questions that it raises: Is the world really broken? If it is, how and why? Is it drifting? How and why, and toward what? How worried should we as human beings be? Most crucial of all is the call for remedial ideas to fix  patch? repair? revamp?  the ostensibly broken world that we earthlings are fated to share.



In a pamphlet in 1902, Lenin asked What is to be done?. His answer turned out to be catastrophic. Can we do better? What answers will be said and heard in Kasablanka?



The failure to establish an enduring peace in the wake of World War I led to World War II. Is a comparable failure to fix the world after Cold War I now incubating Cold War II? Is Indonesia again rowing between two reefs, as founding father Mohammad Hatta wrote in 1948 as the first Cold War got underway? Those two reefs were the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR). Now they are the US and China. (Russia is not a third reef; its economic weakness keeps it from being a full-spectrum power).



A nation that rows between two reefs is active by definition. Rowing is hard work. Especially if the boat must maintain a position of equidistance  exactly between the reefs  despite unavoidable changes in weather, waves and wind. And because the reefs dont move, rowing between them is necessarily unfinished advice. What if the boat is rowed between and beyond the reefs  out into fast-moving wide-open foreign-policy water without fixed landmarks to be guided by? Then what is to be done?



Hatta rejected passive neutrality for Indonesia. In 1948, his main concern was creatively and flexibly to maintain the fragile independence of his newborn country, not to drop its anchor into water equidistant from Washington and Moscow and stay there. Inside the new republic, he worried more about the communist left than the anticommunist right. He qualified the case for rowing between Cold War reefs by stating that Indonesia did not and should not permanently side with either the US or the USSR, nor be permanently indifferent or neutral whenever a controversial incident arose between them. Indonesia could thus support one big power or the other with only the loosest caveat imaginable: that it not back the same single side forever.



Now and in years to come, Indonesia will do well to avoid shackling itself to a reactive-passive neutrality between the US and China. Indonesia should feel free to be free and proactive, adopting the foreign policy that best serves its interests, including its interest in helping to heal an all too plausibly broken  or breaking  and rapidly warming world.



Am I suggesting that Indonesia align itself either with the US or with China? I am not. The US is undergoing a political crisis triggered by one of the least truthful and most self-regarding presidents in American history. His resentful populist nationalism is regressive and destabilizing.



Fortunately, Indonesia and America still have democracy in common. In the US, a recent estimate summarizing multiple polls gave the opposition Democrats a 78 percent chance of replacing the ruling Republicans majority in the House of Representatives in mid-term elections on Nov. 6. As for authoritarian China, its increasingly repressive president has thrown off term limits and practices debt-trap diplomacy while incrementally annexing the South China Sea.



On a spectrum from neutrality to alliance, many foreign policies are possible. Indonesia is not and should not be content to paddle in place between two reefs. Attendees in Kota Kasablanka will have a chance to ponder their countrys role, to picture it sailing proactively in open waters (whether China claims them or not) on its own productive course  and to brainstorm and share ideas as to what that course should be.

***

The writer heads the Southeast Asia Program at Stanford University in the United States.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Ivan Couronne (Agence France-Presse) Washington  Fri, October 19, 2018 09:06 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308778534bf 2 Science & Tech Science,award,research,researchers,Breakthrough-Prize Free

Nine scientists were recognized Wednesday with a "Breakthrough Prize," a $3 million Silicon Valley-funded award meant to confer Oscars-style glamour and prestige on the basic sciences.

The prizes in physics, life sciences and mathematics went to six men and three women, including four researchers who shared two prizes and five who get the full reward to themselves.

Vincent Lafforgue, of France's National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS), was awarded the prize in mathematics for groundbreaking work in multiple areas.

Five US-based researchers who won prizes in the life sciences included Frank Bennett and Adrian Krainer, from companies in Carlsbad, California and Long Island, New York.

They were recognized for their discovery of a DNA-linked process that led to a treatment for a rare infantile disorder, spinal amyotrophy.

They were joined by Chinese-born scientists Xiaowei Zhuang (Harvard), who developed a new tool for super-resolution molecular imagery, and Zhijian "James" Chen (University of Texas), for his discovery of a DNA-sensing enzyme that could be associated with auto-immune disorders.

The US-based contingent was completed by Angelika Amon, an Austrian researcher at MIT, for determining the consequences of aneuploidy, when a cell does not have the normal number of chromosomes.

The physics prizes went to Charles Kane and Eugene Mele (University of Pennsylvania) and Jocelyn Bell Burnell (Oxford), an astrophysiciest who was the recipient of a special prize in fundamental physics.

Six $100,000 awards also were given to 12 researchers for promising early career work.

The "Breakthrough Prize" is only six years old but it is far more lavish than the coveted Nobel, which comes with prize money of around $1 million and is often shared by two or three laureates.

The prizes will be presented at a star-studded red carpet ceremony in November, hosted at a NASA research center in Silicon Valley by actor Pierce Brosnan.

Read also: Jakarta student shares stories from Summer Science Program in US

Thrill of discovery

The mathematics prize propels 44-year-old Lafforgue into a celebrity world which has not typically been part of his day-to-day work, he acknowledged.

"I'm game," he told AFP before the official announcement. "It's American culture."

He recalled that Yuri Milner, a physician and internet pioneer who became a prominent Silicon Valley investor, created the prize in 2012 to make scientists stars, hoping to repopularize the basic sciences and generate public support.

"Breakthrough Prize" patrons include Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Ma Huateng, founder and CEO of Chinese internet giant Tencent.

Unlike the Nobel, which often goes to retirees, the "Breakthrough Prize" seeks to recognize recent discoveries, and not necessarily concrete applications of their work.

"One does math for its beauty, not for its applications," said Lafforgue, while stressing that there are applications of his work in the field of cryptography.

He has pursued interests in various subjects over the course of his career, thanks to the freedom he enjoys at CNRS.

"The mathematical objects that we study possess a beauty and a harmony that unfortunately is difficult to explain to a non-mathemtician," he said.

Ammon's work could one day lead to new cancer drugs, because tumors almost always have an abnormal number of cancers.

"I'll be very honest with you, for me the primary drive of my research is not to develop new treatments. If that happens, obviously I'm thrilled," the MIT professor of biology told AFP.

"But as basic researchers, we really are mostly interested in learning things and expanding people's horizons."

What drives Ammon, 51, is "the thrill of discovering something, there's nothing like it."

"Once you experience it you're hooked."
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Linkedin Michelle Jamrisko (Bloomberg)  Fri, October 19, 2018 11:05 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877855804 2 Health Dr-Love-Bangkok,fertility-tour Free

From a luxury spa in central Bangkok, Wei Siang Yu hopes to lure Thailands latest tourist target: couples needing a bit of extra magic to make babies.

Billed as second-honeymoon breaks, Wei provides wellness treatments in tranquil surroundings designed to boost the chances of naturally conceiving and bearing a healthy child. The Singaporean national has ambitions of hosting thousands of couples next year paying 30,000 yuan ($4,325) each for a three-day program, and reckons around half of them will travel from China.

We see a huge market in this new topic of lifestyle modification, which requires a balance of body, mind and soul, said Wei, a trained doctor who fronted TV programs in Singapore last decade such as Dr. Loves Super Baby Making Show.

Thailands fertility industry is chasing a new client: Chinese couples finally free to have more than one child. The nation is already Asias top destination for medical tourism thanks to quality treatments at reasonable prices combined with access to sun-soaked beach resorts. Chinese travelers are an obvious target for new business as they make up the bulk of overall visitors to Thailand, where tourism underpins a fifth of the economy.

Having already ditched its one-child policy, China is planning to scrap all limits on the number of children a family can have in order to slow the pace of its aging population. Wei is targeting the nations women, who he says have endured out-of-reach quality healthcare and an education system that insufficiently tackles reproductive health.

Most healthcare operators are rushing to tap this vast market, said Tanatip Suppradit, acting chief executive officer of Thonburi Healthcare Group Pcl, which is this month opening a $93 million fertility center in Bangkok. The reasonable costs, good service and beautiful nature will definitely make Thailand the top destination for Chinese couples seeking these services.

Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Pcls shares have climbed about 20 percent this year thanks partly to medical tourism, helping it become the most valuable hospital operator in the developing world. Foreign patients accounted for almost a third of sales and jumped 10 percent in the first half of 2018 from a year earlier. Growth from China was 30 percent.

Read also: Chinese parents-to-be seek more fertile ground abroad

Social media

Wei, who is also the founder of the Borderless Healthcare Group, offers his pre-pregnancy package in contracted day spa facilities and is planning a formal launch by year-end. Initial social media promotion fronted by Wei has already helped attract couples seeking the second-honeymoon experience, he said. The facilities may eventually expand to include overnight accommodation -- guests currently stay offsite.

The couples are highly stressed because they have limited time to have a child before aging complications set in, said Wei. The gene pool needs to be maintained, he said, adding that many couples just lack the knowledge when it comes to doing the groundwork for a healthy birth.

Wei and his rivals face a tough challenge. History shows that increased wealth and education gained as economies develop make it near impossible to stop birth rates from falling -- regardless of government policies. Singapores 1980s campaign to incentivize families to have three or more children spurred a brief uptick in births before they declined further.

Chinas decision three years ago to allow two-child families hasnt managed to boost baby numbers. Births fell 3.5 percent to 17.2 million nationwide last year, according to the Bureau of National Statistics. And divorces are showing more momentum than marriages.

Chinas campaign to encourage couples to have more babies probably gives them more stress, because their peers and the whole society is expecting some outcome, said Wei. So all this hasnt been easy.
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Linkedin Julie Charpentrat (Agence France-Presse) Menlo Park, United States  Fri, October 19, 2018 16:04 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877864e19 2 Science & Tech Facebook,Internet,social-media,united-states,media Free

In Facebook's "War Room", a nondescript space adorned with American and Brazilian flags, a team of 20 people monitors computer screens for signs of suspicious activity.

The freshly launched unit at Facebook's Menlo Park headquarters in California is the nerve center for the fight against misinformation and manipulation of the largest social network by foreign actors trying to influence elections in the United States and elsewhere.

Inside, the walls have clocks showing the time in various regions of the US and Brazil, maps and TV screens showing CNN, Fox News and Twitter, and other monitors showing graphs of Facebook activity in real time.

Facebook, which has been blamed for doing too little to prevent misinformation efforts by Russia and others in the 2016 US election, now wants the world to know it is taking aggressive steps with initiatives like the war room.

"Our job is to detect ... anyone trying to manipulate the public debate," said Nathaniel Gleicher, a former White House cybersecurity policy director for the National Security Council who is now heading Facebook's cybersecurity policy.

"We work to find and remove these actors."

Facebook has been racing to get measures in place and began operating this nerve center -- with a hastily taped "WAR ROOM" sign on the glass door -- for the first round of the presidential vote in Brazil on October 7.

It didn't take long to find false information and rumors being spread which could have had an impact on voters in Brazil.

"On election day, we saw a spike in voter suppression (messages) saying the election was delayed due to protests. That was not a true story," said Samidh Chakrabarti, Facebook's head of civic engagement.

Chakrabarti said Facebook was able to remove these posts in a couple of hours before they went viral.

"It could have taken days."

Read also: Facebook tentatively concludes spammers were behind recent data breach: WSJ

- Humans and machines -

At the unveiling of the war room for a small group of journalists including AFP this week, a man in a gray pork pie hat kept his eyes glued to his screen where a Brazilian flag was attached.

He said nothing but his mission was obvious -- watching for any hints of interference with the second round of voting in Brazil on October 28.

The war room, which will ramp up activity for the November 6 midterm US elections, is the most concrete sign of Facebook's efforts to weed out misinformation.

With experts in computer science, cybersecurity and legal specialists, the center is operating during peak times for the US and Brazil at present, with plans to eventually work 24/7.

The war room adds a human dimension to the artificial intelligence tools Facebook has already deployed to detect inauthentic or manipulative activity.

"Humans can adapt quickly to new threats," Gleicher said of the latest effort.

Chakrabarti said the new center is an important part of coordinating activity -- even for a company that has been built on remote communications among people in various parts of the world.

"There's no substitute to face to face interactions," he said.

The war room was activated just weeks ahead of the US vote, amid persistent fears of manipulation by Russia and other state entities, or efforts to polarize or inflame tensions.

The war room is part of stepped up security announced by Facebook that will be adding some 20,000 employees.

"With elections we need people to detect and remove (false information) as quickly as possible," Chakrabarti said.

The human and computerized efforts to weed out bad information complement each other, according to Chakrabarti.

"If an anomaly is detected in an automated way, then a data scientist will investigate, will see if there is really a problem," he said.

The efforts are also coordinated with Facebook's fact-checking partners around the world including media organizations such as AFP and university experts.

Gleicher said the team will remain on high alert for any effort that could lead to false information going viral and potentially impacting the result of an election.

"We need to stay ahead of bad actors," he said. "We keep shrinking the doorway. They keep trying to get in."
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 10:11 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877854d84 1 Lifestyle Fendi,luxury-brand,Italy,Plaza-Indonesia-shopping-mall,jakarta,fashion,lifestyle Free

Italian luxury brand Fendi officially reopened its newly renovated boutique in Plaza Indonesia, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday.

Inspired by its Roman roots, the store features clean, sharp lines of pale grey and light brown.

Leather goods, shoes, accessories and ready-to-wear collections are arranged in such a way that they evoke feelings of sleekness and modernity.

Citra Yahya, public relations manager of Time International, said the current goods in the boutique came from the 2018 Fall/Winter collection. They include the trademark Peekabo bags and the best-selling Colibri sandals that combine plaid-print mesh, leather and fabric materials.

Read also: Kim Kardashian stars in new Fendi Peekaboo campaign with Kris Jenner, North West

Fendi boutique in Plaza Indonesia now offers two entrances, one for the women's section and one for the men's. It is to make the customers feel more comfortable the minute they walk in, said Citra.

The boutique now offers a separate entrance to the men's section. (Courtesy of/Time International)

Founded in 1925 in Rome, Italy, Fendi is helmed by renowned designer Karl Lagerfeld, who first collaborated with the brand in 1965. Fendi is known for its fur and iconic handbags, such as the Baguette, 2jours and Peekaboo.

In April, Fendi collaborated with online luxury fashion retailer Net-A-Porter to launch the FF Capsule Collection, bearing the iconic FF logo. The brand has made efforts to reintroduce itself with a lighter style. It is also closely associated with popular models such as Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner. (wng)
The trickling sounds of Elo Rivers stream meeting Progo River create music of its own, joined by noises of nearby insects and rustling leaves. It has become the daily music at Eloprogo Art House in Magelang, Central Java, an art space and homestay facility located right beside the river.

From Oct. 2 to 13, new sounds of distortion, bass and ambient noise came to the area. Nusasonic 2018, held at Eloprogo Art House, was a multinational project that explored the experimental music of Southeast Asia and included concerts, discussions and workshops. The festival was organized by German cultural center Goethe-Institute along with Yogyakartas cultural and music curator Yes No Klub, the Philippines WSK Festival of the Recently Possible, Singapores Playfreely/BlackKaji and Germanys CTM Festival for Adventurous Music & Art.

In the festival, over 40 artists from Europe, Southeast Asia, Egypt and Iran created a collective laboratory called hacklab that allowed collaborations and explorations of noises and contemporary music. It culminated in a series of performances of the collaborative work at the venue.

Three stages stood among the lush trees by the river and an art gallery was prepped for the event. Performances were elevated with exquisite sounds and lighting. Contemporary music that combined synthesizers, samplers, sound effects, computers and analog instruments created a magical and emotional sound atmosphere.

Read also: Musicians unite in Nusasonic festival

Sony Santosa, an artist and owner of Eloprogo Art House said, This is an extraordinary event, a place where artists of different disciplines could meet up and absorb inspiration as well as the natural music of Elo and Progo Rivers. In turn, they blend all those things with electronic instruments, creating unique compositions.

Rully Shabara and Wukir Suryadi of Yogyakartas experimental duo Senyawa were among the artists who performed that evening. They contributed to the endlessly interesting sounds from ethnic tones to disco tunes that resonated until morning.

After its inaugural event in Eloprogo Art House, Nusasonic will take a different format and visit Manila, Singapore and the other cities in Southeast Asia in the upcoming years. (wng)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) -  Fri, October 19, 2018 18:33 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087786971b 1 Health October,breast-cancer-awareness,pink-ribbon Free

Over two million new cases of breast cancer were found in 2018, according to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). Commonly occurring in women, this type of cancer is said to be the second most common type of cancer.

The WCRF has released the name of 25 countries with the highest rates of breast cancer in women in 2018, showing Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in the top three. Belgium has an age-standardized rate of 113.2 cases per 100,000 women, followed by the latter two that have 109.3 and 105.09 per 100,000 women respectively.

Although Indonesia is not on the list of 25 countries, breast cancer, along with cervical cancer, is the most commonly found cancer in Indonesian women, writes the Indonesian Breast Cancer Foundation (YKPI) on its website.

A cancer profile of Indonesia, released by the WHO in 2014, shows that breast cancer contributes 21.4 percent of 92,200 in cancer mortality.

Linda Agum Gumelar, chief of the YKPI, was quoted by the foundation to have said more Indonesian women have become aware of the cancer because of the improvement of information technology. However, many still hesitate to see a doctor for a breast examination, or to undergo early detection, whereas early detection provides a higher chance for recovery.

While several breast cancer foundations carry the mission to further socialize the importance of early detection and provide companionship for cancer patients and survivors, we can help support awareness campaigns in many ways. Below is a list of campaigns supported by brands and establishments where we can take part.

Read also: Topless, singing Serena sparks internet breast cancer stir

Pink voice

Starbucks Indonesia campaigns on spreading awareness on the disease, noting that the more we talk about the disease, the more we spread awareness, and the more lives saved. The coffee joint then invites its customers to donate to Love Pink Indonesia through buying their seasonal "pink drinks".

Love Pink Indonesia is a non-profit organization focusing on the socialization of early detection and companionship for cancer patients.

DoubleTree pink month

The pink bear of DoubleTree by Hilton Jakarta returns this October, to show love and support to all breast cancer survivors around the world. The public are invited to join this campaign by donating to the YKPI through buying the limited-edition pink bear.

Gaia X Divoila florist

Indonesian premium tea brand Gaia offers tea hampers in collaboration with Divoila florist. The package includes a tin can of tea leaves arranged with a box of pink and white flowers, while Rp 100,000 (US$6.58) is donated to the YKPI for every purchase of one hamper.

Pink for a cure

Tinkerlust Indonesia, an online marketplace offering preloved fashion items, takes part in donating to cancer fighters and survivors. The marketplace invites fashion enthusiasts to buy certain pink items, and 10 percent of the proceeds are donated to the YKPI.

Aerin for Breast Cancer Research Foundation

Global luxury lifestyle brand Aerin has created a BCRF Rose Lip Conditioner Set to support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). The set is priced $50 and 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to the BCRF, whose mission is to prevent and cure breast cancer by advancing the worlds most promising research.

(mut)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Fri, October 19 2018

Anies Baswedan (JP/Wienda Parwitasari)

As the leader of Indonesias capital, where all chronic problems are intertwined and complicated, Governor Anies Baswedan says he has been doing a good job. In an interview with The Jakarta Post, the former education minister discussed his first year in office since his inauguration on Oct. 26, 2017, following a heated gubernatorial election. The following are excerpts from the interview conducted at City Hall with the Posts Evi Mariani, Irawaty Wardany and Vela Andapita.

Question: In your first speech after being inaugurated as Jakarta governor, you said that pribumi [indigenous Indonesians] should be the masters in our own land. It sparked concern as some people perceived that you had set a tone for your leadership that was divisive and promoted segregation according to ethnic and religions lines. Your comment?

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 18:47 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877869e7a 1 City eviction,heroes,housing,Kalibata-heroes-cemetery Free

The families of some national heroes have threatened to remove the bodies of their relatives buried in Kalibata Heroes Cemetery, following an attempt by the Indonesian Military (TNI) to evict them from a military housing complex in Menteng Pulo, South Jakarta.

A representative of the families, Tini, said they planned to remove the bodies because the TNI did not treat the heroes families properly during the eviction attempt on Wednesday.

"The eviction was executed arbitrarily and it was disrespectful to the memory of the heroes," Tini said on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.

Meanwhile, Dasril, a member of the guard on duty at the cemetery, said the families could not remove the bodies. "The families signed agreements that they handed over the bodies [of the heroes] to the country."

Previously, military personnel in full riot gear were accused of threatening the residents with violence if they did not leave.

The residents resisted the eviction effort resulting in a clash that left one resident, Jayadi, 25, injured.

The TNI forced two families out of their homes because none of the family members were military veterans or their spouses, while the other 42 families were spared eviction.

Jakarta Military Command spokesperson Lt. Col. Kristomei Sianturi said the homes would be used to accommodate active personnel and their family members.

A 2009 Defense Ministry regulation on military housing stipulates that residents shall vacate the homes if the personnel they are related have retired or died. (cal)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 19:03 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087786a1cf 1 National FAO,world-food-day,malnutrition Free

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called for action to reduce world hunger.

The FAO recorded that the absolute number of people in the world affected by undernourishment, or chronic food deprivation, is now estimated to have increased from around 804 million in 2016 to nearly 821 million in 2017, 11 percent of the world population, or one in nine people on the planet.

Other forms of malnutrition have also increased. In 2017, at least 1.5 billion people suffered from hidden hunger in which the food they eat does not have adequate vitamins and minerals essential for growth and development.

The problem of malnutrition, in particular undernutrition, still remains in many parts of the region. In Indonesia, the office vice president confirmed only last week that a total of more than one third of children under 5 years of age are stunted, which is high for a country of its economic status, said FAO representative Stephen Rudgard in his speech during the commemoration of 2018 World Food Day in Jejangkit district in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan.

In the State of Food Insecurity 2018 report published by the United Nations, Indonesia shows a high prevalence in all three forms of child malnutrition, which are stunting, wasting and obesity.

The FAO said the statistics indicated inadequate access to diverse and nutritious foods.

To transform our vision of a world free of hunger and malnutrition into reality, we all need to work together. That requires not only the leadership shown by the government, but everybody has to contribute, Rudgard said.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 13:25 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087785df1d 4 Business Future-Investment-Initiative,Riyadh,thomas-lembong Free

Indonesia is set to take part in the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Oct 23 to 25, according to Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Thomas Lembong.

"I confirm that I will go there to attend the FII Conference. I think it is important for me to represent the government in the conference unless there are other directives from the President," he stated in Jakarta on Thursday.

He stressed that attending any event in other countries was in line with President Joko Jokowi Widodos directive to expand the market for Indonesian goods and commodities, as well as to invite investors to put their money in Indonesia, especially in tourism.

He expressed his hope that Indonesias presence in the event would help attract investors, particularly from the Middle East countries.

Officials and business leaders from across the globe will reportedly attend the investment summit, despite the withdrawal of some speakers and partners because of Saudi Arabias alleged involvement in the disappearance and possible murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Lembong said he would represent President Jokowi at the conference. "We have to even intensify our dialog with countries in trouble," he said, referring to Indonesias stance on the Khashoggi case. (bbn)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 12:11 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087785c2cd 1 City Billboard,removal,Jakarta-administration,tax,permit Free

The Jakarta administration is set to remove 60 billboards across the capital that were installed by companies that have yet to renew their permit or pay the relevant taxes.

The operation kicked off on Friday morning when Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan led the removal of a billboard owned by PT Warna Warni Media on Jl. Rasuna Said, Kuningan, South Jakarta, located near the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office.

The event was also attended by KPK deputy chairman Laode Muhammad Syarif and representatives from the Jakarta Police and Prosecutors Office, among others.

The billboards permit had expired and the company has yet to pay the relevant tax for its placement, which was due on Aug. 31.

Anies said the city administration would make sure that all parties complied with prevailing regulations regarding billboard installation.

The message is that the capital will no longer tolerate any parties who violate regulations on billboards, Anies said in a press release on Friday.

He added that billboards were an important source of local tax revenue (PAD). In 2017, billboard tax contributed Rp 964 billion (US$ 63.45 million), or 3 percent, to the citys PAD.

Despite the contribution, Anies said all parties should comply with prevailing regulations.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 17:57 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308778686ea 1 City Taman-Ismail-Marzuki,revitalization,plan Free

The Jakarta administration is set to revitalize Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) cultural center in Central Jakarta, including the HB Jassin Literary Documentation Center, located inside the TIM complex, in 2019.

Nov. 10 next year will be TIMs 50th anniversary.

Acting Jakarta Tourism Agency head Asiantoro has said the agency was now reviewing the revitalization master plan.

The agency has also communicated with the city's Library and Archive Agency to plan the revitalization of the HB Jassin center.

"We hope to see significant results of the revitalization project next year," Asiantoro said as quoted by beritajakarta.id.

The head of TIM management unit, Imam Hadi Purnomo, said the revitalization would be conducted in all parts of TIM.

The management will add green open space and a water element in TIM, so the place will become a tourist attraction and an attractive art performance center.

"On TIM's 50th birthday on Nov. 10, we will announce the results of the master plan review," Imam said.

The Jakarta administration will involve prominent architect Andra Matin in the revitalization project. (cal)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Fri, October 19 2018

It is difficult to dismiss the impression that Indonesia might have gone too far on Tuesday with its blunt attempt to interfere in the foreign policy of a sovereign state like Australia.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison expressed his interest in the possibility of following United States President Donald Trumps decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. So far only Guatemala has followed in Trumps footsteps. It seems the motive is too simple. Some people may also question the timing, given that Australia will hold a crucial by-election on Saturday.

The Liberal-National Coalition government in Canberra may soon collapse if it loses the by-election for the House of Representatives seat of Wentworth in New South Wales.

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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Fri, October 19, 2018 19:03 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877869fd4 1 National TanjungBalai,terror-attack,JAD,police,North-Sumatra Free

The North Sumatra Police have claimed that two suspected terrorists killed in a raid in Tanjung Balai on Thursday had planned to attack Buddhist temples and police stations in the racially and religiously diverse municipality.

The National Police's Densus 88 counterterrorism squad found seven makeshift bombs containing nails, improvised firearms, ammunition and seven containers of explosive powder from the two suspects.

They planned to attack temples, police stations and other vital installations in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra Police chief Insp. Gen. Agus Andrianto told reporters on Friday.

Tanjung Balai has seen rising sectarian tension in recent years following a 2016 incident in which a Buddhist woman of Chinese descent was accused of defaming Islam for complaining about the loudspeaker of a local mosque.

The incident triggered a riot that led to the burning of several Buddhist temples. The woman, Meiliana, was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to 18 months in prison in August this year.

Agus said that the two suspects, identified only as AN, 26, RI, 23, were shot dead after a shootout on Jl. Jumpul in Teluk Nibung district on Thursday afternoon. They attacked the officers by firing shots.

The police believed that both suspects were members of Jemaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD), the countrys largest pro-Islamic State group, which is responsible for a number of terror attacks, including the Surabaya bombings that killed dozens of people.

We have investigated this terror cell after one of its members was killed [in Tanjung Balai] in May, Tanjung Balai Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Irfan Rifa said.

The police claimed that Tanjung Balai was secure even though they had declared a siaga 1 security alert in the region.
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) London, United Kingdom  Fri, October 19, 2018 15:13 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087786223a 2 World #UK,#radicalism,UK,preachers,radicalism,release,prison Free

Radical cleric Anjem Choudary, long a thorn in the side of British authorities, was released from prison on Friday having served half his sentence for encouraging support for the Islamic State group, British media reported.

The 51-year-old was jailed for five-and-a-half years in 2016, and will serve the rest of his sentence under strict supervision orders having been released from Belmarsh prison, near London.

He is expected to return to his home in Ilford, east of London, although will not be able to use any internet-enabled devices without permission, the BBC reported.

Other restrictions are reported to include bans on leaving Britain without permission and on attending certain mosques and he will only be allowed to meet with people approved by the police.

Choudary is the former head in Britain of Islam4UK or al-Muhajiroun, a now-banned group co-founded by Omar Bakri Muhammad that called for Islamic law in the UK.

For two decades, the former lawyer of Pakistani descent stayed on the right side of the law, becoming Britain's most prominent radical preacher.

Among those radicalised by Muhajiroun were the suicide bombers who killed 52 people on London's public transport system in July 2005, and the men who murdered soldier Lee Rigby in the capital in 2013, police say.

The court heard that Choudary had broadcast speeches recognising Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as the leader of the Islamic State.

Choudary and his co-defendant Mohammed Rahman were arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command on September 25, 2014.

The father-of-five previously hit the headlines for organising a pro-Osama bin Laden event in London in 2011.

He also belonged to a group that burned poppies, the symbol of remembrance for deaths in war, during an Armistice Day protest in the British capital in 2010.

In a 2014 interview with AFP, Choudary called on western journalists, civilians and troops in "Muslim countries" to "completely withdraw and allow us to implement the Sharia".

Former police terror chief Richard Walton called him a "hardened dangerous terrorist" who had had a "huge influence on Islamist extremism in this country".
ABSTRACT

Objective: To identify the epidemiologic profile of the woman having practiced the clandestine abortion, to determine the frequency and the complications of the clandestine abortion and to evaluate the prognosis of the clandestine abortion in our area. Method: The present study is descriptive and retrospective covering the period from January 2017 to December 2017, the one year period. On 118 patients received in the service for clandestine abortion, 60 were retained for the study. The 58 other files were excluded because of not containing sufficient information for this study. The descriptive statistical analyses were applied for the data analysis. Results: The frequency of the allowed patients for complication of clandestine abortion caused at the Saint Joseph hospital of Kinshasa was 6.03%. The most concerned population with this practice was less than 15 years and more than 45 years; they were unmarried (41.6%) and nulliparous (41.6%) in most cases. Ancillary medical staff (especially nurses) was accused the most in this practice of the illegal abortion caused by the dilatation and curettage with 50%. The genital haemorrhage constitutes the principal complication and reason for consultation and accounted for 78.3%. The assumption of responsibility is primarily medical and surgical. The vital prognosis is satisfactory for the immediate one, because no death is noted. Conclusion: The clandestine abortion remains public health problem in our communities. The results found in our study call for certain reflections so that to reduce its frequency and to avoid its complications.

Keywords:

Abortions, Clandestine, Complications

1. Introduction

The abortion is an old method of regulation of the fertility which existed and was used well before the appearance of the contraceptive methods [1] . According to FIGO and WHO, the abortion is the expulsion of ovular products weighing less than 500 grams or failing this, of ovular products of less than 22 weeks of amenorrhoea [2] . The clandestine abortion was and remains public health problems in the whole world in general and especially in the countries in the process of development in particular.

It constitutes an important cause of maternal mortality. According to WHO [2] , a few 42 million abortions were practiced in the world in 2003 and 20% of the pregnancies were stopped in a caused way. Twenty million abortions at the risk take place each year in the world and are responsible for 78,000 maternal deaths. According to WHO [3] [4] the abortion at the risk is defined like: an intervention aiming at stopping an undesired pregnancy often by people who do not have necessary competences, that is to say in a context where the minimal sanitary arrangements do not exist or both.

Besides maternal deaths, the abortions at the risk are responsible for a strong morbidity at 10% to 20% of the women, infertility, the hypofertility, the chronic pelvic pains, extra-uterine pregnancy, the miscarriages, the premature births, and even of the psychic after-effects [5] [6] . In DRC, the Congolese law prohibited the abortion. The therapeutic abortion is possible according to article 32 of the Code of conduct medical [7] .

Our work has as general objective to identify the profile epidemio-clinic of the clandestine abortions received at the Saint Joseph Hospital of Kinshasa.

Specific objectives

 To determine the frequency of the abortion caused in our area,

 To identify the complications of the clandestine and unsafe abortion,

 To evaluate the prognosis of the woman victim of the clandestine abortion.

2. Patients and Methods

We conducted a descriptive, retrospective and transverse study, covering the period from January 2017 to December 2017 at the Saint Joseph Hospital of Kinshasa. Our sample is exhaustive on all folders of clandestine abortions caused in the study area.

Back up included in the study, the patients with clandestine and unsafe abortions in the study area.

All the others patients apart from this criterion were not considered for the studied parameters. The data were collected starting from the registers of admission of emergency department of obstetrics gynaecology, as well as the clinical files of the patients. The induced abortion is not legally accepted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so this practice is doing in the clandestine way and called clandestine abortion.

The collected interest variables were the age, the parity, the gestity, the educational level, the profession, the Marital status, the quality of the abortionist, the average abortive one used, the symptoms required at the consultation, the number of former abortions, the complications and the assumption of responsibility. The descriptive statistical analyses were applied to analyze the data.

Operational definitions

The parity: it is the number of childbirth of pregnancies having reached the age of viability.

Gestity: is the number of pregnancies which the woman carried.

3. Results

During the study period, 1956 patients were admitted in Ob/Gyn service, among whom, 118 patients consulted for the complications of clandestine abortion, a frequency of 6.03%. In addition, of these 118 files of the patients, only 60 comprehensive directories helped us to make our study.

It is deduced from Table 1 that the most concerned age was from 25 to 29 years old with 25%.

It comes out from Figure 1 that most patients were unmarried with 41.6%.

It comes out from Figure 2 that most patients had a primary level with 73.3%.

Most patients having consulted for complications of clandestine abortion were housewives, 75% (Figure 3).

The nulliparous ones were most concerned in our study with 25 cases with 41.6% (Figure 4).

The paucigestes had represented 45% of cases (Table 2).

It is deduced from this Table 3 that the caused abortion was practised in the majority of the cases by the ancillary medical with 50%.

We noted that the dilatation and curettage was the more used means with 30 cases (50%) (Table 4).

The genital haemorrhage is the reason for consultation in most cases (58.3%) (Figure 5).

It is deduced from this Table 5 that 75% of patients have already at least an antecedent of clandestine abortion.

The genital haemorrhage represents the largest complication with 78.3% (Table 6).

It comes out from this Figure 6 that in most case may be 56.7%, association Quinolones and imidazoles was used.

Table 1. Distribution of the patients according to the age.

Figure 1. Distribution of the patients depending on the Marital status.

Figure 2. Distribution according to the educational level.

Figure 3. distribution according to the profession.

Figure 4. Distribution according to the parity.

Table 2. Distribution according to the gestity.

Table 3. Distribution according to the quality of the abortionist.

Table 4. Distribution according to the means used.

Table 5. Distribution according to the former abortion.

Table 6. Distribution according to the complications met.

Most patients, 90% profited from a dilatation and curettage (Figure 7).

4. Discussion

The clandestine abortion remains public health problems in our areas. The results found in our study call for certain reflections to reduce its frequency and to avoid its complications.

The frequency of patients admitted for complications of clandestine abortion caused at the Saint Joseph Hospital of Kinshasa was 6.03%. In this study, the most important age lies between 25 - 29 years. Our results join those of VANGA [8] at Kinshasa in 2010, RASH [9] at Tanzania in 2006, GUILLAUME [10] at

Figure 5. Distribution according to the reasons of the consultation.

Figure 6. Distribution according to the medical care.

Figure 7. Distribution according to the surgical treatment.

Ivory Coast in 1999 and TRAORE CHEICK [11] at Bamako in 2010. This may be explained by the fact why it is the age where the young girls are sexually very active. Besides that, some are still pupils or students and live under the paternal house, out of fear of being returned house, and shame to be unmarried mother with the undesired pregnancy and continue the studies, they resort to this very dangerous practice. However, NTABONA [12] at Kinshasa in 1980, DIKAMBA [13] at Kinshasa in 2010 and ZAMUDIO [14] at Colombia in 2000, found an age bracket lower than ours, 15 - 19 ans.

It comes out from our study that 41.6% of patients were single people, this was also found by GUILLAUME and DESGRESS DELOU [10] in 1999 in Ivory Coast, MAYI TSONGA [15] at Libreville in 2008, NTAMBONA [12] at Kinshasa in 1980, DIKAMBA [13] at Kinshasa in 2010 and VANGA [8] at Kinshasa in 2010. Many studies proved that they are the unmarried women who have more recourse to this practice of the clandestine abortion because of the undesired pregnancy [1] [4] [5] [16] .

Noted in our study that most patients had a primary level of study. Our results join those of the certain authors who found that the low educational level constitutes a risk factor of clandestine abortions [17] . On the other hand, TRAORE [11] at Bamako in 2004 in his series, found that the women with secondary and university level are concerned with the practice of the illegal abortion. This is explained because in our areas, the young girls are not encouraged to go to school.

Most the patients were the housewives (without profession). This result is close to that of GUESSAN [17] and VANGA [8] at Kinshasa in 2010. On the other hand, NTAMBONA [12] at Kinshasa in 1980 and DIKAMBA [13] at Kinshasa in 2010; in their series, found that most the patients were schoolgirls and student. This is explained by the fact of the unemployment in this Country, the Democratic republic of Congo (DRC).

In our study, noted that most women who consulted for complications of clandestine unsafe abortions were the nulliparous ones, 41.1%. These results join those of NTABONA [12] in Kinshasa in 1980, DIKAMBA [13] at Kinshasa in 2010, TRAORE [11] at Bamako in 2010. The reason, it is fear to have a child out of the marriage, to be rejected by the family, and bad socio-economic conditions. Many patients, 45% were paucigestes. We noted a divergence on the gestity in various studies. DIKAMBA and VANGA had found that most patients were primigestes, this can be explained by the size of their sample and their duration of study.

In most case, 33.3%, the ancillary medical ones are at the base of interruption of the pregnancies. Our results join those of NTABONA [12] at Kinshasa in 1980, ILOKI [16] at Brazzaville in 1967, DIKAMBA [13] at Kinshasa in 2010 and VANGA at Kinshasa in 2010 [8] . On the other hand, MAYI TSONGA [15] at Libreville in 2008 had found that the most practiced self-medication. We think that this difference can be due to our various areas of studies. Abortive method the most practiced in 50% of case was dilatation and curettage, followed by the self-medication with 16.7%. Our results join those of NTABONA [12] at Kinshasa in 1980, DIKAMBA [13] at Kinshasa in 2010 and GUESSAN [17] in 2004 which also found that the dilatation and curettage was the most used method for illegal abortion respectively practiced 41.53%, 66% and 62.39%.

On the other hand, VANGA (18) at Kinshasa 2010 and MAYI TSONGA [15] at Libreville in 2008 had found in their studies the use of the misoprostol. We think that this difference is due to the sample, small for us and large for them. In the present study, the genital haemorrhage constitutes the principal reason for consultation either 58.3%, followed by physical asthenia with 15% and the fever accounted for 10%.

Our results join those of DIARRA DIABATE [18] at Mali in 2000, NTABONA [12] at Kinshasa in 1980, DIKAMBA [13] at Kinshasa in 2010 and VANGA [8] at Kinshasa in 2010. For all these authors the genital haemorrhage remains the principal reason for consultation after clandestine abortion. Among the complications met, the genital haemorrhage is the complication most met in 78.3%, followed by the infections with 11.7% and finally the lesions of the soft parts with 10%. Our results join those of MAYI TSONGA [15] at Libreville into 2008 and VANGA [8] at Kinshasa in 2010 which had found that the haemorrhage passed in first position in respectively 55.9% and 61.6%.

On the other hand, DIKAMBA [13] at Kinshasa in 2010 found that the infections passed in first position are 58.5%. They were come to the lack of asepsis which characterizes the clandestine abortions caused by dilatation-curettage. In our study, most patients profited from a dilatation and curettage, under general anesthesia with 90% of cases and some antibiotics. Our results join those of the other authors who, in their studies found that the medico-surgical assumption of responsibility was practiced for the care of the complications of the clandestine abortions, DIKAMBA [13] at Kinshasa in 2010 and VANGA [8] at Kinshasa in 2010. No death was noted in our study, all the patients left the hospital healed.

5. Conclusion

The clandestine abortion remains a public health problem in our area. The results found in our study call for certain reflections for so much or little to reduce its frequency and to avoid its complications. Thus, the information and the sensitizing of the population and the health workforce on this plague are of a major importance for the wellness of the woman.

Conflicts of Interest

The author declares no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Cite this paper

Mubikayi, L., Yamba, A., Mubikayi, Y., Kuedimutshima, E. and Nembunzu, D. (2018) The Epidemio-Clinic Profile of Clandestine Abortion at Saint Joseph Hospital (Kinshasa). Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 8, 1176-1184. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojog.2018.812119

References
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 16:02 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087786354a 4 Business thomas-lembong,Jet-fighters,development,project,South-Korea Free

Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) head Thomas Lembong stressed that renegotiations for a joint jet fighter development project with South Korea were aimed at easing the burden on the state budget amid uncertainty in the global economy.

We want to renegotiate the terms of payment, Thomas said after a meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Political, Security and Legal Affairs Minister in Jakarta on Friday.

Minister Wiranto said it was decided in the meeting that renegotiations would be sought with South Korea on the development of the Korean Fighter Xperiment/Indonesia Fighter Xperiment (KFX/IFX), the funding sources for which would be the state budgets of the two countries.

Thomas said Indonesia was seeking renegotiations because under the current agreement, Indonesia would spend hundreds of trillion of rupiah on the project.

According to Thomas, South Korea had agreed to renegotiations during President Joko Jokowi Widodo visit to the country. However, South Korea required Indonesia to complete renegotiations within one year.

Thomas said that while renegotiations were under way, Indonesia would disburse funds for the project to assure that Indonesia was committed to proceeding.

The House of Representatives has approved the project, for which Indonesia has agreed to contribute 20 percent of its total needed investment.

Indonesia has spent US$ 10 million on the research stage of the project since 2016. (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Moscow, Russia  Fri, October 19, 2018 21:29 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087786d332 2 World #Russia,#religion,Russia,OrthodoxChristians,church,Dispute,Ukraine Free

Russia's Patriarch Kirill blasted the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople as "schismatic" for granting independence to the Ukrainian church, a move that pushed Moscow to cut ties with Orthodoxy's mother church.

"The Constantinople patriarchate identified itself with schismatics," the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill told a conference in Moscow.

"Uncanonically, violating all rules, it invaded our jurisdiction and forgave schismatics," he added, referring to a branch of the Ukrainian church it does not recognise.

"By identifying with schismatics, it became a schismatic itself," he said.

On Monday, the Russian church said it did not recognise Constantinople's decision to grant Ukraine the right to form an independent church and broke ties with the leading Orthodox authority.

The move was described as one of the gravest crises in the Church's history.

Russia's spiritual leader defended the decision to break with Constantinople, saying most Orthodox believers supported the rupture.

He called on clerics to "clarify the situation on Ukraine" with church goers.

"For the decision to be supported by the people -- and I feel that the absolute majority of Orthodox believers support this decision -- the clergy must also do its work," he said.

Only then, he said, will his church's position be "very strong and convincing."

"I really hope that this will be the case, but pastoral work to clarify the situation on Ukraine is very important," he said.

Russian state media reported that Hilarion, the bishop in charge of the Russian Orthodox Church's diplomacy, met with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Friday in closed-door talks on Moscow's decision to break with Constantinople.

Last week, the Constantinople Patriarchate overruled its own decision from the 17th century which adjoined Kievan Orthodox churches to Moscow.

It lifted the anathema Moscow imposed on Patriarch Filaret, a cleric who set up a Kiev-based Orthodox church in Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Ukraine's parliament on Thursday voted to hand over a landmark Kiev church to the Ecumenical Patriarchate following the decision.

Most of the Orthodox parishes in Ukraine have historically been under the umbrella of the Moscow Patriarchate, and many of these may eventually switch to the new independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church, despite Moscow's warnings.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 19:34 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087786b63d 1 City PAUD,demolition,West-Jakarta,school-building Free

Teachers of early childhood education school Tunas Bina in Tamansari, West Jakarta, have deplored the sudden demolition of the school building by Public Order Agency personnel and city officials on Wednesday.

One of the teachers, Heni Suhaeni, said the administrations of West Jakarta and Tamansari district had announced the plan to demolish old buildings in the area in May to welcome the 2018 Asian Games.

The teachers supported the plan, but they asked the administration to look for a new place for them, Heni said on Friday.

They also asked the administration not to move them during the Ramadan season.

The teachers and students were surprised that the officials decided to demolish the building on Wednesday without giving them prior notice.

"Why didn't they execute the plan when we were relocated to the mosque? Why was it held during school hours? I would've asked the students not to come to school if I had known the building would be demolished," Heni said as quoted by kompas.com.

The children have been temporarily relocated to Al-Ikhlas Mosque, located within the Tamansari district office complex.

The district administration is set to build a replacement school on vacant land in the area.

"We are grateful that the children have a place to study," Heni said.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced on Thursday that he had removed Firman Ibrahim from his position as Tamansari district head because of the incident.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 15:24 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877862320 1 City PAUD,building,West-Jakarta Free

It was recess time at early childhood education school (PAUD) Tunas Bina in Tamansari, West Jakarta, on Wednesday, when Public Order Agency officers and city officials arrived with a backhoe to dismantle their classrooms.

The teachers and students later continued their lessons in the Tamansari district office on Jl. Kemukus.

The students parents had begged officials to delay the demolition until the end of the school year, according to a resident named Agus. But their request was ignored, and the backhoe destroyed the school right away.

Its sad to see that they did it in front of the kids. Theyre 5 years old, they know nothing, Agus said as quoted by kompas.com.

Pinangsia subdistrict head Ilham Agustian conceded that the students had been on school grounds during the demolition.

"[We] waited until their lesson was finished," he said, adding a new building would be provided and that the relocation was part of the Kota Tua revitalization project.

The new school building is located in a green zone, he said.

[Students and teachers] will keep using the district office until a new school, which were currently building on Jl. Kunir, is complete, Ilham said.

However, a surprising turn of events occurred after the school was destroyed: Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced on Thursday that he had removed Firman Ibrahim from his position as Tamansari district head.

Yes, thats true. Ive dismissed the district head, he said.

Firman, meanwhile, denied that his dismissal had been related to Wednesdays events, claiming that he had just been suspended.

He added that he would not make any further comments as he waited for an official letter from the West Jakarta municipality administration regarding his employment status. (vla)
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Linkedin Tan Dawn Wei and Lim Min Zhang (The Straits Times/ANN) Singapore  Fri, October 19, 2018 16:14 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087786501c 2 SE Asia #SoutheastAsia,#singapore,ASEAN Free

ASEAN defense chiefs have inked the world's first multilateral air guidelines aimed at keeping the increasingly congested skies safe for military aircraft and preventing skirmishes over the high seas.

The non-binding code complements an existing set of protocols for navy vessels: the Code of Unplanned Encounters at Sea (Cues), which is designed to reduce the chances of accidents at sea, especially in contested waters such as the South China Sea.

Defense ministers of the 10 ASEAN member states signed a joint declaration on Friday, Oct. 19, at the annual ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM), pledging to promote regional peace and stability, as well as deepening cooperation in counter-terrorism, air and sea safety, and cyber security, among other things.They will, for instance, set up a virtual network of experts to counter chemical, biological and radiological threats from terrorist groups and rogue states.

Also in the pipeline are joint maritime exercises between ASEAN and China, as well as ASEAN and the United States.

Speaking after the signing, Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said ASEAN navies are on their way to Zhanjiang in China for the first ASEAN-China maritime exercise to be held next week.

ASEAN ministers also agreed on an ASEAN-US maritime exercise next year, although officials will have to discuss where to hold it.

The ministers also adopted the "Our Eyes" Initiative, an Indonesian-led counter-terrorism intelligence-sharing platform that, until now, involved only five other Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore.

The 10 ministers are hoping to convince the partner-countries of ADMM-Plus - Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US - to sign on to the air code, as they did with Cues at last year's meeting.

Regional countries have been modernizing their militaries, including air forces, to keep pace with new security challenges. Data shows that defense expenditure in the Asia-Pacific is projected to rise by 23 per cent to more than US$530 billion (S$730 billion) in 2020.

The new air guidelines - a set of communication protocols called Game (Guidelines for Air Military Encounters) - are meant to reduce the likelihood of accidents that could escalate into a conflict, especially with increased air traffic in the region.

While they are non-binding and voluntary, they serve as a "practical confidence-building measure" for air forces to improve their operational safety.

Asked at a press conference about the usefulness of such non-binding protocols in the light of a recent near-miss between a US warship and a Chinese destroyer in the South China Sea, Ng likened the guidelines to seat belts in vehicles.

"Is the glass half empty or half full? Without them, does one expect the encounters would get worse? I think the answer is, yes, it may very well be that if there were no guidelines, there would be increased risk of mishaps," he said.

"In a way they are like seat belts - not completely protective but at least you'll find some protection."

The new air code is applied to unplanned encounters between military aircraft over high seas, and spell out acceptable and unacceptable behavior, such as keeping a safe distance, avoiding reckless maneuvers and "[refraining] from the use of uncivil language or unfriendly physical gestures".

The guidelines adhere to existing aviation standards, national and international law, as well as ASEAN principles of transparency and mutual trust.

Singapore has been instrumental in pushing for the implementation of these guidelines, as this year's ASEAN chair.

Ng had outlined three priorities during Singapore's tenure: counter-terrorism; confidence-building measures and code for unplanned encounters at sea and in the air; and dealing with chemical, biological and radiological threats.

It hands the ADMM chairmanship to Thailand on Saturday at the conclusion of the ADMM-Plus, where the eight dialogue partners are expected to come on board to boost counter-terrorism cooperation.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, October 19, 2018 16:30 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877866bd0 1 News Indonesia,tourism,ITB-Asia,travel,Phinisi,exhibition,trade-show Free

Indonesia is currently participating in the 2018 ITB Asia trade show, which runs from Wednesday through Friday in Singapore, in a bid to promote the archipelago's tourist destinations, particularly West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

With the theme Rising Lombok as part of the Wonderful Indonesia campaign, Indonesia seeks to improve the image of NTB tourism following the powerful earthquakes that devastated the region in July and August. Among the areas promoted at the event are Mandalika (Kuta Beach, Tanjung Aan and Merese Hill), Sekotong (Gili Nangu, Gili Sudak, Gili Kedis), Tete Batu and Mataram city.

Read also: What you need to know about the Lombok earthquake

At the 11th ITB Asia, the country is showcasing a phinisi-influenced 405-square-meter pavilion that features 91 tourism businesses representing 15 provinces, including Bangka Belitung, Riau Islands, South Sumatra, Lampung, Jakarta, West Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, West Kalimantan, NTB, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), North Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Papua and Bali.

"This event brings together Indonesian sellers with approximately 1,265 international buyers. There are also thousands of delegates and visitors from other countries, not only from the Asian region but all over the world," the Tourism Ministry's region I assistant deputy marketing, Masruroh, said in a statement.

Additionally, Indonesia is also participating in the halal destination-related Muslim Travel Pavilion at ITB Asia as part of Rising Lombok campaign.

In the statement, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said the event served as an opportunity to attract more tourists to Indonesia, especially since Singapore was one of the archipelago's main tourism market.

"Through this event, Indonesias tourism businesses could expand their networking with potential buyers from abroad," Arief added.

It is estimated that more than 1.5 million Singaporean tourists visited Indonesia throughout 2017. Meanwhile, between January and August this year, 1.08 million Singaporeans arrived, or an 11.24 percent increase from the same period last year.

This year, the ministry is targeting to attract 1.67 million Singaporean visitors to Indonesia. (kes)
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Linkedin Ary Hermawan (The Jakarta Post) Seoul  Fri, October 19, 2018 08:58 1125 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308778527be 1 Destinations famtrip,South-Korea,art,food,Seoul,travel,#travel Free

A group of Indonesian journalists, including The Jakarta Post, was invited by the Korea Tourism Organization to join a familiarization trip to South Korea. A number of Asian journalists and bloggers from Malaysia, Singapore, China and Japan also took part in the three-day trip.

It was raining on the day we arrived in Seoul, South Korea  a typhoon was approaching and a festival meant to welcome autumn was canceled.

In many other cities, such a situation would turn a perfectly planned holiday into an expensive misfortune. But not in Seoul, a city so vibrant that not even bad weather could spoil its charm.

If anything  especially if youre a pluviophile or do not mind getting a little wet in the rain  it actually makes the city even more charming.

In the past few years, Seoul has expanded its charm beyond its pretty parks and fancy shopping malls. It has actually been promoting its traditional markets as one of its tourist attractions.

At a glance, the idea may seem odd. Seoul, like other major Asian cities, is highly modern and urbanized. Only after visiting the markets did I find the idea plausible, if not brilliant  something that perhaps only Koreans could pull off.

The argument for the tourism strategy is quite simple. South Korea is known for many things, with K-pop and K-drama now being its biggest cultural exports. It is not uncommon for tourists (read: feverish K-pop fanboys and fangirls) to come to Seoul just to see their K-pop idols.

But Korea, an ancient civilization that has survived wars and destruction, is much bigger than boy band BTS and other K-pop sensations.

And one of the cheapest, fastest and most fun ways to learn about Korean history and culture is, of course, by visiting its remaining traditional markets.

South Korea has many historic traditional markets. In Seoul alone, there are three traditional markets that you may want to visit while you are there: Namdaemun Market, Tongin Market and Mangwon Market.

Namdaemun Market, opened in 1414, is the largest traditional market in the country, attracting more than 300,000 visitors every day. There you can find Korean art, clothes, cuisine and many other things in a single location.

If youre looking for Korean souvenirs, Namdaemun is the place. But if you like to eat but do not feel like going to a fancy restaurant or are simply on a tight budget, then Tongin Market is the place you are looking for.

Memories: A sculpture pays tribute to Korean drama series Winter Sonata in Chuncheon, Gangwon province, in South Korea. The romantic dramas huge success brought in tourists to the country. (The Jakarta Post/Ary Hermawan)

The market is an alley of small shops offering traditional Korean food like bibimbap (mixed rice with meat and assorted vegetables), kimchi (fermented vegetables), gimbap (rice roll) and japchae (stir-fried glass noodles).

There you can get a tray and buy food using traditional Korean coins called yeopjeon  a simple feature that makes you feel like you are traveling back to the old days in Korea.

Other than traditional markets, South Korea has given tourists another reason to visit the country: its vibrant theater scene, especially in October, when the citys cultural center Daehak-ro holds its annual Daehak-ro festival.

The Korean performing arts scene had developed way before K-pop and K-drama grabbed global attention, producing many talents that have made Seoul one of the leading art and cultural centers in Asia today.

During our trip, we had the chance to watch two plays in Daehak-ro: Only You, a popular musical filled with 1990s Korean hits, and Finding Mr. Destiny, which was adapted into a rom-com in 2010. We also had the chance to watch the epic play 1446 at Theater Yong at the National Museum of Korea.

Wait, are you wondering if I speak Korean? No, I do not. Some theaters in Seoul provided English, Chinese and Japanese translations for foreign audience members.

Hot and spicy: Korean dish bibimbap, which literally means mixed rice, is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with sauteed vegetables, gochujang (Korean chili pepper paste) and soy sauce with raw or fried egg and slices of meat. (www.souschef.co.uk/file)

While the subtitles might not capture the nuances of the dialogue, they still let you follow the important parts of the play even if you do not understand the language. It also gives you some of the funniest lines, though not all of them, since at some parts you could hear the rest of the audience laughing without you.

On the last two days of our trip in Seoul, the sky was clear. We took a city tour with the Artee Riders Club, which takes tourists on a rickshaw ride into the popular attractions in Seoul, including its historical villages and alleys.

The 60-minute tour ended at Gyeongbok Palace, where many Koreans could be seen strolling in their beautiful traditional dress, called hanbok. A rickshaw tour is perhaps shorter than a bus tour, but it could give you a more intimate picture of Seoul, as told by an English-speaking driver who knows the citys history.

A city tour in Seoul is nice. But if you are a food or musical lover, the city is certainly best experienced in many of its traditional markets and theater halls.

Daehak-ro Street the mecca of plays

Together: A scene from Finding Mr. Destiny, one of the most popular musicals shown in Daehak-ro in Seoul. (Courtesy of kkday.com/-)

Daehak-ro Street is widely known as the mecca of performance arts, Koreas Broadway and a symbol of Korean youth and culture.

For decades, it has served as Seouls cultural center. In Korean, Daehak-ro means College Street. It was given the moniker as it used to be the headquarters of Seoul National University  which included its College of Liberal Arts and Science and College of Law  before the university relocated its campuses.

The area is now home to 160 performance halls. It holds, according to the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO), four times the number of theaters than New Yorks Broadway and three times that of Londons West End.

For Indonesian tourists, the area would perhaps remind them of Jakartas own cultural center, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM). It is more or less the same as TIM, only bigger and way more vibrant with many shows throughout the year.

October, however, is the best time to visit Daehak-ro. Throughout the month, the KTO organizes Welcome Daehak-ro, a festival in which foreign tourists can enjoy a number of musicals and plays with English subtitles.

Some of the most popular musicals are Finding Mr. Destiny, Love Comes with the Rain, Oh! While You Were Sleeping, Only You, Laundry and 1446. The ticket prices range from 15,000 won (US$13.22) to 60,000 won.

Some performances, such as Finding Mr. Destiny and Only You, are shown in small theater halls where the artists can interact with the audience.

During these shows, you cannot help but envy the local audience, because there is improvised dialogue without subtitles that always draws laughter.

Outside the halls, at Marronnier Park, some amateur artists, mostly musicians or hip-hop dancers, usually perform for free. During Welcome Daehak-ro festival, some non-verbal performances are also shown at the park.

No subtitles are provided for outdoor performances, of course, but they are still enjoyable. After all, millions of people around the world have been drawn to K-pop, even if they only know one or two Korean words.

Choose your traditional Korean markets

Traditional markets can be found in all provinces in Korea. The Korean Tourism Organization has listed at least 17 top traditional markets that you can choose to visit while in the country.

Among them are Cunccheon Jungang (Nangman) Market in Gangwon-do, Suwon Nammun Market in Gyeonggido, Singi Market in Incheon, Seomun Market in Daegu and 1913 Songjeong Station Market in Gwangju.

Each market has its own unique features. Singi Market, for instance, operates a unique payment system where buyers can use special coins called singi tongboto pay for certain merchandise.

Korean style: A South Korean shop tailor checks fabric at the hanbok (traditional dress) market in Gwangju city, South Korea. (AFP/Kim Jae-Hwan)

Seomun Market is one of the largest and most historic markets in Korea. It goes back to the age of the Joseon dynasty.

The markets main products are textile goods and hanbok traditional costumes, but it has recently been known for its night market, which offers treats like napjakmandu (flat dumplings) and tteokbooki (spicy stir-fried rice cakes).

Nangman market, meanwhile, is known for its romantic atmosphere. Chuncheon itself is known as the City of Romance. The city is especially known for being the filming location of the 2002 K-drama classic Winter Sonata and the citys romance theme can be found even in one of its traditional markets.

We had the chance to visit Nangman Market on the second day of our trip. Located just one hour away from Seoul, the market has stores that are decorated with drawings that lend a fun twist, preventing the space from feeling somber. If you explore deeper into the market, you will find various sculptures and wall murals, adding to the creative vibe of the place.

But do not forget that Nangman Market is still a market where you can find various products ranging from daily necessities to hanbok, bags, shoes, clothes, electronic appliances, jewelry and food.

A wide range of people, whether locals or foreign tourists, go there to shop.
Sylvia Plath is one of those figures whose private life almost outstrips her literary one.

Image courtesy of Spudgun67 via Flickr

Despite her contribution to the confessional poetry mode, posthumous Pulitzer in 1982, and sole novel The Bell Jar, commentators often focus instead upon her tempestuous marriage to the poet Ted Hughes, her well-documented depression, and her death from suicide at the age of 30.

Yet I knew nothing about this when I first encountered her work at secondary school. Instead, it was a moment when I really finally understood what poetry was about. From there, I went on to read The Bell Jar multiple times, choosing it as a text for an independent study, and remaining fascinated by Plaths use of language.

That encounter with Plath came in the form of Daddy, a poem from that Pulitzer-winning anthology, Collected Poems, edited by Hughes himself. Then unaware of the death of Plaths father when she was a child, and the gap between her experience and my own, this still spoke to me so completely that I had a copy stuck on my bedroom wall throughout my teens, to the point that I could almost recite it. Not pretty or flowery, but brutally honest and almost aggressive in tone, it showed me what poetry could be and made me realise that Literature was where my heart really lay.

Daddy by Sylvia Plath

You do not do, you do not do

Any more, black shoe

In which I have lived like a foot

For thirty years, poor and white,

Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.

Daddy, I have had to kill you.

You died before I had time

Marble-heavy, a bag full of God,

Ghastly statue with one gray toe

Big as a Frisco seal

And a head in the freakish Atlantic

Where it pours bean green over blue

In the waters off beautiful Nauset.

I used to pray to recover you.

Ach, du.

In the German tongue, in the Polish town

Scraped flat by the roller

Of wars, wars, wars.

But the name of the town is common.

My Polack friend

Says there are a dozen or two.

So I never could tell where you

Put your foot, your root,

I never could talk to you.

The tongue stuck in my jaw.

It stuck in a barb wire snare.

Ich, ich, ich, ich,

I could hardly speak.

I thought every German was you.

And the language obscene

An engine, an engine

Chuffing me off like a Jew.

A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen.

I began to talk like a Jew.

I think I may well be a Jew.

The snows of the Tyrol, the clear beer of Vienna

Are not very pure or true.

With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck

And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack

I may be a bit of a Jew.

I have always been scared of you,

With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.

And your neat mustache

And your Aryan eye, bright blue.

Panzer-man, panzer-man, O You

Not God but a swastika

So black no sky could squeak through.

Every woman adores a Fascist,

The boot in the face, the brute

Brute heart of a brute like you.

You stand at the blackboard, daddy,

In the picture I have of you,

A cleft in your chin instead of your foot

But no less a devil for that, no not

Any less the black man who

Bit my pretty red heart in two.

I was ten when they buried you.

At twenty I tried to die

And get back, back, back to you.

I thought even the bones would do.

But they pulled me out of the sack,

And they stuck me together with glue.

And then I knew what to do.

I made a model of you,

A man in black with a Meinkampf look

And a love of the rack and the screw.

And I said I do, I do.

So daddy, Im finally through.

The black telephones off at the root,

The voices just cant worm through.

If Ive killed one man, Ive killed two

The vampire who said he was you

And drank my blood for a year,

Seven years, if you want to know.

Daddy, you can lie back now.

Theres a stake in your fat black heart

And the villagers never liked you.

They are dancing and stamping on you.

They always knew it was you.

Daddy, daddy, you bastard, Im through.
Keira Knightley has always been known in Britain for taking on some of the most interesting female roles available in the industry. Her most recent film, Colette (to be released early next year) sees Knightley take on the French writer as a young woman during her first marriage to celebrity personality Henry Gautier-Villars, aka Willy.

Speaking about her run playing amazing and dimensional characters, Knightley states that her choice of roles have always been completely conscious. As soon as I could start choosing my own roles, I was always led towards powerful creatures. Women I wanted to be or explore, and even in their frailty theres amazing power within that.

A lot of times it could have been more money to play second fiddle, or the wife, or the girlfriend, but Ive never wanted to do that. Im the wife and the girlfriend at home, and when Im playing I want to pretend to be the boss!

She also explains that she never felt like I fitted into that very narrow image of femininity that mass culture allows, and I was always interested in playing characters who in one way or another are struggling against that cultural norm, something which is particularly evident in her most recent film.

Working hard to succeed in her craft was always a part of life, as she knew "ever since the age of three... what I wanted to do, and that's been my one goal."

However she realised that "

the industry [doesn't] support women at all. Not even a little. Youre completely left to do your thing, and to survive or not survive." Understandably then, "there are very few female directors.

We need more female directors, particularly at the top of the industry," she stated.

Always asked about her decision to star in many period films, which Knightley reveals is a pet hate after so many years, she explained that "doing period films is an opportunity to educate myself about periods in history... I like to do as much research as I have time to do!

If youre doing a period film, you need to know the rules of that period. Then you can choose to break them," something particularly relevant to her portrayal of Colette.

The actress had only praise for her Colette co-star Dominic West's portrayal of Willy: "T he thing about Willy is, and it was very important for all of us to show, that you understood why she was with him. Because he does silence her, and he does literally take her words from her, and he is a shit! But hes a very charming shit."

And speaking of her titular character, "

I think she was afraid, but she just powered through it. She was brave. And she had a voice that demanded to be heard. And in terms of her sexuality, she explored it without shame, and thats still very rare today. I find her inspiring.

She was a survivor, and in many ways I find survivors fascinating, because theres a moral ambiguity there that allows them to survive.

"...Were given a very narrow view of what it is to be a woman, and I think culturally you have to explore women in all their complicated whole. I feel like with Colette theres a whole complicated person there."

Colette releases on January 11th.
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By Zoe Fruchter and Chloe Wray

fruchter@grinnell.edu

wraychlo@grinnell.edu





The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hearing as to whether the Union of Grinnell Student Dining Workers (UGSDW) could hold an election to expand their membership to all student workers concluded on Thursday, Oct. 18. The hearing began on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Judge Martha Freeberg, an appointee of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), presided over the banquet room of Grinnell College Golf Course, where the hearing was held.

Cory McCartan 19, UGSDW advisor and founder, and Sam Xu 20, UGSDW board member-at-large, argued on behalf of the Unions petition. President Raynard Kington and attorneys Frank Harty and Thomas Cunningham from Nyemaster Goode, P.C. represented Grinnell College, the employer and respondent to UGSDWs petition.

Typically, the NLRB will hold an election in which at least 50 percent and one of the proposed unit, in this case student workers, must vote in favor of unionizing to grant collective bargaining power. This was not the case at Grinnell.

According to Jacob Schneyer 21, UGSDW board member-at-large, the Colleges argument is grounded in the notion that students are not employees and therefore do not have the right to unionize, thus blocking the proposed election. Even if the NLRB decides in favor of UGSDW, Schneyer said the two parties would still need to meet a neutral agreement to hold the election.

On Oct. 17, the College called five witnesses to testify before Judge Freeberg: Grinnell College President Raynard Kington, Maria Tapias, professor of anthropology and associate dean, Brad Lindberg, assistant vice president of enrollment and director of financial aid, Mark Watts, human resource training and student employment coordinator and Susan Sanning, associate dean and director of service and social innovation.

The Union called Nancy Combs, controller and assistant treasurer, as their first witness on Oct. 17. The following day, UGSDW called four students to testify about the economic necessity of their employment at the College: Union President Quinn Ercolani 20, Caitlin Richter 19, Peter Cipriano 19 and Allyson Leicht 19.

Following the Unions witnesses, UGSDW and the College delivered their final statements.

Cory McCartan, UGSDW advisor and founder, said that student workers are statutory employees of the College and thus have the right to collective bargaining. McCartan argued against the Colleges stance that students jobs are educational and thus not deserving of union status, saying that a job being instructive has no connection to the economic condition of the students or their need for collective bargaining.

McCartan invoked the NLRBs 2016 decision The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York and Graduate Workers of Columbia as precedent, noting that the NLRB decided that student workers were eligible for collective bargaining in this case.

Finally, McCartan addressed the Colleges allusions to wealth stratification throughout the hearing: If the employer is concerned about inequity between wealthy and low-income students, they should take a look at their current system in which many low-income students have to work much more than their peers.

Harty claimed that the petitioners witnesses proved the Colleges point. Harty expressed that witnesses corroborated Grinnell College President Raynard Kingtons testimony that campus jobs were primarily educational, and that students attend the College for higher education, not working, thus they are not employees subject to NLRB review.

Harty went on to state that the fear of stratification was real, and that if collective bargaining were granted, work opportunities would be limited to those with the most need. He concluded that unionizing would violate FERPA and FAFSA, jeopardizing students rights to financial privacy. Harty denied comment to The S&B.

According to UGSDW members, the process of choosing an appropriate setting for the hearing presented difficulty.

Originally scheduled to be held in Minneapolis, the Regional Office headquarters of the NLRB, the hearing was moved to Newton, IA. However, UGSDW objected to both locations, expressing concerns over travel costs and missing school.

To hold the hearing in Grinnell, UGSDW agreed to drop the unfair labor charge they filed at the same time as the petition in response to an April 18, 2018 statement from President Kington.

In a Special Campus Memo emailed to all students, President Kington stated that unionizing all student workers  could have an adverse impact on our students who receive financial aid through the work-study program.

The Union interpreted Kingtons statement as a threat to students financial aid.

After the Union dropped their unfair labor charge, the College proposed the Golf Course as the hearing location, ostensibly due to a lack of availability of other spaces on campus.

We had to let them get away with that [unfair labor practice] in order to have the hearing on campus and allow the student body to see firsthand the administration denying them their rights, said Quinn Ercolani 20, UGSDW president.

Facing two established professional lawyers, McCartan and Xu relied on Xus two years of Mock Trial experience and personal research. The internet is a great place, McCartan said.

The Colleges denial of our rights is negatively impacting my educational experience because I cant focus on my classes at all when the College has hired two high powered union-busting attorneys to waste my time for two days, McCartan said.

Lisa Lacher, senior content strategist for media relations in the Colleges Office of Communications, wrote in an email to The S&B, because there is a pending matter before the National Labor Relations Board, we [the College] think it prudent not to comment.

Following the hearing, the NLRB will notify both parties if they can administer an election to expand the union. Should the NLRB rule in favor of UGSDWs petition, the election will take place in Joe Rosenfield Center (JRC) 101 on Friday Nov. 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Any undergraduate employee of the College who logged hours between Sept. 16, 2018 and Oct. 15, 2018 will be able to vote.


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MBABANE  Nigeria has become the second largest importer of Eswatinis exports after South Africa lately.



In 2017 only, the kingdom exported goods valued at over E1 million, which was the equivalent of four per cent of total exports to the world, which stood at E25 583 217 (US$ 1 801 635).



South Africa imported 67 per cent of total exports after receiving goods valued at E17 745 257.20 (US$ 1 249 666).

The exact amount of goods that were exported to the fast-growing economy of Nigeria was E1 195 569 (US$ 84 195), according to information sourced from the International Trade Centres (ITC) Trade Map.



Exported



The goods which were exported by the kingdom to Nigeria included, but were not limited to, perfumery, cosmetics, sugar confectionary, tanning or dyeing extracts, miscellaneous chemical products, mechanical appliances, inorganic compounds and miscellaneous edible preparations.

Meanwhile, goods exported to South Africa, were chemical products, sugars and sugar confectionary, organic chemicals and knitted or crocheted fabrics among others.



A closer analysis of the countrys export statistics sourced from ITC reflected that exports to Nigeria had been on an upward trend since 2013 where the country imported goods valued at only E693 726.80 (US$ 48 854).



Rising



In the same vein, exports by the kingdom to the neighbouring republic had also been rising over the past five years from E17 037 302 (US$1 199 810).

Other countries which import goods from the kingdom include; Mozambique, Kenya, Angola, Tanzania, Angola, Spain and Italy.

A trade expert who preferred anonymity emphasised on the importance of the kingdom to diversify the export market to derive more value and create more revenue.



It is important that we do not focus on existing markets but also expand our export market in order to create more business opportunities and ultimately create jobs, he advised.

NOTE: All figures on tables in US Dollar and conversions to Emalangeni based on yesterdays exchange rate.
MBABANE - Barely six months after the rebirth of ASTG, they have shown that they mean business.



The Association of Swaziland Theatre Groups (ASTG), through its development wing, called the Swaziland Theatre for Children and Young People (SWATCYP-ASSITEJ Eswatini), has sent a local, Bongiwe Dlamini, to engage in a cultural intern programme.



Dlamini has been sent with an Indian School known as Ryan International School in Bengaluru.

Dlamini got an invitation to apply for the cultural internship through the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ).

This is a four-week cultural internship programme, which started on October 9 and will end on November 3, 2018.



She was short-listed and finally impressed the cultural festival organiser to be selected through her rich CV, which include being a radio presenter of the Sesikhona childrens programme, which she did when she was still a school-going child under UNICEF and Save the Children.



She has also participated in a number of theatre and film productions, including The Liberator, which was produced by Swaziland Independent Film and TV Producers Association (SIFTPA) under the Film Lab Initiative, which was funded by European Union in 2015. She is also the Secretary General of SWATCYP-ASSITEJ.



Festival



Ryan International School has organised this cultural festival to explore international culture to enrich their cultural programme for children attending classes in the school.

ASTG Secretary General Thembinkosi Mthethwa said Dlaminis role was to be a cultural trainer for the students and to conduct workshops and lessons on life of Eswatini, Eswatini songs and dances, telling original stories from the country and interact with students in exchange of the Indian culture.



This will lead to a final performance by students themselves, which will take place between November 1 and 3, 2018.


Sir,



A very wise man once remarked that in order to know where you are going, you must first know where you are coming from. In other words, you will only see the bigger picture once you have a full understanding of any subject.



Many people associate colonialism with the European invasions and occupations of Africa, America, Australia and parts of Asia, perhaps due to their occurrence on a global scale.

But European colonialism was not the first incident of colonial conquest on the African continent. Like Ethiopia (which has never been colonised), countries like Egypt, Libya and Morocco were also once predominantly Christian, long before Christianity arrived in Europe.

The history of how these countries became predominantly Islamic is, however, not very well known. As most people do know, Islam originated in the Arabian Peninsula, and it was with the invasion and colonisation of North Africa by Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula that Islam came to be the predominant religion in North Africa.



Massacred



The city of Fez in Morocco is known for being the place where thousands of Christians were massacred by their conquerors for refusing to renounce their faith. It is said that the red fez (hat) worn by Moroccans (and shriner freemasons) has its origins in that massacre.



Ethiopia, however, managed to resist attempts by Islamic invaders thwarting attempts by the Adal Sultanate to invade Ethiopia. The defeat of the Ottoman empire (the largest at the time) in India would also prove to be crucial in helping to end the Ottoman wars of aggression in Europe, as the slave and spice trade which helped fund those wars came under Portugals control.



However, the rise of Portugal as a global super-power would later give rise to European colonial expansion, which would result in most of the planet falling under European control. This eventually resulted in the Ottoman empire being completely dismantled by the British, who had since become the worlds dominant colonial power.

But the British were unable to defeat the Ottomans by military force alone and are said to have resorted to divide and rule tactics by supporting certain Islamic sects which were also opposed to the Ottomans. This is explained in a book titled Confessions of a British spy. A website called www.red moon rising also provides a lot of information on this subject under the title globalists and Islamists and how it relates to events taking place in the world today.



Eswatini citizen


MBABANE  A man is on a mission to walk around Africa in a quest to end women abuse.

Thato Molosankwe (40) is a humanitarian activist who arrived in Eswatini yesterday, to engage emaSwati men to change their mindsets towards women and inspire responsibility to protect them. Molosankwe has done this through the Rounding Africa Walk.

He aims to embark on a solo walk around 49 African countries. He said so far, he has been to Lesotho, South Africa and currently he is in the kingdom. He has covered 42 177 kilometres in the three countries he has been to.



reminding



Molosankwe said his aim was to address women abuse and social ills, by reminding people about their moral ground. He said he planned to visit Mozambique after his campaign in the Eswatini. The humanitarian travels within Africa using his own resources. He has done this by opening a platform for dialogue within African countries. The South Africa-based humanitarian is the founding member of Thato Molosankwe Charity Organisation, which aims to restore morality and humanity to address the social ills, by reminding people about their moral grounds.



Molosankwe said his organisation raised awareness through walks because this was a different approach than the normal campaigns that had been used to address people for a stipulated time frame. This, he said, was not efficient as there were still statistics of increasing numbers of atrocities in Africa.



dream



He said he had three children, two girls and one boy. The former fitness instructor said he had a dream to raise his children in a positive environment where both sexes respected and treated each other equally. Currently, the humanitarian is organising a dialogue which will take place in Mbabane through churches, tribal authorities and the police service.



So far, he said he was grateful for the warmth and support from emaSwati, who welcomed him with open arms at the Mahamba Border Post.

The police received me very well and prepared a place for me to sleep, said Molosankwe.



He said his aim was to organise a dialogue with emaSwati men, where he could engage them in identifying the issues encountered by the communities. Moreover, he mentioned that he hoped to find solutions to address the issues, to restore the impediments that cause men to perpetrate abuse.



morality



The cause for the social ills is lack of morality and humanity, and as an organisation, we find ways to restore it, he said.

Molosankwe mentioned that he walks 30 to 40 kilometres a day. He said oftentimes, he slept at police stations. He carries all his basic stuff like toiletries and food for the road. At times, the humanitarian would pitch his tent and camp overnight. He would sleep two nights near the road.



Molosankwe said women have admired and shown great appreciation for his course because they were mostly the victims. However, he said men also fell prey to abuse and that was why he involved them.



He reiterated that men were participating in the project and over 1 000 had joined in the previous walks. He said he wished to target more men in his #Uniting African Men Against Women Abuse walk.


MBABANE  It took armed robbers four minutes to take money and food items totalling E7 400, all the while being captured on camera.



Three men wearing hooded sweaters and black jackets robbed Mpaka Filling Station, armed with knives and bush knives.

A security guard who was standing by the door was severely injured after he was hacked and stabbed by the robbers.



A video footage of the robbery was circulating on social media yesterday and the incident happened on Monday at around 10:25pm.

This video showed the time the suspects entered the shop and took certain items including cash.

They had their faces partly covered.



The video footage shows five people inside the shop.

As soon as the robbers entered the place, they started hacking the guard who was standing by the door.



Another security guard is seen coming towards one of the robbers in an attempt to assist his colleague who was being hacked.

However, the suspects turn on him and the man who was standing by the door escaped.



Another employee inside the shop was seen in the footage jumping over a chair while escaping from the robbers.

The other two employees, a male and a female, were not able to escape as one of the robbers ran to block their way.

In the video footage, the security guard is seen being hacked several times with a bush knife and stabbed by two suspects while he lies on the floor, with his jacket covered in blood.



One suspect who seems to be the leader, as he gave orders to his accomplice by pointing towards the second empty till and the other suspect walks towards it.

The suspect, who is seen giving orders in the footage, continues to stab and kick the security guard several times.
PIGGS PEAK  Another life has been lost through suicide. This time, a 15-year-old girl allegedly took her life after she was told to end her relationship with a 21-year-old man. The alleged boyfriend, Lucky Nyamane, was previously arrested and charged with the abduction of the same girl a while ago.



He made an appearance at the Piggs Peak Magistrates Court for trial in the abduction case.



witnesses



The girl, who was doing Form I in one of the schools around northern Hhohho, as well as her mother, are said to have been witnesses in the matter.

She had already testified before court in the alleged abduction matter.



Nyamanes case was still pending when the girl killed herself after being coerced to end the affair with the suspect.

He was out on bail in the matter but he is alleged to have continued to see the underage girl.



One of his bail conditions was that he should not communicate with key witnesses, including the girl.

However, the two are said to have continued with the relationship.



summoning



This resulted in the matter being reported again to the police, who were already looking at summoning the out on bail suspect. At the same time, the teenage girl is said to have been warned at her parental homestead to end the relationship with the suspect. The girl is said to have refused to adhere to this and opted to end her life.



planning



This is said to have happened on Wednesday, at the same time police officers had planned to speak to Nyamane again. The girl is said to have consumed a poisonous substance and was rushed to the hospital but died while undergoing treatment.

Nyamane was later arrested by the police and has already appeared at the Piggs Peak Magistrates Court but was not granted bail because he was charged with contempt of court.



He is currently booked at the Piggs Peak Correctional facility near The Glen Township. A post-mortem is also expected to be done to determine the actual cause of death of the girl.
MBABANE  Two male aspiring senators found themselves out of the race without their knowledge.



The two sat through the election of their competitors without knowing that some of the legislators had already been informed that the duo should not be elected because when their names were taken to the police station for vetting, it turned out that their past was found wanting.



aspiring



Other aspiring senators had also gotten wind that some of their competitors had been disqualified, with some even texting journalists to ask if their disqualification had been announced in the House of Assembly.

Vetting is the process of performing a background check on someone before offering them employment, conferring an award, or doing fact checking prior to making any decision.



It is normally carried out by the police.



disqualified



However, the only candidates who were publicly announced inside the House that they had been disqualified, were those who had lost out during the Primary and Secondary Elections race, who included former Lobamba Member of Parliament (MP) Michael Masilela.



To save face, some of the MPs continued to elect the candidates who had not passed the vetting stage, although it was clear from the counting of the votes that they did not stand a chance to win.

The candidates, though known to this publication will not be named for ethical reasons and the fact that they have not been charged by the police for any wrongdoing.



One of the candidates had been pitted as a front-runner during hushed conversations which were held outside the Parliament building.



informed



However, when the MPs held their caucus, which lasted for about five hours on Tuesday, they were informed that there were also concerns from the higher authorities about the calibre of some of the candidates who had been nominated.



Needless to say, the candidates who allegedly did not perform too well during the vetting process, did not make it into the top five of the eventual winners.

One cannot say much on the issue, but those who had nominated the candidates were also informed of the latest developments, and perhaps they informed their people before the process started, but it had been made clear that some of the people should be considered to be out of the race, said one of the MPs.



divulge



Meanwhile, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer (PICO) Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said as the police they could not divulge any information on the vetting of individuals.



The process that is undertaken is highly confidential and therefore, for security reasons, one cannot state what happens, said Vilakati.

She said after conducting the required scrutiny, their findings were forwarded to the relevant office which the candidate was standing for.
iStock/Thinkstock(ISTANBUL) -- Missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi warned of increasing efforts to silence the media in the Middle East in a column he wrote just before he vanished earlier this month. The "final column" was published online Wednesday.



Karen Attiah, global opinions editor for The Washington Post, wrote that Khashoggis translator sent the article a day after the journalist disappeared while visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.



Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman and the government, was visiting the embassy to fill out for paperwork for his impending marriage. His future wife was waiting for him in the car outside.



Officials in Turkey believe Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate, but his death has not been confirmed. The Saudi government has denied any involvement.



The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen, Attiah wrote Wednesday. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together.



The column was published in Thursday's paper.



Attiah said the article, titled What the Arab world needs most is free expression, was the perfect example of the writers commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world, a freedom she said he apparently gave his life for.



Khashoggi noted how some journalists were imprisoned for speaking out against Arab governments as leaders exercised an apparent free rein to silence the media.



My dear friend, the prominent Saudi writer Saleh al-Shehi, wrote one of the most famous columns ever published in the Saudi press. He unfortunately is now serving an unwarranted five-year prison sentence for supposed comments contrary to the Saudi establishment, Khashoggi wrote. Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate. There was a time when journalists believed the Internet would liberate information from the censorship and control associated with print media.



Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen who fled for the U.S. amid the rise of the crown prince, praised Tunisia as the only free nation in the Arab world and Jordan, Morocco and Kuwait as partly free.



The rest of the countries in the Arab world are classified as not free, he wrote. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative. Sadly, this situation is unlikely to change.



Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face, he added.



President Donald Trump ordered Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to investigate Khashoggis disappearance, but he seemed to side with Saudi Arabia's crown prince, who has denied responsibility.



I just spoke with the king of Saudi Arabia, who denies any knowledge of what took place. The king firmly denied any knowledge of it, Trump said Monday. I don't want to get into his mind, but it sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers.



The president was forced to address the issue again on Wednesday after his previous comments sparked backlash and questions about his ties to Saudi Arabia. When asked on Wednesday if he was covering up for bin Salman, Trump said: No, not at all, I just want to find out what's happening.



He said he expects to have more intelligence by the end of the week.`

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
By Trend





Proportion of coal in the global fuel mix has remained unchanged over 20 years, Bob Dudley, group chief executive of BP, said during the One Young World Summit.

We can expect energy demand to rise by around a third by 2040. Thats like adding a whole new China and a whole new Europes worth of energy demand on top of whats required today, he said.

Dudley said thats an enormous challenge  and its only half the story.

The other half is that we need to bring greenhouse gas emissions down dramatically and quickly to tackle the threat of climate change, he said.

The group chief executive of BP pointed out that after three years when emissions stayed relatively flat they started going up again last year and they look set to rise again this year.

Projections indicate they could grow by around 10 percent by 2040 when they need to fall by half to be in line with the Paris climate goals. In a report looking at what would be required to keep the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees on pre-industrial times it said emissions need to come down by 45 percent by 2030.

So, on the one hand weve got to provide much more energy than ever before. And on the other we have to lower emissions drastically, he said.

Dudley noted that back in 1998, coal made up 38 percent of the global fuel mix in the power sector and the same figure was recorded in 2017.

So in 20 years, despite all the policy initiatives, all the industry collaboration, all the technological innovation  our world still relies on the same proportion of coal for its electricity, he said. Thats a problem, but its also an opportunity. It means we can make a huge difference at speed on emissions and we already have the evidence that it works.

He went on to add that in the US, replacing coal with gas in power generation has helped bring emissions back down to where they were in the early 1990s.

In the UK the change is even more dramatic. Emissions are back where they were in the 1890s, when Queen Victoria was on the throne. Gas has made a big contribution to those reductions because it emits half the carbon of coal when burned to produce power, said Dudley.

The group chief executive of BP noted that the company is committed to advancing a low carbon future. The whole of the company is dedicated to it. Were reducing emissions in our operations. Were improving our products so our customers can reduce theirs. And were creating low carbon businesses.
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Scientific Beta Will Not Include China A-Shares in its Indices

ERI Scientific Beta, a smart beta index provider, aims to build and publish equity indices that reflect the current state of the global economy while exhibiting a high level of liquidity, investability and replicability. To fulfil these objectives, the definition and the construction of the ERI Scientific Beta Universe is essential, as it serves as the basis for all Scientific Beta indices and solutions. The investment community has agreed that the Chinese equity market has undergone substantial changes in terms of accessibility to institutional investors, but Scientific Beta has taken the decision not to add China A-Shares to its universe at present.

Nevertheless, Scientific Beta has recognised the growing importance of China in the global economy and has taken the following actions in this area:

? Creation of a dedicated and independent Chinese geographic basic block made up of 100 liquid constituents to ensure proper representation of the Chinese equity market within the Scientific Beta Emerging Universe. Multi-regional indices offered by ERI Scientific Beta are built by aggregating the strategies constructed at the geographic basic block level based on the total free-float-adjusted market capitalisation of each geographic basic block in the reference capitalisation-weighted index of the global universe. This approach ensures proper exposure to each geographic basic block and avoids taking geographical risks, which correspond to deviations from the weights of economic regions expressed by their market capitalisations.

? Addition of Chinese ADR (American Depositary Receipts) to the list of eligible securities for inclusion in the Scientific Beta Universe. Chinese ADRs offer a level of reassurance for investors, since they are not directly subject to Chinese market regulations while offering exposure to the Chinese economy.

Scientific Beta noted the efforts made by the Chinese authorities to open Chinese equities to institutional investors and align its accessibility with international standards. Nevertheless, some accessibility issues that Scientific Beta considers to be penalising for its clients remain:

? Derivatives products linked to China A-shares need to be pre-approved (in particular index-linked investment products) and can be restricted by the exchange.

? Large number of suspensions affecting China A-shares when compared to other emerging equity markets.

? Stock Connect daily limit: Even if in April 2018, the daily quota of both Northbound stock-connect programs (Shanghai and Shenzhen) between Hong Kong and mainland China quadrupled to RMB 52 billion, the risk of breaching it during index rebalancing still exists.

? Limited securities lending and borrowing market.

Ultimately, the China block, thanks to the inclusion of the American Depositary Receipts provides exposure to China while ensuring a good level of liquidity. The investment capacity and liquidity of the China block is comparable to that of the whole emerging universe and of the global index.

Noel Amenc, CEO of Scientific Beta, said, An investment universe that is dedicated to smart beta needs not only to be representative, but also investable and liquid. The exposure to China in an index can be controlled by creating a China block, not necessarily through an inordinate increase in the number of Chinese stocks, to the detriment of their liquidity.

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:
Addressing Challenges in the Blockchain

The blockchain is here but there are some distinct challenges in implementation of the new technology.

With more than half the experts participating in a new Greenwich Associates study reporting that creating commercial applications for blockchain in financial markets has been harder than expected, the question is: Why have the tech and financial industries lagged their own blockchain expectations?

A new report from Greenwich Associates identifies the key technical challenges that the industry must overcome to unleash blockchain technology in financial markets. The report analyses the list of top challenges, including scalability, hardware security, transaction confidentiality, the payments leg, and the uptake of editable blockchains.

Scalability

Forty-two percent of executives working on blockchain technology in financial markets cite scalability as a top concern for firms implementing distributed ledger technology (DLT) solutions. Its important to note that a few firms have achieved much faster transaction speeds with DLT solutionsshowing that competitive speeds are possible, says Richard Johnson, Vice President of Greenwich Associates Market Structure and Technology and author of Building Blockchains.

Fedcoin for Payments

Every blockchain project looking to build a new market structure for any asset will need to figure out how to handle the payments. Arguably, the most robust solution would be a central-bank-backed digital currency CBDC. CBDC do not currently exist but 14% of companies told us they were working with central banks for a solution.

Transparency, Privacy and ZKP

Although the transparency provided by blockchain may be appropriate for cryptocurrencies and other applications, it is a less desirable feature for enterprise blockchain. For this reason, almost two-thirds of executives believe that incorporating zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP), or similar technology, are an important part of an enterprise DLT solution.

ZKP are a recent innovation, said Richard Johnson. They require an additional layer of cryptography in the consensus protocol that allows one party to prove to another that something is true without revealing any other information.

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:
A UNHCR staff member talks to a survivor of the earthquake and tsunami that caused devastation in Palu, Indonesia.  UNHCR/Fauzan Ijazah

Earlier this morning, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency delivered 435 emergency tents to Balikpapan, Indonesia, for onward distribution to families made homeless by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi. A total of 1,305 tents will be delivered within the course of the next few days.

Further aid, including more emergency tents, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and solar lamps, is set to be delivered in the coming weeks.

The tents were handed over to Indonesian authorities in Balikpapan who assisted with delivering the tents to neighbouring Sulawesi Island. There they will be distributed by UNHCRs partners on the ground, Indonesia Red Cross (PMI/Palang Merah Indonesia) and Yayasan Kemanusiaan Muslim Indonesia (YMKI/ Indonesian Muslim Humanitarian Foundation)

An official assessment from the Indonesia National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) estimates that around 68,000 houses have been damaged by the earthquake and tsunami, while some 80,000 people have become internally displaced as a result. This initial consignment will help to provide much needed shelter to around 6,500 of the most vulnerable affected.

UNHCR applauds the Government of Indonesia and humanitarian workers who have been working tirelessly as first responders in the affected areas over the past three weeks.

Earlier this week, a UNHCR team travelled to Palu in Central Sulawesi, one of the areas most affected by the earthquake and tsunami, to coordinate with local government counterparts and partners, and make advanced preparations.

Our staff described the effects of the earthquake and tsunami as beyond imagination and devastating. Communities have seen their houses, schools and hospitals reduced to rubble. Entire villages have been decimated.

In Petobo and Balaroa, the twin disasters churned the areas into mud. Many people have not only lost their home, but even the land on which it once stood.

Many of the survivors are heavily distressed, though there remains a strong resilience, with people helping each other where they can and by sharing their stories. One woman said that she felt lucky that she had only lost her father, as her husband and son had survived.

Another woman told our staff how she returned to her family home to see what possessions she could salvage but that everything was destroyed, with the exception of one sleeping mat. Others have reported that they feel too traumatized by the earthquake and tsunami to face returning to whats left of their homes.

Sulawesi was struck by a series of strong earthquakes on 28 September, triggering a tsunami and resulting landslides, which have caused extensive damage. More than 2,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives, while at least 680 people remain unaccounted for.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
EU to hold technical negotiations with Belarus on repatriation of migrants - Spokesman 18 Nov 2021 | 2:30 AM Brussels, Nov 17 (UNI/Sputnik) The European Commission will hold technical talks with UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as well as with Belarus on the repatriation of migrants who are on the country's border with the European Union, European Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said. see more..

US mulls COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for everyone at least 18 years old - Health Dept 18 Nov 2021 | 1:38 AM Washington, Nov 17 (UNI/Sputnik) Data showing COVID-19 booster shots effective at preventing the disease among elderly Americans has prompted US health officials to consider expanding booster availability to all adults, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky said on Wednesday. see more..

UN supports migrants at Belarus-Poland Border, seeks more access - Spokesperson 18 Nov 2021 | 1:33 AM United Nations, Nov 17 (UNI/Sputnik) The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will deliver more humanitarian assistance to the migrants stranded at the Belarus-Poland border and is currently negotiating to be granted more access to the area from both sides, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday. see more..

Polish Border Guards spot new migrant camp near EU frontier 18 Nov 2021 | 1:29 AM Warsaw, Nov 17 (UNI/Sputnik) Illegal migrants hoping to make it into the European Union have set up another tent camp on the Belarusian side of the border, the Polish border guard said on Wednesday. see more..
New Delhi, Oct 18 (UNI) India on Thursday exuded confidence that the mandate of the people of Maldives will "prevail" and asserted that New Delhi is looking forward to work closely with the new dispensation under President elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

"In keeping with our 'Neighbourhood First' Policy, India looks forward to working closely with the Maldives in further deepening our partnership," MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar told reporters here.

He said - "India has consistently held the position since the imposition of emergency early this year (in Maldives) that there was a need to protect the democracy in the Maldives and preserve the mandate of the people. India welcomes the acceptance of the verdict of the people of Maldives".

"This election marks not only the triumph of democratic forces in the Maldives, but also reflects the firm commitment to the values of democracy and the rule of law. We are confident that the mandate of the people will prevail," he said.

Answering questions, Mr Kumar said: "You are aware that we have welcomed the successful completion of the third Presidential election process and have congratulated Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on his victory".

He pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke to President elect Solih and offered his personal congratulations.

"Other world leaders have also welcomed the successful conduct of the elections," he said.

Meanwhile, reports from Male said the President elect Solih's party has urged the police to impose a travel ban on outgoing President Abdulla Yameen so that he can face investigations in connection with graft cases that the new ruling regime will launch.

It is generally understood that during the recently held elections in Maldives, the Indian government and various other global powers were in favour of a regime change.

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Tripoli, Oct 19 (UNI) Amid increasingly violent clashes between rival armed groups generating volatile security situation in Libyas capital,Tripoli, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has successfully airlifted 135 migrants and refugees to safety in Niger.

Many of those evacuated have been held in Libyan detention centres for several months, living in wretched conditions and suffering malnutrition and poor health. They are now being hosted under UNHCRs Emergency Transit programme (ETM), pending more permanent solutions. UNHCR Chief of Mission in Libya, Roberto Mignone, said that for many of the Nigeriens, rescue meant the difference between living, and dying.

These evacuations are a life-changing and life-saving escape for refugees trapped in detention in Libya, he said adding Refugees and migrants in detention centres often suffer squalid conditions and are at risk of being sold to traffickers and smugglers.

Many Nigerien migrants making their way to Europe are intercepted while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, ending up in Libyan detention centres, and returning home with accounts of the horrific human rights abuses they have suffered.

This evacuation, the first from Libya since June, brings the total number of migrants and asylum seekers evacuated since December 2017, to 1997.

In a statement issued by UNHCR, another 85 refugees from Syria, Sudan and Eritrea were also flow to relative safety this week, with assistance from the UN migration agency (IOM), and will spend a few days at UNHCRs Emergency Transit Mechanism before flying to Norway.

UNCHR welcomes the efforts of countries coming forward with offers to host refugees leaving Libya, and urges resettlement countries to speed up the process.

People are being intercepted off the Libyan coast faster than we can evacuate them, said Mr. Mignone. We are deeply grateful for all those who have come forward with resettlement places but the simple truth is we need more evacuations, more often.

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New Delhi, Oct 19 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday had a telephone conversation with Dr. Lotay Tshering, President of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa and congratulated him for his partys victory in the third general elections in Bhutan.

Mr Tshogoa was also elected to the National Assembly.

Prime Minister Modi welcomed the successful conduct of general elections, which is an important milestone for consolidation of democracy in Bhutan.
New Delhi, Oct 19 (UNI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi, along with former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and former Union Minister Anand Sharma on Friday called on Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, here.

Mr Wickremesinghe arrived in the national capital on Thursday, for a three-day official visit.

The party shared pictures of the meeting with the Sri Lankan Prime Minister in the micro blogging site Twitter.

Mr Wikremesinghe will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, to discuss wide-ranging issues and furthering economic cooperation between the two countries.

He will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind, while Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will call on Mr Wickremesinghe.

Mr Wikremesinghe is visiting India after a controversy erupted, when a media report claimed that Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena accused India's intelligence agency R&AW of plotting to kill him.

However, Mr Sirisena and the Sri Lankan government outrightly rejected the claims and stated that they regarded Mr Modi as a true well-wisher of the Island nation.

Mr Sirisena, too, spoke to Mr Modi on Wednesday.

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New Delhi, Oct 18 (UNI) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will celebrate Dussehra on October 19 with the Jawans of Border Security Force (BSF) along the Indo-Pak border at Bikaner and also be performing Shastra-Puja there, a senior Home Ministry official said here.

This is for the first time that Union Home Minister will perform worship of weapons (Shatra Puja) along the highly sensitive western border with Pakistan.

Mr Singh will also perform the 'Shastra Puja' at the Border Out Post (BOP) located at the forward areas.
New Delhi, Oct 18 (UNI) Amid controversial media report that claimed Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena accused Indias intelligence agency RAW had plotted to kill him, which was out rightly rejected by Colombo, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived in the national capital on Thursday on a three-day visit.

"Welcoming a deeply valued friend and closest maritime neighbour", tweeted External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

"Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prof Maithree Wickramasinghe arrived in India on an official visit.This is PM's (Wikremesinghe) 5th official visit to India since taking office in 2015", he added.

Mr Wikremesinghe will hold meetings with Indian leaders to further strengthen bilateral relations.

He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to discuss wide-ranging issues and furthering economic cooperation between two countries, official sources said.

The two leaders will also discuss implementing the MOU signed last year on the economic front.

The Sri Lankan Prime Minister will also meet President Ram Nath Kovind, while Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj will call on Mr Wickremesinghe.

According to official sources, two Prime Ministers may review the status of India-assisted housing projects in Jaffna.

Mr Sirisena on Wednesday called up Mr Modi and rejected the media reports on the alleged assassination plot.

In a tweet, Mr Sirisena said, "this evening, I had a very successful telephone conversation with the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who assured India's fullest cooperation towards the development and prosperity of Sri Lanka".

The Sri Lankan President also stated that he regarded Indian Prime Minister as a true well wisher of the Island nation.

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US sanctions would have no impact on economy : Iran

Tehran, Oct 15 (UNI) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that the US sanctions on Iran's oil exports in November would have 'no impact' on the economy and the lives of people.

The enemy has waged a psychological war and "has already done whatever it could have done," Rouhani said in the University of Tehran on Sunday, Xinhua stated.

The impending November 4 sanctions on Iran's oil exports by the US will have 'no impact' on the state of affairs in the country, but the pressures by the current US administration are aimed at a 'regime change' in Iran, President Rouhani said.
(Oct. 19, 2018) -- Government, university and industry leaders gathered at the UTSA Downtown Campus today to advance the partnerships that position San Antonio as a test bed for energy cybersecurity preparedness. The 2018 South Texas Energy Cybersecurity Forum brought together top leaders from across San Antonio, Texas, the military and intelligence communities, and the private sector.

University of Texas System Regent Rad Weaver introduced UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, who delivered opening remarks at the meeting. U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry delivered the keynote address.

We are here to reaffirmin the strongest possible termsour shared commitment to Americas national security and energy security, said Perry. As part of that commitment, we remain dedicated to protecting our energy infrastructure, and to ensuring the reliable, uninterrupted flow of our energy and electricity. Achieving these goals is a national imperative.

Participants at the invitation-only meeting discussed the expertise, strategies and resources available amongst the group to safeguard regional and national energy systems. The discussion was built upon UTSAs robust knowledge enterprise in cyber, cloud, computing, analytics and data as well as its plans for a National Security Collaboration Center and a new School of Data Science.

UTSA is well-positioned to serve as a coordinating force that brings together the public and private sectors and leverages partnerships with the three Department of Energy national labs involved in cybersecurity to revolutionize the way the nation protects its critical energy infrastructure, said Eighmy. By leveraging CPS Energys leadership and the partnerships we have built through our National Security Collaboration Center and School of Data Science, San Antonio could become a test-bed for cyber resiliency strategies, serving as a model in the state of Texas.

San Antonio is the nations second-largest cybersecurity hub outside of Washington, D.C. The citys cybersecurity ecosystem includes more than 80 companies, various colleges and universities and military components such as the 24th Air Force, 25th Air Force, 67th Cyberspace Wing, 688th Cyberspace Wing, FBI Cyber Division and National Security Agency.

The city is also home to CPS Energy, the nations largest, municipally owned energy company, and a wide array of oil and gas companies including corporate offices and small and mid-sized companies focused on downstream, midstream and up-stream operations.

Cyber-attacks on energy companies are on the rise with potential risks of oil market fraud, plant destruction and equipment sabotage. The focus that many energy companies have placed on these risks highlights not only their acute awareness of the issue, but their gravity as well. We must continue our vigilant oversight when it comes to these efforts, said U.S. Congressman Will Hurd. There is no better place to advance the security of the American energy industry than San Antonio, the crossroads of an emerging cybersecurity hub with the South Texas shale boom. I thank UTSA for hosting this forum and Secretary Perry for his continued efforts to ensure the security of our states energy infrastructure for years to come.

To explore the opportunities and challenges related to energy cybersecurity, the event included a panel discussion with Steve Ashby, director, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Zachary Tudor, associate laboratory director of National and Homeland Security, Idaho National Laboratory; Heidi Ammerlahn, director of Homeland Security and Defense Systems, Sandia National Laboratories; Paula Gold Williams, CEO of CPS Energy; Nicole Beebe, director of the UTSA Cyber Center for Security and Analytics; and Greg White, director of the UTSA Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security. Hurd moderated the panel.
UWs GlycoBac and MilliporeSigma Announce New Partnership

Christoph Geisler (left) and Ajay Maghodia are full-time GlycoBac employees who were instrumental in developing Sf-RVN cells. GlycoBac recently partnered with MilliporeSigma to offer a rhabdovirus-free insect cell line for viral vaccines and gene therapy development. (Don Jarvis Photo)

GlycoBac LLC, a University of Wyoming spin-out biotechnology company, and MilliporeSigma recently partnered to offer a rhabdovirus-free insect platform for viral vaccines and gene therapy development.

MilliporeSigma is a multinational conglomerate and subsidiary company to Merck KGaA, based in Darmstadt, Germany.

We are excited to have negotiated an exclusive licensing agreement with this major company, says Don Jarvis, a UW professor of molecular biology and president of GlycoBac LLC. This licensing agreement allows a partnership in which GlycoBac will provide a virus-free insect cell line and MilliporeSigma will provide a chemically defined cell growth medium, which they will market, license and distribute worldwide as a bundled product.

Jarvis says these products are applicable for biomanufacturing of protein-based drugs, such as vaccines. GlycoBacs development of its virus-negative insect cell line -- Sf-rhabdovirus negative (Sf-RVN) -- will enable MilliporeSigma to offer the first platform combining a rhabdovirus-free insect cell line with a defined-growth medium to maximize biomanufacturing safety.

The virus-free insect cell line licensed by MilliporeSigma is a relatively new GlycoBac product, which resulted from research and development that began in spring 2014.

This product has attracted significant attention in the field and provided GlycoBacs first substantial income, Jarvis says. In addition, this product has led to several ongoing partnerships in other fields of use outside the biomanufacturing sector.

For the past 30 years, including more than 20 at UW, Jarvis basic research has focused on developing an insect virus/insect cell system for recombinant protein production. Jarvis spun out GlycoBac in June 2011 after his student, Christoph Geisler, won UWs John P. Ellbogen $30K Entrepreneurship Competition. Underpinning GlycoBac is a number of patents, which the Wyoming Research Products Center, working with Jarvis, has secured to protect this valuable intellectual property.

For more information, call Jarvis at (307) 766-4282 or email DLJarvis@uwyo.edu.
Wyoming Research Scholars Program Offers UW Undergraduates a Host of Opportunities

Olivia Glassock, a junior kinesiology major from Buffalo, works in UW School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Guanglong Hes lab studying the effects of obesity on the cardiovascular system as part of the Wyoming Research Scholars Program. (UW Photo)

Olivia Glassocks entire family attended the University of Wyoming, but she has enjoyed opportunities that didnt exist for her parents, including taking part in funded research starting her first semester.

Glassock, a junior from Buffalo, was part of one of the first freshman classes invited to apply for the Wyoming Research Scholars Program (WRSP).

Part of UWs Science Initiative, the WRSP pairs undergraduate students with faculty mentors to participate in research throughout their undergraduate careers, starting as early as their freshman year. It aims to attract top high school students, retain those students in the sciences, and teach science writing and presentation skills. The program includes a student salary for their research time, funding for research support and supplies, and money for travel to meetings and conferences. Additional funding from the School of Energy Resources helped the program grow to a record 40 scholars this year.

Students in the program come from a wide variety of majors. Glassock, a junior majoring in kinesiology with a minor in physiology, hopes to become a physician assistant.

Physician assistant schools want you to be a widely versed student and involved in things, she says. I thought research was a great way to get involved and see things that normal students dont get to see.

Glassock works in School of Pharmacy Assistant Professor Guanglong Hes lab studying the effects of obesity on the cardiovascular system. She says the research makes everything shes learning in the classroom come to life.

Its one thing to be told what your liver and spleen are, and its another to go into the lab and open up a mouse and take out its liver and spleen and understand why you need them, she says. It makes everything real world.

One of our visions with the Science Initiative, including the Research Scholars Program, is to create a research culture at UW, where students value research and have every opportunity to engage in hands-on discovery though a research project, WRSP Director Jamie Crait says. Coursework is obviously a vital part of an undergraduate education but, for students to really separate themselves from their peers when they graduate, they need to experience what its like to actually do research rather than just read about it or hear about it in a lecture course.

The WRSP includes many community college transfer students, including Rachel Tenney, who recently transferred from Casper College.

I have absolutely loved doing this program so far, says the physics and chemistry major. Its been an incredibly encouraging experience.

Tenney hopes to one day earn her Ph.D. in chemistry. At UW, she works in chemistry Assistant Professor Elliott Hulleys lab on a project involving organometallic complexes used in studying carbon-hydrogen activation, which involves the removing of a proton from a carbon.

You have to learn so much in order to be able to do the research, so its a really good experience, she says. You also make a lot of connections because there are other undergraduates doing research, and you get to meet a lot of graduate students doing research and find out what it would be like to be a grad student.

Tatiana Rice, also from Casper, is in her second year of the program. Shes majoring in physiology and hopes to become a doctor. Rice is working with zoology and physiology Associate Professor Kara Pratt.

We work with the Xenopus tadpole, Rice says. Were studying their visual and neurological development. We set up different situations and environments for them, and we see how they react to different visual stimuli. We study whether or not there are biological reasons for their behavior.

All the scholars participate in outreach events.

Last year, I went to Gillette with another researcher, and we were able to talk to different high school students and Rotary clubs about the Science Initiative and the research were doing, Rice says. We were able to answer a lot of incoming freshmens questions about undergraduate research, which was really cool. We do a lot of outreach.

Rice also appreciates the other professional growth opportunities of the program.

We have a lot of programs to help students grow in their research and see different directions for after our undergraduate experience, Rice says. This includes meeting with alumni and other professionals in the science fields as part of innovative speed mentoring events.

Ive learned skills from this program that I wouldnt have been able to learn any other way, she says.

Tatiana Rice, a Wyoming Research Scholar from Casper, explains her research with tadpoles to students from Steamboat Springs (Colo.) High School. (UW Photo)

The state of Wyoming has done an amazing job supporting us, Glassock says. Keep promoting undergraduates doing research. It opens our minds to a whole new world we never would have gotten to see otherwise.

Listed below are new and returning WRSP students and their hometowns, along with their research topics and faculty mentors.

New scholars:

Boulder, Colo. -- Paul Mathews, agroecology, Using molecular techniques to investigate metabolite and microbiology profiles of kimchi, Bledar Bisha and Jill Keith.

Casper -- Reid Olson, zoology, Potential role of hybridization in the adaptive evolution of cichlids in Lake Kivu, Catherine Wagner; and Rachel Tenney, chemistry/physics, Organometallic complexes used in studying heterolytic C-H activation, Elliott Hulley.

Fort Collins, Colo. -- Frederick Slane, astronomy/astrophysics/physics, Inside out galaxy formation, Daniel Dale.

Gillette -- Bradon Bryngelson, biology/astronomy/astrophysics, research project and faculty mentor TBD; and Rosemary Hopson, zoology/botany, Neighborhood effects on frugivory rates in a novel ecosystem, Corey Tarwater.

Lakewood, Colo. -- Sarah Fanning, geology, Climatic and paleoecological analysis of the Eocene Thermal Maximum 2, Ellen Currano.

Las Cruces, N.M. -- Sydnie Fossberg, biology, research project and faculty mentor TBD.

Lawrence, Kan. -- Emma Dixon, environmental systems science/outdoor recreation and tourism management, research project and faculty mentor TBD.

Newtown, Pa. -- Grace Hartman, environmental systems science, Black carbon particulate analysis in the Dinwoody Cirque, David Williams.

Palmer, Alaska -- Alexa Milbradt, psychology, Navigating virtual spaces: do brain-based correlates of personality predict performance, Meredith Minear.

Parker, Colo. -- Ryan Jardee, petroleum engineering, research project and faculty mentor TBD.

Powell -- Sarah Rich, chemistry, Rare-earth element doped quantum dots with enhanced optical and magnetic properties, Brian Leonard.

Rawlins -- Bryant Jerome, physics, Calculating the interface energetics between uranium nitride and uranium dioxide, Dilpuneet Aidhy.

Rock Springs -- Hanna Ahuja, physiology, Regulatory role of TRP ion channels in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative, neuromuscular, metabolic disease, and pain, Baskaran Thyagarajan.

Sheridan -- Aeriana Roth, electrical engineering, research project and faculty mentor TBD.

Thornton, Colo. -- Josephine Tagestad, biology, Vocal identity, recognition, and variance in Ceratopipra mentalis, Corey Tarwater.

Wauconda, Ill. -- Daniel Stanley, biology/environment and natural resources, Using electroencephalogram (EEG) recording to understand mechanisms underlying sudden unexpected death from epilepsy (SUDEP), Qian-Quan Sun.

Wheatland -- Avery Hanks, physiology, research project TBD, Kara Pratt.

Worland -- Nathan Barrus, zoology, Identifying appropriate taxa as baselines for stable isotope ecology in aquatic ecosystems, Frank Rahel.

Returning scholars:

Buffalo -- Olivia Glassock, kinesiology and health promotion, Physiological effects of obesity in mice, Guanglong He.

Buford -- Amanda Christensen, chemical engineering, Role of membrane progesterone receptor on regulation of IGFBP1 gene expression, Amy Navratil.

Casper -- Tatiana Rice, physiology, Visual neurological development in Xenopus tadpoles, Kara Pratt.

Centennial -- Jacob Williams, chemistry/mathematics/statistics, Discrete tomography techniques on novel grid systems and with multisets, Bryan Shader.

Douglas -- Heather Townsend, biology, Role of TRP proteins in metabolism, exercise and energy expenditure, Baskaran Thyagarajan; and Joshua Walmsley, chemistry, Using measurements at individual nanoparticles to screen electrocatalysts for hydrazine oxidation, Caleb Hill.

East Wenatchee, Wash. -- Zachary Parsons, zoology, Energetic costs of flying at altitudinal extremes, Michael Dillon.

Greybull -- Anna Savage, environmental systems science, Monitoring vegetation phenology using MODIS time-series satellite data, Ramesh Sivanpillai.

Harrisburg, Neb. -- Rebecca Brenner, molecular biology/physiology, Function of N-Acetylgalactosamine in colony development of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Zhaojie Zhang.

Huntsville, Ala. -- Aylin McGough, astronomy/astrophysics, Construction of FHiRE, a high-velocity-precision spectrograph, at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory, Chip Kobulnicky.

Laramie -- Delta Burchi, physiology, Examining synaptic plasticity in response to rewarding stimuli to better understand diseases of reward dysfunction, Travis Brown; Ella DeWolf, molecular biology/microbiology, Microbial community characterization in water lilies and alpine lakes of the Snowy Range, Cynthia Weinig; Isabel Noyes, molecular biology, Investigation of viral infection in swallow nests at high elevation, Myrna Miller; and Kianna Olson, astronomy/astrophysics/physics, A very large array survey of polar BAL quasar candidates, Michael Brotherton.

Littleton, Colo. -- Ryan Parziale, astronomy/astrophysics, Star clusters in nearby galaxies, Daniel Dale.

Liverpool, N.Y. -- Logan Eicholzer, environmental systems science/environment and natural resources, Mapping WY water bodies using satellite images, Ramesh Sivanpillai.

Newcastle -- Madison Crawford, botany, Investigating potential effects of wind turbine color on attracting pollinating insects, Lusha Tronstad.

Sheridan -- Tyler Myers, chemistry, The development of organic synthetic reactions for studying biological processes and building molecular complexity from feedstock chemicals, Michael Taylor.

Sundance -- Olivia Croft, secondary education/biology/earth science, The effect of climate change on snail-parasite relationships, Amy Krist.

Worland -- Narisse Trippel, mechanical engineering/energy systems engineering, Survey and experimental assessment of agricultural crops and waste for biofuel production, Erica Belmont.

To learn more, visit www.uwyo.edu/wrsp.
The B61-12, the new US nuclear bomb which replaces the B-61 deployed in Italy and other European countries, will begin production in less than a year. The announcement was made officially by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). It reveals that the revision of the final project has now been completed with success, and the qualification stage will begin this month at the Pantex Plant in Texas. Production will be authorised to begin in September 2019.

In March 2020, the first unit of production will begin fabricating a series of 500 bombs. As from that time, in other words in about a year and a half, the United States will begin the anti-Russian deployment in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland and probably certain other European countries, of the first nuclear bomb in their arsenal with a precision guidance system. The B61-12 is designed with penetrating capacity, built to explode underground in order to destroy bunkers housing command centres.

Since Italy and the other countries, in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, are offering the USA the bases, the pilots and the aircraft for the deployment of the B61-12, Europe will soon be exposed to a greater risk as the front line of the developing nuclear confrontation with Russia.

An even more dangerous situation appears at the same moment - the return of the Euromissiles, meaning the nuclear missiles which are similar to those deployed in Europe in the 1980s by the USA, with the official aim of defending against Soviet missiles.

This category of ground-based nuclear missiles of intermediate range (between 500 and 5,500 km) were eliminated with the INF Treaty of 1987. But in 2014, the Obama administration accused Russia of having experimented with a cruise missile (# 9M729) whose category was forbidden by the Treaty. Moscow denied that the missile violated the INF Treaty and, in turn, accused Washington of having installed in Poland and Romania launch ramps for interceptor missiles (elements of the  shield ), which could be used to launch cruise missiles bearing nuclear warheads.

The accusation aimed by Washington at Moscow, which is not supported by any evidence, enabled the USA to launch a plan aimed at once again deploying in Europe ground-based intermediate-range nuclear missiles. The Obama administration had already announced in 2015 that  faced with the violation of the INF Treaty by Russia, the United States are considering the deployment of ground-based missiles in Europe . This plan was confirmed by the Trump administration  in fiscal year 2018, Congress authorised the financing of a  programme of research and development for a cruise missile which could be launched from a mobile road base .

The plan is supported by the European allies of NATO. The recent North-Atlantic Council, at the level of Europes Defence Ministers, which was attended for Italy by Elisabetta Trenta (M5S), declared that the  INF Treaty is in danger because of the actions of Russia , which it accused of deploying  a disturbing missile system which constitutes a serious risk for our security . Hence the necessity that  NATO must maintain nuclear forces which are stable, trust-worthy and efficient  (which explains why the members of the Alliance rejected en bloc the United Nations Treaty for the prohibition of nuclear weapons).

So the grounds are being laid for a European deployment, on the borders of Russian territory, of ground-based intermediate-range US nuclear missiles. Its as if Russia were deploying in Mexico nuclear missiles pointed at the United States.
All border-stations between the Syrian Arab Republic and Lebanon have now

been re-opened.

On 15 October the border stations of the Syria region of Quneitra with

Golan, which is occupied by Israel, was reopened. So too were reopened the

border stations of Nassib/Jaber with Jordan.

The Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Jaafari, came to make

preparations for reopening the border-station of Boukamal between Syria and

his country.

The reopening of Syrias border stations with its neighbours (except

Turkey) marks the end of the international hostilities against Syria. It

should also contribute to bypassing the sanctions  that is to say

 to putting an end to the economic war  and re-establishing trade in

the region.
The recent voyage to Kuwait of Saudi Crown Prince, Mohamed ben Salmane, has

deeply troubled Kuwaits leaders.

During his visit, the Crown Prince proposed establishing borders between

the two countries by annexing oil fields (Khafji and Wafra) which have

barely been exploited.

This is exactly the same line he took with Yemen, before exploding it with

a war.

Concerned lest he upset the Saudi Kingdom, the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah

al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah, well reputed for following the middle way,

called on Turkey to protect it.

Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan who also shields the Muslim Brotherhood

immediately responded.

An agreement was signed on 10 October 2018 between the two armies (photo).

The text is being kept a secret but we have learnt that it authorizes the

establishment of a Turkish military base in Kuwait.

Such a base already exists at Qatar. It has permitted Emir Tamim ben Hamad

Al Thani to avoid a war with Saudi Arabia during the 2017 crisis. 3 000

Turkish soldiers were employed there.
After the Daesh attack on the city of Palmyra, China renounced the

traditional silk route (Bagdad, Palmyra, Damas-Tiro). An alternative

trail had been envisaged, no longer across Syria but Turkey. This has also

been abandoned.

During antiquity there was also a secondary route through Petra (Jordan)

and Alexandra (Egypt). In the final analysis, the new Silk route should

pass through Jordan then bifurcate with one branch leading to Egypt and the

other in the direction of Israel.

The path traced through Egypt has been approved by the Obama Administration

which authorized doubling the capacity of the Suez Canal (already done)

and establishing a vast industrial area ( which is underway ).

The Trump Administration would have authorized the trail by Israel. The

Shanghai International Port Group has just bought a concession for

operating the ports of Haifa and Ashdod. China will also built a tunnel

from Mount Carmel to double the supply of Haifas port.

As a result, for 2021, 90 % of Israels international trade will be

controlled by China. This means that the Peoples Republic of China will

join the United States as protector of Israel, a perspective rippling

indignation through US-Israeli military circles.

This decision completely shakes up the regional geopolitics. Till now, arms

matters apart, Beijing was a trade partner of Israel and a political

partner of Hamas (which has a representation at Beijing). In exactly the

same way, China has provided missiles to the Lebanese Hezbollah. From now

on, Hamas and Hezbollah will no longer be able to attack Israeli road,

railway and port targets without entering into conflict with China. Of

course you will recall that the Secretary General of the Hezbollah, Sir

Hassan Nasrallah, had explained that if Israeli attacked from Lebanon,

Hezbollah could bomb nuclear materials stocked at the Israeli port of

Haifa.

This decision also shakes up global geopolitics. The China-Israeli

agreement assumes prior authorization from Washington. The Chinese trade

strategy ignores a series of political conditions: it modifies profoundly

the rationale for the Eurasia Partnership concluded between China and

Russia, which today provides the foundation for the alliance between the

two countries.

In the ultimate analysis, the announcement of this new journey reveals a

secret agreement between Beijing and Washington, despite the mutual

escalation of custom rights between the two Great Powers.

If this Chinese project is realized, each state in the Middle East is going

to reposition itself. Then every state in the world will have to adapt

themselves to this new situation.
We have addressed the subject of the new Russian hypersonic missiles in the

two previous articles [1]. We wrote:

The probability of destroying an airplane carrier with these two types

of hyper sonic missile, piercing the AA defense is 88%. This means that, if

100 hypersonic missiles are launched, 88 will pierce the AA defences and

destroy their targets.

Applying the math to the specific case of the United States: if 11 Russian

hypersonic missiles are launched against the 11 existing US airplane

carriers, only 1.3 missiles would fail to reach their targets.

My conclusions from this were as follows:

 if the US attacked South Russia (the coast of the Black Sea), Russian

hypersonic missiles could destroy a US naval group at Gibraltar.

 if the US attacks the North and West of Russia (the Baltic Sea and the

Arctic Ocean), the Russian hypersonic missiles could destroy a US naval

group in East Greenland.

Of course, these are purely theoretical calculations that could be excluded

by the specific conditions in which war was actually conducted.

Following the publication of these two articles, CNBC, the US TV Channel,

published a declaration made by an anonymous person who claimed to have

seen an US Intelligence Report [2]. This anonymous person declared that the

Russians have concluded that the carbon fibre material used to construct

the fuselage of their hypersonic missiles is junk, and would not therefore

provide the protection needed at high temperatures. The report that cites

this person recommends that Russia should select a new material for

hypersonic missiles over the next 12 months.

I am not challenging the authenticity of the CNBC report. My worry is that

the report probably does not refer to hypersonic missiles but to the

Russian navy. The carbon fibre material provides good resistance to

mechanical shocks and is invisible to radars. This is why it is used in

modern war ships. Having said that, it cannot resist a thermal shock such

as the one to be used in the Avangard system.

It is important to know that when they return to the atmosphere at a speed

close to 7.8 km/s (28 000 km/h), a space of 1 meter separates the inclined

shock wave preceding the cosmic vehicle and the stationary shock wave that

accompanies it. The time needed for a molecule of air to speed through this

space is about 18 micro seconds. In that period of time, the molecule of

air in the shock wave undergoes a chemical process which frees up heat

energy. This returns the air molecule to its state of initial state of

equilibrium.

Dr Yuri A. Dunaev of Leningrad State University and H. Julian Allen, A.J.

Eggers, from the Department of Aerodynamic Theory of the Laboratory of Ames

(NASA), have discovered the most efficient way to dissipate energy. It is

to lower the temperature that the cosmic vehicle would have to tolerate

when it re-enters the atmosphere, increasing its resistance to its

progression.

The thermochemical decomposition of organic materials at high temperatures

and in the absence of oxygen is known as pyrolysis. The thermic ablative

shield is made of components which, in the process of pyrolysis, are

carbonized, melted and sublimated, i.e., transformed straight from the

solid state directly to the gaseous state. The role of the thermal ablative

shield is to block the flow of heat created by the shock wave from entering

the vehicles structure. This type of shield of re-entering the

atmosphere is used in Soyuz space capsules.

This system is often used for vehicles re-entering the atmosphere.

It is a monolithic ablator that can be moulded into different forms. It is

a fragile ceramic compound called (Silicone Impregnated Reusable Ceramic

Ablator). This compound is applied directly to the hull of the Bourane

space ships, the X-37B space ship , and also the Avangard.

As for the hypersonic missiles Kh-47M2 Kinzhal and 3M22 Zircon, these never

leave the earths atmosphere but move at a maximum height of 40-50 km, at

speeds of 8 Mach (9 800 km/h) and 10 Mach (12 250 km/h). Neither of the

two fuselages is composed of carbon fibre, but from a titanium alloy (33 %)

which resists kinetic heating. It is the same material used by the North

America plane X-15 with rocket motors which in October 1967, established a

record speed of 7 272 km/h, (Mach 6,72), flying at a height of 31 120 m.
Photo: Courtesy of Amazon Studios

The best news about the addiction-and-recovery (and-relapse-and-recovery-and relapse-and-recovery) drama Beautiful Boy is that Timothee Chalamets breakout performance in Call Me By Your Name wasnt a fluke.

Apparently, hes all that. As the 18-year-old crystal meth addict Nic Sheff, Chalamet has perpetually unkempt locks and a skinniness that alters his center of gravity, leaving him easily jolted by forces within and without. Chalamet was also hyper-reactive in Call Me By Your Name, but with different, more languid rhythms, as if hed been softened by the Italian sun: You could read his longing in his flesh and muscles. Here, fully clothed, hes jumpy, furtive, now defiant, now twisted with shame. At times, hes as raw as a little boy, at others a hardened liar. Mostly, his Nic is unformed.

The teen has grown up in affluent Marin County, but the director, the Belgian-born Felix Van Groeningen, goes out of his way to show us albums on Nics shelf by the sludge metal band the Melvins and books by Charles Bukowski that present addiction as an existential statement of hipness. The son of a controlling magazine writer, Nic is one of those kids who break free and end up in a different and more dangerous prison.

With Luke Davies, Van Groeningen adapted not one but two memoirs, the first by Nics father, David (Beautiful Boy), the second by Nic (Tweak), but its the fathers experiences that, alas, occupy the foreground. That means long stretches of Steve Carell bulging his eyes and looking strenuously pained. An amusing caricaturist in Foxcatcher and The Big Short, Carell is tight and superficial in most serious parts, purging himself of all humor. Hes not quick-witted. His stiffness might have worked for Beautiful Boy  it could be the key to Davids inability to get on his sons wavelength. But in that case, it would have to seem like Carells choice instead of his limitation.

Theres a deadly earnestness to the structure. Beautiful Boy opens with Davids visit to an unseen authority on drug addiction who turns out (in later scenes) to be played by Timothy Hutton  a nice reveal given Huttons triumph as the maladapted teenager in Ordinary People, but amounts to little more than an in-joke. The journalist in David wants to learn all he can about crystal meth, and so we hear about dopamine depletion and other not-so-fun facts that dont end up contributing much to his scenes with Nic.

Countering despair with science could have made for some amusingly awkward moments. I should know, having repeatedly told my very-sad daughter, Smile  it releases endorphins, which not only made her increasingly angry but turned out not even to be true.

As in his other films, Van Groeningen creates a tapestry of flashbacks, here of father and son at different, more intimate stages of their lives. This makes for a lively, varied palette but not an especially illuminating one. (Whose big idea was it to use Sunrise, Sunset, I wonder? Its not just on the nose  it breaks the nose.) The movie might be an instance of the subjects being too close to the moviemakers. The director doesnt seem to want to take any shots  even gentle ones  at David or the familys startling upscale lifestyle. The Sheffs, David and his second wife, an artist played by Maura Tierney, have a woodsy dream house, which raises the question: Was there inherited money or does magazine writing pay that well? Its a welcome break when Amy Ryan enters the film as Nics mother, who lives in Los Angeles. Ryan is alive onscreen, with several different emotions  guilt, grief, irritation, and more guilt  passing over her face in an instant.

And then theres Chalamet Despite the unevenness and splintered syntax, Beautiful Boy finally takes hold. Nics first relapse is nightmarish, his second also nightmarish. To complain of repetition is to miss the point. Its the repetition that wears people down  addicts and parents and friends alike. In one scene, David begs Nic to come home, and Chalamets Nic quivers with indignation that his dad could think hes using again when he just wants to be independent and also get some money for something. In a later scene, its Nic who begs to come back while his father and stepmother force themselves, on the advice of councilors, to close the door. A test of an actor is playing someone whos split in so many ways that he moves forward while looking backwards and vice versa, and Chalamet is already a master. Hows his iambic pentameter? I smell something rotten in Denmark if he has the technical skills.

Beautiful Boy has an ending that is at once open and conclusive. Will Nics recovery take? The conclusive thing is the twin memoirs and the movie. Nic and David came onstage after the movies Toronto International Film Festival premiere, which in this day and age is a kind of closure. Now Nic doesnt just owe it to his parents and himself to stay clean. He owes it to us  and Timothee Chalamet.
Photo: Photophunk/Supplied

Funkadelic never said that a lecture is funkier than a party  but they werent far off. To wit: understanding why one of New Yorks hottest techno tickets this weekend isnt some 2 a.m. DJ gig in a Bushwick warehouse, but a talk that members of Detroits Underground Resistance (UR) collective will give with visual artist Kevin Beasley at Performance Space (formerly P.S. 122) during civilian hours, requires knowing some history. In todays dance-music discourse, thats like being asked to eat your spinach.

Yet now more than ever, as Brooklyns club scene churns with money (real estate!) and talent (heavy on incredible female and queer DJs and producers) the all-too-rare appearance by UR in the city partly built on commodified beats is a nutritional reminder that those who dont know their past will have trouble creating a useful future. Maybe not so much musically, as socially and economically. Because the gospel of global, sustainable techno ethics has long been part of URs message, whether delivered from a DJ booth or at a roundtable.

Underground Resistance was founded in 1989 by Mad Mike Banks, a Detroit session musician of some renown, and Jeff Mills, whose DJing reputation leaped off the citys FM band to earn him the nickname The Wizard. The hard-hitting, machine-subverted dance music they and early members like Robert Hood and Blake Baxter exported to London and, especially, the newly reunified Berlin, gave UR an almost-instant international audience.

In the process, the Afro-futurist, anti-corporate, music-first/ego-never DIY values these young African-American men brought from Detroit  often spelled out on the record labels and lacquered into the grooves of their 12s  helped define the citys uncompromising dance scene. Not for nothing was UR labeled, the Public Enemy of techno, or that UR T-shirts stand next to only the Olde English font of the Tigers D, as the classic, in-the-know fashion accessory signifying the citys techno heritage.

Central to URs self-empowering approach was the collectives early decision to control all the modes of creativity and production. For that purpose, they established Submerge, a distribution company that over the last quarter century has helped distribute many of Detroits great independent dance labels. While the mainstream media narratives typecast the city as poverty-stricken by drugs, crime, and the death of the automotive industry, Submerge showcased Detroits undiminished musical side, while also embedding techno rebellion and uncompromising perseverance beside Motowns DNA.

The whole idea of controlling your distribution was key to the survival of Detroit as a musical force, says Cornelius Harris, over the phone. He joined UR in the mid-90s to help Mad Mike write the incendiary verses of UR communiques; now hes the collectives manager, and one of the people wholl be speaking at Performance Space, along with the DJs Mark Flash and John Collins. A lot of times, the economic piece of it gets overlooked. People dont typically look at [dance music] as business  they think its just a bunch of fun parties and whatnot. They dont understand how the economics of it empowers people, especially when there arent a lot of other opportunities.

Handling your own business became among URs founding civic techno trademarks. When UR went to Berlin [in 1990], continues Harris, that ended up becoming the framework that Berlin built itself on, a type of model that people looking to do something independently could take and use to build their own scenes.

Despite the exceptional artists who had laid the foundation for UR, that model was less individualist than collectivist in its mentality. Members performed in masks, refusing to be photographed, and when older artists left for solo careers, they were replaced by new soldiers. DJ Dex, a third-wave member, calls URs a blue-collar techno created for research and development purposes. And though they had the odd hit  most famously, DJ Rolandos 1999 smash, Knights of the Jaguar, which Sony Germany, seemingly unaware of the collectives stance towards corporate entities, first attempted to license, and then bootlegged as a cover version, before being issued a cease-and-desist  URs inspiration and perspiration trumped the notions of both traditional success and genius.

In true Detroit fashion, these values were constructed on the importance of labor  not preached so much as made precedent. Yet these values were also informed by the social purposes that club spaces developed during the inner-city crises of the Reagan years as defensive strategies. Harris calls these spaces responses, where people within communities were coming up with something better. It was therapy. People would talk about music being their drug, and the club as a way to escape, as an alternative, [about] a certain kind of freedom that you might not have outside a club. Then he adds, Thats something maybe you dont see as much anymore, and you dont get as much of this idea of free space, or of liberation.

That a certain amount of freedom has been lost in broader club culture is not an unfamiliar critique to anyone whos been paying attention to it for long enough. But Harris refuses to attribute this condition to the money thats pouring into dance music, blaming it more on the attitude that comes in with it, the idea that money is the only thing of value, [as opposed to] valuing the culture that people are actually paying for.

Talks such as the one that will take place on Saturday night  the official title is Man Machine, but both Harris and Beasley admit it could veer into any number of directions  are a way to bring other perspectives into view, perspectives that a party cant provide. Its something that maybe will allow you to get more out of the club, Harris says of the program. Theres a certain kind of understanding that youre gonna get in the club situation that I dont think you could get in a conversation; but, at the same time, theres elements that are good to talk about and to share  the social and economic impact of this music [for instance]  that I dont think are given enough credit.

And though Harris prefers to let URs work speak for itself, hes not without anecdotes as to how the groups ethics work in real-time, or the purpose he hopes they will serve.

I recently had someone request that we do a performance in a country that still has slavery and we refused. But it was interesting because this person really didnt understand what that meant and got a little upset. I dont see [the refusal] as anything controversial or radical or whatever. At the same time, Im really proud of being part of this lineage that extends back to people like Paul Robeson and Lena Horne and Ray Charles, artists and athletes doing whats right and representing things in the ways they should, as opposed to the ways things are often done. Its really out of respect for that legacy to continue down that path, and I like to think that its really just keeping that tradition alive.
Kathleen Zellner in Making a Murderer Part Two. Photo: Netflix

Making a Murderer isnt what youd call a charismatic show. The small-town Wisconsinites who populate the Netflix true-crime series are generally understated, save perhaps for Steven Avery himself, who exudes a naive, matter-of-fact charm. But attorney Kathleen Zellner, whose fight to exonerate Avery for the murder of Teresa Halbach is a major part of Making a Murderer Part Two, brings a different energy: Shes big-city confident, dressed to the nines, and unafraid to make waves in the service of her client, whom she thoroughly believes is innocent.

The Chicago-based lawyer refers to herself as an attorney for the innocent, and her lifes work has been the release of the wrongly convicted. Zellner simply wants to free innocent defendants, and shes done it a remarkable 19 times to date  more, she claims, than any other lawyer in private practice.

After beginning her career in more typical fashion at an equity firm, Zellner was thrust into the defense of a decidedly gruesome killer named Larry Eyler. Her experience with that case set Zellner onto her current path. Defending corporations and helping Exxon or Shell Oil raise their stock price, most people find, over a lifetime, is not satisfying, she told Law Crossing years ago. And thats the wonderful thing about the legal profession. There are many people who need help, there are many creative ways to help them, and there are many causes that are extremely worthy of effort and you can find something like that and devote yourself to it. (Lest that sound too altruistic, she also said she makes more money than 99.9 percent of all lawyers while pursuing that noble cause.)

Zellner seems drawn to cases that lend themselves to twisty investigations like Averys in Making a Murderer. The thread that ties her work together is knotted, but her biggest cases tend to all share one thing: innocent men who look guilty. Many also share a more sinister underlying detail: crooked cops and prosecutors happy to fudge evidence in order to secure convictions, regardless of whether theyre convicting the right people. Below, we take a close look at five of Zellners most notable wrongful-conviction trials over the years, some of which have obvious parallels to Averys case.

Larry Eyler

In 1990, Zellner was appointed to defend Larry Eyler, a man facing the death penalty for the 1984 murder of a 15-year-old boy. Eyler was also a suspect in many more killings  as many as 23 in a two-year period  so Zellner tried to bargain with the state: If she convinced Eyler to admit to the other killings, thereby giving grieving families some closure, she wanted him committed to prison for life instead of being executed. The state of Illinois didnt take the deal, though, and Eyler ended up dying of complications from AIDS in 1994. Before his death, Zellner convinced Eyler to admit to her all of his killings, including 21 unsolved murders, and allowed her to release the names after he died. In Making a Murderer Part Two, Zellner mentions how her experience representing Eyler would help shape her career: I really didnt want to do another case like that, and I didnt want to represent anyone that was guilty.

Joseph Burrows

The shorthand version of Zellners role in freeing Joseph Burrows from death row  where hed been imprisoned for five years  is that her masterful courtroom skills caused the real killer to confess, right there on the stand. The more detailed story is even more impressive: Zellner visited Gayle Potter in prison over the course of a year, slowly convincing her to tell the truth at a post-conviction hearing for Burrows, whom Potter had falsely claimed was her accomplice. Getting Potter to confess was the only way to free her client, and Zellner pulled it off. The Los Angeles Times ran a fascinating (and massive) history of the case back in 1994.

Alprentiss Nash

Nash spent 17 years in prison for a botched 1995 drug robbery that led to the murder of a man named Leon Stroud. Astonishingly, he was imprisoned despite obvious evidence that could have proven his innocence  the killer left behind a ski mask that wasnt tested for DNA. Police were also accused of coercing witness statements to implicate Nash, who claimed he was shopping during the murder. It wasnt until Zellner came onboard and insisted on new DNA testing  again, the ski mask was in evidence the whole time  that Nash was conclusively proven innocent, released from prison in August 2012, and another man arrested for the crime. Tragically, Nash was shot and killed three years later during a failed robbery attempt.

Ryan Ferguson

In this nightmarish 2005 trial, Fergusons friend Charles Erickson took the witness stand and detailed how Ferguson murdered 48-year-old Kent Heitholt. Another eyewitness also pointed the finger at Ferguson, and he was sentenced to 40 years in prison. No physical evidence corroborated their testimonies, but Ferguson was nevertheless convicted and sentenced to 40 years. He was in prison for nearly a decade before Zellner was able to extract statements from both of those key witnesses, who claimed their testimony was falsified and coerced by police and prosecutors. Zellner also learned that the prosecution withheld potentially exculpatory evidence from the original defense team, including testimony from another eyewitness who told the prosecution that Ferguson was definitely not the person she saw at the crime scene. Ferguson sued  with help from Zellner, of course  and was awarded $11 million in damages. After his release in November 2013, Ferguson said, To get arrested and charged for a crime you didnt commit, it is incredibly easy and you can lose your life very fast, but to get out it takes an army.

Kevin Fox

In 2004, Foxs 3-year-old daughter Riley was found dead in a creek not far from their familys home in Wilmington, Illinois. With no real leads for months (and in a move that may have been colored by local politics), police brought in Fox for a grueling 14-hour interrogation, during which he was shown pictures of the crime scene and threatened with prison rape. He confessed during that interrogation, but recanted almost immediately. Zellner chased after DNA evidence  the killers saliva  which the local police seemed hell-bent on not having tested. The saliva ultimately proved that Fox wasnt the killer, and eventually another man confessed to the crime. (In a truly strange twist, the real killer, Scott Eby, left a shoe at the crime scene with his last name written in it.) Zellner then helped Fox sue the Will County police, who were found to have framed him. Fox was awarded more than $15 million in damages, though that number was later reduced. Chicago magazine ran a heartbreaking deep dive into the case back in 2006.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Lenny Letter, the website and newsletter created by Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, will be shutting down on Friday, Digiday reports. The publications contributors were reportedly told last week.

Started in 2015 by the Girls co-creators, Lenny Letter first launched as a weekly email newsletter with advice, essays and product recommendations for millennial women, before expanding to a website. Its mission statement read at the time of its launch: Lenny is your over sharing Internet friend who will yell at you about your finances, help you choose a bathing suit, lamp, president  AND tell you what to do if you need an abortion.

Over the course of its existence, Lenny Letter featured a spate of essays fromDunham, her famous acquaintances (like Jennifer Lawrences piece about pay disparity in Hollywood), and acclaimed writers, including its former editor Jessica Grose. It also launched a podcast collaboration with Janet Mock. But the website also faced controversy. Notably, in November 2017, author Zinzi Clemmons wrote an open letter in which she said she would no longer write for the outlet. In her letter, Clemmons accused Dunham of racism, and called out Dunham and Konners decision to publicly defend Girls writer and executive producer Murray Miller against an allegation of sexual assault. (They later apologized.)

During its tenure, the newsletter grew to more than 500,000 subscribers, and a separate book publishing arm (called Lenny) published several titles. Digiday notes that Lenny Letter began through a partnership with Hearst, before transitioning to Conde Nast last October.

The Cut has reached out to Conde Nast for comment and will update if we hear back.
Photo: Frank Hoensch/Redferns

Not quite ten minutes into Neneh Cherrys latest album, Broken Politics, she purrs atop a delicate vibraphone line: Its my politics / living in the slow jam. That line captures Cherrys peculiar sense of space in music. Though Broken Politics is only her fifth solo album in 30 years, Cherry remains a stylish icon, spanning punk, pop, dub, hip-hop, dance, and all sonic spaces in-between, ever exploring herself and her place in the world. Neneh was born into a particularly creative household: her mother Moki was a striking Swedish visual artist, and her stepfather, the musician Don Cherry, was one of jazz musics most fearless explorers, both alongside Ornette Coleman in his classic quartet and elsewhere. (The vibraphone mentioned above is played by Karl Berger, a longtime Don Cherry collaborator, which brings the Cherry connection full circle.) As a teen, Neneh fell in with London punks like the Slits and Rip Rig + Panic, before her own solo career led her to the top of the charts with Buffalo Stance.

Judging by the title, Broken Politics is a comment on our present moment. But it also speaks to interiority, as well: The 12 songs are by turns ruminative, angry, disappointed, and quietly defiant. So what does it mean to have your politics be living in a slow jam? I was tapping into my sense-memory of being 20 and how important the dialogue of music has been for me, politically, Cherry said, speaking from her home in London. I was trying to remember that feeling of being in a room with people and everything makes sense. You often feel misunderstood and youre in this warm place of sound and feel included. So while her latest might scan as her most political to date, throughout her life, her music has always had a political current running through it. Vulture asked her to discuss a few significant songs from her long career.

Don Cherry and Organic Music Theatre, Live in Italy, RAI Studios, 1976

This is a performance from Don Cherrys Organic Music Theatre, recorded and broadcast on Italian television in 1976. About thirty minutes in, we see you seated between Don and your mother Moki. Then you get up and dance.

I have seen this video. In fact, we watched it soon after my mothers funeral. The day after the funeral we watched this on the big screen in the family home, where a lot of that music came together. The idea that Don and Moki had for the Organic Music Theater incorporated life; the way that they were living played a big part [in] how they were creating the music and the art. The family was at the core and center of that. Eagle-Eye [Nenehs half-brother] and I were a big part of that life-force for those ideas. It was a continuing thing, the creativity as a part of the life and the home. The music was made at the same time we were playing or while food was being made. Whatever else needed to happen. My mother wrote a great collection of words describing that: The stage is the home and the home is the stage.

My parents were very much committed to finding your own voice. They liked to work with artists who could share but who also had a strong, individual core. Don enjoyed playing with the genius jazz players, but he was also committed to more naive musicians that had an openness and innocence to what they were doing. The doors werent closed. I got to a point in my life now where Im appreciating how the valuable groundwork my family laid has given us this platform were on now. A lot of their ideas then were ahead of their time, but they were in time. I feel those threads are vital spinal cords, Im connecting to them more and more. The journey I have taken, thats the root. That lifestyle and way you lived and where the ideas were born was very political. The music was political. They were creating a kind of independence. At the core, these were freedom songs, searching for freedom within all of the things that take place around you.

Rip Rig + Panic, Constant Drudgery Is Harmful to Soul, Spirit & Health

[Laughs.] None of the Rip Rig + Panic songs had titles that had anything to do with the songs. I never know what song is being referred to. I joined the group near the end of the recording. I ended up with the London punks because of my family. All the seeds were planted where I grew up in Sweden. I met Gareth Sager (from Rip Rig) when Don was on tour with the Slits. There was a strong influence from [Don Cherrys 1975 album] Brown Rice and the music my family was a part of and thats maybe why there was a strong connection. It was monumental in my coming out, because I found a freedom in punk. The music was familiar to me. It was musical and avant-garde and free with a simple kind of spirit, but for my generation. We were carrying it on in our own way. I never felt I was doing it because of my family or my upbringing.

I was only 16, but it didnt matter. It was about doing it and what we were saying. Its interesting to me when I think about self-made politics, what it means to be a human being, the aspect of being and sharing thoughts and ideas as a family. Maintaining and being true to yourself, how important and how powerful that is. How powerful the voice of survival in politics is, telling the stories and telling your stories through music. Definitely the music I grew up with is very much about that and I think all the music that appeals to me has always been about questioning or answering back or provoking a riot with frequency.

1981 was a fraught time in London with Margaret Thatcher in power and race riots in Brixton, Birmingham, Leeds, and Liverpool. What was the feeling in the air at that time?

It was a mixture of a very volatile energy and edginess, a sense that it would take very little to tip the pot. There was frustration and anger and at the same time, that is provoked by consciousness. Youre on the edge because youre conscious of the fact that things are wrong. We live in a time like that now. Theres a thin line because people are frustrated and unhappy [with] the way that things are going and theres a very strong sense of neglect. Education is crumbling, health care and economic survival, fascism, racism, were right there and its washing over us everyday.

But its interesting, isnt it? Youre also provoked into having to think about things, youre challenged by these elements everyday. It makes for a very important dialogue at the end of the day, because you cant contain it in a box and pretend it isnt there. That era is like that. I got into following sound systems like Jah Shaka at the time and there was this consciousness and this sense of pride and uncompromising spirit, and a lot of youth men and women carrying their heads high and strong.

Raw Sex, Stop the War b/w Give Sheep a Chance

What had been punk evolved into a place where a lot of those ideas and sounds people were making were cross-pollinating. Reggae and dub was a huge influence. The Falklands War was happening at that time. I had been offered a one-off with Island Records. It was the first time I combined melodic singing and some rapping. That was where my head was at, listening to hip-hop in downtown NYC clubs.

Wars make a lot of money. They kill a lot of innocent people and cause a bunch of shit. But wars are a bloodsucking device to have more power, to get elected, to get reunited with the White House, and it turns over a lot of cash. On a regular basis, people want to go to war for those benefits. Its a vampire. Those same mistakes are [made] on repeat.

Neneh Cherry, Buffalo Stance (live on Top of the Pops)

You performed your big hit on Top of the Pops while pregnant with your second child, which caused a furor in the U.K. This was a few years before Demi Moore appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair and decades before the likes of M.I.A. and Cardi B also showed off their baby bumps during performance.

Was it revolutionary? No one comes into the world without passing through a woman. Thats the only way in or out! I had already been pregnant and doing gigs until seven months along. I didnt feel that it should be done any other way. I was interested in caring for and carrying my child, but I think that actually it gave me spirit and it worked for me. I was more interested in doing it that way. I wasnt going to go away from the public eye or wrap myself in a big sheet or have them film me from the neck up.

Im interested in change, in changing things. Im allergic to the confinements of society saying, You cant do that. I didnt do it to be provocative, I just want to get on with this, and thats what we did. It was weird signing a solo deal and being conscious of that oppression lurking for women out on their own, the entrapment of sexy: Be sexy; be smiling all the time.

Neneh Cherry, Manchild

Manchild has been described as being about a full-grown man who has a little more growing up to do. Are men held to a different standard and not held accountable for their actions?

There was a lot of attention given to the fact that I was pregnant during this time. Director Jean-Baptiste Mondino came to my house a few weeks after my second daughter was born. It was a continuation to have the baby with me for the video. He built this camera that rocks side-to-side so the video has this cradle effect. Im definitely a woman, but Manchild was an attempt to communicate through my womanhood to relate to what it might be like to be a man. I was trying to have some insight. Its not easy for men to be human. The role-playing of men, I was trying to sympathize with those notions of being a man. Its not a dig, but empathic.

Youssou NDour featuring Neneh Cherry, 7 Seconds

This song reminds me of what your father did, crossing and interacting with other cultures. I was also surprised to see it has over 60 million views on YouTube.

Music is one place where there shouldnt be any boundaries. We dont have to be stuck behind borders; music is a dialogue. For me and Youssou, it was important to make that reach and make an exchange culturally and sonically. Youssou was a new generation and a pioneer of Africa. Now Africa is so strong, look at Afrobeats and whats coming out of South Africa and the music is just flying through. There was the politics of that, our different languages, and Youssou went beyond that tag of world music and thats what we were trying to do, celebrating diversity and representation and making a sound of now.

Neneh Cherry, Kong

The video touches on ideas of colonialism and the current refugee crisis and yet theres a sense of futility in the line: Im a member of shattered illusions.

I feel very sad and angry about so many things. Broken Politics are broken promises. Thinking about refugees and people who have to leave, very desperate situations. That is whats forgotten. People who [are] leaving their family, who they love. I dont want to take someones place and these are real stories. I was just trying to feel myself where Im leaving, where Im heading to a place where maybe theres been a promise that I can provide for my family, I can find something better. I take this crazy life-threatening journey to come to this environment of promise and wealth and stability. And your illusions are crushed. You instead face this thing where youre an afterthought and seen as a creature who just feeds off the land. The diversity is what makes it beautiful. When I walk around in London, the combination of everything is what makes it.
Photo: Europa Press/Europa Press via Getty Images

What do Idris Elba, James Corden, and Ian McKellen all have in common? If you said, Theyre British! then you need to dream bigger. They are all now part of the cast of Tom Hoopers forthcoming screen adaptation of Cats. Deadline reports that Dench will take on the role of Deuteronomy, leader of the feline tribe the Jellicles, who decides which of her fellow cats will be chosen to be born into a new life on the Heaviside Layer. She will also be joined by Jennifer Hudson, Mette Towley, Laurie Davidson, and Taylor Swift in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

Dench, however, has not always been a Cats fan. She once addressed students in a classroom at the Borough of Manhattan Community College and said she was cast in a stage production of the show, but had to back out because of an injury. Turns out, she was relieved to have missed her Cats moment at the time. I went to see it and thought, Im glad I wasnt in that, she told the students, according to The New York Daily News. So either Tom Hoopers vision so inspired Dench that shes taking a leap of faith, or her views on Cats have just wildly changed since a year ago.
If youre the kind of person who watches The Good Place, demographically speaking youre probably also the kind of person who keeps up with current events. If so, youve no doubt read the recent dire reports about the future of humanity on a rapidly warming planet, which means that at some point during the past couple of weeks youve likely spent at least a few minutes staring helplessly into space, pondering our collective fate.

The Good Places humans are similarly dumbstruck this week, when they learn from Michael and Janet that no matter what happens, theyre literally damned if they do and damned if they dont. If all hope is indeed lost, whats our next step? Shed our worldly possessions? Lean hard into selfishness? Eat a pot of chili made with M&Ms and Marshmallow Peeps?

In addition to being very funny  and thus a nice half-hour break from reality  this weeks episode, Jeremy Bearimy, has some helpful suggestions for what to do when theres nothing to be done.

The trouble starts for Chidis study group when they wander into Tahanis wine cellar, and find Janet and Michael standing in front of this crazy space-door, talking about how the Good and Bad Places work. What are afterlife points, and who has the most, and is it me? Tahani wonders aloud, prompting Michael to excuse himself so he can ask Janet, Serious question: Should we kill them? (Their bodies are very poorly made. Its mostly goo and juice. You just take the juice out and then theyre dead.)

Once the initial hubbub dies down and Michael admits that he and Janet are not in fact FBI-affiliated paranormal investigators, everyones left to reckon with the raw facts of the matter. Given that Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani, and Jason know about the Good Place, even if theyre perfect from now on, they wont get in, because their motivation to be better people has been permanently corrupted. So sorry for eternally dooming you, Michael sighs. Thats our bad, guys, adds Janet.

All of the above happens in roughly the first five minutes of this weeks chapter, after which a disgusted and depressed Eleanor screeches, See you in Hell! and laughs sardonically at how apt that phrase has become. The group splinters, haunted by their own impotence. For the rest of the episode (all set on the same day), the characters grapple with the big existential questions. If nothing matters, then what? How do you even spend the next few hours, let alone the rest of your life?

Option one: spread joy. Tahani initially dips a toe into the waters of anonymous philanthropy, giving $2 million to the Sydney Opera, with the request that they not name anything after her, As lovely as it would be to add to my collection of wings and atria. Then Jason convinces her that itd be more meaningful just to hand money directly to ordinary folks: to the dumpster-diver, to the street violinist who can now buy a bigger chin-guitar, to the pram-pushing mother to whom Tahani asks, Are you poor? Jason recalls that when he was just scraping by, stacks of cash like the ones theyre handing out would have meant I couldve gone to real doctor, instead of pretending I was a big dog so I could go to the vet. The difference theyre making may be small and fleeting, but it matters.

Option two: wallow. A dazed Chidi doffs his shirt (showing off how impressively sculpted William Jackson Harpers torso is), walks into a BNG, buys a cartload of canned chili and candy (both, by the way, foods people might say while mispronouncing Chidis name), and is then forced to buy a new shirt (Who What When Where  Wine!). Finally he heads back to class, where he delivers a lecture advocating absolute nihilism, while inviting students to share some of his spicy candy stew.

Option three: self-indulge. A backsliding Eleanor commandeers a stool at the local pub, Drinking Nemo, where she lays out her new Eleanor-centered rules for how the world should work. (The gist: I get to do whatever I want, and you all have to deal with it. Also, no more Spider-Man movies.) She insists that Americas been a better place since everyone started looking out for number one and civil society broke down. (There are no bees because they all died, and if you need surgery you beg for money on the internet!)

But just when Eleanors settling back into her old life of isolation, she discovers a wallet full of money. She decides to do one last good deed, and to track the owner down  which requires two stops, and picking up some of the guys mail. When she finally finds this man, Fred Booth, he reaches into his wallet and fishes out a drawing his daughter made for him, which he considers a good luck charm. And Eleanor breaks down crying.

A few other things happen in Jeremy Bearimy. Michael and Janet write a thick manifesto about their afterlife experiments, then make plans to do something touristy during their remaining time on Earth  like visit a LensCrafters. Tahani and Jason get tacos. They also get married, after Tahanis bank refuses to transfer her 131 million pound fortune onto a GameStop gift card for Jason. (Technically, were supposed to shut down the bank if anyone from Florida even walks in, the banker sniffs.)

But nothing in this episode is more significant than Eleanors heart going three sizes, after she makes a dork and his very untalented daughter happy. She immediately reconvenes the Brainy Bunch, now re-dubbed the Soul Squad, and suggests they spend their remaining days working together to make sure that other people get to go to the Good Place.

Given the nature of this show  and the cliff-hanger arrival of Larry Hemsworth over the closing credits  its highly unlikely that everything, or even anything, is going to go smoothly from here. But that doesnt make Eleanors revelation any less poignant, and comforting in a way. She realizes the big question going forward isnt, So, now what? but rather, How do we make the most of whatever weve got, for ourselves and for others? And really, hasnt that been the question all along?

Down Under:

 For a moment there at the start of this chapter, did you think maybe wed get a whole episode of Michael and Janet pretending to be Rick Justice and Lisa Frenchy Fuqua, from the FBI ghoul-fighting division? Heck, Michael mightve gotten away with his latest gambit if he hadnt accidentally called Frenchy Janet. (He then insisted that her nickname at the bureau is Lisa Double Nickname Fuqua  which would, of course, be a third nickname.)

 The title of this episode comes from Michael, who explains that while time on Earth moves in a straight line, in the afterlife it moves in a Jeremy Bearimy. What he means is that it loops, dips, and circles back around  like a cursive signature for, yep, Jeremy Bearimy. (Also theres a dot over the i, which represents Tuesdays, and also July, and sometimes never.) I suspect this whole tangent originally popped up in the writers room as a way to silence The Good Place timeline nitpickers. But I wouldnt be surprised if it came up again later this season as a pivotal plot-point.

 I also doubt weve heard the last of Michael and Janets manifesto. If it doesnt factor into the way this season ultimately plays out, Ill  well, Ill eat the manifesto. ([In Janet voice] Not a promise.)

 Its a testament to Ted Dansons impeccable comic delivery that he can turn Michael misspelling his name  I wrote Micahel!  into something hilariously delightful.

 For hours after watching this episode for the first time, I was still walking around my house humming, You put your Peeps in the chili pot, and add some M&Ms  

 Jason once had a flu virus named after him, because he kissed a bat on a dare. He can also flip a banks free lollipops into his mouth on one try. Florida, man.
Christine Lahti as Gloria Steinem. Photo: Joan Marcus

The woman sitting next to me at the Daryl Roth Theatre leaned toward her daughter and pointed surreptitiously. Look over there, there, with the red hair. Do you see her? Thats her. Thats Gloria Steinem.

As a critic, I usually see shows shortly before the official opening, but last night I found myself at the first night of Gloria: A Life, the new play by Emily Mann that tells the story of the life and work of Gloria Steinem. And there she was, a row in front of me and a little to the left  kind eyes, that hair, and bright-red sequined belt. She was, she is, so important to women in my generation, the woman beside me said (wed begun chatting by this point). Do you know how old she is now? I said I didnt. She said, You should know. Which I think she said because Id told her I worked for a magazine (the one Gloria Steinem helped to found in 1968) and was writing about the play, and therefore I should have done my homework. But even so, as I pulled out my phone to ask the internet, I thought, Yes, as a person, as a woman, I should know.

And for the next two hours, often with tears in my eyes, I never stopped feeling that way. Gloria: A Life isnt a straightforward bio-play. Its a unique, deeply moving performance created in the hopeful, conversational spirit of its extraordinary subject, an act of looking back in order to look forward, and  at least for me, though I think perhaps for many  a vital education.

Just as The Lifespan of a Fact introduces Broadways first all-female design team, Gloria has brought together an almost complete company of women that looks to be unprecedented either On or Off Broadway. Onstage and behind the scenes  from director Diane Paulus to the shows producers to its designers, house managers, and stagehands  women are the power behind this story. In an optics-obsessed world where weve learned to put a woman center stage with some frequency, while creative teams remain largely male-dominated, shows like Lifespan and Gloria are a big deal. They tell us that, yes, women can be performers (Steinem herself was a dancer as a child; it was the way she originally imagined of getting up and out), but they can also be architects.

Because of the approach Mann and Paulus have taken, even the performers in Gloria read less like conventional actors, with the relatively low agency that comes with that territory, and more like members of a collaborative team. The ensemble of seven women, including Christine Lahti as Steinem, arent so much deeply lived-in characters  with both the psychophysical nuance and the insularity that implies  as they are storytellers. They slip in and out of roles, talking directly to us, a bit of themselves always present. When Lahti, whos a spirited central narrator, wells up with emotion as she talks about her (i.e., Steinems) relationship to her mother, or of the cruel public blowbacks shes experienced throughout her more than 50 years of activism, we sense that were not exactly seeing a character being sad. What were actually seeing is Lahti herself  clearly both honored to be telling the story shes telling and genuinely, personally affected by it. Lahti doesnt attempt some Daniel Day-Lewis-ian act of embodiment. Instead, she wears the incredible woman like one of Steinems famous pairs of aviator glasses, looking out through the persona so that she can actually see us, and we her.

Seeing each other is what Gloria: A Life is all about. Amy Rubins in-the-round set is a cozy arrangement of custom risers, all lined with cushions and colorful pillows. In the center are some Persian rugs, some stacks of books. Humans are communal animals, Lahti says as the show begins. Were meant to be sitting around campfires telling our stories, learning from each other  In fact, I would say being able to tell your story and listening to each others stories is the surefire path out. Because you realize youre not crazy  the system is crazy. And youre not alone. Later, Delanna Studi takes on the role of Wilma Mankiller (chief of the Cherokee Nation from 198595 and a friend and mentor of Steinems; Studi is actually Mankillers real-life cousin) and she expands upon this idea of the circle. The heart of our governance is the caucus, she tells Lahtis Gloria. [Its] an Algonquin word that means talking circles  its a consensus among women and men. The paradigm of human organization for us is the circle, not the pyramid. I thought of the Western legends I absorbed as a child. King Arthurs knights had a circle, a famous one. But there were no women in it.

Glorias determination to center the sharing of personal experience  and its warmhearted insistence on this kind of speaking and listening as an optimistic political act  feels like part of a pattern emerging in theater across the city, and its an immensely encouraging one. Shows like Black Light and What the Constitution Means to Me are currently modeling their own versions of the first-person narrative that interlaces memory, experience, and politics, and Samuel D. Hunters new show Lewiston/Clarkston, soon to open at Rattlestick, incorporates a communal meal served to its audience members between the individual, civically focused plays that make up its acts. In Gloria, Mann and Paulus expand the idea of the talking circle to the audience, raising the lights and bringing out microphones for a second act that consists of bringing us into the conversation. Its not really a talkback  no dude-with-clipboard emerges with a list of innocuous, half-interesting questions for the playwright. Instead, its an attempt to bring one of the key tools employed by Steinem and her many fellow activists into the room, and its an honest request to hear from us  who are we? What are our stories?

In a stroke of opening-night magic, Steinem herself led the discussion when I saw the show. She stood and took the mic from Lahti, and the women embraced  poignantly discombobulating mirrors of each other in their black bootleg pants, low-heeled boots, shiny belts (Jessica Jahn did the simple, evocative costumes). In case you (like me) didnt know, Steinem is 84 and intends to reach 100. Shes been working for my rights, for our rights, for our shared humanity, for almost twice my lifetime. She held the floor with utter ease and grace, and she listened.

And people talked. A Brazilian woman spoke. A woman with white hair and a European accent said shed been sitting on her hands because she was so excited to tell her hero what she meant to her. A teacher said hed brought his 14 students, that they had gone back to school talking about organizing their own talking circles  that they entered the theater not knowing who you are, he said to Steinem, but when they left, they knew. (But do they know who they are? Thats the question, said Steinem.) A young black woman talked about how important it was to her to see women activists of color recognized in the play  and how rare that is in the narrative of second-wave feminism, whose Wikipedia page still doesnt include Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Flo Kennedy, Aileen Hernandez, Fannie Lou Hamer, Shirley Chisholm, Audre Lorde, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Margaret Sloan, Barbara Smith, Alice Walker, and many, many more.

Gloria includes and salutes them  some in Elaine J. McCarthys wonderfully informative projection design (she and sound designers Robert Kaplowitz and Andrea Allmond propel us through time in the show with an abundance of effective visual and aural excerpts from the historical record) and some in the bodies of Glorias actors. Patrena Murray makes a raucous, dauntless Flo Kennedy, a civil-rights lawyer and organizer who mentored the young Steinem, and Fedna Jacquet turns a brief appearance as Coretta Scott King into a stately gut punch, as well as bringing firebrand life to Dorothy Pitman Hughes. Its thrilling to see her and Lahti stand side by side, re-creating the famous photo of Hughes and Steinem as McCarthys projections show it to us in both its iterations, more than 40 years apart.

The truth is, I learned feminism from black women, says Lahtis Steinem. In a way, Gloria isnt just a life: Its an acknowledgement and celebration of many lives, dozens of brilliant, tireless women whose years and years of work hold us all up, even if all we know is their names  even if we dont know them at all. Theres the fearless, cape-sporting, equal-rights-championing congresswoman and National Womens Political Caucus co-founder, Bella Abzug (Joanna Glushak plants her feet and knocks our socks off in the fabulous part). Theres Wilma Mankiller, who teaches Gloria about the Iroquois basis for the U.S. Constitution. And there are all the ones history doesnt remember, from the women and girls who write letters of fierce gratitude after Steinem co-founds Ms. magazine (which began as a special-issue insert in New York), to the Irishwoman cab driver who apparently originated the salty quip that became an iconic protest slogan (If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament!), to the women around the country who testify in the hundreds of talking circles Steinem helps organize, to her own mother, Ruth Nuneviller  a loving, intelligent, terrorized woman who gave up her life to her husbands and lived for years in a drug-induced fog after a so-called nervous breakdown. A woman that Steinem didnt discover until her own adulthood had been, like her, a journalist.

Theres so much we dont know. About our history, about each other. I left Gloria feeling all sorts of things: heartbroken at the moment were living in, a moment of brutal backlash against so many decades of labor and belief; elated by the continued hopefulness of Steinem and of the artists telling her story (such a welcome contrast to the nasty, solipsistic Everything is fucked attitude thats seeped into our daily way of speaking, no matter how progressive we profess to be); and a bit chastened. Why did I not know more of the story I was just told? Why were so many of these women only names and auras to me? Why didnt the Virginia schools I went to take us on one fewer trip to Jamestown and instead include this  any of this  in the curriculum? My history teachers were all women, but something tells me the same couldnt be said about the authors of the textbooks they were required to use. For some, Gloria: A Life might be a visit to an old friend, a love letter, an affirmation, a manifesto, an encouragement, or an experience of catalyzation or catharsis. Its all these things, and its also a lesson.

Gloria: A Life is at the Daryl Roth Theatre through January 27.
Bobby Cannavale and Daniel Radcliffe in The Lifespan of a Fact. Photo: Peter Cunningham

There is such a thing as poetic, ecstatic truth. It is mysterious and elusive, and can be reached only through fabrication and imagination and stylization. Werner Herzog

Look, Americans are their own fact-checkers. People know, they have their own facts and figures, in terms of meaning which facts and figures are important to them. Kellyanne Conway

In the brisk, disconcerting brainteaser of a new play The Lifespan of a Fact, Bobby Cannavale, playing the real-life writer John DAgata, argues passionately for what Werner Herzog would call ecstatic truth. Hes written an essay  15 sweeping, wrenching, intimate pages that begin with the suicide of a teenage boy in Las Vegas and stretch into a meditation on the quiet desperation of American cities. Emily Penrose (Cherry Jones), the editor of a high-powered magazine where the essay is supposed to run, smells Pultizers in the air. The DAgata essay could be her legacy piece. She enlists an intern, an eager-beaver Harvard graduate named Jim Fingal (Daniel Radcliffe), to fact-check the essay and gives him four-and-a-half days to do it. Confirm every detail, she says  but she also says, We need to make a good-faith effort. And suddenly, subtly, before Jims assignment is even underway, a gap starts to open up. Later, the young fact-checker will snap at Emily that what she keeps calling a good-faith effort is nothing more than negligence. Perhaps it fixes a date or a statistic here or there, but it leaves untouched hundreds of adjustments and elaborations, a whole tapestry of little liberties John has taken in order create a more illuminating, artful piece of writing. Theres a grand canyon between John Im not interested in accuracy; Im interested in truth DAgata and Jim Facts have to be the final measure of the truth Fingal  and as writer, editor, and fact-checker attempt to bridge the expanse, its fogs only become thicker, its descents steeper, its footpaths more treacherous.

Directed with a light touch and a sense for gradual crescendo by Leigh Silverman, and constructed with elegance and precision on all fronts by the first all-female design team on Broadway (a fact thats half Hooray! and half What?!), The Lifespan of a Fact gives you the satisfying rush of a good mystery or a crossword puzzle. Your brain gets to go the gym for 85 minutes. But it doesnt get to go home feeling pumped and complacent. Instead, in a way thats both invigorating and unsettling, the show leaves you hanging. It suspends you in that grand canyon gap, somewhere in the fog between fact and truth, between unimpeachable accuracy and revelatory narrative, and challenges you to find your own way out.

Playwrights Jeremy Kareken and David Murrell, along with Gordon Farrell, based their script on the book of the same name by the actual John DAgata and Jim Fingal. Its an unconventional text, combining DAgatas real essay What Happens There (the essay around which the play rotates) with Fingals copious notes, questions, corrections, and arguments with DAgata, all written in red in the books margins. Originally commissioned by Harpers and written in 2003, What Happens There became its own strange ethical odyssey, ultimately taking seven years to reach publication (and not in Harpers). At times, watching The Lifespan of a Fact can feel a bit trippy: There are already so many layers built into the storys content and background where whats verifiable rubs up against whats experiential, speculative, or creative  and now the whole thing is inside yet another box, the necessarily fictionalizing container of theater. I found myself thinking of the Mike Daisey scandal; of one of my personal heroes, the cinema veritedespising Werner Herzog; and, inevitably, of the ghastly truth-twisting and damnably effective narrative-crafting of the Trump regime. Ive long believed in the Herzogian ideal, but as Radcliffe and Cannavale went for each others throats, I felt a little queasy, and I wondered: What becomes of the Herzogs and DAgatas of this world when were living under a government that has co-opted and poisoned the spinning of fictions, peddling toxic sludge with their own righteous claims to possession of the deeper truth?

When they start tearing you down, Radcliffes Jim warns the writer, theyre not going to say, Wow, John DAgata altered certain details in the service of poetic truth. Theyre going to say, Wow, John DAgata lied  [And] if you think thats bullshit then you dont know what has happened to the world. Play and production smartly let Jim, John, and Emilys story exist without a timestamp. Yes, the real DAgata and Fingals book came out in the lost days of hope known as 2012, but the world that Radcliffe is talking about is this one. And if the audience responses on the night I saw the show are any clue, it seems that in this world, people are ready for Jim to be the hero. Whenever the frustrated fact-checker let loose at Cannavales John  harping on detail after detail and accusing him of [undermining] societys trust in itself  the people around me cheered. Radcliffes plucky charisma goes a long way: Hes a caffeinated bulldog, worrying stubbornly at Cannavales heels. Dont try to stare me down, he warns the glaring writer, I had older brothers. I will fuck your shit up. Another Jim might come off as a pedant (and in plenty of ways, the character is one), but the tousel-headed, zippy Radcliffe gives him spirit and sincerity. The fact that he played Rosencrantz in a recent revival of Stoppards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead makes sense  hes an actor who can keep up with that kind of speed of thought.

Meanwhile, while Harry Potter is charming us (Silverman works in an A+ bit  hilarious and not too hammy  involving a closet under the stairs), the excellent, brooding Cannavale has a hard battle to fight. Were primed to recoil from someone like John right now. Not only do some of his arguments come eerily close to Kellyanne Conwaystyle rhetoric (Im saying theres a world of facts to choose from, he tells Jim, The wrong facts get in the way of the story)  hes also an alpha male and a bit of an arrogant asshole. In 2003 David Foster Wallace called the real John DAgata one of the most significant U.S. writers to emerge in the past few years, and, at least as embodied by Cannavale, the pair have a good deal in common: Two massive and, in their own ways, hypermasculine intellects, unique and brilliant stylists overflowing with knowledge, opinion, and insight  zealous, prickly, deeply American writers whose non-fiction, perhaps in its very Americanness, shares a connection to the tall tale. Cannavale furrows his brow and prowls the stage like an aggrieved big cat: I dont write articles, he says with withering disdain. Im not a journalist. But hes bone-certain of the integrity of his work. Pleading with Joness pragmatic, powerful Emily, whos forced into arbitrating between the equally emotional writer and fact-checker, he tells her about his visit to the parents of the boy whose suicide sits at the center of his piece. I took the essay to her  to Gail  thats his mothers name, Cannavale insists, gravel-voiced and on the verge of tears, I said This is my best, and she said, This is my son.

Its Emily who, if were really listening, keeps us balanced between Jim and John, aware on a gut level that they arent hero and villain, righteous crusader and devious fabricator. There is nothing more important than story, she tells Jim early on. I have seen that the right story at the right time changes the way people look at the events in their own lives . Scientists say that life is atoms and forces and fluids and genomes. But we live in stories. Through Joness poise and clarity, her ability to convey gravity without sanctimony, we understand that when Emily says story she means something greater than pure fact or fiction. Something of infinite mutability and power, as ingrained in us as those fluids and genomes, and something that can be used, as can most powerful human-made tools, both to create and destroy, to illuminate or to manipulate. In The Lifespan of a Fact, Emily bears the heaviest burden: Shes got to make the call on DAgatas essay. I dont have a codebook that tells me what matters and what doesnt, Jim has snarked earlier, but Emily hits right back: There is no codebook, its called judgment. In the end, it will all come down to her judgment  as individual and fallible as anyones  and despite the applause for Jim that I kept hearing around me, I found myself thinking, wishing: Publish it.

Why? Maybe because, if Im honest, I share Johns distaste for Jims easy certainty that facts are some herd of purebred white horses galloping majestically, looking down their noses at ambiguity or suspicion or nuance. Or maybe because of Herzog. Or maybe because I fear that our justifiable reaction to this worlds powerful stealers of story  the ones who pervert it, who use it for gain, exploitation, oppression, and deception  will send us running into the arms of a self-defeating narrow-mindedness, a kind of strict constructionist worldview that pulls up the flowers along with the weeds  or even in place of them, because the weeds are so fat, so deep, so overwhelmingly hard to combat, and in our rage and our pain and our desperate need to feel effectual, were looking for something to eradicate.

Perhaps, as Jim would argue, the lifespan of a fact is infinite: Any given piece of information is, and never stops being, either accurate or inaccurate, and its worth should be valued accordingly. But we imperfect, imaginative human beings respond to storytellers  to shamans and griots and bards  and well follow a prophet, even a false one, before an accountant any day. Near the end of The Lifespan of a Fact, Silverman suspends her three actors, whove been arguing non-stop, in an extended pause. They hover in the silence, and whether theyre any closer to whats right, to whats true, than when they started is an open question. But what fills the moment, at least for me, is a certainty that literalism alone wont save us  that even when they seem incompatible, we need both Jims rigor and Johns revelation if were to have any hope against the corrupters of story.
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The Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) met at WCO Headquarters on 15 and 16 October 2018. MICHELIN, SABIC, BASC, FONTERRA, IATA, IBM, L BRANDS and RENAULT-NISSAN-MITSUBISHI were welcomed as new members of the group.

The meeting started with an orientation session for new members delivered by Ricardo Trevino Chapa, WCO Deputy Secretary General. The Group held a very productive exchange of ideas with Kunio Mikuriya, WCO Secretary General, on International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention - RKC), the Harmonized System (HS), Performance Measurement and Evaluation, and duty and tax collections.

The agenda of the meeting also included discussions on the advances and challenges for RKC, E-Commerce, Regional Private Sector Groups, and presentations made by PSCG members on Intelligence/data exchange, Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

In addition, Ana Hinojosa, WCO Director of Compliance and Facilitation, Ernani Checcucci, WCO Capacity Building Director, and Ping Liu, WCO Director of Tariff and Trade Affairs, held a very positive dialogue with PSCG members on areas of opportunity where the PSCG can provide meaningful feedback.

The next meeting is scheduled on 15 and 16 April 2019 at WCO Headquarters.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Clear this evening. Becoming mostly cloudy with showers developing after midnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Clear this evening. Becoming mostly cloudy with showers developing after midnight. Low 58F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
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By West Kentucky Star Staff

Oct. 18, 2018 | MURRAY

By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 18, 2018 | 07:42 PM | MURRAY

Congressman James Comer was in Murray Wednesday to announce Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) grants for 20 area schools in the West Kentucky Educational Cooperative. The grants from the U.S. Department of Education total over $1.4 million dollars each year for the next seven years, for a total of over $9 million.



The project will assist students in obtaining a secondary school diploma and prepare them for and help them succeed in post-secondary education. The money will be used to deliver STEM-related programming and opportunities for students from ten school districts.



Middle and High schools receiving the grants include those in Ballard, Carlisle, Crittenden, Fulton, Hickman, Livingston, McLean Counties, along with Fulton, Mayfield and Paducah Independent Schools.



Partner institutions include WKCTC, Madisonville Community College and Murray State University, along with numerous career or technical centers, education advocacy groups and higher education organizations in the region.



The project goal of GEAR UP is "to create a college and career pathway culture at each participating school resulting in an increase in the number of studentsparticularly minorities, those from low-income backgrounds, English learners, and those who have special needswho are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education, obtain industry certifications, and enter the workforce in high demand industry sectors with an emphasis on STEM related fields, particularly computer science."
By WestKyStar & Red Cross Staff Oct. 18, 2018 | 08:52 PM | WESTERN KENTUCKY





Blood and platelets can only be given by donors who are feeling well. One way to maintain health is to get a flu vaccine each fall. There is no waiting period to give blood or platelets after receiving a flu shot as long as the donor is symptom-free and fever-free.





Stay healthy this flu season and make an appointment to donate blood by downloading the free American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).





Donors of all blood types, especially type O, are needed this fall after Hurricanes Michael and Florence forced the cancellation of about 200 blood drives, causing approximately 7,000 units of blood and platelets to go uncollected.





Upcoming blood donation opportunities Nov. 1-15

Murray State University, Chestnut St. Murray, KY. 42071

11/12/2018: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

11/13/2018: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.





St. John's Episcopal Church, 1620 W. Main St. Murray, KY. 42071

11/15/2018: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.





Bardwell Baptist Church, 323 US Highway 51 South, Bardwell, KY . 42023

11/1/2018: noon - 6 p.m.





Carlisle County High School, 4557 State Route 1377, Bardwell, KY. 42023

11/7/2018: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.





First Baptist Church, 115 Second St. Fulton, KY. 42041

11/6/2018: noon - 4 p.m.





Fancy Farm Elementary School, 270 St. Route 339 S. Fancy Farm, KY. 42039

11/12/2018: 1 - 6 p.m.





First Baptist Church Kuttawa, Walnut Drive, Kuttawa, KY. 42055

11/8/2018: 12:30 - 5:30 p.m.





South Marshall Elementary School, 155 Sid Darnell Road, Benton, KY. 42025

11/9/2018: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.





Benton Elementary School, 208 W. 11th St. Benton, KY. 42025

11/14/2018: 1 - 6 p.m.





First Baptist Church, 1st St. Ash St. Calvert City, KY. 42029

11/5/2018: noon - 6 p.m.





St. John's Catholic Church, 6705 Old Highway 45, Lone Oak, KY. 42001

11/11/2018: 8 a.m.  noon





Paducah Blood Donation Center, 4635 Falconcrest Dr., Paducah, KY. 42001

11/1/2018: 11:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m.

11/2/2018: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.

11/3/2018: 7:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.

11/4/2018: 7:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.

11/5/2018: 11:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m.

11/6/2018: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.

11/8/2018: 11:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m.

11/9/2018: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.

11/10/2018: 7:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.

11/11/2018: 7:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.

11/12/2018: 11:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m.

11/13/2018: 8:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.

11/15/2018: 11:45 a.m. - 6:15 p.m.





First Christian Church, 415 Audubon Drive, Paducah, KY. 42001

11/5/2018: 11:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.





To donate blood, simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or drivers license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.





Blood and platelet donors can save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, before arriving at the blood drive. To get started, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the Blood Donor App.





The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nations blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit RedCross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.



Flu season doesnt just mean absences at work and school  it also means fewer blood and platelet donors are able to give. The Red Cross is calling for healthy donors to maintain the blood supply this fall, especially after recent hurricanes disrupted thousands of blood and platelet donations in the Southeast.
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By The Associated Press

Oct. 19, 2018 | WASHINGTON, D.C.

By The Associated Press Oct. 19, 2018 | 03:14 PM | WASHINGTON, D.C.

A Russian woman has been charged with interfering in American elections, including next month's midterms, through a vast social media effort aimed at trying to sway American public opinion.



It's believed to be the first federal case alleging Russian interference in this year's election.



The complaint says the woman, Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, worked for the same Russian social media troll farm that was indicted in February by special counsel Robert Mueller.



The complaint accuses Khusyaynova of helping to control the finances of a Russian effort to use fake social media postings to sow anger and division among American voters.



The Justice Department disclosed the criminal complaint soon after U.S. intelligence agencies said in a joint statement that they were concerned about efforts by Russia, China and Iran to influence U.S. voters and policy.



In a joint statement, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Homeland Security Department, the Justice Department and the FBI say they're worried about activities that "seek to influence voter perceptions and decision-making" in the 2018 and 2020 elections.



The agencies say the "ongoing campaigns" could take many forms. Examples include attempts to influence voters through social media, sponsoring content in English language media such as the Russian outlet RT, or "seeding disinformation through sympathetic spokespersons regarding political candidates and disseminating foreign propaganda."



Intelligence officials said last year that Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election through similar means.
AMERICUS, Ind. (WLFI)  The Americus Area Community Coalition informed its members there might be another bill put in place at the state legislature.

It's a bill in favor of the Americus stone quarry.

The AACC has been fighting to reject the building of the quarry for more than 5 years.

The coalition held its first meeting in over a year at Wolfe's Campground Rec Hall.

The non-profit group is concerned about the stone quarry being built in a flood plain.

It says it could impact both business and nature around Americus.

Co-president Kay Miller says it was time to give an update to its more than 300 members.

The ultimate goal is to keep our rural lifestyle and our rural values and the respect for one another," said Miller.

She said to keep an eye out for the bill.

The AACC plans to meet again next year.
LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Social media threats put a Purdue wrestler in jail Tuesday, but Thursday he bonded out.

Shawn Streck was booked into the Tippecanoe County Jail with a preliminary charge of intimidation.

Purdue Police Captain Song Kang said on Monday the station received a call from Elmhurst College in DuPage County, Illinois.

The campus police allege Streck trespassed and threatened to harm one of its students.

That student turned out to be Streck's ex-girlfriend.

Kang says Streck was trying to rekindle his relationship, but was asked to leave the Elmhurst campus.

Streck may face more charges from DuPage County.
WEST LAFAYETTE, (Ind.) WLFI -- The nationally known television show U.S. Farm Report filmed at Purdue University to talk with agriculture experts on the show.

The show features three Purdue professors discussing the hot-button issue of the nation's trade war and how it's affecting producers.

Greater Lafayette is one of four college towns featured in the show's college roadshow series.

They started with Texas Tech then traveled to the University of Missouri and Iowa State and ended at Purdue.

U.S. Farm Report host, Tyne Morgan said shes learned so much from Purdue's agriculture experts.

The Ag economics department here at Purdue really does house some of the best economists in the country so I just try to come here and reap some of that knowledge not only for myself but also for my viewers because I know it's content you can't get anywhere else, said Morgan.

She said she values her experience talking with Purdues agriculture professors because it adds a different perspective to the show.

I value coming to Purdue so much because it's a different perspective that I don't have on the show every weekend that I'm able to gather while I'm here at Purdue, said Morgan.

The episode airs on WLFI Oct. 20 from 5 to 6 a.m.




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Veteran Shaun Stocker meets PAMS staff at Wrexham Maelor Hospital

This article is old - Published: Friday, Oct 19th, 2018

Veteran Army soldier, Shaun Stocker has paid tribute to the Prosthetics Team at Wrexham Maelor Hospitals Posture and Mobility Service.

The team has helped him get back back up on his feet and able to complete a gruelling 1,000 mile expedition across Western Australia for the two-part documentary Without Limits aired on the BBC this week  with the second part due on TV on October 24th.

Shaun, 28 from Wrexham is one of five veterans from the UK and Australia to be featured in the new series which marks the start of the Invictus Games, the international adaptive, multi-sport event for injured or sick ex-servicemen and women created by Prince Harry.

You can see more below


British Prime Minister Theresa May held a further round of talks with European Union leaders in Brussels Thursday, after the deal she agreed with her cabinet in July was formally rejected Wednesday night.

Talks on the terms of the UKs exit from the EU broke downprimarily over the status of Northern Ireland during and after the transitional period to full Brexit beginning on March 29 next year.

In what has now become a routine humiliation, May was allowed just 15 minutes to speak Wednesday night before the EU-27 broke for dinner and more internal talks on Brexit. Prior to Mays arrival, the EU had already said not enough progress had been made to warrant calling an extraordinary summit slated for November 17 and 18 to finalise a deal.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that the talks had reached a deadlock and May had to come back with new ideas. A diplomatic source said that she had insisted that the EU hold firm against the UK in the coming weeks. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz declared that any progress could take weeks or months.

May is running out of time. A final meeting in December is possible, but if that is ruled out, the deadline for a March exit is impossible, as any deal has to be signed off by the 27 EU member parliaments.

There is open discussion that Britains post-Brexit transition period, planned for 21 months ending December 31, 2020, will be extended by a year. In a desperate attempt to placate the Tory hard-Brexiteers, who reject such moves, May said, It would be for only a matter of months, but the point is this is not expected to be used, because we are working to ensure that we have that future relationship in place by the end of 2020.

A hard-Brexit outcome in which the UK stands to lose all access to the Single Market and Customs Union is opposed by the dominant sections of business. The Confederation of Business Institute employers organisation said, The need for compromise on both sides to agree the withdrawal agreement and secure the transition period is long overdue... If extending the transition period makes the withdrawal agreement easier to agree it should be welcomed.

Mays backers presented the possible extension as a concession by the EU, but it is a poisoned chalice. Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the former euro group president, this week advocated an extension on the basis that the political divisions within Mays ruling Conservatives are intractable. His call was explicitly linked to the prospect of allowing for new elections or a second referendum [in Britain] if the deal gets rejected in the medium term, which still seems pretty likely.

Phillip Stephens wrotein the Financial Times, [T]he threat of a no-agreement, cliff-edge Brexit might well see parliament force the prime ministers hand. An extension would also be needed were paralysis to result in Mrs Mays departure and/or a general election. That, in turn, would open the possibility of a second referendum.

Six of the most prominent Brexiteersformer Brexit Secretary David Davis, former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and backbenchers Jacob Rees Mogg, Iain Duncan Smith, Owen Paterson and Priti Patel, signed an open letter to May opposing any concessions:

We were all elected on a manifesto to gain full independence by leaving the customs union and single market, they insisted. Northern Ireland and the UK could not remain in any transitional backstop arrangement based around regulatory alignment with the EU. Instead, a super Canada free trade deal should be negotiated for the whole of the UK... Only by doing this can we seize the prize of the wide range of trading opportunities available outside the EU and free ourselves from the EUs regulatory burden.

Intervening on behalf of the Remain wing of the Tories, Father of the House Ken Clarke warned that due to divisions in parliament, you cant get an agreement in Brussels which can get a majority in the Cabinet or can shut up the Brexiteers... Both parties [Tories and Labour] are shattered and hopelessly dividedthey cant agree even among themselves.

Wednesday saw the publication in German daily Die Welt of a joint appeal by former Labour leader Tony Blair, former Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg and pro-EU Conservative Lord Michael Heseltine for the EU to stand its ground against May.The joint statement declared: Our domestic debate is far from over and, even at this late hour, many of us are continuing to make the case that the British public need to make the final decision once we are in possession of all the relevant facts.

In January, Blair advocated, via the same newspaper, that a second referendum be held. This time Blair and his Tory and Liberal Democrat allies wrote three days before a planned rally in London in support of a second referendum, or Peoples Vote.

Blair was also answering Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns appeal for unity with the Labour right based on securing a Brexit deal that will maintain access to the Single European Market and customs union.

The joint statement decried unrealistic hopes in Britain of not just a last minute major concession by the EU side in the current negotiations, but of something even more delusional: that once the UK has left and is in the transition period, the 27 remaining member states will capitulate on the principles of the Single Market and give Britain access to the Market without abiding by its rules.

Corbyn framed his appeal to Labour MPs this week as a rejection of Mays assertion that the only choices on offer were her negotiated deal or a no-deal hard Brexitwhich she has made the basis of an appeal for Labour MPs to defy the party whip and back her. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab warned that that there would be no opposition amendments allowed in the promised meaningful parliamentary vote on a Brexit deal. MPs would have to vote for her deal or against it and therefore for a hard Brexit. There will be no second referendum, May insisted.

Appealing directly to UK big business and the EU, Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell declared that it was in the national interest and that of the EU powers to work towards a Labour government, as We think we can get a [Brexit] deal done fairly quickly that would transform the atmosphere, and it would be on the basis of mutual benefit and mutual interest

The failure to reach any agreement over Brexit is the product of escalating national antagonisms. This accounts for the EUs hard-line stance on the issue of the post-Brexit Irish border and the advanced plans made for the UK crashing out of the EU by Germany and France. On Wednesday, Merkel warned German deputies, It is only fitting as a responsible and forward-thinking government leadership that we prepare for every scenariothat includes the possibility of Great Britain leaving the European Union without an agreement.

The Trump administration made a direct intervention, seeking to exacerbate divisions within the EU. Yesterday US trade representative Robert Lighthizer wrote to Congress, We intend to initiate negotiations with the United Kingdom as soon as it is ready after it exits the European Union on March 29, 2019.

The working class must oppose the Remain and Leave factions of the ruling class. Neither offers any alternative to a future of escalating national tensions and the danger of trade and military conflicts. They envision only a ramping up of the exploitation of working people and deeper austerity in order that the corporations can compete internationally. Workers and young people must oppose to the plans of the ruling elite their own strategy, based on the unification of workers across borders through the United Socialist States of Europe.
Following US Secretary of State Mike Pompeos emergency talks in Riyadh and Ankara, and amid mounting reports implicating Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Trump administration is scrambling to shield Washingtons closest ally in the Arab World.

On Thursday, Trump continued to suggest that Prince Mohammed and his father, King Salman, may have had nothing to do with the disappearance and evident torture and murder of Khashoggi on October 2 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. However, after being debriefed by Pompeo following the latters talks with Prince Mohammed and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Trump told reporters it appeared that Khashoggi was dead.

The official line is that Pompeo secured a pledge from the Saudi leadership to hold accountable anyone found in the course of the regimes own investigation to have played a role in Khashoggis disappearance. On that fraudulent basis, Pompeo advised Trump to give Riyadh several more days to provide an accounting, after which the White House will decide its response.

Meanwhile, unnamed Turkish officials and the pro-Erdogan newspaper Yeni Safak reported Wednesday on the contents of what they claim is an audio recording of the events that transpired in the Istanbul consulate following Khashoggis entering the building on the afternoon of October 2. The 60-year-old self-exiled Saudi national and resident of Virginia in the US, who went from being a regime insider to a Washington Post columnist and critic of the new crown prince, ostensibly went to the consulate to obtain documents in advance of his impending wedding to a Turkish national. He never emerged from the consulate.

According to the Turkish accounts, he was almost immediately attacked by a team of 15 men who had flown that day to Istanbul from Saudi Arabia, brutally tortured, drugged, murdered, beheaded and dismembered. These sources say his fingers were cut off, but do not stipulate whether that occurred before or after he had expired. One of those reported to have been in the group is a forensic doctor who carried a bone saw.

The Washington Post on Wednesday published a detailed profile of the 15 men, complete with photos and scans of travel documents. It reported that at least nine of the men have ties to Saudi security. The New York Times reported Wednesday that at least four are directly linked to the crown prince, having traveled with him as part of his personal security detail.

The claim of Crown Prince Mohammed that he had no foreknowledge of a plan to kill the former regime loyalist-turned critic is absurd on its face. He is an absolute ruler in a brutal totalitarian dictatorship, and is known to closely oversee the activities of his security apparatus and to be personally extremely cruel.

Pompeos meetings on Tuesday with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed were aimed at signaling continued US support while making a pretense of seeking a full accounting of Khashoggis disappearance. The same is true of his meeting the following day with Erdogan, at which he evidently did not ask for a copy of the audio recording of the events inside the consulate.

For his part, the Turkish president has yet to publicly make any accusation against the Saudi leadership or endorse the reports being leaked by Turkish officials and the media. At odds with Riyadh over the Saudi regimes support for US-allied Kurdish forces in Syria, its backing for the el-Sisi dictatorship in Egypt, and its lineup with Washington over Iran, Erdogan appears nevertheless to be reluctant to sever relations with the oil-rich Saudis and may be seeking to use Riyadhs crisis as leverage in obtaining concessions.

On Wednesday after meeting with Erdogan, Pompeo told reporters on his plane back to the US: I do think its important that everyone keep in their mind that we have lots of important relations, financial relationships between US and Saudi companies, government relationships, things that we work on all across the world. The efforts to reduce the risk to the United States of America from the worlds largest state sponsor of terror, Iran.

We just need to make sure that we are mindful of that as we approach decisions that the United States government will take when we learn all of the facts.

This amounts to an unwitting admission of the outright criminality of both governments.

As the former CIA director and current secretary of state, Pompeos reference to the things we work on all across the world includes conspiring to strangle, destabilize and potentially wage war against Iran, in alliance with Israel and most of the other Gulf oil sheikdoms.

These things also include the near-genocidal Saudi-led war in Yemen, which has already killed some 50,000 men, women and children and threatens another 14 million with starvation and deadly epidemics of cholera and diphtheria. The Saudis could not carry out their relentless bombing and de facto blockade of the Arab worlds poorest country without US arms, its mid-air refueling of Saudi bombers, its provision of intelligence and help in selecting targets and the assistance to its naval forces.

It is notable that in all of the US press commentary critical of Trump and the Saudi crown prince, there is virtually no mention of the US role in the slaughter in Yemen.

There is as well the collaboration between Washington and Riyadh in suppressing the Palestinians and propping up Israel, and their joint support for Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist terrorists in the war for regime-change in Syria.

The US is particularly reliant on the Saudi monarchy at the present moment, in advance of its November 5 deadline for imposing sanctions against all Iranian exports. It is counting on Riyadh to open its oil spigot to prevent a spike in oil prices as a result of a sharp reduction in Iranian oil exports.

At the same time, the administration is coming under increasing pressure, both internationally and at home, to distance itself from the crown prince. It made a reluctant concession to this pressure on Thursday with the announcement that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin would join the swelling ranks of Western officials, bankers and media organizations that have announced they will not attend next weeks international investors conference in Riyadh, to be hosted by Crown Prince Mohammed.

Dubbed Davos in the Desert, the event is on the brink of collapse. On Wednesday, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde pulled out. Businesses that have made similar announcements include Uber, JPMorgan Chase, Viacom, BlackRock and Blackstone Group. CNN, the Financial Times, CNBC, Nikkei and the New York Times are among the media organizations that have withdrawn as media sponsors.

The likely debacle of the investors conference will intensify an already acute crisis facing the Saudi monarchy. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that global investors are growing increasingly alarmed at what the newspaper called Saudi Arabias debt binge in recent months. In the two-and-a-half years since May 2016, the country has floated $68 billion in dollar-denominated bonds and syndicated loansup from zero.

In addition, Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund took out its first-ever bank loan last month, raising $11 billion. And the national oil company Saudi Aramco plans to raise up to $50 billion.

Reflecting declining confidence in the regime, the cost of insuring against Saudi default has risen by 30 percent since the disappearance of Khashoggi, and even before the Khashoggi allegations, foreign direct investment had fallen to historically low levels.

Also on Thursday, the Washington Post published Khashoggis final column for the newspaper. Introducing the piece, Global Opinions Editor Karen Attiah explained that the Post had received the column one day after Khashoggis disappearance, but had decided to hold it in the hope that he would reemerge. In publishing the piece, the newspaper acknowledged that the author had died.

The content of the column points to Khashoggis likely links to sections of the US state and intelligence apparatus. A former aide to the Saudi chief of intelligence and one-time ambassador to the US, Khashoggi had long been known as an interlocutor between the Saudi regime and Western media and government officials. He also had close ties to Osama bin Laden.

In his final column he compares the suppression of speech and expression in the Arab world to the Soviet Iron Curtain, and calls for the development of an independent news source in the Middle East modeled after the cold war-era propaganda organ Radio Free Europe.

This would in part explain the furious reaction of Trump critics in both political parties, the media and the intelligence establishment to the administrations efforts to alibi for the Saudi leadership. Obamas CIA chief John Brennan, for example, has repeatedly denounced Trumps attempts to cover for the regime and insisted that the crown prince personally ordered the murder of Khashoggi.
Workers at the Tipton Transmission Plant and Indiana Transmission Plant I are continuing on layoff following the temporary idling of the facilities earlier this week by Fiat Chrysler. The facilities, part of FCAs Kokomo, Indiana, transmission operations, are on a two-week shutdown, according to management, to adjust inventories.

The temporary layoff comes despite reported booming sales by FCA. The Tipton plant employs 944 workers and ITP I has 2,230 employees. ITP I builds nine-speed transmissions for both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles while Tipton produces nine-speed transmissions for the Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Renegade and Chrysler Pacifica mini-van. Meanwhile, Indiana Transmission Plant II is now down to a skeleton crew and FCA has not announced plans for the facility.

The Kokomo Transmission Plant, the largest Fiat Chrysler facility in the area, builds the eight-speed transmission for the fast-selling Dodge Ram truck and has not been impacted by the layoffs.

Following the shutdown, Fiat Chrysler said it would eliminate the Alternative Work Schedule currently in force at the two plants and revert to a standard eight-hour shift. The AWS involves three crews working 10-hour shifts without payment of overtime after eight hours or on weekends. Implemented with the collusion of the UAW, the 10-hour schedule has enabled management to maintain continuous operation. No reason was given for the change.

The shutdown comes amid concerns over job cuts at Fiat Chryslers Kokomo transmission operations. Fiat Chrysler has subcontracted work on its eight- and nine-speed transmissions to Germany-based ZF Group, a low wage supplier that has facilities in Lafayette, Indiana, and South Carolina. The company reportedly pays workers as little as $9 an hour.

A Kokomo Fiat Chrysler worker told the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter, Tipton is shut down because they have been stockpiling nine-speed transmissions. They could shut down for a month. They cant do without the eight-speed, but Tipton and ITP I make nine-speeds.

The worker continued, I think they are getting their ducks in a row for the 2019 contract, suggesting the shutdown was at least in part motivated by a desire to intimidate workers with the threat of job loss. With circumstances being what they are and the level of corruption that has been exposed both on the part of Chrysler management and the UAW the company assumes the membership will demand a strike.

The announcement of temporary layoffs comes as the UAW is continuing to ignore an overwhelming strike mandate by Kokomo transmission workers given to Local 685 leaders relating to 200 unresolved grievances over health and safety issues. Local union officials have refused to answer workers questions over the progress of negotiations and have not set a strike deadline, although workers voted to authorize a strike almost three months ago.

Neither has the UAW given any update on the condition of Eric Parsons, a Kokomo Casting Plant worker who suffered crippling injuries when a die slide fell on him September 5. The injury followed a 2017 report by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) citing Fiat Chrysler for several severe safety violations at the facility. Predictably, the UAW-Fiat Chrysler joint safety committee has produced no report or shed any light on the situation.

The Kokomo Fiat Chrysler worker noted, I speculate the Local is under a gag order, relating to the strike authorization vote. Rick Ward, the local UAW president, has said a strike is not good for us or good for the company. Thats the only card that we have, and the UAW is suppressing it.

A worker at ITP I told the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter, They told TPTs (Temporary Part-Time workers) not to put a return to work date on their applications for unemployment. And it is right before Christmas.

The TPT workers who didnt get laid off are being forced to work in places the legacy workers dont want to work. At the Kokomo Transmission Plant, they are forcing the TPTs to work 13-hour shifts.

We dont know where we are going after the layoffs. The change in shift times is tough, especially for parents with little kids. It is hard to arrange childcare. Management isnt telling us anything. We found out only three days before (the layoff).

The worker noted that the company had been stockpiling nine-speed transmissions. There are over 100,000 in our bank. The nine-speed isnt selling. We dont have the Chrysler 200 (passenger car) anymore.

The worker said that safety concerns had only been heightened by the injury to Eric Parsons. Its like it got swept under the rug. Its hush, hush. I heard that he was a skilled trades worker and that he was told to fix a problem (with a die cast machine) and he said you had to wait to let it cool down. They told him to fix it or get fired.

The worker continued, There are a lot of problems with younger workers being intimidated. There is a problem with the union being buddy-buddy with management.

Pointing to the ongoing federal investigation into UAW corruption that has already led to the indictment and conviction of high-ranking management and union officials, the ITP I worker added, I cant see how any of the UAW contracts are valid.

The Socialist Equality Party and the WSWS Autoworker Newsletter urge Kokomo transmission workers to initiate the formation of a rank-and-file committee independent of the UAW to take up the functions that the union has abandoned, including oversight over health and safety conditions. This committee should set a firm strike deadline and present a list of demands to management. Workers must link their struggle with workers across the industry, including auto parts workers, as part of a common fight to defend jobs and safety conditions.
Three weeks ahead of the midterm elections, the Democratic and Republican candidates in New Yorks 11th congressional district, Max Rose and Dan Donovan, squared off in a debate Tuesday evening. The event underscored the right-wing character of the Democratic Partys resistance to the Trump administration.

Rose is one of 30 Democratic Party politicians with ties to the military and intelligence apparatus running in competitive races, identified by the World Socialist Web Site as CIA Democrats. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee eyed his district early on as part of its red to blue initiative, an attempt to regain a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives.

The 11th district encompasses the borough of Staten Island and a portion of southern Brooklyn. It is the only House seat in New York City currently held by a Republican. In 2016 a majority voted for Trump. Four years earlier, Obama carried the district.

The axis of Tuesdays debate revolved around the candidates attitude towards the policies of the Trump administration. Donovan, who was endorsed by Trump in the Republican primaries, spent much of his time seeking to demonstrate he was a loyal lackey of Trump.

Donovan had opposed the administrations efforts to roll back portions of Obamacare and voted against the tax bill, but upheld Trumps positions in Congressional votes 87 percent of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.com.

Donovan aligned himself with the presidents brutal attack on undocumented immigrants. While nominally opposing the separation of families during the debatea reversal of his position in the primariesDonovan maintained that Trump was merely upholding the law.

The Republican congressman hailed Trumps economic policy and the speculative boom that has lifted the stock market. Look at your 401(k) plan and that will tell you the whole story, he told the audience.

Rose, who has spent the campaign mostly avoiding mention of Trump, stressed during the debate he was willing to work with the president and opposed his impeachment. He also advocated the continuation of the Mueller probe, giving support to allegations of Russian meddling in the election and allying himself with the anti-Russia hysteria of the Democratic Party leadership in Congress.

On immigration, Rose promoted the fig leaf of comprehensive immigration reform, while also reiterating his support for militarization of the border. We should be a nation of security and one that enforces our laws, but also one that affirms our values, he said. This is essentially the position put forward by the Obama administration, which deported more immigrants than any administration in history and provided the legal framework for Trumps fascistic attacks.

Tuesday evening Rose reiterated on Twitter a number of his own comments during the debate that make clear the right-wing standpoint of his criticisms of Donovan and Trump:

On one side is Max Rose and the NYPD, and on the other side is Dan Donovan. Anyone who has served on the front lines as I have knows that 21st century policing has to be intelligence driven policing.

Roses promotion of the New York Police Department is particularly noxious given that his district was the site of the murder of Eric Garner by narcotics squad officers in 2014. Garner was accosted by the police after he had broken up a fight. He was accused of selling loose cigarettes and choked to death after refusing to submit quickly enough to police. Donovan was the district attorney in Staten Island at the time and played a key role in ensuring the officers were acquitted.

He also tweeted:

Because of the GOP tax bill, we wont have the money for the next depression, the next recession, the next war.

As he has throughout the campaign, Rose made repeated reference to his military background as his primary qualification for office. After graduating with a Masters degree from London School of Economics, Rose enlisted in the Army. He was deployed to assist in the US occupation of Afghanistan, where he was wounded when his armored vehicle struck a roadside bomb. Rose remains active in the New York National Guard. He took two weeks off of the campaign in August for training.

Among the frequent invocations of his military experience, not a hint of anti-war sentiment has emerged. On the contrary, Rose has put forward a militaristic platform, demanding recognition of Russia as a hostile foreign power and pledging to ensure we stay the superpower our parents and grandparents worked so hard to build. The motto of his campaign is Duty. Patriotism. Service. His campaign website is fashioned with an Army-style motif and features photographs of his deployment to Afghanistan.

Roses national security credentials are an integral part of the Democratic Party national strategy, what the WSWS has characterized as a friendly takeover by the intelligence and military agencies.

Democratic Party fundraisers have flooded Roses campaign coffers. Rose outraised Donovan by nearly five-to-one from July through September, taking in nearly $1.5 million in contrast to the incumbents $342,000. Only a tiny fraction of this has come from residents of Staten Island and southern Brooklyn.

Rose has the full backing of the Democratic Party establishment. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are two of the most prominent figures to issue endorsements. He also has the tacit endorsement of democratic socialists such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who repeatedly called for a vote for all Democratic candidates for Congress. When questioned by a WSWS reporter about Roses campaign, she refused to criticize it. I dont know a ton about his background, she said. What I try to do is focus on the issues.

The real interests of the majority of residents finds no reflection in the Max Rose campaign. While both Republican and Democratic candidates cite supposed differences between Staten Island and the rest of New York City, workers in all boroughs of the city face the same fundamental issues of rising inequality and social austerity in their daily experiences.

While household income is slightly above the city average, poverty and near poverty remain widespread. More than 56 percent of residents are forced to pay more than 30 percent of their income in rent. Among homeowners, more than 40 percent exceed that affordability threshold.

The district is sharply affected by the crumbling transportation infrastructure. Residents already have some of the longest commutes in the city, averaging 46 minutes each way. Express buses originating in Staten Island routinely take more than two hours to reach their destination in the central business district in Manhattan.

With 31 percent of the districts population foreign-born, large numbers of residents live in fear that they or someone they love will be swept up in the attack on immigrants. Staten Islands North Shore has a diverse population of immigrants from Latin America and Europe, along with a more recent influx from the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia. Southern Brooklyn is a center for immigrants from the Middle East.

The opioid crisis has also reached crisis proportions in the area. Staten Island has the highest rate of opioid deaths of any borough. While Rose has sought to exploit Donovans indifference to the crisis, the Democrat has nothing to say about underlying causes of opioid abuse. Rather, Rose criticized Donovan for disbanding the District Attorneys narcotics unit, effectively relegating the issue to one of law and order.

The Socialist Equality Party and International Youth and Students for Social Equality are holding a public meeting in New York City Saturday, October 20 on the CIA Democrats featuring remarks by WSWS US political writer Patrick Martin.

The CIA Democrats and the 2018 elections: What way forward for the working class?

Saturday October 20, 2:30pm

The Center, room 110

208 W 13th Street, NYC
On Monday, the trial of the case Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard Corporation began in the US Federal District Court for Massachusetts in Boston. The estimated three-week-long case is widely expected to end up in the Supreme Court of the United States, which would likely take the occasion to outlaw all racial preferences in college admissions.

Taking place in a media spotlight, the trial underscores the reactionary and antidemocratic character of affirmative actiona policy that seeks to conceal the class division in society while permitting the political right to pose as defenders of equal protection under the law. The trial also highlights the ultimately class-based admissions preferences of Harvard and other elite American universities.

Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA) filed the lawsuit against Harvard in 2014. Right-wing legal activist Edward Blum, a fellow of the American Enterprise Institute, directs the litigation. Blum launched a similar lawsuit against the University of Texas for its racial preferences in admissions. He also brought about the infamous Shelby County v. Holder case, which the Supreme Court heard in 2013 and used to strike down the preclearance provisions of the Voting Rights Act in a ruling that facilitates the Republican priority of discrimination at voting precincts.

SFFAs complaint alleges that Harvard discriminates against students of Asian background. Documentation provided with the 120-page complaint shows a decades-long practice of racially allocating seats at the prestigious school. Despite an allegedly holistic admissions systemfederal law bars the explicit use of racial quotasHarvard retained an ethnic composition that cannot be explained in any race-neutral way. For several decades, the school maintained an ethnic composition that was 40-50 percent white, 17-20 percent Asian, 7-10 percent Hispanic, 7-10 percent African American, ten percent resident alien and less than 10 percent American Indian, mixed or unknown ethnicity.

This racial balancing act was remarkably rigid. Between 1994 and 2008, for example, African American enrollment averaged 7.8 percent, with a standard deviation of just 0.3 percent. For the same period Hispanic enrollment averaged 7.4 percent, with a standard deviation of 0.4 percent.

Between the years 2006 and 2014, African Americans made up between 10.2 and 11.9 percent of the admitted class, while Hispanics made up between 9.8 and 13 percent. This ongoing parity of the African American and Hispanic portions of the student body defies innocent explanation.

The complaint demonstrates that Asian applicants carry much of the burden of this racial quota system as a minority that is overrepresented. While the proportion of Asians in the US population has more than doubled since the 1990s, the percentage of Asians in Harvards entering class stayed the same, hovering around 17 percent. Asian applicants comprise over forty percent of the academically suitable students in Harvards applicant pool (that is, those with the highest grades and test scores) and are regularly passed over for students of other races with weaker credentials.

Admissions personnel use personal qualities and other vague categories to discriminate against Asian applicants, a practice that mirrors Harvards racist answer to its Jewish problem in the early and mid-20th century, whereby university administrators limited Jewish enrollment to 15 percent through evaluations of their character and leadership abilities.

Harvard consistently puts Asian-American candidates below white candidates in these intangible and specious metrics. Stereotypes of Asians being quiet/shy, science/math oriented, and hard workers emerge in notes on applicant files. One Harvard evaluator described an Asian applicant in racist terms: Hes quiet and, of course, wants to be a doctor.

If Harvard evaluated Asian and Caucasian applicants equally, the groups enrollment rates would quickly equalize. Although this would increase Harvards overall level of racial diversity, Harvards admissions process keeps Caucasian enrollment more than twice as high as Asian-American enrollment.

Most of the trial so far has consisted of testimony by longtime Harvard Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William Fitzsimmons, who has been at pains to defend the universitys preferential treatment of wealthy applicants. His practice of regularly meeting with Development Office employees demonstrates the donation-driven admissions policy that Fitzsimmons said was important for the long-term strength of the institution. Some of the money raised in this manner could be used for scholarships, he added.

Fitzsimmons claimed that he did not recall an internal review from 2013 that found that Harvard discriminated against Asian applicants. The university ceased publication of student body composition figures shortly after. I see lots of documents, he evasively replied to plaintiffs counsel.

Legally speaking, Harvard is skating on very thin ice at best. The Supreme Court and major universities have played a cat-and-mouse game since the 1978 Bakke decision, which outlawed the overt use of racial quotas in admissions. Admissions offices found themselves reverse engineering application processes that would generate specific racial student body compositions without overtly using racial quotas. The 2003 Grutter decision further limited the use of race in admissions, though it upheld the educational benefit of a racially diverse student body.

American constitutional jurisprudence views all government actions based on race with suspicion. A university receiving federal fundsas Harvard doeshas the burden to show that its use of race in admissions is narrowly tailored to further the educational benefits of a diverse student body. Typically, a policy is not narrowly tailored when other means exist to achieve the same end.

This may prove fatal for Harvard, as studies show that the best method for increasing minority enrollmentand meeting the purported educational goal of racial diversityis the elimination of legacy admission preferences offered to children of alumni.

The acceptance rate for legacy applicants to Harvard is about 30 percent, or roughly five times the rate at which all other applicants are admitted to Harvard. Harvard alumni children are less likely to be racial minorities and are more likely to be wealthy than are other applicants.

A number of universities, including Texas A&M University, the University of Georgia, and the entire University of California system (which includes Berkeley and Cal-Tech), greatly increased their student bodies ethnic diversity by ending both legacy preferences as well as racial preferences.

Another race-neutral way to increase diversity would be to ban admissions preferences for the children of wealthy donors, who are much more likely to be Caucasian than to be a minority. They are also more likely to be legacy applicants.

Whatever its outcome, the Harvard trial exposes certain fundamental truths about higher education, wealth and politics in the United States. Most immediately, it shows that, in certain respects, Harvard University functions as an investment bank that dabbles in education. With its $36.4 billion endowmenta sum exceeding the GDP of many countriesHarvard could offer free tuition and board to over 600,000 students for a year. Or, assuming an annual return of six percent on the endowment, it could provide a full scholarship to 36,000 students every year. The latter figure is almost six times Harvards total undergraduate enrollment.

Trial testimony has revealed what was already widely understood: every effort is made to attract not the best and the brightest, but the wealthiest students with the best connections.

More broadly, the trial reveals once again that affirmative action serves as a mechanism of bourgeois class rule. The carefully maintained racial balances keep important institutions stocked with a critical mass of underrepresented minorities. As justice Stephen Breyer said during oral arguments for the 2003 Grutter case, [W]e think from the point of view of business, the armed forces, law, etc., that this is an extraordinary need, to have diversity among elites throughout the country, that without it, the country will be much worse off.

This policyso tenaciously held by the faction of the ruling class expressing its interests through the Democratic Partyfans resentment that is easily manipulated by the most reactionary political forces. In the case of Blum, his organization advocates the further dismantling of public education through vouchers. His career in politics began with a bid to gerrymander the electoral map in Texas to disenfranchise likely Democratic voters. His allies in the Republican Party would gladly put Asian students in internment camps without a second thought in the event of a war with China. There is no progressive faction in this fight.

A progressive and socialist education policy is not selective admissions based on racial categories, but open admissions. Education must be a social right, not a scarce opportunity for a select and privileged few. There is no shortage of knowledge to go around, and no shortage of teachers and staff to share and enrich it. The broadest possible access to higher learning will be instrumental in realizing the longstanding socialist slogan: the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.

The broad individual and social benefits of education face only one obstacle: the monopolization of all social resources by the financial aristocracy.
Niles Niemuth is the Socialist Equality Partys candidate for Congress in Michigans 12th Congressional District, which includes Ann Arbor. This statement will be distributed to students and workers in Ann Arbor in advance of Sanders visit to the city to campaign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer.

Visit Niles2018.com to donate and get involved in the campaign.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has brought his promotional tour for Democratic Party candidates to Ann Arbor, Michigan today to campaign for gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer.

The rally is part of a systematic campaign by Sanders for Democratic candidates in the midterm elections. Sanders is among the few political figures in the US who has any broader popular support, particularly among young people, due to his stated opposition to social inequality and his association with socialism. He is using this support for thoroughly reactionary purposes.

Workers and young people must not be fooled! Sanders is a fake socialist and a false prophet!

By promoting the Democratic Party, he is attempting to keep growing anger and opposition from taking an independent form and breaking free of the stranglehold of the right-wing political system in the United States.

This act has been played before. In the 2016 elections, Sanders won widespread support and 13 million votes for his presidential campaign in the Democratic Partyto the shock of many, including Sanders himself. He drew large crowds, including in Michigan, where he won a surprise upset over Hillary Clinton.

Sanders had no intention of directing this support into a campaign against the capitalist ruling elite and its pro-war, anti-working class policies. Despite revelations that the Democratic National Committee had rigged the primary process against him, Sanders endorsed Hillary Clinton, the widely despised candidate of Wall Street and war. This handed Trump a monopoly on rhetorical opposition to the political establishment.

In return for his services, Sanders was elevated to a leading position in the Democratic Party caucus in the US Senate, despite his nominal independent status.

Since the election of Trump, the Democrats have sought to suppress and divert mass opposition along militarist channels. Trumps fascistic immigration policies has been dropped by the Democrats as an issue in the midterms, even as thousands of children are being detained in concentration camps on the US-Mexico border.

Instead, the Democrats have focused their criticism of Trump on his supposed softness toward Russia, engaging in an anti-Russia campaign that has been used to pressure Trump from the right on foreign policy and justify the censorship of political speech on the internet.

The Democrats have hailed as heroes arch-warmongers and conspirators against democratic rights like former CIA Director John Brennan and the late Republican Senator John McCain. Far from opposing this campaign, Sanders has given it his full support. John McCain was an American hero, a man of decency and honor and a friend of mine, he declaredof a man who never saw a war he didnt like.

Then there was the obsequious praise doled out by Sanders for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezosthe richest man in the worldwhen Bezos announced to great media fanfare that he was raising the minimum wage for Amazon workers to $15 an hour. Amazon workers denounced the move as a cynical ploy that will lead to a pay cut for many workers since it was accompanied by the elimination of bonuses and stock grants.

Sanders, however, praised Bezos, who makes his billions through the ruthless exploitation of hundreds of thousands of workers, for doing exactly the right thing and leading the way.

Above all, Sanders and the Democratic Party want to block the development of a real socialist alternative. They fear the growth of the class struggle and the many signs that workers are breaking free from the straitjacket of the trade unions.

For this purpose, they are upholding candidates like Democratic Socialists of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as evidence that the Democratic Party is moving to the left, even as the Democrats field in the midterm elections an unprecedented number of former CIA and military officerslike Michigan congressional candidate Elissa Slotkinwho will hold the balance of power if the Democrats win control of the House in November.

In the case of Whitmer, Sanders is shifting his support to a thoroughly establishment candidate after first backing the failed gubernatorial primary campaign of former Detroit health director and self-styled progressive Abdul El-Sayed.

The daughter of a former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Whitmer has been a fixture of Michigan Democratic Party politics for nearly two decades. She served as the minority leader of the state Senate from 2011 to 2015. Most recently, Whitmer was the prosecutor for Ingham County, the area that includes the state capital, Lansing, before launching her bid for governor.

What is needed to fight inequality, war and dictatorship is not Sanders fake socialism, but the real thing!

Genuine socialism is based on the principle of social equality. The vast sums of wealth monopolized by the rich must be seized and directed toward the satisfaction of social needs.

Genuine socialism is international. Workers in every country have the same social interests and the same class enemies. A socialist movement must take up the defense of immigrant workers and fight for open borders. Workers everywhere should be able to live and work where they choose.

Genuine socialism means the fight against imperialist war, the product of capitalism, which threatens to engulf the globe in a nuclear catastrophe.

Genuine socialism is based on the interests of the working class, the vast majority of the worlds population. It is to the working class, the vast majority of the population, that young people must turn to fight for a future.

And genuine socialism is revolutionary. It proposes not mild reforms, which the ruling class will not tolerate, but revolutionthe overthrow of capitalist property relations through the establishment of democratic control over the giant banks and corporations. It fights for the political mobilization of the working class, in opposition to the Democratic and Republican Parties, to take power and establish a workers government to reorganize economic life, in the United States and internationally, on the basis of social need, not private profit.

The Socialist Equality Party is spearheading the fight to arm the developing objective movement of workers and youth with an uncompromising revolutionary program and perspective to put an end to war, poverty and social inequality. Vote for me on November 6 and make a class-conscious decision to join the Socialist Equality Party and take up the fight for socialism!
The #MeToo movement is one year old this month. Articles in the New York Times and the New Yorker magazine detailing allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein launched the campaign. Dozens and dozens of accusations have followed.

The ostensible aim of this ongoing movement is to combat sexual harassment and assault, i.e., to bring about some measure of social progress. However, the repressive, regressive means resorted toincluding unsubstantiated and often anonymous denunciations and sustained attacks on the presumption of innocence and due processgive the lie to the campaigns progressive claims. Such methods are the hallmark of an anti-democratic, authoritarian movement, and one, moreover, that deliberately seeks to divert attention from social inequality, attacks on the working class, the threat of war and the other great social and political issues of the day.

Instead of bringing about an improvement in conditions, in fact, the #MeToo movement has helped undermine democratic rights, created an atmosphere of intimidation and fear and destroyed the reputations and careers of a significant number of artists and others. It has taken its appropriate place in the Democratic Party strategy of opposing the Trump administration and the Republicans on a right-wing footing.

The sexual hysteria has centered in Hollywood and the media, areas not coincidentally where subjectivism, intense self-absorption and the craving to be in the limelight abound.

The McCarthyite witch-hunt encountered so little opposition in the late 1940s and early 1950s in Hollywood in large measure because of the lack of political preparedness of the American artistic-intellectual left, under the influence of Stalinism and the Popular Front. However, combined with that, there was also the fact that to save their careersand their swimming pools, in Orson Welless famous quipindividuals opportunistically turned against former friends and colleagues, named names, broke off relations, often apparently without a qualm. One should recall the immortal phrase of actor James Dean, explaining why he had consented to work with director-informer Elia Kazan, about whom he had previously spoken only with contempt: He made me a star.

There should be no illusions about the morals that have long prevailed in the film and related industries. A great many attractive young women and men, desperate for fame, find themselves at the mercy of influential or even relatively lowly gatekeeper figures, male and sometimes female, who seem to control their future destinies. This is a situation overripe for abuse. It is not primarily about sex, but about the assertion of power.

It would take a contemporary Theodore Dreiser or F. Scott Fitzgerald to depict the sort of fantasy about the golden world of celebrityand the dread of not being allowed to share in itthat animates a great number of young people in America, especially under conditions where the alternative for many seems to be an economic or psychic abyss.

(Clyde Griffiths in Dreisers An American Tragedy: He felt so out of it, so lonely and restless and tortured by all that he saw here, for everywhere that he looked he seemed to see love, romance, contentment. What to do? Where to go? He could not go on alone like this forever. He was too miserable... It was so hard to be poor, not to have money and position and to be able to do in life exactly as you wished... So much for the effect of wealth, beauty, the peculiar social state to which he most aspired, on a temperament that was as fluid and unstable as water... How marvelous to be of that world.)

No one should be naive about the extent to which many of the aspirants consent to sexual activity in the name of succeeding in a career, justifying it as one of the unpleasant overhead costs associated with making it, or even self-deceptively bathing certain situations, which involve nothing at their core but cold, calculated moves, in a quasi-romantic aura.

Embarrassment and remorse may set in later, especially if things do not go quite right. Individuals, including actresses whose careersthrough no fault of their own in many casesare stagnating or fading, may blindly and vindictively concentrate their disappointment or disillusionment with Hollywood retroactively on a figure such as Weinstein. (Moreover, as we have noted before, in some cases the sexual misconduct campaign has actually revived careers and opened up new financial possibilities. It is empty-headed to go on lauding the bravery of accusers who come forward, when they generally meet with media acclaim and have even done quite well out of the whole business.)

One has no special reason to think well of todays crop of film personalities, who have pursued success under bad artistic and ideological conditions, where social indifference and self-centeredness have been transformed into positive virtues. As we wrote last year, To be brutally frank, there is a great difference between the situation facing a working class woman, on the one hand, for whom acquiescing to sexual pressures in a factory or office may be virtually a life-and-death issue, and the choices open to an entertainer or performer, on the other, who plays along in the interests of advancing a career.

In their rage and disorientation, a variety of #MeToo promoters have come up with the idea that women must be believed when they make accusations of sexual misconduct, even in the absence of any other proof. It is a painful reality that there are certain situations that may, especially well after the fact, hinge only on the opposed say-so of two individuals. That undoubtedly leaves open the possibility that certain perpetrators may escape punishment.

But the alternative--simply relying on the accusers word--is worse and makes a mockery of the presumption of innocence or even the requirement that the preponderance of evidence must point to guilt. Then we are truly in the realm of the witch hunt and the lynch mob.

Like men, women lieas such notorious episodes as the Scottsboro Boys and Emmett Till cases, along with the more recent ones involving Tawana Brawley, false accusations against the Duke lacrosse team, Jackie at the University of Virginia and the charges against CBC personality Jian Ghomeshi--demonstrate.

Precisely because women face particular and hypocritical penalties for unorthodox or disapproved-of types of sexual behavior, they have an incentive to lie under certain circumstances.

Along the same lines, moreover, one would simply be ignoring social and psychological reality to ignore the truth of novelist Alfred Doblins comment that precisely because women make up a downtrodden sex that keeps battling to assert itself, like terrorists, they do not shrink from the most inhumane acts of violence. Vengefulness can be an inverted expression of psychologically or socially oppressed and hurtful conditions, but that does not ennoble it or legitimize making a virtual program out of it. I dont care about innocent men facing punishment because women have suffered so much!--the subtext of much of the feminist commentary--is a dreadful and shameful slogan without the slightest progressive content to it.

The Economist recently reported the results of polls conducted in November 2017 and September 2018, indicating that the year-long storm of allegations, confessions and firings has actually made Americans more sceptical about sexual harassment. The magazine wrote: The share of American adults responding that men who sexually harassed women at work 20 years ago should keep their jobs has risen from 28 percent to 36 percent. The proportion who think that women who complain about sexual harassment cause more problems than they solve has grown from 29 percent to 31 percent. And 18 percent of Americans now think that false accusations of sexual assault are a bigger problem than attacks that go unreported or unpunished. The article added, Surprisingly, these changes in opinion against victims have been slightly stronger among women than men.

This growing skepticism on the part of the general public, who increasingly tend to view celebrities like Rose McGowan, Asia Argento and others as neurotic self-promoters or worse, has a generally healthy component. It is also one of the factors behind the ramping up of the rhetoric and the frenzy in #MeToo, Democratic Party and pseudo-left circles during the Brett Kavanaugh-Christine Blasey Ford confrontation. These forces have largely failed to persuade the American public, and now more and more tend to berate it.

However, their efforts have consequences. In so far as the dishonest, sensationalized journalistic exposes of Ronan Farrow at the New Yorker, the New York Times reporting staff and numerous others unravel, as they well may, this will undermine the claims and accusations of genuine victims of sexual abuse and create the danger of a backlash. The recklessness of Farrow, Jessica Valenti, Rebecca Traister and company in this regard is merely another expression of their profound, petty-bourgeois indifference to the fate of the mass of the population, including its female half.

Sexual assault and violence, most of it against women, are significant and horrific social phenomena, no matter whose statistics one chooses to rely on. The invasion of ones body is one of the most damaging and humiliating possible experiences. Sexual abuse expresses the brutality of class society in one of the forms in which it appears in the everyday life of individuals and communities.

Poor and immigrant women, the socially defenseless and dispossessed generally, the very young, those at the mercy of the rich and powerful, those dependent on their employers or on government officials, are the most vulnerable. However, violence within and among the oppressed is also a fact of life in bourgeois society. Those who have been maltreated may themselves maltreat others. Studies have revealed, for example, a sharp increase in domestic violence in families where layoffs have occurred.

In any event, despite occasional lip service, no one in the #MeToo and Times Up movements, now led by wealthy, influential individuals like Tina Tchen, Barack Obamas former assistant, speaks up for working class women, who are left to their fate.

All in all, #MeToo is a reactionary response to a real social problem.

The emptiness of middle class feminist complaints about the unfairness and injustice of present-day society is shown by their selectiveness. They could not care less about the thousands of men who die in industrial accidents or the tens of thousands of men and boys who overdose from opioids or commit suicide on an annual basis. That suffering is entirely taken for granted, along with the murderous havoc wreaked by American military interventions all over the planet, often carried out these days in the name of human rights or even womens rights.

Those who complain the loudest tend to have the least to complain about. Professional women have made great strides in the past several decades. According to UK researcher and academic Alison Wolf, Among younger men and women [in the advanced capitalist countries] with equal education levels, who have also put in equal time in the same occupation, there are no gender pay gaps left, although women continue to be financially punished if they have children (unless they are tremendously wealthy).

The numbers of female lawyers, physicians, dentists, accountants and other professionals have leaped in recent years. Wolf explains that in the US, women have gone from 3 percent of practising lawyers in 1970 to 40 percent today, and over half of all law students. The Russell Sage Foundation notes that the number of professional degrees completed by men has declined slightly (from 40,229 in 1982 to 34,661 in 2010), while womens professional degree completion has increased almost twentyfoldfrom 1,534 professional degrees in 1970 to 30,289 in 2010.

A portion of this newly affluent and independent social layer is hungry for more, and sees incumbent, still better-situated males as rivals to be displacedif necessary, by ruthless and underhanded means. This ferocious in-fighting, gender cleansing, within the upper-middle class breaks into the headlines in the form of the #MeToo movement and the numerous attempts to oust academic and media figures over charges of sexual misconduct, many of which prove to be either overblown or invented.

German socialist Clara Zetkin pointed out as long ago as 1896 that bourgeois womens demand for sex equality in carrying on an occupation... means nothing else than the realisation of free trade and free competition between men and women. The realisation of this demand awakens a conflict of interest between the women and men of the middle class and the intelligentsia. On the other hand, the liberation struggle of the proletarian woman cannot beas it is for the bourgeois womana struggle against the men of her own class. She fights hand in hand with the men of her own class.

To justify and facilitate their advancement at the expense of supposedly bestial or predatory men, the #MeToo feminists have attempted to impose their own moral code. This has little to do with safeguarding women in general and workplace safety in particular. It has had no positive impact whatsoever on Americas workplaces, where tyrannical conditions for both gendersincreasingly reminiscent of the late 19th and early 20th centuriesprevail.

One of the most pernicious aspects of the sexual witch hunt has been the effort to stigmatize a wide range of sexual activities, including, as we have pointed out, many that reflect the ambiguities and complexities of human interactions.

In some unhappy and sordid revival of American Puritanism or Victorianism, prominent men have been denounced for promiscuity (for example, serial dating), adultery and, in one nationally publicized case, flirting that veered suddenly into sexual territory, unwanted sexual advances and consensual sexual relations that ended abruptly (i.e., breaking off a relationship without sufficient warning!).

Alongside this is the anti-democratic and spurious effort to criminalize gray-zone sex experiences--those, for instance, where individuals agree to have sex, but one thinks better of it after the fact. Thus, we get the disgusting attack on comedian Aziz Ansari by a woman who had an unhappy encounter with him and proceeded to complain to a journalist about it3,000 words of revenge porn, in the words of Atlantic columnist Caitlin Flanagan. The clinical detail in which the story is told is intended not to validate her account as much as it is to hurt and humiliate Ansari, Flanagan went on. Together, the two women [including the journalist] may have destroyed Ansaris career, which is now the punishment for every kind of male sexual misconduct, from the grotesque to the disappointing.

In the spirit of that attempted destruction, a deplorable article at Jezebel by Julianne Escobedo Shepherd informs us that #MeToos next direction is toward a deeper look at some of the most common and harder-to-define experiences. Its looking toward a more equitable world in which women and other marginalized genders can live less fearfully, by digging deeper into the gray areas and educating all of us about the harm they perpetuate... How do we talk about behavior that is harmful and inequitable but isnt illegal? How do we talk about the women affected by it? And what happens when accusations of such behavior are made against someone who is supposed to be an ally?

This is the lawless frontier, as the WSWS has argued, where punishment will be meted out through public humiliation and ridicule, and where the subjective, personal and arbitrary are being advanced as an alternative basis for establishing criminal liability.

The gray area must also include various forms of sexual fumbling and miscommunication, including the making of unwelcome or unwanted advances, which, if banned, would effectively put an end to new sexual relationships of any type ever coming into being.

Categorizing every misstep or badly chosen word as a form of abuse is inhuman and reactionary nonsense, which, if taken at all seriously, will do tremendous harm to the psyches of countless young women and men in particular.

Meanwhile, the daily struggle to earn a living, clothe and house a family and navigate an unstable social and political environment preoccupies the vast majority of working class people, female and male. On top of that, a larger and larger number are coming to realize that a radical change in the entire social order is necessary.

But the #MeToo witch-hunters are not part of and are fiercely hostile to that struggle.
They say the lollipops and Tic Tac look-a-likes they seized are suspected to be laced with ecstasy and THC.

Columbus police want parents to be aware of the candy their children have in their possession or are given.
FLORIDA (WTXL) - Homeowners need to make sure they hire only Florida licensed contractors for repairs or replacements of their homes and property, according to Florida officials.

The Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA) says unlicensed contractors, con artists and scammers often prey on homeowners in their time of need.

Officials say its important that owners remain aware of Florida law so they are not taken advantage of. Florida Statues require that roofing contractors are licensed through the Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board.

The FRSA serves to help homeowners as they rebuild. FRSA is a nonprofit trade association of licensed and insured roofing professionals.

Through FRSAs website, www.floridaroof.com, property owners can find roofing professionals in their area, information on scams and alerts, and documents about hiring Florida licensed contractors.

FRSA also partners with local and state organizations to post notices to owners on additional services available them such as Governor Scotts Operation Blue Roof, which launched Wednesday to assist homeowners in getting free blue tarps installed on their roofs by the U.S. Army.

Disaster recovery organizations also caution homeowners to be suspicious of any contractor who demands cash or full payment upfront. Owners should make sure the contractor has a Florida licensed and is insured.

According to FRSA, homeowners need to ensure the contractor isn't steering them to a specific lender or asking to file the insurance claims on their behalf. Owners should be cautious if a contractor ask for personal financial information prior to starting the repair or lending process.

For more information and suggestions from the FRSA, please visit www.floridaroof.com.
CAIRO, Ga. (WTXL) - The destruction left behind by Hurricane Michael left many stores and restaurants without power for days making it hard for people to get supplies and food.

This caused one grocery store in Cairo to go above and beyond when the community needed help.

Preparing for a hurricane is key, but in the sleepy town of Cairo, it didn't get the urgency that it deserved.

Natalie Morris, a Customer Service employee at Piggly Wiggly, said "it was chaos, it was a lot of people in need, we didn't prepare like we should have. We didn't know it would be that bad."

That's when Troy Singletary, the store Manager, decided to take action immediately.

"We were already preparing in case we needed to take care of our customers. We had a generator staged up. So we get a generator as quickly as we could and started taking care of our customers" said Singletary.

About 24 hours after Michael hit the Florida-Georgia line, Singletary and his employees opened the doors. It was 5 p.m. Thursday night and those doors stayed open for 24 hours because this Piggly Wiggly was the only store open on the North side of Cairo.

"It was like disaster over there but then this store was open and you came to reality and then you're like 'oh everything is not a disaster'. It made you feel good that it was actually open" said Piggly Wiggly customer Anthony Lora.

"It's about helping people, that's all it's about because believe me when I tell you I did not want to come to work but the only thing that made me come was knowing that people needed it" said Morris.

To Singletary, it was just a day that the community needed a little more help. "That's what we do here everyday, we take care of our customers. Our company, our biggest thing is outrageous customer service, we always take care of our customers every day, and this was just another time that we had to do a little bit more to take care of our customers" said Singletary.

But to his customers, it was a blessing beyond recognition.

Another customer Jimmy Cook said "It really was like a sanctuary, it's just a blessing to the community. I just think the world of them, I think they're really good people and it showed. When people are in need that's when they need help."

Singletary and his employees said it was nothing out of the ordinary for them to open their doors to the people of Cairo, proving that people can step up in a time of need.
(WTXL) - Verizon is expanding its offer of three months of free monthly access to its customers in the Florida Panhandle that were most heavily impacted by Hurricane Michael.

Along with Bay and Gulf counties, every Verizon customer in Calhoun, Franklin, Holmes, Jackson, Liberty, Wakulla, and Washington counties will be automatically credited for three months of monthly access charges for each line.

This free service is for consumers, business accounts and public safety organizations.

Verizon also announced on Thursday contributions totaling $1 million to organizations assisting in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.

Verizon Wireless Operations Leader, Tami Erwin, said Verizon will donate a total of $500,000 to the American Red Cross to support recovery efforts, adding $250,000 to its original pledge to support areas hardest hit by the hurricane.

In addition, Erwin said Verizon is contributing $500,000 to the Florida Disaster Relief Fund, which is the State of Floridas official private fund established to assist Floridas communities as they respond to and recover during times of emergency or disaster.

To learn more about the extension of Verizon's free calls, texts, and data offer through Oct. 31, visit Verizon to follow the company's ongoing surrounding network repair and community relief.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-18 23:25:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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by Fatima Aruri

RAMALLAH, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian cinema goers got a unique chance to be the first audiences to watch a film about a fourth generation Palestinian refugee girl longing to reach hope whilst living in Lebanese Bur Al-Barajneh refugee camp.

The 80-minute animation film "the Tower," directed by Norwegian Mats Grorud, fits the slogan of the Cinema Days, the fifth Palestinian cinema festival, which is "Palestinians resist through film."

The film focuses on the issue of refugees who have recently seen substantial pressure after the U.S. administration decided to cut off aid to the only UN agency providing support to the Palestinian refugees, the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Grorud told Xinhua that story is about an 11-year-old girl who is exactly the kind of girl in an UNRWA school and faces more problems because the United States cut their funds to UNRWA. She is fighting for a life.

The girl, named Warda, might have to fight to stay in school due to her family's difficult financial situation, but is given a new task by her great grandfather to help find her hope, the long-awaited return to her original hometown in the Galilee.

"My message to all these young kids is to keep hoping and to keep fighting for what they believe to be right for them," said Grorud.

Ten-year-old Laila Najjar from Haifa gave the animated Warda her Arabic voice, with a tone of hope and character of a curious girl.

Najjar said that "I now understand the feelings of refugees through Warda's character, whom I loved because we have a lot of similarities. For example, both our grandparents were forced out of their hometowns, but mine was lucky to find a way back from Lebanon to Nazareth, and did not give up."

"I loved Warda's character because she will not give up and seeks to find hope for all others," she said.

Cinema Days spokesperson Khuloud Badawi told Xinhua that "cinema is a struggle tool to raise awareness. We believe that our festival this year should have a clear political message."

Badawi stressed that it is not enough "that we are holding a successful film festival that meets international standards, but we are also sending a clear message that our basic rights are inseparable part of our identity and artistic message."

The characters of the film are caught between the longing for hope and the exhaustion of daily life inside the camp, that they continue to build one storey on top of the other, expanding horizontally in the small camp, according to Badawi.

"The image of the film is really about how generation after generation keep living in this camp and new generations are born as refugees," said the filmmaker, who spent a year in Bur Al-Barajneh refugee camp to make the film.

"So, I chose the tower as a symbol that I feel is right for the injustice done to the Palestinians but also their resilience and their continued struggle to survive," he added.

More than 60 films will be screened during the week for Palestinian, Arab and international filmmakers, including two Oscar nominated films.

The cinema festival kicked off on Oct. 17 and will last until Oct. 23.

The hype created by the Cinema Days will also see specialized workshops and competition to the Sunbird Award to three winners among 22 competing films.

Ameen Nayfeh, a 30-year-old filmmaker competing for the Sunbird Award, said the festival gives the Palestinian audience a taste to a variety of films and cinema schools, as well as promotes cinema in Palestine.

Nayfeh, whose film "the Crossing" has been awarded the Jury Prize in the Arab short film festival in Beirut last week, said it will be the first time that he gets to attend his own film screening with his audience.

"For me, my participation in the Sunbird Award is very important, because it allows me the chance to be with my local audience when it is screened in Palestine. For the first time, the crew and even my family will all be together for the screening," Nayfeh said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 00:20:56|Editor: Chengcheng

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said here on Thursday that Saudi Arabia shall be given "a few more days" on its probe of the disappearance of a journalist.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he has decided to cancel his coming trip to the kingdom after meeting with Pompeo.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Pompeo said he had briefed President Donald Trump about his just-concluded visit to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Pompeo said Washington will wait for the outcome of the investigation into the missing Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabia and Turkey before deciding the U.S. response.

"I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so we can get a complete understanding...," Pompeo said.

The U.S. top diplomat added that the Saudi side had said they would conduct a "complete, thorough investigation of all the facts" related to Khashoggi's disappearance, "and that they will do so in a timely fashion."

He also said it is important to remember that Saudi Arabia is a long strategic partner of the United States throughout the process.

He added that the Turkish leadership has assured him that the country is conducting its own investigation and will share the results with the United States and Saudi Arabia.

However, he declined to answer more specific questions about what exactly happened to Khashoggi, only saying that "I'm going to allow the process to move forward."

As more and more evident and accusations suggesting Saudi's involvement in the case emerged, Mnuchin tweeted later that he had just met with Trump and Pompeo.

"We have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia," he noted.

Also on Thursday, U.S. Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted that the United States "must not accept a strategic alliance with #SaudiArabia which requires our silence when they butcher a political critic."

Several Republican heavyweights have urged Trump to reconsider the U.S. military sales to Saudi Arabia over the case.

The case of Khashoggi, a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has become a major source of tension between Saudi Arabia and the West.

Khashoggi has been missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Unconfirmed reports said that Khashoggi was likely killed inside the compound, a claim denied by Saudi officials as "baseless."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 00:56:02|Editor: Yang Yi

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Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis in Singapore, on Oct. 18, 2018. (Xinhua/Then Chih Wey)

SINGAPORE, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe agreed with the United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis here Thursday to control risks and deepen mutual trust so as to make the relations between the two militaries a stabilizer for the China-U.S. relationship.

Wei and Mattis both arrived in the city-state to take part in the 5th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus and Other Sideline Events scheduled from Thursday to Saturday, and the Chinese side echoed the U.S. suggestion for a bilateral meeting.

According to the Chinese official, promoting cooperation for win-win development is the only choice for a lasting relationship between Beijing and Washington, enhancing mutual trust is the best cohesive force for strengthening the exchanges of the two armies, and respect and toleration are the rightful means of addressing differences and problems.

Wei Fenghe noted that China stands firm on principles guiding issues of Taiwan and the South China Sea, and that the Chinese military take unswerving stance on safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development.

Mattis said that differences lie between the United States and China, but they do not necessarily mean confrontation, nor does competition mean hostility.

The U.S. side is devoted to promoting the relations between the U.S. and Chinese militaries, and hopes to further enhance exchanges between the two militaries at all levels, and take good advantage of the mutual trust and cooperation mechanism, so as to push the relations between the two militaries ahead on a right track.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 01:21:06|Editor: Chengcheng

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BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- With strong complementarity, China and the United States should "dispel the cloud" and achieve closer economic and trade cooperation to benefit businesses and peoples from both sides, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on Thursday.

Over the past nearly 40 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, they have forged deeply-intertwined economic and trade ties, Gao Feng, a spokesperson with the MOC told a press conference.

Such closer relations are decided by market forces, and are the result of the joint efforts of the two governments and industries, reflecting the inevitable trend of the global industry chains distribution, Gao said.

"We believe such a trend will not be reversed," he added.

Commenting on more stringent rules on foreign investment review recently unveiled by the U.S. Treasury Department, Gao said, for any country or industry, development will be achieved through opening-up and cooperation, while isolation will surely cause backwardness.

It is hoped that the new rules will not bring new uncertainties, or abuse the concept of "national security", but will create a fair, transparent and predictable environment for foreign investors, he noted.

Gao said the United States provoked trade frictions with China, which, to varying degrees, negatively impacted Chinese private companies and foreign businesses operating in China. The affected companies and industries are restructuring and upgrading to cope with the challenges.

In response to questions on whether China is willing to make some concessions in negotiating with the U.S. side, Gao said China's position has been consistent. "If the United States shows sincerity, negotiations should be conducted on the basis of equality, integrity and mutual respect."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 01:26:07|Editor: Yang Yi

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Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), reads a congratulatory letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping to the fifth annual conference of the Taihu World Cultural Forum at the opening ceremony of the forum in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The fifth annual conference of the Taihu World Cultural Forum opened in Beijing on Thursday.

Wang Chen, vice chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, announced Chinese President Xi Jinping's congratulatory letter and delivered an address at the conference.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said President Xi's letter profoundly illustrated the important role that exchange and mutual learning among civilizations play on advancement of civilizations of mankind and peaceful development of the world.

"It gives full display to China's sincere wishes to work with the international community in advancing mutual respect and harmonious co-existence between different civilizations, sharing development opportunities, coping with common challenges, and building a better world," Wang said.

Working to build a community with a shared future for humanity is a practical action of China to safeguard world peace, promote common development and contribute Chinese wisdom and a Chinese approach, and has won wide recognition and support from the international community, he added.

Wang proposed adherence to mutual respect and inclusiveness, innovation in transformation and development of traditional culture, as well as strengthened cultural exchanges and enlarged public participation, and promoting cultural integration in building Belt and Road.

The Taihu World Cultural Forum was initiated by China. This year's conference is themed "Dialogue of Civilizations: Building a Community With a Shared Future for Humanity."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 01:41:09|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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RABAT, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- A judicial investigation is underway to determine the cause of Tuesday's train derailment, Morocco's Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani said here on Thursday.

Speaking at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, El Othmani stressed that the results of the inquiry will help the country draw lessons and avoid similar accidents in the future.

A train derailed Tuesday near the capital Rabat, killing seven passengers and injuring 125 others.

The prime minister said the train derailment is "tragic" and reiterated his condolences to the victims' families and wished the wounded speedy recovery.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 02:11:13|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GENEVA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Swiss residents say there is not much for free in the country, but the Federal Railways SBB said Thursday it will start introducing free internet surfing based on 3G/4G mobile coverage on trains by the end of next year.

The State-owned company outlined plans to increase connection coverage across its rail network and in its many tunnels.

The rail operator will test a new technology next year on the Zurich-Geneva, St Gallen-Lausanne and Basel-Biel routes, which will allow users to surf for free with better bandwidth than WLAN.

It says this will also better allow for 5G coverage on trains in the future, particularly when combined with new laser perforated windows on trains.

Mobile hotspots will be provided for tourists using mobile phones without a SIM card.

"The aim is to offer free internet on all SBB long-distance trains from 2020," the Swiss Federal Railway company said.

In 2013, the first train stations were equipped with WLAN, and internet connectivity on the rail system has improved since then, with 97 percent network coverage currently, Swissinfo, the website of the national broadcaster reported.

The railways' company said it plans to increase coverage to 99 percent by 2020.

Trains are being fitted with amplifiers to boost signal strength while all tunnels should be equipped with 4G coverage by 2022.

On its international service routes, the company says it will install WLAN for passengers throughout journeys to neighboring countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 02:16:14|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Untied Nations Middle East peace coordinator on Thursday once again called on Israel to cease settlement activities on the occupied Palestinian territories.

"I once again called on Israel to cease demolitions (of Palestinian-owned structures) and other measures that run contrary to its obligations under international law," UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council.

A total of 39 structures were demolished or seized in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displacing 33 people and affecting the livelihoods of over 100 others in the past month, Mladenov said, citing figures from the UN relief wing, or OCHA.

While the rate of demolitions has declined since the beginning of 2017, over 13,000 demolition orders are pending against Palestinian structures in Area C, he said, referring to an administrative area that constitutes about 60 percent of the West Bank territory.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government has reportedly approved the allocation of 6 million dollars for advancing the construction of 31 housing units in the Jewish settlement in Hebron, the first new construction there in 16 years, Mladenov added.

"I reiterated the long-standing United Nations position that all settlement activities are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace," he said.
File Photo: Israeli soldiers take positon following clashes between Israeli settlers from the settlement of Yitzhar and Palestinians from the nearby Urif village, south of the West Bank City of Nablus, on Oct. 10, 2018. (Xinhua/Nidal Eshtayeh)

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Middle East peace coordinator on Thursday called on Israel to cease settlement activities on the occupied Palestinian territories.

"I once again called on Israel to cease demolitions (of Palestinian-owned structures) and other measures that run contrary to its obligations under international law," UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council.

A total of 39 structures were demolished or seized in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, displacing 33 people and affecting the livelihoods of over 100 others in the past month, Mladenov said, citing figures from the UN relief wing, or OCHA.

While the rate of demolitions has declined since the beginning of 2017, over 13,000 demolition orders are pending against Palestinian structures in Area C, he said, referring to an administrative area that constitutes about 60 percent of the West Bank territory.

Meanwhile, the Israeli government has reportedly approved the allocation of 6 million dollars for advancing the construction of 31 housing units in the Jewish settlement in Hebron, the first new construction there in 16 years, Mladenov added.

"I reiterated the long-standing United Nations position that all settlement activities are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace," he said.

Moreover, the UN envoy noted settler-related violence is a continuing concern, revealing the past month has seen 23 attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians, resulting in one death, 12 injuries and property damage.

"To date in 2018, according to OCHA, over 1,600 Palestinian-owned trees were vandalized across the West Bank."

As the annual olive harvest begins, Mladenov called on the authorities to ensure smooth access of Palestinian farmers to their land and sufficient measures be taken to protect farmers and their property from attack.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 03:21:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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GENEVA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The main outcome of the new wealth valuations by Credit Suisse released Thursday show that China is now clearly established in second place in the world's total wealth ranking.

The Credit Suisse Research Institute says its 2018 Global Wealth Report released Thursday is the most comprehensive source of global household wealth information.

It analyzes wealth held by 5.0 billion adults across the globe, from the least affluent to the wealthiest individuals.

China's total wealth has climbed 1,300 percent in the 21st century to 51.9 trillion U.S. dollars, more than double the rate of any other nation, says the report.

While the United States is the leader in the number of dollar millionaires, reaching as many as 20.5 million over the next five years, Credit Suisse projects that China will make new millionaires at more than three times the rate over the same period.

"China has advanced so rapidly this century that a wealth gap that once appeared unassailable could vanish within a generation," the report said.

During the 12 months to mid-2018, aggregate global wealth rose by 14.0 trillion U.S. dollars (4.6 percent) to a combined total of 317 trillion U.S. dollars, outpacing population growth.

Wealth per adult grew by 3.2 percent, raising global mean wealth to a record high of 63,100 U.S. dollars for each adult.

The United States contributed most to global wealth adding 6.3 trillion U.S. dollar and taking its total to 98 trillion U.S. dollars.

This continues its unbroken run of growth in both total wealth and wealth per adult every year since 2008.

"Unsurprisingly, China is now clearly established in second place of the world wealth hierarchy. The country overtook Japan with respect to the number of ultra-high net worth (UHNW) individuals in 2009, total wealth in 2011 and the number of millionaires in 2014," said the report.

Switzerland, home to just 0.1 percent of the world's population, accounts for 1.8 percent of the top 1 percent of global wealth holders and it retains top spot in global wealth ranking.

Despite a slight decline in fortunes, the Swiss still enjoy the highest mean wealth for each adult, according to the Credit Suisse report.

It estimated that the average fortune of a Swiss adult was 530,240 U.S. dollars compared with 537,600 dollars the previous year.

The Alpine nation still comes out on top, followed by Australia 411,060 U.S. dollars and the United States 403,970 U.S. dollars.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 03:36:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Department of the Treasury on Thursday imposed sanction on a Colombian national Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue identified as a significant narcotics trafficker for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group.

In a statement, the Treasury said that four additional Colombian nationals were also designated for their involvement in narcotics trafficking activities of Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue.

As a result of the sanction, "all assets in which these persons have an interest in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported" to the Treasury.

"As Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue continues to supply narcotics to criminal groups such as Colombia's La Oficina de Envigado, which rely on the sale of these illicit drugs as the financial bedrock of their criminal activities, we remain committed to targeting their financial networks," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Sigal Mandelker.

Zuleta Noscue was accused of having long controlled a narcotics trafficking corridor in and around the area of Corinto in Colombia, where he has also financially supported FARC-led narcotics trafficking activities.

The Treasury said the drug laboratories controlled by Zuleta Noscue in Colombia are "responsible for producing ton quantities of cocaine, as well as smaller quantities of heroin, on a monthly basis for international narcotics markets."

Under former President Juan Manuel Santos, the Colombian government signed a peace deal with the FARC, the country's largest rebel group, putting an end to more than five decades of armed conflicts in the country.

Following the peace deal with the FARC, the Colombian government also started negotiations with the country's second-largest guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN).

However, the talks were halted by Colombian President Ivan Duque, who was sworn in in August. He said earlier that peace talks with the ELN guerrillas will remain suspended until the rebels stop fighting.

On Oct. 11, the United Nations Security Council reiterated its "full and unanimous support" for the peace process in Colombia.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 04:11:52|Editor: Chengcheng

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Photo taken on Oct. 18, 2018 shows the United Nations Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, Oct. 18, 2018. UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov on Thursday warned Gaza is "imploding" with its economic, humanitarian, security and political indicators continuing to deteriorate. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations' Middle East peace coordinator on Thursday warned Gaza is "imploding" with its economic, humanitarian, security and political indicators continuing to deteriorate.

In a video briefing to the Security Council, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said the Gaza economy is in "free fall."

The official unemployment rate has reached 53 percent in the Palestinian enclave, over 70 percent among Palestinian youth, he said, citing numbers from the World Bank.

Moreover, Gaza remains on the brink of "another potentially devastating conflict," the UN envoy warned, while affirming the UN and its partners have engaged in an extraordinary effort to stabilize the situation and prevent an escalation.

"There is a growing consensus and determination among key international and regional partners on moving forward to defuse the powder keg that is Gaza," he said.

In addition, humanitarian efforts there are taking place in coordination with, and in support of, Egypt's efforts to bring Gaza back under the full control of the legitimate Palestinian government, he noted.

"The government's return to Gaza and the lifting of the suffocating movement and access restrictions are necessary for addressing the humanitarian and economic needs of the population in a sustainable manner," he noted, referring to Israel's control over border crossings with Gaza.

"We must see very clear actions on all sides that de-escalate the situation. Otherwise, the consequences will be terrible for everyone," he urged.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 04:26:55|Editor: Chengcheng

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QUITO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Ecuadorian government on Thursday expelled Venezuelan ambassador, Carol Delgado, from the country following comments made by Venezuelan Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez against Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno.

"After offensive comments made yesterday (Wednesday) by the Venezuelan Communications Minister about President Lenin Moreno, the government has decided to expel the Venezuelan ambassador to Ecuador," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Ecuador will not tolerate any sign of disrespect against authorities," added the ministry in a statement.

"However, Ecuador ... will continue to provide assistance for Venezuelan citizens entering the country, contributing with a significant economic and social effort to protect their human rights," said the statement.

On Wednesday, Venezuelan Minister Rodriguez questioned the figures Moreno cited during his speech at the UN's General Assembly on Sept. 25 regarding the number of Venezuelans migrating to Ecuador.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 05:12:08|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAMASCUS, Oct.18 (Xinhua) -- A deal for Islamic State (IS) militants to release 27 Syrian hostages from the southern province of Sweida could be soon reached, a war monitor reported Thursday.

According to a Russia-backed deal reached through mediators, the 27 Syrians, 18 children and nine women, could soon be set free from IS captivity, if 60 women, apparently relatives of IS militants, are released from the government prisons, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

As part of the Russia-backed deal, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Force (SDF) will also release some of the IS relatives it captured in northern Syria, the London-based watchdog added.

However, there is no specific timetable for the implementation of the deal despite anticipation, the watchdog noted.

On July 25, IS militants attacked areas in the eastern countryside of Sweida and conducted bombings in the namesake provincial capital, killing 260, and kidnapping 30.

Three of the hostages had died in captivity: one dying from her tough medical condition and two others killed by the IS.

The abduction has created tension in Sweida, which has remained relatively calm during Syria's more than seven-year war.

After the IS attack in July, the Syrian Army launched a counter-offensive against the militant group in the eastern countryside of Sweida and besieged it in the Tulol al-Safa hills.

It's not yet clear whether IS militants will be allowed to leave to the desert region under the new deal.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 05:22:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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MAPUTO, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi on Thursday called on all citizens to remain calm while awaiting the final results of the 5th Municipal Elections which took place on October 10.

Addressing the nation in the afternoon, Nyusi said that during the elections there were few cases of violence, and Mozambicans should be proud of it.

The preliminary results in 53 municipalities in Mozambique gave majority victory to the ruling party, Frelimo.

"Everyone has openly witnessed the Mozambican joyful democracy that legitimized the process without being pressured, so I urge everyone to maintain serenity and respect for the laws, pending the final results," he said.

The president said that the electoral bodies were able to manage the electoral process and ensured that everything was within the parameters set.

The election results have been challenged by the two main opposition parties, Renamo and the Mozambique Democratic Movement. Both parties claim that there was fraud by Frelimo in the counting of votes.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 07:22:33|Editor: ZD

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MANAGUA, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Nicaraguan government presented its general budget for 2019 to Congress on Thursday, which guarantees 56.2 percent of the funds destined for programs to alleviate poverty.

During the presentation, Finance and Public Credit Minister Ivan Acosta said that the funds will finance health, education and social protection programs.

The funds are also intended to ensure employment with a 5 percent salary adjustment and a subsidy to public transport, according to Acosta.

He said that 56.2 percent of the more than 2.5 billion U.S. dollar budget will go towards the "restitution" of the rights of Nicaraguan people and the fight against poverty.

Furthermore, the budget also guarantees the Public Investment Program to build and improve the country's infrastructure.

Acosta said the government had created a "responsible and austere budget" despite the recent "attempted coup."

The country has been in crisis since April 18, when mass protests broke out following the government's repeal of social security reforms, which caused millions of U.S. dollars in losses to the country's economy, according to the government.

According to Acosta, the "attempted coup" cost the local economy over 200 million U.S. dollars, with public buildings, schools and roads damaged as well as serious impact on the tourism sector.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 07:32:35|Editor: ZD

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YAOUNDE, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon's Constitutional Council has overruled 17 out of 18 post-electoral petitions demanding annulment of Oct. 7 presidential poll, and has one last petition to judge before proclaiming the final results of the election.

The 17th dismissed petition was filed by opposition candidate Maurice Kamto from Cameroon Renaissance Movement (CRM).

Through his lawyers, Kamto argued that the poll should be canceled in seven out of 10 regions of the country, because his team observed "massive irregularities", "disregard of electoral laws", and "insecurity and fraud in troubled Anglophone regions" during the vote.

"The Constitutional Council unanimously agrees that the petition of Maurice Kamto is admissible in form. After examining the nine complaints of Maurice Kamto, the Council declares that the petition lacks evidence, is unfounded and therefore rejected," Clement Atangana, president of the Constitutional Council, said Thursday after hearing the petition for two days.

Still on Thursday, the Council began hearing the last petition from Joshua Osih of the leading opposition Social Democratic Front (SDF) demanding the complete cancellation of the election.

Judgment on this petition will pave the way for the declaration of the final election results, said barrister Jean Nkemgu who is taking part in the hearings.

"The Council is likely to begin announcing the results after the hearings. However it has until Monday Oct. 22 to announce the results according to the Electoral Code," Nkemgu told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 08:57:46|Editor: Yang Yi

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CANBERRA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Australia's citrus industry is set for a second consecutive record season on the back of strong demand from China.

Ben Cant, chairman of Citrus Australia, said that citrus fruit growers were selling their product for up to three times as much as five years ago with exports trending upwards.

"We've seen returns in the vicinity of 700,900 Australian dollars (496,638 U.S. dollars) a ton on navel oranges this season," Cant told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Friday.

"In 2012/2013 we were looking at 200,300 Australian dollars a ton, which is about our cost of production ... so now we see fantastic returns for growers."

Exports to China from South Australia alone have risen up to 60 percent since China recognized South Australia's Riverland region as a pest-free area for all horticulture products late in 2017, meaning that fruit from the region could be shipped to China faster and cheaper.

"The fruit is a lot fresher when you ship it and eating quality is a more superior," Steve Burdette, chair of Citrus Australia SA, said.

"It created a lot more demand for our fruit into China."

Across the country, the value of exports has grown 10 percent to over 500 million Australian dollars for the first time.

"And we could see 550,600 million Australian dollars in export next year," Cant said.

"We've seen positive improvements in all markets, Japan has been about the same but China and the USA are up and pretty much everything across the board.

"Certainly, the demand for navel oranges continues to rise across key export markets like China."

The boom has been so profound that nurseries across the country are sold out of citrus trees until 2020 at the earliest.

"We are on a massive growth trajectory, people are putting in trees of the preferred varieties as fast as they can right now," Cant said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 09:07:48|Editor: ZD

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CANBERRA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Australia's national art museum will take indigenous art to Asia, including China, as part of a major touring exhibition.

The National Gallery of Australia (NGA) announced a six-year, 4 million Australian dollars (2.83 million U.S. dollars) partnership with Australian conglomerate Wesfarmers that would include launching the Indigenous Australian Masterpieces exhibition in 2020.

The exhibition, which will tell the story of the evolution of indigenous art from rare 1800s pieces through to modern watercolors and contemporary work, will travel to Singapore and multiple cities in China.

Wesfarmers was ranked as the 198th biggest company in the world and biggest in Australia as of March 2017 with 2016 revenues of 48 billion U.S. dollars.

The conglomerate has been a supporter of the NGA since 2009 and established the gallery's Indigenous Arts Leadership and Fellowship program.

"We are grateful and honored to grow our partnership with Wesfarmers who have shown that generosity and leadership in the arts can make a major difference in the cultural lives of Australians," NGA Director Nick Mitzevich said in a media release.

In addition to supporting the touring exhibition, the funding will also go towards commissioning a major new work of art that will be gifted to the NGA, creating a new digital platform that promotes indigenous art and year-round events in Australia to showcase indigenous art.

"Wesfarmers is very pleased to be deepening its long-term commitment with the National Gallery of Australia so we can continue to promote and celebrate the culture of our First Peoples and take their stories to the world," Wesfarmers Managing Director Rob Scott said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 10:38:09|Editor: Lu Hui

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YANGON, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A gunman who shot the traffic police on Sunday in Mawlamyine of southeastern Mon state, has been arrested, local police sources said on Friday.

Naing Pai Htway, a driver, was stopped by the traffic police for check in Taungzayat traffic light junction on Sunday but he fled with the car.

When he was hunted by police, he drove the car to hit police's motorcycle and fired several shots with a gun wounding a traffic police officer and a local resident.

The gunman left his wife at the car with 2,000 Yaba stimulant pills.

The gunman was later identified as a disguised member of the Mon Peace Defense Force holding fake identity card of the armed group.

Police has filed against the gunman for shooting and causing injury to public servants.
A pair of crested ibises from China arrive in Japan's Narita Airport, Oct. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Hua Yi)

SADO, Japan, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- "Crested ibises have become a bridge of friendship between China and Japan, and we hope there would be more of such exchanges in the future," said Yoshinori Kaneko, a vet at the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center.

A pair of crested ibises from China arrived in Japan's Narita Airport Wednesday afternoon, and were transferred to the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center in Niigata prefecture around evening.

"Lou Lou and Guan Guan are both very healthy," said Kaneko after doing some preliminary check of the birds, adding that the center will take good care of the birds.

Shouji Hasegawa, head of the conservation center, said that the center had made a lot of preparations for welcoming the birds, including importing loaches from China to give the crested ibises a treat.

He said that the center will give the crested ibises some further checks and if they are in good condition, the center will prepare them for breeding as soon as possible.

"Introduction of the two crested ibises is significant for preserving and developing the Japanese crested ibises species by increasing genetic diversity," he said.

The two crested ibises will be moved to the Crested Ibises Forest Park after about one week.

Saburou Shinagawa, a guide at the park, said that he was full of expectations for the birds."I want to thank China for giving us the crested ibises. It will help us preserve the crested ibises species here," he said.

A pair of crested ibises from China arrive at Japan's Narita Airport, Oct. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Hua Yi)

A crested ibis is an iconic bird deeply rooted in Japanese history and culture. However, the number of crested ibises in Japan plunged in the 20th century and the Japanese-born ibises became extinct in 2003.

Cooperation between China and Japan on protection of crested ibises started in the 1980s, and since then, China had donated five crested ibises to help rebuild the species in Japan, while Japan had been supporting the protection of the crested ibises habitat in China through governmental and non-governmental projects.

The crested ibises in Japan nowadays are all descendants of those from China. Japan now has some 370 wild crested ibises, most of which are living on the Sado Island.

The rare birds have also been providing a boost to the local economy on the island, as crested ibises have become a brand of their own for local products, especially agricultural products.

To excel in the fierce competition in the Japanese rice market, local farmers stressed that their rice is "produced in harmony with crested ibises."

To produce such rice, farmers must make the rice paddies an effective ecological system, where small creatures coexist in harmony and crested ibises have plenty of food, and the birds successfully breeding here shows that the rice here is safe, according to local officials.

A crested ibis from China receives physical examination at the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Oct. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Ma Caoran)

Crested Ibis have also attracted a large number of tourists.To boost the local economy, the city of Sado planned to increase the number of foreign tourists from 1,510 in 2011 to 5,000 by 2019, and the target has already been achieved in large part due to the birds.

"The island of Sado only has a population of 55,000, but a total of some 200,000 people visit the forest park every year. Most of them came here to see the crested ibises," said an official from the tourism department of the local government.

"In Sado, having an unexpected encounter with the crested ibises is considered a sign of good luck. When you see the birds coming by your side, you will feel lucky. It's a magical experience," said Shinagawa.
China's Vice Finance Minister Yu Weiping (C, front) attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers Meeting held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Oct. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Hao Yalin)

PORT MORESBY, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's Vice Finance Minister Yu Weiping called for joint efforts to promote sustained and steady growth of the global economy at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers Meeting held here from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Noting that the sound momentum has been sustained in the development of the world economy, Yu said rising trade protectionism and structural factors continue to constrain the medium and long-term development of the world economy.

The Asia-Pacific economies should firmly support multilateralism, jointly safeguard the rules-based multilateral trading system, continue to promote structural reform and enhance economic resilience and competitiveness, said Yu.

Participants attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Finance Ministers Meeting held in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Oct. 17, 2018. (Xinhua/Hao Yalin)

A joint statement from APEC finance ministers said, "To broaden and sustain the current expansion and raise medium-term growth prospects for the benefit of all, our economies must advance policies and reforms that increase productivity and strengthen the potential for inclusive growth."

"Financial inclusion is a fundamental building block of inclusive growth and development," it added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 11:33:23|Editor: Yang Yi

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TOKYO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks lost ground Friday morning as U.S. shares retreating overnight set a negative tone compounded by concerns over U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 246.83 points, or 1.09 percent, from Thursday to 22,411.33.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, dropped 18.71 points, or 1.10 percent, at 1,685.93.

Consumer credit, marine transportation and miscellaneous-linked issues comprised those that declined the most by the morning break.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 11:33:23|Editor: Yang Yi

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CANBERRA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has acknowledged voters "anger" ahead of Saturday's crucial Wentworth by-election.

Independent candidate Kerryn Phelps is considered a strong chance to win Wentworth from the governing Liberal-National Party Coalition (LNP), a result that would extinguish the LNP's one-seat majority in the House of Representatives.

While the government would likely hold on to power with the support of minor parties and independents including Phelps, losing Wentworth would put it in the precarious position of facing a no-confidence motion at any time.

The Wentworth by-election was triggered when former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull resigned from parliament after he was deposed by the Liberal Party with Morrison installed as leader.

A loss in Wentworth, long considered a safe seat for the Liberal Party, would be a devastating blow for the government and its plan to project stability ahead of the next general election, which is due to take place before the end of May 2019.

The most recent Newspoll, Australia's most respected opinion poll, found that the opposition Australian Labor Party (ALP) led the LNP 53-47 on a national two-party preferred basis and would easily win the general election.

Morrison on Friday said he understood why voters in Wentworth were "angry" about Turnbull's downfall but downplayed his own role in August's leadership turmoil, saying he supported Turnbull until the end.

"I understand why the Liberals are feeling angry in Wentworth about what happened a couple of months ago," he said.

"I was there at the time. As people know, I was supporting the then prime minister very strongly."

Phelps, the former president of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and deputy Lord Mayor of Sydney, on Thursday refused to rule out voting against the government in a motion of no confidence.

If 76 of the 150 members of the House of Representatives agree to a motion of no confidence in the government parliament would be dissolved and an election called.

"I think we'd have to see the context of what that was," she told Sky News Australia of the no confidence motion.

"But my intention would not be to bring the government down before its term was completed. I think it should be in the hands of the Australian people to decide who their next government was going to be, and that should happen at a general election.

"We have chaos now. The government has gone from confusion to chaos."

Liberal Party polling released on Wednesday revealed that Phelps led Sharma 55-45 on a two-party preferred basis.

Senior government figures have been critical of Turnbull because he has refused to campaign on Sharma's behalf in Wentworth, instead remaining on holiday in the U.S. while his son, Alex, has actively campaigned against the LNP.

"We're going to have an election within 12 months anyway, so if you want to send a signal as to which way the Liberal Party is going, and your displeasure with where it's going, then this is your opportunity," Alex Turnbull said in a video posted on social media.

"Don't vote for the Liberal Party in the Wentworth by-election. If you want to pull the Liberal Party back from the brink it's the one clear signal you can send."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 11:38:24|Editor: Yang Yi

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NEW DELHI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese telecom giant Huawei plans to begin manufacturing mobile phones in India by next year, Indian media quoted the company's Global Vice-President Jim Xu as saying on Friday.

Huawei already has a presence in India through its sub-brand "Honor" which is sold through online channels.

The company's plans for local manufacturing is mainly driven by the fact that India levies 20 percent duty on imported devices.

Xu also reportedly said that his company is also working on plans to open 1,000 company-branded stores across India in the next 2-3 years, in a bid to have a share in India's lucrative market.

"We look at India strategically and now intend to grow our presence through launch of devices in the mid-and-premium-end of the market. Yes, definitely we plan to go for local manufacturing. We plan to do this in partnership with our manufacturing partner Flex that has a factor in Chennai," said Xu, as reported by the Times of India.

Revealing his plans of launching an aggressive marketing and retail campaign in India, he added, "We intend to spend around 100 million U.S. dollars as part of our outreach investment. Apart from this, we intend to have company-operated as well as partner-owned exclusive stores with plans to open 1,000 such outlets in the next 2-3 years."

Xu also stated that his company was planning to launch other products such as personal computers and smart-watches.

"We initially plan to import these, but will not hesitate to look at local manufacturing once we start gaining in scale."

Chinese mobile brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, and OnePlus are already having a considerable market share in India, manufacturing them in order to have an edge in the price-competitive Indian market, according to the daily.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 11:48:28|Editor: xuxin

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Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi arrives at the court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 19, 2018. Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was hit with more than 40 charges including corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering on Friday. (Xinhua/Chong Voon Chung)

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was hit with more than 40 charges including corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering on Friday.

Zahid pledged not guilty to all the charges at a Kuala Lumpur court.

Zahid was detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) shortly after being summoned to its headquarters on Thursday.

The commission said Ahmad Zahid was detained over investigation related to criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power.

Ahmad Zahid, 65, has received several rounds of questioning by the anti-corruption body.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 12:58:40|Editor: Yang Yi

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SHANGHAI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's leading online travel agency Ctrip.com has pledged to fight the illegal wildlife trade together with its partners, customers and suppliers.

The Shanghai-based company said Wednesday that it would use its mobile applications, websites and offline stores to increase the awareness of the harm of illegal wildlife trade among its users around the world, and develop new eco-friendly tours and encourage tourists to engage in ecotourism.

According to Sun Jie, CEO of Ctrip, the company along with its overseas wholly-owned subsidiary Trip.com would launch a campaign to discourage and dissuade their vendors and clients from products related to the illegal wildlife trade.

The company also said it would fully support the cooperation between the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as agreed at the 2018 London Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference held earlier this month.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 13:38:50|Editor: Chengcheng

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it seems that the missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and the United States will make a "very strong" statement about his case.

When asked by the media whether he believed Khashoggi is dead, Trump said that "it certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad. Certainly looks that way."

Trump said the possible consequences for the Saudi side, if it is confirmed behind Khashoggi's death, "will have to be very severe."

"But we're waiting for the results of about three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon," he said.

Earlier on the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefed Trump about his just-concluded tour to Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The top U.S. diplomat said that Saudi Arabia shall be given "a few more days" on its probe of the disappearance of Khashoggi.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said after meeting with Trump and Pompeo that he has decided to cancel his coming trip to the kingdom for a major trade conference.

The case of Khashoggi, a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has become a major source of tension between Saudi Arabia and the West.

Khashoggi has been missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Unconfirmed reports said that Khashoggi was likely killed inside the compound, a claim denied by Saudi officials as "baseless."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 14:13:57|Editor: ZD

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HANGZHOU, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Lu Wei, former deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, stood trial for taking bribes at the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province Friday.

Lu was charged with accepting money and property worth more than 32 million yuan (about 4.6 million U.S. dollars) personally or through others, according to prosecutors.

He allegedly took advantage of his position of power to benefit organizations and individuals on matters related to internet management and personal promotion between 2002 and 2017, when he successively held different posts.

Evidence was cross-examined by prosecutors and his defense lawyers, according to the court's statement.

In his final statement, the defendant confessed and expressed remorse in court.

The trial was attended by more than 60 people including national and local legislators, political advisors, press and members of the public.

The verdict will be announced in due course.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 14:23:58|Editor: Chengcheng

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was hit with more than 40 charges including corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering on Friday.

Zahid was charged with receiving graft from companies and individuals related to government e-service provider MyEG and other government outsourcing projects.

Prosecutors also charged him with criminal breach of trust related to a charitable foundation operated by his family, the funds of which were allegedly misappropriated.

In all he faces 45 charges including 10 counts of criminal breach of trust, eight counts of receiving graft, and 27 for money laundering, involving 114 million ringgit (27 million U.S. dollars).

Zahid pleaded not guilty to all charges at a Kuala Lumpur court and was granted bail.

The 65-year-old Zahid, who now serve as opposition leader, replaced former Prime Minister Najib Razak as president of the former ruling United Malay National Organization (UMNO) after the latter stepped down following the party's defeat during the general election in May.

Hundreds of his supporters gathered outside the court on Friday to protest what they said were politically motivated charges while police in riot gear monitored the crowd.

Zahid is the latest former high-ranking official and UMNO leader to be arrested over suspected graft since the election.

Najib, who was present at the court on Friday to support Zahid, faced multiple charges in connection with state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor were also charged.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 15:04:02|Editor: xuxin

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SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's navy planned to create a task fleet, composed of three task squadrons, for blue-water operations, local media reported Friday citing the navy.

The navy announced the plan during a parliamentary audit, saying it would push for the creation of the task fleet, which would run high-tech military assets such as Aegis-equipped destroyers and submarines, to effectively counter maritime security threats.

It also planned to create an aviation command for an expanded maritime operation.

The task fleet would expand the navy's operation areas into far seas, contributing to securing maritime traffic routes and ensuring the free maritime activity and safety of South Korean people, the navy said.

The aviation command, which would run maritime patrol aircraft and maritime operational helicopters, would secure the completeness of various maritime aviation operations, it noted.

The existing first, second and third fleet commands will be reorganized into a first operational command. The task fleet, the aviation command and the submarine command will be incorporated into a second operational command.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 15:24:05|Editor: mmm

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Ma Zhaoxu (front), the Chinese permanent representative to the United Nations, speaks at the UN Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York. China's UN envoy on Thursday called for "more adequate, predictable and sustainable" funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for the Palestinian refugees. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's UN envoy on Thursday called for "more adequate, predictable and sustainable" funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for the Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA provides services to registered Palestinian refugees living in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

"For many years, UNRWA has been playing an important role in providing medical care, education and other basic services to the 5.3 million Palestinian refugees," said Ma Zhaoxu, the Chinese permanent representative to the UN, at the Security Council.

Expressing appreciation for those who made additional contributions to UNRWA in light of its financial crisis this year, Ma appealed to all to continue to strengthen their support to both the agency and the countries receiving Palestinian refugees.

For more than 30 years, China has been making annual contributions to UNRWA, the Chinese envoy said. "This year, we increased our contribution in view of its urgent needs," and China will continue to do "what we can to provide assistance to UNRWA."

The agency has been struggling with a huge funding gap since the United States earlier this year cut its annual aid by 300 million dollars.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 15:24:05|Editor: mmm

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NANCHANG, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 2018 World Conference on the VR Industry opened Friday in Nanchang, capital of eastern China's Jiangxi Province, offering a glimpse into the world's and China's latest developments in virtual reality (VR).

China's VR industry has witnessed rapid growth in recent years, and its huge market potential has attracted global VR developers including Microsoft, Qualcomm, HTC, Sony and Huawei to the conference.

The three-day event will feature a VR expo and forums centering on VR, artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G technology.

Jiangxi's vice governor Wu Xiaojun said a total of 60 projects will be inked during the conference, with total investment amounting to 19.1 billion yuan (2.78 billion U.S. dollars).

Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba Group, said at the opening ceremony that VR should not just be a novel application, but should fuse with the internet, big data and cloud computing to become a tool to solve real problems.

He also praised Jiangxi's vision and commitments to VR investment, saying it is nurturing experts on the new technology.

In 2016, Jiangxi launched China's first industrial base for VR, and Nanchang now boasts over 60 VR firms, according to Liu Qi, Communist Party chief of Jiangxi Province.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 15:44:12|Editor: mmm

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KIEV, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is expecting the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) to boost its economic ties with China as over 100 Ukrainian companies have expressed willingness to participate to seek new business opportunities.

From toys and agricultural products to surgical instruments and innovative gadgets, Ukrainian producers are ready to showcase a wide range of goods at the expo, which will gather over 2,800 enterprises from more than 130 countries and regions.

Ukraine will send a 200-strong delegation consisting of officials and businessmen to promote commercial ties with their Chinese partners.

Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv, who will lead the delegation, said the expo is a "great opportunity" for Ukraine not only to showcase its products and services, trade and investment potential, but also "to enter the Chinese market."

The delegation will also meet with representatives of the Chinese commercial and industrial circles.

Iryna Nikorak, the head of Silk Road Association of Ukraine, said the Ukrainian delegation will organize various kinds of activities to help foster cooperation with the Chinese side.

"We will organize workshops and roundtables to show the investment potential of Ukraine, show those projects that Ukrainian regions can offer to Chinese companies and show specific areas for B2B cooperation in a win-win format," Nikorak told Xinhua.

She said the CIIE, slated for Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai, will become a new platform for Ukrainian and Chinese businessmen to strengthen cooperation under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) for achieving common prosperity.

Ukraine attaches great importance to the expo, said Maryana Kahanyak, the head of Export Promotion Office at the Ukrainian Economic Development and Trade Ministry.

"The participation in the exhibition is a chance to show our trade, investment and tourism potential, our unique inventions, as well as the faces of a new, modern Ukraine," Kahanyak told Xinhua.

Ukraine's national booth, with an area of 136 square meters, would reflect the country's aspirations to play a greater role in the BRI, Kahanyak said, adding that the booth would focus on areas including investment, the food sector, the processing industry and more.

China is defined as a "market in focus" under the Export Strategy of Ukraine, she said, adding that Kiev has high expectations for the CIIE to further boost the trade between China and Ukraine.

Kahanyak said with a steady growth in the past years, China-Ukraine trade amounted to 7.69 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, and "may increase further."

The Ukrainian business community also pins high hopes on participation in the CIIE to increase their sales.

Gennady Shestak, the CEO of a Ukrainian company Ugears, which will participate in the CIIE, said that the event is a rare chance for his company to establish connections with over 150,000 buyers from China and other countries.

"This exhibition is very important, because it is extremely difficult for Ukrainian producers to enter foreign markets, in particular, such a massive market as China," Shestak told Xinhua.

Ugears, a mechanical wooden 3D puzzles producer, currently exports its products to more than 80 countries, including China.

Shestak added that the event would help his company to better understand the needs of Chinese consumers and expand its presence in the Chinese market, where competition is harsh among different producers.

"The Chinese market is very large, very interesting and very specific. We have several models that are very popular in the Chinese market, because they meet the requirements of the Chinese people," Shestak said.

Shestak noted that his company hopes to establish a sustainable partnership with Chinese partners at the CIIE and increase its sales by "multifold".

"I hope it would be another contribution to our business. We will show that we are serious reliable partners, and we are ready for a long-term cooperation," Shestak said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 15:44:14|Editor: xuxin

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COLUMBUS, the United States, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Bret Davis runs a 3,500-acre family farm in Delaware, U.S. state of Ohio, which grows corn, soybeans and wheat. Thanks to a crop-friendly weather across the Midwest this year, his farm has a good harvest. However, that could not spare him from worries.

Like many farmers in the country, Davis is concerned about the trade disputes that Washington started earlier this year as well as counter measures from its trading partners, including additional tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports.

"For us to survive as farmers, it's going to be pretty tough," Davis told a town hall meeting recently held in Columbus, Ohio's state capital.

The United States is a major agricultural producer and exporter, whose crop production far exceeds domestic needs. The tariffs from other economies on U.S. agricultural products are impacting its exports, causing concerns about oversupply and price decline in the country.

For instance, soybeans, a major U.S. agricultural product, have witnessed a significant drop in exports in recent months and prices fell to their lowest point in nearly a decade this summer.

Davis said that he cannot lock in the next two to three years if soybean prices were to maintain that level, which would threaten his ability to pay back his creditors and the families that work for him.

As to the subsidies on U.S. agricultural products proposed by the federal government months ago, Davis said they are "nothing but a band-aid."

In the neighboring state of Indiana, Brent Bible and his wife co-own a corn and soybean farm with another couple. He told an event in Indianapolis earlier this month that a drop in soybean prices between 15 to 20 percent would translate very quickly into a loss for him as his farm only keeps a margin of around 10 percent.

"We don't operate in a large margin and we are similar to other small businesses," Bible said. "If we can profit somewhere in the 10 percent range on our crop year over year, we can have a return on investment. We would feel like we are doing pretty good."

Bible said the tariffs have taken their business from what looked to be a very profitable level and some farmers are even selling their crops less than what they invested to raise them.

"That doesn't sustain itself for very long at all," he added.

Besides concerns over his farm's operation, Davis is also worried about the impact of tariffs on the U.S. agricultural industry on the whole and the country's food security.

He said the United States' plentiful, sustainable food source relies on free trade with the rest of the world.

Analysts said overseas buyers and consumers provide price support and allow U.S. farmers to continue farming at a profitable rate. If they could not sell their crops overseas, it would be difficult for them to invest in future production, endangering normal rotation and even domestic food supply.

Some U.S. farmers market their crops up to three years ahead. To them, long-term contracts and predictability in international trade are key to sustaining their farming activities and operations.

To expand the global market, Davis traveled to around 40 countries and regions and talked to buyers in person about his crops. Some visited his farm for assessment.

"We have very good relations back and forth," he told Xinhua, proud of farming and his products.

"We just want to make sure that the markets are open and that you can buy that product," he said.

Both Davis and Bible were speaking at town hall meetings held by a group of trade associations as part of a national campaign against tariffs. Called "Tariffs Hurt the Heartland", the campaign highlights the negative impact of tariffs on U.S. farmers, manufacturers, workers and consumers and the benefits of international trade to the U.S. economy.

"These things have very real consequence for businesses," Brian Kuehl, executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, said in Indianapolis. "It's happening everywhere."

Davis, the fifth generation owner of his family farm, said he hoped that the business can be passed down to future generations.

"It's not just a livelihood but also what our family does," he said. "We've got too much invested in this business to walk away."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 15:49:15|Editor: mmm

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By Guo Mingfang

VILNIUS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Lithuania will make the most of the opportunity offered by the first ever China International Import Expo (CIIE) to boost its presence in the Chinese food and textile markets, a business official said here Thursday.

Daina Klepone, managing director of Enterprise Lithuania, an organization under the Lithuanian Ministry of Economy aiming to promote entrepreneurship, support business development and foster export, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua.

A total of 18 textile and food companies will represent Lithuania at the upcoming expo in Shanghai with a total exhibition area of 163 square meters, said Klepone, who signed in December 2017 a letter of intent to participate in the CIIE on behalf of the Lithuanian government.

She said Lithuania, as the first country to sign a letter of intent to attend the expo, will send a high-level delegation to the event, which will include the Lithuanian president and the minister of economy.

"We find this exhibition as the opportunity to expand Lithuania's presence in the markets that are rapidly growing in China: food and fashion," and as possibilities to create markets for new products and services as well, she said.

"So far, European clothing represents only a small part of the entire market, and it is estimated that next year the Chinese clothing market will be the largest in the world and the demand for middle class brands will be the strongest," she added.

Believing that Chinese customers like to try new, high-quality products, she expected to see many traditional Lithuanian food products like milk and other diary products become part of the Chinese menu very quickly.

"We want the Chinese audiences to learn more about Lithuania and about our goods through this exhibition. We are sure that this exhibition will create more success stories of bilateral trade," she said.

Klepone said Lithuania highly appreciates every effort that the Chinese government is making towards opening its market to foreign companies, and attaches great importance to the expo as it already started preparing for the event in January.

"Our companies are very interested in this vast market and looking for every opportunity to participate in such international business events as China International Import Expo," she said.

The competition for qualification at the expo among the companies was intense and some companies showed interest in participating even after registration was closed, she added.

"The selection of companies that are going to Shanghai proceeded carefully: Enterprise Lithuania evaluated if a company was mature enough for exporting to China because it is a big market and it is not easy to get into," she said.

The CIIE will be held in Shanghai on Nov. 5-10. So far, more than 2,800 companies from more than 130 countries and regions have confirmed their participation in the upcoming international expo.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 15:49:15|Editor: xuxin

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TOKYO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed lower Friday as U.S. shares retreating overnight provided a weak lead for investors here amid rising concern over U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 126.08 points, or 0.56 percent, from Thursday to close the day at 22,532.08.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 11.79 points, or 0.69 percent, to finish at 1,692.85.

Marine transportation, consumer credit and miscellaneous product-linked issues comprised those that declined the most by the close of play.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 15:49:15|Editor: xuxin

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by Fatima Aruri

RAMALLAH, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Manal Awad, one of few Palestinian actresses, is putting controversial issues on stand-up comedy show.

Stand-up comedy is taking up more space on local stages in the occupied West Bank, appealing to many as a good way to raise social and political topics while stirring laughter.

Yet, not many comedians are capable of displaying a balanced show breaking stereotypes on both women and men roles in modern society.

Awad said she is here on the stage to make it.

"I'm very proud to be one of the Palestinian women and actresses founding the style of stand-up comedy. It is not at all an easy approach, because it includes only you on stage with your material and is not based on a theatrical script that you've revised of adapted," said Awad.

At a small Ramallah theatre, Awad performed under a single spotlight making jokes about stereotypical women representations in media, magnifying gender roles and touching on other social and political issues.

"What we present is back comedy, not clowning. It includes critique of the political, social, economic, legal and educational reality but in a satirical way that is delivered easier to the audience, allowing them to laugh and think about important issues without feeling depressed," she said.

During the nearly one-hour improvised show, Awad used her acting skills and music intervals to spice up the single woman show, which shows a new style of the stand-up comedy.

The actress believed that the stand-up comedy style is growing in Palestine because it doesn't require much logistics or fund, but varies in style and self-introduction.

Awad explained that "stand-up comedy is chosen because it works for any place and in the same time it delivers thought, but, this doesn't mean that every stand-up comedian is an actor or vice versa. There are many comedians who cannot be actors and cannot play characters and in the same time not any actor can make people laugh, so it is a skill that helps color the show."

Wael Al-Haj, audience of the show, told Xinhua that Awad "touched on many critical things we are living with in a nice and funny way but it is especially good that it is coming out of a woman to address issues in such a manner."

May Abu Assab, a female journalist, said "what's striking about the show is that she tackled many social issues that men do not like to tackle and in the same time, she pinpointed sensitive issues that we see men do not touch on or undermine, this is what made her show special."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 16:19:23|Editor: xuxin

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton on Saturday will start his travel to four nations, including Russia. U.S. experts said that his tour aims to lay the groundwork for the second meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite little progress in bilateral ties after their first meeting in July.

Bolton tweeted last week to announce his upcoming tour to Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia, saying he will meet with counterparts and other senior officials in the four countries "to advance American interests on a range of security issues."

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed Tuesday that Bolton will visit Russia on Oct. 21-23, saying that Bolton is scheduled to meet Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss "the whole complex of relations, which are in a deplorable state."

He said that Bolton might have other meetings, but there is no agreement so far on a meeting with Putin.

Bolton visited Russia in June and met Putin in the Kremlin. One of the most significant results of the visit was an agreement on a Putin-Trump summit in Helsinki on July 16. However, Ushakov said there is no plan so far to organize a new Russia-U.S. summit.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that "Trump is interested in another meeting with Putin so this trip likely will lay the groundwork for that."

"Bolton will get a sense of what kinds of agreements are possible and how that meeting should be structured," the Brookings fellow explained. "The U.S. is looking for help on North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) and Syria, among other places so those will be high on the priority list."

However, he noted that the U.S.-Russia relations have remained "tenuous" due to the Western countries' concern over Russia's behavior in Ukraine and other places.

"Members of Congress are deeply skeptical of Putin and not supportive of any de-escalation" of ties, he said.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Michael O'Hanlon also said that "clearly Trump wants to keep relations with Putin and Russia on acceptable ground, but the U.S. responses continue to be firm and tough too, as they should be."

"I favor a broad dialogue, for example on a future security system for eastern Europe, but am not sure they are really giving signs of being inclined in that direction," he added.

William Courtney, an adjunct senior fellow at RAND Corporation, a U.S.-based think tank, told Xinhua that Bolton may again warn Moscow against interference in the 2018 mid-term elections.

"Two bills before Congress -- the Deter and Daska Acts -- could be given impulse if Congress concludes that Russia has carried out significant meddling," he said.

Also, U.S. experts noted that Bolton may raise the dangerous situation around Syria's Idlib Province, and urge Moscow to restrain the Syrian government's plans to use overwhelming force to retake control of the province.

Any evidence that Russian aircraft have attacked civilian targets in Idlib as part of an offensive could cause Congress to approve one or both sanctions bills, Courtney noted.

On Ukraine issue, experts said that Bolton may engage his counterpart about Russia's behavior in eastern Ukraine.

"Moscow has shown no sign of withdrawing, which means Western economic sanctions are likely to remain in force," Courtney noted.

"In talking with Patrushev, Bolton may perceive that the Kremlin's hand is weakening because of domestic protests in Russia over pension reform and other issues. They have caused public trust in Putin to drop by 20 points over the past year, according to a new Levada Center poll," Courtney said.

Overall, the U.S.-Russia ties have not improved since the July 16 Helsinki summit, U.S. experts said.

Western countries have been accusing Russia of being responsible for conflicts in eastern Ukraine since 2014, among others. Recently, they also accused Russia of launching a nerve agent attack against former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter in March, although Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusation.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 16:59:32|Editor: xuxin

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres encouraged all eligible Afghan voters to go to the polls in Afghanistan's upcoming parliamentary elections, his spokesperson said Thursday.

"The Secretary-General encourages all eligible Afghan voters to exercise their right to vote and thus to contribute to the development of sustainable democratic institutions and creating conditions conducive for a more stable and peaceful Afghanistan," Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The UN chief called on all political leaders to work together to ensure full respect for the electoral process, in which every voter, in particular women and minority groups, will be able to cast their ballots, the statement said.

In light of the existing security challenges, Guterres encourages relevant authorities and all political stakeholders to take necessary measures to do their utmost to prevent any forms of electoral violence, the statement added.

In the polls set for Saturday, more than 2,500 candidates are contesting the 249 seats of Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of the Afghan parliament.

In the past few weeks, a series of attacks caused numerous casualties across the country, some of which targeted the electoral process.

On Wednesday, a bomb ripped through the campaign office of a leading candidate in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, killing the candidate and injuring eight others. Hours after the blast, the Taliban group claimed responsibility.

The Taliban group has vowed to sabotage the elections and has demanded the Afghan people stay away from polling stations on the voting day.

The Afghan Interior Ministry has said more than 50,000 troops are deployed to ensure security for the elections.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 17:19:37|Editor: Yamei

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by Xinhua Writer Tian Dongdong

BRUSSELS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Though geographically interlocked, connectivity between Asia and Europe was insufficient for a long time in history.

Things have changed dramatically in recent years. About fours years ago, there were only two or three trans-border cargo trains running every week from China, Asia's Far East, to Germany's Duisburg, the largest inland port in West Europe.

Now the number has octupled to 25. By the end of August, those freight trains had made over 10,000 journeys between China and Europe, up from just 17 in 2011.

On the sea, a new water-land express linking Asia's Far East with Central and Eastern Europe via Greece's Piraeus port has shortened the transit time by seven or ten days.

In the sky, over 600 flights shuttle between China and European cites every week, with mutual visits exceeding 6.6 million in 2017 alone.

The increased numbers can be fairly attributed to signature projects of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, including the China Railway Express and China-Europe Land-Sea Express Route. Carrying various cargoes, containers and visitors, those trains, freighters and flights help people along the routes get richer and better connected.

With huge potential still waiting to be explored, the prospect of Euro-Asia connectivity is lucrative and promising, presenting a historic opportunity to both China and Europe.

For connectivity, infrastructure comes first, and the demand is huge.

Data from the European Union (EU) showed an annual 792-billion-euro (910.8-billion-U.S. dollar) demand in such economic infrastructure areas as energy, transport, water and sanitation, and telecoms in Europe, excluding a yearly gap of 163 billion euros (187.5-billion-dollars) for health, education and social housing investment.

The gap is wider in Asia. The Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank estimated the continent needs 1.7 trillion dollars for infrastructure per year until 2030. But some believed merely half was met in 2016.

What's more, the two continents are more willing than ever to be better connected. For people living there, connectivity improves lives.

Efficient transport systems allow families to spend more time together. Ports and roads give access to markets and farmers. Energy distribution systems can heat and illuminate homes.

For countries, efficient and sustainable connectivity contributes to economic growth and jobs, global competitiveness and trade, as well as flows of goods and services between Europe and Asia, helping them move towards a more cooperative approach to world politics, global stability and regional economic prosperity.

The alignment of different connectivity plans offers optimism too. For instance, in mid-September, the EU released its version of "the Belt and Road Initiative." Some say the two are natural rivals. But for the EU, it looks for synergies and commonalities, and for China, healthy competition is not a bad thing.

As the EU said in a statement, "connectivity is not possible if systems and networks are not interoperable ... the European Union will continue to engage with China ... to create synergies and to find commonalities."

But the risk of wasting this historic opportunity also exists. With a zero-sum mentality, some Western media leave no stone unturned to mud-sling Europe-China cooperation.

The propaganda campaign against China is specifically harmful as it undermines the foundation of mutual trust and understanding between the two sides, including their people.

While those media are right to point out differences between the two sides, the fanfare of "China threat" is poisonous and raises the alarm.

In the face of the historic opportunity to enhance connectivity and common prosperity, it is hoped that the distracting noises will die down while vision, wisdom and good faith will prevail.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 18:04:52|Editor: Yamei

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TOKYO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed lower Friday as U.S. shares retreating overnight provided a weak lead for investors here amid rising concerns over U.S.-Saudi Arabia relations.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 126.08 points, or 0.56 percent, from Thursday to close the day at 22,532.08.

The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 11.79 points, or 0.69 percent, to finish at 1,692.85.

A weak tone set by Wall Street overnight saw Tokyo stocks pressured from the morning bell, brokers here said.

They added that losses were extended on concerns that remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump could see a rift grow between Washington and Riyadh following the disappearance of a Saudi journalist in Turkey.

Marine transportation, consumer credit and miscellaneous product-linked issues comprised those that declined the most by the close of play, and falling issues beat rising ones by 1,409 to 616 on the First Section, while 84 ended the day unchanged.

On the main section on Friday, 1,281.65 million shares changed hands rising from Thursday's volume of 1,228.55 million shares.

The turnover on the final trading day of the week came to 2,398.9 billion yen (21.34 billion U.S. dollars).
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 18:04:52|Editor: Yamei

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BEIRUT, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces inspected Friday the military road adjacent to the border fence from the Abbas hill to the gate of Fatima, passing through the hills of Adaysi, local media reported.

"Israeli forces stopped from time to time along the fence to inspect the surveillance equipment installed on it," Elnashra, an online independent newspaper, reported.

The statement pointed out that the Lebanese army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) toured the area close to the fence to inspect the situation.

It also added that Israeli warplanes violated Lebanon's airspace at the same time above Shabaa farms and Golan Heights.

They have also violated Lebanon's airspace on Thursday above Chouf District in the western province of Mount Lebanon, it said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 18:09:53|Editor: Yamei

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BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu He said Friday that state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are in an interdependent relationship with private enterprises, where there is mutual support and cooperation.

The discussions about the so-called "Guo Jin Min Tui," the Chinese phrase describing a situation where state firms force a retreat of the private sector, are "one-sided" and "wrong," he said in an interview with Chinese reporters.

Recently, state-owned banks or enterprises are helping and even restructuring private firms which are in liquidity crunch after expanding too fast at the costs of excessive debts and deviating from their main business. "I believe this is a good thing, not 'Guo Jin Min Tui'," he said.

State-owned enterprises, most of which are in the upstream of the industry chain, play roles in basic industries and heavy manufacturing, while private enterprises are more involved in providing manufacturing products, especially final consumption goods, said Liu.

"The two are highly complementary to each other with mutual cooperation and support. In the future, the Chinese economy will continuously upgrade in this direction to high-quality development," said Liu.

If private enterprises are in a good business condition, state-owned capital can withdraw, and SOEs can increase efficiency by enlisting the participation of private enterprises when facing difficulties, said the vice premier.

"We also encourage qualified private enterprises to conduct merger and acquisitions of small and medium-sized enterprises in the same industry with competitive potential but confronted with difficulties," said Liu.

Liu stressed that the Chinese government will create an equal environment, intensify the rule of law, strengthen property rights and intellectual property protection, stick to the basic economic system and deepen reform and opening-up.

"We have no reason not to have full confidence in the broad prospect of China's economic development," said Liu.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 18:55:05|Editor: xuxin

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ANKARA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish foreign minister on Friday said they have not shared any audio recording of Khashoggi case with anyone, amid reports that Ankara had given a recording related to the missing Saudi journalist to the United States.

"Turkey did not give anyone or any country the recording. It is out of question for Turkey to give any kind of audio tape to Pompeo or any other U.S. official," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told media during a visit to Albania, Turkish meida Hurriyet quoted as saying.

The minister also told reporters that Turkey has evidence and information obtained from its investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance on Oct. 2 and it will transparently share the results with the world.

Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. This case is attracting worldwide concern.

Turkish authorities suspect that the journalist may have been killed while inside the consulate, but Saudi denied the accusation. After Turkey and Saudi Arabia agreed to work together on the probe, the Turkish investigation team has already searched the building of the consulate and the home of the consul general.

The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the case with Turkish leadership during a short visit to Ankara on Wednesday, and said the U.S. is willing to help Turkey investigate the case of the missing Saudi journalist.
In this file photo taken on December 15, 2014 Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi attends a press conference in the Bahraini capital Manama. (AFP photo)

ANKARA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish foreign minister on Friday said they have not shared any audio recording of Khashoggi case with anyone, amid reports that Ankara had given a recording related to the missing Saudi journalist to the United States.

"Turkey did not give anyone or any country the recording. It is out of question for Turkey to give any kind of audio tape to Pompeo or any other U.S. official," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told media during a visit to Albania, Turkish meida Hurriyet quoted as saying.

The minister also told reporters that Turkey has evidence and information obtained from its investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance on Oct. 2 and it will transparently share the results with the world.

Khashoggi, journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has been missing since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. This case is attracting worldwide concern.

Turkish authorities suspect that the journalist may have been killed while inside the consulate, but Saudi denied the accusation. After Turkey and Saudi Arabia agreed to work together on the probe, the Turkish investigation team has already searched the building of the consulate and the home of the consul general.

The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the case with Turkish leadership during a short visit to Ankara on Wednesday, and said the U.S. is willing to help Turkey investigate the case of the missing Saudi journalist.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 19:25:10|Editor: xuxin

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OSLO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Russian citizen who had been detained in Norway on suspicion of spying was released Friday after the police withdrew its appeal against his release, local media reported.

Mikhail Bochkarev, 51, was let out of a prison in Oslo Friday noon and was then driven to the Russian embassy, public broadcaster NRK reported on its website.

The Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), which had withdrawn its appeal earlier Friday, said it is still going to investigate the case and some technical investigations remain, but Bochkarev is free to go home.

"He has no restrictions and can travel home to Moscow," police attorney Kathrine Tonstad told newspaper Aftenposten. "There is still a lot of technical investigations left."

The Oslo District Court ruled Thursday that Bochkarev should be released, but he had to remain in detention while awaiting a decision on the appeal filed by police.

Bochkarev was arrested on Sept. 21 at Oslo airport and charged with a breach of section 121 of the Criminal Code that includes illegal intelligence activities against state secrets.

He had attended an international seminar on digitalization at the Norwegian parliament. The seminar was organized by the European Center for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD) and was attended by 79 administrative staff members in parliaments from more than 30 countries.

The behavior of Bochkarev, identified as a staff employee of the Russian parliament, aroused the suspicion of Norwegian parliamentary employees, public broadcaster NRK reported in September.

However, according to the Oslo District Court, there is no longer any reason to suspect the Russian for espionage.

The Russian Foreign Ministry demanded on Thursday that Bochkarev be immediately released after the Oslo District Court ruled against extending his arrest citing the absence of proof, according to Russia's Sputnik news agency.

"We once again demand an immediate release of M.A. Bochkarev and lifting of all fake accusations against him. It is obvious that the PST has no proof of Bochkarev's made-up guilt," the ministry said in a statement.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 19:30:12|Editor: xuxin

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TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran's ambassador to the United Nations said Israel commits repeated "crimes" against the Palestinians, Press TV reported on Friday.

"The situation in Palestine is deteriorating. Only during the recent March of Return protests in Gaza, more than 200 have been martyred and 22,000 others injured as a result of Israeli violence," Gholam-Ali Khoshroo said.

He made the remarks during an address to a UN Security Council meeting on Thursday to discuss the latest status of the Palestinians.

"The Israeli regime kills them because they are Palestinians; because it considers them not to be entitled to any rights, and not even the right to live," Khoshroo added.

He urged the international community not to allow the rights of the Palestinians to be violated by Israel.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 19:35:14|Editor: mmm

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Chinese Vice Premier Liu He (R) meets with Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 18, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Thursday met with Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with both officials looking forward to the bank playing a bigger role in China-Latin America cooperation.

"China attaches great importance to relations with Latin America," Liu said, adding that the initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping of jointly building a community of a shared future for humanity has been warmly received by Latin American and Caribbean states.

"We hope that IDB will continue to serve as a bridge in terms of cooperation between China and Latin America, helping to boost practical cooperation between the two sides, and advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, finance, poverty reduction, and other sectors," Liu said.

IDB is a leading source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Noting that 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of China's accession to IDB, Moreno said the bank is ready to use the occasion to promote its cooperation with China in more fields and to a higher level.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 19:56:45|Editor: mmm

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Aerial photo taken on Oct. 17, 2018 shows tourists visiting an ancient village of Min'an in Tingjiang Town of Fuzhou, capital of southeast China's Fujian Province. Located at the mouth of the Minjiang River, the Min'an ancient village had long played an important role in sea transport and military defense since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) with its advantageous location. Nowdays, many well-preserved historical sites in the village give it a chance to be awarded as one of China's historic and cultural villages in 2010. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 19:50:16|Editor: mmm

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by Ahmed Shafiq, Abdel-Maguid Kamal

CAIRO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's participation in the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) is a very important opportunity to increase Egyptian exports to the Chinese market, said Shirin al-Shorbagi, head of Egypt's Export Development Authority.

The CIIE will be held from Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai, a world famous financial hub and one of the most populous cities in China.

"The CIIE is very important for Egypt which will participate with a 250-square-meter national pavilion ... Thirty-eight Egyptian companies will participate in a 450-square-meter pavilion," Shorbagi said in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.

So far, it is estimated that over 150,000 buyers from home and abroad will attend the expo. Apart from business exhibitions, 80 countries and three international organizations have confirmed their participation in the country-pavilion exhibition, which covers a total area of 30,000 square meters.

The Egyptian official said the participation is politically and economically important, adding that the national pavilion will include the Ministries of Investment, Tourism, Planning, Trade and Industry, and the Suez Canal Authority.

"The national pavilion will highlight the new projects in Egypt," she said.

She explained that 22 of the Egyptian companies that will participate in the CIIE operate in the agricultural sector, while the rest of the companies work in the sectors of engineering, medicines, garments and handicrafts.

"Exports to China are very limited compared with the imports ... China is a large country with a very large population and the exhibition is an opportunity to increase our exports to China," she said.

Shorbagi noted that trade balance is in favor of China, stressing that it is a very good opportunity for Egypt as China moves to adjust trade balance with different countries.

She revealed that Egypt's imports from China in 2017 amounted to about eight billion U.S. dollars, while exports stood at about 281 million dollars.

According to the Egyptian official, imports from the beginning of 2018 till August hit 6.2 billion dollars, while the exports during the same period reached 256 million dollars.

"The exhibition is a good start to go to China with our companies to explore the needs of the Chinese market," she pointed out.

Shorbagi said that during the exhibition, there will be several meetings between Chinese and Egyptian officials through Egyptian Commercial Representation Office in Shanghai and Beijing, adding that there is also a full program for both Egyptian companies and other enterprises to meet together.

"The national pavilion at the expo is an important opportunity to see Egypt with a new perspective through the recent economic reforms that have taken place, which help investors come to Egypt," Shorbagi reiterated.

Commenting on the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, Shorbagi said it helps strengthen the Eyptian-Chinese ties.

"The initiative strengthens economic relations between Egypt and China," she noted. "Egypt is an economic partner of China and also a tourism partner ... Chinese are very interested in Egyptian civilization and tourism."

"China's economic experience is unique," she said, expressing her strong respect for the Chinese people who are "characterized by seriousness and strong will."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 19:55:18|Editor: xuxin

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LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Ninety-three more female patients have come forward to file suits over alleged inappropriate behavior by Dr. George Tyndall, a former gynecologist at the University of Southern California (USC), said attorneys representing those women on Thursday in western U.S. city of Los Angeles.

Attorneys told reporters at a downtown Los Angeles news conference that the 93 former USC students are represented in two new lawsuits. The new claims brought the number of women suing the university to more than 400.

"Six months since the Los Angeles Times broke the story, three months since we filed our first cases and 60 days since class commenced this semester, nothing has been done," said attorney Andy Rubenstein, adding that people are looking for institutional change which can protect them, and thus take courage to step in and speak out as well as to sit down and listen.

"We are calling on USC's board of trustees to listen to these women and be part of the collaborative processes," he noted.

The complaints against Tyndall include improperly photographing students' genitals, touching women inappropriately during pelvic exams and making sexually suggestive remarks about their bodies. Tyndall had worked as the only full-time gynecologist at the USC student clinic for nearly 30 years.

Another attorney John Manly, one of the lead attorneys who represented the victims of former Olympic and Michigan State University Dr. Larry Nassar, called on California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to "commence a serious investigation of USC."

He slammed USC, his alma mater, "miserably failed these women," although it is the recipient of hundreds of millions of dollars of state of California aid.

In response to the latest lawsuits, USC officials said in a statement to CNN that they are aware of the lawsuits.

"We will be seeking a prompt and fair resolution that is respectful of our former students. We are committed to providing the women of USC with the best, most thorough and respectful health care services of any university," said the statement.

According to Deng Law Center in Los Angeles, three former Chinese students have joined the lawsuits against the university.

The Los Angeles Times reported that some colleagues of Tyndall feared the gynecologist was targeting the university's growing population of Chinese students in recent years. Those Chinese students often had a limited knowledge of the English language and American medical norms.

The Consulate General of China in Los Angeles expressed serious concern over the scandal on May 16, requesting the university to take serious steps to investigate the issue and to protect Chinese students from such illegal acts.

The USC has established a hotline for complaints about Tyndall's sexual harassment and misconduct and said it would take measures for significant and sustainable change. Wanda M. Austin was appointed interim USC president in August, replacing C. L. Max Nikias, who agreed to step down amid the scandal. The USC Student Health organization promised to provide more medical resources in Chinese for international students from China.

The USC is a leading private research university located in Los Angeles in the U.S. state of California. A total of 45,500 students were enrolled in the 2017-18 academic year, including around 5,400 from the Chinese mainland, accounting for about half of the USC's international enrollment.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 19:55:19|Editor: xuxin

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BERLIN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 27 for a summit with the presidents of France, Russia and Turkey on Syria issues, a government spokeswoman said Friday.

The spokeswoman said the meeting will focus on the situation in the Idlib Governorate in Syria, and supporting for the implementation of the Russian-Turkish Sochi agreement, which vowed to build a demilitarized zone in the war-torn Syrian province.

In addition, the further progress of the political process in Syria under the leadership of the UN will be discussed, in particular the work of the Constitutional Commission, the spokeswoman said.

"The Federal Government views Russia, an ally of the Assad regime as a partner with a special responsibility," the deputy spokeswoman for German government Martina Fietz said at a regular press conference.

"At the same time, with its Sochi agreement with Russia, Turkey has also taken on a very special responsibility," said Fietz.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 20:05:23|Editor: xuxin

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by Philipp Requat, Anna Strumpel

BERLIN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Not too long ago, the most common criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel made by her detractors was the seemingly unassailable grip on German politics which the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader had acquired.

Merkel started out as an underdog, defying several stereotypes of German federal leaders as a female chemistry PhD from the former Communist East, but has become a fixture at the helm of the country's government. An entire generation has grown up in Germany without knowing any other chancellor since Merkel first took office nearly 13 years ago.

More recently, many Germans are beginning to ponder life after Merkel. Seen as an almost invincible electoral force once, she is now attacked by politicians and journalists for failing to keep her own ministers in line and hanging on in office as a "lame duck" whose best days are behind her.

The transformation in the 64-year-old's image, from cunning political novice to a tired veteran stateswoman, is epitomized in media reactions to repeated clashes between Merkel and Interior Minister and Christian Social Union (CSU) leader Horst Seehofer. Threats by Seehofer in the summer to resign, and hence potentially provoke the unravelling of the ruling grand coalition were read as an unprecedented example of cabinet disobedience and a sign of the chancellor's eroding authority.

For many pundits, this impression was only reinforced by the government's handling of the so-called Maassen affair last month. Hans-Georg Maassen, provoked outrage as president of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) when he attempted to downplay televised scenes of far-right violence on the streets of Chemnitz. Seehofer refused to give in to pressure from Merkel and German Social Democrat (SPD) leader Andrea Nahles to sack the intelligence chief.

An unusual compromise was reached to remove Maassen as head of the BfV while promoting him to a better paid position as secretary of state in Seehofer's Interior Ministry. Although the German government backtracked again within a few days in the face of an angry popular backlash against its decision, the incident was depicted in media as underscoring just how little leverage Merkel enjoys in her fourth governing cabinet.

Another blow to Merkel was the surprising election of Ralph Brinkhaus as the leader of the CDU parliamentary faction over Merkel's preferred candidate Volker Kauder in early October.

Merkel has lost some of her "political instinct" with regards to her own party and the broader population since the 2015 refugee crisis, Juergen Falter, Senior Research Professor at the University of Mainz, told Xinhua in an interview.

"Merkel's loss of authority began with Seehofer's attacks against her asylum policies and continued with the Maassen affair and now the voting out of Volker Kauder as CDU/CSU parliamentary faction leader", Falter said. He added that the chancellor had consequently experienced "several successive defeats" and was no longer as successful in managing her party compared to previous years.

However, the German chancellor is unlikely to yield to pressure to surrender her post anytime soon. "Firstly, there would have to be a willing successor and at the moment there is no one who is willing to lead an open challenge. Secondly, the other parties would have to approve of the successor in question", Falter said.

Two weeks ago, an image of Merkel's characteristic suit jacket hanging from a coat rack, with the caption "What will come, when Merkel goes?", was on the front cover of the German magazine Spiegel. What is noteworthy about the cover is that it reflects a shift in tone. The question is now when and not whether the CDU leader would step down in a seemingly foregone conclusion about Merkel's retirement from Germany's political stage.

At least so far, Seehofer has not been rewarded for going head to head with Merkel. The CSU slumped to its worst ever electoral result in its Bavarian homestead as voters fled in droves to the Greens and AfD instead of following the traditional catch-all party in its lurch to the right. Given a parallel collapse in support for the SPD, some commentators have interpreted the outcome as a blow directed at the "grand coalition" as a whole. The CDU did not participate in the race itself, however, and gains enjoyed by the Greens on a pragmatic platform in Bavaria suggests that there is still some mileage in Merkel's centrist brand of politics.

David McAllister (CDU), former governor of Lower Saxony and the acting Chair of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, told Xinhua that the federal government should focus on delivering good policy rather than speculating prematurely about the chancellor's demise.

"As long as Angela Merkel is serving as chancellor there is no reason to ponder her successor. I am against having these debates at this moment." McAllister urged the "grand coalition" partners to instead direct their energy to ending the internal "quarreling" witnessed during past weeks."

McAllister further expressed confidence that Merkel's chancellorship would be remembered as a "very successful one", when it finally drew to a close. "She has made the German economy strong, we have a balanced federal budget and the lowest youth unemployment in Europe. We have rarely had such a long favorable economic period in Germany", the senior CDU politician said. In the 13th year of her chancellorship, it seems, the rhetorical battle for Merkel's legacy has begun.

Measured by most conventional standards, it's hard to disagree with McAllister that Merkel's chancellorship has been a success. Aside from the feat of emerging victorious in four successive federal elections, the domestic economy has grown continuously and rapidly for past seven years with below average unemployment and inequality compared to other industrialized nations. Contrary to fears that the 2015 influx of asylum seekers would lead to an unravelling of Germany's socio-economic fabric, crime is down and public budget surpluses are at record levels.

Yet at the same time, cabinet infighting and rise of far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), most recently in Bavaria, showcase that this benign narrative of Merkel's reign is not uncontested. The AfD, and even Interior Minister Seehofer, clearly have a radically different view of Germany's national trajectory.

The latest "Populism Barometer" by the Bertelsmann Foundation warns that voter fatigue with centrist views is growing in the Eurozone's largest economy. In 2018, 30.4 percent of voters in Germany were allocated to the populist spectrum of electoral politics by researchers at the Guetersloh-based think-tank. During the same period, the share of voters who had "clearly non-populist" views declined by 4.1 percentage points to 32.8 percent.

The Populism Barometer findings underscore that debate over Merkel's future is not just about a personnel and legislative reshuffle in the highest echelon of power in Berlin. A broader shift in Germany's political culture is underway, the final outcome of which remains unclear.

As a consequence, the legacy of the chancellor is likely to be determined as much by the ideology of her successor to power as by the favorable labor market and GDP data of her governments. If Merkel cannot pass her final test of building up a CDU leader and chancellor who defends her own moderate course, the damage to her historical reputation could be lasting.
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Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 20:10:25|Editor: mmm

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BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming China International Import Expo exemplifies the value of global trade and multilateralism, according to Argentine political observer and columnist Jorge Castro.

"China's priority is to deepen its integration with the world, and next month's expo is a message loaded with meaning. It is a concrete demonstration of China's opening-up," said Castro, head of the Strategic Planning Institute in Argentina and regular contributor to Argentine daily Clarin.

China's first ever imports fair, to run from Nov. 5 to 10 in Shanghai, is also of strategic importance to Argentina, because the Asian giant's growing appetite for fresh and processed foods can be satisfied in part by Argentina's agricultural export sector.

Official statistics showed China has been the world's second-largest importer of goods for nine consecutive years and Chinese authorities expect the country to import goods worth 24 trillion U.S. dollars in the next 15 years, which has drawn the attention of exporters worldwide.

"China is the world's second-largest economy and the axis of the global demand for goods. That's why the expo is of enormous importance -- the further opening-up of China's economy," said Castro.

For Argentina, the fair will be an opportunity "to demonstrate the potential of the country's agricultural offer, along with its exporting capacity, in meat products for example, an area in which (the two countries) signed important bilateral agreements this year," he noted.

Around 50 companies will be representing the South American country at the fair, including wineries, exporters of chilled and frozen meat, and producers of honey, garbanzo, rice and olive oil, according to the Argentine Investment and International Trade Agency.

China is Argentina's leading market for agricultural produce, and the two countries are in talks to expand access to such goods as lamb and pork, honey, sorghum, wheat and cherries.

China is also Argentina's second-biggest trade partner, after Brazil, with bilateral exchanges of about 13.8 billion dollars in 2017, according to China's customs agency.

The expo should help the two countries reinforce "their comprehensive strategic partnership," said Castro.

More than 2,800 companies from 130 countries and regions across five continents have registered to showcase their products, including 200 that are on the list of the Fortune Global 500. And upwards of 160,000 buyers from domestic and foreign companies are set to attend.

According to the organizers, some 40 companies from countries such as the United States, France, Germany and Japan have already reserved their stands for the second edition of the expo.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 20:20:29|Editor: xuxin

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JAKARTA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Anti-terror squad of Indonesian national police has shot dead two alleged terrorists who had plotted to launch strikes on a police office and other objects.

The two persons with initials of AN and R were shot on Thursday in Tanjung Balai town of North Sumatra province in a crackdown against militants, provincial police chief Inspector General Agus Adrianto said on Friday.

"They had put the police office headquarters, monasteries and vital objects at their targets," the officer said.

The two alleged militants, Adrianto said, had been involved in gunfights with members of the squad before they were shot. One of whom died on the scene and the other on the way to hospital.

During the raid on their hideouts, the squad seized seven bombs assembled into pipes, a weapon, bullets and a knife, Adrianto was quoted by local media as saying.

The two alleged terrorists had made well preparation for their plots, Adrianto added.

They are parts of a militant group called "Syaiful group," some of the members of which were nabbed in May, he added.

Tanjung Balai town has declared an alert status since days ago, according to the police.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 20:30:32|Editor: Yamei

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BERLIN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- German prosecutors have launched preliminary investigations into alleged irregularities in the use of external advisors by the German defense ministry, local media reported on Friday.

Martin Steltner, a spokesperson for the Berlin State Prosecution Office, told SPIEGEL that it was currently assessing whether there was sufficient evidence for an initial suspicion of wrongdoing on behalf of the ministry led by Ursula von der Leyen (CDU).

The defense ministry however responded it was not aware of "corresponding requests from the public prosecutor's office," according to defence spokesperson who also rejected the accusation that the ministry had deliberately "omitted reports to the social insurance funds".

In September, an unnamed insider formally accused von der Leyen of purposefully creating a relationship of "false self-employment" with external advisors. Under German law, posing as an independent contractor while only having a single long-term client is considered false self-employment.

According to a confidential report by the Federal Audit Office, von der Leyen's ministry has "made use of advisors over a long period which worked there like employees." The auditors state that the government department appeared to have developed a heavy reliance on outsiders for Information Technology (IT) modernization work and that contractors were almost always commissioned directly by senior officials rather than determining a supplier more transparently in public tenders.

Von der Leyen announced an ambitious reform program for the German armed forces shortly after she took office in December 2013. Eight months later, von der Leyen hired Katrin Suder as secretary of state, who, a former McKinsey partner, should use her experience in "change management" to help modernize Germany's armed forces.

According to Spiegel Online, a former member of the German armed forces whose consulting firm is seen as one of the principal beneficiaries of the defense ministry's contracts used to work at McKinsey at the same time as Suder.

The report also referred to disgruntled ministry officials for whom it had not gone unnoticed that links between von der Leyen and the consultancy have recently required a familial dimension. As of September 2015, the defense minister's son has taken up a post at the Silicon Valley office of McKinsey.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 20:30:32|Editor: mmm

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CHONGQING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition featuring artistic items from Hungary has begun in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

The exhibition displays more than 100 Hungarian items, including oil paintings, silkscreen printings and sculptures, which represent a variety of genres, including abstract art, realism and expressionism.

The organizer hopes that the exhibition will give locals a glimpse of Hungarian art styles.

Local authorities in Chongqing said that local Chinese music, dances and operas will also be showcased in Hungary in the future to boost mutual exchanges.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta attends a round table of the 2018 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

NAIROBI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta will lead a strong delegation of horticultural farmers and traders to China next month for the first edition of Import Expo, State House said on Thursday.

Kenyatta's office said during the first China International Import Expo (CIIE), which is scheduled to run from Nov. 5 to 10, a number of trade deals will be negotiated and sealed.

"Among the agreements expected to be signed at the Expo is the Sanitary and Phytosanitary deal between Kenya and China that will open doors for over 40 percent of Kenya's fresh produce including avocado, mangoes and cashew nuts into the expansive Chinese market," the presidency said in a statement issued after the Cabinet meeting.

The presidency said the agreement may also allow for the export of stevia, a sweetener largely grown in the Rift Valley, into the Chinese market.

It said the Kenyan leader is also expected to ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the establishment of a trade negotiation working group, whose mandate will be to negotiate trade tariffs especially on Kenya's tea and coffee exports to China as well as explore additional market for the country's cash crops.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 20:50:39|Editor: mmm

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SHANGHAI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- As the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) approaches, Shanghai has opened several permanent exhibition and trade platforms to facilitate imports all year round.

Donghao Lansheng Group opened its import commodities center Wednesday and it has also a healthy lifestyle store in the National Exhibition and Convention Center, where the CIIE is to be held from Nov. 5-10. The healthy lifestyle store has over 1,000 products from more than 100 companies.

In April, Shanghai opened 30 year-round platforms for exhibitions and trade of imported goods, with some owned by foreign companies.

"We are excited to be part of CIIE and hope to bring more Japanese commodities to China," said Tomoaki Komori, managing director of Shanghai Takashimaya Co. Ltd, a renowned Japanese department store.

According to Komori, 85 percent of the company's revenue is contributed by overseas consumers, including Chinese, so the company is eager to expand its business to China. The Takashimaya exhibition center in Shanghai will focus on clothing, children's products and food.

Explorium, a perennial exhibition center owned by Fung Group, a Hong Kong-based company, features the latest technical advances including facial recognition systems and drones. These high-tech devices can help analyze consumer gestures and facial expressions to help estimate the likelihood of consumption and help improve business decisions.

IMX International Trade and Exhibition Center with Hong Kong King Wai Group, which has a floor area of about 110,000 square meters, is also scheduled to open before the expo.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 21:00:42|Editor: xuxin

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TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran condemned on Friday the recent assassination of three senior officials in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.

In an announcement on Friday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi offered sympathy to the Afghan government and nation as well as the families of the victims over the incident.

At least three senior provincial officials in the southern province of Kandahar were killed on Thursday by one of their own guards during a meeting to discuss security ahead of the nation's parliamentary vote.

The Taliban group claimed the attack, saying their target was Scott Miller, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, who was unharmed.

Qasemi urged national dialogue to cease violence in Afghanistan, and expressed hope that the Afghan government and its opposition would seriously focus on establishment of peace and security ahead of the parliamentary votes that would start across the country, except for Kandahar, on Saturday.

"Iran strongly supports any initiative that guarantees the interests and benefits of the oppressed people of Afghanistan," Qasemi said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 21:00:43|Editor: Yamei

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Beijing.

Shoigu conveyed Russian President Vladimir Putin's greetings to Xi while Xi expressed his thanks and asked Shoigu to convey his greetings and wishes to Putin.

Xi said that China-Russia relations have continued to maintain a high-level development and political mutual trust has reached the highest level since the beginning of this year.

"I have met with President Putin three times in the past five months, which embodied the high-level of China-Russia relationship and its distinctiveness," Xi said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 21:20:46|Editor: xuxin

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MOSCOW, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a summit on Syria with leaders of Turkey, Germany and France, the Kremlin said Friday.

"The parties plan to exchange views on the Syrian problems, including promotion of the political settlement process, further steps in the interests of strengthening security and stability, creating conditions for the return of refugees and restoring the socio-economic infrastructure," it said in a statement.

The four leaders are also expected to examine a number of other relevant international issues, the statement said without providing details, adding that bilateral meetings will take place.

Earlier on Friday, the summit was announced by Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin.

The summit will focus on the situation in Syria, the Idlib agreement and the political process, and seek joint efforts for finding a lasting solution to the conflict, Kalin said in a statement.

In September, Russia and Turkey, key stakeholders in Syria, agreed to set up a demilitarized zone between rebel and government fighters in the northwestern province of Idlib.

The summit, scheduled for Oct. 27 in the Turkish city of Istanbul, will be hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attended by Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 21:20:47|Editor: mmm

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Cai Mingzhao (R), president of China's Xinhua News Agency, meets with Reuters news agency interim head Sue Brooks in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 19, 2018. Cai said since the signing of a news exchange agreement in 1957, cooperation between the two news agencies in the fields of news exchange and photo sales had been continuously deepened. He expressed the hope that the two sides will further innovate cooperation methods and expand the cooperation on the basis of each other's advantages, so as to better meet the needs of users in the new media era. He also briefed Brooks on the progress made by Xinhua in such fields as new media and artificial intelligence, expressing hope to deepen cooperation with Reuters in the above-mentioned fields. Brooks spoke highly of Xinhua's innovative moves in new media in recent years, saying that Reuters valued the cooperation between the two sides and will expand cooperation with Xinhua in areas including new media to realize common development. (Xinhua/Rao Aimin)

BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cai Mingzhao, president of China's Xinhua News Agency, met on Friday with Reuters News Agency interim head Sue Brooks.

Cai said since the signing of a news exchange agreement in 1957, cooperation between the two news agencies in the fields of news exchange and photo sales had been continuously deepened.

He expressed the hope that the two sides will further innovate cooperation methods and expand the cooperation on the basis of each other's advantages, so as to better meet the needs of users in the new media era.

He also briefed Brooks on the progress made by Xinhua in such fields as new media and artificial intelligence, expressing hope to deepen cooperation with Reuters in the above-mentioned fields.

Brooks spoke highly of Xinhua's innovative moves in new media in recent years, saying that Reuters valued the cooperation between the two sides and will expand cooperation with Xinhua in areas including new media to realize common development.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 21:30:51|Editor: xuxin

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BERLIN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The number of people receiving needs-based welfare benefits in Germany fell last year, figures published on Friday by the country's Federal Statistical Office show.

According to the Wiesbaden-based government agency, Germans who received diverse forms of social security payments aimed at providing them with a minimum income fell by 3.5 percent to 7.6 million at the end of 2017. As a consequence, the share of the entire population which was reliant on such state aid also declined to 9.2 percent, down by 0.3 and 0.5 percentage points compared with 2016 and 2015 respectively.

The German welfare state gives residents access to a range of financial subsidies which are tailored to their specific personal circumstances. The most well-known and widespread benefit available in the eurozone's largest economy are so-called "Hartz IV" payments which are mainly provided to long-term unemployed individuals. In 2017, 5.9 million inhabitants were enrolled in the "Hartz IV" program, marking a slight annual decrease of 0.7 percent.

Hartz IV is distinct from a regular subsistence allowance which Germans can apply for if their own income is insufficient to make ends meet. Between 2016 and 2017, the number of people who were granted this allowance fell by 4.9 percent to 127,000.

The steepest decline across the categories of welfare benefits was measured among refugees. A total of 486,000 individuals were provided with aid to take care of their basic needs during ongoing asylum application cases in 2017, down by 35.7 percent compared with 2016. The finding further underscored a trend of weakening of financial and logistical pressures from the 2015 "refugee crisis" which has been recorded by German authorities during the past two years.

By contrast to "Hartz IV", subsistence allowance, and refugee-related aid, the number of Germans who required an old-age basic income provision increased last year. The number of elderly people accessed this welfare benefit rose by 3.2 percent to 1.1 million in 2017.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 21:45:53|Editor: mmm

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BRUSSELS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday called on Asian and European countries to boost connectivity.

Speaking at the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit in Brussels, Li called for promoting "hard connectivity" of infrastructure to build networks of transportation, industries, and logistics across Asia and Europe.

Meanwhile, he said, involved countries should also enhance "soft connectivity" of systems, policies, rules and standards in order to stimulate vigor of elements such as capital, technology, services and data.

Li also called for efforts to strengthen aligning the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with development strategies of various countries to realize common development and prosperity.
The Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 3, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- African officials have reiterated that the recent summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held last month in Beijing, China, and its outcomes show the commitment by China and Africa to continuously enhance their partnership in the new era, based on win-win and shared benefits.

This came on Wednesday at a seminar held under the theme, "Working towards a New Era of China-Africa Cooperation in the Spirit of Unity, Cooperation and Common Development," in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. The event was focusing on China-Africa all-round cooperation in light of its flourishing development over the past years.

The FOCAC Summit held on Sept. 3-4 in Beijing adopted two important outcome documents, the Beijing Declaration-Toward an Even Stronger China-Africa Community with a Shared Future and the FOCAC Beijing Action Plan (2019-2021).

The Beijing declaration reiterates the principled cooperation between China and Africa, including mutual respect, fairness, justice, and win-win cooperation, said Robert Lisinge, an official of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

China and Africa agreed in the declaration to form strong synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the 2030 agenda of sustainable development and the AU Agenda 2063 and development strategies of African countries, the official has reiterated.

"The BRI follows market principles and international norms, and advocates and practices openness and transparency.

"It also seeks to develop inclusive, accessible and reasonable priced infrastructure that delivers extensive benefits and is consistent with national conditions and laws, and regulations of concerned countries, and to promote high quality and sustainable development for all," he said.

"This is a strong response to critics of Chinese engagement in Africa; and shows the willingness of China and Africa to continuously improve the quality of their partnership. The principles outlined in the Beijing declaration are critical for effective partnership. Indeed, this awareness establishes partnership success factors," he has noted.

"There is, therefore, no doubt that the Beijing Action plan and the eight initiatives for China-Africa cooperation will be successfully implemented in these principles and practices." he added.

In his remarks to the seminar, Seyoum Mesfin, President of the Board of Trustees of the Center for Dialogue, Research and Cooperation, has hailed FOCAC and China's endeavor to address the challenges of poverty in Africa through the development of infrastructure, including railways, road networks, telecommunications and energy among others.

He also noted that FOCAC has changed conditions for good for the sectors in which Africa has been lagging behind, and projects that were not given emphasis by western governments and international financial institutions.

The Head of Chinese Mission to the African Union (AU), Liu Yuxi, noted that the FOCAC Beijing Summit is not only a historic gathering of the China-Africa family, but also ushers in a new era for furthering the unity and cooperation between China and Africa for common development.

The new initiatives for China-Africa cooperation coming out of the summit are supported by concrete projects with a focus on quality, efficiency and sustainability, Liu said.

"We felt like that there was much broader scope in which the AU can engage with China to bring China into the continental dimension of this partnership." said Nadine Elhakim, Adviser on Strategic Partnerships to the Chairperson of the AU Commission.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 21:55:56|Editor: mmm

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BRUSSELS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday called on Asian and European countries to uphold the leading role of multilateralism.

Speaking at the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels, Li said countries should meet global challenges by enhancing cooperation and practicing multilateralism.

He said Asian and European countries must strengthen consultation and cooperation, firmly uphold the rules-based international orders, the authority of the United Nations, and the purposes and principles of its charter.

Noting that Asia and Europe are two stabilizing forces of the world as well as the world's two major economic blocs, Li said Asian and European countries, faced with new circumstances and challenges, should rise up to their responsibilities to maintain world peace while boosting development and prosperity.
File Photo: A Palestinian child plays in an impoverished area of the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip on July 29, 2018. (Xinhua/AFP)

UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's UN envoy on Thursday called for "more adequate, predictable and sustainable" funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for the Palestinian refugees.

UNRWA provides services to registered Palestinian refugees living in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

"For many years, UNRWA has been playing an important role in providing medical care, education and other basic services to the 5.3 million Palestinian refugees," said Ma Zhaoxu, the Chinese permanent representative to the UN, at the Security Council.

Expressing appreciation for those who made additional contributions to UNRWA in light of its financial crisis this year, Ma appealed to all to continue to strengthen their support to both the agency and the countries receiving Palestinian refugees.

For more than 30 years, China has been making annual contributions to UNRWA, the Chinese envoy said. "This year, we increased our contribution in view of its urgent needs," and China will continue to do "what we can to provide assistance to UNRWA."

The agency has been struggling with a huge funding gap since the United States earlier this year cut its annual aid by 300 million dollars.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 22:16:00|Editor: xuxin

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NICOSIA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN chief Antonio Guterres has directed his personal envoy on Cyprus to take up a new mission to sound out the parties about the possibility of restarting the long-standing but stalled negotiations for the reunification of Cyprus, a government spokesman said on Friday.

"It is most significant that a meeting of (Cyprus) President Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci will be followed by a visit in Cyprus of the Secretary General's personal envoy, Jane Holl Lute", government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said.

His statement was made after the head of the UN peace keeping mission in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar, announced that she will meet Anastasiades and Akinci on Oct. 26.

"We are at an important crossroad in Cyprus in respect to the peace process...The coming period will be crucial as the United Nations seeks to gauge the possibilities and modalities for a return to meaningful result-oriented talks", Spehar said.

She made no mention of Lute's visit, but the government spokesman said she will be in Cyprus in the first days of November.

Lute made a sounding mission during the summer months in Nicosia and the countries directly involved in the Cyprus issue - guarantee powers Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom- during the summer months.

Her conclusions, included in a report by the secretary General will be discussed by the Security Council at the end of October.

It suggested that the Secretary General expects clear answers by the parties involved on a blue print he presented to them at a conference in Switzerland which ended inconclusively 15 months ago.

He also suggested that the parties come up with fresh ideas to supplement his plan on how to reunite Cyprus under a federal state solution.

Turkey bisected the eastern Mediterranean island after it occupied its northern part in a 1974 military operation, in response to a coup by the military rulers of Greece.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 22:21:02|Editor: zh

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Aerial photo taken on Oct. 20, 2018 shows the Yarlung Tsangpo River after an overflow from a landslide-caused barrier lake on the river in Menling County, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region. Water levels are dropping after an overflow at a barrier lake formed after a landslide in the Yarlung Tsangpo River in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, local officials said Friday. (Xinhua/Purbu Zhaxi)

LHASA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Water levels are dropping after an overflow at a barrier lake formed after a landslide in the Yarlung Tsangpo River in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, local officials said Friday.

The barrier lake was formed near a village in Menling County after landslides on Wednesday and Thursday blocked the river's waterway. Rising water has forced the evacuation of over 7,100 people in the area as of 5:00 p.m. Thursday, Xiao He, vice-mayor of Nyingchi said at a press conference.

A total of 16,000 people have been affected by the lake. No casualties have been reported. A team of 27 has been dispatched to evacuate another 59 people at a local village.

The local government has built 33 temporary shelters in the area, set up 1,320 tents, and distributed daily essentials for the evacuated people, said Xiao.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 22:26:04|Editor: mmm

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BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Education (MOE) Friday urged regulation on the use of Chinese Young Pioneers (CYP)' emblems and signs, following cases of inappropriate commercialized use in some areas recently.

According to the statement, local education authorities and the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC) and CYP branches should launch a thorough inspection of the use of CYP emblems and signs in primary and secondary schools, particularly the inappropriate commercialized use of them.

Any misconduct, if found, should be brought to the local authorities of market regulation and public security, and dealt with in a timely manner, the statement said.

Regulation measures are specified in a statement jointly issued by the MOE, the Central Committee of the CYLC, and the CYP National Working Committee.

Founded in 1949 and led by the Communist Party of China, the CYP is a national organization for Chinese children aged 6 to 14 years, mostly primary and secondary school students.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 22:26:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BRUSSELS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday called for expanding two-way openness and deepen pragmatic cooperation in line with the principle of mutual benefit and win-win results, against the backdrop of a complicated international landscape.

The remarks came as Li met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit in Brussels.

German enterprises such as chemical company BASF and carmaker BMW, have already benefited from China's new round of opening-up, said Li, adding that China hopes that Germany will also provide a good business environment for Chinese companies.

Noting that China and Germany are both important economies and influential major countries, Li said China, from a long-term perspective, is ready to work with Germany to cement political mutual trust and keep the momentum of high-level exchanges.

The Chinese premier called on the two countries to jointly safeguard global multilateralism, oppose trade protectionism, uphold the multilateral trading system which is based on rules and centered on the World Trade Organization.

For her part, Merkel said Germany stands ready to work with China to further enhance pragmatic cooperation and implement achievements of the Germany-China intergovernmental consultations.

Against the backdrop of rising unilateralism and protectionism, Germany hopes to work with China to safeguard multilateralism and the rules-based global orders, she said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 22:31:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BAKU, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Twelve crew members of an Iranian dry cargo ship were poisoned and three of them died Friday as the vessel was approaching Baku, according to Azerbaijan's Ministry of Health.

Azerbaijan's Border Guard Service said it received a distress signal from the Nazmehr dry cargo ship en route from the western Kazakh city of Aktau when it was 21 miles (33.8 km) from Pirallahi island near Azerbaijan's capital.

Azerbaijani border guard ships rushed to help the poisoned sailors, said Spokesman for the Ministry of Health Parviz Abubakurov.

"Unfortunately, three crew members already died before the border guard vessels arrived at the scene. Other sailors were hospitalized after being provided with emergency medical aid. The captain refused to be hospitalized," he said.

According to the preliminary diagnosis, the sailors were poisoned by a chemical.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has heard an alleged audio recording of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a senior Turkish official.



Speaking exclusively and on condition of anonymity to ABC News, the official claimed the recording was played in meetings in Turkey on Wednesday, and that Pompeo was given a transcript of the recordings.



Separately, ABC News has also learned that Turkish officials believe that Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate following a struggle that lasted eight minutes and that they believe he died of strangulation.



The White House referred questions to the State Department which denied Pompeo had heard the recording or seen a transcript.



"Secretary Pompeo has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript related to Jamal Khashoggis disappearance," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.



Pompeo was asked later in the evening about the matter in a brief interview with reporters on a flight to Mexico City, part of a tour to Mexico and Panama.



"Ive heard no tape, Ive seen no transcript," Pompeo told reporters in the only question he would take on the topic. After initially declining to take questions on the matter in favor of questions regarding his trip, Pompeo denied ABC News' report, calling it "factually false."



On his way back from Istanbul on Wednesday, Pompeo was asked if he had heard the audio.



"I dont have anything to say about that," he said.



Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkeys foreign minister, rejected any assertions that Turkish officials had shared a recording with Pompeo.



"Turkey has not given a voice recording to Pompeo or any other American official, he told reporters. Chief prosecutor of Istanbul has launched an investigation and we are waiting for the results of this investigation."



President Trump has been publicly asking to hear the recording. Pompeo met with the president at the White House on Thursday morning to brief him on his visit to Turkey and Saudi Arabia, where he met with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman.



It is unknown whether Pompeo shared the transcript with the president, but soon after the meeting the president changed his tune.



While earlier in the week the president questioned whether the audio recording existed and cautioned against blaming Saudi Arabia for Khashoggis disappearance, on Thursday afternoon his administration abruptly canceled a visit to Saudi Arabia by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to attend a large investment conference hosted by the Crown Prince, whom Turkish officials have reportedly claimed was behind Khashoggi's killing.



Later in the day, Trump told reporters that "it certainly looks like" Khashoggi was dead.



"It certainly looks that way to me, it's very sad," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One to attend a political rally in Montana.



The president said the consequences for Saudi Arabia, if they are ultimately deemed culpable, "will have to be very severe. It's bad, bad stuff."



For now, the president said the United States is waiting for the results of several investigations but will then make a "very strong statement."



On Thursday, after his meeting at the White House, Pompeo said that he told the president that the Saudis should have "a few more days" to finish their investigation into Khashoggis disappearance.



But Pompeo also stressed the "long strategic relationship" that the U.S. has with Saudi Arabia, and described the country as an "important counter-terrorism supporter."



Reports have been circulating for days that the Turkish government has audio recordings of Khashoggi being interrogated and murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.



Turkish officials have openly claimed that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate, and that a group of 15 Saudi men flew to Istanbul around the time of Khashoggis disappearance.



The Saudi government has strongly denied having anything to do with the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi.



A close friend of Khashoggi, Turan Kislakci, told ABC News in an interview on Wednesday that Turkish government and security officials had told him that Khashoggi was dead.



"They said, 'We have audio on this. We know all the details about what transpired,'" said Kislakci. "They said, 'We were able to access this the first day, and we have various other evidence on this.'"



Kislakci claimed that the tapes reveal that after Khashoggi went into the Saudi embassy, he was given documents to sign. Khashoggi refused, and was killed.



"I still want to wish and hope that he is alive and so on," Kislakci said. "Unfortunately, this kind of news which related with his killing in a barbaric way is coming out."



Khashoggi, who had been living in the U.S., went missing more than two weeks ago after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. He was visiting the consulate to file paperwork for his upcoming wedding, and his fiancee waited for him in a car outside the consulate.



Khashoggi worked as an opinion columnist at The Washington Post newspaper, and has written critically of the Saudi government and its crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman. Khashoggi warned of renewed efforts to silence the free press in the Middle East, and his final column, published on Wednesday, was titled "What the Arab world needs most is free expression."

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 22:36:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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YAOUNDE, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cameroon army said on Friday it has killed 17 suspected separatists in Northwest, one of the country's two strife-torn English-speaking regions.

The operation took place "a few days ago" in Ndop, a locality in the Northwest region known to host several armed separatist groups, according to a statement released on the army's Facebook page on Friday.

"Seventeen secessionist terrorists were neutralized while two others were captured. Several escaped with injuries," the statement said.

The Cameroonian army regularly refers to armed separatists as "secessionist terrorists."

Fighting between government forces and armed separatist groups has been ongoing since November 2017 after the separatists declared the independence of a nation called "Ambazonia" in the two English-speaking regions of Northwest and Southwest.

According to the United Nations, over 200,000 Cameroonians have been displaced internally and at least 30,000 others have fled to neighbouring Nigeria.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 22:41:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JUBA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's peace monitors said on Friday there has been a positive reduction of fighting across the country since the warring parties signed a revitalized peace deal on Sept. 12.

Thomson Fontaine, deputy chief of staff of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), said they based their evaluation on the body's monthly report to measure the parties' commitment to the deal in accordance with the implementation matrix.

"In the evaluation, the report notes some progress in implementing certain pre-transitional tasks as well as outstanding or missed tasks," Fontaine told Eye Radio in Juba.

He expressed confidence that despite some key pre-transitional period tasks not being met within the specified time frame, both parties are in good faith and that the parties will work together.

"I must say that we have seen a remarkable decline in the level of hostilities and violence across the country," Fontaine said.

"We will ultimately be in a situation where we see a country that is free of conflict but we are certainly moving in the right direction," Fontaine said.

President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in-opposition (SPLA-IO) last month signed the final peace deal mediated by Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

South Sudan's conflict erupted in 2013 after forces loyal to Kiir and his former deputy Machar engaged in combat.

A 2015 peace agreement to end the violence was again violated in July 2016 when the rival factions resumed fighting in Juba, forcing Machar to flee into exile.

Millions of South Sudanese civilians have sought refuge in neighboring countries as the conflict rages on despite attempts by international players to end it.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 22:41:13|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BRUSSELS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday urged Asia and Europe to stay committed to building an open world economy.

Li made the appeal when addressing the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels.

The hard-won momentum of the world economic recovery still demands adhering towards the direction of open development, and promoting a more inclusive and balanced global division of labor, Li said.

The two continents should also resolutely safeguard the rules-based multilateral trading system and consolidate the foundation for economic globalization and free trade, he added.

When making appropriate adjustments and improvements to the existing rules of the World Trade Organization, Li said, the basic principle of free trade should be adhered to, the interests and concerns of all sides should be fully taken into consideration. Special attention should also be paid to protecting the rights and interests of developing countries.

Efforts should be made to both promote global economic growth and prosperity and narrow down the South-North gap, the premier said.

Li is in Brussels for a working visit to Belgium and attending the ASEM summit.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 22:46:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ISTANBUL, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkish prosecutors are questioning employees of Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul as part of the investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, local media reported on Friday.

A total of 15 Turkish employees, including a driver, a technical officer, a switchboard operator and an accountant, are giving testimony at the Istanbul prosecutor's office, the state-run Anadolu Agency said.

Having searched the Saudi consulate, the residence of the Saudi consul general and vehicles belonging to the consulate over the past days, Turkish police and crime scene investigators also expanded their probe into a forest in Istanbul and a farmhouse in the neighboring province of Yalova, press reports said.

Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2. to obtain documents related to his upcoming marriage.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 23:01:23|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BERLIN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Several masked robbers have successfully staged a dramatic ambush on a money transporter in the German capital Berlin on Friday.

A spokesperson for the Berlin police confirmed on social media that unknown suspects broke into the armored vehicle around 7:30 am local time (CET) near the city's Alexanderplatz before escaping with the loot in two getaway vehicles.

"It looks as if one vehicle placed itself in front of, and one behind the money transporter," the spokesperson said. It remains unclear how much money was stolen in the incident.

The situation escalated further when a police patrol car began to pursue the burglars, who responded by opening fire on the officers. The suspects subsequently caused a traffic accident and had to abandon one of their two vehicles but were still able to flee the scene without being caught by security authorities.

"Luckily none of our colleagues were injured," the spokesperson wrote. The area surrounding the ransacked money transporter has been cordoned off by police and is currently being inspected by forensic experts.

In the meanwhile, a number of heavily-armed police officers are searching for the burglars with tracking dogs in the Kreuzberg area of Berlin where the traffic accident took place during their escape and one of their getaway vehicles was left.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 23:11:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BEIRUT, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that a progress regarding the cabinet formation in Lebanon is ongoing but a few obstacles still remain, local TV Channel Al Jadeed reported.

"There are still some problems related to the distribution of cabinet shares," said Nasrallah in a televised speech.

He denied allegations by some media outlets about Iran and Syria preventing government formation in Lebanon.

Cabinet formation has entered its fifth month of deadlock, with parties' disputing over key ministerial portfolios, particularly over the Druze representation.

However, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri announced Thursday that he is optimistic that the government will be formed before the end of this week.

Likewise, President Michel Aoun told reporters at Baabda Palace that "the government is just around the corner."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 23:11:24|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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COLOMBO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A three-day Chinese traditional art exhibition titled "Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Exhibition 2018" got underway in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo on Friday, aiming to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.

The exhibition, which is held in the China Cultural Center in Colombo, has 30 contemporary calligraphy and painting works on display and is one of the largest exhibition of its kind to be held in the country.

The paintings have been done by six well-known Chinese artists from Beijing.

The Chief Guest of the event, Sarath Perera, Chairman of the Visual Art Advisory Committee in the Department of Cultural Affairs in Sri Lanka said this exhibition would shed light on China's culture among the local Sri Lankans and Sri Lankan artists would be able to learn more about Chinese calligraphy and paintings through such events.

"We get a lot of experience from Chinese artists because Asian Art is part of our university syllabus. So we hope to see more such events in the future," Perera said.

Liu Dong, an official from the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka said that such events would promote the pragmatic co-operation between China and Sri Lanka.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 23:21:27|Editor: huaxia

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SANYA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A drug trafficker was executed Friday in south China's Hainan Province for selling and transporting 30 kg of drugs.

According to investigators, in March 2016, the main culprit surnamed Chen asked his parents to transfer a box loaded with 10 kg of methamphetamine to a bus driver, who then transported the drugs to Chen's cousin surnamed Zheng. Zheng then distributed the drugs to other localities in Hainan.

In the same month, Chen asked his mother to transfer another 19.78 kg of meth to Zheng, who was then caught by police.

Chen was sentenced to death by the Sanya City Intermediate People's Court in June 2017, while Chen's parents and cousin received life sentences. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 23:36:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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CAPE TOWN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba said on Friday that some political leaders tend to blame asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants for their service delivery failures and lack of vision and capacity.

The minister made the remarks on the occasion of re-opening the Port Elizabeth Refugee Reception Office in Eastern Cape Province.

He apparently was referring to a growing trend in South Africa where refugees have been targeted in recent xenophobia-inspired attacks.

Some politicians have blamed refugees for taking up the jobs that should have been taken by locals.

"We must ensure that we do not fall into the temptation seen in too many societies of blaming refugees for pre-existing problems," Gigaba said.

South Africa remains committed to protecting refugees and strengthening our institutional arrangements in this regard, Gigaba said.

South Africa, he said, is in the process of updating its policies and regulations with regard to international migration and refugees.

He denied allegations that South Africa is faced with a refugee problem.

"We have been clear over the years that South Africa does not have a refugee problem," the minister noted.

South Africa hosts a manageable number of refugees who reside in safety in the country, among fellow South Africans, said Gigaba.

In terms of dealing with refugees, South Africa has made improvements in reducing the number of unfounded applications particularly by economic migrants and in speedy adjudication of asylum claims, he said.

It is important that municipalities enforce their by-laws instead of taking populist cheap-shots at the national government, stoking the fires of xenophobia and undermining much needed human and African solidarity, as well as social cohesion, Gigaba said.

South Africa, which was ranked among one of the highest asylum seeker destinations in the world between 2008 and 2015, has recently introduced the White Paper on International Migration that seeks to manage a secure and efficient cross-border movement of people, goods and conveyance.

"We remain steadfast as a country in our commitment to host and protect refugees," Gigaba affirmed.

South Africa will always rise to the occasion in supporting Africans and others in distress, and partner with its sister countries in addressing the root causes of that distress, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 23:41:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Beijing.

Shoigu conveyed Russian President Vladimir Putin's cordial greetings to Xi while Xi expressed his thanks and asked Shoigu to convey his sincere greetings and good wishes to Putin.

Xi said that China-Russia relations have continued to maintain a high level of development and political mutual trust has reached its highest level since the beginning of this year.

"I have met with President Putin three times in the past five months, which embodies the high level of the China-Russia relationship and its distinctiveness," Xi said.

Noting that both sides value each other as their most important strategic partner of coordination and their diplomatic priority, Xi said China-Russia cooperation in various fields is fruitful and the two countries coordinate and cooperate closely with each other in international affairs, and have become a key factor and constructive force to promote world peace and stability, setting an example of major-country relations and neighborhood interaction.

Stating that 2019 will mark the 70th anniversary of China-Russia diplomatic ties, Xi said the Chinese side will work together with the Russian side to take this opportunity to strengthen comprehensive coordination and mutual support, and promote China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination to a new level, so as to better benefit the two peoples.

Xi said military ties between the two countries are an important symbol of their high-level and distinctive bilateral relations and the highlights and important support of the strategic cooperation.

Xi said, cooperation between the two militaries has been deepened continuously and positive achievements have been made in areas including joint drills, real combat training and military competition in recent years. Xi said he hoped that "both militaries can work to deal with common security threats, create a benign external environment for their respective state development and national rejuvenation, continue to improve cooperation, and provide a solid foundation for the development of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination."

China and Russia should unswervingly deepen their strategic coordination, jointly become a bedrock for stabilizing international order and defend well their respective and common interests, Xi said. "We firmly believe that the international moral high ground and the trend of the times are on the side of peace-loving countries and people."

On his part, Shoigu said the strategic leadership of President Xi and President Putin is an important foundation for deepening Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

Putin attaches great importance to developing bilateral military ties and spoke highly of coordination and cooperation between the two militaries in the recent Vostok-2018 (or East-2018) strategic drills, he said.

The Russian side is willing to work together with the Chinese side to continuously strengthen the strategic coordination, further improve military cooperation, jointly enhance their abilities to tackle all kinds of security challenges, and contribute to safeguarding the common interests of the two countries and international and regional peace and stability, Shoigu said.

Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, also attended the meeting.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-19 23:51:36|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ANKARA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will continue its seismic operations in the eastern Mediterranean following a recent incident involving a Greek frigate, Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Friday.

The Turkish Naval Forces have reviewed the naval engagement rules following the incident and the new rules will be released soon, Donmez said at a press conference in the western city of Izmir.

Earlier on Thursday, the Turkish navy stopped a Greek frigate from interfering with a Turkish research vessel.

The Turkish vessel, named Barbaros Hayrettin Pasa, was operating in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey later dispatched another frigate and a submarine to protect the research vessel after Turkish frigate TCG Giresun's blocking, a Turkish official told Xinhua.

Turkey on Thursday warned Greece against taking actions in the Mediterranean that would spark tensions.

In a statement, Turkish Foreign Ministry called on Greece to "abstain from the acts that would cause an escalation in the region."

Turkey and Greece have long disputed over claims of Greek and Turkish Cypriots for offshore oil and gas sources in the Mediterranean.

Turkey, Greece and Cyprus internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot government have overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore oil and gas research in eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey has accelerated drilling activities in the Mediterranean since last year, and plans to drill the country's first well in Mediterranean by the end of this year.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 00:16:45|Editor: Yang Yi

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Chinese Ambassador to Morocco Li Li speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Rabat, Morocco, Sept. 29, 2018. "China-Morocco relations will start a new journey at a higher level, as 2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations," said Chinese Ambassador to Morocco Li Li. (Xinhua)

RABAT, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- "China-Morocco relations will start a new journey at a higher level, as 2018 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations," said Chinese Ambassador to Morocco Li Li.

Morocco and China formally established diplomatic relations on Nov. 1, 1958, and Morocco became the second African and Arab country to establish diplomatic relations with China, Li said in an interview with Xinhua.

Over the past 60 years, China-Morocco relations have developed steadily, and bilateral cooperation has covered various fields, Li said, adding that the two countries have provided important support for their development.

In 1971, Morocco gave firm support in the process of restoring China's legitimate seat of the United Nations. In 1975, China sent the first medical team to Morocco. In 2009, the first Confucius Institute was officially set up at Mohammed V University.

China-Morocco exchanges have also reached new levels in recent years, as the two heads of state signed a joint statement on establishing a strategic bilateral partnership in 2016, Li said.

In 2016, Morocco also decided to exempt Chinese nationals from visa requirement to enter the Moroccan territory, which played a demonstration role, as countries such as Tunisia successively exempted visas requirement for Chinese citizens.

In 2017, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative, which provided important support for the two countries to further promote cooperation in fields under the initiative.

The initiative, proposed by China in 2013, refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, which aim at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of the Silk Road.

Since Morocco's visa exemption for Chinese citizens, the number of Chinese tourists to Morocco has soared from 43,000 in 2016 to 120,000 in 2017, and it is expected to reach 200,000 in 2018.

"The increasing number of personnel exchanges will further promote mutual understandings between people in the two countries," Li said.

He said that China and Morocco have also developed strong economic ties. China is Morocco's third largest trading partner. In 2017, the bilateral trade volume between China and Morocco was 3.83 billion U.S. dollars, with a year-on-year increase of 5.3 percent.

"China's investment in Morocco is on the rise," he added.

In addition to cooperation in traditional sectors, the two countries actively promote cooperation in ports, high-speed railways, industrial zones, finance, and new energy.

"Recently, CITIC Dicastal and the Moroccan government signed an industrial project agreement for the production of aluminum wheels, with an investment of 350 million euros (about 402 million dollars)," Li said.

Li said that the two countries will also explore new modes to carry out pragmatic cooperation under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 01:01:51|Editor: Yang Yi

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) meets with British Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BRUSSELS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- China welcomes Britain to seize the opportunity arising from its further opening-up and bring the mutually beneficial cooperation to a new height, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday.

Li made the remarks when meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in the Belgian capital Brussels.

The annual meeting between the heads of government of China and Britain at the beginning of the year injected new impetus into the bilateral ties and pragmatic cooperation, Li said.

In particular, the two sides reached consensus on speeding up the Shanghai-London stock connect, which shall make Britain the first country to connect its securities market with the Chinese market, said the Chinese premier.

Li said China is willing to work with Britain based on the principles of mutual respect and equality and boost mutual trust so as to create a favorable environment for boosting the bilateral cooperation.

China will continue to further open up and expand access by foreign businesses to its market, including industries such as finance and services, the Chinese premier said.

He said that China welcomes Britain to seize the opportunity and expand cooperation with China in economy and trade, finance and manufacturing, as well as in jointly exploring third-party markets, bringing the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries to a new height.

For her part, May said Britain sees its ties with China as an important part of its global partnership. She said she is looking forward to Li's visit to Britain for the next meeting of British and Chinese heads of government.

Britain welcomes China's further opening-up and is keen to continue promoting the sustained and healthy development of bilateral economic and trade relations through mechanisms such as the China-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue, she said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 01:42:06|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang addresses the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Brussels, Belgium, Oct. 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BRUSSELS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has called on Asian and European countries to jointly safeguard the positive momentum of the global economic recovery, stressing the importance of multilateralism, open economy, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.

Li made the remarks on Friday in Brussels when addressing the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM) themed "Europe and Asia: Global Partners for Global Challenges", which brought together leaders of 53 ASEM members and international organizations.

Risks and challenges can't be overlooked as countries strive for peace and development in a world faced with uncertainties, Li said.

Noting that Asia and Europe are two stabilizing forces of the world as well as two major economic blocs, Li said Asian and European countries, faced with new circumstances and challenges, should rise up to their responsibilities to maintain world peace while boosting development and prosperity.

He said countries should address global challenges by enhancing cooperation and practicing multilateralism.

Li said Asian and European countries must strengthen consultation and cooperation, firmly uphold the rules-based international order, the authority of the United Nations, and the purposes and principles of its charter.

The premier urged Asia and Europe to stay committed to building an open world economy, saying that the hard-won momentum of the world economic recovery still calls for adherence to open development, and promoting a more inclusive and balanced global division of labor.

The two continents should also resolutely safeguard the rules-based multilateral trading system and consolidate the foundation for economic globalization and free trade, he added.

When making appropriate adjustments and improvements to the existing rules of the World Trade Organization, Li said, the basic principle of free trade should be adhered to, the interests and concerns of all sides should be fully taken into consideration. Special attention should also be paid to protecting the rights and interests of developing countries.

Efforts should be made to both promote global economic growth and prosperity and narrow the South-North gap, the premier said.

Li called for promoting connectivity of infrastructure to build networks of transportation, industries, and logistics across Asia and Europe.

Meanwhile, he said, involved countries should also enhance "soft connectivity" of systems, policies, rules and standards in order to stimulate vigor of elements such as capital, technology, services and data.

He also called for efforts to further align the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with development strategies of various countries to achieve shared development and prosperity.

Li stressed the need to increase people-to-people exchanges to inject greater vitality into the Eurasian cooperation.

The Chinese premier said China is still a developing country with insufficient and imbalanced development.

But he said China, with over 1.3 billion population and a huge market, has the ability and ample room for maneuver to deal with external changes.

"China surely can maintain healthy and sustainable economic growth," Li said.

He said China will deepen reform across-the-board to build a just and fair market environment in which all domestic and foreign enterprises are treated equal.

"We will further open up, strengthen intellectual property rights protection, create a world-class law-based business environment," he said. "I am confident that as long as we work together through thick and thin, more benefits can be delivered to the people of Eurasia."

Delegates from other countries said Asian and European countries have become the major engine driving global economic prosperity and trade growth.

Against the backdrop of complicated and uncertain international environment, they said, all countries on the two continents should further build their consensus, work together, jointly safeguard rules-based multilateralism and free trade system, and work hard to eradicate poverty, expand opening-up, and make concerted efforts in coping with challenges such as climate change and terrorism.

The Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian connectivity strategy would be conducive to utilizing the regions' comparative advantages and resources, and promoting regional connectivity and trade balance, they said.

Noting that trade is mutually beneficial and win-win in essence instead of a zero-sum game, the delegates said countries on the two continents are willing to push forward relevant free trade arrangements, which will help resist protectionism, reduce trade barriers, promote sustainable trade and economic growth, and jointly safeguard regional development, prosperity, security and stability.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 01:47:09|Editor: Yamei

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Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Brussels, capital of Belgium, Oct. 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

BRUSSELS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- China never deliberately pursues trade surplus in goods and hopes to work with Italy for a balanced increase of bilateral trade, to expand cooperation in energy, hi-tech manufacturing, creative design and to promote cooperation among medium- and small-sized enterprises of the two countries, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said here Friday.

Li made the remarks when meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit in Brussels.

Commending China-Italy relations after the establishment of the new Italian government, Li said the two countries have established a regular meeting mechanism between two heads of government, and China stands ready to work with Italy to further deepen political mutual trust, keep the momentum of high-level exchanges, facilitate people-to-people exchanges and promote a greater development of the China-Italy comprehensive strategic partnership in the new times.

China is ready to synergize the Belt and Road Initiative with Italy's development strategy, explore the third-party market cooperation, and promote bilateral pragmatic cooperation with practical actions to achieve new progress, Li said.

Conte hailed the firm and close relations and frequent high-level exchanges between the two countries, saying that Italy attaches great importance to relations with China.

He expressed Italy's support for the Belt and Road Initiative and said his country stands ready to work with China to implement the four-year action plan between the two sides, enhance cooperation in economy and trade, investment, innovation, technology, energy, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, expand exports to China, strengthen the third-party market cooperation and promote a steady development of Italy-China comprehensive strategic partnership.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 01:57:12|Editor: Li Xia

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A man injured in the train accident is treated at a hospital near Amritsar, northern state of Punjab, India, on Oct. 19, 2018. The festival of Dussehra turned tragic in India's northern city of Amritsar on Friday as a passenger train mowed down at least 50 people, and injured many others, who were among the revelers to witness festivities. (Xinhua/Stringer)

NEW DELHI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The festival of Dussehra turned tragic in India's northern city of Amritsar on Friday as a passenger train mowed down at least 50 people, and injured many others, who were among the revelers to witness festivities.

Amritsar is a city in the northern state of Punjab.

A large number of people, at least 700, had gathered to watch the festival as the effigy of Ravana was put to flames near Joda Phatak railway crossing, as a mark of festivities.

When the effigy caught fire and crackers started bursting, the revelers ran helter-skelter in a near-stampede like situation without realizing the train approaching at a high speed.

The smoke from the crackers and the burning effigy had brought down visibility as well, reported the "India Today" TV channel.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the deaths in the train tragedy. He offered immediate assistance to the accident spot.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," tweeted Modi.

State Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who is currently on an official trip to Israel, said he had cut short his visit, and will return to Amritsar by Saturday.

"Rushing to Amritsar to personally supervise relief and rescue in tragic rail accident on Dussehra in Amritsar. My government will give Rs 500,000 (6,809 U.S. dollars) to kin of each deceased and free treatment to injured in government and private hospitals. District authorities have been mobilised on war footing," tweeted the chief minister.

Meanwhile, according to sources in the ministry of railways, junior minister of railways Manoj Sinha has already rushed to the mishap spot along with senior railway officials to take stock of the situation.

According to media reports, the Ravana was put to flames only around 70-80 meters away from the railway tracks.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 03:02:32|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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KAMPALA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday donated an assortment of information communication and technology equipment (ICT) to Uganda to improve the provision of services.

Zheng Zhuqiang, the Chinese ambassador to Uganda, handed over the equipment worth about 80,000 U.S. dollars to Mary Karoro Okurut, minister of general duties Office of the Prime Minister.

"I believe the equipment provided by the Chinese government will significantly improve the working conditions of the Ugandan Office of the Prime Minister," said Zheng.

Receiving the equipment, Okurut thanked China for the continuous support to Uganda.

"China has been journeying with the people of Uganda in digitizing our country through provision of ICT equipment," Okurut said.

"This donation is to give the people of Uganda mileage in the provision of e-government services to improve efficiency in service delivery," she added.

The equipment donated this time includes 95 sets of desktop computers and 10 sets of all in one computers.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 03:17:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ANKARA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Tension over natural gas and oil deposits in the sea off Cyprus is escalating, with Turkey's navy on Thursday stopping a Greek frigate from interfering with a Turkish seismic ship in the Mediterranean.

Turkey's Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa vessel started a new seismic research activity on the Turkish continental shelf in the Mediterranean on Thursday morning, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry in a written statement.

The ministry called on Greece to "abstain from acts that would cause an escalation in the region."

One day earlier, the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the drilling research activity of Turkish ship was "provocation" and "illegal."

Ankara had issued a notification to inform that its ship would be conducting seismic surveys in the Mediterranean Sea from Oct. 18 to Feb. 1, but Greek frigate Nikiforos Fokas interfered with Turkey's Barbaros ship, a Turkish official told Xinhua.

Turkish frigate TCG Giresun, which was already in the region to protect the seismic vessel, intercepted the Greek frigate.

Turkey later dispatched another frigate and a submarine to protect ship Barbaros, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The incident took place in the area claimed by Greek Cyprus for future hydrocarbons exploration.

Turkey and Greece have long disputed over claims of Greek and Turkish Cypriots for offshore oil and gas sources in the Mediterranean.

This is not the first escalation over research and drilling activities for natural resources around Cyprus Island.

Ankara has several times accused the Greek Cypriot of unilateral drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean, on the grounds that Turkish Cypriots also have rights on those resources.

Turkey suggests that a peace deal must come first in Cyprus before international companies can start exploring for energy sources.

Cyprus was divided into a Turkish Cypriot state in the north and a Greek Cypriot administration in the south after an 1974 military coup. The status of the island remains unresolved in spite of several reunification talks carried on between Turkish and Greek Cypriots under auspices of the UN.

Greek Cyprus has pushed ahead with exploring offshore after the latest talks to end the Mediterranean island's de facto partition failed in 2017.

It signed maritime demarcation agreements with its neighbors Egypt and Israel in a bid to export the gas to Europe via an undersea pipeline to Greece.

Most recently, Greek Cypriot Minister of Energy Yiorgos Lakkotrypis and Egypt's Oil Minister Tarek El-Molla signed an agreement in September for construction of a sub-sea pipeline to export natural gas from the Cyprus island to Egypt.

As a guarantor country for the Cyprus island, Turkey has increased its presence in the Mediterranean Sea with its seismic and drilling vessels as well as its navy.

Turkish warships imposed in several incidents a blockade of drilling ships contracted by Greek Cyprus.

Turkish Foreign Ministry advised companies that might be interested in participating in a tender with Greek Cyprus "to act with common sense and to duly consider the realities on the ground."

In February, a drill ship contracted by Italian oil and gas giant ENI to explore in Cyprus' offshore abandoned its mission after Turkish navy blocked its path.

This tension is likely to continue in the upcoming days on military, diplomatic and political grounds, said Serkan Demirtas, columnist of Hurriyet Daily News and an expert on foreign relations of Turkey.

According to Turkish Energy Minister, Turkey's first drilling vessel Fatih will initiate drilling operations in the Mediterranean by the end of this month.

Turkey aims to broaden its deep-sea and land exploration as well as drilling operations for oil and gas as part of its National Energy and Mining Policy, which was announced in April 2017, in order to decrease its dependency on energy import.

"Greek Cypriots are increasing its efforts to explore and drill hydrocarbon reserves off the island involving some international energy companies, such as ENI, Total and Nobel Energy so that they try to turn the dispute into an international issue," Demirtas said.

According to Demirtas, Greek Cyprus issued a complaint to the European Union that the Turkish military had obstructed natural gas prospecting off the coast of the divided island after ENI's drillship Saipem 12000 was stopped on Feb. 9 by Turkish military ships.

"They tried to drive a wedge between Turkey and the EU over the issue of gas exploration in the region," he noted.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 03:22:42|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-led airstrikes on Friday killed at least 17 Houthi militants in the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah, a military official told Xinhua.

The airstrikes targeting a gathering of Houthi rebels near a hotel also killed three other non-Houthi militants, causing panic among citizens in the Red Sea coastal city, the military official said on condition of anonymity.

The Saudi-led bombing came as the Houthi fighters were gathering and preparing to launch a widescale attack against the pro-government forces in the Kilo7 area in Hodeidah, the source noted.

Meanwhile, the Houthi-affiliated television network Masirah reported that a local mosque was targeted by the Saudi-led coalition in Hodeidah, but mentioned no details about casualties.

Residents in Hodeidah confirmed to Xinhua that their city witnessed a hovering of Saudi-led warplanes accompanied by heavy artillery shelling by the government forces.

The Yemeni government is seeking to expel Houthi rebels out of the strategic port city of Hodeidah in recent days despite warnings by international humanitarian agencies.

The impoverished Arab country has been locked into a civil war since the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014.

Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the world's number one humanitarian crisis, with 7 million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 03:32:46|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TIRANA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Foreign Affairs Ministers of Albania and Turkey signed a Joint Political Declaration on establishing High-Level Council of Cooperation, local media reported on Friday.

Albanian foreign minister Ditmir Bushati and his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu held an official meeting which aimed at establishing bilateral political and economic relations, regional, international issues, and further potential for cooperation between the two countries.

The two counterparts signed a joint political declaration to establish a high level council that will be headed by the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"Albania-Turkey friendship will acquire a new institutional dimension and maximize cooperation in all areas," said Bushati during a press conference with his Turkish counterpart.

Bushati expressed gratitude for the support Turkey has provided to Albania in the defense field.

Meanwhile, Cavusoglu underlined that during the meeting with Bushati we evaluated Turkey-Albania cooperation potential, in particular in the area of fight against terrorism.

Moreover, in his declarations for the media, Cavusoglu added that in Albania there are about 10,000 employees in Turkish companies, whereas the value of the investments in Albania is about 3 billion U.S. dollars.

Later in the day, Cavusoglu held a meeting with the Albanian President Ilir Meta and Speaker of Parliament Gramoz Ruci.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 03:42:49|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix urged Friday the Malian government and the opposition to engage in dialogue ahead of impending parliamentary elections.

Briefing the situation in the West African country to the Security Council, Lacroix the legislative elections will be a new test for the cohesion of the political class in the Malian society.

"I encourage the government and the opposition to engage in a constructive political dialogue based on inclusivity, and bearing in mind the national interest," he said.

The UN peacekeeping chief also encouraged the Malian political actors to take advantage of these elections to create a more representative parliament by promoting candidatures of young people and women.

The elections had initially been slated for Oct. 28, but they were postponed last month by the government to Nov. 25, followed by a further vote on Dec. 16 in constituencies where no candidate wins outright.

On Monday, Mali's constitutional court reportedly delayed the country's parliamentary elections until 2019 by extending the mandate of lawmakers for six months.

During Friday's briefing, Lacroix also expressed his concern about the security situation in Mali, as five UN peacekeepers were wounded Thursday by an improvised explosive device in the Kidal region.

"I want to share with the Security Council that I am extremely concerned with the security situation," said Lacroix.

July, August and September were the deadliest months since the peacekeeping operation, MINUSMA, was established in 2013, he noted, adding that close to 300 civilians died in targeted attacks.

Following an intensification in violent extremist attacks in neighboring Burkina Faso, the G5 Sahel Joint Force, an anti-terror force launched by five Sahel countries, must be complemented by initiatives aimed at improving governance, resilience and development, he said.

Conflict in northern Mali started in 2012, but the security situation remains volatile with an increased number of incidents in 2018, in particular in the central parts of the country.

In addition to limiting humanitarian access, violence has also worsened the living conditions of millions of people.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), about 5.2 million people -- one in four Malians -- are now estimated to be in dire need of assistance.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 04:17:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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BELGRADE, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday told visiting U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state Matthew Palmer that his country was opposed to the establishment of the Kosovo army.

Vucic and Palmer dedicated a large part of Friday's meeting to the issue of Serbia's southern province Kosovo and Metohija. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia rejects it and considers Kosovo its own province.

Vucic and Palmer expressed totally different views on the issue, one day after Pristina's parliament voted for the establishment of a national army, despite fierce opposition from the ethnic Serb minority.

"The formation of the army does not stand in any international document, from Resolution 1244, through the Brussels Agreement, to an agreement with NATO that clearly defines that the security forces in the province cannot be engaged without the consent of NATO and the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija," Vucic said, in a statement of the president's cabinet after the meeting.

"We ask American partners to understand the position of Serbia," said Vucic, adding that he believes that the U.S. will understand that the formation of a Kosovo army could endanger peace and stability and lead to serious consequences.

Palmer, however, said that the United States supports the transformation of Kosovo security forces into the Kosovo army.

"It is a transition that will take a long time and we work very carefully with our partners in Pristina to support the transition," Palmer said.

He also said the U.S. supported the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina with an aim to achieve full normalization of relations.

Vucic said Serbia was "pleased that people in the U.S. administration want to hear our views and discuss them".

"It is clear that we do not have the same views on Kosovo, but Serbia wants a continuation of the dialogue, and we agree with the United States that it is necessary to reach a compromise," Vucic added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 04:43:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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HELSINKI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- A further escalation looked likely late Friday in the conflict between Finnish trade unions and the country's center-right government.

At least two major and several smaller labor actions are scheduled against the governmental plan for easier dismissals in small companies. Meanwhile the Entrepreneurs of Finland, which would likely benefit from the reform plan, demanded in their convention in Turku,western Finland, that political strikes should be prohibited.

The influential industrial workers union announced on Friday three-day strikes mainly in the wood working sector from next Thursday. On Monday and Tuesday public sector employees in catering and care sector will walk out. There will be labor actions by industrial office staff as well.

In a far reaching move, the industrial union said it will disengage from a deal to agree longer working hours. The deal was made with the government as part of the competitive edge package in 2016.

Riku Aalto, chairman of the industrial union, deplored that only the employees had to accept longer hours and reduced benefits in the competitive edge package, while planned cutbacks of state subsidies to enterprises were not done.

The technology industries federation reacted instantly to the pullout, saying the deal on longer hours had been beneficial. Its industrial relations director Minna Helle underlined the need to reach a solution and cautioned against disrupting the industrial relations further.

Paivi Niemi-Laine, chairman of the public welfare sector employees, said the government must choose between the competitive edge package and its easier dismissals plan.

The situation has been increasingly annoying to the major industries. The easier dismissals plan helps the small business sector, but the strikes and other measures mainly hit the major industries.

Prime Minister Juha Sipila was on his way back from Brussels and not available for comment.
The U.S. flag flutters on a military vehicle in Manbij countryside, Syria, on May 12, 2018. (Reuters file photo)

DAMASCUS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 32 civilians were killed over the past 24 hours by U.S.-led airstrikes on Syria's eastern province of Deir al-Zour, a war watchdog reported Friday.

The U.S. coalition launched airstrikes on the town of Souseh, which is located in the last pocket held by Islamic State (IS) militants in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Women and children were among the killed in the aerial bombardment, the London-based watchdog said.

The U.S.-led coalition is supporting the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in their advance on the IS-held areas on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River in eastern Deir al-Zour.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry recently urged the UN to conduct an international investigation into the "crimes" of the U.S.-led coalition in Syria, charging that Washington is using the anti-IS battles as a pretext for continued intervention in Syria's affairs.

The U.S.-led coalition entered the course of anti-IS battles in Syria in 2014 without the consent of the Syrian government, which questions its intention and brands its intervention as illegal.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 04:58:07|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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JERUSALEM, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Ministry of Economy has launched a new program to provide 240 million new shekels (65.6 million U.S. dollars) for high-tech companies to establish research and development (R&D) centers, the Hebrew-language newspaper Israel Hayom reported Friday.

Each qualified company will receive 10 million new shekels, which will be paid over a period of three years, the report said.

A company will be entitled to the grant if 80 percent of its activity is and 60 percent of its employees live in the southern or northern periphery regions.

After the support period, the company will be entitled to requesting support in hiring high-paid employees in accordance with a plan of the Israel Investment Authority worth 100 million new shekels.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 05:23:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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DAMASCUS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Friday that the return of the Syrian refugees to their homes is a priority of the Syrian government, state news agency SANA reported.

Assad made the remarks during his meeting with visiting Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin over the political process in Syria.

Assad said the return of refugees is a main goal and priority for the Syrian government which is working to secure all needs for their return.

In recent months, several batches of hundreds of refugees have returned from Lebanon to their homes in the northern countryside of the capital Damascus.

This refugee issue is being talked about recently as Syria's border with Jordan is opened after three years of closure and the overall situation in Syria has improved.

Meanwhile, Assad and his Russian guest also discussed the process of forming the constitutional committee that will be tasked with "reviewing the current constitution."

The plan to draft a new Syrian constitution has been under discussion since January when it was announced at a conference organized by Russia, a key Syrian ally, in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

But the process has since been hampered by disagreements over the formation of the committee to draft the charter.

On Wednesday, the UN special envoy to Syria Staffan De Mistura said the Syrian government's and the opposition's lists for the committee, each comprising 50 names, "are not in question."

He said objection remains, mainly from the government, over a third list that the UN is tasked with to include civil society representatives, religious and tribal leaders, experts and women in the committee.

The UN envoy, who said he will resign at the end of November, expressed his hope to "be in a position" to convene the constitutional committee in November.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 06:03:26|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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TRIPOLI, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Friday condemned the insecurity in southern Libya.

"UNSMIL deplores the deterioration of the security situation in Libya's south and calls on the Libyan authorities to take prompt and effective action against the lawlessness engulfing the region," the mission said in a statement.

The mission called on regional actors to "support the national authorities in addressing the situation in a manner respectful of Libya's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The mission also expressed concern about the increase of crimes, kidnappings, and vandalism on government water supply infrastructure.

Libya's UN-backed government on Wednesday called for unity against "foreign mercenary gangs" in southern Libya.

According to local media, clashes took place on Sunday and Monday near the southern town of Um Al-Araneb, some 950 km south of the capital Tripoli, between local security and Chadian opposition militants, killing four security personnel.

Following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime, Libya has been suffering escalating violence and chaos, as well as political division.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 06:08:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan

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ROME, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett took the stage on Friday at the Rome Film Festival, where she was on hand to present her latest movie and to take part in the Close Encounters series in which leading actors and directors speak with the public about their life and work.

The Australian actress, who won two Academy Awards for her roles in in The Aviator by Martin Scorsese and Blue Jasmine by Woody Allen, stars in The House With a Clock in Its Walls, which is directed by award-winning American horror filmmaker Eli Roth and which screened as part the Official Selection on Friday.

The movie is about a 10-year-old orphan who moves in with an eccentric uncle and his uncle's best friend (played by Jack Black and by Blanchett), only to discover that they are actually powerful wizards who involve him in a secret mission: to discover the meaning of the strange ticking of a clock hidden somewhere in the creaky old house.

"The film is obviously about magic... which is all about transformation," said Blanchett, who was greeted by thunderous applause at the press conference after the screening.

The message of the film "is that we don't have to remain in a place of stasis -- that we can actually change and transform into something else, and I think that's a very positive, wonderful, gentle message to children," said Blanchett, who has three biological sons and one adopted daughter.

The movie "doesn't patronize children, it doesn't make the world a sentimental, happy, easy place, but actually celebrates the weirdness of all the characters," added Blanchett, who said she loved to read Nancy Drew and Sherlock Holmes detective stories while she was growing up.

The Australian star also described how she prepared to play the character, who has survived the Nazi death camps in World War II and who has lost a child.

"I looked at a lot of old photographs just to see what kind of energy people gave off," commented Blanchett.

"As an actor, I don't think about myself and my own experiences when I'm creating a role -- I am totally bored with myself," she said, to laughter from the audience. "The whole process of acting for me is an empathetic one, where you try and understand someone else's reality."

The film is about "three people who are orphaned or marooned in various ways, and they have to come together as a family in order to find their collective power to solve the problem at hand," explained Blanchett.

She was echoed by the director, who stated that "I grew up an outcast and an outsider."

"I wanted this movie to be very scary, and I think that you can have funny and scary at the same time," Roth explained. "This is a story about terrible things happening, and some want to deal with it by moving forward while others want to turn back time."

A seven-time Oscar nominee since 1999, Blanchett, who has worked with A-list directors from around the world and who in 2016 was named a Goodwill Ambassador by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) , also spoke about her dedication to social and environmental causes as part of the Close Encounters series.

Other Close Encounters scheduled during this year's Rome Film Festival include French star Isabelle Huppert, who is getting a Lifetime Achievement Award, and iconic American director Scorsese, among many others.

Also on Friday, festival-goers had a chance to watch the first Italian film in the Official Selection lineup: Il Vizio della Speranza (The Vice of Hope) by Edoardo De Angelis, who has won multiple awards in Italy for his work in the past.

A story of revenge and reconciliation, the movie is about a woman without dreams or desires, who works as a cleaning lady in a wealthy household, and whose life takes an unexpected turn.

The Rome Film Festival runs through Oct. 28.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 06:13:29|Editor: Li Xia

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MEXICO CITY, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Police arrested an employee of a public kindergarten in Mexico City after accusations from some 20 parents that he sexually abused their children, the Office of the Attorney General said Friday.

The employee, who authorities said worked in educational support at the school, was detained in Ecatepec, a suburban municipality in the State of Mexico.

He was arrested after a judge issued an order of apprehension for pedophilia.

Parents of children attending the Marcelino de Champagnat school went public on Tuesday, blocking several streets in protest in the western part of the city to get the attention of the authorities.

During the protest, the parents said they had information that the employee had committed acts against 37 boys and girls. Authorities, however, have not confirmed that number.

The employee was suspended from his job as soon as the first complaint was made by a parent on Oct. 8, according to authorities.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-20 07:08:40|Editor: Li Xia

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UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council on Friday commended the signing of a pact between the Malian government and the United Nations that aims to support the implementation of a 2015 inner-Malian peace deal.

In a press statement, the council "took positive note" of the provisions of the Pact for Peace, signed on Monday, that "reiterate the commitment of the United Nations to fully support the implementation of" the Agreement on Peace and Reconciliation in Mali.

The council also welcomed recent renewed commitment of the government and the armed groups to accelerate the implementation of the agreement, and called upon all stakeholders to unite their efforts in the aftermath of President Keita's reelection and work together to promote sustainable peace, human rights, and tackle the security and development challenges.

Conflict in northern Mali started in 2012, but the security situation remains volatile with an increased number of incidents in 2018 despite the signing of the peace deal brokered by Algeria, in particular in the central parts of the country.

In Friday's statement, the council stressed the urgency for the Malian government and the armed groups to take unprecedented steps to "fully and expeditiously" deliver on their remaining obligations in the agreement.

Moreover, it underlined that stabilization of the situation in central Mali requires an integrated plan encompassing simultaneous pursuit of progress on security, governance, development, reconciliation, as well as protection and promotion of human rights.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-18 23:25:35|Editor: Chengcheng

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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Three top Afghan provincial officials and a local journalist were killed in a shooting, after an Afghan-NATO security meeting attended by top U.S.-NATO commander in Afghanistan, in southern province of Kandahar on Thursday, a local source said.

Gen. Abdul Raziq, police chief of Kandahar, Gen. Momin Khan, head of the intelligence department, were killed on the spot and provincial Governor Zulmay Weesa died of serious wounds in a hospital, the source, on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua.

Gen. Raziq was a key anti-Taliban figure in southern Afghanistan and he had escaped over two dozens of direct attacks and suicide bomb blasts in the past, he said.

The shooter, who served as governor's bodyguard, was also killed in the incident.

The source added that Gen. Austin Scott Miller, top U.S.-NATO commander in Afghanistan, escaped from the attack but three U.S. soldiers and several other people were injured in the attack, claimed by the Taliban insurgent group.

"This was an Afghan-on-Afghan incident. Three Americans were wounded, have been medically evacuated and are stable. General Miller is uninjured. We are being told the area is secure. The attacker is dead," U.S.-Forces Afghanistan twitted.

The attack came as the country is preparing for long-delayed elections for Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of the Afghan parliament, which are slated for Saturday, Oct. 20 with more than 2,500 candidates vying for the chamber's 249 seats.

The meeting discussed security measure for providing security for polling centers in Kandahar and other restive southern provinces.

On Wednesday, an Afghan parliament member Abdul Jabar Qahraman, who was seeking re-election, was killed in a Taliban bomb blast in neighboring Helmand province.

Further details about the incident are still forthcoming amid the absence of any official statement.
A recent proposal floated by Janos Lazar, the prime ministers commissioner for protecting non-smokers, to prohibit anyone born after January 1, 2020 from smoking, has yet to be examined by the government, the Government Information Centre said.

Addressing a conference organised by Tobacco Hungary earlier in the day, Lazar said he will propose banning anyone born in Hungary after January 1, 2020 from buying tobacco products. He said that if necessary, parliament would amend the constitution in order for the bill to pass.

The aim of the ban is to turn Hungary into the worlds first non-smoking country, he said. Lazar added that he will also propose making it illegal to smoke while driving the same way that using a mobile phone is.

The commissioner said his proposal also included giving condominium communities greater freedom to restrict smoking in certain areas of the apartment complex. Lazar has yet to officially submit the proposal to the cabinet, the Government Information Centre said.
Cooperation between Hungary and Cyprus is increasingly important, Hungarys foreign minister said.

As the disputes about the future of the European Union intensify cooperation between countries that insist on their national identity, historical traditions and Christian culture will gain in significance, Peter Szijjarto said after talks with counterpart Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia.

Hungary and Cyprus both belong to this group and represent identical positions on most issues concerning the EUs future, he said.

They believe Europe and the European Union can only be strong if they are composed of strong countries and strong member states, and they agree that the protection of minority rights in Europe is of utmost importance and a matter of international law, which should be respected by all, he said.

Cyprus can play an important role in energy security for central Europe, Szijjarto said, noting significant gas reserves found around the island. Szijjarto agreed with his counterpart on signing an agreement on energy cooperation.

We plan to work together in order to get Cyprus to exploit its gas reserves and transport some of its gas to central Europe, possibly through a pipeline, considering that liquid gas capacities in the region are still very modest.

Szijjarto announced that Hungary will open a consular office in Nicosia this year. Hungarys interests in Cyprus have so far been represented by its diplomatic missions in Athens. The ministers also agreed to tighten cooperation in various forums of the United Nations.

Hungary will support Cypruss candidacy for the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and Cyprus will support Hungarys candidacy for the Administrative Council of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).



MTI Photo: KKM
BMW works councils fully back building the German companys new plant in Debrecen, in eastern Hungary, Laszlo Palkovics, the innovation and technology minister, said after addressing an international meeting of BMWs works councils.

Hungary is now a top global investment site thanks to its political and economic stability, Palkovics told Hungarian public media. Hungarians and Germans share a similar work ethic as well as comparable education and taxation systems, he added.

Commenting on a recent European Union pact to curb the carbon dioxide emissions of new cars by 35% by 2030, Palkovics said this was a good reason why cooperation to implement new technologies was so important.

Accordingly, Hungary is building a new test track for self-driving cars in Zalaegerszeg, in western Hungary, and an agreement signed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Chancellor Angela Merkel will raise cooperation in innovation and technology to a new level. BMW announced late in July its plan to build a new plant in Debrecen with capacity to turn out 150,000 conventional and electric vehicles a year and employing more than 1,000 people when production starts.

Earlier in October, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced at the signing ceremony that the government had decided to create a new transport node on the M35 motorway close to the site of the future BMW plant by expanding the access road and constructing a container terminal with an electrified rail link, as well as creating a new telecommunications and gas network.

Before signing the grant agreement with a representative of the German company, he said the governments 12.3 billion forint (EUR 38.5m) support for BMWs investment would reap many times that amount in dividends for Hungary.



MTI Photo: Czegledi Zsolt
A left-wing columnist lambasts the government for phasing out home savings subsidies. A pro-government commentator welcomes the decision as, in his view, the programme has benefitted banks more than families.

On Monday, the government tabled a bill to phase out home savings subsidies. Under the scheme, which has existed since 1997, the government topped up home buying savings with 30 percent subsidies (up to 72,000 HUF a year) and offered fixed rate mortgages.

The new law came into effect on Wednesday. The government said that the scheme no longer served its original purpose, and the state subsidies helped banks more than home buyers.

In Nepszava, Miklos Bonta thinks that the phasing out of the home savings subsidy will harm the interests of Hungarian families.

The left-wing columnist suspects that the government wants to channel state funding to a public home savings fund. Bonta fears that the existing funds will have a hard time to operate without the opportunity to recruit new savers.

Magyar Idoks Gergely Kiss finds the governments decision justified and reasonable.

The pro-government commentator points out that banks offered no help with the savings at all. He adds that a scheme designed two decades ago was out of sync with current realities, and that it did not help Hungarian families to buy new homes, while it channeled taxpayers money to banks.

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Companies that operate self-service parcel terminals in Hungary are expanding, business daily Vilaggazdasag said.

Magyar Posta added significant capacity to its ten busiest package terminals last year, the state-owned postal company told the paper.

Magyar Posta has 51 parcel terminals, with a total of 4,260 lockers, across the country. The terminals are more than 85% full, on average.

Parcel terminal company Foxpost will raise its number of pick-up points by 50% this year, while boosting dropoff and pick-up capacity by 80%, founder and CEO Adam Bengyel told the paper.

Foxpost has 103 package terminals. By year-end, it will have terminals in 48 cities and 19 districts of the capital with 11,200 lockers.



MTI Photo: Kovacs Tamas
Galatean prins cu un colet cu bancnote de euro falsificate

Galatean prins cu un colet cu bancnote de euro falsificate Un barbat din Galati a fost retinut de procurorii DIICOT dupa ce a fost prins in flagrant in timp ce preda unei societati de transport un colet cu peste 400 de bancnote false, de 50 si de 100 de euro. [citeste mai departe]
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Marcous Marchese, left, says he was told to watch an anti-gay video at the Milton Hershey School. He is with his fiance Nick Mallozzi. Read more

Another student at the Milton Hershey School says he felt forced to watch a religious anti-gay video.

Marcous Marchese, a 2011 graduate, said that he was told initially that he could view the hour-long video privately in one of the school's boarding homes using headphones and accompanied by classmate James Stankunas. But when it came time, Marchese said, the video was shown at the dining room table with the sound on as other students looked on.

"I was a wreck. I closed [the laptop] and got the heck out of there," recalled Marchese, now 24 and living in Vermont. "You should not have people make you feel like you are the scum of the earth."

Stankunas, in a statement through the school's communications office on Friday, challenged Marchese's account and said his classmate's former house parents were loving and supportive. "I was there and I personally did not feel like I was forced to watch it," said Stankunas, also a 2011 graduate. He could not be reached for more comment.

Marchese recalled his experience after reading about a federal suit filed last year by former Hershey student Adam Dobson, who claims that he was expelled because of his suicidal thoughts. Dobson said he was forced to watch the anti-gay video around the same time in 2010.

The school's lawyers admitted in filings for Dobson's suit that a set of house parents possessed the Sy Rogers video One of the Boys and had shown it to at least one classmate of Dobson's, though not to him. Based on this disclosure, court records, and the school's statements, four boys could have watched the video: Dobson, who made the original claim in his suit; the unidentified classmate who the school said in discovery documents was shown the video; and Marchese and Stankunas.

Health experts have discredited such "conversion therapies" as demeaning and useless.

School spokeswoman Lisa Scullin said in a statement that the school's psychologists "would never condone any form of 'gay conversion therapy.' " She said "it has always been, and remains, the policy of MHS that no houseparent administers therapy of any kind to any student." She called the video-watching a "sideshow."

The Hershey school enrolls 2,000 poor children from kindergarten through high school. Students live on the school's leafy campus of several thousand acres in about 175 individual homes, staffed by surrogate parents. Experts have long criticized the layout, saying the separate homes can be hard to manage.

The Hershey school is free because it is funded by Hershey chocolate profits. Its $13.8 billion endowment dwarfs that of other private K-12 schools.

Around 2010, Dobson said, he was forced to watch the Sy Rogers video by house parents Deanna and Andrew Slamans as punishment for downloading gay pornography.

After the video was shown, Dobson says, he was subjected to a campaign of prayer sessions with his house parents to help him renounce homosexuality.

Nine states have made it illegal for licensed health professionals to attempt conversion therapy on minors, and other legislatures are considering doing the same.

Dobson later attempted suicide by wrapping a belt around his neck. He said he was expelled when he told school officials of his suicidal thoughts.

In the school's statement, Deanna Slamans said she was "offended and heartbroken" by Dobson's allegations.

"During my years at MHS as both a student and house parent, as well as raising my own children in an interracial marriage, I am extremely sensitive to students' backgrounds and the acceptance and support all children need to thrive. Adam Dobson experienced that in our student home."

The school also cited a statement from Nick Miller, Class of 2014, who lived with the couple for three years. "They have done so much for so many people," he said.

Marchese said he lived in the same student home as Dobson and had the Slamans couple as house parents. As an 11th grader, he said, he was asked by the Slamans to watch the anti-gay video with Stankunas, who the couple said was struggling with his faith and sexuality. Marchese had been friends with Stankunas, who lived in the adjacent student home, in earlier years.

Sy Rogers lived a flamboyantly gay lifestyle and had begun a gender change to become a woman when he found a new path through Christianity, he says. In the video, Rogers compares homosexuals to male prostitutes and adulterers.

Marchese, then a junior, called the tape "horrifying" and "embarrassing." He says the Slamans were good house parents and is thankful for the school, but called the video traumatic. "It's not like I look back every day and I am scarred," Marchese said. But "it's not the kind of ultimatum you give to a kid at that school."

Marchese went on to obtain an undergraduate degree in research psychology from Arcadia University in Glenside. He works as a freight broker and accountant and lives in Burlington, Vt.

Marchese noted that the intercessions did not work. He plans a same-sex marriage this month.
The Milton Hershey School is a boarding school for poor children, mostly from Pennsylvania. Read more

A husband-and-wife parenting team at the Milton Hershey School have sued the multibillion-dollar charity for poor children, claiming that they were fired after complaining that the institution repeatedly forced them to attend evangelical Christian sessions, retreats, or chapel with students.

Bradley and Val Darrington, who lived on the campus in Central Pennsylvania as surrogate parents for about 10 children, claim discrimination and retaliation in the suit, filed this month in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Bradley Darrington reported the school to the Pennsylvania Department of Children and Youth Services, alleging psychological abuse, after attending a mandatory chapel service last November during which, the suit says, a pastor told school employees and students: "The Bible says that when we choose not to follow God's way, we are  in effect  following the way of the world  which is the way of the devil."

Derogatory comments were made toward people with HIV/AIDS and homosexuals during the religious sessions, the suit says.

Hershey School spokesperson Lisa Scullin said in a statement Wednesday that the "Milton Hershey School will defend itself vigorously against these meritless allegations. We are confident that the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, after conducting its own investigation, correctly dismissed the Darringtons' claims."

The EEOC dismissed the Darringtons' complaint to that agency in July, after its investigation failed to establish violations of law.

She added that the "Darringtons know why their employment was terminated, and it had nothing to do with religious discrimination. We are confident it will become very clear as to why they could no longer work at MHS when we are afforded our day in court." The school's full statement can be read here.

Katherine C. Oeltjen, one of the Philadelphia lawyers who represent the Darringtons, had no comment. Her firm, Console Mattiacci, specializes in employment law.

The Darrington suit brings added attention to religious fervor at the nation's richest private school, which has 2,000 students and heavily recruits in impoverished neighborhoods in Philadelphia and other parts of Pennsylvania. Students live in suburban-style homes in the Hershey area, overseen by house parents who are school employees.

Earlier this year, Pennlive.com in Harrisburg published a lengthy story about socially conservative evangelicalism on the campus. In 2017, the Inquirer and Daily News published stories on two male students who said they were forced to watch anti-gay Christian videos.

Scullin said in her statement, "We maintain a diverse and inclusive community on our campus, and our curriculum is intentionally designed to help students develop the life skills they need to become successful leaders and compassionate global citizens. Religious education is one part of the holistic education we provide our students."

According to the suit, the Hershey School "threatened its nonevangelical Christian employees and students with isolation, death, hell, and demonic possession." It says 55 percent of Hershey students say they have no religious preference at the time of admission.

The school says on its website that "education in the Judeo-Christian faith, the heritage of the school's founders, is part of the MHS program and includes daily devotions and Sunday chapel services."
Arthur Halprin, 82, was nearly scammed out of $5,000 when criminals called his cell phone claiming his son had been kidnapped. His companion Shelley Sarsfield called police and his son, convincing Halprin it was a scam. Read more

If you've ever feared your elderly mother or father might be scammed over the phone, then consider the story of Arthur Halprin, 82, retired physics professor living in Newark, Del.

A "sharp cookie" and a brilliant teacher, say friends and family, Halprin was swayed by a flimflam aimed at the elderly, known as the "impostor scam."

One morning last month, he got a horrific call from a strange number. It was a man who claimed he'd kidnapped Halprin's adult son, who resides on the Main Line. The man said he was holding Halprin's son at gunpoint and was demanding $5,000 in ransom.

"Dad, please help me!" was the first thing Halprin heard.

"I've never been taken [in] by any computer or other scams like the Microsoft or the IRS. I knew those were phony," Halprin said. "This one I'd never heard about. It's one that you can't take a chance on. A voice called my cellphone, and the person sounded enough like my son to me, it was believable. That's the way it started."

"Then someone else got on the phone, asked me, 'Is there anyone else around you?' I said 'no.'"

In truth, his companion, Shelley Sarsfield, was listening from the other room. But Halprin didn't want to lose contact.

For the next hour, the caller kept Halprin on the line. "I wrote down on a piece of paper that 'criminals have Dan,' and gave it to her. I left the house in my slippers still and got in the car" to drive to the bank.

From her telling, Shelley Sarsfield, 68, was instantly suspicious.

"I was there when the phone call came in. We'd had breakfast and I heard Arthur talking loudly. He's normally very soft-spoken, but he'd been concerned about the stock market, so I thought perhaps he was talking to his broker about Tesla's stock price."

Halprin handed her a crumpled piece of paper.

"I knew it was a scam," she recalled. "I'd heard about the 'grandparent scam,' when con artists pretend to be someone's grandchild and call up asking for bail money. But his son is 47 years old! I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't get Arthur to listen. It was his son's life at stake. And they wouldn't let him put down the phone  that's part of the con."

Halprin's son works for a nonprofit in Philadelphia, so Sarsfield called his son immediately. Luckily, he answered and told her he was at work and perfectly fine.

"I insisted he call me back on Facetime to prove he wasn't under duress. Then I called the police," she said.

Halprin, meanwhile, drove to the bank and withdrew $5,000 in cash  without any questions from his bank teller. Then the caller directed him to the closest Walmart to wire the money to Puerto Rico.

Sarsfield couldn't get Halprin on the line, but she asked the Philadelphia police to connect with their local counterparts, aided by Halprin's license plate number and a physical description. She also heard the scammers demand he wire money from the nearest Walmart.

Halprin, indeed, made it to the Walmart nearest his house, and while standing in line, "I did finally see a text message from Shelley, saying 'Dan is OK.' I wasn't sure how she knew this. But even while on the phone with the scammers, it made me pause just long enough at Walmart for a policeman to come up to me in line. He asked if I was Arthur Halprin, and said 'Your son is OK, this is a scam.' I breathed a sigh of relief. I still had the scam artist on the phone. The cop got on and said 'this is sergeant so-and-so. Go ahead and shoot Dan if you want.' They hung up."

Halprin was minutes away from wiring $5,000 to a stranger. So why did he fall for the flimflam after hanging up on so many others?

"This was one where potentially someone's life was on the line. It wasn't the threat of jail or taxes. It was my son's life. There was just  I couldn't risk it. Whatever suspicion I had, I had to bury, I couldn't be sure. They knew my son's name. They figured out who my kids are. It was a very close call."

Financial advisers such as Dan Roccato at Quaker Wealth Management in Moorestown say the root of the crimes "is love or loneliness. Imagine you're an 80-year-old widow or widower, and you don't have a lot of human interaction. You get a phone call from your grandson you haven't seen or talked to in a long time and you love them, so you send the money."

About 550,000 people who gave their age reported fraud to the FTC in 2017, a fraction of the true victims. Of those, more than 107,000 were age 60 to 69; more than 62,000 were 70-79, and more than 28,000 were older than 80. Among the top frauds? Impostor scams.

To prevent such crimes, Roccato advises friends and family members to make sure the elderly person in your life "isn't on his own or her own all day every day. Even just a phone call, a text, a visit is important so that person feels a connection is still there."
Is U.S. Rep. Bob Brady stiffing the Democratic Party in one of the most competitive midterm elections in modern history?

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party's congressional arm, recently gave its House members a report card: The document breaks down how much each member helped out the DCCC financially.

According to the report, Brady was given a goal of paying $250,000 in dues to the DCCC in the 2017-18 campaign cycle. His actual contribution: $0.

He had a goal of raising another $250,000 for the DCCC. But as of September, he brought in $30,400.

The report also states that Brady, who is not running for reelection after 20 years in the U.S. House, has donated nothing this cycle to Democrats in the nation's tightest races.

>> VOTERS GUIDE: View candidates in the 2018 midterm election based on your address, or browse all the action in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware

Some Democrats are grumbling over the alleged stinginess of Brady, who is staying on as leader of Philadelphia's Democratic Party after more than three decades in that post.

"It's pathetic that he wouldn't help out the DCCC when we have so many competitive races in our area," said one Democratic consultant. "Having a Democratic Congress would do a ton to help Philadelphia, and it's not like Bob Brady has a lot better to do with his time. Brady's refusal to give money is a thumb in the eye of Democrats angry about Donald Trump."

In a phone call, Brady said that "for the past 20 years, I paid my dues."

But this election cycle is different, he said: "We're not required to pay dues if we don't run for reelection."

Clout asked a spokesperson for the DCCC if that is true. He didn't immediately respond to our question.

There may be a reason Brady hasn't given more. He spent much of 2017 under FBI investigation after it was disclosed that Brady's campaign gave $90,000 to a primary challenger in 2012 who dropped out of the race.

Brady, who was not charged with a crime, has said that he "got a complete bill of health" clearing him.

But it cost him. According to campaign-finance reports, he spent almost $511,000 on legal fees over the last two years.

In N.J. race, MacArthur ties Kim to Abu-Jamal in ads

Republicans in Pennsylvania have a long history of tying Democrats and other political foes to convicted Philadelphia cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Sen. Pat Toomey; Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick; and his brother, former Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, all did it.

After this year's midterm elections, we can add New Jersey Rep. Tom MacArthur to that list: He began running TV ads this week suggesting that Andy Kim, a former national security official under President Barack Obama, is connected to Abu-Jamal.

The ads are similar to an anti-Kim mailer that Republicans sent out earlier this month featuring photos of both Abu-Jamal and the Weather Underground's Bill Ayers, who was implicated in a bombing of the Pentagon.

MacArthur has been hammering this theme since the summer, when he said in an interview that Kim founded a "radical political organization" called Rise Stronger while preparing to run for Congress. In his TV ad, he said the group "promoted" books by Abu-Jamal and Ayers.

The Kim campaign said the link to the books was to a third-party site, goodreads.com, and was posted by a volunteer.

"It was a sophisticated resistance organization that had a board of directors, incorporated in Delaware, filed with the IRS, and organized large-scale events," said Chris Russell, of the MacArthur campaign.

As someone who worked in the Pentagon, Kim said, he took particular umbrage.

"Tom MacArthur's gross attempt to link Andy with terrorists is reprehensible," said Kim spokesperson Forrest Rilling.

>> SIGN UP: Get daily text messages on key issues leading up to the election

GOP candidate gets in Twitter fight with Don Cheadle

Twitter can be tricky business for a long-shot politician picking fights with a Hollywood celebrity. Maybe it draws attention to the campaign. Maybe you get dunked on, hard.

Bryan Leib, the Republican nominee in Philadelphia's Third Congressional District, learned that Saturday when he decided to go after actor Don Cheadle, who had criticized the recent crazy-pants visit by Kanye West with President Trump in the Oval-freaking-Office.

"Who the hell are you guys to criticize him for expressing his beliefs???" Leib tweeted.

Cheadle rattled off a few of West's more outlandish comments from the meeting and then asked Leib: "Are you also on bath salts? You're running for office?"

It went back and forth for more than an hour, until Leib suggested Cheadle would support his campaign "if you took 10 minutes to get to know me."

Cheadle, unswayed, replied: "I don't even know who your opponent is, but I'm considering endorsing them. Take care, Bryan."

For the record, Leib is running against Rep. Dwight Evans, a Democrat who probably doesn't need Cheadle's help. Eighty-one percent of the district's voters are registered as Democrats.
History can tell us only so much.

For example, I've long loved the artichoke-infused Italian liqueur known as Cynar. But when I took a sip of the Weeping Fig cocktail at Talk made with "house Cynar"  and coughed so loudly from the bitter burn of thistles abused in grain alcohol that our server came over to ask if everything was OK (it wasn't)  I knew all presumptions were off. How many artichokes were harmed for a cocktail so out of whack with rye and floating bits of inedible raw spice pods?

I literally couldn't drink it. "It's OK," he said graciously, "it happens all the time."

I'm not sure whether he was referring to everyone at Talk or just me, considering I rarely made it past a few sips of any of the half-dozen cocktails wittily named for poisonous plants (Lily of the Valley, Wolf's Bane) that I sampled over the course of three visits. But the ambitious-yet-misguided mixology was only one of many aspects about Talk, the latest creation from co-owners and chefs Tim Lanza and Andrew Kochan, that did not quite meet expectations.

I know from the history of their work at Marigold Kitchen, which I had awarded three bells and which they still own, that Lanza and Kochan are capable of producing beautiful plates of progressive, inventive food. And certainly there are instances at Talk, their first venture in Center City, where their modernist touch is in artful full bloom. The dish called "mushrooms," for example, a two-part study of mushrooms in sky and earth: a flaky warm tartlet filled with a soil-dark mince of creminis that sits on a white plate polka-dotted with sherry agrodolce across from a terrine of mushrooms suspended in a rolled cloud of goat cheese. You taste the texture and intensity of the 'shrooms in different ways, triggered further by the umami crunch of a maitake cracker. And there's even a throwback hint to that terrine rolled in pine nuts, recalling, but improving upon, the cheese balls of yore.

That yearning for nostalgia is everywhere at Talk, from the truffle-covered revamp of steak and twice-baked potatoes to a decor that tries, awkwardly, to evoke a Roaring Twenties mood with murals of imaginary scenes from early talkie films. They're a flat embellishment to the noisy black box of a room that my architect dinner guest said reminded him of a themed room painted "for a Radisson hotel."

To be fair, there are starter budgets to consider for this duo, whose first ownership venture, at Marigold, was a turnkey BYOB with a long reputation. Talk is their first full-service restaurant built from scratch, crafted inside the rehabbed bones of an old photo studio. A sizable chunk of resources were dedicated to the "dream kitchen" in the basement, where Lanza, primarily, is turning out an a la carte menu of modern American plates.

I can continue to quibble with elements of the decor, including black leather chairs that seemed comfy until I sat in one that swayed perilously near the top of an open staircase to the basement. But that was nothing compared to the young couple beside us, whose table both wobbled and swiveled to the point that it looked like they were eating in a rowboat.

But the prime concern here, and where that Marigold track record doesn't translate seamlessly, is to witness how difficult it is for a crew that's refined the predictable exercise of serving small-plate tasting menus to a BYO crowd to consistently execute an a la carte menu with larger plates where little flaws can undo what seems like a good idea on paper.

I loved the notion of reinventing steak and potatoes, and they've got the grilled filet mignon down. But aerating potato foam into the hollowed crisp of a potato skin (rather than traditional mashed potatoes) doesn't work when the service isn't swift to the table and those airy potatoes become sticky and gummy. The flavor combo of a black pepper pasta with lobster mushrooms, figs, and prosciutto was appealing. But this Parmesan cream-soaked dish was sloppy compared with the other beautiful plates, and the fresh pasta was overcooked.

The smaller dishes had issues, too. Like the savory eclairs glazed with sour cherry preserves and stuffed with chicken liver mousse. It's a fabulous idea  unless the choux pastry isn't delicate enough, causing the liver puree to squirt out onto the plate (or worse, your shirt) when you take a bite. A smaller pastry, say a one-bite gougere, would work better.

There were some genuine successes, like the Briny Piney oysters on the half shell splashed with tarragon oil and pearl-sized scoops of sweet-tart pickled cantaloupe. And the yakitori of grilled quails speckled in black-and-white sesame over tart and crunchy Napa cabbage. The grilled "zucchini steak" was also a satisfying vegan option over a chunky puttanesca sauce bolstered with piquant olives, fingerling potatoes, and artichokes. I'd be even more enthusiastic if I could only figure out how a dish built around a single zucchini  which sells, at most, for $2.50 a pound on Whole Foods Instacart  adds up to a $20 entree. ("That's a good question," Lanza conceded, before elaborating on the labor to prep artichokes.)

The fact is I wouldn't question it if the rest of our meal had gone smoothly and this prime real estate along the reviving western end of Walnut Street near Rittenhouse Square didn't feel so close yet so flawed as an experience. Too many decent dishes were held back from being great by tiny details of execution. The neat idea of a fish sauce caramel for the daily crudo stumbled over hamachi that was raggedly cut. A yellowfin tuna crudo from late summer was a bit more successful, but pairing it with trompe l'oeil chunks of look-alike watermelon had the unintended effect of canceling out the tuna's delicate flavor and reducing the fish to a texture.

The seared foie gras with peaches and brioche was another temperature casualty  not hot or oozy enough by the time it arrived at our table. The beef tartare was minced too coarsely, then layered over bread that wasn't toasted quite enough, with a texture that was soggy. The nightly special of a "salt cod" cake was overfried to a dark brown, and actually made from halibut scraps, which were unpleasantly stringy. (The smoked paprika chips, however, are a keeper touch.) Even the dessert promise of Lanza's mom's excellent pecan pie suffered the indignity of arriving cold and hard straight from the fridge.

Two entrees, meanwhile, were close to great. I could eat a mountain of the warm mixed grain salad of farro, wheat berries, and quinoa tossed with baby kale, chanterelles, and pickled cherries. But the tender and juicy roast chicken beside it was achingly salty (twice) from an overzealous brine. A scallop dish was as near as this kitchen got to complete success, the gorgeously seared rounds of Jersey sea flesh paired with a corn succotash of country ham, corn and diced green zucchini ringed by dramatic dots of bright red bell pepper puree and shiny black earthy huitlacoche.

If only the kitchen had resisted the urge to blend that vibrant dice of summer produce with a pureed vegetable gravy cooked down from shaved corn cobs and scraps from that zucchini steak, a move that turned the colorful confetti into a drab olive scoop of slurry mush. Hey, I get it. No zucchini guts shall be left behind! And I tipped my glass of Slovenian orange wine  a solid choice from the esoteric wine list that offered far more satisfying options than the cocktails  toward the frugal chef-owners' best instincts.

But one place a restaurant should never, ever skimp is in a made-to-order French press coffee. Knock, knock! It's La Colombe, wondering who turned their proud dark coffee beans into weak brown tea. Repeatedly. Lanza assured me his front-house staff, who were friendly enough but not exactly firecrackers, have since been given a fresh lesson in how to brew a proper pot.

Next on the to-do list should be a call to the handyman to come lighten the vintage facade's heavy glass door action. Just as the hostess was cheerfully bidding me farewell, the door seemed to slip from her hand, catch a gust of wind and smack me on the backside, catapulting me onto the sidewalk. I know, I know  a restaurateur's dream device to eject a grumpy critic, right? But I'm not walking away from Talk so quickly. History tells me this duo has the ability to get back on track. Let's hope I'm right.

TALK

2121 Walnut St., 215-515-3608; talkphl.com

The transition from running a BYOB tasting menu to an a la carte restaurant with a bar has proved tricky for partners and co-chefs Tim Lanza and Andrew Kochan. Their success at Marigold Kitchen, which they still own, has not translated smoothly to their first Center City venture, an awkward black box of a space near Rittenhouse where the creative modern American plates are beautiful  but consistently flawed in the cooking details. The ambitious cocktail program is a mess, full of craft ingredient pretense but with none of the finesse needed to connect the humor in noir-themed drink names like Wolf's Bane and Deadly Night Shade. Hard pass on those.

MENU HIGHLIGHTS Crudites; savory eclairs; oysters with pickled cantaloupe and tarragon oil; mushroom duo; yakitori quail; zucchini steak; filet mignon; chicken (when not too salty); scallops; lemon semifreddo.

DRINKS There's a genuine attempt to make unique cocktails here with house-crafted bitters, limoncello, herb-infusions and liqueurs, plus a witty wink to a poisonous plant theme with names like Lily of the Valley that would be charming if any of these drinks were good. But the consistent lack of balance in the cocktails  some virtually undrinkable  puts more emphasis on the wines. The small but eclectic list offers a solid collection of Euro-style wines by the glass, including some favorites  Portuguese Quinta do Crasto red; New York's Dr. Konstantin Frank gruner; Vincente Sanz verdejo; Cline viognier; and a Slovenian orange pinot grigio from Makovec Manus that I'd drink anytime.

WEEKEND NOISE The black box space has some acoustic panels, but they don't work. At 84 decibels when busy, it can be hard to talk at Talk. (Ideal is 75 decibels or less.)

IF YOU GO Dinner Tuesday through Sunday, 5-11 p.m. Brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Dinner entrees, $21-$30.

All major cards.

Reservations suggested, especially weekends.

Wheelchair accessible.

Street parking only.
About 200 Cameroonians have made new lives for themselves in South Jersey, and many in the community have been made welcome at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church in Laurel Springs. Read more

Silva Munuza was describing the deadly conflict back home in Cameroon to Cliff Jones, his pastor in Laurel Springs.

A 38-year-old accountant who lives in Clementon and has a young daughter, Munuza talked about the brutality of the security forces, the burning of villages, and of the dead. And then his voice broke.

"Silva couldn't keep on speaking," Jones recalled. "He knows people who have been killed."

The effect on the pastor was profound.

"When I saw a brother in Christ break down four times in the space of five minutes," he said, "I realized that we need to do something."

That's why St. Paul's Presbyterian, a cozy church on a pretty street in small-town Camden County, is praying for Cameroon, a West African nation where six complicated decades of tension between the English-speaking minority and the French-speaking majority threaten to erupt into civil war.

The pastor, Munuza, and others in the church hope to educate the congregation and the public about the situation in that riven, faraway land, and are exploring other ways to help. A good number of the 200 people in the English-speaking Cameroonian community that has taken root in South Jersey during the last 20 years are Presbyterian, and belong to St. Paul's.

I met Munuza there during services on a recent Sunday, and later sat down with him and five other Cameroonians in Fellowship Hall at the church.

Until I started working on this column, pretty much all I'd known about Cameroon was that the Sixers' amazing Joel Embiid is from there. I've since been reading news stories online and watching YouTube clips about the turmoil, and I've seen some of the awful images  a man on his knees being beaten, a charred body in a ruined, roofless house, entire villages reduced to cinders  that have been widely disseminated on social media. I've also visited the website of the self-described "interim government" of an envisioned English-speaking, independent Cameroonian state to be called the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

But nothing prepared me for the conversation around the table.

"My brother died on the spot, and a neighbor who was like a father to me had just left his home and also was killed," said Ernest Awa, 40, a health-care worker who lives in Lindenwold. "I lost those two people," he said softly.

Awa was describing the events of Sept. 1 in Pinyin, a village in the northwestern portion of the English-speaking part of the country, where many of the Cameroonians in South Jersey have family. Witnesses posted videos charging security forces the government claims are seeking to quell a separatist rebellion with shooting civilians at will.

"My cousin was killed the same day," Munuza said. "He had special needs, and when everybody was running, he didn't know what was happening. He was standing in front of his house, and they shot him."

At the table, a young Cameroonian woman who lives in Camden County and asked not to be identified because she feared for her family's safety said she hasn't been able to reach her father back home for the last two weeks. He's in his 70s and escaped an attack near Pinyin by hiding in the wilderness, she said.

"I don't know when I will be able to go back there," said Valerie Mouthchia, 45, a project manager who lives in Clementon. She has become an American citizen and said the U.S. should not support the government in Cameroon, which she said is responsible for human rights violations there.

The people around the table described the conflict as a colonial legacy made worse by the authoritarian rule of longtime francophone President Paul Biya. The results of a contentious Oct. 7 presidential election are expected to be made public Oct. 22, with some media in the country predicting Biya will win.

Despite the rising numbers of casualties, displaced persons, and refugees  thousands of Cameroonians have fled across the border into Nigeria  Americans generally know little about Cameroon or its escalating crisis.

Nevertheless, "Americans can become more aware," Munuza said. "They can call their representatives. They can tweet. They can call for an end to the genocide."

I asked the pastor of St. Paul's how even a faith-filled, 360-member-strong congregation could realistically expect to have an impact on a complicated human tragedy so far away.

"For us, prayer is important," Jones said. "Knowing people who are going through this, whose immediate family members have been killed, brings this to a much more personal level. We need to do something, and not just in words."
Pa. State Sen. President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati frustratedly answers a journalist's question late Wednesday night in the Capitol after the Republican leader failed to garner enough votes to pass a bill that sought to expand the rights of victims of child sexual abuse to sue as adults Read more

HARRISBURG  For three long days inside the Capitol here, as the hopes of clergy-abuse victims hung in the balance, there was anticipation and angst amid the magnificent murals, white marble pillars, gold-leaf-painted arches, and soaring dome inspired by none other than St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Victims, lobbyists, lawmakers, and reporters scurried through this churchlike sanctuary of democracy, high on a hill with a view of the Susquehanna River. It is a place that belongs to the people.

But on Wednesday night, it was very much the property of the Catholic Church.

For the second time in two years, Republican Senate leaders delivered a reprieve to the church instead of full justice to its victims. The Senate left on their last voting day of the year without taking action on a bill that sought to allow survivors of clergy abuse to sue the church.

They did so despite multiple grand jury reports of how bishops concealed and covered up priest abuse against children in all eight of Pennsylvania's Roman Catholic dioceses.

They did so only hours before news broke, on Thursday, that the U.S. Justice Department has dropped subpoenas on all eight of Pennsylvania's dioceses, from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh.

And the controlling party in the Senate did so with no apologies from the man who has led the charge to protect the church twice since 2016, Republican President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati.

Scarnati tried, and failed, to push through a version of a bill that would have barred victims from suing the church.

Afterward, at a Capitol news conference just before midnight, he explained that this somehow made him a champion of victims.

"My amendment does not let any organization, including the church, off the hook," Scarnati insisted.

His failed measure would have invited dioceses to voluntarily pay into a compensation fund "to make right their horrific sins of the past." But it would have allowed lawsuits only against priests, some of whom take a vow of poverty.

I asked Scarnati to rebut criticism that he and other Republicans in the Senate appear beholden to the lobbying might of the church and the insurance industry.

Scarnati's response: He blamed victims and the very attorney general whose investigators have worked together to bring the church's vast horrors to light in recent years.

"Victims in this building," Scarnati said from a gleaming wooden conference table inside his office, "are politically motivated right now. The victims in this building are being victimized for politics."

The church isn't getting its way this year as bloodlessly as it had, time and again, since the Boston archdiocesan scandal in 2002 triggered calls for a change to Pennsylvania law so that adult victims could sue the church.

Two years ago, Scarnati helped the Senate swiftly dispose of a retroactive civil statute-of-limitations bill that had passed overwhelmingly in the House.

This year, though, as the House sent the Senate a similar proposal to give victims a two-year window to sue, there was no automatic kill button available to senators.

Many Republican senators are facing tough midterm election contests next month against insurgent Democrats.

Also adding momentum to victim efforts: the grand jury report made public in August by Attorney General Josh Shapiro. It found cover-ups of abuse by roughly 300 priests involving more than 1,000 victimized children in six of eight dioceses in Pennsylvania.

Victims have been in the Capitol in droves visiting lawmakers. It's unusual. And it has been a threat to church and insurance lobbyists, whose job is to know and influence every corner of this place.

Scarnati, clearly, has not welcomed the new dynamic. In his late-night news conference Wednesday  in which he addressed us with raspy-voiced frustration  Scarnati insisted that victims back in his district are different from the ones who have roamed the halls of the Capitol.

"They want to heal," he said of those child rape survivors who have not made the grueling trek to the Harrisburg offices of Republican heavyweights such as Scarnati and Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman. "They want to start a process to heal."

For those victims, Scarnati suggested, healing comes in the form of a compensation fund instead of taking the church to court before an impartial judge and jury.

I told the senator that many victims don't want the legislature to make that decision for them.

"Is that a question or is that your opinion?" he shot back at me.

This is what I've heard in 15 years, on and off, of speaking to victims as a journalist in Philadelphia, I replied.

"And I've tried to make a decision for them," he said. "I have tried harder than anybody."

As of Thursday morning, with the bill dead on the Capitol floor, all that trying by the powerful senator had rewarded, most handsomely, the Catholic Church.

It still cannot be sued.
Some people get way too impressed when things go viral. The bigger the response to a video, funding campaign, or tweet, their thinking goes, the better must be the thing that prompted it.

Ergo, anything that doesn't break the internet couldn't possibly make an impact that matters.

Thankfully, reader response to three recent columns appealing for help blows that thinking to bits.

Take the tale of Mindy Hoffman of York, Pa., whose daughter Ruby, 4, has leukodystrophy, which robs children of the ability to walk, talk, and eat independently. The degenerative neurological disease is so rare, parents must go online to find other families whose kids also have the fatal disorder.

That's how Hoffman found Laura Mellor, whose daughter Tabriz, 4, and Ruby suffer from the same unusual form of the disease  H-ABC. Only about 100 children worldwide are known to have it.

Mellor lives in the South Pacific islands of New Caledonia, just east of Australia, where doctors have no expertise in Tabriz's illness. So when Mellor learned that CHOP's leukodystrophy center was to convene its first-ever conference on H-ABC (next weekend, Oct. 26-28), she was desperate to attend.

Her daughter would finally be evaluated by clinicians who've seen enough kids with leukodystrophy to recognize the disease's many nuances. The staff would then use the data to help design a clinical trial of H-ABC treatment.

Mellor launched an online campaign to pay for the 8,600-mile journey to Philly, but was falling short. So Hoffman started her own campaign to raise the additional funds.

I wrote about Hoffman's mission, and readers donated $9,000 to the cause. That's not an eye-popping amount, by any stretch. But it allowed the fund to issue travel or lodging grants not just to Mellor but to seven other families, including one from Egypt and another who had planned to drive cross-country to the conference  and then (oh, my heart) sleep in their car when they got here.

"I'm blown away," says Hoffman gratefully. " To know that everyone will be taken care of just makes my day."

Readers also came through for Alivia Whitaker, 7, who planned to sell lemonade on Oct. 6th at a voter-registration and arts fair at the Fishtown Rec Center.

I wrote how worried Alivia had been since she learned that Philly public-school kids who live closer than 1.5 miles to their schools do not qualify for the free SEPTA passes provided by the school district to students who live farther away.

For some, the walk takes them through sketchy neighborhoods and opioid encampments. Others dread the walk when the rain and wind are blowing sideways.

Alivia, who hoped to raise $100 in lemonade sales to pay for passes for kids attending Fishtown's Penn Treaty School, actually raked in $700 in donations to the nonprofit Friends of Penn Treaty School, which is now figuring out ways to divvy up all the funds to help the most kids.

Meantime, Venise Whitaker, Alivia's mom, says her daughter has made two new friends, thanks to the column. Two young sisters from Washington D.C. (urged on by their grandmom, who read my column) wrote Alivia to say that she was a role model and to ask if she'd be their pen pal.

Laughs Whitaker, "She said yes."

Finally, readers have caused a very happy problem at Kensington High School, where students of engineering teacher Eric Cruz are transforming an empty classroom into a library (the school's former library closed years ago). The kids yearn for a peaceful place to set aside their laptops and read a plain old book in a comfy chair.

The library needed everything, I wrote in my column about the kids: fresh paint, furniture, carpets, wall art, window treatments, tables, chairs, adult volunteers and books, books, books.

Cruz has been inundated with offers from readers touched by the desire of tech-savvy teens to create such a low-tech space of serenity.

People have been stopping by daily with boxes of books. They're also ordering so many materials online (Cruz created a library wishlist on Amazon) that supplies are arriving at the school every other day  like a Dell laptop, a digital book-inventory tool, heavy curtains. They're also cleaning out their homes and donating still-good household items, tickled that the stuff will get a second life in a school library.

Oh, and last week, a representative from the The Ellen Show phoned the school to ask for Cruz's contact info (everyone's fingers are crossed).

"I can't keep up!" says Cruz. "I spend my days teaching and my nights answering emails and making calls. Every day has been like Christmas. The kids can't believe it!"

But I can.

Our communities are filled with good people who love being part of collective action that brings about change for the better. So tell me: What's going on in your world that, with a columnist's focus and readers' support, might do the same? Think of the last time you found yourself saying "That's just not fair, " or "This could use some attention"  and then let me know how I can help.

You can contact me at polaner@phillynews.com; @RonniePhilly on Twitter; or 215-854-2217.
In this Nov. 9, 2017, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Read more

Are we entering a new Cold War  this time with China?

That is a question I will be discussing with Chinese diplomats, businessmen, think tank experts, and academics this week, as I begin a visit to Beijing and three other Chinese cities. The issue, now being hotly debated in Washington, turns 25 years of bipartisan U.S. policy toward China on its ear.

Such a question would have sounded strange 18 months ago when President Trump was touting his brilliant relationship with Xi Jinping, whom he hosted at Mar-a-Lago. Or a year ago when the president was tweeting about the amazing dinner the Chinese leader laid on for him in Beijing's Forbidden City. Or even last spring when the White House was lavishly lauding Xi for his help with squeezing North Korea.

>> READ MORE: Trump is suffering from a bad case of autocrat envy | Trudy Rubin

That was then.

More recently, the president has imposed an escalating series of trade tariffs on Beijing, which has reciprocated against U.S. exports. And early this month, Vice President Pence gave a stunning China speech that slammed Beijing's "economic aggression" and military expansion and accused the Chinese of meddling in the 2018 elections.

Many of Pence's economic points were valid, including Chinese theft of intellectual property and forcing U.S. companies to transfer technology. (The claim of election meddling, on the other hand, offered no credible evidence.)

But the core of the speech was this: The White House now considers China a competitor that presents a threat to America. (This concept was first proposed in the president's National Security Strategy in December, but that dull bureaucratic document got scant attention while the Trump-Xi palship was still on.)

This policy shift is big.

For 25 years, presidents from both parties believed a rising China could be peacefully integrated into the world order. However, the White House apparently now views Beijing as a dangerous strategic rival, bent on surpassing America economically and supplanting U.S. influence globally.

I say "apparently" because it's unclear whether the speech is another example of Trump using a trade war to squeeze a better deal out of Beijing.

Yet there is no obvious template for any kind of "war" with China. Especially if it escalates beyond trade.

The Cold War with Russia was a standoff between a poor, communist country whose global standing was based on oil revenues and nuclear weapons. Contrast that with China, which has mixed communism and capitalism to amass huge financial reserves and the world's second-largest economy.

China is intricately linked to America by global supply chains, huge purchases of U.S. Treasury bonds, and massive exchanges of students, visitors, and experts. Divorcing these two countries is hard to imagine.

>> READ MORE: Trump thinks his personal relationships with dictators will save the world. He's wrong | Trudy Rubin

Moreover, Pence's speech gives America too much credit for China's stunning rise to near-superpower status. Yes, U.S. markets for cheap Chinese goods were key, but so was the Chinese work ethic and the skills of past Chinese leaders (despite the sad human-rights record).

I saw China before its growth explosion. On my first visit, in 1986, Pudong  the vibrant newer half of Shanghai that looks like Chicago plus New York City  was virtually an empty marsh. Chengdu, now the New York-like capital of Sichuan province, which I will visit again on this trip, was a sleepy market town. Shenzhen, the massive metropolis known for technological innovation, was a muddy village. You get the picture.

So it's hard to foresee how the United States can contain China's continued rise.

Yet there is good reason to worry about political developments in Beijing. President Xi has elevated himself to the status of Mao Zedong and eliminated the previous two-term limit for presidents.

"Xi Jinping wants China to become a global superpower. He is very explicit," says Elizabeth Economy, author of The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State.

Xi has promised to catch up with the United States in many areas of high tech by 2025, and to restore China to great-power status by 2049, the centennial of the founding of the People's Republic of China. That includes building a military capable of "global combat capabilities."

Xi promised President Obama he wouldn't militarize the South China Sea, a major international transit route, and then did so. "China's risk tolerance is higher than ours," said top Asia expert Michael Green, vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, speaking at the Jamestown Foundation's recent conference on China security issues. "They are pushing below the level of war to show they are more committed than we are to defend our allies."

And China is making tens of billions of dollars in risky loans to developing countries in Asia and Africa  the so-called Belt and Road Initiative  to build infrastructure and link up land and sea trade routes. This includes financing ports in countries such as Sri Lanka that may become Chinese naval bases.

>> READ MORE: Trump pummels G-7 democratic allies but loves Russia, China | Trudy Rubin

In other words, China intends to keep rising.

A test of Trump's and Xi's intentions will come next month, when the two leaders attend the G-20 economic summit in Buenos Aires. "The Chinese are eager for a Trump-Xi meeting at the G-20," says Dennis Wilder, a senior fellow at the Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue. "They have lost faith in underlings and hope for a personal breakthrough."

I look forward to conversations with experts in China about what kind of breakthrough they envision. At this point it gets hard to see where the points of convergence still lie.
A Philadelphia songwriter who claims he was not given credit for writing one of R&B star Usher's hit songs has been awarded more than $40 million in damages in the conclusion of a lawsuit targeted at the track's other two co-writers.

Daniel Marino was awarded the sum in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court last week, when a jury issued a verdict ordering defendant William Guice to pay $6.75 million in compensatory damages and $20.25 million in punitive damages.

The verdict joined a settlement earlier last week in which Destro Music Productions, owned by codefendant Dante Barton, agreed to pay Marino $17.35 million as part of a stipulated judgment, bringing his total award to $44.35 million. Marino also received a third of the ownership rights to the song in question, a transcription of court proceedings in the settlement indicated. Guice, Barton, and Destro were represented by attorney Jason C. Berger of Margolis Edelstein

The Legal Intelligencer reported that a pretrial memo noted "that the defendants did not have any insurance policies that would cover an award in the case."

According to a civil complaint, between 2001 and 2002, Marino worked with Guice and Barton to create and record "Club Girl," a song that would later be recorded and released by Usher on his 2004 album, Confessions, retitled as "Bad Girl." Marino, who was represented by Francis Alexander attorney Francis Malofiy, said via the complaint that he created a majority of the song, including its guitar hook, tempo, chord progression, and other elements, while Barton and Guice added a beat and lyrics, respectively.

The trio reportedly had a contract to split credit and compensation for their songs, but it was allegedly not honored after an employee of Usher's contacted the group about the track. The complaint indicates that Guice, Barton, and Destro signed "secret contracts" with Usher's camp, cutting Marino out of profits and credit. The songwriter also alleged that the co-defendants earned roughly $700,000 from "Club Girl."

The complaint says Barton "explicitly acknowledged that Marino was owed money" until 2009, after which he "mysteriously disappeared." Guice, meanwhile, left Pennsylvania "to parts unknown." After losing touch with his former co-writers, Marino began to believe "his friends had tricked him and stolen his credit and compensation."

In 2011, Marino filed a federal lawsuit against 20 defendants, including Guice, Barton, and Usher, alleging fraud, breach of contract, and other claims. A federal judge dismissed the case against every defendant except Guice and Barton, court records indicate. Marino filed his most recent suit in 2016.

The $44 million award comes following a new trial for Led Zeppelin in the "Stairway to Heaven" legal saga, in which the group is accused of copying a 1960s instrumental track by Spirit called "Taurus" for the hit song. Malofiy represents Spirit in that case, began in 2015.

Marino's $27 million verdict was decided on Oct. 11, the day President Trump signed the Music Modernization Act, which deals with copyright-related recording issues. The ruling and settlement also coincided with the release of Usher's latest album, A, which came out last week.

"For seven years, against all odds, we believed in our client and his claims," Malofiy said of the case via a release. "The $44.35 million verdict and judgment finally vindicates Mr. Marino."
So much true-crime programming has come and gone since the premieres of the first Serial podcast and Netflix's Making a Murderer it's easy to forget that the people on whose convictions those two pop-culture phenomena famously cast doubt are still locked up.

Baltimore's Adnan Syed, whose case was the focus of Serial producer Sarah Koenig's Peabody Award-winning 2014 podcast, was convicted in 2000 of the murder of his former girlfriend, high school senior Hae Min Lee. Granted a new trial two years ago, he's still in prison, awaiting the results of the state of Maryland's latest appeal. Meanwhile, a new season of Serial, which premiered Sept. 20, has taken the true-crime podcast to the courtrooms of Cleveland for a closer look at how the justice system operates in less-celebrated cases.

In Wisconsin, Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey also remain behind bars. Convicted in 2007 of the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, their cases were the focus of Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi's Emmy-winning 2015 documentary series Making a Murderer. Its suggestion that Avery may have been framed for Halbach's murder and that Dassey, who was a particularly immature 16-year-old at the time of the murder, was coerced into confessing to assisting him, helped make their cases a cause celebre and even led to some misguided online petitions for the pair to receive a presidential pardon (something no president has the power to grant in a case involving state prisoners).

>>READ MORE: Netflix's 'Making a Murderer' making a splash

And as we see in the 10-episode Making a Murderer Part Two, which premiered on Netflix on Friday, Oct. 19, the first series helped Avery attract a new lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, who's made a specialty of representing  and winning freedom for  those she believes to have been wrongfully convicted.

Zellner, a made-for-TV character if ever I've seen one, must have looked like a godsend not just to Avery, who maintains he's innocent, but to Demos and Ricciardi. Colorful, confident, and supremely quotable, she has a Twitter feed with 158,000 followers and she's not afraid to use it. No question she's the most dynamic element in the four episodes Netflix made available to critics.

"I told Steven Avery the same thing I tell everyone: 'If you hire me, and you're guilty, trust me, I'll do a way better job than the prosecutors. I will find out if you're guilty. We do testing  we can't control the results. The results will be turned over to both sides. So really think about this. You would have to be an idiot to hire me to prove that you're guilty,' " Zellner says.

She's also insistent that she's not there to get Avery off on some technicality, as a college friend of Halbach's says he fears she might.

"Courts at this level aren't letting people out on technicalities. I would say to the people on the Avery case: If this case is solid, if he's guilty, I'll fail. So there's nothing to worry about. But if it's not solid, and someone else did it, then I'm going to overturn it  and it's also something to be glad about, that our system of justice allows for that," Zellner says.

Just how much room it allows for that, though, is a question in the new installment, whose exploration of the post-conviction process may be more relevant to our understanding of the judicial system than anything in the first series. Getting it right the first time really does matter, because do-overs are rare.

"Once somebody's convicted, they have to move mountains to get out of prison," says Laura Nirider, one of the lawyers representing Dassey in his bid for freedom. "Our task now is to upend an entire system which, by design, is now weighted in favor of the prosecutors, in favor of the state, in favor of keeping this conviction in place."

And that, says Steve Drizin, another of Dassey's lawyers, has gotten even harder since 1996 and the Clinton-era federal Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, which he calls "a direct response to the [1995] Oklahoma City bombing" by Timothy McVeigh.

The law, intentionally or not, "really tied the hands of federal court judges in the ways that they're allowed to review state court decisions," Drizin says.

How the justice system works, rather than how we kind of hope it works, has also been the focus of the third season of Serial, for which Koenig and reporter Emmanuel Dzotsi spent a year in and out of Cleveland's Justice Center, watching and recording courtroom proceedings, and chatting up prosecutors, defense lawyers, suspects, and others.

The impression I've had so far is that Cleveland's willingness to give Serial this level of access is the only remarkable thing about the way its justice system operates. And that's not great news.

Every week's a new story, though at least one, the case of the shooting death of 5-month-old Aavielle Wakefield, has had a continuing thread. Koenig isn't so much in sleuth mode here as she was in the case of Syed, but it's easy to hear the frustration she feels, both with the "no-snitch" culture that's likely protecting Aavielle's killer and with the detectives who settled, perhaps too easily, on suspect Davon Holmes, who spent a year in jail before charges were dropped.

"It's unsatisfying, I know," she says in the Oct. 11 episode, "Pleas Baby Pleas."

"The crime isn't solved. That's unsatisfying, obviously. But also, Davon sat accused for a year. That shouldn't have happened. When I asked around the Justice Center about it, people said, 'Yeah, that's a shame. But at least they corrected it.' No one was demanding an inquiry into what went wrong, or yowling for reform. No hand-wringing. It was more resignation, 'What're you gonna do?'

"Judges say they can't control what cases the prosecutors bring to them. Prosecutors say they're relying on the detectives. Detectives say their information is only as good as what the public coughs up  can they help it if people lie or withhold? I get it. When no one feels fully responsible for the outcome, when blame is spread out and diluted, a situation like Davon's becomes easier to shrug off."

Situations like Holmes' also are easier to shrug off because few people outside the system ever hear about them, and even fewer care to imagine themselves in the place of someone who acknowledges his criminal past even while denying he committed this particular crime.

If you're interested in protecting only the rights of perfect people, Holmes might not be a candidate for your sympathy.

Yet the same could be said of Avery, who, had filmmakers Demos and Ricciardi not come along, would likely be exactly where he is now, but with even less hope of ever leaving prison.

Maybe you still believe, as some of the people featured in Making a Murderer Part Two do, that Avery and Dassey are where they belong. But if you don't  if stories of potentially wrongful convictions and people falling through the cracks stir you to anger  one takeaway from this new season, and that of Serial, is that this is the system we've acquiesced to, one in which truth isn't necessarily a priority.

And it will take a lot more than online petitions to make it better.
At age 11, traveling through Europe in 1778, young John Quincy Adams was urged by his father, Ambassador John Adams, to write home to his mother, Abigail.

"My Pappa enjoins it upon me to keep a journal, or a diary, of the Events that happen to me, and of objects that I See, and of Characters that I converse with from day, to day," the boy wrote.

In his teens, he hesitated at the daily labor he later called "journalizing." His hand shook slightly when he wrote, similar to the tremors of his father  who called it "quiveration"  and cousin, Samuel Adams.

John Quincy's life soon proved so colorful he became a prolific diarist despite the tremor, writing 14,000 pages compiled in 51 volumes. He went on to become foreign minister and ambassador to multiple European countries including: Netherlands, Prussia, and later Russia. In 1802 he was elected to the U.S. Senate from his home state of Massachusetts and later served his country as a talented diplomat in Europe before returning home to become secretary of state, and author of the 1823 Monroe Doctrine.

The next year, after a multi-candidate race settled by a congressional vote that came to be known as the "corrupt bargain," John Quincy Adams became the sixth U.S. president at age 58. As president he proposed an infrastructure program including an interstate system of roads and canals and creation of a national university. He started the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in 1828 and finalized the Erie Canal connecting the Great Lakes to the Hudson River.

His hand tremor, meanwhile, noticeably progressed when he was in his mid-40s. The tremors tended to be worse while he was using his hands for eating, drinking and writing than when his hands were at rest. Eventually, he had difficulty writing and drawing figures, especially when he was tired or stressed.

What caused John Quincy Adams' progressive tremor?

Solution

After losing his bid for reelection in a bitter campaign against Andrew Jackson in 1828, John Quincy Adams suffered what some modern observers have labeled a major depressive disorder, and went home to Massachusetts to recover. Yet in a couple of years he was back in Washington serving in the House of Representatives.

Alcoholism and depression affected several members of Adams' family, as did tremors. The problems affected both sides of his family  his parents were third cousins, making a genetic cause of the tremor very likely.

Most neurology opinions have labeled the Adams family as having "essential tremor" or "benign essential tremor," the most common of all movement disorders, affecting about 10 million Americans. As with Adams, the tremors tend to be rhythmic, and get worse during purposeful movement. They can affect the hands, head, trunk, voice, and legs. This differs from Parkinson's tremor, which is worse at rest.

Essential tremor may start on one side of the body but becomes bilateral over years. The movements can be as frequent as four to eight times per second. The word "essential" refers to the fact that the cause of the tremor is unknown. About half of sufferers have at lest one family member who also has tremors.

Adams was in Congress for the rest of his life. He was a passionate supporter of free speech and universal education, and a vigorous opponent of slavery. His talent for argument earned him the nickname "Old Man Eloquent." Despite the tremors, he continued to write and published a volume of poetry. He has been considered the most scholarly U.S. president ever.

He suffered two strokes while in Congress; after the first in 1846, he recovered and returned a year later to Congress where he was greeted with a standing ovation. Two years later, while protesting the Mexican War, he had a second stroke and died on Feb. 23, 1848, at the age of 80.

Allan B. Schwartz, M.D., is a professor of medicine in the division of nephrology & hypertension at Drexel University College of Medicine.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who married in May, this week announced that their royal baby is due Read more

When Queen Elizabeth II was 37, she gave birth  to her fourth child.

The queen's 37-year-old granddaughter-in-law, Meghan Markle, announced this week that she's pregnant  with her first.

What a difference two generations make.

The Duchess of Sussex is the latest celebrity poster woman for two clashing realities. One is that the ability to bear children declines so rapidly that age 35 is the threshold for "advanced maternal age." At that point, both mom and baby face significantly higher risks of complications.

But the other reality is that women are delaying childbearing anyway.

The latest federal data showing that women are having fewer babies and at later ages was released this week. Over the last decade, women in rural areas and small towns have bolstered this trend, although it is most pronounced in metropolitan counties like Philadelphia, where the average age of first-time moms rose by almost two years, to just shy of 28.

At the same time, birth rates have been falling for 20-somethings and climbing for women in their 30s and 40s. Last year, 42 percent of the nation's 3.8 million births were to women in their 30s, according to federal data.

This seismic shift is seen in all Western countries. It is not driven by some environmental or political catastrophe a la The Handmaid's Tale. Mostly, it's because women can use birth control and legal abortion to postpone motherhood in favor of education and careers.

Still, the shift has inspired strident reactions. A lot of infertility specialists think women choose to ignore, or don't believe, that by age 35 they have only 3 percent of the eggs they were born with, and the supply and genetic quality go downhill fast after that. The experts blame the media for feeding willful ignorance by glorifying women like the duchess.

"The media portrayal of a youthful but older woman, able to schedule her reproductive needs and balance family and job, has fueled the myth that 'you can have it all,' rarely characterizing the perils inherent to advanced-age reproduction," Mark V Sauer, chair of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive science at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, wrote in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

Women, meanwhile, rankle at medical terminology that they feel shames them for having biological clocks.

Laura Kenney, writing in Self magazine, decried the "litany of quasi-ageist terms knocked-up over-35s are blasted with: There was 'advanced maternal age,' 'geriatric pregnancy,' and the fact that I was considered 'high-risk.'"

How much of a dive does fertility take after 35? That can be hard to tease out, since married couples' friskiness also tends to decrease with age. A classic French study got around this by following women who were inseminated up to 12 times because their husbands were sterile. A little more than half of the women older than 35 got pregnant, compared with three-quarters of those younger than 31.

For women who use in vitro fertilization, age is still an issue. The chance of a baby after one IVF cycle was 42 percent before age 35, compared with 32 percent for ages 35 to 37, and 22 percent for ages 38 to 40, according to fertility clinic data.

The perils of childbearing  including miscarriage, stillbirth, even maternal death  also increase after 35.

Then again, the risks are small compared to the chances of success, especially if the woman is in good health  not obese, hypertensive, diabetic, or a smoker.

"In my opinion, the health of the woman is the most important factor," said Zaher Merhi, a reproductive endocrinologist at New Hope Fertility Center in New York City.

Now that older mothers have become normal, insensitive terminology is fading, he and other experts say.

"The word geriatric inherently has the connotation of disease," Mehri said. "If she's 36 and healthy, her pregnancy is not geriatric."

Echoed University of Pennsylvania infertility specialist Christos Coutifaris, who is the immediate past president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine: "Geriatric puts on a label that is both inappropriate and inaccurate."

The challenge is finding a balance, said Thomas Jefferson University psychologist Andrea M. Braverman, who counsels infertile couples.

"On one hand, we don't want to pathologize delayed childbearing," she said. "On the other hand, we don't want to pretend women can do whatever they want whenever they want."

That goes even for royals. Markle, who married Prince Harry in May, is due in the spring.

"I'm glad she didn't wait," Braverman said.
This week, we enjoyed hearing from readers responding to our election text alerts with questions about gun control and gun rights. The following Q&A answers some of the questions readers asked over the course of the week.

How can I learn more about my local election?

Our guide to guns in the election highlighted a few Pennsylvania elections where guns have been a big issue. If you live in other districts, you can check out our voter guide, where you can choose your district and read an overview of local races. Just go here and enter any address in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Delaware, and we'll tell you who the candidates are. From there, you can do some research. Let's walk through it.

>> VOTERS GUIDE: View candidates in the 2018 midterm election based on your address, or browse all the action in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware

I know who's running. How can I tell what their views are on guns?

Here are a few key things to look for when figuring out someone's gun position.

Support for the following measures generally indicates a candidate favors gun control: universal background checks, raising the age for buying semiautomatic weapons to 21, a bill allowing families to take out temporary firearms restraining orders against relatives in mental crisis, banning bump stocks or conversion devices, renewing the assault weapons ban, banning high-capacity magazines, and funding a gun violence study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Candidates opposed to stricter gun laws usually oppose those measures, indicate support for the Second Amendment, and support concealed-carry reciprocity, stand-your-ground laws, and arming teachers or officers in schools. Both groups support some school-safety measures, but many gun-control candidates oppose arming teachers in favor of changing gun laws. Read news articles and candidate interviews to find out who supports any of these measures.

Visit candidates' websites and read the "issues" or "priorities" page, where they usually list their top concerns. Many mention guns; if not, that might signal that they don't consider the issue a priority.

Look at endorsements of groups whose values you identify with. Candidates backed by any of the major gun-control groups generally have pledged to champion the issue and vote for gun control bills. Candidates endorsed by the National Rifle Association or other gun-rights groups typically would vote against such bills. You can check endorsements here (for some, you select your state or address first to see the candidates in your area):

National Rifle Association

Gun Owners of America

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence

Everytown for Gun Safety

Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidates

Pennsylvania-specific:

CeaseFire PA

Firearms Owners Against Crime

Is it true that gun-control issues are split down party lines?

Often, but not always. It's true that in general, the issue has traditionally split in a partisan fashion: More Republicans oppose gun control while more Democrats support it. More Republicans are endorsed by gun-rights groups, while more Democratic candidates sought a Brady Campaign endorsement this year.

In an April poll by Quinnipiac University, 24 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of Democrats said they support stricter gun laws; 70 percent of Republicans and 14 percent of Democrats said they oppose stricter gun laws. Fifty-six percent of Democrats and 2 percent of Republicans said the issue of gun violence made them more likely to vote for a Democrat; 48 percent of Republicans and no Democrats said it made them more likely to vote for a Republican.

But there are always exceptions, and some measures, such as background checks, have garnered bipartisan support. In the Philadelphia region, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Bucks County, a Republican, has been endorsed by all three major gun violence-prevention groups, and Republican Greg McCauley, running to represent Chester County in Congress, supports some of the gun-control bills touted by his Democratic opponent, Chrissy Houlahan.

Short answer: Do a few minutes of Googling rather than relying solely on a candidate's party designation.

Are any new gun-related policies up for a vote in the election?

No. Neither Pennsylvania nor New Jersey has any statewide gun-related ballot questions. This election could influence national gun policy by changing the makeup of the U.S. House (and possibly state legislatures in some places): If gun-control candidates become a majority in the House, that would increase the likelihood of passing gun-control legislation.

You can still sign up for our election alerts by texting the word ELECTION to 215-544-3038. Next week, the texts will break down how the economy, jobs, and taxes are playing out in campaigns.
Unidentified man was fatally shot in Vineland by a law-enforcement officer on Thursday. Read more

A 19-year-old Millville man was fatally shot by a law-enforcement officer Thursday afternoon in Cumberland County, state authorities said.

Around 3:30 p.m., detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and Lower Township Police Department were in the parking lot of Just Four Wheels vehicle rentals at 2587 S. Delsea Dr. in Vineland "conducting a law enforcement operation" when a detective shot Jacob Servais, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said in a statement.

Servais, who was identified on Friday, was taken by ambulance to Inspira Medical Center in Vineland, where he was pronounced dead. None of the detectives were hurt.

The shooting was being investigated by the Attorney General's Shooting Response Team.
Authorities have identified a Cumberland County, N.J., man who was killed in a police-involved shooting Thursday in a parking lot in Vineland.

Jacob Servais, 19, of Millville, was shot around 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the lot of Just Four Wheels Car, Truck & Van Rental on South Delsea Drive, the state Attorney General's Office said. The shooting occurred when detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and Lower Township police "encountered" Servais, authorities said in a statement.

Servais was shot by one of the detectives, the statement said. The detectives were conducting a law enforcement operation at the scene in Cumberland County, according to the statement.

Servais was transported by ambulance to Inspira Medical Center in Vineland, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. None of the detectives was injured.

Few details surrounding the shooting or the nature of the law enforcement activity in the area were released. Peter Aseltine, a spokesman for Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal, declined to comment Friday and said no additional information would be released.

The Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and Lower Township police did not respond to inquiries seeking comment. The names of the officers, how many were involved in the shooting, or their statuses were not released.

The shooting is under investigation by the Attorney General's Shooting Response Team to determine if the use of deadly force was justified. Under state guidelines, the case may be presented to a grand jury for review.

This is the second fatal police-involved shooting in Vineland in three months.

In July, Rashaun Washington, 37, was shot and killed by Vineland police after a stand-off outside his home. Washington told officers that he was holding an explosive device wrapped in a shirt, according to body camera footage.

>>READ MORE: Vineland man shot by police said he was holding a bomb

An attorney for Washington's family questioned the police account and called Washington's death a "senseless killing." The Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office is investigating and will issue a report that will be reviewed by the Attorney General's Office.

>>READ MORE: Man fatally shot by detective in Vineland
Lore Smith and George Pikunis died Tuesday night when a fire ripped through the home they shared in Browns Mills, Burlington County. Read more

A 59-year-old man was charged Friday with causing the deaths of his 92-year-old mother and her male companion in a house fire Tuesday night in Burlington County, authorities said.

Kurt Smith allegedly was acting in a reckless manner with a cigarette lighter in the garage of the home in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township when the blaze erupted that killed Lore Smith and George Pikunis, also 92.

Smith was airlifted to Temple University Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. He was served Friday with the charges  two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and one count of third-degree arson  at the hospital and will be taken into custody by Philadelphia authorities when he is discharged. Smith will then face an extradition proceeding for his return to New Jersey.

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Pemberton Township Police Chief David H. Jantas said in a statement that investigators learned that Smith was in the garage of the house in the 500 block of Willow Boulevard around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday with two other people "when he acted in a reckless manner and ignited flammable material with a cigarette lighter."

No details were released on what that manner might have been or who the other two people were.

Smith, who lived in the home with his mother and Pikunis, tried to put the fire out but could not, and it quickly spread once the garage door was opened. The two other people in the garage were not identified. They were not hurt.

Firefighters equipped with breathing gear pulled Pikunis, Smith, and his mother from the burning house. Pikunis was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lore Smith was transported to Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center at Deborah Hospital and pronounced dead.

It took firefighters an hour to get the fire under control.
Keir Neuringer, a member of Philadelphia's Books Through Bars collective, sorts through packages of books that were supposed to go out to Pennsylvania prison inmates but were held back in September, 2018, after the Department of Corrections stopped allowing direct book donations. Read more

Forty-five days after launching a slew of unprecedented and controversial security measures across state prisons, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is calling the initiative a success: The number of drug finds, inmates' positive drug tests, and misconducts written for drug-related activity all were cut in half or close to it. The department also credited the new security protocols with a slight decline in the number of assaults in prisons.

The department also announced a number of new policies meant to answer criticisms by advocates, inmates, and families, who have railed against measures like the elimination of direct book purchases and book donations to inmates, a procedure that provides inmates with photocopies of their legal mail rather than the originals, and a $15.8 million, three-year, no-bid emergency contract to divert all other inmate mail to a company in Florida to be scanned and digitally forwarded.

Among those solutions: free dictionaries for every inmate who wants one, paid for out of funds collected from inmate purchases; a new secure email system for legal mail; and a centralized book-donation hub.

"One of the most-discussed policies is mail, especially books," Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said Friday in a statement. "We hear what inmates, advocates, and families are saying; we listened, and are addressing those concerns."

Advocates, though, are not impressed with the preliminary plan  and a representative of Books Through Bars, the Philadelphia-based book-donation program, said it would not participate.

>>READ MORE: PA prisons' unprecedented security crackdown: 5 things you need to know

Bret Grote, a lawyer with the Abolitionist Law Center  which along with the Pennsylvania ACLU and the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project has warned the department of a likely federal lawsuit over the legal mail policy  called the notion of a secure legal email service "an outrage." He said it comes no closer to protecting attorney-client privilege than the policy of photocopying inmate mail.

"The Department of Corrections needs to stop restricting our ability to use the mail to communicate with our clients," he said. "The DOC acknowledges they have zero evidence any attorneys are attempting to send in contraband via legal mail, and if any individual attorney were to do that, then that individual should be held to account. An email system is not adequately secured. Attorneys should never be in a position where all of our communications with our clients are being run through a digital platform controlled by the government and, in many cases, our adversaries in court."

He referenced reports from a few years ago that Securus  the company with the Pennsylvania prisons phone contract  recorded supposedly confidential attorney-client phone calls, and that those recordings were exposed in a massive data breach. Securus denied that there was any evidence privileged communications were recorded.

The department also reported a decline in staff illnesses related to exposure to synthetic cannabinoids since the security measures began. Experts in medical toxicology, as well as some emergency-department directors at Pennsylvania hospitals where the staff were treated, argued such exposures are improbable. They suggested those illness were likely triggered by anxiety rather than by any toxic exposure.

Keir Neuringer, a member of Books Through Bars, said he would likely not participate in a DOC-run book donation program, in which the Department would gather inmates' requests by genre and then send them to donation programs to be fulfilled.

"We're not volunteering to work for the DOC for free," he said. And, he said, a request for a genre, like black history, is not the same as a letter from an inmate that articulates a specific area of interest, like memoirs by 1960s civil rights leaders. "We scrutinize these letters. We're trying to help people further their transformation, not just fill in these requests in a kind of meaningless way, which is what the DOC's proposed solution looks like.  It cuts off our communication with incarcerated people. And that is a violation of our First Amendment right and that won't stand."

He added that there's a reason dictionaries are the most-requested book: the dictionaries the DOC offers through the commissary are insufficient.

"'I need a dictionary that has more words'  that's common refrain," he said.

Above all, though, critics are not convinced that these measures were necessary in the first place. "These books-to-prisoners programs provide a great service and they're run by caring volunteers," Sean Damon of the Amistad Law Project, which has helped organize families against the new policies. "The DOC has conducted no investigation and provided no proof that staff were exposed to any substances through these book-donation programs."
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro speaks to victims of clergy abuse outside the doors of the state Senate on Wednesday. Read more

HARRISBURG  A complicated game of calculus ensued Thursday after the Senate failed during its last voting session to reach any agreement on changes that would allow victims of child sexual abuse to file lawsuits for decades-old damage.

Was there still a glimmer of hope, or was the "window" to temporarily loosen the civil statute of limitations to allow lawsuits closed? Nobody seemed certain.

Everything screeched to a halt about 11 p.m. Wednesday as support seemed to teeter for a compromise measure championed by Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R., Jefferson). The plan would have given some clergy abuse victims two years in which to sue for decades-old abuse  but only to sue their abusers, not the institutions that may have ignored or covered up the crimes.

That was unacceptable to the victims and their supporters in the Senate, so neither Scarnati's plan nor the House-passed bill temporarily opening up liability to institutions such as the Catholic Church went anywhere.

"If he added one word  institutions  last night, we would have been done," State Rep. Mark Rozzi (D., Berks), a clergy abuse survivor, said of the Scarnati proposal. "One word added to it, and  we would have sent it to the governor's desk."

On Thursday, as news broke that federal authorities had subpoenaed every Roman Catholic diocese in the state, and as some senators' election opponents began hammering them, there were no obvious signs of progress.

"We are in a stalemate and looking for some options and compromises from the other side," said Drew Crompton, chief of staff to Scarnati and the Senate's top attorney, referring to opponents of the proposal.

Scarnati, following what was described as a rare defeat, could choose to call senators back for additional voting days, and his GOP counterparts in the House have put some pressure on him to do so. They left their members on call if needed to negotiate or vote.

Some senators on Thursday said they were open to returning for a vote after Nov. 6, when they thought the political tide could change. One of them was Sen. Tommy Tomlinson (R., Bucks), who said he would be willing to vote for a measure that holds both the perpetrators and the institutions accountable.

Scarnati could also choose to run out the clock, allowing the session to end without taking action. If that happens, the measure would have to start from scratch in the new year. Both the House and Senate will have new members  due to retirements, deaths or election defeats  and a fresh game of vote-counting will begin.

Victims, their advocates, and Attorney General Josh Shapiro have vowed to keep pushing for the full implementation of all four recommendations suggested by the state grand jury that investigated widespread abuse in the Catholic Church over seven decades.

Current law bars a victim of sexual abuse as a child from filing suit after age 30. The most contentious grand jury proposal was for a two-year window allowing older victims to sue.

As the Senate wound down the final moments of its session Wednesday night, Shapiro, victims and a slew of legislators gathered on the marble steps inside the Capitol Rotunda.

"Some of these victims behind me have waited decades for justice," said Shapiro, a Democrat. He called on senators to return, "do their job and pass these reforms."

Then he turned to the victims and said, "I will never ever leave your side, and I will always be here with you."

Democratic Sen. Vincent Hughes of Philadelphia described Wednesday night's setback as a "momentary blip."

He called on voters to reach out to their senators and said that if a bill hasn't been passed by Election Day, "remember, remember who stood up for the victims. Remember who walked away from this."

Some other Democrats were already taking the cue. On Thursday afternoon, Ezra Nanes, who is challenging Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre), accused Corman of walking away from victims and called him "guilty in his deafening silence."

Corman's position on the bill has been hard to decipher. He did not answer reporters' questions about his stance on the Scarnati proposal.

Rozzi said he met with Corman as negotiations were unfolding but left with no indications as to where the senator stood. "The public has the right to know where he stands on this issue," Rozzi said.

Corman was not available Thursday. His spokesperson, Jennifer Kocher, said he was working to find a compromise on the bill. "There has been enough positioning on this bill, and it's time to focus on the victims," she said.

Scarnati's positions were clearer. After the Senate left late Wednesday, he gathered reporters in his office as he defended his proposal and insisted that despite claims by others, it had enough votes to pass.

"As the pro tem here, I've learned how to count, and I know how to count, and that's my job here," he said, his hoarse voice occasionally catching.

He noted that his proposal adds in other recommendations of the grand jury  including penalties for failing to report child abuse and another declaring that nondisclosure agreements cannot prevent someone from speaking to law enforcement. It also includes another proposal lobbied for by the church  a victims' compensation fund.

Scarnati noted that there have been dozens of victims inside the Capitol for weeks, but said he's heard from others in his home district.

"There's hundreds of them, hundreds of them, that don't want to live this pain in a public forum," he said.
The car of the suspect who police say shot Rithina Torn, 29, of Philadelphia, during a road-rage dispute on Oct. 15, 2018. Read more

The hunt continues for a driver who fatally shot a Philadelphia man several times during a road-rage episode in Cheltenham on Monday night, authorities said Friday.

Investigators have determined that the shooter drove a black or dark-colored sedan and fled after shooting Rithina Torn, 29, of Olney, multiple times around 9:30 at Dewey Road and Front Street. Police say Torn got out of his car, walked to the shooter's car, and was shot.

Authorities said they also were seeking two other motorists who drove through the intersection immediately after the shooting.

On Friday, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office released two short, grainy surveillance footage clips that show the shooter's car driving through the dark with its high-beam lights on. Authorities did not specify the car's possible make or model.

Before the shooting, authorities said that the shooter drove west from Cheltenham Avenue onto Bellmawr Avenue and Dewey.

Torn died of his injuries at Einstein Medical Center.

Authorities ask that anyone with information about the shooting call Cheltenham police at 215-885-1600 or the Montgomery County Detective Bureau at 610-278-3368.
Mary Kane, an 85-year-old widow, who lives in Chester Springs is shown in her home on Monday October, 15 2018. Kane paid $4,750 to join Philadelphia Singles, a matchmaking company and has not heard from the company after repeated calls about their neglect to honor her requests. Read more

They say all's fair in love and war, but Mary Kane, an 85-year-old widow from Chester Springs, says she can't help but feel scammed by a Philly dating firm that charged her $4,750 (down from the original $7,000 price tag) for a suitor she didn't even ask for, leaving her to question the service's ethics. But ethically dubious baggage won't keep New Jersey voters from casting their ballots along party lines in races that mirror Minnesota's. Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, federal prosecutors have launched a probe into the state's Catholic Church in an unprecedented inquiry into whether decades of clergy sex abuse and the ensuing cover-up constituted any federal crimes.

Reading this online? Sign up here to get this newsletter delivered to your inbox every morning.

 Oona Goodin-Smith (@oonagoodinsmith, morningnewsletter@philly.com)

 READ MORE: This Philly dating service charged an 85-year-old widow $4,750 for one suitor

Dating is hard these days, and many are turning to apps and matchmaking services to help find a spark. But not all Cupids are created equal, leaving some love-seekers feeling set up.

For Mary Kane, an 85-year-old widow from Chester Springs, $4,750 seemed like a steep price to pay to King of Prussia-based Philadelphia Singles, but the firm promised her at least seven "wonderful men" and pressured her into signing a contract, she says.

And while she specifically requested a highly-educated partner, Kane was paired with one man and one man only  an 81-year-old without a college education.

Consumer reporter Christian Hetrick dives into the world of matchmaking services, providing you the pitfalls of paid assistance when it comes to courtship.

 READ MORE: In two House races, a map of rural-suburban divides, and a changing political landscape

In Minnesota's Eighth District  which includes the state's vast mining range  Republicans feel they have their best bet to gain a Democratically-held seat next month and counter punch losses elsewhere. Two and half hours south, though, GOP incumbents in affluent suburbs are running for their political lives, and educated women are leading a Democratic surge that, they hope, changes power in the U.S. House .

What does any of this have to do with our region? All too much.

Reporter Jonathan Tamari said his visit to the two districts last week mirrors races throughout New Jersey and Chester County, providing a look at the geographic polarization that is shaping much of American politics, and already split many states, including Pennsylvania, into deep blue pockets around cities, wide red swaths elsewhere, and little overlap.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, it looks as though bribery allegations and ethical baggage won't keep voters from casting their ballots along party lines. And in Bucks County, officials are scrambling to find enough poll workers to staff Election Day stations.

Want to stay up-to-date on our area's weird and wild world of politics as we count down to midterms? Let award-winning reporter Holly Otterbein be your guide with the weekly Clout newsletter.

 READ MORE: Federal authorities launch probe into Pa. Catholic church

Less than a day after the Pennsylvania Senate failed to take action on allowing victims of sexual abuse to file lawsuits for decades-old damage, U.S. prosecutors are investigating the church whose sweeping scandal prompted the bill.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has subpoenaed every Roman Catholic diocese in Pennsylvania for a trove of records, opening a potentially unprecedented inquiry into whether decades of clergy sex abuse and the ensuing cover-up constituted any federal crimes, from the possession of child pornography to transporting children across state lines for the purposes of engaging in sex.

With the Senate gone until January without resolution on the bill to allow sexual abuse victims to sue their attackers and the institutions that housed them, it's unclear what will happen to the legislation.

What you need to know today

Through Your Eyes | #OurPhilly

"All I'm saying is the song would've been a lot better if he sang 'Philly, Philly' instead of 'New York, New York.'"  @jpoakes_photography

Tag your Instagram posts or tweets with #OurPhilly and we'll pick our favorite each day to feature in this newsletter and give you a shout out!

Thats Interesting

It's official: what was once the Electric Factory will henceforth be known as Franklin Music Hall, but don't worry, the venue will still accept tickets under its former alias.

There is such thing as a free lunch today in University City, where the new Steve's Prince of Steaks will hand out cheesesteaks, fries, and sodas, and I-CE-NY and Creamery Cafe will give away free desserts around the corner. Don't say we didn't tell you.

You may have already gone Behind the Walls at the Eastern State Penitentiary's haunted house this season, but do you know what it's like behind the scenes? Reporter Grace Dickinson peels back the cobwebbed curtain to give a look inside the lives of the actors often working second and third jobs and sleepless nights to scare the masses.

There are pens, and then there are $50,000 luxury gold "Chaos" pens emerging from CGI skeletons, swords, and flames. Sylvester Stallone, apparently, prefers the latter.

Opinions

"After betraying victims, the Senate slunk out of Harrisburg to get on the campaign trail. They have a lot of nerve asking for your votes when they couldn't even vote to help victims of abuse."  The Inquirer Editorial Board on the Pennsylvania Senate leaving the Capitol for its last session day  The Inquirer Editorial Board on the Pennsylvania Senate leaving the Capitol for its last session day without taking a vote on allowing a window for victims of sexual abuse too old to sue their abusers the ability to file civil claims.

The most frustrating thing about President Trump is that he shows bullying, too often, can get you where you want, says columnist Will Bunch.

The quiet closure of Philly's Special Victims Unit due to mold is frustrating, wrong, and a disservice to child victims of sexual assault, writes columnist Ronnie Polaneczky.

What were reading

How much of your Philadelphia neighborhood can you get to without getting behind the wheel? Check out PlanPhilly's map, where the walkability of your community can be tied to some surprising statistics.

Because we're all looking for warm and fuzzy moments these days: Philly Voice reports this West Chester high schooler has compiled a book filled with feel-good stories about owners adopting their four-legged best friends. I'm not crying, you're crying.

Before Turkish reports say he was brutally murdered and dismembered, missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi wrote one last column for the Washington Post, underlining the importance of a free press in the Arab world.

Can ex-felons in America ever really get a second chance? Attorney and author Reginald Dwayne Betts pens his personal tale post-prison in the New York Times Magazine.

Your Daily Dose of | Cranberry

New Jersey's cranberry farmers are up against some berry bitter competition when it comes to selling the fruit, but they've got their fingers crossed that Chinese tariffs aimed at Paul Ryan don't bog them down.
In this March 22, 2018, file photo, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis at the Pentagon in Washington. In a kingdom once ruled by an-ever aging rotation of elderly monarchs, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stands out. Read more

If, as appears increasingly likely, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, then he has joined Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un among the ranks of rogue leaders who assassinate their critics on foreign soil. The only difference is that the Russian president and North Korean leader weren't reckless and stupid enough to kill their opponents inside their own consulates.

The disappearance of Khashoggi is a horrific crime. His loss will be felt deeply for those who cherish freedom of expression and believe that all people, including those in the Arab world, deserve to be free.

>> READ MORE: Will Trump let Saudis get away with alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi? | Trudy Rubin

Khashoggi's disappearance is also a betrayal of President Trump. Upon taking office, Trump made Saudi Arabia his first foreign trip and put his new administration's reputation and prestige behind the crown prince and his reforms. The crown prince, or MBS, as he is widely known, has possibly repaid those efforts by brutally killing a permanent U.S. resident. His betrayal has now put Trump in an impossible bind. The president must now find a way to reconcile three sets of irreconcilable facts:

Fact No. 1: The United States can't simply ignore or sweep Khashoggi's death under the table. Even if Trump wants to do so, Congress won't let him  nor should it. There must be consequences.

Fact No. 2: MBS is not going anywhere. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy. He is the son of the king. He has spent the past few years systematically eliminating his rivals and consolidating power. The idea that a new leader is going to emerge to replace him is not realistic. And if, by chance, such a leader did emerge, it would likely be someone who wants to roll back the crown prince's efforts to rein in the religious establishment, clean up corruption, and open up Saudi society. Be careful what you wish for.

Fact No. 3: We need Saudi Arabia, less as a source of oil  the fracking revolution has dramatically expanded our energy independence  than as a counterweight to Iran, which is the main strategic menace to U.S. interests in the region. Saudi Arabia is our most important ally in countering that threat. No other country in the Middle East can play that role. A permanent breach with Saudi Arabia is not an acceptable outcome.

How does Trump reconcile these three irreconcilable realities? The answer is: He can't. The result is going to be unpleasant and unsatisfying.

Many Democrats taking shots at the president as he tries to figure out a path forward need to check their hypocrisy. As my American Enterprise Institute colleague Danielle Pletka pointed out, "If you can't restrain yourself from blaming Trump, spare a moment to blame [President Barack] Obama for the war in Syria," where more than 470,000 men, women, and children have died while the United States has stood by and done nothing. If you had a role in Middle East policy in the past eight years, that finger you are pointing at the Trump administration has blood dripping off it.

>> READ MORE: Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance: 12 cartoonists on Trump's response, the Saudi prince and more

So, what is going to happen? While we do need Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia also needs us. Trump said that he has told King Salman that Saudi Arabia would not last "two weeks" without U.S. military support. He's right. We saved the Saudis from Saddam Hussein's aggression and now protect them from Iran's.

Moreover, the United States has other leverage. Trump should make clear that Saudi Arabia's actions have squandered the once bipartisan support in Congress for the kingdom  and that, unlike Saudi Arabia, the United States is not a monarchy. Congress has a say in our Middle East policy. It can impose costs on Saudi Arabia, by blocking military aid and arms sales. A bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to Trump calling for an investigation under the Magnitsky Act  a U.S. law that mandates sanctions, including travel restrictions and freezing assets, of foreign individuals who have committed gross violations of human rights.

Magnitsky sanctions would have real teeth, because members of the royal family love to travel outside the Arabian Peninsula, where they can do things they cannot do at home. If MBS wants to avoid a rupture in relations, then he must accept responsibility and make restitution. He must acknowledge that he understands the gravity of this mistake  that he has made Saudi Arabia an international pariah, and is willing to do what is necessary to dig himself out of that hole through steps such as the release of political prisoners. And he must commit to stopping this kind of brutal behavior. Because his professed desire to modernize Saudi Arabia is incompatible with the medieval horrors that apparently took place in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Marc Thiessen writes a twice-weekly column for the Washington Post on foreign and domestic policy and contributes to the PostPartisan blog. He is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush. @marcthiessen
The Constitution Pipeline ordered most of the 30-inch diameter pipe it would need to build a 124-mile Marcellus Shale natural gas pipeline after federal regulators approved the project in 2014. The pipeline would start in Northeast Pennsylvania and terminate near Albany. Read more

In 2014, I stormed the stage of the live televised debate of the Democratic gubernatorial candidates. I had been waiting for months for a real discussion about one of the gravest threats to the health of Pennsylvanians and the planet, and I had not heard it mentioned. No one was talking about fracking.

Four years later, I've grown up a little, and I'm learning about public policy as part of my graduate degree. The world has learned a lot more about fracking in that time, too: its dangers and its effects. But as the Oct. 1 debate, moderated by Alex Trebek, between incumbent Tom Wolf and Republican challenger Scott Wagner, showed, unfortunately, our state's leaders have learned almost nothing. They continue to remain silent on the terrible impacts of fracking in Pennsylvania. Worse, they are not even asking the right questions.

Let's start with what is now clearly known about fracking.

The first question should be: Can fracking be done safely without toxic pollution of the surrounding environment and threats to human health? The answer is no. There is now ample peer-reviewed academic research on the subject. A moratorium on additional drilling and new permits should be immediate. There are nearly 9,000 wells permitted to be drilled and more applications come in every day. That is in addition to the 11,000 unconventional wells already drilled to date in Pennsylvania.

What is not known  and what any person proposing to lead Pennsylvania should be demanding an answer to  is a clear accounting of the health and safety impacts of active and previously drilled wells and the costs imposed on our communities. There should be a tax on existing fracking operations to cover the costs of damage done, and for the necessary, ongoing oversight and maintenance of wells after they have been drilled.

To decide a reasonable tax rate, common sense dictates that the cost of damage from fracking needs to be quantified. Right now, we can't accurately assess what amount of money would be needed to offset the cost of fracking to taxpayers. We haven't done that assessment in Pennsylvania or in any other state. Not on the community level, the county level, or the state level.

We also need to account for the damage fracking is doing to our climate, which significantly impacts Pennsylvania. The United Nations climate report issued last week makes more clear than ever the need to phase out dirty fossil fuels as quickly as possible. Methane released from fracking in drilling, transport, and end use is a potent greenhouse gas in its own right. When methane impacts are factored in, fracking is not producing a so-called "clean" bridge fuel to a clean energy future. It is instead a heavy contributor to climate change, while its false promise of clean energy is undermining the political will to transition more quickly away from dirty fuels to a renewable energy economy.

It's easy to see this as an issue solely of concern to communities where drilling is happening. But we know from evidence that toxins migrate beyond their point of origin. Whether you're from a city, a suburb, or a rural area, the costs of fracking will be borne by all Pennsylvanians, and the damage to the climate will be borne by everyone. The powerful corporations behind fracking have worked hard to quiet this debate. But collectively, we have the power to resist them by speaking up directly to our elected officials at their offices, at their political campaign events, and yes, maybe even on stage during a debate.

Gas-drilling companies are getting rich off the mineral, community, and human resources of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. And they are using that wealth to buy the politicians who should be protecting us. A hefty extraction tax is, quite literally, the least our leaders can do to ensure we are compensated for loss, damages, and future well maintenance costs. However, the only path to long-term prosperity for Pennsylvania is through a transition from dirty fuels to a clean energy economy. We deserve elected officials who care about our children and grandchildren and will focus on locally made clean energy to wean us off of costly, dirty out-of-date fuels.

Elizabeth Arnold is a Philadelphian pursuing a master of science in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Prior to grad school, she was both an electrician and political organizer.


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...
Delhi's Patiala House Court on Friday dismissed the bail plea of former Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Rakesh Pandey's son Ashish Pandey. The court further sent him to judicial custody till October 22.

On October 14, Ashish, who had brandished a pistol at guests and threatened them at Delhis five-star Hyatt Regency Hotel in a viral video, was formally arrested by Delhi Police minutes after he surrendered before a court here.

Delhi's Patiala House Court, which allowed Ashish's plea for surrender, granted 20 minutes to Delhi Police for interrogating him in connection with the case. The court later remanded Ashish to one-day police custody.

Delhi Police had earlier moved a plea seeking 4-day custody of the accused.

Ashish had been on the run after a video showing him brandishing a gun and threatening guests, including Gaurav Kanwar, son of a former Congress MLA, outside Hyatt Regency Hotel on October 14 went viral.

A surrender application, filed through lawyer SPM Tripathi claimed that Pandey, the son of former BSP lawmaker Rakesh Pandey, has been wrongly framed in the FIR and subjected to a media trial.

It further said Pandey is ready to submit before the court voluntarily and the police may be directed to take him into custody if required.

Earlier while speaking to ANI, Ashish had claimed that he did not threaten anyone and he was being framed in the case.

Im being projected like Im a wanted terrorist and police across the nation is looking for me. Look Out Circular has been issued against me. If you check CCTV footage, youll find who went to ladies toilet that night and who threatened whom,'Ashish said.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav has said that he does not support posters depicting him as lord Ram and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as Ravana. The Yadav scion, however, added that the development calls for Nitish Kumar to introspect.

Taking to microblogging site Twitter, the leader of opposition in Bihar Assembly said that the Janata Dal United (JDU) chief should think about the promises he has allegedly broken, reiterating that people are angry with him.

Tweeting in Hindi, the Yadav scion said, I do not support such photographs, but at the same time Nitish ji will have to think as to why people are so angry with him. What is the reason? He will have to listen to his inner voice and introspect about whatever promises he has broken. He needs to think about the anger of people.

This came after the RJD officially clarified that the posters were not put up to belittle the Chief Minister.

The posters, bearing the signature and image of RJD leader Anand Yadav, who is said to be associated with the party's disaster management cell, were put up at the state headquarters in Birchand Patel Marg and in front of Tejashwi Yadav's official residence on Circular Road, a stone's throw away from the chief minister's house.

The posters were also inscribed with a slogan in Hindi, borrowing a verse from the Bhagavad Gita, "Whenever Ravana has committed atrocities, a Rama has incarnated". The words 'Samvidhan Bachao Nyay Yatra' were displayed in bold font on the posters, which were an obvious appeal to the people to support Tejashwi Yadav on the next leg of his public interaction programme, scheduled to begin later this month.

Besides the ruling JDU, RJDs ally Congress party also criticised the posters.

JDU spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said that Nitish Kumar had acquired goodwill over his tenure as Bihar Chief Minister, challenging the RJD to "get a referendum as to who is Ravana in the eyes of the people of Bihar and who is Ram".
A suspected pro-Khalistan group member, who was involved in a plot allegedly to kill former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, was arrested in Shamli district, police said Friday. The accused, Karam Singh, was arrested Thursday, Circle Officer Rajesh Kumar Tiwari said.

"Punjab Police and UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) teams are investigating the case," said ASP Ajay Pratap Singh.

Meanwhile, Jarman Singh, who was arrested Thursday in Rajasthan Bikaner's district, in connection with the case would be brought here and sent to police remand, the CO said. He is the leader of a pro-Khalistani module that had allegedly attacked police personnel and looted their rifles on October 2 in Shamli district.

Three others accused in the case were sent to ten-days remand by the court, the police officer said. The three men were arrested in connection with the October 2 incident. They had revealed that they were linked to militant group Khalistan Liberation Front and had planned to attack Badal during his political rallies.

Khalistan Liberation Front and planned to attack former chief minister Badal during his political rallies.

On Thursday, The Rajasthan Police arrested pro-Khalistani member Jarman Singh from a Gurudwara in Bikaner's Kolayat, police said. "We received some inputs from the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Punjab police about Jarman Singh who was hiding in Bikaner. On the basis of that, the accused was traced and nabbed in a Gurudwara in Kolayat area," Bikaner IG Dinesh M N told PTI.

He said Singh is wanted by the ATS of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh police. "The accused is the leader of a pro-Khalistani module that had attacked and looted two rifles from policemen in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district on October 2 and was also planning to target form CM of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal," he said, adding, that the arrested accused will be handed over to the Punjab ATS.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday warned about the landslide blocking of Yarlung Zangbo/Brahmaputra River in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Districts along the Brahmaputra river in Arunachal Pradesh have been put on high alert for possible flash floods.

The MEA said that they are in constant touch with the Chinese side about updates on the landslide.

Based on the information provided by China, all relevant authorities of the Central and State governments have been informed about the emerging situation.

The authorities are taking precautionary measures in this regard, news agency ANI reported.

A senior official of the Union Water Resources Ministry said the flood water is likely to reach Arunachal Pradesh by Friday night.

Chinese Embassy spokesperson Counselor Ji Rong said that his country has activated the 'Emergency Information Sharing Mechanism' with India following the landslide on Wednesday morning near Jiala Village in Milin County in the lower ranges of Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet.

Yarlung Tsangpo river is called Siang when it enters Arunachal Pradesh and the Brahmaputra in Assam.

The Indian official said, "They (China) first informed us on Wednesday about the landslide and creation of an artificial lake. Water is over-topping (breaching). It will reach Arunachal Pradesh and cross the high flood level by Friday night."

The reason cited behind the landslide was "natural causes".

The official added that districts along Siang (Brahmaputra) in Arunachal Pradesh have been put on high alert.

The water will cross "high flood mark" and the situation is being monitored at the highest level, the official added.

"The data is being shared on hourly basis," the official said.

Ji said the Hydrological Bureau of Tibet Autonomous Region has begun to share with the Indian side hydrological information every hour, such as the water level and flow rate at the Nuxia hydrological station and the temporary hydrological station downstream of the barrier lake.

The Chinese side will closely monitor situation of the barrier lake, and continue to notify the Indian side the follow-up developments through bilaterally agreed channels timely, he said.

The Chinese side has been keeping close communication with the Indian side on Yarlung Tsangpo River hydrological information, reflecting another positive gesture of implementing the Wuhan consensus between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ji said.

In April this year, President Xi and Prime Minister Modi reached important consensus on promoting China-India all-round cooperation during the informal summit in Wuhan.

Sources said the landslide has occurred at a very remote location which is physically inaccessible. They said the Chinese side is extending all cooperation in sharing relevant information with India.

(With Agency Inputs)
At least 58 people have died and more than 70 injured after being mowed down by a fast-moving train in Punjab's Amritsar.

The incident occurred on Friday when people went to witness the burning of Ravana effigy near Dhobi Ghat area of Amritsar. News agency ANI reported that a train ran into a burning effigy of Ravana.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved Rs 2 lakhs for the kin of those deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured in Amritsar train accident.

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh approved Rs 5 lakh for the family of deceased. Punjab CM has ordered an inquiry into the accident.

State mourning has been declared in Punjab on Saturday. All educational institutions and offices will be closed.

Crowd of Dussehra revellers, who had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of a Ravana effigy, was run over by the train in Amritsar.

#WATCH The moment when DMU train 74943 ran over people who were watching #Dussehra celebrations in Choura Bazar near #Amritsar (Source Unverified) pic.twitter.com/XJN37vB0md  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

The train was coming from Jalandhar. The incident happened at Joda Phatak where at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the railway tracks.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Punjab police personnel were deployed at the site of the accident to help in rescue operations.

#Amritsar: Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Punjab police personnel present at the site of the accident; Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered an inquiry into accident. pic.twitter.com/oFgMRKnLLc  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Punjab CM has set up a Crisis Management Group to monitor the relief and rehabilitation efforts. The Group is led by Health Minister Brahm Mohindra with Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Technical Education Minister Charanjit S Channi as members. The team has rushed to the accident site.

#Punjab: People who want to donate blood should arrive at the Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Hospital in #Amritsar: Public Relations department, Punjab Government  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Minister of State, Railways, Manoj Sinha also responded to the accident and confirmed that medical teams are rushing to the spot.

The Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO), Northern Railways responded to the accident at Amritsar by saying that the level crossing was shut when the train was passing.

Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu was present at the event and people have alleged that she left as soon as the accident took place.

However, Navjot Kaur denied the reports and urged people not to make it a political issue. She later said went to the hospital where injured were taken and said that she had left the event before the accident took place. "People who are doing politics over this incident should be ashamed," she said.

MP from Amritsar, Gurjeet Singh Aujla was present at Civil Hospital and said "probe will be conducted into the incident, action will be taken against those found guilty, even if it is Navjot Kaur Sidhu."

Indian Railways issues helpline numbers for #Amritsar accident: Helpline telephone numbers at #Manawala station- Rly -73325, BSNL - 0183-2440024; Power Cabin ASR-Rly - 72820, BSNL - 0183-2402927; Vijay Sahota,SSE: 7986897301 and Vijay Patel, SSE: 7973657316  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Northern Railways issues helpline numbers at New Delhi railway station for #Amritsar accident: 01123342954, 01123341074, 01142622280 & 1072- 4 lines, Railway no. 22280.  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Railways released the helpline numbers: 0183-2223171, 0183-2564485.

(With Agency Inputs)
An army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama was attacked on Friday. A woman was killed in the cross-firing between militants and security forces.

There was no loss of life in the attack, confirmed Brighter Kashmir in a release.

Further investigations are underway.

"There was a UBGL attack followed by firing at the army camp in Shadimarg area of Pulwama," a police official said.

He said the security forces returned fire, triggering a brief gun battle in which a woman, identified as Firdausa, was injured.

She was rushed to a local hospital but the doctors declared her dead on arrival, he added.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the militants, the police official said.

(With Agency Inputs)
In another unsuccessful attempt, a third woman devotee on Friday was forced to return midway after she was stopped by protesters at Pamba while trying to make her way to the Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala.

A large number of devotees opposing the entry of women of the menstrual age group, early on Friday blocked two women -- journalist Kavitha Jakkal from Hyderabad and activist Rehana Fatima from Kerala -- at the Valiya Nadappandhal near Sabarimala Sannidhanam and after much ado, the two women had to return.

The third woman identified as Mary Sweety said it was the drawback of the administration if the two other women failed to make it inside the premises of the temple. She also added that she wanted to visit the temple. "I don't know about them. If women have returned, it is your drawback. I want to go there," said Sweety. Sweety has currently been taken to a police control room.

An entry point near the temple on Friday virtually turned into an area of confrontation. The two women who began trekking to Sabarimala hill in Kerala accompanied by at least a 100 policemen led by IG S Sreejithhave were forced to return after male devotees and priests joined in the protests.

Inspector General S Sreejith heading a team of police personnel providing security cover to the women assured the protesting devotees chanting Ayyappa mantra that they would not like to move forward to the Sannidhanam with the women, hurting the sentiments of devotees. Speaking to the devotees who were protesting, Sreejithhave said that the police will not create any issue in Sabarimala and they didn't want a confrontation with the devotees. He further said that the police is only following the law and added that he will brief them on the situation after discussing with the higher authorities.

"We had brought them till temple premises but tantri&priest refused to open temple for them. While we were waiting, tantri informed me that if we attempt to take the women ahead they would close the temple. It's a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to temple & gave them protection but 'darshan' is something which can be done with the consent of priest. We will give them whatever protection they want," said Sreejith.

Amid mounting pressure, Devaswom Minster Kadakampally Surendran said in Thiruvananthapuram the activists should not try to make the holy land of Lord Ayyappa a place to prove their strength. "There are some people like activists trying to enter. It's impossible for govt to figure out who is who. We know there are two activists. One is believed to be a journalist as well. People of all ages will be allowed to go there. But at the same time, we won't allow it to be a place where activists can come and showcase their power. It can't be a place where they prove certain points of theirs," said Surendran.

The attempt to reach the shrine came a day after a New Delhi-based woman reporter of a foreign media outlet made a failed bid to visit the temple. Police led by IG S Sreejithhave have thrown a security ring around the women who had requested security to go to Sabarimala Sannidhanam.

The woman reporter is in her late 20s while the details of the second woman, who was carrying Irumudikkettu (holy bundle), was not immediately known. If they could have climbed the hills, they would have been the first women from the menstruating age group to visit the Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa after the Supreme Court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

Speaking on the protests, Kerala Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac took to Twitter saying that those resorting to violence were not devotees but alleged that they were BJP volunteers who have gathered in the guise of devotees.

He tweeted, "They are not devotees who are indulging violence but BJP volunteers who have gathered in the guise of devotees. There was no women devotee at the scenes of violence but only women journalists and that too kilometres from the temple. Violence at Sabarimala is BJPs manipulation.

On Thursday, the New Delhi-based woman journalist was stopped midway by devotees opposing the entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine. The journalist accompanied by her male colleague, a foreigner, descended the hills from Marakkoottam area in the face of mounting protests. A case has been registered against devotees who allegedly prevented her trekking and forced her to climb down the hills.

The protesters have been protesting vehemently saying that they are protecting the shrine by keeping women and girls outside. At Sannidhanam, protesters said, "No woman between 10-50 years of age will enter here. We are protecting Sabarimala."

Another devotee said, "Point of the Supreme Court is right that men and women are equal. But here some culture is going on that women in age group of 10-50 years aren't allowed in the temple. It's our custom. We should follow our customs as India is custom-following country."
Amid the protests and counter-protests over entry of women in Sabarimala temple, the Kerala government is in the dock for allegedly not taking precautionary measures despite a clear directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs. According a letter issued by the MHA, accessed by Zee News, the Kerala government had information about Left wing groups, among others, stoking protests at Sabarimala.

The letter, dated October 16 2018, was issued a day before the gate of the temple were opened for the devotees of Lord Ayyappa. It was sent to the Kerala chief secretaries, Director General of Police of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, asking them to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident.

According to the letter, civil and women rights activists Left parties have been campaigning to in favour of womens entry into the shrine and actively using women to do so on 17.10.2018.

While opposing groups/activists have threatened that they would not allow entry of women inside the shrine on that day. Hindu outfits plan to organize protest programmes on 17.10.2018 against Hon'ble Court's order at Nilackal village in Pathanamthitta district and Erumeli village in Kottayam districts, the letter further said.

The letter further states that Lord Ayyappa devotees, Hindu outfits and certain caste-based outfits have been organising state-wide protests against the order of the Supreme Court to allow women in Sabarimala temple. Calling for appropriate security arrangements, the MHA also asked the state administration to keep a close watch on dissemination of adverse information through social media and Internet services.

This comes after Kerala Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac took to Twitter saying that those resorting to violence were not devotees but alleged that they were BJP volunteers who have gathered in the guise of devotees.

He tweeted, "They are not devotees who are indulging violence but BJP volunteers who have gathered in the guise of devotees.There was no women devotee at the scenes of violence butonly women journalists and that too kilometres from the temple. Violence at Sabarimala is BJPs manipulation.
Moments after the two women, of the menstrual age group, were forced to return on Friday before reaching the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala following massive protests by devotees, the women expressed their experience near the temple premises.

The two women -- a reporter from Hyderabad and an activist from Kerala -- described their ordeal when they reached the Sabarimala hilltop along with a security ring.

The journalist Kavitha Jakkal thanked the police and the people who supported their attempt and said she felt proud of it. She also said that they had faced a dangerous situation after reaching the hilltop. However, she added that she will again make an attempt to enter the premises. "Thank you for supporting us. We're feeling proud. You've seen what dangerous situation we faced," said Kavitha.

The activist, Rehana Fatima, alleged that it was the people and not the devotees who wanted to disrupt peace and so stopped them from entering the premises of the temple. She said, "People, not the devotees, who want to disrupt peace didn't allow us to enter. I want to know what was the reason. Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee. You tell me that first & then I will tell you if I'm a devotee or not."

"I don't know what happened to my children. My life is also in danger. But they (police) have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back," she further said.

Her house in Kochi was vandalised by unidentified miscreants.

Kerala Inspector General (IG) S Sreejith heading a team of police personnel providing security cover to the women assured the protesting devotees chanting Ayyappa mantra that they would not like to move forward to the Sannidhanam with the women, hurting the sentiments of devotees.

"We had brought them till temple premises but tantri and priest refused to open temple for them. If the temple isn't open we're helpless. While we were waiting, tantri informed me that if we attempt to take the women ahead they would close the temple. It's a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to temple and gave them protection but 'darshan' is something which can be done with the consent of priest. We will give them whatever protection they want," said Sreejith.

Reacting on the attempt made by the two women, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said, "We met the Governor & explained to him the current situation. Not only Hindus but people from all religions are going there. Everyone is worried. The woman activist (Rehana Fatima) was given a police uniform. It was wrong. Sabarimala is not a tourist spot, only devotees go there. Right now what Kerala police is doing is wrong. Had there been our govt we would've handled the situation better. We would've talked to devotees, there would've been no violence."

Amid mounting pressure, Devaswom Minster Kadakampally Surendran said in Thiruvananthapuram the activists should not try to make a holy land of Lord Ayyappa a place to prove their strength. Devotees, who have come to the temple from various parts of the country, said they would not allow the women to go to the shrine.

Their attempt to reach the shrine came a day after a New Delhi-based woman reporter of a foreign media outlet made a bid to visit the temple. On Thursday, the New Delhi-based woman journalist was stopped midway by devotees opposing the entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine.

The journalist accompanied by a male colleague, a foreigner, descended the hills from Marakkoottam area in the face of mounting protests.

A case has been registered against devotees who allegedly prevented her from trekking and forced her to climb down the hills.

There have been strong protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple.
CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury on Friday slammed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by alleging that the right-wing organisation is following the same pattern during the Sabarimala row as it did during Babri Masjid demolition.

Equating the two, Yechury was referring to TV crews being roughed up during the Sabarimala protests and incidents of violence.

Yechury said that the way in which women are roughed up is similar to the time of Babri Masjid demolition, news agency ANI reported.

"You have the heads of the volunteers wearing saffron bands, the same dress you found there (Babri Masjid demolition)," Yechury added.

The CPI (M) leader furthered accused the RSS of pre-organising the protests/incidents of violence in Kerala.

However, Yechury said that despite the efforts by RSS, the right-wing organisation lost the battle of not letting the gates of Sabarimala temple open.

"They even lost the battle that the temple shouldn't open on time," Yechury added.

Earlier on Friday, two women -- a reporter from Hyderabad and another said to be an activist from Kerala -- were denied entry in the temple at the Valiya Nadappandhal near Sabarimala Sannidhanam.

The two women who began trekking to Sabarimala hill in Kerala accompanied by at least a 100 policemen led by IG S Sreejithhave were forced to return after male devotees and priests joined in the protests. A third woman devotee was forced to return midway after she was stopped by protesters at Pamba while trying to make her way to the Lord Ayyappa temple.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress and BJP on Friday hit out at the Left government in Kerala for allegedly extending support to bring women activists to Sabarimala temple, hurting the sentiments of devotees.

They also alleged the police gave one of the women, who climbed to the hill shrine amid heavy security, their official uniform and helmet.

The two women, identified as a journalist from Hyderabad and a Kochi-based activist, trekked Sabarimala and reached a few metres away from the holy 18 steps with police escort but had to return due to massive protest by devotees.

Attacking the CPI(M)-led LDF government on the issue, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala asked whether the police gave security to the real devotees.

"Has the government taken to the shrine the real devotees? Is the entry of women into the shrine a commando operation? Is this the supreme court order?" he asked.

"The government has extended support to bring activists to Sabarimala, hurting the sentiments of Lord Ayyappa devotees," Chennithala said.

Earlier in the day, Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran admitted that one of the women who trekked to the shrine was an activist and made it clear that holy Sabarimala was not a place to show their strength and activism.

Referring to the massive protest at the temple complex by the devotees and the 'parikarmies', the assistants of the priests, Chennithala said the "illogical" steps taken by the government on the Sabarimala women entry issue had led to this situation.

He also reiterated the UDF stand that the Pinarayi Vijayan government showed "over-enthusiasm" and "hurry" to implement the apex court order permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

The government unilaterally moved forward on the matter without trying for a consensus among stakeholders, he said.

Chennithala also alleged that the BJP-RSS combine was trying to inflame communal passion over the matter.

Hitting out at the LDF government, BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai said the state authorities were trying to make Sabarimala a "clash zone".

The police escorted two women to the shrine by making one of them wear police uniform and a helmet, without considering the sentiments of the devotees, he alleged.

A large number of devotees blocked the young women and police team escorting them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy 'pathinettam padi' (the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum.

Tension was defused after the women agreed to return as the state government made it clear it did not want to take them to the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, by using force against the protesting devotees.

(With Agency Inputs)
Mumbai: Actor Nana Patekar has dismissed as "motivated and malicious" the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by actor Tanushree Dutta in his reply to the Cine and TV Artists' Association (CINTAA).

Patekar claimed that Dutta had not made any accusations against him in 2008, when the alleged incident took place.

Patekar, through his lawyer Aniket Nikam, sent his reply earlier this week after CINTAA issued a notice to him upon a complaint filed by Dutta.

Dutta has alleged that Patekar misbehaved with her during the shooting of a song for the film "Horn Ok Pleaseee" in 2008.

Also, when she refused to shoot for the song, Patekar and the film's producer summoned goons to the set who threatened her and damaged her car, she alleged.

"My client (Patekar) denies in toto (completely) the baseless and unsubstantiated allegations, insinuation levelled by Dutta," the reply said.

Patekar has been subjected to mental harassment due to the "motivated and malicious" vilification campaign, it said.

"Neither he (Patekar) outraged much less misbehaved with Dutta during the shooting of the said song nor did he interfere with anyone during the shooting," the reply said.

Patekar is a senior actor who has not only won several national awards but is also known for his philanthropic work, the reply pointed out.

"The false allegations have immensely affected his reputation beyond repair and your organisation (CINTAA) should not entertain such groundless accusations particularly when such allegations are levelled after almost a decade," it said.

In 2008, Dutta had only said that she had asked choreographer Ganesh Acharya to change some steps which he did not agree to, but she did not make any allegation against Patekar then, the reply claimed.

Patekar was in the process of taking "appropriate legal measures against Dutta for defaming him", it added.

Dutta had filed a complaint with CINTAA after the alleged incident in 2008, but no action was taken.

She spoke up about the incident recently as the MeToo campaign caught on in the country.

She then lodged a criminal case against Patekar and others and sent a fresh letter to CINTAA, which issued a notice to Patekar.

Suburban Oshiwara police in Mumbai last week registered a case under IPC section 354 (outraging modesty of a woman by applying criminal force) against Patekar and others.
KABUL/SINGAPORE: The assassination of a powerful police commander has left Afghanistan reeling ahead of parliamentary elections on Saturday and raised questions over talks begun recently between the Taliban and US officials. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said it was too soon to say if the death of Gen. Abdul Razeq, the police commander in southern Kandahar, would hurt voter turnout, but added that the U.S. military`s mission was unaltered.

"We need to find who`s done this," Mattis told reporters travelling with him in the southeast Asian city-state of Singapore. "But right now, we are going toward the election and we will continue to defend the Afghan people." Razeq, a survivor of numerous previous attacks, was killed outside the governor`s office in the southern province on Thursday, when a bodyguard opened fire on a group of officials as they left a meeting.

Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was also attending, but survived uninjured, although a regional intelligence agency commander was killed and the provincial governor severely wounded. Thursday`s attack underlined how precarious the situation remains in Afghanistan after more than 17 years of war and even after Taliban and U.S. officials have opened preliminary contacts to find a basis for future peace talks.

It was unclear if the attack would affect the process, following a meeting last week of Taliban officials and the U.S. special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, but complicates an already difficult situation. "You`re going to start asking questions about, `Well, how trustworthy are they (the Taliban)? What influence do they really have?`" said one recently retired Defense Department official. "And you know the bottomline question is, `Why are we still dealing with them?` or `Should we deal with them?`"

Mattis said he had not yet spoken to Miller and could not confirm the Taliban`s claim of responsibility but believed the attack would not affect Miller`s security arrangements or U.S. military movements in Afghanistan. Security officials in Afghanistan had warned of attacks ahead of the election, but Razeq`s death triggered deep shock that officials fear may deter voters, particularly after Taliban warnings not to participate in what the militants consider a foreign-imposed ballot.

Mattis was cautious about whether the attack could hitt turnout but said the U.S. aim of finding a negotiated, Afghan-led political solution to the conflict was unchanged. "We remain absolutely committed to an Afghan-led Afghan reconciliation," he said.

RUTHLESS

Security was stepped up in Kandahar, with buildings around the governor`s office sealed off ahead of Friday`s expected arrival of a team of investigators from Kabul, the capital. Additional troops fanned out around the Kirka Sharif shrine, where Razeq`s funeral is planned for 10 a.m. (0530 GMT).

A disarmingly youthful-looking figure, with a toothy smile belying a fearsome reputation, the 39-year-old Razeq was by far the most powerful commander in the strategically vital provinces of southern Afghanistan. Miller, who knew Razeq well from his previous tours of duty in Afghanistan, issued a statement saluting a "great friend".

"Afghanistan lost a patriot," he said on social network Twitter. "The good he did for Afghanistan and the Afghan people cannot be undone." Last year the United Nations Committee against Torture cited "numerous and credible allegations" that Razeq was complicit in severe human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and secret detention centres.

But he enjoyed popular support in Kandahar and the surrounding provinces and was adept at navigating the region`s complex tribal politics. He was also highly respected by U.S. officers who saw his ruthless methods as the most effective weapon against the Taliban. "Razeq was, kind of, the embodiment of security, not just in Kandahar. It is Uruzgan, it`s Zabul province," said the recently retired Defense Department official. "He had a lot of sway over other senior officials and certainly in the police."
WASHINGTON/ANKARA: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he presumes missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and that the US response to Saudi Arabia will likely be "very severe" but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.

Turkish police are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for the remains of Khashoggi more than two weeks after he vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters.

Trump, who has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and the 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, had likely been killed.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It`s very sad," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One on a political trip. In an interview with the New York Times on Thursday, Trump based his acknowledgment that Khashoggi was dead on intelligence reports.

Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate and his body chopped up and removed. Riyadh strongly denies the allegations and said it is investigating the disappearance of the journalist, who was critical of Saudi rulers, calling for reforms.

Trump spoke hours after receiving an update from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the results of Pompeo`s emergency talks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week.

In the New York Times interview, Trump also expressed confidence in intelligence reports that suggest a high-level Saudi role in the suspected killing of Khashoggi. Trump said, however, it was still "a little bit early" to draw definitive conclusions about who may have been behind it.

Pompeo told reporters that he advised Trump that Saudi Arabia should be given a few more days to complete its investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi, which has caused an international outcry and strained Saudi relations with western countries and corporations.

Trump said he was waiting for the results so that "we can get to the bottom of this very soon" and that he would be making a statement about it at some point.

Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: "Well, it`ll have to be very severe. I mean, it`s bad, bad stuff. But we`ll see what happens." The United States considers Riyadh a linchpin in efforts to contain Iran`s regional influence and a key global oil source, and Trump has shown no inclination to mete out harsh punishment to the Saudis. The United States and other Western nations are in a dilemma of how to respond because of lucrative business ties, including weapons sales to Riyadh.

Referring to the Saudis, Pompeo said he told Trump that when the Saudi investigation was completed "we can make decisions about how - or if - the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

By casting doubt on whether the United States will respond at all, Pompeo reflected the internal struggle among Trump and his national security advisers on what to do should the Saudi leadership be blamed for what happened to Khashoggi. "I think it`s important for us all to remember, too - we have a long, since 1932, a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Pompeo told reporters, also calling Saudi Arabia "an important counterterrorism partner."

A U.S. government source said that U.S. intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced of the crown prince`s culpability in the operation against Khashoggi, which they believe resulted in his death.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin abandoned plans to attend an Oct. 23-25 investor conference in Riyadh as did executives from Goldman Sachs Group Inc., putting the high-profile event in question. "This incident is unacceptable and clearly they have to answer questions specifically regarding this incident," Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told CNBC.

Earlier on Thursday, senior government ministers from France, Britain and the Netherlands also withdrew from the Riyadh conference, joining a list of international officials and business executives. How Western allies deal with Riyadh will hinge on the extent to which they believe responsibility for Khashoggi`s disappearance lies with Prince Mohammed and the Saudi authorities.

Trump previously speculated without providing evidence that "rogue killers" could be responsible.
Punjab Civil Secretariat in Pakistan will not allow women inside a government building without a dupatta or headscarf, according to ministerial orders.

The order was issued by the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Minister of Punjab Dr Yasmin Rashid.

Following the order, people have been criticising the rule questioning how women's clothes determine her entry into a government building.

A Twitter user Sidra Butt went to the minister's block to check whether the orders were in fact true.

Entry for women into the Punjab civil secretariat depends on if they are wearing a dupatta or not. Orders for this dress code enforcement allegedly came from a woman minister - Yasmeen Rashid. You cannot and should not police womens bodies like this. https://t.co/c7BaL4m31T  Sehar Tariq (@sehartariq) October 19, 2018

She was indeed denied entry inside the premises. Sidra recorded the video of her experience. The video went viral following which people were seen outraging over the orders.

In the clip, the guard can be heard telling Sidra that Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid passewd the order after a woman came to meet her 'inappropriately dressed'.

Sidra, however, argued that she was not wearing any objectionable dress.

"Wear a dupatta and we will allow you in," the gaurd told her.

Many Twitter users, including Sehar Tariq from the US Institute for Peace, condemned the new rule.

Tariq questioned the "rationale of this absurd order."

She wrote on Twitter, "Entry for women into the Punjab civil secretariat depends on if they are wearing a dupatta or not. Orders for this dress code enforcement allegedly came from a woman minister - Yasmeen Rashid. You cannot and should not police womens bodies like this."

Several social media users have also criticised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and questioned if this is the 'Naya Pakistan' he wanted to create.

However, there are some people in support of the decision as they feel it is a 'moral' step and must go on.

(With ANI Inputs)
Back in 2014, the reporter for public broadcaster Yleisradio wanted to learn more about Russian propaganda increasingly being disseminated in Finland, particularly via social media

Growing up in a country often ranked first in the world for press freedom, Aro could never have imagined how virulently those open channels could turn against her personally. Back in 2014, the reporter for public broadcaster Yleisradio wanted to learn more about Russian propaganda increasingly being disseminated in Finland, particularly via social media. "I thought that this is some very interesting and new phenomenon and this is a threat to Finnish people's freedom of speech," Aro told DW. "I [wanted] to take a deeper look into it and find out how influential such an operation actually is. I was really astonished to find out that it's quite big  super big actually."

But shining a light in those dark crevices proved to be a danger to Aro herself. She began publishing what she learned, including on a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, where she interviewed workers at a "troll factory" who were paid to create false online accounts and pump out fake stories.

We shot this 2-minute video at the Russian troll factory early 2015 with @Mikareport . The employees were effectively silenced, but this one did reveal quite a lot - about the level of secrecy of the factory. Turn on English subs: https://t.co/SB2M1UL4Po  Jessikka Aro (@JessikkaAro) February 20, 2018

The reaction from the pro-Russian side was instantaneous and fierce.

Aro began being harassed incessantly on social media with an enormous amount of effort being put into the attacks. Her personal medical records were made public, she was photoshopped in demeaning ways and called all sorts of profanities along with being labeled a "NATO spy." Her every move was tracked. She went on vacation to Thailand and found afterwards that photos of her dancing at a concert had been published online with disparaging comments.

Threats jump offline

The torment took chilling steps beyond online, though, with phone calls including the sound of a gun being fired. Someone sent her a text purporting to be from her father, who had died two decades earlier.

"I was hoping maybe this will end, but it just got worse and worse and worse," Aro said. "Even my own friends started liking and commenting these filth pieces about me, so I noticed that it really has influence."

She was especially shocked by the high number of death threats she received, including one from someone she knew, whom she had to report to the police. But the frequency was such, she said, that the police could never investigate all of them, even if their seriousness was possible to ascertain. "I don't have the resources to go through all of them to see whether this person is a Russian troll or a Finnish troll influenced by Russian trolls or then an actual person who could be taken to jail," Aro said.

Calling out Kremlin counterparts

Undeterred despite the massive personal toll it was taking, Aro continued reporting, receiving Finland's Grand Prize for Journalism for her work. Finally, she decided it wasn't enough simply to keep exposing the propaganda; Aro decided to fight back in court against the Finnish purveyors of Kremlin propaganda, long-time Moscow mouthpiece Johan Backman and Ilja Janitskin, who founded and runs the pro-Kremlin website MV-Lehti. Backman's Facebook profile lists one of his roles as a representative for the "Donetsk separatist movement" and photos include one in a smiling handshake with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Both men actively hounded Aro online, she alleges, and offline as well. She's suing them for stalking, aggravated defamation and incitement to aggravated defamation. The prosecutor is seeking prison sentences for the men and Aro is seeking a financial settlement as well. The court's verdict is expected on Thursday.

Press-protecting precedent

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has expressed its support for Aro. "We welcome this trial, which is all the more emblematic because many reporters continue to be the target of troll armies seeking to discourage or even silence the journalists who cover them," RSF said in a statement. "As the two suspects have been clearly identified, we count on the Finnish judicial system to ensure that this is an exemplary trial and that it sends a clear message to those who harass journalists online."

RSF's Finnish Chairman Jarmo Makela told DW this verdict would be very significant, and he was expecting a ruling of guilty. If so, Makela explained, "it will encourage authorities to deal with hate speech much more actively than they have done so far. We expect a clear line to be drawn between free speech and hate speech."

Ben Nimmo, a senior fellow for Information Defense at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, agrees with Makela. "Trolling is one of the worst aspects of online life for journalists. It's online bullying gone wild, and Jessikka Aro has been one of the top targets. This case has exposed the sheer viciousness of the troll campaign against her, which has been designed to destroy her career and her morale."

Nimmo said that regulation and enforcement against online harassment has not been able to keep pace with propagandists and abusers. "With this case, there's a chance that the law is finally catching up," he said. "Trolls breed in lawless spaces. Ms. Aro was one of the first journalists to report on the Russian 'troll factory' in 2015. It would be fitting if her case marked the moment when the law started closing down at least some of the trolls."

And Aro has also turned the internet from a bully into a benefactor. She crowdfunded more than $30,000 (26,000) for an investigation and book to be published in February titled "Vladimir Putin's Troll Empire."

Read the original text here.
The massive strategic-operational war game Vostok 2018, held last September in the Russian Far East, officially involved up to 300,000 personnel and thousands of tanks and other heavy military equipment. Russian forces were joined by a mechanized brigade from the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA). As Vostok 2018 reached its climax, President Vladimir Putin visited the Tsugol training range in the Trans-Baikal region to observe a grand fireworks display of military might, with a grand parade of troops as well as some 200 Russian and 50 Chinese tanks and other armor. Russian naval forces were deployed in the Pacific, the Arctic and the Sea of Okhotsk. In all, six field armies of the Russian Ground Forces (the 2nd, 5th, 29th, 35th, 36th and 41st) were involved in Vostok 2018. Moreover, the exercise featured two air armies (11th and 14th) of the Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye SilyVKS), the entire corps of Russias Airborne Troops (Vozdushno-Desantnye VoyskaVDV), as well as the Military Transport Aviation Command. All this was vigorously reported and promoted by the state-run Russian media and the defense ministry top command. The public nature of the event allowed Putin to grandstand at Tsugol: Russia is a peace-loving nation that is ready to defend its national interests and allies (see EDM, September 11, 13, 19, October 3).

Vostok 2018 tested the ability of a substantially refurbished Russian military to mobilize large contingents of heavily-armed troops, to deploy them across long distances, as well as to maintain them on far-off battlefields while providing support from the air and sea. But a massive regional ground war in the Trans-Baikal region, on the Chinese border, seems rather unlikely for the time being. In European Russia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europes (OSCE) Vienna Document imposes strict constraints on holding massive military exercises; whereas, Russia is not only free to deploy massive contingents in the Far East, but also to publicly brag about it to attendant foreign military attaches and journalistsnot to mention potentially exaggerate the exact number of troops involved. This overt display of military might and the public demonstration of joint maneuvers with the PLA were useful for internal propaganda and as a form of strategic deterrence aimed at the Westin particular, the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), seen in Moscow as the grand foe.

In turn, NATO countries have for the last several years been increasing defense spending. And this month (October), the Alliance kicked off its long-prepared massive multinational sea/air/land exercise Trident Juncture 2018, hosted by Norway and neighboring Scandinavian countries. The exercise will involve 45,000 personnel, 10,000 vehicles, 150 aircraft and some 60 ships. All NATO members are contributing, together with Finland and Sweden, two states that, though neutral, are apparently ready to assist NATO if Scandinavia or the Baltic States are attacked. Trident Juncture 2018 (like Vostok 2018) mostly focuses on mobilizing large contingents of heavily-armed troops, deploying them long distance, logistically maintaining them on far-off battlefields and providing air/sea support. The NATO exercise envisages an enemy invading from the north of Norway (from the Russian border), occupying land and pressing south to Oslo from the Trondheim area, where US Marines have established a small permanent base. Of course, as the exercise scenario unfolds, the enemy invaders will be curtailed. Some of the joint air action during Trident Juncture 2018 will happen over neutral Finland and Sweden (Kommersant, October 5).

The West apparently sees the Baltic-Nordic region, where Russian and NATO forces are in direct contact, as the most dangerous spot on the globe; but Moscow may think differently. As Vostok 2018 ended, another massive war game commenced in the Southern Military District (SMO), in the North Caucasus, together with synchronized exercises in Crimea and southern Russia. Unlike Vostok, there was no fanfare or much media coveragealso, no foreign observers or prior notice given to the OSCE. The SMO press service did not provide a name for the war game, and the number of participants was put officially at some 7,000, with 2,500 pieces of heavy equipment, warships and warplanes. Of course, the awkward 7,000 troop figure was conjured up to fit the Vienna Document limits, legally allowing Moscow to avoid inviting observers. Yet, it was officially announced that these secretive war games were the biggest in 30 years in the North Caucasus and were directly commanded by SMO commander Colonel General Aleksandr Dvornikov, a Hero of Russia, awarded for commanding the Russian military force in Syria (Militarynews.ru, October 8).

In September 2016, the battle-readiness of the SMO in the same regionthe strategic Yugo-Zapadnoye Napravleniyewas tested in the massive Kavkaz 2016 strategic military exercises, with some 220,000 soldiers and civilian defense ministry contractors taking part (Interfax, September 19, 2016). If the present war games are touted as the biggest, tens, if not hundreds of thousands of men could have been involved. Three field armies (58th, 8th and 49th) and the 4thair army, the Black Sea Fleet, its Marines and armored corps in Crimea, the Caspian Flotilla, and many other separate and special units reportedly took part. The war game involved joint air/naval action to take control of the Black Sea, while the field armies encountered each other, performing offensive and defensive simulated operations (Militarynews.ru, October 1).

Meanwhile, the Russian-Ukrainian confrontation also looks to be growing worse (see EDM, October 16, 17). The recent massive war games in the SMO may be a preparation to face any possible negative developments in the Yugo-Zapadnoye Napravleniyesuch as the Donbas conflict potentially escalating into a regional war, or NATO intervening to dominate the Black Sea and block the Bosporus. As the SMO exercises concluded, Russias nuclear strategic forces went into action, simulating an escalation of a regional conflict into nuclear war. Strategic bombers launched long-range cruise missiles, as nuclear submarines fired ballistic missiles. Additionally, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) were test-launched. Russias early-warning system was enacted to track the test launches (Militarynews.ru, October 11). The Ministry of Emergency Situations, in turn, was tasked with running a country-wide exercise on how to deal with Russia being suddenly attacked by an aggressor. The Ministry had to prepare civil defenses to keep the country running as well as evacuate the population (Militarynews.ru, October 1). With that, however, the war game season came to a close in Russia, reducing the likelihood that the new cold war with the West will grow hot, at least until the years end.

Read the original text at The Jamestown Foundation.

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Territories between great powersborderlandshave always been areas of strife. So it is with the countries caught between Russia and the West, those that were once part of the Soviet Union or firmly within its sphere of influence. Much of Europe has consolidated and, with the United States, established a lasting liberal democratic order, but Russia has been increasingly pushing back. Though most of the borderlands countries are now West-facing, Moscow wants to control at least the national security policies of its near neighbors.



The West should reject Moscows claim. It contradicts Western principles and is dangerous to our interests. The United States should lead the West in adopting an explicit strategy of promoting democracy, open markets, and the right of nations to choose their own foreign policy and alignments. This includes their right, if they meet the conditions, to join the EU and NATO.



Moscow has not hidden its objectivesto grow its sphere of influence; shift the post-Cold War security order; and weaken NATO, the EU, and transatlantic tiesand is applying a full spectrum of methods to achieve them. The combination of these tactics is sometimes called hybrid war. This includes strengthening ethnic ties abroad and utilizing religion, disinformation, economic boycotts, energy cutoffs, corruption, and the strategic use of its intelligence services.



Western powers have been slow to recognize the challenge posed by Russian President Vladimir Putins belligerent foreign policy. There was little criticism of Moscow for the 2007 cyberattack on Estonia; deferring to Kremlin sensitivities, NATO did not offer Georgia a Membership Action Plan at its 2008 summit; and when Moscows war against Georgia followed months later, the West levied weak sanctions on Russia and lifted them quickly. The Wests sanctions on Moscow for annexing Crimea were also weak.



NATO was slow to recognize Moscows challenge to the alliance. While the 2014 NATO summit did make arrangements for a rapid deployment force, it spoke of the need to reassure its easternmost allies rather than to deter the Kremlin. Only in 2016 did NATO decide to put battalions into the Baltic states, Poland, and Romania to dissuade the Kremlin from provocations there. With the deployment of these forces, NATO has done much to secure its eastern flank. But more needs to be done.



The notion that the West can buy peace by allowing Moscow to manage its neighborsto exercise hegemony in its sphere of influenceis completely wrong. Indeed, history demonstrates this. The Kremlins war on Tbilisi and Kyiv has not dissuaded either capital from its Westward course.



A new approach is needed. It should be based on older ideas established at the end of the Cold War: states are sovereign; they should enjoy territorial integrity and the right to choose their own political and economic systems. They should also enjoy the right to choose their international friends and allies.



We need to return to this policy explicitly and with confidence. The United States should take the lead within NATO in laying out this vision and reminding the allies that the door to eventual NATO membership was left open to Ukraine and Georgia ten years ago. The recent accession of Montenegro and the prospective accession of the Republic of Northern Macedoniaboth actively opposed by Moscoware recent precedents for this policy.



But the NATO accession process must change to take account of the new hostile environment that Moscow has created. With Moscow actively opposing membership for new countries, NATOs granting of a Membership Action Plan for a candidate country makes that country a Kremlin target without conferring on it the protection that membership offers. NATO should be willing to consider new membership criteria; it should consider the NATO-Georgia Commission and its annual national plans as models for membership. As part of this reconsideration, NATO should clarify that membership cannot be blocked by Kremlin aggression or occupation.



The EU too must be clear on membership for its eastern neighbors. To its credit, the EU did not step away from the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) after Russian aggression against Ukraine began, despite timid voices in the West blaming the EU for the Ukraine crisis. Nor did it step back from its Eastern Partnership Program. But it should fully develop opportunities for greater cooperation under the Eastern Partnershipsuch as removing remaining barriers to more trade. It should also keep the door open for additional free trade agreements.



Equally important, the EU should make sure that it does not short its own interests and dilute its policies to suit the Kremlin. This is particularly important in energy. The EU Energy Charter, which Moscow has signed but not ratified, requires Europes energy partners to allow the use of their pipelines to deliver hydrocarbons to Europe. But the EU does not insist that Gazprom open its pipelines to producers in Central Asia. This oversight strengthens Moscows hand as an energy supplier to Europe and gives it additional leverage over countries that, it claims, fall into its sphere of influence.



Just as damaging is the EUs countenancing the construction of the Nord Stream II pipeline from Russia to Germany. The European Commission has the power to stop this project. If Chancellor Angela Merkel will not or cannot turn off Nord Stream II, the commission should.



NATO and the EU should also enhance policies designed to help borderland countries strengthen domestic vulnerabilities that the Kremlin has exploited. This must include programs designed to limit corruption and to clean up the banking sector. Moscow continues to buy influence through corruption, and the banking system is a prime facilitator as well as a means for money laundering. While Georgia has taken great strides to clean up its banking sector and reduce corruption, much more needs to be done in Ukraine and Moldova. Conditioning aid on reform measures is an essential tool the West should not hesitate to use.



The United States and its allies should also consider further weapons transfers to Georgia and especially to Ukraine. Stopping the Kremlin is a vital interest. The front is currently in eastern Ukraine. The Wests interest in stopping Kremlin aggression in the Donbas justifies an aid package of $1 billion a year for five years for military equipment. It should include regular needs such as anti-tank missiles, secure command and control communications, sophisticated drones, and anti-aircraft radar for missiles.



Under the same logic, the United States should consult with Georgia on its military needs. The United States with its NATO allies should also consider a greater presence in the Black Sea region. Regular exercises with Georgia and Ukraine should be enhanced, as should port visits to Batumi and Odesa. Romania is a natural partner with which to develop a more robust program. The United States should consider ways to draw Turkey and Bulgaria into greater cooperation.



Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Belarus are also part of the grey zone. They receive less attention because they have not pursued closer relations with the EU or NATO as energetically as Georgia and Ukraine, and therefore have received less pressure from the Kremlin. But they have been subject to pressure. The United States and the EU should look for ways to increase cooperation with the three countries.



Advocates of accommodating Moscow think they are buying peace and stability. That is an illusion. Accommodation makes the borderlands places of Kremlin aggression and instability. However, there is no reason to assume that the people of these regions are willing to forfeit their futures to autocrats in Moscow. Western principles and interests would be served by policies that back the aspirations of the people in these areas to determine their own future. The likely result would be the erasing of the borderlands and the creation of a Europe whole and free.

Read the original text here.
Scrap metal, a strategic raw material, urgently needed by domestic enterprises, is shipped from Ukraine to Russia-controlled Transnistria. The plant, controlled by the Kremlin oligarch, takes Ukrainian scrap metal to manufacture products, which might be used to strengthen the infrastructure of the aggressor country and produce weapons and military equipment that will be used against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbas



The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stated that, in addition to armed resistance to Russian aggression, they are fighting at the diplomatic and economic fronts. Kyiv imposed sanctions against Russian companies and oligarchs associated with the Kremlin. This was supposed to smash the interests of direct and indirect sponsors of war in eastern Ukraine, those who contributed to the annexation of Crimea. However, as it usually happens in Ukraine, the written rules does not always correspond to reality. It turned out that some businessmen from the Ukrainian business quietly cooperated with the odious Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, thus sponsoring a businessman, who is close to the Kremlin. And the Ukrainian government, which introduced sanctions against the aggressor, takes it lightly.



Scrap metal is a strategically important raw material for Ukrainian metallurgists. In recent years, its storage has dropped to critical volumes. The problem has escalated, so the government has increased the export duty four times to restrict exports in the last three years. However, this did not solve the problem, since the main scrap exporter has an ace in the hole.



The major share of Ukrainian scrap metal is exported to the Moldovan Metallurgical Plant, which is located on the territory of unrecognized Transnistria and is on Ukraines sanctions list. Ukrainian enterprises are not allowed to supply products for this enterprise. According to media reports, the plant officially belongs to the unrecognized Transnistrian government, but in fact, it is controlled by a team of Kremlin oligarch Alisher Usmanov. On behalf of the Russian government, Usmanovs company supplies raw materials to enterprises of Donetsk/Luhansk Peoples Republic.

For example, in August 2018, Ukrainian steelmaking facilities were supplied with the strategic raw materials only by 89%. Characteristically, this indicator accounted to a month when scrap metal was not exported to Transnistria. However, the market insiders assure that in September, the cars started going to the unrecognized republic. The scheme, which allows circumventing the sanctions, is extremely simple. According to the documents, the cargo is sent to Moldova, the Moldovan trader Novastal Prim. However, in fact, he goes to Ribnita (Transnistria), that is straight to Moldovan Metal Plant.

Neither the government nor the National Security and Defense Council and Ukrzaliznytsa see any problems with the export of strategic raw materials to the plant associated with the Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

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Alisher Usmanov

Moldovan Metal Plant consumes free electricity of the Moldovan TPP; it uses gas from Russian Gazprom and belongs to Russian Inter RAO company.

It turns out that Russians issue bills for gas to official Chisinau, although the unrecognized republic consumes it. If you remember, Gazprom tried to involve Kyiv a similar scheme, when the Russian monopolist wanted Ukrainian authorities to pay the bills of occupied Donbas republics. This scheme gives the plant a competitive advantage and an ability to buy scrap at a higher price.

But one should not forget that the Moldovan Metal Plant is located on the territory of the unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), which is essentially a Russian enclave in the territory of an independent country. "Therefore, the export of strategic raw materials can be regarded as support for the pro-Russian regime in Transnistria, which is equal to supporting separatists in Donbas, is a direct threat not only for the development of Ukrainian metallurgy but also for the national security of Ukraine," Ukrmetallurgprom stressed.

The Transnistrian metal products are supplied to the Russian Federation, "and it can be assumed that it will be consumed not only to strengthen the infrastructure of the aggressor country but also to manufacture weapons and military equipment that will be used against the Armed Forces of Ukraine in occupied Donbas," the association said.

May 14, 2018, sanctions were imposed on Moldovan Metal Plant, they provided for the blocking of assets, restriction of trade operations, prevention of capital outflow from Ukraine, suspension of economic and financial obligations. That is, the Ukrainian state understands that the work of the Moscow Plant of Ironworking threatens the country's security, but, as practice shows, these sanctions work only on paper. In fact, they are neglected by Ukrainian exporters of scrap metal that are well-known in high offices, and none of the sanctions against the MMP is being implemented. Why so  this is an open question.

For example, Ukrmetallurgprom asked the Ukrainian authorities, law enforcement agencies, and Ukrzaliznytsya to implement the convention on the cargoes carriage at the Moldovan Metal Plant (Ribnita station) as soon as possible, as well as to provide for and implement measures against violators of sanctions against the plant. "Taking into consideration the risk of violating the sanctions, organizing alternative supply schemes for raw materials from Ukraine to the Moldovan Metal Plant, via neighboring stations or other consignees, and taking into account the fact that Moldovan Metal Plant is the only Moldovan enterprise and is territorially located in Transnistria, transportation of key metallurgical raw materials - ferrous scrap metals - to all recipients through the closest to Ribnita stations should be banned," reads the letter.

In simple terms, the metallurgists are asking the Ukrainian authorities to "close this thing down," which allows scrap exporters to disregard the country's national security when seeking for rent. Interestingly, this is not what the government or the National Security and Defense Council is asking for, but the Ukrainian business, which contributes to Ukraines GDP and is extremely weak due to the negative situation on world markets.

The position of the Ukrainian authorities, in this case, is incomprehensible. Of course, they must first protect domestic enterprises that pay the taxes. For example, the US protects its producers, Institute for Economic Security CEO Olexandr Ryabchenko notes. According to him, Ukraine does not comply with its decisions on sanctions, and it has a negative impact on the country's image and its attractiveness for the investors. Under such circumstances, those business entities that honestly pay taxes cannot feel secure enough. In addition, this case once again demonstrates our countrys double standards to the European governments - we ask the EU to extend sanctions against Russia, but we ourselves still do not comply with them.

Read the original text at 112.ua.
Four years ago Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko claimed that the Anti-Terrorist Operation (now the Joint Forces Operation) cannot last for months

First Deputy Head of the SMM OSCE in Ukraine Alexander Hug, who resigns from this position on October 31, thinks that the combat actions in Donbas can be stopped during one hour as Voice of America reported.

At the same time, he emphasized that it will take much longer time for the final completion.

Answering the question about his attitude to the reproaches in the espionage and even accusations that the activity of his mission was used for the attacks that led to the deaths of people, he recognized that it is "not a big amenity" to turn out to be between two fighting sides.

"I would lie if I tell that it is easy," he said.

However, Hug thinks that his work which is ungrateful sometimes will be sued for the stop of the war and will become important in the historical sense.

After the finish of the conflict, the time for the solution of other issues connected with the war will come as Hug thinks. He exemplified the words with the need of the demining of the territories. At the same time, he evades answering questions about the guilty side, saying that "it does not help him to solve the issues he faces".

Earlier we reported that Alexander Hug resigns from the office of OSCE SMM deputy head. After this, he intends to travel across Ukraine to see not only war and deprivation.

Four years ago Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko made a similar prediction. In 2014 before the win at the presidential election, Poroshenko claimed that the Anti-Terrorist Operation (now the Joint Forces Operation) cannot last for months.

"It cannot last for two months; it should end in a few hours. There are no peace talks for the terrorists. I will never allow such terrorist actions in Ukraine."

In 2018, on August 23 during the celebration of the Flag Day, Poroshenko apologized for having triggered the high expectations of Ukrainians when he said that the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Donbas would last hours, not months.

Over four years ago I claimed that the Anti-Terrorist Operation would last hours, and not months. And the context of these words or their figurativeness is not so important now. The people saw it as an opportunity to end the war quickly. I regret having triggered high expectations. I am truly sorry to have given the hope that did not come true. It is a pity that I have given a promise that did not realize. And for that, I apologize. For me its a serious lesson of careful and responsible attitude to my words and promises, he said.

As we reported almost 2,900 Ukrainian soldiers deceased in Donbas since April 2014, when the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine began.

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Anton Mospan and Andriy Boyko were both fatally shot by a hostile sniper

A farewell ceremony to pay last tribute to the soldiers who died in Donbas combat zone took place in Cherkasy and Lubny.

People are saying farewell to Anton Mospan, a soldier of the 10th mountain brigade, in Cherkasy, as Ros TV channel reported.

Anton Mospan was a senior sergeant and served in 3029 military unit (9th Operational Regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine).

On the evening of October 16, while on duty in Luhansk sector, he was shot dead by a sniper.

Kolo News informed about a farewell ceremony for Andriy Boyko, a 20-year-old soldier, who died on October 16 near Marinka. He was fatally shot by a sniper. The fighter was serving in the first separate tank brigade in Donetsk region.

Andriy Boyko joined the ranks of Ukraines Armed Forces in February 2018.

Reportedly, the pro-Russian occupants performed 16 attacks on October 18. The enemy used Minsk-banned weapons twice. None of our soldiers died or got injured.
Today, on October 19, in the result of the accident, Popasna city, Luhansk region situated at the demarcation line was left without electricity as "Luhansk Energy Union" reported.

"The reason for this is the automatic accident shutdown of the 35 kW power line "Hirska-Popasna" that led to the blackout of transformer station "Popasna" and the whole city, 9,000 houses," the message said.

Also, checkpoint "Zolote" and transformer station of Popasna wagon repair plant are powered down.

"This power line is on the balance of Donetsk Railways; today, the brigades of the railway workers patrol the transmission lines, looking for the reason for shutdown," the message said.

It is expected that the electricity supply will be resumed to Popasna in the next few hours.

As we reported over the past 24 hours, pro-Russian militants attacked Ukrainian positions in Donbas 16 times; on two occasions, the enemy opened fire from Minsk-banned weaponry.

Earlier a power line was torn apart due to the artillery strike in Krymske, Luhansk region. The enemy was trying to once again destabilize the situation in the region.

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Our goal is a peaceful solution; it's not about sanctions against the Kremlin, but about restoring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, the U.S. Envoy in Ukraine said

U.S. leader Donald Trump personally decided to apply pressure on Russia because of the aggression in Ukraine. Kurt Volker, the U.S. Special Representative in Ukraine said this as quoted by Ukrinform news agency.

'This administration has been tougher against Russia, acting in support of Ukraine more than the previous one,' he stated.

According to him, a lot of people in Russia hope Trump would change his policy against Russia. 'I can assure everyone it's not true,' Volker said, adding that the U.S. seeks for a peaceful solution to Donbas conflict. It's not about sanctions against the Kremlin, but about restoring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, the U.S. Envoy in Ukraine said.

Earlier, the official reported that Washington plans to make the anti-Russian sanctions mode harder every month or two, as the Kremlin's aggression in Donbas goes on. 'We've tried to increase the pressure that we're putting on Russia in order to get them to negotiate towards a solution. That includes keeping sanctions in place in the U.S. and increasing these sanctions periodically, over time. And that's a track we and the Trump administration will continue to be on. And you'll see additional sanctions coming to play - every two months or three months, as we've seen,' he said.
Ottawa and Kyiv should prepare the offers for the further development of the economic cooperation between the countries

Today, in Ottawa, the first session of the joint commission on the extension of the Agreement on the Free Trade between Ukraine and Canada will take place. The Ukrainian delegation is headed by First Vice Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv as Ukrinform reported.

The commission should analyze the progress in implementation of the Free Trade Agreement between Canada and Ukraine during the first year of its work and prepare the offers for the further development of the economic cooperation between the countries. Kyiv has already proposed to extend the action of the Agreement in the sphere of investments and services that are not included in the current document.

The agreement, signed in June 2016, states that the representatives of two states should meet for the estimation of its efficiency in a year since it came into force.

"Today I work in Ottawa, where we discuss the results of the first year of actions of the Free Trade Agreement with Canada. However, a year is not enough for realizing the poential of such a major deal but we already can see the positive changes: +74,4% to the export of goods from Ukraine to Canada in 2017, +45,8% to the export of goods from Ukraine to Canada during 8 months of 2018; +20,2% to the export of serviced from Ukraine to Canada, mostly telecommunication and IT serves (64%); +34,6% to the export of the service from Canada to Ukraine, mostly the state and governmental services (56%)," Kubiv wrote on Facebook.

As we reported, Andriy Shevchenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Canada claimed that Ukraine and Canada are intended to start negotiations about the expansion of the Free Trade Agreement.

The Free Trade Agreement between Canada and Ukraine came into force on 1 August last year. Earlier, Ukraine informed Canada about completion of FTA ratification. The Governor General of Canada confirmed the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Area Agreement by the signature after the consent of the House of Commons and Senate on June 1.

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Due to his long-lasting hunger strike that ran for 200 days, the political prisoner suffers from an ulcer or pancreatitis

Volodymyr Balukh, the native of Crimea and the political prisoner of Russia, has been moved to Kerch penal colony in the occupied peninsula. Krym.Realii news agency reported this, referring to Akthem Chyigoz, the deputy head of Mejlis of Crimean Tatar people.

Previously, Balukh's wife confirmed he was supposed to be moved to the penal facility in Kerch.

In March 2018, the Ukrainian announced a timeless hunger strike but suspended it for the time they moved him to the colony. According to his lawyer Dmytro Dinze, due to his long-lasting hunger strike that ran for 200 days, the political prisoner suffers from an ulcer or pancreatitis.

Previously Russia-controlled 'Supreme Court of Crimea' eased the sentence, which now makes 4 years and 11 months in the colony (initially, it was five years, - 112 International).

Balukh was detained in December 2016; Russian special service said the operatives found 90 pieces of ammunition and several TNT pellets at his residence. The prisoner and his lawyers, however, believe he is punished for his pro-Ukrainian patriotic stance in the occupied Crimea.
Initiatives like this increase the EU's energy addiction to Russia, says Wess Mitchell, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs

Open source

Energy projects like Nord Stream II boost the West's oil and gas dependence from Russia; Wess Mitchell, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs said so commenting on the construction of Nord Stream II pipeline. The official addressed the Atlantic Council session in Washington.

According to him, Western Europe 'can't deepen the energy dependence' from the very Russia that the U.S. protects them from - or getting rich thanks to Iran, 'which develops the ballistic missiles that threaten Europe'. Thus, it is unacceptable for the U.S. allies in Central Europe to back the initiatives as Nord Stream II.

The U.S. is concerned about the new pipeline and potential increase of dependence of Europe from the Russian natural gas. Washington intends to warn the EU that the sanctions are coming. Ukraine, Poland, and the Baltic States also strongly oppose the pipeline construction. Germany, Sweden and Finland already issued the permissions for construction in their territorial waters; Denmark took a pause to consider the option.
The warships may be of use in the Black Sea waters; they can't be deployed in the Sea of Azov, though, as these frigates' water draught is too big for these waters

The U.S. government considers the option to pass the Oliver Hazard Perry type frigates to Ukraine; the move that clearly aims to boost the country's defense capability on sea. The Ukrainian Military Portal reported this with the reference to a source in the Ukrainian Navy.

'The U.S. leadership sent a letter to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense about military and technical assistance to the Ukrainian Navy through the military attache of the United States Embassy', UNIAN wrote, quoting the Ukrainian Military Portal. The warships appear to fall under the Excess Defense Article program.



The undisclosed source in the Ukrainian Navy confirmed that the U.S. Embassy turned to Ukraine's defense ministry with the respective offer. 'But we haven't decided yet; one has to take everything into account - the crew training, the price of service of these vessels, the price of maintenance works et cetera', the source claimed.

Oliver Hazard Perry type frigates may be of use in the Black Sea waters; they can't be deployed in the Sea of Azov, though, as these ships' water draught is too big for these waters.

These warships were designed in the United States in the mid-1970s as general-purpose escort vessels inexpensive enough to be bought in large quantities to replace World War II-era destroyers and complement 1960s-era Knox-class frigates. The Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates were designed primarily as anti-aircraft and anti-submarine warfare guided-missile warships intended to provide open-ocean escort of amphibious warfare ships and merchant ship convoys in moderate threat environments in a potential war with the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact countries. They could also provide air defense against 1970s- and 1980s-era aircraft and anti-ship missiles.

The frigates are equipped to escort and protect aircraft carrier battle groups, amphibious landing groups, underway replenishment groups, and merchant ship convoys. They can conduct independent operations to perform such tasks as surveillance of illegal drug smugglers, maritime interception operations, and exercises with other nations.
Open source

The agreement between the Cabinet of Minister of Ukraine and the government of the State of Qatar on the mutual cancelation of the visa demands come into force on November 2 as Directorate General for consular service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on Facebook.

According to the regulations of the agreement, the citizens of Ukraine who use the Ukrainian foreign passports (both, biometric and not biometric) and the citizens of Qatar who use the usual passport can enter, stay, leave and pass by transit the territory of the state of other side without visa if the continuation of their stay does not exceed 90 days in 180 days term.

At the same time, the citizens of Ukraine and Qatar who intend to enter the territory of the country of other side for the term exceeding 90 days, regardless the aim of their trip, should get the visa in the diplomatic office or consular establishment of the state of other side before the entering of the territory.

It is noted that the passports of the travelers should be acting for at least six months since the date of the entering to the territory of another state.

As it was reported earlier, Petro Poroshenko held the meeting with Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar during the official visit to the state.

It is noted that the sides positively noted the visible intensification of the Ukraine-Qatar relations and active development of the trade and economic cooperation. Particularly, during the negotiations the sides noted the presence of the various goods of agricultural industry complex and products of the domestic metallurgy at the Qatari market.

On March 20, 2018, the sides signed the mutual abolition of visa requirements.
Constantinople exarchate urges all the priests, deacons, monks, nuns, and followers of the Russian Exarchate in West Europe on the unity of the Church

Open source

Constantinople not to cease ties with Russian Orthodox Church, as Interfax-Ukraine reported referring to the statement of the exarchate of the Russian laity in the West Europe to the congregation.

Regardless of the split of the Eucharistic relationships of Russian Orthodox Church and Constantinople Patriarchate, the latter continues communicating with it.

Dear brothers and sisters, we inform you that our archbishopric-exarchate, which is within the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, remains in full communication with its Orthodox Church. We also tell you that the Ecumenical Patriarchate has never ceased relationships with Moscow Patriarchate and continues remembering it according to diptych, the document says.

Constantinople exarchate urges all the priests, deacons, monks, nuns, and followers of the Russian Exarchate in West Europe to pray for the unity of the Church.

All the orthodox believers can participate in the liturgic and religious sacraments in our congregations, the message says.
Deployment of a military unit in the city hasnt been considered yet

Open source

Ukraine considers the relevance of the deployment of the National Guard company in Berehove, Zakarpattia region. City Mayor Zoltan Babjak reported this on Facebook.

Today, Representatives of the National Guard led by its commander, Colonel-General Yurii Allerov visited Berehove on an official mission. The possibility of the deployment of the National Guard company in the city was considered, he said.

According to him, when the National Guard units are deployed, the officers will help the law enforcement bodies, first of all, the National Police, to carry out the tasks of ensuring and protecting law and order in Berehove.

At the same time, the Mayor of the city claimed that Deployment of a military unit in the city hasnt been considered yet.

Earlier, Ukrinfrom published a video where a few Ukrainians are receiving Hungarian passports and owe allegiance to Hungry in the Consulate in Berehove. The Hungarian diplomat recommended not to inform the Ukrainian authorities about receiving the new documents.

Later, Pavlo Klimkin, the Foreign Minister, said that the video is being checked on the authenticity. If it is authentic, the Hungarian consul might be expelled from the country.

In his turn, Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, claimed the attempts to intimidate the Transcarpathian Hungarians and threatened to make Ukraines integration more complicated.

Later it was also reported that for seven years, the Hungarian consulates in Berehove and Uzhhorod of Zakarpattia region have been granting Hungarian citizenship to local residents who are citizens of Ukraine.
The representatives of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service noted that the agency continues monitoring the situation on the occupied peninsula

Open source

No provocations or unusual situation recorded on the state border with temporary occupied Crimea after Kerch shooting, which took place on October 17, as Oleg Slobodyan, Assistant Head of Ukraines State Border Guard Service, said on air of 112 Ukraine.

Right after the events in Kerch were reported, we decided to enhance the security on the state border with temporary occupied Crimea. Primarily, it was connected with a high probability that Russia would try to shift the responsibility to the imaginary Ukrainian subverts For now, the measures are in force. Fortunately, no provocations or unusual situation recorded on the state border with temporary occupied Crimea, Slobodyan said.

In addition, the representatives of State Border Guard Service note that the agency continues monitoring the situation on the occupied peninsula.

For now, tension still exists, there is a possibility that Russian media and special services could use this information for provocations. So, these measures will be in force within several days, Slobodyan said.

As we reported, an explosion thundered at a college in Kerch, the town in Russian-occupied Crimea. The official version is the explosion of an unknown explosive device.

According to the preliminary information, an 18-year-old student of the fourth year of college Vladislav Roslyakov conducted the mass murder. The investigation reported that Roslyakov shot up people in the college and then committed suicide.

Here is what is known about the "Kerch shooter".

Related video:
According to Germany's Internal Ministry, 14 more countries can be included in the list

Open source

Germany is to include Ukraine into the list of 14 safe countries of origin, including Ukraine, as Deutsche Welle reported referring to dpa.

The migrants from the safe countries of origin are easier to be expelled from Germany if the state refuses to provide asylum as their application for asylum is being considered under an accelerated procedure.

In July, the following countries were included into the list  Tunis, Algeria, Morocco, and Georgia. And now, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Cuba, Columbia, Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Kenia, Benin, Guinea Bissau, Central African Republic, and Chad are to join the list.

Such decision is related to the fact that in 2018, the part of the positive decisions on the asylum applications of the citizens of these particular states is less than 5%.

The final decision depends on the meeting of other criteria and the requirements of the European Union and the conclusion of Germanys Federal Constitutional Court. Besides, the Government of Germany has to conduct a detailed analysis of the threat of tortures, inhuman treatment and armed conflict.

Reportedly, Angela Merkel, the Chancellor of Germany, concluded agreements with 14 countries concerning the accelerated procedure of return of migrants who try to move to Germany.
Donbas conflict, Kerch shooting, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Sea of Azov, Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia - the whole week on one page

About Donbas conflict

In Donbas pro-Kremlin mercenaries and Russian regular army soldiers intensified the attacks, using anti-tank missile launchers. Intensive sniper fire resulted in several fatalities among Ukrainian forces over the week. Meanwhile, the OSCE reiterated that since early 2018, 39 civilians lost their lives in war-torn eastern Ukraine. In 2017, the number made 87.

The negotiation process within Minsk talks group is somewhat stalling. 'The POW (Prisoners of War) release was the key topic of the humanitarian group where the members of State Security Service and the Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories worked on October 16. Moscow does not recognize there are Russian citizens in Ukrainian prisons.

***

About Kerch shooting

A terrible tragedy happened on October 17 in occupied Kerch  Vladislav Roslyakov, an 18-year-old student of the college, came to the institution with a gunshot and killed 21 people, injured over 50. Both Russian and Ukraine launched a criminal probe on Kerch shooting case  murder and terrorist attack respectively.

Ukrainian officials commented the situation  the President Poroshenko expressed condolences to families of victims; Poroshenkoas representative to Crimea Babin claimed Ukraines readiness to any assistance to the families of the dead and injured; Foreign Minister Klimkin doubted that such tragedy would take place on a peaceful peninsula without Russias occupation.

In his turn, Putin, the leader of Russia, explained the situation in the following way  he said that Kerch shooting happened due to the ongoing globalization.

Speaking of the investigation of this terrible tragedy, Russia checked Kerch shooter for connection with Ukraines Right Sector, while Aksyonov, the so-called head of Crimea, said someone helped Roslyakov with preparation of the terrorist attack. Ukraines Interior Ministry suggested Kerch shooting could be used as a reason for was in Azov Sea. At the same time, Ukraine monitors state border with occupied peninsula in an enhanced regime.

***

About the Sea of Azov

On October 18, Russian Foreign Minister said Russia would not allow NATO vessels hold drills in Sea of Azov. The next day, Russia's L-39 jet trainer crashed into Sea of Azov.

Ukraine, on the other hand, asked Russian FSB to return Ukrainian sailors detained in Sea of Azov.

***

About Clear Sky drills

The story of Ukraines fighter jet crash in Vinnytsia region is among this weeks breaking news. The tragedy took place on Tuesday, as Clear Sky multinational drills took place in central Ukraine. Sukhoi Su-27 air superiority fighter hit the ground near Ulanove village. The crash killed both the American and the Ukrainian pilots, Colonel Seth Nehring from the 144th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard stationed in California, and Ivan Petrenko, the Chief of Aviation of East Air Force Command of Ukraines Armed Forces. The drills were supposed to be running until October 19, but were canceled after the incident.

***

Ukrainian political prisoners

Ukrainian movie director Oleg Sentsov, after a 114-day hunger strike, appeared in the intensive care of Labytnangi hospital, Russia. Moreover, his cousin Natalia Kaplan said it was difficult to predict whether Oleg survives. Besides, she claimed about the pessimistic attitude of his last letters.

Speaking of another political prisoner Balukh, who is illegally kept in Crimea, this week, it was reported that he was to be transferred to Kerch prison on October 18.

On October 16, Mustafa Dzhemilev, former Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Ukrainian MP and the presidential envoy for the affairs of Crimean Tatar people, stated that Kremlin needs Ukrainian hostages to have exchange material.

***

About Ukrainian Orthodox Church

On October 15, Russian Church broke relations with Constantinople. The Kremlin expressed 'concern' about this breakup. Dushanbe Orthodox Church (Tajikistan) also severed ties with Constantinople.

Ukraines Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate noted that Russian Synod follows Kremlin policy, while Ukraine's Foreign Minister called Russian Orthodox church "dissident." Ukraine's President Poroshenko also stated that Russian Orthodox Church follows self-isolation path.

Ukraine will offer St. Anrdrews cathedral to Constantinople for use. Ukrainian Autocephalous Church, as well as Ukrainian parliament agreed to it.

In the meantime, Ukraine-Russian Orthodox church conflict reached Germany.

Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church breaks plans of Putin about Russian World. In fact, Russia adopted statement on "escalation of situation in Ukraine," claiming that attempt of Ukrainian authorities to legalize church dissenters is an example of this.

***

About Minsk process

***

About football

Ukraines national football team claimed another victory in UEFA Nations League; Andriy Shevchenkos men beat the Czech squad in a home game (1-0), scoring another three points and finishing first in the ranking of Group 1, League B. Having defeated Slovakia and the Czech Republic - once again (the Yellow-Blues won in both legs), Ukraine makes it to the next round of the competition.
Information about a fire on NewsOne was not confirmed, as the host of the channel said on air.

At around 8:40 am, the host stated that there was a fire on the territory of the TV channel:

It was announced that a fire broke out on NewsOne studio. We are trying to figure out what happened, and whether it was connected with the political pressure on NewsOne, with yesterdays decision of the Verkhovna Rada. The colleagues started leaving the office, the premise, our newsroom, yet there is no indicators of a fire, like a mild smoke, the host noted.

At 9:40 am, the host informed that it was a fire escape drill.

Reportedly, Ukraines Parliament declined the draft on cancellation of the decision to urge the Security Council to impose sanctions against 112 Ukraine and NewsOne.

On October 4, Ukraines Verkhovna Rada urged the countrys National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to introduce sanctions against several Ukrainian TV channels. 229 MPs supported the draft law No. 9157 on 'Approval of recommendations to introduce personal special economic sanctions and other restrictive measures (sanctions).'

Later, Opposition Bloc representatives Oleksandr Vilkul and Nestor Shufrych registered a draft on cancellation of this decision.

A petition on prevention of suppression of freedom of speech in Ukraine and sanctions against 112 Ukraine and NewsOne TV channels was registered on the website of Ukraine's President.

Related video:
Law enforcers detained ten people involved in wrongdoing, the detainees appeared to be the representatives of a security company and Condominium association

On Thursday, October 18, a group of men broke in the apartment in Kyiv, where Maria Maksakova, widow of ex-deputy of Russian State Duma Denis Voronenkov, lives, as Kyiv Prosecutors Office reported.

Maksakovas son and a babysitter were in the flat at that moment. The group of men managed to change locks and demanded to leave the place.

Law enforcers detained ten people involved in wrongdoing. They were taken to Shevchenkivsky Police Department.

The information on the case was included in the United Registry of Pre-trial Investigation.

Later, it was reported about some dispute over the property which led to such a situation, as Nadiya Maksymets, Kyiv Prosecutors Office Spokesperson, said on air of 112 Ukraine.

A dispute on this apartment is underway Maria Maksakova knows the owner of the apartment, yet they have a dispute concerning this property, she said.

According to her, the detainees on the case appeared to be the representatives of a security company and Condominium association. They were released after questioning.

For now, Maksakovas relatives are in the apartment.

Earlier, the apartment was seized as this property is contradictory, Maksymetsk said.

The former MP of the Russian State Duma Denis Voronenkov was shot in Kyiv on March 23 at the intersection of Pushkinska and Shevchenko streets near the Premier Palace hotel. The bodyguard of the former MP injured the attacker. The medical workers tried to save the life of the shooter but he died in the hospital.

The shooter is the citizen of Ukraine, born in 1988, Pavlo Parshov. He was born in Sevastopol and was enlisted by the Russian special services and had the aim to infiltrate the Armed Forces of Ukraine or National Guard.

Kyiv Holosiivo District Court extended the pre-trial restriction in terms of detention for 36-years old citizen of Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk region, Yaroslav Tarasenko on August 10. He was detained on suspicion of implication in the murder of Voronenkov. He is accused of intentional homicide committed by the previous concert, group of persons and provided by part two, article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Providing a global leading advertising platform to clients in the Japanese market

TOKYO, Oct. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rakuten, Inc. and AdRoll Group today announced that the two companies have reached an agreement regarding the establishment of Rakuten AdRoll K.K., a joint venture that will bring a world-class performance advertising platform combining Rakutens big data with AdRoll Groups expertise at accelerating the customer journey, with data-driven advertising and intelligent orchestration, to clients in the Japanese market. Clients will begin to use products from the new joint venture starting November 1, 2018.

By connecting our merchants and clients with the worlds leading performance advertising platform, they will be able to create integrated marketing campaigns directly inside our platform, said Makoto Arima, Group Executive Vice President and CRO of Rakuten. This access will be a huge leap for many of our merchants and clients, some of whom have limited experience in digital advertising campaigns and will now have access to best-in-class solutions. Our merchants and clients are gaining an impactful way to leverage the big data Rakuten currently collects. By using this data with AdRoll Groups customer identity technology and expertise, they will receive relevant, personalized product advertising and recommendations to continue to engage and influence their audience.

AdRoll Group focuses on accelerating business growth for clients through its product portfolio of customer intelligence, activation, and measurement technologies. The company has worked with more than 37,000 clients globally to generate over $228 billion in revenue on behalf of clients.

Weve built our Growth Platform so companies like Rakuten can adapt and leverage it in ways that work best for their customers and users, said Toby Gabriner, CEO of AdRoll Group. For Rakuten advertisers, they will not only have access to quality customer data and insights, but also more importantly, the tools to activate it. The Rakuten AdRoll joint venture will empower merchants to grow revenue by delivering highly relevant and personalized user experiences.

Rakutens big data assets, which include approximately 99 million Rakuten IDs, will be utilized to provide clients with full-funnel marketing solutions suited to every stage of the consumer journey. In May 2018, Rakuten consolidated its suite of advertising-related products under the Rakuten Marketing Platform brand to offer client companies a more integrated approach to marketing.

Rakuten and AdRoll Group will work together to provide a variety of integrated marketing solutions through Rakuten AdRoll.

About the AdRoll Group

In 2007 AdRoll, Inc., now AdRoll Group, was founded with the objective of helping big and small businesses turn their customer data into high-performance marketing. From this inspiration, AdRoll, Inc. grew to AdRoll Group, the Growth Platform Company. Organized around world-class data and automation, the company is home to AdRoll, the E-commerce Growth Platform, and RollWorks, the B2B Growth Platform. Each division is able to leverage shared platform capabilities, BidIQ artificial intelligence, and the IntentMap, a data co-op of more than 1.2 billion digital profiles, to solve online growth and connections for over 37,000 marketers worldwide.

AdRoll Group is a privately-held company headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with offices in New York, Dublin, Sydney, London, Tokyo, Chicago and Salt Lake City. Learn more at https://www.adrollgroup.com .

About Rakuten

Rakuten, Inc. (TSE: 4755) is a global leader in internet services that empower individuals, communities, businesses and society. Founded in Tokyo in 1997 as an online marketplace, Rakuten has expanded to offer services in e-commerce, fintech, digital content and communications to more than 1.2 billion members around the world. The Rakuten Group has over 15,000 employees, and operations in 30 countries and regions. For more information visit https://global.rakuten.com/corp/ .
Lutathera treatment was associated with an ~80% reduction in the estimated risk of tumor progression or death vs comparator, regardless of baseline liver tumor burden[1]



Lutathera treatment was associated with a clinically significant reduction in the estimated risk for deterioration of global health status (self-assessment of overall health and quality of life) vs comparator, regardless of baseline liver tumor burden[1]



Progression free survival (PFS) was also improved in the presence of elevated alkaline phosphatase or large lesion at baseline[1]

Basel, October 19, 2018 - Novartis today announced presentation of a new analysis of Lutathera (lutetium Lu 177 dotatate*) NETTER-1 data at the 2018 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress examining the impact of Lutathera treatment on patients with low, medium or high liver tumor burden. The data show that Lutathera treatment results in significant improvement in progression free survival (PFS) regardless of the extent of baseline liver tumor burden (LTB), elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) liver enzyme or presence of large (>30mm diameter) lesion in patients with progressive midgut neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) compared to octreotide LAR alone[1].

Lutathera is the first Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) to receive regulatory registration, with approval by the European Commission in September 2017 and by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2018. Lutathera is an Advanced Accelerator Applications product.

"Patients with metastatic midgut NET and a high liver tumor load at diagnosis have a poorer prognosis than patients with few liver metastases[2],[3]," said Jonathan Strosberg, MD, Associate Professor, Section Head, Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at Moffitt Cancer Center, and Principle Investigator of the NETTER-1 study. "These new data provide hope for these patients and reinforce the potential benefit of Lutathera treatment in this population."

Liver tumor burden (LTB) was defined as tumor volume/total liver volume by CT or MRI, and categorized as low (<25%), moderate (25-50%), and high (>50%)[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone was 28.35 vs 11.04 in low (HR=0.218, 95% CI 0.120 to 0.394); Not Reached (NR) vs 8.67 in moderate (HR=0.202, 95% CI 0.077 to 0.525); 19.38 vs 5.52 in high LTB (HR= 0.193, 95% CI 0.079 to 0.474), respectively[1].

Because the numbers of patients and events of deteriorations are small for the moderate and high liver burden groups for quality of life assessments, moderate/high liver burden groups were pooled into one group[1]. Median TTD (months) for global health status (self-assessment of overall health and quality of life) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone was 28.81 vs 6.11 in low (HR=0.376, 95% CI 0.196 to 0.720); and NR vs 5.98 in moderate/high LTB (HR=0.453, 95% CI 0.178 to 1.152) [1]. Median TTD (months) for physical functioning was 25.20 vs 11.47 in low (HR=0.512, 95% CI 0.264 to 0.994); and NR vs 11.56 in moderate/high LTB (HR=0.526, 95% CI 0.207 to 1.335) [1].

"These results from the NETTER-1 study continue to show that Lutathera delivers strong efficacy in patients with a challenging disease burden," said Samit Hirawat, MD, Head of Novartis Oncology Global Drug Development. "Demonstrating improved PFS and maintenance of QoL in patients with neuroendocrine tumors with poor prognosis due to a high liver tumor burden is a great example of our commitment to reimagining cancer."

Additional sub-analysis evaluated median PFS in patient subgroups with normal or elevated baseline levels of liver enzyme alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and in subgroups with presence or absence of a large (>30 mm diameter) lesion at baseline[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone for the group with normal ALP was 28.35 vs 8.74 (HR=0.204, 95% CI 0.117 to 0.357)[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone for the group with elevated ALP was NR vs 5.78 (HR=0.191, 95% CI 0.090 to 0.405)[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone for the group with a large tumor lesion was 28.35 vs 8.44 (HR=0.266, 95% CI 0.165 to 0.429)[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone for the group without a large tumor lesion was NR vs 8.74 (HR= 0.069, 95% CI 0.021 to 0.233)[1].

The NETTER-1 trial is an international phase III study in patients with progressive, somatostatin receptor-positive midgut neuroendocrine tumors[4]. Patients were randomized to treatment with Lutathera (Lu)(n=117) and best supportive care (30 mg octreotide LAR), or 60 mg octreotide LAR alone (Oct) (n=114). In total, 141 patients had low (71 Lu, 70 Oct), 50 patients had moderate (19 Lu, 31 Oct), and 40 patients had high LTB (27 Lu, 13 Oct).

European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaires, a commonly used metric for analysis of HRQoL in cancer patients, were assessed during the trial to determine the impact of treatment on HRQoL[5]. Patients completed the questionnaires at baseline and every 12 weeks until tumor progression. TTD was defined as the time from randomization to the first QoL deterioration >=10 points (on a 100-point scale) compared to baseline score for the same domain.

About Lutathera

Lutathera (lutetium Lu 177 dotatate*) is a lutetium Lu 177-labeled somatostatin analog peptide. Lutathera belongs to a class of treatments called Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT). Lutathera is comprised of a targeting molecule which carries a radioactive component. Lutathera has received orphan drug designation from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In the US, Lutathera is indicated for the treatment of somatostatin receptor positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), including foregut, midgut, and hindgut neuroendocrine tumors in adults[6]. In Europe, Lutathera is indicated for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic, progressive, well differentiated (G1 and G2), somatostatin receptor positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) in adults[7]. Lutathera can cause serious side effects that may include bone marrow problems, kidney problems, liver problems, hormonal gland problems, fertility problems and problems arising from radiation exposure. Please see Important Safety Information and Full Prescribing Information at: www.lutathera.com .

* USAN: lutetium Lu 177 dotatate / INN: lutetium (177Lu) oxodotreotide

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions; safety, quality or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Advanced Accelerator Applications

Advanced Accelerator Applications, a Novartis company, is an innovative radiopharmaceutical company developing, producing and commercializing nuclear medicine theragnostics. AAA is also an established leader in radiopharmaceuticals for Positron Emission tomography (PET) and Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) diagnostic imaging, mainly used in clinical oncology, cardiology and neurology. For more information, please visit: https://www.adacap.com/.

About Novartis

Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 1 billion people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 125,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library

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References

[1] Strosberg J, Hendifar A, Yao JC, et al. (2018, October) Impact of Liver Tumor Burden on Therapeutic Effect of 177Lu-DOTATATE Treatment: Analysis of Progression-Free Survival, Safety and Quality of Life in NETTER-1. Poster presented at the Annual Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology, Munich, Germany.

[2] Rinke A, Muller HH, Schade-Brittinger C, et al. Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Prospective, Randomized Study on the Effect of Octreotide LAR in the Control of Tumor Growth in Patients with Metastatic Neuroendocrine Midgut Tumors: A Report from the PROMID Study Group. J Clin Oncol. 2009;27:4656-4663.

[3] Rinke A, Wittenberg M, Schade-Brittinger C, et al. Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Prospective, Randomized Study on the Effect of Octreotide LAR in the Control of Tumor Growth in Patients with Metastatic Neuroendocrine Midgut Tumors (PROMID): Results of Long-term Survival. Neuroendocrinology 2017; 104:26-32.

[4] Strosberg J, El-Haddad G, Wolin E, et al. Phase 3 Trial of 177Lu-Dotatate for Midgut Neuroendocrine Tumors. N Engl J Med 2017; 376:125-35.

[5] Aaronson NK, Ahmedzai S, Bergman B, et al. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30: a quality-of-life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1993; 85(5):365-76.

[6] LUTATHERA Prescribing Information

[7] LUTATHERA Summary of Product Characteristics

# # #

Novartis Media Relations

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E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com

Eric Althoff

Novartis Global Media Relations

+41 61 324 7999 (direct)

+41 79 593 4202 (mobile)

eric.althoff@novartis.com Rachel Levine

Advanced Accelerator Applications

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rachel.levine@adacap.com

Novartis Investor Relations

Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944

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Shareholders' Approval and Launch of Oxurion NV as new Company Name

First patient enrolled in Phase 1 study evaluating THR-687, a Novel Pan-RGD Integrin Antagonist, for Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)

First Patient enrolled in Phase 2 Clinical Study Evaluating THR-317 (anti-PlGF) for treatment of Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1)

End Q3 2018 cash position 95.1 million

Highlights

Following shareholders' approval on September 3, ThromboGenics NV was rebranded Oxurion NV.

The new name Oxurion better reflects the Company's ambition to deliver best in class therapies for back of the eye disorders. The decision to rebrand coincides with the company reaching important milestones with its innovative diabetic eye disease pipeline, and the start of additional clinical studies.

First patient enrolled in Phase 1 clinical study evaluating THR-687, a novel pan-RGD integrin antagonist, for the treatment of DME



First patient enrolled in Phase 2 clinical study evaluating THR-317 (anti-PlGF) for the treatment of Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1)



Oxurion NV presented further scientific findings at EURETINA supporting therapeutic potential of THR-317 and THR-687 as promising new therapies for Diabetic Eye Disease



Cash and investments were 95.1 million as of the end of September 2018, compared with 101.4 million at the end of June 2018

Leuven, Belgium, 19 October 2018 - Oxurion NV (Euronext Brussels: OXUR - formerly known as ThromboGenics), a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments to preserve vision in patients with diseases affecting the back of the eye, today issues a business update for the three-month period ending 30 September 2018.

Oxurion is developing a competitive pipeline of disease modifying drug candidates for diabetic eye disease, particularly diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME).

The Oxurion pipeline consists of products with different modes of action, and includes:

THR-317 - a PIGF (human placental growth factor) neutralizing monoclonal antibody, is in a Phase 2 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of intravitreal THR-317 when administered in combination with ranibizumab (Lucentis), for the treatment of DME.

In addition, THR-317 is being evaluated in a Phase 2 study for the treatment of Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1). MacTel 1 is a rare disease that affects the macula and can lead to vision loss.

THR-149 - a plasma kallikrein inhibitor being developed for the treatment of DME. THR-149 is in a Phase 1 open-label, multicenter, dose escalation study

THR-687 - a small molecule integrin antagonist being developed to treat a broad range of patients with diabetic eye disease. THR-687 entered the clinic in September 2018.

Patrik De Haes, MD, CEO of Oxurion nv, commented: "This past quarter will be marked by the introduction of our new company name as we continue to make excellent progress in advancing our novel drug candidates in the clinic to treat diabetic eye disease. We began the clinical development of THR-687 as planned, and we started a new Phase 2 study evaluating THR-317 for the treatment of Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1). Earlier in the year we already announced the start of a Phase 2 study of THR-317 in combination with ranibizumab (Lucentis) and a Phase I study with THR-149, both which are being developed for the treatment of DME. We look forward to the continued clinical advancement of our industry leading pipeline and expect to present initial clinical data in the second half of 2019.

Progressing Pipeline of Novel Medicines Targeting Diabetic Eye Disease

According to the International Diabetes Federation, the number of adults with diabetes worldwide is estimated at over 400 million and is expected to increase to over 640 million by 2040.

Diabetic eye disease is caused by hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels) associated with diabetes. If left unchecked hyperglycemia causes damage to the capillaries in the back of the eye (retina) and can result in vision loss and subsequently, blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of vision loss among working-age adults, affecting over a third of all people with diabetes. DR progresses from mild, non-proliferative to more severe or even proliferative stages.

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is an accumulation of fluid in the macula which can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy (DR). DME represents an area of unmet medical need; the current standard of care treatment with anti-VEGFs has been shown in some cases to result in suboptimal responses in patients.

THR-317-002 - a Phase 2 study evaluating an anti-PIGF antibody for treatment of DME

THR-317 (anti-PlGF) is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the receptor-binding site of human placental growth factor (PlGF) being developed for the treatment of DME.

The first patient was recruited in a Phase 2 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of intravitreal THR-317 administered in combination with ranibizumab (Lucentis), for the treatment of DME in April.

Initial results from this Phase 2 clinical study are anticipated for the second half of 2019.

Initiation of the Phase 2 trial followed Oxurion's announcement of Day 90 topline clinical data from the Phase 1/2 study evaluating THR-317 for DME. These data were reinforced by Day 150 topline clinical data that were announced in July.

At the Euretina International Congress in Vienna (Austria) in September, Oxurion gave a presentation on Anti-inflammatory effects of the PlGF neutralizing antibody THR-317 in patients with diabetic macular edema, providing further scientific findings supporting therapeutic potential of THR-317 as a promising new therapy for Diabetic Eye Disease.

THR-317-003 - a Phase 2 study evaluating an anti-PIGF antibody for treatment of MacTel1

In September, Oxurion announced the start of a Phase 2 open-label multi-center study evaluating the efficacy and safety of intravitreal THR-317 for the treatment of Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1). MacTel 1 is a rare disease that affects the macula and can lead to vision loss. There is currently no cure or effective treatment for MacTel 1.

This Phase 2 study plans to enroll 10 patients with macular edema caused by MacTel 1, who will each receive three 8mg intravitreal THR-317 injections over a period of 2 months. Efficacy and safety of the therapy will be assessed via functional and anatomic endpoints.

Initial results from this clinical study are anticipated towards the end of the second half of 2019.

THR-149-001 - a Phase 1 study evaluating a plasma kallikrein inhibitor for treatment of DME

Plasma kallikrein for the treatment of DME acts through inhibition of the Plasma Kallikrein-Kinin (PKaI-kinin) System. Activation of the PKal-kinin system induces retinal vascular permeability, inflammation and angiogenesis. Based on literature data, patients with DME have elevated levels of plasma kallikrein, and therefore a plasma kallikrein inhibitor may be appropriate for the treatment of these patients.

In May, Oxurion initiated a Phase 1 clinical study evaluating the safety of a single intravitreal injection of escalating dose levels of THR-149 in patients with DME. Approximately 18 patients will be enrolled, with initial results anticipated around the end of the second half of 2019.

THR-687-001 - a Phase 1 study evaluating an integrin antagonist for the treatment of DME

Oxurion is developing THR-687, a novel pan-RGD integrin antagonist, to preserve vision of a broad range of patients with diabetic eye disease.

In September, THR-687 entered the clinic in a Phase 1 open-label, multicenter, dose escalation study evaluating the safety of a single intravitreal injection of THR-687 for the treatment of patients with diabetic macula edema (DME).

A maximum of 18 patients will be enrolled, with initial results anticipated by the end of the second half of 2019.

During the Euretina International Congress in Vienna (Austria) in September, preclinical data were presented supporting the therapeutic potential of THR-687 as a novel treatment for sight-threatening DR.

Oncurious Update - TB-403 for Pediatric Brain Cancers

Recruitment is on-going in a Phase 1/2a study with TB-403, a humanized monoclonal antibody against placental growth factor (PlGF), in the US. PlGF is expressed in several types of cancer, including medulloblastoma. High expression of the PlGF receptor neuropilin 1 has been shown to correlate with poor overall survival.

The study aims to recruit 27 patients with Relapsed or Refractory Medulloblastoma. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of TB-403 at the maximum tolerated dose in pediatric subjects with relapsed or refractory Medulloblastoma.

Evaluation of the 3rd (out of 4) dose level is currently running towards its endpoint. For recruiting patients, Oncurious is partnering with Beat Childhood Cancer.

Initial data anticipated for around mid 2019.

TB-403 is being developed by Oncurious in conjunction with BioInvent International.

Financial Update

Oxurion had, at the end of September 2018, 95.1 million in cash and investments. This compares with 101.4 million as of the end of June 2018.

END

For further information please contact:

Oxurion NV

Wouter Piepers,

Global Head of Corp Coms & Investor relations

Tel: +32 16 75 13 10 / +32 478 33 56 32

wouter.piepers@oxurion.com EU - Citigate Dewe Rogerson

David Dible / Sylvie Berrebi

Tel: +44 20 7638 9571

oxurion@citigatedewerogerson.com US - LifeSci Public Relations

Alison Chen

Tel: +1 646-876-4932

achen@lifescipublicrelations.com

About Oxurion

Oxurion (Euronext Brussels: OXUR) is a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments to preserve vision in patients with diseases affecting the back of the eye. The company has built a diverse portfolio of disease-modifying therapies, including treatments for diabetic eye disease, a leading cause of blindness in people of working age worldwide.

Oxurion's clinical pipeline consists of THR-317, a PlGF inhibitor, for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME); THR-149, a plasma kallikrein inhibitor for the treatment of DME; and THR-687, a pan-RGD integrin antagonist for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and DME. Further new drug candidates are currently being assessed and developed for the treatment of diabetic eye disease.

Oxurion owns the global rights to JETREA (ocriplasmin), the only pharmacological vitreolysis drug approved for the treatment of symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion (in the U.S.) and vitreomacular traction (outside the U.S.).

Oxurion is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and is listed on the Euronext Brussels exchange under the symbol OXUR. In the US, Oxurion NV operates ThromboGenics inc. as a subsidiary company. More information is available at www.oxurion.com

Important information about forward-looking statements

Certain statements in this press release may be considered "forward-looking". Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, and, accordingly, entail and are influenced by various risks and uncertainties. The Company therefore cannot provide any assurance that such forward-looking statements will materialize and does not assume an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason. Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties affecting the business and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement is contained in the Company's Annual Report. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities or assets of Oxurion in any jurisdiction. No securities of Oxurion may be offered or sold within the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or in compliance with an exemption therefrom, and in accordance with any applicable U.S. state securities laws.
English Swedish

Nine months 2018

Net profit/loss for the period amounted to MSEK 22.2 (43.4).

Earnings per share amounted to SEK 1.70 (3.07).

Net asset value amounted to MSEK 743 (SEK 62.31 per share) at September 30, 2018, compared to MSEK 821 (SEK 60.17 per share) at year-end 2017. The fact that the total net asset value decreased, while the net asset value per share increased is due to the shares repurchases made during the period.

Net cash amounted to MSEK 277 (SEK 23.26 per share) at September 30, 2018, compared to MSEK 450 (SEK 32.97 per share) at year-end 2017.

The 2018 Annual General Meeting resolved that a dividend of 2.53 SEK per share to the shareholders for FY 2017.

Third quarter 2018

Net profit/loss for the quarter amounted to MSEK 10.6 (-16.4).

Earnings per share amounted to SEK 0.86 (-1.19).

The Extraordinary General Meeting held on August 30 resolved to cancel the 1,355,340 own shares held by the company

Comments by the CEO

The net asset value per share increased by 2.6% during the third quarter.

NAXS added on its existing position in Awilco Drilling during the quarter, acquiring 31,122 shares on the market.

NAXS continued during the quarter to repurchase its own shares. Notably, the company acquired in July a block representing 5% of the total number of shares. Having reached the maximum legal threshold of 10% of own shares held by the company further to this purchase, NAXS held an extraordinary shareholders meeting on August 30, where it was resolved to cancel all own shares held by the company. Subsequently, NAXS repurchased in September two blocks of shares representing 1.1% and 1.4% of the total number of shares. During the first 3 quarters of 2018, NAXS has repurchased 12.2% of the total number of shares and, as of the date of its report, NAXS held 303 019 own shares, representing 2.5% of the total number of shares.

Lennart Svantesson

Contact information

Lennart Svantesson, CEO

Telephone: +46 73 311 00 11

Gosta Lundgren, CFO

Telephone: +46 70 710 47 88

This information is information that Naxs AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 8.30 CET on October 19, 2018.

This press release and further information is available on the Companys website: www.naxs.se

NAXS AB (publ)

Corp. Reg. No. 556712-2972

Grev Turegatan 10

114 46 Stockholm, Sweden

Tel: +46 8 611 33 25, E-mail: info@naxs.se



NAXS is a company listed on NASDAQ Stockholm and investing primarily in private equity funds with a Nordic focus. NAXS may also make direct investments or co-investments alongside private equity or other alternative assets funds. In addition, NAXS may, to a limited extent, make other types of investments.

Attachment
Miami, FL, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The wait is over! Global leaders in advanced therapies, regenerative medicine and the stem cell field can register now for the co-located Phacilitate Leaders World and World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS) at the Hyatt Regency Miami, January 22-25, 2019.

Phacilitate and the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF) announced that registration is now open and early bird rates will be available until November 15th, 2018. Four meetings within one streamlined partnering event provide senior professionals and stakeholders in cell, gene and immunotherapy new and expanded opportunities for strategic insight and unparalleled business and professional networking. Register now so you do not miss 2019s largest advanced therapies, transdisciplinary partnering event.

New and enhanced opportunities include:

Asia Pavilion , where attendees gain strategies for globalization and the essentials of business and regulation in Japan, China and South Korea

, where attendees gain strategies for globalization and the essentials of business and regulation in Japan, China and South Korea Phacilitate:TALKS will inspire your work long after you leave Miami. Delivered on the exhibition floor without slides, inspiring speakers and leaders will describe the future, including astonishing breakthroughs, species-altering events, amazing technologies and inspiring patient narratives. Hosted by Anemocyte.

will inspire your work long after you leave Miami. Delivered on the exhibition floor without slides, inspiring speakers and leaders will describe the future, including astonishing breakthroughs, species-altering events, amazing technologies and inspiring patient narratives. Hosted by Anemocyte. The Clinical Hub , an experiential hub focusing on big picture goals: improving patient outcomes and changing the standard of healthcare. Themes include medical economics, patient outcomes, pricing and reimbursement models and patient logistics.

, an experiential hub focusing on big picture goals: improving patient outcomes and changing the standard of healthcare. Themes include medical economics, patient outcomes, pricing and reimbursement models and patient logistics. Ethics and Policy , discussions focused on regulation, registries, standardization, bioethics, societal roadblocks and solutions, all impacting the delivery of lifesaving treatments and cures

, discussions focused on regulation, registries, standardization, bioethics, societal roadblocks and solutions, all impacting the delivery of lifesaving treatments and cures Regenerative Medicine in the Clinic, sessions aimed at educating clinicians and patients on what is available for regenerative treatments in the here and now

The ambitious and comprehensive agenda will inform attendees about all aspects driving the commercialization of advanced therapies on topics including stem cells, immuno-oncology, cord blood, regulatory pathways, reimbursement, research and development, emerging science, translation and clinical trials, cell manufacturing, regenerative medicine in the clinic, ethics and regulation, patient advocacy, funding and many more. Expert luncheons will facilitate intimate conversations with industry leaders and potential funders. Special networking events and celebrations include the Phacilitate Leaders World 15th Anniversary welcome reception, the prestigious 14th annual Stem Cell Action & Regenerative Medicine Awards Gala Dinner and a yacht party to benefit the Emily Whitehead Foundation.

According to Bernard Siegel, founder and co-chair of the World Stem Cell Summit, Stem cells, regenerative medicine, and advanced therapies represent the future of medicine and the potential to relieve sickness and suffering, produce healthy longevity, and spark unpredictable societal benefits impacting all life. The vast convergence of technologies is fostering a trillion dollar biomedical, industrial revolution that is changing the world. Such an important cause mandates super-additive collaboration of the highest kind; one that lays the foundation for prosperity, and cures. The Summit breaks down silos offering the ideal forum, in a beautiful setting, for our global audience to collect the contacts and opportunities they need to advance their most important goals.

We decided early in our planning that the success of this years Phacilitate would be built on setting up the right partnerships to unite the industry and creating an unforgettable and enjoyable experience for all attendees. Every member of our team leads with a partnership-first approach resulting in an unparalleled experience and networking opportunities for Phacilitate and World Stem Cell Summit attendees, said Michael Adeniya, Director of Advanced Therapies at Phacilitate.

The combined 15th Annual Cell & Gene Therapy World, 14th Annual World Stem Cell Summit, Immuno-Oncology Frontiers World and Cord Blood & Perinatal Stem Cells Summit will bring the advanced therapies communities together for a revolutionary gathering in Miami, Florida. In January 2018, the meeting brought together 1,550 attendees from 35 countries with 100 exhibitors. Phacilitate Leaders World was honored to receive the award for Best Global Conference at the 2018 AEO Awards in London. This year, Phacilitate and RMF expect to attract 2,000 attendees, 150 exhibitors and 300 speakers representing every major stakeholder group. For the latest additions to the agenda and world-renowned speakers, visit http://www.phacilitate-leaders-world.com/. To download a brochure with pricing and agenda information at a glance, visit http://www.phacilitate-leaders-world.com/conference/event-brochure.

About Phacilitate

Phacilitate believes in the power of partnerships and that through collaboration, anything can be achieved. By fostering the community and bringing together a diverse range of expertise from across the advanced therapies ecosystem, Phacilitate is creating a network of partnerships that brings the industry closer to achieving the ultimate goal of improving patient care and developing commercially viable curative treatments. This is the future of healthcare. Phacilitate unites people through award-winning events, which focus on the business and the science of advanced therapies, creating unforgettable experiences and memories to connect and inspire. Phacilitate Leaders World, Phacilitate Leaders Europe and the Advanced Cell Therapy Shanghai Summit, are the pillars of the calendar and bring together the entire advanced therapies ecosystem. For more information about Phacilitate, please visit: phacilitate.co.uk.

About the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF)







The nonprofit Regenerative Medicine Foundation fosters strategic collaborations to accelerate the development of regenerative medicine to improve health and deliver cures. RMF pursues its mission by producing its flagship World Stem Cell Summit, honoring leaders through the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Awards, co-publishing World Stem Cell Report with AlphaMed Press, and promoting educational initiatives. For more information about RMF, please visit: regmedfoundation.org.







About the World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS)

Produced by the non-profit Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF), and in its 14th year, the World Stem Cell Summit 2019 is co-located with the Phacilitate Leadership Forum, Cell & Gene Therapy World, Immuno-Oncology Frontiers World and Cord Blood & Perinatal Stem Cells Summit conferences. It is the most inclusive and expansive interdisciplinary, networking, and partnering meeting in the stem cell science and regenerative medicine field. With the overarching purpose of fostering biomedical research, funding, and investments targeting cures, the Summit and co-located conferences serve a diverse ecosystem of stakeholders. For more information about the 14th World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS), please visit: worldstemcellsummit.com.

Attachments
TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BELGRAVIA CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL INC. (CSE: BLGV) (OTCQB: BLGVF) (Belgravia or the Company) announced today that it is making a normal course issuer bid (NCIB) through the facilities of the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE). The Company is executing a NCIB at this time as its board of directors and management believe the Company's value is not adequately reflected in its current price.



As of October 18, 2018, the Company had 411,354,656 common shares issued and outstanding. Under the terms of the NCIB, Belgravia may purchase for cancellation up to 20,567,733 of its common shares, representing 5% of its issued and outstanding shares. The NCIB is expected to commence on or about October 19, 2018 and will not extend beyond October 19, 2019, but in all cases will end when permitted purchases of shares is completed. The purchase and payment for the shares of the Company will be made in accordance with the requirements of the CSE. Such shares will be purchased only when and if the Company considers it advisable. Belgravia may terminate the NCIB at any time by providing a notice of termination. The Company has appointed Beacon Securities Limited to coordinate and facilitate its NCIB purchases. The actual number of shares purchased, timing of purchases and the price at which the shares are bought will depend upon, among other things, future market conditions and potential alternative uses for the Company's cash resources.

About Belgravia

Belgravia Capital International Inc. is focused on three core business divisions: Incubator, Investments, and Royalty & Management Services. The three divisions of Belgravia are high risk business ventures and expose shareholders to financial risks. The Incubator division provides capital to support the development of early stage companies in the Biotech/Healthcare, Technology, Resources and Medical sectors. Belgravia Holdings, the Investments division, invests in various private and public companies with a focus on value. Belgravia Royalty & Management Services has a royalty and fee income model. Further, the cash and investment asset base provides capital to support expansion on a selective basis.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements that use forward-looking terminology such as may, will, expect, anticipate, believe, continue, potential or the negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding planned investment activities & related returns, the timing for completion of research and development activities, the potential value of royalties, and other statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, but not limited to, changes in market trends, the completion, results and timing of research undertaken by the Company, risks associated with resource assets, the impact of general economic conditions, commodity prices, industry conditions, dependence upon regulatory, environmental, and governmental approvals, and the uncertainty of obtaining additional financing. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.

For More Information, Please Contact:
It is common for companies to organize various informal events where workers can come with their partners. One of those...
The leader in online occupational health and safety with the leader in occupational testing come together to create cannabis workplace training courses that address legalized cannabis in the workplace

CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cannabis legalization is a reality and companies need to be prepared in order to keep employees safe. Danatec by Yardstick Training and CannAmm Occupational Testing Services are proud to launch employee and employer-specific courses for legalized cannabis in the workplace.

The two specialized courses dedicated to Cannabis Workplace Safety for employees and employers will have different learning objectives suited to the target audience. The employee course will enable learners to understand cannabis and its effects, the employees duty to be fit for work and scenarios and examples of cannabis consumption with consequences in the workplace.

The employer course will be focused on risk management and impairment management, being able to differentiate between effective and ineffective approaches to employees' consumption of cannabis and assess employers' safety programs regarding cannabis and best practices.

Cannabis is a reality that workplaces need to come to terms with, said Trevor Gartner, President of Yardstick Training. Danatec will also be launching a branded site specifically for cannabis training, Cannabis Training Academy. We want to be the first choice that comes to mind for employers for mitigating their risks with cannabis in the workplace. For employees, we want to give them the information that they need to know their rights and responsibilities in relation to cannabis.

A recent survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute showed that 49% of individuals are ready for cannabis legalization in their province, while the other 51% are unprepared and also not sure if their local law enforcement is ready for the change. With such a major change that will impact many existing workplace drug and alcohol policies, knowledge is vital in order to be prepared. This is especially true in Alberta with Bill 30 where workplaces have a responsibility to train and keep their employees apprised of their rights and responsibilities.

"Attitudes towards cannabis are changing," said Peter Deines, Interim CEO with CannAmm. "These attitudes are comprised of both fact and myth. Understanding the facts is essential to a safe work environment. The cannabis safety training courses present facts in a meaningful way. A way that will help employers work with employees to ensure everyone arrives home safely."

The Cannabis Workplace Safety course will greatly aid in amending policies for employers about drugs and alcohol in the workplace for employees. Employers will be required to take both the employee and employer course so that they understand the full scope of rights and responsibilities regarding cannabis in the workplace. Employees will also benefit from understanding how cannabis can affect them in the workplace and their rights with cannabis usage on the job site. Designed with clear language and engaging scenarios, the Cannabis Workplace Safety course should be every employers choice for training its managerial staff, human resources department and the employees within the company.

Course Features:

Cannabis effects related to impairment

Risk management in safety-sensitive industries

Employer and employee duties around accommodation and work fitness

Federal, provincial and municipal legislative differences regarding the consumption of cannabis

Impairment management and risk management

Safely adapting to the legalization of cannabis

Common deficits in safety programs regarding cannabis

About Danatec by Yardstick Training: Danatec is a world-leading provider of occupational health and safety training and education. From award-winning materials that are easily customizable, to personalized consulting services and training programs tailored to diverse needs, Danatec has everything needed to keep your organization safe and compliant.

Phone: 1-800-465-3366

Email: jquon@danatec.com

Social Media: Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter

Website: www.danatec.com

About CannAmm Occupational Testing Services: Employers in Canada have made CannAmm the countrys most trusted source for occupational testing services. This is accomplished by consistently providing everything companies need to build a comprehensive occupational testing program that meets regulatory requirements and, most importantly, make their workplaces even safer.

Phone: 1-800-440-0023

Email: bill.duncan@cannamm.com

Social Media: Facebook , LinkedIn , Twitter

Website: www.cannamm.com

Jenson Quon

Danatec Educational Services Ltd.

1-800-465-3366

jquon@danatec.com

Bill Duncan

CannAmm Occupational Testing Services

1-800-440-0023

bill.duncan@cannamm.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/894a0a3f-d887-47c5-bfc8-8373bac7428c
Transaction valued at over $40 million





Name change amendment with the State of NV to be filed





Articles of merger have been filed with the State of Florida

COCONUT CREEK, Fla., Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via OTC PR WIRE -- Bahamas Development Corporation (soon to be known as Global Consortium, Inc. d/b/a Cannabis Consortium) (OTCPINK: BDCI) ("Cannabis Consortium") and its wholly owned subsidiary BDCI Merger Sub, Inc. ("Merger Sub") have completed a merger with Global Consortium, Inc. ("Global"), whereby Global merged with and into Merger Sub, with Global surviving. In the merger, shareholders of Global were issued shares representing 93.6% of the post-transaction voting and equity interests of Cannabis Consortium, and Global is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Cannabis Consortium.

Articles of merger were filed with the State of Florida on October 18, 2018 to effect the merger.

Cannabis Consortium will shortly file a name change with the State of Nevada to change its name to Global Consortium, Inc. and will file with FINRA next week for the name change and ticker change.

The shareholders of Global will need to surrender their certificates of Global to the transfer agent of BDCI to receive their restricted shares of Cannabis Consortium.

The value based on the transaction was over $40 million dollars based on the assets of Global which have now been injected into Cannabis Consortium, including those discussed below.

Indulge Oils

Indulge Oils, www.indulgeoils.com, a cannabis distillate which is manufactured and marketed in California. Indulge Oils has been servicing the cannabis market for 2 years and has quickly become a leader in the industry. Their premium oil is in such high demand in the cannabis oil market that it has been sought out by some of the largest names in the cannabis industry for private labeling. Cannabis Consortium will use Indulge to manufacture a steady supply of premium oil to infuse with its edibles. Indulge Oils is a premium "pesticide free" product sought after brand as it is known for its purity and high quality. Indulge Oils produces clean and pure oils that do not contain any residual particles, are non-toxic and non-carcinogenic. This is why Indulge Oils commands a premium for its oils and cartridges. Indulge Oils will operate 2 to 3 extraction machines in CA, each with the ability to produce 5 liters of oil per day.

Infused Edibles

Infused Edibles, www.infusededibles.org, currently has 140 food items it infuses with US grown CBD Isolate. This is believed to be the largest amount of products produced by a single infused producer, winning over 17 first place awards. Infused Edibles started out as a small, family run candy company in 2012 operating out of a 400 square foot space. Infused Edibles now operates out of a 6,000 square foot building, servicing 400 stores with 9 sales reps and 8 distributors in 15 states. Infused Edibles is a white label producer for many brands currently on the market. Some of these white label products are sold in the same locations as Infused Edibles. Cannabis Consortium has been working on expanding Infused Edibles' "White Label" program, and will announce some major new clients once the Oil manufacturing facility is operational. The next 6 months for Infused Edibles is very exciting with the return of THC products from Indulge Oils. The company has begun taking preorders and has ordered 50,000 pre-printed state-regulated compliant packages.

A new line of products will be added to include; nighttime vitamin gummies, CBD water soluble drink mixes, CBD shampoo/conditioner and massage oil.

CO Hemp Farm

Cannabis Consortium partnered with Green Matter Holdings, LLC and moved forward with the 15-acre industrial hemp farm test. The partners have hired a local company to supply the farmer with 24,640 industrial hemp clones at the cost of $5.00 per clone in 3 different strains to be planted on the test site. The farmer is responsible for planting, caring and harvesting the crops. The partners will pay the farmer a total of $100,000. The local company was retained as a consultant to help oversee the planting, growing, and harvesting of the industrial hemp. The harvest will begin next week, then will be hung in the new barn to dry and sold in November. Industrial hemp yields about 2,700 pound per acre that is sold as bio-mass for around $49 per pound. An option being explored is to partner with a lab to process the bio-mass which would increase the net per acre from $100,000 to over $200,000 per acre.

Additional updates on new products and acquisitions will follow, the Company is currently working on a new website as well to launch with the approved name and ticker change.

Cannabis Consortium, in compliance with SEC regulations, may in the future use social media outlets like Facebook or Twitter and its own website to announce key information in compliance with Reg FD.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27(a) of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, estimates of services and equipment markets, release of corporate apps, growth of platform, target markets, product releases, product demand and, business strategy. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects and development stage companies. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also consider that any investment in securities is at risk.

Details of the Cannabis Consortium's business, finances, appointments and agreements can be found as part of the company's continuous public disclosure on otcmarkets.com.

For additional information about this release please contact:

Investor Relations:
Memphis, TN, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Civil Rights Museum launches the digital premiere of the 27th Freedom Award, the museums signature event honoring recipients Vice President Joe Biden, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and philanthropist Pitt Hyde. The award ceremony, held October 17, featured inspiring messages of hope, peace and unity as a recurring thread galvanizing the 2000 guests in light of the November national elections. The digital premiere includes the full award ceremony, short bio-videos on each honoree and event photo gallery.

The evening was full of surprises. Among them was the tearful response of the Honorable Joe Biden, 47th Vice President of the U.S., as he accepted the Freedom Award, seeing for the first time his bio-video narrated by his daughter Ashley. To no surprise were Bidens rousing comments about the state of political affairs in the nation, the effort to suppress voting rights, and the battle for the soul of America.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jr. who was at the Lorraine Motel when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated April 4, continues to champion the work of the civil rights leader in advocating for the working poor. He acknowledged that he was not here because Dr. King died, but because he lived. Jackson also echoed the urgency for citizens to focus on ending poverty, racial polarization and peace as King did in his last days. He speculated that if King were alive, he would be focused on early voting, celebrating recently elected African American officials or promising campaigns of African American candidates, and attacking the darkness shrouding the political climate, stating our strength has never been the White House; it has always been the light house.

Philanthropist Pitt Hyde received the Freedom Award in homage to fellow honorees and Memphis civil rights leaders, Maxine Smith and Dr. Benjamin Hooks. Pitt stated his involvement in civil rights began in 1968 when he met Maxine Smith as she picketed one his familys stores. They began a long friendship and work together to make the National Civil Rights Museum a reality along with mutual friend Hooks. The three also shared a passion for education, and the belief that every child  no matter where they lived, the color of their skin or the income of their parents  deserved a quality education Access to quality education for every child remains the civil rights issue of our time, Hyde stated with conviction.

A musical tribute to Aretha Franklin delivered a soul-stirring mini-concert of select hits by the Queen of Soul. Two months after their matriarchs passing, Franklins son, Kecalf Franklin, and two grandchildren, Victorie and Jordan Franklin, received the medal on her behalf. While each spoke words of gratitude, Victorie poignantly stated, the tribute was beautiful and moving and probably one of the best Ive ever seen.

The theme for the 27th Freedom Award was 1968, a reflection of a pivotal year in modern American and world history when the fight for equality went global. It was a year of tumultuous chaos and paradigm shifts, as indicated in a series of critical movements including the Vietnam War; student protests, the rise of feminism, Dr. Kings assassination and ensuing riots, and the compounding grief of Robert Kennedys assassination two months later.

Reflecting on 1968, Museum President Terri Lee Freeman said, CNN called it the year that changed America. The Smithsonian Magazine called it the year that shattered America. I believe it may have been the year that revealed the two faces of America. It was one of the most turbulent years of modern times, a year when cultures clashed and student protest was commonplace. It was a year when peaceful nonviolence was questioned and challenged as being too slow in approach to solving urgent problems.

The Freedom Award was presented at the Orpheum Theatre. The Ceremony was preceded by the Pre-Show Gala with Red Carpet at the Halloran Centre for the Performing Arts. For more information visit civilrightsmuseum.org.
TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK), today announced the October 2018 cash distributions for the iShares ETFs listed on the TSX which pay on a monthly. Unitholders of record of a fund on October 26, 2018 will receive cash distributions payable in respect of that fund on October 31, 2018.

Details regarding the per unit distribution amounts are as follows:

Fund Name Fund

Ticker Cash

Distribution

Per Unit ($) iShares Balanced Income CorePortfolioTM Index ETF CBD 0.061 iShares 1-10 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Index ETF CBH 0.053 iShares Balanced Growth CorePortfolioTM Index ETF CBN 0.040 iShares 1-5 Year Laddered Corporate Bond Index ETF CBO 0.041 iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Dividend Aristocrats Index ETF CDZ 0.090 iShares Equal Weight Banc & Lifeco ETF CEW 0.027 iShares U.S. High Yield Fixed Income Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) CHB 0.089 iShares 1-5 Year Laddered Government Bond Index ETF CLF 0.038 iShares 1-10 Year Laddered Government Bond Index ETF CLG 0.045 iShares S&P/TSX Canadian Preferred Share Index ETF CPD 0.049 iShares Short Duration High Income ETF (CAD-Hedged) CSD 0.078 iShares US Dividend Growers Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) CUD 0.062 iShares Convertible Bond Index ETF CVD 0.072 iShares Global Monthly Dividend Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) CYH 0.058 Dynamic iShares Active Tactical Bond ETF DXB 0.042 Dynamic iShares Active Canadian Dividend ETF DXC 0.040 Dynamic iShares Active Crossover Bond ETF DXO 0.057 Dynamic iShares Active Preferred Shares ETF DXP 0.072 Dynamic iShares Active Investment Grade Floating Rate ETF DXV 0.039 iShares Canadian Financial Monthly Income ETF FIE 0.040 iShares Core Canadian Universe Bond Index ETF XBB 0.074 iShares Canadian Corporate Bond Index ETF XCB 0.053 iShares Core MSCI Global Quality Dividend Index ETF XDG 0.045 iShares Core MSCI Global Quality Dividend Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XDGH 0.045 iShares Core MSCI Canadian Quality Dividend Index ETF XDIV 0.074 iShares Core MSCI US Quality Dividend Index ETF XDU 0.042 iShares Core MSCI US Quality Dividend Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XDUH 0.042 iShares Canadian Select Dividend Index ETF XDV 0.112 iShares J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XEB 0.066 iShares S&P/TSX Composite High Dividend Index ETF XEI 0.089 iShares S&P/TSX Capped Financials Index ETF XFN 0.092 iShares Floating Rate Index ETF XFR 0.031 iShares Canadian Government Bond Index ETF XGB 0.044 iShares Canadian HYBrid Corporate Bond Index ETF XHB 0.067 iShares U.S. High Dividend Equity Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XHD 0.069 iShares U.S. High Dividend Equity Index ETF XHU 0.055 iShares U.S. High Yield Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XHY 0.088 iShares U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XIG 0.062 iShares Core Canadian Long Term Bond Index ETF XLB 0.069 iShares S&P/TSX North American Preferred Stock Index ETF (CAD-Hedged) XPF 0.068 iShares High Quality Canadian Bond Index ETF XQB 0.044 iShares S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index ETF XRE 0.069 iShares Core Canadian Short Term Bond Index ETF XSB 0.054 iShares Conservative Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF XSC 0.044 iShares Conservative Strategic Fixed Income ETF XSE 0.049 iShares Core Canadian Short Term Corporate + Maple Bond Index ETF XSH 0.044 iShares Short Term Strategic Fixed Income ETF XSI 0.056 iShares Short Term High Quality Canadian Bond Index ETF XSQ 0.034 iShares Diversified Monthly Income ETF XTR 0.050 iShares S&P/TSX Capped Utilities Index ETF XUT 0.081

Estimated October Cash Distributions for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF

The October cash distributions per unit for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF are estimated to be as follows:

Fund Name Fund

Ticker Estimated

Cash

Distribution

Per Unit ($) iShares Premium Money Market ETF CMR 0.072

BlackRock Canada expects to issue a press release on or about October 25, 2018, which will provide the final amounts for the iShares Premium Money Market ETF.

Further information on the iShares Funds can be found at http://www.blackrock.com/ca .

About BlackRock

BlackRock helps investors build better financial futures. As a fiduciary to our clients, we provide the investment and technology solutions they need when planning for their most important goals. As of September 30, 2018, the firm managed approximately US$6.44 trillion in assets on behalf of investors worldwide. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/ca | Twitter: @BlackRockCA | Blog: www.blackrockblog.com/can

About iShares ETFs

iShares unlocks opportunity across markets to meet the evolving needs of investors. With more than twenty years of experience, a global line-up of 800+ exchange traded funds (ETFs) and US$1.8 trillion in assets under management as of September 30, 2018. iShares continues to drive progress for the financial industry. iShares funds are powered by the expert portfolio and risk management of BlackRock, trusted to manage more money than any other investment firm1.

1 Based on US$6.44 trillion in AUM as of 9/30/18

iShares ETFs are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares ETFs. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.

Contact for Media:

Julia Koene

T  416-643-4010

Email: Julia.Koene@blackrock.com
English French

MONTREAL, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WSP Global Inc. (TSX: WSP) ("WSP" or the "Corporation") will announce its 2018 third quarter results on November 8, 2018. A conference call will be held on the same day at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss the results.



To participate in the conference call, dial 1-647-788-4922 or 1-877-223-4471 (toll-free). A presentation of the 2018 third quarter highlights and results will be available on the same day at www.wsp.com in the Investor section, under Presentations & Events.

The conference call and slideshow presentation will also be broadcasted live and archived in the Investor section of the WSP website.

A replay of the call will be available until December 8, 2018. The telephone numbers to access the replay of the call are 1-416-621-4642 or 1-800-585-8367 (toll-free), access code 8588118. The replay of the conference call will also be available in the Investor section of the WSP website under Presentations & Events, in the days following the event.

ABOUT WSP

As one of the world's leading professional services firms, WSP provides technical expertise and strategic advice to clients in the Transportation & Infrastructure, Property & Buildings, Environment, Industry, Resources (including Mining and Oil & Gas) and & Energy sectors, as well as offering project and program delivery and advisory services. Our experts include engineers, advisors, technicians, scientists, architects, planners, surveyors and environmental specialists, as well as other design, program and construction management professionals. With approximately 43,600 talented people in 550 offices across 40 countries, we are uniquely positioned to deliver successful and sustainable projects, wherever our clients need us. www.wsp.com

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Isabelle Adjahi

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Communications

WSP Global Inc.

Tel: 438-843-7548

isabelle.adjahi@wsp.com
REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- SECFilings.com, a leading financial news and information portal offering free real time public company filing alerts, announces the publication of an article covering whats driving iron-ore prices higher and why investors may want to diversify into development-stage opportunities, like Black Iron Inc . (TSX: BKI) (OTC: BKIRF) (FRANKFURT: BIN).



The iron-ore market is dominated by a few multi-billion dollar companies, including Vale SA, BHP Billiton plc, and Rio Tinto plc. With iron-ore prices on the rise, Vale shares have risen nearly 20 percent so far this year. But investors may want to look beyond the majors for the best value development-stage companies nearing commercialization may have a place in savvy portfolios.

Focus on High-Grade Producers

Chinas efforts to reduce excess capacity and improve environmental standards has created a rift in the industry. Vale and Ferrexpo plc are leading producers of high-grade 65% iron-ore, which explains why theyve been outperforming BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. The gap between benchmark and high-grade iron-ore has increased three-fold over the past two years and is poised to continue to rise amid the environmental crackdown.

Currently, benchmark 62% iron-ore trades at around $71 per ton and high-grade 65% iron-ore trades closer to $97 per ton, which amounts to a nearly $30 per ton premium. The demand for high-grade iron-ore is poised to continue to rise in the future, which means that companies producing it could benefit from both higher pricing (e.g. stronger margins) and greater volume (e.g. higher revenue)a compelling dynamic.

Investors interested in the iron-ore space should consider high-grade producers, like Vale and Ferrexpo, rather than benchmark grade producers to capitalize on these trends. In particular, Vale recently announced record iron-ore production during the third quarter and plans to cut its net debt in half to $10 billion and increase returns to shareholders over the coming quarters, which could catalyze the stock even further moving forward.

Diversify into Early-Stage Opportunities

Precious metals investors are familiar with diversifying between junior and major producers, but the practice is less common for industrial metals. Investors interested in the iron-ore market should consider this kind of diversification to maximize their potential portfolio returns and limit the risk from any individual stock turning lower. But there are only a handful of attractive opportunities in the space focused on high-grade iron-ore.

Black Iron Inc. (TSX: BKI) (OTC: BKIRF) (FRANKFURT: BIN) is a development-stage opportunity that aims to produce 68% ultra-high-grade iron-ore. Management believes that this level of purity could command a $40 per ton premium over benchmark iron-ore prices, particularly given the rarity of only 4% of global producers being able to achieve this high iron grade. The companys 100%-owned project in Ukraine was initially derailed by the Russian crisis, but is making progress once again.

Assuming a conservative $62 per ton long-term price for benchmark iron-ore and iron content premium of $5 per 1% iron, the company projects a 40% percent after-tax levered internal rate of return. At current prices, the company estimates it could achieve a 68% after-tax levered return given the strong pricing for premium iron-ore. These are compelling returns from a potential pure-play on iron-ores strength.

Earlier this month, the company announced that it received a formal proposal from Ukraines government to lease a plot of land connected to its Shymanivske iron ore body for location of the processing plant, tailings, and waste rock. This marks a significant milestone for the company and demonstrates the Ukrainian governments support for the mine to be constructed in a timely manner starting mid next year.

Management has also been recently holding discussions with potential offtake partners including large steel mills and metals traders to provide the right to purchase its product over a period of time in exchange for a meaningful investment to help fund the projects construction and build outthe final piece of commercializing the venture.

Looking Ahead

The iron-ore market is likely to become increasingly bifurcated thanks to Chinas crackdown on steelmaker emissions. While Vale has been a popular investment, for good reason, investors may want to consider diversifying into development-stage names like Black Iron Inc. (TSX: BKI) (OTC: BKIRF) (FRANKFURT: BIN) as well. The companys project could pay dividends over the long-term as China continues to seek higher-grade iron-ore.

For more information on how to diversify your portfolio please visit the companys website at http://blackiron.com

Please follow the link to read the full article: http://analysis.secfilings.com/articles/207-reinforce-your-portfolio-by-diversifying-into-iron-ore

About SECFilings.com

Founded in 2004, SECFilings.com provides free real time filing alerts to over 600,000 registered members and offers services to help public companies grow their audience of interested investors.

Disclaimer

SECFilings.com is not an independent financial investment advisor or broker-dealer. You should always consult with your own independent legal, tax, and/or investment professionals before making any investment decisions. The information provided on http://www.secfilings.com (the Site) is either original financial news or paid advertisements drafted by our in-house team or provided by an affiliate. SECFilings.com, a financial news media and marketing firm enters into media buys or service agreements with the companies that are the subject of the articles posted on the Site or other editorials for advertising such companies. We are not an independent news media provider. We make no warranty or representation about the information including its completeness, accuracy, truthfulness or reliability and we disclaim, expressly and implicitly, all warranties of any kind, including whether the Information is complete, accurate, truthful, or reliable. As such, your use of the information is at your own risk. Nor do we undertake any obligation to update the items posted. SECFilings.com received compensation for producing and presenting high quality and sophisticated content on SECFilings.com along with financial and corporate news.

The above article is sponsored content. Emerging Growth LLC, which owns SECFilings.com, has been hired to create awareness. Please follow the link below to view our full disclosure outlining our compensation: http://secfilings.com/Disclaimer.aspx .

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TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- dynaCERT Inc. (TSX VENTURE: DYA) (OTCQB: DYFSF) (FRA: DMJ) ("dynaCERT" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update following its participation exhibiting our HydraGEN system and performance which was recently tested by TUV in Germany at the 67th IAA Commercial Vehicles Trade Show, under the slogan Driving tomorrow. The biennial Trade Show fully lived up to its aspiration of being the worlds most important trade fair for transport, logistics and mobility.

The IAA Trade Show was evidence that an entire sector is anticipating change! The strategic orientation of the IAA, organized by the German Association of the Automotive Industry, was right on the button. In 2018, dynaCERT, along with a total of 2,174 exhibitors from 48 countries, outstripped exhibitor participation from the already very high figure from 2016! The number of visitors was also very high, despite the sometimes inclement weather, hot days at the beginning, and rain and storms on the weekend of the Trade Show. Yet the response of attendees at the IAA was definitely positive. The mood was excellent everywhere  among the exhibitors and the visitors.

The IAA positioned itself again as the marketplace for the experts in the commercial vehicle sector. The proportion of trade visitors was well over 80 percent of attendees and many of them were decision-makers.

The IAA also attracted a lot of online visits. There was much discussion of the IAAs new developments and industry highlights in advance of the exhibition. In all, since the middle of August 2018, there have been over 75 million contacts worldwide, 60 million of them during the trade show itself. Half of the over 10,000 posts were written in English, which is more evidence of the international significance of the IAA. And more than 95 percent of posts and comments about the IAA are positive.

As a direct result of the disruptive nature of the new emission legislation in Europe, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) anxiously try to maintain the diesel engine industry and the jobs associated with them. Europeans see the HydraGEN Technology as proven technology to not only solve todays current emission problems but also in helping in the growing demands in improved fuel economy while reducing emissions and greenhouse gases.

Interest by potential dealers and fleet operators was generated at the trade show by the unique and significant impact of dynaCERTs HydraGEN Technology especially as it applies to the large and receptive diesel market in Europe. New regulations coming into effect in 2019 and subsequently will require a revolutionary approach to emission reductions. The HydraGEN system performance as tested by TUV in Germany is beyond anything that is currently in the marketplace. Tested and proven emission reductions in NOx of 88%, CO of 50% and particulate matter of 75% are unmatched by any other current technology. The HydraGEN system is being seen as the forerunner to assist in re-establishing diesel power as the chosen engine in the marketplace.

Visitors

Numerous visitors interested in dynaCERT and the performance of its HydraGENa Technology were greeted in dynaCERTs 530 square foot (50sm) trade booth in the IAA New Technology Building where we displayed the HG-1 and HG-2 products along with our streaming video clearly displaying our technology.

Transport and industry representatives from around the world attended the dynaCERT booth. They represented more than 20 industries including: Bus  Transit, Bus  InterCity, off-road Construction, Equipment, Farming, Fleet Management, power generation, Fuel Cell, Logistic & Trucking, Mining Equipment, Original Equipment Manufacturers and Petroleum producers.

Dealers

While in Europe, dynaCERT met several interested parties wanting to sell our products. As we continue to expand our distribution network, candidates were narrowed to 15 new qualified, potential dealers who could be added to dynaCERTs existing 30 dealers worldwide.

Two new authorized dynaCERT dealers were signed up with sales commitments upon dynaCERTs receipt of the ABE Certification, (Homologation).

The CO2 Company in The Netherlands and the Russell Group Engineering in the United Kingdom. Stephen Madden, Senior Group Fleet Engineer of the Russell Group, stated: Our endorsement of dynaCERT and its HydraGEN Technology is reinforced by the market interest expressed by our current logistics and transport customers throughout the UK and the world. The Russell Group Engineering is part of John G Russell, one of the UKs largest independent transport companies.

Other connections and ongoing talks include serious interest from BENELUX, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Korea, Lithuania, Mexico, Middle East Region, Norway, Spain and USA.

OEMs

dynaCERT Inc. hosted several meetings while in Europe and are currently in ongoing talks with several Original Equipment Manufacturers which specifically sought us out once the news spread of dynaCERTs innovative HydraGENa Technology and the testing results that have been achieved and verified by TUV, one of the most stringent and respected testing facilities in the world.

European Sales

dynaCERT Inc. is awaiting the Algemeinbetriebserlaubnes (ABE) Certification License from the Government Kraftfahrtbundesamt (KBA) the German Ministry of Transportation. The current status of Homologation via the ABE application is that all testing has been completed and the HydraGEN Technology has passed in all the stringent tests. Once the ABE Homologation is issued, dynaCERT GmbH will be authorized to sell HydraGEN Units through our anxiously awaiting authorized dealers ready to install Units on to vehicles across Europe.

Jim Payne, dynaCERT Pres & CEO, commends our entire team at home and abroad, including engineering, R&D, Sales and manufacturing, with this very successful and worthwhile effort as we continue our Global expansion, exposing the world to our product line and our commitment of producing, testing, certifying and selling a Carbon Emission Reduction Technology that is revolutionary and greatly needed in the world markets today.

Enrico Schlapfer, dynaCERTs VP of Global Sales, stated: Building on the enthusiastic reception and interest from potential customers, dealers and other industry experts at IAA, dynaCERT is looking forward to continuing our European and Global expansion. Our HydraGENTM Technology is well-positioned to contribute to the objectives of carbon emission reductions of the European governments while also providing incentives for fleet and equipment operators by way of fuel savings. We look forward to continuing our expanding presence and sales in the region and globally.

About dynaCERT Inc.

dynaCERT Inc. manufactures, distributes, and installs Carbon Emission Reduction Technology for use with internal combustion engines. As part of the growing global hydrogen economy, our patent-pending technology creates hydrogen and oxygen on-demand through electrolysis and supplies these through the air intake to enhance combustion, resulting in lower carbon emissions and greater fuel efficiency. Our technology is designed for use with all types and sizes of diesel engines used in on-road vehicles, reefer trailers, off-road construction, power generation, mining and forestry equipment, marine vessels and railroad locomotives. Website: www. dynaCERT .com

READER ADVISORY

Except for statements of historical fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. In particular, forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to the potential expansion into new markets, industries and segments, such as diesel-powered use of any the dynaCERT products and sales. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. We cannot guarantee future results, performance or achievements. Consequently, there is no representation that the actual results achieved will be the same, in whole or in part, as those set out in the forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: uncertainty as to whether our strategies and business plans will yield the expected benefits; availability and cost of capital; the ability to identify and develop and achieve commercial success for new products and technologies; the level of expenditures necessary to maintain and improve the quality of products and services; changes in technology and changes in laws and regulations; the uncertainty of the emerging hydrogen economy; including the hydrogen economy moving at a pace not anticipated; our ability to secure and maintain strategic relationships and distribution agreements; and the other risk factors disclosed under our profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. We undertake no duty to update any of the forward-looking information to conform such information to actual results or to changes in our expectations except as otherwise required by applicable securities legislation. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the release.

On Behalf of the Board

Murray James Payne, CEO

For more information, please contact:

Jim Payne, CEO & President

dynaCERT Inc.

#101  501 Alliance Avenue

Toronto, Ontario M6N 2J1

(416) 766-9691 x 2

jpayne@ dynaCERT .com

Investor Relations

dynaCERT Inc.

Nancy Massicotte

(416) 766-9691 x 1

ir@dynaCERT.com
LAS VEGAS, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Sativa Growth International (OTC Pink:SAGD) (Sativa Growth or Company) announced the start of the long awaited UtahCann 2018 . The conference begins today at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy, Utah.



Sativa Growth is fully committed to the education as well as propagation of the medical cannabis industry, and as such has taken a key role in the cultivation of both industry and education to the State of Utah. The Company has strategically aligned key industry leaders, who have seen success in the industry and have helped to pave the way for opportunities in states that are still pending legislative action on cannabis bills.

Gary Austin, Director of Sativa Growth, stated, "The objective of the conference is to educate both professionals and the general public. It is our responsibility to ensure everyone has access to the science and facts, rather than only biased and politically motivated information. We have requested the expertise of doctors, scientists, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and personal testimonials to accurately convey the power of medical cannabis in both private uses, as well as business opportunities. In order for medical cannabis to build trust in consumers, we must start with education."

The cannabis industry is reporting all-time high revenue in states where legalization has taken place. Both Colorado and Washington have experienced tremendous growth in the cannabis business ecosystem.

Even setting aside financial gains by the myriad private businesses now operating in each state and focusing instead on state revenues such as excise taxes and licensing fees, the case is clear. In 2014, Colorado received over $76 million in revenues, $35 million of which went directly toward funding the states education system. In 2015, total tax revenues from cannabis increased to over $135 million.

In 2016 the State of Washingtons tax revenues from cannabis were projected to be $185 million, with the expectation of 2017 reaching over $230 million. The lions share of tax revenues in Washington is slated for public health programs including Medicaid, substance abuse prevention, and community health centers.

"We have a responsibility to share the positive impact of the industry with not only our valued shareholders but also the general public and private business community. We see our position in this conference as nothing less than an honor." SAGD Director Gary Austin continued, "We have no doubt the conference will be a success and lay the groundwork for a solid industry foundation for the State of Utah and contribute to a favorable outcome in the November vote. We have already gained the support and committed participation of Project CBD, one of the largest educational resources for medical cannabis and many other industry leaders including Martin A Lee, Stormy Simon, and Nancy Whiteman. Our attendees will have the first ever local opportunity to gain valuable knowledge of the industry and how it could impact them, and their way of life."

About Sativa Growth International



Sativa Growth International (SAGD) is an operational management company focused on shareholder value by acquiring and operating undervalued cannabis and tech assets.





Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "plans," "suggests," "may," "should," "could," "intends," or similar expressions. Many forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results or implied by such statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, our ability to continue to enhance our products and systems to address industry changes, our ability to expand our customer base and retain existing customers, our ability to effectively compete in our market segment, the lack of public information on our company, our ability to raise sufficient capital to fund our business, operations, our ability to continue as a going concern, and a limited public market for our common stock, among other risks. Many factors are difficult to predict accurately and are generally beyond the company's control. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made and we do not undertake to update forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the date the forward-looking statements are made.
English French

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



TORONTO and MONTREAL, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osisko Mining Inc. (TSX: OSK) ("Osisko") and Beaufield Resources Inc. (TSX-V: BFD) ("Beaufield") are pleased to announce the successful completion of their previously-announced arrangement, pursuant to which, among other things, Osisko now holds all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Beaufield (the "Arrangement"). The Arrangement was completed by way of a statutory plan of arrangement under the provisions of the Canada Business Corporations Act and became effective at 12:01 (Montreal Time) on October 19, 2018.

Under the terms of the Arrangement, each former shareholder of Beaufield is entitled to receive 0.0482 of a common share of Osisko (each whole share, an "Osisko Share") in exchange for each common share of Beaufield (each whole share, a "Beaufield Share") held immediately prior to the effective time of the Arrangement (the "Arrangement Consideration"). Further, under the Arrangement, holders of options and warrants to acquire Beaufield Shares outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the Arrangement received replacement options and warrants, respectively, entitling the holders thereof to receive Osisko Shares, based on the terms of such options and warrants of Beaufield, as adjusted by the plan of arrangement.

"We are very pleased to have concluded this transaction with Beaufield. By joining Osisko's large-scale exploration and development program at Windfall, Beaufield shareholders have the opportunity to benefit from the future growth of our project. We would like to thank Beaufield's board of directors, management and shareholders for their hard work and support of this transaction," commented John Burzynski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Osisko.

George N. Mannard, former Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Beaufield, stated: "We are very pleased to have closed this transaction and look forward to joining forces with Osisko, which continues to demonstrate its leadership and strength in advancing its portfolio of resource projects including the flagship Windfall district. We believe the combination of our projects will provide benefit to the shareholders of both companies and look forward to participating in the future success of Osisko."

In order to receive the Arrangement Consideration in exchange for their Beaufield Shares, registered shareholders of Beaufield must complete, sign, date and return the Letter of Transmittal that was mailed to each registered shareholder of Beaufield. The Letter of Transmittal is also available (i) from Beaufield's depositary, Computershare Investor Services Inc., that can be contacted by telephone at: 1 (800) 564-6253 (North American Toll Free) / 1 (514) 982-7555 (Overseas) or by e-mail at: corporateactions@computershare.com, or (ii) on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) under Beaufield's issuer profile.

With the Arrangement now complete, Osisko intends to cause the Beaufield Shares to be delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange (expected on or about October 22, 2018), and Beaufield intends to submit an application to the applicable securities regulators to cease to be a reporting issuer and to terminate its public reporting obligations.

Each of the directors and officers of Beaufield tendered their resignation effective upon the completion of the Arrangement. The directors and officers of Beaufield have been replaced by John F. Burzynski (Director, President), Jose Vizquerra Benavides (Director, Vice President) and Blair Zaritsky (Director, Secretary).

Further details regarding the Arrangement are set out in Beaufield's management information circular dated September 11, 2018 which is available on SEDAR ( www.sedar.com ) under Beaufield's issuer profile.

About Osisko Mining Inc.

Osisko is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious metal resource properties in Canada. Osisko holds a 100% in the high-grade Windfall Lake gold deposit located between Val-d'Or and Chibougamau in Quebec and holds a 100% undivided interest in a large area of claims in the surrounding Urban Barry area and nearby Quevillon area (over 3,300 square kilometres), a 100% interest in the Marban project located in the heart of Quebec's prolific Abitibi gold mining district, and properties in the Larder Lake Mining Division in northeast Ontario, including the Jonpol and Garrcon deposits on the Garrison property, the Buffonta past producing mine and the Gold Pike mine property. The Corporation also holds interests and options in a number of additional properties in northern Quebec and Ontario.

For further information about Osisko please contact:

John Burzynski

President and Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: (416) 363-8653

About Beaufield Resources Inc.

Beaufield is a mineral exploration company with its exploration activity focused in Quebec and Ontario.

For further information about Beaufield please contact:

John Burzynski

President

Telephone: (416) 363-8653

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the benefits of the Arrangement to the shareholders of Osisko and Beaufield, as the case may be; the future growth of Windfall; the future success of Osisko, if any; the timing and ability of Osisko to cause the Beaufield Shares to be delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange; the timing and ability of Beaufield to obtain an order that it has ceased to be a reporting issuer and to terminate its public reporting requirements; and the grade of the Windfall Lake gold deposit.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of Osisko, as the case may be, at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Osisko, as the case may be, to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: the synergies expected from the Arrangement not being realized; errors in geological modelling; the ability of exploration, including drill results, to accurately predict mineralization; business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets and the market price of Osisko Shares; regulatory delays and errors; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar to United States dollar exchange rate); change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of Osisko, as the case may be, believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, Osisko, as the case may be, cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

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According to him, this conflict has made a distinction between solid emerging economies and vulnerable ones.





Investors are aware that Peru is the second best rated (country) in Latin America, and this is due to its strong macro-fiscal foundations, Moody's representative told Andina news agency.





However, external volatility is affecting variables such as metal prices and, as a result, the country's investment and economy could lose momentum.





Although economic authorities will remain vigilant, fostering greater fiscal prudence and ensuring political noise does not negatively impact economic confidence and recovery is not a bad idea.





For that reason, the political class should become aware of the delicate external situation and that toning down political tensions would support the stability and confidence Peru has in investors' eyes, Reusche concluded.





(END) RGP/JJN/DTK/RMB

Moody's Investors Service Vice-President Jaime Reusche on Friday said he sees no sign of a significant impact of the U.S.-China trade war on the Peruvian economy.Published: 10/19/2018
17:34 | Lima, Oct. 19.

He will replace Mauro Medina, who decided to step down from the post last Thursday.

As is known, Medina took responsibility for ex-judge Cesar Hinostroza's fleeing to Spain, and thus the Head of State accepted his resignation.

Fighting citizen insecurity and crime across the entire territory will be the newly appointed official's biggest challenges.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at Lima-based Government Palace's Golden Room.

The retired police general has a vast experience in Perus National Police, where he held several positions.





He studied law and holds master's degrees from San Martin de Porres University and the Center for Higher National Studies (CAEN) in this field.





It should be noted Moran is a member and founder of the National Police Special Intelligence Group (GEIN) that captured the main leader of Shining Path terrorist group, Abimael Guzman.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan is expected to address all nationwide issues today in an upcoming speech.

Pashinyan will speak today at a rally in the town of Kapan.

During todays upcoming rally in Kapan I will address not only the mayoral elections. I intend to speak about all nationwide issues that were accumulated during this period. An open, comprehensive and detailed conversation will take place. I mean to say that my speech tonight wont be simply addressed to Kapan, not only Syunik, but also all cities and villages of Armenia. Therefore, if you arent planning to come to Kapan, I will wait for you at 18:00 in the live broadcast of my account, Pashinyan said on Facebook, referring to his Facebook page.

Earlier he had said that he will pay a working visit on October 19 to Kapan for discussions with local authorities. And in the evening Pashinyan said he will participate in the campaigning rally of Narek Babayan, the candidate for mayor of the town who is running for office from the Im Kayl (My Step) political team.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Acting minister of transport, communication and information technologies Hakob Arshakyan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Netherlands to Armenia Johannes Douma, the ministry told Armenpress.

The acting minister introduced the Ambassador on Armenias great potential in the high technologies sector, touched upon the experience on assisting startups within the frames of public-private partnership programs, as well as the programs aimed at development of the field.

During the meeting the officials also discussed the cooperation opportunities in high technologies, road construction, transportation fields, the development of infrastructures.

Ambassador Johannes Douma said he will take necessary actions to further strengthen and develop the ties between Armenia and the Netherlands.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Russia and Uzbekistan have signed agreements totaling $27 billion during their first interregional forum underway in Tashkent, TASS reported citing the Uzbek economy ministry.

"Nearly 800 trade and investment agreements and memorandums worth about $27 bln have been signed during the first Russian-Uzbek interregional cooperation forum," the ministry said, according to TASS.

An agreement has been reached on setting up 79 joint ventures, 23 trading houses and creating 20 wholesale distribution centers in Uzbekistan, TASS reported citing the ministry.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Ara Babloyan extended condolences over the explosion in the Kerch college in Crimea, the Parliament told Armenpress.

We have learnt with a deep sorrow about the tragedy that happened in a college in Kerch as a result of which many people have been killed and injured.

We extend our deepest condolences and support to the relatives and friends of the victims, and wish speedy recovery to the injured.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today received heads of delegations who arrived in Armenia to participate in the session of the Council of Heads of Penitentiary Services of the CIS participating states, the acting PMs Office told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guests the acting PM said the work of penitentiary services is very important for overcoming security challenges at national, regional and international levels, ensuring legality and fighting crime, and the deepening of the cooperation within the CIS will contribute to further strengthening the inter-state ties.

Director of the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service Gennady Kornienko on behalf of the meeting participants thanked the acting Armenian PM for the reception and assessed effectively the activity of the Council of Heads of CIS Penitentiary Services. He assured that the Council will continue actively working and recording results in the directions of common policy development, exchange of information and experience, increase of productivity of work and etc.

Acting PM Pashinyan wished success to the works of the session of the Council to be held today in Yerevan.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today hosted Vice President of the Izmirlian Foundation Greg Jerejian, the acting PMs Office told Armenpress.

During the meeting Nikol Pashinyan highly appreciated the programs being implemented by the Foundation in Armenia, stating that they contribute to the development of different sectors and solution of existing issues. The acting PM noted that the government is ready to closely cooperate with the Foundation for effectively implementing its programs.

In his turn Greg Jerejian introduced the Foundations activity and upcoming programs, in particular, in the fields of education, healthcare, tourism and culture. He informed that they are going to implement a major program aimed at the preservation of cultural heritage in Meghri which will contribute to the tourism development.

Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the Foundations programs and stated that the government also plans to implement different programs aimed at developing the aforementioned spheres. He expressed confidence that joint efforts will ensure progress and development in these sectors.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian governments goal and methodology behind solving any issue is that an opportunity to work should be created for the people, acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting with residents of Kapan in Syunik Province.

We believe that we must create the opportunity for work for our people, so that they build and create on their land and in their country. And this is the reason that we think that the citizen must be free, proud, the citizen must be respectful towards work and any work of the citizen must be respected. You know, there is a certain logic, that certain people dont do certain kind of work here in Armenia but they go to Russia and do any kind of work. I would like to say that any kind of work deserves respect. I first of all respect a working man. And I know that working people live in this settlement. Because if they werent working people Syunik wouldnt be standing so firmly today, Pashinyan said.

The acting PM thanked the citizens for their work.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. and HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hill International (NYSE:HIL), the global leader in managing construction risk, announced today it will provide construction management (CM) and related support for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commissions (PTC) expansion project from SR 51 to SR 837 along the Mon/Fayette Expressway (MFE) system. The MFE system consists of four interconnected projects between Interstate 68 in West Virginia and Interstate 376 in Pennsylvania. This project involves an eight-mile stretch of the MFE from Pennsylvania SR 51 in Jefferson Hills to Pennsylvania SR 837 in Duquesne. The Jefferson Hills to Duquesne project is the southern portion of the larger, 14-mile project that will eventually extend the MFE to Interstate 376 near Monroeville. Hill is providing its support as a subconsultant to Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT). The total project value of the work is estimated at $900 million.



The work will enhance safety for travelers and utilize new Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), including cashless tolling. The project will ultimately boost economic activity in the Mon Valley, providing better highway access and mobility to help spur redevelopment efforts in the area. Hill will provide pre-construction and construction phase services, including support and assistance with planning and design activities and continuing through project completion while assisting with project schedule, cost control, and quality oversight on behalf of the PTC.



This project is another excellent example of the PTC moving forward with projects that benefit motorists, local businesses and residents, and the Commonwealth as a whole, said Vic Spinabelli, Senior Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager for Hill. Our firm has a long history of working with the PTC across Pennsylvania, and we will bring our knowledge and experience to this project to help ensure the work is completed safely and on-budget, and with minimal impacts to motorists and the environment.

About Hill International

Hill International, with approximately 2,800 professionals in more than 50 offices worldwide, provides program management, project management, construction management, and other consulting services to clients in a variety of market sectors. Engineering News-Record magazine recently ranked Hill as the eighth-largest construction management firm in the United States. For more information on Hill, please visit our website at www.hillintl.com .

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and it is our intent that any such statements be protected by the safe harbor created thereby. Except for historical information, the matters set forth herein including, but not limited to, any statements of belief or intent, any statements concerning our plans, strategies, and objectives for future operations; and any statements regarding our intent to file late periodic reports or relisting on a national securities exchange, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and assumptions and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that the expectations, estimates, and assumptions reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in any of our forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in our forward-looking statements are set forth in the Risk Factors section and elsewhere in the reports we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including that unfavorable global economic conditions may adversely impact our business, our backlog may not be fully realized as revenue, our expenses may be higher than anticipated, and the review of the Company's accounting, accounting policies and internal control over financial reporting, and the preparation of and the audit or review, as applicable, of filings may take longer than currently anticipated or additional restatement adjustments may be identified. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statement.

Hill International, Inc.

Elizabeth J. Zipf, LEED AP BD+C

Senior Vice President

Hill International, Inc.

One Commerce Square

2005 Market Street, 17th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19103

(215) 309-7707

elizabethzipf@hillintl.com

Hill International, Inc.

Greg Wolf

Interim Vice President & Interim Chief Financial Officer

(215) 309-7776

gregwolf@hillintl.com

InvestorCom

John Glenn Grau

President

(203) 295-7841

jgrau@investor-com.com

(HIL-G)
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The parliamentary committee on state legal affairs and human rights protection has approved the bill on amending the Electoral Code.

All members who were in attendance of the debates unanimously voted in favor.

ARF lawmaker Andranik Karapetyan said he approves the bill because their party is in favor of amendments in terms of concept. We will present our recommendations during the plenary session and we will express our stance through voting, he said.

Chair of the committee Gevorg Kostanyan urges everyone to vote in favor.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. The Alaverdi Copper Factory has ceased operations today and its workers were left without jobs, triggering protests in the Armenian town.

The Alaverdi town hall told ARMENPRESS that the workers are currently rallying.

The workers are protesting against the factorys shutdown. They have blocked the road adjacent to the plant. They are complaining that they will be deprived of their jobs, Susan Lalayan from the town hall said.

The workers have blocked the inter-state road for already four hours.

The reasons of the shutdown werent immediately clear.

Factory officials werent available for comment at the moment.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Acting Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan has held a meeting with Nguyen Tuan Fong, a foreign relations official of the Vietnam Communist Partys Central Committee.

Armenias Ambassador to Vietnam Raisa Vardanyan was also present at the meeting.

At the meeting Grigoryan attached importance to developing bilateral relations between Armenia and Vietnam given the free trade agreement signed between the Eurasian Economic Union and Vietnam. He stressed that exchange of experience and contacts namely in digitization, healthcare, education and social issues will be of mutual benefit.

Nguyen Tuan Fong thanked for the reception that noted that despite the geographic distance the two countries have developed productive cooperation, which can serve as a good foundation for future deepening of ties.

Both sides noted that joint efforts should be made for realizing the existing great untapped economic potential.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian today received Mayor of Yerevan Hayk Marutyan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

President Sarkissian once again congratulated the newly-elected Mayor and wished him productive work for the benefit of the capitals development and welfare of its residents.

During the meeting the officials exchanged views on Yerevans development prospects, ongoing and upcoming programs. Mayor Marutyan introduced the President on the celebrations dedicated to Yerevans 2800th anniversary.

After the meeting President Sarkissian and Mayor Marutyan visited Yerevan My Love foundation. During the tour the Mayor got acquainted with the foundations activity and programs.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, 19 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 19 October, USD exchange rate up by 0.32 drams to 483.80 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.58 drams to 554.58 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 7.37 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 4.23 drams to 630.39 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 81.46 drams to 19023.19 drams. Silver price down by 1.95 drams to 225.77 drams. Platinum price down by 146.92 drams to 12879.15 drams.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Acting First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan is in Venice on a working visit at the invitation of the Venice Commission.

Mirzoyan met with Venice Commission President Gianni Buquicchio on October 19. During the meeting Arart Mirzoyan thanked the Venice Commission for the effective cooperation with the Armenian Government.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan gave a speech during the 116th plenary session of the Venice Commission, during which he presented the amendment process of the Electoral Code of Armenia and the main proposed amendments.

The acting First Deputy PM of Armenia also introduced the ongoing political developments in Armenia and informed the Commission about the PMs resignation. Ararart Mirzoyan particularly said that the early elections in Armenia are meant to sum up the peaceful revolution of the people that took place in May, to overcome the political, institutional and constitutional crisis in the country and to establish a really representational parliament, since the present parliament does not reflect the political will and preferences of the Armenian people.

Based on the discussions, reaffirming its recommendations enshrined in its Guidelines of the Best practice, which are about the necessity to make amendments at least within a year proceeding the elections, the Venice Commission recorded the unique political situation in Armenia and under such conditions, if there is consensus between political forces over the amendments of the Electoral Code, the Venice Commission will not hinder the process of Armenia's sustainable development.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
In the images, large surface sinkholes, characteristic of the rainforest-covered karst landscape, look like enormous black holes of varying sizes. Once identified, professional cavers venture into the depths of giant caves.

The Nakanai region comprises a limestone mountain range with an area covering approximately 4,000 square kilometres and cavers rely on aerial images to look for deep caverns to explore.

CAIRNS - The Nakanai caves are part of a globally unique system of limestone caves. They are located within the Nakanai Range of East New Britain, amongst primary rainforest extending from the mountain summits to the southern coastline.

You can download here the 35 page publication, The Nakanai Mountain Ranges of East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, by Jennifer Gabriel (Editor) et al, from which this extract is taken

A large underground river in the Muruk system of the Nakanai caves is fed by numerous surface sinkholes

Minya doline on the Nakanai Plateau

Major advances in understanding the Nakanai caves have been achieved through 45 years of expeditions, the first of which was undertaken by Australian cavers, followed by French and British international teams.

The Nakanai Mountains are up to 2,185 metres high and the topography is covered in dense tropical forest. An early report on the caves of New Britain noted that stories of great river effluxes and cave entrances are common for the area inland from Pomio. An abundance of insects, and multiple species of bats and flying foxes could be found in a single cave in large numbers.

The first very preliminary exploration to the Nakanai Mountains was undertaken in 1968 by Chris Borough and Kevin Reid of the Port Moresby Speleological Society.

Borough, writing in the Niugini Caver of 1973, told of his experience locating what he called the Big Hole in 1968, described the Nakanai karst landscape as consisting of endless sinks with almost vertical sides near the outer edge of each and clothed in dense forest.

Borough wrote:

It can only be described as impossible country and I never succeeding in pursuing more than a km into it from one edge. Army maps show two remarkable features on one of the limestone plateaux North of Pomio in Eastern New Britain. They are a large hole about 1.5 km long and 460 m deep and a smaller hole, 0.5 km wide and 380 m deep. For the average caver, this is too much and I drooled at the prospect of seeing these immense holes.

French-Swiss cave explorers make their way through the amazing Nakanai cave system

Borough and his caving colleague, Reid, arrived in Tuke Village by helicopter. To locate the Big Hole, local people were recruited as guides, but would not accompany Borough and Reid all the way to the sinkhole, as it was regarded as a place of foreboding, where devils and ravenous crocodiles may lie in wait at the bottom.

Upon descending around 60 metres into the hole, the realisation that a full descent to the 300 metres would require specialist equipment saw Borough and Reid return to the village.

The first official caving expedition to the Nakanai Mountains was undertaken by an Australian team in 1972 when Michael Bourke led an expedition (four men and two women) from the University of Queensland Speleological Society to the Ora dolines.

During the 1972-73 expedition, the team explored the northern doline, following a river at the bottom to a cave chamber 15-27 metres wide and about 27 metres high. They charted 168 metres of passage before progress was halted by a waterfall that occupied the entire cave floor.

The Australian team noted that it should be possible to explore further by traversing above the waterfall. Moving upstream from the bottom of the doline they entered a large cave chamber 600 metres long and 67 metres deep, with huge stalagmites hanging from the roof.

By moving through the chamber in a southerly direction they emerged out in the bottom of the twin doline. Walls as high as 100 metres rose up from the bottom. Re-entering the cave from the southern doline, the cavers followed an old stream passage back to the river.

Downstream was a spectacular waterfall, and upstream they moved through a beautiful section along the river to a lake. Bourke wrote: Calcite curtains, candle wax stalagmites, flowstone and stalactites, lavishly decorate this area.

Following the Australian expedition, a French caving expedition continued the research in 1978. Numerous expeditions came later. The 1979 Swiss expedition to Kavakuna Cave and descended to 320 metres.

It resulted in tragedy when one of the cavers drowned in a caving mishap, and the rescue helicopter, en-route to Rabaul, had engine failure and crashed into a river.

In 1980, a French-international team led by Jean Paul Sounier, explored the three entrances of Kavakuna Cave and undertook the initial exploration of the Nare river cave near the village of Nutuve.

In 1984 and 1985 the British caving team completed the exploration of Nare Cave, the Pavie River Cave and the Gamvo Cave system. Towards the end of the expedition a reconnaissance trip looked at the Ora dolines. The British team felt that the cave warranted a further visit, but it was to be over 20 years before they returned.

The 1985 expedition to Nakanai, undertaken by the French international team explored Minye Cave, and Muruk Cave. A decade later during the 1995 expedition, the French team dived the final sump (a passage in a cave that is submerged under water) and enabled Muruk to become the first 1,000- metre-deep cave documented in the Southern Hemisphere.

In 1998, during a helicopter reconnaissance flight over the area between Galowe Gorge to the east, and the huge Wunung Gorge to the west, French caving expedition leader Jean-Paul Sounier was surprised to see that, unlike Galowe Gorge, no rivers poured into this 1,000-meter-deep Wunung Gorge canyon.

This begged the question: where was the water flowing into the mouth of the coastal Wunung River coming from?

The mysterious ghost rivers of the Wunung Gorge became the subject of an expedition in 2016 and 2018. The British cavers returned in 2006 with a team of 12 from the UK, France, and the United States.

The UK expedition, led by David Gill, involved a two-month expedition to complete the Untamed Rivers Expedition, first commenced in 1984. The primary purpose was to complete the exploration and mapping of the Ora river cave and to search for other caves in the area.

The secondary objective was to gather data with the aim of establishing a Nakanai Conservation Area which would be proposed for World Heritage status to protect the cave area from destruction by logging.

During the British expedition, over 12 kilometres of river caves were explored and mapped. The Phantom Pot cave was mapped during the early stages of the expedition at an altitude of 1,045 metres. Phantom Pot was surveyed for 3.9 kilometres, over a depth of 191 metres.

In January 2016, an international team led by French caver Jean-Paul Sounier explored a gigantic black sinkhole spotted in aerial images. On a plateau along the left bank of Wunung Gorge, a black and white mark indicated a surface sinkhole with a black hole almost 100 meters wide and 100-150 metres deep.

During the Black Hole Expedition in 2016, the team, spent four weeks surveying and mapping caves and galleries. One cave was named Wild Dog Cave after a long howl, similar to that of a wolf pierced the previous night.

In the sinkhole they initially named Dooble, the ceiling is magnificently decorated with white stalactites and streams, waterfalls, and underground lakes flow through the galleries. The discovery of the 714-metre-deep cave named as Dooble was re-named the Christian Rigaldie Cave to honour a caver who was part of the first French expedition to the Nakanai Mountains in 1980.

A cave mouth in the Nakanai Mountains

Although he never returned to Nakanai, Rigaldie contributed to the funding of several expeditions and died of illness in 2015.

At 714 metres deep the Christian Rigaldie cave now ranks as the second deepest cave in Papua New Guinea, after the Casoar (Muruk) cave network.

In 2018, the French-led team returned to explore the underground drainage system of the Christian Rigaldie Cave network, which flows deep beneath the Wunung Gorge.

The Ghost Rivers expedition documented 16 cave chambers beneath the Nakanai Mountains.

After three weeks exploring blocked cave entrances, the team found a collection basin with fast-flowing underground rivers, exploring and charting six kilometres of networks with two major cavities more than 500 metres deep.

The biggest of these cavities, at around 580 metres deep, was named Phillipe Pato Cave (to pay homage to a former porter), the third deepest cave in Papua New Guinea.
Extract of an invoice for 3 Bentley Continental Flying Spurs at a cost of K2.3 million - did this deal go through an open & competitive tender as required?

SIR MEKERE MORAUTA MP

PORT MORESBY - APEC Authority documents reveal that the K2.3 million purchase of three super-luxury Bentleys for the prime minister, APEC minister and others was carried out through the Malaysian medical supplies company Borneo Pacific.

An invoice for the cars sent to APEC Authority CEO Christopher Hawkins comes from South Pacific Ventures of Kuala Lumpur, which describes itself as a business consultancy and health services provider in Papua New Guinea.

Borneo Pacific and South Pacific Ventures are both controlled by a Malaysian family which is close to prime minister Peter ONeill and other senior politicians, businessmen and public servants.

The family has extensive octopus-like business interests in PNG, and is currently rumoured to be starting a brewery in partnership with the prime minister.
Yet this is a health system that for decades has been financially and technically supported by some of the worlds largest multilateral agencies, the World Bank, the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and many others.

The list goes on and on.

Tuberculosis is at epidemic levels, polio has re-emerged, maternal and child mortality rates are among the worst in the world, malaria infections have increased nine-fold in just three years, no radiology treatment is available for cancer patients, rural health clinics lie empty and abandoned.

The Silver Fox's Den - a diagram not directly related to this article but kindly provided by the folk at PNGi to show the network of companies established by David Johnson, the subject of our story earlier this week, Silver Fox goes to ground after APEC intervention goes awry

This year Australia will provide $572 million in overseas direct aid to PNG, 18% or $103m is being targeted at the health sector.

In addition, Australia has just announced an extra K24 million in funding to combat vaccine preventable diseases, starting with Polio.

Australian Minister-Counsellor based in Port Moresby, Benedict David says, under the leadership of Minister Temu and the National Department of Health, this additional support will help protect PNGs children from polio and other childhood illnesses.

It is a worthy aspiration but about as far from reality as it is possible to get. Benedict David is either incredibly ignorant, which we doubt, or he is simply misinforming the public.

Australia and other overseas donors have poured billions of dollars into PNGs health sector over the past decade.

Yet under the leadership of Minister Puka Temu and Health Secretary Pascoe Kase, the National Department of Health (NDoH) has overseen a steady decline in health outcomes and the re-emergence of diseases such as polio and an impending tuberculosis crisis.

The reason for this decline in the public health service is not hard to find. PNGi has previously reported on numerous independent and government reports that expose chronic corruption and mismanagement within the health department.

Just last week, PNGi revealed a GAVI [the global vaccine alliance] investigation that found NDoH staff engaged in sophisticated and widespread financial fraud.

Now, another report has emerged from the same organisation. It is a program audit of the governments expanded program of immunisations.

The expanded program of immunisations is managed by a unit within NDoH. It was established in 1977. It is considered by the national government to be an important, cost-effective intervention for reducing the morbidity and mortality of children from communicable diseases.

The GAVI audit strongly disputes this assessment, labelling the programs overall performance unsatisfactory [the lowest possible rating] and concluding its objectives are unlikely to ever be met.

The unsatisfactory rating applies across the whole spectrum of the programs operations.

The majority of issues identified in the audit as contributing to the unsatisfactory ratings were deemed to be critical risk [the highest possible grading], meaning a failure to take remedial action could result in major consequences affecting overall activities and output.

The GAVI audit found that over a two-year period (2014-15) more than 25% (US$720,000) of GAVI funded expenditure by the expanded program of immunisations was misused or wasted and over 250,000 doses of vaccine (worth a further $50,000) were rendered useless through shelf expiry or inadequate temperature controls.

But what is even more shocking is that the audit only examined expenditure funded by GAVI.

The expanded program of immunisations unit is also supported, technically and financially, by donors including the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, World Bank, World Health Organisation, United Nations Childrens Fund and Rotary International.

How much funding from these organisations has similarly been poured into the expanded program of immunisations unit and then been misused? According to the national health plan for 2011-2015, it could be as much as $18 million. That was the funding gap expected to be met by donor partners.

Given the fundamental nature of the management failures identified in the GAVI audit, there is every reason to expect that at least 25% of funds from all the EPI donor partners was similarly misused..

Seventeenth century English writer and politician Henry Wootton famously described an ambassador as being an honest gentlemen sent abroad to lie for the good of his country and, of course, there are many times when a diplomat must bite their tongue for the sake of good relations.

But the suspicion in Papua New Guinea is that when it comes to public health, overseas donors and aid agencies are more interested in fulfilling their mandate to spend the considerable sums of money at their disposal rather than ensuring effective outcomes.

While there are undoubtedly many good and dedicated people working in the ranks of WHO, UNICEF, DFAT etc, the failure of the organisations they work for to call out the corruption and mismanagement in the National Department of Health is defrauding the public of any hope of decent health services in the foreseeable future.
She said a pre-teenage girl doused herself with petrol in a suicide attempt last month, and remained on Nauru despite a doctors advice to have her evacuated.

Catherine Stubberfield, a spokeswoman for the UNHCR in Canberra, said healthcare was collapsing at the centres.

Doctors from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) were ejected from Nauru laston Wednesday and the UN high commissioner for refugees has warned that many asylum seekers who have attempted self-harm or have critical health issues now have no access to medical care.

SYDNEY - The United Nations has called on Australia to immediately evacuate its offshore detention centres to prevent an unfolding health crisis.

Refugees on Manus - 1,420 are held in PNG and Nauru; another 500 in Australia for medical reasons

She also said many asylum seekers in Papua New Guinea had attempted self-harm or suicide last month, and others were suffering acute physical and mental health issues but had not been treated by doctors.

On Thursday, MSF called for an immediate humanitarian evacuation of offshore detainees. It said there had been 78 cases of attempted suicide and self-harm in Nauru over the past year.

Speaking on Friday, Stubberfield said Australia had to face the responsibility of its offshore detention camps because it had designed, paid for and set up the system.

UNHCR does not agree with the government of Australias assertion that such cases are solely matters for Papua New Guinea and Nauru, she said. Australia [has] simultaneously designed, financed and managed the system.

She urged the Australian government to take up New Zealands offer to accept some of those held in detention.

About 1,420 people are being held in PNG and Nauru, and 500 have been transferred to Australia for medical reasons. The UNCHRs monitoring suggests that figure is significantly lower than the number of refugees in need of care.

In September this year more refugees and asylum seekers had to be medically evacuated from Nauru to Australia than in the preceding two years combined, Stubberfield said.

[But] this reflects the longstanding poor healthcare situation and a recent worsening of conditions, rather than any moderating of stance.

In Papua New Guinea there have been no re-transfers to Australia this year. This is despite a clear and urgent imperative for medical evacuation.

Twelve people have died in immigration detention on Nauru and Manus Island since 2014.

The Australian government contracts International Health and Medical Services and Pacific International Hospital to provide medical aid at Nauru and PNG respectively but the UN described their services as limited.

It also said the local healthcare systems were under-resourced and understaffed in both countries.

The Department of Home Affairs said in a statement that it took refugee health and welfare seriously.

Through the Australian governments contracted health services provider, general practitioner, nursing and mental healthcare clinics are open seven days a week. There is also after-hours medical staffing to respond to after-hours medical emergencies, it said.

There are 65 contracted health professionals, including 33 mental health professionals providing services to transferees on Nauru. All transferees on Nauru are free to move around the island; they are not in detention.

In September, Guardian Australia revealed that the government spent more than $320,000 last financial year challenging applications for medical transfers from Nauru and Manus Island.
English French

Roissy, October 19, 2018

Press release

Agreement signed between Air France and its representative unions regarding employee compensation

Today, Air France and its representative unions CFDT, CFE-CGC/UNAC, FO/SNPNC, SPAF and UNSA aerien Air France (both ground staff and cabin crew components) signed an agreement regarding employee compensation. These unions represent 76.4% of the employees who voted in the last union elections. This agreement is therefore considered valid and will be implemented.

"I would like to thank everyone involved at Air France for the quality of our discussions over the past few weeks, and for the trust that has prevailed throughout," said Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM and Air France. "This way of working between all parties provides Air France and the Air France-KLM Group with a new perspective going forward, and it is my hope that it will ensure the future success of our airlines."

The key provisions of the agreement include a general pay increase of 2%, retroactive to January 1, 2018, and a general pay increase of 2% on January 1, 2019.

The next round of annual salary negotiations (NAO) will begin with all representative unions in October 2019. These discussions will be based on the global economic environment, the present situation of the Air France-KLM Group, as well as the company's economic performance.
The person then messaged Emmanuel on SMS - Need you to immediately take down FB posts concerning recent airport photos ... It is a security risk under APEC joint task force ... Please call me, David Johnson.

The message read - You must immediately take down posts of Maserati  APEC security act will be inacted [sic].

He shared a post by airline company, Ajot, that flew the cars to Port Moresby. Minutes after posting the article he was in-boxed by a person with a Facebook account called Silver Fox providing his number and insisting Emmanuel call him immediately.

PORT MORESBY  Last Wednesday, respected young entrepreneur Emmanuel Narakobi shared on Facebook an article showing the arrival of the controversial million kina Italian luxury cars at Jacksons International Airport.

David ('Silver Fox') Johnson's communications to Emmanuel Narakobi - was Johnson acting with the authority of APEC or as a freelancer?

Johnson telephoned Emmanuel explaining he was part of APEC security and instructed him to take down his post. Emmanuel did take the post down and so did Ajot.

So who is David Johnson?

He is an Australian expatriate who arrived in PNG sometime in 2015. He resides in Lae providing financial advisory services.

He later acquired a shelf company Karama Consultants, registering himself as the sole director and shareholder.

In August 2017 he registered two other shelf (start-up) companies, Karama Developments Limited (which claims to specialise in residential and commercial property development) and Karama Health Limited.

Now in 2018 it appears Johnson specialises in APEC and cyber security.

Emmanuel Narakobi, member of an eminent PNG family. Was he a victim of a crude attempt at censorship by APEC or by an impostor?

So my message to David Johnson AKA Silver Fox is this.

While you are a mere visitor to our country, Emmanuel Narakobi comes from a well respected political family of highly educated lawyers and entrepreneurs.

Late Bernard Narakobi was former attorney general under the Namiliu government and a firebrand politician. Emmanuel like any other Papua New Guinean is not answerable to you.

So your threatening words are completely unacceptable!

You are treading a thin line, given that public funds have been used to splurge on cars, PNG cannot afford under a scheme to illegally dispose of them to the benefit of a number of unknown private firms. Are you one of these private bidders?

Before you decide to threaten another one of my fellow countrymen, Mr Johnson, I strongly suggest you call me instead, my number is 7093 0840.

It is becoming clear ONeill governments decision to pass the APEC Security Act was that it be used against its own citizens.
PNGs forests are among our most valuable natural resources. Some 70% of the country is covered in forests that support hundreds of rare and endemic species, making PNG a megabiodiverse country.

These initiatives mean that bilateral trade is set to increase  but if China does not make significant changes in the way it sources raw materials abroad, the outcome is likely to be a bad one for PNG.

Meanwhile, Chinas aid to PNG is surging: only recently, it committed around $4 billion to developing PNGs national road network.

ORO - This summer, my country, Papua New Guinea, became the newest member of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. This global program already spans dozens of countries and represents over a trillion dollars of planned investments in infrastructure development.

These forests are also directly critical to the lives and well-being of most of our people, including the communities in my province. But for decades, weve struggled to responsibly manage this vital resource.

The PNG forest sector has long been marked by corruption and illegality, making the timber we produce considered high risk by independent international groups that monitor this. And were losing money on it: the policy think tank the Oakland Institute has estimated that tax evasion in the sector may be costing PNG over $100 million per year.

Despite these problems, PNG exports a lot of timber  over three million cubic meters of logs in 2017. Most of that wood is bought by China, where it is made into commodities like furniture and flooring. Research from the watchdog group Global Witness showed that some of these products are ending up in places like the United States.

Although China doesnt have a law that bans the import of illegal timber, the United States and other major markets like the European Union do, making this trade a risky one for China. In fact, China is falling behind other major economies in not enacting such a law, and continuing to source risky timber from corrupt states around the world.

As the governor of PNGs Oro Province, where forests have been targeted by logging companies without my consent or that of affected communities, I see many opportunities for our country to learn from China.

The Chinese economy is 700 times the size of PNGs  but 50 years ago its GDP was not so different from ours today. As China has rapidly developed, it has lifted millions out of extreme poverty, but that development has had profound effects on its environment and the health of its people.

In recent years, the importance of protecting a healthy environment has become apparent in Chinese domestic policy. For example, in 2017, China extended a ban on commercial logging in natural forests to cover the whole of the country.

President Xi Jinping has called for Chinese citizens to defend what he called ecological red lines: natural areas that are too valuable to exploit. As Xi puts it, Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.

I couldnt agree more. The problem is that while China protects its own environment, its behaviour abroad is driving environmental devastation in countries like PNG.

China has not yet extended its own internal best practices to how it sources raw materials in other countries, which means that illegally produced timber from PNG continues to feed Chinas manufacturing sector.

The forests of PNG are a source of wealth not just for our people, but for all of humanity. Our forests store huge quantities of carbon, provide freshwater and local climate benefits, and serve as habitat to extraordinary biodiversity.

They are also central to the way of life of millions of Papua New Guineans. This means that what China chooses to do impacts us all. I call on China to keep illegal timber out of its markets  and help PNGs forests remain standing.

Gary Juffa MP is the Governor of Papua New Guineas Oro Province and Leader of the Peoples Movement for Change Party
Barnetts famous pronouncement that logging companies were operating in Papua New Guinea with the self-assurance of robber barons is as relevant now as it was then. (Indeed, hardly a think piece on the industry can be published without repeating the quote.)

Three decades ago, Commissioner Tos Barnett was conducting his inquiry into aspects of the forest industry, published as a two-volume survey of the corruption and illegalities allowing PNGs forests to be felled wholesale and exported, to the countrys economic and environmental loss.

What has changed in the interim is that those mostly foreign-backed companies have cut and sold off many millions more cubic meters of PNG timber, in a process that has signally failed to bring meaningful development to the countrys rural and forest-dependent communities.

PNGs ongoing crisis in forest governance has been meticulously documented since Barnetts day, including in a flurry of research published in the last several years.

All of it tells the same story. Chatham House estimated in 2014 that 70% of the countrys timber may be produced illegally. The sustainability certification organisation NepCON gave PNG an abysmal score of 3/100 in its 2017 Timber legality risk assessment.

In July, my organisation Global Witness published a report that included an analysis of satellite images of eight of PNGs largest logging operations. All of the companies involved in those operations, based on imagery that documented violations of the Forestry Act, appear to have broken the law many times over.

None of them have faced any legal consequences, and all continue to sell PNG timber abroad.

For Papua New Guinean communities that depend directly on their environment for their livelihoods and cultural heritage, this devastation of their forests is a legal outrage as well as an existential threat.

PNGs customary tenure system grants control over land to the people who have lived on and used it for generations. It should be no surprise that among the legal violations linked to logging that my team has documented across the country, violations of landowner rights are paramount.

The people we have spoken with tell virtually identical stories of losing their land to fraud and outright theft by companies that appear to operate outside the rule of law.

This situation is deeply frustrating, not least because we know it can be much better. PNG already has a reasonably robust legal framework to protect its forests. Those laws are simply not being enforced.

And government agencies charged with overseeing the countrys other natural resources have made important strides toward the transparency critical in wiping out corruption. PNG is a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which publishes information on revenues and beneficial ownership in the mining and oil and gas sectors.

The Mineral Resources Authority has made maps of mining concessions freely and publicly available on its website. There is no reason the Forest Authority cant be resourced to do the same with logging concessions. Its political will, or the lack thereof, that has made this problem intractable for so long.

There are glimmers of progress here and there.

The PNG Forest Authority is currently developing a Timber Legality Standard in consultation with the countrys environmental NGOs, in a welcome sign of openness. But such mechanisms are only as good as the will behind them.

Prime minister ONeill invoked the long-anticipated 2020 complete ban on round log exports in a speech to parliament this July. More recently, however, I was told by a government official that the ban may be applied only to logging projects launching in 2020 or later, not existing ones  which would make it effectively meaningless.

So the question is: if the PNG government will not keep its forests from being illegally felled, what might?

Well, another critical change since the late 1980s is where that timber is sold. China now consumes more timber than any other country, including 88% of PNGs log exports last year, or north of 2.7 million cubic meters of wood.

Although it does not yet ban the import of illegal timber  which is how it is able to keep buying in such quantities from countries like PNG and Solomon Islands, another high-risk producer  most major economies, including its export markets in the US, EU and Australia, do.

That means that Chinas big customers should be increasingly scrutinising its products for the presence of illegal wood, and dropping those that cant pass the test.

If and when China joins this group to ban the import of illegal timber, PNG will be financially compelled to enforce its own laws, and protect its own forest peoples livelihoods in the bargain. A prudent resource-dependent nation might already see the writing on the wall.

PNG is now preparing for its ultimate close-up at the APEC summit to be held in Port Moresby next month. President Xi Jinping will be there to launch new investments in the country, which is lately one of the newest members of Chinas Belt and Road infrastructure and trade initiative.

If PNG hopes to attract other investment, surely it would also be wise to demonstrate to APEC members that its government respects the law. This could be done by placing a moratorium on all logging projects to review whether, or how, their operators have broken it.
KEITH JACKSON

PORT MORESBY  Prominent Papua New Guinea Opposition MP and Member for Madang Bryan Kramer has slammed APEC Minister Justin Tkatchenko for the purchase of 40 luxury Maserati sedans, which he says would retail in PNG for at least $400,000 (K950,000) each taking into account excise duty, clearance and freight.

And he's in possession of what he says is a leaked pro forma invoice (right) to back him up.

The cars will be used to ferry world leaders attending the APEC leaders summit that PNG will be hosting in Port Moresby next month.

While the country faces a polio outbreak, failing health and education systems, systemic corruption, and escalating law and order issues, prime minister ONeill appears to be more concerned about impressing world leaders, Kramer said in a statement.

The bottom line is, we cannot afford to be this extravagant. Our country is broke and the ONeill government continues to be irresponsible and reckless.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Tkatchenko said, Maserati Quattroporte sedans have been secured and delivered and are being committed to be paid for by the private sector.

But Kramer says that, if the vehicles have been bought by the private sector without any cost to the government, the sale is illegal.
Well provided what you publish is the truth you are protected by the law. However, wrongfully accusing someone, then you face civil and even criminal prosecution.

So how is it I never seem to be charged or sued over my reports?

I don't normally share this information in the public domain, as any information I do share will only be after I am absolutely certain the information is credible without a question of doubt.

I have briefed key members in Opposition that I expect to be killed for doing what I do and it is important they are clear on what to do next when that happens.

I accepted that fate a long time ago. The real threat won't come from our corrupt and stupid politicians but the foreign nationals who pull the strings from behind the scenes and profit from them.

I responded I was banking on it but appreciated the head ups. It was no surprise, when you go after high level corruption it's only a matter time you are permanently silenced.

Concerned about my safety Mr Koim went out of his way to contact me so that I would take extra care.

MADANG - Two days ago I was contacted by former chairman of Anti-corruption Task Force Sweep, Sam Koim, to inform me he had received reliable intelligence that individuals with political connections were planning to have me assassinated.

Sam Koim's response to Bryan Kramer's revelation can be downloaded at the end of this statement

Bryan Kramer MP

It's not like O'Neill has a shortage of lawyers or money to sue me, or control over the Police hierarchy to have me charged, his problem is when we end up in court, knowing I can prove everything I publish then the risk is the Court will make a finding of fact the allegations are true, where the judgment may be used in his own criminal prosecution.

So his best position is to remain silent and avoid taking me to Court.

So how come I never seem to get my reports wrong?

Well, I will only publish a story provided I can verify it through three independent sources. This is so there can be no doubt to the criminal standard of proof the intel is correct.

Just one mistake and I could end up in jail for breaching the Cyber Crime or Defamation Act that provides up to 15 years imprisonment.

Sam Koim

On the case in point I have verified the same intel of plans to have me killed from three independence sources, and it's not like Sam Koim goes around contacting people to tell them he believes they will be assassinated unless he himself is certain about it.

The intelligence being a number of individuals politically connected were secretly meeting to plan my assassination.

A number of persons engaged to do it were also behind the assassination of the late Fred Konga, former head of Border Development Authority.

In August 2017, Konga was gunned down while driving home at night after being followed by two unmarked cars.

I received intel he was killed to silence him over his alleged involvement in K124 million of K100 bank notes that was shipped to Germany by Central Bank to be destroyed.

However, the container was intercepted in Indonesia and brought back into PNG across the border. The notes were then used to bribe votes during the 2017 General Elections. His killing was described as an execution.

Specific information including how he was killed, those involved, and the evidence that exists to connect it to persons who ordered it has been made know to me.

I've been reliably informed that those now planning my assassination involve two Chinese nationals as well as three Western expatriates. Their plan is to have me killed in the same fashion Fred Konga, and make it look like it was done by the Australians.

Of course if it became known that Chinese nationals were involved then the public retaliation would be that Chinese store from Alotau to the boarder of Indonesia would be burnt to the ground.

So who better to blame than the Australians, however, who would believe such a story - well if you make the hit look professional enough, for example car bombing etc or involve white expatriates are seen on camera leaving scene then such a story would be plausible.

So why don't I name the individuals and politicians involved? Well, I'm waiting on a third source to confirm their names.

Why I am sharing this information with you?

Well in the event I end up facing the same fate before then, at least you can be clear why and how it happened.

Read Sam Loim's response to Bryan Kramer's statement
Their call resonated even louder today when The Australian newspaper revealed that three new Bentley Flying Spur limousines worth a total of over $960,000 (K2.5 million) had been added to the APEC luxury vehicle fleet. The newspaper had obtained an invoice for the Bentleys made out to PNG's APEC CEO Chris Hawkins.

In the wake of the continuing Maserati scandal, Oro governor Gary Juffa, East Sepik governor Allan Bird and Madang MP Bryan Kramer together with former prime minister Sir Mekere Morauta, now an MP, issued a call to people to join in the strike by staying home in a show of a nonviolent defiance.

At a meeting last night, the organisers decided to avoid the strike conflicting with the major national exam, which is sat by 28,000 students.

The boycott is to protest against the O'Neill government colluding with overseas opportunists to steal from our people.

PORT MORESBY  Opposition members of parliament have deferred a nationwide strike in Papua New Guinea until Thursday of next week because the protest would have clashed with this week's Grade 12 examinations.

We are disgusted. We have heard [peoples] views and expressions on social media and we share the same concerns about the corruption and scandals led by the ONeill government, Mr Kramer said. "We could no longer sit back and watch you struggle to put your children through school in the hope of a job that will never exist.

This afternoon the Opposition said it would use the week before the Thuesday 25 October strike to meet with union, civil society and church leaders to "solicit their support in protest of the systematic corruption crippling the country".

In a statement of his own, Sir Mekere (pictured) said: Astonishing revelations in the last couple of days about the crooked contract to buy luxury Maserati cars for APEC, and then secretly sell them to private sector cronies is the last straw.

People are right to be disgusted by the information that is now coming to light, and they are fully entitled to express their opposition to this blatant fraud.

He also called for an independent inquiry into the Maserati fraud, which he said was concocted by the APEC Authority and the ONeill government.

It is not good enough for the prime minister, Peter ONeill, and the APEC Minister, Justin Tkatchenko, to make statements in social media that are clearly incorrect, contradictory and designed to mask the smell of corruption and wrongdoing.

The APEC Authority has broken its own laws with the purchase of the Maseratis and the prime ministers proposed sale of them, Sir Mekere said.

The prime minister and minister Tkatchenko have connived with the Authority and are trying desperately to hide the truth. But we are not fools.

Mr Kramer asked, How can we call ourselves leaders? The degree of mismanagement and corruption is overwhelmingly out of control. If we are to wait any longer there will be nothing left to fight for.

We also care about your childrens futures. All we can do is lead and empower you to take a stand for change. The moment has arrived. Lets move this nation.

Do your part, and spread the word to family, friends, neighbours, wantoks, tambus and workmates to join the national strike to bring Peter ONeill to account, Mr Kramer said.

Sir Mekere said Papua New Guineans, and politicians with a conscience, should join with respected MPs Bryan Kramer, Gary Juffa and Allan Bird to express their disgust by staying home from work on Thursday and Friday.

This is just another chapter in the monumental abuse of APEC contracts, which I and others have exposed, he said.

Look at all the over-priced and unnecessary roads and buildings constructed by Peoples National Congress cronies to glorify the prime minister.

These projects, and the multi-million-kina Maserati scam, have proceeded at the expense of the health system, the education system, rural infrastructure, law and order, government finances, the economy and employment.

Why are we importing luxury cars for Mr ONeill and his wantoks to ride around in when children are dying of polio, tuberculosis and other preventable diseases?

There is no medicine in hospitals and clinics. Schools are closing all over the nation, and teachers are being robbed of their pay by this Government.

Sir Mekere said the ONeill governments corruption, waste and mismanagement had brought international shame on Papua New Guinea.

The whole world is looking on and asking why Mr ONeill, Mr Tkatchenko and others are spending this money when Papua New Guinea cannot look after its own children.

We have become an international laughing stock. Corruptions time is up.
APEC Minister Justin Tkatchenko said the cars would "provide the level of carriage for leaders that is the standard for vehicles used at APEC summits".

But the government says the private sector has "committed" to paying.

Media and activists have questioned if the poor Pacific country has wasted millions.

The Quattroporte sedans, which cost more than $100,000 each (K325,000), will be used by foreign leaders.

LONDON - Papua New Guinea's government is under scrutiny for importing 40 luxury Maserati cars from Italy for the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

The Maseratis with their V6 Ferrari engines will struggle to reach their top speed of 275 kph on Port Moresbys roads. They can hit 100 kph in five seconds

Pictures of the cars arriving at Port Moresby airport on chartered cargo planes were shared on social media and sparked concern that taxpayer money was being wasted on the lavish purchase.

Mr Tkatchenko told The Australian newspaper that some money had been paid by the government as "a deposit to get everything here" but that the cars were "selling like hotcakes" and would not end up as a government burden.

He has not revealed how much the government has already spent on the cars nor who might be buying them and at what cost.

Prime minister Peter O'Neill has also insisted that the government "will not be out of any funds".

Chinese president Xi Jinping and US vice-president Mike Pence are both expected to attend the high-profile regional gathering, which takes place next month.

Keith Jackson, a blogger on PNG issues, told the BBC that the cars were part of an effort by leaders to project an image of "sophistication" ahead of the summit, including prettying up the capital, Port Moresby, with new roads and buildings.

"And this all at a time when infectious diseases like polio, TB and malaria have re-emerged in the country, school teachers are not being paid and the bulk of its eight million people are transitioning to poverty," he said.

Papua New Guinea is one of the poorest countries in APEC, with 40% of the population living on less than $1 a day according to the UN. In June the government declared a national public health emergency after an outbreak of polio.

Australia is expected to provide more than $100 million to help it put on the summit, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. This includes deploying soldiers as well as fighter jets to secure airspace.

Recent APEC hosts have also procured fleets of luxury vehicles to ferry around leaders. In 2015, BMW sponsored more than 200 vehicles for the summit hosted by the Philippines and the cars were later sold to the public.
Vanuatu foreign minister Ralph Regenvanu - "We achieved our [independence] and we will not forget our brothers-and-sisters-in-arms who have not got theirs (Vanuatu Daily Post)

JAMES HALPIN | Pacific Media Centre | Extract

AUCKLAND - Vanuatus Foreign Minister Ralph Regenvanu has called on New Zealand to get on the right side of history when it comes to West Papua.

Reaffirming prime minister Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas remarks at the UN general assembly late last month, Regenvanu told Asia Pacific Report that the people of West Papua have never had the opportunity to exercise their right of self-determination, which is an unalienable right under international law, and they must be given that opportunity.

Vanuatu was one of three countries  four less than in 2016  whose leaders gave UN strong messages in support of West Papuan self-determination.

Independence for Vanuatu was achieved from the co-colonisers France and the United Kingdom in 1980.

West Papua had been a colony of the Dutch New Guinea but was annexed by Indonesia after a paratrooper invasion in 1962 followed by a UN-supervised vote in 1969 described by critics as fraudulent.
Foreign minister Payne - issues of corruption, refugees & Maseratis off the agenda

KEITH JACKSON

CANBERRA  Australias foreign minister Marise Payne will fly to Port Moresby today for a two-day visit.

Her visit is stated to engage with Papua New Guinean leaders and to advance Australia's strategic and economic partnership with our closest neighbour.

Our bilateral relationship is broad and deep, with strong people-to-people links built on shared history and values, Senator Payne said.

In my meetings with PNG ministers, I will discuss Australia's support for PNG's hosting of the upcoming APEC meeting and explore opportunities to promote our shared regional and global priorities.

I will officially open PNG's new satellite internet system, a critical investment by Australia which will increase capacity by approximately 30%. Together with the new Coral Sea Cable, Australia is supporting the digital transformation of PNG's economy, she said.
Were a small team, but the scope of what we cover is phenomenal, Dr Robie explains. As researchers and reporters, we look at the repercussions that big issues like climate change, human rights violations and press freedom have on these small communities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Established in 2007 by Professor David Robie in AUTs School of Communication Studies, the centre focuses on postgraduate research projects and publications that impact on indigenous communities across the Pacific.

AUCKLAND - Based at Auckland University of Technology, the Pacific Media Centre is a small team dedicated to telling stories from across the Pacific that you wont read anywhere else.

Some of the Pacific Media Centre team (from left): Sri Krishnamurthi, Blessen Tom, Leilani Sitagata, Assoc Prof Camille Nakhid, Prof David Robie and Del Abcede

The team are active publishers, managing several platforms including the Pacific Media Watch and Asia Pacific Report news websites, the half-yearly academic research journal Pacific Journalism Review and its companion Pacific Journalism Monographs, the blog Niusblog and Toktok, a quarterly newsletter.

The centre has also secured a media partnership with Radio New Zealand  the first content-sharing arrangement between a New Zealand university and a news organisation  and hosts the weekly Southern Cross radio programme on 95bFM.

Some of the Pacific Media Centre team: Sri Krishnamurthi (from left), Blessen Tom, Leilani Sitagata, Associate Professor Camille Nakhid, Professor David Robie and Del Abcede. Image: Craig Major/AUT

Dr Robie, along with Advisory Board chair Associate Professor Camille Nakhid, sees the centre as having a strong advocacy role across the Pacific and further afield.

I think it is a real strength of the PMC that the team can find issues in the Pacific that just arent covered in the mainstream New Zealand media, then explore them and report on them with authority and conviction, Dr Robie says.

The team is skilled in identifying issues that are beyond the scope of what the public sees in a travel brochure.

Dr Nakhid echoes this sentiment. New Zealands media can be very insular when reporting on what is happening in the Pacific  even though there is so much happening right outside our doorstep.

Internally the team takes a cross-discipline approach, working closely with students and staff in the School of Communication Studies (particularly Te Ara Motuhenga, the documentary collective) and the School of Social Sciences.

The centre also has international partnerships, such as with the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders, and maintains close ties to Pacific communities based in New Zealand  and are sure to collaborate with community groups for events and seminars.

Pacific Media Centre organised a seminar about the refugee situation in Myanmar recently, recalls publications designer Del Abcede. Through talking to the Burmese citizens that we had invited, we discovered a range of issues that only came to light in the mainstream after the Myanmar election.

PMC reporting staff  mostly postgraduate students  are encouraged to uncover and explore the issues that interest them.

Working with the PMC has been very illuminating, says Sri Krishnamurthi, a postgraduate student who has covered Fiji-based news for PMC, and has interviewed two of the three party heads hoping to win Fijis general election next month.

I have a background in communications and journalism, but doing this kind of reporting has been a real eye-opener, says Krishnamurthi, a Fiji-born journalist who worked with the NZ Press Association for 17 years.

And just this week two students from the centre, Hele Ikimotu and Blessen Tom, have had their Bearing Witness climate change documentary, Banabans of Rabi, accepted for screening at the 2018 Nukualofa Film Festival.

The freedom to pursue stories in the region is an opportunity for Dr Robie and the team.

Students that work with us learn so much  and there really is no underestimation of their abilities, Dr Robie said.

Not only that, it promotes media and journalism as a viable career path for Pacific students, and leads to opportunities for international journalism projects.
Phase II study efficacy data showed overall response rate of 72.0% and 39.1%, respectively, in treatment-naive and previously treated patients with advanced MET exon-14 skipping mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)



Clinical findings from ongoing study indicate safety profile was consistent with previously reported data results



Capmatinib, an investigational MET inhibitor, may have the potential to improve response rates for people diagnosed with MET exon-14 skipping mutated NSCLC, a known oncogenic driver

Basel, October 19, 2018 - Novartis today announced Phase II preliminary results of the GEOMETRY mono-1 clinical trial of investigational MET inhibitor capmatinib (INC280) in 94 adult patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring MET exon-14 skipping mutations. The GEOMETRY mono-1 study showed an overall response rate (ORR) of 72.0% (95% CI: 50.6-87.9) in treatment-naive patients and 39.1% (95% CI: 27.6-51.6) in previously treated patients. ORR was assessed by blinded independent review committee (BIRC). Adverse events (AEs) were consistent with previously reported data and no new safety signals were observed. Results of the Phase II study were presented today at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Congress [October 19, 2018 at 4:45 PM CET] (Abstract #LBA52)[1].

"These preliminary findings reveal the potential of capmatinib in MET exon-14 skipping mutated NSCLC patients. Compared to the previously treated patient groups, the primary advantage in terms of overall response rate reported in treatment-naive patients highlights the clinical relevance for an earlier diagnostic testing and prompt treatment of this challenging patient population," said Juergen Wolf, MD, University Hospital Cologne.

NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, impacting more than 2 million people per year[2]. Approximately 3-4% of all patients with NSCLC have an identified MET mutation[3]. Though rare, this mutation is an indicator of especially poor prognosis and there is currently no approved therapy designed to target this mutation[4].

"Patients diagnosed with advanced MET mutated NSCLC represent an unmet medical need and often face a poor prognosis," said Samit Hirawat, MD, Head, Novartis Oncology Global Drug Development. "We are encouraged by the GEOMETRY mono-1 results and the potential for capmatinib to help patients with this disease."

About GEOMETRY mono-1

The GEOMETRY mono-1 trial is a multicenter, open-label, phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of single-agent INC280 in adult patients with EGFR wildtype, ALK-negative rearrangement, advanced NSCLC harboring MET amplification and/or mutations. Patients with MET exon-14 skipping were assigned to Cohorts 4 (previously treated patients) or 5B (treatment naive) regardless of MET amplification/gene copy number (centrally confirmed), and received 400 mg capmatinib tablets twice daily. The primary endpoint was ORR based on BIRC assessment per RECIST v1.1. The key secondary endpoint was duration of response (DOR) by BIRC. The GEOMETRY mono-1 study found an ORR in the treatment-naive patients (n=25) of 72.0% (95% CI: 50.6-87.9) and an ORR in the previously treated patients (n=69) of 39.1% (95% CI: 27.6-51.6). DOR was not reached by the time of analysis, indicating sustainability of response[1],[6].

The most common treatment-related AEs included peripheral edema, nausea, vomiting, and increased blood creatinine levels. Of patients treated with INC280, 83.8% experienced an AE, with 33.1% having grade 3/4 AEs[1],[6].

Capmatinib (INC280) is an investigational, oral and selective MET inhibitor licensed to Novartis by Incyte Corporation in 2009. Under the Agreement, Incyte granted Novartis exclusive Development and Commercialization worldwide rights to this MET inhibitor compound and certain back-up compounds in all indications.

Novartis Commitment to Lung Cancer

Worldwide, lung cancer causes more deaths than colon, breast and prostate cancer combined, and over 2 million new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year[2]. Among patients with NSCLC, almost 70% have an actionable mutation that may be targeted with available therapies[7]. To determine the most appropriate treatment, medical organizations recommend genomic testing for patients with lung cancer[8].

Novartis Oncology's research in NSCLC has helped transform treatment approaches for patients living with mutation-driven diseases, among others. Novartis continues its commitment to the global lung cancer community through ongoing studies, as well as the exploration of investigational compounds that target genetic biomarkers in NSCLC.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by expressed or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions; safety, quality or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 1 billion people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 125,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library

For questions about the site or required registration, please contact media.relations@novartis.com

References

[1] Juergen Wolf. Results of the GEOMETRY mono-1 phase II study for evaluation of the MET inhibitor capmatinib (INC280) in patients with MET exon-14 skipping mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Abstract #LBA52. 2018 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), October 19-23, 2018, Munich, Germany.

[2] Globocan. Lung Fact Sheet. Available at http://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/15-Lung-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed October 9, 2018.

[3] Salgia R. MET in Lung Cancer: Biomarker Selection Based on Scientific Rationale. Mol Cancer Ther. 2017;16(4):555-565.

[4] Tong JH, Yeung SF, Chan AWH, et al.. MET Amplification and Exon 14 Splice Site Mutation Define Unique Molecular Subgroups of Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma with Poor Prognosis. Clin Cancer Res. 2016;22(12):3048-3056.

[5] Lungevity. Targeted Therapy: What is driver mutation? Available at https://lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/lung-cancer-101/treatment-options/targeted-therapy. Accessed October 9, 2018.

[6] A Study of Capmatinib (INC280) in NSCLC Patients With MET Exon 14 Alterations Who Have Received Prior MET Inhibitor. (2016). Retrieved from http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2 (Identification No. NCT02750215).

[7] Hirsch FR, Suda K, Wiens J, et al. New and emerging targeted treatments in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Lancet. 2016;388:1012-1024.

[8] Lindeman NI, Cagle PT, Beasley MB, et al. Molecular Testing Guideline for Selection of Lung Cancer Patients for EGFR and ALK Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors. J Thorac Oncol. 2013;8(7):823-859.

# # #

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com

Eric Althoff

Novartis Global Media Relations

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+41 79 593 4202 (mobile)

eric.althoff@novartis.com Kristen Klasey

Novartis Oncology Communications

+1 862 778 4163 (direct)

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kristen.klasey@novartis.com

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Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944

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It doesnt start well. It is dated 10 November 2018. Clearly a mistake. Perhaps someone was in a hurry or it had to be released ahead of schedule?

The PNG government has made a number of claims to try and justify their apparent extravagance and to deflect criticism. Unfortunately those claims do not stack up to any serious scrutiny.

The public furore has put the PNG government onto the back-foot as locals fume at the highly visible excess in a country where basic health, education and transport infrastructure and services are in a deplorable condition and public health outcomes are among the worst in the world.

The luxury cars have been brought to Port Moresby to chauffeur world leaders and other VIP guests around the capital for three days during next months Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

The white-jacked Maserati Quattroporte cars were shown being off-loaded from two chartered Boeing 747 aircraft at Port Moresbys Jacksons airport.

PORT MORESBY - A storm of public criticism and protest has erupted after the publication of photographs showing the delivery of 40 Maserati luxury supercars to the ONeill government.

Maserati Quattroporte sedans have been secured and delivered, and are being committed to be paid for by the private sector, says Minister Tkatchenko in his signed statement.

Having vehicles paid for by the private sector is the smartest way to have use of the vehicles for APEC at no overall cost to the State.

The language is slightly tortured, but the message seems clear? The Maserati supercars have been paid for by some mysterious benefactors and bringing the cars to Port Moresby for use during the APEC summit is at no overall cost to the State.

However, it didnt take long for a different truth to start emerging; one that sheds considerable doubt on the veracity of the Ministers claims. And then, as his story started to unravel, so the Ministers statements to the press started to change

It costs about US$25,000 an hour to operate a Boeing 747. Flight time from Milan in Italy to Port Moresby is around 20 hours, plus a refuelling stop. Flying two 747s, each loaded with 20 Maserati cars, would cost around $1 million in aircraft operating costs alone.

Then there are the profits for the freight company and the loading and refuelling times and the airport landing costs all to be added.

It is hard to see how the freight costs could be less than US$1.2 million (K3.9 million); they could easily have amounted to much more.

Were these freight costs paid by the private sector? No, not according to the specialist freight company that delivered the Maserati cars.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines says its specialist planes were chartered by the PNG government.

Mr Tkatchenko needs to confirm the cost to the PNG taxpayer of the charter and explain how that expense is going to be recovered if indeed the cars have come at no overall cost to the State.

So who actually owns the 40 Maserati cars now in Port Moresby?

According to the Minister, as quoted in the Post Courier newspaper on October 11, it couldnt be the government as they havent paid for them.

For those who continue to spread lies and bring hype to the issue of the vehicles being brought into the country, the national government did not pay for any of the vehicles; these vehicles have been bought by the private sector.

But perhaps all is not as it seems as the Minister adds, And once we conclude the APEC summit, the vehicles will be sold to individuals or businesses that wish to acquire such a car.

For the government to sell something that it does not own would be theft; for it to sell something it hadnt paid for would be fraud.

Perhaps this realisation has made the Minister change his story?

First, he admitted to The Australian newspaper that of course we have paid a deposit to get everything here. This contradicts his earlier statements that everything was being paid for by the private sector and the national government did not pay for any of the vehicles.

But he was still sticking to the idea that all the governments costs will be ultimately covered. all costs will be totally reimbursed and there will be no burden at all to the government at the end of the day. They are selling like hotcakes.

Less than 24 hours later, in an interview with the ABC, the Minister had again subtly changed his position. Rather than speaking about a deposit he told the ABC the governments APEC Authority had paid for the whole fleet.

The Guardian suggests the figure paid could be as high as K40 million; MP, and anti-corruption crusader, Bryan Kramer says he has a copy of an invoice showing the government paid US$6,357,684 (K20 million). Interestingly that invoice allegedly shows the cars were purchased from a backyard workshop in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

And rather than selling like hotcakes, as he had earlier claimed, Tkatchenko could only confirm to the ABC there has been a lot of interest in the cars from prospective buyers.

A lot of interest in a bunch of second hand cars is a long way from the Ministers original signed media statement stating the private sector had committed to pay for the new cars and there was no overall cost to the State.

After all, even if the government does manage to sell all forty cars, what about the depreciation?

If the truth of the matter is that what the private sector is actually going to be paying for is the privilege of owning the second-hand Maseratis after the government and Port Moresbys notorious streets have finished with them then surely there is going to be a heavy dose of depreciation that the PNG tax payer is going to be lumbered with?

Experts estimate that a new car looses 10-20% of its value as soon as it is driven off the retailers forecourt. But, in truth, the real figure depends on supply and demand.

Unfortunately for anyone wanting to sell a used Maserati Quattroporte in Port Moresby, there is currently a gross oversupply (the government has forty to sell) and very low demand (Maseratis are unknown in PNG and for a very good reason).

The only luxury cars to be seen on the streets of Port Moresby or any other town in PNG are top of the range Toyota Prado four-wheel drives. Anyone who has travelled on PNGs potholed and mainly unsealed roads will have the aches and bruises that attest to the reason why.

There is also going to be the small problem of servicing. Any buyer will be hard pressed to find a mechanic in Port Moresby trained to tune the Maseratis V6 Ferrari engine.

Gross oversupply and low demand, it is hard to see how the PNG government can possibly offload 40 used Maseratis at anything close to cost in the local market. Anyone from Australia or Asia wanting to pick up a bargain is going to be faced with considerable freight costs that will affect the sale price.

Lets be generous, maybe the PNG government can offload 40 Maseratis at a modest 20% discount on the list price. Cost to the PNG taxpayer, at around A$40,000 per vehicle, would total some A$1.6 million (K4 million).

This calculation though depends on the true cost of the cars to the PNG government. PNGi has used the figure of A$200,000 in the above calculation  but the cars could be worth far more, or less, depending on your source.

How much are the 40 Maserati Quattroporte cars delivered to the PNG government really worth?

According to Minister Tkatchenko, they retail for US$107,000 in the United States (K350,000). The PNG media though has reported their value at substantially less, just US$70,000 (K230,000) .

According to the ABC though, the cars retail for between A$209,000 and $345,000 in Australia (K500,000  K810,000).

The Times of London meanwhile says that in the UK the cars retail from GBP75,000 (K325,000)  but then those models havent had to fly halfway around the world in a chartered Boeing 747.

If Bryan Kramer is correct, and the PNG government has paid US$125,000 for each of the cars, it could be the eventual buyers will be getting a substantial bargain, particularly if they are not invoiced for freight and the normal import duties.

One hopes government Ministers and their friends will not be the ultimate beneficiaries.

All this is, of course, just a storm in a teacup. What really matters to families in PNG is not a few million kina wasted on some fancy supercars, it is not even the billions wasted by the government on the glitzy APEC party, what really matters is the children being paralysed by polio, the families being ripped apart by tuberculosis, maternal mortality and rates of domestic violence and child sex abuse that are so high they are an international scandal.

These are all statistics that are underpinned by rampant corruption, an illegal logging industry, mining companies that pay no taxes and state-sanctioned land grabbing.

Papua New Guinea is a country ruled by a kleptocracy that clearly doesnt care about anything other than private profit and is propped up by international neighbours who are happy to exploit the country, its resources, geo-political location and, ultimately, its people, for their own gain.

Forty Maserati Quattroporte luxury supercars with their V6 Ferrari engines are just the latest meme.
The chair of APEC Senior Officials, Ambassador Ivan Pomaleu, underlined PNGs participation in APEC as leverage to maintain its domestic policies according to the group.

As the smallest and poorest member of APEC, Papua New Guinea has framed its chairmanship as an opportunity to cash in on the digital revolution and its benefits in connectivity and employment.

The lead-up to the APEC summit, expected to become a key opportunity for PNG to unlock its economic potential, has been inundated with talks on trade and investment.

AUCKLAND - Early in March, Papua New Guinea began its chairmanship of next months Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit by receiving many senior officials for the opening set of planning meetings.

One of the controversial Maserati cars for APEC 2018. The market value is about reportedly about K229,000 each (EMTV News)

The work that has come out of APEC has allowed investors to come on shore and be part of our business community, Pomaleu told APEC Bulletin.

You really need to think in terms of what sort of structural reform and ease of business activities weve been doing and that have made it possible for new investments in PNG. Those are pegged on important APEC principles.

He added that conversations surrounding connectivity, particularly in sustainable development and climate change, were important to PNG.

A month before the summit, however, this agenda has seemingly been neglected with the import of 40 Maserati Quattroporte luxury sedans to be used by APEC leaders.

The revelation of the PNG governments purchase of these vehicles, which range in cost between $209,000 and $345,000 in Australia, has been widely condemned as an example of poor governance at a time when the country faces pressing health, education, law and order, and environmental issues.

While PNGs APEC Minister Justin Tkatchenko has told media that the costs of the Maseratis will be recovered via prospective buyers, this remains to be seen.

While the minister has not disclosed the initial costs of both the fleet and cars, PNG has unveiled plans underway to build a K400 million coal-powered plant  a far cry from its attentiveness to sustainable development.

According to the Post-Courier, a memorandum of agreement has been reached to build a coal-fired power plant in Lae.

Although this agreement is a step towards meeting the energy needs of Lae consumers, it takes PNG two steps back in its commitment to mitigating climate change.

PNGs gravitation towards cheap, non-renewable energy such as coal signals a complete disregard of its pledge to the Paris Climate Agreement.

PNG is already experiencing the effects of climate change which can be seen in the need to relocate Carteret Islanders and the dwindling access to clean drinking water, to name a few issues.

Despite these effects and coal being a key driver of climate change, Energy Minister Sam Basil is defiantly going ahead with building the electricity plant.

According to The National, Basil said that PNG had been denied that right (to burn coal) for a very long time.

He added that big nations are not reducing [coal emission], thus PNG needs a quota for burning coal to provide cheaper electricity which would subsequently lead to more jobs.

Chris Lahberger from the anti-coal group, Nogat Coal PNG, told Radio NZ that this move was uneconomical despite the developer Mayur Resources claims of increased employment and investment in a sustainable research institute.

Although PNG is not the only developing country to have resorted to coal as a source of low-cost electricity, it does have a responsibility to its people considering the Climate Investment Funds investment of $25 million.

As reported by Devex, this funding is the largest with a focus on delivering transformational change in addressing the current and future threats from climate change and related hazards in PNG.

A snapshot of the Climate Investment Funds assistance to PNG indicates a key focus on building resilience in the agriculture sector along with the mitigation of climate extremes.

Consequently, this begs the question of accountability in climate change aid as plans like the Mayur Resources coal-fired power plant are counteractive.

There is a pattern of financial aid being confined to large institutions and governments while communities suffer, as noted by Caritas New Zealand director Julianne Hickey.

Weve heard time and time again from the Solomon Islands through to Tonga, to Papua New Guinea, that it is not reaching those who need it most and those whove done the least to cause the issues of climate change, Hickey told Radio NZ.

Apart from PNGs plan to burn coal for electricity, it has an alarming rate of illegal logging which has adverse effects for its indigenous communities.

According to Global Witness, tens of thousands of Papua New Guinean people are having their land stolen by their own government.

PNGs Foreign Minister Rimbink Pato, however, refuted this claim in an interview with Radio NZ.

He emphasised that the PNG government has taken appropriate measures with regard to the illegal logging and that a policy is underway via the Minister for Forests.

Looking at climate change efforts as a whole, Mr Pato added that it is a talking point for the APEC summit.

Its one of the key issues there, and what were doing and how the world can connect, he said.

Thats why weve asked the rest of the Pacific Island countries, their leaders to come so that each of them can tell their story in their own way to the leaders of the world because the impacts of climate change are unique to each country. Its not the one and the same.

Talking point or not, PNGs implementation efforts are lacking and greater accountability is required of the government.

If PNGs absence from the High Ambition Coalition is anything to go by, it indicates poor governance to the Papua New Guineans feeling the impact of climate change.

With Fiji and the Marshall Islands leading the way in climate change efforts, PNGs status as big brother not only wanes but projects corruption at its very core.

Pauline Mago-King is a masters student based at Auckland University of Technology and is researching gender-based violence PNG. She compiled this report for the Pacific Media Centres Asia-Pacific Journalism Studies course
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.
Minutes after Narakobi shared the article, he was contacted by a person with a Facebook account called Silver Fox, who messaged: You must immediately take down posts of Maserati [or] APEC security act will be inacted [sic].

Their purchase and means of eventual disposal have been subject to conflicting stories from various PNG ministers including the prime minister. Let us just say the whole deal  which involved in some capacity former Sri Lankan cricket great Aravinda de Silva  is very murky.

On Wednesday last week, PNG businessman Emmanuel Narakobi shared on Facebook a post by airline company, Ajot, about how it had, on behalf of the PNG government, flown 40 luxury Maserati sedans from Milan to Port Moresby for use during next months APEC forum.

NOOSA  If I may mix a couple of metaphors, it seems that former Melbourne Grammar boy cum rumoured ONeill government fixer, David (Silver Fox) Johnson, has gone to ground after setting the cat amongst the pigeons.

The same person then contacted Narakobi by SMS - Need you to immediately take down FB posts concerning recent airport photos... It is a security risk under APEC joint task force... Please call me, David Johnson.

The implied threat, asserting that the APEC Safety and Security Act 2017 would be invoked, worked. Narakobi immediately took down the post and so it seems did Ajot, which apparently had been sent a similar message.

But none of this went unnoticed. Opposition MP Bryan Kramer expressed his anger, scores of other people on social media agreed with him, the incident was shared far and wide, and Silver Fox went to ground.

Johnson is an Australian expatriate who arrived in Papua New Guinea sometime in 2015. He lives in Lae where he established a financial advisory business, acquiring a shelf company and registering himself as the sole director and shareholder of Karama Consulting Limited.

Hes an old boy of the prestigious Melbourne Grammar School and an alumnus (bachelor of economics) of Monash University. Johnsons Linked In account also says hes a member of the Australian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Last year was a busy year for Johnson. He is said to have worked for the electoral commission during the controversial national election, although there is no suggestion he did or knew about anything improper, and registered two other companies, Karama Developments Limited (residential and commercial property development) and Karama Health Limited.

Linked In also reveals him as a one-time consultant to the PNG Institute of Technology, presumably in his financial advisory capacity.

In 2018 it appears Johnson has broadened his range of interests to include APEC and cyber security and he is widely believed to operate as a fixer - someone who fixes problems - for Peter ONeill and his cronies.

One source told me that Johnsons intervention in this case sounded like "a well-intentioned warning of somebody who is trying to loyally serve an institution.

While the opinion of another was that as a former property developer, I dont think he has a clue about human rights and democracy. Hes associating with the wrong people in the wrong team.

Whatever, right now Silver Fox seems to be lying low and waiting for the controversy to subside. But he has annoyed many influential people, even though the politicians who have publicly chastised him are not in government.

David Johnson has learned the hard way that, if you want to be an effective fixer, the first step is avoid drawing attention to yourself.
The department of veterans affairs (DVA), which among other things has responsibility for our World War I heritage at Gallipoli and the Western Front in Europe, was not included in the joint understanding apart from the allocation of $1 million for unspecified purposes.

Under a joint understanding signed by the Australian and PNG governments in 2008, Bartlett was replaced by an Australian CEO on an eye-watering six-figure salary and with a tenfold increase in staff and multi-million dollar budget.

During his tenure trekker numbers grew from 365 in 2002 to 5,621 in 2008  a massive increase of 1,440%. Bartlett had no staff but was assisted by a part-time local secretary.

Prior to the arrival of Australian officials in 2008, the emerging Kokoda trekking industry was managed by Warren Bartlett, a former kiap on a PNG salary of $12,500.

SYDNEY - The recent departure of the Papua New Guinea CEO of the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) brings an end to a sorry saga of Australian mismanagement along the Kokoda Trail.

There is no evidence that any of this money was allocated to the development of a master plan to protect and interpret our military heritage along the trail.

It is also remains unclear why DVA are responsible for World War I military heritage at Gallipoli and the environment and foreign affairs departments are responsible for our World War II heritage at Kokoda.

After a decade of environment department stewardship, the results speak for themselves. Despite a conga-line of Australian environmental consultants and more than $60 million of taxpayers funds, trekker numbers declined by 36% from 5,621 in 2008 to 3,597 in 2012.

None of the five key strategies or 33 objectives of the departments KTA Strategic Plan 2012-2015 was achieved despite numerous capacity building conferences, forums, workshops, gender equity studies and social mapping initiatives conducted in Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney and Port Moresby.

It was instructive that not a single workshop was conducted in a village along the Kokoda Trail as part of developing the plan. Its as if local villagers were not deemed to be smart enough to understand what they needed.

The $1.3 million village livelihoods program conceived in Canberra without any consultation with then PNG community development minister, Dame Carol Kidu, failed to generate an extra dollar in income for local village communities.

The KTA Strategic Plan: 2012-2015 did not provide for the development of a master plan to protect and interpret our shared wartime heritage along the Kokoda Trail. It was as if The two Australian government departments were ideologically opposed to commemoration.

In 2012 the Australian CEO left without putting a single management protocol in place for the PNG-designate CEO he selected. For reasons known only to him, his successor did not have prior business experience or qualifications and did not receive management training during his tenure. Its as if he was set up to fail.

As it transpired the PNG-designate CEO inherited an impossible management structure without any legislative support. He was responsible to three PNG ministers (provincial & local level government, environment & conservation and tourism). In addition, he had to deal with complex demands from a myriad of landowners, villagers and up to 80 trek operators with competing interests.

Not a single management protocol by the Australian CEO during a three-year tenure: no database; no campsite booking system; no trek itinerary management system; no campsite development program; no trail maintenance plan; no effective ranger system; nor any development programs to assist local villagers in value-adding to the emerging industry.

Of more concern is the fact that he never trekked the trail until the end of his tenure. The needs of local villagers and the protection of our shared military heritage were abstract concepts to him.

After his departure, the situation deteriorated to such an extent that PNG prime minister Peter ONeill called for a review of the dysfunctional mess the PNG-designate CEO and his team inherited. Unfortunately ONeill was deftly left-footed by Australian officials intent on maintaining their status-quo. DFAT agreed to fund the review and terms of reference were carefully drafted to shape the outcome.

It was no surprise to Kokoda watchers that the former environment department employee assigned to the KTA, who had since established his own environmental consultancy, got the job, and it was no surprise that his review recommended more of the same with a possible name change.

As a result, the management of the Kokoda Track Authority has been placed in limbo. Local villagers continue to be denied their rightful share of benefits from the trekking industry; guides and carriers continue to be overloaded, underpaid and ill-equipped; and trekker numbers continue to decline.

If Kokoda is to have a future that honours and interprets our wartime heritage and delivers shared benefits to landowners and local communities along the trail the review must be rejected.

In the meantime, an administrator should be appointed for a two to three year period while tenders for a legitimate review are sought from established PNG-based accounting firms to examine alternative management models and make appropriate recommendations for a structure that meets the needs of paying customers, that is, trekkers, as well as local village communities and which honours our shared wartime heritage.

Until then PNG should place an immediate ban on fly in  fly out Australian consultants.
He throws scraps of onion peel and ripped pasta packets into a garbage disposal bag as he makes his way towards us to inspect the evenings dish washing efforts.

Boskuk moves about busily clearing the other end of a timber platform on which his assistant, Junior, and I recline.

ON THE TRAIL - Empty cans of chicken soup sit beside a small open fire, their metal charring slowly as flames flicker around them.

The third in a series of articles about the need to improve conditions and sustainable development of the trek tourism industry along the Kokoda Trail. The articles are drawn from Rashmiis observations and conversations with Papua New Guinean guides, carriers, campsite owners and communities as she trekked the Trail from 6 -17 August, 2018

The various cauldrons that earlier held the trek groups two-course dinner, have now been washed by Junior and a few carriers, their head torches guiding them at Lubu Creek nearby.

Visibly satisfied, boskuk moves back to the fire to remove the blackened tins, crushing them easily under his feet before placing them in a separate garbage bag.

With no waste disposal system implemented by the Trails PNG-Australian management, Adventure Kokoda adheres to strict company policy that rubbish produced by the group is taken when departing campsites and rest stops.

Boskuk prepares a meal in the haus kuk (camp kitchen)

FOLLOWING the steep descent from Owers Corner, our first day of trekking brought us through the abandoned Uberi village, then across Goldie River before arrival at Imita base campsite.

Lagging behind with my guide and carrier, DE, I had not seen boskuk [head cook] or most of the carriers during those few hours. It was only when I sighted orange tents dotted across an expansive lawn and movement in the open-sided hauskuk [kitchen] did I understand the reason for their rapid pace over the day.

The group would move swiftly from campsite to campsite, where they would construct makeshift tables or lay out a tarpaulin on the leaf-layered jungle floor.

It was all well organised. Boskuk, Junior and the carriers ensured we trekkers could enjoy our refreshment breaks in a timely and hygienic way. Along the Trail, even the most basic facilities for the comfort of trekkers and carriers have been ignored by the Port Moresby-based management.

Over subsequent days, as my fellow trekkers and I heaped spoonfuls of energy-sustaining milo and sugar-laden instant coffee into individual mugs, I thought about the burden placed on Junior. Without the provision of elevated outdoor cooking facilities between villages, making and containing the small open fires fell to Adventure Kokoda.

A little matter, perhaps, but one of many deficiencies  large and small  which added up to a fundamental neglect of Papua New Guineas premier, money-making tourism lure oversighted by no less than five organisations: PNGs Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA); Kokoda Track Authority (KTA); Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA); and the Australian-steered Kokoda Tours Operators Association (KTOA) and Kokoda Initiative (KI).

With all the funding available, mostly Australian taxpayers money, what consideration does this cumbersome management give to the well-being of Papua New Guinean carriers engaging in their hazardous work.

The Trail, although well-trod, is no walk in the park. It can endanger life and limb. Trekkers like me are privileged to have travel insurance. But what support is available to carriers should they sustain injury?

The conspicuous absence of safety measures such as hand-rails and barriers means that trekkers instinctively rely upon carriers for support as well as labour. They need breaks and rest-time just like those Trail managers back in Port Moresby.

My thoughts extend to the danger of open fires as an accelerant of environmental degradation. The Kokoda Trail is a vital component of the ecosystem of the Koiari and Orokaiva people.

Knowing how vigilant (to the extent of criminal sanctions) Australian society is about fires in forest areas, the seemingly lax approach to fire regulation of the Australian agencies that co-manage the Trail irritates me.

This pattern of managements dismal commitment to environment sustainability and lack of interest in carrier welfare is no more evident than in the work and living conditions at campsites.

Quickly constructed camp table avoids the need to carry more gear

IMITA base is one of the easier campsites for the novice trekker to reach.

The flat terrain surrounded by short, sloping hills makes for a leisurely stroll down to Lubu Creek to bathe. Outdoor bathing is of course a routine challenge for trekkers but, given the popularity of the Trail, I am mystified by the absence of simple outdoor shower facilities.

With the exception of the Bombers and Isurava sites, each afternoon at respective camps our group shuffles across moss-coated boulders and warily traverses razor-edged rocks for a three-second rinse in ice-cold water  which at least has the benefit of jolting fatigued bodies back to exhausted life. The drudgery of changing clothes inside a two-person tent is equally unkind.

Half an hour after unsteadily negotiating a fallen tree trunk leading trekkers out of the creek, I emerge from my tent and head towards an impromptu tabol maket [table market] set up by local landowners. My trek mates proclaimed there were K8 cans of Coke and K3 packets of Twisties on sale.

At the tabol maket, I purchase three lukewarm soft drinks, taking one and leaving the others for DE and another carrier who had been gracious in lending his hand when DEs two werent sufficient for my height-fearing brain.

I then saunter across the lawn passing the carriers sleeping quarters, a three-walled structure with an open front for all eyes to peer through. Scattered across the timber floor are rolls of red-cover encased zippered sleeping bags. Blue foam sleeping mats lie alongside bilums and discarded uniform shirts hang on the palm-thatched wall.

But the ghastly stench seeping from nearby camp toilets propels me straight back to the other side of camp, and into the haus kuk.

MOVING between the haus kuk and the neighbouring shelter structure, boskuk issues instructions to Junior before doing the same to a handful of nearby carriers.

I quiz Junior about the shelters tarpaulin roof and the companys rope now strung into clothes lines across its length. Im told this is the campsite owners offering of a drying haus. Adventure Kokoda supplies its own rope, purchases firewood from landowners and makes small fires to improvise a heating facility for trekkers to hand wash their damp clothes.

Boskuk reappears and rations out pasta spirals for the groups evening meal. As Junior moves a water-filled cauldron off the platform, multiple one kilogram bags of rice come into view. I am told they are to be cooked for the carriers dinner. As boskuk moves forward, bending to empty the packets of pasta into the now-boiling water, I divert my eyes to the orange tents ahead of me to conceal my reaction.

I am embarrassed to be sitting idly whilst an older man moves about to prepare a meal for us and but most of all I feel irritated that Papua New Guinean men like boskuk are employed to create a tourism experience struggling with primitive infrastructure.

As night falls, my irritation turns to anger the only source of light for boskuk and Junior as they move about with meal preparation, service and cleaning are our fire and their head torches.

Boskuk tells me he has worked in the industry for nearly 16 years and in all that time work conditions, have changed little. He points out that, with the first nights meal eaten and breakfast tomorrow, the carriers pack weights will be lighter, but only slightly. I am bewildered that there is no en-route storage system at campsites for food, tents and other gear.

THAT evening, and in the days and nights thereafter, I continue to feel the same, distressing emotional outrage at the alphabet soup of KTA, CEPA, TPA, KI and KTOA which promote Kokoda as an icon but do so little for the men struggling on the Trail.

The lack of proper waste disposal systems, the absence of outdoor showers and fixed waist-level cooking facilities, poor drying houses, unsatisfactory toilet facilities, inadequate sleeping quarters for carriers and insufficient lighting.

All indicate a lack of communication, caring and action on the part of the management soup, which should be engaging with local campsite owners and trek companies to provide humane, safe and otherwise reasonable facilities for carriers, guides, trekkers and Trail communities.

Sleeping mat and clothes are aired at a bush camp

THE issues Ive described cause me to consider whether, in striving to achieve the wartime experience, Kokoda Trail management is either ignorant of or unconcerned about the shifting tectonic plates of modern-day standards and expectations.

If it is felt that Papua New Guinean carriers represent some kind of emulation of wartime Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, this is a totally misconceived attitude.

It is one thing for trekkers to voluntarily embark on the challenges of Kokoda; quite another to expect that the workers who make this possible have to endure the poor conditions they do.

Not for them the return to a Port Moresby hotel and a comfortable life in Australia.

Theyre back on the Trail.

Surely the PNG-Australian management of the Trail is not deliberately capitalising on the historical juxtaposition of troops and carriers, consciously limiting its investment in the welfare of carriers and advertently fostering poor practices in Kokoda Trail trek tourism?
Three Bentleys, 40 Maseratis and many luxury SUVs are said to have been purchased for the 3-day APEC forum in Port Moresby

KEITH JACKSON

PORT MORESBY  The Papua New Guinea chapter of Transparency International (TIPNG) has said the only way to stop allegations of corruption is for the government to be honest and transparent in its procurement processes.

Late yesterday TIPNG called for the government and the APEC Authority to publicly disclose the total cost involved in the purchase and import of 40 Maserati and three Bentley sedans and other luxury vehicles which generated controversy in PNG and internationally this week after it was estimated the purchases amounted to at least 40 million kina.

The organisation also said that the government needs to demonstrate that it had complied with public procurement processes.

APEC minister Justin Tkatchenko MP said the government had procured the vehicles in the expectation they would be later sold to private sector buyers after next months APEC leaders forum in the national capital.
PNG foreign minister Rimbink Pato addresses the UN general assembly - 'don't meddle in Bougainville'

STAFF REPORTER | Niu FM Pacific Radio News

PORT MORESBY - Papua New Guinea's foreign minister Rimbink Pato has told the United Nations general assembly that international meddling in the upcoming Bougainville independence referendum won't be welcome.

He told the global leaders that PNG is keen for the referendum commission, which will be led by former Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern, to begin its work.

But he says all stakeholders, while welcome in the work of the referendum, must not undermine PNG's sovereignty over Bougainville.

"We want to emphasise that the work of partnership, should in no way - and I repeat in no way - undermine the sovereignty of Papua New Guinea over its territory in accordance with international law."

The referendum Bougainvilles political future on will be held on 15 June next year.
This belief has persisted despite what the Chinese regard as the 'century of humiliation' inflicted by the burgeoning European imperial powers and which is seen as having been terminated by the triumph of the communist party in 1949.

However, a consistent thread throughout that history has been China's conviction that it represents the apex of human culture and civilisation and that, as a consequence, all other powers should humbly acknowledge this and submit to its will.

ADELAIDE - The history of China is one in which the power of the central imperial authority waxes and wanes, mostly according the judgement, military capacity, diplomatic skills and luck of the incumbent Emperor and his minions.

By this view, the so-called American Century (which arguably commenced in 1917) is a mere aberration, during which the upstart USA usurped China's legitimate role in the world.

Bearing this in mind, what China is currently doing is reasserting its prestige, military and economic power and authority, starting with South East Asia, still spreading through Africa and now appearing in the Pacific.

The strategic aim is to replace the USA as the world's foremost power, and thus be able to significantly influence if not entirely dominate world affairs to its advantage.

Naturally, the USA is going to push back against the Chinese efforts and this has already commenced. It is exerting its still enormous economic power and Donald Trump's overt belligerence towards China enjoys real support amongst many, probably the majority, of Americans.

While overt warfare seems unlikely right now, a covert digital war is already occurring, with both China and Russia seeking to find ways to disrupt western societies and, especially, the social cohesion amongst democratic societies that is a necessary prerequisite for any effective resistance to their geo-political ambitions.

Right now, the authoritarian regimes across the world seem to be winning this undeclared war.

The western democracies are in almost total disarray, with their political leaderships engaged in ideologically driven conflicts over things like Brexit, immigration policies, economic management, rights of minorities and so forth.

There is clear evidence that Russia at least, has deftly used digital means to exacerbate these divisions to its own advantage. They are following the old adage of 'divide and conquer' to great effect.

I do think that it has belatedly dawned upon our political leadership that we are collectively under real threat but their responses seem to have been inadequate to date.

I guess it takes a long time to overcome the inertia of 30 years of self congratulatory delusion that liberal democracy could not and would not again be challenged by authoritarian powers.

If history repeats itself, this is all going to end rather badly for someone or, maybe, all of us.

In particular, if things go badly for China's economy, there is a real risk that the ruling regime will ramp up its nationalistic rhetoric in an effort to distract the populace from focusing on its various very real failings.

If that happens, then the risk of someone doing something quite stupid escalates very rapidly.

I fervently hope that this is not what happens, but history does not encourage optimism.
Stuff you need to know about PNG Attitude

BY KEITH JACKSON AM, Publisher & Editor

The first thing I should tell you is that I agree with many of the views expressed in PNG Attitude and disagree with others but that I publish material I believe is of interest to readers and that I think deserves to be published whether I agree with it or not. All correspondence will be entered into.

PURPOSE

PNG Attitude was established in 2006 to address a major issue: the silence that for too long after PNG independence in 1975 existed between Papua New Guineans and Australians.

Regular citizens - people like us - didn't much communicate with each other. And this was after wed spent a century thrown together by the winds of colonialism  a period during which many of us got to know each other very well.

That post-independence silence denied what had been a great friendship and a close relationship.

So, propelled by the development of social media, PNG Attitude began with the goal of playing a small part in ensuring that the silence was replaced by a mutual conversation between the people of our two countries, and those beyond who feel a connection with PNG.

To a large extent we have managed to address this challenge. The blog shows this as it moves towards 16,000 articles and 50,000 comments, a daily readership of about 3,000 and a Twitter following of some 7,500.

PHILOSOPHY

PNG Attitude is committed to strengthening the people-to-people relationship between Papua New Guineans and Australians and to take on projects that will enhance that relationship. As age and ailment take their toll, we have pretty much set aside the many projects we previously undertook but continue to play a major role in encouraging Papua New Guineans to write creatively and critically and to communicate with each other and the world beyond.

The blog itself does not seek to impose a world view or ideology on its readers other than that it holds in special esteem the people of Papua New Guinea. Its aim is to provide a forum and meeting place where people interested in the PNGAustralia relationship can exchange opinions, stories, ideas, creativity, hopes, whatever.

We want Papua New Guineans to know that there are many Australians, and other people throughout the world, who are mindful and sensitive of their concerns and issues. We want outsiders to get to know Papua New Guineans better.

PNG Attitude provides a link between people of goodwill who want to perpetuate this relationship.

CHARACTER

PNG Attitude is motivated by your support and by your words and by the thought we may be able to do some good. Our bias is towards Papua New Guinea and especially towards its people. We believe the PNG government should be doing better for them. We believe the Australian government should be doing better for PNG.

UTILITY

PNG Attitude has often used the power and leverage of its readership to do some good works. Activities like the Crocodile Prize national literary contest, book publishing, mentoring promising writers, enabling PNG writers to travel outside the country, providing charitable support, bringing long-separated people together and events promotion give a practical aspect to our role.

That said, our primary function is the exposition of words and ideas - the provision and exchange of information and opinion - and using this to maintain important relationships.

Do not expect PNG Attitude to solve many problems. But it will raise them, debate them and espouse solutions that others may see as worthwhile. Amongst our readers are many people in positions where they can achieve things, but most of us are on the sidelines.

ASOPA

ASOPA is the acronym of the Australian School of Pacific Administration, which you can read more about in Attitude Extra. The original website occupied by this space and begun in February 2006 was called ASOPA People, which was established to commemorate and keep alive the traditions and comradeship of an institution which trained many young Australians to pursue careers in Papua and in New Guinea when both were Australian territories. It evolved and changed to adopt a wider and more complex brief, as you can see by looking at PNG Attitude today.

STRUCTURE

PNG Attitude is not a formal organisation. It is one publisher, hundreds of contributors and 10-15,000 readers, averaging about 2,500 each day. PNG Attitude doesnt do meetings. Theres no annual report. No one gets paid. No ones ordered around. We just get on with it.

People read us because they want to, access us without charge and contribute when they feel like it. We are fortunate to have so many experienced and talented contributors who regularly share their views and insights.

PNG Attitude is published from the editors computers at his office in Noosa, Queensland, Australia. The view from his window is of blue sky and Pandanus palms.

CONTRIBUTIONS

You can contribute to either of these sections of PNG Attitude.

Main Page. If you have a story, article, commentary or poem on a subject related to the purpose of PNG Attitude you can submit it for publication (email the editor here.) Comments. The best comments are short and to the point. Insert them directly into the website by clicking on the Comments link at the end of each article. All comments are mediated by the editor before publication.

CONTRIBUTORS

PNG Attitude not only welcomes your contributions, it depends on them to maintain a lively, relevant and informed website. But there are some rules. (There are always rules.)

Rule 1 is that, when it comes to publishable material, the editors word is final. If you do not like your words being edited, this is not the place for you.

Most contributions are edited. Why? Because it is a simple truth that people who write are not always the best judges of how their words will be understood by people who read.

Nor are most people familiar with the laws of defamation. Having had some narrow scrapes, the editor has a pretty good working knowledge of the laws that seek to stop you untruthfully destroying the reputation of others.

People sometimes mistake their strongly held beliefs for more general truths. We try to our best to differentiate between opinion and fact and fake. The last will only be published if it slips through the eye of our needle.

And people do not always fully comprehend the effect of their words on others. We don't want - and have never really experienced - the character assassination, offence and ill temper that characterises much social media.

That said, PNG Attitude admires its contributors. We are deeply grateful for their knowledge, commitment and passion. And we are humbled because they give a damn. They care. They have our unending gratitude.

EDITING

Your contribution to PNG Attitude may be edited for any one or a combination of these reasons:

Defamation. We use the defamation laws of Australia as our guide when deciding whether or not a contributor may have gone too far with personal criticism of another person. You always need to be careful when accusing someone of a crime or of poor character. But, if youre not careful, well be careful for you.

Offence. Abusive language, racist remarks and other words designed to hurt, generate excessive conflict or cause unreasonable offence to other people are not tolerated and will always be edited. We encourage the expression of strong opinions, but we want contributors to be fair in presenting them.

Length. The average reader spends about three minutes reading PNG Attitude each visit. All our editing is done from the perspective of this typical reader. We do want people to read what you write, not give up halfway or because the headline does not appeal. Contributions which are so long they make an excessive demand on readers will probably be trimmed.

Clarity. If youre not thinking clearly, its unlikely your words will emerge clearly on the page. Big words are not necessarily good words. Long sentences do not triumph over short sentences. Five ideas in one paragraph do not get a special prize. If we do not think you are communicating clearly, we will do our best through editing to try to make sure you do.

Relevance. Some contributors, eager to grind pet axes wherever they can, think just because they mention Papua New Guinea somewhere in their writing that they have attained the state of grace known as relevance. They havent.

Truth. If we believe that a statement may be untrue or non-factual, we will try to establish the facts and vary your contribution accordingly. If the whole thing is riddled with falsehoods or disingenuity it will be spiked.

Spelling, grammar and punctuation. If errors in these departments detract from the content of what you have written, or inadvertently make you look foolish, we will correct them.

Repetition. Is boring and will be eliminated.

CENSORSHIP

We believe, in general, that it is better to have matters out in the open where they can be addressed rather than lurking in the dark as shabby untruths that people may believe because they know no better.

By nature the publisher is not a censorial person. But PNG Attitude will protect its own position and reputation by eliminating defamatory and offensive remarks and words. While we will try to rescue remnants of defamatory and offensive articles, contributors should not test our patience too much.

If we believe a contributor is abusing the privilege of reaching an audience through this website, or is in some other way undermining the integrity of what we do, it is possible this person may be electronically blocked from accessing the site. This has happened only a handful of times in our 14 year history.

ANONYMITY

We discourage the use of pseudonyms (false names), initials, first names without last names and pen names (e.g., Concerned Mother), and will almost always reject your contribution in such cases. Any contribution with a false email address will be deleted upon detection.

There are some cases where people are legitimately concerned that the publication of their name may endanger them or in some other way be a threat to them. At such times, you should let the editor know the circumstances and your case will be treated with great consideration.

Sometimes people use false names to cover up disinformation (which by its nature is unethical) or to avoid disclosing the true motives of people or organisations which may have a vested interest or a conflict of interest.

False names may also be used as a shield behind which people who do not want to be associated with their own views for whatever reason feel they can launch cowardly attacks on others without detection. In all such cases, we will delete your contribution.

PNG Attitude treats each case on its merits. But a credible, believable and persuasive contribution will almost invariably appear under the real name of its author.

Let us know if you wish to use a pen name, why you wish to use it and provide us with your real name and email as a sign of good faith. We will not disclose your name if there may be some real threat to you in doing so.

CONFLICT

Readers do not generally object to conflict (after all, the mass media thrive on it), but in PNG Attitude we draw a line at that point where conflict becomes personal and switches readers off instead of turning them on.

Sometimes a public forum represents a tempting way to lash out at someone you dislike or whose opinions you despise. On these occasions we scrutinise how views are expressed and, if legitimate criticism turns to abuse, the offending words are removed.

ACCURACY

PNG Attitude adopts a general view that comment is free but facts are sacred. But we do not necessarily delete misconceived comment, unless it is likely to mislead and possible harm ensue. But is may very well be edited.

FAIRNESS

It is always the case in public discourse that wrong and unfair things are said and that sometimes villains are elevated and good people traduced. This is not something of which we approve and we will use our judgement to determine whether a particular view offers fair comment or is unfair and needs to be moderated.

CRITICISM

Given the professed intention of PNG Attitude to build stronger links between our two countries, it is proper for readers to ask why we often take a critical view of PNG's political leadership and of Australian policy towards Papua New Guinea.

We have no particular axe to grind with individual politicians but we are deeply concerned with how ordinary people are affected by the decisions and actions of politicians and public servants.

We support entrepreneurship (the publisher spent 25 years establishing and running his own company), but we have no truck with business people who exploit or harm ordinary people in the name of free enterprise.

PNG Attitude seeks to influence people to do the right thing and this necessarily means that, from time to time, it will criticise.

We are especially critical of corruption, which is an unfortunate part of life in PNG and increasingly so in Australia and which harms and denies the rights of ordinary people.

PLAGIARISM

Let's be blunt about it, plagiarism (that is, taking someone else's ideas or words and claiming them as your own) is a pretty low act. It's no better than stealing.

Plagiarism is bad at any time but becomes of crucial importance where something hangs on the result: like stealing someone else's words and submitting them to the Crocodile Prize. Where we detect plagiarism, it is exposed. Thankfully, we have had very few cases.

AND FINALLY....

This document is added to and amended from time to time. Please feel free to comment on it or suggest ideas that may improve or augment it in an email to the publisher.

Keith Jackson

Published January 2011

Updated October 2013

Updated January 2015

Updated February 2017

Updated February 2018

Updated September 2019

Updated March 2021
New York, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Weyland Tech Inc. (OTCQX: WEYL) (Weyland or the Company) announced today that it has made available in the Investor section of its website a Shareholder Transmittal Letter which will provide shareholders the opportunity to independently document their position in WEYL common stock, as of the spin-off record date, while the Company awaits receipt of the required beneficial owner lists from the banks/brokers. The Company urges all shareholders who hold their shares of WEYL in Street Name (i.e., through accounts at banks/brokers) to download the Shareholder Transmittal Letter, complete the requested information, and return the completed and signed letter directly to the Company. If you are a registered shareholder who holds shares in certificate or book entry form directly from the Company, you need not complete the Shareholder Transmittal Letter.



Shareholders should also note that FINRA posted its notice regarding the spin-off in the Daily List section of its website ( http://otce.finra.org/DailyList )

As a reminder to shareholders and banks/brokers, the relevant dates for the spin-off are as follows:

Record Date: October 12, 2018

Bank/Broker Deadline for Submission of Beneficial Owner Lists: October 26, 2018

Distribution Date: November 30, 2018

If any banks/brokers have not yet received the Companys spin-off processing instructions through the DTC Important Notice # (9903-18) posted through CA WEB, they can also receive the spin-off processing instructions by making a request by email directly to the Company. The contact details for such requests, and any other inquiries from banks/brokers or shareholders regarding the spin-off, are as follows:

Email: spin-off@weyland-tech.com

Tel: 347.566.4334

About Weyland Tech Inc.

Weyland Tech is a global provider of mobile business applications. Its CreateApp platform offers a mobile presence to businesses in emerging markets, with partnerships on 3 continents and growing. This DIY mobile application platform, offered in 14 languages with over 35 integrated modules, enables small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) to create native mobile applications (apps) for Apples iOS and Google Android without technical knowledge or background, empowering SMBs to increase sales, reach more customers and promote their products and services in an easy, affordable and efficient manner.

In May 2018, the Company expanded its portfolio to fintech applications with the launch of its AtozPay mobile payments platform. The mobile wallet launched in the worlds 4th most populous country, Indonesia, and is already experiencing rapid growth in transactions taking place on the platform.

Follow Weyland Tech online at:

Weyland Tech Facebook Page ( https://www.facebook.com/weylandtech )

Weyland Tech Twitter Feed ( https://twitter.com/weylandtechinc )

Weyland Tech LinkedIn Page ( https://linkedin.com/company/weylandtech )

Brent Suen, CEO Public Facebook Page ( https://www.facebook.com/BrentSuenWEYL )

Brent Suen, CEO Public Twitter Feed ( https://www.twitter.com/BrentSuenWEYL )

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains certain forward-looking statements relating to the business of the Company. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are forward-looking statements including statements regarding: the continued growth of the e-commerce segment and the ability of the Company to continue its expansion into that segment; the ability of the Company to attract customers and partners and generate revenues; the ability of the Company to successfully execute its business plan; the business strategy, plans, and objectives of the Company; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as believes, expects or similar expressions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Companys actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Companys periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website ( http://www.sec.gov) . All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume any duty to update these forward-looking statements.




Comedian George Lopez confronted a customer at a Hooters restaurant in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Sunday.

An insider told TMZ that the customer had been making pro-Trump comments and yelling "MAGA" all night.

Lopez, 57, can be seen snatching the man's phone and grabbing him by the back of the neck.

Comedian George Lopez was filmed confronting a customer at a Hooters restaurant in New Mexico on Sunday.

TMZ, which obtained footage of the altercation, reports that the man Lopez confronted was a supporter of President Donald Trump.

The confrontation happened in Las Cruces, where Lopez had been filming the upcoming movie "Walking with Herb."

An insider told TMZ that the customer had been making pro-Trump comments and yelling "MAGA" all night before Lopez, who does not support the president, confronted him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZcR6yUJ0yc

In video of the incident, the man sees Lopez and says, "Here come by boy, George."

Lopez, 57, can be seen snatching the man's phone and grabbing him by the back of the neck.

"George wants to fight me, George wants to fight me!" the man said in the video.

There were no reported injuries in the confrontation and the police were not called.

Lopez has long been a vocal critic of Trump and his administration.

Earlier this year, he filmed a video pretending to urinate on Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

Last year, he was reportedly booed off stage after making jokes about the president during a charity event.

Months earlier, he shared a photo on Instagram that featured the text: "The Trump administration is deporting Latinos to make the streets safer... You wanna make the streets safer deport the police!"

INSIDER has contacted Lopez's representative for a comment on Sunday's video.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sued the Ecuador government on Friday for violating his "fundamental rights" and limiting his access to the outside world while in asylum at its London embassy. The 47-year-old Australian's legal action comes with speculation mounting that Ecuador is preparing to end its standoff with the British government by terminating his high-profile stay. Assange found refuge in the embassy in 2012 after a British judge ruled he should be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault. That case has since been dropped but Assange fears being extradited to the United States to face charges over the WikiLeaks website's release of troves of sensitive US government files. WikiLeaks said its general counsel arrived in Ecuador on Thursday to launch a legal case against the government for "violating (Assange's) fundamental rights and freedom". "The move comes almost seven months after Ecuador threatened to remove his protection and summarily cut off his access to the outside world, including by refusing to allow journalists and human rights organisations to see him," WikiLeaks said. It added that the embassy was requiring Assange's visitors -- including journalists and lawyers -- to disclose "private or political details such as their social media usernames". The Ecuador government issued no immediate statement in response. Quito confirmed blocking Assange's internet and mobile phone access in March after accusing him of breaking "a written committment" not to interfere in Ecuador's foreign policies. A protocol governing Assange's stay at the embassy -- revealed by Ecuadoran internet site Codigo Vidrio and never denied by Quito -- warns that further breaches will lead to "termination of asylum." The website reported that the embassy intends to stop paying for Assange's food and medical care in December. WikiLeaks lawyer Baltasar Garzon told a press conference in Ecuador on Thursday that Assange's conditions were "inhuman". "It is not a comfortable situation, it is an inhuman situation, because the solution that should already have been reached by the involved states is extending over time," said the lawyer. "We have to find a solution, to comply with what is established by the international law and certainly not aggravate the humanitarian situation of an individual, as I say, who is not deprived of liberty." Britain's Press Association news agency said the case is expected to be heard in Ecuador next week. US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in March 2017 that arresting Assange for leaking sensitive US government files through his websites was a "priority". The legal action comes with speculation mounting that Ecuador was preparing to end its standoff with the British government by terminating Assange's six-year asylum
Thousands of Bangladeshi music fans gathered in the capital on Friday to mourn the sudden death of one of the country's most famous rock stars. Ayub Bachchu, widely known as AB among his fans, started his music career in 1978 and was one of the pioneers of the celebrated underground rock music scene in Bangladesh. The 57-year-old was also credited with introducing the blues music genre to Bangladeshi audiences and created several smash-hit rock tracks with his band Love Runs Blind. He was declared dead at a Dhaka hospital after a cardiac arrest on Thursday. Fans grieved on social media over the passing of Bachchu, one of the major patrons of the rock genre in the conservative South Asian country. Over 10,000 people took to the streets in the capital's Shahid Minar neighbourhood with flowers to pay homage to the guitar maestro. "He stood tall and will stand tall with his songs," said reputed musician Hamin Ahmed. "He will be missed!" Bangladesh's president, prime minister and culture minister also all paid tribute. Thousands of people attended his funeral prayers for Bachchu in Dhaka before his body was taken to the port city of Chittagong, his hometown, where he will be laid to rest. "This is an untimely demise of such a legend," transport minister Obaidul Quader told reporters as he paid homage to the rock star. Crowds gathered to pay tribute to Bangladeshi rock musician Ayyub Bachchu in Dhaka after he died on Thursday
Turkey is seeking to strike a fine balance in the controversy over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, aware the aftermath could boost its economy and diplomatic hand but prove highly damaging if the case is mishandled. The probe strikes at the heart of one of Turkey's most sensitive diplomatic relationships, with its ties to fellow Sunni Muslim heavyweight Saudi Arabia marked by public politeness and deep economic links but also years of rivalry and diverging interests. For President Recep Tayyip Erdogan "it's a very delicate balance he's attempting to strike," Mujtaba Rahman, Europe managing director for the Eurasia Group, told AFP. Khashoggi, a regime insider turned critic of the kingdom's current rulers, has not been seen since he walked through the doors of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 for marriage paperwork. The pro-government Sabah and Yeni Safak dailies, not known to print explosive news that displeases the Turkish authorities, have reported that Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate by a Saudi hit squad linked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. - Eye on Turkish economy - But in public, Erdogan and top figures have remained extremely cautious, referring to a prosecutors' investigation and stopping short of pinning the blame on Saudi Arabia. Yet, if the Sabah and Yeni Safak reports are correct, Turkey possesses an audio recording proving the alleged killing of Khashoggi by a Saudi team. It is a piece of evidence that would allow the kingdom no room for manoeuvre if made public. Instead, Turkey is keeping up the pressure through a drip-drip leaking of information to loyal media, showing Riyadh that Ankara holds the cards while giving the kingdom time to react. Analysts say that Erdogan is mindful of not provoking Riyadh, at a time when the fragile Turkish economy is in need of all the economic support it can get after the lira slumped this summer. According to official Turkish data, almost 586,000 Saudi citizens visited Turkey up to the end of August this year, up from around 373,000 in 2016. Many are coming for more than just tourism, snapping up property and other big investments. "Given the state of Turkish economy, Ankara might be seeking financial aid from the Saudis," Gonul Tol, founding director of The Middle East Institute's Center for Turkish Studies, told AFP. - 'Competing for leadership' - Erdogan has had a complex relationship with Riyadh in the last years that has swung from turbulence to calm and back, but always with a veneer of public respect. Ties were battered by the ousting of the pro-Ankara Islamist Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 which was cheered by Riyadh. Then, the accession of King Salman to power in 2015 appeared to prompt a warming. But the Saudi-backed embargo imposed against Turkey's ally Qatar from 2017 strained ties again. This coincided with the rise of Salman's son Crown Prince Mohammed, seen as the driving force of the embargo. Yet while Erdogan gave full backing to Qatar, even he stopped short of public criticism of Riyadh, calling on the Saudis in July 2017 to behave like the "elder statesman in the Gulf region". While he happily lashed out at NATO allies like Chancellor Angela Merkel, he never once publicly targeted Prince Mohammed. And in recent speeches, Erdogan has avoided discussing the Khashoggi case altogether. As fresh claims made new global headlines Thursday, Erdogan was in the Moldovan region of Gagauzia, busying himself with the concerns of a Muslim minority in one of the former USSR's most obscure backwaters. "At a time when Turkey's economy is going through a challenging period, Saudis visiting Turkey and their real estate purchases will remain an important source of forex revenue," said Rahman. But he noted: "But both countries are on the opposite side of the Qatar crisis, ideological enemies and competing for leadership in the Sunni world." - 'Outstanding issues with US' - Turkey is also keeping close watch on its relationship with the administration of President Donald Trump, which unleashed the currency crisis in August by sanctioning Ankara over the detention of a US pastor who was finally released on October 12. Trump, whose administration had built up close ties with Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has also been conspicuously reticent in the crisis although he did warn of unspecified severe consequences for Riyadh if its involvement was proven. "Turkey is trying to leverage the evidence it claims to have on the alleged killing of Khashoggi to push the Saudis and Americans for concessions," said Tol. She said despite the release of pastor Andrew Brunson, there were "outstanding issues" in US-Turkey relations, notably a looming fine on Turkish lender Halkbank for busting Iran sanctions. Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi went from being a Saudi royal family insider to an outspoken critic of the ultra-conservative kingdom's government The journalist -- who was last seen on October 2 entering his country's consulate in Istanbul -- went into self-imposed exile in the United States in 2017 after falling out with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The European Union's top court on Friday ordered Poland to "immediately suspend" its decision to lower the retirement age of its Supreme Court judges, which it said threatens judicial independence. The decision is the latest salvo in a bitter battle over sweeping judicial changes introduced by the rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) government since it took office in 2015. They have led the EU to trigger unprecedented proceedings against Poland over "systemic threats" to the rule of law that could see its EU voting rights suspended. The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, also took Poland's government to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for lowering the age at which Supreme Court judges must retire from 70 to 65. "Poland must immediately suspend the application of the provisions of national legislation relating to the lowering of the retirement age for Supreme Court judges," the European Court of Justice said on Friday. Warsaw has defended the April 3 retirement law as part of reforms needed to tackle corruption and overhaul a judicial system still haunted by the communist era. Speaking in Brussels, Poland's rightwing Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said his government had during "the last few hours received the court of justice decision". "We will certainly respond to it," he said. "We will see what these (EU) institutions are proposing. When we take them into consideration, several possibilities will be analysed." Blazej Spychalski, a spokesman for the PiS-allied Polish President Andrzej Duda, suggested that the head of state would comply with the ECJ decision, adding that the government could amend legislation on the Supreme Court. - Amendment? - "If he (Duda) cannot replace judges who have retired, it seems that decisions must be taken, and should be taken, by the Polish government," Spychalski told the commercial RMF radio on Friday. "Perhaps one such decision could be to amend the law on the Supreme Court," he added. Powerful PiS party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, widely regarded as Poland's ultimate decision-maker, said that Poland as an EU member would "comply with EU law". "But we will also use our rights and we will appeal this initial (ECJ) decision," he said according to the PAP news agency. The ECJ said the order to suspend retirements "is to apply with retroactive effect" after noting that a number of judges had already been forced to retire. It also freezes Warsaw's appointment of any new judges to replace them. The top court said its ruling was an interim measure in response to the commission's argument for urgent action in the face of accelerated retirements. - Need for 'guarantees' - The Luxembourg tribunal, which could impose fines if it finds Poland in breach of EU law, said it will issue a final ruling at a later date. If the case is upheld, the court said, the Polish Supreme Court's decisions would have been given "without the guarantees connected with the fundamental right of all individuals to an independent court." The European Commission has expressed concern the new retirement age will hasten the departure of judges appointed under previous governments, allowing the appointment of figures seen as loyal by Warsaw's current leadership. It has charged that Polish judicial reforms undermine "the EU legal order", including member states' mutual recognition of court decisions. Already in July, the ECJ authorised EU countries to refuse arrest warrants from Poland if they doubt defendants will get a fair trial there. The law more broadly violates Poland's obligations under the EU treaty, which it signed onto when it joined the bloc in 2004, the commission said. - 'Purge' - The new retirement age requires more than a third of current Supreme Court judges to step down, including chief justice Malgorzata Gersdorf. Calling the law a "purge", Gersdorf has refused to step down, citing a constitutional guarantee that she serve a six-year term until 2020. "We'll see how the government and the party (PiS) will respond to it," Gersdorf told reporters in Warsaw on Friday referring to the ECJ decision. She said the government's refusal to drop its controversial reforms was "undermining the dignity of our country". Warsaw University political scientist Anna Materska-Sosnowska said it was "very likely that the PiS will have to change or soften its rhetoric" to avoid a dip in popularity. "Poles are staunchly pro-EU and this European Court decision is bound to tarnish the image of the PiS", especially with regard to the European Parliament elections in May 2019, she told AFP on Friday. The EU first sounded the alarm over Polish judicial reforms shortly after Law and Justice Party, PiS, won elections in 2015. Brussels has since engaged in more than two years of talks, but Warsaw has largely ignored its warnings that the changes would affect democratic checks and balances. Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said the EU top court decision will be taken into consideration Protests have erupted over Poland's new judge retirement age that requires more than a third of current Supreme Court judges to step down, including chief justice Malgorzata Gersdorf
Tenants of a public housing complex say their apartments are being overrun with rats the size of cats  and they have the footage to prove it.

The housing project in the Bronx, New York, has more than just a small rodent problem.

I should never have to experience not one but seven rats in my kitchen, resident Veronica Martinez told CBS New York.

Its disgusting. All over the stove, the washing machine, they just invaded my apartment.

Tenants of a New York housing project have filmed the rat infestation plaguing their building. Source: CBS New York

Another unhappy tenant said his wife couldnt sleep because you hear them in the walls.

Resident Asia Clemente said her one-year-old son was bitten by a rat, and now shes calling for Mayor Bill de Blasio to fix the situation.

If were paying you rent, we deserve to live like human beings, not live like savages, because were not, she said.

Tenants have no option but to leave their garbage bags in the courtyard, which only attracts more rats.

I should never have to experience not one but seven rats in my kitchen, resident Veronica Martinez said. Source: CBS New York

A Bronx Council staff member, Vanessa Gibson, told CBS New York the Mayor needed to see the conditions for himself.

Come and see how your residents, how our constituents, are living day to day, she said.

Its not acceptable. You wouldnt live like this.

The New York City Housing Authority released a statement saying it would address the issue.
Thousands of migrants who forced their way through Guatemala's northwestern border and flooded onto a bridge leading to Mexico, where riot police battled them back, on Saturday waited at the border in the hope of continuing their journey to the United States. The caravan of mainly Honduran migrants, whose journey has triggered escalating anti-immigrant rhetoric from US President Donald Trump, on Friday surged through a series of police lines and barricades up to the final fence on Mexico's southern border. There -- at the far end of the bridge over the Suchiate River, which forms the western part of the Mexico-Guatemala border -- they hurled rocks and other objects at hundreds of riot police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. Multiple migrants, federal police and journalists were wounded. "We're running away from violence, and we arrive here and they just hit us more," sobbed 28-year-old Marta Ornelas Cazares, who was nursing her baby -- but had lost her other two children, aged 10 and 15, in the turmoil. "I don't know what happened, I thought we were going to cross peacefully and then suddenly there were rocks flying and tear gas," she told AFP. "We haven't eaten, the soldiers just sent us some water," Marina Alvarado, 48, said. "We are imprisoned here, like animals. Please, open the door," she pleaded. Mexican authorities insisted the undocumented migrants would have to file asylum claims one at a time in order to enter the country. They began letting them through in a trickle -- first women and children, who were ushered onto trucks and taken to shelters. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto described the situation as "unprecedented." "Violent entry into the country not only threatens our sovereignty, but also puts the migrants themselves at risk," Pena Nieto said in a video published on his social media profiles. He added Mexico remains willing to support migrants who enter the country and respect its laws. The migrants are generally fleeing poverty and insecurity in Honduras, where powerful street gangs rule their turf with brutal violence. With a homicide rate of 43 per 100,000 citizens, Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the world. - Chaotic scenes - "We're staying here until they open this fence," said Adonai Sanchez, 36, who was traveling with his three nephews, aged two, three and 14. Others returned to the Guatemalan side late Friday, where shelters have been providing them food and water. The scene remained tense at the final border barrier, a tall fence of white metal bars. Chanting "Yes we can!" and "Mexico! Mexico!" migrants earlier climbed or tore down a series of barriers, flooding across the bridge. The migrants could be seen passing babies overhead through the crowd, as women holding crying children by the hand or pressing their infants to their chests streamed past the broken metal barriers and onto the bridge. At the front of the caravan, one group briefly broke through the final fence before police forced them back and closed it again. Some migrants used a rope to jump off the bridge and swim across the river or hitch a ride on the many rafts that cross it regularly. - Defying Trump's threats - Various caravans had been traveling by bus or on foot from Honduras, converging in recent days on the town of Tecun Uman, Guatemala, near the border bridge. Authorities in Ciudad Hidalgo, on the Mexican side, were expecting around 3,000 migrants to arrive in total. Back in Honduras, hundreds marched in the capital Tegucigalpa in solidarity with their compatriots. On Thursday, Trump branded the migrant caravan an "onslaught" and an "assault on our country" in a series of typically fiery tweets. He threatened to cut aid to the region, deploy the military and close the US-Mexican border if authorities did not stop them. - 'American sovereignty' - In Mexico City, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said after meeting his Mexican counterpart that migration across the two countries' border is reaching "a moment of crisis" and posing "a challenge for American sovereignty." Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray insisted Mexico would not cave to pressure to detain the migrants, urging the Trump administration to address the root causes of their northward flight: violent crime and poverty. "Mexico's migration policy is for Mexico to decide," he said. But Mexico has also been keen to show Trump it is working to slow the stream of migrants. The Republican billionaire has made curbing undocumented immigration a keystone of his presidency. Barely a week goes by without him warning about the danger posed by ultra-violent Central American gangs like MS-13, while chants of "build the wall" are a staple of his campaign rallies ahead of next month's US midterm elections. Honduran migrants taking part in a caravan heading to the US arrive at a border crossing point with Mexico in Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala on October 19, 2018 Honduran migrants tear down the gate of the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico A Honduran migrant jumps to the Suchiate River from the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge to swim and reach Mexico Aerial view of the migrant caravan Women holding crying children by the hand or pressing their infants to their chests streamed past the broken metal barriers and onto the bridge into Mexico
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TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC) today filed its submission commenting on the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) proposed Client Focused Reforms.



The investment fund industry is supportive of many of the Client Focused Reforms and shares the CSAs commitment to better aligning the interests of clients and registrants, improving outcomes for clients, and enhancing investor protection, said Paul Bourque, President and CEO, IFIC. IFICs submission requests clarification of some proposals and makes recommendations to support a practical and effective implementation of the reforms.

The submission outlines three key concerns with the Proposals:

Aspects of the Client Focused Reforms could have the unintended consequence of reducing investor choice in products and services. IFIC believes that preserving investors access to financial advice and products should be the goal of any regulatory intervention.

The Client Focused Reforms place a primary focus on cost when making an investment recommendation. IFIC notes that other factors are equally important in the suitability determination. It is important that regulation recognizes the value of advice that registrants provide to their clients.

IFIC seeks a workable approach to addressing conflicts of interest in the best interests of clients that acknowledges that disclosure can be an effective mitigant in some circumstances.

IFIC also provides detailed comment and recommendations related to specific aspects of the proposals. It also requested a transition timeline of three years after the adoption of the final rule.

The scope of this consultation, the willingness of the CSA to consider stakeholder input, and the meaningful response to this input all serve to confirm the value of this process, added Mr. Bourque.

To review the IFIC submission, please visit IFIC.ca.

About IFIC

The Investment Funds Institute of Canada is the voice of Canadas investment funds industry. IFIC brings together 150 organizations, including fund managers, distributors and industry service organizations, to foster a strong, stable investment sector where investors can realize their financial goals. By connecting Canadas savers to Canadas economy, our industry contributes significantly to Canadian economic growth and job creation. To learn more about IFIC, please visit IFIC.ca .
A Russian man suspected of spying at the Norwegian parliament was released from prison on Friday after Norway's intelligence service withdrew an appeal against the decision. Mikhail Bochkarev, 51, was arrested on September 21 at Oslo airport after attending a seminar in Norway's parliament, accused of having collected data on the building and its network. Television footage showed Bochkarev leave Oslo prison on Friday in a car from the Russian embassy. His release came after a Norwegian judge ruled on Thursday that investigators had failed to substantiate their case. The PST intelligence service initially appealed the decision but on Friday the agency made a U-turn. "The PST has decided to withdraw its appeal... He is released today," the agency tweeted without an explanation. Russia had denounced the charges against Bochkarev as "false" and "absurd". He remains under investigation but is free to leave the country, the PST said. "This was the only solution. It shows that the PST also realises that the suspicions are unfounded," Bochkarev's lawyer, Hege Aakre, told NRK radio. There had been speculation that Bochkarev might be used as leverage in efforts to obtain the release of a Norwegian held in Russia on suspicion of spying, although the PST has denied any connection between the two cases. Frode Berg was arrested in April and is still waiting trial. Berg admitted to having helped the Norwegian intelligence services by acting as a courier several times. "The possibility of an exchange has now definitely gone," Berg's Norwegian lawyer Brynjulf ??Risnes told Norwegian news agency NTB. "The release of Mr Bochkarev is a lost opportunity for us," he added. Norwegian officials regularly accuse Russia of attempted hacking and espionage. Bochkarev was accused of having collected data on the Norwegian parliament and its building
As dust whips up around them, families from Syria's Raqa ready their tents for the coming winter, still homeless a year after the Islamic State group was expelled from their city. Tens of thousands fled their homes in and around Raqa in the months that led up to US-backed forces ousting the jihadists from the northern city in October 2017. One year on, most returned, but thousands of others from destroyed homes remain at a camp for the displaced in Ain Issa, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the ravaged city. Families still reside in flimsy white tents, often with brightly coloured laundry slung out to dry on their guy ropes. "We have no means to rebuild our home. If we did, we wouldn't have stayed here," said Batul Sbaka, sitting inside a tent with two children on her lap. The 32-year-old mother said she returned to see her home in Raqa after she had heard the jihadists had been evicted. "When I saw my house, I screamed. We used to have two rooms and a kitchen. It was all destroyed," she said. "At least here we have bread and water -- and a tent for shelter," said Sbaka, a black scarf dotted with pink flowers wrapped around her face. Around the tent where she lives, the camp's inhabitants have been preparing as best they can for the coming winter months and life under canvas. - 'Nowhere to go' - Armed with a shovel, a woman was digging a small trench around a tent in a bid to prevent expected rain water from trickling in. A young man fixed the family tent back into position after it had been hit by a dust storm. Around 80 percent of Raqa city lies in ruins today, Amnesty International says, much of it due to air strikes by the US-led coalition. Outside another tent, Mashhur al-Maajun was sitting in a wheelchair, while his wife rested on a blanket on the ground. "We lost our home. We have nowhere to go," said the 73-year-old double amputee, dressed in a long grey robe. "The camp is the only shelter we have," said the old man, who had also lost his vision because of diabetes. Her hair wrapped in a headscarf, his wife agreed. "We don't want to live in this camp, but how are we supposed to live in our destroyed home?" she asked. Syria's civil war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Making up the daily routine of life at the Ain Issa camp, women examined vegetables on sale at stalls, while others lined up to fill up plastic jerry cans with water. On the edge of the camp, children played on swings. Young boys and girls attended class in a tent turned classroom, while others gathered excitedly to receive pens and notebooks. - 'Too risky' - Some 150,000 people have returned to Raqa since IS was defeated last year, the United Nations estimates. But camp manager Jalal al-Ayaf says some 4,000 people from Raqa still live in Ain Issa, alongside thousands more displaced from eastern Syria, and he is worried about the coming months. "The NGOs don't give us anything any more -- no food baskets, no sanitation products," he said. "Some of the tents are worn out." Inside the camp, residents complain that food deliveries are few and far between, with month-long delays between distributions, including for rice and cooking oil. But despite such complaints, some say returning to Raqa is too risky. IS jihadists sowed landmines around the city as they retreated, a legacy that still maims and kills residents to this day. And there are near daily attacks on checkpoints and military vehicles, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. Mustafa Abud, 31, said there was no way he would take his three children back to a city still so unsafe. "We thought everything would be alright after the city was liberated," said the young man in a black shirt. "But it's no longer the Raqa we know," said Abud, his short dark hair slicked back with gel. "We just want to live in safety. And right now, the camp is safer." Thousands of people whose homes in Raqa were destroyed remain at a camp for the displaced in Ain Issa, a year after the Islamic State group was expelled from their city Syria's civil war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 Displaced Syrians living at the Ain Issa camp have been preparing as best they can for the coming winter months and life in tents
Peru's president called on Spain Thursday to arrest a sacked Supreme Court judge who fled the South American country while facing trial over a massive influence peddling scandal that forced the resignation of the interior minister. Interior Minister Mauro Medina resigned late Wednesday after it became clear the dismissed judge, Cesar Hinostroza, had slipped over the border to Ecuador and boarded a flight to Madrid. "The criminals will have to answer to justice," President Martin Vizcarra said. "We are sure that Spain will not protect those who are required to face Peruvian justice." A Spanish foreign ministry source confirmed Hinostroza had entered the country on Wednesday. "We are waiting to receive the requests being processed by the Peruvian authorities," the source told AFP. Meanwhile, Peruvian authorities stopped Hinostroza's 16-year-old daughter from boarding a flight to Madrid. The scandal has dogged Vizcarra's government since it broke only months into his term in July, when a website released audio tapes featuring Hinostroza and other judges selling lighter sentences for a price. The 62-year-old judge -- sacked from the Supreme Court by Congress a fortnight ago -- is the central figure in a scandal that has shocked Peru, seen protests erupt in several cities and prompted Vizcarra to promise sweeping judicial reforms. - 'Fled clandestinely'- The president said the judge had "fled clandestinely" as he was awaiting trial for leading a "criminal organization" and other crimes. He crossed the border into Ecuador and boarded a flight to Spain via Amsterdam, the government said late Wednesday. Medina immediately resigned, becoming the second member of Vizcarra's cabinet to lose his job over the scandal, following the sacking of justice minister Salvador Heresi in July. Heresi was among those heard on the tapes allegedly arranging lenient treatment for convicts in exchange for cash or favors. Twelve people have been jailed so far as part of the investigation. In one of the tapes, Hinostroza is heard talking to an unidentified person about lowering the sentence of a man who had raped an 11-year-old girl. - Seeking asylum - Prime Minister Cesar Villanueva said Lima had begun efforts to have the judge extradited from Spain. "We are looking for the expulsion of Hinostroza," he told reporters. He said the fugitive judge, shortly after his arrival in Madrid, "approached a police station to request asylum, which was rejected." The interior ministry said Thursday two police officers and two diplomats were standing by to travel to Spain to bring Hinostroza back. Vizcarra, who was speaking as he opened a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Lima, said corruption cases "endanger democracy" and the economy of Peru. "The criminals who have fled will have to respond to justice," he said. Supreme Court president Duberli Rodriguez, as well as an appeals-court judge and three members of the National Council of Magistrates -- which appoints judges and prosecutors -- have resigned or been suspended as the scandal has reverberated through the Andean country of 32 million. While Rodriguez has not himself been accused of wrongdoing, he resigned, saying he accepted responsibility as president of the nation's judiciary. The scandal began with the release of the 20 recordings, which were originally made by police as prosecutors tried to track a drug-trafficking ring operating in Callao, Peru's main port, near Lima. Hinostroza was dismissed on October 4 by Congress and disqualified from holding public office for 10 years. Photo released by the Peruvian Presidency of President Martin Vizcarra speaking to a meeting of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Regional Program in Lima on October 18, 2018. Vizcarra urged Spain to arrest sacked Supreme Court judge Cesar Hinostroza, who fled the country while facing trial over an influence peddling scandal. (FILES) File photo of Peru's interior minister Mauro Medina speaking to foreign correspondents in Lima on September 18, 2018. Medina resigned on Wednesday Former Supreme Court judge Cesar Hinostroza, pictured on June 26, 2018. Peru's president called on Spain to arrest and return the ex-judge to face trial over an influence peddling scandal A view of Peru's Supreme Court building in Lima


Prime Minister Scott Morrisons personal website has been taken over and now plays a lewd rock song called Scotty Doesnt Know.

An internet troll is taking responsibility for claiming the website scottmorrison.com.au after the domain license lapsed overnight.

So, the PM forgot to renew his website and it expired today  Most fun Ive had with $50 in a long time, Melbourne man Jack Genesin wrote on Facebook.

The website take-over has been active for more than 12 hours.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been taken over and now plays a lewd rock song called Scotty Doesnt Know. Photo: AAP

The song about cheating by American band Lustra became famous in after being included in the 2004 teen film EuroTrip.

The opening line is: Scotty doesnt know that Fiona and me do it in my van every Sunday.

A Google search for Mr Morrisons website still comes up with sub-categories of prime minister, Electorate of Cook and local and federal news.

But on entering the website all that shows is a smiling picture of Mr Morrison, along with an option to play the song.
Russia and Uzbekistan on Friday hailed the construction of an $11 billion nuclear power plant that should help solve an energy deficit in the Central Asian country while binding it tighter to Moscow politically. Russian President Vladimir Putin was paying a first state visit to Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev since Mirziyoyev replaced the late Islam Karimov, who ruled for nearly three decades before his death in 2016. During the visit the two countries signed deals worth $27.1 billion, according to the Uzbek economy ministry. "Uzbekistan is our loyal ally and our strategic partner... We will do all we can to strengthen our cooperation," Putin said while meeting Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the capital Tashkent. "Dear Russian friends, welcome to Uzbekistan!" read billboards along the main roads of Tashkent where Russian and Uzbek flags flew side by side. The nuclear power plant, set to be completed by 2028, has strategic significance for Moscow which is looking to reassert its economic and political clout in Central Asia amid fierce competition from China and other players. According to the Russian Rosatom nuclear energy agency overseeing the project the plant's output should account for a fifth of Uzbekistan's overall power generation. Putin suggested on Friday that the facility -- the first of its kind in ex-Soviet Central Asia -- might also help provide power to other countries in the region where the Chernobyl disaster and Soviet-era atomic weapons testing in the Kazakh steppe have coloured attitudes towards nuclear power. - Authoritarian regime intact - Addressing the two leaders via tele-link from the western region of Navoi where the plant is set to be built, Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev assured Uzbekistan that the plant would be built in strict accordance with international standards. "The main criteria here is safety," Likhachev said at a ceremony marking the start of the project. Bilateral trade between Russia and Uzbekistan jumped by more than a third year-on-year to $3.7 billion in 2017 as Uzbekistan shakes off nearly three decades of economic isolation under Karimov's rule. Karimov, who died in 2016, maintained generally good relations with Moscow but was wary of the Kremlin's influence over Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region. Mirziyoyev, who served as Karimov's prime minister for 13 years, has kept the authoritarian regime intact while also reversing some of his predecessor's most controversial policies. Putin on Friday paid tribute to reforms launched by Mirziyoyev that have whetted the appetites of foreign investors eyeing new markets in a commodity-rich country of around 33 million people. "We see how quickly and how fundamentally the situation in Uzbekistan is changing, how reforms are being organised and carried out," Putin said. Under Mirziyoyev, the government has overhauled its foreign exchange policies, pledged to modernise its banking system and re-launched ties with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development that were effectively severed more than a decade ago. Among the other economic agreements signed at a business forum running parallel to the two leaders' talks was a memorandum of understanding between Russia's Lukoil energy major and Uzbek state energy company Uzbekneftgaz. Security was also high on the agenda during talks between the two heads of state. Under Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan has declared its readiness to host talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan, with whom Uzbekistan shares a border. "It is in our common interest to normalise the situation in Afghanistan," Putin said, backing the initiative. Russian President Vladimir Putin with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev during the official greeting ceremony in Tashkent
Russia's Patriarch Kirill blasted the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople as "schismatic" for granting independence to the Ukrainian church, a move that pushed Moscow to cut ties with Orthodoxy's mother church. "The Constantinople patriarchate identified itself with schismatics," the head of the Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill told a conference in Moscow. "Uncanonically, violating all rules, it invaded our jurisdiction and forgave schismatics," he added, referring to a branch of the Ukrainian church it does not recognise. "By identifying with schismatics, it became a schismatic itself," he said. On Monday, the Russian church said it did not recognise Constantinople's decision to grant Ukraine the right to form an independent church and broke ties with the leading Orthodox authority. The move was described as one of the gravest crises in the Church's history. Russia's spiritual leader defended the decision to break with Constantinople, saying most Orthodox believers supported the rupture. He called on clerics to "clarify the situation on Ukraine" with church goers. "For the decision to be supported by the people -- and I feel that the absolute majority of Orthodox believers support this decision -- the clergy must also do its work," he said. Only then, he said, will his church's position be "very strong and convincing." "I really hope that this will be the case, but pastoral work to clarify the situation on Ukraine is very important," he said. Russian state media reported that Hilarion, the bishop in charge of the Russian Orthodox Church's diplomacy, met with Pope Francis in the Vatican on Friday in closed-door talks on Moscow's decision to break with Constantinople. Last week, the Constantinople Patriarchate overruled its own decision from the 17th century which adjoined Kievan Orthodox churches to Moscow. It lifted the anathema Moscow imposed on Patriarch Filaret, a cleric who set up a Kiev-based Orthodox church in Ukraine after the fall of the Soviet Union. Ukraine's parliament on Thursday voted to hand over a landmark Kiev church to the Ecumenical Patriarchate following the decision. Most of the Orthodox parishes in Ukraine have historically been under the umbrella of the Moscow Patriarchate, and many of these may eventually switch to the new independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church, despite Moscow's warnings. Patriarch Kirill said the decision violated all rules
A 32-year-old Perth man killed after crashing his scooter into a church on Balis south coast has been remembered as a beautiful soul.

Callan Everts was on holiday riding scooters with two of his best friends when he lost control and crashed into the wall of the church yesterday morning.

Its believed the trio were on their way back to the villa they were staying at in Canggu, north Kuta, when the crash happened.

Perth man Callan Everts, 32, was on holiday in Bali with two of his best friends when he lost control of his scooter. Source: Michelle Everts / Facebook

The real estate valuer lost consciousness and received a critical injury to the back of his head.

He was transported to hospital where he later died.

The young mans family have told that despite reports to the contrary, he was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.

His older sister, Michelle Everts, told the ABC the family was beyond devastated over Mr Everts death.

He was an absolute gentleman, a professional, and a real family man, she said.

Wed like to make it clear he was wearing a helmet.

In a touching Facebook tribute to her baby brother, Ms Everts said she wanted the world to know a truly beautiful soul had been ripped away.

Callan you were a beautiful soul, so kind, so genuinely caring, so loving, so generous, she wrote.

His sister Michelle said the family is devastated over the loss of her baby brother, who she described as a beautiful soul. Source: Callan Everts / Facebook

You were always there for me, youd drop everything if I needed your help and in addition to being a most beautiful brother. You made such an effort to be a fabulous uncle to your nieces and nephews.

Please, please dont let this be true, please come back home to us my darling brother.

I cannot bear the thought of the world without you. Please shine down on us from heaven, please God give us strength. I love you so much, always and forever xxx.

Ms Everts said her family almost lost her brother in an accident when he was 16, but he pulled trough to bless them with 16 more years.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed to Yahoo7 it was providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian man who died in Bali.
Earnings Release: Wednesday, October 24, 2018, After Market Close



Conference Call and Webcast: Thursday, October 25, 2018, at 8:30 a.m. ET

MONACO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Costamare Inc. (NYSE:CMRE), announced today that it will release its results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018 after the market closes in New York on Wednesday, October 24, 2018.

Conference Call Details:

On Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. ET, Costamares management team will hold a conference call to discuss the financial results.

Participants should dial into the call 10 minutes before the scheduled time using the following numbers: 1-844-887-9405 (from the US), 0808-238-9064 (from the UK) or +1-412-317-9258 (from outside the US and the UK). Please quote "Costamare".

A replay of the conference call will be available until November 1, 2018. The United States replay number is +1-877-344-7529; the standard international replay number is +1-412-317-0088; and the access code required for the replay is: 10125429.

Live Webcast:

There will also be a simultaneous live webcast over the Internet, through the Costamare Inc. website (www.costamare.com) under the Investors section. Participants to the live webcast should register on the website approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the webcast.

About Costamare Inc.

Costamare Inc. is one of the world's leading owners and providers of containerships for charter. The Company has 44 years of history in the international shipping industry and a fleet of 79 containerships, with a total capacity of approximately 538,000 TEU, including five newbuild containerships currently under construction. Eighteen of our containerships have been acquired pursuant to the Framework Deed with York Capital Management by vessel-owning joint venture entities in which we hold a minority equity interest. The Company's common stock, Series B Preferred Stock, Series C Preferred Stock, Series D Preferred Stock and Series E Preferred Stock trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols CMRE, CMRE PR B, CMRE PR C, CMRE PR D and CMRE PR E, respectively.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as believe, intend, anticipate, estimate, project, forecast, plan, potential, may, should, could and expect and similar expressions. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Companys belief regarding future results, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of the Companys control. It is possible that actual results may differ, possibly materially, from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements. For a discussion of some of the risks and important factors that could affect future results, see the discussion in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F (File No. 001-34934) under the caption Risk Factors.

Company Contacts:

Gregory Zikos - Chief Financial Officer

Konstantinos Tsakalidis - Business Development, Investor Relations
A sacked Supreme Court judge on the run as he faces trial for corruption in Peru was arrested in Spain on Friday, the South American country's president, Martin Vizcarra said. "Today at dawn, ex-supreme judge Cesar Hinostroza was captured by Spanish police and Interpol Peru," Vizcarra said on twitter. Spanish police in Madrid confirmed Hinostroza's arrest to AFP and said he would be brought before a court for extradition proceedings. Vizcarra had sent a request to Spain on Thursday to arrest and extradite Hinostroza, who is accused of being the ringleader in a scandal involving influence peddling and the sale of lighter sentences. The scandal came to light in July after local media published tapes containing compromising telephone conversations. In one of them, Hinostrroza can allegedly be heard offering someone found guilty of raping a minor either a reduced sentence or even an acquittal. A Spanish foreign ministry source confirmed on Thursday that Hinostroza had entered Spain the day before. On Wednesday, Peru's interior minister, Mauro Medina, resigned after it was revealed that Hinostroza had slipped over the border into Ecuador and boarded a flight to Madrid, via Amsterdam. Authorities prevented his 16-year-old daughter from travelling to Madrid but his wife, Gloria Gutierrez Chapa, has been in the Spanish capital since October 11, according to local press. Hinostroza, 62, was sacked by Congress a fortnight ago and is the central figure in a scandal that has sparked street protests and led Vizcarra to promise sweeping judicial reforms. Vizcarra has accused Hinostroza of leading a "criminal organization" while the Peruvian government offered a reward of 40,000 soles ($12,000) for his capture -- he escaped 12 days ago with the help of an immigration inspector. The president told RPP channel he had spoken with Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, by telephone. He also hit out at Hinostroza for claiming asylum in Spain, insisting the case was "strictly judicial, the battle against corruption." For days the ex-judge's lawyer denied Hinostroza was on the run, right up until his presence in Madrid was confirmed on Wednesday. Since the audio recordings, originally made by police tracking a drug-trafficking ring in Callao, Peru's main port, near Lima, came to light, several top officials have either resigned or been sacked. Supreme Court president Duberli Rodriguez resigned while Justice Minister Salvador Heresi was sacked. Cesar Hinostroza was sacked as a supreme court judge over compromising tape recordings revealed in the Peruvian press Peru President Martin Vizcarra is promising judicial reform in a bid to trurn the page on a corruption scandal that led to street protests
US President Donald Trump on Thursday praised a US congressman who assaulted a reporter, making light of the attack. Greg Gianforte was sentenced to six months of deferred jail time, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management sessions and $385 in fines and court fees for the misdemeanor assault that propelled him and his congressional race into the national spotlight last year. Trump's remarks at a rally in Montana come amid an international outcry over the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who has been missing since entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, whom the president has said is likely dead. At the rally, Trump urged people to vote for Gianforte, describing him as "an incredible Montana leader" and "one of the most respected people in Congress." "By the way, never wrestle him," Trump said, referring to Gianforte's assault on The Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs. "Any guy that can do a body slam -- he's my kind of, he's my guy." Trump said he originally thought the assault -- which took place on the eve of his election -- might hurt Gianforte's chances. "Then I said, 'Well wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him.' And it did," the president said. The Guardian US editor John Mulholland took aim at Trump's remarks. "To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it," he said, referring to the amendment to the US constitution that guarantees freedom of the press. "In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats," Mulholland said. Riyadh is suspected of murdering Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and US permanent resident whose writings have been critical of powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Trump, who frequently criticizes what he terms the "fake news media" and has repeatedly described news organizations as the "enemy of the people," has been accused of setting a tone that condones abuses against journalists in other countries. US President Donald Trump frequently criticizes what he terms the "fake news media," and has repeatedly described news organizations as the "enemy of the people"
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host a summit on the Syria conflict with the leaders of Russia, Germany and France on October 27 in Istanbul, his spokesman said Friday, the first such gathering with key EU leaders. The summit will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as French and German leaders Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said, cited by the state-run Anadolu news agency. Turkey, which has supported Syrian rebels, has been working with Syrian regime supporters Russia and Iran on a drive to end the over seven year civil war, in efforts that have often been greeted with suspicion in the West. Erdogan has on three times attended trilateral summits on Syria with Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. But this is the first time a meeting will bring the Turkish and Russian strongmen together with the EU's two most significant national leaders. The meeting will aim to find a "long-lasting solution" to the Syria conflict as well as the situation in the last major Syrian rebel-held bastion of Idlib, Kalin said. Erdogan had previously planned to host the international summit in September, but it did not take place then. The Kremlin, Elysee and Merkel's office all also confirmed the date of the October 27 meeting. - 'Major step' - The meeting comes after Syrian regime-ally Russia and rebel supporter Turkey announced an agreement on September 17 to create a demilitarised buffer zone ringing the Idlib region, home to three million people. The deal to create a 15-20 kilometre-wide zone came after a flurry of activity as Turkey sought to avoid an assault by President Bashar al-Assad's regime and a further influx of people across its border. According to the deal, the zone would separate rebel and regime zones under the supervision of the two sponsor countries. It gave until October 10 for the zone to be cleared of any heavy weapons but the second deadline for the withdrawal of "radical" fighters -- taken to mean jihadist heavyweight Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other hardliners -- was seen as the accord's real test. Both Ankara and Moscow said the deal was still on course, despite delays in the pullout of the jihadists. The deal has received a warm welcome both from Europe and the United States, relieved that more bloodshed has been averted for now. James Jeffrey, Washington's special representative on Syria, hailed Wednesday the Russian-Turkish deal as a "major step" that has frozen the war, after a meeting with Turkish officials in Ankara. - 'Avert humanitarian catastrophe' - The Kremlin said that the Istanbul summit will include "exchanging views on the Syria issue, including the question of advancing the process of a political settlement as well as further steps in the interest of strengthening security and stability." France primarily wants to ensure the Idlib ceasefire is maintained to avert a "humanitarian catastrophe and a new mass wave of refugees," the Elysee said in a statement. An Elysee source also warned that Macron would reconsider his plan to attend if any regime assault was launched on Idlib. Merkel's spokesperson Martina Fietz said Berlin wanted to work towards a process of stabilisation on Syria. "We expect that we can make progress towards a stabilisation in Syria, knowing that this process will be very complicated and will take years." Syrian regime-ally Russia and rebel supporter Turkey previously agreed to create a demilitarised buffer zone ringing the Idlib region, home to three million people
Two people died and several more were injured on Friday in an explosion at a fireworks factory outside Russia's second largest city of Saint Petersburg, regional authorities said. "The explosion took place at the Avangard factory in Gatchina," a town 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of Saint Petersburg, the regional authorities' health committee said. "Two people died and several people were injured according to preliminary information." Conflicting sources put the number of injured as between three and six people, including a 13-year-old girl who was hospitalised after breathing in fumes from the fire that broke out after the explosion. The regional Investigative Committee launched a criminal probe into breaches of safety rules at the factory. Russia's Emergency Ministry rescuers work at the blast site at the Avangard fireworks factory in Gatchina outside Saint Petersburg
The US crackdown on price fixing has netted another big fish in canned tuna, the Justice Department announced Thursday. StarKist, whose mascot Charlie the Tuna has long been a fixture in American supermarkets, agreed to plead guilty and pay a fine of up to $100 million for conspiring with other companies to fix prices of canned tuna, the Justice Department announced Thursday. StarKist representatives engaged in discussions and meetings with other packaged seafood firms to manipulate prices from as early as November 2011 and as late as December 2013, according to a statement. "The conspiracy to fix prices on these household staples had direct effects on the pocketbooks of American consumers," said US Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim. "All Americans have the right to the benefits of free and open competition -- the best goods and services at a price free from collusion." StarKist, which is owned by South Korean company Dongwon Industries, agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Its exact fine will be determined at a sentencing hearing. StarKist joined Bumble Bee Foods in pleading guilty in the scam. The Justice Department's announced in May 2017 that it was fining Bumble Bee $25 million for its role in the conspiracy. A total of six charges have resulted from the crackdown so far, including some executives who propagated the scam, the agency said. Charlie the Tuna was netted by US authorities as part of a canned tuna price fixing conspiracy, as Korean-owned StarKist was fined up to $100 million StarKist agreed to plead guilty to charges it conspired with other companies as far back as late 2013 to fix prices of canned tuna
America's military veterans are taking the leap from battlefield to ballot in large numbers in 2018, aiming to bring their discipline, can-do problem-solving, and country-before-party sense of duty to Congress. Washington may well need them. The US Senate and House of Representatives are gridlocked, Donald Trump's presidency has deepened the partisan divide, and approval ratings for Congress hover at just 19 percent. Veterans, mostly men, have long served in Congress but their percentage has plunged, from a high of more than 70 percent in the early 1970s to about 20 percent today. Some 200 military veterans are running in the November 6 midterm elections, including a record number of women Democrats intent on being a check against Trump. They were soldiers, sailors, barrier-busting female fighter pilots, paratroopers and intelligence analysts. Many came of age after 9/11, volunteering to serve in Afghanistan or Iraq. They are Democrats seeking to flip districts in deep state Texas, like retired search and rescue pilot MJ Hegar; and Republicans running to make inroads in liberal California, like US Marine combat veteran Andrew Grant. The common theme that runs through their campaigns? A commitment to serve. "Rescue forces tend to run to where the fire is, and I think that right now the fire is in (Washington) DC," Hegar, who received the Purple Heart after being shot down during a Medevac mission in Afghanistan in 2009, told AFP at a campaign event in Georgetown, Texas. Hegar, 42, successfully sued the Pentagon in 2012 to lift a ban on women serving in combat positions. She said she would like to see a "wave" of veterans run for Congress. "I think that toughness is a Texas values. Service to your country is a very Texas value," she said. "We're a very military state." There are a few women combat veterans on Capitol Hill, including Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost her legs in a helicopter crash in Iraq, and Arizona Republican congresswoman Martha McSally, a former fighter pilot running for US Senate. Changes appear likely. Many of the women who entered the military in the 1990s, when some combat roles began to open up for female recruits, have retired, and are now eyeing seats in Congress. - Republicans don't 'own patriotism' - Retired fighter pilot Amy McGrath is trying to parlay her military experience into a Democratic bid to oust House Republican incumbent Andy Barr of Kentucky. "I spent 20 years as a US Marine, flew 89 combat missions bombing Al-Qaeda and the Taliban," McGrath says in a campaign ad. With Honor, a group formed to help elect veterans, has endorsed 39 candidates in its bid to "create a more effective and less polarized government." Six of them are Democratic women, including Gina Ortiz Jones, a US Air Force veteran seeking to unseat congressman Will Hurd in southwest Texas, and Elaine Luria, who served six tours in the US Navy and is challenging incumbent Scott Taylor in Virginia. One of those endorsed by the group is Democrat Richard Ojeda, an intense, decorated retired US Army officer running for a House seat in West Virginia, a state Trump won overwhelmingly in 2016. Ojeda, 47, says he nearly died five times serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and believes Washington could use more duty-bound military patriots. "The leader doesn't sit on top of the mountain and look down at everybody and wonder how can they continue to elevate him higher," he told AFP. "He goes down there and he helps elevate them." With Honor is also endorsing Republicans like Steve Watkins, who volunteered for US Army service in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks. In his Kansas congressional race, Watkins points to the US military's melting pot of cultures, religions and races, "all coming together to serve the common good," he told Fox News. "It makes the political fights in Washington seem petty." National bickering has been at a boil. Trump repeatedly says Democrats let the military wither and ignore national security concerns, and that Republicans are the party that supports the armed forces. Joe Jenkins, a 33-year-old retired Marine now teaching in Dallas public schools, said many troops were shocked by the partisanship when they returned home. "Republicans don't get to own patriotism, they don't get to own veterans, or family, and they don't get to own country," he said. "And neither do Democrats. Those are ideals that each person that's running for public office has to live up to." Jenkins, whose arms are sheathed in elaborate tattoos, wears one on his right forearm that depicts a lighthouse. "They're a bulwark against a storm," he said. Andrew Grant, a retired Marine running for a congressional seat in California, is one of a wave of military veterans competing in the November 6 US midterm elections MJ Hegar of Texas, an Air National Guard veteran and 2018 Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives, shows the tattoos that she says helped her reclaim parts of her body that were scarred when her rescue helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan MJ Hegar, Texas Democratic Candidate for US Representative District 31, speaks to voters at an event September 15, 2018 at The Den at Wolf Ranch in Georgetown, Texas Rep. Martha McSally, a former fighter pilot, is running as a Republican for a US Senate seat in Arizona Steve Watkins, a Republican candidate for a US House seat from Kansas, has been endorsed by a group that aims to help military veterans get elected to Congress
The Comoros government and main opposition on Friday signed a deal that could end the latest bout of instability to rock the Indian Ocean nation after violence flared on Anjouan island. Security forces and rebels opposed to President Azali Assoumani have fought in the narrow streets of the medina quarter in Mutsamudu, Anjouan's main city, since Monday, with at least three people killed. The two sides agreed a deal on Friday that included an arms amnesty for the anti-government fighters. Tensions in the island archipelago have mounted in recent months as President Assoumani bids to extend term limits through planned constitutional changes that could see him rule for 11 more years. "(Assoumani) is willing to offer immunity to any civilian who surrenders their weapon to military authorities," said the deal signed by the central government and the opposition-controlled Anjouan administration. But the two sides later agreed to amend the agreement, extending the amnesty period to Saturday to reassure rebels in the area after no weapons were handed in. Authorities also agreed to allow those with arms to relinquish them to local elders, who would pass them on the military, according to Issouffa Mohamed Ali, the president's chief of staff who is responsible for defence. "What is important is that the weapons are collected, (that) we know the exact number," he told AFP. - 'We will turn against them' - The president won a referendum in July allowing him to scrap the rotation of the presidency between Comoros' three main islands after one term, disadvantaging opposition-leaning Anjouan, which was next in line. The government had sent in reinforcements to quell the unrest in the old quarter of Mutsamudu, where rebels erected barricades and repelled attempts by the security forces to regain control. Soldiers surrounded the area and many civilians fled as a curfew was imposed and water and power supplies were cut until Friday. "(Assoumani) has done nothing in his three years in power, no jobs for young people, nothing. If they don't want to understand our challenges, then we will turn against them," said a middle-aged man who carried a can of water as he made his way along a dusty street in Mutsamudu. Interior Minister Mohamed Daoudou said on Wednesday that the situation was back to normal after three people were killed. Witnesses claimed that many more people had been injured in the clashes. - 'It's a disaster' - "We want the rebels to win. People who have stolen millions are free while someone who steals a banana to survive gets months in prison," said a young man in the city's southern Shell district. "If they want peace, they must give us jobs." Another young supporter of the rebels claimed to have been a victim of government security forces. "In 2006, I was tortured, my arm still hurts. I received treatment in Mayotte for nine months," said Damir Mohamed Azihar. The poor, coup-prone Comoros islands -- Anjouan, Grande Comore and Moheli -- are located between Mozambique and Madagascar. The fourth island, Mayotte, remains French. Assoumani's government accuses the opposition Juwa party of being behind the unrest. Former Juwa leader Abdallah Sambi is from Anjouan. As well as the human toll, the unrest hit businesses hard. The manager of an upmarket hotel told AFP they were forced to send their 48 staff home for the duration of the violence. "The situation is serious, it's a disaster. Commerce ceased, money stopped flowing and families are worried," said the manager. The government sent in reinforcements to quell the unrest, which follows months of tension over Assoumani's attempts to extend term limits through planned constitutional changes that could see him rule for 11 more years The president won a referendum in July allowing him to scrap the rotation of the presidency between Comoros' three main islands after one term, disadvantaging opposition-leaning Anjouan which was next in line The poor, coup-prone Comoros islands -- Anjouan, Grande Comore and Moheli -- are located between Mozambique and Madagascar Comoros' President Azali Assoumani won a referendum in July allowing him to scrap the rotation of the presidency between Comoros' three main islands after one term. Opposition-leaning Anjouan had been next in line Ranking of the Comoros and a selection of countries in the Southern African Development Community, on human development, 'good governance', GDP per person, freedom of the press and corruption.


WARNING, CONFRONTING CONTENT: A grieving widower has revealed why he shared photos of his dead wife and unborn daughter after they were killed by an allegedly drunk driver.

Krystil Kincaid was 36 weeks pregnant with her daughter Alvalynn when their car was struck on a Californian highway on September 9.

Her heartbroken husband, Zach, decided he wanted the world to see the confronting images of the 29-year-old mother and their little girl laying in a coffin together at their funerals.

I put those pictures up so everyone can see the nightmare that Im living and my kids are living every day for the rest of our lives, he told Daily Mail.

Mr Kincaid kisses his wife before her life support was switched off. Image: GoFundMe

Zach and Krystil Kincaid were just four weeks away from welcoming another daughter into the world. Images: Facebook/Zach Kincaid

This is about making sure that my wife didnt die for nothing. That my daughter didnt die for nothing. This is my way to honour them. This is my way to save others.

The 34-year-old who is now left to raise their three children and stepdaughter by himself said he was on the phone to his wife when the accident happened, describing the brief screams he heard and how they continue to haunt him.

We were talking, and then I just heard her scream that scream only probably lasted about two seconds, but it replays in my mind very, very slowly, he added.

He could hear as firefighters started up machinery to tear through the minivan before they rushed her to hospital, according to a GoFundMe page set up to help the Kincaid children.

Zach holds the body of his daughter who was killed in the crash, just four weeks before she was due to be born. Image: Facebook/Zach Kincaid

Zach Kincaid and his son farewell their wife and mum as well as little Alvalynn. Images: Facebook/Zach Kincaid

As he desperately tried to book a flight to California from Minnesota, Mr Kincaid received a call from a doctor who told him their daughter had not survived the crash. Both crying, the doctor described to him how perfect little Alvalynn was.

Outrage over leniency showed to  narcissistic  driver

Professional boxer Marcos Forestal, 28, who has been charged over Ms Kincaids death, live streamed the aftermath of the accident to Facebook during which time he can be heard saying I had an accident guys look at my car.

The heartbroken father of three was later sent a link to the footage, that has since been deleted. He watched on in awe, asking why the 100 per cent narcissistic driver wasnt rushing over to help his wife.

Story continues

Forestal was initially arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated and causing a collision that resulted in major injuries. Following Kincaids passing, the boxers charge was upgraded to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Forestal displayed symptoms of alcohol intoxication and was arrested, the Helmet Police Department said.

Professional boxer Marcos Forestal, 28, has been charged over the crash. Image: Helmet Police Department

Alvalynn was expected to enter the world on October 9, however Californias state laws do not consider a 36-week-old baby to be a person.

As a result, Forestal has only been charged over the mothers death  a decision that has sparked fury amongst their family and seen more than 100,000 people sign a petition seeking justice for Krystil and Avalynn Kincaid.

A drunk driver speeding down a two-lane highway at 85+mph in the wrong lane around a blind corner destroyed my family. The max sentence for killing my wife and daughter is 10 years max, he wrote in a change.org petition.

How do I explain to my children this injustice. My children and I have never felt so disposable Look at the devastation left behind that is my family.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Irving Resources Inc. (CSE:IRV) (Irving or the Company) is pleased to report it has sampled high-grade quartz vein float at its 100%-controlled Omu gold-silver project, Hokkaido, Japan (Figures 1, 2 and 3).



While following up stream sediment anomalies (please refer to Irvings news release dated January 3, 2018 for further details), Irving geologists identified banded quartz vein and other pieces of mineralized float along recently constructed logging roads in areas around the historic Hokuryu mine. Logging roads often provide the only geologic exposure in this heavily vegetated terrain. Inquiries made by Irving with the Hokkaido prefectural forestry agency and local logging road constructors confirm no exotic material was placed on these roads and all road base material is locally derived. Therefore, Irving believes quartz vein float material reported in this news release is derived from nearby bedrock.

Samples of quartz vein float collected along a one-kilometer long west-northwesterly trend beginning approximately 700 meters west of Hokuryu mine are particularly noteworthy. Results include:

Quartz vein float samples from Hokuryu West-

Sample ID Au (gpt) Ag (gpt) Au (opt) Ag (opt) OM-HT003 35.2 568 1.13 18.26 OM-HT004 3.5 102 0.11 3.28 OM-HT005 59.8 1245 1.92 40.03 OM-HT006 36.3 1000 1.17 32.15 OM-HT007 155 617 4.98 19.84 OM-HT009 138.5 500 4.45 16.08 OM-HT010 2.9 180 0.09 5.79 OM-HT011 8.5 53 0.27 1.7 OM-RH028 39.7 708 1.28 22.77 OM-RH030 20.3 342 0.65 11 OM-RH032 39.5 671 1.27 21.58 OM-RH044 8.2 47 0.26 1.51 OM-RH046 21.6 457 0.69 14.69 31.1 gpt = 1 opt Samples in this table are of select float and not necessarily representative of mineralization at Hokuryu West

In addition, Irving geologists collected seven samples of variably altered and silicified volcanic rock and breccia with gold values ranging from 0.14-0.53 gpt and silver values ranging from 3-19 gpt.

Irving believes the West Hokuryu area may host extensions of the Hokuryu vein system. Hokuryu mine, owned by Nihon Mining Company, Ltd., operated briefly beginning in around 1928 until it was shut in 1943 due to the Gold Mine Closure Act near the end of WWII. It produced approximately 2.8 tonnes Au and 11.5 tonnes Ag during its short life. (MMIJ. 1990. Japanese Gold Mines Vol. 2 Hokkaido. The Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan (MMIJ)).

In an area approximately 2.5 km southwest of Hokuryu mine, a sample of quartz vein float returned 20.8 gpt Au and 59 gpt Ag and two samples of silicified and quartz-veined volcanic rock returned 1.78 and 0.68 gpt Au and 19 and 24 gpt Ag. One sample of quartz vein float collected approximately one km northeast of Hokuryu mine returned 7.14 gpt Au and 41 gpt Ag. Six samples of variably silicified and quartz-veined volcanic rocks from areas north, northeast and east of Hokuryu mine returned 0.03-2.50 gpt Au and 0.5-57 gpt Ag. Samples discussed above are of select float and not necessarily representative of mineralization in this area.

Irving is currently conducting further prospecting in vicinities around Hokuryu mine and to the north where there are historic reports of high-grade veins. Follow-up soil sampling and geophysical work is currently being planned at Hokuryu West.

We are encouraged by results from select float samples collected around the historic Hokuryu mine, commented Akiko Levinson, President and Director of Irving Resources Inc. Right now, we are conducting further prospecting, sampling and baseline soil sampling at Hokuryu West. Next season, we plan to conduct more advanced exploration including soil sampling and geophysical work similar to that done at our Omui mine and Omu sinter target areas.

Drill contract signed

Irving recently signed a diamond drilling contract with Rodren Drilling Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba (Rodren), to undertake diamond drilling at its Omu project. A diamond drill is currently being mobilized to Hokkaido and is expected to reach Omu in approximately two weeks. Although necessary permits are still awaited, Irving, Mitsui Mineral Development Engineering Co., Ltd. (MINDECO) and Rodren are concurrently working on necessary staffing for a drill program. Further information about timing of commencement of drilling will be made available when more information is in hand.

All samples discussed in this news release were collected by Irving geologists from float, loose rock in soil, believed derived from subcropping bedrock and veins. They are not necessarily representative. Irving submitted rock samples to ALS Laboratory, Vancouver, BC, for analysis. Au and Ag were analyzed by fire assay with gravimetric finish. Multielements were analyzed by mass spectrometry following three acid digestion. Lab standard and blank samples were utilized for quality assurance and control.

Quinton Hennigh (Ph.D., P.Geo.) is the Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 responsible for, and having reviewed and verified, the technical information contained in this news release. Dr. Hennigh is a technical advisor and director of Irving Resources Inc.

About Irving Resources Inc.:

Irving is a junior exploration company with a focus on gold in Japan. Irving also holds, through a subsidiary, Project Venture Agreements with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) for joint regional exploration programs in the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of Malawi and the Republic of Madagascar. JOGMEC is a government organization established under the law of Japan, administrated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, and is responsible for stable supply of various resources to Japan through the discovery of sizable economic deposits of base, precious and rare metals.

Additional information can be found on the Companys website: www.IRVresources.com.

Akiko Levinson,

President & Director

For further information, please contact:

Tel: (604) 682-3234 Toll free: 1 (888) 242-3234 Fax: (604) 641-1214

info@IRVresources.com

Forward-looking information

Some statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the mineral resource exploration industry as well as Irving having sufficient cash to fund any planned drilling and other exploration activities.

THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ff9ff607-629a-4b91-844b-6b5851a9094b

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d136efd8-cee6-4402-87e8-576a497fe64c

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bfd75cc5-6c81-4950-b7d3-3fa66515a6ab




The debate schedule is set in the 24th Congressional District race.

U.S. Rep. John Katko, a Republican, and Democratic challenger Dana Balter agreed to four debates before the Nov. 6 election. The first is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24 and will be streamed live on syracuse.com.

The remaining debates are planned for the final full week before the election.

CNY Central will air its debate at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30 on channels 3 and 5. Spectrum News will follow at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1 on channel 10.

NewsChannel 9 rounds out the lineup with its debate at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4.

Three of the debates will be taped in newsrooms or studios. The Spectrum News debate will be held at Onondaga Community College, but the event is closed to the public.

For weeks, both candidates have accused the other of refusing to debate or participate in public forums.

Earlier this month, Balter held a press conference to criticize Katko for not agreeing to more debates. She wanted to hold debates earlier in the month and proposed a series of joint town hall meetings, one in each of the district's four counties.

Katko wasn't interested. His campaign had its own proposal, which called for the four debates that make up the final slate. Balter agreed to debate on CNYCentral, NewsChannel 9, Spectrum News and syracuse.com, but she pushed for different dates and wanted the events to include audiences.

While there is a debate agreement in place, Katko on Friday accused Balter of skipping other forums in the district. He released a statement after Balter didn't participate in the Washington Square Neighborhood Association forum Thursday night. Balter was in Wayne County at the time for a meet-and-greet fundraiser.

"It's clear Dana Balter prefers to spend her time raking in cash from donors over engaging with central New Yorkers," Katko said.

Jessica Bumpus, Balter's spokesperson, said plans for the Wayne County began two months ago  before they received an invitation for the Washington Square Neighborhood Association forum.

While Balter didn't attend the forum, she participated in another earlier in the evening with Katko. The candidates participated in a forum organized by the Black Leadership Coalition of CNY in Syracuse.

Katko's campaign mentioned two other forums Balter didn't attend in the last month. The first was the Manlius Political Breakfast, an annual event hosted by the Manlius Chamber of Commerce, in September. The other was the Sodus Chamber of Commerce meet-and-greet event.

After Balter's press conference earlier this month, Katko's campaign released a list of 10 joint forums that he had agreed to attend. Bumpus revealed that they weren't aware of five of the forums on the list until Katko's campaign distributed it to reporters.

Two of the forums they didn't know about were the Manlius Political Breakfast and the Sodus Chamber event. In both cases, Balter had conflicts. She attended a fundraiser in New York City on the same day of the Manlius breakfast, and she held a Syracuse fundraiser at the same time as the Sodus Chamber of Commerce forum.

"This claim that she's not being open and accessible to the public is not true. It's blatantly not true," Bumpus said. "She's traveling all across the district making sure she's available to everybody."

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A new television commercial airing in the 50th Senate District has drawn the ire of Republican candidate Bob Antonacci.

Fighting For Our Future, a super PAC formed by New York State United Teachers, released a 30-second ad critical of Antonacci on multiple fronts. The union and its PAC are supporting Democratic candidate John Mannion in the 50th district race.

There are four main claims Antonacci's campaign considers "lies." The Citizen has reviewed the commercial  it wasn't available online  and examined the accuracy of the ad.

Claim No. 1

TV ad: "Meet career politician Bob Antonacci ..."

Antonacci's campaign argues this is a lie because the GOP candidate didn't hold elective office until his early 40s. However, he campaigned as a Democrat for county comptroller in 2003 four years before he was elected to the office.

Is that enough to make him a "career politician"? Usually, elected officials are labeled "career politicians" if they have served in office for most or all of their professional lives. But there's not a set definition of a career politician. That's why this could be construed as more of a subjective point.

Antonacci, who is 53 years old, has been a candidate for various offices over the last 15 years, and he has served nearly 11 years as county comptroller. He's now seeking to become a state lawmaker.

Antonacci's view is that he isn't a career politician because he had private sector experience as an attorney and certified public accountant. That's certainly a legitimate argument. His critics, though, believe he is because he's been a candidate for a few offices over the past 15 years and he's served in government for more than a decade.

Who's right? On this claim, there's not a clear answer.

Claim No. 2

TV ad: "He sure is into himself. Maybe that's why he tried to run for five different offices over the past decade ..."

Antonacci's campaign considers this lie because he has "only appeared on the ballot for two public offices  Onondaga County comptroller and New York state comptroller." The state Senate race, they added, will be the third.

It's true that Antonacci has only appeared on the ballot twice. But this isn't the complete account of Antonacci's political history.

Antonacci expressed interest and explored a run for Congress in 2014. He met with the National Republican Congressional Committee to discuss the possibility. Ultimately, he decided not to run.

Four years earlier, Antonacci sought the Republican nomination for state attorney general. He lost out to then-Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan, who became the GOP nominee.

It is accurate to say that Antonacci never appeared on the ballot for the 24th Congressional District race or the campaign for state attorney general. But he was, albeit briefly, a candidate for state attorney general. And while he passed on the congressional race, he gave it serious consideration.

Claim No. 3

TV ad: "... (Antonacci) gave himself a massive pay raise during the recession."

In a statement, the campaign correctly noted that Antonacci "does not have the authority to give himself a pay raise; only the county executive and county legislature can do that through the budget process."

As syracuse.com reported in 2011, Antonacci requested a 14.5 percent pay hike in the 2012 Onondaga County budget. Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney included the pay raise in her budget proposal.

The budget must be approved by the Onondaga County Legislature. The raise elevated Antonacci's salary from $87,160 to $99,800.

This claim in the TV ad was false. It's incorrect to say Antonacci gave himself the pay raise. It's true that he requested it, but he lacks the authority to give himself a pay bump. The Onondaga County executive not only included his pay raise request in her budget proposal, but county lawmakers approved the budget with the raise included.

Claim No. 4

TV ad: " ... or why he let taxpayers foot the bill for his pay raise lawsuit."

In January 2016, Antonacci filed a lawsuit challenging the raises given to Mahoney and county legislators. Antonacci's campaign explained that the county comptroller "never incurred any expense for this lawsuit and didn't need taxpayer funds."

Antonacci, who is an attorney, "fought and won this lawsuit on his own," the campaign added.

But that's only from Antonacci's perspective. There were taxpayer funds spent on the lawsuit. Syracuse.com reported in October 2016 that more than $400,000 was spent by the county defending Mahoney and legislators against Antonacci's challenge.

It's true that Antonacci represented himself to challenge the pay raises, so the taxpayers didn't "foot the bill" for his side of the lawsuit. But there was a cost to taxpayers for the defense of the lawsuit, since Antonacci sued fellow government officials.

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A mailer sent to 50th Senate District voters shows Democratic candidate John Mannion photographed with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The problem? They've never met.

The mailer was paid for by the New York Republican State Committee and seeks to link Mannion to "New York City liberals." It alleges that Mannion's campaign is being funded by "NYC liberals" and that he supports their values.

In the right-hand corner of the mailer, an image of de Blasio and Mannion is displayed. However, the two men didn't pose for the photo. Republicans edited a photo of Mannion and his campaign manager, Cayuga County Democratic Chairman Ian Phillips. Phillips' head was edited out of the image and replaced with de Blasio's.

Gary Ginsburg, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, blasted the GOP and Republican candidate Bob Antonacci for sending a mailer with the edited image.

"Just when you thought Bob Antonacci couldn't be more hypocritical or nasty, we see this outright lying mailer," Ginsburg said. "To photo-shop an image and pass it off as reality is a Trump-level lie. Bob Antonacci should apologize immediately and send out a correction mailer."

Scott Reif, the state Senate Republicans' spokesman, defended the mailer. The point, he said, is that de Blasio and "NYC liberal interests" are supporting Mannion's campaign.

That appears to be a swipe at the Senate Democrats. The DSCC has been Mannion's largest benefactor. The committee donated $147,108 in September to help the Democratic candidate pay for television commercials. That total excludes other funds spent by the group in support of Mannion's candidacy.

"Mayor de Blasio has even said that taking over the state Senate 'should be at the forefront of all we do.' The last time New York City liberals controlled every branch of our state government upstate was hurt," Reif said. "We can't let that happen again and Bob Antonacci is the only candidate in this race who will carry on the proud legacy of Senator DeFrancisco of fighting for central New York  and that's why Senator DeFrancisco has endorsed Bob Antonacci."

It's the second mailer to cause controversy in the 50th district race. Last week, the New York State Democratic Committee and DSCC sent a mailer that included a quote incorrectly attributed to Antonacci.

Antonacci and Mannion are vying for the 50th district seat. Nearly $400,000 has already been spent by the two candidates, and that figure will increase by Election Day.

Outside groups, such as the DSCC and Senate Republican Campaign Committee, have invested and continue to provide support to their respective candidates in the race.

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AUBURN  The two candidates in the race for Auburn City Court Judge made their case to the court of public opinion Thursday in a televised presentation at Cayuga Community College.

Steven Buschman and David Thurston are competing for the position vacated by Judge Michael McKeon, who announced in May he would not seek re-election, putting an end to a 20-year career as city court judge.

At Cayuga Community College Thursday, the pair were given several minutes each, with Buschman going first after winning a coin toss, to explain to voters why they are the right pick for the job.

Buschman, a "born and bred Auburnian," touted his 20 years of experience as a lawyer, with much of that time spent as a litigator actually arguing cases in a court in areas like criminal law, real estate, family court and more.

Now a senior partner at the WHMB P.C. law firm in Auburn, Buschman said he would especially like to help those affected by family breakdown issues, behavioral health problems and addiction, particularly opioid addiction, if elected as judge.

A first-time political candidate, Buschman said he decided to run because of his view of Auburn City Court as a "frontline" in the justice system for many of those important issues.

Buschman will appear on the ballot on the Republican and Conservative lines, as well as the independent "People Over Politics" line, which represent his attempt, he said, to bring everyone interested in community safety together regardless of political affiliation.

"I wanted to give the people of Auburn a choice," Buschman said

Auburn-native Thurston, running as a Democrat and on the Working Families Party line, began his law career at his father's practice where he developed broad experience working countless cases and learning how to build the trust of people in difficult situations.

Based on that experience, he said, he was appointed as associate justice to the city court in 2014, where he's since handle cases on everything from criminal charges to parking tickets. With a mixed Republican and Democrat council at the time, Thurston called the bipartisan appointment a "true honor."

The support Thurston has received in the campaign, citing several endorsements and his victory in a Democratic primary election, were a testament to his work to build trust based on his conduct in the courtroom, he said.

"All of this is to say that the importance of city court cannot be understated, and experience matters, qualifications matter," Thurston said.

Staff writer Ryan Franklin can be reached at (315) 282-2252 or ryan.franklin@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @RyanNYFranklin

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City

 Rowdy D. Alnutt, 47, 2805 Hollypoint Court, Arlington, Texas, was charged Oct. 17 with a first-offense driving while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of .08 of 1 percent.

 Joshua S. Gehring, 27, 16 N. Fulton St., Apt. 2, Auburn, was charged Oct. 16 with petit larceny.

 Austin William Dotach, 23, 14269 Fair Haven Road, Sterling, was picked up on a warrant Oct. 17 and charged with second-degree aggravated harassment.

 Lori Ann Wentworth, 29, 34 Bradford St., Auburn, was picked up on a warrant Oct. 17 and charged with third-degree burglary and petit larceny.

 Michael Ray Schumaker, 24, 202 Van Anden St., Auburn, was charged Oct. 18 with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

 Christie Anne Blaisdell, 38, of 8 Frederick St., Auburn, was picked up on an arrest warrant Oct. 18 and charged with fourth-degree welfare fraud, fourth-degree grand larceny, first-degree filing of a false instrument and misuse of food stamps.

 Paul Stanley Roof, 33, transient, Auburn, was charged Oct. 19 with third-degree criminal mischief and fourth-degree criminal mischief.

 Daniel August Legrett, 22, transient, Auburn, was charged Oct. 19 with charged with second-degree criminal contempt and fourth-degree criminal mischief.

State

 David E. Peckham, 60, Elbridge, was charged Oct. 15 with third-degree grand larceny.

 Michael D. Freeman, 45, Auburn, was charged Oct. 15 with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

 Benjamin H. Tanner, 45, Port Byron, was charged Oct. 8 with aggravated unlicensed operation and driving while intoxicated-first offense.

 Latoya D. Alexander, 37, Auburn, was charged Oct. 18 with petit larceny.

 Shawn M. Farrel, 23, Martville, was charged Oct. 18 with fourth-degree criminal mischief.

 Robert A. Derue, 19, Elbridge, was charged Oct. 19 with fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and endangering the welfare of a child.

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Last year, the United Kingdom passed a new law that would impose heavy fines on porn sites that failed to verify their users' ages, using software to make sure that no one under 18 could access the adult content they offer. But though the new restrictions were scheduled to be put in place in April, the law still has not taken effect.

Moreover, new guidelines for implementing the new system have only raised new questions, according to a report this week by Britains Guardian newspaper. In what may be good news for porn fans but bad news for advocates of the new planned restrictions, the guidelines allow exemptions for sites whose content is less than one-third porn, and which do not charge fees for access.

That loophole would exempt social media platforms such as Twitter and the online forum Reddit which contain plenty of explicit pornographic contentbut not enough to exceed the limit of one-third of all content on the vast platforms.

They havent explained how they define percentage. Are they going to count the number of pixels on the screen? Whats a third? Its very wide and arbitrary and very difficult to define," Jim Killock, director of the Open Rights Group, which opposed the planned restrictions, told The Guardian. "It shows the underlying problem. They are not trying to catch everything, they are not trying to remove all porn, only some. And when thats combined with fines and blocking of contentand therefore targeting users as well as companiesyou end up with a policy thats pretty incoherent.

Privacy issues have also posed significant concerns about the new U.K. law. Users would be required to upload their personal data and identity information to verify their agesinformation could be exposed or misused online, as AVN.com has reported.

While the new guidelines propose a system for protecting user data, the guidelines also make the system voluntary, meaning that age-verification companies can choose whether to follow those rules or not.

Which is kind of crazy, Killock told the site The Verge. It means the government has basically conceded [that privacy is threatened], but regulators wont be able to do anything about it.

The U.K.'s Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, Margot James, told the British parliament last week that she expects the new anti-porn law will face legal challenges that could cost the U.K. taxpayer up to 10 million, or $13 million, in its first year alone.

Photo by WillVision/Wikimedia Commons
NEWARK, DelawareMILFTrip.com is a new paysite from Delaware based affiliate program Monger Cash. Featuring "the Moms your Mother warned you about," MILFTrip.com joins the company's growing list of exclusive and well-branded websites.

As the site says, 'We Brake For Hot Moms.' When a MILF looking for a little action finds a younger man, sparks fly, a Monger Cash spokesperson said. MILFTrip.com gives you the best of both worlds  eager women who know their way around a cock, and no pissed-off husband to deal with.

MILFTrip features exclusive content of mature performers from all over the U.S. having their way with younger men in scenes that include POV, creampie and multiple pops. MILFTrip is built to appeal to every man who knows that women don't lose their sex appeal after 30," the company spokesperson said. With MILFTrip, Monger Cash continues its diversification into new markets, expanding on the legacy of Asian-niched sites long associated with the company.

With regular updates as more and more people  fans and performers alike  enter the MILF demographic, MILFTrip.com is positioned to serve users for years to come. For 10 years, we have always strived to provide quality content for our customers to enjoy," the Monger Cash spokesperson said. "We've certainly achieved that with our previous sites and are confident MILFTrip.com will serve its niche customers well."
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.The Str8UpGayPorn Awards are just around the corner, and its promoters have announced a Str8UpGayPorn Awards Weekend kick-off party this Friday, October 19, at Evita, taking place at SBE Group hotspot Nightingale. The party will begin at 10:30 PM and go till 2 AM with no cover.

From the producers of Daddy Issues and Summer Tramp, Ollywood and Andres Rigal, Evita has become the place to be in LA on a Friday night. With its mix of people and stunning setting, it's the perfect place to kick off the Str8UpGayPorn Awards weekend.

Industry and fans are invited to come kick-off Str8UpGayPorn Award's Weekend with BelAmi stars in town all the way from Europe: Kevin Warhol, Helmut Huxley, Nils Tatum, and Phillipe Gaudin. Joining them will be CockyBoys' stars flying in from New York: Levi Karter, Calvin Banks, Sean Ford, Carter Dane, and Troy Accola. Together, they will help kick off the weekend in style and meet fans throughout the night.

There will also be a live performance by Ruba and stage shows by Abhora & Creme Fatale along with DJ James Cerne and DJ Aaron Elvis spinning on the dance floor.

Executive Producer Davyd Dixon stated, "Anyone in LA knows that Evita at Nightingale is the Friday night hotspot and we are honored to be able to celebrate the kick-off of an amazing weekend at such a beautiful space, on a huge night! A big thank you to Cyndi DirtyHen for putting this incredible kick-off together with Ollywood and Andres Rigal from Evita."

Nightingale Plaza is located At 643 N LaCienega Blvd., West Hollywood, CA.

The 2018 Str8UpGayPorn Awards, hosted by Bianca Del Rio, taking place on Sunday, October 21, at the historic Avalon in Hollywood, is on the verge of fully selling out! Get remaining tickets at Str8UpGayPornAwards.com.




BUDAPESTEvery year Dogfart director Billy Watson heads to Europe with an army of studs. Among them is Jax Slayher, ready to engage with busty Euro sensation Angel Wicky in a scene for CuckoldSessions.com.

The plot involves multi-millionaire Steve Steele, whose dream to marry a young European hottie has come true ... but it appears there's some serious downsides. He's married to a Czech woman named Angel Wicky: blonde, busty, in her 30s ... and always horny. Too horny, in fact. Steele simply can't fuck her enough. But Steve is friends with Amirah Adara, so he knows the Dogfart crew has invaded Budapest. Specifically "Cuckold Master" Jax Slayher, who loves to pound beautiful wives in front of their impotent hubbies. That's exactly what Jax does, all the while Angel reminds Steve what a pathetic loser he is. (View the NSFW trailer here.)

To get a sneak peek into all Dogfart productions, visit DogfartBehindTheScenes.com.

For the latest updates and membership deals, follow Dogfart on Twitter.

Dogfart content can be view via membership sites here or on the Dogfart VOD site.
ALBANY, New York, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a recent report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the vendor landscape of the global hair care market is expected to increase at a steady pace owing to the demand for manageable, healthy and lustrous hair in the market. In the years to come, the market for hair care is anticipated to grow significantly across both the developing as well as developed nations of the world. This is because of the rise in research and development activities in order to enhance hair care products.

Some of the leading players of the global hair care market are Avon Products Inc., Revlon Inc., Amka Products (Pty) Ltd., Unilever plc, and LOreal S.A. The competitive landscape of the hair care market is tremendously consolidated due to the presence of many manufacturers both at domestic as well as international level. New players are restricted to enter the market as the competition among vendors is very intense.

Get a PDF Sample - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=310

As per the TMR report, the global hair care market is projected to earn a US$105.3 bn by the end of 2024. The market is estimated to expand with 3.0% CAGR during the period of 2016 to 2024. The value of the market was worth US$81.3 bn in 2015 as per the TMR records. With respect to product type, the shampoo segment is estimated to draw more revenue as compared to the others with a 30.9% share in 2015. This is because of innovation of product based on the evolving needs of the customers.

Asia Pacific Market to Increase at Faster Rate Owing to Rise in Disposable Incomes

Owing to the increased emphasis on technological innovation in order to formulate new hair care products, the market for hair care products is likely to see a rapid growth. Another major factor to boost the global marker for hair care is the rising level of pollution all across the world. It is proved that air pollution is the main cause of hair loss and hair damage, Many manufacturers have started focusing on developing strategies accordingly and this is likely to remain fruitful for the growth of the hair care market in the future years to come.

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Apart from that, a key driver for boosting the global hair care market is the increasing demand for hair care products made especially for men. As per old traditions, the hair care and cosmetic market was earlier dominated by the women folks but in todays generation, both men and women are anxious about their health, skin as well as hair. This is likely to open lucrative opportunities for manufacturers as men nowadays even take care of their facial hair apart from the usual oiling and shampooing of their heads.

Rapid urbanization and the increase in disposable incomes in emerging nations like India and China along with the others are leading to the promotion of international hair care brands which are easily available. This in turn has led to a balanced demand from both the male and female demographics.

From a geographical perspective, the global hair care market is anticipated to be dominated by Asia Pacific. It is most likely to register a stable growth and continue to dominate the market. This is due to the contribution from developing nations of China and India.

Request a Custom Report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=310

Rising Popularity of Natural Products Hindering Market Growth

Although the market for hair care is projected to be stable in its growth rates, however, a few factors like promotion of organic products may affect the growth of the overall market. A key factor that may hamper the market is the increasing demand for natural products. This is because of the fact that consumers know the amount of chemicals used for producing the hair care chemicals and they want to shift towards the natural remedies instead of acquiring chemicals to protect their hair.

The information presented in this review is based on a TMR report titled, Hair Care Market (Product Type - Shampoo, Hair Color, Conditioner, Hair Styling Products, and Hair Oil) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016  2024.

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MEM (Middle East Monitor)

Egypt yesterday announced the arrival of the first electric bus from China which will service the Alexandria Corniche Road.

Local media, including the state-run Al-Akhbar newspaper, reported that the first electric bus has arrived in the port of Alexandria coming from the port of Shanghai, China, as part of supply contract that includes 15 electric buses.

The new bus is scheduled to enter the transport system after a three-month trial, said Khalid Eliwa, chairman of the General Authority for Passenger Transport in Alexandria.

The electric bus can carry 90 passengers and its batteries can be charged every three to four hours, allowing it to travel 250 kilometres without air-conditioning or 210 kilometres with air conditioning on, he said.

READ: Egypt strikes deal for greater investment from China

After the three month trial, he added, Egypt will be ready to receive the 14 other buses which were agreed upon, to ensure the highest performance under the Egyptian weather.

Egypt signed a contract for the supply of 15 electric buses from China in January making it the first country in the Middle East to operate such buses.
Egypt Today

Minister of Planning and Administrative Reform Hala el Saeed - File Photo

CAIRO - 16 October 2018: Egypts balance of payments recorded a surplus of $12.8 billion, compared to a deficit of $11.3 billion in 2012, according to Planning Minister Hala el-Saeed.

Saeed added that the volume of reserves now covers nine months of imports, compared to three months in 2012.

Regarding remittances from expatriates, she said that they increased to $26.4 billion, adding that exports marked an increase of 40 percent, targeting to hit 70 percent during the upcoming two years.

She further noted that political stability was reflected on the tourism sector, and revenues of the Suez Canal hiked 15 percent.

"We are shifting from an economy based on the exploitation of raw materials and natural resources to an economy whose focus is deepening domestic industrialization and human capital," she said, noting that the source of 5.3 percent growth comes from increased investment and net foreign trade, which is reflected in more job opportunities.

The minister referred that the overall economic and administrative reform program initiated by the Egyptian government in 2016 helped the country restore macroeconomic stability, with a growth rate of 5.3 percent at the end of 2017/2018, compared to a growth rate of 2.9 percent in 2014.

She also addressed the administrative reform system, referring to the restructuring of organizational units within the administrative system and the development of a number of new departments such as human resources, auditing and internal audit, strategic planning departments and policies.

Saeed said earlier that Egypt is expected to achieve a growth rate of 7.5 to 8 percent by the end of a four-year plan.
Egypt Today

File: An army check point is seen in El-Arish city, in North Sinai July 15, 2013- Reuters

CAIRO  14 October 2018: Compensations of more than LE 1.3 billion were provided to the residents, who were living along the Gaza Strip Border Crossing with Egypt in Northern Sinai to establish the buffer zone.

In an interview with "Egypt Today" program, military spokesman Tamer el-Rifai said that more than 3,000 underground tunnels connecting Egypt with Gaza Strip were found along the border in the past few years.

He added that these tunnels threaten Egypt's national security amid fears that militants could use them to smuggle weapons, ammunition, drugs and fighters inside Sinai.

Therefore, he added, Egypts Cabinet issued decree No.1008 of 2015 to establish a buffer zone on the borders between Egypt and Gaza to combat terrorism and prevent establishing more underground tunnels.

Rifai further remarked that the buffer zone has been constructed in phases to give the residents sufficient time to evacuate their homes, and more than LE 1.3 billion were provided to the residents as compensations.

He pointed out the Armed Forces Engineering Authority is currently working on establishing the new Rafah city with 10016 housing units.

Egypt established the buffer zone following October 2014's deadly attack on the army post at Sheikh Zuweid, Northern Sinai that killed at least 31 soldiers.

However, building the buffer zone required the army to demolish thousands of homes found in that zone and evacuate tens of thousands of residents. In return, the government has provided the residents with financial compensations.

The buffer zone will be a closed military zone constructed within 100 meters inside the Gaza strip, in order to facilitate the surveillance of borders, prevent the smuggling of arms and drugs into Egyptian territories, and cut jihadis off from their Gaza supply route.

It is equipped with surveillance cameras and watch towers.

The zone includes barbed wire, CCTV cameras and a control room to monitor the borders.

This is part of Egypts efforts to root out terrorism from Northern and Central Sinai.

In February 2018, army spokesman Rifai announced in a strongly worded televised statement that the military and police forces initiated Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018.

The operation involved land, naval and air forces, as well as the police and border guards, targeting "terrorist and criminal elements and organizations" in North and Central Sinai, as well as parts of the Nile Delta and the Western Desert along the porous border with Libya, strongholds of a persistent Islamic State (IS) group insurgency that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and policemen.

During the ongoing military operation, army and security forces managed to eliminate dozens of takfiri elements, seize a number of explosive devices, weapons and ammunition, and damage cannabis farms, besides other accomplishments, according to the consecutive army statements.
Note: An earlier version of this article was published in Arabic in Al Ahram Daily on October 10, 2018.

Two scenes stunned the world recently. The first was of actor Bill Cosby, aka the American Dad, being led to prison in handcuffs, having been convicted of raping several women a few years back. Earlier four universities had rescinded the honorary degrees that had been bestowed upon him.

The second scene, which occurred on the same day, was of Judge Brett Kavanaughs address to the Senate Committee as part of an investigation into sexual assault charges three women had accused Kavanaugh of. Judge Brett Kavanaughs was President Trumps justice nominee to the Supreme Court, a lifetime position that can change how the laws in the US are interpreted. Since then, Kavanaugh has been confirmed as the ninth justice on the Supreme Court.

These two incidents highlighted the rampant wave of sexual misconduct charges made against dozens of reputable figures in the US. Harvey Weinstein, the famous director, came first; he was followed by Kevin Spacey, the renowned actor; and soon afterwards journalists, TV anchors, musicians, physicians, and many more were viewed as sexual predators.

Even Charlie Rose who interviewed prominent presidents and dignitaries such as President Mubarak, Mrs. Jehan El Sadat, President Putin, and President Sadat, had his program cancelled due to sexual accusations and misconduct.

In fact, thousands of women, maybe even millions, have been harassed, groped, and even raped. The #metoo movement brought these cases to the limelight and allowed the victims to break their silence while shaming their perpetrators.

We may never know why prominent, leading figures in a non-restrictive society would resort to such shameful acts. At least this is not our goal in today's argument.

These many offensive episodes had me go back, yet again, to the poll conducted by Thomas Reuters Foundation at the end of 2017, in which it asked 15 experts in 19 megacities how well women are protected from sexual violence and harmful cultural practices and whether they have good access to healthcare, finance, and education.

Cairo was rated the worst overall. It ranked the third worst megacity for women as far as exposure to sexual harassment and the most dangerous for women in general. Once the survey was announced, western media promoted the findings vehemently.

I dont doubt that women in Cairo are harassed and sexually abused, but I doubt that Cairo is in any way worse than any other city especially since the abuse that girls are exposed to on the streets rarely turns into anything further than that: harassment.

In no way am I defending the sexual harassment existing on the streets of Cairo, which is a vile prevalent violation, but we havent heard of a judge, a lawyer, or a doctor that went around groping women, exposing himself indecently, or, heaven forbid, raping anyone. These malicious acts belong amongst the reputable men of other countries but not Egypt.

I would be the first to say that Egyptian women, in general and up to this moment, would not come forward with such accusations. Modesty, shame, and dignity forbid them from being that explicit; however, if sexually harassed, the abused would disclose their ordeals to close friends or sisters. And then, society as a whole will recognize the prevalence of such actions in its midst.

We cant deny that perverts exist everywhere, but they are not as prominent amongst the reputable or at the same rate in Egypt as elsewhere.

We can agree with the poll that harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation is rampant in Egypt though by far less in Cairo. But wasnt it the Human Rights Watch that said that More stringent penalties for female genital mutilation approved by Egypts parliament on August 31, 2016, are a step toward eliminating the practice? The new penalties are prison terms of five to seven years for those who carry out female genital mutilation and up to 15 years if the mutilation causes permanent disability or death.

As far as access to healthcare, women and men receive the same treatment with no discrimination. Still, I would call on the Thomson Reuters Foundation to refer to the 1.8 million Egyptians that have been cured of Hepatitis C in the last two years and the current campaign to detect, treat, and eradicate Hepatitis C altogether from Egypt. If the Thomson Reuters Foundation would have referred to such successful stories, its study wouldve come across as balanced and acceptable.

Reuters shouldve been more exhaustive in its research and more thorough in its conclusions re Egypt and Cairo in particular. Indeed, Reuters should have addressed these accusations to the reputable members of other regions in the world.
Islamists and jihadists in Egypt have targeted the Egyptian Coptic minorities for decades with bombings and mob attacks on Coptic churches, businesses and homes. Many are sanctioned by fatwas from radicalclerics, Salafist preachers and Muslim Brotherhood muftis.

The latest attack took place Sept. 1 in Dimshaw, a village in southern Egypt's Minya governorate. A mob of nearly 1,000 Islamists and Muslim radicals attacked Christians who gathered in a home to pray. Several homes reportedly were looted and set on fire. The mob claimed that the Christians didn't have a license, and a rumor spread that they are on the verge of building a new church. A Minya court released 21 of the 25 people arrested in the attack.

Copts often take a passive approach to such crises. "Copts, by nature and by belief, are by far more accepting of death, fate, and all tragedies that befall them," said Egyptian writer and political analyst Azza Sedky. "When one of them dies, they believe he or she has gone to a 'better place.' Acceptance is key."

The 1956 Suez crisis generated xenophobia toward foreigners, driving many out of Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood stepped up activities around that time and "began to play [its] tricks and the antagonism [against religious minorities] intensified, especially in rural areas," she said.

Spreading rumors is a long-standing tactic for the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1947, for example, a Cairo police officer tried to stop an unlicensed Brotherhood political march. The protesters then spread a rumor that the officer tore a copy of the Quran, which triggered a riot in which he was killed. Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna blamed the slain police officer for not acting prudently.

A rumor spread by the Muslim Brotherhood in 1952 claimed that Copts in Suez were colluding with British occupation forces to kill Muslims. As a result, a mob stormed the city and burned several Copts alive, later throwing their bodies into a church which was then burned down. The "Suez Massacre" marked the beginning of a long series of assaults and killings of Copts based on rumors spread by Brotherhood and other Islamists.

Rumors spread by Islamists claimed that Copts were importing arms from Israel and storing them in churches.

Since the June 2013 Revolution, Egypt's Christians have been blamed for Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi's ouster, with Islamists leaders vowing that Christians will pay the price. They carried through on those threats in August 2013, immediately after the Egyptian army wiped out the Brotherhood's Rabaa armed encampment. Islamists torched 66 Coptic owned buildings, including 49 churches.

Major attacks against Copts continued. A December 2016 bombing at Cairo's St. Mark Church during Sunday Mass killed 29 people and injured 48 others. A twin bombing four months later targeted a Palm Sunday service the St. Mark Church in Alexandria and St. George Church in the Nile Delta City of Tanta north of Cairo. At least 45 people were killed and 126 injured.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi immediately ordered that the targeted churches be rebuilt or repaired, sending a message that the government will protect its citizens. Nevertheless, that message has not yet led to stricter enforcement of laws on assailants and radicals who incite violence.

A new church building law aimed at helping Copts may actually create harm, said Mohamed Abu Hamed, the deputy head of the Egyptian Parliament's "Solidarity Committee," which is designated to introduce laws and recommendations for social justice. The law should have applied to all places of worship, he said, but covers only church construction.

Attacks on Copts have decreased in recent years after efforts to round up Islamist leaders, and Egyptian police raids on terrorist cells. Copts, however, still represent a top target for Islamists who don't believe that this minority should have the same rights and freedom to worship.

The latest attack on Christians in Minya may indicate a return to a pattern of attacking Copts during prayers services. In July 2015, radicals attacked a house designated to the Copts as a church. Salafi radicals stoned those gathered, but fled when security forces arrived. They came back and threw Molotov cocktails at the gathered Copts.

For decades, local authorities approved "customary reconciliations" to resolve disputes, including those between Muslims and Christians. Community leaders, heads of families, tribe leaders and local authority figures meet to try to resolve conflicts without going to court.

But they don't always produce just outcomes, Abu Hamed said.

"Despite the existence of an old judicial system that dates back to the times of the pharaohs, authorities still utilize the so called 'customary reconciliations' instead of applying the laws which is a blatant breach of the constitution and rule of law. What makes it worse is that these meetings are attended by security authorities, political leaders and governors among others," he said. "Some authority figures believe these meetings create a sort of equilibrium, or it provides them with political and social leverage. The second reason is they believe it is the easier way to contain matters in face of the Salafist groups and radicals."

On a similar note, Coptic Bishop Macarius rejected all forms of unofficial reconciliation.

Conditions for Copts are improving despite these troubles, Sedky said, noting that "Sisi was the first president to attend mass on Christmas Eve in Egypt," a groundbreaking action countering Salafists who tell Egyptians not to shake hands with Copts.

"However, as [with] everything else," she said, "it will take generations to overcome an ingrained hatred that was left to flourish for years."

The current atmosphere is still ripe for the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists to spew their poisonous ideologies, lies and rumors, Abu Hamed said. He blames a tepid effort from Al Azhar  Sunni Islam's most prestigious institution  to reform religious curriculum; a significant Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi presence in key positions within state religious institutions; and Muslim Brotherhood control of mosques which spread hateful ideology despite a state ban.

Until that reform happens, Egypt's Coptic population will remain threatened by violence from radical groups. Safety cannot be attained simply through security measures. Social measures, including educational and social reforms and the full application of the law are required to create full equality for all Egyptians.

Hany Ghoraba is an Egyptian writer, political and counter-terrorism analyst at Al Ahram Weekly, author ofEgypt's Arab Spring: The Long and Winding Road to Democracy and a regular contributor to the BBC.
LAS VEGAS, NV, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Las Vegas Xpress, Inc. (OTCPK:LVXI) announced today that the X Train ( www.vegasxtrain.com ), which is planned to operate from Southern California to Las Vegas in mid-year 2019, has acquired the Affiliated Passenger Car Fleet from United Rail, Inc. (OTCPK:XTRND) for an undisclosed sum. The car fleet is a consortium of privately owned vintage passenger rail cars which are no longer able to operate on Amtrak trains since this service was discontinued by Amtrak earlier in the year.



We have assembled over 20 vintage passenger railroad cars in our fleet, stated Dianne D. David, President of Las Vegas Xpress. We moved the car fleet to Las Vegas Xpress from United Rail, Inc. now that we have a target date to run in mid-year 2019. This now gives us a fabulous 'retro fleet' of cars from the classic era of railroading to include in our LA to Vegas consist.

Michael Barron, CEO of freight consolidator United Rail, Inc. said, We decided to transfer the Affiliated Passenger Car Fleet to Las Vegas Xpress. The Company needs these cars as they plan to run next year. This gives them control over the consist.

Mr. Barron added, United Rail Inc. has its hands full with its consolidation freight business. LVXI is a better home for the cars as we move forward.

About Las Vegas Xpress, Inc

Las Vegas Xpress, Inc. is in the rail service business and operates specialty passenger trains from metropolitan areas in the US to resort gaming/casino destinations. The Company has three operating divisions: The X Train (a Southern California to Las Vegas passenger train), X Wine Railroad, and Club X -- our membership club. The company owns a licensed IATIAN travel agency, X Train Vacations which books excursion rail travel for passengers. ( www.vegasxtrain.com )

About United Rail Inc.

United Rail, Inc. is in the business of acquiring short line railroads in both the passenger operations sector as well as freight operations. The company has been active in this space for five years. It has operated both passenger rail excursions and short line freight operations and plans to develop rail infrastructure projects and terminal operations. It has an active pipeline of acquisitions of seven companies with revenues of $10 million and earnings of $3.2 million. ( www.unitedrailinc.com ).

Forward-looking Statements:

This press release may contain forward-looking statements regarding Las Vegas Xpress, Inc. (the Company) within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding: the financial outlook of the Company, the general ability of the Company to achieve its commercial objectives; the business strategy, plans and objectives of the Company and its subsidiaries; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as believes, expects, anticipates, seeks, should, could, intends, or projects or similar expressions, and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. The Companys actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and uncertainties, and may be beyond the Companys ability to foresee or control. Las Vegas Xpress, Inc. does not undertake an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, and all forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by all such risk factors and other cautionary statements. The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof.




Ready-to-fill pastry manufacturer Pidy has advised customers to stock up in case of Brexit-related shortages  and has unveiled plans to grow its presence in the UK.

The business said it might look to open a UK factory in the future, and has launched a new UK website focused on the B2B market.

Speaking at the business Technipat factory in Rethel, France, this week, Pidy general manager Robert Whittle told British Baker the business was taking action to ensure its place in the UK market would be secure after 29 March, when the UK is due to leave the EU.

Pidy is encouraging UK customers to stock up on its products from January to March, to ensure they dont run short should stock take longer to travel across the border. The manufacturer has also put plans in place for customers to purchase in both euros and sterling to overcome any currency fluctuations.

Pidy currently has two factories in France including its Technipat site, plus one in Belgium and one in the US, and Whittle said there was potential for a UK factory in the future.

In the meantime, Pidy is looking for a storage facility in the UK to hold stock, as storage space can be an issue for chefs and bakers.

Plans to increase its UK presence are being supported with a new website aimed at chefs rather than retailers, and will include recipe videos, company information, news and new products.

Whittle added that that the site would be tailored to meet the needs of Pidys two core markets: high-end chefs catering for conferences and banquets; and chefs who arent experts at making their own pastry. The website will be live in the next few weeks.


Gov. Roy Cooper (CJ file photo)

Voters tend to credit the governor for a state's strong economy and fiscal health. Governors tend to take the blame when the news isn't so good.This focus on the state's most high-profile government official shouldn't surprise anyone. But two national reports issued this month should lead us to question popular assumptions about the governor's leading role. The reports' contrasting assessments of North Carolina deserve closer scrutiny.First, the good news. The free-market Mercatus Center at George Mason University now ranks the Tar Heel State No. 9 in the country for its fiscal health. As Lindsay Marchello reported in Carolina Journal, that overall top-10 ranking includes ranks of No. 2 for budget solvency and No. 8 for long-term solvency. North Carolina fares slightly worse for trust-fund (No. 14), service-level (No. 16), and cash (No. 23) solvency.The overall ranking attracted attention from Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, a chief architect of state government's fiscal policy since 2011.Berger's office highlighted in a news release.Berger's news release continued.For the last two years, that General Assembly has worked with Democrat Roy Cooper in the executive mansion. One might expect that Cooper could take some credit for Mercatus' recent kudos.Not so fast. A report card issued on the same day as the Mercatus Center ranking offers a much different assessment of Cooper's performance as fiscal steward.The libertarian Cato Institute assigns Cooper an F for his fiscal policies. Yep. The governor of the state with the ninth-best fiscal status earns a failing grade for his fiscal policies.Lest you think the Cato crowd consists of particularly harsh graders, consider the following: Only one other Southern governor, John Bel Edwards of Louisiana, earns an F. Just eight governors nationwide earn that dubious distinction.Among our neighbors, Georgia's Nathan Deal gets a B and Tennessee's Bill Haslam a D. Those who especially relish competition with the "other" Carolina might cringe when they see an A grade for Henry McMaster of South Carolina. McMaster is one of just five governors nationwide to secure the top letter grade.How does a governor in a state with so much recent economic success flunk Cato's test?according to Cato's report. It notes the governor's 6.5 percent proposed state government spending increase for 2019. The report also explains that the state enacted budgets with smaller spending increases only after lawmakers voted to override Cooper's vetoes.Cato researchers add. They cite his opposition to legislated changes thatThe Cato report assigns Cooper a simple motive.report author Chris Edwards told Carolina Journal Radio.Contrast Cooper with his South Carolina counterpart.according to the Cato report.While Cooper has stamped his veto on GOP budget bills that spent money more frugally than he wished, "McMaster vetoed a transportation bill that raised gas taxes by 12 cents per gallon and jacked up vehicle fees." The S.C. legislature overrode McMaster's veto, but the Cato report credits him nonetheless for his efforts.Cooper and McMaster. Two governors with different fiscal priorities. Two governors with polar opposite grades on Cato's report card.One of them leads the state with the third-best fiscal health ranking in the Southeast and the ninth-best ranking among the nation's 50 states. The fact that Roy Cooper, not Henry McMaster, enjoys that honor should remind us that there's much more to a state's fiscal health than the man or woman who sits behind the governor's desk.
English French

Paris, October 19, 2018

Permanent information

CeGeReal announces the success of its 79,900,687.50 capital increase WITH SHAREHOLDERS' PREFERENTIAL SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS TO FINANCE

A PORTION OF ITS CONTEMPLATED REAL ESTATE PROPERTY ACQUISITION

Cegereal (the "Company") announces the success of its 79,900,687.50 capital increase with shareholders' preferential subscription rights (the "Capital Increase"). The Capital Increase will result in the issuance of 2,228,750 new ordinary shares (the "New Shares") at a subscription price of 35.85 per New Share.

The proceeds of the Capital Increase will be used to finance a portion of the acquisition of the Passy Kennedy building (for an amount of 218 million), announced on 18 September 2018. The entire balance of the acquisition price will be financed by a bank loan of an amount of approximately 145 million euros in order to cover costs related to the acquisition and expenses related to the Passy Kennedy building.

Following the subscription period, which ended on 15 October 2018, total subscription orders amounted to 87,988,447.50, representing a total subscription rate of 110.12 %:

- 2,015,306 New Shares were subscribed on an irreducible basis (a titre irreductible) i.e., 90.42 % of the New Shares to be issued; and

- 439,044 New Shares were requested on a reducible basis (a titre reductible), i.e., 19.70 % of the New Shares to be issued, and were only be satisfied with respect to 213,444 New Shares.

In accordance with their commitments and after the scale for allotment has been applied, Northwood Investors and GIC have fully exercised their preferential subscription rights and have subscribed on an irreducible basis (a titre irreductible) and on a reducible basis (a titre reductible) for 1,381,185 New Shares and 623,521 New Shares, respectively, representing an amount of 49,515,482.25 (i.e., 62% of the New Shares to be issued) and 22,353,227.85 (i.e., 28% of the New Shares to be issued), respectively.

After completion of the Capital Increase, Northwood Investors and GIC will hold 56.32% and 25.43% of the share capital of the Company, respectively.

Settlement and delivery of the New Shares should take place on 25 October 2018 in accordance with the calendar of the Capital Increase. The listing of the New Shares on the regulated market of Euronext Paris (Segment B) on the same line as the existing shares (FR FR0010309096) should take place on 25 October 2018 in accordance with the calendar of the Capital Increase. As from that date, the share capital of Cegereal will be composed of 15,601,250 shares with a nominal value of 5 each, for a total nominal share capital of 78,006,250, split as follows:

Ownership structure Shares Number % Northwood (1) 8 786 679 56,32% GIC (2) 3 966 646 25,43% Free float (3) 2 847 925 18,25% Total 15 601 250 100% (1) means the companies NW CGR 1 S.a.r.l., NW CGR 2 S.a.r.l. and NW CGR 3 S.a.r.l., member of the Northwood Parties Concerted Action (2) means the company Euro Bernini Private Limited (3) means the free float including the companies AXA and University of Texas

The New Shares will carry full rights (jouissance courante) as from their issue date and will be immediately fully fungible with the existing shares already traded on the regulated market of Euronext Paris.

Societe Generale acted as sole global coordinator and bookrunner of the transaction, and BNP Paribas as co-bookrunner.

Lock-up

The Company has agreed to a lock-up period expiring 90 calendar days following the settlement and delivery date of the New Shares, subject to certain customary exceptions.

Information available to the public

The Company has published a French language prospectus, which has received AMF visa n 18-462 on 28 September 2018, comprising (i) the registration document (document de reference) of the Company filed with the AMF on 28 March 2018 under number D.18-0188, (ii) the interim financial report as of 30 June 2018 (rapport financier semestriel) and (iii) a securities note (note d'operation) (including a summary of the prospectus).

Cegereal draws the public's attention to the risk factors included in pages 88 to 90 of the registration document, pages 20 to 21 of the interim financial report and in chapter 2 of the securities note (note d'operation).

Hard copies of the French language prospectus are available free of charge at the Company's headquarters, located at 42 rue de Bassano, 75008 Paris. The French language prospectus is also available on the Company's website (www.cegereal.com) and on the AMF's website (www.amf-france.org).

For more information, contact:

Media Relations

Alienor Miens / Alexandre Dechaux

+33 7 62 72 71 15

cegereal@citigatedewerogerson.com Investor Relations

Charlotte de Laroche /

+33 1 42 25 76 38

info@cegereal.com

About Cegereal

Created in 2006, Cegereal is a commercial property company that invests in prime office properties in Greater Paris. The portfolio's appraisal value is estimated at 1,174 million at 30 June 2018.

From an environmental point of view, Cegereal's portfolio is fully certified with NF HQETM Exploitation and BREEAM In-Use International certification, and benefits from the "Green Star" rating in the international GRESB benchmark.

Cegereal is a REIT listed on Euronext Paris since 2006, in compartment B (ISIN: FR0010309096). The Company had a market capitalization of  495 million on 18 October 2018.

www.cegereal.com

Disclaimer

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute either an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase the Company's securities.

The release, publication or distribution of this press release in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by laws or regulations. Therefore, persons in such jurisdictions into which this press release is released, published or distributed must inform themselves about and comply with such laws or regulations. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

The information contained in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete and no reliance may be placed by any person for any purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy, fairness or completeness. Any purchase of securities should be made solely on the basis of the information contained in the prospectus issued by the Company.

European Economic Area

The offer is open to the public in France.

With respect to each Member State of the European Economic Area other than France which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (the "Member State"), no action has been undertaken or will be undertaken to make an offer to the public of securities requiring a publication of a prospectus in any Member State. As a result, the preferential subscription rights, the new shares or other securities of the Company may only be offered in Member States:

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive ; to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined by the Prospectus Directive) in each Member State; or in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive.

and provided that no such offer of securities referred to in (a) to (b) above shall require the Company or Societe Generale or BNP Paribas to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive, or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

For the purposes of this provision (i) the expression an "offer of securities to the public" in relation to any securities in any Relevant Member State which has implemented the Prospectus Directive (as defined below) means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the securities, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, (ii) the expression "Prospectus Directive" means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State and (iii) the expression "2010 PD Amending Directive" means Directive 2010/73/EU.

These selling restrictions with respect to Member States apply in addition to any other selling restrictions which may be applicable in the Member States who have implemented the Prospectus Directive.

United Kingdom

This press release is distributed only to, and directed only at, "qualified investors" (as defined in section 86(7) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) who are (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended) (the "Order") or (ii) persons falling within Article 49(2) (a) to (d) of the Order (high net worth entities, non-registered associations, etc.) (all such persons being referred to as "Qualified Persons"). This press release is directed only at Qualified Persons. Any investment or investment activity applies to, and may only be made by, Qualified Persons. In the United Kingdom, any investment activity to which this press release relates is only available to, and will be engaged in only with, Qualified Persons. Any person who is not a Qualified Person shall not act or rely on this press release or on any information contained herein.

United States

This document does not constitute an offer to sell, or a solicitation of offers to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US. Securities Act"), and may not be offered, subscribed or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. The shares of the Company have not been and will not be registered under the US. Securities Act and the Company does not intend to register any portion of the proposed offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering in the United States.

Canada, Australia and Japan

The new shares and the preferential subscription rights may not be offered, sold or purchased in Canada (subject to certain exceptions and pursuant to procedures set out by the Company), Australia or Japan.

In connection with any offering of the securities referred thereto, Societe Generale, BNP Paribas and any of their affiliates, may take up as a principal position any securities and in that capacity may retain, purchase, sell or offer to sell for their own accounts such securities and other related securities. In addition, they may enter into financing arrangements (including swaps or contracts for differences) with investors in connection with which they may from time to time acquire, hold or dispose of Securities. They do not intend to disclose the extent of any such investment or transactions otherwise than in accordance with any legal or regulatory obligation to do so.

Societe Generale and BNP Paribas are acting for the Company and no one else in connection with the offering of securities and will not regard any other person as their clients nor be responsible to any other person for providing the protections afforded to any of their clients or for providing advice in relation to any offering of the securities nor for providing advice in relation to the offering of securities, the contents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or other matter referred to herein.

None of Societe Generale, BNP Paribas nor any of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company, its subsidiaries or associated companies, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith.
Elevator offering guests direct access to City Creek Shopping Center now open



SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek announces the opening of its new elevator just in time for the holiday shopping season. The new elevator offers hotel guests direct access to the popular City Creek Shopping Center. In partnership with the areas best shopping center, the hotel offers guests a way to avoid the weather and the elements, taking advantage of covered shopping from the hotel.

In addition to the announcement, the hotel is also offering a holiday shopping package , which includes exclusive discounts for guests in town looking to get a head start on their holiday shopping. With the elevator officially opened and the holiday shopping season now underway in Salt Lake City, now is an ideal time to take advantage of the hotels limited time offer.

Holiday shoppers flocking to City Creek Center can use the elevator to access the hotel and enjoy a meal at Elevations featuring dishes made from freshly-sourced local ingredients. Savor classic American cuisine updated with Utah's bold flavors in the hotels welcoming downtown restaurant. The ski-lodge ambiance creates a relaxing setting, ideal for starting the day over breakfast, meeting with clients or catching up with family.

Guests can also fuel up for their shopping adventure by stopping by Starbucks, conveniently located at the hotel, for their favorite coffee drink and treats. Grab a coffee on your way to shopping at City Creek or pick up a gift card to give to friends or family.

With a prime location near historic Temple Square, the Salt Palace Convention Center and some of the best shopping in the area, Salt Lake Marriott Downtown makes for an unforgettable holiday shopping destination this season.

For more information or to book the hotels holiday shopping package, call +1 801-531-0800.

About Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek

Located in the heart of SLC, Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek offers superior services and a host of amenities for every traveler. Guests of the family-friendly hotel will enjoy spacious rooms with premium products and beautiful views of the city. Dine in the popular restaurant, Elevations, featuring the hotels delicious, locally-sourced creations or meet for drinks at the contemporary Destinations Lounge. Stretch your muscles in the 24-hour fitness center or relax in the indoor/outdoor pool. The hotels versatile venues are ideal for every event, including business meetings, social gatherings and weddings. When it's time to explore, you'll discover some of Salt Lake City's most famous attractions nearby, including Temple Square, Salt Palace Convention Center, University of Utah and high-end shopping at City Creek, next door.

CONTACT: Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek

75 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 USA

+1 801-531-0800

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/slcut-salt-lake-marriott-downtown-at-city-creek/

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/60aa4b67-5b53-40d2-993f-d27446d0f019




Computer Weekly  23 October 2018: Where next for digital identity?

In this weeks Computer Weekly, as the UK government hands its digital identity service, Gov.uk Verify, to the private sector, we examine the history and prospects for the troubled system. Our latest buyers guide looks at cloud-native architecture. And we compare the flash storage capabilities of the leading cloud providers, AWS, Azure and Google.

Also featured:

Microsofts multi-year effort to drive adoption of artificial intelligence technologies has entered a new phase, with it banking on openness and cross-industry collaboration to boost enterprise take-up.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals chief digital and information officer, Richard Corbridge, is putting to-gether a plan to make smarter use of information for the benefit of NHS staff and patients alike.

Carrefour represents a big-name contract win for Googles G Suite, but will Microsoft Office still dominate retail?
Twitter gets well-deserved attention for online harassment, but know who else has a huge problem there? Instagram. Big time.

"Instagram Has a Massive Harassment Problem,' as Taylor Lorenz reports for the Atlantic.

"The social network cast itself as the internet's kindest place. But users argue harassment is rampant, and employees say efforts to stem it aren't funded well or prioritized."

Says one unfortunate and prominent young IG personality, "Instagram is the No. 1 platform that I experience hate on." The piece goes into the numbers, it's a big thing that affects a lot of young people. One gets the impression that harassment wasn't something Instagram's designers considered, or hired professionals qualified to help them consider. And that design oversight is biting them and all their users in the butt.

Excerpt:

Last week, Instagram announced a set of new features to limit bullying and "spread kindness," including comment filters on live videos, a "kindness camera effect to spread positivity," and the deployment of machine-learning technology to better detect bullying in photos. When approached for comment, a Facebook spokesperson referred me to Instagram's communications team. Instagram declined to speak on the record about many of the particulars of its anti-harassment efforts. "We want people to come to Instagram and have a positive experienceto make friends, find interests, and do all the things that make Instagram such a positive place," Newton wrote in an October statement to The Atlantic. "Bullying and harassment are completely counter to the experience we work to create. We want to stop this behavior, and we want people to feel safe on Instagram, but we know we have a lot more to do." But in interviews, three current or former Instagram employees told The Atlantic that they do not believe the company has done enough to protect users from large-scale harassment, and that projects that would seem to tackle the issue are understaffed and unprioritized. "There's an effort called 'kindness,' which is to reduce bullying and harassment, but there's not that many people working on it," said Alex, a current Instagram employee who asked to be referred to by a gender-neutral pseudonym. "Generally, what you'll find is a lot of these efforts on harassment or bullying, or there's a new feature to track how much time you spendthey're mostly done for PR." Another Instagram employee told me nearly the same thing: that Instagram's anti-bullying rhetoric "doesn't seem connected to what's actually going on in the company."

Instagram Has a Massive Harassment Problem [The Atlantic]
Facebook is working very hard right now to prove it can be trusted to protect users from malicious fake news, political disinformation, and cyberattacks intended to throw the 2018 midterms. What Facebook is not doing: providing details.

The social media giant invited reporters yesterday into what they're calling their "war room" (ugh), a new workspace at Facebook's Menlo Park headquarters in which data scientists, threat investigators, and other experts from 20 Facebook teams are apparently very hard at work protecting America.

Why so few specifics on what, if anything, they're doing to address the fact that their platform has been successfully weaponized against elections, again and again?

Why so few details, and so much emphasis on the optics?

Oh right. Because Facebook.

From the Guardian's Sam Levin:

The press briefing provided minimal new information about Facebook's specific strategies and impacts when it comes to combating foreign interference and false news. The corporation has been eager to publicly demonstrate that it is taking abuses on its platforms seriously amid an avalanche of scandals. That includes a vast data breach, government inquiries across the globe, new ad fraud allegations, and the continuing stream of viral fake content and hate speech. The stakes are high as the US approaches critical midterm elections in November and the 2020 presidential race. WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messaging service, has also been linked to widespread false news stories that have led to violence and mob lynchings in India. The platform has further struggled to mitigate harms it is causing in Myanmar, where an explosion of social media hate speech has contributed to violence and genocide. American hate groups and far-right activists have also weaponized the site. On Wednesday morning, a group of journalists crowded outside a windowless room, snapping iPhone photos of a closed door with a small sign stuck to it that said "WAR ROOM" in red letters. Inside, digital dashboards displayed real-time information about activity on the platform. CNN played in the background, and the wall displayed a large American flag and motivational posters saying "Focus on impact" and "Bring the world closer together". Some screens were "off the record" and could not be photographed, Facebook communications representatives said. The names of employees inside the room could not be published.

The article has a snapshot of the "war room." I want a photo of the motivational posters saying "Focus on impact" and "Bring the world closer together".


The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service approved the growing of a new kind of cotton plant that's been genetically modified to be edible. The toxic chemical gossypol in the plant usually makes the cotton dangerous for humans to eat. Texas A&M biotechnologist Keerti Rathore and colleagues genetically stopped the production of gossypol in the cottonseed while not interfering with it elsewhere in the plant where it acts as a natural insecticide. From Reuters:



"To me, personally, it tastes somewhat like chickpea and it could easily be used to make a tasty hummus," Rathore said of gossypol-free cottonseed.





After cottonseed oil, which can be used for cooking, is extracted, the remaining high-protein meal from the new cotton plant can find many uses, Rathore said.





It can be turned into flour for use in breads, tortillas and other baked goods and used in protein bars, while whole cottonseed kernels, roasted and salted, can be consumed as a snack or to create a peanut butter type of paste, Rathore added.
Three brothers flying from Bangkok to Dubai on Emirates were robbed of $2,600 during their flight. They had left their seats to help their father, also a passenger, who had become ill on the flight. When they returned to their seats, they noticed that someone had cleaned out their wallets.

According to The Nation:

After they informed the flight crew of the incident, a stewardess brought them to the first class kitchen. There, she took pictures of the remaining cash they had since these had the same serial numbers as those stolen. After landing, police searched the airplane, and the men's baggage and wallets were taken for inspection. They were instructed not to touch their belongings. Eventually, police were able to match a fingerprint from a bill in a wallet with that of the steward's.

Turns out, the 37-year-old flight attendant had stolen the money, bought a $272 bottle of duty-free perfume during the flight, and then, when he realized the jig was up, tried flushing the money down a toilet before the plane landed.

Needless to say, he was arrested.

Getting robbed on a plane isn't uncommon. Make sure to keep an eye (or your ass, if you're sleeping) on anything valuable while you fly.

Image: Max Pixel
TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marret Resource Corp. (NEO:MAR) (Marret or the Company) is pleased to announce that, further to its previously announced plan of arrangement (the Arrangement), the special purpose vehicle (BCP SPV) created by BC Partners and to be sold to the Company under the Arrangement has entered into definitive agreements (collectively, the Loan Purchase Agreements) pursuant to which it will acquire an initial seed portfolio of primarily U.S.-based diversified senior secured loans (the Loan Portfolio).



The Loan Purchase Agreements also permit BCP SPV to acquire from a leading U.S. based loan provider (Loan Partner) additional loans to be agreed to between BCP SPV and the Loan Partner. In connection with the Loan Purchase Agreements, BCP SPV and the Loan Partner also entered into an administration agreement (the Administration Agreement) whereby the Loan Partner will provide BCP SPV with certain administrative services. The Administration Agreement sets out the procedures by which BCP SPV will select the loans to be assigned under the Loan Purchase Agreements, including timing to select loans and the funding thereof, while the purchase price for the loans will be set out in purchase commitment letters (the Loan Program). The purchase price for each loan will be an amount (not to exceed par) to be agreed among BCP SPV and the Loan Partner. The Loan Partner is required to provide additional services under the Administration Agreement including, but are not limited to, providing detailed information to BCP SPV on each loan and permitting BCP SPV to conduct due diligence on the borrower. Each loan acquired under the Loan Program will be based on BCP SPVs investment criteria generally outlined in the management information circular of the Company dated September 4, 2018 (the Circular).

It is expected that BCP SPV will acquire shortly after closing approximately US$16.0 million of loans pursuant to the Loan Purchase Agreements and that the Company will directly acquire approximately an additional US$7.2 million and C$5.1 million of loans sourced from BC Partners, which loans will form the initial seed portfolio.

Closing of the Loan Program is subject to completion of the Arrangement and the conditions contained in the Loan Purchase Agreements. Subject to satisfaction of such conditions, the Company expects that the portion of the initial seed portfolio to be acquired under the Loan Program will include the following loans, provided that, until acquired by BCP SPV, BCP SPV reserves the right to add to, remove or replace the loans it expects to include in the initial seed portfolio.

Sector Cost (US$) Face Value

(US$) Maturity Rate Loan 1(1) Consumer $3,704,857 $3,740,578 May 2024 L+475 Loan 2 Industrials $2,278,101 $2,300,000 July 2024 L+425 Loan 3 Consumer $3,723,387 $3,740,578 July 2025 L+425 Loan 4 Industrials $3,709,997 $3,740,578 May 2024 L+450 Loan 5 Industrials $2,593,690 $2,618,404 June 2024 L+425

(1)  Loan 1 also includes a separate unfunded Delayed Draw Term Loan with a par value of approximately US$325,000.

Further details regarding the loans to be directly acquired by the Company following the closing of the Arrangement will be provided in a subsequent press release. Further information about the Arrangement, including the Loan Purchase Agreements, is set forth in the Companys press releases, dated July 27, 2018, September 28, 2018 and October 12, 2018, and in the Circular, each of is filed under Marrets profile on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com.

About Marret Resource Corp.

Marret Resource Corp. is currently focused on natural resource lending. The Companys business is primarily directed to investing in public and private debt securities of and making term loans (including bridge and mezzanine debt) to issuers in a broad range of natural resource sectors, including energy, base and precious metals and other commodities, and issuers involved in exploration and development, and may also include financing other resource-related businesses and investing in public and private equity and quasi-equity securities. The Company seeks to generate income mainly from its lending activities, while taking advantage of additional upside through equity participation in the companies which it finances.

About BC Partners Advisors L.P. and BC Partners Credit

BC Partners is a leading international investment firm with over C$27 billion of assets under management in private equity and private credit. Established in 1986, BC Partners has played an active role in developing the European buyout market for three decades. Today, BC Partners executives operate across markets as an integrated team through the firm's offices in North America and Europe. Since inception, BC Partners has completed 104 private equity investments in companies with a total enterprise value of 129 billion and is currently investing its tenth private equity fund. On the private credit front, BC Partners Credit is currently investing Special Opportunities Fund I. For more information, please visit www.bcpartners.com.

BC Partners Credit was launched in February 2017 and has pursued a strategy focused on identifying attractive credit opportunities in any market environment and across sectors, leveraging the deal sourcing and infrastructure made available from BC Partners.

***

For further information about Marret Resource Corp. and its ongoing business, please contact: Marret Investor Services 416.214.5800.

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the expressions "seeks", "expects", "believes", "estimates", "will", "target" and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect the current expectations of the Company regarding future results or events and are based on information currently available to them. Certain material factors and assumptions were applied in providing these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release include, but are not limited to, satisfaction of conditions precedent to closing the Arrangement, closing on the initial Loan Portfolio pursuant to the Loan Purchase Agreements and the Administration Agreement and closing on the acquisition of the remainder of the initial seed portfolio and the expected timing to close each of the Arrangement, the Loan Purchase Agreements and the Administration Agreement and the remainder of the initial seed portfolio, the loans to be acquired to form the initial Loan Portfolio and their attributes (including value, number and characterises / profile), effect of the Arrangement, including the acquisition of the Loan Portfolio pursuant to the Loan Purchase Agreements and the acquisition of the remainder of the initial seed portfolio, on the Company, and the receipt and nature of stock exchange, shareholder, regulatory and court approval for the Arrangement. All forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions; however, the Company can give no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized by certain specified dates or at all. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the matters discussed: (i) under "Risks Factors" in the most recently filed annual information form and MD&A for the Company, and (ii) under the risk factors sections in the management information circular of the Company prepared in connection with the Meeting. Readers, therefore, should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, a forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any such statement or to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances except as required by securities laws. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release.

This press release is not, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or acquire any securities in any jurisdiction.




030414POLICE COMMISSIONER APPEAL TO PEOPLE NOT TO USE BVK

By Aloysius Laukai

The Assistant Commissioner for the Bougainville Police Service, PAUL KAMUAI is appealing to the people of Bougainville and PNG not to be tempted to buy the illegal Bougainville Kina because it has no market value.

The Police Commissioner made this call after Police intercepted a senior UVistract man ferrying PNG and Bougainville Kina from Rabaul in East New Britain Province last week.

MR. KAMUAI said that what NOAH MUSINGKU and his cohorts are doing in Tonu is illegal and must not be allowed to continue.

He said that Police investigated and found TWENTY THREE THOUSAND KINA cash in PNG KINA and THREE THOUSAND KINA worth of the illegal Bougainville Kina in the man's bag.

He said that he had requested the Tonu leaders to arrange time and meet with him in Buka to sort out this mess once and for all as this was getting out of hand.

It is believed that this senior U-vistract man traded Bougainville Kina and received TWENTY THREE THOUSAND KINA in exchange for his Bougainville Kina.

Police will monitor other agents in Papua New Guinea who are trying to sell this illegal material to the public in Papua New Guinea.

Ends



Sent from my iPad
- South African citizens have had enough of foreign-run prophetic churches and have started an online petition demanding the shutdown of these churches

- The protest comes in the wake of Cyril Zondis shocking testimony at the trial of Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotoso

- The petition has called on the South African government to protect its citizens from being exploited by prophets

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South African citizens have had enough of foreign-run prophetic churches and have started an online petition demanding the shutdown of these churches. The online protest comes in the wake of shocking revelations at Nigerian pastor Timothy Omotosos trial.

South Africans united behind Cheryl Zondi after she gave a harrowing account of the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of Omotoso in his Durban-based church.

READ ALSO: Gigaba explains decision not to act against Guptas, but advocate cries foul

The petition calls on the South African government to take a stand and protect its citizens from being exploited by prophets. These prophets have often found easy targets in South Africa.

Briefly.co.za gathered that the petition was started on an online website known as petitions24.com which is run and promoted by its users

Thedailysun.co.za reported that the petition was started in solidarity with Cheryl Zondi and the unknown number of other victims of prophetic pastors which operate throughout the country.

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The petition has called on the government to introduce measures and laws aimed at regulating, monitoring and evaluating all church and religious group activities in the country in order to protect the poor and the vulnerable from being exploited.

According to the petitions unnamed author or authors, the foreign prophets are welcome to go to their home countries to perform their miracle work there.

READ ALSO: DA lays complaint against Floyd Shivambu for violating Parliament code of conduct

Do you have a story to share with Briefly? Visit our Facebook page where you can send us a message or leave us a comment. Your story could be shared online.

For more amazing, funny and informative videos, please visit Briefly South Africa's YouTube Channel.

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Source: Briefly.co.za
State capture is one of the "greatest heists of our times." This is according to Tito Mboweni, the finance minister. Mboweni made these comments while speaking at the Lesotho Institute of Accountants in Maseru on Thursday.

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He also spoke of the need to protect the credibility of National Treasury.

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Briefly.co.za gathered that Mboweni said a businessman worked out a scheme where they would make friends with a sitting president of the country and would then use his name to cascade down the state institutions. Ultimately, this person would then end up corrupting a whole layer of people, stealing billions in the process.

It was the first time the newly appointed finance minister spoke publicly on the state capture matter.

According to The Sowetan, state capture led to former president Jacob Zuma appointing the Zondo commission to investigate the extent of the problem.

READ ALSO: 7 celebs show their support for Cheryl Zondi during the #OmotosoTrial

The commission was established after it was found the Guptas, friends of Zuma, used his name to get business worth billions of rands from the government and state entities.

Mboweni then said his institution, National Treasury, can't be compromised. He added treasury also won't employ people who could possibly stage another heist.

The finance minister also touched on the fact that stealing was made easy, because those who were well connected would get undue tax breaks.

He cited how these people would phone a minister of finance and accuse employees of SARS of giving them troubles.

"The minister of finance will then phone the head of revenue and say why are you problematic... leave Mr Mahommed alone."

Mboweni said SARS needed to be credible, warning that such attitudes were dangerous.

Mboweni was once a student of the University of Lesotho. It was there that he completed his honours degree in economics and politics.

Mboweni was set to peak at the university before his appointment as finance minister.

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Source: Briefly.co.za
- Earlier this week, the Department of Health revealed 31 pupils are pregnant at one school

- Now, it has emerged that one pupil impregnated 3 girls

- The school's principal says he is confident that there are no blessers involved in the high pregnancy rates

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Government has deployed police officers to a Limpopo school where 31 pupils are pregnant. Three of these pupils have been impregnated by the same boy.

The Grade 10 pupil, who is 17, has taken responsibility for the babies of the girls he impregnanted.

He apparently does odd jobs, which include plumbing and electrical wiring during weekends: "I hope to use the money to look after my children and their mothers."

Two of the girls he impregnated have already had their babies, while the third girl is due to give birth in December.

According to Mukhwantheli Secondary School principal, Mashudu Maboho, the policemen were deployed to search the children for illegal substances.

The school, which is situated in the Dididi village outside Thohoyandou, made news headlines earlier this week when the provincial department of health revealed how many pupils had fallen pregnant.

According to The Sowetan, among the many issues facing the school, pupils are also involved in illegal activities.

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Maboho said he's extremely concerned about the high pregnancy rates at his school.

The principal said the high pregnancy rates lead to high drop-outs, as well as absenteeism.

"We have also engaged the services of psychologists to help with counselling to the pupils."

Maboho said he is confident there are no blessers involved in the high pregnancy rates: "The pupils do this all by themselves."

Briefly.co.za learned that the school has pupils from the villages of Tshiulungoma, Dididi, Tshitomboni and Tambaulate.

READ ALSO: 7 celebs show their support for Cheryl Zondi during the #OmotosoTrial

Thakhani Munyai, the chairperson of the school governing body, said they only found out about the high pregnancy rates when the department visited.

Munyai said it's sad that pupils are falling pregnant while still at shcool.

"We are going to call parents to participate in the activities of the school with a view to assist the situation."

Earlier this week, Briefly.co.za Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathu confirmed the shocking truth about the health crisis in the province which has manifested in one single school on the outskirts of the Mulenzhe village.

Ramathu revealed there were 36 pregnant pupils at the school.

Ramathu revealed more shocking news when she admitted that the same school also had 31 pupils aged between nine and 19 who were either HIV positive or living with the full effects of the disease.

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- Pearl Thusi came under fire for her comments about Kanye Wests visit to Uganda

- The media personality was responding to the rappers recent meeting with President Museveni

- She fired back at one tweep for criticizing her trip to the USA

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Pearl Thusi has been in the industry for over a decade and while she has a massive fanbase, she has also earned herself a few haters along the way. In a recent exchange on social media, Pearl clapped back at a tweep who came after her.

The media personality shared some of her thoughts about Kim and Kanyes trip to Uganda. The rapper needed to clear his head, so he thought that making a trip to Uganda would help him get back into his music.

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During their stay, the couple caused an outcry when they visited the countrys president, who is strongly against equal treatment for members of the LGBTQ community and presented him with a pair of sneakers as a gift.

After hearing about this, Pearl took to social media to ask why Kim and Kanye visited President Museveni and if they put any thought into their trip.

READ ALSO: Cuteness overload: TK Dlamini and his princess spend time together

Briefly.co.za learned that a tweep responded to Pearls questions by taking a dig at her and her many trips to America.

The social media user asked her if she read up on all of Americas issues before any of her visits to the United States.

According to ZAlebs, Paerl fired back at the troll by pointing out that she had in fact done her homework, but she was not going to be visiting President Trump.

She ended off her reply with uyadina, which in English, loosely translates to you suck.

Do you have a story to share with us? Inbox us on our Facebook page and we could feature your story.

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On 18 October 1986, former Mozambican president Samora Machel died while he was still in office when his plane crashed near the Mozambique-South Africa border.

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On Friday, South Africans and Mozambicans took to social media to honour him on the 32nd anniversary of his death.

Minister Nathi Mthethwa wrote on Twitter, "Today marks 32 years since struggle hero & late President of Mozambique, Samora Machel tragically passed on in an airplane crash in Mbuzini, Mpumalanga. Let us reflect on his ideals and consider how we can all play a part in creating new ideas to build a new society #SamoraMachel."

So, Briefly.co.za decided to take a brief look at his life, career and death.

1. Early life

Machel was born on 29 September 1933 to a family of farmers in the village of Madragoa, which is known as Chilembene.

However, his family faced the same racism as other black farmers and they were forced to sell their products at a lower price than white farmers.

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2. Fighting for Freedom

Machel joined the FRELIMO, an organisation which fought for independence of the Portuguese Overseas Province of Mozambique. Today FRELIMO is the dominant party in the African country.

3. Jack of all trades

Apart from being the Mozambican head of state, Machel served as the military commander and he worked as a nurse.

READ ALSO: Father of 7 plans to live the dream following R1.1 million lotto win

4. Machel and Mandela was in the same WhatsApp group

Both Machel and Mandela were known to be prominent figures in the fight for freedom for their respective countries.

But, Mandela and Machel had more in common than politics. Both men were married to Graca Machel Mandela.

Graca became the first woman in history to be married to two president from different countries.

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This post is sponsored by Good Samaritan Medical Center.

Before we had Jude, Jeremy and I never really had many experiences at a hospital, for that we were thankful but when I had to decide where to deliver Jude we were kind of going in blind. Lucky for us, our insurance was accepted at one of the newer hospitals in North Denver so we took that opportunity to deliver there. Since the birth of Jude in 2010 we have had numerous experiences at this hospital and while those moments were not all joyous occasions, I have never felt more safe and taken care during those moments at Good Samaritan Medical Center.

Healthy Babies, Healthy Moms at Good Samaritan Medical Center

Good Samaritan Medical Center is located in Lafayette Colorado, about 25 miles north of Denver. Good Samaritan Medical Center is a community-based, acute-care hospital. They opened on December 1, 2004, and are part of SCL Health, a nonprofit faith-based health system.

As I think back to 2010 when we walked into Good Samaritan Medical Center the evening before Jude was born I honestly had no idea how important it would be to be at a great hospital. I am really blessed with an amazing birthing experience with both of my children. But I do think that has to do with the care we received at Good Samaritan Medical Center. I have a number of friends who can tell me about bad experiences with bad nurses or doctors while delivering but I can honestly say I do not have one. The staff that we had contact with did their very best to keep us happy, healthy and comfortable. And with both Jude and Teagan I could tell they truly cared about our babies.

One of the first things that we learned about when attending our baby classes at Good Samaritan Medical Center before we had Jude was that it was Colorados first Baby-Friendly Hospital. Hospitals that are considered Baby-Friendly are prepared to help you and your new baby get off to the best start. These hospitals have policies that meet the gold standard for mother/ baby care practices related to breastfeeding. The care staff are trained in the care of breastfeeding mothers and babies. In Baby-Friendly Hospitals babies are not taking to a nursery, instead they practice a rooming in policy. This not only helps with the feeding process but they also have more of a chance to get to know each other.

While breastfeeding was a journey I was not very prepared for, the nurses and lactation consultants really helped me with this unknown venture and I absolutely loved that we got to have our newborn in the room with us. It helped us create bonds and experience this world of parenting.

Three years after we had Jude we found out we were pregnant with Teagan and we had no question where we would be heading for our delivery. Once again we were given the best care even when it was clear that Teagans delivery would be way different than what we experienced with Jude. When I sit down and try to remember those moments, I find myself remembering how comfortable I was. Sure, I was eager to get home with my family but I was also feeling safe and taken care of during our stay.

Now, it is clear that Good Samaritan Medical Center is proud of their Center for Childbirth but let me be clear, every department we have had to work with at this Medical Center has been fantastic. I wish I could say we have only enjoyed the births of our children here but this hospital has become part of our family due to Jeremys health concerns and many operations. Once again, I cannot say it enough, the caregivers at Good Samaritan Medical Center are compassionate, skilled, and go above and beyond to provide support and personalized care for every patient and family.

Finding a medical center that you can trust and feel comfortable with when delivering your baby is so important. If you are in the North Denver area and looking for a Baby Friendly hospital we highly recommend taking a look at Good Samaritan Medical Center.
News / National

by Staff reporter

ZANU-PF secretary for war veterans Victor Matemadanda has said no one is invincible in the ruling party hence no individual must think that he or she is bigger than the organisation. He made the remarks in Bulawayo yesterday while addressing war veterans from Bulawayo Province at Stanley Square in Makokoba suburb.Matemadanda also outlined empowerment programmes to benefit war veterans. He said those that feel bigger than the party are doomed as there was power in unity than individuals."We have some people among us who feel that they are bigger than Zanu-PF but they are not. Our own President, ED Mnangagwa is a servant yet we have people who think they are way bigger and better than everyone else. No-one is invincible in this party," he said.Matemadanda said people must learn from the Robert Mugabe era that no one is bigger than the party."We removed Robert Mugabe from power after realising that he was going against the will of the people. The power is in the people and at some point our lives were in danger and we were sleeping in the bush after some orders for us to be killed, but the long and short of it is that he is out and resting at Blue Roof and we are taking the struggle forward," he said.Turning to welfare issues, he said various partners were set to fund war veterans' programmes and urged ex-combatants to fully utilise the empowerment initiative.Matemadanda said war veterans should not depend on the leadership for entrepreneurial ideas but must come forward with business ideas and get funding."I have not come here to tell you what to do but I will only ensure the facilitation and implementation of your ideas as something is more likely to be successful if it is a person's passion," he said. Matemadanda said war veterans should feel free to invest anywhere in the country as Zimbabwe is a unitary state."There are no kingdoms in this country and people from Matabeleland must feel free to invest in Mashonaland and vice versa. There are no more tribal trust lands as that was a colonial mentality," said Matemadanda.He called for an end to factionalism, both in the ruling party and amongst war veterans."Stop factionalism, divisions exist and you must leave G40 shenanigans. Due to factionalism, we were being tracked and had to live in the bush. If you commanded in the war, that was then, it was in the war, we are no longer at war. If I am now your senior or your boss and you were a commander, what matters is the state of affairs now. Stop playing big bosses because you can be replaced," he said.Matemadanda said Government was looking into the welfare of war veterans and said projects to benefit them will be unveiled soon."The President is now tired of hearing about the problems faced by war veterans, without solutions. He has since tasked us to work with widows, children of war vets, and war victims. We will no longer be a basket case as soon as our projects take off and start paying dividends," he said.Matemadanda said war veterans were happy that former Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans' Association (ZNLWVA) chairman Jabulani Sibanda was back in the party along with Didymus Mutasa, former secretary for administration."We are working to ensure that more of our cadres come back to the party. They were forced out of Zanu-PF by desperation and frustration, however, this is a new dispensation and things are different," he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube will soon be headed for the United States of America to engage Washington on the Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Amendment Act (Zidera) of 2018, the piece of legislation that appears to be the major hurdle blocking Harare's efforts to unlock international funding.In as much as Government is leaving no stone unturned in implementing far reaching reforms to turn around the economy, it emerged the US law is holding back all the efforts as it directs American officials in key international financial institutions to block the extension of funding to Harare.As such, interactions between Harare and Washington are understood to be already underway and Minister Ncube is set to travel to the US in January next year, to deepen the engagements with top US officials over the ramifications of Zidera.
ALBANY, New York, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a recent report by Transparency Market Research (TMR), the vendor landscape of the global SCADA market is estimated to be registering a significant growth owing to the rise in awareness among consumers with relation to the benefits that SCADA provides like real-time detection of faults in machineries. Apart from that the market for supervisory control and data acquisition is also driven by factors like production cost decline and reduced defect in output along with other production process advantages.

Some of the leading players of the global supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) market are Schneider Electric SE, OMRON Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc., Honeywell International Inc., and Yokogawa Electric Corp. The competitive landscape seems to be consolidated in nature thus, few handful players are making efforts to hold their control in the overall market. It is difficult for new players to enter the market as major players have made it extremely difficult in the market so that their presence is felt in the data acquisition and supervisory control over the market.

Request a Brochure - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2773

As per the TMR report, the global supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) market is estimated to earn a US$40.18 bn within the forecast period of 2016 to 2024. Based on end users, the market is anticipated to be dominated by electric power industry as they are turning out to be a key customer of SCADA in the near future. Geographically, the market is seen to be led by North America although Asia Pacific is soon to gather pace in the coming years.

Efficient Infrastructure Construction Stimulating Market Growth

An important factor leading to the growth of the SCADA market is the SCADA system deployment in sectors like oil and gas as well as electrical sector so as to reduce the loss and optimize production. As SCADA helps in re-routing power from excess capacity areas to places with power need or shortage, it is more likely to increase its demand all over the world. SCADA offer the benefit of restoring power after an outrage and this feature is considered to be augmenting the future market.

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Another factor to boost the adoption of SCADA especially in the electric power industry is the increase in the number of incidences of power loss during distribution and transmission. This is most particularly in the case of India and China as there stands a requirement for efficient infrastructure. Thus, Asia Pacific sector is estimated to be one of the most lucrative markets in the near future with the growth of the electric power sector. However, North America remains the dominating region of the overall market and may continue to do so in the future years.

System Vulnerability to Hinder Market Growth

SCADA is seen to be beneficial for many aspects of marketing however, the surge in the number of cyber threats may act as a hindrance to the overall growth of the market in the long run. Adding to that, the systems may get vulnerable and there may be more cases of cyber-crimes thus, affecting the overall market growth in a negative way.Nevertheless, the rise in technological and financial investments for sophisticated and reliable power management may propel the SCADA market in the years to come.

Browse Report TOC - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/2773

The information presented in this review is based on a TMR report titled, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Market (Components - Human Machine Interface, Programmable Logic Controller, Remote Terminal Unit, and SCADA Communication Systems; Architecture - Hardware, Software, and Services; End User - Electrical Power, Chemicals, Oil & Gas Industry, Food & Beverages Industry, Manufacturing Industry, Transportation Industry, Pharmaceutical Industry, Water & Wastewater Management Industry, and Telecommunications Industry) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016  2024.

The global supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) market is segmented as follows:

Global supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) market by Components

Human Machine Interface (HMI)

Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)

Remote Terminal Unit (RTU)

SCADA Communication Systems

Global supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) market by Architecture

Hardware

Software

Services

Global supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) market by End User

Electrical power

Oil & gas

Water & wastewater

Manufacturing

Transportation

Telecommunication

Chemicals

Food & beverages

Pharmaceuticals

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News / National

by Stephen Jakes

If by end of day today Minister Jorum Gumbo does not resign or is not suspended pending investigation into his company's numerous Government tenders, then the so called New Dispensation is a big joke. Parliament , Courts & Constitution will be utilized @edmnangagwa @InfoMinZW  ZCTU - Zimbabwe (@ZctuZimbabwe) October 18, 2018

Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union s has called on for the resignation of minister of Energy Joram Gumbo due to clandestine operations of some companies allegedly linked to him.In a tweeter ZCTU, that, "If by end of day today Minister Jorum Gumbo does not resign or is not suspended pending investigation into his company's numerous Government tenders, then the so called New Dispensation is a big joke. Parliament , Courts & Constitution will be utilized."
The national average cost of a gallon of gas stands at $2.82, which is the highest it's been since 2015. Here are tips for easing the effects of rising prices.

(Adds details of release, background)

OTTAWA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The value of Canadian retail trade unexpectedly fell by 0.1 percent in August, the second decline in three months, in part due to lower sales of gas and clothing, Statistics Canada data indicated on Friday.

Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast a 0.3 percent gain from July. Stripping out the effect of price changes, volumes dipped by 0.3 percent.

Sales fell in seven of 11 subsectors, representing 52 percent of total retail trade.

Receipts at gas stations dipped by 2.0 percent, largely reflecting lower volumes, while sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores posted a 1.2 percent decline.

Sales at motor vehicles and parts dealers rose by 0.8 percent, the first gain in three months, on higher sales at new car dealers.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
A prominent Canadian steel executive told MPs this week that Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland's "ego" is getting in the way of ending American tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

Barry Zekelman, the chairman and CEO of Zekelman Industries, delivered a scathing assessment Thursday of how the Liberal government is handling the tariff fight with the United States, accusing the government of squandering opportunities to resolve the issue months ago.

Watch Barry Zekelman's interview on Power & Politics with Vassy Kapelos below

Zekelman, a Windsor, Ont. native who heads a steel empire that has operations in both Canada and the U.S, was asked by MPs about the impact of tariffs on his Canadian operations.

"They have stalled and blown this big time, and our consumers and our industry in Canada is suffering because of it," Zekelman told MPs on the standing committee on international trade.

"We're waiting for someone's ego. They need to get into a room and get the deal done ... whether Freeland picks up the phone and calls (U.S. Trade Representative) Robert Lighthizer and says here it is ... the deal is available this afternoon."

Zekelman said he was making those claims based on his personal connections with U.S. President Donald Trump's circle; he said he has dined with Trump and has met with Lighthizer. He said he believes the Americans will drop their 25 per cent tariff on steel if Canada agrees to limit its exports into the U.S. through a quota system.

"This can be solved. Literally, I can do it this afternoon," Zekelman said. "How do I know that? I've talked to Mr. Lighthizer myself."

"We could have had that a long time ago. This is the worst negotiating I've seen," Zekelman said as he testified before the committee via video link.

But two senior government sources tell CBC News that Canada is not interested in accepting any sort of quota system on steel or aluminum  and Ottawa has made that clear to the Trump administration.

Story continues

The quota system

Last June, the administration invoked a rarely used national security provision  Section 232  to impose 25 per cent tariffs on steel and 10 per cent tariffs on aluminum from multiple countries, including Canada and Mexico. Both Canada and Mexico responded with reciprocal tariff measures shortly after.

It had been widely expected the tariffs would be lifted upon the successful completion of the NAFTA negotiations. But when all three countries reached an agreement in principle before the October 1 deadline for a new deal  the United StatesMexicoCanada Agreement (USMCA)  the U.S. did not remove the tariffs.

"The best outcome for both countries would be for the U.S. to rescind their tariffs," said Adam Austen, a spokesperson for Freeland.

"The unjust and illegal tariffs that the U.S. has imposed under Section 232 are separate and apart from the USMCA negotiations. We have taken strong responsive measures to defend our workers and our industry, including measured, dollar-for-dollar tariffs."

Zekelman's comments came as the parliamentary committee has been taking a closer look at the impact of the tariffs on Canadian businesses and workers.

Over several days of testimony, some business owners have told MPs they have been forced to introduce layoffs or reduce shift work as a result of the tariffs.

Zekelman said that pain could have been avoided had the Canadians just accepted the American quota system.

"They will do reduced shipments, or level shipments, but they will not do increased shipments," Zekelman said of the American negotiators.

An outspoken critic

He also took a personal shot at Freeland over her difficult relationship with Lighthizer.

"He can't stand negotiating with her because she's just not a businessperson. She's way out of her league."

Zekelman has been outspoken on the issue of U.S. tariffs  and even welcomed the idea when it was first floated back in March as a way to crack down on the dumping of cheap steel, mostly from Asia.

"Is that 25 per cent duty enough? I don't think it is and I actually think those duties should be much higher," he told CBC News at the time.

But his previous comments suggested he thought that Canada would get some sort of exemption. "President Trump doesn't view Canada as an enemy," he said at the time.
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's move to drop a 10 percent duty on U.S.-made aluminum cans is good news for Canadian beer makers battling a shortage of tall cans, according to brewing industry executives. The aluminum products excluded from tariffs last week include cans that brewers have been struggling to keep in stock, said Luke Harford, president of trade association Beer Canada. Reuters reported in July that some Canadian breweries were scrambling to find aluminum cans. "It's very positive for us," said Harford. "The 473 ml tall cans are all purchased from U.S. suppliers and that particular can is one of the fastest-growing cans... particularly amongst small brewers." Canada announced tariff exemptions on a range a products last week after the domestic industry complained of shortages that could affect production of everything from cars to beer. The rollback underscores the unintended consequences of retaliatory tariffs. The Canadian tariffs on cans were part of its response to U.S. President Donald Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. But they hit a product already in short supply after the closure of a Crown Holdings Inc plant in Massachusetts in January. At least one small brewery, Alberta's GP Brewing Co, was forced to halt production for two weeks in July after it ran out of cans. Harford said many other producers are still filling cans with beer as quickly as they can get them. Steve Beauchesne, co-founder and chief executive of Beau's Brewing Co in Ottawa, said his brewery is waiting three to four months for orders to be filled, and has had to delay some product launches. He said the tariffs had effectively benefited U.S. brewers, whose filled cans of beer were not subject to the tariff when they crossed the border into Canada: "By making us exempt, they're at least putting us on even footing." While small breweries were most vocal about the shortage, Harford said all Canadian breweries selling beer in tall cans rely on U.S. producers. Tall cans are made by Ball Corp as well as Crown, according to Harford. Major beer companies with operations in Canada include Molson Coors Brewing Co and Anheuser Busch Inbev's Labatt Breweries of Canada. (Reporting by Allison Martell; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Toronto King Streetcar in Winter/Getty Images

Although Western Canada started seeing snow over a month ago, it looks like Jack Frost is officially moving east to Ontario and Quebec.

According to Alan Reppert, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, the two provinces are expected to see some snowfall Friday night, heading into Saturday.

Slightly warming temperatures looking to move in for Friday ahead of another storm that will move through Friday night to Saturday, Reppert said. That will bring some colder weather back into the area and in fact, we should see some snow, even some lake effect snow with that.

Now theres no need for any severe panic, it looks like the snow wont be sticking around once it starts to fall in the most populous areas of the provinces.

Temperatures are going to be pretty marginal for snow so a lot of this is just going to be around Friday night to Saturday, Reppert added. With the sun coming up, that should help to melt a lot of the snow also.





Reppert did also mention the far northern region of Quebec could see some accumulating snow throughout the same period of time.

If youre not a fan of the snow, Western Canada is where you want to be. On October 17, Edmonton broke a 115-year-old record, hitting 24.7 C. Although its unclear if anymore record breaking temperatures are in sight, the region is expected to see wee a lot of warmth.

There may be a bit of cool down here for Friday into the weekend for Edmonton, even into the Saskatchewan area, but really temperatures look to still be above normal for most of that region in Canada, Reppert said.

According to Brett Anderson, also a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, a warm blob is present across the northeast Pacific, which could mean more warming across Alaska and B.C. throughout the winter, if it continues. Anderson predicts that the West Coast will remain drier and more mild than normal as we head into November, while Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will be chilly and cold by the time we hit mid-November.




A St. John's woman was sentenced Thursday to house arrest, ordered to pay back money she stole from a Mount Pearl contractor, and finally lectured by a judge for victimizing a small business.

Leah Chaulk was given 16 months' house arrest Thursday for stealing $70,000 from Backyard Contractors over 13 years  money she has been ordered to pay back.

"Too many small businesses, like this one, have been victimized by employees that use those businesses as kind of like an ATM," said Judge Colin Flynn while handing down the sentence in provincial court in St. John's.

Chaulk had pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 in provincial court in August.

In a joint submission, Crown prosecutor Alison Doyle and defence lawyer John Noonan had recommended a 16-month sentence.

While reading from the bench, Flynn took time to talk about the "significant amount" of money stolen.

Jeremy Eaton/CBC

Chaulk worked at Backyard Contracting as a bookkeeper, where she was evidently able to disguise what she had been doing with the company's money.

She used a company credit card to make personal purchases like a snowblower, an iPhone, hotel stays and dental care.

Jeremy Eaton/CBC

As well, Chaulk and her husband used a company gas card to fuel up their own vehicles from 2005 until they were caught in 2016.

"It's a big shock," Backyard Contractors owner Michael Whelan said outside of court Thursday.

"You are after placing a lot of trust and working side by side for the past 15, 16 years. It's a big hit for a small company."

Whelan told reporters that he first noticed something was wrong in December 2015, and that he kept a close on eye on Chaulk for the next eight to 10 months.

Jeremy Eaton/CBC

In August 2016 he went to Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. It took more than two years for the case to move through the court system.

Whelan said he's glad the case is resolved.

"[We need] to put a stop to all this fraud that's going on with small businesses."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
BRUSSELS/WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will appeal against an order by the European Union's top court to suspend an overhaul of the country's Supreme Court and reinstate judges forced into early retirement, the head of the ruling party in Warsaw said on Friday. The injunction issued by the European Court of Justice carries no right of appeal. But Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is also Poland's de facto leader, told a meeting of his Law and Justice (PiS) party: "We will observe the EU law, but ... we have the right to appeal. this is an initial decision and we will appeal. "...We signed treaties, we will be observing them, but we will also defend our interests." The ECJ order marks a new phase in a broader investigation by EU authorities into political reforms in Warsaw that Brussels argues are undermining democracy and judicial independence. PiS, which has ignored a series of EU warnings to backtrack on the reforms, pushed through the supreme court law in July, effectively allowing it to hand-pick the country's top judges. The law lowers the retirement age of judges to 65 from 70. Since its implementation, over 20 Supreme Court judges -- around one-third of the total -- have been forced to quit. They include the court's chief justice, Malgorzata Gersdorf, who argues that she remains in that role under the constitution. She said she was "satisfied" with the ECJ ruling. The Polish government says changes in the judiciary system are needed to improve the efficiency of the courts and rid the country of a residue of Communism, which collapsed in Poland almost 30 years ago. In its interim ruling in a case brought by the European Commission, the ECJ told Poland to "immediately" suspend application of the law, adding the order applied retroactively "to the judges of the Supreme Court concerned by those provisions." A final judgment will come at a later date, the ECJ said. The EU investigation, brought under article 7 of the bloc's treaty, could in theory lead to Poland losing voting rights in the bloc. But in practice any concrete penalty is unlikely as that would require unanimity among EU governments. Hungary, itself under an article 7 investigation, has repeatedly said it would not back any sanctions against Poland. (Reporting By Jan Strupczewski; Additional reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko and Pawel Florkiewicz in Warsaw; Editing by John Stonestreet)
With the Oct. 22 municipal election just days away, CBC Ottawa's All In A Day is collecting listeners' municipal gripes  and also seeking solutions.

The show invited eight listeners to share stories about a specific time they've felt the City of Ottawa let them down, from an over-proliferation of potholes to missing sidewalks at bus stops.

Their stories were gathered Oct. 3 at a pop-up community event called The Fix, hosted by CBC Radio's Alan Neal.

Amy Yee of the Chinese Canadian Collective is unimpressed with bus shelter advertisements in Chinatown. The Chinese-language ads for the Rideau Carleton Raceway & Casino are aimed directly at Ottawa's Asian community, and Yee said that's disappointing.

"The bus ad had both Chinese characters and English on the sign and it portrayed an East Asian woman with the stereotypical geisha kind of look," she said. "Every shelter had a very similar ad, and the first time I saw them I kind of stopped in my tracks."

Yee said OC Transpo should never have approved the ads.

"It has been approved by the city, and that is saying the city is OK with this depiction of East Asian women."

Rideau Carleton Raceway

The city has advertising standards, but Yee said the ads somehow passed inspection.

"They have these standards, but they're obviously not abiding by them."

On Wednesday, All In A Day gave each of the four municipal candidates in Somerset ward 90 seconds to respond to Yee's concerns.

Jerry Kovacs, Merdod Zopyrus and Catherine McKenney answered during the show, while candidate Arthur David submitted his response via email.

Here's some of what they had to say. Their answers have been edited for clarity and length.

Jerry Kovacs

There are issues of systemic racism in our community that I, as your councillor and a human rights lawyer, have a moral obligation to address, and this is one of them.

As an OC Transpo user, I have seen for many years ads that have generated complaints from the community. My job as your councillor is to help our community be empowered, to speak out and navigate the system.

Story continues

We need to have solutions in place to proactively avoid offending people in the first place. How do we do that? We use common sense. We demonstrate cultural sensitivity. We ask the question, 'How would I feel if I was in that position?'

We encourage and promote inclusion that reflects the multicultural and multi-ethnic heritage and nature of our community.

All the people I have talked to during the last four months, they want to be heard. As a human rights lawyer, I will be an effective ally for the people who feel frustrated that their voice and concerns have not been heard by city hall.

Catherine McKenney

We have heard from many groups many times about the standards that OC Transpo has and the ads. In the case of this ad in particular, it is particularly egregious.

We know what systemic racism does. We know that it is that implicit messaging that continues to perpetuate racist beliefs, and it prevents people from having the same access.

We don't have to look much further than our own council table to see that we don't reflect the community very well.

I agree with Amy entirely. We knew when the raceway was being expanded that there were going to be problems. [Ottawa] Public Health warned us about those problems.

What we are seeing now is added on to that, that racist notion. I believe that the raceway owes, and the city owes, the Chinese community an apology.

Merdod Zopyrus

I think the problem actually stems from the fact that the committee, or the person who oversees the approval process of these ads, they are just not sensitive enough.

If you show this to an East Asian person or any immigrant for that matter, not only does it frustrate them, it's painful. And I know this first-hand.

You have a city that is very diverse, very multicultural, but if you look at the council or city staff, we are all being represented by white, middle-aged men. We need to step up and run for these seats, run for office and be part of the solution.

We need to have more of the minorities step up and run for office.

Arthur David

My point of view on this issue ... is that this ad should not have been approved by OC Transpo.

OC Transpo should uphold and protect against unacceptable depictions or portrayals in advertisements as outlined in their own advertising standards. I am sorry to hear Ms. Yee and others in the Chinese community were made to feel that way due to those depictions.

My hope is that the city takes proactive measures to remove these ads and take responsibility for them as well.
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - When Peggy and Marco Lachmann-Anke learned in January that hackers cracked a 40-character password and cleaned out their cryptocurrency wallet, they did not go to the police or alert the tokens' issuer, the Berlin-based technology group IOTA. They bought more coins. The Cyprus-based German couple, who describe themselves as financial educators, figured they had no chance of recovering the coins and it was not even clear who might take up their case. Yet they took the roughly $14,000 loss in stride - something that comes with the territory when one bets on a new, exciting technology in a yet unregulated market. "We really believe in cryptocurrencies. We have studied this for about a year before investing, so we are aware of the risks," Peggy Lachmann-Anke said. "There was nothing we could do." Far from unusual, the episode is emblematic for a market where few rules apply and where investors' faith in the blockchain technology goes hand in hand with the belief that it also helps criminals cover their tracks so well that trying to catch them is a fool's errand. Patrick Wyman, FBI supervisory special agent at the financial crimes section of the agency's anti-money laundering unit acknowledges cryptocurrencies pose some unique challenges. "A decentralized currency system like bitcoin, or another form of virtual currency is not governed by any entity, suspicious reporting activity, and any anti-money laundering compliance," Wyman told Reuters. Various estimates show cryptocurrency crime is on the rise, keeping pace with the market's rapid growth. That forces investigators to focus on high-profile cases, security professionals and officials say, effectively leaving small investors to their own devices. "We do not pretend that every law enforcement agency is devoting resources to every single crime. That would not be possible," said Jaroslav Jakubcek, an analyst at Europol, which serves as a center for the European Union's law enforcement cooperation, expertise and intelligence. UNREPORTED CASES Officials still encourage people to report cryptocurrency theft to local police like any other crime, saying failing to do so only emboldens criminals. Yet because many victims simply do not see the point, cryptocurrency theft is far more common than any published estimates suggest, security professionals say. According to financial research firm Autonomous NEXT and Crypto Aware, which works with investors affected by crypto scams, about 15 percent of cryptocurrencies have been stolen between 2012 and the first half of 2018, representing a cumulative $1.7 billion in value at the time of the theft and with a rising tendency. In the first half of this year alone, more than $800 million has already been stolen, according to the data. (Graphic: https://tmsnrt.rs/2Nq3ngy) Yet Lex Sokolin, a partner and global director of fintech strategy at the firm, estimates that as much as 85 percent of crimes go unreported and says the published statistics only represent publicly reported heists. Reuters interviews with half a dozen victims paint a similar picture. Out of that group only two reported their losses to the authorities and one soured on cryptocurrency investments. Armin Fischer, a Vienna-based IT specialist said he lost about $5,300 in ether coins in a phishing scam in the summer of 2017 and immediately alerted the local police just to find out that the duty officer had no idea what he was talking about. He said it took many months of knocking on doors to get his case ultimately taken up by Vienna prosecutors' office, but it is still pending. Fisher says by now he has had enough. "I have seen firsthand how big the security leaks are." Others are more philosophical. Dave Appleton, a blockchain developer for HelloGold, a gold trading app company in Kuala Lumpur, said he lost about $3,000 of ether coins when scammed by a fake site touting a startup's token pre-sale. He said he just moved on, glad he did not lose more. "The point is there's no one to report the crime to," Appleton said. "I am not sure what country or jurisdiction it would come under." According ICO tracker Coinschedule a record $21.3 billion flowed into new tokens so far this year as investors keep snapping up "initial coin offerings," undeterred by high-profile heists, bitcoin's and other currencies' slide from late 2017 peaks, and government warnings of widespread fraud and theft. MILLIONS AT STAKE David Jevans, chief executive of cybersecurity firm CipherTrace in Menlo Park, California, estimates that even when exchanges or trading platforms get hacked, perhaps only a fifth of stolen coins is recovered because of the ease with which digital tokens can move across several borders. "You have to get law enforcement in five countries interested enough, have time enough, and have evidence enough to open a case," he said. "By the time they agree, get the information, do all the paperwork, the money has been moved." Security experts say in most cases millions need to be at stake to justify such an effort. U.S. entrepreneur and long-time cryptocurrency investor Michael Terpin, who says he got robbed twice, learned firsthand that not all hacks are created equal. He said first time when criminals accessed his cellphone with stolen SIM card credentials, emptied a wallet connected to it, and tricked his friends into sending money by impersonating him on Skype, he contacted a friend at the FBI. But once she learned that only $60,000 got stolen, she advised him to file a report via the FBI's internet crime center website. Terpin said he did, but never heard back. Then, when last January he lost almost $24 million in tokens from his mobile account, he went straight after the service provider AT&T, filing a $224 million lawsuit accusing it of negligence that allowed "digital identity theft," a claim AT&T denies. Undeterred, Terpin says he remains committed to blockchain comparing it to the early days of Amazon.com Inc when the online retailer faced much skepticism and even derision. "That's similar to today's narrative that all ICOs (initial coin offerings) are scams and nothing will ever be developed of value because they're not already fully deployed," he said. Steadfast commitment to the new technology and belief that it gives sophisticated criminals the upper hand mean that even some multimillion heists go unreported. For example, when hackers stole about $9 million worth of ether tokens from a Zug, Switzerland-based company Swarm City in July 2017, the peer-to-peer digital platform did not report the theft to the police, business leader Bernd Lapp said. "It's impossible to track and return the funds. We live and die with this technology." (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)
TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nextech Systems , a leading provider of healthcare technology solutions for specialty physician practices, including Ophthalmology, will offer multiple educational opportunities in their booth #2262 at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting (AAO), October 27  30 in Chicago, IL. In addition, Nextech will also showcase features and functionalities from its award-winning, cloud-based Electronic Medical Record (EMR), IntelleChartPRO.



To better address industry shifts and educate physicians, Nextech will present several educational panel and speaking sessions at AAO addressing topics like compliance and improving patient care. Speakers and panelists include practicing Ophthalmologist and Nextechs Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dan Montzka, Vice President of Regulatory at Nextech Courtney Tesvich, IntelleChartPRO users and industry experts. Topics will include:

Improve Patient Care Leveraging Clinical Efficiency  Attendees can explore the specific EMR features that can lead to saving time and increasing patient care.

Attendees can explore the specific EMR features that can lead to saving time and increasing patient care. All things Compliance  In this session, attendees can review the latest regulatory changes, future regulatory environment and learn how accurate coding and assisted compliance in an EMR can take the stress out of reporting.

In this session, attendees can review the latest regulatory changes, future regulatory environment and learn how accurate coding and assisted compliance in an EMR can take the stress out of reporting. New Innovations  This session will demonstrate the newest features of IntelleChartPRO, including upcoming enhancements like surgery planner, referral letter improvements and ASC-related solutions.

 This session will demonstrate the newest features of IntelleChartPRO, including upcoming enhancements like surgery planner, referral letter improvements and ASC-related solutions. Switching Your EMR  This interactive panel will include Nextech end-users discussing their experiences switching to IntelleChartPRO and best practices for preparing staff and integrating a new EMR into a system.

Attendees at AAO 2018 can visit Nextech booth #2262 to experience hands-on demos of these features, book a consultation with a compliance expert, revenue cycle management specialist or an Ophthalmology practice solution expert, and so much more.

Our teams look forward to AAO every year because it represents such a great opportunity for education and growth with some of the brightest people in our industry. Were proud to offer our in-booth sessions this year to further engage in the conversation and deepen our partnership with clients, said Mike Scarbrough, Nextechs President and CEO.

Ophthalmologists are deeply impacted by industry and regulatory changes, and often have difficulty juggling these shifts. This includes ongoing practice responsibilities and the increasing pressure to see more patients to increase the bottom line. Our technology innovations and industry expertise assist in alleviating both of these problems.

Along with in-booth education opportunities, Nextech will also showcase the industry-leading, ophthalmology-specific EMR, IntelleChartPRO. The IRIS Registrys integrated solution includes features such as Shared Care, adaptive template design, built-in analytics, streamlined charting and advanced drawing tools.

About Nextech

Nextech is the complete healthcare technology solution for specialty providers. Since 1997, Nextech has been focused on delivering intelligent, intuitive, integrated solutions that empower specialty physicians to maximize efficiency, optimize charting accuracy and increase overall practice profitability. Nextech services more than 7,000 physicians and over 50,000 office staff members in the clinical specialties of Ophthalmology, Dermatology and Plastic Surgery.

For more information contact:

Wyn Partington

Chief Marketing Officer

(813) 425-9260

marketing@nextech.com
Protesters faced off against Israeli police at Khan al-Amar in the West Bank on October 19, during a demonstration against the planned destruction of the Bedouin village.

The Palestine National Liberation Movement said that demonstrators were injured by police.

Video from the scene shows Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli Police opposite each other, before physical clashes begin. It is unclear from the video which side instigated physical contact.

Some demonstrators were pepper sprayed by the police, and one was dragged onto the road and arrested.

A similar occurrence took place on October 17, where protesters were pepper sprayed and tasered.

Bulldozers first entered the village on October 14, according to local media. Four protesters were reportedly arrested on October 15, according to the Palestinian National Liberation Movement and the Times of Israel.

Fatou Bensouda, an International Criminal Court prosecutor, issued a statement on October 17 warning that the demolition of the Bedouin village could constitute a war crime.

On October 17, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that the destruction of the village could be a major blow for the prospects of a two-state solution with Jerusalem as a shared capital. Credit: Hadi Baaran via Storyful
By Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - Russia and Turkey plan to give more time for the implementation of their de-escalation deal in the Syrian province of Idlib, a "great relief" for 3 million civilians in the area, U.N. humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland told reporters on Thursday. But there were still "a million unanswered questions" about how the deal would work, and what would happen if groups designated as terrorists refused to lay down their weapons. Speaking after a regular Syria humanitarian meeting in Geneva, Egeland said Syria's ally Russia had confirmed that Damascus had scrapped a "very concerning" law allowing the expropriation of land and property from refugees. Idlib and adjacent areas are the last stronghold of rebels who rose up against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, and the U.N. has warned that a battle to restore Assad's control over the zone could be the worst of the seven-year-old war. Turkey and Russia's deal set up a buffer zone running 15-20 km (9-13 miles) deep into rebel territory that originally had to be free of heavy weapons and jihadists by Monday. "There will be more time for diplomacy," Egeland said. "I was heartened to hear both Russia and Turkey say they are optimistic, they can achieve much more through negotiations, and they are generally very positive on the implementation of this deal which is giving a relief, a pause in fighting, to Idlib." Egeland said there were 12,000 humanitarian workers in the area, and Idlib had now gone five weeks without an air raid, something he could not remember in the past three years. In the east, however, fighting was raging around several villages inhabited by 15,000 people, including Islamic State fighters and their families, who were under attack by Syrian government and Kurdish forces, and 7,000 civilians had fled. Egeland advises U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, who has spent four years trying in vain to broker a political agreement to stop the war, and who said on Wednesday he would leave in November. Egeland said he would also leave at the end of November, saying it had been an exhausting job in addition to his role as head of the Norwegian Refugee Council. "There will be another team," he said. "The job is not even half done." (Reporting by Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
By Fathin Ungku and John Geddie SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore charged a citizen, a North Korean and three companies in court on Thursday with supplying prohibited luxury items to North Korea, the latest example of sanctions breaches in the wealthy Asian city-state. The multiple charges against Singaporean Chong Hock Yen, 58, and North Korean Li Hyin, 30, span over six years and involve hundreds of thousands of dollars of perfumes, wines and watches in breach of U.N. sanctions, court documents seen by Reuters show. Also charged on Thursday were three Singapore-registered companies linked to Chong - SCN Singapore Pte Ltd, Laurich International Pte Ltd and Sindok Trading Pte Ltd. "Singapore takes its obligations under the United Nations Security Council resolutions seriously and implements them fully and faithfully," Singapore's police said in a statement. "We will not hesitate to take action against any individual or entity that breaches our laws and regulations." Reuters could not immediately reach Chong, Li or officials of the companies to seek comment. In July, a Singapore company official, Ng Kheng Wah, was charged for supplying luxury goods to North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions. Ng was also named in some of the charge sheets in Thursday's case, as was a firm called T Specialist, that also featured in the July case. Back in 2016, Singapore fined a shipping company based in the city state, Chinpo Shipping Company (Private) Ltd, S$180,000 for facilitating a shipment of arms to North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions. Charge sheets show Chong is alleged to have helped three companies supply items such as perfumes and cosmetics, jewelry, watches with precious metals and musical instruments to North Korea 43 times between 27 December 2010 and 18 November 2016. The charges against him relate to transactions totaling nearly S$600,000 ($435,666.57). Li is alleged have helped two firms supply similar items, as well as wines and spirits, to North Korea, in 14 instances between 17 September 2014 and 5 January 2017 in deals worth more than S$400,000 ($290,444.38). Singapore, the site of an unprecedented summit this year between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, says it complies with U.N. Security Council resolutions imposed on the North to persuade it to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile program. Singapore suspended trade relations with North Korea in November last year, when the United Nations toughened sanctions over its weapons program. (Reporting by Fathin Ungku and John Geddie; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Neil Fullick)
By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday received an invitation to visit North Korea and the pontiff indicated that he would consider making what would be a landmark trip to the hermit nation, according to South Korean officials. South Korean President Moon Jae-in relayed the invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the pope verbally during a 35-minute meeting in the Vatican. Any visit would be the first by a pope to the reclusive state which does not allow priests to be permanently stationed there. There is little information on how many of its citizens are Catholic, or how they practice their faith. Kim told Moon, a Catholic, of his wish to meet the pontiff during a meeting last month and the South Korean leader announced before the trip that he would be relaying a message.. According to the president's office, Francis expressed his strong support for efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula. Moon's office quoted the pope as telling Moon: "Do not stop, move forward. Do not be afraid." Asked if Kim should send a formal invitation, Moon's office quoted the pope as responding to Moon: "your message is already sufficient but it would be good for him to send a formal invitation." "I will definitely answer if I get the invitation, and I can go," the president's office quoted the pope as saying. RECONCILIATION The pope is expected to be in Asia during a trip to Japan next year. A Vatican statement made no mention of the verbal invitation from Kim. It spoke only of "the promotion of dialogue and reconciliation between Koreans" and "the common commitment to fostering all useful initiatives to overcome the tensions that still exist in the Korean Peninsula, in order to usher in a new season of peace and development." The two Koreas have held three summits this year. Kim also held an unprecedented summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, and promised to work toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. Any trip to the North, however brief, could be contentious for the pope. North Korea's constitution guarantees freedom of religion as long as it does not undermine the state. But beyond a handful of state-controlled places of worship, no open religious activity is allowed. Aides close to the pope have said he is open to taking what they call first steps in places where the Church has been persecuted in the hope that the situation could improve. Church officials estimate that North Korea had a Catholic community of about 55,000 just before the 1950-53 Korean War. Religious agencies have estimated the number remaining from the few hundreds to about 4,000. (Additional reporting by Josh Smith in Seoul; Editing by Nick Macfie and Andrew Heavens)
By Haejin Choi and Hyunjoo Jin SEOUL (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of South Korean taxi-drivers held a rally on Thursday in Seoul, the capital, saying a carpooling service planned by the operator of the country's top chat app would threaten their livelihoods and jobs. It was the latest challenge to ride-sharing services in South Korea, which has one of the world's highest smartphone penetration rates, with nearly half its population of about 51 million living in the Seoul metropolitan area. Backlash from taxi-drivers and government regulations in Asia's fourth-biggest economy have hampered new transport services launched by U.S.-based Uber Technologies [UBER.UL] and domestic startups. Protesters wearing red headbands chanted slogans, waved flags and held up placards with slogans such as, "Let's crush the carpooling industry which ignores the taxi industry," and "Illegal business carpool app out." A carpooling service would put his job at risk, said one driver, Lee Sun-joo, who has 30 years of experience but works 12-hour days to earn just 2 million won ($1,762) every month. "The taxi industry will be long gone at the end," he added. On Tuesday, Kakao Mobility, a unit of chat app operator Kakao Corp, started recruiting drivers for its service, after having acquired domestic carpool startup Luxi from Hyundai Motor and other investors in February. Kakao, which wants to use its dominant position to jumpstart the service matching up drivers with people seeking a ride in the same direction, said it would run the service only during commuting hours to offset a shortage of taxis. Transport law bans the use of personal vehicles for commercial purposes, but allows carpooling during "commuting hours". Kakao, which previously said it planned to launch the service by year-end, on Thursday said the timing had not been decided. "We will continue discussions with the taxi industry, related organizations and users before the service launch," it said in a statement. The taxi drivers' protest worsens the dilemma of South Korea's labor-friendly government, grappling with unemployment that hit an eight-year high in August. South Korea had about 270,000 taxi drivers on June 30. As the economy loses steam, the government has also pledged to promote new industries to cut reliance on big conglomerates, such as Hyundai and Samsung. "The government is in a bind," said Ko Tae-bong, research head at Hi Investment & Securities. "If they keep dragging their feet over regulatory changes, South Korea will be left behind the global ride-sharing market." In 2015, San Francisco-based Uber had to halt Uber X, a ride-hailing service using private cars in South Korea, in the face of opposition from taxi drivers and a lawsuit. Last year, the Seoul city government demanded a police inquiry into whether Poolus, the countrys top carpool startup, violated the transport law. ($1=1,134.9000 won) (Reporting by Haejin Choi and Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
By Elias Biryabarema and Joe Bavier KAMPALA/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - The brisk business Julius Kirya did from his cash transfer kiosk in the Ugandan capital has slowed right down with a new tax on mobile money. Many of his customers have returned to sending banknotes by hand, in some cases via motorbike taxi. How to tax digital revenues, from fintech to social media, is a puzzle authorities around the world are working on. A solution catching on in Africa - levies on usage - has obvious appeal to indebted governments but a big impact on people like Kirya, who saw the tech revolution as a way out of poverty. "I had a dream of steadily growing to middle income status," he said from his tiny cubicle attached to a Kampala petrol station, one of thousands across the country that serve the millions of people without access to bank accounts. He was making three times the average salary before the tax, was introduced in July. Now his income has slid to half that. "With this tax I have no chance," he said. It is not just Kirya and his customers who are losing out. Mobile communications have revolutionized life in Africa where telecom company reports show calls and texts are giving way to data services like Facebook-owned WhatsApp, Skype, Viber and WeChat owned by China's Tencent. The telecom companies say taxes on mobile payments introduced by a string of countries hurt their revenues and threaten much-needed investment in infrastructure. Levies on social media usage brought in by Uganda and Benin and a proposed tax on internet calls in Zambia have taken the shine off a fast-growing market and have all sparked protests. Officials say the taxes are needed to preserve state revenues as technologies evolve. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has long pressed African states to improve tax collection, urges caution. "You want to make sure you don't introduce taxes that are stifling innovation and curtailing activity in the sector," Abebe Selassie, the IMF's top official for Africa, told Reuters this month. "So striking that balance will be important." GLOBAL DISRUPTION The communications sector is evolving fast in Africa, where the convenience and lower communication costs of "over-the-top" (OTT) services via the internet have particular appeal. Data revenues in most African markets are increasing at a much faster rate than SMS and voice revenues are declining, a Reuters analysis of telecom company finances showed. Kenya's Safaricom - part owned by Vodafone - reported its customer base jumped nearly 12 percent last year but voice revenues grew just 2.9 percent while SMS revenues shrank nearly 4 percent and data revenue rose 38.5 percent. MTN saw revenues from outgoing voice calls decline in a number of African countries in the first half of this year; SMS revenue fell across the group and in many markets by double digits year-on-year. But data revenues grew nearly 27 percent. Mobile operators are expanding 4G networks, trimming data costs and nurturing financial services offerings to drive future revenues. In theory, this should also protect countries' tax take, but many African governments supplement revenue or profit taxes with separate levies on voice airtime, SMS and mobile money. Amid fears the first two services are tailing off, authorities are bringing in or increasing taxes on mobile money and introducing them for social media to make up the shortfall. In January, Ivory Coast imposed a 0.5 per cent tax on transfers via mobile money services. Kenya last month increased its tax on mobile money transfer fees from 10 to 12 percent. Benin introduced a tax of 5 CFA francs ($0.01) per megabyte consumed on social media usage. And Zambia has proposed a daily levy on consumers who use the internet to make phone calls. In Uganda, riot police repressed demonstrations against two new taxes implemented in July - one on mobile money transactions and another, a daily levy on social media usage, with apps and websites blocked until a user pays the fee. Amnesty International and local opposition parties say the OTT tax is a veiled attempt to stifle criticism of President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for over three decades. Opposition activists have used apps to organize protests. Officials say the taxes are aimed at raising revenue, not suppressing dissent, and reject the telecom firms' complaints. Finance Ministry spokesman Jim Mugunga said they had helped the revenue authority exceed its third quarter targets. "There's no proof that these taxes are hurting business," he said. "No one has given us empirical evidence ... That's a narrative by telecom companies. I don't accept it." Godfrey Mutabazi, executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission, echoed a common complaint around the world that social media companies keep local tax authorities at arms' length. "The traditional voice technology that we have lived with over the past 20 years is dying," he told Reuters. "These big technology firms are not registered here ... so the only way the government can get revenue from them is to put a tax on OTT usage." "GETTING COMPLICATED" As of last year, Facebook boasted 170 million users across Africa, a 42 percent increase from 2015, it said. Facebook's WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app on the continent, home to more than a billion people. The number of social media users in Africa grew 12 percent last year on the back of a 20 percent increase in internet users, the fastest rate of any region in the world, a report by social media marketing firms We Are Social and Hootsuite found. A Facebook-financed report published in August by Christoph Stork, a telecoms analyst with Research ICT Solutions, said network operators in Uganda have seen a 20 percent drop in subscribers using data since the social media tax came in. Such a decline could also affect the broader economy. Studies, including one from the World Bank, estimate that a 10 percent increase in mobile broadband penetration translates to a 0.8 to 1.5 percent increase in a country's GDP growth. Mobile money transactions are also taking a hit. A spokeswoman for Airtel Uganda, a subsidiary of India Bharti Airtel's, said the new tax on transfers had led to a significant drop in the volume and value of transactions. "Any disruption in the Airtel Money operations causes an indirect negative impact on the growth prospects of emerging businesses, stifling economic growth," said Sumin Namaganda. Ugandan media have quoted MTN officials saying the tax had cut the company's mobile transaction volumes in half. As of March 2017, mobile money services were operating in 39 sub-Saharan African countries with almost 280 million registered accounts, according to mobile communications industry body GSMA. At least six countries have introduced taxes on the service, prompting GSMA to warn in a report last year that high or unpredictable levies may cost states some of what it said would be $31 billion in investment across Africa, mainly focused on improving data coverage and services. Some governments appear to be having second thoughts. Zambia's proposed levy on internet calls, announced in August, did not make it into the new budget approved last month. And just three days after Benin introduced its social media tax to widespread public outcry, the government canceled it, on the grounds it created "instability in the sector's economy which harms the interest of consumers". Uganda's mobile money tax was introduced as 1 percent levy "on receiving, payments and withdrawals". Museveni later said the rate was 0.5 percent and applied just to withdrawals. Parliament corrected the law but the president has not enacted the revised text. While kiosk owners and some of their clients in big cities are struggling on, Kirya said his colleagues operating mobile money kiosks in rural areas had simply shut up shop. "With this tax everything is getting complicated," he said. ($1 = 3,788.0000 Ugandan shillings) ($1 = 568.2200 CFA francs) (Additional reporting by Allegresse Sasse in Cotonou, Chris Mfula in Lusaka and Mathieu Rosemain in Paris; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Resinco Capital Partners Inc. (CSE:RIN) (the Company or Resinco) announces that it has made an investment in Toronto, Ontario and Palo Alto, California based Cannabis Pharma company Katexco Pharmaceuticals Corp.



The Company has now made its first investment in the Cannabis Pharma Sector with its investment in Katexco Pharmaceuticals. Katexco is led by a world class team of scientists that come from Stanford University in California. Resinco is excited to pursue further investments in the Cannabis Pharma Sector in the near future.

Prof. Lawrence Steinman, Chairman and Co-Founder of Katexco said, We are extremely pleased to welcome Resinco Capital Partners as investors in Katexco.

Alexander Somjen, President and CEO of Resinco said, After announcing our decision to pursue investment opportunities in the growing Cannabis Pharma sector, Katexco made sense as our first Cannabis Pharma investment. With their world class team, Katexco is working on life changing treatments.

About Resinco Capital Partners

Resinco Capital Partners is a global investment company which specializes in providing early stage financing to private and public companies focused on the growing Cannabis Pharma Sector. The Company engages in new, early stage investment opportunities in previously underdeveloped life sciences and biotech companies which a specific focus on Cannabis Pharma, obtaining positions in early stage investment opportunities that adequately reflect the risk profile.

Website:

www.resincocp.com

About Katexco Pharmaceuticals Corp

Katexco Pharmaceuticals is a medical cannabis company developing innovative, orally available therapies harnessing endocannabinoid and nicotine receptors to treat inflammatory diseases. Formed by Dr. Jonathan Rothbard and Professor Lawrence Steinman, the Company is developing the worlds first drug to exploit a key receptor on immune cells in the brain with the ability to treat inflammatory diseases.

Website:

https://katexcopharma.com/



Medical Cannabis Market Opportunity

The Medical Marijuana industry is rapidly growing. Currently the market is valued at $14.3B USD. It is estimated to reach a market value of $74.3B USD by 2027 at a projected CAGR of 17.9% from 2017 to 2027. Already over 1.2 million people use Medical Marijuana for medical problems.

Growth for its use is underpinned by numerous factors such as legislation permitting its use for medicinal benefits. Increasing research in the medical field has shown marijuanas benefits in suppressing vomiting and nausea, pain relief, whilst also generating a growing number therapeutic applications for inflammation, HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Huntingtons disease and Parkinsons disease.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

RESINCO CAPITAL PARTNERS INC.:

Mr. Alexander Somjen, CEO

For more information, please contact

Theo van der Linde- 604.336.3196

RESINCO CAPITAL PARTNERS

Trading Symbol  CSE: RIN

Suite 810  789 West Pender Street

Vancouver, BC V6C 1H2

T. 604.687.2038

F. 604-687-3141



Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.


I stopped by the Coconut Grove Arts Festival gallery this week where they were judging the art for the upcoming February festival. It's that time of year again - every October the judges do their thing.



Katrina Delgado, Director of Artist Services said that as of today, there will be 119 artists invited that have never participated in the Coconut Grove Arts Festival before. Those 119 artists, representing 1/3 of the show, hail from four different Countries (USA, Canada, Bahama and Venezuela) and 25 different states. Twelve of the 119 are from Miami and have never shown their work in a Miami Arts Festival.





The artist selection process is the most important obligation we have all year. It is imperative we keep the selection process pure. The integrity of the Coconut Grove Arts Festival as a fine arts juried show depends on it," says Monty Trainer, president of the festival.





Close to 1000 artists from across the nation and representing different counties apply to our Festival annually. We engage two panels of highly respected judges to carefully review the work of these artists, and based on a criteria of creativity and artistic excellence choose the participating 350 artists for that year," said Lilia Garcia, Arts Festival Board Chair.





Coconut Grove Arts Festival is February 16, 17 and 18, 2019 where art, fun, food and so much more take over the streets of Coconut Grove. Theis February 16, 17 and 18, 2019 where art, fun, food and so much more take over the streets of Coconut Grove.





Arts Festival Facts:

350 Artists from 6 Countries

42 States

107 from Florida

24 from Miami-Dade County

43 Artists that have done the Arts Festival for 10+ years

3 have participated over 30 years

More than 88% of the artists have participated for less than 10 years.
FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- As the use of marijuana is growing, with Canada legalizing the drug just this week, a new study that ties pot to a raised risk for stroke might give users pause.

The risk for any stroke could increase by 15 percent and it could jump 29 percent for an ischemic stroke -- the most common kind, said lead investigator Dr. Krupa Patel. She is a research physician at Avalon University School of Medicine in Willemstad, Curacao.

Patel cautioned that the study can't prove that using marijuana causes strokes, only that the two are associated.

"We can't establish causation, but what we can say is that recreational marijuana users are at higher risk in terms of stroke," she said.

In addition, the researchers don't know if the risk is tied to smoking marijuana or ingesting it in other ways, and whether it depends on the amount of the drug used or if it is due to other psychoactive ingredients mixed in with the marijuana.

Patel said the risk may be exacerbated by chronic medical conditions of the marijuana users who had strokes, such as diabetes or obesity.

Also, the researchers could not tell from the data whether marijuana users used other drugs like cocaine or smoked tobacco, she said.

Still, more strokes occurred among marijuana users than nonusers, which leaves open the question of what accounts for the increase in risk.

"At this point we can just say there is this increased risk," Patel said.

The best way to sort out whether marijuana is truly associated with an increase in stroke is in a clinical trial, said Dr. Thalia Field, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

"It's too early to say that this is causative," she said. "It has to be borne out in other studies."

In the study, Patel and her colleagues found that among more than 2.3 million American recreational marijuana users who were hospitalized, the risk of stroke rose, compared with people who didn't use the drug.

Between 2010 and 2014, strokes among marijuana users steadily increased, even though the overall stroke rate remained unchanged, Patel said.

Among marijuana users in the study, more than 32,000 had a stroke -- including nearly 19,500 who suffered an ischemic stroke. Ischemic strokes occur when a clot blocks blood vessels in the brain.

Over five years, the rate of all types of stroke increased from 1.3 to 1.5 percent among marijuana users, and the rate of ischemic stroke rose from 0.7 to 0.9 percent, the researchers found.

The increase in strokes among marijuana users was across all age groups -- for people in their teens to those in their 80s, Patel said. In addition, costs to care for these patients rose between 2010 and 2014, from $71,000 to $92,000, she said.

The findings were to be presented Friday at the World Stroke Congress, in Montreal. Such research is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Paul Armentano, deputy director of the marijuana advocacy group NORML, said, "This finding is inconsistent with other population-based studies, which failed to identify cannabis as an independent risk factor for stroke in younger subjects."

NORML, however, recognizes that the data on this subject is evolving and that cannabis smoke can cause a cardiovascular response, he added.

People with a history of heart disease or stroke may be at an increased risk for adverse side effects from marijuana, particularly smoked cannabis, Armentano acknowledged.

"As with any drug, people should consult their doctor before deciding whether the medical use of cannabis is safe and appropriate," he said.

More information

Visit the National Stroke Association for more on strokes.
FRIDAY, Oct. 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- There's growing evidence that the herpes virus responsible for cold sores also may cause Alzheimer's disease, a new research paper contends.

It's been long known that herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) can been found in the brains of elderly people with Alzheimer's disease, and research has shown that herpes increases Alzheimer's risk in people genetically predisposed to dementia, said researcher Ruth Itzhaki.

Newer data suggest that treating people with antiviral drugs might actually protect them from dementia, said Itzhaki, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Manchester in England.

"We found that the antiherpes antiviral drug acyclovir blocks HSV1 DNA replication, and reduces levels of beta amyloid and of P-tau caused by HSV1 infection of cell cultures," Itzhaki said. Beta amyloid plaques and tangles of tau proteins are two of the hallmarks found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

But the effect that herpes may have on the brain is not yet fully understood, and it's unlikely that the virus alone can explain all cases of Alzheimer's, said James Hendrix, director of global science initiatives for the Alzheimer's Association.

Hendrix noted that half of all adults carry the herpes simplex 1 virus.

"We know that 50 percent of the population isn't getting Alzheimer's disease, so it's not a 1-to-1 correlation," Hendrix said. "If we took the recommendation of the author of this paper and gave everybody over the age of 55 antiviral drugs, I don't think we would wipe out Alzheimer's disease. We might lower it somewhat, but I don't think we would eliminate Alzheimer's disease."

Herpes simplex virus 1 infects most humans in infancy, and remains dormant within the peripheral nervous system from then on, Itzhaki said. Stress can cause the virus to reactivate and, in some people, cause cold sores.

Itzhaki and her colleagues believe that herpes contributes to Alzheimer's disease by migrating into the brains of elderly people as their immune system naturally declines.

Once it has infected the brain, Itzhaki argues, HSV1 causes damage and inflammation in brain cells whenever it's reactivated by events such as stress, immune suppression or infection by other microbes.

This damage is particularly bad in people with the APOE4 gene, which has been directly linked to Alzheimer's disease, she said.

"The likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease is 12 times greater for APOE4 carriers who have HSV1 [the herpes virus] in the brain than for those with neither factor," Itzhaki said.

"We suggest that repeated activation causes cumulative damage, leading eventually to Alzheimer's disease in people with an APOE4 allele," Itzhaki continued. "Presumably, in APOE4 carriers, Alzheimer's disease develops in the brain because of greater HSV1-induced formation of toxic products, or lesser repair of damage."

Dr. Sam Gandy is associate director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in New York City. He said there's evidence that viruses can have an effect on other diseases of the brain and nervous system, in particular Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

"Probably the best evidence that viruses can contribute to major brain illnesses comes from ALS, where they found not a herpes virus but a retrovirus," Gandy said. "The peptides of the virus appeared in the spinal fluid of patients with ALS, and when they treated those patients with antiretrovirals, they seemed to clinically stabilize."

Itzhaki said a newer study out of Taiwan seems to indicate that ridding the body of herpes through antiviral drugs could reduce Alzheimer's risk.

The Taiwan results showed that the risk of dementia was much greater in people infected with herpes, and that treatment with antivirals caused a dramatic decrease in the number of people severely infected by HSV1 who went on to later develop dementia, Itzhaki said.

However, Hendrix said, the Taiwanese results can be explained in other ways. For example, it might not be the antiviral drugs that reduced the rates of dementia, but the fact that those specific patients were receiving better medical treatment overall.

"We know that better quality health care leads to lower rates of dementia," Hendrix said.

Gandy said that, while the link between herpes and Alzheimer's is promising, clinical trials would be needed to show that antiviral treatment can effectively head off dementia in people.

"There's lots of circumstantial evidence. The definitive proof requires finding living people who have the virus and symptoms of dementia, giving them the antiviral, and showing that their symptoms stabilize or improve," Gandy said.

New research tools will be needed, including a brain scan that can specifically detect herpes in the brain, he added.

"We have to be able to find the virus as a warning flag, to tell us to initiate the treatment, and then see whether that has an impact on the progression," Gandy said.

The new paper was published online Oct. 19 in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.

More information

The World Health Organization has more about herpes simplex virus 1.
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Journalists dont typically get murdered in Western European democracies that are members of the European Union. Which is why the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta last year was so shocking, and the lack of progress on finding the mastermind so disturbing.

CPJ was in Malta as part of an international delegation in solidarity with Caruana Galizias family and journalists on the one-year anniversary of her murder, and to attend meetings with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Minister of Justice Owen Bonnici, attorney general and other officials responsible for ensuring that the person or people who ordered her murder are brought to justice.

The government officials assured us that that those leading the investigation are allowed to pursue all leads, even those related to high-level political and business figures who were the subjects of Caruana Galizias reporting. But, when we asked people including the officials with whom we met, and the journalists editor and colleagues at the Malta Independent where she published a bi-weekly column, whether they had been interviewed as part of the investigation, not a single one of them had.

With such a response, it is hard to believe that Maltese authorities are seriously considering the possibility that Caruana Galizia was murdered for her reporting.

A memorial for murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. CPJ was part of an international delegation that traveled to Malta to mark the one-year anniversary of Caruana Galizias death and meet with officials. (CPJ)

Flowers and candles are left in tribute to Daphne Caruana Galizia. Maltas prime minister told an international delegation that CPJ was part of in October that he is committed to opening a public inquiry into whether the murder could have been prevented. (CPJ)

Officials told our delegation that they were satisfied with the progress of the indefinite magisterial inquiry in to the journalists killing, which has no deadline or timeline. While the Prime Minister committed to opening a public inquiry into whether Caruana Galizias murder could have been prevented, he did not provide a timeframe. We are asking for this to begin immediately. He also said he would welcome an application for a permanent memorial for Caruana Galizia, but this is distinct from our request to allow the protest memorial to remain until justice is achieved.

The statement of findings and recommendations of the international delegation, which also address broader press freedom conditions in the country, is available here.

Statement of findings from the International Freedom of Expression Delegation to Malta comprising the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), PEN International, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Statement of the international delegation, made at the meeting with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Minister of Justice Owen Bonnici, and the prime ministers chief of staff, Keith Schembri.

Photos of the memorials to Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Media advisory.

[Reporting from Valletta, Malta]
TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ALGAE DYNAMICS CORP (OTC: ADYNF) (the "Company"), a company focused on the development of unique health products and nutraceuticals utilizing cannabis and botanical oil extracts, is pleased to announce that it has raised an additional CDN$527,000 pursuant to the closing of a second tranche of a private placement of units at a price of CDN$.40 per unit. This follows the companys press release on August 3, 2018 when it announced funding of CDN$520,000 comprised of CDN$100,000 in convertible debentures and a further CDN$420,000 in units on the same terms, resulting in an aggregate of 2,367,792 units being issued and funding of approximately $1,047,000 in the aggregate. Each unit consists of one share of Common Stock and one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable to acquire an additional share of Common Stock at a price of CDN$0.75 per share until [September 30, 2020].



The Company intends to use the funds to further support Dr. Steven Laviolette and his team at Western University and Dr. Jonathan Blay at The University of Waterloo (as announced previously).

Funds will also be allocated for patent applications, supporting development activities with our Licensed Partners, general administrative expenses and compliance.

The researchers at Western University, the Companys scientific collaboration team, have ongoing research projects that are identifying safer and clinically superior cannabinoid formulations aimed at treating the symptoms of various psychiatric disorders, while eliminating the negative side effects associated with traditional marijuana formats.

Paul Ramsay stated, This additional funding will accelerate our University partners research, development and inventions of Cannabis based formulations for patients with mental health conditions and various types of cancers. We are obtaining great results from our formulations and will continue collaboration with our licensed partners to get our medicinal products to patients in need.

About Dr. Steven Laviolette

The investigator leading the research is Dr. Steven Laviolette, a Professor and Neuroscientist in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University in London, Ontario. Dr. Laviolette is a leader in the study of cannabinoids in mental health and was recently awarded Faculty Scholar status at Western University. Dr. Laviolettes research team has previously made numerous fundamental discoveries related to how cannabinoids impact and may serve as treatments for mental health disorders including schizophrenia, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Dr. Laviolettes primary research focus is in characterizing how specific phytochemical derivatives of cannabis may interact with specific brain pathways and molecular mechanisms whereby they may improve symptoms associated with various mental health disorders. Research from Dr. Laviolettes team has been published in the top neuroscience and psychiatry journals in the world. His full profile may be seen on Western Universitys, website www.uwo.ca

http://www.schulich.uwo.ca/anatomy/people/bios/faculty/laviolette_steve.html

About Algae Dynamics Corp (ADC)

ADC is engaged in the development of unique health products and nutraceuticals that utilize hemp, cannabis and algae oils. We have engaged two Canadian universities to provide research into the use of extracts from cannabis oil, which we plan to use to develop products that combine the significant health benefits of Omega-3s derived from algae oil and extracts from cannabis oil. Our research is focused on the use of cannabis oil in the context of cancer, and the use of cannabis derivatives for the development of novel pharmacotherapies for mental health.

For more information, visit http://www.algaedynamics.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, use of proceeds and the development, costs and results of current or future actions and opportunities in the sector. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with development stage companies, our ability to raise the additional funding we will need to continue to develop our research initiatives and products, and our ability to retain important members of our management team and attract other qualified personnel. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate.

Investors should consult all the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Armenia Opens Massive Crypto Mine

The Armenian government has presided over the opening of what it claims is one of the biggest cryptocurrency mining farms in the world. At a ceremony in the capital, Yerevan, acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was joined by the head of the consortium that has constructed the farm, Armenian billionaire (and so-called oligarch) Gagik Tsarukyan. Source: iStock/eclipse_images

Per news outlet Yerkramas, Tsarukyan claims that the farm, which is the brainchild of his Multi Group conglomerate, cost some USD 50 million to construct, and has been equipped with an initial 3,000 mining rigs. The company is planning to expand that number to 12,000 in the near future.

The farm will initially mine Bitcoin and Ethereum. Yerkramas states that the facility is based on two floors: the ground floor is a business and management center, with an entire floor given over to servers and equipment above.

Gagik Tsarukyan. Source: tsarukyan.am

The media outlet says that Tsarukyan and Pashinyan  who tendered his resignation from his post two days ago in a bid to call snap elections  were joined by business leaders from China, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and a number of other countries for the opening ceremony.

Tsarukyan is quoted as saying, Guests are coming to Armenia from almost 40 countries [to see the mine]. This is an important step towards the development of the information technology sector in Armenia, especially since representatives of foreign business circles are planning to meet with members of the government to discover more about the possibilities of making new, larger investments in the Armenian economy.

The farm will initially receive some 50MW of power from a thermal energy plant, with an agreement in place to provide an increase in capacity to 200MW, per Armenpress.

Watch this video from the opening of the farm:

Earlier this year, the countrys government legalized mining in anticipation of the farms opening, although cryptocurrency trading remains illegal in Armenia. The country says it is planning to create a Free Economic Zone for overseas crypto and blockchain companies  in the vein of Belarus Hi-Tech Park and Kazakhstans Astana International Financial Center.
The 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit was held in Brussels, Belgium. The theme of summit was Global Partners for Global Challenges. It was chaired by European Council President Donald Tusk. The summit was attended by heads of state of 51 European and Asian countries, representatives of European Union and Secretary General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). India was represented by Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu. This edition of summit has prioritised issues related to trade and investment, connectivity, sustainable development, climate change, terrorism, migration, maritime security and cyberspace.

Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM)

ASEM is informal political dialogue and cooperation forum that brings 53 entities  including 51 countries (including India) from Asia and Europe and two regional bodies European Union (EU) and ASEAN. It represents around 62.3% of the worlds population, 57.2% of the global GDP and almost 60% of the worlds trade.

ASEM was officially established in March 1996 at the first summit in Bangkok, Thailand. The dialogue addresses political, economic and cultural issues between the two regions. It also seeks to strengthen relationship between the two regions in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership. Three main pillars ASEM process are Political & Security, Economic & Financial and Social, Cultural & Educational.
The first joint military exercise named Dharma Guardian between India and Japan will be held at the Armys Counter-Insurgency Warfare School at Vairengte (Mizoram) from November 1 to 14, 2018. The exercise is aimed at developing mutual understanding and respect between militaries of both countries, as also facilitate in tracking worldwide phenomenon of terrorism.

Dharma Guardian

In this exercise, Indian Army will be represented by 6/1 Gorkha Rifles, while Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force will field its 32 Infantry Regiment. The emphasis of this exercise will be on building interoperability. Armies of both countries will jointly train, plan and execute series of well-developed tactical drills for neutralization of likely threats that may be encountered in urban warfare scenario. Moreover, experts from both sides will also hold detailed discussions to share their expertise on varied operational aspects.

In recent times, India and Japan have been steadily stepping up their bilateral defence ties, with more military exchanges, training programmes and top-level visits as well as collaboration in maritime security and defence production, with eye firmly on an aggressive and expansionist China. Exercise Dharma Guardian will be another step to deepen bilateral strategic ties. Such exercise will be effective diplomatic tool to enhance overall strategic ties and military-to-military cooperation between both friendly countries.
A British man has been stabbed to death on the Malaysian holiday island of Langkawi after rowing with his wife who has been arrested on suspicion of murder.John William Jones, 62, was found on the floor of his house with a stab wound to the chest at 2.30am this morning, local police chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim told AFP.His wife Samantha, 62, has been detained and is suspected of having murdered him following a row, he said.Scroll down for videoThe pair had lived on Langkawi, a jungle-clad, tropical island in northwest Malaysia that attracts millions of tourists annually to its palm-fringed beaches, for the past 11 years.His wife was arrested in the early hours of the morning the Star Online reports, and she has been remanded in custody.'The couple were believed to have engaged in an argument. The wife then took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her husband in the chest,' Mohamad Iqbal said.A 12 inch knife was found on the floor of the couple's bedroom covered in blood stains, he said.The couple had been granted residency on Malaysia's 'My Second Home' program which allows people to stay beyond normal visa periods.Local media reported the victim's body was discovered early Thursday after neighbours alerted police.Under current laws, the wife will be sentenced to death by hanging if she is found guilty of murdering her husband.Murder carries a mandatory death sentence in Malaysia.The government recently pledged to abolish the death penalty for all crimes but lawmakers still have to approve the changes.In 1989, English drug runner Derrick Gregory was hanged in Malaysia after being caught with a pound of heroin at Penang airport.During his trial jurors heard he had 14 packets of the opioid stashed in his boots and underwear.Gregory was bound for Los Angeles via Singapore and claimed he was forced to smuggle the drugs by organised crime bosses.He was convicted despite his defence lawyer arguing Gregory was brain damaged and had spent his childhood at special schools.Then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, appealed for mercy on the British national but Malaysian authorities proceeded with the execution.The MailOnline has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.
A former Florida middle school teacher has pleaded guilty to having sex with a 14-year-old student and sending him nude pictures.Stephanie Peterson, 27, pleaded guilty as part of a plea deal to one count of lewd or lascivious battery sex act with a child and one count of transmission of harmful material to minors by electronic means. Both are felonies.Peterson will face a minimum of five years and a maximum of 10 years in prison when she is sentenced.The former New Smyrna Beach Middle School science teacher was arrested in February after the 14-year-old told his parents about their relationship.He confessed to his parents that Peterson would pick him up from their home at 11pm and that they often spent hours together at her home while her firefighter husband was at work.The teen claimed he had sex with Peterson in her house and car as well as a barn behind his own house from November 2017 to January 2018.He also revealed that Peterson had sent him nude photographs of herself and that she bought him marijuana and a 'bowl to smoke it' in.The teen reportedly told his parents that his relationship with the teacher was hurting his grades.Snapchat messages between Peterson and the teen were released by the State Attorney's Office earlier this month.The messages show Peterson panicking after finding out that the teen's mother knew about them and was planning to go to the police.'So she's planning on doing something with it,' Peterson messaged the student.'I hate you,' she added. 'So much.'Peterson then told the teen to tell his mother that it was the 'worst decision of my life'.'I know it was and idk where my brain was but I somehow fell in love with you briefly and idk why [sic].''I'll never been the same person because of it.'Peterson then asked the teen if she should call his mom, before begging him to 'delete everything'.The former middle school teacher had originally planned to enter a no contest plea in court on Tuesday, according to Daytona Beach News-Journal.But Judge Raul Zambrano said he did not accept no contest pleas in sex cases.'The component of any sentence is treatment, and a component of treatment is admitting that you did what you did,' he told Peterson.'If you plead no contest here, they go to treatment and they don't want to admit anything.'Peterson then talked to her attorney for a minute before telling the judge without hesitation that she would be pleading guilty.She also told Zambrano that she was taking 'psychotropic medication' as prescribed.'Do you have a clear understanding of what's happening here?' Zambrano then asked her.'Yes, sir,' she replied.He then asked Peterson to describe in her own words what she was doing in the courtroom.'Uh, pleading guilty to those two counts,' she replied.As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped a second count of lewd or lascivious battery sex act with a child, but Peterson will be required to register as a sex offender.A sentencing date has not yet been set.Peterson's defense team plans to ask the judge for a downward departure from the minimum sentence, meaning they will argue she should get less than five years in prison.The former teacher was accompanied by her father and several others in the courtroom.She divorced from her husband of two years, DeLand firefighter Brandon Ferri, a month after her arrest.Peterson's victim was not in court but some of his family members attended.Read more: Volusia teacher accused of having sex with student bonds out...Volusia teacher accused of sex with 8th-grader posts bail - News - Ocala.com - Ocala, FLFormer NSB middle school teacher pleads guilty to sex with student, faces prison - News - Daytona Beach News-Journal Online - Daytona Beach, FL
The founder of Wikileaks is set to launch legal action against the government of Ecuador claiming that his 'fundamental rights and freedoms' have been violated.Julian Assange has been in London's Ecuador embassy since 2012, fearing extradition to the United States if he leaves.The move comes several months after Ecuador cut off communications for Mr Assange, who has been living inside their embassy for over six years.WikiLeaks lawyer Baltasar Garzon has arrived in Ecuador to launch the case, which is set to be heard in a domestic court next week.WikiLeaks said Ecuador had threatened to remove the protection Mr Assange has had since being granted political asylum. They added that his access to the outside world had been 'summarily cut off.'WikiLeaks have also said that the government of Ecuador refused a visit by Human Rights Watch general counsel Dinah PoKempner, who has likened Ecuador's isolation to 'solitary confinement', and had not allowed several meetings with his lawyers.A statement said: 'Ecuador's measures against Julian Assange have been widely condemned by the human rights community.'Mr Assange's lawyers said they were also challenging the legality of the Ecuador government's 'special protocol' which makes his political asylum dependent on 'censoring' his freedom of opinion, speech and association.The protocol also requires journalists, his lawyers and anyone else seeking to see Julian Assange to disclose private or political details.This can include sharing their social media usernames, the serial numbers and codes of their phones and tablets, with Ecuador - which the protocol says the government may 'share with other agencies'.The protocol claims the Embassy may seize the property of Mr Assange or his visitors and, without a warrant, hand it over to UK authorities, said the statement.WikiLeaks said that US congressmen had written an open letter to Ecuador's president, Lenin Moreno, saying that in order to advance 'crucial matters ... from economic co-operation to counternarcotics assistance, to the possible return of a USAID mission to Ecuador, we must first resolve a significant challenge created by your predecessor, Rafael Correa - the status of Julian Assange'.Pressure has mounted on Ecuador to hand Mr Assange over to the UK, WikiLeaks believes.It is understood that the theme of the legal action will be on Mr Assange's isolation, ban on visits, speech restrictions, and failure to live up to international obligations.Earlier this week a document was leaked which showed tensions were growing between Mr Assange and his hosts.The list included demands for Mr Assange to keep the bathroom clean, take good care of his cat or it will be confiscated and to steer clear of topics that could harm Ecuador's diplomatic interests.The document also stated that Assange must tell officials the serial number and model of all his devices and will have to pay for his own medical evaluations and food.Embassy staff said he couldn't use any 'communication equipment' except his computer and mobile phone and reserved the right to seize his equipment.Mr Assange was also limited to three visitors at once, the document said, adding that they will have to get written permission from the ambassador at least three days in advance.However the nine-page memo published by Ecuadorean website Codigo Vidrio did reveal that that his WiFi has been restored.Assange's lawyers rejected the new rules, in place since Saturday 13 October , saying they 'violate international agreements' and 'a prison regime is being imposed on him.'Mr Assange initially moved into the embassy after he was accused of rape and sexual assault in Sweden, but the investigation was dropped in 2017.As he breached his bail conditions by seeking Ecuadorian asylum, he could potentially be arrested by UK authorities, and so he remains at the embassy.Despite an initial warm welcome, the Ecuadorians have reportedly grown increasingly tired of their live-in guest.It was reported in September that the Ecuador government cut off Assange's phone and internet access earlier this year and banned people visiting him.August 2010 - The Swedish Prosecutor's Office issues an arrest warrant for Assange for two separate allegations - one of rape and one of molestation. He denies both.December 2010 - Assange is arrested in London and bailed.May 2012 - Supreme Court rules Assange should be extradited to Sweden.June 2012 - Assange take refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy on Hans Crescent in Knightsbridge.August 2012 - Ecuador grants him asylum on 'human rights' grounds.August 2015 - Swedish authorities announce they will drop allegations of sexual molestation because they no longer have any time to question him. The rape allegation stayed in place.October 2015 - Britain calls off its round-the-clock police guard outside the embassy after three years and an estimated cost of 12m.February 2016 - UN panel rules that Assange has been 'arbitrarily detained' by both Swedish and UK authorities.May 2016 - A cat takes residence in the embassy with Assange.April 2017 - US Attorney General states that Assange's arrest is now a US 'priority'.May 2017 - Swedish prosecutors announce rape allegation has been dropped.December 21, 2017 - Ecuador allegedly issue Assange with a passport.January 2018 - Assange's lawyers argue that the arrest warrant for skipping bail was no longer relevant and should be withdrawn.February 2018 - Westminster Magistrates' Court rejects the claim and insists the warrant is still in place.July 2018 - Ecuador's president confirms his country is in talks with Britain and says Julian Assange must leave its London embassy eventually.September 2018 - Letter is revealed showing Assange applied for Russian visa in 2010, two years before entering Ecuador's London embassy.October 2018 - Assange has part of his communications restored after he was denied access to internet and phones in MarchOctober 2018 - Assange's lawyers announce legal action against Ecuadorian government claiming it is violating his 'rights and freedoms.'
LAS VEGAS, NV, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MJ Holdings Inc. (OTC: MJNE) (MJNE or Company), a fast growing Nevada cannabis company is being featured at the first ever cannabis conference in the state of Utah. MJ Holdings CEO Paris Balaouras will speak at the conference along with many other top cannabis executives.

As a Nevada based company, we are pleased with the progress that our neighbors to the east have made toward making medical marijuana available to those who might benefit from it, MJNE CEO Paris Balaouras stated. Mr. Balaouras went on to say, We are excited about the opportunities for MJ Holdings and the additional treatment options for patients in Utah.

The Utah Medical Cannabis Act is on the November 6th ballot as Proposition 2 and both proponents and opponents of the legalization of marijuana in Utah have recently banded together to craft a legislative bill that would be acceptable to all.

UTAH CANN is being held on October 19th and 20th at the Mountain America Expo Center in Sandy Utah. Mr. Balaouras will be presenting on Saturday, October 20th at 4:30PM on the topic of Investing in the Cannabis Industry.

About MJ Holdings, Inc.

MJ Holdings Inc. (OTC:MJNE) is a diversified holding company providing management and consulting services to the regulated cannabis industry. Through our subsidiaries we provide cultivation and production management services and infrastructure development. Our cultivation operations include Nevada cultivation facility, as well as a fully licensed indoor agritourism facility located in the city of Las Vegas known as the Highland Show-Grow. We are also active in identifying and acquiring revenue producing assets and licenses within legalized cannabis markets internationally.

Safe Harbor

The information provided in this press release may include forward-looking statements relating to future events or the future financial performance of the Company. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "will," "potential," "hope" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations of the Company and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties. Detailed information regarding factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by statements in this press release relating to the Company may be found in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the factors described in the sections entitled "Risk Factors", copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The parties do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Company Contact:

Andrew Boutsikakis

President

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Theresa May is facing Tory calls to quit today amid claims she could keep Britain lashed to the bloc for longer to ease the Irish border standoff.Arriving for the second day of a fraught EU summit this morning, the PM admitted she is looking at options for any 'gap' between the end of the current mooted transition period in 2020 and a trade arrangements coming into effect.But she insisted she did not 'expect' that there would be a gap and suggested it would last 'a matter of months' rather than the year suggested by the EU.Mrs May is facing a furious backlash from Brexiteers and the DUP after the idea was floated in talks last night.The idea means longer subject to EU rules without any say in writing them - and paying potentially another 15billion into the bloc's coffers.It has already been roundly rejected by the DUP as a distraction tactic that would not help cope with the Irish border backstop issue. Tory Eurosceptic Nadine Dorries called for Mrs May to be kicked out and replaced as leader by David Davis, while usually loyal MP Nick Boles said she was 'losing the confidence' of the party.As pressure mounted on the PM, Mr Davis penned a joint letter with Boris Johnson warning that the 'moment of truth' on Brexit is approaching.'Brexit offers the prize of a better future, global free trade deals and political independence,' the letter to Mrs May said.'But if these potential gains are sacrificed because of EU bullying and the Government's desperation to secure a deal, the British people will not forgive us.'The comments came after Mrs May's efforts to break the deadlock with a speech to counterparts last night fell flat.Following the 15-minute address, leaders said the premier had offered 'nothing new' despite being urged to come forward with 'concrete proposals'.In a sign of the rising tensions with the clocks ticking down to exit day, Michel Barnier warned that the two sides need 'much more time' to reach a divorce agreement.A draft law published by France just hours before the gathering kicked off made clear Britons will need visas to visit the country if there is no agreement - and ex-pats will be classed as 'illegals'.Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned life will be 'different' for the UK outside the EU as she said her government is 'seriously' preparing for talks to fail.Other EU leaders complained that the UK 'does not know what it wants'.Speaking to reporters at the summit this morning, Mrs May said that the option of extending the transition had been floated as a way to bridge any gap between the end of 2020 and new trade arrangements.The PM insisted said that the UK had already put forward a proposal to avoid the need for either a hard border or a customs border down the Irish Sea.And she added: 'A further idea that has emerged - and it is an idea at this stage - is to create an option to extend the implementation period for a matter of months - and it would only be for a matter of months.'But the point is that this is not expected to be used, because we are working to ensure that we have that future relationship in place by the end of December 2020.The concept of a 'backstop', to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic whatever the future trade relationship, was agreed by both sides in December last year.But they have dramatically different idea on how the mechanism would work - which have given rise to two distinct sticking points.Border in the Irish SeaBrussels says the only way of avoiding a hard border is for Northern Ireland to stay under its customs jurisdiction.Under the model, the province would also follow single market rules to avoic the need for checks.But Mrs May says that would be unacceptable as it would split up the UK.Ministers are unanimous in opposing anything that splits the UK.Critically, the premier's DUP allies - who prop her up in power - are adamant they will not allow it to happen.Credible exit plan from EU customs rulesThe PM is trying to break the deadlock by proposing a new 'backstop' arrangement for the Irish border.The blueprint could mean the whole UK staying in the EU customs union 'temporarily' and accepting regulatory checks between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland.Brussels seems implacably opposed to having a hard 'end date' written into the deal.As a result, the government is mooting a 'break clause' that would ensure the customs arrangement will end - without explictly stating when.Some Cabinet ministers and Tory MPs fear that in reality this could keep the UK subject to Brussels rules indefinitely.But they are thought to be holding off all-out mutiny until they see the final shape of the proposal.'I'm clear that it is possible to do that and that is what we are working for, and in those circumstances there would be no need for any proposal of this sort and I'm clear that I expect the implementation period to end at the end of December 2020.'Mrs May added: 'We are working with the European Union to deal with this issue of ensuring that if there is a gap between the end of the implementation period and the point at which the future relationship comes in - we don't expect a gap to exist, but if there is we want to ensure there's no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.'We have put forward a proposal as to how to deal with this. A further idea has now emerged.'We of course are working to ensure not just that we are able to ensure no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, were such a gap in time to emerge, but to ensure that the implementation period comes to an end in December 2020, because we are able to put the future relationship into place at the end of the implementation period and ensure no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.'Mrs May was given about 15 minutes to make her pitch to counterparts in Brussels last night.But she then had to leave while the other leaders feasted on a dinner of pan fried mushrooms and fillet of turbot cooked in wheat beer.She stayed at the British ambassador's residence in the Belgian capital overnight, where she ate a fish supper, but will only be allowed to attend some of the proceedings on the second day of the summit.In her address, Mrs May stressed that significant progress had been made in many areas of the negotiations and urged them to find a 'creative' way out of the current dilemma.'We have shown we can do difficult deals together constructively,' the PM said.'I remain confident of a good outcome.' And she told them: 'The last stage will need courage, trust and leadership on both sides.'But European Parliament president Antonio Tajani said after the speech that despite demands for 'concrete proposals' she had not put forward 'anything substantially new in terms of content'.Mr Tajani told reporters: 'I listened carefully to what May had to say... but I did not perceive anything substantially new in terms of content.'He jibed that 'there is a readiness to reach agreement but there is no change in content'.An EU source said the 27 leaders had decided not to call a special Brexit summit in November as 'not enough progress has been achieved'.The leaders also reaffirmed their 'full confidence' in Mr Barnier and refused to change his guidelines.The original hope was that a deal might have been ready to sign off at this summit - but the chances of any real advances at the gathering in Brussels are now close to zero.The main impasse is over EU demands for Northern Ireland to stay within its customs jurisdiction after Brexit.Mrs May says she could never accept such a plan, but Brussels has rejected the UK's counterproposals.The EU has floated making the transition period longer to try to sweeten the pill of an Irish border backstop.The talks have hit a huge roadblock over the bloc's demands for Northern Ireland to stay within its customs jurisdiction after Brexit.Mrs May says she could never accept such a plan, but Brussels has rejected her counter-proposals which would involve the whole UK staying in a customs union for a 'temporary' period.In a bid to make its blueprint more palatable, the bloc is offering to extend a mooted transition period by a year to the end of 2021.Currently Britain is due to quit EU rules on December 31, 2020 - almost two years after Brexit day itself on March 29, 2019.The EU hopes to persuade Britain a long transition means the backstop will never kick in because a wider trade arrangement will have been sealed.Mrs May has pointedly refused to rule out the prospect - although she insists it should only last for a 'matter of months'.However, the idea does not seem to address the UK's fundamental objection that the backstop could kick in at some point - and the EU's version would effectively split the UK.Mr Varadkar said last night that an extension 'couldn't be a substitute for the backstop'.In a bid to make its blueprint more palatable, the bloc is offering to extend a mooted transition period by a year to the end of 2021. Currently Britain is due to quit EU rules on December 31, 2020 - almost two years after Brexit day itself on March 29, 2019.The EU hopes to persuade Britain a long transition means the backstop will never kick in because a wider trade arrangement will have been sealed.However, the idea does not seem to address the UK's fundamental objection that the backstop could kick in - and the EU's version would effectively split the UK.Mr Varadkar said yesterday that an extension 'couldn't be a substitute for the backstop'.The costs of the transition are also likely to be considerably higher than the UK's current net membership contribution of around 10billion.The bloc's budget commissioner Gunther Oettinger said last week that he wants national rebates - worth around 5billion a year to the UK at present - to be scrapped after the end of 2020.DUP MEP Diane Dodds said the tweak to the transition offered 'no reassurance' that the UK would not be split.'All very well, but this doesn't do anything to actually change the backstop, as it would be in the legal text of the withdrawal agreement,' she said.'Therefore it does not address any concerns, it offers no reassurance.'Tory MP Nick Boles, who has been urging a close Norway-style relationship with the EU, said the idea was 'madness'.'I'm afraid she is losing the confidence now of colleagues of all shades of opinion, people who have been supportive of her throughout this process,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.'They are close to despair at the state of this negotiation because there is a fear that both the government and the EU are trying to run out the clock, that they are trying to leave this so late that they can then credibly say that there's no alternative but a no deal Brexit. And most people agree that would be chaos. Now that is not an acceptable way for a leader of a government to behave.'Ms Dorries said: 'If Theresa May is asking for a longer transition period, she is stalling. It's time to stand aside and let someone who can negotiate get on with it and deliver. I fully support DD as an interim leader.'Ukip MEP Patrick O'Flynn said: 'Here we go. The woman who can't take decisions wants to leave her country in limbo for longer.'Labour Brexiteer Kate Hoey said: 'If a backstop is such a good idea to sort the border issue why do we not go for a backstop around the entire British Isles then Irish Republic can be part of it too.'Mr Johnson and Mr Davis signed a letter demanding a change of approach from the PM along with former ministers Priti Patel, Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson, and leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg.'Talk of either a UK or a Northern Irish backstop is inimical to our status as a sovereign nation state,' they wrote.'Both are unnecessary: indeed they are a trap being set by the EU which it is vital we do not fall into.'Using existing techniques and processes, with political co-operation, we can ensure that trade continues between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.'The necessary procedures can all be implemented within the existing legal and operational frameworks of the EU and the UK.'Rational and pragmatic approaches can ensure that trade across the border is maintained. There need be no threat to the Good Friday/Belfast agreement.'Cabinet Office minister David Lidington today played down the prospect of Britain facing a multi-billion pound bill.'That would be one of the things that would be teased out in the negotiations,' he said.'There may be other approaches we can take.'He added: 'The key point is that neither side wants to us to be in the position where the insurance policy is needed.'There isn't a detailed proposal, this is an idea that has come up. One would need to flesh it out in the next few weeks.'During the private summit meeting last night, Mr Varadkar showed EU leaders a copy of an Irish newspaper which featured the story of an IRA bombing of a border customs post.The Taoiseach brought a copy of Monday's Irish Times edition to the summit dinner to emphasise how far Northern Ireland and Ireland had come.A spokesman for Mr Varadkar said that he held up a hard copy of the newspaper to show 'how far we have come in 30 years, from violence to peace'.As EU leaders stepped up their criticism of the UK yesterday, Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskait? told reporters she wanted the UK 'to decide finally what they want'.'We very much want for Prime Minister May to come with a strong mandate, which we have not seen yet in the UK,' she said.'We need very concrete understanding of what the UK really wants. To stay one leg in the continent and one leg in the UK is really not possible.'Today we do not know what they want. They do not know themselves what they want. It is a problem.'Slovakian premier Peter Pellegrini said: 'I think we will receive information that there is no deal and I think we should do the maximum to the last day to try to have an agreement.'But the 27 should be prepared also for a no-deal result and I think maybe we will finish like that.'My hope was that today we would have already some concrete solution on the table but it looks like there will not be a deal today.'French President Emmanuel Macron said he came to Brussels with a message of both 'confidence and urgency'.'Confidence because progress has been made and we see a collective will to move forwards, but we are not there yet and now it is time to decide,' he said.'I believe there is urgency to reach a withdrawal agreement, which is indispensible, and to look forward to our future relationship.'Mr Macron said: 'Lots of things have been done, but we must now accelerate the work. I have trust in Michel Barnier and his team who have done remarkable work.'Mrs Merkel said she was determined to 'do everything' to get a deal.Mr Barnier warned that 'much more time' was needed to try to strike an agreement.'Brexit must be orderly, for everyone and for all the issues, including on the island of Island,' he said.'So we need time, we need much time, much more time, and we will continue to work in the next weeks calmly and patiently, calmly and patiently.'MPs have voiced anger after the government argued the Brexit divorce deal must be either accepted or rejected by MPs.Remainers and Brexiteers have been plotting to try and sway the process their way by changing the final agreement.But ministers have now suggested amendments to the final package will not be possible.In a memo to a Commons committee, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said: 'Once the deal is presented to parliament, the procedure through which it is voted upon must allow for an unequivocal decision, and one which is clear to the British public.'The government blueprint suggests the motion will be amendable.But the amendments might only be taken if the main motion itself passes - reducing the scope of MPs to make meaningful changes.The draft no-deal law published by the French government yesterday warns checks on goods at the borders could cause huge disruption.The document says: 'In the event of withdrawal from the United Kingdom without agreement, British nationals who enjoy the right of free movement and free establishment throughout the European Union, as well as members of their family, will become nationals of third parties and will therefore in principle be subject to common law, that is to say to the requirement to present a visa to enter the French territory and to justify a residence permit to stay there.'In case of withdrawal from the United Kingdom of the European Union without agreement, British nationals currently residing in France and their family members would be staying illegally.'Meanwhile, Mrs Merkel delivered a speech at the German parliament stating for the first time that her government was preparing for no-deal.'The chances of reaching in time a good and viable exit agreement is still there,' she said.'At the same time, it is only fitting as a responsible and forward-thinking government leadership that we prepare for every scenario, that includes the possibility of Great Britain leaving the European Union without an agreement. We have begun in the government to prepare ourselves appropriately for this.'But Mrs Merkel gave little indication that the EU was willing to give ground.'In the negotiations with Great Britain on these and other issues it must always be clear, that, even if we want to avoid hardships at the end, there always needs to, and will be, a difference between having membership of the European Union and a partnership with the European Union as a third party,' she said.
A family claims a TUI holiday turned into 'hell' after two of their children contracted salmonella and were not properly treated at a 'rip off' hospital where armed security guards refused to let them leave.Billie Baker and Reiss Monksfield from Wickford, Essex, had only been at The Sunscape and Spa Resort for one day when two of their three children Sienna, five, Karis, nine and Tommy, 12, were rushed to A&E with high temperatures and diarrhoea.Now the furious parents claim their children vomited blood and were 'deliberately' kept in hospital for profit. They say their children have been plagued with flashbacks as instead of enjoying a Caribbean paradise they were trapped on IV drips.The family also allege firm TUI have 'fobbed them off' and they are yet to receive any response after their nightmare in the Dominican Republic.A TUI spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are very sorry to hear that Ms Baker's family were unwell during their holiday.'We are investigating this claim further and will be in contact with the customer directly.'We'd like to reassure customers that we regularly audit all of the hotels we feature in respect of health and safety, including hygiene.'Ms Baker claims doctors were only interested in the medical bill and the ill youngsters did not get better after more than a day of treatment.She said: 'After arriving [in hospital] it was clear the priority for them was the cost of the medical bill. After 36 hours of IV fluids and medication, they weren't getting any better.'They hadn't eaten for three days, couldn't keep fluids down and both began to vomit blood and had blood in their stools.'Our youngest daughter couldn't walk, talk or even hold her head up, and it was at this point we started to question the doctors and nurses.'When the worried family tried to leave weapon-wielding guards blocked the exits and the pair were forced to contact the BritishEmbassy.Eventually the couple's insurance company sent two ambulances to take them to another hospital, where a diagnosis of salmonella was confirmed.Ms Baker added: 'A TUI rep visited us in hospital but shrugged the whole thing off.'We had to pay for our flights to leave a week early and they tried to make us sign a blank form which we refused.'We have followed their complaints procedure but aren't getting anywhere with them. We have all suffered so much, my middle daughter has been having nightmares.'It really was the holiday from hell, and was like living a real life horror film.'
The physics teacher accused of having sex with a 16-year-old pupil in an aeroplane toilet will not a face a retrial.Eleanor Wilson, 29, had been accused of striking up a 'clandestine relationship' with the teenager on a school trip to Swaziland in southern Africa in 2015.Bristol Crown Court had heard that Wilson fondled the pupil before luring him into a lavatory on the British Airways flight back from Johannesburg.They were also alleged to have had unprotected sex which saw her become pregnant and have an abortion behind her then-boyfriend's back.Wilson was also accused of kissing and cuddling the boy on three occasions, after a meal at Nando's and trips to Tintern Abbey and Ashton Court Estate in Bristol.But jurors said last Wednesday that there was no 'realistic prospect' of reaching a verdict in the case after ten-and-a-half hours of deliberations over three days.Today a man believed to be Ellie Wilson's boyfriend answered at their terraced home and said: 'She does not want to talk to anyone'.The Crown Prosecution Service announced its decision this afternoon at the end of its seven-day period to decide whether there would be a retrial.Last week, Wilson wiped away tears as the judge discharged the jury of four men and six women. Two other original jurors dropped out earlier in deliberations.Despite the chaos in her professional and private life, Wilson has found love with Josh Hawkins, 27, with whom she has been in a happy relationship since last year.Mr Hawkins walked into Bristol Crown Court hand-in-hand with his new girlfriend on every day of her trial this month.The couple also have the support of her parents Pauline and Stuart, who travelled down from their Yorkshire home to be close to her as she sat in the dock for six days.After being forced the teaching profession Wilson is believed to have moved to Devon where she was training on Dartmoor with a view to joining the Royal Navy.During the trial, the court heard that within weeks of returning from South Africa, rumours had spread around Wilson's school, where she was head of Key Stage Four.When confronted by the headteacher she allegedly denied it, saying she was 'horrified' at the accusation.At the same time, Wilson was said to have found she was pregnant and went on to have an abortion, with prosecutors claiming the boy was the father. Wilson said the baby had been her partner's.The court had heard their relationship was exposed months later when another pupil at the school tried to blackmail Wilson into having sex with him.Wilson, who is now a civil servant with the Ministry of Defence and a Royal Navy Reservist, said she formed a friendship with the boy because she had no friends of her own age she could confide in.She denied four charges of sexual activity with a child by a person in a position of trust and said the alleged mid-flight tryst was a figment of the schoolboy's imagination, like 'something out of a weird porn film'.Wilson added that there was no kissing or touching - and, speaking about the toilet allegation, said: 'The amount of detail has come from his imagination and I don't know why he was saying that.'She added: 'I was on my period and that's the last thing I was thinking of. You had kids that were sick and I didn't want the parents thinking that we were not looking after them.'Wilson also said she was 'idiot' for giving the boy her mobile phone number and added that 'he was a student and I felt like I was helping him'.Judge Peter Blair QC, the Recorder of Bristol, stopped the trial after the foreman told him there was not a 'realistic prospect' of reaching majority verdicts.Wilson no longer works at the school in question and has been struck off on recommendation from the National College for Teaching and Leadership.
Prince Harry is 'happier than he has ever been' as he and Meghan prepare to become parents next spring.He has been an 'emotional wreck - but in a good way!' since discovering the Duchess of Sussex is pregnant, one source said last night.'It is something he has wanted for a long time and he couldn't be happier. He is so protective of her,' the source added.The news was announced by Kensington Palace after the smiling couple arrived in Sydney for the start of a gruelling 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.They insisted on going ahead with the trip in spite of Foreign Office advice to pregnant women about the risk of the Zika virus.There is no vaccination to prevent infection by the virus, which causes foetuses to develop severe deformities, but the couple will still travel to Fiji and Tonga next week,Last night it emerged:Meghan's mother Doria Ragland was said to be among the first to know;She was 'very happy about this lovely news' and 'looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild';Meghan's estranged father Thomas Markle is 'delighted' and told her by letter: 'You will make a great mother';The baby will be seventh in line to the throne and is likely to be titled Earl of Dumbarton or Lady (first name) Mountbatten-Windsor;Moments after the baby announcement, Sarah Ferguson began tweeting pictures from her daughter Princess Eugenie's wedding  leading some to question if she felt upstaged.Meghan, 37, is understood to have just had her 12-week scan. It means she is already in her second trimester, when the risk of miscarriage is deemed to lessen considerably.The couple excitedly told the rest of the Royal Family last Friday when they saw them at Princess Eugenie's wedding.It sets the seal on a whirlwind year for Harry, 34, who has made no secret of his desire to start a family.It is only 12 months since the couple stepped out together in public for the first time, when they appeared together at the Invictus Games in Toronto.At the time, Meghan was still living full time in Canada and the couple were not even engaged.After Harry popped the question at the end of last year, they married in May and just two months later, toward the end of July, conceived their first child.In the middle of that month, they were on a 'mini-moon' royal tour to Dublin, their first trip together as a married couple.And on August 4, they were partying at the wedding of Harry's best friend Charlie Van Straubenzee.Yesterday a Kensington Palace spokesman said the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were all delighted for the couple.'They were able to share their happy news with the Royal Family in person at Friday's wedding,' said an aide, which may have accounted for their low-key appearance at the nuptials.A friend added: 'They didn't make a grand announcement but had conversations with their family and friends and told them their news.'Meghan is said to be in good health and has not had to cancel any public appearances because of her pregnancy.The Duchess of Cambridge who sadly suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of pregnancy-related sickness.Her pregnancy is likely to be monitored closely, however, as by the age of 35 any woman expecting a baby is technically classed by doctors as a 'geriatric mother'.The couple's tour will be highly demanding. It includes opening the prince's Invictus Games for injured service personnel in Sydney later this week.Yesterday they flew into the city, where they were staying at Admiralty House, the residence of the governor-general.Harry and Meghan have insisted their trip to the two most remote South Pacific islands will go ahead despite the risk of Zika.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises pregnant women to avoid 'all but essential travel' there.It is believed one of the first to know about the pregnancy was Meghan's mother, who friends suspect she told in person when she came to visit her in London last month.In a statement issued through Kensington Palace. Miss Ragland said she was 'very happy about this lovely news' and 'looks forward to welcoming her first grandchild'.Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, from whom she is estranged after a series of hugely public embarrassments, is believed to have been informed by Miss Ragland 'a little while ago', said a friend, and is 'absolutely overjoyed' at the news.The couple's new baby will be seventh in line to the throne but will not be a prince or princess because of rules brought in by George V.In its statement yesterday, Kensington Palace said: 'Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news.'
A European princess represented herself despite facing a crack legal team as she fought over money with her estranged husband in a divorce trial.Princess Tessy of Luxembourg had no help from solicitors or barristers during her battle with the country's Prince Louis at the High Court in central London.Prince Louis - whose full title is His Royal Highness, Prince Louis Xavier Marie Guillaume of Luxembourg, Prince of Nassau and Prince of Bourbon-Parma - had senior barrister James Ewins QC lead his legal team.The princess - whose full title is Her Royal Highness, Princess Tessy of Luxembourg, Princess of Nassau and Princess of Bourbon-Parma - represented herself.Despite speaking Luxembourgish as a child, she addressed Mr Justice McDonald in English and summarised her case with a speech lasting the best part of an hour.The Princess is not of 'royal descent', but is recognised as a member of the royal family and was granted her title by royal decree.Prince Louis renounced his claim to the throne when her, in what was an unusual turn of events for the royal family.The relationship between the pair was always controversial.Tessy, known then as Tessy Antony, was from a modest family from the small town of Niederkorn, who joined the army aged 18.Louis was the third son of Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg, the head of one of Europe's richest royal families, and grew up in a palace.The Prince's family are understood to have only learned of their love affair when Tessy became pregnant.She gave birth aged 19, providing the Grand Duke with his first grandchild - and infuriating the royal family.Prince louis and Tessy exchanged vows in September 2006 in a modest church wedding in Gilsdorf. seven months after their first child, Gabriel, was born.Aware of the constitutional crisis they had created by having a child out of wedlock, Prince Louis renounced any claim to the title of Grand Duke.The couple had another son 10-year-old Prince Noah but were delivered the cruel news Tessy miscarried their third child, some time later.She said: 'My divorce was definitely one of the most difficult situations I have ever faced.'I experienced the same feelings and emotions when I miscarried my third child. I cried for years over these two situations.'Outside court on Thursday, the princess would not say why she had not employed lawyers. She also speaks French and German.The Family Division trial lasted several days and the private hearing has limits on what can be reported.Mr Justice McDonald is expected to make decisions on how money and assets should be split in the near future.He said Prince Louis and Princess Tessy, both 32, could be named in media coverage of the case, but ruled to stop the reporting of financial and personal details.Prince Louis is the third son of the Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. The princess is a former soldier, who now lives in London.Mr Justice McDonald heard that the couple began a relationship in 2004, married in 2006 and had two children.When married the couple had lived in the United States and in London. Their marriage broke down during the summer of 2016 and another judge granted a divorce decree - a decree nisi - in February 2017.
The threat of nuclear conflict between the US and China is underrated by analysts, a security expert has warned as American bombers flew over disputed islands claimed by Beijing.Caitlin Talmadge, an associate professor of security studies at Georgetown University in the US, says the possibility of war between Washington and Beijing escalating to a nuclear confrontation is higher than many pundits believe.Her stark analysis is outlined in an article for the US-published Foreign Affairs' November-December issue.'The odds of such a confrontation going nuclear are higher than most policymakers and analysts think,' Talmadge wrote.While she also stressed a US-China war 'remains unlikely', she wrote it 'no longer seems as implausible as it once did'.Talmadge examined US war tactics in recent conflicts such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, and forecast how they could play out in a potential conflict with China.They showed the Pentagon's emphasis on striking 'deep into enemy territory in order to rapidly knock out the opponent's key military assets at minimal cost', she said.This blueprint was developed for use against non-nuclear powers, but China has a vast nuclear weapons arsenal.And those stockpiles are closely linked with conventional weapons, meaning the US would deliberately or unwittingly target Beijing's nukes at an early stage of any conflict.Mindful of this, Chinese commanders may weigh up launching their nuclear weapons before they are destroyed.Such a situation could arise if Beijing decided to invade Taiwan, suggested Talmadge.Taiwan split with the mainland in 1949, but China claims it as part of its territory and has threatened to invade if necessary to reunite the island with the mainland.Another flashpoint that could escalate to US-China confrontation is the South China Sea, a strategically vital waterway.On Tuesday, two American B-52 bombers flew close to islands in the South China Sea which China claims sovereignty over.US Pacific Air Forces said the flight was a 'routine training mission in the vicinity of the South China Sea'.The Pentagon has flown flights there for 14 years, but Beijing is particularly sensitive about the presence of western aircraft and ships near where China has built islands.Some of those such as the Spratly Islands have become weaponised with anti-ship missiles and radar posts.Randall Schriver, the US Assistant Defence Secretary, declared such bomber flights are part of an 'appropriate response' to China.He said the 'Chinese have successfully militarised some of those outposts and their behaviours become more assertive and we're trying to have an appropriate response.'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been splashed across front pages in the UK since announcing the impending arrival of the newest Royal baby.The newly-wed Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they are expecting their first child just hours after landing in Sydney yesterday for the start of a 16-day Pacific tour.Newspaper editors across the globe were tasked with finding a unique way to deliver the news to their followers.The Daily Star went with 'Meggers Preggers', while The Metro decided 'Megxit' was apt.The Daily Express focused on how the couple delivered the news to The Queen as The Daily Mail instead simply proclaimed, 'Oh, Baby'.The Daily Mirror took a more serious tone, unpacking the Zika risk Meghan faced on the meticulously planned Royal Tour.The couple are due to visit Tonga and Fiji, where the virus is a 'moderate' risk.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said he will not attend an investment conference in Saudi Arabia following the disappearance of a Washington Post journalist.Mr Mnuchin made the announcement on his Twitter account, saying that the decision was made after a White House meeting with President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.'I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Araba,' Mr Mnuchin said in his tweet.His announcement comes after Mr Pompeo told reporters at the White House that the administration would await the outcome of investigations by Saudi Arabia and Turkey into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi before deciding how the US will respond.READ MORE: Jamal Khashoggi: 'Evidence' of missing Saudi journalist's murder foundThe Future Investment Initiative conference takes place October 23-25 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.It was set up last year as a kind of 'Davos in the Desert' for the world's business elite to network.Mr Mnuchin joins a growing number of global leaders who have decided to pull out of the summit, including International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, as well as senior government officials from France, Britain and the Netherlands.Several top business executives have also cancelled plans to attend.Earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saudi Arabia should be given a few more days to complete its investigation before the US decides 'how, or if' to respond.Mr Pompeo said Turkey promised to share the results of its own investigation with the Saudis, and that those combined efforts will produce 'a complete picture' of what happened to Khashoggi.Khashoggi was a Saudi journalist living in the US who had been critical of the kingdom. Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consult in Istanbul more than two weeks ago.Turkish officials allege Khashoggi was killed and dismembered by representatives acting on behalf of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Meanwhile, it's emerged a member of the crown prince's entourage walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul just before writer Khashoggi vanished there.The man, who appears in a surveillance photo leaked today, has been identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb.Mr Mutreb has been photographed in the background of Prince Mohammed's trips to the US, France and Spain this year.Turkish officials say he flew into Istanbul on a private jet along with an 'autopsy expert' October 2 and left that night.That was the same day Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Prince Mohammed's rise to power, entered the consulate and was not seen again.Saudi Arabia, which initially called the allegations 'baseless', has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press over recent days, including on Thursday over Mr Mutreb's identification.The AP could not immediately reach Mr Mutreb for comment.But Mr Mutreb's appearance at the consulate, as well as later at the consul general's residence, adds to the growing pressure on Saudi Arabia amid international outrage over the writer's disappearance.
Starbucks has announced it's selling hundreds of stores across Europe and closing its office in Amsterdam - but the coffee giant will bolster its headquarters in London.The Seattle-based chain is selling 83 company-owned stores in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, to its longtime partner Alsea, after several years of slowing growth.Alsea will also take over operations at 177 other Starbucks locations in those countries which are owned by franchisees.Mexico City-based Alsea already operates more than 900 Starbucks stores in Mexico and South America.The deal is similar to one Starbucks made in 2016, when it sold off its stores in Germany.Starbucks also plans to close offices in Amsterdam and consolidate its European headquarters in London.The closure will impact 186 employees, who will be encouraged to apply to open jobs in London.Starbucks will retain a roasting plant in the Netherlands which employs 80 people.The move comes as it struggles to see growth in Europe, Middle East and Africa, where same-stores sales have failed to show strong growth in the past year.Starbucks said the move to license out would help it 'unlock untapped potential' for growth, adding it would close a support center in Amsterdam and consolidate its European headquarters in London.The Amsterdam closure will impact about 186 employees, the spokeswoman said.For Alsea, the new deal expands its ties with Starbucks outside of Latin America and brings its partnership with the chain to nine markets globally.Both Starbucks and Alsea's shares were down 1.2 per cent at 12pm upon the news.
Turkish crime-scene investigators have entered the residence of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul to search for evidence in the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoogi.It came just as a pro-government newspaper published a gruesome recounting of the journalist's alleged slaying.Saudi Arabia's flag flapped overhead on Wednesday as forensics teams walked into the residence, just 2 km from the consulate where Khashoggi vanished on October 2 while trying to pick up paperwork to get married.It was the second-such extraordinary search of land considered under international law to be Saudi sovereign soil after Turkish police searched the consulate on Tuesday.The new search has put further pressure on Saudi Arabia to explain what happened to Khashoggi following a visit by US Secretary Mike Pompeo to both the kingdom and Turkey.Flying back home on Wednesday, Pompeo remained positive about an ongoing Saudi probe into Khashoggi's disappearance, but stressed answers need to come soon.The residence search came after a report by the newspaper Yeni Safak citing what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi's slaying.It described the 60-year-old Washington Post columnist as being tortured after entering the consulate.On Wednesday, Pompeo held separate meetings with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, each for about 40 minutes in the capital Ankara.The three posed for photos, but said nothing together in front of reporters.On a plane back home, Pompeo said Erdogan 'made clear that the Saudis had cooperated with the investigation that the Turks are engaged in and they are going to share information.''If a country engages in activity that is unlawful it's unacceptable,' Pompeo said. 'No one is going to defend activity of that nature. We just need to simply say what happened.'Pompeo met with Saudi King Salman and his son, the 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, on Tuesday.Before leaving Riyadh, Pompeo said: 'They made a commitment to hold anyone connected to any wrongdoing that may be found accountable for that, whether they are a senior officer or official.'President Donald Trump's previous warnings over the case drew an angry response Sunday from Saudi Arabia and its state-linked media, including a suggestion that Riyadh could wield its oil production as a weapon.
SUDBURY, Ontario, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- College Boreal and the Ontario SPCA signed a milestone 10-year agreement today to renew a partnership that has given students an opportunity for hands-on animal wellness learning and provided a home base for the Ontario SPCA Sudbury & District Animal Centre.



The agreement marks the first time College Boreal has made a commitment for a period of 10 years. In support of future generations of animal wellness advocates, the Ontario SPCA also announced its intent to provide funding support to benefit a Francophone Indigenous student accepted into College Boreals two-year accredited Veterinary Technician Program.

The signing and announcement took place this afternoon at College Boreal during the first Northern Animal Summit, a two-day event bringing together thought leaders and influencers to share collaborative solutions to the unique challenges facing Northern communities and to create healthy communities for people and pets.

As part of the official opening of the new veterinary wing of College Boreals Sudbury campus in 2013, the Ontario SPCA and College Boreal forged an innovative partnership to facilitate the sharing of resources and knowledge between the two institutions. Most notably, the five-year agreement resulted in College Boreal becoming the first Canadian college to teach shelter medicine, the creation of a new Ontario SPCA Sudbury & District Animal Centre and the joint use of College Boreals then new veterinary wing.

Today, College Boreal and the Ontario SPCA are signing a 10-year lease agreement, the first of its kind! says Daniel Giroux, President, College Boreal. The last five years have proven that sharing complementary resources to offer excellent college-level training in veterinary care is a success. In addition, the generous offer of a bursary for a Francophone Indigenous student to study in our Veterinary Technician Program at our Sudbury campus just goes to show what an incredible partner and friend the Ontario SPCA is to Boreal.

The benefits for the program and our students of this innovative partnership with the Ontario SPCA have surpassed expectations: sharing of certifications, courses and manuals, student bursaries, provincial conference participation, networking opportunities, access to a multitude of placements throughout Ontario, week-long internships at the Ontario SPCAs provincial office in Stouffville, employment across the province if not the country, says Kim Morris, Dean, College Boreal. Merci, Ontario SPCA!

We have forged a strong relationship with College Boreal that will help shape the future of animal wellness, says Kate MacDonald, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario SPCA and Humane Society. Animals in the local community, as well as remote Northern communities served through our Animal North Network, also benefit from this unique partnership. We look forward the next 10 years and beyond.

For more information on the Animal North Network, visit northerndog.com.

Media Contacts:

Melissa Kosowan

Ontario SPCA

mkosowan@ospca.on.ca

289-383-5968

Marc Despatie

College Boreal

marc.despatie@collegeboreal.ca

705-665-2662

College Boreal

College Boreal offers a wide variety of programs and services at seven campus locations and 38 access centres in 28 communities across the province. Since 1995, approximately 120,000 clients across Ontario have benefited from College Boreals expertise relating to post-secondary education, training programs, immigration and settlement services, as well as employment services. Furthermore, College Boreal has developed and implemented over 70 articulation agreements with other post-secondary institutions.

According to the Key Performance Indicators recognized by the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development, College Boreal now holds the top-ranking position in three out of the five areas surveyed! Out of 24 Ontario colleges, Boreal has the highest student satisfaction rate, graduation rate, and graduate satisfaction rate in the province. Moreover, with 96%, Boreal ranks 3rd out of all 24 colleges in employer satisfaction!

Ontario SPCA and Humane Society:

Protecting animals since 1873, Ontario SPCA is Ontario's animal welfare organization. A registered charity comprised of close to 50 communities .

Since 1919, when Ontario's first animal welfare legislation was proclaimed, the Ontario SPCA, with the help of its Communities , has been entrusted to maintain and enforce animal welfare legislation. The Act provides Ontario SPCA Agents and Inspectors with police powers to do so.

Ontario SPCA provides leadership in animal welfare innovations including introducing high-volume spay/neuter services to Ontario and opening the Provincial Education & Animal Centre .

OntarioSPCA.ca

Adopt  Learn  Volunteer  Donate

Charitable Business Number 88969 1044 RR0002

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e7c1882a-2df0-4373-9ddd-8438b402a453
The United States downgraded its main diplomatic mission to the Palestinians on Thursday, placing it under the authority of the U.S. embassy to Israel.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the consulate general, a separate office which handled dealings with the Palestinians, would be replaced by a new Palestinian Affairs Unit inside the controversial new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.The move was quickly condemned by the Palestinians and it could leave the U.S. as the only major power without a specific representative office dedicated to the Palestinians.It would also leave the ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who is reviled by Palestinians over his support for Israeli settlements in the West Bank, as the main interlocutor with the Palestinian leadership.Pro-Israel advocates hailed the decision, saying it confirmed the U.S. recognized the whole of Jerusalem as part of Israel.Pompeo denied the decision represented a shift in policy, but it came after a series of moves, including shuttering the Palestinian mission in Washington and moving the US embassy from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.'This decision is driven by our global efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations. It does not signal a change of U.S. policy,' Pompeo said in a statement.He said the United States 'continues to take no position' on how any peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians would take shape.A State Department official, however, confirmed that the role of U.S. consul general will cease to exist and its current head will return to Washington.- 'Unprecedented' -The Palestinian leadership condemned Washington's decision.'The US decision... has nothing to do with 'efficiency' and a lot to do with pleasing an ideological US team that is willing to disband the foundations of American foreign policy, and of the international system, in order to reward Israeli violations and crimes,' the Palestinians' chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said.'The Trump administration is part of the problem, not part of the solution,' Erekat said in a statement.Israel seized control of east Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war in a move never recognized by the international community.More than 200,000 Israelis now live in the Palestinian eastern part of the city and its future is one of the thorniest issues in the Israel-Palestinian conflict.International powers have for decades maintained separate and autonomous representations to Israel and the Palestinians on the basis of supporting the two-state solution and the eventual creation of an independent Palestinian state.They have insisted the status of Jerusalem, which both the Israelis and Palestinians see as their capital, should be negotiated between the parties.Last December, President Donald Trump, a long-time pro-Israel advocate, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, prompting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to boycott his administration.The embassy was officially transferred on May 14, sparking violent protests in Gaza in which more than 60 Palestinian protesters were killed by Israeli fire.Ofer Zalzberg of the International Crisis Group think-tank said Thursday's announcement meant that the U.S. would be the only major power without a separate, independent representative office for the Palestinians.'Other countries have gone to great lengths to avoid having the same representatives to Israel and the Palestinian Authority,' he told AFP, pointing out even small countries separate their Palestinian and Israeli operations.'As far I know this is unprecedented.'Eugene Kontorovich, a law professor with the Jerusalem-based Kohelet Policy Forum and advocate for the embassy move, said the decision was more evidence the US considered Jerusalem to be fully part of Israel.'This step confirms that the U.S. recognizes the entire city as Israel's capital,' he said.Trump has been angered by the Abbas boycott and has cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid in a bid to force them back to the negotiating table.His son-in-law Jared Kushner, alongside Friedman and peace envoy Jason Greenblatt, have been working for months on a still-secret peace proposal.On September 13, the United States shut down the Palestinian mission in Washington.
After a year of visiting baffled doctors and mental health services, William was diagnosed with probable paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). (Photo: Pixabay)

A family in the UK are at a loss of words after their son turned into 'something out of The Exorcist' when a brain disorder completely changed his behaviour.

The 8-year-old William Hewlett has violent episodes in which he destroys things in the house, locks his parents out and hallucinates  he has even asked his mother to kill him.

Hewlett refuses to eat properly, has a fear of buttons so severe it makes him throw up, struggles to sleep and hasn't brushed his teeth for ten months.

After a year of visiting baffled doctors and mental health services, William was diagnosed with probable paediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS).

Johanne, his mum, is convinced her son's illness was triggered by mould in their home and a fever he had in 2017.

She even went as far as moving out of the family home and leaving all their possessions behind to get William away from mould toxins. But it hasn't worked.

The family, who now rent a house and refuse to return to their old one, estimate they have spent 10,000 trying to cope with their son's condition.

William was a normal, happy child before he became affected by the illness, his mother says.

The youngster, whose behaviour reminded his parents of the girl in the 1973 cult horror film, The Exorcist, was at first thought to be autistic by health professionals.

However, after a year-long fight, William has now been diagnosed with probable PANS/PANDAS, which happens when an infection triggers an immune response resulting in swelling in the brain.

The condition, which causes obsessive behaviour, tics and eating disorders, can often be treated with a two-week course of antibiotics, according to specialists.

The Hewletts are now campaigning to raise awareness of PANS/PANDAS as they believe thousands of children may be being misdiagnosed with mental illnesses.
The flights would be available for travel from Vijayawada to Singapore and vice versa two days in a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

VIJAYAWADA: Energy and infrastructure secretary Ajay Jain on Friday said that direct flights from Vijayawada to Singapore will come into operation from October 25.

The flights would be available for travel from Vijayawada to Singapore and vice versa two days in a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Mr Jain, who is camping at Srikakulam to oversee the relief and rehabilitation work in the areas affected by Cyclone Titli, on Friday said that in sync with the vision of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to create world-class aviation infrastructure in AP and to provide reliable air connectivity to all destinations by 2022, the infrastructure department has reached another milestone by introducing a new international flight service.

He appealed to all international passengers to avail of this service to travel to Singapore from Vijayawada. The infrastructure department has geared up to promote development of aviation infrastructure and reach the goal of making Andhra Pradesh a preferred destination for investment by creating airports as hubs to enhance economic activity in the state, Mr Jain said.

Earlier, Indigo Airlines had come forward to run the Singapore flight from Vijayawada.
Congressman Greg Gianforte (left) speaks as President Donald Trump stands right during a campaign rally at Minuteman Aviation Hangar, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in Missoula, Montana. (Photo: AP)

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday praised a US congressman who assaulted a reporter, making light of the attack.

Greg Gianforte was sentenced to six months of deferred jail time, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management sessions and USD 385 in fines and court fees for the misdemeanor assault that propelled him and his congressional race into the national spotlight last year.

Trump's remarks at a rally in Montana come amid an international outcry over the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who has been missing since entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on October 2, whom the president has said is likely dead.

At the rally, Trump urged people to vote for Gianforte, describing him as "an incredible Montana leader" and "one of the most respected people in Congress."

"By the way, never wrestle him," Trump said, referring to Gianforte's assault on The Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs. "Any guy that can do a body slam -- he's my kind of, he's my guy."

Trump said he originally thought the assault -- which took place on the eve of his election -- might hurt Gianforte's chances.

"Then I said, 'Well wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him.' And it did," the president said.

The Guardian US editor John Mulholland took aim at Trump's remarks.

"To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it," he said, referring to the amendment to the US constitution that guarantees freedom of the press.

"In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats," Mulholland said.

Riyadh is suspected of murdering Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and US permanent resident whose writings have been critical of powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump, who frequently criticizes what he terms the "fake news media" and has repeatedly described news organizations as the "enemy of the people," has been accused of setting a tone that condones abuses against journalists in other countries.
Toronto, Ontario, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toronto's first Community Paramedic-Led Clinic partnership is celebrating a year of success in providing mental and physical health support for seniors and isolated Toronto residents with complex needs. The clinics are hosted in Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) buildings and staffed by a partnership of experienced mental health and community support agencies.

The program launched last November after the City of Toronto approved its Paramedic Service to expand its community outreach and community care programs. The weekly drop-in clinics are funded by the Central East Local Health Integration Network. Four community clinics each attract a hub of local residents, and a fifth clinic launched in Etobicoke this fall.

The first clinic clearly demonstrated the need for the service when an elderly tenant in one of the TCHC buildings, 50 Tuxedo Court, arrived to have her blood pressure taken by paramedics. The tenant was immediately sent to a hospital by ambulance as she was experiencing chest pain. Having a paramedic and two community health providers on-site provided immediate access at this critical time, and proved the necessity of such a program to vulnerable tenants.

Clinic partners will hold an open house on October 25 during Community Health and Wellbeing Week in Ontario to mark the anniversary of this successful model. The partnership is comprised of Toronto Paramedic Services, TCHC, Hong Fook Mental Health Association (a leading ethno-cultural community mental health agency with a continuum of services to improve the lives of Asian and other communities), and Cota (a non-profit accredited community-based organization that supports adults with mental health and cognitive challenges).

According to Toronto Paramedic Services, the goal of the Community Paramedic-Led Clinic partnership is to bring primary care and community services to the doorstep of seniors and vulnerable tenants so that they can receive prompt physical and mental health assessments and counselling. These clinics demonstrate the next phase of providing outstanding medical care to allow Toronto residents to remain in their homes and to proactively manage their health and wellness," said Jennifer Shield, Deputy Chief, Community Safeguard Services.

Seniors simply walk to their recreation room once a week and they can have their blood pressure tested, consult with a mental health geriatric worker, and be linked with further testing or services they need, without having to find a family doctor, says Bonnie Wong, Executive Director of Hong Fook Mental Health Association, a founding partner in the innovative program.

The CPLC has introduced valued primary care and follow-up supports to tenants of these buildings. It is an example of an innovative model that is making a difference and one which holds promise for replication at other TCHC sites, said Cota Executive Director Paul Bruce.

This unique program allows vulnerable tenants, some of whom turn to 911 for lack of alternatives, to know theyre being heard, and will be linked to community programs, including Hong Fook mental health services, Cota social services, diabetes referral, or Meals on Wheels. TCHC community services specialists help vulnerable tenants participate in the clinics, and also arrange to publicize the clinics to tenants in multiple languages.

Appointments are not necessary. In fact, to keep things informal, the clinic team will usually walk about the building when they finish setting up the clinic equipment for the day to remind tenants about the clinic and cordially invite them to drop in and have their blood pressure checked. Clinic community-paramedics and geriatric social workers can also refer tenants to community programs to address specific health issues, such as diabetes.

This new linkage with paramedic and community mental health organizations is ground breaking, and represents a new way forward for social housing, and health and community services to work more closely than ever toward healthier communities, said Angela Cooke, TCHCs Vice President of Tenant and Community Services.

- 30 -

Media Invitation: The one-year anniversary of the Community Paramedic-Led Clinic will be held at 50 Tuxedo Court, and media are invited to meet with residents and speak to Hong Fook, Cota, Toronto Paramedic Services and TCHC representatives from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Thursday October 25, 2018. Tuxedo Court Village apartments are north of Ellesmere Road, and just east of Markham Road.





BACKGROUND INFO

Ontarios first Community Paramedic-Led Clinics support mental and physical health of isolated tenants.

The clinics are tailored to tenant needs, and take into account the health profiles, language needs, and demographics of tenants in each community served.

Toronto Paramedics approached TCHC with the idea of targeting help for tenants, after noticing some tenants reaching out to emergency services.

The Community Paramedic-Led Clinics are intended to support elderly tenants, tenants living without family or with few supports, tenants identified by TCHC as needing community support, and tenants identified by paramedics as candidates for closer monitoring.

The clinics are led by Toronto Paramedics and hosted by Toronto Community Housing . They are supported by case managers from two experienced community mental health agencies. Cota is an accredited, not-for-profit, community-based organization that has been supporting adults with mental health and cognitive challenges to live well within their communities for 45 years. Hong Fook Mental Health Association is a leading ethno-cultural community mental health agency with a continuum of services to improve the lives of Asian and other communities.

and hosted by . They are supported by case managers from two experienced community mental health agencies. is an accredited, not-for-profit, community-based organization that has been supporting adults with mental health and cognitive challenges to live well within their communities for 45 years. is a leading ethno-cultural community mental health agency with a continuum of services to improve the lives of Asian and other communities. The clinics have been successful in empowering the residents to proactively manage their physical and mental health and wellness. A key foundation to wellbeing is health care, including connections to family, to the community, and other wellness components.

The goals of the clinic are:

Providing medical support

Checking blood pressure and other vitals

Conducting safety checks

Providing education on medication management

Conducting educational workshops

Connecting individuals to support services such as counselling, financial management, and social/recreational activities.





Clinic days and locations are as follows:

1. Tuesday - 10 Glen Everest Rd, 10am-3pm

2. Wednesday - 20 Gordonridge Place*, 10am-3pm

3. Thursday - 50 Tuxedo Court, 10am-3pm

4. Friday - 20 Gordonridge Place*, 10am-3pm. *This clinic is located inside a community centre which serves three buildings: #10, #30, and #40 Gordonridge Place.

5. Monday - 41 Mabelle Avenue, Etobicoke (Islington-Bloor). This clinic is offered by Toronto Paramedics and TCHC only.





About Toronto

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TorontoComms, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.

About Hong Fook Mental Health Association

Established in 1982, Hong Fook Mental Health Association is the leading ethno-cultural community mental health agency with a continuum of services to improving the lives of Asian and other communities. Hong Fook provides a variety of integrated primary & mental health programs and services to the broader community to improve the mental health system through service collaboration and coordination in the community. Hong Fooks participation in the paramedic-led clinics is funded by the Central East Local Health Integration Network.

About Cota

Cota is an accredited, not-for-profit, community-based organization that has been supporting adults with mental health and cognitive challenges to live well within their communities for the past 45 years. Cota offers a wide range of services to adults living with serious mental illness, geriatric mental health conditions, acquired brain injuries, developmental disabilities and dual diagnoses. Their services include on-site supports to people at 220 Oak St. (another Toronto Community Housing site), case management, supportive housing, short-term residential beds, day programs, court and justice related services, an emergency department diversion service, interdisciplinary and assertive community treatment team (ACT) services, and supports for individuals who are experiencing and/or transitioning out of homelessness.

About Toronto Community Housing

Toronto Community Housing is Canada's largest social housing provider. TCHC is owned by the City of Toronto and provides homes for nearly 60,000 low- and moderate-income households in more than 100 of the citys neighbourhoods. Toronto Community Housings 2,100 buildings represent a $10-billion public asset. To support vibrant communities, TCHC works with partners to link tenants to Torontos network of community health, social and economic services.
Houston, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Texas Orthopedic Hospital was ranked #25 nationally among healthcare providers by Modern Healthcares 2018 Best Places to Work in Healthcare, the seventh year in a row it's been ranked on the list. The complete rankings are available here. Modern Healthcare published a special supplement featuring ranked lists of all the winners with the Oct. 1 issue.





At Texas Orthopedic Hospital, caring extends to both our patients and our people, said Eric Becker, CEO of Texas Orthopedic Hospital. Being recognized as one of Modern Healthcares Best Places to work seven years in a row is a true testament to that philosophy, and we couldnt be prouder.

Modern Healthcare and its Best Places to Work in Healthcare award winners have accomplished much over the years, empowering healthcare organizations and the people who work for them to realize their full potential. Modern Healthcare partners with the Best Companies Group on the assessment process, which includes an extensive employee survey.

Our award winners can be proud of the role they played in elevating the standard for workplace excellence. They have the judgment, drive and resilience to solve health cares most significant challenges through our most important resource: people. They are pushing the envelope and creating a more engaged and productive workforce, all while tackling the ever-present challenges of cost, safety, quality and access, said Aurora Aguilar, editor of Modern Healthcare.

Texas Orthopedic Hospital was honored at the 2018 Best Places to Work Awards Dinner on Thursday, Sept. 27, at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel.





About Texas Orthopedic Hospital

Texas Orthopedic Hospital is committed to changing and improving the lives of patients by providing exceptional orthopedic care through innovative technology, ongoing research, evidence-based practice, quality, and cost-effective services. For more information, visit https://texasorthopedic.com .

About HCA Healthcares Gulf Coast Division

HCA Healthcares Gulf Coast Division is a comprehensive network of hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, emergency centers and diagnostic imaging facilities in greater Houston, Corpus Christi and South Texas. Facilities in the Gulf Coast Division include: 18 hospitals, nine ambulatory care centers, off-campus emergency centers, and a regional transfer center that provides one phone call access and support for patient transfers into and out of the HCA Gulf Coast Division affiliated hospitals as well as access to ground and air transportation within a 150-mile radius. HCA Healthcares Gulf Coast Division is one of the most comprehensive medical providers in the Houston area and part of HCA Healthcare, the nations leading provider of quality healthcare services with 179 hospitals in the United States and England. For more information, visit HCAGulfCoast.com .

Attachment
Vietnam's State Securities Commission has received an application from Vietcombank for a private placement of shares worth over $156.5 million.

The commission (SSC) said the countrys third largest bank by assets proposes to make a private issue of 360 million shares, equivalent to 10 percent of its charter capital.

The lender plans to sell nearly 54 million shares to its strategic partner, Japans Mizuho Bank, to ensure it retains its 15 percent stake post dilution.

It will sell the remaining 306 million shares, or 7.73 percent of its charter capital, to other undisclosed investors.

The bank has not disclosed the issue price either. Its shares closed at VND58,000 ($2.5) Friday on the HCMC market.

The State Bank of Vietnam recently gave Vietcombank approval to increase its charter capital by 10 percent to VND39.58 trillion ($1.69 billion).

The lender has also received approval from its shareholders to make the private placement.

Vietcombank and other top lenders, including BIDV and Vietinbank, have been struggling to increase their capital to meet international capital adequacy norms.

The second Basel Accords, or Basel II, prescribe minimum capital adequacy of 8 percent of risk-weighted assets for all financial institutions to cover operational risks.

In 2016 Vietcombank signed a deal with Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC Private Limited to sell a 7.73 percent stake. The deal has yet to be consummated, with the banks chairman, Nghiem Xuan Thanh, saying they have been unable to agree on a price.

As a state-owned bank, Vietcombanks issue of new shares must not be at a price lower than their current market price or a minimum value set by the government.

However, the price offered by GIC did not meet this requirement.

If the private issuance of VND3.6 trillion ($156.5 million) is successful, Vietcombank will have the highest chartered capital in the industry of nearly VND40 trillion ($1.74 billion).
Brand Finance has released its annual report on the worlds 100 leading nation brands, and Vietnam is in 43rd place.

Its brand value is estimated at $235 billion, up $32 billion from the previous year. It has risen two places in the list this year.

The global brand valuation consultancy firm evaluates a countrys national brand on the brands based there and the economy as a whole by weighing up various socio-economic factors.

A strong national brand denotes a highly attractive environment for investment, encouraging inward investment, adding value to exports, and attracting tourists and skilled migrants, it explained.

Vietnams continuing rise in the list is primarily due to Vietnam Value, a national program to endorse products and services that meet minimum standards set out by the government, and concentrated efforts to promote economic growth by the government, it said.

In Southeast Asia, Vietnam is only in sixth place in terms of value, below Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand.

The Top 10 in the world did not see much change with the U.S., China and Germany continuing to lead in terms of value.

The U.S. value has shot up by 23 percent to $25.9 trillion this year as a result of falling tax rates and a more business-friendly environment despite the negative public image that President Trump may have cultivated, the report said.

Founded in 1996, Brand Finance is the worlds leading independent branded business valuation and strategy consultancy. Headquartered in London, the firm is present in over 20 countries.
Vietnamese fruit and vegetable exporters are struggling with many countries increasing quality standards for them.

Dragon fruit, which accounts for 40 percent of Vietnams fruit and vegetable exports in value, is facing the biggest challenge as China, which used to buy 80-90 percent of Vietnams dragon fruit mainly through border gates, has tightened the import through the channel.

The importer has also improved standards on quarantine and food safety and origin tracking to Vietnamese fruits, including dragon fruits.

Facing the difficulties, many traders have recently stopped buying the fruit in some major growing regions.

As a result, prices of the fruit have plummeted. Recently farmers in Binh Thuan Province told VnExpress that prices are down 90 percent to VND1,500-2,000 ($0.06-0.08) per kilogram.

Vietnams dragon fruit exports might see more pain since China may reduce purchases after expanding its own cultivation, warned by industry insiders.

Saigon Giai Phong Online quoted Vietnams Plant Protection Department as saying China has planted dragon fruit on 20,000 hectares in places such as Guangxi and Hainan.

The department said this area would increase to 30,000 hectares next year.

Chili, which accounts for a third of Vietnams total vegetable export value, is struggling in the Malaysian market.

Malaysia is among the three largest buyers of chili from Vietnam along with South Korea and China.

But it announced to cease licensing the import of chili from Vietnam from September 14 after detecting excessive residues of plant protection products in chili shipments.

Together with dragon fruits and chilli, papaya has struggled to enter overseas market.

The South Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has informed Vietnams Plant Protection Department that it discovered genetically modified papaya in shipments from Vietnam.

South Korea does not allow entry of genetically modified organism (GMO) products.

A spokesperson for a large papaya exporter in southern Long An Province said that farmers knew about this policy, and some GMO fruits went into the consignments despite their efforts to prevent it.

It is working with farmers to grow non-GMO fruits, the spokesperson added.

Nguyen Quoc Vong, a researcher in the GMO fruit industry, said the trend in developed countries is to consume non-GMO products.

He warned that Vietnam would be shut out of high-end markets if it exports GMO products since food safety standards around the world are rising.

Our competitors like Thailand do not grow GMO produce, so they will have an advantage in high-end markets where we cannot compete, local newspaper Thanh Nien reported him as saying.

Vietnam earned $3 billion from fruit and vegetable exports in the first nine months of this year, up 15.2 percent over the same period last year, according to the General Statistics Office.
Crude oil is not sustainable income source, said the NFSC. Photo by VnExpress

A prime ministerial advisory body has said the state budget is overly dependent on crude oil, an unsustainable income source.

The National Financial Supervisory Commission (NFSC) recently said crude oil is not a sustainable income source, both in the short and long term.

In the short term, crude oil revenue can be affected by global oil prices and mining output; and the state budget has been significantly impacted by such fluctuations over the years, the NFSC noted.

In the long run, this source of income is also unsustainable as national reserves are limited, it added.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue had said at a meeting of the legislative National Assembly that Vietnam needs to stop relying on crude oil and focus on tourism to ensure its economic growth.

It is better to welcome one million tourists than trying to find one million tons of crude oil because tourism is more eco-friendly and safe for the economy, hed said.

Vietnam's September crude oil exports totaled 375,000 tons, down 21.1 percent year-on-year, according to the General Statistics Office. This brought crude oil exports in the first nine months of this year to 2.97 million tons, down 45.2 percent from a year earlier.

From early this year to September 15, accumulated budget revenue is estimated to be at VND898.3 trillion ($39.06 billion), of which VND43.5 trillion ($1.89 billion) or about 5 percent comes from crude oil, according to the General Statistics Office.

Vietnams domestic crude oil production reached its peak in 2004 with an output of more than 20 million tons, but has declined to an estimated 14.2 million tons in 2017.

It is forecast that around 11 million tons will be produced in 2018. Crude oil exports have contributed 0.25 percent to the countrys GDP in recent years.
Fishing boats anchor near Ly Son Island, in Vietnam's central Quang Ngai Province. Photo by Reuters

Malaysian authorities have arrested 39 Vietnamese fishermen in a crackdown on foreign vessels fishing illegally in their waters.

On Thursday The Star newspaper quoted the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) head, Mohd Fauzi Othman, as saying two Vietnamese fishing vessels were found approximately 45 nautical miles off the coast of Miri in northern Sarawak, where they had already caught 15 tons of seafood.

The value of the catch was estimated at RM500,000 (more than $120,000).

The newspaper said one of the boats tried to flee but was cornered after an hours chase.

The arrested fishermen, aged between 20 to 50, failed to show proper licenses.

The two boats were towed back to Miri.

The seizure is part of a major crackdown by the Malaysian government on encroachment and/or illegal fishing by foreigners.

Hundreds of Vietnamese fishermen have been charged with fishing violations in foreign waters in recent years.

Vietnamese authorities have been trying to raise fishermens awareness of maritime boundaries and international maritime laws.
Vietnamese police have arrested two men suspected of sending death and blackmail threats to several advisors to National Assembly members.

Police from the Ministry of Public Security Friday arrested Ngo Xuan Tung and Le Van Thanh, both 30, for questioning.

At least seven members from the National Assembly Delegation Office of several provinces and cities had reported receiving text messages from the same anonymous sender.

Officers said all the messages had the same content: that VND100 million ($4,400) had been offered to kill the official getting the message, and if they transfer the amount to a bank in southern Vietnam, the identity of the person who ordered the hits would be revealed.

Ngo Xuan Tung, 30, is held at a police station for sending death threats and blackmail messages to Vietnamese government officials. Photo courtesy by rhe Ministry of Public Security

The police have not yet released any information about how the blackmailers obtained the phone numbers of the officials or how they tracked them down.

A person sending death threats can be imprisoned for up to seven years.

Earlier this year a court in the northern province of Bac Ninh sentenced a man to three years for sending threatening messages to the province chairman and police chief after his company was prevented from dredging a river due to environmental concerns.

Last year Dao Tan Cuong, deputy director of the Da Nang branch of Petrolimex Aviation Fuel JSC, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for sending threatening text messages former city chairman Huynh Duc Tho.
Nguyen Mach Thuyet, 35, is held at police station in Nha Trang for brokering sex services by female Russian tourists. Photo by An Phuoc

The Nha Trang police have busted a prostitution ring involving two Russian women who charged clients $300.

On Tuesday when officers raided a hotel on Nguyen Thien Thuat Street in the popular resort town, they allegedly found the two women providing sexual services to Vietnamese men.

The police then expanded the investigation and arrested Nguyen Mach Thuyet, 35, an alleged pimp.

According to the police, Thuyet had been running the ring for a year. Knowing a little Russian, he harbored the idea of enticing young Russian women visiting Nha Trang and needing money to join his prostitution ring.

He also posted the images of the foreign sex workers along with his phone number on social media. When a customer made their choice, they would contact him to arrange the woman.

Preliminary investigation found that the sex workers received $100 while Thuyet and his partners took the rest.

The police said they had been surveilling the ring for several months to collect evidence before cracking down on the ring since the pimp rarely appeared and all transactions were carried out on the phone.

Nha Trang has become a top holiday destination, with the number of foreign arrivals increasing 42 percent in the first nine months of this year to 2.1 million. They include around 297,000 Russian tourists.

Under Vietnam's Penal Code, sex workers are given a warning and fined VND100,000-300,000 ($4.26-12.78), while pimps and sex ring organizers can get between six months and five years in jail.

Foreign nationals convicted of providing sex services also face cash fines and can be deported.
Her life changed forever without her knowing it. Sue Bylund seeks answers and wants to see her Vietnamese mother.

As the plane ascends

The screeching chaos

I turn to take on last look.

What am I fleeing from?

I cannot yet comprehend.

Where am I going?

that...

God only knows

Sue Bylunds poem asks a question with retrospective effect going back 44 years.

She was 36 days old then.

That day, when she and 17 other children were taken out of Vietnam, she was too young to know or understand anything. She now knows a lot more, but fundamental questions remain, and she has been looking for answers for many years.

Sue Bylund during her first days in Australia

Fateful flight

Sue Bylund was born at the Maternity Hospital Saigon on April 18, 1974 (Vietnam war time), under the name Luu Thi Van, and was taken to an orphanage the same day. A month later, her name was put up for adoption by an Australian couple, Richard and Marlene.

On May 24, 1974, I was taken to Australia and started a new life under the name Sue Bylund, she told VnExpress.

The little Asian girl with dark skin and black hair was nurtured with unconditional love by her pale skinned, blonde haired adopted parents and brothers. They didnt hide the fact that Sue was adopted and talked openly about it.

As a child, I could never fully comprehend the depth of tragedy and sorrow I would learn later to associate with losing my birth family and identity in the war.

It wasnt until my adoptive father passed away when I was nine years old that I began to understand what it meant to lose someone you loved.

The suburb of Perth where Sue Bylund grew up was a diverse community with mix ethnicities. Her mother, an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, often invited newly arrived immigrants over, and supported other families who had adopted children overseas.

Living in a multicultural environment, Sue slowly became aware of her different origins, and realized that there were many questions about her journey to Australia that needed answers.

I soon learnt that you cant be expected to pour your heart out to every stranger and acquaintance you meet who asks my country of origin and how I came to live in Australia.

In truth, I was afraid of my connection and history with Vietnam. Afraid of the unknown.

Sue Bylund with her adoptive parents and brothers in Australia.

What really ignited Sue Byluds motivation to search for her heritage and look for answers was the birth of her daughter in 1999.

In getting her daughters birth certificate, Sue was surprised to find many more documents concerning her adoption that had been kept by the local authorities.

They were Australian legal documents, some translated into English from the original Vietnamese papers, like the commission certificate from the orphanage, the certificate of assurance from Vietnamese lawyers. She thus found that she was born to a woman named Luu Thi Hanh who left her at the Sancta Maria Orphanage in Saigon. An unidentified man was with her then.

The second journey begins

In 2001, 27 years old, Sue Bylund returned to Vietnam to look for her mother and answers to many questions in her mind.

Before returning, she had a chance to talk with a Vietnam War veteran, Graham Edwards, who lost both his legs in the conflict. He had returned to Vietnam for the first time since the war just before Sue met with him. They talked and shared their stories and reflected on how their lives were intertwined.

With Grahams contacts and all the documents she got from the Western Australian law courts, she embarked on her journey back to Vietnam. Her first destination was the main Maternity Hospital in Saigon's District 1. Without the ability to speak Vietnamese, or any idea what she was looking for or what to expect, other than to put a place to the address on her documents, she experienced a small miracle.

When the staff understood that shed once been a baby in the hospital, she was introduced to an elderly nurse, who worked in the maternity ward from 1972-1975.

She had tears in her eyes...she had looked after hundreds of the babies who had left Vietnam after they had been given to the childrens home and orphanages, Sue said.

The elderly nurse had always wondered what had happened to all those children, we had been the first to return to find her. Through a teary smile, she said she happy to see I was healthy and strong, and with a hug and kiss, we parted.

Sue Bylund at age 3

New clues led Sue Bylund to the Peoples Committee of Saigon's District 1, and here, to her astonishment, an officer produced her birth certificate. In blue biro pen, a line in the bottom right corner indicated that Luu Thi Hanh, her biological mother, resided at Huong Lo 14, Phu Tho.

However, what seemed to be valuable information turned out to be a dead end. After a lot of attempts to verify the address, she learnt that the above address was now in Luy Ban Bich Street, Tan Phu District. Unfortunately, visits to the street yielded no further information.

Sue Bylund has returned to Vietnam several times since, but her search has made no progress.

The area on my paperwork, I understand, was an area during the war where Vietnamese people who had lost their homes or were in transit congregated. So addresses were very general and temporary.

Her journey is still incomplete and there are many unanswered questions: Is Luu Thi Hanh really her mother and where is she now? Is she alive or dead? Who is her father? Why was she abandoned? Whats the meaning of her name?

No name or place, date or time,

from which I came to be.

A mothers kiss upon my cheek,

did she ever place on me?

Unbreakable bond

As a child, shed been filled with anger and hate towards Vietnam. She wished she could conceal her Asian appearance and Vietnamese ancestry from the crowd. But with time, and the unselfish love from her family, she found the strength to continue to fight for the right to be herself.

Although she hasnt been able to find her birth mother, after her return to Vietnam in 2001, Sue Bylund began networking with adoptees around the world. She shared her knowledge with them, and discussed how they could find positive ways to reconnect with Vietnam and if they wanted to search for their biological families.

She understands the difficulties, both in the outside world and their inner world, adoptees face in their journey to trace back their heritage, as well as the obstacles that have stopped many mothers from finding their long lost children.

Not every adoptee is confident or willing to search for their families. Adoptees were sent all around the world, to countries in Europe, so far away from Vietnam and so far from cultural influences from Asia.

From what I understand, the gap is huge between the inner acceptances that they are Vietnamese by blood, but they struggle to find comprehension about how, or what that means to them personally.

With two other adoptees, Sue Bylund has assisted 20 people in the search for their Vietnamese families.

On April 18, 2019, she and her associates organized the Celebrating Vietnamese Mother event in HCMC to create more opportunities for reconnections and reunions.

It will offer a safe and supportive environment where people can lodge their details and DNA to search for their children or family member, or simply meet up with adoptees to understand their experiences and share their stories.

Sue Bylund now

Sue Bylund feels that shes more fortunate than many adoptees, as she grew up in a multicultural environment, surrounded by Asian influences, had access to festivals like Tet (lunar New Year festival), saw Vietnamese food everywhere and saw Asian faces everyday.

She is a qualified interior architect, has been running her own design business for 18 years. She currently works with the Victorian School Building Authority. Even though shes not living in Vietnam, her bond with the motherland is being preserved and continued.

Sue Bylunds eldest daughter, her first known blood relative, is taking a gap year before going off to university in Vung Tau, about two hour car ride east of HCMC, teaching English and assisting at the My Huong Childrens Home.

She has now lived in Vietnam longer than I have, which is very special. It reminds us that our connections to Vietnam remain strong across the generation, and throughout our entire lives.

I believe that one day I will be able to know the answers to my questions and I will be in the presence of those who I have loved in absence.
Bewitched by the sun and sea in Vung Tau

This charming place offers great seafood, beautiful beaches and a myriad of other attractions.

If you have had enough of bustling Saigon, Vung Tau is for you. If you return to your stuffy apartment with a sudden longing for the sea, Vung Tau is for you.

If you have a few spare days, and just need a suburban trip to recharge your energy, leave for Vung Tau.

Photo by Shutterstock/Hang Dinh

Just a three-hour drive from HCMC, Vung Tau in the southern province of Ba Ria  Vung Tau is one of the important port cities in Vietnams southeast.



The city is reachable even by motorbike taxi and people opting for a quick 12-hour break from their daily routine. At the crack of dawn: Xom Luoi fish market Xom Luoi is a seafood market established by local fishermen in Vung Tau. It is located near Bai Truoc Park at the intersection of Phan Boi Chau and Nguyen Cong Tru streets. Visit the market early in the morning to enjoy the best seafood of the day.

The seafood here is very fresh and reasonably priced. There is a wide range too: snail, shrimp, octopus, crab. During the vacation season, some stalls offer discounts for purchase of large quantities.



The market also has yummy souvenirs to take back home in the form of dried seafood and snacks. The best thing is you could buy fresh seafood and have it cooked on the spot. Cooking services are available in the market, with grilling, boiling and steaming being the most popular styles. The simple cooking methods also help the foods retain their flavors. It just takes a 10-15 minute wait to enjoy an appetizing dish, so seafood lovers should definitely not miss it. 7 a.m. Breakfast For the next hour you could fill your stomach with the famous tossed noodle soup in Vung Tau. The noodle restaurant, situated on Ba Cu Street, has been receiving the thumbs-up from foodies for years now, with a recipe passed down through generations. When you walk into the shop, you can witness the spectacle of noodles being deftly tossed up and down without falling out. The noodles are first placed in a net ladle to dip in boiling broth. After that the cook tosses the noodles up and down for them to dry before putting them in bowls to serve customers.

A bowl of "tossing" noodle soup at a restaurant in Vung Tau. Photo by VnExpress/Vi Yen While the sight of noodles being thrown dexterously is a unique one that thrills first-time visitors, the food itself is the reason for the places popularity. The broth is very nutritious since it is cooked from pork rib extract. The well-cooked ribs and beef meatballs add flavor to the dish. The wonton is also a must-try at this place. 8.30 a.m. Visiting ships and rigs A tourism activity of recent origin in Vung Tau is taking a boat ride to visit ships and oil rigs. From the colorful sail boats, you can see the importance of this port city as the hub of the countrys oil industry. The cost of an oil rig tour is VND120,000 ($5.13) per person.



Photo by VnExpress/Huong Chi

10 a.m. Visiting Villa Blanche, Lighthouse and statue of Christ



The White House (Villa Blanche) was built in 1898 by Paul Doumer, governor general of Indochina at the time. It is 19 meters high with its back leaning against Lon Mountain. The place, at 10 Tran Phu Street, still has 19 old cannons for exhibition.

Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Sy Duc

The next destination is Vung Tau Lighthouse from where tourists can get a panoramic view of the city. To reach the top, you have to follow the tunnel to a two-story house, which used to be home of the lighthouse guard. The lighthouse sits atop Nho Mountain, so get a decent pair of shoes for the trek.

Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Sy Duc

Also on top of Nho Mountain is the Statue of Christ, a religious icon you may not want to miss. The statue, installed in 1794, is 32 meters high, with two outstretched arms extending 18.3 meters. Visitors can climb up 133 steps inside the statue to the observation area in an arm to enjoy views of the sea from a height of 170 meters. 12 p.m. Lunch time! Banh khot, Vietnams mini pancake, is one must-try delicacy in Vung Tau. You can enjoy the shrimp-filled cake in Goc Vu Sua restaurant on Nguyen Truong To Street, Ward 2. The eaterys original flour-mixing recipe makes it popular with foodies. The batter is poured directly on a metal oven where the cake gradually forms. The dish is then delivered to customers while it is still hot and crunchy.

Photo by VnExpress/Lieu Lam

This dish is served with vegetables such as lettuce, perilla, pickled papaya and a cup of sweet and sour fish sauce. Ground chili is available for guests to tweak the taste of the sauce. A portion of banh khot costs VND45,000 ($1.9). 13.30 p.m. Sail a boat to the island In the afternoon you can tour around Vung Tau on a rented boat and visit famous islands like Go Gang and Ngoc. The trip is appropriate for a group of 5-8 people. If you travel alone, you can ask other visitors to share a boat. On Ngoc Island, you can enjoy a visit to a mangrove forest, which stretches over an area of 61 hectares. It is home to many rare bird species and marine creatures. The tour costs VND100,000 ($4.3) per person. On the island, you can also try kayaking and fishing or simply take photos and rest.

Resting cottages on Ngoc Island. Photo by VnExpress/Huong Chi.

Go Gang is a pristine island off Vung Tau. Here, visitors can enjoy the fresh air from the sea and a variety of unique seafood. Grilled oyster is one of the best dishes here, and costs only VND65,000 ($2.8) for a kilogram. Other items are also available at reasonable prices, like calappa crab VND195,000 ($8.4), squid VND400,000 ($17.2) and fish VND120,000 ($5.2).

16.30 p.m. Swimming and sunset In this coastal city, you cannot miss the fun by the sea. Truoc Beach (the front beach) and Sau Beach (the back beach) are the most popular places in the city to enjoy typical beach activities. But they can get overcrowded during holidays, so you should be careful with your personal belongings and avoid swimming too far into the sea. After having fun in the water, you can take time to enjoy the sunset and just relax.

18 p.m: Stingray fish hotpot  Vung Tau specialty

Photo by VnExpress/Phong Vinh

Warming your stomach with stingray fish hotpot before bidding farewell to Vung Tau is not a bad idea.



The stingray is a marine fish with soft, crispy cartilage. The fresh fish is filleted, marinated and cooked with salt, sugar, lemon grass, chili and other spices. The fish slices are then cooked in a pot. The hotpot broth is rich with its sweet, sour and spicy tastes. You can put greens into the boiling pot and enjoy a bowl of noodles with the broth. There are many eateries serving this delicacy in Vung Tau, but the best place is situated on Truong Cong Dinh Street. The sweet aroma of the sizzling pot, the soft texture of the fish, especially the crunchy, soft cartilage, will leave you with a memorable dining experience. Transportation tips!

Photo by Phong Vinh
A market at the Vietnam-Cambodia border is famous for selling poisonous creatures like scorpions and geckos.

Whats your poison takes on literary meaning in Vietnam Whats your poison takes on literary meaning in Vietnam

The Tinh Bien Market located in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, near the Vietnam-Cambodia border, is famous for selling many types of insects, some of them poisonous. The most common ones are scorpions, click beetles, queen termites and geckos.

Hoang Lam, 45 years old, has been a vendor here for 20 years. His main products are scorpions and geckos.

Some people dont dare to come close, just look from far away. Many women visitors are so scared, they dont even want to look, Lam said.

The busiest time for this market is the first half of the year. The majority of the visitors around that time are pilgrims who go to the Ba Chua Xu Temple on Sam mountain, in An Giang's Chau Doc City, southern Vietnam.

This season, Lams little shop is selling geckos and mountain scorpions, mostly. There arent many Vietnamese catchers now, so I mainly buy from Cambodians, Lam said.

All of these were caught in nature. Their prices reach the peak during the Ba Chua Xu pilgrimage period. People will visit the temple, and then come down here to buy insects to soak within rice wine, a shop owner said.

Scorpion dishes in the Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) area are considered a must-try. However, few visitors dare to do so. Unlike other places, Bay Nuis scorpions are of obsidian-black colour, have two large pedipalps, and are usually found in high mountain areas.

According to Lam, to be able to catch the bigger ones, the catchers need to prepare a hoe, clamp, and bucket and have to go deep into the woods.

This season, a live gecko is about VND700,000 ($30) per kilo, and the price for scorpions is also high, around VND800,000 ($34) per kilo.

Apart from insects, Lams shop also sells readymade rice wines, which have been soaked for more than a year. He said this kind of wine can cure several health problems like osteoarthritis and muscle aches.

Lam advises first-timers on how to soak the ingredients, including snakes, properly. They have to soak for at least three months before the wine can be drunk.

Visitors to the market react differently when they see the scorpions and geckos. Some are curious, but the majority are scared, and dont dare to buy the poisonous insects or products made with them.

A visitor from HCMC said that at first, she was quite scared looking at the insects, After a while, I could hold them. And then after listening to the information from the shops owner, I decided to buy a wine bottle, which cost VND250,000 ($10.7), as a gift for my father, she said.

However, buyers have to beware.

Recently, a Hong Kong newspaper reported on the risks associated with drinking snake wine. According to the article, since the rice wine only contains around 30 - 40 percent of ethanol, its not strong enough to kill all the virus, bacteria and other harmful impurities that the creatures might carry.
SAO PAULO, Brazil and TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Votorantim Energia and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) announced today that a consortium formed by their joint venture has acquired the controlling stake in Brazilian hydro generation company Companhia Energetica de Sao Paulo (CESP), acquiring 80.2% of its common shares and 13.7% of its class B preferred shares. This investment is the result of an auction held today by the State of Sao Paulo at the Brazilian Stock Exchange.



The consortium offered R$14.60 per common and class B preferred share for a 35.6% stake in the companys total share capital, representing a R$1.7 billion investment by the joint venture partners.

Following the completion of the transaction, and as described in the auction bidding documents, CESP will be granted a new concession for the Porto Primavera Hydroelectric Power Plant for 30 years in exchange for a payment of R$1.4 billion. Following the change of control, the consortium will launch a Mandatory Tender Offer for the remaining common and class B preferred shares of CESP, compliant with the terms outlined in the auction bidding documents, the companys bylaws and the applicable regulation of the Brazilian Securities Exchange Commission, Comissao de Valores Mobiliarios.

This transaction aligns with the growth objectives of the joint venture between Votorantim Energia and CPPIB in renewable energy in Brazil, adding to its current portfolio of 564MW of installed capacity. The joint venture was first announced in December 2017 with a target to invest in Brazils power generation sector.

The closing of the transaction, and subsequent transfer of control of CESP, is subject to customary regulatory approvals, including Agencia Nacional de Energia Eletrica (ANEEL) and Conselho Administrativo de Defesa Economica (CADE).

About Votorantim Energia

Votorantim Energia is a company that invests in and operates generation assets in Brazil, is one of the top 5 largest power trading players in the country, and operates hydroelectric plants belonging to Votorantim S.A.s invested companies with a total installed capacity of 2.2 GW. Votorantim Energia is a portfolio company of Votorantim S.A., a family-owned holding company which celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2018 and operates across a diverse set of sectors including cement, metals and mining, pulp and paper, and finance.

About CPPIB

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is a professional investment management organization that invests the funds not needed by the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to pay current benefits on behalf of 20 million contributors and beneficiaries. In order to build a diversified portfolio of CPP assets, CPPIB invests in public equities, private equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income instruments. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, New York City, Sao Paulo and Sydney, CPPIB is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm's length from governments. At June 30, 2018, the CPP Fund totalled C$366.6 billion. For more information about CPPIB, please visit www.cppib.com or follow us on LinkedIn , Facebook or Twitter .

For more information, contact:

Votorantim Energia

Taina Ianone

Tel .: +55 (11) 3185 9927

taina.ianone@fleishman.com.br
ASEAN defense ministers pose for a group photo at the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting in Singapore October 19, 2018. Photo by Reuters

Southeast Asian countries agreed on Friday to guidelines to manage unexpected encounters between their military aircraft.

Singapore hosted the event, called the pact a world first, and said they would encourage their international partners to join.

The agreement, signed by defense ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a conference in Singapore, includes a region-wide pact on the exchange of information on terrorism threats.

The voluntary, non-binding guidelines on air encounters build on an existing code to manage sea encounters adopted last year by ASEAN and its plus partners - Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

I am happy to announce the first multilateral guidelines for air encounters between military aircraft have been adopted, Singapores defense minister, Ng Eng Hen, told a news conference.

This is a significant achievement.

The ASEAN ministers will meet their eight international partners on Saturday and Ng said they would seek their agreement on the guidelines.

The framework for the guidelines said a pact was needed because Asias rising growth and prosperity had spurred an increase of maritime and air traffic in the region.

The United States and China in 2015 signed a pact on a military hotline and rules governing air-to-air encounters.

But even with the existing guidelines, tensions remain, especially in the hotly contested South China Sea.

China claims almost all of the busy waterway while Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the potentially energy-rich maritime territory.

Taiwan also claims the sea.

This month, China expressed anger after a U.S. Navy destroyer sailed near islands it claims, saying it resolutely opposed an operation that it called a threat to its sovereignty.

Asked if the sea guidelines were working, Ng said, In a way they are like seatbelts, not completely protected, but at least they provide some protection.

At a lunch meeting with his ASEAN counterparts,

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the United States wanted a constructive relationship with China but remained concerned by what it saw as the militarization of the South China Sea.

In August, Southeast Asian nations and China adopted a negotiating framework for a broader code of conduct in the South China Sea.

That framework seeks to advance a 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, which has mostly been ignored by claimant states, particularly China, which has built seven islands in disputed waters, three of them equipped with runways, surface-to-air missiles and radars.

The ASEAN states also agreed to adopt the our eyes initiative as a platform to exchange information on terrorism, radicalism, and violent extremism, and other non-traditional threats.

They also agreed to set up a virtual network of chemical, biological and radiological defense experts to better share best practices and make quick contact during crises.


The Bulldogs are on the brink of elimination.

The club trails the Kingston Frontenacs 3-2 in their first round playoff going into Game 6 at FirstOntario Centre this afternoon. Hamilton built up a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series before losing their last three games.

If they win today, the series heads back to Kingston for Game 7 Tuesday.

If they lose, their sophomore season is over.

The series marks the city's return to the OHL playoffs after a 26-year absence. It's also the first time in six years any Bulldogs team in any league has made it to the postseason.

One of the top defensive teams in the loop, the Frontenacs went into the playoffs looking to contain Hamilton's depth and offensive firepower  and have been successful so far. In all but one of the first five games, they held the Bulldogs to two or fewer goals, which is a significant drop from the 3.5 per game they scored in the regular season.

At 5-on-5, Hamilton's production has been even lower with the team notching just eight regular strength goals.

Where the Bulldogs have been successful is on special teams. They have scored nearly a goal per game on the power play and, going into Game 6, their penalty kill was tied for tops in the league at 90 per cent  a dramatic improvement over the regular season when it was ranked the OHL's third worst.

Game time is 2 p.m.
Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press

The Bulldogs will have to take the long road to the Memorial Cup final.

The host Pats downed the Swift Current Broncos 6-5 Wednesday to create a three-way tie between Regina, Hamilton and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan at the top of the tournament standings. After doing the math, the latter finished first, earning a bye to the final on Sunday and setting up a rematch between the host Pats and Bulldogs in Fridays semifinal (10 p.m. EST on Sportsnet and TSN 1150).

Regina, which scored a last minute goal to beat Hamilton 3-2 in the opening game of the round robin, will have home ice advantage.

Nick Henry had a hat trick for the Pats, Sam Steel set up five goals and 17-year-old Max Paddock had 26 saves to earn his second win of the week-long competition. Glenn Gawdin led the way with a pair of tallies for the WHL champions, who head home to Swift Current as the only the only team without a win.

It's not exactly surprising. By the time they got to Regina, the Broncos had played 98 games, including a record setting 26 in the post-season. Then they lost star winger Tyler Steenbergen, who was injured by a hit from Titan captain Jeffrey Trouchon-Viel 25 minutes or so into Swift Currents first tilt.

The Pats, meanwhile, were off for 46 days in the lead up to the tournament after being eliminated by the Broncos in the opening round of the playoffs  a seven-game series in which the deciding game was won by a goal.
The FAA said security and safety conditions "have sufficiently stabilized in certain regions of Ukraine" to allow for additional flight operations.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday it would allow U.S. airlines and codeshare partners to resume flights at three Ukrainian airports and over parts of the Black Sea, citing improved safety and security in parts of Ukraine.

The FAA had barred flights over the war zones of Crimea and the Ukraine in April 2014, and expanded prohibitions after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down while it flew over eastern Ukraine, killing nearly 300 people on board, as reported by Reuters.

The FAA said in a notice filed on a government website it would maintain prohibitions on flights over Crimea and parts of Ukraine.

Read alsoRyanair's first Ukrainian flight departs from Kyiv for Berlin (Photo report)

The air safety agency said it would allow takeoffs and landings at Kharkiv, Dnipro and Zaporizhia international airports in Ukraine, saying operations could be conducted with "minimal additional risk."

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, prompting international condemnation and Western sanctions, but since then there have been no major outbreaks of violence on the peninsula.

The FAA said security and safety conditions "have sufficiently stabilized in certain regions of Ukraine" to allow for additional flight operations. There have been over two years of safe flight operations on Black Sea air routes by non-U.S. airlines, prompting the change, it said.

The FAA said it was allowing flights to the three additional Ukraine airports, including one serving Ukraines second-largest city Kharkiv, because it believed there was enough of a "buffer from the area of fighting and associated weapons capabilities."

The rules, which are currently scheduled to last until October 2020, also apply to foreign airlines operating a U.S. airline codeshare flight.
For the week, Brent crude was 1 percent lower while U.S. crude was down 3.5 percent, both on track for a second consecutive weekly decline.

Oil prices rose on Friday on signs of surging demand in China, the world's second-biggest oil consumer, although the market was heading for a second week of losses on concern that trade wars were curbing economic activity and rising U.S. inventories.

Benchmark Brent crude oil LCOc1 was up 20 cents a barrel at $79.49 by 07:40 GMT. U.S. light crude CLc1 was 15 cents higher at $68.80, as reported by Reuters.

For the week, Brent crude was 1 percent lower while U.S. crude was down 3.5 percent, both on track for a second consecutive weekly decline.

Read alsoOil prices slump after large build in U.S. stockpiles  Reuters

Refinery throughput in China, the world's largest oil importer, rose to a record high of 12.49 million barrels per day (bpd) in September as some independent plants restarted operations after prolonged shutdowns over the summer to shore up inventories, government data showed on Friday.

China's refinery consumption may now be rising as several state-owned refiners return to service after maintenance.

Undermining sentiment were official figures showing China's economic growth slowed in the third quarter to its weakest pace since the global financial crisis, with gross domestic product expanding by only 6.5 percent, missing estimates.

The data raised concerns that China's trade war with United States was beginning to hit growth, which may limit oil demand.

Also denting confidence was evidence this week that U.S. oil inventories had risen sharply.

U.S. crude stocks last week climbed 6.5 million barrels, marking a fourth straight weekly build and almost triple the amount analysts had forecast, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday.

"EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report was a complete shocker sending oil markets spiraling lower amidst some concerning development for oil bulls," said Stephen Innes, head of trading APAC at OANDA in Singapore.

Inventories rose sharply even as U.S. crude production slipped 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 10.9 million bpd last week due to the effects of offshore facilities closing temporarily for Hurricane Michael.

Meanwhile, Iranian oil exports may have risen in October as buyers took cargoes before U.S. sanctions on Tehran take effect from November 4.

An unprecedented volume of Iranian crude oil is set to arrive at China's northeast port of Dalian this month and in early November before then, according to an Iranian shipping source and data on Refinitiv Eikon.
Gas price for households in Ukraine to increase by almost a quarter

The hike, which is a result of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, is scheduled for November this year.

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PM Groysman: 90% of Naftogaz profits to be returned to state budget

The head of government believes this is a fair decision.

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NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in CV Sciences, Inc. (CV Sciences or the Company) (Other OTC:CVSI) of the October 23, 2018 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company.

If you invested in CV Sciences stock or options between June 19, 2017 and August 20, 2018 and would like to discuss your legal rights, click here : www.faruqilaw.com/CVSI. There is no cost or obligation to you.

You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to rgonnello@faruqilaw.com.

CONTACT:

FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP

685 Third Avenue, 26th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Attn: Richard Gonnello, Esq.

rgonnello@faruqilaw.com

Telephone: (877) 247-4292 or (212) 983-9330

The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada on behalf of all those who purchased CV Sciences common stock between June 19, 2017 and August 20, 2018 (the Class Period). The case, Smith v. CV Sciences, Inc. et al, No. 18-cv-01602 was filed on August 24, 2018, and has been assigned to Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey.

The lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by failing to disclose that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (the USPTO) rejected the patent for CVSI-007, the Companys lead drug candidate for the treatment of smokeless tobacco addiction.

Specifically, on August 20, 2018, Citron Research reported on Twitter that the Company had failed to disclose that the USPTO rejected its patent for CVSI-007 on December 14, 2017.

Following the report, CV Sciences share price fell from $6.61 per share on August 17, 2018 to a closing price of $4.21 on August 20, 2018a $2.40 or a 36.31% drop.

The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not.

Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding CV Sciences conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others.

Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner.
OJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannia on October 4 signed a contract with state-owned enterprise Belorusneft for conducting 50 hydraulic fracturing operations.

According to a report in the ProZorro e-procurement system, the cost of the contract would be UAH 317.999 million (VAT included). The operations are to be completed by November 2019.

As reported, after a tender held in August, Romania's Tacrom won one lot for conducting 50 hydraulic fracturing operations and Belorusneft won two lots of 50 operations each. The contract with Tacrom for the amount of UAH 318.7 million (VAT included) was signed on September 17. A contract with Belorusneft for the amount of UAH 318.491 (VAT included) is pending signatures.

Ukrgazvydobuvannia, which is wholly owned by NSJC Naftogaz Ukrainy, is a large gas processing company, which accounts for about 75% of total gas output in the country.
The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA) has lifted a ban on American airlines flying to the airports of Dnipro, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv, as well as in the controlled part of the airspace over the Black Sea, the press service of the Infrastructure Ministry reported on Friday.

"The absence of risk in these zones will allow others to return and attract new airlines, and thereby increase the profitability of airfields," Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan said on his Facebook page.

According to him, the decision to lift the ban was made by the FAA after the recent visit of the minister to the United States and on the results of the work of the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine and UkSATSE.

As reported, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration from December 29, 2014 prohibited civil aviation flights over Simferopol and Dnipro. Later, on October 27, 2015. this ban was extended for a year.

The document applies to all U.S. air carriers, U.S. commercial operators, persons exercising the privileges of a U.S. airman certificate, except when such persons are operating a U.S. registered aircraft for a foreign air carrier, and operators of U.S. registered civil aircraft, except when such operators are foreign air carriers.

The list also includes operators of civilian aircraft registered in the United States, except when such operators are foreign air carriers.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has permitted Sergiy Tigipko to acquire over 50% of shares in private joint-stock company Kuznya on Rybalsky plant (Kyiv) indirectly via Avins Limited (Cyprus).

"Citizen of Ukraine was permitted [indirectly via Avins Limited (Cyprus)] to acquire shares in PrJSC Kuznya on Rybalsky plant (Kyiv, Ukraine), which will grant over 50% of the votes in the management body of the company," the committee said in an official report on Friday.

As reported, the committee received Tigipko's application on September 26, 2018.

Earlier the TAS Group belonged to Tigipko said that the group has reached a preliminary agreement on acquisition of PrJSC Kuznya on Rybalsky Plant.

"After receiving a permit from the regulator, the sides plan to continue finalizing the deal," the group said.

The cost of the deal and the term for finalizing it are not disclosed.

Kuznya on Rybalsky is a famous shipyard on the Ukrainian market. The key shareholder in the plant privatized in 1995 is the non-diversified corporate investment fund Prime Assets Capital (earlier Petro Poroshenko fund, Kyiv).
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has held a meeting with Markus Kerber, the Secretary of the Federal Ministry of the Interior of Germany, the minister said on Twitter on Thursday evening.

"Collaboration between migration and police structures (particularly in the field of countering cyber crime) has been discussed with State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs of Germany Markus Kerber. A reliable partnership promises a long history and good prospects," Avakov said.
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TELUS launches the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, which provides grants to grassroots charities and gives kids a brighter future

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TELUS announced it is giving an unprecedented $120 million, launching the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, an independent charitable organization mandated to address the social and economic challenges facing Canadas disadvantaged youth. This inaugural endowment is the largest donation made by a publicly traded Canadian company in history and one of the largest ever in North America.

Across Canada, 1.5 million children go hungry without access to nutritious food every single day; 350,000 young people are in government care and, lacking the support of a family, often experience trauma and an isolating transition into adulthood; 30,000 Canadians, many of them young people, are homeless on any given night and lack vital access to healthcare; and 40 per cent of low-income families lack affordable access to the Internet, putting kids at risk of falling behind in school.

At TELUS, we believe that the challenges faced by vulnerable Canadian youth are unacceptable, which is why we are increasing our support of this important group, said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS. The TELUS Friendly Future Foundation enables even the smallest grassroots charities that are on the front lines in our communities - yet are often overlooked by large corporate donors - to receive funding grants that will be used to help young Canadians build digital literacy skills, provide basic healthcare and mental health support to the homeless, and open up essential educational opportunities.

Mr. Entwistle added, In the last two decades, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $1 billion through $530 million in financial support and 1.21 million days of volunteerism, giving with our hearts and our hands to Canadians, yet still, there is so much more to be done. Working with the TELUS Community Boards, the Foundation will help to remove barriers and connect our most vulnerable citizens to the resources they need. The potential of these young people is boundless, and it is our responsibility to support and nurture them.

TELUS has a legacy of helping disadvantaged Canadians, earning a global reputation as a values-driven company and the honour of being the first Canadian organization named the most philanthropic company in the world by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

The Friendly Future Foundation builds on the many achievements of the TELUS Community Boards to date and ensures TELUS commitment to giving will be sustained for decades to come, solidifying TELUS position as the most giving company in the world. The TELUS Community Boards operate in 18 communities where TELUS team members live and work, both in Canada and abroad through TELUS International. Since 2005, the Community Boards have given $72 million to grassroots registered charities in support of 7,000 programs. The TELUS Community Boards operate in Victoria, Vancouver, Thompson Okanagan, Calgary, Edmonton, Manitoba, Ottawa, the Greater Toronto Area, Barrie, Montreal, Quebec City, Rimouski, Atlantic Canada, the Philippines, Bulgaria, Romania, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

The support provided by the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation complements TELUS existing social-purpose initiatives, including:

Internet for Good , a ground-breaking program that offers nearly 30,000 low-income families in B.C. and Alberta access to low-cost, high-speed Internet and a computer. TELUS is expanding this program to even more families through the Government of Canadas Connecting Families initiative this November;





, a ground-breaking program that offers nearly 30,000 low-income families in B.C. and Alberta access to low-cost, high-speed Internet and a computer. TELUS is expanding this program to even more families through the Government of Canadas Connecting Families initiative this November; Mobility for Good , which offers a free cell phone and data plan to youth aging out of the foster care system in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec, ensuring this vulnerable population can stay connected to their support networks, social services, education and employment opportunities. TELUS will expand this program to Alberta this November, and Manitoba in February 2019;





, which offers a free cell phone and data plan to youth aging out of the foster care system in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec, ensuring this vulnerable population can stay connected to their support networks, social services, education and employment opportunities. TELUS will expand this program to Alberta this November, and Manitoba in February 2019; Health for Good, an innovative national program that provides healthcare to vulnerable and underserved Canadians through the deployment of specially equipped mobile health clinics into communities where frontline care is urgently needed.

For more information about the foundation, to make a donation, or to apply for a grant, please visit friendlyfuture.com.

About TELUS social purpose:

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed over $530 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 8.7 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Created in 2005 by President and CEO Darren Entwistle, TELUS 13 Canadian Community Boards and five international boards have led the Companys support of grassroots charities and have contributed $72 million in support of 7,000 local charitable projects, enriching the lives of more than 2 million children and youth, annually. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition. For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.
Russian-led forces have mounted 16 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, over past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as wounded in action (WIA), the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) has reported.

"Russian invaders opened fire on the positions of our troops 16 times. At the same time, the enemy twice used weapons forbidden by the Minsk agreements ... There have been no casualties among Ukrainian servicemen," the JFO staff said on Facebook on Friday morning.

Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire to attack the defenders of the villages of Krymske, Luhanske, Nevelske, Novomykhailivka, Stepne, Chermalyk, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane, and Lebedynske.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, two militants of the illegal armed groups were killed and four more were injured.
Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov has appealed to the leaders of law enforcement agencies with a request to provide him with personal security.

"Dear Arsen Avakov [Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Arsen Avakov] and Yuriy Lutsenko [Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko], please provide me with personal security team," Filatov wrote on his Facebook page, arguing his request that he fears an attempt.

According to the mayor of Dnipro, there were two cars with Kyiv license plates near his house and "strange looking people were walking there" on Thursday.

"... I have a heightened sense of danger and I am responsible for hundreds of good people. And I experienced three assassination attempts on the part of separatists and personal threats from the deceased Zakharchenko [leader of 'DPR' Alexander Zakharchenko]," Filatov said.

At the same time, he put forward two versions: either a provocation on the part of the "law enforcement authorities," or a preparation for the attempt.

The mayor of Dnipro also assured that he would not go anywhere.
The Obolonsky District Court of Kyiv has postponed court hearings into the case of the state treason by former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych until October 22.

At a court session on Friday, chief judge Vladislav Deviatko announced that the court had received letters from Yanukovych's attorneys Oleksandr Baidyk and Oleksandr Horoshynsky informing the court that the defendant former president had summoned them to Moscow to arrange for their legal stance and that that was the reason they had to leave.

Ruslan Kravchenko, a prosecutor of the Main Military Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine, said that the court should approach the Assessment and Disciplinary Board of Defense Attorneys because Yanukovych's attorneys had demonstrated "the utmost contempt of the court."

"The fact is that the dates of the hearings had been scheduled beforehand, and the attorneys were supposed to follow the court's decision; however, as we can see, they have failed to do it," he said.

After brief deliberations with the panel of judges, Deviatko said that the court is "of no hurry in this process" as it has been guided by the principles of exercising all the available legal rights and interests of Yanukovych as the defendant. "Having taken all this into account, the court announces a break until 9 AM on October 22," he said.

As was earlier reported, on October 12 the Obolonsky District Court of Kyiv announced the upcoming order of appearances in court trials in the Yanukovych state treason case.

After several hours of oral pleading by attorney Horoshynsky who was given permission by the court to complete the presentation of his arguments in the absence of another attorney Baidyk who had fallen sick, the court decided that Horoshynsky would be able to complete his court appearance at 9 AM on October 19.

Chief judge Deviatko announced that attorney Baidyk would be able to complete his legal debates on October 22, and on October 23 the court could be approached with the final plea by defendant Yanukovych in person or remotely via a video conference call under the condition that the relevant authorities of the Russian Federation would not be involved.

Also, the court reserved other dates for attorney Baidyk in the periods from October 22 to 25 and October 29 to 31 at 9 AM on each of the days, saying that those "were only backup dates."
The accusations of the involvement of members of the Socialist Party of Ukraine (SPU) in organizing an attack on journalist Dmytro Gnap in Poltava are slander, Head of the SPU Illia Kyva said on his Facebook page, the press service of the SPU has reported on its official website.

"I have learnt from Facebook's news feed that one of the party's representatives could allegedly be related to the attack on journalist Dmytro Gnap. I am sure that this is not true, because in no case should that be allowed to attack journalists," he wrote.

Kyva said that he considers these actions generally unacceptable, especially with regard to journalists.

"I have always greatly respected the work of journalists. I consider them a real fourth estate," the politician said.

At the same time, he added that he had taken the situation under control and had already called the head of the Poltava regional organization to Kyiv to clarify the circumstances.

"I initiated an internal party investigation and have already called the head of the Poltava regional organization to Kyiv. If it is confirmed that someone from my team was involved in the attack on Gnap, then the guilty will be very severely punished..," Kyva said.

As reported, on October 19, in Poltava region, in the town of Shyshaky, before the meeting of the session of the regional council, journalist and activist Gnap was doused in feces.
The development of relations with Ukraine remains a key topic of Germany's foreign policy, State Secretary of the German Federal Foreign Office Walter Lindner said at a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavel Klimkin in Kyiv on Friday.

"Minister Klimkin thanked the German side for the financial and technical support that is provided to our country, in particular for extending the mandate of Special Envoy for Decentralization and Good Governance Georg Milbradt," the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported.

Klimkin noted the growing activity of German businesses in Ukraine, which is a sign of trust in the reforms that are being implemented by the Ukrainian government. He also called on the German side to strengthen financial support in the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the country.

"The State Secretary of the German Foreign Office, in turn, stressed the importance of reforms in Ukraine in the context of maintaining macroeconomic stability and creating favorable conditions for foreign business. Lindner separately noted the progress in implementing the agreements as part of an unrelated financial loan of 500 million euros and informed [Klimkin] of the German side's intention to expand framework conditions for further financing," the report says.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted that Lindner heads a delegation of state secretaries of six ministries. Since 2014, this is the fourth visit by German state secretaries to Ukraine aimed at supporting direct dialogue with concerned ministries. The current visit is being paid as part of preparations for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Ukraine.
Reimposed U.S. sanctions on Iran are making it more difficult and expensive for average Iranians to travel abroad, and an increase in Iranian asylum claims in Europe could see further restrictions imposed.

The Serbian government announced earlier this month it would re-establish visa requirements for Iranian nationals in an about-face from their decision last year to drop the visa requirement in order to boost tourism between Tehran and Belgrade.

According to Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, the Iranian visitors to Serbia have misused visa-free travel as a way to seek asylum in Europe.

Currently in negotiations for future membership in the European Union, Serbia often serves as a gateway to the European Union for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. As a result, up to 1,100 Iranians have sought asylum in Serbia this year so far.

Following the 2016 repeal of many of the economic sanctions against Iran as part of the nuclear deal, Western companies began preparing a variety of investments in Iran, including an increase in international flights to and from Iran. Etihad Airline, for example, increased the number of flights between their hub Abu Dhabi and Tehran from three times a week to daily.

The expansion of air travel increased the influx of international tourists to Iran while also making it more affordable for Iranians to travel abroad more frequently.

In 2017, Iran recorded 9.2 million departures, a 38.5 percent increase from 2016. Similarly, while some European destinations are still either too expensive or inaccessible due to strict visa measures, Turkey became a hotspot for Iranian tourism, with the eastern Anatolian city of Van, about an hour from the Iranian border, recording over 388 thousand visitors in 2017.

However, the newly reimposed U.S. sanctions have already taken their toll on the Iranian tourism sector. Compared to last year, the number of Iranians traveling to other countries in the past 6 months has fallen by 13 percent. Many Western airlines have also announced the termination of their services to Iran, namely British Airways, who have ended their London to Tehran service, citing a lack of commercial viability.

Iran is in the midst of a economic crisis caused in part by U.S. sanctions, and the lack of international flights will make air travel even more unaffordable for average Iranian travelers. The increase of the departure tax paid by all Iranians flying abroad from 20 dollars to 60 dollars will also add to the difficulty.

The new obstacles to travel signal a return to the state of affairs for Iranians prior to the repeal of international sanctions, when international travel was a luxury reserved for the wealthy.

In the meantime, political, economic, and cultural issues hinder growth in incoming tourism to Iran. Tourists have very little to do in the evening after a day of sightseeing, as alcohol and mixed gatherings are prohibited. Security concerns also cause tourists to think twice before visiting Iran.
Abdolnasser Hemmati, governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), has claimed that the second round of U.S. sanctions against Iran's oil exports and international banking operations would be ineffective. Economic realities, however, paint a gloomier picture.

Considering the impact of the first round of sanctions that were reintroduced following the United States' withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran, the second round could further slow down Iran's economic growth and lend momentum to rising unemployment and poverty.

The second round, which starts in early November, targets the heart of Iran's economy by aiming to disrupt the flow of capital in hard currency.

There was an evident rise in foreign investment in Iran by Western companies in the year before the U.S. pull-out from the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) in May. The 2015 nuclear deal seemed to have reduced political and economic risks involved in working with Tehran.

Renewed interest in the Iranian market was moving toward normalizing Iran's economy. Representatives of Western companies as well as foreign politicians visited Tehran and signed initial agreements about investing in Iran. At the same time, the entry of foreign capital into Iran was on the rise compared with the time when pre-JCPOA sanctions targeted Iran's economy.

However, Iranians complained that Europeans were in no hurry to start an economic cooperation with Iran. Their hesitation elicited criticism on the part of Iran's hardliners, most notably Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

European banks and risk-assessment institutions did not lower the risk index for Iran amid concerns that Tehran's intervention in the region could adversely affect its ties with Western countries.

With the election of U.S. President Donald Trump in 2016, an increase in the risk of political tension between Tehran and Washington became evident, fueling doubts among foreign companies working in Iran about their business prospects.

As a result, the interest in foreign investment in Iran began to diminish. The number of plans approved for foreign investment in Iran's industry, mining, and trade sectors in the first four months after the start of the Iranian new year in late March dropped to half the number during the same period the previous year, from $775.3 million to $349.1 million.

The rise in tensions between Tehran and Washington increased the extent of uncertainty about investment in Iran, and many foreign companies left the country. The drop in foreign investment further continued as Iranian and U.S. officials began a war of words in May.

At the same time, an increasing number of Iranian investors also left the country as the November 4 start of the second round of sanctions against Iran loomed. This coincided with a dramatic rise in the rate of exchange for the U.S. dollar from around 35,000 rials per dollar in March to more than 190,000 rials in September.

The drop in foreign investment initially affected the oil and petrochemical industries and then began to impact other sectors, finally reaching the micro level of small businesses and households.

A major drop in foreign investment means a drop in domestic gross product and a decline in production power, employment opportunities, and income for Iranian households. The result is likely to be a continuous rise in unemployment and poverty.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) changed its previous forecast, announcing minus 1.47 percent economic growth for this year and a bleak minus 3.6 percent prospect for the next year. This is expected to bring down Iran's current per capita income of $5,221 to $4,052 within less than two years. Household savings are also expected to dwindle, making Iranians more vulnerable in the face of rising economic risks.
TASHKENT -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev have launched the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan's western region of Navoiy, which Moscow estimates will cost $11 billion.



The two presidents, on October 19, pressed a symbolic button together at a ceremony in a conference hall in Tashkent to mark the start of geological surveying to decide a location for what would be Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant.



Putin said earlier in the day after holding talks with Mirziyoev that the construction of the facility, first concrete of which Uzbekistan plans to pour by 2020, will create "a new industry in Uzbekistan."

"Two reactors with a capacity of 2.4 Megawatts each will produce cheap and clean electricity for customers in Uzbekistan and Central Asian countries, which will ensure energetic stability not only for Uzbekistan but for the whole region," Putin said.

Russian and Uzbek officials said earlier that the two presidents will take part via video link in the groundbreaking ceremony for the nuclear power plant on October 19.

According to Putin's foreign-policy aide, Yury Ushakov, the project is said to be worth $11 billion and is expected to come online in 2028.

The plant will be the first of its kind in Central Asia, where attitudes toward nuclear power were influenced by the dramatic consequences of the Soviet-era Semipalatinsk nuclear test polygon in Kazakhstan's northeast and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant accident in Ukraine.

Mirziyoev said that he and Putin discussed bilateral military-technical cooperation and regional security.

"A detailed exchange of opinions has taken place on countering terrorism, extremism, and especially the radicalization of youth," Mirziyoev said.

Putin said that Russia supported Uzbekistan's "active participation" in talks on Afghanistan.

"We consider it important [for Uzbekistan to take part in peace talks in Afghanistan] to curb threats posed by that country linked to the spread of terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime," Putin said.

Several documents, including a plan of Russian-Uzbek cooperation for 2019-24, a memorandum on cooperation in the oil and gas sectors, a program on cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and other agreements were signed during Putin's visit.

Putin arrived in Uzbekistan late on October 18 for his first state visit since Mirziyoev took over the former Soviet republic following the death of his authoritarian predecessor, Islam Karimov, in 2016.

Mirziyoev has taken some steps to open Uzbekistan to the outer world since then. Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populous country, with 32 million inhabitants.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

In October 2018, Belavia Airlines JSC and Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) signed a bilateral agreement (codeshare) on the joint operation of Minsk-Baku air route starting from October 28, 2018.

According to this agreement, Belavia Airlines will be the operating carrier, and Azerbaijan Airlines will be the marketing partner on the Minsk-Baku-Minsk route. Thus, starting from October 28, flights on this route will be operated by the Belarusian Airline under its code B2 and under the code of the Azerbaijans air carrier - J2.

With the launch of winter flight schedule, Belavia Airlines increases the frequency of flights to Baku up to 4 times a week. Flights from Minsk will be carried out on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 23:15 local time and arrival in Baku will be the next day at 03:35 local time. Flights from Baku will be carried out on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 04:35 local time and arrival in Minsk will be at 07:10 local time.

Belavia Airlines is our long-standing and reliable partner. Direct flights on the Baku-Minsk route have always been in demand by citizens and tourists from both countries. I am confident that joint codeshare flights between AZAL and Belavia will become the basis for mutually beneficial and long-term cooperation, Jamil Manizade, Director of Azerbaijan Airlines passenger airline, said.

The signed agreement on the joint operation of the Minsk-Baku-Minsk flight will significantly increase the attractiveness for passengers of two airlines, traveling in transit through the airports of Minsk and Baku, thanks to the expansion of the flight connection base and expanding the marketing opportunities of airlines to promote their own products. The two airlines plan a significant increase in transit passengers, who will use the airports of the two states capitals.

We are very pleased to continue and significantly expand cooperation with our long-time partner - Azerbaijan Airlines. We believe that this cooperation will benefit both airlines. Thanks to this agreement, passengers of both airlines will get more options and opportunities for travel, and will be able to take advantage of the most convenient flight connections and buy a ticket at a more attractive price. If earlier Belavia and AZAL had the opportunity to offer their passengers a flight between Minsk and Baku only twice a week, now both carriers will provide the opportunity to fly four times a week. In addition, the joint flight of AZAL and Belavia will strengthen strong ties between Belarus and Azerbaijan, Anatoly Gusarov, General Director of Belavia Airlines, said.

Tickets for this codeshare flight will be available for sale on the websites of both partner airlines: belavia.by and azal.az.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

The 3rd IAEE (International Association for Energy Economics) Eurasian Conference on the topic Implications of Global Developments within the Energy Industry in the Caspian and Central Asia Region commenced at Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) on October 19, 2018. It is jointly organized by IAEE and the Higher School with support from Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The event, which is sponsored by SOCAR, BP, Azerbaijan Energy Engineering and Consulting, SOCAR Turkey, Schneider Electric and AzEcoConsulting companies, brought together managers and experts from the energy sector of many countries including Chile, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Kirgizstan, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Turkey and the USA.

Opening the conference, Dean of the Lifelong Learning Department of the Higher School Konul Meherremova welcomed the guests and participants. She said that toady Azerbaijan plays an important role in the regional energy security, participates in implementation of large-scale international energy projects and occupies a leading position in global energy development.

Having welcomed the guests, IAEE President-elect, Director of Economics and Foresight of ENEDIS Christophe Bonnery told about IAEE objectives and main activities aimed at providing an interdisciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas, experience and issues among professionals interested in energy economics.

Deputy Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Samir Valiyev, Deputy Minister of Economy of the republic Niyazi Safarov, Vice President Communications & External Affairs, Strategy and Region, BP Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey region Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli, Head of SOCARs Strategic Development Department Ramiz Aliyev, Deputy Chairman of the State Agency on Alternate and Renewable Energy Sources Prof. Dr. Nurali Yusifbayli and Director of the Institute for Scientific Research on Economic Reforms, IAEE Vice President for Regional Affairs Prof. Dr. Vilayat Valiyev also made speeches at the opening ceremony.

Within two-day conference, the delegates will participate in five plenary sessions to be held under the following topics: Global Challenges to Energy Security in Eurasia: Supply and Demand Curse; Energy Markets and Regulations; Electricity Supply Sustainability; Energy Efficiency in Eurasia: Conventional Energy, Renewables and District Heating; and Oil and Gas: Economics, Innovation and Industry Development.

Participants of the plenary and concurrent sessions will discuss reports and presentations made by managers of IAEE, BP, SOCAR, Schneider Electric, ENEDIS, Strategic Studies Center under auspices of the President of the Azerbaijan Republic, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, Association of Renewable energy of Kazakhstan, Georgian National Energy and Water Supply Regulatory Commission, Academy of Sciences of Romania, EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators and other leading experts in the field of energy and economics.

During their visit to Azerbaijan, the chief officers of IAEE hold a series of meetings with senior managers of the Baku Higher Oil School. At the meetings, prospects for development of the bilateral cooperation in the field of science, research and education were discussed.

International Association for Energy Economics is an international non-profit society of professionals interested in energy economics founded in 1977. The headquarters of IAEE is located in Cleveland, USA. It has 25 national chapters and over 4,500 members worldwide in over 100 countries. The IAEE publishes a renowned academic quarterly journal: The Energy Journal and the policy oriented journal: Economics of Energy & Environmental Policy.
TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sparton Resources Inc. (TSXV.SRI) ("Sparton" or the "Company") announced today that, effective October 18, 2018, it has entered into an agreement for private placement financing totalling $100,100 through the sale of 1,430,000 flow through shares to one accredited investor. Each flow through common share is priced at $0.07.



Proceeds will be used for expenditures on the Companys Canadian Exploration Program including current drilling activities on the Bruell Project in the Val DOr Quebec gold area.

Resale of the shares is subject to normal restrictions under TSX Venture Exchange Policy and the transaction is subject to final regulatory approval.

For more information contact:

A. Lee Barker, M.A Sc., P. Eng., P.Geol.

President and CEO

Tel./Fax: 647-344-7734 or Mobile: 416-716-5762

Email: info@spartonres.ca Website: www.spartonres.ca

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release involves forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, financings and transactions being pursued, and all such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable securities legislation. Although the Company believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct and, accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such forward-looking statements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein.

We Seek Safe Harbour
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 26 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Oct. 19.

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. 19

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Influential US newspaper The Daily Caller published an article by Azerbaijans Consul General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev on Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict on October 18, 2018, Azerbaijani Consulate General in Los Angeles said in a message.

Referring to the upcoming visit by U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton to the South Caucasus, Consul General notes that Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict will be one of the most important topics to be discussed during the visit.

Highlighting the history of the conflict, Aghayev writes: In the early 1990s, Armenia invaded around 20 percent of Azerbaijans sovereign territory, expelling over 800,000 Azerbaijani civilians from their ancestral lands in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. For the sake of comparison, the entire territory of the invaded lands is almost 13 times the area of the City of Los Angeles or larger than the U.S. State of Connecticut.

He further mentions that the illegal military occupation continues to this day despite fierce condemnation by multiple United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, as well as by other major international organizations. The real obstacle to resolving the conflict and bringing the much-needed peace to Armenian and Azerbaijani people remains unchanged: Armenias refusal to comply with UNSC resolutions by withdrawing its troops from the illegally occupied territories of Azerbaijan and enabling the expelled population of these territories to return to their homes.

Citing the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Millss recent interview to the Armenian press, the Consul General states that any settlement of the conflict requires the return of the occupied territories to Azerbaijan.

Nasimi Aghayev writes: Armenia is experiencing a grave demographic decline. Tens of thousands of young people, lacking opportunities at home, are emigrating from the country in search of a better life. In contrast, Azerbaijan has become the largest economy in the region, building strong partnerships around the world, implementing multi-billion dollar energy and transportation projects connecting continents, and contributing to the global energy security.

The Consul General underlines that the peace with Azerbaijan would tremendously benefit Armenia by bringing open borders, security and stability, stimulating investments, and integrating Armenia into the regions vast energy and transportation network. He states that to achieve peace Armenia must put aside belligerence and engage constructively in negotiations.

In conclusion, Consul General Aghayev notes: It is to be hoped that as a co-mediator with much at stake in the region, the United States will double its efforts in helping both sides achieve lasting peace and reconciliation.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

A massive poisoning has occurred among the crew members of the ship, following from Aktau to Baku, State Border Service of Azerbaijan told Trend Oct. 19.

According to the information, the Coast Guard of the Border Guard Service of Azerbaijan received a request for help from the Iranian Nazmehr dry-cargo ship, which was moving along the Aktau-Baku route.

At the time of the request, the ship was at a distance of 21 miles from the Pirallahi island. By assumption, the request for help was associated with the poisoning of crew members.

According to the message, despite unfavorable conditions for navigation in response to a request the Coast Guard patrol ship was immediately sent in this direction.

The patrol ship approximately at 00:30 got close to Nazmehr cargo ship and received seven crew members in serious condition. After rendering first aid to the injured, the ship headed in the direction of the port of Absheron. Brigades of doctors were brought to the port to assist injured, the message says.
Details added (first version published at 10:34)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Samir Ali - Trend:

Some 12 crew members of the Nazmehr dry cargo ship, owned by Iran, sailing on the Aktau-Baku route, got poisoned, the press secretary of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Health Parviz Abubakirov told Trend Oct. 19.

Presumably, the cause of the poisoning was a chemical applied to the grain that was transported by the ship, he said.

He noted that three people died from poisoning before the arrival of a medical team, and seven were placed in the toxicology department of the Clinical Medical Center #1. The captain of the vessel refused hospitalization.

The head physician of the medical center Adalat Dadashov told Trend on Oct. 19 that eight crew members are being treated at the medical center.

He noted that the state of four of them is assessed as moderately severe.

These people were poisoned by a chemical applied to the grain that was transported by the vessel. Their condition is already improving, Dadashov said.

A massive poisoning occurred among the crew members of the vessel sailing from Aktau to Baku.

The incident occurred at a distance of 21 miles from the island of Pirallahi, in the central part of the Caspian Sea.

At 03:00, a border patrol vessel approached the Nazmehr cargo ship, taking on board seven severely injured crew members. First aid was provided to them on the vessel, after which the patrol vessel headed for the Absheron port. Doctors were called to provide emergency medical aid. Before their arrival, three members of the Nazmehr crew died.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Jeyhun Alakbarov - Trend:

The poisoned members of the Iranian dry cargo ship Nazmehr may be discharged tomorrow, the Head of the Toxicological Department of the Clinical Medical Center No. 1 Azer Magsudov said Oct. 19 in Baku.

"The status of eight poisoned Iranian citizens is assessed as moderately severe, there is no threat to their lives. They will spend this night in the medical center, and tomorrow, after the medical examination, consultation with physicians will take place. And if their health condition i normal, they will be discharged," Magsudov said.

A massive poisoning occurred among the crew members of the vessel sailing from Aktau to Baku. The incident occurred at a distance of 21 miles from the island of Pirallahi, in the central part of the Caspian Sea.

At 03:00, a border patrol vessel approached the Nazmehr cargo ship, taking on board seven crew members. First aid was provided to them on the vessel, after which the patrol vessel headed for the Absheron port.

Doctors were called to provide emergency medical aid. Before their arrival, three members of the Nazmehr crew died.

The eight crew members were placed in the toxicology department of the Clinical Medical Center No. 1.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

Azerbaijan and China are expanding economic ties along with political ones, said Siyavush Novruzov, deputy executive secretary of Azerbaijans ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), chairman of the parliamentary committee for public associations and religious structures, head of the working group for Azerbaijan-China inter-parliamentary relations.

He made the remarks at a meeting of working groups for Azerbaijan-China inter-parliamentary relations.

Noting the high level of relations between the two countries, Novruzov stressed the important role of the signed bilateral documents and mutual official visits in development of the relations.

In turn, Head of the China-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Wang Xiankui noted that China attaches great importance to relations with Azerbaijan, adding that friendly relations between the two countries are at a high level, and expressed satisfaction with the development of parliamentary ties.

At the meeting, there was a wide exchange of views on issues of mutual interest.

The NAP delegation is on a visit to China since October 18.

The delegation headed by Siyavush Novruzov includes chairmen and deputy chairmen of parliamentary committees, Eldar Ibrahimov, Ahliman Amiraslanov, Agalar Valiyev, MP Huseynbala Miralamov and other MPs.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has arrived in the Republic of Turkey for a working visit to attend the inauguration of Star Oil Refinery in the city of Izmir.

At the Adnan Menderes Airport, decorated with the national flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey, President Ilham Aliyev was met by high-ranking state and government officials of Turkey.

A guard of honor was arranged for President Ilham Aliyev at the airport.

The head of state saluted the guard of honor.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

The article by the Consul General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev on the aggressive policy of Armenia has been published in "The Daily Caller", the Consulate General said in a statement Oct. 19.

The article has to do with the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict at a time when the visit of the United States Presidential Adviser on National Security Affairs John Bolton to the South Caucasus is waiting to happen next week.

In the article entitled as "Is there hope for lasting peace in Nagorno-Karabakh?", the consul general wrote that one of the important issues to be discussed in the framework of John Boltons visit next week to the South Caucasus will be the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, and stressed that this conflict continues to threaten peace and stability in the region.

Providing detailed information about the history of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Aghayev cited specific facts about aggression and ethnic cleansing carried out by Armenia against the country, and noted that this conflict is the most dangerous in the post-Soviet space.

For comparison, Aghayev noted that the area of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is 13 times the area of the City of Los Angeles or larger than the US State of Connecticut.

The consul general noted that the illegal military occupation continues to this day despite fierce condemnation by multiple United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, as well as by other major international organizations.

He stressed that the real obstacle to resolving the conflict and bringing the much-needed peace to Armenian and Azerbaijani people remains unchanged: Armenias refusal to comply with UNSC resolutions by withdrawing its troops from the illegally occupied territories of Azerbaijan and enabling the expelled population of these territories to return to their homes.

As the US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills recently stated, any settlement of the conflict requires the return of the occupied territories to Azerbaijan, added the author.

The consul general further emphasized that Armenia is experiencing a grave demographic decline. Tens of thousands of young people, lacking opportunities at home, are emigrating from the country in search of a better life.

"Around 1.5 million Armenians  almost half of the countrys population  have permanently left Armenia since 1991, with many Armenians also choosing to come to the United States, deteriorating the already burdensome immigration problem here. According to the United Nations, Armenia could lose another million people by 2050," said the article.

The consul general wrote that in contrast, Azerbaijan has become the largest economy in the region, building strong partnerships around the world, implementing multi-billion dollar energy and transportation projects connecting continents, and contributing to the global energy security.

In addition, he noted that as a reliable strategic partner of the United States in a critically important region, Azerbaijan has strongly supported Americas efforts to fight international terrorism and diversify energy supplies.

Aghayev also noted that most importantly, Azerbaijan is a place where Muslims, Christians and Jews continue to live together in peace, harmony and mutual respect, breaking stereotypes every day.

The diplomat stressed that it is time for Yerevan to put aside belligerence and engage constructively in negotiations to resolve the conflict.

In conclusion, Nasimi Aghayev said it is to be hoped that as a co-mediator with much at stake in the region, the United States will double its efforts in helping both sides achieve lasting peace and reconciliation.

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 16:59)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

An inauguration ceremony of the Star Oil Refinery has kicked off in the city of Izmir, Turkey.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan are attending the ceremony.

The Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents first viewed the refinerys area from the terrace.

The heads of state were informed of the work carried out at the Star Oil Refinery.

They then posed for photographs.

The opening ceremony started with the screening of a video highlighting the historic importance of the Star Oil Refinery.
Details added (first version posted on 16:59)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

An inauguration ceremony of the Star Oil Refinery has been held in the city of Izmir, Turkey.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the ceremony.

The Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents first viewed the refinerys area from the terrace.

The heads of state viewed the management office.

The presidents were informed of the work carried out at the Star Oil Refinery.

They then posed for photographs.

The opening ceremony started with the screening of a video highlighting the historic importance of the Star Oil Refinery.

The opening ceremony included speeches from President of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev, Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Fatih Donmez, Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, and Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Binali Yildirim.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also made speeches at the event.

The heads of state then inaugurated the refinery.
National Report Released Today at Society of Women Engineers Conference

CHICAGO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Half of women faculty and staff in academia experience sexual harassment and almost half of all engineering students experience sexual harassment from faculty or staff, according to a report covered today at WE18 in Minneapolis, the Society of Women Engineers conference and career fair for women in engineering and technology.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine produced the report, Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering and Medicine this year, reviewing research on the extent to which women in these fields experience sexual harassment and the extent to which sexual harassment in academia negatively impacts the recruitment, retention and advancement of women pursuing these fields. Alice M. Agogino, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley, shared the findings today among a panel of researchers at The State of Women in Engineering session during the conference.

The data reveals that 50 percent of women faculty and staff in academia experience sexual harassment. Additionally, 20-50 percent of students pursuing these fields experience sexual harassment from faculty or staff. Data analyzed included instances of reported sexist hostility, crude behavior, sexual attention and sexual coercion.

The data review also found that women of color experience more harassment (sexual, racial/ethnic, or a combination of the two) than white women, white men and men of color.

Leaders in academic institutions and research and training sites must pay increased attention to and enact policies that cover gender and racial harassment as a means of addressing the most common form of sexual harassment and of preventing other types of sexually harassing behavior, said Dr. Agogino.

Dr. Agogino pointed out that organizational climate is, by far, the greatest predictor of the occurrence of sexual harassment. The two characteristics most associated with higher rates of sexual harassment are male-dominated gender ratios and leadership, and an organizational climate that communicates tolerance of sexual harassment.

Aside from undermining womens professional and educational attainment while destroying mental and physical health, sexual harassment has adverse effects on bystanders, co-workers, workgroups and entire organizations.

The cumulative effect of sexual harassment is significant damage to research integrity and a costly loss of talent in academic sciences, engineering and medicine, Dr. Agogino said.

Agogino provided four recommendations for institutions to prevent harassment:

Integrate values of diversity, inclusion and respect into the policies and procedures. Change the power dynamics in advisor-trainee relationships. Support targets of sexual harassment by providing alternative ways to access support services, record information about an incident, and report an incident without fear of retaliation. Improve transparency and accountability to demonstrate that institutions are investigating and holding people accountable.

During the panel presentation and discussion, Roberta Rincon, Ph.D., senior manager of research at SWE, introduced SWEs newest study which identifies the gender bias experiences of Indian women and men working for Western engineering companies in India. Findings from the study reveal that both genders experience bias, however in different forms. The study was conducted in conjunction with the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (WLL), and dovetails a 2015 study of bias experiences of engineers across the United States.

The findings in this study indicate that bias in the engineering workplace is a problem in India, and companies that strive for a more diverse, inclusive, and engaging environment for their employees must address these biases if they want to retain talent, Dr. Rincon said.

Dr. Agogino and Dr. Rincon were joined at the session by Peggy Layne, P.E., Assistant Provost for Faculty Development at Virginia Tech; Peter Meiksins, Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Professor of Sociology, Cleveland State University; and Laura Ettinger, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, Clarkson University, who each covered further reviews of womens prevalence in engineering. Currently, just 13 percent of working engineers are women, and approximately 20 percent of engineering degrees are awarded to women.

As a diversity organization, we have a responsibility to acknowledge and address research available that affects women and minorities in engineering, said Karen Horting, executive director and CEO of SWE. Gender bias on campus and in the workplace is a global issue, and we will continue to find solutions that allow women and minorities to comfortably have their deserved seat at the table.

SWEs future research plans include a longitudinal study on the development of engineering identity, looking at peer and adult influences on high school girls decisions to major in engineering. Data will be collected from members of SWENext , SWEs free member program for girls in K-12.

SWE is a primary resource for knowledge, information and trends on women in the engineering workplace. For more research and data, visit research.swe.org . For more information on SWE, visit www.swe.org . To view the session, State of Women in Engineering, visit SWEs blog, All Together or SWEs YouTube channel .

About SWE

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE), founded in 1950, is the worlds largest advocate and catalyst for change for women in engineering and technology. The not-for-profit educational and service organization is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. To ensure SWE members reach their full potential as engineers and leaders, the Society offers unique opportunities to network, provides professional development, shapes public policy and provides recognition for the life-changing contributions and achievements of women engineers. As a champion of diversity, SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in their personal and professional lives. For more information about the Society, please visit www.swe.org or call 312.596.5223.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Jeyhun Alakbarov - Trend:

Families of those, who have died from poisoning on the Iranian vessel Nazmehr will receive compensation, Iran's Ambassador to Azerbaijan Javad Jahangirzadeh told Trend on Oct. 19.

The ambassador noted that the vessel on which the poisoning occurred was engaged in the transport of goods from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.

"The crew of the cargo ship got poisoned on the Kazakh border. They tried to quickly reach the Azerbaijani coast. Fortunately, the forces of the Coast Guard of Azerbaijan came to the rescue and the victims were hospitalized," Jahangirzadeh said.

He added that three Iranian citizens died as a result of the incident. Representatives of the embassy and the consulate visited the hospitalized, their condition has is assessed as normal.

Presently, the fact is under investigation. The Iranian embassy is also in talks with the company that owns the vessel, Jahangirzade said.

The ambassador also noted that the bodies of the dead have not yet been transferred to Iran.

A massive poisoning occurred among the crew members of the vessel sailing from Aktau to Baku. The incident occurred at a distance of 21 miles from the island of Pirallahi, in the central part of the Caspian Sea.

According to the preliminary data, the cause of the poisoning was chemical substance, which was processed grain transported by the vessel.

At 03:00, a border patrol vessel approached the Nazmehr cargo ship, taking on board seven crew members. First aid was provided to them on the vessel, after which the patrol vessel headed for the Absheron port.

Doctors were called to provide emergency medical aid. Before their arrival, three members of the Nazmehr crew died.

The rescued crew members were placed in the toxicology department of the Clinical Medical Center No. 1.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

In Azerbaijan, there are no restrictions on women's labor either at the legislative or administrative level, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Sahil Babayev said at the presentation of the draft National Action Plan on Curbing Gender-Based Selection and Taking Appropriate Response Measures in Azerbaijan".

"Women prefer to work in medicine and education, since the working days are shorter in these fields, and therefore, the average monthly salary of women is lower than that of men," the minister added.

"Regardless of the economic status of women, all mechanisms of equality must be ensured. In any case, adding bonuses to the salary may be a positive factor. A company can encourage women in certain areas, and the government, in turn, can provide benefits to that company. This may motivate companies to hire more women," Babayev said.

The minister positively assessed that 47 percent of civil servants in Azerbaijan are women.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The National Action Plan (NAP) for Azerbaijan on Prevention of and Response to sex selection abortions will help to ensure gender equality in the country, Research Professor at the Maryland Population Research Center (US) Ms. Monica Das Gupta said in an interview with Trend.

On October 19th Baku hosted a conference dedicated to public discussions of the draft National Action Plan (NAP) on Prevention of and Response to sex selection abortions. The NAP has been developed by the team of experts including Ms. Monica Das Gupta, international expert invited by UNFPA, in close partnership with the Government stakeholders.

It is really important to have an Action Plan, because that way you can have a road map for action and intervention to address the gender problems. With this kind of a road map you have a coherent set of policies that you can pursue and take some sustainable efforts for achieving more balanced sex ratio, she said.

Ms. Das Gupta pointed out that the National Action Plan has a set of different recommendations and action points on what needs to be done through data and research, communication and advocacy, laws and policies as well as different social protection interventions.

These measures are complementary and expected to reinforce each other. Of course, ensuring gender equality and promoting the value of girls and women is at the core of all these initiatives. The effectiveness of these measures will depend on the resources and the institutional capacities, she said.

Ms. Das Gupta noted that this Action Plan will be for 2019-2022.

Further, speaking about the root causes of gender problems in the South Caucasus countries in general, the expert said that the major problems occurred during the transition period following the collapse of the USSR.

While the South Caucasus countries were a part of the USSR, they all had normal sex ratio at birth. With the break-up of the USSR, the sex ratio at birth went up very sharply in this region. This indicates that the important factor was the disruption between the soviet period and the economic, political infrastructure fell apart immediately afterwards. Jobs, pensions, free schools, free medical care  all things of this kind just disappeared over the short period of time. The quick shift to the market economy that these countries knew nothing about was going to take place. The vulnerability that people faced being put into the situation overnight, put pressure on them to find the traditional ways of coping and some of them chose migration to find jobs and remittances. Some of them had sons, because sons would grow up and protect them and find some way of living, she said.

Regarding the problems that can emerge as a result of the skewed sex ratio, Ms. Das Gupta said the most obvious one is that there will be a shortage of women for men to marry.

If you have 13 percent more boys born, then you are going to have 13 percent fewer brides available. So that leads to major problems, which we see already in China. Such issues include trafficking of women, child marriages, etc., she said.

Ms. Das Gupta went on to add that perhaps for Azerbaijan, the most important challenge will be associated with the population decline.

Fertility is already very low in Azerbaijan. If you have 13 percent fewer women then you get shortage of the labor force. The future labor force is also an issue, she noted.

The international expert noted that the South Korea is so far the only country that has managed to solve the problem with the skewed sex ratio.

Following the war of 1950s, in around 1960 the South Korea had a new president who decided to industrialize the country. The country adopted many gender equality programs. Not necessarily because the new president was interested in gender equality, but because he was interested in economic development. Women were brought into schools, factories to work, they got jobs. Nevertheless, the country had a very high fertility. He decided to have a very strong family planning program, as they found out that people didnt want to stop having children until they have one or two sons. To discourage that they had mass media campaigns, TV, posters, radio, basically projecting that girls are desirable, a family with two girls is good, a family with one girl is good. There was a massive campaign. she said.

Ms. Das Gupta pointed out that over time these measures in the South Korea started yielding positive results for gender equality.

So they started to change some of those laws, including laws for political representation, provide quota for women candidates in elections. They also changed the family law, so that women have more rights to inherit, more rights in the case of divorce, custody over children, women also could be the head of household, now it doesnt have to be a man. But basically from 1960s and 1970s, the really important thing was related to mass campaigns projecting that girls were valued, she added.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

Secretary of the Union of Writers of Azerbaijan, President of the Pen Club of Azerbaijan and National Writer of Azerbaijan Chingiz Abdullayev and Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Republic State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Sources of Energy Jamil Melikov participated in CEO Lunch Baku, organized by the Caspian European Club, as honorary guests on 17 October 2018.

Chingiz Abdullayev spoke about his creativity and plans, and stressed importance of books and education in formation of personality. The writer answered the questions of the event participants and wished success to the members of the Caspian European Club in their activity.

C.Abdullayev was presented an honorary membership certificate of the Club.

Jamil Melikov stated in his address that implementation of projects and improvement of the legal framework from 2013 until 2017 resulted in the increase of the energy production volume from 6.4% up to 9.8%. The mentioned measures were taken to increase the share of the State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Sources of Energy in the general energy production of the country. Given the detection and systematization of general potential of Azerbaijan, within the framework of long term strategic plans it is expected to increase capacities through the share of the State Agency on basis of the three-phase energy model.

Presenting the honorary membership certificate of the Caspian European Club to Jamil Melikov, Telman Aliyev thanked him for his active participation in  Lunch Baku, as well as for the attention to suggestions and requests made by the member companies of the Caspian European Club in the course of the event. He noted that companies obtained answers to questions that were of interest to them and discussed ways of cooperation in this area within the framework of CEO Lunch Baku.

Telman Aliyev informed the guests about the plans regarding the conduction of the 8th International Caspian Energy Forum Kvemo Kartli in Tbilisi in November 2018, which would take place with the support of the Government of Georgia and Azerbaijan, and Caspian European Club.

Certificates were presented to companies which entered and prolonged the membership in the Caspian European Club.

The Caspian European Club, which brings together more than 5,000 member companies and organizations from 70 countries around the world, was established in June 2002 with the support of the largest oil and gas companies working in the Caspian-Black Sea region and with the active involvement of the Caspian Energy International Media Group.

The Caspian American Club (established on 24 December 2016) and Caspian Asian Club (26 January 2018) will be managed by the Members of the Board of the Caspian European Club for 2 years. All companies that join the Caspian European Club as members get an automatic membership within the Caspian American Club, Caspian Asian Club and vice-versa.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is the founder of the Caspian European Club.

A reference to the Caspian European Club, Caspian American Club and Caspian Asian Club event is mandatory when publishing materials, information, articles or preparing audio and video plots.

For more information, please refer to:

E-mail: [email protected]

URL: www.caspianenergy.net; www.caspianenergy.org
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

Parents desire in Azerbaijan to necessarily have a boy in the future may lead to adverse consequences in terms of the general structure and dynamics of the population, said Farid Babayev, assistant representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Azerbaijan.

He was speaking Oct. 19 at the presentation of the draft National Action Plan on curbing gender-based sex selection and taking appropriate response measures in Azerbaijan.

He said that the UNFPA is very concerned about the issue of gender-based sex selection.

Babayev added that this phenomenon, observed earlier in Southeast Asia, is now observed throughout the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, and in a number of countries in Eastern Europe.

Studies show that regardless of socio-economic situation of a family, the existing system of patriarchal relations, modern technologies that allow determining the sex of the fetus, encourage parents to have a boy, said Babayev.

He added that the increase in the number of men is closely linked to a number of negative situations, such as the inability to find a partner for marriage, further deterioration in the overall crime situation as a result of widespread violence, human trafficking, etc.

We hope that as a result of joint efforts, it will be possible to achieve the adoption of the National Action Plan and its successful implementation, and thus Azerbaijan will be excluded from the list of countries with shortage of girls, Babayev noted.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

Over 100,000 young people enter the labor market annually in Azerbaijan, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Sahil Babayev said at the presentation of the draft National Action Plan on Curbing Gender-Based Selection and Taking Appropriate Response Measures in Azerbaijan".

Young people aged between 14-29 years comprise 25.4 percent of Azerbaijan's population, the minister said adding that this is a positive aspect.

"Every year more than 100,000 young people enter the labor market. The solution of the issue of youth employment, training qualified personnel are also the main objectives of the Azerbaijani government," the minister said raising the issue of youth employment.

Life expectancy in Azerbaijan is also increasing, the minister said, mentioning that the average life expectancy of women (78 years) is longer than that of men (73 years).

As the country's economy develops and social welfare issues are dealt with, the life expectancy of the population increases, Babayev said.

There are 1004 women for every 1,000 men in Azerbaijan and it indicates that the demographic balance is still preserved in Azerbaijan, Babayev added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

The Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan is taking a number of measures to reduce traffic jams on the Kazakh-Uzbek border, Podrobno.uz reported.

In the past two years, the high intensity of foreign trade of Uzbekistan and neighboring countries has been noted. This is due to the increase in freight traffic from European countries and China to Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. From January 2017 to September 2018, the growth rate of re-locatable freight transport increased 3.5 times. Thus, while in 2017, 5,800 trucks drove across the border, in September 2018, the number increased to 21,700.

"The existing infrastructure does not allow to expand the passage for the increasing flow of vehicles through existing checkpoints, and this leads to traffic jams," the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan noted.

The State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan is taking systemic and operational measures to reduce the traffic flow at the border with Uzbekistan, in particular, the explanatory work is being carried out with drivers, in order to evenly distribute traffic flows between checkpoints, the movement technology has been revised in order to accelerate movement across the border.

In October, a meeting will be held between the heads of the customs services of the two countries in order to resolve the current situation, as well as the daily exchange of operational information on traffic jams in front of checkpoints is carried out and the measures on the accelerated passage are coordinated with the customs authorities of Uzbekistan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Japan is interested in using the Trans-Eurasian transport corridor in the framework of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) project for the development of trade with Azerbaijan, Japanese Ambassador to Azerbaijan Teruyuki Katori told Trend.

According to Katori, the use of this transport corridor can significantly reduce the time of transportation of goods from Japan and will contribute to the further development of trade and economic relations between the countries.

"For example, Japanese cars are very popular in Azerbaijan. They are currently being supplied to the country through Georgia, where, in turn, they are transported by sea through the Black Sea. This route takes up to three weeks. The Trans-Eurasian route can shorten the travel time by up to 10 days," the ambassador noted.

Katori also underlined that although not all of the proposed transport corridor options for the OBOR project pass directly through Azerbaijan, the country can, nevertheless, easily integrate with them through the North-South project and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

The diplomat noted that, despite certain political nuances existing in the implementation of the OBOR project, from an economic point of view, it benefits all countries along this route and will lead to the development of economic cooperation between them.

Touching upon the development of relations, the ambassador reminded that the decision taken by Japan back in September to simplify the visa regime with Azerbaijan would make a significant contribution to strengthening cooperation.

According to the ambassador, the tourist flow between the two countries has recently been increasing. The number of trips of both Japanese citizens to Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis to Japan, including those travelling for business purposes, is growing.

The official opening ceremony of the BTK railway was held in Baku Oct. 30 last year. The BTK railway was constructed on the basis a Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish intergovernmental agreement.

The railways peak capacity will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At an initial stage, this figure will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo.

The North-South transport corridor is designed to connect Northern Europe with Southeast Asia, in particular to connect the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia. It is planned to transport five million tons of cargo per year at the first stage, and more than 10 million tons of cargo in the future through this corridor.

The project is designed to transport goods from India and the Persian Gulf states to Western and Northern Europe through the territories of Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia, in particular by connecting the railways of these three countries.

The main advantage of the corridor is the reduction of the delivery time by two or three times.

One Belt One Road is an initiative put forward by China in 2013 for the combined projects of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road. According to official data, OBOR covers most of Eurasia, connecting developing countries, including "new economies", and developed countries. The project area is rich in resources, includes 63 percent of the world's population and has the estimated economic scale of $21 trillion.

Within the framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt project, creation of three Trans-Eurasian economic corridors is being considered: the Northern (China  Central Asia  Russia  Europe), the Central (China  Central and Western Asia  Persian Gulf and Mediterranean) the Southern (East Asia - South Asia - Indian Ocean).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

In January-September 2018, the number of Turkish citizens who visited Israel through the Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) for the purpose of employment, decreased by 83.33 percent compared to the same period in 2017, the Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR) told Trend Oct. 19.

ISKUR noted that during the period 18 Turkish citizens arrived in Israel with the support of the Agency, which is 90 people less compared to the same period in 2017.

The Agency also noted that in September 2018, one Turkish citizen left for Israel via ISKUR.

In September 2018, a total of 2,010 Turkish citizens went abroad searching work via ISKUR.

According to the Agency, in January-September 2018, 16,781 Turkish citizens left the country via ISKUR, which is 14.14 percent more compared to the same period in 2017.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Tehran, Iran, Oct. 18

Trend

The Industrial Development & Renovation Organization of Iran (IDRO Group) and Chinas ZSM signed an agreement whereby the Chinese firm will set up a water treatment facility in Irans western province of Ilam.

The deal was signed on Thursday during a ceremony in Tehran attended by Iranian Minister of Industry, Mines and Business Mohammad Shariatmadari, IRIB news agency reported on October 18.

The terms of the contract cover the transfer of scientific and technical know-how for ZSMs desalination machines.

The desalinated water will be used later in the countrys petrochemical and steel industries.

The Chinese firm will also provide Iran with all the necessary equipment, the report said.

Water shortage has been a chronic problem in Iran and experts believe that acquiring the know-how will help the country cope with this challenge in a better way.
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

MONTREAL, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V: PYR), a TSX Venture 50 high-tech company, (the "Company", the Corporation or "PyroGenesis") a Company that designs, develops and manufactures plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch systems, is pleased to announce today that subsequent to the press release of October 2nd, 2018, wherein was announced the closing of a private placement (the Private Placement) following the reception of initial subscriptions (the Initial Subscriptions), that as a result of significant interest in the Private Placement, the Corporation has received additional subscriptions (the Subsequent Subscriptions) and as a result thereof the Corporation has issued and sold an additional aggregate amount of 388,750 units of the Corporation (the Units) at a price of $0.58 per Unit for gross proceeds of $225,475.

As result of the Initial Subscriptions and Subsequent Subscriptions, the Corporation has issued and sold pursuant to the Private Placement a total of 3,837,026 Units for gross proceeds of $2,225,475.08 to the Corporation.

Each Unit consists of one common share of the Corporation (a "Common Share") and one Common Share purchase warrant (each whole Common Share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at a price of $0.58 until February 13th, 2021. Each Unit will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of closing.

The proceeds from the Private Placements will be used by the Corporation for general corporate purposes. The Private Placements are subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) as well as other customary closing conditions.

Furthermore PyroGenesis is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement with certain Creditors / Suppliers (the Creditors / Suppliers), whereby said Creditors / Suppliers offered and PyroGenesis agreed to enter into a shares for debt transaction (Transaction) involving the issuance of Units (Units) of PyroGenesis in payment of an aggregate amount of $667,440.00 owing by PyroGenesis to the said Creditors / Suppliers (the Transaction). The Units will be issued at the same Unit price and will have the same rights as the units issued pursuant to the non-brokered private placement herein above mentioned. The completion of this Transaction is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States, unless an exemption from such registration is available.

About PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

PyroGenesis Canada Inc. is the world leader in the design, development, manufacture and commercialization of advanced plasma processes. We provide engineering and manufacturing expertise, cutting-edge contract research, as well as turnkey process equipment packages to the defense, metallurgical, mining, advanced materials (including 3D printing), oil & gas, and environmental industries. With a team of experienced engineers, scientists and technicians working out of our Montreal office and our 3,800 m2 manufacturing facility, PyroGenesis maintains its competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology development and commercialization. Our core competencies allow PyroGenesis to lead the way in providing innovative plasma torches, plasma waste processes, high-temperature metallurgical processes, and engineering services to the global marketplace. Our operations are ISO 9001:2015 certified, and have been since 1997. PyroGenesis is a publicly-traded Canadian Corporation on the TSX Venture Exchange (Ticker Symbol: PYR) and on the OTCQB Marketplace. For more information, please visit www.pyrogenesis.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward- looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Corporation's current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Corporation's ongoing filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com, or at www.otcmarkets.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

For further information please contact: Clemence Bertrand-Bourlaud, Marketing Manager / Investor Relations, Phone: (514) 937-0002, E-mail: ir@pyrogenesis.com

RELATED LINKS: http://www.pyrogenesis.com/
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

A citizen of Uzbekistan may also fly on a Russian spacecraft in the near future, Uzbek media reported citing President Shavkat Mirziyoyev as saying during his speech on the recent results of the Uzbek-Russian talks.

"I do not rule out the possibility that in the near future a citizen of Uzbekistan may fly on a Russian spacecraft," he said.

The head of state also spoke about another project of the two countries in the field of space research.

"A joint project was signed for the development of space research - a super-powerful radio telescope on the Suffa plateau. We discussed the implementation of this project with Vladimir Putin a few months ago, and today we are adopting a roadmap," Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted.

On. Oct. 19, Uzbekistan and Russia signed a Practical Action Plan for the creation of the Suffa International Radio Astronomy Observatory .

Within the next two years, the parties will register the Suffa International Observatory as a subject of international law, work out a feasibility study and conduct re-preservation. It will take about three more years to complete the construction.

The Suffa Plateau is located at an altitude of over 2,500 meters above sea level, on the border with Tajikistan. It was chosen in the 1980's as one of the best places on the territory of the USSR from the point of view of astroclimate: there are 250 sunny days a year, clean air, and the atmosphere gives a minimum absorption of the radio signal.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Taleh Mursagulov - Trend:

The Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan has signed a memorandum with the Analytical Expertise Center of Azerbaijans Healthcare Ministry to toughen the fight against bioactive food additives.

The memorandum has been signed between Deputy Chairman of the Food Safety Agency Balarahim Guliyev and Director of the Center Murad Suleymanov.

Guliyev said that the main purpose of signing the memorandum is to strengthen bilateral relations and increase mutual efforts to ensure supply of quality products to the population, as well as to ensure the safety of the population.

In turn, speaking about further plans for cooperation, Suleymanov noted that there are plans to hold joint monitoring, as well as inspections in order to remove banned bioactive food additives from circulation.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

Uzbekistan and Russia plan to increase the commodity turnover to $6 billion in 2019 and to $10 billion in the following years, Uzbek media reported.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and President of Russia Vladimir Putin held negotiations in an expanded format with participation of members of delegations. They focused on the practical aspects of the development of trade, economic and investment cooperation.

The sides discussed increasing the volume and diversity of the commodity turnover, development of cooperation of industrial enterprises, and strengthening of cooperation in transportation and energy.

"In September, a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission, chaired by the heads of government, was successfully held. Cooperation between regions is developing. Big investment projects are being implemented jointly with leading Russian companies and banks. This year, according to our estimates, the trade turnover will reach $6 billion. This figure exceeds our plans. The task for the coming years is $10 billion," Mirziyoyev said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

Russia is ready to carry out joint production of military equipment on the territory and enterprises of Uzbekistan, Uzbek media reported citing Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying during the Uzbek-Russian negotiations in an expanded format, Details.uz website reported.

"We are ready to develop military-technical cooperation, bearing in mind not only the supply of weapons and modern equipment, but also the joint production on the territory and enterprises of Uzbekistan. As for weapon sales, we have made an exception. Sales to Uzbekistan are being made at Russian domestic prices," Putin said.

The head of the Russian Federation considers the development of military and military-technical cooperation very sensitive and important for ensuring the security of the two states.

Several hundred officers of the Uzbek army study at military schools in Russia, Putin said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

President of the Russia Vladimir Putin proposed to continue work on optimizing the Uzbek-Russian trade and its logistics, Uzbek media reported.

He also added that only in the first eight months of 2018, the volume of Russian-Uzbek trade of agricultural products increased by almost 40 percent to $340 million.

In particular, according to the Russian president, now it is necessary to resolve the issue of loading the transport which is returning back to Uzbekistan with Russian products, including foodstuffs.

"There are opportunities for this. The volume of agricultural production in Russia over the past five years has increased by more than 20 percent. We believe that this is certainly the breakthrough nature of the development of Russian agriculture. A real breakthrough has been made in this field. Last year, a record harvest of grain was collected - 135 million tons, this year the figures will be a little smaller, but still it is a significant amount of over 100 million tons," Putin said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The opening of the STAR oil refinery is a significant event for Turkey, general director of the refinery Mesut Ilter said, the Turkish media reported Oct. 19.

Ilter noted that the operation of the STAR oil refinery represents a strategic significance for the country.

He said the demand for diesel in Turkey is growing by 7-8 percent every year.

"The STAR refinery will provide Turkey with 5 million tons of diesel annually, which will contribute to the reduction of diesel import by 40 percent," Ilter said.

He also said that with the start of operation of the STAR refinery, Turkeys demand for aviation fuel will be fully met.

The opening of the STAR oil refinery, owned by the Azerbaijani state company SOCAR, will take place in Turkey today.

The STAR refinery will produce naphtha, diesel with ultra-low sulfur content, aviation fuel, petroleum coke, liquefied gas and other products. The refinery will not produce gasoline and fuel oil.

The plant is planned to carry out processing of oil of such grades as Azeri Light, Kerkuk and Urals.

The refinery's processing capacity will be 10 million tons per year.

Today, the share distribution in the project is as follows: 60 percent of shares are owned by the Rafineri Holding (in 100-percent possession of SOCAR Turkey Energy), which previously bought all 18.5 percent of the participation interest of Turcas Petrol in the project, and 40 percent of shares are owned by SOCAR.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:

The commissioning of the STAR refinery will allow Turkey save $1.5 billion annually, the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey told Trend.

The ministry noted that this project is one of the most important energy projects in Turkey.

The ministry also noted that the STAR refinery will meet 25 percent of Turkeys demand for petroleum products.

The STAR refinery will produce naphtha, diesel with ultra-low sulfur content, aviation fuel, petroleum coke, liquefied gas and other products. The refinery will not produce gasoline and fuel oil.

The plant is planned to process oil of such grades as Azeri Light, Kerkuk and Urals.

The refinery's processing capacity will amount to 10 million tons per year.

Today, the share distribution in the project is as follows: 60 percent of shares are owned by the Rafineri Holding (being in 100-percent possession of SOCAR Turkey Energy), which previously bought 18.5 percent of the participation interest of Turcas Petrol in the project, and 40 percent of shares are owned by SOCAR.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Huseyn Veliyev - Trend:

Iranian specialists provide support for maintenance of wind stations installed in Azerbaijan, Deputy Chairman of the State Agency for Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources Jamil Melikov told Trend.

"The cooperation in this field was specified in the protocol of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation of the parties, which was signed several years ago. It is specified in the protocol that the parties are interested in assisting specialists of companies and organizations in implementation of projects on the territories of both Azerbaijan and Iran, as well as in the third countries. The joint work in this direction is currently underway," Melikov said.

Earlier, Azerbaijan and Iran created a working group to implement joint projects in the field of alternative energy.

The purposes of activity of the working group were to resolve organizational issues, propose and discuss various projects, attract investors, specialists from both sides and provide recommendations for the implementation of joint projects in Azerbaijan and Iran.

Melikov said earlier that Azerbaijan is interested in the exchange of technical data, in particular in the fields of hydropower and geothermal energy and the projects in which the Azerbaijani side is ready to take part, are related to the global energy system, the so-called transmission lines and substations, the level of voltage used for electricity transmissions.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @h_veliyev
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Proportion of coal in the global fuel mix has remained unchanged over 20 years, Bob Dudley, group chief executive of BP, said during the One Young World Summit.

We can expect energy demand to rise by around a third by 2040. Thats like adding a whole new China and a whole new Europes worth of energy demand on top of whats required today, he said.

Dudley said thats an enormous challenge  and its only half the story.

The other half is that we need to bring greenhouse gas emissions down dramatically and quickly to tackle the threat of climate change, he said.

The group chief executive of BP pointed out that after three years when emissions stayed relatively flat they started going up again last year and they look set to rise again this year.

Projections indicate they could grow by around 10 percent by 2040 when they need to fall by half to be in line with the Paris climate goals. In a report looking at what would be required to keep the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees on pre-industrial times it said emissions need to come down by 45 percent by 2030.

So, on the one hand weve got to provide much more energy than ever before. And on the other we have to lower emissions drastically, he said.

Dudley noted that back in 1998, coal made up 38 percent of the global fuel mix in the power sector and the same figure was recorded in 2017.

So in 20 years, despite all the policy initiatives, all the industry collaboration, all the technological innovation  our world still relies on the same proportion of coal for its electricity, he said. Thats a problem, but its also an opportunity. It means we can make a huge difference at speed on emissions and we already have the evidence that it works.

He went on to add that in the US, replacing coal with gas in power generation has helped bring emissions back down to where they were in the early 1990s.

In the UK the change is even more dramatic. Emissions are back where they were in the 1890s, when Queen Victoria was on the throne. Gas has made a big contribution to those reductions because it emits half the carbon of coal when burned to produce power, said Dudley.

The group chief executive of BP noted that the company is committed to advancing a low carbon future. The whole of the company is dedicated to it. Were reducing emissions in our operations. Were improving our products so our customers can reduce theirs. And were creating low carbon businesses.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Tehran, Iran, Oct. 19

Trend:

An official with Irans Ezam Automotive Parts Group said the group is mass-producing ignition coils.

One of the subsidiaries [of Ezam] has set up the assembly line for manufacturing ignition coils, Abbas Hatami said, IRNA reported on October 19.

Noting that the groups products are being exported to more than 11 countries, the official said French car parts maker Valeo has voiced eagerness to import the coils.

The Ezam Group with 12 manufacturing companies is involved in the auto parts industry since 1993.

An ignition coil, also called a spark coil, is an induction coil in an automobile's ignition system that transforms the battery's low voltage to the thousands of volts needed to create an electric spark in the spark plugs to ignite the fuel.
TORONTO, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mount Logan Capital Inc. (formerly Marret Resource Corp.) (NEO:MAR) (Marret or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has completed its previously announced arrangement (the Arrangement) under the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario), pursuant to which, among other things:



each of the common shares in the capital of the Company (each, a  Share ) was exchanged for one (1) common share in the capital of the Company created pursuant to the Arrangement (each, a  New Share ) and, subject to certain restrictions, one (1) contingent value right ( CVR ), with each CVR representing a contingent cash entitlement in respect of Cline Mining Corporation;

) was exchanged for one (1) common share in the capital of the Company created pursuant to the Arrangement (each, a  ) and, subject to certain restrictions, one (1) contingent value right ( ), with each CVR representing a contingent cash entitlement in respect of Cline Mining Corporation; each shareholder that validly elected to exchange their New Shares for cash, in accordance with the Arrangement and as a result of proration, received cash consideration of $0.53 per share in respect of 95% of its New Shares deposited pursuant to such election and retained the remainder of its New Shares;

each shareholder that validly elected to exchange their New Shares for warrants, in accordance with the Arrangement and as a result of proration, received warrants in respect of approximately 72.5% of its New Shares deposited pursuant to such election and retained the remainder of its New Shares;

each of the subscription receipts issued pursuant to the Companys private placement of 73,738,548 subscription receipts for gross proceeds of approximately $40.5 million automatically converted, for no further consideration and without any further action by the holder thereof, into one (1) Share with each such Share immediately exchanged for one (1) New Share;

the Company acquired a newly formed entity established by an affiliate of BC Partners Investment Holdings Limited ( BCP ) in exchange for the issuance to BCP of an aggregate of 3,292,952 New Shares; and

) in exchange for the issuance to BCP of an aggregate of 3,292,952 New Shares; and the Company changed its name from Marret Resource Corp. to Mount Logan Capital Inc..

As previously announced in the Companys press release on October 12, 2018, it is expected that trading will resume, subject to final approval, on Aequitas NEO Exchange Inc. under the symbol MLC on or about October 25, 2018.

Further to the Companys press release earlier today, the Company announces that it has indirectly completed the acquisition of approximately US$16.0 million of loans pursuant to its loan program with a leading U.S. based loan provider and directly completed the acquisition of approximately an additional US$7.2 million and C$5.1 million of loans sourced from BC Partners, which loans also form part of the Companys initial seed portfolio and have the terms set out below.

Sector Cost Face Value Maturity Rate Loan 1 Information Technology US$4,937,500 US$5,000,000 July 2024 L+750 Loan 2 Healthcare US$2,275,855 US$2,310,549 September 2024 L+550 Loan 3 Industrials C$5,112,361 C$5,112,361 May 2028 11.0%

In connection with the Arrangement, the Company announces the resignations of Barry Allan, John R. Anderson, David Gluskin and Philip Armstrong from its board of directors, and the appointment of Ted Goldthorpe, Perry Dellelce, Graeme Dell, Sabrina Liak and Radford Small to replace the vacancies resulting from the resignations. The new directors will serve until the next annual general meeting of shareholders of the Company.

The Company also wishes to announce the resignation of Peter Rizakos as President and Chief Executive Officer, and the appointment of Ted Goldthorpe as the new Chief Executive Officer. Matthias Ederer and Henry Wang have been appointed as Co-Presidents of the Company. Mr. Dave Guebert will remain as Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

We are excited to build Mount Logan Capital Inc. into a leading Canadian company focused on credit investment opportunities, said Ted Goldthorpe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mount Logan Capital Inc. We look forward to our launch on the NEO Exchange next week.

The Company would like to acknowledge the contributions of its resigning directors and officers, and looks forward to working with its new directors and officers.

Further information about the Arrangement is available to shareholders in the Companys press release dated October 12, 2018 and under the Companys profile on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com .

About Mount Logan Capital Inc.

Mount Logan Capital Inc. (Mount Logan Capital) will continue to conduct the business of an investment firm primarily focused on investing in public and private debt securities, but will expand its focus from natural resource lending to a broader lending-oriented credit platform. The Company holds and will actively manage and monitor a seed portfolio of loans and other investments with credit-oriented characteristics. The Company intends to actively source, originate, evaluate, underwrite, monitor, and primarily invest in additional loans, debt securities, and other credit-oriented instruments that present attractive risk-adjusted returns and present low risk of principal impairment through the credit cycle.

About BC Partners Advisors L.P. and BC Partners Credit

BC Partners is a leading international investment firm with over C$27 billion of assets under management in private equity and private credit. Established in 1986, BC Partners has played an active role in developing the European buyout market for three decades. Today, BC Partners executives operate across markets as an integrated team through the firm's offices in North America and Europe. Since inception, BC Partners has completed 104 private equity investments in companies with a total enterprise value of 129 billion and is currently investing its tenth private equity fund. For more information, please visit www.bcpartners.com .

BC Partners Credit was launched in February 2017 and has pursued a strategy focused on identifying attractive credit opportunities in any market environment and across sectors, leveraging the deal sourcing and infrastructure made available from BC Partners.

For further information please contact Dave Guebert, Chief Financial Officer, at (403) 816-9716.

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the expressions "seeks", "expects", "believes", "estimates", "will", "target" and similar expressions. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect the current expectations of the Company regarding future results or events and are based on information currently available to them. Certain material factors and assumptions were applied in providing these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements discussed in this release include, but are not limited to, the resumption of trading on the NEO Exchange (and the timing in respect thereof), statements relating to the Companys business strategy, model, approach and future activities, future credit opportunities of the Company and the expansion of the Companys loan portfolio. All forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions; however, the Company can give no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized by certain specified dates or at all. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the matters discussed: (i) under "Risks Factors" in the most recently filed annual information form and MD&A for the Company, and (ii) under the risk factors sections in the management information circular of the Company prepared in connection with the meeting at which the Arrangement was approved by shareholders. Readers, therefore, should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, a forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any such statement or to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances except as required by securities laws. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release.

This press release is not, and should not be construed as, an offer to sell or acquire any securities in any jurisdiction.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.19

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

STAR refinery is an important regional energy security cooperation project, Deputy Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev said in an interview with TRT World.

The foundation of this project was laid back in 2011 by presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It once again shows the confidence of Azerbaijan in Turkish economy and also demonstrates strategic partnership of the two countries, noted Hajiyev ahead of the opening ceremony of the refinery.

He pointed out that this project provides a bright future for both of these countries and is also strategically important for further development of energy cooperation between the two countries.

It is an important regional energy security cooperation project, said Hajiyev, adding that it creates more than 30,000 jobs in Turkey and will serve to the benefits of the two countries.

He noted that this project has a capacity of processing annually ten million tons of oil and it will tremendously contribute to the energy security of Turkey.

It will decrease Turkeys dependence on imports, and in the meantime, will provide additional, extra capacities for the countries to export the refined oil products to wider Mediterranean region and some other countries, he said.

The STAR refinery will produce naphtha, diesel with ultra-low sulfur content, aviation fuel, petroleum coke, liquefied gas and other products. The refinery will not produce gasoline and fuel oil.

The plant is planned to process oil of such grades as Azeri Light, Kerkuk and Urals.

The refinery's processing capacity will amount to 10 million tons per year.

Today, the share distribution in the project is as follows: 60 percent of shares are owned by the Rafineri Holding (being in 100-percent possession of SOCAR Turkey Energy), which previously bought 18.5 percent of the participation interest of Turcas Petrol in the project, and 40 percent of shares are owned by SOCAR.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

Russia and Uzbekistan are discussing proposals on creation of the Central Asian energy ring, which would link the energy systems of the regional states, Uzbek media quoted President Vladimir Putin as saying during his speech after the Uzbek-Russian talks.

According to Putin, today the presidents will also launch the project to build a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan.

In fact, this is not just about building a large industrial facility - this is about creating a new industry in Uzbekistan. Two nuclear power units with a total capacity of 2.4 megawatts will provide low-cost and clean electricity that is planned to be delivered to consumers both in Uzbekistan and in other countries of Central Asia, contributing to the energy stability not only of Uzbekistan, but also of the entire region," Putin said.

According to him, the most advanced technologies, cost-effective and reliable engineering solutions will be applied during the construction of the nuclear power plant. "The highest safety standards and the most stringent environmental requirements will be observed," he said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

During a video conference in Tashkent on Oct. 19, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the project to build the first-ever nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan, pressing a symbolic button, Uzbek media reported.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Alisher Sultanov and General Director of Russia's Rosatom Aleksey Likhachev were at one of the priority sites for construction of the future nuclear power plant in the Jizzakh region.

Initially, the area near Lake Tudakul on the border of Navoi and Bukhara regions was chosen as a potential site for the NPP construction, but later the site was replaced with an area near Lake Aidarkul on the border of Jizzakh and Navoi regions. On Oct. 7, the governments of Uzbekistan and Russia signed an agreement on cooperation in the construction of the NPP in Uzbekistan. President Mirziyoyev approved the document on Oct. 13.

The agreement provides for cooperation in the design and construction of the NPP consisting of two power units (each up to 1.2 gigawatts) based on a water-cooled power reactor of Russian design. The construction of the NPP will be completed before 2028.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

The Star oil refinery will help reduce Turkeys dependence on imports in the petrochemical industry, Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak said at the opening ceremony of the Star refinery in Izmir.

The minister stressed the importance of the Star refinery for Turkey, noting that the refinery will greatly contribute to the development of the countrys petrochemical industry.

Albayrak reminded that the opening ceremony of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP), which can be considered a symbol of the brotherhood of Azerbaijan and Turkey in the 21st century, took place four months ago.

The friendship and unity of Azerbaijan and Turkey must become an example for the whole world, he noted.

The minister said that only mutual support, healthy competition and strong cooperation can help protect the interests of the two countries and achieve economic stability.

An inauguration ceremony of the Star refinery of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR took place in the city of Izmir, Turkey on Oct. 19.

The STAR refinery will produce naphtha, diesel with ultra-low sulfur content, aviation fuel, petroleum coke, liquefied gas and other products. The refinery will not produce gasoline and fuel oil.

The plant is planned to process oil of such grades as Azeri Light, Kerkuk and Urals. The refinery's processing capacity will amount to 10 million tons per year.

The share distribution in the project is as follows: 60 percent of shares are owned by the Rafineri Holding (being in 100-percent possession of SOCAR Turkey Energy), which previously bought 18.5 percent of the participation interest of Turcas Petrol in the project, and 40 percent of shares are owned by SOCAR.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @AzadHasanli
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Ilkin Shafiyev  Trend:

Star refinery will make significant contribution to the development of the economies of Azerbaijan and Turkey, President of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR Rovnag Abdullayev said Oct. 19 at the refinerys opening ceremony in Izmir, SOCAR said in a message.

This day is historic for us, he said. Star refinery, built and equipped with the most advanced technology, unites our petrochemical business with oil refining and is therefore of strategic importance to our company. The plant with annual processing capacity of 10 million tons of crude oil will significantly contribute to the development of Azerbaijani and Turkish economies.

An inauguration ceremony of the Star refinery of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR took place in the city of Izmir, Turkey on Oct. 19.

The STAR refinery will produce naphtha, diesel with ultra-low sulfur content, aviation fuel, petroleum coke, liquefied gas and other products. The refinery will not produce gasoline and fuel oil.

The plant is planned to process oil of such grades as Azeri Light, Kerkuk and Urals.

The refinery's processing capacity will amount to 10 million tons per year.

The share distribution in the project is as follows: 60 percent of shares are owned by the Rafineri Holding (being in 100-percent possession of SOCAR Turkey Energy), which previously bought 18.5 percent of the participation interest of Turcas Petrol in the project, and 40 percent of shares are owned by SOCAR.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyev
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 19

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

Officials from Turkmenistans Presidential Administration and the Ministry of Defense discussed best practices in enhancing ammunition stockpile security during an OSCE-organized study visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina that was concluded recently, the Ashgabat office of the OSCE said in a message.



The visit began with introductory presentations by representatives of the European Union Force (EUFOR) and the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina that gave a general overview of their activities in the field of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and conventional ammunition (CA) management.



The delegation visited the ammunition site at Doboj city where a newly established laboratory is located. Delegation members observed how chemical and thermal analysis of gun powder is made, as well as methods of ammunition disposal. They also visited the weapons storage site in Visoko city and the ammunition storage site in Krupa where they were shown warehouses recently refurbished in accordance with international standards of ammunition and weapons storage management.



Small arms and light weapons and conventional ammunition continue to represent a serious threat to security in the OSCE region, said Natalya Drozd, head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. In this regard, the OSCE participating States have adopted a number of key documents to regulate their production, transfer, storage, collection and destruction.

She added that the Office remains committed to providing further support to the government of Turkmenistan in this field.



As part of the visit, delegation members held meetings with their counterparts at the Defense Ministry of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Discussions focused on the management of weapons and ammunition in the countrys armed forces and capacity building of life-cycle management of ammunition.



The study visit was organized by the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, in close cooperation with the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Forum for Security Co-operation Support Unit at the OSCE Secretariat.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

Trend:

The main events of the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Uzbekistan began Oct. 19 at the presidential residence Kuksaroy, aka Green Palace, in Tashkent, Uzbek media reported.

After the official welcoming ceremony, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Vladimir Putin held talks in a narrow format.

"Russia is a strategic partner of Uzbekistan. Our partnership has reached a qualitatively new level and is developing dynamically in all areas," Mirziyoyev said.

"Last year alone, more than 80 high-level visits were made. We have established close cooperation between the regions. For the first time, Tashkent hosts the Interregional Cooperation Forum between the two countries. More than 1,000 public and business representatives of Russia are participating in it."

"Trade has grown by 30 percent since the beginning of the year. Large investment projects are being implemented," the president of Uzbekistan added.

The head of state also noted with great satisfaction that another strategic project is being launched - the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan.

Vladimir Putin, in turn, noted that Uzbekistan is a reliable ally, a strategic partner of Russia. He stressed that after the visit of the president of Uzbekistan to Russia last year, bilateral contacts in all areas have fundamentally changed for the better, and also expressed the readiness of Russia to further develop relations.
Iran's ambassador to London says Tehran-London economic relations within the framework of economic and trade relations with Iran and Europe is in a historic point that has never been so strategic, Reuters reports.

Hamid Baeedinejad, who spoke at a meeting on Prospects and Development of Business Relations between Britain and Iran on Thursday, explained that economic relations between the two countries were traditional, but this time it has become of special political and strategic importance.



He explained that now the European Union and the three European countries are encouraging high-level political, economic and business partnerships with Iran, and now a top European political representative in Tehran is considering the latest way of determining the channel of financial and banking links between Iran and Europe.



He referred to the role of former British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, who was one of the speakers of the meeting, with a review of Iran's nuclear talks and the Group of Five, plus one, and continued that Straw had an important role in designing and initiating negotiations between Iran and the three European countries started in 2003.



Baeedinejad added that although those talks failed because of American tyranny, paved the ground for further negotiations with the group of five, plus one that eventually ended in JCPOA.
Iran and Germany signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on educational cooperation, IRNA Reports.

The deal was inked by Irans deputy minister of industry, mines and trade Sadeq Najafi and German deputy minister of economy and energy.



Najafi said that he is currently in Germany to take part in the conference marking 20th anniversary of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)s cooperation and help cooperation of Iranian companies with their German counterparts.



He further noted that so far over 110 directors of the Iranian small and medium companies are involved in the project.



Najafi, also managing director of Small Industries and Industrial Townships Organization, added that German finance minister and other German institutes as well as 19 other countries involved in the project attended the conference.



We have had cooperation with GIZ since 1395, he said, noting that draft of MoU was compiled two years ago until it was signed yesterday (Wednesday).

GIZ company is one of the German private sectors educational and technological complexes.



During his visit to German, Najafi met with managing director of German Union of Industrial Machinery Producers, wherein it was agreed to hold specialized exhibitions in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan and Mashhad.



The German Agency for International Cooperation or (GIZ) is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal Government, operating in many fields across more than 130 countries.
Tehran, Iran, Oct. 19

Trend:

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said the block has decided to put its plan aimed at creating a payment channel to preserve business with Iran and circumvent new US sanctions in place.

This is something that we presented during the [United Nations] General Assembly ministerial week in New York. The Member States of the European Union have decided to put this system in place, so they are now working on the concrete establishment of this [payment channel]. I am confident that they will continue this work in a successful manner in the coming weeks, Mogherini said on Thursday evening, the EU official website reported on October 19.

Following a ministerial meeting on September 24 in New York, the participants welcomed an EU initiative to establish a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to facilitate payments related to Irans exports (including oil) and imports.

I have to say that our partners from Asia have always shown a lot of interest in working to keep the full implementation of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action); obviously for security reasons that also concern Asia and Central Asia, she added.

But we tend to forget that Iran is not only a Middle Eastern country; it is also a country that have long borders with Afghanistan for instance, and that has many interests and links with Asia. I have always very much seen the interest and also exactly the same position that we have with our Asian partners on the need to maintain the JCPOA and on the need for Iran to stick to the full compliance to the nuclear commitments taken, the EU foreign policy chief said.

Back in May, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), despite objections from other signatories of the accord.

In August, Washington re-imposed the first round of anti-Iran sanctions it had lifted under the JCPOA. A second round, forthcoming on November 4, will be targeting Iran's energy sector and financial transactions.
NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie or the Company) (NYSE: ABBV) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, and index under 18-cv-06790, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise acquired the publicly traded securities of AbbVie between October 25, 2013 and September 18, 2018, both dates inclusive (the Class Period). Plaintiff seeks to recover compensable damages caused by Defendants violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.



If you are a shareholder who purchased AbbVie securities between October 25, 2013, and September 18, 2018, both dates inclusive, you have until November 20, 2018, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

AbbVie discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceutical products worldwide. HUMIRA is AbbVies blockbuster drug, which is used to treat Crohns disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, and other ailments.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Companys business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose that: (1) AbbVies strategy to increase the sales growth of its blockbuster drug, HUMIRA, relied in part upon illegal kickbacks and unlawful sales and marketing tactics; (2) such practices would foreseeably lead to heightened scrutiny by state governments and agencies; and (3) as a result, Defendants public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On September 18, 2018, the State of California, through its Insurance Commissioner, filed suit against AbbVie, alleging that the Company systematically and repeatedly violated anti-kickback laws by pa[ying] healthcare providers to prescribe HUMIRA far in excess of the amount that they would have prescribed this expensive and dangerous drug absent the illegal kickbacks.

On this news, AbbVies stock price fell $4.35 per share, or over 4.5%, over the next two trading days, to close at $91.02 per share on September 19, 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

888-476-6529 ext. 9980
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 19

By Fikret Dolukhanov - Trend:

During the World War II, the Armenian nationalists collaborated with the Nazis not only against the USSR, but also against other European countries, Oleg Kuznetsov, a well-known Russian historian and political scientist, said at a press conference dedicated to nationalism in Armenia.

He noted that from 1944, Nzhdeh was the only source of information for Nazi Germany on the political situation in Bulgaria and in the Balkans as a whole.

This man, while being a subject of Bulgaria, was a spy. He was spying on his country. The fact that he was convicted in the USSR to 25 years in solitary prison confinement, which is much worse than being shot or imprisoned, indicates that Nzhdeh was persecuted not as an ideological supporter of Armenian nationalism, but as the ideological enemy of all mankind," Kuznetsov said.

The expert said based on the documents that are stored in the state archives of Russia, it can be said that the monument to Garegin Nzhdeh, whom the Armenians almost present as a hero of Bulgaria, is illegitimate, illegal and violates all modern principles of international law.

In Armenia, nationalism has turned into extremism, that is, into hatred towards other people, the Russian expert concluded.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @FDolukhanov
Georgias border guards received two Island-class patrol boats from the United States at a special ceremony in Georgias Black Sea port of Poti. The vessels will strengthen the countrys Coast Guard fleet and maritime security of its borders, officials say, Civil.ge reports.

According to Charge daffaires of the U.S. Embassy Elizabeth Rood, Georgia received Staten Island and Jefferson Island, now re-baptized as Ochamchire and Dioskuria, respectively, as a result of long-term U.S.-Georgia strategic partnership.

Rood said, the Georgian crew was trained by the U.S. Coast Guard in Baltimore, Maryland, and hoped the new boats would help the country become a reliable partner for NATO in joint naval operations, as well as expand its ties with other partners in the region.

We thank Georgia for its efforts in improving the Black Sea security, the Charge daffaires of the U.S. Embassy said, noting that with its difficult neighborhood and occupied territories, illegal trade control is a challenge for the country.

Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze said at the ceremony that by transferring the boats to Georgia, U.S. demonstrated its unwavering support for security and stability in the country and in the Black Sea region as a whole.

Noting that U.S.-Georgia cooperation and partnership has never been on such high level, Bakhtadze said the Black Sea will play a decisive role in the architecture of the global security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will pay a working visit to Turkey on October 27 to take part in a meeting between the leaders of Russia, Turkey, Germany and France, the Kremlin press service reported on Friday, TASS reports.

"It is planned to exchange views on the Syrian issue, including the political settlement process, further steps aimed at strengthening security and stability, creating conditions for refugees return and rebuilding socio-economic infrastructure facilities," the Kremlin said.

Some other pressing international issues are expected to be discussed as well.

Besides, some "bilateral conversations will take place," the Kremlin press service said.
Cypriot rescuers picked up 29 Syrian refugees on Friday who had set out from Lebanon on a perilous journey to Cyprus in an inflatable dingy, Cypriot police said in a statement, Xinhua reports.

The police said its marine branch traced the refugees on radar as they sailed off the southeastern tip of Cyprus and escorted them to a fishing port.

On board the dingy were 14 men, six women and nine children under 16.

They told the police they had fled their homes in Syria and had taken refuge in Lebanon, from where they sailed for Cyprus.

"We came here to find a better life," one refugee told police.

After their identities were confirmed, they were transferred to a temporary reception center near Nicosia where they are expected to apply for political asylum.

Cyprus is a popular destination for many Syrians who fled either to Turkey or Lebanon, as many of them have relatives who have lived on the eastern Mediterranean island for many years.

The number of refugees has swelled to over 15,000 in the last few years in the country, prompting the Cypriot government to apply for help from the European Union (EU).

Cypriot foreign minister Nikos Christodoulides told his fellow ministers from EU countries in Brussels on Friday that Cyprus has the highest ratio of refugees relative to its population. He said all member states must share the burden of hosting refugees.
Iraqi President Barham Salih on Friday confirmed that eliminating corruption, improving services and addressing unemployment will be priority for the new government, Xinhua reports.

"The next government will work to address corruption and to hold the corrupted people accountable," Salih told crowds of people during his visit to Mutanabi Street in central Baghdad, which is a gathering place for intellectuals and artists in Baghdad.

"Providing better public services and addressing the issue of unemployment will find a lot of interests in the next government," said Salih who was accompanied with his wife Sarbagh.

Salih's visit came as Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Adel Abdul Mahdi prepared to submit his cabinet list next week after tough negotiations with the parliamentary political blocs.

Mohammed Hashim, a political analyst in Mutanabi Street, told Xinhua that he is optimistic as "the political blocs are trying to keep away from pressing Mahdi so that he can be free to choose his cabinet."

"I think he will be able to accomplish his mission ... and I think the people of Iraq are hopeful that many projects which have not been done before will be achieved now," Hashim added.

However, civilian activist Mohsen Bahadli said "there is still a blur in the political situation in terms of forming a government, as there are still political pressures on the PM-designate and the political blocs have not yet waived their political gains."

Salih also visited al-Shabander coffee shop and took his tea as he was listening to remarks and demands of citizens about the new government.

The old coffee shop is one of the most famous coffee shops in Baghdad and usually witnesses a variety of cultural activities on each Friday, as it is a gathering place for many intellectuals, poets and artists.

"I visited Mutanabi Street first time after devastating terror attack in 2007. Now, Sarbagh and I were pleased to see it reconstructed, buzzing with intellectuals and books lovers," Salih said on his Twitter account.

Mutanabi Street was attacked by a suicide car bombing in March 2007, leaving some 26 people killed and more than 50 others injured.

Salih is the first Iraqi president to visit the busy book market of Mutanabi Street since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The cultural iconic location of Mutanabi Street has a history of hundreds of years, which is filled with publishing houses, bookstores and dozens of outdoor book stalls.
The growth of China's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) fell to 6.5 percent in the third quarter of 2018 due to Beijing's trade war with Washington, which did not surpass the official forecast but was lower than experts' expectations, the data of China's National Bureau of Statistics showed on Friday, according to Sputnik.

"According to preliminary calculations, China's year-on-year GDP growth in the first quarter of 2018 was 6.8 percent, it amounted to 6.7 percent in the second quarter and was 6.5 percent in the third quarter," the agency's report read.

Meanwhile, experts, cited by media, expected China's GDP growth to fall to 6.6 percent in the third quarter of 2018.

The authorities have said that the GDP growth will reach around 6.5 percent this year.

The US-Chinese trade war started in July when US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on some Chinese imports in order to fix the US-Chinese $500 billion trade deficit. Since then, the two sides have exchanged several rounds of import duties on each other in spite of numerous attempts to resolve the conflict via dialogue.

Later, the conflict escalated further, with US imposing sanctions on the Chinese Defense Ministry and the Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport over China's intentions to purchase Russian aircraft and S-400 air defense missile systems. This triggered China's withdrawal from the trade talks.
European governments pressed China on Friday to allow greater foreign investment in its economy, using a two-day summit with Asian leaders to push back against U.S. protectionism but facing familiar resistance from Beijing over state subsidies.

At a biennial Asia-Europe Meeting bringing together leaders representing 65 percent of global economic output, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and the European Commission held private meetings with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, hoping for greater access for EU companies to the worlds No. 2 economy.

Li told British Prime Minister Theresa May that he looked forward to ushering in a diamond era after their bilateral meeting, a British government statement said.

In a sign of Chinas outsized role, Li led the pack of European and Asian leaders along the summit red carpet and stood in the center of the 50 other leaders for a photo, alongside Merkel and the summit chair, European Council President Donald Tusk.

China has been promising for years to ease restrictions on foreign investment, but Western governments say little has changed and many are worried that Beijing is heading towards more state control under President Xi Jinping.
Macedonian Parliament has passed the constitutional amendments to change the name of the country to facilitate accession to NATO and EU, Sputnik reports.

The website of the Macedonian Parliament released an announcement that it had passed the constitutional amendments to change the country's name.

A total of 80 lawmakers out of 120 voted in favor of the name change securing the majority required to pass the bill.

In June, Athens and Skopje signed the agreement on changing Macedonia's name. The name dispute has been souring bilateral relations for years, with Athens opposing the use of "Macedonia," which is also the name of a region in Greece.

The new name will allow the Balkan state to join NATO and the European Union, the process that Greece has been blocking over fears that the former Yugoslav republic might try to claim its region under the same name.
An approved urban building plan that applies to the entire site provides for construction of a 22-floor tower, Globes reports.

Israel Canada Ltd. controlled by founders Barak Rosen and Assaf Tuchmeir, has contracted an option agreement with private owners to buy 30% of a lot on the corner of Hayarkon Street, Geula Street, and Harav Kook Street, near the Herbert Samuel promenade. The lot is 30% of a larger piece of land. The land is zoned for a tower that will include residences and hotel rooms.

An approved urban building plan that applies to the entire site provides for construction of a 22-storey tower, including commerce on the ground floor, 200 hotel rooms on the lower floors, and 100 luxury apartments on the upper floors. Construction in the project totals 20,000 square meters above ground. Architect Elisha Rubin designed the project.

The option agreement signed by Israel-Canada and the landowners is valid until February 2019. It involves the purchase of 1.1 dunam (0.375 cares) of the 3.1-dunam (0775-acre) site for NIS 80 million, including NIS 53 million for the land and NIS 25 million in betterment tax. The rest of the site belongs to other landowners; Israel-Canada is negotiating with them to either buy their share or make a combination deal. The deal reflects a NIS 266 million value for the site.

Israel-Canada specializes in real estate development and organizes buyers groups in high-demand areas. Its projects in recent years include the Midtown project in Tel Aviv, with recently occupied residential and office towers, and the two Da Vinci residential towers in Tel Aviv, which it is building in cooperation with Acro Real Estate. The company is also trying to change the zooming of land in the Elco area in the Morasha neighborhood of Ramat Hasharon and is promoting the Lapid area residential and hotel project on Eilat Street in Tel Aviv, on which the company is negotiating with the Four Seasons international hotel chain for construction of the chain's first hotel in Israel. Israel-Canada is also building a campus for Microsoft in Herzliya Pituah in cooperation with Acro and Tidhar.

"Globes" recently reported a plan to construct another tower that was delayed, but which now appears likely to go through. The site, located on the corner of Hayarkon Street, Nehemia Street, and Daniel Street, is zoned for construction of a 15-storey residential tower. It is being offered for sale after a Herzliya court approved the dissolution of a partnership with the owners. The tower is designed as a twin of the 10 Herbert Samuel project built by Ofer Investments on the waterfront. The lot's value is estimated at NIS 250-300 million.
Senior officials from Japanese and North Korean intelligence agencies held a secret meeting in Mongolia on October 6-8, Sputnik reported citing media reports.

The Japanese side had been was represented at the talks in Ulaanbaatar by Shigeru Kitamura, the head of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, and a close associate of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Kyodo news agency reported, citing informed sources.

North Korea, in its turn, dispatched a group including a senior figure from the United Front Department of the Workers' Party, according to the outlet.

"I heard they discussed how the abduction issue should be solved between Japan and North Korea," a Japanese senior government official told the agency, admitting that the meeting in the Mongolian capital took place.

According to the agency, North Korea had unofficially notified Japan that Minoru Tanaka, one of 17 nationals, believed that Tokyo to have been abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, had actually entered North Korea. Kitamura might have covered the issue of whereabouts of Tanaka and other abductees during the talks in Mongolia, the outlet suggested.

Kyodo noted that the meeting between Japanese and North Korean intelligence officials has been the first talks of this kind in around three months following Kitamuras meeting with Kim Song Hye, the head of the United Front Department's tactical office in Vietnam in mid-July.
NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Philip Morris International Inc. (Philip Morris or the Company) (NYSE: PM) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Southern District of New York, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise acquired Philip Morris common stock between February 8, 2018, and April 18, 2018 (the Class Period), seeking to pursue remedies under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the 1934 Act).



If you are a shareholder who purchased Philip Morris securities between February 8, 2018, and April 18, 2018, both dates inclusive, and wish to discuss this action, please contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com.

[Click here to join this class action]

Philip Morris is one of the largest and most recognizable cigarette and tobacco manufacturing companies in the world. The Companys subsidiaries and affiliates and their licensees are engaged in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other nicotine-containing products in markets outside of the United States.

The Complaint alleges that during the Class Period, defendants made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose adverse information regarding the Company's business and prospects, including that Philip Morris was experiencing a faster decline in overall cigarette and e-cigarette (or "heated tobacco") sales volumes during the first quarter of 2018 than investors had been led to believe, that its much-lauded sales initiatives had stalled, and that it was experiencing adverse sales headwinds in key markets. As a result of these misrepresentations, Philip Morris stock traded at artificially inflated prices during the Class Period, reaching a high of $109 per share.

On February 22, 2018  one day after making rosy statements about the Companys ongoing sales trends and expected results to investors  the Companys Chief Executive Officer, Andre Calantzopoulos (Calantzopoulos), sold 49,000 shares of Philip Morris stock at $103.66 per share for over $5 million in gross insider trading proceedings. This sale was unusual in both timing and amount, representing a greater than 22% increase over the next greatest number of shares sold by Calantzopoulos in a single day in at least the preceding five years.

Then, on April 19, 2018, Philip Morris issued a press release announcing disappointing results for the Companys first quarter of 2018. Against its easiest prior-year comparison, the Company reported that a combined cigarette and heated tobacco unit shipment volume had declined by 2.3% during the quarter. The Company also stated that key sales initiatives had stalled, as the Companys heated tobacco unit growth had plateaued due to market demographics and faltering consumer conversion tactics and, further, that cigarette shipments had fallen by 5.3% during the quarter, signaling persistent adverse trends in the business.

On this news, the price of Philip Morris stock declined $15.80 per share or more than 15%, to close at $85.64 per share on April 19, 2018. This represented the worst daily decline for the Company in nearly a decade and a closing price of more than 17% below the price at which Calantzopoulos had sold his Philip Morris stock less than two months before.

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

888-476-6529 ext. 9980
Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Uzbekistan for a state visit, TASS reports.

The Russian leader is scheduled to hold talks on Friday with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Tashkent. The two presidents plan to sign a number of bilateral documents and also attend the Russian-Uzbek forum on interregional cooperation.

Besides, the leaders will jumpstart the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan by Russias state-run corporation Rosatom in a video conference mode. According to Kremlin Aide Yuri Ushakov, the ceremony would be one of key elements of the Russian leaders visit to Tashkent.

Last time Putin paid a visit to Uzbekistan in June 2016. He also arrived in the Central Asian country in September that year to pay tribute to the countrys late first President Islam Karimov.

Mirziyoyev paid a state visit to Russia in April 2017. Since September 2016, the two presidents have had six meetings, including the previous one in late September at the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Last year, Russian-Uzbek trade grew 34% to $3.7 bln, and in January-July 2018 trade turnover exceeded the levels of the similar period of last year by 32.1%.

Russia mainly imports from Uzbekistan textiles, food, agricultural raw materials, chemical industry goods, rubber, equipment and vehicles. Russias accrued investments in Uzbekistans economy have reached $8.7bln. Such Russian companies as Lukoil, Gazprom and Vympelkom are working in the country.
Relations between Russia and China are at their best level now and the two countries actively cooperate in multilateral formats, showing an example of responsible approach to solving international problems, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, TASS reports.

"At the moment Russian-Chinese relations see one of the best periods throughout their history," Shoigu said on Friday at the meeting with deputy chief of Chinas Central Military Council, Zhang Youxia.

According to Shoigu, Moscow and Beijing demonstrate an example of a balanced and responsible approach to solving vital international problems. "Our countries efficiently cooperate in various multilateral formats, namely BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the United Nations. The sides closely coordinate their positions on regional issues, including security in North East and Central Asia and in the Middle East," Shoigu said.

The cornerstone of stable Russian-Chinese ties is close friendly relationship between the two leaders. This year Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have held three meetings, including full-fledged summits in Beijing and Vladivostok. "The indicator of a special degree of political trust in Russian-Chinese relations is dynamic cooperation in military and military-technical areas," Shoigu said, stressing that the two leaders define the depth, character and focus of this cooperation.

"We plan to fully implement our current agreements in military and technical cooperation," Shoigu said, noting that this meeting is a chance to discuss vital issues of regional security in the hotbeds of tension, namely the Middle East, Syria and Libya.

According to the minister, on Friday the sides will sum up the results of this years cooperation and outline priority tasks for the near future. "We are determined to work effectively and successfully and this will further contribute to enhancing partnership and strategic cooperation between our countries," Shoigu said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump dont have special relations as there was no possibility for that, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, TASS reports.

"Is there any chemistry in [relations] with Trump? Are there any special relations with Trump? I dont think so. There has been no possibility so far," Peskov told the Bolshaya Igra (Big Game) program on Russias Channel One.

According to Peskov, Putin and Trump have been unable so far to get to a sense of one another. During those rare moments of contacts between the Russian and US leaders the issues they discussed were not translated into real actions. "This is certainly disappointing."

During his contacts with Putin, Trump showed that he seeks to discuss vital and challenging issues in various formats and via different channels. "In fact, the awful lack of this dialogue is felt now and unfortunately, this wish was not formalized and really implemented," Peskov said.

"What does this mean? Does this mean that there are "wings" with a different stance in the Washington establishment or that President [Trump] cannot fully share his stance in favor of dialogue with Russia? This is not our problem," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Putin earlier stated that Moscow was ready to discuss various issues with Washington despite disagreements. "If he [Putin] says something, this means that he can fulfill his decision. We feel the lack of the US [determination to hold dialogue]," he noted.
The state and prospects of the development of Russian-Italian cooperation in various spheres, the situation in Syria and Libya will be in the focus of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte which is due to be held on October 24 in Moscow, TASS reports.

"It is intended to discuss the state and prospects of the development of Russian-Italian cooperation in various areas and share opinions on the current international and regional problems, including the situation in Syria and Libya," the Kremlins press service reported on Friday.

"A meeting between Putin and Conte with the heads of Italys leading enterprises was also planned," the press service added.

Some bilateral documents will be signed after the official events.
President Donald Trumps administration for a second time asked the U.S. Supreme Court to put the brakes on a lawsuit filed by young activists who have accused the U.S. government of ignoring the perils of climate change, Reuters reports.

In the lawsuit, 21 activists, ages 11 to 22, said federal officials violated their rights to due process under the U.S. Constitution by failing to adequately address carbon pollution such as emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.

The lawsuit was filed in 2015 against former President Barack Obama and government agencies in a federal court in Eugene, Oregon. Both the Obama and Trump administration have failed in efforts to have the lawsuit thrown out.

On July 30, the high court rejected an earlier application by the Trump administration, saying it was premature.

Eugene, Oregon-based federal judge Ann Aiken on Monday issued another ruling allowing the case to move forward to trial on Oct. 29 if either the high court or the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals do not intervene.
Russias space agency Roscosmos said on Friday it had discussed a possible visit to the United States of its head, Dmitry Rogozin, with NASA, Reuters reports citing the RIA news agency.

Rogozin, a former deputy prime minister who was appointed to head Roscosmos earlier this year, is under U.S. sanctions and is barred from entering the country.
KYODO NEWS - Oct 19, 2018 - 15:50 | Feature, All, Japan

A whale research group is seeking to collect information about public performances in which small whales were cut up for meat in the 1970s and 1980s before a surge of international anti-whaling movements.

Commissioned by the city of Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Whale Laboratory began looking into such performances five years ago, aiming to keep records of what it says was part of the culture of the Showa period (1926-1989).

(Whale dissection show held in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture, in 1981)[Photo courtesy of Whale Laboratory]

"Almost no records are left and it is difficult to understand the whole picture. We are asking for any information, however trivial it seems," said Hajime Ishikawa, the 58-year-old chief of the laboratory, who is trying to collect data based on the memories of participants and organizers of the performances.

According to Ishikawa, a short-finned pilot whale around 4 meters long was cut up in a typical performance. Such events began as a way for whale meat dealers to promote sales at supermarkets on the back of the low market values of small whales at that time.

(Nagasaki Prefecture in the 1980s)[Photo courtesy of Whale Laboratory]

The shows, believed to have been held at least 1,000 times mainly in the Kansai region of western Japan, attracted a large number of visitors, Ishikawa said.

The prices of short-finned pilot whales spiked after Japan withdrew from commercial whaling in 1988 amid tightened restrictions on whale catches.

A performance held on the roof of an Osaka department store in the 1990s may have been the final demonstration, according to Ishikawa. A short-finned pilot whale that fetched 6 million yen ($53,400) in an auction is said to be transported to the venue by a helicopter in the event, but that information has not been verified.

(Narashino in 1981)[Photo courtesy of Whale Laboratory]
KYODO NEWS - Oct 19, 2018 - 18:00 | World, All

Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said Friday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is planning a maritime exercise with the U.S. Navy next year.

Ng told a press conference after a meeting of ASEAN defense ministers in Singapore that the ministers have "agreed to conduct an ASEAN-U.S. maritime exercise next year."

(U.S. aircraft carrier Carl Vinson)[U.S. Navy/Getty/Kyodo]

It would be the first such exercise involving the United States and all 10 ASEAN countries. Although details were unavailable, a source said it is likely to be held in August 2019.

The move appears to be aimed at striking a balance between China and the United States, which both wield considerable influence in the region.

It comes as ASEAN is set to conduct its first-ever joint naval exercise with China from Oct. 22 to 27. It will take place off China's southern coastal city of Zhanjiang, facing the South China Sea where the country has overlapping territorial claims with several ASEAN countries as well as Taiwan.

Ng said it was China and the United States who proposed the maritime exercises.

A joint declaration issued by the ASEAN defense ministers at the end of their meeting said the planned maritime exercises "will enhance friendship and confidence between ASEAN member states' navies and the People's Liberation Army Navy and the U.S. Navy."

Collin Koh Swee Lean, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, a Singapore think tank, said the planned ASEAN-U.S. exercise is "more symbolic than anything else" because several ASEAN members already engage in naval exercises with the U.S. military.

They include the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise and the Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT) exercise.

On Saturday, the ASEAN defense ministers will meet with defense chiefs from the United States, China, Russia, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

With defense ministers and military top brass from 18 countries gathered in Singapore, many bilateral meetings have been conducted on the sidelines, including one on Thursday between U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe.

The ASEAN defense ministers had decided last year that the such expanded meetings should be held annually instead of biennially.

According to their joint declaration, the ASEAN ministers have adopted a framework for guidelines on air encounters between military aircraft to boost the safety and security of air space in the region.

They also adopted Indonesia's proposal for an "Our Eyes" initiative for sharing strategic information on terrorism and other non-traditional security threats, and Singapore's proposal for an ASEAN-wide network of chemical, biological and radiological defense experts.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
KYODO NEWS - Oct 19, 2018 - 19:40 | World, All

China and Japan are expected to reach a broad agreement on panda leasing during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's planned visit to Beijing next week, bilateral sources close to the matter said Friday.

The agreement would come as Sino-Japan relations have been markedly improving. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the signing and taking effect of the Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the two nations.

[VCG/Getty/Kyodo]

Beijing and Tokyo are likely to formally agree on the leasing during Chinese President Xi Jinping's possible trip to Japan in June next year, the sources said. A zoo in Sendai or Kobe has been floated as a candidate to receive the panda.

Abe is scheduled to visit Beijing for three days from next Thursday, during which he will hold talks with Xi.

China first gave a pair of giant pandas to Tokyo's Ueno Zoo as part of its "panda diplomacy" in 1972 in commemoration of the normalization of bilateral ties.

In December 2011, when former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visited Beijing, China expressed willingness to lease giant pandas to Japan. However, as relations between the two countries sharply deteriorated afterward amid a territorial row over a group of islands, an agreement on the matter was shelved.

The dispute over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea particularly intensified after Noda decided to bring them under state control in September 2012. The group of uninhabited islets, called Diaoyu in China, are controlled by Japan but claimed by Beijing.
NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Tribune Media Company (Tribune or the Company) (NYSE: TRCO). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.



The investigation concerns whether Tribune 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]

In May 2017, Tribune and Sinclair Broadcasting Group, Inc. (Sinclair) announced a prospective merger of the two companies (the Merger). On July 16, 2018, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai issued a statement expressing serious concerns about the Merger. In particular, Chairman Pai stated that certain station divestitures that have been proposed to the FCC would allow Sinclair to control those stations in practice, even if not in name, in violation of the law. Chairman Pais statement signaled that Sinclair was not agreeing to the regulatory requirements necessary to complete the Merger, although Tribune had discussed these station divestitures repeatedly in its public filings since the May 2017 announcement of the Merger.

On this news, Tribunes stock price fell $6.44, or 16.7%, to close at $32.12 on July 16, 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

888-476-6529 ext. 9980
KYODO NEWS - Oct 19, 2018 - 21:15 | All, World

Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Friday he told his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe that unilateral action is unacceptable in the South China Sea, where Beijing is expanding its military presence.

After the launch in June of a bilateral communications mechanism to avert unwanted clashes at sea and in the air, the Japanese and Chinese defense chiefs also discussed deeper exchanges between defense authorities, according to Iwaya.

The meeting, the first official one since November 2015, was viewed as the latest sign of warming bilateral relations, coming a week before Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's scheduled talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

"In light of mutual understanding and confidence building, defense exchanges are very important," Iwaya told Wei at the outset of the meeting in Singapore. "I'd like to take this opportunity to pave the way for a full-blown improvement of Japan-China defense exchanges."

Despite the recent thaw in diplomatic ties, Japan has been keeping close tabs on China's maritime assertiveness. In September, a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine joined a drill in the South China Sea for the first time.

During Friday's meeting on the sidelines of a regional gathering of defense chiefs, Iwaya is also believed to have sought Chinese cooperation in establishing a hotline that would enable direct communications between defense authorities.

Following many years of strained ties over a small group of Japanese-controlled, Chinese-claimed uninhabited islands in the East China Sea as well as wartime history, the June launch of the communications mechanism was seen as a major step forward in avoiding unwanted clashes between the two Asian countries.

But they did not specify the geographical coverage of the mechanism and sidestepped the territorial row over the Senkaku Islands that are known as Diaoyu in China.

Chinese vessels have repeatedly entered Japanese waters around the Senkakus, with the most recent intrusion on Wednesday.
KYODO NEWS - Oct 19, 2018 - 17:16 | World, All

The defense ministers of Japan, the United States and South Korea agreed Friday they will jointly work to ensure U.N. sanctions against North Korea are strictly enforced, including blocking ship-to-ship transfers of goods.

Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters that he agreed with U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong Doo that cooperation among their defense authorities is necessary for North Korea's denuclearization.

The trilateral meeting came ahead of a possible second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which Trump expects to realize in the near future.

The historic U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore in June boosted expectations for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but no tangible progress has been made since then.

"We'd like to have hopes but we also need to look at developments regarding North Korea's denuclearization carefully," Iwaya told his U.S. and South Korean counterparts at the meeting.

The three defense chiefs confirmed their support for diplomatic efforts in achieving North Korea's denuclearization in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

Iwaya sought cooperation from South Korea, which is not currently part of international efforts to monitor North Korea's transfer of goods at sea between ships in violation of U.N. sanctions, and Jeong responded positively, according to Iwaya.

Mattis also expressed concern about China's militarization of the South China Sea during the trilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the annual ASEAN Defense Ministers-Plus meeting.

Separately, the defense chiefs of Japan and the United States held bilateral talks in which they agreed that the existing plan to relocate a U.S. military base from a residential area of Ginowan to a coastal area off Nago, both in Okinawa Prefecture, is the only viable one, the Japanese minister told reporters.

The controversial transfer of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma faces opposition in Okinawa as many local residents want the base moved out of the southwestern island prefecture.

The rift between the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Okinawa remains as Denny Tamaki, who is against the transfer based on a 1996 bilateral agreement, was elected as new Okinawa governor in September following the death in August of his predecessor Takeshi Onaga, also a staunch opponent of the base's relocation within the prefecture.

Tamaki is seeking to continue dialogue with the central government and is calling for the burdens of national security, such as hosting the bulk of U.S. military facilities, to be shared across the country.

During Friday's meeting, Iwaya explained to Mattis recent developments over the relocation as the central government took countermeasures against Okinawa, home to the bulk of U.S. military facilities in Japan.

The government asked the land ministry on Wednesday to review and invalidate the Okinawa government's decision that has suspended landfill work for the base relocation.

The defense ministers from the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have gathered with their counterparts from eight nations outside the region -- the United States, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.
KYODO NEWS - Oct 19, 2018 - 14:35 | All, World, Urgent

A top Japanese intelligence official close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had a secret meeting with North Korean counterparts in early October in Mongolia, sources familiar with bilateral ties said Thursday.

The meeting in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator could be consistent with Abe's stated desire to arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after he receives assurances about progress on the long-standing issue of abductions of Japanese nationals by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s.

Among major countries dealing with the North Korean nuclear issue, Japan is the only one to have been kept at arm's length since Kim began a string of diplomatic engagements this year. In addition to holding talks with Chinese, South Korean and U.S. leaders, Kim plans to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin by the end of the year.

During his visit to Mongolia from around Oct. 6 to 8, Shigeru Kitamura, who heads Japan's Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, met with North Korean officials, including a senior figure from the United Front Department of the Workers' Party of Korea, according to the sources.

The department is an intelligence organ mainly focused on South Korean affairs.

Admitting that the meeting took place, a senior Japanese government official told Kyodo News that "I heard they discussed how the abduction issue should be solved between Japan and North Korea."

It is believed that the contact between intelligence authorities representing Tokyo and Pyongyang is the first of its type in about three months.

Kitamura met with Kim Song Hye, head of the United Front Department's tactical office in Vietnam in mid-July.

The latest revelation sheds light on Abe's increased reliance on behind-the-scenes communications with North Korea, using intelligence authorities rather than the Foreign Ministry.

His approach seems to be similar to that of U.S. President Donald Trump, who mainly employed the Central Intelligence Agency to set the stage for his first summit with the North Korean leader in Singapore in June.

Japan has sounded out North Korea about its plan to open a liaison office in Pyongyang in the hope of resolving the abduction issue, sources with knowledge of the matter said earlier this month.

Japan officially lists 17 nationals as having been abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s but alleges their involvement in many more disappearances. Five of the 17 were repatriated in 2002.

So far, it has been learned that Pyongyang, reversing an earlier claim, unofficially told Tokyo that one of the 17 abductees, Minoru Tanaka, had actually entered North Korea.

Kitamura, a former head of the National Police Agency's intelligence department, might have discussed during the October meeting how to confirm the whereabouts of Tanaka and other abductees.

The Japanese government has publicly withheld information both about Tanaka's entry into North Korea and the recent meeting in Mongolia.

Kitamura, seen as a trusted confidant of Abe, gathers and analyzes information on both domestic and international affairs and reports to the prime minister, who has said North Korea's nuclear, missile and abduction issues should be resolved altogether.

The United Front Department is headed by Kim Yong Chol, a vice chairman of the ruling party who is a close aide to the North Korean leader. Kim Yong Chol visited the United States in May as the country's highest-ranking official to do so in nearly two decades.
KYODO NEWS - Oct 19, 2018 - 11:13 | All, Japan, Feature

The United States will urge Japan to reduce tariffs on agricultural products beyond levels agreed to under the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an 11-member regional free trade agreement, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue indicated Thursday.

"We would expect certainly equal or better than the TPP deal," Perdue told reporters, in yet another push to boost America's farm exports ahead of the expected start of negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement on goods, or TAG, in mid-January.

The comment suggests President Donald Trump's administration will push for increased market access for beef, pork and other farm products in Japan during the upcoming negotiations involving U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan's economic revitalization minister.

Last month, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed the United States will refrain from imposing tariffs on automobile imports from Japan while negotiations are under way.

Perdue made the remark two weeks after he called for better terms in a trade deal with Japan than the FTA between Japan and the European Union.

"We believe that as good customers of theirs in their automotive industry, we should have our agricultural products accepted as easily and freely as we accept the automobiles," he said Thursday.

Perdue repeated his tough stance despite the understanding between Trump and Abe that Washington would not demand deeper farm tariff cuts than levels Japan has agreed in other trade pacts such as the TPP -- from which Trump withdrew the United State last year -- and the Japan-EU FTA.

On Tuesday, Lighthizer suggested the Trump administration will push Japan to "address both tariff and nontariff barriers" in sectors such as automobiles, agriculture and services, and to "achieve fairer, more balanced trade."

Similarly, other senior U.S. officials have thrown hardballs in the run-up to the start of the trade talks, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin calling for the inclusion of a provision to prevent currency devaluations into a deal with Japan.

Vice President Mike Pence has described the prospective deal with Japan as a "free trade agreement," contradicting Japan's assertion that the accord sought by the two governments will not be as comprehensive as an FTA.

Meanwhile, Trump on Thursday praised Abe for working with him to "help balance out the one-sided Trade with Japan" and indicated expectations for more Japanese investment.

Citing a $1.6 billion joint venture between Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. in Alabama and a $170 million investment by Nissan Motor Co. in Tennessee, Trump said in a Twitter post, "These are some of the investments they are making in our Country - just the beginning!"

Figures that Trump posted in the tweet show that since he took office in January 2017, Japan is the top international investor in the United States, injecting $20 billion and creating 37,000 jobs.
Roy Joseph Vayalat, who was reportedly questioned for 11 hours on Tuesday, is accused of instructing his staff to destroy the digital evidence connected to the probe into the deaths.


Investors Should Call Italys Bluff



As long as most Italians support the euro, market turmoil in Italy looks likely to pass



By Jon Sindreu









Italys antiestablishment government is now on a collision course with the European Union. Investors should probably call its bluff and buy Italian assets.



On Friday, Italian 10-year government bond yields rose to 3.2% and spreads over German yields widened sharply. Shares in Italian banks led losses across Europe: UniCredit, the countrys biggest bank, was down almost 8%. This was after Italian officials agreed late Thursday to triple the estimated budget deficit for next year to 2.4% of gross domestic product, defying EU demands to rein in spending.



But investors should focus less on Italys budget deficits and more on its voters support for the euro.



The eurozone is an anomaly among sovereign borrowers. While each nation still issues its own debt, all 19 of them share the European Central Bank. Between 2010 and 2012, fears that Italy, Spain or Portugal would be kicked out of the bloc led spreads on their debt to balloon. They narrowed again when ECB President Mario Draghi promised to do whatever it takes to save the euro.



The lesson here: Most of what those spreads are measuring isnt the risk of default, as in the corporate-bond market, but the fear of a country leaving the eurozone, which would likely mean investors getting paid back in Italian lira or Spanish pesetas. This summers ructions in Italy reinforced the point. Italian spreads only jumped on the news that parties in the new government had drafted secret plans in which they considered exiting the euro.





Public debt in Portugal and Spain remains gigantic, and investors dont seem to mind. They shouldnt: As long as the eurozone doesnt break up, sovereign debts will be paid back.



Investors who bet on this back in 2012, or after the Greek crisis in 2015, have amassed large gains. The eurozone as a whole is no different to the U.S. or the U.K., where governments can always print money to pay back creditors.





Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini speaks during a press conference in Tunisia on Sept. 27. Photo: fethi belaid/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images





Of course, the Italian government might secretly want to be kicked out of the eurozone, and defying European officials could be the first step toward that goal. But a 2.4% deficitstill below the EUs 3% ruleis unlikely to be the start of an all-out political war.



Moreover, about 59% of Italians support the common currency, eurozone official surveys showthe lowest in the bloc, but still a clear majority. Even the painful budget cuts that the EU imposed on Greece werent enough to energize support for ditching the euro there.



Until support for the euro crumbles, heres a rule of thumb for longer-term investors: If any eurozone bonds yield much more than Germanys, buy them.
The well-known gem of B-town Javed Akhtar visited an ailing Rishi Kapoor and his better half Neetu Kapoor in New York. For those who dont know Rishi Kapoor left for New York for a medical treatment as he clued-up his fans on social media as saying, Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. It's been 45 years "plus" of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon!

So far several B-town actors had travelled to the city to visit Rishi Kapoor including Anupam Kher, Priyanka Chopra, and Alia Bhatt.

After Javed Akhtar visited the actor and did what he is best at- spreading positive vibes. Rishi Kapoor expressed his gratitude to the veteran lyricist for entertaining and making him laugh. Rishi Kapoor wished him all the luck to Akhtar for his musical concert.

Thank you Javed Sahab for entertaining and making us laugh so much. Thank for visiting us! Wish you all super luck for your block buster musical shows. Believe me-your show is a break through idea, Rishi Kapoor tweeted.

In his post, we see a smiling Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor and the ever charismatic Javed Akhtar blissfully posing for their social-media worthy pics  Check out the post here
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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.
Children who develop inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease) have an increased risk of death, both in childhood and later in life, a study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the journal Gastroenterology reports. It is therefore important that patients who are diagnosed as children are carefully monitored, argue the researchers behind the study.

The researchers identified patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease between the years 1964 and 2014 via the Swedish patient register. Using these data, they compared mortality rates in about 9,400 children who developed IBD with those of other children.

Their results show that children who developed IBD before the age of 18 have a three to five-fold higher mortality rate than people without IBD, both during childhood and into adulthood. This translates to a 2.2-year reduction in life expectancy in individuals monitored up to the age of 65.

"It should be remembered that we're talking small differences in number of deaths," explains lead author Ola Olen, consultant and researcher at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Medicine in Solna. "Most young people with IBD do not die earlier than their peers, but a few individuals with a severe case of IBD and serious complications such as cancer greatly elevate the relative risk."

The most common cause of death was cancer, while fatalities due to IBD itself accounted for the largest relative increase in mortality.

"Individuals who are diagnosed in childhood need to be monitored carefully," says Dr Olen. "Those who might especially benefit from being closely monitored to avoid fatal intestinal cancer are children with ulcerative colitis, who also have the chronic liver disease primary sclerosing cholangitis."

IBD in adults has previously been linked to shortened life expectancy. IBD is often thought to have a more aggressive disease course in children than in adults and has been associated with several types of cancer. However, it has been unclear how life expectancy is affected by childhood-onset IBD and if the mortality rate has changed since the introduction of modern drugs.

"IBD therapy has improved greatly since the 1960s," says Dr Olen. "For one thing, we often now use new types of immunomodulating drugs. However, we couldn't see that mortality rates have gone down since their introduction."

###

The study was financed by the Swedish Society of Medicine, the Swedish Stomach and Bowel Association's Fund, the Jane and Dan Olsson Foundation, the Milk Drop Association, the Bengt Ihre scholarship for gastroenterological research, Karolinska Institutet's Foundations and Funds, ALF funding, the Swedish Cancer Society, the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research.

Publication: "Increased Mortality of Patients with Childhood-onset Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Compared With the General Population". Ola Olen, Johan Askling, Michael Sachs, Paolo Frumento, Martin Neovius, Karin Ekstrom Smedby, Anders Ekbom, Petter Malmborg and Jonas F Ludvigsson. Gastroenterology, online 17 October 2018, doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2018.10.028.
"Primary health care is in crisis... Leadership after the Astana meeting is essential to rejuvenate and revitalise all aspects of primary health care." - The Lancet special issue on primary health care marks 40 years since landmark Alma-Ata Declaration.

Forty years since the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 [1], global leaders will convene in Astana (Kazakhstan) on 25-26 October to renew their commitment to primary health care. In the lead up to the conference, The Lancet publishes a special issue on primary health care, warning that:

"Primary health care is in crisis. It is underdeveloped in many countries, underfunded in others, and facing a severe workforce recruitment and retention challenge. Half the world's population has no access to the most essential health services. Yet 80-90% of people's health needs across their lifetime can be provided within a primary health-care framework--from maternity care and disease prevention through vaccination, to management of chronic conditions and palliative care. As populations age, and multimorbidity becomes the norm, the role of primary health-care workers becomes ever more important.

"In 1978, the Declaration of Alma-Ata was ground-breaking in uniting health leaders behind the importance of primary health care as key to delivering better health for all, and to the value of social justice, health equity, and the social determinants of health. But 40 years later, this vision has not been realised. Instead, the focus has been on individual diseases with variable results. Now the Sustainable Development Goals provide new impetus to reach universal health coverage via strengthened primary health care... The Astana Declaration marks the beginning of a better future for primary health care. Leadership after the Astana meeting is essential to rejuvenate and revitalise all aspects of primary health care."

###

The special issue will be launched at the Global Conference on Primary Health Care [2], co-hosted by the Government of Kazakhstan, WHO, and UNICEF, which will bring together 1200 leaders (including heads of state; ministers of health, finance, education, and social welfare; non-governmental organisations; researchers; health practitioners; and youth leaders) to endorse the Astana Declaration.
Developed countries imposing their own Security Sector Reform (SSR) processes onto nations recovering from war often rely on entrenched colonial attitudes with no guarantee of success

Developed countries imposing their own Security Sector Reform (SSR) processes onto nations recovering from war often rely on entrenched colonial attitudes with no guarantee of success.

Research led by the University of Kent specifically looked at the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) and Nepal contrasting their outcomes and examining the reasons for success or failure of SSR policies based on European templates. They question whether the systems even work in their countries of origin where statistics show ongoing institutional racism.

SSR is a key feature of peacebuilding interventions and is usually undertaken by a state alongside national and international partners. Many programmes still aim to create a security sector following a European template, without sufficiently acknowledging that this might not work in countries outside of Europe.

Dr Nadine Ansorg of Kent's School of Politics and International Relations (POLIR) at Kent, together with Dr Julia Strasheim, Federal Chancellor Helmut Schmidt Foundation, Hamburg, found that social and political dynamics, historical and cultural details, and the involvement of other nearby countries all have to be factored into when creating meaningful SSR policies for a nation.

In DRC, the high number of rebel groups from within and outside the country posed a major obstacle to a successful demobilisation of forces. Nepal, in a contained geographical area and without involvement of neighbouring countries and other vested interests, experienced a completely different outcome to DRC.

The research highlights the need to genuinely acknowledge that SSR programmes must respond to their specific contexts. A programme that works in one country will not necessarily work in another which may explain the mixed results in peacebuilding and the co-operation and tensions within reform programmes.

Dr Ansorg said: 'There is a strong streak of post-colonial, persistent Eurocentric concepts in international SSR programmes, by the United Nations, World Bank, and other donors. After all, the government also persistently embodies a neo-colonial attitude towards countries from the Global South, as the recent visit of British Prime Minister Theresa May to Africa showed, and not forgetting the words of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on the subject.'

###

The findings Veto Players in Post-Conflict DDR Programs: Evidence From Nepal and the DRC by Dr Nadine Ansorg and Dr Julia Strasheim are published in the Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding.

It will also be included in a special publication: Co-operation, Contestation and Complexity in Post-Conflict Security Sector Reform edited by Dr Nadine Ansorg of the School of Politics and International Relations (POLIR), and GIGA (German Institute of Global and Area Studies), and Dr Eleanor Gordon, Monash University later this year.

Established in 1965, the University of Kent - the UK's European university - now has almost 20,000 students across campuses or study centres at Canterbury, Medway, Tonbridge, Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome.

It was ranked 22nd in the Guardian University Guide 2018 and in June 2017 was awarded a gold rating, the highest, in the UK Government's Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF).

In 2018 it was also ranked in the top 500 of Shanghai Ranking's Academic Ranking of World Universities and 47th in the Times Higher Education's (THE) new European Teaching Rankings.

Kent is ranked 17th in the UK for research intensity (REF 2014). It has world-leading research in all subjects and 97% of its research is deemed by the REF to be of international quality.

Along with the universities of East Anglia and Essex, Kent is a member of the Eastern Arc Research Consortium.

The University is worth 0.7 billion to the economy of the south east and supports more than 7,800 jobs in the region. Student off-campus spend contributes 293.3m and 2,532 full-time-equivalent jobs to those totals.

Kent has received two Queen's Anniversary prizes for Higher and Further Education.
Rabbi Jeremy Rosen has sent in the following article about his late father, Kopul Rosen's, z'l, relationship with the Rebbe. The comments in square brackets [ ] are Rabbi Rosen's corrections to Rabbi Tuvia Bolton's article as published by Chabad in Israel. They have been indented for clarity and readability.

My comments? Another Chabad myth destroyed:

Chabad Fantasy

By Rabbi Jeremy Rosen

The Lubavitcher Rebbe was undeniably a great man and arguably the greatest Jew of his generation. Many of his followers have done outstanding work around the globe. But sadly as with every large organisation they have their crooks, their swindlers and their liars. Amongst their failings is an exaggerated tendency to maximise miracles the Rebbe performed (while ignoring his limitations) and frankly lying to suit their own propaganda.

For many years there has been a story circulating that my father who died in 1962 was promised he would be cured by the Rebbe provided he did not tell anyone. But he did and thats why he died. These stories caused my late mother as great deal of distress and at one stage she actually planned to take legal action. I have just had it brought to my attention that this dishonest story is still being disseminated. You can find a copy of this Chillul HaShem here HYPERLINK "http://www.ohrtmimim.org/Torah" http://www.ohrtmimim.org/Torah .

The facts of the situation are that in the autumn of 1961 my late father (spelled Kopul) was diagnosed with a particularly virulent form of Lukaemia and he was being kept alive by regular blood transfusions. The Doctors described his condition as terminal. Initially he kept on repeating that he was in the hands of God, not fallible human doctors, but as he deteriorated his initial optimism began to wane. An old friend Rabbi Laizer Spector wnt with him to visit the Lubavitcher Rebbe in New York. (My uncle  who had been going regularly to see the Rebbe before these events  had gone before my father.) My father was tremendously impressed by the Rebbe who encouraged him to devote his remaining time to preparing himself to meet his Maker. He suggested my father grow his beard full, wear a gartel when he prayed and study the Tanya daily. The visit certainly gave my father a lot of spiritual comfort. When he returned he wrote many letters to friends and pupils telling them that he was nearing his end but facing it with confidence. Things deteriorated of course and in the winter he went to New York again for a final visit to the Rebbe. He kept very detailed notes of both visits so we have written evidence apart from his own memory.

The Rebbe reassured him that he would live to dance at his daughter's wedding (she was two at the time). One can argue whether this was honest or not. Let us assume he was just trying to give him courage or speaking mystically. But medically there was no chance of recovery. He died less than two months later.

Although I have never joined Chabad, when I was a rabbi in Glasgow I arranged for Chaim Jacobs to come as the Chabad emissary and indeed he was employed by my Synagogue, Giffnock, until he could get on to his own two feet. The Rebbe blessed my first marriage and was instrumental in my returning to Carmel as Headmaster. I made several trips to New York to see the Rebbe and to get Chabad teachers to come to Carmel . But no, I am a fellow traveller rather than a believer.

All this is by way of introduction. Here is the body of this regurgitated myth:

The scene is London 1963. [My father died in 1962.] Three religious bearded Jews are sitting around a table and one, a noted Rabbi and community leader by the name of Rabbi Koppel (sic) Rosen was weeping. Usually he was known almost as well for his disdain toward the Chabad Chassidim [Strange. When I was in Beer Yaakov yeshiva in 1957 he came to visit and together we went to Kfar Chabad to meet some friends of his. He was responsible for getting Lord Wolfson to fund the building of Lubavitch House in Stamford Hill in the 1950s and he was a very old friend of Reb Laizer Spector, ZL one of the main early supporters of Chabad in London who actually went with him to the Rebbe the first time. My father was in contact with the Rebbe long before, as letters exchanged between them in the fifties on various issues attest. Incidentally although my late father was sent to Mir Yeshivah and became a great admirer of Rav Yerucham Levovitz ZL after whom I am named and the Mussar movement, he was actually born into a family of Radomsker Chassidim and the Chasidic atmosphere was a far more formative aspect of home life than the Lithuanian.] as he was for his erudition. [Whose erudition? His own? He lived for Torah.] Whenever there was an opportunity to belittle or even vilify Chabad he took it. [Really? Id like to hear one person say he ever heard my father belittle Chabad.] But now it seems that things had changed. Several weeks later Rabbi Rosen was standing before the Rebbe. It had all come about so suddenly, he had always shuddered in rupulsion (sic) at the name Chabad [Oh no not that lie again!] and now it was so obvious that the Rebbe was unequaled in holiness and knowledge that he was actually shaking with excitement. But the Rebbe wasn't enthusiastic about his idea of becoming a Chassid. "Chassid?" he answered, "I am willing to accept you as a partner. But not a Chassid." [My father kept very detailed notes of his meeting and only the first part of this about being a partner can be found amongst them.] Rabbi Rosen stayed for over a week in Brooklyn [He has got the two visits confused and time scales wrong] and every day he felt better and better, in some ways better than ever before in his life. For the first time the hatred [Hatred? What hatred? Of whom? My father never bore grudges nor hated anyone. Chabad? Them why had he been helping them for so long?] he had always carried in his heart was gone. That Shabbat he attended the 'Farbrengen' (gathering) of the Rebbe. Rabbi Rosen was elated. After the Farbringen he told everyone he met of the amazing miracle that was happening to him;. how just reading the Tanya and seeing the Rebbe completely cured him of the worst disease and made him young again. [There was no cure, no remission. But I agree he did feel tremendous spiritual elation from being with the Rebbe.] When the Shabbat was over he called home and told his wife to advertise the miracle until everyone knew. [Rubbish, confirmed by my mother.] Rabbi Rosen never felt better in his life. [He was on constant blood transfusions!] He exclaimed that he was healthy and he felt it would last for ever. "I'll begin by telling everyone about my miraculous recovery!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. [His letters, notes and conversations say nothing about this at all.] But the Rebbe emphatically stopped him. "No! You must tell no one! [Complete piffle.] But it was too late. Rabbi Rosin (sic) had already advertised [Strange that none of his family knew about this myth.] After a few months he contracted a cold which developed complications [He had leukaemia!] and, as the Rebbe forsaw (sic), he passed away. Today, said the Rebbe, we should advertise to ALL the world that the time for Moshiach is here! Soon all the sick will be permanently healed, war and hatred will cease to exist and eventually even the dead will rise! It depends on us to do all we can to bring....Moshiach now!!!

Boobah Maisehs and lies will not bring the Moshiach NOW!!

Frankly if he/they can invent this, then every story they tell becomes suspect. I just hope someone of honesty and truth in Chabad sees this and puts an end to it for the sake of their good name.
This week's David Klinghoffer's Forward column The Disputation deals with the Matisyahu issue and with Chabad in general. Here, for my money (and ego) is the money quote:

For centuries, the role of the Jewish people as a "kingdom of priests" (Exodus 19:6) calling humanity to the worship of the one God was suspended. In our day, thanks to the growing interest of non-Jews in Judaism, that has started to change. Matisyahu may be the best example of a Jew ministering in this priestly role on a mass scale. His efforts, however, have won him Jewish detractors, who prefer that Jews remain anonymous or irrelevant. Take, for example, the sniping from the peanut gallery coming out of the consistently sour but readable blog FailedMessiah.com: "What Matisyahu does is unseemly. Few, if any, significant poskim (rabbinic legal scholars who rule on Halacha) would approve. But what bothers me more is blatant trading on Kaballah and Hasidut to make money. That this does not bother mainstream Chabad may be because this is what mainstream Chabad has itself done for years." Indeed, Chabad's efforts have earned the movement its share of enemies. The rabbi at the Reform temple where I grew up used to speak out against the local Chabad emissary; the competition made him nervous. And in the Orthodox world, a few can't forget the imbroglio in the 1990s in which some followers of Chabad's late spiritual leader, the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Schneerson, let it be known that they expected he would return and reveal himself as the Messiah. Thankfully, that fever dream has subsided.

I thank Klinghoffer for quoting me. Still, Klinghoffer is wrong on many counts:

I am certainly not opposed to Jews being a light onto the nations in an active fashion. What I and many other critics of Matisyahu are concerned about has been clearly stated on this blog. Being a light onto the nations or a need to remain "under the radar screen" is not one of them. Klinghoffer ignores the fact that poskim do not allow what Matisyahu does, and that poskim from Chabad, while the Rebbe was alive, told musicians they could not do what Matisyahu is now doing. Messianism has not gone away, as even any casual observer of Chabad knows, It is dominant in Israel, France, the FSU, and in Crown Heights. Matisyahu himself is a messianist.

Klinghoffer brushes away these facts just as he brushes away Marvin Schick's concern about the lessening religious standards in Chabad, something there is much proof for. He also makes it appear as if Schick is an enemy of Chabad, something that is absolutely false  although, to be fair, Klinghoffer may not know this.

How can Klinghoffer make claims that disregard fact? I'll give you my personal answer. Klinghoffer is a devotee of Rabbi Daniel Lapin, the maverick Orthodox rabbi shunned by many in mainstream Modern Orthodoxy and by most in the haredi world. Lapin has made a career (outside of his business involvements, which have been, in some cases, highly questionable from a legal standpoint) of supporting right wing political causes (he is one of Jack Abramoff's rabbis) and of "kashering" the religious and extremist right*. To do this, one needs to adopt an ends justify the means theology, which is just what Lapin has done. And this theology drives his disciples, as well.

Several years ago, WorldVision launched a campaign to aid those hurt by suicide bombing and terrorist attacks in Israel. The radio commercial had bombs exploding, sirens wailing. Where was the money going? To the West Bank and Gaza, and only to Arabs. I asked WorldVision why. A spokesperson responded by saying (I paraphrase) that WorldVision helps the most at need. Jews can take care of themselves. The Arabs cannot. I asked about the morality of using terror attacks against Jews to raise money for Arabs. Terror hurts both sides, was the response.

The Salem Radio Network had a joint campaign with WorldVision to fund this very project. Ads for it ran during both the Dennis Prager and Michael Medved shows. In effect, both shows raised money for the extended families of suicide bombers. I contacted both hosts and explained the problem. Both wanted details that involved many hours of research. I did that research (without pay) and sent the information to Prager and Medved. Prager** banned all ads for that WorldVision campaign from running during his show. But what did Medved, whose rabbi-guru is Lapin, do? He increased the ads and began endorsing that very WorldVision project. Why?

I believe for the same reason Klinghoffer can so easily ignore fact. The ends justify the means.*** It wasn't worth damaging his (and Lapin's) relationship with the evangelical-owned and operated Salem radio over the WorldVision project, especially because WorldVision is a major powerhouse in the evangelical world and is, not surprisingly, a major advertiser on Salem stations.

Klinghoffer is a follower of Lapin. To the extent that his article reflects that relationship, it is Lapin  and his theology  that is to blame. The same is true for Medved and WorldVision.

If well-meaning Chabad supporters would focus on keeping Chabad within halakha, instead of kashering every instance of deviation from it, Chabad would be in much better shape, and blogs like Failedmessiah.com would not need to exist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*Evangelical and other Christian Fundamentalist theology, as it impacts the public square, is not necessarily incompatible with Judaism any more than it is automatically compatible. For example, while Judaism frowns on abortion, it does not ban abortion outright and allows (and sometimes mandates!) abortion for a host of reasons related to the physical and mental health of the mother. This is why many poskim (like some of those ignored by Klinghoffer) do not support the anti-abortion movement. Lapin goes beyond this position to, in effect, kasher all but the most blatantly anti-Jewish positions of evangelicals.

**Yes, it is true that Prager is also a supporter of Chabad. But Prager is not Orthodox, and his views on halakha are not close to Orthodoxy's.

***By ends in this case I mean ideological ends, not financial gain. In other words, in this case the ends are "ohr lagoyyim" and the means, Matisyahu and Chabad. Rabbi Lapin considers ohr lagoyyim to be a cornerstone of his public work and ideology/theology.
The Gigi and Fritzl Show

It was before the turn of the millennium, and I was having lunch with my editor. I was fussing about the cousins who feed and house me when Im in New York because they are so thoroughly baffling. Each is a second cousin to me and to the otherand yet they have been partners for over two decades. When I mentioned their names, natural to me because Ive heard them all my life, she pitched back in her chair laughing. Gigi and Fritzl? Youre making that up.

For a year or so after that I thought about mooshing them around into characters for a novel, but never quite got it right. Both were forces majeures who read my work and would have done a Jewish-mother routine on me that would have made life unbearable. Instead I have settled for going up to New York from my home in New Orleans and watching them feud mercilessly all weekend. You see, theirs is not a relationship made in heaven. I marvel at how the Diaspora of the 20th century flung the three of us so far and wide and created three such different souls. Gigi grew up a cultural sophisticate in Vichy Paris, Fritzl grew up in Queens as the son of new immigrants, and I grew up in the Deep South, the daughter of a woman whose family had been in New Orleans for four generations and a man who had escaped Nazi Germany the day Hitler invaded Poland. I need to know Gigi and Fritzl because they are all I have left of my father.

Gigi now lives on the Upper West Side and will not go to Queens; a personal injury attorney, Fritzl schleps into the city every Saturday to be her consort. He is a reluctant suitor, dragged fussing and fuming to theater and museums, often enjoying only the fine-dining part of the equation. She in turn rolls her eyes and does a lot of cajoling when he flies her to far-off beaches and wants to loll on them. I follow their story by daily e-mail. Almost always with Gigi. Even though she is observant, and Fritzl is more of a cultural Jew and closer to me as a Southern Jew with no identity, she is closer to me emotionally.

And so I was in touch on a late December day when Fritzl and I seemed on the surface to have something in common. Evidently he had ignored plumbing troubles until they had become so ubiquitous that he had rust and leaks everywhere in his lower level of his house near Far Rockaway, and floors and walls were so rotten they would have to be replaced. He had a disaster on his hands.

I, too, had a mess. I was in New Orleans experiencing what I can only term a flashback. I woke up Thursday morning to the sound of a huge rainstorm. Heavy rainfall with no thunder, much like the arrival of Katrina, except that there was no high wind to blow the rain horizontal. I knew all this because I had not evacuated for the hurricane. I looked out the front door to see how difficult it would be to retrieve my newspaper and instead saw the street was beginning to flood.

It was already up to the undercarriage of the cars. Id like to say that I had some kind of big emotional reaction, but I had zero affect. I think Id been expecting just such an event for so long that I was mentally shrugging with a So what else is new? I matter-of-factly put on sneakers and headed for the basement. After the hurricane, Id initially made an effort to put absolutely nothing downstairs, but after 16 months Id become complacent. There was stuff down there. Mostly my sons foolishness, but I had a couple of items. Most notably, Id spent considerable money on a dorm-sized refrigerator and a generator that I decided were a good idea in case a Category 2 hurricane hit, and I decided to ride it out.

Of course, I hadnt thought about what Id do with the fridge and the generator in a flood. With adrenalin I lifted the refrigerator onto a cinder block; I moved the generator to the highest point in the basement and hoped the water wouldnt rise to its motor. And then I went upstairs and sat in front of the TV and waited for the electricity to shut off. It didnt, and I thought maybe something was going right in New Orleans. Clearly the pumping stations had not been restored.

After a while I went online, and I got into an exchange of e-mails with Gigi. She regaled me with the latest on Fritzls considerable damage from broken pipes. In turn, I told her how I had water in my basement. I jokingly commended her for her good sense to have chosen to live on the tenth floor. She wrote back that sometimes she thought about vacationing on a tropical isle but couldnt give up her creature comforts. In response, I said that after the hurricane Id lived without any amenitieselectricity, water, gas, phone, car, and so onand it had been fine. We were having a spirited dialogue, or so I thought. I told her what the mess in my basement looked like.

And then

She wrote and asked how soon Id be able to get someone out to repair my problem.

I sat at my computer and had my first emotional reaction since Id woken up to the horrible rainstorm. Repair my problem? Repair my problem?! The streets of New Orleans were flooding, in some places waist-deep, and I was going to call a repairman the way Fritzl had to repair my problem?

After all these years of straining to understand my cousins lives and shrugging because I figured they were New York-centric and didnt think the South was worth exploring beyond a three-day tourist visit, I exploded. The federal government has to repair my problem! I wrote back.

Gigi, Fritzl, and I are far flung because of the great diaspora of the twentieth century. On a very much smaller scale, there has been a diaspora in the twenty-first. Im a New Orleanian. I write novels as a New Orleanian. Its my identity. In coming generations, people a lot like me are going to be popping up all over the country, and theyre going to be finding their second cousins with the same great-grandmother from New Orleans. I suppose theyll have the same struggle. Its going to be hard.
Joshua Henkin is the grandson of Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin, the leading American haredi halakhic decisor (i.e., the gadol hador) before Rabbi Moshe Feinstein. Beside his yichus, Joshua Henkin is also a writer and teacher of creative writing. His new novel, Matrimony, is about to be released by Pantheon:

Joshua Henkin wrote the following Guest Post for FailedMessiah.com readers:

Although the book tour for my new novel, Matrimony, doesnt begin until the middle of October, I had my first event the other nighta panel held at the Museum of the City of New York called Writing in Jewish. Moderated by Alana Newhouse, the arts editor of the Forward, the panel of four Jewish writers addressed the question of what it means to be a Jewish writer, whether we even consider ourselves Jewish writers, and how being Jewish affects and inflects our writing.

For me, this is a hard question to answer. I was raised in a modern Orthodox Jewish home on Manhattans Upper West Side. I went to the Ramaz School and to camp Ramah, the Conservative movements camp. My mother was raised in a Reform Jewish home, whereas my father was the son of a famous Orthodox rabbia gadol hador, in fact. To this day, the discovery that I am the grandson of Rav Yosef Eliyahu Henkin has gotten me more invitations to Shabbat meals than I can count.

I grew up with a mixture of influencesmy mother, who, though she kept a kosher home once she married my father, nonetheless remained non-observant when she was on her own; my father, who stayed frum, but who went to Harvard Law School and became a law professor at Columbia and who lives squarely in the secular world. This is a man who received a medal of bravery in World War II for convincing a band of Germans to lay down their arms while he himself was unarmed. And how did my father do this? By speaking to the German soldiers in his own first languageYiddish! This was 1944, mind you. And years later, when I was at a secular nursery school on Manhattans Upper West Side and Santa Claus was visiting school, there was a moment of silence, and then a voice peeped out: Whos Santa Claus? That was me. Yet the friends I played ball with in Riverside Park, most of them werent Jewish.

So I was shaped by a wide array of influences. Today, Im married to a professor of Talmud at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and in my own idiosyncratic way I remain observant. But how does this translate into my writing, particularly since I write fiction? I don't think of myself as Jewish or as anything in particular when I sit down to write a novel. I think about my characterssome of them frum, some of them not frum, some of them not Jewish at all. Being Jewish on some level probably affects everything I do, but its not something Im conscious of as I do those things, particularly when what Im doing is writing fiction.

One of the things I said during the panel is that, as a novelist, I am very interested in time, and perhaps that grows out of my relationship to time when I was a child. I associated time with the start and end of Shabbat, how everything is timed down to the minute. Apparently, when I was six or seven and it was the night we switched to Daylight Saving Time, I said to my parents, "Do non-Jews switch their clocks, too?" But is a concern with time a singularly Jewish phenomenon? Is every writer who is interested in time therefore a Jewish writer?

There was a lot of talk on the panel about whether Jews are outsiders or insiders, how Jewish literature has changed over time, and, as would be expected, we didn't come to a consensus. I myself am suspicious of measuring Jewish writing and Jewish writers by the Jewish content of their novels. My first novel, Swimming Across the Hudson, was very directly a novel about Jewish identity. Matrimony, though it has some material about Jewish identity, is less directly about that subject. But is it a less Jewish novel? I dont think it is. Its just a different kind of Jewish novel. And could it have been written by a non-Jewish writer? It could have, I suppose, but that non-Jew would have had to know some Hebrew, not to mention have some knowledge of halacha, since these things come into play in the book. Every character, every novel is different, and the fiction writer must take what comes to him and run with it; above all, he must be true to his characters. That, to my mind, is the fiction writer's principal task.
Author M.J. Rose has new well-reviewed book out, a novel of suspense called The Reincarnationist. M.J. agreed to do a little guest post for us. I haven't read the book yet, but I hope to soon, perhaps over Sukkot. In this guest post, M.J. tells us the eerie story of how she became interested in reincarnation and why, after years of trying, she finally wrote this book:

Whats a nice Jewish girl from New York City doing writing a novel about reincarnation? To answer that question I have to go back not that far but to when I was three years old and at a Seder.

The family was gathered around and my great great grandfather who was a Kabbalistic scholar was saying a prayer over the wine when I chirped up and told him something about a Seder hed had in home in Russia when he was a child.

I was three. I didnt even know what Russia was.

But, my mother later told me, because I dont remember it, he never finished the prayer.

I apparently had told him something that hed never told anyone about, an embarrassing moment in the life of a 9 year-old boy, buried deep inside this 88 year-old man.

He became convinced I was a reincarnation of someone in his past which considering his study of the Kabbala was not that strange. The mystical teachings explain that we are born over and over, returning to learn in this life, the lesson we didnt learn in the last.

There are many Jewish fables about greedy wealthy landowners reincarnated as beggars to learn about generosity and shrewish wives reborn and kind husbands to learn about love.

That night at the Seder, my mother was disturbed. A very sane and logical woman who was very much a secular Jew was pretty much horrified at the turn in the events of the evening. She argued with her grandfather that Id overheard the story or it was a coincidence and he argued right back that she was wrong and I was here again, in his life again for a reason. He was also a Talmudic scholar and an expert arguer. He won.

After more incidents, my mother started to study reincarnation and spoke to several other Kabbalists and came to believe what my great great grandfather believed: that in a past life, Id been in Russia and had been part of his family and was here for a reason.

Reincarnation was an idea I grew up with that my mom and I talked about often and researched together as her interest in it continued.

For years, I wanted to write a novel about someone like my mother  who was sane and logical  who started out skeptical but came to believe in reincarnation. But I was afraid if I did people would think I was a woo woo weirdo.

I tried to start the book ten years ago after my mother died but I was too close to the subject and missed her too much to be able to explore it objectively. Every once in while the idea would start to pester me again but I still stayed away from it.

Then a few years ago on the exact anniversary of my moms death my niece, who was a toddler at the time, said some very curious things to me about my mother and I  things she really couldnt have known -- and the pestering became an obsession.

Josh Ryder, the main character has my moms initials, her spirit and her curiosity and like her, hes a photographer. But there the similarities end.

When Josh starts having flashbacks that simply cant be explained any other way except as possible reincarnation memories he goes to New York to study with Dr. Malachai Samuels -- a scientist and Reincarnationist who works with children helping them deal with past life memories.

In the process Josh gets caught up in the search for ancient memory tools that may or may not physically enable people to reach back and discover who they were and who they are.

The book has garnered stars from both Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, People Magazine and is a BookSense pick for September. I think of all my books, this is the one my mom would be the most proud of which is fitting since its really the one she inspired.
Ashkenazi Jewry.

Despite being scattered to ends of the earth in the two millenia Diaspora, the once tribal religion of the ancient Hebrews has remained remarkably insular. Askhenazi Jewry, which has its roots in Central and Eastern Europe more than a thousand years ago, and still numbered as few as 25,000 people into the fourteenth century, are the most genetically distinct population of all. In my recent book, Abrahams Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People I quote the estimate of Michael Hammer, the famous geneticist and Y-chromosomal expert, who believes that that the rate of non-Jews who entered the Ashkenazi Jewish gene pool over these many centuries was less than .5 percent per generation until recent decades. What does that mean? After all, Jews have paid a heavy price throughout history for being considered a race. Theyve been targeted for their religious beliefs and their cultural distinctiveness.

Scientists are studying group genetic variation because it offers the key to understanding the origins of diseases, which is the real focus of human genome research. The fact that scientists now acknowledge group-to-group differences should not be seen as resurrecting problematic racial theories. But it does mean we need a vocabularly to discuss human differences. This is particularly important to Ashkenazi Jews who are at the center of this debate.

Race is a taboo question to ask in this politically correct era but for Jews interested in the survival of the state of Israel, it must be confronted. Because the right of returnthe principle that Jews have a right to immigrate to Israel and become citizens if they can verify Jewish ancestrydepends on it. In the age of DNA, we can now answer that question with some assuredness.

A walk through the geopolitical hazard zone known as the Internet finds untold numbers of screeds by anti-Israeli groups challenging the very premise of the right of return, claiming that Ashkenazi Jews are converts, so Jews have no ancestral, let alone Biblical, association with Israel. They base their inflammatory contentions on the writings of a Jewish journalist, Arthur Koestler, whose 30-year old book, The Thirteenth Tribe claimed that most European Jews were not Semites but descendants of Khazarians, part of the once-Jewish Khazarian empire whose nobility converted to Judaism during the late first millennium. The historical record was never clear about this, which left an opening for anti-Zionists like Koestler to turn their ideology into pop history. His book was embraced by some Jews and the general public. But its become gospel in many Arab circles, which contend that displaced Palestinians are the real native sons of the Levant.

What does the DNA say?

According to Hammer and numerous other scientists, Jewish and Christians, Jews are one of the most distinctive populationsa term scientists use rather than the folkloric notion of racein the world. On our male side, approximately 70-80 percent of Ashkenazi Jews can trace their ancestry back to ancient Israel. A vast majority of Cohanim even trace back to one man who lived approximately 3300 years agoperhaps Aaron, the first High Priest, if he indeed existed. DNA provides genetic witness to key stories in the Hebrew Bible and clearly rebukes Koestlers thesis. As much as 20 percent of Ashkenazi Jewsme includingdo have what might likely be Khazarian genes, which geneticists believes lead credence to the story of the conversion to Jewry of a tiny segment of the Khazarian populationthe nobility. Many of them reportedly also were granted Levite status, which is a reasonable explanation for why half of all Levites have non-Jewish Khazarian origins.

Our maternal Ashkenazi lineage is more complicated and still to be fully unraveled. Israeli geneticist Doron Behar found that about 4 million of todays Ashkenazi Jews about 40 percent of Jews originating in Central and Eastern Europedescend from just four women. But as many as half of all Ashkenazi Jews might have as its founding mother a non-Jew, as Jewish traders plying the back roads of Europe took on local wives and then subsequently raised their children as Jews, sometimes without the new Jewish mother having undergone formal conversion.

The bottom line: Ashkenazi Jews are by the measure of population genetics one of the most distinctive populations in the world, which explains why there are so many Jewish diseases and (scientists speculate) why Ashkenazi Jews have the highest IQ of any population in the world as a consequence, some scientists believe, of both cultural and genetic factors. We are a genetic goldmine, as scientists peer into our genes to solve the mysteries of life and death.

Jon Entine is author of Abrahams Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People and can be contacted here.
The most enduring question about Oskar Schindler is why he bothered to save Jews. By contrast, the most damning question asked about Kasztner is why he didnt save more.

Egon Mayer

Rezso (Rudolph) Kasztner is a much-vilified figure in haredi communities, largely for two reasons  Perfidy, Ben Hecht's smear of Kasztner, and anti-Zionism.

A new book, based on six years of research, has just been published. It does what Hecht failed to do
"Moser," "snitch," in all likelihood can never go home again.

Ex-mogul, informant, now pariah, Solomon Dwek faces shunning by Syrian Jewish community

By JEAN MIKLE  GANNETT NEW JERSEY, APP

Solomon Dwek, the central figure in the FBI's arrest of five rabbis on money-laundering charges, is likely a pariah in the Syrian Jewish community that once praised his business acumen and philanthropic acts.

His own rabbi father spoke emotionally about the case to his congregation, while those who have been shunned in the past say Dwek will be ignored, spat upon, and even in mortal danger if he returns to the Deal area he once called home.

But a local Jewish community group said the allegations against a few should not overshadow all the good the Syrian Jews have done.

"One of (the) core values we embrace is a deep and abiding respect for the law," said the Sephardic Community Alliance, an umbrella group that includes more than two-dozen Syrian organizations.

In what sources describe as an extremely emotional speech at Deal Synagogue July 25, Dwek's father, Rabbi Isaac Dwek, strongly denounced the act of a Jew informing on other Jews, without specifically mentioning his son.

Rabbi Dwek then asked the community to pray for him and his family. Rabbi Dwek is head of the synagogue and one of the leaders of the local Syrian community.

Rabbi Dwek could not be reached for comment.

[Audio of Rabbi Dwek explaining that his son Solomon is "a former member of my family." "I said 'Baruch Dayan HaEmet,'" Rabbi Dwek said.]

Just two days earlier, on July 23, Edmond Nahum, 56, an assistant rabbi at the temple, was arrested in the FBI raid and charged with money laundering.

Other religious leaders arrested include Rabbi Saul Kassin, 87, of Brooklyn, spiritual leader of the Syrian Jewish community; Eliahu Ben Haim, 58, of Long Branch, principal rabbi of Congregation Ohel Yaacob in Deal; Mordechai Fish, 56, rabbi at Congregation Sheves Achim in Brooklyn, and Fish's brother, Rabbi Lavel Schwartz, 57. All were charged with money-laundering.

Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra said the rabbis acted like "crime bosses," typically charging a fee of 5 to 10 percent for each money-laundering transaction. Sources have identified Dwek as the cooperating witness named in the criminal complaints. Thirty-nine others, including three mayors and two assemblymen, were arrested on charges ranging from bribery to attempt to sell kidneys.

Lawyers: Dwek misled rabbis

Lawyers representing the religious leaders were arrested have sounded a different theme: Dwek had taken advantage of their clients' goodwill and his long-standing ties with the rabbis to entrap them.

"Mr. Dwek was a student of Rabbi Fish, and Rabbi Fish thought of him as a son," said Michael Bachner, who represents Mordechai Fish. "He trusted him, and never in his wildest dreams would have thought that this student would have been involved in criminal conduct and would have attempted to manipulate or engage him in criminal conduct."

Nahum's lawyer, Justin Walder, said Dwek was "seeking to be absolved for his immense wrongful conduct by implicating another." Kassin's lawyer, Robert Stahl, also said his client was misled by Dwek.

Dwek was arrested by the FBI in 2006 on bank fraud charges after he deposited a phony $25.2 million check at a PNC Bank drive-through lane in Eatontown and then transferred $21 million to other accounts.

Long Branch resident Sandi Shapiro said she believes Dwek entrapped the rabbis by asking them for help.

"This is something that is really bothersome to me," said Shapiro, a real estate agent who said she is Jewish but is not a member of the Syrian community. "Not only did these people believe him and believe in him in his own community, they trusted him. I don't believe in corruption, especially when it comes to government, but for him to go to these people, with taxpayers' money, he gives it to them, he bribes them; it's entrapment."

"Filthy snitch"

Several posters on Web sites frequented by ultra-Orthodox Jews have labeled Dwek a "moser," or snitch, and called for him to be ostracized from the community, or worse.

"He is a filthy snitch and should be dealt with accordingly," wrote an anonymous poster on a Yiddish news site, Voz Is Neias.

Speaking July 25 on a Jewish radio program, Sam Hirsch, a lawyer and former state assemblyman from Brooklyn's Borough Park, said Dwek "should have been killed" after informing on other Jews.

According to an article posted on the "The Jewish Week" Web site, Hirsch later backtracked, saying he was referring to a concept of traditional Jewish law that called for reformers to be killed but that no longer applies today. Hirsch could not be reached for comment.

Shmarya Rosenberg, a former ultra-Orthodox Jew from St. Paul, Minn., who was excommunicated about 5 1/2 years ago, said Dwek will be ostracized from the community in which he once had such high standing.

Rosenberg, who said he was shunned after he questioned a Lubavitch rabbi about not doing enough to save Ethiopian Jews from persecution, said Dwek's actions are seen as much worse by the Syrian community.

"I don't think he'd be safe if he went back there," said Rosenberg, who runs a Web site, www.failedmessiah.com, which publishes articles that are often critical of ultra-Orthodox Jewry.

"They'll completely ignore him, they'll spit on him, call him names," Rosenberg said. "He'd walk into a restaurant and everybody would walk out. He's the worst of the worst to them. The code of Jewish Law says, you have to take people like that and shun them, and preferably, kill them."

Yet some leaders in the close-knit Syrian Jewish community have called for introspection and soul-searching in the wake of the arrests. On July 28, a hastily called legal symposium in Brooklyn's Borough Park drew an overflow crowd of ultra-Orthodox men.

The symposium included an emotional speech by Naftali Tzi Weisz, the grand rabbi of the Spinka sect in Brooklyn, who recently pleaded guilty in a separate money-laundering case.

According to an article from "The Forward," Weisz told the audience, "We must have to express our wish that these matters will never happen. We have to commit that in the future this will never happen again."

The Sephardic Community Alliance, an umbrella group that includes more than two dozen organizations, released a statement this week that was posted on the popular Syrian Jewish Web site www.symall.com. The statement says the group is taking "pro-active steps to deal with the situation," and notes that the allegations of wrongdoing by a few should not tarnish a proud and close-knit community known for its generous charitable donations and for taking care of its own.

"These allegations are profoundly troubling to us," the statement reads. "But at this moment we must remember that they are just allegations. If over time these allegations prove to be true, we must be clear that this conduct is unacceptable and that it goes against every value and teaching our community holds dear. We have worked hard over generations to uphold the values of the Torah and better the lives of our children, and one of those core values we embrace is a deep and abiding respect for the law."

Rosenberg said that he believes some good will come from the July 23 arrests.

"It's going to force some level of change," he said. "If nothing else, these guys will be a little bit more careful."

Here's video of Dwek passing a $25 million dollar bad check in 2006:
As New Owners Take Over Meat Plant, Battered Postville Waits and Worries

By Nathaniel Popper  The Forward

The new owners of the beleaguered kosher meat company Agriprocessors are quickly facing criticism over their early management of the company.

A team of three men took over control of Agriprocessors  now called Agri Star  at the beginning of August. The new team, led by Canadian businessman Hershey Friedman, and using the corporate name SHF, bought Agriprocessors out of bankruptcy in July. Their purchase of the kosher company came a little more than a year after it was the target of a massive immigration raid that led to criminal charges against the previous owners, the Rubashkin family.

The Rubashkins have been widely assailed for their management of the companys slaughterhouse in the small Iowa town of Postville. Some town leaders in Postville say that since buying the company in July, Friedman and his new ownership team have given their own cause for concern.

Im quickly starting to become impatient with the companys lax attitude toward civic responsibilities, said Jeff Reinhardt, a member of Postvilles City Council.

Reinhardt and other local leaders expressed concern with the continuing involvement of Rubashkin family members in the company, and with the handling of new employees coming into the town. But the biggest concern has been the new owners refusal to meet with many community leaders and activists from both inside and outside Postville who have expressed an interest in being briefed on the companys plans. At this point in time, it would be very helpful for them to do something different than the old owners  to actually come in and have a meeting with members of the community, said Steve Brackett, the pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Postville. I think they are very busy, but I also think it would go far to calming tensions if they would at least host a community meeting.

Brackett is the head of a new Postville Community Benefits Alliance, which is hoping to negotiate some agreement with the new owners on how the town and company can relate to each other  a big issue given the kosher meat companys outsized effect on the city of 2,000 residents. The immigration raid and subsequent bankruptcy of Agriprocessors led to a mass exodus of residents and devastated the local economy in Postville. Brackett said that his alliance made multiple requests for a meeting with the new owners and eventually heard back that at this point, they dont have time.

Friedman did not respond to requests for comment. His lawyer, Shalom Jacob, said that the new management team was too busy running the company to meet with local civic leaders.

I know they have a lot of positive ideas and intentions for the town and the civic areas and the people, and what they will do, Jacob told the Forward. But the first priority has to be turning this company around.

Friedman owns a plastics company in Montreal, Polystar Packing, and another in Brooklyn, Favorite Plastics. Friedman bought Agriprocessors, in partnership with his son-in-law, Daniel Hirsch, a Brooklyn accountant. It is Hirsch who has been in Postville overseeing the daily operations of the plant. The plant is currently operating with a small staff and producing only chicken and turkey, with plans to slowly re-open the companys beef production capacities.

Hirsch has met with Postvilles mayor and a few City Council members to lay out Agri Stars plans. The mayor did not return calls seeking comment, but the city administrator, Darcy Radloff, said of Hirsch: We welcomed him to the community and talked about him being a good corporate citizen.

They plan on operating a good business up there, Radloff said.

Hirsch has also met with Aaron Goldsmith, a local businessman and a leader of the towns Orthodox Jewish community. Goldsmith said that Hirsch had expressed an unwillingness to speak with members of the Community Benefits Alliance because the alliance had pushed for a binding legal agreement that would hinder the development of Agri Star.

The company is not interested in the community benefits agreement, Goldsmith said. Nobody feels this is an equitable proposal.

Postvilles City Council initially voted to support the idea of a community benefits agreement, but later voted to withdraw support for such an agreement  a development first reported on the blog Failed Messiah.

Brackett, who is leading the push for an agreement, said that his group has no specific agreement in mind, and at this point wants only to start a discussion with the company. One particular point of tension has been the involvement in Bracketts alliance of Jewish organizations from outside Postville. In addition to Postvilles Lutheran and Catholic churches, the alliance includes Jewish activist groups from Minnesota and Illinois that participated in providing relief to Postville after the immigration raid. These liberal Jewish groups had an adversarial relationship with the old owners of the company.

The blog Failed Messiah reported that Hirsch wrote an e-mail to the alliance assailing its Jewish member groups. Jane Ramsey, executive director of one of the Jewish activist groups  the Chicago-based Jewish Council on Urban Affairs  said that Hirsch, in his e-mail, had mischaracterized her organizations efforts as being aimed at bringing the new owners down.

We have certainly picked up a wrongful assessment  and a tone on their part that just doesnt represent who we are as organizations, Ramsey said.

Our purpose for being there is to do everything we can do to assist the community in Postville  we want nothing more than for this plant to be successful and for the company to be good corporate citizens, she said.

The members of the Community Benefits Alliance are not the only groups reporting having had trouble getting information out of the new owners. Kosher food-certifying agencies have complained, as has the United Food and Commercial Workers, a union that tried to organize the workers under Agriprocessors previous ownership. Scott Frotman, a UFCW spokesman, said that the union had made requests for a meeting with the new owners in July, when the sale was finalized, and have not heard back.

Its unfortunate, given the companys history, Frotman said. They have an obligation to Postville to come forward to talk about their vision for the company and the future.

Within town, the company is already making its mark, having taken over full operation of the plant in early August. New workers have started to move to the town looking for work, and local religious leaders said that the company has not made provisions to help these workers establish themselves. Father Paul Ouderkirk, the priest at the local Catholic church, said that workers coming to town were turning to the churches for food and housing. Reinhardt said this reminded him of the situation under the Rubashkins.

The company should take some responsibility for this, Reinhardt said. This is the same old story over again.

Part of the reason for concern is that Heshey Rubashkin, the son of the old owner, Aaron Rubashkin, is still employed at the plant, as are other family members. Heshey Rubashkins brother, Sholom, is awaiting trial on charges of bank fraud, child labor violations and immigration law violations, and is not allowed to have any involvement with the company.

Jacob, the companys lawyer, said that in employing members of the Rubashkin family, the company is merely continuing practices that were also used by the bankruptcy trustee.

These are not people who are in management  these are employees, and this is something that was approved by the trustee, Jacob said. I dont think anybody expects us to fire people just because of their name.

Goldsmith said that within Postvilles Jewish community the concern has not been about how similar Friedman is to the Rubashkins, but rather how different.

The Rubashkins ran their business like it was a communal foundation  and they supported the Jewish school and the synagogue here completely, Goldsmith said. The new owners, Goldsmith said, have made some minimal support of the school, but it was a very big challenge to get them to do even that. One of the concerns is that they are not stepping into the Rubashkins shoes  they are creating a different kind of business.

Ramsey, at the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, said that she wants to see the new owners go in a new direction, but is still waiting for evidence.

They are the ones who get to set the tone, Ramsey said. The longer they dont do that, the more nervousness will be felt by the community, and the more speculation will grow.
North Miami Beach Police are investigating reports of two arab women entering the Magen David Synagogue

They reportedly asked when Yizkor is and had a koran and a prayer book

The community already feeling under siege with the rash of robberies and last years murder of Rabbi Raksin is on high alert.

FM has llearned that several sources in the police department are concerned that the person/ community activist MR Y L who reported this and has been publicizing this, was allegedly responsible for hindering other investigations as well . He faces a lawsuit for sexual harassment and the police are looking for other reliable sources to ascertain some of the alleged conversations with the arab women. He is alleged to have used lights and sirens to pull over vehicles in the community

Never the less it is important for the jewish community to remain vigilant and the North Miami Beach police have said they will increase their patrols
The reporter Gadi Soknik has published a video of the driver responsible for last week's Highway 1 crash, Chaim Biton. The clip shows that he was involved in another accident between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv several months ago.

Biton had struck a private vehicle, without legitimate cause, and could be seen exchanging information with the driver. Egged was forced to compensate the driver to the sum of 15,000 shekels ($3,800 US) and allowed Biton to continue driving. In addition, it was reported that Egged received an evaluation on Biton which warned that he drives unsafely and presents a danger to the public.

Egged refused to comment on the recording, as well as to a request for the number of drivers that were involved in traffic accidents and then returned to work. The company claimed that such information would be part of the investigation into the lethal accident that occurred last Wednesday.

It should be noted that Biton was involved in an almost identical accident to the most recent one in 2013, on the same strip of the road and under similar circumstances. No one was killed, though 18 people were lightly injured.

Biton was released today for 21 days of house arrest. The judge ruled that he will spend the time under complete house arrest in his Jerusalem home, with his mother monitoring him 24 hours per day.

The judge further declared that Biton cannot leave the house except for court hearings or police investigations, which must be coordinated with the investigators. His driving license has been revoked until the end of the proceedings and he has been forbidden from leaving the country for the next six months. He also put aside 7,000 shekels ($1,800 US) and signed a personal bond for 10,000 shekels ($2,600 US).

Authorities are looking into the possibility that Biton tampered with the bus's tachograph immediately after the accident in order to obstruct the investigation. The tachograph records a vehicle's speed and distance, along with the driver's activity. Biton admitted that he removed the device from its place, and television cameras caught him speaking with the police investigator who told him, "Don't play games with me."

Police are expected to also investigate senior Egged officials on suspicion that they knew of his problematic driving.

SOURCE CREDIT
Last week a British soldier from the elite Special Air Service unit used an Israeli made rifle to decapitate an ISIS instructor who was showing new recruits how to behead prisoners.

One minute he was standing there and the next his head had exploded. reported an eyewitness to the Mirror.

The irony of the situation was not lost on the sniper who had to aim to miss the intended target in order to hit him, due to the special nature of the bullet fired.

The British sniper decapitated the ISIS executioner with a single bullet from a long range rifle, reportedly from a distance of 1,200 meters. The slug used in the execution is often referred to as a wounding bullet due to the tumbling motion it makes when fired. The resulting effect causes the bullet to cartwheel around inside a body once it hits its victim rather than flying straight through flesh. The effects are devastating. While the bullet is made internationally, the rifle that was used for the incredible shot was created and developed by Israel.

The Daily Express quoted an unnamed source who identified the snipers weapon as a Dan .338 equipped with a suppressor which reduces the sound and eliminates any flash from the barrel.

The Dan is an Israeli manufactured sniper rifle that weighs 5.9 kilograms and was created by renowned weapons designer Nehemia Sirkis and Israel Weapons Industries (IWI) in 2014. Israeli news site Mako reported that the gun is sold to police units and militaries around the world and is accurate up to 1,200 meters, a distance that was well used by the SAS sniper.

The SAS snipers were on a reconnaissance mission inside ISIS held territory in Syrian, when they received intelligence that a decapitation instructor was demonstrating to new recruits the techniques used in killing prisoners with knives, axes, and swords. One sniper targeted the instructor and took his head off.

The Dan .338 sniper rifle is just the first in a series of advanced sniper rifles which we will be bringing to international markets. The ammunition used in the rifle is exotic and we estimate that the future of sniper rifle ammunition will be 3.38 caliber rounds, said the Director of IWI Uri Amit.

courtesy arutz7
The Dutch government said Wednesday that it plans to limit Jewish and Muslim methods of slaughter through new measures, including supervision of the production of kosher and halal meat, and a ban on its export.

Agriculture Minister Martijn van Dam announced the plan in a letter to the lower house of the Dutch parliament.

JTA reported that production of kosher and halal meat will be subject to the discretion of officials from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. This bodes ill for the slaughterers, since the same authority urged the government last year to ban ritual slaughter altogether, claiming it was inhumane.

In slaughter without prior stunning, van Dam said, the authority will permanently oversee the actual practice of the slaughter.

The ban on exports is not particularly significant since Holland does not export significant amounts of kosher meat.

In late 2011, the upper house of the Dutch parliament rejected a proposed bill to ban Jewish kosher slaughter of animals on the ground that it violates freedom of religion.

Earlier that year, the Dutch parliament voted in favor of the legislation. The bill claimed that there is evidence that the practice of kosher slaughtering causes animals unnecessary pain and suffering. This claim is roundly denied by experts on Jewish slaughter.

Following this, the Dutch government reached an agreement with Jewish and Muslim leaders setting certain standards for ritual slaughter, including a 40-second limit on the time between stunning of the animals before their necks are cut. The sides also agreed to hold research-based consultations between government officials and religious community leaders on balancing animal welfare with religious freedoms.
Samuel Willenberg, the last survivor of Nazi Germany's Treblinka death camp in Poland, has died in Israel aged 93.

Only one of 67 people known to have survived the camp, he escaped by clambering over bodies piled up by a fence as the Nazis shot prisoners during a mass break-out.

In 2013, he returned to the site to mark 70 years since his escape.

About 870,000 people died in the gas chambers at Treblinka - more than anywhere else except Auschwitz.

Mr Willenberg urged the world never to forget Treblinka.

Image copyright AP Image caption Mr Willenberg escaped from Treblinka by clambering over the bodies of his dead friends

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Willenberg regularly returned to Treblinka to guide youth tour groups

In October 1942, aged 19, he was among 6,000 Jews from the Opatow ghetto who arrived by train at the camp.

They were told they were at a transit camp and had to undress and shower before being sent onward. In reality, the shower rooms were gas chambers.

But because he was a bricklayer he was assigned to manual labour duties and escaped an early death. His job was to sort through the belongings of the people sent to the gas chambers.

After the war Mr Willenberg - whose two sisters were killed at the camp - moved to Israel and became a surveyor.

"I live two lives, one is here and now and the other is what happened there,'' he said. `"It never leaves me. It stays in my head. It goes with me always."

Most of Treblinka's guards were never prosecuted for their part in the crimes there.

Treblinka's commandant, Franz Stangl, was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 1970 following his trial in the west German city of Duesseldorf.

Today nothing remains of the extermination camp apart from the ashes of the mostly Jewish men, women and children murdered there.

Courtesy BBC
The anti-Israel boycott movement just suffered serious setbacks in two key world capitals.

British Prime Minister David Camerons government last week issued a policy notice that public authorities face severe penalties if they boycott Israeli goods.

Officially, the order protects all World Trade Organization members. In reality, its all about Israel. It declares such boycotts unacceptable unless the British government has itself instituted formal legal sanctions or trade restrictions.

In recent years, the Scottish government and town councils in Birmingham and Leicester have ordered or encouraged their suppliers to cease business with Israel.

The opposition Labor Party denounced Camerons move as an attack on democracy. But Canada saw bipartisan support for Mondays vote on a resolution rejecting the goals of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

New Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus Liberal Party endorsed the motion introduced by the Conservatives, with Foreign Minister Stephane Dion vowing to fight anti-Semitism in all its forms. It

seems Trudeau means to keep his campaign promise to continue the solidly pro-Israel stance of the man he defeated, Steven Harper.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement has always been a one-sided exercise in thuggish intimidation, targeting liberal, democratic Israel even as it ignores such genuinely oppressive

regimes as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.

As Dion said: The world will win nothing for boycotting Israel but depriving itself of the talents of its inventiveness.

COURTESY NY POST
Courtesy arutz 7



Prenuptial agreement will remove the need for public shaming

Head of Tzohar explains the correct way to avoid get refusal, explains how shaming can be used in certain cases as a last resort.

Founder and Director of the Tzohar Rabbinic movement Rabbi David Stav told Arutz Sheva about the new protocol published by Tzohar regarding the appropriateness of shaming get (Jewish bill of divorce) refusers online.

It is something that we call the boycott of Rabbeinu Tam that was established 800 years, in cases where we dont want to coerce a get on a husband, but we want to encourage him to give a get, we use different steps to push him to giving the get. We dont put him in jail, but part of the sanctions we put on him, we dont give him an aliyah, and we dont talk to him and we dont count him for a minyan.

Rabbi Stav said that the ancient law is applicable today in terms of online shaming.

The Beit Din is applying the same steps in shaming a person on websites as it used to do in the community.

Rabbi Stav noted that there is a difference when it comes to magnitude of the shaming campaign as the internet is worldwide, but he says that the community has become worldwide as well. Facebook is a much larger, and the community became much larger.

According to Rabbi Stav one must be very careful when choosing to apply the ruling.

I want us to pay attention to something that is very helpful. People may think that once A Beit Din has allowed this public use of shaming for a husband who has refused a get, people may apply it to other cases where there is not an approval from the Beit Din. That is certainly prohibited, for any case of public shaming [that is not permitted by a Beit Din] the punishment is very severe according to the Halakha.

Rabbi Stav recommended that we prevent the issue altogether ahead of time. I believe the issue of shaming a person in public who refuses to give a get [is something] we should prevent in advance. One of the solutions that we have been working on is the prenuptial agreement.

Rabbi Stav believes that Tzohars prenuptial agreement will prevent 90-95% of get refusals that take place following a divorce, as it clearly sets out the financial arrangement that will be enforced should a get not be given, thereby removing it from being used as financial collateral in the case of a divorce.
The measures, announced earlier this week, would make such moves illegal, and represents a serious blow to groups like the so-called BDS Movement, which seek to impose international boycotts and sanctions on Israel.

The bill is specifically aimed at preventing local authorities and bodies from being hijacked by anti-Israel extremists to promote radical foreign policy agendas targeting the Jewish state.

UK Cabinet Office Minister Matthew Hancock formally announced the commencement of the measures during his visit to Israel Wednesday.

"We need to challenge and prevent these divisive town hall boycotts," he said in Jerusalem. "The new guidance on procurement, combined with changes we are making to how pension pots can be invested, will help prevent damaging and counter-productive local foreign policies undermining our national security."

An explanatory statement from the British government outlined how the "guidance published today makes clear that procurement boycotts by public authorities are inappropriate, outside where formal legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions have been put in place by the Government."

"Town hall boycotts undermine good community relations, poisoning and polarising debate, weakening integration and fuelling anti-Semitism.," it added, while "locally imposed boycotts can roll back integration as well as hinder Britains export trade and harm international relationship."

"All contracting authorities will be impacted by this new guidance including Central Government, Executive Agencies, Non Departmental Public Bodies, the wider public sector, Local Authorities and NHS bodies.

"Any public body found to be in breach of the regulations could be subject to severe penalties," it said.

Explaining the reasoning behind the measures, the statement went on to note that it was merely enforcing compliance with international law - specifically the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement treaty, an international market access agreement which "requires all those countries that have signed up to the Agreement to treat suppliers equally.

"This includes the EU and Israel. Any discrimination against Israeli suppliers involving procurements would therefore be in breach of the Agreement."

The British government qualified, however, that it did not effect London's "existing policy support for clear and transparent labelling of settlement products to ensure that individual consumers are able to make informed choices before they buy."

British Jewish leaders have already lauded the move.

"Boycotts are an impediment to community relations and sow division and discord, ultimately fuelling antisemitism, so today's announcement is welcome," said Simon Johnson, Chief Executive of the Jewish Leadership Council, on behalf of the Fair Play Campaign Group.

"Local councils, universities and other public bodies shouldn't have their own foreign policy. The governments decision to make this clear emphasises inclusivity over boycotts and coexistence over further divisions. This can only be positive, both within the UK and in the Middle East."
Yael Weissman, the widow of Tuvia Yanai Weissman who was murdered on Thursday in a terror attack by two 14-year-old Arab terrorists at the Rami Levy supermarket in Sha'ar Binyamin, spoke with Arutz Sheva about her ordeal.

Yael described her long relationship with her late husband, He was my best friend since the ninth grade. We spend our youth together and grew up together. He always put others before him, he was generous through and through  right from the start, even from such a young age.

She added that others viewed Yanai with the same kind image, saying, "I always knew I could trust him no matter what, even now I hear people say how they miss him, how he always knew the right words to say in every situation. Just his presence and the look in his eyes was enough to encourage everyone around him he knew how to be silly and make others happy.

Describing his love for Israel and his devotion to helping others, the bereaved widow noted that The county was always so impwidow asks if armortant to him, he always knew he was meant to work in security and to help others.

Yael discussed her dedication to focus her energy on raising their four-month-old baby daughter, Neta. Even though I am a widow, I am first and foremost a mother.

It is because of Neta that I have the strength to wake up in the morning and get out of bed and continue. If it wasnt for her, I would not have the power like I do now, said Yael.

Yanai would not want this to break us, said Yael in regards to the ongoing terror. He always said that we will continue with our routine  if we go shopping, we go together. We go to town, we go together. We cannot lock ourselves in our homes, thats not a life worth living.

Yael emphasized that she is not authorized to discuss what the army does, but said that Yanai was very frustrated that he had to go on regular leave without his weapon.

He told me he did not feel complete without a weapon every time he left the house. I think that if a soldier requests to take his weapon with him on leave he should at least be allowed to protect himself and others. After all, soldiers protect us.
I was drawn to Chabad-Lubavitch, a grouping in Orthodox Judaism, because it seemed to be the perfect combination of social service and religious mystery. Long before the pop-Kabbala craze made famous by Madonna, Chabad was teaching a form of Jewish mysticism to Jews like me who had grown up in secular homes. And it combined that mysticism with social service. Chabad had a drug treatment facility in LA, poverty programs in New York City and Jerusalem, underground outreach in what was then the repressive Soviet Union  and a rabbi just around the corner from practically every Jew in America, even those in Jews who found themselves in Iowa, Texas and Minnesota, far away from the coastal centers of Jewish life. Under its charismatic leader or rebbe, Chabad focused on macro issues  for example, opposition to the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, promotion of prayer in American public schools, and the staging of public displays of Jewish religious symbols on government property  promoting an in-your-face, unique and unapologetic brand of Judaism that included any Jew, no matter how removed from Jewish life he might be, in its body politic. As a Chabad wag is fond of saying, "All Jews are members of Chabad  some just don't know it yet!"

My involvement in Jewish life predated my joining Chabad. I was active on my college campus, with a national Jewish fraternity, with an international Jewish student group, and in the effort to rescue the small endangered Black Jewish community of Ethiopia. It was this last involvement that would lead to my excommunication.

Soon after joining, I asked Chabad to help with this rescue. I spoke with Chabad leaders, men close to the Rebbe. Chabad would not undertake such a mission without permission from the Rebbe, I was told. (His immediate predecessor had been described as the "Pope" of Orthodox Judaism.) So I wrote the Rebbe directly. After months of waiting, asking, and waiting again without a response, I sent another letter, this one sent certified special delivery, to the Rebbe in Brooklyn. In it I listed some things Chabad could do to help the Ethiopian Jewish community. After each item, I asked a simple question: Is Chabad doing this? If not, why not? I also asked if the Rebbe considered these black Jews to be Jewish.

I already knew the answers to the first part of those questions. Chabad was not doing these things. Less than 40 years after the Holocaust, I wanted to know why.

Two months passed. The Rebbe did not answer my letter. I decided to leave Chabad. Before doing so, I gave my contacts in the Chabad leadership another chance to get an answer from their leader.

They returned with an answer. The Rebbe had read my letter. He directed me to continue the work I was doing to help Jewish communities, especially the work I was doing locally. And, if I wanted to resolve any dispute over the Jewishness of Ethiopian Jews, I should do so through the leading Orthodox Jewish legal authority in the United States. The Rebbe did not feel himself competent to decide this complicated issue of Jewish law.

The Rebbe had answered my letter but had not answered any of my questions  and Chabad was not helping Ethiopian Jews. Still, I saw hope. If this leading Orthodox legal authority would endorse rescue, surely the Rebbe would order his followers to help.

So I worked on it, months later getting that endorsement. Soon after, I took a leading Ethiopian Jew to Washington to meet with senators, representatives and State Department officials. After successful meetings, we decided to go to New York to meet with Jewish religious leaders to line up support for rescue. Our first stop was Chabad-Lubavitch headquarters in Brooklyn where we were refused a meeting with the Rebbe. However, the chief judge of the Chabad religious court agreed to see us. He endorsed rescue and our efforts.

Four months later, Operation Moses, the rescue operation that saved thousands of Jews from Sudanese refugee camps bordering Ethiopia, would begin.

Fast forward 20 years. Chabad was still not involved with Ethiopian Jews, but the issue did not seem so pressing after the rescues were completed. I remained in Chabad, working at times for the organization in America and Israel. I went to rabbinical school, studied and was about to take the equivalent of rabbinic boards. A large Israeli-based Chabad magazine was publishing a series of letters from the now late Rebbe. These were private correspondence meant to answer difficult and often intimate questions. The Chabad publication got around privacy issues by removing the name of the correspondent. In my case, the letter read "To Mr.___, S. Paul, MN 55116."

The letter was an answer to my letter on the rescue of Ethiopian Jews. The original may have been lost in the mail. More likely, it was taken by an alert aide who recognized its potential damage to Chabad and the Rebbe's reputation. The letter is a collection of excuses. Why other things, like American Jewish spiritual needs, are more pressing than saving poor, starving Black Jews and therefore must come first. Fanciful denials of Chabad involvement in Washington lobbying and Israeli immigrant absorption  two well-publicized Chabad activities. But worse yet was the tone, so mean, spiteful, and uncaring about the suffering of Ethiopian Jewry.

Because the Rebbe could not bring himself to write the phrase "Ethiopian Jews"  perhaps a good indication that he, despite rabbinic rulings to the contrary, did not consider them to be Jews  he wrote the phrase, "the matter that you are so concerned about." Because of this, and because the letters the Rebbe responded to were not filed with those responses, Chabad did not realize the true import of the letter, and they published it.

I waited a month before responding. Then I published my letter to the Rebbe along with the Rebbe's response on my blog started for that purpose, www.FailedMessiah.com. Because I refused to take down the blog, I was excommunicated. That means:

1. I can no longer be counted as part of a prayer group.

2. I cannot lead prayers or receive any religious honors.

3. I have been shunned by members at the request of the rabbis.

4. Members are urged not to do business with me or to see me socially.

5. I cannot work in religious-related business.

6. I have completed rabbinic training but cannot sit for what is the equivalent of my boards.

7. I have been told that there is no repair for my soul and that I will burn eternally in hell.

I have also:

1. Been threatened.

2. Had websites hacked and destroyed.

3. Had my home address and telephone number posted on the internet.

4. Had thousands of dollars of magazine subscriptions and other materials illegally charged to my name.

Would I do it again? Yes, I would.

UPDATE: January 2007  I no longer have an interest in being a rabbi. My religious beliefs have changed much since I started this blog. For more details, please read this.
Here is a summary of the Brooklyn haredi community's attempts to deal with alleged serial child molester Rabbi Yehuda Kolko. Haredi leaders were unable to deal with Rabbi Kolko and, at the same time, refused to turn him over to police. The end result was almost 40 years of child molestation.

Posts on alleged haredi child rapist Avrohom Mondrowitz are here. Mondrowitz fled the US for Israel at the urging of haredi leaders as he was being indicted for raping young boys. He lived safely in Jerusalem for over 20 years, under the protection of the Ger hasidic community and its rebbes, the latest of whom, Rabbi Ya'akov Aryeh Alter, is pictured at right.

At this writing, there are over almost 700 hundred posts on religious criminals on this index page. It is quite large and may take a few minutes to completely load. The posts are chronological, newest at the top of the page, oldest at the bottom.

For those wondering why I focus so heavily on Orthodox crime, please read this.
During the more than 11 years years FailedMessiah.com has been on the Web, we've raised money for a Jew who needed a kidney transplant, for poor children in Addis Ababa, and for a destitute Jew in Boston.

But it wasn't until several years ago that I began to raise any money to pay for this blog itself.

Publishing FailedMessiah.com takes a tremendous amount of time and energy. (I know it may not appear that way to some of you, but it really does.) It also costs money, far more than most people realize.

If you've found this blog to be worthwhile, please donate today to help it continue and thrive.

FailedMessiah.com has broken stories that impacted the Jewish world and non-Jewish world alike, and has been cited by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Columbia Journalism Review, CNBC and many other print and broadcast news outlets in the US and worldwide, including Israel.

We've made a real difference.

To continue doing so requires your support.

Please donate now.

Thank you for reading and for your generous support.
After years of blogging I've come to the realization that it is absolutely necessary to archive some of the news articles referenced or quoted here.

Why?

Because, when going through older posts, I'll click on links to stories in the Forward, Ha'aretz, the Jerusalem Post, etc., and find the links broken. The original articles are gone and sometimes cannot be found by search engines.

When I do notice these broken links I often do not have the time to search for the original article, find it, relink it and then republish the affected post.

I sometimes archive certain articles, often adding them to the extended body of posts that appears only when a link is click (or if entry to the post is through a direct link). Before the archived article, I normally have one or more links to the off-site version posted on Ha'aretz, say, or the Forward. And the posts are written to encourage clicking on those links. At other times I will make a PDF of the story and post that at the bottom of the post, after linking to the online version of the story as noted above. People rarely choose to read the PDF when the online version is available. The PDF serves primarily as a backup in case the news source braks the original link.

Ha'aretz and other publications make their money online by increasing the number of page views (hits) they have. This allows them to charge more for online ads.

Sites like FailedMessiah.com drive traffic to Ha'aretz, the Forward and other publications and also increase news outlets' brand recognition. You'll note my standard way of linking to a story is to write, "Ha'aretz reports ," or "The Forward reports," meaning the paper's brand name is on every page the story is on at least that one time and that there is one, and often more, link to the paper. This also boosts news outlets' search engine scores, which also raises news outlets' ad revenue. They benefit even if some of their articles are archived here.

I would prefer not to have to do this. But as long as these publications break their own links, there is no other way to be certain the information is available.

As opposed to certain Orthodox news blogs that lift dozens of articles from news sources in their entirety every day, and fill their own blogs with dozens of paid ads to boot, I hope to continue do this only for some stories that are in my judgment too important to risk loss.

I believe this clearly falls under the Fair Use Doctrine and is as such permissible use.

Here are links to news sources I often cite:

Israel

Jerusalem Post

Ha'aretz

Ynet

Jewish

The Forward

The New York Jewish Week

US

New York Times

Associated Press

As always, I encourage you to read these publications and to support them by encouraging others to read them. If possible, subscribe to them as well.
Pictures of documents, including my letters to the Lubavitcher Rebbe about rescuing Ethiopian Jews, are posted below, as is a Hebrew translation of the Rebbe's response to me as published in Kfar Chabad Magazine. Please click to enlarge.

An English-language translation of the Rebbe's letter on the rescue of Ethiopian Jews can be read here.

Information on Chabad, Holocaust Rescue and Ethiopian Rescue can be viewed here.

A teshuva from Rabbi Moshe Feinstein can be viewed here.

More from Rabbi Feinstein on Ethiopian Jews is posted here.

Rabbi J. David Bleich's overview of the halakhot regarding Ethiopian Jews, excerpted from Contemporary Halakhic Problems (Vol. 1), can be read here.

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and Rabbi Shlomo Aviner rule that a cohen can marry and Ethiopian Jewish woman.

A rabbinic 'protest' to this website can be downloaded as a PDF by clicking here. [It is also posted on the Adath.com website.]

[It is important to realize that I did not see the Rebbe's letter written to me twenty years ago until it was published (without my permission) in early 2004 in Kfar Chabad Magazine. If I had received the Rebbe's letter then  in other words, if the Rebbe's office had not confiscated it, which is what seems to have happened  I would have publicized it immediately. Chabad bought twenty years of silence by confiscating that letter.]

Please click on the thumbnails to read the documents. Thank you.

















If you want, you can comment on the original post, which is identical to this one, except for the comments.
Agriprocessors, the Rubashkin family's Postville, Iowa slaughterhouse, was found to be in violation of Humane Slaughter guidelines after PETA released an undercover video showing cows' throats ripped out with a meat hook and cows writhing on the floor, trying to get up and run away after shechita.

In December 2004, FailedMessiah.com exclusively reported Orthodox rabbis, kosher supervision agencies and kosher industry mouthpiece (and paid Agriprocessors' consultant) Menachem Lubinsky  led by Agudath Israel of America  met with senior USDA officials in Washington on October 23, 2003, one year before the PETA videos were made public. In this meeting, the rabbis claimed USDA directives outlawing "sawing" by the religious slaughters would be wrongly used to stop all kosher slaughter.

The rabbis asked for the directives to be reworded. The USDA agreed. Ann Veneman, a former food industry lobbyist who was appointed Secretary of Agriculture by George W. Bush, is thought to have participated in that meeting and to have approved the rewording.

The new directive was written with close participation of Agudath Israel of America and its supporter, Nathan Lewin, a noted constitutional lawyer. Lewin was also Agriprocessors' (the Rubashkin family's) attorney at the time the new directive was written, and he is currently Sholom Rubashkin's lead appellate attorney.

(Both the original and the new directives are found at the end of this post.)

The new directive made it nearly impossible for a USDA line inspector to stop a kosher slaughter line and created the horrors seen in the above videos.

Veterinarians, large animal biologists and animal welfare experts came down on PETA's side, while Orthodox rabbis supported Rubashkin.

Nevertheless, the OU promised to stop meat hook use and throat-ripping.

In a USDA report illegally suppressed by the Bush Administration for almost one year, Agriprocessors was found guilty of violations of the Humane Slaughter Act. The plant's owners are large Republican campaign contributors.

Two years later, Rubashkin's Gordon, Nebraska plant was found to be using a meat hook to probe the throats of fully conscious animals. The OU denied the instrument used was a meat hook. The OU was lying.

FailedMessiah.com obtained documents under the Freedom of Information Act that prove the USDA now allows this type of meat hook use, even on fully conscious animals.

The documents indicate the USDA expects this procedure to be done by rabbis as part of the ritual slaughter, not by non-Jewish workers. Yet the USDA in practice allowed non-Jewish employees to do the procedure.

In an award-winning report by the Forward, the Postville plant was also accused of abusing its employees.

To respond to the Forward's allegations and the movement by Conservative rabbis to form a justice supervision, Hechsher Tzedek, to ensure workers are not mistreated, one of Agriprocessors' rabbis, Asher Zeilingold, released a fake OSHA report "clearing" Agriprocessors. The counterfeit report was first exposed right here on FailedMessiah.com.

In February 2011, Agriprocessors bankruptcy trustee asked Rabbi Zeilingold's United Mehadrin Kosher to return $2.8 million dollars in questionalble payments made to kosher supervisor as Agriprocessors was declaring bankruptcy.

The plant has had its share of EPA troubles, as well.

Aaron Rubashkin, the family's patriarch and president of Agriprocessors, was sanctioned by the National Labor Relations Board along with his son Rabbi Moshe Rubashkin. The Rubashkins collected union dues from their Brooklyn employees but did not turn the money over to the union. Instead, the Rubashkins kept the money for themselves.

Another PETA undercover video shows an Agriprocessor's representative refusing to pay for work-related medical care for a plant worker.

Rubashkin also had several food safety issues, including mishandling of meat potentially tainted with Mad Cow Disease.

Agriprocessors refused to recognize its employees' vote to unionize. The National Labor Relations Board found against Agriprocessors. The Rubashkin family appealed that decision. On January 4, 2008 the United States Circuit Court of Appeals found against Agriprocessors and for the employees' unionization.

Here is a PDF of that decision.

Here is a selection of the interviews I've done concerning the various Rubashkin scandals:

There are almost two thousand posts on the various Rubashkin scandals and related kosher food issues.

Here are links to the index pages for those posts. Please realize that some of these pages are very heavy and may take some time to load. (The Kosher Scandal index page alone has 1,764 posts as of 3-22-11. It includes posts on other kosher food manufacturers and kosher slaughterhouses, although the vast majority of posts concern Agriprocessors and the Rubashkin family.)

Also note that the most recent post in each index is at the top of the page, while the oldest is at the bottom. And most indexes have multiple pages. The same post will frequently be found in more than one index page, as well.

Kosher Meat Scandal. (Newer posts have coverage of other companies in the kosher food industry, as well.)

Agriprocessors Workers. (Incomplete a you'll find other, older posts in other sections.)

Rubashkin Family's Gordon, Nebraska Slaughterhouse Scandal.

Agriprocessors EPA Troubles (incomplete a you'll find other, older posts in other sections).

Agriprocessors Safety and Food Safety Issues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moshe Rubashkin

Rabbi Moshe Rubashkin, a son of Aaron Rubashkin, has his own run-ins with the law. A Convicted felon, Moshe Rubashkin was elected president of the Crown Heights Community Council shortly after his parole. He was indicted in September 2007 along with one of his sons for a scheme to avoid paying taxes and upkeep on a large industrial property he abandoned in Allentown, PA. That scheme was first reported here in 2005. That property burned in several suspicious fires and in at least one arson. Moshe Rubashkin left hazardous, highly flammable chemicals at the site, located in a residential area.

Both Moshe Rubashkin and his son Sholom pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

Most Moshe Rubashkin posts are scattered in other indexes. The best way to find them all is to look here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Newer Issues:



Agriprocessors Refuses To Bargain With Union -- Union Wins In Court

Agriprocessors hired illegal aliens along with documented workers. When those workers voted to to unionize in September 2005, Rubashkin claimed the illegals were not "employees" protected by the National Labor Relations Act (because they are illegals) and therefore rejected the vote to unionize, claiming a majority of union voters were illegals and therefore not "employees." Rubashkin refused to bargain with the union or recognize the vote.

See information posted below on the May 12, 2008 Immigration raid at Agriprocessors, the largest in this country's history.

The National Labor Relations Board found against Rubashkin. Rubashkin appealed.

On Friday, January 4, 2008, the US Court of Appeals rejected Rubashkin's appeal, noting Rubashkin had disregarded previous NLRB rulings and Supreme Court precedent that clearly were not in his favor.

Health and Safety Violations At Local Pride, LLC, Rubashkin's Nebraska Plant

In February 2008, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union issued a report on massive health and safety violations at Rubashkin's Nebraska plant, Local Pride, LLC, based on USDA documents received by the union through the freedom of information act.

The union also released a letter from four US Congressmen written to the acting USDA Secretary about Agriprocessors many health, safety and humane slaughter violations.

Rabbi Sholom M. Rubashkin responded to the union's report by claiming the union was terrorizing Agriprocessors because for the past three years its employees had refused to unionize. Rubashkin failed to mention the NLRB decision and court case that found that Agriprocessors had illegally restrained employees from unionizing by discarding election results that included votes from undocumented workers.

Early in January of 2008, Agriprocessors lost its legal fight against the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

Salmonella

Using the Freedom of Information Act, Food and Water Watch was able to compile a list of the worst slaughterhouses in America for salmonella, the bacteria that causes most food born infection in the US.

Rubashkin-owned Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa is among the worst 15% of slaughterhouses in the US, failing three separate salmonella inspections and "passing" a fourth with the lowest possible passing grade.

Agriprocessors Loses KAJ Kosher Supervision

Meanwhile, a leaked letter from KAJ, the Washington Heights-based kosher certifiers that were for many tears the lead supervisory team at Agriprocessors, show that KAJ did stop certifying Agriprocessors for kashrut-related reasons.

Agriprocessors and Aaron Rubashkin Linked To Allou Healthcare Fraud

Also surfacing was a judgment against Aaron Rubashkin and his assorted companies in the Allou Healthcare bankruptcy case. Allou executives, Satmar hasidim from Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to fraud in this case.

Allou's court-appointed receiver sued Rubashkin and his companies, receiving a $1.4 million dollar judgement against Aaron Rubashkin on October 1, 2007.

Even though Allou was not in the meat business and did not distribute food, especially refrigerated perishable food, Aaron Rubashkin's meat companies claimed to have sold Allou almost $2 million dollars worth of meat. No trace of the meat or its distribution could be found.

It is believed the invoices sent by Rubashkin to Allou were false, and that the money Allou paid was kicked back to the Jacobowitz family, the executives of Allou, with Rubashkin keeping a percentage for himself. This alleged money laundering has not a yet a been criminally prosecuted, even though the court issued a civil judgement against Aaron Rubashkin for $1.4 million dollars.

Aaron Rubashkin Owns 10% to 20% of Postville, Iowa Real Estate

When researching the Rubashkin - Allou connection, I learned Nevel, Aaron Rubashkin real estate company, is said to own 10% to 20% of Postville, Iowa's housing stock, making him the city's largest employer and largest landowner. He would also appear to be its biggest landlord, as well.

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Largest Immigration Raid In US History



Agriprocessors, Postville, Iowa, 5-12-08

Al least fifteen federal and state agencies raided Agriprocessors in Postville, Iowa on Monday, May 12, 2008. More than 300 illegal workers were arrested. As many as 400 more may be arrested in the coming days.

At the same time, a US Department of Labor--Iowa Department of Labor investigation came to light. Rubashkin and Agriprocessors is under investigation for numerous alleged violations of labor law, including alleged violations of child labor laws.

Agriprocessors is alleged to have paid illegal workers $5 per hour to start and $6 per hour after three months, both figures well below legal minimum wage.

Raid Links and Posts Related To Agriprocessors Workers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, etc., etc., etc.

(The bank fraud and other financial crimes indictments and many other court documents are most often found in another index. Unfortunately, they are not organized into a separate index of their own. If you can't find them, try using the search feature in the upper part of the middle column of this page.)

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Child Labor Charges

Sholom Rubashkin, his father Aaron Rubashkin and Agriprocessors were charges with over 9,000 counts of child labor violations by the State of Iowa.

Charges were eventually dropped against Aaron Rubashkin and Sholom Rubashkin was aquitted at trial, largely because the judge in the case would not allow the state to introduce into evidence the "no match" letters from the federal government to Agriprocessors over the previous years that showed Agriprocessors employed hundreds of employees whose Social Security numbers did not match existing numbers in the governments database or whose names did not match their Social Security numbers. Each of the child laborers had lied about their ages to get hired and, without the "no match" letters and other immigration evidence, the government could not prove Sholom Rubashkin knew hundreds of his workers were using falsified documents.

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Sholom Rubashkin's Conviction

Sholom Rubashkin was convicted in November 2009 on 86 counts of financial fraud and was sentenced in June 2010 to 27 years in prison  25 for the financial fraud and 2 for perjuring himself in court. The sentence falls in the middle of the US Sentencing Commission's Guidelines of 22 to 30 years for the financial fraud. He is currently appealing his sentence.

Rubashkin's lead appellate attorney Nathan Lewin's post-conviction motion for a new trial falsely attributes a quote to the the judge in Rubashkin's fraud trial. The quote is truncated to make it appear nefarious, when in context it is benign. Please see the 3:00 pm update to this post.

That judge rejected Lewin's motion, noting in part that Lewin in effect lied to discredit her and that the experts Lewin relied on based their briefs on Lewin's representation of the case and not on the actual facts and court documents of the case itself.

Despite that, Lewin repeats the same misquote in his appeal.

The governments response to Sholom Rubashkins appeal brief contains damning emails from Agriprocessors former HR manager pleading with Rubashkin to follow the law. The brief also contains a letter from Agriprocessors attorneys to Rubashkin dated six weeks before the massive immigration raid that brought down the company. The attorneys letter mentions hundreds of no match letters from the government to Agriprocessors over the previous years that showed Agriprocessors employed hundreds of employees whose Social Security numbers did not match existing numbers in the governments database or whose names did not match their Social Security numbers. Agriprocessors attorneys pointed out that Rubashkins failure to remedy this situation could easily lead to an immigration raid, and that Agriprocessors and Rubashkin were both vulnerable to prosecution.

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Hiding Assets

Aaron Rubashkin and his children were caught trying to hide assets from the Agriprocessors bankruptcy trustee and creditors. On January 31, 2011 a judge ruled against Aaron Rubashkin, noting among other things millions of dollars in transfers from a Swiss bank account.

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The Rubashkin Family

The Rubashkin family are prominent members of the Chabad-Lubavitch hasidic movement, a subsection of Orthodox Judaism that began in what is now Belarus in the latter third of the 18th century and which is now based in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. Chabad-Lubavitch is perhaps best known for its missionary activity to non-Orthodox Jews and for the prevalent belief within the movement that its late leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who died in 1994, is the messiah. Sholom Rubashkin served as a Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi before he took the job of leading his family's kosher slaughterhouse in 1987.



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Senior haredi rabbis, gedolim, banned books written by Rabbi Nosson (also known as Natan) Slifkin. Rabbi Slifkin was also labeled a heretic by them.

This saga, which began in January 2005 and continues to this day (January 2008), saw haredi gedolim adopt the Creationism of Christian fundamentalists.

But the Rabbi Slifkin Ban also exposed the haredi system of gedolim for what it is  corrupt and unethical.

Rabbis including Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, the leader of non-hasidic haredim, banned Rabbi Slifkin without first hearing his side of the story. Indeed, these rabbis refused to speak with Rabbi Slifkin at all.

Most of these gedolim are unable to read or understand English. Rabbi Slifkin wrote in English. The rabbis could not read his books. As a result, they relied on hearsay evidence when banning him.

Rabbi Slifkin's 'crimes' included asserting that the rabbis of the Talmudic era could err on issues not relating to Jewish law, that Talmudic medicine (including incantations and potions with no proven medical benefit) was ineffective, that the age of the universe is greater than 6000 years (and here), that evolution was a fact and that it fit in with Genesis, and that parts of Genesis that science has disproved can be understood as allegory (a position taken 1000 years ago by the great Rabbi Sa'adia Gaon).

When challenged with proof that earlier important rabbis like Sa'adia Gaon had said these things, Rabbi Elyashiv is reported to have responded that these positions could be taken by rabbis of earlier eras. But Jews in our times are forbidden to believe these things or to espouse them. To do so is an act of heresy.

Rabbi Elyashiv later said that Rabbi Slifkin, who he had labeled a heretic, may even be one of the righteous of the world  still, it was forbidden for Rabbi Slifkin to espouse these things.

My reaction to that misbehavior was to ridicule these rabbinic leaders. (See the faux movie poster above, for one example. Please click to enlarge.) I did so because it was clear to me that these men were not open to reason. Three years later, that belief has been confirmed time and again.

Rabbi Elyashiv and the other signers of that ban never apologized to Rabbi Slifkin for refusing to hear his side of the story or to review his sources. They also never retracted their ban.

Here is a post explaining a kabbalistic position dating back many hundreds of years asserting the universe is 15 billion years old. It also clearly shows the errors made by this generation of haredi gedolim in these issues.

Posts on Rabbi Slifkin and the ban can be found here. A listing of posts dealing with rabbinc bans of all types, including the Rabbi Slifkin Ban, is here.

Posts on science and Judaism here.

And here is a PDF of Rabbi Marc Shapiro explaining the Torah v. Science problem:

Download marc_shapiro_on_the_age_of_the_universe_etc.pdf

In brief, he notes:

[T]he entire received body of knowledge in just about every field of human study is dependant on the fact that the world is not 5000 years old and that there was not a flood. These facts are the fundamentals of biology, physics, astronomy, history, anthropology, geology, paleontology, zoology, linguistics, etc.



Belief in a 5000 year old world and a flood which destroyed the world 4000 years ago is a denial of all human knowledge as we know it.

And so it is.


The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity, the influential management guru Peter Drucker once said. That lesson seems to have come naturally to a young entrepreneur in Canada this week.

According to CBC News, nine-year-old Elina Childs saw her opportunity Wednesday when Canada legalized cannabis nationwide, becoming the second country to do so. As crowds lined up at a cannabis store in Edmonton, Childs and her father showed up with a wagon full of thin mints, cookies and other munchies.

God bless this girl selling girl guide cookies outside of nova cannabis. ????????????????????????#yeg pic.twitter.com/dnI9HdBXPc  Emily Fitzpatrick (@_emilyfitzCBC) October 17, 2018

Childs was raising money for Girl Guides, Canadas scouting movement for girls. It took her only 45 minutes to sell out of her stock of munchies, collecting $120 for the Girl Guides in the process.

It amazed me how quickly they went, Seann Childs, Elinas father, told the CBC. Even people in cars driving on the avenue there would stop and roll down their window and ask for cookies.

Childs added that the experience was much more fruitful than her previous efforts of selling Girl Guide cookies door to door. People were often not home, and Elina was once bitten by a dog. The reception outside the cannabis store, he said, was much more friendlynot to mention a positive lesson in entrepreneurialism.

Everybody was respectful, everybody was happy, and she walked away from it as this incredibly positive experience as well as selling out all her Brownie cookies, he said. She can go and be happy that shed done that and help support the Guides too.
TIANJIN, China Oct 19 (Reuters) - Shandong Zhaojin Group , one of China's biggest gold miners, is scouring assets in South America as it looks to invest in its first overseas mining project, its general manager said on Friday.

The company has set up a representative office in Machala, capital of Ecuador's El Oro province, historically a gold-producing region, and will use this as a base to participate in South American projects, Liu Yongsheng told Reuters on the sidelines of the China Mining conference in Tianjin.

Ecuador had both gold and copper reserves but the "exploration work is still very rough", so very large financial resources would be required to invest, he added.

Shandong Zhaojin, China's fourth-largest gold miner after Shandong Gold, China National Gold and Zijin Mining Co, has also set up overseas units in Canada and Australia, Liu said.

Another executive from the company said in September 2017 that Shandong Zhaojin wanted to establish an overseas mining presence within a three-five year time frame.

"We have a lot of projects being discussed," including in Russia, Central Asia and Africa, Liu added.

Speaking at the same conference, Woo Chan Lee, China president at Barrick Gold Corp, said his company wanted to "get to know Shandong Zhaojin much better" over the next year as he pledged more opportunities for cooperation with Chinese firms following Barrick's proposed merger with Randgold Resources.

Barrick already partners Shandong Gold at the Veladero mine in Argentina and Zjin Mining at the Porgera project in Papua New Guinea. Woo said he was "confident" China Gold and Barrick would be partners in the future.

(Reporting by Tom Daly; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
* China demand seen surging more than 40 pct this year -analyst

* Potential 3-year deal under discussion -sources

* PNG LNG looking to firm up last mid-term supply of 0.45 mtpa

* 'Everyone worried about winter shortage' -China LNG buyer (Adds details and background)

By Jessica Jaganathan

SINGAPORE, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Unipec Asia, the trading arm of Chinese oil major Sinopec , is in talks to buy more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Exxon Mobil Corp-operated Papua New Guinea (PNG) project, five industry sources told Reuters.

If agree, a supply deal would likely start ahead of an expected surge in China's demand this winter and it will be for about three years, two of the sources briefed on the matter said. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak with media.

The exact volumes under discussion were not immediately clear but project holder Oil Search said in its half-yearly results statement in August that negotiations are ongoing to contract the project's final batch of mid-term supply totalling 0.45 million tonnes per annum (mmtpa).

Exxon's existing LNG deal with Unipec from the PNG project, signed in 2009, is to supply about 2 mmtpa for 20 years.

The overall PNG project has a total contracted volume of 7.5 mmtpa so far, according to Oil Search. The project has signed mid-term LNG sale and purchase agreements with PetroChina and oil major BP, and has sold 6.6 mmtpa under long-term contracts to Japanese trading giant JERA, Osaka Gas, Sinopec and Taiwan's CPC Corp.

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It wasn't immediately clear whether Exxon is also currently in talks with other potential buyers of Papua New Guinea LNG. Exxon holds a 33.2 percent stake in PNG LNG, while Oil Search has a 29 percent interest. Two PNG government-linked entities and Australia's Santos Ltd hold smaller stakes.

An Exxon spokeswoman in Papua New Guinea declined to comment, saying the company does not comment on commercial matters. A Sinopec spokesman did not comment.

"Everyone is worried about a winter shortage," said one major LNG buyer in China, adding this is driving Chinese companies to lock in supply ahead of winter when demand typically surges.

For example, China's Petrochina International inked a three-year agreement with the PNG LNG project in July for the supply of 0.45 million tonnes of LNG a year. It also signed a 22-year deal with Qatargas in September for 3.4 million tonnes of LNG a year.

China, the world's second-largest LNG importer, is expected to import a record 54 million tonnes of the fuel this year, surging more than 40 percent from 38 million tonnes last year, according to consultancy SIA Energy earlier this week.

Last winter, an over-ambitious attempt to convert millions of Chinese households from coal to gas heating driven by a gasification push by the government, left many villages without gas supplies amid freezing temperatures. (Reporting by Jessica Jaganathan Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
Jamal Khashoggi (Photo: POMED via Wikimedia Commons)

Jamal Khashoggi (Photo: POMED via Wikimedia Commons)



As a mountain of evidence points to the fact that Saudi security agents killed Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the relevance of the 2016 Magnitsky Act comes into focus. The earliest version of the law was designed to bar Russian oligarchs from entering the U.S. after they murdered a Russian national on Russian soil. As enacted, the law is equally available to exclude Saudis royals who now enjoy their U.S. sojourns.



The Global Magnitsky Act pierces the veil of diplomatic immunity for crimes committed by foreign governments. Bill Browder, the U.S.-born, British businessman who shepherded the law to passage said, It is a game-changer. The Magnitsky Act functions more as a strategic tool, a scalpel not a sword, to let the U.S. target foreign malefactors who violate basic human rights by torture and murder of innocents who stand up for fundamental human liberty.



There have to be consequences for everybody, said Browder, You cant come to America and you cant use the U.S. banking system.  It is a privilege that should only be afforded to people who are not chopping their enemies into little pieces.



In the wake of American outrage at the brutality of Khashoggis killing, Republican and Democratic lawmakers have said enough.



The Old Way of Thinking



Looking back, the U.S. has come a long way. The U.S. Supreme Court case, Saudi Arabia v. Nelson illustrates the old way of thinking. In December 1983, Scott Nelson, an American engineer went to Riyadh with his wife to work in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital to monitor the hospitals oxygen lines. During the next few months, Nelson detected fire hazards and reported his concerns. When hospital officials ordered him to ignore the problem, he went to the Saudi government commission on safety.



What happened next was chilling. Agents of the Saudi government arrested him, shackled him, tortured him and transferred him to a rat-infested prison cell. His knees cracked when they strapped a metal rod behind them and he became permanently disabled. At the prison, Nelson was confined in an overcrowded cell area infested with rats, where he had to fight other prisoners for food, the Supreme Court opinion states.



Nelson's wife was informed by a Saudi government official that she could arrange for his release if she provided sexual favors, according to the opinion.



After U.S. senators intervened, Nelson was released.



Scott Nelson and his wife, Vivian, filed an action in a federal district court for damages against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi hospital and the hospital's purchasing agent in the United States, asserting jurisdiction under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976.



They argued that the action was based on commercial activity of the hospital, an exception under the FSIA. Their case was dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida and reversed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, where they won. The appeals court concluded that Scott Nelsons recruitment and hiring were "commercial activities and therefore not subject to sovereign immunity.





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When Saudi Arabia, as petitioner, brought the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, Nelson lost. The Court dismissed the claim, holding that, because government officials rather than hospital employees tortured him, sovereign immunity protected the government from even civil liability. The intentional conduct alleged here (the Saudi Government's wrongful arrest, imprisonment and torture of Nelson) boils down to abuse of the power of the police, the holding said.







However monstrous such abuse undoubtedly may be, a foreign state's exercise of that power has long been understood for purposes of the restrictive theory as peculiarly sovereign in nature.





Nelsons lawyer for the U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit cases, Jorge A. Duarte, told NLJ, We didn't have legislation like you have today. Duarte continued, Back then, the Saudis escaped the jaws of the U.S. judicial system because Congress had not authorized any type of legislative scheme to punish and discourage human rights abusers.



The Lead-Up to the Magnitsky Act



In 2012, after Russian agents tortured and killed Sergei Magnitsky in jail, the first Magnitsky Act was enacted to block U.S. visas to Russian officials responsible for the murder of the tax lawyer who worked with Browder.



That law was updated four years later by the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act of 2016. Now, Saudi officials could be subject to exclusion from the U.S. and their assets can be frozen, if the Turkish government's accounts of the savage butchering of Khashoggi prove to be accurate.



Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators invoked the Magnitsky law, triggering an investigation and Global Magnitsky sanctions determination.



The Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act requires the President  to determine whether a foreign person is responsible for an extrajudicial killing, torture, or other gross violation of internationally recognized human rights against an individual exercising freedom of expression, and report to the Committee within 120 days with a determination and a decision on the imposition of sanctions on that foreign person or person, the Oct. 10 letter, signed by the senators.



Under the law, the Treasury Department is empowered to prohibit entry into the U.S. and freeze assets of people considered responsible for corruption and human rights violations  effectively blocking their access to the U.S. financial system. And last year, Trump wrote a letter underscoring his commitment to its robust and thorough enforcement.



The Global Magnitsky Act is designed specifically for situations like this where there has been an extrajudicial murder by a regime without a rule of law, Browder said, If the reports of Khashoggis grisly murder are true, this is a clear case for senior Saudi officials to be sanctioned.



Browder said that Congress is not dependent solely on the White House or any other body to come to a conclusion on how Mr. Khashoggi came to die. If credible evidence emerges that he was murdered by Saudi agents, the White House will be obliged to apply these sanctions.



Hagar Hajjar Chemali, a former spokesperson at the U.S. Treasury Department, said The move on the part of the Senate to call for an investigation under the Global Magnitsky Act was a good maneuver mainly because of the pressure it places on the president to conduct an investigation and follow-up with sanctions.



President Trump, last December signed an executive order declaring a national emergency with respect to serious human rights abuses.



Today, the United States is taking a strong stand against human rights abuse and corruption globally by shutting these bad actors out of the U.S. financial system, Secretary of the Treasury Steven T. Mnuchin said at the time.



On Thursday, Mnuchin announced on Twitter that, after speaking with the president and the secretary of state, he would not participate in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.



Magnitsky makes no distinction between a U.S. citizen and a foreign national, Browder said, the point of the law is one tool of the administration, but one that makes a strong point, particularly in world leaders pocketbooks.



A Possible U.N. Investigation



The international community is hoping for an investigation without the evident conflicts. In an unusual move on Thursday, three major human rights organizations called for the government of Turkey to ask U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres to launch a U.N. investigation into the Khashoggi case. The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters without Borders jointly said that the U.N. should investigate the case. Turkey should enlist the U.N. to initiate a timely, credible, and transparent investigation, said Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. U.N. involvement is the best guarantee against a Saudi whitewash or attempts by other governments to sweep the issue under the carpet to preserve lucrative business ties with Riyadh.



Brett Bruen, a former White House official who now teaches at Georgetown University, said, We have always had a special Saudi category: They are held to a lower standard than many other nations, predicated on the notion we needed them for assistance on extremists and economic investment. 



The U.S. has given Saudi Arabia more than adequate time to complete the investigation. On Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saudi Arabia would have a few more days to complete it. And Vice President Mike Pence said, I can assure you that were going to follow the facts.



Whether there will be further investigations under the Magnitsky Act by the U.N., Turkey or the U.S. intelligence community and whether there will be a shake-up in the Saudi Royal family will determine a reshaped U.S.-Saudi relationship for years to come.



What is clear is that justice is now expected to be meted out for those who committed and those who directed such a heinous crime.
By Michael Kahn

WROCLAW, Poland (Reuters) - Wroclaw's hulking Soviet-era public dormitories held little appeal for Odysseas Savvas when he moved to the Polish city from Greece to study business at university. Instead, he opted for his own room and bathroom in a newly built private residence.

"The other dorms were really old from the communist times and really simple," Savvas, 19, said. "I couldn't be comfortable sharing a room and a bathroom with four people."

Investors and developers sizing up the potential for new student housing projects in central and eastern Europe believe there will be many more foreign students just like Savvas willing to pay extra for their creature comforts.

That's why the company behind the new residence in Wroclaw which has a gym, private kitchens and big-screen TV in the communal area, is planning to quadruple the number of student housing projects it runs in the next two to three years.

Central Europe's old world charm and tradition-steeped universities are increasingly attracting international students eager to study in English-language degree programmes for a fraction of the cost back home.

It's also creating a housing crunch with many older dormitories filled to capacity and students snapping up rooms in private residences such as the nearly 500-bed residence in Wroclaw, which opened in September.

"We can see the demand is there," said Nebil Senman, managing director of Griffin Real Estate https://griffin-re.com/en which operates the residence in Wroclaw and is backed by Los Angeles-based Oaktree Capital Management (OAK.N). "We are currently over-subscribed."

"In the last six months I've really seen the market pick up. There is more demand from international investors approaching us. This is something we are considering," said Senman, who oversees four student housing projects in Poland at the moment.

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SIMPLE ECONOMICS

In Poland, the region's biggest country and largest economy, the number of international students has surged more than four-fold to almost 57,000 in the past nine years, according to government statistics compiled by StudentMarketing http://www.student-market.com/home.

It has jumped 72 percent to 38,868 in the Czech Republic while Hungary's international student population has doubled to nearly 27,000 over the same period.

For investors it's simple economics. More students and not enough beds in cities where development costs are lower than in western Europe means higher yields on new projects than in more mature western European student housing markets.

"Central and eastern Europe is on the radar of those big investors who have established their presence in western Europe and it is a natural next move for them," said Stefan Kolibar, head of marketing at StudentMarketing, an independent research company focused on student housing data.

"The region is even more under supplied with not as much volume," he said.

Kolibar said the percentage of private beds to international students was 5 percent in Prague, 1 percent in Warsaw, 9 percent in Wroclaw and 13 percent in Budapest compared to 16 percent in Barcelona, 55 percent in Amsterdam and 30 percent in Dublin.

In Budapest, Austrian company value one http://www.value-one.at opened the 418-apartment Milestone project last year offering a roof-top terrace, high-speed internet and a fitness room.

It now has its sights set on the Czech Republic and Poland, which entered the top 10 destinations for the Erasmus programme http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus for international students, a spokeswoman said.

"Both markets are interesting for us because they offer a high number of students from all over the world and they are near our home market," said spokeswoman Caroline Hadl.

HEDGING YOUR BETS

Investors such as Corestate Capital Holding (CCAG.DE) see student housing as a durable asset because of the perpetual pipeline of domestic and international students, said Philipp Rohweder, one of the company's investment directors.

His firm is keen to invest in projects in central Europe, especially Poland where a thriving student population, years of economic growth and a stable currency provides opportunity for investors in an emerging market.

The country of 40 million people also has a large number of university towns attractive for investors who want to establish a network of student housing projects, he added.

"Student housing is hedging your bets against other economic cycles because when the economy is good everyone wants to study and when it isn't everybody has to study," said, adding that he hopes to have a deal for a 1,000-bed project secured this year.

Low costs are a big draw for students. Yearly tuition at Prague's Charles University https://www.cuni.cz/UKEN-1.html is about 6,000 euros ($6,950) per year for a degree program, far less than in most universities in the United States and Asia.

Commerz Real https://www.commerzreal.com/en, a subsidiary of Germany's Commerzbank (CBKG.DE), launched a 500 million euro fund in August aimed at tapping into the European student housing market.

The fund's manager, Heiko Szczodrowski, sees fast-growing central European cities such as Warsaw, Prague and Budapest as attractive potential targets: "We don't have a property in the fund but we want to change that soon."

'THE RIGHT TIME'

In Prague, enrolment in the Erasmus programme at Charles University has surged from less than 200 at the turn of the century to nearly 2,000 today, said Beata Tomeckova, who coordinates student housing.

Average monthly rent for a single room in private student residences is 299 euros in Prague, 238 euros in Budapest and 176 euros in Warsaw, according to data compiled by StudentMarketing.

That compares with an average 627 euros in Barcelona, 760 euros in Milan and 870 euros in Dublin.

"We have an increasing number of students but there are limits and some students may not get a place in the dormitories," Tomeckova said.

Alexander Gulya, managing director for international acquisitions at International Campus https://www.ic-campus.com/en/home, which is controlled by Canada's Brookfield Asset Management (BRE.TO), is planning a 550-bed dormitory in Prague's trendy Holesovice district.

It started a project for a 1,400-bed residence in Budapest in April and a 1,000-bed dorm in Krakow in July. The company is also targeting Warsaw in the central European region where Gulya said it was possible to see attractive yields.

"We believe it is the right time to reach out and find chances in higher yielding markets especially in an asset class where there will be future demand," he said.

"But we should not forget that student housing is at a very early stage in this region and those going to CEE need to take a strong entrepreneurial view.

($1 = 0.8648 euros)

(Reporting by Michael Kahn; editing by David Clarke)
MOSCOW, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

VEDOMOSTI

www.vedomosti.ru

- Hackers have been increasingly targeting banks in Russia, but are recently having less success because of stepped-up security measures at banks, the newspaper writes citing the central bank. Cyber criminals are beginning to switch their focus to less protected small businesses.

KOMMERSANT

www.kommersant.ru

- State energy holding Inter RAO wants to buy a 25 percent share in Russia's Gas Turbines, a joint venture with General Electric, the newspaper writes. The energy holding also wants to purchase a license from GE for the production of gas turbines with a capacity of up to 200 megawatts.

RBC

www.rbc.ru

- Moscow is ready to allocate 10.5 billion roubles ($160 million) for the removal of urban waste to Russia's northern Arkhangelsk region where an environmental technology park will be created, the newspaper writes.

- The newspaper writes that gas giant Gazprom could become a co-owner of one of its largest contractors. The firm will compete with companies owned by billionaires Arkady Rotenberg and Gennady Timchenko for contracts of 1 trillion roubles. ($1 = 65.7125 roubles) (Compiled by Margarita Popova Editing by Tom Balmforth)
(Adds comment from CEO, other details)

By Fathin Ungku

SINGAPORE, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Singapore water treatment firm Hyflux Ltd, which is in the midst of a court-supervised reorganisation, said Indonesia's Salim Group and Medco Group had agreed to acquire 60 percent of the company for S$400 million ($290 million), a move that gives it a lifeline for its struggling business.

The new joint venture called SM Investments Pte Ltd has also agreed to give Hyflux a loan of S$130 million, Hyflux and the two Indonesian firms said in a joint statement on Thursday.

"The investor was identified by the company through a competitive bidding process undertaken by the company as part of its restructuring plans," Hyflux said, adding that the investors would also give it a S$30 million loan ahead of the proposed equity investment to meet its working capital requirements.

Loss-making Hyflux had been seeking strategic investors to raise funds even as it negotiated with other parties to sell its Singapore-based Tuaspring, its combined desalination and power plant, to help pay creditors. Malayan Banking Bhd is the project's main lender.

Hyflux's Group Chief Executive Officer Olivia Lum, who founded the company in 1989 and has grown it into firm employing 2,300 people, said the new investment will enable Hyflux to tap into the Indonesian market.

"Indonesia will be a big market for us," she told a news conference. She said Hyflux would not need to sell Tuaspring but she did not give details.

Hyflux has built two of Singapore's desalination plants that can meet up to 25 percent of the city-state's water needs. In the past few years, the company had expanded in the Middle East and Africa using debt to fund its growth.

The company's total liabilities stood at S$2.6 billion at the end of March. It had previously said it was reorganising its business after lower electricity prices hurt its finances.

"With our experience and strong track record in owning and operating businesses in energy, renewables, utilities and gas across Southeast Asia, we are confident we can unlock the full potential of Hyflux," said Medco Group's founder Arifin Panigoro.

Shares of the company, which went public in 2001, were last traded at S$0.21 in May this year versus a peak of S$2.876 in 2010.

Hyflux started the process of a court-supervised reorganisation of its business in May to protect it against creditors as it restructured its debt. ($1 = 1.3778 Singapore dollars) (Reporting by Fathin Ungku; Writing by Anshuman Daga; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri and David Evans)
(Bloomberg) -- The manufacturing analysts who spent 6,600 hours inside a warehouse north of Detroit picking apart a Model 3 have good news and bad news for Tesla Inc. The company now boasts the best technology of any electric car, with potential profit margins that would be the envy of most automakers. But Tesla is squandering that edge with wasted expenses linked to poor design and bloated manufacturing.

Sandy Munro, the founder of Munro & Associates, a small firm that disassembles new cars piece by piece, concluded that the Model 3 costs about $2,000 more to produce than a similarly-priced BMW i3 and may have additional cost problems in its assembly plant. Some compact cars and family sedans produced by conventional automakers dont make $2,000 in total profit per vehicle.

Many of the problems stem from unconventional choices made by Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk. If that car was made anywhere else, and Elon wasnt part of the manufacturing process, they would make a lot of money, Munro said in an interview. Theyre just learning all the old mistakes everyone else made years ago. Munro said he admires Teslas technology, so he sent the company a pro bono list of 227 suggested improvements.

Take the steel and aluminum frame at the bottom of the car, a design meant to increase safety. Tesla's battery already sits in the floor and adds stiffness, Munro said, so Tesla made the car heavier and more expensive without getting much benefit.

The aluminum trunk well, meanwhile, is made from multiple pieces held together with rivets and weld points instead of one lighter, cheaper fiberglass trunk preferred by other carmakers. The rear wheel well on the Model 3 also features nine pieces of metal riveted, sealed or welded together. The Chevy Bolt? It has one stamped piece of steel.

This body is their single biggest problem, Munro said. Its killing them.

Tesla declined comment, although the company did cite a statement from April saying that Model 3 line has gotten better since Munros cars were built. We have significantly refined our production processes since then, and while theres always room for improvement, our data already shows that Model 3 quality is rapidly getting better.

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Munros team sees the fully-loaded Model 3 as a car with the potential to make 30 percent gross margins, with 10 percent margins on the cheapest versions. Falling short of that potential risks undermining Musk's efforts to generate profit and cash, which he is targeting for the second half of this year following an operating loss of $1.2 billion in the first half.

Munro takes apart cars on behalf of his clients, looking for strengths and weaknesses in their designs. Before breaking down Teslas cheapest sedan, he tore up a Chevy Bolt and the BMW i3 to get a detailed sense of how other electric vehicles are made. In his shop outside of Detroit, theres a disassembled BMW 328i and broken apart models from Honda Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. Doors, body panels, valves, wiring harnesses and circuit boards hang on peg boards throughout the warehouse.

Munros team has taken apart about 400 different vehicles from almost every carmaker. The firm has also done work for aerospace giant Boeing Inc. and defense contractor Raytheon Co., among others.

The Model 3 that got the tear-down treatment was a $50,000 version with a black paint job. Munro estimated the total cost to build was $34,700. Adding in logistics costs and a generous assumption for labor, Munro estimates that gross profit margins would exceed 30 percent.

A cheaper version of the Model 3 examined by his team would cost less than $30,000 to build, Munro said, because the smaller battery is less expensive and some other equipment would come out of the car. By comparison, Munro estimated the cost to produce the Chevrolet Bolt at a little more than $30,000 in parts, while the BMW i3 costs less than $33,000. Munro said his margin estimates dont count costs like R&D investment and engineering.

Musk has described consultants working for Tesla as barnacles that need to be scraped off, but Munro is the rare outsider who did get his attention. After he put out an initial report in April, identifying problems with the design of the Model 3, Musks team arranged a call. The manufacturing analyst warned the Tesla chief that his car was heavy, too expensive and needlessly complicated to assemble. According to Munro, Musk replied that he had already fired the engineer responsible for the bodys design.

Not fast enough, Munro recalls saying, adding in the interview that Musk, never should have hired him.

Musk did not say who he fired, but there has been a lot of turnover at the company in high-level positions. Doug Field left Tesla as chief of vehicle engineering in June. He never developed cars before arriving at Tesla.

Tesla wants to do things their way, not the conventional way, said Morningstar Inc. analyst David Whiston, whose $179 a share price target is among the lowest of analysts covering the company. The company is still young and has a lot of things to work out.

Musk has said that the company is working to boost efficiency, especially in the body shop. Tesla can better design for ease of manufacturing and change its approach how it joins different parts of the car together so that it's lighter, cheaper and stabler, he said on an earnings call in August.

The Model 3s profit potential as assessed by an outsider like Munro is impressivebut it comes with a huge caveat. Tesla hasnt let Munro visit the companys car factory in Fremont, California. So Munro created his estimates as if the Model 3 had been built in an average Toyota or GM plant. Tesla has far more employees than Toyota and GM had when they jointly ran the same Fremont factory, and that inefficiency could hinder profits.

Tesla has roughly 10,000 employees in the Fremont plant. At their peak, Toyota and GM had 4,400 workers who made 450,000 cars a year at the same facility, said Ron Harbour, senior partner with consulting firm Oliver Wyman. Tesla, he said, has way too many workers.

If Tesla can consistently turn out 5,000 Model 3s per week, the plant would build at most 350,000 total vehicles, including Model S and X, next year. Part of that workforce can be explained by Teslas decision to do a lot of work in house that other carmakers dont, like build its own seats. But Munro said that even with extra work, the staff appears bloated.

Theres no way you need 10,000 people even with three shifts and with a lot of work done in house, Munro said.

Another reason for the elevated headcount is that the indoor assembly line, which Tesla calls GA3, had an automated conveyance system that failed. In the spring, Tesla finally ripped it out and used the parts to build the new assembly line under a gigantic tent.

Again, the design of the Model 3 contributed to the problem: Munro said its many weld points and rivets are just not designed for heavy automation. Musk admitted as much when he tweeted in April that excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake.

Theres clearly too much human integration in manufacturing, and that's true with the Model S and X, too, said James Albertine, analyst with Consumer Edge Research LLC. Elons focus has been on better battery range and performance.

While Tesla's manufacturing process would have benefited from a more old-school approach, the company has an edge with regards to technology. The 75 kilowatt hour battery inside a Model 3 goes 310 miles on a charge, about 70 miles further than a Chevy Bolt and about triple what the BMW i3 can do. Teslas battery costs more than $13,000, Munro estimates, about $1,000 more than a Bolt.

The Model 3 not only goes farther on a chargeits a lot faster due to the advanced electric motor. Teslas motor costs $754 a car compared to $836 for the Bolt. The teardown by Munros team revealed an advanced design that uses powerful magnets to spin faster and generate more power. This electric motor is a game changer, he said. Everyone should be benchmarking this.

The software and electronics are also better. Munro found that Tesla reduced the amount of wiring snaking through the car by concentrating a lot of the electronics in small circuit boards. Thats knowledge from Silicon Valley that the carmakers dont have.

The trick now is turning this established technological advantage into consistent profitsand to do that Musk needs to hire executives with experience in the nuts and bolts of carmaking. If he does, Munro said, hes not far away from making money.

--With assistance from Dana Hull.

To contact the author of this story: David Welch in Southfield at dwelch12@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Aaron Rutkoff at arutkoff@bloomberg.net, Craig Trudell

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
Clad in a bright yellow head scarf and sporting a pen and notebook, Zuhra Nawrozi is unlike many of the candidates competing for a seat in Afghanistan's parliament.

On the campaign trail, the 30-year-old is flanked not by security guards but a young team of campaigners. They walk, rather than ride in bulletproof cars. Nawrozi's modest rented house serves as her campaign headquarters.

"Politicians shouldn't be detached from voters," says the mother of two. She is running for a seat in the capital, Kabul, an overcrowded city of 5 million that is frequently the target of deadly militant attacks. "We go out on the streets to talk and listen to ordinary people. We make a note of all their problems and needs. The streets are where these conversations should begin."

Nawrozi is among hundreds of young first-time independent candidates competing for the 249 seats in the lower house of parliament in the October 20 poll being contested by some 2,500 hopefuls.

Afghanistan's demographics would seemingly favor younger candidates -- around 70 percent of the estimated population of 30 million is below the age of 30. But the political first-timers face a daunting challenge from the old guard, which has long dominated politics through ethnic and tribal networks and deep pockets.

The campaign has been marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud. The vote is more than three years overdue due to administrative and legal issues, and a last-minute decision for biometric verification of voters has threatened to derail the vote and hope of a credible result.

The vote in the province of Ghazni has been cancelled altogether, and district elections that were supposed to be held the same day have been postponed. And on October 19, the elections in Kandahar Province were delayed a week following the assassination of the powerful provincial police commander the day before.

Even with the odds stacked against them, the wave of young candidates -- many of them reporters, entrepreneurs, and educators -- are on a mission to bring change to the country, where poverty is endemic, government corruption is pervasive, and war has raged for decades. They hope their visibility in the media and promises of change will resonate with a young and deeply disgruntled electorate.

"We want a parliament that gives voice to the people," says Nawrozi, a teacher and news reporter who is campaigning on a platform of empowering women through education and jobs. "We have lawmakers that have been in their positions for years, but have not given even a minute of their time to the people they are meant to represent."

'Generational Transition Of Power'

Many of the young generation came of age after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban from power in 2001 and have reaped the benefits of greater education, opportunities, and freedoms.

That includes Bilal Sarwary, a 36-year-old who is running for a seat in the province of Kunar in eastern Afghanistan.

"What we need in Afghanistan is a generational transition of power in politics," he says. "I don't see why we can't step up to the plate and be part of the solution."

Sarwary's family left Afghanistan during the devastating civil war in the 1990s and became refugees in neighboring Pakistan, where he grew up selling water on the streets. He was studying English while working as a salesman at the time of the U.S. invasion. He became an "accidental journalist," he says, hired by the BBC first as a translator and then as a producer. Sarwary received a scholarship and studied in the United States before returning home to launch his political career.

"Many members of my family didn't support the idea of me entering politics," says Sarwary, who is campaigning to create jobs and improve infrastructure in Kunar. "Nobody wants to have a family member involved in a venture that is so lethal and unpopular. I know it's a big risk, but we need to bring about change in Afghanistan."

At least 10 candidates have been killed, two abducted, and four wounded both before and after the start of the 20-day campaign on September 28. 

'Discontent With The Status Quo'

Ali Adili, a researcher at Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul, notes the presence of young candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, many of whom emerged from protest movements.

"One underlying reason for this might be prevalent discontent with the status quo and an opportunity to effect change through parliament," he says.

Sarwary says parliament is the heart of the Afghan political system and has stopped functioning. "Lawmakers have been too busy fighting amongst themselves and they have paralyzed key government institutions," he says. "Parliament has become a source of ethnic divisions, and many lawmakers see parliament solely as a money-making avenue."

Female candidates also face social and cultural obstacles in this conservative country, where women play a limited role in public affairs despite 25 percent of seats in parliament being reserved for them.

"Socially, culturally, politically, and in terms of security women have more obstacles than men," says Wajda Faisal Azizi, a 26-year-old candidate from the northern province of Baghlan. "Compared to male candidates I have less of an opportunity to campaign, especially in districts [outside the provincial capital]."

"The male candidates are against us," adds Azizi, an Islamic-law graduate who is campaigning to protect the rights of women and children. "They speak against us. They work against us. They even encourage Islamic clerics to tell people in the mosques not to vote for women."

President Ashraf Ghani has attempted to clean up corrupt institutions and has appointed dozens of young, Western-educated Afghans to positions of power in his administration, including in the Security and Finance ministries and as senior advisers. Afghan women are also playing a greater role in government than ever, with 11 female deputy ministers, three female ministers, and five female ambassadors.

Diwa Samad, at 23, became the country's youngest-ever deputy minister when she was appointed to her post in the Public Health Ministry on October 7.

Such changes have not gone over well with some Afghans, who claim Ghani's appointments are purely symbolic and his appointees are inexperienced and lacking the necessary skills.

But Muslim Shirzad, a 28-year-old TV presenter at Tolo TV, the country's largest private television network, says if anyone can bring real change in Afghanistan, it is young people.

"This election is a good opportunity to serve my generation and bring the changes my generation needs," says Shirzad, who is also the chancellor of the private Jahan-e Noor University in Kabul. "The young generation are educated and they want to be involved in bringing change in their communities."
TASHKENT -- Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is in Tashkent on an official visit, has said a nuclear plant that will be built in Uzbekistan with Russian assistance will provide Central Asia with energy.

Putin told reporters in Tashkent after holding talks with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev that the plant in Uzbekistan's western region of Navoiy will create "a new industry in Uzbekistan."

"Two reactors with a capacity of 2.4 Megawatts each will produce cheap and clean electricity for customers in Uzbekistan and Central Asian countries, which will ensure energetic stability not only for Uzbekistan but for the whole region," Putin said.

Russian and Uzbek officials said earlier that the two presidents will take part via video link in the groundbreaking ceremony for the nuclear power plant on October 19.

According to Putin's foreign-policy aide, Yury Ushakov, the project is said to be worth $11 billion and is expected to come online in 2028.

The plant will be the first of its kind in Central Asia, where attitudes toward nuclear power were influenced by the dramatic consequences of the Soviet-era Semipalatinsk nuclear test polygon in Kazakhstan's northeast and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant accident in Ukraine.

Mirziyoev said that he and Putin discussed bilateral military-technical cooperation and regional security.

"A detailed exchange of opinions has taken place on countering terrorism, extremism, and especially the radicalization of youth," Mirziyoev said.

Putin said that Russia supported Uzbekistan's "active participation" in talks on Afghanistan.

"We consider it important [for Uzbekistan to take part in peace talks in Afghanistan] to curb threats posed by that country linked to the spread of terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime," Putin said.

Several documents, including a plan of Russian-Uzbek cooperation for 2019-24, a memorandum on cooperation in the oil and gas sectors, a program on cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and other agreements were signed during Putin's visit.

Putin arrived in Uzbekistan late on October 18 for his first state visit since Mirziyoev took over the former Soviet republic following the death of his authoritarian predecessor, Islam Karimov, in 2016.

Mirziyoev has taken some steps to open Uzbekistan to the outer world since then. Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populous country, with 32 million inhabitants.

With reporting by TASS and Interfax
Chinas Prime Minister Li Keqiang, center, speaks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Council President Donald Tusk during a group photo during an EU-ASEM summit in Brussels on Friday. EU leaders met with their Asian counterparts Friday to discuss trade, among other issues.
An Army veteran who served in Afghanistan was arrested early Friday in Colorado Springs after he allegedly threatened to kill an Uber driver because he hated all brown people.

Sean Scappaticci, 29, was arrested on suspicion of a hate crime  known as a bias-motivated crime in Colorado, obstructing a peace officer, menacing and attempt to escape. He is being held in the El Paso County jail on $800 bond.

Under Colorado law, a hate crime is an offense, such as a verbal or physical assault or property damage, that is motivated by a persons race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation.

Sentencing can range from alternative diversion programs to tacking on additional jail or prison time upon conviction.

Police said Scappaticci told the Uber driver, a man of Middle Eastern descent in his mid-20s, who picked him up just after 4 a.m. that he was going to kill him because he hated all brown people.

Scappaticci told the driver he was a former Army ranger and had killed many of the mans relatives overseas.

The driver, fearing for his life, stopped in the 200 block of South Eighth Street and ran, police said. Scappaticci allegedly chased after the driver, threatening to beat him.

When officers arrived, they arrested Scappaticci, who continued to say he wanted to kill all brown people, police said.

Once in the police cruiser, Scappaticci broke the back window, police said. Police removed him from the back seat, but they said he began to fight and resist officers. He eventually was subdued and taken to a hospital.

It is unknown if Scappaticci was injured while resisting officers or had another medical condition.

An Uber spokesperson said Scappaticci has been barred from the ride-sharing service:

Discrimination is not tolerated on the Uber app. As soon as this was reported to us, we immediately removed this riders access to the platform.

According to the Army, Scappaticci served four years, from 2008 to 2012. He was a ranger and was a private first class when discharged. He was deployed three times to Afghanistan and was awarded two Army Commendation Medals and an Army Achievement Medal.

Law enforcement agencies and organizations that track extremist groups have said hate crimes and expressions of prejudice have been on the rise in recent years, which some attribute to President Donald Trumps rhetoric toward minorities.

Last year, brawls broke out at a gathering of white nationalists in Charlottesville, Va., ostensibly protesting the removal of Confederate statues. A woman was killed when a man affiliated with the white nationalists drove into a crowd of counterprotesters.

In Colorado, the state Bureau of Investigation reported there were 104 reports of hate crimes in 2016, the most recent year for which numbers were available. That was down from 107 in 2015, but up from 95 in 2014.

In August 2017, a swastika and other anti-Semitic messages  including the words sig (sic) heil for sieg heil, a Nazi greeting  were found spray-painted on a Jewish synagogue in Colorado Springs, Temple Beit Torah, 522 E. Madison St. Nearby cars, homes and buildings also were vandalized with racist slurs. White supremacist and neo-Nazi propaganda  from flyers to stickers and graffiti  has been reported across the region this year.
Denver TV station KMGH-Denver7 decided Wednesday to pull a pro-Republican independent expenditure committees TV ad attacking gubernatorial candidate Jared Polis over a 1999 incident involving a confrontation with a female employee.

The move came after the Colorado Democrats attorneys demanded the ABC affiliate, owned by The E.W. Scripps Co., take it off the air because it is false, defamatory and malicious, Colorado Politics has learned.

Numerous media outlets in recent days have debunked the claims made in the ad, paid for by Colorado Citizens for Truth, a secretive campaign group formed last week.

The ad, which started airing Saturday, alleges that Polis, a five-term congressman from Boulder, changed his name following the 1999 altercation with a former employee who later obtained a temporary restraining order against him.

This shameful false ad by Walker Stapletons special-interest backers is as low as politics gets, said Lisa Kaufmann, who chairs Polis campaign. Each of the four biggest news stations in Denver and other prominent news outlets across the state have debunked the claims in this ad, and we are glad to see The Denver Channel protecting its integrity by refusing to spread these falsehoods.
The Russians have come, and Colorado Springs is a bit shaken after a Putin-directed military intelligence operation purloined data from a local non-profit.

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 high time for a new Red Scare.
Honduran migrants bound to the U.S border climb into the bed of a truck in Zacapa, Guatemala, on Wednesday. The group of about 2,000 Honduran migrants hit the road in Guatemala again Thursday, hoping to reach the United States despite President Donald Trumps threat to cut off aid to Central American countries that dont stop them.
China intends to launch a luminous artificial satellite into geosynchronous orbit above Chengdu (the capital of China's southwestern Sichuan province) by 2020, to help supplement street lights at night and save as much as $173-million on electricity annually. THE FUTURE.

Scientists estimated that it could be eight times more luminous than the actual, original moon. It will also orbit much closer to Earth; about 500 km (310 miles) away, compared to the moon's 380,000 km (236,000 miles).

But the ambitious plan still wouldn't "light up the entire night sky," Wu Chunfeng, chief of the Tian Fu New Area Science Society, told China Daily. "Its expected brightness, in the eyes of humans, is around one-fifth of normal streetlights."

Man, that's nuts. I just hope it doesn't confuse wildlife. Officials say if the artificial moon project is successful they could potentially add three more by 2022. That's a lot of moons! Alternatively, and I'm just throwing this out there, we should add another sun instead so it's never night and we're all driven mad and kill each other, the end.

Thanks to T-Pain, who agrees we should just nuke the actual moon into pieces and see what happens. You know, experiment.
This is a short video from the dashcam of a Fulshear, Texas police officer of a spider that, thanks to its proximity the camera, creates an optical illusion that it's actually a giant spider crawling across the street towards the officer. So....what is the spider actually walking on? The dashboard? Is it a reflection? Or is this an actual giant spider? Because I have heard everything is bigger in Texas. Although, FULL DISCLOSURE: My girlfriend was not impressed the night we spent there. "You're talking about your penis." We both agreed it was average at best.

Keep going for the whole video.

Thanks to Christina D, who agrees giant trained police spiders are right around the corner.
Presentation examined meeting dry and wet gap crossing requirements



PARSIPPANY, N.J., Oct. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steve Danner, Military Sales and Marketing Manager at Acrow Bridge , a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, was a featured speaker at Combat Engineer 2018 , one of Europes largest dedicated military engineering events. The theme of this years event, which took place from October 16-18 in Krakow, Poland, was Delivering Innovative Military Engineering Capabilities. Now in its fifth year, the event brings together industry and military experts from NATO member nations to network, learn and shape the future of military engineering. More than 20 nations were represented in the 2018 edition.

Danners presentation discussed enabling line of communication bridging, live load and span requirements for dry and wet gap crossings, and future developments to accommodate heavier loads with a rapidly deployable capability. It took place within the program module Enhancing Mobility for Modern Operations, which explored recent operations and how military engineering has led to their success.

Acrow Bridge has a long history of working with military and civilian partners in providing both temporary and permanent bridging, said Danner. Whether used in combat, peacekeeping operations or humanitarian relief efforts, Acrow bridges are capable of supporting heavy vehicles under a variety of conditions and are ideal in addressing time-sensitive infrastructure needs.

Added Eugene Sobecki, Director  National Sales and Military Business Development, Because of its unique attributes, the Acrow 700XS bridge system has been selected as a standard Line of Communication Bridge for logistical support by military organizations around the world. Acrows modular steel bridges are designed to military standards and components can be quickly transported, assembled, and reused wherever they are needed.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the President of Elite Petro & Gas, Mr. George Matharu and the President of Tabarak Investment Capital Limited (Investment Bank), Dr. Mohamed Ahmadi announced a deal in which the two companies will use their combined resources to execute physical commodity trades, and provide banking and finance facilities for oil and gas transactions.



The alliance between the two entities will also allow compliance related activities to be carried out from two major international hubs of London and Dubai. This increases the international presence of both companies.

Additionally, Elite Petro & Gas (EPG) has recently formed relationships with the owners of a number of high profile European, South American and Chinese projects, which EPG and Tabarak can work on together.

Tabarak Investment Capital Limited is a regulated investment bank by Dubai Financial Services Authority and incorporated in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Tabarak supports its clients to expand and improve their Global Wealth Management and Trading business by providing expert services through a proven and secure platform.

Elite Petro & Gas is a Finance, Trading and Advisory firm with a focus on downstream activities in the global Oil and Gas markets. They are a results-driven business, working closely with their clients to deliver tangible solutions and outcomes.

Elite Petro & Gas owned by Kuwaiti businessman Dr. Faisal Khazaal has made strategic alliances with Tabarak Investment Capital Limited which have given them access to Middle East and GCC region. This has given Elite Petro & Gas a substantial foundation of clients to build on, in addition to access to the markets that are most in need of the products and services they offer. The aim of EPG is to facilitate the commencement and completion of petroleum & gas projects, stimulate economy, create employment and combat poverty.

This relationship will serve to enhance our growing client relationships and business reputation in the Middle East and Gulf Cooperation Council Mr. George Matharu, President and General Manager of Elite Petro & Gas, said.

Dr. Mohamed Ahmadi, President and Executive Board Member of Tabarak Investment Capital Limited, agreed and commented that our Middle Eastern and Gulf Cooperation Council clients have been doing business in Europe and China for many decades, and through this alliance we will be able to offer them a more tailored and personal service.

Mr. George Matharu and Dr. Mohamed Ahmadi concluded their statement by saying We are excited about these opportunities and cementing our business relationship.

Elite Petro & Gas  Contact Details 

Elite Petro & Gas

(Trademark by Elite Capital & Co. Limited)

33 St. James Square

London, SW1Y4JS

United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0) 203 709 5060

Facsimile: +44 (0) 203 709 5061

SWIFT Code: ELCTGB21

Website

petro.uk.com

Tabarak Investment Capital Limited  Contact Details 

Tabarak Investment Capital Limited

Office 208, Level 2

Burj Daman, West Court

DIFC, Dubai, UAE

Telephone: +971 4 3593700

Facsimile: +971 4 3593703

SWIFT Code: TIBIAEAD

Website

tabarak.ae
NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Bauxite Corporation (First Bauxite or the Company) (TSX-V:FBX, FSE:FBI) announces that it has entered into an agreement (the Arrangement Agreement) with Resource Capital Fund V L.P. (RCF V) and Resource Capital Fund VI L.P. (RCF VI and together with RCF V, the RCF Funds) for a going private transaction (the Arrangement) to be completed by way of a statutory plan of arrangement (the Plan of Arrangement) pursuant to Section 288 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the BCBCA).



Once the Arrangement becomes effective, the RCF Funds will own 100% of the common shares of the Company (the Common Shares).

Under the Arrangement, among other things, the Common Shares will be consolidated at the Effective Time (as defined below) on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation Common Share for one hundred million (100,000,000) pre-consolidation Common Shares (the Consolidation). After effecting the Consolidation, those shareholders of the Company (the Shareholders) who would end up holding less than one whole post-Consolidation Common Share will have their fractional post-Consolidation Common Share purchased by First Bauxite at a price of $0.04 (the Cash Consideration) for each pre-Consolidation Common Share held. As a result of the Consolidation, the RCF Funds would be the sole shareholders of First Bauxite.

The Cash Consideration of $0.04 per pre-Consolidation Common Share represents a 100% premium to First Bauxite on a spot basis, and a 79% premium to the volume-weighted average trading price of the Common Shares for the 20 trading days ended October 18, 2018. The Arrangement therefore presents an effective liquidity mechanism for all shareholders at a premium to the recent share price, which could not otherwise be generated given the lack of liquidity and trading volume in the Company's Common Shares at present and the concentrated share ownership by RCF.

The Company will require an aggregate of approximately $2.0 million to purchase the fractional Common Shares resulting from the Consolidation, which amount RCF VI will fund by way of a loan to the Company on the Effective Date (as defined below), subject to the satisfaction of all conditions precedent to completing the Arrangement.

Immediately prior to executing the Arrangement Agreement, RCF converted the face value of all of its outstanding convertible debt of First Bauxite into Common Shares, increasing its ownership of the Company to approximately 90.7%, representing 496.9 million of the 547.9 million Common Shares currently outstanding.

In connection with the Arrangement, holders of all outstanding First Bauxite stock options have agreed to relinquish their stock options for cancellation at the Effective Time of the Arrangement for no consideration.

Larry Washow, Chairman of First Bauxite, commented: The Company presently faces several challenges including a lack of capital funding and several pending debt maturities. In addition, the costs to maintain a public listing and a lack of trading liquidity in our shares have further given cause for the Company to positively consider the all-cash offer to the minority shareholders contained within the Arrangement.

Special Committee and Advisors

In August 2018, a special committee of independent directors of the Company (the Special Committee) was established to consider and evaluate a potential go-private transaction, the effect of which, among other things, would be that the RCF Funds would become the sole shareholders of the Company, the Common Shares would be delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange (TSX-V) and the Company would, following the Arrangement, apply to cease to be a reporting issuer (or the equivalent) in any jurisdiction of Canada.

The Special Committee retained Haywood Securities Inc. (Haywood) to provide certain advice and advisory services to the Special Committee, including an assessment of a recommendation with respect to the fairness of the Arrangement. Haywood has determined that, subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications set out in such fairness opinion, the consideration to be received by the Shareholders, excluding the RCF Funds, in connection with the Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to such Shareholders.

Following consideration of the various factors including the fairness opinion and the commercial terms of the offer, and in consultation with its legal advisors, the Special Committee has concluded that the Arrangement is fair to the Shareholders to whom the offer is made and in the best interests of the Company.

Accordingly, the Special Committee unanimously recommended that the board of directors of First Bauxite (the Board) approve the Arrangement and its implementation, subject to the receipt of all required shareholder, court and other regulatory approvals, including approval of the TSX-V. Following an extensive review of the terms of the Arrangement and the recommendation of the Special Committee, in consultation with its legal advisors, the Board has approved the Arrangement and the related Plan of Arrangement, having determined that the Arrangement is in the best interests of the Company. The Board recommends that all Shareholders vote in favour of the Arrangement Resolution (as defined below).

The Arrangement constitutes a business combination for the purposes of Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). Since the Companys Common Shares are listed on the TSX-V, the Arrangement will, pursuant to section 4.4(1)(a) of MI 61-101, be exempt from the formal valuation requirements of MI 61-101. Because RCF owns approximately 90.7% of the Company's issued and outstanding Common Shares, the Arrangement will, pursuant to section 4.6(1)(a) of MI 61-101, be exempt from the minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101.

Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP acted as legal counsel to First Bauxite, Stikeman Elliott LLP acted as independent legal counsel to the Special Committee and Blake, Cassels & Graydon acted as legal counsel to the RCF Funds.

Conditions to Implementing the Arrangement

Closing of the Arrangement will occur as soon as reasonably practicable following the receipt of the final order (as referred to below), or such later date as the parties may agree (the Effective Date). The implementation of the Arrangement is conditional upon the satisfaction, on or before the effective time of the Arrangement (the Effective Time) on the Effective Date, of certain conditions precedent, including the following:

the approval of a special resolution to approve the Arrangement (the Arrangement Resolution) at a special meeting of Shareholders (to be held no later than December 14, 2018), which special resolution requires an approval by at least 66% of the votes cast by Shareholders represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting (including Common Shares held by the RCF Funds); each of the interim and final court orders shall have been obtained in form and substance satisfactory to each of First Bauxite and the RCF Funds, acting reasonably, and shall not have been set aside or modified in any manner unacceptable to either First Bauxite or the RCF Funds, acting reasonably, on appeal or otherwise; the TSX-V shall have approved the Arrangement, subject to customary conditions; no governmental authority shall have enacted, issued, promulgated, enforced or entered any law which is then in effect and has the effect of making the Arrangement illegal or otherwise preventing or prohibiting the consummation of the Arrangement; and there shall not be pending or threatened in writing any proceeding by any governmental entity or any other person that is reasonably likely to result in any: (a) prohibition or restriction on the acquisition by the RCF Funds of any Common Shares or the completion of the Arrangement or any person obtaining from any of the parties any material damages in connection with the Arrangement; (b) prohibition or material limit on the ownership by the RCF Funds of First Bauxite or any material portion of their respective businesses; or (c) imposition of limitations on the ability of the RCF Funds to acquire or hold, or exercise full rights of ownership of, any Common Shares, including the right to vote such Common Shares.

Special Meeting of Shareholders

The Company anticipates calling a special meeting of the Shareholders to be held before year-end in Toronto, Ontario, to consider the Arrangement Resolution (the Meeting). The record date to receive notice of and vote at the Meeting is expected to be set shortly.

The RCF Funds covenanted in the Arrangement Agreement that it will vote its Common Shares in favour of the Arrangement Resolution.

Full details of the Arrangement and matters to be considered at the Meeting will be included in a management information circular, which the Company will mail to shareholders and which will be made available on SEDAR under the issuer profile of First Bauxite.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of First Bauxite Corporation

Larry Washow

Chairman

About First Bauxite

First Bauxite Corporation is a Canadian natural resources company engaged in the exploration and development of bauxite deposits in Guyana, South America. The Company intends to produce and sell bauxite raw ore from its facility in Guyana and intends to produce sintered refractory products and ceramic proppants for the refractory and energy industries in the future. The Company has its head office in New Orleans, Louisiana and is managed by experienced professionals with worldwide experience in the global industrial minerals industry across a number of industrial minerals. For further information on First Bauxite Corporation, please visit our corporate website at www.firstbauxite.com. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information please contact:

First Bauxite Corporation

Telephone: +1 592-223-4396

Email: info@firstbauxite.com

Website: www.firstbauxite.com
Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton has called on multi-billion-dollar Silicon Valley companies to relax their stance against the governments proposed encryption bill.

Now there are vocal opponents to this legislation, he told the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.

The same companies that need to be hounded to pay tax in Australia and other jurisdictions, and the same companies who have misused personal data to commercial advantage.

And it should be noted, these are the same companies who protest about having to help police with the encryption problem, whilst operating their businesses in less democratic countries and accepting at the same time a compromise on privacy to allow their presence in those growth markets.

Dutton was referring to the response to the proposed bill from the Digital Industry Group Incorporated  the industry association representing the likes of Facebook, Google and Twitter in Australia  which expressed concern, saying these requirements have potential to erode consumer trust and introduce weaknesses that malicious actors could exploit.

The Assistance and Access Bill 2018 currently sits before a parliamentary committee for inquiry and report.

Concerns around the proposed regulation have mainly surrounded the idea of a backdoor being required of tech companies.

And while the bills explanatory document does state that designated communications providers will be required to build a new capability that will enable them to give assistance as specified in the legislation to ASIO and interception agencies, Dutton denied such requirements can be classified as a backdoor.

The legislation does not permit so-called backdoors  there will be no weakening of encryption, he maintained.

In fact, the bill specifically provides that companies cannot be required to create systemic weaknesses in their encrypted products, or be required to build a decryption capability and robust measures will ensure individual privacy is protected and cyber security safeguarded.

Dutton and the Department of Home Affairs recently absorbed responsibility for cyber security following the government's most recent cabinet reshuffle.

Bipartisan support required

In discussing the necessity of the bill, Dutton called on the Opposition to lend a hand in getting it through parliament.

It is an essential piece of legislation and it can only succeed if its supported in the Senate by the Labor Party. We want bipartisan support for key national security bills, he said.

[Opposition Leader] Mr Shorten needs to exert his authority and support the bill. The decision for Mr Shorten is whether he supports the Silicon Valley multi-billion-dollar companies or whether hes on the side of protecting Australians.

Earlier this week, Shadow Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland delivered an address on the topic, echoing Duttons call for bipartisan support.

Protecting national security and enabling law enforcement agencies to operate effectively in the digital age is a bipartisan commitment, she said.

However, she also appeared to take issue with the proposal of communications providers modifying security capabilities.

The proposed assistance framework does appear to go beyond encryption and potentially into the sphere of modifying devices and software at different points in the service stack, she said.

This, to the best of my knowledge, is new territory and therefore needs to be scrutinised rigorously.
The government may soon be able to force search engines to block sites that facilitate online piracy in a bid to further protect content creators and distributors.

Introduced to parliament on Thursday, the Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2018 would significantly broaden Australias current site-blocking laws.

An injunction against an online search engine provider is a reasonable, necessary and proportionate response to the need to protect the rights of creators and their licensees from infringing material being distributed to, or accessed by, persons in Australia, the government states in its explanatory memorandum of the bill.

The proposed amendment extends the existing, successful website blocking scheme introduced by the government in 2015, said Minister for Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield.

The 2015 bill allowed intellectual property rights holders to launch cases with the Federal Court to force ISPs to take reasonable steps to block infringing sites.

The Government is providing enormous support to creative industries, said Fifield.

We are always looking at what more we can do, and we want copyright owners to have the right tools at their disposal to fight online piracy.

Free TV Australia CEO Bridget Fair welcomed the proposed measures.

The legislation is a significant step in holding Google to account for its role in facilitating online piracy.

We know that site blocking can more than halve the usage of online pirate sites. It works.

"This legislation will put a stop to the high-tech game of whack-a-mole copyright owners have been forced to play, by allowing content creators to quickly seek blocks on proxy and mirror sites and a wider range of overseas websites and file-sharing services."

The proposed amendment will give copyright owners the ability to apply for injunctions requiring a search engine to demote or remove search results for infringing sites.

It will also aim to bring a broader range of overseas infringing online locations within the scope of the scheme and give the Federal Court the power to quickly block proxy and mirror pirate sites.
Three of them conveyed their disappointment to Illinois Review after the bill signing.

SPRINGFIELD - Those that have suffered the loss of family members at the hands of non-citizens in the country illegally were categorically denied calls from Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner before he signed a controversial immigration law into effect Monday.

Brian McCann, whose brother Dennis was killed when a drunk illegal alien ran over him crossing the street in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, was especially disappointed. Dennis' killer was released from Chicago Police detainment after he posted a $25,000 bond. The killer is now living in Mexico, yet to be punished for the crime.

Governor Bruce Rauner told reporters at the bill signing he didn't know anything about the families that wanted to speak with him. McCann was told that his cell and phone numbers were on the governor's call list a week before the signing. McCann never heard from the governor.

"Insult to injury continues," McCann told Fox News' Mike Tobin. "They know better. This is an issue of safety."

Dan Rosenberg's son Drew was killed while riding his motorcycle in San Francisco seven years ago. He, too expressed disappointment with Rauner's lack of interest in hearing from victims' families.

"This is just another example of a less-than public servant caring more about the potential votes he thinks he will get protecting illegal aliens at the expense of law abiding Illinoisans," Rosenberg told Illinois Review. "Rauner promised to meet with some of the families who were victims of illegal aliens on national television and then refused. A lousy governor and a liar."

Eric Brady's wife Jeannie of Mahomet, IL was killed January 1, 2017 by a Guatemalan in the country illegally who was driving with an alcohol level three times the legal amount. He told Illinois Review he was very disappointed in the new law.

"I find this to be terribly disappointing. It's embarrassing to the honest Illinoisans, who work hard and care about the safety of their fellow Americans," Brady said. "It continues to underscore that the leadership of this State has no interest in the citizens it's sworn to serve. It proves once again that there is no fiscal responsibility in Springfield."

The new law will mean those in the country illegally will be protected while citizens are exposed to safety risks.

"Most tragically, [the new law] will continue to allow criminals, like Esteban Tomas, the man who killed my wife, to operate above the laws that citizens are expected to adhere to," Brady said. "My heart goes out to the next husband to lose a wife, the next parent to lose a child, the new brother to lose their sibling. I will be praying for them."

Legal immigrant Sabine Durden's son Dominic was killed by an illegal alien who had been convicted twice of driving drunk. The Guatemalan national was punished with just 90 days in jail.

"It breaks my heart to see how once again, cheap labor and votes are more important than the citizens and legal immigrants of Illinois," Durden said.

She said it was shameful of the governor to claim on tv "to make himself look compassionate" that he would meet with the victims families, and never give them "a minute of his time."

"I hope people of Illinois take this blatant disregard for their safety and well being seriously and wake up," she said.

Illinois Governor Rauner firmly stated at the bill signing that law officials have told him SB 31 will make their job easier and the public safer.

Other Illinois Review stories on Illinois' new immigration policy:

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
Wednesday, Illinois Family Action rescinded its endorsement of Conservative Party's gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann after finding McCann sent out a mailing against one of the Illinois House's most conservative members - State Rep. Tom Morrison.

State Rep. Jeanne Ives told Illinois Review she would be sending a statement to her statewide mailing list condemning McCann's mailer and actions against Morrison.

Illinois Review obtained a copy of the mailer in which McCann skews Morrison as a "Rauner RINO" - when Morrison has consistently and publicly criticized Gov Rauner when he acted against conservative interests. UPDATE: IR is hearing that McCann was furious with Morrison for refusing to endorse him in the governor's race. Also, it is IR's understanding that no endorsement will be forthcoming from the state's conservatives on the governor's race.

The mailer that stirred the controversy:

More to come.
SPRINGFIELD - Governor Rauner's campaign is now focused on the candidate's likability. With such high negatives, they're evidently concerned as to how approachable the Governor is - and rightfully so.

Decked in a plaid shirt, the governor sat down to share a "brewski" in Normal, Illinois to discuss how to keep youngsters in Illinois in a new "Brewskis with Bruce" internet ad.
Rashid would be the first Arab Muslim on the county board. He adamantly opposes Morrison's efforts to stop a minimum wage hike and mandated paid sick leave countywide and Morrison's success at bringing together bi-partisan group that successfully repealed the countywide soda tax.

PALOS PARK - Sounds crazy, but George Soros is spending money on national, state and even county races this season. One of only four Republicans serving on the 17 member Democrat-controlled Cook County Board of Commissioners, Sean Morrison of District 17 is facing an uphill battle against Democrat Abdelnasser Rashid, 29-year-old Harvard graduate that has worked as a community activist for Soros in the past.

Morrison's efforts to stop tax hikes and employment mandates won him the endorsement of the Left-Leaning Chicago Sun Times. After listing his Democrat opponent's stance that Cook County's taxes really aren's that bad, and could be balanced with a tighter oversight of the county's budget, The Sun Times went with Morrison:

That leaves us looking at the balance of power on the county board, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 13-4. A little more balance couldnt hurt, each side serving as a check on the other. Our pick is Morrison. Were counting on him to continue scrutinizing taxation and spending, as he did when he opposed Board President Toni Preckwinkles ill-conceived and since repealed soda tax.

All politics is local, they say, and Morrison is looking for Republicans in his district to get out and vote - a necessity that down ballot candidates are pushing since the gubernatorial race has so many Republicans and conservatives disengaged.

Morrison says his opponent a political operative for George Soros.

Morrison says his opponent has substantial resources behind him. Rashid has worked for Soros' Our Revolution organization, and he's backed by "Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle and the Cook Democratic Party as well as JB Pritzker, sending a lot of money his way," Morrison told Illinois Review.

"Im just going to keep working hard, stand by my three years of record at the board and have faith in the residents of the 17th district," he said.

Rashid has raised $35,000 from unions, Democrat organizations and private donors.
A second new abortion clinic opened in Illinois this year - while they're closing in surrounding states - and drew the attention of the Illinois Right to Life. As reported last week in Illinois Review, Carafem Clinics advertise performing abortions, saying "There's no shame in it."

A spokesperson for the Carafem Clinic located in Skokie Illinois told the Chicago Tribune that Carafem set up their third clinic nationwide in the Chicago area because Illinois has relaxed abortion laws, possibly drawing expectant mothers seeking abortions from other states.

This is just one more indicator that the legal situation in our state is dire, said Mary Kate Knorr, executive director for Illinois Right to Life. This is the second clinic to open [in Illinois] this year alone, following Governor Bruce Rauners historic betrayal of pro-lifers in signing HB 40. Illinois lax abortion laws have made it the abortion oasis of the Midwest and created an environment where clinics like this can thrive and literally capitalize on women from other states.
Illinois and its legislature's favor bestowed on the abortion industry is making the state the place to set up shop or expand the clinics already there - an abortion industry paradise.

CHICAGO - For decades, Illinois' longtime Democrat-controlled legislature has maintained and nurtured a legal environment welcoming to the abortion industry. In light of the Kavanaugh confirmation to the US Supreme Court this week, abortion providers are seeking locations where their businesses can thrive.

In contrast to neighboring states, the only restriction on abortions in Illinois is that minor girls must either obtain a parent's permission or a judge's bypass before undergoing the procedure. With the help of liberal Republican Governor Bruce Rauner signing into law a measure that forces state taxpayers to pay for low income women and state employees' abortions, Illinois is sure to see a sizable uptick in abortion clinics.

Planned Parenthood has plans to add five new clinics to its 17 already in Illinois. They've already added two since abortions became taxpayer-funded. According to a recent National Public Radio interview, the company's new strategy to fight back against any possible limitations on abortion is to include three major components:

expanding access in states with laws favorable to reproductive rights;

policy work aimed at strengthening reproductive rights;

and efforts to reduce stigma surrounding abortion.

But Planned Parenthood's dominance in the abortion industry is being challenged by a new more forthright abortion provider called Carafem. The Chicago Tribune announced Tuesday Carafem - now in Washington DC and Atlanta Georgia - sees the northern suburbs of Chicago as a place to promote abortion.

Carafem chose the Chicago area for its third clinic because Illinois abortion laws arent as restrictive as laws in neighboring states, but it can draw patients from those other states, Melissa Grant, Carafems chief operating officer, told the Chicago Tribune.

And "promoting" abortion is exactly what Carafem does. They placed ads on buses in Atlanta and Metro stations in D.C.

"Because there's no shame [in aborting your baby]," a new ad that Carafem uses says. "Abortion. Yeah. We do that."

More HERE.

Lake County Right to Life responded to the news of the Skokie clinic Wednesday saying in an email, "Carafem charges $425 - $475 for chemical abortion and $550 for surgical abortion without insurance. That said, Illinois Medicaid will pick up that cost, thanks to the passage of HB40 and Governor Rauner."
Yesterday, mailers from Sam McCanns campaign hit in the 55th House District calling State Representative Tom Morrison a Rauner-puppet. The mailers were funded by union-backed State Senator and Gubernatorial Candidate Sam McCann - who now should not receive a single vote from any pro-life voter after attacking Rep. Morrison.

These attacks on Morrison demand a response, as they are patently false. Tom Morrison is one of the few state legislators in Springfield who stands up for conservative values, and has stood up to Rauner on both fiscal and social issues, every time they are under attack in the Illinois House. He is one of the most reliable conservative votes in Springfield.

Is Sam McCann working for Mike Madigan? Is he hoping to receive favorable treatment under a Governor Pritzker? Is he so clueless that he doesnt realize how his platform is being used by the states vicious public sector unions? I dont know. And I dont really care.

These mailers against Morrison are lies. And they are disqualifying.

Some Illinois Conservatives looking for a candidate who represents their pro-life values had found hope McCanns candidacy. Illinois Conservatives have once again been betrayed.
That was until this week, when mailers from McCann's campaign attacking Republican conservative candidates for not condemning Governor Rauner began hitting districts where those conservatives are already in very tight races.

McCann was making headway among social conservatives with ads running on Fox News cable channels and appearances on radio and tv. He had endorsements from conservative groups such as Illinois Family Action, Lake County Right to Life PAC and Illinois Federation for Right to Life PAC.

PLAINVIEW - For a state senator that chose to run an independent bid for governor that polls show as still in single digits, Sam McCann is grabbing lots of attention among Illinois conservatives - and not for a good reason.

Conservative-leaning lawmakers such as State Reps Tom Morrison, Lindsay Parkhurst, Jerry Long and GOP candidate seeking to return to the Illinois House Dwight Kay were stunned when McCann's mailers dubbed them RINOs (Republican in Name Only) and condemned them for not condemning Governor Rauner signing laws conservatives reject. While we haven't yet confirmed, we've heard McCann targeted at least two other conservative candidates in addition.

As of Friday, all of those groups mentioned above have withdrawn their endorsements of McCann's campaign, as have well-known conservatives such as Dr. Eric Wallace and Will County's George Pearson - support McCann would need if he really intended to win.

"Not only that, if he became governor, he would need the help of the very people he alienated with those campaign mailers," one former McCann supporter told Illinois Review Friday.

Last polling showed McCann still in single digits, with little hope of actually winning the 4-way race. So where is he getting all the money and why would those check writers invest in a hopeless cause?

As of today, Illinois Sunshine shows McCann has $1,577,569.37 on hand - an impressive amount any other year that the top two poll competitors wouldn't be spending $200,000,000 plus of their own funds on their campaigns.

Which raises even more questions - who benefits the most from McCann pulling votes away from one of the other top two vote getters? Obviously, it would be Democrat J.B. Pritzker - who also was endorsed by the same Local 150 of Operating Engineers that is writing checks and donating "in-kind" to the McCann campaign.

Who are these groups? And who is the leadership?

Illinois Sunshine shows the Super Pac Fight Back, the Chicagoland Operators and Local 150 International Union of Operating Engineers have one main person in common - Local 150's Chairman James W. Sweeney.

The IUOE Local 150 provided $78,000 in kind to McCann's campaign just about the time the campaign was gathering petitions - something McCann lauded as evidence of the huge amount of grassroots support he had to challenge Governor Rauner.

McCann's number and quality of petitions was not questioned by either Rauner or Pritzker - and he proceeded easily to the ballot, representing the state's previously non-existent "Conservative Party."

Within days of sending hundreds of thousands to McCann for Senate, the Engineers Political Education Committee, another McCann source based in Washington DC, gave millions to Friends of Mike Madigan, and other Democrat candidates:

McCann says he isn't about to back off his attacks on conservative lawmakers while clinging to his blue "NRA" cap to appeal to 2nd Amendment voters.

Whatever happens on November 6th, Illinois conservatives will be in a place where they will be forced to work together if they ever intend to become a force for conservative values in Illinois - perhaps a real "Conservative Party"?
Sam McCann - a downstate senator wearing a red NRA cap during the interview - argued that Chicago politicians shouldn't run the state. McCann also has received rave reviews, endorsements and recommendations from what establishment Republicans scorn as "one-issue voters" : Illinois Family Action PAC, Illinois Federation for Right to Life PAC and the Lake County Life PAC:

CHICAGO - Last week, Conservative Party gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann and Libertarian Party candidate Kash Jackson spoke with Fox 32's Mike Flannery about why Illinois voters should vote for them in the November 6th election.

He's visiting churches like Faith Center in Rockford Illinois - reaching out to evangelical voters:

And McCann is running ads daily on Fox News cable network in the Chicago markets.

How is the campaign funded? Except for one donor writing a $1000 check, McCann's ads and his efforts are completely funded by PACs affiliated with Local 150 Operating Engineers or the Fight Back Fund - a "corporation" formed by Local 150's officers.

The Fight Back for a Better Tomorrow is listed as a corporation by McCann - and as a corporation, there's no public accountability for who their donors are. Political Action Committees must reveal their donors.

Still, with the way Governor Rauner completely ignored and dismissed social issue conservatives during his first term, frustrated voters that would normally vote Republican are looking at an alternative like McCann for governor.

And that's exactly what Democrats want to happen - and why perhaps, the donations to McCann's campaign is coming from a corporation that doesn't have to list where the money is coming from.

Illinois Review has requested on several occasions opportunities to interview Mr. McCann, but he has not found the time or desire to do so. He has, however, had time to do interviews with the National Public Radio, Fox 32 and other local news outlets. We encourage you to seek more information online.
CHICAGO - J.B. Pritzker - the Democrats' gubernatorial candidate that is running 20 points ahead of incumbent Governor Rauner in the polls - sent out an email Friday urgining Democrats to help Democrat Kwame Raoul is his bid for attorney general.

Raoul is showing 10 points ahead of downstate Republican candidate Erika Harold - and that's reason to help him, Pritzker says in the email:
That is a shift from his previous stance, Rep. David McSweeney (R-Barrington) told Illinois Review. SB 31 restrains local law enforcement from detaining past releases dates those that do not have up to date, sufficient immigration papers - unless they are suspected of criminal acts.

Democrat candidate J.B. Pritzker said Thursday night he agreed with Governor Rauner signing the TRUST Act into law. Rauner said he opposes illegal immigrants that take jobs away from Illinoisans. He said he wanted E-verify in Illinois and to strengthen regulations against employers hiring illegals.

CHICAGO - Conservatives in Illinois are struggling to trust Governor Rauner and what he's saying on the stump about the TRUST Act he signed into law last year. The governor signed the legislation surrounded by immigration advocates like the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights - a pro-amnesty group - and r efused to speak with family members of victims killed by those in the US illegally.

"Im glad that Governor Rauner now opposes sanctuary state bills. I opposed SB 31, a sanctuary state bill according to the Justice Department, and am chief co-sponsor of HB 4091 to repeal that terrible law." Along with McSweeney, Rep. John M. Cabello C.D. Davidsmeyer - David B. Reis - Allen Skillicorn, Terri Bryant, Thomas Morrison, Bill Mitchell, Jeanne M Ives and Charles Meier have signed on as co-sponsors.

Rep. Allen Skillicorn (R-East Dundee) responded saying "Then why did every sanctuary activist stand with him when he signed the Trust Act? That photo says a lot."

Skillicorn said SB31 (Trust Act) prohibits Illinois law enforcement from holding people past release dates with federal detainers, which are not criminal warrants. "Since deportation results from civil offenses, not criminal, no warrants are issued," Skillicorn said. "Only detainers."

Don Rosenber g, who lost a son in a traffic accident in 2010 with an Honduran that entered the country illegally, told Illinois Review

Rauner's well-known position on whether Illinois is a "sanctuary state" remains confusing.

"Since there is no legal definition as what a sanctuary state is we have to look at the actions and the 'legislative intent' regardless of what they want to call it," Rosenberg said. "Any state, city, municipality, etc. that does anything to protect those people here illegally or who have overstayed their visa is providing sanctuary from deportation.

"Rauner can say whatever he wants (plus we already know hes a liar as he refused to meet with a group of us after promising to do so on national TV) but his 'Trust Act' is nothing more than sanctuary in illegal alien clothing," Rosenberg said. "That law says youve committed a federal immigration crime but we dont care. We will protect you."

Conservatives statewide insist what the governor is saying now can't be believed.
As to the role of local churches, its role is to support parents so their children can become all they are meant to be. Children are the leaders of tomorrow. God also commands us to focus on children, Barna said.

The evening's keynote speaker, author George Barna had much to say about children, family values and the church. As stated by Barna: "Disciples are not born that way but are made. Parents transform children into disciples by showing them the right path to follow and not hiding God's truth from children."

The 10th annua l Illinois Family Institute Banquet was held on Friday, October 5, 2018, at Stonegate Conference Center, 2401 W. Higgins Road, Hoffman Estates, IL, with 350 enthusiastic members and supporters of the IFI present. The theme of the night's event was "Keeping Our Eye on the Prize."

The core for doing so is to win over children. As Barna explained, a person's destiny is decided very early in life. From 15-18 months up until age 13, core beliefs are formed and even a child's world view. Also determined by age 13 is a child's moral foundation in knowing right from wrong, as well as their acceptance of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

A somewhat sobering thought expressed by Barna is how powerful the world views of children are. The typical American will die with the same worldview acquired by age 13. Although there are dozens of world views, only 7% of Americans have a Biblical worldview of thinking like Jesus so they can live in the way Jesus lived. Among millennials, it's only 4%.

Post Modernism as the major worldview

As expressed by Barna, one world view has risen to the top in the last 20 years, post modernism, where there is no real meaning or purpose in live because all truth is relative. This is a disturbing trend as our worldview is the centerpiece of who we are as human beings and likewise affects everything in our lives. In comparing the 10 top values of our Founding Father to those held today, it was not surprising to find that not one value overlapped.

Barna described the moral landscape of today's America as a radical generational shift which has moved this nation into moral anarchy. He attributed this, in part, to parents who have moved away from the Biblical view of the world. Barna rated movies and TV as 60% to 70% responsible for the negative cultural changes in the young.

As to why parents have moved away from a Biblical viewpoint of the world, Barna explained how pastors in the past mostly worked with adults. Their kids attended church, but little attention was paid to them. Now as parents, they are unable to teach a Biblical worldview to their own children.

Defining one's legacy

In closing, Mr. Barna suggested that each person invest in at least one child. Said Barna, "We are called to reach children." Barna then asked this question: What is your legacy?, to which he answered accordingly: In the Lord's eyes it's what you invest in your children. We must raise spiritual champions.

George Barna founded the Barna Research Group in 1984 where it soon became the leading marketing research firm that focused on the intersection of faith and culture before selling it in 2009. Barna is now the executive director of The American Cultural and Faith Institute that conducts research on worldview, cultural transformation and politics. He has also been a pollster in three presidential campaigns. Barna has sold more books on survey research related to matters of faith than any author in American history. His latest book, The Day Christians Changed America tells how Christian Conservatives Put Trump in the White House. Available for purchase at the event was a signed book by the author. Check here to purchase Barna's book on-line.



Jeanne Ives receives warm welcome
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Indianas maternal and infant mortality rates are far higher than the national average. Experts say one of the reasons is a lack of access to care providers.

Its a problem statewide, but it's especially felt in rural areas.

Driving Hours To Reach OB Care

Deidra Firestone is pregnant again, after losing her son Cohen last year. (Zach Herndon, WFIU/WTIU News)

Deidra Firestone is expecting a child this year. This time, she says shes blessed with a normal pregnancy. But last year, she wasn't so lucky.

"My OB at that time basically told me the pregnancy was not going to be a sustainable pregnancy and that it was basically going to abort itself, and we had to go home and wait for that to happen," she says.

Firestone was faced with a situation no mother wants. Her baby boys chances were slim, but she wasnt willing to give up on him.

Her fight would require specialized care that wasnt available near her home in Lyons, Indiana.

"My only options were Bloomington, Indy, and Evansville," she says. "All of those are at least an hour away, if not longer, from my house."

Firestone called on her network of friends, and found Dr. Mary Abernathy in Bloomington.

Dr. Abernathy supported Deidra and tried help her through her pregnancy. But Deidra lost her baby.

Firestone drove over an hour each way to visit a specialist in Bloomington during her pregnancy with Cohen. (Zach Herndon, WFIU/WTIU News)

Theres a tree in her front yard that she and her husband planted to remember Cohen and a shadowbox hanging in the living room.

"I feel like this time Im going through pregnancy for the first time all over again," Firestone says. "Last time there were just so many things that were different, that I didnt get that I do now just because our pregnancy wasnt your typical pregnancy."

There is one similarity, however: Firestone is still making the trip to Bloomington for all her prenatal visits.

Dr. Abernathy says that's common; she has patients from Evansville, Terre Haute, Seymour, Madison, and more.

"Having this office here in Bloomington has helped them, because they dont have to go all the way to Indianapolis," she says.

Dr. Abernathy sees women from all over Indiana in her office in Bloomington. (Scott Carmichael, WFIU/WTIU News)

State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box says many Indiana counties are ill-equipped to care for the needs of pregnant womenespecially those who are considered high-risk.

"In a lot of those counties we dont have a family doctor or an obstetrician gynecologist who even does obstetrical care," Box says. "Rural areas are losing their hospital obstetrical services. We now have 87 delivering hospitals across out state, with 31 counties that either have no hospital or their hospital doesnt have obstetrical services."

Box says women in need of emergency care can still go there, but the hospitals will likely not be able to adequately care for mothers and their new or unborn children.

"If the opportunity avails itself, they need to go to the nearest hospital that does do obstetrical services, which for some women, could be as far as an hour or an hour and a half," she says. "That can be too long sometimes when it comes to obstetrical care."

Dr. Abernathy says there's a clear connection between the soaring maternal and infant mortality rates in Indiana.

"They share the same risk factors," she says. "There is a lot of interest and focus on decreasing our maternal mortality, and by doing that youre probably going to have some shared crossover with the infant mortality."

Programs Aim To Address OB Care Gaps In Rural Areas

Thats why rural health advocates are doing what they can to address a problem they believe is systemic in Indiana and the nation.

OB Navigators are one resource officials believe can begin to turn the tide. The concept is simple. Navigators are often non-doctors who help guide women through their pregnancy and stick around until the babys first birthday.

Heather Grable is a Project Coordinator with the Indiana Rural Health Association.

"The OB Navigator will be the person that delivers that education, because often times that mom will come into the doctors office and the doctor will do a quick exam and [ask] do you have any questions?'" Grable says. "Usually you are so overwhelmed in those situations that you cant think of your questions."

She says OB Navigators will have regular contact with the women they serve.

Placing OB Navigators with women throughout the state might begin to chip away at high infant and maternal mortality rates, but it does little to help with access.

And its the drive that causes Deidra Firestone the most stress.

"It terrifies me, like what if something goes wrong?" she asks. "I would have to at least wait an hour, or longer depending on traffic and what time of the day it is, to get to my specialist if I felt anything was wrong," she says. "I could go to my local hospital, but I have that relationship with my specialist to where I only want to go to her."

Firestone is thankful she found a doctor whos so in tune with her needs, but she cant help but wonder how her care might be different if she lived in another zip code.

"[I would] definitely be appreciative of it," she says. "In rural Indiana we dont have access and avenues to get to those kinds of doctors, and its just something that you dont appreciate until you need it."
157 years ago, a Hoosier from Monroe County wrote about fighting for the Union in the Civil War in a diary he kept almost daily. Peter Thomas Matthews was 20 years old when he enlisted in the army and served as a drummer in the 19th Indiana Regimental Band.

Follow along as we publish his diary entries in real-time on the day they were written.

Read the first entry here. Learn more about Matthews and read all former and future entries here.

Editor's note: We have left Matthews' words as he recorded them, which means spelling and punctuation may not conform to modern standards.

October 19, 1861

It raind all forenoon and was Bright all after noon we Draw Our Over Coats and the Regt Draws there dress Coats to Day
Hoosiers will choose their next Secretary of State at the polls this year. Its a race between incumbent Republican Connie Lawson, Democrat Jim Harper, and Libertarian Mark Rutherford. Indiana Public Broadcastings Brandon Smith talks with Lawson about the key issues in the race.

Brandon Smith: Theres been a lot of talk this particular cycle  going back to 2016, really  about election security and what that means for the country and the state. So, talk a little about what youve done so far to try to secure Indianas elections.

Connie Lawson: You know, we know that the state is most vulnerable because of human error. And so the FBI told us theres two very important things you can do to protect your system: strengthen your passwords, which we have done  anyone who has access to statewide voter registration system has a longer password, with numbers and symbols, and so weve strengthened those passwords. But we also are using two-factor authentication. Every county in the state of Indiana is now using two-factor to access statewide voter registration system. Some counties  most counties, I should say  are also using the token. And so they have a USB token that they insert into their personal computer. In addition to using their username and password, that token says Yes, Im physically present; I should be able to get into the statewide voter registration system. And we took it a step further  that token is time sensitive, so if Im a part time employee and Im only supposed to have access to the system from 8 to noon, thats the time period that the token allows me to have that access.

Smith: One thing that national experts say: paper ballots as a backup at a very minimum are really key. A lot of Indiana counties dont have them; we dont have the money at this point to transfer over  at least, thats what youve said. Shouldnt we ensure that paper ballots are being used in every county?

Lawson: Voters need to understand, no voting machine used in Indiana is connected to the Internet. Our tabulation machines are not connected to the Internet. And every machine that is used has a paper trail. They may not have the new recommendation, the new voter verifiable paper trail, but were moving in that direction. And I think its important also to remember that all these recommendations came about later this, our General Assembly left in March, session was finished. So, the recommendations came about in summer, early fall. So obviously were moving that direction. Ive met with most of our vendors; were talking about how we can get to that voter verifiable paper trail. But I assure you that every machine has a paper trail.

Smith: Theres been a lot of talk in the last few years here in Indiana about election reform in terms of how we draw our districts, redistricting reform. And thats been a bipartisan effort. Should the Secretary of State have a role in calling for reforms like that?

Lawson: Well its the constitutional duty of the General Assembly, currently, to draw the maps, to redistrict. And so if they put a question on the ballot and voters say Yes, we think it should be changed, Im absolutely happy to support that.

Smith: In terms of things like expanded vote by mail  which some clerks have told me that theyre really interested in  and the idea of same-day voter registration  on Election Day you can go and do that  are you supportive of those sorts of things?

Lawson: I think the devils in the details on those things, so I havent seen them. I know those ideas did not get out of the Senate committee this past session. And so Im happy to discuss those with them and I talked with Senator Walker during that time, shared with him some of my concerns. But I know that theyll be working on those issues in the future.

Smith: There hasnt been a Democrat in the Secretary of States office in a couple of decades now. Should there be more balance in the leadership of Indiana?

Lawson: You the Democrat state party made a blunder and they sent out hundreds of thousands of [faulty] absentee ballot applications to their voters and when I learned the scope of the issue, I stepped up on behalf of Democrats and I said, These forms should be accepted. And so I cant think of anything that gives more balance than that. I protect all voters and our office works on a bipartisan basis.
Democratic U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders stopped in Bloomington Friday for a rally in support of 9th Congressional District candidate Liz Watson.

Watson is running against Republican incumbent Trey Hollingsworth.

The Bloomington event is one of nine stops on Sanders cross-country tour ahead of the November election.

Sanders spoke to a crowd that filled Indiana Universitys Dunn Meadow. He touted Watsons campaign efforts and urged supporters to vote.

"The essence of democracy is citizen participation, it is voting," Sanders says.

He addressed a number of issues, including health care and wages. Sanders pledged to work with Watson to raise the minimum wage to $15 and to close the gender wage gap.

Another look at the crowd: pic.twitter.com/7DYKMgiSTz  Alex Eady (@Alexandria_Eady) October 19, 2018

Watson echoed Sanders messages, encouraging voters to take a stand against tax cuts and push for healthcare for all.

Watson also spoke out against her competitor.

"This is our time to show Trey Hollingsworth and the corrupt Congress in Washington that there are some things money cant buy," Watson says. "Not this time, not in Indiana."

Sanders also called for an end to prejudice and discrimination against minority groups, which he says President Donald Trump is inciting.

"We have been winning that struggle, becoming a less discriminatory society," he says. "And today we say to Donald Trump and his friends, we are not going backwards we are going forwards."

Sanders will continue his tour with events in Michigan, South Carolina, Iowa, Wisconsin, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and California.
While sanctions on Irans oil industry  their major source of income  and their access to the US financial system is a good start and should be followed by other countries around the world, it should be understood that the problems with the Iranian Regime are political, not economical.

Many policymakers believe that this economic pressure and the ensuing misery will encourage the Iranian people to overthrow the Regime and institute a democratic government  as is their genuine wish, expressed over months of consistent protest  which will help the US by removing a terrorist supporting regime that constantly meddles in the affairs of its neighbouring countries.

While the economic pressures will help to do this, the US must also show the Iranian people that life can and should be better for them. Michael Ledeen advises that most revolutions do not happen in an atmosphere of unrelenting misery and hardship, but at a time where people can see the world improving, so we should encourage the young people of Iran to see that they can be a driving force for change.

He wrote: Revolutions are carried out by people who want to change the world, not feed their families and neighbours.

The streets of Iran are  at any given moment  filled with people who want to end the Regime; from teachers to truck drivers, students to store owners, and so many more. These brave people are deliberately risking their job security and their own lives to promote revolution in Iran. They are not demanding higher wages, but greater freedoms.

So how can the US bring down the Iranian Regime? By supporting the strikers and demonstrators. Itll be fairly easy for the US to do this by strengthening Western-based Farsi-language radio and television broadcasting and providing a free and open internet to the people of Iran, thus avoiding the mullah censorship.

This will give the revolutionaries the information that they need to overthrow the Regime and the ability to communicate with each other securely.

Over the past 40 years, the failed appeasement policy of most Western countries towards Iran led to a flawed nuclear deal that provided no real safeguards, but helped the mullahs to claim political legitimacy.

Now the US says that they want the Regimes behaviour to change, but that will only be accomplished through regime change, which is something that we must fight for.
New York City is suing a for-profit college for allegedly causing "wide-ranging consumer harm," after a two-year investigation revealed that Berkeley College routinely violated debt collection laws while intentionally deceiving its students about their financial aid obligations.

The suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday by the Department of Consumer Affairs, accuses Berkeley of "voracious greed," specifically preying on low-income students, many of whom are people of color and first-generation students. In some cases, according to the suit, Berkeley students were informed by recruiters that the school would cover the majority of their tuition, only to later learn that they'd actually signed paperwork taking out tens of thousands of dollars in federal student loans.

The school is also accused of pursuing its graduates for debts that they don't owein one case, refusing to issue a diploma to a student who they claimed owed $3,000, despite previously assuring the student that he'd graduated owing nothing.

For-profit colleges are businesses, and like most businesses, their top priority is generating profits, Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Lorelei Salas said in a statement. Our investigation into Berkeley College reveals that their recruiters appear to say whatever they think a prospective student wants to hear, especially when it comes to academic programs, employment, transfer credits, and federal student loansregardless of the truthto convince them to enroll."

Berkeley is one of the largest for-profit colleges in the region, with 3,500 students enrolled on campuses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Westchester, as well as four other locations in New Jersey. According to an Upshot analysis released in 2015, the median annual family income of Berkeley students is $30,100among the lowest for New York colleges.

The school is accused of taking advantage of this fact by inflating claims about employment and transfer credits, and in some instances going so far as to promise employment after graduation. According to the complaint, an undercover city inspector posing as a prospective student was informed by a recruiter that "96 percent of our students graduate and are employed once they graduate." Berkeleys actual graduation rate is just 29 percent.

"Berkeley spends a lot of money to target and recruit a population of students comprised mostly of people of color and first-generation college students with limited financial literacy and little familiarity with higher education," the suit determined. "Among other tactics, Berkeley misleads prospective students about employment prospects, trumpets tuition grants that sound substantial but in fact come with hidden strings attached and barely dent Berkeleys huge tuition mark-up, and lies about the programs offered by other colleges."

The lawsuit comes as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is successfully rolling back Obama-era regulations aimed at curbing abuse at for-profit colleges. Her agency, which includes several members of the for-profit industry, has also reportedly stopped approving new fraud claims brought by students who attended for-profit schools.

In New York City, at least, there may still be some relief for students who were swindled by the predatory institutions: Those who feel they were ripped off by Berkeley or other for-profit schools are urged to contact the Department of Consumer Affairs or their City Councilmembers.

A spokeswoman Berkeley College denies the allegations, noting that last year the school was "cited by the Income Mobility Report Card for being in the top 1 percent of colleges that help increase income mobility among graduates.

You can read the full complaint below.
New York City is filled with an endless supply of weird, wondrous and confounding sights, from opossums in bakeries to subways filled with trees. But the strangest sighting of the week wasn't even Joey Ramone's ghost hanging out at a LES venueit was the guillotine spotted inexplicably residing on the rooftop of a Greenpoint building.

Hannah Silk Champagne first spotted the guillotine on Monday on the roof of a building on Guernsey Street and Nassau, just across from Beacon's Closet. Champagne, who works across the street and can see the roof from her office window, has spent much of the week trying to solve this mystery.

"The businesses below are a chocolate shop who have offices upstairs and a motorcycle shop, and I think the rest of the building is office space," Champagne told Gothamist during a break from her ongoing investigation.

please know that Im currently walking the circumference of the block asking people and businesses if they know why theres a guillotine on the roof. Im the neighborhood crazy person now.  HannahSilkChampagne (@hsilkchampagne) October 17, 2018

We asked whether the murder device could be a Halloween decoration or display, or perhaps was just being kept in storage up there: "It actually hadn't even occurred to me that it might be for Halloween until that was pointed out. There are no other Halloween decorations on or near the building and they aren't residential units. People can access the roof but I rarely see anyone there," she said. "I suppose they could be storing it up there, although then I wonder where the heck do you keep it the rest of the year?!"

"[The chocolate shop] could be a front for The Resistance," she added. "Or maybe the motorcycle place is looking to become more of a chop shop har har." (She did ask a worker at the chocolate shop about it, but they had no clue what she was talking about.)

Since first tweeting about the out-of-place French Revolutionary-era tool for efficient executions on Wednesday, interest in its mysterious origins has remained steady, with more than 25K people liking the original tweet Champagne has even given an interview to the Canadian Broadcast Company about it.

For her part, Champagne says she has been "wandering around asking people" in the neighborhood about it to no avail. Later in the week, it seemed like there may have been a break in the case when she spotted a photo shoot happening on the roof. But to her surprise, "There were people on the roof doing a photo shoot and [they were] totally not acknowledging the guillotine!"



(courtesy Hannah Silk Champagne)

Her latest theory is that it belongs to "a photo/artist studio in the building, but I don't know why they have it." But perhaps some mysteries are better if they stay that way. Yeah that's right, just hover over that link's url and think long and hard about where you want to go next.


Police have arrested a man believed to be a member of the Proud Boys for his involvement in last Friday's melee outside the Metropolitan Republican Club in the Upper East Side.

Geoffrey Young, 38, faces charges of attempted assault and rioting, police said. He is the first member of the Proud Boys to be arrested for his role in the mob beating of two antifascist protesters. Video captured by journalist Sandi Bachom shows Young among a group of Proud Boys who assaulted a pair of protesters on 82nd Street.

During his arraignment on Friday, Assistant District Attorney Jamie Kleidman referred to Young's "vicious and unrelenting attack on antifa." He added that Young, along with another Proud Boy, charged at protesters before they threw a plastic bottle at him, according to additional video that's not yet been released. Young was released without bail and did not respond to reporters' requests for comment.

Police have also arrested a second Proud Boy. According to an NYPD spokesperson, Jon Kinsman, 39, was charged with attempted gang assault, attempted assault, riot, and criminal possession of a weapon. He lives in Morristown, New Jersey.

The remaining seven Proud Boys wanted by police will reportedly turn themselves in to the 19th Precinct at some point in the next few hours, according to Gavin McInnes. A "No Nazi" protest and press conference is also scheduled to take place outside the 19th Precinct, beginning at 6:30 p.m. tonight.

Over the last week, the NYPD has endured fierce criticism for not immediately detaining or questioning any of the Proud Boys involved in the brawl, despite video showing officers at the scene for a portion of the fight. On Monday, NYPD leaders announced they were seeking to charge a total of nine Proud Boys and three additional antifascist protesters. They also released new security camera footage, which showed antifacist protesters throwing a bottle at a group of Proud Boys, before they are quickly outnumbered.

Hours prior to last night's arrest, an anonymous piece published on Medium accused Young of assaulting a Muslim woman during the "March Against Sharia," an anti-Islam rally attended by Proud Boys and white nationalists in Manhattan last year. The writer accuses Young of calling her a "Muslim slut" and a "terrorist," then assaulting her after she threw an iced coffee at him:

"He grabbed me by the throat and pushed me up against the wall. He held me there in a choke-hold, but because I was struggling he slammed me to the ground and tried to put his whole body on top of mine. I kept fighting back so he slammed me again on my left side and pushed my face into the sidewalk, and then slammed me one more time before he put his knee on the back of my head while he kept trying to choke me. During all of this I remember telling him to stop and that he was choking me, but he said 'I can still hear you breathing' and choked me even harder."

Afterwards, Young bragged on Facebook about "bashing that terrorist breeder," according to screenshots included in the Medium post. He also changed his Facebook bio to note that he was a "Fourth Degree Proud Boy," apparently signaling that he had "leveled up by assaulting me, a small Muslim woman," the alleged victim wrote.

Gavin McInnes, who founded the self-described gang, has repeatedly encouraged his followers to commit violence, and bestows higher rankings on those who have beat up left-wing protesters.



Proud Boy Geoffrey Young (NYPD)

A spokesperson for the NYPD has not responded to Gothamist's questions about whether Proud Boys are tracked as an affiliation in their gang database. A spokesperson reportedly told a different reporter that they are not considered a gang, because the database "specifically tracks groups local to NYC involved in organized criminal activities such as drug distribution or organized theft." The database is 99 percent people of color, and internal documents obtained earlier this year show that wearing a gang-associated color on a certain street corner or communicating with the wrong person on social media is enough to land a person in the database.

In an episode of his podcast on Sunday, McInnes defended the mob assault and bragged about his alleged ties with law enforcement. "I have a lot of support in the NYPD and I very much appreciate that, the boys in blue," he said. The NYPD has denied this assertion.

Additional reporting by J.B. Nicholas.
- An 8-year old photo of Jason Abalos resurfaced in his Instagram account

- The picture shows a then unknown Vickie Rushton in a school event

- Fast forward to 2018 and they are now a couple, coincidence or a precursor

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Jason Abalos just posted a throwback photo in his IG account of what happened 8 years ago and the internet exploded.

The 33 year old Kapuso actor posted an 8-year old photo of him and then student Vickie Rushton in a show in Bacolod. He even joked about it being Vickie who had the courage to court him and that she was the one who even followed him to Manila.

And the netizens were shookt!

Here are some of their comments about the 8-year old throwback photo.

Wow! Congrats!:) and yeah, starting then we had @thejasonabalosour celebrity guard sa loob ng classroom where we have our IDS club officers meeting sa school here in bacolod kasi @vimrushton was our VP. Sweet talaga!:) stay strong guys!:)

@thejasonabalosNaman lodi baliktad na ngayon ikaw na tong inlove na inlove ky @vimrushton Hahahah

Haha.. but shes undeniably pretty naman, of course shes from the city of smiles. @vimrushton

PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read

A lot of the ones posting are Illonggos jokingly telling him to be careful of their prized princess Vickie.

Alagaan mo ang ilongga ha... Pag hindi lagot ka sa taga bacolod!!!! @thejasonabalos

Happy anniversary to both of you @thejasonabalos Ms. @vimrushton Stay together and in love. MAy God continue to bless your relationship #lovelycouple#kasalnalangkulang

Even with just a year as a couple, the netizens are already teasing of wedding bells for the couple

Ang cute nyong dalawa! Meant to be! Looking forward to that church wedding photos you will be posting here. I'm a fan of you both! Bagay kamo! I really pray you end up together... Hello from Germany!

Heres hoping that this fairy tale romance does come true. Not just for the fans, but for them as well.

Jason Abalos started out as a Star Magic talent in 2004 until he moved to the Kapuso Network in 2017.

He is currently dating Philippine beauty queen Vickie Rushton and just recently celebrated their first year anniversary.

Jason Abalos will be guesting the upcoming teleserye Asawa Ko, Karibal Ko on GMA-7.

In a previous report by , let us take a look at Jason Abalos beautiful and expensive motorcycles.

Today we are going to ask Tagalog strangers some very funny tricky questions!

Do you think you can answer them correctly? These individuals from the Philippines have their answers! What do you think came first, the egg or the chicken? Can you cry under water? These questions might sound easy, but in reality, they are pretty tricky and it is easy to make a mistake! - on

Source: Kami.com.ph
- There are many local celebs who will try their luck for the upcoming elections in 2019

- Some of them are re-electionists, while some are first-timers in the politics

- Even celebs like Freddie Aguilar, Mocha Uson and Jiggy Manicad filed their COC

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Many celebrities have been juggling their showbiz career and political life. Some have already learned how to balance both. Meanwhile, some celebs are just starting to venture into politics. KAMI has listed local celebrities who wish to win in the upcoming 2019 polls.

Here are the aspirants as reported by Philippine Star:

Freddie Aguilar

OPM icon Freddie Aguilar filed his COC during the first day. He will be running in the Senate.

Lito Lapid

Veteran and Ang Probinsyano actor Lito Lapid will be seeking a comeback in the Senate.

Jinggoy Estrada

Former Senator and action star Jinggoy Estrada will be running again to eye a seat in the Senate again.

Bong Revilla

Even though his plunder case is still on going, actor and former Senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. has filed his COC through his wife Lani Mercado, to run as a senator again.

Dr. Willie Ong

TV host and a prominent doctor, Dr. Willie Ong also seek a seat in the Senate.

Jiggy Manicad

Former GMA news reporter Jiggy Manicad has also ventured into politics after being a journalist for 23 years.

Mocha Uson

Girl group Mocha Girls leader and former Presidential Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson also filed her candidacy to run as a representative of Kasosyo party-list.

Vilma Santos

Star for All Seasons and former Batangas governor Vilma Santos is also a re-electionist as Representative of Batagas 6th District.

PAY ATTENTION: Using free basics app to access internet for free? Now you can read KAMI news there too. Use the search option to find us. Read KAMI news while saving your data!

Rommel Padilla

Father of Teen King Daniel Padilla, Rommel Padilla, filed his COC to run as representative of Nueva Ecijas 1st District.

Long Mejia

Veteran comedian Long Mejia surprised the many when he filed his COC to run as representative of Camarines Surs 1st District.

Dan Fernandez

Former actor and incumbent Sta. Rosa, Laguna Mayor Dan Fernandez has filed his COC to be Lagunas representative.

Jolo Revilla

Son of Bong Revilla, actor Jolo Revilla also sought re-election to be Cavites vice governor.

Vico Sotto

Son of Bossing Vic Sotto and Connie Reyes, current councilor of Pasig City has also filed his COC to be Pasigs mayor.

Richard Gomez

Actor Richard Gomez is also a re-electionist as Ormoc Citys mayor.

Isko Moreno

Actor Isko Moreno also filed his COC to run as Manila Mayor. He will be running against current Manila Mayor Erap Estrada.

Baste Duterte

TV host and Presidential son Sebastian Baste Duterte has finally ventured into politics like his family. He filed his COC to become Davao Citys vice mayor, accompanied by his sister incumbent Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Roderick Paulate

Veteran comedy actor and TV host Roderick Paulate will also run to be Quezon Citys vice mayor.

Charee Pineda

Actor Charee Pineda also filed COC to become Valenzuela Citys councilor once again.

Alfred Vargas

Actor Alfred Vargas will also try his luck for his last term as a councilor in Quezon City.

Jhong Hilario

Its Showtime host and actor Jhong Hilario has also filed his COC to be Makati Citys councilor again.

Wishing all the luck to the candidates!

Philippines tricky questions: can you answer these tricky questions? Today we are going to ask the Philippines strangers some very funny Tagalog tricky questions! Do you think you can answer them correctly? These individuals from the Philippines have their answers! Why Marry The Groom If He's Not The Best Man? This questions might sound easy, but in reality, they are pretty tricky and it is easy to make a mistake!  on KAMI HumanMeter YouTube channel!

Source: Kami.com.ph
Starting Friday, New York City police officers must inform civilians of their right to refuse a search if an officer has no warrant or lacks reasonable suspicion of a crime. Officers will also be required to hand a business card to civilians who they stop to question, frisk, or search.

The new rules are known as the Right to Know Act, a law that drew the ire of the city's powerful police union and took four years to pass the City Council. It is intended to decrease illegal searches, give civilians more power in police interactions and ultimately build trust with communities that have grown wary of police.

City councilman Antonio Reynoso, who represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens, sponsored a portion of the new law. He said for years, civilians were unaware of their right to refuse a search during certain interactions with police.

What was happening was that officers were telling mostly young men of color to empty out their pockets, for example. As soon as you dig into your pockets, you are voluntarily consenting, Reynoso said. We destroyed the lives of many young men, through voluntarily consent. Thats just not going to happen anymore.

Here's WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez describing the Right to Know Act:

The NYPD said officers are being trained to use language such as, "I can only search you if you consent. Do you understand? May I search you?

Reynoso wants the language to become ordinary and routine, like reading someone their Miranda rights.

But police reform advocates said the language is too weak and doesnt make the right to refusal clear.

And there's another issue. Michael Sisitzky from the New York Civil Liberties Union said the law is supposed to include getting consent to search someone's home or vehicle too, not just their person.

Thats not what weve seen the NYPD develop so far in their guidance. All the guidance that weve seen so far just relates to street encounters, he said.

A spokeswoman at the NYPD said home and vehicle searches may not be explicit in the patrol guidelines, but it should be self evident to officers. She said the NYPD would be monitoring the situation and if systemic issues arise, the department could make changes.

The union that represents police officers fiercely opposed the law. In a written statement, PBA President Patrick Lynch said, "The Right to Know laws will discourage police officers from proactively addressing crime and disorder and will lead to more frivolous complaints."

Complaints are expected to rise because officers will also be required to hand people a business card with their name and shield number on one side and information on where to file a comment or complaint on the other side. Ultimately complaints will be routed to the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

We've been working closely with the NYPD to make sure we know how they're training their officers so we can hold members of the service to the standard to which they've been trained, said Jonathan Darche head of the CCRB.

Police reform groups said they would be training communities on how to assert their rights.

At a press conference on Thursday outside of City Hall, they practiced by yelling in unison, I do not consent to this search. And, Am I free to leave?

Even though police reform advocates criticized certain lawmakers for compromising too heavily on particular parts of the law, it is still seen as a major victory. Yet many remain skeptical police will comply.

Yul San Leim, from the grassroots police reform organization Justice Committee, said groups like hers would be monitoring the NYPD.

We are putting eyes on the street. And we're here to say to the mayor and the commissioner, tell your officers to fully implement the Right to Know Act and tell them the streets are watching, Leim said.

Cindy Rodriguez is the urban policy reporter for New York Public Radio. You can follow her on Twitter at @cynrod.
Thursday, October 18, 2018

Dan Trevas reports on a discipline decision of the Ohio Supreme Court

The Ohio Supreme Court today suspended a Columbus lawyer for two years, with six months stayed, for misconduct that included lying to his client about her legal matters and having consensual sex with the client while the cases were pending.

In a per curiam opinion, the Supreme Court ruled that Trent R. Turner violated additional rules governing the professional conduct of Ohio lawyers when he accepted fees from a client, improperly handled those fees, neglected the clients legal matters, and then failed to respond to her communications.

Chief Justice Maureen OConnor and Justices Terrence ODonnell, Judith L. French, Patrick F. Fischer, R. Patrick DeWine, and Mary DeGenaro joined the opinion. Justice Sharon L. Kennedy concurred in judgment.

Lawyer Hired for Judicial Release

In January 2015, a woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, paid Turner a $1,000 flat fee to draft a motion seeking judicial release of Lamont Howard. Another attorney sought Howards release in 2013, but the motion was denied.

In March and April 2015, Doe called Turner several times, and he did not return her calls. He sent text messages telling her that he was working on the judicial release motion.

In June, having not received phone calls from Turner, Doe requested a full refund. Later that day, Turner filed the motion for judicial release and a memorandum in support. Except for the signature and contact information, those documents were identical to the documents that Howards prior attorney had filedand the court had deniedin 2013.

Client and Lawyer Feud after Having Sexual Relationship

Early in 2015, Doe paid Turner an additional $300 to represent her in a civil case that was pending in small-claims court.

Turner appeared at a hearing on that case. Later that evening, he invited Doe to his house where they had consensual sex. Over the next week, Turner sent Doe more than 100 text messages, many of which were sexual in nature. Shortly thereafter, Turner and Doe began arguing and stopped communicating for a couple of weeks.

About a month after the hearing, the small claims court decided Does case, but Turner did not tell her about the ruling.

Doe then began to inquire about her case and Howards judicial release. Two weeks after the civil case ruling, Turner texted Doe, telling her that he would share any new information he had, without telling her about the courts decision.

Client Learns of Case Outcomes

In July 2015, Doe confronted Turner when she learned he had submitted the same judicial-release motion as Howards prior attorney and that he had not updated her on the status of her civil case. She again requested a full refund.

Turner falsely stated that he had a meeting scheduled with the judge in Howards matter, and offered Doe a $500 refund. Turner never communicated again with Doe and failed to tell her or Howard that the court had denied the motion for judicial release.

Misconduct Charges Filed

The Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed a complaint with the Board of Professional Conduct alleging that Turner had neglected two client matters, engaged in a sexual relationship with a client, and misused his client trust account.

The board found Turner violated multiple rules when representing Doe and Howard, including failing to keep his clients reasonably informed about their cases; failing to refund any unearned fees; and engaging in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation. The board also determined that he violated the rule that prohibits a lawyer from having a sexual relationship with a client unless the consensual relationship existed prior to the lawyer-client relationship.

Based on Turners effort to mislead his clients into believing that the documents he had copied from Howards prior attorney were his own work, the board found that he engaged in conduct that adversely reflected on his fitness to practice law.

Turner also stipulated that he failed to put Does $1,000 fee into his client trust account, and that he violated other rules by using his client trust account as his personal account and commingling client and personal funds.

The board recommended that the Court suspend Turner for two years, with six months stayed on several conditions, including paying Doe $1,000 in restitution.

Court Considers Sanction

When considering a proposed sanction, the Court examines aggravating circumstances that could increase the punishment for a lawyer and mitigating factors, which could lead to a reduced penalty.

The Court determined that Turner acted with a dishonest and selfish motive, committed multiple offenses, and harmed his clients. It also found he cooperated during disciplinary proceedings and submitted positive evidence of his character.

The board reported that Turner had a history of abusing alcohol and that his alcohol use contributed to his misconduct. Turner attempted to engage with the Ohio Lawyers Assistance Program (OLAP), but had failed to attend 90 consecutive days of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings, which were required to enter into an OLAP contract. The board did not give any mitigating weight for a substance-abuse disorder.

Here, Turner engaged in a consensual but improper sexual encounter with Doe and committed other serious misconduct, including plagiarizing a court filing, the opinion stated. But considering his cooperative approach to the disciplinary investigation and the reinstatement conditions suggested by the board, we conclude that the boards recommended sanction adequately protects the public and gives Turner the opportunity to practice law again if he pursues treatment and avoids additional misconduct.

The Court suspended Turner from the practice of law for two years, but stayed the final six months of his suspension based on the condition that he not commit any more misconduct. To be reinstated, Turner must prove he attended 90 consecutive days of AA meetings, and enter into an OLAP contract. He must comply with all the terms of the OLAP contract and treatment recommendations. He also must complete 12 hours of continuing legal education related to law-office management, and pay $1,000 in restitution to Jane Doe or reimburse the Lawyers Fund for Client Protection for any amount the fund awards to Doe. If reinstated, he must serve two years of monitored probation.

2018-0540. Disciplinary Counsel v. Turner, Slip Opinion No. 2018-Ohio-4202.

(Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/10/dan-trevas-reports-on-a-discipline-decision-of-the-ohio-supreme-court-the-ohio-supreme-court-today-suspended-a-columbus-lawy.html
Our struggle is to bring social, political, and economic justice to our nation. This is an effort of the Chicano/Mexican American Digital History Project. https://sites.google.com/site/chicanodigital/
A New York City hospital has released a letter admitting that one of its most noted pediatricians had abused children for decades. Rockefeller University Hospital said that Dr. Reginald Archibald, who worked there from 1941-1946 and 1948-1982, was accused of abuse earlier this year. According to the hospital, Archibald "engaged in certain inappropriate conduct during patient examinations" and administrators are now stripping him of emeritus status and any references of him from their websites. Archibald died in 2007.

The NY Times spoke to men who said that they had been abused by Archibald and described that "certain inappropriate conduct," as the hospital put it: "The men all described similar experiences with Dr. Archibald, who would tell them to disrobe when they were alone in his examination room. He would masturbate them or ask them to masturbate, sometimes to ejaculation. The doctor took pictures of them, while they were naked, with a Polaroid camera, and measured their penises both flaccid and erect, the men said."

"I remember being examined by him, I remember him measuring me and it says it in my medical records, the size of my penis," one victim told WABC 7.

In a statement (PDF), Rockefeller University Hospital said that they had also investigated "credible" accusations of sexual abuse in 2004, "Following its review of then-available information, including from interviews with former patients, faculty, administrators, and staff, and two prior reports made in the 1990s that were located, Debevoise found certain allegations credible and determined that it was likely that some of Dr. Archibalds behavior towards this patient was inappropriate. A policy relating to the further protection of pediatric patients was added to the Hospitals then-existing safeguards and processes designed to protect patients."

Archibald's speciality was childhood growth and maturation, "focusing on children of short stature," according to the hospital. The Times points out, "[The victims'] stories paint a picture of an esteemed doctor who wielded great authority with parents desperate to help their children and patients too young to know the difference between legitimate medical practice and molestation. The alleged abuse would have occurred in an era in which few safeguards existed for those patients."

The hospital mailed letters to former patients about the allegations earlier this month, and more victims came forward, according to the hospital: "In the two weeks following the mailing of the letters, we heard from many of Dr. Archibalds former patients, including a number who told us that they had been subjected to sexual misconduct. We are appalled to hear those accounts of Dr. Archibalds reprehensible behavior. We deeply regret pain and suffering caused to any of Dr. Archibalds former patients. We are extremely grateful to patients for sharing their experiences with us."

"A 58-year-old Brooklyn man said he believed Dr. Archibald raped him on a trip to the doctors Canadian summer home," the Times reports. "The former patient, who asked to be identified only by his first name, John, because of the nature of the alleged assault, said Dr. Archibald watched him masturbate during examinations at the hospital. But one summer, when he was about 13, the doctor convinced his parents to let John accompany him to the house... John said Dr. Archibald tried to shower with him at a motel on the two-day trip to the house but he ran out of the bathroom. Once they arrived, John said, he believed Dr. Archibald drugged and raped him. He angrily insisted on being taken home, he said."

Rockefeller University Hospital said it was "reaching out individually to Dr. Archibalds former patients, so they can share their experiences or any concerns," and added, "Due to the passage of time, though, the Hospital has encountered difficulties in locating all of Dr. Archibalds former patients. Patients with information they would like to share regarding their interactions with Dr. Archibald should contact Helen Cantwell, of Debevoise

at: (212) 909-6312 or hcantwell@debevoise.com."

Further, the hospital is starting a fund (PDF) to pay for counseling and other services victims might need.
Thursday, October 18, 2018

The Florida Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee opines

Opinion Number: 2018-23

Date of Issue: September 27, 2018

ISSUES

1. Whether a judge may permit court cases to be filmed and televised on a weekly basis.

ANSWER: This is a matter of judicial administration, rather than judicial ethics.

2. Whether a judge may research, write, and appear in televised public service announcements which discuss issues surrounding family violence.

ANSWER: Yes.

3. Whether a judge may be compensated for appearing in televised public service announcements.

ANSWER: Yes.

FACTS

The inquiring judge serves in a domestic violence division and asks whether the judge may allow the weekly televising of court proceedings in that division. In addition, the judge wants to research, write, and appear in televised public service announcements which explain the different forms of restraining orders available in Florida, the court procedures for obtaining restraining orders, inform the public about government sponsored resources for family violence issues, educate the public about the effects of exposure to family violence, and educate the public about evidentiary requirements for the introduction of common types of evidence. Finally, the judge asks whether the judge may receive compensation for creating and appearing in the public service announcements.

(Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/10/the-florida-judicial-ethics-advisory-committee-opines-opinion-number-2018-23-date-of-issue-septmeber-27-2018-issues-1.html
Friday, October 19, 2018

The Mississippi Supreme Court has imposed reciprocal discipline based on a sanction imposed in Florida

In 2004, Burtoff drafted estate planning documents for his mother-in-law and father-in-law, Mary and Charles Bullington. Mary Bullington died in 2012, and a dispute arose regarding the trust Burtoff had drafted. Burtoff represented his wife, the personal representative of Mary Bullingtons estate and filed suit against Charles Bullington, his former client. Burtoff took positions contrary to the interests of his former client and continued representation of his wife in the probate matter when he knew or reasonably should have known he had a conflict of interest. Burtoff ultimately was disqualified as counsel for his wife and was found to have acted in violation of Rule 4-1.9(a) of the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar. On May 31, 2018, the Supreme Court of Florida reprimanded Burtoff publicly. Because Burtoff is licensed to practice in Mississippi, the Mississippi Bar, in compliance with Rule 13 of the Mississippi Rules of Discipline, filed its formal complaint.

Analysis

In imposing the sanction of public reprimand upon Burtoff, the Supreme Court of Florida explicitly or implicitly considered the nine criteria utilized by this Court to determine

an appropriate sanction for attorney misconduct. Burtoff acknowledged the truth of the allegations in the formal complaint and did not provide any mitigating factors. Therefore, we fully support the Supreme Court of Floridas imposition of the sanction of public reprimand and we likewise order a public reprimand and tax all costs and expenses incurred in filing the formal complaint to Burtoff.

He must appear in Hinds County Mississippi court for the administration of the reprimand. (Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/10/the-mississippi-supreme-court-has-imposed-reciprocal-discipline-based-on-a-sanction-imposed-in-florida-in-2004-burtoff-draf.html




Education Readings

By Allan Alach





Sad news this week. One of New Zealands premier educators, Kelvin Smythe, lost his battle against prostate cancer last Saturday.





Kelvin was one of the very best educators in New Zealands history and his passing is a tragedy for primary school education. Over the past decade from 2009, Kelvin led the battle against the then governments imposition of national standards (not too dissimilar to common core standards in the USA) and I think its fair to say that his efforts contributed to the removal of these when the government changed a year ago.

He was indeed an educational warrior who fought to the end to protect holistic /creative /democratic teaching from current technocratic formulaic approach es .





Our condolences to Kelvins family, who devoted themselves to his care over the last few weeks

.





Every week Bruce Hammonds and I collect articles to share with teachers to encourage a creative approach to teaching and learning. I welcome suggested articles, so if you come across a gem, email it to me at





Mindset is encompassed by the holistic and should be seen as commonsense given space: I give it a strong tick





Kelvin Smythes last article, written with one hand as he had a broken arm and when he was in very poor health. He was determined to write to the end and one of his big regrets about dying was

that he had so much more that he wanted to write.

This posting supports mindset as expressed by the American academics Jo Boaler and Carol Dweck. I perceive mindset as a strategy to encourage holistic ideas into mathematics, in particular, a curriculum much in need of being repaired from its fragmented and perilous condition. . I perceive mindset as a strategy to encourage holistic ideas into mathematics, in particular, a curriculum much in need of being repaired from its fragmented and perilous condition.





Kelvin Smythe and John Hattie  the killing of creativity by the technocrats

Smythe, after reading Hattie's book 'Visible Learning', writes that Hattie's 'feedback' is really attached to a direct instruction process .It is more concerned with testable transmission of teacher devised content to the students and as such is antithetical to individuality and creativity. The book, according to Smythe, is 'skewed to a certain style of teaching and learning ( learning set up for measurement) and towards appealing to conservative influences. .It is more concerned with testable transmission of teacher devised content to the students and as suchThe book, according to Smythe, isrta





Kelvin Smythes advice for principals

Principals need to be in charge of their own destiny. Principals need









Teacher Wellbeing- some research highlights

Teaching as a profession is inherently stressful. We are working with people all day and human beings are complex, sometimes tricky even. Heres some of what I found out about what may contribute to positive teacher wellbeing in our current educational climate. . We are working with people all day and human beings are complex, sometimes tricky even.





Physical Education is just as important as any other school subject

PE is yet another subject area that lost ground due to the relentless focus on raising achievement.

Physical Education (PE) is often viewed as a marginal subject within the curriculum. PE is still championed for its potential to promote health and encourage lifelong physical activity. This is an important issue given that over 30% of year six pupils are classed as overweight or  obese '





Being Barefoot Benefits Brain Development

'Proprioception gives us the ability to perceive the motion and position of our bodies in space, while

vestibular system is responsible for balance and coordination. theis responsible for balance and coordination.

these senses relies heavily on sensory input we receive through bare feet, especially during infancy and childhood, Flegal explains in an article for Natural Child Magazine.' The development of both of, Flegal explains in an article for Natural Child Magazine.'





5 Things Children Learn at Preschool That Are a Waste of Time and Not Developmentally Appropriate

'Calendar Time, Craft Projects, Teacher-Directed Lessons, Worksheets, and "Letter of the Week"

a typical preschool schedule, and parents rarely question their legitimacy. Instead, they see them as "real learning" and what's needed to prepare kids for kindergarten. Many child development experts, however, believe they're largely a waste of time and may even be detrimental. They're part of, and parents rarely question their legitimacy. Instead, they see them as "real learning" and what's needed to prepare kids for kindergarten.





What is Deep Learning? Who are the Deep Learning Teachers?

Deep learning promotes the qualities children need for success by building complex Deep learning understanding and meaning rather than focusing on the learning of superficial knowledge that can today be gleaned through search engines.'





How to Teach Self-Regulation

To succeed in school, students need to be able to focus, control their emotions, and adjust to change.'





From Traditional Teacher to Modern Learning Advisor

'What is the role of the single teacher in a classroom in a world where millions of potential teachers are now a few keystrokes away on a laptop or phone?





From Bruces goldie oldies file:





Wounded by School



Success in life is all too often determined by success at school. And all efforts to improve schooling very rarely take the trouble to listen to the voices of teachers let alone students. In her wonderful book 'Wounded by School' Kirsten Olsen speaks passionately about the experiences of young people whom the school system has failed.

The importance of observation
The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum will no longer accept Saudi money for two upcoming Middle East art programs, in the wake of mounting evidence that the country's government tortured and killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The decision was announced by the two museums on Thursday, the Times reported. Both institutions said they'd continue to carry the programming, which is part of the Arab Art & Education Initiative, a year-long cultural exchange effort that includes exhibitions, artist dialogues, and educational programs at museums and venues across the city. But they will not use external funding from groups tied to the Saudi government, as previously planned.

A spokesperson for Columbia University also told Gothamist that it had decided to cancel a lecture and reception from Saudi artist Ahmed Mater that was scheduled for Monday, even though it had not received any Saudi money. "We will seek to find another time in the near future that is more conducive to the academic dialogue on campus that is the purpose of the lecture," the spokesperson said.

In a statement, Met president Daniel Weiss acknowledged that the museum had received money connected to the Saudi royal family for an invitation-only scholarly seminar on curating Middle Eastern art. Though the museum still has the moneyless than $20,000, according to Weissit will be self-funding the event. It's unclear what the museum plans to do with the cash.

Similarly, a spokesperson for the Brooklyn Museum said that it would no longer accept the outside funding for an ongoing exhibition on Syrian refugees, in light of recent events and in harmony with the international communitys concerns."

Earlier this week, Turkish officials shared gruesome details from an audio recording that reportedly captured Khashoggi's death and dismemberment by Saudi agents. While American intelligence agencies increasingly believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia ordered the killing, President Donald Trump has thus far refused to assign blame to the Saudislikely out of fear that punishing the royal family could have major consequences for an ongoing arms deal with the oil-rich kingdom.

Instead, Republicans in Congress and others allied with the Trump administration are reportedly mounting a whisper campaign smearing Khashoggi, in an attempt to protect the president from criticism about his handling of the alleged murder.
The 23rd Macao International Trade and Investment Fair (22nd MIF) and 2018 Portuguese-speaking Countries Products and Services Exhibition (Macau) (2018 PLPEX) opened yesterday at The Venetian Macao. It marked the congregation of senior government officials, entrepreneurs and businesspeople from Macau, mainland China, Portuguese-speaking countries, countries and regions along the Belt and Road, European countries and the United States.

MIF is organized by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and co- organized by 15 economic and commercial departments as well as business associations from Macau, mainland China, and Hong Kong. This years MIF is themed Co- operation  Key to Business Opportunities. The exhibition covers an area of 24,000 square meters and has over 1,500 booths.

The Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macau SAR, Lionel Leong, noted in his speech that Macau has made considerable progress in its efforts to integrate itself into the national development, is supporting the building of the Belt and Road initiative, the construction of the Greater Bay Area and accelerating its development as a World Center of Tourism and Leisure and the Commercial and Trade Co-operation Service Platform between China and Portuguese-speaking courtries.

In terms of the MICE industry [meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions], Macau has been committed to nurturing a number of signature local exhibitions and has worked proactively to introduce new conferences, seizing thousands of attendees, said Leong.

At present, large international conferences held in Macau are growing steadily in number. The international and professional levels of these conferences are also improving, said Leong.

Looking ahead, Macau will continue to leverage its function of precise liaison as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. The city will endeavor to fulfill its historic missions endowed by the new era and seize development opportunities to serve the needs of our country and deliver the strengths of Macau, said Leong.

According to the secretary, from January to August, a total of 19 quality conferences attended by thousands of visitors have been introduced in Macau, more than double the eight conferences that were held during the same period last year.

Under the theme Cooperation  Key to Business Opportunities, this years MIF invited Mozambique and Fujian as its Partner Country and Partner Province respectively.

A diverse array of forums will be held, including the Mozambique-Fujian-Macau Trade and Investment Forum, the Jiangsu-Macau-Portuguese-speaking Countries Business Forum, the 4th Young Entrepreneurs Forum of China and Portuguese-speaking Countries, and the 15th World Summit of Chinese Entrepreneurs, as well as the 9th Asia Trade Promotion Forum (ATPF) Joint Exhibition.

In addition, the 2018 Portuguese-speaking Countries Products and Services Exhibition (Macau) (2018 PLPEX) will continue simultaneously, alongside this years MIF.

With a bigger scale and more diverse activities organised, the 2018 PLPEX has attracted more than 250 exhibitions from mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, and the eight Portuguese-speaking countries and regions.

Activities such as the Portuguese-speaking Countries Wine and Food Business Matching Seminar and the Portuguese-speaking Countries Food Experience Zone will be staged to further capitalize on Macaus role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries and its Three Centres, especially as the food product distribution center for Portuguese-speaking countries.

This year, PLPEX is rolling out the Brazil Unmanned Shop Experience Zone (Brazil Center) to showcase assorted Brazilian products with an innovative retailing approach and promote Brazilian products through interactive experiences.

HKZMBs opening will benefit three cities

ON THE sidelines of the MIF opening ceremony, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong said that the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will benefit the three cities [more on page 3]. Recently, Liu Cigui, Communist Party Secretary of Hainan province, said that opening casinos in Hainan is absolutely out of question. In response to Lius announcement, Leong said that the international competition for Macaus gaming industry will not slow down just because Hainan will not open casinos. In addition, when talking about next years budget within his secretariat, Leong revealed that his sector might increase investment in infrastructure in its 2019 budget.
The government-proposed cyber security law was yesterday approved at its first reading at the Legislative Assembly plenary session, with just three lawmakers opposed  Pereira Coutinho, Sulu Sou and Ng Kuok Cheong.

Under the new law, private and public institutions in some sectors will be required to introduce and enforce select cyber security measures. These sectors include media and communication operators, banking and finance, as well as operators in the gambling industry.

According to its proponents, the bill aims to bolster the security of the citys information technology infrastructure, in part by monitoring communications for the purpose of detecting any irregularities in the flow of data.

But critics warn that the now- approved law will enable the government to violate individual freedoms under the guise of security-related concerns.

They say that the provisions of the law may allow police authorities to abuse the system and arbitrarily monitor the content of electronic data and communications.

The government argues that the new bill will not contravene existing data protection and privacy laws in Macau. Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said yesterday that cyber authorities will only be permitted to access the personal data of individuals after the relevant judicial authorization has been granted.

The Secretary previously said that the cyber security law will not lead to the government monitoring online content.

Also yesterday, the Legislative Assembly approved a bill granting new powers to the Public Security Police Force, with only lawmaker Sulu Sou voting against on the basis of it being a missed opportunity to revise the oversight of the PSP.

Later in the plenary session, the Assembly also approved new offshore regulations that follow the guidelines issued by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Offshore institutions will only be allowed to have special tax-free status and stamp duty exemptions until June 2021.
More than two dozen countries have relaxed their marijuana or other drug laws, and a number could consider legalizing in the not-too-distant future. The South American nation of Uruguay was first to legalize marijuana in 2013. Canada became the second on Wednesday and its size and global standing likely will encourage others to follow. Heres a look at other nations that could be influenced by Canadas legalization:

NEW ZEALAND

The government announced late last year that medical marijuana would be allowed, and the country is due to hold a national referendum by 2020 on whether to legalize and regulate adult use of marijuana. The exact language and scope of the referendum question remain unclear.

That theyve agreed to have a referendum shows how far the debate has come in New Zealand, says Steve Rolles, a senior policy analyst at Transform, a global drug law reform organization based in England. And the fact they have a model in Canada  a country they have good relations with, that theyre quite similar to culturally  can only help the reform cause.

For now, recreational cannabis remains illegal, with possible penalties ranging from a USD500 fine for possession to a 14-year jail term for its growth or distribution.

MEXICO

Ravaged by drug war violence and corruption, Mexico decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana and other drugs in 2009. A series of Mexico Supreme Court rulings beginning in 2015 began laying the groundwork for marijuana legalization by holding that people should have the right to grow and distribute marijuana for personal use.

The countrys incoming interior minister, Olga Sanchez Cordero, participated in some of those rulings as a Supreme Court justice and has said she will push for broad marijuana legalization. She has the blessing of incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who won office in July and whose party controls both houses of Mexicos Congress.

Mexico is really the significant comer in this debate, says John Walsh, of the advocacy group Washington Office on Latin America. Its likely theyll be debating legislation to regulate their national cannabis market next year.

Former President Vicente Fox, who calls himself a soldier in the global campaign to legalize marijuana, earlier this year joined the board of directors of venerable cannabis publication High Times to advance his agenda.

THE NETHERLANDS

Hoping to keep pot users away from dealers of harder drugs, the Netherlands in the late 1970s began allowing coffee shops to sell marijuana. The shops remain a popular attraction, especially in Amsterdam, but the drug remains illegal elsewhere in the country and purveyors have long complained about having to resort to the black market to obtain it since cultivation is outlawed. Critics say the system has allowed criminal organizations and money laundering to persist.

That could be changing. The new Dutch government has committed to a trial program by which it will license a producer to provide marijuana in six to 10 cities.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africas Supreme Court ruled last month that adults can use marijuana and grow it for personal consumption  in private. It remains a conservative country, but Rolles says the ruling, combined with Canadas move, has opened the door for a more serious debate about how legalization might proceed in South Africa.

ITALY

Reform advocates have been promoting marijuana legalization in Italy for years, without success. But in late 2016, a law legalizing production of hemp  a very low-THC version of cannabis favored for myriad industrial uses  took effect. Since then, the dried flowers of those plants have been sold in some shops, giving supporters new hope for future legalization efforts.

A marijuana regulation measure has been making its way through Italys parliament and still needs support from more legislators. Italy could be a dark horse in the race to be the first country to legalize in Europe, Rolles says.

UNITED STATES

With its northern neighbor legalizing and its southern neighbor mulling it, can the worlds most influential proponent of the drug war be far behind?

I dont think Canada legalizing is going to move the ball with regard to legalization in the U.S., especially with this administration, says Hannah Hetzer, who tracks international marijuana policy for the New York-based Drug Policy Alliance.

While President Donald Trump has said he would likely support a congressional effort to ease the federal prohibition, his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, is a marijuana critic and legalization opponent.

For decades the U.S. required other nations to cooperate in the drug war or risk losing foreign aid, even as some Latin American countries wracked by violence criticized America for failing to curb its appetite for cocaine, marijuana and other drugs. Now, more than 30 states have OKd the medical use of marijuana, and nine have approved recreational use by adults. Two more states  North Dakota and Michigan  have ballot measures on recreational legalization next month.

Canadas legalization has left proponents in the U.S. calling for Congress to act. Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat who represents Oregon, one of the legal marijuana states, called prohibition a failed policy that wastes resources and destroys lives.

Now that our neighbor to the north is opening its legal cannabis market, the longer we delay, the longer we miss out on potentially significant economic opportunities for Oregon and other states across the country, he said in a written statement.Gene Johnson, Seattle, AP
A new themed resort located in Cotai was presented yesterday. Lisboeta, a HKD5 billion resort, will be developed by Macau Theme Park and Resort Limited. The companys directors include SJM executive director Angela Leong and her son Arnaldo Ho. Occupying a land plot of over 100,000 square meters, the project includes three hotels, a cinema and indoor skydiving, among other attractions. At this moment the project does not have gaming elements. That is because Im not a gaming operator. At this moment this land is for hotel purposes, Arnaldo Ho said during the presentation.

MGM suspends planed resident show

Destiny, one of the planed resident shows at MGM Cotai, was suspended. Earlier this year, the show had been described by an MGM China press release as an electrifying, action-packed immersive theatrical production that is inspired by the concept of TV game shows and adventure video games. Grant Bowie, chief executive officer and executive director of MGM China, confirmed the decision yesterday. The show has been suspended. The challenge for us is to try and make sure we do something thats significant and actually adds value, he said.

Chinas tax policy guaranteed not to affect residents

Chinas Minister of Finance, Liu Kun, said that the tax bill amendment in mainland China will not increase tax burdens for Macau residents. Recently, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, met with Liu in Beijing. During the meeting, Leong expressed the concerns of some of Macau residents regarding the mainlands legislative changes over personal income taxes. Liu assured Leong that there would be no impact on Macau residents, having also claimed that China will continue to make beneficial arrangements for Hong Kong and Macau residents.

Former Viva Macau president denies relation to bankruptcy

The former president of Viva Macau, Ngan In Leng, claims that he has not been questioned by government departments regarding Viva Macaus bankruptcy case, according to a report by Exmoo. The case is being investigated by the Commission Against Corruption. Recently, the companys former president was asked by the media whether or not a government department had requested his assistance in the investigations. Ngan declared that he has no relationship to the incident, nor is he aware of the investigation progress.

100 affordable house buyers receive properties

Fai Chi Kei Edificio Fai Ieng affordable housing candidates have been receiving their housing units since yesterday. In total, there are 100 eligible buyers who are paying through installments, and they can now get the keys to their new properties and sign the property management contract. Edificio Fai Ieng provides a total of 436 house units divided into two apartment designs: one featuring two bedrooms and another including three bedrooms. House prices range from MOP800,000 up to MOP1.2 million.

Gongbei seizes 69,000 batches of prohibited items

In the first three quarters of this year, Gongbei Customs has seized 69,000 batches of prohibited items, an increase of 1.5 percent year-on-year, according to statistics released by Gongbei Customs. The items weigh 57,000 kilograms in total, an increase of nearly 10 percent. The main items intercepted were fruit, meat, seeds and dairy products, of which 4,601 items were detected to contain pests. Gongbei Customs issued a reminder that prohibited seeds may pose a great threat to the domestic ecological and environmental safety of mainland China.
A temple in southern India and one of the worlds largest Hindu pilgrimage centers opened its doors to females of menstruating age on Wednesday to comply with a Supreme Court ruling, but women werent able to enter as hundreds of protesters fought street battles with police to keep them out.

As the gates of the Sabarimala temple were flung open, a crowd of male devotees surged toward the temple. About 1,000 police used batons to try to control the protesters, who attacked them with stones and damaged police and TV vehicles and bullied female devotees to turn back.

The protesters ran after the media vehicles, pounding them with hands and kicking to stop them from reaching the temple site.

The state Industry Minister, E.P. Jayarajan, told the Press Trust of India news agency that at least 10 reporters and photojournalists were injured and their equipment damaged.

Police arrested 11 protesters when they tried to block the path of some females.

The temple will remain open for five-day monthly prayers until Oct. 22.

Pooja Prasaanna of Republic TV said the protesters hurled stones at a police van where she and her crew members had taken shelter after their car was targeted, and snatched away officers batons when they tried to shield them.

The New Delhi Television channel reported that about 20 protesters surrounded a bus in which a reporter of The Newsminute channel was traveling and tried to pull her out. Angry protesters kicked and hurled abuses at her, NDTV reported.

The entry of females between the ages of 10 and 50 to the centuries-old temple was banned informally for many years, and then by law in 1972.

In 1991, the Kerala High Court confirmed the ban. Indias Supreme Court lifted the ban last month, holding that equality is supreme irrespective of age and gender.

Temple management and the protesters argue that the celibate nature of the temples presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is protected by Indias Constitution. Some religious figures consider menstruating women to be impure.

Meghna Pant, a female activist, said the celibacy of the deity was not more important than the equality of women. Who are men to decide where women can go or not? she said.

Supporters of the ban are angry with the state governments decision not to seek a review of the Supreme Courts ruling.

Rahul Easwar, an attorney for the temple, appealed to the female devotees not to enter the temple and give temple authorities until next week to file a petition for review with the Supreme Court.

Sabarimala is surrounded by mountains and dense forests in its location at the Periyar Tiger Reserve. Up to 50 million devotees visit the temple each year.

A number of temples in India have banned women, saying the policy is intended to preserve the purity of their shrines. The operators of a temple in the northwestern state of Rajasthan believe the Hindu god Kartikeya curses women who enter the temple, instead of blessing them.

Indias secular courts have intervened recently in cases in which a religions gender beliefs were seen as discriminatory. Ashok Sharma, New Delhi, AP
A man who previously traveled with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans entourage to the United States entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul just before writer Jamal Khashoggi vanished there, according to images published yesterday by a pro-government Turkish newspaper.

The Sabah newspapers report showed the man also later outside the Saudi consul generals home, checking out of a Turkish hotel as a large suitcase stood by his side, and leaving Turkey on Oct. 2.

The report came as Turkish crime-scene investigators finished an overnight search of both the consul generals residence and a second search of the consulate itself amid Ankaras fears that Saudi authorities had Khashoggi killed and dismembered inside the diplomatic mission in Istanbul.

Saudi Arabia, which initially called the allegations baseless, has not responded to repeated requests for comment from over recent days. The Sabah report showed the man walking past police barricades at the consulate at 9:55 a.m. with several men trailing behind him. Khashoggi arrived at the consulate several hours later at 1:14 p.m., then disappeared while his fiancee waited outside for him.

A report Wednesday by the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggis slaying, said a Saudi team immediately accosted the 60-year-old journalist after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him.

Previously leaked surveillance footage showed consular vehicles moving from the consulate to the consul generals official residence, some 2 kilometers away, a little under two hours after Khashoggi walked inside. The Sabah newspaper showed an image of the man at 4:53 p.m. at the consuls home, then at 5:15 p.m. checking out of a hotel. He later cleared airport security at 5:58 p.m.

Security services in Turkey have used pro-government media to leak details of Khashoggis case, adding to the pressure on the kingdom. The AP could not immediately verify the mans identity, though hes one of the individuals previously identified by Turkish authorities as being involved in the 15-man Saudi team that targeted Khashoggi.

Images shot by the Houston Chronicle and later distributed by the AP show the same man was in Prince Mohammeds entourage when he visited a Houston subdivision in April to see rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Harvey. The same man wore lapel pins, including one of the flags of Saudi Arabia and America intertwined, that other bodyguards accompanying Prince Mohammed wore on the trip.

The three-week trip across the U.S. saw Prince Mohammed meet with business leaders and celebrities, including Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, who now owns the Post.

The searches and the leaks in Turkish media have ensured the worlds attention remains focused on what happened to Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who went into a self-imposed exile in the United States over the rise of Prince Mohammed. It also put further strains on the relationship between the kingdom, the worlds largest oil exporter, and its main security guarantor, the U.S., as tensions with Iran and elsewhere in the Middle East remain high.

Flying back home after a visit to both Saudi Arabia and Turkey, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remained positive Wednesday about an ongoing Saudi probe into Khashoggis disappearance, but he stressed that answers are needed. Sooners better than later for everyone, Pompeo said.

President Donald Trump, who initially came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but since has backed off, said Wednesday that the U.S. wanted Turkey to turn over any audio or video recording it had of Khashoggis alleged killing if it exists.

Yesterday, the Post published what it described as Khashoggis last column in honor of the missing journalist. In it, Khashoggi pointed to the muted international response to ongoing abuses against journalists by governments in the Middle East. As a result, Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate, Khashoggi wrote. AP
U.S. officials say they sense that relations with the Chinese military, after a rocky few months, may be stabilizing, although face-to-face talks between their respective defense chiefs yesterday produced no new agreements.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met for nearly 90 minutes, 30 minutes longer than scheduled, on the sidelines of an Asian security conference with his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Wei Fenghe. A participant, Randall Schriver, the Pentagons top official for Asia-Pacific affairs, said Mattis described the talks as straightforward and candid and asserted that high-level talks are especially valuable during times of tension.

Schriver said the discussions covered numerous issues but focused especially on the disputed South China Sea, where Chinese military activity is viewed by Washington as irresponsible and Beijing complains of an inappropriate U.S. military presence. Mattis asserted that the U.S. view is widely shared in the region and beyond.

Thats an area where we will continue to have differences and talk through, Schriver told reporters after the meeting.

Mattis and Wei discussed an existing U.S. invitation for Wei to visit the U.S., but details remain to be worked out, Schriver said.

There was a commitment on both sides to try to find a time for such a meeting, he added.

China did not immediately comment to U.S. media outlets at the conference after the meeting between Mattis and Wei.

Just weeks ago, Mattis had planned to travel to Beijing for talks with Wei, but that fell through when the Chinese made it known that Wei would be unavailable, one of several signs that tension in the overall U.S.-China relationship was spilling over into the military arena.

Wei and Mattis were in Singapore this week for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Schriver had told reporters on Wednesday that the Chinese had requested the Singapore meeting with Mattis. He said U.S. officials took this as a sign that the Chinese are interested in stabilizing the military relationship.

Speaking to reporters traveling with him earlier this week, Mattis acknowledged that the relationship has been difficult in recent times. Were two large powers, or two Pacific powers, two economic powers. Theres going to be times we step on each others toes, so were going to have to find a way to productively manage our relationship, he said. And the military relationship is to be a stabilizing force in the relations between the two countries.

As recently as June, when Mattis was in Beijing for his first visit to China as Pentagon chief, President Xi Jinping called the U.S.-China military relationship the model component of our overall bilateral relations.

Since then, however, a series of irritants have shaken military-to-military ties. Schriver said the trigger for recent tensions was the Trump administrations decision in September to sanction the Chinese military for buying Russian fighter planes and missiles. That action was taken under the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act passed by Congress in 2017. Beijing also strongly criticized a U.S. announcement of further arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing insists is part of China.

China responded to these events with strong criticism, followed by a decision to cancel a planned visit to the Pentagon by the head of the Chinese navy and a confrontation in the South China Sea between a Chinese warship and a U.S. Navy destroyer, the USS Decatur. The Chinese also denied a request for a U.S. Navy ship to visit Hong Kong.

That may turn out to be a relatively short bump in the road, Schriver said Wednesday, suggesting that the Singapore meeting between Wei and Mattis could nudge things back in the right direction, although the U.S. administration remains concerned that the Chinese have achieved a key goal by militarizing disputed land features in the South China Sea that Washington warned against.

China views Washingtons criticism of its activities in the South China Sea as unnecessary meddling in internal Chinese affairs.

Earlier this year, Mattis cited Chinas military presence on some land features in the South China Sea as his reason for disinviting the Chinese military from an international naval exercise in the Pacific.

As part of a U.S. effort to enlist support for countering and limiting Chinas militarization of the South China Sea, Mattis earlier this week visited Vietnam, which has its own disputed territorial claims there. Schriver noted that smaller nations like Vietnam, with limited naval and economic power, have reasons to express their concerns about China privately rather than in public.

They do face potential risk angering China, Schriver said. Robert Burns, Singapore, AP
New Zealands opposition leader has been secretly recorded calling one of his own lawmakers fing useless and making other questionable remarks as turmoil in the conservative National Party escalated on Wednesday.

Simon Bridges said hes apologized to lawmaker Maureen Pugh for making the inappropriate comment. Bridges said he has no intention of resigning after a former close colleague accused him of corruption, initiated a police investigation, and posted the embarrassing phone conversation on Facebook.

The events of this week have been startling to many New Zealanders, who are accustomed to a restrained brand of politics.

Lawmaker Jami-Lee Ross resigned Tuesday after saying Bridges was corrupt because he hid a donation from a wealthy Chinese businessman by arranging for it to be split into smaller amounts to avoid it being publicly disclosed. Bridges denies the charge. Ross went to the police Wednesday with what he claimed was evidence before posting the conversation with Bridges.

During the conversation, Ross tells Bridges that two men, including Zhang Yikun, have donated 100,000 New Zealand dollars (USD66,000) and had expressed interest in having another Chinese lawmaker. Two Chinese would be nice, but would it be one Chinese and one Filipino, or what do we do? Bridges asks. He talks about a possible mercenary cull and how hed like two or three lawmakers to leave, including Pugh.

Bridges said Wednesday that while he might have been blunt, he was simply trying to reflect the growing diversity in the community. Im not perfect, as that conversation shows. Perhaps Im something of a rough diamond sometimes, Bridges said. But I sleep well at night because Ive got my integrity. He said Ross had been trying to set him up and may have been secretly recording him for months. Hes a terrible person, Bridges said.

Ross said he believed Bridges had broken electoral laws and hed handed over evidence to police investigators. He said he recorded the conversation because he was uncomfortable about the donations. In a statement, police said theyd received a complaint and would provide any relevant updates in a timely manner. The National Party held power for nine years before being ousted last year by a liberal coalition led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. AP
Electric auto brand Tesla Inc. said it signed an agreement Wednesday to secure land in Shanghai for its first factory outside the United States, pushing ahead with development despite mounting U.S.-Chinese trade tensions.

Tesla, based on Palo Alto, California, announced plans for the Shanghai factory in July after the Chinese government said it would end restrictions on full foreign ownership of electric vehicle makers to speed up industry development.

Those plans have gone ahead despite tariff hikes by Washington and Beijing on billions of dollars of each others goods in a dispute over Chinese technology policy. U.S. imports targeted by Beijings penalties include electric cars.

China is the biggest global electric vehicle market and Teslas second-largest after the United States.

Tesla joins global automakers including General Motors Co., Volkswagen AG and Nissan Motor Corp. that are pouring billions of dollars into manufacturing electric vehicles in China.

Local production would eliminate risks from tariffs and other import controls. It would help Tesla develop parts suppliers to support after service and make its vehicles more appealing to mainstream Chinese buyers.

Tesla said it signed a land transfer agreement on a 210-acre (84-hectare) site in the Lingang district in southeastern Shanghai.

That is an important milestone for what will be our next advanced, sustainably developed manufacturing site, Teslas vice president of worldwide sales, Robin Ren, said in a statement.

Shanghai is a center of Chinas auto industry and home to state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp., the main local manufacturer for GM and VW.

Tesla said earlier that production in Shanghai would begin two to three years after construction of the factory begins and eventually increase to 500,000 vehicles annually.

Tesla has yet to give a price tag but the Shanghai government said it would be the biggest foreign investment there to date. The company said in its second-quarter investor letter that construction is expected to begin within the next few quarters, with significant investment coming next year. Much of the cost will be funded with local debt the letter said.

Teslas USD5 billion Nevada battery factory was financed with help from a $1.6 billion investment by battery maker Panasonic Corp.

Analysts expect Tesla to report a loss of about $200 million for the three months ending Sept. 30 following the previous quarters $742.7 million loss. Its CEO Elon Musk said in a Sept. 30 letter to U.S. securities regulators that the company is very close to achieving profitability.

Teslas estimated sales in China of under 15,000 vehicles in 2017 gave it a market share of less than 3 percent.

The company faces competition from Chinese brands including BYD Auto and BAIC Group that already sell tens of thousands of hybrid and pure-electric sedans and SUVs annually.

Until now, foreign automakers that wanted to manufacture in China were required to work through state-owned partners. Foreign brands balked at bringing electric vehicle technology into China to avoid having to share it with potential future competitors.

The first of the new electric models being developed by global automakers to hit the market, Nissans Sylphy Zero Emission, began rolling off a production line in southern China in August.

Lower-priced electric models from GM, Volkswagen and other global brands are due to hit the market starting this year, well before Tesla is up and running in Shanghai. Joe McDonald, AP
Vietnam has freed a well-known blogger after two years in prison on the condition that she leave for the United States. Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, known as Mother Mushroom, was arrested in October 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of defaming the Communist government. The conviction of the popular blogger, who wrote about human rights and industrial pollution, drew criticism from some Western governments and international human rights groups.

Friends of the 39-year- old blogger said she was on her way to the U.S. with her mother and two young children. After numerous efforts, the family of Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh was reunited in a free country, her friend Nguyen Tin wrote on his Facebook page. Congratulations to her small family.

Quynhs lawyer, Ha Huy Son, said her release was good news but did not lift the obstacles faced by people who fight for democracy in Vietnam. Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty Internationals Regional Director for East and South East Asia, said in a statement, While Mother Mushroom is no longer imprisoned, the condition for her release was exile and there are over one hundred people languishing in jail because they peacefully spoke their mind  in public, on blogs or on Facebook.

In June, Vietnams Communist authorities released prominent human rights lawyer Nguyen Van Dai and exiled him and another dissident to Germany. Quynhs release came as U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis visited Vietnam.

Meawhile, a court in southern Binh Duong province sentenced an activist to seven years in prison on Wednesday after finding him guilty of producing 3,300 leaflets calling on workers to protest against a proposed law on special economic zones.

Nguyen Dinh Thanh, 27, was convicted of conducting propaganda against the state in the one-day trial.

Protests took place across the country in June against the proposed law, which critics say would favor Chinese investors. The government has since delayed passage of the law by the National Assembly.

Vietnam has stepped up a crackdown on dissent over the past two years with dozens of activists and bloggers put on trial for national security law-related offenses.

Despite sweeping economic reforms since the mid-1980s that opened Vietnam to foreign investment and trade and made it one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, Communist authorities tolerate no challenge to their one-party rule.

There are more than 100 prisoners of conscience in Vietnamese prisons, according to Amnesty International. AP
CHINA Emergency services said yesterday that about 6,000 people were evacuated after a landslide in Tibet blocked the flow of one of the regions key rivers, creating a lake that could endanger downstream areas in India.

VIETNAM A prominent Vietnamese blogger sent into exile in the United States says her reunion with her family after two years in prison is proof she is not alone in speaking for freedom.

PHILIPPINES Close allies of President Rodrigo Duterte have resigned from his Cabinet to run in elections next year that will test his popularity and could determine his future political influence. Among those running in the May 13 elections are Dutertes former foreign secretary, his spokesman (pictured), his political adviser and a longtime aide.

RUSSIA An 18-year-old student strode into his vocational school in Crimea, a hoodie covering his blond hair, then pulled out a shotgun and opened fire, killing 19 students and wounding more than 50 others before killing himself.

AFGHANISTAN Officials say three top Kandahar province officials have been killed by their own guards in an attack at a security meeting that also wounded two U.S. troops.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE A high-level Egyptian delegation has held urgent talks with Gazas Hamas rulers, seeking to restore calm after a rocket from the Palestinian area slammed into a home in southern Israel and the Israeli military responded with airstrikes on Hamas targets.

EU European Union leaders agreed yesterday to push ahead with plans to boost cooperation with North African countries and beef up the blocs borders in an effort to stop migrants entering Europe.

BRITAIN Prime Minister Theresa May came under attack from across Britains political spectrum yesterday after saying shes considering a European Union proposal that would keep the U.K. bound to the blocs rules for more than two years after it leaves in March.

BRAZILs presidential candidates are wooing church leaders ahead of a runoff in this deeply religious country with sizable Catholic and evangelical populations.

PERUs opposition leader Keiko Fujimori was freed by an appeals judge late Wednesday, a week after she was arrested in an ongoing money laundering investigation.
Here we are, three hours after the death of the mare, Maldonado says in the seven-minute video. ...We need people to come out to the streets...and ask for liberty... Speaking Spanish, he goes on to criticize those feigning sadness over Castros death and ends the broadcast by spraying El Sexto onto a wall at the Hotel Habana Libre where Castro took up temporary residence following his triumphant march into Havana in 1959. Relatives said Maldonado is being held without charges at a police station in Guanabacoa, a municipality on the outskirts of Havana.

Amnesty said El Sexto was arrested because he exercised his right of free expression, and demanded the government immediately released him, according to the Martinoticias report.

Other sources reported that El Sexto has been beaten while in jail, and that the official reason for his arrest is connected to the graffiti on the hotel.

UPDATE: @dmmelsexto 's mother finally visits him in Guanabacoa where he was BADLY BEATEN, accusations are tied to graffiti #FreeElSexto  Alexandra Martinez (@alex____mar) November 30, 2016

Amnesty previously recognized El Sexto as a prisoner of conscience after he was arrested after he attempted to carry out a performance art event in 2014 featuring two pigs painted in green with the names Fidel and Raul. He was released in October 2015, after 10 months in jail.
Amnesty International is sounding the alarm on behalf of Cubalex, a Cuba-based group of human rights lawyers that AI says has been subjected in recent months to increased harassment and intimidation by the Castro dictatorship:

Progressively since September, Cuban authorities have intimidated members of Cubalex (Legal Information Center), a non-government organization, not recognized by the Cuban authorities, which provides free legal and human rights advice in Havana, the capital.

On 23 September, according to its Director, Laritza Diversent, authorities searched Cubalexs centre of operation without warrant, confiscated a number of laptops and documents, and forced at least one woman to undress. The provincial prosecutor in Havana provided notice to Cubalex that it was under a tax investigation.

Laritza Diversent

According to Cubalex, since then, state prosecutors have summoned at least two members of the organization for questioning. Cubalex stated that the interviews, which reportedly lasted up to one hour and 45 minutes, were filmed, leading members to believe that the authorities were seeking information to criminalize activities of the organization. According to Cubalex, authorities have also questioned people who received advice and information from their centre.

Cubalexs Director reported that she has been stopped and questioned a number of times at the airport during her recent trips. She believes her home, which provides a base for Cubalexs activities, is under surveillance. One of Cubalexs members, Julio Ferrer Tamayo, reported being strip searched and detained during the search of Cubalex on 23 September and remains in custody.
Pope Francis and Raul Castro, during the pope's visit to Cuba in March. (Getty Images)

In response to Pope Francis' call for a show of mercy, the Castro dictatorship this week pardoned 787 "common prisoners." But human rights activists said there was no indication that they include any political prisoners.

Reuters reports:

Those pardoned include women, youths, people who are ill and "other categories," according to Granma. A list of names has not been made public.

Cuba, which has denied that it has political prisoners, said those convicted of murder, rape, child abuse and drug trafficking would be excluded from the pardons.

Pope Francis chose the theme of mercy for the Holy Year that Roman Catholics began celebrating last December. The period, officially proclaimed by the pontiff as the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, will end on Sunday.

Earlier this month in Vatican City, during a special Jubilee mass for prisoners, Pope Francis asked authorities worldwide to consider "the possibility of carrying out an act of clemency towards prisoners they think can benefit from such a provision".

We're very happy with this decision by the Cuban state," said Dionisio Garcia, president of the Cuban Bishops' Conference.

The Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation, a non-government group that monitors human rights and prisoners' issues, said it had not received any reports of what it views as political prisoners being freed.

"Until now, they are all common prisoners," said Gerardo Sanchez, the group's spokesman.

In September 2015, Cuba pardoned 3,522 common prisoners in what it called a humanitarian gesture ahead of a visit by Pope Francis, repeating similar actions it took before two previous papal visits.

Cuba has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, according to the London-based Institute for Criminal Policy Research, with 510 out of every 100,000 citizens behind bars.

Cuban dissidents have said they are often targeted by authorities, most often detained for a few hours or days, for having a different opinion. The government has long considered dissidents a tiny and illegitimate minority.
Sol Garcia Basulto (photo via Facebook)

Cuban independent journalist Sol Garcia Basulto is pleading with the world to take up her cause, after the Castro secret police threatened to imprison her and punish her family because of her work.

Garcia, a correspondent for 14ymedio, said she has never committed a crime, and that the threats started when she demanded the Castro dictatorship respect the rights of Cuban citizens.

"Journalism has the power to oxygenate the social thinking in favor of those in Cuba," Garcia said in a video posted on Facebook.

Garcia was arrested Nov. 3 in Camaguey, after she tried to travel to Havana to obtain a visa so she could attend a journalism conference in Panama.

Police told Garcia she was being accused of "disobedience," a charge that could bring her a year in jail. They also threatened to take her child into custody and to charge her parents with "complicity." Before letting her go, police seized several of her belongings, including a cell phone.

Read more at Martinoticias.com.
Cubans use a Wi-Fi hot spot. (EFE photo via Martinoticias.com)

Internet freedom remains almost nonexistent in Cuba, despite "modest steps" to increase the public's access, according to a new Freedom House report on internet freedom around the world.

Out of 65 countries surveyed, Cuba's score based on several factors was tied with Uzebekistan with the fifth-lowest. (Scoring lower were, from bad to worse, Ethiopia, Iran, Syria and China.)

The scores cover developments between June 2015 and May 2016.

"Despite modest steps to increase internet access, Cuba remains one of the worlds most repressive environments for information and communication technologies," Freedom House said.

None of this should be a surprise to anyone familiar with the nature of the Castro dictatorship. But it belies the notion that the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with the United States and other developments have brought real change the country.

The fact remains that internet freedom, like other forms of freedom, remains endangered in Cuba.

Freedom House gave countries a score of between 0 and 100, with a higher score meaning less freedom.

Cuba's score of 79 was made up three parts: obstacles to access, 21 of 25; limits on content, 26 of 35; and violation of users' rights, 32 of 40.

Freedom House noted several key developments in Cuba during the study period:

Despite the Cuban government's launching of its first-ever paid Wi-Fi hotspots, the limited and expensive connections still constitute a major barrier.

The Cuban government has not responded to efforts by Google and other U.S. firms to offer services on the island, in the wake of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Washington.

The Castro dictatorship continues to censor, intimidate and arrest bloggers and independent journalists.

Despite the repression, Cubans have launched several independent web-based information sites.

Read the full report on Cuba here.
President Barack Obama and Guillermo Farinas, in Miami in 2013. (Photo: Martinoticias.com)

Cuban human rights activist Guillermo Farinas is urging President-elect Donald Trump to halt or suspend trade and investment deals between the United States and Cuba until the Castro dictatorship ends political repression and institutes democratic reforms.

For now, Farinas told FoxNews.com, the loosening of the U.S. embargo is only enriching the Castro regime and financing continuing repression.

The people of Cuba see very little of the money that comes in from foreign investment and trade, Farinas said.

It makes the regime richer, and stronger, and bolder, because they have felt that because of President Obamas decision to do business with it, it has credibility internationally," he said. "It uses this international credibility to thumb its nose at the Cuban people, especially its critics and dissidents. And its gotten more brutal and more intolerant of dissent.

Farinas did say he supports expanded travel links between the two countries and that he was not calling for reversing the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama told an audience in Peru he did not expect Trump to reverse his Latin American policies, including the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Read the whole FoxNews.com story here.
Cubans in Miami celebrate after the death of Fidel Castro, Nov. 26, 2016. (Photo: Marc R. Masferrer)

The death of Fidel Castro, as significant as it was, does not change a thing in Cuba.

Cuba and Cubans remain enslaved by a lying, thieving, murdering communist military dictatorship created by Castro and that for more than a decade has been run by his far less talented little brother Raul.

Most Cubans remain hungry, and those Cubans brave enough to exercise their God-given right to free expression remain targets for political repression. No free elections have been scheduled, and dozens, if not more, of political prisoners continue to languish in the Castro gulag.

But Cuba's dismal reality does not mean there wasn't reason on Saturday to celebrate, finally, the earthly demise of the bearded bastard.

As soon as I heard early that morning that Castro had died, I knew I would be on a 4-hour drive to Miami. It was a promise I had made to myself long ago, and to the memory of my grandparents and other family members who were not fortunate to survive the man who had taken so much from them.

Police closed Eighth Avenue Southwest -- Calle Ocho -- in Miami's Little Havana to give more room for the crowd that gathered after the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, Nov. 26, 2016. (Photo: Marc R. Masferrer)

As I walked down Calle Ocho toward the large crowd gathered outside the Versailles restaurant, I could feel them walking beside me.

Two of the first people I saw and greeted were two former prisoners of conscience, Darsi Ferret and Fidel Suarez Cruz, of the Group of 75 prisoners jailed during the "black spring" of 2003. The encounter lifted my heart, knowing first-hand they were now living in the freedom allowed in the United States and that maybe my 11 years of writing on this blog about them and other Cuban freedom fighters maybe had something to do with that.

I was so happy to see these heroes at the party.

Darsi Ferret and Marc R. Masferrer, in Miami, Nov. 26, 2016. (Photo: Marie Masferrer)

What a party it was.

Certainly, there were a few distasteful, if not macabre displays taking great joy in Castro's death. But who could blame them, considering the tens of thousands deaths Castro was responsible for during his 90 years. His record of death is important to remember as the apologists try to distract with accolades for Cuban education and health care, and suggestions that Castro deserves some sort of respect for surviving 10 U.S. presidents. (Between 1959 and today, there have been 15 free presidential elections in the U.S., compared to zero in Cuba.)

For a majority of the Cubans and Cuban Americans in the crowd, our aim was not to dance on a tyrant's grave, but to celebrate our freedom. Castro's death was just an excuse to do what comes naturally for Cubans.

A crowd celebrates in Miami, after the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. (Photo: Marc R. Masferrer)

With songs and chants and dances, we celebrated our freedom, a freedom fueled by the blood, sweat and tears of our parents, grandparents and other family members forced into exile because they refused to raise their children under yet another, more brutal dictator. They came here with little more than the clothes on their backs and built new lives for their families the way they wanted.

As a child, I have many happy memories of my grandparents and other older family members. But I also remember how hard they worked, sometimes at two or three jobs at a time, to provide for their families. After all, they started in America with nothing, thanks to Fidel Castro. But they were never bitter about it, at least in front of me.

Everyone seem to be carrying a Cuban flag. (Photo: Marc R. Masferrer)

After decades of building new lives in America, but never forgetting what had been taken from them, Castro's death unleashed from exiles and their successors a joy more momentous than anyone might have expected. Anyone who knows Cubans, knows we know how to party, but this was more than that.

In the air was also a sense of gratitude. Yes, most were thankful that finally, Castro was dead. Despite all we had lost decades ago, we had prevailed over the dictator. We won, and he lost.

The celebration may turn out to be the most-recorded event in the history of social media in Miami. (Photo: Marc R. Masferrer)

But as evidenced by the American flags flying alongside a field of Cuban banners, there was a thankfulness to America for taking us in. A gratitude for letting us build new lives in freedom, and allowing us a chance to make America even greater than it already was.

Freedom. That is what we were celebrating. This time, it also was accompanied by a sense of hope that Castro's death, despite the evidence on the ground, will finally make possible real change in Cuba.

Celebrating our freedom and other accomplishment is nothing new for Cubans. We do it every day, in our careers and elsewhere, to prove ourselves worthy of the sacrifices made my our parents and grandparents.

This time, on Calle Ocho and everywhere else where Cubans are pondering what Castro's death might mean, it is accompanied by a hope that maybe we're a little closer to Cubans in Cuba being able to celebrate their own freedom.

It was a happy, beautiful day in Miami. (Photo: Marc R. Masferrer)
The current situation in Cuba speaks to this. Cuba continues to be one of the worst countries in Latin America for media freedom and ranks 171st out of 180 countries in RSFs World Press Freedom Index. Fidel Castros brother Raul, who replaced him in 2007, is now also on RSFs press freedom predator list.

Cubas constitution permits only state-controlled media outlets. Independent news agencies and bloggers who try to dispute the states monopoly of news and information are subjected to intimidation, arbitrary arrest and draconian censorship.

As a result, independent news agencies have often had no choice but to go into exile and post their news reports online from abroad. This is far from ideal because Internet access within Cuba is still very problematic (only 5% of households have internet access).

Finally, with two journalists currently jailed, Cuba continues to be one of the few western hemisphere countries where reporters can still be found behind bars. Venezuela and Panama are the other two.

But the situation was much worse under Fidel Castro himself. The father of the Cuban revolution imposed a climate of censorship and used often violent methods to prevent the circulation of any news and information at variance with that provided by the state media.
Members of the Ladies in White Human Rights organization are arrested by Cuban police on December 10, 2015 in Havana. (ADALBERTO ROQUE/AFP/Getty Images)

Fidel Castro's death alone, as welcome as it was, will not free Cuba from political repression. If for no other reason that his kid brother Raul has more than proven he is capable of being a dictator his brother, and other tyrants in history, can admire.

The Castro secret police in November made at least 359 politically motivated arrests, adding to what already was a record year for repression in Cuba, according to the Cuban Commission on Human Rights.

It was the lowest monthly tally since April 2015, but the Castro dictatorship remains on pace to surpass 10,000 arrests in a year for the first time since the commission began keeping count in 2010. As of Nov. 30, there have been at least 9,484 political arrests in Cuba.

The previous highest count for a year was 8,899 in 2014.

Fidel Castro died proud of his brother.
Eduardo Cardet, left, and Danilo "El Sexto" Maldonado

Cuban democracy activist Rosa Maria Paya says she will present to United Nations human rights officials information about the arrests of activists Danilo Maldonado and Eduardo Cardet in the days after the death of the dictator Fidel Castro.

Both Cardet, the national coordinator of the Christian Liberation Movement, which was founded by Paya's father Osvaldo Paya, and Maldonado, a graffiti artist known as "El Sexto," were arrested after letting it be known they were less than overwhelmed by Castro's death.

El Sexto produced a video in which he mocked Castro, and Cardet criticized the regime for imposing a mandatory period of mourning for the dictator.

"It is impossible for our people to be able to freely and spontaneously express their true feelings about this event," Cardet told a Spanish radio station. "Castro was a man who was widely hated and rejected by our people"

El Sexto was arrested Nov. 26. His mother reports he has been beaten while in jail, and he has started a hunger strike. Amnesty International has declared El Sexto to be a "prisoner of conscience."

Similarly Cardet was arrested Nov. 30, after being "savagely beaten" in front of his young children, Paya told Martinoticias.com

There have been reports of other anti-government activists being arrested after Castro's death, and Paya said she is likely to present information on those cases to the UN, as well.
Fidel Batista Leyva y Anairis y Adairis Miranda Leyva

Amnesty International last week called for "urgent action" on behalf of three imprisoned siblings, who their mother says are in poor health after starting hunger strikes on March 7 to demand their freedom.

Twin sisters Anairis and Adairis Miranda Leyva, their brother, Fidel Manuel Batista Leyva and their mother Maydolis Leyva Portelles, all well known anti-Castro activists in the city of Holguin, were arrested Nov. 27 for leaving their home during a period of official mourning. In January, they were convicted for "public disorder" and "defaming institutions, organizations and heroes and martyrs of the Republic of Cuba," and each sentenced to one year in prison.

The mother was allowed to serve her time under house arrest, but her children were taken into custody on March 7 to begin their sentences. That same day, they started hunger strikes to demand their freedom.

Amnesty International, which has designated all four members as "prisoners of conscience" has more:

The siblings are currently being held in three separate hospitals in critical condition. Doctors informed their mother that Adairis is at risk of a heart attack and that Fidel is urinating blood; and that all have lost significant weight. On her last hospital visit, Maydolis Leyva Portelles says that she was asked to sign a document which would authorize doctors to force feed her three children, which she refused to do. She told Amnesty International, I dont want any of my children to die, but I want to respect their wishes. All three siblings and their mother are prisoners of conscience and must be released immediately and unconditionally.

Martinoticias has more about the family here and here.

Amnesty International has information here about how you appeal on the family's behalf to the Castro dictatorship.
A reader from Australia:

"Stop hanging out in Cuban bars in Miami and either go to a decent school or do some reading; either that or stop writing ridiculous articles for your likeminded friends to read."
Gerard Blaney with his family, decades before he had a heart attack. Photo: Blaney family

Gerard Blaney figured his excruciating headache was simply due to a combination of too much stress and too little food. It was budget season at Einstein Healthcare Network in Philadelphia, and as the network's chief financial officer, his entire lunch that day in April 2016 consisted of a single pretzel.

He arrived home that evening hungry, hurting and harried.

"He looked awful," said his wife, Mariann.

Hoping food would help him feel better, the couple and their then-23-year-old daughter, Chelsea, headed to a restaurant. But as soon as they were seated, Gerard put his head down on the table. His bad headache was worse, he was sweating and the burning that had been in his chest was now in his throat. Before they could even place their orders, he told his family that he needed to go home.

Although Gerard had driven to the restaurant, he handed the keys to Mariann and climbed into the back seat to lie down. Mariann figured he was suffering from an allergy-related headache and prepared to drive home.

"Mom, whatever you do, don't go home," Chelsea whispered.

Chelsea suggested going to a hospital. Mariann agreed. Gerard did, too, but on one condition: The only place he would go was Einstein, where he'd worked for 35 years. But it was 40 minutes away.

Mariann agreed, although she also formulated a Plan B.

"I was prepared to call 911 if I had to," she said.

Fortunately, the backup plan was not needed. When they arrived, a team of health professionals was waiting, and they whisked away her husband.

Cardiologist Dr. Lynn Morris evaluated Gerard and broke the news to him. He was having a heart attack.

"I'm not having a heart attack," Gerard said.

"Yes, you are," Morris said. "I know a little more than you."

Even though an older brother had recently had a heart attack, Gerard didn't consider himself at risk. He never smoked and rarely drank. He exercised regularly and had been taking cholesterol-lowering medicine for years. Plus, he wasn't experiencing typical heart attack symptoms such as arm or chest pain.

"It was probably hard-headedness on my side," he said. "When they're going to rush you right into the emergency room and you're only 59 years old and think you're in pretty good health, it's hard to accept that you're having a heart attack."

Morris found the "culprit artery" and was able to open the blockage. In doing so, he noticed more disease in another artery, prompting coronary bypass surgery days later.

About three weeks after the heart attack, Gerard was back at work, though in a limited capacity. Soon after, he was able to attend the graduation of his younger daughter, Cailin, from Penn State University.

Today, Gerard exercises more and tries to eat better, opting for turkey burgers instead of hamburgers. And while he is still swamped with work, he's picked up one additional responsibility: chair of the Philadelphia Heart Walk on Oct. 27.

Gerard said the information he's received preparing for the American Heart Association's flagship event has helped not only him, but his extended family as well. Now he hopes to help others remain heart-healthy, too.

"The big moral of the story is, if you have symptoms and aren't feeling right, you have to get to the doctor," he said.

Explore further This single dad kicked 30-year tobacco habit for his son

Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved.
Despite his teams successes, Lars Lannfelt does not want to speculate on when an approved treatment can be available for health care. Credit: Johan Wahlgren

In late July there were reports in the media from a conference in Chicago about Alzheimer's disease. The focus of journalists' attention was a new study of how the progression of the disease is affected by the BAN2401 antibody, a Swedish product developed by Lars Lannfelt, Senior Professor of Geriatrics at the Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences.

"We have tested the antibody in various doses on 856 patients on three continents with better results than we even dared to hope for. After only six months we observed positive results, and after 18 months 81 per cent of the group receiving the highest dosage showed lower levels of amyloid beta than the level we measure in Alzheimer's disease," says Lannfelt.

A change in genetic material identified

The idea for the antibody originated back in the 1990s, when the team identified a change in the genetic material of a Swedish family that had been severely afflicted by Alzheimer's disease. The mutation indicated that the cause seemed to be a soluble, early form of amyloid beta molecules, known as protofibrils, which give rise to plaque in the brain.

"With this new knowledge, we chose to focus on these protofibrils, which we believed were the form of amyloid beta that causes the most damage. In 2005 we developed our antibody, and today I am extremely pleased with what we have achieved, for the sake of the patients and my many colleagues over the years and for Swedish research," says Lannfelt.

Modifications of the antibody

In 2003 Lannfelt and former research colleague Par Gellerfors founded the BioArctic biotechnology company as a platform for pharmaceutical development. A significant part of the modifications of the antibody were carried out there, and when the results of the current study were made public, the shares soared in the stock market. Suddenly Lannfelt and Gellerfors saw their faces on Swedish business magazines accompanied by headlines such as "Swedish Alzheimer researchers became billionaires in two days".

"I do not see any problem with researchers benefiting from their innovations, but I find it annoying that the Swedish press has chosen to focus on the money rather than the medical innovation and its importance for patients. I have never been motivated by economic interests, and I will retain my shareholding to remain a guiding force in BioArctic's continued development and to help maintain the right course."

Today BioArctic is preparing for the Phase III study every pharmaceutical product must undergo before it reaches the market. At its side BioArctic has Eisai, Japan's pharmaceutical giant, which is assisting with funding and implementation. The goal is to go ahead as early as 2019, but despite BioArctic's successes, Lannfelt does not want to speculate on when an approved treatment can be available for health care.

"I have learned that it is far too easy to be optimistic about timing, but with the results we demonstrate in combination with minimal side effects, I believe we will be able to offer the first approved pharmaceutical for Alzheimer's disease. This would mean enormous socio-economic savings, and above all great hope for all the patients and relatives that we can help enjoy a better old age."

Explore further Entirely new drug for Alzheimers now being tested on patients
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Some patients refuse to answer. Many doctors don't ask. As the number of Americans with dementia rises, health professionals are grappling with when and how to pose the question: "Do you have guns at home?"

While gun violence data is scarce, a Kaiser Health News investigation with "PBS NewsHour" published in June uncovered more than 100 cases across the U.S. since 2012 in which people with dementia used guns to kill themselves or others. The shooters often acted during bouts of confusion, paranoia, delusion or aggressioncommon symptoms of dementia. Tragically they shot spouses, children and caregivers.

Yet health care providers across the country say they have not received enough guidance on whether, when and how to counsel families on gun safety.

Dr. Altaf Saadi, a neurologist at UCLA who has been practicing medicine for five years, said the KHN article revealed a "blind spot" in her clinical practice. After reading it, she looked up the American Academy of Neurology's advice on treating dementia patients. Its guidelines suggest doctors consider asking about "access to firearms or other weapons" during a safety screenbut they don't say what to do if a patient does have guns.

Amid a dearth of national gun safety data, there are no scientific standards for when a health care provider should discuss gun access for people with cognitive impairment or at what point in dementia's progression a person becomes unfit to handle a gun.

Most doctors don't ask about firearms, research has found. In a 2014 study, 58 percent of internists surveyed reported never asking whether patients have guns at home.

"One of the biggest mistakes that doctors make is not thinking about gun access," said Dr. Colleen Christmas, a geriatric primary care doctor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and member of the American Neurological Association. Firearms are the most common method of suicide among seniors, she noted. Christmas said she asks every incoming patient about access to firearms, in the same nonjudgmental tone that she asks about seat belts, and "I find the conversation goes quite smoothly."

Recently, momentum has been building among health professionals to take a greater role in preventing gun violence. In the wake of the Las Vegas shooting that left 58 concertgoers dead last October, over 1,300 health care providers publicly pledged to ask patients about gun ownership and gun safety when risk factors are present.

The pledges came in response to an article by Dr. Garen Wintemute, director of the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California-Davis. In response to feedback from that article, his center has now developed a toolkit called What You Can Do, offering health professionals guidance on how to reduce the risk of gun violence.

In a nation bitterly divided over gun ownership issues, in which many staunchly defend the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment, these efforts have met dissent. Dr. Arthur Przebinda, director of Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership, framed Wintemute's efforts as part of a broader anti-gun bias on the part of institutional medicine. Przebinda said asking physicians to sign such a pledge encourages them "to propagandize Americans against their constitutionally protected rights to gun ownership and privacy."

Przebinda said he gets several requests a day from patients looking for gun-friendly physicians. Some, he said, are tired of their doctors sending them anti-gun YouTube videos and other materials. His group, which he said has over 1,400 members, has set up a referral service connecting patients to gun-friendly doctors.

For doctors and other health professionals, navigating this politically fraught issue can be difficult. Here are the leading issues:

Q: Is it legal to talk to patients about guns?

A: Yes. No state or federal law bars health professionals from raising the issue.

Q: Why don't doctors do it?

A: The top three reasons are lack of time, being unsure what to tell patients and believing patients won't heed their advice about gun ownership or gun safety, one survey of family physicians found.

"There's no medical or health professional school in the country that does an adequate job at training about firearms," Wintemute argued. He said he is now working with the American Medical Association to design a continuing medical education course on the topic.

Other doctors don't believe they should ask. Przebinda argues that doctors should almost never ask their patients about guns, except in "very rare, very exceptional circumstancesfor example, if a patient is despondent or homicidal. He said placing patients' gun ownership information into an electronic medical record puts their privacy at risk.

Q: When should they broach the subject?

A: The Veterans Health Administration recommends asking about firearms as part of a safety screening when "investigating or establishing the suspected diagnosis of dementia." The Alzheimer's Association also recommends asking, "Are firearms present in the home?" as part of a safety screening. That screening is part of a care planning session that Medicare covers after initial dementia diagnosis and annually as the disease progresses.

The American College of Physicians recommends physicians "counsel patients on the risk of having firearms in the home, particularly when children, adolescents, people with dementia, people with mental illnesses, people with substance use disorders, or others who are at increased risk of harming themselves or others are present."

Wintemute said he does not suggest all doctors routinely ask every patient about firearms. His group recommends doing so when risk factors are present, including risk of violence to self or others, history of violent behavior or substance misuse, "serious, poorly controlled mental illness" or being part of "a demographic group at increased risk of firearm injury."

Q: What should health care providers recommend patients do with their guns?

A: The National Rifle Association and What You Can Do both offer tips on how to store guns safely, including using trigger locks and gun safes.

The Alzheimer's Association advises that locking up guns may not be enough, because people with dementia may "misperceive danger" and break into a gun cabinet to protect themselves. To fully protect a family, the organization recommends removing the guns from the home.

But health professionals may be reluctant to recommend that due to legal concerns, said Jon Vernick, co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research. Most states allow the temporary transfer of firearms to a family member without a background check. But seven states don't: Connecticut, Hawaii (for handguns), Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina and Rhode Island, according to Vernick. He recommends health professionals look up their state gun laws on sites such as the NRA Institute for Legislative Action or the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

In addition, 13 states have passed "red flag" laws allowing law enforcement, and sometimes family members, to petition a judge to temporarily seize firearms from a gun owner who exhibits dangerous behavior.

Q: What happens when clinicians ask about guns?

A: Natasha Bahr, an instructor and social worker who works with geriatric patients at a clinic focusing on memory disorders at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, said as part of a standard assessment, she asks every patient, "Do you have firearms in the home?"

"I get so much pushback," she said. About 60 percent of her patients refuse to answer, she said.

Patients tell her, "It's none of your business," "I have the freedom to not answer that question" or "It's my Second Amendment right," she said. "They make it sound like I'm judging, and I'm really not."

Dr. John Morris, director of the Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis, said he asks his patients about firearms in the context of other safety concerns. When safety is at risk, he typically advises families to lock up firearms and store ammunition separately.

"People with dementia typically lack insight into their problems. So they will protest," he said. Dementia is characterized by "the gradual deterioration not just of memory but of judgment and problem-solving and good decision-making," Morris noted.

In one case, Morris said, he had to persuade the daughter of a dementia patient to secure her father's hunting rifles. Uncomfortable with the role reversal, she was reluctant to do so.

"It's very difficult to tell your father he can no longer have his firearms," Morris said. The father responded: "I have never misused my firearms. ... It's not going to be a problem," Morris recalled. "But, he's remembering his past historyhe can't predict the future."

Eventually, the daughter decided to remove the rifles from the home. After a few weeks, her father forgot all about them, Morris said.

Morris said the story highlights how difficult it is for families to care for people with dementia. "They're forced to make decisions, often against the persons' will," he said, "but they have to do it for the person's safety and well-being."

Explore further Researchers say issues of dementia and gun ownership need more discussion

2018 Kaiser Health News

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Running low on oxygen is a major danger for any of your body's tissues, but the heart is particularly sensitive to such hypoxic conditions, which can lead to long-term tissue damage or even heart attacks.

In new studies conducted at UC San Francisco, a novel oxygen-delivery therapeutic restored the function of oxygen-starved heart tissue in an animal model of global hypoxia. Unlike its experimental predecessors, the new drug does not appear to cause systemic side effects or overcorrect with excessive blood oxygenation, which can itself be toxic. Instead, the new drug delivers its precious oxygen cargo only to the tissues that need it most.

"Any tissue with compromised blood flow, whether due to trauma, stroke, or heart disease, could potentially be targeted by a treatment like this," said Emin Maltepe, MD, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics at UCSF and co-senior author of the paper.

The new drug, called OMX-CV, was developed by Omniox, Inc.a biopharmaceutical company developing oxygen-delivery therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, trauma and other conditions in which low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, negatively impact disease outcomes.

Omniox, which was among the first startup biotech companies to launch in the QB3 "Garage" incubator space on UCSF's Mission Bay campus, in 2010, teamed up with Maltepe and other UCSF researchers to test the treatment, and published their findings October 18, 2018, in the journal PLOS Biology.

Hypoxia During Heart Diseasean Unmet Clinical Threat

Cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease can starve the heart of oxygen, triggering cardiac dysfunction or heart attacks in adults, but hypoxia in the heart is also a problem in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 10,000 children are born each year with a critical congenital heart defect. Many of these infants require heart surgery within their first year of life, during which blood may be temporarily removed from the heart, leaving the organ starved for oxygen.

Under normal conditions, the heart consumes more oxygen by weight than any other organ, and when oxygen levels are low, its demand soars even higher. The hypoxic heart pumps harder to deliver oxygen to the rest of the body, and paradoxically, requires more and more oxygen itself to maintain function. An oxygen-delivering drug like OMX-CV could ease the physical stress of hypoxia and improve recovery following heart attacks or after open heart surgery in adults and children.

Scientists have tried to design ways to fight hypoxia by delivering oxygen on the back of hemoglobin, the protein that lets red blood cells shuttle oxygen throughout the body and also produces their scarlet color. But these treatments also carry a lot of baggage.

Hemoglobin-based drugs have proven too good at their jobs: they tend to flood the blood with excess oxygen that can itself cause serious tissue damage. Moreover, when outside the bounds of a red blood cell, hemoglobin can grab hold of nitric oxide, a natural muscle relaxant found in blood vessels. Vessels robbed of nitric oxide constrict, causing blood pressure to jump, raising the risk of heart attack and decreasing blood flow to important organs like the kidneys.

OMX-CV sidesteps these problems by employing an engineered bacterial protein known as H-NOX as its base, rather than hemoglobin. H-NOX proteins contain a "co-factor" called a heme groupthe same co-factor that gives hemoglobin its namewhich allows the protein to bind not only oxygen but also nitric oxide. By modifying the chemical structure of H-NOX proteins, Omniox scientists reengineered them to hold tight to oxygen, but leave nitric oxide alone.

The researchers also showed that the modified proteins bind oxygen so tightly that they only relinquish their grip when they come across a severely hypoxic tissue.

"Unlike hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers, OMX-CV is fine-tuned to only release oxygen under pathologic conditions," said Ana Krtolica, Ph.D., vice president of research at Omniox and co-senior author of the paper. "Relatively small doses of the drug transform the capacity of the heart to keep up in the face of severe hypoxia."

Targeted Delivery to Oxygen-Starved Tissues

The authors envision OMX-CV primarily being used to treat many conditions impacted by hypoxia in adults, but the new study was also designed with an eye toward pediatric applications. The research was conducted through the Initiative for Pediatric Drug and Device Development, or iPD3, a collaboration between UCSF and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The effort aims to design and test therapeutics specifically for pediatric care, rather than "handing down" therapies designed for adults.

"Kids change so much as they growtheir drug metabolism changes dramatically year to year," said Maltepe. "After drugs are established in adults, pediatricians essentially have to experiment with kids to understand the treatments' toxicity profiles and proper dosing for different age groups." By initially designing and testing drugs with kids in mind, and taking measures such as using juvenile animal models of disease, the researchers hope to circumvent this unwieldy guesswork.

In their experiments, the scientists tested the effects of OMX-CV in acute hypoxia, and to ensure that their results would also apply to children, the researchers examined the drug's ability to supply oxygen to juvenile animal hearts, which share important anatomical and physiological characteristics with the hearts of human infants.

The researchers found that OMX-CV delivered oxygen to stressed hearts but not to tissues with an adequate oxygen supply. The OMX-CV infusion improved the hearts' ability to contract almost twofold better than their own baseline under hypoxic conditions, without the toxic effects of hemoglobin-based treatments. In contrast, the cardiac function of untreated animals deteriorated significantly over the hour-long study.

These impressive results were obtained with a relatively low dose of OMX-CV: each animal was treated with a dose equivalent to only 2 percent of the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood's naturally circulating hemoglobin.

Ongoing studies at UCSF funded by the National Institutes of Health, using similar juvenile animal models, are designed to test whether OMX-CV can be developed to protect infant hearts undergoing cardiac bypass surgery.

A Myriad of Applications

More preclinical research is needed before OMX-CV reaches human clinical trials. Looking forward, the researchers expect separate clinical trials for the drug's various applications.

"Given the general need for oxygen across tissue and organs, hypoxia is associated with a number of pathological conditions," said Krtolica. Omniox is developing preclinical programs focused on oxygen delivery in ischemic stroke, which compromises blood flow to the brain, as well as in cancer.

"This treatment targets a fundamental problem in medicine - in the ICU, for instance, you're always battling against tissues becoming hypoxic," said Maltepe, adding that the technology could someday form the basis of a more general blood replacement product, long considered a 'holy grail' of medicine.

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More information: Jason Boehme et al. Preservation of myocardial contractility during acute hypoxia with OMX-CV, a novel oxygen delivery biotherapeutic, PLOS Biology (2018). Journal information: PLoS Biology Jason Boehme et al. Preservation of myocardial contractility during acute hypoxia with OMX-CV, a novel oxygen delivery biotherapeutic,(2018). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2005924
(HealthDay)There's growing evidence that the herpes virus responsible for cold sores also may cause Alzheimer's disease, a new research paper contends.

It's been long known that herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) can been found in the brains of elderly people with Alzheimer's disease, and research has shown that herpes increases Alzheimer's risk in people genetically predisposed to dementia, said researcher Ruth Itzhaki.

Newer data suggest that treating people with antiviral drugs might actually protect them from dementia, said Itzhaki, a professor of neuroscience at the University of Manchester in England.

"We found that the antiherpes antiviral drug acyclovir blocks HSV1 DNA replication, and reduces levels of beta amyloid and of P-tau caused by HSV1 infection of cell cultures," Itzhaki said. Beta amyloid plaques and tangles of tau proteins are two of the hallmarks found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.

But the effect that herpes may have on the brain is not yet fully understood, and it's unlikely that the virus alone can explain all cases of Alzheimer's, said James Hendrix, director of global science initiatives for the Alzheimer's Association.

Hendrix noted that half of all adults carry the herpes simplex 1 virus.

"We know that 50 percent of the population isn't getting Alzheimer's disease, so it's not a 1-to-1 correlation," Hendrix said. "If we took the recommendation of the author of this paper and gave everybody over the age of 55 antiviral drugs, I don't think we would wipe out Alzheimer's disease. We might lower it somewhat, but I don't think we would eliminate Alzheimer's disease."

Herpes simplex virus 1 infects most humans in infancy, and remains dormant within the peripheral nervous system from then on, Itzhaki said. Stress can cause the virus to reactivate and, in some people, cause cold sores.

Itzhaki and her colleagues believe that herpes contributes to Alzheimer's disease by migrating into the brains of elderly people as their immune system naturally declines.

Once it has infected the brain, Itzhaki argues, HSV1 causes damage and inflammation in brain cells whenever it's reactivated by events such as stress, immune suppression or infection by other microbes.

This damage is particularly bad in people with the APOE4 gene, which has been directly linked to Alzheimer's disease, she said.

"The likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease is 12 times greater for APOE4 carriers who have HSV1 [the herpes virus] in the brain than for those with neither factor," Itzhaki said.

"We suggest that repeated activation causes cumulative damage, leading eventually to Alzheimer's disease in people with an APOE4 allele," Itzhaki continued. "Presumably, in APOE4 carriers, Alzheimer's disease develops in the brain because of greater HSV1-induced formation of toxic products, or lesser repair of damage."

Dr. Sam Gandy is associate director of the Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center in New York City. He said there's evidence that viruses can have an effect on other diseases of the brain and nervous system, in particular Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

"Probably the best evidence that viruses can contribute to major brain illnesses comes from ALS, where they found not a herpes virus but a retrovirus," Gandy said. "The peptides of the virus appeared in the spinal fluid of patients with ALS, and when they treated those patients with antiretrovirals, they seemed to clinically stabilize."

Itzhaki said a newer study out of Taiwan seems to indicate that ridding the body of herpes through antiviral drugs could reduce Alzheimer's risk.

The Taiwan results showed that the risk of dementia was much greater in people infected with herpes, and that treatment with antivirals caused a dramatic decrease in the number of people severely infected by HSV1 who went on to later develop dementia, Itzhaki said.

However, Hendrix said, the Taiwanese results can be explained in other ways. For example, it might not be the antiviral drugs that reduced the rates of dementia, but the fact that those specific patients were receiving better medical treatment overall.

"We know that better quality health care leads to lower rates of dementia," Hendrix said.

Gandy said that, while the link between herpes and Alzheimer's is promising, clinical trials would be needed to show that antiviral treatment can effectively head off dementia in people.

"There's lots of circumstantial evidence. The definitive proof requires finding living people who have the virus and symptoms of dementia, giving them the antiviral, and showing that their symptoms stabilize or improve," Gandy said.

New research tools will be needed, including a brain scan that can specifically detect herpes in the brain, he added.

"We have to be able to find the virus as a warning flag, to tell us to initiate the treatment, and then see whether that has an impact on the progression," Gandy said.

The new paper was published online Oct. 19 in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.

More information: Ruth Itzhaki, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience, University of Manchester, United Kingdom; James Hendrix, Ph.D., director of global science initiatives, Alzheimer's Association; Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., associate director, Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, New York City; Oct. 19, 2018, Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, online Ruth Itzhaki, Ph.D., professor of neuroscience, University of Manchester, United Kingdom; James Hendrix, Ph.D., director of global science initiatives, Alzheimer's Association; Sam Gandy, M.D., Ph.D., associate director, Mount Sinai Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, New York City; Oct. 19, 2018,, online The World Health Organization has more about herpes simplex virus 1.

Copyright  2018 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Teens and young adults who use Juul brand e-cigarettes are failing to recognize the product's addictive potential, despite using it more often than their peers who smoke conventional cigarettes, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

The findings, from an ongoing Stanford project addressing the use and perceptions of tobacco products by California youth, will be published Oct. 19 in JAMA Network Open.

"I was surprised and concerned that so many youths were using Juul more frequently than other products," said the study's senior author, Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics. "We need to help them understand the risks of addiction. This is not a combustible cigarette, but it still contains an enormous amount of nicotineat least as much as a pack of cigarettes."

The data show a worrisome disconnect between teens' perceptions of their Juul use and actual addiction, the researchers said. "We ask, 'Do you feel addicted?' And they say no, but a series of questions on a validated scale for assessing loss of autonomy over nicotine show that they're dependent," said the study's lead author, Karma McKelvey, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar.

More nicotine

Juul e-cigarettes first went on sale in 2015 and now account for two-thirds of the U.S. e-cigarette market. They deliver more nicotine than competing brands of e-cigarettes, and produce a throat hit that is more comparable to conventional cigarettes than their predecessors. Juul's design, using flavored nicotine-containing liquids inhaled from colorful pods that resemble USB flash drives, also appeal to the youth market. The Food and Drug Administration recently launched a campaign to warn youths of the dangers of e-cigarettes and attempt to stop Juul sales to young people. However, little scientific research has been done on the impact of Juul use on teenagers and young adults.

The Stanford researchers decided to ask about Juul as part of a tobacco-use study they have been conducting in 10 California high schools. In the first phase of the study, completed in 2014 and 2015, more than 700 students in ninth or 12th grade answered questions about their use and perceptions of tobacco products. The new findings come from follow-up questionnaires completed by 445 participants from this study. They were in 12th grade or a few years out of high school when the new data were collected.

Participants answered questions about whether they had ever heard of Juul; if and how often they used conventional cigarettes, Juul or other types of e-cigarettes; their use of flavored e-cigarette products; their perceptions of the social acceptability of the various products; and their perceptions of the products' risks and benefits. Participants who used any form of e-cigarette also completed a standardized questionnaire to assess their degree of nicotine dependence.

About half of the participants had heard of Juul, and 15.6 percent had used the brand. Other e-cigarettes were used by 30.4 percent of participants, while conventional cigarettes were smoked by 24.3 percent of participants. About two-thirds of the participants who used these products used more than one type of product: some combination of Juul, other e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes.

The participants reported using Juul about twice as often as smoking conventional cigarettes when asked about use of tobacco products over the past seven or past 30 days.

Believed to be less harmful

Participants thought Juul e-cigarettes were less harmful or addictive than other products mentioned in the survey. However, among the participants who had tried Juul, 58.8 percent reported that they had used Juul within the last 30 days. Among participants who had tried other e-cigarettes or conventional cigarettes, 30.1 percent and 28.3 percent, respectively, reported use within the last 30 days. This was the most striking difference between Juul users and users of other e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes, and it raises concerns about higher rates of addiction among Juul users, Halpern-Felsher said.

Answers to the validated questionnaire about loss of autonomy over nicotine use suggested similar levels of nicotine dependence between Juul users and those using other e-cigarettes, she noted, although the sensitivity of the questionnaire may have been limited by the relatively small number of participants.

The study's results emphasize the need for clear public-health messages about the risks of new types of e-cigarettes, including Juul, the researchers said. "The absence of clear messaging is interpreted as safety among adolescents," McKelvey said. Nicotine-containing products are particularly risky for teens, she added. "The earlier you're exposed to nicotine, the higher the likelihood that you'll be addicted throughout your life."

Teachers and parents also need better information, Halpern-Felsher said. "We need to get in front of identifying and explaining new and different nicotine-containing products so that we can regulate them and protect youth from using them," she said. "It took quite a while for teachers to start realizing that this product [Juul] existed and that what they were seeing in classrooms were not USBs."

Explore further FDA seizes documents from E-cigarette maker JUUL

More information: Halpern-Felsher and her team have developed a free tobacco prevention toolkit. It is available online for educators, parents and others working with young people at Journal information: JAMA Network Open Halpern-Felsher and her team have developed a free tobacco prevention toolkit. It is available online for educators, parents and others working with young people at http://med.stanford.edu/tobaccopreventiontoolkit.html
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E-cigarette brand JUUL's Twitter handle is attracting adolescents to the point that at least a quarter of its followers appear to be under age 18, according to a new analysis by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Many of these minorsto whom it is illegal to sell nicotine-delivery productsare retweeting JUUL's messages, amplifying its advertisements to a vulnerable population. The study results are published today in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

"JUUL representatives have said the company is not trying to target adolescents with their advertising or sales, but our research clearly indicates that a sizeable proportion of their Twitter audience is exactly this population," said lead author Kar-Hai Chu, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine in Pitt's Center for Research on Media, Technology and Health. "This is highly concerning because adolescents exposed to e-cigarette marketing are more likely to use e-cigarettes and, in turn, young adults who use e-cigarettes are four times as likely as their non-vaping peers to transition to smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes."

JUUL (pronounced "jewel") is an e-cigarette that resembles a flash drive and can be plugged into a computer to recharge. A "pod" of e-liquid containing nicotine is loaded into the JUUL and heated, with the user inhaling the vapor. JUUL vapor contains about double the concentration of nicotine found in other e-cigarettes and comes in several youth-friendly flavors, including mango and fruit medley.

In this illustrative gif, a young-looking person follows @JUULvapor while charging a JUUL. A University of Pittsburgh study found that 1 in 4 @JUULvapor followers is an adolescent, despite statements by JUUL officials saying they do not market to underage people. Credit: Nate Langer/UPMC

There is evidence that adolescents, whose brains are still developing, are more susceptible to nicotine addiction than adults. Nine out of every 10 cigarette smokers started before age 18, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chu and his colleagues launched the analysis after noticing that JUUL was particularly appealing to teens, and those teens were using social media to discuss how to obtain it and hide using it while in school. Using terms like "juuling" and customizing the appearance of the devices have also become part of youth culture. Twitter has a gateway feature that can perform age screening and discourage underage followersmany alcohol brands employ itbut JUUL isn't using it.

The research team collected 3,239 tweets from JUUL's official Twitter account, @JUULvapor, for a year between February 2017 and January 2018. These tweets were retweeted 1,124 times by 721 unique Twitter users. Trained human coders examined each of the user's Twitter profiles to determine if the individual was under age 18. If the user shared an age, that made the job easy. If not, the coders looked for cluessuch as if the user mentioned a grade level or an age-specific event, like, "I'm excited about my upcoming sweet 16." If there was any doubt, the user was labeled an adult.

In this illustrative video, we see advertising tweets from @JUULvapor or retweeted by the account, alongside scientific findings about adolescent and young adult e-cigarette use. A University of Pittsburgh study found that 1 in 4 @JUULvapor followers is an adolescent, despite statements by JUUL officials saying they do not market to underage people. Credit: Nate Langer/UPMC

When a person retweets, the original tweet is shared with all of that person's followers, even if none of them follows the handle that issued the original tweet. In the JUUL tweets that the researchers examined, some were retweeted in a chain that extended through four Twitter users.

"When this happens, the people seeing the retweet are getting it from a person, not a brand. It adds a level of normalization and buffers the viewers from the impersonal element of advertising, particularly if the person who retweeted it is a trusted friend or someone they aspire to be like," said Chu.

Public health agencies could execute similar social media analyses to find adolescent networks that are popularizing e-cigarette use and target counter-messaging to them, even going so far as to identify schools associated with the social media accounts of students who glamorize vaping and institute programs to prevent e-cigarette use, Chu said. Further research should be performed to determine if such preventive efforts are effective, he added.

Explore further FDA seizes documents from E-cigarette maker JUUL
Credit: Min Yu (Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC),USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

More than 18 rounds of chemotherapy and three abdominal surgeries have failed to slow the tumor that doctors discovered after Tamara Strauss felt a suspicious lump in 2015.

Strauss was the first of 10 clinical trial patients to receive a personalized vaccine with the potential to do in just a few months what conventional treatments have failed to accomplish in three grueling years.

Unlike the scorched earth approach of chemo, cancer vaccines are exquisitely refined, containing immune system-activating molecules custom-made for each patient based on the specific genetic mutations present in their cancer cells.

Accepting patients with solid tumors of all types, the trial represents a significant new hope for the 59-year-old jewelry artist whose advanced cancer is rare and difficult to treat. But doctors hope to see progress, either halting the tumor's growth or reducing its size, in three to six months.

The effort is a collaboration of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology and employs a basic approach just starting to show promise in small trials at other top-flight cancer centers worldwide.

But the local effort has its own special tweak that the San Diego researchers involved think will deliver greater precision in targeting the unique features of each patient's cancer cells.

The approach builds on basic research from the labs of immunologists Stephen Schoenberger and Bjoern Peters at the allergy institute and was brought to the bedside under collaboration with Dr. Ezra Cohen, director of translational science at Moores.

"The current method that everybody's using, it's highly-educated guessing but guessing all the same," Schoenberger said. "Our process does take longer on the front end, but that's because we're taking the time to verify, rather than guess. We think it's going to make a big difference in our ability to be exactly on target."

Before slowly pressing the plunger forward, sending the first custom-crafted dose into Strauss's upper arm on Oct. 4, Cohen made it clear that the four years of collaboration necessary to arrive at that gives him confidence that the trial has a significant chance of success.

"I think this is a moment where history is happening, and we know it's happening," Cohen said.

The trial is made possible through a $1 million donation from well-known philanthropists and art collectors Matthew and Iris Strauss, who are Tamara Strauss's parents.

It is among a growing number of trials nationwide that capitalize on recent advances in genetic sequencing, bioinformatic analysis and manufacturing to craft vaccines loaded with molecules made to activate each patient's immune system against their tumor's specific genetic fingerprint.

Outside experts seem to agree that the approach moving forward at Moores in La Jolla is novel.

Microbiologist Fred Ramsdell, vice president of research at the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunology, a collaboration of high-flying cancer programs such as Harvard's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Stanford University, UCLA and MD Anderson Cancer Center, said the screening idea that the team in San Diego is putting into practice takes the cancer vaccine target selection process to a deeper level.

"One of the big things that Ezra and Stephen are doing is taking an approach where they actually look for T-cell responses in the lab before making a vaccine," Ramsdell said. "Most everybody else makes their vaccines based on computational prediction alone."

Hard target

To date, other research efforts have taken samples of patients' tumors and healthy tissue, sequenced their genetic code, then compared the results, allowing scientists to spot mutations present in the cancer but not in healthy tissue. Those differences are used to predict changes in cancer antigens, the long chains of amino acids used by the immune system to tell the body's own cells from those of foreign invaders.

But it's not enough to simply predict which new antigens, or "neoantigens" as scientists call them, will likely be present.

T-Cells don't just encounter neoantigens and immediately get to work hunting down the cancer cells they match. Helper cells that are also part of the immune system, Schoenberger explained, must "present" the neoantigens to unprogrammed T-Cells in a very specific way using a class of molecules called major histocompatability complex or MHC.

This complicated dance involves MHC binding with neoantigens for presentation, and immunologists have learned through decades of research that MHC can vary from person to person.

So, in order to design an effective cancer vaccine, researchers must predict not only which neoantigens are most likely to be present in each candidate's cancer, but also which of those possible targets are likely to properly bind for presentation.

The new Moores trial attempts to do better by removing much of the guesswork from the target selection process.

In recent years, it has become clear that the immune system's normal surveillance process usually identifies at least a few neoantigens present in a patient's cancer even if the detection does not result in the surge of specifically-programmed T-cells necessary to win the fight.

Working together, Moores and the allergy institute have created a process where all predicted neoantigens can be manufactured and exposed to patient blood samples. Within two weeks, the process is able to flag antigens that are recognized by at least some of the T-cells present in the blood.

In Tamara Strauss's case, this blood culturing process allowed doctors to determine that three of the 27 neoantigens that computer models predicted have already been recognized by her immune system. Two of the three were used to make her vaccine. The third could not be included due to production difficulties.

The result, Schoenberger said, appears to be a 10-fold greater accuracy increase.

"From what we can tell, the algorithmic model is getting a hit rate of about 3 percent, but our functional approach is delivering about 35 percent, and we think that will make a big difference in effectiveness," Schoenberger said.

To help cope with a lower potential hit rate, other neoantigen trials tend to select up to 20 different targets for each vaccine. But that means that the immune system is likely to amplify many ineffective signals. The thought, Cohen explained, is that being able to confidently choose fewer targets for the immune system to pursue can significantly increase the effectiveness of the anti-tumor response.

"Our evidence in preclinical models would strongly suggest that picking the right neoantigens is critical. In fact, if we load irrelevant antigens or ones that are not strongly reactive, we diminish the effect of the vaccine. More is not necessarily better. Getting it right is better," Cohen said in an email.

Long fight

Prone to hugging everyone she has come to know during her long span of treatment at Moores, Strauss has embraced both traditional and holistic methods to defeat her rare cancer, trying healing gems, focused meditation and many other alternative methods during her journey.

That duality was present on Oct. 4 as Lanie Chapman, Strauss's friend and a Reiki healing touch master, bestowed an energy blessing on the syringe containing her vaccine before it was administered. Strauss said she has had no trouble pursuing traditional and holistic methods simultaneously.

"They're meant to work together," Strauss said. "The chemotherapy, this vaccine, they're what can save my life, but the holistic, I think that's what has helped offset a lot of the damage that the cancer and the medicine have done to my body."

The Strauss family has suffered more than its fair share of cancer pain.

Iris and Matthew Strauss lost their daughter, Stefanie, to ovarian cancer in 2010. That experience prompted the Rancho Santa Fe couple, which has had significant success in real estate, to fund a center that is building a new genetic test for early ovarian cancer detection.

Shortly after Tamara's diagnosis in 2015, a dinner with the late Ralph Whitworth, the well-known activist investor who died of cancer complications in 2016, turned the couple on to the neoantigen work underway at the allergy institute.

When it became clear that the only way to extend these ideas to his daughter was to fund a clinical trial, Matthew Strauss wrote a check, but not before diving into the evidence. He worked to expand his microbiological fluency, filling his cellphone with page after page of terms, a custom mobile glossary he could refer to time and time again as he traveled to scientific conferences and familiarized himself with the intricacies of cancer immunotherapy.

"We made this decision based on knowledge, not just emotion. When they came up with a full written treatment protocol, it seemed clear that this is a rare chance not just to help Tammy, but for the greater good," Matthew Strauss said during an interview at Moores in late 2017.

While they do agree that the Moores approach is novel, experts also note that nothing here on the edge of cancer knowledge is for sure.

No guarantees

Ramsdell, the Parker Institute microbiologist, explained that there is no guarantee that more accurate T-cell targeting will produce the kind of vigorous anti-tumor attack that oncologists and patients desire. The immune system is vastly complex and not yet fully understood.

"If the patient's immune system does respond to the neoantigens they select, you don't know how efficient or effective those T-cells that get activated are going to be," he said. "It is possible that the patient makes a response, but that response doesn't have the right effect."

And killing stubborn tumors is about more than proper targeting, adds Dr. Siwen Hu-Lieskovan, a clinical oncologist at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The clinician and researcher is UCLA's lead investigator for an ongoing neoantigen trial by Boston-based Neon Therapeutics.

Cancer cells, she noted, create significant changes in their immediate surroundings, what scientists call their microenvironment. Those changes serve to inhibit the effectiveness of the immune system's attack forces, including the types of T-cells that the trial seeks to multiply and mobilize.

"How to effectively address the tumor microenvironment is one of the biggest challenges we have in immunotherapy research at the moment," Hu-Lieskovan said.

She also questioned the 12-week lead time specified for vaccine screening and manufacture in the Moores study design. Current trials that just use computer prediction, rather than functional blood-based screening, are significantly shorter and, often, patients with late-stage cancer don't have long to wait.

"It's hard for me to imagine that many patients can wait that long," Hu-Lieskovan said.

Standing in the hallway outside Strauss's infusion room, Schoenberger said that 12-week timeframe is actually weeks longer than it has actually taken to produce a custom vaccine as was selected as the maximum-possible wait.

Plans are underway, he added, to significantly shorten the six- to eight-week vaccine manufacturing process, which currently occurs at a facility in Europe.

And, the entire blood culture process, the researcher added, may not be necessary for long. As research in the allergy institute's wet lab builds a list of which neoantigens bind with which MHC molecules, that information can be used to better train neoantigen prediction algorithms.

As to handling the tumor microenvironment, he said each patient will receive immunotherapy pembrolizumab, a drug commonly marketed as Keytruda, to push back against these effects. Among a new class of "checkpoint inhibitors," Keytruda blocks a cellular off switch on T-cells that many types of cancer can activate to evade eradication.

"Using Keytruda with the vaccine tackles one of the major inhibitory effects of the cancer microenvironment, and we've used exactly this strategy in preclinical models. In mice where the microenvironment is certainly present, we've cured considerable tumors," Schoenberger said.

Patients in the new trial at Moores will receive three vaccine doses, one every three weeks. Cohen said researchers will take a first look at the state of Strauss's pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer about 9 weeks after the first dose. Unlike pancreatic adenocarcinoma, which often has a prognosis of only a few months, the subtype that Strauss is fighting is significantly less aggressive.

Initially, Cohen noted, researchers will look for evidence that trial participants' immune systems have received and responded to the neoantigenic message that the vaccine has delivered. Shrinking or even eliminating tumors could take many additional months.

Sitting on a bed at Moores in a red velvet dress with her mother holding her hand, Strauss had her own thoughts about messages received. She noted that the date she got her shot was Oct. 4 which is abbreviated 10-4. Those numbers, she mused, do have a very specific meaning in communications.

"It means, 'yes, got your message.' That's kind of profound. Maybe the universe has gotten the message?" Strauss said.

Explore further Is the next big step in cancer therapy personalized vaccines?

2018 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

When Justin Sciancalepore talks to his patients now about how treatments for stroke feel, he doesn't pretend they will be less painful or less exhausting than they really are.

More than most doctors, Sciancalepore knows the truth. At just 35, he had a stroke at work a year ago and wound up a patient in the intensive care unit where he often treats people who've had strokes. If things had gone only a little differently, he could have died or become severely disabled. Instead, even though he did not follow the advice doctors typically give people with stroke symptoms, he survived a clot in his frontal lobe with no serious deficits.

The experience has, he said, made him a more empathetic and honest doctor. It has made him a proponent of disability insurance, living wills and conversations with loved ones about worst-case scenarios even when you're young. It has made him a man who offers one essential piece of advice: "Don't ignore your wife."

It was his wife Melissa who noticed something was wrong on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017five days after his 35th birthday. The couplethey've been together since high school and married seven yearswere at their new home. Their children were 3 months and 3 years old at the time. They were discussing what color to paint the kitchen.

Melissa, a third grade teacher, told her husband he'd been slurring words and seemed out of it. She thought the left side of his face had drooped, a classic stroke symptom. She wanted to call 911. "Don't call," he told her. The fact that his response wasn't his usual "dissertation" was another clue, she thought.

Sciancalepore, who is now in the second of three years in a pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship at Jefferson Washington Township Hospital, looked in the mirror and saw nothing amiss. His wife called 911 anyway. The paramedics didn't see any symptoms, either, although his blood pressure was high. They and Melissa urged him to go to the hospital. Sciancalepore (pronounced SHANK uh luh PORE ee) decided not to go to the emergency department. He figured he'd just be stuck overnight in observation. There would be lots of tests, and it wouldn't look good for the new fellow to be hospitalized.

Melissa protested, but let him win. "How can I argue with a doctor?" she said.

It seemed like her husband had been right when nothing unusual happened that night or the next day. On Friday, Oct. 27, though, he went to an ultrasound conference at Jefferson Stratford Hospital. One of the attending physicians there thought he was slurring words and answering questions unusually slowly. The group took a look at him, but, again, he seemed OK.

Sciancalepore was worried this time, but he drove to Washington Township and began his work day. He did a procedure without any problems, but when he tried later to type on the computer, his left hand wasn't working well. Before he could figure out what to do, there was a "rapid response" alert on the overheada call for the critical care team to rush to a patient's room. When he got there, Joan Wiley, an attending physician and mentor, saw that Sciancalepore was having trouble getting his arms into the protective gown.

"I immediately knew something was wrong," she said, but the patient came first. After the patient was stabilized, Wiley insisted that Sciancalepore go to the emergency room with another fellow. He resisted, saying he had work to do, but he went.

That's when the stroke symptoms really kicked in. He started having trouble controlling his left leg and had to prop himself up on the wall to stay upright. He knew this was bad and became "profoundly scared."

Once in the ER, Sciancalepore took some comfort in his continuing ability to think abstractly. He asked a nurse for water to test whether he could swallow properly. He could, another good sign. As the round of tests started, he could think of only one reason why a man his age with no risk factors would have a stroke.

He asked a co-worker to test his blood for diseases that cause abnormal clotting. Imaging scans soon showed a clot in his right, middle cerebral artery. Doctors concluded that it had been too long since the symptoms started to try to remove the clot. That might cause more harm than good. The trick would be to keep his blood pressure high enough for blood to continue flowing to tissue near the clot so it wouldn't die. Five days into his 11-day stay in the ICU, tests for clotting diseases came back.

Sciancalepore had antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that damages tissues or cells. It most often occurs in young women, Sciancalepore said, and is often discovered after they have multiple miscarriages. Clots are another result and Sciancalepore would have to take the blood thinner Coumadin the rest of his life.

He went from the hospital to Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in Marlton, where he spent a week as an inpatient and then did intensive outpatient therapy. The staff at Kessler was so impressed with his attitude that they're including him in their 2019 calendar, which features inspiring patients.

"What do you want to do when you leave here?" a staffer asked him. "I want to be able to hold my son and not feel like I'm going to drop him," Sciancalepore replied. Part of his treatment was to carry a 16-pound weight with a diaper on it.

He also was eager to return to work, which he did on March 1two months before the kitchen was finally painted blue. He's had cognitive testing that found no significant problems. He still finds it a little challenging to type with his left hand when he's tired. (He's right handed.) His doctors think his work, which is both mentally challenging and physically active, is the best therapy. "He's very, very lucky," Wiley said. She said the stroke has made an empathetic man even more empathetic.

Now that he's experienced what it's like to have a central venous line placed, his description of how the lidocaine used to numb pain feels has changed. "It is not a pinch and a burn," he said. "It feels like somebody is stinging you with a razor blade over and over again."

He's more likely now to tell people explicitly how well or badly they are likely to do after a stroke. He thinks they should hear the truth, and many have thanked them for it. He doesn't always tell them he's had a stroke himself, partly out of fear they'll think less of him as a doctor and partly because he doesn't want them to assume they can do as well as he has.

Sciancalepore said he struggled with giving up control and accepting the role of patient. He remembers how much concentration it took for him to do even simple things with his left hand after the stroke. He's tried to help medical students understand how frustrating their commands can be for patients. He tells patients it's OK if they can only manage a twitch. He doesn't sugar coat how hard rehab will be.

He talks with his fellow doctors about how important it is to let patients have as much control as possible. When he first went to Kessler, a therapist brought him a towel, helped him to the shower and left him to take a shower by himself. "To me, that was the most liberating feeling," he said. "All I could think was, 'Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall. If you fall they're going to take this away from you.' "

Taking a cue from his earlier interaction there, he now pays more attention to his patients' goals. "What do you want to do when you leave here?" he asks them.

2018 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
In Miami, about as far removed as you can get from the unofficial no-politicking zone in the hurricane-ravaged Panhandle without leaving Florida, the campaigns of Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum are back in the trenches.

Lies. Socialism. Hypocrisy. Anti-Semitism: Its all on the table in the southern reaches of the state as the campaign for governor enters its final weeks.

Following a stump hiatus called as the state weathered Hurricane Michael, DeSantis has begun to reapply pressure to Gillum during campaign stops in South Florida. Late last week, Broward sheriffs deputies endorsed the former Republican congressman in Plantation while blasting Gillum for accepting support from a social justice group that believes police have no place in society. On Sunday, DeSantis returned to his criticisms of Gillum as anti-Israel at a Broward County synagogue. And on Monday, it was back to talk of socialism with Hispanic voters.

Appearing in West Miami with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, DeSantis and running mate Jeanette Nunez once again described Gillum as far-left and corrupt.

A crowd of about 250 supporters mostly spoke Spanish and greeted DeSantis with signs that read Cubanos and Colombianos por DeSantis Nunez. Using County Commissioner Rebeca Sosa as a translator, DeSantis rolled out his standard South Florida stump speech and identified himself as a leader fighting for freedom across Latin America. He denounced socialism in Nicaragua and Venezuela, and touted his work to bring an indictment to Cuban dictator Raul Castro for his crimes.

Read the rest here.
In a decision that further raises the stakes of Floridas gubernatorial election, the state supreme court has ordered that the job of replacing three of its justices belongs not to lame-duck Gov. Rick Scott but to his successor, whomever that might be.

The high court issued a rebuke of Scott Monday, saying the governor exceeded his authority when he moved last month to begin the process of naming new Supreme Court justices. Eager to replace a majority of a liberal voting bloc on the court, Scott directed a state nominating commission to submit names for him to fill upcoming vacancies before hes forced out of office in January by term limits. But he was sued by the League of Women Voters of Florida on the grounds that he couldnt legally fill vacancies that hadnt yet occurred.

Scott wanted the names by Nov. 10, four days after voters choose his replacement. Instead, the high court said the ability to appoint new justices falls to the next elected governor.

That means either Republican Ron DeSantis or Democrat Andrew Gillum will control the tilt of the 7-member court, potentially swaying a generation of precedent-setting legal opinions on issues like labor, school vouchers, gun rights and healthcare. The decision could spark even further interest from organizations like Emilys List and the Federalist Society to a race that has already drawn tens of millions in outside spending.





Novembers election already held huge consequences for women and families across Florida, said Lindsay Crete, a spokeswoman for Emilys List, which backs pro-choice candidates. Now, the stakes couldnt be higher.

Gillum and DeSantis have both held that the next governor retained the right to appoint replacements for Barbara J. Pariente, R. Fred Lewis and Peggy A. Quince, who are up against age limits and must resign the day that Scott is set to leave office. Gillum issued a statement, saying one of my top priorities will be to restore integrity to the judicial nominating process. The DeSantis campaign, meanwhile, used the opportunity to blast Gillum.

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Former University of Miami president Donna Shalala is a long way from silencing the haters, but her campaign has a new poll that should ease doubts that she can win a congressional seat the Democratic party can ill afford to let slip away.

Amid increasing evidence that Shalala has her hands full with Republican opponent Maria Elvira Salazar, the former Health and Human Services secretarys campaign has released an internal poll showing Shalala ahead in the race to replace the retiring Ileana Ros-Lehtinen as the representatives of Floridas 27th congressional district.

Shalala, 77, leads Salazar, 56, by five points, according to a polling memo from Anzalone Liszt Grove Research. The firm found Shalala ahead of the former Spanish-language broadcast journalist by a 44 to 39 margin, with about 10 percent of voters undecided.

Shalalas lead is within the polls 4.4-point margin of error, and internal polls should always be received with some skepticism. But following a calendar month in which a non-partisan elections handicapper moved the race to a toss-up and an independent Mason-Dixon Telemundo 51 poll found Shalala down two, Democrats will take all the good news they can get.

The poll, a bi-lingual query by live callers of 500 voters from Oct. 11 through Oct. 14, should give Democratic voters reason for optimism. For one, compared to the Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy poll, Shalala fared better with Cuban voters, who comprise a plurality of the district. Shalalas poll also found Pro-Trump, no-party-affiliation candidate Mayra Joli earning 6 percent of the vote (compared to 1 percent in the Mason-Dixon Poll), a number that could end up being the difference between the Republicans holding the seat and the Democrats snaring it for the first time in decades.

Read the rest here.
@alextdaugherty

Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart dislikes Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro so much that he framed the notice banning the congressman from the country, hung it in his office and bragged about it on social media.

But the Miami Republicans wife promoted travel to Venezuela two years ago. In 2016, a year after the ban on Diaz-Balart was announced by Maduro, Tia Diaz-Balart posted a list of best places to visit in Venezuela on the website for Ladat Travel, a company founded by the congressmans wife to create custom-tailored dream vacations for clients and groups. The posts mostly describe tourist attractions like Venezuelas Angel Falls, the worlds tallest uninterrupted waterfall. Tia Diaz-Balarts LinkedIn page says she founded the company in August 2014 and worked there until September 2017, and the companys associated LLC shows up in Diaz-Balarts 2014 federal financial disclosure.

When asked by the Miami Herald, Diaz-Balarts campaign said Mario and Tia Diaz-Balart never made any money off tourists traveling to Venezuela or anywhere else because the business venture never got off the ground.

She never made any money off of any tour or travel anywhere, Diaz-Balart campaign representative Cesar Gonzalez said. It was kind of like this idea that she had of starting this travel agency. It never took off.

More here.
@martindvassolo @alextdaugherty

Democrats may be wary of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in other parts of the country, but shes welcome in South Florida.

With the midterm elections just weeks away, Parkland students and parents convened Wednesday with Pelosi in Coral Springs to game plan for November. The round table discussion focused on gun control, moderated by U.S. Rep Ted Deutch, was equal parts emotional venting and strategizing.

Pelosi called the activists and parents a blessing to our country, and said because of the energy coming out of Parkland, the issue of gun control would top the Democratic Partys agenda in the House of Representatives if they take control.

I admire you so much, she said. You have the purpose, the generosity of spirit. You have the marchers  you have people who will go out there to make a difference  and you just have a relentless, persistent, dissatisfied approach.

More here.
Gov. Rick Scott points out some damage caused by Hurricane Michael while flying somewhere over the panhandle of Florida Thursday. The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael the day before came into focus Thursday as 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/Chris O'Meara)

Florida Gov. Rick Scott and CFO Jimmy Patronis have been taking aim at Verizon over the last 24 hours, apparently frustrated by how slow the cell carrier has been to restore service to the areas hardest hit by Hurricane Michael.

During a Sunday press briefing, Scott mentioned Verizon's problems twice, while touting the company's chief competitor.

"There in Bay County, were still waiting on Verizon," Scott said, adding why it was important for cell service to be restored.

"Weve put a lot of food and water out all across the state," Scott said. "Well, if you have no internet and you have no cellphone, its hard to get the information out. AT&T is working there, but Verizon is not."

Scott, continuing to dig at Verizon, has also been retweeting AT&T and praising the company on Twitter.

Thanks, @ATT, for working to get communications back online quickly & helping Florida communities following Michael," Scott tweeted.

Patronis, whose hometown is Bay County's Panama City, also took aim at Verizon on Twitter, complete with the hashtag #fixitnow.

"We are on Day 6 with no @verizon service in Bay County," Patronis tweeted. "Phones are critical infrastructure for Search and Rescue and First Responder communications. We need the same response from @verizon as we have seen from our electric companies."

Verizon in a statement said it's suffered "unprecedented damage to our fiber, which is essential for our network."

"Our fiber crews are working around the clock to make repairs, and while they are making good progress, we still have work to do to get the fiber completely repaired," the company said.

But the other three carriers are apparently not having the same problem. The Wall Street Journal quoted customers and company officials with AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint saying that all three carriers were up and running in the area.

The Panhandle suffered widespread cell service outages in the wake of Hurricane Michael, with more than 70 percent of towers down in the hardest-hit areas the day after the storm came through.

And the carriers have made little progress in Bay County since the storm made landfall.

All other counties hit by the storm have at least half of their cell towers back in use, but in Bay County, more than 65 percent of cell towers were still out Monday morning  down from 78 percent the morning after the storm, according to the FCC.

Both Verizon and AT&T have been big donors to the Republican Party of Florida for years, and Verizon has given more than $50,000 to Scott's campaigns since 2013, records show.

On Monday afternoon, Scott issued a press release noting that Verizon has opened an emergency communications center at their Panama City store and was also supporting the Bay County Emergency Operations Center.

Herald/Times staff writer Emily L. Mahoney contributed to this report.
Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Wes Maul looks at Gov. Rick Scott during a hurricane briefing at the state emergency operations center Tuesday. (Miami Herald)

Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued another rebuke of Verizon today, telling the cell provider in a terse press release that he expects the company to give him a plan today to restore service to the areas hit by Hurricane Michael, and that all cell providers should waive bills for October.

The press release was addressed to all cell phone providers, but it singled out Verizon, which has struggled to restore service in Bay County, where Michael made landfall.

Over the last 48 hours, both Scott and CFO Jimmy Patronis have criticized Verizon's slow recovery, and on Monday, Scott met with the company's senior vice president and chief network officer, Nicki Palmer.

"Verizon recently said in a press release that 98 percent of Florida has service," the governor's office press release said. "This statement, which includes customers in Florida that were hundreds of miles away from impacted areas, does not help Floridas law enforcement in Bay County and families communicate with loved ones in Panama City and does not help those needing medicine call their pharmacy in Lynn Haven."

Scott then laid out his expectations for all cell phone and internet providers:

Customers in the impacted counties should be allowed to switch providers without penalty. Some cell phone contracts still penalize customers for switching before their two-year contract is up.

Bills for customers in affected counties should have their October bills waived.

"Telecommunications companies should be open and transparent with Floridians and do so with a clearly communicated plan to quickly restore service."

"Families understand that the telecommunications industry, like the power companies and other services, experienced catastrophic damage to vital infrastructure," Scott said in the press release, "but that does not change our expectation that each telecommunications company will be open and communicate a clear plan on how they intend to quickly restore service while treating families fairly."

The press release added that "The Governor expects that a plan for full telecommunications restoration will be communicated today."

Verizon has said it's suffered "unprecedented damage" to its network in Bay County.

The return of cell service has been critical to telling people where to find supplies after the storm, Scott has said. In Mexico Beach, people have been forced to stand on bridges to get any sort of cell signal.
@alextdaugherty

Retiring Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has lined up her post-congressional gig.

The University of Miami announced Monday that the first Latina in Congress and longest serving member of Congress from Florida was named a Distinguished Presidential Fellow at the University of Miami, where she will teach a class called "Congress and American Foreign Policy" during the spring 2019 semester.

Im excited to be back home at the U where I will have the challenging opportunity to exchange ideas with todays bright minds and future leaders on the vexing foreign policy issues confronting our nation, Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement.

Ros-Lehtinen's husband Dexter, a former Florida legislator and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, will join her in the classroom.

I am delighted to welcome Ileana Ros-Lehtinen back to her alma mater after an illustrious career in Congress. She has always maintained a close relationship with her hometown, and we are proud that she will join our academic community as a Distinguished Presidential Fellow. We look forward to her active participation, which will no doubt enrich the experience of our students and faculty, said University of Miami President Julio Frenk.
@martindvassolo @alextdaugherty

Barbara Lee never came to Miami.

But the mere mention of the California lawmakers name on the programming flier for a campaign event in Coral Gables was enough to trigger a protest, a call for South Florida Democratic candidates to divest from her campaign contributions and an attack ad from a Super PAC aligned with House Speaker Paul Ryan.

The congresswoman, who turned heads in 2016 by praising former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro after his death, was listed as an expected guest at a Get Out the Vote event on press releases issued by the campaigns of Democrat Donna Shalala and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

Despite the protest flare-up outside the event on Wednesday -- a crowd of mostly Cuban-American demonstrators yelled and waived anti-communism signs -- Shalala and Mucarsel-Powell said Thursday they will not return the $5,500 Lee donated to their campaigns ahead of the November election.

Lee, whose name was scrubbed from the event without explanation, donated $2,000 to the campaign of Shalala, who is running in Floridas 27th Congressional District against Republican Maria Elvira Salazar.

Lee also donated $3,500 to Mucarsel-Powell, who is running in Floridas 26th Congressional District against incumbent Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo.

In a statement to the Herald, Salazar campaign spokesman Jose Luis Castillo hammered Shalala for agreeing to appear alongside Lee and declining to return Lees donations.

[Her] total disconnect and lack of empathy with this community is appalling, he said. Barbara Lees longtime admiration for Fidel Castro is deeply offensive to the Cuban community, as well as all freedom-loving people everywhere.

After Castros death in 2016, Lee told the San Jose Mercury News that we need to stop and pause and mourn his loss and that she was very sad for the Cuban people.

He led a revolution in Cuba that led social improvements for his people, Lee said then, adding that during her eight meetings with Castro over the years, she found him to be a smart man and a historian who wanted normal relations with the United States, but not at the expense of the accomplishments of the revolution.

The candidates said they disagreed with Lees sentiments toward Castro and argued that the views of their donors are not necessarily representative of their own views, although demands that candidates return money from unsavory or controversial figures have already been an issue in the race for District 26.

More here.
Donna Shalala has a conundrum.

In her bid to flip a Miami congressional seat once thought an easy pickup for Democrats, shes struggling with Hispanic voters. But to woo a majority of the district, she must venture onto Spanish-language television and debate a former Spanish-language broadcast journalist who couldnt be more at home in a studio.

For the second time in four days, Shalala and Republican Maria Elvira Salazar were beamed Tuesday into the living rooms of Floridas 27th congressional district. With independent candidate Mayra Joli standing between them, they sparred for an hour from Univision 23s Doral studios while making their case to serve as the successor to retiring U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

And once again, Shalala was on Salazars home turf, listening to her opponents interpreted comments through an earpiece and speaking to viewers through a translator. Im here for this debate in Spanish, although my Spanish is not very good, she said.

Before either had even introduced themselves, Salazar put Shalala on the defensive, immediately ripping into the former University of Miami president during her opening comments over the Democrats announced appearance Wednesday with House minority leader Nancy Pelosi and California Congresswoman Barbara Lee  who reportedly said when Fidel Castro died that we need to stop and pause and mourn his loss.

It seems to me that Mrs. Shalala should reconsider and cancel that press conference, said Salazar, who is a Republican Cuban-American. That is an offense and a lack of sensitivity to prisoners, to those shot, to the exiles who live here in the city of Miami.

Shalala, who had not yet uttered a word, said she didnt know what Salazar was talking about  even though the press conference was scheduled at her own campaign headquarters. Shalalas campaign said later that the candidate was thrown off by a muddled translation in her earpiece.

I definitely dont know anything about that press conference, said Shalala. But I absolutely oppose the Cuban government.

It was a rough start for a campaign that says it does not yet have a date set for an English-language debate as the two campaigns fight over dates. The night also ended strangely, with Joli accusing Salazar of being funded by the Illuminati and Shalala by the Clintons.

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Bowling Green, KY - A father and son have been indicted by the Warren County grand jury after a wreck involving two children, and lying to deputies about it.

On August 12, a caller notified the Warren County Sheriff's Department about a red truck that had ran off the roadway, and that two children were involved. Deputies say there was no one in or around the truck when they arrived. Eventually, deputies were able to talk to the owner of the truck, Gaylord Jones, by phone, who came back to the scene.

Jones told deputies he lost control in a curve, and caught a ride on a passing tractor to leave the scene since he didn't have a phone. He denied children had been in the truck, stating the driver of the tractor had two children with him. Later that night deputies say they discovered there had been three other people in the truck, the two children and Jones' son, Joey Jones, who had been ejected from the truck with one of the children in the accident.

Gaylord Jones told deputies his son didn't want to contact help, possibly due to having warrants for his arrest.

The mother of the children found out what had happened and took them to the hospital. One was uninjured but the other had multiple cuts and bruises.

Gaylord Jones was arrested and charged with two counts of 1st degree criminal abuse, 2 counts of first degree wanton endangerment, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor.

Joey Jones was eventually presented with the same charges on August 24 while at the Warren County Justice Center in custody for other charges and court proceedings.
When South African Post Office CEO Mark Barnes took the reins three years ago, he said ecommerce will be a big revenue driver for the company in the future.

In 2016, Barnes said the Post Offices extensive reach made it a logical parcel delivery partner for online shops.

He added that initiatives were underway to capture a bigger slice of the South African online shopping logistics pie.

While Barnes was correct that the Post Office can be a great online shopping delivery player, there is a big problem: it cannot deliver packages on time.

In fact, the Post Office not only struggles to deliver packages in a timely manner, parcels often get lost and users cannot track where their deliveries are.

After MyBroadbands recent investigation into the Post Offices poor delivery standards, we received many complaints of packages which have not been delivered months after they were sent.

The Post Office simply put their head in the sand, leaving its clients frustrated without any communication as to when, and even if, their package will be delivered.

Pargo offers a great alternative to online shops

Good news is that there is a great alternative to the Post Office for South African online shops  Pargo.

Pargo is a smart logistics company that enables South African ecommerce players, such as OneDayOny, The Foschini Group, Faithful to Nature, Cape Union Mart, Raru, HomeChoice, FNB and more, to use their network of thousands of Pargo pickup points throughout the country.

Pargo has pickup points in almost every town in South Africa, which means it provides a true alternative to the Post Office.

Pargo also tracks deliveries to a customers nearest pickup point and notifies them when they are ready for collection.

Through its advanced tracking system, Pargo makes sure there are no missed deliveries, delays, or disappointments.

Users can easily track their parcels through the companys online portal 24-hours per day.

From the second your order leaves the warehouse or the drop-off point to the minute it arrives in your neighbourhood, every move of your parcel is recorded, Pargo said.

Throughout the parcels journey users will be updated about the progress with several reminders via email and mobile.

Easy integration for online shops

What makes the service particularly suitable for ecommerce businesses is its ease-of-integration into existing online shops.

Ecommerce businesses can simply add the Pargo option to their check-out page by installing the companys free plug-in.

The free plug-ins are available for all popular online commerce platforms, including WooCommerce, Prestashop, Opencart, Shopify, Magento, and Bidorbuy.

With service guarantees and an average delivery time of between 2 and 5 days across South Africa, Pargo is a perfect solution for anyone looking for an alternative to the SA Post Office.
E-levy will not support growth of ...
Ill never forget the flames and embers that were floating while I was driving, said Napa resident David Preimesberger about his narrow escape from the fire that consumed his home one year ago.

It was surreal.

Preimesberger had just returned home from a business trip to London, and his wife, Mel, had just set out on her own work trip.

A jetlagged Preimesberger went to bed early, only to be awakened around midnight by the barking of his familys dog, Kudiwho rarely barks. I got up and looked out the window and saw that fire was coming up the hill all around the house, he said.

I had about three minutes to put on my jeans and flip flops, grab what I could, and head downstairs to the car. I told Kudi that weve got to go now, and he followed and never left my side.

Preimesberger gratefully refers to Kudi as my first responder. He definitely saved me from harm and I want to recognize him for that.

Preimesberger told the story of how Kudi saved his life at the Celebrating Second Responders event Oct. 3 at the Westin Verasa Hotel.

After first responders directly battled flames and rescued victims when fires broke out in October 2017, another group of locals, the second responders, stepped in to provide shelter, food, medical aid, and ongoing recovery assistance to those who were affected by the fires.

Second responder organizations were recognized at the event, alongside first responder Kudi, with awards presented by public officials including U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, and Napa County Supervisors Alfredo Pedroza and Belia Ramos.

Nonprofits work tirelessly for our community throughout the year, and during disasters they are the backbone of recovery efforts and the glue that binds public and private interests, said Aguiar-Curry.

While we can never truly thank nonprofits enough for all they do, the Celebrating Second Responders event was a great way to honor their dedication and service to the community.

Thompson affirmed that work by second responders is ongoing.

Second responders are our wonderful neighbors who selflessly jumped in and stepped up to help our community after the fires. They have not stopped working in the year sincevolunteers who lost their own homes, staff at nonprofits directing donations, and leaders working to coordinate help and aid. The job they did was phenomenal and we are so grateful for the work they did.

Among the organizations recognized was OLE Health, represented by CEO Alicia Hardy: It really was powerful for me personally to have that venue to recognize all that we lived through together. And more importantly to celebrate how strong our partnerships are in this community. I felt so proud to be among such brave, committed, smart and fearless leaders who stepped up and did whatever was needed to help and support everyone in our community both during the fires and long after they were over.

The feeling of connection to colleagues and collaborators was a big part of the evening also for licensed marriage and family therapist Marti Palmer, clinical director of the mental health services provider Mentis: It was moving and touching to see so many organizations working together. At a time when all of us were dealing with our own problems from the fires, we were still able to get together to help those most affected.

For Palmers organization, as for many others, the demand for fire-related services is ongoing. Palmer said, Symptoms of trauma can turn up weeks, months, or years after an event. Now that things have settled for them a bit, now they are experiencing symptoms of PTSD.

Jenny Ocon, executive director of UpValley Family Centers, reiterated that sense of connection with colleagues, and also of ongoing need for fire recovery assistance: It was so special to be together, to reflect on the importance of community, and to be recognized for our efforts. After so much loss and destruction, it was healing to see all the good work that has been done and to feel we are in this recovery together. She added, We continue to provide long-term disaster case management for households still working towards a full recovery.

One organization was both a sponsor of the event and the recipient of a surprise award: the Napa Valley Community Foundation (NVCF). Terence Mulligan, president, said Nonprofits in our community do extremely important and very often difficult work year-round, but never more so than in the last 12 months following the fires . . . It was a powerful, emotional and uplifting evening.

The NVCF hosted the Celebrating Second Responders event along with The Doctors Company, and will manage the donor-advised fund created by The Doctors Company to direct an initial $127,000 in grants to over two dozen local second-responder organizations.

Richard E. Anderson, MD, FACP, chairman and CEO of The Doctors Company, presented a surprise award to Mulligan and NVCF, which will receive additional grant funds. He said, When the wildfires erupted last year, the Foundation was prepared to respond. Within 48 hours of the outbreak, it brought together decision makers in local government and in the nonprofit sector to assess urgent needs and inform long-term recovery efforts. Within just five days, the Foundation was able to distribute emergency response grants to a targeted list of local nonprofit organizations.

Dr. Anderson summarized the scale of the assistance provided by the NVCF, which has provided direct aid to 15,000 individuals and 1,900 households impacted by the fire. But at least as important as the direct assistance, is their partnership with trusted local nonprofit agencies with experience and expertise across many disciplines.

Mulligan said, We were surprised and grateful to be named as a special honoree at the event, and will use the generous gift from The Doctors Company to support our ongoing fire recovery and rebuilding programs.

Recovery from a wildfire is hard work and I wouldnt want to do it alone. Luckily we dont have to, said Ramos, echoing the team spirit experienced by many at the event. Our nonprofits are an integral part of our recovery.

Pedroza agreed. While we partner every day with local nonprofits to provide community resources and benefits, their partnership during disasters is critical to an effective emergency response and recovery. Thank you second responders for the work you continue to do to help Napa County recover.

Remembering the overall daunting process after losing his home last year, Preimesberger, CFO of The Doctors Company, expressed gratitude for the people who helped his family. Those folks really support and help us rebuild our lives, as well as our home, he said.

Preimesberger also invites the community to join in and support their neighbors. Everyone can be a second responder, he said. Its a matter of listening to someones story, taking them to buy groceries, helping them walk the dog. Those community-minded things really add up and make a difference.
19532018

Speak to all people as though they were the wisest, gentlest, most beautiful beings on earth, for what they believe, they become, was an unattributed adage that Mireya Madrigal Cendejas, January 12, 1953October 15, 2018, wrote on a Post-It note and kept on her nightstand. These words aptly embody the way that Mireya lived her life.

From the time she and her husband, Javier Cendejas, a former agent of Farmers Insurance Group and owner of Tonys Shoe Repair, arrived in Napa from their tiny hometown of Tlazazalca, Michoacan, Mexico, in 1974, to her untimely death this week after a brief battle with gastric cancer, Mireya made it a priority to make a personal and kindly connection to those with whom she came into contact, and to be a loving, attentive mother and wife.

Her many friends attest that Mireya consistently made you feel as if you were the most important person in the room, and that she never forgot to reach out via text or phone on special occasions, such as Mothers Day or Christmas, and send her love. Her homemade flan, personally delivered on birthdays, was renowned among her large circle of acquaintances.

By taking night classes at Napa Valley College when she first arrived in Napa and watching such soap operas as All My Children on TV, she learned to speak fluent English by the age of 21. Parlaying her bilingualism into a job as interpreter and early interventionist at Napa Preschool Program, where she worked for the past 13 years, she was able to help non-English speaking parents of children with special needs understand what resources the preschool program could offer them. The power of language is one that made a big impression on her, in both her work and private lives. She often went above and beyond the scope of her job in an effort to help the children where she worked, according to her coworkers, at times using her own funds to provide a student with items he or she needed. Before her stint there, she worked as a teachers assistant in the preschool programs at Pueblo Vista Elementary, Presbyterian Day School, and St. John the Baptist Catholic School, and was also on staff at Nannies of the Valley, an on-call childcare service. To scores of children throughout the valley, she was known affectionately as Mama Mireya for her nurturing, fun and warm manner. Children she cared for may remember the stories she invented to entertain them. One such classic Mireya tale included a guitar-playing squirrel.

In 1996, she became an American citizen and often spoke about how grateful she was for the high level of education, among many other blessings, that was available in the US to her and her family. Mireya continued throughout her entire life to indulge her love of learning about the field of education. The Oprah Book Club was a source of many enjoyable reads for Mireya, who loved to read. The last book she finished right before her passing was The Shack by William Paul Young, which deals with the question of who God is. She found its message comforting during her last days. While under hospice care over the past few months, she also worked on a family tree for her siblings, incorporating all the names and dates of ancestors that she could remember.

Her beloved Javier, daughters Lucero and Eli, and son-in-law Dominic Cendejas-Tafoya were at her bedside at home when she took her last breaths. Mireya and Javier celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary earlier this year, and she was able to dance at her daughter Luceros wedding in June. Mireya is also survived by four brothers and three sisters who live in California and Mexico. Another brother and her parents predeceased her.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, where Mireya was a longtime parishioner, will hold a memorial service for her this Friday at 1 PM There will be no reception following, per her wishes. In lieu of flowers or other tokens for the family, please consider giving a donation to the Mireya Cendejas Memorial Fund, established to help support Napa Preschool Programs family resource center and carry on Mireyas legacy of helping families in need in small but significant ways. You can find more information about the fund at napacoe.org/mireya-cendejas-memorial-fund/
AMERICAN CANYON COMMUNITY CHURCH

Worship at 10 a.m. Programs for children and youth during worship service. 2 Andrew Road, American Canyon.

ARBOR ALLIANCE

Join us Sundays at 5 p.m. Why 5 p.m. worship? It is a good time for busy people and young families. Kids church and nursery available. 721 Trancas St., Napa. thearborchurch.org; 530-304-4704.

BEIT ABBA

Messianic Jewish ministry of The Fathers House is held the first and third Friday of each month at 7 p.m. Child care provided for ages infant to 7 years old. 2557 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa. tfh.org/beitabba.

CARMELITE MONASTERY

Mass times: Sunday, 9 a.m.; Monday-Saturday, 8 a.m. Confession Days for English and Spanish: Mondays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon; 3-5 p.m.; 8-9 p.m. First Saturdays: Confessions at 10 a.m. followed by Mass at 11 a.m. 944-2454. oakvillecarmelites.org.

CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING

Services are at 9 and 10:30 a.m. with Teen Group at 10 a.m. and Youth Program at 10:30 a.m. Rev Jay Lang's topic is "Everyone (All y'all) Can Be Abundant." Spanish Meditation Mondays, 7-8 p.m. Open Meditation Wednesdays, 6:30-7 p.m. New four-week class, "A New Gratitude: Cultivating a Grateful Life" begins Thursday, Oct. 25, 6:30- 8:30 p.m. No Meditation, Wednesday, Oct. 31 due to Halloween. Day of Remembrance Meditation on Thursday, Nov. 1, 5-6 p.m., 1249 Coombs Street. 252-4847.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE CHURCH

Sunday service and Sunday school for youths up to age 20 at 10 a.m. The Wednesday evening service is at 7:30. Child care provided at all services. New hours for the Reading Room, located in our church building, open to the public weekdays except Wednesdays, 1-4 p.m. All current Christian Science literature, including the writings of Mary Baker Eddy and the renowned Christian Science Monitor, are available to all to read or purchase. 2210 Second St., Napa. 255-5255. christiansciencenapa.com.

CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, NAPA  SECOND WARD

Sacrament meeting is each Sunday at 10 a.m., followed by Sunday School at 11:15 and Priesthood and Relief Society at 12:10 p.m. Young mens and young womens programs are on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Corner of Trower Avenue and Dry Creek Road, Napa. 224-6496.

CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM

Congregation Beth Shalom Worship services on Friday, Oct. 19 will be led by Rabbi Niles Goldstein at 6 p.m., followed by Oneg Shabbat at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available for a walkabout wine tasting poured by 16 noted vintners of the Napa Valley with cheese pairings curated by Janet Fletcher. Dinner to follow featuring Chef David Nayfeld, prepared by Blossom Catering. To reserve your space at the tasting and table, contact Congregation Beth Shalom at wwwlcbsnapa.org, 1455 Elm St., Napa, 94559. 253-7075.

CORNERSTONE MINISTRIES

Sunday service is at 10:15 a.m. Spanish Church begins at 1:30 p.m. Sunday school and childcare are available at both services. Our midweek service is at 6:30 on Wednesday nights. There is childcare and childrens activities at this service. Middle school and high school study meets on Wednesday nights, as well, at 6:30 in the Youth Room. 3305 Linda Vista Ave., Napa; 252-2909. cmnv.org.

COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Servanthood is Gods work for every believer and this week at CPC, Rev. Jesse Larson reads from Mark 10:35-45, which reminds us to offer a cup of grace to those who thirst. Organist, Ted Lassagne, will lead us in singing The Servant Song and Ryan Cooledge will call us to worship. Were grateful for our elders and deacons, musicians and choir, acolytes and ushers, and all the helpers who serve each week. Here, we find our calling and are forgiven when we stumble. Join us at 10:30 a.m., 1226 Salvador in north Napa, and just so you know, children of all ages may be in costume. Theyll trick or treat the pews and after church there will be Halloween goodies and crafts in the Fellowship Hall. See you Sunday. cpoffice@sbcglobal.net, cpcnapa.org, facebook.com/cpcnapa

CREEKSIDE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Weekly worship service is Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Services and attire are casual with a blend of fellowship, music and teaching. Child care and childrens church offered during service. 1050 Hagen Road, Napa. CreeksideChurchNapa.org. 255-7266.

CROSSWALK COMMUNITY CHURCH

CrossWalk Community Church invites you to worship with us on Sunday. Service times are 8:30 and 10 a.m. with children's programs available during the 10 a.m. service. Our new teaching series led by Dr. Peter R. Shaw, Senior Pastor is "Me. Free." You are invited to join Pastor Pete for Praxis -- Integrating deep faith into real life -- on Wednesdays at 11 a.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. (light dinner served). 2590 First St., 226-1812, crosswalknapa.org.

FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

We welcome you to come and experience First Christian Church and become part of our family. Our Sunday service is at 10 a.m. and Kids Ministry has a great time planned for your kids (babies through 5th graders). Students@First for Middle and High Schoolers is at 6:30 p.m. 2659 First Street www.fccnapa.org

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Please join us this week for Sunday worship. Visitors are always welcome. Pastor David will be preaching this week, and his sermon title is, Trivial Pursuit, with a scripture reference of Matthew 6:19-24. We sing hymns at 9 a.m. and we have praise music at 10:30 a.m. We have an ADA elevator-lift inside to assist with the stairs into the church. Look for our greeters near the front doors to answer any questions. Childcare for newborn to age 4 is available each week. Our weekly Sunday School programs are: The Path Sunday School for kids at 10:30 a.m.; The Friendship Class at 10 a.m.; The Adult Bible Study meets at 10:30 a.m. We have treats and coffee after both worship times. 1333 Third St., 707-224-8693, fpcnapa.org, facebook.com/fpcnapa, look for us on Givelify.

GRACE CHURCH OF NAPA VALLEY

Worship service at 9 a.m. and 10:40 a.m. Adult Sunday school classes at 9 a.m. Childrens service at 9 and 10:40 a.m. Nursery and preschool care available. Junior high ministry meets Tuesday at 7 p.m.; high school meets Thursday at 7 p.m. at 3765 Solano Ave., Napa. 255-4033, GraceNapa.org.

HIGHLANDS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

If youre a regular church attendee, never been or maybe its just been awhile, we invite you to come join us this Sunday and start the adventure with us at 10:30 a.m. Spanish speaking service on Sunday evenings at 6:30. Alcoholics Anonymous group meets weekly on Monday and Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. 970 Petrified Forest Road, Calistoga.

HILLSIDE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

We meet at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 100 Anderson Road, Napa. 255-3036. hccnapa.com.

HOLY FAMILY PARISH

Holy Mass is celebrated at 9 a.m. on Sundays and in the traditional Tridentine Latin (Extraordinary) form of the Roman Rite, according to the 1962 Missal, at noon. Before Low Masses, there is a recitation of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary at 11:30 a.m. Confession is available after every Low Mass. Holy Family Parish is a Catholic mission-parish of St. Joan of Arc in Yountville. 1241 Niebaum Lane, Rutherford. 944-2461.

HOLY GROUND CHRISTIAN CENTER

Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m., and Bible study is Wednesday at 7 p.m. 3860 Broadway, Suite 111, American Canyon. 373-2015.

LIVING VINE CHURCH

We meet every Sunday morning at 10. 3305 Linda Vista Avenue, Napa. 226-5551.

MEMORIAL CHAPEL AT VETERANS HOME OF CALIFORNIA, YOUNTVILLE

Sunday worship service 10:15 a.m. Coffee fellowship one hour before service. Bible study on Wednesday at 1 p.m., Fellowship Room, with refreshments served; prayer meetings Thursday at 1 p.m. The memorial chapel is on the Veterans Home at Yountville campus on California Drive, across from the administration building. 944-4840. The public is welcome.

MONT LA SALLE CHAPEL

Roman Catholic liturgical services are open to all in this chapel of the De la Salle Christian Brothers at 4401 Redwood Road, Napa. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11 a.m.

NAPA COMMUNITY SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

Please join us on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. for Sabbath School and Connection Classes. Stay for the worship service at 11:15 a.m. Our Community Services is open on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon at 2110 Seminary St., 252-8552, Napacomm.com, 1105 G St., Napa, 252-2444.

NAPA METHODIST CHURCH

We are a progressive church where ALL people are welcome. 625 Randolph St., Napa, 253-1411.

NAPA FRIENDS MEETING (QUAKERS)

Sunday worship at 10 a.m. Silent meeting in the custom of Friends. Meet at the VOICES Youth Center, 780 Lincoln Ave., Napa. Enter at parking lot on left side of building, using door at end of wheelchair ramp. Quaker signs will be posted on Sunday mornings. We welcome visiting friends or those who are new to Quaker practice. Childrens program available with advance notice. nvquaker@gmail.com; 253-1505.

NAPA VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

Join us Sundays at 9:30 a.m. for Bible Study for all ages, 10:30 a.m. for worship service and a fun, interactive and energetic childrens program for preschool through fifth grade. Nursery provided for all Sunday services. 2303 Trower Ave., Napa. napavalleybaptist.org; 252-2100.

NAPA VALLEY BIBLE CHAPEL

We start Sunday services by remembering the Lords death, burial and resurrection during a time of worship and thanksgiving at 9:30 a.m., followed by a fellowship and coffee time starting at 10:30 a.m. At 11 a.m., we enjoy a time of Bible teaching. On Wednesdays at 6 p.m., we meet for a brief Bible study and a time of prayer. 1559 Second St., Napa. napavalleybiblechapel.com.

NAPA VALLEY COMMUNITY CHURCH

Services are at 10 a.m. We welcome you, and we welcome Mark Hewitt to give us the message with the theme of "The Trap of Riches," using the scripture text from Luke 12:13-21. Sunday School for children is after the service at 11:20 a.m., during the Open Forum for adults. Napa Valley Community Church is a ministry of the Christian Reformed Church. napavalleychurch.org.

NAPA VALLEY LUTHERAN

Sunday worship at 10 a.m. Includes Children's Time. Fellowship time follows. All are welcome. Church is located at Jefferson and Elm. 226-8166, www.napavalleylutheran.org.

NAPA VALLEY UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS

At the 9:30 a.m. service: Leader Cindy Guentert-Baldo will talk about Unconscious Biases. During our Water Ceremony the Ministerial Search Committee presented a skit to help us understand how our unconscious biases might color our view of a potential ministerial candidate. In today's discussion, we will take a look at some of our implicit biases and talk about ways to work through them. 11 a.m. service: The Fountain of Age is a traditional service with Rev. Dr. David Sammons and Sunday Service Assistant, Iris Barrie. At their retreat this fall, Dave Sammons was asked by our area's UU ministers to tell the story of his journey through the ministry. It got Dave thinking not only about the past but about what his life is like now that all of this is behind him. Lots of us think about things like this when we get to the later chapters in our lives. Dave would like to reflect on this, especially from a UU perspective, one that sees this life as the only one we've got, no matter what age we are. Infant care, child care, and religious education provided. 1625 Salvador Ave., Napa. www.nvuu.org, 226-9220

NEW LIFE TABERNACLE

Sunday school at 10 a.m., followed by worship service at 11. Sunday evening service the first Sunday of every month. Bible study on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. 2625 First St., Napa. 255-1062; NewLifeNapa.com.

ST. APOLLINARIS CATHOLIC CHURCH

All masses are in English. Visitors are welcome. Sunday Mass times: 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m., noon, and 5:30 p.m., Saturday Evening (Vigil for Sunday) 4:30 p.m. Daily mass times: Monday-Friday: 7 and 8:45 a.m.; Saturday: 8:45 a.m . Confession: Saturdays: 3:30-4:15 p.m., Monday-Friday: 6:30-6:50 a.m., Monday-Saturday: 8:15-8:35 a.m. 3700 Lassen St., Napa.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

St. John the Baptist Church holds daily masses in English at 7:30 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Weekend masses are Saturday at 5 p.m. (English) and 7 p.m. (Spanish) and Sunday 8 a.m. (Spanish), 10 a.m. (English), noon (Spanish), and 5 p.m. (English). Wednesday evening mass at 7 (Spanish). Corner of Caymus and Yajome streets in downtown Napa.

ST. JOHNS LUTHERAN CHURCH

Sunday services are at 8:30 and 10:15 a.m. The early service makes use of traditional Lutheran liturgy and hymns, with the singing led by the organ. The 10:15 service is more informal with the singing led by the band. Childrens church is offered during the 10:15 service for preschool through 4th grade.

ST. MARYS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Worship on Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. or Sundays at 8 a.m. or 10 a.m. (organ and choir). Childrens Chapel (Sunday school) is at 9:50 a.m. Sunday. Nursery care is provided during the 10 a.m. service. Coffee hour follows the worship services on Sunday. 1917 Third St., Napa. 255-0991; StMarysNapa.org.

ST. STEPHENS ANGLICAN EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m., sung using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Refreshments and social time after the 10:30 service. 1250 Oakville Grade, Oakville. 944-8915; ststephensoakville.org.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH

Mass times are Saturday at 4 p.m. (English), Sunday at 8 a.m. (English), 11 a.m. (English) and 1:30 p.m. (Spanish). Daily mass is at 9 a.m., except on the first Friday, which is at noon and in English. 2725 Elm St., Napa. 255-2949; stthomasaquinasnapa.com.

SALVATION ARMY

Join us for services Sundays at 10 a.m. 590 Franklin St., Napa. napasalarmy.org.

THE FATHERS HOUSE

Service times are Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 9 and 11 a.m. Child care and Kids Church are available (ages infant through sixth grade). Youth ministry Encounter meets every Wednesday night at 7. Celebrate Recovery meets on Monday nights at 6:30. 2557 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa. tfh.org.

UNITY SPIRITUAL CENTER IN NAPA VALLEY

Sunday, October 21, 10 a.m. service. Unity again welcomes, Rev. Kathryn Brenson. Her message is Let It Fall." Her theme: "Its the time of year when leaves are falling and some mornings there may be a little frost. Evening meals may feature soups or stews. Its a good time to review your belief systems and see what needs to fall away and what beliefs you want to curl up with =- perhaps in front of a fire -- and allow them to become stronger so you can make some positive changes in your life. Our Sunday Service music will be performed this week by our musical director, Lon Eakes. 11:40 a.m. Forum: No Forum this week. Forum is replaced by USCNVs monthly potluck, which hosts Napa Food Bank donations and congregant birthday celebrations. Sunday Service and Forum are held at the historic Grange Hall, 3275 Hagan Road (1 mile east of the Silverado Trail), Napa. Parking next to the building. www.Facebook.com/USCNV www.UnitySpiritualCenterNapa.org (707) 255-6881.

YOUNTVILLE COMMUNITY CHURCH

This Sunday, Oct, 21, at 10 a.m., we will have our weekly service. Our sermon is "Love and Self Control." The main church building is under repairs, and we are meeting in our Sunday School classrooms on the North side of the church. Come join us for coffee, donuts, and learn about our Savior, Jesus Christ. Sunday School is at 9 a.m. for all ages. We have an Adult Bible class, Youth Group (fifth - eight grades and high school students),and Children's classes "Jesus and Me", (Birth-Kindergarten) and first through fifth grades are offered. Church office hours: Tuesday, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.; Wednesday - Thursday, 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. 6619 Yount St., Yountville. 944-2179.

Want to have your church included in Worship Notes? Need to update your congregations information? Contact editor Kelly Doren at kdoren@napanews.com or 256-2263.
American Canyon man sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with death of 78-year-old man

Frank Navarro, 31, was sentenced by a Napa judge Wednesday to 20 years behind bars after killing Roy Dyer, 78, of Clearlake.

Last month he accepted a plea bargain and plead no contest to five felony counts related to killing someone in the heat of passion, driving a car that wasnt his, obstructing or resisting an officer, and two counts of assault using force likely to produce great injury.

The two counts of assault were related to incidents that occurred later, in jail.

Navarro was also sentenced on two special allegations for using a firearm and personally inflicting a serious injury on a victim. Special allegations can be tacked on to other charges and enhance a punishment.

He admitted to shooting Dyer in the face on June 22, in Knoxville, according to an arrest report filed in court. A revolver was found near Navarros car and fires had been started nearby, according to that report, and Dyers body had been run over by a car.

Navarro was initially charged on 12 counts and seven special allegations, and was potentially facing a life sentence. Arson and murder charges against Navarro were ultimately dropped.

The family was comfortable with the agreement, said Napa County prosecutor Jodi Dell of the District Attorneys office.

The 20-year sentence wasnt an ideal outcome, but still a good one given the circumstances, Dell said.

The case was challenging because there were issues with self defense, she said. (Navarro) was the one who called the police afterwards.

Navarros public defender did not immediately return requests seeking comment Friday afternoon.

Napa County Superior Court judge Elia Ortiz, who presided over his case, denied him probation.

He had already served 134 days of his sentence, 17 of which were awarded for good conduct, at the time of his sentencing. Navarro will carry out the rest of his term in San Quentin.

Courtney can be reached at 707-256-2221. You can send her an anonymous tip, and follow her reporting on Twitter and Facebook.

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A developer seeks to give Napas old downtown post office, damaged and empty since the 2014 earthquake, a future as a hotel  a future that city land-use authorities are accepting.

James Kellers makeover of the Franklin Station post office on Second Street cleared its first hurdle Thursday night when the Planning Commission endorsed a development agreement and rezoning needed for a 163-room hotel, which would incorporate the tan-brick main facade, columns and lobby of the 85-year-old Art Deco landmark.

Planners also supported converting a nearby surface parking lot into an automated garage for about 228 vehicles, with 65 slots reserved for the public.

While Kellers proposal comes amid increasing debate about whether hotel development is worsening traffic congestion or creating lower-wage jobs in a city with historically steep housing costs, commissioners decided the project will be the best hope of preserving the post office building, which the U.S. Postal Service sold to the Napa developer in March 2017 rather than pay an estimated $8 million to repair a structure severely cracked and thrashed by the South Napa quake.

The sale followed a spirited campaign by Napa and state leaders to dissuade the Postal Service from demolishing its former Napa hub.

Kudos to Mr. Keller for having the insanity to take on this project, and kudos to the city for helping to make this happen, said Paul Kelley about the challenges of reviving a heavily damaged historic building, before he and other commissioners unanimously voted their support.

Planners show of approval is only one of several mileposts Kellers team must reach before visitors can again enter the landmark.

Because of its federal historical status, the citys Cultural Heritage Commission must decide whether the work earns a certificate of appropriateness for preserving the post offices historic value, and the project would then face a vote by the City Council. Opened in 1933, the postal building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1985.

Later the city would review designs for the expanded Franklin Station building, and Keller would seek a partner to build and brand the hotel.

Early plans filed with the city call for preserving some 20 percent of the existing structure at 1351 Second St., using the existing facade and lobby while building upward and onto the site of Zellers Ace Hardware on Randolph Street behind the landmark. The height limit under downtown zoning rules is 60 feet, although Kevin Teague, a Napa attorney and the legal counsel for the project, suggested Keller may ask for an exception to add a rooftop bar and lounge similar to that of the Archer hotel on First Street.

Serving a hotel would be a mechanized parking structure at Second and Randolph streets, on a 55-space lot the city sold to Keller in 2017. The garage also would contain about 7,000 square feet of street-level space for retailers.

Members of the Napa Housing Coalition, a group advocating for more affordable housing, asked planners to be mindful of the increase in vehicles and commuting that could result from another hotel  but also acknowledged the work done to preserve the damaged Franklin Station building ahead of its future reuse.

Im applauding what you, Mr. Keller, are doing, said Chuck Shinnamon of the coalition, before pointing to the hundreds of new housing units Napa County would need to meet the demand.

He and Teague said there have been talks between developers and the coalition to look for ways to create worker-priced housing elsewhere in Napa.

Contrary to popular opinion, our goal is not to stop projects, he said. Our goal is to get housing built that ultimately supports the project, helping get their employees into housing so theyre a part of our community. And the other part is getting commuters off the roads so hotel guests can actually get here on Highway 29.

The apparent tone of cooperation pleased Commissioner Gordon Huether.

It was starting to feel for the past year or so that every time we had a hotel project, the housing coalition comes out and says why we shouldnt do it, he said before the vote. Im hearing a different and more collaborative tone, which is really heartening.

This is a really different and unusual project, and the reason Im bringing up the housing is because I would never get in the way of this project with housing, because I think preserving the building trumps the need for housing.

Kelley, agreeing, encouraged further efforts to bring some form of housing creation to the city in connection with the hotel project  but added that preserving the postal building must not be sacrificed.

I highly encourage the applicant to see if theres any opportunity to be a volunteer to bring forward housing, he said. (But) this project is too important overall to deny it based on (requiring) additional housing.

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Bruce Lee Clotfelter, 58, was ordered Thursday morning by a Napa judge to serve 153 years to life in prison for six felonies related to sex crimes involving minors, plus violating his probation.

A jury last month found Clotfelter guilty of two counts of annoying or molesting one boy, and four counts related to attempting to contact two different boys, with intent to commit a sex offense. Clotfelter is already serving a sentence that carries a prison term of 300 years to life after a jury found him guilty of 12 counts related to fraud and changing his legal name to hide his sex offender status.

Napa County Superior Court Judge Mark Boessenecker determined Clotfelter would serve six consecutive sentences of 25 years to life in prison for all six of the counts.

Its very clear that he doesnt learn from negative consequences, Boessenecker said.

Clotfelter was simultaneously sentenced to an additional three years in prison for violating his probation on a separate case by contacting the two boys involved in the crimes he was sentenced for Thursday. In that case, Clotfelter pleaded guilty to a felony charge of failing to update his sex offender registration information. State law required Clotfelter to do so every 90 days because he was classified as a sexually violent predator.

Clotfelter remained stoic as the judge delivered his sentence and as the mother of two boys he victimized spoke. The woman, who will not be identified because her child was a sex crime victim, spoke of how Clotfelters crimes nearly drove her to insanity.

She recalled sitting behind Clotfelter in a court decades ago, wishing she could kill him to prevent him from targeting more victims in the future.

I thank them all for ending your legacy of  leaving damage behind, she said.

Clotfelters public defender, Andy Rubinger, said he would appeal the sentence.

Rubinger said he wasnt surprised by the outcome, in part because his clients victims from previous cases were allowed to testify in this case.

They were very adamant, the two boys (Clotfelter contacted)  there was no touching, but a lot of emails given to him, lots of messages, lots of run-ins and things like that, he said.

Those boys maintained they were not victims, Rubinger said.

Prosecutor Agnes Dziadur of the Napa County District Attorneys office said during Thursdays sentencing that the fact those boys dont feel victimized shows just how good Clotfelter was at grooming his victims and their families. Thats what makes him especially dangerous, she said.

The District Attorneys office requested the 153-year sentence. I think he deserves every minute of the sentence; hes a career criminal, said Dziadur. The only thing that is going to stop him is a sentence like this.

Why ask for the maximum sentence when Clotfelter is already serving a sentence of 300 years to life for committing fraud?

Every victim deserves their justice, Dziadur said. And Californias laws are quickly changing, from prison reforms to giving judges the discretion to allow some prisoners an earlier release with parole. She speculated that the latter change may eventually apply to sex offenders.

You just dont know how much time someone is going to serve on a sentence anymore, Dziadur said.

Clotfelter was first sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Butte County Court in 1989. He was convicted on three counts of committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 14.

Court documents filed by the District Attorney say that Clotfelter targeted young boys he met through church, befriended their parents and molested them while they were asleep.

In 1996, the U.S. Eastern District of California Court sentenced him to 14 months in prison for four counts of falsely impersonating a military officer. Clotfelter posed as Commander Talon Fox and dressed as a Top Gun pilot, toured schools and spoke to students about his fake military job, according to court documents.

The Butte County Superior Court later declared Clotfelter to be a sexually violent predator, according to court documents.

He moved to Napa after a decade-long stint in the state hospital system and changed his legal name from Bruce Lee Clotfelter to Dalton Bruce Vail to avoid detection as a sex offender by submitting falsified documents to U.S. Department of State.

In 2015, he was sentenced to 90 days in jail and 3 years of probation for failing to update his sex offender registration information. He was arrested in 2016 for violating that probation when Napa police performed a compliance check at his home, and found a sword and several knives despite a no dangerous weapons clause in his terms of probation.

Courtney can be reached at 707-256-2221. You can send her an anonymous tip, and follow her reporting on Twitter and Facebook.

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The state Attorney Generals Office has decided not to oppose Napa County Assessor John Tuteurs request to dismiss four grand jury accusations against him of willful or corrupt misconduct.

All four counts against Tuteur either fail to state a claim of willful misconduct or lack sufficient evidence, the Attorney Generals Office said in court papers filed Friday. The 2017-18 county grand jury is seeking to remove Tuteur from office.

I am pleased that the California State Attorney General agreed with my position that all claims in the accusation were unfounded, Tuteur said in a press release.

A Napa County Superior Court hearing on the grand jury accusations is scheduled for Nov. 9 and the judge will consider Tuteurs request to dismiss the chargesa request that apparently will meet no opposition from the state.

The grand jury made the accusations earlier this year. The Attorney Generals Office, as required, brought the matter to court, after the Napa County District Attorneys Office recused itself.

One grand jury count accuses Tuteur of failing to pay $20,000 in back property taxes on land his family leases out for a cell tower. An Assessors Office error discovered in 2016 led to the back taxes.

The evidence showed that the defendant was notified of the error and believed steps would be taken to do what was necessary to correct the error, the Attorney Generals Office filing said.

Tuteur in a court filing disputed the $20,000 figure, saying the Assessors Office employee in charge of the matter ultimately concluded this year that Tuteur owes $1,453 in back taxes.

The grand jury accused Tuteur of not forcing property owners receiving Williamson Act agricultural tax breaks to return questionnaires that would help calculate their taxes. Nor did he tell the Board of Supervisors, District Attorney or Planning Department about the noncompliance.

But, the Attorney Generals Office filing said, evidence shows Tuteurs office tried to gather the information from landowners and informed other county departments of the low response.

He (Tuteur) testified that over the years, he discussed with the Planning Department whether they felt it was worthwhile for the Planning Department given their workload to pursue any kind of remedy addressing the non-reporting and the response had been no, the filing said.

Evidence presented to the grand jury shows that the Assessors Office understood its duty was to assess properties and not enforce landowner compliance for information requests, the filing said.

The grand jury accused Tuteur of testifying about the Williamson Act before the Board of Supervisors in 2011, even though he has ranch land that receives the tax break and could benefit from the boards decision. He illegally used his official position to influence the outcome, the accusation said.

But the Attorney Generals Office said the conflict-of-interest allegation isnt supported by evidence. The boards ultimate decision had the same effect on Tuteurs property taxes as any other Williamson Act property owner.

The grand jury said Tuteur failed to determine the actual value of ranch land and instead used a formula adopted by the county in 1969 and never updated. If the minimum value rose, the property taxes for his ranch would also rise.

There is no evidence of intent, the Attorney Generals Office said. Rather, defendant testified that he believed the actual/fair rent was below the imputed income and therefore the imputed income was applied.

Nor is there evidence that Tuteur intended to harm the county or gain personal advantage, the filing said.

Another section of the Attorney General Offices filing dealt with the standard for establishing a willful or corrupt misconduct charge. It must be proven that the public officer knew the act performed or not performed was required or prohibited by law and then willfully failed to comply with the law.

Tuteur could not be reached for comment on Friday.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  A Russian woman was accused Friday of a sweeping effort to sway American public opinion through social media in the first federal case alleging foreign interference in the 2018 midterm election.

The Justice Department unsealed the criminal complaint on the same day that U.S. intelligence agencies, in a rare public statement , asserted that Russia, China, Iran and other countries were engaged in continuous efforts to influence American policy and voters in the upcoming elections and beyond.

The U.S. is concerned about the foreign campaigns "to undermine confidence in democratic institutions and influence public sentiment and government policies," the national security officials said. "These activities also may seek to influence voter perceptions and decision-making in the 2018 and 2020 U.S. elections."

The Justice Department prosecution targets Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, a St. Petersburg woman who prosecutors say helped manage the finances of a hidden but powerful Russian social media effort aimed at spreading distrust for American political candidates and causing divisions on hot-button social issues like immigration and gun control.

Prosecutors say Khusyaynova worked for the same social media troll farm that was indicted earlier this year by special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. The social media effort outlined by prosecutors Friday largely mirrors Mueller's criminal case against three Russian companies, including the Internet Research Agency, and 13 Russians.

Since at least 2015, the group created thousands of false social media profiles and email accounts that appeared to be from people inside the U.S. and were aimed to "create and amplify divisive social and political content," including on significant current events, such as deadly shootings in South Carolina and Las Vegas, prosecutors said in court papers.

One fake persona, registered to "Bertha Malone," made over 400 Facebook posts containing inflammatory content. Another fake Facebook account, in the name of "Rachell Edison," made more than 700 posts focused on gun control and the Second Amendment.

The Russian organizers of the conspiracy advised that the posts should reflect various viewpoints, and it gave specific instructions to only share articles from certain news websites to correspond to specific political views, prosecutors said.

After one news article appeared online with the headline, "McCain Says Thinking a Wall Will Stop Illegal Immigration is 'Crazy,'" members of the group were told to brand the Republican senator as "an old geezer who has lost it and who long ago belonged in a home for the elderly." They were also told to say that McCain had a "pathological hatred toward Donald Trump and toward all his initiatives."

After another article appeared about Mueller last year, members of the troll farm were told to share the article and say that Mueller was a "puppet of the establishment" who had connections to the Democratic Party and "who says things that should either remove him from his position or disband the entire investigation commission."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said recently that Russia has no intention to interfere in the midterm elections in the U.S. or meddle elsewhere.

Friday's separate statement about foreign influence in U.S. elections was issued just weeks before the Nov. 6 elections by the Office of the Department of National Intelligence, the Justice Department, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Given the breadth of alleged interference by Russia, which includes the hacking of Democratic email accounts ahead of the 2016 presidential election, it was notable that the intelligence community identified two other nations in the same statement that did not provide specific examples of foreign meddling.

President Trump has often cast doubt on U.S. intelligence findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, as Mueller investigates whether Trump's campaign was connected. More recently, Trump has conceded a Russian role but has likened it to efforts of China and other nations.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence blasted China in a speech saying Russia's influence efforts in America pale in comparison with the covert and overt activities of the Chinese to interfere in the midterms and counter Trump's tough trade policies against Beijing.

But top administration officials have provided little evidence that China's activities are comparable to Russia's massive covert measures that were spelled out in previous indictments obtained by Mueller.

The officials have cited largely public steps taken by China, such as aiming tariffs at politically important states and pressuring U.S. businesses to speak out against the Trump administration.

Other countries are using social media to amplify divisive issues in American society and sponsor content in English-language media, such as Russia's RT and Sputnik news outlets, the security agencies' statement said. They also distribute propaganda and plant disinformation against political candidates, the departments said.

The agencies said they currently do not have any evidence that voting systems have been disrupted or compromised in ways that could result in changing vote counts or hampering the ability to tally votes in the midterms, which are fewer than 20 days away.

"Some state and local governments have reported attempts to access their networks, which often include online voter registration databases, using tactics that are available to state and nonstate cyber actors," they said.

But so far, they said, state and local officials have been able to prevent access or quickly mitigate these attempts.

___

Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo and Colleen Long contributed to this report.
The focus of the ongoing election, one for which many voters already have ballots in hand, is primarily on President Donald Trump, from both his loyal supporters and his fervent opponents.

Without Trumps presence, there would be few threats to the current status quo in the states delegation to Congress, where 39 current members are Democrats and 14 Republicans. But Trump arouses such strong feelings that half the current GOP seats appear threatened this fall, even though his name is absent from official election materials. So theres plenty of contrast in the congressional races, where Trumps antagonists are working ferociously to weaken his support on Capitol Hill.

One result is that a run for governor that might otherwise be central to voters draws relatively little attention.

Yet, Californias governor is arguably the second most powerful political figure in America, with a bully pulpit and authority over a huge budget and bureaucracy. The governor and his appointees control utility prices, air quality, highway construction, state parks and much more.

And the current race between Republican businessman John Cox and Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a former San Francisco mayor and himself a businessman, offers as strong a contrast as any of the hot contests for Congress.

For sure, the old saw that theres not a donuts worth of difference between political parties and their candidates does not apply this time.

One example: Cox is one of the prime funders of Proposition 6, the initiative seeking to rid drivers of a 12 cent per gallon gasoline tax increase imposed mostly by Democratic state legislators last year. Newsom says the state needs the money, but Cox calls Caltrans grossly inefficient and maintains cutting waste would provide money do everything planned for the gas tax increase.

Cox strongly supports Trump, who also has had a role in this race. The Presidents endorsement of Cox before the June primary election was a big reason he won a spot in the current runoff election.

Newsom, meanwhile, promises to continue and possibly expand ongoing California policies that make it the single largest antagonist of Trumps agenda on the environment, immigration and energy. Trump has attacked Newsom in tweets and speeches, causing Newsom to tweet back that next time you call me and my policies out, have the guts to @ me and we can have a chat.

Then theres the nonspecific Cox pledge to halt alleged waste at Caltrans, contrasting with Newsoms call for widespread reforms in the states entire contract bidding process. Newsom sees entirely too many single-bid contracts being let by the state, which he says might be wasting billions of dollars.

Cox firmly opposes the states ongoing high-speed rail construction project, demanding its funds be redirected to improve roads, highways and more efficient transit projects, without specifying what that means.

Newsom likes the bullet train, sees it as a way to make parts of the Central Valley into bedroom communities for industries in the San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles areas. He says fast trains could make now-torturous commutes routine, allowing workers access to home ownership at costs far below those in coastal counties.

Newsom says the states biggest problem is income inequality, and hopes to relieve it somewhat via single-payer health insurance, among other tactics. Cox never mentions income inequality on the campaign trail or on his website, but says he can relieve much of the states poverty via reform of the California Environmental Quality Act.

But their biggest contrasts come over basic values and social issues, where Cox has little to say about gay rights, higher minimum wages or gun control. Newsom makes those issues central in his stump speeches and on his website, where he declares his devotion to those causes and others like paid family leave, universal pre-school and same-sex marriage rights.

Newsom promises to protect immigrant rights and defend our sanctuary status; Cox says he flatly rejects sanctuary policies that have allowed violent criminal aliens to escape prosecution. He wants smart immigration bringing in workers with skills needed to fill specific shortages.

In short, California somehow wound up with a classic Republican vs. Democrat race despite its top-two primary election system, which sees Democrat-on-Democrat contests for many offices, including the U.S. Senate.

Thomas D. Elias writes the syndicated California Focus column. He is author of the book, The Burzynski Breakthrough: The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It.
Regarding the Oct. 12 front-page article about cutting down trees around power lines ("PG&E cutting down Highway 29 trees near Napa Valley gas pipeline").

I have witnessed that in many places PG&E is removing trees near power lines as a result of the fires last October. While this is an understandable safety precaution, I would encourage city leaders to adopt policies to come up with a longer-term plan to put all utilities underground. This is not only safer but will preserve the natural beauty of our city and county, which gains significant revenues from tourism.

The city and county should adopt a cut-once policy so that if a street is repaved, utilities are buried. Further, cable and phone utilities should not be allowed to erect duplicate sets of poles as PG&E as is the case along Highway 12 on Jameson Canyon and Highway 29 near the airport.

Power and phone poles are simply ugly and make Napa look like New Jersey. Please join me in encouraging our city and county leaders not to allow the New Jersification of Napa.

Thomas Schreck

Napa
Gamble Family Vineyards and Winery is the creation of Tom and Colette Gamble, and given the couples history, its no wonder they are making some of the finest wines in the Napa Valley.

Toms family has been farming Napa Valley soil for more than 100 years, and his wife, Colettes family (shes the daughter of the late Mathilde Carpy and Joseph Connolly) has been farming here since the mid 1870s.

We have a crazy love for this valley, Tom said. And although we make wine, we really think of ourselves as farmers first, which probably comes from our family history.

Farmer first

Growing up in St. Helena Gamble always knew hed be a farmer. When he wasnt in school hed wake up early, often before sunrise, to help his father, George, manage the familys 20,000 acres in Napa County alone.

At the time we were mostly raising cattle, he said. I spent a lot of my childhood herding and fixing irrigation lines. I wanted to farm, but it wasnt until I got older that I focused on wine grapes.

Prior to venturing west, Gambles great-great-grandfather, James, had co-founded Procter and Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the 1830s and made soap and candles for the Union Army during the Civil War. Gambles grandfather, Launcelot, had little to do with P&G but instead traveled to California, following his older brother who had built a quicksilver mine in Napa Countys rugged Knoxville region.

He came to help his brother in the mines, but livestock was my grandfathers passion, Gamble said.

Launcelot eventually accumulated as much as 20,000 farming acres within the county of Napa, including such areas as Lake Berryessa and Oakville.

His tradition continues today with George raising cattle while Tom and Colette manage their own 175 planted acres of vineyard.

When he [Launcelot] died in the 70s, in order to keep the land we had to sell some and also formed a long-term lease with Beringer for 900 acres in Oakville, Gamble said. We still have that agreement. Over the years weve been able to purchase or lease our own vineyards, but that wasnt until after I sowed a few wild oats.

After graduating from St. Helena High School in 1979, Gamble first headed to UC Davis to study agriculture. But while he was there he became curious about what it might be like to live a less rural lifestyle.

Growing up, I wasnt one of those kids that ever got bored of this place, but when I got to college I became a little distracted and ended up transferring to UCLA to study film, he said.

Here is something many people do not know about Gamble: He has been involved in the making of more than 30 films, including producing three. Working on films such as The Grifters, Meet the Applegates and Too Fast Too Young was enough to remind Gamble of his roots in farming.

I always kept one foot in the Napa Valley. Even when I was commuting to L.A. every week I still lived here, he said. However, heres one thing thats similar between filmmaking and winemaking: They are both much harder professions than people think. But for me, I prefer the quiet connection with the earth and people that farming provides.

Although not what some might call an environmentalist, Gamble and his team are insistent that they follow sustainable agriculture. Their winery and vineyards are certified Napa Green and Fish Friendly, and they use the Three Ps  People, Planet and Profitability  to guide their decision-making.

We need to look beyond organics and consider the entire system and make it function and sustainable, Gamble said.

The Ag Preserve

Naming mentors such as Chuck Carpy, Jack Davies and Robert Mondavi, Gamble is adamant about the need to maintain a healthy and vibrant farming community for the Napa Valley to remain viable for generations.

Well need to continue to evolve, but for them (his mentors) it was always about quality and sustainability  paying growers a fair price, taking care of people and learning how to take better care of our land  and thats what will allow this valley to continue to survive in the future, he said.

It used to be that people could sit down and talk about how to solve tough problems, but today it seems like you have to be on one side or the other, and the two sides dont talk, Gamble said. Back when my mother was collecting signatures for the Ag Preserve, it was different.

If it wasnt for the Ag Preserve I dont know if wed be sitting here in a vineyard talking about Napa Valley wine and the wine industry, he said. In my opinion, without it, this entire valley would have been paved over  like Silicon Valley.

According to Gamble, in the mid-1950s the state of California estimated that by 1980 there would be 1 million people living in the Napa Valley. A decade after that dire prediction, in 1965, Assembly Bill 80 passed and decoupled the tax rate so that it wasnt any longer based on revenue generated from the land but instead taxed at the highest and best use rate, which often meant the land had more value if it had a house or business built on it instead of crops grown.

The valley understood what passage of the bill would mean, and so three years later (1968) the Ag Preserve was passed  and it passed with a majority of the supervisors being Republican, Gamble said. It was a very different time.

Shortly after it passed, state officials announced the cancellation of plans to build a freeway stretching up the Napa Valley, and many housing subdivisions were taken off the planning schedule.

The limits of Napa Countys Agricultural Preserve would ping-pong back and forth in terms of how large a parcel was needed before it might be subdivided. The original version set the minimum at 20 acres, but in 1979 the county raised it to 40 acres, then back to 20, then again to 40. Presently, with Measure J passed in 1990 and its successor, Measure P, in 2008, the legal 40-acre minimum remains in effect until 2058 unless changed by a vote of the people.

What the Ag Preserve showed us is that the community can come together and work toward long-term solutions that have a positive impact on both the people and the environment, Gamble said. Weve also shown a similar thing with the river restoration project thats helped restore miles of the Napa River. We need more work there, but theres hope.

Cairo the dog

Beyond the land, wine and community, the Gambles are passionate about animal welfare. For the last five years, theyve opened their doors to their ranch for WineaPAWlooza, the annual fundraiser that helps support the Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to end animal cruelty and overpopulation in the Napa Valley and beyond.

One day when Gamble was driving in the hills above the Napa Valley he noticed a puppy chasing cars down the road. He pulled over, stopped and opened the door.

When I opened the door he ran up, jumped into the car and gave me a lick, Gamble said. By the bean-sized ticks on him I knew he must have been out there for days, maybe longer.

They named the dog Cairo.

Cairo passed away a few years ago, but he was my constant companion for 15 years, Gamble said. We were inseparable  Velcro  and so thats why we have our Cairo wine now, to remember him.

Collettes brother, Morgan Connolly, designed many of the propertys structures, one of which houses a by-appointment-only tasting room. Tom and British-born winemaker Jim Close have crafted wines with a balanced, and often delicate, nature that highlights their quality and pedigree. The grapes for the wines come from the couples vineyards, which include some of Napas best known terroir: Oakville, Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena and Mount Veeder. The Gambles make less than a dozen wines, with some only available to wine-club members.

The Cairo Cabernet Sauvignon ($130 a bottle and 800 cases made) is from the fruit of their Oakville vineyard. This sumptuous wine has a super-rich and unctuous mouthfeel with flavors of blackberry cream soda, dried cherry marmalade and raspberry coulis. The finish is long, with aromatic hints of dark-chocolate truffle and newly turned clay earth.

Besides Cairo, other of the wines in the Gamble lineup also speak to a hidden story.

The Heart Block Sauvignon Blanc ($90 a bottle and 600 cases made) ranks as one of the finest examples of this variety produced in California. The name originates from the location of the grapevines in the center (heart) of their Yountville vineyard and a surveyors telling Gamble that the vineyards location is at the dead center of the Napa Valley. This wine is light-straw colored in the glass with aromas of honeysuckle, mango and Kaffir lime peel with a bright, but velvety, mouthfeel that lingers for more than 30 seconds.

The Mary Ann, a Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend ($165 a bottle and 352 cases made) was inspired by Gambles mother, who he says shares the wines elegance, opulence and firm character. This wine derives from Mount Veeder fruit and has the structure, flavor and complexity that often come from hillside vineyards. Here, blueberry cobbler, molasses and light-roasted espresso flavors mingle with aromas of dried sage, rosemary and hazelnut toffee.

The future

Quietly, through lives of steady work and a desire to be good stewards of both the land and their community, the Gambles have created an inspiring model for what it means to be a vintner in the Napa Valley  not ones who are distant and separate from their community but instead ones who are intertwined and committed to the valleys long-term health and well-being.

There is an Iroquois teaching that is the seventh-generation principle, Gamble said. It taught that every decision  be it personal, governmental or corporate  must consider how it affects seven generations into the future, so that the sky, valleys and mountains will be here for them to enjoy, too.

Gamble paused and looked out toward the distant hills, many of them covered in vineyards and dotted with houses.

We often dont think much more than a few months down the road now, he said. But that doesnt mean it has to always be that way. It doesnt mean that we cant change.

If it wasnt for the Ag Preserve I dont know if wed be sitting here in a vineyard talking about Napa Valley wine and the wine industry. In my opinion, without it, this entire valley would have been paved over  like Silicon Valley.  Tom Gamble
Dates for the 11th parliamentary election in neighbouring Bangladesh will be announced in the first part of next month.

An announcement in this regard was made on Thursday in Dhaka by the secretary of Election Commission of Bangladesh, according to bdnews24.com

The report quoted Helal Uddin Ahmed, the secretary of Election Commission as saying that the election schedule will be announced in the first week of November

The announcement to the media was made after a meeting with a European Union delegation at the Election Commission Secretariat on Thursday in Dhaka which was also attended by Bangladesh Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) K M Nurul Huda.

The report further stated that an EU polls expert team will be sent ahead of the election and will stay two weeks to monitor the polls environment after the election schedule is announced.

The EU delegation has urged for a free, fair and impartial elections in the country.

According to the report, the EU delegation had sought information about Electronic Voter Machines (EVMs), election observers, manpower, law enforcement agencies, the voting process for expatriates and voter lists.
Bhutan recorded 71.46 per cent of total voters turnout in the National Assembly parliamentary elections held on Thursday.

Also read: Lotay Tshering-led DNT wins Bhutans 3rd National Assembly polls

This was officially announced by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of Bhutan at a media briefing about the third Parliamentary National Assembly Election held at the Democracy House in Thimphu on Friday.

Addressing media persons, the CEC also said that the percentage of rejected postal ballots was less than one per cent, which is negligible, especially if you compare with other countries.

Of over 400,000 total eligible registered voters, more than 300,000 have cast their votes in the National Assembly General Election.

The total voter turnout was 313473 out of the total of 4,38000 eligible voters.

The total votes polled in Electronic Voter Machines (EVMs) were 199553; while 113920 votes were polled through postal ballots.

Notably in the primary round, the voters turnout was 66.6 per cent.

The CEC also thanked all involved in the smooth conduct of the elections for their role in ensuring free and fair elections.

The CEC, replying to a query from media persons admitted that social media cannot be curbed.

However, it was not as damaging as people perceived it to be, the CEC said.

The Election Commission of Bhutan further stated that more than monitoring social media for unlawful or defamatory content, what is required is social media literacy for citizens.

The Election Commission of Bhutan disclosed that 18 posts that were found detrimental to national interests as well party interests were removed from Facebook and Wechat.

While officially declaring the results, the CEC said, With 30 seats, DNT receives the mandate to form the government and DPT, with 17 seats, to form the Opposition.

It is also a big win for women today with Bhutan electing 7 out of the 10 women candidates who contested in the 3rd National Assembly elections, the CEC further added.
Yeni Safak newspaper of Turkey reported that it has acquired the recording of the Saudi opposition journalists murder at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul.

According to the newspaper, it became known in the recording that while Jamal Khashoggi was being interrogated at the consulate, first, his fingers were torn, and subsequently, his head was cut off.

And when the consul of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul had objected saying this should be done outside and not inside the consulate, he was threatened.

On October 2, The Washington Post correspondent Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to validate documents, but went missing. The Turks are confident that he was killed there for writing articles that criticize Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, however, denies these accusations claiming that the journalist disappeared after leaving the consulate.
Opposition MPs remind Armenia PM about treason, get into dispute with ruling party deputies

Armenian army commander: Azerbaijan wants corridor, leader of Armenia gave consent to that, but refused later

Armenia FM holds phone conversations with Russian counterpart, Karen Donfried and OSCE Chairperson-in-Office

MTS launches inspection of its 'daughter' operations in Armenia upon request of U.S.

Armenia MOD: Defense minister receives Rustam Muradov, who brought body of deceased Armenian soldier to Yerevan

Taliban call on US Congress to ease sanctions and unfreeze Afghanistan's assets

Armenia PM: The meaning of being captured and the circumstances of captivity need to be investigated

Moscow, Ankara agree to not release details about joint manufacturing of S-400s

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office welcomes ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan after Russian mediation

Armenia Ombudsman discusses Armenian captives' issue with acting Head of ICRC Delegation

Armenia PM refutes possibility of giving order 'to not open fire' when it comes to homeland defense

Armenian PM tries to clarify situation regarding use of names "Eyvazli" and "Chayzami"

IAEA Director General to visit Iran

Armenia PM: Our goal is to sign a peace treaty

Rustam Muradov brings body of one Armenian serviceman

Reuters: UAE's high-ranking delegation to visit Tehran soon

James Langevin: Azerbaijani government again unleashed a volley of unprovoked violence against Armenia

Ambassador to the Holy See: Armenia calls on its international partners to condemn Azerbaijan's actions

Armenia President provides Singapore PM with information about Azerbaijan's aggressive actions

Armenia PM: Trilateral task force's work is not interrupted

Armenia Police's Educational Complex has new head

Jackie Speier: We're witnessing Aliyev's attempted land grab in real time

Mass media: Rustam Muradov bringing bodies of Armenian soldiers to Yerevan

Yerevan to host subsequent session of Eurasian Intergovernmental Council

Earthquake hits Turkey

Zakharova on possibility of enforcing Armenia-Russia Treaty, says consultations are being held

NEWS.am 17.11.21 digest: Latest on Armenia-Azerbaijan border situation

European People's Party issues statement on recent hostilities on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Opposition 'Armenia' Alliance MP: Resistance movement will help get rid of this catastrophe, namely authorities soon

Armenia PM explains why he appointed new defense minister

Armenian PM: There are territories of Soviet Azerbaijan that are under Armenia's control

Armenia ruling party MP Andranik Kocharyan continues to talk about creation of professional army

Armenia and Russia Security Councils' Secretaries discuss regional security issues

Armenia Security Council Secretary: Azerbaijan fails to maintain ceasefire and isn't implementing reached agreements

Cavusoglu blames Armenia 'for terrorist attack against Azerbaijan'

Opposition 'Armenia' Alliance: Authorities' goal is to stay in power through ongoing concessions

Armenia PM: Our proposals are in effect, including proposal for start of delimitation and demarcation

Resident of Armenia's Shaki village panic when they hear the Azerbaijanis' gunshots

Armenia ruling party MP: Enemy can't achieve any success in Syunik Province

Armenia PM and ministers answering MPs' questions (LIVE)

Ambassador: Armenia Security Council Secretary will probably have separate meeting with Nikolai Patrushev

Armenia health minister: Kapan and Goris will have additional SUVs for paramedics

Armen Sarkissian presents situation on Armenia's borders at Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore

Armenia FM: International community reaction to Azerbaijans provocative, aggressive actions was not targeted, proper

Armenia Prosecutor General receives Egypt Ambassador

Council of Europe Secretary General concerned about tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Armenian Assembly of America: Russian-brokered ceasefire is not enough

Armenia Security Council secretary: Yerevan expects diplomatic, military assistance from Moscow

Turkey and US hold talks on defense and security issues

Peskov: Moscow calls for restraint to parties to conflict on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

CSTO chief: There is still tension on line of contact between Armenian, Azerbaijani sides

Kremlin: All parties consent is necessary for contact between Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders

Russia deputy FM, EU representative discuss situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Armenia health minister: We are at reduction phase of Covid cases

2 more persons die of coronavirus in Artsakh

Biden bans members of the Nicaraguan government from entering US

168.am: Ex-commander of Russia peacekeepers in Karabakh is urgently sent to Armenia

Ambassador to Russia: Not ruled out that Armenia may apply to CSTO for assistance

Armenia, Azerbaijan attending annual meeting of CIS Security Councils' Secretaries

Ambassador: Yerevan continues contacts with Moscow regarding situation on border with Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan reports 7 military casualties during recent aggression against Armenia

Spokesperson: Armenia MFA has informed UN Security Council President on situation

Armenian captives continue to be 'tried' in Azerbaijan

Armenia MFA: Pashinyan, Putin discussed possible joint steps enshrined in bilateral legal framework

982 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Erdogan and Zelenskyy discuss bilateral relations

US Congressman: Azerbaijan must acknowledge, respect Armenia sovereignty

Adam Schiff: US must deter Azerbaijans ongoing aggression, show support for Armenian peoples sovereignty

Armenia legislature observes minute of silence in memory of fallen soldiers

Police forces being brought to Armenia parliament ahead of PM's visit

Armenia representative addresses UN Security Council discussion, speaks about Azerbaijan military aggression

World oil prices falling

Armenia MOD: Situation on eastern border relatively stable

Newspaper: Armenia Constitutional Court is tool in hands of executive branch of power

Russia peacekeepers deliver over 300 tons of humanitarian cargo to needy Karabakh residents in one year

Newspaper: Russia's obligations before Armenia, border situation

Frank Pallone: Azerbaijan's escalation of violence on Armenian soil is unacceptable

Blinken urges Armenia, Azerbaijan to take immediate concrete steps to reduce tensions

Canada FM calls Armenia, Azerbaijan for de-escalation of situation

Contract soldier Meruzhan Harutyunyan died in hostilities
Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan received Coordinator at the Protection Unit of the ICRC Zurab Burduli, Head of the Armenian representation of the International Committee of the Red Cross Claire Meitro.

Congratulating her on her appointment, Tatoyan highly appreciated the cooperation and trusting relations with the Armenian office of the ICRC.

During the meeting, issues of expanding cooperation were discussed. In particular, the organization of discussions on ensuring guarantees of the protection of human rights.

Tatoyan brifed about the shelling of the civilian population in the border villages of Tavush region, as well as a number of questions in connection with the captured Karen Ghazaryan.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo gave Saudi Arabia officials 72 hours to end probe into the case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo said at the White House Thursday that Saudi Arabia deserves a 'few more days' to finish the investigation, Daily Mail reported.

The British newspaper says sources described report a tough meeting between Pompeo and the crown prince.

Talking to reporters in Washington, Pompeo said Saudis assured him they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr. Khashoggi and that they'll do so in a timely fashion, and that this itself will be transparent for everyone to see, to ask questions about, and to inquire with respect to its thoroughness.
YEREVAN.  The amnesty bill will be debated on in several days at the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs and Protection of Human Rights, and then at the NA session.

Artak Zeynalyan, the Acting Minister of Justice of Armenia, on Friday told about the aforesaid to reporters at parliament.

But he did not say how many people and which types of prisoners will be granted this official pardon, and solely noted that it will be considerable and extensive.

Asked whether this amnesty is linked to Armenias prisons being overcrowded, the acting minister responded: There is no issue of overcrowded penitentiaries in Armenia. (). The objective of the amnesty is not the reduction of [the number of inmates in] penitentiaries; this is a humanitarian action.

Reporters also asked why the authorities decided on a general pardon during a pre-election season. In response, however, Zeynalyan stated as follows: This is an amnesty being carried out on behalf of the whole government and the public; also, on my initiative. It has nothing to do with the pre-election period.
YEREVAN.  Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) of Armenia and Ukraine were conducted Thursday in Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia.

During the talks, led by deputy FMs Shavarsh Kocharyan and Vasyl Bodnar of Armenia and Ukraine, respectively, the parties discussed the avenues for the intensification of interparliamentary cooperation, promotion of decentralized collaboration, and expansion of legal framework between the two countries, the MFA of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Also, they stressed the making of bilateral trade and economic relations grow deeper.

In addition, the deputy FMs of Armenia and Ukraine reflected on the prospects for the strengthening of multilateral cooperation, and conferred on several regional and international matters of mutual interest.
The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line is unprecedentedly calm and this is a result of the Dushanbe agreement, Armenian acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told reporters on Thursday.

He confirmed that a direct communication has been established with the Azerbaijani authorities.

As we agreed with the Azerbaijani side, a reliable direct communication has been established, he said.

Armenian parliaments standing committee on legal affairs has given positive conclusion on the package of bills, including draft amendments to the Electoral Code and the constitutional law on a referendum.

Acting Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan said the amendments to the Electoral Code stem from the demands that were formed during the events of April and May.

Armenias acting First Deputy Prime Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Friday informed the Venice Commission on the governments plans regarding the announced early parliamentary elections and co-operation with the Commission.

A delegation from Armenia, and led by acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, on Saturday will travel to Lebanon on a two-day working visit.

During his trip, Pashinyan will have meetings with the top leadership of Lebanon, as well as the Lebanese Armenian community and the Catholicos of the Armenian Church Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

He will also visit the Armenian spiritual and cultural centers and education institutions in capital city Beirut.

The Armenian police have identified the mother of newborn children found in the yard of orphanage in Gyumri, Shirak province, Armenia.

The 18-year-old mother is a resident of Ararat province. The motives of the crime are being clarified.

Two baby boys, presumably twins, were found in a plastic bag on October 17 in the courtyard of Fritjof Nansen orphanage in Gyumri.

The amnesty bill will be debated on in several days at the Armenian parliaments standing committee on legal affairs, and then at the National Assembly session, acting Justice Minister said.

Artak Zeynalyan noted that the amnesty will be considerable and extensive.

This is an amnesty being carried out on behalf of the whole government and the public; also, on my initiative. It has nothing to do with the pre-election period, he said.

The former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) on Thursday convened an executive body meeting at the party headquarters. RPA Chairman and third President Serzh Sargsyan chaired the talk.

Party vice-chairman and MP Armen Ashotyan informed that the discussants conferred on the political situation in Armenia, draft amendments to the election law and the forthcoming snap parliamentary election.
YEREVAN.  While the Karabakh conflict will certainly be on Boltons agenda, it is unlikely to be a top item, former U.S. co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Carey Cavanaugh says.

Mr. Carey Cavanaugh, professor of diplomacy at the University of Kentucky and chairman of International Alert, commented for Armenian News-NEWS.am on the recent visit of Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent as well as upcoming visit by John Bolton.

He described Kents visit as not unusual and added that Boltons visit is a different thing.

President Donald Trump called for international action to restrain Iran at the United Nations last month, but was largely unsuccessful. Bolton is now seeking to build support in the Caucasus and in Moscow to help counter Iranian influence. At the same time, contentious foreign policy issues involving Russia and Turkey have dominated recent newspaper headlines  these include Ukraine, Syria, and energy/pipeline issues. These too will undoubtedly be high on Boltons agenda. There is great value in reviewing and sharing US concerns about these topics with Yerevan, Baku and Tbilisi, and where possible enlisting their support, Cavanaugh said.

Former Co-Chair has no doubt that Karabakh will be discussed during Boltons visit, particularly given the September meeting in Dushanbe between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev.

Cavanaugh is confident that the encounter in Dushanbe showed that a direct dialogue on settlement issues remains possible.

Another positive sign that emerged in Dushanbe was the commitment by both leaders to move forward with some small confidence building measures that would reduce prospects for ceasefire violations along the Line of Contact and the border. Strengthening the ceasefire is particularly important, as it can help build a foundation for peace. My personal concern is that in the past two years it has become too quiet on the Karabakh peace front, but not sufficiently quiet on the Karabakh military front.

However, the professor noted that there has been scant discussion of compromise solutions by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan and therefore little ability to move forward on possible settlement proposals.

More needs to be done here, but that may be difficult in the near term, especially given the unsettled political situation in Armenia and the run up to snap parliamentary elections in December.

While the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will certainly be on Boltons agenda, it is unlikely to be a top item. Nevertheless, I believe Boltons visit should bring greater clarity to the White House and President Trump regarding this long-standing dispute and a better perspective on what more might be done to advance peace.
The Venice Commission recorded that a special situation has been created in Armenia and under such conditions, if the country's political forces agree to change the Electoral Code, the Venice Commission will not hinder the country's sustainable development, the press service of the Armenian government reported.

Acting First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan presented to the Venice Commission the process of the RA Electoral Code Reform and the proposed major changes to the Code.

The Acting First Deputy Prime Minister also shared information on the political developments in Armenia and informed the Commission about the resignation of the Prime Minister. Mr. Mirzoyan specifically noted that the early parliamentary elections are aimed at summing up the democratic peaceful revolution in the country to overcome the existing political, institutional and constitutional crisis by forming a truly representative parliament as the current National Assembly, elected only a year ago , does not represent the political will and preference of the Armenian people.

As a result of the discussion, the Venice Commission reaffirmed the stabilization of the electoral code and the recommendations on holding the Electoral Code at least one year before the elections but noted that a special situation was created in Armenia and, in such circumstances, the Venice Commission will not hinder the country's sustainable development process.
The President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio acknowledges and supports the peaceful manner in which the Armenian people is carrying out change, he said in a statement issued after the discussions between the Venice Commission and the First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia at the 116th session of the Venice Commission.

The statement issued by the President reads:

Following the discussions between the Venice Commission and the First Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia at the 116th session of the Venice Commission

Acknowledges and supports the peaceful manner in which the Armenian people is carrying out change;

Acknowledges the specific situation in Armenia, which requires the holding of early elections;

Welcomes the commitment of the Armenian authorities to abide by international standards when revising the Electoral Code;

Notes that the proposed amendments pursue legitimate aims and seem mostly positive;

Welcomes in particular all steps taken to facilitate the exercise of the right to vote, to extend access to media, the rights of observers and more generally the transparency of the electoral process, as well as to struggle against electoral fraud;

Welcomes the abolition of restrictions on the number of participants in coalitions to be formed after the first round, in conformity with a key recommendation of the Venice Commission and ODIHR;

Welcomes the implementation of other recommendations of the Venice Commission and ODIHR, concerning in particular:

- The reduction of the electoral thresholds and thresholds applied for returning electoral deposits; the reduction of the amount of deposits;

- The reduction of deadlines for the accreditation of observers and media representatives, as well as the suppression of obstacles to the work of observers, such as the possibility to limit their number;

- Guarantees to ensure free vote by the military.

Recalls the reservations of the Venice Commission with respect to major changes in the electoral system, such as the abolition of district lists, within the year preceding the elections;

Notes that these reservations are less relevant if there is consensus among political forces about the change.
Explore and photograph the Florida Wildlife Corridor, a conservation area for endangered Florida panthers, with one of their most ardent champions, National Geographic Explorer Carlton Ward Jr.

Hear about the adventures of University of Miami alumna and National Geographic Explorer Mireya Mayor, who discovered the mouse lemur in Madagascar and inspired the African island to create its first national park to protect the native species.

Or delve into a conversation about what Florida may look like in 2100 with National Geographic explorers and local experts working to protect Miamis waterways and coastline.

These are just a few experiences that UM students can take advantage of during the first National Geographic On Campus program, set to begin on Friday, Nov. 9 and continue through Saturday, Nov. 10. The interactive program, developed through a partnership between UM and National Geographic, will connect students to National Geographics worldwide community of scientists, journalists, educators, and explorers. The two-day event will take place at the Donna E. Shalala Student Center, but some workshops will take students off campus Saturday.

The idea is to try to expose younger people to the many different aspects of National Geographic, said environmental anthropologist and Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science Professor Kenny Broad, who also received the 2011 National Geographic Explorer of the Year Award. Its not just about animal conservationthey are also trying to address human rights, gender related issues, environmental justice, and a host of human environmental challenges. They have moved away from just describing far away distant places and are trying to involve the next generation of storytellers and scientists.

Professor Kenny Broad on a cavediving expedition.

Starting Nov. 9, students, faculty, and staff will be able to explore solutions to the critical issues facing the planet and its citizens during the World Without Borders Science and Storytelling Symposium. Speakers and panel moderators will include National Geographic Explorers, local thought leaders, and UM faculty such as Broad, who is also director of the Abess Center for Ecosystem Science and Policy; History Associate Professor Robin Bachin, assistant provost for Civic and Community Engagement; and School of Communication Professor Sanjeev Chatterjee, to name a few. Then, on Saturday, Nov. 10, students who apply will be able to attend hands-on National Geographic-led workshops to enrich what they are learning in the classroom. All of these events are free of charge to the UM community, but students must register in advance and apply for the Saturday workshops.

Provost Jeffrey L. Duerk said the university is thrilled about the opportunity.

National Geographic is one of the most interdisciplinary organizations in the world, with foci in science, communication, policy, research, technology, and advocacy, Duerk said. As a university that itself is interdisciplinary and aspires to do even better in this area, the partnership and synergies are a natural. It affords us access to experts, expands our networks, opens our horizons and provides new opportunities for collaboration.

Throughout the event, National Geographic will also provide information about projects and grant programs open to young explorers in a variety of disciplines.

All students, regardless of their field of study, are encouraged to register for the symposium since space is limited. More information about registration and the full schedule of events can be found on: www.miami.edu/natgeo
Rights groups say the move will achieve little without ending movement restrictions or granting Rohingya a pathway to citizenship.













Six people were killed early Friday after a blaze tore through an overcrowded Rohingya camp for the persecuted minority in Myanmar's Rakhine state, the local fire service said.Global attention has focused on the 720,000 Rohingya Muslims forced from the state's north into Bangladesh last year by a brutal military crackdown.The UN Human Rights Council has accused top Myanmar generals of genocide over the bloody campaign, allegations the country strongly denies.But less visible are the 129,000 Rohingya confined to squalid camps further south near the capital Sittwe following an earlier bout of violence in 2012.Hundreds were killed that year in riots between Rakhine Buddhists and the stateless minority, who were corralled into destitute camps away from their former neighbours.The conflagration in Ohndaw Chay camp, which houses some 4,000 Rohingya and lies 15 miles (24 kilometres) from Sittwe, started just before midnight and lasted several hours, fire department official Han Soe told AFP."Six people, one man and five women were killed," he said, adding that 15 communal longhouses were also destroyed in the blaze thought to have been started in a kitchen accident."We were able to bring the fire under control about 1:10 am this morning and had put it out completely by around 3 am," he said.A total of 822 people were left without shelter, local media reported.Conditions in the camps are dire and Rohingya trapped there have virtually no access to healthcare, education and work, relying on food handouts from aid agencies to survive.Access into the camps is also tightly controlled, effectively cutting their inhabitants off from the outside world and leaving their plight largely forgotten.Fires in the camps are common because of "severe" overcrowding, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)."Many camp residents have built makeshift extensions to their shelters to create more space for their families. So when a fire breaks out, it is more likely to spread quickly," said OCHA spokesman Pierre Peron.Hla Win, a Rohingya man from a nearby camp, told AFP that fire trucks were slow to arrive along the dilapidated roads from Sittwe and the lack of water also hampered efforts to extinguish the blaze."We have no ponds near the camps," he said. "That's why the fire destroyed so much."Myanmar has vowed to close nearly 20 of the camps around Sittwe in the coming months.
Posted by Mark Williams | October 13, 2018

We've seen a couple versions of the coming 2019 Ford Ranger  both the FX4 and the Raptor  but now we can add one more after visiting the 2018 State Fair of Texas, which runs through Oct. 21 in Dallas. This 2019 Ford Ranger XLT with the STX Appearance Package was dressed to hit the beach or lagoon with surfboards and kayaks on the roof. The display vehicle had all the same underpinnings we've seen on Ford Rangers at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and 2018 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis.

Compared to other models we've seen, there's nothing really different about the STX, but we do like the bare-bones look and quality of the interior seats, dash and console area. And we hope Ford will eventually offer a manual transmission option.

Here's a closer look at what we saw at the 2018 State Fair of Texas.

Cars.com photos by Christian Lantry
























The Montgomery County Sheriffs Office issued a public appeal for information on October 18 after a woman was filmed leaving a child on a strangers doorstep the previous night.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 pm at Legends Ridge Drive in Spring, Texas, according to police. Footage shows a woman lifting a child, identified by police as a two-year-old black male, to the door and ringing the door bell. The woman at the residence called police after finding the child outside her house.

Child Protective Services took the child into their care and police appealed to the public for information about the woman and the child. Credit: Montgomery County Sheriffs Office via Storyful
Home | News | General | Boulos partners Suzuki Japan on Clean up the world campaign

Boulous Enterprises Limited, (BEL) in conjunction with Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan have again reiterated the importance of a clean and healthy environment which it says impacts the well being of people. For this reason, the two companies have continued to invest in clean up the world campaign in some cities in Nigeria. This years Bolous/Suzuki clean up the world campaign is the seventh edition held in Inagbe Resort and Leisure Island, Lagos, as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).

Just like the previous editions, the clean beach campaign is aimed at improving the eco system as well as reducing environmental pollution and especially focussed on the fishing communities, which are the major users of the four-stroke marine engine, an upgrade of the two-stroke engine that was banned by the Federal Government in 2012 because of pollution and the danger it poses to health. Speaking at the event, which had in attendance members of the fishing community and graced by the baale of Okun Glass, Inagbe, Chief Ismaila Musa among others; Austin Obahor, Corporate Sales Manager, Boulos Enterprises urged members of the community to always maintain good hygiene by cleaning up their environment.

According to Obahor, though the programme is an annual event, the fishermen should always ensure the shores are always clean. Obahor noted that Suzuki Marine has always aimed at providing customers satisfaction along with excitement on the water in a clean and healthy environment.To play our part as Suzuki marine distributor in in Nigeria, BEL has organised the Seventh Edition of the Beach Clean UP Campaign at Inagbe Resorts and Leisure Island in Lagos.

In the past few years, we have carried out this campaign in various fishing communities in Lagos State. In 2017, the campaign was taken to Epe beach as usual for the riverine populace.

This Clean up exercise is carried out by the staff of BEL in conjunction with fishing communities, the fisheries department of Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment and the general public around the riverine area where people enjoy boating and fishing exercises, for the propagation of better a sanitation society in order to ensure a healthier environment. He submitted.

Also speaking at the event, Chief Ismaila Musa, Baale of Okun Glass, Inagbe, told DailyBells Nigeria that they would be glad if Boulos could bring back the event next year.

We would be glad if they (Suzuki) can come here again next year to organise this type of sensitisation. Interestingly, Suzuki outboard engine happens to be the first engine we used in this environment. I can testify that it is a very highly quality engine.

Speaking on purchasing the engine, he said while there have been individuals who could afford to buy the engine, others can purchase them through cooperatives.

On the clean up exercise, he noted that though the management of the inagbe resort have staff that normally clean the shores of the beach, with the sensitization, members of the village would henceforth join in cleaning the beach as they have been told about the benefits of a clean fishing environment.

The Suzuki beach clean-up is a world event, undertaken in every country where Suzuki has a manufacturing factory and distributors.

Boulos Enterprises Limited (BEL) was incorporated in 1964 by the Boulos brothers Anthony and Gabriel Boulos.

The main focus of their business initially, was trading and incorporation of general merchandise including some brands of motorcycles from Western Europe.

After a few years, they concentrated on the importation of the Suzuki brand of motorcycles and outboard motors from Japan and since then it remained a leading motorcycle and outboard motors distribution and assembly company in Nigeria.

The continued growth in Suzuki motorcycle business stimulated the company to establish the first assembly plant in the country at Oregun, Ikeja Nigeria in 1969 existing till date to assembly motorcycles from Completely Knocked Down (CKD) to Fully built up ( FBU) by Nigerian staff.

LSETF, IBM to empower Lagos youths with digital skills

It is worthy to note this was implemented at the initiative of the company as all other competitors in the country were still importing fully built up motorcycles.

The ban of fully built motorcycles gave the company the impetus to embark on a manufacturing/assembly plant. Considering the bright future of automobile business in Nigeria and the level of technology, the company embarked on the construction of a phased integrated motorcycles manufacturing complex located at its present 25-acre plot at Ogba Industrial Scheme Ikeja.

The present integrated plant has an installed capacity of 150,000 units for motorcycles assembling per annum on a single 8-hours shift per working day.

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Home | News | General | Police arrest suspected cultist that threatens to kill DPO, burn down police station

By Esther Onyegbula & Victor Arjiromanus

Police in Lagos state is currently interrogating a notorious cultist identified as Austine Oghieh for threatening to burn down Oworoshoki divisional police station and kill the divisional police officer, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Ifeanyi Owoh.

Police

It was learned that on October, 11, 2018 at about 9am, the DPO Oworoshoki, CSP. Ifeanyi Owoh received a call from an unknown number threatening to kill him and burn the station to ashes because he arrested their leader named Kayode Ojo. The unknown caller said the DPO will not know peace again, that he would be killed and his station burnt to ashes.

On receiving this threat, CSP. Ifeanyi Owoh reportedly contacted the commissioner of police, Imohimi Edgal who directed the officer in- charge of Anti-kidnapping Squad to ensure that the culprit was arrested.

Consequently, the squad went underground and deciphered the unknown number to be MTN number 07033719352 owned by 38-year-old Austine Oghieh. He was traced to 15 Fakeye Street, off Jimoh Yusuf, Obawale, Fagba, Ikeja LGA, where he was apprehended. The suspect confessed to the crime.

The Commissioner of police, Imohimi Edgal noted that a threat on a divisional police officer is a threat on the Lagos state police command and a threat to commit arson is an offense against the state. He further stated that on completion of investigation, the suspect will be charged to court accordingly.

Ten other suspected cultists who were arrested at different locations in the state while having their initiation ceremony included: Prince Chimeterem (28), Obiora Victor (30), Ifeanyi Uche (23), Ufon Udosen (21), Gbenga Ogundijo (42), Radi Taiyo (19), Owoyemi Toheeb, (19), Adewale John, (23), Olawale Adams (20) and Ramon Sodiq (28)

Plateau LG polls: Angry youths block roads, insist on results

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Home | News | General | OSUBI AIRPORT: DTHA urges Okowa to intervene in closure

By Festus Ahon

ASABADELTA State House of Assembly, yesterday, urged the state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, to urge the Federal Ministry of Transport to prevail on the National Airspace Management Agency to restore air traffic services at the Osubi Airport.

Moving the motion under motion on notice during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Mr.Sheriff Oborevwori which was seconded by Mrs. Orezi Esievo, the member representing Ughelli South constituency, Mr. Reuben Izeze said the withdrawal of air traffic services since September 3, this year has brought untold hardship to the people of the state.

Izeze said though the issue of airport management was under the exclusive legislative list the primary purpose of government as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended was the welfare and security of the people.

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Home | News | General | Fashola gives update on electricity situation, makes key promise to Nigerians

- Babatunde Fashola says before the end of 2018, an additional 945 megawatts of electricity would be added to the national grid

- He said the power sector has recorded successful improvements in incremental power capacity in generation, transmission and distribution

- The minister further disclosed that that more Independent Power Projects (IPPs) would also come on stream to boost power supply in the country

The minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday, October 18, said that additional 945 megawatts of electricity would be added to the national grid before the end of 2018.

Fashola said this at the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce breakfast business meeting in Lagos themed: Power Sector and the Way Forward, NAN reports.

READ ALSO: I have nothing to do with any online grant scheme - Atiku

Legit.ng gathers that he said that additional power would be generated to the grid from the 450 mw Azura Edo plant, 215 mw Kaduna power plant, 240 mw Afam V power plant and 40mw Kashimbilla hydro plant in Taraba state.

According to him, the power sector has recorded successful improvement in incremental power capacity in generation, transmission and distribution.

The countrys power generation stood at 4,000 megawatts when we came on board; but today, it has been increased to 7,000 megawatts.

In 2015, energy transmission was 5,000mw while distribution was at 3,000mw but as at today, we are distributing 5,000mw on average with 2,000 megawatts stranded.

We are currently adding an average of 1,000mw of energy yearly to the national grid which implies that we have added about 3,000mw to the generation since we came on board, he said.

Fashola said the statistics implied that 2,000mw was stranded and must be evacuated for use as more power will be generated in the years to come.

He said that government had committed to invest N72 billion for the procurement and installation of equipment to help distribute unused 2,000mw of electricity to consumers in the country.

He said the 2,000mw was from the 7,000mw that GENCOS could generate and the 5,000mw that DISCOS could distribute.

According to the minster, the DISCOS have complained about inadequate power to distribute.

Fashola, however, said the problem presently was that the DISCOS could not distribute all the power that was available.

This, he explained, was leaving the sector with an unused capacity of 2,000mw, with an approximately 1,150mw projected to come in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

He said that more Independent Power Projects (IPPs) would also come on stream to boost power supply in the country.

He said that government is also targeting powering some markets, Nigerian universities and hospitals through the IPP.

According to him, all these power plants do not involve the mini grids and solar systems that are coming.

Fashola said the narrative must change from not enough power to how un-utilised power could be distributed.

He said that the sector had made progress on power generation and transmission, adding that distribution issues would also be cleared soon.

The assurance guarantee brought confidence to power production business, which resulted to increased power production which took us to all-time high of 7,000mw power availability.

However, grid supplied power peaked at all-time high of 5,155mw in December 2017, he added.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the minister of power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola, expressed optimism that Nigeria is inching closer towards diversifying its energy mix with the inclusion of nuclear energy.

Underscoring the need for Nigeria to diversify its energy mix with inclusion of nuclear energy, Fashola said it was imperative for Nigeria to lay emphasis on the gains and safety of nuclear energy, as obtained in advanced nations.

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Home | News | General | PDP makes strong demand over developments resulting from Osun governorship election, tribunal

- The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wants the immediate reconstitution of the Osun state governorship election petition tribunal

- Kola Ologbondiyan, the national spokesperson of the PDP, frowns at the disbanding of the panel by the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachwa

- The PDP says disbanding the tribunal is a way to frustrate the PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Nigeria's main opposition party, on Thursday, October 18, specially demanded for the immediate reconstitution of the Osun state governorship election petition tribunal.

The party, in a statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, said that further delay would jeopardize the course of justice in the matter.

Ologbondiyan frowned at the disbanding of the panel by the president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachwa, saying it was a development which, if not quickly addressed, would send a very bad signal on the integrity of the judiciary.

READ ALSO: Breaking: APC, PDP Reps defect to other parties

He said that PDPs submission was predicated on reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been mounting pressure on the judiciary to deny the PDP justice in the determination of the Osun governorship election dispute at the tribunal.

Ologbondiyan said that in the lawful effort of PDP to reclaim the mandate, the party duly filed its petition on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2018 in accordance with Section 285 (6) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) which prescribed that judgment must be delivered on or before 180 days.

The PDP spokesperson said that while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was served, the APC and its candidate evaded service.

Consequently, the PDP on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 applied for substituted service, which was slated for hearing Thursday, October 18, only to be informed that the panel has been disbanded on Wednesday without any reason and without providing a new panel to hear our matter.

The president of the Court of Appeal should note that her disbanding of the panel without setting up a new one, goes to a deliberate attempt to prevent the PDP from serving the APC and its candidate and to meet the constitutional 180 days time-frame for the determination of the case at the tribunal.

Election petition matters are sui generis, with specific timeframe allotted to various stages up to the final determination.

The failure to set up a new panel to timeously hear our application for substituted service on APC and its candidate smacks of a shenanigan to deny our party full justice in the matter.

The PDP, therefore, urges the president of the Court of Appeal not to bend to the proclivities of the APC and its candidate to bring the vouched reputation of the judiciary into a shameful disrepute, in their desperation to hold onto a stolen mandate.

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It is also imperative to state that the 2018 Osun governorship election has become the interest of not only Nigerians but also the global community.

As such, every institution that has a role in ensuring fairness and justice, particularly, the judiciary, must rise to its responsibility and not succumb to unlawful and anti-people predilections.

NAIJ.com earlier reported the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the evening of Thursday, September 27, officially declared Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the Osun governorship election.

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Home | News | General | APC is planning to cause violence in Akwa Ibom ahead of 2019 elections - Governor Udom

- Emmanuel Udom, the governor of Akwa Ibom state, has alleged that the APC is planning to cause violence in the state

- He said he had been briefed on the alleged plans by the ruling party to cause trouble in the state

- Udom, however, said the people of the state have resolved to be peaceful and will remain so

Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom state on Thursday, October 19, alleged that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) is planning to cause mayhem in the state ahead of 2019 general elections.

Sun reports that the governor, who said he has been briefed on the alleged plans, described the antics of the ruling party as a deliberate ploy to distract his administration from delivering its mandate prior to the 2019 general elections.

READ ALSO: Atiku's running mate Obi attacks APC, debunks alleged ethnic bias in Onitsha bridge clean-up

Legit.ng gathered that this is coming a day after Senator Bassey Akpan, who represents Akwa Ibom northeast, raised a point of order on the floor of the Senate, alleging that there was a grand plan by the APC in Akwa Ibom state to disrupt the 2019 governorship election in the oil-rich state.

Governor Udom who was at the State House Abuja, to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari, told State House correspondents that while God is the ultimate giver of power, he was not afraid of losing re-election next year.

He said: When it comes to power, it is only God who determines and we are conscious of that. We are professionals who have made names in other places. So, when people just discuss some of these things we keep doing our own businesses.

At times some of these things are to distract you but we refuse to be distracted. We play politics of development and our people are seeing that. So, whatever would have tried in any way to distract us we dont want to be distracted.

So, dont be bothered about that. It is only God who determines what happens the next minute, not man. And no man is God.

He said anyone planning violence and war in Akwa Ibom was wasting his time as people of the State have resolved to be peaceful and will remain so.

He, however, stated that such threats were being monitored even at the level of the presidency, and he believes there is no cause for alarm.

Governor Udom added, At the moment Akwa Ibom State is very peaceful. We only hear of those plots. I am sure you people heard where people were pronouncing that Warsaw saw War and thats what they wish Akwa Ibom would be.

But we indigenes are saying no, we are peaceful and we want to maintain peace. Whoever wants to live by Warsaw saw war will also see war on his own, not within the state.

Election does not call for that. Our own democracy is about development and I think were conscious of that.

As of today in terms of internal security, we are still doing very well and well continue to carry everybody along.

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I think it is being noted. On actions expected thats not for me, I am not the C-in-C. The C-in-C knows the action to take. The President is the father for all.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the Akwa Ibom state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) raised alarm over what it termed as employment scam masterminded by the government of the state.

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Home | News | General | Strike: We cant be intimidated by FGs no work, no pay threat - COEASU

- College of Education lecturers staff union has reacted to the federal governments threat of no work, no pay

- The union said it is not intimidated by the governments action

- The unions president said the governments threat shows lack of care of the less privileged

College of Education lecturers have reportedly said that they are not intimidated by the federal government threat of no work, no pay policy that is contained in the draft White Paper recently released.

The lecturers said the threat to cow them was an indication of insensitivity and irresponsibility by the government, Vanguard reports.

A statement by the national president, Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Nuhu Ogirima in Abuja, Friday, October 19, said that the federal governments disposition had only vindicated the perception that it does not care for the less privileged, whose children constitute over 90% of Colleges of Education students population.

READ ALSO: Ill continue holding GEJ in high esteem for accepting defeat - Buhari

The statement read: The federal government, rather than own up to her failure to deliver good governance, by addressing our issues and, indeed, those of the larger populace, has threatened no work no pay.

This grandstanding is a mark of not only insensitivity but also irresponsibility towards the law-abiding labour force of our dear country.

Recall that we have been receiving fractional/mutilated salaries for years in all Federal Colleges of Education, especially because of the non-inclusion of PAA.

Where salaries are paid, it is the cooperative societies membership subscriptions and Unions dues that are being used to service/augment government allocation for salaries.

So, if we didnt threaten government no pay no work, why would government threaten us with no work no pay because were now requesting government to pay us full salary, by the strike?

Conversely, FG disposition has only vindicated our perception that the current federal government does not care for the less privileged, whose children constitute over 90% of Colleges of Education students population.

Else, how would FG justify its refusal to implement 2014 Needs Assessment report on the 70 public COEs, which review it called for again in 2017, when it began the implementation of the same report for another tertiary education institution, to which the children and wards of the elites subscribe, in 2015?

What justification has FG to refuse the full implementation of CONTISS 15 by denying the lower cadre of COEs, much more so when the same FG did for a sister sub-sector both of whom a presidential approval was given in 2009?

As we conclude the first phase of the national strike, we urge you all to be not distracted by the intimidation and threat of no work no pay. The threat should rather strengthen our resolve that enough is enough of exploitative work. Its no pay no work!

Recall that there has not been any commensurate adjustment in salary since the pump price of fuel was unadjusted astronomically. Weve never been more impoverished than now, it has been exploitation galore for this administration, I dare say.

Furthermore, FG commitment to the renegotiation has been quite questionable, as it has not come to terms with us on our proposed salary structure and a host of other issues. So, do brace up for a prolonged battle  it is a no retreat no surrender action, for if we refused to stand for COE system now, we may not get it right again.

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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) called for commitment and sincerity by stakeholders on the issue of the agitation for a new national minimum wage.

NLCs national president, Ayuba Wabba, made the call while speaking with journalists shortly after an interaction with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) held on Wednesday, October 17, in Abuja.

Wabba also said the economic challenge occasioned by the continued devaluation, exchange rate, increase in pump price of petroleum products and high electricity tariff had virtually eroded the purchasing power of Nigerians.

He said a review of the minimum wage of N18,000 was imperative.

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Home | News | General | Governor Fayemi orders police to fish out killers of Ekiti APC chieftain

- The death of an APC chieftain in Ekiti is still generating reactions in the state

- Governor Kayode Fayemi has asked security agencies in the state to fish out killers

- The chieftain, Mr Moses Adeoye, was the treasurer of the Ekiti state chapter of the APC

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti on Thursday, October 18, asked security agencies in the state to fish out killers of the treasurer of the state chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), Moses Adeoye, who was killed by gunmen at his Otun Ekiti residence on Tuesday, October 16.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the late Adeoye, who was until recently chairman of the party in Moba local government, was allegedly trailed to his residence by the gunmen and shot dead in the presence of his family members.

The governor had upon hearing the sad news, after his return from a trip to Abuja, through his spokesman, Yinka Oyebode, directed all the security agencies in the state to ensure the killers are apprehended and made to face the wrath of the law.

READ ALSO: DMO, Fayose disagree over Ekiti state liability, debts

Fayemi vowed to get to the root of the matter, stressing that anyone found to be connected in one way or the other with the killing would be dealt with decisively.

He said his administration would work with security agencies to put an end to the spate of assassination and violence in the state.

Meanwhile, the governor commiserated with the family of the deceased, assuring them of justice in the matter.

NAN reports that Fayemi, who was out of the state on official duty when the incidence occurred, described the death of the APC chieftain as sad and devastating, pledging governments support for the family.

The governors condolence message was delivered to the family by a high power delegation comprising the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Biodun Oyebanji; Chief of Staff, Mr Biodun Omoleye; and Chief Alaba Abejide.(NAN)

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Meanwhile, Governor Fayemi has been advised to learn a big lesson from the incarceration of his predecessor, Ayodele Fayose, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) barely 24 hours after relinquishing power.

While giving the warning at an interdenominational thanksgiving service organised at the Government House in Ado Ekiti to mark Fayemis inauguration, a Muslim cleric, Alhaji Raheem Arikewuyo Olowoyo, said Fayoses travail conveyed a vivid message to leaders that power is transient.

Olowoyo, who is the Awiye Adinni of Ekiti land said those in position of authority must learn from the fact that Fayose, who still wielded power of life and death just a week ago, is now cooling his heel in the custody of the EFCC.

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Home | News | General | Aisha Buharis brother, Usani, Abe, Ribadu, others lose out as APC submits list

l50 parties submitted so far

86 parties in last minute rush to submit NASS, presidential candidates list

ABUJAEIGHTY-SIX of the nations 91 political parties were engaged in a last minute rush, last night, to submit their lists of National Assembly and presidential candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC in order to beat the midnight deadline.

Election

As of 7pm yesterday, 86 political parties had been given tally and were on the queue. Out of the figure, over 50 political parties including the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had completed the processes.

No fewer than 89 political parties had notified the Commission of their intention to conduct their primaries and sponsor candidates to the Commission for the 2019 general elections.

This came as aggrieved aspirants in the APC protested the substitution or otherwise of their names by the leadership of the party in the final list it submitted to the INEC.

At the venue, former governor of Ondo State and presidential candidate of the Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, Dr Olusegun Mimiko advised INEC to be thorough with the process to guarantee the confidence of the leadership of the political parties.

On his part, National Chairman of the Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance, APDA, Shittu Mohammed, expressed satisfaction over the exercise.

The national secretariat of the APC was tension-soaked yesterday as many of the aspirants besieged the premises trying to have a glimpse of the names to be submitted to the electoral body.

APC Director of Organization, Abubakar Kari, led some officials of the party in a branded APC bus to submit the list to INEC at about 2.00pm

In the APC appeal committee report sighted by Vanguard, many aspirants had sufficient grounds to launch their appeals but the committee decided not to uphold most of the appeals because of effluxion of time, the period for political party primaries as scheduled by INEC having lapsed. Hence, the committee struck out many appeals saying there was no to conduct fresh primaries.

Aisha Buharis brother, Usani, Abe, Ribadu, others lose out as APC submits list

Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Senator Representing Rivers South-East, Magnus Abe, and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani emerged as some of the biggest losers as their appeals were struck out.

Others who also lost out in the governorship race include a brother to the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, Dr Mahmoud Halilu popularly known as Modi; President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Bala Bobboi Kaigama and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun who lost the opportunity to have his choice candidate returned as the partys governorship flag bearer.

While Prof. Pat Utomis petition in Delta was dismissed because it had been overtaken by events, the committee urged the national leadership to consult with the president on the choice of governorship candidate for Bornu state.

A summary of the report indicate that all petitions against the Senate and House of Representatives primaries were rejected by the panel, the same position with Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross Rivers states.

However, aspirants whose petitions were not treated have protested against the report of the Panel saying grave injustice has been done to them both in the conduct of the primaries and the outcome of the Appeals Panel.

One of the aspirants Mr. Adaze Wilson Imafidon, who was seeking the partys ticket to contest the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde House of Representatives Federal Constituency seat of Edo, submitted a petition to the appeals committee through his lawyers, describing the purported primary election held in the constituency as a sham.

According to his legal representatives, Imafidon and Imafidon of Eghosa Chambers, the aspirant alleged that none of the accredited members of the APC committee sent to the area was present during the purported election in the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde Federal Constituency except in Urhonigbe South where only the INEC went to observe.

Another aspirant, Christopher Ariri, who is an aspirant for the Orhionmwon East State Constituency of Edo State, said, Some of the accredited members of the appropriate committee mandated by the party to supervise and conduct the primary election into the Edo state House of Assemblys Orhionmwon East Constituency, totally hijacked the process when they noticed our huge support by deliberately declining to count votes cast for us so as to foist on us a situation of complete helplessness.

Another group, the Benue South APC Justice and Equality Movement undertook a peaceful protest to the headquarters of the party, asking the NWC to call the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, to order for allegedly substituting the names of elected candidates with those who did not participate at the primary.

The coordinator of the group, Mr. Akor Ikwuocha, told journalists that they were surprised that after winners have emerged and names were submitted to the approximate authority by the electoral committee, the Minister allegedly from overseas, called a meeting of few persons and announced to them that he is substituting names of most of the candidates because they were not his choice.

Today, there is no single campaign bill board of President Muhammadu Buhari in the whole of Benue South Senatorial district despite the fact that the Benue South has a cabinet member in person of Chief Audu Ogbe.

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Home | News | General | Violence against children: Onaiyekan Foundation trains caregivers

No fewer than 30 teachers and caregivers were trained on Thursday in Abuja by the Cardinal Onaiyekan Foundation for Peace (COFP), on how to handle violence against children.

Cardinal-Onaiyekan

Rev. Sister Agatha Chikelue, Director, COFP, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sidelines of the training, said the purpose of the one-day workshop was to train the teachers on Ending Violence Against Children.

Chikelue said that participants were expected to train their fellow teachers and pupils on what they had learnt. 

The objective of the training is to identify, describe and commit to child rights, as well as identify and describe what constitutes violence against children and how they are perpetrated.

My wife sleeps with her ex-lover in my house

Also to better understand the roles and responsibilities as teachers, caregivers and parents towards children and develop practical monitoring and reporting mechanism on violence against children.

In her address, Chikelue told participants that the training would afford them the opportunity to rub minds and find better ways to address the menace of child abuse in the society.

According to her, children are now exposed to the life they are supposed to have in the next 10 years by their parents, teachers, religious leaders and relations. 

They have been put in that line at a tender age and if this is not addressed what kind of society are we going to have in the future? 

We cannot keep quiet anymore; we have to shout out against this menace, so government can help to do something about it.

That is where teachers and caregivers come in because of their roles and positions in the society, to stand against child abuse by going back to our communities to tackle this issue and speak out against it.

She urged the participants to do all within their power to help the children, adding that if they failed in the task they would have failed the children, themselves and the society. 

Mrs Amaka Nwokocha, a facilitator, urged participants to share with and train their fellow teachers and pupils on what they had learnt, so the knowledge could be spread to more people.

Nwokocha said that if people became more knowledgeable about the issue of child abuse there would be a reduction in cases. 

Also if children are knowledgeable about the issue of child abuse, they will know what to do if they find themselves in such situations.

Mr Austin Nnakwe, Programmes Manager, COFP, told the participants that the training should go beyond just coming to write but applying practically what they had learnt in their schools, homes and communities.

Let us show love and compassion to these little children and let us stop abuse against them.

Nnakwe also stressed the need for participants to educate their pupils and wards on sex education early, adding that they should teach them the real names of their private parts.

A participant, Mrs Bola Olupitan,  from Discerning Readers International School, Jabi, Abuja, who also spoke to NAN said she had learnt many new things on the issue of child abuse.

Olupitan said she will go back and train her teachers and the parents of her students, and enlighten them on all she had learnt on child abuse and how to stop it. 

Another participant, Abdrasak Babatunde, from Sheikh Abubakar Gummi Academy, Asokoro, said he was going to go back and equip his students with the necessary skills to ensure their rights were not abused.

Babtunde commended the organisation for organizing the training and added that all hands needed to be on deck to address the issue of child abuse.

We have learnt a lot through the discussions and presentations; we should go back to our places of work, families and teach the young ones how to defend themselves.

We should teach them to speak up when their rights are being abused. A child that grows up with violence will influence the society in a bad way.

NAN reports that participants were drawn from public, private, Islamic and Christian Primary and Secondary schools in the FCT.

COFP is a NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO) established in 2010 with the mandate to provide a platform for building and strengthening the processes of peace and social change in Nigeria and across Africa.

NAN

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Home | News | General | I have made it in life - Man declares after meeting Kanye West and Kim Kardashian (photo)

When individuals are famous, they have a great fan base, and the greatest wish of some of their admirers is to meet with them.

It is not new to hear stories of some fans that go to great lengths to meet famous celebrities, so that they can take photos with them and be the envy of their friends.

For a few people, its much deeper than that as it can turn their life around.

American rapper Kanye West, his wife Kim Kardashian, and their kids were in Uganda recently. They met with the president of the country and some of their fans were also privileged to meet them one on one.

An excited fan, identified on Twitter as Arthur (@digitldidan), was also opportuned to meet the power couple.

READ ALSO: Nigerians react as Ooni of Ife takes beautiful evangelist as wife

He posted a photo of himself with Kanye, Kim and their eldest child North West, as he declared that he has made it in life for meeting them.

See his tweet below:

If Arthur believes he has made it in life, then he has. Congratulations to him.

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In other news, Legit.ng reported that a father handed his son over to the EFCC for committing internet fraud.

Exceptional father is the tag they are giving an unidentified man who reported his son to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over suspicions of fraud. Rather than be proud of his son overnight wealth, the father decided to hand him over to the law for using illegal means to gain fast money.

While the said son identified as Adamu was still in secondary school, he proudly informed his father on his recent purchase of a house worth N2 million. Instead of celebrating the overnight success, the father went straight to EFCC to report his son who is suspected must be doing something illegal.

Slimcase at Star Chat - Expect my Collaboration with Cardi B | Legit TV

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Home | News | General | Controversy as Jeremiah Useni names another running mate for PDP governorship election

- Jeremiah Useni has reportedly announced a new rerunning mate

- It was earlier announced that he had chosen Benedict Shignuhul

- Useni is the governorship candidate of the PDP in Plateau state

Jeremiah Useni who is the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau state has reportedly picked another running mate after it was first rumoured that he had chosen Benedict Shignuhul.

Premium Times reports that Ateeku Abubakar who is the media aide to Useni spoke on Thursday, October 18 to clarify the situation. He insisted that James Dalak is Usenis running mate and not Shignuhul.

He said: The information making the round that Jeremiah Useni has chosen Benedict Shignuhul as running mate was not true. That was just a rumour. The person to run with Useni is Dr. James Dalak.

READ ALSO: Ill continue holding GEJ in high esteem for accepting defeat - Buhari

According to his profile, Dalak hails from Mangu local government area of the state and has a PhD degree in Accounting.

He was the former head of revenue, Ikeja Area Office of Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS) until his current appointment as Deputy Director, Finance in the organisation.

Recall that Senator Jeremiah Useni emerged the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau in the 2019 general elections.

Useni will face incumbent governor Simon Bako Lalong, 20 years his junior. Lalong belongs to the All Progressives Congress, APC. He also bagged the second term ticket of his party, unopposed on Sunday. Lalong, who is from Shendam LGA was born on May 5, 1963.

Useni polled 1018 votes to defeat 12 other candidates at the partys primaries. His closest rival Johnbull Shekarau got 340 votes.

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In all, 2,097 delegates from the seventeen local government areas voted at the primaries.

Useni a serving senator representing Plateau south senatorial zone in the Senate was once the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and a former minister of transport. He was also between 1984 and 1985, the military governor of the old Bendel state, now made up of Edo and Delta state.

Jonathan responds to Buhari's allegations - on Legit.ng TV:

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Home | News | General | Ooni of Ife takes beautiful 25-year-old evangelist as wife, Nigerians react

In the African tradition, the position of the Oba is a very important one, so is that of his bride. Many traditional kingdoms have prospered due to the kings having good and powerful wives beside them.

In Yoruba land, a king without a wife loses honour and respect and that means the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, cannot stay too long without a queen to be by his side in his palace.

The Ooni became single again after his estranged queen, Olori Wuraola, took to social media, Instagram, to announce the dissolution of their traditionally contracted marriage in August 2017.

Their union lasted 17 months and it produced no child. Shortly after she announced the break up of their marriage, Olori Wuraola reverted back to her maiden name, Zaynab Otiti Obanor.

It is no longer news that the Oba, who just celebrated his 44th birthday, has taken a 25-year-old prophetess, Shilekunola Oluwaseyi Naomi, as his new Olori.

According to reports, the traditional ceremony was held on October 18, 2018, as family members and well-wishers gathered at the palace to witness the event.

However, the news of the union between a very powerful traditional ruler and an evangelist has stirred a lot of reactions from some Nigerians, and they have taken to social media to express themselves.

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Some people questioned the fact that a lady who claims to be a prophetess would be okay with marrying a traditional ruler as his third wife, while others are of the opinion that her case is like that of Esther in the bible and that perhaps it is God's plan.

A few other people were only concerned about the beauty of the new queen.

See some interesting reactions below:

READ ALSO: 5 things to know about Ooni of Ife's new wife, Evangelist Naomi Oluwaseyi

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Home | News | General | Digital training workshops by Google, coding classes by Pearls Africa and lots more at Edu360 organised by Union Bank

The city of Lagos is a-buzz with talk about Edu360, an education festival being organised by Union Bank.

The exciting event will feature an exhibition of over 60 schools and education service providers, with leading experts also on hand to provide practical, yet innovative, solutions for teachers, parents and service providers in education.

Holding on the 23rd and 24th of October at the Harbor Point, Off Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, the groundbreaking 2-day affair will also serve as a hub for the various stakeholders in the education sector to interact, share knowledge and build capacity.

Hilghlights of the event include digital skills training by Google, Robotics classes by School Store Ng and Coding classes by Pearls Africa.

Topics to be discussed by various panelists include Is your child a star? Balancing talent and learning; I have a special child; how schools can help; Financing options for parents and schools; Lifes tough enough  stop raising entitled children and so many more exciting discussions.

There will also be teacher training workshops covering topics such as 21st century teaching and learning strategies; Creativity in learning; Building a visually stimulating environment etc., with teachers to receive free educational resources  books, lesson planners and visual aids for learning!

Children and young adults arent left out! Therell be fun and games with cool prizes to be won, experiential learning sessions, and tailored workshops on pertinent topics including, Money matters; Boosting your self-esteem; Getting a digital dream job etc.

The lineup of speakers includes Modupe Adefeso-Olateju, Managing Director, The Education Partnership (TEP) Centre; Bikiya Graham-Douglas, performing artiste and Founder of BEETA Arts Foundation; Lola Cardoso, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer, Union Bank; Yetty Williams, Founder and CEO, LagosMums; Jadesola Adedeji of STEM Mets Resources; and Dr. Yewande Oshodi, renowned child and adolescent psychiatrist.

So, come with all your questions about educating a child in the 21st century and youll be sure to get answers.

There will be free transportation for Education students from University of Lagos, Yaba College of Technology and College of Education, Akoka.

Log on to www.unionbankng.com/edu360 to register and get more information about edu360. Registration to the event is free and open to members of the public.

Union edu360 is organised by Union Bank, in partnership with Google, TEP Centre, Nescafe, and Simpli Foods.

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Home | World | Africa | Beitbridge outlines modernisation plan

The Municipality of Beitbridge has outlined a modernisation plan that will result in the transformation of the border town to a fully urbanised settlement.

It is still a town where livestock roam around.

It is also a mixture of virgin land on the backdrop of new constructions that will eject modernity.

Settlements are still propping up everywhere under a planned expansion programme.

It is the town on the edge of the busiest port of entry in the SADC region.

Beitbridge looks at all these as opportunities to grow into a unique urban settlement.

Town clerk Mr Loud Ramakgopola said the planned urbanisation programme will incorporate that which is the traditional life of the Vhenda people and the new which modernises urban settlements.

In the process the town even hopes to turn its unique cultures fused with demands of modern urban settlements into tourism opportunities.

Huge loads of commercial cargo pass through this town everyday.

This is accompanied by an estimate plus 10 000 transit population.

The municipality sees opportunity in its strategic importance as it strives to turn Beitbridge into a fully urbanised place.

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DEFENDING America: Trump may deploy U.S. military to southern border to stop advancing migrant invasion

POTUS Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to deploy the U.S. military along portions of the southwestern border as a migrant horde of more than 4,000 makes its way from Honduras.

The president, fed up with RINOs and Democrats who have steadfastly refused to send him legislation financing his border wall and toughening immigration and asylum laws, tweeted his warning about the military while imploring Mexican officials to do more to stop the caravan from crossing their southern border.

I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to U.S, he began, The Gateway Pundit reported.

I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to U.S..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2018

In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught  and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER! he continued.

.In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught  and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2018

The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA. Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border. All Democrats fault for weak laws! POTUS wrote.

.The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA. Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border. All Democrats fault for weak laws!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2018

The president is venting his frustration even as more and more people begin to ask important questions, such as  how did this caravan form in the first place? Whos behind it? Whos financing it? Who is helping these people along the way? (Related: America overrun: Yale study forecasts far larger illegal immigrant population than previous estimates.)

As The National Sentinel reported, talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh asked many of these questions on his daily syndicated program Wednesday, knowing such things dont generally happen spontaneously:

Specifically, Limbaugh pondered who might be funding the caravan; how they are living as they trek the thousand-plus miles to the U.S.; how theyre taking care of basic health and hygiene; whos feeding them, etc.

Because in order to make such a journey on foot, someone has to be helping them, he said. And of course, hes right.

Will it come to actually deploying the Army to the border?

To that end, Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz tweeted a video appearing to show young men walking among a column of mostly migrant women handing out what he said was cash  which would explain how they are able to sustain themselves and their children along the way.

And while we still dont yet know who is funding the caravan, it would appear that Limbaughs instincts  that someone is  have proven correct.

BREAKING: Footage in Honduras giving cash 2 women & children 2 join the caravan & storm the US border @ election time. Soros? US-backed NGOs? Time to investigate the source!

Gaetz tweeted, offering some suggestions as to who might be shelling out the money.

BREAKING: Footage in Honduras giving cash 2 women & children 2 join the caravan & storm the US border @ election time. Soros? US-backed NGOs? Time to investigate the source! pic.twitter.com/5pEByiGkkN  Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) October 17, 2018

As for the presidents threat, its not clear which military units would be sent to the border and where they would be sent. Presumably, troops  if they are ordered to the border  would be sent to wherever the caravan attempts to cross or attempts to apply for asylum. Its also not clear how many troops would be sent.

Constitutionally, the president  as commander-in-chief of the armed forces  has the authority to order troops to protect the homeland. But some could argue that sending an armed force to confront an unarmed group of civilians would constitute an illegal order, especially if those forces were instructed to use deadly force (not likely).

Politically, the migrant caravan appears timed to affect the outcome of the November midterm elections. POTUS Trump appearing strong on illegal immigration helped him win two years ago, so its hard to see how standing strong against this caravan now will hurt him.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo goes to Mexico on Friday to try to enlist Mexicos assistance in interdicting the caravan. That would be the best solution.

Read more about the invasion of migrants into the U.S. at InvasionUSA.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheNationalSentinel.com

TheGatewayPundit.com
Exxon is betting very big on Africa for its next big find, the supermajors head of exploration, Stephen Greenlee, told Bloomberg in an interview. In fact, Greenlee said, Exxon was hoping to strike a discovery of a billion barrels or more in Africa: what is known in the industry as an elephant, Bloombergs Kevin Crowley reports.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated that two years ago there were at least 41 billion untapped barrels of crude oil in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Exxon is focusing on western and southern Africa in its exploration work and has been amassing stakes in oil and gas prospect in Ghana, Mauritania, Namibia, and South Africa.

In Ghana, Exxon tried to buy Kosmos Energys stake in the giant Jubilee offshore field in 2009, but the deal was blocked by the Ghana authorities. Last year, the supermajor bought straight from the Ghana government exploration rights for an adjacent block, and plans were to begin working on it this year.

In Namibia, it bought a 30-percent stake in an offshore exploration license. Although no oil has yet been discovered in Namibia, there is a theory that its offshore basins may share characteristics with Brazils Campos and SantosBrazil and Namibia were part of one whole a few billion years ago.

Exxon is also buying seismic data. Were acquiring large amounts of seismic data with the idea that in the future one or two of those are going to turn out to be the next Guyana, Greenlee said. These are large acreage positions and theyre in areas that we think have promising opportunities for hydrocarbon systems.

Perhaps the Guyana discoveryan elephant containing an estimated 4 billion barrels of crudespurred hopes for another one in less explored parts of the world that are nevertheless close to established production sites such as Nigeria and Angola.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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U.S. sanctions on Iran take effect in a little over two weeks, and the Trump administration has already had quite a bit of success in knocking Iranian supply offline. But, at the same time, it is very far from its goal of cutting Iranian oil exports to zero as it has promised.

The International Energy Agency estimates that Irans oil exports fell to 1.6 million barrels per day (mb/d) in September, down 800,000 bpd from a recent peak in April at 2.4 mb/d. The losses are expected to continue, but few analysts really believe the Trump administration will manage to cut Irans exports to zero.

According to Reuters, an unprecedented volume of Iranian crude oil is set to arrive at Chinas northeast Dalian port this month and in early November before U.S. sanctions on Iran take effect. An estimated 20 million barrels are destined to flow from Iran to China over the next few weeks, up from the usual 1 to 3 million barrels each month.

Other data from the IEA backs up this trend. Iran has been storing a portion of its oil production on ships in the Persian Gulf, a practice that it resorted to during the previous period of international sanctions between 2012 and 2016. It is difficult to simply turn off oil production, and with onshore storage filling up, Iran has been forced to store oil at sea. However, while Irans floating storage spiked in September, it actually fell back in October, as several cargoes set sail for China and India, data from Kpler showed, the IEA wrote in its report.





The surge in shipments demonstrates Irans determination to keep its oil flowing. As our leaders have said it will be impossible to stop Iran from selling its oil. We have various ways of selling our oil and when the tankers reach Dalian, we will decide whether to sell it to other buyers or to China, a source from the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) told Reuters. Related: Is Uranium On The Way Back?

Meanwhile, there is other evidence to suggest that Iran is succeeding in shipping much more oil than is officially reported. NITC tankers have shut off their tracking devices in order to keep up oil shipments in the dark. Some satellite data suggests that a greater number of tankers are heading to India that is thought to be the case. The IEA said in its October Oil Market Report that Indias purchases from Iran jumped from 390,000 bpd in August to 600,000 bpd in September.

The furtive shipments from Iran to India demonstrate the limits of U.S. power. Discounts, off-the-books shipments, bartering and other clandestine maneuvers should keep some Iranian oil flowing even after November 4. For instance, Iran has discounted its oil by the most in 14 years, according to Bloomberg, making it hard to pass up for would-be buyers.

Still, Irans oil exports have indeed suffered a significant blow from the looming sanctions. Chinas imports from Iran fell to 430,000 bpd in September, the lowest amount since 2016. Sinopecs trading unit, Unipec, has said that it slashed the amount of oil it is buying from Iran because of pressure from the United States. Europe purchased 420,000 bpd in total in September, down 240,000 bpd from the second quarter. These volumes, in particular, are likely most at risk as European companies are much more intertwined with the United States, and as such, are vulnerable to American sanctions. Related: Saudi Arabia Calls The End Of Russias Oil Prowess

The U.S. has repeatedly vowed to take Irans oil exports to zero, and has maintained that any waivers would be few and far between, as National Security Advisor John Bolton put it. However, the U.S. is also in talks about waivers with countries that depend on Iranian oil, such as Turkey and India. The Trump administration is in somewhat of a bind, as cutting Irans oil exports by too much will drive up crude oil prices, which could be a political liability at home.

The flip side of this is the possibility of a release from the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve (SPR). In fact, it is somewhat surprising that this has not already happened. The loss of supply from Iran and the sudden tightness in the market would offer some justification for an SPR release, Jason Bordoff of Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy said in an interview with S&P Global Platts.

An SPR release is a one-off affair, and many analysts  and even the U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry  have said that it would do very little to ease a supply shortage. However, it would have a significant psychological impact on the market, suppressing prices in the short run while also giving the Trump administration more leeway to take a harder line on countries buying oil from Iran.

Nevertheless, the U.S. is going to have to swallow some bit of cheating because Irans oil exports are unlikely to fall to zero over the next few weeks.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

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Oil markets are calming down after several weeks of bullish news, with Goldman Sachs now saying that crude is unlikely to break $100 per barrel.

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Friday, October 19, 2018

The oil market is suddenly rather sanguine about a supply shortage in the short run. The concerns about a tightening of supply, which dominated markets until two weeks ago, have abated despite the fact that the reasons for them (falling Iranian oil exports, declining oil production in Venezuela, reduced spare capacities) still apply, Commerzbank said in a note. The bank said that the recent uptick in inventories provides some cover, and traders are no longer on edge about shortages. Nonetheless, we believe it is still too early to sound the all-clear for the oil market.

Oilfield services face tough quarter. Oilfield services companies are expected to post mediocre figures when they report third quarter results in the coming days. Oil producers have been under pressure to keep costs low, which means less revenue for servicers as more drillers are doing work in-house. Also, U.S. tariffs are driving up the cost for projects. The risk for a number of (oilfield service) firms is to the downside, Brad Handler, a Jefferies equity analyst in New York, told Reuters.

U.S. sanctions losing effectiveness. The overuse of sanctions by the Trump administration is undermining their effectiveness, according to Jacob Lew, the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Obama, and Richard Nephew, the lead on Iran sanctions during the Obama administration. Today, Washington is increasingly using its economic power in aggressive and counterproductive ways, undermining its global position and thus its ability to act effectively in the future, Lew and Nephew write in a Foreign Affairs essay. Related: Oil Markets Tremble As Chinese Stocks Crash

Goldman: $100 oil not likely. Jeff Currie, head of commodities research at Goldman Sachs, said that $100 oil is not very likely. We're not saying $100 oil cannot happen. It's not our base case nor do we think it's very likely, Currie told S&P Global Platts in an interview. Reaching $100 would require a sustainable loss in all of Iran's oil exports for an extendable period of time.

Oil prices fall on U.S. production. The latest EIA report showed another strong increase in inventories, which helped push down prices mid-week. The data release also revealed a sudden drop in production, but that figure is an anomaly due to hurricane-related outages. Also, the effort by the Trump administration to smooth over tension with Saudi Arabia tamped down geopolitical concerns. The inventory numbers were a real bearish surprise, Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research, told Bloomberg. That combined with the gradual lessening of tension between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia has taken some of the steam out of the market.

SPR justified by Iran sanctions. The outages from Iran give the Trump administration the legal justification for a release from the strategic petroleum reserve (SPR). I don't agree with the reimposition of sanctions against Iran, but if you are of the view that we need to take the strictest possible line to crack down on Iran's egregious behavior and we have to take their oil exports to zero ... then I think there is a plausible argument to say that is a legitimate emergency supply disruption that justifies a release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Jason Bordoff, founding director of Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy, said in an interview with S&P Global Platts.

ExxonMobil betting on Chinas LNG demand. ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) is betting big on Chinese gas demand for the long haul. Exxon already has its massive Papua New Guinea gas production and LNG export facility, and it is looking to build LNG export capacity in Mozambique. Both gas-exporting regions are situated to serve Chinese demand. Meanwhile, Exxon is also building gas storage facilities and a major petrochemical complex in China, investments that will soak up the gas coming from its upstream assets in East Africa and the Pacific. The combination will guarantee us a steady outlet for lots of our LNG for decades, an unnamed Exxon manager told Reuters.

Turkey seeking U.S. waiver on Iran. Turkeys top refiner, Tupras, is seeking a waiver from the U.S. government that would allow it to continue importing oil from Iran beyond the November 4 implementation of sanctions. Turkey imported 97,000 bpd from Iran in August and 133,000 bpd in September. Other nations in Asia are in talks with the U.S. for waivers, and some refiners are confident they will receive one.

Neutral Zone fields to remain offline. Saudi Arabia had sought to revive talks with Kuwait over the restart of the Neutral Zone oil fields that straddles the border of the two countries. The fields have been offline for several years and have a capacity of around 500,000 bpd. The two sides seemed to be making progress but the talks recently broke down, suggesting the fields will remain offline for the foreseeable future.

Related: Large Crude Build Forces Oil Prices Lower

U.S. sees no need for more sanctions on Venezuela. Venezuelas catastrophic meltdown and the spiraling oil production crisis means that there is little reason to impose more sanctions, several U.S. officials say. The fact is that the greatest sanction on Venezuelan oil and oil production is called Nicolas Maduro, and PDVSAs inefficiencies, an official told Reuters. At the end of the day, Nicolas Maduro has taken care of really running PDVSA to the ground, and essentially more and more making it a non-factor.

ConocoPhillips clears hurdle for Alaska drilling. ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) has cleared a key hurdle that could allow it to move forward with a $1.5 billion project in Alaskas National Petroleum Reserve.

Flood of light oil from the Permian. Permian drillers are producing a flood of light oil, leading to more varieties of oil sold to refiners. Theres room for more segregation instead of just West Texas Sour and WTI Midland crudes, Neil Earnest, president of industry consultant Muse Stancil & Co., said in a phone interview with Bloomberg. The growing production from the Permian has given rise to increasing variety of crudes.

Colorado setback referendum sparks fear in industry. The Colorado referendum that could increase drilling setback distances from 500 feet to 2,500 feet has attracted nearly $40 million in spending from the oil industry, which is desperate to defeat the measure. By some estimates, the greater setback distances could cut the states oil production in half.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

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Europes fuel oil market was rattled on Friday by reports that the Trump Administration may look to slow down the introduction of the new regulations limiting sulfur content in ship fuel in order to stave off a potential spike in fuel oil prices that would burden consumers and businesses.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set January 1, 2020, as the start date of the new IMO rules on using only 0.5-percent sulfur fuel oil on ships, unless said ships have installed scrubberssystems that remove sulfur from exhaust gas emitted by bunkers.

However, the Trump Administration is looking to slow down the rollout by gradually phasing in the new regulations, in order to mitigate the impact of precipitous fuel-cost increases on consumers, the White House said in an email to The Wall Street Journal.

A White House spokesman told The Journal that the United States wasnt looking to withdraw from the agreement on the new regulations, and the Trump Administrations plans were not to delay the implementation of the sulfur-cap rules.

Yet, some officials within the administration admitted that the timing of the new regulation would have political implications in a presidential election year.

Few things terrify an American president more than a spike in fuel prices, Bob McNally, a former energy adviser to former President George W. Bush, told The Journal.

After the reported U.S. pushback on the IMO regulations, Europes fuel oil market was shaken on Friday, brokers and fuel oil traders told S&P Global Platts.

The 2020 spread between high sulfur fuel oil of 3.5 percent and the low sulfur fuel oil of 1 percent, known as hi-lo in the swaps market, dropped to $99/mt on ICE on Friday morning in Europe, from $103.25/mt on Thursday.

We have seen [Trump] pull out of bigger things, a fuel oil trader told Platts. The IMO 2020 regulation is big for the fuel oil market, but in comparison to the other deals he has pulled out of I think it is in keeping, the trader noted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The crude oil futures market has felt the rise of U.S. crude oil exports with growing volumes of West Texas Intermediate futures and options traded in Asian and European hours, making the WTI contract an almost 24-hour benchmark, Owain Johnson, managing director for energy research and development at exchange operator CME Group, said on Thursday.

South Korea and China are the fastest-growing trading communities on WTI, Johnson said at the Argus Global Crude 2018 conference in Geneva.

Ten to 20 percent of our daily volumes are trading in European and Asian hours... names that we never came across are now regulars, Johnson said, as quoted by Reuters.

Youre getting a 23-hour benchmark, he added.

The CME trading shuts down for an hour for maintenance every day.

The exchange operator has been adding new U.S. oil contracts because it has seen a lot of interest in the spreads to WTI, Johnson said, noting that there is a lot of liquidity for the new derivatives trade for new U.S. grades.

Its trading very aggressively, mainly through brokers... and theyre popular with Asian and European importers, Johnson added.

Rising U.S. oil production and exports out of the U.S. Gulf Coast have also prompted exchange operators to launch new contracts priced off Houston.

CME Group said last month that it would be offering a new WTI Houston Crude Oil futures contract beginning this quarter, with three physical delivery locations on the Enterprise Houston system.

Houstons importance as a trading and export hub for physical crude oil from Cushing and the Permian Basin continues to evolve due to the shale oil revolution and repeal of the crude oil export ban, Peter Keavey, CME Group Global Head of Energy, said in September.

In July, CMEs rival Intercontinental Exchange said that it planned to launch a crude oil futures contract of physically delivered Permian WTI, deliverable in Houston, as the city has become the pricing center for U.S. oil amid growing production and exports.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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The northern region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei needs to make sure there is enough fuel for heating during the winter, Vice Premier Han Zheng has warned, as quoted by Reuters. The northern region is notorious for its high levels of pollution but last year it also became notorious for natural gas shortages that left millions of households without heating during the peak of winter.

In a bid to prevent a repeat, the authorities are now in a rush to secure fuel supplies, and not just gas but coal as well. Last year, the central government criticized the local authorities for retiring coal plants before ensuring there would be enough natural gas to provide heating for the region and applying a one size fits all approach to the fight against pollution.

Yet neither local nor central authorities are giving up on that fight. This winter will be difficult for the industrial sector in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, with the last member of the trio accounting for 25 percent of Chinas total steel output. The government has already asked industrial producers to curb their activity ahead of winter to reduce the amount of particulate matter in the air if they havent already reduced their emissions by other means.



Related: Leaked Document: OPEC+ Struggling To Lift Oil Production

The anti-pollution drive is paying off, too. Reuters reports that between January and September this year, the amount of particulate mater PM2.5 had fallen by a third from a year earlier thanks to the reduction in coal consumption and changes in industrial production practices.

Natural gas is a big part of this transformation, including LNG. Last year, China became the worlds second-largest LNG importer, taking in some 38 million tons of the fuel, a 46-percent increase on 2016. Even so, some parts of the country suffered shortages because the gas could not reach them fast enough. As a result, China is now actively working on expanding its LNG storage capacity and pipeline network. It is also expanding its domestic natural gas production and storage capacity.

In the past 10 years Chinas natural gas consumption has risen fourfold to more than 25 billion cu ft daily. Now, companies are turning depleted gas fields into storage facilities as part of efforts to avoid a repeat of last winters shortage.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Animals in the western Arctic have higher levels of mercury in their bodies than those in the eastern Arctic. Credit: Shutterstock

In the Canadian Arctic, a mystery has troubled scientists and local communities for decades: Why do marine animals in the western Arctic have higher mercury levels than those in the east?

The trend is seen throughout the food web, from the tiny zooplankton that drift along ocean currents to large mammals like polar bears.

It matters because mercury is a contaminant of global concern and communities in the North rely on the ocean for food. Mercury can cause reproductive problems in some animals, severe neurological damage in people and hamper the development of infants.

Earlier studies had tried to explain the east-west difference by looking at where the mercury that winds up in the ocean comes from. But our new study shows that the answer to this mystery lies in the ocean itself.

A delicate balance

In the Arctic, marine mammals such as polar bears, beluga whales and seals are an important part of the traditional subsistence hunt and the culture of northern Indigenous peoples.

With Arctic communities bearing the brunt of the impact of climate change and global industrialization, the high levels of contaminants, especially mercury, found in these animals and in people has received a lot of attention.

Frequently, northern Indigenous mothers and women of child-bearing age have blood mercury levels that exceed the safe limit. Maintaining the nutritional and cultural benefits of marine country food, such as seal and whale, while mitigating the potential health risks from mercury has become a major challenge to Indigenous peoples in the Arctic.

Sources or processes?

Prior research suggested that marine animals in the western Canadian Arctic contain more mercury because the region receives more mercury from a variety of sources, including atmospheric emissions from eastern Asia, river discharge from large watersheds such as the Mackenzie and coastal erosion and permafrost thawing.

However, the mercury from all these sources exists almost exclusively in its inorganic form, as mercury vapour and mercury that is bound to dust particles, for example.

Once it's in the ocean, however, some inorganic mercury can be converted to an organic form, called methylmercury. Not only is methylmercury taken up more efficiently by plankton and other microorganisms, but it can build up, or bioaccumulate, in organisms as it moves along the food web through a process known as biomagnification. As it does, it tends to inflict more harm on predatory fish, birds and mammals.

For more than a decade, scientists have suspected that the most important factor controlling mercury levels in Arctic marine animals is not where the mercury comes from (sources), but, rather the conversion of inorganic mercury to methylmercury in the ocean (processes). Now we have the answer.

Collecting Arctic seawater from a rosette aboard the CCGS Amundsen. Credit: Lantao Geng

Profiling the ocean

During the summer of 2015, we joined an expedition to the Canadian Arctic led by ArcticNet, a Canadian research network dedicated to the study of the changing Arctic, in conjunction with the Canadian Arctic GEOTRACES program, to study the distribution patterns of mercury along with other trace elements.

We spent eight weeks living aboard an icebreaker, the CCGS Amundsen, where we analyzed seawater samples collected at various depths along a 5,200-kilometre transect that began in the Labrador Sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, transited through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and continued to the Beaufort Sea and the Canada Basin in the west.

Our results found that the concentrations of total mercury  inorganic mercury plus methylmercuryare generally lower in the western Canadian Arctic than in the east. This runs counter to mercury trends observed in marine animals.

Layers of understanding

Methylmercury, on the other hand, shows very revealing distribution patterns: its concentration is lowest at the sea surface, increases to a maximum at depths between 100 and 300 meters, and then decreases towards the bottom of the ocean.

This pattern, where an ocean layer below the surface is enriched with methylmercury, has been seen in other oceans. What makes our discovery different is that the "methylmercury-enriched layer" in the Arctic occurs at much shallower depths than elsewhere.

We also found that the peak concentration of methylmercury in the enriched layer in the Canadian Arctic is highest in the west and lowest in the east, mirroring the mercury trend in marine animals.

The shallowness of the methylmercury-enriched layer is important, as it lies within the habitat of zooplankton and other organisms near the bottom of the food web. This allows methylmercury to be readily taken up by these animals, and subsequently biomagnified in mammals.

So we think we have solved the mystery: the higher mercury levels in marine animals in the western Canadian Arctic are caused by higher methylmercury concentrations in shallow marine waters.

Long journey toward recovery

In 2017, the Minamata Convention on Mercury - a legally binding, global treaty that aims to reduce mercury in the environmententered into force. Canada played an active role in the negotiations of the treaty and was among the first nations to ratify it.

Yet our study implies that it will take a long time for mercury levels in Canadian Arctic marine mammals to decrease, even if the convention is fully implemented. Recovery will depend very much on environmental and climatic processes such as those that convert inorganic mercury to methylmercury.

Policy-makers and northern Indigenous peoples should be prepared for the long-term need to balance the benefits and risks of the consumption of marine country food.

Explore further Traditional Tibetan medicine exposes people and environment to high mercury levels

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Lights. Camera. Science.

In a scene out of Hollywood, researchers and celebrities will gather in an ornately choreographed fete in a NASA Ames hangar in early November to celebrate $22 million in prizes for discoveries in math, physics and the life sciences.

The winners of the Breakthrough Prize, announced on Wednesday in advance of the Nov. 4 event, include some of the top thinkers in their fields.

Their discoveries include high-resolution imaging technologies, a new class of drugs, chromosomal disease, innovations in cryptography and a new type of electrical-conducting materials.

The prizes are among the biggest payouts in science. Conceived by theoretical physicist and entrepreneur Yuri Milner, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation aims to create a cultural shiftif scientists are toasted like celebrities, they'll win greater public attention.

Brainiacs will be celebrated in a self-consciously glittery, grand and prestigious event, hosted by actor Pierce Brosnan, where they'll rub shoulders with movie stars and tech titans. In previous years, guests included actors Morgan Freeman, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, as well as Spotify co-founder and CEO Daniel Elk, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, Udacity co-founder Sebastian Thrum and Virgin Galactic's George Whitesides.

Since the inception of the Breakthrough Prize in 2012, more than $200 million has been awarded to honor critical research.

The prize is funded by Milner and his wife, Julia, Chinese entrepreneur Ma Huateng and several Silicon Valley tech titans: Anne Wojcicki, of 23andMe; Sergey Brin, of Google and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, a pediatrician at UC San Francisco.

Winners in life sciences:

C. Frank Bennett and Adrian R. Krainer of Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, respectively, for the development of a therapy for children with the neurodegenerative disease spinal muscular atrophy, a rare but devastating disease.

Angelika Amon of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute for determining the consequences of an abnormal chromosome number, a disorder called aneuploidy.

Xiaowei Zhuang of Harvard University and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, who discovered hidden structures in cells by developing super-resolution imaginga method that transcends the limits of light microscopy. She earned her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and did postdoctoral studies at Stanford University.

Zhijian "James" Chen of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Howard Hughes Medical Institute who learned how DNA triggers immune and autoimmune responses from the interior of a cell.

Winner in fundamental physics:

Charles Kane and Eugene Mele of the University of Pennsylvania for new ideas about topology and symmetry in physics, leading to the prediction of a new class of materials that conduct electricity only on their surface.

Winner in math:

Vincent Lafforgue of Europe's National Center for Scientific Research and IInstitut Fourier, Universite Grenoble Alpes, for ground-breaking contributions to several areas of mathematics, in particular to the Langlands program in the function field case.

In addition, there were six smaller "New Horizons" prizes of $100,000 each for early-career researchers in physics and math. One recipient is 34-year-old Aron Wall of the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics, who studies black hole thermodynamics and quantum gravity. He's the son of computer scientist Larry Wall, who created the Perl programming language.

Last month, the foundation announced a Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics recognizing the British astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell for her discovery of pulsars, a detection first announced in February 1968, and her scientific leadership over the last five decades. She donated her $3 million prize money to efforts that help women, ethnic minority, and refugee students study physics

The winners are chosen by a committee of the previous year's winners.

The ceremony will be broadcast live on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 7 p.m. on National Geographic, and will be streamed live via Facebook and YouTube on National Geographic TV (Facebook / YouTube) and Breakthrough Prize (Facebook / YouTube).

2018 The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.)

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A chemist from RUDN developed a method to obtain high-porosity silicium dioxide from rice husk. Credit: Allen Dressen

A chemist from RUDN has developed a method to obtain high-porosity silicium dioxide, a base for nanocatalysts used in different types of organic reactions, from rice husks. The results of the study were published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

Porous silicium dioxide is a nanomaterial that is in high demand in the chemical industry. It is used as a base for catalysts and as an additive agent for division and delivery of other compounds including medicinal drugs. Although it is widely spread in its average solid form, it is difficult to obtain as a porous material. As a rule, it is manufactured using etheres of silicic acids at high temperatures. Both the synthesis of such ethers and their processing are energy-consuming and bad for the environment.

Rafael Luque, a visiting scholar at RUDN, together with his colleagues from the University of Cordoba (Spain) suggested a method of obtaining silicium dioxide from a cheap and eco-friendly sourcerice husk. Its silicium dioxide content reaches 20 percent. The husk amounts to almost 25 percent of rice weight, and is usually burned down.

To obtain silicium dioxide from a biological source, the chemists used a combined mechanical and chemical approach. First, they ground the husk into powder. Then, using microwave radiation and an acidic solution, they removed extra substances such as cellulose. After baking at 550, the scientists obtained pure biogenic silicium dioxide. They used it to create a catalyst by adding iron nanoparticles. The catalyst proved to be effective in two reactions: benzyl alcohol oxidation and toluene alkylation.

"We managed to obtain high quality materials that can be used in cements, binder solutions, and catalysts. The development was patented, and we are currently discussing the prospects of its industrial use," says Rafael Luque, director of the Center for Molecular Design and Synthesis of Innovative Compounds for Medicine, and a visiting scholar at RUDN

Explore further Chemists develop nanocatalysts for continuous biofuel synthesis

More information: Ana Franco et al. Integrated Mechanochemical/Microwave-Assisted Approach for the Synthesis of Biogenic Silica-Based Catalysts from Rice Husk Waste, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (2018). Ana Franco et al. Integrated Mechanochemical/Microwave-Assisted Approach for the Synthesis of Biogenic Silica-Based Catalysts from Rice Husk Waste,(2018). DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b01738
Reaction developed by RUDN chemists contains two monomers - 3-aminophenol and formaldehyde. Credit: Allen Dressen

A chemist from RUDN proposes a simple technology for producing polymeric nanoparticles from only two organic substances. By changing the temperature of the reaction and the ratio of initial substances, the scientists can obtain particles of any given size. The new method was described in Macromolecules.

To create nanoparticles of identical size and shape, laboratories all over the world have been using the synthesis of benzonaxine group polymers from different monomers. Usually, polymerization and formation of homogeneous nanoparticles require special templates, catalysts and additions. Rafael Luque, a visiting scholar at RUDN, together with his colleagues from China and Pakistan, suggested a simple method for obtaining nanoparticles.

The reaction developed by RUDN chemists contains two monomers3-aminophenol and formaldehyde. 3-aminophenol is an aromatic amine and also an aromatic alcohol, as it possesses both a phenol group and an amino group. Taking this dual structure into account, the researchers carried out polymerization without additional components.

Formaldehyde was added to a 3-aminophenol solution in water and ethyl alcohol. Then the mixture was stirred at moderate temperature (up to 75 ). After that, centrifugal separation was used to extract polymeric nanospheres of identical form and size. Such nanoparticles may become the basis for carbon nanoparticles that are in higher demand. The chemists obtained them by baking the nanoparticles under a nitrogen stream. The particles showed high thermal stability and preserved their spherical form.

The new technology is interesting because it allows researchers to manage the size of the synthesized structures easily. The higher the concentration of 3-aminophenol in the solution, the bigger the nanospheres. Having repeated the experiment several times, the scientists managed to synthesize the particles with diameters ranging from 372 to 1,030 nm.

"The method developed in collaboration with our Chinese colleagues can be potentially scalable for industrial use," says Rafael Luque, director of the Center for Molecular Design and Synthesis of Innovative Compounds for Medicine, and a visiting scholar at RUDN. "We've developed a simple and comparatively cheap procedure for obtaining polymeric nanospheres at low temperatures without catalysts, surfactants and or templates. It can be applied in different areas. Polymeric nanospheres and nitrogen-containing carbon nanoparticles based on them may be used for catalysis, energy conversion and storage, purification of other substances, and so on."

Explore further Chemists develop nanocatalysts for continuous biofuel synthesis

More information: Jianming Zhao et al. Autocatalysis Synthesis of Poly(benzoxazine-co-resol)-Based Polymer and Carbon Spheres, Macromolecules (2018). Jianming Zhao et al. Autocatalysis Synthesis of Poly(benzoxazine-co-resol)-Based Polymer and Carbon Spheres,(2018). DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.8b01239
Women are twice as likely as men to receive harsher sentences for assault offences when alcohol is a contributory factor, according to new research from the University of Liverpool.

Dr. Carly Lightowlers, from the University's Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Criminology, studied data collected as part of the Crown Court Sentencing Survey (CCSS). The CCSS examined 30,861 cases heard between the second quarter of 2012 and the end of 2014  subsequent to the adoption of revised sentencing guidelines for assault in 2011.

Dr. Lightowlers found that while being 'under the influence' increased, or aggravated, sentencing outcomes across the genders  in line with guidelines  the rise in sentence severity for female offenders was significantly higher than for male offenders, even when any other mitigating or aggravating factors were taken into account.

This applied both to the likelihood of a prison sentence being applied, and the length of that sentence.

Dr. Lightowlers said: "While the chances of a female offender going to prison, or attracting a more severe sentence, was still lower than for her male counterpart, the increase in probability where intoxication featured in an offence for females was more than twice that applied to male defendants.

"These findings likely reflect widely held norms and beliefs about both gender and intoxication, which shape views about how 'deserving' an individual is of punishment, and thus raise concerns about how intoxication and gender equality shape sentencing practice.

"At the very least, they suggest intoxication remains a contested sentencing factor, as its influence does not uniformly aggravate male and female offending."

Using an example of an offence of actual bodily harm, the study found the probability of a custodial sentence was lower for women than for men  both when sober and intoxicated.

However, when intoxication was cited as an aggravating factor it didn't have the same impact for male and female defendants. The aggravation  the increase in probability of a custodial sentenceapplied by the judge was 13.4 percent, over twice that applied to male defendants at 5.7 percent.

Dr. Lightowlers suggests the findings could be a result of the perception that alcohol consumption and violence go against traditional notions of womanhood, and that these are reinforced when sentences are handed down.

In the study, Drunk and Doubly Deviant? The Role of Gender and Intoxication in Sentencing Assault Offences, published by the British Journal of Criminology, Dr. Lightowlers refers to the 2007 Corston report which broadly recognised that responses to female offending ought to be "gender-specific, respond sensitively to the needs of women, and divert them away from custody."

But she says this is contradicted by gender-neutral sentencing guidelines which focus more on equality of outcome, rather than ensuring just and fair punishment for women in policy and practice.

Following the termination of CCSS  "a shame" that "represents a loss of transparency"  Dr. Lightowlers urges the Sentencing Council to consider monitoring how intoxication is used as an aggravating factor and develop guidance on how it ought to be applied for both male and female defendants.

Explore further How does mental illness affect sentencing?

More information: Carly Lightowlers. Drunk and Doubly Deviant? The Role of Gender and Intoxication in Sentencing Assault Offences, The British Journal of Criminology (2018). Carly Lightowlers. Drunk and Doubly Deviant? The Role of Gender and Intoxication in Sentencing Assault Offences,(2018). DOI: 10.1093/bjc/azy041
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A coalition of environmental groups has sued to stop the Trump administration from speeding construction of the first phase of southern border wall construction by waiving dozens of landmark environmental laws meant to protect air and water quality, public lands and wildlife.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., comes as President Donald Trump threatened this week to send the U.S. military to the Mexican border to stop a caravan of migrants from Honduras, the latest in a wave of Central American families attempting to cross the border illegally.

The federal waivers issued earlier this month concern stretches of added border wall and gates in the Rio Grande Valley, the country's most heavily trafficked illegal border crossing, where 137,000 immigrants were captured last fiscal year. Officials have said they plan to begin building 37 miles of border barriers there as soon as February.

The latest lawsuit was filed by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Defenders of Wildlife and the Center for Biological Diversity. The three groups argue that the Department of Homeland Security lacks the authority to waive federal environmental laws such as the Endangered Species, Clean Air and Water acts.

"We hope the lawsuit will have a fighting chance of halting the construction," of the border wall, said Jean Su, a Washington, D.C.-based attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.

She said the groups offered the same legal arguments in prior challenges to border wall environmental waivers in California and New Mexico. The New Mexico case filed in February is scheduled for oral arguments Dec. 18. A federal judge in March rejected a lawsuit the groups filed with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and others over stretches of wall in Calexico and San Diego, but the groups have appealed.

"We're confident in our legal claimsthat's why we're appealing," Su said, calling the waivers "an overreach into the legislature's scope of power and an "unprecedented legal abuse by the Trump administration."

The Texas waivers are especially troubling, opponents said, because they allow border barriers and gates to pass through precious habitats for endangered species in a wildlife corridor that includes Bentsen State Park, the World Birding Center and the National Butterfly Center.

Carlos Diaz, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said the department does not comment on pending lawsuits.

Loren Flossman, the U.S. Border Patrol's wall project portfolio manager, has been meeting with Rio Grande officials and landowners and said their input would be considered as construction proceeds. Border Patrol officials and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who represents the area, plan to hold local closed-door meetings with landowners later this month ahead of border wall design contracts being awarded Nov. 1.

"We have made some adjustments" to the wall design, Flossman said, based on landowner feedback and "natural geography." He said officials have also modeled the potential impact of the wall on surrounding floodplains and the Mexican riverbank, as required by international treaties.

In waiving environmental protections in Texas, authorities cited the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 allowing construction of barriers that "deter illegal crossings in areas of high illegal entry into the United States."

While the number of immigrants caught crossing the border illegally is far below what it was a decade ago, the number of migrant parents crossing with children surged to record levels in recent months after Trump ended family separations at the border.

Groups of more than a hundred Central American parents and children have been caught crossing the Rio Grande and the Arizona desert in recent weeks, according to reports from Border Patrol and advocates. So many arrived in Tucson that a church was converted into a temporary respite center.

Border Patrol agents arrested 16,658 family members in September, the highest monthly total on record and an 80 percent increase from July, according to unpublished Homeland Security figures reported by The Washington Post. Diaz said he could not confirm those figures until the agency releases its annual report for the federal fiscal year that ended last month.

Explore further GPS used to track some immigrants caught at border

2018 Los Angeles Times

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Britain's former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg is set to move to California for his new role as Facebook's head of global affairs

British former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, a leading anti-Brexit advocate, said on Friday he would be starting a job at Facebook, as the US giant faces up to regulatory pressures.

"I am delighted to be joining Facebook. After almost 20 years in European and British politics, this is an exciting new adventure for me," Clegg wrote on his Facebook page.

Clegg said Facebook was "at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult questions we face" such as "privacy of the individual", "integrity of our democratic process", and "the balance between free speech and prohibited content".

The Press Association news agency and the Financial Times said Clegg would be Facebook's new head of global affairs and communications and would move to California in January.

The 51-year-old is also a former European Commission trade negotiator and member of the European Parliament.

Clegg used to be head of the Liberal Democrats, a small opposition party, but was voted out of parliament in a 2017 election when the party suffered major setbacks.

The former politician has pushed for a second referendum that could stop Brexit but the proposal has been ruled out by Prime Minister Theresa May.

His most recent book is entitled: "How to Stop Brexit (And Make Britain Great Again".

"As someone who has spent a lifetime arguing for Britain's wholehearted commitment to Europe, it is of course a wrench to be leaving the public debate at a crucial time in the Brexit process," Clegg wrote on Friday.

"But the key decisions will soon pass to Parliament, of which I am no longer a Member, and once I had decided to take up this unique new challenge at Facebook, I felt it was best to get going sooner rather than later," he added.

Clegg speaks Dutch, French, German and Spanish, and joined the government after a 2010 election campaign characterised by "Cleggmania" over his superior performance in television debates.

He was badly damaged, however, by going back on a promise not to raise university tuition fees once in government.

The social network has faced several public relations crises in recent months and has instituted changes, particularly on privacy and the transparency of political campaign ads.

In September, it admitted that up to 50 million accounts had been breached by hackers.

It was also criticised for its handling of a data privacy scandal after it emerged that a British company called Cambridge Analytica had used data gathered through an app on Facebook to target voters in the US presidential election in 2016.

The company, along with other social media giants, has also been accused of allowing "fake news" to spread that manipulated public opinion ahead of Donald Trump's victory in that election.

Explore further Facebook accused of inaction over Russian ads in Brexit vote

 2018 AFP
Dr. David Kring with students at Barringer Meteorite Crater, Arizona (aka Meteor Crater). Credit: Universities Space Research Association

To train future explorers to support NASA's mission to return to the Moon's surface, scientists use similar environments found on the Earth. Last week, a group of domestic and international students traveled to Barringer Meteorite Crater, Arizona (aka Meteor Crater) to learn necessary skills that could help NASA implement its plans for human and robotic missions to the lunar surface.

r. David Kring, a Universities Space Research Association scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), created the training program to instruct postdoctoral researchers and graduate students studying impact craters on the Earth, the Moon, Mars, and elsewhere. Dr. Kring has been engaged in studies of Meteor Crater for decades and has trained post-Apollo astronauts there.

The Field Training and Research Program at Meteor Crater is a week-long geology field class that introduces students to impact cratering processes and provides an opportunity to assist with a research project at the crater. The crater represents the type of terrain lunar explorers will encounter on the Moon's surface and was, for that reason, an important training site for Apollo astronauts.

In the training program just completed, sixteen students mapped the distribution of rocky debris ejected from the crater by an impacting asteroid. This kind of debris, when found around a similar crater on the Moon, is the type of material an astronaut would collect for return to Earth for scientific analysis.

The students represented several U.S. universities (Auburn University, Case-Western Reserve University, Northern Arizona University, Rutgers University, University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at San Antonio, and Washington University in St. Louis) and universities in Belgium, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

The program, supported by NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI), is an important training component of the Center for Lunar Science and Exploration (CLSE), a joint venture between the LPI and NASA's Johnson Space Center. This is the fifth edition of the training program and nearly 100 students have participated since 2010.

"SSERVI is very proud to have supported the LPI Meteor Crater Field Camp, a key bastion of geologic field research on impact cratering processes and of particular importance as our agency plans for a return to the Moon", says SSERVI Director Greg Schmidt. "We are particularly proud of the 'impact' this activity has had on training the next generation of explorers and building international relationships through the fascinating science and exploration potential of this unique location."

This student activity is made possible with the generous assistance of the Barringer Crater Company and Meteor Crater Enterprises.

Explore further Bright streaks on the moon are a product of space weathering

Provided by Universities Space Research Association
Scientists have found the genetic mechanism behind the early death of certain varieties of poplar trees. Their finding could lead to more successful, fast-growing hybrid poplars for increased biofuels and forestry production and protect native trees against infection. Credit: Jay Chen/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

Scientists studying a valuable, but vulnerable, species of poplar have identified the genetic mechanism responsible for the species' inability to resist a pervasive and deadly disease. Their finding, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to more successful hybrid poplar varieties for increased biofuels and forestry production and protect native trees against infection.

A research teamjointly led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Oregon State University in partnership with the DOE Joint Genome Institute and the University of Georgiaanalyzed the genetic response of purebred black cottonwood poplars infected by a pathogen known as Septoria.

Septoria causes untreatable cankers, or wounds, on the surface of the trunk and branches and kills trees early in the growing cycle.

"Since the 1900s, industry has tried to grow hybrid varieties of poplarincluding those made by crossing eastern cottonwood and black cottonwoodto produce a faster-growing tree, and they have been puzzled by the early death of hybridized poplars grown in many parts of the United States," said Wellington Muchero, the study's lead author with the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at ORNL.

Hybrid varieties are economically valuable because they can grow up to three times faster than the pure species. If the hybridized poplars survive, they could dramatically increase production of high-value, bio-derived materials, biofuels and forestry products such as pulp and paper, lumber and veneer.

Black cottonwood poplars grow natively in river systems across the Pacific Northwest region of the United States where Septoria is not yet a threat.

"What our study revealed is a double whammy for black cottonwoods," said Muchero, a specialist in plant microbe interfaces. "Since the pathogen is not prevalent in its native region, these trees have allowed their genetic resistance mechanisms to fall apart with no consequence."

Black cottonwood poplar trees are vulnerable to a pathogen known as Septoria that causes cankers, or wounds, to grow on the stem and branches. Scientists have discovered the genetic behavior responsible for the tree's inability to resist the pervasive and deadly disease. Credit: Jay Chen/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy

"Surprisingly, we found that a gene that causes susceptibility is widely prevalent across the species range," said Jared M. LeBoldus, senior author and assistant professor of forest pathology at Oregon State University. "This degraded resistance and maintained susceptibility could be detrimental to the ecosystem if Septoria is introduced in the Pacific Northwest."

To map the genetic behavior of black cottonwood, Oregon State scientists assessed more than 3,000 individual black cottonwoods using a combination of digital imagery and measurements of disease severity for susceptibility to Septoria canker.

ORNL scientists used computational resources coupled with genome sequencing and profiling of more than a thousand genomes provided by DOE Joint Genome Institute that helped identify the resistance and susceptibility gene in each individual black cottonwood. The team then searched for links between a dataset of 28 million known mutations and the poplars' genetic profiles to verify which trees lined up with those that were predicted to be resistant or susceptible to Septoria.

"Out of those billions of computations, we found mutations that are consistently correlated with either resistance or susceptibility to the disease," Muchero said. "At ORNL, we can show that our results hold up in real-world field conditions and that most black cottonwoods from the West Coast cannot tolerate the Septoria pathogen."

Yet, the results also identified individual trees that are resistant to the disease and can be used to develop resistant hybrids for commercial production, as well as inform intervention strategies to protect Pacific Northwest ecosystems from the spread of Septoria.

Muchero and LeBoldus said this research supports a challenge issued by an ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to investigate the potential for biotechnology to address forest health.

"Genetic studies can help scientists and forestry experts prepare for a situation when a pathogen enters an ecosystem with little warning and deploy methods to inoculate and potentially save the at-risk species from being wiped out," they added.

Explore further Scientists solve 60-year-old Septoria mystery

More information: Association mapping, transcriptomics, and transient expression identify candidate genes mediating plantpathogen interactions in a tree. PNAS. October 18, 2018 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Association mapping, transcriptomics, and transient expression identify candidate genes mediating plantpathogen interactions in a tree.. October 18, 2018 doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1804428115
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son, who are directing billions of investments in US technology, are interviewed by is interviewed by US journalist Maria Bartiromo at a conference in Riyadh in 2017

The crisis surrounding the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and concerns that he may have been killed in the Saudi consulate in Turkey, has highlighted the role of the Middle East kingdom in the US economy, especially in Silicon Valley.

Saudi money has been a key source of capital for startups and other technology firms in recent years, led by the huge Saudi sovereign wealth arm known as the Public Investment Fund, but also from individual members of the Saudi royal family and the Kingdom Holding Company, the investment arm of Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal, according to the research firm CB Insights.

The most prominent of the investments was a $45 billion contribution in 2016 to the SoftBank Vision Fund launched by the Japanese conglomerate focusing on tech and startups, followed by a pledge of another $45 billion this year.

That gives the Saudis at least an indirect role in some of the hottest companies in the tech sector, including Uber, Slack, WeWork and Nvidia.

But the Saudi funds and royal family members also have made direct investments in Silicon Valley, including the $3.5 billion infusion in Uber from the sovereign PIF fund, a deal which helped put the fund's managing director Yasir Al Rumayyan on the Uber board of directors.

Despite the big Saudi investment in Uber, its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi announced he would skip the high-profile investment conference in Saudi Arabia next week, joining a number of US and European business and political leaders who are staying away as a result of the Khashoggi controversy.

PIF has invested $461 million in the mixed reality startup Magic Leap, which has also raised capital from Google, China's Alibaba and others.

The PIF was also in focus recently when Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said in a tweet that he had secured fundingwhich turned out to be untruefrom the fund to take the electric automaker private.

Saudi men chat in front of a poster of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the 2017 "MiSK Global Forum," part of efforts by Saudi Arabia to transform its economy

The PIF later announced it was investing more than $1 billion in Tesla rival Lucid Motors, which is aiming to deliver its first vehicles in 2019.

Focusing on transport

The transport sector is a key focus for the Saudis: the Vision Fund has taken a stake in GM-backed autonomous car unit Cruise, and Kingdom Holding has shares of Uber rival Lyft.

Prince Al-Waleed meanwhile has investments in Twitter and Apple, and a 2.3 percent stake in Snapchat parent firm Snap.

Saudi Arabia is also seen as a key market for US tech giants as the kingdom embarks on its "Vision 2030" plan to reduce dependence on oil and create a more diversified, tech-focused economy.

Microsoft earlier this year launched its cloud computing platform Azure Stack in Saudi Arabia in partnership with Saudi-based Sahara Net and China's Lenovo, estimating the value of the market to be worth some $29 billion.

The importance of Saudi money was seen in a visit this year by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, seen as the effective power in the kingdom to Silicon Valley, where he met top executives from Google and Apple.

In his US visit, Prince Mohammed also went to Seattle where he met Microsoft founder Bill Gates and its CEO Satya Nadella, as well as Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos.

For Bezos, the relationship with Saudi Arabia is complicated. His company operates the Souq ecommerce platform in the kingdom, but he personally owns the Washington Post newspaper, for which Khashoggi was a contributor and which has made repeated calls for information about the missing writer.

 2018 AFP
Credit: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine in collaboration with researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have resolved the three-dimensional molecular structure of the protein that's defective in people with cystic fibrosis in the protein's active and inactive state. The discovery, published in the journal Biochemistry, could open up new research avenues and help drug developers create enhanced pharmacotherapies to help people with CF.

Much of the biochemistry work was done in the lab of John Riordan, PhD, distinguished professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UNC-Chapel Hill. In the late 1980s, Riordan's lab discovered the mutated gene responsible for CF. If a child receives a copy of this faulty gene from each parent, the child will develop CF. The protein encoded by this gene was termed the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator, or CFTR, which is the chloride channel in epithelial cells that populate the respiratory system. People with CF lack a functional epithelial chloride channel, which is essential for maintaining the proper balance of salt and water in lungs and other organs. One result of this is the production of thick, sticky mucus that becomes difficult to move out of the airways, leading to chronic infections and a shorter lifespan for most people with CF.

In the Riordan lab, postdoctoral fellow Jonathan Fay, PhD, led experiments using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy to discover the molecular structure of CFTR in the presence of ATP  a complex organic chemical necessary for many processes in cells, including a working chloride ion channel crucial for proper lung function. To help capture structures of the CFTR protein in its active and inactive state, the Riordan lab stabilized the CFTR protein such that the channel was off when dephosphorylated and locked-on when phosphorylated.

Cryo-EM map of CFTR. Credit: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

These molecular structures reveal a unique repositioning of parts of the CFTR protein, providing insights into the structural transition between active and inactive functional states of CFTR.

Moreover, Fay and colleagues observed details of this protein complex that differ from what other scientists have discovered in previous CFTR structures.

"It is really amazing how much cryo-EM technologies have advanced and how using these techniques can allow us to visualize different states of the channel," Fay said. "I think our results are very exciting. We discovered a new portal which presents a promising new area of the channel to target and control CFTR channel function."

And if researchers can successfully target and control the function of that channel, then they could create more precise therapies to better treat some people with CF.

Explore further Scientists reveal new cystic fibrosis treatments work best in inflamed airways

More information: Jonathan F. Fay et al. Cryo-EM Visualization of an Active High Open Probability CFTR Anion Channel, Biochemistry (2018). Journal information: Biochemistry Jonathan F. Fay et al. Cryo-EM Visualization of an Active High Open Probability CFTR Anion Channel,(2018). DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00763
The new levy has been dubbed the 'Google tax'

Spain's socialist government approved Friday a new tax on big internet companies as part of its 2019 budget, hoping to raise up to 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion) next year.

The tax, which still requires parliamentary approval, will "modernise tax rules" for 21st-century businesses, Finance Minister Maria Jesus Montero told reporters following a weekly cabinet meeting.

It calls for a 3.0 percent tax on online advertising, sales of user data and online platforms.

The tax will be levied on companies with annual revenues of over 750 million euros worldwide, and at least 3.0 million in Spain.

It has been dubbed the "Google tax" in Spain because it would affect US internet giants like Google, Facebook and Amazon.

The tax could also counter the "unfair competition" which e-commerce poses to "traditional commerce", the minister said.

The tax will come into effect once the government's draft 2019 budget is approved.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's minority government has the support ot its main ally, far-left party Podemos which helped it draw up the budget, but will needs to convince smaller Basque and Catalan regional parties to approve it.

The European Union also must still approve the government's draft budget.

EU finance ministers have been wrangling over a controversial proposal to slap a European tax on US tech giants amid concerns that they currently do not pay their fair share.

Today's tax rules were designed for when multinationals developed real assets and operations in different nations, making it relatively clear where taxes were due.

But the US tech titans exist almost exclusively in the virtual world, their services piped through apps to smart phones and tablets from designers and data servers oceans away.

Explore further Germany moves to tackle sales tax fraud in e-commerce

 2018 AFP
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump's administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court stop a novel and sweeping lawsuit pressed by children and teenagers seeking to force the federal government to take steps against climate change.

Thursday's emergency filing aims to head off a trial that's set to start Oct. 29 in federal court in Oregon. It's the administration's second attempt to have the nation's highest court intervene in the case.

Although the Supreme Court rejected the first request in July as premature, the justices hinted at skepticism about the lawsuit, saying its breadth was "striking." Since that order was issued, the Senate has confirmed Justice Brett Kavanaugh to succeed the retired Justice Anthony Kennedy.

The group of mostly teenagers says U.S. government policies have exacerbated global warming in violation of their constitutional rights and those of future generations. They want the government to put in place a plan to phase out carbon emissions and stabilize the Earth's climate. A federal judge in Eugene, Ore., on Monday said the case could proceed to trial, though she dismissed Trump as a defendant.

The Trump team inherited the case from the Obama administration, which had similarly tried to have it thrown out.

Explore further October trial set for US kids' climate change lawsuit

2018 Bloomberg News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A trio of economists is suggesting that it is time to add a well-being index to national economic measures. Carol Graham with the Brookings Institution, Kate Laffan with the London School of Economics and Sergio Pinto with the University of Maryland have published a Perspective piece in the journal Science outlining their arguments for adding measurements such as degree of happiness to economic indicators.

What if the government of a country, such as the United States, releases glowing economic reports, but fails to include companion documents that outline how happy its residence are? Graham, Laffan and Pinto point out that judging the health of a country by its economic numbers alone does not give a true picture. For example, GDP numbers for the U.S. are currently high, while unemployment numbers are very low. Things must be good, right? If that is the case, why is the country experiencing such a high suicide rate? And why is life expectancy falling? They suggest that national economic reports need to be updated to include a well-being index (as opposed to the notorious misery index once proposed by economist Arthur Okun.) Including such an index would not be a flight of fancy, they note, it would offer policymakers a better frame of reference, or perhaps a warning light. If the powerhouse countries of the world had such an index, perhaps the global economic crises that started in 2008 could have been averted. They suggest that adding measures such as a well-being index is necessary for long-term sustainability.

The authors also note that well-being metrics have a come a long way over the past few decades and can offer policy-makers statistics at virtually every level of a society. They can also offer lawmakers pertinent information about social issues, which could come in handy during election cycles. They point out that economic indicators now present a paradoxsome numbers may show prosperity while others indicate something wildly different is going on. They suggest a well-being index could be a tool that helps to resolve such inconsistencies and note that some countries such as Bhutan have already climbed on boardofficials there carry out a survey every five years to test the mood of the country. And the U.K. has been measuring national happiness since 2011. They suggest others follow the lead.

Explore further This index measures progress and sustainability better than GDP

More information: Carol Graham et al. Well-being in metrics and policy, Science (2018). Journal information: Science Carol Graham et al. Well-being in metrics and policy,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/science.aau5234

 2018 Phys.org
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5 hours ago

The TJX Companies Is Breaking Out To New Highs

The TJX Companies Is A Retailer You Can Buy Earnings from the retail sector have been robust this quarter and The TJX Companies (NYSE: TJX) is participating in the trend. The company not only reported better than expected earnings but gave an indication business trends were still advancing.

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My names Will Capers. For almost nine years, Ive blogged on various topics. I blogged as Blaque Ink first, and as Brotha Wolf second. The latter had a mu...

2 years ago
Money has always been the most powerful advantage of the Saudis, and the disappearance of prominent, self-exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi following a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Turkey has brought this into clearer focus--even prompting the question as to whether Saudi money can buy just about anything, including American policy.

It hasnt helped that on the same day that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in Riyadh to get information about Khashoggi's disappearance, the Saudis wired $100 million to the U.S. government to support American efforts to stabilize certain areas of Syria.

That support money had been agreed upon earlier, but the timing wasnt ideal, coming as it did amid strong pressure internationally and within the U.S. to respond appropriately to the Saudi royal familys alleged role in the presumed murder of Khashoggi.

Middle East experts said the timing of the $100-million wire was likely meant to be a clear message to the Trump administration.

In all probability, the Saudis want Trump to know that his cooperation in covering for the Khashoggi affair is important to the Saudi monarch, University of Oklahoma professor Joshua Landis told the Washington Post. Much of its [Saudi] financial promises to the U.S. will be contingent on this cooperation.

Like the majority of high-level issues in the U.S. today, this one, too, is heavily polarized.

Some representatives of the U.S. government insist there is no connection between the Saudi wire and the Khashoggi controversy or Pompeos trip to Riyadh.

Brett McGurk, U.S. envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria, dismissed the notion entirely, saying: The specific transfer of funds has been long in process and has nothing to do with other events or the secretarys visit, as reported by the New York Times. Related: Amazon Favored To Win $10 Billion Pentagon Contract

Up until two weeks ago, Saudi Arabia was supposed to be the host of one of the most important investment conferences in the world, Davos in the Desert, as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's (MbS) plan to transform the oil-dependent economy.

This promising venue for MbS to present his high-flying reform efforts in Saudi Arabia is not without significance. Nor is it without significance that Khashoggi was one of the regimes biggest critics from a human rights and democracy perspective.

Now Davos in the Desert is dullingfast. The list of invitees is changing as big names drop out over the journalists disappearance.

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon has dropped out; as have Blackrock and Blackstone heads.

Ford and MasterCard top execs are also snubbing the conference, and Googles cloud computing business chief wont be showing up, either.

The investment community has spoken, rather loudly, with Richard Branson, founder and chairman of the Virgin Galactic space tourism venture, announcing earlier this week that his company is temporarily suspending its partnership with the Saudis, putting a risk a promised $1-billion investment. Indeed, reports emerged immediately afterward that the Saudis had allegedly responded as expected by suspending a $1-billion investment in Virgins hyperloop.

Related: American Steel Downgraded As Trade War Escalates

Following suit on Tuesday were three of Europes top bankers, including the CEOs of HSBC, Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered, followed on Wednesday by BNP Paribas of France. Likewise, the list of attendees will no longer include the heads of the IMF or the London Stock Exchange.

Nor is it only the investment community: Government officials are also withdrawing from Davos in the Desert, with both French and Dutch ministers confirming the move, according to the Associated Press.

The pressure is on, and even U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is pulling out of the conference, after consulting with Trump on the issue.

Meanwhile, in a "60 Minutes" interview on Sunday, Trump reiterated that he wants to get to the bottom of the Khashoggi case but doesn't want to endanger the $110-billion arms deal with the Saudis, though Mnuchins withdrawal may have already done so.

By Charles Benavidez for Safehaven.com

More Top Reads From Safehaven.com:
 President Donald Trump pardons Oregon ranchers convicted of arson, and subject to mandatory minimum terms, who prompted protests over federal lands | Main | "The Trial Penalty: The Sixth Amendment Right To Trial on the Verge of Extinction and How To Save It" 

July 10, 2018

Eager for a "51 Imperfect Solutions" approach to a new wave of constitutional proportionality litigation (with broadside Harmelin attacks, too)

Not long after Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement, I authored a post hoping to germinate an idea with criminal justice reformers and litigants: "With Justice Kennedy retiring, overturning Harmelin should become a focal point for criminal justice reformers." I am not especially optimistic that Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who has now been tapped as Justice Kennedy's replacement, will be chomping at the bit to reverse his old boss's troublesome Eighth Amendment work in Harmelin. But I remain optimistic that a new generation of judges (including Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Gorsuch) may be significantly more open these days to "refreshing" an Eighth Amendment jurisprudence in order to put at least some limits on some extreme prison terms for some adult offenders.

With these thoughts swimming in my mental soup, an important new ingredient came to mind as a result of recent opportunities to talk with Sixth Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton about his terrific new Oxford University Press book titled "51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law." Here is how the book is described by Oxford:

When we think of constitutional law, we invariably think of the United States Supreme Court and the federal court system. Yet much of our constitutional law is not made at the federal level. In 51 Imperfect Solutions, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton argues that American Constitutional Law should account for the role of the state courts and state constitutions, together with the federal courts and the federal constitution, in protecting individual liberties. The book tells four stories that arise in four different areas of constitutional law: equal protection; criminal procedure; privacy; and free speech and free exercise of religion. Traditional accounts of these bedrock debates about the relationship of the individual to the state focus on decisions of the United States Supreme Court. But these explanations tell just part of the story. The book corrects this omission by looking at each issue  and some others as well  through the lens of many constitutions, not one constitution; of many courts, not one court; and of all American judges, not federal or state judges. Taken together, the stories reveal a remarkably complex, nuanced, ever-changing federalist system, one that ought to make lawyers and litigants pause before reflexively assuming that the United States Supreme Court alone has all of the answers to the most vexing constitutional questions. If there is a central conviction of the book, it's that an underappreciation of state constitutional law has hurt state and federal law and has undermined the appropriate balance between state and federal courts in protecting individual liberty. In trying to correct this imbalance, the book also offers several ideas for reform.

I recommend Judge Sutton's book to all serious legal thinkers (and not-so- serious ones, too), and I mentioned to Judge Sutton that I viewed proportionality litigation around the Eighth Amendment and its state analogues to be another area full of dynamic (though often disconcerting) stories about the role of the state courts and state constitutions in a jurisprudential dialogue with federal courts. Indeed, as some reader may recall, a little over five years ago I worked with folks at National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) to develop this 51 state resource in the form of a "collection of individual downloadable documents that summarize for each U.S. state the key doctrines and leading court rulings setting forth constitutional and statutory limits on lengthy imprisonment terms and other extreme (non-capital) sentences."

As states continue to work through the implications of Graham and Miller and Montgomery, I sense and surmise there is plenty of interesting constitutional litigation over the Eighth Amendment still on-going in state courts, and Judge Sutton's work has me wondering how much of that litigation also involves state constitutional proportionality claims pressed in addition to federal claims. (A key theme in Judge Sutton's book is that lawyers always should, when available, be pressing state constitution claims on behalf of their client as well as federal claims.) I know I am overdue on a pledge to be updating these NACDL state-by-state resources, and I would be especially eager to hear from any and all state defense lawyers about whether there has been considerable new proportionality jurisprudence in their jurisdictions in recent years.

As thew title of this post suggest, I think Judge Sutton's book can and should serve as a suggestion to all state criminal defense lawyers to keep pressing state constitutional claims. Doing so could not only lead to important state-level rulings, but also provide still further ideas and energy to perhaps help the US Supreme Court see a reason to overrule or at least recast its ugly work in Harmelin.

July 10, 2018 at 12:45 PM | Permalink

Comments

How about pressing for state legislative claims, instead, and not trying to cut corners with lawless shortcuts?

Posted by: David Behar | Jul 10, 2018 4:16:58 PM

Doug, I'm puzzled by your comment about Justice Kennedy's "troublesome Eighth Amendment work in Harmelin." My recollection is that Kennedy wrote a concurring opinion in Harmelin, in which he articulated the three step test of analyzing as applied Eighth Amendment challenges, which was later adopted by the Court in Graham.

Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jul 11, 2018 8:01:51 AM

Bruce, the three step test for the Eighth Amendment was developed in Rummel/Solem, but Kennedy's concurrence reformulated the test to essentially ensure no defendant can get past the first step. This recent post provides a bit more background on how Harmelin nearly ensures adults lose any and every challenge to prison terms: http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2018/07/with-justice-kennedy-retiring-overturning-harmelin-should-become-a-focal-point-for-criminal-justice-.html

Graham applied a "categorical" Eighth approach for juvenile offenders, which has helped ensure no other types if offenders get any real help from the decision. In a world of mass incarceration and lots of extreme prison sentences and extreme mandatory minimum terms, one would hope (and reasonably expect) the Eighth Amendment would be applied more robustly to prison terms. Harmelin, due to Kennedy's concurrence, has been the main reason that it hasn't.

Posted by: Doug B | Jul 11, 2018 9:30:05 AM

thanks for your response Doug. bruce

Posted by: bruce cunningham | Jul 11, 2018 9:36:03 AM

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 "Unstitching Scarlet Letters? Prosecutorial Discretion and Expungement" | Main | "How Statistics Doomed Washington States Death Penalty" 

The now-famous, drug-dealer-serving-LWOP grandmother Alice Marie Johnson, who was granted clemency three months ago by Prez Donald Trump, has authored this lengthy new Fox News opinion piece headlined "President Trump freed me from prison  Im glad he wants to give other nonviolent offenders their freedom." Here are excerpts:

On June 6, I walked out of prison as a free woman after serving almost 22 years of my life sentence on a first-time nonviolent drug conviction, thanks to a decision by President Trump to commute my sentence to time served. I was thrilled to hear the president say this week that he is looking to give early release to additional nonviolent prisoners like me....

I can never thank the president enough. He heard my voice, gave life to my hope and promise to my future. I am a 63-year-old grandmother who just wants to live in peace and enjoy my family. There is zero chance I will ever break the law again....

Many other nonviolent offenders in federal prisons today are  like me  no danger to society, and I look forward to having President Trump and members of his administration examine their cases. Many of these men and women have spent long years in prison and deserve to receive clemency or a commutation of their sentences from the president.

Freeing these offenders early would be an act of justice and mercy, as granting me my freedom was. And early release would save taxpayers the cost of feeding and housing these people for years after they have paid their debt to society.

When President Obama began granting clemency to nonviolent offenders near the end of his presidency, he gave hope to thousands of people like me. By 2016, I was 20 years into my life sentence.

My path to prison began at a time in my life when I faced some desperate choices. I made a terrible decision to participate in a drug conspiracy  a decision I very much regret.

But during my two decades in prison, I accomplished an extraordinary rehabilitation  writing plays, volunteering in the prison hospice, becoming an ordained minister and mentoring to young women in prison. By 2016 I was a new woman living a new life, even if it was a life I thought was destined to be lived only behind bars.

President Obamas clemency initiative gave me hope. I had been told not to hope, not to dream, because I would never be set free. As his presidency came to a close, President Obama began releasing hundreds of other nonviolent offenders, and I became sure I would be released as well. My prison warden, captain, case manager and vocational training instructor all recommended I be granted clemency.

Unfortunately, I was left behind. President Obama left office without giving me the chance to start a new life. And I learned that putting your hope in one man is a mistake, because when that hope dies, you think all your hope has to die. When I received the denial letter from the Office of the Pardon Attorney, I was devastated. I dont know why my request was denied, because no explanation was given. But that decision left me so disappointed.

My petition met all the criteria for clemency. I had reformed my life in prison and I felt it should have been clear to anyone that I would contribute to society if I was released. But President Obama left, President Trump arrived and I was told again to give up hope. I didnt.

I kept fighting for myself because I know that hearts can change, and no matter what administration is in power, you have to be willing to come to the table, sit down and talk about whether you can find common ground.

Thankfully, Jared Kushner and others working for President Trump have worked to keep clemency and criminal justice reform alive. They can see that not every person who makes a mistake deserves for that mistake to define the rest of their life. They know that hope is important, but it must also be turned into meaningful change....

I did not leave prison bitter. I love America and believe in the inherent goodness of the American people and the possibility of redemption. Now it is President Trump who can make history if he takes the opportunity to go further than any president before him by giving second chances to thousands of people who just need someone to hear them.

The president has a power that the Constitution grants to him alone to both show mercy and deliver justice for people who were given excessively long sentences for crimes involving no violence. The people who deserve to be freed are those who have long since recognized their mistakes and who have rehabilitated themselves during their time in prison.

I will never forget what President Trump did for me. He changed my life and gave me the opportunity to fulfill my potential, and now he has the chance to do the same for thousands more.
 Justice Department touts record-breaking increases in federal criminal charges | Main | Remarkable sentencing where district judge decided crooked cops needed more punishment than federal prosecutors sought 

The title of this post is the title of this notable new paper by Brandon Garrett now available via SSRN. Here is its abstract:

The American criminal justice system is at a turning point. For decades, as the rate of incarceration exploded, observers of the American criminal justice system criticized the enormous discretion wielded by key actors, particularly police and prosecutors, and the lack of empirical evidence that has informed that discretion. Since the 1967 Presidents Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice report, The Challenge of Crime in a Free Society, there has been broad awareness that the criminal system lacks empirically informed approaches. That report unsuccessfully called for a national research strategy, with an independent national criminal justice research institute, along the lines of the National Institutes of Health. Following the report, police agencies continued to base their practices on conventional wisdom or tried-and-true methods. Prosecutors retained broad discretion, relying on their judgment as lawyers and elected officials. Lawmakers enacted new criminal statutes, largely reacting to the politics of crime and not empirical evidence concerning what measures make for effective crime control. Judges interpreted traditional constitutional criminal procedure rules in deference to the exercise of discretion by each of these actors. Very little data existed to test what worked for police or prosecutors, or to protect individual defendants rights.

Today, criminal justice actors are embracing more data-driven approaches. This raises new opportunities and challenges. A deep concern is whether the same institutional arrangements that produced mass incarceration will use data collection to maintain the status quo. Important concerns remain with relying on data, selectively produced and used by officials and analyzed in nontransparent ways, without sufficient review by the larger research and policy community. Efforts to evaluate research in a systematic and interdisciplinary fashion in the field of medicine offer useful lessons for criminal justice. This Article explores the opportunities and concerns raised by a law, policy, and research agenda for an evidence-informed criminal justice system.
 Lots of interesting recent reform commentary on lots of different topics | Main | Justice Department touts record-breaking increases in federal criminal charges 

The title of this post is the title of this new report by The Sentencing Project. Here is its "Overview":

More than 6 million citizens will be ineligible to vote in the midterm elections in November 2018 because of a felony conviction. Nearly 4.7 million of them are not incarcerated but live in one of 34 states that prohibit voting by people on probation, parole, or who have completed their sentence. Racial disparities in the criminal justice system also translate into higher rates of disenfranchisement in communities of color, resulting in one of every thirteen African American adults being ineligible to vote.

Despite these stark statistics, in recent years significant reforms in felony disenfranchisement policies have been achieved at the state level. Since 1997, 23 states have amended their felony disenfranchisement policies in an effort to reduce their restrictiveness and expand voter eligibility.

These reforms include:

 Seven states either repealed or amended lifetime disenfranchisement laws

 Six states expanded voting rights to some or all persons under community supervision

 Seventeen states eased the restoration process for persons seeking to have their right to vote restored after completing sentence 1.4 million people have regained the right to vote as a result of felony disenfranchisement reforms

These policy changes represent national momentum for reform of restrictive voting rights laws. As a result of the reforms achieved during the period from 1997-2018, an estimated 1.4 million people have regained the right to vote.

This report provides a state by state accounting of the changes to voting rights for people with felony convictions and measures its impact. These changes have come about through various mechanisms, including legislative reform, executive action, and a ballot initiative.
 New investigation finds "women in prison are disciplined at higher rates than men" | Main | Vera Institute of Justice urges "Reimagining Prison" 

As reported in this local article, headlined "Missouri violated rights of inmates convicted as juveniles who are serving life without parole, judge says," a federal judge late last week ruled in favor of inmates convicted of murder as juveniles who claimed that Missouris parole policies and practices violated their rights in the wake of the Supreme Court's rulings in Miller and Graham. Here are the basics:

A federal judge on Friday said that recent Missouri parole hearings violated the constitutional rights of inmates serving life without parole for offenses they committed when they were juveniles. State officials have 60 days to develop a plan for providing the inmates a meaningful and realistic opportunity for parole, U.S. District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey ruled.

The lawsuit was filed by four inmates who are seeking to represent all inmates who were convicted and sentenced to life without parole for an offense that occurred when they were younger than 18. Each of the four inmates was recently denied parole after a hearing, and Laughrey said nearly 85 percent of the class of affected inmates did not receive a parole date after a hearing. The majority were not granted another hearing for the maximum of five years, without an explanation for the lengthy setback, she wrote.

In a news release about the ruling Sunday, the Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center of St. Louis, which represents the inmates along with lawyers from Husch Blackwell, said more than 90 inmates are affected.

The parole boards decision is communicated to inmates on a two-page barebones, boilerplate form, with only two available reasons for denying parole: the seriousness of the original offense or that the inmates inability to... remain at liberty without again violating the law, Laughrey wrote. Even state officials admitted Missouri failed to provide adequate explanation for the decisions, the judge said, and fails to tell inmates what steps they should to take to become better suited for parole.

Laughrey wrote that while an adults interest in parole is not constitutionally protected, a series of U.S. Supreme Court decisions has held that those who were children at the time of the crimes for which they were convicted may be subject to certain additional protections....

Laughrey ruled that the state needs to come up with revised policies, procedures, and customs that will ensure that all Class members are provided a meaningful and realistic opportunity for release based on demonstrated maturity and rehabilitation, including those who already had unsuccessful hearings.
 First cases for a new SCOTUS: two more efforts to sort out ACCA uncertainty with old criminal history | Main | On eve of execution, Tennessee Supreme Court rejects challenge to state's execution protocol 

October 8, 2018

Highlighting efforts by some prosecutors to help with expungements

Today's New York Times has this notable new article under the headline "Convicts Seeking to Clear Their Records Find More Prosecutors Willing to Help." Here are excerpts:

[A]lthough law enforcement officials have traditionally opposed [broadened expungement and sealing laws] for an array of reasons  including accountability, a belief that records are vital to public safety, and unstinting support for crime victims  a growing number of them have begun to recognize that criminal records can be enduring obstacles to self-sufficiency and even help trap people in cycles of crime. Increasingly, they are overtly endorsing mercy through record suppression. Its just a matter of trying to remove obstacles that would make it more difficult for someone to become a productive member of the community, said Terry Curry, the elected prosecutor in Marion County, which includes Indianapolis and has a population approaching 1 million residents. If an individual has stayed out of the criminal justice system, then why should they continue to have that stain forever? Though in most places the paperwork burden for expungements has fallen on private lawyers and nonprofit legal clinics, South Florida prosecutors now routinely hold events intended to help people wipe away records of arrests but not convictions. A district attorney in rural Louisiana leads information sessions about expungements for some felony convictions after a 10-year waiting period; a Vermont prosecutor recently held a record-clearing clinic; and the authorities near Fort Bragg, N.C., attracted about 500 people to an expungement event last year. Last month, the Brooklyn district attorney promoted Begin Again events, where, one advertisement said, people were invited to clear your record of a misdemeanor marijuana conviction or warrant. But there is still a national patchwork of policies and terminologies, from destroying records to sealing them to simply noting that a conviction is effectively vacated. States have imposed various waiting periods, conditions and fees. Some places have made their processes deliberately simple, while others have complicated approaches that may require legal assistance or court hearings. The proliferation of new laws, and newfound enthusiasm on the part of some prosecutors, has hardly erased all doubts about the wisdom of suppressing records. Many prosecutors, especially in rural areas, remain skeptical of any action to show mercy for a persons past, and some judges engage in measured resistance, holding hearings more to complain about an expungement law than to weigh an applications merits. You have prosecutors and judges who just think its wrong: Youve caused trouble in this county, youre a wrongdoer and you shouldnt get a blank slate, said Bernice Corley, the executive director of the Indiana Public Defender Council. But Margaret Love, the executive director of the Collateral Consequences Resource Center and a former United States pardon attorney, said that clemency and expungements are part of the criminal justice process for a reason. It ought to be something that prosecutors welcome and use to their advantage to create criminal justice success stories, to advertise criminal justice success stories, she said. The nuanced approach in Indiana, where officials hoped that expungements would improve peoples job prospects, is increasingly seen as a model. Under its so-called Second Chance law, the state has a tiered system in which the offense, and the outcome of the case, determines the waiting period and the exact relief. Indiana does not destroy records, but can limit access to them and mark them as expunged, and crime victims are permitted to express their views before any decision is made. Indiana should be the worst place in America to commit a serious crime and the best place, once youve done your time, to get a second chance, Gov. Mike Pence, now the vice president, said when he signed the records measure into law in 2013.

I am glad to see this topic garner the attention of the Times, though I am a bit disappointed not to see any mention of the particularly notable marijuana-reform developments on this front. Specifically, as I discussed briefly in this recent paper for the Federal Sentencing Reporter, a number of prosecutors in California began taking proactive steps to clear prior marijuana convictions after the state enacted marijuana legalization in 2016.

October 8, 2018 at 04:32 PM | Permalink

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1000% agree with this. Pardons should be routinely granted too for stale convictions.

Posted by: federalist | Oct 8, 2018 6:39:59 PM

Federalist, I commend you on your comment above.

How can one hold young kids down in the mud, for foolish acts that they regretted ever since.

To me the federal system, keeps score on anything you ever did in your life. Then keeps ratching up the sentence with attibutes from your past so you qualify for Mandatories.

More emphasis on what was done and not so much on ones past.

Posted by: MidWestGuy | Oct 8, 2018 8:35:34 PM

I might agree with this if the original sentence were anywhere near enough but from the decade I've been reading here that rarely seems the case.

Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Oct 9, 2018 12:53:15 AM

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Over at Marijuana Moment, Kyle Jaeger in this post is quick to note interesting implications of key statements by the Washington Supreme Court in its big opinion yesterday striking down the state's death penalty as "unconstitutional, as administered, because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner." The post is titled "Successful Constitutional Case Against Death Penalty Works For War on Drugs, Too," and here are excerpts:

The movement to restore civil liberties and resolve systemic racial injustices in the criminal justice system scored a major victory on Thursday. And no, this time were not talking about ending the war on drugs. Or at least not yet. Washington became the 20th state to abolish the death penalty, with the state Supreme Court ruling that capital punishment is unconstitutional because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner.

If youre already seeing parallels to arguments for ending drug prohibition, youre not alone. Many of the same points the court made in their ruling against the death penalty ring true for the war on drugs, too. For example, the court argued that death sentences have been disproportionately carried out against black defendants, at a rate more than four times higher than it is for white defendants....

Similarly, drug reform advocates have long maintained that prohibition is racially discriminatory given disproportionate rates of enforcement and arrests for drug-related offenses. Black Americans are nearly three times as likely to be arrested for a drug-related crime, compared to white Americans. Thats in spite of the fact that rates of consumption are roughly equal among both groups...

The Washington court said another factor that contributed to their decision concerned contemporary standards and experience in other states. We recognize local, national, and international trends that disfavor capital punishment more broadly. When the death penalty is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner, societys standards of decency are even more offended.

The parallel here couldnt be more clear. If such trends demonstrate a need to review and reform an existing law, the same rationale could theoretically apply to drug prohibition. A majority of states have legalized cannabis for medical or adult-use, and national interest in changing federal marijuana laws has steadily grown in recent years. Beyond marijuana, a broader drug reform push has included calls to abolish mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses.

Of course, marijuana is already legal in Washington, and no other states have yet legalized drugs, so this part of the rulings applicability to a potential case seeking to strike down broad drug prohibition in the state might not be quite ripe yet. While its unclear whether the constitutionality of prohibition could be reasonably challenged on similar legal grounds, the similarities are striking.

The justification for capital punishment was another point of interest for the justices, who noted that the system failed to achieve its penological goals of retribution and deterrence. For all intents and purposes, drug prohibition too has failed to achieve similar goals. Decades of drug war have not appreciably deterred consumption. From 2001 to 2013, the rate of marijuana use among American adults almost doubled, for instance. The Cato Institute analyzed the impact of the drug war in a 2017 report. It concluded that prohibitionist policies fail on practically every margin....

A last note from the Washington Supreme Court justices: Under article I, section 14, we hold that Washingtons death penalty is unconstitutional, as administered, because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner, the justices wrote. Given the manner in which it is imposed, the death penalty also fails to serve any legitimate penological goals. Now swap death penalty with drug prohibition in that last quote. Fits like a glove.
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This lengthy new NPR piece, headlined "In Prison, Discipline Comes Down Hardest On Women," reports on new media research showing women are treated particularly harshly in prisons. Here are excerpts from the piece which should be read in full:

Across the country, women in prison are disciplined at higher rates than men  often two to three times more often, and sometimes more  for smaller infractions of prison rules.

That is the finding of an investigation by NPR and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. We collected data from women's and men's prisons, visited five women's prisons around the country, and interviewed current and former prisoners along with past and present wardens and prison officials. We also spoke with academics and other experts.

In 13 of the 15 states we analyzed, women get in trouble at higher rates than men. The discrepancies are highest for more minor infractions of prison rules....

In California, according to our data analysis, women get more than twice the disciplinary tickets for what's called "disrespect." In Vermont, women are more than three times as likely as men to get in trouble for "derogatory comments" about a corrections officer or another inmate. In Rhode Island, women get more than three times the tickets for "disobedience." And in Iowa, female prisoners were nearly three times as likely as men to get in trouble for the violation of being "disruptive."

While the infractions might seem minor, punishment for them can have significant consequences, we found. In Idaho and Rhode Island, for instance, women are more likely than men to end up in solitary confinement for violations like disobedience.

Women can lose "good conduct credits" that would shorten an inmate's sentence, causing them to spend more time behind bars. In California, between January 2016 and February 2018, women had the equivalent of 1,483 years added to their sentences through good-credit revocations, and at a higher rate than for male prisoners, according to the data we collected.

Discipline for small infractions can also result in the loss of privileges like being able to buy food or supplies  including women's hygiene products  at the prison commissary. Or inmates lose their visitation and phone privileges. That can have a particular effect on women, because more than half of women in prison are the mothers of children 18 or younger.

We found a disproportionate pattern in punishment as well, with women often receiving more serious sanctions than men. In Massachusetts, according to our analysis, 60 percent of punishments for women restricted where they could go in prison, including confinement to their cells. Men received those punishments half as often....

We asked experts why women get disciplined more for minor infractions. They noted that prison rules were set up to control men, especially violent ones. But that strict system of control doesn't always work for female prisoners.

One reason, researchers have increasingly come to understand, is that women typically come to prison for different reasons than do men and respond differently to prison life. Most prison staffers, meanwhile, are not trained to understand these differences.

Women are more likely than men to come for drug and property crimes and less likely to be convicted of violent crimes. They're also less likely to be violent once they're in prison. They're also more likely than men to have significant problems with substance abuse, to have mental health problems and to be the caregiving parent of a minor child.
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This recent post at Reason, titled "U.S. Prisons Held At Lest 61,000 Inmates in Solitary Confinement Last Year," by C.J. Ciaramella reports on the latest accounting of extreme version of incarceration in the US. I recommend the full post, which starts this way:

The number of U.S. prison inmates held in solitary confinement has dropped over the past five years, according to a new report, but an estimated 61,000 people last year still faced imprisonment in tiny cells for up to 22 hours a day in conditions that many former inmates, mental health professionals, and at least one sitting U.S. Supreme Court justice say amount to torture.

A longitudinal survey co-authored by the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) and the Arthur Liman Center for Public Interest Law at Yale Law School found that, in the federal prison system and 43 state prison systems that provided data, 49,000 inmates in the fall of 2017 were confined to what is commonly known as "solitary." Extrapolating for the remaining states, the study estimates the total number to be 61,000.

The census asked jurisdictions to report, as of the fall of 2017, both their total prison populations and the number of prisoners held in restrictive housing. It includes federal and state inmates placed in any form of "restricted housing" for at least 22 hours a day for more than 15 consecutive days. In 2011, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture concluded that solitary confinement beyond 15 days constituted cruel and inhumane punishment.

Nationally, the use of solitary confinement appears to be dropping. In 2016, there were at least 67,000 inmates in solitary, according to the survey, and in 2014, there were 80,000 to 100,000. Those numbers are all self-reported by jails and prisonsthere are no mandatory nationwide reporting requirements on solitaryand are very likely an undercount.

The study's authors attribute the reduction to stricter state requirements for when inmates can be sent to solitary and how long they may be kept there. Colorado, for instance, has almost completely eliminated its use of solitary confinement. The Obama administration also banned the use of solitary confinement for juveniles in the federal prison system and limited the amount of time adults can spend in solitary. "But the picture is not uniform," the ASCA warned in a press release. "In more than two dozen states, the numbers of prisoners in restrictive housing decreased from 2016 to 2018, but in eleven states, the numbers went up."
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October 18, 2018

Remarkable sentencing where district judge decided crooked cops needed more punishment than federal prosecutors sought

This local article from Florida reports on a sentencing in a remarkable federal case under the headline "Ex-Biscayne Park officers get year in prison for roles in framing black teen in crimes." Here are the details from the start of the article:

By helping the feds make a case against a corrupt ex-Biscayne Park police chief, two convicted former officers were hoping to avoid prison time for their roles in framing a black teenager with a string of burglaries. Instead, Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez were handcuffed and led by U.S. Marshals into custody on Tuesday after U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore sentenced them to the maximum: one year in prison for the false arrests. As family members cried in disbelief, Moore chastised federal prosecutors for agreeing to recommend eight months of home confinement for Dayoub and one year of probation for Fernandez based on their grand jury testimony and other assistance in helping target former Chief Raimundo Atesiano, who had pressured officers in the mostly white suburban town to pin property crimes on people of color. He pleaded guilty last month. It would have been a slap on the wrist, and it would have sent entirely the wrong message  particularly to the minority community, Moore told Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry Wallace. To think that they can come into court and get a slap on the wrist is insulting to the men and women in law enforcement. Moore challenged the prosecutor about his recommendation of leniency for the two defendants, who pleaded guilty in August to depriving a 16-year-old of his civil rights after framing him for four unsolved burglaries in 2013 at the direction of the ex-chief, Atesiano. The misdemeanor conviction carried up to one year in prison, while under the plea agreement prosecutors dropped a more serious civil rights conspiracy charge with a maximum 10-year sentence. Wallace said his decision allowed the U.S. Attorneys Office to use testimony by Dayoub and Fernandez to compel Atesiano to plead guilty to the felony civil rights conspiracy. We were faced with a Hobsons choice, Wallace told the judge. But Moore, who accused the prosecutors of sentencing manipulation, rejected Wallaces argument. The judge said had the prosecutors gone to trial against the ex-chief and the two officers, it would have been a slam dunk. The sentencing outcome was a shock to everyone in the courtroom, especially the defendants, who were expecting leniency because the prosecutors joined their defense attorneys in support of no prison time. The reason: The two former Biscayne Park police officers testified before a federal grand jury about how the departments ex-chief pressured them to arrest people of color and others for crimes they did not commit in the leafy bedroom community north of Miami. Dayoub, 38, and Fernandez, 62, testified that Atesianos goal was to achieve a 100 percent burglary clearance rate, even if it meant pinning unsolved break-ins on people who were innocent victims, according to newly filed court records. Atesiano, 52, and another former Biscayne Park officer, Guillermo Ravelo, 37, already pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the civil rights of innocent victims by falsely arresting them. Ravelo faces up to 10 years at his sentencing on Thursday, while Atesiano faces similar punishment in November.

UPDATE: This new Justice Department press release discusses the underlying crimes in detail while announcing that today "former Biscayne Park Police Officer Guillermo Ravelo was sentenced to 27 months incarceration for conspiracy to deprive a person of his civil rights and deprivation of civil rights under color of law."

October 18, 2018 at 10:57 AM | Permalink

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This case shows the truth of the statement that plea bargaining _is_ the criminal justice system.

Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Oct 18, 2018 12:31:25 PM

"This case shows the truth of the statement that plea bargaining _is_ the criminal justice system."

It is up the time a judge decides to feel his oats and get all feisty. Remarkable, indeed.

Posted by: Daniel | Oct 18, 2018 12:49:33 PM

Surprising indeed and what the defendant's may not yet know is that because the sentence was one year or less, they will get no good time credit from the BOP. The sentence has to be more than a year for the 15% reduction to kick in. And even if it were an option (which it was not here because the stat max was 1 year), I doubt the Judge would have given them a year and a day anyway.

Posted by: atomicfrog | Oct 18, 2018 3:43:04 PM

reasonable sentence here would have been the amount of time they tried to hang on the kid they framed.

Posted by: hgd | Oct 18, 2018 4:07:04 PM

So basically, armed men kidnapped a person. Last I checked, deliberately arresting someone without cause is armed kidnapping. Why weren't they prosecuted for that?

Posted by: federalist | Oct 18, 2018 6:43:12 PM

The judge is a Bush 41 appointee.

Posted by: federalist | Oct 18, 2018 6:52:56 PM

Doug, curious your thoughts on the sentencing.

Posted by: federalist | Oct 18, 2018 7:23:46 PM

"The two former Biscayne Park police officers testified before a federal grand jury about how the departments ex-chief pressured them to arrest people of color and others for crimes they did not commit in the leafy bedroom community north of Miami." That the two would commit illegal acts of arresting and setting up innocent minority persons s becuase of "pressure"is the old Nurenberg defense. Human nature hasn't changed much.

When raising my children, I would alway repeat to them the precept from the Talmud:

"In a place where no one is a man, try to be a man." Thee men did not have the courage to tell their boss "no." they well deserved the punishment they received.

Posted by: anon2 | Oct 19, 2018 12:18:14 PM

anon2, they deserved more

Posted by: federalist | Oct 19, 2018 6:39:48 PM

federalist, I share your instincts (and the judge's) that sentences here --- which are waaaaaay below federal mandatory minimums for low-level drug dealing ---- seem too light by comparison. But these crimes strike me as so disrespectful to humanity and to civic responsibilities, I am not sure an extra 12 or even 48 months in prison would "feel" better. Indeed, this is the kind of case that makes me eager for a sentencing system with more creative shaming and/or community service punishments. Make these cops spend the next few years seeking to root our corruption in other police departments or make a public service video to be sent to every prosecutor and judge that says criminal defendants are sometimes correct when claiming they are framed. In addition, I would like to see them have some responsibility to help get the kids they framed into a college or vocation program (and pay their way). And the town of Biscayne Park should also be coming up with some big-time compensation here, too.

Posted by: Doug B | Oct 20, 2018 12:36:03 AM

I don't think such a video would have made any difference to this chief and so I really have to question whether it would accomplish anything. The sort of person who would be swayed by a "sometimes they really are innocent" video doesn't need to be told that.

Posted by: Soronel Haetir | Oct 21, 2018 1:59:36 AM

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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

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"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

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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

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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

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October 11, 2018

"Trump Is Mulling Candidates Who Could Replace Jeff Sessions"

The title of this post is the headline of this Wall Street Journal article, which gets started this way:

President Trump is considering as many as five candidates as his new attorney general on the assumption that Jeff Sessions will leave his post later this year, according to White House officials and outside advisers. The potential candidates include Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Transportation Department general counsel Steven Bradbury, former Attorney General Bill Barr, Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and Janice Rogers Brown, a retired appeals court judge from the District of Columbia Circuit, the people said.

October 11, 2018 at 09:42 PM | Permalink

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October 14, 2018

"Unstitching Scarlet Letters? Prosecutorial Discretion and Expungement"

In this post last week, I noted a New York Times article headlined "Convicts Seeking to Clear Their Records Find More Prosecutors Willing to Help." A helpful reader made sure I also posted about this article on SSRN with the title of this post authored by Brian Murray. Here is its abstract:

Criminal record history information pejoratively brands those who contact the criminal justice system, whether they were guilty or not. In theory, the remedy of expungement is designed to mitigate the unanticipated, negative effects of a criminal record. But the reality is that prosecutors  driven by a set of incentives that are fundamentally antithetical to expungement  control many of the levers that determine who is able to obtain expungement. The disjunction between the prosecutorial mindset and the minister of justice ideal could not be starker and the consequences can be significant. Prosecutors, as agents of the state, can either argue forcefully for the retention or deletion of such information, dramatically affecting the situation of an arrestee or ex-offender given the pervasive web of collateral consequences associated with a criminal record. This discretion, as it relates to theories of punishment, prosecutorial discretion overall, the ethical responsibilities of prosecutors to do justice, and public policy interests, has been grossly under-analyzed despite the serious implications it has for the prosecutorial role within the criminal justice system and for reentry efforts. While many scholars have paid attention to how prosecutorial incentives conflict with the theoretical responsibilities of prosecutors in charging, plea-bargaining, and post-conviction situations involving innocence, none have provided a theoretical framework focused on the role of the prosecutor during expungement. Many of the complicated incentives that undermine holistic prosecution during those earlier phases exist during the expungement process as well. But scholarly responses to those incentives are not adequate given the range of considerations during the expungement phase. As such, this Article argues that scholarly discussions related to prosecutorial discretion need to extend their focus beyond the exercise of prosecutorial judgment pre-trial or the questions of factual and legal guilt. Given that the primary role of the prosecutor is to do justice, this Article calls for increased attention to the exercise of discretion after the guilt phase is complete, specifically in the context of expungement of non-conviction and conviction information. In doing so, it hopes to provide a framework for exercising such discretion, and to initiate additional conversation about the role of prosecutors during the phases following arrest and prosecution.

October 14, 2018 at 11:10 AM | Permalink

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Within the last few years, I have seen an interesting local case at the intersection of the law of pardons and the law of expungement. A Kentucky man was convicted of a felony in 1958, but then lived a crime-free life until 1975, when he received a full pardon from then-Kentucky Governor Wendall Ford (who went on to become a U.S. Senator). Despite his pardon, the man could not buy a gun because his 1958 felony conviction remained in the NCIC system, so he could not pass a firearms background check. Unlike more modern pardons, which expressly do not restore the pardonee's gun rights, the 1975 pardon did restore his right to bear arms. Thus, he filed a Petition for Expungement in the Circuit Court of Fayette County. Ray Larson, then the Fayette Commonwealth's Attorney, opposed the expungement, on the grounds that there is no Kentucky law that provides for expungement based upon a pardon! The Circuit Judge ruled in the pardonee's favor, so the Commonwealth's Attorney appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, where he won and the Circuit Court's expungement order was overturned. It seems truly perverse that even where a pardon restored gun rights, as a practical matter the pardonee still can't legally buy a gun because his 1958 felony conviction remains in the NCIC system.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Oct 14, 2018 3:59:17 PM

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The Vera Institute of Justice has recently produced this big new report as part a big new project under the label "Reimagining Prison." Here is how the report's executive summary gets started:

The United States holds approximately 1.5 million people in its state and federal prisons. Although this number has declined since its peak in 2009, mass incarceration is hardly a thing of the past. Even if the nation returned to the incarceration rates it experienced before 1970, more than 300,000 people  approximately one per 1,000 residents would still be held in U.S. prisons. And the conditions of that confinement are dismal. Prison in America is a place of severe hardship  a degree of hardship that is largely inconceivable to people who have not seen or experienced it themselves or through a loved one. It is an institution that causes individual, community, and generational pain and deprivation. For those behind the walls, prison is characterized by social and physical isolation, including severe restriction of personal movement, enforced idleness, insufficient basic care, a loss of meaningful personal contact and the deterioration of family relationships, and the denial of constitutional rights and avenues to justice. Those who work in prisons suffer too, with alarming rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide compared to the general population.

Beyond the walls of prison, incarcerations impact is broad: mass imprisonment disrupts social networks, distorts social norms, and hollows out citizenship. Over this countrys long history of using prisons, American values of fairness and justice have been sacrificed to these institutions in the name of securing the common good of public safety. But the harsh conditions within prisons have been demonstrated neither to ensure safety behind the walls nor to prevent crime and victimization in the community.

The story of American prisons is also a story of racism. We as a nation have not yet fully grappled with the ways in which prisons  how they have been used, the purposes they serve, who gets sent to them, and peoples experiences inside them  are intimately entwined with the legacy of slavery and generations of racial and social injustice. Built on a system of racist policies and practices that has disproportionately impacted people of color, mass incarceration has decimated the communities and families from which they come. It is time to acknowledge that this country has long used state punishment generally  and incarceration specifically  to subordinate racial and ethnic minorities.

The recent prison incident in South Carolina that left seven dead, as well as prison strikes across the country in 2016 and 2018 protesting inhumane treatment, serve as tragic wake-up calls that something is fundamentally wrong inside Americas prisons. With a few limited exceptions, correctional practice today remains underpinned by retribution, deterrence, and incapacitation. These realities beg the question: isnt there another way? We have failed to ask this question with sufficient seriousness and thoroughness. The time for us to do so is now. And so, to take a truly decisive step away from the past, America needs a new set of normative values on which to ground prison policy and practice  values that simultaneously recognize, interrogate, and unravel the persistent connections between racism and this countrys system of punishment.

In this report, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) reimagines the how, what, and why of incarceration. And in so doing, we assert a new governing principle: human dignity. This principle dictates that [e]very human being possesses an intrinsic worth, merely by being human. It applies to people living in prison as well as the corrections staff who work there.
 Remarkable sentencing where district judge decided crooked cops needed more punishment than federal prosecutors sought | Main | "Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, Opioid Abuse, and Crime" 

October 18, 2018

Washington Supreme Court declares all juve LWOP cruel punishment and unconstitutional under state constitution

Last week, as noted here, the Washington Supreme Court struck down the state's death penalty based on its arbitrary administration in Washington v. Gregory. Today the same court brings us another big state constitutional opinion in Washington v. Bassett, No. 94556-0 (Wash. Oct. 18, 2018) (available here). The death penalty abolition, interestingly, was unanimous, while this latest opinion divided 5-4. Here is how the majority opinion starts:

At issue here is the constitutionality of sentencing juvenile offenders to life in prison without the possibility of parole or early release. The State appeals a Court of Appeals, Division Two decision holding that the provision of our state's Miller-fix statute that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to be sentenced to life without parole violates the Washington Constitution's ban on cruel punishment. Brian Bassett, recently resentenced to life without parole under the Miller-fix statute, argued at the Court of Appeals that juvenile life without parole is categorically unconstitutional. The court adopted the categorical approach, rather than our traditional Fain proportionality test, and found that sentencing juvenile offenders to life without parole or early release constituted cruel punishment. State v. Bassett, 198 Wn. App. 714, 744, 394 P.3d 430 (2017) (puhlished in part); State v. Fain, 94 Wn.2d 387, 617 P.2d 720 (1980). We affirm the Court of Appeals' decision and hold that sentencing juvenile offenders to life without parole or early release constitutes cruel punishment and therefore is unconstitutional under article I, section 14 of the Washington Constitution.

Here is how the dissent gets started:

The majority's decision to invalidate a provision of our Miller-fix statute, RCW 10.95.030(3)(a)(ii), and to categorically bar the imposition of a juvenile life without parole (LWOP) sentence purports to rest on article I, section 14 of the Washington State Constitution. However, it offers no basis in state law but is simply a reinterpretation of Miller v. Alabama, 567 U.S. 460, 132 S. Ct. 2455, 183 L. Ed. 2d 407 (2012). More precisely, the majority takes Miller's federal constitutional requirement  that a sentencing court consider youth and its attendant characteristics as mitigating factors in exercising sentencing discretion to impose LWOP  and uses it to categorically bar the exercise of such discretion under the state constitution. Not only is this contrary to the holding in Miller itself, which does not categorically bar LWOP sentences for juvenile homicide offenders, it also departs from state precedent rejecting similar constitutional challenges and upholding judicial sentencing discretion.

October 18, 2018 at 04:23 PM | Permalink

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Phillip Futures was recently recognised as the Most Preferred Forex Broker at the ShareInvestor Awards 2018, coming in ahead of online forex broker, FBS and City Index.

In fact, the PhillipCapital Group, of which Phillip Futures is a member of, received a total of three awards at ShareInvestor Awards 2018.

 Most Preferred Forex Broker  Gold

 Most Preferred Local Brokerage Firm  Gold

 Most Preferred Mobile Trading Platform (Equities)  Gold

Established in 1983, Phillip Futures is a founding clearing member of Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading, and the firms range of services includes the trading of global futures, foreign exchange, energy, metals and commodity futures. Today, the Group has over 27 exchange clearing memberships across continents, giving its clients efficient access to a wide variety of products to trade.

The award is evidence that the homegrown firms efforts to grow its capabilities and support its growing client base is being recognised by local investors. Over the years, Phillip Futures has established itself as a favourite among Singaporean investors, with its comprehensive range of products and trading platforms. New investors and experienced traders alike, speak highly about the services that the brokerage offers.

Here is why Phillip Futures is still your preferred Forex broker

 It offers some of the lowest spreads and some of the most attractive swap charges on several currency pairs, a major benefit to Forex traders

 To meet varying needs of diverse client profiles, Phillip Futures offers both mini and regular sized contracts.

 Phillip Futures dealing and technical support, on all products, are available around the clock to help you with any queries that you may have.

 Phillip Futures customers have access to updated information and news about the financial markets from Phillip Futures dedicated team of analysts and experts.

 You get to choose from a wide range of trading platforms. These include FX trader, FX365, and Phillip MetaTrader 5 (MT5). Phillip MT 5 was just launched in mid 2018 and the platform, available in both mobile and desktop and known for its automatic trading capabilities, has seen high download figures and very positive feedback.

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An exclusive offering in Singapore: MetaTrader 5

The MT5 multi-asset trading platform is acknowledged by industry experts to be simple to use and highly versatile .

At the time of its introduction, Phillip Futures ran a promotional campaign to introduce retail traders to the advantages of the platform. The inaugural MT5 Forex Trading Challenge, which was held in May 2017, received an overwhelming response from investors and traders. Many individuals who took part in the competition gained financially as well. Phillip Futures awarded prizes of a total value of US$52,000 to a total of 349 winners.

The MT5 platform has rapidly gained in popularity since its introduction last year. Phillip Futures currently has 1,674 clients on the MT5 platform, including both demo + live clients, and that number continues to grow.

Why has the MT5 become so popular? The state-of-the-art platform offers users many fundamental and technical analysis tools. You can also automate your trading by using robots. These robots execute your instructions without the need for human intervention.

One year on and Phillip Futures is still the only brokerage in Singapore to support the MT5, offering ZERO commission trading on the platform.

To further enhance its support of the platform, Phillip Futures also entered into a partnership with forex news provider FXStreet in 2018.

FXStreet provides news that is relevant to the forex market in real time. It also offers forex analysis, exchange rates, charts, and an economic calendar. These features are now available to users of Phillip Futures MT5 platform.

In another positive development that will help its clients, Phillip Futures plans to introduce an industry-recognised pattern recognition tool. This will help investors to spot trading opportunities and maximise their profit potential.

A well-deserved award for continued innovation

Even as the recent Most Preferred Forex Broker  Gold award affirms Phillip Futures recent moves, the firm is not expected to stand still.

The philosophy of the firm is best summed up by the statement made by Mr Teyu Che Chern, the chief executive officer of Phillip Futures when he received the award at ShareInvestor Awards 2018.

These awards will encourage us to continue innovating and give customers our best in every way, he said.

(By ZUU online)

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US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday the killing of a top Afghan official would not fundamentally change the security situation in Kandahar province. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for Thursday's shooting in the restive southern province that killed anti-Taliban strongman and police chief, General Abdul Raziq. At least two other people died during the attack inside a fortified government compound in Kandahar city that targeted a high-level security meeting. The top commander for US and NATO forces, General Scott Miller, was also present but escaped injury. Mattis said he did not see Raziq's death as changing things on the ground in Kandahar. "I've seen the officers around him. I've seen the maturation of the Afghan security forces," Mattis told reporters on the sidelines of a security summit in Singapore. "It's a tragic loss of a patriot for Afghanistan. But I don't see it having a long term effect on our area." The Pentagon chief said it was too early to know if the assault would hamper turnout for parliamentary elections set for October 20.
Chinas Defence Minister Wei Fenghe held talks with his US counterpart James Mattis at a key regional security summit on Thursday, after a meeting between the two men scheduled for earlier in the month was cancelled due to growing tensions between the two countries.

The officials talked for almost 90 minutes on the sidelines of the annual Association for Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) defence ministers meeting in Singapore, the main focus of which was the disputed South China Sea.

Randall Schriver, a US assistant secretary of defence for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, told reporters after the meeting that Mattis described the meeting as straightforward and candid and that he had made clear Washingtons views on Chinas increased militarisation of the strategic waterway.

Thats an area where we will continue to have differences and talk through, Schriver said.

On the possibility of Wei visiting the US for more talks, he said there was a commitment on both sides to try to find a time.

The high-level meeting came after planned talks between Mattis and Wei were cancelled by Beijing, apparently in retaliation for Washington sanctioning a unit of Chinas military for buying Russian fighter jets and missiles in September.

It also came amid rising tensions between the two powers, the temperature of which rose still further when a Chinese warship and a US destroyer almost collided in the South China Sea last month.

In another move that could escalate tensions, the US Pacific Air Force conducted routine exercises over the South China Sea on Tuesday, operations that have previously drawn Beijings ire.

Chinas foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing was verifying the situation, but reiterated it would take resolute measures when necessary to defend our sovereignty and security interests.

China always respects and safeguards freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea that all countries enjoy under the international law, he said.

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But we firmly oppose any country taking moves that undermine the littoral countries sovereignty and security interests, and disturb regional peace and stability.

Shriver said earlier that the Chinese side had requested the meeting in Singapore with Mattis, which he cited as evidence Beijing was interested in keeping things normal and stable, as are we.

We need to make sure that when we step on one anothers toes it doesnt escalate into something that would be catastrophic, he said. The Chinese are interested in having a military relationship thats a stabilising force in the overall relationship.

Analysts said it was likely Beijing proposed the talks on Thursday as a good faith gesture to de-escalate tensions and return to dialogue mechanisms between the two militaries.

Wei Zongyou, an international studies professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, said there was a recognition that the militaries needed to continue communicating to avoid accidents, after the recent near collision in the South China Sea.

The last meeting was cancelled because China wanted to show it was not happy with the US sanctions, but China does not want to see Sino-US relations head towards conflict and does not want their communication channels to be suspended, he said.

At the same time, China will communicate to the US that it is concerned and dissatisfied with the sanctions on Chinas military and the [United States] freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea.

Zhang Baohui, a Chinese security specialist at Lingnan University, said China was eager to restore communication channels particularly given reports that the US Pacific Fleet had proposed a series of exercises from the South China Sea to the Taiwan Strait as a warning to Beijing.

The recent escalation of tensions between the two sides is starting to worry the Chinese, he said. The current confrontational posture from both sides may create a real crisis, so I think after cancelling Mattis visit, the Chinese may have had second thoughts on their military to military relationship.

But tensions would not easily abate, as US President Donald Trumps administration was unlikely to shift its cold war posture towards China, Zhang said.

The two countries are on a collision course, he said. They were always on some sort of collision course, but now it looks as if the pace and intensity of the conflict are increasing.

The meeting between the two militaries wont affect anything unless Trump changes his mind, or else nothing will change.

Additional reporting by Reuters and Associated Press

This article China, US defence chiefs meet on sidelines of Asean meeting in Singapore first appeared on South China Morning Post

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The sharp weakening of Chinas currency so far this year is far from enough to offset the impact on its exporters from the trade tariffs imposed by the US government, Chinese firms said during the countrys biggest trade fair this week.

The tariffs have piled extra pressure on Chinese firms already being squeezed by higher costs for rent, labour, energy and taxes, the firms explained at the event in the southern city of Guangzhou, the centre of Chinas export industry. Many will be forced to close or move to lower-cost countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia to survive, they said.

The 25,000 Chinese exporters at the 124th China Import and Export Fair  also known as the Canton Fair  face the question of what to do if orders from the United States decrease.

The US was the second-largest source of buyers after Hong Kong at the last edition of the twice-yearly fair, with 12,000 US buyers attending, but the fairs spokesman admitted on Tuesday this might be affected by US trade policies.

Chinas yuan has weakened by more than 9 per cent against the US dollar in the past six months.

Although the US Treasury Department announced on Wednesday that it had concluded China was not manipulating its currency, it nonetheless warned against further depreciation.

This years sharp depreciation was likely to exacerbate Chinas trade surplus with the US, which stood at US$375 billion last year, the department said.

Chinese exporters, however, said the weaker currency was not giving them much benefit.

Trade war: Chinese exporters fight to save profit margins at countrys biggest trade fair

Alex Qian, a sales manager with a manufacturer of laminate flooring based in eastern Chinas Jiangsu province, said at the fair that the yuans current value against the US dollar allowed them to offer a 3 per cent discount at most on exports to the US.

We cannot afford more because costs are rising like crazy, he said. We already lost all our profit margin and now depend on [a government] export tax rebate to survive.

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Qians firms products were covered by the tariffs list specified by the US government in September, and are now subject to a 10 per cent tariff  set to rise to 25 per cent on January 1 unless China offers trade concessions.

US Treasury staff finds China is not manipulating yuan

He said in the past year his firm had lost almost all of its US clients, which used to account for 70 per cent of the companys export total, as rising costs made their products less competitive compared with Europe-based rivals.

The company was shifting its export sales focus to the Canadian market to avoid US tariffs, Qian said, but he did not expect that to make up for the loss of its US market.

Max Feng, a sales manager with a manufacturer of home and office furniture in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo, said the weaker yuan had done little to help her company.

It does help the companys sales volume, because prices of their exports are set in US dollars, she said. But we do not feel much relief, because prices for raw materials like steel, plastic and wood are rising rapidly and we face large expenses to comply with the environmental protection campaigns in China, she added.

To support its domestic manufacturing, China has to buy large amounts of raw materials such as iron ore and crude oil from global markets. Because most of these materials are priced in dollars, a weaker yuan increases the cost for domestic manufacturers.

A top-down environmental protection campaign launched by Beijing last year has pushed factories to upgrade their equipment. Tens of thousands of factories around China have been closed after failed inspections, or been fined.

Core products of Fengs company, including manual and electric sit-stand desks, were also added to the US tariffs list in September.

Feng said none of her US clients had visited the company in Guangzhou this year, and she had no idea how to compensate if it were to lose its US market next year.

Is China about to let the yuan weaken below seven to the dollar?

There is no room for us to cut prices, she said.

Other businesses have been flourishing, at least in the very short term, while prospects for any resolution of the US-China trade war remain gloomy and concerns about a deteriorating trade outlook persist, because of US customers front-loading orders to avoid imminent extra tariff costs.

Lisa Lee, sales director at a lamp manufacturer based in Shunde, Guangdong province, said its factory has been running at full capacity in recent weeks, with employees working seven days a week to fulfil rush orders from the US.

Chinas factory base cuts business costs, rolls out red carpet to foreign investors as trade war bites

A 10 per cent tariff was imposed on our products in September and it is likely to be raised to 25 per cent next year, so there are a lot of orders from US clients trying to ensure products clear US customs before January, Lee said.

But she said she did not know what may happen in 2019, given there was virtually no room to bring down prices, because of rising costs in China.

Henry Shen, a sales manager of a producer of artificial grass in eastern Chinas Shandong province, had a ready-made solution because the company opened a plant in Vietnam last year that now offered it the ability to circumvent the 10 per cent tariff imposed in September on artificial grass from China.

The firms US clients ordered more than US$100 million worth of artificial grass in 2017, he said, adding: All the orders we get from our US clients are now handled by our plant in Vietnam.

This article Chinese exporters: weaker yuan wont make up for trade war impact first appeared on South China Morning Post

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Worlds longest sea crossing is finally finished, but Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge has come at a high cost

The worlds longest sea crossing linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macau will open to passengers soon, but its construction was blighted by accidents, corruption, delays and budget overruns.

Nearly a decade after construction began, the bridges opening ceremony will take place on October 23, marking a milestone in Beijings broader push to integrate the Greater Bay Area  an evolving dynamic and business hub comprising Hong Kong, Macau and nine Guangdong province cities.

The bridge will put the three cities within an hours commute of each other, and is expected to boost economic development and tourism in Hong Kong, which has invested HK$120 billion in the project.

But, critics have questioned whether the bridge will become another white elephant, as the government conceded earlier this year it had lowered its estimates for traffic due to keen competition expected from another mainland bridge, and Chinas national railway.

1. How convenient is the bridge?

The 55km (34 miles) link will drastically cut travel time from Hong Kong to Zhuhai, easing the flow of cargo between the city and Western Pearl River Delta, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces.

A trip between Kwai Chung Container Port, and Zhuhai is expected to drop from about 3 hours to around 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, it will now only take around 45 minutes to travel from Hong Kong International Airport to Zhuhai. The journey presently takes about four hours.

2. What caused the cost overruns and delays?



A proposal to build a bridge linking Tuen Mun and Zhuhai was made as early as 1980.

But it wasnt until 2003 that the State Council, Chinas cabinet, gave a nod to the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau to press ahead with the advance work for the construction of the bridge.

The three governments were responsible for the facilities within their own territories, but they would share part of the construction costs for the main bridge.

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According to official figures from December 2017, the estimated cost jumped about 26 per cent, or 9.95 billion yuan (HK$11.7 billion), to 48.07 billion yuan from 38.12 billion yuan in 2010. The extra cost was financed by the three sides, as well as the borrowing from banks by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Authority.

As a result, Hong Kong shared about 2 billion yuan of the extra costs, taking its total contribution to about HK$10 billion.

The Ministry of Transport cited various reasons for the overruns, including complicated building conditions in the open sea, and construction difficulties.

Hong Kong has so far invested about HK$120 billion in the project, including connecting roads and flyovers within the city.

The bridge, originally slated to open in 2016, has been delayed by two years.

3. What has been the human cost?

The mega link has been described as a blood and sweat project by many people in the construction sector, including the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union.

According to the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, 10 workers have died, and more than 600 have been injured while working on the bridge's construction sites since 2010.

In May this year, the Hong Kong government provided figures from the bridge authority, which said nine workers had died during work relating to the main bridge, and no reports of other work injuries had been received.

4. Could the bridge become a white elephant?

Concerns were raised earlier this year when officials revealed the amount of traffic expected to use the bridge had been cut.

In a 2008 consultancy study, 33,100 vehicles and 171,800 passengers were expected to cross the bridge per day by 2030. But, that prediction was lowered to 29,100 vehicles and 126,000 passenger trips in a 2016 study, down 12.08 per cent and 26.66 per cent respectively.

The government conceded that the adjustments were made for several reasons, including competition for business from the Shenzhen-Zhongshan bridge, and the rapid redevelopment of mainland railways.

The bridge linking Shenzhen and Zhongshan, expected to be completed by 2024, will cut travel time between the two cities from two hours, to 20 minutes.

Officials have promised to monitor the mega bridges utilisation rate, and will consider suitable measures to bring its benefits into full play.

5. What are the corruption and design scandals?

In 2017, the citys anti-corruption watchdog charged 19 laboratory staff working for a government contractor with faking concrete test reports for the bridge.

One was jailed for eight months last year after pleading guilty to two counts of using false instruments to make reports between 2012 and 2015 on concrete cubes intended for the bridge.

Eighteen others were alleged to have changed the time of the computers, or replaced the original concrete sample cubes to falsify the tests between January 2013 and July 2016.

Of these, two were sentenced to 32 months and 22 months in prison respectively after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud. Another technician who admitted culpability is expected to testify for the prosecution against the remaining 15, who had pleaded not guilty. Their trial is expected to begin next year.

In 2016, officials revealed technical problems had caused drifting of an artificial island that housed facilities for the bridge, and rectification was needed.

Safety concerns were raised again in April, when aerial photos emerged showing that interlocking concrete blocks placed around the edges of the island had drifted away. But the bridge authority said the blocks, known as dolosse, were specially designed to be submerged in a random manner.

6. What were some of the other concerns?

Green groups were worried that the bridge construction had affected the ecology around Lantau Island.

According to a government report released earlier this year, the number of Chinese white dolphins in Hong Kong waters remains critically low, with just 47 of them spotted from April 2017 to March 2018.

The dolphins have largely disappeared from northeast Lantau since 2012, when work on the bridge started, and high-speed ferry traffic from the airports Sky Pier increased.

This article Worlds longest sea crossing is finally finished, but Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge has come at a high cost first appeared on South China Morning Post

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FILE - In this Tuesday, April 28, 2015 file photo, Nick Clegg, then leader of Britain's Liberal Democrat party, speaks at a press conference in London. Facebook has hired former U.K. deputy prime minister Nick Clegg to head its global policy and communications teams it was announced Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, enlisting a veteran of European Union politics to help it with increased regulatory scrutiny by the bloc. Clegg, 51, will become a vice president of the social media giant, and report to Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, file)

LONDON (AP)  Facebook has hired former U.K. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to head its global policy and communications teams, enlisting a veteran of European Union politics to help it with increased regulatory scrutiny in the region and snowballing challenges to its reputation.

Clegg, 51, will become a vice president of the social media giant, and report to Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg. He described the new job Friday as "an exciting new adventure," after 20 years in British politics.

Clegg will particularly be called upon to help Facebook grapple with a changing regulatory landscape globally. EU regulators are interested in reining in mostly American tech giants who they blame for avoiding tax, stifling competition and encroaching on privacy rights.

In a post on his Facebook page, Clegg described the company as being not just part of many people's lives, "but also at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult questions we face as a society: the privacy of the individual; the integrity of our democratic process; the tensions between local cultures and the global internet; the balance between free speech and prohibited content; the power and concerns around artificial intelligence; and the wellbeing of our children.

"I believe that Facebook must continue to play a role in finding answers to those questions - not by acting alone in Silicon Valley, but by working with people, organizations, governments and regulators around the world to ensure that technology is a force for good," he wrote.

It's not the first time a major corporation or non-profit has poached a former political leader to offer clarity on the inner workings of government. After wrapping up his work as president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso joined Goldman Sachs as non-executive chairman in 2016. Former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder went on to chair oil company Rosneft; former U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband moved to New York to become CEO of the International Rescue Committee.

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Tech companies have been poaching British talent for years as well, though Clegg appears to be the highest-ranking departure to date. Steve Hilton, a former director of strategy to ex-Prime Minister David Cameron, decamped to California and now hosts a Fox news show. Tim Chatwin, another Cameron aide, now works for Google, as does Theo Bertram, who worked in Downing Street for Labour Party Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Clegg led the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015, including five years in the coalition government with the Conservatives. He lost his seat at last year's general election. Before that, he was a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2004.

In recent months, he has been an active campaigner for a second referendum on Brexit, in hopes of preventing Britain's departure from the EU. Clegg argued that supporters of Brexit failed to explain the sacrifices that will follow an exit, but he said it was nonetheless time for him to go.

Clegg, who starts Monday, said that he and his family will be moving to California to take on the new job in the coming year. He had been discussing a new role with Sandberg and CEO Mark Zuckerberg over the summer.

Sandberg also posted a welcome to Clegg on Facebook which also echoed his comments that technology can be used "to do good."

"Our company is on a critical journey," she wrote. "The challenges we face are serious and clear and now more than ever we need new perspectives to help us though this time of change."
Hong Kongs railway operator and government have been accused of sweeping more shoddy construction under the rug involving a platform at Hung Hom station already plagued by scandal.

Fresh cover-up allegations were aired on Friday as transport minister Frank Chan Fan faced the legislatures transport panel.

The designs for 77 sections of wall, which account for 30 per cent of all so-called diaphragm walls for the station platform, were said to have been revised in 2013 without authorisation from the government.

The modifications were allegedly carried out by the projects main engineering firm, Leighton Contractors (Asia).

The latest accusations are based on confidential submissions to a government-appointed independent commission of inquiry set up to probe separate substandard work already identified at the station.

Hung Hom station is undergoing modifications to service the Sha Tin-Central link, Hong Kongs most expensive railway construction project ever, at HK$97.1 billion (US$12.4 billion).

Several separate allegations have already been made about substandard work at the facility, and the commission will hold its first hearing on the matter on Monday.

The wall revisions are said to have resulted in the removal of a large number of U-shaped steel bars at the top of the structures that served the purpose of securing them. Such changes should have been run past authorities.

Local media reported that the MTR Corporation only found out about the unauthorised modifications in January 2015 when Leighton sought approval of its work from the rail operator.

The MTR Corp is then said to have discussed the issue with project design consultant Atkins before reporting it to the governments Highways Department and Buildings Department in July 2015.

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Suggestions were given to Leighton to install additional reinforcement bars, but the company allegedly failed to do so. In the end the MTR Corp and the contractor decided to simply remove the top layer of the diaphragm walls and use long steel bars instead of U-shaped ones.

Chan on Friday sidestepped questions from lawmakers over whether the government had deliberately kept the public in the dark about the unapproved work.

Secretary Chan, has the government deliberately covered it up? asked HK First legislator Claudia Mo Man-ching.

Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan said: Have you read the newspaper yet? Do you have a grasp of what has happened with this unapproved work?

The transport chief replied: There are a lot of investigations going on, including the commission of inquiry. I think its better for the commission to find out the truth. At this stage it is not proper for us to comment.

An MTR report in June this year said construction of the diaphragm walls had been done in accordance with the approved designs, and 23,500 couplers had been installed on the platform.

But in July, the railway firm submitted another report to the government conceding that the wall designs had been modified without Buildings Department approval, and 2,000 couplers were missing.

Allegations of faulty work at Hung Hom first emerged in May when it was disclosed that steel bars had been cut short to fake proper installation into couplers.

Leighton has been silent on the controversy.

The commission of inquiry is being led by Michael Hartmann, a former non-permanent judge on Hong Kongs Court of Final Appeal.

The scandals have already spurred an overhaul of top management at the MTR Corp, with four executives resigning in early August and an early departure planned for CEO Lincoln Leong Kwok-kuen.

Police are also investigating the case, at the request of the Highways Department.

An MTR Corp spokeswoman on Friday declined to comment.

It would be inappropriate to comment on this matter at this time. A substantive hearing for the commission of inquiry will commence soon, she said. The corporation will fully cooperate with the inquiry to find the truth and allay public concerns.

This article Fresh cover-up accusations hit Hong Kongs MTR and contractor Leighton over more shoddy construction at Hung Hom station first appeared on South China Morning Post

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Porter held director positions in Oracle. He was also a general manager at Amazon Web Services

Southeast Asia ride-hailing giant Grab has appointed tech industry veteran Mark Porter as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Transport.

In this newly-created role, Porter will oversee all of Grabs tech infrastructure and teams dedicated to the transport business, including private-car hires, taxi-hailing, motorbike taxis, carpooling, multimodal services and more.

He will be charged with ensuring all its transport services are robust and reliable. He will also be guiding the development of agile platforms, machine learning, AI, and data science capabilities to enhance the companys transport experience.

Based in Seattle, he will lead and work with the engineering teams across Grabs global network of six R&D centres in Singapore, Seattle, Beijing, Bangalore, Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta.

Also Read: Boost, a learning app for hospitality sector, raises funding from Swiss university

Porter joins Grab after five years at Amazon Web Services, where he was most recently General Manager of Amazon RDS, Amazon Aurora, and Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL. He also held director positions at Oracle, where he worked for more than 11 years: he was vice president of its Interactive Television division as well as director of its Video Server division.

Porters first taste of systems programming came in 1978, when he was still in high school. He helped to maintain gradebook programmes for teachers using Basic and Z-80 assembly on Radio Shack Model I and II computers running TRS-DOS.

He went on to attain a B.S. in Computer Science at Caltech, and then started his professional career in tech as a programmer at Adcom Inc. In the mid 80s, he joined NASA as a system programmer for its Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was also a system manager at his alma mater, Caltech, overseeing its division of Geological and Planetary Sciences.



Image Credit: Grab

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Thousands of migrants who forced their way through Guatemala's northwestern border and flooded onto a bridge leading to Mexico, where riot police battled them back, on Saturday waited at the border in the hope of continuing their journey to the United States. The caravan of mainly Honduran migrants, whose journey has triggered escalating anti-immigrant rhetoric from US President Donald Trump, on Friday surged through a series of police lines and barricades up to the final fence on Mexico's southern border. There -- at the far end of the bridge over the Suchiate River, which forms the western part of the Mexico-Guatemala border -- they hurled rocks and other objects at hundreds of riot police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. Multiple migrants, federal police and journalists were wounded. "We're running away from violence, and we arrive here and they just hit us more," sobbed 28-year-old Marta Ornelas Cazares, who was nursing her baby -- but had lost her other two children, aged 10 and 15, in the turmoil. "I don't know what happened, I thought we were going to cross peacefully and then suddenly there were rocks flying and tear gas," she told AFP. "We haven't eaten, the soldiers just sent us some water," Marina Alvarado, 48, said. "We are imprisoned here, like animals. Please, open the door," she pleaded. Mexican authorities insisted the undocumented migrants would have to file asylum claims one at a time in order to enter the country. They began letting them through in a trickle -- first women and children, who were ushered onto trucks and taken to shelters. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto described the situation as "unprecedented." "Violent entry into the country not only threatens our sovereignty, but also puts the migrants themselves at risk," Pena Nieto said in a video published on his social media profiles. He added Mexico remains willing to support migrants who enter the country and respect its laws. The migrants are generally fleeing poverty and insecurity in Honduras, where powerful street gangs rule their turf with brutal violence. With a homicide rate of 43 per 100,000 citizens, Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the world. - Chaotic scenes - "We're staying here until they open this fence," said Adonai Sanchez, 36, who was traveling with his three nephews, aged two, three and 14. Others returned to the Guatemalan side late Friday, where shelters have been providing them food and water. The scene remained tense at the final border barrier, a tall fence of white metal bars. Chanting "Yes we can!" and "Mexico! Mexico!" migrants earlier climbed or tore down a series of barriers, flooding across the bridge. The migrants could be seen passing babies overhead through the crowd, as women holding crying children by the hand or pressing their infants to their chests streamed past the broken metal barriers and onto the bridge. At the front of the caravan, one group briefly broke through the final fence before police forced them back and closed it again. Some migrants used a rope to jump off the bridge and swim across the river or hitch a ride on the many rafts that cross it regularly. - Defying Trump's threats - Various caravans had been traveling by bus or on foot from Honduras, converging in recent days on the town of Tecun Uman, Guatemala, near the border bridge. Authorities in Ciudad Hidalgo, on the Mexican side, were expecting around 3,000 migrants to arrive in total. Back in Honduras, hundreds marched in the capital Tegucigalpa in solidarity with their compatriots. On Thursday, Trump branded the migrant caravan an "onslaught" and an "assault on our country" in a series of typically fiery tweets. He threatened to cut aid to the region, deploy the military and close the US-Mexican border if authorities did not stop them. - 'American sovereignty' - In Mexico City, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said after meeting his Mexican counterpart that migration across the two countries' border is reaching "a moment of crisis" and posing "a challenge for American sovereignty." Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray insisted Mexico would not cave to pressure to detain the migrants, urging the Trump administration to address the root causes of their northward flight: violent crime and poverty. "Mexico's migration policy is for Mexico to decide," he said. But Mexico has also been keen to show Trump it is working to slow the stream of migrants. The Republican billionaire has made curbing undocumented immigration a keystone of his presidency. Barely a week goes by without him warning about the danger posed by ultra-violent Central American gangs like MS-13, while chants of "build the wall" are a staple of his campaign rallies ahead of next month's US midterm elections.
A speeding train ran over revellers watching fireworks during a Hindu festival in northern India Friday, killing more than 50 people, with eyewitnesses saying they were given no warning before disaster struck. The crowd had gathered on railway tracks in the city of Amritsar in Punjab state to watch a fireworks show marking the Dussehra festival when the train barrelled down the line at high speed. "There was a lot of noise as firecrackers were being let off and it appears they (victims) were unable to hear the approaching train," a police official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "There are more than 50 dead. The priority now is to take the injured to the hospital," Amritsar city police commissioner S. S. Srivastava told reporters. More than 60 people who were injured were being given emergency treatment at various hospitals across the city, he added. TV footage showed crowds gathered around the venue where an effigy of demon king Ravana was set alight, exploding into a huge fireball. One of the revellers, Mintoo, a migrant labourer who uses one name, told the Hindustan Times daily that he had no idea the train was approaching. "It had become dark and everyone was watching the effigy go up in flames when the train suddenly appeared," he said. An eyewitness speaking to a local TV channel described scenes of "utter commotion" when the crowds noticed the train "coming very fast" towards them. "Everyone was running helter-skelter and suddenly the train crashed into the crowds of people," he said. Another eyewitness said people were busy taking pictures on their mobile phones and "they were not given any warning that they should not stand on the tracks." Many who had climbed on rooftops for a glimpse of the action clapped and cheered as the fireworks exploded. But the festive scenes soon turned tragic. "I have lost my child, I want him back," an inconsolable mother said, wailing and beating her chest. Some relatives of the deceased blamed the authorities for allowing a "big function" to be held next to the railway track. An AFP photographer at the scene said some victims had lost limbs in the accident while others suffered head wounds. - 'Heart-wrenching tragedy' - Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh ordered an investigation into the accident and announced a monetary compensation of 500,000 rupees ($6800) to each family of the victims. "We have asked all hospitals to remain open through the night so that the injured can be treated," Singh told reporters. He declared a day of mourning across the state, ordering all offices and educational institutions to be closed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the "heart-wrenching tragedy" and asked officials to provide immediate assistance to the injured. India's railway network is the world's fourth largest and remains the main form of travel in the vast country, but it is poorly funded and deadly accidents often occur. The country is home to hundreds of railway crossings that are unmanned and particularly accident prone, with people often ignoring oncoming train warnings. A 2012 government report described the loss of 15,000 passengers to rail accidents every year in India as a "massacre". Premier Modi has pledged $137 billion over five years to modernise the crumbling network. Railway minister Piyush Goyal said Friday he was cancelling his trip to the US and returning to India immediately. "May God give strength to the bereaved and injured," Goyal tweeted. "Railways is providing all possible assistance at the site." Millions of Hindus celebrate the Dussehra festival by burning giant effigies in a practice symbolising the triumph of good over evil. Disasters at religious festivals are not uncommon in India with police and volunteers often overwhelmed by the sheer size of the crowds. Im 2016, 24 people died after a stampede broke out in the Hindu holy town of Varanasi.
At 8am this morning, opposition leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi arrived at Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, having been arrested Thursday on suspicion of corruption. It was a fresh blow to his party which was ousted at elections this year after six decades in power.

Hamidi, a former deputy premier and ally of scandal-mired ex-leader Najib Razak, was detained yesterday after being questioned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Rumors had been swirling all week of what could be an impending arrest.

Today, 45 charged were read to him, accusing the former DPM of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering in connection to a charity run by members of his family.

Heading into court, observers on the scene noted that he was wearing a different batik shirt than the one we was pictured being arrested in yesterday. Two hundred supporters, all sporing red shirts, awaited his arrival at the court complex today.

Local media outlet Malay Mail carried a taste of some of the charges that Hamidi is facing. Weve copied a snippet below:

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR VS. AHMAD ZAHID BIN HAMIDI (NRIC NO.: 5****-**-6055)

First charge: Laundering RM3.8 million

That you, on 27 May 2016, at the Malayan Banking Berhad, Dataran Maybank branch, Aras 1, Tower A, No.1 Jalan Maarof, Bangsar, in the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, did engage in money laundering, in that you gave the instructions to deposit a sum of RM3,8000,000 into account number 2**********2 as a fixed deposit with the serial number A6****2 via Maybank account number: 5**********6 belonging to Messrs Lewis & Co, Advocates and Solicitors, which are the proceeds of unlawful activity and thereby you have committed an offence under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (Act 613), punishable under Section 4(1) of the same Act.

Second charge: Laundering RM3 million

That you, on 14 June 2016  gave the instructions to deposit a sum of RM3,0000,000 into account number 2**********2 

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Third charge: Laundering RM4.6 million

That you, on 14 June 2016  gave the instructions to deposit a sum of RM4,6000,000 into account number2**********2

This list goes on, and you can peep a lot more HERE.

Hamidi is head of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the main party in a coalition that had ruled Malaysia from independence in 1957 until their shock defeat in May polls.

The party has been on the ropes since GE14, with many coalition partners abandoning a party that had become synonymous with widespread graft, divisive racial politics and a rotten ruling elite.

Najib has also been arrested and charged over allegations he oversaw the plundering of state fund 1MDB, a scandal that played a major part in the election defeat.

Ahmad Zahid was arrested in relation to an investigation into abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said.

I urge UMNO members to remain calm and follow the rule of law, Ahmad Zahid told AFP before his arrest.

The UMNO quickly came to the defense of Ahmad Zahid, who was elected as party chief after Mays polls, and said the arrest was politically motivated.

This action is a strategy to portray Zahid as an untrustworthy and unqualified leader, said Jalaluddin Alias, a member of the partys supreme council.

Even Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin, who once faced Hamidi in the election for UMNO presidency, offered words of support:

Ahmad Zahid, who also served as interior minister in the last government, stuck by Najib even as other senior figures abandoned him over the 1MDB graft scandal.

US authorities say more than $4.5 billion was misappropriated from the fund, with nearly $700 million diverted into Najibs personal bank accounts. The ex-leader has denied any wrongdoing.

*Additional reporting via AFP

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Malaysia's opposition leader was Friday hit with 45 charges in a $26 million corruption case, a new blow to his beleaguered party which lost power in landmark elections this year. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, a former deputy premier and ally of scandal-mired ex-leader Najib Razak, is accused of crimes that include accepting bribes to award government contracts and money-laundering. The 65-year-old pleaded not guilty to all charges, and will stand trial. A crowd of supporters turned up outside the court in Kuala Lumpur where he was being charged, waving banners that read "we reject the cruel treatment of our leader". Najib also attended the hearing to offer support. Ahmad Zahid is head of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lynchpin in a coalition of parties that ruled Malaysia from independence in 1957 until their shock defeat in May polls. UMNO has been on the ropes since, with many coalition partners abandoning a party that had become synonymous with widespread graft, divisive racial politics in the multi-ethnic country and a rotten ruling elite. Najib has also been arrested and charged over allegations he oversaw the plundering of state fund 1MDB, a scandal that played a major part in the election defeat. Ahmad Zahid is facing 27 money-laundering charges, eight counts of accepting bribes, and 10 for criminal breach of trust. Key accusations include that he misappropriated money from a charitable foundation he headed; received kickbacks in exchange for awarding government contracts; and laundered money by buying property. The total amount of money involved in all the charges amounts to some 111 million ringgit ($26.6 million). Ahmad Zahid was released on bail of two million ringgit. His next hearing is set for December 14. UMNO insists the case against their leader is politically motivated and his brother, Mohamad Lokman Hamidi, said Friday was a "black day" for Malaysia. "My brother is innocent," he told reporters. The politician, who also served as interior minister in the last government, stuck by Najib even as other senior figures abandoned him over the 1MDB graft scandal. US authorities say more than $4.5 billion was misappropriated from the fund, with nearly $700 million diverted into Najib's personal bank accounts. The ex-leader denies any wrongdoing.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that illegal migration across the US-Mexican border is near crisis levels, as a caravan of Honduran migrants prepared to enter Mexico bound for the United States. "President (Donald) Trump's been clear about the largest issue we face today. We are quickly reaching a point which appears to be a moment of crisis: record numbers of migrants," Pompeo said during a visit to Mexico City. "The challenge related to security for our southern border is... a challenge for American sovereignty. We have to fix US laws in order to handle this properly," he told a joint press conference with his Mexican counterpart. "This moment has enormous implications for the opioid epidemic in the US," he added, linking two issues Trump has repeatedly used to argue for his planned border wall: drug trafficking and illegal migration. Pompeo's trip came as a caravan of thousands of Honduran migrants prepared to cross the border from Guatemala to Mexico on their northbound journey, drawing warnings from Trump that he would cut aid to the region, deploy the military and close the US-Mexican border if authorities did not stop them. On Thursday, Trump branded the migrants an "onslaught" and an "assault on our country" in a series of typically fiery tweets. Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray insisted Mexico would not cave to pressure to detain the migrants, vowing to respect their human rights and urging the Trump administration to address the root causes of their northward flight: violent crime and poverty. "Mexico's migration policy is for Mexico to decide," he said. "Our position, in essence, is to respect human rights and dignity and protect this group of migrants, particularly the most vulnerable: children, the elderly, pregnant women." However, on the border, there were signs Mexico was complying with Trump's wishes. Beneath a sign reading "Welcome to Mexico," hundreds of riot police formed a barricade on the bridge at the border crossing near where the migrants have gathered, in the city of Tecun Uman, Guatemala. Mexico has vowed to detain any migrants who cross without visas, though it has also said it will process their asylum requests, and has asked for the UN refugee agency's help in doing so. Trump has made curbing illegal immigration a keystone of his presidency. Barely a week goes by without him warning about the danger posed by ultra-violent Central American gangs like MS-13, while chants of "build the wall" are a staple of his pre-midterms campaign rallies.
A Russian man suspected of spying at the Norwegian parliament was released from prison on Friday after Norway's intelligence service withdrew an appeal against the decision. Mikhail Bochkarev, 51, was arrested on September 21 at Oslo airport after attending a seminar in Norway's parliament, accused of having collected data on the building and its network. Television footage showed Bochkarev leave Oslo prison on Friday in a car from the Russian embassy. His release came after a Norwegian judge ruled on Thursday that investigators had failed to substantiate their case. The PST intelligence service initially appealed the decision but on Friday the agency made a U-turn. "The PST has decided to withdraw its appeal... He is released today," the agency tweeted without an explanation. Russia had denounced the charges against Bochkarev as "false" and "absurd". He remains under investigation but is free to leave the country, the PST said. "This was the only solution. It shows that the PST also realises that the suspicions are unfounded," Bochkarev's lawyer, Hege Aakre, told NRK radio. There had been speculation that Bochkarev might be used as leverage in efforts to obtain the release of a Norwegian held in Russia on suspicion of spying, although the PST has denied any connection between the two cases. Frode Berg was arrested in April and is still waiting trial. Berg admitted to having helped the Norwegian intelligence services by acting as a courier several times. "The possibility of an exchange has now definitely gone," Berg's Norwegian lawyer Brynjulf Risnes told Norwegian news agency NTB. "The release of Mr Bochkarev is a lost opportunity for us," he added. Norwegian officials regularly accuse Russia of attempted hacking and espionage.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a signing ceremony following a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia October 17, 2018. Pavel Golovkin/Pool via REUTERS

SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Islamic State militants had seized nearly 700 hostages in part of Syria controlled by U.S.-backed forces and had executed some of them and promised to kill more.

Speaking in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Putin said the hostages included several U.S. and European nationals, adding that Islamic State was expanding its control in territory on the left bank of the River Euphrates controlled by U.S. and U.S.-backed forces.

Putin did not specify what the militants' demands were.

"They have issued ultimatums, specific demands and warned that if these ultimatums are not met they will execute 10 people every day. The day before yesterday they executed 10 people," Putin told the Valdai discussion forum in Sochi.

The TASS news agency reported on Wednesday that Islamic State militants had taken around 700 hostages in Syria's Deir-al Zor province after attacking a refugee camp in an area controlled by U.S.-backed forces on Oct. 13.

TASS said the militants had kidnapped around 130 families and taken them to the city of Hajin.

In Washington, the U.S. military cast doubt on Putin's claims.

"While we have confirmed that there was an attack on an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp near (Deir-al Zor) last week, we have no information supporting the large number of hostages alleged by President Putin and we are skeptical of its accuracy," Commander Sean Robertson, a Pentagon spokesman, said in a statement.

"We are also unaware of any U.S. nationals located in that camp," Robertson added.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov in Sochi; Additional reporting by Polina Devitt in Moscow and Idrees Ali in Washington.; Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Andrew Osborn and James Dalgleish)
Russia and Uzbekistan on Friday hailed the construction of an $11 billion nuclear power plant that should help solve an energy deficit in the Central Asian country while binding it tighter to Moscow politically. Russian President Vladimir Putin was paying a first state visit to Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev since Mirziyoyev replaced the late Islam Karimov, who ruled for nearly three decades before his death in 2016. During the visit the two countries signed deals worth $27.1 billion, according to the Uzbek economy ministry. "Uzbekistan is our loyal ally and our strategic partner... We will do all we can to strengthen our cooperation," Putin said while meeting Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the capital Tashkent. "Dear Russian friends, welcome to Uzbekistan!" read billboards along the main roads of Tashkent where Russian and Uzbek flags flew side by side. The nuclear power plant, set to be completed by 2028, has strategic significance for Moscow which is looking to reassert its economic and political clout in Central Asia amid fierce competition from China and other players. According to the Russian Rosatom nuclear energy agency overseeing the project the plant's output should account for a fifth of Uzbekistan's overall power generation. Putin suggested on Friday that the facility -- the first of its kind in ex-Soviet Central Asia -- might also help provide power to other countries in the region where the Chernobyl disaster and Soviet-era atomic weapons testing in the Kazakh steppe have coloured attitudes towards nuclear power. - Authoritarian regime intact - Addressing the two leaders via tele-link from the western region of Navoi where the plant is set to be built, Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev assured Uzbekistan that the plant would be built in strict accordance with international standards. "The main criteria here is safety," Likhachev said at a ceremony marking the start of the project. Bilateral trade between Russia and Uzbekistan jumped by more than a third year-on-year to $3.7 billion in 2017 as Uzbekistan shakes off nearly three decades of economic isolation under Karimov's rule. Karimov, who died in 2016, maintained generally good relations with Moscow but was wary of the Kremlin's influence over Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region. Mirziyoyev, who served as Karimov's prime minister for 13 years, has kept the authoritarian regime intact while also reversing some of his predecessor's most controversial policies. Putin on Friday paid tribute to reforms launched by Mirziyoyev that have whetted the appetites of foreign investors eyeing new markets in a commodity-rich country of around 33 million people. "We see how quickly and how fundamentally the situation in Uzbekistan is changing, how reforms are being organised and carried out," Putin said. Under Mirziyoyev, the government has overhauled its foreign exchange policies, pledged to modernise its banking system and re-launched ties with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development that were effectively severed more than a decade ago. Among the other economic agreements signed at a business forum running parallel to the two leaders' talks was a memorandum of understanding between Russia's Lukoil energy major and Uzbek state energy company Uzbekneftgaz. Security was also high on the agenda during talks between the two heads of state. Under Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan has declared its readiness to host talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan, with whom Uzbekistan shares a border. "It is in our common interest to normalise the situation in Afghanistan," Putin said, backing the initiative.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is planning to balance the tourism sector, especially among foreigners, said State Tourism and Culture minister Datuk Christina Liew. Sabah has been putting focus on China market which takes about 50 per cent of tourist arrivals in the state. The (Tourism, Arts and Culture) ministry, through Sabah Tourism Board, needs to balance influx of tourists to the state through participation in roadshows to explore and tap more markets from Europe, United States, Australia and New Zealand, she said, adding that the Board would be sending representatives to World Travel Market in London next month to promote Sabah. Liew, who is also Api-Api state assemblyman, was speaking at a press conference after site inspection at Sinsuran, Segama, Bandaran and Kampung Air here. It was reported that Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents had said the occupancy rate of hotels had fallen to 50 to 60 per cent in October, as compared to an average of 80 to 85 per cent occupancy in the same period last year. Liew, however, said the ministry was optimistic with the oriental market as China knows the States attractions such as the mountains, sea and food. Next week there will be a press conference on this (tourists from China) whereby Southern China Airlines will have more flights (coming into Sabah), she said. On the site inspection, Liew said it was to fulfil her election promise to solve issues on hygiene, and repair works, among others, in the constituency. She said the constituencys Community Development Leaders unit office and website would be established soon for people to lodge complaints and check on distribution of development fund. Meanwhile, on Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamads announcement on two terms limit for peoples representatives, Liew said there were many things that could be done within the period. However, whether it is sufficient (to bring significant changes), I will leave it to wisdom of top leadership and the time they need to repair the countrys debts, she added.  New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
US and Chinese air forces urged to sign up to South China Sea guidelines after Asean states agree on code of conduct

Defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed a set of guidelines for warplanes flying over the disputed South China Sea, and will invite China and the US to sign up to the same code of conduct.

Singapores Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced the agreement at the annual Asean defence ministers meeting in Singapore, which ended on Friday.

The guidelines would reduce the risk of air accidents, Ng said. [They] are like a seat belt. They do not completely protect you but at least they provide some protection.

The blocs dialogue partners  Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the United States  would be urged to adopt the guidelines at the Asean Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus on Saturday, he said.

The new guidelines on air encounters relate to airspace above the disputed South China Sea, whose islands and reefs are the subject of numerous territorial disputes involving Beijing, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The US has also been more assertive in recent months about its freedom of navigation rights in and over the disputed waters, much to Beijings displeasure.

While the new aerial guidelines are the first of their kind to be agreed by Asean, military experts were quick to point out that they are not legally binding.

Lee YingHui, a senior analyst at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said it was likely Asean would seek to get the Plus countries to agree to the non-binding rules.

The rules of engagement spelt out in the new code are nothing new in the sense that customary international law already requires military aircraft to fly in accordance with the rules applicable to civilian aircraft, whenever practical, and also to exercise due regard during air-to-air encounters, she said.

The main contribution [of the guidelines] would be in terms of confidence-building.

Story continues

Kang Lin, a Chinese maritime researcher, said he did not expect China to rush to join the code as it had already signed an agreement with the US on air-to-air encounters in 2015.

An agreement on airspace usage is more sensitive than a maritime one, because a warship can only go so near to a sensitive island. But planes can fly over such areas and capture important information about them from above, he said.

However, he said the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea signed in 2014 by 21 countries although non-binding had been useful in minimising maritime disputes, although the recent near-miss involving US and Chinese warships in the South China Sea raised questions about its effectiveness.

Also on Thursday, Chinas Defence Minister Wei Fenghe held talks with his US counterpart James Mattis on the sidelines of the Asean meeting Singapore.

The two had been set to meet earlier in the month but those talks were cancelled due to growing tensions between the two countries.

According to Xinhua, Wei urged Mattis to walk with China to maintain stability and peace in the disputed waters.

The correct way of solving conflicts and differences is with respect and tolerance, he said.

There are differences between the US and China, but differences do not mean confrontation, competition does not mean rivalry, Mattis is reported to have replied.

The US is keen to develop military-to-military relations, and [we] think increasing cooperation is the only reasonable way to develop the relations.

This article US and Chinese air forces urged to sign up to South China Sea guidelines after Asean states agree on code of conduct first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his South Korean counterpart Jeong Kyeong-doo have cancelled the "Vigilant Ace" military exercise that was slated for December, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Friday. The two officials agreed to suspend the drill to "give the diplomatic process" with Pyongyang "every opportunity to continue," spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement. "Both ministers are committed to modifying training exercises to ensure the readiness of our forces," the statement read, saying the need for future exercises would continue to be evaluated. The decision came as Mattis met with Jeong and South Japanese Minister of Defense Takeshi Iwaya on Friday at a security summit in Singapore. White's statement said Iwaya was "consulted" on the matter. Mattis did not mention the decision when he spoke to reporters after his meetings with Jeong and Iwaya. Following US President Trump's June meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the United States said it would suspend "select" exercises with South Korea, including the large-scale Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises scheduled for August. Vigilant Ace is an air exercise aimed at improving coordination between the two armies that takes place every year in early December in South Korea. Last year, 230 aircraft and some 12,000 US and South Korean troops participated. In August Mattis had said the Pentagon would "see how the negotiations go, and then we will calculate the future, how we go forward." US and South Korean forces have been training together for years, and routinely rehearse everything from beach landings to an invasion from the North, or even "decapitation" strikes targeting the North Korean regime. Last month, the then nominee to head US and UN forces in South Korea said the pause in drills had been a "prudent risk" to help facilitate a detente on the peninsula. But there "was certainly a degradation in the readiness of the force, for the combined forces," General Robert Abrams told the Senate Armed Services Committee at his confirmation hearing. Abrams went on to say that the continued suspension of the drills risked a further erosion in "readiness and capability and interoperability of the combined forces," though he noted officials were working to minimize issues by running smaller scale staff exercises.
From its first moments, David Gordon Greens new Halloween seems designed to reassure. From opening credits that recall those of John Carpenters 1978 originaland which roll out over a slightly updated version of Carpenters familiar theme musicto clever callbacks and echoed shots, Greens film is designed as a companion piece to Carpenters as much as a sequel. As such, it works quite well. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode, the one who got away from masked killer Michael Myers 40 years ago, and the films greatest innovation is to ponder what kind of effect surviving such an incident might have on someone, an intriguing element it never explores that deeply. That kind of sidetrack would mean not playing it safe, which isnt on Greens agenda.

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Which is fine. Co-written by Jeff Fradley and Greens frequent collaborator Danny McBride, Halloween is the film many fans have been waiting for, one that pits Laurie against Michael in a rematch (which Halloween H20 already did in 1998, but who remembers or cares?) and brings the series back to its basics by throwing out all the sequels and their accumulated mythology (no more odd ties to Celtic curses). The film has a clever opening involving a pair of obnoxious true-crime podcasters, a middle sequence in which Michael goes on a door-to-door killing spree that plays like the best 80s Halloween sequel never made, and, without spoiling too much, a battle royale finale that makes Laurie seem like a formidable threat to her longtime foe. Its fun and impeccably crafted by a highly skilled director who clearly loves the material. And it offers virtually nothing to chew over on the ride home.

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Halloween fans old and new will see the movie in crowds, and they wont be disappointed. But watching this faithful bit of fan service put my mind somewhere else: the last film to bear the name Halloween. Released in 2007, in the middle of a decade blighted with unmemorable horror remakes, Rob Zombies version of the dead-babysitter saga was a mirror image of Carpenters film instead of a slavish and wink-filled tribute. Although a modest hit, it received mostly dismissive reviews, and its now been all but swept aside. Thats a shame, because more than a decade onand especially compared to the new Halloweenit remains a fascinating and underappreciated experiment. Thats mostly in how it treats Michael Myers.

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For Carpenter, Myers unknowability is part of what makes him scary. Hes blank, an anonymous figure made all the more scary by a nondescript mask (actually a modified William Shatner mask Halloween production designer Tommy Lee Wallace picked up on the cheap). When his face is revealed in the films climax, its not the image of a monster. Its just some kid whos only a few years older than the babysitters hes spent the evening terrorizing. Hes the boogeyman, sure, but really he could be anyone.

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I met this 6-year-old child with this blank, pale, emotionless face, and  the blackest eyesthe devils eyes, Dr. Samuel Loomis, played with plummy flourishes by Donald Pleasence, says of the boy hes spent years trying to understand in the 1978 film. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up, because I realized that what was living behind that boys eyes was purely and simply  evil. Thats a pretty thin medical analysis, but one keeping with Carpenters chief inspiration, a college visit to a psychiatric institution in which he spotted a dead-eyed kid.

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It also keeps with a 70s understanding of mental illness and violence. As critic Amy Nicholson notes in her excellent podcast Halloween Unmasked, the term serial killer wasnt common in 1978, much less an understanding of the pathology and predictive behaviors of those driven to kill and kill again. It was easier to think of such murderers as impossible-to-understand monstersand maybe a little more comfortable too.

That had shifted dramatically by 2007, and Zombies film reflects that shift. Where Carpenters opens with a famous, relatively brisk, first-person Steadicam sequence in which we see a 6-year-old Michael killing his sister, Zombies version dwells on Michaels childhood. We see him ridiculed by his mothers abusive boyfriend (William Forsythe) and bullied at school. We learn hes acting out by killing animals. His only real connection is with his frequently absent mother (Sheri Moon Zombie). When he takes his first human life, its because hes pushed too far. Then he just keeps going.

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The film doesnt rush past this. In fact, it dwells on it. Michaels childhood takes up over a quarter of the film in Zombies directors cut, and the effect is to make him more pitiable than scary, at least for a while. Hes a boy who needs help, and when it arrives in the form of Loomis (Malcolm McDowell, matching Pleasences theatricality note for note), it seems at best inadequate and at worst counterproductive. In Carpenters film, Michael doesnt speak a word after killing his sister. In Zombies version, Michael talks and talks until he starts to shut down, withdrawing from a world he increasingly doesnt understand. Loomis seems ill-equipped to bring him back from the abyss.

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Eventually, this being a Halloween remake, he has to get down to the business of breaking out and returning to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, to get on with the murdering (and to seek out Laurie, the sister he couldnt kill, a detail that Zombie kept from the Carpenter-scripted 1981 sequel Halloween II but wasnt actually in the original film). Yet even here, Zombie doesnt stick to the script. Played by wrestler-turned-actor Tyler Mane, Michael is a looming, terrifying, single-minded figure in the slasher tradition, but Zombie stages his kills to linger a beat or two too long. The violence is drawn out and bloody, but it feels less sadistic than provocative. Zombies Halloween isnt Funny Games, but it asks some of the same questions: Why are you watching this? Is this really what you want to see?

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Spending so much time with the broken little boy who became the monster gives it an extra sense of unease. Zombies Halloween is a tragedy that unfolds on two fronts: the killings themselves, and the neglect and mistreatment that made the killer. (His 2009 follow-up, Halloween II, cant quite sustain that unease, unfortunately.) It never asks us to sympathize with Michael, but it does ask us to understand him.

Its a dare that Greens new movie, which reverts back to the stock good vs. evil talk of the original, never attempts. That might make it easier to like than Zombies strange, messy, challenging reinterpretation, but it also makes it much easier to forget.
Throughout the last two years, members of the religious right have continued to rationalize their support for Trump despite his violation of Christian principles. Most recently, Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson defended the presidents passive response to the likely murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi Arabian government. Robertson, expressing concern for the hundred billion dollars worth of arm sales at stake, said, I know its bad but weve had all kinds of stuff, but you dont blow up an international alliance over one person. On Thursday night, Stephen Colbert pointed out that the Christian right wouldnt have to do these kind of exculpatory acrobatics if only Moses had added an asterisk to the Ten Commandments. Dressed as the prophet, Colbert imagines Moses declaring, Thou shalt not kill  Unless theres a lotta coinage on the table  I mean think of the golden carriage you could buy with that kind of scratch.

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Despite this newly emerging justification that the probable torture and dismemberment of a U.S. resident and journalist is a small price to pay for some war profiteering, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is still advancing Trumps usual tactic: When you dont like reality, use rambling, grammatically incorrect sentences to cast doubt on the truth. On Thursday morning, Pompeo claimed that the Saudis need more time to get their story straight, declaring, We ought to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we too have an understanding of the thoughts surrounding that at which point we can make decisions about how or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia is really making headway with their investigation, said Colbert, in a sarcastic reference to the suspicious death of one of Khashoggis accused killers.

If Thursday evenings headlines are any indication, It doesnt seem hopeful that Trumps disregard for violence against the press will change any time soon. At a campaign rally in Montana Trump praised Rep. Greg Gianforte, who pleaded guilty to physically assaulting a reporter, drawling to a laughing crowd, Any guy that can do a body slam, hes my kind of guy.
This post was published in partnership with Wirecutter, the site devoted to finding the best gear and gadgets. Every product is independently selected by the Wirecutter team. We update links when possible, but note that deals may expire and prices are subject to change. If you buy something through our links, Slate and Wirecutter may earn an affiliate commission.

The Wirecutter staffers who contributed to this guide have logged more than 150 moves in total, to and from small rentals and multistory houses, across town and across the country, solo and with kids in tow. Each move has presented its own unique challenges, but weve come up with 19 accessories, tools, and techniques that have made the process a little less miserable.

In addition to using the recommended items below, weve found that sticking to a basic plan works well regardless of where youre going or what youre moving. First, sell or donate anything thats a hassle (or overly expensive) to transport, such as furniture or large appliances. What you keep, pack with careit takes time to find reliable and meaningful things. Moving is expensive and exhausting, and weve all used whatever free or cheap supplies work great for moving replaceable things, but protection for the things that matter is worth spending some cash.

And if you can afford to do so, hiring movers is almost always worth the cost: Your back (and your friends) will thank you.

Invest in Specialized Boxes

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A wardrobe box makes it easy to pack all of the nice clothes hanging in my closet. Yes, I could just put a plastic garbage bag over half the hanging shirts at once and throw them in the back of a car, but if you have any clothing that you want to treat gently (that one thing you wear to every wedding, say, or a suit that actually fits), a wardrobe box protects it through a move so that it comes through unscathed. This Home Depot box is strongly constructed out of thick cardboard and features a metal hanging bar, so you can load it with a fair amount of weight. The box is bulky, but its well-positioned handles make it easier to carry solo, and you can put shoes or other items at the bottom if you need a bit of extra storage. Tim Barribeau, editor

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BUY: The Home Depot Wardrobe Box with Metal Hanging Bar

$13, Home Depot

Consider Crate Rental

Cardboard boxes are most peoples go-to for a move, but Ive found a different way to pack to avoid the endless folding, taping, and breaking down that comes with cardboard. For my last move within New York, I used a crate-rental service called BungoBox. The service delivered stacks of plastic bins to my door before I moved and picked them up when I was done. The bins are easy to open and close as well as to stack and roll on a dolly (which you can also rent from the company), and I was able to pick them up and move them around thanks to their sturdy handles. Plus, BungoBox lets you keep the crates for weeks at a time if you like to pack slowly, and the prices are reasonable. Sorry, cardboardyouve been replaced. Michael Hession, head of photo and video

Get Reusable Storage

Ive moved a lot, and each time Ive picked up a few more of these classic 18-gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck Storage Totes to supplement moving boxes. Theyre stronger than boxes, I dont have to throw them out after every move, and theyre so durable that some of mine are more than 15 years old (thats 10 moves between three states). And unlike cheap moving boxes, they work for storage too: Even in a dank basement or dirty garage, they keep out-of-season clothes, spare blankets, extra electronics, or anything else safe and dry like no cardboard box can. Mark Smirniotis, editor

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BUY: Rubbermaid Roughneck Storage Tote

$32, Amazon

Buy Boxes in Bulk, Return the Rest After

If you want to save time and buy your boxes all at onceand if you want something sturdier than the free boxes you can find on Nextdoor or Craigslist, or at a local liquor storeU-Hauls moving boxes are ideal for any size move. Theyre sturdy, and they come in a huge variety of sizes and styles, with basic 1.5-cubic-foot boxes costing just $1. Certain sizes have handles that make lifting easier, and the top flaps are designed to stay flat against the sides (and out of your way) while youre packing. During my last move I found it particularly handy to order the boxes online. U-Haul offers free shipping for orders over $99, and it will buy back any unused boxes at its retail stores at full price. Order extra, use as many as you need, and return the rest. Nick Guy, senior staff writer

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BUY: U-Haul Moving Boxes

Have Plenty of Sharpies

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You should label every box, bin, or bag so you know whats what during a move, and the best way to do that is to have plenty of Sharpies on hand. Theyre just inexpensive markers, so I go overboard; I generally have at least one per person plus one per room. That way no one is tempted to label it later or to label too few of the boxes sides just to save ink, and youre more likely to have big, legible labels that say hand towels, shower stuff, toiletriesor at least bathroomrather than a stack of mystery boxes to decode after you arrive at your new home. MS

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BUY: Sharpie Permanent Markers

$10, Amazon

Use Sticky Labels for Easy Organizing

For the past couple of moves, weve used actual labels and stuck them on the boxes. We put them all in the same location on every box and color-code them by room. This kind of system is especially important if youre reusing older boxes that have other, outdated content labels written in Sharpie all over them. We first write the destination room and then note the contents underneath it (or just write that info on the box itself if the label is too small). This system also makes it simple and easy for the moverswith the consistent labeling, they know exactly what to look for. Doug Mahoney, senior staff writer

Transport Your TV Safely

If you didnt save your TV box (and who doestheyre huge), you can find specially designed TV boxes like the Heavy-Duty Large Adjustable TV and Picture Box from The Home Depot. Like the boxes TVs originally ship in, these include styrofoam padding to keep the corners of your TV secure plus a foam bag to keep the screen safe. Since the stand likely wont fit in the box with the TV, you can package it in a separately labeled box, along with all the cables. To make sure I dont lose the screws and other hardware, I put them into a plastic bag and tape it to the stand or the rear of the TV. Using this method, Ive helped move many TVs, and I have yet to have one damaged or to lose the hardware that goes with it. Chris Heinonen, senior staff writer

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BUY: The Home Depot Heavy-Duty Large Adjustable TV and Picture Box

$23, Home Depot

Use Contractor Bags That Wont Rip

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When we moved a few months ago, we didnt anticipate the need for a truly indestructible trash bag to help us clear out the various kinds of trash that came with moving from an apartment to a house. The 42-gallon Husky Contractor Clean-Up Bags contained everything from an unbelievable amount of cut-up cardboard to bougainvillea trimmings. Even though we jammed as much as we could into each bag, none ripped. My husband also appreciated being able to stack them easily so the trash company could pick them up on our sidewalk. We now keep a box of these handy for any future heavy-duty disposals. Rozette Rago, associate photo editor

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BUY: Husky Contractor Clean-Up Bags

$22, Amazon

Save Void Filters

I do most of my shopping online, which means my purchases come to me with a little extra something: row upon row of air-filled plastic pouches that keep my items from rattling around in the box. Before my last move, instead of just popping the pillows and throwing them away, I collected and reused them to quickly fill up the leftover spaces around awkwardly shaped items in my moving boxes and to provide supplemental cushioning for my breakables. Of course, if your moving day is coming up too quickly for you to build up a cache, or if you simply have a lot of boxes to fill, you can order themairDefender Air Pillows, for examplein bulk and have hundreds at your disposal. Ria Misra, editor

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BUY: airDefender Air Pillows

$14, Amazon

Protect Sharp Corners

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Before I moved halfway across the country, I realized I had no idea how to prepare my 6-foot-long walnut coffee table for a safe ride in a U-Haul pod. It didnt pack flat like my IKEA-grade furniture, and just tossing it in on top of everything else felt risky. The moving crew rescued me with quilted moving blankets similar to the Cheap Cheap Moving Boxes Pro Moving Blankets. Wrapped around your furniture, these blankets provide a bit more padding than a traditional blanket. My coffee table survived the trip unblemished, as did the moving blankets. Many movers and truck-rental companies will provide them with your service, but if you have the space to store them, one set should be more than enough to last a lifetime of moves. Signe Brewster, staff writer

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BUY: Cheap Cheap Moving Boxes Pro Moving Blankets

$57 (for 12), Amazon

Prepare for Heavy Lifting

I wouldnt describe my physique as strong, or even in shape. But with lifting straps like the Forearm Forklift Lifting Straps, I feel like the Hulk. The nylon bands have loops at the end that rest on your forearms. Slip the band under whatever youre lifting, cross the straps beneath it, and you and a partner can keep the objects center of gravity low to the ground, making it significantly easier to lift without your bending over. Not only will you be able to handle more weight with less effort, but the straps also make it easier to lift large, hard-to-grasp items like appliances with a partner. I dont know how I wouldve moved our fully assembled treadmill downstairs without them. NG

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BUY: Forearm Forklift Lifting Straps

$20, Amazon

Wrap Things for Extra Protection

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Theres a reason movers often show up with stretch-wrap wands: With stretch wrap, you can quickly bundle things that otherwise wouldnt fit together into a single cardboard box or standalone cocoon. I get my own wands, like the Mighty Gadget Industrial Mini Stretch Wrap wands, before a move. You can swaddle a big mirror between pillows and blankets and then stretch-wrap the bundle to form a plastic layer of protection around everything. You can bind dresser drawers closed, contain awkwardly shaped items into one package for easier handling, add an extra layer of protection to delicate objects packed in bubble wrap and paper, or cushion the sharp edges of freestanding items. Multiple stretch-wrapped items packed in a box (say, a mix of breakable kitchenware) tend to shift around less in transit because the plastic surfaces stick together. Having one of these babies on hand when you pack means youll pack more things more easily, and your move will go that much quicker too. Sasha VanHoven, social strategy manager

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BUY: Mighty Gadget Industrial Mini Stretch Wrap

$14 for 2, Amazon

Prep for Light Spackle Jobs

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To get my rental deposit back after I move, I always make sure to patch the walls. I love 3M Patch Plus Primer 4-in-1 for touching up small holes from nails or hooks. Its a small tube that fits in my back pocket, so I can whip it out during a final walkthrough of a space before the landlord arrives. Because I usually rent a room or a small apartment, I dont need a larger tub of spackle or toolsthat would take up too much precious space. I love that the pen is an all-in-one toolit comes with a flat edge to scrape plus a rough end to buff and smooth the spackle. And the material dries instantly to an unassuming white, the ghost of nail holes past. Anna Perling, staff writer

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BUY: 3M Patch Plus Primer 4-in-1

$7, Home Depot

Seal Boxes Faster With a Tape Gun

We love our favorite packing tape for the occasional return or mailed gift. But I recently did some head-to-head research and testing to look for a great tape gun for more efficient, heavy-duty packing and moving. My favorite was the Uline H-150 Tape Dispenser (pictured at the top of this guide), but the catch is that it doesnt come with tape (see the next tip). The H-150 was easier to load and more efficient at cutting tape than two other, popular dispensers I tried: the Tape King TX100 Packing Tape Dispenser Gun and the Scotch Commercial Grade Shipping Tape Dispenser. The Uline dispensers finer teeth cut tape quickly without a lot of pressure in my tests, and a lever folds down and stays down so you can easily thread tape through the roller. The other dispensers struggled to tear through tape. Next time I move, Im definitely investing in the Ulinein the meantime, our operations team is using it for wrapping up products for testing and returns. AP

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BUY: Uline H-150 Tape Dispenser

$14, Amazon

Dont Cheap Out on Tape

Get quality packing tape. One time I cheaped out, and it was a total freaking nightmare.

The tape was flimsy and would constantly tear down the center, so I spent more time trying to find the leading edge of the tape than I did packing. When buying tape, Ive found the best deals on a multipack, like this three-pack of 3M Scotch Heavy Duty Shipping Packaging Tape. DM

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BUY: 3M Scotch Heavy Duty Shipping Packaging Tape

$12, Amazon

Except When Cheap Tape Makes Sense

I agree with Doug but will contradict him for one circumstance: If youre hiring movers to wrangle a four-person familys worth of stuff across the countryas I did in 2015you can save money by buying cheap tape in bulk rather than letting them bill you for it (at as much as $5 a roll). As you probably know if youve moved before, movers use a lot of tapewrapping up moving blankets by the yard, securing stretch-wrapped items, and more. For my last move, I got this 36-pack of wholesale packaging tape in advance. The movers used all of it, saving me over $100 off the final bill. Harry Sawyers, senior editor

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BUY: Athena United Clear Wholesale Packaging Tape

$40 for 36, Amazon

Borrow a Dolly

A hand cart or dolly can help save your back during a move if youre shipping boxes or loading them into a truck or shipping container. While moving across the country recently, I borrowed a dolly (aka hand truck) to transport all of the boxes from my buildings foyer to my apartment. It was a lifesaver. As a 5-foot-2 person with a short wingspan, I have a hard time gripping large and unwieldy boxes. Putting them on the cart sped up the moving process, and I didnt drop anything heavy. I dont recommend buying one of these, thoughinstead, check with your landlord, truck-rental service, or moving company to see if they have one you can use. AP

Ship Books a Better Way

In the year after I graduated college, I moved across the country twice. I had compiled stacks and stacks of novels, textbooks, and notebooks that I knew I might never open again but couldnt bear to give up. Luckily, a friend told me about USPS Media Mail, a shipping service that allows you to send media and educational materials at a gigantic discount. The rates are ridiculously low: $2.38 for the first pound and 39 for each additional pound up to 70, at this writing. I filled up three boxes that weighed over 35 pounds. Of course, theres a catchyou can ship only media, which the USPS defines as books, films, printed sheet music, sound recordings, computer-readable media, DVDs and CDs, and educational reference charts. (Be sure to read the more specific guidelines.) Thanks to Media Mail, my entire dog-eared library can be bicoastal. Sabrina Imbler, staff writer

Unpack With a Box Cutter and Gloves

Packing is only half the jobat the other end of the trail, youll be unpacking everything. A good box cutter, aka utility knife, makes opening and breaking down dozens of cartons much quicker and easier. We like the Milwaukee Fastback Flip Utility Knife with Blade Storage for its one-hand operation and comfortable handle. And a pair of light work gloves will protect your hands from the chafing, drying effects of handling all that cardboard; something made of breathable fabric, with grippy, rubbery fingers and palms, is ideal. Any hardware store should have a glove that meets those criteria, but if you have time (and an address) for a delivery, weve liked the inexpensive Showa Atlas gardening gloves for years. Tim Heffernan, staff writer and editor

BUY: Milwaukee Fastback Flip Utility Knife with Blade Storage

$17, Amazon

Read the original article on 19 Things That Make Moving Less Miserable.
A Republican congressman in Arkansas has distanced himself from a radio ad that ran in support of him Thursday, condemning it as outrageous.

The ad, paid for by a conservative group called Black Americans for the Presidents Agenda, features two women, clearly meant to be caricatures of black women, speaking with racist tropes to explain their vote for House candidate French Hill.

One of the women in the ad warns that, based on the Democrats support of Christine Blasey Ford in her accusations against Brett Kavanaugh, black voters should be worried about white women making false accusations of sexual assault against black men and being believed.

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If the Democrats can do that to a white justice of the Supreme Court with no evidence, no corroboration, and all of her witnesses including her best friend say it didnt happen, what will happen to our husbands, our fathers, or our sons when a white girl lies on them? the woman asks.

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The other woman responds: Girl, white Democrats will be lynching black folk again.

This is a real radio ad currently running in Arkansas in support of Republican Congressman French Hill on radio stations targeted to the African American community. I don't even have words to describe it. pic.twitter.com/vpzt1nGPlc  Ben Tribbett (@notlarrysabato) October 18, 2018

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Honey, Ive always told my son, Dont be messin around with that, the first woman replies. If you get caught, she will cry rape.

The second woman ends the ad by saying she would vote for Hill and other Republicans in the midterms. We cant afford to let white Democrats take us back to bad old days of race verdicts, life sentences, and lynchings when a white girl screams rape.

Hill condemned the ad Thursday, saying, There is no place in Arkansas for this nonsense.

Some may have heard an appalling ad on the radio. I condemn this outrageous ad in the strongest terms. I do not support that message, and there is no place in Arkansas for this nonsense.  French Hill (@ElectFrench) October 18, 2018

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According to the Associated Press, the North Carolina-based PAC that ran the ad said it had not coordinated with Hills campaign.

The ads suggestion that Democrats would herald a return to racial violence driven by sexual assault accusations mimics arguments some conservatives made during the Kavanaugh hearing, comparing the Supreme Court justice to Tom Robinson, the innocent black man accused of rape in To Kill a Mockingbird. As Jamelle Bouie wrote in Slate, the comparison is a false one. During the Jim Crow era, allegations of rape and sexual assault against black men werent good-faith efforts to uncover abuse against women, he wrote. They were pretexts for mob violence and brutal, public executions, meant to punish black Americans for stepping outside the boundaries set by white society.

The co-founder of the PAC told CNN that the group planned to continue to run the ad until next week. The Me Too movement overreached and the biggest threat with switching the presumption of innocence to the presumption of guilt is to black men, he said.
On Thursday, Republican Rep. French Hill of Arkansas condemned a racist radio ad running in support of his campaign for re-election. The ad features two women, clearly intended as caricatures of black Americans, attacking Democrats for changing the presumption of innocence to a presumption of guilt when bringing up sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

The women argue that this is a slippery slope to baselessly charging black men with sexually assaulting white women. One of the speakers says, Girl, white Democrats will be lynching black folk again. She later says, We cant afford to let white Democrats take us back to bad old days of race verdicts, life sentences, and lynchings when a white girl screams rape. A narrator then informs listeners that the ad was paid for by a political action committee called Black Americans for the Presidents Agenda. The PAC titled the ad Emmitt Till on its SoundCloud page.

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This is a real radio ad currently running in Arkansas in support of Republican Congressman French Hill on radio stations targeted to the African American community. I don't even have words to describe it. pic.twitter.com/vpzt1nGPlc  Ben Tribbett (@notlarrysabato) October 18, 2018

Just what is the group behind the ad?

Black Americans for the Presidents Agenda is a PAC based in South Carolina that was registered in February. Its treasurer and co-founder is a conservative activist named Vernon Robinson, who has run unsuccessfully several times to serve in the House of Representatives. When the ad started running earlier this month, Robinson told the right-wing site Populist Media, This is appropriate payback for the Democrats [sic] behavior during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings. The PACs website notes that its goal is to promote the policy initiatives of President Trump, including saving black babies from abortion and promoting crisis pregnancy centers.

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Federal Election Commission records indicate that Black Americans for the Presidents Agenda has spent more than $13,000 on ads attacking Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and more than $13,000 supporting her Republican challenger Josh Hawley. Arkansas Republicans have filed an ethics complaint against the PAC for allegedly failing to register to campaign in the state.

Though Robinson is black, it appears that many of the PACs top donors are, in fact, wealthy white people. According to Open Secrets, the most that any one individual donor has contributed to the PAC in 2018 is $1,000. One such donor, Charles Johnson, has a net worth of $5 billion and is the largest shareholder of an investment firm called Franklin Resources. He is also the principal owner of the San Francisco Giants.

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Another, Patricia Duggan, is a philanthropist who is married to billionaire venture capitalist Robert Duggan, one of the biggest donors to the Church of Scientology. And Arthur B. Choate, is a white male according to voting records and works in investing.

There are four other people who also donated $1,000 to the PAC, according to Open Secrets. One is a homemaker, two are retired, and another works for a business management company.

It is, of course, not unheard of for white donors to back ostensibly black PACs. In 2016, the Intercept found that 96 percent of funds for Black Americans for a Better Future PAC came from white businessmen, such as billionaire hedge fund manager Robert Mercer.
During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump eagerly exploited emails that Russian intelligence agencies stole from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign officials, and then released through WikiLeaks and other intermediaries. As the two-year anniversary of the election approaches, it remains unclear whether Trump or his campaign will bear civil, let alone criminal, liability for the email-hacking scheme. Yet some theories being advanced in court against the Trump campaign raise serious First Amendment concerns for journalists who base their stories on documents that have been purloined or improperly released.

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In April, the DNC sued Russia together with a long list of defendants, including Trumps campaign, alleging that they engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy to steal and misuse the emails. As Trump incessantly reminds us, however, there remains no evidence (or no publicly released evidence) establishing that his campaign actually colluded with the Russians to steal the emails, as the DNC contends. The plaintiffs in another recently filed lawsuit have come up with a creative, and worrisome, theory for holding the Trump campaign to account, even if Trump and his associates played no role in the hacking.

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The plaintiffs in the new suit are two Democratic Party donors, along with a former DNC employee, who sent emails that were among those hacked by the Russians. The plaintiffs emails included personal and private informationsuch as Social Security numbers, health information, and even information regarding one plaintiffs sexual orientationthat were included, without abridgment, within WikiLeaks document dumps. In their Aug. 23 civil complaint, the plaintiffs contend that the Trump campaign should be held liable under state as well as federal civil rights law for the publication of this private information.

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The complaint does not state any potentially valid legal theory for imposing liability on the campaign for exploiting the stolen emails after their publication.

In some states, a publisher can face civil liability for the invasion of privacy or the intentional infliction of emotional distress arising from the disclosure of embarrassing or otherwise harmful private personal information. Billionaire investor (and Trump supporter) Peter Thiel funded a successful lawsuit by wrestler Hulk Hogan against Gawker based on just such a theory; the resulting $140 million jury verdict bankrupted Gawker as well as its founder.

Such invasion-of-privacy suits have, however, long been questioned by civil libertarians and press advocates, who argue that the publication of truthful, nondefamatory information should not be a basis for imposing civil liability, at least upon journalists and others who play no role in purloining the data. Furthermore, the Supreme Court has imposed strict First Amendment limitations upon such claims, effectively barring liability for the dissemination of truthful information of public concern, even when the information is stolen, so long as the defendant was not involved in the underlying misappropriation.

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The claims against the Trump campaign go one step beyond a typical invasion-of-privacy lawsuit, given that the Trump campaign did not publish the stolen emails. The plaintiffs nonetheless contend that the campaign should be held liable for the inclusion of the plaintiffs private information within WikiLeaks mass document dumps. While the complaint does not assert that the Trump campaign knew in advance about the email thefts, it does assert that the campaign partnered with Russia in formulating a scheme to plan and structure the release of the stolen documents to damage Hillary Clinton, an allegation that will be very difficult to prove unless new evidence is brought to light through the Mueller investigation.

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There is now ample evidence that members and associates of the Trump campaign, ranging from the presidents eldest son to his adviser Roger Stone, interacted with representatives of the Russian government during the months leading up to the election. And Donald Trump Jr.s emails leave little doubt that the Trump campaign would have welcomed news of Russias plans to disseminate dirt on Hillary Clinton. Furthermore, campaign adviser George Papadopoulos has admitted that he was provided with advance notice of the existence of stolen emails (although he denies sharing the information with anyone in the campaign).

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But absent a basis to assert that that Trump campaign reviewed or otherwise knew of what was actually contained in the emails, the plaintiffs allegation that the campaign launched a scheme with the Russians to plot out the dissemination of materials to maximize their political impact seems to be based on speculation, not facts. And the plaintiffs claim that the Trump campaign knew that their private information, or that of others, was going to be disseminated seems all the more speculative.

The plaintiffs also allege that the campaign avidly amplified and drew attention to the hacked emails after their publication by WikiLeaks, Guccifer 2.0, et al. As the complaint puts it, the campaign schemed to maximize [Trumps] advantage from the release of the hacked emails. This is plainly true. During the closing months of the campaign, Trump mentioned the stolen materials at every opportunity and even openly (jokingly, Trump now claims) encouraged Russia to steal and release more materials. Furthermore, it is all but certain that Trump campaign staffers busied themselves behind the scenes identifying the most damaging emails to highlight to members of the press.

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Certainly, many would like Trump and his campaign to be held to account for enthusiastic touting of the hacked documents. Yet the complaint does not state any potentially valid legal theory for imposing liability on the campaign for exploiting the stolen emails after their publication. If gaining an advantage from the dissemination of stolen, but already public, emails containing truthful information could provide a basis for liability, it would raise serious concerns for free and open dialogue under the First Amendment.

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Under such a theory, members of the press could bear liability along with the Trump campaign. After all, as Hillary Clintons campaign complained at the time, the media was an eager conduit for the dissemination of the WikiLeaks materials, devoting huge amounts of attention to salacious or embarrassing facts contained in the troves. Accordingly, if the Trump campaign were deemed to be liable for maximizing the advantage provided by WikiLeaks dumps of stolen documents, that could provide a template for future actions against press outlets.

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As First Amendment expert Floyd Abrams, who defended the New York Times right to publish the purloined Pentagon Papers, has observed, even if the Trump campaign escapes liability in this case, that may not indicate that WikiLeaks would be protected from liability in future suits. After all, it is undisputed that WikiLeaks deliberately chose to publish the purloined emails in full, including the plaintiffs private personal information. And Supreme Court precedent leaves open the possibility that parties may be held liable for the dissemination of such information in the absence of newsworthiness. Furthermore, if the Mueller investigation ultimately does provide evidence that the Trump campaign actually partnered with the Russian government to publish the stolen DNC documents, a civil lawsuit could well be the very least of the presidents problems.

In the meantime, however, testing the limits of First Amendment protections to impose liability on the Trump campaign may be ill-advised. Trump was recently sued for his ongoing efforts to punish critical speech by journalists; it would be tragically ironic if a lawsuit brought against his campaign ended up providing a new tool for attacking journalists.
On Nov. 6, Floridians will have a chance to approve the single largest expansion of the franchise since womens suffrage: a constitutional amendment that will restore voting rights to 1.5 million rehabilitated felons. The proposal, Amendment 4, would repeal a Jim Crow relic in the Florida Constitution that strips civil rights from formerly incarcerated citizens, permanently transforming the states electorate. Some conservative groups have joined with progressives to support the amendment, which looks likely to pass with broad bipartisan support. (Like all proposed amendments, it requires 60 percent of the vote to succeed.)

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Amendment 4 isnt the only criminal justice measure on the Florida ballot, though. Another proposal, Amendment 11, would repeal a constitutional provision that bars the Legislature from applying criminal justice reforms retroactively. Thanks to this archaic rule, thousands of Floridians are languishing in prison under mandatory minimum sentences that have since been dramatically reduced. Yet Amendment 11 has proved substantially more controversial than Amendment 4, drawing opposition from liberals who worry it will be exploited by gun rights advocates. This rift on the left creates a very real risk that a vital reform will be stymied by inflated fears of the National Rifle Association.

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Oddly enough, Amendment 11 actually includes three distinct provisionsthe result of logrolling by Floridas Constitution Revision Commission, which has a bad habit of bundling unrelated proposals into a single amendment. The first part would repeal a different anachronistic constitutional amendment, which prohibits immigrants ineligible for American citizenship from owning, inheriting, or possessing property. This provision was added in 1926 to prevent Asian farmers from competing with whites. Its plainly unlawful under the federal Constitution; in 1948, the Supreme Court struck down an identical law in California.

While Floridas law is unenforceableand, in fact, has never been enforcedit remains a shameful vestige of discrimination that deserves to be eradicated.

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Next, Amendment 11 would formally repeal a ballot initiative providing for a high-speed monorail through the state. Voters approved the monorail plan in 2000, then rescinded it in 2004, but inoperative language from the 2000 initiative remains in the constitution. This provision is essentially housekeeping.

This rift on the left creates a very real risk that a vital reform will be stymied by inflated fears of the National Rifle Association.

Finally, theres the heart of Amendment 11: the repeal of Floridas so-called Savings Clause. This constitutional provision was inserted in 1885 as a rash response to the failed prosecution of a single high-profile assault. Today, the clause is an anomaly: Florida is the only state in the country whose constitution bars the retroactive application of any amendment to a criminal statute.

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In a Reason report published in April 2017, Lauren Krisai and C.J. Ciaramella explored the tragic consequences of this rule for victims of the opioid crisis. The Florida Legislature imposed strict mandatory minimums on individuals who possessed illegal painkillers in 1999. Under the statute, a person caught carrying just 54 pills of oxycodone or hydrocodone without authorization faced a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison, plus a $500,000 fine. Although the law was aimed at opioid traffickers, prosecutors used it to imprison people with addiction and low-level dealers. There are about 2,300 inmates in Florida imprisoned for opioid trafficking, yet the vast majority of them had never been to prison before serving their current sentence. The mandatory minimum did not stop traffickers. It ensnared nonviolent people in desperate need of medical intervention.

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Recognizing the horrific impact of this law, the Florida Legislature amended it in 2014 to lower the mandatory minimums. Under the new statutes modest reforms, for instance, an individual who unlawfully possess about 50 oxycodone pills faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years. Thats still far too high. But if it applied retroactively, the law would allow for the release of myriad inmates sentenced for opioid trafficking. As one such inmate, James Caruso, wrote Ciaramella:

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Under the new law I would be subject to a seven-year prison term and $100,000 fine. I have served more than twice that and owe five-times the fine. A person in Florida could literally do the exact same thing today that I did in 2002 and still get out of prison before me.

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James Caruso should not still be in prison. But thanks to the Savings Clause, the Legislature is powerless to help him. His only hope for relief right now is a pardon or commutation from Republican Gov. Rick Scott. But Scott is notoriously stingy with clemency, and the governor is extremely unlikely to release any alleged opioid traffickers from prison. If Floridians pass Amendment 11, the Legislature can finally help people like Caruso by applying new sentences to old offenders.

In recent weeks, however, several influential editorial boards have come out in strong opposition to Amendment 11. (Few voters have time to learn the nuts and bolts of all 12 amendments and often use editorial recommendations as a guide on Election Day.) The Sun Sentinel, which endorsed Amendment 4 emphatically, urged voters to oppose Amendment 11, largely because the practical effects are unclear and the NRAs reported interest in this provision is of serious concern. Similarly, the Tampa Bay Timeswhich published an entire editorial backing Amendment 4warned readers that gun-rights groups see this as a way to ensure that the revised Stand Your Ground law  could be applied retroactively. The board advised a no vote, dismissing the amendment as a non-starter for the Constitution.

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Its true that the NRA supports Amendment 11, and that the Constitution Revision Commission includes a number of pro-gun partisans. The fear here is straightforward. Under a radical 2017 revision of Floridas already extreme stand your ground statute, the burden of proof falls on prosecutors to demonstrate why a shooter should not be granted immunity. Gun safety advocates fret that, if Amendment 11 passes, a flood of firearm offenders charged under the old law will challenge their convictions, and obtain a Get Out of Jail Free card.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida has championed Amendment 11 in spite of these misgivings. On Friday, I asked Melba Pearson, the groups deputy director, how she felt about the NRAs support. Many are concerned that there are nefarious intentions behind the proposal, she told me. And some progressives worry that if the NRA supports something, is the wool being pulled over my eyes? Pearson calls these fears valid. But she said the benefits are simply too overwhelming to let the gun issue sink the amendment.

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We are fighting across the state of Florida for criminal justice reform, she said. We want to see a rollback of mandatory minimums, the legalization of recreational marijuana, and a dramatic reduction of the states prison population. We want to assist people who were negatively impacted by [overly punitive] laws in the past, Pearson explained. Repealing the Savings Clause has the potential to help so many people who have been disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system.

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The ACLUs long-term plan for criminal justice reform in Florida, in other words, requires the abolition of the Savings Clause. It also relies on the election of Andrew Gillum, the states Democratic gubernatorial candidate. Gillum is running on a platform of ambitious criminal justice reformand the impact of his policies depends in part on their retroactive application. Amendment 11 stands in between Gillum and his sweeping vision of change, of second chances for inmates and formerly incarcerated people. There may be drawbacks to the repeal of Floridas Savings Clause. But with thousands of Floridians liberty on the line, the cost of opposition is just too high.
The group of Honduran migrants traveling through Guatemala and, eventually they hope, into the U.S. is currently at or in some cases past the Mexican border.

While the bulk of the migrant caravana few thousand peopleis still in Guatemala, a small group of immigrants went into Mexico on Thursday night, according to NBC News, citing an internal U.S. document. They crossed the Succhiate River, which forms some of the Guatemala-Mexico border.

The migrant group has deeply agitated President Trump, who earlier this week called for cutting off aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. He also demanded, in the strongest terms, that if Mexico didnt stop this onslaught, he would call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!

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The main migrant group is gathered in Tecun Uman, where there is an official border crossing into Mexico, and may be able to legally enter the country. The Wall Street Journal reported that Mexican authorities have agreed to grant humanitarian and asylum visas to a caravan of 3,000 Honduran migrants massing at the countrys southern border but in batches of about 100 per day.

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The migrants will then be able to reside in Mexico for the duration of their asylum cases, and, during that time, allowed to go wherever they want in the country, meaning they can approach the border with the United States.

MIGRANT CARAVAN: Gate at the Mexico/Guatemala bridge getting reinforced as Honduran refugee-seekers across the border, in Tecun Uman, start their approach. pic.twitter.com/9R6BZbs7hi  KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) October 19, 2018

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The caravan has arrived at the gate to the Mexico/Guatemala bridge, held off by riot police.

We want to work, some yell. pic.twitter.com/pZKSwzsiiR  KarlaZabs (@karlazabs) October 19, 2018

The Trump administration has been reportedly considering a number of drastic policy responses to stem attempted Central American migration into the U.S., including reinstituting a version of its family separation policy.
When it came to selling condos in Panama, Ivanka Trump really was her fathers daughter. WNYC and ProPublica published the definitive account of the Trump Panama project (which included a bizarre standoff between Trump Organization staff and its new owners earlier this yearits now going to be run by Marriott). The piece covers the project from its inception to its demise and includes cameos from Bear Stearns, a broker linked to money laundering, and a Stormy Jack Daniels cocktail.

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It also includes another look at Ivanka Trump, real estate saleswoman. The presidents daughter, WNYC and ProPublica report, gave false sales figures for projects in Mexicos Baja California ; Panama City, Panama ; Toronto and New Yorks SoHo neighborhood.

The way it worked for the Panama City project was that the Trumps and their partners had to presell a certain number of units to be able to sell bonds to fund the project. This became the motivation for making potential buyers think that units were being snatched upnot only would that increase the units desirability and justify higher prices, it would also make the potential buyers confident the project would get off the ground. And once the partners were able to float bonds to finance the hotel, they needed to talk up the deal so that the original buyers would stay involved, future buyers would buy in, and the partners could maintain their (already low) credit rating.

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Ivanka briefly boasted that she had personally sold 40 units. (A broker on the project said he couldnt remember her selling even one.), WNYC and ProPublica wrote, Meanwhile, Ivanka told a journalist at the time that over 90 percent of the Panama units had soldand at prices five times as high as comparable buildings. Both statements were untrue.

A year after the bonds were sold in November 2007, Ivanka said in an interview that its a 1,000-unit building, weve sold over 90 percent of it, and that they were pricing the units at a 500 percent premium to anything the luxury market has ever experienced prior to our entry. It turns out that, according to the bond ratings agency Moodys, 79 percent of the units had contracts and the premium was 130 percent of what similar luxury properties fetched.

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This was happening, of course, while the world economy was melting down and the financial system were freezing up, and buyers of things like junk-rated developing-world hotel bonds were fleeing to safety, and everyone else was running out of money.

And although they had been able to start construction and fund the project initially, the Trump Organizations partners still needed to make interest payments on the bondswhich means they needed to sell the remaining units and close the deals they had already made. Which meant they had to create a sense of urgency and value around the project.

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It workedsorta. Theres a fancy hotel in Panama City called the Bahia Grand Panama, and the rooms, according to WNYC, go for $169 a night.

This is not the first time Ivanka has been accused of  creative  salesmanship. ProPublica and WNYC reported last year that Manhattan prosecutors had investigated her and Don Trump Jr. for how they sold units in the Trump SoHo, a similar residential/hotel development. While charges were never brought, the investigators found emails from the Trumps making clear that they were aware they were using inflated figures about how well the condos were selling to lure buyers.
With less than three weeks until Election Day, Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill and Republican challenger Josh Hawley sit about as close as two candidates can get in the polls. The Missouri incumbent and her opponent are currently separated by just a fraction of a percentage point in RealClearPolitcs rolling average. And five of the last eight RCP-tracked surveys, including the most recent, found the two candidates in a tienot a within-the-margin-of-error statistical tie, mind you, but an actual, genuine, exact-same-number-for-each dead heat.

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Given that their race will help decide control of the Senate, it was natural to expect some rhetorical fireworks on Thursday at their first debate. Instead, the two played niceor at least played nice relative to what weve seen in other battleground states of late. (Hawley appeared to take a couple of subtle jabs at McCaskills net worth, sure, but he never really leaned into any of them.) At one point, McCaskill even apologized for a recent campaign retweet about Hawleys son that the candidate had taken offense to and almost seemed sincere in doing so. At another, Hawley offered up one of the nicest things uttered by a Senate candidate about an opponent in recent memory: I think shes a good person.

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Without the din of yelling and canned one-linersand thanks to some tough follow-ups from moderator Judy Woodruff and a team of local reportersthe debate laid bare the two major fault lines of the race: Hawleys quest to kill Obamacare, despite Americans newfound love of the law and its protections for pre-existing conditions, and the inescapable fact that McCaskill is a Democrat in Trump country.

As much as any other candidate this year, McCaskill has made defending Obamacare a pillar of her campaign, even while conceding the health care law is not perfect. She often begins her events by asking anyone with a pre-existing condition to stand up, a request that can bring a majority of the crowd to its feet. Meanwhile, in his role as Missouri attorney general, Hawley joined a GOP lawsuit that aims to dismantle Obamacare and many of the laws protections for pre-existing conditions along with it. As he has for much of the campaign, Hawley struggled Thursday to square the lawsuit with his claim that he is in favor of keeping those same protections. The lawsuit is about Obamacareits about getting rid of Obamacare, he said, before adding: My question is, will Senator McCaskill support any planany planto protect people with pre-existing conditions that isnt Obamacare?

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That wasnt the only time Hawley declared his support for some general goal while simultaneously declaring his opposition to a specific proposal to achieve said goal. In one breath, he accepted the reality of man-made climate change, and in the next he railed against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys environmental regulations. Later, he voiced support for increasing the minimum wage, and then conceded he plans to vote against a state ballot initiative this November that would, yep, raise the Missouri minimum wage, from the current $7.85 per hour to $12 by 2023.

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But while Hawley was sweating the details, he also clearly felt free to embrace a number of GOP priorities, including last years tax reform, Trumps trade war, and a border wall. McCaskill, meanwhile, was left to deal with the bigger picture. Again and again, Hawley branded the incumbent a party-line liberal who was out of step with a state that voted for Donald Trump by 19 points just two years ago. She does not represent this state anymore. She does not represent the people of Missouri, he said. She has not accepted what the people said in 2016. She has not worked with this president or this administration on any major priorities.

McCaskill tried several times to find some middle ground, by questioning EPA farm regulations or declaring her support for the Second Amendment. Ultimately, though, she was only willing to move so far. I know I cast votes a lot of Missourians disagree with, she conceded. I get that. But you got to cast the vote. And youve got to be up front about where you stand. Youre not going to make everybody happy. On that last point, at least, both candidates seemed to agree.
Its difficult to top Cruz in the nasty department, but GOP Rep. Martha McSally may have done just that during her first and only debate with Democratic Rep. Kyrsten Sinema. Early in the night, McSally suggested Sinema has a soft spot for men who have sex with underage prostitutes. (She was a defense attorney, so I mean, I guess thats where that comes from, the Republican said.) One of the moderators was stunned by that attack, but McSally was just warming up. Her big finish: ignoring a question about climate change to instead claim her opponent is pro-treason. Yeah, she used that word. Sinema refused to join McSally in her tour of the absurd, but its unclear how her decision to keep calm and carry on played with Arizona voters, who are currently evenly split on who theyd like to see replace retiring Republican Sen. Jeff Flake. Meanwhile, were about to find out whether the GOP can ratchet things up further: McSally will join the president at a MAGA rally on Friday night.
With the Saudi monarchys denials of responsibility for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi becoming harder and harder to believe as time goes on, the regimes American defenders appear to be shifting to the time-honored tactic of suggesting that a victim of state-sanctioned violence had it coming.

Robert Costa and Karoun Demirjian of the Washington Post reported Friday on the whispering campaign against Jamal Khashoggi that is designed to protect President Trump from criticism of his handling of the dissident journalists alleged murder. Reportedly, House Republicans have been quietly sharing emails about Khashoggis background, but as the article notes, quite a few prominent conservative voices have hardly been whispering.

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U.S. Senate candidate Corey Stewart of Virginia said on a local radio program that Khashoggi was not a good guy himself. Fox news anchor Harris Faulkner said on her show that Khashoggi was tied to the Muslim Brotherhood. The presidents son, Donald Trump Jr., retweeted a post about Khashoggi tooling around Afghanistan with Osama Bin Laden.

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It is true that Khashoggi first made a name for himself by interviewing a young bin Laden and that he supported the jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan during the 1980s. Back then, of course, the United States supported it as well. It is also true that for at least a time early in his career he was associated with the Muslim Brotherhood and that he expressed support for political Islam as well as democracy. Far from a lifelong dissident, he had a complicated and at times close relationship to the Saudi royal family before emerging as one of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans most prominent critics.

This is all fascinating background about a complex person, but not really relevant to the questions of whether a journalist and U.S. resident was tortured and murdered by an authoritarian regime and whether the U.S. administration is helping that regime cover it up.
Last weekend, the fancy Metropolitan Republican Club, on Manhattans Upper East Side, hosted the Proud Boys Gavin McInnes. The ex-founder of Vice magazine, failed stand-up comic, and current leader of the far-right Western chauvinist group gave what was, according to a witness, a bizarre and disjointed speech.* McInnes dressed up as a Japanese assassin who killed a Socialist politician with a sword during a political rally in 1960, re-enacting the event with the help of a fellow Proud Boy.

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Afterward, the Proud Boys clashed with antifascist protesters on the street in several fistfights that were caught on video. The NYPD arrested several antifascists, but for days failed to detain any Proud Boys, finally announcing on Monday following public protest that they would seek charges for some members of the group. The club, for its part, issued a statement defending their decision to invite McInnes, saying that his speech celebrating the murder of a socialist was not meant to incite violence.

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Some argue that the best way to deal with groups like the Proud Boys, which thrive off the oxygen of publicity, might be to ignore them. But was last weekends incident a turning point in the relationship between establishment Republicanism and far-right neofascists?* Shouldnt we be paying attention on those grounds alone? The Daily Beasts Kelly Weill and Will Sommer argue that it was, and that the success of the Proud Boys in gaining entree into places like the Metropolitan Republican Club (as well as past public support from Republican figures like Roger Stone, Tucker Carlson, and Devin Nunes) is reminiscent of the way fascism gained power in Europe between World Wars I and II.

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Weill and Sommer quote historian Robert Paxton, who wrote in 2004 that if you take 20th-century European history as a guide, any publicly recognized relationship between the conservative elite and neo-Nazi skinheads (the most fascist-adjacent faction the American fringe had to offer at the time Paxton was writing) would be a warning sign that American fascism was on the rise. So here we are, for the millionth time in the last two years, looking back at the history of interwar European fascism for some lessons.

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Fascism used conservatism for its own purposes most effectively in Mussolinis Italy. In the early 1920s, as Mussolini began his rise to power, the Black Shirts, or squadristi, rampaged through the Northern Italian countryside, perpetrating a campaign of terror. After World War I, many Italian veterans were bitter, chafing at the Allies refusal to give the country the land they believed it deserved. With the social order in flux, right-leaning veterans who had joined the National Fascist Party targeted agricultural regions where socialism had recently gained political power, and recently annexed territories that had large numbers of ethnic Slovene and Croat residents.

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In these places, where they perceived a threat to their values of true Italian purity, the squadristi beat people, burned down houses, threatened families, and destroyed property. In some cases, they fed Socialist political opponents castor oil, and then paraded them around in the backs of trucks, so that they would foul themselves in public and discredit themselves to their followers. Historian Michael R. Ebner estimated in 2010 that this campaign of political terror killed several thousand, and wounded tens of thousands. In its destruction of local socialist movements, it laid the groundwork for Mussolini to take power.

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The most important lesson of the squadristi period when looking at the Proud Boys today is that conservative landowners, threatened by their workers emergent socialism, supported this widespread Fascist violence as a necessary corrective. Like present-day Republicans who offer legitimacy to the Proud Boys theatrics, the conservative powers-that-be in Italy looked the other way while squadristi violence worked to their own benefit. Ebner writes that police often arrested the victims of these attacks while allowing the Fascist perpetrators to slip away; magistrates convicted Socialists at an absurdly higher rate than Fascists. If any were detained, Fascists would go to the jails and force the guards to set their compatriots free. In this way, Ebner writes, squad political violence started to erode the institutions of the liberal state even before the Fascists marched on Rome in 1922 to insist Mussolini be put in charge.

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The next step of the right-leaning Italian establishment was to help Mussolini into power. Explaining how conservative politicians came to find common cause with Fascists in Italy, historian Martin Blinkhorn wrote in 2000 that Fascists were often critical of the way capitalism worked, especially on a financial level, but seldom of capitalism itself. While Mussolini initially opposed established institutions like the monarchy and the Catholic Church, he and his followers changed their tune as the possibility of power became real and it became necessary to confront the question of how it might actually be achieved.

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Like present-day Republicans who offer legitimacy to the Proud Boys theatrics, the conservative powers-that-be in Italy looked the other way while squadristi violence worked to their own benefit.

The public political violence of the squadristi period, on its own, would not have been enough to install and maintain Mussolini as dictator. Mussolini needed support from the crown, the Vatican, the military, and landowners to seize and retain power, and he got it. The establishment, Blinkhorn wrote, essentially decided that Fascism deserved the governmental role that Mussolini was now demandingindeed that a brief administering of Fascist muscle might be just the thing that Italian politics and society needed.

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After Fascists murdered the socialist parliamentary deputy Giacomo Matteotti in 1924, a coalition of Socialist, liberal, and Catholic deputies left Parliament en masse in protest. Blinkhorn believed that Mussolini, who was panic-stricken by this resistance, might have resigned at this point if the king, Victor Emmanuel III, had demanded it. But the king, and his supporters on the right, thought Mussolini was better than the alternativesSocialism, or else an explosion of Fascist violence directed at the conservative eliteand believed they could control him. They couldnt.

In other parts of Europe, conservatives sided with fascists in order to preserve the social status quo. In Germany, the early ascendancy of Hitler was made possible by what Blinkhorn called the machinations of conservative politicians and generals and the complacency of economic interests. The German elites who opened the way to Hitler and the Nazis gravely misunderstood and underestimated the force with which they were flirting, Blinkhorn wrote.

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A counterexample is Great Britain, where scattered fascist movements failed to gain political power during the same period, in part because conservative forces did not accept them. Historian John Stevenson argued in 1990 that in Britain, the lack of a true left-wing challenge to conservative hegemonyone that might under other circumstances push those on the right to embrace fascismdenied a real foothold to even the most successful fascist politician, Oswald Mosley. Stevenson noted that the semi-military style of the British Union of Fascistsuniforms, marching in formationrubbed the establishment the wrong way in the early 1930s. The combined use of mass meetings, uniformed parades, and the trappings of continental fascism, all at the command of a charismatic leader, had no antecedents in British politics, Stevenson wrote. In June 1934, when antifascist demonstrators disturbed a meeting of the BUF and clashed with a smaller number of Fascist believers, conservative forces in Britain blamed Mosely and his Fascists for the violence. As Hitlers regime in Germany got bloodier, the BUF found itself increasingly alienated from respectable opinion.

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A few promising candidates and a lot of energy aside, we dont have a real socialist movement in this country, eithercertainly not one of the kind that led Italian and German conservative elites, worried about social instability in the wake of an all-consuming war, to embrace the strong arm of fascist violence in hopes of keeping their power. But we do have an unreasonable fear on the right of that type of socialist challengea fear that is stoked by the presidents rhetoric. Just last week at a rally in Topeka, Kansas, Trump said that Democrats, who are radical and unhinged, are too dangerous to govern. In his USA Today editorial, which also published last week, he wrote: The new Democrats are radical socialists who want to model Americas economy after Venezuela  If Democrats win control of Congress this November, we will come dangerously closer to socialism in America.

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The presidents refusal to condemn unconditionally the violent alt-right protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 felt like a bellwether for conservative acceptance of neofascist alt-right violence. The Proud Boys invitation to the Metropolitan Republican Club, and that clubs refusal to apologize for this act of legitimization in the wake of the violence that followed, feels like the next dangerous step.
In Reagan: An American Journey, a mammoth new biography, the historian Bob Spitz takes a closer look at the inner life of the 40th president by examining his background and childhood, using his early life to help explain his political career and trajectory. There have been an endless number of books about Ronald Reagan, written by detractors and admirers and historians of all political stripes, but many of those authors, including Reagans controversial official biographer, Edmund Morris, have come away finding their subject ultimately inscrutable and impossible to know.

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I recently spoke by phone with Spitz, who has previously written books about the Beatles and Julia Child, to talk about how he approached the challenge of understanding Reagan. During the course of our conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, we discussed why Reagan really went from New Deal Democrat to right-wing conservative, whether he was actually losing his mental capacity late in his presidency, and the comparisons and contrasts between Reagan and another onetime entertainer who has captured the heart of the GOP.

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Isaac Chotiner: Since Donald Trump came onto the scene, American conservatism, which many people up until three years ago defined as Reaganite conservatism, has shifted. Did that make you look back on Reagans influence or impact in a different way?

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Bob Spitz: Conservatism has changed. You know, its become much more hardcore and gone much further to the right than when Reagan was in office. Thats the simple answer.

Maybe the way to re-ask the question is: Of the people who considered themselves Reaganite conservatives and ideological conservatives and all that that meant, the vast majority of them have gone along with the Trumpist reincarnation of conservatism. Im wondering if that makes you think differently, either about the people who were involved in Reaganite conservatism or just kind of the whole project itself.

Well, it scares the shit out of me, actually. I mean, thats the simple answer. I think that those who became conservativeand really, many Democrats shifted to Republican conservatism during the Reagan administrationIf they cant see their way, cant see the difference between Reagan conservatism and Trump conservatism, then weve got a very serious problem in America, and I really think that we do have a serious problem.

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What did you find from Reagans childhood that you felt was new and that gave you new insight about who he was as a person and leader?

I talked to a lot of people who knew the family, but I also found some people in their early 100s, believe it or not, who had been classmates of Reagan and gave me insight into his background and the way he was raised by his parents. The influence of faith was much greater than I had anticipated or even read about. He was a major church figure in Dixon, Illinois. Taught in the Sunday schools. Was really influenced by his mother and his girlfriends father, who was the pastor of the church. That really kind of gave me insight into who he became later on in his life. His finding his voice as a young guy, and really coming into his own, was an escape from a situation at home that I think was kind of strangulating. His dad was a reckless alcoholic who could never keep a job. His mom was a  I dont know how to even say this kindly. She was influenced by religion to just this side of fanaticism. And so Reagan had to take the good of what he got from his parents, but he had to push through that to really find himself. Really, he found that he was a charmer, and he really got by on his charm as a kid and then of course throughout his entire life.

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Let me ask you about Reagans political turn from New Deal liberal to archconservative. If youve ever met someone whos undergone a big political shift, theres often something going on within them that is at least partially responsible for that, and I dont mean that as a criticism. Do you agree with me, and if you do, what do you think was driving Reagan internally that helped drive that shift?

I remember joking when Reagan was elected that I was going to move to Canada, as opposed to yesterday when I fucking meant it.  Bob Spitz

I completely agree with you, yes, and I think that there were two major things that happened to him. No. 1, he made a very serious error. When he was in the Army, he read that soldiers who came out of World War I and didnt pay their taxes while they were in the service were forgiven that debt, and he figured the same thing would happen to him, so he withheld his taxes while he was in the service. Lo and behold, Uncle Sam wanted them paid back as soon as he got out of the service, and at that point Reagan felt like the government was digging into his pocket. His finances were kind of strangled, so he blamed the government for that. Thats when he started to talk about Big Government with a hand in your pocket, that taxes were too high. He took it personally. That was definitely one thing.

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The other thing that I think influenced his shift from Democrat to Republicanand he was a dyed-in-the-wool Roosevelt Democrat who believed in all of the Democratic Partys social issuesbut the other thing was when he  let me just be sure I phrase this right. When he was president of the Screen Actors Guild, he came up against a lot of movie and film people who had been involved very seriously in the Communist Party, or adhered to schmaltzy Communist principles, and that bothered Reagan.

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I say this not to compare Reagan and Trump, because I dont actually think theyre that similar, but it is interesting the way Reagan was viewed as kind of, one, an entertainer, and two, somewhat of a dangerous outsider who was not only going to shake up politics but also change the political party that he was joining. Were you surprised by those parallels?

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Im a lifelong Democrat, and I remember joking when Reagan was elected that I was going to move to Canada, as opposed to yesterday when I fucking meant it, so yes. I mean, you can make those parallels. Reagan came to office following a succession of, you know, Nixon in office, post-Watergate, and here was another Republican who was listing further to the right, and it really frightened those of us who came out of college in the early 70s who tended to be Democrat and liberal. I called him Ronnie Ray Gun and I was afraid of his policies, but Reagan was completely timid in regard to how he operated in the White House compared with what were seeing today. Reagan didnt have a hostile bone in his body. Reagan paid his taxes. Reagan revealed his taxes. Reagan put all of his finances in a blind trust that he never saw again until the day he was out of office. He never let his kids exploit the Oval Office or his presidency, and of course he never fucked a porn star.

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Do you have documentary evidence on the last one?

No, I dont, but through all my research, thats what I can tell you.

OK, so tell me one aspect of his presidency, domestic or foreign, that you found that changed your opinion or surprised you.

Well, I can give you a blanket statement. I found when researching him that Reagan was never the smartest man in the room, but he knew it, and so he deferred to others in such a big way that he was rarely the loudest voice on any issue. Yes, I was disappointed with the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was basically a hoax. I was completely disappointed with the way he took on AIDS, which was not at all, and set the AIDS research back, oh, you know, a decade. Reaganomics was a disaster, and Iran-Contra was a disaster.

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I think what he did more than anythingand this is what I think you can credit him foris that he restored the respect from Americans for themselves and their government after the traumas of Vietnam, Watergate, the Iran hostage crisis, and a succession of seemingly failed presidencies. You know, when critics described him as Dr. Feelgood, he took it as a compliment, and so his greatest triumph may have been the restoration of American morale.

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You said he knew he wasnt the smartest guy in the room. Theres been a lot of talk in the last couple months about way aides have dealt with Trump. Did Reagans aides take advantage of him, do you think? How did they manage him?

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No, I actually think it was a brilliant situation. Reagan knew he wasnt the smartest man in the room, so he had people like Jim Baker and Ed Meese and people whose policies I disagreed with but who supported him, and I dont think they took advantage of him in any way. Reagan would always say, Hey, lets roundtable this with the fellas, so he would listen to his advisers and then he would make his own decisions. Usually those were gut decisions, based on a little knowledge, but at least he listened to people who were very smart and had a lot of experience in government.

Most of the people who were in his Cabinet and in the Oval Office with him had been in service for maybe 15 to 20 years. They had worked for presidents. They had worked for senators. As opposed to what youre seeing today: people who were game-show contestants who are all of a sudden in the Cabinet or advisers to the president. Its crazy, but I think Reagan had a really smart team behind him, and he was smart enough to listen to them.

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Where do you come out on the debate over Reagans mental state in the last few years of his presidency? Obviously, he was formally diagnosed with Alzheimers after leaving the presidency.

I spoke to a lot of people about this, and I talked to Howard Baker about this before he died. Howard Baker came into the Oval Office as his third chief of staff because his people had told him that Reagan was failing, and Baker spent about three weeks just talking to the president day and night and came away saying, I didnt see any signs of Alzheimers at all.

Reagan didnt retain faces very well and names very well, but aside from that, I think he was pretty sharp until he fell off that horse the year after, six months after he was out of office. Then he went into a very, very steep decline. [Before that], he nodded off at times. He was an older man and he would forget names and faces, but he was pretty sharp. That said, I will tell you that his mom had Alzheimers, his brother had Alzheimers, his father had signs of it, so it was definitely very strong in the family, and I think he knew all along that he was a candidate.

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So did you find that researching all this stuff about Reagan, especially his childhood, gave you more of a sense of who he was, or do you think your ultimate conclusion is that, along with a lot of other biographers of Reagan and people who worked for him, that the man was kind of unknowable?

Oh, he was definitely not unknowable. I completely disagree with that. I found this out when I wrote about the Beatles and when I wrote about Julia Child, that you can never understand a person until you understand where they come from. Reagans whole sense of place in the Midwestand his upbringing with his parents as I just described to youreally gave me an understanding of who he became and what his values were, and hes constant throughout his life.

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I came into possession of all Edmund Morris interviews with the president, and I completely understand why he couldnt figure out who he was. He didnt ask the right questions. He never got close enough to him. I spent a lot of time in the Midwest. Ive spent a lot of time talking to people he grew up with.

What were some of those questions that should have been asked that werent?

Well, it wasnt so much the questions that should have been asked that werent. It was whenever they got into a pivotal situation, whenever they got into a really interesting topic, Morris seemed to pivot away and talk about something social with the president. I mean, it was almost bizarre in reading those things. As a biographer, you want to scream when you read something like that, because he had the subject right there in his hands and he didnt press forward. Edmund Morris, I think, is a brilliant writer, and I love his Roosevelt biographies, but I think he just felt that this was a guy he couldnt get a handle on, and he didnt do the job.
President Donald Trump has been bending and breaking laws all of his life. Michael Cohen, his longtime personal lawyer, stated under oath that Trump directed him to violate federal campaign finance law; the state of New York has evidence that Trump and his family have been cheating on their taxes for years; the Trump familys persistently illegal conduct and repeated and willful self-dealing transactions have led the New York attorney general to file a lawsuit against the Trump Foundation. The list goes on.

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Trump is open about his disdain for law. In April, he told an audience in Michigan that our laws are so corrupt and stupid.

Trump is also clear about why he is breaking these laws. The entire point of Trumps campaign to Make America Great Again is to lead us back to a time before the civil rights movement, before laws against insider trading, before the New Deal and federal agencies that regulate the commerce of plutocrats. This was an era of white male supremacy. The rich paid no income taxes and there was no minimum wage, so the wealthy lived like royalty. His thinking is akin to the way past activists viewed sit-down strikes. Like these past civil dissenters, Trump views himself as breaking the laws that he doesnt believe should exist, which includes most of the laws and regulations put in place since the 1930s.

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Indeed, instead of preparing a traditional legal defense, Trump is confounding legal observers by doing things that, by all objective standards, should make matters worse. He obstructs justice openly. In fact, in vowing to fight back against the Mueller investigation, he announced his intention to continue obstructing the probe. He also continually changes his story. First, he denies everything (I have nothing to do with Russia), then he says there would be nothing wrong if he had accepted help from Russia.

Obviously, a person who keeps changing his story is not a credible witness. Moreover, you cant devise a legal defense while you are committing crimes, and Trumps continuing efforts to obstruct justice suggest ongoing criminal behavior.

Its easy to conclude that Trump has lost his mind and his lawyers are asleep at the switch. In fact, theres a method to what appears to be Trumps madness: The president intends to beat Mueller and his would-be interlocutors in Congress by torpedoing factuality and the rule of law itself.

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Trump is open about his disdain for law.

Robert O. Paxton, in his classic work The Anatomy of Fascism, defines a cult of leadership as one in which the followers believe the leaders instincts are better than the logic used by elites. The followers are willing to give up their individuality and freedom in exchange for the leaders protection. And what is Trump protecting his followers from? Scholars Karen Stenner and Jonathan Haidt offer an explanation. In their essay Authoritarianism Is Not a Momentary Madness but an Eternal Dynamic Within Liberal Democracies, Stenner and Haidt describe the psychology behind the fervor of the embrace of authoritarians. A certain percentage of the population has bias against different others including racial and other minority out-groups. The authoritarian leader stokes their fears, creating a normative threat. These people then turn to the leader as something of a savior. The leader embraces the mythic destiny of the nation. He doesnt follow laws. He is the law.

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When Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended Trumps lies by arguing that his false statements actually point to something true, she offered an explanation for why Trump supporters embrace transparent lies. President Obama was born in Africa, for example, is a provable lie, but it points toward what to Trumps supporters see as a deeper truth: President Obama is black, and therefore, isnt really a real American.

Sanders argument is psychologically sound. Scholars Oliver Hahl, Minjae Kim, and Ezra W. Zickerman Sivan, in The Authentic Appeal of the Lying Demagogue, explain that those who want to destroy the political establishment willingly embrace a liar because they understand that the lies themselves serve a destructive purpose. The people who want to destroy the political establishment today are those who are threatened by growing diversity. Trumps lies work toward that end.

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In a totalitarian regime, state-controlled media normalizes the leaders constantly changing stories, which serves to further obliterate any notion of a shared truth. Trumps favorite news outlets similarly normalize his changing stories, thereby undermining factuality. When people can no longer sort out what is factual and what was invented, they conclude that the truth is unknowable. Its the ultimate in relativism and skepticism. Without facts and a shared reality, jury verdicts have no meaning, and the results of law enforcement investigations are easily manipulated or even dismissed.

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Look at what happened when Brett Kavanaughs nomination for the Supreme Court was nearly derailed by credible accusations of sexual assault. While the confirmation was in doubt, Trump protested that Kavanaugh was innocent until proven guilty. He then ordered an extremely limited investigation of the charges that interviewed a small number of witnesses and didnt even speak with the accuser or the alleged culprit. Ultimately, he falsely declared that Kavanaugh had been proven innocent by the whole charade. This false factKavanaugh was exoneratednow becomes reality to all of his followers.

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The same exact dynamic is playing out with the apparent murder by Saudi Arabia of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump has applied the innocent until proven guilty notion to the Saudi state, even directly comparing the case to Kavanaughs. Despite the reported audio evidence of Khashoggis brutal dismemberment at the hands of Saudi officials, physical evidence of an attempted cover-up, and the plain fact that Khashoggi entered a Saudi Consulate never to be seen again, Trump is treating the case as a stone-cold whodunit. Dont be surprised when, in spite of all this evidence, whatever cover story is eventually manufactured for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, or any other probable culprits, is ultimately accepted as fact by Trump and then by his followers. Once again, the lie will then become the fact.

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Steve Bannon explained a broader administration strategy for dispensing with facts. The real opposition is the media, he has said. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit. Yale professor Timothy Snyder, in his groundbreaking book The Road to Unfreedom, explains in detail how leaders like Vladimir Putin and Trump undermine factuality by flooding the zone in this way. Putin dominates Russia by propagating grand lies that take the entire society off balance. For example, when Ukrainians protested against Putins puppet ruler, Viktor Yanukovych, Putins press reported that the protesters were organized by an LGBTQ group attempting a homodictatorship. Enough people believe the lieor pretend to believe the liethat a shared reality becomes impossible.

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Part of Trumps defense against his various investigatory pursuers is to persuade his followers that all politicians are corrupt liars, which is one reason the Lock her up chant has been so devastating. If people believe all politicians are corrupt, going after Trump becomes political persecution, or a witch hunt.

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Trumps final aim isnt simply to escape accountability for his crimes. The final aim is to replace democracy itself with a form of autocracy, under which he and his cronies are forever unaccountable for criminal actions. Normalizing lies and flooding the zone shatters the public sphere upon which democracy depends. Without that shared reality, Mueller poses no threat to Trump. Similarly, without a shared public sphere, Trump doesnt have to worry about resistance. As Yale professor Jason Stanley says, without truth it is impossible to speak truth to power, so there is only power.

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The United States is on a steep learning curve. Because truth, factuality, and our very public sphere are under attack, our democracy (and republic) is in danger. The attack is devastatingly effective, partly because we have never experienced anything like this and thus are largely unprepared. Our task now is to save our public sphere. The way to do this was demonstrated by how the Chileans got out of the far more extreme Pinochet regime and reinstated democracy: All sides opposed to authoritarianism and committed to democracy worked together. That means they started actually talking, and listening, to one another. In the United States, this would mean that all groups that claim to be committed to continuing our democratic republic, from supporters of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Never Trump Republicans, would need to join forces. We will likely soon find out if the nation is up to the task.
The University of Southern California has tentatively agreed to pay $215 million to patients treated by George Tyndall, a campus gynecologist accused of sexually abusing and harassing hundreds of women, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

Under that agreement, any student who saw Tyndall could receive $2,500, and those who have said they were abused by him could get up to $250,000. The settlement would cover the federal class-action lawsuit against the university, according to the Times, but it does not resolve hundreds of claims in state court. Four hundred and sixty-three women have sued USC over Tyndalls behavior.

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Tyndall has been accused of improperly digitally penetrating women under the guise of conducting a pelvic exam, sometimes saying inappropriate things while doing so. Others accused him of groping or touching them in other inappropriate ways and taking photos of their genitals and naked bodies. Some women have said they did not realize before the first lawsuits were made public in May that his behavior had not been legitimate in the medical sense because they had never been to a gynecologist before. Tyndall has denied wrongdoing and claimed the alleged abuse was part of normal medical practice.

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According to the Times, USC has said the judge in the case has not yet reviewed the agreement. The university hopes the payment will settle the case with most former patientsincluding those who have not yet come forwardbut that they expect some women will continue to challenge them in state court.

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USC had investigated Tyndall after complaints surfaced and found that he was not following medical standards while performing pelvic exams but was instead harassing patients, according to the Times. Instead of airing their findings and alerting his patients and the medical board, the university cut a secret deal with Tyndall and allowed him to resign quietly with a financial settlement in 2017. The university later lodged a complaint with the medical board.

USC President C.L. Max Nikias resigned in the aftermath of the discovery, and Los Angeles prosecutors are considering filing criminal charges against the university. No charges have been filed against Tyndall.
The minute after I watched the first episode of The Wire, I found myself asking: Is this the best show ever to be on television? (It was.) So of course Ive followed David Simons work through his postHurricane Katrina New Orleans series Treme and later his 70s-porn-era New York City drama The Deuce. Like me, Simon once paid his rent primarily as a journalist, but he leveraged his newspaper years into creating TV drama that, if anything, was as good as (or maybe better than) the best journalism Id seen until thencapturing crime and social problems with a consistent recognition that our real-life heroes, like our real-life villains, have a gift for being their own worst enemies.

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On Twitter, Simon has won a unique reputation as a prolific hurler of baroque insults targeting those he believes are poisoning the social media platform. After the 2016 election, people in my feed would tag me regarding Simons tweets comparing both Twitter trolls and genuinely monstrous people like Syrias President Bashar al-Assad to Hitler, Nazis, fascists, and the like. Some clearly hoped that, as the creator of Godwins law, I might render a verdict against him as a Godwins lawbreaker, but I had already written that informed, knowledgeable Nazi comparisons wont earn my criticism. At its best, I saw Simons frequently colorful exercise of his First Amendment rights as high-quality performance art.

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Twitters management took a different view and has suspended Simon twice this year so far for his invective, some of which is aimed at Twitters masters. When he came back for the second time, I asked him whether hed be willing to be interviewed about Twitter and social media generally. He quickly agreed, and after a phone call working out the details, we began this interview in Twitters direct messages, shifting midway to email. Our exchanges ranged from talk about what Twitter is doing wrong to larger social ills that seem to be undermining American democracy. This transcript has been lightly edited and condensed.

Mike Godwin: Youve relished using Twitter to challenge trolls and racists and other objectionable tweeters, only to get suspendedsent to Twitter jailmore than once. Youve quit Twitter, but now youre back. Can this relationship be saved?

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David Simon: Not much of a relationship, I gotta say. There is no human intellect with which to engage, just the Great Algorando [Simons word for the mystery personnel superintending Twitters algorithmic search for policy-violating tweets] in the Twitter basement, which is an epic fail in terms of creating any ethical paradigm that anyone should respect. Twitter has no answer to being a repository for all manner of libel, intolerance, and organized disinformation. Nor do they seek an answer. It is a platform that thrives on todays open warfare between fact and falsehood. Instead, they police decorum. How does anyone seriously engage with that? And with regard to my own experiences, I certainly doubt CEO Jack Dorsey or anyone capable of voicing his logic is going to get on the phone or fire off emails in order to muster a coherent explanation. Im not holding my breath, anyway.

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Youve written that Twitter cant just bail on the issue of content and let the whole public forum be poisoned by bad speech, but youve also said youre a strong First Amendment/free speech guy. How do you square these two ideas?

I cant conjure a social media platform moving at the speed of Twitterwith the limited human resources that they are willing to support on their current profit marginsthat can actually regulate and police disinformation, libel, and harassment. Not well, anyway. To do that job, theyre going to needdare I say itsome trained journalists. Editors, by name. Fact-checking is labor-intensive, and its skilled labor. So it isnt happeningnot in the near future, not for the most fundamental responsibility of any media site: policing disinformation and preserving accuracy. So, OK. Its going to be a free-for-all, and the lies and affronts will be across the internet before the truth gets its boots on. Thats the given.

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Jack Dorsey deserves boils.  David Simon

But if that is, in fact, the given, then the last thing that Twitter should be doing is policing decorum, or trying to leach hostility from the platform. Why? Because the appropriate response to overt racism, to anti-Semitism, to libel, to organized disinformation campaigns is not to politely reason with such in long threads of fact-sharing. All that does is lend a fundamental credence to the worst kind of speechwhich, grievously, seems to be the paradigm that Twitter prefers at present. Its a paradigm that offers two basic choices: Ignore the deploratiwhich allows the dishonesty or cruelty to stand in public view and acquire the veneer of credibility by doing so. Or worse, engage in some measure of serious disputation with all manner of horseshit, which also grants trash the veneer of credibility. In 1935, the reply to Streicher or Goebbels quoting The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and asserting that Jews drink the blood of baptized Christian babies is not to begin arguing that no, Jews do not drink Christian baby blood and deliver a long explanation of The Protocols as a czarist forgery in chapter and verse. The correct response is to call Julius Streicher a submoronic piece of shit, marking him as such for the rest of the sentient, and move on to some more meaningful exchange of ideas. So it is with Twitter. If Im gonna exist there, Im not going to let the most rancid shit stand on my feed as if its plausible, but nor am I going to treat it as deserving of serious argument. Im gonna call it out quickly and blockand do so with as much flair and performance as I can so at least the process wont be boring. But effectively, what I am doing is marking the [land mines] for the rest of the platoon to block as well. Its a permanent, quotidian taskbut given that Twitter is not going to become a responsible news organization that fact-checks the commentary and regulates it on that basis, what else can we do?

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I agree that human beings are better than algorithms (at least for now), but theres lots of evidence that human beings screw up these curation issues, too, isnt there? Even if Twitter staffed up with people (even journalists!) to respond to complaints about terms of service violations, wouldnt there still be complaints about bias and unfairness?

As there always areeven in the most consistently edited media and on the most carefully regulated platforms. Everyone is arguing about what gets play on the New York Times op-ed [page], or in the Letters column. But Id rather take my chance arguing with and defending myself to a sentient human than being arbitrarily tagged by a flat-brained algorithm. If you are going to police your site, then make the effort to at least entertain an appellate process that helps you establish the basic context to proceed with banning people or censoring opinion. To this moment, having been banned twice for comic hyperbole, Ive not had either a written reply to my appeal of the absurdity or a conversation with any living soul at Twitter.

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In fact, the cheese-eating mooks actually took down one of the tweets unilaterally without ever engaging me. I wouldnt delete the tweet, and they would not return me to the platform until I did. So, OK, fair enough. I was willing to quit and just leave the thing up there as evidence that it was neither harassment nor threat. But no, rather than engage on the merits, they quietly deleted the tweet after several weeks while leaving the form demanding that I do so on my account. Someone alerted me that it was gone, and after checking repeatedly and seeing as much, I finally deleted what wasnt there, if only to tell Jack Dorsey once again that he deserves boils.

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Why are they not honing a process by which they might address the excesses of their algorithmic interventions? Or defend those interventions? Because theyre not good at this stuff. And their programmatic response sucks. And if they have to explain themselves in a cohesive and thoughtful way, theyre going to fall on their ass. They cant explain it in detailas it is actually applied on a case-by-case basisso they wont. On the ethics of all this, Twitter is a fucking mess.

Twitter gets savaged for hosting obvious trolls, but since the elections of 2016, Facebook has been taking a lot of heat for so-called filter bubbles, echo chambers that intensify extreme opinions, plus its news feed, on the theory that the algorithmically picked news sources push you toward extremes. But Facebooks de-emphasizing the news feed has forced news sources that rely on internet advertising, like Slate, to take a hit.



I barely use Facebook, and only then for my private connections with friends and family. Im there under an assumed name. And Im actually less of a student of and participant in that particular agora. Fact is, after years of resisting it and seeing it as a flawed vehicle for arguing or discussing anything seriously, I got on Twitter as a means of promoting my television programming and, occasionally, some bit of prose work on my blog. Or of highlighting other content that I thought had merit. It was in the last election cycle that I began to realize, to my chagrin, that public rhetoric is now arriving at light speed on these social platforms. They are already in effect the first news cycle, and with regard to the worst kind of spin and rumor, there is often scarcely a second news cycle in which facts ever catch up. Or so it seems.

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So Ive been drawn into the national argument where it seems to begin. But again, its a corrupted platform. If you cant sever the bots and professional trolls and find a decent argument with someone else who is really wrestling with stuff, then to what purpose? The best you can do with a troll or bot is use them in the same fashion that Edgar Bergen used Charlie McCarthyas a rhetorical prop. If you tell me that Facebook is any different, then maybe I should dump Twitter and die on the other hill. But either way, the idea that all of these platforms are subject to political manipulations and agitprop is, by now, obvious. There are no gatekeepers. There is no commitment to police for accuracy. The metadata delivered by users can be repurposed into political weaponry by interested parties. And they have no viable institutional response to these realities.

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Its as if they cant solve murders, robberies, and rapes in this town, so rather than confront the long and hard journey of real police work, the folks at Twitter are going to make this the least-jaywalkingest ville in Christendom.

But to be clear, I have no interest in encouraging anyone in any authoritative capacity to ban speech on a platform that has become de facto part of our national agora. And given how miserable Twitter has thus far proved itself at being capable of discerning even sarcasm or comic hyperbole, and how tolerant it is as a platform for the overt and organized slander and libel of individuals and cohorts, tech people are in fact the last people I would trust to regulate speech.

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[At this point, Simon and I both realized we were getting more essayisticso we migrated to email.]

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I want to come back to the idea of employing more journalists, more editorsespecially since those jobs are scarce. Its great if more reporters and editors are working, but doesnt the whole idea of social media, the whole success of it, spring from disintermediation? From being able to step up and say something to the public without having to get an editors approval? The way we talked about the internet in the early daysnot just social media but the internet itselfwas that it opened the door for everyone to speak to large audiences. That said, it was obvious from the outset that some high percentage of the speakers was going to end up being dopes. Or worse.

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If I had possession over Judgment Day and the resources of Twitter, here is what I would do:

I would not throw open my review process to fretting about name-calling or comic hyperbole or even exchanges of abject contempt and disgust because, as we all know, there is plenty on the platform that deserves a hailstorm of contempt and disgust. Instead, I would use my limited resources to open the gates to complaints about intellectual frauds, libels, and disinformation campaigns. And I would empower Twitter users to be, if not the ultimate arbiters of these issues, to be a force, in a fundamental way, that begins to self-police the site.

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Rather than confront the long and hard journey of real police work, the folks at Twitter are going to make this the least-jaywalkingest ville in Christendom.  David Simon

How? Same way as users now report what they perceive to be offensive content, I would demand that they raise their game and raise the stakes to reporting that which can be empirically demonstrated to be false. Theres your disintermediation. The users themselves deliver complaints that go to the heart of Twitters fundamental weakness: This is a libel. That is a lie. Let them call it out and deliver the empirical proof. Let them be the police and then have Twitterin conjunction with some in-house research equivalent of Snopes or some other fact-checking forumbe the court of jurisdiction for claims that originate with Twitter users themselves. That limits Twitters responsibility to only the fact-checking that is requested organically by users, not extending its responsibility over the whole of the content. It also makes it imperative for objecting users to bring intellectual and journalistic rigor to their complaints, further girding the process. And it creates a standard that makes it possible for Twitter to remove those who can be evidenced to be not merely in error about facts, but purposefully and repeatedly employing libel and disinformation.

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And here is the stick I would employ:

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If it can be demonstrated that a users content is subjective, well, that is a function of rhetoric and beyond any sanction.

If it can be demonstrated that a users content is empirically false, but there is no evidence of an intent to mislead or libel, then a request to remove the falsehood could be undertaken and the user could be given the choice of removing the tweet or self-correcting publicly.

If it can be demonstrated that a users content is part of a continuing and persistent pattern of employing disinformation, fraud, or libel, then the account can be suspended.

Isnt this a more fundamental use of limited journalistic resources than to stop David Simon from telling some racist troll he ought to consider succumbing to a nonlethal skin disorder? And if Snopes can do this as an online resource, how the fuck is it so elusive for Twitter?

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Snopes sometimes seems to be limping along as a nonprofit based on donations (maybe some big donations from the companies, like $100,000 from Facebook in 2017, but not too big). But subsidizing Snopes seems like something that would be well within even Twitters uncertain profitability.

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Great to hear. Let them do it. Immediately. Just [recently] James fucking Woods showed up on Twitter to once again declare George Soros to be a Nazi collaborator. Never mind that Snopes has thoroughly and impartially dismissed this claimWoods is still rambling around on the platform repeating the big lie. Wouldnt it be great if an in-house component simply flagged that tweet, alerted the bitter little fuckmook as to its fraudulence and gave him the opportunity to remove it himself or, even better, asked him to post a corrective and apologize like a grown-ass human? And when he fails, suspend his libelous account. Now there is an actual deterrent to using Twitter for organized libel and disinformation.

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Ill give you a couple of examples where I think the social media platforms have done good in a way that traditional media never have managed to do (although theres been some symbiosis here). The first is #MeToo. Its suddenly become possible for many more womens voices to be heard. (And those of men tooas with Kevin Spacey.)

The second is #BlackLivesMatter. Everybody who knew anything about policing and criminal law, both in cities and in small-town and rural environments, knew that people of color were more at risk in encounters with police. But now, all of a sudden, we can abruptly publicize police violence, or even explosions of insane verbal racism. Isnt the radical empowerment of individuals who need it some kind of a balance for all the dumbass things other Twitter twits do?

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Indeed. And youre arguing in some of this for the power that exists in the ubiquity of the smartphone, with its instantaneous video capability. No disputing that revolution, and it is overwhelmingly for the better to have first-generation evidence of what is occurring with regard to authoritarian action or to off-the-cuff remarks or affronts by people. Sure.

But be careful about claiming that unfettered access by anonymous complainants to social media platforms has done a singular service to the real work of #BlackLivesMatter or #MeToo. With #MeToo in particular, I would argue that traditional journalismwith its elaborate construct for proving accusations, documenting patterns of behavior, and confronting offenders and knocking down their false counterclaims is what delivered Weinstein, Moonves, Toback, Cosby, and others. Yes, the initial spark may be a bubbling of complaintsome on the record, but much of it anonymouson social media. But then the rigor of journalistic investigation establishes the credibility of the narrative. What the New Yorker and the New York Times did with Weinstein was magnificent, and it was definitive in a way that the rumored rage of social media can never be. They worked the claims and confirmed and published the totality of the story. And there was a totality. Regrettably, I can point to some case studies in which the level of accusation, even if we credit the claims for what they are, actually does a disservice to #MeToo by flattening all allegationhowever important or however modestinto the same claimed affront.

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Same thing with Black Lives Matter. We have reached a point where every act of police violence or every filmed police shooting has its turn on social media. This is for the better. But we have also reached a point where its clear that every act of police violence or every police shooting is not unjustifiable. Often, law officers are heedless, brutal, indifferent, and even sadistic. That is now rightfully grist for new media, and as a result it is an issue being highlighted for address by old media. Sometimes, the police are in a fight not of their choosing, in which case it is not police brutality if the cops win the fight. In Baltimore, we just went through that pregnant social media pause when city police, who have all kinds of deserved credibility issues, said they shot someone who was shooting at them. The rumor mill began to churn a bit until the department released the video. And yes, this time the police were returning fire in a running gun battle with one of the pursuing officers wounded.

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Point being that no one sentient doesnt see the value in all of this first-generation video content now being delivered. And social media is the delivery platform, to be sure. But what comes behind the delivery of that material still matters as much as it ever did: Particularly when you become aware of how even video content can be manipulated, edited, deconstructed by interested parties. I am as exhilarated as anyone by the digital revolution and what it allows ordinary people to acquire of the world and deliver with immediacy. But I am also intent on what an impartial, professional journalist acquires when he corroborates the video and contextualizes the video.

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I like the idea that users themselves can be, and are, more empowered to answer false facts and raise questions about fake newssupplementing or complementing the traditional press. But Twitter and Facebook in particular are feeling pressured to do something. Often by governments. Many conservatives are absolutely certain that the platforms are biased against them and are censoring them. Progressive activists are equally certain that theyre the targets of censorship. After Brexit and the election of President Trump, the governments around the world are looking for someone easy to blame for the weird political moment were in. Internet platforms are new, so theyre an easy target. The way TV used to be. And movies and radio before that.

OK. I dont dispute that Twitter and other such platforms are being bashed from all points of the political compass. Same for old media for all of its history. That goes with the job.

Im saying they have responded by doing the wrong fucking something. They are responding in such a way that they are, in effect, normalizing the worst kind of organized disinformation and hate speech. They have set up a both-sides construct that is disturbingly reminiscent of the Trumpian reaction to Charlottesville.

Its a kind of abdication.
It all makes sense once you realize they want to kill us, by Mike Whitney - The Unz Review : 'It is now apparent that these products in ...
Slovak millionaires prefer land in terms of yield, but also invest in collectibles for their pleasure.

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A typical Slovak dollar millionaire is a 51-year old man with a university education. He owns a company and the primary source of his assets is business. These findings are the result of an exclusive survey called the Wealth Report carried out by J&T Banka among Slovak dollar millionaires.

Slovak millionaires are two years younger than their Czech counterparts and as much as 10 years younger than other millionaires around the world. This is because before 1989 running a private business was forbidden in the then Czech-Slovak Republic. This meant that the typical millionaire respondents launched their businesses themselves in the 1990s and could not depend on inheritance or significant assistance from their parents, as is often the case in the developed world. This also means that the first post-revolutionary generation of millionaires has only now started approaching retirement age.

When looking at the portfolio of a Slovak millionaire, there is still visible cautiousness with 51 percent of the accounts standing for conservative instruments, but a greater openness to investment instruments is visible, representatives of J&T Banka informed in late September.

Wealthy Slovaks have come to favour investment especially in corporate bonds. These make up as much as 30 percent of their investment portfolios. This is two times more than is the case of millionaires around the world.

Wealthy Slovaks perceive bonds as an opportunity to invest in local companies and projects, which they can directly see, know and participate in their development, said Anna Macalakova, director of J&T Banka, adding that in this way they support the local economy.

In terms of yield, Slovak millionaires continue to believe in future construction sites the most.

The survey showed that wealthy Slovaks are increasingly interested in collectibles. They invest particularly in art, postal stamps and coins. The motivation is the personal pleasure they receive from these activities.
Orban used Soros as a powerful container for everything he stood against. Fico borrowed the ready-made narrative.

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On a warm, autumn evening, Martin M. Simecka  a journalist philosopher from a dissident family  spoke to a crowd of about 5,000 people assembled in front of the parliament in Bratislava. He asked them to think of all those people around whenever they were feeling despair or losing hope. Look around to see and remember who these people are.

People turned around to look at their peers holding mobile phones in the air with their flashlights on. Finally, Juraj Benetin of the band Korben Dallas sang the national anthem. Earlier this year in March, when the first of these assemblies occurred, the crowd barely remembered the lyrics, now they could sing the whole anthem without hesitation.

Recent news was hanging over the demonstration, the day before eight people had been arrested in connection with a crime that has rocked Slovakia for the last nine months. Three of the arrested were accused of murdering the investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova. Both were shot in February this year; an event which has revived magical thinking in Slovak society.

By magical thinking, I mean that political actors no longer acted on previous scenarios. They even abandoned rationality and returned to a moment when political community had to be negotiated anew.

Politics was no longer a power game focused on counting parliamentary seats, managing strategies or anything else we attached to the concept before Jan and Martina were found on the floor of their house. The event dragged us into a state of insecurity when suddenly we had to ask questions we thought were first answered in 1989  when the Velvet revolution decided that Slovakia would join the liberal democracies  and in 1998  when the autocratic PM, Meciar, was removed from power which meant that Slovakia would become a member of NATO and the European Union.

So, we had to start again asking these fundamental questions touching upon the nature of the state and security of its citizens: Do we know enough about the country we live in? Why did a person who apparently knew more than most had to die? Who killed him and his partner? What if the state had been taken over by oligarchs and whoever touches their interests, has to go? Or is it mafia that became so bold to kill a journalist in his house? And finally, can we learn the truth about the execution of the journalist and who ordered it even if the names he mentioned in his work are in position of power?

In such moments, people turn to magical thinking. They wish to know where evil resides, how it is masked and who the good people are. For this, they tell each other myths.

A colleague of mine who studied political science and spent years as a parliamentary correspondent was perplexed: I never quite understood this thing, people referring to Janko and Martinka (diminutives of their names) and treating them as national heroes as if they laid down their lives for the country, he complained. He was right, political science could no longer explain it, but rather philosophy of community building, psychology of large groups suffering from PTSD or simply, religion.

When Martin M. Simecka asked people to look around to gain trust in those people who were present on the square, this gesture was not unlike the ritual of shaking hands in Lutheran churches. After mass, the pastor asks believers to give each other a sign of peace: they greet, look into each others eyes and maybe even resolve quarrels. The result should be a feeling that you can trust people around you as they too can have confidence with the other people within their reach, thus we form a community of trust with an obedience to rules which are evident and followed. A simple practice of social coherence.

These open-air meetings started in March as an assembly of mourners holding up the portraits of the two victims. After a set of speeches on press freedom, the first (and then every other) demonstration finished with a recital of the national anthem; the lyrics  from 1848 which depict a romantic sense of nation building  were now filled with new meanings and the old feelings of a community standing together against its oppressors were once again recalled. Essentially, it became a ritual of bonding with the state, a we are the people gesture.

Thus spoke PM Fico

The practice of anthem singing was used during the Maidan protests in Kiev, too. But that was not the reason why the government circles started speaking about the maidanisation of the street. The street or the square entered their language to become a synonym of political forces of chaos, a destabilisation of the system and even of the end of democracy.

Facing the crowd which no longer simply mourned but started to push for demands, the senior coalition party Smer (in coalition with Slovak nationalists and Slovak-Hungarian party, both of which were less affected by the Kuciak case) performed their version of magical thinking.

The decision to come up with their own narrative was captured by the words of the ex-prime minister Fico who was, due to the associated events, forced to resign. The main problem, he claimed, was that the party failed to transmit their version of the story.

Consequently, Fico became even more enraged with critical media. A few years earlier, he famously proclaimed that some journalists were just dirty anti-Slovak prostitutes because they did not report about the Slovak presidency to the EU Council in a favourable light. After Kuciaks murder, the director of Reporters Without Borders (among others) suggested that Fico should make peace with journalists. Instead of making any such gestures, Fico decided to blame the media for the pressure on his government and his party.

The only place where Fico could rest and feel understood was the anti-establishment scene of conspiracy theories and social networks. There, Fico found the counter-narrative he could present:

Lets have a look at one of the so-called protest organisers Juraj Seliga. We see a clear connection to George Soros. Lets look at the son of President Kiska, at a mysterious meeting of the head of the state Kiska in New York with Soros [] Dont be mistaken that Juraj Seliga and some Miss Karolina Farska managed [to organise protests] with no budget and logistics from foreign sources.

While Kuciaks investigative work uncovering the connections between Smer party members, oligarchs connected to state procurement, local and Italian mafia using ESI funds to cover up drug dealings with their people located even at the Government Office, Fico proposed his own investigative story.

He suggested that while we did not have a clue of who might have killed the journalist  and the police were working on it  he was sure that the protests were not genuine but pre-arranged. Instead of questioning what society we lived in, Fico asked us to consider who might have been so bold as to abuse the death of two people to stage a coup detat and try to topple a legitimate government.

Armed with the sentiment that things just happen in this region and that post-socialist countries have continuously been a geopolitical battleground, Ficos story gave a good alibi to those who did not join the largest protests in Slovakia since 1989, and Fico did not miss a chance to rely on those silent people who stayed at home.

His story was based on the ancient ideological foundations of the paranoid Left  a global oligarchy that sets the rules  and of the xenophobic Right  a rich, Jewish, New-York-based magnate who orchestrates fake civil societies, look at what is happening in Ukraine and isnt he persona non grata in Hungary? All this was not spoken outright but present in the public discourse after Ficos Soros revelation.

He thus spoke about the conspiring troika of the media  protest organisers  and the president (who suggested early elections or government reconstruction as possible ways out from the crisis). This way, he drew a new map for magical thinking. A map, in which good and evil were turned upside down and he  together with the silent people who stayed at home  represented democracy defending itself from the forces of non-elected exploiters who were using Jans death as a window of opportunity to grab power.

What comes after Soros takes over? Every social media user who has come across anti-establishment forums knows: elected politicians will lose control of the state, NGOs will bring in immigrants and a multinational society will be moulded instead: a society of slaves as Salvini once put it.

The children of Soros

Of course, Fico left all this to be finished in ones imagination. He merely asked the president why he met Soros a couple of months ago. Actually, there were no secrets about the get together, but suggesting that the Roma program was just a pretext for a more serious meeting is all that is required for magical thinking to do its work. It replaces the truth with a deeper truth, including mythological explanations.

We have seen how the Soros narrative was employed by Viktor Orbans election campaign. He managed to use Soros as a powerful container for everything he stood against: liberalism, open society, globalisation and foreign influence on domestic politics.

Fico borrowed a ready-made narrative to fight against the supposed aspects of illegitimate forces trying to permeate democracy as he invoked repeatedly. The president has been his nemesis from the moment he beat Fico in direct presidential elections. The critical media tend to understand Fico as direct heir of Meciar, so there has always been a mutual mistrust. The new element is the street which Fico understands as a crowd manipulated by NGOs paid from undisclosed sources, often by Soros.

So, the main message of his narrative was to show that what media presented as civil society gaining confidence and taking back control  by making clear demands who should step down  was in fact a trick of the few to disguise themselves as masses, as popular will.

For Fico, it was important to use Soros  although even his party was split on the use of this trope  because it gave him the possibility to present the social conflict differently: instead of people standing against oligarchy and mafia, it was people against NGOs and the global mafia of the ultrarich.

This is similar to how Orban, prior to the April elections, relied  among other aggressive strategies  on fake investigative journalism to fabricate evidence for the magical story of a Soros-led global network of NGOs, Fico and those party members who joined his line eagerly presented their investigations: Look, these young leaders actually have a history! They have links to Soros through all kinds of associations and NGO work.

They never actually proposed what these connections were or what they could mean because there was no need, often suspicion is all that is needed. A cheap but dramatic imitation of investigative work served the purpose of undermining the legitimacy of the organisers as representatives of the people. Rather, they were presented as a threat, a mere tool of someone much more powerful.

Finishing a line of reasoning or even sentences was not necessary. The anti-systemic front and the nationalist front would gladly finish them. For example, a former-right-hand man of the Slovak National Party ex-leader Jan Slota reinvented himself as a contributor to the ultraconservative Kremlin-loyal webzine Hlavne spravy. He posted several articles where he presented people from the supposed cosmopolitan-elites linked to Soros.

In this region, finding links to Soros is rather easy as the basis of civil society was to a great extent laid by him as part of the democratisation project for post-socialist countries. It is thus no surprise to find Soros-funded stipends or NGO projects co-funded by Soross funds in ones CV.

Branding everyone who ever touched these sources  or sources of foreign embassies  or took a scholarship or professional training abroad  is nothing less than a project of damaging regional elites. Or, as the Polish and Hungarian governments know too well, a project of exchanging elites for loyal nationalists.

Fico likes to remind us that when he was the head of one-party absolute majority government  2012-2016  he never crippled the media, the judicial system or NGOs in the way his Hungarian and Polish colleagues did. However, after he used the Soros card, we know that even if he is no longer prime minister, he is willing to pull the safety brake for the sake of his career and the party, including shifting the debate from saving the rule of law to saving parliamentary democracy from non-elected extra-political forces.

These two narratives go parallel with the events in neighbouring Visegrad countries. However, in Slovakia, saving the rule of law is no longer an abstract idea. The double murder gave it a painfully concrete form. It breeds patriotism, brings together religious reasoning with proto-political thinking, enriches civil society by popular support as well as offering a platform for different forms of critique.

The protests were joined by several professional groups such as teachers, nurses and farmers. They have been supported by actors from the National Theatre and public intellectuals such as Martin M. Simecka, who transmitted the uncompromising language of anti-communist dissidents of truth versus lie. A kind of magical thinking at home in the region.

This article is part of the #DemocraCE project organised by Visegrad/Insight. It was originally published in Slovak on Sme and can be found here.
Sandy Bledsoe is the Dungeon Masterhis actual titleat Coral Sword, Houstons premier board game Twitch stream specialty coffee bar. Hes also the co-inventor of a wallet that may just be the perfect solution for coffee professionals. Called the Wallaby, its capable of carrying your cards, some cash, a cupping spoon, and houses a customizable notebook for all of your cupping notes, coffee musings, andfor retail managersmilk orders.

Bledsoe and business partner Alex Pagliere launched a Kickstarter campaign this month and are halfway through funding the campaign with over $11,000 pledged as of press time. Just $15 will get you two Joeys, and $22 will get you two Wallabies right now on Kickstarter. We spoke with Bledsoe digitally to learn more about the project.

How did this project get started? Who is involved?

Our first product, The Wallaby, was born in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle four years ago while I was visiting my dear friend (and now business partner) Alex Pagliere. I had been using the back pocket of a Moleskine notebook as my wallet, but the pocket had come apart and my stuff kept falling out. I was fed up. I turned to Alex and said something like, Why cant the pocket in this thing actually hold my stuff? Hes a design person, so he jumped up and started carving up a cereal box with his X-Acto knife, and then we stapled in the guts of my cannibalized Moleskine. That cereal box prototype was a hit when I showed it to people; some friends even tried to buy it from me. Thats really how The Wallaby was born.

How has the product evolved over the years?

The overall design hasnt changed very much since the original cereal box prototype, though we replaced the original name CR Brand Signature Pocketbook Wallet with Wallaby. We retired the X-acto knife and started die cutting the covers, which are now made from a fiber-reinforced paper that behaves and wears a lot like leather. The paper that we selected for the interior pages is the right balance between bleed-resistance and thickness so you can actually use both sides of the page but without unnecessary bulk. We use a faint dot grid pattern thats really the best of lined, grid and blank paper. Weve focused on elegance, toughness, and utilitarianism. You could call it concisemore with less. Weve also introduced a smaller size, called The Joey, which is still a wallet and a notebook, but slightly smaller than a deck of playing cards. Perhaps the most exciting change weve made recently is an environmental partnership that allows us to plant a tree for every notebook that we sell.

Tell me more about the Kickstarter campaign.

Alex and I have had other jobs and other businesses over the years that have kept us from really focusing on CR Brand. Wed talk frequently about getting things rolling, but it wasnt until Hunter Pence, my business partner at Coral Sword, invited the business and marketing wizard Gary Vaynerchuk onto our Twitch stream, where Hunter brought the product to Garys attention. It was actually after getting some positive feedback from them that I called Alex and said We HAVE to do this! The next day I was talking at the cafe with a customer named Van, who happened to be a cinematographer and social marketer, and he jumped at the opportunity to work with us to get a Kickstarter campaign off the ground. The campaign ends at the end of October and folks can expect to have their rewards before the end of the year. Were hoping to raise $25,000, build up our e-mail newsletter, and help some people get organized in their lives through our product.

Youre the Dungeon Master at Coral Swordwhat does that entail?

Coral Sword is (to my knowledge) the first board game cafe in Houston. We serve coffee, tea, beer, wine, and some simple gamer grub. We have a library of free-to-play board games, with titles like Battleship, Connect Four, Catan and Cards Against Humanity, and many many more. I am blessed with wonderful business partners Hunter and Alexis Pence, Ming Chen, and Greenway Coffee. On the worst days at work I unclog toilets and solve problems like why is _______ broken/leaking/missing. On the best days I get to make guests and staff feel recognized and special, and I get to watch people make wonderful memories in the cafe with people that they care about. My favorite thing about the service industry has always been the tremendous power that we have to make someones day. I want to say it was David Schomer (quoting Randy Pausch) who introduced me to the idea that, Experience is what you get when you dont get what you expected. I think of my job (in any environment really) as constantly trying to improve the experience of everyone involved.

Have you used your notebook for coffee purposes?

First of all, everything I do is for coffee purposes (lol). Maxwell Mooney was the first person to use our product for cupping notes while green buying. But David Buehrer was the first person to realize you can use a Wallaby to hold a cupping spoon while you write cupping notes. Several folks have also used a Wallaby to journal and take notes at origin, but also just while traveling in general. In fact, that has been one of the happiest surprises since undertaking this projectseeing the clever and amazing ways that people use our creation has been inspiring.

Whats next for CR Brand?

The Wallaby and The Joey serve a pretty awesome community of people, who (like ourselves) are focused on self-reflection and self-improvement, as well as documenting the many splendors of life. We had no idea what these folks would do with our products, but now we get to watch people hack and modify them, and I love hearing things like I use this to take notes in my EMT class or I use this to practice Katakana. We want to continue nurturing and listening to that community and seeing what people do with our products and what they use our products to achieve. Im turning 35 this first week of October. The business started as an open excuse to stay close with a good friend as we grew older and grew physically apart. The possibility that what weve created might help someone else do something so meaningful in their own life is incredible. AND we get to plant trees because of it? Come on.

Thank you!

Photos courtesy Sandy Bledsoe.
Czar Seelster had to end his top-three streak last week but most of his competition from that start is out of the picture for the Saturday afternoon feature at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

First race post time is 12:30 P.M. for the 13-dash program with the Preferred pace lining up in race nine for a $2,500 purse. The Governors Plate and Roach MacGregor Gold Cup and Saucer consolation winner, Czar Seelster gets the services of Mike McGuigan in the racebike again this week after finishing fifth in the Preferred class last week for trainer Todd Weatherbee for owner Tammy Johnston of Stratford, P.E.I.

The second, third and fourth-place finishers from that race are not in-to-go locally this week but the winner of that race, the red-hot Three Truths, gets billed as the morning line favourite from post five with Kenny Arsenault in the bike.

Jackson K Down returns to competition this week with Gilles Barrieau in the bike from post one while Winter Blast rides a two-race win streak into the event from post three for driver Jason Hughes. Half Cut has post two in the compact field dropping out of three-year-old stakes racing to take on his aged foes.

Race analyst Les MacIsaac thinks it has been too long since Czar Seelster has seen the winners circle and pegs him for the top spot Saturday.

Last week reinforced the old adage that anything can happen in a horse race when Czar Seelster finally finished out of the top three, MacIsaac said. He's now gone close to a month without a win which is an eternity for him and since his two main rivals are absent from this one he gets top billing.

The Saturday afternoon card also has the Maritime Breeders final for two- and three-year-old trotters. Race four has the $7,000 Maritime Breeders two-year-old trot final with Mile Hill Willie riding a five-race win streak into the event with post two for trainer-driver Gilles Barrieau and owner Paul Morrison of Cardigan, P.E.I.

The three-year-old trotters line up for a $7,850 pot in race seven with West River Cindy (Ken MacDonald) leaving from post three while Maritime champion Buddy White has post six for driver Adam Merner.

Race 10 on the card sees the racing return of stallion Rollwithitharry, who has rail control in the $1,800 class with Barrieau in the bike for trainer Jackie Matheson and owner Woodmere Farms of Marshfield, P.E.I. Rollwithitharry has not raced since 2015, coming to P.E.I. for stud duty starting in 2016 and selling his first crop at public auction this fall. He is installed at 8-1 morning line odds for the Saturday afternoon program.

For full entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Charlottetown Driving Park.

(with files from Red Shores)
Boaties are being warned to take it easy on the water this Labour Weekend which marks the unofficial start of the summer holiday season.

A number of agencies have gathered at boat ramps in the Western Bay of Plenty today, offering pleasure-craft boaties information on water safety and local regulations.

Those in attendance will include Tauranga and Maketu Coastguards, Police Search and Rescue, the Harbour Master, and the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Western Bay of Plenty Search and Rescue co-ordinator, Sergeant Craig Madden, says the day has been organised due to the high number of fatal marine incidents in the past couple of years.

He says the Western Bay of Plenty has a big influx of holidaymakers, and a large number of them are boaties.

A number of deaths in and on our waters would have been preventable if a higher level of safety was adhered to.

All boaties should have at least two different methods of communication with them, and if one is a cell phone it should be in a water-tight package.

A snap-lock bag is ideal, and you can still use it while its in the bag, he says.

Harbour Master Peter Buell concurs that preparedness is important.

Kapok life jackets  the older-style life jackets that go over the head  are unsafe, and need to be replaced with a more modern alternative. Along with this jet skis should also be registered.

Safety information and advice is freely available from the Harbour Master and Coastguard for new and visiting boaties and water-users.

While on the water you also need two forms of communication, because if you cant be heard you cant be helped, he says.

Simon Baker of Tauranga Coastguard says we all want to see boaties go out and have an enjoyable time on the water, and come home safe at the end of the day.

We want to remind skippers that when crossing a bar, its the skippers responsibility to ensure all passengers wear a life jacket, and its advisable to log a report with Coastguard before and after crossing the bar.

Also, lifejackets must be in good condition, fit for purpose, and correctly fitted.

They can often be your last chance of survival if the worst happens, says Simon.

Boaties are reminded that Coastguard is an organisation run by volunteers and relies on memberships and donations to exist.

Members that need assistance on the water receive it for free, whereas non-members are charged a fee.

MPI Fisheries Officers are also reminding fishers of their catch limits and minimum sizes.

If members of the public see any non-compliance theyre asked to call 0800 4POACHER (0800 476 224).
Teachers feel misunderstood, unheard, and, above all, disrespected, according to a story in USA Today on Thursday that was based on reporting by 15 teams of journalists across the country who spent a single day with them last month.

That disrespect comes from many sources, says the story, Americas Teachers: A Day in the Life , including parents who are uninvolved or too involved; government mandates that dictate how, and to what measures, teachers must teach; state school budgets that have never recovered from Great Recession cuts, leading to inadequately prepared teachers and inadequately supplied classrooms.

The 15 teams of journalists were from the USA Today Network, which is a brand that publisher Gannett Co. has applied for several years to its chain of more than 100 U.S. newspapers, including the flagship national paper.



The report, written by Rick Hampson from reporting by him and 17 others, covers much of the front page plus two full inside pages of snapshots of teachers on Monday, Sept. 17, from the prayer that Racine, Wis., substitute teacher Edward Lawson says when he pulls into the parking lot at his school to when Deerfield, Mont., teacher Traci Manseau arrives home, 30 miles from her school, and has papers to correct and an online course session to take.

This year, for the first time since pollsters started asking a half-century ago, a majority of Americans said they would not want their child to become a teacher, the report states. Yet teachers everywhere say that if only the American peoplethe parent, the voter, the politician, the philanthropistreally understood schools and teachers, theyd join their cause.

USA Todays report joins the list of major media organizations that have recently focused on the plight of the underpaid teacher, as Education Weeks Madeline Will wrote last month . The New York Times Magazine, Time magazine, and the Guardian all published features along that line.

USA Todays piece makes a good use of its network of local papers and reporters for a look at one day in the life of the nations teachers. If you arent staying at a business hotel today and getting your giveaway copy, check it out online.
I read it on the Internet again: "It's no use using older lenses on digital cameras. With today's best digital sensors, you must use the very best, very latest lenses."

I must? Why?

This is another IF (Internet Falseism, a "falseism" being a truism that isn't true). You have doubtless read it a hundred times in one form or another.

What if you want to use a soft-focus lens on a digital sensor? Will the sky fall? The world explode? Will you be arrested?

Must be true, though, because I've read it on the Internet so many times.

Actually, you can use any lens you want to on a digital sensor, no matter what its potential resolution. If it's a good sensor, it will merely capture whatever the look and properties of the lens happen to be.

Optimizers do it best

The only reason to use a high-resolution lens on a high-resolution sensor is if you want a high-resolution picture. But if you have an interchangeable-lens camera, you can switch that high-res lens for a low-res lens and back again, and no hostages are taken and no one gets hurt. You remain free to roam about on your own recognizance and the sky stays where it belongs.

It's a lot of fun to use old lenses on new sensors.

If you "optimize" your camera for high resolution, all you have is a camera that takes pictures with good resolution. You still have the exact same problem every other photographer has with every other camera: what to do with it. How to put it to good use. How to make the dumb equipment make a smart picture. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, or for ninety-nine out of a hundred photographers, incrementally better resolution makes zero difference in the aesthetic and expressive success of any particular picture.

And if you "optimize" your camera for high resolution, all you have is a camera that takes pictures with resolution that is good for this point in history and with today's particular technology. In olden days, John B. Williams wrote a book called Image Clarity that was all about his investigations into how to optimize photography for high resolution. He covered everything. Of course, none of it is relevant to digital photographers today because the technology has changed (and film photographers certainly aren't using film in order to achieve optimal image resolution). That's what will happen to your attempts to "optimize" resolution now, too. Only faster.

Flatware applications

Besides, very generally speaking, optimizing for resolution, these days, is akin to saying Warren Buffett needs more money. I see more pictures spoiled by too much resolution as I see spoiled by too little (just as I see more pictures spoiled by too much out-of-focus blur as I see spoiled by too little).

If it's what you want to dooptimize resolution, starting with the best sensors and the ideal lenses for them, a sturdy tripod, and some way to show your results meaningfullywell all right then. By all means go ahead. It's one thing you can do. It's one look. It's one kind of photograph to take.

And, of course, there might be a few specialty applications which require extreme resolution. A Zeiss spokesman, at a presentation in the '90s, used this example: what if you see a person holding up a table utensil several hundred yards away, and you want to know whether it's a fork or a spoon? ...And you have time to set up your surveyor's tripod, which he recommended and used? John Williams used a slightly more plausible example: what if you're doing surveillance photography and you want to be able to read a license plate from a long distance away? But he had to add as a caveat: ...and you can't switch to a longer telephoto lens? Or words to that effect. Well. There are some pictures that might work better with higher resolution than you can get normally. A few.

I'd own both. Old, bad lenses and new, super-sharp, hyper-clinical ones. One for fun. The other for fun.

Nowadays, we might add a third imperative: what if you want to win arguments on Internet forums about the superiority of your gear choices by showing little snippets of pictures at 100%?

Well now, that's important, as we all know. Just as important as showing whether it's a fork or a spoon, or for reading license plates when you left your 600mm at home even though you're doing surveillance.

...But mine are better!

I hate to break it to the Internet, but there's actually no law that says you get extra life points for a tiny bit more resolution in all your photographs. You get no credit for it. Most pictures will not be better for it. Most people will not care. Even the ones who do care won't care for very long.

Use any lens you want to on your digital camera. You stand just as good a chance of making a good picture with the most highly corrected lens it's possible to buy today as you do with an ancient screw-mount lens with low contrast and poor edge definition. It's just that the artistic problem will be different, that's all.

Mike

Original contents copyright 2018 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

James Weekes: "Hear, hear. Some of my favorite pictures of the last few years are taken with my Holga lens on a Micro 4/3 body. I love the color, and am surprised by the resolution, which is better than my old Holga cameras with TX.

"The biggest advance in my world has been the 20-megapixel sensor on my Lumixes. The color is just lovely and the resolution is really adequate."

Andrew Lamb: "A few years ago, I did some stills on a film set where the DOP was John Mathieson (Gladiator, Logan, X-Men: First Class, etc). He was using a state-of-the-art Red camera but the lens was a Cooke zoom from the early '70s. I asked his assistant about this combination and was told that using an older lens was to stop the image from looking too clinical. Anything goes."

Phil Stiles: "I've played a lot with vintage glass on modern sensors. I would add that the modern sensor can reveal that those old lenses are better than one remembers. My 105mm /2.5 AIS Nikkor produces great images on my Sony A7rIII. After comparing a Contax C/Y 85mm /2.8 with a Batis 85mm /1.8, I sold the Batis. Focus peaking and magnification have changed the ways we can use vintage glass. Since we're viewing on the web, you probably can't point to a shot 'spoiled by too much resolution,' although my guess would be that it's a portrait where the camera sees so much more than the eye that the hyper-realism becomes surrealism."

Huw Morgan: "I have a crazy-sharp 85mm portrait lens that causes me nothing but grief. Every subject looks at the pictures and freaks out over wrinkles and skin flaws that seem to leap out of the screen. I need to apply copious amounts of Photoshop 'wrinkle cream' to make clients happy, eating into my time and profit. I'm looking for an 85mm slightly blurry lens. Anyone have any suggestions?"

Mark Roberts: "Anyone interested in photography would do well to see the movie "Mr. Turner" (about the painter J.M.W. Turner). Director Mike Leigh had hoped to shoot on film to get the look he wanted but didn't have the budget necessary. So he shot digital but used the oldest, least-corrected lenses he could scrounge up. Can't argue with the results." Rob L.: "There's one little bit of 'maybe' here, thoughI've had several older lenses that did weird things on digital bodiesreflections off the back elements, or the way they light hit the sensorso it's worth testing things a bit. But as I age, it's AF, not optical purity, that's driving me to current glass. :-) "

Jim: "In my work (fiber optics) I've been exposed to a lot of recent systems for surveillance and the technology is getting spooky. Only part is due to camera resolution; the rest is digital post-processing. I've seen fisheye cameras over traffic intersections that can read every license plate and are starting to use facial recognition. Did you read about how the British identified the Russians accused of poisoning in the UKthey found many images of the guys and could easily track their movement. Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and a camera will read your license plate and send you a bill for the toll. I parked in a parking garage recently and the ticket was printed with my license plate ID and used it to help locate my parked car.

"Of course this processing is not intended to create attractive images. But if you want that, you can find lots of software that will manipulate images to make them look 'better,' whatever that means to you. Did you see the New York Times Magazine portfolio a couple of weeks ago with the weird images manipulated by Cindy Sherman?

"The point is that we are reaching a point near where PCs were 20 years ago, where advances are becoming less hardware and more software."

James M: "Just what I need to help me relax about my gear. Can you please post this article once a month, so that the effect doesn't wear off?"

scott kirkpatrick: "'Falseism?' Better is the expression that physicist Wolfgang Pauli made famous: 'Not even false!'" [Link Ed.]

George Feucht: "Absolutely true about the demand for vintage less-than-perfect lenses for cinematography. Here's a great example. This is the Cooke company re-manufacturing their old, flawed classic lens set due to the demand of the original sets from the '60s/'70s. Things just look too hyper-clean when you use perfect optic on a perfect sensor. Modern, sharp lenses look great on film. As for our new, perfect cinema sensors, they look best with flawed lenses."
The block diagrams tell the tale:

Tokina Opera 50mm /1.4 cross section

Pentax-D FA* 50mm /1.4 (I added the blue color

to make it clearer where the airspaces are)

Too close for coincidence. If I knew how to make one of those mouse-on, mouse-off overlay GIFs I'd do it for you, but I'm middle-aged and haven't been to school since GHWB was President; I know nothing. Blogs haven't even been cool since 2011. Ha!

[UPDATE: xfmj built a GIF for us. Thanks!]

The Pentax HD FA 50mm /1.4 SDM AW

Let's compare the specs (T for Tokina, P for Pentax):

Length: P: 106mm, T: 107.5mm

Filter size: P: 72mm, T: 72mm

Weight: P: 910g, T: 950g

Focusing type: P: AF, T: AF

Focusing method: P: internal, T: internal

Number of elements/groups: P: 15/9, T: 15/9

Aspherical? P: yes, T: yes

Number of low dispersion glass elements: P: 3, T: 3

Aperture blades: P: 9, T: 9

Minimum focus: P: 39.62cm [sic! No rounding errors for Pentax, nosir], T: 40cm

Country of origin: P: [Don't know; can anyone who has one tell me if the lens or the box are marked with country of manufacture? Thanks!] T: Vietnam

The slight differences in size and weight are easily accounted for by the fact that each lens has its proprietary barrel design.

I'd say these two lenses are closer than cousinsthey're brother and sister. At least half siblings, with at least one parent (the manufacturer, probably) in common. And the two parents not in common are probably friends and co-parent well together, if ya folla. I don't possess any inside information, thoughjust guessing like any other forum denizen and gear fan.

Oh, and one more spec:

Price: P: $1,196.95, T: $949

Kinda weird that Canon and Nikon shooters can now get Pentax's flagship lens for less than K-1 shooters can, isn't it? I'll shut up now....

Mike

Original contents copyright 2018 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

Rick Denney: "It is my understanding that all modern Pentax lenses are made in Vietnam, and have been since 2009 when Hoya closed the old Asahi lens factory in Tokyo. What I don't know is whether they grind lenses there; they may buy elements from various suppliers. But the designs are theirs as well as the coating specs and so on. The 50 is a Pentax design, licensed to Tokina. Apparently, the Pentax version is made somewhat more robustly. No matter who makes the glass, the barrels and mechanisms for the Pentax version are made by Pentax in their Vietnam factory (which actually does say 'Pentax' on the sign out front). That factory was built in 2006."

Mike replies: Any citation or sources for any of that? Just curious.

hugh crawford: "'Opera' is about the worst name I can think of for a lens. A typical opera is where one character sacrifices everything for another character who sings a (loud) aria and promptly dies of consumption / is burned to death / gets dragged to the depths of hell / is stabbed to death by a clown etc. Could this be a project that originated back when Tokina and Pentax were both owned by Hoya?

"I love opera. Sex, drugs, betrayal, and all that rock and roll stuff, the difference being that the opera audience leaves the theater glad that they are not the characters, and the rock and roll audience aspires to be the characters."

Roger Bradbury (partial comment): "The extra few hundred dollars for the 50mm /1.4 is well worth it, as you get to use it where it belongs, on a Pentax, instead of some other mob's cameras.... :-) "

Ned Bunnell: "Regarding the price difference between these two lenses, consider this theory. Company P has Company T build this lens according to their specs. Company T has historically also had the rights to make the same lens as long as its in a different barrel design. Company P has to pay a markup to Company T for the assembly and manufacturing of their lens. When Company T makes their version of the same lens, they incur no additional charges except their marketing costs. This and the likelihood that Company P has to apply a higher margin on their lens to meet profit goals accounts for the roughly $250 difference between these two lenses. As a Pentaxian, I guess the price delta would cause me some concern. But if I really wanted that lens, Id pay the premium. Or, in my case, as Im much more of a minimalist and travel as light as possible, Id look for another mint Super-Takumar 50mm /1.4 (8 element) to add to my camera bag. At my age, I much prefer the character and wonderful cinematic rendering of those old lenses."
Mountain Shadows in Wayanad is just the place for a dreamy vacation
With commitments to openness and intellectual property protection, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is expected by economic experts to increase Vietnams exports to the European Union by US$16 billion in 2019.

The European Commission (EC) adopted the EU-Vietnam trade and investment agreements on Wednesday, paving the way for their signature and conclusion, according to the EUs delegation to Vietnam.

Through this adoption, the Commission is demonstrating its commitment to putting these agreements in place as soon as possible, the EC said in its press release.

The Commission is now submitting to the Council the proposals for the signature and conclusion of both agreements.

Once authorised by the Council, the agreements will be signed and presented to the European Parliament for consent.

When the European Parliament has given its consent, the trade agreement can then be concluded by the Council and enter into force.

In the meantime, the investment protection agreement with Vietnam will be ratified by the EU member states according to their respective internal procedures.

Thanks to the trade agreement, it is calculated that the total growth rate of Vietnams exports to the EU will rise around four to six percent, equal to $16 billion in 2019 and $75 billion by 2028, according to economic expert Nguyen Le Dinh Quy.

The EVFTA will eliminate over 99 percent of all tariffs, and partly remove the rest through limited zero-duty quotas, known as Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs).

Vietnam will erase 65 percent of import duties on EU exports from entry into force of the agreement, with the remainder of duties being gradually eliminated over a ten-year period.

In return, EU duties on imports from Vietnam will be eliminated progressively over a seven-year period.

Currently, only 42 percent of Vietnams exports to EU enjoy the zero-duty quotas under the Commissions Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP).

Under the new trade agreement, experts anticipated that a range of Vietnams key export products to the EU, including agro-forestry-aquatic products, textiles, footwear, machinery and appliances, and automobiles, will benefit from tariff removals.

Specifically, Vietnamese tuna will have an absolute advantage as the same product from its two main competitors, Thailand and China, may lose attractiveness in terms of price as none of the two countries have signed a free trade agreement with the EU, Quy said in an analysis sent to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The same thing is also expected for Vietnams shrimp, which currently account for 14 percent of the worlds market share, second only to 15 percent of India.

In the context of the suspension of the free trade discussion between the EU and India, the EVFTA is considered a chance for Vietnamese shrimp to beat the Indian counterparts for the first place.

Currently, tuna and shrimp imports from Vietnam into the EU are subject to the duty ranges of 11-20 percent and 6-20 percent, respectively.

In addition, the EVFTA also regulates that EU companies will be able to bid for public contracts with Vietnamese ministries and important state-owned enterprises, as well as the two biggest Vietnamese cities, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The agreement is fully in line with the rules of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, thus achieving a degree of transparency and procedural fairness comparable to other EU trade agreements with developed countries and more advanced developing countries, the EC stated.

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Vietnam was relegated three spots to 77th out of the 140 economies listed in the latest Global Competitiveness Index released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Wednesday.

This year, the WEF introduced its new concept, the Global Competitive Index 4.0 (GCI4.0)  a revision to its past criteria meant to incorporate the role of human capital, innovation, resilience, and agility as the drivers and defining features of economic success during the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The annual report organized 98 competitive indicators for each of the 140 economies into 12 pillars and applied a new progress score ranging from 0 to 100, rather than the old benchmark of seven, to create the list.

Under this new concept, Vietnam fell three places from last years ranking of 74th, despite increasing its score from 57.9 to 58.1 compared to 2017.

Within the Southeast Asian region, it has the sixth highest ranking, behind Singapore (second), Malaysia (25th), Thailand (38th), Indonesia (45th), and the Philippines (56th).

According to the report, Vietnams Health dimension was ranked 68th with 81 points, the highest score it achieved in all areas, while its Innovation capability was a dismal 33.4 points, putting it at 82nd in that particular category.

In terms of Market size, Vietnam stood behind only 28 other economies in the world with 70.9 points.

Vietnam was ranked lowest in Product market at 102nd with 52.1 points.

On the global scale, the U.S stopped Swizerlands nine consecutive years of leading the GCI to top this years rankings, followed by Singapore and Germany.

Also included in the 2018 GCI was the categorization of the 12 pillars into four categories  Enabling Environment, Human Capital, Markets, and Innovation Ecosystem.

The results showed that there are only a few innovation powerhouses in the world, including Germany, the United States, and Switzerland.

The global median score on the Innovation capability pillar is 36, by far the lowest score across the 12 pillars.

For 77 of the 140 economies studied, Innovation capability was the weakest pillar.

The report also revealed the importance of openness for competitiveness, underlining that open economies tend to be more innovative and competitive, especially at a time of escalating trade tensions and a backlash against globalization.

The WEF published its first Global Competitiveness Report in 1979. Since 2004, it has ranked countries based on the Global Competitiveness Index.

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A culture ministry circular set to take effect next month will ban smoking in films and theaters in Vietnam with certain exceptions.

According to the circular, issued on August 30, films and theatrical performances must not depict smoking if the action is done by minors, promotes the production and sales of cigarettes, or is set in no-smoking public areas.

Films or plays that are aimed at children are completely prohibited from showing any smoking.

Smoking will be allowed in cases where the film or play depicts a historical figure, a specific period in history, or where smoking scenes serve to criticize the action.

In other circumstances where there is an artistic need for smoking sequences, they must be approved by competent agencies and given age ratings according to the screen time of such scenes, the circular states.

Warnings about the adverse health effects of cigarettes must be showed during the screening of films that include smoking scenes.

In theaters, actors and actresses must not under any circumstance smoke real cigarettes on the stage.

The circular will come into effect on November 15 this year and will also be applicable to foreign films showed in Vietnam.

A scene from a Vietnamese movie showing a female character smoking

Artists and filmmakers in the Southeast Asian country have shown their support for the move, calling it necessary to improve public perception of smoking.

The movement away from smoking has become popular in a civil society, so the circular has received support from those in the film and theater industries, said Le Thanh Liem, deputy director of legal affairs under the culture ministry.

However, director Vu Xuan Huong, chairwoman of a national committee on film reviews and ratings, said the circular fell short of clarifying how much time is considered long or short for a smoking scene.

For example, if a character smokes to depict a psychological development, the sequence can last very long but still feels short to the audience, Huong explained.

The circular needs to clearly state how many seconds of on-screen smoking is suitable for a given age rating so filmmakers can have a guideline to produce their work, said director Phan Dang Di, known for his 2010 film Bi, Dung So! (Bi, Dont Be Afraid!), which won three awards at the Cannes Film Festival the same year.

Vietnam is among the worlds top 15 smoking countries where over 40,000 people die annually from smoking-related diseases, according to a 2018 World Health Organization report.

Cigarette prices in Vietnam are among the lowest in the world, averaging under VND20,000 (US$0.85) per pack.

Vietnamese spend VND31 trillion ($1.32 billion) a year on cigarettes, according to the same report.

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Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan has called for stronger connectivity and cooperation between Asia and Europe for sustainable development and prosperity during his speech at the 16th Asia- Europe Business Forum.

PM Phuc and Norwegian Premier Erna Solberg were the two main speakers at the gathering in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

Themed Connectivity-Building Bridges between Europe and Asia," the event attracted over 400 corporate executives and business representatives from the two continents.

During the event, the Vietnamese head of government suggested strengthening connectivity between the governments and businesses, as well as boosting public-private partnerships in such fields as infrastructure, education, healthcare, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and processing.

Cooperation between businesses should be fostered, he stated, adding that free trade agreements between Asian and European economies should be effectively implemented.

He called on enterprises to enhance their social responsibility for job creation, environmental protection, and response to global challenges for sustainable development and prosperity.

Vietnam is striving to build a transparent, constructive, action-oriented government in service of the people and businesses, and create a favorable business and investment environment, Phuc briefed the participants about Vietnams situation.

Europe is a big foreign investor in Vietnam with a total investment of nearly US$25 billion and the largest supplier of non-refundable aid of the Southeast Asian country.

Two-way trade rose five-fold during 2006-2017 to more than $50 billion last year, the premier elaborated.

A survey conducted by the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) in Vietnam in March showed that 90 percent of European firms want to increase investment in the nation.

Together with the implementation of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation, the early signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will create a new driving force for trade and investment between both sides, he said.

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One fisherman was killed and 11 injured after a fishing boat exploded off the central Vietnamese province of Quang Ngai on Tuesday.

The blast occurred at around 10:00 pm, when a fishing vessel carrying 14 crew members was returning to Ly Son Island following a month operating at sea.

As the boat was still about six nautical miles away from the island at the time, the local border guard unit had to mobilize another ship to rescue the victims, Nguyen Viet Vy, secretary of the Ly Son Party Committee, confirmed on Wednesday.

The accident killed 21-year-old Duong Minh Hung, and wounded 11 others, eight of whom were later transferred to the general hospital in the central city of Da Nang for their severe injuries.

The injured suffered injuries including 30- to 50-degree burns and wounds from debris and broken glass, according to Nguyen Huu Hung, a senior doctor at the infirmary.

Among the injured, a 28-year-old crew member was forced to have his leg amputated, Dr. Hung continued.

An injured fisherman is being treated at the hospital. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Local police officers are coordinating with relevant agencies to investigate the cause of the accident.

Preliminary information shows that the blast occurred in the cabin.

I was asleep when I heard the loud bang. The boat was severely damaged and on fire afterward, Nguyen Chi Dai, one of the victims, recounted.

Nobody was cooking prior to the incident, Dai stated, adding that the boat did not sink following the explosion.

Local authorities have offered financial support worth VND16 million (US$681.8) for family of the deceased and VND3 million ($128) to VND8 million ($341) for each injured fisher.

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Late professor Phan Huy Le was posthumously honored with a certificate recognizing his contributions to bolstering the Vietnam-Japan friendship and cultural exchange activities in a ceremony held in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Umeda Kunio presented the certificate on behalf of Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Kono Taro at the event.

I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation for your great contribution in supporting Vietnam - Japan academic interaction, educating specialists in Japanese studies for Vietnam, and spreading the Dong Du movement, through which the people of both our countries can better understand each other," Kono Taro wrote on the certificate of appreciation.

Dong Du is a 20th century political movement which encouraged young Vietnamese to move to Japan to study in the hope that they would return as revolutionaries prepared to rise against French colonial rule.

Born in 1934, the late professor was a trusted historian, honorary chairman of Vietnams Historian Association, and former chairman of Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association. Le died on June 23, 2018.

According to Ambassador Kunio, the professor spent his time as chairman of the Vietnam  Japan Friendship Association working to connect the people of Vietnam and Japan through various activities, most notably a study on the preservation of Hoi An in 1990.

His study shed light on the relationship that first began in the 16th century between the central Vietnamese city of Hoi An and Japan, and later became the foundation for the current relationship between the two countries.

Ill always remember the professors words and am determined to promote the bilateral relationship between the two countries, the Japanese ambassador said during the ceremony.

Hoang Nhu Lan, the late professors wife and a representative of the family, expressed her heartfelt appreciation to both Ambassador Kunio and Minister Taro.

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Police are questioning two young women purportedly involved in the death of an infant that appeared to have fallen from the high floor of an apartment building in Hanoi on Thursday.

Many tenants at the HH Linh Dam apartment complex in the capitals Hoang Mai District said they heard a loud noise in their area at around 8:30 pm.

They were later frightened to find the body of a newborn baby lying along the road between two buildings of the complex.

A resident said she mistook the noise for an explosion of a small portable gas cylinder but was terrified to see the scene.

Im still shivering at the thought of it, she said.

Police immediately checked a number of flats because they thought that the child must have fallen from a high floor.

Around 11:30 pm on the same day, they found a suspicious apartment on the 31st floor of a 40-story building in the complex.

It is rented by three women supposedly aged around 21-25, one of them having been hospitalized due to ill health.

The other two were later brought to the police station for investigation.

The apartment is currently being sealed off.

Local police revealed that one of the women is V.A., a 21-year-old senior at a Hanoi college, who gave birth to the baby in the bathroom of the apartment that night.

She said she threw the infant through the window of the bathroom because she was greatly scared to realize the baby was dead right after birth.

Hoang Mai police said the two roommates did not know that V.A. was giving birth right in the bathroom.

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BIEN HOA AIR BASE, Vietnam -- U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday visited a former American air base in southern Vietnam that will soon become the biggest-ever U.S. cleanup site for contamination left by the defoliant Agent Orange during the American war in Vietnam.

Standing near a skull-and-crossbones warning sign meant to keep people away from toxic soil, Mattis was briefed by Vietnamese officials about the massive contamination area.

In a possible sign of the sensitivity surrounding Agent Orange in Vietnam, where millions of people are still suffering its effects, reporters were not allowed to attend the outdoor briefing for Mattis at Bien Hoa Air Base.

I came to show the support of the Defense Department for this project and demonstrate that the United States makes good on its promises, Mattis told his Vietnamese counterpart at a closed-door meeting later in nearby Ho Chi Minh City.

Cleanup is expected to start getting under way early next year.

U.S. troops dropped Agent Orange during the American war in Vietnam to clear thick jungle. But it contributed to severe health problems that, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, can include Parkinsons Disease, prostate cancer and Chronic B-cell Leukemia.

Of the 4.8 million Vietnamese who were exposed to Agent Orange, some three million are still dealing with its effects, including children born with severe disabilities or other health issues years after their parents were exposed, according to the Hanoi-based Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange.

Warming relations

More than four decades after the American war in Vietnam ended in 1975, ties between the United States and Vietnam are less seen through the prism of the conflict and more through shared concerns over China.

Vietnam has emerged as the most vocal opponent of Chinas territorial claims in the East Vietnam Sea and has been buying U.S. military hardware, including an armed, Hamilton-class Coast Guard cutter.

The United States, in turn, accuses China of militarizing the strategic waterway, through which more than $3 trillion in cargo passes every year, and sees Vietnam as a crucial ally in drawing regional opposition to Beijings behavior.

But U.S. officials including Mattis - who is on his second trip to Vietnam just this year - hope that addressing Americas wartime legacies like Agent Orange can become a vehicle for further strengthening ties.

When a U.S. aircraft carrier visited Vietnam in March, for example, one of the places U.S. sailors visited was a Vietnamese shelter for people suffering from the effects of Agent Orange.

The United States just completed a five-year, $110 million program that cleaned soil contaminated by Agent Orange at Danang International Airport, which was one of the main air bases used for storing and spraying the herbicide between 1961 and 1971.

But officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is overseeing the project, said the Bien Hoa site will be four times larger than Danang, a massive undertaking that is expected to cost $390 million, according to a fact sheet distributed to reporters.

According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS), one soil sample from Bien Hoa had a toxic equivalency, or TEQ, of more than 1,000 times over the international limit.

A 2011 study conducted by a private consulting firm determined that contaminated soil had spread from hot spots at the base into nearby lakes, ponds, creeks, and drainage ditches, increasing the amount of soil and sediment that will require treatment.
Seven Australian Indigenous screen practitioners this week were announced as travelling to Los Angeles next month for a series of high level networking opportunities.

The delegation includes Camera dOr-winning director Warwick Thornton (Sweet Country, Samson & Delilah), powerhouse actor, writer and director Leah Purcell (Wentworth, Cleverman), and acclaimed writer and director Steven McGregor (Sweet Country, Mystery Road TV Series).

The week-long (5-10 November) program will focus on setting up business connections for the delegates with US film and television industry stakeholders, as well as providing opportunities to learn from established LA-based creators and decisions makers.

It is fantastic to be able to offer this incredible opportunity to luminaries of our industry, which will assist in opening new doors to expand their already successful careers in the US market, said Penny Smallacombe, Head of the Indigenous Department at Screen Australia.

This program is about fostering new relationships to ensure that our Indigenous stories can continue to find international audiences and possible financing beyond Australia. As weve seen recently with the Mystery Road series on Acorn TV, there is definitely an appetite for our stories in the US and interest in what our creators can deliver.

This program has been supported with a grant from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to Australians in Film Foundation.

President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, Meher Tatna said, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is proud to support the first delegation of Australian Indigenous story-tellers coming to Los Angeles. We are thrilled to be able to enable a diverse group of filmmakers to meet the people who will help them tell those stories around the world.

The Australians in Film Foundation was established to provide opportunities for Australian screen creators to develop their craft in the US market, and we are excited to be working with Screen Australias highly-acclaimed Indigenous Department in bringing some of the top Indigenous Australian filmmakers to Los Angeles, along with the incredible support of the Hollywood Foreign Press Foundation, said President of Australians in Film Foundation, Kate Marks.

ERICA GLYNN

An AFTRS graduate, Glynns story-telling career spans over 20 years. Erica developed her skills working for the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) in Alice Springs before directing the award-winning short film My Bed Your Bed, which screened at over 14 film festivals around the world. Along with directing short film and documentary, Glynns television works include working as an executive producer on the AACTA Award winning TV series Redfern Now, and the ground-breaking Indigenous-led drama series Gods of Wheat Street and 8MMM Aboriginal Radio. Erica also headed up the Indigenous Department at Screen Australia, in which she developed numerous feature films, and Indigenous filmmakers. Her credits also include writing for the Logie winning animated series Little J & Big Cuz and directing the ABC Comedy series Black Comedy. Erica is currently developing a feature film, and new drama series.

DAVID JOWSEY*

A former Executive Producer with the ABC, Jowsey has extensive experience in the Australian television industry. In 2009, he transitioned into film as he formed the production company BUNYA Productions alongside acclaimed director Ivan Sen. Jowsey has since gone on to produce a range of award-winning films, notably Toomelah, which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival in 2011, and Sweet Country, which won the Special Jury Prize at the 2017 Venice Film Festival and the Platform Prize at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival. Jowsey also worked as a producer on Mystery Road and its sequel Goldstone along with the ABC series of the same name (Mystery Road TV Series), which has received international acclaim as it has become available on the BBC in the UK and Acorn TV in the US.

DANIELLE MACLEAN

MacLean is an award winning writer, director and producer with an extensive range of credits across film, television and documentary. She wrote and directed the drama Queen of Hearts, winning the AFI Award for best non-feature screenplay. MacLean also won an AWGIE for her writing on the childrens TV series Double Trouble, and wrote two episodes of the Logie winning animated series Little J & Big Cuz, as well as writing for NITVs childrens series Grace Beside Me. Her 2014 ABC documentary to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy, Blown Away, was also nominated for an ADG Award. Danielle is a director of Tamarind Tree Productions along with Steven McGregor.

STEVEN MCGREGOR

An award-winning writer and director, McGregor co-wrote Sweet Country, which was selected to screen at numerous international film festivals, taking home the Special Jury Prize at the 2017 Venice Film Festival and the Platform Prize at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. McGregor also worked as a writer on Redfern Now, Ready for This, and the Mystery Road TV Series, which ranks as the most watched non-childrens series of all time on the ABCs iview platform. The series was also selected as a New York Times Critics Pick in August of 2018. Steven also directed the third series of Black Comedy, and the drama series The Warriors. He is based in the Northern Territory and is a director of Tamarind Tree Productions along with Danielle MacLean and Anna Grieve.

LEAH PURCELL

Purcell is one of Australias most respected and admired actors, writers, producers and directors, most well known for her role in the international hit TV drama Wentworth. She is an AACTA, Helpmann, ADG, AWGIE, Logie award-winning and nominated artist for her outstanding work in various roles on iconic feature film and TV including Cate Shortlands Somersault, John Hillcoats The Proposition, Last Cab to Darwin, Redfern Now, Cleverman and The Secret Daughter. In 2017, Purcell was placed in the Australian Financial Reviews 10 most culturally influential Australians. In 2017, Purcell was awarded with the Book of the Year at the NSW Premiers Literary Awards for her stage play of The Drovers Wife. Recently, she signed the publishing deal to deliver The Drovers Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson novel, and will soon begin filming The Drovers Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson feature film where she will write, direct and star. Purcell is also currently developing a TV series of the same name.

IVAN SEN

An AFTRS filmmaking graduate, Sen is one of Australias leading filmmakers having written, directed and composed all of his works. A recipient of the Best Director Award at the AFI Awards, Sens first feature film Beneath Clouds screened at Sundance Film Festival and won the Premiere First Movie Award at Berlin Film Festival. His second feature Toomelah was selected for the 2011 Cannes Film Festival  Un Certain Regard. In 2013, Sen wrote, directed and composed the feature film Mystery Road, which had its international premiere with a special presentation at the Toronto Film Festival. He has also received the prestigious Byron Kennedy Award at the AACTA Awards in 2011 for his unique artistic vision and multidisciplinary filmmaking.

CHARLOTTE SEYMOUR*

A recipient of the Kenneth Myer Fellowship for Producing, Seymour boasts over 20 years of screen industry experience. Having worked as an Executive Producer at the ABC, her producing credits now span across documentary and TV drama, including a feature film currently in development with writer/director Erica Glynn. Seymour was the producer on the AFI-winning short feature Queen of Hearts for SBS and recently produced the dramedy web series Other Peoples Problems for ABC TV, which was invited to screen at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival. Seymour and Glynn have a keen interest in developing works with strong Indigenous female characters.

GREER SIMPKIN*

With extensive experience working in production in both Australia and the UK with the likes of ABC and Channel 4, Simpkin joined BUNYA Productions as Producer and Head of Television in March 2015 after 12 years of working at the ABC. Since joining BUNYA, Simpkin produced the Mystery Road TV Series, which is currently the highest ranking non-childrens show in ABC iview history. She has also produced award winning films Goldstone and Sweet Country, which was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 2017 Venice Film Festival. She also worked as an executive producer on the AWGIE winning feature film Jasper Jones.

BAIN STEWART

An arts producer working in the areas of film, TV, theatre, visual arts and publishing, Stewart is a seasoned storyteller. Along with Leah Purcell, Stewart founded Oombarra Productions, an Australian independent production company in 2011. He is the originating producer of the highly anticipated film The Drovers Wife, which he recently received funding to go towards building a business plan for the film. His other production credits include award-winning short films Aunty Maggie and the Womba Wakgun and She. Say., as well as the documentary Black Chicks Talking, which was selected for the Tribeca Film Festival and won the audience award at the Brisbane International Film Festival.

WARWICK THORNTON

Thornton is an internationally-recognised director, screenwriter and cinematographer. One of Australias most acclaimed directors, he was named on the Australian Financial Reviews 10 most culturally influential Australians for 2018 for his work in projecting the story of Australian culture on the international stage. Thornton quickly gained international success, with his short Nana winning the Crystal Bear for Best Short Film at Berlinale. Thornton then went on to make his first feature Samson & Delilah, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won the prestigious Camera dOr. His most recent feature, Sweet Country, gained Thornton further international success as it was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 2017 Venice Film Festival along with the Platform Prize at the 2017 Toronto Film Festival.

*Non-Indigenous creative partner
2016 Polish crime drama The Teach (aka. Belfer) is now available at SBS On Demand.

All ten season one episodes available)

The Teach is a complex and enthralling crime thriller set in the beautiful Polish woodlands of Dobrowice. Just before the start of the new school year, a young student is found dead in the forest of a picturesque Polish town. When the original verdict of suicide is ruled out, Pawe, a teacher from the local school, is determined to uncover the real reasons behind her death. His unofficial investigation lifts the lid on a disturbing trail of political and big business corruption, and as he gets closer to revealing the truth, Pawe too becomes the subject of a manhunt.

S2 of The Missing, which broadcasts from next week, is also available now as 8 episodes.

Told again over multiple timelines, the puzzle of twists and turns begins with the revelation that Alice Webster returns to her German hometown after having been missing for 11 years. As she struggles with her newfound freedom, her family is thrown back into a turmoil that threatens to tear them apart. Meanwhile, French detective Julien Baptiste (Tcheky Karyo) joins the search for Alices abductor in the hope that case may hold vital clues to

the whereabouts of another missing girl.
The logo of the new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is seen at the agency's headquarters in the Canary Wharf business district of London April 1, 2013. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's markets and pensions regulators on Thursday launched a joint strategy aimed at improving pensions outcomes for savers, amid concern that many people are entering retirement without enough income.

The Financial Conduct Authority and The Pensions Regulator said they would conduct a strategic review of the entire pensions process and then use their powers to drive value for money, including the setting and enforcement of standards.

(Reporting by Simon Jessop, editing by Sinead Cruise)
FILE PHOTO: Valdis Dombrovskis attend a news conference with Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos (not pictured) at the Finance ministry in Athens, Greece, June 15, 2018. REUTERS/Costas Baltas

By Huw Jones

LONDON (Reuters) - A report on risks to the stability of derivatives markets posed by Brexit could lead to regulatory intervention, European Commission officials said on Thursday, dismissing warnings they could tumble off a cliff if Britain leaves the EU with no deal.

EU financial services chief Valdis Dombrovskis said initial findings into potential stability risks to markets around Brexit Day next March will be published in coming days.

The study is being led by the Bank of England and the European Central Bank with input from the European Commission and Britain's finance ministry.

Banks and the BoE have called on Brussels to take preventive action to avoid disruption to insurance and derivatives contracts if there is a no-deal Brexit.

Britain is taking legal steps to ensure contract continuity, but the EU has so far declined to mirror these moves.

Dombrovskis told a Politico event that the clearing of derivatives is one area of concern, but the private sector could take action to mitigate risks, such as shifting contracts from London to the EU before March.

Once the interim report is published, "we can see what concrete steps are necessary, whether there are also some regulatory steps that are necessary," Dombrovskis said.

Britain hopes that a transition deal can be included in a divorce settlement, which would mean transactions between it and the EU could continue without disruption until the end of 2020.

Asked about concerns over derivatives in a no-deal Brexit, Dombrovskis' top civil servant, Olivier Guersent, said: "There is no cliff."

"On 30th of March... nothing happens," Guersent said, adding that contracts would be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

But banks say Brussels is slow to deal with potential contract disruption in order to pile pressure on them to staff new hubs in the EU before March and shift the contracts to them.

Mark Hoban, head of the IRSG, a financial services think tank backed by the financial sector, said the sector was waiting for regulators in Britain and the EU to sign cooperation agreements to deal with potential disruption to contracts.

Story continues

"My suspicion is that you have got MOUs stuck in desk drawers on both sides of the Channel. What the regulators are waiting for is the green light from the Commission that allows conversations to happen."

Giving the green light would give markets more confidence about Brexit Day, but instead there is unhelpful brinkmanship, Hoban said.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Hugh Lawson and John Stonestreet)
In this article:

* STOXX 600 flat

* EU-Italy tug-of-war hits Milan, yields rise

* Michelin (Paris: FR0000121261 - news) , Bouygues (LSE: 0HAN.L - news) tumble on weak forecasts

* Sopra Steria sinks 24 pct on revenue outlook

* Daimler (IOB: 0NXX.IL - news) profit warning drives autos down sharply

Oct (Shenzhen: 000069.SZ - news) 19 - Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of European equity markets brought to

you by Reuters stocks reporters and anchored today by Helen Reid. Reach her on Messenger to

share your thoughts on market moves: helen.reid.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net

HOW TRADE WAR NEWS HURTS CHINA, NOT WALL STREET (1416 GMT)

Wall Street is having it both ways.

Oxford Economics has issued a study which exposes how negative trade war news predominantly

hits Chinese shares and how, in contrast, U.S. shares benefit the most from positive news

development on the conflict.

Knowing how important stock markets are for Trump and that the S&P 500 is still positive

year-to-date versus a Chinese market in bear territory, chances for his administration to back

down seem actually quite slim in this light.

(Julien Ponthus)

*****

BEARS TIGHTENING THEIR GRIP OVER MSCI WORLD SHARES (1426 GMT)

Some 58 percent of shares in the MSCI World index have fallen in bear market territory, a

proportion which has risen from last week, BAML reveals in its latest edition of The Flow Show.

The number now stands at 1,609 shares out of 2,767 shares, up from 1,557 shares, according

to the figures of Oct. 11.

Because Wall Street seems somewhat immune to the woes of global markets, the following

figure might send a shiver or two down the neck of complacent investors: 46 percent of NYSE

stocks are in bear market territory as we speak.

On the bright side, bears don't always get it right:

(Julien Ponthus)

*****

AUTOS DRIVE INTO A DITCH AS DAIMLER WARNS ON PROFIT (1337 GMT)

As if the autos & parts sector needed any more bad news after Michelin's outlook cut this

morning... a surprise profit warning from German carmaker Daimler has sent its shares sliding to

Story continues

a five-year low.

The sector's sinking down 3.5 percent at its lowest in two years and set for its worst day

since the Brexit vote selloff (see below).

Daimler blamed its profit warning on government measures concerning its diesel vehicles, and

said earnings would be significantly below last year's level.

Peugeot (Other OTC: PUGOF - news) , Renault (LSE: 0NQF.L - news) , Valeo (LSE: 0RH5.L - news) , are all down 4 to 5 percent while Volkswagen (IOB: 0P6N.IL - news) and BMW (EUREX: BMWE.EX - news) are falling

2.5 and 1.5 percent. Sales figures from the two French carmakers next week will be under quite a

cloud of worry in the sector...

(Helen Reid)

*****

IT'S NOT LIKE BEFORE THE FEB CORRECTION - IT'S WORSE (1207 GMT)

Those who believe we are just a few days or weeks away from another February-style

correction must bear in mind that the current market environment is actually way worse than it

was at the time.

As noted by Makor strategist Stephane Barbier de la Serre in his Trans-Market-Express

newsletter, "back in February this year, most leading equity markets were still in the green

across the blue planet; now, they are - almost universally  in the red".

"Central bankers in general and the Fed in particular were a lot less hawkish," he also

recalls while pointing out that crucially, the U.S. and EU equity stars - mainly tech and luxury

shares - were still shining, quite unlike today.

Another point which could be made is that the trade war situation is arguably much worse:

pundits and analysts were expecting Trump to back down ahead of the November mid-term and this

is no longer the case.

For Kevin Muir, the 'MacroTourist' of East West Investment Management, progress on the trade

front is a pre-requisite to invest in equities.

"Absent that, I think rallies should be sold," he writes.

As Barbier de la Serre also notes: "the February mayhem eventually proved to be mostly

technical in nature, and hence the relative brevity of its spasms".

No guarantees it will end so well this time if you add on Brexit and the Italian budget

crisis.

See below how world markets have taken a turn for the worse since February at the exception

of Wall Street:

(Julien Ponthus)

*****

THIS CHAIN OF EVENTS LEADS TO "ITALEXIT" (1005 GMT)

Courtesy of Eric Dor, head of economic research at the IESEG School of Management in France,

here's a chart showing clearly how a chain of events could turn the EU/Italian budget crisis

into a nightmare 'Italexit' scenario for the euro zone.

Yes, Italian government bond yields are at four-year highs, yes some in money markets are

betting the tug-of-war could force the ECB to delay its first rate rise, yes shares in Italian

banks are close to two-year lows, but no, an 'Italexit' isn't lurking around the corner, Dor

believes.

"I tend to put my trust in human rationality and that a full-blown crisis is in the interest

of no one," he just told us, noting how high the stakes are for the Italian and the euro zone

(particularly French) banking sector.

(Julien Ponthus)

*****

OPENING SNAPSHOT: OUTLOOK CUTS GALORE, ITALIAN BANKS SLIDE (0754 GMT)

No shortage of bad news coming from a range of European companies this morning with Michelin

and Bouygues both warning sales and profit, respectively, will come in lower than expected.

Bouygues is down 7.4 percent and Michelin is down 6.7 percent at the bottom of the CAC 40.

Michelin's pessimistic outlook on the tyre market is weighing on rival Continental (IOB: 0LQ1.IL - news) too, down

3 percent at the bottom of the DAX, and dragging the autos & parts index down 1.7

percent, the worst-performing sector.

French consultancy and IT services firm Sopra Steria is the top faller, down 20.5 percent

after it cut its full-year earnings forecasts saying its banking software business has been hit.

To find a silver lining among the flurry of forecast cuts you have to drill down to UK

mid-caps: Intu Properties (LSE: INTU.L - news) is jumping 13 percent (to 200p) after it said it's considering a

takeover bid at 215p.

Overall European stocks are barely staying above water, with the STOXX 600 flat and euro

zone stocks down 0.2 percent.

Meanwhile in Italy stocks are down 0.8 percent (with Spain's IBEX down 0.6 percent in a

typical peripheral contagion move) after a ramp-up in tensions between Italy's government and

the European Commission. Italy's banks index is sliding 2.2 percent as yields rise.

(Helen Reid)

*****

ON OUR RADAR: MICHELIN, BOUYGUES, VOLVO, INTU (Swiss: OXIGTU.SW - news) (0651 GMT)

European stocks were set to open slightly higher on Friday after a sharp fall on Thursday as

Wall Street slid. Weak GDP numbers from China are bad news for Germanys stock market which is

the most reliant on the worlds second largest economy.

DAX futures were flat and IBEX futures were down 0.2 percent with peripheral spreads under

pressure as rhetoric between the European Commission and Italian government ramps up over the

budget.

Some recurring themes were emerging from European earnings, in particular the slowdown in

China, issues in construction, and new WLTP emissions testing regulations weighing on autos.

Tyre maker Michelin blamed slowing Chinese car demand and emissions testing regulations for

its sales outlook cut, also downgrading its market growth forecasts for tyre demand. The stock

was indicated down 5 to 7 percent.

French conglomerate Bouygues warned on profits due to difficulties in its construction

businesses, and traders saw the shares falling 5 to 6 percent.

Swedens Volvo was the outlier, seen rising 3 to 4 percent after it beat quarterly profit

expectations thanks to strong demand for trucks and construction equipment and forecasting high

demand in its main markets of Europe and North America in 2019.

M&A could also be a driver for UK Retail property developer Intu which confirmed on Friday

it was considering a takeover offer from a consortium formed by British billionaire John

Whittaker and Saudi Arabian and Canadian investors. The shares were seen up 8 to 10 percent.

In other UK news:

Acacia Mining (Frankfurt: 33A.F - news) threatens to invoke investment treaty in Tanzania dispute

Provident Q3 home credit collections still down 10 pct

Intu Properties says considering bid from billionaire John Whittaker's consortium

(Helen Reid)

*****

A SCOLDING FROM BRUSSELS (0623 GMT)

Expect a risk-off day after Brussels' criticism of Italy's populist budget. In a letter to

Rome, the European Commission said that the country's planned government spending was too high,

the structural deficit - excluding one-offs and business cycle effects - would rise instead, not

fall, and that Italian public debt would not come down in line with EU rules.

While the rebuke was no surprise, it's the first step towards requesting a new budget, could

hit banking stocks as yields are rising and is likely to stir concerns about political tensions

in the common currency zone.

"It is likely that risk-off prevails into the weekend even if these letters are initiations

to a discussion," say SocGen (Paris: FR0000130809 - news) analysts in a note this morning.

(Josephine Mason)

*****

EARLY MORNING HEADLINE ROUND-UP: CHINA, CONSTRUCTION, AUTOS IN FOCUS (0546 GMT)

It's more of the same from European results today with some recurring themes emerging:

companies are flagging challenges in the construction industry, China, and new emissions

regulations hitting autos.

French conglomerate Bouygues warned on profit, blaming difficulties in its construction

businesses.

Michelin also cut its sales forecasts and market growth forecasts due to weaker Chinese car

demand and the new emissions regulations - issues raised by Goldman analysts in their note

earlier this week.

Here's the news so far:

Software AG (IOB: 0NJS.IL - news) in slight Q3 beat as industrial internet unit ramps up

Casino confident on disposal plan, Q3 sales accelerate

VW's Porsche expects to repeat record vehicle sales this year

France's Bouygues cuts 2018 profit forecast

AccorHotels raises earnings guidance after sales uplift

Michelin cuts market forecasts on EU emissions squeeze, China slowdown

Remy's Q2 sales boosted by China's thirst for cognac

Aker BP (LSE: 0M5J.L - news) q3 operating profit beats forecast, spending falls

Swedish truckmaker Volvo zooms past profit estimate

Telia Q3 core profit beats forecast, raises guidance

Belgian unions warn of more strikes ahead for Ryanair

Bank Vontobel buys Lombard Odier business in North America

(Helen Reid)

*****

MORNING CALL: CHINA GROWTH MISS TO WEIGH (0522 GMT)

German shares are expected to fall this morning after a weaker-than-expected GDP growth

number out of China - with Germany's big exporters the most sensitive to the Chinese economy's

health. Spreadbetters expect the FTSE 100 to rise, though, as the pound trades at a 10-day low

on the deadlock over Brexit.

Asian stocks slipped further on Friday as China posted its weakest economic growth since the

global financial crisis, adding to market concerns about trade disputes, rising U.S. interest

rates and Italy's free-spending budget.

China's economy grew 6.5 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, missing analysts'

expectations as a years-long campaign to tackle debt risks and the trade war with the United (Shenzhen: 000925.SZ - news)

States began to bite.

According to spreadbetters CMC Markets (LSE: CMCX.L - news) , the FTSE 100 is expected to open 17 points higher at

7,044, the DAX is expected to open 17 points lower at 11,572, and the CAC 40 is expected to open

2 points lower at 5,114.

(Helen Reid)

*****

(Reporting by Helen Reid, Danilo Masoni, and Julien Ponthus)
COTONOU (Reuters) - Prominent Benin businessman and former presidential candidate Sebastien Ajavon has been sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison in connection with a haul of 18 kg (40 pounds) of cocaine found in a shipping container in 2016.

Charges had been dropped in 2016 against Ajavon, who ran for president that year and currently lives in France. But they were later taken up by a different court.

Ajavon has long denied charges of drug trafficking, dismissing them as a political hit job by President Patrice Talon, who defeated him in the 2016 election.

Ajavon's legal team on Thursday evening described the ruling as a "premeditated decision" that it said it would fight in court.

Maritime police discovered the haul at the port of Cotonou in a container destined for one of Ajavon's companies.

West Africa has for over a decade been a transit point for Latin American cocaine bound for Europe. Improved maritime policing in recent years has helped reduce the volume of cocaine passing through the region.

(Reporting by Allegresse Sasse; Writing by Edward McAllister and Peter Cooney)
A British man is facing up to 10 years in prison after being charged with spraying graffiti on an ancient wall in Thailand.

CCTV footage purportedly shows Furlong Lee and Canadian Brittney Loretta Katherine Schneider daubing a message on the walls of the Tha Pae Gate in the northern province of Chiang Mai in the early hours of Thursday.

The words "Scouser Lee" were painted on the wall, seemingly a reference to the city of Liverpool.

Colonel Teerasak Sriprasert, the province's police chief, said the 23-year-olds were drunk and are now in police custody.

He said the pair have admitted spraying the message on the wall.

Col Teerasak added that Lee, who is from Liverpool, told police he wrote "Scouser Lee", while Schneider admitted adding the letter "B" underneath.

They have been charged with vandalising registered ancient artefacts, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a million baht (23,500) fine.

Tha Pae Gate, which dates back to the 13th century, is part of an historic wall that forms a square around Chiang Mai's inner city.
By Robin Emmott and Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Cambodia failed on Friday to allay criticisms of authoritarianism and rights abuses that threaten the country's duty-free trading access to the European Union, the EU's top diplomat said after talks with its premier.

Brussels began a formal procedure this month to strip Cambodia of its special trade status, worth billions of euros a year, following July elections that returned strongman Hun Sen to power after 30 years in office and gave his party all parliamentary seats.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini held talks with the prime minister in Brussels during a summit of 51 European and Asian leaders. She said later she had not heard anything that would avert trade sanctions.

"We discussed this, I cannot say that we found solutions to any of these issues," Mogherini told a news conference.

"There is a lot of concern in Europe ... about the dissolution of the opposition and the narrowed democratic space for political opposition and civil society."

The bloc's review of Cambodia's duty-free access to the EU means Cambodian sugar, garments and other exports could face tariffs within 12 months under EU rules and make the country less attractive for retailers exporting to Europe.

EU countries accounted for around 40 percent of Cambodia's foreign sales in 2016. Clothing factories employ around 700,000 workers.

Its exports to the European Union were worth 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion) last year, according to EU data, up from negligible levels less than a decade ago, before the trade status.

MYANMAR ALSO ACCUSED

Dozens of Cambodians gathered outside the summit venue in Brussels to protest against Hun Sen's policies.

He declined to answer questions from reporters, waving his hand and walking away when asked if he was concerned about the impending sanctions.

Mogherini also met Myanmar's Minister for International Cooperation Kyaw Tin in Brussels and raised the prospect of similar trade sanctions to punish the country for what the West says is its ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.

Story continues

A recent U.N. report accused Myanmar's military of gang rapes and mass killings with "genocidal intent" in Rakhine state and called for its commander-in-chief and five generals to be prosecuted under international law.

Myanmar has denied most of the allegations in the report, blaming Rohingya "terrorists" for most accounts of atrocities.

"We won't close our eyes to violations that the international community sees as worrying," Mogherini said. "Our trade preferences have the respect for human rights at their core."

(Reporting by Robin Emmott and Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Andrew Roche)
FILE PHOTO: Former Somali pirates stand behind bars in a yard at the Garowe prison where they are serving sentences in the Puntland region of northeastern Somalia, December 14, 2016. REUTERS/Feisal Omar/File Photo

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Security guards aboard a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship repelled an attack by pirates in a gunbattle off Somalia's coast this week, the European naval force in the region said on Friday.

It was only the second reported attempt by Somali pirates to seize a commercial ship this year, after a resurgence of attacks in 2017 following years of relative calm brought about by regular patrols of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVOR).

On Tuesday, pirates approached and opened fire at the Hong Kong-flagged MV KSL freighter 340 nautical miles off Somalia, but private security guards aboard the ship acted quickly to foil the attack, EUNAVOR said in a statement.

"Due to the application of BMP (best management practices) protection measures by the master, his crew and the private security team, the piracy attack was thwarted and the crew and vessel remained safe," it said.

"There was a sustained exchange of fire before the skiff with several armed people on board broke off and changed course away from the MV," it added. Guards had already moved the crew to safe locations before the shooting erupted.

The last reported attack off Somalia's coast was in February, when guards aboard a Singaporean-flagged chemical tanker repulsed pirates who had shot at it.

Pirates once plagued the Indian Ocean shipping lanes off the Horn of Africa, with the peak year in 2011 when 237 attacks were reported and hundreds of hostages taken by pirates to be exchanged for ransom, according to maritime data.

Attacks dramatically subsided after several foreign navies, including from the EU and China, began regular anti-piracy patrols in the area.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
New Look has confirmed plans to close its remaining 120 stores in China after deciding its below-par sales and profits did not justify continued investment in the country.

The announcement came hours after the move was first reported by Sky News and means the stores will close by the end of the year with New Look's Shanghai head office shutting shortly afterwards.

New Look is continuing to review its other international markets in France, Belgium and Poland - at a time when it has been fighting to turn around the fortunes of its stores at home.

The fashion chain said it has been gradually reducing the number of its stores in China and now intends to close the remaining 120 by the end of December.

It said: "Despite substantial investments in China in recent years, performance has been below expectations and this business has not achieved the necessary sales and profitability to support the significant future investment required to continue these operations."

Executive chairman Alistair McGeorge said: "Having reviewed the trading performance of our business and the substantial investment required to continue operations in the market, we have made the difficult decision to exit our stores in China.

"Our priority will be to support all affected staff during this time.

"As our turnaround plans continue, we remain focused on ensuring that New Look is well positioned to drive strong business performance and profitable growth."

The announcement by South African-owned New Look comes seven months after it secured creditors' backing to close scores of its UK outlets.

Most of the 60 stores earmarked for closure under the Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) have yet to be shut, meaning it still has nearly 600 high street outlets across the UK.

New Look's overseas operations lost more than 37m in the year to March, compounding its troubles in its home market.

It is not the only British fashion chain to retreat from China, with Sir Philip Green's Topshop saying in August that it was terminating a franchise agreement with Shangpin, a local partner, "by mutual agreement".

Story continues

New Look's performance has stuttered during the last two years, with former boss Mr McGeorge returning as its executive chairman last November.

He described the retail environment as "challenging", and said improving its fortunes would not be an overnight job.

The company has been owned since 2015 by Brait, an investment vehicle headed by businessman Christo Wiese, who also has interests in Virgin Active and the Iceland supermarket chain.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Talks on Brexit cannot extend beyond March 2019 when Britain will be out of the bloc whether or not a deal on its withdrawal is found by both sides, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said on Thursday at a summit of EU leaders.

"On the 29th of March it's game over," Bettel told reporters, stressing that time was running short, particularly ahead of elections to the European legislator next year. "We have to have a deal before."

Commenting on British Prime Minister Theresa May's efforts to reach a deal, he added: "It is not an easy situation. May doesn't have it easy here in Brussels. And she doesn't have it easy in London."

(Reporting by Michel Rose and Philip Blenkinsop; Writing by Alissa de Carbonnel)
SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonia's parliament on Friday approved a proposal to change the country's name, bringing a decades-old dispute with Greece one step closer to being resolved.

A total of 80 deputies in the 120-seat parliament voted in favour of renaming the Balkan country Republic of North Macedonia - just reaching the two-thirds majority needed to enact constitutional changes.

The move could unblock its bids to join NATO and the European Union, long blocked by Greece, which argues that 'Macedonia' implied territorial claims to a Greek province of the same name.

The two countries reached agreement on the name change in June.

But hurdles remain before the change can be formalised.

A referendum on the agreement failed to pass the turnout threshold of 50 percent, leaving it up to the Skopje parliament to settle the issue.

The procedure to complete constitutional changes is lengthy and requires several rounds of voting, with Friday's being just the first stage. The procedure should be completed by January the latest.

Once Macedonia formally changes the constitution, the Greek parliament will also have to vote on the deal.

Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, who heads a small right-wing party that props up the government in the legislature, has threatened to quit the coalition if the Greek vote goes ahead.

(Reporting by Kole Casule; Writing by Ivana Sekularac; editing by John Stonestreet)
Chances are you will have seen them, at the side of the road, at petrol stations or supermarket car parks. You might have even used one  with low competitive pricing and a quick finish, its hard not to feel like a hand car wash is a bit of a bargain. But our new report reveals that some hand car washes in the UK may involve modern slavery, human trafficking and labour exploitation.

Police forces interviewed as part of our research say there has been a rise in hand car wash business activities in their areas. And interviews suggest that some workers are subject to some form of labour and employment violation. This includes pay below the national minimum wage or working excessive hours.

The report finds that the average wage for a days work in a hand car wash  ranging between eight and 12 hours  is around 40. The study also confirms that many hand car washes are run by migrants for migrants. Survey responses from police forces identified 26 nationalities working in hand car washes across the UK (mainly Eastern European). Romanian was the most common nationality.

The new report is a collaborative study between experts at the University of Nottinghams Rights Lab and the Office of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner . The team brought together existing research and information, including press reports, parliamentary evidence submitted to the Environmental Audit Committee, and new information from interviews with police authorities and key stakeholders.

Far from clean

Before 2004, hand car washes were virtually nonexistent. But since then, many have sprung up on the side of the road, petrol stations, disused forecourts, supermarket car parks and former public car parks. Hand car washes are not an unlawful business activity. Yet, growing awareness of their activities has unearthed a host of violations  which allow their operations an unfair commercial competitive advantage.

A concern of hand car washes is the prevalence of labour exploitation and modern slavery. Our report reveals how police investigations have found issues around wages, working conditions, and health and safety. Reportedly, some workers were also housed in substandard or dilapidated accommodation. In 2015, a Romanian national, Sandu Laurentiu-Sava, who worked at a hand car wash was electrocuted to death while showering because his employer was bypassing the electricity meter.

Story continues

At present, the UK does not have a system to license and register hand car washes. As a result, it is difficult to assess the number of operations, their location and the true scale of labour exploitation. In the absence of such data, our report aims to provide a better understanding of labour abuses in this sector. It also explores the challenges and approaches to tackling them.

Labour exploitation

The report identifies issues across the spectrum of labour exploitation, from lower level forms of abuse to modern slavery and human trafficking. One police force interviewed described cases of individuals trafficked from Romania. They were made to work in hand car washes for two weeks and only paid 10. The workers hoovered coins from the cars they washed to survive.

But despite the circumstances many of these workers are in, we found that many do not identify themselves as victims  hand car washing is seen as a better opportunity compared with alternative employment options.

And because many of these workers dont see themselves as victims, it could lead to law enforcement overlooking exploitative labour practices. The report also found that the status of a worker in the UK may hinder the identification of victims. This is because workers may choose not to engage with law enforcement, or because they may ultimately be treated as illegal immigrants.

Inadequate enforcement

Hand car washes are often described as unregulated operations. But like other businesses operating in the UK, there are regulations to which they should adhere. These includes planning permission, paying business rates, environmental policies  including permission to dispose of liquid waste  paying national insurance, corporate tax, national minimum wage, and health and safety. And turning a blind-eye to noncompliance has allowed operations to flourish.

Of course, these types of businesses can operate ethically and responsibly. But given that exploitation of workers at hand car washes hides in plain sight, it highlights the role the public can play in shedding light on abusive labour practices. One way people can do this is by using The Safe Car Wash app. The app offers motorists a checklist to fill in when they use a hand car wash  and a number to call if warning signs are flagged up.

This is important, because while it might be easy to ignore the problem, the reality is about real people who may be trapped in exploitation, living under the threat of violence, with no alternative options.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The Conversation

Akilah Jardine is a Research Associate with the Rights Lab, a University of Nottingham Beacon of Excellence Akilah Jardine has received in-kind support from the Office of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner to complete the research cited in this article.
Meghan Koziel created a No Breastfeeding Zone sign to alert medical staff to the fact that shes a breast cancer survivor. (Photo: meghankoziel)

For some women, breastfeeding isnt an option  and being reminded of that fact can be difficult to handle. One new mom and breast cancer survivor decided to address the issue head-on, by posting a sign above her hospital bed before giving birth.

No breastfeeding zone: Though breastfeeding is a very special task, please be aware before you ask. Our miracle baby will be formula fed. And it will not affect her future ahead. This mom is a survivor, Meghan Koziel said on her homemade pink sign, recently shared on Instagram. Attention please, attention please, she captioned her post. We do indeed have a mommy-to-be who had breast cancer and a mastectomy which means, without boobs in the houseeeee! Got the banner raised just in case people are confused at why we are NOT going to be breastfeeding our little bundle of joy. Yes I have foobs, no I do not have boobs (or nipples) therefore my body is incapable of breastfeeding:).

Koziels reference to foobs, or fake boobs, is to explain the fact that she had breast reconstruction following her mastectomy  a long and difficult process, involving tissue expanders and silicone implants, about which she shared extensively in her Instagram story on Oct. 17. The IG story was in honor of Breast Reconstruction Awareness (BRA) Day, a campaign by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Foundation, and implant makers Mentor and Allergan. It included graphic before-and-after photos of Koziels double mastectomy, lighthearted commentary such as I always wanted a boob job where I woke up looking like Barbie, not a beat up GI Jane, and I lived with legit rock hard balls on my chest for 9 months.

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Koziel shared details about her breast reconstruction in an Instagram story this week. (Photo: meghankoziel)

For her breastfeeding-related post, Koziel (who did not immediately respond to Yahoo Lifestyles requests for comment) has gotten props on social media from other moms who, like her, couldnt breastfeed. Some say they plan to use the idea for themselves.

Its a marvelous idea, Kristen Carpenter, director of womens behavioral health at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. Its such a clear but gentle way of asserting her needs while shes receiving medical care. She knows herself well enough to know that she doesnt want to be asked about this over and over again.

While it will often be in a womans medical chart that shes unable to breastfeed (or a woman can request to have it noted down that she doesnt plan to nurse), the entire medical team wont always read your whole chart, Carpenter says. During the immediate postpartum period, a lot of people are in and out of a womans room, and it can be difficult for medical staff, photographers, food service staff, and others who may come in to be on top of a womans full medical history, she points out. And thats why the sign is so effective.

The telling and retelling of the circumstances can be distressing at an absolute minimum, Carpenter says. For a woman to put her needs out there and up front, thats wonderful.

Of course, plenty of women also find nursing emotionally difficult or may chose not to make it a part of their experience. All of those women have a choice, Carpenter says. It can be distressing for women to reach that decision, and that can make it difficult to talk about, she says. Its important to know in advance where you fall  some may feel more comfortable talking about it than others.

Thats why she often asks patients to prepare for questions about nursing, whether from medical staff or complete strangers, and how they want to respond in a way that theyre comfortable with. Then, when a person asks you about it  and, even though its deeply personal, many are happy to go ahead and ask anyway  you have a ready answer, she says.

If youre interested in making a sign like Koziels or want to find another way to convey your intentions on breastfeeding to people, keep this in mind, Carpenter advises: You dont have to share the reason for your decision. Its your decision, and putting it out there in ways that you feel comfortable with is best.

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FILE - In this file photo dated Friday May 19, 2017, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange looks out from the balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Newly released Ecuadorean government documents made public late Tuesday Oct. 16, 2018, by Ecuadorean opposition lawmaker Paola Vintimilla, have laid bare an unorthodox attempt to extricate Assange from his embassy hideaway in London by naming him as a political counselor to the countrys embassy in Moscow. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, FILE)

LONDON (AP)  Julian Assange: Hacker. Journalist. Diplomat?

Newly released Ecuadorean government documents have laid bare an unorthodox attempt to extricate the WikiLeaks founder from his embassy hideaway in London by naming him as a political counselor to the country's embassy in Moscow.

But the 47-year-old Australian's new career in international affairs was nipped in the bud when British authorities vetoed his diplomatic status, effectively blocking him from taking up the post in Russia.

The files were made public late Tuesday by Ecuadorean opposition lawmaker Paola Vintimilla, who opposes her government's decision to grant Assange nationality. They largely corroborate a recent Guardian newspaper report that Ecuador attempted the elaborate maneuver to get Assange to Moscow just before Christmas last year.

Russian diplomats called the Guardian's story "fake news," but the government files show Assange briefly was made "political counselor" to the Ecuadorean Embassy in Moscow and eligible for a monthly salary pegged at $2,000.

Ecuador also applied for a diplomatic ID card, the documents show, but the plan appears to have fallen apart with the British veto.

A letter dated December 21, 2017 from Britain's Foreign Office said U.K. officials "do not consider Mr. Julian Assange to be an acceptable member of the mission."

An eight-page memo to Vintimilla summing up the episode noted that Assange's position as counselor was scrapped a few days later.

WikiLeaks did not return messages. The British Foreign Office and the Russian Embassy in London declined to comment.

Assange's relationship with Russian authorities has been the subject of intense scrutiny following the 2016 U.S. election, when Russian spies are alleged to have handed WikiLeaks leaked emails from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign in a bid to help elect her rival, Donald Trump.

Assange has denied receiving the files from the Russian government or backing the Trump campaign, despite a growing body of evidence suggesting he received material directly from Russia's military intelligence agency and coordinated media strategy with Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr.

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Last month, the AP published internal WikiLeaks files showing Assange tried to move to Russia as early as 2010.

___

Online:

The Ecuadorean government's letter to Vintimilla: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5004881-Carta-Canciller.html

Internal Ecuadorean government documents: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5004882-Annexes.html

The AP's WikiLeaks files: https://www.documentcloud.org/search/projectid:40593-WikiLeaks

____

Raphael Satter can be reached on: http://raphaelsatter.com
FILE PHOTO: The logo of the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its headquarters next to a red traffic light in Geneva, Switzerland, October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Nerijus Adomaitis

WASHINGTON/OSLO (Reuters) - The United States is requesting that a World Trade Organization dispute resolution panel get involved in a clash over international retaliation over U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The requests, filed on Thursday, cover tariffs by China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico, which followed the United States imposing a 25 percent duty on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminium imports, which it justified on national security grounds.

Canada, Mexico and China had also planned to ask for a WTO panel examining those tariffs, according to another government official familiar with the matter. Earlier on Thursday, Norway said that it, the EU and other countries would seek the WTO dispute group's help.

Officials representing the countries' trade delegations could not immediately be reached after normal business hours. The WTO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The dispute marks a new dimension to the ongoing skirmish between the United States and a number of its trading partners as well as the WTO itself, where it has blocked appointments of new judges. The WTO is presiding over a record number of disputes, many of them triggered by Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminium and his trade war with China.

Norway earlier said initial consultations with the United States had not led to an agreeable solution, and therefore the Nordic country had joined others in asking the WTO to set up the panel to obtain an independent assessment of the matter.

"We believe that additional U.S. duty on steel and aluminium is contrary to WTO rules," Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement.

"Therefore, together with the EU and several others, we asked today the WTO to establish a dispute resolution panel on the U.S. additional duty," she said.

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In Brussels, meanwhile, the EU, Norway and Switzerland sought Asian support for free trade, the Iran nuclear deal and fighting global warming at a regional summit that included China, Japan and Russia as a counterbalance to a more protectionist United States.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC on Wednesday that trade negotiations with China appear to have taken a brief pause, and he tamped down expectations that the countries would make substantial progress toward an agreement at an upcoming G20 meeting.

Despite striking a deal with Washington to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexico and Canada remain subject to the metals tariffs.

On Tuesday, EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom held talks with Ross in Brussels on improving trade relations, though Washington accused the bloc of moving too slowly in negotiations.

(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington and Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Tomasz Janowski)
Pope Francis is considering an unprecedented visit to North Korea, according to a Vatican official.

An invitation from Kim Jong Un was relayed to the Pope by South Korea President Moon Jae-in during a meeting in the Vatican on Thursday.

It would be the first visit by a Pope to the reclusive East Asian state, which is known for severe restrictions on religious practice and does not allow priests to be permanently stationed there.

Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Pietro Parolin said the Pope was considering the visit.

He told reporters: "The Pope expressed his willingness. We have to wait for it [the invitation] to be formalised."

Mr Parolin said North Korea would have to meet certain conditions ahead of any potential visit by the Pope.

"This will come later," he added.

"Once we start thinking in earnest about the possibility of making this trip, then we will have to think about conditions in which the trip can take place.

"[The Pope] is willing to make the trip, but a trip of this kind will need serious preparation."

Beyond a small number of state-controlled places of worship, including a Catholic church in the capital of Pyongyang, no open religious activity is allowed in the North Korea.

Authorities have repeatedly jailed foreign missionaries.

Mr Kim is said to have told Mr Moon, who is Catholic, of his wish to meet the pontiff during a meeting last month.

According to the South Korean president's office, the Pope expressed his strong support for efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula.

He told Mr Moon that he would "definitely answer" an invitation from Mr Kim if it arrives.

The meeting would be the latest major diplomatic encounter for Mr Kim this year.

He held an unprecedented summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, where the leaders promised to work toward denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and signed a joint statement.
Saudi Arabia has said Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the country's consulate in Istanbul after a fight broke out.

Mr Khashoggi, 59, went missing on 2 October during a visit to get papers for his marriage and intense pressure had been growing on Saudi Arabia to explain his disappearance.

Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor was quoted on state television as saying that a fight broke out between Mr Khashoggi and people who met him in the consulate, leading to his death.

It contradicts the country's initial claim that the journalist - who was critical of the kingdom's rulers - had left the consulate alive.

An official source claimed that "discussions" between Mr Khashoggi and others at the consulate "did not go as required and developed in a negative way, leading to a fight and a quarrel".

It added that "the brawl aggravated to lead to his death and their attempt to conceal and cover what happened".

Eighteen Saudis are said to have been arrested so far in connection with the journalist's death and the state news agency said the kingdom "expresses its deep regret" over Mr Khashoggi's death.

Saudi Arabia also said one of its top intelligence officials, Ahmed El Assiri, had been sacked, as well as royal court adviser Saud Al Qahtani.

There has been no word about what was done with Mr Khashoggi's body.

US President Donald Trump said he found the Saudi explanation "credible" and a White House statement described the murder as a "tragic incident".

The Foreign Office said the UK was "considering the Saudi report and our next steps. As the Foreign Secretary has said, this was a terrible act and those responsible must be held to account".

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres is "deeply troubled" by the confirmation of the journalists's death, said a UN spokesman.

Regional allies have struck a different tone: Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Egypt praised Saudi Arabia's King Salman for the way the investigation into the death had been handled.

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Concerns grew for Mr Khashoggi's safety after Turkish sources said he had been killed in a premeditated murder after a 15-man "hit squad" entered the country.

An official, speaking anonymously to Reuters news agency, said at the time: "We believe that the murder was premeditated and the body was subsequently moved out of the consulate."

A senior police source told online news website Middle East Eye the journalist had been "brutally murdered, killed and cut into pieces".

"Everything was videotaped to prove the mission had been accomplished and the tape was taken out of the country," the source said.

Pro-government newspapers in Turkey published details - said to have come from those close to the case - that claim Mr Khashoggi was tortured, having his fingers cut off, before his body was dismembered on an office table by a forensic doctor.

Turkish media say authorities have audio of the alleged murder.

Major businesses and some politicians, including the UK's trade secretary, have pulled out of a major investment summit in Saudi capital Riyadh.

Sky News special correspondent Alex Crawford, who is at the Istanbul consulate, said that confirmation of Mr Khashoggi's death was "not too much of a surprise from our sources in Turkey ".

"I think the Saudi just thought there was nowhere else to go - they had to admit it.

"Now they've been backed into a corner where they've had to admit something very badly went wrong."

Both Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been carrying out investigations - with forensic experts examining the consulate and the consul's house nearby.

On Friday, the search moved to a forest outside Istanbul.

Mr Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, fled Saudi Arabia for Washington in September 2017, months after Prince Mohammed was appointed heir to the throne.

He had been criticised by Saudi authorities for being too progressive and he had described Prince Mohammed as a "brash and abrasive young innovator" - and even said he was "acting like Putin".
By Ayman al-Warfalli

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan tribesmen staged a demonstration at the eastern oil port of Hariga on Thursday in protest against the appointment of a government minister, a leading member of the tribe said.

It was not clear whether oil exports had been affected from the port, located in Tobruk near the Egyptian border.

A spokesman for port operator AGOCO, part of state oil firm NOC, declined to comment.

"We are at the port's gate. No car can enter or leave the port," a member of the powerful Obeidat tribe told Reuters, asking not to be identified.

He said tribesmen were protesting against a decision by the internationally-recognised government in Tripoli to appoint Ali Essawi as economy minister.

Hariga lies in eastern Libya, run by a rival administration.

Libyan prosecutors had in 2011 named Essawi as the main suspect of the killing of Abdel Fattah Younes, a former top rebel commander during the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Younes belongs to the Obeidat tribe.

A Libyan court in 2012 had dropped the case against Essawi and other suspects. But he re-emerged into the spotlight when Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez appointed him as economy minister this month.

Khalifa Haftar, a top commander whose troops control the east, this week ordered a new investigation into the killing of Younes. His killing had caused deep rifts in the rebel camp which later took over the oil producing country.

Younes was for years part of Gaddafi's inner circle.

He defected at the start of the uprising in February 2011 and became the military chief of the rebellion, a move opposed by other rebels who had suffered under the old regime.

The circumstances of his killing remain murky, but it is known that he was slain in July 2011 after rebel leaders summoned him back from the front line to Benghazi, the eastern city and cradle of the uprising.

Separately, gunmen stole two company cars at a control station of Libya's giant El Sharara oilfield on Thursday, a field engineer said.

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Station 186, about 40km away from the main part of the field deep in the southern desert, has been attacked by gunmen several times. In July, two staff, one of them Romanian, were kidnapped there, and have not been heard from since.

Tripoli-based NOC operates Sharara in partnership with Repsol, Total, OMV and Equinor, formerly known as Statoil. The field typically produces around 300,000 barrels a day.

(Writing by Ulf Laessing, Editing by William Maclean)
Mexico says it will ask the UN refugee office for help with the arrival of several thousand Honduran migrants at its southern border.

Foreign minister Luis Videgaray plans to make a formal request during a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York.

Mexico will ask the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees to support Mexican agencies attending to the migrants.

Mr Videgaray says that "for the Mexican government it is essential first to respect and protect the human rights and fundamental dignity of all of the migrants and to do so under a logical and humanitarian and respectful treatment."

It comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to close the US-Mexico border if Mexico does not stop the migrants.

Donald Trump has threatened to deploy soldiers to the border with Mexico and close it off to stop the "large caravans" of migrants from Central America coming to the US.

The US president tweeted: "I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to U.S.....

"....In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!..

"....The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA. Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border. All Democrats fault for weak laws!"

According to reports in the US, one caravan fleeing Honduras is 4,000-strong.

Mr Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a keystone of his presidency and secretary of state Mike Pompeo is understood to be preparing to travel to Mexico for talks on stopping the influx of people.

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The president's latest remarks come less than three weeks before the midterm elections and the Republicans are fighting to retain control of Congress.

Mr Pompeo's visit to Mexico comes ahead of the December inauguration of President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Mr Trump had earlier this week threatened to withhold aid to the region as because of the caravan, as it travelled through Guatemala to Mexico in the hope of crossing into the US to escape violence and poverty.

He tweeted on Tuesday: "The United States has strongly informed the President of Honduras that if the large Caravan of people heading to the U.S. is not stopped and brought back to Honduras, no more money or aid will be given to Honduras, effective immediately!"

Mr Trump returned to the issue on Thursday adding: "Hard to believe that with thousands of people from South of the Border, walking unimpeded toward our country in the form of large Caravans, that the Democrats won't approve legislation that will allow laws for the protection of our country. Great Midterm issue for Republicans!"
By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has filed a lawsuit in Ecuador against new terms of asylum in the Andean country's London embassy that require him to pay for medical bills and phone calls and clean up after his pet cat, his lawyer said on Friday.

Ecuador this month created the new protocol governing his stay at the embassy. Lawyer Baltasar Garzon told a press conference in Quito that the rules were drawn up without consulting the Australian national, who has sued Foreign Minister Jose Valencia in a Quito court to have them changed.

Assange has not had access to the internet since it was cut off in March, Garzon added, despite a WikiLeaks statement this week that it had been restored.

"He has been held in inhuman conditions for more than six years," Garzon said. "Even people who are imprisoned have phone calls paid for by the state," he added, describing the obligations regarding the cat as "denigrating."

Garzon said Valencia was named in the lawsuit because he serves as the intermediary between Assange and the Ecuadorean government.

Valencia said the government "will respond in an appropriate manner."

"The protocol is in line with international standards and Ecuadorean law," he told reporters in the Ecuadorean city of Daule on Friday.

Assange's stay has become an increasing annoyance for Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno, who has said the asylum cannot be eternal but has been reluctant to push him out of the embassy on concern for his human rights.

Assange believes he would be handed over to the United States to face prosecution over WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents.

Former Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa in 2012 granted Assange asylum as he sought to avoid extradition to Sweden for interrogation on alleged sexual assault crimes.

Sweden later dropped its investigation of Assange, but Britain says he will be arrested for violating the terms of his bail if he leaves the embassy.

Ecuador in 2017 gave Assange citizenship and named him to a diplomatic post in Russia, but rescinded the latter after Britain refused to give him diplomatic immunity, according to an Ecuadorean government document seen by Reuters.

(Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Dan Grebler and Susan Thomas)
The University of North Georgia (UNG) broke ground Oct. 17 on a new standalone Blue Ridge Campus facility, with a host of state officials, community members and university representatives joining President Bonita C. Jacobs to mark the occasion.

The sunny fall day in the Fannin County mountains matched the excitement about the opportunities the new facility will offer for current and future students, as 150 people celebrated the groundbreaking. The new campus, located off Ga. 515 about three miles from the current Blue Ridge Campus, is scheduled to open in 2020.

Georgia Speaker of the House of Representatives David Ralston, a UNG alumnus who represents Georgia District 7, including Fannin County, in the General Assembly, helped secure $5.5 million for the new Blue Ridge Campus in the 2019 fiscal year budget. He said Gov. Nathan Deal's trek to Blue Ridge in May to sign the budget was the city's first time hosting such a visit. Ralston called the new campus "a dream come true."

"This new, permanent campus in Blue Ridge will open doors to both a college education and better job prospects for generations to come in our north Georgia mountains," Ralston said. "UNG's role to provide greater access to quality education will continue to expand, and I am proud to support that noble mission."

Jacobs presented Ralston with a commemorative shovel in gratitude for his efforts in securing the standalone campus. She thanked the community, the University System of Georgia, and state and local lawmakers for making the standalone campus possible. She noted how the Blue Ridge Scholars program encourages students to be enrolled full time.

"We're all in on graduating students," Jacobs said. "We are creating a workforce that appeals to businesses and supports economic growth in this community."

The current Blue Ridge Campus has experienced almost 800 percent growth since its opening in 2015, reaching 156 students this fall. It will allow for additional courses in the core curriculum, which means students will be able to spend a longer period of their college career at Blue Ridge.

Nelson Soriero, a freshman from Blue Ridge and a Blue Ridge Scholar, said the new campus "will create an excellent learning environment for generations to come."

"I could have ended up somewhere else, traveling endless miles and hours to a different university," Soriero said. "But because of this campus, I get to go to college locally, continue working at my job and even live in my own home."

UNG established the Blue Ridge Campus in 2015 in response to a need for access to higher education that was identified through UNG's Regional Education and Economic Development Task Force, a group of more than 100 business, education, government, and community leaders from northeast Georgia. The new location will further cement UNG's efforts in the region.

"This campus is bringing a college education much closer to home for a large number of students in the north Georgia area," said state Sen. Steve Gooch, also a UNG alumnus. "I'm excited to be a part of this development and look forward to watching the impact of this campus continue to increase."

In 2012, the state launched the Complete College Georgia initiative based on a 2011 study by Georgetown University that indicates Georgia needs to add 250,000 postsecondary graduates to the state's workforce by 2025. Census data indicate nearly half of the counties in UNG's immediate service area have a college completion rate of less than 20 percent.

"This campus will make a difference in the lives of students, their families, this community, and region for generations," Blue Ridge Campus Director Sandy Ott said. "Thank you for being a part of the University of North Georgia's history and the brighter futures that begin here today."
"Rabbi, is it ever okay not to forgive?"

That question comes my way every year around this season. (I've written about this before.) I find that it is asked most often by women, who may face (as women, and as Jews) a double whammy of cultural messages instructing us to be forgiving even at our own expense. But people across the gender spectrum struggle with this question.

Many of us know the teaching from Rambam (in his Hilchot Teshuvah, "Laws of Repentance / Return") that when someone has wronged another person, the one who committed the wrong must make teshuvah and seek forgiveness, and the one who was wronged is obligated to forgive. "Obligated" is a strong word. Is it ever okay, Jewishly, not to forgive?

Short answer: yes. Yes, Jewishly speaking, there are times when it is ok not to extend forgiveness. Longer answer: when the person who wronged you has not made teshuvah (more in a minute abut what that means, and what is implied therein) not only are you not obligated to forgive them, but one could even make the case that granting forgiveness in that circumstance is forbidden. Because if you were to forgive under that circumstance, without their teshuvah, your forgiveness would give cover to the unethical behavior not only of harming you in the first place, but also of choosing not to make teshuvah.

A reminder: teshuvah, which is often translated as "repentance," comes from the root that means turning or turning-around. Teshuvah is the work of turning oneself around, turning oneself in the right direction again, turning over a new leaf, re/turning to God and to the state of righteousness to which we are all expected to aspire. When we miss the mark in our relationship with God, we can make teshuvah and repair the broken relationship. When we miss the mark in our relationships with each other, we can make teshuvah and (maybe) repair the broken relationship. Repair may not be up to us. But our own teshuvah work is.

Here's Rabbi David J. Blumenthal, in his essay Is Forgiveness Necessary?

If the offender has done teshuvah, and is sincere in his or her repentance, the offended person should offer mechilah; that is, the offended person should forgo the debt of the offender, relinquish his or her claim against the offender. This is not a reconciliation of heart or an embracing of the offender; it is simply reaching the conclusion that the offender no longer owes me anything for whatever it was that he or she did. Mechilah is like a pardon granted to a criminal by the modern state. The crime remains; only the debt is forgiven. The tradition, however, is quite clear that the offended person is not obliged to offer mechilah if the offender is not sincere in his or her repentance and has not taken concrete steps to correct the wrong done... The principle that mechilah ought to be granted only if deserved is the great Jewish "No" to easy forgiveness. It is core to the Jewish view of forgiveness, just as desisting from sin is core to the Jewish view of repentance. Without good grounds, the offended person should not forgo the indebtedness of the sinner; otherwise, the sinner may never truly repent and evil will be perpetuated. And, conversely, if there are good grounds to waive the debt or relinquish the claim, the offended person is morally bound to do so. This is the great Jewish "Yes" to the possibility of repentance for every sinner.

If the person who wronged you has done teshuvah and is sincere in their repentance, then tradition asks you to forgive. But that's a big 'if.' How can you tell if the person's teshuvah is sincere? My own answer relies on a combination of factors. For starters, the person who wronged you has to actually apologize (and I mean a real apology.) Ideally that apology should feel sincere to you. But the person's subsequent actions are of greater importance. Saying sorry isn't enough: they also have to take concrete steps to correct the wrong, and they have to show with their actions and their choices that they have changed.

One rubric says that we can tell if teshuvah is genuine when the person making teshuvah has the opportunity to commit the same misdeed as before, but this time makes a different choice. (That's Rambam again.) Imagine that I harmed you physically by driving over your foot. I would need to not only apologize to you for hurting you, and do what I could to correct the wrong (giving you an aspirin, or perhaps a pair of steel-toed boots?), but also, the next time I was driving my car near where your foot was resting, I'd need to notice your foot, make a conscious choice not to drive over it, and then follow through with that choice.

But if my apology to you felt insincere -- "Whatever, you're overreacting but I'm sorry you're upset" -- you would be under no obligation to forgive me for the harm. And if I didn't do what I could to make up for having driven over your foot, ditto. And if I didn't take steps to ensure that I never drive over your foot again, ditto all the more. (It's a ridiculous example, I realize. I use it because it lets me illustrate the principle I want to communicate, without getting into the kinds of hypotheticals that might evoke or re-activate the interpersonal traumas that bring people to me with these questions about forgiveness in the first place.)

If someone has harmed you -- whether in body, heart, mind, or spirit -- and they come to you seeking forgiveness, you're allowed to take the time you need to discern 1) whether their apology is genuine, and 2) whether they have done all that they could to remedy the damage, and 3) whether they have done the internal work of becoming a person who would no longer harm you in that same way given the opportunity to do so again. If the answer to any of those questions is no -- and kal v'chomer (all the more so) if they don't apologize in the first place -- then you are not obligated to forgive them for harming you.

Emotionally and spiritually, pay attention to what your heart and soul are saying. If your heart and soul resist the idea of forgiving someone, discern whether that resistance is a case of holding on to an old resentment that you'd be better off releasing -- or whether it's a case of healthy self-protection. If offering forgiveness would serve you, then I support that. But Jewish tradition does not require us to re-inscribe the harm done to us by forgiving our abusers. And as Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg notes in her excellent twitter thread on this, the person who needs to repent can do so whether or not the person they harmed forgives.

And on that note... here's a Prayer for those not ready for forgive by my friend and colleague Rabbi Jill Zimmerman.

G'mar chatimah tovah: may we all be sealed for goodness in the year to come.
I wrote a post for the About Bayit series on Builders Blog, about one of the facets of who we are, our spiritual differences and why they matter to us. Here's a taste:

...The organizations founders have roots in, and a track record serving in, every major branch of Judaism from Reform to Orthodoxy. Some of us are proud denominational Jews. Some of us self-identify as post-denominational or trans-denominational Jews. Some of us are both / and Jews, identifying as denominational Jews and as part of the transdenominational Jewish renewal movement. We grew up secular, religious, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Orthodox. Those of us who are rabbis attended both denominational seminaries and transdenominational seminaries. Those of us who are laypeople come from backgrounds that span the denominational spectrum too. Beyond our denominational diversity, were also spiritually diverse. Some of us are mystics who write love poetry to the divine, and some of us are rationalists who find most mysticism uncomfortable. Some of us experience God through music, some through liturgy, some through philosophy, some through poetry, and some arent sure we experience God at all...

Read the whole thing here: Denominational and spiritual diversity.

(And if you haven't yet subscribed, please do -- just go to Builders Blog and there's a place to enter your email address in the sidebar so you'll receive posts via email. We've just launched a series of weekly Torah commentaries through a building-focused lens that promises to be amazing, and we'll be sharing other kinds of things there in months to come, too. Join us!)
After three mediation sessions between the Los Angeles Unified school district and its teachers union failed to reach an agreement, the two sides are now entering the fact-finding stage.

If that periodduring which an independent third party will review the arguments and recommend a solutionfails to satisfy both parties, teachers in the nations second-largest district could go on strike. This would be the first strike in the district since 1989.

What is the timeline for a potential strike?

Once a chairperson is appointed by the state, the fact-finding panel has 30 days to submit a non-binding report. Then, the district could submit a final offer. If that doesnt satisfy the United Teachers of Los Angeles, they could call for a strike. Already, a majority of union members voted to authorize a strike .

What does the union want?

The union is asking for a 6.5 percent pay raise, a reduction in class sizes, and more school nurses, librarians, and restorative-justice advisors. It is also asking for limits on standardized testing and accountability measures for charter schools.

The districts last offer to the union included a 6 percent pay raise for all teachers and additional pay for teachers who take courses in high-needs subjects. Los Angeles Unified also pledged to reduce class sizes in core subjects in 15 high-need middle schools and 75 high-need elementary schools.

The union called that offer insulting and a stunning example of disrespect to teachers.

What does the district say?

Los Angeles Unified has maintained that it agrees with the unions requests on principle, but says the reality is that the district doesnt have enough money.

Los Angeles Unified needs to pay teachers better and provide them with more support and more professional development, a statement from the district said. L.A. Unified looks forward to the fact-finding process to confirm what independent, third party experts have publicly stated repeatedly ... the school district will run out of money if changes are not made.

If a strike happens, what would it mean for students?

Los Angeles Unified, which serves more than 600,000 students , has released a family resource guide to help parents prepare for a potential strike.

The guide said that during a strike, schools would remain open and students would continue to receive classroom instruction by substitute employees and school administrators. Meals would continue to be served.

What do parents think?

According to the L.A. School Report, a teachers union representative spoke to immigrant parents about the potential strike in hopes of getting their support . But the parents left the meeting feeling confused and frustrated.

We wanted to know more about their demands, but all we heard is that they want us to commit in supporting them to go on strike. But how are they committing to our community, to our kids? I wanted to know how they were preparing to support our kids if they go on strike for those two weeks, but we heard none of that, Juventina Hernandez, a grandparent of children in the district told L.A. School Report.

For more coverage on teacher strikes across the country, see:
BROOKLYN, N.Y.  As the Trump administration continues to create great divides within the country and within the Pagan community, many magical people continue to turn to ritual as part of their action and protest. The nomination, hearings, and eventual confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court has triggered a new hex event, one that has been making mainstream headlines.

Catland Books in Brooklyn, New York has invited people to participate in a public hexing of Kavanaugh Saturday, October 20, 2018. The ritual is being led by Dakota Bracciale, co-owner of Catland and founder of Black Hand Conjure.

The event is described on Eventbrite as a publich(sic) hex on Brett Kavanaugh and upon all rapists and the patriarchy which emboldens, rewards and protects them. Bracciale goes on to say, We will be embracing witchcrafts true roots as the magik of the poor, the downtrodden and disenfranchised and its(sic) history as often the only weapon, the only means of exacting justice available to those of us who have been wronged by men just like him.

A second ritual is scheduled for immediately after the hexing that is titled The Rites of the Scorned Ones and is described in part as seeking to validate, affirm, uphold and support those of us who have been wronged and who refuse to be silent any longer.

The Wild Hunt reached out to Dakota Bracciale; however, we were unable to conduct a full interview in time for publication. Bracciale did refer us to several other interviews given to other publications.

In an article published by the Guardian about the upcoming rituals and in reference to occult practices and language, Bracciale is quoted as saying, It strikes fear into the heart of Christian fundamentalists. Thats one of the reasons that we do it. Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire. We dont subscribe to this bullshit, pacifist, love and light, everybody just get along thing. If you want to hijack the country, if you want to steal the election, if you want to overturn Roe v Wade, if you want to harm people who are queer, well guess what, were not doing civility. If youre going to be these awful bullies, you have to understand someone is going to punch you back and it might as well be a bunch of witches from Brooklyn.

Bracciales view point of Witchcraft and the use of magic can be summed up with this quote, Witchcraft has a deeply rooted history as a tool of resistance and resilience, to survive oppression, disenfranchisement, and being an outcast of society.



Using magical practices as a form of resistance is not new. However, the digital forms that these actions are taking is new.

One of the most recent books on the topic is Magic for the Resistance by Michael Hughes, and it was published by Llewellyn last month. We talked to Hughes about the Kavanaugh event, asking how effective such work may be. He said, There are different definitions of effective when it comes to magic. Obviously, the attempts of many people (myself included) to utilize magic to prevent Kavanaughs appointment to the Supreme Court did not work. However, he is still under investigation, so who knows if he ultimately will be removed.

If Democrats take back Congress in the midterms, that obviously increases the chances, Hughes continued. So well just have to seemagic often works in unexpected ways. But in the sense of giving people a channel for their anger and frustration, and for reclaiming a sense of their power, these sorts of rituals are absolutely effective. And that is critically important during these dark times when it is easy to fall prey to despair and hopelessness. Rituals enable us to stay focused and charged for everyday activism.

Hexing events bring with them controversy and conflict within magical communities. There are debates on whether its ethical, with some pointing out that just because you can do something, doesnt mean you should. We asked Hughes whether or not he felt that hexing the people who are implementing policies we feel endanger us is a good idea or a bad idea, and should those participating be concerned about backlash? If people engage in this type of work, public or privately, should they be concerned about backlash?

Yes, I think these sorts of rituals are a good idea, provided they are thoughtfully conceived and executed, he said. Im always one for poking a stick in the eye of hypocritical evangelicals, and nothing gets them riled up like activist witches! This is very similar to what Bracciale had to say on the language and practice.

Hughes went on to say, As long as the intentions are not malign, such as wishing physical harm on someone, Im all for it. If you hex or bind someone to prevent them from doing harm, or to remove them from office, thats no different than using mundane means for the same results.

However, he said he draws the line at hexing and cursing for physical harm. I believe nonviolence is the only way to effect positive change, and violence perpetuates itself in a bitter cycle and can generate unexpected blowback. As witches and magical people, its important that we embody the highest principles and ethics in our workings.

On the question of backlash or consequences Hughes said that is was possible, and that even mundane actions can bring backlash.

Thats why witches and magicians need to make it clear that we are on the side of justice, and compassion, and equality. Were not hexing or cursing or binding because we dont like Kavanaugh, but because we stand for the rights of women not to be sexually assaulted. We believe that men credibly accused of sexual assault should be thoroughly investigated and not be ramrodded through a sham hearing dominated by old, white Republican men. As long as we stay true to our principles we have nothing to fear, he explained.

One of the reasons that we are seeing a more public approach to magical resistance is the increasing in public awareness and acceptance of Paganism as a legitimate practice.

Were lucky to live in an era when we can publicly organize and harness our collective spiritual power in the fight for the things we believe in, Hughes said.

The evangelical right has shown they worship power, spite, and bigotry, not Jesus. Pagans and witches and magicians have risen to the task of fighting for the bedrock principles that have guided our country through very dark times. Weve always been underdogs. Weve always been marginalized, so we feel the pain of those suffering under the current authoritarian regimewomen, immigrants, the LGBTQ community, and people of color. History has given us this opportunity to come out of the broom closet to fight for justice and equality and to resist authoritarianism and hate. We are the spiritual face of the resistance, and were going to win.

Just as the country is deeply divided, so are Pagans. While most of the public magical resistance has been attributed to those who oppose Trump and now Kavanaugh, there are others, such as those in the Facebook group Pagans for Trump, who are working magic for the other side.

The Kavanaugh hexing event is scheduled for Oct 20 through Catland Books.
Samuel Levin in Aeon:

What would convince you that aliens existed? The question came up recently at a conference on astrobiology, held at Stanford University in California. Several ideas were tossed around  unusual gases in a planets atmosphere, strange heat gradients on its surface. But none felt persuasive. Finally, one scientist offered the solution: a photograph. There was some laughter and a murmur of approval from the audience of researchers: yes, a photo of an alien would be convincing evidence, the holy grail of proof that were not alone.

But why would a picture be so convincing? What is it that wed see that would tell us we werent just looking at another pile of rocks? An alien on a planet orbiting a distant star would be wildly exotic, perhaps unimaginably so. What, then, would give it away as life? The answer is relevant to our search for extraterrestrials, and what we might expect to find.

Astrobiology  the study of life on other planets  has grown from a fringe sub-discipline of biology, chemistry and astronomy to a leading interdisciplinary field, attracting researchers from top institutions across the globe, and large sums of money from both NASA and private funders. But what exactly is it that astrobiologists are looking for? How will we know when its time to pop the Champagne?

More here.
Claire Armistead in The Guardian:

They put GPS chips in pets and migratory birds now. How can someone flying around in a 65-million-dollar machine get lost? With these words  spoken by a US airman who has just crashed his jet in an unnamed desert  Mohammed Hanif upends his own premise in the opening pages of his new novel. It is a typically bold manoeuvre from a satirical writer who was himself once a pilot  a really bad one  and whose work is full of references to military hardware. His Booker-longlisted debut A Case of Exploding Mangoes placed a cart of the fruit alongside Pakistans president Zia ul-Haq on a doomed C-130 Hercules; his second told of a spirited convent nurse married off on a nuclear submarine. But jokey though his fiction appears, its political mission is Orwellian  his work is underpinned by a sense of a corrupt world that is constantly embattled. I think I must have been at high school when the Afghan war started, so we grew up with these kinds of conflicts, and then they started to replicate themselves around the world. These wars never end. The attention just moves somewhere else, says the 53-year-old novelist, journalist and occasional playwright.

Never-ending war is the location of Red Birds, albeit one in which the bombing has mysteriously stopped. The lost airman, Major Ellie, is transported to a refugee camp by a young boy who discovers him while scouring the desert for his injured dog. The boy, Momo, is the books most vivid creation  an adolescent huckster who drives a jeep Cherokee with a fat, fading USAid logo and is hell-bent on rescuing his older brother from a sinister military base known as The Hangar. People ask where its set and I say its set in my head, says Hanif, who riffs that he had hoped to write a novel in which bad things cant happen. I know a lot of people who are very happy with their lives  who go around doing good things, or believing that they are doing good things.

More here.
Julie Sedivy in Nautilus:

Reading medieval literature, its hard not to be impressed with how much the characters get doneas when we read about King Harold doing battle in one of the Sagas of the Icelanders, written in about 1230. The first sentence bristles with purposeful action: King Harold proclaimed a general levy, and gathered a fleet, summoning his forces far and wide through the land. By the end of the third paragraph, the king has launched his fleet against a rebel army, fought numerous battles involving much slaughter in either host, bound up the wounds of his men, dispensed rewards to the loyal, and was supreme over all Norway. What the saga doesnt tell us is how Harold felt about any of this, whether his drive to conquer was fueled by a tyrannical fathers barely concealed contempt, or whether his legacy ultimately surpassed or fell short of his deepest hopes.

Jump ahead about 770 years in time, to the fiction of David Foster Wallace. In his short story Forever Overhead, the 13-year-old protagonist takes 12 pages to walk across the deck of a public swimming pool, wait in line at the high diving board, climb the ladder, and prepare to jump. But over these 12 pages, we are taken into the burgeoning, buzzing mind of a boy just erupting into pubertyour attention is riveted to his newly focused attention on female bodies in swimsuits, we register his awareness that others are watching him as he hesitates on the diving board, we follow his undulating thoughts about whether its best to do something scary without thinking about it or whether its foolishly dangerous not to think about it. These examples illustrate Western literatures gradual progression from narratives that relate actions and events to stories that portray minds in all their meandering, many-layered, self-contradictory complexities. Id often wondered, when reading older texts: Werent people back then interested in what characters thought and felt?

More here.
In an early scene of the new family caregiving movie, What They Had, the concerned but angry adult son (played with simmering resentment by Michael Shannon) tells his tough Irish-American father (played by Robert Forster) that he should think about the stages of his wifes dementia  open his eyes to the extent of her terrible decline with more to come. He is trying to convince his stubborn father that memory-care placement cant be avoided. The father responds with swift, thunderous dismissal: Those stages are horseshit!

Scenes like that one are played out in homes around the country as families of all configurations wrestle with tough decisions about how to best care for loved ones.

That father-son moment certainly hit chords for me as a clinical psychologist and former caregiver for a mother and step-father with dementia. Like many family caregivers on the frontlines, the father is reacting out of a complex mix of roiling emotions, unwavering values and long-established patterns of family conflict.

He dismissed the stages of Alzheimer's that he clearly knows, a way of denying the reality of his beloveds marauding disease  defying the contention that any simple textbook model can define who his wife of 50 years really is or will be.

And he is rejecting the notion that family members should dwell on the burgeoning catastrophe. He wants to live in the present, preserving his wife as the delightful, if forgetful, woman she still is now, leaving tomorrow for tomorrow.

Plus, the father is asserting the generational hierarchy. He is telling his pestering, disgruntled son, You dont get to decide what happens to your mother. He is insisting they havent yet reached the stage where the power in their contentious relationship has shifted to the young.
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En espanol | Im not much of a clapper, swayer or Amen-er, but at Harlems Abyssinian Baptist Church service, the spirit moves me. My old college classmate Robert, a New York City transplant from the South who attends this historic black church, invites me to the 9 a.m. worship service for regulars (tourists should attend the 11:30 a.m. service, but get there early for seats). Two hours later, we spill out, still high from the stirring sermon.

Music  from gospel to jazz to Afrobeat to salsa  is the soundtrack of this large swath of upper Manhattan, which generally ranges north of Central Park to 155th Street. Its a straight shot on the subway (about 30 minutes from midtown) to this neighborhood. With its own special rhythm, particularly on a Sunday, when songs of praise emanate from many of the 400-some houses of worship, it attracts both regular churchgoers and visitors from around the world.

What started out as a Dutch village in the 17th century became the undisputed center of black culture in the 1920s and 30s, with a flourishing of music, art, literature and activism that became known as the Harlem Renaissance. Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, W.E.B. Du Bois and Jacob Lawrence all lived or passed through here. A stroll in central Harlem is like walking through a history book, with the sites of momentous events and larger-than-life characters on every corner.

From the Abyssinian, its only a block to Strivers Row, an aristocratic set of 19th-century town houses that were reluctantly made available to upwardly mobile African Americans, or strivers (including Scott Joplin, Eubie Blake and W.C. Handy), after whites had abandoned the area. Today its protected, part of the officially designated St. Nicholas Historic District.
In first trip to state volleyball tourney, Christian opens with Warner

Aberdeen Christian and Warner faced off in a late-August matchup. Now the two teams will face off in the first round of the state playoffs.
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Gary Glassman didnt know what to expect when he started working on the series Native America.

After a three-year journey, the four-part series is scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 23, on New Mexico PBS.

The series is based on recent discoveries informed by Native American oral histories that have led to a bold new perspective on North and South America  that through social networks spanning two continents ancient people shared a foundational belief system with a diversity of cultural expressions.

The series highlights intimate Native American traditions and follows field archaeologists using 21st century tools such as multispectral imaging and DNA analysis to uncover incredible narratives of Americas past, venturing into Amazon caves containing the Americas earliest art and interactive solar calendar, exploring a huge tunnel beneath a pyramid at the center of one of ancient Americas largest cities, and mapping the heavens in celestially aligned cities.

Glassman says the producers were given remarkable access to Native American communities, going behind the scenes at special events, including a pilgrimage to ancestral ruins at Chaco Canyon, a trek across lost territories in the American West and an investiture ceremony for a chief in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by cedar totem poles and centuries of tradition.

Tribal members and descendant communities, whose ancestors built this world, share their stories, revealing long-held oral traditions as the thread that runs through the past to these living cultures today.

I can no longer look at this land without thinking of the millions of Native Americans who created a world in which people lived as family with all living things, and that their way of life still has the power to make a more just and sustainable future, says Glassman, executive producer and director. For the first year, we concentrated on the Native community and what our vision for the project was. We then realized it that this would be an intimate collaboration with our Native participants.

The series is broken into four episodes  From Caves to Cosmos, Nature to Nations, Cities of the Sky New World Rising.

Glassman also turned to a few New Mexicans for the series.

Featured in the first episode are University of New Mexico professor Patricia Crown and Zuni Pueblos Jim Enote.

Enote worked with the production so it would present an authentic narrative.

The production wanting to commit to telling the stories of the tribal communities was a great sign, Enote says. The land is my solace. Ive been planting for 61 consecutive years. I started as a young child with my family. When I was off at college, I planted outside my dorm. Its part of my life, and being able to keep those traditions alive is important.

Crown was contacted by a producer about being in a segment about Pueblo Bonito.

If I can remember right, there was some excavation going on, Crown says. They wanted to talk about the cylinder jars that were found in Chaco Canyon with chocolate in them. They filmed me in the room where most of the jars were found.

Crown, an archaeologist, says she is always thinking about unraveling the past.

Its very exciting to be a detective about the past, Crown says. I do feel incredibly fortunate to end up in New Mexico and at UNM where theres so much history here.
The relationship between memory and identity is explored in an art exhibition opening in Santa Fe this weekend.

Reperception, a three-artist show hosted at freeform art space, is curated by Art Shape Mammoth, a national nonprofit arts group that represents artists, and curates exhibitions and educational programming.

Jane Gordon, an Albuquerque-based artist, Art Shape Mammoth member and curator of this show, said she came up with the exhibits theme while trying to identify subject matter that linked the participating artists  Boca Raton-based painter and professor Andy Brown, New York-based Lindsey Wolkowicz and local multimedia artist Scout Dunbar.

The commonalities among the three led Gordon to the ideas of personal memories and sense of place, and what they mean to each other.

Does the fact that our memory is changing mean so is our self-identity, or are our memories altered to better reflect our current sense of self? said Gordon.

She described Browns dream-like work as often inspired by his own memories, which reminds her of the way humans remember things and how things change as we remember them.

Wolkowiczs art, she explained, focuses on the different aspects of memories through the relationships of people with the spaces they physically occupy.

And Dunbar, Gordon said, takes inspiration from local architecture and colors to make landscape-based abstraction drawings. According to Dunbar, who recently moved to Santa Fe from Ithaca, N.Y., her work is a hybrid between what she observes in the present, consciously and subconsciously, as well as memories of her past.

Drawings from a recent series that she will feature in the show are greatly inspired by the colors, textures and forms she sees while hiking around her new hometown. It also takes inspiration from designs and colors in locally made textiles.

That series is also kind of about mans influence on the landscape and, not necessarily impact, but relationships to the landscape, she said. When I see structures and things that have been built by humans, I try and incorporate that, as well.

Much of her recent series incorporates earth tones, as well as electric colors like bright blues and turquoise.

Brown, an instructor at Florida Atlantic University, told the Journal hes always made his memories and trying to learn more about his self-identity a large part of his work. His most recent series in particular focuses on the idea of cultural identity.

He said he noticed how much he took the idea of cultural identity for granted until a recent conversation with his wife, who is Japanese. Because shes lived in Japan, as well as the U.S., he said, she has felt like a citizen of nowhere. It made him think about how that kind of identity may seem tangible and finite, but it actually is not. Its very subjective and very elusive, said Brown.

The series he will show in Reperception, he explained, includes paintings that combine memories of places in his home growing up, specifically the kitchen and the bathroom, and blending those recollections with how similar rooms are arranged in Japan.

Its trying to find a way to merge the two worlds together, he said. How they combine and how they dont, how they conflict, as well. He said, by doing this, he can better define his own identity, which he said is constantly evolving.

When putting together shows like the one at freeform, Gordon said, she hopes the audience will end up with more questions than answers.

Artwork in a way is providing fodder for the conversation, rather than giving any direct conclusive answers to questions, she said.

Reperception

WHEN: Oct. 20-Nov. 3. Opening reception Saturday, 5-7 p.m.

WHERE: freeform art space, 1619 C De Baca Lane
When traveling the world for her most recent project, photographer Alia Ali would spend several weeks with the communities she visited before taking any pictures.

And when she did take out her camera, it wasnt focused on faces.

Ali wanted to approach different regions through their textiles, as a portrait of the culture. In the images taken for her series BORDERLAND, she covered her human subjects in layers of their traditional fabrics and designs.

Hiding people behind their textiles was done out of respect for the artisans and to avoid coming into their communities to sensationalize them, Ali says. It was also a way for Ali to remove other-ness for people looking at her pictures.

I want people to look at the fabric and be totally engrossed in it, and not see it as the other; that actually this is also a fabric of their world, this is something to bring them closer to this culture, Ali said.

When you see it, either its a man, its a woman, its someone who has a different coloring or face, its like Oh, Ive seen it before. I wanted people to look at the fabric.

And what does it matter what these people look like? she continued. What matters is the genius theyve created and that theyve defined themselves by it, and to see them through their creativity, through their imagination, through the product of their culture and civilization, essentially.

Alis BORDERLAND, which will be on exhibit until Nov. 9, is East of West gallerys last show in its physical space. The gallery, which L.E. Brown opened in December, will close soon after as Brown moves back to Istanbul.

Brown has accepted a dream job there as the project manager for a new media arts company.

East of West will transition into a nonprofit organization, according to Brown, and she plans to curate pop-up exhibitions in places like Istanbul and London, as well as back in Santa Fe.

Its just a very exciting position, as Ive always tried to work toward a gallery being a global venture, she said.

She said Borderland is a great finale for East of West because of its goal of crossing literal and metaphorical borders, and bringing forth a visual language for viewers.

I feel so lucky this is the note to say goodbye on, said Brown. (Ali) is beyond talented.

The Yemeni-Bosnian-American photographer, based out of Los Angeles and Marrakech, Morocco, said the idea for her project began to form over 2015 and 2016. She was staying in New Orleans around the time of the last presidential primaries.

I was seeing all of these hate messages, this sort of bigotry that was coming out, Ali said in a recent interview, saying it triggered some of the same feelings she had when her family lived in the U.S. following Sept. 11.

When you have a situation like that, one can either fall apart or feel completely frozen, and I think thats what happened to me. I felt handicapped. I felt like I wanted to do something.

She said she heard hateful rhetoric about Muslim and Arab people, as well as other minorities, particularly from now-President Donald Trump. She also cited negative commentary about Mexico and its citizens. Ali compared Mexico to Yemen, with both countries seen more for war or suffering rather than their beauty, including their architecture and textiles.

Over a nine-month period, Ali traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico; Uzbekistan; Indonesia; Kenya; to visit two tribes in Northern Vietnam; Japan; and India.

In Uzbekistan, she came across masters of ikat, the practice of dyeing thread before it is weaved using a resist technique in which parts of the thread are taped to resist the dyes. Batik, a form of wax-resistant dyeing, is popular in areas of India and Indonesia, as well as West Africa, due to European colonization and trade routes. She observed the art of shibori, which she described as an extremely advanced form of tie-dye, while visiting Japan.

It was during her stops around the world that she photographed the anonymous covered subjects that she has named -cludes, which is a play on the words include and exclude, what those words mean, and how they relate to the idea of borderlands.

Its essentially creating this other world that is beyond the fabric or beyond the material and that we cant access it, or perhaps can we? she explained.

Who is on what side of the fabric? Who is the one who has power? By some of the poses, there can be ones that certainly overpower the viewer and other ones which the viewer perhaps overpowers. I think its also in regard to size of how the photographs are. Who are the decision-makers? Who are the includes, the people who decide, and who are the excludes, the people who are pushed out? Do we push people out because we are afraid of being excluded ourselves? Is it about ignorance? And by that, does that mean were actually excluded out of something bigger?

The project initially started as People of Pattern. However, that changed into BORDERLAND, Ali said, as she realized that term related to all of the places she visited. For Ali, however, the title doesnt just mean places that are physical borderlands.

Its cultural, its also religious, its gendered, and just that fabrics in and of themselves are borders that somehow unite us, she said. Some of them (the communities) are actually on borders, and some of them have been included by the borders, even if theyre far away, because theyre suddenly homogenized within a larger society, within a larger nation that they dont necessarily relate to. She noted areas that have been impacted by colonization or imperialism.

Aside from her artists statement, the exhibition has almost no written word throughout. The only indication of where Ali took each image is in the catalogue, where shes included longitude and latitude coordinates. She said she wants viewers to be fully with the textiles when they look at the photographs.

For her, she said it isnt about removing language from the exhibits equation, but rather proposing that the textiles are their own form of language. She compared textiles to documents; both start as blank slates. And while documents are covered with words and sentences, fabrics are covered in patterns and colors that also have meanings.

I think that its something a bit more, in fact, superior to verbal language. Its something that is felt, its something thats seen, its touched.

If you go

WHAT: BORDERLAND by Alia Ali

WHEN: Oct. 20-Nov. 9. Opening reception is Saturday, 5-9 p.m. An artist/curator talk will be from 5:30-6:30 p.m.WHERE: East of West Gallery, 2351 Fox Road No. 600
In the overwhelmingly masculine historical narrative of the French Revolution, it can be easy to gloss over the stories of executed Queen Marie Antoinette or infamous radical Charlotte Corday. Its even easier to never hear about other female figures like feminist and political playwright Olympe de Gouge or the many women of color who were fighting for the abolishment of slavery in the French colonies.

Its all about these men fighting, said local actor Ariana Karp. Well, theres over 50 percent of the population were forgetting about, and what were they doing, and what was it like for them?

Karp plays Corday, known for murdering journalist and political leader Jean-Paul Marat, in Santa Fes production of The Revolutionists.

Lauren Gundersons comedy about four powerful and passionate  and eventually executed  ladies during the French Revolution will be at the Adobe Rose Theatre until Nov. 4.

The plays historical fiction follows de Gouges interacting with the other female radicals who want her to document their true stories. The real-life characters include Corday and Marie Antoinette.

The only fictional character  though she is said to be a composite character based on several different activists  is Marianne Angelle, a Haitian abolitionist fighting for the rights of slaves in the Caribbean and other French colonies.

As the four unite, they talk about what feminism means for these women of varying social classes.

The show also stars Mary Beth Lindsey as de Gouges, Maureen Joyce McKenna as Marie Antoinette and Danielle Louise Reddick as Angelle.

Ultimately, theyre talking about what egalite, liberte means for women, said Lindsey Hope Pearlman, a Brooklyn-based actor/director who has come to Santa Fe to direct this show. What rights are being distributed to women during a time of social upheaval where the ruling monarch class is being decapitated and the government of the country is being restructured, what role will women play in that vision for society? And the answer is, not a great role.

Despite some dramatic moments and the grim ending for all four characters  their heads are getting chopped off, Pearlman assured  this play is still a comedy.

One of the most brilliant things about the play is that its a period piece, but the women speak in contemporary, American language, she said. Even though theyre talking about pretty lofty or dense feminist philosophy, it sounds like a bunch of girlfriends chit-chatting at a bar or even gossiping about their personal lives.

And, as many of the cast members pointed out, an important theme of the play is the power of humor in the face of the oppression.

Sometimes when youre scared to death and things are at the most stakes, thats the most humorous, said Lindsey.

Conversations about the role women play in society and intersectional feminism  where different forms of discrimination, such as racism, sexism and classism, combine  are particularly prevalent in 2018.

Some of the issues of equality that the characters in The Revolutionists bring up, the actors noted, are things that women are still fighting for today. Lindsey cited a line of Marie Antoinettes from the play that she believes provides hope for the future  the doomed queen says that society often cant see the heroes of our stories for generations to come.

Karp added that historical plays like this one can provide a clearer view of the present day.

The genre of the history play, no matter whos writing it, is about showing you events in the past and you feel the reverberations of it, she said. Thats what Shakespeares history plays are, too. Its 200 years before its written, but its too dangerous to write about the now. So you talk about the now through the perspective of the past. Its like a series of mirrors of looking back and then looking forward.

It was particularly meaningful to put together this production during the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Pearlman said. Just before she came to Santa Fe to start the rehearsal process, she said she was part of a group of womens rights activists who protested his confirmation hearing and were arrested.

This was before the accusations of sexual assault and Dr. Christine Blasey Fords testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The fact that we were all together here in the studio when we learned, despite all that, despite all those women and all that energy and struggle, Kavanaugh was still confirmed, Pearlman said. In that moment, theres like a wave of powerlessness that comes over you. You see hopelessness like a black wall. And then its like, No, we have to push through this, we have to keep going, even if its a small, teeny, tiny thing of working on this play. Even if its the most insignificant thing of just putting this play on and creating this space where we can  .

But its not insignificant, Lindsey finished. Because it touches the lives of everyone who comes to see it  . Hopefully, in one way or another  even if they disagree  the ripples are many.

If you go

WHAT: The Revolutionists

WHEN: Thursdays-Sundays until Nov. 4. Shows Thursday-Saturday start at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays are at 3 p.m.

WHERE: Adobe Rose Theatre, 1213 B Parkway Drive

TICKETS: General admission is $25. Seniors pay $20 and students $15. Purchase at brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006. The play is recommended for ages 14 and up. Anyone under the age of 25 can get in for $5 on Thursdays. High school students will be allowed to watch for free any night if there are open seats available.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Santa Fe Public Schools has settled, for $500,000, a case involving a former teaching assistant accused of sexually molesting girls at Atalaya Elementary School in 2016, according to the New Mexico Public Schools Insurance Authority.

Sergio I. Muterperl, 32, was originally charged in June 2016 with two counts of criminal penetration of a minor, three counts of sexual contact with a minor under the age of 13 and two counts of enticement of a child. The charges were dismissed a few months later, but re-filed in April.

As part of the settlement, neither Muterperl nor Santa Fe Public Schools admits guilt.

Muterperls attorney did not immediately return a phone message from the Journal on Wednesday. A spokesman for Santa Fe Public Schools declined comment.

Muterperl still faces criminal charges in Santa Fe district court. Jury selection is scheduled for January.

According to police reports, a 6-year-old girl first confided in her mother, and then in a forensic interviewer, that Muterperl had touched her private parts and her booty both outside and inside her clothing.

The alleged incident occurred on the school playground during recess. The girl said that Muterperl had told her not to tell anyone and that her mother would be mad if she told, according to the reports.

A nurse examined the girl a few days after the alleged incident and found a linear vertical tear consistent with sexual assault.

Muterperl was placed on paid administrative leave when the accusations were made and fired when the criminal charges were brought.

While Muterperl was on leave, a 9-year-old girl who attended Atalaya Elementary asked a school employee whether Muterperl had been arrested. Asked if there was a reason she thought Muterperl should be arrested, the girl said because he had touched her private parts. That girl told investigators that Muterperl had touched her inappropriately on three occasions  once under her clothing  while he was baby-sitting her at her home.

He took his privates out and made her touch it, she said, and allegedly told her not to tell anyone and that it would be their little secret.

Muterperl had a DWI conviction in 2011, but that didnt preclude him from being hired at Santa Fe Public Schools, said a school district spokeswomen at the time the charges were brought.

He had also been cited for domestic violence in 2001 and 2005, but charges were dropped both times.

Muterperl was also charged with battery on a peace officer, resisting arrest and obstructing a roadway during an anti-Trump protest following President Trumps election in November 2016. Those charges were dismissed last year.
Its in the zeitgeist everywhere today.

It seems like you cant turn around without hearing some reference to espionage or secret operations, says former CIA officer Valerie Plame.

In a recent interview, Plame explained that she hopes to inform and educate  and provide some explanation of how did we get here?  with a new conference featuring a lineup of her former CIA colleagues. Topics will include nuclear proliferation, international affairs, election interference and more.

The two-day seminar, Spies, Lies and Nukes: Inside International Espionage, will take place Nov. 3-4 at Santa Fes La Fonda Hotel.

My thinking was never to do Hey, lets tell war stories,  said Plame, who has lived in Santa Fe for several years. Instead, she hopes the conferences discussions of historical events and former secret operations help people connect the dots to the present.

The reason they should bother attending at all and take a weekend out of their life is to try and make sense of the really chaotic world in which were living today, Plame said.

The opportunity to see these legendary ops officers, and their insight and their breadth of knowledge is really unique. Im not aware that anything quite like this has been attempted.

Admission to the conferences insider view of the intelligence world isnt cheap  two-day tickets are $349.

Plame is a former Central Intelligence Agency covert officer who was outed as a CIA agent in a 2003 newspaper column after her husband, Joe Wilson  a former diplomat  had first authored an op-ed critical of President George W. Bushs statements about Iraq and its efforts to obtain uranium during the run-up to the Iraq war.

An investigation found that her identity and CIA employment was leaked by President Bushs Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Vice President Dick Cheneys chief of staff Lewis Scooter Libby. In 2007, Libby was convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. His sentence was commuted by Bush, and he was pardoned by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Plame is now an author and a speaker. Her memoir was turned into a 2010 film, Fair Game, starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn.

None of the talks at La Fonda will jeopardize or divulge any classified information, but there will be information that the general public likely hasnt heard much about, Plame said.

The speakers, who she described as legendary, include former CIA intelligence officer and current national security consultant James Lawlor, who will give a talk on how the CIA has recruited spies. Former CIA officer, author, and professor of national security and intelligence Glenn Carle will give a talk titled Terrorism, Intelligence and the Paradigms of Perception.

Bruce Held, who, besides working for the CIA, also held leadership positions with the Department of Energy, including as an acting undersecretary for Nuclear Security and the director of its Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, will provide an inside look at the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Mary Beth Long, who has held several positions within the Secretary of Defenses office, will talk about covert action. And Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, whose resume includes being a former CIA officer and the DOEs director of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, and who currently leads Harvard Universitys Intelligence Project, will ponder questions about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

They have worked at the highest levels of intelligence and (as) senior U.S. policymakers, Plame said. Id have to add up how many combined years of experience, but its significant.

And theyve really devoted their lives, it sounds cliche maybe, but (to) making the world safer.

Other events at the conference include discussion of nuclear weapons in the age of Trump and a debate-style panel on whether there was Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

Was there interference, is it somewhat hysteria whipped up by the media that are critics (of the president)? she said of the viewpoints that could be presented during that discussion.

NM connections

One of the keynote speakers, Held, has longstanding connections to New Mexico. After a 30-year career with the CIA, Held was chief of counterintelligence for Sandia National Laboratories from 2002-09. He then held various positions with the DOE, including heading the National Nuclear Security Administration, before retiring from government work in 2015. He spends part of the year at a home in Albuquerque and also wrote the 2011 book A Spys Guide to Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

He told the Journal that his talk, The Cuban Missile Crisis: A Secret Intelligence Perspective, will chronicle the 18 months leading up to the infamous 13-day affair. He plans to give an inside look at what the CIA knew about the Soviet Unions plans for missiles in Cuba  thanks largely to a reliable spy and several successful flights using U-2 aircraft to confirm what was going on  and when they knew it, and how that knowledge impacted government decision-making.

We got everything perfect, he said of the U.S. in that historical moment. The right facts, the right analysis of what those facts meant and we had a White House that was disappointed that their view of the world  their view of the Soviets  was not correct (and) that the Soviets were trying to defeat them, but we had a White House that had an open mind and listened to what we were telling them.

Held said he wants to emphasize the relevance of this story for modern-day Americans. Having accurate and reliable information, and a president like Kennedy who was willing to listen to what government agencies were telling him made it one of the greatest intelligence successes in world history and prevented a nuclear holocaust.

Held also expressed concern about the current very public discord between todays intelligence and policymaker communities.

Good factual intelligence and political leaders who listen to that intelligence is vital to your personal wellbeing, said Held.

Going forward, Plame expressed interest in making Spies, Lies and Nukes a traveling seminar and potentially partnering with prestigious institutions with robust national security programs, such as Stanford or Dartmouth.

I want it to be provocative, she said of this first conference. I want it to be challenging, I want it to engage the audience as much as possible. I dont just want people speaking at them.

Spies, Lies and Nukes

WHEN: Nov. 3-4

WHERE: La Fonda Hotel, 100 E. San Francisco St.

TICKETS: Early bird tickets are available until Saturday, Oct. 20. Two-day admission is $349. Two-day admission plus access to the Friday night VIP reception is $420 (those prices each will increase by $50 after Saturday). Access to the VIP reception only is $95 (ticket price increases by $30 after Saturday). A two-day admission deal for eight people is available for $2,500 (that price will increase by $340 after Saturday).
SANTA FE  The mother of an inmate who died in a solitary confinement cell in the Penitentiary of New Mexico south of Santa Fe is suing the Department of Corrections for wrongful death.

The suit maintains penitentiary staffers used pepper spray on the inmate when his body was found.

Its the second lawsuit the mother has filed over the death in less than a year.

Francisco Luevano, who was in prison for several convictions, including voluntary manslaughter and aggravated battery on a peace officer, was found dead in his cell in October 2016.

Jonella Luevano, the inmates mother, claims in a lawsuit filed in state District Court this week that officers didnt check on her son for almost four hours while he was being housed in a segregation unit where inmates require more supervision due to mental health needs.

The DOC, prison Warden German Franco, guards Mathew Zamora and Marvin Torres and another unnamed guard have been named as defendants.

In December, Jonella Luevano filed a lawsuit against the DOC for Inspection of Public Records Act violations, claiming the department wasnt releasing records related to the investigation of her sons death. That suit is still pending, but attorneys on both sides have filed a joint motion to dismiss some of the counts.

On Oct. 16, 2016, Torres, Zamora and the unidentified guard provided inmate Luevano his dinner tray through a food port at 4:03 p.m. Luevano is believed to have been unresponsive at that time, the lawsuit says, and his tray was untouched and removed seven minutes later.

At 4:35 p.m., the three officers glanced into Mr. Luevanos cell window, but made no attempt to ensure his safety, the suit says. Security footage shows that no one checked on the cell again between 4:35 p.m. and 8:19 p.m. At 8:19, Torres and an unknown medical staff member walked into Luevanos cell and noticed something was wrong, according to the suit.

The door to Mr. Luevanos cell was opened and DOC staff sprayed him with OC spray, commonly known as pepper spray, the suit says. It is believed that Luevano had been dead for several hours since his body was undergoing rigor mortis.

The next day an email was sent to the DOC staff regarding the deaths of Luevano and another inmate at a different facility the night before. The email indicated staffs failure to conduct unit checks was a common denominator in both deaths, the lawsuit states.

The suit says the defendants knew Luevano suffered from mental illness and other inmates in the area Luevano was held in are usually checked every 20 minutes due to their serious mental health and medical needs.

Corrections spokesman S.U. Mahesh did not respond to emailed questions. The department has not been served with the lawsuit and is not in position to comment on specific allegations therein, Mahesh wrote.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Netflix is nearing the finish line in its quest to purchase and operate Albuquerque Studios after city councilors on Thursday unanimously approved a $4.5 million city economic incentive package for the California-based streaming-video provider.

Councilors also approved the citys role as fiscal agent for the states $10 million contribution in Local Economic Development Act funds.

As part of the agreement, Netflix commits to direct spending on its own productions in New Mexico of at least $600 million in the first five years occupying the studio, and $400 million in direct and indirect spending, which includes leasing the facility to other production companies, in the following five years.

The deal would also bring about 1,000 film and television production jobs per year.

Numerous city officials and stakeholders in the citys filmmaking, education and economic development areas, as well as members of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce and Albuquerque Economic Development, had smiles on their faces as they left the council chambers.

The LEDA money itself is specifically designed for these kinds of projects, Terri Cole, president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, told councilors. Weve been working very hard  together with many stakeholders, to create a strong film community.  Netflix takes the film industry to the highest level. We are excited about this.

Rick Clemente, CEO of Albuquerque-based I-25 Studios, told councilors not to worry about his studio as a result of the Netflix deal.

People ask me whether Im worried that Netflix is going to put us out of business, Clemente said. My phone has been ringing off the hook. Netflix is going to run that place more efficiently than you can run an ordinary studio because they run the supply and the demand, and they can coordinate the timing.  Its the most positive thing that has happened since I moved here from L.A. to be in the movie business 11 years ago.

Officials from Netflix told a news conference earlier this month they are in negotiations to purchase the 28-acre Albuquerque Studios site with plans to make it its principal production hub in the United States. The company uses three production facilities in North America other than Albuquerque  Los Angeles, Atlanta and Vancouver, Canada  all of those are leased facilities, however.

Netflix intends to invest more than $30 million for acquisition, renovation and improvement at the Albuquerque Studios facility, as well as maintain and operate the facility for at least 10 years. Netflix officials have not released details about the sale price of the studio.

Alicia Keyes, film liaison at the Albuquerque Film Office, told councilors closure of the sale of the studio facility would take place in a few weeks. She also said the deal means more opportunities for those who conduct business with film companies, such as lumber, barricade and hospitality companies.

It has taken us 16 years to get where we are today, welcoming Netflix to Albuquerque, Keyes said. This deal happened because legislators, administrators, elected officials, and the people of New Mexico and Albuquerque believed in creating a new industry and an economic driver for our community. This deal not only means $1 billion in spend to New Mexico, it means we will no longer be calling our seasoned location managers and asking them if theyre ready to step up and be production supervisors. It means we will have (production assistants) jobs  waiting for students coming out of the CNM crew training program.

Council President Ken Sanchez, who sponsored the LEDA ordinance with Councilor Pat Davis, said it was time for lights, camera and action.

 This will put Albuquerque on the world production stage because I think this is the beginning of a snowball of what were going to see with Netflix coming to Albuquerque. I know theres talk of other studios wanted to locate here, plus Im really pleased to see Central New Mexico College is doing a really fine job training the workforce.

Albuquerque Studios, in the Mesa del Sol community, opened in 2007 with eight sound stages, production offices and a back lot.

After legal issues and defaults, the studio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010. In September 2011, Amalgamated Bank announced that the studios would operate debt-free after a wholly-owned subsidiary of the banks LongView Ultra Construction Loan Fund took control of the studio. They have sought a new owner since that time.

Netflix has brought projects to New Mexico, such as the Western series Godless, as well as Longmire, Chambers, Messiah, The Ridiculous 6, Daybreak, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and Walk. Ride. Rodeo.

The companys activity in the state has averaged two productions per year over the last three years and, according to the New Mexico Film Office, the average budget for those productions is $39 million.

According to the University of New Mexico Bureau of Business and Economic Research, about 70 percent of Netflix purchases will take place in Albuquerque  and those purchases are 100 percent taxable.

Clawbacks include monetary penalties if Netflixs spending by Dec. 31, 2023, is less than 90 percent of the $600 million performance target or spending is not at least an additional $400 million by Dec. 31, 2028. They also include monetary penalties if Netflix ceases operations at the studio before Dec. 31, 2028.

We appreciate Council moving so quickly in acting on the deal we reached to bring Netflix to Albuquerque, Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement after the vote. Our partnership with Netflix will make our city a hub for film, while creating good-paying jobs with training accessible to Burquenos from all walks of life. We also demonstrated to the national business community that we can get things done efficiently and on time when its in the best interests of our city.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Apart from a few excited whispers, the Valley High School Performing Arts Center went silent at 10:26 a.m. Thursday despite the rows and rows of students.

Then radio static crackled, breaking the silence.

The sound of a radio operator quickly followed: How do you read? Over.

On the other end of that signal was astronaut Dr. Serena Aunon-Chancellor.

The conversation wasnt unlike a long-distance phone call, albeit a bit fuzzy at times. Thats because Aunon-Chancellor was quite a distance away, establishing contact while flying aboard the International Space Station.

She answered about 15 questions from Valley High School, Mission Avenue and Chaparral elementary school students that ranged from how well she sleeps in space  she sleeps very well in space, by the way  to the most hazardous parts of the travel.

As an 8-year-old, Aunon-Chancellor would watch shuttle launches and dream about being an astronaut, she reminisced aloud to the kids.

Still, her work comes with challenges.

During the interview, she talked about the toxic chemicals astronauts have to be aware of when traveling and told the kids about the many years of training she went through.

The hardest part of the job? Being away from her family for long periods of time, she said.

It was great talking, she said cheerily just before signing off.

It was a short call, roughly 10 minutes, but it took over a year to orchestrate.

Alma Ripley, Chaparral assistant principal, told the Journal that students began working on an application for the opportunity in September 2017. From nearly 1,000 worldwide applicants, Valley High was one of a dozen schools selected for the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station program.

Setting up the radio at the school took six weeks itself, an effort coordinated by the High Desert Amateur Radio Club of Albuquerque.

Valley High is no stranger to the process, though, having hosted the same event before in 2016 to talk with NASA astronaut Jeff Williams.

On Thursday, Aunon-Chancellor wasnt the only astronaut the kids got to hear from.

Mike Mullane, a veteran of three space shuttle missions and who grew up in Albuquerque, took to the stage and told of his travels, too.

The St. Pius X High School alumnus talked about being a child during the space race and his love and curiosity for all things aviatic and celestial.

He detailed the step-by-step process of a space journey, and described the surreal feeling of looking out the window of the aircraft, seeing Albuquerque from the sky when so often as a child he would stand on the desert ground, looking up into space.

Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Raquel Reedy applauded the Valley Air Force JROTC STEM program, the districts K-12 STEM Initiative and the other team members that made the event happen.

When I was a young girl, the idea of talking to astronauts was the stuff of science fiction, she said.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

District Attorney Raul Torrez said Thursday that focusing prosecutions on defendants with long criminal histories is one of several reasons that Albuquerque  during the latter part of 2017 and the first part of 2018  saw a sustained decrease in crime for the first time in eight years.

This is a significant, significant milestone for this community, Torrez said during a luncheon put on by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.

There were a total of more than 4,000 crimes reported in August 2017, and that number dropped to about 3,000 cases in July 2018, according to statistics from the DAs Office.

Its been widely publicized that when Torrez took office in January 2017 he inherited 8,000 felony cases that had been referred to his office but never prosecuted. That, in part, was because new court rules put in place in 2015 set strict deadlines for criminal cases once they were launched and so many cases instead lingered for fear of a dismissal.

Since then, Torrez said, his office has combed through those cases and found that about 10 percent of them were committed by the same 111 people. Prosecutors have since filed 518 felony cases against those individuals.

Of those cases, 76 percent have been sentenced or are pending sentencing and 24 percent of those cases are still being prosecuted. He said that effort was an example of how targeting defendants with long criminal histories has helped start a reduction of crime in the city.

We had to come through and develop a triage system which basically identified the most highest risk, most impactful criminal defendants inside the backlog, he said.

Del Esparza of Esparza Advertising, who is part of the chambers Public Safety Bold Issues Group, called Torrez an agent of change and said hes optimistic about the recent crime trend. The chamber has made addressing crime in Albuquerque one of its priorities.

Homicides were up 18 percent in the first half of 2018 compared with 2017. But other crime was down. Albuquerque city officials have said that through the first six months of 2018, automobile burglary and robberies were down 31 percent compared to the first half of 2017, and auto theft and commercial burglaries were down 16 percent compared to the same time period.

Thats a sharp turnaround from previous years, when Albuquerque saw a significant increase in crime from 2014 to 2016. Both violent and property crimes increased 26 percent during that period and homicides were up 102 percent.

Torrez at the luncheon also described other changes that have been made to the District Attorneys Office in the last year and a half or so:

 The office has created a Crime Strategies Unit, which uses computer algorithms and other techniques to find crime trends that prosecutors may not catch. Those trends could be that certain defendants have been arrested driving the same car or been living at the same address or have used the same gun. That can lead law enforcement to build bigger cases against larger groups of people.

 The office has continued to send more cases to federal prosecutors. There have been 74 cases originating in state court prosecuted in federal court, and all the cases have led to convictions. Some of those suspects had been arrested on state charges multiple times but were ultimately released for a variety of reasons.

 Prosecutors have decreased the amount of time it takes to start a case in district court once it has been referred to them by law enforcement. Torrez said in recent months prosecutors have started cases in state district court, usually through a grand jury or a preliminary hearing, in fewer than 20 days once they are referred. In 2015 and 2016, it would take longer than 100 days on average, which helped create the astronomical and historical backlog of cases, he said.

Torrez said that was important because two strong deterrents to crime is when suspects know there will be punishment and the speed with which the case is handled.

A key to the changes in the DAs office is an increased budget approved by lawmakers and signed by the governor earlier this year.

When asked what resources he would need to continue to lower the citys crime rate, Torrez said the citys crime problem is also the result of more New Mexican children growing up with adverse childhood experience, such as poverty, parental incarceration or abuse. He is co-chair of Mission: Families, a United Way of Central New Mexico initiative intended to develop programs that target families faced with problems such as addiction, violence and the incarceration of a parent.

The public safety crisis were living through is something that was built into the system a generation ago with kids who suffered tremendous trauma, he said. The reality is if you really want to build a safe community, (reducing adverse childhood experiences) is where you need to focus.

The District Attorneys Offices victim advocates and retiring Metropolitan Detention Center Greg Rees were also recognized during the luncheon.
We at Americans Against Abusive Probate Guardianship-New Mexico (AAAPG.net) are very interested in learning how both candidates running for New Mexico governor would handle the governors responsibilities within the flawed guardianship system in New Mexico.

The governor plays a critical role in guardianship because (many) of the judges in the state are governor-appointed. For example, former Democrat Gov. Bill Richardson appointed Justice (Charles) Daniels, Judge (Shannon) Bacon, Judge (Beatrice) Brickhouse and former Judge (Sarah) Singleton. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez has appointed Judge (Nancy) Franchini, among others.

In the last decade, the above judges have been a party to multiple guardianship cases. They have:

 Court-ordered hundreds of wards into the now federally indicted and defunct Ayudando Guardians, where they allegedly had their monthly Social Security disability checks stolen by Susan Harris and Sharon Moore, Ayudando Guardians owners.

 Court-ordered millions of dollars of settlement monies from multiple clients to be placed in the now indicted and defunct Paul Donisthorpes Desert Trust, where their legal settlements were stolen.

All these judges have participated in the secret re-assignment of over 100 of Ayudandos former wards to new corporate guardians, keeping family and the public in the dark. In the case of Mendiolas son Matthew, a ward of Ayudando Guardians since 2011, she was informed about the transfer of guardianship from Ayudando Guardians to CNRAG after the hearing was held so there was no way she could attend the hearing.

The Albuquerque Journal exposed these corrupt guardianship cases, yet not a single judge has stepped forward to explain where any of the money that they court ordered into the various corporations has gone: $4.2 million, Ayudando Guardians; $4.8 million, Desert Trust; $5.1 million, Blair Darnell Estate.

We are requesting a public statement from both candidates answering the following questions:

1. What steps would you, as governor, take in order to ensure your judicial appointees at all levels provide accountability and oversight for the vulnerable under court-appointed guardianship and/or conservatorship?

2. If elected governor, what steps would you take to ensure your judicial appointees do not violate their oath and powers granted to them?

3. If your judicial appointee/s were to violate their oaths or abuse the powers granted to them, how would you address their actions?

On behalf of all the vulnerable individuals trapped in a corporate guardianship, we implore that the next governor of New Mexico seeks justice for these vulnerable New Mexicans by providing the accountability, oversight and protection they deserve.
WASHINGTON  President Trumps constant, relentless, remorseless lying is a central feature of his presidency, an unprecedented threat to our democracy and  in my view  an impeachable offense.

I realize it does not qualify as news that Trump lies all the time. I also realize it is not always possible to draw a bright line between untruths Trump knows are untrue and conspiratorial nonsense he might foolishly believe. But never before have we had a leader who so pollutes the national discourse with garbage that he at least ought to know is false  and I fear the consequences will be with us long after Trump is gone.

At his inauguration, Trump swore to faithfully execute the Office of President. He violates that oath when he speaks to the nation in bad faith. Other presidents have lied  Lyndon Johnson about Vietnam, Richard Nixon about Watergate, Bill Clinton about Monica Lewinsky. But never have we had a president who lies about everything, who invents his own fake facts, who continues to trumpet patent falsehoods even when confronted with actual facts.

And yes, undisputed facts do exist and can be ascertained. I am not talking about subtle matters of interpretation; Im taking about knowing falsehoods, commonly known as lies.

Here is just one example: At a roundtable with a group of workers in Duluth, Minn., in June, Trump said, The head of U.S. Steel called me the other day, and he said, Were opening up six major facilities and expanding facilities that have never been expanded.' A few days later, at the White House, Trump said, U.S. Steel just announced theyre expanding or building six new facilities.

Reporters called the company for details and learned that U.S. Steel has not announced plans to open any new domestic steel mills, period. Not six new plants, not even one. The Washington Posts Fact Checker column gave Trump the maximum four Pinocchios for his patently untrue statement. End of story, right?

Wrong. More than a month later, at a campaign-style rally, Trump declared U.S. Steel is opening up seven plants. At another around the same time, he told supporters that U.S. Steel just announced that theyre building six new steel mills.

Six new plants, seven new plants, whats the difference when neither is true and the real number is zero? In June, Trumps claim might have been called a misstatement or a falsehood or an untruth. A month later, after the truth had been clearly established, that same claim could only be called a bald-faced lie.

And those are just a smattering of the more than 5,000 falsehoods from Trump that the Post has tallied since he took office. Trump clearly understands the benefit of flooding the zone. If, during the course of a rally or a news conference or an interview, he tells one glaring lie, thats where all attention will be focused. But if he tells a dozen lies, or two dozen, it is all but impossible for critics to keep up. By the time all those lies have been called out, Trump will have spewed a few dozen more.

In an interview broadcast Sunday, 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl offered a valuable lesson in how to pin Trump down. At one point, he was trying to leave the false impression that there is serious scientific debate about whether human activity has contributed to climate change. They say that we had hurricanes that were far worse than what we just had with Michael, Trump said.

Who says that? Stahl interjected.  They say? 

People say, Trump responded. People say  Finally he claimed, without offering a shred of evidence, scientists  have a very big political agenda  a dodge amounting to an admission that Trump had no factual basis for the claims he was making.

When Stahl turned to Russias meddling in the 2016 election, and Trump said I think China meddled also, Stahl again called him on it: You are diverting the whole Russia thing.  You are, you are. Trump got so flustered he said, Lesley, its OK. In the meantime, Im president, and youre not.

And that is the point.

When Trump insists on his own invented facts, he makes reality-based political dialogue impossible. His utter disregard for truth is a subversion of our democracy and a dereliction of his duty as president. The Founders considered themselves men of honor whose word was their bond. They left us the vague, encompassing phrase high crimes and misdemeanors for just such an emergency.
WASHINGTON  Now that the DNA is out of the bag, Sen. Elizabeth Warren can put her Native American heritage down for a nap  maybe.

After two and a half years of being mocked by Donald Trump as Pocahontas, referring to the Massachusetts Democrats claim that shes part American Indian, Warren had her DNA tested. The results released Monday showed strong evidence that she is, indeed, a little bit Native American, possibly going back six to 10 generations  somewhere between 1/64th and 1/1,024th Indian.

She had to do it. As long as Trump breathed, Warren would be viewed by many as the caricature he had drawn. If Trump knows anything, its branding  and he had painted a big P  not for president  in the middle of Warrens forehead. His reaction upon hearing the news? Who cares?

Indeed. But, of course, Trump did care and loved the Pocahontas moniker so much he couldnt stop using it  over and over and over. Others also cared because Warren had listed herself as a minority in an Association of American Law Schools directory.

The senator also once recounted her aunts common refrain that Warrens grandfather had high cheekbones like all of the Indians do.

Theres nothing sinister about repeating family lore there might be Native American blood in the lineage going way back. And, until recently, there was virtually no way to prove or disprove it.

I heard similar tales growing up about my own familys possible Native American roots. And as a child, I wanted  deeply  to be an Indian princess, and always played on the Indian side when the neighborhood cowboys invaded our territory. To find out if her story was true, Warren enlisted the help of a Stanford University genetics professor, Carlos Bustamante, whose DNA testing strongly supported Warren is Native American. And, proud of it, according to a video released by her campaign, in which she is shown talking by phone to Bustamante and saying, The president likes to call my mom a liar. What do the facts say? I dont know Cherokee for Oy, but consider it said.

Meanwhile, what is all this business about pride in ones genetic heritage, especially at the minuscule percentages under discussion? At what point does one get to brag about his or her ancestry? Outward pride in a faint, distant heritage does carry a whiff of confiscatory entitlement. Or, perhaps, a type of territorial one-upsmanship, as in: My family was here before your family.

Native American leaders didnt exactly embrace Warrens announcement. A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship, said Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. in a statement. Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage.

Poor Warren. All she wanted to do was defend her mothers honor, and she has only gone and made things worse. It seems she has no one with whom to celebrate her proud heritage.

Ahem. As it turns out, Im not busy and, I, too, am part Native American, according to the genetic-testing company 23andme  a whopping 1 percent. Im also part Viking, as well as Neanderthal, but probably so are you.

Which is to say, this is all fun and interesting  and also ridiculous. Whats your sign? may soon morph into Whats your DNA? It will be nice if someday we no longer find it necessary to segregate ourselves according to our long-ago lineage. We are, after all, descended from the same original source, and our differences, while interesting, are largely inconsequential.

Youd never know it by our politics, which daily vacillate between surreal and absurd. In that vein, its hard to imagine what could top a celebrity game-show president causing a brilliant, scholarly woman to test her DNA so he would stop teasing her and she could run for president. Ive got an idea: Kathleen Parker for president on the Viking ticket.
Journal endorsements in this years general election continue today with Bernalillo County races for District 5 county commissioner, sheriff and county and AMAFCA bonds. For election coverage and candidates answers to questions on the issues, go to ABQJournal.com and click on the Voter Guide.

Bernalillo County Commission, District 5  James Smith

Before he was appointed to the Bernalillo County Commission, Republican James Smith  a retired teacher  represented the East Mountains and Placitas in the state House of Representatives. During seven years in the Legislature, Smith proved to be an effective lawmaker, championing common-sense education reforms and sponsoring several bills dealing with transparency. As a county commissioner, he opposes tax hikes and is committed to working closely with the Sheriffs Office to ensure the agency is fully funded, gets more deputies and has needed technology to fight crime. He understands the importance of focusing on behavioral health to ensure we can curb homelessness and drug problems.

Smith is running against Democrat Charlene Pyskoty for the District 5 seat, representing the East Mountains, Four Hills and part of the Northeast Heights. The Journal recommends voters keep James Smith as District 5 commissioner.

Bernalillo County Sheriff  Lou Golson

He served the public for 39 years in law enforcement and worked in various units of the Albuquerque Police Department until he was shot in the line of duty and forced into light duty until his retirement. Now Golson, a Republican, wants to head up the largest sheriffs office in the state, and voters should give him that opportunity. Golson is a career cop who understands the importance of transparency and accountability to a department and the public  and unlike the current sheriff is in favor of outfitting deputies with body cameras. He is rightly concerned about reckless behavior his opponent  Democrat incumbent Sheriff Manuel Gonzales  has allowed on his watch, most notably the skyrocketing number of pursuits since Gonzales changed the chase policy. In 2016, there were 11 pursuits; in 2017, that number hit 74. In one recent pursuit, a 66-year-old man was killed after being struck by a suspected car thief deputies were chasing. There was also a spate of nine shootings over a four-and-a-half-month period last year, including one in which the undersheriffs son fired shots that killed a driver and unarmed passenger. Because there are no recordings of these incidents, the public has to take Gonzales word they were justified.

Its time for a change at the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, and Golson is a veteran officer who can put together a strong support team to bring it. The Journal endorses Lou Golson for sheriff.

Bernalillo County Bonds  For

Bernalillo County is asking voters to approve six bonds that would generate $38.7 million for community improvement projects. Most of the projects are worthwhile and necessary, and approving the bonds would secure $35.4 million in matching funds. County officials say there will be no property tax increase even if all six are approved. County officials also note the projects would support 202 direct and indirect construction jobs and generate $19 million in direct and indirect construction salaries for area workers. Heres a breakdown:

 Library Bonds, $1.75 million, to purchase books and other materials for all branches of the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County library system.

 Public Safety Facilities and Other County Buildings Bonds, $16.75 million, to upgrade fire stations, install an emergency mobile radio system, construct a 12,000-square-foot Commission chamber and purchase a public safety training and helicopter facility, all of which are much needed. Unfortunately, $750,000 from this bond would be earmarked for a West Central/Route 66 Visitors Center. Given the many needs in the county, designating three quarters of a million dollars for a visitor center doesnt seem like a good use of taxpayer money.

 Parks and Recreation Bonds, $4.95 million, to improve everything from ball fields to Tom Tenorio Park to the South Valley Pool.

 Transportation Bonds, $8.5 million, to design, construct and repair roads and related non-motor vehicle pathways including $500,000 to extend Sunport Boulevard from Broadway to Interstate 25, a project that will generate nearly $15 million in federal matching funds.

 Storm Drainage and Utilities Bonds, $5.5 million, to pay for fiber optic installation, flood damage reduction and storm drainage projects and sewer infrastructure, including more than $2.8 million for Barcelona storm drainage.

 Public Housing Bonds, $1.25 million, to modernize senior and disabled multifamily units and fund Phase 2 of the Tiny Homes project.

The Journal recommends voters approve all Bernalillo County bonds.

GO Flood Control Bonds, $25 million  For

The Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority would use this bond to fund additional improvements to its flood control system, including the Louisiana-Gibson Regional Drainage Facility at Kirtland Air Force Base, the Calabacillas Grade Control Structure 1A1, Montano Levee and Hamilton Dam. Approval will not result in a property tax increase.

The Journal recommends voters OK the AMAFCA bond.

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

Four contested Court of Appeals races pit Republican incumbents  all appointed by Gov. Susana Martinez in the past two years  against women Democratic challengers, meaning this years election brings the potential for the courts first-ever female majority.

The 10-judge court, which hears around 900 cases a year, now consists of six men and four women, five Democrats and five Republicans. Just one of those women, Democrat Jennifer Attrep, is up for election this year, and she is running unopposed.

The women candidates include a state District Court judge, an attorney tasked with reviewing officer-involved shootings in Bernalillo County, a private practice lawyer and a former president of the Womens Bar Association.

Their male opponents include a former military prosecutor, a lawyer who dedicated his career to appeals work, a private practice lawyer and an attorney named the Outstanding Civil Defense Lawyer in 2014.

All eight candidates are receiving around $180,000 in public campaign financing.

Heres a closer look at each race. Much of the information is based on candidate responses to Journal questionnaires.

Position one

Stephen French was most recently appointed to the Court of Appeals in December 2016. He was appointed earlier that year but lost a subsequent election. Before that he served as a mediator, prosecutor, defense lawyer and civil trial attorney both in state and federal courts. French, a Republican, is a Highland High School graduate who attended the California Western School of Law and was named Outstanding Civil Defense Lawyer in 2014.

Opposing him is Democrat Kristina Bogardus, an Albuquerque attorney who spent 27 years practicing law and representing parties from across the state. Since graduating from UNM law school, Bogardus has worked as a mediator, arbitrator, special master and Guardian ad Litem, a hearing officer for the state Disciplinary Board, as well as a clerk for the Court of Appeals.

Position two

Hank Bohnhoff, a Republican from Sandia Park and Columbia Law School graduate, spent nearly three decades with the Rodey Law Firm representing individuals, business and governments before he was appointed to the Court of Appeals in February 2017. As an attorney he says he handled a wide spectrum of lawsuits, including personal injury, workers compensation, real estate and water. As a judge, he has helped decide more than 200 appeals.

Jacqueline Medina is his Democratic challenger. The Albuquerque lawyer reviews officer-involved shootings for the Second Judicial District Attorneys Office, and worked in the criminal appeals division of the Attorney Generals Office for 17 years prior to that. Medina is a graduate of Taos High School and UNM law school who worked in public service for more than 24 years and says she wants to continue serving the people of New Mexico.

Position three

Emil Kiehne says he has dedicated his career to appeals work. The Los Lunas Republican was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2017, and before that he worked as a prosecutor in the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office, where he said he fought to keep child abusers, murderers and drunk drivers behind bars. Later, he worked in private practice where he handled dozens of appeals in nearly every area of the law. He received his law degree from Notre Dame.

He faces Briana Zamora, a Democrat and UNM law school graduate elected Second Judicial District Court judge in 2012 after four years as a Metropolitan Court judge. She has presided over more than 150 jury trials and points out that she brings nearly a decade of judicial experience. As a lawyer, she litigated criminal and civil cases in both the public and private sector.

Position four

A former military prosecutor, Republican Daniel Gallegos was appointed to the Court of Appeals in January after working there for five years as a staff attorney. He previously prosecuted crimes against children, DWI and domestic violence cases in both Sandoval and Bernalillo counties and spent years as both an active duty and reserve Navy Judge Advocate Generals Corps officer.

Challenging Gallegos is Megan Duffy, who has worked in private practice at a small civil litigation firm helping to solve problems for New Mexicans all over the state. She served as a president of the Womens Bar Association, clerked for a state Supreme Court justice and co-founded Albuquerque Involved, a nonprofit focused on grant-giving and community service.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.  Police say a woman was shot on the hand by a Colorado deputy following a car chase in Grand Junction.

The Daily Sentinel reports a Colorado State Patrol trooper approached a parked car occupied by a man and a woman Thursday morning, but the car tried to flee, hitting the patrol vehicle.

Grand Junction police say the man exited the car, but the woman continued fleeing. Police gave chase, and a Mesa County deputy fired a shot, striking the woman.

The woman was hospitalized with injuries not considered life-threatening. The deputy was also treated for a minor injury.

The 21st Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team is investigating the shooting.

___

Information from: The Daily Sentinel, http://www.gjsentinel.com
MOSCOW  Russian President Vladimir Putin and the president of Uzbekistan have agreed that Russia will build the ex-Soviet republics first nuclear power plant.

During Putins visit to the Uzbek capital of Tashkent on Friday, he and President Shavkat Mirziyoyev ordered the start of preliminary work at the future plants construction site.

The plant in the Navoi region of central Uzbekistan is estimated to have a cost $11 billion. It will have two 1,200-megawatt nuclear reactors and is set to begin operating in 2028.

Putin says Moscow is ready to expand military technology ties with the government in Tashkent, including the possible joint production of weapons in Uzbekistan.

Mirziyoyev says Russian and Uzbek companies also could expand their cooperation in textile industries and fertilizer production and sell the products internationally.
SINGAPORE  The United States and South Korea are scrapping another major military exercise this year, a Pentagon official said Friday, citing a push for diplomatic progress with North Korea.

The top Pentagon spokeswoman, Dana W. White, said Washington and Seoul are suspending an air exercise known as Vigilant Ace to give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue.

It was the latest move aimed at trying to nudge North Korea, which despises such U.S.-South Korean exercises, into negotiating about giving up its nuclear weapons in a way that can be verified.

Vigilant Ace is an annual exercise last held in December 2017.

White said Mattis and his South Korean counterpart are committed to modifying training exercises to ensure the readiness of our forces.

They pledged to maintain close coordination and evaluate future exercises, she said.

She said Mattis consulted Japans Minister of Defense Takeshi Iwaya on the matter and they reaffirmed their commitment to regional security.

Mattis was in Singapore for a meeting of Asian defense ministers. On Friday he met jointly with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts and then met separately with the Japanese minister.

In June the Pentagon canceled this years Freedom Guardian exercise after President Donald Trump abruptly announced that he disapproved of what he called U.S. war games in South Korea. He called the maneuvers provocative and expensive.

Trump made the announcement after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

For decades, North Korea has strongly objected to large-scale U.S.-South Korean military exercises, calling them dress rehearsals for an invasion and part of an American strategy to stifle the North. The U.S. has insisted the maneuvers are strictly defensive and are necessary to ensure a strong defense against the North, which invaded the South in 1950, prompting the U.S. to end the conflict on the Souths side.

Last years version of Vigilant Ace lasted about one week and involved more than 200 aircraft from the U.S. and South Korea flying from eight bases. The stated purpose, as with most such maneuvers between the U.S. and its allies, is to ensure that the two militaries can operate together effectively and safely in wartime and to deter an adversary like North Korea.

Senior U.S. military officials have said they have ways of adjusting to limited suspensions of exercises with South Korea but that at some point the lack of exercising the procedures involved in commanding and controlling combat forces will erode their preparedness for war.

The nominee to take over as the top American commander in South Korea, Army Gen. Robert Abrams, said at his Senate confirmation hearing in September the suspensions this year had contributed to a slight dip in combat readiness.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Republican Steve Pearce said Friday that he would immediately issue an executive order  if hes elected governor  requiring able-bodied people without children to work if they receive Medicaid.

It would help return the dignity of work and the power of earned success, he said, to poor New Mexicans who rely on the government for health care.

We should be encouraging less dependency on the government and more self sufficiency, Pearce said Friday in a speech to business and community leaders gathered for a meeting of the nonpartisan Economic Forum of Albuquerque

Pearce is competing with Democrat Michelle Lujan Grisham in New Mexicos race for governor. Both are giving up seats in Congress to run.

Pearce said Friday that he would promote apprenticeship programs for young people who dont want to attend college immediately after high school.

And he said he would use hands-on management to ensure bureaucrats in state government arent holding up the permitting process for businesses that want to build in New Mexico. The states hostility toward business, he said, has driven away companies that want to build restaurants, apartments and gas stations.

He said he didnt blame any political party in particular, and he didnt criticize Republican Gov. Susana Martinez or Democratic legislative leaders by name. Martinez cannot run this year because of term limits.

New Mexico has got everything it needs to succeed, Pearce said. We just havent had the leadership.

In a speech to the Economic Forum last week, Lujan Grisham said she would pursue a bipartisan tax commission to simplify New Mexicos tax code, change the procurement code to make it easier for local businesses to win government contracts and serve as an enthusiastic champion of New Mexico as a great place to do business.

A campaign spokesman said Friday that Lujan Grishams plans are much more detailed than Pearces.

While Michelle Lujan Grisham has released over a dozen, in-depth policy plans for economic development, job creation, combatting poverty, and education, Steve Pearce still has failed to produce a single detailed plan, spokesman James Hallinan said Friday. We can only assume that hell follow the same failed economic policies of Susana Martinez coupled with his extreme Tea Party Republican agenda.

Pearce on Friday said he would create a 50-year plan for business growth in the state, push to transform the Albuquerque airport into an international business hub and make New Mexico a national leader in renewable energy.

He described getting his first job outside the home at 9 years old as his family struggled with poverty.

His first paycheck gave him the understanding that hard work will get you almost anywhere you want to go, Pearce said. We take that from the poor.

A work requirement, he said, would affect perhaps one-third of the Medicaid population. It would target able-bodied individuals who are working age without children, he said, and the state would help train them to get them back on their feet.
Officers responding to reports of a shooting Friday morning found a man who had been shot to death lying in a grassy embankment between Candelaria and the northbound Pan American Frontage Road.

Simon Drobik, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department, said around 11 a.m. officers in the northeast area command were called to the area for reports that shots had been fired.

When they arrived they found a man was dead. The man could be seen partly obscured by high grass and shrubs and appearing to be wearing layers of clothing.

Some type of gunfight must have broke out, Drobik said. Were trying to investigate it. Were talking to witnesses.

He said they have a man in custody but hes not sure if hes a witness or involved in the shooting.

Drobik said they had not yet identified the dead man.

Officers could be seen going door to door at Motel 1 talking to guests and scanning for evidence throughout the late morning and into the early afternoon.

Well be looking at surveillance video at this hotel, Drobik said. Witnesses that drove by that saw anything, anyone running from each other, any type of description, is really going to help this case.

Tips

Police ask anyone with information about the case to contact Crime Stoppers at 843-STOP.
WASHINGTON  In a story Oct. 19, The Associated Press reported that Brett Theodos, principal research associate at the Urban Institute, estimates that only about 10 to 15 percent of the opportunity zones under the 2017 tax law will attract investment, and that around 10 percent could get 90 percent of the money invested.

Theodos offered those percentages as hypothetical numbers, not exact numbers based on data or study.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

Since taking the position, Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry has made it his mission to make nuclear cool again.

A key prong in this approach is, of course, reaching out to Americas youngsters.

Thursday afternoon, Albuquerque played host to one of the DOEs Millennial Nuclear Caucuses  this one scheduled during the agencys Nuclear Science Week  aimed at bringing together the next generation of leaders in nuclear innovation.

The idea of the Millennial Nuclear Caucus is not preaching and propaganda, said Suzanne Jaworowski, a senior adviser with the DOEs Office of Nuclear Energy and emcee of Thursdays event. It is education and discussion and conversation that hopefully youll continue to be a part of after you leave here.

The event featured keynote speaker Marius Stan, program lead of intelligent materials design at Argonne National Laboratory and, perhaps more famously, the bushy-browed actor who played Walter Whites jerk boss Bogdan in Breaking Bad.

Stans speech was followed by a panel discussion of nuclear experts.

Sitting at tables around the ballroom at Hotel Albuquerque were some of the nuclear industrys best and brightest: nuclear science students from University of New Mexico, engineers from Sandias nuclear weapons team and representatives of Arizonas Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station among them.

This audience did not need to be convinced of the possibilities and promise nuclear energy may hold, so the discussion naturally centered on how the nuclear industry can better promote itself to the general public.

While improved communication was agreed upon by most, Stan cited a single  but not simple  action that would put the publics mind more at ease about nuclear energy: solving the nuclear waste conundrum.

As exciting as using nuclear reactors to power space travel and developing small modular reactors sounds to some, the issue of what to do with waste remains a key point of contention for many.

I do wish that there was a more balanced perspective given and more time and energy and perspectives devoted to waste, to the impact to indigenous people and to some of the controversies, said attendee Eileen Shaughnessy.

Bobbi Merryman, a UNM nuclear engineering doctoral student, said she believes even though much anti-nuclear sentiment is born of fear, its beneficial for the industry to hear those concerns.

I think its important to hear those people because they do have important things to say and it makes the industry stronger to understand and to work on the things that people are worried about the most, Merryman said.
A weak El Nino weather pattern could bring milder and wetter than average conditions to New Mexico this winter, according to the NOAA Climate Prediction Centers winter outlook for December through February.

That would mean good news for the drought-stricken Land of Enchantment.

We find ourselves on the verge of El Nino this year, with the equatorial Pacific ocean recently warming to levels close to the minimum threshold, said Mike Halpert, deputy director of NOAAs Climate Prediction Center, in a telephone briefing with reporters on Thursday. Theres currently an El Nino Watch in place with a 70 to 75 percent chance that El Nino will develop during the next few months.

Although meteorologists anticipate a weak El Nino, the precipitation outlook favors wetter than average conditions for New Mexico. Drought improvement is likely for the state as well as in Arizona and southern sections of Utah and Colorado. Drier-than-average conditions are most likely in parts of the northern Rockies.

El Nino, meaning The Little Boy, or Christ Child in Spanish, is an ocean-atmosphere climate interaction that is linked to periodic warming in sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific.

During the winter, typical El Nino conditions in the U.S. can include wetter-than-average precipitation in the South and drier conditions in parts of the North.

No part of the country is favored to have below-average temperatures this winter, Halpert said.

NOAAs seasonal outlooks give the likelihood that temperatures and precipitation will be above-, near- or below-average, and how drought conditions are expected to change, but the outlook does not project seasonal snowfall accumulations.

The next winter outlook update from the College Park, Md.-based Climate Prediction Center is expected Nov. 15.
ANDERSON, Calif. - The Anderson Fire Department is at the scene of a structure fire off of Highway 273.

The fire broke out just after noon on Thursday at a large outbuilding near Jacqueline Street, off of Highway 273.

Shasta County Cal Fire is also on scene assisting.

The Tree of Life Charter School is not under evacuation at this time.

Stay with KHSL Channel 12 and actionnewsnow.com for the latest updates as they become available.

Viewer Brent Madden sent us raw footage from the scene of the fire.
By Ulla Danielsen

In 2002 a Danish group of researchers headed by medical doctor Poul Thorsen, Aarhus University, repudiated a connection between MMR-vaccine and the occurrence of autism. The following year, 2003, Poul Thorsens team succeded in repudiating a connection between mercury in vaccines and the occurrence of autism. These scientific results, published in prestigious medical journals, were broadcast the world over and received a huge amount of international attention.

Now  less than a decade later  maybe the international public, or at least those concerned with the expanding epidemic of autism, should pay attention to what is going on these days in Denmark.

In that country the Prosecution of Eastern Jutland has charged the former autism researcher Thorsen with coarse tax evasion concerning an amount of fully 6.4 million Danish crowns.

For this deed the Prosecution claims that Poul Thorsen must be punished with prison. Thorsen on the other hand - according to a leading Danish news agency - claims that he is not guilty.

In the indictment it is stated, that Poul Thorsen during the years 2001-2005 has evaded income from fees, salary or the like for 6.430.768 danish crowns. By these illegal acts the public has been denied 3.470.020 danish crowns in tax.

He is furthermore accused of having evaded paying the state 514.455 crowns in contribution to the labour market from 2001-2005.

NO COMMENTS FROM AARHUS UNIVERSITY

The management at Aarhus University declined to comment on the charges.  We neither comment on tax cases belonging to present or former employees. This we consider a private matter, says chief of press relations at Aarhus University, Anders Correll to Danish Daily Information.




All this for a court opinion letter? Medical boards are normally tasked with protecting patients against doctors who do things like sell drugs, see patients while intoxicated, commit insurance fraud, prescribe a wrong drug that ends up hurting a patient. However, this investigation probably came from higher up the chain of command. I picked a fight with a California Legislator, and he has been very vocal about openly working with the medical board to prosecute doctors who excuse patients from their vaccines, regardless of the merits of a case. I signed up for this.



So what really happened, and why should the very existence of this case concern every American? A child and his mother came to me for help. The mom described how her baby had suffered a moderate to severe neurologic reaction to vaccines almost three years prior, and she was afraid a judge in her upcoming hearing was going to force her to resume vaccines now. Medical records of the reaction were not available yet, and I gave the patient a letter of opinion to show the judge that the reaction was severe enough to justify not doing any more vaccines. The board accusation against me states that such a judgement should not be made without medical records. But this patient needed a letter right away. Getting the patients medical records ended up taking over a year. Isnt it my job to listen to my patients and believe what a parent says happened to her baby? Isnt that what ALL doctors do with their patients? A patients word is often the only evidence we have - as doctors we must trust our patients, the same way our patients trust us to look out for their best interest. After all, I dont want a child to receive a medical treatment that could cause more harm. I am going to first do no harm, every time.



The second detail in this case, and the part which ultimately prompted me to agree to a settlement, is the medical board observed that I did not make complete medical notes of the neurological exam I performed on the child at a second visit. The child came in complaining that he had been hit on the head with a hammer. I checked him out thoroughly, performed a complete neurologic exam, but you know what? I didnt write down all aspects of the exam. I documented everything else but that one detail.



Is this fight over? No it is not. This was just case number one. The medical board is already lining up four more cases, and these will be about vaccine medical exemptions under the new vaccine law. It seems there is an attempt to keep me on probation for the rest of my medical career. But the one thing Im going to do differently this time is that Im going to be very open with all the proceedings. With case one, I was silent. Upon the recommendation of my lawyers I havent said a thing until now. But Im tired of being quiet.



So, case number two involves siblings who got vaccine medical exemptions from me because one of the children has a severe medical condition that research has shown can get worse with ongoing vaccination. The other child doesnt have the condition, yet, but dad does. Exemption for reasons in a familys medical history is an amendment guaranteed under SB277. Well see if the medical board agrees - probably about two years from now. These things take a long time.



Case number three is a child with a family member who had a severe permanent neurological injury after vaccines.



Case number four is a teen who had a severe reaction to an infant vaccine, her own doctor told her to opt out of that vaccine after that, and I gave her an exemption from the teen booster dose. Well see if the board agrees.



Case number five involves siblings to whom I did not give vaccine exemptions to, but a parent somehow reported me to the medical board anyway. I dont know why yet. Should be interesting.



It alarms me to see any medical board questioning exemptions that are given to families who have suffered severe vaccine reactions. It should alarm everybody. More doctors need to stand up for their patients, especially the ones who are the most vulnerable. Im going to continue to stand for these children.



Now that case one is settled, I can go back to being loud and proud about my belief that every single patient should receive complete informed consent prior to vaccinations. This two-year period of silence has been tough. I will not rest until every single family has been given access to full, complete, objective, and un-doctored information that makes every parent fully aware of the risks they accept if they dont vaccinate their child, and all the risks they take if they do vaccinate their child. Period. And I will fight against mandatory vaccination laws until they are no more. When every single person on this planet has access to informed consent, and can make a free choice, I will then be able to say my work is done.



Thank you all for the outpouring of love and support, and your continued prayers.
Note: When will the public health community cry for a cure for autism to prevent these non-stop deaths by wandering and drowning? This is its own epidemic. Children who are drawn to water, can not speak, have no defensive, self-preservation skills are dying. I don't have stats, but I would would venture that more children have died from autism related wandering than measles in the last decade. (Let's start looking for that info.) The body of Maddox Ritch was (may have been) found. I hate how USA Today says he "RAN OFF FROM HIS FATHER," as if the boy was a naughty little imp. "Well, he RAN OFF, what do you expect?" Our kids bolt. Wander. Run. Meander. Explore. And they are as quiet as the drowning itself when they do so. Our hearts go out to this family. I've lost my girls. ALL THREE OF THEM. Gianna wandered away from a get together and went into a neighbor's house (we hadn't met) and jumped on their guest bed. Mia was lost at a 2200 acre Marriott in Orlando when she slipped out of an adjoining room hotel suite. Bella walked out the front door when I had failed to lock the screen for 1 minute having gotten Mia off the bus. She lumbered up the street toward the HIGHWAY that is across from my neighborhood. I saw her from my kitchen window and raced outside, running toward her screaming, "STOP BELLA PLEASE!!!" And she did not. She went right into the street at the exit. We are NOT BAD PARENTS. We are human.Oh, and get your flu shot. The world is very dangerously diseased.

###



GASTONIA, N.C.  Search crews found a body Thursday that they believe to be a 6-year-old autistic boy who ran off from his father at a park, police said.

The body was found around 1 p.m. ET Thursday about 4 miles from the park where Maddox Ritch of Gastonia last was seen, according to a statement from police in this city about 25 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina. The North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will make the determination on the identity of the remains.

Maddox ran off Saturday as he, his father and a friend were walking along a paved trail in Rankin Lake Park, said the boy's father, Ian Ritch. Maddox had disappeared before his dad could catch up to him.

Both parents went before the media this week to plead for any information that would lead to the discovery of Maddox. On Wednesday, Ritch appeared on national television and at a news conference to repeat the pleas. Read more at USA Today.
By Cathy Jameson

Fall down sevenget up eight

Late Thursday evening, I took a few minutes to catch up on some autism and vaccine news Id seen earlier in the week. FYI: A lot has happened over the last few days! Two groundbreaking books debuted, one on the autism epidemic and the other about the HPV vaccine. Live interviews with several prominent advocates in the autism/vaccine community took to the airwaves, and jaw-dropping discoveries and demands were made by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Childrens Health Defense. While Im elated that more information is being shared worldwide about vaccines and autism, reading through last weeks news crushed me.

Recently discovered evidence provided by Kennedy and Hazlehurst details obstruction of justice and appallingly consequential fraud by two DOJ lawyers who represented the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2007. These actions led to a denial of justice and compensation for over 5,000 families who filed claims of vaccine injury leading to autism in their children.

Its not the first time that that sort of news has left me reeling. Our communitys learned other things too late before. That happens when we find out that someone didnt do their job or that something that was done years ago didnt have to happen. Id love to hear that were only making progress but have sometimes been left feeling defeated instead...

Like when an article published in the Pace Environmental Law Review revealed that the VICP has compensated 83 cases of acknowledged vaccine-induced brain damage that include autism. Thats only documented cases that made it through the system. How many more are out there??

Like when Nancy Grace, a well-known lawyer, learned on air from Becky Estepp that families cannot sue vaccine manufacturers for vaccine injury or death. How could she not know that??

Like at the end of a fear-mongering vaccine morning news segment when Dr. Nancy Snyderman arrogantly demanded everyone to get your damn vaccine. Um, thanks but no thanks!

Like when one Congressman took the floor and begged his fellow members of Congress to do what they said they were going to do. Please! Listen to the people!!

Like when the Department of Human Health and Services didnt do their job for the last 30 years. What else have they neglected to do??

Even with all the frustration those sorts of news stories bring, I admit that there is bit of a silver lining. People are seeing this information go across their newsfeeds, theyre reading it and also talking about it. That part is thrilling! But in the same moment, my emotions will sometimes take a hit. Its just so heartbreaking to know that we have been let down. I always hope that these stories wont consume me, but how could they not? The autism journey Ive been on has had countless ups and downs. Ive gotten used to that, but I never expected the pitfalls Ive encountered to have stemmed from organizations and leaders I was told to trust.

So many families have been misled by the experts. Too many still are.

Call me naive, but it still hurts to know that people in high places have never, and will never, have my childs best interest in mind. Its a shame that I had to learn that the hard way, but thank goodness I learned it when I did. From that unfortunate experience, I learned how to be a better advocate not just for my son, who regressed post-vaccination, but for all of my children. These kids of mine - they are my pride and joy! God help anyone who tries to get between them and me.

By the weekend, I dug myself out of the doom and gloom that the news had put me in last week. Brave souls are helping validate what so many of us know, and I want to shout to the rooftops. How many times have heard or read that vaccines dont cause autism when we parents know otherwise. So often. Too often! Its taken awhile, but lies made by our government and their representatives are being revealed. Data that supports our childrens poor decline post-vaccination is being discovered. All of that is being shared with the masses. It may not be on the mainstream news yet, but these latest books, these live interviews, and RFK Jrs discoveries are good. The more he and his crew dig, the more we can teach future generations what to avoid. If families can avoid the atrocities some of us were unable to, imagine the possibilities!
Note: Anne Dachel is cataloging thousands of stories that discuss the severe changes in the American student population at her website Loss of Brain Trust. Special Education is growing. Behaviors have become pathological and far exceed anything seen in previous generations. It stands to reason that those a portion of those students who are able to get through college and grad school will also suffer from issues that hinder success. There is environmentally induced brain injury through vaccination, non-stop gaming and screen time, frankenfood, a plastic laden life from cradle days forward. Will the standards for becoming a lawyer be lowered to match the diminished capacity of students? You can't access the story because of a firewall. But you get the jist of the story. Failure at the grad school level is here.

###



Karen Sloan is the Legal Education Editor and Senior Writer at ALM. Contact her at ksloan@alm.com. On Twitter: @KarenSloanNLJ Sign up for Ahead of the Curveher weekly email update on trends and innovation in legal educationhere: https://www.law.com/static/briefings/

Multistate Bar Exam Scores Sink to 34-Year Low, Pass Rates Sag



Upticks in the average MBE scores in July 2017 and 2016 had fueled hopes of a recovery in bar exam pass rates, but the latest figure indicate otherwise. Read more here.


by Ginger Taylor

Our country has spent more than a week drowning in a "Who Do You Believe?" duel to the death, which continues to become increasingly raw, painful and divisive. But there is one bright spot... we suddenly have legislators who, after lugging centuries of baggage of treating women like their testimony counts for half a man's, FINALLY have freed themselves, and are... EVERYWHERE... echoing the cry, #BelieveAllWomen!



Sober conversations about sexual assault and the lack of women's ability to be simply taken seriously so that earnest and proper investigations can be undertaken are taking places in corners of Capitol Hill and State Houses that have previously been bereft of such talk. And those who have supported women for many years have become aggressive advocates for women's voices this week.



We now have very powerful individuals and groups demanding that women be not only taken seriously, but that they be believed in their claims of harm, and even for the FBI to investigate serious claims from more than 30 years ago.



In fact, in our own State House here in Maine, a bipartisan group of male legislators came forward as a coalition to say that women should be heard and believed. And it was led by our former Democratic Senate President, Justin Alfond (D), who said, "I believe men need to do a lot less talking, and a lot more listening."



You can imagine how happy I was to hear that, as Mr. Alfond has not listened to Maine moms who have tried to tell the legislature about their vaccine-injured children. I personally, face-to-face, invited him to meet with Maine moms (AND Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. on his visit to Maine) to hear about our concerns, and he declined. He didn't want to hear. Or believe.



I can't express how excited I am that he is now ready to do more listening!



And apparently, that is true of legislators all over DC and the country, as Senator after House Member who have previously been closed to hearing vaccine injury moms are now grabbing every camera they can find to declare that it is now time to #BELIEVEALLWOMEN!







So if you see one of your legislators who have finally decided to believe you, get to their office pronto and tell them that you are ready for them to call an FBI investigation on vaccine corruption, beginning with 20-year vaccine fraudster and head of the CDC Vaccine Safety Branch, Frank DeStefano.
Bath council member Tim Ball went so far as to declare, We are all on the autistic spectrum at some pointa statement that showed he either has no understanding of what huge numbers of parents are dealing with, or hes trying to make autism into a normal and acceptable part of the human condition.

We are all on the autistic spectrum

The only reference to adults on the spectrum was from one council member who mentioned that his partner recently was diagnosed with Aspergers (as if an independent adult with a claim of high functioning autism is comparable to the non-verbal, aggressive 16 year old still in diapers).

We have to get children suspected of having autism 

He said he knows of a child who needed

The words child and children were both used throughout the piece.

People with autism makes it sound like autism effects all ages equally, yet the article was almost exclusively about children with autism and their needs.

The meeting was covered in Somerset Live in a piece entitled, Motion backed to ensure people with autism in Bath and North East Somerset get the help they need.

Britain has surrendered to the loss of its children. Theyve given up without a fight, much like the U.S. has done. Nothing could make that fact clearer than what happened at a meeting of the Bath and North East Somerset Council on September 13 th when the subject was autism.

(UK) Bath and North East Somerset Council: We are all on the autistic spectrum

It seemed like almost everyone on the council had a personal experience with autism. Ball even remarked, Each one of us knows someone with autism.

Nowhere in the piece was the current autism rate mentioned or the fact that its been dramatically increasing over the past two decades.

The meeting was about taking action regarding autism. No one sounded worried that the numbers might go beyond two percent of children, instead councilors merely called for better support, shortening the waiting lists for a diagnosis, improving services, and recognizing autism in the criminal justice system.

One councilor chastised those present:

In the future people will look back at what we do today and wonder how we could be so cruel. As our understanding improves through time, people will think how wrong we were.

So cruel

It seems that society has been remiss in providing for this significant disabled population. Weve actually been wrong and cruel in our treatment of autistic people. One councilor was really angry over fact that Aspergers as a diagnosis has been around since 1944, but still today, it takes years for an adult to get a diagnosis.

No one asked even basis questions about why autism was such a problem now. Instead the councils worries were about adolescents with autism ending up in the prison system and misbehaving children being denied bus passes.

The message was clear: AUTISM HAS ALWAYS BEEN HERE, we just havent recognized it. Once we make all kinds of accommodations, everything will be fine.

My reply to the councilor who predicted that In the future people will look back at what we do today and wonder how we could be so cruel is this:

In the future people will look back at what we do today and wonder how we could have been so wrong to not recognize that autism is a manmade epidemic of recent origin.

MORE QUESTIONS

Why didnt anyone demand to see the same rate of classic autism in every age group, not just children?

Why didnt anyone sound an alarm over regressive alarm where healthy, normally developing children suddenly lose learned skills and end up with an autism label?

Why didnt anyone ask why the rate continues to worsen year after year, while officials can never figure out if that means more children actually have autism?

The Bath and Somerset Council may not see a growing crisis here, but the signs are everywhere in the press all over Britain.

Take a look at whats really happening to children with autism and other neurological disability in the U.K. Special education needs are overwhelming British schools and the cost is enormous. SEE THE STORIES BELOW.

How can all this be happening in a country that purports to care about the disabled?

In Lincolnshire autistic preschoolers have been ignored.

In Surrey 300-400 more special needs places will be needed in the next two years. These numbers KEEP GROWING.

In Weston theres a new SPED school because of an increased need.

In Sutton they have the highest number of SPED student in a decade, and 28% of kids with a SPED plan have autism.

In Northamptonshire theyre building a new school for kids with autism and other related disabilities. The new school is much-needed and will meet the rising demand for additional special school places

In Wolverhampton theyre adding more SPED places in three schools at a cost of $720K in US dollars.

The Suffolk County Council expects SPED numbers to increase by 28% in the next couple of years.

The South Ayrshire Council is spending $5.2M in US dollars for more SPED places in local schools.

Norwich just spent $13K in US dollars for a new sensory room for SPED students. Its for kids with limited communication skills.

Bristol is also building a new school for dozens of autistic students because of the demand for places for Bristol's most needy children.

How long can this continue?? Incredibly, everywhere in England people simply look the other way.

Sept 14, 2018, (UK) Grimsby Live: CQC expresses 'significant concerns' regarding North East Lincolnshire SEND services

Significant concerns have been raised over the quality of the disability and special educational needs service in North East Lincolnshire following an inspection.

The Care Quality Commission found "significant areas of weakness", saying local leaders have a "superficial understanding" of the needs of children and young people with special needs.

Inspectors found that the healthy child programme for children up to the age of five "is not delivered in an effective way" with too few face to face contacts and new birth visits were not always completed within statutory timescales. Two to two-and-a-half year checks are not completed in a timely way.

Parents of children with autism had previously hit out at the local authority for not providing diagnosis for children under five at all.

Sept 14, 2018, (UK) East Anglican Daily Times: It just seems a bit hopeless  familys desperate plea for autistic sons education

A family who claim their autistic son has not had suitable education since April have described their plight for appropriate provision as hopeless.

Chris and Karen Stride-Noble moved to Lowestoft from Surrey in October last year with their nine-year-old son Joseph, who was diagnosed as autistic at the age of three, and daughter Charlotte, two. Joseph suffers from behavioural issues and high anxiety and had been educated at a special school in Surrey.

The youngster was being taught at The Landing, a facility in Lowestoft which provides education for children with higher functioning autism, but the family said his inability to cope with the class sizes and his social needs meant he struggled to thrive.

A meeting with the school resulted in an outside tutor for three hours a day providing specialist education and practical skills such as cooking, but the family claims Joseph has not had full time education for more than five months.

The couple say work to get him into other schools resulted in him being turned away  either because they could not meet his needs, or because they were full. 

One of the worrying things is we are aware that there are so many people out there [wanting specialist places]. It just seems a bit hopeless.

Their plight comes after a cabinet report published last week highlighted the huge demand on special education needs services in the county, with education chiefs stating that a further 300-400 SEN places are needed in the next two years alone to meet demand  the equivalent of three or four special schools. 

The number of children and young people with special educational needs in Suffolk is growing, mirroring a national trend.

The council hopes to create these places as soon as possible with the help of a development panel.

Jack Abbott, Labour education spokesman, said: Sadly, this story isnt unique but one of many. I have an ever increasing number of families contacting me out of desperation as they have nowhere left to turn.

We are in the midst of an SEN crisis here in Suffolk and for too long the Tories have turned a blind eye to the growing and desperate need of children and their families and have failed to provide critical support to schools and teachers.

The number of children and young people with special educational needs in Suffolk is growing, mirroring a national trend.

The council hopes to create these places as soon as possible with the help of a development panel.

Jack Abbott, Labour education spokesman, said: Sadly, this story isnt unique but one of many. I have an ever increasing number of families contacting me out of desperation as they have nowhere left to turn.

We are in the midst of an SEN crisis here in Suffolk and for too long the Tories have turned a blind eye to the growing and desperate need of children and their families and have failed to provide critical support to schools and teachers.

Sept 14, 2018, (UK) Weston Mercury: Councillors concern over districts plan for special education needs school

 Building a new school for children with special educational needs could cause academies to become less inclusive, according to a North Somerset councillor.

Councillor Tom Leimdorfer is worried about the increasing number of children requiring alternative education and has questioned how North Somerset will be able to provide for these pupils in future.

The councils report says it is working on submitting a bid by October 15 to win Government funding for a new special or alternative provision school from the Department for Education.

He says there is a tremendous amount of planning being put into alternative provision to combat the growing number of children not attending school.

Cllr Leimdorfer added: Some of it is in answer to Ofsted but quite a lot of it is in answer to what seems to be an increased need.

Even if we have the resources for a new social, emotional and mental health school, and more alternative provision, is it in fact going to end up making it easier for mainstream schools and academies to be less inclusive?

The council is also exploring the need for a new primary school in the centre of Weston and completing a 300-pupil expansion project with Priory Community School by the autumn.

North Somerset Council also wants to build a 4million primary school in Yattons North End.

An opening date of either September 2020 or 2021 has been set for the school which will have capacity for 210 pupils.

Sept 13, 2018, (UK) Sutton Guardian: Pupils with SEN in Sutton requiring extra support at 11-year high

The number of children and young people across Sutton needing additional special educational needs (SEN) support is the highest it has been in 11 years.

Official data for 2018 shows there are 1,318 pupils across Sutton who require extra help  a year-on-year increase since 2014  according to the Department for Education (DfE).

But those who have an education, health and care (EHC) plan or statement, based on where they go to school, is the most since 2007.

It comes as the number of pupils with SEN has risen for a second consecutive year in England, from 1.24 million to 1.27 million.

And 253,680 children and young people across the country have a statement of SEN, or EHC, which is an increase of 11,495 since January last year.

The most common primary types of need have also remained the same from 2017.

Moderate learning difficulty is the most prevalent for additional needs support, at 24 percent, while 28.2 percent of those with an EHC plan or statement have autism spectrum disorder.

Sept 13, 2018, (UK) Northamptonshire Telegraph: Trust announces location of new special school in Rushden



A new special school for students with learning difficulties is set to open in Rushden in 2020.

Friars Academy Trust, which runs Friars Academy in Wellingborough, is delighted to announce the location of Friars East Free School, their new 145-place special secondary school in Rushden.

When the new school building is complete, it will offer places to 145 children aged 11 to 19 with special educational needs.

Friars East Free School will cater for students with moderate learning difficulties to severe learning difficulties, including students with autism.

John Turnbull, chairman of Friars Multi-Academy Trust and Suzzanne Ijewsky, executive headteacher of Friars Multi-Academy Trust, said: We are delighted that a site has now been secured for Friars East Free School.

The new school is much-needed and will meet the rising demand for additional special school places in Northamptonshire.

Sept 13, 2018, (UK) Wolverhampton Express and Star: Three schools to expand in Wolverhampton to cater for special needs pupils

Three schools in Wolverhampton will expand creating an extra 54 places for special needs pupils.

Penn Hall School, Tettenhall Wood School and Warstones Primary will take dozens of extra children under the Wolverhampton Council plans.

It comes after the authority revealed it spent 3.28 million [$4.3M US dollars] last year sending youngsters miles away for education as the city sees a marked increase in pupils with special needs.

It would mean fewer youngsters with autism, learning difficulties and physical disabilities will travel miles out of area for costly school placements.

The council said 17 per cent of primary school pupils with a hearing impairment were forced to enrol at schools out of the city in July.

The proposals are expected to cost about 550,000, [$720,000 US dollars] which will be covered by Government funding.

Growing pressures for places have seen the number of pupils on roll at special needs schools exceed registered capacities, the council said.

Tettenhall Wood School, in Regis Road, has seen a 91 per cent increase in pupil numbers over the past five years  rising from 58 in 2011/2012 to 111 in the last academic year, although it is only registered to have 102 pupils on roll.

The plans would also see the school lower its entry age from five to four to help meet an 'marked increase' in pupils with autism' in Wolverhampton.

Places at Tettenhall Wood School are now set to increase to 120 under the plans, while places will increase from 76 to 100 at Penn Hall School.

Penn Hall School would also extend its support to pupils with learning difficulties and autism and not just children with physical disabilities at its Vicarage Road base.

Sept 13, 2018, (UK) Heart: Suffolk to expand special needs education

Suffolk County Council is taking steps to improve support for children and young adults with special educational needs.

The need for specialist help is predicted to rise by 18 per cent over the next couple of years.

It's partly due to population growth and advancements in medicine.

"The range of complex needs is so great, it's not a one-size fits all - there's not one answer," said Gordon Jones, cabinet member for Children's Services, Education and Skills.

A new special school opened in Lowestoft a year ago, and another will open in Ipswich in 2020.

There will also be increased support for services in existing schools.

Sept 11, 2018, (UK) Carrick Gazette: Pupils start at new Invergarven School



The education of children and young people with additional support needs in Girvan and South Carrick has been transformed thanks to significant investment from South Ayrshire Council.



The new 4m [$5.2M US dollars] school for primary and secondary children and young people with additional support needs replaces the 1870 building on Henrietta Street and has been built by CBC in the grounds of Girvan Academy.

The school provides spaces for learning and teaching including a sensory room, life skills kitchen, multi-use hall, a rebound therapy trampoline room, hydrotherapy pool and external areas that support outdoor learning. The new school also increases capacity by around a third with 20 children and young people able to be taught at any one time (up from 15 at the old school).







Sept 11, 2018, (UK) Care Appointments: Government urged to ring fence funding for autistic schoolchildren

Ministers have been urged to ring fence funding for autistic children so schools can provide properly for them.

Labour's Lloyd Russell-Moyle said autistic children in his Brighton Kemptown constituency were "unable to access proper education".

During Education questions in the Commons, he told MPs that head teachers do not have enough funding to provide support for special educational needs (SEN). 

"When I speak to heads they want to provide support but they don't have the funding for SEN.

Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi replied: "High needs funding for children and young people with complex special educational needs, including those with autism, is now 6 billion [$7.8B US dollars] this year - the highest it has ever been, and an increase from 5 billion [$6.5B US dollars] in 2013.

"We've increased overall funding allocations to local authorities for high needs by 130 million [$170M US dollars] in 2017/18 and 142 million [$185M US dollars] in 18/19 and we will increase this further by 120 million [$157M US dollars] in 2019/20."

Sept 11, 2018, (UK) Norwich Evening News: School opens new childrens sensory room

The specialist sensory school matched a 10,000 [$13,000 US dollars] donation to create their new room.

A complex needs school in Norwich has celebrated the opening of a new sensory room.

The school, for pupils aged between three and 19, bought new bespoke equipment to help with their pupils disabilities.

Fyfe Johnston, headteacher of Clare School, said: Eighty per cent of our pupils have sensory needs, with many also having complex medical and learning needs.

We got to design most of the room, meaning we get to control the environment, and it also meant that we got really good value for money.

A sensory room is a room designed to develop a persons sense, through special lighting, music, and objects.

It can also be used as a therapy for children with limited communication skills.

Sept 11, 2018, (UK) Ipswich Star: Suffolk to look in detail at special education across the county

Suffolk County Council is to look at ways of increasing the number of places for children with special education needs at a meeting in January.

The councils cabinet heard that 300-400 extra places were needed for children with special needs in the county by 2020, equating to three to four new schools. 

It follows a consultation where we have listened to the views of our service users, partners and providers on the best way to grow our specialist education.

Opposition Labour spokesman Jack Abbott said it was vital that the council took quick effective action to deal with the shortfall in numbers for SEN services.

Sept 7, 2018, (UK) Bristol Live: School and autism facility to be created despite residents saying it'll have a 'devastating impact' on them

A new primary school and specialist autism facility will be built in Bristol despite claims by residents it would have a devastating impact on their lives.

Developing the current site in Withywood Road would cause too much stress for the autistic children, who school bosses say need a purpose-built centre.

Currently 263 pupils, 38 nursery kids and 70 autistic children use the Withywood Road site. The new facility is expected to have 420 primary places, 38 nursery places and 84 places for autistic children.

Parents of autistic children were furious with the decision, saying the current school was so rundown that buckets were being used to collect rainwater from the leaking roof.

At a Bristol City Council planning meeting on Wednesday, September 5, architects showed councillors the revised plans. They included:

Moving the site an extra 1.6-metres away from the houses 

But a number of angry residents filled City Halls public gallery to protest the application.

This is a massive building thats going onto a tiny bit of land outside our house which will have a devastating impact on our lives," she said.

His backing was echoed by parents of autistic children, who spoke movingly about the need for specialist facilities for Bristol's most needy children.
We now want to put before you as much evidence as we can, so you know what is going on. We cannot tell you everything. All of you will understand why individuals have a right to privacy and confidentiality. We ask that you all respect this, because we may not be able to tell you everything, for legal reasons and reasons of privacy.

We recognize that the last 24 hours have been exceptionally difficult and as a result, we as a Board have decided to share with you information about the decision that was made, the process by which it was made, and where we are now, in order to act in the best interests of Cochrane.

Last Thursday, the Board took a decision which divided the Board. Subsequently, four Board members chose to resign and have actively disseminated an incomplete and misleading account of events. At the same time, others contributed to a public and media campaign of misinformation.

This is about the behaviour of one individual. There has been a lengthy investigation into repeated bad behaviour over many years. It is exceptionally unusual for a Board to have to do such an investigation.

These are extraordinary times and we find ourselves in an extraordinary situation. Your Board is always happy to answer questions about our decisions, and today is no different. We want to explain how we got here today. This wasnt our original plan because we wanted to behave fairly and with integrity, in a process that respected the privacy of an individual, whilst taking place over a number of days. Days, which unfortunately span this special Colloquium.

By way of background, we are a global organization which operates under British law because we were founded as a UK charity. Our mission is to benefit the public. We are governed by our Articles of Association.

As the Board, we are in fact the employers of the Cochrane staff. All our staff, and our members, have the right to do their work without harassment and personal attacks. We are living in a world where behaviours that cause pain and misery to people, are being called out. This Board wants to be clear that while we are Trustees of this organization, we will have a zero tolerance policy for repeated, seriously bad behaviour. There is a critical need for ALL organizations to look after their staff and members; once repeated, seriously bad behaviour had been recognized, doing nothing was NOT an option.

So, here are the facts as we are able to report them. We may be able to tell you more later, we may not. Time will tell.

This Board decision is not about freedom of speech.

It is not about scientific debate.

It is not about tolerance of dissent.

It is not about someone being unable to criticize a Cochrane Review.

It is about a long-term pattern of behaviour that we say is totally, and utterly, at variance with the principles and governance of the Cochrane Collaboration. This is about integrity, accountability and leadership.

In March this year, we received three complaints about an individual. These were not the first complaints that had ever been received. In fact, the earliest recorded goes back to 2003. Many have been dealt with over the years. Many disputes have arisen. Formal letters have been exchanged. Promises have been made. And broken. Some disputes have been resolved, some have not.

It was clear to the Co-Chairs that the Board had to reach a decision about these most recent complaints. The individual then made serious allegations against one of the Senior Management Team and shared those with the Board. We seemed to be in an impossible situation. How could the Board now reach a decision about the complaints in a fair way? How could we fulfil our responsibilities as employers of the Senior Management Team? Or alternatively, act to admonish that member of the Senior Management Team if they had done wrong?

With guidance from a Trustee with extensive experience of complaints, we proposed asking a totally independent person to undertake a review. The report was to be confidential to the Board.

After failing to get agreement from the individual to an independent review, we then sought legal advice on behalf of Cochrane. We asked the lawyers, what should a Charity such as Cochrane do in this situation? We were advised that various legal consequences flowed from the events  the complaints and the accusations - and that Cochrane should take them seriously.

We asked the lawyers to take particular note of Cochranes commitment to transparency. They noted that, but also stressed the importance of confidentiality.

They advised that an independent review was both a sensible and proportionate response.

At the Governing Board Teleconference on 13th June 2018, all Board members read the letter from our lawyers. The lawyers stated that given the serious legal concerns about this matter they strongly recommended an independent review by a very senior lawyer. The Board approved a motion to accept the lawyers advice and establish the independent review.

Our lawyers identified a senior independent lawyer (QC) and he was instructed on 2nd July 2018. As part of the process, he invited written submissions from both individuals concerned. He invited both to be interviewed. The lawyer was asked to work to a deadline of the Board Meeting on Thursday last week, 13th September. And, we did in fact receive his preliminary report in time for that meeting. The report completely exonerated the member of the Senior Management Team but did not exonerate the other individual.

Whilst the review was underway, and as a completely separate matter, a paper was published in the journal BMJ-EBM co-authored by the individual concerned on July 27th 2018. The publication of this paper has proved controversial. As a result, the Board received a number of letters of complaint. Each was sent to the individual to allow a written response. In order to avoid any misunderstanding, the Board want you to be clear that this was a matter that arrived very late in this whole process.

So, at the Board Meeting on Thursday September 13th, the trustees reviewed the lawyers report of his independent review, and all the material related to the recently published paper. After they had reviewed and discussed this at length, the Trustees exercised their judgement, and looking across a broad range of behaviours, the Board came to a decision to invoke Article 5.2.1. relating to termination of membership. This was not unanimous.

As a result, Article 5.3 was triggered, and the member has been invited to make a written response within seven days.

At this point in time, this person remains a member of the Cochrane Collaboration. We are waiting for the process to be completed. We will report back to you about the outcome as soon as we are able to.

Let us repeat, this is an extremely rare and unusual thing to do. We hope never to have to do this again.



Cochrane Governing Board

17th September 2018
Note: With articles like this, you'd think the average American, even the slowest slug in town, would be able to wrap his or her head around the fact the doctors are overprescribing vaccinations with even less knowledge of side effects than with the drug Humira. Oh I know you don't need an Rx for a Vx. Might be better if you did. EEEEEEveryone can get EEEEEvery vaccine! No matter how disgusting pharmaceutical companies are found to be - Americans refuse flat out to believe vaccines have problems associated with them. Like causing an autism diagnosis.



I have an OLD competing interest - I used to work for a Philly promotions company that made chotchkes and gifts and luxe goodies for Pfizer and other pharma companies. I presented diamond earrings for a VIOXX promotion. Ain't that rich? If I 'd stayed in sales there instead of dropping out of the workforce to take care of my then 1 daughter with autism, I'd probably be rich too. Like the greedy, vile monsters in white coats who chose hypocrisy over their oath. FIRST TAKE EVERY CENT. Don't believe doctors are paid to meet vaccine quotas? Check out the screen shots from the 2016 Blue Cross INCENTIVE plan for doctors. How about $400 for each fully vaxed 2 year old? Hurry, hurry, hurry! Step right up! Roll up your child's sleeve at the greatest show on a paper covered table.









By SUDHIN THANAWALA



The Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie illegally plied doctors with cash, gifts and services to prescribe one of the worlds best-selling drugs, Humira, despite its potentially deadly complications, a California official said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

The lawsuit by the states insurance commissioner accuses the company of a far-reaching kickback scheme that led doctors to write more prescriptions for the drug, tainting their relationship with patients and driving up insurance costs. Its likely patients were prescribed Humira because of the kickbacks provided by AbbVie and not because it was the best medication to treat them, California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said on a conference call announcing the lawsuit.

Ultimately, AbbVie gambled with the health and safety of thousands of Californians lives, including children, by making sure patients continued to take Humira at any cost, all to protect their profits not the health and well-being of patients, Jones said.

Humira is an injectable drug that is widely advertised as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions and comes with a warning for cancer and serious infections that can turn deadly. It had sales of over $12 billion in 2017, according to the lawsuit. Read more here.
From The Hill.com Man arrested for shouting into Utah Republican's mic at debaten. The comments are a ghastly display of ignorance and hatred.

###



Police arrested a man Monday who interrupted a debate by shouting into Rep. Chris Stewart's (R-Utah) mic during a debate with opponent Shireen Ghorbani (D) in Utah.

Corbin Cox McMillen was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and interrupting a political debate for commandeering Stewart's mic to announce a connection between vaccines and autism, according to local CBS affiliate KUTV in Utah.

McMillen appeared to shout "vaccines cause autism," before being escorted off stage, according to multiple reports.

The Utah Debate Commission released a statement promising to improve security for future debates.

"Safety in our venues is our number one priority," the statement read, according to KUTV. "Unfortunately, one person crossed the line, was escorted out and arrested by law enforcement authorities that were present. The Utah Debate Commission will review and enhance our security at future debates while simultaneously continuing to encourage participation in the electoral process."

A Dan Jones & Associates poll from earlier this month found Stewart with an 11 point lead over Ghorbani at 45 to 34 percent with 16 percent undecided. The margin of error was 6.9 percent.

Stewart was first elected as a representative of Utah's 2nd district in 2012.


Note: Remember the early MADD campaign billboards and the praise they won? Mothers whose kids had been killed by drunk drivers lead a charge to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking and driving. Laws were passed across the nation. The legal limit went down. Programs around the country started teaching safety. Not one mother (or father) was ridiculed for the campaign (outside of the beer, wine and spirits industry.) Never did government agencies (yes you "public health departments) call them liars, fear mongers, anti-liquor. Here we have the same process. A smart man and devoted father whose perfectly healthy child lay dead in his bed is speaking out about the horror in an effort to PROTECT OTHERS. From the Daily Mail article, which is kinder than the US outlets, of course. Vaccines can kill' billboard featuring the son of a former MMA fighter, who claims the toddler died from a vaccination, goes up in Kansas City.By the way, DTaP is three vaccines in one vile, er vial. Our condolences to the Catone family. There is no greater pain than that of losing a child.



###



The billboard features a quote from the toddler's mother that reads: 'As a nurse I was never taught vaccines can kill until my son was a victim.'

The billboard was put up by Learn The Risk, a public awareness campaign and non-profit that educates the public on real dangers of pharmaceutical products, including vaccines.

According to the organization, there are also billboards in Brick, New Jersey, Nicholas' hometown, Boston, Massachusetts, Syracuse, New York, and Middletown, Connecticut.

Learn the Risk shared the information in a post that read: 'As with many healthy children that die right after vaccines, his [Nicholas'] death was labeled Sudden Infant Death (not a real cause, only a label).'

'23,000 babies die in the US in their first year of life. During that same period, children get 35 toxin-filled vaccines. Sudden death is a known side effect of vaccines. Coincidence?!!' the post added.

Earlier this month, Nick Catone opened a new gym in Ocean County, New Jersey, in honor of his son.

Nick said at the time that his son went to bed one night and didn't wake up the next morning in May 2017.

Nicholas died 17 days after receiving the DTap vaccination.

An autopsy found that nothing was wrong with the toddler, but the Catone family continued to search for answers.

'Instantly I had this gut motherly instinct that the only thing that came across his path was that he was recently vaccinated,' Marjorie told News 12.

She immediately pulled her son's medical records and noticed that he kept getting sick after being vaccinated.

'You get angry because it all could have been prevented,' Nick said.

On top of putting up the billboard, the Catones are also taking their case to vaccine court.

Vaccine court, known as the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP), was started as a result of a law passed in 1986 that gave pharmaceutical companies total legal immunity from being sued due to injuries and deaths resulting from vaccines.

The program compensates families who can prove their child was injured or died due to vaccinations. ...

Millions of vaccinations are given to children and adults in the US each year. \


Earlier this week, Mark Blaxill and Jennifer Larson met President Donald Trump at a Minnesota event. They were able to get two books into his hands. Denial: How Refusing to Face the Facts about Our Autism Epidemic Hurts Children, Families, and Our Future by Mark and our own Dan Olmsted. And How to End the Autism Epidemic by JB Handley.



I know that the President is a lightning rod. Loved by many. Hated by many. There's not a lot of middle ground. Presidents have done precious little for us. Republican or Democrat. We went 8 long years without any meaningful response from President Obama. In fact, he pushed the neurodiversity agenda further down the field than anyone expected. Katie Wright's Mom Suzanne tried in vain for years to get an audience with First Lady Obama to discuss the autism crisis to no avail. President Bush was no better for our community. Only Senator McCain (RIP) acknowledged our needs during his ill fated campaign. Clinton? Bush? Nope.



With this in mind, I recall a line taught t0 me many years ago by a mentor. "Don't punish progress." Getting these books into POTUS' hands is progress. I don't think for one minute he will read them cover to cover. Maybe someone around him will take a look though. Open the pages. Learn. Think. And we certainly must applaud the effort - very real effort of Mark and Jen to make this photo happen.



Speaking of progress, from NBC News: President Donald Trump signed two bills at the White House on Wednesday aimed at lowering pharmaceutical drug prices by promoting greater disclosure in drug pricing.

The two bills the president signed  the Know the Lowest Price Act and the Patients' Right to Know Drug Prices Act  are meant to prevent "gag clauses" in agreements between pharmacies and pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen who administer prescription drug programs for insurance companies, which pharmacists say kept them from disclosing cheaper drug options to consumers. Read more here: Trump signs bills lifting pharmacist 'gag clauses' on drug prices NBC News reported last year on the agreements between pharmacies and insurance companies that had kept some pharmacists from disclosing cheaper drug options to consumers.



The book covers on this version are blotted out for a reason. At Jen's request. We hope you will respect that. And comment as you see fit - keep it civil please. That's all I ask. Thanks. Kim












Senator Richard Pan, the patron saint of vaccine mandates in California and sponsor of SB277, the legislation that radically reduced the ability for California families to make medical vaccination choices for their children, is quoted heavily in this article below. Homeschoolers are in his sites as ripe targets for his brand of medical political jack booted thuggery.



Earlier this year, one of America's best known pediatricians, Dr. Bob Sears, was placed on probation for almost 3 years because of a medical exemption he granted. That's the strategy - choke off the supply despite the growing demand. Threaten the livelihood of doctors. Imagine that. Families want choice in how to vaccinate their children. Americans do NOT like to be told what we can and can not do with our bodies, our children. California allows every possible liberty under the sun - EXCEPT vaccination choice. Why? Cui bono? Pharma and politicians funded by them.

###

The vaccination rate for California kindergartners went down slightly last school year, including in San Diego County, after hitting a record high the previous year.

One reason for the decline: Medical exemptions are increasing. Statewide, the rate of students with medical exemptions more than tripled since the 2015-16 school year. The rate in San Diego County increased sixfold.

Although medical exemptions represented a small portion of the overall student population last school year  less than 1 percent in California and slightly more than 1 percent in San Diego County  the increase has some concerned.

Dr. Dean Sidelinger, the countys child health medical officer, said the number of children who need medical exemptions should be small, so he questions whats behind the increase.

Is it truly more kids who need a medical exemption, or is it that providers are getting more permissive in giving these medical exemptions? Sidelinger said. Read more in the Times of San Diego at Vaccination Rates For Kindergartners Decline in San Diego County.
Here's the first battle you'll read about here at Age of Autism in the war against parental choice, pediatrician choice, and thoughtful vaccination schedule planning for those who choose an alternative schedule, including no vaccination. We will support and share the stories of any and all providers who are punished by Public Health and medical boards owned lock stock and barrel by pharma and the CDC. You can always email me KimRossi1111@gmail.com for assistance.



Earlier this year, Dr. Bob Sears, a California pediatrician whom millions of Americans know as a member of the AskDrSears.com family and one of the rare doctors who has actively treated patients with autism, was disciplined for exercising caution and providing medical care for a young patient. The "treatment?" He granted a medical exemption for vaccination. In California, vaccine exemptions now verboten for all intents and purposes thanks to Senator Richard Pan's SB277 which effectively eliminated exemptions. Dr. Sears took a risk. He put patient ahead of profit. And he is paying dearly. It's disgusting.



Imagine the stress of being a military parent. You give birth alone as your husband is overseas serving our country. Stability is fleeting with move after move. So when you find a good doctor for your child, you're more than grateful. When you find Dr. Bob Sears, you're incredibly blessed with one of the few pediatricians who really understands and helps treat developmental delays and diagnoses including autism and who respects that every child can not be fully vaccinated with the bloated CDC AAP schedule. Dr. Bob Sears is a lot like our military men and women. He fights for freedom. His freedom to practice "First do No Harm" as is the tenet of his calling as a doctor. Last week, his fight cost him much of his practice and livelihood.



Please join us in supporting him and taking action.

#Istandwithsears, #lovesears, #shameontricare, #militaryfamilieslovesears

#truthresponders)

CALL: Health Net Federal Services, Tricare West 844-866-9378 and (politely) tell them you support Dr. Sears.



###

My dear patients who serve our country in the military:

It is with the heaviest of hearts that I announce that Tricare military insurance, with whom I have been contracted for the past 20 years, has ended my contract to provide medical services to military families - effective retroactively back to July 27, 2018, with no grace period.
The HPV Vaccine on Trial: Seeking Justice for a Generation Betrayed paints a devastating picture of corporate and government conflicts of interest, negligence, and malfeasance in approving and promoting human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, touted to prevent cervical and other cancers. Coming out on the heels of recent New York Times revelations about astounding financial conflicts of interest at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, this groundbreaking book highlights the lack of transparency, manipulated science, and abuse of state power to market this medical juggernaut, already raking in over $2.5 billion per year.

Please join us in supporting Holland, Mack Rosenberg and Iorio on the debut of their book!

This book reveals the tragedy of the HPV vaccine scandal.

Lawsuits against HPV vaccine manufacturers and government health agencies are progressing around the world, including the US, India, Japan, Colombia, Spain, and France.

The US government earns millions in royalties from Merck and GSK, the vaccine manufacturers, for its role in the invention of HPV vaccine technology.

Although the US government proclaims HPV vaccines safe and effective, it has paid out millions of dollars to compensate families for death, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, and other severe, debilitating conditions.

With praise from some of the worlds leading scientists on aluminum, autoimmunity, and vaccines, this book fills a critical void, giving people information they need to make commonsense decisions about this vaccine. Written in plain language, The HPV Vaccine on Trial ultimately is about how industry, government, and medical authorities may be putting children in harms way.

About the Authors

Mary Holland, M.A., J.D., is on the faculty at NYU School of Law, directs its Graduate Lawyering Program, and lives in New York City.

Kim Mack Rosenberg, J.D., is a lawyer in private practice and lives in New York City.

Eileen Iorio has practiced in the financial and health fields and lives outside New York City.

To request a review copy or to arrange an interview with the author, please contact:

Nick Magliato / (212) 643-6816 x 225 / nmagliato@skyhorsepublishing.com

The HPV Vaccine on Trial: Seeking Justice for a Generation Betrayed

By Mary Holland, M.A., J.D.; Kim Mack Rosenberg, J.D.; Eileen Iorio

Skyhorse Publishing paperback, also available as an ebook

On Sale: October 2, 2018 / $19.99

ISBN: 9781510710801
Editorials from Laura Hayes:

The Microbiome Series by Teresa Conrick

An Elaborate Fraud Series: Brian Deer, BMJ, Murdoch, Dr. Andrew Wakefield



Special Report: What Do Epidemiological Studies Really Tell Us?



A NOTE FROM SAFEMINDS:

There are 16 epidemiological studies here on MMR vaccines, thimerosal and autism. These studies represent the most often cited papers by scientists, public health officials and members of the media when trying to refute any evidence of an association between vaccinations and autism.

There are serious methodological limitations, design flaws, conflicts of interest or other problems related to each of these 16 studies. These flaws have been pointed out by government officials, other researchers, medical review panels and even the authors of the studies themselves. Taken together, the limitations of these studies make it impossible to conclude that thimerosal and MMR vaccines are not associated with autism.

SafeMinds would like to acknowledge the previous work in this regard gathered by the "Fourteen Studies project at Generation Rescue.

One additional study on autism and thimerosal was published in September 2010 while this paper was in completed draft form. This studys methods produced a result that demonstrated that thimerosal exposure was protective against autism. Further analysis of this study is forthcoming but not included here. Read the 3 part series below:

Mercury Rising

From Safety Last to Children First

The great autism gene hunt

Follow the money

Animal models of vaccine injury

CDC and autism

Paradigm wars
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A collection of South Carolina lawmakers and politicians hit the White House on Thursday in an effort to save the seemingly doomed Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility project.

The historically pro-MOX group that was scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump that afternoon included U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott; U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson; S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster; and S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson, according to respective spokespeople and prior interviews and information.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan did not attend the summit, according to a spokesperson.

MOX contractor to abide by termination order; plan required by early November MOX Services is the prime contractor for the imperiled Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility project.

Graham, in a prepared statement, said he appreciated both the president's time and attention on Thursday.

"In our meeting today, we told President Trump that South Carolina continues to violently disagree with the decision to terminate the MOX program without a viable pathway forward," Graham continued.

Scott, in a prepared statement, described the MOX meeting with Trump as "very productive."

"The president was certainly open to our comments and our concerns," Scott said. "The fact of the matter is we're looking for ways to keep the president engaged and not simply allow the Department of Energy to do what they have done in the past, which is to use a set of numbers that we simply do not agree with."

While intimate details of the actual dialogue with Trump are scant, prior arguments and statements made by the aforementioned six  all Republican  further shed light on the situation.

On Monday, following a speech to the S.C. Governor's Nuclear Advisory Council, McMaster said the "best thing to do, the best direction to go is to finish the construction of the MOX facility." It's a point he's made numerous times before.

"That's why we're going to speak to the president," the governor said.

MOX, a currently incomplete Savannah River Site facility, is designed to turn weapons-grade plutonium into commercial reactor fuel. MOX was supposed to come online in 2016 at a price of $4.8 billion. Both the completion timeline and price tag have since mushroomed.

On May 10, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry  a Trump nominee  moved to terminate the MOX project. In a Sept. 14 letter to U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, National Nuclear Security Administration chief Lisa Gordon-Hagerty  another Trump nominee  reaffirmed Perry's plans to kill MOX.

Joe Wilson, in an interview with the Aiken Standard last week, said he discussed Gordon-Hagerty's letter with Thornberry and mentioned his disappointment. Both men are members of the House Armed Services Committee.

On Oct. 10, following an intricate legal back-and-forth, the NNSA ended the MOX contract in its entirety, effective immediately. The NNSA, a semiautonomous DOE agency, oversees the MOX project and operates at SRS.

McMaster on Monday said the termination notice was "expected."

On Saturday, before speaking at a breakfast forum in Columbia, Graham said he had a "singular focus" headed into Thursday's sit-down: "to try to convince President Trump to abandon MOX makes no sense."

"You thought Kavanaugh was a fight?" Graham later said, referencing the confirmation process for Judge Brett Kavanaugh. "You aint seen nothing yet over this."

The president's fiscal year 2019 budget request included $220 million for continued MOX work, an amount that paled in comparison to previous years and was described in DOE briefing documents as enough to move forward with "the orderly and safe closure" of the project.

The MOX project was later appropriated that $220 million.

The MOX termination notice specifically speaks to the MOX wind down process and resultant worksite preservation.

It is not clear if the NNSA sent a representative to the meeting Thursday.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip launched Oct. 8 the first maritime emergency service in Gaza in order to provide medical assistance to demonstrators who are fired at by the Israeli army in anti-siege protests at sea.

The Palestinians launched naval protests May 29 to draw attention to their suffering under the Israeli land and sea blockade for the past 12 years. Dozens of boats with peaceful protesters are participating in the action that Israeli soldiers and military boats are targeting with live bullets and tear gas bombs.

The maritime emergency service employs 35 staff including nurses, doctors and EMTs who work in three different units: the emergency boat service, the ambulance located on the beach and the first aid post set up on the shore of the northern Gaza Strip.

Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Ministry of Health in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that the idea of establishing a maritime emergency service came in response to the difficulty of transferring those shot by the Israeli army at sea and wasting the first minutes after an attack, which are crucial to save the lives of the wounded.

He said it only took the maritime emergency service three minutes to bring wounded protesters to the shore on Oct. 8. He explained that demonstrators used to help each other get to the shore, but they lack the medical experience to deal with wounds and regular boats are too slow.

Qudra noted that the internationally prohibited weapons used by the Israeli army against peaceful demonstrators in land and sea protests, such as explosive bullets and unidentified gases, have led to severe injuries. Many demonstrators have lost their limbs as a result, while others lost their lives.

Qudra added that the Israeli army fired at the maritime emergency service Oct. 8, without causing injuries among the medical staff.

Ever since the Great March of Return protests began in March, 205 people were killed, including three paramedics, up until Oct. 12. More than 22,000 people were wounded, 51.5% of whom received hospital treatment, while 48.5% received treatment on the ground. Sixty-seven cases of limb amputation were recorded.

According to Qudra, the maritime emergency service uses equipment made available by the Ministry of Health, which supervises and funds the service. However, more equipment is needed to provide lifesaving services.

The emergency service is available also around the clock on a daily basis to accompany Palestinian fishermen, who are constantly attacked by the Israeli army at sea. Most recently, on Oct. 14, fishermen's boats were fired at in the northern Gaza Strip, but no injuries were reported. On Oct. 17, Israel reduced the fishing zone for Gazans from 6 nautical miles to 3 miles after a rocket was fired from Gaza toward the Israeli city of Beersheba.

The spokesman of the National Committee to Break the Siege, Adham Abu Salmiya, told Al-Monitor that the attacks peaceful demonstrators are subject to during the maritime protests resulted in the Ministry of Health to develop the maritime emergency service. Since its launch Oct. 8, the service has provided lifesaving treatment to 29 people, including several with gunshot wounds and others suffering from the effects of tear gas.

Abu Salmiya said that the most important objectives of the maritime protest movement are to assert the Palestinian right to break the Israeli blockade and establish a waterway from Gaza to other countries, and to diversify the weekly marches of the return movement on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip.

He noted that the Higher National Commission of Great March of Return and Breaking of Siege decided Oct. 9 that the sea protests would take place twice a month going forward. The first one was organized on May 29, the second on July 9 and the third on Aug. 13; then they took place every week.

Approximately 50 small boats take part in the sea protests, all of which sail toward the Israeli maritime border with the Gaza Strip. Israeli boats fire at these vessels before they reach the border, while thousands of Palestinians gather on the seashore in northern Gaza in support of the protests.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health set up five first aid posts along the eastern border of the Gaza Strip to attend to the wounded. The maritime emergency service was classified as a sixth medical point with basic medical facilities, due to the acute shortage of medical supplies in Gaza.

Salah Abdel Ati, member of the commission's International Legal and Communication Committee, told Al-Monitor that the maritime emergency service and other actions by Gazans, such as the lighting of tires to block the sight of Israeli snipers firing at demonstrators, are means to confront the bloody repression by the Israeli army against peaceful demonstrators on the land and sea borders.

He said that the Israeli army action is as serious as a war crime, and explained that the demonstrators are peaceful and pose no danger to Israeli soldiers or their military bases.

They demonstrate in a small area of less than 1 nautical mile in order to convey their message and demand the end of the siege, Abdel Ati noted, calling on the international community to force Israel to abide by international conventions on human rights.

Palestinians hope that their peaceful demonstrations would succeed in breaking the Israeli siege. This is particularly true in the context of regional and international efforts to implement the truce signed by Israel and the Palestinian factions at the end of the 2014 war and ease the Israeli siege gradually, which began last week when fuel trucks bought by Qatar arrived in Gaza to operate the only power plant. In addition, Palestinian hopes are rising amid talks about setting up projects funded by Qatar and the World Bank worth hundreds of millions of dollars and providing job opportunities for the unemployed.
The apparent murder in Istanbul of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, allegedly on the orders of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has fueled speculation that Turkey could use the global scandal to help reset its badly bruised relations with the United States. Some opine that Ankara can milk the Washington Post columnists disappearance to extract concessions from Washington on a range of issues including Syria and sanctions. Others think the Donald Trump administration can even be convinced to pull its support for the crown prince, a Turkish bugbear due to his hard line on the Muslim Brotherhood and Qatar.

Why it matters: The US-Turkish relationship has been in virtual free fall ever since the July 2016 attempt to violently overthrow Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. For the first time theres even been talk  albeit overwrought  of Turkey getting kicked out of NATO. An unstable and unpredictable Turkey cast adrift, with its 3.5 million Syrian refugees, would spell big trouble for Europe and attendant benefits for Russia, ever eager to deepen the wedge with the West.

The poisoned well: Turkey blames Pennsylvania-based imam Fethullah Gulen for the failed putsch and detects an American hand in the affair. The US rebuttal of Turkish demands for the preachers extradition have sharpened Ankaras suspicions. And the US partnership with Kurdish fighters in Syria who are tightly intertwined with militants fighting the Turkish army has only made matters worse. But Erdogans biggest gripe is the ongoing investigation into Turkish state lender Halkbank over a massive money laundering scheme to help Iran evade US sanctions. Erdogan wants the probe shelved amid fears it may implicate his inner circle. He also wants a pending multibillion-dollar Treasury fine on Halkbank to be scrapped. Washington, again, has refused to budge.

Turkey clearly overplayed its hand when it jailed North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson, purportedly as a bargaining chip. Trump went ballistic, doubling tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum exports to the United States and slapping sanctions on Turkeys justice and interior ministers. He also threatened further sanctions. Turkey freed Brunson last week.

Wrongheaded optimism: Brunsons release has prompted starry-eyed takes on how Washington and Ankara are on the path to full reconciliation and how the Khashoggi tragedy will accelerate this trend. But they dont take into account that Turkey continues to hold other US citizens, notably NASA physicist Serkan Golge, along with three Turkish nationals working for US diplomatic missions in Turkey. Likewise, Ankara hasnt canceled an order for Russian S-400 air defense systems, driving the Pentagon crazy. And friction over Syria has not abated.

Whats next: Is Washington going to look past all of this in order to help salvage Mohammed bin Salman, the crown jewel in the Trump administrations anti-Iran camp? In other words, will it make some kind of deal to persuade Turkey to withhold the gruesome evidence pointing to the crown princes alleged culpability, which Turkish officials keep signaling they have through strategic media leaks?

The question is moot. As things currently stand, the crown prince's fate seems to increasingly hinge on the inner dynamics of the Saudi royal family as they weigh the price of keeping him on as de facto ruler. Western governments and the United Nations are calling for a full and independent probe. The financial community is airing cautious worry. What appears to have begun as an ill-conceived hit job has blown up into an international scandal in which Turkeys relations with the United States are a detail, not a driver.

Know more: Al-Monitor is closely monitoring the impact of Khashoggis disappearance in Washington and across the region. Read our full coverage here. For even more insight into US-Turkish relations, be sure to listen to the latest episode of Al-Monitor's podcast "Off the Hookah" featuring Amberin Zaman and Julian Pecquet.

- Amberin Zaman
A conservative, free-market nonprofit group that has encouraged teachers to consider dropping their union membership is expanding its outreach strategy, partnering with think tanks in California and four other states to target more public employees across the country.

The Michigan-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy launched its national My Pay, My Say campaign after the Supreme Court handed down its decision earlier this year in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31, which prevented public-employee unions from collecting fees from non-members.

Through the outreach project, the Mackinac Center sent emails to teachers and other public employees in the weeks after the decision , explaining that they would no longer have to pay agency fees if they ended their union memberships. Messages also included links to state-specific opt-out forms.

Today, the organization announced a partnership with the California Policy Center, a right-wing think tank, to coordinate outreach efforts in that state.

California was an area of particular interest because it has the largest number of public employees in the country, which includes quite a few teachers, said Lindsay Killen, the Mackinac Centers vice president for strategic outreach and communications. (The California Teachers Association, the state affiliate of the National Education Association, reports 350,000 members.)

When policies around opt-out and union membership vary state by state, consulting with local organizations helps the Mackinac Center stay abreast of dynamics on the ground and deliver relevant information to public employees, said Killen. In a statement, the Mackinac Center said that thousands of Californians have reached out to My Pay, My Say.

Union leaders have spoken out in fierce opposition to campaigns like My Pay, My Say. In an interview with my colleague Madeline Will after the Janus decision , NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia said the national organization would put money toward helping state affiliates fight targeted anti-union messages.

Meanwhile, the Mackinac Center is scaling up its efforts beyond California. The partnership with the California Policy Center is just one of several state-focused outreach initiatives.

The organization is also working with other conservative think tanks and advocacy groups, including the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, the AFP Foundation in New Jersey, the Pioneer Institute in Massachusetts, and the James Madison Institute in Florida.

In the coming months, the Mackinac Center plans to announce partnerships with groups in five more states to develop locally focused resources, said Killen.

Whether members choose to stick with their unions or not, they are entitled to transparent, locally-relevant information, she said.
On the evening of Oct. 18, running on very little sleep due to a late-night meeting of the security cabinet to discuss Israels reaction to the flare-up with Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted the visiting prime minister of the Republic of Vanuatu, Charlot Salwai, and his wife at the official Jerusalem residence. Netanyahu posted a report to Facebook about the auspicious occasion, complete with a photo of himself and his wife Sara alongside his guests.

Vanuatu recognized Jerusalem as Israels capital back in the summer of 2017  even before the United States  but most Israelis have never heard of the tiny Pacific island nation.

Netanyahu devoted himself fully to this very unimportant visit and completely ignored reports in the media all day long about attacks by the defense cabinet against IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot. According to them, during the dramatic cabinet meeting the night before, which Eizenkot attended, ministers lashed out at Eizenkot and claimed his Gaza policy had led to the latest escalation with Hamas.

Anyone familiar with the political hierarchy in Israel knows the accusation is absurd. Policy on Gaza is made by the political echelon  in this case by Netanyahu and the coterie of defense cabinet members. Leveling such an accusation at the countrys top soldier, especially during such a sensitive time that is perhaps the eve of a war in the south, is an irresponsible act.

As of the morning of Oct. 19, the prime minister had not offered any backing for the commander of the countrys military forces. The only person who did was Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, who tweeted, It is lamentable and outrageous for cabinet ministers to make petty political capital on the back of the chief of staff. It is inconceivable that cabinet members are blaming the chief of staff for the policy they themselves mapped out. This is crossing a red line and damaging state security.

So why is it that just days before, on Oct. 15, Netanyahu praised Eizenkot warmly after the former coalition whip, Knesset member David Bitan, blamed the chief of staff for the failed policy on Gaza and the loss of Israeli deterrence? The chief of staff is doing an excellent job, Netanyahu said. We are working together, on one front, and we are taking proper care of Israel's security.

The answer lies in the rocket carrying 200 kilos of explosives fired from the Gaza Strip in the early morning hours of Oct. 17 that scored a direct hit on a house in the southern town of Beersheba. Quick thinking by Miri Tamano, who rushed her three young children to a shelter seconds before the projectile landed, averted a tragedy. At the same time, another long-range rocket fired toward central Israel landed in the sea.

In accordance with the fiery rhetoric by Liberman and Netanyahu in recent weeks, the rocket attacks should have prompted heavy Israeli retaliation, perhaps even a widespread military operation. Instead, after five hours of debate, the cabinet decided to accept a statement by Hamas disavowing responsibility for the rockets. The statement speculated that a lightning strike might have triggered the launches, although Al-Monitor columnist Shlomi Eldar argued there is evidence that Hamas was definitely responsible for the attack.

According to various reports, several of the ministers turned Eizenkot into a punching bag, and Wednesday nights Netanyahu was no longer the supportive Netanyahu of Monday. From the moment the rocket hit the Beersheba home, the prime ministers right-wing electoral base expected a reaction to the Gaza escalation. But Netanyahu led the cabinet toward a more moderate decision that gave Egyptian-led efforts to broker a long-term cease-fire with Hamas another chance. Netanyahu likely estimated that his relatively moderate reaction needed a diversion and a scapegoat, so allowed the ministers to blame the chief of staff for the Gaza escalation.

Netanyahu exhibited the same modus operandi in the case of Elor Azaria, the soldier who shot dead a wounded Palestinian attacker in the West Bank town of Hebron in 2016. The prime minister initially backed Eizenkots condemnation of the soldier, but two days later, when he realized who his right-wing constituents were siding with, he left Eizenkot holding the bag, exposed to wild attacks from the political right.

With every passing day it becomes more evident that the prime minister would rather call early elections without the complications of a military operation in Gaza. The results of such an operation are largely foreseeable and would likely change nothing and just spill more blood. Netanyahu obviously is not willing to say so outright, certainly not in an election year. Instead, he is letting others divert public pressure away from himself toward the chief of staff and creating a false impression that Eizenkot was the one who led policy on Gaza for the past four years.

The fact is that Netanyahu has been responsible for Israels policy on Gaza for almost a decade. Three chiefs of staff served under him and three ministers of defense, with himself charting the course.

Netanyahus social network activity is interesting, but it does not tell the whole story. What is missing from his posts is no less interesting than the photos and the statements he publishes. As could be expected, there is no mention on Netanyahus Facebook page or his other social network accounts of the Eizenkot affair. His posts consisted of exciting updates about the evening with the prime minister of Vanuatu and an attack against the director of the BTselem human rights organization, Hagai El-Ad, that he took the time to post shortly before the festive dinner. Earlier that day, El-Ad delivered a speech at the UN Security Council harshly condemning Israel for its policy in the occupied Palestinian territories, with the Palestinian ambassador to the UN at his side. Not for the first time, El-Ad argued that Israeli policies were reminiscent of South Africas apartheid regime.

Netanyahu could not have asked for better timing. El-Ads speech came just as Netanyahu was trying to deflect criticism from the right over his decision to ignore the Hamas provocation. As our soldiers prepare to defend Israels security, [the] BTselem director chooses to deliver a speech full of lies at the UN in an attempt to help Israels enemies, Netanyahu was quick to state in response.

Netanyahu knows that most Israelis, not only those on the political right, object to El-Ads style when he speaks out abroad against his government and siezed the opportunity to butt heads with him. His strategic diversions mean one thing: that Israels prime minister has no effective operational solutions to the protracted Gaza crisis.
Addressing the opening of the Knesset winter session Oct. 15, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of the fantastic decade Israel had experienced under his stewardship. He spoke of a decade of progress and economic growth, of stability and security, of building and prosperity. Each and every developed state would have been blessed by what we have done, he told the lawmakers. And then, of course, there was the inevitable mention of Iran  We will keep pushing it back with all our might.

It was perhaps no coincidence that the enviable Israeli scientific and educational achievements slipped Netanyahus mind on this occasion. Addressing these achievements would have forced him to compare Israels standing in these fields with that of its far and close-by Middle East neighbors. A few days ago, Netanyahu accused a social activist of boring us with her complaint about the poor quality of health services in outlying areas. Was Netanyahu perhaps concerned now that mentioning the balance of power between Israel and Iran on these critical strategic issues would bore the public?

So what does Israel have to show for this fantastic decade? Data from Scopus, the world's largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, indicates that Israel lost its regional dominance to Iran in terms of scientific research output. Israel dropped from first to fourth place, below Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Iran overtook Israel to rank first in the number of biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology studies. In chemical engineering, Israel dropped from first to fifth place and in chemistry and computer science to fourth place, below Qatar and Iran. It also lost its dominance in economics and business administration. Between 1996 and 2016, Israel dropped from 18th place in the global ranking of scientific productivity to 33rd, far below Iran (16th) and Turkey (17th, up from 27th). Even Saudi Arabia moved up from 42nd to 32nd place.

Responding to the data, economics professor Manuel Trachtenberg, who chaired the planning committee of the Israel Council for Higher Education, said the quality of Israeli research is still significantly higher than that of other states in the region. However, he said that Iran, with its population of 80 million, had the potential to close the gap with Israel in research quality and not just in the number of studies. Trachtenberg, who served as a Knesset member for the opposition Zionist Camp faction, warned that Irans heavy investment in research, especially in physics, engineering, chemistry and aeronautics, is expected to pose a significant threat.

Additional data from the fantastic decade relates to the strategic balance of power in the region. According to a report by Israels Innovation Authority cited in the Calcalist financial daily in June 2016, Israel's high-tech industry faces a shortage of 10,000 engineers and programmers over the coming decade. It would appear that the seven good years are over. We are approaching our glass ceiling, the authoritys chief scientist, Avi Hasson, was quoted as saying. In January 2018, the agency reported to the government that the percentage of the population working in high-tech has been stagnant for the past decade due to the growing global competition in this field, with South Korea, Finland and Germany overtaking Israel in terms of government investment in innovation as a percentage of gross national product.

The correct way to deal with these troubling trends is, of course, to invest more in education and science. What have Israels governments on Netanyahus watch done in that regard? Here is additional boring data. A day before Netanyahu delivered his fantastic decade speech, the academic year was launched at Israels universities and colleges, and for the fifth straight year, enrollment for undergraduate studies was down. Israel is about to lose its spot among the top states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development when it comes to its educated population, given that Israel is one of the few industrialized states in which the education rate of young people is lower than the education rate of the population as a whole.

Writing in Haaretz ahead of the start of the school year Sept. 1, professor Dan Ben-David of Tel Aviv University, who heads the Shoresh Institution of Socioeconomic Research, said some one-half of Israeli school children  those attending ultra-Orthodox and Arab-language schools  are getting a Third World education. When they grow up, he added, Israel will not be able to sustain a first world army, an essential condition for the states existence in the most violent region in the world.

And what have the Netanyahu governments done to prepare a young generation of scientists and researchers who can ensure Israels survival in this region? In August 2016, the government revoked a law that required all Israeli elementary schools, including those in the ultra-Orthodox school system, to teach 10-11 hours a week of math, science and English.

While Iran encourages women to undertake research and scientific studies, Israeli high schools make do with offering girls lessons on womens empowerment. High school girls in the town of Kfar Saba were barred recently from participation in a program for outstanding science students designed to encourage the students natural curiosity about biology studies and to bring them closer to choosing scientific studies in the future. The program was conducted jointly by a secular school and a religious one.

In addition to keeping girls brainpower away from science, the fantastic decade was also marked by a notable brain drain spurred by university research and teaching budget cuts. The Central Bureau of Statistics reported that in 2017, the gap between the number of university graduates leaving Israel and those coming back grew 38%. Some 24% of Israeli-educated math Ph.D. holders and 20% of doctoral students in computer sciences have been living abroad for three or more years. So have 17% of the doctorate holders in mechanical engineering and 16% of those with such degrees in aeronautical and space engineering, biomedical engineering and genetics.

And one more boring detail regarding the Netanyahu governments contribution to promoting science. Al-Monitor has learned that the government recently cut the budget of the FIRST program, which has annualy drawn for the past several years 11,000 school children aged 6 to 18 to engineering and scientific studies through robotics projects. Col. (res.) Benny Kedar, one of the programs founders, told Al-Monitor this week that the cuts forced the cancellation of parts of the program. The program has a more significant contribution to increasing the number of engineering students than does the activity of the Council for Higher Education and of Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads it, Kedar said. In order to preserve the scope of the program, the government must restore the 2 million shekel ($547,500) funding cut.

As a reminder, this is less than 10% of the budget approved by the government Oct. 14 for the construction of housing units for 31 Jewish settler families in the occupied West Bank Palestinian town of Hebron ($6 million). Nothing says more about the governments priorities over the past fantastic decade. That is the boring truth behind Netanyahus fire and brimstone speeches and fabulous PowerPoint presentations about the Iranian threat.
Hundreds of dog lovers flocked to the Beirut waterfront last weekend for an event celebrating mans best friend. The WoofFest on Oct 13-14 reflected not only the appreciation of dogs but the growing movement in Lebanon to protect the rights of animals.

The festival celebrates all things dog, such as spas, beauty contests, high-end dog treats and toys. Held in April for the first time, the organizers hope to organize the event twice a year, according to Roula Mezher, the event planner at MindWhisk that organizes the festival.

The Lebanese public's interest in a regular festival or permanent spaces for pets reflects the lack of public spaces for dogs in Beirut. The city has no dog parks and its narrow streets offer very few areas to comfortably walk.

Tala, a Beirut local attending WoofFest, told Al-Monitor, We dont have a lot of events for dogs, and most restaurants dont allow dogs to come in.

Tala said she and her three-year-old Pomeranian, Poochy, were lucky because even if there arent any parks, next to my house there is a bit of empty road where I walk her.

Due to the lack of public infrastructure, abandoned car parks and backstreets have been the go-to places to keep dogs healthy. However, this has left many dogs isolated, something WoofFest wants to change.

Mezher explained that her husky, Sasha, is home most of the time. She feels that Sasha needs to mingle with other dogs.

Most dogs have never encountered other dogs. You can feel it. They feel so weird around each other, Mezher said. [The event] is also a serious message for Lebanon and the government. We need to have parks for dogs. We need to have spots to take our dogs to.  It is a must.

The lack of public spaces for dogs and pressure for change is indicative of broader issues around the treatment of animals in Lebanon.

Dog ownership is relatively new to Lebanon. Sevine Fakhoury, a board member of the Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA), told Al-Monitor that during the Lebanese civil war few people owned pets and there was a stigma attached to dogs.

While dogs have become popular pets in recent years, there is still a lack of knowledge around the appropriate treatment, which BETA, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) established with the goal of improving the lives of animals in the country, is trying to address.

Fakhoury said that BETA members regularly meet with Lebanese government officials on issues from neutering stray dogs to combating rabies. Another issue often discussed was the proliferation of pet shops, which officials give permits to open, while not understanding the consequences.

She added, People buy an animal and then they are not responsible guardians. They just leave the dog out on the street."

In May, the horrific repercussions of not appropriately managing the breeding and selling of dogs became apparent when BETA rescued 83 dogs from a facility in the seaside town of Jounieh. Ten of the most malnourished and sick dogs, mostly puppies, died within a few days.

However, Fakhoury told Al-Monitor that after feeding and caring for them a few have been adopted. But with 640 dogs already in their shelters there are limits to what groups like BETA can do, especially as the population of domestic dogs and strays grows.

Jason Meir, the director of Animals Lebanon, an NGO that campaigns for animal rights and welfare, told Al-Monitor that there are between 20,000 and 35,000 stray dogs in Lebanon. This number is largely due to some 500 pet shops in the country that import dogs and release them when they are not sold.

If I am a pet shop [owner] and I dont want the dog, I throw it on the street, Meir said. The authorities have done nothing to prevent pet shops from leaving the dogs on the streets. Neither are they planning to do [anything] in the future."

Meir stressed that animal rights are a new phenomenon in the region and they will only improve with time.

When Animals Lebanon launched people openly laughed at what we were doing.  Now when you talk about it there is awareness and interest, Meir said. I firmly believe that more has been achieved in Lebanon in the last 10 years than in any other country during the same period.

However, there is still work to be done, with extensive discussions on the treatment of animals.

In December 2017, a gruesome video posted by BETA on its Facebook page showed Ghobeiry municipality workers poisoning stray dogs. Despite the public outcry against using such methods to address the issue, videos of people killing stray dogs and cats still occur.

Fakhoury attributes such acts to a lack of education and negative stereotypes about dogs in the country, which events such as WoofFest are trying to address.

Mezher concluded, In the media we see many people treating dogs in a bad way in Lebanon. But WoofFest showed me that the majority of people know how to treat their dogs and consider their dogs to be part of the family."
As repercussions from Turkey's move to set up a military base in Qatar continue to resonate, Ankara is going ahead with adding a military dimension to relations with Kuwait. Ankara, whose relations with Kuwait have been warming for the past two years, recently signed a military cooperation agreement with the Persian Gulf nation bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

According to the agreement signed by deputy chiefs of staff of the two countries during the Turkey-Kuwait Military Cooperation Committee meeting, the two nations are planning to share their military experiences and coordinate their activities beginning in 2019.

The agreement occurs amid the backdrop of Turkeys close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Turkish moves to become a shield for Qatar against the Saudi-United Arab Emirates alliance, the decision by Riyadh to assist Kurds in Syria and the tensions that erupted with this month's disappearance of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.

Kuwait became concerned about the intentions of Mohammed bin Salman after he was named Saudi Arabia's crown prince last year. Moreover, the decision by the Trump administration to support Riyadh took away some of Kuwait's defenses.

Mohammed's visit to Kuwait on Sept. 30 to discuss the recurring problems between the two countries and the Qatar issue did not go well. The meeting, designated to last some two hours, was cut short.

The crisis between the two countries escalated in 2014 due to disputes over their common oil fields of Khafji and Wafra. Kuwait had opposed the inclusion of Chevron in the operation and the Saudis unilaterally ceased production. Kuwait says it was denied $18 billion in revenue and wants to be compensated. US President Donald Trump wants for there to a Saudi boost to the world oil supply in lieu of an expected drop in Iranian production, and Mohammed wants to resume production in the common oil fields as soon as possible. In Kuwait's political corridors, Mohammed is now referred to as little Saddam.

To cope with these pressures, Kuwait has been approaching actors such as Turkey who could help provide some form of protection. One Saudi prince voiced Riyadh's discomfort with the Kuwaiti moves by openly calling for the country's occupation. Prince Khalid bin Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki, in a tweet, called "for a new Determined Storm Operation to free Kuwait from the dictates of Ihvan [the Muslim Brotherhood] and Hamads [a derisive term for Qatar's leadership].

The enmity between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia dates to the border dispute during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Saudis had rejected the 1913 British-Ottoman Accord that drew the borders of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the Shatt al-Arab and declared war on Kuwait. In 1922, under the Uqair Protocol imposed by the British, two-thirds of the Kuwait territory was given to the Saudis. Kuwaitis, who were not invited to the bargaining table, were represented by British envoy Percy Cox. Kuwaitis have never forgotten this stab.

A military accord with Turkey now raises the question of whether Kuwait, like Qatar, is looking for military protection. Editor Abdul Bari Atwan of Rai al Yawm newspaper, in a story based on Kuwaiti sources, wrote that the Kuwaiti-Turkish accord could lead to deployment of Turkish troops in Kuwait. The accord doesnt rule out deployment of Turkish troops in Kuwait and purchase of Turkish weapons, including armored vehicles, along the lines of the Qatar-Turkey accord that defends Doha against Gulf countries, Atwan wrote.

Turkeys efforts to sell defense industry products to Kuwait are not a secret. Turkey participated in the 2017 Kuwaiti Defense and Aeronautics Fair with 23 companies.

Lebanese researcher Ali Mourad said Kuwaitis are seriously worried about being invaded. He told Al-Monitor, Kuwaitis need a regional force like Turkey to deal with Saudi ill intentions. They are truly afraid of a Saudi invasion because of a hegemony crisis in the oil fields, Kuwaits ties with Qatar and the blank check Trump has issued to MBS [Mohammed bin Salman].

Mourad said, Because of his prevailing fears, Sheikh Al-Sabah went to Washington in September 2017 to beef up ties with Trump. For the past three years the Kuwaiti ambassador in Washington has been hosting the Kuwaiti National Day receptions at the Trump International DC hotel. They are of course trying to take steps to free themselves from Saudi hegemony.

Mourad added, But the situation is not the same nowadays. Kuwaitis fear a critical threat from a rogue clique in Saudi Arabia. This is why they call MBS little Saddam. Emir Sheikh Sabah is in a weak position. This is why he is looking for alliance with Erdogan. This is not really what they want but they have no other choice. As a regional force they cant ask for help from Iran. There is no regional power other than Turkey.

The Kuwaiti emir, because of his country's fragile position, has been pursuing ways to avoid troubles by resorting to mediation diplomacy. Kuwaiti mediation had helped during the 2014 crisis with Qatar. But Trumps affinity with the Saudi-UAE camp in the 2017 crisis made Kuwaits mediation efforts seemingly useless.

Sabah, thinking Kuwait is next after Qatar, had angered Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates by telling Trump that the Saudis and Emiratis want a military solution to the Gulf crisis. Saudis claim Qataris are influencing Kuwait via the Muslim Brotherhood, while Kuwaitis accuse Saudis of employing Kuwaiti Salafis who graduated from the University of Medina as agents of influence.

Relations between Turkey and Kuwait gained momentum because Kuwaitis were grateful to Turkey for its position against Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. After 2011, Turkeys Justice and Development Party received the support of Kuwaitis who sympathized with the Syrian opposition. Both Salafi and Muslim Brotherhood groups were able to transit to Syria via Turkey. The number of Kuwaiti tourists to Turkey increased manyfold. Relations gained further momentum with the signing of six agreements during the Ankara visit of Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah in September 2017.

Kuwaiti parliament Speaker Merzuk Al-Ghanim surprised everyone at the 2018 Assembly of Eurasia Parliamentary Leaders at Antalya by saying, Turkey is not a banana republic. Those who want a economic war against it will not succeed. This remark, seen as a response to the Saudi-UAE camp, was widely reported in the Gulf media.

In recent years Turkish construction companies in Kuwait have been awarded 30 projects worth $6.5 billion, including the Kuwait international airport. Ankara is now working to hard to get a bigger share of contracts from Kuwaits 2035 Development Plan.
Palestinians are awaiting word on whether UN Security Council representatives will soon visit Gaza and the West Bank. Council President Sacha Sergio Llorenty Soliz announced on Oct. 3 that he plans to arrange a trip in October, but did not specify a date or a possible agenda. Security Council visiting missions have in the past traveled to several regions around the world to assess the situation in conflict zones.

The last time a Security Council delegation sought to organize a visit to the Palestinian territories was in 2012, but the United States opposed the idea before it was even put to a vote. Until now, the council had refrained from proposing another visit, perhaps to avoid another clash with the United States, which as one of the five permanent members of the Security Council can quash such initiatives.

A high-ranking official close to Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas who spoke to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity, remarked, Palestinian diplomacy has been making persistent efforts to see the visit through for months by contacting our friends at the Security Council. But, we are seriously concerned that the US might play its veto card. In that case, we will resort to Plan B, which is demanding a non-official visit from the countries willing to come to the Palestinian territories.

Palestinians believe it would be useful for Security Council representatives to see firsthand the suffering caused by Israeli policies and actions toward Gaza, rather than reading about them in reports. The council holds an open discussion on the Palestinian issue and developments surrounding it every three months. The most recent session was in July, when Nickolay Mladenov, UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, presented his report on the Palestinian territories, addressing Israeli settlements and their illegitimacy, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, the ongoing Israeli occupation, administrative arrests and child imprisonment.

Mazen Noureddine, dean of the Department of Law at Ummah Open University in Gaza, told Al-Monitor, The permanent members of the Security Council believe the Gaza Strip is witnessing deep tensions with Israel, which might lead to the breakout of a destructive war. The potential visit aims at moving the members from the UN offices in New York to the conflict zone in the Palestinian territories for a closer look and assessment. [The delegates] should then submit their report to the [entire] council for discussion and take steps to calm the region. However, any fair report for the Palestinians will face a US veto, which might make the visit useless.

Palestinians are determined about involving the United Nations in their conflict with Israel. In light of the many supportive resolutions introduced by the UN General Assembly since 1948, they view the body as an ally. Key resolutions have called for respecting human rights in the occupied territories and holding Israel responsible for ensuring the safety of residents.

The Security Council has issued numerous resolutions over the years, mainly calling on Israel to respect human rights in the occupied territories and to withdraw from them. The council has also resolved that Israel cancel all measures that would change the status of Jerusalem and halt the building of settlements on Palestinian land. A tally of votes reveals 705 General Assembly and 86 Security Council proposed resolutions in defense of the Palestinians, but most of the measures in the Security Council were vetoed by the United States.

Palestinians hope for an effective UN role through the Security Council might come to naught given that US President Donald Trump and his administration apparently want to abolish all UN oversight of the Palestinian issue and minimize international interest in it. In December, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations, accused the body of undermining peace between Palestinians and Israel and of being one of the world's foremost centers of hostility towards Israel.

Abdallah Abdallah, a member of Fatahs Revolutionary Council and chair of the Political Committee of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), told Al-Monitor, We welcome this visit, [which will allow] for a deeper understanding of the Palestinian situation, but we dont want it to be limited to the humanitarian issues in Gaza. We would like the Security Council to intervene politically to grant us our right to self-determination. We seek to foil any US inclination to prevent the visit and further isolate us.

Ahmed Youssef, former undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry in Gaza under Hamas, also approves of a council mission. The potential visit is a positive step and reflects the UNs new inclination to examine the humanitarian tragedy in the Palestinian territories, he told Al-Monitor. I dont think Washington will obstruct the visit because that would embarrass it before the international community.

The current deadlock in Palestinian-Israeli negotiations on the one hand and the radio silence between the Palestinian leadership and Washington on the other have motivated the Palestinians to once again try to draw the attention of the international community to their cause. They hope a Security Council mission will contribute to this effort.

The United States and Israel have yet to comment on a possible mission. It seems likely, however, that they will be resistant to one, as they want the United States to broker the peace process without UN intervention while the Palestinians have rejected the bid by the blatantly pro-Israel Trump administration for continued US control of peace negotiations.
It should come as no surprise that this years Dahuk International Film Festival (DIFF) looks at womens representation and contributions to Kurdish cinema, given that 2018 is a year of Kurdish womens experiences being foregrounded on and off screen. The film Girls of the Sun, which competed for the Palme dOr at this years Cannes Film Festival, follows a battle-hardened Kurdish military unit in northern Syria comprised exclusively of women once held captive by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). Yazidi activist Nadia Murad received the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Her tale of persistence in the face of deep trauma is told through a new documentary released this month (but not featured at the festival), On Her Shoulders, by Alexandria Bombach.

Bina Qeredaxi, a co-founder and former program manager of the festival, has witnessed the increased participation of women in Kurdish film and in the festival itself over the past few years. We wanted to promote this topic to both support women currently in the field and also encourage women on the sidelines to jump in, she told Al-Monitor.

The fact that there is an international film festival at all in Dahuk is impressive. Dahuk, nestled in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan, is a semi-autonomous region that has been roiled by a seemingly endless succession of crises and conflict, including humanitarian and psychological impacts caused by IS; financial crisis; a failed independence referendum last September; ongoing territorial disputes with Baghdad; and increased attacks on its soil from Turkey and Iran.

Nonetheless, DIFF, whose sixth edition runs Oct. 20-27, has endured and is, in fact, growing. According to award-winning filmmaker Shawkat Amin Korki, who is the artistic director for this years festival, It has become the largest event of its type dedicated to Kurdish film.

DIFFs profile has been raised even higher, as the International Federation of Film Critics, which has juries in over 70 international film festivals, will present an award for the first time this year.

The opening film of this years festival is the Iraqi premiere of Sahim Omar Kalifas Zagros, which tells the story of Havin, a young Kurdish woman forced to flee to Belgium with her 9-year-old daughter after she has been accused of adultery in Kurdistan. The film looks into the double standard of sexual behavior between men and women in Kurdish culture. Other features include Ender Ozkahramans Ugly Duckling, which looks at the issue of arranged marriages in a Kurdish village in Turkey, and Alireza Mohamadians Towards Salvation, which follows the struggles of a pregnant woman in prison. The festival has also introduced The Female Lens category into this years program to weave in short documentaries that emphasize narratives of women.

Some think, however, limited resources can be better spent. Naz Salih has been an active member of the Kurdish film industry since she was 14, having worked as an actress, writer, producer and filmmaker. She sees the huge investment in film festivals as mismanaged. Salih told Al-Monitor, Why all the festivals? The production quality of our films continues to remain low, so instead of pouring money into festivals, the money can be used to improve our films. This frustration stems from the difficulty Salih and others have found in producing Kurdish films.

Lise Goll, one of DIFFs program managers, sees the festival as key step in attracting outside money and attention, which can ultimately make Kurdish cinema more successful. She told Al-Monitor, [At DIFF] people who have never been to this part of the world and may never come again meet Kurdish filmmakers who have never crossed any international borders. But they share the same passion for cinema. The festival brings the world to Dahuk and Kurdistan for a week. DIFFs focus on women in cinema is meant to not only highlight their contribution but also make the audience aware of what continues to be lacking.

Where are the female directors? Where are the actresses? There is still much to be achieved for the future generations of Kurdish female filmmakers, Goll said.

Beri Shalmashi, a director of Iranian-Kurdish heritage, screened her film Shouted from the Rooftops at last years festival. The film follows a Kurdish woman, Sherin, going to war while her anguished lover stays behind. According to Shalmashi, the image of female fighters has become a popular issue to explore in Kurdish films. Sherin must sacrifice everything, imperiling herself and her loved ones, to defend her war-torn town and become a hero.

Shalmashi was deeply impressed by the commitment of DIFF and resolves that one day Kurds will fully represent themselves on-screen, as part of the international film community as a whole. She sees this years theme as a positive step and encourages Kurdish women, from producers to sound designers, to get involved in the industry. We have to become able to have control over our own stories. Full control, Shalmashi told Al-Monitor.

Dejin Jamil, who will moderate a panel on Kurdish womens contributions to cinema at this years DIFF, described her own experience becoming an actress in Dahuk. At first, she was not in control. When offered her first role in a film  as a sister to one of the protagonists in The Swallow  Jamil worried that her parents would think her interest in acting would bring shame on the family. The Kurdish expression tu buye cinema, literally meaning youve become a movie, can be applied to someone engaged in an activity causing public embarrassment. In this case, it is a particularly ironic use of the concept of film itself to stigmatize those who might participate in the making of one.

Shawkat Amin, whom many consider the godfather of modern Kurdish cinema, explored just this dilemma in Memories on Stone, which was screened at the third DIFF in 2015. Indeed, the film is about the making of a film, and about all the challenges that come with doing so in Kurdistan. Chief among them is casting the lead actress, whose domineering family becomes the productions largest obstacle. As in Jamils case, the family is worried about on-screen romance spoiling the girls  and by extension, the familys  honor.

My parents actually encouraged me to take the role," Jamil said. "As long as I didnt play someones wife in the movie. In such a case, her mom feared, no one would want to marry her. In the end, however, she did take the role, which marked the start of her career.

All the female cineastes who spoke to Al-Monitor described how excited Kurdish women were to get more involved in film. It is everyone else that is the problem, Qeredaxi quipped, in reference to the requirement of consent by their fathers, brothers or husbands, as women in Kurdish cinema continue to face social and cultural barriers.
ServisFirst Bank has a new member of its board of directors.

Irma Loya Tuder has been elected to the ServisFirst Bancshares, Inc. and ServisFirst Bank Board of Directors. Tuder is the founder, former CEO, and Board Chair of Analytical Services, Inc. (ASI), a national business providing management and technical solutions to federal government agencies.

It is an honor to welcome Irma Loya Tuder as a new board member, Tom Broughton, ServisFirst Bancshares President and CEO, said. She brings a wealth of experience and expertise and will be a tremendous asset to ServisFirst Bancsharess shareholders and customers.

Prior to starting the company, Tuder spent five years as a controller in private industry and five years in public accounting. She has served on the ServisFirst Bank Huntsville Board of Directors since 2009. She was recognized as Alabamas Small Business Person of the Year, and Tuders former company, ASI, received numerous honors including the U.S. Small Business Administration National Minority Business of the Year, the NASA Woman-Owned Business of the Year and the Better Business Bureaus Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.

Tuder is past-chair for the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Alabama Science and Exhibit Commission, and a past member of the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College Business Advisory Council. She is currently a member of the Notre Dame Institute for Latino Studies Advisory Council, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Board of Directors and University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Presidents Advisory Council.
A federal jury today convicted a Chilton County man on multiple counts of transporting two minor girls for illegal sexual activity and producing, transporting and possessing child pornography, the U.S. Attorneys office announced today.

The jury convicted 56-year-old Bruce Nicholson on multiple charges for production, transportation and possession of child pornography and for transporting two minors with the intent to engage in unlawful sexual activity with them.

The conviction came after three days of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Haikala. A sentencing date has not been set.

This man stole the innocence of two girls and a large part of their childhoods, and he had every intention of stealing the rest, U.S. Attorney Jay Town said. This guilty verdict cannot take away the pain those girls have experienced, but it sends a message loud and clear to this defendant and every other sexual abuser. It also is another example of the courage that survivors of this abuse continue to show so that not another second of their lives is taken by these disgusting criminals.

Evidence presented at trial showed Nicholson had sexually abused him minor daughter and minor step daughter for years. He fled Alabama with both girls in mid-2012 after impregnating his stepdaughter with twins. He was taken into custody in another state more than a month later.

Nicholson was indicted in Mann Act and child pornography charges in 2016. Forensic examination of his electronic devices found images of child porn, including an image he had directed his stepdaughter to take and sent to him, officials said.

Taking away the innocence of a child is deplorable and inexcusable, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp Jr. I am proud of the work done by my agents and our partners to hold Nicholson accountable for these crimes.

The FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorneys J.B. Ward and Don Long are prosecuting.
The son of a man found dead in his Lauderdale County home Tuesday night has been charged with his death, according to the Lauderdale County Sheriffs Office.

Charles Bradley Montgomery, 34, was charged with murder Thursday afternoon, said Lt. Brad Potts. He was taken into custody early Wednesday morning on outstanding warrants, he said.

His father, Roy Dale Montgomery, was found dead at his Lauderdale County home on Lauderdale County 273 Tuesday night. His body was discovered around 6 p.m. after a family member made entry to the home after being unable to make contact with him, Potts said.

Potts said Roy Montgomerys employer called the sheriffs office to request a welfare check Monday morning after he was unable to make contact with him. Deputies went to the residence and noted his 1989 Chevrolet truck was missing.

The missing truck was later recovered on Lauderdale County 81 near the Oakland community.

The sheriffs office has not released a motive in the killing. Potts said Montgomerys body has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy. A cause and manner of death has also not been released.

Further information about the investigation was not immediately available.
A fourth person has been charged with capital murder in the 2016 shooting death of an 85-year-old man during a home invasion.

The Lee County Sheriffs Office on Friday announced the arrest of 25-year-old Shakeela Chantell Dailey of Opelika. She is charged in the Jan. 19, 2016 killing of Curtis Thornton Rudd.

Lee County sheriff's deputies and East Alabama Medical center paramedics responded about 1:15 a.m. that day to Rudd's home in the 3000 block of Lee Road 177 in Cusseta. Rudd was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to East Alabama Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:05 a.m.

Rudd's wife was home at the time of the attack. She told investigators she and her husband were awakened by the door being forced open. That's when they were accosted by two masked gunmen.

Rudd exchanged gunfire with the intruders, and the suspects fled the home. Harris said a person later showed up at the emergency room with a gunshot wound. Rudds wife was not injured.

Lee County sheriffs Capt. Van Jackson said the initial investigated resulted in the arrests of Robert Jamal Wiggins, 22, of Columbus, Ga., Davonte Travon Mike, 23, and Khaleef Jevante Marshall, 22, both of Opelika. All three remain held in the Lee County Detention Center without bond awaiting trial.

As a result of the ongoing investigation, Jackson said Friday, additional evidence recently obtained showed Daileys involvement in planning the home invasion. She also has been identified as the driver of the vehicle that took the suspects to and from Rudds home that morning.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the Lee County Sheriffs Office at 334-749-5651 or Lee County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-522-7847.
Birmingham police are searching for a patient missing from Hillcrest Behavioral Health Services.

The patient, 18-year-old Deandre Ellington, walked away from the clinic in the 7000 block of Fifth Avenue South around p.m. Thursday, said Sgt. Johnny Williams.

Ellington was last seen wearing a gray hoodie with green piping and gray shorts, police said. He is a black male, stands 6-feet-2-inches tall and weighs about 175 pounds, police said.

Anyone with information on Ellingtons whereabouts should contact Birmingham police at 205-504-9901 or call 911. Anyone with additional information about the investigation should contact Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
A west Alabama mother is facing multiple criminal charges after authorities say she threatened an elementary school teacher and then kicked a police officer while he tried to take her into custody.

The incident happened Oct. 12 at Moundville Elementary School. Court records and authorities say 24-year-old Bria Clayton went to the school to confront a teacher. At some point, the teacher saw a loaded gun  a Hi-Point 9 mm pistol  in the front seat of Claytons car in the carpool line. The teacher then notified the school resource officer.

As the officer tried to put Clayton in his patrol vehicle, she kicked him in the chest.

Hale County District Attorney Michael Jackson said Clayton is charged with third-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, obstructing government operations, resisting arrest, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of a firearm on school property, possession of drug paraphernalia.

She is set to appear in court for a preliminary hearing in early November.

Parents confronting teachers is one of the main reasons many teachers are starting to choose another profession, Jackson said. This has to stop.
A Forestdale teen has been charged with murder and attempted murder in a shooting that left a 17-year-old girl dead and wounded two others.

Dylan Blair, 17, is being held in the Walker County Jail on a $75,000 cash bond. Authorities are still searching for a second suspect  30-year-old convicted felon Deaster Gardner  who could be in the western Birmingham area.

Killed in the Tuesday shooting was Jamie Marie Kernop. Those wounded, according to court records, were Kernops boyfriend, Stone Brian Whitlow, and Jacob Alan Collier.

Sumiton police responded at 3:18 p.m. to the Exxon gas station on Highway 78. Once on the scene, they found a man who had sustained a gunshot wound to the arm. In the course of investigating that incident, they were led to a home on nearby Earley Street.

At the Earley Street residence, police found Kernop inside the home. She had been shot and was pronounced dead on the scene. Another victim was found near the home. He was transported to UAB Hospital in Birmingham. His condition was not immediately available.

Police Chief T.J. Burnett said investigators believe all three were shot at the Earley Street house. The two male victims were able to escape through a window. Investigators have not yet released a possible motive in the triple shooting.

Burnett in a Facebook post said Kernop was yet another victim of senseless violence. providing her and her family with the justice they deserve is our departments main focus right now, and any help from the community is welcomed and much appreciated.

According to charging documents, Blair is charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder and first-degree burglary. Records state a handgun was used in the shootings.

He was taken into custody in the hours after shootings at a home in Forestdale by Sumiton police officers and Jefferson County sheriffs deputies.

An intense search for Gardner is ongoing. Court records show he was arrested last month by the Walker County Sheriffs Office in Jasper on heroin charges. In 2008 he pleaded guilty to robbery and receiving stolen property charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

A Celebration of Life for Kernop will be held Sunday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. n the chapel of Crestview Memorial Funeral Home.

Her obituary described her as a beautiful young soul.

She was the light for so many. She was a wonderful friend to her friends and loved everyone. She loved her brothers and sisters with everything in her, the obituary reads. Jamie loved gymnastics and was very good at it. She loved the water, loved music of all kinds and her makeup. She was a beautiful young girl that will always be remembered by her loving and care free spirit.

Anyone with information on Gardners whereabouts is asked to call Sumiton police at 205-648-3261 or the Walker County Sheriffs Office at 205-302-6464.
A Birmingham man was convicted Friday in the sex abuse of a young family friend.

A Jefferson County jury found Armando Torres Escobar, 34, guilty of two counts of sex abuse of a child under the age of 12 and one count of first-degree sex abuse. Initially arrested last year, Escobar was booked back into the Jefferson County Jail on no bond following his conviction.

Escobar was initially charged with the crimes in December 2017. Jefferson County sheriffs Chief Deputy Randy Christian said deputies were called on Aug. 4, 2017 to a Pinson Valley home to investigate the reported sex abuse.

The girl had gone to her mother and told her that a family friend had been engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with her, Christian said. Sheriff's detectives immediately launched their investigation.

On Nov. 29, Escobar contacted investigators through his attorney and agreed to turn himself in. He did so the following day.

Sentencing for Escobar has not yet been announced.
There are plenty of local races on next months ballot, including every countys probate judge position. But, do voters know the qualifications for those spots?

Probate courts in the 67 Alabama counties have a big job-- its the court that handles adoptions, marriages, mental health commitments, and condemnations. All probate judges in Alabama are also the chief election official of that county.

But, despite those obvious legal issues, these judges are not required to be lawyers and there are no formal training requirements.

According to the Alabama Secretary of States Office website, the state requirements for a county probate judge are as follows: Be a registered voter, be at least 18 years old, reside in the district which the candidate seeks to represent for one year before election, not run after age 70, be a state resident for one year, be a U.S. citizen for one day, and be a registered voter. The probate judge serves a six-year term, and there is no limit to how many times a judge can hold the office. The state website mentions nothing about a law degree or legal experience.

Each county, however, can lay out separate, additional requirements for the role, though: Both Jefferson and Mobile counties require their probate judges to be attorneys. There is one probate judge in each county, except for Jefferson County, which has two and both are attorneys.

Three other countiesPickens, Shelby, and Houstonhave a special, local law that doesnt require the probate judge to be a lawyer, but gives the judge more power if he or she is a lawyer in good standing with the state bar.

Alabama is one of only four states that allow a probate judge to be a non-lawyer, according to the Alabama Law Review; the other states are Connecticut, Maryland, and New Jersey. Some states allow non-lawyers continue to serve on the bench under grandfather clauses. District and circuit court judges in the state are required to be lawyers.

While theres no requirement to be an attorney in most counties, a number of those elected to the post do have a law degree.

According to the Alabama Probate Judges Association Education Committee Chairman Judge John Earl Paluzzi, approximately 22 probate judges in the state are lawyers. Thats up from in 2007, when he said there were less than 10 probate judges who were lawyers. That means probate court in 45 counties are led by a judge without a law degree.

The issue of probate judges and their legal experience came up over 50 years ago, Paluzzi said, when the Probate Judges Association opted out of a judicial article that required judges to be attorneys. Many of the judges at the time werent lawyers, and they were satisfied with the way the system was working at the time.

Paluzzi, who has been chairman of the education committee for nine years, said he has worked to organize continuing education conferences where lawyers and judges teach classes for sitting probate court judges. Weve bent over backwards  to get them adequately trained in probate law, Paluzzi said. Judges need to know this stuff.

While education is a point of contention in probate court, so is payment. Because probate judges are county employees, they are paid by a salary set by the respective county commission. According to information from the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, the Mobile County probate judge was the states highest-paid in 2015 with an annual salary of more than $155,800. The same data showed probate judges in Barbour and Bullock counties earn about $52,500 per year. But, that payment also reflects the workflow of the court. Paluzzi said he could have as many cases on his docket during a month that a judge in Jefferson County has in a single day.

All Alabama counties have probate seats on their ballots next month, but not all those races are contested. In Jefferson County, for example, both the first seat and second seat incumbents are running uncontested. In Shelby County, Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Lyn Stuart appointed Allison Boyd to complete the term of Probate Judge Jim Fuhrmeister, who has retired. Boyd is unopposed as well.

Personally, Paluzzi said he believes probate judges should be required to be lawyers. If [the county doesnt] have a lawyer, it probably does not serve the people of that county as sufficiently as if theres a lawyer there. Theres an argument to be made there, because they can learn the law but I know where to go to find [the law].

Youll learn a lot in law school that you wont use, but you will have the knowledge of there to go to find the law. Then you have a good foundation to bring you into a judicial setting, Paluzzi said. I believe that anyone who does not have a law degree, who has no experience in the law, is at a disadvantage when they take the bench.

However, Paluzzi said, he has turned to both lawyer and non-lawyer probate judges over the years for advice. Not to say lawyers have all that knowledge that they need you learn by educating yourself. A good person of average intelligence could come into office and become a competent judge, but it takes years and years to learn all that. A lawyer is going to come in and have a step ahead than the non-lawyer judge.
A judge is considering whether Linda Hall will be eligible to receive votes in next months judicial race.

A Jefferson County voter filed a lawsuit late last month, claiming Linda Hall isnt eligible for the judicial seat shes campaigning for because she doesnt live in Jefferson County. Fayette County Circuit Judge Samuel Junkin is presiding over the case after all Jefferson County judges recused themselves.

Hall is currently the Democratic nominee for Jefferson County Circuit Court Place 16, which is part of the Tenth Judicial Circuit. She is running against Republican incumbent Circuit Judge Teresa Pulliam. The lawsuit states Hall lives in Shelby Countywhich isnt part of the Tenth Judicial Circuit like Jeffersonand hasnt lived in Jefferson County for the required 12 months.

I would not have ran if I knew that I lived in Shelby County, she said during testimony Friday.

Junkin said he would rule in the case by Monday afternoon.

Hall testified Friday about her living arrangements for the past 18 months. Hall said she lived in the Park at Callington apartments until early 2016, when mold infested her unit and she had to move out. From there, Hall moved in February 2017 to apartments on Kenley Waywhich was the address she provided on her declaration of candidacy forms with the Alabama Democratic Party. According to her testimony, Hall provided the zip code 35219, which doesnt match the Kenley Way address, because she didnt know the correct zip code. Hall said the 35219 zip code matched her P.O. box address in Homewood where she received all of her mail.

Hall said she is aware of the requirement that a person must live in the county in which theyre campaigning in for at least 12 months.

Documents shown in court also show Hall provided the Kenley Way address, along with the incorrect zip code, on forms submitted to the Alabama Ethics Commission. She said the inaccuracy had never been brought to her attention until this case, and she did not know the apartments were in Shelby County when she lived there. Hall said according to her lease and other documents, the apartments were in Birmingham. Parts of Birmingham overlap into Shelby County, but Hall said she never inquired about the county she was residing in.

In August 2017, Hall said she renewed her lease for the apartmentsbut, she moved to St. Louis, MO, until December. In St. Louis, she lived in several extended stay hotels.

When she returned in December 2017, Hall said, she realized mold was growing in her Kenley Way apartment. Supervisors at the complex wouldnt fix the problem, and she moved out in March. While Hall claimed there was mold at the Kenley Way apartment, renters insurance denied her claim.

Hall said when she left that apartment in March 2018, she lived out of her office on Valley Avenue and several extended stay hotels. In May, she moved into the Cahaba Grandview apartments on River View Road, which is also in the 35242 zip code. Hall lived there until July, she said, and moved because of a foul odor that came from a sewer treatment plant behind the complex. When she left those apartments, Hall said she moved to the Inverness Cliffs apartments.

After moving into the Inverness apartments, Hall said she began not to sleep there because of smoke coming from a resident next door. Hall mostly slept either on the couch in her Valley Avenue office or in hotels, she said.

Hall said she knew the Inverness apartments were listed in the city of Birmingham, but didnt ask what county the building was in. She said at Kenley Way, Cahaba Grandview, and Inverness Cliffs, the complexes advertised they were in the city of Birmingham.

Hall said her living room furniture, along with some other belongings, have been at her office since 2016 because she didnt want to move furniture into apartments where it could be ruined by mold or other problems. She would move her bed, some clothing, and a television that never left its box into each apartment.

After leaving Inverness Cliffs earlier this month, Hall moved into an apartment in Jefferson County.

When asked why Hall claimed in a recent court filing that she resided at her office, Hall said she spent more time there than she did at her various apartments. For the purpose of residence I spend more time at my office, she stated. Im there more than Im at home.

Earlier this year, a judge ruled Hall was wrongly evicted in 2010 from her Berry Road home by her sister, who Hall owned the property with. Hall said she hasnt lived on that property since 2009 or 2010. According to court records, Hall owns two-thirds of that property. My intention was to go back to Berry Road, she said.

Evidence presented in court showed Halls drivers license and voter registration are both registered to the Berry Road address, although she said she hadnt lived there in eight years and the house is currently occupied by renters. Hall said she didnt change her address on those documents because she hasnt been at any address long enough in the past eight years to establish a residence.

The voters lawsuit claims that since ballots for the Nov. 6 election have already been printed, and absentee ballots already mailed, the only remedy for the situation is for any votes cast for Hall to not be counted. Halls attorneys say she is the rightful nominee, and has met the qualifications.

Hall is represented by Kearney Hutsler and Everett Wess; the complaining voter is represented by Barry Ragsdale and Meghan Salvati.

This post was updated 10/22 to correct the incorrect spelling of Judge Samuel Junkin.
A man shot in broad daylight in Pratt City has now died.

Birmingham police on Thursday identified the victim as Christopher Rice. He was 29, and lived in Birmingham.

West Precinct officers responded at 12:55 p.m.Wednesday to the 200 block of Avenue U in Pratt City. Birmingham police Sgt. Johnny Williams said dispatchers first received a call of shots fired, and then received another report of someone injured.

When they arrived on the scene, they found Rice lying in a grassy median in the middle of a busy Pratt City business district. The man was rushed to UAB Hospital where police said he still had a pulse, but said his injuries were grave.

He was pronounced dead late Thursday afternoon at the hospital.

Investigators marked at least two shell casings on Second Street, and detectives were canvassing the aea for possible witnesses, surveillance video, and anything else that could provide clues in the probe.

Williams said it was a bold move to do this in broad daylight in such a populated area.

"It's shocking to the community,'' Williams said. "We're not quite sure what happened, what caused it. That's why we have detectives in the area trying to locate anyone who may have additional information."

A motive has not yet been determined and no arrests have been made.

Rice is the city's 90th homicide in the city so far in 2018. Of those, five have been ruled justifiable and will not be included by the Birmingham Police Department in its year-end tally. There have been 130 in all of Jefferson County this year, including the 90 in Birmingham.

Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham police at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Plans to complete Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in northeast Alabama - expected to create a economic windfall for the rural area - are in jeopardy of falling through.

Bill McCollum, CEO of the group in the process of purchasing the half-completed plant outside Scottsboro, said in a guest column published Friday in the Memphis Commercial Appeal that if Memphis Light, Gas & Water declines to agree to purchase electricity from the plant, it could scuttle the entire deal for the plant.

Nuclear Development LLC has applied for more than $8 billion in loans from the U.S. Department of Energy to complete the plant.

Without an updated "letter of intent" from Memphis Light to purchase the power - a non-binding version of which Memphis Light signed in January - McCollum wrote in the guest column that the company could walk away from Bellefonte.

Nuclear Development, which won the right to buy the plant from TVA two years ago, must close on the deal by Nov. 14. Nuclear Development won the auction bidding at $111 million. It has paid $22 million so far.

"While Nuclear Development already has given TVA $22 million in earnest money for the Bellefonte plant, Nuclear Development may walk away from the deal if the DOE's loan requirements aren't satisfied by that time," McCollum said in the column.

It's a development that could be devastating for northeast Alabama. The completion of Bellefonte has been described as perhaps the biggest economic development in the state's history and would energize one of the state's poorer regions.

Construction on the maligned plant by TVA began in the 1970s but a series of roadblocks have prevented its completion. TVA decided two years ago to sell the plant as surplus after determining it was no longer needed to meet the federal utility's power demand.

U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, whose district includes the plant, described it in July as an "economic boon" for northeast Alabama.

"My motivation is strengthening of America's power grid so we have more sources of electricity and with that additional supply, more competition that will hopefully force electricity prices to be lowered. That's motivation No. 1," Brooks told AL.com in August of his support for Bellefonte.

"Motivation No. 2 is over 1,000 jobs averaging over $100,000 per employee. That is a great boon for Jackson County. I'm all for Bellefonte being completed, power being generated and Jackson County enjoying a wealth of high-paying jobs."

Nuclear Development said at a community event in July promoting the plant's plans for completion that a customer had been secured to buy the electricity to be produced. Officials, however, would not identify that customer.

Based on the column written by McCollum, that customer appears to be Memphis Light.

McCollum addressed the Memphis city council on Oct. 9, urging them to approve a deal between Memphis Light -- which is owned by the city -- and Nuclear Development.

The January letter of intent signed by Memphis Light came under the leadership of Jerry Collins, who is no longer in that position. His replacement, J.T. Young, said the council would be best served by waiting for an energy report due in December and that the city of Memphis would be taking on a risk by agreeing to a deal with Nuclear Development to get power from an unfinished plant.

McCollum touted in his column Friday that Nuclear Development could provide electricity to Memphis for about half the price it currently pays to TVA -- a savings of about $487 million per year for the city.

"Imagine what $487 million a year -- or $14 billion over 30 years -- could do for Memphis," McCollum wrote in the column.

"For starters, it could repair MLGW's aging infrastructure so that a rainstorm won't randomly and regularly darken neighborhoods. Or it could finance a new downtown convention center or help to fund the revitalization of the riverfront or build new community centers. The list is endless."

Click here to read the full column from McCollum.
Bay County and Panama City have lifted the alcohol bans in place since Hurricane Michael devastated the area last week.

The Panama City Beach City Council changed the curfew within its city limits to 10 p.m. - 6 a.m. and lifted the alcohol moratorium, allowing liquor to be sold from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Bay County took the same action shortly afterwards and kept the same hours.

The Panama City Beach council said it had found that "although a public emergency remains in many portions of incorporated and unincorporated Bay County, conditions in the city have been sufficiently restored so as to permit the sale, dispensing and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the city."

Anyone other than first responders, utility workers or staff at restaurants and other service industries who are commuting to work will be stopped if they are out driving after 10 p.m. officials said.

Panama City Beach, Bay County and Gulf County had all prohibited the sale of alcohol as recovery from Hurricane Michael continues. As of Friday morning, about half of Bay and Gulf counties remain without power and officials estimate it could take until next week to restore power to the entire area.

Thirty-five Florida counties remain under a state of emergency after the Category 4 storm slammed into the coast last week, toppling trees and destroying homes and businesses. Michael has been blamed for 35 deaths - 25 in Florida, three in North Carolina, one in Georgia and six in Virginia.
The long-awaited replacement of the Interstate 59/20 bridges through downtown Birmingham will begin next year and plans are in the works to reroute traffic during the massive undertaking.

The project will be the last stage in the sweeping remake of interstate bridges and interchanges in the heart of the city, a stretch of highway that carries the state's heaviest traffic flow and the moniker Malfunction Junction.

Alabama Department of Transportation officials said they hope to announce a start date at their next media briefing in November.

DeJarvis Leonard, ALDOT's east central region engineer, said the agency would keep the public updated on alternate routes and other information needed to try to minimize the disruption during the project, which is expected to be completed by November 2020.

"It's going to be challenging," Leonard said. "We realize there will be congestion. We're working hard to identify where that congestion will take place and mitigate that utilizing some modeling of the traffic."

ALDOT maintains a website to keep the public informed on the project. Go here to see a video of today's monthly update.

One key part of the plan is to divert tractor-trailers and other interstate traffic that normally flows through downtown to I-459.

"Utilizing the interstates is what we're encouraging," Leonard said. "Keep in mind we have gone in and resurfaced most of these routes and they're in excellent condition. So we will not have to be out there working on them primarily in most areas. So that should facilitate even better movement once we close the bridges."

Work was recently completed on another major phase, an overhaul of the I59/20 interchange at Interstate 65. Leonard the work was completed on time, thanks partly to incentives built into the contract.

"The new ramps are functioning and it has changed the skyline of Birmingham," Leonard said.

Earlier phases of the project included widening bridges on Interstate 65 to facilitate entrance and exit ramps and a lengthening of bridges on 12th Avenue and 31st Street.

Work on the first phase started in 2015.
A 6-year-old Panama City child was killed Thursday afternoon when a vehicle she was a passenger in left the road and hit a tree near to Brewton, Escambia County.

She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Alabama State Troopers.

Three other people were injured in the crash when the 2015 Chevrolet Equinox struck the tree on Jay Road.

The driver of the vehicle, 18-year-old Delaney Hammac, also of Panama City, was taken to the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola while two children were taken to Sacred Heart Hospital.
Concerns about noise, speculative investors and other uncertainties surrounding a possible relocation of Mobile's commercial air service closer to downtown appear to be dominating neighborhood conversations around the city.

On Thursday, during a town hall meeting at the Mobile Carnival Museum, those concerns were directed at the head of the Mobile Airport Authority.

Chris Curry, the MMA's executive director for the past year and its president since last month, reassured residents that there will be plenty of opportunities to address noise issues during a forthcoming master planning process.

"There are rumors ongoing about Brookley and what the airport will do and what this plan will do," said Curry, addressing concerns he's heard during earlier public meetings about the proposed relocation of commercial flights from Mobile Regional Airport in the city's far western end to the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley that is located less than 5 miles southeast of downtown.

"None of these decisions have been made yet," Curry said. "They will be determined through the master planning process, which will take one to one-and-a-half years to develop."

Curry, though, hinted that some plans were being kicked around regarding noise abatement from an airport that - if relocated to Brookley - will be a few short miles from an established and racially diverse neighborhood.

He said that one issue that could be considered is a curfew where commercial aircraft would not land after 11 p.m. Commercial aircraft, Curry said, would likely not be departing from a repurposed Brookley before 6 a.m.

"But there is a careful balance between how a community tolerates something that is slightly uncomfortable for some and, on the other side, is a tremendous economic opportunity," said Curry. "That's the balance we have to make."

City Councilman C.J. Small, who represents the area closest to the airport, said he's heard worries about noise levels from his constituents.

Small, though, said he "felt good" that Curry was open to having dialogue with residents and acknowledged that the airport director had been "going around and talking to community groups and district meetings about what kind of noise would come from the airport."

Small hosted the town hall meeting along with state Rep. Barbara Drummond, D-Mobile. Approximately 140 people, mostly senior citizens, attended.

"The best thing I can say about this is that the community will be involved in the transition of the airport," said Small. He also said that Curry has informed him that more public meetings, as part of the master planning process, will occur in January.

Barbara Baptiste, president of a residential association within Frank Boykin Towers - a senior citizens housing complex west of Interstate 10 from Brookley - said that while she's excited about the potential airport relocation, a big unknown is the noise.

"There is already a lot of noise," said Baptiste, referring to Airbus jetliners that take off and land at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. The $600 million Airbus plant, which opened in 2015, assembles aircraft for the world's No. 2-largest airline-maker.

Curry said he believes that if residents can tolerate the existing noise at Brookley, then they will have no problems with commercial flights.

He said the goal is for Brookley to handle commercial flights for low-cost carriers. Typically, those carriers field fleets of smaller jets than the jets flowing from the Airbus line or that arrive at Brookley for maintenance.

FedEx Express also uses the complex for daily cargo flights from Memphis, Tennessee.

"If you recognize Brookley today, you know that it's certainly an airport that caters to some very large aircraft, and some of the largest in the industry have maintenance repairs (on site)," said Curry. "When we bring commercial service to Brookley, we will not bring aircraft that large in the configuration. There are also different engines with noise requirements than what was used before."

He added, "If you are not bothered right now by Airbus testing their aircraft on a daily basis, you should not be too bothered by the commercial aviation at Brookley."

Residents like Baptiste also raised concerns about a proliferation of what they referred to as speculative housing offers for property throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.

Drummond urged homeowners to hold onto their properties.

"Change is coming and there is a natural growth that will occur," Drummond said. "I know many of you are getting letters from speculators, and not the Airport Authority, about your houses. You need to sit on your house. Don't let someone buy your property for a nickel and then have them sell it for whoever the developer is for a dime."

Curry said there was no intent from the Airport Authority, at this time, to purchase properties within the neighborhoods for a Brookley expansion.

"We don't have a need for additional space that we don't own," said Curry.

The Airport Authority's master planning process follows the release, this summer, of a report that justifies a switch of commercial service from Mobile Regional to Brookley.

The comprehensive master plan is expected to take futuristic look at the city's air service for the next 20 years.

But there is interest in providing immediate service at Brookley. ViaAir is currently flying out of Mobile Regional, with direct stops to Orlando. But the low-cost carrier is wanting to begin, as soon as possible, offering those flights out of Brookley.

The MAA has pledged to set up a Brookley passenger terminal and is looking at moving ahead with a serious investment rather than setting up a prefab temporary structure. Last month, the MAA voted to authorize negotiations on the preliminary engineering and design work not to exceed $190,000 for a new terminal.

Curry said the part of the interest in relocating the airport downtown - an almost-unheard of concept for cities in the U.S. - also boils down to fares, which Mobile ranks among the highest along the Gulf Coast.

"When you look at the different carriers we have at the Regional Airport, they are considered legacy carriers," he said. "As we communicated with other carriers, they said they were not interested in Mobile Regional at all. It was difficult to get to. And when you talk about the low-cost carriers we hope to get into the market ... and we talked about Brookley as an opportunity, their eyes lit up. That is a game-changer for the community."
Dr. Monita Soni of Huntsville grew up in Mumbai, India. She is a contributor to

Sundial Writer's Corner on WLRH public radio.

When Shakespeare said:

If music be the food of love

Play on give me excess of it surfeit of it

That surfeiting the appetite may sicken

And then die...

He was not referring to the notes emanating from books because the Bard probably conspired with destiny to bring us: #JustThreeWomenfromAlabama literally and literarily to a book hunt in Paris. One day we were sitting at UAH and the next moment we were crossing the Seine and entering the most sought after independent bookstore on the left bank: Shakespeare and Company!

If you are a member of Huntsville Literary Association, we blab about books regularly and when Abby Dunham suggested we visit the bookstores in the Latin quarter, I stowed my jet lagged mind from a flight from Mumbai in my bag and followed them on this historic trek to the famous Shakespeare and Company the utopian independent English-language bookstore on Paris's Left Bank.

The first one was opened, in 1919, at 8 rue Dupuytren by Sylvia Beach who published Ulysses by James Joyce's on his 40th birthday. Beach closed Shakespeare and Company in 1940 during the German occupation of Paris.

The bookstore we entered on 37 Rue de la Bucherie with throngs of tourists was started by George Whitman in a building that was condemned in 1870, but he took a chance on it in1951 and paved the floor with marble slabs pilfered by him from a monastery!

The other rooms were added later and unfold like pages of an "walk-in" book that fondly chronicles generations of writers--Allen Ginsberg, Anais Nin, William Styron, Martin Amis, Zadie Smith, Dave Eggers, Tennessee Williams and Whitman's love of books. Sylvia Whitman who inherited this treasure has added a phone, credit card machine and computers but has left the spirit of the eccentric, visionary George Whitman who believed that poetry was the essence of life intact!

Strolling up to the store's early 17th-century building with a small half-plaza front, weather-worn bookstalls, original green-and-yellow facade, hand-written signage augurs a time travel to a Beat Generationesque Paris. While listening to a reading by Zadie Smith you feel as though you are rubbing shoulders with Victor Hugo, Hemmingway or Allen Ginsberg in flesh!

We three women sat on the Samuel Beckett bench and pondered on Live for Humanity a quote from Karl Marx in this live, breathing socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore. I took several photos of the store and books by Henry Miller, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Ray Bradbury and Gregory Corso to jog my memory because as Abby rattled off names of good reads, I kept notes at a furious pace.

She selected a few titles Retro mania Simon Reynolds, Hollywood Babylon Kenneth Anger, The Summer Book- Tove Janson, White Tears- Hari Kunzru but there were so many books I wanted to read so it was difficult to select, so I decided to just soak in the glorious atmosphere.

At the bottom of the shop was a magical staircase with the inscription: I wish I could show you when you are lonely or in darkness the astonishing light of your own! What a wonderful invitation to extract countless riches stored in the tomes and by thirty thousand resident authors to kindle your imagination.

George believed: Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise. The reading rooms were added to offer a magical library to encourage reading or to invest in the conditions of the human race.

To my utter delight, there was one corner completely devoted to poetry. Hafiz, Keats, Browning, and palm sized haiku books glowed around me. There was a wall where lovers and poetry aficionados lingered and left messages for their friends or romantics from far-flung places.

People have known to fall in love and also get married here. George Whitman was the best man for over hundred weddings. I penned my message to my kindred spirit and offered thanks. I think that perhaps one day I might become a tumble weed writers, and sleep with the books here...

The first editions of rare books: Joan of Arc by Winston Churchill, Mary by Nobokov Vladimir, Age of Opulence: the belle epoque in Paris. Malcolm Lowery, Hemingway, Animal Farm by George Orwell, Naked Lunch by William S Burroughs displayed in the in-ornate window gave us goose bumps but the thrill of sifting through used books on the cobblestoned side walk was equally enchanting.

I made vigorous notes on my iPhone as she kept adding and subtracting books she wanted to purchase. We were so comfortable in this bookstore a true melting pot with readers from across the globe sharing notes, squealing in joy of discovering books they had read in childhood or complimenting new authors who had soared into success with their debut novels like J.K. Rowling.

The book I would have bought if it was on sale would have been the great big volume of the unabridged world of the great bard with tiny print and glorious illustrations propped up in a tiny window perhaps by George himself. I picked up the tome in my hand and was transported to my childhood hunched over in Taming of the Shrew, reading aloud the querulous exchange between Kate and Petruchio. Until dad pulled me out of my window seat and made me walk with the heavy bound volume on my head to improve my posture.

We sat for some time in the tiny balcony of a reading room with well worn velvet cushioned benches flanking the floor to ceiling bookcases of eighteenth century gold embossed books with droll titles and grave epithets. The silvery waters of the Seine were just a stone's throw away and I could have thrown my woes to the south side of Notre Dame in a heart beat but to prevent such "March madness" the owner had planted a large pot of geraniums in the window.

The Latin quarter is famous for its mouth watering multiethnic cuisines. We took a leisurely lunch in a Turkish diner and regaled our taste buds with kebabs and roasted eggplant but we were thankful that Sylvia Whitman's response to the owner of a pop-up kebab chain's circling imperious finger in the air hungrily for her prime real estate: How much? was a firm Non!

Later buzzing like "bees in a book lover's bonnet" we walked down colorful streets dotted with restaurants souvenir shops, deliciously arranged windows with mountains of meringue and macaroons. Abby our lead musketeer, led us to the Abbey's Bookstore on 17 Rue Monsieur le Prince opened by a French Canadian expat organized meticulously by the owner in a tiny space.

We walked in the delightful body of books barely managing to squeeze in a single file between the livres. We accidentally toppled over a pile of books. This antic made our day! We put them back again on a teetering tower and took a "laughing" selfie.

As Abby paid for her books, the owner asked us where we were from? We are from Alabama. You too? he looked quizzically at my olive skin and embroidered yellow phulkari scarf. Guilty as charged, I smiled.

I did not forget to tell him that the protagonist in Amitav Ghosh's new novel Deenu owns a used bookstore in Venice. I have a feeling I might go back and continue our conversation.

I made a list of some unusual books my father might have enjoyed: Will and Testament of an Extremely Distinguished Dog, The Twice Told Tales, Dinner at The Center of the Earth, Coconut Unlimited, The Perfume that Burned his Eyes, Sea prayer, Hiking with Nietzsche, Thank you for Arguing, Autumn in Venice, Death of a Naturalist, The Black Album, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Diary of a Bookseller, Graham Green's: In Search of Character. As per George Whitman's (who lived to be 98) motto: A book a day keeps boredom and death away!
Ethiopias Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is drawing admiration from all corners for his transformative leadership. Since coming to power six months ago, he has released political prisoners, widened the democratic space, ended the military stalemate with Eritrea, and averted a looming financial crisis. In short, his dynamic leadership, energy, and enthusiasm have pulled off what a Washington Post editorial described as an astonishing turnaround for the country.

Ahmeds latest decision to fill 50 percent of his cabinet with female ministers is an integral part of the transformative agenda he has set out during his inaugural speech on April 2. It is easy to dismiss this move as a token gesture or a mere publicity stunt, but in a highly patriarchal society such as Ethiopia where public discourse about gender equality is non-existent or confined to the margins, the mere existence of a gender-balanced cabinet can have a transformative effect.

Ethiopias prime minister brought youthful vigour and bold confidence to the masculine, patriarchal, and archaic traditions of the Ethiopian state. During his inaugural address, he broke with tradition and acknowledged his mother and wife. Towards the end of his speech, he said, in a manner that is not customary in this house,  I would like to politely ask you to thank one Ethiopian mother who  planted this distant and deep and elaborate vision in me, who raised me, and brought me to fruition. He went on to say that My mother is counted among the many kind, innocent, and hardworking Ethiopian mothers  In thanking my mother, I consider it equivalent to extending thanks to all Ethiopian mothers. Given his numerous policy statements and his commitment to liberal ideas of equality, fairness, and representation visible in these policies, there is no reason to believe that these announcements had ulterior motives.

Women Cant Lead

In announcing the line-up of his new cabinet, Prime Minister Ahmed told the Ethiopian Parliament: Our women ministers will disprove the old aphorism that women cant lead. Contrary to this old aphorism, he argued, women can help fight corruption, reduce inefficiency, and bring accountability and fairness to government  and that is leadership.

Linguists define aphorisms as cultural heritages that capture societys gravest concerns and strongest commitments. Aphorisms condense within themselves some of the most defining values and perspectives of a given society on a range of social and cultural issues. In Ethiopia, there are a significant number of widely and openly used sexist and dehumanizing expressions that illustrate the place of women in Ethiopian society.

Recent scholarly work that reviewed the representation of woman in Afaan Oromo and Amharic aphorisms, two of the most widely spoken languages in Ethiopia, depict a shocking portrait of a deeply rotten culture that casts women in a degrading and dehumanising light. A widely used Oromo proverb states A woman can be tall but not knowledgeable. An Amharic proverb stays: A woman does not know anything, but gives birth to a knowledgeable child.

The patriarchal tradition that establishes the basic background narrative about the place of women in society and the incorrigibly masculine standards that shape our emotional and cognitive structures subordinate women while relentlessly upholding male privilege. Indeed, the entire cognitive, emotional, and linguistic landscape is permeated with languages, ideas, and perceptions that belittle, dehumanise, and marginalise women while at the same time presenting men as capable, competent, credible, authoritative, and knowledgeable.

Unexamined Prejudice

These unexamined prejudices distort societys perceptions and judgements about women. They enable various forms of violence against women, from domestic violence to sexual harassment, and rape. They impose what Miranda Fricker, presidential professor of philosophy at the City University of New York, calls pre-emptive silences that prevent women from having a voice, and from sharing her experiences, rendering her a political subject whose perspectives and experiences are deemed irrelevant to public policy. In Ethiopia, womens knowledge, expertise or opinions are rarely, if at all, solicited, both in private and public realms.

If we are to change these practices, we have to go beyond enshrining principles of equality in the constitution and deal with the structural dimensions of gender inequality that are stubborn, resistant, and unyielding. We must understand how these structural inequalities impede the race for equality by preventing women from entering the race in the first place, let alone win it. We have to acknowledge the invisible brick walls, barriers, debris, and roadblocks a woman must pass through to enter the race.

However, while it is important to understand the basic background narrative and the cultural norms that pre-emptively silence women and deprive them of voice and visibility in the public sphere, it is critical that we also start building pathways through our institutions to genuinely and visibly recognise the contribution of women to society.

That is why these appointments, rather than being token gestures, have a tremendous transformative potential to end Ethiopian womens experience of invisibility and the silencing of their voice and capacity. By intervening in this way, at the highest level, and increasing the visibility of women in public life, these appointments will disrupt Ethiopian societys highly problematic beliefs about womens capacity to lead.

In a culture where gender inequality is so deeply entrenched and public discourse on gender equality is almost non-existent or confined to the margins, these appointments send a powerful message to young girls that the status quo is not inevitable, that things could be and should be different and that they too, could one day, assume a position of influence, or even become a Minister.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to convince our governments to protect Antarctica. We shouldnt let it pass.

I never dreamed of going to Antarctica.

In fact, I was never even interested in it. There are no trees, it looked cold and barren and I get seasick just thinking about whale watching. So when Greenpeace asked me if Id like to be their first Ambassador to the Antarctic, which meant sailing down through the notorious Drake Passage on Greenpeaces icebreaker, the Arctic Sunrise, which could potentially roll up to 70 degrees in rough waters, I paused.

I wasnt sure I wanted to do that.

But then I thought, when would I ever get to do something like this again? It was a chance to be a part of one of the most exciting conservation efforts of our time, working to protect the Weddell Sea, an area the size of five Germanys (yes, they have to measure it in Germanys, its that big). It would be the largest protected area on earth. Yes, I might spend two weeks in digestive distress, yes I might roll out of my bunk, but I did that once on a tour bus and survived.

I went.

That landscape. I have never experienced anything like it. It was so uncompromised, so clean, so austere. It made me feel tiny, insignificant. Antarctica has dignity. It is awe-inspiring.

The glaciers are otherworldly, their size, breathtaking. The icebergs take on the most alien shapes and radiate pure, piercing Klein blue when the sun shines through them.

The wildlife down there was ridiculous. It was like a Disney film: penguins leaping out of the water, minke and humpback whales skimming the surface, seals everywhere, sunning themselves, barking up a storm, and seabirds everywhere.

Antarctica did not open its arms to welcome us. The creatures paid zero attention to us. Sometimes we had to wait for ten agonizing minutes while a line of penguins waddled past. It is a cardinal rule in Antarctica that you must give the wildlife room.

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Sometimes we couldnt go ashore because there were too many seals. You do not want to mess with seals. Theyre fast, they bite, and their mouths are so full of bacteria that even a nip is an immediate evac situation. They also look a lot like rocks.

Seals are just one of many dangers. The water is freezing and will kill you in minutes. We saw the aftermath of avalanches, heard the crack of calving glaciers. The weather can change on a dime. There are dive-bombing terns that can spit their stomach juices at you if they dont like your face.

Despite the fact that Antarctica is clearly a force to be reckoned with, its also more delicate than it looks. Seabirds nest in the shale cliffs and you have to be very careful not to disturb any pebbles, lest they shake a nest loose. Moss can take hundreds of years to grow so youd better not step on it or else youre a big jerk. Im pretty sure I stepped on some. I really tried not to, but theres a lot to look out for (like seals) and those boots were so big.

Unfortunately, my big feet are not the only human impact. Climate change is hitting Antarctica hard.

Plastic pollution and industrial chemicals are starting entering these waters. There are so many strains on wildlife. There was a penguin colony which had only two surviving chicks out of 18,000 breeding pairs this year. The rest of the chicks starved. Think about that for a second. Two out of 18,000

There are strains on food supply. Ships equipped with giant vacuum-hoses are sucking up tiny shrimpy-creatures called krill  the main food source for nearly all the wildlife down there, from the penguins to the whales.

Krill is apparently very useful for cat food and krill pills. So useful that we humans go all the way to Antarctica to get it.

Theres so much to focus on right now in the world, in this crazy time. Understandably, anywhere that isnt exciting or cute or seemingly valuable to us is hard to care about. In those respects, Antarctica doesnt have a lot going for it. It is cold, remote, dangerous and getting there is spectacularly unfun. Yet it is a biologically rich, important, wild, gorgeous, uninviting, booby-trapped, untamed land; and it needs to stay that way. It provides a safe space for a huge amount of wildlife to rest, feed and breed. It is important for the future of climate change.

The ecosystem of the ocean is still largely a mystery to us, but it is clear that everything is interconnected in ways that we may never fully understand. But just because we dont understand it, doesnt mean it isnt vital to our own wellbeing, in the long run.

Beyond that, Antarctica and the seas around it are just not for us. Antarctica belongs to itself. I respect that. It makes me want to stand up for it, just so we can leave it alone.

Scientists say that in order to tackle climate change and defend wildlife, 30 percent of the oceans must be fully protected by 2030. In the next few weeks, governments are meeting in Hobart, Tasmania, to decide whether or not to protect the Weddell Sea. Already, 2 million people from around the world have said that they are in support of this. But we need to keep at it, keep being noisy, keep the pressure on.

We have an opportunity to make a huge impact on the future of our oceans. So please, voice your support in any way you can, bother your countrys government until they get the point. The seals, whales, penguins, seabirds and glaciers will thank you by continuing to do exactly the same thing that they do every day and simply not caring about us.

As it should be.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
The delay was caused by the assassination of General Abdul Raziq and intelligence chief of the province.

Kabul, Afghanistan  Parliamentary elections in southern Afghanistans Kandahar province, due to be held on Saturday, will be delayed by a week following the assassination of a powerful provincial police commander, according to the electoral body and the presidents spokesman.

President Ashraf Ghanis spokesman Haroon Chakansuri said in a tweet that the decision was made following demands from residents of the province and recommendation from electoral officials.

The suspension of the polls followed the assassination of Kandahar provinces police chief General Abdul Raziq in an attack claimed by the Taliban.

The southern provinces intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin, was also killed in the attack on Thursday.

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Chakansuri said the new date for the polls will be announced later and did not give further details.

Afghans in other provinces will be voting on Saturday to elect members of parliament in polls delayed repeatedly for the past three years.

The interior ministry said they have put in place measures to ensure voting happens without incident.

The election is going according to plan. We have measures and we meet regularly. There will be no problem, Nasrat Rahimi, deputy spokesman for the interior ministry, told Al Jazeera.

Over 70,000 security forces are there to maintain security. They are on high alert, Rahimi said.

The Taliban have called the vote fake and warned people against taking part in the election. The vote is seen as a major test of the governments ability to organise a peaceful, free and fair poll.

Since campaigning started late last month, at least 10 candidates have been killed and two others abducted.

More than eight million Afghans have registered to take in the poll  the third since the Taliban were removed from power in 2001.

Polling stations will not open in at least a third of the country due to security concerns, the electoral commission told Al Jazeera.

Taliban still control a third of the country.





Meanwhile, in Kandahar, Abdul Raziqs funeral was held in Kherqa Mubarak  one of the holiest shrines in the city.

Abdul Raziq  who survived several attempts on his life  was killed after a bodyguard opened fire after a meeting in the governors compound.

The top US commander in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, who attended the meeting with Abdul Raziq only moments earlier, was not hurt in the attack. Three Americans were wounded.

Abdul Raziqs father and uncle were both killed by the Taliban in 1994.
Parliamentary polls, the third since the Talibans fall in 2001, seen as test-run ahead of presidential vote next year.

Afghanistan is set to vote in long-delayed parliamentary elections for the third time since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

The polls, which were originally scheduled for early 2015, were last pushed to October 20 due to security fears and reforms in the voter registration process.

The Afghan government has striven to assure people that it will be safe to vote, but in a country wracked by violence  largely attributable to attacks by the Taliban armed group  many are still wary.

The Taliban has vowed to disrupt the bogus elections.

People who are trying to help in holding this process successfully by providing security should be targeted and no stone should be left unturned for the prevention and failure [of the elections], Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement last week.

Here is what you need to know about the upcoming elections:

Whens election day?

Saturday, October 20. Polls open at 7am (02:30 GMT) and close at 4pm (12:30 GMT).

There are 21,000 polling stations in 5,100 polling centres in the countrys 33 participating provinces.

What are people voting for?

The Afghan parliament comprises the Mesherano Jirga (upper house) and the Wolesi Jirga (lower house).

Saturdays vote will be for the Wolesi Jirga, whose elected parliamentarians serve five-year terms.

There are 250 seats in the Wolesi Jirga, including 10 seats that are reserved for Kuchis (nomads) and one jointly for the Sikh and Hindu communities. There must be 68 female representatives, with each province having at least one.

The Meshrano Jirga consists of parliamentarians chosen from local councils and those appointed by the president, as well as members elected in district elections.

Who can vote?

All Afghan citizens who are 18 years of age or older with a valid voter identification card have the right to vote.

In order to get a valid card, Afghans registered themselves on a new biometric system that was put in place to prevent voter fraud.

All previously issued registration cards have been cancelled.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announced that 8,918,107 people have registered to vote in the elections, of which 3,067,918 are women and 5,681,592 are men.

The IEC said that more 600,000 registrations were cancelled as they were invalid for various reasons.

Who are the candidates?

According to the IEC, there are 2,565 candidates running in the Wolesi Jirga elections, 417 of whom are women.

A total of 205  nearly eight percent  of candidates have registered as members of political parties. The rest are independent candidates.

According to an Afghan Analyst Network count, Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostums party, Jonbesh-e Melli-ye Islami, has the most candidates, with 44, including eight women.

It is followed by Gulbuddin Hekmatyars Hezb-i-Islami with 42, including two women; and Deputy Chief Executive Haji Muhammad Mohaqqeqs party, Hezb-e Wahdat-e Islami-ye Mardom, with 22 candidates, including five women.

Will the whole country vote at once?

Voting in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar will be delayed by one week following this weeks assassination of the powerful provincial police commander, General Abdul Raziq.

The election will also not take place in the eastern province of Ghazni due to two intertwined issues: firstly, the precarious security situation in the province because of a high level of Taliban activity and their complete control over some parts of it; and secondly, the ongoing dispute over how to divide Ghaznis electoral constituencies to have a more balanced ethnic representation.

In the 2010 parliamentary elections, the Pashtuns and Tajiks of Ghazni were not able to cast ballots because voting could not be held in their Taliban-controlled areas. This resulted in the Hazaras, a minority community, winning all the seats in Ghazni, leaving the Pashtuns and Tajiks without representation.

Why is this election important?

The Afghan government aims to send a message to the Taliban with this election: that despite the ongoing violent campaigns by the armed group, the government is functioning and that the Taliban will have to come to the negotiating table through a political process acceptable to all Afghans.

What are the challenges?

The Taliban, who have been fighting Afghan and US-led NATO forces for the past 17 years, have rejected the elections and warned candidates and Afghan security forces that they would be targeted, as would schools whose premises will be used as polling stations.

The IEC said in a statement on Wednesday that at least 10 candidates have been killed since July.

At least 2,000 polling stations that were threatened directly by the Taliban will remain closed.

Local media reported that some 70,000 soldiers will be deployed across Afghanistan to provide security.

Meanwhile, the IEC has taken measures to avoid possible vote-rigging in a country with a history of voter fraud.

A few weeks ahead of the election, the government introduced a biometric system which records each voters photo and fingerprints in order to register.

Following the polls, this information will be sent to the IECs main data centre where it will be checked for repeat votes.

The election will be observed by more than 400,000 civil society activists, local election watchdog institutions and representatives from media outlets.

When will the results be announced?

Ballot counting will begin upon the conclusion of voting at 4pm Kabul time in the presence of election observers.

The IEC has not set a timeline for announcing official results, but preliminary results are expected within a month.
The case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggis disappearance has gripped international attention, but Arab leaders have either chosen to remain silent or reiterate their support for Riyadh.

For more than two weeks, there has been no trace of Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

US senators, British parliamentarians, French and German officials have all voiced their concern and vociferously demanded Saudi Arabia come clean about the Saudi dissidents whereabouts.

A handful of Arab governments including Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) did issue statements, but those were in solidarity with Saudi Arabia, which has faced an international backlash over the disappearance of Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, a longtime figure in the Saudi establishment who once enjoyed close relations with members of the royal family, had grown increasingly critical of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans policies.

Turkish investigators, through media leaks, have revealed incriminating evidence of the involvement of a 15-man Saudi hit squad, at least four of them linked to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS.

The UAE, arguably the kingdoms foremost ally in the region, was the first to come out in support of Riyadh.

The fierce campaign against Riyadh is expected as is the coordination between its [campaign] inciting parties, Anwar Gargash, the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, said on October 11.

He added that the repercussions of the political targeting of Saudi Arabia will be dire for those who fuel it.

Regime is right

Analysts say the seeming indifference to the fate that had befallen Khashoggi and the timid support that some governments such as Yemens government-in-exile and Lebanons Saad Hariri have expressed for Saudi Arabia is a testament to the influence Riyadh holds in the region.

It is also a reflection of the dire state of press freedom and human rights more generally in the region, they say.

We rarely hear Arab governments condemning other Arab governments for human rights abuses except of course within the political divide, especially since the Gulf crisis has emerged, Fadi al-Qadi, a human rights and media advocate, said.

There is no political discourse within Arab governments, said al-Qadi, who is based in Jordan.

Al-Qadi added that while Saudis do hold certain sway over Arab governments, there are also similarities with how the latter also chooses to deal with their own critical citizens.





Over the years, al-Qadi explained, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has disappeared, persecuted and, in certain cases, killed hundreds if not thousands of political activists, as well as banned hundreds of human rights advocates and activists from travelling outside the country.

Ali Abootalebi, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, told Al Jazeera that speaking out against Saudi Arabias abduction of a journalist would amount to criticising oneself and ones own human rights shortcomings.

For much of the Arab world, I would say there isnt such a thing as freedom of the press, he said.

There is freedom to the extent that there is a consensus that the regime is right.

Bully tactics

Saudi Arabia has used its vast oil wealth to buy support while fear of reprisal has forced others to fall in line.

Amani al-Ahmadi, a Saudi activist living in the US, told Al Jazeera that the oil kingdom uses its Islamic influence and financial handouts to strategically form allies who help support the regime when necessary.

Saudi remains the largest Arab country in the region as well as the birthplace of Islam, she said. Add to that the size of charitable donations or money it gives to other Arab governments and you have yourself an Arab superpower.

For Justin D Martin, an associate professor at Northwestern University in Qatar, this is in line with Saudi Arabias approach to dealing with fellow Arab states.

Saudi Arabia not only punishes its citizens for speaking candidly, but it also bullies other countries that challenge its supremacy, Martin said.

For Egypt and Lebanon, calling the likely murder of a journalist what it is  atrocious  is to invite punishment from a bully state.

Last December, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned abruptly during an impromptu visit to Riyadh in what was described as the abduction of a sovereign countrys head of government.

Hariri later rescinded his resignation, but his release was only made possible by French President Emmanuel Macrons successful mediation effort.

The UAE, Bahrain and Egypt joined Saudi Arabia in imposing the land, sea and air blockade on Qatar in June 2017.

The quartet imposed a list of 13 demands, including shutting down Al Jazeera Media Network and consenting to monthly compliance audits in order to lift the siege.

Double standards of the west

That Saudi Arabia has been unable to stymie criticism of its culpability in the near-certain murder of a Saudi national on sovereign territory in a host nation is largely the result of Khashoggis prominence as a journalist writing for a western publication such as the Washington Post.

At least since World War II, the US, for the most part, supported many of the governments that are authoritarian in nature, Abootalebi said.

The US has maintained close relations with Saudi Arabia as controversy mounts [Handout: Bandar Al Galoud/EPA]

This duplicity is nothing new, he added. As such, I dont expect much will change in US relations with Saudi Arabia, except a public outcry for what has happened, maybe from the US Congress and maybe some corners of the US government.

Al-Qadi pointed to the shameful silence of European political discourse over what he called the tyranny of MBS.

International political discourse is corrupted and built on very narrow political and economic interests, he said.

Ever since [US President] Donald Trump arrived on the scene, this has manifested itself to a substantial degree. The president didnt hide at any point that his interest is to maintain the financial interests of the US.

I believe that the US and Europes silence and direct support are only helping Saudi Arabia to go forward to a deeper level of dictatorship, he said, referring to their supply of weapons to Riyadh in its devastating war against Yemen as well as their reticence when it comes to abuses of activists and dissidents.

Martin from the Northwestern University does not think the Saudis, the US biggest ally, face serious repercussions if the worst is confirmed true regarding Khashoggi.

The United States wont confront the existential threat of a warming planet, [so] I doubt any serious sanctions of Saudi Arabia are on the way, he said.

Saudi Arabia has likely already gotten away with murder; the world must decide if it leaves Saudi Arabia be to murder next time.

Human rights issue

For Amani al-Ahmadi, who describes herself on Twitter as one of the lucky few who made it out [of Saudi] alive and undetained, Khashoggis case is much too big to be forgotten.

[His case] forces us all to look ourselves in the mirror and decide where do we draw the line, she said.

To some, the red line stops at financial benefits but Id like to think a greater majority values human life for what it is.

What is happening in Saudi is a human rights issue, plain and simple, she added. And human rights concern us all.
Omir Bekali was asked to travel to Washington, DC to speak to Congress about his treatment in re-education camps.

An outspoken former detainee in Chinas internment camps for Muslims said his application for a visa to visit the United States was rejected  despite an invitation to speak to the US Congress about his ordeal.

Omir Bekali was one of the first people to speak out publicly about his experience in a camp in Chinas Xinjiang region, where an estimated one million Muslims, mostly from the Uighur and Kazakh ethnicities, are being detained.

A Kazakh national, Bekali was asked to travel to Washington, DC, in September by the chairs of the Congressional-Executive Committee on China. He said his application was rejected by the US consulate in Istanbul on October 2 after he was questioned about his employment status.

Ive received so many threats after speaking out. I feel like they should be able to do at least this simple request, Bekali said by phone from Turkey.

Commission spokesman Scott Flipse confirmed the invitation and said the co-chairs had written to Bekali offering to assist him in seeking a visa.

The US Department of State declined to comment on Bekalis case, saying American immigration law prohibits it from discussing individual visa applications.

We continue to urge China to reverse its counterproductive policies that conflate terrorism with peaceful religious and political expression, and to release all those arbitrarily detained in these camps, the department said in a statement.





Nightmares

Bekali wants to take his family to Europe or the US, where he feels they will be safe from Chinas reach. Last month, his wife and child were held at a Turkish airport for more than three days and were nearly put on a flight back to Kazakhstan.

He fled Almaty earlier after he was interrogated by Kazakh police, who he said showed up at his home shortly after he spoke out about the re-education camps. Kazakh authorities did not respond to a request for comment.

Bekali said even though hes been reunited with his family in Turkey, he wont feel safe until they move to a country that can stand up to Chinas influence, underscoring the deep anxiety that grips the diaspora Muslims who once lived in Xinjiang under an intense security crackdown.

Im scared China will find some way to hurt me or threaten me, Bekali said. Every day I have nightmares, I cant sleep at night.

China has come under increasing pressure from Western governments about its mass internment of Muslims. The commission, a bipartisan group of US legislators, has proposed legislation that would urge US President Donald Trump to condemn gross violations of human rights in Xinjiang.

Bekali is named in the proposed legislation among those who have testified to the indoctrination, humiliation, and indefinite detention of internees.

In China, the government is engaged in the persecution of religious and ethnic minorities that is straight out of George Orwell, outgoing US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in a speech on Monday.

It is the largest internment of civilians in the world today.

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Bekali said hes lost faith in other countries taking action to help Uighurs, a Turkic ethnic group that makes up about half of Xinjiangs population of 22 million.

Chinas economic power is so strong and only getting stronger. Everyones scared of the pressure China can exert on them, he said.

False picture

China on Tuesday characterised its mass internment of Muslims as a push to bring into the modern, civilised world a destitute people who are easily led astray.

Beijing has denied such camps are for political education and says they are instead vocational training centres, part of government initiatives to bolster economic growth and social mobility in the region.

Beijing, however, imposes a long list of prohibitions on religious behaviour in Xinjiang, including wearing long beards and veils.

Chinas main state newspaper hit back against abuse allegations on Friday, accusing Western media of double standards when it comes to reporting on Chinas restive northwestern region.





The China Daily said in an editorial the false picture of Xinjiang in the foreign media was aimed at smearing the Chinese government.

A double standard is put into service to serve this end. China, critics in the West say, only imagines it faces a terrorist threat, and it is just Western countries that face the real threat of violence born of extremism, it said.

In recent years, hundreds of people have been killed in unrest between Uighurs and members of the ethnic Han Chinese majority.
Controversial plan to help Iraqs million war widows

Many war widows struggle to make ends meet; but would that make them consider this plan?
Hundreds of people gathered near a railway on the edge of Amritsar to watch fireworks when a train ran into the crowd.

Dozens of people have been killed after a train ran into a crowd in northern India.

The incident on Friday took place on the outskirts of Amritsar city, Punjab state, where hundreds of people had assembled near a railway track to watch a religious festival.

We have 59 confirmed dead. The toll can rise, state police chief Suresh Arora told Reuters news agency.

Emergency officials were still trying to ascertain the extent of the disaster, he said.

Police Commissioner S. S. Srivastava said the police have found 58 bodies so far.

Pratap Singh Bajwa, a Congress party leader in Punjab state, told the Associated Press news agency that the crowd did not see the speeding train approaching and that the train did not stop after the accident.

An unnamed witness said the train did not even sound its whistle as it sped past the site, where hundreds were watching the burning of an effigy of demon Ravana during the Hindu festival of Dussehra.

Why did authorities allow the fireworks display so close to the railroad track? he asked, telling the Republic television channel that he lost two brothers.

Another witness said the victims did not realise that a train was coming their way because the fireworks were too loud.

Shatrughan Das, an injured 35-year-old factory worker, said he was sitting close to the railroad track watching the fireworks.

I didnt see the train coming. I fell unconscious. I saw the police taking me to a hospital as I regained consciousness.

I am feeling a strong headache and pain in my back and legs, Das said from his hospital bed. But I dont have serious injuries.

War footing

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said relief and rescue operations were ongoing at the site on a war footing.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet he was extremely saddened by the accident and that he had asked officials to provide immediate assistance.

Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 19, 2018

Following the accident, a large crowd of people rushed to the site and shouted angrily at railway officials for not taking precautions in view of the festival, AP news agency reported.

While accidents are relatively common on Indias sprawling rail network, Fridays was among the deadliest in recent years.

In 2016, 146 people were killed when a train slid off railway tracks in eastern India.
As Trump ramps up threats, group of migrants cross into Mexico with thousands more heading towards border behind them.

Esquipulas, Guatemala  Dilmer Vigil was not carrying a suitcase.

When he saw a Honduran caravan of migrants and refugees was leaving his home city of San Pedro Sula last weekend, he decided to join the group with the clothes on his back and little else.

It was a mass joining of many people who said, I can join, too. I, too, am in the same circumstances. I, too, need a way out for my life. I am one of them, said Vigil.

Vigil is part of a caravan of thousands of people who fled Honduras over the past week. Initially together in one large group, the caravan is now heading towards the US in waves by foot, buses and cars.

Some groups have already crossed into Mexico, others are still heading north through Guatemala, and hundreds more people are attempting to leave Honduras. Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, all three countries are beefing up security and restrictions at their southern borders.

When Vigil arrived from Honduras at the first border along the way with more than two thousand people on Monday, Guatemalan police blocked their way for two hours. Mexico sent additional forces to its southern border with Guatemala earlier this week and began erecting fences at the Tecun Uman crossing on Friday.

But caravan participants continue undeterred. Vigil left Honduras in search of employment, but Hondurans are fleeing for a myriad of reasons, including violence, he told Al Jazeera.

People cant file reports with authorities because a lot of the time, authorities and the government itself are mixed up in a lot of things, Vigil said.

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The situation has gone downhill a lot since November of last year, he adds, referring to the general elections that resulted in Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandezs contested reelection amid widespread allegations of election fraud. The oligarchy and the US got together and supported [Hernandez].

Undeterred by US threats

From the outset, Vigil knew the caravan would face obstacles, but said Hondurans feel they have no other choice.

Honduran police have blocked highways at border crossings, preventing hundreds of people from fleeing. Others have resorted to crossing rivers to enter Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico to continue north.

People manoeuvre rafts crossing the Suchiate river, a natural border between Mexico and Guatemala, as Honduran migrants, part of a caravan trying to reach the US, wait to cross into Mexico, in Tecun Uman, Guatemala [Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters]

Mexican authorities ramped up security forces at the countrys southern border on Friday, shortly before a massive group prepared to attempt to enter the country.

The move came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Mexican officials to discuss the situation.

During a joint press conference with his US counterpart, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said his government would process requests for humanitarian visas and asylum in Mexico on an individual basis. On Thursday, the Mexican government requested United Nations assistance in processing caravan participants.

Pompeo urged Mexican officials to stop the caravan on Friday. Mexico defines Mexican immigration policy, Videgaray said, adding that his governments priority was to ensure the safety of caravan participants.

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Separately, Trump thanked Mexico for its efforts, but reiterated that those travelling in the caravan would not be allowed in the United States, and if Mexico did not stop them, he would deploy the US military to the southern border.

Earlier this week, US Vice President Mike Pence called Central American leaders to express concern over the caravan, and Trump threatened to cut US aid to the Central American countries and close the US southern border if the migrants are not stopped.

Activists arrested

Mexico and Guatemala are also taking action against the activists that have supported the caravan.

At a rally Thursday in southern Mexico in support of the caravan, Mexican activist Irineo Mujica was arrested. As the director of the Pueblo Sin Fronteras migrant rights organisation, Mujica was actively involved in supporting a caravan of Honduran migrants and refugees earlier this year that also drew the rebuke of Trump. Mujica committed damages and battery, according to the Mexican National Institute of Immigration, alleging Mujica became aggressive when asked for identification.

A Honduran human rights activist and journalist, Bartolo Fuentes, was detained Tuesday in Guatemala. He entered the country the previous day with the caravan, but was singled out, detained, accused of an administration infraction with regard to his entry into Guatemala. He was held in an immigrant detention centre until Friday morning, when he was deported.

The caravan trying to reach the US faced delays at Tecun Uman, Guatemala, where police attempted to stop them [Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters]

Bertha Oliva, a prominent Honduran human rights activist, told Al Jazeera that she and others are concerned not only for charges Fuentes may face, but also for his life.

We cant even say it was an irregular detention. It was an arbitrary detention, said Oliva, the coordinator of the Committee of Relatives of the Detained-Disappeared in Honduras, an organisation she cofounded following her husbands abduction and forced disappearance by a death squad in the early 1980s.

Nothing justifies the detention. He has not committed any crime, she said of Fuentes, adding that at most, he committed an administrative infraction, but he was one of the thousands the Guatemalan government failed to process at the border.

Fuentess detention and deportation to Honduras come at a time when the government has zero regard for human rights or what international institutions have to say or recommend about human rights violations in Honduras, said Oliva.

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We are in a Honduras that is in a permanent state of emergency, she said in a telephone interview.

Fuentes was set to be transferred overland, but was suddenly deported on a flight late Friday morning. After questioning by Honduran immigration agents, he was released, but concerns that he may be arrested and charged remain.

Fuentes is back home, but hundreds of Hondurans are attempting to leave, and the caravan continues in waves.

A Honduran migrant protects his child after fellow migrants and refugees, part of a caravan trying to reach the US, stormed a border checkpoint in Guatemala, in Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico [Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters]

At the Guatemala-Mexico border on Friday police initially stopped a group of about 1,000 migrants and refugees, using tear gas to turn back the crowd. People then began climbing fences and pushing through. Some within the group were later able to advance, with women and children heading through the gates first. Other groups are heading north behind them.

Vigil said he hopes to at least make it into Mexico. He knows it will be even more difficult to enter the US, and he would be happy trying to make a new life for himself before the caravan reaches its final destination.
The US government has charged a Russian national with playing a key financial role in a Kremlin-backed plan to conduct information warfare against the United States, including to influence next months congressional elections.

The criminal complaint unsealed on Friday makes 44-year-old Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova the first individual to be indicted for attempting to interfere in the November elections, according to a government official with knowledge of the matter.

The complaint said Khusyaynova was the chief accountant for Project Lakhta, which it said was funded by Russian oligarch Evgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin and two companies he controls, Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering.

Concord Management and Concord Catering were among the three entities and 13 Russian individuals who were indicted by Special Counsel Robert Muellers office in February in an alleged criminal and espionage conspiracy to tamper with the 2016 US presidential race, boost Donald Trump and disparage his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

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The case against Khusyaynova was unsealed in Alexandria, Virginia, and is not being handled by Mueller because it includes activities related to the 2018 elections, which are not part of his remit, the official familiar with the matter told Reuters news agency.

Using social media and other avenues, the conspiracy participants waged information warfare against the United States, attempting to sow distrust of candidates for US political office and the US political system, according to the complaint.

Prigozhin, who was among those personally charged by Mueller, has been dubbed [Vladimir] Putins cook by Russian media because his catering business has organised banquets for Russias president and other senior political figures.

2018 election meddling fears

Meanwhile, US law enforcement and intelligence agencies said on Friday they remain concerned about attempts by Russia, China, Iran, and other foreign groups to interfere with the November 6 congressional elections, as well as the presidential election in 2020.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Justice Department, FBI and Department of Homeland Security said they do not have any evidence that anyone went as far as to prevent voting or change vote counts.

Some state and local governments, which run polling sites, have reported attempts to access their networks, but officials were able to prevent access or quickly mitigate these attempts, the agencies said in a joint statement.

In July, Muellers office also indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers who were accused of hacking Democratic computer networks as part of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.
WikiLeaks founder has lived in Quitos embassy in London since Swedish prosecutors filed rape charges in 2012.

Julian Assange has launched a case against the Ecuadorian government for alleged violation of fundamental rights, the latest episode in an escalating row between the Australian founder of anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and his host government.

In a statement released on Friday, WikiLeaks said its lawyer Baltasar Garzon arrived in Ecuador on Thursday to file the case.

Assange has been living in Ecuadors embassy in London since 2012 when Swedish prosecutors filed rape charges against him.

The prosecutors have since dropped the charges but Assange faces arrest by British authorities for fleeing justice in the Swedish case.

He fears UK authorities will then allow his extradition to the United States where he is wanted for publication by WikiLeaks of classified information in 2010.





The move comes almost seven months after Ecuador threatened to remove his protection and summarily cut off his access to the outside world, including by refusing to allow journalists and human rights organisations to see him, and installing three signal jammers in the embassy to prevent his phone calls and internet access, the WikiLeaks statement read.

The organisation further accused Ecuador of allying itself with the US under President Lenin Moreno.

Assange was given sanctuary in the building by Morenos predecessor Rafael Correa.

The move to start legal proceedings comes just days after Ecuador issued Assange with a list of rules to obey if he wanted to continue living in the embassy.

They included household rules, such as cleaning the bathroom and looking after his cat, to more politically motivated ones, such as not to partake in any activity deemed to be interfering in the internal affairs of states.

Failure to abide by the rules would result in the termination of his asylum in the embassy, the Ecuadorian government said, according to the memo, seen by The Guardian newspaper.

Assanges access to the internet was also cut off in March but has since been partially restored.

WikiLeaks gained international attention for publishing a number of high profile leaks, including evidence of alleged US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables sent from US embassies.
Pro-change politicians fall short of an absolute majority in the parliament, casting doubt on the deals future.

Macedonias parliament is set to vote on an agreement that would change the countrys name to North Macedonia and end a decades-long dispute with its southern neighbour, Greece.

The name change would pave Macedonias way into international organisations like NATO and the European Union (EU), which Greece has vetoed so far.

Greece, worried over Skopjes territorial ambitions, had objected to the name Macedonia because it has a historically important northern province of the same name. The two countries also have a dispute over the regions cultural heritage.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaevs Social Democratic Union, leader of a coalition that holds 72 of the parliaments 120 seats, supports the change and Macedonias ascension to NATO and the EU.

However, they are eight seats short of the 80 votes needed to change the countrys name. Zaev hopes opposition legislators will back the vote.

Legislators, let us say Yes to the opportunity that is before us. History remembers the right decisions, Zaev wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

If parliament passes the first government motion, it will open the name change procedure, allowing legislators to debate the issue over a period of three months or more, according to the parliaments rulebook.

The referendum was met with widespread protests [Marko Djurica/Reuters]

A second vote requires a simple majority of 61 votes, but a final vote would need a two-thirds majority.

If the vote fails, Zaev has said the only remaining option would be early elections, likely by late November or early December.

VMRO-DPMNE, the centre-right nationalist opposition party, has rallied against any change in the name.

The agreement for changing the countrys name is legally and politically dead. The empty debate in parliament is not productive and breaches the will of the people, the party said, according to Balkan Insight.

Macedonia held a national referendum on the name change on September 30.

While 91.4 percent of those who voted supported the change, only 36.9 percent of eligible voters turned out, leaving the decision to the Macedonian parliament.

The low turnout followed a VMRO-DPMNE-led campaign to boycott the referendum.

An informal deadline to implement the deal is set for March 2019, which would allow the Greek parliament enough time to implement it before the Greek general elections, which could see forces opposed to the deal taking power.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denies wrongdoing in relation to 45 charges amounting to $27.4m, latest politician to stand accused.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Malaysias former deputy prime minister, appeared in court in Kuala Lumpur on Friday charged with 45 counts of corruption, the latest senior politician to be charged with suspected graft since Mays general election brought the countrys first change in government in 60 years.

Zahid, who currently leads the opposition as president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), waved to supporters and the media as he arrived in court where he was charged with abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering amounting to 114m ringgit ($27.4m).

Some of the charges relate to the misuse of funds from a charitable foundation set up by his family, while others are in connection with questionable payments he received when he was home minister from 2013 until earlier this year. Zahid has denied any wrongdoing.

Moral support

UMNO ruled Malaysia for six decades before its defeat in Mays general election, amid simmering public anger over a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB that was overseen by former Prime Minister and Finance Minister Najib Razak.





Zahid spent the night in custody after his arrest on Thursday by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). The court set bail at 2m ringgit ($481,000) and the politician was ordered to surrender his passport.

UMNO insists the case against their leader is politically motivated and his brother, Mohamad Lokman Hamidi, said Friday was a black day for Malaysia.

My brother is innocent, he told reporters.

Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, are already facing trial in relation to multiple 1MDB-related charges.

Najib, who local media reported was at court on Friday to give moral support to his former deputy, has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to 32 criminal charges involving more than 2.3bn ringgit ($553m) allegedly syphoned from the fund. Rosmah has pleaded not guilty to 17 money-laundering offences.

Political analyst Ibrahim Suffian said the corruption crackdown had public support.

Many people had their suspicions that senior leaders were involved in financial improprieties, Ibrahim told Al Jazeera. UMNO will likely remain in the wilderness while these allegations are hanging over the party.

Malaysia has frozen hundreds of bank accounts and blocked several people from leaving the country as it steps up investigations into how billions of dollars allegedly went missing from state coffers.

In June, the MACC said it had frozen several accounts linked to UMNO as part of their investigations into 1MDB.

US authorities say more than $4.5bn was misappropriated from 1MDB, and nearly $700m diverted into Najibs personal bank accounts.
More than 300 people have been killed since protests against President Daniel Ortega began in April, rights groups say.

The Organization of American States (OAS) has denounced a criminal cocktail of human rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by Nicaraguan authorities during months of anti-government protests and called for its human rights body to be allowed to investigate.

OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro slammed the Nicaraguan government and forces associated with it for actions he called totally incompatible with democracy, saying that OAS would reject and denounce violations of human rights and democracy as many times as necessary.

Were repeating ourselves, but the truth is this is worth repeating, Almagro said during the meeting.

Victims accounts should be repeated and their testimonies should be known, he said. Human rights are being violated in Nicaragua.

Almagro said that if the international community was not attentive and vigilant in the face of such abuses, it would be complicit.

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The comments came during a meeting of the OAS Permanent Council on Friday to discuss the situation in Nicaragua.

Since mid-April, at least 300 people have been killed and thousands more injured in protests. The unrest was sparked by demonstrations against proposed pension reforms, which developed into a wider anti-government movement calling for President Daniel Ortega and his wife and Vice President Rosario Murillo to step down.

Ortega has said that thieves, terrorists and coup-mongers are responsible for the unrest.

Nicaraguan authorities have not provided information to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)  an autonomous organ of OAS tasked with promoting and protecting human rights  since July.

On Friday, IACHR reiterated its calls for access to the countrys detention centres and files, saying on Twitter that Nicaraguas openness to international scrutiny and timely response to all requests for information is essential.

The meeting comes a day after OAS passed a resolution condemning the violence and calling on Ortegas government to agree to an electoral calendar.

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In the document, approved by the Permanent Council, OAS also denounced attacks on Nicaraguas Roman Catholic clergy and university students.

At the same meeting on Thursday, a resolution, presented by Nicaragua, setting out plans for restoring peace was rejected.

Also on Thursday, Amnesty International released a report alleging that Nicaraguan authorities carried out arbitrary detentions and used torture and lethal force against anti-government protesters as part of an intensified strategy for repression.
Around 20 journalists have been harassed or arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year.

Five journalists at a newspaper in the Democratic Republic of Congo were abducted after publishing articles about alleged misappropriation of rations for police cadets, according to their managing editor.

The detentions on Friday followed a series of prosecutions of journalists in the country, just two months before elections to replace President Joseph Kabila.

The police proceeded early this morning to abduct five journalists from AfricaNews. Octave Mukendi, Bruce Landu, Roddy Bosakwa, Dan Luyila and Laurent Omba were taken to an unknown destination, AfricaNews managing editor Achille Kadima said in a statement.

DRC ranks 154th out of 180 countries on the press freedoms index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The media watchdog called for the immediate release of the five journalists.

#RDC #Libertedelapresse: voici les 5 journalistes de @africanewsrdc detenus au cachot de la Direction des renseignements de la Police nationale apres publication d'un article se rapportant aux enquetes de l'IG sur le detournement presume des rations des eleves policiers pic.twitter.com/O6Pfzj0bPd  AfricaNews (@africanewsrdc) October 19, 2018

Translation: Here are the five Africa news journalists detained by the national police intelligence directorate after publishing an article about the IGs investigation into the alleged misappropriation of rations for police cadets.

It is unbelievable and very disturbing that the police have arrested journalists who revealed that a police investigation was being conducted into alleged misappropriation, said Arnaud Froger, the head of RSFs Africa desk.

These journalists just did their job by informing the public that an investigation was under way. They have no place being detained and must be released at once.

Journalists harassed, arrested

The journalists had worked at the office of the tri-weekly newspaper overnight to finish the latest edition and were arrested on the premises.

The officers who took them did not show any documents, Kadima told the AFP news agency, adding that he had gone into hiding.

Earlier, he had written a letter to the national police chief complaining that police had conducted a roundup of copies of AfricaNews from newsstands.

On the front page of the current issue, the paper carried a story on an inquiry into misappropriation of police cadet rations, adding the head of the countrys police academies had been summoned.

General Celestin Kanyama is under sanctions by the United States, which accused him of responsibility for a 2013-2014 police operation in which at least 50 young men and boys were reportedly killed and more than 30 others were forcibly disappeared.

When approached by AFP over the case of the reporters, Kanyama said: Stop your bulls**t. Do not quote me over things I know nothing about.

This year around 20 journalists have been harassed or arrested in DRC, said Joseph-Boucard Kasonga, president of the UNPC national press union.

RSF on Wednesday also sounded the alarm over the case of reporter Sylvanie Kiaku, of the weekly La Percee, who has been detained for more than a week on charges of defamation, over two articles she wrote about redundancies at a local bank.
Invitation to visit was relayed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in during meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Pope Francis indicated he would consider making what would be a landmark trip to North Korea after being invited to visit the isolated state, South Korean officials said.

South Koreas President Moon Jae-in relayed the invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the pontiff during a 35-minute meeting at the Vatican on Thursday.

Kim told Moon, a Catholic, of his wish to meet the pope during a meeting last month and the South Korean leader announced before the trip he would relay the message.

According to the presidents office, Pope Francis expressed his strong support for efforts to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. Moons office quoted the pontiff telling Moon: Do not stop, move forward. Do not be afraid.

If Francis accepts the invitation he would become the first pope to visit the country. North Korea does not allow priests to be permanently stationed there and there is little information on how many of its citizens are Catholic or how they practise their faith.





A meeting with the pope would be the latest in a string of diplomatic initiatives for Kim Jong Un this year. He held an unprecedented summit with a US president when he met Donald Trump in Singapore in June, with the two leaders promising to work towards denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

The two Koreas have held three summits this year.

Formal invitation

Asked if Kim should send a formal invitation, Moons office quoted the pope as telling Moon: Your message is already sufficient, but it would be good for him to send a formal invitation.

I will definitely answer if I get the invitation, and I can go, the presidents office quoted Pope Francis as saying.

A Vatican statement made no mention of the verbal invitation from Kim.

It spoke only of the promotion of dialogue and reconciliation between Koreans and the common commitment to fostering all useful initiatives to overcome the tensions that still exist in the Korean Peninsula, in order to usher in a new season of peace and development.

North Koreas constitution guarantees freedom of religion as long as it does not undermine the state.

But beyond a handful of state-controlled places of worship  including a Catholic church in the capital Pyongyang  no open religious activity is allowed and the authorities have repeatedly jailed foreign missionaries.

The pope is expected to visit Japan next year. The proposed North Korea visit comes as China improves relations with the Holy See.
Kandahar police chief known for being a powerful commander and feared enemy of the Taliban was killed on Thursday.

Afghan General Abdul Raziq, 39, known for his fierce stance against the Taliban, was killed along with a local intelligence commander Abdul Mohmin when a bodyguard opened fire after a meeting in the governors compound in Kandahar.

Kandahar Governor Zalmay Wesa was also severely wounded on Thursday and contradictory reports whether he survived could not be confirmed early on Friday.

General Scott Miller, the top US commander in Afghanistan who attended the meeting with Abdul Raziq only moments earlier, was not hurt in the attack. Three Americans were wounded.

In a claim of responsibility, the Taliban said they targeted both Miller and Raziq.

Its the loss of a patriot, US defence chief James Mattis said on Friday, referring to Raziqs death.

Taliban hatred

Born in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, Abdul Raziq Achakzai, an ethnic Pashtun, was from the Adozai subtribe of the Achakzai tribe.

His father and uncle were killed by the Taliban in 1994. Soon after, Abdul Raziq and his family fled to Pakistan until the Taliban was overthrown in the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Upon returning, he joined an anti-Taliban force in Kandahar under Gul Agha Sherzai and Fayda Mohammad, which overthrew the Taliban government in the city.

He started off as a young border policeman working between Kandahar and Pakistans Balochistan province in 2001. Over the years, he steadily rose in the ranks of the security forces.





Because of his strong commitment to fighting the Taliban, Abdul Raziq became a favourite of the US-led coalition and received significant aid for training and weapons from the United States over the past few years. He was viewed as one of the countrys most effective leaders, crediting him with keeping the Taliban in check in Kandahar.

He was known to stay away from politics and instead dealt with the Taliban and other armed groups in a bid to maintain stability. A critic of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Raziq also led a militia in Kandahar.

Torturer-in-chief

Rights group widely criticised Abdul Raziq for allegedly ordering the torture and mistreatment of detainees he suspected of having Taliban affiliations.

New York-based Human Rights Watch called Abdul Raziq Kandahars torturer-in-chief. It released a report describing credible allegations that Abdul Raziq was widely suspected of complicity, if not of personal implication, in severe human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and  secret detention centers.

Under Abdul Raziqs watch, detainees underwent suffocation, crushing the testicles, water forcibly pumped in the stomach and electric shocks, it said.

All allegations had been denied by Abdul Raziq.

Raziq took over as Kandahars police chief after his predecessor, Khan Mahammad Mojayed, was killed in a suicide attack in 2011.

He had survived several assassination attempts against him over the years. In an interview with TOLOnews, a local Afghan news channel, he said he escaped 29 attempts on his life.

Last year, he narrowly escaped an attack in which five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates were killed in Kandahar.

In 2012, he was targeted by a suicide bomber and the same year his convoy was struck by a roadside bomb.

On October 18, the news of his death was mourned by many Afghans, including US government and security officials.

Today I lost a great friend LTG Raziq. We had served together for many years. Afghanistan lost a patriot, my condolences to the people of Afghanistan. The good he did for Afghanistan and the Afghan people cannot be undone, Colonel Dave Butler, a spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, quoted Miller as saying.
UN reassesses which Syrian refugees in Lebanon will receive aid

Every year, UN surveys Syrian refugee families in Lebanon to decide who need aid payments and who may survive without.
Kingdom sacks intelligence official, arrests 18 Saudis saying missing journalist was killed in a fist fight.

Saudi Arabia admitted journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside its consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul, saying he died in brawl but made no mention of where his body is.

Preliminary results of investigations showed the dissident writer died after a fight broke out inside the building shortly after he entered, the official SPA press agency said on Saturday.

Saudi Attorney General Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said Khashoggi died after discussions at the consulate devolved into an altercation.

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Discussions that took place between him and the persons who met him  at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul led to a brawl and a fist fight with the citizen, Jamal Khashoggi, which led to his death, may his soul rest in peace, the attorney general said in a statement.

The investigations are still under way and 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested.

Royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Asiri were fired from their positions, the statement said.

It remains unclear where Khashoggis body is following his killing.

Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans (MBS) rise to power, went missing on October 2 after entering the consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents needed for his upcoming marriage.

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His whereabouts remained unknown since.

US President Donald Trump said he found Saudi Arabias explanation about Khashoggis credible.

Its early, we havent finished our review or investigation, but  I think its a very important first step, he said.

Trump said sanctions against Saudi Arabia could be something he would consider but its too early to say how the US will respond for now.

He said he does not want to cancel a multibillion-dollar arms deal with the Saudis in response to the admission of guilt.

I would prefer, if there is going to be some form of sanction or what we may determine to do, if anything  that we dont use as retribution cancelling $110bn worth of work, which means 600,000 jobs, he said.

Republican Senator Rand Paul tweeted: We should also halt all military sales, aid and cooperation immediately. There must be a severe price for these actions by Saudi Arabia.

Insulting

Karen Greenberg, director of the Center on National Security, said she was surprised by the Saudis story about Khashoggis death.

They knew they had to come up with a story, and this is what they think is the best story for their purposes. Its at the very least insufficient, but its also insulting. Its heres our story and were sticking to it.

Greenberg said Saudi King Salman could have reprimanded and removed his son from power for the killing.

This is a brutal, horrifying, pointed assassination of a journalist who had strong ties to the West and was a resident of the United States. Each one of those is a line that you wouldnt have expected the king to allow to be crossed, Greenberg told Al Jazeera.

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Saudi officials previously denied the writer had been killed inside the diplomatic facility, insisting Khashoggi had left the building before vanishing.

Turkish media reports have suggested Khashoggi was killed by a 15-person assassination team who flew in on two chartered planes to interrogate, torture and kill him.

A Saudi official familiar with the investigation told the Reuters news agency the crown prince had no knowledge of the Khashoggi operation.

There were no orders for them to kill him or even specifically kidnap him, said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity. MBS had no knowledge of this specific operation and certainly did not order a kidnapping or murder of anybody.

Unprecedented admission

Over the past two weeks, Turkish intelligence had also disclosed a steady stream of leaks to the media, saying it had audio recordings that proved Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate building.

On Wednesday, the Turkish pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what it described as an audio recording of the journalists killing, said the 15-member squad immediately accosted Khashoggi after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him.

Aaron David Miller, Middle East analyst at the Wilson Center in Washington, told Al Jazeera the Saudi announcement was an effort to protect the powerful crown prince.





Part of this is unprecedented. For an intel operation, for renditions and kidnappings, which they have done all the time, they have never disclosed or assumed any responsibility. And theyve done it in response to pressure, said Miller.

They are creating this cover story that his death occurred during a fist fight. Its another step in a big kabuki theatre.

Turkish crime scene investigators this week searched the consulate building in Istanbul and the nearby residence of the Saudi consul general, and came out carrying bags and boxes. On Friday, investigators questioned staff and explored whether his remains could have been dumped outside Istanbul, Turkish media and a security official said.

Al Jazeeras Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Turkeys capital, Ankara, said Turkish officials are accusing Saudi officials of attempting to thwart a joint Saudi-Turkish investigation, noting MBS has been put in charge of leading the Saudi probe into Khashoggis disappearance.

Its a question of how to get away with murder, she said. For the sake of the prosecution, the only thing missing is the body of Jamal Khashoggi in order to file an indictment. Now, Turkey is going to ask, Where is the body?

Unacceptable

SPA also reported on Saturday that Saudi Arabia expressed its deep regret for Khashoggis death and praised the Turkish governments cooperation.

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The kingdom expresses its deep regret at the painful developments that have taken place and stresses the commitment of the authorities in the kingdom to bring the facts to the public opinion, to hold all those involved accountable, and bring them to justice, it said.

The statement came shortly after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would consider a wide range of responses.

Al Jazeeras Andrew Simmons, reporting from Istanbul, said it remains to be seen how the US and Turkey respond to the revelation of Khashoggis death.

Its going to be extremely tense in the coming hours, he said. Can they ride this out with this explanation? It remains to be seen, said Simmons.

The pressure is now on the Turks to respond in some way to this assertion.

Intelligence agency restructuring

Meanwhile, SPA reported that Saudi King Salman had ordered the restructuring of the command of the general intelligence agency under the supervision of MBS.

The order also included updating regulations, determining the agencys powers and evaluating its methods and procedures.

It said the king ordered the formation of a ministerial committee, headed by the crown prince, to oversee the restructuring. It will include the interior minister, the foreign minister, the head of the intelligence agency and the chief of homeland security.

Observers questioned the viability of MBS overseeing the Saudi probe, considering he is a prime suspect in ordering Khashoggis murder.

On Twitter, where al-Qahtani had launched vitriolic attacks against those he saw as the kingdoms enemies, he thanked the Saudi government for the great opportunity they gave me to serve my country all those years.

I will remain a loyal servant to my country for all times, he wrote on Saturday.

Al-Assiri had no immediate comment.
This year, a total of 417 women are campaigning for a seat in the 250-member Afghanistan parliament.

Kabul, Afghanistan  Pashtana Arabzai feels she has done her homework and says it is only a matter of days before she realises her ambition.

For the past three weeks, she has travelled back and forth across Afghanistans capital, Kabul, trying to convince voters to back her in Saturdays parliamentary elections.

Arabzai is among the 118 women candidates trying to secure one of the nine seats in the city reserved for women. Kabul has a total of 33 seats.

As campaigning drew to a close, Arabzai was in an upbeat mood, promising change if she won.

It is time for women. It is time for young people. It is time for us to decide our future and implement our vision, the 27-year-old former TV presenter told Al Jazeera.

It is only us, the young generation, which can bring real change to our country. Our society needs us, Arabzai said while three of her female supporters sitting nearby nodded in agreement.

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The Afghanistan parliamentary election  delayed repeatedly for the past three years  is the third since the Taliban was ousted from power in 2001 by US-led forces.

A record 417 female candidates are campaigning for a seat in the 250-member parliament.

The countrys constitution reserves 27 percent of the seats for women, making the Afghan parliament one of the most representative as far as women are concerned.

Daunting task

But female candidates say they face a daunting task as they aspire to leaderhip positions in a country marred by nearly two decades of armed rebellion waged by the Taliban armed group.

The group, which still controls a third of the country, is boycotting the elections and has promised to disrupt the process.

The polls are also the first since the NATO combat mission ended in 2014, and Afghan forces took over responsibility for security in the country.

Arabzai is among 118 women in the fray for Kabuls nine reserved seats [Hamza Mohamed/Al Jazeera]

Since the beginning of the campaign on September 28, at least 10 candidates have been killed and dozens injured. Two other candidates were abducted.

But that hasnt deterred the female candidates from holding rallies and campaigning.

Shenkay Karokhel is an ex-parliamentarian and former ambassador of Afghanistan to Canada. She resigned from her post earlier this year to return to Kabul and contest again.

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Karokhel says the threats wont stop her from trying to make a difference in her country.

Life in Afghanistan is full of risks and challenges. Even walking down the street is a risk. And its not just politicians facing them, but also the average citizens, the former diplomat told Al Jazeera.

Karokhel has served in parliament twice and was not planning to contest again, but that changed when her close friends intervened.

They [friends] forced me to resign from my post in Canada. But my children are not happy because they know how dangerous the job is, she said.

Women less corrupt

Arabzai and Karokhel say the reason why more women are now deciding to take part in politics is simple: to fight corruption.

Women are less corrupt than men in our country. We are the first victims of corruption. More women in places of power means less corruption and more development, Karokhel said.

Money continues to play a role in who makes it to the top offices in Afghanistan. Campaigning is expensive and some candidates allege people demand money in return for their votes.

Many people have asked for money to vote for me. But that is not how I want to be voted in. That is not the politics that Im interested in. That is the politics that got our country here in the first place, Arabzai said.

In Khusahal Khan Mina neighbourhood of Kabul, the challenge facing Sabri Andar is greater than that faced by Arabzai or Karokhel.

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Andar is disabled and moves around in a wheelchair. But she is determined to become a lawmaker.

I decided to run for office three years ago after seeing all the problems young people and women in particular face in our society, Andar told Al Jazeera as a small crowd of supporters waited outside her office.

She was the first speaker of Afghanistans youth parliament.

In our society, some people believe women should not lead. I want to show them that it is possible to be young, a woman, disabled, and also be a member of parliament, the 26-year-old said.

With polling stations in Afghanistan set to open in less than 24 hours, Andar has a message for the countrys youth.

We should not lose hope. Only we can change our situation, not others. The youth need to go out and exercise their right tomorrow, she added.

Follow Hamza Mohamed on Twitter: @Hamza_Africa
Groups call on Trump to apologise after saying Greg Gianforte is my kind of guy for body-slamming a reporter in 2017.

Journalists and others are calling for US President Donald Trump to apologise after he praised a Republican congressman for body-slamming a reporter last year.

To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the first amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it, said John Mulholland, editor of the Guardian US, whose political correspondent Ben Jacobs was assaulted in May 2017 as he tried to ask Congressman Greg Gianforte a question about healthcare.

During a Montana campaign rally on Thursday, Trump praised Gianforte, saying: Any guy that can do a body slam  hes my kind of guy.

The crowd laughed and cheered as Trump went on, saying hes a great guy, tough cookie.

After the 2017 encounter, Gianforte initially misled investigators about what had happened, falsely claiming that Jacobs had grabbed him by the wrist and pulled both of them to the floor, according to documents released under a court order following requests from news agencies.

The president said he was in Rome with other world leaders when he heard about what had happened.

And I said, oh, this is terrible. Hes going to lose the election, Trump recalled. And then I said, well, wait a minute. I know Montana pretty well. I think it might help him. And it did.

Last night, President Trump praised a GOP Congress member for body slamming a reporter in May 2017. Greg Gianforte pleaded guilty for the assault. pic.twitter.com/actvGHvO5x  AJ+ (@ajplus) October 19, 2018

Gianforte, who is up for re-election in November, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour assault charge in June 2017 and said in an apology letter that he alone was responsible for the attack. He paid a $385 fine and completed 40 hours of community service and 20 hours of anger management counselling. He also donated $50,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Run the risks of inviting other assaults

Trump referenced Gianforte again later during Thursdays rally when discussing former Vice President Joe Biden, who once said he would beat the hell out of Trump if they were in high school.

On Biden challenging him to a fight, Trump said, Hed be down, faster than Greg would take him down.

Trumps comments come amid an international furore over the apparent assassination of Saudi writer and critic Jamal Khashoggi who disappeared at the beginning of October after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. He has not been seen since.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump said it certainly looked as though Khashoggi is dead, adding that if reports are true that the Saudis killed him, the consequences will have to be very severe.

Trump has also denied covering for Saudi Arabia over the suspected murder. I am not giving cover at all, he said on Wednesday.

The Guardians Mulholland said: In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, [Trumps remarks at the campaign rally] run the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats.

He added: We hope decent people will denounce these comments and that the president will see fit to apologise for them.

Shocking and chilling

Other journalists, editors and rights groups also rebuked Trump for praising Gianforte on Thursday night.

This shocking and chilling, especially in light of the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, tweeted Guardian Editor-in-Chief Katharine Viner.

This is shocking and chilling, especially in light of the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi: Trump has praised Congressman Greg Gianforte for his violent assault on a Guardian reporter: https://t.co/k6KcqTW11d  Katharine Viner (@KathViner) October 19, 2018

If you think the press is the enemy of the American people, why wouldnt you praise people who beat up journalists, tweeted Guardian writer Jason Wilson. Dont expect him to say anything useful if journalists start getting beaten up in at street protests etc, he added.

https://twitter.com/jason_a_w/status/1053291709054967808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

PEN America, a literary and rights organisation, launched a lawsuit against the president on Tuesday, accusing him of violating the First Amendment and his oath to uphold the Constitution through official acts.

Responding to Trumps remarks on Thursday night, PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement the presidents comment marks a startling new low in terms of the White Houses open hostility toward the press.

Nossel added: During a week when the world is riveted in horror at the brutal murder of a journalist by the Saudi government, Trumps remarks are a chilling reminder that US global leadership on press freedom has collapsed utterly under the presidents watch.

We have filed suit challenging the Presidents threats and retaliatory actions toward the press to affirm the role of First Amendment and demand that our government treat journalists with the protections they deserve, and that our democracy depends upon. https://t.co/q5nJXdd8vu  PEN America (@PENamerica) October 19, 2018

Olivier Knox, president of the White House Correspondents Association, said in a statement that all Americans should recoil from the presidents praise for a violent assault on a reporter doing his Constitutionally protected job.

Knox added: We should never shrug at the president cheerleading for a violent act targeting a free and independent news media.
If convicted on rape and murder charges, 21-year-old Severin Krasimirov could be sentenced to life in prison.

A 21-year-old man suspected of the rape and murder of Bulgarian television journalist Viktoria Marinova has admitted that he attacked her.

Handcuffed and surrounded by police officers, Severin Krasimirov spoke to reporters inside a courtroom on Friday where he appeared for a custody hearing in Ruse, northern Bulgaria.

I do not know what happened. I cannot remember everything. I went there and I slapped her, she fell. I want to move on but she grabbed me, Krasimirov told reporters.





Yes, I am guilty, I am very sorry. I cannot believe that I have done that, Krasimirov said in a wavering voice when reporters asked whether he plans to tell the court he is guilty.

If convicted, Krasimirov faces a prison sentence of 10-20 years for the rape and a possible life sentence for the murder.

The body of the 30-year-old television presenter was found near a jogging path along the Danube in Ruse on October 6.

Authorities said she died from blows to the head and suffocation, and that she was raped after her death.

Prosecutors say there was no evidence her death was related to her work and pointed to a random sexual crime, though they said they are investigating all possibilities.

Investigators say DNA found on the victim matches Krasimirov. They have also collected additional evidence against him, Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said on Friday.

Krasimirov was arrested in Germany on October 9 and was extradited to Bulgaria on Wednesday.

Asked by reporters what punishment he thought he deserved, Krasimirov said he would accept whatever I get, even if its life in prison, I will serve.

Marinovas killing shocked Bulgaria and drew international condemnation amid concerns that it may have been linked to her work as a journalist.

An episode of her programme that aired on September 30 featured a discussion with two journalists from Bulgaria and Romania who had been investigating alleged corruption and fraud.
Grace Meng says there is no limit on Chinese officials power to target individuals deemed as their opponents.

The wife of former Interpol president Meng Hongwei has lambasted China as cruel and said she is unsure if her husband is still alive after he was detained by Chinese officials last month.

In an exclusive interview with the BBC aired on Friday, Grace Meng said her partner was a victim of political persecution and alleged there was no limit to Chinas power to act against individuals deemed as opponents.

I tell [my children] daddy is on a long business trip, Grace Meng told the BBC from France, where Meng worked at Interpols headquarters in the eastern city of Lyon.

The 64-year-old, also a Chinese vice public security minister, went missing while on a trip to China last month.

Almost two weeks later, on October 7, Interpol announced Meng had resigned as president of the international police organisation after Chinese authorities declared he was under investigation on suspicion of accepting bribes.

The body investigating Meng, the National Supervisory Commission, can hold suspects for as long as six months without providing access to legal counsel.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has headed an anti-corruption drive which has penalised more than one million officials since he assumed office in 2012.

The crackdown has wide support from citizens weary of extensive high-level corruption, but some analysts say it also enables the Chinese president to eliminate rivals.

One of the most powerful officials to fall was former security ministry chief Zhou Yongkang, who promoted Meng more than a decade ago and was sentenced to life in prison in 2014.

The relatives of fallen officials are typically silenced, and Grace Mengs outspoken advocacy on behalf of her husband, who she has repeatedly alleged is innocent, is somewhat unprecedented.

Last week, she told the Associated Press in an interview that she had received a threatening phone call warning of Chinese agents coming for her in France.

Speaking out about her husbands situation was placing her in great danger, she said.
Today is the centennial of the birth of Russell Kirk, considered by many the father of modern conservatism. It's a day we should celebrate because Russell Kirk was a courageous intellectual warrior in the defense of traditional conservatism.

Born on October 19, 1918, in Plymouth, Michigan, Kirk rose from humble beginnings to become an internationally recognized figure, the author of numerous books, countless articles and reviews, and a syndicated column that ran for thirteen years. He was also the founding editor of Modern Age and a frequent contributor to National Review. In 1953, he published his groundbreaking work, The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Santayana. It was this book, more than any other, that launched the modern conservative movement in America.

Kirk's positions on particular issues were often idiosyncratic and hardly in line with conventional thinking on either the left or the right. He strongly criticized the use of the atomic bomb in Japan, and in 1976, he voted for Eugene McCarthy over both Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. He was a critic of globalism and imperialism of all sorts, and of the consequent mushrooming of state power not just in Marxist nations, but within Western democracies as well. Deeply traditional in his lifestyle and thought, Kirk espoused a simple existence akin to what we now call "localism," and he was temperamentally opposed to nearly all forms of change, especially technological change (he disliked automobiles, televisions, computers, and the impersonal and regimented society that accompanied the rise of digital culture). In other words, he fought to defend the humane civilization, with religion at its center, that had existed for thousands of years.

At the core of Western civilization, of course, was Christianity. Kirk spoke eloquently against the mounting assault on Christian expression carried out in the name of "separation of church and state." Unfortunately, for many, "separation" came to mean the complete suppression of religious expression in the public space. On the left, any reference to religious practice or thought has come to be seen as deeply suspect if not criminal. Kirk's position was exactly the opposite: he celebrated the practice of Christianity, in his case Catholicism, and he found it inconceivable that civilization in the West could exist without it. In this way, Kirk continued and amplified the thinking of earlier writers such as Irving Babbitt, Paul Elmer More, T.S. Eliot, Allen Tate, Willa Cather, and C.S. Lewis. More broadly in terms of his political ideas, Kirk was much indebted to Edmund Burke.

It is important to consider the historical setting within which Kirk wrote. Kirk grew up in a time of revolutionary change. The rapid adoption of the automobile as a near universal means of transportation, with its production at the time centered in nearby Detroit, made a powerful impression on the young author. It was not just the noise and speed of the machine itself, but the effect on society that Kirk and others bemoaned. Along with the automobile came the airplane, the telephone, radio, motion pictures, and eventually television and the computer  none of them in Kirk's view especially beneficial for civilized life. Then there was the rise of totalitarianism in Germany and Russia, and the horrific period of economic collapse followed by a decade of global war. Accompanying these developments was the rise of the imperial state with its overwhelming power and intrusiveness into the lives of citizens. Kirk's response was a call for return to civilization on a modest, human scale and to a personal life of self-restraint and self-responsibility with religious faith at its center.

This is not to say Kirk advocated the extreme form of individualism associated with the writings of Ayn Rand. He understood that a truly meaningful life required engagement with others in society. Religious communion, per Kirk, is intensely meaningful not for its "value" in terms of health or "social needs," but quite simply because it expresses what is true in nature. God exists, He must be worshiped, and it was natural that a community of believers should band together. Kirk also believed in the worth of private charity, and he practiced many acts of kindness and charity, some of them markedly unorthodox, throughout his life.

Set against the forces of evil that arose during his lifetime, Kirk advocated belief in the "permanent things," a term he borrowed from T.S. Eliot's The Idea of a Christian Society. The permanent things consist of the legacy of traditions, institutions, and ways of thinking that one inherits from the past. Like Eliot, Kirk recognized the immense value of this treasure of inherited thought and belief. He understood that a true basis for civilization must entail what has evolved over centuries  not the antagonistic and ephemeral doctrines such as Marxism that had come into existence over merely a few decades.

Belief in connection with the past was at the heart of Kirk's thinking. It was undoubtedly the reason he returned to his ancestral Scotland to study at the University of St. Andrews, where he earned his master's and doctoral degrees, and that he established a home in his family's ancestral village of Mecosta, Michigan, a home that he called Piety Hill and that after his death became the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.

The hundredth anniversary of Russell Kirk's birth should be a time not just to honor Kirk as one of the founders of modern-day conservatism, but, hopefully, as a time to return to the reading and study of his work. The Essential Russell Kirk is an excellent introduction, and Bradley J. Birzer's Russell Kirk: American Conservative is a useful biography and introduction to his ideas.

If there is one word that I would apply to Russell Kirk's way of thinking, it is "sensible" (another would be "pious," and another "restrained"). He recognized that it is a difficult and dangerous world in which we live and that only effort and self-control, along with the support of a religious community, can get us through. Kirk's life was heroic and courageous. Writing at a time when progressives had dominated the political and intellectual discussion in America for more than fifty years, Kirk brought new life to a tradition of thought based on natural law and divine creation rather than merely on intellectual speculation. Along with a small number of others, Kirk defended traditional conservatism at a time when it was most under attack. For this, and for the substantial body of work he left behind, we should celebrate the centennial of his birth.

Jeffrey Folks taught at universities in the U.S., Europe, and Japan for over three decades. He has published twelve books and over 300 articles and reviews.
In 2011, the publication 24/7 Wall St. compiled the following list of the ten states doing the "most" and the "least" to "spread the wealth." A migration study compiled from 2016 to 2017 by the U.S. Census provides some thought-provoking data on these 20 states: Table 1: 2017 Relocation Data on States that Differ in Spreading the Wealth

States doing the most in 2011 Migration per 1000 States doing the least in 2011 Migration per 1000 Alaska -13.4 Alabama 0.8 California -3.5 Arizona 9.1 Connecticut -6.2 Arkansas 1.6 Hawaii -6.2 Florida 7.8 Massachusetts -3.4 Idaho 14.6 Minnesota 1.4 Indiana -0.1 New Jersey -6.4 Oklahoma -2.7 New York -9.6 South Carolina 9.9 Pennsylvania -2 Tennessee 6.1 Rhode Island -3.6 Texas 2.8 average -5.6 average 5.0

If social spending improves the overall quality of life, why are so many Americans relocating away from the states on the left?

Based on data gathered by the Sacramento Bee from 2005 to 2015, California "exports its poor to Texas and other states while wealthier people move in." This pattern is not limited to California. According to the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, nearly 9,000 working-age adults with only high school diplomas moved out of New York in 2007 while 10,000 with college degrees moved in. The NCHEMS documented a similar relocation pattern in Rhode Island where non-college graduates moved out while people with graduate and professional degrees moved in. Why are adults who are presumed to benefit the most from income redistribution leaving these states? Employment data compiled in 2015 by 24/7 Wall St. provides a clue: Table 2: 2015 Unemployment by Race in States that Differ in Spreading the Wealth*

States doing the most in 2011 White unem. Black unem. Latino unem. States doing the least in 2011 White unem. Black unem. Latino unem. California 6.0% 11.0% 7.6% Alabama 4.3% 10.6% 6.5% Connecticut 4.5% 13.2% 11.3% Arizona 5.7% 9.1% 8.3% Massachusetts 4.4% 10.6% 11.0% Arkansas 4.3% 10.3% 6.7% Minnesota 2.9% 14.1% 3.8% Florida 4.6% 9.0% 5.8% New Jersey 5.2% 10.0% 7.6% Indiana 4.5% 7.0% 5.6% New York 4.5% 8.2% 6.7% Oklahoma 3.8% 8.8% 4.8% Pennsylvania 4.5% 10.5% 7.7% South Carolina 4.1% 10.7% 6.2% Rhode Island 5.2% 12.2% 9.1% Tennessee 5.1% 7.5% 4.0% average 4.7% 11.2% 8.1% Texas 4.1% 7.5% 4.9% average 4.5% 8.9% 5.8%

* To provide more realistic data on minority communities, the table excludes data from states where blacks make up less than 5% of the state population.

Based on a one-tailed T-test, overall black and Latino unemployment is significantly higher in states on the left column (p = 0.01). There is no significant difference for white unemployment between the states in the left and right columns (p = 0.30).

According to the Department of Labor, these minorities rely much more on blue-collar jobs than whites, and even though the employment numbers for New York seem respectable, Forbes listed this state as one of the laggards for growth in high-paying blue-collar jobs in 2014.

Blue-collar jobs are more vulnerable to outsourcing, and data compiled by Forbes show why adults without college degrees are likely to struggle to find high-paying jobs in states on the left:

Table 3: 2017 Forbes Business Regulatory Environment Ranking on States that Differ in Spreading the Wealth
The 60-year experiment in the progressive government-run educational system in this country has cheated and defrauded not only those it purports to educate, but also the taxpayers who funded this sham. It is apparent that no longer are American history, values, and civics taught. Rather, in their place, the students at all levels of the educational system are being and have been indoctrinated with the communist-socialist-progressive philosophy of hatred of capitalism, envy and jealousy of the successful, denial of individual responsibility, and the belief that government can solve all of life's problems.

Let us not forget that the German movement headed by Adolf Hitler was called the National Socialists (Nazis). How reminiscent that the Antifa- and Democrat-supported rioters of today are dressed in black, many with face masks, like the blackshirts of Fascist Italy. The only thing lacking are the logo armbands with the appropriate symbol.

Unfortunately, this radical philosophy and activity is being accepted and adopted by more and more so-called mainstream Democrats. One needs simply pay attention to the daily news to become aware of these facts. The Democratic appeal for violence against those who oppose them becomes louder and more strident every day.

Throughout history, this type of political activity has been embraced by basically two types of people.

The first is the person who seeks unbridled power over others and will use any means to achieve that end. These people use the power of envy and jealousy to persuade, convince, and motivate the gullible to do their dirty work in order to gain power. They will lie, cheat, and use the media to influence the masses by repeating over and over the "Big Lie." Once in power, they will resort to violence, re-education camps, and "disappearing" of opponents. Some of the first to "disappear" will be their most dedicated initial supporters.

The second group is the vast majority of ill educated dupes who refuse to admit the base level of human nature and are naive enough to believe the utopian siren song of "free everything for everyone" the leaders of the movement keep singing. Too late will they come to realize that there is no such thing as "free" anything and that someone has to pay for it. Only when they spend hours if not days in line to purchase a loaf of bread or a quart of milk that may not be there will they come to realize the fallacy of their beliefs. By then, it is too late. These people are the cannon fodder of the manipulators and potential dictators, who, because of their lack of knowledge and understanding of history, will be sacrificed by those who take the reins of power over the great unwashed masses.

When we try to highlight the dangers and pitfalls of socialism by whatever name is currently in vogue, we are not heard. Despite pre-war Germany, the Soviet Union, Cuba, and even now the chaos of Venezuela, the young have been so indoctrinated and taught not to look at history that trying to reason with them is an exercise in futility. Attempting to change their way of thinking, philosophy, or ideology in time to make a difference in their November voting preferences is really a waste of time.

The only solution to the problems they will cause is to somehow raise the awareness of conservatives and other true patriots at every corner of the country and convince them to get out and vote in November in massive numbers. Defeating the socialist Democrats at the ballot box before they retake power is really the only hope for the country.
Like President Trump, Brazil's likely new president, Jair Bolsonaro, is openly embracing free-market economics  the hardcore Chicago Boys kind that was last seen transforming Chile into a first-world country. The real stuff.

I'm going to argue that that's big, really big  not only because Brazil is a leftist sump of longtime culturally embedded socialism and dependency - but because hardcore free-market economics, the kind that turned Chile from a Venezuela-style hell-hole into a true first-world economy in a mere decade or two, has long been a dirty word in Latin America.

Bolsonaro doesn't care.

That is a demonstration of how tough and how Trump-like he actually is. Because for years, the left, led by leftist clowns such as Naomi Klein, have had the upper hand in demonizing these powerful free-market ideas as they controlled the 'narrative.' Bolsonaro's stance is a sign that times may be finally changing. But for years, since the left could never win economic arguments based on the merits, they've launched their attacks ad hominem style, criticizing free-market ideas for their association with the Pinochet military government of Chile, which was the government the Chicago Boys worked with, though they would have worked with anyone, and their results would have been the same. That abuse has always been nonsense, given the results, and little more than the work of Castroite propaganda and its offshoots, but it's also the very reason why the region has so much trouble climbing out of its hole.

Say you admire anything about Pinochet's free-market economy over there, and watch your career go down the drain.

This guy in Brazil isn't like that. He's immune to the withering criticism of the left because, heck, he admires Pinochet. He's out front about it. Try to demonize a guy like that.

Bolsonaro actually admits he doesn't know much about economics. Bloomberg notes that that's actually a strength, because people who do understand economics can have a free hand, while politicans who claim they do tend to make messes. Pinochet didn't know anything about economics, either, if you read his autobiography. All he knew was what produced results, and that was all he cared about. Sure enough, Chicago Boys economics  the same thing President Trump is embracing now  produces results  big, huge, transformative results.

Here's a recent picture of the man, posing with Jose Antonio Kast, the openly free-market presidential candidate in Chile, whose party made an impressive showing in his country's last election. The two are holding up a cover of the Economist, which hailed Chile's top rating as the country with the highest upward mobility. If you are born poor there, you have the tools to get out of it because of the Chicago Boys and their Chilean Model of private savings. There's no reason to ever stay poor.

That's the power of free-market economics, which is the work of the Chicago Boys.

If Bolsonaro is serious, and the signs are growing that he is, any Chicago Boy memoir, whether that of Hernan Buchi or Jose Pinera, will readily describe how difficult it is to transform a socialist economy into a free-market economy, even in a presumably easy military government. It wasn't easy at all, as oppositions from all quarters form, laws must be dismantled by the wheelbarrowful, and special interests compete on historic and beyond-economics considerations. But when it happens, the result is breathtaking.

With Bolsonaro looking set to win in Brazil, a Chicago Boys result could be breathtaking.
In America the mask is an indication of wicked intentions. Only when the mob gains total control will disguise be discarded; rationally unnecessary as brutality becomes normalized and regulated.

CNN's Brooke Baldwin supplies masks for mobs by declining to call a mob a mob and by banning the word "mob" from her program. In her words mobs, are not mobs; they are Republican talking points. By this logic, an objective statement would read thus: "A Republican talking points chased down a 74-year-old man and bashed his car."

Awkward construction, and as a nonconformist I decline to follow Baldwin's self-indulgent and self-protective rules. A mob is a mob, and anyone policing the words of others is trying to cover up an uncomfortable reality. I will not allow Brooke Baldwin to place a mask upon my words.

In a later interview, Baldwin said, "Listen, I don't want to be the word police and that was not my intention..."

A mob of Democrats is still a mob, and a Democrat's lie is still a lie. Baldwin did police and ban the word "mob" from her program, and that was clearly her intention.

Baldwin also said that if she had "irked the left and the right, then I've done my job." I doubt that irking anybody is part of her job description, so let's call that another lie. Let's blend in the fact that censorship by anyone is alarming and should not be demoted to mere irksomeness; that sounds like a Democratic Party talking point.

Someone pointed out that this video should go viral. Perhaps, but certainly it should be briefly parsed to feel its full effect.

The first words yelled are "shut the f up," an example of Democratic mob eloquence and an indication that our future will not be kind to children's, or anyone's, ears. Or kind to anyone at all.

At 0:05, we see the first mask. Having received encouragement from Democratic leaders such as Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and Maxine Waters, some of these exhibitionists leave the facade at home, hoping to be noticed and perhaps given positions of prominence when the New Order arrives. There are plenty of masks as the video continues.

First there is a woman, who obviously directs none of her resistance to heaping plates of food, regulating traffic. There is also a white male mobster wearing camouflage shorts; this loudmouth churl represents the physical danger lurking behind Democratic mob bullying. Let's call him Fancy Pants.

The eater looks bored, as if this is all in a day's work, when she tells a man in a blue car, "Just go that way." The man asks, "Why?" She replies, "Because I told you to."

This is how you will be treated if the Democrats gain even a little more power on November 6 than they have today.

Fancy Pants is particularly verbose this morning: "Ya, brother, ya, you little white little f, ya, you're a f whitey here, aren't ya, a First Amendment, get down the road. Just please turn right, for Chrissake." Then "Oh, you're from South Carolina, you are a little whitey supremacist."

Another of Mayor Wheeler's unofficial Democratic Party stormtroopers leans into the passenger side of blue car and shouts, "Ask me if I give a f, I was talking to him, not you, thank you very much."

Please and thank you  they are a polite little Democratic mob, aren't they?

Later they chase a car down the street and smash one of its windows.

So what do you call this, Brooke? Is this a Republican talking point we are witnessing?

These mobsters are enjoying the power party of their lives. They are rapturous at this Mayor Wheeler-approved moment, and it sickens me.

I shouldn't mention this, but it is unbearably obvious that these Democratic mobsters would herd little white little f into boxcars as easily as they order these innocent American citizens onto that street.

So Brooke may not want to see, hear, or speak of the growing horror developing right before our eyes, but I do.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren's ridiculous claim that she is Native American has finally been put to rest, disproved by Warren herself. But contrary to her desired effect, she has justifiably become a figure of mockery and amusement, with hilarious memes abound throughout the web. She apparently thinks the American people are so ignorant that they would believe that being a fractional 1/1,024 Native American (Peruvian, Colombian, Mexican) proves her longstanding claim that won her a job at Harvard as a woman of color. She announced that Trump owes her the $1 million he promised to her charity of choice if she could prove her Native American heritage.

Sadly, for the people of Massachusetts, this woman is a certifiable, deluded idiot. Will they re-elect her in November? Probably. That is how afflicted with moonbattery the people of the Bay State have always been and likely still are. They kept re-electing Ted Kennedy even after he killed Mary Jo Kopechne. Now they elect Warren, and Warren is a national joke. She is a far-left Democrat who appropriated an invented Native American heritage in order to get a job at Harvard. She used Harvard's affirmative action program to steal a job from a qualified person who may actually have been a member of a minority group. Clearly, Harvard was a party to this lie. Anyone can see that Warren is whiter than most of us, shallower than most, and terminally self-serving. And she thinks she is presidential material!

Why did she make this big splash about her "verifiable Native American heritage" now? She is even dumber than we knew. Did she think this would put the controversy about her claims to bed? How funny is that? She thought being 0.09% "Native American" would prove her claim. Did she pay for an Ancestry.com test and did it come up zero percent Native American so she hired a Stanford friend to tweak her results? Probably.

That the left has disintegrated into a singular mass of seething, apoplectic protoplasm should be obvious to everyone but those who get their news solely from CNN, MSNBC, etc.  the mainstream media that are today characterized by their vicious anti-Trumpism. Not one of those familiar "news outlets" reports the news. They take the events of any day, twist it, contort it, and distort it any way they can to demean President Trump. They are, in every way, well and truly fake news. The Kavanaugh hearings were the piece de resistance, their masterwork of Alinskyite strategy. "In war, the end justifies almost any means." The left fears Kavanaugh, so leftists set out to destroy him in the basest way possible: invent a lie and go with it to the bitter end. That every Democrat save one was on board with this tactic is revealing. The Democratic Party is no longer pro-Constitution, pro-due process. They no longer revere the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. They have become everything they used to rail against. They've become tyrants without a shred of conscience or compassion. They thought nothing of setting out to destroy a man and his family over obviously fabricated allegations that could or would never be proven. This is who and what the Democratic Party is today: morally and ethically bankrupt.

Throughout the nation, the Democrats lost more than a thousand elected seats over the eight years of the Obama administration, and they are clawing at the doors of power like those pathetic women who were banging on the doors of the Supreme Court in protest over Kavanaugh. They are desperate and acting out in the most despicable ways. Deranged anti-Trump people are becoming more and more violent, and a Democrat has yet to speak out against these persons' abusive behavior. Instead, they encourage it.

Elizabeth Warren's piteous attempt to redeem herself for a lie long told is just the most recent evidence of the left's complete moral meltdown. The signs are all around us. Pelosi cannot wait to inflict "collateral damage" on all of us who don't agree with her. The worst of them: Jerry Nadler, Maxine Waters, Elijah Cummings, etc. are gearing up to destroy Trump, Kavanaugh and anyone else who opposes their socialist agenda if they win a majority in the House. The self-described socialists want to turn this country into Venezuela. Warren, et al. mean to devastate America as founded. President Obama went a long way toward that end. All of us who love America as founded, on the basis of individual freedom, need to vote Republican on November 6. Our lives and our children's future depend upon it.

Warren's pathetic blunder led Gerard Vanderleun at American Digest to post this. Enjoy:
In a political maneuver that even her fellow Democrats are decrying as poorly timed, Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced this week that she has DNA proof to substantiate her claims to American Indian heritage. Apparently, Donald Trump has been living inside Lizzie's head with his disparaging label for her, Pocahontas, a term ridiculing her suspect assertion that she is part Cherokee Indian. The fact that Warren is originally from Oklahoma had made such a native heritage sufficiently plausible until she entered the national political arena. She had played it to advantage for years in academia to gain preferential treatment and a lucrative sinecure on the Harvard faculty.

But when Warren left the protections of that academic reservation and entered the much larger and more dangerous open range of national politics as a liberal Democrat, her claimed privilege by birthright became an easy target of opportunity for her political opposition, forcing her to defend it with laughably weak protestations. She had long and wisely avoided Republican demands for a DNA test as proof until now, but Trump's continuing Poca, Poca, Poca ridicule must have made her and her advisers realize that this problem had to be dealt with before she had any chance of running for the presidency in 2020.

Thus, Warren publicly, boastfully announced recently that DNA testing (by a friend and political supporter) had, in fact, conclusively proved her claim to Indian princess fame. Warren, assisted by the leftist media, confidently badgered Donald Trump to pay up on an offer he had made previously to pay her $1,000,000 if she took a DNA test that proved her American Indian ancestry. But the ever clever POTUS quickly countered with a tweet ridiculing the tenuous DNA result that Warren saw as definitive, calling it "bogus" and pointing out that her reported 1/1024 share was even being mocked by Cherokee Nation leadership. He ended that tweet with a damning and exclamatory "Phony!" Trump followed that tweet minutes later with another calling on Warren to apologize to the country for her blatant fraud against the American public. Even worse for Warren was criticism from her own party, with some prominent Dems faulting her inept timing.

Therein lies Lyin' Lizzie's dilemma. Trump's ongoing campaign of Pocahontas taunts has goaded her into foolishly checkmating herself in this extended game of Cherokee Chess. With her acquiescence to Trump's demands for DNA evidence, she has provided proof not of American Indian heritage, but rather proof of her cunning willingness to take advantage of minority affirmative action programs for personal gain. Sure, she can continue to fight and deny, citing the suspect DNA report, trying to tamp down the derision, while meantime providing Democrat presidential contenders, a few of whom are likely to be minorities, with fodder to charge her with crass racial and cultural appropriation, a most serious sin among the politically correct. Or she can throw herself on the untender mercies of the merciless left and publicly apologize for the fraud she has long perpetrated, hoping for some traces of compassion in those Alinsky-hardened hearts. Either way, she's game over on that path to the 2020 Democrat nomination.

Is it cultural appropriation for the Great White Father to have outplayed Pocahontas at Cherokee Chess?

Image: Stefan Schubert via Flickr.
The media sure spend a lot of time building up the blackmailing porn star Stormy Daniels. They obviously don't want to spend much time telling the people all the things President Trump has done to help them, so they have to figure out new ways to trash Trump.

So this week, we get a story of how Trump ridiculed poor innocent porn "star" Stormy. Of course, we also get the media asking other Republicans to denounce Trump. I can't remember Democrats being asked to denounce President Obama or Joe Biden on anything. Here's some of the fake outrage:

Suffice it to say that "Horseface" and porn actress Stormy Daniels aren't what Republicans want to talk about three weeks from the midterm elections  or ever. A record number of women are running, most of them Democrats, in the first balloting of the #MeToo era. No matter. President Donald Trump this week added "Horseface" to a long list of unflattering references to women, including: Fat, ugly, disgusting, "that dog," ''a 10," ''no longer a 10," a slob, "Miss Piggy," ''Miss Housekeeping," wacky and crazy. Being asked to "respond" to Trump's words is one of the least-favorite pastimes of Themembers of his party. Asked about "horseface," they tried to stay as bland as possible. "There's no place for that kind of language," said House Speaker Paul Ryan on CBS "This Morning," a little over two months away from leaving Congress at the end of the year. "He should not have said that."

I do not recall the AP or anyone in the media worrying about the relentless ridicule of an actual accomplished woman, such as Sarah Palin, but of course she never did anything as important as Stormy.

On SNL, the former governor of Alaska was repeatedly targeted, and here are a couple of flattering articles on Palin from the Washington Post and Huffington Post to give you the flavor.

Sarah Palin and other ignorant candidates

Sarah Palin: George Bush In Lipstick?

Where, again, were the Democrats, Hollywood, and journalists who denounced this ridicule and bullying of Palin (don't they care about all women)?

Then there's Sarah Sanders: "Sarah Huckabee Sanders, 'fake news' and real pies."

Many people have ridiculed Sarah Sanders for being fat, having a Southern accent, and even accused her of lying about a pie. I don't recall much consternation or questioning of Democrats about the ridicule or bullying of Sanders, but of course, she isn't as accomplished and credible as a blackmailing porn star. We are told that women never lie about sexual abuse or assault but baking pies must be investigated.

We can also look at Hillary while we are at it.

Hillary and her team in the war room ridiculed, bullied, and hired private investigators to destroy any innocent woman who got in the way of their quest for power. The media, Hollywood, and other Democrats supported the Clintons every step of the way, no matter what she or her minions said or did, but of course those women weren't as important as a blackmailing porn star.

Hillary Clinton's self-image as a feminist champion has always been at odds with her political partnership with a serial womanizer. Hillary tends to get a pass, because the 1990s were long ago, the media often scold anyone who brings up the scandals, and most politicians hesitate to talk about someone else's marriage.

Image credit: James Chang via Flickr, Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Twentieth-century San Francisco, Herb Caen's beloved Baghdad by the Bay, has ceased to exist. It has been replaced by a city where the sidewalks around Market Street are, in places, caked in feces, urine, and vomit. The stink as you emerge from the BART batters you like frozen sleet, shocking and overwhelming. The hordes of homeless, sprawled in doorways and sleeping on the sidewalks, are a bitterly eclectic mixture of the mentally deranged; burnt out druggies; dead-eyed hippies; con artists; pickpockets; and hundreds of simply lost, forgotten souls.

I had occasion to visit downtown San Francisco this afternoon, the first time in over seven years, though I reside only thirty miles away in the East Bay suburbs. During my working life, I have commuted to San Francisco as a bushy-tailed junior executive in the '70s, as a small business-owner in the early '80s, and as a corporate executive in the '90s. Thankfully, "Old" San Francisco really was a wonderful place to work, eat, and play.

As I walked the three blocks back to the BART, I was panhandled four times, plus two clumsy pickpocket attempts. I didn't see a single cop in a car or on foot. What could they do?

What finally broke my heart were the kids and women, also lying in the streets, drugged, shell-shocked, begging for food. I found an ATM, took out some cash, and bought twenty five-dollar "Arch Cards" from McDonald's and passed them out. The salty tears flowed gently down my face and onto my lips. My soul, my humanity was abused, sickened, and disgusted.

Today I observed a city that carefully and deliberately schemed to become an open sewer. This is far beyond simple incompetence. The magnitude and pervasiveness of this horror remains indescribable. No rational, thinking person, or board, or mayor could allow this societal abomination to continue unabated in a first-world country.

Yet it does.

San Francisco willingly hosts a malignant cancer that has metastasized and destroyed all aspects of a civilized, compassionate society.

While skyscrapers still fill the skyline, and tankers and giant container ships still prowl the bay, the City-by-the-Bay soul has begun its death rattle.


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Google is by far the most popular search engine out there, but in case youre really worried about privacy, there is a really good alternative to it that is called DuckDuckGo. Now, most of you have probably never heard of this search engine, as its less known than Yahoo and Bing, for example, but its a really solid option, especially if youd like to keep things more private. Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo does not track your data, in other words, it will not track what you clicked. The moment you open the duckduckgo.com website, the company will let you know that it doesnt store your personal info, that it wont follow you around with ads, and that it will not track you, ever. Now, there are other positives to consider here, DuckDuckGo will also share way less ads with you than Google, while you wont miss much in terms of search results, as DuckDuckGo is a really capable search engine, despite the fact it has a rather odd name.

Unlike Google, DuckDuckGo will not throw the Top Stories search results at you, instead, you will see only recent news, though some of them will be highlighted at the top. You will be able to select your country, for more regional search results, or any country in the world, actually. You can keep things general and simply select All Regions. DuckDuckGo also lets you tweak the Safe Search option, while you can filter search results to: past day, past week, past month, and any time. Instead of regular web search results, DuckDuckGo also allows you to search for images, videos, news, and products, while the about section is also available. These days, DuckDuckGo has around 800 million queries per day, which is a 33-percent increase compared to last year, so this search engine is actually growing quite a bit. DuckDuckGo does allow you to change themes as well, in case you dont like the default one, which is basically all white.

Now, according to Sparktoro, Google basically has a monopoly when it comes to web searches, which was to be expected nearly 90-percent of web searches occur on Google, which is astounding. The interesting thing is, DuckDuckGo is growing though, according to Sparktoros research, DuckDuckGo is one of the only non-Google properties that is growing its market share in the US search market. DuckDuckGo will show you ads, but it will show you ads based on the keywords youve typed it, it wont track your past actions, nor anything of the sort, as the company often mentions privacy as something that it holds in high regard when it comes to its users, and its all in DuckDuckGos privacy policy that is available for everyone to take a look at.

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According to DuckDuckGo founders post from earlier this year, Google actually deploys hidden tracker on 76-percent of websites across the web in order to monitor your behavior, while Facebook does the same on about 25-percent of websites. Needless to say, both of those tech giants are collecting huge amounts of data, and privacy is not exactly something you can achieve with them, which is where services like DuckDuckGo come to play. DuckDuckGos founder actually wonders if all that tracking is necessary for companies to make a substantial profit, as he doesnt seem to think so, as he thinks that companies can be wildly profitable regardless. DuckDuckGos founder actually said that the companys vision is to set a new standard of trust online, while he also added that he doesnt think that the Internet should feel so creepy. All in all, DuckDuckGo is growing quite a bit, and its quite a capable search engine, just in case youre on the fence about privacy, and are willing to try something else.
In short: The Google Pixel 3 officially launched yesterday in a number of countries, including the US where it is being sold at Google Store, Best Buy and Verizon. We found out that the units being sold at Best Buy are actually SIM locked to Verizon. And now we are finding out that some pre-orders are not being delivered just yet. Some users got a delivery estimate of October 18 when they put in their order, the day the device was announced (October 9). But the devices havent shipped yet. According to Verizons customer service on Twitter, the device is quite popular and expects all pre-orders to ship by the end of October. Backorders isnt a huge surprise when it comes to the Pixel 3, but end of October isnt too bad, seeing as there is less than two weeks left in October right now. Its also good to see that the Pixel 3 is pretty popular, at least over at Verizon.

Googles Pixel 3 was announced on October 9, and has been getting a ton of hype ever since. Its not hard to see why either. It has a great camera, great build quality, the latest version of Android and a smooth experience. Not to mention the fact that it does have a pure Google experience on-board. Google outfitted the Pixel 3 with a 5.5-inch display and the Pixel 3 XL with a much larger 6.3-inch display, both of which are sporting Snapdragon 845 chipsets, 4GB of RAM with 64GB or 128GB of storage. The Google Pixel 3 costs $799 and the Pixel 3 XL costs $929 (only at Verizon, Google sells it for $899). Verizon has also been offering a buy one, get one free promotion on the Google Pixel 3, which could be a culprit to the delay in pre-orders shipping out. With more and more people picking up two devices instead of one. But of course, that is what Verizon (and more importantly Google) want to have happen. More sales is always better than less sales. But that could be why pre-orders are being backordered right now from Verizon. Its unfortunate, but that is part of the smartphone world these days.

Background: The Google Pixel  and even going back to the Nexus line  have never been super popular. But they were always out of stock or backordered, simply because Google didnt order enough of them to be made ahead of time. But since the Google Pixel launched in 2016, Google has been working to make the device appeal to more users, rather than just the nerds that were buying the Nexus smartphones. And it appears to have done that. With the Pixel 2, it was estimated that around four million units were sold, and that was back in March of this year. Obviously that doesnt hold a candle to what Samsung and Apple sell, but that is a big jump from the Nexus just a few years earlier. And of course, having Verizon on-board as not only the only carrier selling it, but also marketing the device, has really helped Google sell many more than it ever would have under the Nexus brand. And now with the Pixel 3, we can see that it is a pretty popular device.

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What is a bit odd here is that the Pixel 3 pre-orders all shipped out on time from Google Store and Project Fi, the only ones being backordered are from Verizon. This might mean that Google decided to hold more off for their store as the unlocked model, versus the Verizon model that is available on Verizons website and in-store. Its tough to say what is going on here, but it is good to see that the Pixel 3 is still selling pretty well, though Google will still never announce any sales figures for its smartphones. So any numbers will come from firms like IDC. Verizon did also offer some pre-order bonuses with the Pixel 3, so it is also possible that it got more pre-orders than expected because of that. For instance, on the first day of pre-orders, those that pre-ordered in the Verizon app could get the Pixel Stand for free with their new Pixel 3. Which is a $79 value, and definitely worth taking advantage of.

Impact: Google, in recent years, has been underpromising and over-delivering when it comes to shipping times. Typically they will tell you the device will ship on a specific week, and then it would ship out a little early or even on time. Which has people pretty excited. Its much better than being the opposite way, where users are being told their device will ship out on a specific week and then it ships out after that time-frame. Google has indeed gotten better with fulfilling backordered orders in recent years, so hopefully Google is faster about getting these devices into pre-orderers hands this time around.

Many may wonder why the Pixel 3 is so popular this year, and theres a good reason why. The camera on the Google Pixel 2 series last year. It was heralded as the best smartphone camera for most of the year, and even now, a year after launch, many still say its better than the newer smartphones launching right now. Pixel 3 doesnt use a whole bunch of lenses to get great images, it instead uses software to do so. Allowing users to take some mindblowing images without having to adjust any settings. And that is why the Pixel 3 is so popular. Because users want a smartphone that has a fantastic camera, and Google has that. Not only that, but more and more users are looking for a smartphone that has the pure Google experience and also get updates pretty quickly. Especially after seeing how slow some of these smartphone makers can be with updating their phones. Verizon hopes to get all of the pre-ordered Google Pixel 3s out before the end of the month. So if you havent ordered one yet, and dont want to wait long, it might be better to head to a Verizon or Best Buy store to get one, or purchase it from the Google Store.
In short: Microsoft and Dell-backed startup CNEX Labs accused a Huawei unit of stealing its secret semiconductor designs, having filed a lawsuit against the Chinese technology giant with a federal court in Texas earlier this week. Huawei and its American arm Futurewei face charges of organized and perpetual trade secret theft, with the litigation being filed as a countersuit to Huaweis original claim that it was CNEX who stole its technology and not the other way around. CNEX Engineering VP and co-founder Yiren Huang is a former Futurewei employee, having worked at the unit between 2011 and mid-2013 when he established the San Jose, California-based firm.

Mr. Huang alleges that Futurewei attempted to acquire some of his pre-existing SSD patents under an employment agreement after refusing to buy it from him. He declined the offer, with the companys aggressive approach playing a major part in his decision to leave it, according to the countersuit. Huaweis subsidiary also claims CNEX illegally poached 14 of its employees, a notion that the startup strongly denies. In turn, the Silicon Valley firm accused the Chinese company of spying on it through a variety of means, including false interest in becoming a customer.

CNEX is also accusing Huawei of abusing the U.S. judiciary, claiming the Chinese firm is trying to access its secret technical documents through a sham discovery process. Even in a scenario wherein the technology juggernaut loses the original lawsuit, it would still have everything it needs to copy CNEX-owned trade secrets if its allowed access to the documentation under the pretense of looking for patent infringement, the American company claims. Both parties are strongly denying all accusations from the other side, with the only exception being CNEXs admittance that it indeed hired over a dozen Futurewei employees, though the company rejects any implication of doing so in an improper manner.

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Background: The latest development marks the second occasion which saw Huaweis American arm accused of trade secret theft in the last several months. This July, former Futurewei employee Jesse Hong claimed two of his ex-colleagues were in possession of trade secrets stolen at the Telecom Infra Project Summit hosted by Facebook in 2016. The people in question were accused of registering for the happening in Facebooks Menlo Park campus under false names after being denied an invitation request. Mr. Hong said he was fired after raising concerns about the event and is seeking $105 million in damages, whereas Huaweis subsidiary denies all accusations. The plaintiff doesnt appear to have ever been associated with CNEX, i.e. isnt one of the employees poached by the startup, according to an investigation conducted by AndroidHeadlines.

The CNEX-Futurewei clash is just the latest in a long list of problematic episodes Huawei has been enduring in the United States for the better part of the last two decades. The company has often been accused of trade secret theft by American companies in the past and while it vehemently denied all of them, several cases that surfaced over the years yielded compelling evidence of wrongdoing. One such litigation was started by Cisco in 2003 as the firm accused Huawei of misappropriating its router source code by literally copy-pasting it, presumably as part of reverse-engineering efforts. While the case was officially settled out of court, that only happened after Huawei agreed to do everything Cisco asked for, the plaintiffs SVP General Counsel Mark Chandler said in 2012.

Last year, Huawei was found guilty of trade secret theft after T-Mobile proved its 2014 claim that the Chinese firm stole both designs and components of Tappy, a robot meant to test touchscreen-based user experiences. The wireless carrier was awarded only $4.8 million in damages because it failed to prove malicious intent, though the plaintiffs lawyers argued its hard to send corporate spies to steal products in good faith. The ruling was ultimately more beneficial to Huawei as T-Mobile pushed for close to half a billion in damages based on lost profits, licensing fees, and punitive purposes, with the case itself ultimately coming down to the fact that the telecom giant was unable to prove the spies who stole its tech were acting on corporate orders.

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Huaweis intellectual-property issues also attracted the attention of Washington and Capitol Hill. Besides numerous hearings and investigations that effectively barred Huawei from doing business in the United States on any meaningful scale, both aisles of the political spectrum in the country are painting the company as a national security threat due to its close ties to Beijing, a notion that the Shenzhen-based firm repeatedly dismissed as baseless. Earlier this month, Vice President Mike Pence called China and its companies a major threat to American IP as part of his remarks meant to put pressure on Google to stop investing in the Far Eastern country.

The U.S. and China are currently amid a major trade war, the like of which the world has never seen waged between two of its largest economies. The American government so far imposed tariffs on some $250 billion worth of Chinese goods, whereas the other side responded almost reciprocally. In August of 2017, President Trump started an investigation into an alleged foreign theft of IP holdings from the U.S. and its allies that the current administration estimates is costing the West up to $600 billion per year.

Impact: While the U.S. judicial system is impartial in principle, the current political climate in the U.S. is hardly conducive to any Chinese company pursuing IP rights in the country, especially highly contested ones. Irrespective of that fact, Huaweis stateside track record with both IP matters and general business is far from stellar, which is a point CNEX will certainly pursue in court, provided the case ever reaches that stage. Still, given the countersuit and the convoluted relationship between the two parties, the two litigations have the potential to drag on for years before coming close to a resolution. As for Huawei itself, the tech giant hasnt completely paused its consumer electronics business in the U.S. but has placed a large check on them as it wont be selling any new smartphones stateside anytime soon, a company official told AndroidHeadlines earlier this month.
In short: OnePlus is preparing an Ultimate Edition of its 6T Android flagship, as suggested by a premature listing of the limited-edition bundle spotted on the website of Swedish online retailer Webhallen Sverige. Besides the smartphone and its charger, the package contains a number of secrets, according to a machine translation of the ad. The Chinese manufacturer recently confirmed itll be bundling its device with a dongle allowing users to connect their 3.5mm headphones to the phones USB Type-C port but that particular accessory should be included with every version of the phablet.

The Ultimate Edition of the OnePlus 6T will be available for purchase in late October, with deliveries in Sweden being scheduled to start a day before the handsets global release date, as per the same source. OnePlus recently confirmed its next high-end offering will be announced on October 30 but its exact release date remains unknown, though the companys established product practices suggest the Android flagship will hit the market about a week following its official unveiling. Sweden will only receive 100 such special models, though some larger markets may be treated to a larger batch of the OnePlus 6T Ultimate Edition packages.

Webhallen Sverige is surprisingly set to open pre-orders on October 5, five days ahead of the smartphones debut which is taking place in New York City. Swedish consumers will only be able to order the unique device online and the stock isnt likely to last more than a few minutes, as suggested by the performance of limited-edition revamps of OnePluss previously released handsets, as well as the brands overall popularity in Sweden. The exact price tag of the bundle hasnt been disclosed, with the e-commerce firm only stating it will unsurprisingly be higher than the one attached to the regular OnePlus 6T variants.

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Background: The package itself will almost certainly contain the most powerful OnePlus 6T model, with several recent leaks indicating that particular variant will sport 8GB of RAM and 256GB of non-expandable flash memory. OnePlus is no stranger to releasing accessory bundles, with the company most recently doing so earlier this year with the OnePlus 6. The OnePlus 6 Ultimate Bundle that can still be purchased in some parts of the world includes a Bumper Case in ones choice of Karbon, Ebony Wood, and Nylon (Black) colors, a first-party 3D Tempered Glass Screen Protector, and the OnePlus Bullets Earphones. However, that particular bundle is priced at $69.95 and doesnt include the smartphone itself.

As far as limited-edition handsets targeted at collectors are concerned, OnePlus also experimented with such products and always launched them as part of larger bundles. One of the most recent examples of that practice is the OnePlus 6T Avengers Edition which even shipped with a first-party protective case shaped like Iron Mans mask. The smartphone itself had a custom finish utilizing fiber-textured glass, whereas a badge signifying an association with Marvels famous superhero force was also part of the package. The collectors item was announced simultaneously with the regular OnePlus 6 in May and the newly leaked Ultimate Edition now appears to be set to debut alongside the follow-up device as well.

The OnePlus 6T itself is shaping up as a more significant upgrade over the OnePlus 6 than the first two T-branded devices from OnePlus were; the handset will sport a significantly smaller display notch styled after a waterdrop, as well as an in-display fingerprint reader. The latter addition is currently a polarizing topic among tech enthusiasts because the company is using an optical module instead of a new-generation ultrasonic one, meaning it will likely sacrifice some speed and accuracy compared to its traditional readers which have so far been praised as some of the fastest such solutions in the industry.

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In terms of pricing, most insiders agree the OnePlus 6T will introduce yet another small price hike, further moving the brand toward the premium segment of the market. Recent reports suggest the new lineup will start at around $550, $30 more than the previous series. Consumers willing to pay for more than 6GB of RAM will be able to buy an 8GB model for around $50 more, whereas another extra $50 will also net them 256GB of storage space as opposed to 128GB, as indicated by several new leaks. The Avengers Edition of the last phone and other unique variants of previous OnePlus handsets were usually approximately $100 more expensive than the base models of the handsets they were based on, though they also often werent available in the United States.

While the phone will still be powered by Qualcomms Snapdragon 845 used by its predecessor, it will replace Android Oreo with Pie and possibly offer an improved mobile photography experience. Regarding the latter, no specific hardware changes have yet been revealed but the imaging software will almost certainly be revamped to a degree, with some new reports pointing toward improved low-light capture. The most controversial aspect of the new handset is its removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack which continues to generate vocal criticism from the companys fans, though the firm remains adamant now is the right time to do away with the popular connector in favor of a higher-capacity battery and an in-display fingerprint sensor.

Impact: The Ultimate Edition of the OnePlus 6T shouldnt have an effect on the commercial performance of the handset seeing how its planned availability appears to be limited to several hundred models dispersed throughout the world. The generic name of the bundle suggests the smartphone it includes wont be visually different to other members of the OnePlus 6T family, though it will almost certainly be the top model available, i.e. the one offering 256GB of flash memory and 8GB of RAM. Prospective buyers can expect to pay around $650 for the entire package, provided OnePlus ends up releasing it in their country, which isnt a guarantee, as evidenced by the companys distribution strategy for previous limited-edition products it released. As the aforementioned retailer will already be accepting pre-orders five days prior to the phones October 30 announcement, the collectors item should end up being unveiled at the upcoming New York City event.
In short: Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones that are linked to Verizon will not work on other carriers unless they are activated through Verizon first. This is based on confirmation given by a Verizon representative to a number of media outlets including The Verge who confirmed this is not a policy specific to the Pixel 3 line, but one the company introduced some time ago as a means to reduce the accessibility for stolen smartphones to be sold or used without first having been activated on Verizons network.

As this is not a feature designed to lock users down to Verizon per se, the unlocking of the Pixel 3 does not require the same sort of unlocking procedure that might have previously been encountered by consumers when looking to switch networks. So there is no lengthy periods to wait or significant hurdles to pass, or phone calls to make before you can get a device unlocked. However there is still likely to be a waiting period to some degree, albeit a very short one. As in line with how Verizon previously described the process, once the Pixel 3 or 3 XL has been activated on Verizons network, it will become unlocked from then on, or at worst within the next 24 hours through a software update. Therefore besides waiting on the software update to arrive and applying it when it does, there is nothing else a user will need to do to unlock a Pixel 3 or 3 XL.

Background: The Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL mark the latest entries from the house of Google (they have only gone on general sale starting today) and are the companys flagship options designed to showcase the core benefits of Android while also providing a premium smartphone camera experience  and especially when it comes to the front-facing (aka selfie) cameras. However, getting hold of a Pixel phone has not always been the easiest of tasks and especially during the initial weeks and months of release. As with this being a new line from what is still in effect a brand thats relatively new to the smartphone game, there has in the past been issues with stock and fulfilling orders from source.

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On top of this, there has also always been the wider issue of availability at the mobile operator level. As ever since the first phone from the Pixel series launched, they have remained exclusive to Verizon. Up until now, that has remained more a case of marketing spiel than anything else as the Pixel phones have always been highly carrier compatible meaning you could buy a Pixel phone from just about anywhere and put any SIM card in and immediately start using it. Technically, that has not changed as the Pixel 3 phones are just as capable of working with all major US carriers as the previous models were. Its just these version now require this brief activation first. While this is not technically an example of SIM-locking, at the same time, it is SIM-locking.

Impact: Although this is a policy that is seemingly in place for all devices now sold through Verizon, the issue is a little more pertinent when it comes to the Pixel 3 line simply due to the general lack of availability at the carrier and store level. So while the two phones do support all necessary bands to work with the major carriers in the US, the need to first authenticate either of the phones might prove problematic for some buyers, and especially those who would prefer to buy the Pixel 3 or 3 XL from a store instead of directly from the Google Store. Opting to go the non-Google route is not necessarily a seller favoritism issue either, or one based on having to wait for Google to ship units (which is often an issue to be honest), as one of the main benefits of ordering through Verizon (or any carrier or store for that matter) is that more often than not you can secure a product at a cheaper price than you might otherwise. For example, Verizon is currently running a promotion where those who buy a Pixel 3 or 3 XL can get a second one for free. Which makes it a much more affordable option to go the Verizon route compared to the Google Store route and especially for those in the market for more than one smartphone. In fairness, taking advantage of the BOGO through Verizon is dependent on receiving the free value in the form of bill credits and thats not the same as buying a phone outright  and so its not directly related to the unlocking issue at hand. However, it still highlights the point that carriers and stores are usually keen to attract business with better deals than you might get from the manufacturer and thats likely to be the case when it comes to buying what would be considered an unlocked Pixel 3 from Verizon in the coming months.

Of course, Best Buy has always remained an alternative option when it comes to the Pixel line and while that is still true today, thats not to say the issue is any easier this time around. As the Pixel 3 and 3 XL models sold through Best Buy also happen to be the Verizon models and therefore will also first need to be activated on the operators network before they can be unlocked for use on another network. The end result being the only way a consumer can buy a Pixel 3 or 3 XL today and be sure that it will definitely work on a non-Verizon network without having to go through the authentication process is to purchase directly from the Google Store. As a side note, this will also mean that anyone who purchases through a re-seller will want to make sure the device they are purchasing is in fact a non-Verizon model. Or at the very least, be able to access an active Version SIM card for a short period of time and until the phone has completed the authentication process and the unlock update has been received.
Posted on: October 3, 2018 9:00 AM

The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, has announced new safeguarding measures designed to make churches in the province safer. The new measures will require those seeking ordination to obtain a police clearance certificate; and they include a new national email contact point for reporting allegations of abuse. The move follows a number of allegations made this year, including by Author Ishtiyaq Shukri, who said that he had been abused by un-named priests at an Anglican school in Kimberley, Northern Cape.

Responding to those allegations in March, Archbishop Thabo said that he was urgently consulting more widely on how the Church can not only act more effectively, but be seen to act effectively in cases of sexual abuse. Today he fleshed out the actions the Church was taking following those consultations. At meetings held last week, our churchs Synod of Bishops and our Provincial Standing Committee  which includes clergy and lay people from every diocese in Southern Africa  had their first opportunity to discuss the reports of clergy abusing children which received widespread publicity earlier this year, he said.

We were made acutely aware of the pain of those who have been hurt by the church. Although the number of cases reported so far is limited, we resolved to take up the issue with the utmost seriousness.

Experienced lawyers and clergy serving on our Canon Law Council reported that our Pastoral Standards, which are incorporated into church law, set out a sound basis on which to handle complaints of abuse. But the council has said we need to make it easier for complainants to access procedures for laying complaints, and to provide better support for them along the way.

The council also reported that complaints, especially historical complaints, are not being handled quickly enough. It recommended that we set up a central register of complaints, including details of what action has been taken. Although complaints of abuse can made directly to the diocese in which it has taken place, we have now also set up a dedicated email address for those who wish to report them through that channel. This may be done anonymously.

Archbishop Thabo added: The council will propose changes to church legislation at the next meeting of the three-yearly Provincial Synod, our top legislative body, next year. In the meantime, the Provincial Standing Committee has resolved that, with immediate effect, all ordinations, elections or consecrations of ordained ministers will include the requirement for a police clearance certificate to be obtained from a verified agency.

From January 2019, we will progressively enforce the same rule for lay ministers, especially those involved in youth ministry and Sunday School teaching.

In addition, the Canon Law Council emphasised to the Synod of Bishops that it is urgent and very important that every diocese set up a team to deal effectively with allegations of abuse. We are arranging training for the bishops at the next meeting of our Synod of Bishops, and have asked each diocese to ensure that its teams also receive training in how best to respond to complaints.

More than half a dozen cases emerged this year, Archbishop Thabo said, adding that most of these relate to events which were alleged to have taken place more than 20 years ago. This meant that, except in cases of rape, accusations could not be pursued through criminal courts because of the statue of limitations. I therefore reiterate my earlier support for quick action by Parliament to change the law to allow such prosecutions to take place, he said. Victims of sexual abuse need to be able to pursue charges both in criminal courts and in church tribunals.

Internationally, the Anglican Consultative Council has established a Safe Church Commission to improved safeguarding measures across the Communion. The Commission is preparing draft guidelines which will be presented to the ACC at its meeting in Hong Kong next April.
Posted on: October 19, 2018 2:32 PM

Voters in Ireland will take part in a referendum next Friday (26 October) to decide whether to abolish the countrys blasphemy laws. The Republic of Irelands constitution requires blasphemy  applicable only to Christianity  to be outlawed. But in 1999 its common-law offence was ruled to be incompatible with the constitutions requirement for religious equality. A new statutory offence protecting any religion against publication or utterance of blasphemous matter was introduced in 2006; but now the public will decide whether to abolish the blasphemy law completely.

The last prosecution for blasphemy in Ireland was in 1855, but last year the comedian Stephen Fry was investigated for blasphemy after remarks he made during an RTE television interview with broadcaster Gay Byrne, questioning the existence of God in a world which is so full of injustice and pain.

Ahead of next Fridays referendum, the Church of Irelands Church and Society Commission has issued a statement saying it would have preferred an option on the ballot to replace the blasphemy provisions of the constitution with ones that would protect freedom of religion and freedom of speech, as set out in the European Convention on Human Rights Articles.

We acknowledge that the current reference to blasphemy in the Constitution of Ireland is largely obsolete, the Chair of the Commission, Bishop Kenneth Kearon of Limerick and Killaloe, a former Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, said. We recognise that there is grave concern at the way blasphemy laws have been used to justify violence and oppression against minorities in other parts of the world.

There is a fundamental human right to freedom of religion, but also the freedom of expression (within limits). However, the human right of faith communities to contribute to public life, including public debate on issues that are of importance to everyone, without being subjected to attack or ridicule, must be acknowledged and respected.

Religious and other minorities, in particular, have a right to expect that they will not be gratuitously offended or humiliated. We remind citizens that some religions and cultures may have different sensitivities for what they find offensive, and this should be, as far as possible, respected.

The psychological impact of hate speech on isolated communities, particularly online abuse, should not be underestimated.

He added: We cannot reflect on these questions without expressing our solidarity with all those, throughout the world, who are experiencing persecution, and human rights abuses, because of their faith or beliefs. We urge the Government of Ireland to make our country a leading example of protection for freedom of religion, freedom of conscience and the human rights of minorities.
Posted on: October 19, 2018 11:42 AM

A moving interview with Bishop Daniel Deng Abot, the Bishop of Duk in South Sudan, has won a major broadcasting award in London. It came in the same week that the Church of England won five awards for its digital impact. The interview was carried out by Mike Wooldridge for the BBC World Service Heart and Soul series. Bishop Daniel was one of southern Sudans Lost Boys. After 15 years in refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, he resettled in Australia with his wife Rachel and served as a priest in Queensland. But, after South Sudan gained independence, he felt called to return to his native homeland where he serves as bishop.

His story was featured in Focus, the magazine of the Diocese of Queensland, and republished by the Anglican Communion News Service. Kristine Pommert, Head of Radio for the Christian-based independent production company CTVC, read the article and followed it up for the feature-length BBC interview, The Right Thing: Bringing Peace in South Sudan.

This week, judges at the Jerusalem Awards described the programme as being brilliantly honest about what the cost of discipleship can truly be. An extraordinary story, well told.

Accepting the award, Mike Wooldridge said: I know it is not conventional for winners to say anything from the stage at the Jerusalem Awards. But I just wanted to say that  had there been an opportunity  I would dedicate our award to Bishop Daniel, his wife Rachel and their family and to the people of South Sudan.

Elsewhere, the Church of England were winners of five National Digital Impact awards, including the title In-house Digital Team of the Year. They also won the Best App and Best Use of Social Media categories for its #LiveLent campaign; and Best Website for its main churchofengland.org site. Its innovative Alexa skill was recognised as the Best use of digital.

The awards were organised by Communicate, a British trade magazine for people working in corporate communications. They said that the award for In-House Team of the Year  a category nominated and decided by the judges themselves  was in recognition of the C of Es efforts over the past few years in building a digital function where once there was none. They added: The church is now digitally savvy and explores new technologies  like Amazons Alexa voice assistant  with ease.

Magazine editor Brittany Golob added: This years Digital Impact Awards did not disappoint in terms of creativity. Each of the winners exhibited a willingness to go beyond simply employing digital strategies with efficacy. Instead, they approached digital communications with a sense of inventiveness and imaginativeness. They pushed the boundaries of what has been achieved in corporate digital communications thus far.

Other shortlisted organisations included the retail chains Argos and Debenhams, the film studios Warner Brothers, the Nationwide financial institution, and health charity the British Heart Foundation.
Posted on: October 8, 2018 2:26 PM

[ACNS, by Bellah Zulu] More than 2000 Anglicans from Southern Africa and around the world were in Durban, South Africa last week for Anglicans Ablaze, an international conference within the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. The biennial event, which ran from 3  6 October, is a renewal platform meant to set Anglicans ablaze with Gods love and power in order to build up the church and to serve God in the world.

The Bishop of the North Western Episcopal Area of the Anglican Diocese of Natal, Tsietsi Seleonne, is the new liaison Bishop for Anglicans Ablaze. The event, he said, is a continuation of the Anglican Renewal Ministry that began in the 1970s. Its a diverse kind of ministry showing the Anglican life at its best  from extreme Anglo-Catholic to extreme charismatic expressions of our worship, and this is why we want people to see how they can transform their own parishes after being enriched by this renewal ministry in our church, he said.

Anglicans Ablaze is about church growth, said Nonkonzo Xintolo, a priest from the Diocese of Mthatha. This gives me a chance to mix with other people and learn because you cannot go back home and grow the church unless you grow yourself first.

Anglicans Ablaze has a special place in the lives of young people because for the most part, it presents an opportunity for them to experience church in a way thats different from what they experience in their parishes. Jesse Rajee, an 18-year-old Anglican from Cape Town who was attending Anglican Ablaze for the first time.

Fun-loving young Anglicans at the Anglicans Ablaze renewal conference in Durban last week.

Photo: Bellah Zulu

After listening to the experiences of my friends who attended the last conference, I got inspired and knew I also wanted to be attended someday, he said. I have been challenged and my goal is to inspire other young people as I have been inspired here.

Another young Anglican, 17-year-old Levern Luiters, talked of how this experience has impacted her life. I have heard a lot of good things here that the Lord has done for other people and now I know that he is going to do it for me as well, she said. Its indeed an honour to be here to worship God with people from different churches.

When more than 2000 people meet in one place for a conference such as this one, the amount of garbage produced can be overwhelming. But the organisers foresaw this and came up with various innovations to minimise the amount of waste produced.

Instead of single use containers, we have made available over 2000 reusable mugs which has helped us stop about 12,000 plastic containers from being used here, said the Coordinator of Green Anglicans, Canon Rachel Mash. We have also made available wooden stirs instead of plastic spoons.

She added: We have to change peoples theology by emphasising that caring for the environment is a key calling of a Jesus shaped life. You cannot say you care for your neighbour if you dont care for creation.

The highlight of the event came from the prolific church planter and keynote speaker for the conference, Archbishop Moon Hing of West Malaysia, the Primate of South East Asia. He gave a moving account of growing up in a Buddhist family in an area where Christianity accounted for less than one per cent of religious affiliation.

Bishop Martin Breytenbach prays for keynote speaker Archbishop Moon Hing.

Photo: Bellah Zulu

My family didnt like it when I converted to Christianity to an extent that they stopped me from speaking to my family about it, he said. But after so many years I would like to thank God that I have managed to convert 80 per cent of my family including brothers, sisters and cousins among others to Christianity, and had the privilege of baptising my own mother.

In an interview with the Anglican Communion News Service, he spoke of the importance of Anglican Ablaze: There is hunger for Christ everywhere  people need motivation, encouragement and direction, and Anglicans Ablaze offers that opportunity and I pray that it spreads to other regions and the whole of the Anglican world.

This movement will transform the lives of people and communities and the world will have hope because its a reminder that God is our priority in a world which is going in the opposite direction.

The atmosphere was spirit filled as Anglicans worshipped God in an apparent hunger for transformation and a different kind of experience.

Correction: the original headline of this article incorrectly described Anglicans Ablaze as a youth event. The conference has a youth-track; but is an all-age renewal conference.
Posted on: October 19, 2018 1:36 PM

A delegation of young adults from the Diocese of Lusaka helped a regional consultation on families under pressure to revisit our thinking about the place of young people in our families, communities and churches. Each of the 15 dioceses in the Church of the Province of Central Africa sent one male and one female participant to the six-day consultation, which was organised by the International Anglican Family Network (IAFN). They were joined on one day by 26 young people from the Diocese of Lusaka, who challenged them to think about the tensions between digitally native young people and older BBCs  people Born Before Computers.

The consultation, Families under pressure: How can churches respond? was a celebration of the family as a foundation for human flourishing and the place where Christians can build up resilience to cope with change and challenge in society. The participants looked at a number of issues, such as economic hardship, inter-generational poor parenting, substance abuse, child marriage, domestic abuse, and technology and the generation gap, which can put families under pressure.

They shared information about what steps they are already taking in their dioceses to respond to these issues and reflected on what steps might be taken at diocesan and provincial levels to strengthen families in such a way that every member flourishes.

Consulting with youth challenged us to revisit our thinking about the place of young people in our families, communities and churches, Canon Robert Sihubwa, the Provincial Youth Coordinator for Central Africa, said. They reminded us that not all parents are good role models and sometimes the church is the only place they can run to.

In families there is often tension around the use of technology and cell phones, he said. Our youth are digital natives and it is sometimes hard for the BBCs to understand how information technology and mobile communication have become normal and integral to their lives.

So together we looked at the potential of IT, and the communication it makes possible, to assist in building and strengthening our families, and in building Christs Church and serving Gods mission in the world.

A youth delegation from the Diocese of Lusaka take part in the International Anglican Family Network regional consultation in the Church of the Province of Central Africa.

Photo: IFAN

The Bishop of Southern Malawi, Alinafe Kalemba, was the Provinces episcopal representative at the consultation. He said: Meeting the young Christians challenged us and told us things we hadnt noticed. They said, you dont pay attention to us; you want us to live like you but we are us.

We have said your time will come. We havent allowed them to participate. But now we have discussed how they can minister to us. My approach will be different now.

The Chair of the IAFN is David Rossdale, the former Bishop of Grimsby in the Church of Englands Diocese of Lincoln. The family is always under pressure, he said. This is nothing new. When under pressure, as Christians we cant simply turn away, but we can try to understand how to face the challenges which the modern world brings, recognising the pressures and how to moderate them, whilst at the same time celebrating what is good in and a blessing in what the future offers.
The face of someone keen to share

their Wi-Fi password ... What can be the nature of the penalties and measures to be taken in copyright infringement cases? More specifically: Is it compatible with EU law to provide that the owner of an internet connection, through which copyright infringements have been committed, may escape liability thereof by indicating, without the need to provide any further details, a family member who has also had access to such connection?



Bastei Lubbe, C-149/17, a reference for a preliminary ruling from Germany. These were the issues at the centre of, a reference for a preliminary ruling from Germany.



Background





The referral was made in the context of litigation between Bastei Lubbe, a German phonogram producer, and Michael Strotzer, the owner of an internet connection through which an infringement was committed in 2010.





The latter submitted that he had not committed the infringement himself and that his internet connection was sufficiently protected. He also argued that his parents, with whom he lived, also had access to the connection but, as far as he was aware, they had not committed the infringement either. Following dismissal of Bastei Lubbes action at first instance on grounds that the defendant could not be deemed to have committed the relevant infringement, the case reached the District Court Munich I.





The Munich court appeared keen on holding Strotzer liable by means of a presumption under German law. However, doubts subsisted in light of certain decisions of Germanys Federal Court of Justice. Hence, the court decided to refer the case to the CJEU for guidance regarding the correct interpretation of:

InfoSoc Directive, in connection with Article 3(1) thereof; and Article 8(1) and (2) of the, in connection with Article 3(1) thereof; and whether effective measures for the enforcement of IP rights are still provided for even when the owner of an internet connection used for copyright infringements is excluded from liability to pay damages if the owner of that internet connection can name at least one family member who, besides them, might have had access to that internet connection, without providing further details, established through appropriate investigations, as to when and how the internet was used by that family member. the meaning of 'effective' within Article 3(2) of the Enforcement Directive , in particularwhether effective measures for the enforcement of IP rights are still provided for even when the owner of an internet connection used for copyright infringements is excluded from liability to pay damages if the owner of that internet connection can name at least one family member who, besides them, might have had access to that internet connection, without providing further details, established through appropriate investigations, as to when and how the internet was used by that family member.

The AG Opinion



Opinion back in June In hisback in June [Katpost here , Advocate General (AG) Szpunar advised the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) to rule that that EU law does not require to provide, at the national level, a presumption of liability of the owner of an internet connection for copyright infringements committed through such connection.



However, if national law envisages such presumption to ensure the protection of copyright, this shall be applied coherently to guarantee effective copyright protection. In this sense, the right to family and private life under Article 7 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights may not be interpreted in such as way as to deprive copyright owners of any possibility of effective protection of their own intellectual property, the protection of which is mandated by Article 17(2) of the Charter.



The CJEU judgment



Yesterday, the CJEU delivered its judgment , and held that t he owner of an internet connection used for copyright infringements through file-sharing cannot be exonerated from liability simply by naming a family member who might have had access to that connection (but read further).





Let's what a bit more in detail how the Court reasoned.





(Cutest) High level of protection

InfoSoc Directive: high level of protection



First of all (unsurprisingly), the Court noted how the primary objective of the InfoSoc Directive (see Recital 9) is to grant a high level of protection of copyright and related rights, since such rights are crucial to intellectual creation.



In order to achieve said objective, Article 8(1) mandates upon Member States to provide for appropriate sanctions and remedies in respect of infringements of the rights and obligations set out in the InfoSoc Directive. Such sanctions and remedies must be also effective, proportionate and dissuasive.



Article 8(2) also requires Member States to take the measures necessary to ensure that rightholders, whose interests are affected by an infringing activity carried out on its territory, may bring an action for damages.



Enforcement Directive: harmonization



Then the Court recalled that the objective pursued by the Enforcement Directive (Recital 10) is to approximate the laws of individual Member States in the area of enforcement, in order to ensure a high, equivalent, and homogeneous level of protection in the internal market.



It follows from all this the requirement in Article 3(2) thereof to provide that measures, procedures and remedies made available by the Member States be effective, proportionate, and dissuasive.





Obligations of Member States and national courts





Further to this introductory remarks, the CJEU turned to the specific questions referred. It highlighted how the core of the reference required the Court to explain how an appropriate balance may be struck between the needs of copyright protection (Article 17(2) of the Charter) and effective enforcement (including access to evidence, as per Article 6(1) of the Enforcement Directive) on the one hand, and other fundamental rights, including the right to the protection of private and family life (also protected by the Charter), on the other.



At this point, the Court turned to the obligations of Member States when transposing EU directives into national laws, and those of national courts when interpreting relevant provisions. While the former are required to rely on an interpretation of EU law which allows a fair balance to be struck between the various fundamental rights protected by the EU legal order, the latter have to interpret national law in a manner consistent with those directives, fundamental rights, and the other general principles of EU law.



Article 52(1) of the Charter mandates that any limitation on the exercise of the rights and freedoms recognized by the Charter must respect the essence of those rights and freedoms, and a fair balance be struck between the various fundamental rights.





Fair balance

It is indeed in light of said fair balance requirement that German legislation at issue in the background proceedings must be assessed.



Article 7 of the Charter provides that 'everyone' (not just family members, who may however enjoy special protection in certain circumstances) are entitled to private life protection. In addition, Article 8(3)(d) of the Enforcement Directive allows Member States to provide for the possibility that the perpetrator of an infringement refuses to provide information which would compel them to acknowledge their own involvement or that of their parents in an infringement of an IP right.



This said, if a national law has the effect of preventing a national court before which a tortious action has been brought from requesting and obtaining evidence relating to the defendant's family members and, thus, proving the alleged infringement of copyright and who was responsible for that infringement, then such law does not strike a fair balance.



The result, in fact, is that family members of the owner of an internet connection, through which copyright infringements were committed, would be granted absolute protection. On the contrary, copyright enforcement would be ineffective and so would be the sanctions against the actual infringer.



However, things would be different if the law provided that the owner of the internet connection could be held liable in tort.

What EU prohibits is

national legislation which provides the owner of an internet connection used for copyright infringements through file-sharing cannot be held liable to pay damages if they can name at least one family member who might have had access to that connection, without providing any further details as to when and how the internet was used by the relevant family member.



Comment



Coty Germany has been instrumental to the particular outcome suggested, first, by the AG, and then achieved by the Court. The CJEU judgment has several points of contact with the earlier AG Opinion. The parallel with banking secrecy inhas been instrumental to the particular outcome suggested, first, by the AG, and then achieved by the Court.



topoi in CJEU copyright case law (I discuss all this more at length in this Besides the particular details of the case, from a broader perspective the judgment is interesting in that it reiterates some commonin CJEU copyright case law (I discuss all this more at length in this forthcoming monograph ):

High level of protection

Interpretation of EU copyright provisions in light of fundamental rights

Need to strike a fair balance between different fundamental rights

First, the Court reiterated that copyright is deserving of a high level of protection. This is a standard that the CJEU has relied upon almost invariably every time when deciding a case concerning economic rights and enforcement/remedies, with the result that the outcome of the relevant case would favour an expansive approach to the scope of copyright protection. The principle that protection must be at a high level is stated explicitly in both the InfoSoc Directive (Recitals 4 and 9) and the Enforcement Directive (Recital 10).





Second, the judgment refers to the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Over time, the Court has increasingly referred to the need of interpreting relevant provisions in EU directives in light of fundamental rights. Since the 2007 Treaty of Lisbon the Charter has had status of primary EU law source, on the same foot as the Treaties. The result has been arguably a process of constitutionalization carried out by the CJEU also in the field of copyright, although some critics have considered such process merely cosmetic and underlying a de facto harmonizing agenda on the side of the Court instead.




Marysville, CA (95901)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 46F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening with more clouds for overnight. Low 46F. Winds light and variable.




--The creativity and inventiveness of the people seeking IP protection are at the very core of our daily business. It is impressive to see all those great ideas turn into inventions, a considerable number of which are so totally new. We just cant help but be inspired and influenced by our clients spirit. Our annual report is one occasion where this influence comes to daylight and mirrors what we receive from our clients. The concept is rather simple but it was executed with a love for details and it has a very practical aspect to it. The separate folio pages  especially those on our services, are reused as flyers and promotion material at events, fairs and festivals. That saves us time and money. The cover artwork is the outcome of a contest amongst art students, celebrating young and upcoming talent. All in all, it was simply important for us to shed the somewhat stuffy image of a 120- year old office and to engage young people, from universities and start-ups alike.To put it simply, these technology fields reflect the industrial structure of Austria. All types of mechanical engineering and transport technologies predominate in our industry. However, what the number of applications in the recent past also reflects is a change, or should I rather say, a broadening into such areas as digital communication, semiconductors and computing. I think were already beginning to notice the fourth industrial revolution a bit.On the one hand, biotech and medical devices are strongly represented in Austrias research and development arena. Take  BioCenter Vienna , for instance. Here you have a research cluster in the field of biotech with more than 1,700 employees and 1,300 students from approximately 70 countries, and which is working extremely well. The scope of BioCenter Viennas fundraising at the international level testifies to this. On the other hand, it must be said that it is never possible to establish a failsafe equation, according to which so much ongoing scientific research will invariably result in so many patent applications.One other aspect also has to be taken into account. Our largest and most innovative pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim , has a German "mother if I may call it that, which accordingly means that its patent division is in Germany as well. This is just one example of many. Such a constellation of relationships quite often determines patent strategy. Even if the entire research division is centered in Austria (which is often the case), the actual patenting might very likely take place at the site of the corporations headquarters. In spite of this, however, patentable biotech is probably going to experience a strong upsurge in Austria in the medium term, I should think.--For years, large innovative companies that are strong in patents have been our good customers. They know exactly what they want from us and we in turn know exactly how to satisfactorily meet their expectations and make them happy! What they expect in short are searches and examinations of the highest quality and precision carried out as quickly as possible.However, with younger and smaller companies, it is different: we can only service them if and when these actually approach us. I must admit that quite a number of barriers still exist and need to be removed in this regard! All our new services, such as Albert Patent Bot, IP Academy, IP Hub, as well as the provisional patent application, aim to help start-ups, founders, makers and SMEs make a conscious decision on what to do with their intellectual property. These clients are often newcomers to the IP system. We know from European surveys that only nine percent of these newcomers hold an IP right. Thats way too small. So we are putting a lot of effort into changing the situation. And thats how we try to accomplish the goal of giving basic advice 24-7-365. Thats why we created Albert, our patent chat bot and virtual colleague, making IP knowledge accessible for free. We do that via the IP Academy.As far as the protection of intellectual property is concerned, there is a great deal of available funding in Austria. While the fact that so many sources of funding exist is laudable, the downside is the confusing complexity of the range of support. Thanks to our initiative it was possible to bring together 70 partners and subsequently to evolve a kind of customer journey, which may sound trivial but which none the less is greatly utilized. Sometimes a seemingly insignificant effort may result in a truly significant effect! We help find them grants and free services on the IP Hub.And finally, when it comes to filing a patent, we make that as easy as possible with the provisional application. All of these initiatives very much support smaller regional players. Looking at the economic data, one can see that they are our economys backbone. Therefore, every effort we make to support them is an investment in our economy and our national wealth. The Austrian Start-up Ecosystem is currently focused primarily on the Vienna region. But we are happy to see as well the presence of well-developing clusters in other bigger cities in the country. Two thirds of the start-ups consider themselves as part of the digital industry. And more than one-half actually already have a marketable product and are about to generate their first revenues. This Start-up Stage is very crucial when it comes to IP rights, because it means that they go public, trying to reach as many people as possible within their target group. But before they do so, they should already have made some sound decisions on how to handle their IP.Engaging with entrepreneurs at this stage is essential. And we do so successfully at events, fairs and festivals. We tell and teach them to be conscious of what to pitch on stage. And we try to break the ice between them and the IP system by providing friendly and easy-to-use services and information. We help them to find an answer to the question: What is your defensible competitive advantage? Investors love to ask that for a good reason. And the start-ups had better have a good answer ready!Yes, that is our strategy. We have such agreements, both global and bilateral, in force with 26 countries. We approach this issue strategically and predominantly negotiate with those countries with which we enjoy the greatest technological interaction. Finalizing such an agreement is, however, merely a first step. It is of paramount importance to keep up with an agreements actual development and ensure its positive operation in the real-life world. For instance, to verify whether companies really do obtain patents more quickly and easily and, if this is not the case, to determine what is responsible for the malfunctioning of the new arrangements that the agreement intends to put into effect. Sometimes, the practices and peculiarities of other patent offices are not readily understood or appreciated. This is what often makes intensive bilateral exchange absolutely imperative. The getting together of patent offices and mutually analyzing the relevant cases is in itself a fundamental step in the process of better understanding one another.I confess Im proud whenever I say that the Austrian IP systems efficiency and professionalism is quite often underestimated, something which can probably be attributed to the small size of the country and its seemingly negligible market size. We have the good fortune to be able to call upon highly qualified professionals of our own, both amongst patent attorneys as within the Patent Office, and we are thus in a position to offer a truly comprehensive examination system. Patent experts are also involved at all levels of the pertinent jurisdiction.. The Patent Voucher paves the way for start-ups to receive competent advice suited to their particular needs regarding the critical issue of whether their innovations are in principle patentable. This invaluable advice, as well as financing (up to 80 % of the costs involved, i.e. up to 10.000 EUR!), which can be obtained through the Patent Voucher, has immensely increased the accessibility of Austrias system of intellectual property protection. In doing so, the Patent Voucher has attracted new customers to the Austrian Patent Office and reached Austrian regions with relatively poorly developed R&D sectors.. The new industrial revolution as well as the Internet of Things entail a preponderance of software in practically all innovations. However, neither Austria, nor Europe more generally, is presently able to provide patent protection for this aspect of an innovation. This is an extremely unsatisfactory situation. In order to rectify this, were currently contemplating a Patent Office copyright or software register, which would provide companies with a robust legal instrument enabling them to enforce their rights with a greater chance of success. At least thats what were discussing right now in Austria.We embarked on this digitalization path approximately 10 years ago. Until now, online applications account for 68% of the patent, and 70% of the trademark, applications. This, however, is only one aspect of the Offices progress respecting digitalization. Currently were working on full digitalization of the complete procedure involving trademarks and designs as carried out at our front and back offices. Were doing this in cooperation with and the support of the EUIPO in Alicante.By Neil WilkofPhoto on upper right by Husar.Photo on lower right by Ncsakany, who has released it to the public domain.
According to the combat training plan for 2018, the air defense units of Azerbaijan's army conducted tactical exercises in various firing ranges, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan said in a message on October 17. In the course of the exercises the air defense units fire-tested the 9K33 Osa anti-aircraft missile system.



Firing of a 9K33 Osa air defense missile by the Azeri army (Picture source: Azeri MoD)

The 9K33 Osa (NATO Code: SA-8 Gecko) is a highly mobile, low-altitude, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system designed in the Soviet Union. Its export version name is Romb. The SA-8 was the first mobile air defense missile system incorporating its own engagement radars on a single vehicle.

All versions of the 9K33 feature all-in-one 9A33 transporter erector launcher and radar (TELAR) vehicles which can detect, track and engage aircraft independently or with the aid of regimental surveillance radars. The six-wheeled transport vehicles BAZ-5937 are fully amphibious and air transportable. The road range is about 500 km.

The 1S51M3-2 radar system on the SA-8 TELAR received the NATO codename Land Roll. It was derived from the naval `Pop Group' radar system but is smaller since it does not require the elaborate stabilisation system. An improved system designated the SA-8B `Gecko' Mod 1, was first seen in Germany in 1980. It had improvements added to the launcher configuration, carrying six missiles in ribbed containers. The system is reported to be of the frequency-agile monopulse type. It consists of an elliptical rotating surveillance antenna mounted on top of the array, operates in H band (6 to 8 GHz) and has a 30 km acquisition range against most targets. The large pulsed J band (14.5 GHz) engagement antenna is mounted below it in the centre of the array and has a maximum tracking range of about 20 km.

Mounted on either side of the tracking radar antenna is a small J band parabolic dish antenna to track the missile. Below that is a small circular antenna which emits an I band uplink capture beam to gather the missile shortly after launch. The final antennas in the array are two small white rectangular ones, one on either side of the array mounted alongside the I band. These are used for command uplink to the missile. This twin antenna system permits the 'Land Roll' radar to control up to two missiles simultaneously against a single target. Furthermore, the two missiles can be guided on different frequencies to further complicate ECM. There is also a tubular device fitted to and above the tracking radar; this is a 9Sh33 electro-optical tracker. It can be used to track the target when the main tracking radar is jammed by ECM.

A 9K33 battery comprises four 9A33B TELAR vehicles and two 9T217 transloader vehicles on BAZ-5939 chassis with reload missiles and a crane. A reload time of five minutes has been reported per TELAR.

In addition to the TELARs, each regiment is also assigned a single radar collimation vehicle 9V914 (initially on the BAZ-5938 chassis but more often found on the ZiL-131 truck). This vehicle assists in the alignment of the TELAR's radar systems, ensuring accurate target tracking and engagement.

Engagement range for the early versions is approximately 29 km (1.35.6 miles) and engagement altitudes of between 505,000 m (16416,400 ft). The 9M33M2 "Osa-A" missile extends the ranges out to 1,50010,000m (16.2 miles) and engagement altitudes to 255,000 m (8216,400 ft). The 9M33M3 missile greatly enhances the altitude engagement envelope to 1012,000 m (3342,500 ft), and as such are also able to fly further (about 15 km/9 miles) but the system is not able to engage targets at longer ranges, due to other factors such as the radar tracking of the missiles. The system is designed for use primarily against jet aircraft and helicopters in any kind of weather.

The 9M33 missiles are 3.158 m (10.3 ft) long, weigh 126 kg (278 lb) and use command guidance. There is also a backup low-light optical tracking system for heavy ECM environments. The latest 9M33M3 missiles have an increased total weight of 170 kg (375 lb) in order to provide the extended range coverage and larger warhead. Propulsion is provided by a dual-thrust solid fuel rocket motor. Both versions feature a missile speed of around Mach 2.4 (peaking at around Mach 3) for a maximum target engagement speed of around Mach 1.4 for the original missile and Mach 1.6 for the M2\M3 missiles. The warhead for the initial and M2 versions weighs 19 kg (42 pounds), increased to 40 kg (88 lb) in the M3 version to improve performance against helicopters. All versions have impact and proximity fuzes.

There have been unconfirmed reports of other possible versions of the missile with both infra-red and semi-active radar terminal homing seekers.
The Latvian national armed forces have now received all the self-propelled feeds purchased from Austria. On Friday, October 19, Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis and Commander of the National Armed Forces Lieutenant-General Leonid Kalnins visited the Adazi base to view the self-propelled feedstock purchased from Austria.



M109A5 self-propelled howitzer of the Latvian army (Picture source: video footage DIENA)

Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis emphasizes: "I am pleased that, in such a short period of time, we have received all the howitzers purchased from Austria, which is a historic contribution to strengthening the capacity of the Latvian Army's indirect fire support." So far, the armed forces of Latvia does not have any artillery howitzers, only mortar and old 100mm guns are in service with Latvian army.

In April 2017, a bilateral agreement was signed between the Latvian and Austrian Ministries of Defense on the purchase of M109A5Oe self-propelled systems, including the purchase of fire control and training platforms. In order to improve the ability of the Latvian Armed Forces to support indirect fire, as well as improve Latvia's ability to fully integrate into NATO operations and training, 47 military units were purchased from Austria. The cost per unit, depending on its modification (howitzer, fire control or training platform), varies between  60,000 and  140,000. The howitzers purchased by Latvia from 2003 to 2007 were modernized and then preserved. The National Armed Forces received the first vehicles from Austria on October 1, last year. The practical training on their use was completed in Austria last August.

The M109A5Oe, a Type A, is an upgraded version of the earlier A2 and A3 combinations with a 39-caliber barrel. Its range is 22 km with standard ammunition, otherwise 30 km with special ammunition. Early in 1995, through the US Army Armament and Chemical Acquisition and Logistics Activity at Rock Island, Austria awarded United Defense LP a contract worth US$48.6 million for the supply of 54 155 mm M109A50e self-propelled howitzers for the Austrian Army.

The Austrian M109A5 has a number of unique features that differ from the standard American M109A5, including an Austrian semi-automatic flick rammer, inertial positive navigation system, Swiss electrical system and the same 155 mm ordnance as used on the M109A6 Paladin currently in service with the US Army. The Austrian M109A5 is armed with a 155 mm M284 cannon on an M182 mount. Using the US M203A1 charge, ranges of 30 km can be achieved firing a rocket-assisted projectile. The first production M109A5 for the Austrian Army was rolled out on 6 May 1997.
On 15 October, a detachment of the International Mine Action Center of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation started its demining mission in the village of Lak Sao, Bolikhamsay province, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic.



Russian engineers in full operational outfit, in front of Laotian army trucks (Picture source: Russian MoD)

The ceremony dedicated to the start of dangerous and complex work was attended by Lao Deputy Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Onsi Sensuk, representatives of the Directorate of the Chief of Engineers of the Russian Armed Forces, heads of the administrative regions of Bolikhamsay province. Besides, there were soldiers of the demining detachment of the Peoples Army of Laos, with whom the Russian detachment established cooperation. As part of the event, the Lao representatives were shown the means of engineering equipment, and they also learn about mine clearance procedure of the Russian armed forces detachment in the area to be demined.

During five months, engineers will conduct humanitarian demining close to Lak Sao village, Bolikhamsai province, 350 km of Vientiane. They will clear over 100ha of forested area from explosive devices left after American bombardments in the period from 1964 to 1973. One of the features is to search and defuse unexploded bombs and mines, which are located in the ground at a depth of 40cm to 2.5m in the area of five villages. There are five villages close to the region to be clear up in Khamket district, Bolikhamsay province.

The squad is equipped with modern means of searching and detecting explosive objects (IMP-S2 inductive portable mine-detecting sets, MBI-P2 man-portable magnetometric mine detector, MG-1I mine detectors, INVU-3M portable detector of noncontact explosive devices) and OVR-2-02 personal protection fitted with cooling system. A 36-strong detachment of the International Mine Action Centre of the Russian Armed Forces has left for the Peoples Army of Laos to assist in demining of the country.
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This blog is looking for wisdom, to have and to share. It is also looking for other rare character traits like good humor, courage, and honor. It is not an easy road, because all of us fall short. But God is love, forgiveness and grace. Those who believe in Him and repent of their sins have the promise of His Holy Spirit to guide us and show us the Way.
More Fake News in Florida Boca Magazine

By Dean Weingarten. October 17th, 2018

Original Source

In bocamag.com, Randy Schultz has penned an error filled article which seems aimed at creating a false history of Florida gun legislation. He briefly mentions 1968, when the Florida Constitution was rewritten because of a Supreme Court decision. The 1968 Florida Constitution carried over a protection of the right to keep and bear arms from the 1885 Florida Constitution:

The right of the people to bear arms in defense of themselves and the lawful authority of the State, shall not be infringed, but the Legislature may prescribe the manner in which they may be borne.

Schultz claims that south Florida is not the South. From bocamag.com:

We may live in South Florida, but this aint the South. Thats Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Ocala, Pensacola and all those parts of the state where the culture and the politics have turned Florida into the Gunshine State. If Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties ran the Legislature and elected governors, the state likely wouldnt have that reputation. But even after the new constitution in 1968 supposedly broke North Floridas chokehold on power, this state has been the Deep South when it comes to the Second Amendment.

The 1968 Constitution had little effect on the state gun laws. Florida is very much a part of the South. It is understandable why Schultz would ignore Florida gun laws before 1968. They were designed to keep black people disarmed. From thehill.com:

Ida B. Wells, the leading journalist opposing lynching, agreed. In the nationally-circulated pamphlet Southern Horrors, Wells documented cases in Kentucky and Florida, where the men armed themselves and fended off lynch mobs. The lesson this teaches, Wells wrote, is that a Winchester rifle should have a place of honor in every black home, and it should be used for that protection which the law refuses to give. After the thwarted lynching in Florida, the state legislature enacted a law requiring a license to possess a pistol, Winchester rifle or other repeating rifle. A Florida Supreme Court Justice later explained: the Act was passed for the purpose of disarming the negro laborers and was never intended to apply to the white population and in practice has never been so applied.

Eventually, the gun laws meant to keep black people disarmed were used against the majority of people in Florida. Floridians could not bear arms without a permit, which was often denied for spurious and political reasons. The laws varied enormously city to city, county to county. No ordinary person could be sure they were bearing arms legally if they crossed the street.

Floridians fought back at the ballot box, and the Florida legislature enacted statewide preemption of gun laws, a state wide concealed carry law, and a ban on most public open carry, all in 1987. Schultz characterizes the restoration of rights this way:

It began dramatically in 1987. The Legislature prohibited counties and cities from enacting firearms regulation and made Florida the first state that allowed residents to carry concealed weapons. For the next three decades, having laid down that marker, National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer rarely lost.

Florida was not "the first state that allowed residents to carry concealed weapons". Eight states had "shall issue" concealed carry permits in 1986. They were Maine, New Hampshire, Indiana, Alabama, Connecticut, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington. Vermont had Constitutional Carry. Vermont never required a permit to carry firearms, concealed or openly. Only one of those states, Alabama, is in the South.

Florida is hardly an exemplar of Second Amendment freedoms. Florida is one of only five states that ban the open carry of handguns in most public places. Fourteen states do not require a permit for either open carry or concealed carry.

Schultz claims the Pulse nightclub mass murderer had a concealed carry permit. The mass murderer did not have a concealed carry permit. He had a security guard license, and a statewide firearms license.

Much of Schultz article is a tribute to the success of Marion Hammer as a lobbyist. Marion Hammer is a lobbyist of the first water. But Hammer could not have accomplished the reforms of restrictive Florida gun laws without widespread voter support.

Florida cities widely ignored the Florida preemption statute. The Florida legislature added teeth to the preemption law to prevent local politicians from being scofflaws. Schultz mischaracterizes the law:

Finally, Scott signed legislation that punishes--through fines and possible removal from office--county or city elected officials whom the NRA or any other party believes is trying to get around that ban on local firearms regulation.

The county or city elected officials are only punished if they violate the law. They cannot ignore the law with impunity. Here is the punishment section of the statute. From state.fl.us:

(c) If the court determines that a violation was knowing and willful, the court shall assess a civil fine of up to $5,000 against the elected or appointed local government official or officials or administrative agency head under whose jurisdiction the violation occurred.

(d) Except as required by applicable law, public funds may not be used to defend or reimburse the unlawful conduct of any person found to have knowingly and willfully violated this section.

Officials may not be punished unless they are found to have willfully violated the statute in a court of law.

The incremental reforms in the Florida legislature have resulted from a widespread desire to restore Second Amendment rights in Florida. Second Amendment rights were first taken from freed slaves. Then they were taken from citizens that did not have political connections.

Schultz mentions "Stand Your Ground" laws. Such laws have benefited black people, who are more often victimized by crime, more than other populations in the state. Black people made up about 16.6% of the Florida population in 2012, when the analysis of "Stand Your Ground" laws was done. From dailycaller.com:

But approximately one third of Florida Stand Your Ground claims in fatal cases have been made by black defendants, and they have used the defense successfully 55 percent of the time, at the same rate as the population at large and at a higher rate than white defendants, according to a Daily Caller analysis of a database maintained by the Tampa Bay Times. Additionally, the majority of victims in Florida Stand Your Ground cases have been white.

Schultz would do well to read some history of Florida before 1987.

Gun control laws have a long racist history. Florida is part of the South, and always will be. The South is restoring Second Amendment rights that were denied to freed slaves. All southern states except for Maryland, now have shall issue concealed carry laws. Mississippi is a Constitutional Carry state. Only South Carolina and Florida ban open carry in the South. The urban politicians in Florida will not be able to keep Florida from restoring open carry (banned in 1987) forever.

A comment at bocamag.com, showing errors in the article, has been removed.

2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included. Gun Watch

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Ashurst advised Oxford on all aspects of the scheme and the initial acquisition, including transaction structuring, provision of regulatory advice and negotiation of the key transaction documents.

The team of around 50 was led by Sydney-based partner Anton Harris, supported by real estate partners Pauline Tan and David Jones.

4 sectors led Q3 M&A says Hogan Lovells

A report from Hogan Lovells shows that third quarter global M&A deals were led by four key sectors.

Using a new tool from the law firm and Mergermarket called Deal Dynamics, the report shows that Diversified Industrials, Energy, Real Estate and TMT were the big deals in deals in Q3 2018.

The Deal Dynamics tool allows users to mine cross-border data set by date range, geography, sector, value and volume to create market snapshots, compare activity levels and assess cross-border and domestic deal flows.
Allens was the law firm of choice of X-Elio Australia, which was given the green light to develop the Congupna solar farm in Victoria.

Victorian Minister for Planning Richard Wynne announced earlier this month that he has approved the proposal for the utility-scale solar plant, which will produce 68MW and create around 250 jobs. Fully operational, the facility will produce enough electricity to power about 22,600 homes.

Congupna is among four solar farms in the Greater Shepparton region called in by the state. Three of the facilities are still being considered by the planning panel, including one proposed by X-Elio in Tallygaroopna.
It is wonderful to have start-ups like ConvX as part of our digital economy here in Australias tech city driving innovation and transforming the way our industries such as conveyancing do things. Congratulations to ConvX and Mills Oakley on their partnership and joining forces, the minister said.

The national firm is proud to become an equity holder in ConvX, Nerurker said, enabling the firm to offer clients faster and more efficient conveyancing. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Billed as Australias first online automated conveyancing platform, ConvX will use conveyancers, but will also structure the procedure into a step-by-step process to allow a network of on-call professionals to complete tasks as needed.

The platform offers an end-to-end digital conveyancing platform unlike electronic settlement and lodgement services such as PEXA, which deal with only the settlement phase of the process. ConvX will be fully compatible with PEXA and other settlement and lodgement services.

The service will integrate AI and automated technologies to manage transactions, automatically interacting with external parties such as banks and the State Revenue Office. The platform aims to improve the conveyancing for customers by streamlining processes, reducing errors, improving communication, and making the whole process painless, Mills Oakley said.
HP

SUV

The 2020 BMW X7 just went on sale in Germany, where the official configurator previews three powertrains: xDrive40i, xDrive30d, and M50d. All have 3-liter engines, but very regarding power and torque. Despite this, the performance gap between the slowest and fastest is quite small: 7 seconds for the 30d vs. 5.4 seconds for the quad-turbo model.The cheapest model is the xDrive30d, starting at 84,550 and packing 265from its single-turbo diesel six-banger. That's a whopping 6,150 more than the X5 xDrive30d. You have to ask yourself whether the added practicality is worth it.The same gap is seen between the 86,300 X7 xDrive40i and its X5 counterpart with an identical engine. Fuel consumption is about the same, but the lighter, smaller model is always about 0.5 of a second slower.Finally, we have the only M Performance model in Europe, the X7 M50d. It comes with the over-complicated quad-turbo 3-liter making 400 HP and will set you back... are you sitting down...Of course, your expenses are nowhere near finished. The Exclusive Package with the crystal shifter will set you back another 3,000, as will the driver assistance package with laser lights and 360-degree camera. And what's the point of a 2,100 winter package on luxury- shouldn't that stuff be standard?With a length of 5,151 mm (202.8 in), a width of 2,000 mm (78.7 in) and a height of 1,805 mm (71.1 in), the all-new BMW X7 is almost unmatched by any other SUV in Europe. With all seven seats in place, its cargo capacity is only 326 liters, but it quickly grows to 2,120 liters once you do some folding.Built at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, the X7 is based on the same platform as its little brother and will begin shipping early next year.
What was a dream from a distant future only a few years ago is turning into everyday reality for more and more people thanks to the research being conducted by IT and car companies.California, a state that welcomes all new technologies from the auto industry, from electric to self-driving cars, is the place chosen by German group Daimler to test its autonomous technologies starting the second half of next year. Together with Bosch , Daimler will be testing systems that will turn into production vehicles as soon as the beginning of the next decade. And by systems, they dont mean the existing ones, which aid the driver with steering or braking, but fully automated cars, that can drive around even in the absence of humans.Why? Because, says Daimler, self-driving cars could be better at, well, driving, than humans.We continue to pursue our vision of accident-free driving, said Michael Hafner, Daimlers head of automated driving.And this ambitious goal can only be achieved through many small steps that lead to fully automated vehicles.Daimler plans to use streets across Silicon Valley because of the chaos that can be found here: cars, commercial vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders, and even pets, all mixed up in confusing situations.This environment would allow the company to thoroughly test the sensors and cameras used to detect the cars surroundings, the technical systems that allow the cars to steer, accelerate and break and the computer that is used to calculate the route.For now, Daimler did not say what cars will be used to test autonomous driving. A number of Bosch-developed technologies called Automated Valet Parking are already tested on Mercedes cars in Germany and China.In the document attached below are all the details of Daimler's project.
19-yr-old girl raped in Palpa

A 19-year-old girl was raped in Tanau Rural Municipality-2, Palpa district on Thursday, a day before the Bijaya Dashami.
The newest U.S. economic hotspot is not in or near Silicon Valley, New York, or any tech corridor, but in the northern plains  specifically oil-infused North Dakota.

What's happening: This region, in the middle-north of the country, leads the nation in a string of economic indicators since the financial crash, according to a new report by the Brookings Institution. And North Dakota is atop the bunch.

Why it matters: Commentators often refer to the middle of the U.S. as a single entity, like "middle America" or, more pejoratively, "flyover country." This makes the economic vitality of the northern plains all the more striking.

As is clear in the chart above, most working-age adults in the region have jobs. And people born into low-income households are moving into the middle class with greater ease than other Americans.

most working-age adults in the region have jobs. And people born into low-income households are moving into the middle class with greater ease than other Americans. The top six metro areas in terms of upward mobility  defined as the average income of people with the poorest parents  are all in the northern plains.

The region's' prosperity has been driven in part by a massive expansion of shale oil and gas production in the Bakken region of North Dakota and elsewhere in the region.

"Energy creates cyclical but significant job creation, small firm growth, and consumer activity," Mark Muro, who co-authored the report, tells Axios.

The boom has driven North Dakota to the top of the economic indicators:

Its wage growth has been 2.3% a year, compared with 0.8% for the rest of the country.

2.3% a year, compared with 0.8% for the rest of the country. 80.9% of the state's working-age population was working, second only to Minnesota, at 81.1%  again leading the country.

population was working, second only to Minnesota, at 81.1%  again leading the country. In hard economics, GDP per capita in North Dakota rose at 3% a year, the fastest in the country; productivity grew at a sizzling at 2.4% annual growth, while it was flat for the rest of the nation.

GDP per capita in North Dakota rose at 3% a year, the fastest in the country; productivity grew at a sizzling at 2.4% annual growth, while it was flat for the rest of the nation. North Dakota also had the 10th-lowest poverty rate in the country, at 10.5%; Minnesota was the fourth-lowest at 9.9%.

But, but but ... The boom has brought growing crime, especially against women, and environmental destruction.

"This economic prosperity has come with devastating social by-products," says Richard Edwards, director of the Center for Great Plains Studies at the University of Nebraska. We are paying a high, high price for such prosperity.

Other factors, in addition to the fracking boom, have buttressed the region's economy.

In rural areas , depopulation has resulted in better wages for those left behind. "Demand for an increasingly limited number of individuals is resulting in an increase in income" and better job prospects, Joe Brusuelas, chief economist of RSM US, tells Axios.

, depopulation has resulted in better wages for those left behind. "Demand for an increasingly limited number of individuals is resulting in an increase in income" and better job prospects, Joe Brusuelas, chief economist of RSM US, tells Axios. And in cities such as Omaha, Lincoln, Sioux Falls, and the Twin Cities, industries are thriving along with the rest of the country. Employers can easily find workers among migrants from the surrounding countryside, said Edwards, the University of North Dakota professor.

Go deeper:
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Latin American countries should "keep their eyes open when it comes to China's investments" in an interview with TVN Noticias. The interview was taped yesterday during Pompeo's visit to Panama. He's in Mexico today.

Between the lines: Chinese cash is flowing into Latin America, and Beijing's influence in the region is growing. Pompeo warned that "in some parts of the world, China has left the country in a worse state."
Before the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi there were already murmurs of displeasure in Congress towards Saudi Arabia, many of them based on the horrors inflicted on civilians in Yemen. Where there were sparks, Khashoggi's disappearance has lit a fire.

What they're saying: Sen. Chris Murphy told Axios last month that pulling support from the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen "should be at the core of the Democratic foreign policy argument." Now, after Khashoggi's disappearance, he has called for a "fundamental review" of the entire U.S.-Saudi relationship. And he's not the only one.

Sen. Bernie Sanders: "The time is long overdue for us to reevaluate the US-Saudi relationship and ask whether it's actually advancing our interests and values."

"The time is long overdue for us to reevaluate the US-Saudi relationship and ask whether it's actually advancing our interests and values." Sen. Elizabeth Warren is in favor of withholding arms sales to the Saudis  and would vote against any future sales, a spokesperson told Axios. She also supports cutting support for the Saudi coalition in Yemen.

is in favor of withholding arms sales to the Saudis  and would vote against any future sales, a spokesperson told Axios. She also supports cutting support for the Saudi coalition in Yemen. Sen. Jack Reed, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services committee, told reporters the U.S. should "terminate the aerial refueling" of Saudi-coalition planes in Yemen regardless of further Khashoggi developments. He also said after a "thorough, independent investigation," weapons sales could be restricted.

ranking member of the Senate Armed Services committee, told reporters the U.S. should "terminate the aerial refueling" of Saudi-coalition planes in Yemen regardless of further Khashoggi developments. He also said after a "thorough, independent investigation," weapons sales could be restricted. Sen. Jeff Merkley: "The U.S. most powerful tool on the world stage is our moral leadership. Right now, our posture with Saudi Arabia is putting that leadership at risk."

"The U.S. most powerful tool on the world stage is our moral leadership. Right now, our posture with Saudi Arabia is putting that leadership at risk." Rep. Ro Khanna, who introduced a War Powers Resolution to pull U.S. support for the Saudi coalition in Yemen last month, told Axios: I think this moment is capturingthe American public in a way that the 16,000 deaths in Yemen never did, frankly. And its leading to a fundamental re-examination of the relationship.

who introduced a War Powers Resolution to pull U.S. support for the Saudi coalition in Yemen last month, told Axios: I think this moment is capturingthe American public in a way that the 16,000 deaths in Yemen never did, frankly. And its leading to a fundamental re-examination of the relationship. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, who was an original co-sponsor of Khanna's legislation and has called for an "open debate about America's role in Yemen," said in a statement on Thursday: "Given the reports surrounding Mr. Khashoggis disappearance, Americas relationship with Saudi Arabia ought to be carefully scrutinized."

The other side: This isn't just a Democratic issue. More Republicans have started speaking out, including Sens. Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, and Bob Corker.
Twitter has suspended hundreds of bot accounts that have been tweeting in support of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in light of Jamal Khashoggis disappearance, NBC News Ben Collins and Shoshana Wodinsky report.

The intrigue: The bots were posting sporadically, which may have helped them avoid detection for some time, per Ben Nimmo, who tracks online misinformation campaigns at the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensics Lab.

Many of the accounts were fairly old for a botnet  many were created last November and some were created in 2011 and 2014  which also came as somewhat of a surprise.

The bots were tweeting messages that sought to sow doubt that Khashoggis disappearance and suspected death is linked to the kingdom. It was not clear who had created the accounts.

Theres not necessarily evidence all the accounts were pro-Saudi, according to Twitter, which points to how difficult attribution can be. The accounts were removed for violating Twitters spam policy.
The University of Southern California is coughing up $215 million to settle a lawsuit brought by women who have accused the university's former gynecologist, George Tyndall, of sexual abuse and misconduct, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The details: Former patients of Tyndall will receive minimum $2,500, but those with "the most severe claims" are eligible to receive up to $250,000. That money is available to "thousands of women who were treated" by Tyndall, regardless of whether they have made allegations, WSJ reports. The lawsuit against the university and its board of trustees, along with Tyndall, also accuses USC of violating students' trust, ignoring complaints, and ultimately failing to stop his behavior.

Tyndall has continuously denied the accusations , including that he made sexually and racially inappropriate comments, digitally penetrated patients, performed "medically unnecessary pelvic exams," and requested that students undress in front of him, per the WSJ.

, including that he made sexually and racially inappropriate comments, digitally penetrated patients, performed "medically unnecessary pelvic exams," and requested that students undress in front of him, per the WSJ. The university is still facing dozens of lawsuits in state court.

The big picture: This comes after Michigan State University's $500 million settlement with 332 assault victims who said they were assaulted by the former university and USA Gymnastics sports doctor, Larry Nassar.
Hundreds of workers of a copper smelter in northern Armenia blocked a major highway on Friday in protest against its closure resulting from the governments decision to enforce strict environmental regulations there.

The Soviet-built plant located in the town of Alaverdi was recently fined $800,000 for exceeding air pollution quotas set by the government in 2005. The former Armenian authorities avoided punishing the plant for that.

Citing financial problems, the plants parent company, Vallex Group, said that it is unable to pay the fine and comply with the pollution caps. It warned last week that it will have to shut down the smelter and lay off more than 600 people working there unless the government reverses the punitive measures.

Subsequent negotiations between Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian and the Vallex chairman, Valeri Mejlumian, yielded no agreement. Avinian said earlier this week that the Alaverdi plant causes serious environmental damage and should be replaced by a larger and more modern facility.

As production operations at the plant were brought to a halt on Friday many of the workers took to the streets to voice support for Vallexs demands. They blocked a highway passing through Alaverdi.

Can anyone [from the government] come here explain to these 630 families [of workers] what fate awaits them? said one of the protesters. All we want is jobs.

Eduard Sharmazanov, an Alaverdi-born deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament representing the former ruling Republican Party, voiced support for the protesters demands in a written appeal to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

I am calling on you to do everything possible and impossible so that the Alaverdi copper smelter continues to operate, said Sharmazanov. Or else, 650 families could choose the path of emigration.

The government did not immediately react to the protests.

Vallex is currently in serious financial trouble, having lost control over Armenias second largest copper and molybdenum mine after failing repay its massive debts to a Russian commercial bank. The bank, VTB, had lent Vallex the bulk of $380 million which was invested in mining and ore-processing facilities at the Teghut deposit also located in the Lori province.

Vallex shut down the mine in January because of being unable to refurbish its waste disposal facility. Most of the 1,200 or so people working at Teghut lost their jobs as a result. VTB took over the mine in payment for the debt.

Vallex used the Alaverdi plant as collateral when it secured the loan from VTB. It could therefore lose control of that facility as well.
Two months after announcing his return to active politics, former President Robert Kocharian has ruled out his participation in early general elections that will likely be held in Armenia in December.

First of all, the legitimacy of this process is very dubious for me, and secondly, I just dont have time [to prepare for the elections,] Kocharian told the Russian RIA Novosti news agency in an interview published on Thursday.

Besides, I have had no party affiliation. This means that I have to create a party from scratch, rather than restore something that has existed before, he said, adding that he needs time to cobble together a team of talented, young and energetic people.

Kocharian also complained that most Armenians are now too euphoric about last springs velvet revolution to make rational choices. People are not ready to discuss programs, to get to the bottom of economics or social policy, he said. This is why the elections will have a superficial character. The dominant theme will be defense of the revolution.

Kocharian admitted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his allies will likely score a landslide victory in the polls. Opinion polls show that the country is now heading for the formation of yet another political monopoly, he said. And this is what generated and what was targeted by the velvet revolution in Armenia in the first place.

Kocharian himself was accused by critics of systematically stifling dissent, tolerating government corruption and rigging elections when he ran the country from 1998-2008.He handed over power to his longtime ally, Serzh Sarkisian, following a disputed presidential election that sparked anti-government protests in Yerevan.

Kocharian ordered security forces to quell those protests on March 1-2, 2008. Eight protesters and two police servicemen were killed as a result.

Law-enforcement authorities launched criminal proceedings against Kocharian shortly after Pashinian swept to power in May. The ex-president was arrested in late July on charges of illegally using the armed forces against protesters and overthrowing the constitutional order.

Armenias Court of Appeals freed him from custody on August 13, saying that the constitution guarantees his immunity from prosecution.

Kocharian announced his political comeback three days later. He accused Pashinians government of endangering the countrys national security, undermining its relations with Russia and lacking economic programs.

Pashinian, who played a key role in the 2008 protests, vehemently defended the ongoing criminal investigation at a rally held on August 17. All murderers will go to prison, he said.

Speaking to RIA Novosti, Kocharian again claimed that the new authorities are waging a political vendetta against him. He predicted that he will face more accusations soon.

The most curious thing is that I wasnt in government for ten years, said the 64-year-old. I dont quite understand what they want from me. I clearly wasnt the target of that revolution. There was a totally different [Sarkisian-led] government with which I practically did not communicate and which I criticized. But all of a sudden I became an object of scrutiny.
By Trend

Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have 26 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Oct. 19.

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.
By Trend

A new checkpoint to be built on the border between Azerbaijan and Georgia will further expand the possibilities of the Silk Road, Chairman of the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee Safar Mehdiyev said.

Mehdiyev made the remarks at the meeting with Georgian ambassador to Azerbaijan Zurab Pataradze in Baku on Oct. 18, the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee said.

He expressed gratification with the relations between the two countries in the customs sphere and said that business and effective relations create favourable conditions for the growth of trade turnover between the two countries and the successful implementation of projects in the field of logistics and transport.

Mehdiyev talked about the projects to modernize the customs system as part of the reforms being carried out in the country.

He spoke about the new checkpoint, to be built on the border of the two countries and which will further expand the possibilities of the Silk Road.

Mehdiyev also spoke about the joint control mechanism of the corresponding structures of both countries.

The Georgian ambassador thanked for the warm welcome and said that the economic and political relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia are developing well.

The business and effective dialogue between the customs bodies of both countries also contributes to the development of these ties, Pataradze said.

The ambassador touched upon the importance of the implementation of new projects in the tourism sector in both countries and spoke about the work and steps to be taken in this direction.

During the meeting it was stressed that Azerbaijan constantly supports Georgia in all spheres, and expressed confidence that these ties will develop in the future.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Azerbaijan may export pomegranates to four EU countries - Germany, France, Latvia and Poland.

This was stated by secretary of the Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Pomegranate Shahin Hasanli.

Negotiations are underway in this direction, the conclusion of contracts is expected, he stressed.

The representative of the association noted that this year the growth of exports of pomegranate is projected at 20-25 percent compared to the previous year.

Currently, the main export destination of the Azerbaijani pomegranate is neighboring Russia. The potential export markets are Germany, France, Latvia and Poland.

Today, there is a strong competition in European market, which is mainly provided by North Africa and Southern European countries. Despite this fact, Azerbaijani fruits, which are distinguished by being organic, can take a worthy place in the European market.

The Pomegranate Producers and Exporters Association was established on October 31, 2016. The Association includes more than 20 members.

The aim of the Association is to provide services and support to farmers interested in growing pomegranate, as well as promoting the pomegranate within the Made in Azerbaijan brand throughout the world.

The Association regularly represents pomegranate in local and international markets, strives for an even greater use of advanced technologies in production, supply of high-quality raw materials and improvement of existing experience.

Pomegranate is one of the most nutritious fruits on earth. It contains a wide range of nutrients, unsurpassed by other fruits. Many studies have shown that they have incredible benefits for the body, and can reduce the risk of all sorts of diseases.

More than 60 varieties of pomegranate are grown in Azerbaijan. Now the area of gardens is 23,000 hectares.

The Azerbaijani pomegranate has received worldwide recognition as one of the best. The secret of the magnificent taste of Goychay pomegranates is a unique microclimate and fertile soil. Pomegranate contains from 8 to 19 percent of glucose and fructose, from 3 to 7 percent - citric acid, a large number of minerals, vitamins, fiber, and pectic substances. This fruit is very rich in antioxidants. Pomegranate juice improves appetite, treats anemia and other diseases. In Azerbaijan, pomegranate is called the king of fruits.

A pomegranate tree is spread all over the world, and Azerbaijan is the only country where all varieties of this royal fruit grow. The climate of Azerbaijan is surprisingly diverse, and this is what facilitates the cultivation of all kinds of pomegranate.

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3 dead in Jalbire bus accident

At least three people died after a passenger bus overturned at Jalbire along the Narayangadh-Muglin road section on Friday. 23 others have been injured in the incident.
By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijani delegation, headed by Chairman of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov, took part at the 69th meeting of the Council for Rail Transport of the Commonwealth Member States in Moscow on October 18.

Many issues were discussed at the meeting, including implementation of the decisions of the 68th meeting of the Council and the results of the operational work of the railway network for the first nine months of 2018 and many other issues.

The 68th meeting of the Council for Rail Transport of member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States took place in Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic) on May 17.

In 2017, railways of the CIS and Baltic countries transported 2002.5 million tons of cargo, which is 55.6 million tons higher than in 2016 ( 3.1 percent), and cargo turnover grew by 6.3 percent.

Cargo transportation in containers increased by 14.1 percent compared to 2016. These positive dynamics was observed in the first quarter of 2018. In this period, 493.1 million tons of cargo were shipped, which is 12.7 million tons higher than the indicator of 2017 (2.6 percent), and cargo turnover grew by 4.7 percent. Shipping of goods in containers increased by 12.6 percent as compared to the same period of 2017.

International passenger transportation in 2017 amounted to 18.6 million passengers, thus showing a decrease of 2.8 percent compared to the previous year.

The Council is an international CIS institution that coordinates rail operation on an international level. The Council was established on 14 February 1992, with its headquarters in Moscow.

The Council for Railway Transport pays particular attention to ensuring the technological unity of the railways.

Every year, the train timetable and the plan for the formation of trains on international routes are developed. Much attention is paid to the technical condition of freight cars.

The Council of Heads of CIS Governments approved the Strategic Development Concept for Rail Transportation of the Commonwealth Member States until 2020 at its meeting in St. Petersburg on 18 October 2011.

The implementation of the Strategic Concept will make it possible systematically and consistently to implement the coordinated development of railway transport in the Commonwealth member states and will promote the seamless integration of railways into the Eurasian transport system.

At the moment, the Council consists of 23 bodies which are in permanent session to consider how to implement Council decisions.

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is free association of sovereign states formed in 1991 by Russia and 11 other republics that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. The CISs functions are to coordinate its members policies regarding their economies, defense, immigration policies, environmental protection, and law enforcement.

The CIS united Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. However, in 2008 Georgia withdrew its membership.

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Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is

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By Trend

Azerbaijan and China are expanding economic ties along with political ones, said Siyavush Novruzov, deputy executive secretary of Azerbaijans ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP), chairman of the parliamentary committee for public associations and religious structures, head of the working group for Azerbaijan-China inter-parliamentary relations.

He made the remarks at a meeting of working groups for Azerbaijan-China inter-parliamentary relations.

Noting the high level of relations between the two countries, Novruzov stressed the important role of the signed bilateral documents and mutual official visits in development of the relations.

In turn, Head of the China-Azerbaijan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group Wang Xiankui noted that China attaches great importance to relations with Azerbaijan, adding that friendly relations between the two countries are at a high level, and expressed satisfaction with the development of parliamentary ties.

At the meeting, there was a wide exchange of views on issues of mutual interest.

The NAP delegation is on a visit to China since October 18.

The delegation headed by Siyavush Novruzov includes chairmen and deputy chairmen of parliamentary committees, Eldar Ibrahimov, Ahliman Amiraslanov, Agalar Valiyev, MP Huseynbala Miralamov and other MPs.

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By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan, which is one of the main trade partners of Georgia, ranked 4th among the countrys foreign trade partners after Turkey, Russia and China.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Georgia amounted to $742.48 million in January-September 2018, Report.az reported.

Georgias exports to Azerbaijan amounted to $342.98 million, which is 104.4 percent more in annual comparison. With this indicator, Azerbaijan has become the main export market for the neighboring country.

Azerbaijans exports to Georgia in annual comparison grew by 10.8 percent to $399.5 million.

Diplomatic ties between Azerbaijan and Georgia were established on November 18, 1992.

The two countries broadly cooperate in regional energy development, transportation and economic partnership projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline (BTC), Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway (BTK), the TRACECA, the BSEC.

Georgian exports to Azerbaijan include cement, locomotives and other railway vehicles, mineral and chemical fertilizers, mineral waters, strong drinks, glass and glass wares, and pharmaceuticals, among other things.

Azerbaijani mainly exports to Georgia oil and petroleum products, natural gas, plastic wares, furniture and building constructions.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during his meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, which took place in March in Baku, noted that Azerbaijan is on the first place in terms of the volume of investments in Georgia, which indicates a high level of interstate relations between the two countries.

We successfully cooperate in different fields. Azerbaijan is the first among the countries that invest in Georgia. Since 2012, we maintain this position. This shows the best investment climate in your country. In addition, this indicates that our relations are at a high level, the head of state said.

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Sara Israfilbayova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Sara_999Is

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By Laman Ismayilova

The conference "Decorative art and interior" has ended in the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum.

The event was attended by over forty specialists from 14 countries - Azerbaijan, Austria, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Japan, the USA, India, Egypt, the Czech Republic, Georgia and Turkey, Trend Life reported.

The President of the Committee of Museums and Collections of Decorative Art and Design, Czech art historian Helena Kenigsmarkova noted that she first visited the capital of Azerbaijan and highly appreciated the conference.

"First of all, I liked the modern architecture in Baku. In fact, we spent the first day of the conference in museums and Icherisheher. All the impressions about your country are extremely positive. In Baku, the top priority for us was the topic of carpets and textiles. The conference was remembered by very interesting discussions and speeches. The Carpet Museum belongs to one of the most modern museums in the world. The quality of collections, expositions, and research are also important indicators of an ideal museum. The Carpet Museum does not stop at this, but moves forward, which is also very important. The carpet museum is a museum of my dreams. I wish all museums to go this way of development," she said.

Member of the board of the Committee of Houses of Museums and Historic Buildings and ICOM International Committee DEMHIST Yoshihiro Nakatani also stressed the importance of holding the conference and the beauty of Baku.

"I was interested in hearing numerous reports about interior solutions of house museums, techniques and the use of interior techniques. I was very impressed with the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum. We also have samples of textiles and, it happens, that we have difficulties with a beautiful demonstration of textile art. This exposition is simple and beautiful. I have very positive impressions about Baku and Azerbaijan. Baku has a European spirit like in Milan, Paris or Venice. At the same time, as a Japanese, I also catch Asias breath here. Your city combines both of these directions, causing a lot of sensations in me," he said.

The conference "Decorative Art and Interior" is organized by two international committees of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) - the Committee of Museums and Collections of Decorative Art and Design (ICDAD) and the Committee of Houses of Museums and Historic Buildings (DEMHIST) - with the support of the Culture Ministry, Azerbaijan National Committee (ICOM), Azerbaijan Carpet Museum and the National Museum of Art.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Laman Ismayilova

Moscow has come alive as colorful festival "Autumn Gifts of Azerbaijan" solemnly opened in the Russian capital city on October 17.

The festival is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Azerbaijan's cultural richness.

Heydar Aliyev Foundation Executive Director Anar Alakbarov, the City Government minister, Head of the Moscow Department of Trade and Services Alexei Nemeryuk the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu and other officials took part in the festival's opening ceremony, Trend reported.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the head of the Department of Trade and Services of the city of Moscow, Alexei Nemeryuk, said that the best products made in Azerbaijan are represented at the festival.

"Today, for the first time in Moscow, Days of Azerbaijan are held in this format. The best manufacturers of Azerbaijan demonstrate their products in Moscow. Today we are pleased to see everyone who came to Tverskaya Square. Everything is very well organized here. The Azerbaijani products are shown in the town, visitors can participate in master classes. Interesting events will take place here within a few days. We hope that such events will be held regularly. Welcome to Moscow!" he said.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu expressed his gratitude to the Government of Moscow, the Mayor of the Russian capital, Sergey Sobyanin, for creating conditions for the demonstration of the Azerbaijani products.

"Azerbaijan and Russia have good-neighborliness and strategic partnership relations. We are pleased that the Russian capital holds a special place in these relations. Fruitful negotiations were held during the visit of the Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin to Baku," said Ambassador Polad Bulbuloglu.

The Ambassador expressed his gratitude to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, President of the Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva for organizing the exhibition.

"The exhibition organized today is the personification of cooperation between the governments of Azerbaijan and Moscow. I want to express my gratitude to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, President of the Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva for the excellent organization of the town. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation is doing a great job worldwide to popularize Azerbaijan. As the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia, I am very glad that through the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, which promotes Azerbaijani culture, many events are held in Moscow," the diplomat added.

Polad Bulbuloglu also noted that the exhibition presented materials reflecting the tourism potential of Azerbaijan and invited Muscovites to Azerbaijan. He expressed the hope that such exhibitions will become traditional.

The town presents the history and culture of Azerbaijan, demonstrates samples of national cuisine, copper works, carpet weaving and other types of art.

Within five days, Moscow residents have a chance to take part in various workshops.

Sale of various products produced in Azerbaijan, restaurants, tea houses, representing the Azerbaijani cuisine is also organized as part of the festival. Products of the national souvenir brand "I Love Baku" are presented. Various publications of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation will help Moscow residents and city's guests learn more about Azerbaijan's culture, art and history.

As part of the festival, visitors can purchase various gifts of nature from Azerbaijan, including persimmons, grapes, pomegranates, as well as dried fruits, nuts, juices, jam, dairy products, spices.

Along with this, the festival's participants have a chance to taste national sweets and enjoy this oriental tea drinking in a specially opened Tea House.

The festival's guests also enjoy a rich cultural program - performances by the State Instrumental Ensemble and a group of professional dancers, the group of Enver Sadigov "Gaytagi" and finally a concert led by Shakhriyar Imanov.

The festival "Autumn Gifts of Azerbaijan" will last until October 21.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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By Trend

The Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan has signed a memorandum with the Analytical Expertise Center of Azerbaijans Healthcare Ministry to toughen the fight against bioactive food additives.

The memorandum has been signed between Deputy Chairman of the Food Safety Agency Balarahim Guliyev and Director of the Center Murad Suleymanov.

Guliyev said that the main purpose of signing the memorandum is to strengthen bilateral relations and increase mutual efforts to ensure supply of quality products to the population, as well as to ensure the safety of the population.

In turn, speaking about further plans for cooperation, Suleymanov noted that there are plans to hold joint monitoring, as well as inspections in order to remove banned bioactive food additives from circulation.

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By Trend

The members of Parliament of Azerbaijan sent a protest to the chairman and committees of the Lower House of Russian Parliament in connection with the illegal visit of a group of Russian women to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region on October 7.

The protest was signed by the head of the working group on Azerbaijani-Russian inter-parliamentary relations Ali Huseynli, and the chairman of the Russian community of Azerbaijan Mikhail Zabelin.

On October 7, in the framework of the Women for Peace initiative put forward by the wife of former Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, a group of Russian women visited the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region. Among other women, the group also included Svetlana Zhurova, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of the Lower House of Russian Parliament, Russian writer Lyudmila Ulitskaya, and founder of the Vera International Charity Foundation Anna Federmesser.

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.

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By Trend

The article by the Consul General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev on the aggressive policy of Armenia has been published in "The Daily Caller", the Consulate General said in a statement Oct. 19.

The article has to do with the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict at a time when the visit of the United States Presidential Adviser on National Security Affairs John Bolton to the South Caucasus is waiting to happen next week.

In the article entitled as "Is there hope for lasting peace in Nagorno-Karabakh?", the consul general wrote that one of the important issues to be discussed in the framework of John Boltons visit next week to the South Caucasus will be the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, and stressed that this conflict continues to threaten peace and stability in the region.

Providing detailed information about the history of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Aghayev cited specific facts about aggression and ethnic cleansing carried out by Armenia against the country, and noted that this conflict is the most dangerous in the post-Soviet space.

For comparison, Aghayev noted that the area of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is 13 times the area of the City of Los Angeles or larger than the US State of Connecticut.

The consul general noted that the illegal military occupation continues to this day despite fierce condemnation by multiple United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, as well as by other major international organizations.

He stressed that the real obstacle to resolving the conflict and bringing the much-needed peace to Armenian and Azerbaijani people remains unchanged: Armenias refusal to comply with UNSC resolutions by withdrawing its troops from the illegally occupied territories of Azerbaijan and enabling the expelled population of these territories to return to their homes.

As the US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills recently stated, any settlement of the conflict requires the return of the occupied territories to Azerbaijan, added the author.

The consul general further emphasized that Armenia is experiencing a grave demographic decline. Tens of thousands of young people, lacking opportunities at home, are emigrating from the country in search of a better life.

"Around 1.5 million Armenians  almost half of the countrys population  have permanently left Armenia since 1991, with many Armenians also choosing to come to the United States, deteriorating the already burdensome immigration problem here. According to the United Nations, Armenia could lose another million people by 2050," said the article.

The consul general wrote that in contrast, Azerbaijan has become the largest economy in the region, building strong partnerships around the world, implementing multi-billion dollar energy and transportation projects connecting continents, and contributing to the global energy security.

In addition, he noted that as a reliable strategic partner of the United States in a critically important region, Azerbaijan has strongly supported Americas efforts to fight international terrorism and diversify energy supplies.

Aghayev also noted that most importantly, Azerbaijan is a place where Muslims, Christians and Jews continue to live together in peace, harmony and mutual respect, breaking stereotypes every day.

The diplomat stressed that it is time for Yerevan to put aside belligerence and engage constructively in negotiations to resolve the conflict.

In conclusion, Nasimi Aghayev said it is to be hoped that as a co-mediator with much at stake in the region, the United States will double its efforts in helping both sides achieve lasting peace and reconciliation.

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.

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By Trend

Azerbaijan has become a signatory to the Belt and Road Energy Partnership Declaration as Minister of Energy Parviz Shahbazov attended the Belt and Road Energy Ministerial Conference in China.

Hosted by the Chinese National Energy Administration, the conference brought together ministers of energy and representatives from relevant international organizations. The major highlight of the conference was Building the Belt and Road Energy Partnership.

Addressing the conference, Shahbazov said that through restoration of the historical Silk Road, China and Azerbaijan are bringing continents and civilizations closer to each other, building a new model of cooperation of the Belt and Road Initiative in a large geography, which covers South-East Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.

He noted that the successful transport projects, such as Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, South-North, Alat International Sea Trade Port, implemented by Azerbaijan, have considerably contributed to the One Road, One Belt initiative.
By Trend

Political consultations between the ministries of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan took place on October 18 in Baku, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan said in a message.

The delegations were headed by the Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov from the Azerbaijani side and the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov from the side of Turkmenistan.

The sides underlined the importance of traditional cooperation between the two neighboring countries, stressing that the priorities of development of the Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan relations are determined by the heads of state.

In this regard, Rashid Meredov expressed his gratitude for having an opportunity to be received by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during his visit.

Mammadyarov noted that the consultations are praiseworthy and create a great opportunity to coordinate the positions on a wide range of issues related to the broad agenda of bilateral relations.

As part of the consultations, the sides discussed political-diplomatic, international and regional cooperation. The historic importance of the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, which was signed at the Aktau summit, has been highlighted once again.

The positive dynamics observed in trade-economic cooperation between the two countries was noted and the prospects for coordinating the work to be done by various governmental bodies and business circles with a view to improving the quality of bilateral cooperation to a new, higher level were discussed. It was emphasized that there are opportunities to continue the good partnership for further development of relations in logistics, industrial and cultural-humanitarian spheres.

At the meeting, Meredov expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani side for not only the support, but co-sponsoring the initiatives of Turkmenistan in international organizations, and first of all, the UN organizations.

Mammadyarov expressed his gratitude to Turkmenistan for its support to Azerbaijan in different international organizations, especially in the context of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

The sides also exchanged views on mutual support within international organizations, expansion of the legal framework between the two countries, as well as other regional and international issues of mutual interest.

In conclusion of the consultations, the ministries of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan signed a cooperation program for 2019-2020 at the ministerial level.
PM Olis message of best wishes on Bijaya Dashani

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has extended best wishes to all Nepali brothers and sisters on the occasion of the Bijaya Dashami festival.
By Trend

In Azerbaijan, there are no restrictions on women's labor either at the legislative or administrative level, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population Sahil Babayev said at the presentation of the draft National Action Plan on Curbing Gender-Based Selection and Taking Appropriate Response Measures in Azerbaijan".

"Women prefer to work in medicine and education, since the working days are shorter in these fields, and therefore, the average monthly salary of women is lower than that of men," the minister added.

"Regardless of the economic status of women, all mechanisms of equality must be ensured. In any case, adding bonuses to the salary may be a positive factor. A company can encourage women in certain areas, and the government, in turn, can provide benefits to that company. This may motivate companies to hire more women," Babayev said.

The minister positively assessed that 47 percent of civil servants in Azerbaijan are women.

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By Trend

The National Action Plan (NAP) for Azerbaijan on Prevention of and Response to sex selection abortions will help to ensure gender equality in the country, Research Professor at the Maryland Population Research Center (US) Ms. Monica Das Gupta said in an interview with Trend.

On October 19th Baku hosted a conference dedicated to public discussions of the draft National Action Plan (NAP) on Prevention of and Response to sex selection abortions. The NAP has been developed by the team of experts including Ms. Monica Das Gupta, international expert invited by UNFPA, in close partnership with the Government stakeholders.

It is really important to have an Action Plan, because that way you can have a road map for action and intervention to address the gender problems. With this kind of a road map you have a coherent set of policies that you can pursue and take some sustainable efforts for achieving more balanced sex ratio, she said.

Ms. Das Gupta pointed out that the National Action Plan has a set of different recommendations and action points on what needs to be done through data and research, communication and advocacy, laws and policies as well as different social protection interventions.

These measures are complementary and expected to reinforce each other. Of course, ensuring gender equality and promoting the value of girls and women is at the core of all these initiatives. The effectiveness of these measures will depend on the resources and the institutional capacities, she said.

Ms. Das Gupta noted that this Action Plan will be for 2019-2022.

Further, speaking about the root causes of gender problems in the South Caucasus countries in general, the expert said that the major problems occurred during the transition period following the collapse of the USSR.

While the South Caucasus countries were a part of the USSR, they all had normal sex ratio at birth. With the break-up of the USSR, the sex ratio at birth went up very sharply in this region. This indicates that the important factor was the disruption between the soviet period and the economic, political infrastructure fell apart immediately afterwards. Jobs, pensions, free schools, free medical care  all things of this kind just disappeared over the short period of time. The quick shift to the market economy that these countries knew nothing about was going to take place. The vulnerability that people faced being put into the situation overnight, put pressure on them to find the traditional ways of coping and some of them chose migration to find jobs and remittances. Some of them had sons, because sons would grow up and protect them and find some way of living, she said.

Regarding the problems that can emerge as a result of the skewed sex ratio, Ms. Das Gupta said the most obvious one is that there will be a shortage of women for men to marry.

If you have 13 percent more boys born, then you are going to have 13 percent fewer brides available. So that leads to major problems, which we see already in China. Such issues include trafficking of women, child marriages, etc., she said.

Ms. Das Gupta went on to add that perhaps for Azerbaijan, the most important challenge will be associated with the population decline.

Fertility is already very low in Azerbaijan. If you have 13 percent fewer women then you get shortage of the labor force. The future labor force is also an issue, she noted.

The international expert noted that the South Korea is so far the only country that has managed to solve the problem with the skewed sex ratio.

Following the war of 1950s, in around 1960 the South Korea had a new president who decided to industrialize the country. The country adopted many gender equality programs. Not necessarily because the new president was interested in gender equality, but because he was interested in economic development. Women were brought into schools, factories to work, they got jobs. Nevertheless, the country had a very high fertility. He decided to have a very strong family planning program, as they found out that people didnt want to stop having children until they have one or two sons. To discourage that they had mass media campaigns, TV, posters, radio, basically projecting that girls are desirable, a family with two girls is good, a family with one girl is good. There was a massive campaign. she said.

Ms. Das Gupta pointed out that over time these measures in the South Korea started yielding positive results for gender equality.

So they started to change some of those laws, including laws for political representation, provide quota for women candidates in elections. They also changed the family law, so that women have more rights to inherit, more rights in the case of divorce, custody over children, women also could be the head of household, now it doesnt have to be a man. But basically from 1960s and 1970s, the really important thing was related to mass campaigns projecting that girls were valued, she added.

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By Trend

STAR refinery is an important regional energy security cooperation project, Deputy Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev said in an interview with TRT World.

The foundation of this project was laid back in 2011 by presidents of Azerbaijan and Turkey Ilham Aliyev and Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It once again shows the confidence of Azerbaijan in Turkish economy and also demonstrates strategic partnership of the two countries, noted Hajiyev ahead of the opening ceremony of the refinery.

He pointed out that this project provides a bright future for both of these countries and is also strategically important for further development of energy cooperation between the two countries.

It is an important regional energy security cooperation project, said Hajiyev, adding that it creates more than 30,000 jobs in Turkey and will serve to the benefits of the two countries.

He noted that this project has a capacity of processing annually ten million tons of oil and it will tremendously contribute to the energy security of Turkey.

It will decrease Turkeys dependence on imports, and in the meantime, will provide additional, extra capacities for the countries to export the refined oil products to wider Mediterranean region and some other countries, he said.

The STAR refinery will produce naphtha, diesel with ultra-low sulfur content, aviation fuel, petroleum coke, liquefied gas and other products. The refinery will not produce gasoline and fuel oil.

The plant is planned to process oil of such grades as Azeri Light, Kerkuk and Urals.

The refinery's processing capacity will amount to 10 million tons per year.

Today, the share distribution in the project is as follows: 60 percent of shares are owned by the Rafineri Holding (being in 100-percent possession of SOCAR Turkey Energy), which previously bought 18.5 percent of the participation interest of Turcas Petrol in the project, and 40 percent of shares are owned by SOCAR.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Kazakhstan, which is keen to attract foreign investments, urged European business circles to invest in the country.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, speaking at the meeting with representatives of European business circles in Brussels, emphasized that European countries are the most important trade, economic and investment partners of the republic.

Over the years of independence, about $ 180 billion of direct investments were attracted to Europe from Kazakhstan. We closely cooperate with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which has financed projects totaling more than 7 billion euros during this time, said the head of state.

The trade turnover with European countries has been steadily growing in recent years, about 3,000 enterprises with the participation of European capital operate in various spheres in Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev stated.

Among our major partners are Alstom, Linde Group, Air Liquide, Danon, Vikat, Heidelbergcement, which successfully operate, open up modern production, create jobs and make profits, Nazarbayev said.

He also told businessmen about the advantages of Kazakhstans geographical location.

Five railway and six international road routes that connect China and other Asian countries with Europe through Russia, the Caspian and Black Seas, as well as Iran and Turkey, pass through Kazakhstan. Now, cargo delivery to Europe from China via Kazakhstan and back takes four times less time than delivery by sea, the president noted.

He also spoke on the issues of improving the investment climate and creating favorable conditions for doing business.

Kazakhstan is an associate member of the OECD Investment Committee and has joined the Declaration on International Investment. We have a Council of Foreign Investors under the President, in which 13 foreign companies of its 33 members are representatives of Europe. For citizens of 62 countries, including 33 European countries, a visa-free regime has been introduced, the head of the republic said.

In conclusion, he expressed confidence that the meeting would strengthen the mutually beneficial partnership between the countries.

Kazakhstan and EU concluded the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in 1994. Expansion of partnership and cooperation of Kazakhstan with the European Union and its member states was ratified by the country's parliament in March 2016.

Kazakhstan is also part of the EU Central Asian Strategy for the New Partnership.

The EU is the largest trading partner of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan exports mainly energy to the EU, and the EU exports machinery, transport equipment, and chemical products.

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By Trend

Supplies of agricultural machinery from Russia to Uzbekistan increased by 7.5 times and exceeded $20 million over nine months of 2018 compared to the same period of 2017, Podrobno.uz. reported.

"This year, the exports of agricultural equipment from the Russian Federation to Uzbekistan increased by 7.5 times compared to 2017, Alla Elizarova, director of Rosspetsmash, a Russian association of manufacturers of purpose-built machinery and equipment, said. The value amounted to more than 1.3 billion rubles for nine months.

Russian plants supply a wide range of equipment, in particular, combine and forage harvesters, tractors, mowers, plows, balers, equipment for animal husbandry, grain cleaning machines to Uzbekistan, she said.

The management of Rosspetsmash, as well as representatives of the state bodies of the Russian Federation and Russian industrialists, will visit Uzbekistan. The purpose of the trip is to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, define potential and ways of cooperation.

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By Trend

The opening of the STAR oil refinery is a significant event for Turkey, general director of the refinery Mesut Ilter said, the Turkish media reported Oct. 19.

Ilter noted that the operation of the STAR oil refinery represents a strategic significance for the country.

He said the demand for diesel in Turkey is growing by 7-8 percent every year.

"The STAR refinery will provide Turkey with 5 million tons of diesel annually, which will contribute to the reduction of diesel import by 40 percent," Ilter said.

He also said that with the start of operation of the STAR refinery, Turkeys demand for aviation fuel will be fully met.

The opening of the STAR oil refinery, owned by the Azerbaijani state company SOCAR, will take place in Turkey today.

The STAR refinery will produce naphtha, diesel with ultra-low sulfur content, aviation fuel, petroleum coke, liquefied gas and other products. The refinery will not produce gasoline and fuel oil.

The plant is planned to carry out processing of oil of such grades as Azeri Light, Kerkuk and Urals.

The refinery's processing capacity will be 10 million tons per year.

Today, the share distribution in the project is as follows: 60 percent of shares are owned by the Rafineri Holding (in 100-percent possession of SOCAR Turkey Energy), which previously bought all 18.5 percent of the participation interest of Turcas Petrol in the project, and 40 percent of shares are owned by SOCAR.

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By Trend

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini said the block has decided to put its plan aimed at creating a payment channel to preserve business with Iran and circumvent new US sanctions in place.

This is something that we presented during the [United Nations] General Assembly ministerial week in New York. The Member States of the European Union have decided to put this system in place, so they are now working on the concrete establishment of this [payment channel]. I am confident that they will continue this work in a successful manner in the coming weeks, Mogherini said on Thursday evening, the EU official website reported on October 19.

Following a ministerial meeting on September 24 in New York, the participants welcomed an EU initiative to establish a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to facilitate payments related to Irans exports (including oil) and imports.

I have to say that our partners from Asia have always shown a lot of interest in working to keep the full implementation of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action); obviously for security reasons that also concern Asia and Central Asia, she added.

But we tend to forget that Iran is not only a Middle Eastern country; it is also a country that have long borders with Afghanistan for instance, and that has many interests and links with Asia. I have always very much seen the interest and also exactly the same position that we have with our Asian partners on the need to maintain the JCPOA and on the need for Iran to stick to the full compliance to the nuclear commitments taken, the EU foreign policy chief said.

Back in May, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), despite objections from other signatories of the accord.

In August, Washington re-imposed the first round of anti-Iran sanctions it had lifted under the JCPOA. A second round, forthcoming on November 4, will be targeting Iran's energy sector and financial transactions.

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By Trend

The main events of the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Uzbekistan began Oct. 19 at the presidential residence Kuksaroy, aka Green Palace, in Tashkent, Uzbek media reported.

After the official welcoming ceremony, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Vladimir Putin held talks in a narrow format.

"Russia is a strategic partner of Uzbekistan. Our partnership has reached a qualitatively new level and is developing dynamically in all areas," Mirziyoyev said.

"Last year alone, more than 80 high-level visits were made. We have established close cooperation between the regions. For the first time, Tashkent hosts the Interregional Cooperation Forum between the two countries. More than 1,000 public and business representatives of Russia are participating in it."

"Trade has grown by 30 percent since the beginning of the year. Large investment projects are being implemented," the president of Uzbekistan added.

The head of state also noted with great satisfaction that another strategic project is being launched - the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan.

Vladimir Putin, in turn, noted that Uzbekistan is a reliable ally, a strategic partner of Russia. He stressed that after the visit of the president of Uzbekistan to Russia last year, bilateral contacts in all areas have fundamentally changed for the better, and also expressed the readiness of Russia to further develop relations.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Russian president Vladimir Putin, who was on an official visit to Tashkent on October 18-19, held a meeting with his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev and participated in the solemn ceremony to launch the construction project of the first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan.

During the one-on-one meeting, the Mirziyoyev underlined that Russia is a strategic partner of Uzbekistan.

"Our partnership has reached a qualitatively new level and is dynamically developing in all areas. Last year alone, more than 80 high-level visits were made. We have established close cooperation between the regions. For the first time, Tashkent hosts the Forum of Interregional Cooperation between the two countries. More than a 1,000 representatives of the public and business circles of Russia participate in its work," he said.

Mirziyoyev further hailed the progress in trade relations.

"Trade has grown by 30 percent since the beginning of the year. Large investment projects are being implemented, he said.

The Uzbek head of state also noted with great satisfaction that another strategic project is being launched - the construction of the first nuclear power plant in the republic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his colleague Shavkat Mirziyev launched a project to build the first nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan in the video bridge mode.

In fact, this is not just about building a large industrial facility - this is about creating a new industry in Uzbekistan. Two NPP power units with a total capacity of 2.4 MW will provide low-cost and clean electricity production that is planned to be delivered to consumers , both in Uzbekistan and in other countries of Central Asia, which will contribute to the energy stability not only of Uzbekistan, but also of the entire region," said Putin.

This was the culmination of the state visit of the President of Russia.

The strategic object will be erected with the participation of Rosatom specialists in the Navoi region, where, immediately after the ceremony, engineering surveys began to select the site for the future NPP.

In September 2018, the countries signed an intergovernmental agreement. The project to build a nuclear power plant involves the construction of two units, the first of which is planned to be launched before the end of 2028.

As part of the visit, on October 19, Uzbekistan and Russia signed a Practical Action Plan for the creation of the international research organization International Radio Astronomy Observatory "Suffa".

"A joint project was signed for the development of space research - a super-powerful radio telescope on the Suff plateau. We discussed the implementation of this project with Vladimir Vladimirovich a few months ago, and today we are adopting a road map," noted Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

"I do not rule out the possibility that in the near future a citizen of Uzbekistan will fly on a Russian spacecraft," he added.

Moreover, Uzbekistan and Russia are planning to increase the trade turnover to $ 6 billion, and in the coming years - to $ 10 billion.

"In September, a meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission chaired by the heads of government was successfully held. Cooperation between regions is developing. Large investment projects are being implemented jointly with leading Russian companies and banks. This year, we estimate, the trade turnover will reach $ 6 billion. This figure exceeds our plans. The task for the coming years is $ 10 billion," said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Vladimir Putin noted that Uzbekistan is a reliable ally, a strategic partner of Russia. He stressed that after the state visit of the President of Uzbekistan to Russia last year, bilateral contacts in all areas have fundamentally changed for the better, and also expressed the readiness of Russia to further develop relations.

Russia is ready to carry out joint production of military equipment in the territory and at enterprises of Uzbekistan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the Uzbek-Russian negotiations in an expanded format.

"We are ready to develop military-technical cooperation, bearing in mind not only the supply of weapons and modern equipment, but also the joint production of this equipment in the territory and enterprises of Uzbekistan. As for deliveries, we have made an exceptional decision. You know deliveries to Uzbekistan are made at Russian domestic prices, " Putin added.

Russia and Uzbekistan are discussing proposals for the formation of the Central Asian energy ring, which would unite the energy system of the regions states, President Vladimir Putin said.

"The Uzbek partners have received concrete proposals on the formation of the Central Asian energy ring, which would unite the energy system of the states of the region," he stressed.

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By Abdul Kerimkhanov

From November 8, Turkish Airlines will launch flights from the new Istanbul airport in Baku and in reverse at discounted prices.

The new airport of Istanbul will be officially opened and will begin work on October 29, 2018.

The first flight to Baku from the new airport in Istanbul will take place on November 1, 2018 at 15:55 (GMT + 3).

The return flight from Baku to the new airport in Istanbul will take place on November 2 of this year at 08:53 (GMT + 3).

Until December 29, 2018 Turkish Airlines will launch a limited number of domestic and international flights from the New Istanbul Airport, as well as continue the main flow of work and flights on the existing schedule without changes at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. First of all, from the New Istanbul Airport, Turkish Airlines will start flights to Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, Azerbaijan (Baku) and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Ercan).

Flights from Istanbul New Airport will be considered additional. Flights that are already operated from Ataturk Airport in Istanbul to Ankara, Antalya, Izmir, Azerbaijan (Baku) and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Ercan) will be operated in accordance with the existing schedule until December 30, 2018.

The transfer from Ataturk Airport in Istanbul to the New Istanbul Airport will take place on December 31, 2018. All flights currently operating at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul will be transferred to the New Istanbul Airport.

Discount prices for flights from Istanbul New Airport (airport code - ISL) to Baku and in the opposite direction, which will be carried out daily from November 8 of this year, the minimum ticket price for an Istanbul-Baku-Istanbul flight with an online purchase will be 82 euros ( about 164 AZN), and in the opposite direction 109 euros (about 218 AZN). Flights from Istanbul to Baku will be operated daily at 09:25 local time (arrival in Baku - 13:15), and back at 14:10 (arrival in Istanbul - 16:30). The ticket price includes 30 kg of luggage and 8 kg of hand luggage.

Flights from New Istanbul Airport to Baku will be operated in parallel with other flights of companies from other Istanbul airports - Ataturk and Sabiha Gokcen, which will be carried out according to the usual schedule. In addition, there were no changes in the flight schedule for transit flights (to Europe, Asia, America, etc.) from these airports.

Turkish Airlines, founded in 1933 and having at that time a fleet of five aircraft, is currently a member of the international alliance Star Alliance and a 4-star airline with a fleet of 325 (passenger and cargo) aircraft flying along 304 destinations worldwide, including 255 international and 49 domestic.

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Copperas Cove, TX (76522)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 47F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 47F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph.
You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415 or smorgen@bakersfield.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.
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

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Two people are dead and another is in critical condition after a triple shooting in Conroe where a man shot his ex-girlfriend and her friend before killing himself, according to the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office.

The man and the ex-girlfriends friend were found dead at the scene around 11:45 p.m. Thursday in the 1200 block of Winchester Drive.
KABUL, Afghanistan - The Afghan government on Friday delayed legislative elections by one week in Kandahar province after the provincial police chief and intelligence chief were assassinated by a Taliban gunman, leaving a dangerous security vacuum in the region that is home to the insurgents.

A spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani announced just after noon that the National Security Council had decided in an "extraordinary meeting" that Saturday's polls would be suspended, as recommended by provincial leaders and the National Election Commission.

Thursday's brazen attack, which was immediately claimed by the Taliban, was aimed at a meeting of senior U.S. military and Afghan leaders in Kandahar city. Gen. Austin "Scott" Miller, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, escaped unharmed, but Lt. Gen. Abdul Razik, the Kandahar police commander, and Abdul Momin, the provincial intelligence chief, died of gunshot wounds, officials said.

The provincial governor, Zalmai Wesa, was hospitalized with severe injuries. Initial reports that he too had been killed were inaccurate.

The slaying of Razik, 39, a fierce anti-Taliban official who was considered the most powerful man in southern Afghanistan, sent shock waves through the country and further weakened the grip of the Ghani administration, which has been struggling to secure the country in the violent run-up to parliamentary elections.

In Kandahar, a sprawling city that is the country's second largest, residents and officials described an atmosphere of shock, tension and sorrow. They said Afghan security forces, led by special operations forces sent from Kabul, were deployed across the city to keep order, especially during the funeral of Razik at a popular shrine Friday morning.

"The entire city is in lockdown," said Javed Faisal, a candidate for parliament, speaking by cellphone from Kandahar. "Everyone is mourning." He said the city was secure but that "people are worried, not only for Kandahar but for the entire country."

The Taliban vowed to "severely disrupt" the polls, in which some 2,500 candidates are running for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament. Ten of those candidates have been killed in pre-election violence, along with more than 100 other Afghans.
Newton County Sheriff Billy Rowles came under fire this week by a national atheist organization for allegedly having a prayer meeting with a woman accused of abandoning puppies.

We received a call reporting that a lady dumped two puppies at the dump. We located her and had a prayer meeting with her, Rowles wrote in his Oct. 15 weekly sheriffs report. Its against the law to dump dogs. I dont think shell do it again.

After the Freedom From Religion Foundation received at least one complaint from a resident about the so-called prayer meeting, the Wisconsin-based foundation sent a letter to Rowles objecting to his use of religious language, calling it alarming and unacceptable.

You owe all Newton County residents, especially nonreligious residents and those who care about animal welfare, an immediate apology, staff attorney Ryan Jayne wrote in his Oct. 18 letter on behalf of the organization.

In a telephone interview Friday, Rowles said he was using a figure of speech and did not literally sit down and say a prayer with the woman. Instead, the sheriffs office told her that if it happened again, charges would be filed.

In East Texas, thats kind of like having a prayer meeting, Rowles said.

Rowles said authorities and neighbors did not see the woman dump the puppies. But when asked if the puppies at the dump were hers, he said, the woman indicated they were.

Rowles said he did not use the phrase prayer meeting literally. If it was a more popular phrase like God bless or a come-to-Jesus moment, Jayne said the religious context would have been OK since the sayings are acceptable in nonreligious circles.

He cant be endorsing religion on behalf of the sheriffs office, Jayne said. Even if prayer didnt happen, alarm bells should have gone off.

Rowles said Friday afternoon that he had not seen the letter and did not plan to respond.

If they want to talk to me about this matter, come to my office, Rowles said. I will be glad to talk with them eyeball to eyeball.

Theyre not going to like my response, I can tell you that.

This isnt the first time a citizen complaint from Southeast Texas has drawn the attention of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. Earlier this year, the foundation accused Beaumont city officials of promoting religion by adding In God We Trust decals to city emergency vehicles, according to previous Enterprise reporting.

In 2013, the foundation was called in during a dispute over spirit banners at Kountze High School that cited bible verses. The group called the banners divisive.

Phoebe.Suy@BeaumontEnterprise.com

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During a raucous rally in Montana on Thursday night, President Donald Trump made a remarkable admission about the man he nominated earlier this year to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs: He might not have been qualified.

Trump went on a long riff about the failed nomination of Ronny L. Jackson, blaming its demise on Sen. Jon Tester, the Democratic senator running for reelection in Montana.

"Jon Tester led the Democrat mob in the effort to destroy the reputation of a great man, Admiral Ronny Jackson," Trump told his crowd in Missoula.

Jackson, a long-serving White House physician, withdrew his nomination in April, less than 24 hours after Tester, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, authorized the release of allegations that Jackson had been drunk on the job, improperly prescribed medications and contributed to a toxic work environment.

Trump, speaking in a state that has one of the highest per capita rate of military veterans in the United States, lavished praise on Jackson and his work in the White House, calling him "a handsome, wonderful father" with a "beautiful family, incredible wife."

The president then recounted his courting of Jackson, then a rear admiral in the Navy, to lead Veterans Affairs.

"I said, 'Admiral, how would you like to head up the VA?'" Trump recalled. "'I want somebody great. You're an admiral, you're a leader.' And he's 50 years old. He never had a problem in his whole life. And he said, 'Sir, I had never thought of it, but I'll do whatever your wish is, sir.' He didn't really want it."

"And he might not have been qualified," Trump added. "But here's a doctor at a high level, and he's a man that everybody respected. I saw that. Respect is so important."

Trump compared the allegations against Jackson with those that were more recently leveled against Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, whose Senate confirmation process was roiled by women accusing him of decades-old sexual misconduct.

"Same thing. Same thing. Almost - almost - if this is believable - worse," Trump said. "I'm here because I can never forget what Jon Tester did to a man that's of the highest quality."

Tester is facing Republican challenger Matt Rosendale in a state Trump carried by more than 20 percentage points over Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Matt Whitney hops out of a black truck parked in midtown carrying a box of Hurts Donuts and waves a white-gloved hand toward a law office across the street. But the 42-year-old isn't dressed as himself Thursday.

Just moments prior, Whitney underwent a transformation. The doughnut delivery is one of the first of the day and Whitney is dressed as a mixture of a Stephen King classic villain, Pennywise the Clown from the movie IT, the 1990 version and the 2017 re-adaptation starring Bill Skarsgard. Whitney and his driver, Hurts Donut - Katy General Manager Layne Long, just call him the "scary clown."

Since the team at Hurts Donut  Katy announced in September it was going to start the scary clown prank beginning in October  the business' phones rang off the hook and the team sorted through thousands of messages and voicemails. The Katy doughnut shop was so inundated with calls, they kept pushing back delivery dates. Eventually, they had scheduled their deliveries in the greater Houston area into neighborhood blocks: Energy Corridor, Pearland, The Woodlands... etc.

But then they couldn't find a clown.

"We put an ad out, a listing for a scary clown and nobody showed up," doughnut shop owner Whitney says. "We didn't get any hits on it. We were surprised. I guess nobody wanted to be a scary clown."

He theorizes potential 'scary clowns' might have been afraid of taking the job after a social media posting garnered a lot of online attention and suggested that a clown delivering doughnuts in Texas might warrant someone sticking a gun in their face.

'GLORIOUSLY EXTRA': Halloween makeup on Instagram

On Thursday, Whitney and Long walk toward Weston Legal on West Gray ready to meet Daisy Guevarra, a legal assistant, who according to the doughnut shop called in the prank on the office.

Holding a red balloon, Whitney is silent as he waits to be escorted into the office building. He's silent as he's moving toward his target and he's silent when people yell at him from across the street or ask him direct questions.

A man across Main Street downtown yells at Whitney as he walks by, "You're going to scare someone with that, man." Others pull out their iPhones and snap photos and videos to share later with their friends on social media. Whitney doesn't flinch.

As he hands a box of doughnuts to Hannah Jung, a legal assistant at Weston Legal, he's silent underneath the white perpetual half-smile, half-sneer Pennywise mask and unless you asked him later, you'd never know that he thinks of himself as "a nice clown."

"I don't know why people are afraid of clowns," Whitney says. "Personally, I don't have any fear of clowns, but I don't know. Somebody on Facebook said that all clowns are scary. What about nice clowns? So I don't know why they're scared of clowns."

HALLOWEEN NOSTALGIA: Fright Fest at AstroWorld scared and amused a generation of Houstonians

He then admits that he gets a kick out scaring people and that underneath the mask he's been smiling and laughing the entire time.

"Today was actually fun walking downtown, because usually the deliveries we've done so far, we've kind of just piled out, get into a place and you're not really around people," he says. "Just to see the people on the street and stuff is funny. You can't tell that I'm smiling and laughing underneath this mask."

After the deliveries, Whitney takes off his mask. Never did he imagine that he'd end up walking the streets of downtown Houston delivering doughnuts dressed up as a scary clown. When his college friend Tim Clegg, who founded the Katy doughnut shop, told Whitney about Hurts Donut four years ago to join him, Whitney said, "No way."

Why would he?

He had "a real job" as a vice president of a production company in Tennessee. But always the entrepreneur that he was, he felt that itch he wanted to scratch. He wanted to be his own boss again, so he eventually did join up with Clegg, a franchisor. And he has no regrets, he says.

"The only thing that's tough is the 24 hours," he says. "It's more challenging than I anticipated it to be."

To be a Hurts Donut clown is rough living. To be a Hurts Donut owner is even rougher.

TRICK OR TREAT: Hurts Donuts launches national scary clown delivery service

Long says she was pushing for Whitney to be the clown from the get-go: it saves money. Whitney has been making it to the shop around 6 a.m. and leaving every day between 10 to 11 p.m., some days closer to midnight all while making deliveries throughout the greater Houston area spread between a morning, afternoon and evening shift. Deliveries began on Wednesday, Oct. 17 and will run through Halloween and so far Whitney is it. He's the clown. One Katy store is booked through the rest of October for all of Houston.

The cost for the scary clown service is $50 and includes one dozen doughnuts, the scary clown that delivers the doughnuts to the person of your choosing and the Hurts Donut ambulance. In downtown, parking an ambulance and delivering doughnuts would have been "a nightmare," Whitney says.

"I think if we do it again next year, which I think we probably will, we'll just hire somebody and tell them, you got to be there, this is what you're doing," Whitney says. "Had we been a little more prepared for it and knowing what we know, I think we can do twice the deliveries for the entire month."
Six members of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare Corp.'s network were inducted into the Tenet Heroes 2018 Hall of Fame.

Selected based on nominations, Tenet Heroes are individuals who go beyond their daily responsibilities and embody Tenet's core values. Nearly 1,400 network members were inducted into the Tenet Heroes Hall of Fame over the past decade.

Here are Tenet's 2018 Hall of Fame Inductees and the reasons they were recognized:

1. Millicent Alexander, social worker at Detroit-based DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital: Working on Detroit Life is Valuable Everyday, a program dedicated to breaking the cycle of violence with local youth and young adults.

2. Michelle Hanzie, respiratory care practitioner at Tucson, Ariz.-based Carondelet St. Mary's Hospital: Donating her kidney to a 13-year-old patient.

3. Keith McClure, RN, assistant nursing manager at Saint Francis Hospital  Memphis (Tenn.): Providing food and clothing to the homeless, founding the nonprofit Merge Memphis and operating the city's only nonprofit food truck.

4. Robert W. Ready, RN, associate chief nursing officer at Worcester, Mass.-based Saint Vincent Hospital: Battling the opioid epidemic through advocacy and community education.

5. Elizabeth Vernon, RN, registered nurse at Birmingham, Ala.-based Brookwood Baptist Medical Center: Leading six medical mission trips to Haiti and collecting supplies.

6. Elizabeth Voyles, RN, nurse coordinator of palliative care at Detroit-based DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan: Organizing a "Princess and Superhero" party for young palliative care patients at the hospital for the past nine years.
Construction on a $13 million medical office building in Fishers, Ind., will begin Oct. 19, Inside Indiana Business reports.

Here are four insights:

1. The 50,000-square-foot development, dubbed MedTech Park, will include a surgery center, clinic, imaging and physical therapy.

2. Muncie-based Central Indiana Orthopedics proposed the development more than two years ago.

3. MedTech Park is being developed on a 37-acre plot of land near St. Vincent Hospital in Fishers.

4. It is expected to create 25 jobs. Central Indiana Orthopedics' current employees work out of St. Vincent Hospital.
The following hospital and health system credit rating and outlook changes or affirmations occurred in the last week, beginning with the most recent:

1. Fitch Ratings upgrades Benefis Health System rating to 'A+'

Fitch Ratings upgraded its rating for Great Falls, Mont.-based Benefis Health System's outstanding revenue bonds from "A" to "A+."

2. Moody's affirms 'A3' rating for Calvert Health System

Moody's Investor Service affirmed its"A3" rating for Prince Frederick, Md.-based Calvert Health System's Series 2013 bonds, affecting $30.43 million of outstanding debt.

3. Moody's affirms Trinitas Regional Medical Center's 'Baa2' rating

Moody's Investor Service affirmed its "Baa2" rating for Elizabeth, N.J.-based Trinitas Regional Medical Center's outstanding revenue bonds, worth $89.6 million.

4. Moody's assigns 'Aa3' rating to University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics bonds

Moody's Investor Service has assigned an "Aa3" rating to Madison-based University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics' proposed revenue bonds, affecting $450 million of debt.

5. Moody's assigns 'A1' rating to Christus Health bonds

Moody's Investor Service assigned an "A1" rating to Irving, Texas-based Christus Health's proposed bonds and affirmed an "A1" rating on the system's parity debt.

6. Moody's assigns 'A1' rating to Phoenix Children's Hospital

Moody's Investor Service has assigned an "A1" rating to Phoenix (Ariz.) Children's Hospital's outstanding bonds, affecting $552 million of debt.

7. S&P downgrades St. Charles Parish Hospital District long-term rating to 'B'

S&P Global Ratings downgraded St. Charles Parish Hospital District No. 1's long-term rating from "A" to "B.

8. Moody's affirms 'Ba3' rating on MaineGeneral Medical Center

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "Ba3" rating on Augusta-based MaineGeneral Medical Center's outstanding bonds, affecting $280 million of debt.

9. Moody's affirms 'A1' rating on Vidant Health

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "A1" rating on Greenville, N.C.-based Vidant Health's bonds, affecting $430 million of debt.

10. S&P revises Holy Name Medical Center's outlook to stable from negative

S&P Global Ratings affirmed its "BBB" long-term rating on Teaneck, N.J.-based Holy Name Medical Center, affecting $55.3 million of debt. Concurrently, S&P revised the medical center's outlook to stable from negative.

11. Moody's affirms 'Ba1' rating on Oaklawn Hospital

Moody's Investors Service affirmed its "Ba1" rating on Marshall, Mich.-based Oaklawn Hospital, affecting $63.5 million of outstanding debt.

12. Moody's assigns 'Aa3' to Mercy Health

Moody's Investors Service assigned its its "Aa3" rating to St. Louis-based Mercy Health's proposed $230 million series 2018A-B. Concurrently, Moody's affirmed its "Aa3" rating on the health system.

13. Moody's downgrades East Jefferson General Health to 'Caa1,' maintains negative outlook

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Metairie, La.-based East Jefferson General Health's rating to "Caa1" from "B3," affecting $142 million of rated debt.
Victims of last year's deadly Unite the Right white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., continue to seek clarity about their medical bills, The Daily Progress reported.

Seven things to know:

1. White nationalists and their supporters gathered during Aug. 11-12 of last year in Charlottesville to protest the removal of a Confederate-era statue. Counterprotesters also turned up, and things turned violent. A vehicle driven into a crowd of protesters, killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injured at least 12 others.

2. A year later, the University of Virginia has told at least one victim that University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville waived outstanding out-of-pocket patient expenses that insurance didn't cover, according to the report.

A member of the university president's staff told the victim: "We have been working to try to resolve issues related to the medical bills of university students and community members who were injured and treated at the UVa Medical Center. We now know that the medical center has waived all medical center patient bills that were not covered by insurance. Insurance billing may still be going on, however, so it's possible that some of these people may be getting contacted by their insurance companies as the companies gather information  and this may be creating confusion for some patients."

3. But several survivors and health advocates told The Daily Progress they had not received the university's email about bill waivers.

4. Matthew Christensen, a former social worker who has been helping survivors, confirmed to the publication that he knows of one client who saw bills go to collections, despite the fact the person requested assistance from the Virginia Victims Fund, a state program that helps victims of violent crime with medical expenses.

5. According to the victims fund, state law prohibits healthcare providers from putting an account in collections that is under consideration at the fund.

6. Mr. Christensen told The Daily Progress he was working with the university regarding his client's issue and that survivors and advocates have had a hard time navigating bills, payments and assistance applications.

7. University spokesperson Anthony de Bruyn said the university has not sent out mass notification to known survivors. Instead, the president's office has contacted those affected individually, according to the report. Kristal Seymour, the medical center's contact for billing questions, did not immediately respond to requests from The Daily Progress for comment.

Access the full report here.

Alyssa Rege contributed to this report.

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The Georgia Department of Revenue will reopen a tax credit program designed to provide financial help to the state's rural hospitals.

Four things to know:

1. The tax credit program initially took effect in January 2017. Under the program, Georgia taxpayers may donate to rural hospitals in exchange for matching tax credits.

2. State officials gave Georgia taxpayers until Oct. 1 to make their donations for calendar year 2018, The Moultrie Observer reported. But they decided to reopen the program Nov. 15 since the $60 million cap on tax credits available annually has not been met. The department of revenue said it is authorized to reopen applications when the aggregate dollar amount donated does not meet the preapproval cap.

3. The department of revenue will accept applications beginning at 8 a.m. Nov. 15, but it noted taxpayers who did not donate up to their prior preapproved amount at this time must apply again.

4. Hospitals may use the donations for things such as paying off debt or making payments on a construction loan to build a new cancer or maternity center. More information about the program and a list of eligible hospitals is available here.

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Doctors Hospital at Deer Creek, a physician-owned hospital in Leesville, La., entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy Oct. 18.

In documents filed in the bankruptcy case, Gregory D. Lord, MD, a managing member of the hospital, said a former hospital administrator is to blame for the hospital's current financial troubles.

"The Chapter 11 filing was necessitated by a financial crisis resulting from Medicare overpayments caused by the actions of a prior administrator at the hospital," Dr. Lord said.

The hospital is currently paying back certain overpayments, but it does not have enough cash flow to pay back further overpayments that are likely to be assessed.

"Because of this, Medicare is likely to offset the overpayments owed by withholding all future Medicare payments to DHDC," Dr. Lord said. "Once Medicare begins offsetting the overpayments from future payments, DHDC will have to close its hospital, as there will be insufficient financial resources for the hospital to continue operations."

DHDC leaders determined the only feasible option is to service current debts, curtail additional debts and secure a buyer. DHDC submitted a purchase proposal to the bankruptcy court.

In its bankruptcy petition, DHDC listed its assets as between $1 million and $10 million and listed its liabilities in the same range.

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Salina (Kan.) Regional Health Center COO Joel Phelps is adding 'president' to his title.

Here are three things to know:

1. Prior to joining Salina Regional in 2007, Mr. Phelps served as assistant administrator at Integris Bass Baptist Health Center in Enid, Okla.

2. He has also served as an assistant administrator with Harris Methodist Health System in Fort Worth, Texas.

3. He holds a master's degree in healthcare administration from Trinity University in San Antonio.
Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare on Oct. 18 inducted six new members across its hospital network into the Tenet Heroes 2018 Hall of Fame, which is Tenet's most prestigious honor for employees.

Starting in 2008, Tenet Healthcare has recognized about 1,400 employees as 'Heroes' since launching the initiative in 2008. Eighty-eight have been inducted into the Tenet Heroes Hall of Fame. The Tenet Heroes program celebrates people who go above and beyond their daily responsibilities to make a meaningful difference in their communities. Tenet Heroes are nominated by fellow colleagues and exemplify Tenet's core values of quality, integrity, service, innovation and transparency.

"Our 2018 Tenet Heroes have remarkable passion, commitment and courage  and their actions have set the example of how one person can change a community for the better," Ron Rittenmeyer, Tenet's executive chairman and CEO, said in a press release. "These six outstanding employees embody Tenet and our values, and we are so proud to have them on our team."

Here are Tenet's 2018 Hall of Fame inductees:

Millicent Alexander, a social worker at DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit, was recognized for working on the Detroit Life is Valuable Everyday program, which helps interrupt cycles of violence in younger populations in Detroit.

Michelle Hanzie, a respiratory care practitioner at Carondelet St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson, Ariz., was recognized for donating her kidney to a 13-year-old-girl.

Keith McClure, RN, an assistant nursing manager at Saint Francis Hospital- Memphis in Tennessee, was recognized for founding the nonprofit organization Merge Memphis, which provides food and clothing to the city's homeless population.

Robert W. Ready, RN, a associate chief nursing officer at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Mass., was recognized for creating an opioid task force to educate the community about the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts.

Elizabeth Vernon, RN, a registered nurse at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center in Birmingham, Ala., was recognized for leading six medical mission trips to Haiti.

Elizabeth Voyles, RN, a nurse coordinator for palliative care at DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, was recognized for organizing a princess and superhero party for young patients in palliative care at the hospital for the past nine years.

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While Massachusetts is home to some of the best hospitals in the nation for patient care, a ballot measure next month proposed by the Massachusetts Nurses Association may lead to higher healthcare costs and reduced access for patients, according to an op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal editorial board Oct. 17.

Question 1, which will be placed on the November ballot, limits the number of patients assigned to each registered nurse in state hospitals. Under the measure, pediatric, medical and surgery unit nurses would not be able to care for more than four patients, while critical or intensive care unit nurses and those working in labor and delivery units would be assigned to a single patient, the editorial board states.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association states the proposed nurse staffing restrictions will improve the quality of hospital care across the state.

California is the only other state in the U.S. to enact similar staffing ratios. However, Massachusetts' proposed rule would go further than California's, imposing narrower ratios and no waivers for rural hospitals. While California gave hospitals several years to phase in the quotas, Massachusetts hospitals would have to fully comply by Jan. 1, or face fines of up to $25,000 for each violation.

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, the state's healthcare watchdog agency, examined the effect of California's nurse staffing quotas and found "no systematic improvement in patient outcomes post-implementation of ratios," the WSJ editorial board notes.

To meet the proposed ratios, hospitals statewide would have to significantly increase their nursing staff, creating an artificial scarcity of nurses and driving up wages and overtime. Costs related to the measure may rise as high as $949 million per year. Patients may also see higher medical bills or see their access to care decrease, as hospitals may have to impose limits on inpatient admissions.

"Voters  future patients nearly all  have every reason to reject Question 1," the WSJ editorial board states.

To access the full op-ed, click here.
The proposed $69 billion merger of CVS Health and Aetna could face opposition in New York as state officials mull blocking parts of the deal, according to Bloomberg.

While CVS and Aetna garnered approval from the Department of Justice to move forward with their transaction  provided Aetna sells its Medicare Part D business to WellCare Health Plans  the companies still face state regulatory hurdles. Connecticut OK'd the deal Oct. 17, and New York will make its decision after Oct. 25.



What may hold up the deal in New York is whether the merger could lead to lower prices for consumers. New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Maria Vullo called the Justice Department's approval of the deal "myopic" and suggested her agency may block CVS' merger with Aetna's New York business.



Deputy General Counsel for CVS Elizabeth Ferguson told Ms. Vullo the company didn't have a specific plan to curb prices, according to Bloomberg. The company has said in the past the merger would lead to greater cost efficiencies.



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Ninety-five more women are accusing George Tyndall, MD, a former University of Southern California gynecologist, of sexual misconduct, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The women are suing USC.

In claims filed this week, 93 of the women allege Dr. Tyndall sexually abused them and that USC knowingly covered up the sexual abuse for decades, according to the report. Another lawsuit by two former patients also accuses Dr. Tyndall of sexual misconduct.

Andy Rubenstein, an attorney representing hundreds of Dr. Tyndall's former patients, told the Los Angeles Times that "the survivors we represent are furious, and rightfully so. They are not going away.

"Generations of Trojan women have had to endure the same emotional pain and scars because USC did nothing," Mr. Rubenstein said. "Since this story broke nearly six months ago, there has been no significant effort by USC to come clean or enact substantive change in the way it handles allegations of sexual assaults against its staff."

The women's claims, filed Oct. 18, mark the latest allegations against Dr. Tyndall and USC. Overall, more than 400 students are reportedly suing USC.

Rick Caruso, chairman of USC's board of trustees, recently told the Los Angeles Times he wanted resolution to the cases "as quickly as possible."

The university told CNN: "We are aware of the lawsuits. We will be seeking a prompt and fair resolution that is respectful of our former students. We are committed to providing the women of USC with the best, most thorough and respectful health care services of any university."

Dr. Tyndall saw patients at USC for at least three decades, despite sexual harassment complaints against him. He resigned from USC in 2017 after an internal investigation. But USC reportedly received allegations of sexual harassment by Dr. Tyndall dating back to the 1990s, and it failed to notify the state's medical board of the allegations until it learned of an investigation by the Los Angeles Times this year.

Dr. Tyndall has denied any wrongdoing.

Alyssa Rege contributed to this report.
The University of Southern California in Los Angeles has reached a $240 million settlement in principle to resolve sexual abuse allegations against George Tyndall, MD, a former USC gynecologist, according to attorneys representing USC students and alumni.

A class-action lawsuit against the university and Dr. Tyndall alleges Dr. Tyndall "violated this trust and his female patients by causing physical contact, including in the form of sexual abuse, molestation and unwanted touching."

The suit also alleges USC was aware of the physician's conduct for decades but failed to take appropriate action to protect female students.

The proposed settlement covers hundreds of current and former USC students who were examined by Dr. Tyndall at the university's student health center. Each patient would be compensated at least $2,500, with potential for up to $250,000 in additional compensation. The proposed settlement also includes attorneys' fees.

"We are pleased that this proposed settlement will bring meaningful recovery to this class of women, without intensive litigation and discovery directed at the victims," said Steve Berman, managing partner of Seattle-based law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro and attorney representing the class of USC alumni.

Wanda Austin, PhD, the university's interim president, said "I regret that any student ever felt uncomfortable, unsafe, or mistreated in any way as a result of the actions of a university employee."

The settlement must be approved in court and is unrelated to lawsuits filed this week by 95 women in Los Angeles against Dr. Tyndall and USC.
Mobile, Ala.-based USA Health University Hospital received two bomb threats Oct. 16 and Oct. 17, according to WKRG.

The first bomb threat was called in to the hospital Oct. 16, and Mobile police responded at about 2:45 p.m. The second bomb threat was called in Oct. 17. Mobile police again arrived at the hospital around 2:30 p.m.

Police said they used K-9 units to check the hospital for suspicious items. The dogs and officers did not find anything, but the investigation is still underway.

Editor's note: Becker's Hospital Review reached out to USA Health University Hospital for a statement and will update the article as more information becomes available.

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Six children in New York City were diagnosed with measles Oct. 16 after one child brought back the illness from Israel, according to NBC 4 New York.

New York City health officials said the child went to Israel, was exposed to a measles outbreak and returned to the Orthodox Jewish community of Williamsburg, N.Y. Five other children have since been diagnosed with measles. The children range in age from 11 months to 4 years old. Five of the children were not vaccinated against measles. One child was hospitalized with pneumonia, and another has an ear infection.

About a dozen other New York state residents, living outside of New York City, were also diagnosed with measles. Of these individuals, five contracting the measles after traveling to Israel and six were exposed to infected people in the U.S.

The New York City health department held a meeting in Williamsburg Oct. 18 with rabbis and elected officials to increase awareness about measles.

"Although measles is preventable, too many families are choosing to not vaccinate or delay vaccination, putting their children and other children at risk," Oxiris Barbot, MD, New York City's acting health commissioner, told NBC 4 New York.

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Arizona officials cancelled a statewide vaccine educational program after it received negative feedback from parents who oppose immunizing their children, according to azcentral.com.

The vaccine educational program was a pilot online course that replicated similar programs in Oregon and Michigan. Arizona created the program in response to a rising number of Arizona children skipping required immunizations required by the school.

Some parents said they were worried about the course becoming mandatory for their children. A group of 120 individuals, including 20 parents who indicated they don't vaccinate their children, filed a complaint about the course to the state's Regulatory Review Council. The council questioned the health department about the case, which ended up canceling the program, according to internal emails cited by azcentral.com.

Brenda Jones, immunization services manager at the Arizona Department of Health Services, said the program received "a lot of political and anti-vaxx" feedback in an Aug. 14 email to two other health department employees.

"I'm not sure why providing 'information' is seen as a negative thing," Rep. Heather Carter, R-Cave Creek, who helped create the pilot program, told azcentral.com. "Providing information doesn't take away a parent's choice to seek an exemption. ... This is a major concern. Vaccines have saved lives for generations. We all want to live in safe and healthy communities."

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Researchers at Cambridge-based Massachusetts Institute of Technology and San Diego-based Organovo are looking into the benefits of 3D-printed tissue, which can eliminate the need for organ donors with enough development, according to The Boston Herald.

To create the tissues, Organovo reworks DNA, RNA and human cells to generate the 3D-printed tissues, according to CEO Taylor Crouch. The tissues can be used to repair damaged organs or improve function to help prolong their lifespan and reduce the need for transplants.

"Its about personalized and customized treatment," Xuanhe Zhao, PhD, professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, told The Boston Herald. "You wouldn't even need the donors, you use your own cells to regenerate the tissue or organ you need."

Organovo is in the process of testing 3D-printed human liver tissue in mice, but the company faces limitations in manufacturing and clinical trials.

Mr. Crouch said Organovo hopes to show the 3D-printed tissue technology will provide a cost benefit when compared to the cost of an organ transplant.

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The following organizations have shared hiring plans since Oct. 8:

1. CoxHealth seeks to fill jobs at Halloween-themed job fair

Springfield, Mo.-based CoxHealth will host a Halloween-themed job fair to fill positions ranging from entry-level to management.

2. West Virginia state hospitals are hiring

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources seeks to fill positions at multiple hospitals.

3. Chicago health system to add 240+ jobs

Cook County Health and Hospitals System in Chicago reportedly will add at least 240 jobs in fiscal year 2019 amid the system's growth.

4. Florida Hospital interviewing nurses in 7 locations Nov. 13

Orlando-based Florida Hospital will hold a nurse hiring event Nov. 13 to fill positions systemwide.

5. U of Cincinnati Health hiring 250 nurses

The University of Cincinnati Health announced will host multiple open houses this month to fill about 250 nursing positions systemwide.

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Here are eight hospitals, health systems and private practices expanding spine and neurosurgery programs.

Charlottesville-based University of Virginia Health System opened a new neurosurgery clinic in Haymarket, Va.

Hendersonville, N.C-based Park Ridge Health is the first hospital within its region to implement the Mazor X Robotic Guidance Platform in its spine center.

Harrisonburg, Va.-based North American Spine and Pain expanded its services to Newark, Del.

Phoenix-based The Core Institute plans to open a new clinic location in Scottsdale, Ariz., Nov. 5.

CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga (Tenn.) installed the Mazor X Robotic Guidance Platform.

The Louis and Harold Price Foundation donated $3 million to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UC Los Angeles to support spinal cord injury research.

Chicago-based Presence Medical Group opened a neurosurgery practice in Plainfield, Ill., and added two neurosurgeons.

Glendale-based Ascension Wisconsin is setting aside $2 million for a new neurosurgery program at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital Milwaukee.
EirGrid has launched a two-year pre-application consultation in the Republic for its planned 1bn sub-sea electricity interconnector between Ireland and France.

It's the first formal step to securing a permit for the 575km Celtic Interconnector, 500km of which will be sub-sea and will make landfall in east C ork.

EirGrid, the semi state body that manages Ireland's national electricity grid, is the owner of SONI, which maintains the electricity infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

SONI and EirGrid are also behind the North-South Interconnector plan, which would run a 400kv overhead power line from Co Tyrone to Meath.

The Irish power company is developing the sub-sea plan in conjunction with its French counterpart, Reseau de Transport d'Electricite (RTE).

A spokesman for EirGrid said that the initiation of a pre-application consultation with the Republic's planning body An Bord Pleanala is required because the 700MW Celtic Interconnector is deemed a Project of Common Interest (PCI) by the European Commission. The planning watchdog is the designated authority in Ireland for the permit granting process of PCIs.

A PCI can benefit from accelerated planning and permit granting. To be designated a PCI, a project must have a significant impact on the energy markets and market integration of at least two EU countries. It should also increase competition, energy security and integration of renewable energy sources.

The cable will be the only direct power link between Ireland and another EU member state once the UK leaves next year.
Fit-out specialist Mivan in Co Antrim has said it's taken on 40 new staff over the course of 2018 after securing new contracts in Great Britain.

Mivan, which is owned by Newry-based MJM Group, said an increase in business and "several major new contracts" had led to the recruitment drive.

The business already has more than 100 staff, and operates in interior re-fits, the specialist joinery sector, and the marine/cruise ship market.

It was bought out of administration by entrepreneur Brian McConville - the chairman of MJM Group - in 2014.

A spokeswoman for the company said the new work included projects in London, which are still being kept under wraps, as well as shipping projects in locations around the world.

And it has also secured a major deal in hospitality. "We are working on a major project in the hospitality sector which is ramping up temporarily as it comes towards completion and we'll be able to talk more about it in the months ahead," she said.

Mivan said it had also reinforced its management team, appointing John Cunningham as managing director and Liam Murphy as commercial director.

Mr Cunningham said: "Mivan is an iconic brand in the Northern Ireland construction sector.

"We are delighted to have been constantly recruiting over the last number of months, which will mean that by the end of this year we will have increased our workforce to more than 160 people.

"This is an exciting period of growth for Mivan, which brings with it a wealth of opportunities for our long-established team as well as new recruits." He added: "We are working on some major new contracts and have a healthy order book for 2019."

The company said that it is currently looking for project managers, site managers, site supervisors, joiners and a quantity surveyor.

MJM Group also acquired Toomebridge-based Topglass in May.

Last month, the group company reported a 20% fall in turnover to 49.5m for 2017.

But pre-tax profits at the company, which is owned by Mr McConville and his family, were up by around 5% to 7.8m.

The business said the year's performance had shown strong growth and "firm focus on driving profitability". It added: "The company spent considerable time in 2017 on strategic planning, developing new markets and building on capability.

"Driving lean principles and efficiencies is reflected in increased profitability."

MJM Group recently completed fit-out work on luxury cruise ship the Azamara Pursuit in Belfast, the first major cruise ship refit to take place in dry docks in the UK.
Swiss private banking group Julius Baer will open its first offices in Belfast in the new year.

It's understood the move will make the wealth management bank the first Swiss company to be permanently based here.

Julius Baer said it requires its clients to have a minimum of 1m to invest.

The private bank initially set its sights on Northern Ireland in November last year, recruiting three former wealth managers from Barclays to secure a foothold in Belfast.

Speaking yesterday, one of the three, managing director and senior adviser Jonathan Dobbin, said there was a growing interest among the wealthiest people here about how to manage their money.

"Three-quarters of the top 100 businesses here are owned by family members," he explained.

"Whilst their focus day in and day out is on their local business, they're beginning to think more globally."

With operations in 25 countries, he said Julius Baer is well placed to help people manage their money.

"We have stuck to our guns for more than 127 years in doing one thing and one thing only, and that is looking after high net worth individuals and focusing purely on wealth management," he added.

He said that the plan to open the new premises, which will be located in the city centre, demonstrate that Julius Baer is serious about setting up in Northern Ireland.
The UK will "never be finished" negotiating with the EU over the terms of its departure from the bloc, the Swiss ambassador to the UK has said.

As a summit of EU leaders in Brussels failed to reach an agreement on a Brexit deal, Alexandre Fasel said that the Government faces a perpetual state of negotiations, so long as the UK remains outside the EU. "Brexit will never be finished," he said

Swiss voters narrowly rejected membership of the European Economic Area, often called the Norwegian model, by just 25,000 votes in 1992.

It remains a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), allowing it to participate in the Single Market, with some exceptions, and it is within the Schengen area, which abolishes internal barriers across the single market.

Its relationship with the EU is also governed by dozens of bilateral agreements.

Speaking during an event organised by Swiss private banking group Julius Baer yesterday, Mr Fasel said: "I think what you are seeing now, the Brexit debate, that is the new normal. This is not going to stop until the last judgment, because the EU is not going to stop and you are always going to have to adapt to what the EU does. The only way for a European third country to settle the European question is to join the EU as a full member. Otherwise the question constantly remains open."

Mr Fasel said that despite the close nature of the 1992 vote, support for the EU in Switzerland has dwindled in the past two decades.

"At that time opinion polls showed that approximately half of the electorate was in favour of fully fledged membership of the EU. That figure is now down to 11% in one generation, 25 years."

Predicting a similar scenario in the UK, he added: "The Swiss experience would suggest that in two decades it will not be 52-48%, it will be 80-20%."

Mr Fasel said Swiss euroscepticism had grown in response to the seemingly endless negotiations with the EU to retain trade connections.

"You are in a permanent state of negotiation to safeguard that.

"It's an asymmetrical situation, the big one is the EU and the small one is you. It's readily apparent in the case of Switzerland and, relatively speaking, it will also be the case for the UK.

"In such a situation, you don't always get your way. Of course the one to blame is the other one, and that solidifies the anti-European sentiments in the electorate. We have approximately 140 agreements," he continued.

"But every time you have a new agreement, that in turn alleviates the pressure to be a full-fledged member and solidifies the confidence to stay aloof from European integration."
Police have appealed for information after a car was stolen.

Police have issued an appeal for information after a group of men forced their way into a home in south Belfast, threatened the occupants and stole their car.

Police received a report of an aggravated burglary at a house in the Edinburgh Street area in the early hours of Friday 19th October.

It was reported to police shortly after 5am that three men, one possibly armed with a knife, entered the house and threatened the occupants before taking the keys to a blue Ford Fiesta and two mobile phones.

The car was then stolen and has since been recovered at Springfield Park in west Belfast.

There were no reports of any injuries following the incident.

I would appeal to anyone who noticed any suspicious activity at Edinburgh Street or Springfield Park or who has information which could assist us with our enquiries to contact detectives at Musgrave on 101 quoting reference number 176 19/10/18," Detective Sergeant McPhillips said.

Or, if someone would prefer to provide information without giving their details they can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers and speak to them anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Ashers Bakery wont be renewing the lease on their Royal Avenue branch

A popular Belfast bakery has fallen victim to the lack of shoppers in the city centre in the wake of the Primark fire.

Ashers Bakery is just a few yards from the burned-out shell of Bank Buildings in Belfast's Royal Avenue.

Footfall in Belfast city centre has slumped by a third in the aftermath of the devastating blaze at the end of August.

The bakery owners, the McArthurs, were in the headlines last week after winning a landmark discrimination appeal at the Supreme Court.

The court ruled that Ashers Baking Co had not discriminated on grounds of sexual orientation, religious belief or political opinion in declining to decorate a cake with the message "Support Gay Marriage".

Judges unanimously agreed the bakery had objected to the message and not the messenger.

Last night, Ashers said the company is trading well, and the decision not to renew the lease on the Royal Avenue branch of the bakery chain was based purely on specific commercial considerations relating to that outlet.

General manager Daniel McArthur said: "It simply comes down to the figures.

"We decided not to renew the lease.

"Belfast city centre isn't busy enough - our other shops are much busier."

Mr McArthur added: "It's been planned for some time, and I am pleased to say there will be no job losses."

The Royal Avenue outlet is one of nine retail sites operated by the company in the east Antrim and Belfast area.

News of the Ashers closure comes as city centre traders say the once-vibrant shopping heart of the city has become a 'ghost town' in the wake of the devastating Bank Buildings blaze.

A security cordon ensures pedestrians and shoppers are kept away from the gutted former Primark store - but it also prevents them reaching the many shops close to the charred Castle Junction ruin.

Some businesses have called for the building to be pulled down immediately to mitigate the economic impact.

However, it is understood any demolition project would be significantly complicated by safety concerns around the huge structure.

Heritage campaigners have called for the listed building to be saved.

Primark itself has contributed half a million pounds to help traders affected by the blaze and the subsequent security ring of steel.
A former Olympic yachtsman is spearheading a project to build the UK's most advanced maritime manufacturing facility in Belfast Harbour - which will create 35 jobs to begin with.

Double gold medallist Iain Percy, chief executive of Artemis Technology, will make a green energy powered 'Autonomous Sailing Vessel' (ASV) that will sail itself, have zero emissions and be able to cruise indefinitely - even with no wind.

The commercial vessel has a variety of applications, including city-to-city passenger transportation.

The 42-year-old said: "We aim to lead in the decarbonisation of the maritime industry by building on our America' s Cup heritage and expertise in hydrofoils, wing sails and control systems to develop and manufacture green-powered commercial vessels, helping to ensure a sustainable maritime future.

"To build that skill base in one place to create a hub is very important to me.

"I have come from a passion for the technology and woken up to a social responsibility for the environment rather than the other way around.

"That's what keeps me really driven as the design is an amazing feat of engineering and the realisation that it can be applied to challenges of maritime emissions."

He explained that the boat will be more of an aerospace problem than a maritime one due to its design and added that Belfast Metropolitan College "has a big part to play".

"They have been great with Bombardier doing specific apprenticeship courses, so we're looking to do the same with them," he said.

The 50-person boat will be a zero emission, 45m catamaran that will not use fossil fuels, have unlimited range and could reach 50 knots, with a cruising speed of 30.

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The AC45f sails up Belfast Lough helmed by Iain Percy Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press E The AC45f sails up Belfast Lough helmed by Iain Percy The AC45f sails up Belfast Lough helmed by Iain Percy / Facebook

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"The ultra-light vessel will have a Formula One-based energy recovery system and will store wind power in batteries to cover spells when there is no wind.

While able to sail itself, it would have a 'pilot'.

Secretary of State Karen Bradley said: "It's fantastic news that the company has chosen Belfast to build a 45m passenger vessel using a design which is based on the America's Cup catamaran yacht. To begin there will be 35 high-skilled jobs created but a clear ambition to expand rapidly.

"This is brilliant news for Belfast and another example of a world-class company choosing Northern Ireland as the best place to invest, innovate and grow a world-class workforce," she said.

DUP leader Arlene Foster added: "It's amazing to think of no fuel, just relying on wind turned into electricity, it's a wonderful way forward and very exciting.

"There's potential here to grow exponentially and that's what's exciting and it's so innovative, so inspiring.

"The students have said what it means to them, that they could stay in Belfast and be high tech and look to the future.

"Sometimes I think we underestimate the power of what we have here in Belfast.

"We heard today that we have a deep sea port, we have all the infrastructure and we have the skills.

"It's wonderful to hear, our history and our heritage very much speaks to that vibe and we are leading the way in technology, we are leading the way in financial technology, we're leading the way in cyber security and sometimes I think we don't hear enough about that."

Artemis Technology was founded last year and is a spin-off from the America's Cup team Artemis Racing.

The company has spent one-third of a billion pounds investigating ASVs.

The company will work in partnership with Belfast City Council, Belfast Harbour, Stena Line, Bombardier, Harland & Wolff, Queen's University, Ulster University, Belfast Met, NIACE Research institute and Creative Composites and Catalyst Inc.

The International Maritime Organisation has committed to cut emissions by at least half by 2050.
A planned medical school at Ulster University's campus in Londonderry has been shelved because there are no ministers in Stormont.

The first intake of 60 students at the Graduate Entry Medical School at Magee Campus had been scheduled for 2019 - but the future of a medical school any time in the future is now in doubt.

The Department of Health commissioned Professor Keith Gardiner to carry out a review of medical school provision in Belfast and Derry.

His unpublished report, which was completed in August this year, was considered vital to whether a new medical school would be set up in Derry, or existing facilities at Queen's University would be expanded.

The Department of Health spokesman said the report would be published, but did not say when. "While officials continue to engage with both universities on medical education matters, it will be for ministers to decide on any business cases submitted in respect of future medical school plans," the spokesman said.

A spokeswoman for Ulster University said: "While we have continued to work closely with Department officials over recent months and await published findings of the Gardiner report, we remain deeply disappointed that the lack of political decision making will delay the plans for the Graduate Entry Medical School."

DUP Foyle MLA Gary Middleton described the news as a "huge blow" and called for the Secretary of State to step in and make a decision.

He said: "I understand that people will be very angry about this and so am I.

"I want to be in a position where I am at my desk, and we need ministers at their desks, but this is the difficulty we are in.

"We believe priority should be given to health and eduction and it can't be held up.

"There needs to be movement to allow these decisions to be taken, so in the absence of an Executive, reluctantly, there needs to be decisions from the Westminster perspective through the Secretary of State.

"We can't allow this medical school to be held up. A year now has been lost already, but the longer this goes on the further the date for potential graduates is being pushed back."

SDLP health spokesman Mark H Durkan said the stalling of the medical school in Derry is an example of how people are paying the price for a lack of government.

The Foyle MLA said: "I am hopeful that the Gardiner report will tell us what people working in healthcare here have been telling us for years - that this medical school in Derry is an urgent necessity to train more doctors and to attract and retain doctors in the west.

"However, what is clear is that, regardless of what the report's findings and recommendations are, this vital project will not progress in the absence of ministerial approval and, given the continued absence of ministers, that means it won't progress.

"The clock is ticking, the lack of government here is costing people dearly and costing people daily and this is yet another example of how."
The Ashers Baking branch on Belfasts Royal Avenue is to close (Brian Lawless/PA)

The bakery at the centre of the so-called gay cake case is to close a branch in Belfast.

Ashers was cleared of discrimination by the UKs highest court after its owners refused to make a cake promoting same-sex marriage.

Its store on Royal Avenue in the city centre is set to close because it is not busy enough.

Expand Close Daniel and Amy McArthur are to close their Belfast city centre branch (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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It follows a major fire at a nearby Primark clothing store which has devastated traders in the area.

General manager Daniel McArthur said: It simply comes down to the figures.

We decided not to renew the lease.

Belfast city centre isnt busy enough  our other shops are much busier.

Its been planned for some time and I am pleased to say there will be no job losses.

A legal action was originally brought by gay rights activist Gareth Lee, who claimed he had been discriminated against when the firm refused to make him a cake iced with the slogan Support Gay Marriage.

Expand Close The historic building which housed Primark in Belfast city centre was destroyed in a blaze in August (Liam McBurney/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Mr Lee initially won his case in the county court and then at the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal, but the McArthurs then challenged those rulings at a Supreme Court hearing in Belfast in May.

The massive fire at the Primark store in Belfast city centre destroyed the listed building.

A safety cordon around it has been established while engineers carry out inspections.

That has had a major impact on trade, with the main thoroughfare of the city centre blocked to pedestrian and motorised traffic.

Extra funding and support has been put in place for businesses affected.
A five-year-old girl and three adults escaped injury in an arson attack in Magherafelt.

Police are treating it as a hate crime and are working on a theory the incident was sectarian.

In the early hours of Friday morning a tyre was placed against the front door of a home in Leckagh Walk. It was set alight which resulted in extensive damage to the door and scorch damage to the hallway.

An upstairs bedroom was also damaged. The girl was sleeping in the next door room.

Two men aged 47 and 17 and a woman (39) were also inside the property.

The family are thought to have lived in the property for over 10 years.

"This totally reckless act could have resulted in injuries or fatalities," said Detective Constable Dunlop.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have information about the 3.20am attack to contact 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley faced criticism yesterday as she handed new powers to civil servants in a bid to keep Stormont running.

All the parties bar the DUP accused Mrs Bradley of hiding behind a "smokescreen" and of "legislating away her responsibility".

But Arlene Foster said the blame lay with republicans.

"Sinn Fein should end their boycott, they should come back into the Assembly and allow us to make the decisions that matter to the people of Northern Ireland," she said.

Party colleague Gavin Robinson MP also put the blame on Sinn Fein.

"This limited measure is in no way a substitute for democratically elected representatives making decisions in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland," he said.

But Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy blasted Mrs Bradley's new legislation.

"Faced with the prospect of a court-ordered election, the British Government has taken this step in order to avoid the embarrassment of a judge instructing them to give citizens their democratic rights," he said.

"It is a hugely retrograde move, which undermines the democratic process by preventing citizens from electing public representatives.

"Those are not the actions of a Government which is genuinely set on a resolution to the political crisis and a restoration of power-sharing."

He added that the Conservative Party had put its "toxic pact" with the DUP above fundamental democratic rights.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said Mrs Bradley was "spending her time bringing in legislation to afford civil servants more power, yet has done next to nothing to arrange a talks process with the intention of getting an Assembly up and running".

He added: "It is time Karen Bradley injected some urgency into the process and stopped allowing the DUP to dictate to her."

Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey was equally scathing of the development.

He said the priority should be restoring Stormont institutions to make key decisions on health, education, housing and infrastructure.

"There needs to be ministers in place rather than this smokescreen for failure to deliver a political solution that is acceptable to the people of Northern Ireland," he said.

And Alliance leader Naomi Long said: "The Civil Service taking decisions is not in any way equivalent to politicians driving change through committees, departments, the Assembly and the Executive.

"This Bill allows for urgent intervention, but for Northern Ireland to function properly, we need more than just a sticking plaster on what is a broken leg.

"The only effective and sustainable solution is for local politicians to step up and do the job they were elected to do."

Green Party MLA Steven Agnew accused Mrs Bradley of letting Westminster "legislate away her responsibilities".

"Karen Bradley is looking to absolve herself of the big decisions that she can and should be taking," he said.

"Effectively, she's taking those big decisions out of her 'in' tray and shuffling them across to unelected civil servants."
A case of BSE in Scotland is not a threat to cattle in Northern Ireland

The discovery of a case of mad cow disease in Scotland does not affect Northern Ireland's negligible risk status, Northern Ireland's Chief Veterinary Officer has said.

Dr Robert Huey was speaking after the Scottish Government confirmed a case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) on a farm in Aberdeenshire.

Precautionary movement restrictions have been put in place at the farm, while further investigations to identify the origin of the disease occur.

This is standard procedure for a confirmed case of classical BSE, which does not represent a threat to human health.

Dr Robert Huey said: "While this finding is disappointing, it shows that the robust and rigorous controls on BSE surveillance are effective in identifying issues as early as possible.

"The finding in Scotland does not impact on Northern Ireland's negligible risk status.

"We have robust control and surveillance measures in place. We have stringent controls in meat plants and meal companies to ensure meat and bone meal cannot get into feed. These measures ensure that beef from Northern Ireland is a quality product and safe to eat."

Dr Huey added: "Contaminated feed is a known cause of BSE. Farmers should ensure they comply with TSE (transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) legislation and source feed responsibly. They should also maintain good records of feed supplies.

"I am in regular contact with my counterpart in Scotland and will continue to monitor the situation as the ongoing investigation into the cause of this case continues."

The case was identified as part of routine testing and did not enter the human food chain, according to the Scottish Government.

Scotland's Chief Veterinary Officer Sheila Voas said: "While it is too early to tell where the disease came from in this case, its detection is proof that our surveillance system is doing its job.

"We are working closely with the Animal and Plant Health Agency to answer this question, and, in the meantime, I would urge any farmer who has concerns to immediately seek veterinary advice."

Fergus Ewing, Scotland's Rural Economy Secretary, added: "Following confirmation of a case of classical BSE in Aberdeenshire, I have activated the Scottish Government's response plan to protect our valuable farming industry, including establishing a precautionary movement ban being placed on the farm.

"While it is important to stress that this is standard procedure until we have a clear understanding of the disease's origin, this is further proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working." BSE can be passed on to humans in the food chain, causing a fatal condition called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Strict controls were introduced to protect consumers after the link was established in 1996. The disease has been reduced to a handful of cases each year in the UK, with the last recorded case in Wales in 2015.

Scotland has been BSE-free since 2009.

Ian McWatt, director of operations at Food Standards Scotland, said: "There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity.

"Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Scotland official veterinarians and meat hygiene inspectors working in all abattoirs in Scotland will continue to ensure that, in respect of BSE controls, the safety of consumers remains a priority."
Prime Minister Theresa May speaks to the media following the EU summit in Brussels yesterday

Delaying the UK's final break with the EU would do nothing to change the "unacceptable backstop proposals", the DUP's Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said last night.

He was speaking after Theresa May insisted she is convinced she will get a deal on Britain's withdrawal from the EU, despite a "moment of truth" summit passing with no sign of a breakthrough.

The Prime Minister infuriated MPs from all sides of her party by indicating she is ready to delay the UK's final departure from EU structures until 2021 in the hope of breaking the deadlock over the Irish border.

"An extended transition period means the United Kingdom continues to 'pay but have no say' in Brussels," Mr Dodds said.

"Such an extension would cost the United Kingdom billions of pounds, yet our fundamental problem with the EU proposal remains."

The DUP - whose votes are crucial to the survival of Mrs May's Government - has described as a "deal-breaker" any move to split Northern Ireland off from the rest of the UK as part of a Brexit settlement with the EU.

Current EU plans call for Northern Ireland to stay in the customs union and single market if talks during the transition period fail to reach agreement.

Irish Minister for European Affairs Helen McEntee also claimed yesterday that the Prime Minister had already promised Dublin that there would not be a time limit on the "Irish backstop" proposals, which could see Northern Ireland treated differently from the rest of the UK in the aftermath of Brexit.

Mr Dodds added: "The DUP wants a Brexit deal that works for our nearest neighbours in the European Union but which respects the constitutional and economic integrity of the precious Union.

"The backstop as proposed by the EU would undermine the constitutional and economic integrity of the United Kingdom.

"I'm glad that it is not just unionists in Northern Ireland who recognise the dangers of the EU proposals on the backstop to the Union.

"Such a backstop is unacceptable to many others from right across the United Kingdom."

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann also hit out at the backstop plans, saying that the EU should go "back to the drawing board".

He added: "Theresa May has asked the EU for flexibility and they should give her that.

"It is in everyone's interests to get a sensible deal that respects the result of the referendum, that doesn't undermine the Belfast Agreement and maintains a frictionless border with the Republic of Ireland.

"However, I continue to be disappointed by the intransigent language of Leo Varadkar and the Irish Government."

"If they continue to hold to the position that it's either a border in the Irish Sea or no deal, it is likely to have dire consequences on both sides of the border in terms of both economies and relationships across these islands."

The two-day European Council summit which ended yesterday had long been pencilled in as a "moment of truth" when agreement must be reached to provide time for ratification and avoid the UK leaving without a deal on March 29, 2019.

But no deal was struck and the leaders of the 27 remaining EU states decided not to call a special Brexit summit in November after chief negotiator Michel Barnier said he needed "much more time" for talks.

There was no mention of Brexit in the five pages of conclusions released at the end of the two-day gathering.

At the end of the summit, Mrs May said good progress was being made on the UK's withdrawal agreement, but acknowledged that "a few, but considerable, outstanding issues" remained to be resolved.

"There is a lot of hard work ahead, there will be more difficult moments as we enter the final stages of the talks, but I'm convinced we will secure a good deal that is in the interests of the UK and of the European Union," she said.

Mrs May declined to put any fixed date on the possible extension to the UK's transition period, which she has said could last "a matter of months" into 2021.

UK officials stressed that the move was not being proposed by the UK but the Prime Minister was ready to consider it.

It is thought the extra time may give negotiators leeway to resolve the question of how to construct a backstop which would keep the Irish border open in the absence of a broader trade deal.

Unsurprisingly, Brexiteers reacted with fury to the idea of the transition - during which the UK would remain in the single market and customs union and subject to EU rules - being extended beyond the end of December 2020 at a potential cost of billions of pounds in contributions to EU budgets.

European Research Group chairman Jacob Rees-Mogg said it would mean "we are in the EU for longer when the EU can make rules for the UK over which we would have no say - and we would be paying for the privilege".
Theresa May is refusing to have a joint meeting with the leaders of the local anti-Brexit parties.

Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O'Neill said Mrs May had turned down a request for talks with her party, the SDLP, Alliance and the Greens.

Mrs O'Neill said: "In order to preserve her toxic alliance with the DUP, she is trampling over the rights of citizens by acquiescing to that party's refusal to share power (at Stormont) on the basis of equality.

"And by refusing to meet their representatives, Theresa May is also ignoring the democratic will of the majority in the North who voted to reject Brexit."

She said the British Government was incapable of acting responsibly or with impartiality while it remained wedded to the DUP.

"Theresa May is showing nothing but disdain for the people of the North, for the Good Friday Agreement, for our economy and rights and for the peace process.

"It is an appalling failure of her responsibilities as a co-equal guarantor of our peace and political process and there is an onus on the Irish Government and EU27 to defend our best interests during this critical stage of the Brexit negotiations."

Alliance's Brexit spokesman Stephen Farry said it was "disappointing" that the Prime Minister had refused to meet the Remain parties collectively.

"She claims to be acting on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland but is only listening to the DUP, who are presenting a distorted position, contrary to the Remain majority, who support the backstop," he said.

"It is vital the people of the UK have a chance as a whole to reconsider the decision to leave the EU."

Green leader Steven Agnew said Mrs May's refusal to hold a meeting "shows contempt for the majority who voted to stay in the EU".

He said: "The Prime Minister is making a mistake by listening only to the extreme minority view of the DUP.

"It's clear that the DUP are comfortable with the prospect of crashing out of the EU without a deal.

"The refusal of the Tory leader to listen to and engage constructively with the parties representing the majority of people here sets a difficult tone as the issue of the Irish border continues to hold up progress on a Brexit deal."
A culture of laziness may exist in the Civil Service, where officials accepted false data as fact, the public inquiry into the botched Renewable Heat Incentive has heard.

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Deti) finance director Trevor Cooper was told he failed to do enough when RHI managers presented a report with multiple inaccuracies to Department of Finance and Personnel (DFP) chiefs in 2015.

Despite noting a "fair bit of naivete" and its non-factual basis, Mr Cooper failed to take any significant action.

Inquiry chair Sir Patrick Coghlin told him he had an onus to "correct the record" but didn't.

In a damning indictment of the department, inquiry lawyer Joseph Aiken said inaccurate information became the "accepted language" and was presented as "fact" to the "gatekeepers" of public money.

At one point staff even discussed how to disguise the fact that a 2014 review had not been carried out as required.

The revelations led to Mr Cooper claiming that "casualness" and "laziness" could be a "cultural" problem in the Civil Service, where too many staff consider proper processes as "unnecessary" and "too bureaucratic".

Inquiry panel member Dr Keith MacLean said there were multiple examples of documents which have been changed by Deti officials in an attempt to "put fig leaves" on serious blunders by making papers "say what they want it to say".

"Everybody seems to be as complicit in this as everybody else," he added. "It's hard to take any document at face value."

He said it did not create a "clear picture" for decision-makers, including ex-Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell.

Mr Cooper insisted he voiced concerns over the removal of a key warning about spending from a document prepared for him in July 2015 to his boss Eugene Rooney, but said he did not feel he was listened to.

Sir Patrick said the panel will have to make "general" recommendations which apply to the Civil Service as a whole before he criticised Mr Cooper, who headed up a committee which approved the scheme in 2011, for failing to properly scrutinise one employee's claim that money could be stopped if the project ran over budget.

The finance director admitted members just accepted Deti official Peter Hutchinson's word that cost control mechanisms existed and payments could be stopped mid-year.

The failure to obtain clarity, as directly instructed by DFP, meant the need for primary legislation to curb spending came as a "bolt from the blue" to Mr Cooper and his colleagues four years later.

Sir Patrick said he would have realised controls did not exist if he had simply checked the regulations.

Defending why his team only realised DFP finance approval had expired in March 2015 - three months after the lapse - Mr Cooper claimed it was not that unusual as up to four Deti projects spend public money without proper authority every year.

Mr Aiken warned him that the panel may "struggle" to comprehend why civil servants didn't reassess the scheme once errors began to surface.
Sammy Wilson has called Leo Varadkar's behaviour "despicable, low and rotten" in a scathing attack on the Taoiseach for his reference to violence at the Northern Ireland border during the Troubles at an EU Summit.

His attack comes as the Republic's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has rejected claims of "scaremongering" over the concerns.

Appearing before EU leaders at an event on Wednesday night in Brussels, Mr Varadkar produced a copy of the day's edition of the Irish Times, which carried a picture of an IRA bomb attack on the Newry Customs Office in 1972.

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Nine people were killed and six injured in the attack when a bomb exploded prematurely on August 22.

A spokesman for Mr Varadkar said he had used the copy of the newspaper to demonstrate "how far we have come in 30 years, from violence to peace".

In a statement titled "How much lower can vile Varadker stoop", East Antrim MP Mr Wilson said Leo Varadkar had "lost any sense of self control in relation to the decision of the UK to leave the EU".

Mr Wilson's attack comes as the Republic's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has rejected claims of "scaremongering" on Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme.

Mr Coveney said: "We are trying to protect a very precious peace and normality on the island of Ireland."

"If you speak to families living in the border area they will talk in very emotive terms about their fears of the re-emergence of that border infrastructure and it's important to be honest about that.

"It doesn't suit some people's political narrative.

Expand Close Leo Varadkar used the story of an IRA bombing of a customs post to emphasise the importance of the border issue to EU leaders (Brian Lawless/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Leo Varadkar used the story of an IRA bombing of a customs post to emphasise the importance of the border issue to EU leaders (Brian Lawless/PA)

"It certainly doesn't suit people who advocate for Brexit because this is very awkward and difficult to deal with but it's the truth. "

In a wide-ranging attack Mr Wilson hits on a number of points previously raised by the Taoiseach, including the effect Brexit will have on Britain's energy supply and ability to use Irish airspace, before focusing on Wednesday's presentation to the EU.

"His latest use of a victim of the IRA who was killed when the republican terrorists blew up a border post scrapes the bottom of the very deep barrel of threats, deception and rhetoric which he has dipped into in order to persuade ignorant heads of EU states that the EU must insist in detaching NI from the UK in any Brexit deal," says Mr Wilson.

"First of all he knows just how some of the republican madmen in NI will react to the false fears he is stirring up about barriers along the border. Indeed he knows that they will use them to influence stupid and easily led young people to join their ranks."

Mr Wilson claims Mr Varadkar knows a physical border is not a possibility, and that "even in the event of no deal at all there will be no checkpoints erected".

He adds that Mr Varadkar's behaviour is "despicable , low and rotten" and make reference to protracted violence in Derry over the summer in the lead up to the Twelfth.

The Office of the Taoiseach has been contacted for comment.
A senior executive at ferry firm Stena Line has said that a no-deal Brexit could result in a reduction in services from Northern Ireland.

Ian Hampton told the BBC that there was possibility Stena Line would reduce services to and from the United Kingdom as a result of Brexit.

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Stena Line currently travels from Belfast to Liverpool and Cairnryan in Scotland.

They carry more than seven million passengers and two million units of freight to and from the UK each year.

Mr Hampton said that Stena Line did not want to reduce services but that this "could be one of the implications".

"We can't plan on the basis of what we don't know, so we're very anxious about the outcome," he said.

He also expressed concern about the effect a no-deal Brexit could have on food supplies.

Mr Hampton said that ports were worried about the lack of clarity surrounding Brexit.

It has been suggested that a no-deal Brexit could lead to border checks and regulations on trade if a backstop agreement is not reached during the UK Government's withdrawal negotiations with the EU.

The backstop would allow Northern Ireland to remain in the EU customs union and single market in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

A government spokesman told the BBC that it was engaging with ports and that they had met with Stena Line to discuss the issues.

"It is crucial to keep trade flowing when we leave the EU," the spokesman said.

"That is why we are proposing a pragmatic and ambitious future economic relationship with the EU, and we remain committed to reaching agreement on the Withdrawal Agreement and future framework this autumn."
There was an outpouring of support for a young Northern Ireland woman who detailed the vile abuse she receives on a daily basis on social media for her connections to the Conservative party.

Aine Lagan has been told she looks like "Maggie Thatcher after a stroke".

The 21-year-old, from mid-Ulster, wears her love for the Tories on her sleeve. However, she says it makes her a target for trolls on social media with even the most innocuous tweet - unconnected to politics - sparking a torrent of abuse.

"People see my profile picture and that I describe myself as a Conservative and they think it's okay to insult me," she told the Daily Mail.

Aine describes herself as a Tory feminist and her Twitter profile carries a picture of her with the Prime Minister. Now attending King's College in London, she says her parents would be from an Irish nationalist background.

She started the #ImWithMay slogan in response to an attempt to unseat Mrs May following her disastrous speech at the Tory conference last year.

Cruel remarks have been made about her appearance, how her family "should be ashamed" and she has even been compared to Nazis. Another asked how anyone called Aine "could ever be a Tory?"

Many of the posts come from anonymous accounts.

"I've been called things that nobody should ever have to hear," she said."It's not even as if I have extreme views. I often don't post about party politics at all but people see my profile picture and that I describe myself as a Conservative and they think it's okay to insult me. It's not healthy looking at it."

After telling her story, there was an outpouring of support for the student with many praising her for having the bravery to speak out.

She took the time to thank many of those offering their support.

"It's so important that we tackle this issue because the real tragedy here is that this kind of behaviour puts people - particularly women - off the idea of ever being involved in politics."
Former billionaire Sean Quinn has condemned an attack on the home of a manager at one of his former firms.

Arsonists attacked the Co Cavan home of the chief financial officer of Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH), Dara O'Reilly.

His car was "petrol-torched" at around 11pm on Wednesday, shortly after the family had gone to bed.

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It is the latest in a sting of attacks on homes and businesses linked to the former Quinn Group which was broken up after Sean Quinn fell into bankruptcy after investing in the collapsed Anglo Irish Bank.

QIH said there has been a campaign of threats and intimidation against senior management "by persons who had sought the return of Sean Quinn".

Speaking to Shannonside Northern Sound Radio Mr Quinn condemned the latest incident.

"This shouldn't happen outside any family home.

"This shouldn't happen in any family home. whatever happens in business should stay in business but you should never have to bring it home to your wife and kids.

"All I can say to whoever is doing it, please stop."

He added: "The people that are doing this, and carrying out these criminal acts, they're not doing it in the best interest of the Quinn family, me or my family," he said.

"We're totally against this type of activity.

"Regardless of how these people feel or what has happened, this is doing us no good whatsoever."

QIH said the rear of the O'Reilly home in Butlersbridge sustained some damage from the "intense heat of the burning vehicle" but further damage was contained by the prompt action of the Fire Service.

Mr O'Reilly said: "My family and I are still in shock, but our overriding emotion is one of relief that we all managed to get out safely."

QIH chairman Adrian Barden said the incident was beyond the pale and a shocking attack on Mr O'Reilly's family.

He said he had previously warned that a continuation of attacks will result in injuries or fatalities.

"We call on those with influence or knowledge of those engaged in these criminal actions to speak out," he said.
A senior Democratic Unionist has branded Irelands premier vile after accusing him of using terrorist victims to scaremonger over Brexit.

Sammy Wilson said Taoiseach Leo Varadkars behaviour was despicable, low and rotten, claiming he was scraping the bottom of a very deep barrel of threats, deception and rhetoric.

East Antrim MP Mr Wilson was responding to Mr Varadkars warning during this weeks EU summit that violence could again return if a hard border was imposed in Ireland post-Brexit.

Mr Wilson said he had taken a sledgehammer to years of cross-border political relationship-building.

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Addressing fellow EU leaders in Brussels, the Taoiseach related the story of an IRA bomb attack at a customs post in Newry, Co Down in 1972.

On Friday, Irelands deputy premier Simon Coveney rejected any suggestion Mr Varadkar was scaremongering.

However, Mr Wilson later claimed the Taoiseach had lost any sense of self control in relation to Brexit, claiming his previous warnings about the impact of a no-deal had made him a laughing stock.

His latest use of a victim of the IRA who was killed when the republican terrorists blew up a border post scrapes the bottom of the very deep barrel of threats, deception and rhetoric which he has dipped into in order to persuade ignorant heads of EU states that the EU must insist in detaching Northern Ireland from the UK in any Brexit deal, said Mr Wilson.

At dinner with EU leaders on Wednesday, Mr Varadkar circulated a newspaper article on the Newry bombing.

Mr Varadkar brought in a copy of the Irish Times, which featured an interview with a relative of one of the nine killed in the blast.

Four customs officials, two lorry drivers and three IRA men died in the explosion at a customs clearing station.

The incident has sparked the latest fracture in the DUPs deteriorating relationship with the Irish Government since the Brexit referendum.

The unionist party believes Irelands unwavering stance in relation to the need for a border backstop to guarantee free movement on the island is a veiled tactic to create separation between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

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DUP veteran Mr Wilson expressed concerns that republican madmen could be influenced by the Taoiseach stirring up false fears over violence.

Mr Wilson insisted there was no chance border checkpoints would be erected when the UK leaves the EU.

His behaviour is despicable, low and rotten, he said of the Taoiseach.

He is not so stupid as to be unaware of the impact it can have especially given the record of republicans over the summer when they used impressionable young people to engage in sectarian attacks against the Protestant community in Londonderry.

Mr Wilson said much progress had been made in forging better cross-border political links prior to Mr Varadkar becoming Taoiseach.

He added: Leo Varadkar has taken a sledgehammer to the work which was done but even more worrying is his total disregard to the impact of his irresponsible and reckless rhetoric on the peace of Northern Ireland.

Earlier, Mr Coveney denied his government was scaremongering over claims violence could return if Brexit brings a hard border.

We are not trying to scaremonger here, what we are trying to do here is protect a very precious peace and normality on the island of IrelandSimon Coveney

The Tanaiste said concerns about the potential to destabilise the islands very precious peace were real, and reflected the fears of people living on the border.

Mr Coveney defended Mr Varadkar, insisting he dealt in facts.

We are not trying to scaremonger here, what we are trying to do here is protect a very precious peace and normality on the island of Ireland, he told BBC Radio Ulster.

He added: If you speak to families living on the border area they will talk in very emotive terms about their fears of the re-emergence of that border infrastructure and its important to be honest about that.

It doesnt suit some peoples political narrative, it certainly doesnt suit people who advocate for Brexit because this is a very awkward and difficult issue for people to deal with, but its the truth.
Irish presidential candidate Peter Casey has announced he is considering dropping out of the race amid criticism of his comments about the Traveller community.

The businessman has come under fire after saying Travellers should not be recognised as an ethnic minority because they are basically people camping in someone elses land, and he said the group are not paying their fair share of taxes in society.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Casey said that in light of the furore over his comments, he will take the weekend off from the campaign to think carefully about whether to continue in the race.

He added: I do not want the people of Ireland to elect me as president of Ireland just based on one statement I made.

Expand Close Peter Casey was surrounded by media as he visited a housing complex at the centre of a dispute involving the Traveller community (Brian Lawless/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Peter Casey was surrounded by media as he visited a housing complex at the centre of a dispute involving the Traveller community (Brian Lawless/PA)

I know that my world experience and global views will make me a uniquely suitable candidate for president of Ireland  with drive, ability and energy.

On Wednesday night during a live televised debate on Virgin Media One, he told the other candidates they were being disingenuous when they said they would have no issues living near a halting site.

The following day, he visited the site of a disputed housing development in Tipperary, where travellers, who have been in the area for four generations, refused houses because of a lack of grazing space for their horses.

Mr Casey attended the site with the nations media, but did not speak to any of the Traveller community who were nearby.

The election is to take place on October 26.
Tory Brexiteers have been told to concentrate their fire on Theresa May instead of her officials by former Whitehall mandarins as tensions over talks with the EU mount.

Three former cabinet secretaries joined forces to condemn attacks on Olly Robbins, the leading civil servant in the exit negotiations.

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster told the Times those who wish to undermine or frustrate Mrs Mays Brexit policy should concentrate their fire on the organ grinder rather than the monkey.

Lord Butler of Brockwell, who served under Sir John Major and Tony Blair, said attacks against advisers were not in the national interest, while Lord ODonnell said the way to strike a good deal with the European Union was not by attacking our own officials.

Sir Mark Sedwill, the acting Cabinet Secretary, took the unusual step of writing to the newspaper earlier this week to defend Mr Robbins, who is widely mistrusted by Brexiteers who believe he wants to keep the UK in a close orbit around the EU.

It comes after Mrs May attempted to reassure business leaders about the progress being made in the Brexit talks following a tricky week.

In a 35-minute conference call with around 130 company bosses, the PM is said to have told them she knows time is running out to reach a Brexit deal, but is confident it can be done.

Stephen Martin, IoD director general, said the PM did not say if the possibility of extending the transition period was being seriously considered.

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He told BBC Radio 4s PM programme: She accepts fully that time is running out and a deal needs to be done certainly in the autumn, as she put it.

We need time to get ready for that. She was very clear she accepts the uncertainty that its causing at the minute and the impact that could be having.

But she was making it clear to everybody that she does believe a deal can be done and she is confident.

The only sticking point is the Northern Ireland border and the backstop arrangements.

Downing Street said Mrs May told the business leaders that significant progress has been made in the talks.

She acknowledged that there were a few significant issues that were still outstanding, but said that the very real sense she had from leaders around the table at the council was that they wanted to reach a deal as soon as possible this autumn, a No 10 spokesman said.

She emphasised that both sides wanted to have our future relationship in place by the end of December 2020 so that the backstop never needed to be used, but that the negotiating teams would work intensively on this to find a way forward.

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Japanese car firms warned that failing to reach a Brexit deal must be avoided at all costs.

Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said: If no withdrawal agreement is reached and the transition period through December 2020 is consequently not implemented, corporate activities and consumers will be adversely affected by the impacts of suspended production activities resulting from failed just-in-time logistics operations, declines in revenue, and revised vehicle sales prices caused by spiralling logistics and production costs.

We hope that both the UK and EU governments will continue to make maximum efforts to reach a satisfactory settlement and that a withdrawal without agreement is avoided at all costs.

Mrs May faced a Tory backlash after signalling she is ready to delay the UKs final departure from the EUs hold until 2021 in a last ditch bid to end the deadlock over the Irish border issue.

Britain has secured a 21-month transition period following the formal date of Brexit in March 2019, to give authorities and companies time to prepare for new arrangements.

But EU chiefs indicated it could be extended when they met at the European Council summit this week in Brussels.
It begins with a report from a man who will be called Nick throughout the investigation, on alleged sexual abuse in a network of pedophiles. Abuse that's been going on for almost a decade around the UK.

In a hearing in November 2014, Nick points out prosecutors and some of the community's finest. One of them the former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath. Other accused are Michael Hanley, former director of intelligence MI5 and Army Chief Hugh Beach.

This information will be the start of a massive effort by Scotland Yard, Operation Midland.

Nick hands over a list to Scotland Yard with places where the sexual abuse are supposed to have taken place. According to Nick, a person named Fred has been present as he was abused.

The assaults have allegedly taken place in army bases and apartments. A pen, a knife and two military amulets are handed over to investigators as Nick claims to have snatched them off the pedophiles.

He also claims that he has seen three children get murdered.

The accused men are taken in for interrogation as police raid addresses around the UK. Homes are examined, people interrogated and telephones wire-tapped.

Nick demands more than 20 000 pounds for damages caused by the abuse.

Now it turns out that everything seems to be a big scam. At least the big media companies in Britain suspect that after Nicks data have been checked and verified.

His story about the murdered children isn't correct.

One year after Operation Midland started the chief of Scotland Yard, Lord Hogan-Howe, acknowledges that it was wrong to describe Nicks' information as "credible and truthful". But he defends the effort.

At this time, Nick realizes that the carpet under his feet is beginning to burn. In secret, he leaves the UK  with Sweden in sight.

In February this year, Nick buys a cabin in Mjolan west of Overkalix, Norrbotten. His actions indicates that his idea is to start over, with a fake name and a made up story.

He make plans for a small B&B, a few small cottages next to the Kalix river just south of Overkalix, and an exemption from the shoreland protection is granted by the County Administrative Board

But his plans are not realized, and the British imposter leaves Norrbotten.

In the evening of October 1, Nick is seized in the central station in Gothenburg after an international arrest warrant has been issued. Britain demands that he's handed over.

Jonas Arvidsson, prosecutor at the National Unit against International and Organized Crime, presented the demand in the detention hearing on 3 October. A big group of media from the UK is present to cover it.

Nick is suspected of false testimony, states the prosecutor.

To Norrbottens Media Jonas Arvidsson confirms that the 50-year-old was to open a holiday village outside Overkalix.

 Yes, of all places. But on the other hand it's kind of an "outback". Should you try to get away somewhere, Overkalix is ??a pretty good place, I believe, he says.

The suspected British fraudster will now be handed over to Britain.

 But when the handover is executed, that's something I can't tell. Because I don't want there to be a lot of English journalists at the airport in England when he comes, says Jonas Arvidsson.

According to British media, Operation Midland cost more than 2,5 million pounds.
Anjem Choudary is set to be released from prison (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Anjem Choudary is expected to be released from prison on Friday.

The preacher was jailed in 2016 after he was convicted of inviting support for Islamic State.

Once a leading figure in the now banned group al-Muhajiroun, the former solicitor had previously stayed on the right side of the law for years.

We are alert to the threat people like him pose and we will make sure we do what steps we need to mitigate itBen Wallace

Choudary, 51, is due for automatic release after reaching the halfway point of a five-and-a-half-year sentence, when time spent on remand is taken into account.

For the rest of the sentence period, he will be subject to a strict supervision regime.

Police and MI5 are expected to be among a host of agencies involved in monitoring him in the community.

It is thought he will initially be placed in a probation hostel following his release, and will have to comply with more than 20 licence conditions.

There are a number of standard requirements, including maintaining good behaviour, receiving visits from and keeping in contact with his supervising probation officer, and not travelling outside the UK without prior permission.

In addition, Choudary will be subject to a bespoke package of further measures while on licence.

These are expected to include: electronic tagging; a night-time curfew; requirements to stay within a set area and only attend pre-approved mosques; a ban on contacting individuals who he knows or believes to have been charged with or convicted of extremist-related offences without prior approval; and restrictions relating to internet use and mobile device ownership.

Any breach of licence conditions can result in immediate return to custody.

Choudary, from Ilford, east London, will be supervised under a system known as multi-agency public protection arrangements (Mappa).

In a separate measure, his name has been added to a UN sanctions list, which means he is subject to an assets freeze and travel ban.

On Thursday, Theresa May said authorities are equipped to supervise Choudary after his release.

The Prime Minister said: The police, the prison, the probation service, and other agencies have a range of powers available to them.

They also have significant experience in dealing with such offenders.

The plan for his release is seen as highly sensitive, and no official confirmation of the precise timing or location has been given.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: We do not comment on individuals.

Prisons minister Rory Stewart has previously said Choudary will be watched very, very carefully.

Last week, security minister Ben Wallace said: We are alert to the threat people like him pose and we will make sure we do what steps we need to mitigate it.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have met leading politicians during their visit to Australia (Phil Noble/PA)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have met Australian Labour leader Bill Shorten, who has previously pledged to scrap the monarchy should his party gain power.

Harry and Meghan wrapped up their engagements on Friday by meeting with Mr Shorten and also Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

It comes as Australias relationship with the monarchy remains difficult and its political future uncertain with elections due next year.

It was a privilege for Chloe and me to meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex this afternoon to discuss their visit to Australia, including the Invictus Games, and their great work in youth mental health. pic.twitter.com/ISsKxvqcPc  Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) October 19, 2018

Details of the conversations between the royal couple and the two politicians were not made public.

The Australian five-dollar note and all denominations of coin feature a portrait of the Queen, her birthday is a public holiday across all states and territories, and many of the countrys institutions  the Air Force, Navy and Mint  carry the prefix Royal.

But there is a thread of republicanism which runs through the country.

The left-wing Labour party has pushed for a vote on the issue, while former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull is also sympathetic to the republican cause.

Australia governs itself through its prime minister and its governor-general, but the Queen is still monarch of the country.

Expand Close The royal couple also met Australian PM Scott Morrison and his wife Jenny, at Kirribilli House in Sydney (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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A referendum has already been held on the issue of the monarchy, but it has done little to settle the argument.

The Yes campaign  spearheaded by Mr Turnbull and backing a change to a republic  yielded 45.1% of the vote in 1999, with the winning No campaign managing to bring together both those who were not fond of change and those who thought the proposal did not go far enough.

A statement from the Queen following the vote read: I respect and accept this result.

My family and I would, of course, have retained our deep affection for Australia and Australians everywhere, whatever the outcome.

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Coinciding with the Prince of Waless visit to the Gold Coast in April, a Newspoll survey for an Australian newspaper found one in two Australians back the republican movement.

A total of 41% of 1,639 people asked over four days in April said they would be against scrapping the monarchy and becoming a republic.

This compared to 34% 19 years ago and 38% in August 2017.

Just days before Prince Charles arrived in Brisbane for his first official engagement, former prime minister Paul Keating claimed the royal would support Australia cutting ties with the monarchy and becoming a republic.

Mr Keating told the Sunday Times: I have no doubt he believes Australia should be free of the British monarchy and that it should make its own way in the world.
Vile methods including genetic and viral warfare, alongside robots killing humans, are potentially the deeply frightening future of conflict, a senior Royal Navy officer has said.

Captain Jerry Kyd, the commanding officer of HMS Queen Elizabeth, Britains biggest and most powerful warship, said that we are on the cusp of a new revolution in military affairs.

Asked by the Press Association what he thinks warfare will look like over the coming decades, he said it is going to be quite interesting.

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I think the coalescence of militarisation, quantum computing, of automated fighting elements whether it is in the air, the surface or subsurface, the ability for computers and machines to make fast decision making loops  I think will fundamentally change the character of warfare, he said.

The nature of warfare wont change  which is to dominate and kill the enemy  I think it is a exciting but deeply frightening future where I think the ethics and morals of war will be tested, and where we will see, I am sure, robots engaged in killing other human beings.

Speaking as the aircraft carrier prepared to sail into New York, he said there will be an increase in other forms of warfare  not just biological and chemical, but also genetic.

He added: I think we will see all sorts of vile methods  viral warfare, and also attacks fundamentally against civilian populations through bringing down infrastructure, power grids, cyber warfare  a full spectrum of activity against the population which will be deeply frightening.

Highlighting how the last major conflict was the Second World War, he said in the seven decades since deterrence has been key  a role HMS Queen Elizabeth and the F-35B Lightning jets help fulfil.

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With the Autumn Budget looming and continuing calls to increase Britains defence spending to above 3% of GDP, Captain Kyd said as a military officer he would always want more money.

Stressing how it is important to be on the front foot when it comes to technology, he added: But we have to live within our means.

Which is why we have to make very careful balanced decisions that provide a suite of armed forces that can do the job.

Captain Kyd said the nerve agent Novichok attack in Salisbury against former Russian spy Sergei Skripal is a classic reminder that the veneer of security is very thin.

He added: I think the threats to the United Kingdom are more acute now than they have been for many decades.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged the Tories to unite behind Theresa May over Brexit (Christopher Furlong/PA)

Jeremy Hunt has urged warring Tories to get behind Theresa Mays Brexit strategy as the Prime minister faced a fierce backlash against the idea of extending the UKs transition period.

The Foreign Secretary said an EU proposal to continue the implementation process might help get an agreement on the future relationship and rejected claims that it amounted to a capitulation.

His plea for unity came as Mrs May suffered a hail of criticism from all wings of the Tory party, with one MP going as far as branding the leadership a shit show.

The great strength of the EU in these negotiations is that the 27 EU nations have remained unitedJeremy Hunt

Meanwhile, the EUs chief negotiator Michel Barnier warned that the UKs withdrawal agreement could still fail over the issue of the Irish border, leading to an extremely serious no-deal Brexit.

Speaking to France-Inter radio, Mr Barnier said the deal was 90% done and he was hoping to complete it in a few weeks or a few months, as soon as possible.

But asked if he was convinced an agreement would be reached, he replied: I have no deep conviction on this subject, because in the UK the political situation is very complex and I dont know what decisions Theresa May will take.

Asked if the whole deal could founder over the border issue, he replied: My answer is yes.

Mr Barnier said that he believed the Brexit vote was fuelled in part by nostalgia as well as popular anger over the impact of globalisation, but said he had yet to find anyone who could explain how it would provide any answers to voters anxieties.

The firestorm around Mrs May came as she signalled she is ready to delay the UKs final departure from the EUs hold until 2021 in a last ditch bid to end the deadlock over the Irish border issue.

Britain has secured a 21-month transition period following the formal date of Brexit in March 2019, to give authorities and companies time to prepare for new arrangements. But EU chiefs have indicated this could be extended at the European Council summit this week in Brussels.

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Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme, the Foreign Secretary said: The reason why this week has been difficult is because Theresa May has not buckled.

She has held firm. She has stuck to her principles.

It is precisely because she has not capitulated that we have not concluded this agreement.

The one thing I would say to my colleagues is that the great strength of the EU in these negotiations is that the 27 EU nations have remained united.

We now need to do the same behind Theresa May to maximise her negotiating leverage in Brussels and make sure she does come back with that deal that honours the letter and spirit of the referendum decision.

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But signs of unity appeared to be in short supply.

Brexiteer former party leader Iain Duncan Smith told Newsnight that a transition extension would see Britain pay tens of billions of pounds extra to the EU.

Former Remainer Nick Boles was also critical, saying it was worse than being a member of the EU because the UK would have to follow its rules and pay but have no vote.

The starkest language came from vocal backbencher and former soldier Johnny Mercer, who used an interview with The House magazine to open fire on the leadership.

Calling it a shit show he warned that if Tory internecine rows over Brexit let in Jeremy Corbyn I dont think wed be forgiven for a generation and we wouldnt deserve to be.

Mr Hunt told Today the transition was not the main issue that needed to be resolved, which remained the so-called Northern Ireland backstop intended to ensure there was no return of a hard border with the Republic.

The substantive area of disagreement is whether we would agree to a backstop which would allow for customs barriers down the Irish Sea  the effective break-up of the United Kingdom  or whether we agree to a backstop which would allow the UK as a whole to stay in the customs union indefinitely, he said.

Neither of those are acceptable. Those are two very important matters of principle for the United Kingdom.

The Foreign Secretary said that Britain and the EU were going through a pain barrier in negotiations.

Mr Hunt told LBC: In any negotiation there comes a moment when youre looking into the whites of the other persons eyes, youre understanding what each others bottom lines are and you need to go through, if you like, that pain barrier, and then you come out the other side with a deal that hopefully both sides can live with.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the pro-Brexit Tory European Research Group, poured scorn on Mr Hunts claim the Prime Minister was standing firm in the face of EU demands.

Are you really telling me standing firm on the integrity of the United Kingdom is a really brave thing for the British Government to do? You would have thought this was to be taken as read, he told the Today programme.

Surely no government would ever go into a negotiation and agree to carve up the country for the sake of an international organisation.

He warned any attempt to extend the transition period  with the UK continuing to pay billions into the EU on top of the 39 billion divorce bill  would be voted down by MPs.

If the Government is saying to us we will pay 39 billion plus, for the extension, 15 or 16 billion more per annum and we dont have anything in return other than a waffly political declaration, I think that will be very hard to get through the House of Commons, he said.
Jeremy Hunt has said there will be consequences for Britains relationship with Saudi Arabia if it is found that the Saudis murdered missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Foreign Secretary said the Government remains extremely concerned about the fate of Mr Khashoggi, who has not been seen since visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

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Turkish government sources have alleged he was tortured, murdered and his body dismembered by a Saudi hit squad flown in from Riyadh.

Mr Hunt said such actions would be totally inconsistent with British values and what happened needs to be established as quickly as possible.

However, he indicated that any UK response would be considered and would take into account Britains strategic relationship with the Saudis.

If the stories that we read about are true, and if you are asking me whether that will have consequences for the relationship with Saudi Arabia, then yes, of course it will, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

What is alleged to have happened is totally inconsistent with our values and what we believe inForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt

What is alleged to have happened is totally inconsistent with our values and what we believe in. Not just the brutality  if it happened  but also the fact that he was a journalist. Those things are completely unacceptable to the United Kingdom.

If the stories turn out to be true, part of our reaction will depend on the Saudi reaction and whether we sense that they are taking it as seriously as we are taking it.

Our relationship with Saudi is a strategic relationship. Our response will be considered because we have to recognise in that strategic relationship that they share intelligence with us that helps keep people safe on the streets of Britain.

But even taking into account all those things, in the end, if these stories are true, we have to be absolutely clear it would not be consistent with our values.

Mr Hunts comments came as US president Donald Trump said it certainly looks as though Mr Khashoggi was dead and warned of very severe consequences if he was found to have been murdered.

On Thursday, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox joined senior government figures from the US, France and the Netherlands in announcing he was pulling out of a high-profile Saudi investment conference, dubbed Davos in the desert.

It marked a further toughening of the response of the international community to the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi  a persistent critic of the Saudi government and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salaman.

Asked what consequence Saudi leaders would face if they are found to be responsible, Mr Trump told reporters: It will have to be very severe. Its bad, bad stuff. But well see what happens.
Scotlands top vet has said more animals will be slaughtered on the Aberdeenshire farm where a case of BSE was confirmed (PA)

More cows will be destroyed at the Aberdeenshire farm where a case of BSE has been found, but Scotlands chief veterinary officer has insisted there is no need to panic.

The case of so-called mad cow disease, known in full as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, was identified at the unnamed farm as part of the routine testing of all fallen stock over four years of age.

A movement ban has been put in place at the farm as investigators try to establish the source of the fatal disease.

All the information we have is this is under control, there's no reason for people to panicScotland's chief veterinary officer Sheila Voas

Chief vet Sheila Voas said up to four other cows on the farm will be slaughtered and tested for the disease.

Speaking on BBC Scotlands Good Morning Scotland radio programme, she said: The animal itself is dead, she died before she was tested, and there are three other animals, or possibly four, that will need to be slaughtered purely from a precautionary basis.

She said brain stem samples would be taken from these animals and tested for BSE.

She believes the disease was not transmitted and occurred spontaneously in the affected animal, but she warned it could be several months before investigators could say for certain.

All the information we have is this is under control, theres no reason for people to panic, she added.

Its not the start of an outbreak, its a single isolated case that wont affect the food chain.

Officials have stressed the case poses no risk to human health and its discovery proves the surveillance system in place is working effectively.

However, any farmer with concerns is advised to seek immediate veterinary advice.

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Scottish Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has activated a Government response plan to protect the farming industry.

He said: While it is important to stress that this is standard procedure until we have a clear understanding of the diseases origin, this is further proof that our surveillance system for detecting this type of disease is working.

Following a confirmed case of classical BSE in Aberdeenshire,

@FergusEwingMSP has activated @ScotGov response plan, including establishing a precautionary movement ban on the farm https://t.co/VOAXo6lr0a pic.twitter.com/GMrIsUrpOf  Net Zero Scotland (@ScotGovNetZero) October 18, 2018

Millions of cattle were culled in the UK in the 1990s during a BSE epidemic.

It can be passed on to humans in the food chain, causing a fatal condition called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

Strict controls were introduced to protect consumers after the link was established in 1996.

The disease has been reduced to a handful of cases each year in the UK, with the last recorded case in Wales in 2015.

Prior to the discovery of the latest case, Scotland had been BSE free since 2009.

Food Standards Scotland said strict controls remain in place to protect consumers from BSE risk.
(from left), Cheryl Shaw, twins Charlene Ellis and Sophie Ellis, with Letisha Shakespeare  Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare died in a drive-by shooting (West Midlands Police/PA)

Mothers of two murdered young women returned to court to ensure their killers do the time after a bid to identify a secret witness in their original trial failed.

Charlene Ellis, 18, and her friend Letisha Shakespeare, 17, were shot dead in Aston, Birmingham, on January 2 2003 during a botched gang revenge attack.

The young women were hit by sub-machine gun fire in a drive-by shooting outside a hair salon where they had been at a party.

Following a trial in 2005, Marcus Ellis, Rodrigo Simms and two other men were found guilty of the murders and handed life sentences.

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During the trial a key witness, known as Mark Brown, was allowed to keep his identity a secret, in what was a legal first at the time.

In another first, lawyers for Ellis and Simms applied to Mr Justice Goldring to lift the anonymity order, after failing in the Court of Appeal.

Tim Moloney QC had argued there had been a material change in circumstances since the end of the trial.

He claimed significant pieces of evidence should have been disclosed by the prosecution and there was a failure to sufficiently investigate Mr Brown.

But in a ruling at the Old Bailey, the senior judge rejected Mr Moloneys argument.

Expand Close Beverley Thomas and Marcia Shakespeare, whose daughters were murdered in a drive-by shooting in Aston, Birmingham, outside the Old Bailey (Emily Pennick/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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He said: I refuse the application to lift the anonymity order in respect of the witness known as Mark Brown.

I have concluded there has been no material change or circumstances since the end of the trial.

I have further concluded therefore in those circumstances nothing of substance has changed since the Court of Appeals careful investigation into the fairness of the trial.

Ellis had appeared in court via video link from Whitemoor prison in Cambridgeshire, while Simms sat in the dock.

The victims mothers Marcia Shakespeare and Bev Thomas had travelled to London for the hearing.

Family members exclaimed good and thanked the judge for ruling against the defendants.

There were shouts of do your time at Simms in the dock at the end of the short hearing.

Once you have committed a crime you should do the timeMarcia Shakespeare

Outside court, Ms Shakespeare said: My reaction when they were sentenced was justice had been served.

She said the prosecution case was won on other evidence besides the secret witness, including telephones and DNA.

She said: Although this case has been won today Im still totally aware of the possibility of them trying to appeal again.

I will continue to come and fight for Letisha and Charlene who lost their lives through no fault of their own. By going out enjoying themselves, they were murdered.

Had the judge lifted Mr Browns anonymity, it would have opened a can of worms, she added.

Ms Shakespeare said it was distressing for the families to come back to court, adding: Once you have committed a crime you should do the time.
Robert Hawkins was described by a judge as a ruthless and unrepentant paedophile (Police Scotland/PA)

A ruthless sexual predator who had images of children being abused as the screensaver on his computer has been jailed for 14 years.

Robert Hawkins was described by a judge as an unrepentant paedophile as he was sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday.

The 58-year-old was convicted of the repeated rape of two women and serious sexual offences against a six-year-old girl and a boy of the same age at various addresses in Edinburgh and Dumfries between 1990 and 2004.

He was brought to justice after investigations by Police Scotlands cybercrime and public protection units.

Lord Pentland said the calculated and sustained sexual abuse of the children over many years had had a devastating effect on their lives.

I am left in no doubt that you are a devious, ruthless and dangerous sexual predatorJudge Lord Pentland

The judges sentencing statement, released by the Judicial Office for Scotland following the hearing, said: I am left in no doubt that you are a devious, ruthless and dangerous sexual predator, and an unrepentant paedophile.

Even now you have shown no remorse and have evinced no empathy for your victims or insight into the harm you have caused them.

Whilst you have experienced certain difficulties and challenges in your life, these cannot begin to excuse the extreme gravity of your offending.

You are an intelligent man and must have been fully aware how profoundly wrong your conduct was.

During the trial Hawkins pleaded guilty to the possession of a large number of indecent images of young children between 2006 and 2016.

His screensaver played images of children being abused, and chat logs recovered from his computer showed he communicated with other paedophiles.

Hawkins was jailed for 14 years after which he will be on licence for five years.

Detective Sergeant David Brady said: Robert Hawkins is a dangerous and predatory individual who committed a number of extremely serious sexual offences against women and children over a prolonged period of time.

The evidence gathered against Hawkins during our investigation was overwhelming. However, his conviction was only possible thanks to the bravery of the victims in coming forward to report the abuse that they had suffered.
Former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at the launch in central London of a Liberal Democrats campaign poster attacking the Conservatives school meals policy.

Former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg will take up a senior post at global social media giant Facebook.

In a move that took the UK politics world by surprise, the ex-Liberal Democrat leader was unveiled on Friday as the firms head of global affairs and communications.

Writing on the platform, the 51-year-old said it was an exciting new adventure and he would move to the US with his family in January to work at the Menlo Park headquarters in Californias Silicon Valley.

It comes as Mark Zuckerberg seeks to repair the companys reputation in the face of rows over transparency and the role of fake news on the platform after the 2016 EU referendum and the 2017 election of Donald Trump as US president.

Labour said it was a damning indictment of the sorry state of our countrys politics that he was becoming a lobbyist for the firm while it is under investigation both in the UK and by the European Union.

Writing on Facebook, Sir Nick said the firm and its apps, including Whatsapp and Instagram, were at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult questions we face as a society over individual privacy, democratic integrity, the balance between free speech and prohibition online, artificial intelligence and the well-being of children.

He added: I believe that Facebook must continue to play a role in finding answers to those questions  not by acting alone in Silicon Valley but by working with people, organisations, governments and regulators around the world to ensure that technology is a force for good.

I am looking forward to being part of this endeavour.

It is understood Mr Zuckerberg was personally involved in hiring Sir Nick, who led the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015, including through five years in the coalition government with the Tories.

He is understood to be starting on Monday and will work from London until January, replacing Elliot Schrage, who did the job for 10 years and will remain as an adviser.

Expand Close Mark Zuckerberg is said to have taken a personal role in hiring the former deputy prime minister (Chris Ratcliffe/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Sir Nick, who lost his Sheffield Hallam seat to Labours Jared OMara at the 2017 election, is the most senior politician from Europe to work for Facebook.

He has not always been so keen on the firm, however, writing in a 2016 article for the Evening Standard that he was not especially bedazzled by Facebook.

While I have good friends who work at the company, I actually find the messianic Californian new-worldy-touchy-feely culture of Facebook a little grating, he wrote.

Nor am I sure that companies such as Facebook really pay all the tax they could  though thats as much the fault of governments who still havent got their tax act together.

Last week, the business revealed new platform tools it says will increase transparency of political advertising as it faces investigations over the role of the adverts in elections around the world

It is also facing a potential 1.2 billion fine for a data breach that allowed hackers to access the personal information of 30 million users.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC), the lead supervising authority for Facebook in the EU, officially opened its investigation last week after the social media giant admitted hackers could have accessed the accounts of millions of users through a vulnerability on September 28.

Im excited to announce that Nick Clegg is joining Facebook as VP, Global Affairs and Communications. He is a... Posted by Sheryl Sandberg on Friday, October 19, 2018

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebooks chief operating officer, said Sir Nick was a thoughtful and gifted leader who understands deeply the responsibilities we have to people who use our service around the world.

In a Facebook post, she said: Our company is on a critical journey. The challenges we face are serious and clear, and now more than ever we need new perspectives to help us though this time of change.

Labour hit out at his appointment, with shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett saying: It is a damning indictment of the sorry state of our countrys politics that, at a time when digital giants such as Facebook are rightly coming under public scrutiny, our former deputy prime minister has been hired to lobby on their behalf.

Labour is committed to slamming shut the revolving door between politics and big business, which for too long has corroded public trust in politics.

Shadow digital minister Liam Byrne said: Back in 2010 Nick Clegg boasted to his conference that tax avoiders and evaders must have nowhere to hide.

Well, Facebook UKs tax rate was 1.4% in 2017. Its UK turnover in 2017 was 1.3 billion and its taxes just 17 million.

So Ill be asking for a meeting to hear about his plans for Facebook to start doing the right thing
Saudi Arabias crown prince Mohammad bin Salman is greeted by Prime Minister Theresa May at 10 Downing Street on the first day of his three-day visit to the UK (Victoria Jones/PA)

Members of the suspected hit squad behind the alleged killing of a Jamal Khashoggi came to Britain during the Saudi crown princes state visit, it has been claimed.

Mohammed bin Salman was given the red carpet treatment during a three-day visit in March during which he met the Queen and Theresa May despite widespread protests over the Gulf states human rights record.

At least three of the suspects, First Lieutenant Dhaar Ghalib Dhaar Al-Harbi, Sergeant Major Walid Abdullah Al-Shihri and Abdul Aziz Muhammad Musa Al-Hawsawi, were part of the crown princes entourage, the news site Middle East Eye reported.

Another suspect, Major General Mahir Abdul Aziz Muhammad Mutrib, was seen emerging from a car in Downing Street during the visit, according to the Daily Mail.

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Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the Government remained extremely concerned about the fate of Mr Khashoggi, who has not been seen since visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul more than two weeks ago.

He warned there will be consequences for Britains relationship with the kingdom if it is found the missing journalist was murdered by the Saudis.

Former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers said all the evidence suggested the journalist had been murdered on the orders of someone close to the crown prince, the kingdoms de facto ruler.

He said he did not believe the prince would have acted in the way he did unless he believed he had been given licence to do so by the US administration of Donald Trump.

Turkish government sources have alleged Mr Khashoggi  a persistent critic of the prince and the Saudi government  was tortured, murdered and his body dismembered by a hit squad flown in from Riyadh.

The Saudis have dismissed the claims as baseless, but have yet to provide an explanation as to what happened to him after he entered the consulate on October 2.

However, Sir John said it now appeared very likely that he had been killed.

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All the evidence points to it being ordered and carried out by people close to Mohammed bin Salman, Sir John told BBC Radio 4s The World At One.

I dont think he would have done this if he hadnt thought he had licence from the US administration to frankly behave as he wished to do so.

I think President Trump and his ministerial team are waking up to just how dangerous it is to have people acting with a sense that they have impunity in their relationship with the United States.

The former spymaster said the level of detail which had appeared in the Turkish media about a reported recording of Mr Khashoggis final torture and killing meant the tape must exist.

There has been such tension between Turkey and Saudi Arabia over the last 10 years or so they [the Turks] would have been monitoring very carefully what goes on inside Saudi offices, he said.

They could well have had the consulate general bugged in some way or there may have been other devices carried by the squad which carried out the assassination which they were able to intercept.
Canadian Brittney Schneider, left, and British Lee Furlong, second left, stand in front of Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai province, northern Bangkok (AP)

A British tourist could be jailed for up to 10 years after allegedly spraying paint on an ancient wall in northern Thailand.

CCTV footage is said to show Lee Furlong and Canadian Brittney Schneider, both 23, spraying a message on the walls of the Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai province at around 4am on Thursday.

Teerasak Sriprasert, chief of the Chiang Mai police, said the pair were drunk and have been charged with vandalising ancient artefacts.

It carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a million baht (23,500) fine.

The 13th century Tha Pae Gate is part of a wall that forms a square around Chiang Mais inner city.

The police chief said Mr Furlong, who is from Liverpool, admitted he wrote Scouser Lee on the wall while Ms Schneider allegedly said she wrote the letter B underneath it.
A man who was injured in a train accident is brought for treatment (Prabhjot Gill/AP)

A speeding train has hit a crowd watching fireworks during a religious festival in northern India, killing at least 58 people and injuring dozens more, police said.

The train failed to stop after the accident on the outskirts of Amritsar, a city in Punjab state, said the state governing Congress party politician, Pratap Singh Bajwa.

Amrinder Singh, the states top elected official, told reporters that he had reports of 50 to 60 people dead. Thirty bodies had been removed from the site by Friday evening.

Police Commissioner SS Srivastava said the police have found 58 bodies so far.

Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 19, 2018

The Press Trust of India news agency said two trains arrived from the opposite direction on separate tracks at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape.

However, the casualties were caused by one of the trains, it quoted officials as saying. There was no railroad ministry statement on the accident.

Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the train accident.

Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required, Mr Modi tweeted.

A witness said the train did not even sound its whistle as it sped past the site, where hundreds were watching the burning of an effigy of demon Ravana during the Hindu festival of Dussehra.

Why did authorities allow the fireworks display so close to the railroad track, he asked.

He told the Republic television channel that he lost two brothers.

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Another witness said the victims did not realise that a train was coming their way because the fireworks were too loud.

Navjot Kaur Siddhu, a local Congress party politician who was the chief guest at the religious function, said the celebrations take place in the area every year and railroad authorities are alerted to run the trains at slow speeds.

A large number of people live in the area with homes on both sides of the railroad track, she said.

Shatrughan Das, an injured 35-year-old factory worker, said he was sitting close to the railroad track watching the fireworks.

I didnt see the train coming. I fell unconscious. I saw the police taking me to a hospital as I regained consciousness.

I am feeling a strong headache and pain in my back and legs, Mr Das said from his hospital bed. But I dont have serious injuries.

Following the accident, people rushed to the site and shouted at railway officials for not taking precautions. The site of the accident is nearly 290 miles north of New Delhi.

Fifty bodies had already been found and at least 50 injured were admitted to a government-run hospital, the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Rajesh Sharma, a magistrate, as saying.

As the effigy was lit and the fireworks started at the religious function, a section of the crowd started retreating toward railroad tracks while watching the event.

While accidents are relatively common on Indias sprawling rail network, Fridays was among the deadliest in recent years.

In 2016, 146 people were killed when a train slid off railroad tracks in eastern India.
Military personnel held a photo of General Abdul Raziq, Kandahar police chief, who was killed by a guard, during his burial ceremony in Kandahar (STR/AP)

Afghanistans election commission has postponed elections in Kandahar for a week, following a brazen attack on a high-profile security meeting there with a US delegation that killed at least two senior provincial officials, including the provinces police chief.

The development came as mourners gathered for the funeral of police chief General Abdul Raziq, assassinated in Thursdays attack.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the assault, saying they targeted the top US commander in the country, General Scott Miller, who was at the meeting but was unharmed.

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The Independent Election Commissions deputy spokesman Aziz Ibrahimi said the postponement was meant to allow mourners to observe funeral rites for the dead officials.

Also killed in Thursdays attack was the Kandahar intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin, but the condition of the provinces governor, Zalmay Wesa, who was wounded, has been shrouded in mystery since the assault.

Some reports say Mr Wesa has been transferred to a Nato hospital outside Kandahar.

Expand Close The head of Nato troops in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller and Kandahar governor Zalmay Wesa, centre right, and their delegations attend a security conference, in Kandahar, Afghanistan (STR/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp The head of Nato troops in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller and Kandahar governor Zalmay Wesa, centre right, and their delegations attend a security conference, in Kandahar, Afghanistan (STR/AP)

The Kandahar meeting, convened to discuss security plans for Saturdays parliamentary elections, had just concluded when an elite Afghan guard turned his gun on the departing delegation.

Two Afghan policemen were also killed and three were wounded in the attack, according to a Kandahar hospital official.

Three Americans, a US service member, a coalition contractor and an American civilian, were wounded and in stable condition, Nato said.

The funeral prayers for Mr Raziq, who had been credited with single-handedly keeping the Taliban at bay in a province the insurgents once considered their spiritual heartland, were being held on Friday at Kandahars most famous shrine, Khareq Mubarak.

It is said to contain the cloak of the Prophet Mohammed.

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A Kandahar politician running for parliament, Khaled Pashtun, said the one-week postponement in the polling was meant to give voters who might have stayed at home on Saturday, afraid so soon after the attack, the chance to vote in the elections.

Nevertheless, the attack, more than 17 years after the Taliban were driven from power, underscores the harrowing insecurity in Afghanistan ahead of the elections.

The delegates had just gathered for a group photo when gunfire broke out inside the provincial governors compound in Kandahar city.

Everyone scattered, and the US participants scrambled toward their helicopter.

But a firefight broke out between the US service members and Afghan police when they tried to stop the US delegation from reaching their helicopter, said the cameraman.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said the militant group carried out the attack and that Gen Miller was the target.

But US Army Colonel David Butler, who attended the meeting with Miller, said Mr Raziq was clearly the target, not the US general.

Col Butler said the assailant shot at Mr Raziq and then appeared to spray the area with gunfire before he was killed.

He said Gen Miller and the Afghan leaders had moved outside the palace after several hours of meetings and were standing in small groups in the compound.

He said he heard several shots and we all took cover. It was over in seconds.

Col Butler added that Gen Miller made sure the scene was secure and the wounded were taken away by medical teams before he left the area and returned to Kabul.

Mr Razik was a close US ally despite widespread allegations of corruption. He ruled Kandahar with an iron fist and had survived several past assassination attempts, including one last year that killed five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates.

The Taliban have vowed to disrupt Saturdays parliamentary elections, warning teachers and students not to allow schools to be used for polling and warning Afghans to stay away from the polls.

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Afghan President Ashraf Ghanis adviser, Ziaulhaq Amarkhil, said the attack was meant to disrupt elections and urged voters to defy Taliban threats, saying casting their ballot would be a big slap on the face of the enemy.

US defence secretary Jim Mattis said the killing of the Kandahar police chief is unlikely to fundamentally weaken the security situation.

Speaking while in Singapore for a conference on Thursday, Mr Mattis called Mr Raziqs death a tragic loss but said he believes the Afghan security forces have matured to the point where they can continue fighting the Taliban without him.

The UN Security Council condemned the attacks and others recently in Afghanistan and said violence or threats intended to disrupt the elections were unacceptable.

Pakistan closed its two official border crossings with Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said.

The development came at the request of the Afghan government, which routinely accuses Pakistan of harbouring Taliban militants, a charge Islamabad denies.

The crossings would remain closed on Friday and Saturday.

Security has been steadily deteriorating in Afghanistan with increasingly audacious attacks by insurgents and Afghanistans security forces have been on high alert ahead of Saturdays elections.
A Bulgarian court has ordered a suspect in the rape and killing of a television journalist to remain in custody until his trial.

Severin Krassimirov told reporters before the district court hearing in Ruse on Friday that he killed Viktoria Marinova, but did not mean to.

The 21-year-old Krassimirov said: I regret it so much.

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I cannot believe I did it.

Ms Marinovas body was found by the Danube River in Ruse on October 6.

Investigators said she was suffocated and hit on the head.

So far, they have rejected suggestions the 30-year-old journalists death could be linked to her work reporting on corruption.

Krassimirov was extradited to Bulgaria on Wednesday from Germany, where his mother lives.
US president Donald Trump acknowledged that it certainly looks as though missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened very severe consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him.

His warning came as the administration toughened its response to a disappearance that has sparked global outrage.

Before Mr Trump spoke, the administration announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had pulled out of a major upcoming Saudi investment conference and a US official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader was at stake.

Mr Pompeo said the Saudis should be given a few more days to finish and make public a credible investigation before the US decides how or if to respond.

Mr Trumps comments, however, signalled an urgency in completing the probe into the disappearance of the journalist, last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish reports say Mr Khashoggi, who had written columns critical of the Saudi government for The Washington Post over the past year while he lived in self-imposed exile in the US, was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to the writer.

Leading human rights and journalists organisations have urged Turkey to ask the United Nations to launch an investigation into the disappearance and possible extrajudicial execution of Mr Khashoggi.

Mr Trump, who has insisted that more facts must be known before making assumptions, did not say on what he based his latest statement about the writers likely demise.

Asked if Mr Khashoggi was dead, he said, It certainly looks that way.  Very sad.

Expand Close A security guard stands behind barriers blocking the road leading to the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Asked what consequence Saudi leaders would face if they are found to be responsible, he replied: It will have to be very severe. Its bad, bad stuff. But well see what happens.

Vice-president Mike Pence said earlier in Colorado that the world deserves answers about what happened to Mr Khashoggi, and those who are responsible need to be held to account.

In Istanbul, a leaked surveillance photo showed a man who has been a member of the crown princes entourage during trips abroad walking into the Saudi Consulate just before Mr Khashoggi vanished there  timing that drew the kingdoms heir-apparent closer to the columnists apparent demise.

Turkish officials say Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb flew into Istanbul on a private jet along with an autopsy expert on October 2 and left that night.

In Washington, Mr Pompeo, who was just back from talks with Saudi and Turkish leaders, said of the investigations in Istanbul: I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how, or if, the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr Khashoggi.

Today, I was in #SaudiArabia where I met with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Foreign Minister al-Jubeir. We had direct and candid conversations. Wednesday, I fly to Ankara to meet with Turkish officials. Read my full statement here: https://t.co/99fU8gxPEw  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 16, 2018

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said secretary-general Antonio Guterres remained very concerned about Mr Khashoggis fate and has repeatedly called for the truth to come out in this situation.

As a matter of principle, the secretary-general can initiate an investigation if all the parties involved request it, or if theres a legislative mandate from a UN body, Dujarric said. Were a little removed right now.  I think we need to let the initial investigation play out.
Investigators in Turkey are looking into the possibility that the remains of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been taken to a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul or to another city.

Mr Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi crown prince, is thought to have been killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

An official said police have established that two vehicles belonging to the consulate, left the building on October 2, the day Mr Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

One of the vehicles travelled to the nearby Belgrade Forest while the other travelled to the city of Yalova, across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul, the official said.

It was not immediately clear if police had already searched the areas.

Turkish reports say Mr Khashoggi was brutally murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to Mr Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Prince Mohammeds rise to power.

President Donald Trump, who first came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but had since has backed off, said on Thursday that it certainly looks as though Mr Khashoggi is dead.

Expand Close A man identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, walks outside the Saudi consul generals residence in Istanbul (Sabah/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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He said the consequences for the Saudis will have to be very severe if they are found to have killed him.

The pro-government Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak on Wednesday reported that an audio recording of Mr Khashoggis death suggests a Saudi team accosted him after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who visited Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week, told reporters on a plane to Mexico that he has neither seen nor heard such a recording.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also denied sharing any audio recordings with US officials, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

Expand Close Missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi (Virginia Mayo/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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During a visit to Albania, Mr Cavusoglu said Turkey would share with the world the results of its investigation into Mr Khashoggis disappearance.

Also Friday, Turkeys pro-government Sabah newspaper printed more surveillance camera photographs allegedly showing members of a Saudi team that was brought in to Turkey to dispose of Mr Khashoggi.

A leaked surveillance photo published by the same paper on Thursday showed that a member of Prince Mohammeds entourage during several trips abroad had walked into the Saudi consulate, just before the writer disappeared there on October 2.

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The man, identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, has been photographed in the background of Prince Mohammeds trips to the United States, France and Spain this year.

This week, Turkish crime scene investigators searched the Saudi consul generals residence in Istanbul and carried out a second search of the consulate itself.

Authorities have not said specifically what they found, although technicians carried out bags and boxes from the consul generals home.

He left Turkey on Tuesday.
The plan by Secretary of State Karen Bradley to theoretically kick-start talks on restoring devolution, and also to give civil servants some authority to make some decisions which would normally be taken by ministers, is regarded by many as woefully inadequate.

Her belief that by removing pressure for another Assembly election and giving the parties time - up to August next year - to decide to go back to Stormont will somehow magically instil some sense of civic responsibility on the politicians, particularly those in the DUP and Sinn Fein, is misplaced, as history has repeatedly shown.

The main parties are ideologically driven and are seemingly impervious to public demands to deal with the ever-mounting crises facing the province.

There is a delicious irony in the news that the Housing Executive may be forced to let half of its 86,000 homes fall into disrepair over the next few years because of a funding shortfall. Those who could solve this problem have voluntarily let the seat of government at Stormont fall into misuse and seem in no hurry to even consider talking to each other until Brexit and the RHI debacle is resolved.

Meanwhile, as our report shows, every day brings new problems to daily life here.

A planned new medical school at Ulster University has been shelved because there are no ministers available to consider the business case. Yet it is regarded as vital in ensuring there are enough doctors to meet the growing demand for healthcare.

Flu jabs for vulnerable groups are also in short supply, although the injections can be bought through some pharmacies. While this is not directly a ministerial problem, a steering hand at the helm of the Department of Health would be reassuring.

The arrangements being put in place by the Secretary of State in the absence of ministers will not really ease the dilemmas faced by civil servants. They may be able to take urgent critical decisions but other major decisions will continue to be open to legal challenge.

She has steered away from direct rule, but only just, as UK ministers will be able to make public appointments to bodies like the Policing Board.

However, most galling of all is the faux outrage of some politicians at the Secretary of State's move.

They are the people who are refusing to exercise the power given to them by the voters.
Now we know how complex and time-consuming the Brexit battle has become. Now we know how potentially dangerous Brexit is proving for community relations on this island, for trade, indeed, for the very constitutional future of Northern Ireland

It was never going to be simple. Now we know how complex and time-consuming the Brexit battle has become. Now we know how potentially dangerous Brexit is proving for community relations on this island, for trade, indeed, for the very constitutional future of Northern Ireland.

Had we all known on June 23, 2016, referendum day, what we know now, it's quite likely many people might have opted to vote differently, or not at all, or, perhaps, the electoral turnout might have been much higher.

Too late now. The milk is spilt and we can cry over it as much as we want as we watch the failure of the UK and the EC leaders to come to terms yet again with the minefield of Anglo-Irish politics and to find a solution to the border issue.

The referendum result declared 28 months ago has left British politics in a mess, a Government teetering on the brink of collapse and exit from the European community now on an even longer finger than before.

At the heart of the Brexit battle lies the DUP, without whose support the Conservative Government of the UK will fall.

There are two contrasting judgments on the DUP's Brexit performance to date.

History may show that the party saved the Union by thwarting all efforts to detach Northern Ireland from Great Britain with a customs and regulatory border down the Irish Sea.

Or, conversely, history might show that the DUP placed that Union in jeopardy by slavishly supporting Brexit in the first place in the face of majority opinion in Northern Ireland which wished Europe and the UK to stay together as before.

Which of these points of view you might agree with is likely to depend on whether you wish to leave the European community, or to remain.

For the moment, the DUP can paint itself as protector and potential saviour of the Union. But not until the ink is dried on any final deal can anyone know for certain if this will be the case.

If the issue of the Irish border couldn't be resolved after two years of trying, the question must be whether buying more time will make any difference.

The obvious danger for the DUP is the risk that, as more time passes, a frustrated British public and political opinion will sicken of the border issue and see it as hindering progress on so much else of Brexit business.

Granted, Theresa May speaks passionately on the constitutional ties binding the UK, but can the same be said of others around her, one of whom could well be her successor in Downing Street?

And what of Jeremy Corbyn, if he were to lead the next British Government? How unsympathetic is he likely to be towards those Northern Ireland unionists who have raged against him over the years about his republican links and fought tooth and nail at Westminster to preserve the Tories' wafer-thin majority and keep his Labour Party at bay?

Were it not for the DUP's current control over the Government's destiny, would Nigel Dodds and Sammy Wilson and the party's other eight MPs command anything like the same attention and interest in the tea-rooms of Westminster that they enjoy now? And what if they didn't?

What, then, for the future of Northern Ireland, the border issue, links with Europe and the world? What price then the Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a border between north and south, or a border down the Irish Sea?

The worst-case scenario for the DUP and unionism in general must be any sign that public and political opinion in Britain is turning off the border problem. The longer it appears unresolvable, the more likely the current mood across the water will change to one of mounting frustration that, if it were not for Ireland, north and south, a deal could be agreed.

Already, backbench Conservatives are annoyed by threats against the Government by the DUP. More than 16 million people who voted to remain in the EU are not enthused with the DUP's tough Brexit stance.

Others argue that, while the DUP insists on being treated as an equal and integral part of the UK, it does not uphold the rest of the nation's standards on fundamental moral issues, such as abortion and gay rights, nor does it represent majority opinion in Northern Ireland on the Brexit issue.

These are testing times for the link with Britain and require all the diplomatic skills of locally elected politicians to ensure people in England, in particular, do not turn sourly towards us and ask, as some are already doing, if the price of a borderless Irish border is really worth sacrificing a swift and clean break from the EU.

Avoiding a hard border is not rocket science. It requires tariff-less trade and minimal regulatory oversight of goods and services. Until we know whether the UK can achieve a free trade deal with Brussels, the border issue cannot be properly resolved and that looks a long way off after this week's deadlock.

The Irish joined the Common Market in 1973 at the same time as the UK. Trade between the two countries was then - and remains to this day - joined at the hip. Yes, southern trade with Europe is on a much wider footing today, but the stretch of water between Britain and the Republic still accounts for 50bn annually.

That is surely reason enough for Leo Varadkar to stay as close to Theresa May as he has done to Michael Barnier and Donald Tusk. He may believe his bread is buttered in Brussels, but the reality is, whether nationalists north or south care to recognise it, their bread is also buttered in Britain.

A case can be made for special EU status - not just for Northern Ireland, but for the whole of this island. Nationalist Ireland, north and south, may bury its head in anti-British sentiment, but it cannot escape, any more than unionists can do, the economic realities of today and the need for the Brexit negotiations to reach a deal which will not unduly damage any part of this island.

The DUP, in its haste to fly Northern Ireland out of Europe as swiftly as possible, now finds the Brexit Airbus crash-landed on shifting political sands.

The divided politics of Northern Ireland, largely forgotten about by the outside world since the Good Friday Agreement, are back on the international stage.

The border is examined and walked over by politicians from Brussels, London and Dublin, it's undulating greenery and winding byways the focus of global media attention.

Meanwhile, people here watch and wait and wonder where it will all end. The sense of uncertainty is palpable everywhere.

So much of our futures now hang worryingly on the decisions of people who know so little about us, in the far-flung member states of the EU. So much rests with Westminster and Brussels.

What we do know is that, of the 17 million who supported Brexit in that referendum, the future of Northern Ireland was not on the agenda as it is now. The people of Britain who voted for and against went to the polling booths without a thought for our constitutional future, the Belfast Agreement, or the Irish border.

At the time, they seemed more interested in Boris Johnson's battle bus, with its erroneous promise of 350m a week for the NHS in the event of Brexit, than any danger that their vote might lead to the break-up of the United Kingdom.

The most recent opinion poll, conducted by LucidTalk, reflects a deep distrust among voters in Northern Ireland for the Conservative Government - despite Theresa May's solemn assurances on Northern Ireland's place in the UK.

One in three DUP voters say they do not trust Mrs May to keep her promise of no border down the Irish Sea.

And 60% of voters in general express distrust, 26% have doubts and only 12% think Mrs May will stick to her word.

Such concern is founded on past experience - most recently, the manner in which Margaret Thatcher signed the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement over the heads of unionists.

Nor is it forgotten that another Tory leader, Edward Heath, in 1972, suspended Stormont and effectively ended 70 years of unionist majority rule.

Now, the question that lingers in the body politic of unionism is: could it happen again?

What price the level of political expediency required to find a deal with Brussels? At what price for Northern Ireland?

Even the DUP is now confessing deepening concern. Arlene Foster warns Theresa May that she must not do a Margaret Thatcher on Northern Ireland. Nigel Dodds says: "We need to get real. The UK cannot be broken up. This is clearly a battle for the Union itself."

Had any such fears been recognised, or admitted, on the eve of the referendum in June 2016, might not some who voted for Brexit have had second thoughts about doing so?

It's too late now, but undoubtedly worry abounds among many here about the eventual terms of any deal.
In her 10 months in the post Secretary of State Karen Bradley has always demonstrated a remarkable reluctance to take matters into her own hands.

Maybe she has been unduly influenced by Sir Humphrey Appleby's advice to Jim Hacker in a Yes Minister episode: "Minister, the traditional allocation of executive responsibilities has always been so determined as to liberate the ministerial incumbent from the administrative minutiae by devolving the managerial functions to those whose experience and qualifications have better formed them for the performance of such humble offices, thereby releasing their political overlords for the more onerous duties and profound deliberations which are the inevitable concomitant of their exalted position."

Yesterday she introduced the very grand sounding Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions Bill to the Commons.

Sir Humphrey loves that sort of linguistic mumbo-jumbo, for it conveys the impression that she is doing something of substance. She isn't, of course. We haven't had devolution for almost two years.

We're not going to have direct rule either (which would have required her to take personal hands-on responsibility for governance and decision-making).

Instead, we're to have something that, for want of a better term, can best be described as indirect rule; in which decisions will be taken by unelected, unaccountable civil servants who'd probably prefer not to take those decisions.

And given the picture of the Civil Service that has emerged during the RHI Inquiry, I'm pretty sure that most of us don't actually relish the prospect of power being passed to them either.

In her original statement to the Commons on September 6, when she first outlined her proposals, Mrs Bradley said: "I intend to introduce provisions to give greater clarity and certainty to enable NI departments to continue to take decisions in the public interest and to ensure the continued delivery of public services.

"I intend to consult parties in NI over how this might best be done." Hmm. I'm not sure those consultations went all that well. The UUP's former leader Sir Reg Empey dismissed the Bill as a "smokescreen for failure". Sinn Fein's South Down MP described it as a "farcical situation". Alliance's Naomi Long said it was like "a sticking plaster on a broken leg".

My own reading is that there isn't, in fact, a great deal of clarity for the civil servants.

They will be steered by guidance from Mrs Bradley, yet the final decision will rest with them, which will make them both nervous and reluctant. But in the case of issues requiring high levels of public spending or a change in policy (which tends to embrace most of the big-ticket stuff), the decisions will be left for ministers. Although whether that's NIO or future Executive ministers isn't clear. So don't expect much change in the five months that the first phase of the impending Act is scheduled to last.

The Bill also "creates a period where an Executive can be formed at any time during which there will be no duty to call an election".

What that means is that both the DUP and Sinn Fein can, if they are so inclined, jointly agree to whopping great concessions and U-turns in order to get back into government without being immediately worried about the prospect of their core voting bases turning on them. Which also means that there is no chance of the three smaller parties being able to gain any traction on the back of those concessions and U-turns. Some cynics might be tempted to describe this as a stitch-up. I couldn't possibly comment.

Most bizarrely of all is Mrs Bradley's claim that the Bill, when enacted (sometime in early November), will "provide an opportunity and the necessary time and space to restart political talks with the aim of restoring devolved government as soon as possible".

Seriously! Has she been listening to the news over the past 21 months? Has she noted the increasingly toxic spat between the DUP and Sinn Fein? Doesn't she remember that her efforts to reboot the talks process three weeks ago resulted in tumbleweed and derision? Hasn't anyone in her private office told her that there is more chance of me writing something nice about her than there is of a smiling Arlene and Michelle signing off on a deal?

Yesterday's statement didn't even include a date for talks to begin.

Odd, too, that March 26 has been set as the deadline for the first period in which a deal can be done and an Executive formed without an election being required (although provisions will be put in place for another five months).

That's a few days before the UK is due to leave the EU. It's classic NIO stupidity. Or fudge. Take your choice. No date for talks. Ending the first phase just before one of the most important moments in UK history since 1945. And building-in another five months afterwards. Nothing will be done between now and March 26. Which suits the DUP very nicely.

In fairness to her, Mrs Bradley is in an impossible position. She may be Secretary of State and a member of the Cabinet. She is also known to be close to the Prime Minister.

But in terms of pecking order and importance she ranks below Arlene Foster, Nigel Dodds and DUP chief whip Jeffrey Donaldson.

I'm pretty sure that she knows that this Bill doesn't amount to a hill of beans, but what can she do?

Well, one thing she can't do is the job that a Secretary of State is supposed to do. Her hands are tied by the DUP's 'confidence and supply' arrangement with the Conservative Government, so she has no hold over them and no way of pressurising them into a deal. The only purpose of this Bill is to make it look as though something is being done.

Admittedly, MLA salaries are being reduced, but that doesn't really mean all that much if key departmental decisions, the sort of decisions vital to institutions, businesses, organisations, community groups and everyday services, still won't be made. Nobody actually believes that a deal- even a surprise one - is in the offing.

The political parties here don't take this Bill seriously. The British and Irish Governments don't take it seriously. And 99.9% of the general public here don't take it seriously. And, although whisper it, to spare her blushes, I'd lay a penny to a pound that the Secretary of State doesn't take it seriously.

Indirect rule. Fudge. Limbocracy. Humbug. Call it what you will, it still isn't the government Northern Ireland so obviously - desperately - requires.
Lovingkindness, ormeditation, is a traditional Buddhist practice that helps us to move from a sense of dislocation and isolation into a more of a connection with ourselves and, ultimately, with all beings everywhere.It's classically taught with three other practices; namely, compassion; sympathetic joy--feeling delighted in another's happiness rather than feeling jealous; and equanimity, or balance of mind. All four of these of qualities can be experienced within any one of them. Lovingkindness, for example, has strands of compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity within it.

One of the difficulties with lovingkindness is that the word is not very common, which is a shame. Often the word "metta" is translated as "love," which is confusing. Sometimes we say "love," when we mean attachment or an exchange of some sort, such as: "I will love you as long as you love me in return or as long as the following 15 conditions are met." Sometimes we mean a kind of sentimentality, which isn't willing to open up to pain, dislocation, or torment.



Metta doesn't refer to either one of those conditions. The literal translation of the word is "friendship." So metta means knowing how to be a friend to ourselves and a friend to all of life. Its foundation is connection.



Because lovingkindness meditation deals with a sense of dislocation, it is a highly appropriate practice for the situation we find ourselves in today. I had an acupuncture treatment three days after the September 11 event. When the acupuncturist put a needle in me, it hurt so much I practically leapt off the table. I asked her, "What point was that?" And she said, "That's the getting-back-into-your-body point." I was in shock, as were many people. Now it's a process of coming home to ourselves, coming home to a deeper sense of community.



It's also a process of coming back to being present, because all of those states of mind that we experience--fear, anxiety, dread, grief--take us out of the moment: We either ruminate about the past or project into the future.

There's a great quotation from Mark Twain, who said, "Some of the worst things in my life never happened." Truly terrible things have happened, but then our minds spin out into the future and we create some kind of certainty about the terrible truth of tomorrow. We need to come back into the moment to enter a way full of wisdom, one that accepts the uncertainty of things.



The Metta Meditation

Loving kindness begins with ourselves. It's a tremendous sense of tenderness and care for ourselves, which is not our usual way of being. The classical progression of this meditation is that we begin the practice first toward ourselves, opening to and befriending all aspects of ourselves, not just those parts we like or that we present to the world, but even those things we'd rather keep hidden or those things that we have a vague knowledge of.



So we practice by repeating certain phrases: "May I be happy" or "May I be peaceful" The content of the phrases isn't so important; it's the aiming of the mind toward embracing one's self that's important.



Then we go from there to repeating the phrases for someone called a "benefactor," someone who has been generous toward or inspired us. Someone we respect, someone we feel grateful for. Then we move to a friend; then to a "neutral person," someone we don't strongly like or dislike. In our society, it would likely be somebody who serves a kind of function in our lives, like the check-out person at the supermarket, someone who we see from time to time but don't have a particular feeling about.



The next step is offering lovingkindness to someone with whom we have difficulty. This is a very tricky and complicated thing because we're not aiming for a state of acquiescence or collusion with unwholesome action.



The suggestion in the teaching is that you start with somebody that you have mild difficulty with. You don't begin with somebody who has profoundly hurt you, or has hurt the world really terribly. You begin with someone who annoys or irritates you. Part of the practice is developing confidence in the nature of love and our ability to love. If you find any one person or group of people too hard, it doesn't matter, just go back to someone that's easier.

There are ways of offering metta to different groups as long as you include pairs of opposites, like all females and all males. If you are partial towards one group, it doesn't matter. You just make a point of including both.





Then the next step is offering metta to all beings everywhere without distinction, without exception. There's a great line from poet Wendell Berry, in which he says, "The smallest unit of health is a community." And health, of course, means healing too. People are doing lovingkindness meditation everywhere for themselves and for what they consider their community.The way to do this meditation is to sit quietly with your back erect. Sit comfortably with your eyes closed. Then choose three or four phrases that express what you wish most deeply for yourself. Repeat them over and over, allowing your mind to rest in the phrases. Classical phrases are: "May I be happy." "May I be peaceful." "May I live with ease of heart." You can choose these or any others that work for you. Develop a rhythm and a cadence that work for you, a very gentle pacing.Beginning with yourself, gently repeat the phrases, without trying to force any particular kind of feeling but rather, gather all of your energy behind each phrase, just one at a time. After a time, if you know someone who has been really good, kind, or inspiring, you can visualize her or say her name to yourself, get a feeling for her presence. Offer the phrases of lovingkindness to her, wishing for her, just what it is you've wished for yourself.Then move on to a friend, and after some time, a neutral person, then a mildly difficult person, if you have somebody like that in your life, and then various groupings, all females, all males, all wise beings, all those in ignorance, whatever categories you would choose as long as you make the point of using pairs of opposites or complementary sets: those known to me, those unknown to me; those near, those far; those being born, those dying.Then, finally, all beings everywhere in all directions. All creatures, all those in existence. "May they be happy. May they be peaceful. May they live with ease of heart." Just repeat the phrases of lovingkindness that you've chosen and extend them to all beings everywhere without division, without exclusion. At the end, there should there be a period of silence. Sit silently for a few moments before you get up.There's another meaningful practice in Buddhism called "sharing merit." Merit is a concept that says every time we turn our mind toward the good, there's an energy created. Every act of generosity and kindness, including meditation, generates positive energy. It's believed that the force of that energy is a conduit to those who have died. In traditional cultures like Burma, when somebody dies, the family will come to the monastery and feed the meditators, then dedicate the merit of this gift to the person who has died. They share the merit of that action.Once a friend of mine died before I went to sit a retreat. I told the teacher this on the first day and he said, "Well, now you'll have to do the retreat for both of you." So every night I did a sharing of the merit. You don't have to have spectacular meditations, just the fact that you even sat down to do it generates merit. It's aligning yourself with an energy of goodness. Throughout the retreat, I would dedicate my meditations to him and to all beings everywhere.Just like with the metta meditation, you start with people who have helped you in some way. You say, "May so and so be happy. May they be peaceful." Then you move to those who have died, those who are suffering, and then you include all beings everywhere. You can create your own progression, whatever seems right.The Buddha, before his enlightenment, was living a luxurious life in his father's palace. His father pampered him because he didn't want him to leave home and look for a deeper truth, a deeper sense of happiness. He tried to have him avoid the sight of suffering at all costs. According to the legend, when the Buddha left the palace at the age of 29, he saw a sick person, an old person, a corpse, and a mendicant monk. One corpse was his wake-up call. That was his "heavenly messenger," as they say in the classical tradition. That was enough for him to profoundly question where the foundations of happiness could be found, and if there was something in life that wouldn't crumble, wouldn't be destroyed no matter what else happened. September 11, 2001 was a giant "heavenly messenger."
Indonesian officers shot and killed two suspected militants in North Sumatra province, a police spokesman said, as a think-tank warned that Islamic State (IS) losses in the Middle East had not dampened local supporters determination to carry out attacks.

Members of Densus 88, the nations elite counter-terror police unit, killed the suspects during a clash in Tanjung Balai regency late Thursday, national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said. They were identified as Hendry Syahli Manurung, 26, and M. Rival Alwis, 22.

The suspects attacked officers by firing at them, leading to a gunfight, Dedi said, adding that police seized five pipe bombs, a knife, a handgun and two bullets.

The men were identified as members of a local branch of the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), a network of Indonesian militants affiliated to IS. Dedi said they allegedly plotted with accomplices, who have since been arrested, to attack the regencys police headquarters and a Buddhist temple.

More than 350 arrested

Last month, national police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said at least 352 JAD-linked militants had been arrested since May after suicide bombers attacked three churches and a police headquarters in Surabaya, the nations second largest city. The Surabaya bombings killed 14 bystanders, as well as 10 members of two families who were blamed for carrying out the bombings.

East Java JAD members were encouraged to undertake suicide attacks, but the Surabaya families planned the attacks on their own without reference to any central leadership, according to a report from the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC).

Announcing the ongoing arrests, Tito said, Some of the suspects have been brought to court while 171 have had their files submitted to prosecutors.

He said the suspects would have fair trials and if they believed they were victims of wrongful arrests, they could file pre-trial motions.

The media can even enter the courtrooms, sit near the defendants and broadcast trials live, he said.

Along with the arrests since the Surabaya attacks, police said at least 25 suspects were killed in a series of raids.

Indonesia, the worlds largest Muslim-majority country, has suffered a series of deadly attacks since 2000 when coordinated Christmas Eve bombings at churches in several cities killed 18 people.

Warning

IPAC warned that support for IS will continue despite the groups losses in Iraq and Syria.

The main lesson to draw from the Surabaya bombings is not that the use of children is the new modus operandi or that terrorists have grown more proficient, IPAC director Sidney Jones said.

Defeats of ISIS in the Middle East have not weakened the determination of ISIS supporters to wage war at home since they can no longer get to Syria she said, using another acronym for IS. JAD cells are likely to act on their own, if and when they have the opportunity or the resources to do so.

The government needs to pay particular attention to JAD members who are about to be or have been released, because this is the pool from which new leaders will be drawn, Jones told BenarNews.

The report notes that unlike other militant groups, JAD prefers released prisoners because they are seen as having been tested.

Commenting on the IPAC report, Dedi Prasetyo said police and the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) monitor former terrorism convicts.

BNPTs deputy for international cooperation said the government had prioritized de-radicalization efforts.

I think soft approaches are the best way to eradicate terrorism, said Hamidin, who uses one name.

We have established an education center in North Sumatra, he said, referring to the de-radicalization center in Medan.
LGBT activists protest in Jakarta against the proposed criminal code revision that could lead to tougher anti-gay laws, Feb. 2, 2018.

LGBT people in Indonesia are facing renewed pressure after a ride-sharing companys message of support triggered an anti-gay response in the worlds largest Muslim-majority country.

In a message on Facebook that has since been deleted, Brata Santoso, a vice president at the ride-sharing company Go-Jek, wrote about a campaign called GOingALLin to celebrate Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.

Im happy to say that Go-Jek is taking diversity to the next level by the adoption of non-discrimination policy toward the underrepresented group, ie LGBT, Brata wrote, referring to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

In the spirit of Coming Out Day, we wanted to give space for the brave ones who embrace diversity and share what freedom, self-acceptance, authenticity, equality and tolerance really means to them, Brata wrote.

A screenshot of the message went viral on social media and led to calls to boycott the app using the hashtag #uninstallgojek on Twitter.

Since then, the company released a statement that the post was Bratas personal opinion.

Go-Jek strives to hold up high the culture and values of Indonesia, it said.

On Thursday, a Go-Jek spokesman said the company required that Brata take part in social activities to make him more sensitive, Tempo.co news website reported.

A day earlier, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin urged Indonesians to treat the LGBT community with empathy and respect, but he called their behavior deviant.

Conservative Muslims have accused Lukman of supporting the LGBT community because of his moderate views and because he attended an event in 2016 organized by the Indonesian Alliance of Independent Journalists where LGBT members were honored.

It is our obligation as religious people and religious leaders to provide guidance to them with empathy so that they cease doing what they do, he said in a video message posted on the ministrys official Twitter account.

Homosexuality is not a crime in Indonesia except in Aceh where Sharia law is in force.

That could change.

Under a draft revision to the criminal code being debated in the House of Representatives, a person engaging in a lewd act with another person of the same sex who is younger than 18 could face 12 years in prison. If the act involves violence, the penalty is up to 15 years.

The draft stipulates that a lewd act committed in public between two people of the same sex is punishable by up to 18 months in prison. It also says sex between a man and a woman who are not married to each other is punishable by up to five years.

Pressure on LGBT community

Police have raided places frequented by gay people and briefly detained hundreds suspected of being homosexuals. Officer filed charges against some of them for committing prostitution or pornographic acts.

The government of Cianjur regency, in West Java province, issued a circular urging Muslim preachers to talk about the dangers of homosexuality during their Friday sermons.

Its one of the efforts to prevent the spread of LGBT in our area, said Gagan Rusganda, a spokesman for the regency office.

Arus Pelangi, an LGBT advocacy group, said anti-gay sermons would endanger members of the community.

Such calls will only increase the persecution of LGBT people. Even without it, LGBT people are already threatened, Arus Pelangi chairwoman Yuli Rustinawati said.

The mayor of Balikpapan, in East Kalimantan province, said he would issue an anti-gay regulation in response to the emergence of a Facebook group Pin Gay Balikpapan. He said such a decree did not require the approval of the city council.

Meanwhile, Cholil Nafis a leader of the Indonesian Council of Ulema, said he supported the crackdown.

We are facing an LGBT emergency, because people with the disease now feel normal, Cholil said.

Sermons calling for avoiding LGBT are necessary. We have to counter this, he said.

Slamet, an activist for Gaya Nusantara advocating for LGBT rights, said the reactions by officials were political posturing during the election season.

This is just a repeat of old stuff, because I think they know that LGBT isnt a disease or deviance, he said. The political undertone is very strong, because people are passionate about the LGBT issue.

Most of the country sees the LGBT community as a threat, according to a survey last year by a Jakarta-based firm, Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting. The survey showed 85.4 percent of the nation felt threatened by LGBT people  a figure that increased to 87.6 percent three months later.

Additionally, 79.1 percent of respondents objected to having LGBT neighbors. Despite those concerns, 57.7 percent of Indonesians believed that LGBT members had rights and about 50 percent believed the government was obligated to protect them, according to the survey.
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By Bonnie Blankinship

Last weekend in San Francisco at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the performers included young people singing their original songs about the impact of gun violence and the desperate need for a change.

Their songs and others are part of a new album called Raise Your Voice: The Sound of Student Protest. The 11 tracks came from students across the United States, performing as soloists or in groups, from hip-hop to rock to spoken word to voice and piano. They are united in their insistence that gun violence has to stop.

The impetus for the album came from Dr. Katherine Meizel, an associate professor of musicology in the College of Musical Arts. With the help of the Little Village Foundation, she found a way to preserve those voices and share the students message.

The project has two goals: to encourage young people to vote and to raise money for gun safety, Meizel said.

Proceeds from the album will be donated to the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety organization, which works to end gun violence, create safer communities and assist victims of gun violence. The album is available for download and streaming on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify and Google Play.

Its important for young people to feel they can make a difference, and these students are demonstrating that in a really powerful, beautiful way, Meizel said. One of the reasons Im so impressed with this movement is that they dont imagine they cant make a difference; its absolutely clear to them they can make a difference, and they are doing it. They dont sit back and say, My voice doesnt count. They are making it count.

The students have different ideas about what reform should look like, but they all want to be safe in school and they all want to help heal people who have been harmed. They want to tell their representatives to care more about young people than about the gun lobby. Some want to tell policymakers they will soon be able to vote and will be making an impact politically. The want to encourage other young people to use their voices the way they have, and vote.

Last spring, as the country reeled from yet another school shooting, this time in Parkland, Florida, students organized a walkout on March 14, 2018, memorializing the 17 students and teachers who were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

It was the first of a series of rallies organized by students calling for an end to gun violence. The first walkout was followed on March 24 by the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., and other cities across the country, and then a walkout for the April 20 remembrance of the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado.

Meizel said she watched in rapt attention. As an ethnomusicologist, one of her primary focus areas is music in culture and human life, what music means to people in life, she said.

I like to use contemporary examples for my classes, where we talk a lot about music in politics and music in resistance, she said. I was looking online to see what music people were performing, and there was so much. I started archiving it. It was on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube. There was a ton of music  original music, protest music from the 1960s, little kids choirs, music from films, choral music, religious music, secular music. it was beautiful.

After the March 14 walkout, I gave friends Facebook access to a Google-doc archive of every link I could find, and one whos a music editor at NPR asked me to write a piece about it for their website.

Meizels piece, Music and Protest, Hand in Hand: Songs of the Student Walkouts, catalogued the styles of music she was hearing from the walkout sites during the March 14 event.

She also archived as many of the performances during the March for Our Lives and the April 20 walkout as she could.

What struck me on those days as being unusual or unexpected was that students were performing original music, songs they had written. They were really compelling and powerful, Meizel said. Im one of a lot of people who are inspired by the work young people are doing. Its really impressive. Its something different, this generation. They are building on what came before them; for example, the work people of color have been doing for decades but were not recognized for it or were being put down for it. Todays young people are making an effort to be inclusive and to recognize whats been done and is being done.

Again on Facebook, she commented that these songs are amazing, and I hope someone records them.

Another friend, Nichole Dechaine, a soprano and choir director in Santa Barbara, California, referred Meizel to Jim Pugh, CEO of Little Village Foundation, a nonprofit record label that records artists who might be marginalized out of the mainstream, at no cost to the artists, Meizel said. We talked and developed the project together from there. He has done the hard fundraising work and is also the musical co-producer, along with Kid Anderson. He has a board that helped with fundraising, too.

The students got an honorarium and retained rights to their music. We were concerned that they have the best possible deal, she said.

My job was to identify, locate, contact and stay in contact with the students and their parents. Some could not be part of it, but we found a good number. I went to all the recording sessions I could, interviewed the students, arranged for the cover art and wrote the liner notes.

Their performances were beautiful and heartfelt, she said. They were very professional and did things quickly and efficiently and well. I feel so privileged to have been able to work with them and learn their thoughts. They are paying attention, and I hope they will help other people pay attention.

The albums title track, Raise Your Voice, for voice and piano, was performed by 16-year-old Madison Yearsley of Seneca Falls, New York, which she had performed at the March for Our Lives gathering in her hometown, along with the song written by the Parkland students.

I realized that something needs to change, and something needs to change now, Yearsley said. And I need to use my voice. I think that people underestimate the power that their voice has, because, oh, its just one voice. But thats how things start, thats how movements begin  its with one voice.

This made me cry when we recorded it, Meizel said. We chose it as the title track because it contains the phrase raise your voice, and all the students used that idea of voice in their interviews or in their songs.

The album also contains a new, acoustic version of Shine, written by Margery Stoneman Douglas High School survivors Sawyer Garrity and Andrea Pena to encourage unity during a very dark time, to help shine the light and move forward during something so terrible. Shine has become an anthem for the movement against gun violence.

Recording sessions were arranged in three locations: At the John W. Lavelle Preparatory Charter School on Staten Island, New York; in Atlanta; and in Salt Lake City.

Some songs were born of students personal experience, such as the Parkland students and Tyler Suarezs. He recorded "Little Princess," memorializing his aunt Dawn Hochsprung, principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School, who was killed in 2002.

Saida Dahir, who came to the United States as a Muslim child refugee from Somalia, performed her hard-hitting slam poem A Poem for the Fallen," based on her lived experience.

Students at the High School for Recording Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota, where many attendees have been personally touched by gun violence, performed "We Can," presented as a structured conversation between characters  one voice supporting the use of guns to fight violence, one speaking against it, and one a neutral observer.

The CD cover was designed by a college sociology major in San Diego. He had won a competition for protest art for March for Our Lives. We saw that and asked him, Meizel said.
For Immediate Release, October 18, 2018 Contact: Noah Greenwald, (503) 484-7495, ngreenwald@biologicaldiversity.org Analysis: Trump Administration Withholding Lifesaving Protection for 78 Species Feds Fall Behind on Addressing Backlog of Wildlife Needing Protection PORTLAND, Ore. For the second year in a row, the Trump administration has fallen short in protecting species under the Endangered Species Act, ultimately putting dozens of native plants and animals at heightened risk of extinction. According to a new analysis by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to make protection decisions for 57 species or designate critical habitat for another 21 promised under a seven-year workplan developed by the agency in 2016.The agency is under the leadership of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. Zinke and other Trump officials are preventing the Fish and Wildlife Service from doing critical work to protect species from extinction, said Noah Greenwald, the Centers endangered species director. The wolverine, lesser prairie chicken and Hermes copper butterfly are all species Trump and Zinke left high and dry. The workplan was created to address a backlog of more than 500 imperiled species awaiting protection decisions. In fiscal year 2018, the workplan called for 82 separate decisions about listing species or designating critical habitat. Another 13 decisions were never completed in fiscal year 2017, for a total of 95 decisions. Instead the agency only managed to make 18 decisions in 2018, resulting in listing of only four species and proposed protection for only eight species. Another six species were denied protection, including one, the beaverpond marstonia, which had gone extinct waiting for protection. The Trump administrations anti-regulatory agenda is turning it into the extinction presidency, said Greenwald. The vast majority of the American public wants to see endangered species protected, but administration officials are flushing these imperiled plants and animals down the toilet for their patrons in the oil industry and other polluters. Delays in protecting species have real consequences. At least 46 species having gone extinct waiting for protection since the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973. During the Obama administration, a total of 357 species were protected for a rate of 37 per year. Likewise under the Clinton administration, a total of 523 species were protected, for a rate of 62 species per year. So far the Trump administration, which has protected just 14 species  all but one proposed under the previous administration  is shaping up to be even worse than the Bush administration, when only 62 species were protected. 95 Imperiled Species Covered by Fish and Wildlifes Workplan Species Name Fiscal Year Scheduled Action Type Outcome Candidate Arkansas Mudalia 2018 12M Missing Ashy Darter 2018 12M Missing Atlantic Pigtoe 2018 12M PL, 4(d) Barrens Darter 2018 12M Missing Barrens Topminnow 2018 12M PL, 4(d) Bartram Stonecrop 2018 12M Missing Beardless Chinch Weed 2018 12M Missing Beaverpond Marstonia 2018 12M Negative, extinct Big Cypress Epidendrum 2018 12M Missing Black Rail 2018 12M PL, 4(d) Black-capped Petrel 2018 12M PL, 4(d) Blackfin Sucker 2017 and 2018 12M Negative Brook Floater 2018 12M Missing Cape Sable Orchid 2018 12M Missing Carolina Madtom 2017 and 2018 12M Missing Cedar Key Mole Skink 2017 and 2018 12M Missing Chihuahua Scurfpea 2018 12M Missing Clam-shell Orchid 2018 12M Missing Donrichardsonia macroneuron 2018 12M Missing Eastern Hellbender 2018 12M Missing Elk River Crayfish 2018 12M Missing False Spike 2018 12M Missing Florida Sandhill Crane 2018 12M Missing Franklin's Bumblebee 2018 12M Missing Joshua Tree 2018 12M Missing Lesser Prairie Chicken 2017 and 2018 12M Missing Longsolid 2018 12M Missing MacGillivray's Seaside Sparrow 2018 12M Missing Mohave Shoulderband Snail 2018 12M Negative Mountain Blue-eyed Grass 2018 12M Missing Neuse River Waterdog 2017 and 2018 12M Missing Ozark Pyrg 2018 12M Missing Panama City Crayfish 2018 12M PL Panamint Alligator Lizard 2018 12M Missing Peppered Chub 2018 12M Missing Purple Lilliput 2018 12M Missing Redlips Darter (broken out from ashy darter complex) 2018 12M Missing Round Hickorynut 2018 12M Missing San Joaquin Giant Flower-loving Fly 2017 and 2018 12M Missing Seaside Alder 2018 12M Missing Slenderclaw Crayfish 2018 12M PL, 4(d) Tinian Monarch 2017 and 2018 12M Missing Tippecanoe darter 2018 12M Missing Tricolor Blackbird 2018 12M Missing White-tailed Prairie Dog 2018 12M Negative Woodville Karst Cave Crayfish 2018 12M Negative Yellow Banded Bumblebee 2018 12M Missing Humboldt Marten 2018 12M remand PL, 4(d) Northern Spotted Owl 2017 and 2018 12M uplisting Missing Black Pine Snake 2018 FCH Missing Elfin Woods Warbler 2017 FCH Missing Kula Wahine Noho 2018 FCH Missing O`oko`Olau 2018 FCH Missing Spring Pygmy Sunfish 2017 and 2018 FCH Missing Uhi Uhi 2018 FCH Missing Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo 2017 FCH Missing Candy Darter 2018 Final Missing Mist Forestfly 2017 and 2018 Final Missing Trispot Darter 2018 Final Missing Western Glacier Stonefly 2017 and 2018 Final Missing American Wolverine 2018 FL Missing Louisiana Pine Snake 2018 FL FL, 4(d) San Fernando Valley Spineflower 2018 FL Negative Black Warrior Waterdog 2017 and 2018 FLFCH FLFCH Texas Hornshell 2017 and 2018 FLPCH FL Yellow Lance 2018 FLPCH FL Big Sandy Crayfish 2017 PCH Missing Florida Bonneted Bat 2017 PCH Missing Florida Bristle Fern 2018 PCH Missing Green Sea Turtle 2017 PCH Missing Guyandotte River Crayfish 2017 PCH Missing Miami Tiger Beetle 2017 PCH Missing Red Knot 2017 PCH Missing Sonoyta Mud Turtle 2018 PCH Missing Suwannee Moccasinshell 2018 PCH Missing Chapin Mesa Milkvetch 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Fremont County Rockcress 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Frisco Buckwheat 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Frisco Clover 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Hermes Coper 2017 and 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Island Marble 2017 and 2018 PLPCH PLPCH Yes Marron Bacora 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Ostler's Peppergrass 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Red-crowned Parrot 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Sierra Nevada Red Fox 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Striped Newt 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Texas Fatmucket 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Texas Fawnsfoot 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Texas Pimpleback 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Wright's Marsh Thistle 2017 and 2018 PLPCH Missing Yes Georgetown Salamander 2017 rPCH Missing Narrow-headed Gartersnake 2017 rPCH Missing Northern Mexican Gartersnake 2017 rPCH Missing Salado Salamander 2017 rPCH Missing Slickspot Peppergrass 2017 rPCH Missing Key 12M 12-month finding determining if species warrants listing PL Proposed listing FL Final listing PCH Proposed critical habitat FCH Final critical habitat Candidate species A species that has been found to warrant protection, but is waitlisted 4(d) A rule defining prohibited activities for a threatened species
For Immediate Release, October 19, 2018 Contact: Kieran Suckling, (520) 275-5960, ksuckling@biologicaldiversity.org In Wake of Bizarre Bishop Letters, Congressional Hearing Sought on Okinawa Dugong WASHINGTON The Center for Biological Diversity sent a letter to Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) and the House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday requesting that the full committee hold an oversight hearing on the protection and conservation of the Okinawa dugong, a critically endangered marine mammal threatened by the construction of a new U.S. military base on Okinawa. In June Rep. Bishop requested information regarding the Centers compliance with FARA, the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Although the Center has provided information sufficient to fully demonstrate compliance with the law, Bishop and his staff have continued to send burdensome document requests regarding the Centers work on the dugong and compliance with the Act. If Rob Bishop is so concerned about our work to save the Okinawa dugong, wed love to have a full public hearing about it, said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the Center. Instead he seems far more interested in trying to bully and harass us with the kind of tactics that wouldve made Joe McCarthy proud. Over the past four months, Bishop has sent letters to the Center and several other environmental organizations alleging that they are somehow working as a foreign agents of China or some other foreign entity because of their work on environmental-protection issues overseas. The letter from the Center requests a hearing on the dugong and informs Bishop that the Center will provide additional documents only as part of a public hearing. It states: The attempts to mislead the public through vague insinuations and innuendo about the Center and its staff do not serve the public interest. Instead, they represent an abuse of power that is designed to do nothing more than harass our staff and to stifle important public interest work to protect our environment  both at home and abroad  while distracting the public from the actual violations of FARA by personnel within the Trump administration and Trump campaign. The letter notes dangerous parallels to an earlier era where FARA was misused by Congress to defame and intimidate civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois, who was charged by the government for violating FARA as part of his work to ban nuclear weapons. Du Bois refused to accept a plea deal, and his trial exposed the governments political motivations. His case was ultimately dismissed for the lack of evidence. The letter from the Center also makes clear that, under the rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, legitimate congressional oversight of the FARA is the responsibility of the House Committee on the Judiciary, not the Natural Resources Committee. Read the Centers October 17, 2018 letter requesting a public hearing on the dugong. Read the Centers Aug. 2, 2018 follow up letter providing additional information regarding FARA. Read the Centers June 26, 2018 initial response letter providing information regarding FARA.
Beckman.com is a comprehensive resource for a wide array of centrifuges, flow cytometers and automated liquid handlers, as well as a diverse family of analyzers for counting/characterizing cells and particles of varying types.

For a quarter century, the Beckman Coulter name has been important to clinicians and researchers worldwide. For the latter group, there's a newer name to remember Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and a new website to bookmark beckman.com.

Life science researchers, academics, clinical and biopharma labs, and industry quality-control professionals can now find the analytical instruments they need from Beckman Coulter Life Sciences at beckman.com.

Those who work in diagnostics and healthcare can continue to be served by Beckman Coulter Diagnostics (at beckmancoulter.com).

Beckman.com is a comprehensive resource for a wide array of centrifuges, flow cytometers and automated liquid handlers, as well as a diverse family of analyzers for counting/characterizing cells and particles of varying types.

To complement these technologies, beckman.com is also a source for related accessories and labware, including rotors, bottles, tubes and pipette tips, as well as numerous flow cytometry and genomic reagents.

Beckman.com has not only been further optimized to simplify on-site search, but it also features insightful, application-focused content on timely topics such as immunotherapy, exosomes, DNA/RNA isolation, and cell line development for biopharmaceutical research.

Beckman.com continues to grow its content to provide information on the latest trends, and insights on a variety of research areas such as infectious diseases, oncology, drug development/discovery, and biologics.

The website also provides users fast access to an extensive technical documents library without requiring registration.

"Our customers talk and we listen. We took their feedback on our original website and used it to guide the ongoing enhancements to beckman.com. Our goal is to make the site a world-class resource for information on the latest research topics, as well as a more customer-driven portal for easily finding and purchasing all the lab instrumentation, accessories, and supplies they need," said Jason Lanie, Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Vice President.

During the coming months, site visitors will notice additional changes, Lanie said. Some of them will be easy to see, while others will be minor refinements to current features. As always, all of these enhancements will be driven by our commitment to delivering the best possible user experience," she further added.
The two organizations announced a partnership in Mumbai on World Restart a Heart Day.

Medtronic has declared a partnership between India Medtronic, its wholly owned subsidiary in India, and Cardiological Society of India (CSI) to drive awareness and training to perform Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), also simply known as a technique to revive heart and lungs, in public places.

The training aims to increase awareness about managing the first few crucial minutes after someone has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest by performing CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) usage. The two organizations announced a partnership in Mumbai on World Restart a Heart Day.

Omar Ishrak, chairman and chief executive officer of Medtronic and Dr Prafulla Kerkar, organizing secretary, CSI and head of the Department of Cardiology at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, signed the partnership document.

Medtronic aims to conduct several such nationwide trainings and engage with more than 10,000 people in phase one, especially the ones who operate in public places and are typically the first point of contact for people suffering an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest. During the training, attendees will be trained to spot a sudden cardiac arrest, provide hands-only CPR and revive the victim within minutes.
Scarborough Leader

The Oak Hill Players are performing the musical 'Honk!', their first live performance since the COVID-19 pandemic.
PR Newswire

WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 19, 2018

WALTHAM, Mass., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Alison Davis-Blake, the former business school dean at the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota who has devoted her career to scholarship and teaching, was inaugurated as the eighth president of Bentley University in a ceremony attended by students, faculty, staff, alumni and other members of the extended Bentley community. Davis-Blake had been elected unanimously by the board of trustees to lead Bentley into its second century, continuing the university's rise from an accounting day-school on Boylston Street in Boston to one of the nation's top business schools.

"This is a marvelous day for Bentley and for higher education," said inauguration keynote speaker Mary Sue Coleman, the president of the Association of American Universities, who worked closely with Davis-Blake as the president of the University of Michigan when Davis-Blake was business dean there. Coleman praised her as "a new leader perfect for the opportunities that await Bentley."

"To be an effective university president, you must look beyond the borders of the campus. Alison believes in building bridges," Coleman said. "This is so important, both for students and the communities and companies they will join after graduating. Universities that connect with their communities are more effective, more respected and better positioned to make a genuine difference in people's lives."

Read Mary Sue Coleman's Inauguration Keynote Address

At the inauguration ceremony, University Trustee Chairman Robert P. Badavas '74 bestowed upon Davis-Blake the presidential medallion that bears the seal of Bentley University and symbolizes the authority and responsibility vested in the president as leader of the university.

In her inaugural address, President Davis-Blake said now is a transformative time for colleges and universities across the country. "Higher education has never been more important," she said. "Here at Bentley, right here and right now, we have the exciting chance to imagine what the future of leadership in business and in society can be and to create business-focused education for the next generation of leaders."

She urged students, faculty and others to foster a positive environment that thrives on diversity, focuses on the university's strengths, and operates with integrity  and to carry that over to their careers. "We have choices about how we structure our organizations, how we motivate and sustain employees, how we inspire students to make a difference in their companies and their communities, and how we support businesses so they can do well and also serve the greater good."

"The world is not getting any simpler," she concluded. "But that's just fine. Bentley is up to it. We are up to it, as we work together to define the future of business leadership in this country and for the world."

Read President Davis-Blake's Inauguration Address

The inauguration ceremony on Friday, Oct. 19, concluded a week-long series of activities for the Bentley community, with events designed for students, faculty and staff, to celebrate the inauguration of President Davis-Blake.

Watch: Alison Davis-Blake, An Academic Life [video]Read About the Faculty Symposium on the Future of WorkRead About the Symposium for Students on Positivity in the WorkplaceRead About the Inauguration Tree Planting Ceremony Read About the Workshops for Staff on Positive Leadership

About Mary Sue Coleman

Mary Sue Coleman has been president of the Association of American Universities since 2016. Prior to joining the AAU, Dr. Coleman was president of the University of Michigan from 2002 to July 2014 (where she is now president and professor emerita) and president of the University of Iowa from 1995 to 2002. Long involved with the AAU, Coleman served as chair in 2011-2012.

Dr. Coleman has during her career as a faculty member and administrator been a national leader in higher education. The American Council on Education honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

At the University of Michigan, Dr. Coleman oversaw the groundbreaking partnership with Google to digitize the University's 7 million volume library, launched enduring institutional partnerships with universities in China, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil, and India, revitalized student living and learning experiences through a residential life initiative, and worked tirelessly to promote economic revitalization and innovation within the state of Michigan.

In recognition of these efforts, Dr. Coleman was named by President Obama in 2010 to help launch the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke named her as co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Throughout her career, she has promoted the educational value of diverse perspectives in the classroom and within the academic community, and she has worked in numerous venues to improve access to higher education for all.

About Alison Davis-Blake

Alison Davis-Blake, Bentley University's eighth president, is an accomplished academician and a leader in higher education. She served as dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota (2006-2011) and of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan (2011-2016). Dr. Davis-Blake holds an undergraduate degree in Economics and a master's degree in Organizational Behavior, both from Brigham Young University, and a PhD in Business Administration from Stanford University.

Dr. Davis-Blake is a talented scholar with expertise in strategic human resource management and organizational design for effective management of human capital. Her research interests include the effects of outsourcing on organizations and employees; the design of effective organizational recruitment, salary and promotion systems; and the organizational consequences of relying on large numbers of temporary, contract and leased workers. She has taught courses in organization theory, organizational behavior, fundamentals of management, and strategic human resource management for students at the undergraduate, MBA, doctoral and executive levels.

While at Ross, Dr. Davis-Blake positioned the school globally for its new mission to develop leaders who make a positive difference in the world. This included increasing global study opportunities for MBA and Bachelor of Business Administration students and forming new partnerships with universities around the world. Under her leadership, Ross expanded activities in India, Japan and South Korea. Helping the school expand domestically, Dr. Davis-Blake brought the Executive MBA program to Los Angeles and introduced the Master of Management and Minor in Business programs.

Dr. Davis-Blake was the first female dean at both Carlson and Ross and is Bentley's second woman president. Earlier in her career, she served in multiple positions at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business, including senior associate dean for academic affairs and chair of the Management Department, as well as at Carnegie Mellon University, where she taught in the Graduate School of Industrial Administration (now the Tepper School of Business).

Dr. Davis-Blake's husband, Michael, is a physicist who has spent most of his career developing scientific software that takes algorithms from university labs and makes them usable outside the lab. Alison and Michael have two sons: Kent, who graduated from Stanford University with a BS and MS and works at a technology firm in Silicon Valley, and Gordon, who is currently studying at Stanford.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/alison-davis-blake-inaugurated-as-bentleys-eighth-president-300734567.html

SOURCE Bentley University
Canada NewsWire

EDMONTON, Oct. 18, 2018

TSX: ACB

EDMONTON, Oct. 18, 2018 /CNW/ - Aurora Cannabis Inc. ("Aurora" or the "Company") (TSX: ACB) (NYSE: ACB) (Frankfurt: 21P; WKN: A1C4WM), announced today that it has filed an early warning report in respect to its holdings in The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. ("TGOD"), a company with a head office at 6025 Airport Road, Building A  Suite 301, Mississauga Ontario L4V 1E3. The transactions outlined below were effected through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Aurora acquired an initial ownership and control over an aggregate of 39,674,584 common shares (the "Shares") and warrants to purchase an additional 19,837,292 Shares of TGOD, which, at that time, represented approximately 18.8% of the issued and outstanding common Shares of TGOD on a fully-diluted basis.

During the period October 10 to October 16, 2018, Aurora disposed ownership of an aggregate of 5,783,200 Shares for an aggregate disposition price of $32,867,131 at a price of $5.68 per share, representing 2.2% of the issued and outstanding Shares of TGOD. Immediately prior to the transaction, Aurora held approximately 16.9% of TGOD's issued and outstanding Shares on a fully diluted basis. Following this transaction, Aurora held 33,891,384 Shares representing approximately 13.2% of TGOD's issued and outstanding Shares. The Shares along with Aurora's 19,837,292 warrants represent approximately 15.3% of TGOD's issued and outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis.

The disposition of the Shares described in this press release was for investment purposes and in accordance with applicable securities laws. Aurora may, from time to time and at any time, acquire or dispose of shares and/or warrants of TGOD (collectively, the "Securities") in the open market or otherwise, and reserves the right to dispose of any or all of its Securities in the open market or otherwise at any time and from time to time, and to engage in similar transactions with respect to the Securities, the whole depending on market conditions, the business and prospects of TGOD and other relevant factors.

This press release is being issued pursuant to National Instrument 62-103  The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bids and Insider Reporting Issues in connection with the filing of an early warning report by the Company (the "Early Warning Report").

For further details, please see the Early Warning Report, a copy of which is available on TGOD's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Aurora

Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with funded capacity in excess of 500,000 kg per annum and sales and operations in 18 countries across five continents, Aurora is one of the world's largest and leading cannabis companies. Aurora is vertically integrated and horizontally diversified across every key segment of the value chain, from facility engineering and design to cannabis breeding and genetics research, cannabis and hemp production, derivatives, high value-add product development, home cultivation, wholesale and retail distribution.

Highly differentiated from its peers, Aurora has established a uniquely advanced, consistent and efficient production strategy, based on purpose-built facilities that integrate leading-edge technologies across all processes, defined by extensive automation and customization, resulting in the massive scale production of high quality product at low cost. Intended to be replicable and scalable globally, our production facilities are designed to produce cannabis of significant scale, with high quality, industry-leading yields, and low per gram production costs. Each of Aurora's facilities is built to meet EU GMP standards, and its first production facility, the recently acquired MedReleaf Markham facility, and its wholly owned European medical cannabis distributor Aurora Deutschland, have achieved this level of certification.

In addition to the Company's rapid organic growth and strong execution on strategic M&A, which to date includes 15 wholly owned subsidiary companies  MedReleaf, CanvasRX, Peloton Pharmaceutical, Aurora Deutschland , H2 Biopharma, Urban Cultivator, BC Northern Lights, Larssen Greenhouses, CanniMed Therapeutics, Anandia Labs, HotHouse Consulting, MED Colombia, Agropro, Borela, and the pending acquisition of ICC Labs  Aurora is distinguished by its reputation as a partner and employer of choice in the global cannabis sector, having invested in and established strategic partnerships with a range of leading innovators, including: Radient Technologies Inc. (TSXV: RTI), Hempco Food and Fiber Inc. (TSXV: HEMP), Cann Group Ltd. (ASX: CAN), Micron Waste Technologies Inc. (CSE: MWM), Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO), Capcium Inc. (private), Evio Beauty Group (private), Wagner Dimas (private), CTT Pharmaceuticals (OTCC: CTTH), and Alcanna Inc. (TSX: CLIQ).

Aurora's Common Shares trade on the TSX under the symbol "ACB", and are a constituent of the S&P/TSX Composite Index. Beginning October 23, 2018, Aurora's Common Shares will also trade on the NYSE under the symbol "ACB".

An early warning report with respect to the transactions above will be filed on the Issuer's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com on October 18, 2018. To obtain a copy of the subject early warning report, please contact Rob Kelly at (647) 331-7228.

For more information about Aurora, please visit our investor website: investor.auroramj.com

Terry Booth, CEO Aurora Cannabis Inc. Suite 500  10355 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1Y6

Forward looking statements

This news release includes statements containing certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur and include, but are not limited to the variety of cannabis products that Aurora will supply to the adult use market.. These statements are only predictions. Various assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the projections contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this news release. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of Toronto Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Aurora Cannabis Inc.
PR Newswire

London, October 19

AXA Property Trust Limited (a closed-ended investment company incorporated with limited liability under the laws of Guernsey with registered number 43007) LEI Number: 213800AF85VEZMDMF931

AXA Property Trust Limited (the "Company")  Timetable for Publication of Audited Financial Statements and Company Update

19 October 2018

As a result of the events described below, and despite the Companys best efforts, the Company's audited financial statements for the financial year ended 30 June 2018 will not be published by the deadline of 31 October 2018 required by the Listing Rules. The Company will however announce unaudited annual financial statements prior to 31 October 2018.

Background

In August 2018 the Board issued a Shareholder Circular (the Circular) with proposals and recommendations to:

The decision to recommend the voluntary liquidation of the Company was initiated in 2013 when the managed wind-down of the Company was approved by Shareholders through a change in its investment policy and objective with the intention of realising all remaining assets and returning the proceeds to the shareholders in an orderly manner. As a result, there is now only one asset remaining in the portfolio, a property in Curno, Italy. As the managed wind-down has reached an advanced stage, plans for the final winding-up and liquidation were confirmed in an announcement on 22 June 2018 and were subsequently set out in detail in the Circular.

The Circular included a review of the Companys operating cost structure having regard to the uncertain prospects of achieving a sale of the Curno property and the reducing rental income. As a result of this analysis the Board considered there were significant cost savings that would be achieved.

It was also explained within the Circular that no financial statements of the Company or updated NAV would be prepared for the financial year ended 30 June 2018 or subsequent years once the liquidation was approved. This was re-confirmed on 30 August 2018 when the Company released unaudited financial information for the period ending 30 June 2018. In expectation of the Proposals being approved, the existing auditor to the Company, KPMG Channel Islands Limited, gave notice of their resignation, contingent upon the Proposals being passed by letter dated 5 July 2018.

Shareholder meetings

An EGM was scheduled for 7 September 2018, at which shareholders were due to vote on the Proposals. The EGM took place as scheduled, but it was adjourned until 21 September 2018 following the attendance of representatives of shareholders accounting for approximately 30% of the voting rights who expressed their intention to vote against the Proposals, which required 75% approval of those voting in order to be passed. The Board was made aware of their intentions less than 24 hours before the meeting was scheduled to start.

The Adjourned EGM took place on 21 September 2018. However, the Proposals were not approved. A single shareholder came to hold a 29.8% interest in the Company prior to the Adjourned EGM. At the Adjourned EGM, the Proposals were supported by shareholders representing 38.3% of the issued shares of the Company, amounting to 56.2% of those voting at the Adjourned EGM. However, the shareholder holding shares representing 29.8% of the Company voted against the Proposals and effectively blocked them as a 75% majority was required.

Audited annual financial statements

As the Company retained its listing on the Official List of the UK Listing Authority and is bound by the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency and Listing Rules, arrangements are in hand to prepare audited annual financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2018.

There are a number of factors which will need to be addressed as part of the audit process which include;

In view of the above, the auditor has reported that it is not possible to complete the audit in time for the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules deadline of 31 October 2018. It is unlikely that the audit will be completed before 31 December 2018. However unaudited annual financial statements for the Company are being finalised and will be announced prior to 31 October 2018.

The Directors note that under Listing Rule 5.1.2 (2) the FCA may suspend listing where the issuer has failed to publish financial information in accordance with the Listing Rules. The Directors will therefore be making a conditional request to the FCA that listing of the Companys shares be suspended, conditional upon failure to publish the audited financial statements by 31 October 2018. An announcement on any future suspension will be made as and when appropriate, whilst the Company uses its best endeavours in the meantime to assist the auditors to complete the audit of its annual financial statements.

Company update

The Directors have consulted with the shareholder who voted against the Proposals. As indicated in the Companys announcement issued on 5 October 2018, the shareholder has indicated a wish to present an alternative plan for the continuation of the Company with a different investment policy and objective. The Directors note that any proposal to amend the investment policy and objective of the Company would require shareholder approval.

The Directors believe that such a potential proposal, if put forward, would be a significant change from the Company's current investment policy and objective, which was approved by more than 75% of those Shareholders voting at the EGM in October 2013 and which remains in place. The Board therefore remains committed to continue with the Company's current realisation strategy, in particular with respect to the lease negotiations at Curno and the propertys subsequent disposal. The Company will also continue to make distributions at the earliest opportunity.

The negotiations with the tenant at Curno continue to progress. The Board and the Investment Manager do not believe it is in the Companys interest to entertain a forced sale and believe that the new lease agreement will be beneficial to the disposal prospects of the property. It is anticipated that the new lease agreement will be finalised and in place before year-end.

At the same time and in view of the fact that plans for the significant cost savings identified in the Circular have been affected whilst the Company remains listed, the Board and its advisors will continue to review the Companys ongoing operating cost structure to identify and implement expense reductions where possible

Further updates will be provided in due course.

Company website: retail.axa-im.co.uk/axa-property-trust

All Enquiries: Investment Manager AXA Investment Managers UK Limited Broker Services 7 Newgate Street London EC1A 7NX United Kingdom Broker Stifel Nicolaus Europe Limited 150 Cheapside London EC2V 6ET United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 7710 7600 Company Secretary Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited PO Box 255 Trafalgar Court Les Banques St Peter Port Guernsey GY1 3QL

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Canada NewsWire

TORONTO, Oct. 18, 2018

EXPECTED CLOSING DATE ANNOUNCED

TORONTO, Oct. 18, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, Loblaw Companies Limited (TSX: L, "Loblaw") and George Weston Limited (TSX: WN, "GWL") announced that at a special meeting of shareholders held earlier today (the "Meeting"), Loblaw shareholders voted in favour of a special resolution approving a plan of arrangement under section 192 of the Canada Business Corporations Act (the "Arrangement") pursuant to which Loblaw will spin out its 61.6% effective interest in Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: CHP.UN, "Choice Properties REIT").

The Arrangement required approval by: (i) 66 2/3% of the votes cast by shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Meeting; and (ii) a simple majority of the votes cast by the shareholders present in person or by proxy at the Meeting, excluding votes cast by such shareholders as are required to be excluded pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101  Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101").

Of the votes cast by proxy with respect to the Arrangement, an aggregate of 324,981,525 Loblaw shares were voted in favour of the Arrangement, representing approximately 97.63% of the votes cast by proxy on the resolution. In addition, an aggregate of 131,524,817 Loblaw shares, representing approximately 94.34% of the votes cast by proxy on the resolution excluding such shareholders as are required to be excluded pursuant to MI 61-101, were voted in favour of the Arrangement.

Completion of the Arrangement remains subject to court approval as well as other customary closing conditions. The final hearing of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List) to approve the Arrangement is scheduled to take place on October 19, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time) at 330 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario.

Loblaw and GWL also announced today receipt of the advance tax ruling from the Canada Revenue Agency ensuring the favourable tax treatment of the distribution to Loblaw, GWL and Loblaw public shareholders. Subject to receipt of the above noted court approval and assuming all other conditions to the Arrangement are satisfied or waived, Loblaw and GWL expect that the Arrangement will be completed on November 1, 2018.

Loblaw and GWL have been advised by the TSX that "due bill" trading will apply in connection with closing of the Arrangement. Assuming a closing date of November 1, 2018, regular trading will apply to the Loblaw shares up to the close of trading on October 29, 2018. Beginning at the commencement of trading on October 30, 2018 through to the close of trading on November 1, 2018, Loblaw shareholders who sell their Loblaw shares will sell their shares with the right to receive GWL shares pursuant to the Arrangement (referred to as a "due bill" entitlement). It is expected that at the commencement of trading on November 2, 2018, the Loblaw shares will resume regular trading without any "due bill" entitlement, reflecting that the spin-out of Loblaw's interest in Choice Properties REIT has been completed. Shareholders entitled to receive GWL shares pursuant to the Arrangement are expected to receive those GWL shares within several days of closing. Investors are encouraged to consult with their investment advisors regarding the specific implications of buying or selling Loblaw shares on, before or after the expected closing date.

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw is Canada's food and pharmacy leader, the nation's largest retailer, and the majority unit holder of Choice Properties. Loblaw provides Canadians with grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, financial services, and wireless mobile products and services. With more than 2,400 corporate, franchised and Associate-owned locations, Loblaw, its franchisees, and Associate-owners employ approximately 200,000 full- and part-time employees, making it one of Canada's largest private sector employers.

Loblaw's purpose  Live Life Well  puts first the needs and well-being of Canadians who make one billion transactions annually in the company's stores. Loblaw is positioned to meet and exceed those needs in many ways: convenient locations; more than 1,050 grocery stores that span the value spectrum from discount to specialty; full-service pharmacies at nearly 1,400 Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix locations and close to 500 Loblaw locations; PC Financial services; affordable Joe Fresh fashion and family apparel; and three of Canada's top consumer brands in Life Brand, no name and President's Choice.

About George Weston Limited

GWL is a Canadian public company founded in 1882 and through its operating subsidiaries constitutes one of North America's largest food processing and distribution groups. GWL has two reportable operating segments: Weston Foods and Loblaw, which is operated by Loblaw. The Weston Foods operating segment is primarily engaged in the baking industry within North America. Loblaw is Canada's largest food distributor and a leading provider of general merchandise, drugstore and financial products and services.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release for Loblaw and GWL contains forward-looking statements about the proposed spin out of Loblaw's interest in Choice Properties REIT. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "foresee", "could", "estimate", "goal", "intend", "plan", "seek", "strive", "will", "may" and "should" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements reflect current estimates, beliefs and assumptions, which are based on Loblaw's and GWL's perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Loblaw's and GWL's estimates, beliefs and assumptions are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and other uncertainties and contingencies regarding future events and as such, are subject to change. Loblaw and GWL can give no assurance that such estimates, beliefs and assumptions will prove to be correct.

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the expected completion date of the Arrangement and anticipated trading.

Numerous risks and uncertainties could cause Loblaw's and GWL's actual results to differ materially from the estimates, beliefs and assumptions expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: failure to complete the spin out for any reason; the potential benefits of the spin out not being realized; adverse changes and volatility in the trading prices or value, as applicable, of the Loblaw shares or GWL shares following the spin-out; substantial tax liabilities that Loblaw and GWL may be exposed to if the tax related requirements of the spin-out are not met; the failure to obtain any required governmental, regulatory, court or other approvals and/or consents; risks associated with indemnity obligations arising under the arrangement agreement; the reduced diversity of Loblaw's business following the spin-out; the failure to accurately estimate the costs of the spin-out; and future factors that may arise making it inadvisable to proceed with, or advisable to delay, all or part of the spin out.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Other risks and uncertainties not presently known to Loblaw and GWL or that Loblaw and GWL presently believe are not material could also cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in its forward-looking statements. Additional information on these and other factors that could affect the operations or financial results of Loblaw or GWL are included in reports filed by Loblaw and GWL with applicable securities regulatory authorities and may be accessed through the SEDAR website (www.sedar.com).

There can be no assurance that the proposed spin out will occur or that the anticipated benefits will be realized. The proposed spin out is subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions, including approval by the Court and the TSX and there can be no assurance that such conditions will be met. The proposed spin out could be modified, restructured or terminated.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect Loblaw's and GWL's expectations only as of the date of this release. Loblaw and GWL disclaim any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

SOURCE Loblaw Companies Limited
PR Newswire

HEFEI, China, Oct. 18, 2018

HEFEI, China, Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 18, 2018, China Tobacco Anhui Industry Corporation, a subsidiary of China National Tobacco Corporation, held the launching ceremony of the new "Toop" model of tobacco in Hefei, Anhui Province, which attracted widespread attention from both domestic and international media.

He Qing, the spokesman of China Tobacco Anhui Industry Corporation's "Toop-zero" technical team, introduced the design ideas, technical features and consumption feelings of the new magnetic particle homo-heating (MaPH) products.

MaPH technology utilizes the principle of magnetic induction alternating current variable frequency to generate thermal energy by inducing particle collision, which is delivered in a non-contact manner. The energy delivery is characterized by uniformity and stability. Therefore, the uniform distribution of heated body can lead to adjustable and controllable energy transfer, ensuring steady-state heating in a specific temperature range, and uniform and orderly release of the effective materials.

In the portable and rechargeable miniature electromagnetic energy transmitter, the exquisite but simple heating chamber design enables heated body perfectly contact with the chamber. The integrated design of MaPH technology brings about a new consumption experience of "Toop-zero" tobacco. While the pure smoke taste of natural tobacco is retained, the releases of tar and other substances are reduced.

During the sixty-year history of the Huangshan brand, the technology research and development has been changed from following up to rebirth. Our staff of Huangshan have always been adhering to the spirit of "Climber", searching for higher standards tirelessly. The technological accumulation of several generations and the continuous breakthrough of core technology have ushered in the innovative "Toop-zero" product and finally created a new product of MaPH technology, which has become a new model of consumption experience.

According to the technology spokesman He Qing, 2018 is the first year of a new model of tobacco consumption and "Toop-zero" is a new starting point representing a new experience of tobacco consumption. It is reported that China Tobacco Anhui Industry Corporation has completed the systematic preparation of mass production for products of MaPH technology. The first-generation product "Toop" is expected to be officially launched in 2019.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-world-premiere-of-the-new-magnetic-particle-homo-heating-product-300734144.html

SOURCE China Tobacco Anhui Industry Corporation


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Page: 1 2 3 4 5 ... 7 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S. engineering

Banned

User ID: 392579

10-19-2018 01:14 AM



Posts: 5,299









Post: #1 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

Advertisement 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.



In a startling revelation, Guatemalas president announced in the countrys largest newspaper that nearly 100 ISIS terrorists have been apprehended in the impoverished Central American nation. Why should Americans care about this? A caravan of Central American migrants is making its way north. Lets not forget that Guatemala is one of the countries that bombarded the U.S. with illegal immigrant minors under Barack Obamas open border free-for-all. They came in droves from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala through the Mexican border and for years Uncle Sam rolled out the welcome mat offering housing, food, medical treatment and a free education



A terrorist could have easily slipped in considering the minors, coined Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC), were not properly vetted and some turned out to be violent gangbangers who went on to commit heinous crimes in their adopted land of opportunity. In fact, the nations most violent street gang, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), was energized by the barrage of UACs. The Texas Department of Public Safety even issued a report documenting how the MS-13 emerged as a top tier gang in the state thanks to the influx of illegal alien gang members that came with the UACs. At the time more than 60,000 UACsmany with criminal historieshad stormed into the U.S. in a matter of months. Tens of thousands more eventually made it north.



Guatemala has long been known as a major smuggling corridor for foreigners from African and Asian countries making their way into the U.S. Last year Guatemalas largest paper, Prensa Libra, published an in-depth piece on the inner workings of an international human smuggling network that moves migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh to the U.S. Individuals are sent to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates then flown to Brazil before heading to Colombia. Once in South America, the migrants are transported to Panama before moving on to Costa Rica then a central point on Guatemala. One Spanish news report refers to Guatemala as a human smuggling paradise because its so easy to get fake passports. A few years ago, the head of Guatemalas passport division got arrested for selling fake passports to a group of Colombians, according to a government announcement.



All this makes ISIS terrorists operating in Guatemala incredibly alarming. President Jimmy Morales confirmed it during a recent security conference attended by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as the presidents of Honduras and El Salvador and other Latin American dignitaries. Morales said that his administration has captured close to 100 persons completely involved with terrorists, with ISIS and we have not only detained them within our territory, but they have been deported to their country of origin. Several of the terrorists were Syrians caught with fake documents, according to Guatemalas head of intelligence. At the same event, President Morales also revealed that Guatemalan authorities captured more than 1,000 gangbangers, including members of the MS-13.



Many more probably make it into the U.S. via the Mexican border and a lot of them get released inside the country. In fact, Border Patrol agents in Texas have been ordered to release illegal immigrants caught entering through Mexico because detentions facilities have no bed space, according to a news report. Earlier this year Judicial Watch exposed a secret programstarted by Obama and continued by Trump that quietly relocates illegal immigrants to different parts of the country on commercial flights. Years earlier Judicial Watch uncovered a similar DHS initiative that transported illegal immigrants from the Mexican border to Phoenix and released them without proper processing. The government classified them as Other Than Mexican (OTM) and transferred them 116 miles north from Tucson to a Phoenix bus station where they went their separate way. The OTMs were from Honduras, Colombia, El Salvador and Guatemala and a security company contracted by the U.S. government drove the OTMs from the Border Patrols Tucson Sector where they were in custody to Phoenix. Some could have been ISIS operatives.



https://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2018/...ds-to-u-s/



https://twitter.com/TomFitton/status/105...1234724864

In a startling revelation, Guatemalas president announced in the countrys largest newspaper that nearly 100 ISIS terrorists have been apprehended in the impoverished Central American nation. Why should Americans care about this? A caravan of Central American migrants is making its way north. Lets not forget that Guatemala is one of the countries that bombarded the U.S. with illegal immigrant minors under Barack Obamas open border free-for-all. They came in droves from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala through the Mexican border and for years Uncle Sam rolled out the welcome mat offering housing, food, medical treatment and a free educationA terrorist could have easily slipped in considering the minors, coined Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC), were not properly vetted and some turned out to be violent gangbangers who went on to commit heinous crimes in their adopted land of opportunity. In fact, the nations most violent street gang, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), was energized by the barrage of UACs. The Texas Department of Public Safety even issued a report documenting how the MS-13 emerged as a top tier gang in the state thanks to the influx of illegal alien gang members that came with the UACs. At the time more than 60,000 UACsmany with criminal historieshad stormed into the U.S. in a matter of months. Tens of thousands more eventually made it north.Guatemala has long been known as a major smuggling corridor for foreigners from African and Asian countries making their way into the U.S. Last year Guatemalas largest paper, Prensa Libra, published an in-depth piece on the inner workings of an international human smuggling network that moves migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh to the U.S. Individuals are sent to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates then flown to Brazil before heading to Colombia. Once in South America, the migrants are transported to Panama before moving on to Costa Rica then a central point on Guatemala. One Spanish news report refers to Guatemala as a human smuggling paradise because its so easy to get fake passports. A few years ago, the head of Guatemalas passport division got arrested for selling fake passports to a group of Colombians, according to a government announcement.All this makes ISIS terrorists operating in Guatemala incredibly alarming. President Jimmy Morales confirmed it during a recent security conference attended by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as the presidents of Honduras and El Salvador and other Latin American dignitaries. Morales said that his administration has captured close to 100 persons completely involved with terrorists, with ISIS and we have not only detained them within our territory, but they have been deported to their country of origin. Several of the terrorists were Syrians caught with fake documents, according to Guatemalas head of intelligence. At the same event, President Morales also revealed that Guatemalan authorities captured more than 1,000 gangbangers, including members of the MS-13.Many more probably make it into the U.S. via the Mexican border and a lot of them get released inside the country. In fact, Border Patrol agents in Texas have been ordered to release illegal immigrants caught entering through Mexico because detentions facilities have no bed space, according to a news report. Earlier this year Judicial Watch exposed a secret programstarted by Obama and continued by Trump that quietly relocates illegal immigrants to different parts of the country on commercial flights. Years earlier Judicial Watch uncovered a similar DHS initiative that transported illegal immigrants from the Mexican border to Phoenix and released them without proper processing. The government classified them as Other Than Mexican (OTM) and transferred them 116 miles north from Tucson to a Phoenix bus station where they went their separate way. The OTMs were from Honduras, Colombia, El Salvador and Guatemala and a security company contracted by the U.S. government drove the OTMs from the Border Patrols Tucson Sector where they were in custody to Phoenix. Some could have been ISIS operatives. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450011

10-19-2018 01:18 AM











Post: #2 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

Dems don't give a sh*t!! Jerry Brown will give them free housing,drivers licenses,voting rights and infinite foodstamps!!!- engineering

Banned

User ID: 392579

10-19-2018 01:23 AM



Posts: 5,299









Post: #3 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

LoP Guest Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:18 AM) Dems don't give a sh*t!! Jerry Brown will give them free housing,drivers licenses,voting rights and infinite foodstamps!!!-

Don't forget our laws allow them to have basically unlimited guns and ammunition.

And according to that article tens of thousands of people came from Guatemala while Obama was president. Don't forget our laws allow them to have basically unlimited guns and ammunition.And according to that article tens of thousands of people came from Guatemala while Obama was president. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450011

10-19-2018 01:34 AM











Post: #4 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

engineering Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:23 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:18 AM) Dems don't give a sh*t!! Jerry Brown will give them free housing,drivers licenses,voting rights and infinite foodstamps!!!-

Don't forget our laws allow them to have basically unlimited guns and ammunition.

And according to that article tens of thousands of people came from Guatemala while Obama was president.

Bump for ya because libs won't click on this ..they love immigrants Bump for ya because libs won't click on this ..they love immigrants He Man

Subscriber

User ID: 426524

10-19-2018 01:42 AM



Posts: 39,915









Post: #5 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

engineering Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:23 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:18 AM) Dems don't give a sh*t!! Jerry Brown will give them free housing,drivers licenses,voting rights and infinite foodstamps!!!-

Don't forget our laws allow them to have basically unlimited guns and ammunition.

And according to that article tens of thousands of people came from Guatemala while Obama was president.

So you are admitting that Americas many states with open gun purchase laws in gun shows without background checks and lacks gun laws over all, are a danger to the US from terrorists that can easily get guns?



BTW this is a BS thread, full of fear mongering and xenophobia. The likelihood that ISIS terrorists would come to the US with a caravan of people that are seeking Political amnesty in the US and that will undergo extensive vetting and documents checking and background checks, is laughable. 1* So you are admitting that Americas many states with open gun purchase laws in gun shows without background checks and lacks gun laws over all, are a danger to the US from terrorists that can easily get guns?BTW this is a BS thread, full of fear mongering and xenophobia. The likelihood that ISIS terrorists would come to the US with a caravan of people that are seekingin the US and that will undergo extensive vetting and documents checking and background checks, is laughable. 1* Making LOP Great again since 06-07-2013!





Robert Reich @RBReich



"News flash: If you ban mask mandates, outlaw abortions, dictate what educators can teach in schools, and stop people from voting, you're not the party of "limited government."" LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450011

10-19-2018 01:44 AM











Post: #6 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

He Man Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:42 AM) engineering Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:23 AM) Don't forget our laws allow them to have basically unlimited guns and ammunition.

And according to that article tens of thousands of people came from Guatemala while Obama was president.

So you are admitting that Americas many states with open gun purchase laws in gun shows without background checks and lacks gun laws over all, are a danger to the US from terrorists that can easily get guns?



BTW this is a BS thread, full of fear mongering and xenophobia. The likelihood that ISIS terrorists would come to the US with a caravan of people that are seeking Political amnesty in the US and that will undergo extensive vetting and documents checking and background checks, is laughable. 1*

Never heard of California huh? Millions of illegals flood the state every year..and get what they want basically Never heard of California huh? Millions of illegals flood the state every year..and get what they want basically LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 467376

10-19-2018 01:46 AM











Post: #7 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

Trump will act like he is trying to stop them but he will say his hands are tied. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 468654

10-19-2018 01:48 AM











Post: #8 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

The US created them, armed them, funded them, trained them, sheltered them, ENJOY THEM !!!!!!!!!!! LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450011

10-19-2018 01:48 AM











Post: #9 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.













I could post videos all day...California lets illegals do what ever LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450011

10-19-2018 01:49 AM











Post: #10 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.





LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 467376

10-19-2018 01:50 AM











Post: #11 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

Osiris + Isis = Horus



God of death sends Isis to create chaos and Horus the all seeing eye of perfection (NWO and removal of free will) is installed at the end of a gun.



All right in front of you r face using mythological terms that arent a myth. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450011

10-19-2018 01:51 AM











Post: #12 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

LoP Guest Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:48 AM) The US created them, armed them, funded them, trained them, sheltered them, ENJOY THEM !!!!!!!!!!!

You can thank Obama other presidents for that..has nothing to with trump You can thank Obama other presidents for that..has nothing to with trump LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450018

10-19-2018 01:58 AM











Post: #13 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

Funny how clinton has been trotting around the world talking to people and obama's is our there lately too and suddenly isis is back in the news, not even a peep when there gone.. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 450011

10-19-2018 02:01 AM











Post: #14 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

LoP Guest Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:58 AM) Funny how clinton has been trotting around the world talking to people and obama's is our there lately too and suddenly isis is back in the news, not even a peep when there gone..

You ever notice that Obama would never call them Isis...he said isil every time...why? You ever notice that Obama would never call them Isis...he said isil every time...why? engineering

Banned

User ID: 392579

10-19-2018 02:02 AM



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Post: #15 RE: 100 ISIS Terrorists Caught in Guatemala as Central American Caravan Heads to U.S.

He Man Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:42 AM) engineering Wrote: (10-19-2018 01:23 AM) Don't forget our laws allow them to have basically unlimited guns and ammunition.

And according to that article tens of thousands of people came from Guatemala while Obama was president.

So you are admitting that Americas many states with open gun purchase laws in gun shows without background checks and lacks gun laws over all, are a danger to the US from terrorists that can easily get guns?



BTW this is a BS thread, full of fear mongering and xenophobia. The likelihood that ISIS terrorists would come to the US with a caravan of people that are seeking Political amnesty in the US and that will undergo extensive vetting and documents checking and background checks, is laughable. 1*

Of course it's a danger to the US if we allow terrorists into our country give them free money and allow them to purchase guns with it.



However people like you are just as dangerous since you condone it all.



And nobody but the purple hair dyed hardcore SJW people are buying the "fear mongering and xenophobia" buzzwords.

You're so far off base whenever you try to discuss things to me like you're the spokesman for antifa or something. Of course it's a danger to the US if we allow terrorists into our country give them free money and allow them to purchase guns with it.However people like you are just as dangerous since you condone it all.And nobody but the purple hair dyed hardcore SJW people are buying the "fear mongering and xenophobia" buzzwords.You're so far off base whenever you try to discuss things to me like you're the spokesman for antifa or something. Advertisement



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Post: #10 RE: Has anyone asked homeless in USA if they want more homeless from Honduras?

Strategos Wrote: (10-19-2018 03:29 AM) Are there any polls specifically asking the homeless population of the U.S. how they feel about adding thousands more homeless to our streets? As in San Francisco?



Once they cross the border illegally, they are homeless, jobless, don't even speak the language, etc.



Ask a homeless American family how they feel about sharing our limited resources with people from an entirely different country.



Will these people move to dangerous American inner cities? Because our cities are as dangerous as any in Latin America.

I think American homeless people are more concerned with eating.



And personally I'm concerned with feeding them.



The reasons for this "homeless caravan" are incredibly complicated, within a geopolitical context, and I don't really see the point in attaching ideology to it. The question needs to be asked: what the hell is going on in their home country that walking to the United States is the better option...?



And then once that's established, we need to ask how did conditions in their home country get that bad?



After the endless (literally endless...) years of American meddling in Central/South America I don't see how anyone could be "surprised" so many of their states are in dire circumstances.



Of course they're f**ked up. Any group of nations would be after the degree of exploitation the United States has subjected central/South America/Mexico to, for generations.



I'm just saying. We had our own very real part to play in how/why all these "brown people" are constantly trying to cross our borders.



So now what do we do about it? Personally, I just pray that the Trump Administration will only act minimally inhumanely. Right now, beyond going down there to volunteer in person, there's not much else a citizen can do.



Besides vote in November, that is.





AND- my guess is "our" cities are not even remotely as dangerous as the worst of central/south America/Mexico.



Again, the conditions in some of those cities are so bad that CROSSING A DESERT ILLEGALLY to enter a country whose language you don't speak whose people really don't want you is a BETTER OPTION than staying put.



That really does say a lot. I think American homeless people are more concerned with eating.And personally I'm concerned with feeding them.The reasons for this "homeless caravan" are incredibly complicated, within a geopolitical context, and I don't really see the point in attaching ideology to it. The question needs to be asked: what the hell is going on in their home country thatto the United States is the better option...?And then once that's established, we need to ask how did conditions in their home countryAfter the endless (literally endless...) years of American meddling in Central/South America I don't see howcould be "surprised" so many of their states are in dire circumstances.Of course they're f**ked up.would be after the degree of exploitation the United States has subjected central/South America/Mexico to, for generations.I'm just saying. We had our own very real part to play in how/why all these "brown people" are constantly trying to cross our borders.So now what do we do about it? Personally, I just pray that the Trump Administration will only actinhumanely. Right now, beyond going down there to volunteer in person, there's not much else a citizen can do.Besides vote in November, that is.AND- my guess is "our" cities are not evenas dangerous as the worst of central/south America/Mexico.Again, the conditions in some of those cities are so bad that CROSSING A DESERT ILLEGALLY to enter a country whose language you don't speak whose people really don't want you is a BETTER OPTION than staying put.That really does say a lot. God gave Moses the rainbow sign,

no more water, but fire next time
With the unveiling of an official plaque on Thursday morning, the Canadian government recognized Brandons recently restored Display Building No. 2 yesterday as a structure with national historical significance.

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This article was published 19/10/2018 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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18102018 Elvis Riou, Superintendent of the Manitoba Field Unit for Parks Canada speaks after a plaque was unveiled during a ceremony at the Dome Building to give it Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada designation on Thursday morning. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

With the unveiling of an official plaque on Thursday morning, the Canadian government recognized Brandons recently restored Display Building No. 2 yesterday as a structure with national historical significance.

Merely 10 years after it was very nearly lost to negligence, Dr. Richard Wishart, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada representative for Manitoba, lauded the beauty of the restored structure, best known as the "Dome Building," and the communitys willingness to save an important piece of local and national history.

"The Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. 2 has stood here for more than a century, and it speaks to the city of Brandons lasting prominence as one of Canadas most important agricultural centres," Wishart said in his speech on Thursday morning. "Thanks to an incredible restoration campaign supported by private citizens, businesses, corporations and multiple levels of government, those of us here today can fully appreciate just how awe-inspiring it would have been to see this extravagant building added to Brandons fairgrounds back in 1913."

Wishart made the announcement on behalf of the minister of Environment and Climate Change and minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna.

Built in 1913, the Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. 2 is a rare surviving structure associated with the Dominion Exhibition, an agricultural fair held annually in various Canadian towns and cities from 1879 to 1913 to promote progressive farming methods.

18102018 A plaque is unveiled during a ceremony at the Dome Building to give it Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada designation on Thursday morning. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

Brandon was the last community to host the agricultural event and the building is now the only known structure left from the Dominion Exhibition anywhere in the world.

The Dominion Exhibition Display Building No. 2 is an imposing exhibition hall inspired by the Worlds Columbian Exposition of 1893, also known as Chicagos World Fair. Its classically detailed entrance facades and domed corner pavilions reflecting Beaux-Arts principles of design evoke both the festive character of agricultural fairs and Brandons vital role in the agricultural history of the Canadian West.

However, long after its initial glory days had passed, the structure had begun to badly deteriorate, and was in such a sorry state that there were concerns within the community it would fall down of its own accord.

In 2008, former Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba general manager Karen Oliver told The Sun she was concerned the structure would not last the winter, based on its deteriorating condition.

"If it waits too much longer, I dont believe the building will survive," Oliver said at the time, pointing to a leaky roof and rotting walls. "I think its almost ready to cave in. Its really a historical crisis."

At that time, the structure was listed as a provincial heritage site. It was designated a National historic Site of Canada in 1998.

18102018 A plaque is unveiled during a ceremony at the Dome Building to give it Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada designation on Thursday morning. (Tim Smith/The Brandon Sun)

The approximately $7-million restoration project started in 2008, when discussions began on how the Dome Building could be restored. The committee received funding from a great number of donors  a list that is more than 100 names long, both from businesses and individuals. They also received numerous grants to help see the project through to completion.

In 2010, construction began. The most recent work to the building was done during the past two years, when energy-efficient windows were installed. The windows were only the icing on the cake, with a great deal of additional work filling out the past few years, including the interior renovation which is up to modern building and electrical codes.

Ten years, three general managers, six Provincial Exhibition presidents and several board members later, the Dome Building now houses the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba offices alongside tenants upstairs.

In his remarks Thursday morning, Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest alluded to the fact that the building was nearly lost to history, and praised the community for not giving in to naysayers.

"Lets make no mistake. This building, this restoration would not be possible  in fact Im sure that the building would have been razed were it not for the dedication and the blood, sweat and tears put in by a large group of people that just refused to take no for an answer, refused to let it slide, and had a vision and a dream to bring this back to life," Chrest said.

"And they just put their shoulder to the wheel and just hustled this all the way along to this absolutely phenomenal outcome that we see today."

In his remarks to the audience gathered at the Dome Building on Thursday, Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba president Brent Miller noted that the renovations have given the structure new life in the community.

"The Dome Building will stand proud for another 100 years," he said.

The days significance was not lost on Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba general manager Ron Kristjansson, who said the renovated structure now has one foot in the past and one into the future.

"I am someone who believes in our heritage, and is proud of our roots. My grandfather immigrated to Canada around the time this building was built. He came from Iceland, so that makes it somehow a personal link, to me, and the agriculture link," Kristjansson said.

"I think the building as a monument to our national history, to the fairs, to agriculture, to still doing a lot of the things we did 100 years ago, just doing them a little different. Its a pretty interesting fit for me personally, how that whole process is recognized."

Kristjansson said the plaque, which notes the Dome Buildings national historical significance, will likely find a permanent home on the outside of the building.

For a pictorial history of Brandons Display Building No. 2, please see The Brandon Suns multimedia link at brandonsun.com/multimedia/pov/210593411.html, which was posted to mark the structures centennial celebration.

 mgoerzen@brandonsun.com, with files from Melissa Verge

 Twitter: @MattGoerzen
A man was spared jail time and handed probation and fines on Thursday for his role in a break and enter almost 14 years ago.

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This article was published 19/10/2018 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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A man was spared jail time and handed probation and fines on Thursday for his role in a break and enter almost 14 years ago.

Scott Johnson, 38, pleaded guilty in Brandon provincial court to two counts of break and enter as well as failing to attend court in December 2004.

Johnson was a wanted man in the province of Manitoba until August of this year, when he turned himself in at the Brandon police station, Crown attorney Kaley Tschetter said.

Officers found Johnson in a vehicle with two co-accused minutes after they responded to a reported break and enter on Cedar Bay, Tschetter said.

One of Johnsons co-accused broke into a garage and assaulted the homeowner before stealing an MP3 player on his way out, Tschetter said.

Johnson admitted to standing six or standing watch outside the garage while his co-accused broke into the garage, as well as some other garages in the area.

He also admitted to entering a garage in the east end, Tschetter said, as well as breaking into a car and stealing the stereo out of it.

He was simply a party to the offence as he was standing watch, Tschetter said. The Crown is going to be recommending the original sentence being proposed back in 2004 of 30 to 60 days in custody consecutive on each charge.

Defence lawyer Jennifer Janssens argued against the sentence urged by the Crown, stating Johnson hasnt been reinvolved in the criminal justice system since then.

Johnson was also living in Alberta and in the throws of a heroin addiction during this time, Janssens said, but has been able to get sober.

He came back to Manitoba to address his past and maintain his sobriety with treatment and the support of family, Janssens added.

He specifically has returned to the jurisdiction of Manitoba to deal with the charges and he turned himself in for that purpose, Janssens said. Hes been accepted into residential treatment, and if he were to be sent to jail today he would lose that.

One of Johnsons co-accused was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge, which Janssens argued should also be taken into strong consideration.

Its almost 14 years since these charges arose. Youre probably a different person than you were 14 years ago, Judge Donovan Dvorak said. It may send the wrong message, in the sense that you shouldnt be able to wait out charges and end up with a lesser penalty, but I also need to consider who sits before the court when I sentence you.

Dvorak sentenced Johnson to one year unsupervised probation, in addition to more than $1,300 in fines.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
KILLARNEY- The newly restored Heritage Home for the Arts is officially open, and the arts administrator is excited to showcase artistic works in the community.

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This article was published 18/10/2018 (1126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

KILLARNEY- The newly restored Heritage Home for the Arts is officially open, and the arts administrator is excited to showcase artistic works in the community.

"Its my dream job," said Jane Ireland, arts administrator for the Heritage Home for the Arts. The Killarney-Turtle Mountain Arts council run the house.

"Im really excited and I think we can do some really neat things here, and Im hoping we can do things that can bring people in," Ireland said.

Ireland grew up immersed in the world of art, with her parents fostering a deep love of the subject by taking her to museums and art galleries.

Surrounded by artistic friends, Ireland has always wanted to host different types of art to inspire and intrigue guests.

Serving as the administrator, she wants to use the Heritage Home for the Arts as a place to foster that passion in the Killarney community and beyond.

"Art appeals to everybody because there is so many different types of art," Ireland said.

With the diverse types and styles that can be featured in the house, Ireland said there will unique featured exhibits that can appeal to everyone and anyone.

The opportunity to showcase digital art, graphic novels, visual arts, pottery, sculpting and even fashion design art can be found everywhere said Ireland.

"You can find art everywhere you look," Ireland said.

The home is an opportunity to host different exhibitions that can show people different ways of looking at art.

With art being such a big part of the world she wants to be able to offer interesting exhibits for people of any age.

"It has a way of making connections across groups," Ireland said.

Ireland began working at the home in September, and already hosted her first exhibition at the newly renovated facility.

More than one hundred people attended the grand opening and were excited to see the art and the house Ireland said. She hopes to see even more people come to the next exhibition.

Right now she's in the midst of setting up for her next show, which centered on featuring local art from across the community.

Titled "Home is Where the Art is," the idea behind the show is to showcase the different art Killarney residents have and share that joy with others in the community.

Ireland wants to encourage people to bring and share their work from around their homes so the community can appreciate it too.

"Were lucky because we live in a small town so we can do this," Ireland said. "People have art and they dont realize we cant go into everyone's home in Killarney and look at their art, but if they bring them here we can share them."

The art will come from peoples home and serve as a way for local artists to show what art inspires them as well. Biographical information on artists will be included with each piece.

The Heritage Home of the Arts features three main galleries, two art studios and a sun room.

While she does not have a set timeline for exhibition rotation, Ireland hopes to feature a new show every month or so.

"I really would like to bring in some national exhibits, things from across the country, and that costs money," Ireland said.

The hope is that the Heritage Home for the Arts will be a must see destination. Each community has its own uniqueness and Ireland wants to showcase what makes Killarney and area special at the art gallery.

The biggest challenge to supporting and growing the art house right now is funding. The municipality has played a role, but the funding will not be ongoing.

A significant portion was used to renovate the and restore the house, so for now Ireland is limited in what she can host.

Some Manitoba arts council receive operating cost funds from the Community Arts Council Operation Support Program, helping them to develop and flourish. Unfortunately these funds are currently frozen Ireland said.

If the Heritage Home for the Arts could receive funding like that it would be a game changer for the programs and exhibits they are able to offer.

"If we could get that, that would help us immensely," Ireland said. "Were really hoping the provincial government frees some of that up."

The Heritage Home for the Arts is open from Tuesday to Friday, noon to 4 p.m.

ckemp@brandonsun.com

@The_ChelseaKemp
PIPESTONE  After finding great success in their first year back after a forced closure, a local Pipestone business is looking to give back to the community.

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This article was published 18/10/2018 (1126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PIPESTONE  After finding great success in their first year back after a forced closure, a local Pipestone business is looking to give back to the community.

"Weve always been good supporters of the community whether its helping out with 4-H sales or community fundraisers," said Rhett Parks, co-owner and operator of Pipestone Livestock Sales.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Cattle are auctioned off at Pipestone Livestock Sales on Friday, Oct. 5.

Continuing on with that theme Pipestone Livestock will be hosting a 50/50 at their weekly auction to help raise funds for different community organizations, as a thank you for the support they have received in their first year back in the livestock auction game.

During auctions, 50 cents from every sale will be going into a prize pool. Producers are entered into the prize pool, receiving a ballot for every 25 cattle they bring. At the end of each sale a draw will be made and half the money will go to the winning producer and half to the producers chosen local community project.

Pipestone hosts auctions every Friday.

"We like to be community minded we like to give back to the communities that helped support us," Rhett said.

The auction has been locally focused since it first relaunched and the 50/50 is a continuation of that practice.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Cattle are auctioned off at Pipestone Livestock Sales on Friday, Oct. 5.

Rhett and his dad Gene Parks partnered with Brock Taylor to relaunch the Pipestone Livestock Sales cattle auction in September 2017.

Taylor has a deep history with the Parks, he fed cattle for the market when it first opened.

"Im getting a little long in the tooth so its good to see these young guys taking over," Gene said.

The livestock auction exceeded their expectations in their first year back, processing around 20,000 heads of cattle.

Pipestone is the oldest market in Manitoba, opening originally in 1958 as the Southwest Cattle Feeders Association. It was the first livestock market outside of Winnipeg in the province, and continued to grow piece by piece.

Gene and his original partner Jim Martin purchased the market in 1985, renaming it Pipestone Livestock Sales.

Gene has been dealing with many of the buyers for more then 40 years.

"Our claim to fame is that weve been here . Brock (Taylor) and his dad have been in the auction business for as long as I have  your got local families running local business an supporting local causes," Gene said. "Theres not a livestock market around that provides more assistant and support to local causes then what are market does here at Pipestone," Gene said.

CHELSEA KEMP/THE BRANDON SUN Rhett Parks, co-owner of Pipestone Livestock Sales, serves as auctioneer on Friday, Oct. 5.

With their deep roots in the area, Taylor ran a market in Melita, Gene said they have been able to post personable relationships and trust with customers based on offering quality work for many years.

"Well get a lot of our repeat customers from years ago," said Taylor.

The first year has seen a mix of familiar and new faces Rhett said, with the market focussed on maintaining their tradition of face-to-face interactions with the customers.

"We had a tremendous first year back. We were happy with the number of cattle we saw and the producers seem to be happy with the services we provided," Rhett said.

Pipestone Livestock was forced to close in 2010 when they were unable to find employees to help run the auction. It can take more than 25 people to help run the larger auctions.

"The oil industry was going wild here and you couldnt find enough people . there was just such a shortage of help," said Gene.

Now a lot of the young people who originally left to work in oil are back in the community and ready to work with Pipestone, helping the market to reopen. They have been fortunate with a set of core employees staying with Pipestone since their relaunch last year, with Rhett bringing in four to five extra sets of hands from his Whitewood, Sask. market for sales and sort days.

"Any livestock market will say theyre looking for employees and were no different, but weve been fortunate were good where we sit," Rhett said.

With feed for cattle being short after the hot dry summer, Pipestone has begun to see the cattle move a bit sooner then usual and Rhett expects to see this carry on for the rest of the year.

Pipestone is ramping up to its busiest time of year with the majority of sales taking place after Christmas and maintaining speed until May.

"The cattle will all come, just at different times," Gene said.

The auction hopes to continue growing its customer more base for the foreseeable future, while maintain their top-notch customer services Rhett said.

Pipestone has helped breed a more competitive market, offering another resources for producers and buyers.

Gene added that Pipestone will help build the community, creating a more vibrant business culture in the Pipestone area.

"With the community support and local buyer support I think it will grow and grow," Taylor said.

ckemp@brandonsun.com

@The_ChelseaKemp
Rivers Elementary School students went above and beyond for this years Terry Fox Run Pledge raising more than eight times their planned goal.

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This article was published 18/10/2018 (1126 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rivers Elementary School students went above and beyond for this years Terry Fox Run Pledge raising more than eight times their planned goal.

"Im really proud of the students," said Leslie Creighton, Rivers Elementary School Grade Two teacher.

SUBMITTED Mr. Radcliffe Rivers Elementary School Grade 5 Teacher receives a pie in the face from Eloise Braun as part of the Terry Fox Run Pledge Challenge. Students and staff were challenged to beat last years total of $270.

Creighton played a role in helping to organize the fundraising event, holding the first assembly to get the kids hyped to raise money for the Terry Fox Run Pledge Challenge, and teach students about who Terry Fox was as an important Canadian role model.

The school set out with a goal to raise $500. If the students hit their fundraising goal they would get the chance to throw a pie in the face of principal Garnet Kinney and a Grade Five teacher.

The students instead raised $4,447, blowing their original fundraising goal out of the water.

The school has not typically hosted pledge sheets in the past and Creighton was hopeful and excited to see how the event was received in the community.

SUBMITTED Mr. Kinney Rivers Elementary School Principal receives a pie in the face from Edison Braun as part of the Terry Fox Run Pledge Challenge.

Students had the option to sign up online or get a pledge sheet for donations and were invited to ask friends, family members and people in the community to pledge to the Sept. 27 Terry Fox Walk at the school.

"I was hopeful that we would at least get to the couple thousand dollar range," Creighton said.

Having previously taught in a small school at Oak River she said she knew small communities come out to support Terry Fox Fundraisers, and knew they could do just as well in Rivers with their school population of around 180 kids.

Knowing that if every kids raised even a few dollars Creighton was sure they would surpass the $500 goal.

Creighton hopes to see the more than $4,000 in funds raised matched at next years event. She would also like to get more of the community involved in the walk itself with the students. The possibility of a run for older students is also a hope for the future.

"I think its a worthwhile cause and I think everyone can relate with someone like a family member or a friend having cancer," Creighton said. "Its something so common that people have dealt with in their lives that our community was quite willing to support it."

During the final assembly announcing how much money had been raised, Creighton had a little fun with the kids to make the most of their epic accomplishment.

The teacher designed big signs for the kids to hold showcasing how much had been raised, with five students selected to hold the final dollar amount.

Student who raised pledges for the fundraiser were also entered into draw for the chance to throw a pie at the face of the principal and a teacher.

In an unlikely turn of events, of the more than 100 names entered into the contest brother and sister Eloise Brown, Grade One, and Edison, Grade Three, had their names drawn to throw the pie.

"Throwing a pie at your principal is every students dream," Kinney said.

The fundraiser offered a chance to help the student become great contributing members of the community, while also giving them the opportunity to have a lot of fun.

Helping the students to grow and learn the empathy to raise money for a cause like the Terry Fox Run Pledge Challenge is a great experience, Kinney said.

Sharing a memorable story, Kinney recounted how one student told the principal it was sad to learn about what happened to Terry Fox, but that he was happy to raise money for an important cause.

"Even today the kids are walking around the school talking about what are we going to do next year because that was so much fun," Kinney said.

 ckemp@brandonsun.com

 @The_ChelseaKemp
By Joe Dermody

More than 10,000 Irish SMEs have already used Googles new Market Finder tool to access new export markets, the company revealed at Thursdays Staying Ahead Digital Roadshow in Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork.

Ireland was only the third country in which Google has launched Market Finder, which companies can use to help them identify their best global market opportunities.

The self-service digital tool has also been a success in the USA and China.

It uses data from the SMEs own website and matches it with global consumer searches and other data to help each company sharpen their sights on optimum target markets.

Fionnuala Meehan, head of Google Ireland, said: Companies with a strong online presence will grow twice as fast and employ twice as many people as those with a minimal or no web presence.

"Online sales represent a huge opportunity for everyone from traditional businesses to born online businesses.

At present, only 17% of Irish businesses are selling online, so we see huge opportunities for Irish SMEs to be innovative within the digital marketplace and to become successful exporters of goods and services.

Google hosted the Cork Staying Ahead roadshow in partnership with Enterprise Ireland.

The roadshow is part of a programme which has seen Google provide training in digital skills to more than 60,000 businesses and individuals across Ireland.

Google is now partnering with Enterprise Ireland and Local Enterprise Offices to bring its Digital Garage to a number of regional locations over the coming months.

Thursdays event in Pairc Ui Chaoimh was Googles second tour of the popular roadshow.

Not unlike the digital garages, the 1-to-1 workshop format of Googles roadshows offer entrepreneurs some up-close help with building their digital confidence.

The likelihood is that the Market Finder tool will enjoy a southern region boost after the Cork gathering.

Googles goal is to harness the entrepreneurial spirit and nurture it in a digital context.

The online sales opportunities themselves are blind to whether the vendor is living in an urban or rural location.

There are wonderful examples of people enjoying online sales success across all sectors and all locations, said Fionnuala Meehan.

Our focus in Ireland is all about encouraging companies to go global. We urge SMEs to start with Google My Business, which helps you to get your business found more easily on Google maps etc. And we go from there to helping businesses which are already online to perform better.

There is already a very strong entrepreneurial ecosystem in Cork and across Munster, with the likes of IT@Cork, the Ludgate Hub, Musgrave Group and Voxpro. A lot of businesses are excited about taking advantage of the huge opportunities available online.

Kate Hyde of Glencove Group is one great example. A Cork native now living in Waterford, Kates hen and stag party business was born on the web.

"She decided to start working with Google to find the most likely global markets for her business. She started Glencove Group in her spare bedroom and now employs 20 people across Ireland and the UK.

Fionnuala also cited the example of Skibbereen auctioneer Morgan ODriscoll, who revolutionised not only his own traditional business but the entire Irish art world when he started holding his art auctions online  something completely unheard of in Ireland at the time.

Before adding the online wing, Morgan ODriscoll used to host six or seven art auctions a year.

Last year, he hosted 16 auctions, 14 of which were online.

He has gone from selling art to people on his doorstep to selling to people in New Zealand, Australia and further afield. Last year, he sold art into 43 countries worldwide.

Morgan ODriscoll said: Overall, 35% of our lots in 2017 were bought by online bidders overseas bidders  predominantly in the UK, Ireland and USA but also as far away as South America and Africa.

"There was also an encouraging move in that over the past decade the average age of buyers has been 55-plus, but in the past year the age average has dropped down to 45-plus.

Id expect online auctions to continue growing in popularity as collectors realise the benefit of IT innovations such as online 360 viewing, which is ideal for sculpture.

"In 2011, we were the first Irish auction house to introduce online-only sales. Our auctions often sell 90%+ to buyers on five continents.

Fionnuala Meehan added: Morgan ODriscoll is a good example of a small Cork business which has grown into a micro-multinational thanks to his online presence.

We encourage small local businesses to set their sights much higher. Theres every reason why they should think about developing a global footprint.

That is also why were partnering with Enterprise Ireland to connect with these companies. They helped us to connect with the 10,000 or so Irish-based companies who have so far used Market Finder.

"That participation is proportionally much higher than elsewhere.

The Cork Staying Ahead event brought together almost 300 SMEs from across Munster.

Googles statistics show that over 90% of jobs will require digital literacy in the near future.

Small businesses with a strong web presence are growing twice as fast as those with minimal or no web presence.

With a web presence, new job numbers have also doubled.

More than 50% of web-aware businesses are more likely to sell outside of immediate region due to the additional reach online.

Recruiters, dont ask the salary question

Employers and recruitment companies are being urged not to question job candidates about about their current salaries.

Earn Your Worth is an initiative that is calling companies and recruiters to stop asking candidates to disclose their salaries.

Joanne Lucy, MD, Mojor Players job agency

In the US, many states have already made it illegal for individuals not to be asked to disclose their current pay.

A survey hosted London-based job agency Major Players found that 98% of candidates feel they are not being paid their worth.

Around 66% of respondents also said refraining from asking the salary question would help women receive pay parity with their male counterparts.

Joanne Lucy-Ruming, MD of Major Players, said: Potential employees should be assessed on their experience and skills not what theyve been paid previously.

Some 43% of company hiring managers said that they will now follow the Earn Your Worth the initiative, while another 43% said that are very likely to implement the action.
By Gordon Deegan

A judge today imposed a 14-day prison term on a mother-of-three over her failure to get her two daughters to school.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan told the mother that the committal warrant for her 14-day imprisonment will only be signed on November 7 if there are any further school absences by her two girls before that date.

Judge Durcan told the woman: I am giving you the key to Limericks women prison and it is a matter for you to decide if you want to use it or not.

Addressing solicitor for the mother, Shiofra Hassett, Judge Durcan said that up until now, the mother has been pushing TUSLA to the brink - now the court is pushing your client to the brink.

Judge Durcan said that the woman will be jailed on November 7 if I dont have 100% co-operation. Not two days missed. I want no day missed.

Judge Durcan said that the mother has to grow up.

Solicitor for TUSLA, Kevin Sherry, said that the mother has ignored court warnings and this is a source of continuing frustration for the school and for my client.

Mr Sherry said that his clients are extremely frustrated at the lack of the mother getting the message stating that she is pushing the boundaries.

He said that the mother is well aware of her obligations and that the mothers daughters have shown an improvement in their attendance, but not sufficient to his clients liking.

The case was first brought before the court in July after the Co. Clare womans 13-year-old daughter had 53 absent days in the last school term before the summer holidays and her sister did not go to school at all last year.

The 13-year-old had missed 46 school days and a further seven days were recorded as poor punctuality and leaving school early.

Mr Sherry told the court previously there was no underlying medical reasons or otherwise for such a significant level of absenteeism.
By Anne Lucey, Tralee

The jury in the trial of north Kerry farmer Michael Ferris at the Central Criminal Court in Tralee has returned a verdict of not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter. 

The seven men and five women had been deliberating for four hours and 31 minutes. Ten minutes earlier had been told they could bring in a majority verdict.

The decision was reached by a majority of 10 to two.

Thanking them, Ms Justice Carmel Stewart said it had not been an easy trial and they could be excused from jury duty for 10 years.

Michael Ferris, a dairy farmer, and a single man, aged 63, of Rattoo in Co. Kerry had pleaded not guilty to the murder of John Anthony OMahony, a bachelor and a tillage farmer aged 73 of Ardoughter, Ballyduff, at Rattoo at around 8am on April 4, 2017.

The prosecution had argued the killing had been deliberate and intentional and it was murder.

However, the defence had argued there had been accumulated provocation because of the behaviour of the dead man, John Anthony OMahony, and the fair verdict and the just verdict would be manslaughter.

Brendan Grehan, SC, had said in his closing speech that he made no apology for speaking ill of the dead, which was not a normal thing to do. But it was necessary to show why Michael Ferris a good man who did a bad thing, did what he did.

Michael Ferris, a man who had no previous convictions and for whom everyone had a good word, and was obliging and kind, had not become a murderer overnight, Mr Grehan said.

The family of Anthony OMahony man shook their heads and cried as the not guilty of murder verdict was read out.

Seamus (brother) and Margaret O'Mahony with Angela (sister) and Christy Houlihan after the Requiem mass last year for Anthony O'Mahony (inset).

Ms Justice Stewart said she wanted to express her sympathy to Mr OMahonys relatives on his death.

Sentencing will be at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on November 26.

No good talking to him. He had to be stopped one way or another.

Dairy farmer Michael Ferris appeared to be in a rather composed state from the moment gardai met him, within an hour of the killing.

He had gone to a neighbours house and told Mairead Walsh: Mahony is gone. Call the guards.

Detectives from Tralee arrived in Ms Walshs kitchen on the Rattoo laneway where the killing occurred.

Ferris immediately told Det Sgt Donal Horgan: Ill tell ye what happened.

A memo of Ferriss first interview noted: Anthony Mahony was going to be coming down the road with a crow banger.

There is always a problem with him for years.

It [the crow banger] would wake the dead. I spoke to him years ago about it. Today, I blocked the road with a teleporter to stop him coming down. I parked it sideways.

He started hooting. I was not in the teleporter. I sat up on the teleporter. I did not talk to him.

No good talking to him.

The pallet forks I had on it; I made for the car and drove into it.

Ferris was arrested and conveyed to Listowel Garda Station. Detective Garda Paul Walsh, who interviewed Ferris along with the arresting sergeant, Detective John Heaslip, told the trial Ferris was asked to explain the background. Ferris replied: It was all over a crow banger really.

Describing it a bit like a shotgun, only being a lot louder, Ferris said the noise was going on for over a week. It was very annoying, he told the officers.

Det Sgt Heaslip asked what made that morning different. Ferris replied: I just snapped, I suppose.

And when Det Sgt Heaslip asked him what he said to himself that morning, Ferris replied: I had to do something about it, John.

When he heard Mr OMahonys car hooting, Det Heaslip asked: What were you thinking; what was going through your mind? to which Ferris replied: Nothing good anyway, John.

Pressed on why it was that he set out to take action that morning, Ferris said: Because this banging business had been going on with the last 30 years and he was paying no heed to anyone when they asked him to turn it off.

He had to be stopped one way or another.

He was going to drive the forks through the window anyway.

Are you saying you intended to kill him? the detective asked.

Ferris said yes, adding: He had to be stopped and that was it.

Det Sgt Heaslip put it to Ferris: Surely there was some other way to get around the problem of the crow banger.

Ferris replied: Believe me there wasnt.

Garda Michelle Redding was the member-in-charge. She took his personal details and told the trial Ferris appeared calm and answered her questions coherently.

She had no difficulty with him, and accepted he was a gentleman in every regard that morning.

Prosecutor Patrick McGrath told the jury: What is remarkable is his behaviour afterwards, the absence of regret, the absence of remorse, the absence of shock.

Multiple wounds led to evulsion of heart and liver

Multiple penetrating wounds led to total evulsion of the heart and liver and the death of 73-year-old Kerry tillage farmer, John Anthony OMahony.

State pathologist, Margot Bolster, spent up to an hour in court detailing the polytrauma suffered by Mr OMahony on April 4, 2017. His injuries included gaping and penetrating wounds consistent with being inflicted by the prongs of a teleporter.

On the day of Mr OMahonys death, Dr Bolster visited the scene on the narrow road leading to a ruined abbey and round tower at Rattoo in Kerry.

In a car, she saw the body of an elderly man with his seatbelt partially around him, his head slumped on his chest. There was a large amount of broken glass and the dashboard had been driven over his legs. A large portion of his bowel could be seen protruding from his shirt. The seat belt had been torn, Dr Bolster said.

There was a large gaping hole in the windscreen, two gaping holes on the roof and another on the side of the bonnet. The left door was partially driven in and the back door of the car pushed out.

There was a double-barrelled shotgun, unloaded, and cartridges in the boot of the car. Further down the road was a teleporter with two prongs sticking out and there was blood and smearing on both prongs.

On removal of the body, the mans lacerated liver could be seen at the front well of the drivers seat, and his lacerated heart was between the side of the door and the drivers seat.

There were multiple injuries and fractures and gaping wounds; one of the wounds had gone right through Mr OMahonys skull and brain tissue could be seen; there were injuries to his mouth, abrasions to the limbs, multiple fractures of his pelvis, injury to his groin, and injury to his lungs, There were at least five penetrating wounds  two of these had gone right through his body, to the back, the pathologist said.

At one point Dr Bolster said Mr OMahonys liver had been totally evulsed or torn, totally pulped and found externally  that is outside the body. In conclusion, she said death would have been immediate.

In court, gardai also described arriving at the scene of the killing. The court heard that it was an alarming scene with ditches torn up on either side of the road. There was debris from a car for a distance of 50ft-70ft. A man, later identified as Anthony OMahony, was found with catastrophic, horrific injuries, and no-one about.

Listowel Garda Pat Naughton received a call from the control centre at 8.30am that there had been a collision between a teleporter and a car and a man might be trapped there. The garda patrol arrived at Rattoo at 8.41am.

A lone male was sitting in the drivers seat with his seatbelt on. He had catastrophic injuries, They were horrific injuries, absolutely horrific injuries to his upper body, to his face, to his skull. They were absolutely horrific, Garda Naughton said.

Garda Naughton walked about 50m-60m down the road and saw a yellow New Holland teleporter at the entrance to a milking parlour. It had been backed in off the road. The cab door was missing. On the front fork there was blood and possibly tissue and glass and paint.

Crow banger device was so loud some neighbours wore ear plugs

A crow banger used by tillage farmer, John Anthony OMahony, would go off every four minutes and 26 seconds at key tillage periods to frighten off crows and pigeons, and was so loud some neighbours wore ear protectors.

Prosecution witness Mairead Walsh, who lives on the lane to Rattoo Round Tower said that when Mr OMahony brought the banger closer to their house, it was like a gun going off and her husband approached him about it.

The banger, which ran from early morning to late at night, was like a gun going off, she said.

Crow bangers like the one above are used to frighten off crows and pigeons.

The banger had been placed against a wall, around 120m from their house. The dead man knew they had a problem with the noise and he could just as easily have moved it, but he was no way accommodating.

Patrick Walsh, husband of Mairead Walsh said the crow banger had been set up in by Mr OMahony, on the Thursday  six days before April 4, 2017, which was the day of the killing.

It was going off every 4 minutes and 26 seconds  I had it timed, Mr Walsh told the court.

Mr Walsh phoned the council on Monday, April 3, fearing he would have to put up with this again to next October. He was told to keep a log.

Of the banger, Mr Walsh also said: Youd have to live alongside a banger to understand that. Its horrendous. It would follow you everywhere up to your room, out in your yard, its everywhere, he said referring to the echo since it had been placed against the wall of a building near their house, rather than in the cornfield where it had been.

The crow banger was requested by defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC. It was brought to the witness stand by public service vehicle inspector Garda James OBrien.

Belgian made, it was about 20 years old and gas operated. A red muzzle 26in long was fitted to a blue metal unit and the entire unit was 50in.

It was in good condition, Garda OBrien said. It operated like a cigarette lighter and gas and noise were directed out through the barrel or nozzle.

The ferocity or fixed noise level were not adjustable, but the frequency was, the PSV inspector said.

Where the crow banger was placed and in which direction its nozzle faced was also of significance. If it were in a field, the noise, which moved in waves, would be absorbed.

But if it were against the wall, it would reverberate, the garda said  and if the barrel was pointed at the wall, then it would be more intense again, he told Mr Grehan.

The PSV expert told how he had carried out a number of comparison tests between a standard shotgun and the crow banger. The manufacturers instructions said the unit operated at 92 decibels and over an area the size of two football fields.

But at close range of 1m or so the sound level from the crow banger was 118 decibels  louder than the shotguns 113 decibels.

At a 50m distance, the crow banger and shotgun were similar, at 97 and 98 respectively, he said.

It was designed for the middle of a field, he felt.

If you fire the crow banger very close you are going to hear it much louder. In the middle of the field it is going to be less.

The banger in question was set at one-minute intervals, Garda OBrien said indicating the setting device to the jury. It had been located by gardai in a shed on the deceased man lands, near the Walshs house, Garda OBrien said.

Mr Grehan asked if he had worn ear protectors when carrying out the tests, and the garda said he had.

It was a very disturbing noise, Garda OBrien said, adding that you would have ringing in your ears and your equilibrium would be affected.
By Elaine Loughlin and Digital Desk

Peter Casey is to take the weekend off to decide whether he will continue to run for the presidency of Ireland.

The former Dragon's Den star sparked controversy this week over remarks he made about the Travelling Community.

Mr Casey who said he does not recognise Travellers as a distinct ethnic minority and they are "basically people camping in other people's land" has refused to back down from his comments.

However, in a statement released this morning, he said: "In light of the events of the past few days, I am taking the weekend off from the campaign to think carefully about whether to continue in the race.

I do not want the people of Ireland to elect me as President of Ireland just based on one statement I made. I want to be of service, and make a real difference. I have the expertise and ability to be an influencer. I want to connect people, at home and abroad.

"I know that my world experience and global views will make me a uniquely suitable candidate for President of Ireland  with drive, ability and energy," said Mr Casey.

Reacting to the statement, president Michael D Higgins said: "I think reflection is very good".

"I can't speak for him but I do think that it's good to think on it," he told RTE's Sean O'Rourke show.

Mr Higgins said he thought Mr Casey's comments on the Travelling Community were "appalling".

There had been calls from Traveller representative groups this week for Mr Casey to pull out of the Presidential race after he claimed that Travellers should not have special ethnic minority status.

His comments emerged after he referenced a 1.7m development which was built for members of the Travelling Community in Tipperary. However, they have refused to move into the houses.

During a visit to the site in Thurles yesterday, he once again criticised Travellers representative groups.

"Pavee Point leadership needs to come here and needs to explain to the Travelling community that they're really not doing a justice to the Travelling community," he said.

Protests were expected to greet him, however around a dozen protestors arrived shortly after Mr Casey had already left.
Tanaiste Simon Coveney has accused some British politicians of trying to unpick aspects of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier says that 90% of a deal with the UK is done.

However, Mr Barnier has warned the lack of progress on the Irish border issue could cause any deal to fail.

The issue of the backstop arrangement for Northern Ireland is still the main issue that can't be agreed.

Simon Coveney says the backstop has already been signed off on by the UK and that there can be no backtracking.

"Both sides have agreed as they go section by section, agreement by agreement, then those issues are settled and they move on," he said.

Unfortunately what's happened is that some of the things that have been agreed already are trying to be unpicked by some.

"In my view, not the British Prime Minister herself, but by others.

"We have to defend against that, because if we start that, we"ll never this done," he said.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that it would be difficult for the EU to accept a deal in which the backstop would extend to all of the UK.

"We couldn't have a situation whereby the United Kingdom had access to the single market, which is our market, and at the same time was unable to undercut us in terms of standards, whether it was environmental standards, health, labour laws, State Aid, competition, and I don't think any country, or any union, would be able to accept that," he said.

Digital Desk
By Sarah-Jane Murphy and Jessica Magee

A travelling salesman from Co Wexford who was serving a suspended sentence for sexual assault when he raped a woman has been jailed for five years.

The 53-year-old man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victim, denied the offence but was convicted following a trial at the Central Criminal Court last July. A jury found him guilty by majority verdict of raping a 24-year-old mother-of-one at a place in Co. Cork on August 2, 2015.

In April 2014, just over a year earlier, the man received a two-year suspended sentence at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court for sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman in August 2011.

Passing sentence today, Mr Justice Paul McDermott condemned the man's opportunistic rape of his employee in what he said was a serious breach of trust.

The judge noted the devastating effects of the rape on the young woman's personal relationships and mental and physical well-being, as outlined in her victim impact report.

She's doing her best to live as normal a life as possible, but she lives with the consequences of this in her daily life, said the judge.

Mr Justice McDermott set a headline sentence of six years but reduced it to five years, noting that imprisonment of the accused would cause hardship to people he supported, including his ageing mother.

He said an aggravating factor was that because the man maintains his innocence and has expressed no remorse, there is no context for rehabilitation to occur.

On completion of his sentence, the man was ordered to undergo two years of Probation Services supervision during which he must access counselling for alcohol and sexual offending and not contact the victim directly or indirectly, through social media or any other way.

The sentence was backdated to July 19 when the man was taken into custody.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said her life would never be the same again. She said although she knows it wasn't her fault, she asked herself if she could have done anything differently.

She said:

I am in a wonderful relationship now, but if my partner rolls over in bed I am startled.

She described how she frequently looks over her shoulder and cries uncontrollably but said she is determined to keep moving forward and not allow the man ruin her life.

'Sneaky'

During the sentence hearing earlier this week, defence counsel Barry White SC claimed the crime was sneaky, as opposed to violent, when appealing for leniency.

Rape is classed as a crime of violence but in this case it was not; it was sneaky, if I might use that expression, in the manner it was perpetrated, counsel told Mr Justice Paul McDermott.

Sergeant Eamon Feehan told Alice Fawsitt SC, prosecuting, that the defendant was a businessman who travelled around the country going to fairs and festivals selling kitchen goods.

Sgt Feehan said the complainant was introduced to the man when her best friend started working in a shop that he owned.

He told Ms Fawsitt that when the defendant offered the girls work at festivals, they agreed to do so together as neither wanted to travel alone with him. The women told gardai that when he drank he talked dirty but they had no issue with him otherwise.

Sgt Feehan said on the weekend in question, the man and the woman had planned to attend a fair in Cork.

The defendant told the woman that they would both have to sleep in the camper van as there was nowhere to pitch a tent, the court heard.

I've never felt so weak in my life.

Sgt Feehan said the parties arrived there at 1am and the complainant went to bed, fully dressed, while the defendant stayed up drinking cans. After she had fallen asleep he got on top of her and raped her, Sgt Feehan told Ms Fawsitt.

The following day, the defendant told the woman not to say anything to anyone because his relationship was on the line. He then drove the woman home, Sgt Feehan said.

The woman texted her friend and told her what had happened, saying I didn't want any of it. I've never felt so weak in my life. Please don't tell anyone. She later reported the rape to gardai.

The court heard the man has 13 previous convictions, including one for sexual assault in 2011, for which he received a two-year fully suspended sentence. Sgt Feehan said the man made no admissions during interview.

Mr White handed in character references, including one from the accused's partner of over three decades.

He told the judge that his client was a man of good behaviour and good character other than when he had drink taken. The court heard the defendant is the sole carer for his mother who has dementia.
A woman running massage parlours in Dublin in which clients received manual relief believed the sensual massages were legal, a court heard.

Nan Wu (aged 36) of Brandon Square, Waterville, Blanchardstown, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to controlling and directing the actions of prostitution for gain in the Dublin area in 2015.

Sergeant David Bunn told Siobhan Ni Chulachain BL, prosecuting, that a member of the public complained that a high number of male visitors were attending a massage parlour in Olivemount, Windy Arbour, Dublin.

Sgt Bunn called the establishment and was offered prostitution services. He obtained a search warrant and visited the business on April 17, 2017.

He identified himself as a garda to the woman who opened the door and she showed him to the treatment room which contained a naked woman and man. The woman got dressed and then provided him with the phone number of her employer, Wu.

Wu was arrested and interviewed by gardai. She admitted knowledge of her employees providing sex acts for money and told gardai about a second massage parlour she owned in which similar acts took place.

Sgt Bunn agreed with James Dwyer SC, defending, that there was no evidence of coercion and that one of the women working at the parlour had told gardai I am here of my own free will and no one has threatened me.

Mr Dwyer said that there was no sexual intercourse taking place at the massage parlours and that those who visited could get what might be described as manual relief.

He said Wu had not directed her employees to engage in sex acts, but rather that they learned to do so from her other employees. She did not directly profit from the acts as her employees kept the money they earned from illegal behaviour.

Mr Dwyer said that Wu had believed that what her employees were doing was legal. She had once sacked an employee for having sex with a client.

He argued that the lack of coercion meant the crime fell on the lower end of the scale regarding offences of this type. He said that the Criminal Assets Bureau was also bringing proceedings against Wu.

Wu has no previous convictions and lives with her two children. She is originally from Dalian in China and has been living in Ireland for 17 years.

Judge Elma Sheahan ordered a probation report and adjourned the matter until January 15, of next year.
A gang of men who embarked on a "campaign of rape and other sexual abuse" against vulnerable teenage girls in Huddersfield has been given lengthy jail sentences, it can now be reported.

Ringleader Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 35, was jailed for life earlier this year and told he must serve a minimum of 18 years in prison by a judge who said: "Your treatment of these girls was inhuman."

Dhaliwal is one of 20 men who have been found guilty of scores of offences in a series of trials at Leeds Crown Court.

Fifteen women told juries what happened to them between 2004 and 2011 when they were aged between 11 and 17.

Those already sentenced have received prison terms totalling 221 years.

The series of three trials has been subject to a blanket reporting ban which was partially lifted on Friday.

It was towards the end of the second of these trials, in May, that English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson was arrested as he reported about the case live on Facebook from outside the court.

Robinson was jailed for contempt of court but his conviction was later quashed and the case is due to be heard again at the Old Bailey next week.

Dhaliwal, who has children of his own, was convicted of 54 separate counts, including 22 rapes, involving 11 girls.

Judge Geoffrey Marson QC told him earlier this year: "You treated them as commodities to be passed around for your own sexual gratification and the gratification of others.

"The extent and gravity of your offending far exceeds anything which I have previously encountered.

"It was a very significant campaign of rape and other sexual abuse.

"Children's lives have been ruined and families profoundly affected by seeing their children, over months and years, out of control, having been groomed by you and other members of your gang."

The girls, who are now all adults, told the juries how they believed they were being shown genuine affection and attention as they were groomed in Huddersfield.

But Judge Marson told the men this was "deliberately created to enable predatory men such as you to perpetrate gross sexual abuse for your own perverted gratification".

According to the judge, one of the girls said: "They got your trust and then stuff would start happening to you and it's just one of those things that you couldn't get out of, it just happened.

"My mum and dad's houses got trashed, their cars got trashed. I was constantly getting raped, beaten up."

The judge noted that at least one girl attempted suicide.

One of the girls was seen being thrown out of a moving car outside her home. She had bruises all over her face and was under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Judge Marson said at the end of the first trial: "The way you treated these girls defies understanding; this abuse was vile and wicked.

"As cases of sexual abuse with which the courts have to deal, this case comes at the top of the scale.

"None of you has expressed any remorse for what you did."

He added: "The sentences I pass on you are severe and are intended to be so. They are intended to deter others from behaving in this way."

Dhaliwal, of Holly Road, Huddersfield, was jailed in June along with seven other men, who received jail sentences of between eight and 18 years.

After the second trial, which also ended in June, eight more men were given jail sentences of between five and 18 years.

Four more men were found guilty of a range of offences earlier this month following the third trial and will be sentenced on November 1.

The men referred to each other using a series of nicknames which were also used as their monikers during the trials.

They included "Beastie", "Dracula" and "Nurse".

The pattern of large-scale exploitation of mainly white girls by groups of men of mainly Pakistani heritage uncovered by West Yorkshire Police in Huddersfield mirrors what has happened in a number of other towns including Rotherham, Rochdale and Telford.

The restriction which banned reporting of the Huddersfield trials was lifted by the Recorder of Leeds Judge Guy Kearl QC following representations by a number of media organisations, including the Press Association.
A surfer has been airlifted to hospital after being attacked by a shark off the coast of New Zealand.

The man was surfing at Baylys Beach about 60 miles north west of Auckland when the attack happened.
A film producer, the co-founder of a virtual reality business and the company behind a high power electric car charger have been identified as some of Brisbanes best when it comes to business.

On Friday night, Brisbanes lord mayor Graham Quirk announced the winners of the 13th annual Lord Mayors Business Awards.

Tim McGahan from Blacklab Group won Business Person of the Year at the 2018 Lord Mayor's Business Awards.

Taking out the top award was Blacklab Group managing director Tim McGahan.

Mr McGahans Newstead-based company has produced two international and award-winning feature films, Predestination and Winchester.
He became friendly with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but his lavish gifts to Bibi, which came at the latters request, saw both men embroiled in a major political scandal. And he was besotted with pop star Mariah Carey, but called off their engagement and ended the relationship, in part due to her extravagant spending. It is important to note that Packer is suffering from depression and this goes a long way towards explaining the ups and downs of his life. Kitneys engrossing book depicts him as a man who is smarter than he is given credit for, with a strong grasp of numbers and a keen interest in world politics; but a man also haunted by his demons, including his business failures. At the same time, he does not seem to take much pleasure in his business wins, including a deftly timed, top of the market sale of the family media empire to private equity before the global financial crisis struck.

Packers internal turmoil stems from a tortured relationship with his father, Kerry, a giant of the corporate landscape who was also an unrelenting bully to his son. James Packers internal turmoil stems from a tortured relationship with his father, Kerry, a corporate titan. Credit:Fairfax Media Born into extraordinary wealth (and into a family unafraid of spending it), the 51-year-old has been in the public spotlight his entire life. His adult existence is almost unfathomably opulent. Packer travels on a whim between his properties in the US, Mexico, Argentina and Israel on his private jet; he sojourns in the mediterranean on his luxury super-yacht. It is at times a whirlwind haze of cigarettes and vodka lime and sodas. But business - or more accurately wealth - never strays far from his mind. Packers desire to prove himself on the world stage (and outdo his father) is another recurring theme in the book. I got close. I got close, he laments at one point.

Yet despite these ambitions, he does not come across as terribly interested in the nitty gritty of any of the companies he has invested in. He does not seem to harbour any emotional attachment to them, either. His worldview, as depicted in the book, is akin to a dispassionate financier, always looking for the next money making opportunity. An exception, of sorts, is Crown, the casino company. But even there he has regrets. Packer took profits on his shrewd early investments in internet companies such as Zillow and Seek too early to prop up Crown and its Chinese expansion. Those internet companies have since soared in value. So too has Melco Crown, his Macau joint venture, after he exited that following arrests of staff amid a Chinese government corruption crackdown. Not all of Packers friendships are problematic. Kitney reveals the billionaires touching father-son like relationship with Hollywood star Warren Beatty (who he has taken to calling Dad) and a similar friendship with West Australian billionaire Kerry Stokes, who saved Packer from some of his lowest moments. You are left with the impression he desperately needs a father figure. Again, this may stem from his upbringing."Ive always viewed money as the scorecard, Packer says at one point in the book, To be fair to me, thats how I was brought up."

It is easy to conclude that Packers wellbeing has suffered as a result of this mindset. So too have his human relationships - the lines between business and friendship in his life appear to be constantly blurred. Many of the people he encounters are objectively wealthy, but not in his financial league. Almost always, they end up beneficiaries of his largesse, in some shape or form. In the book, Kitney reveals that according to Packers estimates, the billionaire and his associated companies paid out $115 million in fees to Grounds and his firm, the investment bank UBS. Making money for CPH [Packers private company] was clearly never a priority for Matthew, Packer says of Grounds in the book. Brett Ratner and James Packer helped create RatPac in 2013. Credit:Dom Lorrimer Grounds, considered the most powerful investment banker in the country, is more diplomatic about things. James has been an extraordinarily loyal client for many years, and whilst he hasnt necessarily always been the easiest client we have always tried to do our best for him, he is quoted as saying.

Packer is bitter towards Gyngell for similar reasons. When Gyngell left Nine for the first time in 2004 - following clashes with Kerry Packer and his lieutenants such as John Alexander - James gave his old school friend his own personal severance package - a share in a Lexus car dealership owned together with Nick Politis, worth millions. Later, Packer claims it was Gyngell who encouraged him to invest in Network Ten, but when Packer tried to lure him across from Nine to run the ailing broadcaster, he demurred and used the offer to secure a promotion and pay rise. I got him his job, got him his big contract by buying into Ten on his advice, and saved him his job. Then he stopped talking to me, Packer is quoted as saying. James Packer with ex-fiance Mariah Carey. Credit:Bloomberg This, of course is Packers versions of events. We dont get to hear Gyngells perspective on things - he declined to comment for the book, and this article, and has clearly decided to stay out of the fray. While Packer paints Gyngell as dependent on his connections for success, that isnt true. A successful businessman in his own right, Gyngell steered Nine out of bankruptcy and back on to the ASX, for which he was well remunerated and became in high demand. (Stokes is rumoured to have attempted to poach Gyngell for Seven as well)
A non-compete clause between the brothers kept Mukesh out of that arena until the agreement was scrapped in 2010. Mukesh quickly returned, pumping in more than 2.5 trillion rupees ($US34 billion) over the next seven years to build a speedier 4G wireless network for his Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. "It was a very, very big bet," said James Crabtree, a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore and author of the book "The Billionaire Raj," which examined wealth inequality in India. Jio also gave Mukesh the chance to forge his own legacy beyond the shadow of the businesses he had inherited, he said. "Jio in that sense was an all-in bet." Mukesh's fortune has ballooned on the back of his Reliance Jio phone network. Credit:Bloomberg It took a long time to pay off. Reliance's shares lagged S&P BSE Sensex index for most of the past decade as investors watched Mukesh pour money into his telecom network with little sign of a return at first. Price war

When it came in 2016, the impact was dramatic. By July this year, less than two years after starting the service, Jio had signed up 227 million users and was making a profit. Rivals were bleeding as Mukesh's upstart embarked on a devastating price war, offering monthly plans for as little as $US2. "Reliance's strategy to diversify beyond the energy sector was the biggest game changer," said Sanjiv Bhasin, executive vice president at India Infoline Ltd. "Mukesh Ambani had the 10-year vision to foresee that data will be the next gold and he invested heavily." Loading What financed that investment was Dhirubhai's old oil and petrochemicals business, which, expanded by Mukesh, still accounts for 90 per cent of Reliance's profit. Cash flow from the business, together with a blue-chip rating gave Reliance Industries access to a large pool of cheap capital. "Mukesh Ambani has very adroitly used this competitive advantage," said Saurabh Mukherjea, founder of Marcellus Investment Managers. Meanwhile, Anil has been selling assets to quell investor concerns around the indebtedness of some of his companies that contributed to declines in his shares.

Like his brother, Anil invested billions to expand his portfolio, but the younger brother didn't have a cash cow like the oil refinery to finance growth. Instead, like other businesses in India and elsewhere, many of his companies increased debt. The borrowing spree by local companies caused India's banks to amass one of the world's worst bad-loan ratios and when the central bank started cracking down on the resulting $US210 billion mountain of stressed debt, highly leveraged companies came under pressure. "The only options any indebted company has is to sell assets, seek refinancing or get new investors," said Crabtree in Singapore. Of Anil's businesses, shares of Reliance Naval & Engineering Ltd. saw the worst decline this year, losing 75 per cent. Bought in 2015 as part of his bet on defense as the next engine of growth, the warship and submarine maker has proven hard to turn around. Its loan accounts have been "irregular or substandard" since 2014, the company said in March. The defense contractor is in arbitration with ex-owners over the latter's alleged breach of some warranties. Auditors in April cautioned against the firm's ability to survive and two creditors have an ongoing lawsuit to send Reliance Naval into insolvency. In a stock exchange filing in April that sought to allay the auditor's concerns, the company said it is engaged with its lenders and is confident on reaching a solution "to resolve the financial position of the company and to continue as a going concern."

Other group units have also faced difficulties. Another of Anil's defense firms has come under scrutiny over the 2016 negotiations between France and India for $US8.7 billion of French warplanes. In an August 20 statement, Anil and his company denied allegations from opposition lawmakers that the deal unfairly benefited his company, saying the lawmakers had been "misinformed, misdirected and misled by malicious vested interests and corporate rivals." Loading Missed payment Anil's Reliance Infrastructure Ltd., which built Mumbai's first metro line, missed a bond payment in August as it waited for proceeds from the sale of power transmission assets to fellow billionaire Gautam Adani's unit to cover the amount. It plans to be debt-free by next year, Anil said at a briefing in August.

Electricity generator Reliance Power Ltd., also part of Anil's group, has failed to stem a decade of overall decline in its shares since its record IPO in 2008, just as the global financial crisis hit. The group's profitable financial services firm Reliance Capital Ltd. has also seen its shares decline this year, despite staying away from bad news. But the biggest challenge for Anil's empire came from his brother's business. Reliance Communications Ltd., once the flagship of Anil's portfolio, was battered by the price war Jio started. Last month, Rcom sold its 178,000 kilometre fibre-optic network for 30 billion rupees as part of a disposal that will see it divest of almost all of its wireless assets and exit from the mobile phone business. The buyer was Mukesh's Jio.

RCom "was the crown jewel given away to Anil Ambani after the family businesses split," said Bhasin. "Then the debt and interest burden spiraled." In May, a creditor persuaded a court to begin insolvency proceedings for RCom before agreeing to an out-of-court settlement. Loading Bloomberg News is currently defending litigation brought by Anil Ambani and Reliance Communications in connection with previous Bloomberg reporting. The sale of RCom assets to Jio brings the saga of the two brothers full circle and sets the stage for the next chapter in the story of one of India's great business dynasties.

Anil is gradually unwinding RCom's debts and refocusing the firm toward real estate. This month he told investors that a property development in Navi Mumbai, a planned city across the bay from India's financial capital, will create 250 billion rupees in value for investors. A big gamble "It may be a late coming but at least he is not running away," said Bhasin, who remains bullish on the group's infrastructure, finance and power businesses. Mukesh is gearing up for an even bigger gamble. In July he announced plans for an e-commerce foray that would marry the group's telecom and retail business to take on global rivals Amazon.com Inc. and Walmart Inc. While the news helped boost shares of Mukesh's Reliance Industries since the announcement, some investors are sounding a note of caution about another ambitious expansion. Reliance Industries' total debt has risen in the past five years and non-core investments have shown muted returns on capital.
A weekend of more rain and storms - possibly severe - is on the way for Sydney after Friday's lull in the gloomy weather.

A slow-moving high pressure system in the Tasman has been directing moist onshore flows into eastern NSW for more than a week. A rain-bearing front, meanwhile, is heading eastwards, raising the prospect of storms when they meet.

"There's quite a strong upper-level system coming through and it's very unstable," said Neale Fraser, a senior forecaster for the Bureau of Meteorology, adding he would be "extremely surprised" if warnings of severe weather were not issued on Saturday for parts of NSW.

Unstable atmospheric conditions that have brought more than a week of rain are tipped to turn even stormier this week. Credit:Nick Moir

For Sydney, the recent wet spell has been a sharp reversal of rainfall fortunes compared with the previous three months.
ACT Fire and Rescue extinguished a small grass fire at Woden Cemetery on Friday night.

Emergency services were called to the site, on Yamba Drive, just after 7pm.

ACT Fire and Rescue has extinguished a small grass fire at Woden Cemetery. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

Two pumpers fire trucks and two water tankers responded to the fire. An Emergency Services spokeswoman said there were 20 small spot fires within a contained area at the cemetery, measuring 70 by 40 metres.

ACT Fire and Rescue south side commander Craig Perks said the fire was one of a handful of small grass or rubbish fires that emergency services responded to around Canberra's south on Friday, including two on Flinders Way at Griffith and one on Shea St in Phillip.
A Cairns man has admitted to the rape and kidnapping of a British backpacker he had a brief liaison with before holding her captive on a road trip in 2017 through the Queensland bush.

Marcus Allyn Keith Martin, 24, pleaded guilty in the Cairns District Court on Friday to three counts of rape and one of deprivation of liberty.

Police found the backpacker distressed and badly injured behind the wheel of a four-wheel-drive, with her alleged abuser reportedly hiding behind a mattress in the back. Credit:Regional News Media

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He had previously admitted a range of charges including assaulting her.
A Brisbane financial planner who bashed his top client to death with a hammer during a heated business meeting has been found guilty of murder.

Trung The Ma, 35, admitted killing Huegio Bonham in 2014, but argued due to his poor mental health at the time, coupled with his 63-year-old client's attempt to blackmail him, he should be found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter.

Huegio Bonham (pictured) was murdered by Trung The Ma in 2014. Credit:Huegio Bonham/Facebook.

The jury disagreed, and the Brisbane Supreme Court on Friday found Ma guilty of murdering Mr Bonham.

Crown prosecutor Michael Lehane said Ma was a talented fraudster who had silenced his client of four years after Mr Bonham had discovered Ma had stolen $706,000 from him.
The Queensland racing industry is going on strike on Melbourne Cup Day and for the Cox Plate over a new tax on bets made in Queensland.

Australian Trainers Association Queensland spokesman Cameron Partington said the move came after "years of neglect" by various governments.

Hugh Bowman rides Winx to victory in last year's Cox Plate. This year all participants would stand down on Cox Plate Day for meetings scheduled at Doomben, Gold Coast, Toowoomba and Townsville. Credit:AAP

"With the current negotiations reaching a standstill, with no sign of a positive resolution, the move to industrial action by the racing participants of Queensland is unfortunately now unavoidable," he said.

Mr Partington said the industrial action had the full support of the four industry bodies, comprising trainers, jockeys, breeders and owners.
UPDATE: Police have located Mrs Donhou "safe and well".

Police are searching for an elderly woman who went missing after visiting a family member in Perth's northern suburbs.

Doreen Millicent Donhou. Credit:WA Police

Doreen Millicent Donhou, 82, was last seen leaving a health facility in Joondalup at around 2pm on Thursday.

She has not been seen or heard from since, and police said they have serious concerns for her welfare.
In fact, Rudd has suffered three grand setbacks in his political life, each on a scale of national significance, each in the harsh glare of unblinking news coverage. The misfortune is personal; the scale is epic. He lost the prime ministership twice and was blocked from even contesting the UN job, an Australian vetoed by Australia. His verdict is that none of the three was a fair fight. It hurt him.

In his new book, to be released next week, he describes this not just as a hope. He describes the job as his "vocation". The then PM Malcolm Turnbull famously vetoed his candidacy , and the post went instead to a former Portuguese prime minister, Antonio Guterres. Rudd still seems to resent being blocked by his own country so that another country could prevail.

The post of president of the Asia Society Policy Institute isn't the leadership job he first aspired to after losing the 2013 Australian federal election. He'd wanted to be secretary-general of the United Nations, conducting affairs between the great powers.

He was recruited by the Asia Society, a genteel cultural institute founded to house a precious Rockefeller art collection, to expand it into hard policy. Next to the lifts on the ground floor is a magnificent sixth-century stone sculpture of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh. Step out of the lift on the sixth floor and you are in Kevin Rudd's think tank.

Rudd has been living in New York for three-and-a-half years now, a city he enjoys both for what it has and what it does not have. What it has, apart from a big-city bustle that Rudd says is pretty good "for a boy who grew up in the country", is the paid opportunity to indulge his love of world affairs.

"If you thought approval processes were tough in Oz, try New York," says Rudd, an appeal unlikely to win him much sympathy.

For a political refugee, Kevin Rudd has found a pretty comfortable sanctuary. Sitting in a high-backed chair in his office six floors above Manhattan's Park Avenue on the monied Upper East Side, he may no longer be Australia's prime minister but the title on his business card does say "president". And he and his wife, Therese Rein, have invested in a coveted old brownstone. Bringing a touch of Australia to New York, they're having it renovated. Therese is supervising.

He takes his work seriously and he's taken seriously. On the day after I spoke to him, The New York Times quoted him on its front page as a China expert speaking of the "war of a different type" that has broken out between Beijing and Washington, and the news website Axios published a piece he'd written on the same topic as part of its series featuring "expert views". He is in demand as one of America's foremost interpreters of the strident new China of Xi Jinping.

It's like a mini, pretend version of the UN job he so desired. In the few days after I spoke with him, Rudd hosted visiting national leaders including Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad, Iran's Hassan Rouhani, and Nepal's Khadga Prasad Oli.

Out of The Lodge, Rudd was determined to escape Australia. He first planned to take up an offer to work as an academic at Harvard. He took the offer from the Asia Society instead, where his remit is to debate and propose policies to solve problems across the Asia-Pacific. Being president of a think tank of his own design, with a staff of 14 and an office with views extending in three directions across New York, has its consolations.

After his rejections, the former Australian leader struggles with the hatred aimed at him: "I have never understood the perverse elements in Australian society that take pleasure in other people's pain. But I found that in political life there are people who do enjoy that, and in the public, too. We are trained to say, 'It's water off a duck's back.' It ain't. When you are attacked not for your views but for the kind of person you are, the truth is that the harpoon usually lands." And after losing the prime ministership, he says, "You don't want to bob your head up. You want to be out of it."

In his first years as PM , Rudd enjoyed the highest level of sustained popularity in the 40-year history of Australian political opinion polls. He was about as popular as Bob Hawke, yet more durably so. He captured the pressures of stratospheric expectations in the note he wrote to Barack Obama to congratulate him on his election in 2008, only a year after Rudd's: "Dear Mr President. You poor bastard. Welcome to Messiah syndrome. Infinite expectations. Finite resources." Obama found the unorthodox message uproariously funny, Rudd records in his book. It was also prescient for both of them.

"It was not a happy place," he says. "Not a happy place. If it weren't for faith and family, I don't know that I would have come through it. I'm not sure that I would have come through it as a properly formed human being."

Three former Australian prime ministers in New York simultaneously, yet Rudd didn't catch up with either of the other two. "We're like a Third World country," one Aussie expat quips. "Leaders get deposed in coups, then seek asylum in America."

And New York doesn't have so many reminders of the painful past. He can live a full life yet still be partly "out of it". He's not the only former Australian prime minister to seek refuge here. Malcolm Turnbull took off for New York the moment he was deposed as prime minister, seeking six weeks' privacy and diversion. Coincidentally, Julia Gillard was here recently for six weeks, too, in her work on education for kids in developing countries as chair of the Global Partnership for Education.

What doesn't New York have? It doesn't have Therese. Not very often, at least. Rudd's wife spends most of the year supporting her 92-year-old mum in Brisbane. She and Rudd get together when they can. A month-long European holiday this year, for instance, culminating in a cruise to Sweden. It was their first return to Stockholm since they lived there 35 years ago, Rudd posted as a junior diplomat. The Swedes got a good laugh with the remnant of his Swedish language skills, he says.

A former Obama ambassador to Australia, John Berry, now president of the Australian American Association, attests that Rudd has "kept himself relevant in current strategic policy in Asia". He's impressed at Rudd's recruitment of deputies  Danny Russel, a top Asia official under both Obama and Donald Trump, and Wendy Cutler, a top official at the US Trade Representative's office and the negotiator who led the American side in creating the Australia-US free trade agreement. "They are leaders in their field," says Berry. "Kevin is a good judge of horseflesh."

In his spare time he's writing a thesis on Xi's world view for a doctorate in philosophy at Oxford University. "What role does he actually want for China in the region and the world?" Rudd says. "It's the question I get asked by governments and businesses all around the world, so I've decided to make it a proper research project."

The main parties are now in the hands of a cohort who grew up in student politics, if growing up is not an overstatement: "I think it goes to the Young Labor-Young Liberal generation. This generation finally has power in their hands. Mark Arbib and Christopher Pyne, these are people for whom politics is simply a game. It's a cultural shift away from loyalty: you stuck by your leader, you gave him a go, once, twice, three times, before you go on."

"It's just become indescribably juvenile," he says of the coup against Turnbull  which no one in the Morrison Government seems able to explain to the electorate. But how did it become so? Rudd's explanation is based on a generational factor.

Lately, he says, many people he encounters, Australians and Americans, express disgust at the latest act of regicide, the political assassination of Malcolm Turnbull, who is still smarting some blocks away as we speak. And professional contacts, including ones in the Trump Administration, ask him what's going on. Says Rudd, "The bottom line for us as a nation and our global branding: it's unhealthy." But why is it happening? As the first victim of the current cycle, it's something Rudd has thought about a good deal.

It's not complete. There are too many Australians in New York to allow full anonymity. Not a day goes by when he's not spotted on the street and gladhanded by an Aussie. "Worryingly, I now run into Americans who say 'Hi'." They recognise him from his regular appearances on US TV talk shows, though they don't necessarily get it right: " 'Aren't you that British prime minister guy?'"

A bit further into the conversation, when the topic turns inevitably to Donald Trump, the American, who has fallen under Rudd's spell, tells him, "You should run for president!" Rudd just laughs. The joys of anonymity.

"The problem," Rudd tells his new American friend over pasta and red wine, "is that we Australians have become the world's worst coffee snobs. We come here, can't stand the coffee, and open our own cafes." Rudd confesses that he's one of the snobs. One of the facts of New York life that he finds endlessly surprising is "how truly atrocious the coffee is". The coffee is one part of Australia that he says he cannot do without.

By the time I join Rudd for dinner at an unpretentious Italian restaurant near his office, he's already deep in conversation with the middle-aged couple at the next table. The American is telling Rudd of a new cafe, an Australian one, that he enjoys. Rudd lets him know that it's part of an explosion of Aussie cafes in Manhattan, so many that The New York Times ran a long feature in July titled "The Art of the Australian Breakfast". The writer lauded the dozens of cafes started by young expats from Oz for their "simple and sophisticated version of breakfast all day long, in a British-Mediterranean-Asian vernacular".

"What they [the student politics generation] saw in Arbib's audacity in 2010 was to admire the craft and to see that it could succeed," Rudd suggests. "That's the sick part." Or, in Rod Tiffen's words, the coup was "tactically brilliant and strategically stupid". Brilliant for its swift efficiency; stupid because it damned the party and degraded the nation. Arbib left politics, as Rudd puts it bitingly, to work for James Packer's gambling business, "a moral universe" in which he would be "more than comfortable".

It was the first time that an elected prime minister of Australia was torn down by his own party during his first term. It was not to be the last, as the Liberals would soon demonstrate. It set off the parallel cycles of vengeance and bloodletting that have dogged federal politics, Labor and Liberal, to this day, earning Canberra the title of "coup capital of the democratic world", in the words of the BBC.

It was Arbib's decision to turn against Rudd that mobilised the 2010 coup and installed Julia Gillard as leader. In his book, Rudd recounts phone calls where Arbib would scream furious invective at him in attempts to get his way. He demanded Rudd dump his planned emissions trading scheme, for instance. "I told him to calm down and f off," Rudd recounts. Rudd says that his refusal to genuflect to Arbib cost him dearly.

Mark Arbib, a strutting, rasp-voiced, bald-headed senator and junior minister in Rudd's government, was also the convenor of the NSW Right faction of the Labor Party. He graduated from the Sussex Street school of political thuggery where, as state general secretary, he put a series of NSW Labor premiers into and out of power as if they were Ken and Barbie dolls. He brought his skills to Canberra.

For the people, politics is supposed to exist to solve their problems. For the apparatchik class, politics exists for its own sake. Reality has become inverted. Which is why they keep conducting coups against all the evidence  they don't see it as the country does. As respected Sydney political scientist Rod Tiffen puts it, "What's most obvious to the public isn't the virtue of the new leader, it's the amount of blood on the floor."

Bob Hawke and John Howard concur with Rudd on this point. Both main parties increasingly have been taken over by a cadre of political apparatchiks who have known no other line of work, have no experience outside politics.

The former prime minister readily hands out brisk character assessments of a number of serving Labor members of parliament. But, of course, Rudd reserves his harshest judgment for Julia Gillard, the deputy who turned against him. Rudd hasn't told his side of the story in full until now, with the publication of his book, Kevin Rudd: The PM Years. The second and final volume of his memoirs, to be released by Pan Macmillan on Tuesday, it is his unabashed effort to establish the "alternative narrative". Because "each of us, even former prime ministers, are entitled to a right of reply".

And he does present some interesting new information, not necessarily all serious. The time that Italy's notoriously debauched and corrupt prime minister Silvio Berlusconi invited a group of world leaders to his private resort on the Sardinian island of La Maddalena, scene of his "bunga bunga" parties, for instance. Rudd was deputised by other leaders to phone to express a collective reluctance to come. Berlusconi wanted to discuss climate change, but the others thought that the middle of the global financial crisis was the wrong time. The Italian assured Rudd that they'd have a great time and to bring his own yacht. The Australian pointed out that he didn't own a yacht.

"Kevin, I know you're a socialist," replied Berlusconi. "But there's no need to worry. Because I'm going to lend you one of my yachts." Rudd gave up. Berlusconi didn't. Even when an earthquake prompted a change of venue, the Italian showered gifts on his guests. Rudd found personally tailored suits, monogrammed pyjamas, exquisite Italian leather briefcases, desk sets and watches, among other things. He surrendered them to his protocol officer. A concerned Barack Obama pulled Rudd aside the next morning to ask if he'd found gifts in his room, no doubt relieved that he hadn't been singled out for this attempted inveiglement.

Rudd with Silvio Berlusconi  the Italian leader once offered to lend the then PM a yacht. Credit:Penny Bradfield

Rudd reveals, on the more serious side, that as PM he had offered secretly to hand over the leadership to Julia Gillard. In February 2010, she was urging him to kill the government's proposed emissions trading scheme. She had told him in an earlier one-on-one on the verandah of Kirribilli House that they needed to dump the scheme "or we'll be walking into an election year with a huge target painted on our foreheads", according to Rudd's account. She returned to her argument repeatedly, and, further, told Rudd not to attempt to call a double dissolution election to get the scheme passed.

Now, recalling drinks with Gillard in his office, Rudd writes: "I then mentioned the unmentionable. You do realise that I don't intend to be prime minister for life?" He would leave after winning a third election and offered her a transition to the prime ministership during his third term: "Not only do I want you to be Australia's first female prime minister, I want to smooth the way for that." According to Rudd's account, Gillard became visibly uncomfortable and asked him to drop the topic. He laid out his plan. He was already thinking of running for the UN secretary-general's post in 2015-16 when South Korean Ban Ki-moon's term ended. "Julia just looked at me. Silently. Impassively. Then, saying she had a meeting to go to, she rose and walked out."

The story supports Rudd's central contention: "It's that Julia decided as of late 2009 that she was not prepared to wait to become prime minister through an orderly succession in the future." She spent half a year in cahoots with a cabal of disgruntled "faceless men", led by Arbib, until they saw their chance and struck. "Their action was driven by little more than personal political ambition, dressed up as a higher purpose."

But why would Gillard place any faith in a promised handover of power? The precedents tell us that such deals are not honoured. Bob Hawke failed to relinquish power to Paul Keating as he'd promised. John Howard didn't keep his undertaking to hand over to Peter Costello. Power is addictive.

One of the extraordinary features of the book is that, along with photos from Rudd's prime ministership and a healthy sprinkling of political cartoons, Rudd has included coloured charts of political opinion polls from the time. This is to drive home a key point  that the Rudd government was consistently ahead in the polls. "How did they explain the fact that I had lost only one out of 86 previous polls?" poses Rudd. This is not a fiction. Rod Tiffen, who is professor emeritus in government and international relations at Sydney University, says, "He was still doing quite well in the polls when you look back. That's one of the bizarre things about the coup."

But surely Rudd is being a bit too precious. How did he manage to become Labor leader in the first place? By waging a coup against Kim Beazley, jointly with Julia Gillard. Rudd lived by the sword. Shouldn't he accept that he died by the sword, that there is a raw justice in the verdict of the caucus whomever it favours? No, he says. The difference is that Beazley had had three turns in the leadership before he was overthrown.

In June 2010, Therese Rein watches on as a sober Rudd speaks after being deposed. Credit:Andrew Meares

If Rudd is so blameless, why was he so hated by many in Labor? The antagonism has been transmitted to people who weren't even in the federal parliament at the time. Rejecting Rudd has become an article of faith for some. A junior such as the Victorian Labor government's current minister for small business, Philip Dalidakis, for example, has boycotted a launch of Rudd's book on the grounds that he had never represented Labor values and "he treated staff, colleagues and bureaucrats with contempt and his only achievement was the Apology to the Stolen Generations". This is a caricature of Rudd as hate figure.

The Rudd government with Gillard as deputy gave Australia its first compulsory paid parental leave. It began the momentum for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, something Whitlam had dreamed of. It overrode prevailing free-market ideology to launch the National Broadband Network, designed to be a universal, high-performance all-fibre system until the Abbott government downgraded it. It's hard to say that these initiatives aren't informed by "Labor values".

But the overarching accomplishment was adroit economic management. Australia, with Canada, was one of only two developed countries to avoid the Great Recession of 2008. In the US and Europe the recession has been followed by an angry right-wing populism and the rise of a far-right fanaticism. Australia stands apart.

Rudd earned a lot of Labor resentment from the high-handed way he treated some of his colleagues. Some fumed silently, awaiting their chance for vengeance.

"Extreme personality" is the category created by three political scientists as part of their explanation for the prime ministerial upheavals of the last decade. "Kevin Rudd was a creative fashioner of ideas, a gifted political communicator and had an enviable ability to inspire optimism in the electorate," write Paul Strangio, Paul 't Hart and James Walter in their 2017 study of the prime ministership, The Pivot of Power. "Yet he was a poor driver of the prime-ministerial government machine: manic and chaotic, incapable of recognising his own limitations and cavalier of key relationships." They put Tony Abbott in the "extreme personality" category, too, characters difficult for their colleagues to tolerate.

But most of the Labor anger at Rudd didn't flow from anything he did as prime minister. It flowed from the conviction that he'd fatally wounded Julia Gillard's government by leaking against her. The early and damaging leak that Gillard as deputy had opposed the idea of paid parental leave, and opposed paying an increase in the pension, for example.

Rudd's book confirms the accuracy of the leaks. He quotes Gillard as objecting to the pension increase in a cabinet meeting by saying that "these old buggers will never vote for us". And that jaws around the cabinet table dropped when she argued against paid parental leave as "middle-class, bourgeois welfare". Yet he denies being the leaker at the time. Many in Labor will simply refuse to believe his denials. Rudd, unable to disprove it, will have to suffer their judgment. As a former member of his cabinet put it to me, "Rudd will wear those leaks like an albatross around his neck for the rest of his life."

Rudd doesn't want to wear any further blame as a Labor saboteur. He handles the subject of Bill Shorten carefully. There's a touch of disdain in his portrayal of the federal Opposition Leader in his book. Each time he appoints Shorten to a ministry, he senses that he is disappointed, feeling entitled to something grander. But he apportions only secondary blame to Shorten  a participant in the toppling of two prime ministers  for plotting against him in the 2010 coup, after Gillard and Arbib. He credits Shorten with great capacity.

Would Anthony Albanese be a better Labor leader? Rudd is a friend and admirer of Albanese. But he resists any temptation to endorse his mate. "Caucus had the opportunity to vote for the leader and if Albo wanted to challenge, his opportunity was after the last election," Rudd replies. "Rules are rules. Whether I approve of the political outcome or not."

Rudd has suffered three grand setbacks in his political life: It was not a happy place. If it weren't for faith and family  I'm not sure that I would have come through it as a properly formed human being. Credit:Alina Gozin'a

The rules that now protect the Labor leader from coups are, of course, a Rudd legacy. He says he's proud that his rules have delivered five years of stability, five years for Shorten to work towards victory. The Liberals should change their rules to follow suit, he advises. But a tinge of resentment quickly follows: "I'm still waiting for the thank-you note from caucus."

Rudd says that he's past the bitterness. "The only way through all that is while you can't forget, you can forgive. Otherwise you are simply eaten away by bitterness." Has he forgiven Julia Gillard for the coup? "Yes," he replies, and refers me to page 597 of his book, where he says that it was Therese who confronted him with the question of forgiveness. He admits this is tough: "We are all human beings." He says, nonetheless, that he bears "no lasting enmity" against the coup plotters.

He goes on: "For me, the events of 2010, one of the darker periods in our party's history, are now closed. It's time for healing. It's time for reconciliation. It's time instead to build for the future. The country expects nothing less."

Indeed, the reconciled Rudd reveals that strangers approach him frequently for help in coping with their own traumas. "I try to help people I meet to put their challenges into the wider context of their lives. It can look too big. But if someone is dying, and I run into many people who are declining rapidly, that's where the whole question of meaning is so important. Whether they are ranking atheists or serious God-botherers, the key is to identify a higher purpose for which they have lived, other than themselves.

"It's not a psychological ruse. It's about humanist or spiritual transcendence way beyond the brute physicality of our existence. And it's usually summed up in the great commandment about loving your neighbour as yourself. I spent many hours recently with a dying lady in her late 40s where this was the essential question which provided comfort as she went into decline."

In his adopted home, Rudd finds spiritual solace in an Episcopalian church in Harlem, in Manhattan's north. "My church is a social justice church. It runs a fantastic program for prisoner release. There aren't many happy clappers there. I'm not sure ScoMo would feel too comfortable there," he says with a mischievous chuckle.

But when Rudd says that, in all three of his major setbacks, he hadn't faced a fair fight, he was only twice speaking of politicians. First was Gillard and the faceless men and the secret coup in 2010. Second was Turnbull, who had privately agreed to support his bid for the UN secretary-general's job but then opposed him, according to Rudd. In the third case it was not a politician who made it an unfair fight but Rupert Murdoch, he claims, who took sides with Tony Abbott's Coalition in the 2013 election against Rudd's ALP after Rudd's comeback as prime minister.

Even if Rudd has forgiven Gillard, his forgiveness doesn't extend to Murdoch, a man he describes as a "cancer on Australian democracy". He is campaigning for a royal commission into the dominance of Murdoch's media ownership in Australia and into the Channel Nine takeover of Fairfax Media (publisher of Good Weekend). Murdoch has created a "culture of terror", he says, where no one dares oppose him. Murdoch, he says, is a "coalition partner of the Liberals".

But Rudd himself courted Murdoch and his editors assiduously for years. He explains: "You are faced with the reality that he owns 70 per cent of all print media in Australia. In my case," as a Queensland MP in the electorate of Griffith, "the local throwaway paper, the state newspaper and the national newspaper are all printed in my electorate, and all owned by Murdoch. So you try to work out a deal with the beast. You can't work out a deal with the beast. You just have to name it."

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, whom Rudd describes as a cancer on Australian democracy. Credit:Reuters/Mike Segar

Again, Rudd's words don't jibe with his actions. He did seem to strike a deal with Murdoch, who supported Rudd at the 2007 federal election. That, argues Rudd, was only "at the end when they concluded we were going to win and they came around to accept the inevitable". The Murdoch papers turned against Rudd in power.

Today Rudd rages against him with the anger of the impotent. "Every Labor prime minister recognises that in Rupert Murdoch they have a strategic foe," Rudd tells me. "Every Labor prime minister tries to manage that foe. Sooner or later, every Labor prime minister realises that foe aims to destroy them. My advice to Bill is, 'Don't try it, it won't work.'"

There is no refuge from Murdoch in New York. He looms large here. Not only does Murdoch own the New York Post, not only does he have his headquarters in midtown Manhattan, but he also owns Fox News, the cable channel often credited with fomenting the angry populist movement that became the cheer squad and base support for Donald Trump.

"The Murdoch media is a magnifying glass for anger in the US and learned its craft of how to build readership in Australia, how to magnify the anger of a few into the anger of many," says Rudd. One indicator of the seething resentment is that, along with the photos and Newspolls in the centrefold of Rudd's new book is a collection of anti-Rudd front page attacks by Murdoch's Sydney tabloid, The Daily Telegraph. Reproduced in full colour, with the permission of News Corp Australia.

Kevin and Therese like to visit New York's Long Island on weekends. They enjoy the Hamptons and the quaintly historic island of Nantucket, in nearby Massachusetts, in summer. Rudd is deeply engaged in US life and deeply interested in the country.

He wonders at the apparently irredeemable race relations in the US  "two groups of people looking past each other, very rarely socialising with each other"  something he hadn't truly appreciated until he lived here.

An apology would be "enormously healing" for race relations in the US, but he fears that it may be too late: "We may have caught it in the nick of time in Australia. It may be that America is too old. We've been at it for 200 years, they've had 400."

Kevin Rudd, agent of vengeance against the Murdoch media, as reconciler and refugee. His book, he says, is not therapy. It is, for him, "completion". For him, perhaps. The political figures he deals with in his alternative narrative will have a different view, with recriminations stirring anew. Tellingly, he has no plan to return to Australia.

To read more from Good Weekend magazine, visit our page at The Sydney Morning Herald or The Age.
NLEX to finish harbor link by end of 2018

posted October 19, 2018 at 07:15 pm by Darwin G. Amojelar October 19, 2018 at 07:15 pm

NLEX HARBOR LINK. Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar (middle), together with MPTC and NLEX Corp. president and CEO Rodrigo Franco and other officials, inspect the newly-constructed portion of NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10

project along McArthur Highway, Karuhatan in Valenzuela City. The DPWH announced that it has delivered 100 percent

the right of way for the project. Manny Palmero NLEX Corp. on Friday said it expects to complete the P10.5-billion North Luzon Expressway Harbor Link Segment 10 before the end of the year after the Department of Public Workers and Highways delivered 100 percent right of way for the project. Metro Pacific Tollways and NLEX president Rodrigo Franco said the companys construction team was working nonstop to complete the project by the end of this year.We are happy that our team was able to deliver 100 percent right-of-way for the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10. We hope we can finish this just in time for the Christmas rush to help ease the publics traffic woes, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, said.NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is composed of the 5.65-km elevated expressway traversing the NLEX from MacArthur Highway Karuhatan, Valenzuela City, passing through Malabon City and C3 Road, Caloocan City, and the 2.6-km section between C3 Road, Caloocan City and R10, Navotas City. Including the extension to R10, the total project cost is P16.5 billion.

COMMENT DISCLAIMER: Reader comments posted on this Web site are not in any way endorsed by Manila Standard. Comments are views by manilastandard.net readers who exercise their right to free expression and they do not necessarily represent or reflect the position or viewpoint of manilastandard.net. While reserving this publications right to delete comments that are deemed offensive, indecent or inconsistent with Manila Standard editorial standards, Manila Standard may not be held liable for any false information posted by readers in this comments section.
The national auditor has revealed his work scrutinising costly government projects faces a threat as agencies begin flagging they will move to have parts of his reports redacted.

Head of the national audit office Grant Hehir told parliament on Friday of a new challenge as departments signalled they would ask the attorney-general to issue certificates forcing him to redact information - and potentially criticism - used by parliament and the public to monitor government spending.

The revelation came at the end of a hearing into Attorney-General Christian Porter's decision to use such a certificate to remove significant parts of an audit criticising a $1.3 billion military deal after the company involved complained the information would unfairly harm its commercial interests.

Restrictions imposed on Mr Hehir and his office stopped him from advising MPs whether the contract with French defence company Thales was value for money, a judgment in the report blocked from publication.

After Thales raised its complaint with Mr Porter late last year, the attorney-general found the information would threaten Australia's national security and defence if published.
Jakarta: The brother of an Australian man gunned down in an execution-style killing at his home in the Philippines believes he was murdered by an organised criminal gang as retribution over a legal dispute.

Ex-Queenslander Reginald Rene Hodgens, 70, was shot in the head about 7.45pm on October 15, according to local police, who have also suggested he may have been involved in a legal dispute with a local Filipino.

Australian man Reginald Rene Hodgens was shot dead in the Philippines on October 15.

The Philippines' Lifestyle website reported Mr Hodgens was at the gate of his rented home in Sinait when he was shot once in the head by an unknown assassin. He was rushed to the Ilocos Sur District Hospital, in Sinait, but declared dead on arrival.

The man's brother, Ronald, 66, from Perth, said after being born in Brisbane, his brother had spent about 60 per cent of his life living outside Australia, including about 16 years in Taiwan and the last three years or so in the Philippines in his retirement.
Geishas are rare and uncommonly beautiful creatures who labour on their appearances before performing or appearing in public. They dress in vivid butterfly kimonos, style their hair in elaborate fashions and dust their red-stained lips with crystallised sugar. Nobel Prize-winning author Yasunari Kawabata described their white painted skin as having the lustre of a seashell in the moonlight.

For decades, geisha  which means person of the arts - were misunderstood by Westerners and thought to be sex workers, not entertainers who sing and dance at traditional teahouses.

The two geisha leave a laneway in Kyoto. Credit:Julia Baird

The largest surviving community of these exquisitely costumed artists  only about a thousand still remain in Japan - lives in Kyoto, though they are usually hidden from public view. But last week, I was strolling with my son through the back streets of the city when I saw two of them talking in a laneway. We stood still, struck, then quickly took a photograph and watched them part; one trotted on her wooden shoes back down the lane, while the other merged into the crowds of Gion with a fixed expression on her face.

And then the ugliness began. A throng of people surrounded her, some tourists in rented kimonos, taking photographs, trying to take selfies, manoeuvring professional cameras with long lenses as she ducked her head and kept walking.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has threatened to deploy the military and close the southern US border if Mexico does not halt a new caravan of Central America migrants heading north, raising the risk of huge disruptions to trade.

President Donald Trump listens in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Credit:AP

The 3200-kilometre US-Mexican border is one of the busiest in the world, processing thousands of commuters daily and much of the $US500 billion ($700 billion) dollars of annual trade between Mexico and the United States.

"I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the US Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!" Trump wrote on Twitter.
Latest News New electric vehicle loans the talking point as lender celebrates first profit 183% growth at lender as they set their sights on specialist market segment

$530m funding deal to see Pallas Capital team up with Credit Suisse New trust to offer cheaper cost of funds for major commercial real estate deals

A mortgage broker has been honoured again for her contribution not only to the finance broking industry but the wider community.

Picking up the Managing Directors Award at the annual Finsure Group conference in New Zealand, the founder and principal of Astute Ability Finance Group, Mhairi MacLeod, said she was thrilled by the acknowledgement.

Finsure Group co-founder and managing director, John Kolenda, said he was delighted to acknowledge MacLeods positive efforts for the industry and the community, particularly the School Entrepreneurs Program, which she established in conjunction with the MFAA to improve the financial literary skills of Australian teenagers.

He said, Im thrilled we have been able to give this award to Mhairi who has not only been a highly successful business owner but has devoted so much of her time to the community through the School Entrepreneurs Program and being an advocate for corporate social responsibility.

Mhairi has also been a key member of the Women in Finsure committee and has been keenly promoting women in the broking industry. Mhairi is a wonderful example to the broking sector as someone who is not only a very successful business owner but is always available to help people.

MacLeod said she was pleased to have always received strong support from Finsure.

The honour follows MacLeod collecting the Community Champion Award at the 2018 Mortgage Broker and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) Excellence Awards earlier this year.

I am tremendously excited to receive the Finsure Managing Directors Award, she said.

Its also very encouraging that the achievements of the School Entrepreneurs Program continue to be acknowledged by the industry and its tremendous to receive the support we have from Finsure.

Thousands of young Australians have benefited from taking part in the program and acquiring knowledge and skills which will make them more self-sufficient and better prepared for adulthood.
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Saturday

Oct. 20

Bull-y pulpit

She has tamed the not-that-savage beasts! Brooklyn Heights photographer Sophie Gamand went to animal shelters around the country and took pictures of pit bulls  after making adorable flower crowns for the supposedly-vicious dogs. She launches her book collection Pit Bull Flower Power at an exhibit of the cute resulting photos.

47 pm at the Invisible Dog Art Center [51 Bergen St. between Smith Street and Boerum Place in Cobble Hill, (347) 5603641, www.thein visib ledog.org ]. Free.

Sunday

Oct. 21

She persists

Women raise cash for female political candidates at Persisticon II: The Rockening  and everyone gets a great show from comedians Janeane Garofalo, Kerri Coddett, Jo Firestone, Abbi Crutchfield, and many more, along with an appearance from Queens Assembly candidate Catalina Cruz, and music from DJ Tikka Masala. The event is also a release party for the book Women Who Rock: Bessie to Beyonce, Girl Groups to Riot Grrrl, by Evelyn McDonnell.

7 pm at Bell House [149 Seventh St. at Third Avenue in Gowanus, (718) 6436510, www.thebe llhou seny.com ]. $50$500.

Tuesday

Oct. 23

Space queen

The week before Halloween, learn how Hugo-winning author N.K. Jemisin invents monsters, aliens, and terrifying social conventions in her science-fiction novels. The Brooklyn author will discuss her work and read from her upcoming collection of short stories How Long til Black Future Month?

7 pm at Bric House [647 Fulton St. at Rockwell Place in Fort Greene, (718) 6835600, www.brica rtsme dia.org ]. Free with RSVP.

Wednesday

Oct. 24

A couple jokes

A Jewish lesbian and a Palestinian lesbian walk into a comedy club Is this a joke? No, its the El-Salomons, a married pair of stand-up comedians who also make adorable cartoons about their life together. Tonight, Eman El-Husseini and Jess Salomon will joke both together and separately about religion, politics, sex, and other proper dinner table topics.

8 pm at Union Hall [702 Union St. between Fifth and Sixth avenues in Park Slope, (718) 6384400, union halln y.com ]. $10.

Thursday

Oct. 25

Girl talk

After a week of work focused on women, it is time to look elsewhere with Pay No Attention to the Girl, Target Margins Theaters hit play about the war between the sexes, adapted from the book of One Thousand and One Nights. The show, about a prince and a concubine who have differing accounts of their affair, launches its three-week revival tonight with a gala benefit performance and party tonight.

7:30 pm at Doxsee Theater (232 52nd St. between Second and Third avenues in Sunset Park, www.targe tmarg in.org ). $125 ($200 VIP, future performances $30).
Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. received an offer to acquire the stake of AC Energy Holdings Inc. in the 552-megawatt Kauswagan coal project in Mindanao. Yes, it was offered to us, San Miguel president Ramon Ang told reporters at a recent business forum. He did not elaborate. San Miguel is one of the countrys biggest power generators. It has been expanding its power generation portfolio following its acquisition of the stakes of Electricity Generating Public Company Ltd., or Egco Group, and AES Corp. in Masinloc Power Partners Co. Ltd. for $2 billion last year. The sale included AES equity interest in the 630-megawatt Masinloc coal-fired power plant, the 335-MW Masinloc 2 coal-fired power plant under construction and the 10-MW Masinloc energy storage project in operation. Meanwhile, AC Energy owns an 85-percent economic stake in GNPower Kauswagan in partnership with the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure Fund and Power Partners. The construction of the plant is in full swing and is expected to be in commercial operation by 2019. The 552-MW plant will operate as a base load plant to support the power demand and economic development of Mindanao.The plant is a 4 x 138 MW pulverized coal combustion thermal plant with Shanghai boilers and Siemens turbines and generators. AC Energy originally wanted to sell up to 50 percent of its 1,300-MW coal platform but Aboitiz Power Corp. acquired just 500 MW of capacity. This means AC Energy can still sell up to 150 MW of coal capacity if it wants to achieve its original 50-percent coal thermal asset sale. AC Energy officials were unavailable for comment as of press time. Aboitiz Power earlier announced its acquisition of a 49-percent voting stake and 60-percent economic stake in AA Thermal Inc.., Ayala Groups thermal or coal asset platform in the country for $579.2 million (P31.4 billion). Aboitiz Power and Arlington Mariveles Netherlands Holding B.V., an affiliate of AC Energy, the power unit of Ayala Corp., signed a share purchase agreement on September 26 for the acquisition.
Imagine being able to say exactly where the cotton fibre for your garment has been cultivated, handspun and woven into fabric.

As people across the world wake up to the hidden costs  both ecological and environmental  of their mass-produced garments, Tula, a Chennai-based non-profit, has been working for the past five years with cotton farmers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra to change not only what they grow, but how they grow it. We ask farmers to sow only desi cotton without pesticides, inorganic fertiliser or even irrigation, says Anantha Sayanan ...
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Digital Editor
US giant has dragged to the Delhi High Court accusing the e-commerce firm of 'unauthorised' selling of its products on its platform, The Economic Times reported.

Amway, which sells nutrition and beauty products, has alleged that 'contradicted' Indias guidelines that mandate e-commerce to seek permission in advance from direct-selling such as before listing their products online, according to ET.

"This core concept of direct selling is reflected in the Direct Selling Guidelines issued by the Centre in 2016 which prohibits the sale of products of a direct selling company through e-commerce platforms, without the written consent of the direct selling company," an spokesperson told the paper.

In the direct selling model, there are no sales through traditional retail outlets  hire distributors who, in turn, sell products to consumers. Most times, errant distributors themselves supply unsold stocks to e-commerce sites and the firms are working to identify and penalise them.

Amway has also accused sellers on of tampering with the unique code imprinted on lids and silver foil seals to make it impossible to trace the source, the report said.

The direct-selling giant said it had sent notices to Flipkart asking it to bar such sellers from the platform, but the latter failed to do so. As a result, the company had to approach the Delhi High Court.

In 2014 too, Amway had issued notice to Flipkart, asking them to stop selling their products. Amway had said, "Our code of conduct explicitly states that unauthorised Internet selling violates agreements with Amway and our rules department regularly monitors this activity to prevent prohibited selling. We have taken legal action in the past when these rules are violated and will continue to do so to protect customers and individual entrepreneurs  Amway business owners (ABOs)."
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda on Friday asked the Philippine government to consider the inputs of the Japanese companies operating in the Philippines to the proposed Trabaho bill. We have already expressed our views. I hope that in the course of deliberation it will be duly considered (by the Philippine government), he said at at the sidelines of the 44th Philippine Business Conference held at the Manila Hotel. The Japanese embassy in the Philippines, he noted, took the same position as that of the Japanese companies operating in the Philippines through the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. Japan Embassy Minister for Economic Affairs Makoto Iyori said the embassy was supportive of the position of the Japanese companies in the Philippines. We want to have a more comfortable environment for the companies in the Philippines here. We dont want to unilaterally say this is the system. But we want the Philippine government to listen to the Japanese companies operating here, he said.Japanese chamber vice president Nobuo Fujii said Japanese companies were worried about the second tranche of the TRAIN Law, known as the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities, or the Trabaho bill. Most of our manufacturing companies will not enjoy the privileges they were promised because of the threat of incentives being diluted in the Trabaho bill. There is a shared consensus among Japanese companies not to pull out (from the Philippines) but they will not expand also, he said. Japanese companies, in a position paper submitted by the chamber to lawmakers, in March 2018, sought a longer transition period of 10 to 15 years for the full implementation of the bill.
Amazon wont say a word about where it plans to put its much-hyped second headquarters. Officials in the 20 cities and regions named as finalists say that they dont know anything  and that even if they did, they wouldnt share it publicly. But that hasnt stopped investors, economic officials and developers from trying to reverse engineer the HQ2 search, to understand what a company seen as embodying the future wants and needs, and what local governments should do to be part of that future. The growing consensus is that the place that checks the ...
A suspected pro-Khalistan group member, who was involved in a plot allegedly to kill former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, was arrested in Shamli district, police said Friday.

The accused, Karam Singh, was arrested Thursday, Circle Officer Rajesh Kumar Tiwari said.

Meanwhile, Jarman Singh, who was arrested Thursday in Rajasthan Bikaner's district, in connection with the case would be brought here and sent to police remand, the CO said.

He is the leader of a pro-Khalistani module that had allegedly attacked police personnel and looted their rifles on October 2 in Shamli district.

Three other accused in the case were sent to 10-days remand by the court, the police officer said.

The three men were arrested in connection with the October 2 incident.

They had revealed that they were linked to militant group Khalistan Liberation Front and had planned to attack Badal during his political rallies.
In fresh trouble for embattled state-run carrier Air India, the (ED) has registered multiple criminal cases to probe allegations of irregularities and money laundering in at least four deals signed during the UPA rule including the controversial merger of and

The agency has filed at least four Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs), the ED equivalent of a police FIR, officials told PTI Friday.

The ECIRs have been registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The ED, they said, has obtained relevant documents from the airlines and other departments in connection with the cases that have been termed "politically sensitive".

The officials said the agency will probe a specific angle to ascertain if the alleged irregularities led to the generation of black money and if it was laundered to create illegal assets by the accused.

These ED cases are based on four CBI FIRs.

Two cases are related to the controversial merger of and and alleged irregularities in purchase and leasing of aircraft by the two state-run carriers under the UPA government which caused "huge" losses to the exchequer, according to the CBI.

The other two cases relate to surrender of profitable routes and timings of to favour and international private players which allegedly caused a "huge" loss to the state-run carrier and alleged wrongdoing in the purchase of software for the airline.

It is expected that the ED will soon issue summons to a few officials and others involved, asking them to appear before it.

The CBI had registered cases against unidentified officials of Air India, Ministry of Civil Aviation and others on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption.

While registering the cases, the CBI had last year said that these instances "relate to decisions taken by the the ministry during the UPA tenure which caused losses of tens of thousands of crore of rupees to the exchequer."



The allegations relate to purchase of 111 aircraft, costing about Rs 700 billion, for airlines to benefit foreign aircraft manufacturers.

"Such a purchase caused an alleged financial loss to the already stressed carriers," the CBI had alleged.

The CAG had in 2011 questioned the rationale behind the government's decision to order 111 airplanes -- 48 from Airbus and 68 from Boeing -- for AI and for about Rs 700 billion in 2006.

Calling the decision a "recipe for disaster", the government auditor had said it should have raised "alarm" in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Public Investment Board and the Planning Commission.

The other case pertains to leasing of a large number of aircraft without due consideration, proper route study and marketing or price strategy, the CBI had said.

"It was also alleged that the aircraft were leased even while aircraft acquisition programme was going on," it said.

Another case involves allegations of surrender of profitable routes and timings of Air India to favour national and international private players which allegedly caused a "huge" loss to the state-run carrier.

The last CBI case was filed against unknown officials of Air India, German firm SAP AG and global computer major IBM in connection with alleged irregularities in procurement of software worth Rs 2.25 billion by the national carrier in 2011.

This case was filed by the CBI on the recommendation of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) which found prima facie procedural irregularities took place in the procurement of the software.
As a woman and a man climbed a steep trail on Thursday leading to one of Hinduisms holiest temples, a mob multiplied with frightening speed. From a point farther up the path, several hundred men screamed at the woman, insisting that she immediately turn back from visiting the Sabarimala Temple, a centuries-old shrine in southern India. When the pair of visitors, both journalists for The New York Times, decided to descend, the crowd rushed at them, hurled rocks and pummeled two dozen police officers. Madam, you dont be afraid, O.K.? Habeeb Ullah, one ...
Prime Minister will Friday hand over keys of houses to some beneficiaries of the (PMAY) and interact with them in Maharashtra's popular temple town of Shirdi, an official said.

Modi will be present at the 'e-griha pravesh' ceremony for 40,000 beneficiaries of the affordable housing scheme of the government, the official added.

The prime minister will also participate in functions to mark the conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Samadhi centenary programme organised by the Sai temple trust.

According to the official, Modi is also expected to perform ground breaking ceremony for some projects of the trust, including the new "darshan" queue shelter to be constructed in the Sai temple.

was in Shirdi earlier this month to inaugurate the centenary programme.
Home Minister on Friday celebrated with and performed 'shastra puja' in this forward post along the highly sensitive Indo-Pak border, officials said.

This was for the first time that a senior Union minister conducted the 'shastra puja' or worship of weapons on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami along India's border with Pakistan.

The home minister, who arrived at the frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) here last evening, celebrated festival with the jawans, an official said.

'Shastra puja' is part of the festival which is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Ram over demon king Ravana.

Addressing the BSF personnel, the home minister praised the multi-dimensional role of the BSF in guarding the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders, maintaining law and order in internal disturbances and tackling the Left Wing Extremism.

Referring to the regular firing from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said Pakistan, despite being a neighbour, never exercised good neighbourly behaviour and instead sponsoring terrorism.

The home minister said that recently launched 'smart fence' pilot project, which entails deploying laser-activated fences and technology-enabled barriers to plug vulnerable gaps along borders, will help the border guarding forces in maintaining peace in forwarding areas.

Union Home Minister inspects the firearms during his visit to a BSF camp, in Bikaner, Rajasthan and BSF Director General Rajni Kant Mishra is also seen | Photo: PTI

The project was launched along Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir while it will be implemented along the Indo-Bangla border in Dhubri, Assam, next month, Singh said.

During the two-day visit, the home minister interacted with the family members of the BSF personnel and attended a feast with the jawans, another official said.

Singh also visited the family of a BSF jawan, who is currently posted in Jammu and Kashmir, and enquired about their wellbeing.

Later, the home minister reviewed the situation on the border and assessed the progress in various infrastructure projects.

The 3,323-km-long Indo-Pak border is considered to be highly sensitive.

Even though the border in Rajasthan is peaceful, the border guarding forces of the two countries often engaged in massive firing in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to loss of human lives and properties.

Last year, the home minister had celebrated Dussehra at Joshimath in Uttarakhand along the Sino-Indian border.
A UK High Enforcement Officer is set to sell a fleet of Vijay Mallya's cars in the UK as part of efforts to recover loan repayment dues owed by the beleaguered liquor baron to a consortium of 13 Indian banks, the banks' legal representative confirmed on Friday.

TLT LLP, the firm which had won a landmark case in May when a UK High Court judge ruled in favour of the Indian banks and concluded they were entitled to recover funds amounting to nearly 1.145 billion pounds, said the sale of six cars owned by the 62-year-old former boss and related concerns will take place following a UK High Court enforcement order last week.

The cars listed in the order include a range of luxury vehicles, some with personalised registration numbers a 2016 Mini Countryman (AD16 1YX); a 2012 Maybach 62 (VJM1); a 2006 F430 Spider (B055 VJM); a 2014 Autobiography Supercharged (F1 VJM); a F512M (M811 VGR); and a Cayenne (OO07 VJM).

"We can confirm that the High Court Enforcement Officer has acted on the banks' instructions in seizing and selling these cars. The cars are expected to be sold shortly," said Paul Gair, partner at firm TLT, who is leading the case on behalf of the Indian banks. ALSO READ: Vijay Mallya fights UBS bid to foreclose $26.6-million London house loan



"This is one part of the banks' ongoing enforcement of their judgment against Dr Mallya," he said.

In an enforcement order dated October 11, Justice Sara Cockerill had granted an order for a High Court Enforcement Officer to sell the six cars "by private treaty at a price not less than 404,000 pounds plus VAT".

A further cost of making the application, assessed at 1906.10 pounds, was also added to the overall debt amount.

The latest enforcement order follows a previous order by Justice Bryan on June 26, granting permission to the UK High Court Enforcement Officer to enter Mallya's properties in Hertfordshire, near London. It permits the officer and his agents entry to Ladywalk and Bramble Lodge in Tewin, Welwyn, where Mallya is currently based.



However, the order is not an instruction to enter, which means the banks have the option to use the order as one of the means to recover estimated funds owed to them in relation to money lent to Mallya's now-defunct

The litigation in the Queen's Bench Division of the commercial court in England's High Court of Justice involves the State of India, of Baroda, Corporation bank, Federal Ltd, IDBI Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Jammu & Kashmir Bank, & Sind Bank, Bank, State Bank of Mysore, UCO Bank, United Bank of and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co. Pvt Ltd as the applicants.

Mallya and related concerns Ladywalk LLP, Rose Capital Ventures Ltd and Orange Holdings are listed as respondents.

TLT had acted for the Indian banks in successfully defeating two applications earlier this year first, an application to set aside the first recorded case of a judgment of the (DRT) in being registered by the English High Court, and the second, to discharge an associated worldwide freezing order.

The worldwide freezing order prevents Mallya from removing any assets from England and Wales up to that value or to in any way dispose of, deal with or diminish the value of his assets in or outside of this jurisdiction, up to the same value.

Mallya, separately fighting his extradition to India on fraud and charges amounting to nearly Rs 90 billion, is set to find out if he can be forced back to face Indian courts on December 10, when Westminster Magistrates' Court in London is set to rule in his extradition case.

His defence team has deposed a series of expert witnesses to claim he had no "fraudulent" intentions and that he is unlikely to get a fair trial in India.
on Friday held a series of bilateral meetings with her counterparts from ASEAN nations and US Defence Secretary on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meet here.

Defence Ministers from ASEAN countries and that of Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US have gathered here for the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the 5th ADMM-Plus, which is being hosted by

The ADMM and ADMM-Plus serves as key Ministerial-level platforms in the regional security architecture, promoting strategic dialogue and practical cooperation between ASEAN and its partners.

"Smt @nsitharaman in a bilateral meeting with #SecDef James Mattis, Secretary of Defense on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meet (Plus) in Singapore," the tweeted.

Sitharaman also met her Malaysian counterpart Mohamad bin Sabu, Australian Christopher Pyne, Philippines' Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana and Vietnam Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich during her fast-paced day-long meetings.

She will also hold a bilateral meeting with her Singapore



counterpart Dr Ng Eng Hen.

According to sources, and will extend their already comprehensive bilateral defence collaboration.

A new agreement is likely to be signed for the Army-to- collaboration as well as bilateral hosting of logistics and furthering supports for exchange visits by of naval vessels of the two countries, the sources said.

Both the countries conduct regular exercises involving the armed forces, navies and air forces.

and will also be celebrating 25 years of SINBEX, an annual exercise with a two-week naval exercise programme in the Bay of Bengal in the coming weeks.

Sitharaman arrived here Thursday and will return home on Sunday.
The discoloration of his face was brought by a trip to Jordan and the side effects of using a whitening cream, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday. In his speech during the 44th Philippine Business Conference and Expo, Duterte said that the darkening of his skin was a result of sunburn from prolonged exposure to the heat during his trip to Jordan and from a series of visits to military camps in the country. When I went to Jordan my skin was already burnt. I go to military camps every week. I go to the farthest camps in the field, he said, adding the condition of his skin got worse after he applied a whitening cream used by his common-law wife Honeylet Avancena.I used the cream which my wife uses. She said there are 1,2,3,4 steps Its my first time to see a medicine thats like a rocket; it has a booster. It worked well on my wife, but when I tried it, my skin got darker, he added. The President said that he had consulted a skin specialist about the discoloration, who recommended to only use specific skin care products suitable for his skin type.
Former chief minister of Chhattisgarh and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (JCC) chief will not contest the upcoming state assembly elections. He will instead campaign for the alliance parties.

On September 20, JCC alliance partner Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati at a press conference nominated Jogi as the chief ministerial candidate. Around eight months back, Jogi too had reportedly said that he would contest from the Rajanandgaon seat against incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh.

However, Jogi's son Amit on Friday told media, "Janta Congress Chhattisgarh chief won't contest assembly elections. Being a star campaigner of the coalition between Janta Congress Chhattisgarh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), he has 90 constituencies to campaign. There is no time for him."

The JCC on Sunday announced an alliance with the CPI in order to strengthen their foothold in the Naxal-hit Bastar region. On September 20, Mayawati also announced alliance with JCC.

While addressing a public rally in Bilaspur on Saturday, Mayawati said, "In the ensuing Chhattisgarh assembly elections, we will make all efforts so that the alliance with Ajit Jogi-led Janta Congress Chhattisgarh comes to power with full majority. After we win, our government will work especially for Dalits, tribals, backward classes, religious minorities, farmers, labourers and the poor."

The state will go to polls in two phases, November 12 and 20 respectively. Counting of votes will be done on December 11.
Actor has dismissed as "motivated and malicious" the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by actor in his reply to the Cine and TV Artists' Association (CINTAA).

Patekar claimed that Dutta had not made any accusations against him in 2008, when the alleged incident took place.

Patekar, through his lawyer Aniket Nikam, sent his reply earlier this week after CINTAA issued a notice to him upon a complaint filed by Dutta.

Dutta has alleged that Patekar misbehaved with her during the shooting of a song for the film "Horn Ok Pleaseee" in 2008.

Also, when she refused to shoot for the song, Patekar and the film's producer summoned goons to the set who threatened her and damaged her car, she alleged.

"My client (Patekar) denies in toto (completely) the baseless and unsubstantiated allegations, insinuation levelled by Dutta," the reply said.

Patekar has been subjected to mental harassment due to the "motivated and malicious" vilification campaign, it said.

"Neither he (Patekar) outraged much less misbehaved with Dutta during the shooting of the said song nor did he interfere with anyone during the shooting," the reply said.

Patekar is a senior actor who has not only won several national awards but is also known for his philanthropic work, the reply pointed out.

"The false allegations have immensely affected his reputation beyond repair and your organisation (CINTAA) should not entertain such groundless accusations particularly when such allegations are levelled after almost a decade," it said.

In 2008, Dutta had only said that she had asked choreographer Ganesh Acharya to change some steps which he did not agree to, but she did not make any allegation against Patekar then, the reply claimed.

Patekar was in the process of taking "appropriate legal measures against Dutta for defaming him", it added.

Dutta had filed a complaint with CINTAA after the alleged incident in 2008, but no action was taken.

She spoke up about the incident recently as the MeToo campaign caught on in the country.

She then lodged a criminal case against Patekar and others and sent a fresh letter to CINTAA, which issued a notice to Patekar.

Suburban Oshiwara police in Mumbai last week registered a case under IPC section 354 (outraging modesty of a woman by applying criminal force) against Patekar and others.
The limit has been raised from 10 per cent and is effective up till December 31, the Reserve Bank of India said in a notification. Government securities held by them up to an amount equal to their incremental outstanding credit to NBFCs and HFCs, over and above the amount of credit to NBFCs and HFCs outstanding on their books as on October 19, 2018, as ...

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One of the most devastating Taliban assassination strikes of the long Afghan war on Thursday killed a regional police chief with a larger-than-life reputation as one of the last stalwarts against the militants. The top American commander in Afghanistan narrowly escaped injury. The assassination, just two days before national elections already undermined by violence, took place inside the provincial governors compound in Kandahar City. In what appeared to be an insider attack, at least one gunman killed the police chief, as well as the provincial intelligence chief. The ...
Secretary Francisco T. Duque III

Secretary Francisco T. Duque III has condemned the attack on a contingent led by Food and Drug Administration Director General Nela Charade Puno which resulted to the death of their three policemen-escorts after being waylaid by suspected communist rebels in Camarines Norte last Thursday morning. Puno and her team were on their way to Daet after the provincial capital passed an ordinance requiring establishments to secure FDA clearance prior to acquiring a business license.I condemn in no uncertain terms the attack on FDA Director General Nela Charade Puno and her team in Camarines Sur today, Duque said. Duque said the DOH leadership is currently coordinating with the authorities for a full investigation. According to police reports, the team led by Puno were fired at by unidentified armed men in Lupi, Camarines Sur. Three police escorts were reportedly killed while three others were wounded. Puno and her team were unharmed and were later brought to a secure location. Investigations are currently under way.The safety of DG Puno and FDA employees is our top priority at the moment. They have the full backing of the department, Duque said. Police identified the slain policemen as SPO1 Percival Rafael, PO3 Carlito Navarroza and PO1 Ralph Jason Vida. The wounded were PO1 Jonathan Perillo, PO1 Ruby Buena and PO1 Rodolfo Gonzaga. Chief Supt. Arnel Escobal, Bicol police director, said it was possible that the gunmen were targeting the policemen and not Puno. From the airport in Pili town, Camarines Sur, the group was heading to Daet town in nearby Camarines Norte province, when about 20 armed men fired at them at Barangay Napolidan in Lupi at past 9 am.
British academics in a new report have warned against racial and ethnic inequalities in the teaching and practice of history in the country.

The report by the UK's Royal Historical Society draws attention to the under-representation of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) students and staff in university history programmes and substantial levels of race-based bias and discrimination experienced by BME historians in UK universities.

"History is a popular subject in UK schools, but evidence suggests BME pupils are less likely than their peers to choose history in examinations and university applications," the 'Race, Ethnicity and Equality' report notes.

"History student cohorts are less diverse than most other university subjects, with only 11 per cent of history students coming from BME backgrounds, compared to nearly a quarter of all university students," it said.

The report, a component of the scholarly society's 150th anniversary programme, draws on a year of research and a survey of over 700 university-based historians.

It offers advice and guidance for academic historians on taking positive action to address and diminish barriers to equality in the discipline.

"An Indian PhD student commented that there is a 'dearth of research funding to support projects run by BME historians' with many noting that was especially true for those who do research on non-British subjects due to greater travel costs," according to one of the report's findings.

"There was the suggestion to introduce travel and research grants aimed at BME students, more grants for research in black and global history and national/institutional PhD scholarships for BME students," it said.

The research also took note that some Indian scholars had found that academics sitting on interview boards and recruiting committees often hesitated to offer a permanent position to BME academics.

"Some respondents felt that hiring committees were affected by 'unconscious/implicit bias'," the report found.

The Royal Historical Society called for urgent attention by universities and history departments to combat experiences of exclusion, bias and discrimination among ethnic minority students and academics in Britain's academic institutions.

Its report concludes with tailored advice and guidance for heads of department, teaching staff, research supervisors, journal editors and conference organisers to ensure racial and ethnic inequalities do not detract from the quality, practice and experience of history in the country.


The United States is requesting that a World Trade Organization dispute resolution panel get involved in a clash over international retaliation over US tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to a US official familiar with the matter. The requests, filed on Thursday, cover tariffs by China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico, which followed the United States imposing a 25 per cent duty on steel imports and a 10 per cent tariff on aluminium imports, which it justified on national security grounds. Canada, Mexico and China had also planned to ask for a WTO panel examining ...
Four prominent human rights and press freedom groups on Thursday urged to request a investigation into the possible murder of Saudi dissident journalist to prevent a "whitewash" of the alleged crime.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, and Reporters Without Borders said such a probe established by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would shed light on the fate of the prominent journalist.

Khashoggi, a legal resident of the who wrote for The Washington Post, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Media reports citing Turkish officials have said Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents within minutes of entering the consulate and that his body was dismembered.

" should enlist the UN to initiate a timely, credible, and transparent investigation," said Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

"UN involvement is the best guarantee against a Saudi whitewash or attempts by other governments to sweep the issue under the carpet to preserve lucrative business ties with Riyadh." has denied any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance, while President Donald Trump has suggested that "rogue killers" may have carried out the alleged crime.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington that had "a few more days" to wrap up its own investigation and that the would decide on a response afterwards.

The Khashoggi affair has triggered a backlash against amid reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing.

Asked about the appeal from the rights groups, a Turkish diplomat told AFP that there was "no need" for a UN investigation for the time being.

"There's no need for the moment to go to the UN," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.

"The Turkish police and the Turkish prosecutor are doing everything and collecting the evidence to find out what happened and how it happened," he said.

"We don't see it as something that we need because they don't have the expertise. What can the UN do?"



At a news conference held at the United Nations, the rights groups said evidence collected by a UN investigation team could be preserved for use in prosecutions.

The team should have access to all potential witnesses or suspects and recommend avenues for bringing to justice anyone against whom credible evidence is found.

"Partial explanations and one-sided investigations by Saudi Arabia, which is suspected of involvement, aren't good enough, said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch.

"Only the UN has the credibility and independence required to expose the masterminds behind Khashoggi's enforced disappearance and to hold them to account." Guterres at the weekend said in a BBC interview that the world should know "the truth" about Khashoggi's disappearance, and expressed fear that such incidents were becoming a "new normal." said Saudi Arabia has the most to gain from an impartial UN investigation.

"Without a credible UN inquiry, there will always be a cloud of suspicion hanging over Saudi Arabia, no matter what its leadership says to explain away how Khashoggi vanished," said Sherine Tadros, head the New York office of

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described the suspected murder of Khashoggi as "one of the most shocking and extreme cases in recent years.
Pakistan's new government will renegotiate agreements for two liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals, the country's petroleum minister said on Thursday, part of a wider investigation into deals struck by the previous government. Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the government of ousted premier Nawaz Sharif agreed to pay too much to Pakistan's Engro Corp Ltd for at least one of the terminals. "The decision is that this will be renegotiated with the parties," Khan told reporters on Thursday. Engro did not address the prospect of ...
Goldman Sachs Group Inc will not send any of its executives to a Saudi investment conference next week, Chief Executive Officer David Solomon said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday. A number of top bankers and business leaders, including JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, have decided not to attend the high-profile event in Riyadh amid mounting international pressure on Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday abandoned plans to attend. Solomon said he had not planned to attend and the bank was not ...
President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to deploy the military and close the southern U.S. border if Mexico does not halt a caravan of Central America migrants heading north, raising the risk of huge disruptions to trade. Stretching almost 2,000 miles (3,200 km), the US-Mexican border is one of the busiest in the world, processing thousands of commuters daily and much of the half a trillion dollars of annual trade between Mexico and the United States. "I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up ...
The Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program has increased the reward from $5 million to up to $10 million for information leading to the identification, location, arrest, and/or conviction of who is the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The department is further offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the identification or location of Khalid Saeed al-Batarfi, a senior regional leader of the AQAP.

was named the leader of the AQAP in 2015 and has called for renewed attacks against the USA.

The Department of State designated al-Rimi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224 in May 2010, while he had already been listed by Saudi Arabia as a most wanted terrorist suspect on February 3, 2009. He has also been added to the United Nations (UN) 1267 Sanctions Committee's Consolidated List of individuals associated with Al Qaeda/ISIL in May 2010.

Al-Rimi has been charged in numerous terror incidents, including being convicted in Yemen of plotting to assassinate the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen in 2005. He escaped from a Yemeni prison in 2006, after which al-Rimi has been linked to the September 2008 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Sana'a that left 20 dead, and the December 2009 attempted suicide bombing by "underwear bomber" Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab aboard a U.S.-bound airliner.

The "emir" of AQAP has also praised Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people in the June 2016 mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. He has also instigated 'supporters' living in Western countries to conduct "easy and simple" attacks in a video that was released in May 2017.



Khalid al-Batarfi, on the other hand, is a senior member of AQAP in Yemen's Hadramaut Governorate and a former member of AQAP's shura council.

Born in Saudi Arabia, he fought alongside the Taliban against U.S. forces and the Northern Alliance in 2001. In 2010, al-Batarfi joined AQAP in Yemen, led AQAP fighters in taking over Yemen's Abyan Province, and was named AQAP's emir of Abyan.

He issued a statement warning that the al-Qaeda would destroy the economy and attack other US interests after a US attack killed a senior leader of AQAP. After the US announced that it would recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, al-Batarfi appeared in an AQAP video in January 2018 threatening the US and Jews.

On January 23, 2018, the US Department of State designated al-Batarfi as an SDGT under E.O. 13224.
Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus on Friday slammed the Armed Forces of the Philippiness overstretched Red October charade while asserting the release of womens rights defender Hedda Calderon. We in Gabriela Womens Party strongly demand the immediate release of Hedda Calderon, who is our regular consultant at the House of Representatives, following the courts issuance of a release order and with the flimsy, fabricated charges flunking the test of reason and truth, she said. She said it was clear the AFP was just grasping at straws over accusation that Calderon was part of the Red October plot to overthrow President Rodrigo Duterte. It is ridiculous for the AFP to claim that the arrest of Calderon and four others broke a crucial chain in the concocted ouster tale when they already claimed days before the arrest that such imaginary plot already fizzled out, she added. She alleged the military and the police were actually the plotters of the Red October plan when they planted grenades and firearms on Calderon and others to suit their preposterous storyline.The macho-fascists should stop overstretching this Red October charade to justify the illegal arrest of Calderon and their abuse of power against legal activists, De Jesus noted. National Democratic Front of the Philippine consultant Adelberto Silva, 70, along with Calderon, 63, Ediecel Legaspi, 60, Ireneo Atadeo, 55, and their driver Julio Lusana, 53, were arrested on Oct. 15 and brought to the Philippine National Polices Criminal Investigation and Detection Group headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City. No amount of terrorist tagging can besmirch the record of Calderon in selflessly defending the rights and welfare of women and the people. She is a long-time womens rights activist who has fiercely stood against misogyny and fascism, and remains a staunch supporter of the fight for justice by Filipino comfort women who were victimized by Japanese forces during the Second World War, De Jesus said. Gabriela vowed to continue the fight for the dismissal of the criminal raps against Calderon and other human rights defenders.
What are the chances of US President Donald Trump being removed from office if the Democrats do retake the House of Representatives in the upcoming midterm elections, or at least make significant gains? These days, you can bet on anything in politics, including which White House Cabinet member might be next to leave and how many Saudi Arabia tweets Trump will send this week. In politics, as in everything else, one should follow the money.

If the betting markets give good odds, surely that means it is likely to happen, right? Not quite. Suppose a fictitious horse, Tempestuous ...
The wife of fallen former Interpol chief has expressed fears for his life and her own safety, lashing out at what she called the "cruel" and "dirty" Chinese government that arrested him in mysterious circumstances.

The comments by Grace Meng in a interview represent a rare and extraordinarily blunt level of criticism of China's government by the victims of Beijing's tough crackdown on corruption, in which cases are typically wrapped up in secrecy and with only the official version of events coming to light.

"I think it is political persecution. I'm not sure he's alive," Grace Meng said in the interview conducted in France, where Meng was based at Interpol's headquarters.

Meng Hongwei, also a Chinese vice public security minister, went missing on a trip to China last month. He subsequently resigned as head of the police organisation on October 7 after Chinese authorities announced he was under investigation.

China has since said he is suspected of accepting bribes.

"I tell (my children) daddy is on a long business trip," the sobbing Grace Meng said, appearing in the interview only in silhouette to hide her appearance.



Complaining that there is "no limit" to China's power to act against opponents, she claimed to have received threatening phone calls suggesting she was being "targeted" in France.

"They are cruel. They are dirty," she said.

"I must stand up and I don't want any other wives and children like me." The body investigating Meng, the National Supervisory Commission, can hold suspects for as long as six months without providing access to legal counsel.

Xi's anti-graft campaign has punished more than one million officials, and has wide support from citizens fed up with endemic corruption. But some analysts say it also enables the Chinese president to eliminate rivals.

One of the most powerful officials to fall was former security ministry chief Zhou Yongkang, who promoted Meng more than a decade ago and was sentenced to life in prison in 2015.

The relatives of fallen officials are typically silenced, and Grace Meng's outspoken advocacy on behalf of her husband is unprecedented and no doubt seen as an embarrassment by Beijing.

China has pushed to have high-level representation in bodies.

Meng's Interpol appointment was seen as a major success in that drive, but political experts say his downfall is now likely to set back that effort.
Prime Minister will attend a high-profile investment conference in next week, Pakistan Foreign Office announced Friday, amid a string of cancellations from top global business leaders over the mysterious disappearance of dissident journalist Jamal



The Foreign Office said Prime Minister Khan will visit Riyadh on October 23 on the special invitation of Saudi King Salman to participate in the three-day 'Future Investment Initiative' conference touted as 'Davos in the desert'. "Prime Minister Imran Khan's participation on the first day of the conference is aimed at projecting Pakistan's economic and investment potential and the Prime Minister's vision of the country in the five years to come," it said.



The Prime Minister's participation in the conference signifies our solidarity with the Kingdom in its efforts to become emerging hub of business and investment, the statement said. The announcement comes a day after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he had decided against attending the conference.

"Just met with Donald Trump and Secretary Pompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia," he tweeted. Mnuchin joined a long list of top US and global leaders, corporate executives and Monetary Fund and World Bank officials in opting out of the conference following the disappearance of 60-year-old that has sparked global outrage.



Saudi Journalist Khashoggi, a well-known critic of the Saudi Crown Prince has not been seen since October 2 when he entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul.

He is feared to have been killed inside the mission. Britain's Trade Minister Liam Fox, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra have also pulled out of the conference. The conference is part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan to transform the oil-dependent economy.



JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and the heads of America's top investment firms Blackrock and Blackstone are among the leading figures who have decided to stay away. Top executives at Ford, MasterCard (MA) and Google have also pulled out, besides the CEOs of Europe's top banks HSBC, Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered.

The conference aims to host leading businesspersons, investors, corporate giants, representatives of hi-tech industry and major media outlets at one platform. Prime Minister Khan will also call on King Salman and meet the Crown Prince Muhammad and discuss matters of mutual interest, the Foreign Office said. Khan, who assumed office in August, last toured on September 18 and met King Salman. The conference is now an annual feature in The first conference was held last year, with the participation of 3,800 people from 90 countries.
Neha Sharma is the kind of freewheeling conversationalist whose company you initially dread  simply for the fear of being told too much, too fast  but eventually start to enjoy. She is direct and unrestrained with her words, a volubility that also reflects in her work.

In the online world, Sharma is Neha Doodles, a maverick artist who has doodled her way to almost 85,000 followers on Instagram and a whole lot of success. How does one take something as simple as doodling and turn it into a path to huge popularity, so much so that brands queue up at your ...
October is the month when London and Paris go head-to-head, vying with each other to attract collectors to their prestigious contemporary art fairs. In recent years, London has had the edge, at least in terms of hype. The Frieze and Frieze Masters fairs have generated far more noise than Pariss rival, the Foire Internationale dArt Contemporain, or FIAC. In addition, the French capital suffered as a visitor destination following the 2015 terror attacks. With a two-week gap between Frieze and FIAC, most art collectors travelling long distances have to choose between one ...
Leading bourse Friday said it has signed a pact with Alex Stewart (International) Corporation, a global player in precious metals inspection and analysis, to help develop the existing physical settlement framework in the Indian commodities derivativesmarket.

The pact will also help in facilitating the introduction of high-quality standards for delivery of bullion bars through the exchange platform, the (NSE) said in a statement.

"The alliance is more strategic in nature to deepen the existing delivery framework to bring in more participants into the exchange eco-system. will view this partnership as one of the key harbingers for the transformation it intends to bring to the development of the commodities market in India," Chief Development Officer Ravi Varanasi said.

"We now look forward to working closely together in future and we are determined to make this partnership a sustainable and mutually successful venture, Graham Stewart, chief executive of Alex Stewart International said.
Two more terrorists were gunned down when they tried to attack the police in the Kralhaar area of Baramulla district in north Kashmir on Friday.

The police recovered two AK-47 rifles with Under Barrel Grenade Launcher, three grenades, two Chinese pistols and other weapons from their possession.

The terrorists opened fire at the police when the SUV they were travelling in was asked to stop at the check post. "We noticed some suspicious activities and asked them to stop the vehicle at the check post. We were attacked when we began to question them. The first terrorist was killed instantly, while the second one tried to run away. He, too, was gunned down," Director General of Police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir Dilbagh Singh told ANI.

Earlier today, three terrorists were gunned down in an encounter with the security forces in the Boniyar town in the district. Four AK-47 rifles and four haversacks were also recovered from the slain terrorists.

The terrorist attacks in the state have been on a surge lately. Earlier today, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the government is making all efforts to ensure peace in the Valley. He added that the maximum possible funds have been allocated for the development of Kashmir. He was speaking to reporters after the 'Shastra Puja' at the Border Security Force's Sector Headquarters in Bikaner.

"We want that peace to be maintained in Kashmir and we are making a lot of efforts towards that. We have allocated maximum possible funds for the development of Kashmir. As far as terrorism is concerned, all terrorists coming there are from Pakistan", Singh said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court has been asked to compel the national government to promulgate rules on vessel monitoring measures covering commercial fishing vessels with gross tonnage of 3.1 to 30. In a petition, the local unit of international ocean conservation group Oceana urged the SC to issue a writ of continuing mandamus to the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Oceana Philippines, together with municipal fisherfolk Arnulfo Febria, Edgardo Leongson, and Bernardo Rondon Jr. appealed to SC justices to issue a temporary environmental protection order stopping the DA-BFAR from issuing new licenses or renewal of commercial fishing vessels weighing 3.1 to 30 gross tons while their petition is pending resolution. The petitioners argued that the Fisheries Administrative Order that the DA-BFAR signed last Oct. 5 does not meet the requirement of the Fisheries Code on the promulgation of rules governing the monitoring of commercial fishing vessels. It only covers vessels targeting highly migratory and straddling fish stocks. It excludes from its coverage commercial fishing vessels that weight 3.1 to less than 30 gross tons and commonly found illegally encroaching on municipal waters, Oceana said in a statement. This regulation only sows confusion as it narrows down the type of vessels covered by the vessel monitoring requirement, the group lamented. Citing Republic Act No. 10654, the petitioners said that all commercial fishing vessels are covered by the monitoring requirement and that it is illegal for any catcher vessel to operate without the measures the DA-BFAR is required to make.Illegal commercial fishing within municipal waters continues to compete unfairly and illegally with our artisanal fisherfolks and compounds the overfishing, Oceana said. According to the petitioners, the DA-BFARs alleged failure to comply with the law has adversely affected the countrys marine resources, fisheries, and the livelihood of artisanal fisherfolk. Named respondents in the petition were Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol and BFAR national director Eduardo Gongona. Today marks a big milestone in our collective efforts to help implement the ban on commercial fishing in our municipal waters including marine protected areas, Oceana said. Encroachment by commercial fishers in municipal waters has been going on since forever, despite being declared illegal under our law, contributing significantly to overfishing in 2/3 of our principal fishing grounds, the petitioners pointed out.
Indian Railways have issued helpline numbers after the Amritsar Dussehra tragedy.

A speeding train mowed down at least 50 people, who were standing on railway tracks to watch the effigy of Ravana going up in flames in Amritsar's Choura Bazar area.

Helpline telephone numbers are

- 0183-2223171

- 0183-2564485

Manawala station

- Railways - 73325

- BSNL - 0183-2440024

Power Cabin Amritsar

- Railways - 72820

- BSNL - 0183-2402927

Authorities have urged people to come forward and donate blood for the injured at the Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Hospital in Amritsar.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has urged emergency services to stay functional.

Singh tweeted, "Shocked to hear of tragic rail accident in Amritsar. Have asked all government and private hospitals to stay open to help in this hour of grief. District authorities have been directed to take up relief and rescue operations on a war footing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has condemned the tragic train accident in Punjab's Amritsar during Dussehra celebrations, where 60 people have lost their lives while 51 others have sustained injuries.

SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal took to Twitter to question why local organisers and the Punjab police allowed celebrations to be held near the railway track, risking the lives of visitors.

"Extremely sad to hear the unfortunate death of innocent devotees watching Dussehra at Joda Gate in Amritsar by a speeding train. Local organisers and police must answer how the celebrations were allowed to be held near the railway track," the SAD chief tweeted.

Expressing grief over the unfortunate incident, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries and SAD leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the incident needs to be probed as it casts serious questions on the administration.

"There are not enough words to mourn the Amritsar train tragedy that claims so many innocent lives. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. The incident needs to be probed as it casts serious question on administration. #AmritsarTrainTragedy|" she tweeted.

Chief Ministers from Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala also expressed grief over the incident.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who tweeted in Hindi said, "Sad to hear about the heart-wrenching incident took place during the Vijayadashami celebrations in Amritsar. Those who lost their lives, may their soul rest in peace. Those injured hope they get well soon."

"Very very sad to learn about the unfortunate rail incident in Amritsar during Dussehra festivities. I have no words to describe my shock and agony. My heart goes out to the family members of the victims. Pray that the injured persons recover very quickly," read a tweet from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister Office of Kerala tweeted, "CM Pinarayi Vijayan expressed grief over the tragedy in #Amritsar. CM offered condolences to the families and friends of the victims."

In the wake of the accident, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has spoken to Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra in order to provide more medical facilities, if needed.

Furthermore, Minister of State (MoS) for Railways Manoj Sinha, who visited the accident site, assured that the Railways is providing all assistance needed.

"Railway administration is at work to provide all kinds of help needed. It's not the time to do politics. Priority is to give the best medical aid to those who have been injured. Railway administration had no information about this event," he told reporters here.

The unfortunate incident took place after a train ran into people watching Dussehra celebrations near a train track in Amritsar's Choura Bazar on Friday.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh immediately ordered a probe into the incident and directed senior officials to rush to the accident spot, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those killed in the Amritsar train tragedy. He also announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for the injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amrinder Singh on Friday night directed senior officials to rush to the train accident site where more than 50 people were killed while they were watching Dussehra celebrations near train track in Choura Bazar.

The Chief Minister will fly to Amritsar tomorrow to assess the situation.

Singh tweeted, "Shocked to hear of tragic rail accident in Amritsar. Have asked all government and private hospitals to stay open to help in this hour of grief. District authorities have been directed to take up relief and rescue operations on a war footing."

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also tweeted, "Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured."

Punjab Police Commissioner, SS Srivastava confirmed, "There are more than 50 casualties. The injured have been rushed to the hospital and passengers are being evacuated."

The unfortunate incident took place when people were burning the effigy of Ravan near the railway track. Several people also got injured in the incident and have been rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The local passenger train, 74943 DMU, was coming from Pathankot. The CPRO (Northern) said, "As per initial information, the incident took place at gate number 27 between Amritsar and Manawala. As Dusshera celebrations and Raavan dahan was taking place, some incident had occurred and people started rushing towards closed gate number 27 while the DMU train number 74943 was passing the closed gate. Further information is being collected."

The police and local Railway officers have rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation and carry out rescue operation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday ordered an inquiry into the tragic train accident in Amritsar in which more than 50 people are feared dead.

Extending his sympathies to the families of the deceased, the Chief Minister has also announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased, besides all possible support and help to them, read an official statement.

The Chief Minister has set up a Crisis Management Group to monitor the relief and rehabilitation efforts. The group is led by Health Minister Brahm Mohindra, with Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Technical Education Minister Charanjit S Channi as members.The team has rushed to the accident site.

Amarinder Singh, who was scheduled to leave for Israel this evening, has also postponed his trip and will fly to Amritsar in the morning to personally assess the damage and meet the families of the victims of the mishap.

"Initial reports suggest that the mishap occurred during a stampede as people rushed towards the tracks when crackers were burnt in large numbers during the burning of the Ravan effigy near the tracks. The reports indicate that train crashed through the crowd on the tracks at that time, leading to the tragedy, according to Raveen Thukral, Media Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister," the statement read.

Extending his government's full support to the district administration in this hour of grief, Singh has ordered all the administrative and police manpower needed at the site to be immediately mobilised. Additional police forces, led by the Director General of Police (DGP), have been rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.

Acting on the Chief Minister's directives, Rehabilitation Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Health Minister Brahm Mohindra have already rushed to Amritsar to supervise the rescue and relief operations. The Home Secretary and the Health Secretary, along with DGP Law and Order, have also left for Amritsar.

The Chief Minister has ordered all the necessary administrative and police personnel to be mobilised on a war footing to help out the district administration tackle the situation. He has also directed the Chief Secretary to deploy all the necessary administrative officials to ensure that the injured are immediately lifted to hospitals across Amritsar. All private hospitals have also been asked to stay open, along with government hospitals, to provide urgent free treatment and care to the injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those killed in Amritsar train tragedy. He has also announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for the injured.

More than 50 people were killed and over 30 injured after a local passenger train ran into people watching Dussehra celebrations near a train track in Amritsar's Choura Bazar on Friday.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragic incident and directed officials to provide immediate assistance.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh ordered probe into the incident and announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. He also directed senior officials to rush to the accident site for rescue operation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least three terrorists were killed during an encounter with the security forces in the Boniyar town Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district on Friday.

According to officials, four AK-47 rifles and four haversacks were recovered from the slain terrorists. The operation is currently underway.

The latest attack comes amidst rising incidents terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir even as the government strives to ensure peace, and foils cross-border terrorism that disturbs normalcy in the region.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the government is making all efforts to ensure peace in the Valley, adding that the maximum possible funds have been allocated for the development of Kashmir.

"We want that peace to be maintained in Kashmir and we are making a lot of efforts for that. We've allocated maximum possible fund for development of Kashmir. As far as terrorism is concerned, all terrorists coming there are from Pakistan", Singh told reporters in Bikaner.

General Officer Commanding in Chief (GOC) Northern Command, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh recently asserted that the situation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir is under control even as there is no change in the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The Army Commander said, "The situation is under control. However, the situation remains fragile because of the attempt by Pakistan to push infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmir. As per inputs available to us, there is no change in terrorist infrastructure across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and therefore, we keep having several reports of infiltration attempts by Pakistan trained terrorists."

On Wednesday, the security forces neutralised three terrorists in Srinagar's in Fateh Kadal area. The slain militants were identified as Mehraj-ud-Din Bangroo, Fahad Mushtaq Waza and Rayees Ahmad. A police personnel named Kamal Kishore also lost his life in the ensuing gunfight.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The city of Kolkata on this day of Maha Dashami prepares to bid farewell to Goddess Durga for one long year as she leaves for Kailash - her husband's abode. The sentiment of sadness is evident from the calm prevailing within the city after Dashami's Pooja gets over along with 'Ghot Bisharjon'. However, the evening witnesses another and probably the last round of celebrations in the five-day-long festival as women dressed in white and red-bordered sarees apply vermilion or 'Sindoor' on the forehead and feet of the Goddess and feed her sweets and betel leaves or 'paan', right before the immersion of the idol. During this, the women also indulge in 'Sindoor Khela' where they playfully smear 'Sindoor' on one another and offer sweets praying for the wellness and prosperity of each other.

The age-old tradition only saw married women taking part in it, however, of late, several Pooja committees have also started inviting widows, unmarried women, the third gender and even sex workers to indulge in the mirth and merry of the occasion, giving them a chance to do 'Devi Baran' or bid farewell to Goddess Durga.

The quiet on the last day of the festival, Dashami, brings out the sentiments and the emotions attached with Durga Pooja, and how an entire city dreads the end of the festivity that comes along with the Pooja. In the evening of Dashami, after 'Sindoor Khela', preparations start for the immersion of the idol of the Goddess.

The idol of the Goddess is then placed on a carriage or a truck and taken to the immersion site, which is Babughat for most of the eminent Pooja committees in the city. The procession to the immersion 'ghat' (river bank) is also an elaborate process and an attraction for many, where the city bids farewell to the Goddess along with a spectacular arrangement of lights and with the tune of the 'Dhaak'. The idol is accompanied by the youth who indulge in playful singing and dancing on the way to the banks of the river where the idol of the Goddess will be immersed. Many Pooja committees also arrange elaborate processions for the occasion.

As the idol is immersed, another round of wait begins for the most anticipated festival in West Bengal and especially for Bengalis. Durga Pooja not only brings along with it the traditions and rituals, but also a sense of an all-embracing festivity and spectacle that entices the entire city and its people so much that the feeling of sadness takes a few days to fade even after the celebrations are over for a year.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) GVL Narasimha Rao on Friday demanded the resignation of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP CM Ramesh after his homes and offices were raided by Income Tax officials last week.

The BJP leader also slammed Ramesh for alleging that the raid was a clear-cut case of political vendetta by the BJP led government at the Centre.

"About a week ago the IT raids took place in offices and houses of TDP MP CM Ramesh. He claimed his innocence and alleged that it was a political vendetta by BJP led Centre. But, the findings proved his tax evasions and financial irregularities to the tune of Rs 100 crore," Rao said.

"Ramesh should resign as Rajya Sabha MP. We demand TDP to force him to resign. He is a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as well. TDP should replace him. Otherwise, I will complain to Parliament Ethics Committee."

On October 12, IT raids were conducted at multiple locations, including the office of a company owned by the TDP MP.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eight policemen, including a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) was injured on Friday after the Goddess Durga idol immersion procession in east Delhi turned violent. A police gypsy was also damaged in the incident.

The injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The DCP (East) along with Assistant Commissioner of Police and Station Head Officer (SHO) of Mayur Vihar was on duty at Yamuna Ghat to keep a check on the arrangements for the immersion of Goddess Durga's idol.

The incident took place when a group of people from South-East Sriniwaspuri district tried to exit from the entry side after the immersion procession, resulting in blockade of traffic. When the staff tried to stop them, the people turned violent.

The police have detained 11 people in connection with the incident.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The release date of Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt-starrer 'Jungle Cruise' has been pushed by nine months.

The Disney film, which was originally slated to release in October next year, will now premiere on July 24, 2020, confirmed The Hollywood Reporter.

Helmed by Jaume Collet-Serra of 'The Shallows' fame, 'Jungle Cruise' is set in the early 20th century in the Amazon jungle. Johnson is essaying the role of a boat captain, who takes a girl (Blunt) and her brother (Jack Whitehall) on a journey to find a tree believed to have healing powers. Along the way, they are forced to deal with wild animals and a competing German expedition.

Last month, Johnson had tweeted that the shooting of the film had ended, adding that he had "the adventure of a lifetime" while filming alongside his "partner in crime" Blunt.

"Soul.. she's got it. As our production of the epic Disney's JUNGLE CRUISE comes to an end - I'm a lucky SOB to have the incomparable one, Emily Blunt as my partner in crime, doin' time on this boundless & wild journey," the tweet read.

Apart from Johnson and Blunt, the film also stars Golden Globe award-winning actor Paul Giamatti.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cops probe inmates role in drug trade

posted October 19, 2018 at 10:05 pm by PNA October 19, 2018 at 10:05 pm

Tagbilaran CityFollowing the seizure of the P11 million worth of suspected shabu (crystal meth) last Wednesday, authorities are looking into the possible involvement of a Bohol District Jail inmate in the drug trade. In a press conference Thursday afternoon, BDJ warden Chief Insp. Richard Tulabing said he was going to investigate the alleged links of BDJ inmate Jojo Aguilar to suspected drug pusher Joseph Alburadora, who was arrested Wednesday with P11 million worth of shabu in his possession. With Alburadoras arrest, the Provincial Intelligence Branch learned the illegal drugs operation was allegedly being orchestrated by Aguilar from inside the jail. Tulabing, only a week old in his post as warden, said he had created a team to investigate the alleged role of Aguilar in the drug trade. Last Wednesday night, police raided the home of Alburadora in Barangay Mansasa armed with a search warrant (not arrest warrant as earlier reported).The raid yielded 36 large and 17 medium-sized packs of shabu with an estimated weight of 935 grams and a street value of P11 million. The drug haul is the largest seized by local police in a single operation since May 2017. On May 6, 2017, police confiscated P18 million worth of shabu from high-value target Teofilo Campus.

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All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi has said that the recent statement by senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad is a clear message to Indian Muslims that they should not vote for the party in the upcoming polls.

Owaisi's statement came after Azad, while addressing a gathering in Lucknow recently, was heard saying "Hindu brothers don't invite me for campaigning anymore."

"It is a reflection of his party's ethos. It is a clear message on how he feels frustrated and is irrelevant in his party. It's a clear message to Indian Muslims that we should not vote for Congress," he told ANI.

Speaking at an event on Wednesday in Lucknow, Azad had said, "Since the days of the Youth Congress, I have been campaigning across the country from Andaman Nicobar to Lakshadweep. 95 per cent of those who used to call me were Hindu brothers and leaders and just five per cent were Muslim brothers. But in the last four years, I have observed that the figure of 95 has dropped to just 20 per cent. This means that there is something wrong. Today people hesitate in calling me, thinking that it would affect their vote banks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday visited the residence of former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand chief minister ND Tiwari, who passed away on Thursday, and offered his last respects.

Calling Tiwari a "great administrator", Singh recalled how he once blessed and appreciated him over his maiden speech in 1977.

"Apart from being a great administrator, ND Tiwari was a popular and wise leader. People used to feel delighted (anand) while talking to him. When I was chosen for the first time for the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha (assembly) in 1977, at the age of 26, he was the leader of the opposition at that time. I still remember how he blessed and appreciated me on my maiden speech at that time. I cannot forget that moment. His demise is a big loss for all of us," Singh told the media.

Besides him, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and senior Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ahmed Patel also paid their last respects to the veteran Congress leader.

Tiwari, who was the only politician to have served as the chief minister of two states, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, passed away at Delhi's Max Hospital. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital in July following kidney infection and multiple organ failure.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan on Friday temporarily closed its major border points with Afghanistan on the request of Kabul for smooth conduct of upcoming Parliamentary elections in the country.

The elections will be held in Afghanistan on Saturday.

"On a request by the government of Afghanistan it has been decided to keep the friendship gates on Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing points at Chaman and Torkham closed on October 19 and 20, 2018 (Friday and Saturday). The decision has been taken to support Afghanistan in smooth conduct of upcoming Parliamentary elections in the country," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

"Both the crossing points will remain closed for all kinds of traffic except emergency cases," the spokesperson added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than 50 people were dead after a train ran into people watching Dussehra celebrations near train track in Amritsar's Choura Bazar on Friday.

According to initial reports, the unfortunate incident took place when people were observing the Ravana effigy burning near the track. The train was coming from Pathankot.

Several people also got injured in the incident and have been rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The police are carrying out rescue operation. "There are more than 50 casualties. The injured have been rushed to the hospital and passengers are being evacuated," police said

Further details are awaited.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Shirdi in Maharashtra on Friday.

In Shirdi, the Prime Minister will unveil the plaque to mark the laying of a foundation stone for various development works of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust. Furthermore, he will release a silver coin to commemorate the centenary year of Shri Saibaba Samadhi.

At a public function, Prime Minister Modi will hand over the keys to mark the 'Grihapravesh' of the Prime Minister Awas Yojana- Grameen (PMAY-G) beneficiaries in Maharashtra. He will also address the gathering.

Prime Minister Modi will also visit the Shri Saibaba Samadhi Temple Complex during his day-long visit.

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Global star Priyanka Chopra is in the presence of a genius as she posed for a picture with music maestro and Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman.

The 'Mary Kom' actor is all smiles with Rahman in a recent picture she posted on her Instagram. In the photo, she can be seen posing for the camera with her hand around Rahman's shoulder.

Priyanka wrote, "In the presence of genius."

On the work front, Priyanka recently wrapped up the London shoot of her upcoming film 'The Sky Is Pink', also starring Farhan Akhtar and Zaira Wasim.

Directed by Shonali Bose, the movie is based on the life of Aisha Chaudhary, who became a motivational speaker after being diagnosed with an immune deficiency order at the age of 13. It is produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur under his home banner named Roy Kapur Films. The release date for the film is yet to be announced.

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh performed 'Shastra Puja' at Border Security Force (BSF) Sector Headquarters in Rajasthan's Bikaner city along the highly sensitive India-Pakistan border, on the occasion of Dussehra on Friday.

Reiterating Prime Minister Narendra Modi government's resolve to maintain peace in the Kashmir Valley, he said, "We want that peace be maintained in Kashmir and we are making a lot of efforts to achieving it. We have allocated maximum possible funds for development of Kashmir. As far as terrorism is concerned, all terrorists coming there are from Pakistan."

Singh is on a two-day visit to the city to celebrate the festival of Dussehra with the BSF jawans.

'Shastra Puja' or worship of weapons is part of the Dussehra festival which is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana.

Last year, the Home Minister had attended Dussehra celebrations at Joshimath in Uttarakhand along the Sino-India border.

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Bollywood veteran Rishi Kapoor, who recently flew to the United States with wife Neetu Kapoor to seek medical treatment, was all smiles after meeting old friend Javed Akhtar.

Taking to his Twitter, the 'Mulk' star uploaded a picture in which he can be seen standing beside Javed and wife Neetu.

He wrote, "Thank you Javed Sahab for entertaining and making us laugh so much. Thank for visiting us! Wish you all super luck for your blockbuster musical shows. Believe me-your show is a breakthrough idea."

Recently, The 'Kapoor and Sons' star had also met his 'old friend', actor Anupam Kher, and his 'Agneepath' co-star Priyanka Chopra along with Sonali Bendre and her husband Goldie Behl.

In a cryptic tweet last month, Rishi announced that he was travelling to the US for medical treatment. Before his well-wishers could jump to conclusions, the 'Mulk' actor asked them not to speculate his leave of absence.

"Hello, all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. It's been 45 years "plus" of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon!" the 66-year-odl had tweeted.

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Two women who were en route to the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala agreed to return after the temple head priest (Tantri) Kandararu Rajeevaru threatened to shut down the temple if they attempted to force their way in.

"We had brought them (journalist Kavitha Jakkal and woman activist Rehana Fatima) till the temple premises but Tantri refused to open the temple for them. While we were waiting, Tantri informed me that if we attempt to take the women ahead they would close the temple," Kerala Inspector General of Police (IGP) S. Sreejith told ANI.

Sreejith assured that the two women will be taken back in full police protection.

He said, "It is a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to temple and gave them protection but 'darshan' is something which can be done with the consent of the priest. We will give them (Kavitha Jakkal and Rehana Fatima) whatever protection they want."

The Sreejith said that the women agreed to cooperate after he had discussed with them the situation prevailing in the hilltop.

"We have told the female devotees about the situation, they will now be going back. So we are pulling back. They have decided to return," he said.

As per reports, tempers cooled down after Jakkal and Fatima who had almost made it to the Lord Ayyappa shrine agreed to give up their journey.

Two days after the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala opened its doors for the first time for women in the 10-50 years age group as per the Supreme Court verdict pronounced on September 28, no woman of menstrual age have yet been able to visit the shrine because of continuous protests.

"The Supreme Court's point is right that men and women are equal. But, the culture that prevails here is that women in the age group of 10-50 years are not allowed in the temple. It is our custom. We should follow our customs as India is a custom-following country," a devotee in Sannidhanam had said.

Earlier in the day, a number of devotees had gathered to block the entry of women trekking up to the hill shrine.

"Police will not create any issue in Sabarimala and we don't want a confrontation with you devotees. We are only following the law. I will be discussing with the higher authorities and brief them on the situation," the IGP had earlier said.

Places around the temple such as Pamba, Nilakkal, Sannidhanam and Elavungal have witnessed the majority of the violent protests since the doors of the shrine reopened on Wednesday. Protestors had allegedly vandalised a bus carrying journalists and other passengers at Laka near the Nilakkal base camp. The police were forced to lathi-charge the protestors as they resorted to stone pelting.

Elderly women were seen entering the temple on Wednesday evening, but women between 10 to 50 years of age refrained from visiting the shrine for the sake of their own safety.

Owing to the protests and violence, Section 144 (prohibiting assembly of more than four people) has been imposed in Pamba, Nilakkal and Elavungal.

The temple opened on Wednesday at 5 pm, and it will close on October 22.

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Ramesh Chennithala, the leader of opposition in Kerala Assembly, has blamed Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led government in the state for failing to assess the situation that led to the row around women's entry in Sabarimala Temple.

Chennithala said that it was the state government's duty to strike a proper balance between the Supreme Court judgement and the sentiments of the devotees.

He further attacked Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) for making the issue a boiling point.

"This issue would have been tackled in a different way. At one side there is Supreme Court judgement and on another side, there are sentiments of the believers. The state government should have taken a matured line on this. They have totally failed in assessing the situation," Chennithala told reporters.

"Sabarimala should not be made a battlefield. But RSS and BJP are making it a battlefield. The government also, with its careless attitude, has contributed to the issue. We want peace and tranquillity in the area," he added.

Reflecting on Friday's events, where one woman journalist Kavitha Jakkal and activist Rehana Fatima attempted to enter the Sabarimala Temple, Chennithala said that giving "one of the ladies" a police uniform was wrong as it is an offence.

"As per the Kerala Police Act, it is objectionable to wear police uniform by anybody else other than police. It is a crime. It is a non-bailable offence with six months imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 2000. I don't know why one of the ladies was given a police uniform who tried to visit a shrine," he said.

Two days after the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala opened its doors for the first time to women of all ages as per the Supreme Court verdict pronounced on September 28, no woman of menstrual age has yet been able to visit the shrine because of continuous protests by some temple followers.

Places around the temple, such as Pamba, Nilakkal, Sannidhanam and Elavungal, witnessed violent protests since the doors of the shrine reopened on Wednesday. Protestors allegedly vandalised a bus carrying journalists and other passengers near the Nilakkal base camp. The police were forced to lathi-charge the protestors as they resorted to stone pelting.

Elderly women were seen entering the temple on Wednesday evening, but those between 10 to 50 years of age refrained from visiting the shrine for the sake of their own safety.

Authorities have imposed Section 144, which prohibits the assembly of more than four people, in Pamba, Nilakkal and Elavungal.

The temple opened on Wednesday at 5 pm and will get closed on October 22.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Palace on Friday downplayed President Rodrigo Dutertes admission that his daughter Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio initiated the ouster of Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez as speaker. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said even if Duterte-Carpio initiated the ouster, the fate of Alvarezs speakership were decided by the members of the House of Representatives. Ultimately whoever suggested the ouster, the members of Congress shall still decide. Those who voted [for Alvarezs ouster] said they were discontented with the way it is being run, Panelo said in a radio interview. Its the House of Representatives that decided regardless of whoever initiated it, Panelo added. He said even with the influence of the President, members of the House of Representatives still had the final say on whether to oust or let Alvarez remain based on his performance as a speaker. He said that lawmakers appeared to be dissatisfied with how Alvarez ran Congress. Rightly or wrongly, thats the perception of those who voted against him. But as far as the administration is concerned, Speaker Alvarez did all things in favor of the administration. The bills which have been certified as urgent, he passed it through, Panelo said, recognizing how Alvarez shepherded bills that were important to the administration. On Thursday, Duterte admitted it was his equally fierce daughter who worked in the shadows to oust Alvarez. Be careful with that woman. She can even oust a Speaker. She operated in Davao. Look what happened in Congress, the President said in a speech during the 44th Philippine Business Conference and Expo.This was the first time Duterte confirmed that his daughter played a role in unseating Alvarez as Speaker. Alvarez was ousted as Speaker as Duterte delivered his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July. He was replaced with Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Duterte said he only learned of his daughters political maneuver through Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat. He said that his daughter admitted her role in the ouster as when she bumped into Puyat at the restroom of the Batasang Pambansa during the third State of the Nation Address. She was told by Inday. They saw each other in the washroom. Tell my father, Im sorry. So, I did not know the implication of that. I have no [idea]... honest to God. It was Inday, she maneuvered it, Duterte said, referring to his daughter by her nickname. In February, Duterte-Carpio called Alvarez an insecure fat sleaze for allegedly linking her to the opposition after the Davao City Mayor formed a separate regional political party, Hugpong ng Pagbabago. Alvarez had since denied the allegation. Duterte-Carpio is seeking reelection as Davao City mayor, while Alvarez also wants to stay in Congress in the 2019 midterm polls.
Women activist was detained by the Pune Police on Friday morning after she, along with other women activists, threatened to stop Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy.

Her detention comes a day after she wrote a letter to Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police demanding a meeting with Prime Minister Modi to discuss Sabrimala issue.

Trupti, who is leading the protest for women's entry into Sabarimala temple, also threatened to block Prime Minister Modi's convoy if he doesn't meet her.

Minutes before her detention, Trupti told ANI, "Despite the Supreme Court's verdict, the women are not being allowed to enter Sabarimala Temple. Even the journalists who went there for coverage were assaulted. Today, Prime Minister is coming to Shirdi and I want to meet and ask him that if everyone can safely go to Shirdi Sai Temple without any fear, then why same can't happen at Sabarimala. If he wouldn't meet me, we have plans of stopping his convoy to make our request to him."

Claiming that detaining her would be a violation of her democratic right to protest, she further said, "Police has come to detain me while I was leaving for Shirdi early morning. If a similar strict action would have happened in Kerala, today women might have gone to Sabarimala temple. I have the right to protest and with this detention, police are trying to suppress our democratic right."

However, the police maintained that Desai was detained owing to security concerns.

"Because of security reasons, we have requested her not to go to Shirdi. If she forcibly tries to leave, necessary measures will be taken to deter her," said Police Inspector Vijay Puranik.

On Thursday, activist Rahul Easwar was arrested from Nilakkal base camp and a non-bailable FIR was registered against him for stopping women from entering the temple premises. After the arrest, he was kept at the Pamba police station.

Prime Minister will visit Shirdi in Maharashtra on and will unveil the plaque to mark the laying of a foundation stone for various development works of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust. Furthermore, he will release a silver coin to commemorate the centenary year of Shri Saibaba Samadhi.
Unidentified miscreants on Friday allegedly vandalised the house of woman activist Rehana Fatima who had unsuccessfully attempted to enter Sabarimala Temple in the state.

Fatima had gone up to the Lord Ayyappa shrine, along with journalist Kavitha Jakkal, this morning under police protection. Both retreated midway after a meeting with Kerala Inspector General of Police (IGP) S. Sreejith.

Fatima, who had to return without going to the shrine, claimed that people who want to disrupt peace, not devotees, had stopped them from visiting the shrine. She told reporters here after her return, "People, not the devotees, who want to disrupt peace didn't allow us to enter. I want to know what was the reason (to stop us)? Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee? You tell me that first and then I will tell you if I am a devotee or not."

"I don't know what happened to my children. My life is also in danger. But they (police) have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back," she added.

Jakkal, who was stopped 500 metres from the holy 18 steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum of the famous shrine, on her return said, "Thank you so much for supporting us. We are feeling proud to come here. You have seen what kind of dangerous situation we have faced." Both Fatima and Jakkal were escorted back to Pamba by the police.

The two women who were en route to the Sabarimala Temple agreed to return after the temple head priest (Tantri) Kandararu Rajeevaru threatened to shut down the temple if they attempted to force their way in.

Meanwhile, Mary Sweety, a 46-year-old woman, returned midway after she was stopped by the protesters at Pamba. She has currently been taken to a police control room.

Two days after the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala opened its doors for the first time for females of all age group, as per the Supreme Court verdict pronounced on September 28, no woman of menstrual age has yet been able to visit the shrine because of continuous protests.

Earlier in the day, a number of devotees had gathered to block the entry of women trekking up to the hill shrine.

Places around the temple such as Pamba, Nilakkal, Sannidhanam and Elavungal have witnessed the majority of the violent protests since the doors of the shrine reopened on Wednesday. Protesters had allegedly vandalised a bus carrying journalists and other passengers at Laka near the Nilakkal base camp. The police were forced to lathi-charge the protesters as they resorted to stone pelting.

Elderly women were seen entering the temple on Wednesday evening, but women between 10 to 50 years of age refrained from visiting the shrine for the sake of their own safety.

Owing to the protests and violence, Section 144 (prohibiting assembly of more than four people) has been imposed in Pamba, Nilakkal and Elavungal.

The temple opened on Wednesday at 5 pm, and it will close on October 22.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
'The Florida Project' director Sean Baker will be heading the international jury of the upcoming Mumbai Film Festival.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Baker is joined on the jury by Thom Noble, Oscar-winning editor for 'Witness', filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj, among others.

Conducted under the aegis of the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI), this will be the 20th edition of the festival. It will run from October 25 to November 1.

The festival will open with Vasan Bala's 'The Man Who Feels No Pain', while the closing film is Steve McQueen's 'Widows'.

Meanwhile, Hollywood director Darren Aronofsky is all set hold a master class in the upcoming festival. Aronofsky had said he is excited to return to India, where he had "enjoyed as a tourist many times in the past". The 'Mother' filmmaker added that he is also eager to be a part of this festival.

In the past, the festival saw master classes being conducted by Oliver Stone and Cary Fukunaga, to name a few.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The founder of Hindu Vahini and seer from Sree Peetham in Andhra Pradesh, Swami Paripoornananda joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of party president Amit Shah on Friday.

Paripoornananda said that he joined the party as a 'Karamyogi'. "It is a proud feeling that I will be a part of a party which is represented by the likes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Ram Madhav. I have joined BJP to serve the people of this nation," the seer told reporters.

Shah welcomed Paripoornananda in the party and said that "his inclusion in the BJP will help the party, particularly, in Telangana and Karnataka in a big way."

"It is a great delight. We welcome Swami Paripoornananda in the BJP. He has established himself in the Andhra Pradesh, Telangana through his social and religious work. Until now, Swamiji's blessings were with us, and, from now, he himself will be a part of the BJP. I am confident that Swamiji's inclusion will help BJP, particularly, in Telangana and Karnataka in a big way," Shah said.

On July 11, Paripoornananda was externed from Hyderabad for six months for making provocative comments against other communities. However, the Telangana High Court reversed the ban after the seer filed a petition.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which is the regulatory authority of all Hindu temples in Kerala, on Friday announced that they will appeal against the Supreme Court's verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala Temple.

Addressing the media here, A. Padmakumar, the president of the board, said, "We have decided to appeal against the Supreme Court verdict that allowed women of all age groups to enter Sabarimala Temple."

The apex court had on September 28 allowed females between 10 and 50 (in their reproductive phase) years of age to enter into the temple. However, no woman of menstruating age has yet been able to enter the shrine owing to the protests across the state.

A number of devotees blocked the entry of women trekking up the hill to the Lord Ayappa shrine. The doors of the temple opened on Wednesday at 5 pm, and will close on October 22.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Distressed by the allegations about his alleged love affair, a sadhu in Uttar Pradesh's Bamna village cut off his private part during a nine-day fasting of Navaratri.

The sadhu identified as Madani Baba, who is currently admitted in a hospital in Bamna district, alleged that a conspiracy was hatched against him by a group of people as they could not bear his aim to build an ashram in an empty land.

He said that the people had tarnished his image by linking his name with a woman who stays in a nearby area.

"The sadhu happens to be a 28-year-old man residing in Kamsin village. He cut off his genitalia after an allegation surfaced against him. His treatment is underway," Bamna district hospital doctor Balveer Singh told ANI.

The district police have initiated an investigation into the matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced the merging of the US Embassy and US Consulate General in Jerusalem into a single diplomatic mission.

Thursday's announcement comes over five months after the inauguration of the US Embassy to in Jerusalem.

Pompeo asked the US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, to guide the merger.

He also announced the stationing of a new Palestinian Affairs Unit inside the US Embassy Jerusalem, through which a full range of reporting, outreach, and programming in the West Bank and Gaza as well as with Palestinians in Jerusalem shall be conducted.

Pompeo mentioned that the decision finds impetus from the US' global efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's operations. He, however, clarified that the decision does not signal a change in the US' policy on Jerusalem, the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip.

The Secretary of State also reinforced US President Donald Trump's statement from December 2017, in which the latter had proclaimed that the United States continues to take no position on final status issues, including boundaries or borders. "The specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem are subject to final status negotiations between the parties," the statement mentioned.

Furthermore, Pompeo said "The Administration is strongly committed to achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace that offers a brighter future to and the Palestinians," while mentioning that the US "looks forward to continued partnership and dialogue with the Palestinian people and, we hope in the future, with the Palestinian leadership."

This decision received backlash from the Palestinians who said that the merger has "symbolic significance" as it downgrades the standing of the consulate, reports Al Jazeera.

Trump has earlier been condemned for officially recognising Jerusalem as the capital of
According to the officials within the United States Department of State, US President Donald Trump's administration would continue to exert diplomatic pressure on Pakistan until it changes its policy towards regional peace and stability in neighbouring country Afghanistan, reported The Nation London.

Henry S. Ensher, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Pakistan for the State Department, while addressing an event at the Wilson Centre here on Wednesday night, said that the US is prepared to be Pakistan's partner if it makes smart choices. "We can't be silent about the fact that externally focused groups enjoy sanctuary in Pakistan," he asserted.

One of the major areas of policy divergence with Pakistan for the United States was the negotiations on Afghanistan, said Ensher.

"As long as that continues, we will continue to colour and take centre stage in (the) bilateral relationship. In reality, we have seen some action, but we have not seen the decisive steps from Pakistan that could demonstrate commitment, ensuring their territory cannot be used by the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and other groups that were so violent and bring instability in the region," The Nation London quoted Ensher, as saying.

Ensher further reiterated that Pakistan has shown that it can address terrorism on its soil when it is determined to do so and that the status quo in Afghanistan does not serve Pakistani interests.

He even argued that the President Trump administration's decision to withhold security assistance and coalition support fund (CSF) payments to Pakistan drew from its concerns over Islamabad's consistently "counter-productive policies".

However, he added that the US had pinned hopes on the Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government, which apparently had an opportunity to "fix bilateral relations" as well as to "bring peace and stability to Afghanistan and Pakistan by partnering with the US."

"Doing so will enable more mutually beneficial relationship," Ensher noted, adding that the US was committed to forming productive diplomatic relations with Pakistan, but not much could be done until Pakistan took reformative action.

"A future course of our relationship, and indeed the trajectory of Pakistan's development, rest in the hands of Pakistani leaders," Ensher was quoted by The Nation London.

Justifying common criticisms of US policies in Pakistan, Ensher said that diplomatic relations were such because the US had directly been engaged with the conflict for 17 years, though it did not occur in its own territory. "It has more than 15,000 troops on the ground, spent more than $900 billion so far, and endured more than 2200 deaths," he added.

Ensher agreed that the US was more than willing to continue applying pressure to advance its national interests. "We will continue to do so in South Asia as well as elsewhere, but it should not disguise the fact that we genuinely believe that a shift in Pakistan policy in aligning with our strategy is very much in Pakistan's own interests as well," he said.

He has even warned Pakistan that its policies in Kabul don't serve "its own interests" as the militant group Daesh threatens peace in the region, as well as the possibility of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) using Afghan territory as a platform for attacks in Pakistan.

He explained, "We know that Pakistan can't deliver a deal by itself, but Pakistan can play a constructive role. We welcome additional measures that Pakistan government could take to increase the willingness of the Taliban leadership to negotiate."

Referring to the India-Pakistan relations, Ensher said that the US hoped bilateral discussions between India and Pakistan could move forward. But the presence of terrorist groups on Pakistani soil could limit the potential for a positive outcome from such a dialogue.

"US has encouraged Pakistan to address these issues so that the regional tensions can be resolved and regional connectivity could improve, helping the Indo-Pak trade which could jump from the current USD 2 billion to USD 37 billion as per Bank's estimates," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is in Brussels ahead of the 12th Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) summit, held a bilateral meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa at the European Union headquarters on Friday.

Recalling Prime Minister Costa's successful visit to India in January 2017 when he was honoured with the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Award, Naidu commended the former for his personal commitment towards strengthening India-Portugal relations.

He further thanked Costa for joining the committee set up to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi worldwide.

During the meet, Naidu also briefed the Portuguese Prime Minister about the developmental programmes of the Government of India such as Beti Padhao Beti Bachao, Clean India and flagship initiatives including the Make-in-India, Digital India and Make-in-India programmes.

Prime Minister Costa, on the other hand, expressed his pleasure over the ongoing positive momentum in the bilateral relations of the two countries. He said that India-Portugal bilateral trade is on a rise and that Portuguese companies are encouraged by the potential of the Indian market.

He also mentioned that Vision-Box, a Portuguese technology company, recently secured a contract from Bengaluru International Airport to facilitate seamless and paperless air travel using facial recognition biometric technologies.

The Portuguese Prime Minister further informed that the country also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Goa recently regarding a pilot project for water supply and waste water management as a part of the Panaji Smart City initiative.

Naidu also called on India and Portugal to collaborate in new areas of cutting-edge technology. He pointed out that defence, space, infrastructure and startups are areas that could offer potential business opportunities.

Further thanking Portugal for reiterating its support for India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council, Naidu said that that India's inclusion in the UNSC would bolster the credibility and effectiveness of the United Nations.

The theme of this year's ASEM Summit is 'Global Partners for Global Challenges'. The bi-annual event is considered the highest platform for dialogue and cooperation between Asia and Europe in the areas of trade, investment, security and tourism.

As many as 51 heads of states/heads of government are expected to participate in the two-day summit, where a wide array of issues ranging from climate change to terrorism is expected to be discussed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Bureau of Customs deputy collector said that she had been receiving death threats after insisting that the magnetic lifters found in Cavite contained billions of pesos worth of shabu. Customs Deputy Collector for Operations and former BOC X-ray Inspection Project chief lawyer Lourdes Mangaoang said she fears for her life due to death threats after claiming that the four magnetic lifters that were cleared and released by the bureau contained P6.8 billion worth of shabu. Yes there are threats. In fact, there are text messages that have been shown to me. The group claimed that they will make my life miserable. They will destroy me, Mangaoang said in television interview. I am a little bit worried but I am being very careful, I hope the media will protect me because Im just telling the truth, she said. But BOC spokesman lawyer Erastus Austria denied that Commissioner Isidro Lapena had something to do with the alleged threats, saying that the accusation was far from the character of the BOC chief. Earlier, Mangaoang, who is now assigned as Customs collector for passenger services at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, told a congressional hearing that the four magnetic lifters found in Cavite contained shabu as shown by the X-ray result with cloudy shadow. There is difference in color that would mean something else is inside the magnetic lifters, she said. Dogs dont lie, X-ray machines do not lie, only people can lie. I am very sure it was deliberate, because that was modus operandi. To make it appear negative, the examiner may darken the image to cover the image, Mangaoang said. She also dismissed claims that the current X-ray machines werent functioning well, and therefore cannot penetrate such magnetic lifters.The X-ray can penetrate 11 inches of steel, therefore it can penetrate into the four inches (of) steel. What the Bureau of Customs officials is doing, they are covering up for the crime, Mangaoang said. The PDEA had found P2.4 billion worth of shabu inside the magnetic lifters at the Manila International Container Terminal last Aug. 7. A day later, four more magnetic lifters were found in General Mariano Alvarez town in Cavite that were allegedly empty. In a statement, Lapena said that the issues being thrown to him was part of a propaganda to oust him because of the reforms he initiated. I would like to address some of the recent issues being thrown against me and the Bureau of Customs in the light of the alleged billions of drugs imported into the country through the magnetic lifters found in GMA, Cavite. For the record, I ordered for an investigation early on, from the time that two magnetic lifters containing 355 kilos of shabu were intercepted at MICP. In fact, two investigation teams were created relevant to these incidents, he said. We still maintain that the four magnetic lifters consigned to SMYD Trading went through proper customs clearance. All X-ray images were submitted to the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs and the Senate Committee on Blue Ribbon. There is no single x-ray image kept from the eyes of the oversight committees. Let me stress again that I would submit to the results of the congressional investigation. Any statements made are pure speculations, he said. Lapena said that internal cleansing and anti-corruption efforts must be hurting people from within and outside the organization that he feels there is a concerted effort to discredit the reforms the bureau is doing.
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu held a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the European Union headquarters on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) summit on Friday.

During the meeting, the two leaders expressed satisfaction with the regular high-level contacts between the two countries and agreed to further strengthen the bilateral ties through greater economic cooperation and people to people exchanges.

Prime Minister Tsipras recalled President Ram Nath Kovind's successful visit to Greece in June 2018.

He then informed Vice President Naidu about the economic conditions of Greece and the efforts taken by the government to restore the stability of the financial system. Prime Minister Tsipras also commended the growth of the Indian economy over the last few years and asserted that it had a positive influence on the global economic situation.

The Greek Prime Minister also encouraged Indian companies to consider investing in Greece, particularly in the port sector. He also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Greece at an opportune time.

Naidu, meanwhile, thanked Prime Minister Tsipras for inviting India as the "Honoured Country" at the Thessaloniki International Fair in 2019 while asserting that India would be represented at the event with a strong business delegation.

The Vice President also briefed the Greek Prime Minister about the country's economic growth and the efforts being taken by the government to promote inclusive growth through the various developmental programmes and flagship initiatives. He further called for greater tourism flows between the two countries.

Naidu thanked Greece for its support for India's membership to the various export control regimes and for its consistent support to India's candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed and expanded United Nations Security Council. He also talked about the Greek scholar Demetrios Galanos, who had translated, among other texts, the Bhagavad Gita into Greek.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Blaming the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) behind the Sabarimala Temple protests, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday said similar kind of violence was witnessed during the Babri Masjid demolition.

"This is the worst form of vote bank politics being played in the country at the expense of destroying social harmony. All the TV crews who went there which had women were roughed up, the pattern is very similar to the time of the Babri Masjid demolition. You have the heads of the volunteers wearing saffron bands, the same dress you found there then," Yechury said while addressing media.

Alleging that the RSS is involved in the temple violence fiasco, the CPM general secretary underscored: "Similar thing is being done here (Sabarimala Temple). The RSS is doing this."

Further expressing concern over the prevailing situation in Kerala due to the ongoing protests against entry of all age group women in the temple, the CPI(M) leader said that in the name of devotees all the anti-social elements are creating violence in the area.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) Kerala state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan blamed Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the protests and hindrances caused in the implementation of law and order in the state.

"We want to abide by the Supreme Court's order. Earlier, the Congress was in favour of entry of women of all age groups in Sabarimala Temple but now they are protesting against it as we are in power. Following Supreme Court verdict, a lot of arrangements had to be put in place but the BJP is causing hindrance in putting those arrangements in place," Balakrishnan said.

Commenting on the absence of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan from the state for the past three days, Balakrishnan said that there was nothing happening in the state that required the chief minister's direct intervention and physical presence.

Two days after the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala opened its doors for the first time for females of all age group, as per the Supreme Court verdict pronounced on September 28, no woman of menstrual age has yet been able to visit the shrine because of continuous protests.

A number of devotees blocked the entry of women trekking up to the hill shrine. The doors of the temple opened on Wednesday at 5 pm, and will close on October 22.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Headline shares of the Hong Kong market were closed higher after recouping early losses on Friday, 19 October 2018, as investors chased for bargain hunting on tracking rebound in Mainland A-shares today after Chinese regulators voiced support for the nation financial markets. However, market gains were modest amid concerns over U. S.-Saudi Arabia relations and fears of China's slowdown. At closing bell, the Hang Seng Index added 106.85 points or 0.42% to 25,561.40. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index added 85.42 points or 0.84% to 10,222.18. The sub-index of the Hang Seng tracking the Commerce & Industry sector fell 0.3%, while properties sector added 0.5%, financial sector rose 0.9%, and Utilities sector added 0.7%. Turnover increased to HK$99.6 billion from HK$87.8 billion.

In a move to shore up investor sentiment ahead, the governor of the People's Bank of China said on Friday that China's current equity valuations are not in line with sound economic fundamentals, and that the bank will roll out targeted measures to help ease firms' financing problems and encourage commercial banks to boost lending to private firms.

China's securities regulator quoted its chief as saying it would encourage funds to help resolve liquidity difficulties at listed companies caused by stock pledging, and speed up approval for mergers and acquisitions as part of efforts to boost market confidence. Liu Shiyu, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) also said the regulator will support the issuance of high-yield bonds and other debt products by small and medium-sized companies.

The comments from regulators came ahead of the release of China's GDP figures, which showed the economy grew 6.5% year-on-year in the third quarter, its weakest pace since the first quarter of 2009, amid a worsening trade war with the United States.

China released its GDP figures for the third quarter of 2018, which showed economic growth slowing to 6.5% year-over-year, compared to a 6.7-percent increase in the second quarter, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Friday. For nine month ended September 2018, China's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 6.7% year on year to about 65.09 trillion yuan (about 9.38 trillion U. S. dollars), the NBS said in a statement. The pace was in line with market expectations and higher than the government's annual growth target of around 6.5%.

The data Friday showed fixed-asset investment ticked up 5.4% on-year in the January-September period from record lows the year earlier when Beijing was reining in spending on bridges, railways, and highways.

Retail sales, a window into Beijing's aim to get consumers spending to drive the economy, expanded 9.2% for the month compared with last year, from 9% in August.

Blue chips were mixed. HSBC (00005) slipped 1.1% to HK$63.85. HKEX (00388) bounced 3.1 % to HK$209, becoming the top blue-chip winner. AIA (01299) edged up 0.7% to HK$62.3. China Mobile (00941) softened 0.4% to HK$77.85.

Shares of Chinese lenders and insurers were higher after the jawboning of the People's Bank of China, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission. CCB (00939) jumped 2% to HK$6.2. BOC (03988) added 1.6% to HK$3.28. NCI (01336) shot up 3.6% to HK$37.95. CPIC (02601) advanced 2.5% to HK$28.7.

Shares of Huarong-CMB network fell after independent stock commentator David Webb published new article, featuring the Huarong-CMB network, advised investors not to own 26 stocks involving the network. Huarong International Financial (00993) dipped 2.9% to HK$0.68. Huarong Investment (02277) dived 11.8% to HK$0.3. China Huarong Asset Management (02799) declined 0.7% to HK$1.44.

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DLF Ltd, NIIT Technologies Ltd, Hindustan Zinc Ltd and Infibeam Avenues Ltd are among the other gainers in the BSE's 'A' group today, 19 October 2018.

DLF Ltd, NIIT Technologies Ltd, Hindustan Zinc Ltd and Infibeam Avenues Ltd are among the other gainers in the BSE's 'A' group today, 19 October 2018.

Jet Airways (India) Ltd spiked 6.50% to Rs 230.25 at 11:48 IST. The stock was the biggest gainer in the BSE's 'A' group. On the BSE, 5.72 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 8.86 lakh shares in the past one month.

DLF Ltd soared 5.64% to Rs 152.6. The stock was the second biggest gainer in 'A' group. On the BSE, 8.19 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 8.6 lakh shares in the past one month.

NIIT Technologies Ltd surged 4.65% to Rs 1244.95. The stock was the third biggest gainer in 'A' group. On the BSE, 1.09 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 70340 shares in the past one month.

Hindustan Zinc Ltd added 4.27% to Rs 282.05. The stock was the fourth biggest gainer in 'A' group. On the BSE, 59453 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 79766 shares in the past one month.

Infibeam Avenues Ltd exploded 3.80% to Rs 53.2. The stock was the fifth biggest gainer in 'A' group. On the BSE, 13.76 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 36.39 lakh shares in the past one month.

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Radical preacher Anjem Choudary was released from prison on Friday after serving half of his sentence for urging support to the militant Islamic State group and pledging allegiance to it.

Choudary, 51, who was a key figure for a succession of extremist Islamist groups, emerged early morning from Belmarsh prison in southeast London.

The 51-year-old former lawyer of Pakistani descent was sentenced in 2016 to five-and-a-half years in prison. He has served less than half of his sentence and will complete the rest under strict supervision, the BBC reported.

Authorities have been making preparations to stop him from inciting support for terrorism and he will in effect be banned from making any public statements or speaking with the media.

Before the release, Prisons Minister Rory Stewart said that Choudary, from Ilford in east London, remained a "genuinely dangerous" figure and that the "completely pernicious" cleric would be watched "very, very carefully" by the police and security services, according to the Guardian.

Choudary once headed up the al-Muhajiroun network, a leading extremist group which was banned under terrorism laws.

The father-of-five did not organise terror attacks, but is considered one of the UK's most prominent radicalisers.

According to the BBC, when an offender is released at the midway point of their sentence, the rest is spent in the community "on licence". This means he will not be free but must comply with a list of conditions. If he breaches them, he risks being recalled to prison.

UK officials believe they have drafted conditions that will stop Choudary from repeating his method of encouraging support for extremism, which enabled him to escape prosecution for years even as his propaganda motivated at least 100 people to pursue terrorism.

Mark Rowley, the former UK head of counter-terror policing, said it was important "not to overstate his (Choudary's) significance".

"At the end of the day he's a pathetic groomer of others, that's what he has done in the past," said Rowley. "He's not some sort of evil genius we all need to be afraid of."

--IANS

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A former head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, responsible for Internet censorship in the country, pleaded guilty on Friday to receiving $32 million yuan ($4.6 million) in bribes, the state-owned Global Times newspaper reported.

Lu Wei, appearing before the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo in eastern China's Zhejiang province, admitted to receiving bribes from third parties, the report said.

Lu, 58, is awaiting the court's verdict, the date for which is yet to be known.

He accepted bribes not only during his four-year tenure as head of the Cyberspace Administration, but also when he held senior positions in the state-owned Xinhua agency, the municipality of Beijing and the propaganda department of the Communist party, according to the public prosecutor's office in July.

Lu exercised an important role as head of the Cyberspace Administration, involved in censorship of Internet content for its nearly 750 million users.

Webpages such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram have been blocked in China for years, along with several foreign media entities.

--IANS

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A gang-raped Class 9 student was seriously injured on Friday after she leapt from a building and landed on high voltage wire in Bihar's Lakhisarai district, triggering mob violence, police said.

The victim was battling for life after jumping from the roof of a three-storey building in Chitranjan where she was raped after being intoxicated, Lakhisarai Superintendent of Police Kartikey Sharma said.

According to Sharma, the girl along with one of her friends had gone 'pandal' hopping on Durga Navami on Thursday.

It was unclear how she reached the third floor of the building, Sharma said.

The police suspect that she must have jumped from the building after gaining consciousness. She was recovered in a half naked condition. She was possibly forced to consume liquor before being raped, Sharma added.

The police are waiting to register her statement as she remains unconscious.

Her girlfriend, the owner of the building and another suspect have been detained, the police officer said.

Police have recovered some of the victim's clothes, liquor bottles and glasses from the building roof.

The incident triggered violent protests in the area. Hundreds of people blocked roads and ransacked public property demanding immediate police action. Additional security forces have been deployed in the area.

--IANS

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In an unusual revelation, a senior Karnataka Minister has admitted that the religious minority status granted to the powerful by the previous Congress government led to its defeat in the May Assembly election.

"The poor show by Congress in the Assembly election is proof that people not liking our government's decision," Shivakumar told reporters here on Thursday.

Shivakumar, 56, is a Congress Minister for Water Resources in the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-Congress coalition government in the southern state. He was Energy Minister in the previous government.

In the triangular contest to the 224-member Assembly on May 12, the Congress won 79, JD-S 36 and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 104, resulting in the ouster of the Siddaramaiah government when results were declared on May 16.

Confessing that it was a crime to interfere in religious issues, Shivakumar said the poll verdict had proved that no party or government should lay its hands in religious matters.

"It was a crime our government committed. We apologise for the blunder and beg your pardon whole heartedly," recalled Shivakumar saying at a Dussehra function on Wednesday night in Gadag, 390km northwest of Bengaluru.

The Siddaramaiah government on May 23 notified minority religion status to Lingayats amid protests by some sections of the community.

The notification termed Lingayat followers of 12th century social reformer Basava's philosophy (Tatva) as a religious minority, excluding Veerashaivas.

Lingayats, who worship Hindu god Shiva as their deity, and Veerashaiva Lingayats constitute the largest community (17 per cent) in the state.

Clarifying that he spoke on the sensitive issue in personal capacity and according to his conscience, Shivakumar said the party and its previous government should not have raised the issue ahead of the Assembly poll.

"Politicians should not interfere in religious and caste issues and no government should meddle in them. Congress should not indulge in religious It is my personal opinion," the Minister reiterated.

Shivakumar, one of the richest politicians in the country, is a six-time legislator from the Kanakapura segment in Bengaluru Rural district.
Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Frank Jensen on Friday announced to host the C40 Mayors Summit in October 2019.

Aiming to become world's first carbon neutral city by 2025, Copenhagen has been selected as the host city for the landmark climate event by the 17 Mayors that make up the C40 Steering Committee.

The C40 Mayors Summit takes place every three years, bringing together the Mayors and leaders of the 96 member cities of the C40 network from across the globe.

The Copenhagen Summit will celebrate and share the most effective climate solutions being delivered in cities worldwide.

Mayors, CEOs, philanthropists, investors, scientists and citizens will come together to shift global markets and create a sustainable, prosperous and healthy future for the world's great cities.

Previous C40 summits have been hosted by London, New York, Seoul, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg and Mexico City.

"Copenhagen aims to be a true global leader in climate action," said Copenhagen Mayor Jensen in a statement.

"We have a goal to be the world's first carbon neutral city by 2025 and believe Copenhagen provides a model for what a sustainable and liveable city looks like. We look forward to welcoming Mayors from across the globe in October 2019. The Summit will seek to inspire the world whilst remaining uniquely Danish."

Around the world, C40 Cities connects 96 of the world's greatest cities to take bold climate action, leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future.

The current chair of C40 is Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo; and three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the board.

--IANS

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What do pilgrims in Punjab's Dera Baba Nanak feel when faith travels across the border to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan through binoculars or a telescope? At a time when borders have mental images as frontiers of cross-fire, illegal crossings and violence, a documentary filmmaker intends to humanise them and create conversations on cross-border relationships.

Director Samarth Mahajan, 27, comes from Dinanagar, a small town 10 miles from the India-Pakistan border. Interactions with borderland citizens was a way of life in his growing-up years.

After his National Award-winning non-feature film "The Unreserved", which was an inquiry into the lives of passengers who use the unreserved compartment in trains, the idea of "The Borderlands" struck him.

"During 'The Unreserved', we met a young Kashmiri guy who told us how he supported Pakistan while his brother, being an army man, supported India. The conversation ended with him telling us that if he got a job in India, he would start supporting India too.

"It taught us something about the fluidity that a borderland citizen might experience due to the 'other' country being an immediate reality," Mahajan told IANS in an email interview.

This piqued his interest, resulting in researching stories from border areas.

"We found such counter-intuitive narratives that we had to start making the film. In the current context, when borders are being used as a divisive tool and depicted as hubs of violence, we intend to humanise them and create conversations on cross-border relationships," Mahajan added.

The intent of the film's team -- Camera and Shorts -- is to explore all of India's borders.

"Our journey is divided over three phases, Kutch to Punjab, then Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, and then our borders with Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. We feel a film will be representative of the title 'The Borderlands' only when we move beyond the set image of borders being the Indo-Pak border or the LoC in Kashmir," he said.

For example, he says, they are looking at how families cope when, in Diu and Kutch, fishermen looking for a better catch often drift into Pakistan's waters and are consequently jailed. Or how, in Jaisalmer and Barmer, grooms from a Pakistani Hindu community visit border towns in Rajasthan in search of brides. Can such alliances break stereotypes?

The research for the project involves a mix of visits to border towns in Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat, talking to locals, watching previous visual works on India's borderlands, reading travel books and ethnographic accounts of researchers.

Mahajan, who has taken the crowdfunding route through Wishberry for the movie, feels it could be image-changing for people who have grown up in the mainlands to know about life in the borders.

"As mainland citizens, it is quite easy for us to say that we want to wage war with another country, without having any idea of the effects on the lives of people on the borders. We are hardly taught to comprehend what it means to belong to a nation. Borderland narratives can shed a new understanding of fluidity in identities and movement across borders," said Mahajan.

When the film takes complete shape -- hopefully by April 2020 -- Mahajan hopes for a theatrical release for "The Borderlands" in tier-I and tier-II cities. They are also in talks with a few digital platforms.

"Our bare minimum budget for the film is Rs 25 lakh, yet to do it at the scale which the idea deserves, we need funds to the tune of Rs 1 crore. The crowdfunding campaign has inspired us by proving that people trust our idea and ability. Audiences are willing to invest in meaningful content."

But has the market for documentaries opened up in India?

"The market is improving with the springing up of digital platforms like Netflix and Amazon which have dedicated sections for non-fiction films. There is still a gap between traditional distributors and non-fiction filmmakers.

"The distribution networks for documentary films remain fragmented and non-fiction filmmakers continue to shy away from taking professional routes of distributing their films due to fears about return on investment of time and energy.

"There is a dearth of development funds, which is a major reason why we decided to crowdfund," Mahajan said.

(Radhika Bhirani can be contacted at radhika.b@ians.in)

--IANS

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WashingtonThe United States has never been especially consistent in raising human rights, but President Donald Trumps administration, with its kid-glove treatment of Saudi Arabia, has sent a message clearer than ever beforeallies need not worry about criticism. And in case of US allies such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines, a former State Department official said, the Trump administration was fully justified in emphasizing good relations for a variety of important reasonsincluding counter-terrorism Since journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, President Donald Trump has cast doubt on the widespread reports that the writer was killed and praised the kingdom for launching its own investigation. Both Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited Riyadh on Tuesday, said they found reasons not to risk ties with the oil-rich monarchy, including its role as the biggest foreign buyer of US weapons and its support for the US campaign against regional rival Iran. All administrations and, frankly, all governments suffer from the need to sequence and decide when they focus on national security, when they focus on human rights, when they combine the two and use the leverage to address the one versus the other, said Sarah Margon, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch. Under former President Barack Obama, human rights at least came up rhetorically and issues such as approval of arms sales were considered pressure points to influence governments, she said. But Trump and his Cabinet officials have just dropped the pretense completely and theyve made it clear that the primary interest is American sovereignty and Americas short-term economic and security concerns, Margon said. Rob Berschinski, who worked on human rights in the Obama administration and is now senior vice president for policy at Human Rights First, said that Trumps message was even more unsettling in that he had embraced leaders with dire records on how they treat their citizens, such as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. From trying to eliminate funding for foreign assistance aimed at promoting democracy and human rights, to openly embracing dictators, to calling journalists enemies of the state, President Trump has made clear that he believes that there is no benefit to the United States in being seen as a force for good in the world, Berschinski said. One of the few areas on which the administration has aggressively supported human rights is religious freedom, an issue dear to Vice President Mike Pence and conservative Christians who are politically crucial to Trump. Trump placed sanctions on Turkey over its detention of an American pastor, Andrew Brunson, who was welcomed to the White House after his release last week. But the United States has spoken little of religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, whose rulers impose an austere form of Islam and prohibit the public practice of other faiths. The lower focus on human rights is no spontaneous shift. Near the start of the Trump administration, the State Departments then director of policy planning Brian Hook wrote a leaked memo saying that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rise of China and the troubled Arab Spring had lowered hopes for bringing change.In the case of US allies such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Philippines, the administration is fully justified in emphasizing good relations for a variety of important reasons, including counter-terrorism, and in honestly facing up to the difficult tradeoffs with regard to human rights, Hook wrote to then secretary of state Rex Tillerson. It is not as though human rights practices will be improved if anti-American radicals take power in those countries. Moreover, this would be a severe blow to our vital interests, he wrote. Hook now heads the State Department campaign to pressure Iran, considered enemy number one for the Trump administration. The Trump team on a near-daily basis attacks Iran over its treatment of its citizens and also takes the clerical regime to task over its military involvements around the Middle East. The United States even recently denounced Irans record on the environmenta curious focus for an administration not known for its interest in conservation. As relations sour with China, largely over trade, the United States has also opened a new front by denouncing China over its sweeping detentions of Uighur Muslims and other religious minorities. But human rights have taken a back burner when it comes to North Korea, improving relations with which Trump considers a signature foreign policy triumph. Rights groups consider North Korea one if not the most draconian regime in the word, with a 2014 UN study finding that Pyongyang imprisons 80,000 to 120,000 political prisoners in four large camps where they face deliberate starvation. While an annual human rights report at the State Department continues to document North Koreas record, Pompeo has made clear that he is only focusing on the states nuclear, missile and other military programs in his diplomacy with Kim Jong Un, who met Trump for a landmark summit in June. Richard Haass, the president of the influential Council on Foreign Relations, recently tweeted: At some point, an amoral foreign policy becomes an immoral foreign policy. US foreign policy under [Trump] has reached such a point.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday flayed the Centre and the neighbouring state governments for their inaction to stop stubble burning and said that "Delhi will become a gas chamber".

"Very sad that Central, Punjab and Haryana governments did absolutely nothing for the farmers. As a result, the farmers will suffer and Delhi will become a gas chamber soon," Kejriwal tweeted.

Kejriwal's reaction came as he shared pictures of farmers burning crop in Punjab's Amritsar.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, on Thursday, had slammed the neighbouring state governments -- Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh -- for failing to provide subsidies to the farmers, which he said, ultimately led to stubble burning.

Sisodia had also appealed to the Centre and the Union Ministry to "immediately intervene and put an end to crop residue burning".

To keep a check on air pollution, the Delhi government, on Thursday had formed a six-member inspection team which would carry out surprise inspections across Delhi to check "ground level steps" being taken by various municipal and local bodies for prevention, control and mitigation of air pollution.

The National Capital Region saw a "very-poor" air quality on Thursday, which experts believe may further deteriorate within the next two days due to weather conditions, stubble burning and festival season.

The stubble burning increased in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, with activists asserting that farmers have intensified burning the crop residue protesting the lack of official support.

--IANS

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The EU's chief Brexit negotiator on Friday said a lack of consensus on how to maintain a soft border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland could torpedo any future deal between the entities.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Michel Barnier did not rule out the possibility of a hard Brexit, whereby the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal.

"In my opinion, there needs to be a deal. I'm not sure that we will reach one, it's difficult and possible," the French politician said.

Asked whether the deadlock on the Irish border could lead to the collapse of the Brexit negotiations, Barnier said: "My answer is yes."

The Irish border was not only a technical issue but also a political one, Barnier added.

The 499-kilometre border between the Irish Republic, an EU member state, and Northern Ireland, a UK territory, is currently soft, a status enshrined by a 1998 international peace deal that brought an end to the civil conflict in the region.

This means people and goods can cross back and forth across the frontier freely and thousands do so on a daily basis for work or to visit family.

Negotiators on both sides of the discussion table have agreed that the border must remain open but once the UK withdraws from the EU, products would default to tariff and customs checks.

The EU has asked the UK to provide a backstop -- a kind of insurance clause -- in its Brexit plan to ensure a soft border even in the event of no deal, but Brussels' suggestion that Northern Ireland maintains customs alignment with its southern neighbour have been rejected by London.

Both parties were analyzing a proposal to extend the planned two-year Brexit transition period to ensure a deal on the border.

--IANS

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The Afghan government on Friday delayed October 20 parliamentary elections by one week in Kandahar province after the provincial police chief and intelligence chief were assassinated by the Taliban.

A spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani announced that the National Security Council decided in a special meeting that Saturday's polls would be suspended as recommended by provincial leaders and the National Election Commission, Khaama Press reported.

Thursday's brazen attack, claimed by the Taliban, was aimed at a meeting of senior US military and Afghan leaders in Kandahar city.

General Austin "Scott" Miller, the top US military commander in Afghanistan, escaped unharmed in the attack, but Kandahar police commander Lt. Gen. Abdul Razik and provincial intelligence chief Abdul Momin lost their lives.

Kandahar province Governor Zalmai Wesa was hospitalised with severe injuries.

The Taliban has vowed to "severely disrupt" the polls, in which some 2,500 candidates are running for 249 seats in the Afghan Parliament. Ten of those candidates have been killed in pre-election violence, along with more than 100 other Afghans.

The militant group said it will block roads to prevent voters from reaching the polling stations. The insurgents allege that the elections are aimed at legitimizing the presence of foreign troops in the country.

"The Mujahideen of Islamic Emirate (as the Taliban call themselves) intend to close all major and minor roads of the country during election day. Hence all countrymen should remain indoors and desist from bringing out any means of transport," the rebels said in a statement.

The insurgents also stressed that all Afghans "especially city dwellers" should refrain from voting on Saturday.

"Participation in this process is aiding the invaders and helping them in the implementation of their plots, all of which are unlawful religiously and in conflict with our national values and interests," the statement added.

In recent months, Afghanistan has witnessed dozens of attacks on electoral workers and candidates.

According to the poll body, out of the 7,384 voting centres that fall in Taliban territory, 2,384 will remain closed on election day.

--IANS

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Saudi intelligence officer and former diplomat Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb played a "pivotal role" in the apparent assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a source familiar with the Turkish investigation told CNN.

The source said on Thursday that Mutreb was fully aware of "the plot" of the operation.

Mutreb, who was the first secretary at the Saudi embassy in London and has been described as a colonel in Saudi intelligence, is closely connected to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"He was seconded to an elite protection brigade within the Royal Guard to serve as the personal security force of (the Crown Prince)," the source told CNN.

Mutreb appeared in photographs alongside the Crown Prince during his tour of the US earlier this year.

US officials told CNN that any operation involving members of the Crown Prince's inner circle could not have happened without his direct knowledge.

Security camera images that purport to show the movements of Mutreb, one of 15 Saudi men believed by Turkish authorities to be connected to the disappearance and apparent death of Khashoggi, were published on Thursday by a Turkish newspaper.

Turkish investigators continue to hunt for clues to what happened to Khashoggi amid growing indications that some of the men allegedly responsible for the journalist's killing have close ties to the highest levels of the Saudi government.

The four images, which pro-government paper Sabah said it obtained from Turkish security sources, purportedly show Mutreb in Istanbul on October 2,.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain papers that would have allowed him to marry his Turkish fiancee.

The insider-turned-critic of the Saudi government has not been seen since.

--IANS

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In line with its efforts to prevent misuse of its platform during elections, Facebook has set up a War Room to reduce the spread of potentially harmful content.

Facebook faced flak for not doing enough to prevent spread of misinformation by Russia-linked accounts during the 2016 US presidential election. The social networking giant has rolled out several initiatives to fight fake news and bring more transparency and accountability in its advertising since then.

The launch of the first War Room at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, is part of the social network's new initiatives to fight election interference on its platform.

Although Facebook opened the doors of the War Room ahead of the general elections in Brazil and mid-term elections in the US, it revealed the details only this week.

The goal behind setting up the War Room was to get the right subject-matter experts from across the company in one place so they can address potential problems identified by its technology in real time and respond quickly.

"The War Room has over two dozen experts from across the company - including from our threat intelligence, data science, software engineering, research, community operations and legal teams," Samidh Chakrabarti, Facebook's Director of Product Management, Civic Engagement, said in a statement on Thursday.

"These employees represent and are supported by the more than 20,000 people working on safety and security across Facebook," Chakrabarti added.

Facebook said its dashboards offer real-time monitoring on key elections issues, such as efforts to prevent people from voting, increases in spam, potential foreign interference, or reports of content that violates our policies.

The War Room team also monitors news coverage and election-related activity across other social networks and traditional media in order to identify what type of content may go viral.

These preparations helped a lot during the first round of Brazil's presidential elections, Facebook claimed.

The social networking giant said its technology detected a false post claiming that Brazil's Election Day had been moved from October 7 to October 8 due to national protests.

While untrue, that message began to go viral. But the team quickly detected the problem, determined that the post violated Facebook's policies, and removed it in under an hour.

"And within two hours, we'd removed other versions of the same fake news post," Chakrabarti said.

The team in the War Room, Facebook said, also helped quickly remove hate speech posts that were designed to whip up violence against people from northeast Brazil after the first round of election results were called.

"The work we are doing in the War Room builds on almost two years of hard work and significant investments, in both people and technology, to improve security on Facebook, including during elections," Chakrabarti said.

Earlier this month Facebook said that it was planning to set up a task force comprising "hundreds of people" ahead of the 2019 general elections in India.

"With the 2019 elections coming, we are pulling together a group of specialists to work together with political parties," Richard Allan, Facebook's Vice President for Global Policy Solutions, told the media in New Delhi.

Facebook has also set a goal of bringing a transparency feature for political ads -- now available in the US and Brazil -- to India by March next year, Allan informed.

With the new ad architecture in place, people would be able to see who paid for a particular political ad.

--IANS

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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body which combats money laundering and terror financing among other things, has demanded more action from Pakistan to put an end to money laundering and financial assistance to terrorists, the media reported on Friday.

Pakistan and FATF's Asia Pacific delegation held talks for a week and a half in the capital, Geo News reported.

Geo cited sources as saying that in the last meeting on Friday, the FATF delegation presented an initial report on the issue to the Pakistani officials.

The group will provide Pakistan the first report before November 19 and visit Pakistan in March or April 2019.

The Asia Pacific Group will make the report related to Pakistan public in July 2019.

Currently placed on the FATF's "grey list", Pakistan has been scrambling in recent months to avoid being added to a list of countries deemed non-compliant with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations by the Paris-based FATF, a measure that officials here fear could further hurt its economy.

On Thursday, Finance Minister Asad Umer said that the FATF had acknowledged Pakistan's measures to curb money laundering. He said that Pakistan was determined to adopt modern ways to stop money laundering.

Umer went on to say that the Pakistan government would continue to cooperate with the body and will take steps on the directions of the FATF.

--IANS

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In yet another flip-flop over the issue of leadership change in Goa, Power Minister Nilesh Cabral on Friday ruled out any alternative succeeding Chief Minister

The Minister also said that his cabinet colleague and Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai's discussion with BJP President Amit Shah on Thursday about finding alternatives to Parrikar was only borne out of "personal interest".

"It is a statement from his (Sardesai) personal interest. I am speaking for the BJP party and BJP party has a leader... We have a leader in Parrikar and he will always be our leader," Cabral told the media at the state Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters.

On Thursday, after a meeting with Amit Shah, Sardesai had said that they had discussed leadership alternatives to Parrikar, who has been ailing for more than eight months now.

"BJP leadership is seriously looking at the leadership issues and I have explained to him (Shah) the aspirations of the Goan people... There are some names that are being discussed," Sardesai had said.

Cabral said it was wrong to suggest that Parrikar, who is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, New York and Delhi, was not active vis a vis his duties as a Chief Minister.

The Minister, however, conceded that Parrikar was now inaccessible to the people of Goa, on account of his illness.

"Accessibility to the people is not there, which you also know very well. When I am not well, accessibility is (also) a problem," Cabral said, adding that the issue of accessibility can be resolved by keeping in touch with people online.
Hollywood stars including Adam Lambert, Jimmy Kimmel, Mariah Carey, Alyssa Milano, Laverne Cox, Tyra Banks, Ross Mathews and Kim Petras lent their support to a LGBTQ anti-bullying campaign here.

They raised their voice in support of GLAAD for Spirit Day on Thursday.

Spirit Day first began in 2010 when then-high school student Brittany McMillan created a Tumblr post asking students to wear purple following the suicides of several LGBTQ and LGBTQ-perceived young people.

The stars released videos about bullying, including stories about their own experiences, to help spread the word about anti-bullying in the LGBT community, hollywoodreporter.com reported.

Cox said: "I've been there. I was bullied severely as a kid. I survived and right now I'm thriving. I want you to know there's a better tomorrow and there's something out there for you in this world that's bigger than the bullying you're experiencing."

Milano urged those who felt bullied to look for help. "It can feel very alone, it can feel very isolating, but the most important thing you can do is find your allies. Ask for help. Sometimes we can't do everything on our own."

Across social media too, stars shared their support for the cause.

Lambert tweeted a picture of himself in a purple leather jacket, urging people to take a stand against LGBTQ bullying and supporting inclusion.

Actor Sterling K. Brown wrote: "Together, let's wear purple. Together, let's make a statement... That it is okay to be who you are, no matter your background, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity."

Allison Janney shared a photo from the set of her sitcom "Mom" alongside her co-stars -- all in purple -- and said: "Let's tell every young person that it's okay to be who you are, no matter your background, race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. No one should be bullied or called names simply for being who they are. That's why we're wearing purple for Spirit Day."

DuVernay wrote: "Holding hands with millions across the country against the bullying of our LGBTQ youth. You are loved."

--IANS

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The wife of former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, who vanished into police custody after returning to China in September, has said that she isn't sure her husband is still alive.

In an interview with the BBC conducted in France, Grace Meng said she has received threatening phone calls since the Chinese government announced her husband was in custody in early October.

"I think it is political persecution. I'm not sure he's alive. They are cruel. They are dirty ... They can do anything," she said.

Meng Hongwei, also a Chinese Vice Public Security Minister, went missing on a trip to China in late September. His wife said at the time that the last contact she received from him was a text message saying to wait for his call, followed minutes later by a knife emoji.

Later, she reported him missing to French authorities, who opened an investigation. Interpol sent an official inquiry to the Chinese government asking for the whereabouts of their missing chief.

On October 8, Beijing's Ministry of Public Security said it had detained Meng following his return to China, saying he was being investigated for corruption.

"(Meng) insisted on taking the wrong path and had only himself to blame (for his downfall)," the country's top law enforcement official, Zhao Kezhi, was quoted as saying in the statement.

No further information has been released by the Chinese government and Meng has not been seen in public since he left France for China in September.

Shortly after Beijing announced Meng's arrest, Interpol said it had received and accepted his resignation with "immediate effect".

Meng was the first Chinese official to lead the international policing body and his appointment just two years ago in 2016 was greeted enthusiastically by the country's state media.

As President, Meng oversaw the agency's executive committee, which sets overall strategy.

--IANS

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Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday called for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention of International Terrorism (CCIT) that it had introduced in the UN in 1996.

During his interventions at the 12th Asia-India Meeting (ASM) here, he said India valued ASM as a platform that brings together leadership of Asia and Europe, the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"Terming terrorism as a major threat to peace and stability, he called for an early conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, stressing peace is the prerequisite for progress, and peace cannot be achieved without combatting terrorism," it stated.

The CCIT intends to criminalise all forms of international terrorism and deny terrorists, their financiers' and supporters' access to funds, arms, and safe havens.

Naidu also cited India's international connectivity projects and emphasised "connectivity initiatives must meet universally recognised international norms such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity".

ASEM is an Asian-European political dialogue forum to enhance relations and various forms of cooperation among its partners.

--IANS

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President Rodrigo Duterte is awaiting a recommendation from the Armed Forces before deciding whether or not to extend the imposition of martial law in Mindanao, which expires at the end of the year, the Palace said Friday. Neither the Armed Forces of the Philippines nor the Philippine National Police has proposed an extension of military rule in Mindanao, said Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo. There is no proposal yet...The President relies on what they say as they are the ones on the ground [and] they know better. They will be the ones to advice the President whether to extend or to lift [martial law], he added. On Thursday, Panelo said they will move for its extension if martial law helps make the region more peaceful. According to the military, martial law has helped in the peace and order situation and it has dissuaded the terrorists from inflicting the usual violence against the population, he said. To eradicate Islamic State-inspired terrorists in Marawi, the Duterte administration had asked that Congress allow the extension of martial law in Mindanao until Dec. 31, 2018. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, meanwhile, said his department has been consulting with various groups and members of the community and assessing the situation in Mindanao. We are currently assessing the situation, consulting with the population, LGUs, military, police, business and civil society. We will make a recommendation in the next two months before the year ends, Lorenzana said. Senator Panfilo Lacson said the Senate would assess the situation in Mindanao before allowing another extension of martial law there. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said he was sure the AFP would brief both houses of Congress on the subject.Senator Gregorio Honasan said they should hear both sides of the issue. Senator Francis Pangilinan, meanwhile, said he opposed martial law in Mindanao, saying there was no indication of an actual invasion or rebellion. We just passed the Bangsamoro Organic Law, he said. Here we see peace initiatives making major headway and unprecedented strides and yet military rule is to be extended. It looks like the left-hand doesnt know what the right hand is doing, he said. AFP public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said troops in the field are still gathering data. With PNA He added that the AFP has been reviewing the situation on a daily basis since martial law was first implemented. Martial law in Mindanao was declared on May 23, 2017 following attacks launched by the Maute Group in Marawi City. The House of Representatives, in a special joint session in July last year, granted the extension of martial law until Dec. 31, 2017 at the Presidents request. The Senate and House of Representatives, convening in a joint session early December, granted the Chief Executives request for the extension of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus for a period of one year from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018.
Rome, Oct 19 (IANS/AKI) Italian authorities have deported two Moroccans and an Egyptian, bringing to 106 the number of alleged Islamic extremists expelled this year, the Interior Ministry has said.

The 37-year-old Egyptian was arrested in May outside Milan after allegedly shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) and threatening passers-by with a large knife. The suspect also injured a policeman during his arrest and caused criminal damage to his prison cell, the ministry said on Thursday.

The two deported Moroccans are aged 33 and 42.

The 33-year-old Moroccan showed "clear intolerance" towards Christianity while serving time in prison for common crimes and forbade other inmates from displaying religious symbols, according to the ministry. The man also lauded the deadly 2017 Barcelona terror attack, saying he hoped all Muslims would carry out such acts, the ministry added.

The 42-year-old Moroccan suspect, who had prior convictions for illegal arms possession, had become "increasingly radicalised" and "showed unease and bitterness" towards Italian and the western society, the ministry said.

A total of 343 religious extremists have been deported from Italy since the beginning of 2015, the ministry stated.

--IANS/AKI

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Reality TV personality and model Kendall Jenner has slammed media outlets and the paparazzi for revealing her house's location in public.

Jenner pointed at TMZ's coverage of news when a stalker, 37-year-old John Ford, was arrested after he broke into a gated community and sat at Jenner's pool. He was released after he was determined mentally stable by a psychiatrist. But he was then re-arrested and booked for criminal trespass and for violating a restraining order.

TMZ's coverage featured her house's location and pictures too, and it depicted images of the hills and mountains near Jenner's home.

This didn't go down well with Jenner as she hit back at the publication questioning about privacy rights of public figures, reports hollywoodreporter.com

"I understand what I've signed up for but when you release the exact location to where I live that is when you're putting my life in danger. Your home is your safe haven, but for me, because of outlets like you, my home is anything but you should be ashamed of yourself," Jenner tweeted.

The actress expressed concern over paparazzi behaviour and blamed the publication for making it easier for trespassers to find her.

"And how do you guys think these terrifying people know where my house is? Because you release not only photos but my location. It is so beyond unsafe. Is this not our one ounce of privacy we can get," Jenner added.

--IANS

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday said that the government did not share with the US recordings of the alleged brutal torture and murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi who disappeared after entering his country's consulate here earlier in the month.

Speaking from Albania, Cavusoglu, a member of the Justice and Development Party which claims to be in possession of audio and video evidence showing Khashoggi was assassinated at the consulate on October 2, dismissed reports he had shared any such proof with his US counterpart Mike Pompeo during the latter's visit to Ankara this week.

"It is not true that Turkey gave any recordings to Pompeo or to any other senior official of the US," Ankara's top diplomat told reporters during his visit to Tirana, adding that Turkish officials had been collecting evidence from the consulate grounds, Efe news reported.

"We will share the results that emerge from there with the world," he said.

Cavusoglu's remarks came after Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak published an account of Khashoggi's alleged demise citing recordings obtained from the consulate.

It claimed a hit squad severed the fingers of the 60-year-old before murdering and decapitating him.

Forensic teams on Friday widened their search for the missing journalist and were scouring a nearby forest for traces of his DNA.

Khashoggi -- a permanent resident of the US in self-imposed exile who penned a column in the Washington Post and was a fierce critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's policies -- has been missing since he entered the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul for paperwork needed for his planned marriage.

Saudi Arabia has denied all allegations of state-sponsored murder and said it backed a transparent probe into the Khashoggi's disappearance.

The US has taken on the role of mediator between Ankara and Riyadh.

--IANS

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With the disappearance of triggering a heated debate on Twitter, the micro-blogging site has pulled down a network of suspected bots trying the sway opinions in favour of the pro-Saudi stand on the issue, NBC News reported.

Josh Russell, an Indiana-based information technology professional, compiled a list of hundreds of accounts that tweeted and retweeted the same pro-Saudi government tweets at the same time.

Some of the bot accounts tweeted using a hashtag in Arabic that roughly translated to "#We_all_trust_Mohammad_Bin_Salman," the Crown Prince and putative leader of Saudi Arabia, who has come under increased scrutiny following the disappearance of Khashoggi.

NBC News presented with the list on Thursday.

An unnamed employee, however, said the company was aware of the influence operation and had already suspended even more pro-Saudi government accounts before they were caught by researchers, the report said.

Khashoggi, a dissident living in self-imposed exile in the US where he contributed to The Washington Post, vanished after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish officials claim Khashoggi was tortured, killed and dismembered in the consulate by a hit squad which arrived from Riyadh -- claims denied by the Saudi government.
A tribal Khasi woman in Meghalaya on Friday took to social media #MeToo campaign accusing two Catholic brothers of sexually abusing her since she was five years old.

Mary Therese Kurkalang, who said she attempted suicide thrice in the past, in her Facebook post named two Catholic brothers "Br Francis Gale of the Christian Brothers and Br Muscat of Don Bosco" for sexually abusing her since she was 5.

Kurkalang told IANS over phone that she had consulted her lawyers to understand the repercussion before she put her statement on Facebook against the two Catholic brothers.

"I don't know yet my next steps... I have taken the first steps for now and these were not easy," she said.

Detailing her ordeal in her Facebook post, Kurkalang said, "It's a long journey and an ongoing one to stay whole, balanced, and sane as someone who was sexually abused through my childhood, age 5 till age 12. I have attempted suicide 3 times as a teenager and young adult, twice I landed in hospital in a serious condition."

Alleging that Gale of the Christian Brothers congregation had "sexually abused her for eight years", the 40-year-old woman said, "He (Gale) was a trusted friend of my family and was held in great esteem as a religious man. I was sent to him for tuitions -- I was 5 when he first showed me his XXXX and asked me to touch it."

Kurkalang said that she never got the support of her family members, one of whom instead "slapped" her when she informed them about the sexual abuse committed by Gale.

"I never spoke about it again, the abuse continued all the years till, when I turned 12 and started menstruating, I mustered the courage to refuse to meet this man (Gale) or talk to him," she said.

In her Facebook post, Kurkalang said Muscat of Don Bosco abused his victims by giving them sweets and toffees kept in a huge desk.

"He would call children to his side of the table and ask us (children) to choose toffees from his drawers and while we did, he would slide his hands up," she said.

Kurkalang said that she never told anyone about the sexual abuse committed by Muscat because of the larger abuse she faced from Gale.

"The #MeToo movement has triggered a lot of distress, but it also brings me hope and belief that justice will come, that we, each of us who have suffered silently will finally be heard, we might not be believed by everybody but we will be believed by many, and that matters," she said.

"Some might ask why now? Why did I wait? I did not wait, I did act then, in the ways I knew how and the little agency I had as a child. But everywhere and every one I reached out to then, did not help. I lost hope in the very idea of justice. All I knew after my failed attempts of suicide was that I had to survive and win, to live a life that I choose as an adult, or I would have let my abusers destroy my present and my future too," she said.

--IANS

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Justifying his swift shift earlier this week from Congress to BJP, MLA Dayanand Sopte on Friday said that state legislators are known to switch parties and topple governments by "slipping out of washrooms at the slightest notice."

Sopte, who along with another Congress MLA Subhash Shirodkar, quit as Congress MLAs on Tuesday and joined the BJP, said under Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's leadership, as an opposition MLA, his constituents had been given 103 government jobs.

At a press conference at the state BJP headquarters in Panaji, Sopte said, "There are many stories in about government formation: in the afternoon, some (MLAs) have lunch together. Then an MLA enters the washroom, and quickly leaves to join a party and form government. Like that, there are many stories in Goa politics," Sopte said.

Earlier this week, hours before he formally joined BJP, he had left for Delhi for a meeting with BJP national president Amit Shah. When asked by reporters whether he was quitting Congress, he had said that he was heading to Delhi on a "business trip".

Before that he along with Shirodkar had attended a meeting over lunch with 14 other Congress MLAs, who are a part of the party's legislative unit.

On Friday, Sopte said even when he was an opposition MLA, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had ensured development of his Mandrem assembly constituency, which included giving 103 jobs for his constituents.

"Despite being in the opposition I got so many works sanctioned. Now that I am a part of the ruling party, my expectations are even higher," Sopte said.

--IANS

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The Maharashtra Congress on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the country by "making false claims that the UPA government built only 25 lakh houses" against the NDA's 1.25 crore homes in a four-year period.

In a statement, state Congress President Ashok Chavan said that under the Indira Awas Yojana, between 2004 and 2013, the UPA government constructed 2.24 crore houses for poor.

Accordingly, during the UPA's tenure, nearly 25 lakh homes were completed every year, he pointed out.

According to the 2014 report of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the UPA government built nearly 1.29 crore homes during 2008-2013.

Besides, the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) launched in 2013 by the UPA government saw construction of 1.17 lakh houses in one year.

However, the statistics released by the government prove that the objectives of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) have not been fulfilled, Chavan said.

The Congress MP said that in 2015 the Prime Minister changed the name of RAY to Sardar Patel National Urban Housing Mission with the promise of building two crore homes by 2022. But till July 2017, only 1.33 lakh houses were constructed.

The Congress rebuttal came in response to Modi's statement in Shirdi where he said that during the UPA rule, only 25 lakh homes were built for poor while in the past four years, the BJP has constructed 1.25 crore homes with full amenities.

--IANS

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The president of Malaysia's main opposition party, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, pleaded not guilty after facing 45 criminal charges in a Kuala Lumpur court on Friday.

The charges comprise 10 accusations of breach of confidence, eight of corruption and 27 of money laundering, reports Efe news.

Some of the charges concern the alleged appropriation of 800,000 ringgit ($192,424) from the Yayasan Akal Budi foundation that were used to pay the credit card bills of the politician, who blamed an error by the accountants.

The bribery charges relate to more than 42 million ringgit and the money laundering charges involve over 72 million ringgit.

The politician, the president of the United Malays National Organization, a party that ruled Malaysia from independence in 1957 until its defeat in the election in May, was granted bail of 2 million ringgit.

The 65-year-old former deputy prime minister was surrounded by several supporters in court, after spending the night in the Anti-Corruption Commission, where he testified on Thursday.

--IANS

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Taxi drivers here in Australia are planning to sue ridesharing company Uber for $355 million citing damages and "lost profits", media reports said on Friday.

They are seeking compensation claiming the ride-share company stole their business and ruined their livelihoods, Xinhua news agency reported.

The class action law suit claiming Uber operated illegally in the city would be filed in the coming weeks.

It is related to the profits allegedly lost during Uber's operation in Melbourne prior to being legalised, the Nine News channel reported.

About 1,000 people who held a taxi licence while Uber was "operating unlawfully" has joined the action, Senior Associate Elizabeth O'Shea said.

Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association President Rod Barton said Uber was being sued as they came into Victoria knowing full well that the law required the firm to have a taxi or hire car license to operate.

Uber first arrived in Australia in November 2012 but was not legal in Victoria until August 2017, the channel reported.

The company's Victoria state manager Lucas Groeneveld told the media that it has not yet been notified of any class action.

--IANS

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next week, officials said Friday, in a move aimed at easing tensions but which may spark US alarm. Beijings expansive claims to the South China Sea have long been a source of friction with rival claimants in Southeast Asia, as well as the US which has traditionally been the dominant naval power in the area. Despite disagreements over Beijings territorial ambitions, China and Southeast Asia are trying to strike a more conciliatory tone in an effort to stop tensions from spiraling dangerously out of control. As part of this, the navies of China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations are set to hold their first joint drills, which will take place in the South China Sea. As we speak, the navies of ASEAN are en route to Zhanjiang in China for the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise, Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said. Making the announcement at a gathering of ASEAN defense ministers, also attended by US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart, Ng said the drills would help to build trust and confidence. The city of Zhanjiang in southern China is home to the South Sea Fleet of the Peoples Liberation Army. Tabletop exercises between ASEAN and China were held in Singapore in August to prepare for next weeks drills. US officials may, however, be alarmed that traditional allies in Southeast Asia appear to be drawing closer to China, at a time when concern is already growing in Asia about American commitment to the region under US President Donald Trump. In an effort to lessen any such fears, Ng also said ASEAN was planning to hold maritime exercises with the US for the first time next year.Four ASEAN membersBrunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnamhave conflicting claims in the South China Sea with Beijing. China claims sovereignty over almost the entire area, including waters near the shores of smaller countries. Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand are ASEANs other members. Concerns have escalated dramatically in recent years as China started building artificial islands on reefs in disputed waters, and it has also constructed military facilities and airstrips. Washington has expressed alarm over the island-building, saying it could affect freedom of navigation in the sea, which hosts some of the worlds most vital commercial shipping lanes. Meanwhile, the Philippines and China reaffirmed their commitment to the principle of freedom of navigation in the South China Sea during their third bilateral consultation mechanism meeting, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday night. Believing that the proper management of disputes in the South China Sea is vital in safeguarding regional peace and stability, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to the principles of freedom of navigation in and overflight above the South China Sea, freedom of international commerce and other peaceful uses of the sea, the DFA said. However, it did not indicate whether military vessels and aircraft were covered in this reaffirmation. Recently, a Chinese and a US destroyer had a close encounter near a Chinese artificial island at the Kalayaan Island Group after the latter conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the area. READ: US, China agree on air control
Prime Minister on Friday attacked the previous UPA government for not building sufficient homes for the poor.

"In the final four years of the UPA rule, they built only 2.50 million homes for the poor. In the past four years of the BJP government, we have constructed 12.5 million houses for the poor with full amenities, which will empower them," Modi said.

"If that (UPA-II) government had continued, then at their speed it would have taken 20 years to provide 12.5 million homes and the poor masses would have had to suffer for two decades waiting for their dream home," Modi added.

Modi's remarks came after he distributed keys to a few of the beneficiaries of the ambitious Pradhan Mantra Awas Yojana (PMAY) under which these homes were disbursed to around 250,000 families in Maharashtra.

Modi said that while the previous government took 18 months to build one house, the present government readied them in just 12 months, giving bigger areas, with all amenities like toilet, electricity, water and gas, besides increasing government subsidy from Rs 70,000 to Rs 120,000 per home, with the money transferred directly to the beneficiaries' bank accounts.

Without naming the Gandhi family, he accused the UPA government of promoting just "one family" in the name of housing for poor and creating vote banks to pursue their political interests.

After handing over the keys in person to a few families, Modi interacted with several beneficiary families via video-conferencing across different districts in the state.

Maharashtra Governor C V Rao and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were in attendance.
Fox Star Studios on Friday suspended Mukesh Chhabra, Bollywood's popular casting agent, from his directorial debut "Kizie Aur Manny" as he has been accused of sexual harassment.

"As a responsible organisation, Star India takes any allegation of sexual harassment of women at workplace very seriously. Hence, Fox Star Studios has suspended the services of Mukesh Chhabra, director of our film 'Kizie Aur Manny', which is under production, till the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of M/s Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company concludes its inquiry into the allegations against him," said a post on the official Fox Star Hindi Twitter handle.

Chhabra has been known for casting films like "Gangs Of Wasseypur", "Kai Po Che", "D-Day" and "Highway".

Last week, when an accusation against him by an aspiring actress emerged in a daily, Chhabra outrightly called them "unsubstantiated wild anonymous allegations". On its part, his company's ICC reached out to the concerned newspaper to provide details of the complainant.

Chhabra was foraying as a director with "Kizie Aur Manny", the Hindi remake of Hollywood movie "The Fault in Our Stars".

The Hindi movie features Sushant Singh Rajput and newcomer Sanjana Sanghi.

Sanjana has also accused Sushant of behaving inappropriately with her and for making her feel uncomfortable. However, Sushant on Friday denied it and Chhabra supported him too.

--IANS

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Putta Chinnammanni, mother of Mysuru's titular queen, Pramoda Devi Wodiyar, passed away early on Friday, an official said. She was 98.

"Pramoda Devi's mother died in her sleep at a private hospital from age-related ailments," a palace official told IANS.

Following her death, religious and cultural activities in the Amba Villas Palace have been cancelled on Vijayadashmi.

"As the royal family members, they are not performing rituals or participating in the Dusshera festival within the palace or outside," the official said.

The royal family's adopted scion, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wodiyar, who was to be the chief guest at the world famous Mysuru Dusshera victory parade from the Palace gates, also stayed away from the event along with his wife Trishikha Devi and other family members.

"The victory procession from the palace and other functions on the 10th-day of the festival, including the Torch Light Parade in the city will go on as they are sponsored and organised by the state government," added the official.

Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said he was saddened to learn about Chinnammani's death and prayed for her soul.

"May goddess Chamundeshwari give all strength to Pramoda Devi and her family to bear the loss of the beloved," said Kumaraswamy in a condolence message to the royal family.

--IANS

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Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is attending the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit here held bilateral meetings with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras respectively and called for strengthening Indias ties with both the countries.

Naidu met both the leaders on Thursday.

During his meeting with Costa, Naidu called for India-Portugal collaboration in new areas of cutting-edge technology. He said that defence, space, infrastructure and startups are areas that offer potential business opportunities.

Naidu briefed him about Modi government's developmental programmes and said that bilateral trade was on the rise and that Portuguese companies were encouraged by the potential of the Indian market.

During the meeting with Tsipras, Naidu expressed satisfaction over the regular high-level contacts between the two countries. Both the leaders agreed to further strengthen the bilateral ties through greater economic and people to people exchanges.

Briefing the Greek Prime Minister about India's economic situation Naidu called for greater tourism flows between the two countries.

--IANS

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In line with its plan to conduct more research on the Moon's surface ahead of a human return, NASA has issued a call for science instruments and technology payloads that will fly on commercial lunar landers as early as next year or 2020.

This call is specifically geared towards small payloads that can be ready for early commercial flights, NASA said in a statement on Thursday, adding that future calls for lunar payloads will occur at regular intervals for later missions, with the next call released in approximately one year.

The initial proposal deadline is November 19, 2018, the US space agency added.

"We are looking for ways to not only conduct lunar science but to also use the Moon as a science platform to look back at the Earth, observe the Sun, or view the vast Universe," said Steve Clarke, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA.

"In terms of technology, we are interested in those instruments or systems that will help future missions -- both human and robotic -- explore the Moon and feed forward to future Mars missions," Clarke added.

On early missions, science instruments will likely gather data related to heat flow within the Moon's interior, solar wind and atmosphere as well as dust detection.

Lander payloads could also conduct technology demonstrations, using the Moon as a technology testbed for Mars.

"The strategy is that these early missions will help us prepare for more complex future missions such as searching for usable resources, building up a seismic network to understand the Moon's internal structure, and studying the lunar mineralogy and chemistry to understand the Moon's origins," Clarke said.

The US space agency is implementing a plan for Americans to orbit the Moon starting in 2023, and land astronauts on the surface no later than the late 2020s.

A key component of establishing the first permanent American presence and infrastructure on and around the Moon is the Gateway, a lunar orbiting platform to host astronauts farther from Earth than ever before.

NASA believes that the work it does on the Moon in the coming years would help it send a series of crewed missions to Mars, scheduled to start in the 2030s.

--IANS

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Indian states through which the river Brahmaputra flows have been alerted to take precautionary measures following a landslide in the mainstream of the Yarlong Zangbo, as the river is known in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, the External Affairs Ministry said on Friday.

"On October 17, the Chinese side informed us about a landslide blocking the mainstream of Yarlung Zangbo/Brahmaputra river in the Tibet Autonomous Region," ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in response to queries.

"Based on the information provided, all relevant authorities of the Central and state governments have been apprised about the emerging situation to enable them to take necessary precautionary measures," Kumar said.

"We are in regular contact with the Chinese side for further updates."

The Brahmaputra flows through the northeastern Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

On Thursday, Arunachal Pradesh Lok Sabha MP Ninong Ering wrote to Minister of Sate for Water Resources Arjun Meghwal apprising him of the landslide in the upstream of the Brahmaputra.

"As per the latest information received from the Ministry of Water Resources of China, landslides have blocked the Milin section of the Brahmaputra/ Yarlong Zangbo river from October 16 early morning, which will have an impact on the lower reaches of the Yarlong Zangbo River," Ering wrote.

"The Chinese side is paying close attention to the blockage of the Yarlong Zangbo river," he said.

Ering also said that if there is further information, China must notify India in time and the two sides must proactively engage on the issue.

--IANS

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Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the country has temporarily closed its major border points with Afghanistan on a request by the neighbouring country for the security of its parliamentary elections to be held on Saturday.

The Taliban has vowed to "severely disrupt" the polls, in which some 2,500 candidates are running for 249 seats in the Afghan Parliament. Ten of those candidates have been killed in pre-election violence, along with more than 100 other Afghans.

The militant group on Thursday killed Kandahar's provincial police chief and intelligence chief in a deadly attack aimed at a meeting of senior US military and Afghan leaders in the city. The strike led the government to delay the elections in Kandahar by one week.

The Pakistani ministry said in a statement that "on a request by the government of Afghanistan it has been decided to keep the friendship gates on Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing points at Chaman and Torkham closed on October 19 and 20".

"The decision has been taken to support Afghanistan in smooth conduct of upcoming Parliamentary elections in the country," it said.

Both the crossing points will remain closed for all kinds of traffic except emergency cases.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency has also suspended its repatriation process of the Afghan refugees.

The Afghan refugees were informed not to approach UNHCR Encashment Centres in Afghanistan on Saturday. The centres will resume normal operation on Sunday.

--IANS

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President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of political parties on Friday expressed shock and grief over a train tragedy that claimed at least 30 lives during a Dussehra celebration in Punjab.

"Heartfelt condolences to bereaved families," Kovind tweeted after a speeding train ran over a large number of people who were witnessing a Ravan effigy in flames while standing on a railway track.

Modi termed the disaster "heart wrenching".

"My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," Modi said.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi asked the Punjab government and party workers to provide relief at the accident site.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said immediate relief and rescue operations were being carried out.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the Punjab Home Secretary and the Director General of Police of Punjab. He said the Centre would provide all possible assistance to the state.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed grief.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed his pain over the loss of lives and urged his party workers to provide help at the accident site.

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury tweeted: "Shocked... Responsibility and accountability must be fixed at the very top for such accidents."

--IANS

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Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday spoke to the Punjab government over the mowing down of people watching the burning of Ravan effigy by a speeding train in Amritsar and assured him of Centres assistance.

"Spoke to Home Secretary of Punjab and Director General of Police of the state regarding the train accident in Amritsar. They are rushing to the spot. Centre is ready to provide all possible assistance to the state at this hour of grief.

"Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured," Singh tweeted.

The disaster happened when a large number of people were watching the Ravan effigy in flames while standing on the railway tracks near Jora Phatak when the train crushed them.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"This is about all of us. This is about the future of peace processes in the country."

When President Duterte issued Proclamation No.572, he cited as the reason for revoking the amnesty granted to Senator Trillanes as it (the amnesty) being void ab initio. The latter, he said, did not comply with the minimum requirements to qualify under the amnesty proclamation. The Proclamation cited a certification from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel that there is no available copy of Trillanes application for amnesty, and that he refused to admit his guilt. Subsequently, Senator Trillanes has conclusively proven that he has in fact submitted an application and admitted guilt. Among others, the senator submitted affidavits of former defense amnesty panel chair Honorio Azcueta and head of the amnesty panel secretariat Josefa Berbigal to this effect, with the latter attesting that she personally received Trillanes amnesty application on Jan. 5 2011. In rejecting these affidavits and issuing a warrant of arrest against Senator Trillanes, Judge Elmo Alameda of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 said that his failure to produce an original copy or even a photocopy of Senator Antonio Trillanes IVs actual amnesty application form is sufficient basis to say he really failed to file it. Judge Alameda reasoned that Berbigals affidavit and similar supporting affidavits are substitute documents that are barren of probative weight. The same issue is now before Judge Andres Soriano of RTC Branch 148, also of Makati City. Thankfully, the good Judge accepted and admitted most of the evidence submitted by the senator, including the affidavits of Azcueta and Berbigal. I also hope that Judge Soriano will take judicial notice of what Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Carlito Galvez himself acknowledged - that Trillanes had applied for amnesty and that it has been properly processed. General Galvez in fact took responsibility for the loss of the application which he attributed to lapses within the organization. Judge Sorianos decision is eagerly watched and is expected to come out anytime. It clearly has more serious consequences as the charges that could be revived against Trillanes in RTC 148, being the commission of the crime of coup detat, is not bailable by right. Hopefully, this case stops at the level of the sala of Judge Soriano. If not, the Supreme Court has to weigh in and as early as next Tuesday during its weekly en banc session. Either way, this is a test of the integrity and courage of our Judges and Justices. In my view, as I have written before, the revocation of the Trillanes amnesty is illegal, unwise, and immoral Let me expound on these points again. Lets start with Proclamation 75, the amnesty proclamation under which Senator Trillanes applied for in connection with his involvement in the Oakwood mutiny and related incidents. This amnesty was processed by the defense department and the military, approved by then-President Aquino and concurred in by Congress. Unlike pardon, amnesty looks backward and abolishes and puts into oblivion the offense itself, it so overlooks and obliterates the offense with which Trillanes was charged that he being released by amnesty stands before the law precisely as though he had committed no offense. There is no question that Trillanes is a grantee of a valid amnesty proclamation, as such his criminal liability was fully extinguished. The courts on the other hand cannot issue an arrest warrant for cases that have already been dismissed by virtue of the amnesty.The revocation of the Trillanes amnesty is also unwise and detrimental to the national interest. Indeed, the revocation of any amnesty is disastrous for a country riven by social conflicts where political amnesties has been resorted to as a means for healing social and national strife. As I wrote online: In the Philippine American war, as the hostilities wound down, amnesty was resorted to so that everyone would have an option to come down from the hills. After World War II, even as it was controversial, amnesty was offered even to collaborators with the Japanese so the country could move on. In the 1960s and 1970s, and even during the martial law era, amnesties were resorted to bring the Huks, Moro rebels, and other groups back to the fold of the law. More recently, members of the Moro National Liberation Front, the Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army, several left-wing groups independent of the Communist Party of the Philippines, and military rebels were granted amnesty. In the future, amnesty has to be granted to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as well as the cadres and combatants of the Communist Party of the Philippines, New Peoples Army, and National Democratic Front of the Philippines if a permanent peace settlement is achieved with the latter groups. There has never been an instance when amnesty given by one president has been revoked by a subsequent president. If this becomes a rule, future presidents would lose an important tool for national healing and unity. Who would trust any president who makes promises to rebel groups if his or her successor could on a whim revoke an amnesty? Finally, the revocation of the Trillanes amnesty is evil, immoral and unjust because it is done for a personal reason, for partisan political motives, and not for the good of the country. The last-minute argument that the amnesty certifications are invalid because they are not personally signed by the President is a desperate move by the executive branch, raised because there is no doubt that in fact Senator Trillanes had applied for amnesty and admitted guilt, which application was subsequently validated, processed, and approved under the rules established by the amnesty proclamation signed by the President and concurred in by Congress. The revocation of the Trillanes amnesty is a very dangerous precedent. It will create a Damocles sword hovering over the heads of rebels or dissidents who want to return to the fold of law. After all, it can be voided by a hostile administration at any time and cases previously dismissed can then be resurrected. Like the De Lima cases, where the partiality of the Department of Justice and the lower courts have been questions, this is not just a fight that concerns the liberty of one senator. This is about all of us. This is about the future of peace processes in the country. This is also about due process and its role in our system. It is about the rule of law prevailing over power politics. And yes, most definitely under the circumstances, the Trillanes case is also about judicial independence.
The custodian of the Sabarimala temple, Travancore Devasom Board (TDB), has decided to submit a detailed report about the happenings in and around the temple both to the Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court.

A. Padmakumar, TDB president, said in the state capital that the board would soon approach their legal counsel for preparing the report on what has been happening in the temple after it opened on Wednesday.

"We have no intention to play political games with Sabarimala," said Padmakumar.

Friday morning witnessed huge protests by hundreds of devotees at the entrance of Sabarimala temple that forced the Kerala Police accompanying two women to stop their journey towards the Lord Ayyappa shrine.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The rulers of Saudi Arabia are considering blaming a top intelligence official close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post reported.

The plan to assign blame to Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, a high-ranking adviser to the crown prince, would be an extraordinary recognition of the magnitude of international backlash to hit the kingdom since the disappearance of Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi dissident, it said.

A resident of Virginia and contributor to The Washington Post, Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate here on October 2. The Post based its report after speaking to three people with knowledge of the Saudi plans.

Blaming Gen. Assiri could also provide a plausible explanation for the apparent killing and help deflect blame from the crown prince, who American intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced was behind Khashoggi's disappearance, the daily said.

Turkish officials have said they possess evidence showing that 15 Saudi agents assassinated and dismembered Khashoggi in the consulate.

After two weeks of blanket denials and mounting pressure from Turkey and Washington, Saudi Arabia said it would conduct its own investigation to determine who was responsible, the Post said.

But even with the investigation still ostensibly underway, the Saudis are already pointing to Gen. Assiri as the culprit, it said.

Whether that move will be enough to calm the international crisis and what it may mean for Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's day-to-day ruler, remain to be seen, the Post said.

Gen. Assiri, who previously served as the spokesman for the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, is close enough to the crown prince to have easy access to his ear and has considerable authority to enlist lower-ranking personnel in a mission.

The Saudi rulers are expected to say that Gen. Assiri received oral authorization from Prince Mohammed to capture Khashoggi for an interrogation in Saudi Arabia, but either misunderstood his instructions or overstepped that authorization and took the dissident's life, according to two of the people familiar with the Saudi plans, the Post said.

"Even in this scenario, however, Prince Mohammed would still have ordered an operation to abduct a resident of the US, apparently only on the basis of his public criticism of Saudi leaders," it said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Global Steering Group for Impact Investments (GSG) launched a billion-dollar India Impact Fund at a summit held in Delhi last week. The fund will focus on providing debt capital to social enterprises in development sectors like finance, health, education and renewable energy.

By channelling private debt capital to these sectors, the fund will play an important role in increasing the pool of resources for solving social issues.

Such socially-conscious investments which not only target a financial return but also social change is called impact investing. GSG, an independent global body based out of the UK, works on promoting such impact investments.

The fund is a unique initiative in two respects. It aims to drive social change by attracting private capital to sectors where the predominant source of funding is through government budgetary resources. Also, it is focused on making debt investments rather than equity investments at a time when most of the $5.2 billion of impact investments made in India over the last six years have exclusively focused on equity.

Rather than directly providing debt capital to social enterprises, the fund will set itself up as a debt wholesaler by either establishing a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) which will then lend to social enterprises or investing in other debt impact funds. This structure will enable the fund to attract a larger sum of capital in the debt impact space through leverage and multiplier effect.

The NBFC can, for example, leverage through market borrowings on the capital provided by the fund. Similarly, investment by India Impact Fund in other local debt impact funds can crowd-in further investments from other investors.

GSG, in its study on such structures across the world, estimates that multiplier effect of a debt wholesaler can be as high as two. Thus, for every dollar the India Impact Fund invests, it can catalyse another dollar of debt investment from other investors.

The equity focus of impact investments till date is not surprising due to two reasons. First, providing debt to social enterprises in the absence of developing tailor-made evaluation criterion for them could be risky and very few institutions have invested in developing such criteria.

Secondly, in the absence of own evaluating criteria, investors rely on external credit ratings and most social enterprises are either unrated or get very low credit rating. The low ratings of social enterprises may not necessarily be because they carry higher credit risk. It is mostly due to the fact that they have unique and thus less understood business models.

Also, they mostly operate in sectors where the traditional route for carrying out social change is through charity and hence there is a tendency to look at social enterprises as non-viable. Doubts on whether social enterprises can borrow and repay are further reinforced as most of them are start-ups or have low vintage.

Several social enterprises have proved that these concerns are unwarranted. Like microfinance showed that being poor does not necessarily mean being uncreditworthy, and microfinance institutions showed that being a social enterprise does not necessarily mean being unviable.

Starting small, several microfinance institutions today are listed at the stock exchange. There are several such examples in other sectors.

A debt wholesaler who understands the nuances behind social enterprises can develop tailor-made underwriting standards for evaluating social enterprises and provide them debt capital. The India Impact Fund, as an initiative of the impact community, can invest in developing expertise around evaluation of social enterprises in different sectors - health, education, climate, access to finance, and other impact areas.

With the backing of large domestic and international impact investors, it can emerge as the pre-eminent impact debt wholesaler in India. The fund can also play an important role in developing India's debt capital markets.

The outstanding value of corporate bonds in India is 1.6 per cent of GDP -- the comparable number for the US is nearly 20 per cent . Close to 85 per cent of the bond issuances in India carry a rating of AAA or AA, leaving a large number of institutions with low ratings out of the debt market.

Thus, not only do we have a small debt capital market, the market is also lop-sided towards large and high rated institutions. By encouraging low rated enterprises to issue debt, the fund will not only increase the size of the debt markets but also widen its penetration to lower rated bonds.

The India Impact Fund comes at an opportune time. Impact investments in India have gained critical mass over the years and is poised to grow rapidly. The growing importance of India in the impact investment landscape is highlighted by the fact that the GSG held its Impact Summit 2018 in Delhi.

(Ravi Saraogi, CFA, is Head of Investor Relations & Products at Northern Arc Investments, Chennai. He can be reached at ravi.srg@gmail.com)

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
PMK founder S. Ramadoss on Friday urged Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit to cancel the sacking of 42 non-teaching temporary staff of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University.

In a statement, Ramadoss said the University's Vice Chancellor K. Baskar was set to retire in four months and as per rules he should not allow fresh appointments at least six months prior to his retirement.

However, Baskar had dismissed the 42 staff who had put in 10 years of service and had started the process of recruiting new employees in their place, Ramadoss said.

Ramadoss said Governor Purohit should intervene as he was the Chancellor of the University.

The Manonmaniam Sundranar University was set up in 1990 to cater to the long-felt needs of the people of the three southern most districts of Tamil Nadu -- Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari.

It is named after the renowned Tamil Poet scholar P. Sundaram Pillai, author of the famous verse drama "Manonmaniam".

It is his poem that has become "Tamil Thaai Vazhthu" -- the official invocation song sung in all functions in Tamil Nadu.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a horrific incident, at least 30 people glued to watching a burning Ravan effigy while standing on railway tracks were crushed by a speeding train here in Punjab on Friday.

A large number of people were watching a huge Ravan effigy in flames while standing on the tracks at a railway crossing at Jora Phatak when the train on way from Pathankot to Amritsar mowed them down, triggering anger and outrage.

It was not clear why the train did not halt despite the presence of so many people on the tracks and why the railway crossing was left open for people to gather.

Witnesses said that as fire was set to the Ravan effigy amid exploding crackers, many of the around 700 people gathered at the event moved back from the flames only to end up standing on the tracks.

"Out of nowhere came the train," said a man, sounding angry. "Before anyone could realise what was happening, it ran over scores of people."

"When the effigy started to burn in full flow, people began running away from it fearing it may fall over them," said another man. "They did not realise that a speeding train was coming and the train did not sound its hooter."

Another man felt that the tragedy would have claimed at least 100 lives. The dead included several children, another witness said.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh cancelled a visit to Israel after hearing about the tragedy and area legislator and Local Bodies Minister Navjot Sidhu told a news channel from Bengaluru that the death toll was alarmingly high.

His wife Navjot Kaur Singh was the Chief Guest at the event.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a terrible disaster, at least 50 people watching the burning of a Ravan effigy from a railway track were crushed by a speeding train here in Punjab on Friday, triggering anger in the area and nationwide outrage.

A large number of some 700 people were watching the huge Ravan effigy in flames amid exploding crackers while on the tracks at Joda Phatak near Dhobi Ghat within the city when the train going to Amritsar from Pathankot came hurtling down around 7 p.m.

It took just about 10 to 15 seconds for the train to pass -- and leave behind a heap of crushed and dismembered bodies.

Video clips posted on the social media showed some people who had apparently seen the approaching train trying to run away from the site. A few of them were also mowed down.

The Punjab government, in a statement in New Delhi, put the death tool at 40 but Amritsar Police Commissioner S.S. Srivastava told reporters that "it is definitely more than 50-60" and that people were still being rushed to hospitals.

Another 50 people were also badly injured in the accident, officials said.

Most people reportedly could not hear the hooting of the train due to the exploding crackers.

Sub-divisional Magistrate Rajesh Sharma said 50 bodies have been recovered.

"Out of nowhere came the train," said a man, sounding angry while speaking to journalists. "Before anyone could realise what was happening, it ran over scores of people."

"When the effigy started to burn in full flow, people began running away from it fearing it may fall over them," said another man. "They did not realise that a speeding train was coming and the train did not sound its hooter."

Another man felt that the tragedy would have claimed at least 100 lives. The dead included several children, another witness said.

Ironically, moments before the tragedy, another train passed the area but there were no casualties, a railway official said.

A local resident, Nirmal Jit Sindhu, alleged that the Dussehra celebrations were organised by forcing the local administration to grant permission near the railway tracks.

He said last year the administration had not granted permission for the use of this venue for Dussehra celebrations owing to its proximity to the tracks.

Some people blamed Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur, who was the Chief Guest at the celebrations, saying her late arrival delayed the burning of the effigy by more than half an hour.

Sidhu told a news channel on telephone from Bengaluru that the death toll was alarmingly high.

A railway official said in New Delhi that the drop gates at the spot were down but people still massed on the tracks in violation of railway rules.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased and cancelled his proposed Israel visit to rush to Amritsar.

"District authorities have been mobilized on war footing," he tweeted.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the horrific tragedy.

"Extremely saddened by the accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching... I pray that the injured recover quickly," Modi said.

The Prime Minister announced Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

Similar messages came from the Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Delhi. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal cancelled all his engagements in the US and was flying back to India.

Several senior railway officials were set to fly by an Indian Air Force plane to Amritsar to help oversee the relief and rescue effort.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A trainee Bihar education officer posted here was shot dead on Friday by unidentified gunmen in Kaimur district, police said.

Sanjay Singh, who was selected in the Bihar Public Service Commission, was on his way home when two motorcycle borne criminals killed him, police officer Ajay Prasad said.

Angry over the killing, hundreds of people blocked roads demanding the immediate arrest of the killers.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has praised Montana Republican Representative Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter during his campaign last May and called him "my guy".

"Any guy who can do a body slam ... he's my guy," Trump said at a Montana rally on Thursday night and made a gesture mimicking a body slam, according to CNN.

"I shouldn't say this," but "there's nothing to be embarrassed about," the President said amid laughter and applause from the crowd.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanour assault in June 2017 after he was convicted of "body slamming" The Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs. A judge sentenced him to a 180-day deferred sentence, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management and a $300 fine along with a $85 court fee.

Trump said he found out about Gianforte assaulting a reporter when he was travelling in Rome and said initially he was concerned it would hurt the Republican in the election.

"Then I said, well wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him. And it did." He called Gianforte, "one of the most respected people in Congress" and a "tough cookie".

Gianforte won the election the next day and apologized to Jacobs during his acceptance speech.

Guardian US editor John Mulholland slammed Trump's joke, saying: "To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Top political leaders from Turkey, France, Russia and Germany are set to meet here later this month in a bid to find a solution to the seven-year conflict in Syria, it was announced here on Friday.

In a statement, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that the presidents of these four countries will take part in the summit scheduled for October 27, Efe news reported.

"The summit will aim to address the Syrian conflict with all its aspects, focusing on the situation on the ground, the Idlib agreement, the political process and to harmonize joint efforts for finding a lasting solution to the conflict," state-owned news agency Anadolu cited Kalin as saying.

Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkey recently struck a deal for a buffer zone in the last rebel stronghold of Idlib, putting on hold an all-out offensive by the Syrian government and its allies.

During Erdogan's visit to Berlin in late September, Merkel said preparations were underway for the upcoming international conference that would focus on the critical situation in Idlib.

Over the past few years, thousands of rebels have been evacuated from different parts of Syria to Idlib under agreements with the government.

It also has a population of three million civilians, including a large number of people internally displaced by the seven-year conflict.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Turkish daily reported on Friday that forensics experts searched a van that allegedly carried the body of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to the Consul Generals residence.

The daily Yeni Safak said the suspected black van was found by the Turkish police in the Consulate's garage, reports Hurriyet Daily News.

Turkish officials suspect that the Saudi "hit squad" used it to carry the body of the journalist from the Consulate to the Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi's residence.

The vehicle had left the Consulate and arrived at about 200 metres away at the Consul General's residence about two hours after Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate on October 2.

Forensics teams searched the van for three hours by using special chemicals, including Luminol, to find evidence on the suspected murder, Yeni Safak said.

Turkish police are also investigating other consular vehicles that visited places in and around Istanbul immediately after the disappearance.

Khashoggi, a dissident living in self-imposed exile in the US where he contributed to The Washington Post, vanished after entering the consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish officials claim Khashoggi was tortured, killed and dismembered in the consulate by a hit squad which arrived from Riyadh - claims denied by the Saudi government.

al-Otaibi returned to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday before his residence in Istanbul was searched by police for more than eight hours on Wednesday and Thursday.

The consulate building has been also searched twice.

After more than two weeks, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he now believes that Khashoggi was dead and warned of "very severe" consequences should Saudi Arabia be proven responsible.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"Just asking."

Its good to hear the memorandum issued by Manila International Airport General Manager Eddie Monreal dated Oct. 4, 2018providing for stringent requirements for all personnel, concessionaires, stakeholders including media practitioners covering the Ninoy Aquino International Airporthas been suspended. The suspension of the order was announced by Assistant General Manager of the MIAA Security and Emergency Services. Media practitioners covering the NAIA beat welcomed the news as they were about to raise hell when Monreal issued the order saying they were not employees of the airport to be bound by the requirements. It would have cost them a few thousand pesos had it been implemented. Included in the requirements to gain accreditation as provided for in the Monreal Order are: (a) Filled-up Personnel Security Investigation form; (b) NBI Clearance; (c) Birth Certificate (PSA Copy); Regional Trial Court Clearance; (e) Municipal Trial Court Clearance; (f) Prosecutors Office Clearance; (g) Police Clearance; (h) Barangay Clearance; and, (i) Drug Test Result. What was Monreal thinking when he issued the order? His list of requirements is stricter than those required for seeking a License to Own and Possess a Firearm. Who were the geniuses behind this idea? Fortunately, someone knocked senses into their shells before hell broke loose. But unless the order is totally recalled, we cannot say everythings well within the NAIA for all those personnel, concessionaires, stakeholders including media practitioners. For the meantime maybe. * * *The other day, we received a call from Atty. Manny Luna of Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission the clarifying some matters on the issue of the complaint filed by one Ed Cordevilla against Customs lawyer Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang, who was the subject of my column last Thursday. Luna made it clear the PACC has yet to take cognizance on Cordevillas complaint, dismissing rumors the Commission has already dropped Mangaoang. The full text of the PACC statement, as Luna had sent to this writer, is as follows: The PACC disavows that it has taken cognizance of the unverified letter of a certain Ed Cordevilla. As is the practice and rule of the PACC, all complaints undergo processing and determination of the jurisdiction of the Commission and sufficiency of allegations. As a matter of fact, Customs Collector Ma. Lourdes Mangaoang is a resource person of the Commission and is under its protection in accordance with E.O. 43. * * * Just wondering. While I have encountered a lot of cases wherein almost all the members of a political family entering a political race, rare is the case of spousesresigned Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Taguig Mayor Lani Cayetano, who will be vying for the representation of the First and Second District of Taguig, respectively. Of course there is nothing illegal there. But what is puzzling is that running for different districts would require them to register with different addresses. Does that mean they are not living under the same roof? Just asking.
The White House has blamed the Democrats for a heated row between Chief of Staff John Kelly and National Security Advisor John Bolton over immigration.

"While we are passionate about solving the issue of illegal immigration, we are not angry at one another," White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement on Thursday in response to media reports that Kelly and Bolton engaged in a profanity-laced shouting match outside the oval office.

The fight allegedly took place earlier this week, as reports, citing unpublished statistics by the Department of Homeland Security, said that 16,658 family members were arrested trying to illegally cross into the US in September, the highest one-month total on record and representing an 80 per cent jump from July.

Sanders said the Democrats should shoulder the responsibility for the arrest hike.

"We are furious at the failure of Congressional Democrats to help us address this growing crisis. They should be ashamed for pushing an open borders agenda and are only doing this for strictly political reasons. Despite us having the worst laws in the world and no help from democrats, our Administration is doing a great job on the border," Sanders said.

A tougher immigration policy was a key campaign promise of President Donald Trump in 2016.

Over the past two years, the Trump administration, along with Congressional Republicans, have made efforts to erect a wall along the US southern border and push for a merit-based immigration policy.

The efforts faced an enormous pushback from Democrats, who argue that the US should continue to welcome immigrants to benefit the US economy.

According to a recent poll, the immigration policy is one of the top concerns for voters in the upcoming midterm elections, particularly for Republican voters.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A life-long supporter of the values of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a trained civil engineer and committed to a clean Ganga, Prof Agrawal starved himself to death  he stopped drinking water in the last few days  because he argued, how could he, when his beloved Ganga was so impure? He attributed the impurity of the river to hydel power projects, sand mining and the release of industrial effluent. Till 2017 when she was ousted in a cabinet reshuffle, Sadhvi Uma Bharati was in charge of the Ganga cleaning ...

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As many as 22 youths were rescued from an illegal drug de-addiction centre here during a raid conducted by district administration.

Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar, Kamaldeep Singh Sangha, said the youths were kept in two "unhygienic" rooms of a building at Partap Nagar locality.

SDM Rajesh Sharma, who was part of the raiding team said all the rescued youths have been admitted to Swami Vivekanand de-addiction centre which was being run by Government Medical College Amritsar.

Sharma said the youths were beaten up at the centre.

The action came after Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra on Thursday had ordered crackdown on illegal drug de-addition centres.

Notably, police had freed250 young men from an illegal drug de-addiction centre near Chamkaur Sahib in Rupnagar district three days back.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Noida Police on Friday said they have arrested five people for their alleged involvement in jewellery thefts in the city.

The accused were arrested from Sector 39 police station area when they were held by the officials for suspicious activity, they said.

"Jewellery including half-dozen rings, a necklace, mobile phone, Rs 9,000 cash, debit/credit cards, besides a firearm with bullets and two daggers were seized from them," the police said.

The accused have been identified as Pappan Singh, Rajeev Singh, Shubham Singh -- all locals, and Shahzaad from Bulandshahr and Sonu Tyagi from Ghaziabad, the police said.

A motorcycle was also impounded by the police.

The five have been booked under the Indian Penal Code sections 392 (robbery) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property). Charges under the Arms Act have also been pressed against them, according to the police.

All five have been remanded in judicial custody, the police said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Women's rights activist Trupti Desai, who had threatened to block Prime Minister Narendra Modi's convoy at Shirdi town in Maharashtra, was detained by police here Friday morning, an official said.

Desai, president of Bhumata Ranragini Brigade, has been batting for women's entry into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

Modi is on a visit to Shirdi on Friday, where he is set to take part in functions to mark the conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Samadhi centenary programme organised by the Sai temple trust. He will also hand over keys of houses to some beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

A few days back, Desai had sought a meeting with the PM in Shirdi to discuss the Sabarimala issue and warned that if she was not allowed to meet him, her outfit would block his convoy.

"Today, before she could leave Pune for Shirdi (in neighbouring Ahmednagar district), officials from Sahakarnagar police station took her into preventive custody," a senior police official said.

"She was taken into police custody early in the morning as she had threatened to disrupt PM's visit in Shirdi," the official said adding that she has been currently kept under detention at Sahakar Nagar police station.

Meanwhile, talking to PTI over phone, Desai said she had written a letter to Superintendent of Police, Ahmednagar and sought a meeting with the PM on the issue of women's entry into Sabarimala temple.

"In the letter, we had warned that if the meeting with PM is not facilitated, we would block the PM's convoy and urge him to hold talks," said Desai.

She said the kind of "alertness" the police showed today in taking action against her, was not shown in acting against those protesting the entry of women into the Kerala temple.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Air France management and unions announced Friday that they had reached a deal aimed at ending months of strikes that set the airline back hundreds of millions of euros.

Five unions representing 76.4 per cent of the personnel accepted management's offer of a four-per cent pay rise to be spread over 2018 and 2019, the two sides announced.

The main pilots' union, which is holding out for a separate deal, did not sign the accord but Air France said that it was nonetheless "considered valid and will be implemented."



The deal is a feather in the cap of new Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith, who took the helm in August after a turbulent few months marked by 15 days of strikes, which caused widespread travel disruptions.

Smith, who is Canadian, thanked the various parties "for the quality of our discussions over the past few weeks".

Air France said the strikes set it back 335 million euros (USD 385 million).

Smith, the airline's first non-French boss, succeeded Jean-Marc Janaillac who resigned in May after failing to get unions to call off months of strikes.

Under the final deal, workers will receive a two-per cent increase for 2018, retroactive to the start of the year, and a further two-per cent increase in January 2019.

They had been demanding a 5.1 per cent pay hike for the 2012-2017 period.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Friday ordered an inquiry into the tragic Amritsar train accident in which at least 58 people were killed and 72 injured and declared one-day mourning in the state on Saturday.

The chief minister, who was scheduled to leave for Israel this evening, has postponed his trip and will fly to Amritsar in the morning to personally supervise relief operations and meet families of the victims of the incident, which occurred during Dussehra festivities, an official statement said.

"The state will remain in mourning tomorrow in view of #Amritsar train mishap. All offices & educational institutions will remain closed," the chief minister tweeted.

"Have set up Crisis Management Group under @BrahmMohindra to monitor relief & rehabilitation efforts in #Amritsar. Won't spare any efforts on part of govt to tackle the crisis," he said in another tweet.

According to Raveen Thukral, media advisor to the chief minister, initial reports suggest the incident occurred during a stampede, as people rushed towards the tracks when crackers went off during 'Ravana dahan'.

Reports suggest that the train ploughed through the crowd on the tracks, leading to the tragedy. So far, 40 people have been confirmed dead and many injured. However, the death toll could rise as relief operations are underway, he said.

Additional police force has been rushed to the spot to control the situation in the wake of the incident.

Acting on the chief minister's directives, Rehabilitation Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Health Minister Brahm Mohindra have already rushed to Amritsar to supervise rescue and relief operations.

Punjab's Home Secretary, Health Secretary and DGP (Law & Order) have also left for Amritsar.

Singh has issued orders to mobilize all necessary administrative and police personnel on a war footing to help the district administration tackle the situation.

The chief minister has also directed the chief secretary to deploy administrative officials to ensure that the injured people are hospitalised immediately.

All private hospitals have been asked to remain open to provide urgent free treatment and care to the injured.

The chief minister said a thorough probe will be conducted into the incident. Why an effigy was allowed to be burnt close to the railway tracks will also be investigated.

Expressing condolences to the families of the deceased, the chief minister has announced immediate ex-gratia compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hours after the Amritsar train accident Friday, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal cancelled all his engagements in the US and said he is immediately returning to India.

The minister, who is in the US to receive the prestigious Carnot prize for his contribution towards sustainable energy solutions, said Railways is proving all possible assistance at the accident site.

"May God give strength to the bereaved and injured. Railways is proving all possible assistance at the site. I have cancelled all engagements in USA and immediately returning back to India," Goyal tweeted.

At least 52 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers, who had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of a Ravana effigy, was run over by a train in Amritsar.

Railways has issued helpline numbers 0183-2223171, 0183-2564485 for information on the incident.

Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani and Northern Railway general manager Vishwesh Chaube are also rushing to the spot. They were to leave in an Indian Air Force plane tonight.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a move to strengthen bilateral ties, the Indian Army has handed over fifteen trained horses to its Myanmarese counterpart at a ceremonial function at Moreh town in Manipur's Tengnoupal district, along the India-Myanmar border, an official release said.

The ceremony, organized by Assam Rifles on Thursday, was aimed at enhancing "mutual trust and bonding between the armies" of the two Asian neighbours, the release issued by the paramilitary force said.

The horses, which reached Moreh town on Wednesday from Hempur in Uttarakhand, were selected by a Myanmarese delegation during their visit to Remount Training School and Remount Veterinary Corps in the northern state in September.

They were "provided on sale to the Myanmar army as part of defence foreign co-operation measures" between the two nations, the release said.

The Hempur establishment has a "rich experience of 240 years" in breeding and training of horses and dogs for the Indian Army and its counterparts in the neighbouring nations.

In 2017, too, the army had gifted 15 ceremonial horses and 15 sniffer dogs to Myanmar, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 52 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near here, officials said.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred at Joda Phatak where at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Amritsar I Rajesh Sharma said 52 people have died and at least 72 injured have been admitted to Amritsar hospital.

As the effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd started retreating towards the tracks where a large number of people were already standing to watch the event, officials said.

However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape, they said.

Several people were mowed down by one of the trains, they said.

Wails and cries of people filled the air as friends and relatives frantically looked for their near and dear ones. Severed bodies, including of many children, were still lying on the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing authorities to remove them.

It was heart rending sight as the dismembered body parts laid strewn on the blood-soaked ground. Many bodies could not be identified.

People shouted slogans against local MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was present as chief guest during the event. She later said she rushed to the hospital immediately after the incident.

There was shock and disbelief as panic-stricken people recounted the horror.

"I have lost my minor child. I want him back," an inconsolable mother could be heard.

"Several times we have been requesting the authorities and local leaders telling them to take up the issue with railway authorities to slow down the trains near this Phatak during Dussehra, but no one has listened," a local said.

Another said people could not hear the sound of the approaching train due to bursting of fire-crackers.

The incident sent shock waves across the country. There was an outpouring of grief with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoling the loss of lives. Modi directed officials to provide immediate assistance.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching," he tweeted.

"My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," he said.

"Shocked to hear about the tragedy on rail tracks in Amritsar, Punjab. Understand Indian Railways and local authorities are taking steps to help affected people," Kovind said.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced compensation of Rs five lakh each to the kin of the deceased and said he was rushing to the spot to personally supervise rescue and relief operations.

He also announced free treatment to all injured in the accident.

Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani and Northern Railway general manager Vishwesh Chaube are rushing to the spot while Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said immediate relief and rescue operations are being conducted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 58 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near here, officials said.

The train was going from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred at Joda Phatak where at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground adjacent to the tracks.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Amritsar (I) Rajesh Sharma said 58 people have died and at least 72 injured have been admitted to Amritsar hospital.

However, Raveen Thukral, media advisor to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, put the number of dead at 40, adding the toll could rise.

As the effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd started retreating towards the tracks where a large number of people were already standing to watch the event, officials said.

However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape, they said.

Several people were mowed down by one of the trains, they said.

Wails and cries of people filled the air as friends and relatives frantically looked for their near and dear ones. Severed bodies, including of many children, were still lying on the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing authorities to remove them.

It was heart rending sight as the dismembered body parts laid strewn on the blood-soaked ground. Many bodies could not be identified.

People shouted slogans against local MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was present as chief guest during the event. She later said she rushed to the hospital immediately after the incident.

She said the railways should have ensured that trains slow down near that section of the track during Dussehra celebrations.

"Every year, Dussehra celebrations take place there," she said, adding she had left the place before the incident took place.

There was shock and disbelief as panic-stricken people recounted the horror.

"I have lost my minor child. I want him back," an inconsolable mother could be heard.

"Several times we have been requesting the authorities and local leaders telling them to take up the issue with railway authorities to slow down the trains near this Phatak during Dussehra, but no one has listened," a local said.

Another said people could not hear the sound of the approaching train due to bursting of fire-crackers.

Amritsar Police Commissioner S S Srivastava said there was a great rush because of the Dussehra celebrations, adding necessary action as per law would be taken.

A state mourning has been announced in Punjab on Saturday.

Amarinder Singh has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

"I am at the moment not aware of the reasons for this Ravana effigy being built next to a railway station. But the administration will look at it and we will check it when I go there tomorrow," he said.

Singh, who was scheduled to leave for Israel this evening, has postponed his trip and will fly to Amritsar Saturday morning.

He announced compensation of Rs five lakh each to the kin of the deceased.

He also directed the Chief Secretary to deploy all the necessary administrative officials to ensure that the injured are immediately shifted to hospitals across Amritsar. All private hospitals have also been asked to stay open, along with government hospitals, to provide urgent free treatment and care to the injured.

Additional police forces, led by the DGP, have been rushed to the spot to control the situation.

The incident sent shock waves across the country. There was an outpouring of grief with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoling the loss of lives.

Modi announced Rs 2 lakh compensation for the family of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured. He also directed officials to provide immediate assistance.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching," he tweeted.

"My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," he said.

"Shocked to hear about the tragedy on rail tracks in Amritsar, Punjab. Understand Indian Railways and local authorities are taking steps to help affected people," Kovind said.

Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani and Northern Railway general manager Vishwesh Chaube are rushing to the spot while Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said immediate relief and rescue operations are being conducted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Medicines Agency Committee for Medical Products for Human Use (CHMP) has issued a positive opinion recommending approval of Ogivri, a biosimilar to Roches Herceptin (trastuzumab), Biocon Limited and partner Mylan N V announced Friday.

The results, said Biocon, demonstrated no clinically meaningful differences in quality, potency and safety and hence, establishing biosimilarity to the reference product, Herceptin.

"The positive CHMP opinion is based on data submitted as part of the Marketing Authorisation Application which included similarity assessment in analytical testing, preclinical and clinical studies," Biocon said in a release.

In addition, the Phase III clinical study (Heritage) demonstrated no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, efficacy and immunogenicity when compared to Herceptin in metastatic breast cancer patients, further reinforcing the highly similar nature of Ogivri, the biotech firm said.

The CHMP positive opinion will now be considered by the European Commission, said Biocon, adding that the decision on approval is expected by the end of 2018.

Ogivri is indicated for treatment of patients with HER2 positive early breast cancer (EBC), metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and metastatic gastric cancer (MGC), the company said.

Dr Arun Chandavarkar, CEO and joint managing director, Biocon, said, "This is the third molecule from our collaboration portfolio to receive positive opinion from the European CHMP.

We shall continue to execute on our biosimilars strategy of expanding affordable access to high quality products targeting critical illnesses like cancer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab-based bread and biscuit maker Bonn Group, aims a turnover of Rs 10 billion in the next three years driven by a diversification of products and expansion across the country, said a top company official.

As part of its expansion plan, has entered into Southern markets in the biscuits segment and aims to have a presence in the bakery segment also in the next three years.

The company is planning to have a pan India presence by 2021 for both -- bread and biscuits segment, the official said.

"We are aiming to touch Rs 10 billion turnover in the next three years. We are maintaining a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 30 to 35 per cent per year," of industries Director Amrinder Singh told PTI.

The company had a turnover of Rs 6 billion in the financial year 2017-18.

Presently, the Ludhiana-based company gets around 60 per cent of its revenue from bread, 30 per cent from biscuits and the rest 10 per cent from rusks, cakes and other products.

"We would have growth from both the segments - breads and biscuits. These are the two categories which would continue to contribute to our growth rate, which are our core business," he said.

Presently, the company has 12 manufacturing units and is exporting to around 55 countries.

"We are presently manufacturing one million loafs a day," Singh added.

The company, as per its marketing strategy, has several brands besides Bonn to cater the different price points and different segments in the market, which includes - New Health, La Americana and Americana.

"In La Americana, we have all gourmet range... for the lifestyle segment and aspirational products," he said.

The company has a fleet of around 500 vehicles for a time-bound delivery of products to the distributors.

Bonn has a presence in Northern markets which includes J&K, Haryana, Punjab, Uttrakhand, UP, Rajasthan, MP and Delhi and is now expanding in Bihar.

"We are also expanding in South. We have taken a plant in Mysore for biscuits and started operations in South," he said adding "We have also plans to take our bread to Southern market.
A Taliban attack on top US and Afghan security chiefs inside a highly secure compound in Afghanistan is a major coup for the insurgents that threatens to torpedo peace talks and destabilise the country's south, analysts say.

A gunman wearing an Afghan security forces uniform opened fire on a group including General Scott Miller -- the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan -- and powerful Afghan police chief General Abdul Raziq on Thursday as they ended a meeting in the southern city of Kandahar.

Within seconds Raziq, an anti-Taliban strongman and key US ally who was credited with keeping a lid on the insurgency in the south, was dead along with Kandahar's provincial intelligence chief and an Afghan journalist.

Miller escaped unhurt in the bold attack the militants said had targeted the US general and Raziq, whom they had previously accused of killing thousands of Taliban detainees and had attempted to assassinate dozens of times.

The interior ministry said Friday three suspects have been detained over the shooting, which also wounded 13.

That the Taliban could mount a deadly insider assault on top US and Afghan security chiefs in such a secure location has rattled a country long used to high-profile targeted killings and violence.

It signalled the Taliban could "strike whenever and wherever it wants" and would embolden the insurgents, said Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center.

"This attack is a huge blow to stability," he added.

The Taliban, which controls or contests swathes of the war-torn country, has made significant territorial gains and threatened provincial capitals in recent months as it steps up attacks.

The increased aggression had been seen as an attempt by the Taliban to strengthen its negotiating position in talks with the United States to end the 17-year war.

Taliban representatives have met with US officials at least twice in Qatar in recent months, most recently on October 12 with newly appointed US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, raising hopes for peace.

But analysts said the latest attack may have jeopardised those tentative efforts.

"There will be questions asked whether the Taliban are really serious about peace talks," said Rahimullah Yusufzai, an expert on the group.

Afghanistan Analysts Network said the Taliban's claim that the shooter, who officials said was a member of the wounded provincial governor's security team, had targeted Miller -- something the United States disputes -- would complicate the US position.

"It is difficult to imagine how the US government will be able to defend holding talks with an organisation that claims it attempted to kill the US supreme commander in Afghanistan," AAN said in a report.

Raziq, whose power extended beyond Kandahar to neighbouring provinces in southern Afghanistan, was either "respected or feared" by Afghans, said military analyst Atiqullah Amarkhail.

His death would be demoralising for beleaguered security forces and leave a dangerous power vacuum that would be difficult to fill.

"It will be hard for the government to find someone who could replace him as a powerful force against the Taliban," Amarkhail said.

Yusufzai said killing Raziq was "one of the Taliban's biggest achievements in this war".

"Expect a meltdown in Kandahar," a foreign diplomat told AFP.

"He was the one guaranteeing security in Kandahar."



But US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said Friday that Raziq's death would not fundamentally change the security situation in the province.

"It's a tragic loss of a patriot for Afghanistan. But I don't see it having a long term effect on our area," Mattis told reporters on the sidelines of a security summit in Singapore.

Miller made a public appearance in Kabul on Friday, visiting an Afghan security checkpoint where he expressed condolences over the "tragic event".

"My assessment is that I was not the target. It was a very close confined space. But I don't assess that I was a target," Miller told Afghan broadcaster Tolo

The government is now scrambling to secure the south on the eve of parliamentary elections that the Taliban has vowed to attack.

A spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said elections in Kandahar would be postponed for a week following the attack.

Preparations for the ballot, already more than three years late, have been marred by bloody violence and there are concerns that Raziq's death will deter even more voters from turning up at polling centres around the country.

Almost nine million people have registered to vote for the poll, which is seen as a crucial test for next year's presidential election.

Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded in poll-related violence. At least 10 candidates have been killed, most of them murdered.

"The Taliban would be very pleased that they've done this on the eve of the election," Yusufzai said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bulgarian prosecutors on Friday indicted a man accused of the rape and murder of a television journalist and the court hearing the case ordered him to remain in custody pending trial.

Severin Krasimirov, 20, was handcuffed and under heavy guard when he appeared before the regional court in the northern town of Ruse.

He told journalists that he had approached journalist Viktoria Marinova and hit her in the face.

"Yes, I am guilty. I am sorry, I can't believe I did this," he said.

Prosecutors called for him to be tried for Marinova's rape and murder.

According to media reports, he had already admitted that to police in Germany where he was arrested.

But he said he had not known that Marinova had died and denied raping her.

If convicted, Krasimirov faces a jail sentence of 10-20 years for the rape and a possible life sentence for the murder.

The body of the 30-year-old television presenter was found near a jogging path along the Danube in Ruse on October 6.

Authorities said she died from blows to the head and suffocation, and that she was raped after her death.

The case shocked Bulgaria and drew strong international condemnation as observers suspected a possible connection between the crime and Marinova's work. However investigators found no evidence to support this theory.

They said the crime appeared to be "a spontaneous attack".

Ruse prosecutor Kremena Kolitsova told the court that evidence and medical expertise showed the journalist had been punched seven times in the face and the resulting nasal fracture led to her suffocation.

Investigators said Marinova's blood had also been found on Krasimirov's clothes.

The prosecutor said the suspect should remain under arrest because of the risk of flight.

Krasimirov was arrested in the German town of Stade, near the northern city of Hamburg, on October 9, after leaving Bulgaria by car on the day after the killing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre has asked the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security in view of the continuing protests against the Supreme Court order allowing entry of women of all age groups to Sabarimala temple.

In an advisory, the Union Home Ministry also asked the three states to closely monitor the dissemination of various "adverse" messages through social media and the Internet services.

"All necessary precautionary measures may be taken to maintain law and order and appropriate security arrangements may be made to prevent any untoward incident," the advisory, sent by the internal security division of the home ministry, said.

The advisory said appropriate prohibitory orders be issued and a close watch may be kept on dissemination of "adverse information" through social media and internet services, to ensure that no breach of law and order takes place.

It also referred to campaigns of certain civil and women's rights activists, Left parties and fronts and pro-Left wing extremism groups in favour of women's entry into the shrine and actively using women to do so.

While opposing groups and activists have threatened that they would not allow entry of women inside the shrine, Hindu outfits plan to organise protest programmes against apex court order, it said.

"Separately, Ayyappa devotees, Hindu outfits and certain caste-based outfits have been organising state-wide protest against the Supreme Court order. Participation in these protests has ranged from 50-3000, including participation of sizeable number of women.

"Hindu outfits have also organised a few protest programme in neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka," the advisory said.

The Supreme Court has recently allowed women of the menstrual age group to visit Sabarimala Temple of Lord Ayyappa leading to the protests.

Two women reached the hilltop on Friday but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees.

A large number of devotees blocked the young women and police team escorting them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy 'pathinettam padi' (the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The former head of China's censorship apparatus, Lu Wei, pleaded guilty to accepting 32 million yuan (USD 4.6 million) in bribes at a trial Friday.

Lu, who oversaw a tightening of online censorship during his post at the Cyberspace Administration of China, was a fierce defendent of China's censorship policies.

In 2016, he stepped down from his post, and officials announced he was being investigated for suspected disciplinary violations the following year.

According to a post from Ningbo Intermediate People's Court's official Weibo account Friday, Lu was charged with accepting bribes from 2002 to the latter half of 2017.

Prosecutors said that Lu used his influence and position at various government organisations, including the Cyberspace Administration of China and Xinhua Agency, to help others in exchange for benefits.

At the end of the trial in Zhejiang province, Lu pleaded guilty and "repented in court", it said.

The former China internet tsar was once named among the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine.

He also met with several Silicon Valley executives, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who personally welcomed him to the company's Silicon Valley headquarters in 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China's former internet tsar Lu Wei on Friday pleaded guilty to accepting USD 4.6 million in bribes as the ruling Communist party initiated action against several officials for graft.

Lu, who headed China's powerful internet regulator Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), was accused of taking advantage of his positions to seek profits for others on matters such as network management and promotions.

He appeared in the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo in eastern Zhejiang province and admitted to the charges of accepting USD 4.6 million in bribes, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.

The court heard Lu's crimes that spanned in his decades-long career at the state agency Xinhua, the Beijing municipal party committee and government, the CAC and the party's Central Publicity Department.

Lu pleaded guilty to the charges and "expressed repentance", the court said, without setting a date for the sentencing.

As Lu pleaded guilty to the charges, the ruling Communist party announced action against several officials in its continued campaign against corruption.

Over a million officials have been punished in China since President Xi Jinping took over power in 2012.

Zhang Shaochun, a former vice minister of finance, was arrested on Friday on the suspicion of bribery, state-run Xinhua agency quoted the Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) as saying.

Zhang's case has been handed over to the procuratorial organ for review and prosecution, it said.

In another case, Bai Xiangqun, former vice chairman of north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, was expelled from the party and dismissed from office over serious violations of discipline and laws, the agency reported.

"Bai's illegal gains will be confiscated, and the case will be transferred to the judiciary," an official statement said.

Wang Xiaoguang, a former vice governor of China's Guizhou Province, was arrested for allegedly taking bribes and embezzlement, the SPP said.

Ai Wenli, former vice chairman of the Hebei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has been expelled from the party over serious violations of discipline and allegations of accepting bribes, the Xinhua reported.

Meanwhile, Grace Meng, the wife of former Interpol President Meng Hongwei, has alleged political persecution by the Chinese government.

On October 8, China said that Meng, also Vice Minister of China's Public Security, was detained in Beijing for investigations into corruption.

He was detained while he was on a visit to China.

Grace, who is still in France where the Interpol is based, told the BBC in an interview that she had no about Meng and she had been told that she is now the target.

"It is a political persecution. I am not sure whether he is alive. They are cruel. They are dirty," she said.

Grace also alleged that she has been receiving anonymous phone calls stating that two teams have been formed to target her in France.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China's grew at 6.5 per cent in the third quarter, posting slowest growth in nine years, amid intensifying with the US and the mounting local governments debt which rose to $ 2.58 trillion.

The GDP expanded by 6.5 per cent in the July-to-September period year-on-year, according to official GDP figures released by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Friday.

It's down from 6.8 per cent and 6.7 per cent in the first and second quarters, respectively.

The world's second-largest economy's third quarter growth was the weakest year-on-year expansion since 2009 global financial crisis.

The latest figures came as faced rising economic challenges including high debt levels and an intensifying tariff battle with Washington.

US President imposed additional tariffs on $ 250 billion worth of Chinese exports to force Beijing to cut about $ 375 billion bilateral trade deficit.

The NBS said the GDP expanded 6.7 per cent year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2018 to about 65.09 trillion yuan (about $ 9.38 trillion).

It said the pace was in line with market expectations and higher than the government's annual growth target of around 6.5 per cent.

The has expanded in a reasonable range and maintained a trend of overall stability and steady progress, China's statistical authority said, while acknowledging that the country faces more external challenges and rising downward pressure.

The service sector gained 7.7 per cent year-on-year in the January-September period, picking up from a 7.6-per cent increase in the first half, and outpacing 3.4 per cent in primary industry and 5.8 per cent in secondary industry.

Besides the China's spiralling local government debt remained a major concern of its slowing down as it has risen to $ 2.58 trillion according to recent figures released by the Ministry of Finance here.

A BBC report on the state of China's economy said that Beijing was not expecting to fight a at a time when it was trying to manage systemic risks in the economy.

They don't have a lot of options on the table. The country is saddled with extraordinary levels of debt so policymakers are reluctant to take measures to stimulate the economy the way they did after 2008, the report quoted observers as saying.

As the GDP figures pointing to further slowdown of the economy were released, top government officials stepped in to reassure the Chinese public about the state of economy amid the worst stock market performance.

Vice Premier Liu He, regarded as China's financial tsar, led a coordinated effort with the country's central and financial regulators on Friday to stem its worst stock market rout in three years, and extended a lifeline to businesses battered by a liquidity squeeze.

Chinese regulators have already sought measures to defuse risks related to shares used as collateral for loans, while the recent declines in the country's stock market have created a good buying opportunity, Liu a member of the politburo of the ruling Communist Party of China, told the People's Daily - the party mouthpiece.

"In terms of global asset allocation, China's stock market already has a pretty high investment value, with bubbles significantly contracting, the quality of listed companies improving and valuations at a historical low level. I believe that investors will make a rational judgment," Liu was quoted as saying by Hong Kong-based South Morning Post.

Earlier on Friday, the People's of (PBOC) as well as the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said they will ramp up support for private companies exposed to a liquidity squeeze caused by shares used as collateral for loans through easier lending.

Support from China's top leadership comes after the Composite Index fell to a four-year low this week, with sell-offs accelerating on mounting concerns that pledged shares will face forced sales and, thus, exacerbate declines, the Post reported.

Shares worth 4.5 trillion yuan ($ 648.6 billion) in market value have been used as collateral for loans a way of accessing funds used particularly by smaller listed companies, according to Essence Securities data.

This roughly equates to 13 per cent of the combined market capitalisation of stocks on the and exchanges. Unless loans are repaid or more collateral is added, the stocks can be liquidated by debtors, further weighing on already weak sentiment, the Post said.

Yi Gang, governor of the central bank, said Friday the PBOC will push for more debt and equity sales in the private sector to ease the funding crunch.

He also said the central will use various monetary tools, such as relending and medium-term lending facilities, to allow commercial lenders to advance more loans to private companies.

"The recent volatility in the stock market is mainly affected by investors' expectations and sentiment. In fact, China has good economic fundamentals, has made progress in preventing financial risks and has macro leverage ratio stability," he said.
Comoros President Azali Assoumani offered rebels on Anjouan island an amnesty to surrender weapons, aiming to end a week of violence between security forces and insurgent fighters, according to documents seen Friday.

"(Assoumani) is willing to offer immunity to any civilian who surrenders their weapon to military authorities," said the deal signed by the central government and the opposition-controlled Anjouan administration.

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Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani Friday said that the Congress had sidelined Sardar Patel and had promoted members of only one family.

Rupani was speaking at the flagging off function of the "Ekta Yatra" chariot in Bardoli town in Surat district.

The chariot, with a statue of Sardar Patel as well as an LED screen, will cover around 5,000 villages to make people aware of Patel's contribution in uniting the country.

The Ekta Yatra is being organised by the ruling BJP government ahead of the unveiling of the Statue of Unity, dedicated to Sardar Patel, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31.

The yatra will be held in two phases and would cover 10,000 villages in the state.

"Unfortunately, for 40 years, these people (Congress) did not put up Sardar Patel's portrait in the Parliament," Rupani told the gathering at Bardoli.

"They (Congress) only talked about one family. People were told the history of that family only. Sardar Patel was sidelined. Luckily, Modi ji has decided to give a fitting tribute to Sardar by making a grand statue of his, which, at 182 metres, is the tallest in the world," the Gujarat CM said.

The Statue of Unity is located on Sadhu Bet island near the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada River.

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People celebrated Dussehra with traditional pomp Friday and marked the victory of good over evil, but the festivities turned tragic in Amritsar where a train ploughed through a crowd of revellers killing at least 60 of them.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the celebrations at the Parade ground in New Delhi. They fired arrows to set the effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakarna ablaze.

PM Modi and President Kovind applied 'Tilak' on the forehead of participants playing the role of Ram, Sita and Lakshman at the stage amid the chants of Jai Shree Ram by the audience.

"I want to congratulate people of the country on the occasion of Vijayadashami that marks the victory of good over evil. The festival encourages good practices in our lives," Kovind said.

"One should take care that the celebrations do not cause pollution and inconvenience to others," he said.

In New Delhi, police made elaborate arrangements for the event which also led to disruption of traffic at various places. Long queues were seen at the Red Fort metro station after the event.

In Amritsar, at least 50 people were killed when a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a, officials said.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi also participated in the Dussehra celebrations at an event organised In New Delhi by the Shri Nav Dharmik Leela Committee.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh celebrated Dussehra with BSF jawans and performed 'shastra puja' in the forward post of Bikaner along the highly sensitive Indo-Pak border, officials said.

This was the first time a senior Union minister conducted the 'shastra puja' or worship of weapons on the occasion of Vijayadashami along India's border with Pakistan.

The home minister arrived at the frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) here last evening, an official said.

'Shastra puja' is part of the Dussehra festival which is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Ram over demon king Ravana.

Addressing the BSF personnel, the home minister praised the multi-dimensional role of the BSF in guarding the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders, maintaining law and order in internal disturbances and tackling the Left Wing Extremism.

Last year, the home minister had celebrated Dussehra at Joshimath in Uttarakhand along the Sino-Indian border.

In Himachal Pradesh, the week-long Dussehra festival in Kullu district began amidst elaborate security arrangements.

The internationally renowned festival is unique as it gets underway when Dussehra festivities culminate in the rest of the country and unlike other places, effigies of Ravan, Meghnad and Kumbhakaran are not burnt.

As part of the seven-day festival, around 300 deities will gather at the historic Dhalpur maidan to pay obeisance to lord Raghunath.

Traditional dances and folk songs will be performed by artistes from various parts of the hill-state and across the country.

Additional district magistrate (ADM) cum chief executive officer (CEO) of district disaster management authority (DDMA), Akshay Sood, said that a documentary, 'Pathways to Resilience' would also be screened during the festival to spread awareness about climate change and flash floods.

In Rajasthan, colourful effigies of Ravana along with the demon king's son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakaran were set on fire as people celebrated the festival.

Dusshehra fairs were organised at several places in the state including Adarsh nagar, Mansarover, Vidhyadhar Nagar, Malvia Nagar among others. Dressed in their festive best, people visited the fairs in large numbers.

The Rastriya Swamsevak Sangh (RSS) also conducted 'Shastra Puja' and took out a march at seven places.

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: An exclusive and certified 'Dog Park', billed as the countrys first and boasting of facilities including a walking track, off leash areas and a clinic was inaugurated at Kondapur here.

Spread across an area of 1.2 acres, the park was inaugurated by Telangana chief secretary SK Joshi, an official press release said Friday.

The Rs one crore park provides a healthy and safe open environment for the pets, principal secretary tomunicipal administration Arvind Kumar said on his twitter account.

A veterinarian and a trainer would be deployed at the park and vaccination would be administered to the pets free of cost, zonal commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Harichandana Dasari had said.

It also has dog training and exercise equipment, splash pool, two lawns, an amphitheatre, loo cafe, separate enclosures for big and small dogs among other facilities.

The location of the facility, certified by the Kennel Club of India, was earlier a garbage dump.

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Cyprus turned down appeals from the country's ailing airline Cobalt for more time to find investors as it withdrew the carrier's operating licence, officials said Friday.

"We wanted more time, but our licence was revoked," Cobalt's chairman Grigoris Diakos told state radio, a day after the carrier's sudden collapse.

"We asked for a suspension (of the licence), we needed two months to find a strategic investor after the Chinese investor pulled out," he added.

Diakos said there were "one or two serious proposals" from potential investors.

But the Cyprus Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) decided to revoke the licence, senior transport ministry official Alecos Michaelides said.

A temporary suspension was ruled out because there was no sign of a solid rescue plan.

"A company that is constantly posting losses, and especially losses of around 30 million (euros, or USD 34 million) a year over a three-year period, cannot survive," Michaelides told ANT1 television.

He said the strategic Chinese investors were estimated to have ploughed in USD 114 million, but losses had continued unabated.

Although the airline's licence has been revoked, it can reapply to resume operations once it finds the necessary financing, the government said, although it could also face legal action.

Cobalt Air ceased all operations at Wednesday midnight and entered an administration process, after only two years and three months of operations.

Transport Minister Vassiliki Anastassiadou has said USD 2.3 million have allocated for the repatriation of thousands of passengers left stranded by Cobalt's collapse.

Cyprus said it will pay to ensure hundreds of Cobalt passengers stranded on the holiday island can return home safely.

Cobalt was launched in 2016, filling the void to become the Mediterranean island's biggest airline after state-owned Cyprus Airways went bankrupt in January 2015.

It operated 13-15 flights daily, carrying up to 3,000 passengers to 23 destinations including Athens, Beirut, Heathrow, Paris and Tel Aviv. It had plans to launch flights to China.

Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, its website was replaced with a single-page statement announcing the cancellation of all flights within two and a half hours.

Cypriot MP George Prokopiou said 18,000 travellers had been affected by the airline's closure.

Cobalt ceased operations after failing to reach a deal with a potential strategic investor to help it pay for leasing its six aircraft -- two Airbus 319s and four Airbus 320s.

The airline's largest shareholder was AJ Cyprus, with 49 percent of the shares. AJ Cyprus is owned by China's AVIC Joy Air.

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A "top lieutenant" of the D-Company Dawood Ibrahim's organised crime and terror network - will stand trial in Britain in February 2019 in his extradition case brought by US authorities, a court here said on Friday.

Jabir Moti, alias Jabir Motiwala, was remanded in custody to appear for a case management hearing on November 12, before a three-day trial scheduled between February 25 and 27 next year.

Moti, who appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court via live video link from Wandsworth prison in south-west London on Friday, is facing extradition to the US on money laundering and extortion charges. The 51-year-old had been denied bail during previous hearings and did not make any further application for bail on Friday.

"As there is no bail application, I am remanding you in custody until November 12," Judge Tan Ikram said.

Moti's defence lawyer, Toby Cadman of Guernica law firm, told the court that his client had made an application in court to have his name changed on the case documents to Jabir Siddiq.

He also indicated that Moti's defence intends to depose a number of legal experts as witnesses in the case, with the key issues being "abuse of process and entrapment" by the authorities.

Moti, who was arrested by British police in August, is believed to be a top henchman of Ibrahim, a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

He was repeatedly denied bail at previous hearings, with his defence team even presenting a letter from the Pakistani High Commissioner among the many sureties that he would not jump bail and abscond.

At the last hearing in September, the Pakistan government had vouched for Moti's "good character", which was termed as "pretty unusual and unequivocal support" by his counsel.

However, Judge Emma Arbuthnot, who presided over that hearing, was unconvinced that Moti did not pose a "flight risk" and denied him bail.

The US extradition request follows an FBI investigation dating back to 2005 and Moti was arrested by Scotland Yard from a London hotel on August 17, having arrived in the UK on business on a 10-year visa.

The London court has been told that Moti had been under investigation by the FBI as a key aide of the D-Company, "named after the leader of the company based in Pakistan (Ibrahim)", associated with trafficking and money laundering through international smuggling routes across South Asia that were also linked to terrorist funding.

"For a fee, D-Company uses the power of violence for debt collection and has a reputation of intimidating members of the family of its debtors in India and Pakistan," the prosecution had said in its case summary.

In his interactions with undercover agents in the US and Pakistan, Moti allegedly admitted to being involved with narcotics and dealing with large amounts of cash and the court was told that it is believed he is behind nearly USD 1.4 million laundered to date.

Moti's defence team has disputed allegations of him being a key aide of the D-Company as "obvious nonsense", describing their client as a "man of exemplary character" who was a tax paying, prominent businessman based in Karachi and accredited as a stockbroker, with a family stockbroking business dating back to the 1950s in Pakistan.

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Delhi's air quality improved Friday after rainfall lashed parts of the national capital, but authorities warned that pollution could increase to "dangerous levels" in the next couple of days.

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 276, which falls in the poor category, according to the data from the Central Pollution Control Board.

However, data from the Centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research showed an AQI of 304, which falls in the very poor category.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".

On Wednesday and Thursday, the air quality had deteriorated to the very poor category, alarming authorities who were planning to roll out more stringent measures to combat pollution.

A senior official said rainfall in parts of Delhi on Thursday improved the air quality, cleansing the air of pollutants.

But he warned that the air quality would worsen in the next couple of days, especially the PM2.5 level which is expected to deteriorate to dangerous levels.

On Thursday, the PM2.5 (presence of particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) touched a new high at 158. The PM2.5, also called "fine particulates," can be a matter of more serious health concern than PM10.

While the air quality in Ghaziabad and Gurgaon continued to remain very poor category, the air quality in Noida improved to poor.

The PM10 level (presence of particles in the air with a diameter of less than 10 micrometres) in Delhi stood at 270 and the PM 2.5 level was recorded at 125, according to the data from SAFAR.

A Central Pollution Control Board official said a number of factors were responsible for the deteriorating air quality, including vehicular pollution and construction activities.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Friday warned that Delhi will become a "gas chamber soon" as the Centre, Punjab and Haryana governments did "absolutely nothing" for farmers involved in stubble burning.

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Devotees across West Bengal on Friday bade teary farewell to goddess Durga on 'Bijoya Dahasmi' as she went back to her abode in Kailash after her five-day-long annual sojourn along with her four children to her maternal home.

Following the Dashami rituals, clay idols of Devi Durga and her children were taken from beautifully decorated pandals and households for immersion in rivers and other waterbodies.

Women pay their obeisance to the goddess with betel leaves, betel nuts, turmeric and bael leaves, known as 'Debi Baran' and urge her to come back again next year.

In the metropolis, idols were taken in processions that included bands, colourfully decorated tableaus and people dancing to the beats of dhak, the traditional drum associated with Durga Puja, to the banks of river Hooghly for immersion.

The immersions will continue till well after midnight with most of the idols being taken to Babughat area on the bank of the Hooghly.

Similar rituals are witnessed all over West Bengal with idols being taken for immersion to river banks or other large waterbodies.

On the banks of river Icchamati on the Indo-Bangladesh border at Taki in North 24 Parganas district, the idols are brought on boats from both sides of the border and are immersed in the river.

The sight of the culturally similar people on both sides of the border together going through the rituals of immersion of the idols with equal fervour is a visual delight and is witnessed by thousands of tourists coming from various places.

People of all hues and age forgot their worries and monotonous daily chores as they participated in the almost week-long extravaganza, which is described as the largest community festival in the world by the West Bengal Tourism.

Part of the Durga Puja festivities are good food, merriment, night-long pandal hopping and an escape from the daily routine, which will all be missed along with the going back of Devi Durga with her four children - Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh, till the next year's 'Sharad Utsav'.

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EU member countries on Friday gave Brussels the green light to start talks with Washington aimed at ending a long-running row over US beef imports and at easing broader trade tensions.

The European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, can now proceed with its proposal to give Washington a larger share of an existing import quota for hormone-free beef.

The member states "authorised the Commission to open negotiations on an agreement with the United States on imports of high quality beef from animals not treated with certain growth promoting hormones," they said in a statement.

It stressed the negotiations will not lead to lifting the EU ban on hormone-treated American beef -- a restriction which Washington says breaches World Trade Organization rules.

"The ban remains," it added. The member states have allowed the commission to allocate the United States a larger part of the existing hormone-free beef quota that is also available to exporters from other countries.

"The Commission is not authorised to negotiate an increase in the existing TRQ (tariff rate quota) but can discuss a country-specific allocation of the overall quota," the statement added.

It said "negotiations with other supplying countries may be needed" to seal a deal with Washington that respects international trade agreements.

The row over hormone-treated beef dates back to 1988, when Europe banned imports of meat from animals injected with growth hormones, a common US practice.

In retaliation, and in line with a WTO ruling, in 1999 Washington imposed higher customs duties on some European products, provoking angry protests in France.

Under a compromise reached in 2009 and amended in 2014, the United States lifted the sanctions and the EU created an import quota for "high-quality" hormone-free foreign beef, including that from the United States.

But other producers such as Argentina, Australia and Uruguay seized a large share of the quota, prompting President Barack Obama's administration to threaten a renewal of the customs penalties.

Obama's successor Donald Trump has raised the spectre of a trade war with the EU since imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium this year.

In July, Trump and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker pledged to hold off from further tit-for-tat tariffs and to work towards scrapping customs duties on all goods.

But the trade truce came under pressure on Wednesday when top US officials slammed Brussels for stalling trade talks.

The member states said the talks on beef are not related to the broader dialogue but said "a mutually beneficial solution to our longstanding dispute over beef would be a major step forward in improving our trade cooperation.

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The European Union and Singapore signed a landmark trade deal on Friday on the sidelines of a Europe-Asia summit that Brussels hopes can be a rebuke to protectionism in Washington.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong signed the accord in Brussels with European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency.

Hailing the Singapore agreement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "we can make it clear that the world is about creating win-win situations."



These deals "make it clear that what benefits one, can also benefit the other," she added as she arrived for an EU-Asia summit where the deal was signed, in a tacit criticism of US President Donald Trump.

The text still needs to be validated by the European Parliament before it enters into force in 2019.

The leaders also signed of the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement, the more controversial aspect of the package as it sets up a special court to decide business conflicts.

After a successful battle spearheaded by environmental activists in Europe, this aspect of the deal must now face ratification by the EU's 28 member states, a process that could take months or years.

"It is a very important stepping stone, this is the most ambitious agreement we have ever made with a developing country so it sets the standard ... for whatever we do in the region," EU Trade Commission Cecilia Malmstrom said on Wednesday.

"What we have with Singapore is ... paving the way for a future region-to-region agreement," Malmstrom added.

The deal with Singapore came after the EU suspended effort to strike a bloc deal with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2009 amid widespread disagreements, including European concerns over Myanmar's human rights record.

The EU has instead pursued deals with individual ASEAN countries and concluded talks in 2015 with Vietnam.

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The Gulf countries have renewed their strong support to Moroccos territorial integrity and sovereignty over the Sahara before the fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly.

Member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait & Oman) have all welcomed Moroccos autonomy plan for the Sahara, describing it as a serious and credible initiative for the resolution of this regional conflict.

Putting aside their disagreements on a number of geostrategic issues, the GCC members have also unanimously voiced backing to Moroccos legitimate actions engaged against the enemies of its territorial integrity.

They hailed the socioeconomic development carried out in the Moroccan southern provinces and the freedoms enjoyed by the local inhabitants, saying that the autonomy plan offered by Morocco for the Sahara under its sovereignty is the only viable and realistic solution to this conflict.

The Moroccan plan, they added, is supported by the international community, the UN Security Council and human rights activists.

After several days of debates, the UN Fourth Committee adopted without a vote a resolution supporting the UN-led political process seeking to reach a fair, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to the Sahara conflict.

The Committee also urged all parties to fully cooperate with the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and his Personal Envoy for the Sahara Horst Kohler, and with each other, in a bid to reach a political solution that is mutually acceptable.
The most common form of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) originated in Europe and spread to Asia, Africa and the Americas with European explorers and colonialists, a study has found.

TB takes more lives than any other infectious disease and while its global burden has slowly declined over the past decade, the rise of antibiotic resistance (ABR) presents a major obstacle to its control, said researchers from University College London in the UK.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, is the most thorough genomic analysis to date of the most widespread form of TB, called Lineage 4 TB, and significantly adds to our understanding of the origin and subsequent spread of the most common form of TB.

The team also mapped the evolution of drug resistant strains to investigate the mechanisms of ABR and found that drug resistant strains of Lineage 4 TB have hardly spread beyond the country in which they originated more recently.

"Our findings strongly suggest that at least for Lineage 4, antibiotic resistance is a local challenge present in multiple countries and regions, but with minimal spread between them," said Vegard Eldholm from Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

"Therefore, countries that succeed in halting transmission of resistant strains within their territory should expect to see a massive decrease of drug resistant TB," Eldholm said.

"This is not to say that we should not be worried about the international spread of resistant strains, as these patterns might well change in the future, especially if the burden of antibiotic resistance keeps growing," Eldholm said.

The researchers analysed genome sequences of 1,669 samples of Lineage 4 TB taken at different points in time from Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, South America and North America.

These include samples taken from mummies hundreds of years old up to present day.

Each TB strain was positioned on a genetic family tree and its location was mapped geographically over time.

Of the seven lineage of TB, only Lineages 2 and 4 are truly global in their distribution, probably reflecting a combination of past human migrations and their more effective transmission relative to the other lineages.

Earlier studies have shown that the ancestor of all lineages of TB evolved in Africa 4000-6000 years ago and dispersed out of the continent to the rest of the world.

The new results demonstrate that Lineage 4 subsequently emerged in Europe around one thousand years ago before becoming the globally dominant form of TB.

They show that the earliest introductions of Lineage 4 into Africa happened in the Republic of Congo in the 15th century before spreading across the continent into South Africa, Uganda and Malawi in the late 17th century.

This closely mirrors the European colonial history in Africa south of the Sahara with early Portuguese forts and trading posts established on the Gold Coast (present-day Ghana) in 1482, which was followed by European colonial expansion and internal African migration.

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Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort will be sentenced on February 8 after being convicted of fraud charges, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Manafort, 69, appeared in a wheelchair for a scheduling hearing in the northern Virginia federal court, with reports quoting his lawyer as saying he has "significant" health issues that have arisen from his being jailed after his August 2018 conviction.

The former Republican consultant and advisor to former Ukraine strongman Viktor Yanukovych could spend the rest of his life in prison after being found guilty of eight counts of bank and tax fraud in a jury trial.

He came to the court wearing a green prison jumpsuit, after the judge earlier this week rejected his request to appear in a suit. Manafort is known for his expensive taste in hand-made Italian suits.

He is also awaiting sentencing in a separate case in the federal court in Washington on money-laundering charges related to tens of millions of dollars he moved through anonymous accounts in tax havens for his work for Yanukovych's political party.

In both cases, his sentence will depend on the extent of his cooperation with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign and Russia.

In a deal with prosecutors revealed on September 14, Manafort pleaded guilty to two counts in the Washington case and pledged to cooperate in Mueller's probe.

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British former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, a leading anti-Brexit advocate, said on Friday he would be starting a job at Facebook, as the US giant faces up to regulatory pressures.

"I am delighted to be joining Facebook. After almost 20 years in European and British politics, this is an exciting new adventure for me," Clegg wrote on his Facebook page.

Clegg said Facebook was "at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult questions we face" such as "privacy of the individual", "integrity of our democratic process", and "the balance between free speech and prohibited content".

The Press Association agency and the Financial Times said Clegg would be Facebook's new head of global affairs and communications and would move to California in January.

The 51-year-old is also a former European Commission trade negotiator and member of the European Parliament.

Clegg used to be head of the Liberal Democrats, a small opposition party, but was voted out of parliament in a 2017 election when the party suffered major setbacks.

The former politician has pushed for a second referendum that could stop Brexit but the proposal has been ruled out by Prime Minister Theresa May.

His most recent book is entitled: "How to Stop Brexit (And Make Britain Great Again".

"As someone who has spent a lifetime arguing for Britain's wholehearted commitment to Europe, it is of course a wrench to be leaving the public debate at a crucial time in the Brexit process," Clegg wrote on Friday.

"But the key decisions will soon pass to Parliament, of which I am no longer a Member, and once I had decided to take up this unique new challenge at Facebook, I felt it was best to get going sooner rather than later," he added.

Clegg speaks Dutch, French, German and Spanish, and joined the government after a 2010 election campaign characterised by "Cleggmania" over his superior performance in television debates.

He was badly damaged, however, by going back on a promise not to raise university tuition fees once in government.

The social network has faced several public relations crises in recent months and has instituted changes, particularly on privacy and the transparency of political campaign ads.

In September, it admitted that up to 50 million accounts had been breached by hackers.

It was also criticised for its handling of a data privacy scandal after it emerged that a British company called Cambridge Analytica had used data gathered through an app on Facebook to target voters in the US presidential election in 2016.

The company, along with other social media giants, has also been accused of allowing "fake news" to spread that manipulated public opinion ahead of Donald Trump's victory in that election.

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A former FBI agent who leaked internal documents showing how the agency used racial profiling in counter-terror investigations was sentenced to four years in prison Thursday.

In the third case this week to underscore the Trump administration's determined crackdown on media leaks, Terry Albury, a 17-year FBI veteran and son of an Ethiopian refugee, was ordered to prison for 48 months by a Minnesota judge after pleading guilty in the case.

"We are conducting perhaps the most aggressive campaign against leaks in department history," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a statement.

"Crimes like the one committed by the defendant in this case will not be tolerated -- they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and punished."



Albury was a special agent in the FBI Minneapolis field office in 2016 and 2017 when he leaked the agency's Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide to The Intercept.

The guide showed how the agency can use racial and religious profiling to target investigations, bend rules to infiltrate activist groups, and spy on journalists.

Albury's lawyers said that, as the only black field agent in the Minneapolis office, he took note of racist attitudes inside his squad and how these made it more difficult to gain the trust of the large Somali-American community in the area -- which had sent a number of young men to join jihadist groups Al-Shabab and Islamic State as fighters.

Albury's lawyer insisted that he was not seeking to divulge secrets but to advance discourse "about how to maintain the delicate balance between freedom and security." "He was endeavoring to resolve what for him became an insurmountable moral conflict between his role as an FBI agent sworn to uphold the written law and his personal commitment to social justice and human rights," they said.

Prosecutors however suggested that Albury had a vendetta against his employers and would have continued to leak secret documents.

The sentence was handed down one day after federal agents announced the arrest of a Treasury official for leaking documents to BuzzFeed, an Intercept competitor, on money transfers involving key figures in the Russia election collusion probe.

And on Monday, a US Senate staffer arrested this year over alleged leaks of classified information to his reporter girlfriend pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents.

His leaks, too, involved matters related to the Russia collusion investigation, which has seen several former aides of President Donald Trump convicted or plead guilty.

Nearly one year ago Sessions said the Justice Department had 27 open leak investigations.

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The Finance Ministry is banking on merger and acquisitions among CPSEs and share buybacks by state-run companies to meet the Rs 800-billion target for the current fiscal.

The government has raised more than Rs 96 billion through IPOs of three CPSEs and a tranche of Bharat-22 ETF in the first six months of the fiscal so far.

A Finance Ministry official said there are liquidity constraints in the market for the past 3-4 months and such conditions would persist till there are uncertainties in global markets and crude prices remain volatile.

"We will meet the target. We are looking at acquisition of some state-run companies with similarly placed CPSEs, like PFC and REC," the official said.

To kickstart the merger and acquisition process, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) will soon invite bids from merchant bankers and legal firms to handle consolidation, starting with two such deals.

The government is looking to sell its 65.61 per cent stake in state-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC) to Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), which could fetch about Rs 140 biilion the exchequer.

Besides, the Finance Ministry has alsoo shortlisted about a dozen Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), including Coal India, NTPC, Nalco and NMDC, for a possible buyback of shares in the ongoing financial year. The list also include BHEL, NHPC, NBCC, SJVN, KIOCL and Hindustan Aeronautics.

These CPSEs have been asked to buy back shares following the capital restructuring guidelines set out by DIPAM on May 27, 2016.

The guidelines mandate that CPSEs having net worth of at least Rs 20 billion and cash and bank balance of above Rs 10 billion have to mandatorily go in for share buyback.

The boards of three CPSEs -- NALCO, NLC and Cochin Shipyard-- have already approved share buybacks together worth Rs 20 billion.

"There will be about a dozen companies which will buy back shares. In view of the current market condition, we are not looking at any more IPOs and OFS at the moment," the official said.
Five journalists at a newspaper in the Democratic Republic of Congo were "abducted" on Friday, their managing editor said, after the publication of articles on the misappropriation of rations for police cadets.

The detentions come after a series of prosecutions of journalists in the troubled nation, which is just two months away from tense elections to replace President Joseph Kabila.

"The police proceeded early this morning to abduct five journalists from AfricaNews. Octave Mukendi, Bruce Landu, Roddy Bosakwa, Dan Luyila and Laurent Omba were taken to an unknown destination," AfricaNews managing editor Achille Kadima said in a statement.

The journalists had worked at the office of the tri-weekly newspaper overnight to finish the latest edition and were arrested on the premises.

The officers who took them did not show any documents, Kadima told AFP, adding that he had gone into hiding.

Earlier, he had written a letter to the national police chief complaining that police had conducted a "roundup" of copies of AfricaNews from newsstands.

On the front page of the current issue, the paper carried a story on an inquiry into misappropriation of police cadet rations, adding the head of the country's police academies had been summoned.

General Celestin Kanyama is under sanctions by the United States, which accused him of responsibility for a 2013-2014 police operation in which at least 50 young men and boys were reportedly killed and more than 30 others were forcibly "disappeared".

When approached by AFP over the case of the reporters, Kanyama said: "Stop your bullshit. Do not quote me over things I know nothing about."



DR Congo ranks 154th out of 180 countries on the Reporters Without Borders press freedoms index.

The media freedom group on Wednesday sounded the alarm over the case of reporter Sylvanie Kiaku, of the weekly La Percee, who has been detained for more than a week on charges of defamation, over two articles she wrote about redundancies at a local bank.

At the time it urged the authorities to release Kiaku pending trial and amend legislation "in order to guarantee the right of journalists to freely report the facts and expose abuses without fear of reprisals".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court here has awarded life imprisonment to four people for the kidnapping and murder of a property dealer.

Kuldip (45) of Amardeep Colony in the Azad Nagar area here was murdered on January 19, 2016.

Additional District and Sessions judge R K Jain on Thursday convicted and sentenced Ravinder alias Monu of Professor Colony (Hisar), Manoj Kumar of Talu village (Bhiwani) and Kuldeep and Jagbir of Sisai Bolan (Hisar).

All were convicted under sections 302 (murder), 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to the murder), 379 (theft), 420 (cheating) of the IPC.

The court also slapped a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh each and in case of default they would have to further undergo an imprisonment of another two and a half years.

According to the prosecution, Sudesh Kumar of village Badhawar (Hisar) had complained to the police that his uncle Kuldip (45) was sitting in his office situated on Kaimri Road on January 19, 2016, when four unknown persons came in a car.

They kidnapped and took him away to some unknown place in the car.

Later his body was found between Kaimri-Gangwa road, near here.

A case was registered at Sadar police station in this regard on January 19, 2016.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four French marines were injured in an accident involving a helicopter on an assault ship in the North Sea, the armed forces said Friday.

The accident took place about 70 nautical miles (about 130 kilometres) off the coast of Dunkirk on Wednesday night, when the combat helicopter attempted to take off from the Dixmude ship for a training flight, the military said in a statement on Twitter, without giving details.

The helicopter's crew escaped unharmed but four navy members working on the flight deck were injured, one seriously.

The seriously injured member was initially treated in the ship's hospital before being evacuated to a military hospital, the statement said, adding that the cause of the accident was being investigated.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four people including a woman were charred to death on Friday when a bus bound for Madurai rammed into a cargo truck near here resulting in the two vehicles going up in flames, police said.

The accident occurred when the bus hit the cement cargo-laden truck which was making a U-turn, police said adding, that it resulted in the fuel tank exploding, causing a fire. A total of 13 people were injured in the mishap, they said.

"The drivers of the two vehicles, a bus cleaner and a 25-year old woman passenger later identified as Monisha, a native of Aruppukottai were charred to death," a senior police official told PTI.

The luxury sleeper bus had 23 passengers onboard and most of them were asleep when the accident occurred at about 1.30 am, the official said.

A policeman who was among the passengers helped some of the occupants to exit through the emergency door of the bus.

The bodies of the dead were moved to a government hospital and their relatives were informed, police said.

The deceased woman had planned to visit her native place in view of the puja holidays, they added.

Of the 13 injured, a man suffered a fracture and a woman suffered mild burn injuries. While 11 of them were treated as outpatients at a government hospital, two others were referred to other hospitals.

Fire and rescue services personnel rushed to the spot and doused the flames while police personnel with the help of cranes removed the gutted vehicles from the National Highway.

The accident led to traffic congestion for some time, police said.

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Scientists have for the first time shown that DNA plays a significant role in whether young adults choose to go to university, which varsity they choose to attend and how well they do.

The researchers from King's College London in the UK found that genetic factors explained 57 per cent of the differences in A-level exam results and 46 per cent of the difference in achievement at university.

The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also found that genetics accounted for 51 per cent of the difference in whether young people chose to go to university and 57 per cent of the difference in the quality of the chosen university.

"We have shown for the first time that genetic influence on educational achievement continues into higher education," said Emily Smith-Woolley from King's College London.

"Our results also demonstrate that the appetite young adults have for choosing to continue with higher is, in part, influenced by their DNA," Smith-Woolley said.

The researchers also found that shared environmental factors -- such as families and schools -- influenced the choice of whether to go to university, accounting for 36 per cent of the differences between students.

In a previous study, the researchers also found shared environment accounts for almost 40 per cent of the differences in whether students chose to take A-levels.

However, shared environmental influences appear to become less important over time for educational achievement.

While shared environment accounts for up to 20 per cent of differences in achievement in secondary school, the researchers found the influence of shared environment dropped off for achievement at A-levels and was negligible for achievement at university.

"Unlike secondary school, where students tend to share educational experiences, university provides young people with greater opportunity to be independent and to carve out their interests based on their natural abilities and aptitudes," said Ziada Ayorech from King's College London.

"Students' unique environments -- such as new friends, and new experiences -- appear to be explaining differences in university achievement and the role of shared environment becomes less significant," Ayorech said.

Differences in the quality of university young people chose was strongly influenced by genetics (47 per cent) even after accounting for A-level achievement, suggesting factors other than ability play an important role in university choice.

The results were based on studying 3,000 pairs of twins from the UK as well as 3,000 genotyped individuals.

Comparing identical and non-identical twin pairs allows researchers to determine the overall impact of genetics on how much people differ on measures like exam scores.

If identical twins' exam scores are more alike than those of non-identical twins this implies the difference between twin pairs is due to genetic factors, researchers said.

Twin studies are not able to identify specific genetic variations which are linked to educational achievement, they said.

The researchers were able to demonstrate a small genetic effect on university success just using DNA from individuals.

They used 'genome-wide polygenic scores', which add-up the effects of thousands of DNA variants which have previously been linked to educational success in large genetic studies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
U.S. President Donald Trump Thursday embraced international concerns that the Saudi journalist and critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman was murdered after he entered the Saudi consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul on October 2, saying that the crime will meet very severe consequences if it is confirmed.

Speaking to reporters at Andrews Air Force Base over the possible gruesome death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi who has gone missing for two weeks, Trump said: It certainly looks that way to me. It is sad, he added.

It is the first time Trump is siding with reporters and Turkish investigators stance that the U.S. resident and contributor for The Washington Post is likely to have been slain and dismembered after he entered his countrys diplomatic mission in Istanbul.

Trump, since the outbreak of the scandal has appeared not to be tough on Saudi Arabia which Turkish investigators, rights groups and journalist organizations believe to have masterminded Khashoggis disappearance after Turkish media, close to the Turkish state, published photos of a five-man hit squad team whose members are known as security aids of Mohamed bin Salman.

The men, according to the Turkish investigation team, entered the consulate few hours before the dissident journalist stepped in, leaving his Turkish fiancee outside the compound.

Tuesday, Turkish Sabah Daily mentioned Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, a Saudi security official who had been spotted in the entourage of the Saudi Crown Prince during several of his international trips including his recent highly promoted trip to the U.S.

Mutreb is believed to be the hit squad leader. He reportedly walked into the consulate at 9:55 a.m. with several men, just few hours before Khashoggi arrived at the mission at 1pm local time.

Closed-circuit TV footage according to the media showed Mutreb outside the consuls residence, then later at the hotel near the Saudi mission where he stayed after arriving in Turkey. He was later seen with a large suitcase and finally at the airport in the early evening.

Trump on Wednesday denied he was giving any cover for its most important Gulf ally after he said the world should exercise caution despite mounting evidences.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who met with the Saudi Crown Prince and Turkish top authorities early this week, briefed Trump on Thursday and told reporters that the U.S. would give ally Saudi Arabia a few more days to probe Khashoggis alleged murder.

I told President Trump this morning we ought to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we too have a complete understanding of the facts, he said.

The US top diplomat said the White House will only state its position whether to apply sanctions at the end of the ongoing investigation, in which, he said, Riyadh promised collaboration.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, joined key European partners, western bankers and media firms in pulling out of a major economic forum in Riyadh, the Future Investment Initiative (FII), nicknamed Davos in the desert, in response to the alleged murder of the Saudi journalist.
The Delhi High Court has upheld the termination of services of 16 CISF personnel who were suffering from colour blindness or defective vision.

A bench of justices Hima Kohli and Rekha Palli said once the authorities had specifically prescribed a set of medical standards for recruitment, it is not open to the court to tinker with those standards.

The bench noted that the policy guidelines laid down by the Ministry of Home Affairs in February 2013 left no manner of doubt that any person who had a defective vision or was colour blind was ineligible for recruitment in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) or Assam Rifles.

Sixteen CISF personnel had approached the court challenging September last year's orders by which they were terminated from the armed force.

They had also challenged the order by which the appeal against their termination was rejected by the Inspector General of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The affected personnel contended that the authorities' action of terminating their services after finding them medically fit in the initial medical examination was arbitrary and illegal.

They said the termination was at a belated stage when they had already undergone training for three to five months and it was unfair and stigmatic as now they had become overage for any other recruitment.

The bench said if any person was wrongly recruited despite having the defects of colour blindness, he was to be promptly removed from service, as soon as the defect was noticed, and appropriate disciplinary action for major penalty was required to be initiated against the doctor who had declared him fit.

"The aforesaid guidelines are not under challenge before us and therefore, on this ground alone, the challenge of the petitioners is liable to fail as it has neither been urged before us that the petitioners are not suffering from colour blindness, nor it has been contended that the aforesaid guidelines are inapplicable to them," the bench said.

The bench said there was no merit in the petition which was dismissed as being without merit.

Following an advertisement in January 2015 by the authorities, the 16 persons had applied for the post of constable in the CISF.

They cleared the written examination and after undergoing the medical exam in May, 2016, they were found fit, selected and offered the post of constable (GD) in the CISF as per the merit list published in February, 2017.

They were issued appointment letters on March 15, 2017 and directed to report at their respective recruitment training centres for basic training. The letters specified that they would be on probation for two years.

After they reported at the training centres, a colour blindness test of all the recruitees was conducted at the CISF Hospital of the centres and the petitioners were found to be suffering from defective colour vision.

However, before taking any action to terminate their services, they were re-examined by a review medical board and were against declared unfit due to defective colour vision and their services were terminated.

The court said the facts show that these personnel were recruited after a condition was introduced in the policy guidelines of February 27, 2013 specifically prohibiting the recruitment of persons suffering from colour blindness or defective vision.

"Even otherwise, we are of the view that once the respondents (authorities) have specifically prescribed a set of medical standards for recruitment, it is not open to the court to tinker with the said standards or to hold that the action of the respondents in terminating the services of the petitioners, who admittedly did not meet the criteria prescribed in the guidelines, is in any manner illegal," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Sabarimala temple complex witnessed high drama and tense moments Friday when two women reached the hilltop with heavy police escort, but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees.

As the two were returning, a 46-year-old woman also made an attempt to trek the forest path from downhill Pamba to the temple complex five km away, but retracted following protests from devotees.

In a significant development, the Travancore Devaswom Board, that manages the shrine, said it would approach the Supreme Court to defuse the tense situation prevailing in the state after the government decided to implement the apex court order on entry of women of all age groups into the shrine.

In an advisory, the Union Home Ministry has asked asked Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security in view of the continuing protests against the SC verdict.

Earlier in the day, when the two women, one identified as a Hyderabad based reporter in her late 20s, and a Kochi based activist reached the hilltop, a large number of devotees blocked them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy 'pathinettam padi' (the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum.

The devotees, including senior citizens and children chanting Ayyappa mantras, protested the entry of women of menstrual age group into the shrine.

Tension was defused after the women agreed to return as the state government made it clear it did not want to take them to the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, by using force against the protesting devotees.

The firm stand taken by the 'tantri' (head priest) that he would close the temple if the women were escorted into the sanctum sanctorum also persuaded them to return as per instructions of the police.

Though the women had earlier insisted they should reach the shrine, police later convinced them about the gravity of the situation and conveyed the stand taken by the government and the head priest.

If they had reached the shrine, they would have been the first women from the menstruating age group to visit the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala after the apex court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

Inspector General S Sreejith, who led the police team escorting the women, later told reporters the women expressed their willingness to go back.

"The tantri has informed me that he will close the temple and go if the women enter the shrine complex. It was conveyed to the women and they have expressed their willingness to go back. We will give them protection in the same manner to climb down the hills," he said.

Devotees received his announcement with thunderous chanting of "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa".

Besides devotees, a group of "parikarmies", temple employees assisting priests in puja, also squatted on the holy steps and protested taking the women to the shrine complex.

As the situation appeared to be going out of control with the protesters blocking the way sitting on the floor, Sreejith told them they were only implementing the law but there was no plan to go forward by hurting their sentiments.

State Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was in Thiruvanathapuram, said the government was not ready to use force and hurt the sentiments of devotees.

He also said one of the women was later identified as an activist and holy Sabarimala was not a place to show their strength and activism.

"The government has the duty and responsibility to implement the Supreme Court order and give protection to devotees but not for activists," Surendran said.

"Police should have examined the veracity and background of the women who came to trek to the shrine," he added.

With the protests at Sabarimala intensifying, the state police chief Loknath Behera called on the governor P Sathasivam and updated him about the situation.

"This follows the Honorable governor seeking information about the law and order situation in Sabarimala and adjoining areas in the wake of the protests against the possible entry of women into the temple," a Raj Bhavan release said.

Behera explained that the situation was under control and that police were equipped to provide protection to genuine devotees who wanted to offer prayers at Sabarimala, it said.

However, the feelings of the devotees present there were also being considered, he informed the governor.

TDB president Padmakumar said the board would file a detailed report in the apex court on the situation at Sabarimala and adjoining areas when the government tried to implement the order. It would also file a similar report in Kerala High court with a view to resolving the present crisis.

"TDB is for resolving the issue and there is no politics for the board..."



Asked if the board would file a review plea against the apex court order, he said the TDB was a respondent in all the review petitions filed against the present judgment and now pending in the supreme court.

Opposition Congress and BJP flayed the Left government for allegedly extending support to bring 'activists' to Sabarimala temple, hurting the sentiments of devotees.

Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala alleged that the BJP-RSS combine was trying to inflame communal passion over the matter.

Madhavi, a devotee from Andhra Pradesh, and a New Delhi-based woman journalist were also forced to return following intense protests by devotees in the past two days.

Meanwhile, Pathanamthitta district collector P B Nooh said the situation was under control.

Orders prohibiting assembly of more than four people, which were promulgated in the temple complex, Pamba and Nilackal, have been extended for three days till October 22.

Genuine devotees have been exempted from its purview.

Kerala has been witnessing massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Sabarimala temple since the government decided to implement the apex court order.

The devotees had intensified the agitation at the shrine complex and nearby areas including the base camps, Nilackal and Pamba, since the shrine was opened for the five-day monthly puja on October 17.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ending hours-long drama and tense moments at Sabarimala, two women reached the hilltop on Friday but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees.

A large number of devotees blocked the young women and police team escorting them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy 'pathinettam padi' (the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum.

The women were identified as a reporter from Hyderabad in her late 20s and an activist from

The devotees, including senior citizens and children, protested against the entry of women of menstrual age group into the hill shrine.

Tension was defused after the women agreed to return as the state government made it clear it did not want to take them to the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, by using force against the protesting devotees.

The firm stand taken by the 'tantri' (head priest) that he would close the temple if the women were escorted into the sanctum sanctorum also persuaded them to return as per instructions of the police.

Though the women had earlier insisted they should reach the shrine, police later convinced them about the gravity of the situation and conveyed the stand taken by the government and the head priest.

If they had reached the shrine, they would have been the first women from the menstruating age group to visit the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala after the order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

Inspector General S Sreejith, who led the police team escorting the women, later told reporters the women have expressed their willingness to go back.

"The tantri has informed me that he will close the temple and go if the women enter the shrine complex. It was conveyed to the women and they have expressed their willingness to go back. We will give them protection in the same manner to climb down the hills," he said.

Devotees received his announcement with thunderous chanting of "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa".

Earlier besides devotees, a group of "parikarmies", temple employees assisting priests in puja, also squatted on the holy steps and protested against taking the women to the shrine complex.

As the situation appeared to be going out of control with the protesters blocking the way sitting on the floor, Sreejith told them they were only implementing the law but there was no plan to go forward by hurting their sentiments.

State Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was in the state capital, told mediapersons that the government was not ready to use force and hurt the sentiments of devotees.

He also said that one of the women was later identified as an activist and holy Sabarimala was not a place to show their strength and activism.

"The government has the duty and responsibility to implement the order and give protection to devotees but not for activists," Surendran said.

"Police should have examined the veracity and background of the women who came to trek to the shrine," the minister added.

Madhavi, a devotee from Andhra Pradesh, and a New Delhi-based woman journalist were also forced to return following intense protests by devotees in the past two days.

has been witnessing massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the since the government decided to implement the apex court order.

The devotees had intensified the agitation at the shrine complex and nearby areas including the base camps, Nilackal and Pamba, since the shrine was opened for the five-day monthly puja on October 17.
India's outgoing High Commissioner Y K Sinha has said the UK will find India a reliable partner whatever turn its exit negotiations with the European Union (EU) may take.

Speaking at one of many farewell events being organised here to mark his retirement from the Indian Foreign Service at the end of this month, the diplomat described his UK posting as the "crowning glory" of his 37-year career because he leaves at a time when UK-India relations are poised to "reap the dividends across the board".

"We are very hopeful that after Brexit, whatever turn it takes, the UK will find India as a very reliable partner," Sinha said while addressing a Conservative Friends of India (CFIN) event.

"Within the Commonwealth, India is the largest member-state in terms of population and the fastest growing economy. And, in the not-too-distant future, we will be the number one economy in the Commonwealth. So, we will be the engine that drives the Commonwealth and the global economy," he noted.

The CFIN, as the group set up to foster Britain's ruling Conservative Party's connect with the Indian diaspora, had organised the farewell in London earlier this week attended by senior government and Tory party figures such as Secretary of State for International Development Penny Mordaunt and MPs Bob Blackman and Paul Scully.

"I can't be partisan, but I would say the Conservative Party of late has been very receptive to the concerns of the Indian diaspora and India-UK relations, and the government has made an extra effort to reach out," Sinha said.

CFIN co-chair Rami Ranger praised the diplomat's hard-work in fostering closer India-UK ties and building a "magnificent" connect between the Indian diaspora and the Indian High Commission in London.

Among a series of farewell receptions this month, the diplomat was also hosted by leading industrialist G P Hinduja, who called for longer terms for Indian High Commissioners in the UK.

"High Commissioners' tenure should be a minimum of five years so they don't leave soon after setting the ball rolling and before it reaches the goal post," said Hinduja, the Co-Chair of the Hinduja Group.

Sinha will retire at the end of the month, with his successor Ruchi Ghanashyam set to take charge in early November.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and China are in regular contact over the situation arising out of a landslide blocking the main stream of Brahmaputra river in Tibet, the Ministry of External Affairs said Friday.

MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said all relevant authorities of the central government and state governments concerned have been apprised about the emerging situation to enable them to take necessary precautionary measures.

"On October 17, the Chinese side informed us about a landslide blocking the main stream of Yarlung Zangbo/Brahmaputra River in the Tibet Autonomous Region," he said.

"Based on the information provided, all relevant authorities of the central government and concerned state governments have been apprised about the emerging situation to enable them to take necessary precautionary measures in this regard. We are in regular contact with the Chinese side for further updates," he said.

Kumar was responding to media queries about the landslide in Tibet.

Yarlungzangbo river, originating at southeast of Mount Kailash and Manasarovar in Tibet, is the upper stream of the Brahmaputra river which passes through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam.

Sources said the landslide has occurred at a very remote location which is physically inaccessible. They said the Chinese side is extending all cooperation in sharing relevant information with India.

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Indiabulls Housing Finance Friday said the company will make a detailed presentation on top 25 developer loans to its debt investors (mutual funds and insurance firms), following recent rumours regarding the lending to developers.

"To assuage any concerns that may have arisen due to rumours, the company is taking a proactive step for making a detailed presentation to its debt investors (mutual fund and insurance companies) of the top 25 developer loans of Indiabulls Housing Finance, the other lenders to these developers, the LTV (loan to value) and details of the security package including LRD assets and residential units mortgaged with Indiabulls Housing Finance for each of these loans," it said in a regulatory filing.

When contacted what are the specific rumours, a company official said it is regarding to concerns stemming from its exposure to Supertech Group, whose credit ratings have been downgraded to default.

"Further, we wish to highlight that average LTV of the top 25 Developer Loans is 43 per cent and all top 25 Developer Loans are standard," the company said in the filing.

In a separate filing, the company said: "This is in reference to some media coverage on developer loans of Housing Finance Companies. We would like to highlight...The portfolio comprises of leading developers only in the metro cities of the National Capital Region [NCR], Mumbai Metropolitan Region [MMR], Chennai, Bangalore, Pune and Hyderabad".

Every developer in the portfolio has multiple lending relationships with leading banks, private equity partners and financial institutions. Not a single developer in our portfolio has had Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd as its sole lender, it added.

The company also said that majority of the portfolio is backed by lease rental discounting assets with leading multinational companies and Indian corporates as the tenants of the building.

"Such leased rental assets are cross-collateralised with construction-linked loans of the developers. The average Loan-to-Value [LTV] in the developer portfolio is 43 per cent. The collateral of leased buildings, ready apartments and under-construction apartments are mortgaged with Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd on exclusive basis," the firm said.

The housing financier added that it does not give any loans on charge with any other lenders and originates these loans directly.

Neither does the company buy developer loans from other lenders nor does it sell its developer loans to other lenders, it added.

"Every loan in the developer portfolio has dedicated escrow accounts with exclusive charge of Indiabulls Housing Finance into which cash flows are directly deposited by either tenants occupying the buildings, or home buyers in the construction-linked loans.

"The developer has no control whatsoever on the cash flows being received in the escrow account with Indiabulls Housing Finance directly from the tenants of the building or from the home buyers in an under-construction project till such time the Indiabulls Housing Finance's loan is paid back in full," it added.

It is to be noted that the housing finance market is already under stress post the IL&FS crisis.

Stock of the company slumped over 17 per cent to close at Rs 654.25 on BSE.

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An Indian-American woman has been honoured with a Presidential award by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for her extraordinary contribution towards combatting in Houston.

Minal Patel Davis, Special Advisor on to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, received the 'Presidential Medal for Combating Human Trafficking' in the White House last week at a ceremony also attended by President Donald Trump.

"It was unbelievable," said Davis after winning the award, the country's highest honour in the field.

"My parents came here from India. I was the first one in my family born in the United States, so to end up in the Mayor's office a few years ago, and then to now end up in the White House, it was unbelievable," she said.

Appointed in July 2015, Davis has made a local impact on in America's fourth-largest city from a policy-level perspective and by helped in advancing systems change.

She is currently implementing Mayor Turner's Anti-Human Trafficking Strategic Plan, which is the first comprehensive municipal response to human trafficking by a city.

Davis has spoken at several local, national and panels and presented Houston city's approach.

She is a past speaker at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit and recently travelled to India and Canada at the request of the State Department to discuss municipal leadership in trafficking with the government officials.

Davis did her MBA from the University of Connecticut and BA from New York University.
An Indian-origin ringleader is among 16 men jailed for a combined period of over 200 years for being part of a grooming gang which sexually abused vulnerable young girls in the West Yorkshire region of England.

Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 35, was jailed for life with a minimum of 18 years behind bars, with other members of the gang jailed for between five and 18 years in jail at Leeds Crown Court.

The court had been hearing the cases since the beginning of January and were told of the men's years of repeated serious sexual abuse of the girls, supplying them with drugs and alcohol and trafficking them across the West Yorkshire region for their sexual gratification.

The third trial in the case concluded on October 8, with reporting restrictions imposed on the entire case by the judge lifted only on Friday.

"The investigation into this case has been extremely complex and the investigative team have worked tirelessly for the past five years to ensure that no stone has been left unturned. We welcome the convictions and sentences which have been passed down throughout the year to these depraved individuals, who subjected vulnerable young children to unthinkable sexual and physical abuse," said Detective Chief Inspector Ian Mottershaw, from West Yorkshire Police, who led the investigation.

"I hope the outcomes of these trials will enable the victims to start the process of putting this trauma behind them and reassure any other potential victims that we will treat them with the utmost respect and sensitivity and take positive action against perpetrators," he said.

Jailing the men, who are all of South Asian origin including Pakistani-origin men, Judge Geoffrey Marson said: "The way you treated these girls defies understanding; this abuse was vile and wicked. As cases of sexual abuse with which the courts have to deal, this case comes top of the scale".

Ringleader Dhaliwal, a married father of two, had been charged with 21 counts of rape, assault by penetration, four counts of sexual assault, five counts of inciting sexual activity with a child, 13 counts of trafficking for sexual exploitation, three counts of making indecent images, one count of inciting child prostitution, two offences of administering a substance with intent to commit a sexual act and a racially aggravated assault.

As Dhaliwal was sentenced, the judge added, "The extent and gravity of your offending far exceeds anything which I have previously encountered. Children's lives have been ruined and families profoundly affected by seeing their children, over months and years, out of control, having been groomed by you and other members of your gang".

A further four men found guilty will be sentenced on November 1 at Leeds Crown Court and have been remanded in custody. All 20 men will also be handed down indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, put in place to prevent them from any unsupervised contact with female children under 18.

The convictions follow an "extensive and extremely complex and sensitive investigation" conducted by detectives in Kirklees district of West Yorkshire, spanning nearly five years, in order to bring a case in front of a judge.

In 2013, the first report was made to the police by a victim and since that point, police identified 15 victims and pieced together the investigation.

The location of the crimes was around Huddersfield and all suspects originate from that town. The offences committed occurred between 2004 and 2011 against girls aged between 11 and 17.

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Mumbai City FC defeated arch-rivals FC Pune City 2-0 to record their first win in the Indian Super League here on Friday.

For Mumbai, Modou Sougou (25th minute) and Rafael Bastos (45th minute on penalty) were on target.

Mumbai after their first win are now placed sixth with three points from as many games while Pune are currently ninth with a point from two games.

Pune began on an attacking note as skipper Emiliano Alfaro's header off a cross from Lalchhuanmawia Fanai in the first minute went wide.

In the fifth minute, Mumbai earned a free kick, but Paulo Machado's shot sailed above the cross-bar. In the 10th minute, Machado set up Arnold Issoko, who tried a volley but the Pune defender Adil Khan managed to clear it.

Pune were also creating chances and their best came in the 21st minute. Alfaro kept a cross from the left-flank but Nikhil Poojary's attempt was off target.

Mumbai's repeated raids finally paid off in the 25th minute when Senegalese Sougou broke the deadlock.

Machado cross from wide left hit the post and Sougou tapped it on a rebound to get his team the lead.

Three minutes later, it could have been 2-0, but a long-ranger from Issoko was saved by custodian Vishal Kaith.

Pune again created a chance to equalize when Fanai from the left flank lofted a cross to Poojari, but Amridner Singh made a good save.

In the 45th minute, Bastos converted a spot-kick to make it 2-0 after an onrushing Sougou was felled by Fanai with a rash sliding tackle as referee pointed at the dreaded spot.

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The Stanford researchers decided to ask about Juul as part of a tobacco-use study they have been conducting in 10 California high schools. In the first phase of the study, completed in 2014 and 2015, more than 700 students in ninth or 12thgrade answered questions about their use and perceptions of tobacco products. The new findings come from follow-up questionnaires completed by 445 participants from this study. They were in 12thgrade or a few years out of high school when the new data were collected.

Participants answered questions about whether they had ever heard of Juul; if and how often they used conventional cigarettes, Juul or other types of e-cigarettes; their use of flavored e-cigarette products; their perceptions of the social acceptability of the various products; and their perceptions of the products risks and benefits. Participants who used any form of e-cigarette also completed a standardized questionnaire to assess their degree of nicotine dependence.

About half of the participants had heard of Juul, and 15.6 percent had used the brand. Other e-cigarettes were used by 30.4 percent of participants, while conventional cigarettes were smoked by 24.3 percent of participants. About two-thirds of the participants who used these products used more than one type of product: some combination of Juul, other e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes.

The participants reported using Juul about twice as often as smoking conventional cigarettes when asked about use of tobacco products over the past seven or past 30 days.

Believed to be less harmful

Participants thought Juul e-cigarettes were less harmful or addictive than other products mentioned in the survey. However, among the participants who had tried Juul, 58.8 percent reported that they had used Juul within the last 30 days. Among participants who had tried other e-cigarettes or conventional cigarettes, 30.1 percent and 28.3 percent, respectively, reported use within the last 30 days. This was the most striking difference between Juul users and users of other e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes, and it raises concerns about higher rates of addiction among Juul users, Halpern-Felsher said. Answers to the validated questionnaire about loss of autonomy over nicotine use suggested similar levels of nicotine dependence between Juul users and those using other e-cigarettes, she noted, although the sensitivity of the questionnaire may have been limited by the relatively small number of participants.

The studys results emphasize the need for clear public-health messages about the risks of new types of e-cigarettes, including Juul, the researchers said. The absence of clear messaging is interpreted as safety among adolescents, McKelvey said. Nicotine-containing products are particularly risky for teens, she added. The earlier youre exposed to nicotine, the higher the likelihood that youll be addicted throughout your life.

Teachers and parents also need better information, Halpern-Felsher said. We need to get in front of identifying and explaining new and different nicotine-containing products so that we can regulate them and protect youth from using them, she said. It took quite a while for teachers to start realizing that this product [Juul] existed and that what they were seeing in classrooms were not USBs.

Halpern-Felsher and her team have developed a free tobacco prevention toolkit that is available online for educators, parents and others working with young people.

Mike Baiocchi, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, was also an author of the paper. Baiocchi is a member of Stanford Bio-X, and Halpern-Felsher is a member of the Stanfords Child Health Research Institute and the Stanford Cancer Institute.

The research was funded by the National Cancer Institute (grant 1P50CA180890), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products, and the Child Health Research Institute.

Stanfords Department of Pediatrics also supported the work

Other research on e-cigarettes

Also publishing Oct. 19 is a commentary by Halpern-Felsher about a tobacco-prevention curriculum developed by Juul. The commentary, which will appear in the Journal of Adolescent Health, expresses concern about several aspects of Juuls curriculum. Juul provides schools with a financial incentive of $10,000 to use its curriculum and does not follow best practices in adolescent tobacco education, according to the commentary.

For example, the curriculum does not discuss the role of industry in marketing tobacco- or nicotine-containing products to youths, makes little mention of Juul by name, and does not discuss why young people use e-cigarettes or mention that flavored products such as Juul may be especially appealing to them. The co-author of the commentary is Jessica Liu, a graduate student at Yale University who completed a summer internship in Halpern-Felshers lab.

Earlier this month, the researchers also published a study in Addictive Behaviors exploring teens perceptions of advertising for flavored e-cigarette liquids. E-cigarette manufacturers, including Juul, claim that their flavors are not marketed to teens. Yet when asked to view ads for flavored e-cigarette liquids, most of the 255 teenage participants in the study said they believed the ads were targeted at their age group. McKelvey is the lead author of this study and Halpern-Felsher is the senior author. Other Stanford co-authors are Baiocchi; research associate Divya Ramamurthi; and Sheila McLaughlin, a program coordinator in pediatric and adolescent medicine.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Friday said he was saddened by the train tragedy in Amritsar in which at least 52 people were crushed to death while celebrating Dussehra.

In a statement, Das prayed for peace of the souls of the deceased and strength to their family members at this hour of grief.

At least 52 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near Amritsar.

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The JNUSU on Friday accused JNU's Dean of School of Social Sciences of ridiculing and insulting a few assistant professors during an orientation session.

Pradipta Chaudhary, the dean, denied the allegations and said the JNUSU is spreading lies.

Chaudhary was taking orientation of assistant professors from different parts of the country at the Academic Staff College, the JNUSU said.

His lecture was on Caste, Class and Public Policy in India.

In the course of his lecture, he made a comment on caste, that was contested by one of the participants, who requested for an answer, the JNUSU said.

Out of anger, Chaudhary shouted at the person and told him to stay quiet or leave the room. "The dean went on and tried to push the person out of the class. Earlier in the same session, he had ridiculed the English of a Assistant Professor who asked another question," they said.

While these things were happening, all the participants opposed the Dean unitedly and demanded for an apology which he refused to give, they said.

He only continued to display his arrogance to which the participants protested. The director and course coordinator later on offered the participants an apology, they claimed.

A professor, who was part of the orientation programme and saw the incident said most of the classes were focussing on establishing the idea of a mythical golden past and claimed Chaudhary was not taking questions from participants and was inclined towards ridiculing them.

"When the professor presented the notion of Bharathavarsha invoking Kalidasa, a Delhi university Hindi professor who has profound grip on Kalidasa's works asked him a question, to which the professor responded like 'The 'badtameez' people like you should not be there in class, you don't even know English'," he said. This made the entire class erupt in protest.

However Chaudhary said he was discussing about Damodar Dharmananda Kosambi's book 'An Introduction to the Study of Indian History' and citing the book, he was telling professors that Ashoka was the first ruler to think about the welfare of his subjects.

"The JNUSU is telling lies. The professor said I was telling lies about ancient history without evidence," Chaudhary said.

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Actor Kristen Bell has concerns with regards to certain Disney films and believes they are problematic.

In an interview with Parents magazine, Bell, 38, voiced her concerns about "Snow White" and the message it sends to children, including her two daughters.

"Don't you think that it's weird that the Prince kisses Snow White without her permission? Because you cannot kiss someone if they're sleeping!" Bell said.

Bell said the part when Snow White eats an apple from the witch -- a stranger -- is also troubling.

"Everytime we close Snow White I look at my girls and ask 'Don't you think it's weird that Snow White didn't ask the old witch why she needed to eat the apple? Or where she got the apple?'



"I say, 'I would never take food from a stranger, would you?' And my kids are like, 'No!' And I'm like, 'OK, I'm doing something right,'" Bell said.

Her comments come after actor Keira Knightley revealed that she has "banned" her daughter from watching classic Disney films like "Cinderella" and "The Little Mermaid".

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Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Friday inaugurated the National Urban Health Mission's mobile medical unit service here.

Each of these mobile medical units will have a doctor, a nurse, lab technician, pharmacist apart from the driver and will tour remote areas of the cities in which they will be deployed.

Under the initiative, 13 such units would be pressed into service, five each in Mumbai and Nagpur and one each in Panvel, Kolhapur and Aurangabad.

Speaking on the occasion, Thackeray said, "When we toured remote areas like Melghat and Gadchiroli, we were in the opposition. Now, I don't know where we are."



He, however, did not elaborate on the comment, which comes against the backdrop of criticism the Sena has faced for acting like an opposition party despite being a constituent of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

Thackeray stressed the need for proper medical care to prevent the outbreak of diseases like dengue post monsoon.

Thackeray borrowed an opening line often used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and started his address by asking the gathering "Bhaiyo aur behno, kaise ho".

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday night expressed grief at the death of several people in the train accident in Amritsar during Dussehra celebrations there.

She said she was left with no words to express her shock and agony.

"Very very sad to learn about the unfortunate rail incident in Amritsar during Dussehra festivities," Banerjee wrote on Twitter.

"My heart goes out to the family members of the victims. Pray that the injured persons recover very quickly," she added.

At least 50 people were killed when a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near Amritsar.

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A man was shot dead by three gunmen in the early hours of Friday in Kaimur district, police said.

The incident occurred near Gangapur school under the jurisdiction of Chainpur police station, the police said, adding, the man, a resident of Baburhan village, was killed when he was returning home from Patna.

He had gone to Patna for some official work , a police officer said.

He disembarked from the bus at Hajra Pul, a bus stop near his village, the police officer said.

From there he was received by his elder brother and both of them were travelling back to their village on a motorcycle, Superintendent of Police (SP) of Kaimur district, Md Faroguddin, said.

Three gunmen opened fire at the man when he along with his elder brother were approaching Gangapur school, which is located between the bus stop and his village, the SP said.

The miscreants pumped three bullets into the man's chest and fled from the spot, the SP said.

Locals took the injured man to Sadar hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, the police officer said.

Angry locals staged a road blockade in protest against the incident and demanded that the criminals should be arrested immediately, the SP said.

The blockade was lifted after an hour, he added.

Police are conducting raids to nab the culprits, the SP said, adding, the reason behind the killing is yet to be ascertained.

The deceased has been identified as Sanjay Kumar, he said.

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Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders paid their last respects to party veteran N D Tiwari who passed away here after a prolonged illness.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad also paid their homage to the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand at his residence.

Tiwari, who was undergoing treatment at Max Super Speciality Hospital, breathed his last at 2.50 pm Thursday after he suffered a heart attack, hours after he turned 93.

He was admitted to the hospital in September last year after suffering a brain stroke. A team of doctors had been monitoring his condition.

In a statement, Max Healthcare had said, "Tiwari was admitted at Max hospital, Saket for several months and was undergoing treatment for complications related to a brain stroke. He breathed his last at 2.50 pm today (Thursday)."



His body will be taken to Lucknow Saturday afternoon and will be kept at the Vidhan Bhawan from 1 pm to 3 pm for people to pay their last respects, an official release issued here on Friday said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his ministerial colleagues will receive the mortal remains at the airport, it said.

Tiwari, who was considered close to Indira Gandhi, had served as a Union minister in several Congress-led governments. He had the unique distinction of having served as the chief minister of two states, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where his native place is located.

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Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi met Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe here on Friday and they are learnt to have discussed issues of cooperation between the two countries.

Former Union minister Anand Sharma and some Sri Lankan officials were also present during the meeting.

After the meeting with Wickremesinghe, Rahul Gandhi said India and Sri Lanka are closer both historically and culturally.

"The meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of Sri Lanka was good," the Congress president wrote on Facebook.

Wickremesinghe arrived here Thursday on a three-day visit with an aim to boost ties in a range of areas including trade and investment and maritime security.

Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold wide-ranging talks on Saturday.

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The Bombay High Court said Friday the #MeToo campaign was only for the victims, and it should not be misused by anyone to manipulate a victim to level allegations of sexual harassment against anybody to settle "their own scores".

The remarks were made by Justice Shahrukh Kathawalla when hearing an application filed by director Vikas Bahl seeking a direction to his former partners and directors Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Madhu Mantena to refrain from speaking to the media or posting on social media about the case in which a woman employee has alleged she was sexually harassed by Bahl in 2015.

Bahl has also filed a defamation suit against Kashyap and Motwane and sought Rs 10 crore in damages from them for ruining his reputation.

When the application came up for hearing Wednesday, the high court had asked for the woman to be made a respondent in the plea.

Senior counsel Narvoz Serwai Friday appeared for the woman and told the court that she was not desirous of being a part of the litigation.

"She is not willing to pursue the case too. She does not wish to be embroiled in this," Serwai said.

Justice Kathawalla then said that if the woman is not willing to pursue the case, then no one should speak about it.

"We do not want anybody to manipulate the woman to settle their own scores," the court said.

The HC stated that while it was appreciative of the #MeToo campaign, at the same time it should not be misused.

"The movement should not be misused. It is for the victims and not for anybody else. This is why there is a need for guidelines to be set on the issue," Justice Kathawalla said.

The court has directed the woman to submit a signed statement on October 23 stating that she does not wish to pursue the case.

Bahl, who directed Kangana Ranaut-starrer 'Queen', has claimed Kashyap and Motwane orchestrated a campaign against him.

Kashyap, Motwane, Bahl and producer Madhu Mantena had established Phantom Films in 2011. The company's productions include Lootera, Hasee Toh Phasee and Queen.

Soon after Bahl was named in the #MeToo campaign, Kashyap and Motwane dissolved Phantom Films.

An unidentified woman employee of the production company alleged that Bahl sexually assaulted her in Goa during a promotional tour for the movie 'Bombay Velvet' in 2015.

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When I first arrived, I saw the fragility of this medical system, Koltai said. The lack of supplies, questionable water and electricity, the marginal cleanliness outside of critical areas in the hospital. There were no fiber-optic capabilities  that is, medical equipment used for internal examination of the body  and no record-keeping for patients. But I also saw the dedication of these doctors, who were working under conditions we would find almost intolerable at Stanford."

The types of ENT problems Chidziva routinely treated  and that Koltai would eventually assist with during his repeated visits to Harare over the years  were far more serious than the general population understands, Chidziva said. Theres a common misperception in Zimbabwe that ENT problems in children are trivial. Parents think that continually running noses in their children, constant snoring and painful ear infections are just a way of life.

But, in fact, the list of serious problems is long: untreated ear infections that lead to perforated eardrums and often deafness; HIV infections that cause repeated ear and throat disorders; congenital neck masses; ingested button-cell batteries lodged in airways; leeches that crawl into the ears of babies left to play in the grass, causing uncontrollable bleeding.

When I first arrived, I saw the fragility of this medical system.

Many of these things are no longer problems in the modern world, but big problems in the developing world, Dzongodzasaid. He is now on a fellowship in Melbourne, Australia, where he is training to become certified as a pediatric otolaryngologist. He will be the first physician with the certification in Zimbabwe when he returns to lead the clinic in July.

One of the most serious and common medical problems treated by the Zimbabwean physicians is called recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. Its a disease caused by the human papilloma virus, or HPV, that causes growths in the upper respiratory tract. The growths can cause difficulty breathing, damage the vocal cords and become life-threatening. The conditionoften gets misdiagnosed as asthma, delaying treatment. Children first lose their voices and then struggle to breath until, as in the case of Anoona, the growths threaten to block respiration completely.

By the time they get to us, they cant sleep, theyre not growing, their breath is raspy and they are struggling to get in air, Dzongodza said. Usually theyre about 3 years old when they first show up, then they return maybe three to five times for surgery as the warts keep growing back. Its a challenge for us, especially when much of the equipment we had been using was quite archaic.

This was the case for 8-year-old Anoona, who was rushed into emergency surgery when she arrived on that spring evening struggling to breathe. It would be her eighth surgery to remove the viral warts from her larynx. As a toddler, she had been misdiagnosed with asthma and appeared at the hospital for the first time when she was 3 years old, gasping for breath. This time, though, she would be initially seen at the new clinic, with staff better trained to treat children, and operated on at the adult hospital with new equipment and advanced new imaging technology designed for use with children.

All the surgeons on the unit had met her one way or the other over the years, Dzongodza said. Often the senior colleagues would dig into their pockets to get her bus fare for the next journey back to the hospital.

The clinic

To make his vision a reality, Chidziva started by raising funds for construction of the clinic from the Christian Blind Mission International, a charity committed to improving conditions of those living in some of the poorest communities in the world. Next, he invited Koltai to join his team. Koltais prior experience in helping to set up several pediatric ENT clinics in the United States and working for 10 years as the director of the pediatric otolaryngology program at Stanford, would prove invaluable, Chidziva said.

Clemence had a vision, and I bought into it, Koltai said. This project resonated with my goals of seeing the footprint of pediatric otolaryngology spread far and wide. I would supply some of the experience, and Clemence supplied the leadership.
Militants attacked an Army camp in Pulwama district of on Friday, a police official said.

The militants fired UBGL grenades at the camp, he said.

"There has been a UBGL attack followed by firing at the Army camp in Shadimarg area of Pulwama," the police official said, adding that there were no reports of any casualties so far.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday approved a financial relief of Rs 2 lakh for the family of each deceased in the Amritsar train accident and Rs 50,000 for the injured, a spokesperson said.

More than 50 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers, who had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of a Ravana effigy, was run over by a train in Amritsar.

The train was coming from Jalandhar. The incident happened at Joda Phatak where at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the railway tracks.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching," Modi tweeted earlier this evening.

"My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," he said.

Railways has issued helpline numbers 0183-2223171, 0183-2564485 for information on the incident.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Friday announced all possible assistance by the Centre to Punjab as a large number of Dussehra revellers standing across railway tracks were mowed down by a passing train near Amritsar.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh separately announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to the kin of the deceased.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed sorrow at the demise of Lok Sabha member Bhola Singh.

"Anguished by the demise of Lok Sabha MP from Begusarai, Shri Bhola Singh Ji. He will be remembered for his outstanding service to society and efforts towards the development of Bihar," he tweeted.

Modi said his thoughts are with Singh's family and supporters in this hour of grief.

According to reports, the 82-year-old veteran parliamentarian died at the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital here, where he was admitted three days ago.

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The mortal remains of Congress veteran Narayan Dutt Tiwari will be brought here on Saturday for people to pay their last respects to the departed leader.

Tiwari, 93, died at a private hospital in Delhi on Thursday after prolonged illness.

The body of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister will arrive at the Lucknow airport Saturday afternoon and will be kept at the Vidhan Bhawan from 1 pm to 3 pm for people to pay their last respects, an official release issued here on Friday said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his ministerial colleagues will receive the mortal remains at the airport, it said.

Tiwari, who was considered close to Indira Gandhi, had served as a Union minister in several Congress-led governments. He had the unique distinction of having served as the chief minister of two states, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where his native place is located.

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Casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who was all set to make his directorial debut with the Hindi remake of "The Fault in our Stars", has been suspended from the film over sexual harassment allegations by multiple women.

In a statement released Friday, the production house, Fox Star Studios, said till the time Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company concludes its inquiry into the allegations, the director remains suspended.

"As a responsible organisation, Star India takes any allegation of sexual harassment of women at workplace very seriously, hence, Fox Star Studios has suspended the services of Mukesh Chabbra, the director of our film, 'Kizzie Aur Manny', which is under production, till the internal complaints committee (ICC) of M-s Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company concludes its inquiry into the allegation," the statement read.

"Kizzie Aur Manny" stars Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Singh.

In a report published on Mid-Day, four aspiring actors accused Chhabra and another casting director Vicky Sidana of harassing them during audition process.

Chhabra had earlier 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 "Gangs of Wasseypur", Dangal", "Rockstar", "Shahid" and "Kai Po Che!" among others.

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IT industry body has signed an MoU with a leading technology community here to help small and medium-sized Indian enterprises expand their operations in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The MoU between the National Association of Software and Services (NASSCOM) and the Dubai Internet City (DIC) is first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Under the agreement, the DIC will provide NASSCOM's, small and medium-sized enterprises(SME) members opportunity to develop their operations by offering support and a platform to expand in the MENA region.

The MoU was signed by Ammar al-Malik, Managing Director of DIC and Dubai Outsource City (DOC) and Kamal Agarwala, SME Council Chair,

The DIC is mandated to provide Indian tech startups and SMEs an opportunity to establish themselves in Dubai and get access to the largest technology community, providing them with a gateway and necessary support to grow in the and the wider region.

"The Middle East offers tremendous growth opportunities for innovative tech firms, with huge untapped potential," said al-Malik, Managing Director of DIC and DOC.

The USD 8 billion tech industry is growing rapidly and DIC, as the leading technology business community in the region, serves as a natural launch pad for Indian technology businesses looking to expand their operations across the region, he said.

Dubai has welcomed an increasing number of Indian businesses over the past few months in a bid to strengthen bilateral trade between the and India, on track to hit $100 billion by 2020.

This includes a landmark new decision between the UAE and India to allow businesses to transact directly in their national currencies.

Additionally, Indian tourist numbers to the city grew by 15 per cent last year, crossing the two million mark, the first for any country in a single year.

According to NASSCOM, there have been great efforts for the continued growth of the sector.

"As the apex body for the $154 billion Indian IT BPM industry, we have strived to ensure the continued growth of the sector, facilitate partnerships, and fuel expansions," said Kamal Agarwala, SME Council Chair,

Dubai Internet City is already home to leading technology Indian companies, and we firmly believe that this MoU will serve as a major catalyst for Indian businesses to expand into the region, said Agarwala.

DIC is home to leading Indian multinationals, including Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Wipro, and the HCL Technologies.

The integrated community hosts a large number of Indian professionals within its 24,000-strong workforce, which includes diverse workers from over 150 nationalities.
broadcaster NDTV Friday said Reliance Infrastructure has filed a defamation suit in an Ahmedabad court, seeking damages of Rs 10,000 crore.

The company on October 18 received a notice from Ahmedabad City Civil Court with regard to a suit for defamation instituted by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd & others, against the company, executive co-chairperson and managing editor of the company, claiming damages of Rs 10,000 crore, the New Delhi Television Ltd (NDTV) said in a regulatory filing.

The media company will contest the matter in the court, it said in the filing.

"The suit for defamation has been instituted on account of the company's weekly show 'Truth vs Hype' wherein the story -- 'The Ideal Partner in Rafael Deal' was broadcasted on the channel NDTV 24X7, on September 29, 2018," the filing said.

NDTV said it outrightly rejects any charges of defamation and will present relevant material to the court to contest the matter, which is listed for hearing on October 26, 2018.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the procurement of a batch of 36 Rafale jets after holding talks with the then French President Francois Hollande on April 10, 2015 in Paris.

The opposition has been accusing the government of choosing Reliance Defence over state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd to benefit the Anil Ambani-led firm though it did not have any experience in the aerospace sector.

Stock of NDTV closed 0.45 per cent down at Rs 33.50 apiece on the BSE Friday.

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Expanding on Amit Shah's assertion that Mizoram will celebrate the next Christmas under a BJP government, senior party leader Himanta Biswa Sarma has said the saffron party has never been a danger to the Christian community and would never be so in future.

Addressing party workers at the BJP office, Atal Bhawan, in Aizawl Thursday evening, Sarma, who is BJP's election in-charge of Mizoram, said all religious communities have peacefully co-existed in BJP-ruled states in the north-east region.

"The saffron party has never been a danger to Christians and would never be so in future," said Sarma, Assam's finance minister and convener of North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).

NEDA is a political coalition formed by the BJP and regional political parties of the northeastern states in 2016.

Addressing a statewide booth-level workers meeting in Aizawl on Wednesday, Shah, pointing to a huge gathering, said, "After seeing so many of you here, I am reassured that the next Christmas Mizoram celebrates will be a Christmas under a BJP government."



He said he wanted to thank his Christian brothers and sisters in Nagaland and Meghalaya for their support.

Shah's assertions were seen aimed at shedding the "anti-Christian party" image of the BJP before going to polls in the Christian-dominated Mizoram.

Voting for the 40-member Mizoram Assembly is slated for November 28. Shah has made it clear that BJP would contest the poll in the state on its own.

Echoing Shah's optimism about installing a BJP government in Mizoram before Christmas, Sarma expressed hope that the BJP would form government after the coming election to the state assembly.

Sarma accused the Congress party of using religious sentiments for political advantage while the BJP wanted peaceful harmony, love and fraternity among all religious communities.

"The BJP would contest the poll on its own and is hopeful of winning as the Mizo people deserve a good government and good governance," he said, adding that only the BJP could usher in a good governance and all-round development.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepalese President Bidya Devi Bhandari and Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Friday greeted the nation on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami and said that the festival provides an opportunity for reunion of families and exchange of happiness.

Hindus across Nepal are observing Vijaya Dashami festivities, the biggest festival in the Himalayan country.

"Our cultures are the greatest treasures of the country, contributing significantly in maintaining social unity, communal harmony and mutual goodwill," President Bhandari said in her Vijaya Dashami message.

She said the festival would provide an opportunity for the reunion among the families and exchange of happiness.

"The festivals that have been observed in our society since time immemorial are the pillars to keep our cultural identity and unity intact and to unite the geographical, religious, racial, cultural and linguistic diversity in the country," she said.

President Bhandari and former King Gyanendra separately offered 'tika' to distinguished persons as well as general public.

In his Vijaya Dashami message, Prime Minister Oli urged everyone to participate in the greater task of nation building without being divided as ruling and opposition groups.

"We wanted to move towards achieving the target of a prosperous Nepal and happy Nepali," said Oli.

Opposition Nepali Congress President and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Dueba also greeted people on the Vijaya Dashami and said the festival would inspire all to work for the country in harmony and unity.

Vijaya Dashami, also known as Dashain in Nepal, is a major Hindu festival celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil.

People offer prayers at temples of Goddess Durga, prepare feasts and fly kites during the festival.

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The BJP's Goa unit on Friday said there would be no change of leadership in the coastal state.

Addressing a press conference here, Goa BJP unit chief Vinay Tendulkar ruled out the possibility of the party replacing ailing chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

His comments come a day after Vijay Desai, president of Goa Forward Party, a BJP ally in the state, claimed that the saffron party was "looking at who will succeed Parrikar".

The coalition partners in the state had met BJP president Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday to discuss the current political situation.

"The party wants this government to continue for the next three-and-half years and complete its tenure under the leadership of Manohar Parrikar," Tendulkar said.

When asked whether the BJP had lost its majority since three of its MLAs are ailing, Tendulkar said, "The Assembly will not be called tomorrow itself. There is time for the Assembly to be summoned."



He said the Parrikar government had the support of 23 MLAs and the ailing MLAs can make it to the Assembly in case their presence is required.

Besides Parrikar, two other BJP MLAs, Francis D'Souza and Pandurang Madkaikar, are currently hospitalised.

The Goa BJP chief said he had met Madkaikar and that his health was improving.

Responding to questions about Congress MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Dayanand Sopte, who joined the BJP on Tuesday, Tendulkar said they had joined the ruling party "unconditionally".

"They wanted to work under the leadership of Parrikar," he added.

BJP MLA and state power minister Nilesh Cabral refuted allegations that administrative work was hit in Parrikar's absence.

"Who gave you the impression that Parrikar is not doing administrative work?" he asked.

Cabral said the administration was working fine and Parrikar was monitoring files through emails during his absence from office.

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Eritrea on Wednesday pledged to address human rights challenges, days after its election to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC).

The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.

According to a statement issued by the information ministry, following an outcry by human rights activists and groups at Eritreas election to the UN council, the government pledged to harmonize existing legislation to meet international human rights standards.

Eritrea is making important contributions to regional peace, stability, and security in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, the statement read.

Moreover, the Government is making the necessary preparations to accede to the remaining core international human rights treaties.

Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch accused the Eritrean government of continuing to repress opposing voices, citing the recent arrest of a former finance minister, Abrehe Kidane Berhane.

According to the international human rights watchdog, contrary to hopes that peace with Ethiopia after decades of enmity was going to birth a new air of freedom, Asmara was going on with business as usual.

HRW and other rights groups have repeatedly called on the government to release political prisoners and other people held in the country.
The Bombay High Court on Friday said the Pune police shall not take any coercive action against activist Gautam Navlakha and professor Anand Teltumbde, both accused in Koregaon-Bhima case, till next week.

A division bench of Justices R V More and Bharti Dangre said it will hear petitions filed by Navlakha and Teltumbde urging the court to quash the case on October 26.

Additional public prosecutor Aruna Kamat-Pai told the court Friday that Navlakha was protected from arrest till October 26 by an order passed by the Supreme Court.

The high court then posted the petitions for hearing on October 26 and said, "No coercive steps (such as arrest) shall be taken till the next date of hearing."



Pune police in August this year lodged a case against Navlakha, Teltumbde and four other activists.

Navlakha, prominent Telugu poet Varavara Rao, activists Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves and trade union activist Sudha Bharadwaj were arrested. Teltumbde was not arrested but his house was searched.

Navlakha and Teltumbde moved the Bombay high court this month, seeking quashing of the First Information Report (FIR) lodged against them claiming there was no evidence and they were being falsely implicated.

After the arrest of Navlakha and four others by Pune police, the Supreme Court ordered that they be placed under house arrest.

The apex court, later, refused to interfere in the case and said the Pune police could go ahead with its investigation.

Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court freed Navlakha from the house arrest, saying the Supreme Court had given him the liberty to approach the appropriate forum within four weeks to seek further relief.

Pune police had claimed that they seized documents and emails exchanged between the accused which allegedly revealed their links with Maoist leaders and their roles in facilitating supply of weapons and funding.

The five activists were arrested on August 28 in connection with an FIR lodged following the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31 last year which allegedly triggered violence at Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district the next day.

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A tragic train accident in which over 60 people died became a political blame game with the Opposition holding Punjab's Congress government responsible for allowing a Dussehra event near railway tracks and accusing ex-MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu of running away from the site.

Sidhu, wife of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu who was the chief guest at the event, later talked to media at a hospital where injured were taken and said the incident after she had left.

"The effigy of Ravana was burnt and I had just left the site when the incident happened. Priority should be to get the injured treated," she said.

She also asked people to refrain from politicising the tragedy.

Union minister and Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the entire onus was on the state government.

"There are not enough words to mourn the Amritsar train tragedy that claims so many innocent lives. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. The incident needs to be probed as it casts serious question on administration," she tweeted.

BJP leader and Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the initial reports suggest it was a tragedy that could have been avoided.

Another Akali leader Bikram Majithia said he was distressed to hear the unfortunate of the train accident.

"The authorities concerned must be held accountable for the ill-fated accident & strict action must be taken against the guilty police officers and organisers," he said.

He demanded registration of a case against Sidhu. "I demand immediate registration of case against people present on the stage including Mrs Sidhu and arrest of those who gave permission for holding function near rail track."



Majithia also targeted Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. "Heads need to roll right from the top," Majithia said.

Union Minister Vijay Sampla also lashed out at Sidhu.

"The most condemnable and inhuman behavior is of Navjot Kaur Sidhu who was present at the Dusshera festival as chief guest at the time of the accident and instead of providing relief to the victims, she ran away from the incident site, claimed Sampla.

Some opposition leaders also alleged that the Dussehra was organised by the Congress near the tracks without receiving any proper approval.

Former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal demanded an inquiry by a retired high court judge to fix responsibility and punish the guilty.

His son and senior party leader Sukhbir Singh Badal said he was extremely sad to hear the unfortunate incident.

"Local organisers and police must answer how the celebrations were allowed to be held near the railway track," he said on Twitter.

At least 52 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near here, officials said.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred at Joda Phatak where at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Amritsar I Rajesh Sharma said 52 people have died and at least 72 injured have been admitted to Amritsar hospital.

All major parties including the BJP, the Congress and the AAP said they have asked their respective local party workers to help in relief and rescue operation.

Aam Aadmi Party too held the Punjab government responsible for the accident.

AAPMLA Harpal Singh Cheema and its MP Bhangwant Maan expressed deep condolences over the deaths but blamed the district administration for the deaths as it allowed people to burn effigies close to railway tracks.

The AAPleaders demanded a judicial probe into the incident and punishment for the guilty. They also demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore and a government job to one family member of those dead.

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A Pakistani-origin radical Islamist preacher was freed from a UK jail on Friday after serving less than half of his five-and-a-half-year sentence for inviting support to the Islamic State terror group.

Anjem Choudary, 51, was released for his reported "good behaviour" under very strict licence conditions from the high-security Belmarsh prison in south London.

Under around 25 strict conditions imposed on him include having to stay at a monitored probation hostel over the next few months, not being allowed to leave London and not being allowed to interact with the media or preach to young people.

Any mosque he would wish to attend would have to be vetted by security officials and he will remain under surveillance as part of efforts to ensure he is not allowed to radicalise others.

The Metropolitan Police and MI5 intelligence service are expected to be among a host of agencies involved in monitoring him in the community, under surveillance plans that will remain in place until the end of his sentencing period of five-and-a-half years.

Some of Choudary's other strict conditions cover electronic tagging; a night-time curfew; requirements to stay within a set area; a ban on contacting individuals who he knows or believes to have been charged with or convicted of extremist-related offences without prior approval; and restrictions relating to the internet use and mobile device ownership.

Any breach of licence conditions can result in immediate return to custody.

UK-born Anjem Choudary was jailed at the Old Bailey court in London in September 2016 for radical preaching and urging Muslims to support the terrorist group ISIS.

The so-called "hate preacher" was reportedly being held in a "separation centre" at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Frankland in County Durham.

Choudary, who led the Islamist group Al Muhajiroun until it was proscribed by the government in 2010, was accused of pledging an oath of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Holroyde described Choudary as "dangerous" and "more calculating" than his fellow Islamist Mohammed Rahman, who was also jailed for five-and-a-half years for supporting Islamic State (ISIS).

"You show no remorse at all for anything you have said or done, and I have no doubt you will continue to communicate your message whenever you can," said Holroyde.

Among Choudary's many UK followers was Indian-origin ISIS fighter Siddhartha Dhar, dubbed as "Jihadi Sid" by the UK media, who went on to become one of the senior commanders of the terror group in Syria.

The British Hindu, who converted to Islam and adopted the name Abu Rumaysah, had skipped police bail in the UK to travel to Syria with his wife and young children in 2014.

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Union Minister for Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs Piyush Goyal will Friday receive the prestigious Carnot prize for his contribution towards sustainable energy solutions, an official statement said.

The former power minister will be awarded by the KleinmanCenter for Energy Policy at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, a statement from the rail ministry said.

The Carnot Prize is the Kleinman Center's annual recognition of distinguished contributions to energy policy through scholarship or practice. The award in the energy sector is named after French physicist Nicolas Sadi Carnot who recognised that the power of the steam engine would "produce a great revolution"in human development.

The 2018 Carnot Prize is a recognition of India's efforts under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the nation charts the path towards eliminating energy poverty with sustainable energy solutions, the statement said.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday congratulated Lotay Tshering, president of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa for his party winning the Bhutan elections and reiterated India's commitment to work with the new governmentfor socio-economic transformation in that country.

Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa party won 30 of 47 national assembly seats in the third general election in Bhutan.

The PM also congratulated Tshering for his own election to the National Assembly, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

During his telephonic conversation, Prime Minister Modi welcomed the successful conduct of general elections, which is an important milestone for consolidation of democracy in Bhutan.

Modi conveyed that India attaches the highest priority to further strengthening unique ties of friendship and cooperation with Bhutan, which is based on shared interests and values, utmost trust, goodwill and mutual understanding.

Recalling the ongoing golden jubilee celebrations of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Prime Minister reiterated India's steadfast commitment to work with the new government in Bhutan in its national efforts for socio-economic transformation, based on the priorities and interests of the people and the government of Bhutan, the statement said.

Modi extended an invitation to Lotay Tshering to visit India.

Tshering thanked Prime Minister Modi for his greetings and good wishes, and accepted the invitation to visit India at the earliest opportunity.

The two leaders agreed to take forward the unique and multifaceted bilateral cooperation to new heights for the benefit of the people of Bhutan and India, the statement said.

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Hawala money to the tune of Rs 59 lakh was seized and five people, including the driver of a TDP youth wing leader, were arrested for allegedly planning to transport it to Jagityal district in poll-bound Telangana, police said Friday.

A car and six mobile phones were also seized along with the cash here on Wedesday, a police release said.

The car driver of TDP youth wing state Vice-President Vallabhaneni Anil Kumar was among those arrested, it said.

Investigation was on to ascertain whether the money was meant for illegal use in the December 7 assembly elections or for any other unlawful purpose, the release said.

The five arrested along with seized material had been handed over to Income Tax Department, for further investigation, it added.

(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 neither heard a tape nor seen a transcript related to the disappearance of Saudi Arabia's dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, his spokesperson has said.

The statement came after ABC News claimed that Pompeo heard the alleged audio recording during his meeting with the Turkish officials in Ankara.

Khashoggi, 60, who has not been seen since entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul earlier this month, is feared to have been killed inside the mission. The incident has resulted in a global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for 'The Washington Post'.

"Secretary Pompeo has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript related to Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

Pompeo returned from his trip to and Turkey on Wednesday night and met President on Thursday who said that it looks like Khashoggi is dead and warned of "very severe" consequences if the kingdom is responsible.

According to ABC News, Pompeo also saw a transcript of the alleged audio.

A day earlier, Pompeo refused to answer questions on the issue.

"I don't have anything to say about that," he told reporters a day earlier.

Hours after his meeting with Pompeo, Trump told the New York Times in an interview that Khashoggi was assassinated, as per multiple intelligence sources.

"This one has caught the imagination of the world, unfortunately. It's not a positive. Not a positive," Trump told The Times.

"Unless the miracle of all miracles happens, I would acknowledge that he's dead. That's based on everything intelligence coming from every side," he said, according to the daily.

He reiterated the same to reporters' moments later.

It is only after Trump's meeting with Pompeo, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that he will not be attending the upcoming financial summit in

According to The Times, Trump's view on appeared to be hardening after his meeting with Pompeo.
IT industry body Nasscom Friday warned that proposed changes by the US administration around the definition of specialty occupations under the H-1B visas will add costs for global IT services companies that play a critical role in helping American companies stay competitive in the global market.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to come out with its new proposal by January 2019. Such a move which could have an adverse impact on Indian IT companies in the US and small and medium-sized contractual firms mostly owned by Indian-Americans.

Nasscom, in a statement, said it will be "both appropriate and fully possible to comment on the likely changes in the H-1B adjudication and their potential impact" only after the specifics and finer details of the proposed changes are known in the near future.

"Narrowing the definition of a 'specialty occupation,' the definition of the 'employer-employee relationship,' and adding additional requirements to regulate wages, will only add costs to a system that is working well for global IT services companies. These companies play a critical role helping the meet its digital technology needs in a highly competitive, and increasingly tech-driven global economy," it added.

This has helped make corporate America more competitive, enabling them to grow and create more jobs in return, Nasscom said pointing out that these companies themselves are making billions of dollars worth of investments, hiring more than 1,50,000 employees and spending millions of dollars on upskilling locally.

"Nasscom will continue to highlight the same to the US Administration directly and in partnership with allies to convey our views on the importance of the high-skill visa programmes, that play a critical role in bridging skills gap, something that is acknowledged by a number of US sources," the statement said.

The H-1B visa, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

The USCIS plans to revise the definition of specialty occupation to increase focus on obtaining the best and the brightest foreign nationals via the H-1B programme. It will also "revise the definition" of employment and employer-employee relationship to "better protect" US workers and wages, the DHS had said.

In addition, the DHS will propose additional requirements designed to ensure employers pay appropriate wages to H-1B visa holders, the administration had said.

The DHS had reiterated that it was proposing to remove from its regulations certain H-4 spouses of H-1B non-immigrants as a class of aliens eligible for employment authorisation. The H-4 visas are issued by the USCIS to immediate family members (spouse and children under 21 years of age) of the holders of H-1B visa.

The H1-B visa has an annual numerical limit cap of 65,000 visas each fiscal year as mandated by the Congress. The first 20,000 petitions filed on behalf of beneficiaries with a US master's degree or higher are exempt from the cap. As an H-1B non-immigrant, the applicant may be admitted for a period of up to three years. The time period may be extended, but generally cannot go beyond a total of six years.

The is reviewing the H-1B visa policy that it thinks is being misused by companies to replace American workers.
Power trading solutions provider will sign medium-term power purchase agreements (PPA) for 1,900 MW coal-based power capacities with seven and five states by month-end under a pilot scheme, an official said.

After this tender, the company plans another round of 3,000 MW of medium term PPAs to give some relief to stressed power projects as PPAs are required for getting fuel supplies, a Power Ministry official told PTI.

" had finalised bids of 1,900 MW capacities last month at a tariff of Rs 4.24 per unit including the nominal fixed cost of one paise per unit for supply of power for the medium term of three years," the official said.

The seven which would ink PPAs are IL&FS Energy for 550 MW, RKM Powergen for 550 MW, SKS Power for 300 MW, MB Power (Madhya Pradesh) Ltd for 175 MW, Jindal India Thermal Power for 175 MW, Jhabua Power Ltd for 100 MW and JP Nilgiri Project for 100 MW.

Five states which would buy power from these plants are (550 MW), (550 MW), Haryana (400MW), Bihar (200MW) and West Bengal (200MW).

IL&FS Energy will supply 550 MW to while RKM Powergen will supply 550 MW to

Jhabua Power Ltd and JP Nilgiri Project would supply 100 MW each to West Bengal. MB Power (Madhya Pradesh) Ltd will supply will supply 175 MW to Haryana while the SKS Power will supply 300 MW to Haryana as well as Bihar. Jindal India Thermal Power will supply 175 MW to Bihar.

The government had launched a pilot scheme to procure 2,500 MW electricity for three years under medium-term arrangement from commissioned power plants without power purchase agreements earlier this year in April.

Under the scheme there would be no escalation of tariff during the three-year period on any account. The discoms can reduce load up to 55 per cent of agreed capacity.

The scheme provides that if the supply capacity goes down beyond 55 per cent then the differential power would sold in open market and any under-recovery would be charged to the discom. But if that power is sold at a premium, the profit would be divided equally between the discom and the generating firm.

Under this auction, 2,500 MW capacities were put on the block but later imported coal-based capacities of 600 MW backed out. The imported coal-based generators had expressed their inability to match the Rs 4.24 per unit tariff as it was not viable for them in view of higher coal prices in the international market.

The government has been targeting around 17GW coal-based thermal power generation capacity including 5 GW based on imported coal under this initiative.

The official said that has planned to auction 5GW under the medium term PPAs during this fiscal and thus it would bring another tender of 3GW by March 2019.

The PPAs are required for getting fuel supplies. Some power plants have coal linkages but their fuel supply agreements are not effective in the absence of PPAs. The other which do not have coal linkage can get fuel supplies under SHAKTI scheme after getting PPAs.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday condoled the death of three senior Afghan officials in a terror attack in Kandahar and assured Islamabad's full support to the democratic process in the war-torn country.

Kandahar's powerful provincial police chief Abdul Razik and the province's intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin, had died in the Taliban attack Thursday, while provincial governor Zalmay Wesa died later of his injuries at a hospital.

According to the Foreign Office, Qureshi offered prayers for the deceased and sent his condolences for the victims' families.

"We would continue to work with Afghanistan for achieving long term peace and stability in the region, for which ending the conflict in Afghanistan was an essential step," Qureshi told his Afghan counterpart Salahuddin Rabbani over phone.

He said that peace and economic development in Pakistan was linked with restoration of complete peace and stability in neighbouring Afghanistan.

The foreign minister expressed the hope that parliamentary elections would be held in a peaceful environment throughout Afghanistan on Saturday.

"These elections are an important landmark for strengthening of democracy in the country, which remains the key to achieve sustainable peace and progress in Afghanistan," he said.

He also reassured Rabbani about Pakistan's complete support to the Afghan democratic process.

Thanking Qureshi for Pakistan's support, Rabbani briefed him about the difficulties being faced by the Afghan government in holding the upcoming elections in a successful manner.

He reiterated the Afghan government's strong resolve to overcome all difficulties.

Rabbani also expressed the hope that both countries would continue to work together to bring an end to the decades-old conflict in Afghanistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hundreds of civilians who were taken by opposition forces in South Sudans Western Equatoria region during an uptick in fighting are still missing, the UNs top rights official said on Thursday, in a call for their immediate release.

The development reportedly happened in April, ahead of the signing in August of a new peace agreement aimed at ending years of bloody civil war involving President Salva Kiir and former vice-President, Riek Machar, who has backing from the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).

Most of the abducted civilians are, as far as we know, still being held captive, said Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The SPLA-IO (RM) must immediately release them, first and foremost the children.

The High Commissioners appeal follows the publication of a UN report into grave rights abuses against villagers in South Sudans Gbudue and Tambura states, both of which are in Western Equatoria region.

The document details testimonies from victims and witnesses that indicate how women and girls as young as 12 were abducted by opposition forcesthen paraded and lined up for commanders to choose as wives.

Some 900 people were abducted in total and 24,000 were forced to flee their homes, the report notes. Those who were not chosen were left for other fighters who subjected them to repeated rapes, while abducted young men and boys were forced to fight, or work as porters.

At least 28 villages were attacked by the same troops, along with a settlement for internally displaced people and a refugee camp, according to the report, which was compiled jointly by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS.

Government forces were also found to have harmed civilians in their offensives against SPLA-IO (RM) militia, the report said, noting that these operations failed to distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Head of UNMISS, David Shearer, expressed disappointment that the spike in violence happened while warring parties were negotiating a new peace agreement and despite reconciliation efforts in the region at the time.

A new peace agreement has been signed which puts the onus and responsibility on the warring parties to ensure that no atrocities are committed in future, Mr Shearer said. UNMISS will be closely monitoring any potential violations and abuses.

In addition to calling for the release of those taken during the attacks in Gbudue and Tambura, High Commissioner Bachelet called for rights abusers to be held accountable.

As part of the revitalized peace process, it is also essential that the Government of South Sudan acts to hold the perpetrators of the abuses and violations detailed in this report to account, she said.
A Republican congressman in central Arkansas and his challenger on Thursday condemned a political action committee's radio ad that suggests white Democrats will lynch black Americans if they win the midterm election next month.

GOP Rep. French Hill criticized the ad from Black Americans for the President's Agenda, which invokes the accusation that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted a woman when he was a teenager.

A woman in the ad says that "white Democrats will be lynching black folk again." "I'm voting to keep Congressman French Hill and the Republicans because we have to protect our men and boys," the woman in the ad says.

"We can't afford to let white Democrats take us back to bad old days of race verdicts, life sentences and lynchings when a white girl screams rape." Hill, who represents the 2nd District covering Little Rock and seven central Arkansas counties, blasted the ad.

"I condemn this outrageous ad in the strongest terms," he said in a statement. "There's no place in Arkansas for this nonsense." Vernon Robinson, the PAC's co-founder and treasurer, said the ad has been running in Little Rock.

He said the ad is part of a $50,000 buy that includes a similar spot running on stations in Missouri, where Republican Josh Hawley is trying to unseat Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. The group had not coordinated the ad with Hill or spoken to his campaign about it, Robinson said.

Robinson did not immediately respond to an email Thursday night from The Associated Press asking if the group planned to pull the ad. Clarke Tucker, the Democratic state legislator trying to unseat Hill, also condemned the ad.

"Congressman Hill and his allies will have to live with the kind of campaign they're running. This radio ad is disgraceful and has no place in our society," Tucker said in a statement. "We won't let these shameful tactics distract us from why we're running, to stand up for the people in Central Arkansas on the critical issues in our lives, not just health care and good-paying jobs but also having some basic decency in our political process." The North Carolina-based PAC was formed earlier this year and this week reported having about $52,507 cash on hand and $62,769 in debt.

Arkansas hasn't sent a Democrat to the U.S. House since 2010, but Tucker is mounting a surprisingly competitive bid to unseat the two-term Hill. Democrats are relying on a heavy turnout in Little Rock and its surrounding county, which is about 37 percent black and 6 percent Hispanic.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: Congress President Rahul Gandhi will address two public meetings in Telangana on Saturday in the run-up to the December 7 assembly elections, party sources said Friday.

According to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee official spokesperson Shravan Dasoju, Rahul Gandhi would address a public meeting at Bhainsa town of Adilabad district and another one in Kamareddy.

"He will be coming to Bhainsa from from Nanded in Maharashtra. After the public meetings, he will be reaching Hyderabad and hoist the Congress flag near Charminar here and address the gathering on the occasion of Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Yatra commemoration day," he said.

Former Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh K Rosaiah will be conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Yatra commemoration award, the party had earlier announced.

This is the Congress president's first visit after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the Assembly polls in the state.

The Election Commission (EC) had on October 6 announced the election schedule for five states, including Telangana, which will go to the polls on December 7.

The Telangana Assembly was dissolved on September 6.

The Congress party is currently holding discussions with Telugu Desam Party, CPI and Telangana Jana Samithi on seat sharing.

The trio in principle agreed to forge alliance with the Congress to counter the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

Seat-sharing issues are expected to be resolved and the list of candidates is expected to be announced after Rahul Gandhi's visit, party sources said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Home Minister Rajnath Singh Friday celebrated Dussehra and performed 'shastra puja' in this forward post of the BSF along the highly sensitive Indo-Pak border, officials said.

This was for the first time that a senior minister of the central government conducted the 'shastra puja' or worship of weapons on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami along India's border with Pakistan.

The home minister, who arrived at the frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) here last evening, celebrated Dussehra festival with the jawans, an official said.

'Shastra puja' is part of the Dussehra festival which is celebrated for the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana.

During the two-day visit, the home minister interacted with the family members of the BSF personnel, attended a feast with the jawans and addressed the security personnel, another official said.

Singh also reviewed the situation on the border and assessed the progress in various infrastructure projects.

The 3,323-km-long Indo-Pak border is considered to be highly sensitive.

Even though the border in Rajasthan is peaceful, the border guarding forces of the two countries often engaged in massive firing in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to loss of human lives and properties.

Last year, the home minister had celebrated Dussehra at Joshimath in Uttarakhand along the Sino-Indian border.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Home Minister RajnathSingh Friday celebrated Dussehra with BSF jawans and performed 'shastra puja' in this forward post along the highly sensitive Indo-Pak border, officials said.

This was for the first time that a senior Union minister conducted the 'shastra puja' or worship of weapons on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami along India's border with Pakistan.

The home minister, who arrived at the frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) here last evening, celebrated Dussehra festival with the jawans, an official said.

'Shastra puja' is part of the Dussehra festival which is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Ram over demon king Ravana.

Addressing the BSF personnel, the home minister praised the multi-dimensional role of the BSF in guarding the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders, maintaining law and order in internal disturbances and tackling the Left Wing Extremism.

Referring to the regular firing from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said Pakistan, despite being a neighbour, never exercised good neighbourly behaviour and instead sponsoring terrorism.

He said that the terrorists infiltrating into Indian territory are coming from Pakistan only.

There is proper coordination among our Army, police and paramilitary forces to fight against them, Singh said.

The home minister said that recently launched 'smart fence' pilot project, which entails deploying laser-activated fences and technology-enabled barriers to plug vulnerable gaps along borders, will help the border guarding forces in maintaining peace in forward areas.

The project was launched along Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir while it will be implemented along the Indo-Bangla border in Dhubri, Assam, next month, Singh said.

During the two-day visit, the home minister interacted with the family members of the BSF personnel and attended a feast with the jawans, another official said.

Singh also visited the family of a BSF jawan, who is currently posted in Jammu and Kashmir, and enquired about their wellbeing.

Later, the home minister reviewed the situation on the border and assessed the progress in various infrastructure projects.

The 3,323-km-long Indo-Pak border is considered to be highly sensitive.

Even though the border in Rajasthan is peaceful, the border guarding forces of the two countries often engaged in massive firing in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to loss of human lives and properties.

Last year, the home minister had celebrated Dussehra at Joshimath in Uttarakhand along the Sino-Indian border.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Reserve Bank Friday announced more measures to increase liquidity flows to the non-banking financial companies.

The RBI permitted banks to use government securities equal to their incremental outstanding credit to NBFCs, over and above their outstanding credit to them as on October 19, to be used to meet liquidity coverage ratio requirements.

The move will help provide liquidity to housing finance companies (HFCs) and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) which have come under pressure following series of default by IL&FS group companies.

"... banks will be permitted to also reckon Government securities held by them up to an amount equal to their incremental outstanding credit to NBFCs and HFCs, over and above the amount of credit to NBFCs and HFCs outstanding on their books as on October 19, 2018, as Level 1 HQLA under FALLCR within the mandatory SLR requirement," RBI said in a notification.

This will be in addition to the existing FALLCR of 13 per cent of total deposits, and limited to 0.5 per cent of the bank's total deposits.

Liquidity coverage ratio refers to highly liquid assets that financial institutions need to hold in order to meet short-term obligations.

The additional window will be available up to December 31, 2018, the notification said.

Besides, it said, the single borrower exposure limit for NBFCs which do not finance infrastructure stands increased from 10 per cent to 15 per cent of capital funds, up to December 31, 2018.

The RBI has been taking series of steps to infuse liquidity in the system. It has also been undertaking open market operation at regular intervals to add liquidity.

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Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh volunteers took out a route march Friday on Vijaydashmi, which is also its foundation day, in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh.

It was on this day in 1925 that Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar had founded the RSS in Nagpur with a group of five people.

RSS volunteers started their route march from the district court complex and ended it at the same site after passing through parts of the Hamirpur town.

Singing patriotic songs and raising slogans for national unity, RSS workers included young boys and aged persons. Prominent among those present at the main function were former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, BJP MLAs Narendra Thakur and Kamlesh Kumari.

The function was chaired by social activist Rajendra Chauhan, who lauded the role of RSS in national reconstruction.

Manohar Lal, the RSS pracharak of Bilaspur region comprising Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Una districts, said, "RSS is a social organisation working for uniting the people and to make India strong.

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Russia and Uzbekistan on Friday hailed the construction of an USD 11 billion nuclear power plant that should help solve an energy deficit in the Central Asian country while binding it tighter to Moscow politically.

Russian President Vladimir Putin was paying a first state visit to Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev since Mirziyoyev replaced the late Islam Karimov, who ruled for nearly three decades before his death in 2016.

During the visit the two countries signed deals worth USD 27.1 billion, according to the Uzbek economy ministry.

"Uzbekistan is our loyal ally and our strategic partner... We will do all we can to strengthen our cooperation," Putin said while meeting Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the capital Tashkent.

"Dear Russian friends, welcome to Uzbekistan!" read billboards along the main roads of Tashkent where Russian and Uzbek flags flew side by side.

The nuclear power plant, set to be completed by 2028, has strategic significance for Moscow which is looking to reassert its economic and political clout in Central Asia amid fierce competition from China and other players.

According to the Russian Rosatom nuclear energy agency overseeing the project the plant's output should account for a fifth of Uzbekistan's overall power generation.

Putin suggested on Friday that the facility -- the first of its kind in ex-Soviet Central Asia -- might also help provide power to other countries in the region where the Chernobyl disaster and Soviet-era atomic weapons testing in the Kazakh steppe have coloured attitudes towards nuclear power.

Addressing the two leaders via tele-link from the western region of Navoi where the plant is set to be built, Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev assured Uzbekistan that the plant would be built in strict accordance with international standards.

"The main criteria here is safety," Likhachev said at a ceremony marking the start of the project.

Bilateral trade between Russia and Uzbekistan jumped by more than a third year-on-year to USD 3.7 billion in 2017 as Uzbekistan shakes off nearly three decades of economic isolation under Karimov's rule.

Karimov, who died in 2016, maintained generally good relations with Moscow but was wary of the Kremlin's influence over Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region.

Mirziyoyev, who served as Karimov's prime minister for 13 years, has kept the authoritarian regime intact while also reversing some of his predecessor's most controversial policies.

Putin on Friday paid tribute to reforms launched by Mirziyoyev that have whetted the appetites of foreign investors eyeing new markets in a commodity-rich country of around 33 million people.

"We see how quickly and how fundamentally the situation in Uzbekistan is changing, how reforms are being organised and carried out," Putin said.

Under Mirziyoyev, the government has overhauled its foreign exchange policies, pledged to modernise its banking system and re-launched ties with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development that were effectively severed more than a decade ago.

Among the other economic agreements signed at a business forum running parallel to the two leaders' talks was a memorandum of understanding between Russia's Lukoil energy major and Uzbek state energy company Uzbekneftgaz.

Security was also high on the agenda during talks between the two heads of state.

Under Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan has declared its readiness to host talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan, with whom Uzbekistan shares a border.

"It is in our common interest to normalise the situation in Afghanistan," Putin said, backing the initiative.

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Staff members of the Saudi Arabian consulate in testified to prosecutors Friday in a probe into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, state-run Anadolu news agency said.

Fifteen employees, all Turkish nationals, were giving statements as witnesses, it said.

The development comes after Turkish investigators searched the consulate and the residence of the consul, who returned to on Tuesday.

Among those who testified at the prosecutors' offices inside Istanbul's main courthouse were the consulate driver, technicians, accountants and receptionists, Anadolu reported.

has not been seen since he entered the consulate on October 2 for paperwork.

Turkish officials have claimed he was killed inside the consulate -- allegations slammed as "baseless" by

US said Thursday he believed that the journalist, a Washington Post contributor, was dead and warned of "very severe" consequences should be proven responsible.

Saudi Arabia's consul general Mohammed al-Otaibi left on Tuesday bound for on a scheduled flight, before his home was searched by the Turkish team.
Finally, this weekend brings Floridians' first opportunity to see the two candidates for governor, Republican Ron DeSantis and Democrat Andrew Gillum, go head-to-head in a debate.

The details: it's happening in Tampa at 8 p.m., in the local PBS studio. Voters can watch the debate, likely moderated by Jake Tapper, on CNN.

Previously, there had been three debates scheduled between the candidates. A Telemundo debate in Orlando was supposed to take place on Tuesday, Oct. 16, but Gillum cancelled, saying he needed to focus on recovery efforts post-Hurricane Michael until Thursday.

After Sunday, that just leaves the Oct. 24 debate in Davie, hosted by Leadership Florida and the Florida Press Association. That one will be broadcast on live local stations across the state.
Union Minister of state for Home Affairs Hansraj Ahir Friday said the situation in Kashmir was under control and the security forces were capable of dealing with terrorists both within the valley and infiltrating from across the Line of Control.

"There is no rise (in militancy). We have been foiling the infiltration attempts and we will continue to do so. The soldiers are fighting the infiltrators and terrorists," Ahir told reporters after taking part in Dussehra celebrations at BSF's Humhama camp here.

The minister also took part in the 'Shastra (weapons) puja' as part of Dussehra celebrations.

In response to a question, Ahir said the Centre does not trust the government of Pakistan or the terrorist groups.

"We have doubts on sincerity of both what the Pakistan government and the terrorist outfits say. We don't trust either of them. Our charge against Pakistan government stands even today," he added.

Asked about the low voter turnout in the municipal polls in Kashmir, the minister said elections are the biggest component in a democratic process.

"We do not want to keep Kashmir away from the democratic process. To hold the elections is a responsibility of the government. We cannot deprive the citizens of their right to vote," he said.

He said the election is a way to peace which will lead to increase in development. "The funds can be put to better use".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Taiwan said Friday that Interpol had rejected its request to attend next month's general assembly meeting in Dubai as an observer, blaming Chinese pressure in the latest snub from an international forum.

China sees self-governing democratic Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification and has used its clout to diminish the island's presence on the world stage since Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen took power in May 2016.

The government confirmed Friday that it had received official notification from Interpol that its request to attend the meeting as an observer had been denied.

"Interpol's rejection of Taiwan is unreasonable but we know the important reason behind it is China's suppression of Taiwan," Taiwan's premier William Lai told reporters.

He described China's behaviour towards Taiwan as "arrogant and high handed." Taiwan first requested to attend the meeting in 2016, when it was also denied. It did not apply in 2017 because the annual meeting was held in Beijing.

Taiwan's foreign ministry also expressed "strong regret and dissatisfaction" at Interpol's decision.

"Taiwan is justified in its desire to take part in Interpol and has the support from its allies and like-minded countries, including the United States," spokesman Andrew Lee added.

Taiwan's bids to attend international forums are regularly thwarted under pressure from Beijing.

The island has also been blocked from participating in the World Health Assembly (WHA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly meeting.

China's foreign ministry has said that the island was only able to attend the WHA from 2009-2016 because the previous Taiwan government had a consensus with Beijing that there is only "one China".

While the island's former administration touted the agreement as enabling cross-straits relations to flourish without compromising Taiwan's sovereignty, Beijing saw it as meaning Taiwan and the mainland are part of a single China.

President Tsai and her independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party have refused to acknowledge the principle, which Beijing sees as the bedrock for relations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Taiwan said Friday it would continue to push for a papal visit to the island after the Vatican turned down its most recent invitation.

Vice president Chen Chien-jen made the invitation during an audience with the pope Sunday as Taiwan seeks to deepen ties with its only ally in Europe after the Holy See signed a historic deal with Beijing.

The landmark agreement last month on the appointment of bishops paved the way for a rapprochement between the Vatican and China.

That raised questions over the future of official ties between Taiwan and the Holy See as China makes a concerted effort to poach its dwindling number of diplomatic allies.

The Vatican issued a brief statement Thursday saying a visit to Taiwan "by the Holy Father is not being planned".

Taiwan's foreign ministry said Friday it would not be deterred.

"Over the past years, we and the Bishop's Conference have extended invitations to the Pope to visit, to experience first hand Taiwan's religious freedom and progress in many diversified areas," it said in a statement to AFP.

"We will continue to extend invitations to the pope to visit Taiwan, and hope that the Vatican can accommodate such a visit," it added.

Devout Catholic Chen's audience with the pope came ahead of the canonisation of Pope Paul VI.

Taiwanese officials had said his visit would help deepen Taiwan-Vatican relations and that they believed the Vatican would not abandon Taiwan.

China sees self-ruling democratic Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified and demands its allies forfeit recognition of the island.

Taiwan, which sees itself as a sovereign country and has around 300,000 Catholics, has lost five allies to Beijing in the past two years.

Relations have deteriorated since President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, as she does not recognise Taiwan is part of "one China", as Beijing insists.

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Home Minister Friday said technological solutions in border security, which were being implemented by India, would eliminate the need for a soldier to stand guard round-the-clock to protect the borders.

He said a comprehensive integrated border management system was being implemented by the government to strengthen and a pilot project under the system was launched in Jammu.

"We want that such technological solutions be used where there is fencing because it gets damaged after some time. This will ensure a complete border security," Singh said while addressing BSF jawans here.

"We are going to implement this too this will take time but our jawans will not have the need to stand guard constantly round-the-clock on the border for protection," he said.

Singh said there would a command and control centre where the soldiers would monitor activities on the border.

"They will get to know if any intruder is entering into India and the nearest border outpost will be alerted by the command and control centre and security will be ensured," he said.

Singh said the people of the nation had faith in the BSF jawans and it had increased rapidly recently. He also claimed the Pakistani rangers were jittery due to the BSF.

Singh said he had seen their hard work when they guarded borders and also in Naxal and terrorism-affected areas.

"You have a feeling of respect which inspires you. It was the feeling which had inspired Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh and Khudiram Bose to fight for the freedom of the country," he said.

He was speaking after the worship of weapons or 'Shastra Pujan'.

He said there would be no need to use weapons if the neighbouring country stopped using them.

Highlighting the significance of Dussehra, he said Rama was worshipped on the occasion instead of Ravana, who was rich, powerful, intelligent, because it was "character" which made a difference.

Senior BSF officers were also present on the occasion. The minister is also scheduled to visit the Indo-Pak border during his visit to the border district.

Rajasthan's four districts of Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Sriganganagar and Barmer share over thousand km long border with Pakistan and are guarded by the BSF.
A senior IPS officer heading the prisons department in Telangana has offered his 'services' to improve the law and order situation in Bihar, days after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in an apparent expression of dissatisfaction over it asked police officials to pull up their socks.

Telangana Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services V K Singh in his letter to the Bihar Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister said he had earlier worked in the state Police and it was a fine force which needs direction.

The officer said he was pained by the kind of reports coming in the media about Bihar which had become synonym for lawlessness and offered his 'services' to the state either directly or indirectly.

I take this as my duty to offer my services direct or indirect to the Bihar Government if the government deems it fit. I am willing to share my advice and expertise to improve the situation in Bihar," he said in the letter, a copy of which was released to media here Friday.

He said it would not be out of place to mention that Telangana prisons had become "the best" in the country in the last three years.

"Bihar prisons and Bihar police could also become the best. It is my humble request to do something to refurbish the image of Bihar, the IPS officer said.

On October 12, Kumar, inaugurating a Rs 320 crore state-of-the art earthquake-resistant complex in Patna which would house the police headquarters, had asked police officials to pull up their socks and "not leave things bhagwan bharose".

"Get your act together and spare some thought for keeping corruption and crime under control, maintaining social harmony and helping the government in its social reform measures......do not leave things bhagwan bharose (to chance)," he had said.

The Bihar chief minister's terse remarks, in the presence of some of his cabinet colleagues besides top officials, including DGP K S Dwivedi, came in the backdrop of recent criticisms faced by his government on the law and order front.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Medium pacer Mohammad Abbas took his maiden ten-wicket haul in a match to fire Pakistan to a 373-run win over Australia in the second Test in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Abbas followed his 5-33 in the first innings with figures of 5-62 to wreck Australia for 164 after they were set a big 538-run target.

The win gave Pakistan a 1-0 win in the two-match series after Australia fought back to draw the first Test in Dubai last week.

This becomes Australia's heaviest defeat against Pakistan, beating the 356-run hammering at this same venue four years ago.

It was Abbas who destroyed Australia with a haul of 17 wickets in the series -- becoming the first Pakistani fast bowler to take ten wickets in a Test since Mohammad Asif's feat against Sri Lanka at Kandy in 2006.

Abbas had jolted Australia with four wickets off just 23 balls while Yasir Shah finished with 3-45 to give Pakistan their tenth series win on the neutral venues of United Arab Emirates (UAE).

They have only lost one series -- 2-0 to Sri Lanka last year -- since being forced to play their home matches in UAE since 2009.

Pakistan were forced to play their home matches in UAE since attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009.

Australia's batsmen had no answers to his accurate seam bowling under cloudy conditions at Sheikh Zayed Stadium as only Marnus Labuschagne (43), Travis Head (36) and Aaron Finch (31) offered some resistance.

Yasir dismissed number ten Jon Holland soon after lunch to hand Pakistan victory. The first Test ended in a draw in Dubai last week.

Australian opener Usman Khawaja could not bat after suffering a recurrence of a knee injury during practice on Thursday.

Abbas jolted the Australians in the seventh over of the day when he removed a solid-looking Head, getting an edge to substitute wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, deputising for Sarfraz Ahmed.

Sarfraz, who was hit on the helmet by a rising Mitchell Starc delivery on Thursday, had gone for a precautionary scan.

Head and Finch added 61 runs for the second wicket while Starc (28) and



Labuschagne added 67 for the sixth wicket, but it only delayed the inevitable. Abbas had Mitchell Marsh (five) and Finch (31) leg-before wicket and dismissed Tim Paine for nought -- before Yasir Shah removed Starc and Peter Siddle for three.

Australia had reached 155-7 at lunch with the writing very much on the wall. Pakistan made 282 in their first innings and then bowled out Australia for a paltry 145, gaining a match winning 137-run lead.

The highlights of Pakistan's batting in this match were 94 and 66 from opener Fakhar Zaman in his first Test while skipper Sarfraz returned to form with innings of 94 and 81.

Both the teams now play a series of three Twenty20 internationals with the first in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

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Tyre major MRF-owned toy manufacturer Funskool is tapping export markets to drive its sales and is also expanding its capacity, a top company official has said.

The Chennai-based company that operates two factoriesin Goa and at Ranipet in Tamil Nadu--is commissioning a third plant at Ranipet in February, at an investment of Rs 25 crore.

"The first phase will be commissioned by February. We should have one more factory by 2020. We are not taking orders for exports now because we have capacity constraints in both these units," Funskool chief executive K John Baby told PTI here.

The toy maker clocked a revenue of Rs 235 crore last year and it expects this to touch Rs 250 crore this year.

"Last year our growth was in single-digit and it may remain so this year as well, between 7 and 9 per cent. But from next year, it should be double digits as we add capacity. That is why we are pushing exports in a big way and exports will be leading the growth," he said.

Already the company ships to Australia, Africa, Britain, Europe, the Gulf and the US.

"This year, exports will contribute 30-35 per cent of our revenue, up from 20-25 per cent last year. Exports are growing much faster than domestic sales. By the end of 2021, I look forward to a 50:50 ratio between export and domestic sales," he said.

He has also set a target of clocking around Rs 400 crore revenue by 2021.

Funskool, a wholly-owned company of the tyre major MRF after US-based Hasbro exited the joint venture, gets 40 per cent of its revenue from own brands and the rest 60 per cent from over 20 other brands, which it contract-manufactures for seven companies.

The company, which focuses on sub-Rs 500 price range, has a market share of 10-15 per cent in the Rs 3,300 crore domestic toy industry. However, industry estimates say as much as 80 per cent of toys sold in the country are imported.

The company has 16 retail stores, while online accounts for 12-15 per cent of sales.

Funskool, which spends 4-5 per cent of the topline on marketing and advertising, counts the South as its strongest market. Its biggest brand is Giggles in the infant and toddler segment that is growing at 40 per cent.

The infant and toddler segment is estimated to be 30 per cent of the Rs 3,300 crore toy market.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday condoled the loss of lives in tragic Amritsar train accident and directed officials to provide immediate assistance.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching," Modi tweeted.

"My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," he said.

Separately, President Ram Nath Kovind also tweeted to pay his condolences to the bereaved families.

"Shocked to hear about the tragedy on rail tracks in Amritsar, Punjab. Understand Indian Railways and local authorities are taking steps to help affected people," he said.

Several people were mowed down by a passing train when they were standing across railway tracks in Amritsar to watch burning of Ravana effigy as part of Dussehra celebrations.

BJP president Amit Shah said he has asked local party workers to join the rescue operation.

"I am pained beyond words to learn about the tragic train accident in Amritsar. I have spoken to the local BJP unit and asked our karyakartas to join the rescue operation. My deepest condolences with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for early recovery of those injured," he tweeted.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi also said he was asking the state government and the party workers to provide immediate relief at the accident site.

"The train accident in Punjab in which over 50 people have died is shocking. My condolences to the families of those who have died. I pray that the injured make a speedy recovery," Gandhi said.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he was rushing to Amritsar to personally supervise the relief and rescue operations.

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal said he was shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident.

"I pray for the injured to recover quickly. Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations," he tweeted.

The Union minister is in the US to attend an event.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred at Joda Phatak.

At least 300 people were at the spot watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks.

Officials said at least 60 bodies have been found and many more injured have been admitted to a government hospital. They said the final toll may rise.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to all his party volunteers in the area to help authorities in the relief work and provide whatever help they can in this moment of crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Friday announced all possible assistance by the Centre to Punjab as a large number of Dussehra revellers standing across railway tracks were mowed down by a passing train near Amritsar.

"Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured," Singh tweeted soon after the incident.

The Home minister said he has spoken to Home secretary and DGP of Punjab regarding the accident and they are rushing to the spot.

"Centre is ready to provide all possible assistance to the state at this hour of grief," he said.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred at Joda Phatak.

At least 300 people were at the spot watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Amritsar I Rajesh Sharma said 50 bodies have been found and at least 50 injured have been admitted to a government hospital.

The officials said the toll may rise.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Donald Trump is "cheerleading" violence against the media, an association representing White House correspondents said Friday after the president applauded an assault by a congressman on a reporter.

"All Americans should recoil from the president's praise for a violent assault on a reporter doing his Constitutionally protected job," Olivier Knox, head of the White House Correspondents' Association, said in a statement.

"This amounts to the celebration of a crime," Knox said. He was referring to a moment at a campaign rally in Montana on Thursday when Trump heaped praise on local congressman Greg Gianforte who used a wrestling move to slam a Guardian reporter on the floor in 2017.

"Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of guy," Trump told the rally about Gianforte, winning prolonged applause and laughter. "Don't wrestle with him."



Knox said: "We should never shrug at the president cheerleading for a violent act targeting a free and independent media." Gianforte pleaded guilty to assault but avoided jail time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
@KyraGurney

Local officials rolled out the red carpet for Democrats on Thursday as party representatives toured Miami-Dade to evaluate the countys bid to host the 2020 national convention  what could be the regions first major political convention in nearly 50 years.

There was a serenade from the Gay Mens Chorus of South Florida at the newly renovated Miami Beach Convention Center, a golden statue of a lifeguard chair with a lifesaver reading DNC 2020 and lunch with Emilio Estefan at the music producers Design District restaurant, Estefan Kitchen. The night before, the delegation visited Wynwood Walls, an outdoor street art museum, and dined on Peruvian food.

Then, on Thursday afternoon, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber and a group of city and county commissioners officially welcomed the Democratic National Committees site survey team. At a press event in front of the Design Districts Flys Eye Dome, a giant art installation circled by palm trees, the officials stressed South Floridas diversity and experience hosting major events.

More here.
US President Donald Trump has said it "certainly looks" like Jamal Khashoggi is dead and threatened "very severe" consequences if Saudi Arabia is found to have murdered him, toughening his response to the disappearance of the dissident journalist that has sparked global outrage.

Trump's remarks came after he was briefed on the investigation by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who returned from trips to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Khashoggi, 60, who has not been seen since October 2 when he entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, is feared to have been killed inside the mission.

The incident has resulted in global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for 'The Washington Post'.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad. Certainly, looks that way," Trump told reporters at Joint Air Force base Andrews on Thursday before leaving for Montana for a campaign rally.

Turkish investigators have told local as well as US media that Khashoggi was brutally killed inside the consulate.

Asked what consequence Saudi leaders would face if they are found to be responsible, Trump replied: "It will have to be very severe. It's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens".

"We are waiting for some investigations, and waiting for the results. We will have them very soon, and I think we'll be making a statement, a very strong statement. But we're waiting for the results of about three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon," he said.

During his meeting with Trump, Pompeo suggested that Saudi Arabia be given some more time to complete the probe.

"We've made clear to them that we take this matter with respect to Mr Khashoggi very seriously. They've made clear to me they, too, understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi," Pompeo said.

He said the Saudi leadership had assured him that they will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

"I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts. At which point we can make decisions about how or if the US should respond to the incident surrounding Khashoggi," he said.

Pompeo's spokesperson said he had neither heard a tape nor seen a transcript related to the disappearance of Khashoggi.

The statement came after ABC claimed that Pompeo had heard the alleged audio recording during his meeting with the Turkish officials in Ankara.

"Secretary Pompeo has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript related to Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

A day earlier, Pompeo refused to answer questions on the issue.

"I don't have anything to say about that," he said.

Hours after his meeting with Pompeo, Trump told the New York Times in an interview that Khashoggi was assassinated, as per multiple intelligence sources.

"This one has caught the imagination of the world, unfortunately. It's not a positive. Not a positive," Trump said.

"Unless the miracle of all miracles happens, I would acknowledge that he's dead. That's based on everything intelligence coming from every side," he told the daily.

He reiterated the same to reporters' moments later.

Meanwhile, several lawmakers led by Congressman Jim McGovern introduced a legislation in the House to prohibit all US arms sales to Saudi Arabia until Secretary of State determines that the Saudi regime is not responsible for the disappearance or death of Khashoggi.

If the Saudi government is found to be culpable in Khashoggi's disappearance, the legislation prohibits all US military aid and sales to Saudi Arabia until the Congress passes a resolution approving such sales.

In a related development, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders on Thursday urged Turkey to urgently ask UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a UN investigation into the possible extrajudicial execution of Khashoggi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has said it looks like Saudi Arabia's missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and warned of "very severe" consequences if the kingdom is responsible.

Trump's remarks came after he was briefed on the investigation by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Khashoggi, 60, who has not been seen since entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul earlier this month, is feared to have been killed inside the mission. The incident has resulted in a global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for 'The Washington Post'.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad. Certainly, looks that way, Trump told reporters at Joint Air Force base Andrews before boarding Air Force One on his way to Montana for a campaign rally.

This is the first time that the US has officially acknowledged about Khashoggi's death, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Turkish investigators have told local media and also to the US media that Khashoggi was brutally killed inside the consulate on October 2.

"Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters when asked what would be the consequences of such an unfortunate incident.

The President's remarks came hours after he had a detailed meeting with Pompeo, who a night earlier arrived from his trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, where he talked to them about the missing journalist.

"We are waiting for some investigations, and waiting for the results. We will have them very soon, and I think we'll be making a statement, a very strong statement. But we're waiting for the results of about three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon," Trump said.

Trump so far has resisted the call for strong action against Saudi Arabia.

During his meeting with Trump, Pompeo advised that Saudi Arabia be given some more time to complete investigation.

"We've made clear to them that we take this matter with respect to Mr Khashoggi very seriously. They've made clear to me they, too, understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi," Pompeo said.

"They also assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion, and that this report itself will be transparent for everyone to see, to ask questions about, and to inquire with respect to its thoroughness," he said.

"And I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that. At which point we can make decisions about how or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr Khashoggi," said the top American diplomat.

Meanwhile several lawmakers led by Congressman Jim McGovern introduced a legislation in the House to prohibit all US arms sales to Saudi Arabia until Secretary of State determines that the Saudi regime is not responsible for the disappearance or death of Khashoggi.

If the Saudi government is found to be culpable in Khashoggi's disappearance, the legislation prohibits all US military aid and sales to Saudi Arabia until Congress passes a resolution approving such sales.

House Democratic Whip Steny H Hoyer said the reported death of Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi officials is appalling, as is the Trump Administration's failure to hold the government of Saudi Arabia accountable for its actions.

"Given the reports surrounding Mr Khashoggi's disappearance, America's relationship with Saudi Arabia ought to be carefully scrutinised, as should any possible sale of US weapons to Saudi Arabia," he said.

"If the President refuses to stand up to Saudi Arabia, it is incumbent upon Congress to take a stand to not only defend US values, but to send a strong signal of support to journalists and democracy activists everywhere," Hoyer added.

In a related development, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders on Thursday urged Turkey to urgently ask UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a UN investigation into the possible extrajudicial execution of Khashoggi.

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Turkey on Friday denied giving "any kind of audio tape" from the investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or any American official.

"It is out of the question for Turkey to give any kind of audio tape to Pompeo or any other US official," said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, two days after meeting with the US's top diplomat for talks in Ankara.

Turkey's pro-government press has reported that Turkey has an audio recording that proves the alleged murder of Khashoggi at the consulate and that he was tortured before his death.

The existence of the tape has never been confirmed on the record by Turkish officials.

ABC News, quoting a senior Turkish official, reported Thursday that during his visit to Turkey this week Pompeo heard this audio and was shown a transcript of the recording. But Pompeo denied the report.

"I've seen no tape. I've seen no -- or I've heard no tape. I've seen no transcript," he told reporters during a trip to Latin America.

Cavusoglu, like other Turkish officials, stopped short of revealing details of the investigation but vowed they would be shared in due course.

"We will share the results to emerge with the entire world. It is out of the question for us to share this or that information with any country," he said, quoted by the state-run Anadolu agency.

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A Turkish official said Friday that investigators are looking into the possibility that the remains of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been taken to a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul or to another city if and after he was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

The official told The Associated Press that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the consulate, left the building on October 2 the day Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

One of the vehicles travelled to the nearby Belgrade Forest while the other travelled to the city of Yalova, across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the secrecy of the ongoing investigation.

It was not immediately clear if police had already searched the areas.

Turkish reports say Khashoggi was brutally murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Prince Mohammed's rise to power.

President Donald Trump, who first came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but had since has backed off, said Thursday that it "certainly looks" as though Khashoggi is dead, and that the consequences for the Saudis "will have to be very severe" if they are found to have killed him.

Saudi Arabia has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press over recent days over Khashoggi's disappearance.

On Friday, Turkey's pro-government Sabah newspaper printed more surveillance camera photographs allegedly showing members of a Saudi team that was brought in to Turkey to dispose of Khashoggi.

A leaked surveillance photo published by the same paper on Thursday showed that a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage during several trips abroad had walked into the Saudi consulate, just before the writer disappeared there on October 2.

The man, identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, has been photographed in the background of Prince Mohammed's trips to the United States, France and Spain this year.

This week, Turkish crime-scene investigators searched the Saudi consul general's residence in Istanbul and carried out a second search of the consulate itself.

Authorities have not said specifically what they found, although technicians carried out bags and boxes from the consul general's home. He left Turkey on Tuesday.

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The Punjab Police on Friday arrested two members of a Khalistani module who were allegedly engaged in propagating the 'Referendum 2020' campaign by affixing banners and posters in public places in Amritsar.

'Referendum 2020' is a campaign that seeks to garner support for a separate state for Sikhs -- Khalistan.

The accused were identified as Sukhraj Singh alias Raju and Malkit Singh alias Meetu, police said.

Information was received from reliable sources by Commissionerate Police Amritsar about a campaign being run to disseminate the message of 'Referendum 2020' by putting up banners and posters in various public places, a police spokesperson said.

It was found that Sukhraj, a resident of Tarn Taran's village Nagoke, was making the banners and posters at his residence along with his associate Malkit, a resident of Amritsar, he said.

Initial investigations revealed that they were receiving funds from overseas as part of the campaign started by Gurpartap Singh Pannu, legal advisor of Sikh for Justice -- a New York-based organisation, he added.

Dyes, banners and paint were recovered during a raid on Sukhraj's residence.

Some more material was recovered from an under-construction bridge at Kot Mit Singh Canal, where the duo had affixed banners, the police spokesperson said.

Sukhraj, who is unemployed, told police that he has been associated with the SFJ for the past one year and had put up the posters at various places.

For this, he was being paid installments of Rs 25,000-50,000, and had so far received Rs 2 lakh, the spokesperson said.

He usually received the money through Hawala channels and occasionally through accounts of other persons, he added.

Malkit reportedly worked as a bus conductor.

A case has been registered at Sultanwind police station in Amritsar and the two accused have been booked under relevant sections of the IPC, the spokesperson said.

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An entry point near the Lord Ayyappa temple in on Friday virtually turned into an area of confrontation.

A large number of devotees opposing the entry of women of the menstrual age group blocked two women -- a reporter from Hyderabad and another said to be an activist from Kerala -- at the Valiya Nadappandhal near Sannidhanam.

Inspector General S Sreejith heading a team of police personnel providing security cover to the women assured the protesting devotees chanting Ayyappa mantra that they would not like to move forward to the Sannidhanam with the women, hurting the sentiments of devotees.

Amid mounting pressure, Devaswom Minster Kadakampally Surendran said in Thiruvananthapuram the activists should not try to make holy land of Lord Ayyappa a place to prove their strength.

Police is holding discussions with the women who still insist they should reach the shrine.

Devotees, who have come to the temple from various parts of the country, said they would not allow the women to go to the shrine.

Their attempt to reach the shrine came a day after a New Delhi-based woman reporter of a foreign media outlet made a bid to visit the temple.

Police led by IG Sreejith have thrown a security ring around the women who had requested security to go to Sannidhanam.

There have been strong protests by devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

The woman reporter is in her late 20s while the details of the second woman was not immediately known.

If they climbed the hills, they would be the first women from the menstruating age group to visit the of Lord Ayyappa after the order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

On Thursday, the New Delhi-based woman journalist was stopped midway by devotees opposing the entry of women of menstrual age into the hill shrine.

The journalist accompanied by a male colleague, a foreigner, descended the hills from Marakkoottam area in the face of mounting protests.

A case has been registered against devotees who allegedly prevented her from trekking and forced her to climb down the hills.
The Pentagon and South Korea are cancelling another major military exercise this year, citing a push for diplomatic progress with North Korea.

The top Pentagon spokeswoman, Dana W White, says Washington and Seoul are suspending an air exercise known as Vigilant Ace "to give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue." That word comes while Pentagon chief Jim Mattis is in Singapore for a meeting of Asian defence ministers.

Vigilant Ace is an annual exercise. It was held last year in December with US and South Korean air forces.

In June the Pentagon canceled this year's Freedom Guardian exercise after President Donald Trump abruptly announced that he disapproved of the maneuvers, calling them provocative and expensive.

Trump made the announcement after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

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America's military veterans are taking the leap from battlefield to ballot in large numbers in 2018, aiming to bring their discipline, can-do problem-solving, and country-before-party sense of duty to Congress.

Washington may well need them.

The US Senate and House of Representatives are gridlocked, Donald Trump's presidency has deepened the partisan divide, and approval ratings for Congress hover at just 19 per cent.

Veterans, mostly men, have long served in Congress but their percentage has plunged, from a high of more than 70 per cent in the early 1970s to about 20 per cent today.

Some 200 military veterans are running in the November 6 midterm elections, including a record number of women Democrats intent on being a check against Trump.

They were soldiers, sailors, barrier-busting female fighter pilots, paratroopers and intelligence analysts.

Many came of age after 9/11, volunteering to serve in Afghanistan or Iraq. They are Democrats seeking to flip districts in deep state Texas, like retired search and rescue pilot MJ Hegar; and Republicans running to make inroads in liberal California, like US Marine combat veteran Andrew Grant.

The common theme that runs through their campaigns? A commitment to serve.

"Rescue forces tend to run to where the fire is, and I think that right now the fire is in (Washington) DC," Hegar, who received the Purple Heart after being shot down during a Medevac mission in Afghanistan in 2009, told AFP at a campaign event in Georgetown, Texas.

Hegar, 42, successfully sued the Pentagon in 2012 to lift a ban on women serving in combat positions. She said she would like to see a "wave" of veterans run for Congress.

"I think that toughness is a Texas values. Service to your country is a very Texas value," she said. "We're a very military state."



There are a few women combat veterans on Capitol Hill, including Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who lost her legs in a helicopter crash in Iraq, and Arizona Republican congresswoman Martha McSally, a former fighter pilot running for US Senate.

Changes appear likely. Many of the women who entered the military in the 1990s, when some combat roles began to open up for female recruits, have retired, and are now eyeing seats in Congress.

Retired fighter pilot Amy McGrath is trying to parlay her military experience into a Democratic bid to oust House Republican incumbent Andy Barr of Kentucky. "I spent 20 years as a US Marine, flew 89 combat missions bombing Al-Qaeda and the Taliban," McGrath says in a campaign ad.

With Honor, a group formed to help elect veterans, has endorsed 39 candidates in its bid to "create a more effective and less polarized government."



Six of them are Democratic women, including Gina Ortiz Jones, a US Air Force veteran seeking to unseat congressman Will Hurd in southwest Texas, and Elaine Luria, who served six tours in the US Navy and is challenging incumbent Scott Taylor in Virginia.

One of those endorsed by the group is Democrat Richard Ojeda, an intense, decorated retired US Army officer running for a House seat in West Virginia, a state Trump won overwhelmingly in 2016.

Ojeda, 47, says he nearly died five times serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and believes Washington could use more duty-bound military patriots.

"The leader doesn't sit on top of the mountain and look down at everybody and wonder how can they continue to elevate him higher," he told AFP.

"He goes down there and he helps elevate them." With Honor is also endorsing Republicans like Steve Watkins, who volunteered for US Army service in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.

In his Kansas congressional race, Watkins points to the US military's melting pot of cultures, religions and races, "all coming together to serve the common good," he told Fox

"It makes the political fights in Washington seem petty." National bickering has been at a boil. Trump repeatedly says Democrats let the military wither and ignore national security concerns, and that Republicans are the party that supports the armed forces.

Joe Jenkins, a 33-year-old retired Marine now teaching in Dallas public schools, said many troops were shocked by the partisanship when they returned home.

"Republicans don't get to own patriotism, they don't get to own veterans, or family, and they don't get to own country," he said.

"And neither do Democrats. Those are ideals that each person that's running for public office has to live up to." Jenkins, whose arms are sheathed in elaborate tattoos, wears one on his right forearm that depicts a lighthouse.

"They're a bulwark against a storm," he said.

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Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has met Prime Ministers of Greece and Portugal here and discussed ways to boost bilateral ties through greater economic cooperation and people to people exchanges.

Naidu, who is here to attend the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, met on Thursday Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras and Portugese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and sought his collaboration to strenghten ties in areas of defence, space, infrastructure and startups.

Tsipras informed the Vice President about the economic conditions of Greece and the efforts taken by the government to restore stability to the financial system.

"He commended that the growth of the Indian economy over the last few years has had a positive influence on the global economic situation," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Tsipras encouraged Indian companies to consider investing in Greece, particularly in the port sector and extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Greece at an opportune time, it said.

The Vice President called for greater tourism flows between the two countries. He thanked Greece for its support for India's membership to the various export control regimes and its candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.

Two countries agreed to further strengthen the bilateral ties through greater economic and people to people exchanges.

In his meeting with Naidu, Prime Minister Costa said he was happy with the ongoing positive momentum in the bilateral relations.

"He said that India-Portugal bilateral trade was on the rise and that Portuguese companies were encouraged by the potential of the Indian market," the External Affairs Ministry statement said.

Naidu thanked Costa for joining the Committee set up to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi worldwide.

He said India and Portugal should collaborate in new areas of cutting-edge technology.

Naidu said defence, space, infrastructure and startups were areas that offer potential business opportunities.

He also thanked Portugal for reiterating its support for India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Greece's economy has stabilised and grown slowly after the subsequent Great Recession and Greek government-debt crisis that plunged the economy into a sharp downturn.

It asked for a financial rescue by the European Union and International Monetary Fund. Bailouts - emergency loans aimed at saving sinking economies - began in 2010.

Greece received three successive packages, totalling 289 billion euros, but they came with the price of drastic austerity measures.

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CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Friday demanded to know why the Centre was not applying the yardstick of equal treatment of women it used on the triple talaq issue to the Sabarimala row and blamed the BJP for whipping up communal passions for electoral gains.

The top Marxist party leader said roughing up of women journalists and the stir led by groups wearing saffron head bands at Sabarimala indicated a pattern seen during the demoliton of Babri masjid (1992) and blamed the RSS for it.

Women journalists forming part of television crew were roughed up and "it is exactly the pattern, which is also very similar at the time of Babri masjid demoliton...you have the heads of volunteers wearing saffron bands (leading protests)," Yechury said.

Such scenarios unfolded during the Babri protests and a "similar thing is done here; it is an organised thing that the RSS is doing and that will be fought," he said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would "lose the Sabarimala battle," Yechury said.

Asked if his party-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala will oppose review pleas on Sabarimala issue before the Supreme Court,he said it was for the government to answer.

In a historic judgment last month, the apex court had lifted the ban on entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the hill temple.

Citing the Centre's advisory to Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to take precautionary measures in view of some Hindu outfits planning protests, he said law and order was being maintained by the Kerala government.

"Those disturbing law and order will be dealt with they are being dealt with," Yechury told reporters here.

On triple talaq, he said the Centre recently promulgated an ordinance making it illegal saying the practice was unequal treatment of women, he said.

"The government did that saying equality of men and women is fundamental to our constitution and that it should be protected."



"Therefore triple talaq is unequal treatment of women and they brought this ordinance. Same principle why they are not applying for Sabarimala?" he asked.

His party had taken a stand against triple talaq for its "arbitary use and instant application so we said that needs to be reformed."



The Centre still has the option of going in for a legislation or ordinance to circumvent the apex court verdict on Sabarimala "if they are really interested," the way it did for the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.

However, "the real point here is to whip up communal polarisation with the hope that it will get some political and electoral benefit," he said.

Accusing BJP of playing a "worst form of vote bank politics," he said "they are seeking the consolidation of Hindutva communal vote bank at the expense of destroying our social harmony, unity and integrity of our country and this is very dangerous."



He accused the BJP and Congress in Kerala, of "duplicity" on Sabarimala issue adding the saffron party and congress reversed its stand after initially welcoming the verdict.

Yechury said the state-wise electoral strategy (for the Lok Sabha 2019 election) would be worked out as per the recent central committee meet resolve to defeat BJP and its allies, strengthen the CPI(M) and the Left in Parliament and work for an alternate secular government at the Centre.

The Muslim Women -Protection of Rights on Marriage- Ordinance was promulgated last month and a Bill in this regard was passed by Lok Sabha last year which is now pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Recently, the Parliament passed a Bill to overturn a apex court order covering arrests under the SC/ST Act and to restore the original provisions.

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The wife of a Gujarat resident Thursday learnt of his death last month in a Pakistan jail after a letter from the deceased's cellmate reached her.

Nanubhai Kanabhai Solanki (45), a fisherman from Karjadi village in Una tehsil in the state's Gir Somnath district, was arrested by Pakistan maritime authorities on November 11 last year for allegedly straying into the neighbouring country's waters.

A postcard dated September 30 sent by Vijay Vaja, Solanki's cellmate, informing about the latter's death was received by the deceased's wife Thursday.

Vaja wrote that Solanki had died in a jail in Karachi on September 15.

Jethiben Solanki (42), the deceased fisherman's wife, told PTI Friday that her husband had written to her three times while he was in jail.

"He had mentioned that he was keeping good health. I do not know what is the cause of his death. I received Vijay Vaja's postcard on Thursday and our family comprising five sons and three daughters has gone into mourning," she said.

Vaja is the brother-in-law of her daughter, Jethiben informed.

She said that neither jail authorities from Pakistan nor anyone from the Indian ministry of external affairs had contacted her as yet in connection with her husband's death.

Rajya Sabha MP Parimal Nathwani Friday wrote to External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj asking her to help the family get Solanki's body quickly.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - China has ample supplies of soybeans and significant price fluctuations are unlikely, a senior agriculture ministry official said on Friday.Domestic soybean planting acreage has increased and China is set for a bumper harvest, supported by government subsidies and crop rotation policies, Tang Ke of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs told a press briefing.The soybean market has been roiled by the Sino-U.S. trade conflict, with Chinese buyers steering clear of beans from the United States, instead increasing purchases from Brazil and reducing their use of the bean ...
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's regulators lined up to rally market confidence on Friday with new rules, measures and words of comfort as shares brushed near four-year lows for the second day in a row. The country's securities regulator, central bank and banking and insurance regulator all pledged steps to bolster market sentiment as China reported its weakest pace of economic growth since the global financial crisis for the third quarter.While authorities in the world's second biggest economy have been slowly easing monetary conditions, Friday's announcements were largely aimed at putting ...
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese stocks bounced on Friday, erasing losses from the past two sessions after regulators pledged steps aimed at calming markets and supporting struggling firms, as Beijing moved quickly to mitigate rising risks to the economy.Official data earlier in the day underscored weakness in the economy amid a worsening trade war with the United States. Gross domestic product grew 6.5 percent year-on-year in the third quarter, below expectations and the weakest quarterly pace since the first quarter of 2009,With less than hour left in the trading day, the CSI300 index was up ...
By Shu Zhang and Engen ThamBEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's banking regulator said on Friday it plans to start letting funds from products publicly sold by banks' wealth management subsidiaries be directly invested in shares.Currently, only funds raised from privately sold bank wealth management products can be invested in China's stock market.The long-awaited announcement from the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) came as Chinese stocks traded near four-year lows amid fears of forced selling.Shares on mainland bourses fell after a prolonged crackdown earlier this ...
By Tom MilesGENEVA (Reuters) - Disputes over U.S. tariffs and retaliatory moves by other states have sparked 12 requests for adjudication at the World Trade Organization, signalling an escalation in global trade tensions. The agenda for an Oct. 29 meeting of the WTO's dispute settlement body on Friday confirmed the legal moves, which Reuters reported late on Thursday.The dispute procedure begins with a 60-day window for talks to try to reach a settlement. The meeting agenda show that those talks have failed. By asking for adjudication, the disputants are triggering litigation that could last ...
By Greg Roumeliotis and Liana B. Baker(Reuters) - Dell Technologies Inc will ask holders of "tracking stock" tied to its software company VMware Inc to vote on its $21.7 billion cash-and-stock offer to buy it back from them on Dec. 11, according to people familiar with the matter.The move sets Dell on a collision course with some investors opposing the offer, including billionaire Carl Icahn, who owns 8.3 percent of the tracking stock. Icahn argued in an open letter to other investors this week that the deal would unfairly give $11 billion in value to Dell's controlling shareholders, founder ...
By Philip Blenkinsop and Robin EmmottBRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union signed a free-trade deal with Singapore at a summit with Asian leaders on Friday and pressed China to allow greater foreign investment in its economy, but ran into familiar resistance from Beijing over state subsidies.At a biennial Asia-Europe Meeting bringing together leaders representing 65 percent of global economic output, France, Britain, Germany, Italy and the European Commission held private meetings with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, hoping for greater access for EU companies to the world's No. 2 economy.When ...
(Reuters) - French Connection said on Friday it has begun discussions with four interested parties regarding a sale of the British clothing retailer.The company, which announced last week that it was reviewing all strategic options, said it has also had conversations with several other interested parties regarding its plans.French Connection, which was founded by Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Stephen Marks in 1972, has a market capitalisation of over 51 million pounds ($67 million), according to Refinitiv Eikon data.Once known for its provocative FCUK brand of clothes and accessories, ...
By Francesco GuarascioBRUSSELS (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister defended its free-spending budget on Thursday, brushing off criticism from Brussels as the European Commission stepped up pressure over a draft it labelled an unprecedented breach of EU fiscal rules.Giuseppe Conte also faced discontent over the 2019 fiscal plan at home, calling a meeting of the government for Saturday to stave off an emerging internal rift over conditions of a partial tax amnesty.The draft, signed off by Italy's cabinet on Monday, will hike the deficit at a time when EU regulations say it should be falling, ...
By Richa Naidu and Soundarya J(Reuters) - Procter & Gamble Co reported first-quarter profit that beat estimates and sales that unexpectedly rose on Friday, thanks to robust demand for its beauty and cleaning products, helping it stave off rivalry from cheaper store-branded products.Organic sales, which exclude revenue from newly acquired units, enjoyed growth of 4 percent, the best in five years.Sales surged 5 percent in P&G's beauty business, driven by its premium skin care brands SK-II and Olay. The grooming business, including Gillette shaving products, surged 5 percent in volume, boosted ...
By Costas Pitas and David MillikenLONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May told business leaders during a teleconference on Friday that EU politicians are committed to reaching a Brexit agreement this autumn, striking what one source told Reuters was an upbeat tone.London and Brussels are racing to strike a deal by the end of the year and firms are worried that without one, there could be widespread disruption of everything from supply chains to flights and the movement of food and livestock. May briefed around 120 business leaders to update them on the progress of the talks ...
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May told business leaders on Friday she had come away from this week's European Council meeting in Brussels with a sense that EU leaders wanted to reach a Brexit deal as soon as possible this autumn, her office said."She acknowledged that there were a few significant issues that were still outstanding, but said that the very real sense she had from leaders around the table at the Council was that they wanted to reach a deal as soon as possible this autumn," her office said in a statement.In a conference call, she had also spoken of the ...
By Krishna V Kurup(Reuters) - Shares in Yes Bank Ltd tanked more than 8 percent on Friday after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) denied its request for a second time on Wednesday to extend Chief Executive Rana Kapoor's term.The RBI had last month refused to grant an extension to Rana Kapoor as managing director and chief executive officer of the lender.Shares in the lender fell as much as 8.2 percent to 213 rupees on Friday. The Indian markets were shut for a public holiday on Thursday.Yes Bank had asked RBI to extend Kapoor's term beyond January to allow more time to find a replacement. But ...
More than 50 people are feared dead in a train acccident in Amritsar district of Punjab. The mishap took place near the Joda Phatak in Choura Bazar area of AMritsar where locals had gathered in numbers to attend the Dussehra celebrations on Friday.

"Ravan effigy was being burnt 70-80 meters from gate number 27. When the effigy fell, people present there ran towards the railway track, at the time a train was passing and level crossing there was shut," CPRO, Northern Railway, was quoted as saying by ANI. The train had no headlights and was not noticed by the crowd gathered near the closed gate, which led to the mishap.

The injured have rushed to nearby hospitals.

Updates:

10:10 pm: Punjab CM Amrinder Singh has ordered an inquiry in the Amritsar train mishap.

09:47 pm: Indian Railways issues helpline numbers after the Amritsar train mishap. The Amritsar station helpline numbers are: 0183-2223171, 0183-2564485. The Manawala station helpline numbers are Rly -73325, BSNL - 0183-2440024; Power Cabin ASR-Rly - 72820, BSNL - 0183-2402927; Vijay Sahota,SSE: 7986897301 and Vijay Patel, SSE: 7973657316

09:45 pm: Punjab government announces Rs 5 lakh compensation for families of every deceased in Amrtisar train mishap. The cost of treatment of those injured will be borne by the state government

09:45 pm: "An unfortunate tragedy has taken place place. My heart goes out to all those who have lost their lives and injured in this incident which from the initial reports appears to be a tragedy that could have been avoided," says Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on the Amritsar train accident.

09:30 pm: Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha is rushing to Amritsar.

09:02 pm: "Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident that occurred in Amritsar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly. Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations," tweets Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

09:00 pm: We would order an inquiry as to why this incident happened, says the Punjab CM after the train mishap in Amritsar.

09:00 pm: The state is on full alert. Everybody from the administration who is required in Amritsar has been moved there, says Punjab CM Amrinder Singh.

08:53 pm: The exact number of casualties is not know yet but it is definitely more than 50-60, Amritsar Police Commissioner SS Srivastava told ANI.

08:50 pm: "Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," says Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

08:47 pm: Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Sarkaria will reach Amritsar shortly to oversee rescue operations. Singh himself will visit Amritsar tomorrow to assess the situation.

08:45 pm: Punjab CM Amrinder Singh has ordered Home Secretary, Health Secretary and ADGP Law and Order to reach Amritsar.

08:38 pm: "Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in #Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured," tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Amritsar train mishap.

08:35 pm: Shocked to hear of tragic rail accident in Amritsar. Have asked all govt & pvt hospitals to stay open to help in this hour of grief. District authorities have been directed to take up relief and rescue operations on a war footing, tweets Punjab CM Amrinder Singh.

08:25 pm: Locals say no alarm was raised by the authorities or the Dussehra committee as the train approached the gathering at high speed.

08:15 pm: Police confirms more than 50 casualties in the train mishap at Amritsar as rescue operations commence. "There are more than 50 casualties. We are evacuating people, injured taken to the hospital," police official told ANI.
The request for extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi is being "examined" by Antigua and Barbuda, the Ministry of External Affairs said Thursday. Answering a question on Choksi, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar at a briefing said, "According to the information that I have, the extradition request by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and the ED (Enforcement Directorate), is being examined by them (Antigua and Barbuda authorities) and after they have examined it, they have said they will convey their response to India."

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had met Foreign Minister of Antigua and Barbuda E P Chet Greene last month on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and raised the issue of extradition of Choksi, who is currently in the Caribbean island. Greene had conveyed to Swaraj the assurances of his Prime Minister for fullest cooperation of their government in the matter of extradition of Choksi to India, Kumar had said after the meeting.

Choksi is one of the alleged masterminds of the USD 2 billion scam in state-run Punjab National Bank and is an uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi. He is wanted in India by the CBI and ED probing the fraud. On a question on absconding businessman Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, Kumar said that in the case of Nirav Modi, extradition requests from the CBI and ED are pending with the UK authorities. "The requests are under consideration," he said. "We are committed to take this matter forward and to bring back the economic offenders," he said. On Mallya, he said the Westminster Magistrates' Court has fixed December 10 as the date for verdict in the case.
China is developing a 'smart', intercontinental high-speed train that can automatically adjust to the railway tracks of a different country. As mentioned by the country's chief train engineer, Guo Yao, these trains would be able to travel 400 km in an hour and are likely to start serving by 2020. Guo Yao was also the chief designer of China's Fuxing high-speed trains.

In an interview to the Guangzhou Daily, Yao said that these trains would be equipped with cutting-edge rail trucks or bogies on the chassis that will adapt the trains to various track widths without human effort. Currently when intercontinental trains such as the Trans-Siberian Railway cross the Chinese border, workers manually change the bogies for the journey ahead.

Yao said that the technology will help made-in-China locomotives tap the global market. These smart trains are expected to transport goods reducing China's cost in international trade.

China has the world's largest high-speed train network. One of these high-speed trains is Fuxing, which means 'rejuvenation'. Launched in 2017, the Fuxing can move as fast as 400 km an hour but its daily operational speed is 350 km per hour.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Chinese companies spent 13 years learning how to build world-class high-speed trains after accumulating information from leading firms in Japan, France, Germany and Canada.

The Fuxing that was developed and built within three years was made possible by workers from more than 20 Chinese companies who had joined hands to form the core team.

Not only that, China has is also planning to build the world's longest undersea railway tunnel that would link it with Taiwan. China is reportedly close to confirming the design of the 135-km long-tunnel.
Even though India slipped by one spot, it was still ranked one of the 10 most valuable nation brands in the world. Brand Finance's annual Nation Brands report measures nations' brands based on the country's image and the economy as a whole. India was ranked 8th in last year's report but slipped by a spot to the 9th rank. Despite its brand value rising 5% from last year, India has slipped one rank for the second consecutive year.

India's brand value was $2,046 billion in 2017 and has increased to $2,159 billion in 2018, the report mentioned. India is one of the only two countries in the top 10 to have lost a spot. The other country to slip by a rank is Japan.

Topping the list and maintaining its lead is US with a brand value of $25,899 billion which rose by 23% from last year. The US economy has grown at a rapid pace and is expected to continue it in the coming months. All of its parameters, including GDP, consumer sales, car output show growth.

The country to see the highest jump in brand value is Germany with 28%.

Following US is China in the second spot with a brand value of $12,779 billion. China's brand value saw an increase of 25% from last year, followed by Germany with $5,147 billion, UK with $3,750 billion, Japan with $3,598 billion and France with $3,224 billion.

Every country is also given a brand rating. India's brand rating - AA - hasn't changed despite the change in ranks. India has been overtaken by US, China, Germany, UK, Japan, France, Canada and Italy. South Korea, Australia, Spain, Switzerland, Russia, UAE, and Singapore are all ranked below India.

Brand Finance measures the strength and value of the brands using a method based on the royalty relief mechanism employed to value the world's largest companies. It looks into nation brand strength, royalty rate, revenues, weighted average cost of capital (WACC) or discount rate and brand valuation.
The Reliance Industries stock closed lower in trade today even after the Mukesh Ambani-led firm posted its highest ever net profit at Rs 9,516 crore in Q2 FY 19, up 17.35 per cent compared to Rs 8,109 crore, in the same period of the previous financial year.

The stock closed 4.11% or 47.25 points lower at 1101.65 on the BSE. The stock opened at Rs 1103.90 (a loss of 3.92%) and hit an intra day low of 1073.15 (6.59%) on the BSE. It closed at 1148.90 on Wednesday. It has been losing for the last two days and has fallen 5.33% during the period.

It has gained 21.01% during the last one year and risen 19.61% since the beginning of this year.

Here's a look at why Reliance Industries stock fell in trade today.

Low GRMs

The firm's gross refining margins (GRMs) fell to a two-quarter low of $9.5 per barrel compared to $10.5 in the previous quarter and $12 in the July-September quarter last year.

Delay in key refining project

Some investors were concerned by the delay in its $5 billion petcoke gasifier project. A delay in the gasifier project served as an indication of the pressure on refining earnings in the forthcoming quarters, several analysts said. During an analyst meeting, the company admitted to the delay at its refinery located in the Western India. Analysts have been counting on the project upgrade, which could boost Reliance's gross refining margins from next quarter.

Continued capital expenditure

The company indicated continued capital expenditure in the ensuing quarters to roll out its ambitious fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) service under its telecom venture Jio. "A material improvement in credit metrics is still less likely as telco capex is likely to remain elevated," international broking firm JP Morgan said in a report.

Refining and marketing business

Segment earnings before interest and tax fell 19.6% to Rs 5,322 crore compared to Rs 6,621 crore in the corresponding period of previous fiscal.

Oil and gas and exploration business

Revenue for the oil and gas segment fell by 12% to Rs 1,322 crore in Q2 compared to Rs 1,503 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous fiscal. EBIT at (Rs 480 crore in loss) was impacted by lower volumes due to natural decline. On year-on-year basis, domestic production fell 25.5% to 15.3 billions of cubic feet equivalent (Bcfe) and production in US shale operations declined by 31.4% to 23.8 Bcfe. KG -D6 gas production declined to 3.7 million metric standard cubic meter per day ( -33% YoY and -10 % QoQ).
The Sensex fell 464 points or 1.33 per cent to close at 34,315.63 points on losses in index major Reliance Industries, HDFC and Infosys. While the Sensex touched an intra day low of 34140, Nifty fell to 10,249 level. YES Bank (6.06%), HDFC (4.32%), and Reliance (4.11%) were the top Sensex losers.

Of 30 Sensex stocks, 23 closed in the red.

Sentiments also took a hit on sell-off in NBFCs, led by Indiabulls Housing Finance, Dewan Housing Finance, IL&FS Engineering and Construction which dropped up to 16.55 per cent on prevailing liquidity concerns, brokers said.

Reliance Industries dropped up to 7 per cent despite record financial results for the second quarter.

Meanwhile, the Reserve Bank Friday announced more steps to increase liquidity flows to the non-banking financial companies.

The RBI permitted banks to use government securities equal to their incremental outstanding credit to NBFCs, over and above their outstanding credit to them as on October 19, to be used to meet liquidity coverage ratio requirements.

Sun Pharma (2.52%), Kotak Bank (1.78%) and Vedanta (1.51%) were the top Sensex gainers.

Mid cap and small cap stocks also took a beating with the indices falling 1.10% and 1.32%, respectively. IT stocks led the losses with the BSE IT index falling 381 points to 14,295 level.

Auto stocks also led the market lower on fears of lower sale this festive season due to prevailing lower liquidity from NBFCs, with the BSE auto index losing 1.42% or 281 points to 19,572.

Market breadth was negative with 867 stocks closing higher compared to 1722 falling on the BSE. 157 stocks were unchanged.

Cues from other Asian markets were mixed with early losses were erased as China shares rebounded in afternoon trade after government statements sought to bolster market confidence.

China's banking and insurance regulator also said on Friday that it may allow bank wealth management subsidiaries to invest directly in stocks.

Stock exchanges and money markets were closed yesterday on account of "Dussehra".

On Wednesday, the Sensex finally ended 1.09% lower at 34,779 points. The Nifty too ended 131 points or 1.24% lower at 10,453. Prior to that, the Sensex had risen nearly 1,161 points in the past three sessions on the back of unabated buying by domestic institutional investors (DIIs) and rebound in global equity markets.
By Lalit K Jha Washington, Oct 17 (PTI) The US on Wednesday announced its intent to withdraw from the little-known UN Universal Postal Union (UPU), arguing that the current system that governs international postal rates allows countries like China to provide subsidies to their postal companies to ship products to the US at cheaper rates thus putting American firms at a disadvantage. The State Department on Wednesday was scheduled to provide a notice in Switzerland to indicate that the US will be initiating withdrawal procedures from the UPU. Even as the US is open to negotiations, the self-declared rates by the country could come into effect as soon as within six months. "Under the current rules of the Universal Postal System, foreign governments, foreign posts are able to send packages to the United States at highly subsidised rates," a senior administration official said. China, for instance, accounts for a large portion of the flow, but there are also other countries involved and other posts involved, the official said. Singapore, for example, and several countries in Europe benefit from this. "So this is not a China issue, per se, it's a situation where people are getting hurt in this country by an unfair system," the official explained. The issue, the official claimed, has been long due and it was then US President Ronald Reagan who had first expressed concern in 1986. Reagan had expressed concern to correct this problem, but it's an example where the US, stuck in a multilateral organisation with 193 countries and only one vote, has been saddled with this problem, the official noted. Giving an example, the official said a one-pound package costs domestically about USD 10 to USD 13 for a US business or manufacturer to send, whereas the Chinese mailer, for the last mile, and same distance, one would reimburse about USD 2.50. "That's a huge gap. It's an even bigger gap for a 4.4-pound package: The US mailer pays about USD 20 to USD 23 while the Chinese mailers pay just USD 5," the official added. According to another senior administration official, there are 40 to 70 per cent discounts on packages from China to the US compared to what it would be to send them domestically. "That's costing us about USD 300 million per year in -- in the United States and that's what we're trying to fix," the official said. Explaining the reason for withdrawing from the international postal body, the official said the US Postal Service winds up picking up the tab for that which hurts the Post Office. Secondly, in order for the Post Office to make up the losses on these foreign packages, it also raises the rates on Americans who want to send foreign packages abroad, and that hurts America's exporters. "So it's a double whammy there," he said. According to the official, it's a system where America's own domestic manufacturers get hurt, the US Postal System gets hurt, and in an age of the Internet where there's been a proliferation of these so-called third-party marketplaces, this subsidy has basically facilitated the transfer of both a high level of counterfeit goods as well as the narcotic and fentanyl trade. Last month, a US interagency delegation travelled to Ethiopia, where the UN Universal Postal Union meeting was taking place and demanded revision in the system. "We were rebuffed there. Everyone was on notice that if we were rebuffed, we would move forward. This is in terms of, again, the Trump administration themes, we were dealing with a multilateral organisation, one vote out for 193. We didn't get fairness, and so this administration's taking unilateral action," the official said. PTI LKJ KUNKUN
The Department of Telecommunications is planning to allow only data services aboard flights and water vessels within India in the initial rollout of in-flight connectivity. Voice services have been put on a hold for now on account of some gateway issues. The proposed in-flight connectivity guidelines talk about providing both data as well as voice services to passengers on air or maritime transport within the national boundaries.

"DoT will initially seek application for data services under in-flight connectivity (IFC) guidelines. There are some issues around gateway for voice so that will not start immediately," a Department of Telecom (DoT) official told PTI.

In-flight connectivity service is available in most of the developed markets. While mobile phone use will still be restricted during takeoff and landing, the Telecom Commission has approved lifting the ban on the use of mobile phones and internet services at cruising altitudes. Globally, many airlines are offering Wi-Fi for passengers, but they have to switch off the facility when they enter Indian airspace.

AirAsia, Air France, British Airways, Egypt Air, Emirates, Air New Zealand, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways and Virgin Atlantic are among 30 airlines that are already allowing mobile phone use on aircraft but not in Indian airspace.

The DoT is likely to approach the Law Ministry next week for the review of these guidelines before notifying them. It could take around two weeks the Ministry to sanction the guidelines before they could be notified.

The DoT has reportedly held meetings with telecom operators and airlines, with some parties showing interest to offer these services. Once the licences are rolled out, the carriers and telecom companies will reportedly have to bid to acquire the license for the service they want to push out.

Indian carriers have been advocating internet services on flights as it would result in add-on revenues and bring them at par with international flights. While it is still too early for a definite pricing structure for in-flight connectivity, it is anticipated that the cost will far surpass that of rates for normal mobile services.

However, it is not going to be a simple task for Indian carriers. Each aircraft would require an investment of about $1 million, an executive said. The plane will also have to be grounded for at least 10 days to retrofit the aircraft with the technology. In current circumstances, this revamping may not come across as very welcoming.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had earlier said that Indian and international flights be allowed voice and data services within India's airspace above an altitude of 9,850 ft. It suggested that in-flight service connectivity licences should be provided at Re 1 annually. Except for international flights, the Telecom Commission approved TRAI's recommendations.
A day after reports of the Tata Group eying a large stake in cash strapped Jet Airways emerged, it has now come to light that the salt-to-software conglomerate wants a complete control over the airline, with the exit of its current promoters, including airline owner Naresh Goyal's family. Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal and his wife currently own 51 per cent of the stake in the airline, while UAE-based Etihad Airlines owns 26 per cent stake in the company.

Though the proposal has been a breather for Jet Airways -- that is struggling with an adequate cash flow -- the initial talks seems to have failed as the Tata Group rejected Jet's proposal of 26 per cent stake and board level positions. The Tata Group seems disinterested in having joint control and part-ownership as it does not sync with the company's plan for a "scalable airline" venture.

During a recent meeting, the Tata Group made its intentions clear to the Jet Airways representatives -- either sell the entire company or its aircraft and infrastructure or there's no deal, reported the Economic Times. "The Tatas are interested in buying out the entire airline and significantly scaling up the existing business," said a top official, quoted the newspaper. While a Jet Airways spokesperson had said on Thursday that the news report was "totally speculative", there's no denying that such a deal could give the struggling airline a breather. Before this, American investment company TPG Capital had also declined Jet Airways' similar offer of part-ownership.

Tatas already have two joint ventures with Singapore-based Vistara and Malaysia's low-cost carrier AirAsia, but it is trying to increase its footprints in the aviation space. In April, Tata Sons Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran had said the group would consider whether adding another airline to its aviation business would make sense to its business prospects.

Jet Airways' plan to sell its stake is also a part of a major turnaround strategy, but alleged falsification of accounts and suspicious transactions coupled with its inability to pay salaries in time is causing a hindrance. Earlier this month, rating agency ICRA downgraded its long-term borrowing programme.

Now both the camps are still exploring ways to take the discussions forward, but some contentious points like full management control and the future role of Jet Airways Chairman Goyal could throw a spanner in the works. If the negotiations manage to progress to the next level, Etihad Airways may end up selling its 24% stake in Jet Airways to the Tatas, say experts.
Two commercial flights with 350 passengers were prevented from colliding mid-air over Kolkata on Monday. According to officials, an IndiGo flight that had taken off for Bagdogra from the city and an AirAsia flight that was heading to the city from Bagdogra were involved in the episode. The IndiGo flight was asked to hold at 29,000 ft, while the AirAsia flight was asked to descend to the same level, as mentioned in a report in The Economic Times.

The planes were around 200 ft away from each other when the traffic collision avoidance system got triggered, preventing the mishap, as the daily mentions.

An inquiry has been ordered into the incident and two ATC officers, a radar controller and a procedure controller have been put off duty till the investigation is over. IndiGo and AirAsia confirmed the incident, as reported in the daily.

AirAsia said in a statement, "An inquiry has been ordered into the investigation and we are cooperating fully with the DGCA and ministry of civil aviation."

IndiGo said: "A traffic collision avoidance system resolution advisory was triggered on our aircraft flying from Kolkata to Bagdogra on October 15. Following normal procedures, this has been reported to the regulator."

The traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) in such times asks one plane to climb and the other to descend to prevent collision. Computers on board take over from the pilots in such a case.
British Prime Minister Theresa May and other EU leaders voiced renewed confidence on Thursday they could secure a Brexit deal, saying they were working hard to overcome the hurdles that only days ago brought the talks to a halt.

Less than six months before Britain quits the EU in its biggest shift in policy for more than 40 years, the two sides are at odds over how to deal with their only land border, between the British province of Northern Ireland and Ireland.

But while the mood at a two-day summit in Brussels was more upbeat, there was little movement from either side on how to resolve the border issue, with EU officials and diplomats saying May had offered nothing new to unlock the talks.

For now, however, both sides seemed to be happy to kick any solution to that problem a little bit further down the road.

"We are all working, we're intensifying the work on these issues that remain," May told a news conference after a two-day summit in Brussels had ended.

"What I've had from leaders around the table ... since I arrived here in Brussels yesterday is a very real sense that people want that deal to be done."

"I am confident that we can achieve that good deal."

It was a marked change of tone since May's Brexit minister Dominic Raab left Brussels on Sunday after the more than year-long Brexit talks broke down over the border issue.

The problem centres on a so-called backstop - an insurance policy to ensure there will be no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland, a former focal point for sectarian tensions, if a future trading relationship is not in place in time.

To try to move the talks forward, May had earlier signalled she would consider extending a so-called transition period "for a matter of months" after Britain leaves the EU in March, a move her critics called a betrayal but one which the bloc welcomed.

Extending the transition period could mean that if a future partnership is not ready, a backstop, which so far has been unpalatable to the British side, would not have to be triggered. But even an extension would not get rid of the EU's insistence that such a backstop must be agreed to secure a deal.

Such an extension would be difficult for May to sell at home, where her overall strategy has been criticised by all sides -- Brexit campaigners accuse her of making Britain a vassal state, EU supporters say the offer is the worst of all worlds and others are increasingly frustrated over the talks.

One prominent Brexit supporter, Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg, told Reuters that any extension to the transition was "a bad and expensive idea". "No say on the budget or new laws, the epitome of the vassal state."

May also faces a rebellion from her parliamentary partners, Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, which has threatened to vote against her government's budget if she concedes to the EU's demands over the backstop. They say the proposal would tear Northern Ireland from the rest of Britain.

Diane Dodds, an EU lawmaker from the DUP, said the extension did not ease her party's fears. "All very well, but this doesn't do anything to actually change the backstop ... Therefore it does not address any concerns, it offers no reassurance."

With the EU showing little sign of changing its position on the backstop, its leaders could offer May little more than the support that they too believed a deal could be reached. Diplomats say they hope talks could re-start in earnest when, and if, the budget gets passed in early November.

EU Council President Donald Tusk described the mood as much better than the one at the last summit in Salzburg, which ended in acrimony. "What I feel today is that we are closer to the final solutions and the deal," he told a news conference.

Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Commission president, said: "It will be done."

But the Northern Irish question still has to be overcome. May expressed hope that it could be all but negotiated away by the two sides agreeing a close future partnership, which would ensure borders that are as frictionless as possible.

The EU's leaders were more circumspect.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar summed it up by saying "big gaps" remained between the two sides "both in terms of the shape of the future relationship and also the protocol on NorthernIreland and Ireland and the backstop". (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
International Markets Week (IMW) hosted by Enterprise Ireland opened on Wednesday at the RDS with a record 650 Irish exporters confirmed to attend over three days.

More than 150 international Market Advisors from Enterprise Irelands 33 overseas offices were in Ireland to participate in over 2,100 meetings, advising Irish companies on global export opportunities and how to diversify into new markets in response to Brexit.



Enterprise Ireland is actively encouraging client companies to enter and build exports in core Eurozone markets. Almost half (45%) of Enterprise Ireland clients identified the Eurozone as a region that they are aiming to expand into.

New to this years IMW is a dedicated Eurozone area where market advisers will advise on how best to enter and build exports in core Eurozone markets, namely Germany, France, Benelux, Italy and Spain.



IMW also features a Brexit Zone, where experts will offer practical advice and assistance to companies exporting to the UK. The Brexit Zone offers the opportunity for company specific one-to-one meetings to discuss practical issues related to Customs, Transport and Logistics; Financial and Currency Management and Strategic Sourcing.



Opening International Markets Week, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, Julie Sinnamon said, "While the Brexit negotiations continue, we know that the Eurozone provides many advantages including currency stability, common and mutually recognised standards, and minimal customs bureaucracy for Irish companies looking to export. Irish exporters need to look at the Eurozone area as an extension of our own market, whereby Europe is viewed as a new domestic market with Ireland at its heart."

She added, "The UK is, and always will be, an important market for Irish exporters, but it is inevitable, that whatever the final shape of Brexit, the comparative and consistent advantages of doing business within Europe should increasingly encourage Irish companies to build scale and expand reach within the Eurozone market."

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Ryanair will press ahead with plans to move Polish staff on to self-employed contracts, Ryanair's Chief Marketing Officer Kenny Jacobs said in an interview with Reuters.

Ryanair, Europe's largest low-cost carrier, is already trying to cope with an industrial relations revolt across the region, with pilots and cabin crew staging strikes in several countries over employment conditions.

In Poland, a union representing Polish cabin crew has refused to sign the new contracts which the company's local subsidiary wants to introduce.

But Jacobs said the new contract reflected the local market.

"It's the local type of contract, the same as (national Polish carrier) LOT and other airlines," Jacobs said.

Many Polish Ryanair staff are currently on contracts provided by the parent company, but are being asked to transfer to the new contracts as Ryanair's main operation in Poland is handed to Ryanair Sun, a local subsidiary.

Paulo Conceicao, secretary of the Polish cabin crew union, CWR, who works as cabin crew at Ryanair, told Reuters that the self-employed contract would mean staff would lose important rights such as sick pay and maternity leave.

"All the rights embedded into your labour contract are liquidated," he said.

Analysts have said that the transfer to self-employed contracts gives airlines more flexibility and will save them money.

Jacobs said staff would get higher salaries as a result of the shift and could also be relocated elsewhere in Europe if they are not satisfied with the contracts.

Ryanair employs 400 cabin crew in Poland, according to the union, of which about three-quarters are union members.

Ryanair staff have received support from unions representing workers from Poland's state-run airline LOT, who went on strike on Thursday over working conditions.

"We will work together (with Ryanair's union) to fight self-employment. We plan on raising this on the European and national stage," Agnieszka Szelagowska, a leader at LOT's union told a news conference on Wednesday.

Ryanair plans to continue its expansion and hiring in Central and Eastern Europe, Jacobs said. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Last year, China's liquid natural gas consumption rose by 46% to 38.13 million metric tons, allowing China to surge past South Korea to become the worlds second-largest importer. Photo: VCG

Exxon Mobil Corp. has capitalized again on Chinas ballooning demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) as Beijing tries to clean up its energy act, even as concerns remain over difficulties handling major new supplies amid a rapid switchover from traditional coal.

The international energy giant announced it has signed a deal to supply state-owned Zhejiang Energy Group with 1 million metric tons of LNG a year for the next 20 years, according to a statement (link in Chinese) on Thursday.

China is transitioning into a clean energy future in which natural gas will play an important role, said Peter Clarke, the president of Exxon Mobil Gas and Power Marketing Co. LNG is natural gas cooled into liquid form for ease of transportation. Exxon Mobil has a long-term commitment to China to help meet Chinas growing demand for energy with its products, technology, and cooperation and investment, he added.

The recent LNG boom is being driven by Beijings efforts to reduce Chinas reliance on highly polluting coal for power and replace it with cleaner-burning natural gas. Last year, LNG consumption rose by 46% to 38.13 million metric tons, allowing China to surge past South Korea to become the worlds second-largest importer after Japan. China will account for half of the growth in global LNG demand this year, Wood Mackenzie said in a note this week.

Exxons latest deal comes two months after it signed a preliminary agreement to build a multibillion-dollar petrochemical and LNG plant in South Chinas Guangdong province, a move that analysts said indicates the companys desire to capture a large share of the rapidly growing LNG market.

We expect substantial LNG demand growth in Guangdong, said Huang Miaoru, a senior oil and gas analyst with consultant Wood Mackenzie. Participation in terminal and downstream projects will enlarge Exxon Mobils footprint in Chinas largest LNG importing province and provide the terminal project competitive advantages in the race to capture the regions gas demand growth.

Despite its jump in LNG imports, concerns remain about Chinas ability to handle the major new supply due to a lack of transport and storage infrastructure, particularly as winter approaches and temperatures plummet in the countrys north. Last winter an unexpected surge in demand led to shortages that forced the government to divert gas supplies from industrial usage so that homes could stay heated.

Incomplete installation of national gas-powered heating systems also left many residents in the cold last winter after they were banned from using traditional coal by overzealous local officials before replacement systems were functional.

Managing Chinas growing LNG supply and demand will remain a tight balance over the next two years, said Tian Lei, a researcher with the the Energy Research Institute under Chinas top economic planning body. Potential bottlenecks remain over transporting the substance, as use of roads, rail and waterways remains highly restricted. At the same time, many of Chinas port terminals lack qualifications to install LNG tanks. The China Classification Society, which oversees such standards, is still working with government departments to try to solve the issue, said Fan Hongjun, its deputy direct of research and development.

The potential winter challenges are unlikely to affect Exxon Mobil, however, as it looks to muscle in on an industry traditionally dominated by Chinas state energy giants, which are already ramping up their ability to handle LNG deliveries.

In April, China Petrochemical Corp., or Sinopec, announced plans to more than double its annual natural gas and LNG capacities to 60 billion cubic meters (2.1 trillion cubic feet) and 23 million metric tons, respectively. The extra capacity will also support the development of newly discovered shale gas fields in Southwest Chinas Sichuan province. In July China National Petroleum Corp., or PetroChina, received its first LNG along the Northern Sea Route, Arctic Sea lanes that are becoming increasingly accessible due to climate change.

Exxon Mobils latest deal was signed during the 2018 World Oil Merchants Conference in the eastern city of Zhoushan. In a separate major announcement the same day at the event, Saudi Aramco revealed it will invest in a $25 billion petrochemicals refinery near the city.

Contact reporter Ke Dawei (daweike@caixin.com)
CAMEROUN :: Cameroon: Embarrassing Judicial Spectacle in Yaounde

As expected, the constitutional council, which has been in power for the 36-year-old regime, has rejected entirety the motion for partial annulment of President-elect Maurice Kamto

Indeed, the legal and despotic so-called post electoral contentious legal debate was nothing but a spectacle of incantations of the representatives of the Yaounde regime and its outgrowths of Elecam or the Ministry of Territorial Administration and a form of self-inflicting torture.

It is here that we must face the difficult truth: Barring a related disaster of some sort, the verdict of this constitutional council subordinated to the tyrant is not in the shadow of a doubt.

More to the point, the fact that many ordinary Cameroonians seem to be slowly going insane. But first, can we talk about how embarrassing this legal despotism really is? The CL2P is deeply concerned for our political culture. When you look at an authoritarian gerontocrat as a religious icon and a prophet, youre doing something wrong.

While the prophet attempts to rise above the fray, his mean goons are selling fear and paranoia, whipping out propaganda such as putchist, tribalist and launching a series of attack ads claiming anyone opposing the prophet is indeed a minion of Satan. Thus, the first to surrender all pretense of upholding democracy and human rights and not the opposition. As Prof. Kamto exposed them as pathological liars and cheats, they now find themselves caught in their own web of deceit and delusion. The prophet was never a reformist and was never going to drain the swamp of Yaounde with is so Called rigor and Renewal.

What is taking place is the political and the judicial order being transformed into an inquisition where any form of dissent must be severely punish. In these tensions, the questions relating to the scope of the authority of the prophet is not even an issue. The CL2P, however, owes no allegiance to these kinds of blasphemies.

If youre still looking for an illustration of how the rule of law collapses, the electoral contentious debate is one straight from the horses mouth. At this point, a good lawyer, such as prof.Kamto, might rest his case because this sucker just cant stop lying.

The rest is just a celebration of obscene immortality and undeadens turning the country into a Zombified nation.

Thus, this crisis opens a post-election crisis in Cameroon that may go well beyond the recurring issue of the legality and / or legitimacy of the president of this country, to take the form of a general conflagration that the gerontocrats of Yaounde believe they can avoid by armed repression.

Because this new electoral hold-up endorsed unsurprisingly by a subordinate constitutional council, sounds like a true declaration of war is now made to all the citizens of this country in love with democracy, especially those settled in his diaspora who have long believed in the possibility peaceful alternation in Cameroon. Clearly it is unthinkable under or with the totalitarian regime of Paul Biya

The predictable junction of English and French resistance against this tyranny carries the seeds of a dislocation from which this regime and its fiercest supporters will not come out winners.

In reality and lets say it once and for all in a direct way: most of us forced sometimes for decades either to exile, to arbitrary sequestrations, or to the so-called legal and republican marginalization; have absolutely nothing to lose: Resist in honor or Die in dishonor.

Let everyone take full responsibility! The days of unitary council meetings are unfortunately over. Democrats cannot associate with or be associated with apologists for ethnic hatred and perpetual tyranny, even within the  family .
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There's something special about walking in the front door at 17 Clancy McKenna Crescent, Bonner. From the design of the walk-in-robe to bathroom fixtures and a stone feature fireplace, every detail speaks to luxury and quality craftmanship. But there's something undefinable; an energy, a sense that the brand new home - sitting on the highest hill in Bonner with a breathtaking view out to Telstra Tower - is built on a foundation of love. On Saturday morning, number 17 Clancy McKenna Crescent - otherwise known as the Raize the Roof house - will be auctioned for charity. All proceeds will go to children in need; some located right here in Canberra and others in the African country of Botswana. The house has taken a decade to build, relying exclusively on donated money, time and materials, and the generosity of people right across the capital. It's the vision of Canberra siblings Danielle and Lincoln Dal Cortivo, who, over 10 long years, have kept the Raize the Roof vision alive - from board meetings and fundraiser balls to cupcake stalls and coordinating hundreds of volunteer tradies. To see the house finally built was surreal, Danielle said. "It's difficult for Linc and I to capture our deep gratitude to every person who has helped," she said. "It absolutely is not our project - we're just so flat and clear about that. We just came up with an idea and then the Canberra community built it. "To be part of that, and to be part of something that is truly bigger than all of us combined, is something I'll probably not experience ever again." There were times throughout the decade-long build that the siblings wavered, Lincoln admitted, but it was "always about getting out of our own way and staying true to the big picture". "The most difficult thing to do is to maintain enrolment and inspiration and movement over a 10 year period - and so Danielle and I had to do that for one another," he said. "There were moments of being let down and then being excited - you get states of high elation when you secure a big donation or solve something that's been hard and then the next stage is just no after no after no. "It was a roller coaster - to say that it went smoothly would be a lie." The concept for Raize the Roof was born in 2008 after a harrowing scene Danielle witnessed while visiting Tanzania. "We're driving up through this lush, green, beautiful scenery and we get to this orphanage and it's just this huge concrete structure," she recalled. "And there are babies lined up on the floor on gym mats. "You can't not be shaken and deeply confused by how that's happening in our world. You can't go home and do nothing." The money raised at Saturday's auction will be split evenly between the Starlight Foundation and the SOS Children's Villages in Botswana. Starlight will use the money to support its in-hospital programs, as well as to realise as many dreams as possible for the 20 Canberra children waiting on a "wish". In Botswana, Danielle is hoping the money will have a significant impact. She wants to establish a social enterprise to "transform what's possible for orphans well and truly into the future". Luton Properties' Jason Roses, who has led the marketing campaign for the property and will auction the house, said the Raize the Roof vision was resonating with buyers. He expects to see at least a couple of groups bidding on Saturday morning, with pricing sitting in the late $800,000s to early $900,000s. "Our commitment is that we have the biggest impact we can on the kids," Danielle said. "So if the house doesn't reach reserve, it will go on the market until we have a buyer that will pay what the house is worth. "But the right people have always just appeared during this project - and we want the right buyer. "It's pretty incredible what the Canberra community has created and enabled. This would have been a very different experience had we done it anywhere else." The furniture inside 17 Clancy McKenna Crescent, donated by Ikea and used to stage the home during the sales campaign, will be auctioned on-site at 9am on Saturday, October 20. The auction of the home starts at 10am. All proceeds go to charity. To donate to the Raize the Roof project head to www.raizetheroof.org.au

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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.
Two Carlow girls - Krista Valteris and Keisha Moloney - have been presented with National Bravery Awards for risking their own lives to aid others in peril.

Ceann Comhairle Sean O Fearghail on Friday presented National Bravery Awards to 21 individuals from across the country.

Krista and Keisha were walking on August 30 in 2017 from Gortnahowan in Carlow to the nearby housing estate in Graigeowen through a wasteland area known as the "Quarry".

They were approached by two parents who were concerned about their three missing sons. They asked the girls if they had seen them and they answered they had not, but would help to look for them.

As they started to search, they became aware of screaming in the distance and ran over to a large, wet, swamp-like area containing a pond.

They saw the older boys who were desperately looking on at the youngest brother (who was 6 years old) who was in severe difficulties in the water, repeatedly submerging under the water. Krista bravely jumped into the mud-filled pond on her own to rescue the boy.

When he was brought back to the shore, Keisha managed to revive him with CPR and comfort him. The boy later made a full recovery.

Fridays ceremony at Farmleigh House in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, brought recipients together to receive their Certificates of Bravery and, for five of the recipients, Bronze Medals of Bravery as well.

The annual honours are awarded by Comhairle na Mire Gaile  the Deeds of Bravery Council  which was founded in 1947 to enable State recognition of exceptional acts of courage.

The Council is chaired by the Ceann Comhairle and includes the Cathaoirleach of Seanad Eireann, the Lord Mayors of Dublin and Cork, the Garda Commissioner, the President of the Association of City and County Councils, and the Chairman of the Irish Red Cross.

"The presentation of the National Bravery Awards is an opportunity to celebrate the courage of ordinary people who risk their own safety to protect their fellow citizens," the Ceann Comhairle said.

"In a world often dominated by bad news, it is important to recognise the sacrifices made by good people, whose selflessness can serve to remind us of our duty of care to one another.

"It is an honour to present awards to 21 deserving recipients and I thank them for their courage."
The BMW X1 is getting a mid-life update with test vehicles of this facelifted model being spotted in Germany recently. The pictures reveal that BMW will update the face as well as the rear end. This has now become a common trend for the German automaker.

However, our spy sources suggest that the presence of camouflage could also be there to hide new technology that BMW is going to add to the car. Nonetheless, we can expect some minor revisions to the appearance, but nothing that will make this car stand out among its siblings.



The interiors have been covered up in their entirety and this suggests that the cabin will get a major overhaul and this is expected to be along the lines of a new iDrive system as well as the latest BMW dashboard that was revealed with the X2 update.



This updated X1 is India-bound and is expected to arrive here a few months after its global debut. BMW assembles the X1 at its Chennai plant and this facelifted model will, too, hit the assembly line prior to its arrival in the Indian car market.

BMW X1  39.44 Lakh Onwards

BMW X1 | X1 | BMW
Photo: Contributed

The National Energy Board reported in June that crude oil-by-rail exports from Canada set a new record of 204,558 barrels a day.



Industry analysts predict that by the end of this year, oil exports could increase to 300,000 barrels.



The International Energy Agency has predicted that by the end of 2019, Canadian oil by rail exports could hit 390,000 barrels a day with the potential to possibly hit peak levels of as much as 590,000 barrels.



For some added context, in 2012, the shipment of oil by rail was roughly 30,000 barrels of oil a day.



I mention these things because the efforts to block the Trans Mountain pipeline have been successful to date and have only served to increased shipment by rail, a less environmentally efficient option.



At the same time the production of oil in Alberta continues to increase.



Oil production is on pace to hit 5.6 million barrels a day by 2035, an increase of over 30 per cent compared to current production levels. In the absence of increased pipeline capacity, it is clear why oil by rail exports will only continue to increase.



Aside from the logistical challenges, there is also the current inability to access new markets that are willing to pay more for Canadian oil then is currently the case with exporting to the United States.



Industry experts predict that roughly $1 billion a month is being lost in potential increased revenue from accessing new markets.



As many will know, the Federal Liberal government has paid $4.5 billion to purchase the existing Trans Mountain pipeline and has repeatedly stated it will spend an additional $7-9 billion to build the expanded project.



Currently, the project remains at an impasse with no clear deadline being set by the Government for completion let alone construction.



What if there was another way?



Independent Senator Doug Black has tabled a private member's bill in the Senate  Bill S-245, An Act to declare the Trans Mountain Pipeline Project and related works to be for the general advantage of Canada.



As many know, the B.C. NDP government has been making efforts to block the Trans-Mountain pipeline.



Bill S-245 proposes that the authority of class 29 of section 91 and paragraph (c) of class 10 of section 92 of the Constitution Act, 1867 to be used to declare this project necessary for the general advantage of Canada.



This bill passed in the Senate and is before the House of Commons this week.



Given that the Prime Minister has repeatedly stated that the Trans-Mountain project is in Canadas national interests, it will be interesting to see if the Liberals support this Senate bill.



My question this week:.

Do you support Senate Bill S-245 and the intent to declare this project necessary for the general advantage of Canada?

I can be reached at [email protected] or call toll free 1-800-665-8711.
Photo: The Canadian Press Former prime minister Jean Chretien

Former prime minister Jean Chretien once joked while in office that he would be ready to smoke marijuana in retirement, but a number of politicians and political operatives have actually found a spot in the cannabis industry.

Here are some of the more high-profile former politicos in the marijuana trade  and the one whose entry didn't quite work out.

Julian Fantino: After a long career in policing, including as chief of police in Toronto, Fantino became a Conservative MP and a cabinet minister under Stephen Harper. He is chairman of the board for Aleafia Inc., a medicinal cannabis company.

Martin Cauchon: A former Liberal MP and cabinet minister under Jean Chretien, Cauchon was justice minister in 2003 when the government introduced a bill to decriminalize small amounts of cannabis. He is chairman of the board for 48North, a medicinal marijuana company.

Herb Dhaliwal: Another former Liberal cabinet minister under Chretien, he founded cannabis producer National Green Biomed Ltd., a B.C.-based company that was working to launch a nearly 2,800-square-metre facility in the Fraser Valley.

Terry Lake: The former mayor of Kamloops and B.C. Liberal health minister is vice-president of corporate and social responsibility for HEXO Corp, a cannabis producer. The co-founder of the company is Adam Miron, who was once on the national board of directors for the Liberal Party of Canada.

Mike Harcourt: The former B.C. NDP premier has been chairman of the board for True Leaf Medicine International Ltd., which oversees two divisions  one for medicinal marijuana, the other for hemp-based products for pets.

Ernie Eves: The former Tory premier of Ontario is chairman of the board for Timeless Herbal Care, a Jamaican medicinal marijuana company, and Asterion BioMed Inc., a health company that also provides medicinal cannabis services.

Chuck Rifici: A one-time Liberal Party of Canada chief financial officer  he served as treasurer for five years until June 2016  heads the private equity firm Nesta Holdings Co., which invests in cannabis companies.

Brian Mulroney: The former Progressive Conservative prime minister will join the board of directors of Acreage Holdings, an American cannabis company, in November. The news broke on Wednesday when recreational cannabis became legal in Canada.

John Turner: In 2014, Mulroney's Liberal foe backed a bid by a company called Muileboom Organics to turn into a medicinal cannabis grower. Locals weren't interested, the project didn't go ahead and Turner backed out.
Photo: The Canadian Press The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan anchors off Manila Bay for a goodwill visit in Manila, Philippines.

A U.S. Navy helicopter crashed on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on Friday, causing non-fatal injuries to a dozen sailors, the Navy said.

The Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement that the MH-60 Seahawk crashed shortly after takeoff Friday morning while the carrier was off the Philippine coast.

All affected sailors were in stable condition and their injuries were non-life threatening, the Navy said, adding they ranged from minor abrasions and lacerations to fractures. The most seriously injured were airlifted to a hospital in the Philippines, it said.

Families of the injured were notified, the Navy said, while the carrier resumed flight operations.

Lt. Cmdr. Matt Knight, the Task Force 70 spokesman, told Stars and Stripes newspaper that four crew members were aboard the helicopter when the crash happened. He said 12 people were injured and the carrier sustained minimal damage.

The crash occurred while the Ronald Reagan Strike Group was conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea, which spreads north and northeast of the Philippines. The cause was under investigation.

The carrier participated in the international naval review hosted off the South Korean island of Jeju last week.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A jury has convicted a Calgary couple in the death of their 14-month-old son who never saw a doctor until the day before he died in hospital of a staph infection.

Jeromie and Jennifer Clark were found guilty of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessaries of life for their son John.

The pair clasped hands as they stood in the prisoner's dock Thursday evening.

"John would have been in Grade 1 and would have just celebrated his sixth birthday in September," Crown prosecutor Shane Parker told reporters after the verdict.

"There is a young boy who the community lost."

The Crown argued that John was on the verge of death when he arrived in hospital on Nov. 28, 2013, and that his parents played with his life by not seeking treatment sooner.

Jurors were shown pictures of John after he died. He had blackened toes and a red rash that covered almost three-quarters of his body.

The forensic pathologist's report said John was malnourished and died from a staph infection.

The trial heard that John died the day after he was brought to hospital, where he had a seizure and two cardiac arrests.

The Clarks' lawyers argued doctors at the Alberta Children's Hospital were to blame because they raised the boy's sodium and fluid levels too aggressively. They also argued he was neither malnourished nor septic.

Parker said it is a tragedy that doctors at the Alberta Children's Hospital were blamed for his death.

"They're the heroes in this file and to portray them as the villains really was quite unfair for their efforts to try and save that 14-month-old baby," Parker said.

Jeromie Clark's lawyer David Chow and Jennifer Clark's lawyer John Phillips declined to comment Thursday.

A sentencing hearing is expected to take place in February. In the meantime, the Clarks remain out on bail.

David Stephan, who with his wife Collet are to be tried a second time next spring in the 2012 death of their son, sat in the gallery with a notebook during the Clarks' trial.

He posted several Facebook videos from outside the courthouse decrying what he sees as the unfair treatment of the Clarks.

The Stephans were found guilty in 2016 of failing to provide the necessaries of life to 19-month-old Ezekiel, who died from meningitis, but the Supreme Court of Canada overturned their conviction and ordered a new trial.

Their first trial in Lethbridge, Alta., heard evidence that they treated the boy with garlic, onion and horseradish rather than take him to a doctor. The Stephans eventually called 911 but the toddler died in hospital.

The high court said the judge did not properly instruct jurors on what would be a marked departure from reasonable behaviour "in a way that the jury could understand and apply."
Misconceptions about the Crusades are all too common. The Crusades are generally portrayed as a series of holy wars against Islam led by power-mad popes and fought by religious fanatics. They are supposed to have been the epitome of self-righteousness and intolerance, a black stain on the history of the Catholic Church in particular and Western civilization in general. A breed of proto-imperialists, the Crusaders introduced Western aggression to the peaceful Middle East and then deformed the enlightened Muslim culture, leaving it in ruins. For variations on this theme, one need not look far. See, for example, Steven Runciman's famous three-volume epic, History of the Crusades, or the BBC/A&E documentary, The Crusades, hosted by Terry Jones. Both are terrible history yet wonderfully entertaining.

So what is the truth about the Crusades? Scholars are still working some of that out. But much can already be said with certainty. For starters, the Crusades to the East were in every way defensive wars. They were a direct response to Muslim aggression  an attempt to turn back or defend against Muslim conquests of Christian lands.

Christians in the eleventh century were not paranoid fanatics. Muslims really were gunning for them. While Muslims can be peaceful, Islam was born in war and grew the same way. From the time of Mohammed, the means of Muslim expansion was always the sword. Muslim thought divides the world into two spheres, the Abode of Islam and the Abode of War. Christianity  and for that matter any other non-Muslim religion  has no abode. Christians and Jews can be tolerated within a Muslim state under Muslim rule. But, in traditional Islam, Christian and Jewish states must be destroyed and their lands conquered. When Mohammed was waging war against Mecca in the seventh century, Christianity was the dominant religion of power and wealth. As the faith of the Roman Empire, it spanned the entire Mediterranean, including the Middle East, where it was born. The Christian world, therefore, was a prime target for the earliest caliphs, and it would remain so for Muslim leaders for the next thousand years.

From the safe distance of many centuries, it is easy enough to scowl in disgust at the Crusades. Religion, after all, is nothing to fight wars over.

With enormous energy, the warriors of Islam struck out against the Christians shortly after Mohammed's death. They were extremely successful. Palestine, Syria, and Egypt  once the most heavily Christian areas in the world  quickly succumbed. By the eighth century, Muslim armies had conquered all of Christian North Africa and Spain. In the eleventh century, the Seljuk Turks conquered Asia Minor (modern Turkey), which had been Christian since the time of St. Paul. The old Roman Empire, known to modern historians as the Byzantine Empire, was reduced to little more than Greece. In desperation, the emperor in Constantinople sent word to the Christians of western Europe asking them to aid their brothers and sisters in the East.

That is what gave birth to the Crusades. They were not the brainchild of an ambitious pope or rapacious knights but a response to more than four centuries of conquests in which Muslims had already captured two-thirds of the old Christian world. At some point, Christianity as a faith and a culture had to defend itself or be subsumed by Islam. The Crusades were that defense.

Pope Urban II called upon the knights of Christendom to push back the conquests of Islam at the Council of Clermont in 1095. The response was tremendous. Many thousands of warriors took the vow of the cross and prepared for war. Why did they do it? The answer to that question has been badly misunderstood. In the wake of the Enlightenment, it was usually asserted that Crusaders were merely lacklands and ne'er-do-wells who took advantage of an opportunity to rob and pillage in a faraway land. The Crusaders' expressed sentiments of piety, self-sacrifice, and love for God were obviously not to be taken seriously. They were only a front for darker designs.

During the past two decades, computer-assisted charter studies have demolished that contrivance. Scholars have discovered that crusading knights were generally wealthy men with plenty of their own land in Europe. Nevertheless, they willingly gave up everything to undertake the holy mission. Crusading was not cheap. Even wealthy lords could easily impoverish themselves and their families by joining a Crusade. They did so not because they expected material wealth (which many of them had already) but because they hoped to store up treasure where rust and moth could not corrupt. They were keenly aware of their sinfulness and eager to undertake the hardships of the Crusade as a penitential act of charity and love. Europe is littered with thousands of medieval charters attesting to these sentiments, charters in which these men still speak to us today if we will listen. Of course, they were not opposed to capturing booty if it could be had. But the truth is that the Crusades were notoriously bad for plunder. A few people got rich, but the vast majority returned with nothing.

Urban II gave the Crusaders two goals, both of which would remain central to the eastern Crusades for centuries. The first was to rescue the Christians of the East. As his successor, Pope Innocent III, later wrote:

How does a man love according to divine precept his neighbor as himself when, knowing that his Christian brothers in faith and in name are held by the perfidious Muslims in strict confinement and weighed down by the yoke of heaviest servitude, he does not devote himself to the task of freeing them? ...Is it by chance that you do not know that many thousands of Christians are bound in slavery and imprisoned by the Muslims, tortured with innumerable torments?

At some point, Christianity as a faith and a culture had to defend itself or be subsumed by Islam. The Crusades were that defense.

"Crusading," Professor Jonathan Riley-Smith has rightly argued, was understood as an "an act of love"  in this case, the love of one's neighbor. The Crusade was seen as an errand of mercy to right a terrible wrong. As Pope Innocent III wrote to the Knights Templar, "You carry out in deeds the words of the Gospel, 'Greater love than this hath no man, that he lay down his life for his friends.'"

The second goal was the liberation of Jerusalem and the other places made holy by the life of Christ. The word crusade is modern. Medieval Crusaders saw themselves as pilgrims, performing acts of righteousness on their way to the Holy Sepulcher. The Crusade indulgence they received was canonically related to the pilgrimage indulgence. This goal was frequently described in feudal terms. When calling the Fifth Crusade in 1215, Innocent III wrote:

Consider most dear sons, consider carefully that if any temporal king was thrown out of his domain and perhaps captured, would he not, when he was restored to his pristine liberty and the time had come for dispensing justice, look on his vassals as unfaithful and traitors...unless they had committed not only their property but also their persons to the task of freeing him? ...And similarly will not Jesus Christ, the king of kings and lord of lords, whose servant you cannot deny being, who joined your soul to your body, who redeemed you with the Precious Blood...condemn you for the vice of ingratitude and the crime of infidelity if you neglect to help Him?

The reconquest of Jerusalem, therefore, was not colonialism but an act of restoration and an open declaration of one's love of God. Medieval men knew, of course, that God had the power to restore Jerusalem Himself  indeed, He had the power to restore the whole world to His rule. Yet as St. Bernard of Clairvaux preached, His refusal to do so was a blessing to His people:

Again I say, consider the Almighty's goodness and pay heed to His plans of mercy. He puts Himself under obligation to you, or rather feigns to do so, that He can help you to satisfy your obligations toward Himself.... I call blessed the generation that can seize an opportunity of such rich indulgence as this.

It is often assumed that the central goal of the Crusades was forced conversion of the Muslim world. Nothing could be further from the truth. From the perspective of medieval Christians, Muslims were the enemies of Christ and His Church. It was the Crusaders' task to defeat and defend against them. That was all. Muslims who lived in Crusader-won territories were generally allowed to retain their property and livelihood, and always their religion. Indeed, throughout the history of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, Muslim inhabitants far outnumbered the Catholics. It was not until the 13th century that the Franciscans began conversion efforts among Muslims. But these were mostly unsuccessful and finally abandoned. In any case, such efforts were by peaceful persuasion, not the threat of violence.

The Crusades were wars, so it would be a mistake to characterize them as nothing but piety and good intentions. Like all warfare, the violence was brutal (although not as brutal as modern wars). There were mishaps, blunders, and crimes. These are usually well-remembered today. During the early days of the First Crusade in 1095, a ragtag band of Crusaders led by Count Emicho of Leiningen made its way down the Rhine, robbing and murdering all the Jews they could find. Without success, the local bishops attempted to stop the carnage. In the eyes of these warriors, the Jews, like the Muslims, were the enemies of Christ. Plundering and killing them, then, was no vice. Indeed, they believed it was a righteous deed, since the Jews' money could be used to fund the Crusade to Jerusalem. But they were wrong, and the Church strongly condemned the anti-Jewish attacks.

Fifty years later, when the Second Crusade was gearing up, St. Bernard frequently preached that the Jews were not to be persecuted:

Ask anyone who knows the Sacred Scriptures what he finds foretold of the Jews in the Psalm. "Not for their destruction do I pray," it says. The Jews are for us the living words of Scripture, for they remind us always of what our Lord suffered.... Under Christian princes they endure a hard captivity, but "they only wait for the time of their deliverance."

Nevertheless, a fellow Cistercian monk named Radulf stirred up people against the Rhineland Jews, despite numerous letters from Bernard demanding that he stop. At last Bernard was forced to travel to Germany himself, where he caught up with Radulf, sent him back to his convent, and ended the massacres.

It is often said that the roots of the Holocaust can be seen in these medieval pogroms. That may be. But if so, those roots are far deeper and more widespread than the Crusades. Jews perished during the Crusades, but the purpose of the Crusades was not to kill Jews. Quite the contrary: Popes, bishops, and preachers made it clear that the Jews of Europe were to be left unmolested. In a modern war, we call tragic deaths like these "collateral damage." Even with smart technologies, the United States has killed far more innocents in our wars than the Crusaders ever could. But no one would seriously argue that the purpose of American wars is to kill women and children.

By any reckoning, the First Crusade was a long shot. There was no leader, no chain of command, no supply lines, no detailed strategy. It was simply thousands of warriors marching deep into enemy territory, committed to a common cause. Many of them died, either in battle or through disease or starvation. It was a rough campaign, one that seemed always on the brink of disaster. Yet it was miraculously successful. By 1098, the Crusaders had restored Nicaea and Antioch to Christian rule. In July 1099, they conquered Jerusalem and began to build a Christian state in Palestine. The joy in Europe was unbridled. It seemed that the tide of history, which had lifted the Muslims to such heights, was now turning.

But it was not. When we think about the Middle Ages, it is easy to view Europe in light of what it became rather than what it was. The colossus of the medieval world was Islam, not Christendom. The Crusades are interesting largely because they were an attempt to counter that trend. But in five centuries of crusading, it was only the First Crusade that significantly rolled back the military progress of Islam. It was downhill from there.

Whether we admire the Crusaders or not, it is a fact that the world we know today would not exist without their efforts.

When the Crusader County of Edessa fell to the Turks and Kurds in 1144, there was an enormous groundswell of support for a new Crusade in Europe. It was led by two kings, Louis VII of France and Conrad III of Germany, and preached by St. Bernard himself. It failed miserably. Most of the Crusaders were killed along the way. Those who made it to Jerusalem only made things worse by attacking Muslim Damascus, which formerly had been a strong ally of the Christians. In the wake of such a disaster, Christians across Europe were forced to accept not only the continued growth of Muslim power but the certainty that God was punishing the West for its sins. Lay piety movements sprouted up throughout Europe, all rooted in the desire to purify Christian society so that it might be worthy of victory in the East.

Crusading in the late twelfth century, therefore, became a total war effort. Every person, no matter how weak or poor, was called to help. Warriors were asked to sacrifice their wealth and, if need be, their lives for the defense of the Christian East. On the home front, all Christians were called to support the Crusades through prayer, fasting, and alms. Yet still the Muslims grew in strength. Saladin, the great unifier, had forged the Muslim Near East into a single entity, all the while preaching jihad against the Christians. In 1187 at the Battle of Hattin, his forces wiped out the combined armies of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem and captured the precious relic of the True Cross. Defenseless, the Christian cities began surrendering one by one, culminating in the surrender of Jerusalem on October 2. Only a tiny handful of ports held out.

The response was the Third Crusade. It was led by Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa of the German Empire, King Philip II Augustus of France, and King Richard I Lionheart of England. By any measure it was a grand affair, although not quite as grand as the Christians had hoped. The aged Frederick drowned while crossing a river on horseback, so his army returned home before reaching the Holy Land. Philip and Richard came by boat, but their incessant bickering only added to an already divisive situation on the ground in Palestine. After recapturing Acre, the king of France went home, where he busied himself carving up Richard's French holdings. The Crusade, therefore, fell into Richard's lap. A skilled warrior, gifted leader, and superb tactician, Richard led the Christian forces to victory after victory, eventually reconquering the entire coast. But Jerusalem was not on the coast, and after two abortive attempts to secure supply lines to the Holy City, Richard at last gave up. Promising to return one day, he struck a truce with Saladin that ensured peace in the region and free access to Jerusalem for unarmed pilgrims. But it was a bitter pill to swallow. The desire to restore Jerusalem to Christian rule and regain the True Cross remained intense throughout Europe.

The Crusades of the 13th century were larger, better funded, and better organized. But they too failed. The Fourth Crusade (1201-1204) ran aground when it was seduced into a web of Byzantine politics, which the Westerners never fully understood. They had made a detour to Constantinople to support an imperial claimant who promised great rewards and support for the Holy Land. Yet once he was on the throne of the Caesars, their benefactor found that he could not pay what he had promised. Thus betrayed by their Greek friends, in 1204 the Crusaders attacked, captured, and brutally sacked Constantinople, the greatest Christian city in the world. Pope Innocent III, who had previously excommunicated the entire Crusade, strongly denounced the Crusaders. But there was little else he could do. The tragic events of 1204 closed an iron door between Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox, a door that even today Pope John Paul II has been unable to reopen. It is a terrible irony that the Crusades, which were a direct result of the Catholic desire to rescue the Orthodox people, drove the two further  and perhaps irrevocably  apart.

The remainder of the 13th century's Crusades did little better. The Fifth Crusade (1217-1221) managed briefly to capture Damietta in Egypt, but the Muslims eventually defeated the army and reoccupied the city. St. Louis IX of France led two Crusades in his life. The first also captured Damietta, but Louis was quickly outwitted by the Egyptians and forced to abandon the city. Although Louis was in the Holy Land for several years, spending freely on defensive works, he never achieved his fondest wish: to free Jerusalem. He was a much older man in 1270 when he led another Crusade to Tunis, where he died of a disease that ravaged the camp. After St. Louis's death, the ruthless Muslim leaders, Baybars and Kalavun, waged a brutal jihad against the Christians in Palestine. By 1291, the Muslim forces had succeeded in killing or ejecting the last of the Crusaders, thus erasing the Crusader kingdom from the map. Despite numerous attempts and many more plans, Christian forces were never again able to gain a foothold in the region until the 19th century.

One might think that three centuries of Christian defeats would have soured Europeans on the idea of Crusade. Not at all. In one sense, they had little alternative. Muslim kingdoms were becoming more, not less, powerful in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The Ottoman Turks conquered not only their fellow Muslims, thus further unifying Islam, but also continued to press westward, capturing Constantinople and plunging deep into Europe itself. By the 15th century, the Crusades were no longer errands of mercy for a distant people but desperate attempts of one of the last remnants of Christendom to survive. Europeans began to ponder the real possibility that Islam would finally achieve its aim of conquering the entire Christian world. One of the great best-sellers of the time, Sebastian Brant's The Ship of Fools, gave voice to this sentiment in a chapter titled "Of the Decline of the Faith":

Our faith was strong in th' Orient,

It ruled in all of Asia,

In Moorish lands and Africa.

But now for us these lands are gone

'Twould even grieve the hardest stone....

Four sisters of our Church you find,

They're of the patriarchic kind:

Constantinople, Alexandria,

Jerusalem, Antiochia.

But they've been forfeited and sacked

And soon the head will be attacked.

From the safe distance of many centuries, it is easy enough to scowl in disgust at the Crusades. Religion, after all, is nothing to fight wars over. But we should be mindful that our medieval ancestors would have been equally disgusted by our infinitely more destructive wars fought in the name of political ideologies. And yet, both the medieval and the modern soldier fight ultimately for their own world and all that makes it up.

Of course, that is not what happened. But it very nearly did. In 1480, Sultan Mehmed II captured Otranto as a beachhead for his invasion of Italy. Rome was evacuated. Yet the sultan died shortly thereafter, and his plan died with him. In 1529, Suleiman the Magnificent laid siege to Vienna. If not for a run of freak rainstorms that delayed his progress and forced him to leave behind much of his artillery, it is virtually certain that the Turks would have taken the city. Germany, then, would have been at their mercy.

Yet, even while these close shaves were taking place, something else was brewing in Europe  something unprecedented in human history. The Renaissance, born from a strange mixture of Roman values, medieval piety, and a unique respect for commerce and entrepreneurialism, had led to other movements like humanism, the Scientific Revolution, and the Age of Exploration. Even while fighting for its life, Europe was preparing to expand on a global scale. The Protestant Reformation, which rejected the papacy and the doctrine of indulgence, made Crusades unthinkable for many Europeans, thus leaving the fighting to the Catholics. In 1571, a Holy League, which was itself a Crusade, defeated the Ottoman fleet at Lepanto. Yet military victories like that remained rare. The Muslim threat was neutralized economically. As Europe grew in wealth and power, the once awesome and sophisticated Turks began to seem backward and pathetic  no longer worth a Crusade. The "Sick Man of Europe" limped along until the 20th century, when he finally expired, leaving behind the present mess of the modern Middle East.

From the safe distance of many centuries, it is easy enough to scowl in disgust at the Crusades. Religion, after all, is nothing to fight wars over. But we should be mindful that our medieval ancestors would have been equally disgusted by our infinitely more destructive wars fought in the name of political ideologies. And yet, both the medieval and the modern soldier fight ultimately for their own world and all that makes it up. Both are willing to suffer enormous sacrifice, provided that it is in the service of something they hold dear, something greater than themselves. Whether we admire the Crusaders or not, it is a fact that the world we know today would not exist without their efforts. The ancient faith of Christianity, with its respect for women and antipathy toward slavery, not only survived but flourished. Without the Crusades, it might well have followed Zoroastrianism, another of Islam's rivals, into extinction.

End note: Regarding the modern day reference to the crusades as a supposed grievance by Islamic militants still upset over them, Madden notes: "If the Muslims won the crusades (and they did), why the anger now? Shouldn't they celebrate the crusades as a great victory? Until the nineteenth century that is precisely what they did. It was the West that taught the Middle East to hate the crusades. During the peak of European colonialism, historians began extolling the medieval crusades as Europe's first colonial venture. By the 20th century, when imperialism was discredited, so too were the crusades. They haven't been the same since." He adds, "The truth is that the crusades had nothing to do with colonialism or unprovoked aggression. They were a desperate and largely unsuccessful attempt to defend against a powerful enemy." "The entire history of the crusades is one of Western reaction to Muslim advances," Madden observes.

Commenting on the recent scholarship of Oxford historian Christopher Tyerman in his recent, Fighting for Christendom: Holy War and the Crusades (Oxford, 2005), Professor Steven Ozment of Harvard writes how Tyerman: "maintains that the four centuries of holy war known as the Crusades are both the best recognized and most distorted part of the Christian Middle Ages. He faults scholars, pundits, and laymen on both sides of the East-West divide for allowing the memory of the Crusades to be 'woven into intractable modern political problems,' where it 'blurs fantasy and scholarship' and exacerbates present-day hatreds." Ozment notes how Tyerman also views "the Crusades as neither an attempt at Western hegemony, nor a betrayal of Western Christian teaching and practice." As Tyerman explains, the warriors who answered the pope's call to aid Christendom in the Holy Land were known as crucesignati, "those signed with the cross." Professor Tyerman considers the Crusades to have largely been "warfare decked out in moral and religious terms" and describes them as "the ultimate manifestation of conviction politics." He points out the Crusades were indeed "butchery" with massacres of Muslims and Jews, and that even among their contemporaries, crusaders had mixed reputations as "chivalric heroes and gilded thugs." However, as Ozment observes, Tyerman adds that rather "than simple realpolitik and self-aggrandizement, the guiding ideology of crusading was that of religious self-sacrifice and revival, and directly modeled on the Sacrament of Penance." See: Steven Ozment's "Fighting the Infidel: the East-West holy wars are not just history".

Whereas support for the crusades was far from universal within Christendom, in contrast Medieval Muslim expansion through the military conquest of jihad as dictated by the Koran was directly supported by Islamic scholars, who provided a spiritual imperative for violence. For example, Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 1328), who wrote: "Since lawful warfare is essentially jihad and since its aim is that the religion is God's entirely and God's word is uppermost, therefore according to all Muslims, those who stand in the way of this aim must be fought." And by Ibn Khaldun (d. 1406), who declared, "In the Muslim community, the holy war is a religious duty, because of the universalism of the [Muslim] mission and [the obligation to] convert everybody to Islam either by persuasion or by force." (See: Robert Conquest's, Reflections on a Ravaged Century, reviewed at: http://victorhanson.com/articles/thornton100406.html).

Classical scholar, historian, and commentator Victor David Hanson, reviewing Christopher Tyerman's recent 1,000-page history of the Crusades, God's War (Belknap Press 2006), notes how Tyerman is careful beforehand to declare the political neutrality of his work: "This study is intended as a history, not a polemic, an account not a judgment, not a confessional apologia or a witness statement in some cosmic law suit." Tyerman's history then points out, as Hanson then succinctly summarizes, that "it was not merely glory or money or excitement that drove Westerners of all classes and nationalities to risk their lives in a deadly journey to an inhospitable east, but rather a real belief in a living God and their own desire to please him through preserving and honoring the birth and death places of his son." For the crusaders, religious "belief governed almost every aspect of their lives and decision-making. The Crusades arose when the Church, in the absence of strong secular governments, had the moral authority to ignite the religious sense of thousands of Europeans  and they ceased when at last it lost such stature." Noting the widespread ignorance of the true history of this subject among most modern Westerners, Hanson comments on how absent "is any historical reminder that an ascendant Islam of the Middle Ages was concurrently occupying the Iberian peninsula  only after failing at Poitiers in the eighth century to take France. Greek-speaking Byzantium was under constant Islamic assault that would culminate in the Muslim occupation of much of the European Balkans and later Islamic armies at the gates of Vienna. Few remember that the Eastern Mediterranean coastal lands had been originally Phoenician and Jewish, then Persian, then Macedonian, then Roman, then Byzantine  and not until the seventh-century Islamic. Instead, whether intentionally or not, post-Enlightenment Westerners have accepted [Osama] bin Laden's frame of reference that religiously intolerant Crusaders had gratuitously started a war to take something that was not theirs."
Les lunettes de marque ne sont pas ce qui manque dans les commerces. Il y en a de toutes les sortes dont les lunettes de []
Central Bank of Pakistan reviews progress of cement industry in FY18

19 October 2018

The State Bank of Pakistan has released its annual report on Pakistan's economy for the fiscal year 2017-18. According to the report, the growth momentum gained further strength as the economy achieved its 13-year highest real GDP growth of 5.8 per cent in FY18. The GDP growth was also broad-based, as all the three sectors  agriculture, industry (including cement) and services  contributed positively to this acceleration, the report highlights.



The cement industry, with more than one-fifth share in overall large scale manufacturing growth, registered a growth of 11.1 per cent during FY18 compared to 4.5 per cent last year. The industry benefited from improvements in capacity utilisation as well as increase in production potential. While industrial capacity grew 6.6 per cent to reach 49.4Mt during FY18, the utilisation levels also reached historical high of 93 per cent. This facilitated the industry to meet demand of widespread construction activities, as reflected by strong figures of local dispatches, which surged 15.4 per cent during the year.



Similar to steel, the growth in cement industry is also driven by China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) related projects, public sector development spending and the ongoing construction of private housing schemes. Anticipating further demand in the years ahead, the industry players are investing heavily in capacity expansions, mainly to consolidate their positions in a high-margin domestic market as well as major export destinations.



Suggestions from banks

Nevertheless, the absorption of excess cement output in future would depend on:

a) the continued work on housing schemes to bridge the housing deficit, especially in urban areas

b) the demand emanating from public sector projects which also rely on the utilisation of budgeted Projects Under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP)

c) the continuity of projects and special economic zones under the CPEC umbrella.

Furthermore, the enhanced capacities of the industry may also lead to improving external competitiveness and induce cement industry to explore new markets.



Exports of cement

According to report, encouragingly, quantum of cement exports also witnessed an increase of 1.8 per cent after eight consecutive years of contraction (average contraction of 10 per cent during last eight years). This occurred on the back of significant rise witnessed in shipments to Afghanistan, South Africa, Madagascar and Senegal during the period.



However, the domestic demand for cement has far outpaced exports in recent years. It may be noted that the industry used to export around a quarter of its annual output during FY01-09, the share of which has now came down to only one-tenth. This decline in exports share is conceivable due to installation of industrial units in the key cement export destinations such as South Africa and Afghanistan that may impose high tariffs on cement imports to protect their own industries.



Quantum cement exports, meanwhile, ended their four-year consecutive decline in FY18, rising by a one per cent on YoY basis. Surplus availability of the material, in the wake of additional capacities coming online in 2H-FY18 in the south, seems to have stimulated some firms to look towards export markets through the sea, mostly to African markets.



At the same time, tightening of border controls with Afghanistan appears to have partially shifted the cement trade to formal channels. Customs data indicates that Afghanistan accounted for the highest YoY increase in Pakistan's quantum cement exports in FY18. This, coupled with a strong rebound in shipments to African countries (particularly South Africa and Mozambique), offset the drag from lower exports to India and Sri Lanka in the year. Border tensions with India in FY18 also appear to have affected the cement trade, with dispatches declining by 3.2 per cent YoY, after rising 26.3 per cent in FY17.



Going forward, Pakistan's cement exports to Afghanistan are expected to maintain their rising trend, as supply from Iran  a major supplier of the material to that country  may come under pressure due to re-imposition of financial sanctions by the US.

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Belarusian cement exports to be sold through commodity exchange

19 October 2018

From 1 January 2019, approximately 200,000tpa or 10 per cent of Belarus total cement exports will be available to purchase from the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE), according to Roman Yaniv, press secretary of BUCE. Selling cement through this arrangement means that the country will be able to diversify target markets.



Vladimir Kiselev, director general, Belarusian Cement Co, has stated that the company is ready to sell any amount of cement through the commodity exchange.

"It is important for us to get the top price. If the commodity exchange can do it for us, we are ready to sell even all the cement this way. I see no problem with it. Moreover, a test sale in September indicated that the mechanism worked and our products were in demand. We hope that cement sales via the commodity exchange will help smoothen seasonal price spikes and increase our export proceeds," said Mr Kiselev.

The first batch of cement was sold through the exchange on 7 September, with six buyers from Russia, Ukraine and the Baltics taking part and submitting bids for 4000t of Portland cement.

Published under
Senegal cement price rises cut short

ICR Newsroom By 19 October 2018

Senegals Minister of Commerce, the Informal Sector, Consumption and SMEs, Alioune Sarr, has frozen the ceiling for cement prices to their previous levels, according to a press release by the ministry.



"As a result, all cement plants located in Senegal are invited to comply with the new regulatory provisions pending the results of evaluations provided by its services. In any case, the services of the Directorate of Internal Trade will ensure the strict application of the regulations, the government body said.



Dangote, Sococim and Cimenterie du Sahel had previously taken the unilateral decision to raise the price of a tonne of cement

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Eurocement begins construction of 3Mta facility

19 October 2018

Eurocement Group has started the construction of its new 3Mta facility in Uzbekistan. The plant is expected to begin operations in mid-2020 and will represent an US$160m investment.



This production will become the flagship of the cement industry and a powerful support for the growth of the economy of Uzbekistan, said Mikhail Skorokhod, president of Eurocement Group.



Once complete it will become the largest plant in central Asia, according to UzDaily. The commencement of construction is the result of agreements reached between the company and Uzstroymaterialy JSC a year ago.

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Nearly Half of Children Born in the US Have Parents Who Are Not Married 19 October, 2018 by Leonardo Blair , |

Nearly half of American children are now born to unmarried parents, according to a new report from the U.N.'s Population Fund, the largest international provider of sexual and reproductive health services.

In the report released Wednesday, America is cited along with several developed nations in Europe and Asia where women are giving birth later in life and outside marriage due to what some experts say is partly due to changing religious ideas about marriage. The trend is also correlated to fertility declines.

"Fertility decline between 1970 and 2000 coincided with trends toward later marriage and more cohabitation, divorce and childbearing outside marriage," UNFPA researchers said.

"These trends, however, peaked in some countries, such as Sweden, the United States and Russia, and then reversed after 2004 (Figure 35). In the European Union, the share of births outside marriage reached 42 percent in 2014  double the level in 1994."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this year that the U.S. birthrate fell for nearly every group of women of reproductive age in 2017, reflecting the fewest number of newborns since 1987.

"Most births outside marriage are to unmarried couples living together rather than to single mothers. Around 2010, 1 in 10 European children up to the age of 2 lived with a single mother, compared with 4 of 10 children who lived with a couple that was not married," the report noted.

In 1970 about 10 percent of children in the U.S. were born outside marriage but by 2016, the number of children born to unwed parents quadrupled to 40 percent.

Michael Hermann, UNFPA's senior adviser on economics and demography, told Bloomberg that the EU is likely seeing more births out of wedlock because many member countries have welfare systems that support gender-balanced child care. Public health care systems, paid paternal leave, early education programs and tax incentives also give unwed parents support beyond what a partner can provide.

Hermann also noted that if babies weren't being born out of wedlock then declining fertility levels in some countries "would be much steeper."

"The trend will continue, there's no doubt about it," he told Bloomberg. "We can't go back to '50s."

John Santelli, a professor in population, family health and pediatrics at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health, also told Bloomberg that cohabitation has been a long term trend in developing nations.

Kelly Jones, director for the Center on the Economics of Reproductive Health at the Institute for Women's Policy Research, said more women delaying motherhood to pursue careers is also a factor behind the increase in the number of children born out of wedlock.

"Women are claiming their ground professionally," she said. "Delaying motherhood is a rational decision when you consider the impact it can have on your career, and that's contributing to this trend."

A 2016 Barna study shows that a majority of Americans now believe in cohabitation due to pressures like shifting gender roles and expectations, the delay of marriage, and a secularizing culture.

Senior Pastor Pete Briscoe of Bent Tree Bible Fellowship church in Carrollton, Texas, recently preached against the practice of cohabitation, especially among Christians.

"When you're cohabitating it's like you're single pretending to be married. You're not really experiencing either of those great ways (single or married) to live. And, as a result, you're forfeiting the benefits of both. It's a cheap facsimile of the real thing," Briscoe said.

Read more about unmarried parents on The Christian Post.
After the arrest of thirteen Christians in the western part of Darfur, a state-appointed committee has demanded that a church in Omdurman turn over its properties.

According to Christian News, Sudanese security arrested thirteen Christians on Saturday from a house they had gathered at. Three people have been released so far, but its unclear what the charges are for the others.

Church leader Tajaldin Idriss Yousif was arrested along with church members: Alfadil Ismail Alnil, Ahmed Mohammed Hassan, Neseraldin Osman, Shemen Ahmed Shemen and Abubaker Biri.

Law allows the National Intelligence and Security Services to hold people in detention for up to four and a half months before they can be released or charged.

We are worried because their whereabouts are still unknown, said one source. The Christians gathered as one body of Christ from different denominations.

Meanwhile, another church in Sudan is being forced to hand over its land.

The Omdurman police summoned the churchs leader on Monday [8 October] and ordered him to hand over leadership of the congregation to a rival committee, a local source told World Watch Monitor.

"They want the congregation to vacate their compound.

Other churches are also battling with the government over ownership of its properties. Many have faced fines and even closure.

After the secession of South Sudan in 2011, Sudan president Omar al-Bashir promised he would tighten sharia laws and recognize only Islamic culture and the Arabic language.

Since 2012, the government has expelled foreign Christians and demolished church buildings. Sudan is ranked as the fourth most persecuted country for Christians.

Photo courtesy: Kyle-Glenn/Unsplash
NEW DELHI (Morning Star News)  Attacks and other actions against Christians in Sri Lanka have escalated this year, with Hindu extremism beginning to take root along with long-time Buddhist aggression, according to rights advocates.

Last month there have been more incidents that have been documented than previous months, an attorney with the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) who requested anonymity told Morning Star News.

NCEASL reported 67 incidents against Christians in Sri Lanka from January through September. Last month saw the highest number of cases reported this year, 12, while 10 incidents were recorded in each of two months, July and March, followed by April and January with eight incidents each.

June and July saw seven incidents each, followed by May with four and February with two.

The highest number of incidents fell under the category of violence and threats against Christians, with 16 cases each, according to NCEASL figures. This was followed by nine incidents in each of the categories of discrimination, demands for closure (of worship places) and intimidation, while police inaction, false allegations and registration (of cases against Christians) registered two incidents each. One case each of legal challenge and demonstration were recorded.

Sri Lankas population is about 70 percent Buddhist and 13 percent Hindu.

Entire Communities Instigated

There is a trend from group attacks to groups instigating entire communities, the rights advocate said.

We are witnessing that communities are being mobilized in an increasing manner against Christians, the attorney said. The incidents are not anymore only led by extremist groups, but we are seeing that the extremist elements are able to influence communities as a whole and lead violent mob attacks against places of worship and people.

Among recent cases, a large mob in Southern Province gathered to protest against a church in their community, which was followed by a violent attack, and then discrimination. In Beliatta in Hambantota district, a mob of about 100 people from nearby villages on Sept. 12 vandalized the Assemblies of God Church building.

NCEASL reported that the assailants damaged the church building structure, two motorcycles parked outside and desecrated and removed religious symbols hanging on the front door. A few of them entered the premises, threatened the pastor and his family with death, demanded that worship services stop and told the pastor to leave the village.

They harassed women in the congregation and spewed obscenities, and a Buddhist monk later joined them and further aggravated matters. When three police officers arrived at 12 p.m., they had to call for back-up because the crowd had grown out of control and was not allowing the pastor or anyone else to leave  the mob assaulted a member of the congregation who tried to leave.

After 10 more officers arrived, only then were police able to carry the pastor safely to the Beliatta Police Station. He filed a complaint.

Later that night at about 11:45 p.m., according to NCEASL, unidentified people pelted the pastors home with stones for about 20 minutes. The stones injured the pastors uncle, endangered his child and damaged roof tiles. Police secured the area after the pastor called an emergency hotline.

Police arrived at about 1 a.m., arrested one person and continued to provide security to the pastors family with seven officers at his place. The following day, the pastor filed another complaint.

On Sept. 12 in the same town, around 500 people, including Buddhist monks, staged a protest against the pastor and church worship.

Both these protests were in the Southern Province, and the people who were protesting were Buddhists since the province is largely a Buddhist area, the attorney told Morning Star News. But what is concerning is that since the end of the [1983-2009 civil] war, we now also see such attacks taking place also in the Hindu Tamil areas, in the east particularly.

Rise of Hindu Extremism

Some attacks by Hindus have been reported in the north as well, where there are sizeable Hindu populations, but not as many as in the eastern Hindu areas, the attorney said.

In the Eastern Province, we see a lot of influence from the Indias Hindu right-wing groups such as the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] seeping into Sri Lanka, the attorney said. Hindu extremist groups have had meetings with Hindu villagers promoting hatred and division and inciting them towards violence.

The instigation has led to violence, denial of burial in public cemeteries and other rights violations.

In this way, we see not only Buddhist extremism, which is something that has always been in the country, but also a rise in Hindu extremism, particularly in the Eastern Province, the attorney told Morning Star News.

With NCEASL help, victims have been able to file police complaints, leading courts to take up their cases, the attorney said.

There have been instances when cases have been filed against Christians, and the bias is very visible, the attorney said. In these cases, the Christians have had no choice but to approach the courts. Some judges who may also be biased never give an order in a matter of religious freedom because they do not want to set a precedent and very often force the Christians to settle the matter rather than giving justice. So, in many incidents no one gets punished by law.

The attorney has seen many cases where Christians have responded in forgiveness and have moved on, but also many instances where Christians get very discouraged.

I have come across a few pastors who has been so discouraged that their congregations have left them, and at least two pastors have actually left the country in the past year, the attorney said. It has been a sad situation. On one hand there has been growth in the church because of persecution, but there have also been instances where it has completely broken the church.

Sri Lanka is ranked 44th on Christian support organization Open Doors 2018 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews. org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved.
We say it all the time. Ideas have consequences, bad ideas have victims. Just look at the widows of China.

Seven years ago, Mrs. Wus husband threw himself into a dam. Hed recently been diagnosed with liver cancer and could not afford to have it treated.

He left behind a wife and two small childrenand their story is an example of the terrible, continuing fallout of Chinas One Child Policy, begun 38 years ago.

Mrs. Wu began a pattern of overworking on the family farm. She knew she would likely never remarry: Chinas One Child Policy meant that she would not be allowed to have children with a second husband, so who would want her?

In time, Mrs. Wus overwork led to health problems. Four years ago, she suffered a stroke and is now confined to a wheelchair. Like millions of other Chinese widows, Mrs. Wu contemplated suicide.

Stories like these caught the attention of my friend Reggie Littlejohn, founder of Womens Rights Without Frontiers. Reggie has already done a great deal to expose forced abortion in China and to save the lives of baby girls, who are aborted in huge numbers because their families prefer sons. And now she is turning her attention to Chinas impoverished widows.

As Reggie explains, My heart broke when I learned of the incredibly hard lives of the elderly widows in Chinas remote villages. They have nothing, and no one gives them anything.

Sadly, their children are not helping themsometimes because they are disabled themselves. These desperate widows exist on rice and vegetables, and often not enough of them.

How does the One Child Policy fit into this?

As Reggie put it, the policy destroyed traditional Chinese family structure. Thirty-eight years ago, when the policy went into effect, China was largely rural. Farmers had large families so they would have help they needed to work the land. Those children, in turn, had many children, which meant that when their grandparents needed to be taken care of, the responsibility was spread among many children and grandchildren, so that no one felt burdened.

Today, thanks to the One Child Policy, one young couple in China can be faced with supporting four parents and eight grandparentsplus their own children. Its not surprising that this can become an intolerable burden. And then when children move to the cities, elderly parents are often left alone. In a country where the elderly were once revered, all too often, they are now left to fend for themselves.

No wonder suicide among the elderly is skyrocketing in Chinaaccording to one report, in the last twenty years it has increased by 500 percent.

And this is where Reggie Littlejohn stepped in. Womens Rights Without Frontiers has just launched a Save a Widow Campaign. They send field workers to the homes of Chinese widows to assess their needs. Theyre given a monthly stipend so they will have enough to eatalong with hope, and the happy realization that they have not been abandoned.

In the case of Mrs. Wu, Reggie says, she cannot believe that kind people from overseas are willing to help her  without asking her to do anything. She wonders, What kind of God do these people believe in? She wants to know this God, too.

The Save a Widow Campaign is echoing the approach taken by the early church. The book of Acts describes how the church assigned people to take care of widows who did not have enough to eat, distributing food to them every day.

I hope youll consider taking part in the Save a Widow Campaign. Well link you to it at BreakPoint.org.

It goes without saying that we should make sure the widows in our own families are taken care ofand know they are loved. But we honor God when we extend this concern to other needy widows, both in and out of the church.

BreakPoint is a Christian worldview ministry that seeks to build and resource a movement of Christians committed to living and defending Christian worldview in all areas of life. Begun by Chuck Colson in 1991 as a daily radio broadcast, BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on todays news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print. Today BreakPoint commentaries, co-hosted by Eric Metaxas and John Stonestreet, air daily on more than 1,200 outlets with an estimated weekly listening audience of eight million people. Feel free to contact us at BreakPoint.org where you can read and search answers to common questions.

Eric Metaxas is a co-host of BreakPoint Radio and a best-selling author whose biographies, children's books, and popular apologetics have been translated into more than a dozen languages.

Publication date: October 19, 2018

Photo courtesy: Charl Folscher/Unsplash
They drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from their homeland from 2016 to 2017. Now many of the same Burmese troops that purged southwest Myanmar have moved north to another beleaguered religious and ethnic minority: the Christian Kachin.

Thousands of Kachin have been driven out of more than 50 villages as of June 2018, adding to a tally of more than 400 villages, 300 churches, and 100 schools destroyed or damaged by soldiers since 2011, according to the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

Fleeing their homes and villages has not always offered the Kachin security. Myanmars armed forces, the Tatmadaw, have cut off humanitarian aid for scores of camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) in areas controlled by the KIOs armed wing, the KIA. Meanwhile, Baptist and Catholic churches have stepped up to host many of the camps.

About 130,000 Kachin are displaced in Kachin state and bordering Shan state, fleeing to IDP camps since the Southeast Asian nations civil war rekindled after a 17-year ceasefire.

But while the Tatmadaws scorched-earth warfare against the Rohingya has been reported on regularly by global news outlets, awareness of similar human rights violationsrape, torture, and murderagainst the Kachin has yet to become widespread. A United Nations investigation in March noted that there were marked similarities between the violence against the Rohingya and the Kachin.

The eyes of the world turned briefly to the ethnic group during a visit to Myanmar by Pope Francis last fall, where he was welcomed by more than 7,000 Kachin. But since then many feel that the global body of Christ has ignored them.

The Tatmadaw has forced villagers from their homes ...

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At the Church of Christ in Nigeria congregation, Sunday morning worship opens with the din of a military-style drumroll. Inside a long, one-room building with a sheet-metal roof supported by handmade trusses, the uniformed Girls Brigade choir takes turns singing and dancingyounger girls on the left and women on the right. A wide-eyed child clings to a djembe played by his mother.

Next to her, a young drummer bears a dramatic scar across her left cheek. It is a reminder of the day, eight years ago, that the evangelical church and surrounding homes in this community of Christian farmers south of Jos were razed by Muslim extremists.

Other markers are less subtle. Beyond rebuilt houses with soaring live-cactus fences, amid rice and corn fields where a dozen goats are tied to stakes, sprawls an enormous concrete slab with a thin, rusty metal cross on top. Entombed there are 483 victims from the attack, stacked in three rows.

A plaque on the mass grave cites Revelation 6:1011:

They shouted in a loud voice, Almighty Lord, holy and true, how long will it be until you judge them on earth and punish them for killing us? Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to rest a little while longer, until the complete number of their fellow servants and fellow Christians had been killed as they had been.

The verse would prove prophetic: Days after Christianity Today visited the site, Muslim extremists killed more than 200 people across a dozen nearby villages, prompting outrage from Nigerian Christian leaders wearied by years of the crisis with little response from their federal government or from abroad.

After worship that Sunday, a police escort walks from the tomb with a radio on his hip, bouncing next ...

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The tanks dont always stop in China, as they did when the world watched a lone, brave man stand in Tiananmen Square and face down tanks designed to quell opposition to the government.

Few were watching in 2016 when the Reverend Li Jiangong and Ding Cuimei, his wife, stood before a bulldozer ordered by the government to demolish their church.

Bury them alive for me, an angry member of the demolition team reportedly said.

The bulldozer did. Li managed to scratch his way out. But his wife didnt make it.

That turned out to be a step too far even for the Chinese government at the time, which soon hauled the demolition team in for questioning. But the deed was doneand whether politically intentional or not, it is a symbol of a brutal repression of the Chinese church that is only gaining momentum.

Since the Communist takeover, the church has always been subject to repression by authorities. But slowly since 1982, the government had been giving the church space to breathe. As late as the spring of 2011, Chinese officials were saying publicly that religion is good for development, according to a 2012 report in Foreign Policy. The government donated land, built churches, and authorized research on positive Christian contributions to society.

Under the current administration of President Xi Jinping, however, the government is tearing down some churches (like the 50,000-member Golden Lampstand Church in Shanxi Province in January) and closing others (most notably, Zion Church, Beijings largest house church). The Chinese government is working furiously to recreate the church in its image. Regulations announced last year formalized policy that has, in practice, been in effect for some ...

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I want to thank Robert Foster for reading and engaging with my latest book, Irresistible. To begin, Id like to clarify a few points.

First, Id like to put to rest any fears that my truncated quotation of 2 Timothy 3:16 in the book was intentionally shortened. Foster correctly notes that I only quote the first half of that verse. My purpose was to point out the OT is God-breathed and inspired, useful for many purposes, and I completely agree with the rest of that verse. In fact, thats one reason I wrote Irresistible, to show that the fulfillment and end of the OT leads us to Jesus, and Jesus gives us a new ethic, one that calls us to sacrificial love and good works that make our faith irresistible to the world.

So I agree that Gods Wordboth Old and Newis given to equip us for all sorts of good works, and I wish more Christians took that message to heart.

Foster provides three points to help us understand the function of the OT for Christians today:

The OT can help Christians understand the implications of the gospel for our lives. The OT can illuminate Christians understanding of Gods way in the world. The OT can provide a foundation for Christian moral conduct.

Let me make it simple and clear. I fully agree with points 1 and 2 in this list and have said as much elsewhere. The OT is useful for helping us understand the implications of the gospel for our lives, but it must be read in context and understood as Gods Word to Israel. The OT provides us with examples, illustrations, and a rich history of Gods relationship with his people. All of this serves to illuminate the good news of the gospel. If we want an example of faith, look at Moses or Joshua. Or look at how God was faithful to his people and kept his promises despite their failure. We should also learn from how the apostles used the Old Testament, especially how they used the OT when speaking to a Jewish audience. But we must understand that God relates to people differently in the OT than he does in the NT. Something genuinely new happens with Jesus, and that changes the course of historyand the way we relate to God.

If there is one place Id push back, its point 3. Foster provides an example (Deut. 35:32) of how the OT informs our moral conduct as Christians. But all this shows is how Paul used the OT. It doesnt tell us how we should apply much of the OT to our lives today. We can take cues from the NT writers, especially the example in Acts 15, but this does not mean that the OT law directly applies to Christians today. Should we stone rebellious children (Ex. 21:15-17)? Prohibit interracial marriage (Deut. 7:3-4)? No. Because the old covenant has been fulfilled and ended and a new and better way of relating to God is now available to us.

There is a common way of dividing the OT law into three categories: ceremonial, civil, and moral. While I dont use this division in my book, it may clarify what Im saying. When I say that the Old Testament has ended, it means the ceremonial laws are fulfilled in the death of Jesusno more sacrifices in the temple, no more priests. OT civil laws are no longer enforced, since they were given for the nation of Israel formed at Mt. Sinai. And while Gods moral laws have not changed, they are transformed into something new. They are reset upon a new and better foundation, Jesus Christ.

As I explain in Irresistible, the OT asked us to base our love for others upon our own standard of fairnesshow we want to be treated. Jesus said this was the great commandment of the OT, to love your neighbor as yourselfthe golden rule. But then he takes us one step further. Jesus gives us a new and better command, one thats not based on you or me, but on the standard of love Jesus has shown to us. I call this the platinum rule. Jesus Christ has ended the old covenant once and for all, with all the Old Testament practices, promises, and expectations. We need to stop mixing the old with the new, because God has given us something better in Jesus Christ and his new command.

I like how Wayne Grudem explains this in his recent book, Christian Ethics:

It is important to realize that the author of Hebrews is not saying that some old covenant laws are no longer binding on Christians (such as sacrificial laws or purity laws, for example), but that the old covenant itself, that entire system of laws that defined the relationship with God and his people, is no longer in effect.

New Testament scholar Thomas Schreiner makes it clear in 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law that the old has passed now that the new has come, giving us a new basis for Christian behavior:

Paul argues that the entirety of the law has been set aside now that Christ has come. To say that the moral elements of the law continue to be authoritative blunts the truth that the entire Mosaic covenant is no longer in force for believers.

So, while I believe there is much we can learn from studying and preaching on the Old Testament, we must now take our cue from the promises fulfilled in Jesusthe new. The way we treat others is not based on 10 Commandments, but on one command given by JesusLove one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. (John 13:34; 15:12). We need to ask: what does this love require of me? And this informs our apologetic approach to reaching people. For me, it starts by introducing them to Jesus and the miracle of his resurrection. Thats something weve never seen before in human history. Its brand new. And thats what makes Christianity irresistible.

Communicator, author, and pastor Andy Stanley is the founder of Atlanta-based North Point Ministries. His new book is entitled Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World.
When I read that songwriter Michael Gungor told his wife, Lisa, I dont believe in God anymore, I experienced a familiar feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was the same one Id had a couple of years before when Nick, a 20-something leader in our church, called in a panic. He was having doubts and wanted to talk. I spent hours with him, listening as he poured out his questions and fears. Over the months that followed, I prayed God would reveal himself to Nick, but his doubts hardened into unbelief. He began telling people he was an atheist.

Nick and Gungor seem to be following a well-beaten path to atheism: cognitive dissonance over the churchs stand on sexual orientation and gender; outrage over pain and injustice; doubts regarding the authority of Scripture; and an embarrassing feeling that science has rendered belief in the Bibles claims ridiculous. If there are reasonable explanations for these conflicts, why doesnt God just show us? Why doesnt he come out of hiding? Why doesnt he come out of hiding and reveal himself to my child, to my friend? Or, if he has, to where can I point them? The various doubts that tripped my friend before he fell into atheism were all situated on the bedrock of the hiddenness of God. His thinking went like this: Christians say that God requires people to believe in him or they will be eternally condemned; God, if he is good, would assist people in forming that belief by revealing himself; God does not reveal himself; therefore, God is either not good, or he does not exist.

Michael Gungor and my friend Nick are hardly alone on this path to atheism. According to a 2015 Pew Research Center survey, Protestantism is no longer a majority religion in the US, and 18 percent of adults raised in a religious tradition now consider themselves either atheists, agnostics, or unaffiliateda shift driven largely by millennials. As far as many of these young adults are concerned, the burden of proof is on God. If he exists, hes going to have to prove it.

The hiddenness of God, which was once a problem for philosophers and theologians, is now a reason for millennials and their older counterparts to reject the gospel. Christian parents and leaders can help them work through this, but they must be able to offer reasonable answers to two questions. First, why would a God who insists that we believe in him not give us more evidencewhy would he hide? And second, where would he hide? One would think that the God described in the Bible would be hard to miss.

So Where Does God Hide?

Take the second question first: Where does God hide? That he does hide is clear. Jesus repeatedly referred to God as the one in secret. Poets and prophets agonized over this, and Isaiah exclaimed, Truly you are a God who hides himself. But where on earth (or elsewhere) is there a place roomy enough for God operate and yet secret enough for him to remain hidden?

Such hiding places abound. God built them into the universe when he designed it. Creation is like a palace, built by an ancient king, filled with secret rooms and moving walls. The King can stay in the palace and yet remain out of sight.

In Quantum Uncertainty

Quantum uncertainty is one of those secret rooms built into creation, and the scientists who have tried to learn all the secrets of the Kings palace have been confounded by it. David Snoke, a University of Pittsburgh physicist, says that given our present theories of quantum mechanics, some things are absolutely unpredictable to us  hidden behind a veil we cant look behind.

Snoke is thinking about a theory called observer effect. On a quantum level, the very act of measuring a system changes the system. We cannot push Snokes veil aside, no matter how quick or careful we are, without changing what is going on.

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Even apart from observer effect, uncertainty is inherent in all quantum objects, which is to say, in all physical reality. Yuji Hasegawa, a physicist at Technische Universitat Wien in Austria, reminds us that the uncertainty does not always come from the disturbing influence of the measurement, but from the quantum nature of the particle itself." Advances in technology may someday minimize observer effect but cannot remove indeterminacy on the quantum level.

Similar hiding places exist in the macro-world. Even systems that are fully deterministic weather systems, for exampleremain unpredictable because we can never have a complete knowledge of initial conditions. Snoke points out that this kind of unpredictability holds for quantum systems as well.

In the Unknowability of the State of Matter

We cannot see into the smallest places dues to quantum uncertainty and observer effect, but neither can we see into the largest places. Even apart from quantum uncertainty, the universe is simply too large for us to understand. Both the initial state of any system in the universe and its current state are beyond our grasp.

According to Randy Isaac, former executive director of the American Scientific Affiliation and VP of Science and Technology at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, the universe is so large and there are so many variables, we can only know it on a statistical basis. Isaac points out that one mole (a standard measurement equal to the number of chemical units found in 12 grams of Carbon-12) of a substance  that is, 6 x 1023  is so inconceivably vast that there is no hope of knowing the attributes of each molecule in even a minute but macroscopic amount of substance.

If there is no hope in knowing the attributes of each molecule in a minute amount of substance, what can be said about every molecule in the known universe, which is currently estimated to be about 46 billion light years across? There are hiding places everywhere.

In Time

Perhaps time is the most mysterious hiding place of all. Saint Augustine mused: What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know. Time is a mystery that is as close as our beating hearts. We live in it (at least we think we do), but we cannot say what it is. Timeour subjective experience of it, at any ratepotentially provides massive cover for God.

Paul Davies, Regents' Professor at Arizona State University and director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, says that before Einstein, space and time were simply regarded as therean immutable eternal arena in which the great drama of nature is acted out. Einstein showed that spacetime is in fact part of the cast. Like matter, it is dynamicalit can change and move and obeys laws of motion.

Davies goes on to say that intervals of time can be stretched by motion or gravitation. This is the orthodox view of time held by physicists. It tells us something about what time can do but nothing about what time is. For that we must turn to the philosophers, who have struggled to understand the nature of time since pre-Socratic days.

Bertrand Russell argued that time does not flow; it simply is. The flow of time, or our movement through it, is an illusion. His colleague at Cambridge, J. M. E. McTaggart disagreed. It is not the flow of time or our movement through it that is an illusion; it is time itself. It does not exist. The contemporary philosopher William Lane Craig believes Russell and McTaggart are both wrong. Craig believes there is a time that transcends time, a God-time by which all other time is measured.

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The Australian philosopher J. J. C. Smart argues that such a view of time leads unavoidably to an infinite regress. If we measure our time by a transcendent time, then we need yet another measuring rod against which to measure that time, and another by which to measure that time, ad infinitum. Rejecting this, Smart believes that the universal human sense that time is passing is an illusion arising out of metaphysical confusion.

Time, and our place in it, is a deep mystery. Philosophers cannot see into it and we cant see through it. This makes time the perfect hiding place for God, providing him with limitless room to act while remaining perpetually out of sight.

The legendary British astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle believed that God secretly acts at the indeterminate quantum level to direct the world to the future state he desires. In other words, God uses the hiding places of both time and quantum uncertainty to interact with the world.

But Why Would God Want to Hide?

But why would God want to hide? Is he just waiting to jump from his hiding place in quantum uncertainty and shout, Surprise!? Does he want to astonish us by the revelation that he has been here all along, working in our lives and our world, turning evil to good, and making all things serve his incomprehensible purpose?

Perhaps. God, as the Episcopal priest Robert Farrar Capon once pointed out, loves throwing parties: Creation is not ultimately about religion, or spirituality, or morality, or reconciliation, or any other solemn subject; its about God having a good time and just itching to share it.

Yet there is more to this than Gods love of a good party. Earlier, we saw how it is impossible for humans to see whats really going on in the world, particularly the quantum world, because of observer effect. Perhaps something like observer effect might explain why God keeps his presence a secret from us so much of the time. He cannot enter our reality without changing it. Once he pulls aside the curtain and steps into our space, we will inescapably be changed, overwhelmed, and deprived of autonomy.

C. S. Lewis addressed this dynamic in Mere Christianity: God will invade. But I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world quite realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on to the stage the play is over.  For this time it will God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no use saying you choose to lie down when it has become impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for choosing; it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not.

The God of the Gaps

Quantum uncertainty, the vastness of creation, and the inscrutable nature of time present unbridgeable gaps in human knowledge. They are not gaps for which God supplies a ready explanation but gaps in which God remains an endless mystery.

Trying to find God in the gaps is problematic. If he is hiding there, we will never find him. If he is not hiding there, science will eventually close the gap, God will cease to be a credible explanation, and the faith of struggling believers will be needlessly shaken.

If humans are going to find God, it will not be where he has chosen to hide but where he has chosen to reveal himself. It is not in quantum uncertainty or statistical analysis that God is discovered. We will not find him in a gap but on a cross. It is here in the most unexpected of places that we discern, as Stanley Hauerwas has put it, the grain on the universe.
Im a big fan of the Eucharist. So was John Wesley. Though you might not know it with the relative non-centrality of the sacrament in most Methodist worship services, the founder of Methodism never went more than four or five days in his adult life without celebrating the Lords Supper.

But Wesley never served time in a Pennsylvania prison. Before I was incarcerated, I left Methodism to join the Lutheran Church, in large part because of the weekly observation of the Eucharist. The body and blood of Christ filled me with a powerful, sustaining dose of grace that I relied on to face many life challenges. Then I arrived at a county prison four years ago for a crime I maintain I did not commit, and I lost access to Communion. There was an occasional volunteer-led Bible study, but there was no worship service. No Eucharist. And I needed the body and blood of Christ in a way I had never needed it before.

My Lutheran pastor tried repeatedly to bring Communion to me but was given the correctional runaround. He ran a gauntlet of deputy wardens, assistant deputy wardens, and acting administrative deputy assistant wardens.

He was told he could bring me Communion. Then, after driving more than an hour to the prison, he arrived and was told he could not, as our visits could only be conducted with glass between us. The next time, we got permission to meet together in a room to share Communion. But again, the elements were not permitted when he arrived.

So without Communion during my months at county, I joined my Lutheran friends in spirit. While they gathered at the table on Sunday mornings, I communed with them from a distance. I followed the liturgy from worship bulletins that my pastor had sent me. And with wine ...

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A US missionary arrested in Turkey the day after pastor Andrew Brunson was freed

Just a day after the release of pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey, authorities arrested another U.S. missionary, interrogating him and ordering him to leave the country.

Middle East Concern reported that David Byle, a joint U.S. and Canadian citizen, was arrested in Ankara on Saturday by the Anti-Terror Police Department.

He was reportedly interrogated but released on Sunday afternoon, and given 15 days to leave the Islamic-majority country.

"[We] have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support, not only from believers here in Turkey, but from literally all around the world. It means a lot to us and encourages us greatly to know we're not alone, that we're a part of such a great family, God's family," Byle and his family shared in a message.

The missionary has been arrested on multiple occasions in the past in Turkey, all related to his street evangelism. In 2007, he was detained for three days, but since the literature he carried did not insult Islam, he was let go.

Byle, who has been preaching in Turkey for 18 years, was also arrested in 2016. He was detained for eight days and told that he would be deported.

In February 2017, the deportation order was temporarily blocked, however, as officials failed to present evidence that he is a director, member or supporter of "terrorist organizations."

Byle's latest arrest came a day after North Carolina pastor Brunson was released by Turkey. Brunson, who along with his wife had been pastoring at a Protestant church in Izmir for 25 years, was arrested in October 2016 and charged with having links to terror groups, something which he firmly denied.

The Turkish court found him guilty of aiding terrorism, but sentenced him only to time already served, which allowed him to leave the country and fly back home to his family.

Tony Perkins, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council and a U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom commissioner, said that Brunson's release sends a strong message to Turkey.

"While we are relieved by today's decision on Pastor Brunson's unjust detention, we remain concerned for the Turkish people because numerous religious communities, such as the Greek Orthodox community and the Alevis, continue to face discrimination and restrictions on registration and ownership of property," Perkins warned.

"Turkey must continue to work to treat all of its citizens equally and with respect for their religious freedom."

Persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA lists Turkey at No. 31 on its World Watch List where Christians face the most persecution for their faith.

"Turks are expected to be Muslims, a conviction that's fostered by the government in a ploy to consolidate power. After a failed coup in July 2016, President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan has used the political instability to his advantage, trying to unify Turkey under Sunni Islam," the group explains.

"This leaves little space for minorities and indirectly results in the persecution of Christians. Within the home, converts to Christianity in particular face strong opposition for their conversion from their families, as they're seen as traitors to both Islam and the national Turkish identity."

Courtesy of The Christian Post
Extremists threaten to bring Pakistan to a standstill if Christian mother Asia Bibi is freed

Supporters of a radical Islamic political party in Pakistan are threatening to paralyse the country if Asia Bibi is freed from death row.

Bibi, a Christian mother of five, is facing execution after being found guilty of blasphemy in 2010 following a complaint from Muslim colleagues on the farm where she worked.

The Pakistan Supreme Court reached a verdict on the appeal against her death sentence last week but decided to delay making their decision public.

The leader of radical party Tahreek-e-Labbai (TLP), Pir Afzal Qadri has called for nationwide protests against Bibi being freed.

Qadri called on supporters to protest her release 'even if the central leadership is incarcerated or killed'.

While blasphemy is a crime punishable by death in Pakistan, until now, those found guilty have been acquitted.

If the death sentence against Bibi is upheld and carried out, she would be the first person in Pakistan to be executed for the crime.

TLP has reportedly called for Bibi to be hanged and according to Channel News Asia, it warned in a press conference on YouTube that the justices would meet a 'horrible end' if they free her.

'Judges' remarks have sown doubt among the party leaders and fears that she would be released soon,' Qadri was quoted as saying at an anti-Bibi rally in Lahore as he called for sit-ins to take place across Pakistan.

Bibi's husband recently visited the UK to raise awareness of her case. During the visit he asked Christians to pray for her.

'She told [me] that the community must remember her in their prayers because this is an international country... [I] need international pressure for the release of Asia Bibi,' Ashiq Bibi told Premier.

Open Doors said that if Bibi's death sentence is upheld, her only option will be to appeal for mercy from President Arif Alvi, who is a close ally of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Khan has already spoken in favour of the blasphemy law in light of the Bibi case.

According to the advocacy group, Khan previously stated: 'I know this law is an inconvenience for some people like that poor woman Asia Bibi. But it is a law that is complete and I support it.'
Judge dismisses most counts in Paul Pressler lawsuit

A Texas judge has dismissed most of the counts against the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and one of its elder statesmen, retired judge Paul Pressler.

The case involves a lawsuit filed by Gerald Duane Rollins alleging sexual abuse by Pressler when Rollins was a young man. It sought to hold several other defendants responsible, namely Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, former Southwestern president Paige Patterson, Houston's First Baptist Church, Second Baptist Church in Houston, Pressler's wife Nancy and his former law partner Jared Woodfill.

, 88, was the architect of the so-called 'Conservative Resurgence' in the SBC during the 1980s that saw it turn decisively towards a hyper-conservative interpretation of Scripture.

Rollins, 54, alleged Pressler had begun to abuse him when he was 14 and that this had led to a lifetime of substance abuse and mental health problems.

Five of the eight claims were dismissed on the grounds that they had occurred too long before the case was brought and did not qualify for an exception to statutes of limitations.

The judge in the case, Ravi K Sandfill, ruled that three others could move forward. They involve slander and libel claims by Rollins, and a breach of contract claim against Pressler relating to a previous lawsuit.

SBC attorney James Guenther told Baptist Press the SBC had 'multiple defenses in this case. The most basic defense was the fact that the convention committed no wrong and was not involved or connected in any way with the harms that Mr Rollins alleged. Additionally, the convention did not have control over or any duty to control Mr Pressler or any of the other defendants. So, none of the facts necessary to assert any valid claim against the convention was present. It was simply not responsible if another defendant in this case engaged in any wrongdoing.'

He continued: 'While vigorously asserting all of its defenses, the convention took the route deemed most practical, economic and indisputable: the plaintiff's suit against the convention was filed too late, not by weeks or months, but by years -- the statute of limitations had long run on the charges.'

All the defendants deny all the allegations against them. Rollins has the right to appeal.
Pope gets invitation to North Korea, indicates will consider it

Pope Francis on Thursday received an invitation to visit North Korea and the pontiff indicated he would consider making what would be a landmark trip to a nation known for severe restrictions on religious practice, according to South Korean officials.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in relayed the invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the pope verbally during a 35-minute meeting in the Vatican.

Any visit would be the first by a pope to the reclusive state which does not allow priests to be permanently stationed there. There is little information on how many of its citizens are Catholic, or how they practise their faith.

North Korea's constitution guarantees freedom of religion as long as it does not undermine the state.

But beyond a handful of state-controlled places of worship  including a Catholic church in the capital of Pyongyang  no open religious activity is allowed and the authorities have repeatedly jailed foreign missionaries.

Kim told Moon, a Catholic, of his wish to meet the pontiff during a meeting last month and the South Korean leader announced before the trip that he would be relaying a message.

According to the president's office, Francis expressed his strong support for efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula. Moon's office quoted the pope as telling Moon: 'Do not stop, move forward. Do not be afraid.'

Asked if Kim should send a formal invitation, Moon's office quoted the pope as responding to Moon: 'Your message is already sufficient but it would be good for him to send a formal invitation.'

'I will definitely answer if I get the invitation, and I can go,' the president's office quoted the pope as saying.

Reconciliation

A meeting with Pope Francis would be the latest in a string of major diplomatic meetings for Kim Jong Un this year.

The two Koreas have held three summits this year. Kim also held an unprecedented summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, where the leaders promised to work toward denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

The pope is expected to visit neighbouring Japan next year and the proposed North Korea visit comes as China improves relations with the Holy See.

A deal signed in September gives the Vatican a long-sought say in the choice of bishops in China, and for the first time, Beijing allowed two bishops to attend a Vatican meeting, where they invited the pope to visit China.

A Vatican statement made no mention of the verbal invitation from North Korea's Kim.

It spoke only of 'the promotion of dialogue and reconciliation between Koreans' and 'the common commitment to fostering all useful initiatives to overcome the tensions that still exist in the Korean Peninsula, in order to usher in a new season of peace and development'.

Any trip to the North, however brief, could be contentious for the pope, given what the United Nations says is a record of gross and systematic human rights abuses.

Aides close to the pope have said he is open to taking what they call first steps in places where the Church has been persecuted in the hope that the situation could improve.

Church officials estimate that North Korea had a Catholic community of about 55,000 just before the 1950-53 Korean War.

Religious agencies have estimated the number remaining from the few hundreds to about 4,000.

Priests from the South occasionally visit, usually accompanying aid deliveries or humanitarian projects.
Witches are aiming to hex Brett Kavanaugh tomorrow. He'll be fine.

An event aimed at 'hexing' US Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh at a New York occult bookshop tomorrow has been sold out.

Kavanaugh was confirmed following a bruising battle after he was accused by several women, notably Prof Christine Blasey Ford, of sexual misconduct. As a conservative his support from evangelicals was solid, but many others questioned the appropriateness of his appointment. Kavanaugh denied all the allegations.

Catland Books, a 'metaphysical boutique and occult bookshop' in Brooklyn, invited participation in the ritual on its Facebook page, saying: 'Please join us for a public hex on Brett Kavanaugh, upon all rapists and the patriarchy at large which emboldens, rewards and protects them. We are embracing witchcraft's true roots as the magik of the poor, the downtrodden and disenfranchised and it's history as often the only weapon, the only means of exacting justice available to those of us who have been wronged by men just like him.'

Kavanaugh, it said, would be 'the focal point, but by no means the only target, so bring your rage and and all of the axes you've got to grind. There will also be a second ritual afterward  "The Rites of the Scorned One" which seeks to validate, affirm, uphold and support those of us who have been wronged and who refuse to be silent any longer.'

It's got some Christians very worried. Jennifer LeClaire from Awakening House of Prayer says hexes 'work in the realm of bringing "bad luck"', and are a 'wicked power based in witchcraft'. 'Witches are rising up with boldness to hex public officials,' she says.

While the National Catholic Register quotes Fr Gary Thomas, the exorcist for the Diocese of San Jose, California, who says that while curses directed against people in a state of grace have 'little or no effect', 'The decision to do this against a Supreme Court justice is a heinous act and says a lot about the character of these people that should not be underestimated or dismissed.' He concludes: 'These are real evil people.'

But will it work? The shop hosted three hexes last year on President Trump, who seems to be doing just fine. And isn't there something odd about advertising the event on Facebook and asking people to book through EventBrite? There's a strange conjunction between the modern and the medieval.

And that's the problem  that the furore over this has much more to do with medieval ideas about magic than it does with properly grounded biblical theology. Jennifer LeClaire really struggles to find a biblical basis for her concern, and her examples are not, with respect, very convincing.

In fact the idea that occultists or Satan-worshippers can draw on demonic power to curse people they don't like has no biblical warrant. It owes more to fantasy literature like Harry Potter than to the Bible.

Having said that: most Christians, if they are wise, take what the Bible does say about the powers of darkness very seriously. There are spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). But most of us know what CS Lewis said about the Devil in The Screwtape Letters: 'There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or magician with the same delight.'

Catland Books evidently believes it can accomplish something by its 'hexing' ritual. But that's no reason for Christians to believe them  in fact, going along with their claims means we run the risk of the 'excessive and unhealthy interest' of which Lewis warns.

The best response to the would-be hexers is to pray for them, that they'll come to trust in a personal and loving God rather than trying to inflict harm and suffering on others. The next best response is to ignore them. The worst response is to believe the lies of the Devil and take them at their word.

Tomorrow's hex won't do Brett Kavanaugh a bit of harm. But if it leads Christians to think the powers of evil are to be fought in fantasy-land rather than on our doorsteps or in our hearts, it can be very harmful indeed.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
3 1 of 3 Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Eric Kayne/For the Chronicle Show More Show Less 3 of 3





WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said Thursday director Scott Angelle is "optimistic" that drilling in the Gulf of Mexico will increase in 2019.

At the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Conference in New Orleans this week, Angelle noted that applications for deepwater drilling permits had increased in 2018.
Spencer Platt, Staff / Getty Images

China cemented its dominance of the global wind power business following the merger of former top energy producer Guodian Group and seventh-ranked Shenhua into the industrial giant CHN Energy, according to a report by the research firm Wood Mackenzie.

The conglomerate is focused on coal extraction and coal power generation but its wind fleet is more than twice as large as the second largest utility, Spain-based Iberdrola, according to the study.
A former Schlumberger leadership team is partnering with a family-led pipeline firm in The Woodlands to create a publicly traded company called Strike Inc.

The teams firm, Sentinel Energy Services, is buying a majority stake in Strike and taking the pipeline inspection and construction firm public with the slightly tweaked name that adds Inc. The plan is to rapidly expand Strikes national footprint to service all types of pipelines from neighborhood natural gas systems to larger crude oil pipelines.

Theres millions of miles of pipe in this country and more than half of it is really old, said Strike Chief Executive Steve Pate, who founded the company 15 years ago.

From HoustonChronicle.com: Overshadowed by Permian, Eagle Ford has its own comeback

Sentinel Energy, based in Houston, is a so-called blank check firm, a public company created to find and acquire a private company in a sector thats ripe for investment. Pipelines are increasingly in demand and expanding to transport record oil and natural gas production from the Permian Basin in West Texas and other U.S. shale plays.

Sentinel went public a year ago under the chairmanship of former Schlumberger CEO Andrew Gould. Sentinel is backed by the Houston private equity firm CSL Capital Management.

Sentinel will pay $345 million in cash for a 65 percent stake in Strike with $150 million in additional investments from the Fidelity Management and Research Co., a unit of the Boston mutual fund company, and CSL. Strike will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker STRK by the end of March.

PIPELINES: Kinder Morgan reports quarterly gain after Trans Mountain sale

Despite the recent oil bust, Strike doubled in size during the past four years, expanding from 3,000 employees to more than 6,000, including 300 in its headquarters in The Woodlands and almost 4,000 throughout Texas. Two of Strikes biggest growth areas are servicing pipelines for the West Texas oil boom in the Permian Basin and closer to home with the petrochemical surge along the Houston Ship Channel and near Corpus Christi. Strikes estimated 2018 revenues are $1.8 billion.

Pate will remain Strikes CEO with Gould as chairman. Gould headed the worlds largest oilfield services firm from 2003 until 2011. He then became the chairman of London-based BG Group, negotiating the $53 billion sale of BG to Royal Dutch Shell three years ago.

Gould said he was approached by various bankers and CSL to create what eventually became Sentinel. He partnered with Krishna Shivram to serve as Sentinels CEO. Shivram is a longtime Schlumberger executive who later served as interim chief executive of Weatherford International until another CEO was selected.

GAS PIPELINES: U.S. natural gas supply, demand continues to grow

The plan was originally for Shivram to lead whatever company Sentinel acquired, but Gould and Shivram said they felt confident in the Pate family staying in charge. Steve Pates son, Cole, is the Strike president and two of Steves brothers are executive vice presidents. Shivram will serve on the Strike board.

Despite Goulds Schlumberger background in oilfield drilling and completions, he viewed that industry as overly crowded. So Sentinel focused on pipelines because of its steady revenues and room for growth, he said.

This is going to be a very strong segment for a long time, Gould said.

Despite Strikes strong growth, Pate said the company still only has about a 2 percent national market share in the pipeline integrity and inspection sector. The many smaller regional players in the industry provide opportunities to make acquisitions and grow, he said. Pate added that the September series of natural gas pipeline explosions in the Boston suburbs underscored the need for more standardized pipeline inspections and regulations nationwide, presenting more opportunities for the company to grow.
When you see the bright pink home in the Audubon Place Historic District it's hard to imagine that this Craftsman-style home built in 1921 was created with all kinds of bells and whistles.

Its owner, Ewart Lightfoot, was a builder and devised his own automatic window pulley system, a mailbox bell alert and his own intercom system. Lightfoot's home passed down through the years to now having been a part of the lives of five generations.
BRIDGEPORT  The last place Eunice Thomas wanted to be Friday morning was on Stratford Avenue between Central and Newfield avenues.

Since Jan. 16 she has tried to avoid that block of the East End.

I cant stomach it, Thomas said. When Im on the bus, Ill sit with my back to this area.

Thomas son, JaWuan Green, was shot on Newfield Avenue on that mid-January day and pronounced dead at Bridgeport Hospital.

He was the first homicide of the year, Thomas said.

So she returned to the scene Friday, hoping her presence would make a difference to the Democratic politicians who, weeks before the November election, walked that troubled section.

Well, its that time of year, said the Rev. Charles Jackson, pastor of Temple Emmanuel Church on nearby Union Street, as the crowd passed, accompanied by a heavy police presence.

But first, gubernatorial candidate Ned Lamont, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and U.S. Rep. Jim Himes  each of them white and needing heavy minority voter turnout in Bridgeport  gathered behind-closed-doors with Mayor Joe Ganim and East End leaders.

Reporters were not allowed into their meeting on the second floor of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, on Union Avenue.

A lot of people expressed some deep concerns regarding how (politicians) dont follow through with promises they make, said Ralph Ford, a prominent black East End Democrat who recently complained that Lamont was ignoring the neighborhood. We elected Democrats, year after year, and nothing changes.

City Councilwoman Eneida Martinez said afterward that she told Lamont, Murphy and Himes, Its all good you guys are all here, but when will you be back? Another two years from today (during the next election)?

Lamont, a Greenwich millionaire and businessman, also campaigned in Bridgeport last weekend, and on Monday. Some political insiders have recently questioned whether the citys voters are enthusiastic enough about Lamont and the upcoming election.

A governor can make a difference here, Lamont said during Friday mornings walk, after rattling off some of his priorities  economic development, gun control and investing in education and anti-gang youth programs. Ill be back as governor.

From cathedrals to crime scenes

The modern, grand Cathedral of the Holy Spirit is an example of the contradictions found in the East End, where neglected, unsafe areas coexist  sometimes right next door  with other addresses representing hope and economic opportunity.

Lamont, Murphy, Himes and Ganim walked from the church, down Union Avenue to Stratford Avenue, passing by the Sunshine Deli. The 24/7 market has been identified by community leaders and police as a trouble spot for drug deals, public drinking, loitering and shootings.

In September, Len Smith, 25, was fatally shot while sitting in a car parked outside of the deli. A woman, also in the car, was critically injured but recovered.

Were so concerned about whats going on on the corner, Temple Emmanuels Jackson said after Ganim, who lost Augusts Democratic gubernatorial primary to Lamont, introduced his ex-political rival to the pastor. I know the mayors doing all he can (by providing more police patrols). That is a help to us, but the corner is not a good corner.

From Sunshine Deli it is a brief walk down Stratford Avenue to Central and Newfield avenues, where Thomas son was killed.

Weve had four homicides in this area this year, said city resident Dawn Spearman, head of the You Are Not Alone grief support group, adding for emphasis. This is this year.

And yet that same corner is another example of the East Ends contrasts. While Thomas cannot stand to go there, construction workers are clearing property for a new grocery store and retail space the city believes will help revitalize the area.

Its a huge project in the East End, Ganim told the crowd.

Ford said the East End needs elected officials at the federal and state levels to support more of that type of investment.

If they can get resources behind those projects, youll see change, he said.

Policies and people make a difference, Ganim said before the walk concluded. These individuals (Murphy, Himes) do make a difference, and I believe this individual to my right (Lamont) will as governor.

Asked afterward if she felt the same, Spearman paused for several seconds, then said, I pray for the best.

Thomas said she, too, is praying, but added seeing the politicians Friday left her feeling optimistic.

Get some of these guns off the street, she said. More programs for the community. More programs for these young men.
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month  Nov. 11, 1918  the long and bloody World War I ended. Several events commemorate the 100 years since the Armistice went into effect. According to the Albany Symphony:

The second installation of "Together Until the End Schenectady in World War I": The exhibit runs until Nov. 11, Fenimore Gallery at Proctors theater, Schenectady.

From the Battlefield: Music by Soldiers in WWI: From 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24. Free. Reservations required. Fenimore Gallery at Proctors theater, Schenectady. Performance by the Lost Radio Rounders and lecture by the State Museum's Aaron Noble.

Altered Landscapes: the Great War and the World Remade: Lecture with Richard Fogarty, University at Albany, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1. Free. Reservations required. Fenimore Gallery at Proctors theater, Schenectady.

Britten's War Requiem: Its History, Music and Poetry, A Roundtable Discussion: 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, the Cathedral of All Saints, Albany. Free.

Screening of silent war film "The Big Parade" with Avery Tunningley on organ: Mainstage at Proctors 7 to 10:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5. $10. Buy tickets at proctors.org or 518-346-6204.

Movie: "Under Four Flags," a war documentary, with Musicians of Ma'alwyck, noon, Wednesday, Nov. 7. Free. Schenectady County Community College, Carl Taylor Auditorium.

Movie: "All Quiet on the Western Front," the Oscar winning epic shows at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, GE Theatre at Proctors, Schenectady. $6. Buy tickets at proctors.org or 518-346-6204.

To a Soldier: A Great Life Lost: a Musicians of Ma'alwyck concert, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., Saturday Nov. 10, First Reformed Church, Schenectady. $25 adults, $10 students. Honors the life of violinist David Hochstein, who volunteered to serve in the front lines in France and was killed October 1918.

Britten's War Requiem in Concert: David Alan Miller conducting, Albany Pro Musica, Cathedral of All Saints Boys choir chorus, 7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, Mainstage at Proctors. Tickets start at $19.

Copake

Roe Jan Community Library in Copake hosts a free reading and discussion on World War I led by State Museum curator Aaron Noble at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, Oct. 25, Nov. 8, and 29. Advance sign-up is required: Call 518-325-4101.

Organizations with World War I-related exhibits or events are welcome to send their information to tblydenburgh@timesunion.com for future publication.
A former Bridgeport resident who defrauded Medicare of $2.5 million is facing 10 years behind bars.

On Thursday, Juliet Jacob, 49, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in Bridgeport to one count of health care fraud stemming from a Medicaid fraud scheme.

Now living in Wake Forest, North Carolina, Jacob and another individual operated two businesses, Transitional Development And Training and It Takes A Promise, both located at 360 Fairfield Ave. in Bridgeport. The businesses were to provide social and psychotherapy services to the Bridgeport area. Jacob and the other individual used ITAP and TDAT to bill Medicaid for psychotherapy services that were never provided.

As part of their scheme that began in January 2012, Jacob and the other individual used the Medicaid provider numbers of two licensed healthcare providers who had neither rendered nor supervised any of the psychotherapy services that Jacob and the other individual billed to Medicaid, John H. Durham, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, said in a release.

Through this scheme, Jacob and the other individual defrauded Medicaid of approximately $2.5 million.

As part of her guilty plea, Jacob also admitted that, in a separate scheme in 2010 and 2011, she conspired with Ronnette Brown and Beverly Coker to defraud Medicaid of more than $214,000 by fraudulently billing for psychotherapy services that were not provided.

When she is sentenced, Jacob faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years. She also has agreed to a restitution order of $2,711,173. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.

Jacob is released on a $25,000 bond pending sentencing.

On May 26, 2017, a jury found Ronnette Brown guilty of 23 counts of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, stemming from these schemes. On April 19, 2018, Judge Bolden sentenced Brown to 48 months of imprisonment and ordered her to pay restitution in the amount of $2,033,962.

Beverly Coker pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud and, on May 8, 2018, was sentenced to five years of probation and restitution of $214,555.

Three other individuals have been charged and convicted of health care fraud offenses stemming from this ongoing investigation.
The Heights community has united in the search for a 7-year-old pitbull named Choco that went missing earlier this week after her owner was shot.

Heights resident Piotr Lewandowski said his community has shown tremendous effort in helping his family of four look for their beloved Choco. Following the shooting Tuesday night, the FINDING CHOCO Facebook group was created and now has over 700 followers.

The page is used to organize group searches and local shelter check-ins that Lewandowski said people have helped volunteer for daily since the incident. Local community members created search blocks throughout the Heights area and successfully recruited volunteers to drive sections of the neighborhood in search for Choco.

"We are just amazed and just so happy [for] the efforts that are being made by the community, our friends and neighbors, volunteers,"Lewandowski said. "It is remarkable how quickly and how much people are putting time into this just again to make our family whole."

Lewandowski said the help has even come from outside the Heights area.

PONY RESCUE: Officials seek owner of pony rescued from Houston storm drain

"People are volunteering basically from all over the Heights area and outside the Houston area and some people we don't even know," Lewandowski said. "It's really amazing how people are coming to help my family."

On a night-time walk with Choco Tuesday, Lewandowski was shot at the intersection of Cortlandt and 22nd Street around 9:30 p.m. He has not fully recovered but is back home and said now he thinks finding Choco will be the thing that he said "will make our family whole."

"I am moving around, my physical therapist told me to start therapy a quickly as I can," Lewandowski said. "But she is definitely a missing member of our family. Finding her is going to be really helpful for getting the family through [this] hard time."

Choco is a gray/brown color or "blue pit" weighing about 40 pounds. She was wearing a pink collar with blue printed flowers and a red leash. Her tail and ears are still in tact and she has been spayed.

Anyone who may come across Choco is advised to take her picture, note her location and contact Lewandowski's family by calling 832-696-4332. Lewandowski said since the Facebook group was created he has received several leads but none have checked out so far.

"She's not aggressive. She is very friendly but she will run away if you try to come to her," Lewandowski said. "We are really hopeful and with the effort that is ongoing we are certain that she will turn up somewhere."

If you see Choco call 832-696-4332.

Rebecca Hennes covers community news. Read her on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | rebecca.hennes@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message


Former Kingwood resident Sue Donaldson still gets nervous every time it rains, even though the one-year anniversary of Harvey has come and gone, even though shes moved to a new home and started a new life.

When it rains there are big puddles in our common area, she said. The sky gets dark, and I say, Its still raining. Whens it going to stop?

Donaldson is not alone.

The Greater Houston area is dealing with the trauma of the hurricane and its aftermath - navigating insurance, negotiating with contractors and finding a way to move forward. Therapists are reporting more stress-related appointments, and school districts are counseling students on next steps.

According to the Episcopal Health Foundation, 30 percent of the individuals affected by Harvey say their lives are still disrupted. About a fourth of those impacted say their personal financial situation is worse due to the hurricane, and one in six report their quality of life has deteriorated.

'SILENT WITNESSES': Domestic violence increased after Harvey

About 30 percent of Texans impacted by the storm report serious negative effects on their mental health, the study continued. Symptoms include taking new prescriptions, increasing alcohol use and experiencing outbursts of anger.

Donaldson has found solace in her art - and in moving away from her Kingwood home.

She and her husband Bruce lost almost everything they had during Harvey. They walked away from all of their belongings.

Even when friends rescued and dry-cleaned her clothes, Donaldson still does not feel like wearing them. All of her art, journals and sketchbooks, which she had created for decades, were beyond repair.

The house was torn apart, and the couple decided to sell it as-is.

I never wanted to live in this nightmare again, to see the water rush in, cover our carpet and our things, Donaldson said. It was just terrible.

The couple lived in the residence since 1981, but Donaldson felt certain that the images from the night Harvey hit would be the ones that stuck when she thought about the house.

INTERACTIVE MAP: See where Houston has added homes in flood plains after Harvey

Everything from her floating furniture, to being waist deep in water, to flicking a dimming light in hopes of rescue - remained charred in her mind.

The family found a new home in Fall Creek and are rebuilding their lives.

Now, shes painting in a second bedroom of the new house and most of her work is about water. Shes also collecting dollhouse furniture to make assemblages that represent the decimation of Harvey.

And she worries about all of her former neighbors who did not move.

I really feel that its going to flood again, she said.

Marty Lerman, a doctor with Allied Mental Health Services in Kingwood, said the Donaldson family's fear is shared by many of his patients.

And he knows how they feel. He personally lost two vehicles in the storm and the entire downstairs of his home was completely ruined.

His trauma was compounded by countless phone calls to FEMA, insurance and even his senator to find a resolution for his wrecked house. His downstairs was in standing water for four weeks, and contractors did not come until February.

A HELPING HAND: After Harvey hits, Kingwood teen launches into action with his fishing boat

Then, Lerman had to pay out-of-pocket to re-do what the contractors did, as mold continued to grow behind the sheetrock, the showers and the toilet they installed.

They left us with a house that had to be put back together again, he said. It was stripped down to the bare minimum and totally unlivable. Its just been horrific. Its a mind-boggling experience.

Lerman has tried hypnotherapy and holistic healing to keep his stress level down. He seeks help from other therapists, as well as support from his community.

Lerman explained that the type of trauma is unusual.

Its not just an event that started and stopped but a progression of bad things, he said. Its not just the hurricane. Its all the stuff wrapped up with it.

More stress comes from rebuilding and resettling into new homes, and it all adds up.

It still hasnt been resolved, Lerman said. People are terrified every time the clouds roll through, because they remember Harvey. Its triggering all of the fear reactions.

He added that autoimmune disorders are on the rise as a result.

Theres overwhelming evidence that if you dont deal with emotional stress, its going to physically hurt you, he said.

UNMET NEEDS: City seeks $2B more to help housing recover from Harvey

Lerman was treating a 9-year old boy who did not want to go to school. After discussing the problem for a while, the child confessed that he lost his dog in the storm. His parents bought him a new puppy and his anxiety about the canines welfare escalated.

He would sit all night long with his puppy in a closet, Lerman said. He was afraid to go to sleep.

While Lerman has helped countless adults with post-traumatic stress disorder, he said seeing it in a small child was new.

It dawned on me, he said. This kid is everybody. Hes symbolic.

Just like the child worrying about his puppy, adults are scared thinking about their families, he explained.

I have a lot more men coming in, he said. They couldnt keep their family safe, and that awareness is driving them nuts. They dont know what theyll do if it happens again.

Lake Houston area school districts are also helping families with their emotions after Harvey.

Many in our community are still in the rebuilding stage, Matt Smith, elementary counseling coordinator for the Humble Independent School District, said. Homes are still being restored, and the impacts of the storm can still be seen in our community today. Social, emotional, and physical safety were at the forefront of our thinking both then and now.

Even for those families with a roof over their heads, the storm still has lasting effects, he added.

In Humble ISD, school counselors received specialized training on responding to trauma through empathy and the program is ongoing.

ROOFING SCAM: Man sentenced to prison for $30,000 scam following Harvey

The district did its best to keep students in their regular schools, despite changes in address, Smith added. In addition, students are able to receive lessons on skills including optimistic thinking, self-awareness, social awareness and decision-making.

Individuals need to feel safe, and that often comes through establishing routines, Smith said. This can be very difficult during a traumatic event, but there are things we can do to move back toward normalcy.

Helping students share their feelings is the best action to take, he added.

Sometimes everyday events can bring up experiences and emotions from the past, and we need to talk that through, he said. Heavy rain or talk of storms or hurricanes impacting other areas of the world can bring us to a place of heightened anxiety.

Smith suggests reaching out to a school counselor. They are happy to work with your student through this and to offer additional resources if needed, he said.

Deborah Ross is one of the counselors at Huffman ISD working to help students through Harvey. She explained that often children were not feeling well, not hungry or more tired during the storm.

Socially the students would talk more to their peers if they were ready to open up about the trauma they suffered, she said. Some students were the complete opposite. They were withdrawn and unable to communicate with their peers.

Ross said that other children provided emotional support to their peers.

When we would have rainstorms, some students would think it was going to flood again, she said. We would reassure them that not all storms are like Harvey.

She said that parents can help by reassuring children that they are safe whether they are at home or school.

Renee Foster, also a counselor with Huffman ISD, suggests sticking to a routine as much as possible to encourage a sense of normalcy. She also said parents can talk to their children about plans in case of future floods.

Talk about things being just things -- and that they can be replaced, she added.

Harvey survivors can learn how to access local, free crisis counseling services, and find other disaster behavioral assistance resources at www.hhs.texas.gov/disaster-assistance.

Harris County residents may also call the Harris Center at (713) 970-7000.

Lindsey Peyton is a freelance writer.
Houston's hotel market showed the biggest year-over-year drop among large U.S. cities in three metrics in September as activity levels retreated from last year's highs after Hurricane Harvey, a new report showed.

Occupancy fell 30.8 percent to 59.1 percent, average daily room rates dropped 7.7 percent to $105.75 and revenue per available room dropped 36.2 percent to $62.48 in September, according to a monthly report by research firm STR.

RELATED: How would Tillman Fertitta's vast holdings fit with Caesars' bid?

Orlando was the only other city to post a double-digit decline in occupancy. Orlando's occupancy there dropped 11.6 percent to 67.2 percent, STR said, while revenue per available room fell 12.5 percent to $73.95.

Nationally, average hotel occupancy dipped 2.1 percent to 68.0 percent, average daily rate rose 1.9 percent to $131, and revenue per available room was down 0.3 percent to $89.10. All of the metrics were well above the long-term average for September.

RELATED: Insights from CBRE on Houston's hotel market in Q3

"The industry smashed the monthly demand record last September because of the rush of post-hurricane business in Houston and parts of Florida," STR's senior VP of lodging insights Jan Freitag said in a report. "That created a level of demand that the industry fell just short (-0.1%) of matching this September. In fact, that slight dip in demand was the first year-over-year decline in the metric since August 2015."

Overall, 13 of the top 25 markets showed growth in revenue per available room.

San Francisco saw the biggest jump, with revenue per available room rising 13.3 percent to $239.64. Average daily rates rose 13.6 percent to $274.69.

Miami posted the highest rise in occupancy, gaining 8.7 percent to 64.2 percent.
The Houston Pilots on Thursday withdrew its application requesting higher fees to guide vessels in and out of the Houston Ship Channel.

The Houston Pilots had proposed an aggregate increase that would boost fees by about 2.9 percent a year in each of the next three years, although individual shipping companies said their costs would be higher. Some companies said they could end up paying 13 percent or almost 14 percent more over the next three years for pilot services.
Cliff Owen, FRE / Associated Press

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, speaking to reporters in San Antonio, said his department is still committed to giving support to coal and nuclear subsidies. He said the department's plan is with the Trump Administration.

When asked about reports that the plan, is stalled in the White House, Perry said "You can find a report about anything in Washington."
After 35 years, Northwest Assistance Ministries is looking to expand alongside the community it serves with broader service coverage and a new chief executive officer.

NAM, a community-based nonprofit, specializes in multiple programs and services for the northwest Houston area including disaster relief for Hurricane Harvey, housing services, a nutrition center, a homeless network, a family violence center, a senior center, Meals on Wheels and a full-service Pediatric Health Center with options to help at-risk families afford the visit and healthcare in the future.

NAM was originally founded by 10 covenant congregations that put aside their religious differences to serve the community, according to the official website. Brian Carr, chief advancement officer for NAM, said NAM focuses on the needs of the local area rather than the whole city.

We raise money locally and we serve our neighbors and part of our mission statement is, Neighbors Helping Neighbors, which really helps describe what we do, he said. Last year, we had more than 2,500 active volunteers. It is because of those volunteers we're able to provide services to more than 130,000 neighbors in the northwest Houston area.

In September, NAM received a new CEO and President, Les Cave, previously with CHRISTUS Health System, a Catholic nonprofit healtchare system. Cave said he hopes to work with the NAM team to bring the services to meet the needs of more community members than before without increasing operating costs. Carr said Cave has brought a sense of growth to NAM.

Recently, NAM implemented a counseling program for all ages. Cave said the service was highly requested. Currently, NAM is looking for more counselors to provide more session.

[The community] was really having a hard time accessing counseling, Cave said. We were able to put together some funding for having counseling here for all ages. It really makes a big difference in somebody's life when they've receive somebody professional to talk to and to try to put things in perspective and get their life back in order

Along with the numerous services NAM provides, the organization is still helping community members recover from Hurricane Harvey. Currently, NAM is aiding families with home repair, loans, relocation and their next steps. Carr said many families found out that Federal Emergency Management Agency loans are not going to cover their full recovery.

Every case is different and most of them are funding the repairs to their homes, replacing furniture, replacing roofs, replacing the sheetrock, the carpet, the flooring, he said. That's where the majority of our funds are going  to actual repair and (moving them) into their old homes that were damaged by Harvey.

NAM is currently Harris Countys second largest provider of Meals on Wheels, a network for supportive services for the elderly, Carr said. The nonprofits volunteer staff, in a partnership with Harris County Area Agency on Aging, delivers 850 meals a day. Last year, NAM had 2,500 active volunteers, Carr said.

The 20th annual Jeans and Jewels Gala, held Saturday, Oct. 20, is one of NAMs largest fundraisers. The event invites guests to dress with buckles, boots and jewelry for a Texas-themed party. Carr said Jeans and Jewels is NAMs flagship event.

The total goal for the event is to raise $760,000 that will go into all of our programming areas, he said. It's a significant amount of funding. We have an annual budget of about $14 million so this does raise a significant amount of money for our programs. It is our biggest event.

As NAM closes out the year, several events are coming soon, including a holiday project to collect meals and toys for 2,000 families during Thanksgiving and Christmas. NAM is looking for volunteers and donors, as well as ways to provide more services to the community. Carr said 85 cents to 90 cents of each dollar donated to NAM goes directly back into local programming.

I think one of our challenges is always conveying to the public what the scope of the work that we do and the scope of the area that we serve, Cave said. There are some people out there who we're limited in our ability to reach. We'd like to eventually identify new services to add to what we're doing now and to be able to help even more.

chevall.pryce@chron.com
Josh Brolin holding a dead wahoo over his you-know-what might just be the phallic imagery required to protect the EU's oceans from overfishing.

A U.K. organization aptly called Fishlove got a bunch of famous people, including Brolin, to pose naked with fish. The seafood the celebrities cradle in the photographs are dead, but the point of the campaign is to keep the fishes alive  or to at least kill them in a sustainable way.

Fishlove began convincing celebrities to strip for the sea in 2009 to draw attention to overfishing in the EU's waters. The current campaign features Sean Penn, Elizabeth McGovern (of "Downton Abbey), Cressida Bonas (a London socialite and Prince Harry's ex), and Paris Jackson (the daughter of Michael Jackson). Past celebrity participants have included Dame Judi Dench, Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter.

All of the fish shown in the photographs are commercially fished, and some are threatened or over-fished.

"We believe that the use of these fish in these photographs is justified so that we can highlight what species could be lost if over-fishing continues," the website says. None of the fish were caught specifically for the photographs. Most of them were eaten afterwards.

If anyone knows how to properly filet a fish, it's the folks at Fishlove. The campaign is run and funded by Moshimo, a Japanese restaurant in Brighton that says it serves only sustainable seafood.

Mobile posters of the fishy photos are being displayed around Berlin this week as part of the global Our Fish campaign, which seeks to achieve sustainable fish stocks in Europe, Forbes reports.

The photos have previously supported campaigns for organizations including the Marine Conservation Society, OCEAN2012, Deep Sea Coalition, The End of the Line, and the Blue Marine Foundation.

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

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First it was Richard Engel's "On Assignment" on MSNBC and then it was Lester Holt's "NBC Nightly News." Now, "The CBS Evening News with Jeff Glor," will be broadcasting live from Houston on Monday, the same night that president Trump will be in town supporting senator Ted Cruz in his re-election bid.

The network will begin broadcasting at 5:30 p.m. from outside the Toyota Center, the same venue where president Trump and Cruz will be holding a rally.
A single-engine Piper Warrior being flown by an instructor and student pilot made a precautionary landing on a dirt road in the Magnolia area Friday after the engine started running poorly.

The Texas Flight school instructor and student were practicing flight maneuvers when the engine started acting up.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, said Howard Davenport, quality assurance manager for Texas Flight school at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport in Spring.

Flight instructor Matthew Duggan said this was his first true emergency situation. He landed the plane on a dirt road in a field in the 2200 block of Goodson Loop Road, near the intersection of FM 1774 and Texas 149.

The student, Lauren Bigler, who said her father is in aviation, has logged just over four flight hours.

Bigler said she remained calm when she felt the engine act up and let Duggan take over.

"He did everything he could to make sure we landed safely, and I really appreciate that," Bigler said.

Duggan took over the controls at about 2,000 feet up and was about 1,000 feet up when he decided to make the landing on the dirt access road that was skinnier than the width of the plane.

Duggan estimated he was at about 500 feet when he shut off the engine and committed to landing.

They were about 10 flight miles from their planned landing spot at Hooks Airport.

"When you know you're not going to make it to the airport, you try to find the best place to land safely. This was the closest option," Duggan said.

Mechanics from the flight school were still investigating the engine issue Friday afternoon.

"(It seems like) the problem is mechanical, inside the engine, where it was reducing the amount of power," Duggan said.

Depending on the issue, Davenport said they will either transport the plane back to the airport on a trailer or fly it back.

Davenport also thanked the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and Texas Department of Public Safety for responding quickly to make sure the pilots were safe. They were dispatched to the scene around 11 a.m.

Bigler said that despite the unscheduled landing, she's ready to go up in the air again  and even has another flight lesson scheduled for tomorrow.
When Susan Hinemans two boys attended B.B. Rice Elementary in the 1990s, as a PTO leader she found the school environment to have an open and warm feeling of family.

Today as a teacher at Rice, she said its just the same.

The physical structure may have changed slightly and the playground equipment has been upgraded through the years as many in the community received their elementary education at Rice, but she the continuity of the feeling of family continues.

On Wednesday, B.B. Rice Elementary will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a celebration from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the school at 904 Gladstell Street in Conroe.

Tours of the school will be given from 4:30 to 5 p.m. and a program with music from the students will take place from 5 to 6 p.m.

Also at 5 p.m., Conroe Mayor Toby Powell will give a proclamation declaring Oct. 24, 2018 B.B. Rice Day in Conroe.

The dedication of Bryant Burke Rice, better known as B.B. Rice to the community, in the classroom was equally matched in his devotion to the Conroe community.

Rice was an educator in Conroe schools for 39 years. He also belonged to First Baptist Church where he was a deacon, a Sunday School Superintendent and lead Judson Bible Class for men for 20 years. Rice was a charter member of the Lions Club, organized in 1939, and held memberships in the Chamber of Commerce, Conroe Chapter of the Masonic Lodge, Boy Scouts and was a Red Cross Drive chairman.

He began his 39-year teaching career at Conroe ISD in 1928 as an Industrial Arts teacher at the high school.

In 1929, he was made principal of Conroe High School.

On June 7, 1930, he married Dorothy Olivia Kolb of Huntsville. They had three children: Patricia Ann Rice, Bryant Burke Rice and Dorothy Elaine Rice.

In 1937, Rice and his faculty moved into the brand new Sam Houston Elementary School.

He was the only principal the school had from 1937 until he retired in 1967.

He was named one of the top ten principals in the state.

Rice retired from teaching on July 1, 1967.

He passed away on March 3, 1975.

On Sept. 28, 1978, Rices family members helped dedicate and formally open B.B. Rice Elementary on Gladstell Street in Conroe. His wife, Dorothy, was the guest speaker for the ceremony.

Malinda Stewart, current principal at Rice, said his Rices sister is traveling from Colorado for the ceremony on Wednesday and his grandson and other members of the Rice family will attend the celebration.

His nephew tells a story about when his father passed away, B.B. Rice stepped in when he didnt have a father and also became a cheerleader for his education, Stewart said. It was a time when all the family knew was the farming culture. But B.B. Rice made it a point to connect with his nephew and say that education is important and youre going to go to school when that wasnt the culture in his family. He ended up getting a four-year degree.

Stewart said it is an honor to lead a school with a 40-year history in the community.

But that honor comes with a healthy dose of respect for what has been laid before me and all the steps that have been taken before I even stepped foot in this building that have helped create the rich history that I get to live out every day, Stewart said.

Former students and staff and those with connections to Rice are invited back for Wednesdays celebration.

For more information about B.B. Rice Elementary, visit www.rice.conroeisd.net or call 936-709-2700.
Months after the Texas Supreme Court said it would force the prison system to reveal its execution drug supplier, the justices on Friday reversed course in a rare move and decided to rehear the case.

Now, after years of legal wrangling, both sides will be able to present oral arguments in January so the court can re-evaluate whether the state must hand over the name of its 2014 drug supplier.

DATE SET: Execution next year for Waco-area man who murdered in-laws

"This is the state's gravest responsibility and the Texas Supreme Court is giving it due consideration," said attorney Maurie Levin, one of the plaintiffs who filed suit four years ago. "I have faith that the Supreme Court will uphold the fundamental principles of transparency and open government."

Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jeremy Desel celebrated the ruling, saying the agency would "look forward to January."

Desel acknowledged that he wasn't aware of any attacks on drug suppliers but said that it was a "very real concern."

"Releasing publicly the identity of any supplier of execution drugs," he added, "raises serious safety concerns that real harm could come to the business, operators and its employees."

Though the case only concerns the state's supplier from 2014 and not its current source, Texas has vigorously fought the lawsuit, claiming it would imperil the state's ability to carry out executions.

"If allowed to stand, the court of appeals' decision directs the public unmasking of a supplier in Texas's lethal-injection drugs, which jeopardizes the State's ability to carry out the death penalty," the state wrote in a filing earlier this year.

But the death row lawyers behind the lawsuit framed it as a matter of openness and availability of information to the public.

"This case is really about transparency and open government," Levin said in June. "For the state of Texas to fight at every turn to keep the execution process, even from four years ago, behind closed doors is just outrageous."

Even if the court again finds that the state should release the source of its drugs, the ruling would have a limited effect; in 2015, the year after litigation in the case started, the Legislature passed a law making secret the identities of any execution drug suppliers. Any court decision could only force the release of information from before that time.

LOW IQ: Texas court stays Fort Worth man's execution over intellectual disability claims

The lawsuit at the center of it all began four years ago, after the Texas prison system refused to name its drug supplier in response to public records request from Levin and two other death penalty attorneys. The attorney general sided with prison officials, so Levin and her colleagues filed suit.

In 2017, an Austin-based court of appeals sided with the death row lawyers, so the state appealed the case up to the Texas Supreme Court. In June, that court upheld the lower court's decision.

Days after the ruling, the state filed a motion for rehearing arguing that the whole thing was just an attack on the death penalty that would have "potentially devastating consequences" for public safety.

"If allowed to stand, the court of appeals' decision directs the public unmasking of a supplier in Texas's lethal-injection drugs, which jeopardizes the State's ability to carry out the death penalty," the state claimed in its filing.

By way of proof, attorneys for the state brought up litigation filed by a group of Arkansas inmates who earlier this year sought to force Texas to reveal the source of its lethal injection drugs so that they could ask Arkansas to use the same drugs.

In response, the pharmacy filed an affidavit saying they'd no longer do business with the prison system if their identity were disclosed. The state went on to argue that there could be "grave consequences" for the pharmacy, which is a "soft target" in an "urban area, whose only defense is its anonymity."

There have not been any known attacks on pharmacies in connection with supplying lethal injection drugs, according to Robert Dunham of the Death Penalty Information Center.

In late July, the state of Arizona chimed in, filing a brief in support of the Lone Star State's position.

"If permitted to stand, the Court of Appeals' opinion will bring dire consequences that ripple beyond Texas and threaten the death penalty's operation nationwide," the brief noted. "Put simply, public disclosure of a rare and valuable supplier of lethal-injection drugs chills other current and potential suppliers, and facilitates the escalating 'guerilla war against the death penalty.'"

On Friday, the state's highest civil court granted the motion for rehearing, and now both sides will be able to present arguments on Jan. 23.
A pony rescued from a southwest Houston storm drain Wednesday is in good health, authorities say.

But even as the horse is recovering from the ordeal, officials are still searching for the miniature horse's owner.

The pony was found by a passing officer in the 4700 block of Simsbrook Drive around 11:30 a.m.

The officer heard what he thought was a dog barking for help from inside the drain, but instead found the pint-sized horse trapped.

It took two more hours for firefighters to saw through a metal beam and free the small horse, which a BARC spokeswoman said was a male. His age was not immediately known.

The pony was initially checked out by Houston BARC veterinarians but has since been moved to the Harris County Sheriff's Office livestock facility.

Samuel Harris Jr., who owns a nearby ranch, recognized the hurt horse as his neighbor's Shetland pony who often wanders to his property on Player Street.

"He's always getting out," Harris told the Houston Chronicle. "They come chasing him, they say, 'come in here!'"

He believes a pack of stray dogs responsible for killing two of his Shetlands in the past year may have chased the escape artist to the storm drain. The dogs recently killed more than a dozen of his neighbor's sheep, he said.

"They're defenseless," Harris said of the ponies.

The recent death of a miniature horse similar to the rescued equine brought a Houston police officer to Harris's ranch in April after he said three dogs attacked and killed it. The officer who responded was unable to access the ranch and did not see any dogs when he got there, said Jarrad Mears, BARC's animal enforcement manager.

On Wednesday, Harris told the Houston Chronicle he believed the same pack of dogs to be responsible for driving his neighbor's chestnut and white horse to the storm drain. He said the horse lives down the road from him and often wanders onto his property.

Mears said Thursday it's not uncommon for unattended dogs to pack up and chase after other animals.

"It's irresponsible owners for allowing their dogs to run loose," he said. "Dogs have a natural instinct to chase and when something runs, it's on."

Anyone who believes they know who owns the rescued pony is urged to call HCSO's livestock division at 281-454-6235.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
A coveted painting with Houston ties is set to fetch between $35 million and $45 million dollars when it's sold to the highest bidder at Christie's, a leading global art business and auction, on November 15.

Christie's Evening Sale of Post-War and Contemporary Art will be highlighted by works from the private collection of Susan and Francois de Menil including Untitled (Rust, Blacks on Plum), a 1962 painting by post-war master, Mark Rothko.

The city of Houston is interwoven throughout the painting's storied past.

Dominique de Menil, an heiress to the Schlumberger Limited oil-equipment fortune, and her husband John de Menil first visited Mark Rothko in his studio in 1960, where the painter showed them his Seagram Murals that were intended to hang in the lobby of the Seagram Building in New York. However, Rothko kept the paintings upon finding out they would hang in the in the building's Four Seasons restaurant instead.

Impressed by his works, the de Menils, who founded Houston's Menil Collection and Rothko Chapel, once again paid a visit to Rothko in 1964.

RELATED: The Menil is back and better than ever

This time, they offered him a commission to paint a series of his own devising that would hang in a chapel being built in Houston. As the couple consulted with the artist during his creative process, Untitled (Rust, Blacks on Plum) caught the eye of Dominique.

While waiting for the completion of the construction of the chapel, now known as the Rothko Chapel, Dominique (then chairman of the Art History Department of the University of St. Thomas in Montrose) arranged an exhibition titled "Six Painters," at the university. She requested five works by Rothko, including Untitled (Rust, Blacks on Plum).

RELATED: Houston's Rothko Chapel vandalized with paint, handbills: 'It's okay to be white'

The paintings were exhibited with works by the five other mid-century masters: Piet Mondrian, Philip Guston, Franz Kline, Willem de Kooning, and Jackson Pollock. When the show concluded at the end of the year, the painting returned to Rothko, who possessed it until his death.

Dominique and John de Menil's son, Francois de Menil, who had a natural affinity for the mysterious qualities of Rothko's darker canvases, purchased the piece from the Rothko estate in 1978.

The Christie's sale on November 15th will present the second instance that Untitled (Rust, Blacks on Plum) has ever changed hands. It will be auctioned with a group of four works by Joseph Cornell, made between the 1930's and 1948.

What makes the Rothko piece so valuable that it's expected to be auctioned for more than $35 million?

Its not unusual for a Rothko painting to sale for millions of dollars. In 2016, Christie's auctioned Mark Rothko's No. 17, 1957 for $32,645,000.

Untitled (Rust, Blacks on Plum), a 5-by-5-foot square oil on canvas, is an eye-catching standout among the artist's works. It was painted at a time when Rothko began to contemplate dark plums, blacks, and purples, which became the predominant palette in the panels at the Rothko Chapel. Its texture, surface and deep hues that pop that against an electric purple background draw you in.

Alex Rotter, Christie's chairman of postwar and contemporary art, told Bloomberg News in October, "There are good Rothkos and there are great Rothkos. This Rothko floats."

Marcy de Luna is a digital reporter specializing in social media, the famous, and food. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
The Houston Police Department will be "fully mobilized" for President Donald Trump's Monday downtown rally, for which at least 70,000 people have signed up despite the venue's roughly 18,000-person capacity, Chief Art Acevedo said Friday.

Police began closing off streets around the Toyota Center Sunday evening, with closures on Bell, Jackson, La Branch and Polk streets near the arena.

BACKERS: Abbott, Patrick to speak at Trump rally in Houston

By 7 a.m. Friday, 77,854 people had signed up for the rally, according to a person familiar with the matter. Attendees must have tickets to enter and will be admitted in the order in which they line up.

"Keep in mind that once the capacity is met, you won't get in whether you have a ticket or not," Acevedo said.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign was not considering moving to a bigger venue, the person familiar with the event said.

Trump is holding the rally with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is facing a re-election challenge from U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, D-El Paso.

Acevedo said HPD had heard unconfirmed reports of a separate nearby rally for O'Rourke that could draw thousands more people.

"We will have many many officers out and about," Acevedo said. "We will have officers on the high ground, low ground, in the air. We will have officers in plainclothes, we will have undercover officers, we will have react teams."

He added that officers from the federal, state and county levels would lend support, with the usual Secret Service presence accompanying Trump.

The police department expects people to "exercise their First Amendment rights in a lawful manner," Acevedo said, including protesters and counter-protesters.

"You would be foolish not to," he said.

Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Trump's Texas campaign chairman, will also speak at the rally. Trump is set to begin speaking at 6:30.

People will likely line up overnight for the rally, Acevedo said, adding that the department expects large crowds around the Toyota Center and downtown. He advised people who work downtown to plan accordingly for delays.

The event will start around 5 p.m., Acevedo said, with doors opening two to three hours before then. The department will post specific road closures Friday night or over the weekend, he said.

Rain is expected Monday, with projected temperatures in the high 50s to low 60s.
Two people were shot Thursday night in an apparent drug deal-gone-wrong in Westchase, according to Metro Video.

Three people, including the dealer, were in the parking lot of the Royal Oaks Apartments at Westpark and Wilcrest when the dealer pulled out a gun and shot the man who was buying drugs, Metro Video reported.
More than 4,000 high school students recently got the chance to visit with 100-plus local and national colleges and universities.

YES Prep Public Schools and KIPP Texas Public Schools-Houston co-hosted their Annual College Fair at Kingdom Builders Center.

More than 3,000 juniors and seniors from 13 YES Prep campuses, and more than1,000 from four KIPP high schools had the opportunity to visit with more than 100 colleges and universities from across the country.

With college graduation as the ultimate goal, the two charter networks partnered for a third year in a row so their students, who are predominantly first-generation college-bound students from underserved communities of color, will learn more about colleges and universities that they have not yet considered and deepen their knowledge about a particular institution.

YES Prep has increased the number of students from underserved communities who graduate from college prepared to lead. YES Prep has 18 schools serving 13,300 students. YES Prep received the inaugural Broad Prize for Public Charter Schools. For more information, go to www.yesprep.org.

KIPP Texas Public Schools is a nonprofit public charter school network, dedicated to preparing students in educationally underserved communities for college success and choice-filled lives. KIPP Texas operates 52 public charter schools with more than 27,700 students across four regions - Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. KIPP schools are part of the free public school system and enrollment is open to all students. For more information, go to www.kipptexas.org.
Before heading to the polls on election day on Tuesday, Nov. 6, take a look at who is running for office.

National

Candidates running for the United States Senate include incumbent Republican Ted Cruz, Democrat Beto O'Rourke, and Libertarian Neal M. Dikeman.

At the U.S. Congressional level, Tomball voters are either represented by Congressional District 8 or 10.

The congressional representatives for District 8 will be between Republican incumbent Kevin Brady against Democrat Steven David and Libertarian Chris Duncan.

The congressional representatives for District 10 will be between incumbent Republican Michael T. McCaul against Democrat Mike Siegel and Libertarian Mike Ryan.

State

At the state level, voters will choose the state senator for District 7.

The District 7 state senator race will be Democrat David Romero and Libertarian Tom Glass against incumbent Republican Paul Bettencourt.

Depending on where voters live within Tomball, their state representatives are in either District 130 or District 150.

The District 130 state representative race will be between Democrat Fred Infortunio, and Libertarian Roy Eriksen against incumbent Republican Tom Oliverson.

Republican incumbent Valoree Swanson, the current District 150 state representative, will face off against Democrat Michael Shawn Kelly.

Local

At the county level, Precinct 4 County Commissioner Republican incumbent R. Jack Cagle is running against Democratic challenger Penny Shaw.

The Tomball ISD school board will also have five seats up for election.

Positions 1 and 7, which are held by Kathy Handler and Lee McLeod respectively, will be unopposed.

Position 2 challenger Bob Fontenot will be against incumbent Michael Pratt.

Position 3 challenger Joseph Ferguson will be against incumbent John McStravick.

Position 4 challenger Steven Kent will be against Mark Lewandowski.

Early voting is scheduled to begin on Monday, Oct. 22 and will end on Friday, Nov. 2.

The regular voting day will be on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

To see the entire ballot and election locations before heading to the polls, visit HarrisVotes.com

mayra.cruz@chron.com
The Woodlands receives prestigious Trailblazer award

The Howard Hughes Corporation has announced that The Woodlands was recently honored with several PRISM Awards by the Greater Houston Builders Association.

The Howard Hughes Corporation notably received the prestigious Trailblazer Award for its master planned community of The Woodlands. The Woodlands was recognized for being a trendsetter among master planned communities in the Greater Houston area, as well as the nation. The community also received recognition for Best Community Entrance, showcasing its monument entry signs, complete with bronze deer sculptures.

The Woodlands was also a finalist in the Landscape Design of the Year and Marketing Professional of the Year categories. Tamborrel Properties, which is located in The Woodlands, was awarded Realtor Team of the Year.

The PRISM Awards are an annual event that recognizes excellence in the homebuilding industry within the Greater Houston area. Facing strict judging criteria and industry competition, honorees are selected from a panel of industry experts from around the nation.

John Daugherty, Realtors to host photos with Santa

John Daugherty, Realtors will continue their tradition of hosting Photos with Santa from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 8, at the John Daugherty, Realtors office at 1950 Hughes Landing Blvd., Ste. 1350, The Woodlands. As in prior years, elves will introduce guests to Santa as they pose for photos. Photos are offered at no cost and will be available to download and share in time for holiday cards and letters. Participants are encouraged to don their most festive holiday attire, whether traditional merry and bright or highly popular Christmas sweaters.

Drybar to open salon at Market Street in November

Drybar has announced it will host a grand opening of Drybar The Woodlands at Market Street in November. The 2,331-square foot location will consist of 10 styling chairs and all of the signature elements that define the unique Drybar experience. The new location, which will be in Suite 425, will offer all of Drybars signature services and professional hair styling products. For more information and to book appointments, go to https://www.thedrybar.com/locations/the-woodlands-tx/.

Information in this article was compiled from press releases.
In his pocket diary, Theodore Roosevelt drew an X under the accursed Thursday of Feb. 14, 1884.

"The light has gone out of my life," the future president of the United States wrote underneath.

Earlier that Valentine's Day, his mother had died of typhoid fever in their home in New York City, and that afternoon his wife had died of kidney failure in the same house, as he held her in his arms.

"For joy or for sorrow, my life has been lived out," he wrote.

He was 25.

This glimpse into the early heartache of the man who would go on to remarry, have many children, and become the 26th president is part of a trove of Theodore Roosevelt's papers that has just been made available online by the Library of Congress.

The 276,000 documents include his reaction to the deaths of his mother and wife, whom he worshiped, the antics of his children in the White House - they shot spitballs at a portrait of Andrew Jackson - and his fury at President Woodrow Wilson, who refused to let him raise a force for the U.S. Army in World War I.

"I am a man of action," he wrote in 1917, "and the President has refused to let me take part."

Roosevelt was then 58, out of office for almost a decade, and would be dead less than two years later of a blood clot.

But selections from his papers displayed by the library Wednesday show the arc of a vigorous life of privilege, loss and public service, along with mentions of pet snakes, roller skates and further hijinks in the White House, where for a time there was also a pet bear.

Roosevelt, known for his gigantic grin, bushy mustache, and pince-nez glasses, served as president from 1901 to 1909. He was vice president under William McKinley, governor of New York, assistant secretary of the Navy, head of the New York City police department, and a New York state legislator.

He led the Rough Riders cavalry outfit during the Spanish American War, was an explorer, historian, big game hunter, conservationist, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

He was also devoted to his family, which included six children.

"You definitely get a sense of how much he loves his children and his family," Michelle Krowl, a Civil War and Reconstruction specialist in the library's manuscript division, said of the papers. "That really comes through. Particularly when he's writing to friends. He'll often talk about the children and ...[their] pets. They have a menagerie of pets in the White House."

"They have horses. They have dogs. They have cats. They have guinea pigs," she said at the library Wednesday. "In 1900 and I think even into 1901, they have a bear named Jonathan Edwards."

The bear was named by the Roosevelt children, in part, for the fiery 18th century New England preacher. "They thought they detected Calvinistic traits in the bear's character," Roosevelt wrote.

"The bear added zest to life in more ways than one," he remembered. "When we took him to walk it was always with a chain and a club. And when at last he went to the zoo, the entire household breathed a sigh of relief, although I think the dogs missed him."

On Oct. 27, 1880, his 22nd birthday, Roosevelt was married to Massachusetts socialite Alice Hathaway Lee, who was then 19.

He called her his "darling little sunshine," and wrote in his diary, "I do not think ever a man loved a woman more than I love her. For a year and a quarter now I have never (even when hunting) gone to sleep or waked up without thinking of her."

But she had a delicate constitution. She gave birth to a daughter on Feb. 12, 1884, and died two days later, hours after her mother-in-law, Martha "Mittie" Roosevelt. She was 22. Mittie was 48.

"We spent three years of happiness, greater and more unalloyed than I have ever known fall to the lot of others," he wrote in his pocket diary two days after his wife's death. "On Feb. 16th they were buried together . . . On Feb. 17th I christened the baby Alice Lee Roosevelt." (Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth would live a long life, dying in Washington in 1980, aged 96.)

Two years after his first wife's death, Theodore Roosevelt married a childhood friend and former flame, Edith Carow. They would go on to have five children and she would become first lady.

And it is during those years that the papers portray a Roosevelt who is fun loving, humorous, and interested in almost everything.

In 1907, he wrote his 13-year-old son Archibald a letter about an encounter in the White House between members of Congress and his 9-year-old son Quentin's pet snakes.

Quentin had just returned to the White House on roller skates after acquiring three snakes at a local pet store. "I was discussing certain matters with the Attorney General . . . and the snakes were deposited in my lap," the president wrote. "I suggested that [Quentin] go into the next room, where four Congressmen were drearily waiting."

"I thought that he and his snakes would probably enliven their waiting time," he wrote. "He at once fell in with the suggestion and rushed up to the Congressmen with the assurance that he would there find kindred spirits."

A year later, Quentin was in trouble again. He and his friends had deposited spitballs on presidential portraits in the White House. Krowl said the exact method of application is not clear. But one of Quentin's friends, in a memoir, recalled "some very fine shots" at a portrait of Jackson.

Roosevelt made Quentin clean the spitballs off the targeted portraits, and the next day arraigned the youngsters.

"I explained to them that they had acted like boors," the President wrote to Archibald.

He told them that "it would have been a disgrace to have behaved so in any gentleman's house, but it was a double disgrace in the house of the Nation," he wrote. "They were four sheepish small boys when I got thru with them."

By 1917, Roosevelt was eager for the United States to enter World War I on the side of France and Britain against Germany and Austria-Hungary. He was eager for his sons to be part of it and prayed they would experience battle. All three did.

Roosevelt, himself, ever the old Rough Rider, offered to help lead U.S. forces overseas. But Wilson rebuffed him.

"I very much regret that I cannot comply with [your] request," Wilson wrote in a May 19, 1917 telegram a few weeks after the U.S. entered the war. "I need not assure you that my conclusions were based entirely upon imperative considerations of public policy and not upon personal or private choice."

Roosevelt was incensed. "I am bitterly disappointed that the President would not let me raise a division and take it to the front," he wrote a friend the next month.

Eleven months later, Quentin, now a young man serving as an allied aviator, was shot down and killed in a dogfight with German planes.

The library's papers contain many of the condolence letters that poured in. One, from a Milwaukee businessman, went:

"I can only express my deep sympathy and say that if my son who is also in France should lose his life I would be heart broken, but proud he lost it in fighting for so just a cause."

- - -

Part of a continuing series about events of the past that remain relevant.
President Donald Trump's chief of staff and his national security adviser engaged in a heated argument outside the Oval Office on Thursday, according to three people familiar with the episode.

The chief of staff, John Kelly, and the national security adviser, John Bolton, fought over immigration and border crossings, including the performance of the Homeland Security Department under Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, one person familiar with the matter said. She was at the White House for meetings on Thursday, but the people disagreed about whether she witnessed the argument.

BIGGER VENUE: Trump rally set for Houston has moved to Toyota Center

Bolton criticized DHS, and Kelly defended Nielsen, a former deputy whom he supported to replace him at the department. Two people described the exchange as less a shouting match than an intense argument. Kelly then stormed away, so upset that he uttered some profanities.

Bolton and Nielsen had a good conversation after Kelly and Bolton's argument, a White House official said. Both believe the goal is to protect the border, the official said.

Trump has lately expressed fury about a large group of migrants who are traveling from Honduras toward the U.S. border. He vowed Thursday to deploy the military and shut down the Mexican border unless the migrants are turned back.

....In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!..

The clash is an indication that tension is flaring in the White House 19 days before midterm elections in which Republican control of Congress is at stake. The shouting match was so intense that other White House aides worried one of the two men might immediately resign. Neither of the men is resigning, the people said.

Trump is aware of the argument, the people said, even though the president told reporters he didn't know about it before boarding Air Force One to travel to Montana for a campaign rally. He has recently sought to make immigration a more prominent political issue, blaming Democrats for increased numbers of migrants crossing the border.

After the confrontation was reported, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement indicating that there are no hard feelings among the president's senior advisers. The statement didn't address the specific details of the argument.

"While we are passionate about solving the issue of illegal immigration, we are not angry at one another," Sanders said, adding "our Administration is doing a great job on the border."
With former Army Captain Jair Bolsonaro on the cusp of winning Brazil's presidency, his allies in Congress plan to deliver on his campaign promise to ease the country's restrictive gun laws as early as this year.

Gun ownership is one of the flagship campaign pledges of the former paratrooper, who regularly greets his fans by cocking his hands in a gun-shaped salute. Way ahead of his rival Fernando Haddad in opinion polls, Bolsonaro is on course to be elected Brazil's next president on Oct. 28.

Although gun ownership is already legal in certain restrictive circumstances, a bill already in Congress aims to expand access. "The key point is to simplify the law and allow any citizen to own a gun," said Sostenes Cavalcante, a lawmaker from the influential evangelical caucus, most of whom supports Bolsonaro in the lower house.

The bill, which is ready to be voted on the floor of the house, proposes granting citizens "the right to own and bear firearms for legitimate self-defense and the protection of personal property". It would also cut taxes on guns and reduce the minimum age requirement for purchasing guns from 25 to 21.

Despite the fact that an August survey showed that a majority of Brazilians are against the idea of liberalizing gun ownership, the bill should pass easily in the legislature, assuming a Bolsonaro victory. It only needs a simple majority to become law.

"If Bolsonaro is elected, we'll vote on this quickly,"said Jose Rocha, the leader of the PR party, the fifth-largest in the lower house.

Even those largely opposed to Bolsonaro's agenda see a high probability that the measure will be approved soon, although it may have to wait until after the new, more conservative Congress sits in February. Julio Delgado, a member of the center-left PSB, anticipates that the statute will be one of the first things the new legislature will work on. "This subject has the most appeal," he said. "Other issues, like pension reform, they are very controversial."

Throughout his 28 years in Congress, Bolsonaro has consistently proposed the liberalization of gun ownership, and it has featured prominently in his presidential campaign.

"Weapons are tools, inert objects, that can be used to kill or to save lives. This depends on who's holding them: good people or bad guys," his policy document states.

In a Facebook live on Oct. 14, Bolsonaro said that gun ownership is a legitimate form of self-defense.

"Why have I always defended the ownership of firearms? It's so that you, upstanding citizens, with a few requirements, can have a weapon inside your house or your farm. If some guy breaks down the door to your house, knocks down the gate of your farm, you have the right to react," the far-right candidate said.

Brazil's firearm manufacturer Forjas Taurus SA saw its shares more than triple in value this year, on the back of expectations Bolsonaro will win the election. The stock is up 330 percent year-to-date and its 100-day historical volatility is at the highest level since at least 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The company's weak fundamentals were offset by bets access to weapons will grow under a Bolsonaro administration. "Forjas Taurus continues in a critical situation, with high debt. But the prospect of a Bolsonaro win gives the company a second wind," Glauco Legat, the chief analyst at brokerage Spinelli, told Bloomberg by phone.

The 2003 disarmament statute banned everybody but public security forces from carrying weapons. In Brazil, it is forbidden to sell firearms and munition, except to licensed professionals. The federal police can authorize people who can show that they need to keep weapons at home, as long as they have a clean criminal record and and pass a psychological aptitude test to handle a gun.

Specialists warn that liberalizing gun laws could increase Brazil's already high levels of violence, which saw over 63,000 violent deaths in 2017. According to Bruno Paes Manso, a researcher at the Violence Studies Center at the University of Sao Paulo, scrapping the disarmament statute, together with Bolsonaro's tough-talk on crime, could raise social tension and pave the way for more paramilitary groups.

"Putting more arms in circulation would be like pouring oil on a highly volatile situation," he said.
HONG KONG - China's economy is growing at the slowest pace since the depths of the financial crisis in early 2009, according to newly released official data that heightens pressure on the leaders in Beijing navigating a trade dispute with Washington.

China's National Bureau of Statistics said Friday that GDP rose 6.5 percent during the third quarter compared to a year prior, slightly below the 6.6 percent estimate by economists polled by Reuters. The sequential growth from the previous quarter also slowed.

The Chinese growth figures, which were released along with the weakest industrial output numbers in years, came as a parade of top officials made a joint media push to boost public confidence in China's slumping stock market, which is dominated by the country's middle-class mom-and-pop investors.

Shortly after the economic data was released, the official Xinhua News Agency released a statement from Liu He, President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser and trade negotiator to the United States, downplaying the real impact of the trade dispute and talking up the chances for rapprochement.

"Frankly, the psychological impact is bigger than the actual impact," Liu told Xinhua. "Right now, China and the U.S. are in contact."

Investors and economic observers are waiting for the outcome of a potential meeting between President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping in Buenos Aires at the G-20 summit in November.

With Beijing highly wary of Trump administration officials' ability to negotiate on behalf of the White House, a tete-a-tete between the top leaders could help lower tensions and breathe some confidence back into China's market, which has slumped some 25 percent since the start of the year - as Trump has gleefully pointed out on Twitter.

Beijing has previously signaled that growth would naturally fall this year as it coaxes Chinese companies to cut down risky levels of investment and debt, but the underwhelming GDP figure - combined with the poor industrial output - may deepen anxieties given that many economists don't think the effect of the trade war has even shown up yet in Chinese data.

Numbers released Friday showed industrial output growth rose 5.8 percent, lower than what economists expected, and home sales also lagged, according to Reuters. Retail sales, however, rose more than expected, showing that Chinese domestic consumption, which leaders have been hoping to boost, remains strong.

"The government is clearly getting concerned about the loss of growth momentum, as evidenced by the recent cut in banks' reserve requirements," said Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University professor and former head of the IMF's China division, in an email. "The slower but still strong headline growth masks the increasing drag from domestic financial vulnerabilities and the expanding trade war with the U.S."

China's central bank earlier this month took a reverse step from its stated goal of tightening monetary policy by cutting banks' reserve requirements for the fourth time this year and injecting more cash into the economy. The stock market fell anyway amid a global sell-off.

While Liu's talked up China's prospects in the trade war on Friday, Yi Gang, the head of China's central bank, put out a statement dismissing the stock market's woes as unjustified. It's the result of investor "emotions" and doesn't match solid economic fundamentals, he said.

China's stock regulator also chimed in on Friday, saying it would help investment funds buy shares in companies and expedite approvals for mergers and acquisitions.

The Shanghai Composite Index took the economic data and official statements in stride, rising 2.5 percent.

Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told reporters Thursday that the tariffs would only inflict "limited and manageable" impact on Chinese exporters.

"For enterprises with strong competitiveness and low substitutability, it can be said that the impact isn't big," Gao said, while acknowledging that small companies might see fewer orders and production stoppages.

Andrew Polk, a macroeconomic analyst at Trivium, said the trade war was not reflected in economic performance.

"China's economic challenges are almost entirely domestic, and we haven't seen the trade war show up in the economic data at all," Polk said. "But it certainly hurts the sentiment and brings about an uncertainty to the society."

Chinese leaders are in a dilemma about how to prop up the economy given their stated aim of lowering dangerous levels of debt. After a round of stimulus measures already, their options are dwindling.

"They don't have a lot of other levers to pull," Polk said. "They can't rely on monetary stimulus that much, otherwise it would add to the country's debt challenges."

- - -

The Washington Post's Lyric Li in Beijing contributed to this report.
ALBANY - Thomas Marcelle, a Capital Region lawyer for nearly 30 years with experience as a county attorney, legislative counsel and municipal judge, is one step away from becoming the area's next federal judge.

President Donald Trump announced his nomination Wednesday of Marcelle, 56, of Slingerlands, to sit as a judge in the 32-county Northern District of New York.

Marcelle, an enrolled Conservative Party member, is on track to fill the vacancy of Judge Gary Sharpe, who reached the age of 70 and has ascended to senior status, meaning he can collect retirement compensation while handling a reduced workload.

In 2008, President George W. Bush nominated Marcelle for the bench. The Senate, then controlled by Democrats, did not confirm him.

The new nomination requires Senate confirmation, and Marcelle is not expected to face opposition from New York's two Democratic senators.

The Times Union reported in May that Marcelle was in line for the nomination, with only an FBI background check needed.

Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse picked Marcelle for the city judgeship in 2016. Before that, Marcelle had been the Albany County attorney since 2012. From 2002 to 2011, he served as counsel for the county legislature's Republican minority.

In 1993, he unsuccessfully ran as a Republican against District Attorney Sol Greenberg.

He had also worked as a trial attorney in the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice where was responsible for enforcing the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act.

A native of South Bethlehem, Marcelle graduated from Bowdoin College in 1984 and Cornell Law School in 1988, and was admitted to the New York bar in 1989. He is the son of the late Alfonso "Doc" Marcelle, who headed Callanan Industries, a highway construction firmMarcelle

The Northern District includes all of the Capital Region and touches areas from the Canadian border to Syracuse, Binghamton and the mid-Hudson Valley.

In a news release, the White House noted Marcelle had worked in private practice focused on election and constitutional issues.

In 2001, Marcelle argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the Good News Club in Otsego, which prevailed in its battle to allow elementary school students to hold after-school meetings to pray and study the Bible.

In a 6-3 decision, judges determined that allowing the meetings in school would not be an unconstitutional endorsement of religion in the Milford school district.
The Eagles Trace Strummers is a unique group. The average age of band members is 83, with the oldest at 92. Wherever they perform, miles of smiles can be seen throughout the audience, which is often made up of senior citizens.

Band leader Buddy Griffin has earned recognition for his music not only in the U.S., but internationally. He was inducted into the American Banjo Museum Hall of Fame in 2005.

Years ago, he performed a concert at the Erickson Living retirement community. He showed one woman how to play the ukulele and enjoyed her joyful laughter. That gave him an idea. He offered to teach residents how to play. A group promptly signed up.

People who play the ukulele say it is relatively easy to learn how to play. Also, its lightweight, so theres no problem carrying one around.

When asked how and why he got started with the band, Griffin said, I had a desire in my heart to help older people. When you get old, the mind and body start wearing out. Laughter is the best medicine for that.

Hes the nicest man on the planet. He asked residents if they wanted to learn how to play the ukulele, said Lisa Hadley, the community resources coordinator at Eagles Trace. Its a happy place here when they perform. They all have the best time. They put a smile on everyones faces.

Band members are all from the Houston area. Their instruments include ukuleles, piano, bass, drum, harmonica and trumpet. They play standards, classics, country western, jazz and more. The group has even made a CD, which was recorded at Eagles Trace. They dont charge anything for their performances.

We play all over at places like churches, senior centers, AARP meetings and civic organizations. Eagles Trace has an advantage  it has a bus, said Griffin.

Studies have shown that music has many benefits for seniors. According to a Johns Hopkins University study, music can almost be considered medicine for your mind. Listening to music can prevent increases in heart rate and blood pressure and decrease levels of cortisone  all biological markers of stress.

Stanford University School of Medicine did a study with 30 depressed people who were over age 80. Results showed that participants in a weekly music therapy group were less anxious, less distressed and had higher self-esteem than did non-participants.

Griffin became interested in the banjo years ago. While serious about the musical quality of his performances, he also became a polished showman.

As founder and director of the Jubilee Banjo Band, he led the band in annual performances at The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston for over 20 years. He is currently the founder and director of the 55-member All Stars Youth Banjo Band made up of players from 8 to 18 years old. He also has led mission trips to Kenya and Tanzania to teach African school children to play the ukulele.

Griffin has been called an outstanding educator. As well as being a great teacher, people say he makes music fun.

From the beginning, I said that you dont get too old to play; you get too old because you quit playing, said Griffin, a retired pastor.

For more information, email 2buddy.griffin@gmail.com.
BERLIN - Europe's top court ordered Poland's government on Friday to immediately halt implementation of a controversial law designed to force nearly two dozen of the nation's Supreme Court justices into early retirement.

The surprise decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) sets up a potential clash between European authorities and the right-wing Polish government, which has been accused of subverting the rule of law by attempting to pack the Supreme Court with sympathetic judges.

Polish officials had earlier suggested they might defy the ECJ's will if the court sought to get involved in what the government sees as a purely domestic matter. On Friday, they offered mixed reactions to the decision, insisting they will abide by European law while maintaining that the change to the retirement age cannot be reversed.

Polish judges, meanwhile, were jubilant at the European intervention, which had been regarded as the last chance to keep the country's judiciary independent.

"This ruling has fundamental importance," said Monika Frackowiak, a Polish district court judge and member of Iusticia, the country's largest judicial association. "We hope it will somehow stop this process of demolishing the judiciary."

The decision was the latest twist in a drama that has gripped Poland - and troubled Europe - for more than a year. By injecting itself so forcefully, the ECJ has raised the stakes in the standoff between Polish and European authorities. Defiance by Poland would further escalate the debate over whether the country, and its ally Hungary, are fundamentally out of step with European values.

Critics of Poland's ruling Law and Justice Party regard implementation of the retirement law as the last major stage in a calculated plan by the government to commandeer the nation's judicial system. Other elements of the system - including the Constitutional Tribunal and the National Council of the Judiciary - have already fallen under the ruling party's sway.

Under the law, which went into force in July, 28 Supreme Court justices - including the chief justice - were forced from the bench because they had hit the new mandatory retirement age of 65, down from 70. Five had since been reinstated by Poland's president.

Friday's decision is a temporary one, with the Luxembourg-based ECJ yet to rule on whether Poland's change to the retirement age violates European law.

But the ruling requires Poland's government to freeze a process that had been moving quickly ahead, as authorities rushed in recent weeks to appoint new judges with little apparent vetting.

In announcing the decision, the ECJ warned of possible "serious and irreparable damage" if the retirement-age law was implemented without a full legal review by the court.

In addition to mandating the retirements, Poland is expanding its Supreme Court from 93 judges to 120. Combined, the two moves amount to "a profound and immediate change in the composition of the Supreme Court," the ECJ said in its announcement.

Frackowiak, the district court judge, said she believed the sweep and speed of the ECJ's injunction were both positive indications about the court's ultimate intentions. "The direction has been set. I can't imagine they will go back," she said.

Following the Friday ruling, several recently retired Supreme Court justices announced they would be back to work by Monday. The chief justice, Malgorzata Gersdorf, has continued to show up for work in protest since July. Under the constitution, her term does not expire until 2020.

In an interview in her chambers last month, Gersdorf said the country was headed in "an extremely dangerous direction," with the government seeking to snuff out judicial independence.

"They want to be able to use the improper, anti-democratic levers of power to advance their interests," she said.

Friday's ruling came in response to a petition by the European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, which has been critical of Polish government moves that it regards as a betrayal of democratic values.

The commission last December triggered what are known as Article 7 proceedings against Poland, a process that could end with the loss of the country's voting rights in meetings of European leaders.

Poland's prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said the ECJ's ruling would need to be studied before the government could officially respond. A ruling party spokeswoman, Beata Mazurek, meanwhile, wrote on Twitter that Poland "is a member of the EU and will act in accordance with the current EU law."

But the chief of staff to President Andrzej Duda suggested there may be limits to Poland's willingness to adhere to the decision. "It's impossible for law to work in reverse," said Krysztof Szczerski, whose boss has ultimate authority to appoint new judges.

Failure to comply with the ruling could subject Poland to hefty fines.

Polish officials have argued that reform of the judiciary is needed to purge the courts of communist elements left over from before the country's turn to democracy in 1989. But independent experts scoff at that explanation, noting that judges were long ago subject to a rigorous process designed to weed out those guided by politics, not the law.

Poland's judges have been nearly unanimous in opposing this year's changes, and have largely boycotted the process for selecting new justices.

Friday's ruling was welcomed by Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberal faction in the European Parliament, who called it "an important step."

"The Polish government crossed a red line by attempting to politicize Poland's Supreme Court," Verhofstadt said in a statement. "We can only preserve the integrity of E.U. legal order if all member states fully abide by ECJ decisions and rulings."

- - -

The Washington Post's Quentin Aries in Brussels and Magdalena Foremska in Warsaw contributed to this report.
Adolescence subjects you to many forms of torture: hormones, high school, and standardized testing, to name a few.

More than 7 million students took the SAT or PSAT last year, according to the College Board. The test has been around since 1926 so chances are you once took it, too. And it may be harder than you remember.

Many high school students aiming to get into competitive colleges and universities opt to study for the SAT, sometimes with the help of prep courses or tutors. Berkeley-based test prep site Magoosh shared with SFGATE some of the questions that stump nearly all of their students. One of the math problems is so tough, 95 percent of people get it wrong.

GRADED: Here's how celebrities scored on the SAT test

The questions were created by Magoosh to match real SAT prompts as closely as possible since the College Board doesn't allow prep companies to repurpose questions from real SAT tests. However, they do have a few old tests online for free.

"In my 15 plus years of helping students prep for standardized tests, the number one tip I have to get better at solving difficult questions like these is to learn how to learn from your mistakes," says Magoosh's in-house SAT expert, Chris Lele.

Lele suggests students pause to analyze why they get a questions wrong and create a strategy to apply that knowledge to future tests. He shares more tips on tackling the SAT on the website's blog.

By the way, the average SAT score of students admitted into Stanford University is 1520 out of 1600. The calculation of the score isn't super straightforward, but to earn that score you can only get about six questions wrong out of about 150.
Life Enrichment of Houston (LEOH) will close its fall session with a musical program and party Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. A catered lunch will be served for $7.

LEOH, the learning experience for senior adults, meets every Thursday at Bellaire United Methodist Church, 4417 Bellaire Blvd. at Newcastle.
A super PAC's outlandish new ad for an Arkansas Republican used Brett M. Kavanaugh's plight to argue that Democrats could bring back lynchings against black men. It was quickly and widely denounced - including by the congressman it was designed to support.

The radio ad was created by a group calling itself Black Americans for the President's Agenda to support Rep. French Hill in his reelection campaign against Democrat Clarke Tucker. Hill represents the Second District, a swath of land encompassing Little Rock; the district is about 23 percent black. Both Hill and Tucker are white.

The ad takes the form of a conversation between two black women discussing the sexual misconduct allegations levied against Kavanaugh, claiming that his treatment was a sign that the presumption of innocence had turned into the presumption of guilt in the United States.

"If the Democrats can do that to a white justice of the Supreme Court," one of the women says, "what will happen to our husbands, our fathers, or our sons, when a white girl lies on them?"

The second woman replies: "White Democrats will be lynching black folk again."

She adds later:

"We can't afford to let white Democrats take us back to bad old days of race verdicts, life sentences, and lynchings when a white girl screams rape."

The ad was quickly denounced Thursday after it began circulating on social media.

"Black conservatives really think black people talk like this *facepalm,*" tweeted Oliver Willis, a writer for the progressive website Shareblue Media.

"The slime gets deep in the race for 2nd District," wrote the Arkansas Times, an alt-weekly in Little Rock.

Hill also denounced the advertisement as it circulated.

"Some may have heard an appalling ad on the radio," he said in a statement posted on Twitter. "I condemn this outrageous ad in the strongest terms. I do not support that message, and there is no place in Arkansas for this nonsense."

There were 492 lynchings of African Americans in Arkansas from 1877-1950, according to the Equal Justice Initiative.

The nearly $50,000 ad buy has been running in radio slots for about a week and a half, according to Vernon Robinson, who co-founded the pro-Trump super PAC.

A similar ad was also deployed in the U.S. Senate race in Missouri, where it aired in the St. Louis area in support of Republican Josh Hawley's bid to unseat Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat. Hawley did not return an immediate request for comment sent to a spokeswoman.

Robinson, a 63-year-old activist and former congressional candidate who led the effort to draft Ben Carson for president in 2015, called the ad "payback" for the Kavanaugh hearings, according to the fringe conservative site Populist Media.

Robinson, who is black, told The Washington Post the ad was born out of a simple calculation: that black voters - "a constituency that Democrats have to win," he said - could be convinced to fear the specter of false rape allegations.

"The #MeToo movement overreached," he said. "If Claire McCaskill gets less than 90 percent [of the black vote], she loses."

This isn't Robinson's first incendiary political ad. He ran for Congress and lost in 2006 after cutting a political ad set to mariachi music that said his Democratic opponent wanted to turn America into a "fiesta for illegal aliens and homosexuals."

Arkansas's 2nd District is one of four congressional seats in the state, all of which are currently held by Republicans. Hill won reelection in 2016 with 58 percent of the vote, but the race in the district is believed to have the potential to be more competitive this year.

"The buy suggests some concern about Hill's standing in the race against Clarke Tucker, who should poll well among black voters as Democrats traditionally have in the 2nd District," the Arkansas Times wrote.

Hill's Democratic opponent Tucker also condemned the ad and blamed him for it.

Clarke Tucker tweeted "Rep. Hill & his allies will have to live with the kind of campaign they're running. This radio ad is disgraceful & has no place in our society. We won't let these shameful tactics distract us from our fight to stand up for the people in #AR02 on the critical issues in our lives."

In turn, Hill slammed Tucker for spreading "this race baiting ad" and called on his opponent "to delete his tweet spreading this message unbecoming of political discourse."
Days after Harvard Medical School said it found extensive falsified or fabricated data from the laboratory of a prominent heart researcher, doctors and scientists are urging a halt to a medical trial based in part on his work. They say that sick people should not be subjected to the risks of an experiment whose underlying science has been called into question.

In the ongoing, taxpayer-funded trial, cardiac stem cells are injected into the hearts of people with heart failure, in the hopes that those cells - alone or in combination with others - will improve patients' heart function.

The regenerative effects of those cells were first reported by an influential but controversial scientist, Piero Anversa, whose work has been thrown into doubt. Harvard disclosed a years-long investigation had identified "falsified and/or fabricated data" in 31 papers from his laboratory, without specifying which publications were affected. Last year, the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, where Anversa worked until 2015, reached a $10 million settlement with the Justice Department to resolve allegations that fraudulent data had been used by Anversa's laboratoryin grant applications for federal funding.

On Wednesday, the New England Journal of Medicine retracted one paper and flagged two others with an "expression of concern" intended "to indicate that the data presented in the articles named above may not be reliable." The journal said it is waiting for more information on the two papers.

New York Medical College, where Anversa previously worked, released a statement saying that "serious concerns" have been raised about a 17-year-old study. It said an investigation has been initiated.

Anversa is not directly involved in the heart failure trial, which is being run by a national clinical trial network supported by $63 million in federal funds. But given the turmoil and uncertainty over the work that helped lay the foundation of the trial, outside researchers called for a pause and careful examination of whether it should proceed. The trial carries inherent risks, because it requires an invasive biopsy that can cause serious complications.

One patient died after their heart was perforated during a biopsy.

"I think that the trial should be halted, and they should have an external review," said Darryl Davis, a cardiologist at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute studying how to regenerate heart tissue. "The Anversa data comprised part of the rationale for that trial, and I think we have to understand better what these cells actually can do before we subject the patients to the risk of having an invasive procedure."

Anversa's laboratory did the foundational work in this field and provided cells for a previous clinical trial that is cited as part of the supporting evidence for the current trial. However, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute does not consider the trial to be based on Anversa's work, according to Denis Buxton, director of the Basic and Early Translational Research program at the institute. Buxton said that the trial is instead based on an idea that grew out of Anversa's original work - that the cells secrete various molecules that help regenerate muscle tissue, although he said it was "not a well-characterized effect at the moment."

"Multiple preclinical studies have demonstrated improvement in cardiac function, and advanced heart failure patients really have no treatment options and have poor survival," Buxton said. There is "compelling need for new therapies that can improve quality of life in these patients. I think the feeling is this trial has the potential to provide such an option."

He said that a board that monitors patient safety in clinical trials would now be tasked with evaluating the information related to the 31 retractions requested by Harvard, and that patients would be informed of the board's recommendations.

Anversa's lawyer said his client stands by the scientific findings in his papers and that Anversaonly learned from the Harvard investigation that a longtime colleague who left his lab in 2013 had improperly altered images. Anversa says that, in many cases, those images can be replaced with correct images, and the results will still stand, his lawyer said.

"There is nothing wrong with c-kit positive cardiac stem cells, and the trial will answer the questions concerning their efficacy in patients," Anversa said in an email.

Anversa's work rose to prominence amid broad enthusiasm about stem cells in the early 2000s. Anversa and colleagues found a type of heart cells called c-kit cells were capable of giving rise to heart muscle, opening up new possibilities for helping heal patients after heart attacks or for reversing heart failure.

The discovery quickly led to clinical trials. The current trial, called CONCERT-HF is based in part on an earlier clinical trial in which Anversa's lab created c-kit cells to be infused into patients' hearts. The report of results from that trial is now overshadowed by questions about the integrity of imagesof the stem cells that were created and characterized in Anvers' laboratory in Boston and then shipped to Louisville, where they were put into patients.

Roberto Bolli, the University of Louisville cardiologist who led the trial, told The Washington Post that the work his team did had nothing to do with the cell manufacturing in Boston. He said he doesn't yet have enough information about the problems in Anversa's lab to know whether they affected the cells provided to patients.

"This is obviously a major concern, and we are trying to clarify this important issue," Bolli said.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute said CONCERT was based not on Anversa's explanation for how c-kit cells work but on an alternative mechanism that gained traction as other researchers, who were not affiliated with Anversa's lab, found the cells were not turning into heart muscle, and instead were dying or fusing with other cells. To explain the effects the cells had on heart function in animal studies, some researchers now say thec-kit cells themselves don't regenerate, but secrete various substances, exerting what are called "paracrine effects."

Anversa told the Post that the CONCERT trial is based on his work and said in a phone interview, "I'm not sure I really understand why the trial should be stopped."

In the CONCERT trial, cells are harvested from the heart and bone marrow of patients. Two types of stem cells are manufactured from those cells and then injected back into the patients' bodies - with patients randomly assigned to four different groups that either receive c-kit cells, bone marrow-derived cells, both types or a placebo. The patient death occurred after a biopsy of the person's heart cells and before the stem cells were implanted.

"I do think it's time to pause and evaluate things like the CONCERT trial," said Deepak Srivastava, president of the Gladstone Institutes and president-elect of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. "And if there's not a foundation for that, I think in most fields, most such trials would be halted."

Elizabeth McNally, a cardiologist and director of the Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, said that, years ago, she was excited by the findings from Anversa's lab, but then had trouble replicating them herself. She described a "religious fervor" that took hold among those who believed that c-kit cells were regenerating the heart that has continued as researchers have sought to find factors that could be responsible for what she described as "tiny to nonexistent" effects.

"It's disappointing that it took so many years for this to come out," McNally said. "It's one question whether the trial should even continue, and I think at the highest level the individuals supporting the trial should really review that."

Charles Murry, director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Washington expressed concern about the safety of the patients in the trial.

"Given that the scientific premise of this trial is no longer valid, there do not seem to be potential benefits that justify the risk," Murry said. "If I were leading this trial, I think I would stop it based on these recent developments."
The state Board of Examiners for Nursing this week disciplined eight nurses, including one from New Haven in connection with a serious brain injury at York Correctional Institution in Niantic and one from Wallingford who allegedly stole drugs at Bridgeport Hospital.

The board said Shanequa Moore of New Haven failed to properly care for an inmate who suffered a serious brain injury in the prison medical unit in 2014. Moore also had her license placed on probation for two years after the board found that Moore failed to practice nursing with empathy, compassion and care in the inmates case, a consent order she agreed to said. While not admitting wrongdoing, Moore chose not to contest the allegations. She has completed courses in medical documentation, ethics, professional accountability, mindfulness and empathy, the order said.

Moore is the second nurse disciplined by the board in connection with the same injury at the Niantic prison. In April, it reprimanded registered nurse Mary Howe of Griswold, former head nurse at the prison, and placed her license on probation for three years. A consent order Howe agreed to said she failed to intervene when the inmate complained of chest pain and a head injury.

The former inmate, then 36, was being held before trial on misdemeanor, nonviolent charges. She suffered a traumatic brain injury at York and filed a $7.5 million medical-neglect claim against the state Department of Correction in 2016. The charges against the inmate were later dismissed, and she has since been treated in a long-term care facility. A conservator for the former inmate settled the case for $780,000 in 2017, court records show.

Also this week, the board suspended the nursing licenses of two women after finding that their continued practice as nurses posed a threat to public safety. Register Nurse Heather Breen of Wallingford tested positive for an amphetamine in February, March and May and falsified a medical record, state records show. In 2015, Breen had stolen morphine, oxycodone and hydrophone while working at Bridgeport Hospital and abused the drugs to excess, records show. The second nurse, Kathryn Y. Ford, an RN from Wilton, was accused of using marijuana, cocaine and heroin to excess from January 2017 to August of this year, state records show.

The board also reprimanded two nurses who worked at a nursing home in West Hartford and placed their licenses on probation for a year in connection with a patient who died after they failed to follow the patients advanced directive, records show. RN Ana Alvarez of New Britain was disciplined in a 2017 incident in which a patient died at The Reservoir nursing home. A consent order she agreed to said that Alvarez failed to initiate CPR or send the patient to a hospital, in violation of the patients directive. LPN Marcia Guerry of Avon received the same punishment for failing to properly perform or continue CPR on the same patient, a consent order she agreed to said. Both nurses chose not to contest the allegations and were ordered to take courses in advanced directives, the orders said.

RN Renee Devoe, whose hometown was not listed, had her license reinstated and placed on probation while she takes a refresher course. Once she completes the course and passes a licensing exam, her license will remain on probation for one year, during which time she must pass random drug tests, the boards memorandum of decision states. Devoes license was revoked in 2009 based on evidence that her abuse of heroin was affecting her ability to practice safely, the memo said. After a hearing in June showed that Devoe has had a lengthy period of being drug-free, the board concluded she was safe to practice again, the memo said.

The board also agreed to reinstate the LPN license of Kokumo Lauray of East Hartford and place her license on probation for one year once she passes an LPN refresher course and a licensing exam. In 2010, the board had revoked her license based on evidence that she had lied in 2009 about not having a felony conviction when she applied to have her nursing license renewed, state records show. State records show that between 2000 and 2008, Lauray had been convicted of seven criminal charges, including a felony robbery charge in Bloomfield in 2008. After holding a hearing in May of this year, the board concluded there was sufficient evidence that she is now safe to practice as an LPN again, its memorandum of decision states.

The board continued the suspension of the RN license of Brian Gross of Feeding Hills, Mass., through Oct. 31, when the license will be placed on probation for four years. His license was suspended in February after he failed to undergo random alcohol tests from November to January under a previous four-year probation, state records show. The previous probation was imposed because of his abuse of alcohol, but, after a hearing in April, the board concluded he was safe to return to practice as a nurse as of Nov. 1, its memorandum of decision states.

The board also dropped all charges against a Stamford Hospital nurse who had been accused of stealing Dilaudid meant for 21 patients because the RN, Kerrisha Stacy-Ann Hurd of Elmont, New York, has voluntarily surrendered her nursing license, records show.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  Two Kansas water park workers were acquitted Thursday of impeding an investigation into the 2016 death of a 10-year-old boy who was decapitated while on a ride that had been billed as the world's tallest waterslide.

David Hughes and John Zalsman were found not guilty of obstruction of justice in connection to the death of Caleb Schwab, the son of a Kansas legislator. The boy was killed while on the 17-story Verruckt waterslide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City.

Zalsman's attorney called the prosecution "sloppy" and accused the attorney general of overreaching in an attempt to push innocent men to turn on employees higher up in the company. The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Hughes and Zalsman, both maintenance workers, were the first employees to stand trial in the death. Others have also been charged, including one of Schlitterbahn's owners and the designer of the slide, who have both pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

The since-closed waterslide used rafts that made the 17-story drop at speeds of up to 70 mph (110 kilometers per hour), followed by a surge over the hump and a 50-foot (15-meter) descent to a finishing pool. Caleb was in a raft that went airborne and slammed him into a metal pole that supported a net meant to keep riders from flying off the slide. Two women on the raft also were injured.

Prosecutors alleged that Hughes and Zalsman failed to replace a brake mat that fell off the slide two weeks earlier but told investigators that the mat had only been on the slide during testing phases. Video evidence showed that the mat was used after the ride opened to customers in 2014, prosecutors said.

"This was not a mistake, this was intentional calculated conduct," said Adam Zentner, assistant Kansas Attorney General.

The defense said prosecutors didn't understand how the slide functioned and questioned the testimony of Jason Diaz, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent who interviewed the defendants. The defense also noted that another Schlitterbahn employee who made false statements to investigators wasn't charged.

"These are just two good old boys, they're hard working guys and because they're the only two adults in the room they get singled out and have to get charged ," said Scott Toth, defense attorney for Hughes, as he addressed jurors.

Diaz said he didn't believe the other employee had intentionally misled him.

Schlitterbahn has said the company had no reason to believe any employee obstructed justice.

"We have maintained our belief in the integrity of our staff and respect the process and decision by the jury," Winter Prosapio, spokeswoman for Texas-based Schlitterbahn, said in an email after the verdict.

The most serious charges in Caleb's death have been filed against one of Schlitterbahn's owners, Jeff Henry, Verruckt designer John Schooley and general contractor Henry & Sons Constructions. Each is charged with second-degree murder, which carries up to 41 years in prison; aggravated battery; and aggravated endangerment of a child. Another employee is charged with involuntary manslaughter.

They have all pleaded not guilty. Their trials have not yet been scheduled.

The slide was shut down after Caleb was killed.

The boy's father, state Rep. Scott Schwab, a Republican from the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, had no immediate comment after being informed of the verdict Thursday.

His son's death prompted Kansas legislators to strengthen the state's relatively lax oversight of amusement park rides. Their 2017 law required amusement park rides to be inspected every year by qualified inspector after previously allowing the parks to do their own. The law also mandated that parks report injuries to the state.

But lawmakers quickly delayed criminal penalties for violations and then this year loosened rules further for county fairs and other short-term, one-location events run by nonprofit groups. They also exempted attractions such as hay-rack rides.

The Schwab family will receive nearly $20 million in payments from legal settlements from companies associated with Schlitterbahn, the general contractor, the raft manufacturer and a company that consulted on the waterslide.

The elder Schwab is the Republican nominee for Kansas secretary of state.
The United States and South Korea suspended a high-profile air-power exercise scheduled for December, the fourth such military training operation the two allies have canceled as a result of nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his South Korean counterpart decided to cancel the joint military exercise, known as Vigilant Ace, "to give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue," the Pentagon's chief spokeswoman, Dana W. White, said Friday in a statement.

"Both ministers are committed to modifying training exercises to ensure the readiness of our forces," White added. "They pledged to maintain close coordination and evaluate future exercises."

U.S. military exercises with South Korea, which improve capacity and prepare the two allies to work together in the event of a conflict, have long irritated North Korea, which describes them as "war games" and often mounts a negative reaction when they take place.

In June, President Donald Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore and agreed to suspend some of the exercises as a concession to Pyongyang during the disarmament talks. North Korea hasn't conducted any intercontinental ballistic missile or nuclear warhead tests since then.

Trump has regularly made statements in recent weeks suggesting all U.S. military exercises with South Korea had been suspended. But lower-level training operations between the two allies have continued apace.

Only three high-profile exercises had been suspended as a result of the Singapore summit: Ulchi Freedom Guardian and two Korean Marine Exchange Program training operations. Friday's decision to suspend Vigilant Ace marked the fourth canceled exercise.

Vigilant Ace is primarily an air-combat exercise in which fighter jets from both countries come together and fly in various scenarios. The Pentagon described the annual exercise as a way to enhance the ability of the armed forces from the two countries to operate with one another and "ensure peace and security on the peninsula."

Mattis hasn't been a fan of the decision to suspend the military exercises, according to former U.S. officials, who said that he had urged against putting them on the table during negotiations. The Pentagon sees regular exercises as a critical way to deter would-be enemies and assure allies that Washington will come to their defense in the event of a conflict.

Trump, however, has long been a skeptic of military exercises and has suggested that the joint training operations the United States carries out with South Korea are a waste of money. The president has also balked at the cost of the nearly 30,000 U.S. troops stationed at bases in South Korea and at one point seemed to threaten to remove them entirely.

The Pentagon said Friday that Mattis consulted his counterpart in Japan regarding the suspension of the Vigilant Ace exercise and the two "reaffirmed their commitment to regional security."

Though Trump previously has suggested that the United States suspended military exercises with Japan, the Pentagon has said they have been continuing uninterrupted.

This month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Kim in Pyongyang, and also with leaders in South Korea and China to discuss nuclear disarmament in North Korea. Pompeo has said that he is looking to organize a second summit between Trump and Kim.
WEST HAVEN  City computers have been down since Tuesday and West Haven paid anonymous perpetrators of a cyberattack $2,000 to unlock 23 servers and restore access to data, officials said Thursday.

The ransomware attack, which initially took place early Tuesday morning, disabled 23 on-site servers  although it did not affect off-site backup servers. It was contained by 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, officials said in a written statement.

But all City Hall computers initially remained shut down Thursday as a protective and preventative measure, and employees were warned with hand-drawn signs in the workplace not to turn them on.

They were coming back up incrementally Thursday afternoon, officials said.

Finance Department staff have been working on Board of Education computers, which were not affected by the cyberattack, to prepare the citys payroll, Mayor Nancy Rossi said. Payday is Friday. Rossi said she expects city employees to get paid as they always do.

The citys information technology manager, David Richards, notified Rossi, local police and federal authorities, the statement said.

It was Richards decision to shut down all city computers rather than worry about problems continuing to spread from computer to computer while the city fixed the issue, said Corporation Counsel Lee Tiernan.

MS-ISAC, a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, assisted the West Haven Police Department in the investigation and determined the attack came from outside the U.S. The city has support from IT experts from the Connecticut State Police and other state agencies.

Rossi, Richards and police IT experts determined the best course of action, given all available information, was to pay a one-time fee of $2,000 to unlock the servers, the city said in the statement.

The city paid the ransom in Bitcoin digital cryptocurrency, said Tiernan.

The data restoration of a critical system occurred shortly after the completion of that transaction, the statement said.

Despite access being blocked, there was no evidence that anything was being compromised, Tiernan said.

While city officials initially did not want to pay, research showed that that was likely the easiest way to solve the problem, he said.

Atlanta didnt pay when it was attacked, Tiernan said. They wanted $57,000. But $3 million later, theyre still trying to clean it up.

A source said the cyber threat initially entered the citys computer system through a computer in the Assessors Office.

The city hired an incident response team from TBNG Consulting in Milford to evaluate the current impact and assist in continuing remediation and restoration of City Hall computing systems, the statement said.

The response will be done methodically to reduce any future potential compromise, it said. At this moment, there is no reason to believe that any data was stolen as a result of the attack, according to federal and local authorities.

The attack remains under investigation by federal, state and local authorities, with local response being provided by TBNG Consulting, the statement said.

Corrective measures are being explored to shore up city cyberdefenses and safeguard the city from future attacks, and will be implemented by my administration, Ross said in the statement.

Rossi said she contacted state Office of Policy and Management Secretary Benjamin Barnes, who is chairman of the Municipal Accountability Review Board that is working with the city to improve its finances, because, given that theyre involved with us, they should know.

I cant believe that ... of all the communities in America, theyve got to pick West Haven, Rossi said referring to West Havens troubled finances.

University of New Haven cyber security expert Ibrahim Abe Baggili said the fact that access to the citys servers has been restored doesnt in itself mean West Havens problems are over.

They really have to find out how effective their systems are, said Baggili, Elder family chairman and assistant dean of the computer science program at University of New Haven.

Globally, cybercrime is big businesses, with damage costs expected to hit $6 trillion by 2021, Baggili said, quoting research from Cybersecurity Ventures.

Its expected that by 2019, a business will fall victim to a ransomware attack every 14 seconds, he said, quoting another report from Cybersecurity Ventures. But for me, I think one of the biggest problems is how understaffed cyber security jobs are in the state of Connecticut, Baggili said.

About 4,000 cyber security jobs were expected to open up over the last year in Connecticut, but in the last year, only 500 people entered the (cyber security) job market in Connecticut.

And right now, the top-notch kids are not staying in Connecticut. Theyre going to other states, he said.

Unless the state really dedicates resources to address the issue, its just going to get worse, Baggili said. If its not West Haven, its going to be another city, and then its going to be another city.
A teenage driver who fled the scene after striking and killing a pedestrian in west Houston will not immediately face charges, police said.

An unidentified man in his 50s was walking in the middle of Gessner Road near Westview Drive around 8:15 p.m. when a 16-year-old driver of a BMW struck him with his car, according to Houston Police Department Sgt. Robert Klementich.

After hitting the man with his car, the teenager drove to his nearby home, where he told family members what happened.

He eventually returned to the scene with those family members and told crash investigators that he thought he hit a street sign.

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Since the driver fled the scene, all that initially was left for police to investigate was a broken mirror, a pool of blood and two shoes laying in the middle of the intersection.

But police later had the BMW towed back to the crash site to investigate the damage. A portion of the front right bumper was dented, and part of the windshield on the driver's side had impact damage as well.

The teenager was not immediately charged, although Klementich said the police investigation is ongoing and will be referred to the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Jay R. Jordan covers breaking news in the Houston area. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan | Email him at jay.jordan@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
A Houston police officer was among five people arrested during the latest bust in a two-year investigation that targeted gambling parlors in the Chinatown neighborhood, officials said Friday.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg announced the new arrests on Friday, saying the officer and others were detained the day before at a gambling parlor at 10804 Bellaire Boulevard. She said the parlor was operating at Cafe Than Quynh.

She also identified the officer as Thomas Lam, saying he acted as bouncer at the parlor, granting access to players and himself playing at times.

"The evidence shows that hes a prolific gambler, and he gambled his career away," she said.

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Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Lam, 42, has been on the force since late 2007.

"He's not going to be serving much longer," the chief said. "I think he's a disgrace to the badge."

The overall operation has netted 41 arrests, including those of Lam and two other police officers. Authorities have seized $2.4 million in cash throughout the multi-year undertaking.

During the last bust in March, authorities arrested 22 people and seized $2.3 million in cash. Two of those arrests were of Houston police officers Larry Nguyen and Huy Ly.

The bust on Thursday was smaller, seizing over about $21,000 from the establishment, according to the District Attorney's Office. Ogg said the cafe operated with hidden rooms housing gambling machines, often frequented by members of the Kai Bang gang. There's no evidence to support that Lam or anyone else who was arrested Thursday were gang members.

Ogg has emphasized in the past that game rooms themselves aren't illegal -- they're regulated by the city and county -- but that much of the activity taking place in them can be. Certain gambling machines are prohibited, and operators can't pay out winnings over a small legal limit.

The commonality among all of the busts in the operation is that none of the money flowing through the game rooms is taxed, Ogg said.

"Organized crime thrives on money, and we just took millions of dollars from them," the top prosecutor said. "Those are dollars that have never been taxed. Those are dollars that literally attract cockroaches like cake to a location, and the cancer spreads internally and externally."

And illegal game room activity is a huge driver of violent crime in the Chinatown area, causing many residents to feel on edge for the past several years, Acevedo said.

Lam faces two misdemeanor charges related to operating an illegal game room. Four others face felony charges of money laundering. Those include the owner of the facility, a manager and other game-room workers, named as follows: Vu The Vo, James Wang, Thy Nguyen and Andy Vo.
A Houston man who volunteered at local schools to be around children has been arrested in Boise, Idaho, after he was charged here with molesting two children including a 6-year-old boy, according to Houston police.

Lee Smith III, 29, is charged with sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child for alleged attacks on Aug. 1, 2017 at an apartment complex in the 13100 block of Northborough Drive. The other victim, authorities said, was 15.

"He did gain the trust of these children's parents and was able to find his way into their home and eventually prey on the children," David Yoon, HPD special investigator of Smith's case, said at a press conference Thursday. "Upon the parents confronting the suspect, he fled."

It was difficult to get in touch with the family after the incident, Yoon said, because they "moved around a lot to get away from this situation."

Smith, who police said has a criminal history, has reportedly been known to dress as a doctor and pose as a pediatrician. Yoon said he had embroidered a lab coat with his name and the label "pediatrician," but that there were no reports of him using hospital facilities to access children.

In a statement to the police, Smith reportedly said "he volunteered a lot at schools and activities places where he would be around children," Yoon said. "He was very active and clever."

HPD confirmed that he had volunteered at the Alief Independent School District,, and are working on verifying his claimed he was a volunteer at other public agencies in Houston.

In a press statement, Alief ISD confirmed Smith "volunteered fewer than 10 times total at Mata Intermediate School and Holub Middle School in 2017." His volunteer work was clerical and only involved interactions with adults, not children, the district said.

Alief ISD stated it submits background checks of all their volunteers to an outside vendor, who didn't find a criminal history for Smith at the time. However, when Alief ISD checked back with the vendor after Smith's charges in September, they said "the vendor researched the background check report and indicated that a 2011 criminal charge was cleared in error because of the dismissed status of that charge."

"We are severely disappointed that the volunteer background check vendor which we rely upon to ensure volunteers are properly vetted, dropped the ball entirely," the statement said. "We are working to ensure that this never happens again, which includes re-running background checks on all Alief ISD volunteers."

Alief school officials were apparently referring to an indecency with a child charge Houston police filed against Smith in October 2011, which alleged he had sexual contact with a 10-year old girl in 2010, according to district court records. A Houston police investigator interviewed Smith, who acknowledged he was living with the young girls mother and caring for the child. However, he told the officer he was homosexual and was not attracted to females.

A Harris County grand jury no-billed the case, court records indicate.

Police suspect that Smith has more victims. Yoon said that they have been receiving multiple calls through Crime Stoppers from people claiming they were victimized by Smith.

Earlier this month, police sought the public's help in finding Smith.

Yoon said that he had met with Smith in late September, but that all communication with him had ceased after that. Smith was scheduled for a Sept. 24 court appearance, according to court records, and a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Boise police arrested Smith on Sunday. The silver Mercedes Benz sedan in which Smith had last been seen was spotted in a parking lot with a flat tire; Smith was in the driver's seat.

Officers confirmed he was wanted in Houston and took him into custody without incident. Smith is now at the Ada County Jail, awaiting extradition to Houston.

"(The victims' mother) was elated and sobbing," Yoon said.
A low carpet of morning clouds concealed much of the view for Navy Cmdr. Eric Doyle as his blue-and-gold plane touched down at Ellington Field.

But he was quite familiar with the ground below. Its where he grew up.

Doyle flew into the Houston airfield Thursday alongside seven other pilots in anticipation of this weekends annual Wings Over Houston airshow. Its his first time back home since taking over as the commanding officer of the Navys Blue Angel team of demonstration pilots, a role he stepped into after 21 years in the Navy.

The League City natives love of flying grew from watching the iconic team make impossible maneuvers over his hometown.

I spent a lot of time on this concrete watching the Wings show for years, Doyle said. I saw the Blue Angels for the first time here flying A-4s, and my dad flew here. Its very special to be back in Houston with all the amazing performers.

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Doyle moved to Houston at age 8, when his father was stationed at Ellington Field with the Texas Air National Guard.

More Information Tickets are still available for Saturday and Sunday shows at Ellington Field. Tickets at the gate start at $40 for those 15 and older, but discounts are available online and at H-E-B stores. See More Collapse

Thats when he first started attending Wings Over Houston, a show organized by nonprofit groups dedicated to preserving World War II-era aircraft. In addition to highlighting history, the events elite aerobatic pilots showcase the possibilities of modern aviation.

He said watching the Blue Angels  and his father  fly at Ellington Field in the 80s was the chief inspiration for becoming a pilot in the Navy after graduating from Texas A&M University in 1996.

Deciding to join the Navy came as somewhat of a surprise to Doyle. Its kind of funny  I applied to the Navy as a backup in case I didnt get an Air Force slot, and then I ended up getting both. I pitched Navy. Still, to this day, I couldnt tell you exactly why that happened that way.

While he opted for a different branch of the military than his father, he did adopt his dads call sign, Popeye.

During his years in the Navy, he often flew an F/A-18 Hornet, the same plane Blue Angels uses in its airshows.

Doyle and his team planned out their flights for this weekend by selecting landmarks around the Clear Lake area to serve as the perimeter for their shows. His moms house was just outside that zone.

Its interesting to see all the checkpoints around here and know them because Ive touched them or been in those buildings or driven down I-45 or Highway 3, Doyle said.

The show itself will bring the eight Hornets, led by Doyle in plane 1, as close together as 18 inches as they travel at hundreds of miles per hour. Blue Angel pilots are required to have logged at least 3,000 hours flying before joining, but extensive training during the winter lends an increased sense of trust.

Its kind of a subconscious trust that we know each other so well that we know how theyre going to fly, and they know how Im going to fly, Doyle said. And thats how we just slowly bring it in from miles to inches apart.

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Every year, at least one headliner  either the Navy Blue Angels or Air Force Thunderbirds, another demonstration squad  finishes a day of aerobatic shows and static exhibition of antique planes.

Most Blue Angels officers volunteer for the team for just two years, and next years lineup isnt yet settled, so this year may be Doyles only chance to fly over Houston in the blue-and-gold plane.

There isnt a day that goes by that I dont look down at this blue flight suit and this beautiful blue airplane and feel humbled, Doyle said. Its just a thrill.
Houston firefighters are at the scene of a two-alarm fire at a Greater Inwood apartment building Friday morning.

The fire was reported at 5:37 a.m. at De Soto and Oak Bay Drive.
Democrat Sri Preston Kulkarni is continuing to put pressure on U.S. Rep. Pete Olson in what has fast become one of the most competitive races for Congress in Texas.

Kulkarni has launched a new television ad blasting Olson, a 5-term incumbent, as a "do-nothing Congressman."

"What happened to Pete Olson?" a narrator says, noting that Olson had sponsored just three bills that passed in 10 years in office.

According to records with the Library of Congress, two of those bills renamed post offices in Pearland and Sugar Land. Another bill awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II pilots who made raids on Tokyo.

Olson's campaign manager Craig Lewellyn brushed off the attack ad.

"It's not surprising Sri would run a dishonest ad," Lewellyn said. "The vast majority of voters in our district have never heard of him."

The ad comes at a time that new campaign finance reports show Kulkarni raised more money in the last three months for his campaign than Olson, and Kulkarni has more money going into the final weeks of the campaign.

In addition, national Democrats are promising more help for Kulkarni after his surprise showing. This week the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Kulkarni to their "Red to Blue" program, which provides organizational and fundraising support for campaigns.

"Sri has put together a strong people-powered campaign that makes this race competitive," said DCCC chairman Ben Ray Lujan.

At the start of the year, few saw the 22nd Congressional District as a battleground. Olson, a 55-year-old former Navy pilot, easily won his last four re-elections.

But the changing demographics of the district has given Kulkarni a boost. The 22nd District includes Fort Bend, Brazoria and part of southern Harris County.

Kulkarni has relied heavily on his ability to connect with the district's diverse population to give Democrats hope that he could pull off an upset in the district. About 20 percent of the population in the district is of Asian heritage  more than any other district in Texas. About 25 percent of the district's population is foreign-born, according to U.S. Census records.
What exactly President Donald Trump will say at a podium is never easy to predict. But when he steps to the microphone at Houstons Toyota Center on Monday night, there is little doubt what his core message will be.

At rallies around the nation for other Republican U.S. Senate and House candidates in midterm elections, Trump has made clear that a vote for candidates such as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is, in fact, a vote for Trump himself and his agenda.

Im not on the ballot, but in a certain way, Im on the ballot so please go out and vote, Trump said at a rally earlier this month in Mississippi and since repeated in city after city.

While Trumps policies continue to energize Democrats against him and other Republicans, the White House is in an all-out push to re-energize the presidents base and get those voters to the polls to match the Democratic energy. That applies even to candidates like Cruz who was a determined enemy of Trump just two years ago, but whom the White House absolutely needs to win re-election to protect the GOP majority in the U.S. Senate.

For subscribers: 2018 Houston Chronicle Voter Guide

For subscribers: 2018 San Antonio Express-News Voter Guide

In Montana just days ago, Trump warned thousands of supporters that if Democrats sweep into power in Congress, all of the extraordinary progress hes made as president is in jeopardy.

All they want to do is obstruct, Trump said.

By coming to Texas, Trump will be trying to counter Cruzs opponent, Democrat Beto ORourke, who Thursday again acknowledged in an interview that if he is elected he would vote to impeach the president.

In debates and on the campaign trail, Cruz has made ORourkes stand on impeachment a major talking point. And Trump himself has begun to target ORourke. Days after calling ORourke a flake on Twitter, Trump on Friday launched another attack, calling ORourke a total lightweight compared to Cruz.

Trumps speech at the 18,000-seat Toyota Center begins at 6:30 p.m. Doors for the event open at 3:30 p.m. People wanting to attend are required to register beforehand with Trumps official campaign website: https://www.donaldjtrump.com/.

Trump in some ways is answering a plea from other Republicans in Texas who pushed the White House to focus more on Texas, and on Cruzs re-election. While Cruz acknowledged he talked to Trump about visiting Texas, it was Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick who traveled to the White House during the summer and made a direct pitch to get Trump to Texas to motivate voters.

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The trip was about making sure they were focusing on Texas as well as every other state, said Patrick, Trumps 2016 Texas campaign chair.

Over the last four weeks, Vice President Mike Pence, the president's son Donald Trump Jr., and his daughter Ivanka Trump have all been in Texas for events with Cruz.

Patrick and Gov. Greg Abbott have both said they will be in Houston for Trumps rally on Monday.

There are risks in bringing Trump to Houston. In 2016, Trump lost Harris County to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. While Trump could further energize some people on the left, Cruzs campaign thinks Trump can help in key Republican precincts in Houston.

Although ORourke has raised record-shattering amounts of money for his campaign, the Cruz campaign is expressing confidence, and recent polls show Cruz remains ahead in the race.

ORourke himself wont be far from the Toyota Center on Monday as Trump heads to Houston. He has a half dozen Vote with Beto events in and around Houston, including stops in Spring, northeast Houston, Pasadena, West Houston and Rosenberg.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, asserted during a CNN interview Friday that Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law and senior advisor, may have delivered a hit list to Saudi Arabia that resulted in the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

Castro, a member of the House Intelligence Committee said he had seen reporting that Jared Kushner may have, with U.S. intelligence, delivered a hit list, an enemies list, to the crown prince, to MBS (Mohammed bin Salman), in Saudi Arabia and that the prince may have acted on that, and one of the people he took action against is Mr. Khashoggi.

Kushner, senior White House adviser for Middle East Affairs, has a close personal relationship with the Saudi crown prince. But he has not been implicated in Khashoggis presumed killing in Turkey in coverage by major news organizations and has remained out of the spotlight during the recent diplomatic furor.

Related: Turkey probes whether Khashoggis remains were taken from consulate

Castro later said in a statement that he did not intend to accuse Jared Kushner of orchestrating the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. But based on several press reports, the close relationship between Kushner and Mohammed bin Salman is a source of concern for the US intelligence community and those of us who want a transparent American foreign policy.

He added: This is especially problematic given the president and his familys business enterprises and the possibility that they profit from these foreign entities. For these reasons, Congress should open an investigation to see whether Jared or any other administration official shared any U.S. intelligence with the Saudis that led to any political persecution, including the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.

Castro also tweeted a series of news articles showing the close relationship between Kushner and the Saudi leader, among them a story last March in the Intercept, citing unnamed sources, reporting that in a meeting between the two, Kushner had discussed the names of Saudis disloyal to the crown prince.

A spokesman for Kushner labeled the report false and ridiculous.

Castro, who is serving his third term in Congress, has become increasingly outspoken from his positions on the Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees.

When President Donald Trump observed recently that Saudi Arabian leaders denied knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi, Castro tweeted: People dont usually admit to murder the first time you ask them.

None of Castros colleagues on the Intelligence panel immediately joined him in calling for the investigation. The House is not in session.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders lambasted Castro on Twitter, labeling his remarks an outrageous slanderous lie without a shred of proof. Its reprehensible for a sitting congressman and supposed news outlets to continue citing an article that used unnamed sources and was completely debunked.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger Beto ORourke head into the final two weeks of their campaign covering much of the same territory this weekend.

Cruz will start his weekend in Fort Worth for a rally with members of the National Border Patrol Council, the union for border patrol agents. They endorsed Cruz earlier in the race.
Sen. Elizabeth Warrens big reveal that shes got a little Native American DNA in her deserves all the mockery its getting. But I just want to use it as an excuse to explain why I hate the way we talk about DNA and identity.

Consider Kyle Merker. Youve probably seen the Ancestry.com commercial featuring his story. It begins with him declaring: Growing up we were German.

We danced in a German dance group, he continues. We wore lederhosen. We then see him doing a little German dance in his lederhosen.

Merker signed up for Ancestry.com and noticed very few Germans in his family tree. So he had his DNA tested through Ancestry.coms test service and discovered: Were not German at all. Fifty-two percent of my DNA comes from Scotland and Ireland. In the ad, a little pie chart shows that the rest comes from Scandinavia, Italy, Greece and other.

And then the kicker: I traded in my lederhosen for a kilt, Merker says. And we see him in his authentic Scottish garb with a big smile.

This is terrible. And Merker is hardly alone. Other ads and services make similar appeals. And they are all based on the idea that your real culture and identity exists in your DNA. That is grotesque and profoundly illiberal.

Every single person reading this column can trace his or her DNA back to some ancient ancestor who hunted antelope on some African savanna or Asian steppe. That doesnt mean my real identity is caveman or nomadic hunter. Most of us  white, black, Asian, etc.  probably have ancestors who were serfs or slaves. All of our family trees are top-heavy with pagans and animists. That is not who we are.

I dont want to pick on Merker. He seems like an entirely decent fellow. Nor do I want to say that investigating your family tree or your DNA is a bad idea. That stuff is fascinating and has all sorts of benefits. But the idea that one could be raised by a family that takes a certain heritage to heart and then cast it aside because of a pie chart on a DNA test is terribly sad to me.

Some people I know are passionate about their Irish heritage and are black Irish - i.e., they have dark eyes and hair and, sometimes, a more Mediterranean complexion. One theory is that they are descendants of Spanish sailors who were stranded on the Irish coast in the 1500s. Another is that they can trace their roots back to one of the countless invasions by Vikings or Normans over the centuries.

I dont begrudge anyone who wants to investigate how their people came to Ireland. But why would you throw away your culture and identity because five, 10 or 20 generations ago your great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather or grandmother came from somewhere else? Many Italians have a smorgasbord of DNA in them  from the Moors or other invaders. Are they not real Italians?

Theres a term for this kind of thinking: racial purity.

Elizabeth Warren used a small blip on her retroactive genetic radar to claim a heritage she does not have and to get credit for a culture to which she does not belong. Indeed, if her DNA test came back with much better results  say, 25 percent Native American DNA instead of somewhere between 1/64th and 1/1,024th  it would still be tawdry for her to borrow a culture and heritage that is not hers, particularly to advance her career, because she was not remotely raised as a Cherokee. She does not speak their language, is not fluent in their customs or culture, and has little to no factual claim to their story.

A DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship, the Cherokee nation explained in a statement lambasting Warren.

The idea that you are what your DNA says you are is illiberal, because liberalism (in the classical sense) is premised on the idea the individual is more than just bloodlines. Think of it this way: You know what you call an American citizen with Irish DNA going 300 or 1,000 years? An American. (Or, if you really care, an Irish-American.) That so many people arent content with that is a symptom of a much deeper problem with our society today.

Goldberg is an editor-at-large of National Review Online and a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Contact him by email at JonahsColumn@aol.com.
ANSONIA  Small acts of kindness really do pay off.

Just ask Shawn Venson, a custodian at Ansonia Middle School and member of James H. Wilkins Lodge No. 9.

Venson and his fellow lodge members were recently recognized at the highest level, having nabbed 2017-18 Lodge of the Year award at the national conference of Freemasons, held earlier this month in Windsor.

According to Ansonia school officials, Venson told the more than 1,500 people in attendance at the conference about money that had been taken out of the Ansonia schools budget, threatening to end the districts successful Best Buddies program, which pairs disabled students with non-disabled peers in a mentoring partnership.

Venson said he discovered last year that several teachers were covering the costs of the program and a monthly pizza lunch for the students out of their own pockets. The program helps disabled students learn life skills from their peer buddies needed to perform day-to-day living activities.

Venson said the mission of the lodge is to help the community however it can. Thats why Venson brought the plight of the Best Buddies program to his fellow members, and all agreed it was a cause worth helping. Many of the members are senior citizens, according to Venson, who contributed their own money to keep the program afloat. The lodge also agreed to contribute 10 percent of all future fundraising endeavors to the Best Buddies program.

Were all about helping our community, said Venson.

Ansonia Middle School Speech and Language Pathologist Julie Chmielewski, who established the Best Buddies program last year, said Venson approached her with the news that the lodge wanted to help keep the program going.

This is just unbelievable, Chmielewski said. Its nice to know that people still care.

Chmielewski since acquired $3,330 from the Valley Community Foundation to cover costs of field trips for the students, which she said will allow students to visit several service locations around town, including laundromats, the Ansonia Public Library and the Ansonia Nature Center.

She said the lodges contributions will enable her to continue the monthly pizza lunches for the students and their peers.

Chmielewski noted that one of the lodges members recently passed way, and when she told the Best Buddies students about it, they took action.

The students wanted to make cards to give to the lodge to express their sadness, she said.

Venson said he took those cards with him to the national convention earlier this month, and passed them around for all to see.

According to Chmielewski, lodge members will be invited to the middle school for one of the Best Buddies upcoming pizza lunches, as a way for the students to thank the lodge members in person.

Ansonia school officials said the story of the lodges small act of kindness ultimately caught the attention of the national organization, the Freemasons, which then bestowed this first major honor for the Ansonia lodge in many years.

Superintendent of Schools Carol Merlone expressed her gratitude to the lodge.

They are the best buddies our students could ever have," said Merlone. "We are very grateful to them.

jean.sos@snet.net
The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money, by Bryan Caplan (Princeton University Press, 400 pp., $29.95)

In The Case Against Education, a persuasive indictment of his own industry, George Mason University economics professor Bryan Caplan quotes Harvard professor Steven Pinker on his teaching experience at Americas most storied institution of higher learning. A few weeks into every semester, says the eminent psychologist and polymath, I face a lecture hall that is half empty, despite the fact that I am repeatedly voted a Harvard Yearbook Favorite Professor, that the lectures are not video recorded, and that they are the only source of certain material that will be on the exam.

Pinker adds: I dont take it personally; its common knowledge that Harvard students stay away from lectures in droves.

Such apathy is the norm. According to data cited by Caplan, 25 percent to 40 percent of college students dont show up for class, even when attendance counts toward the grade. What share of the rest would bother to show up if that werent the case? As for high school students, for whom cutting class is a serious offense, two-thirds report being bored in class every day, according to a survey Caplan cites.

Caplans subtitle promises to explain why the education system is a waste of time and money. He exempts the teaching of essentials like reading, writing, and basic math, and professional and vocational programs that develop in-demand job skills. As for the rest of the curriculum, forget it. Teach curious students about ideas and culture, he suggests. Leave the rest in peace and hope they come around. The core question that Caplan addresses is why employers so richly reward high school and college degrees, when the content of the coursework has so little to do with the jobs employers offer. Yet college graduates earn substantially more than high school graduates, who earn more than high school dropouts.

Caplan builds on the work of other economists in arguing that 80 percent of schooling is not about skills useful in the workplace, but about signaling. By earning a college diploma, you convey a message about yourself to employersnot necessarily that youre smarter than everyone else, but that youre conscientious and willing to play by the rules, qualities that employers value highly. The diploma serves as evidence of these traits. Perhaps the most decisive proof of this theory is the sheepskin effect. If college really does boost human capital, youd expect those who finish three of the four years to earn roughly three-quarters of the wage premium attributed to college; in fact, three years gets you less than half that amount. Completing the last year counts for more than half because it signals conscientiousness and conformitythe sheepskin effect.

Employers dont bear the cost of obtaining this information, but parents, students, and taxpayers do. In 1950, before the push to create government-funded higher education, a high school diploma was about as valuable for signaling as a college diploma is today. Now we spend hundreds of billions more for the same signal once provided by secondary schools, with no discernible gains in productivity.

The author floats some radical proposals for reform. One is a massive rollback of formal years of schooling that would retain emphasis on basic skills and on vocational education. If schools no longer offered the signaling function, employers would have to resort to other ways of screening applicants, including internships and apprenticeships. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, the Manhattan Institutes Chris Pope and Tim Rice point out that courses required for a bachelors degree [have] little to do with medicine, and urge that the U.S. follow the lead of Europe and allow young people to start medical training immediately after high school. But why stop there? Most K-12 courses have little to do with what most people do for a living, medicine included. So why not allow 13-year-olds to start professional programs and apprenticeships, in virtually any field?

On his popular podcast EconTalk, Hoover Institution economist Russ Roberts faulted Caplan for not recognizing the mind-enhancing benefitsadmittedly hard to measureof formal education. But even granting the existence of these benefits, there is considerable harm (also hard to measure) caused by compulsory schooling: resentment, impairment of curiosity, and revulsion from being force-fed ideas and culture. When Caplan spoke at the Cato Institute, questioners charged him with indifference to the real goal of education: to create great citizens, as one put it. But his data show that schools are failing miserably on that metric. Most Americans are shockingly ignorant about the most rudimentary facts concerning U.S. history and government.

Egalitarians, who generally believe that money spent on schooling helps the poor, accuse Caplan of being indifferent to the plight of the less fortunate. The radical reforms that Caplan proposes might change their minds. In their 1979 book, Free to Choose, Milton and Rose Friedman amply documented the perverse redistributive effect of government expenditures on higher educationthat is, redistribution from poor to rich. Updated research would probably find the same dynamic at work today. Childless people of limited means who dont go to college, and those with children who dont go, pay taxes that help fund public universities attended by the children of the well-to-do; they also help finance enrichment programs for the gifted and talented that disproportionately benefit the well-off. Roll this system back, and inequality would be diminished.

For the talented offspring of the poor, abolishing high school and college diplomas as signaling devices will mean a more level playing field. The rich can afford the costly years of schooling required to get a decent job; the poor cant. Without the needless hurdles imposed by the signaling system, a young person from a poor family might graduate from medical school at 19, in a much better position to help support her parents and herself. Then, too, funds freed up from paying for unnecessary schooling can help finance more focused instruction in literacy, numeracy, and vocational skills. Especially if the charter school movement continues to grow, poor people of limited skills would be helped most of all.

Caplan observes that if his proposals get implemented, hed probably lose the tenured position he loves. Unfortunately, he has little reason to worry anytime soon.

Photo: dolgachov/iStock
As international outrage grows over the disappearance and apparent killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, President Donald Trump is bending over backwards to avoid holding Saudi Arabia accountable, including suggesting  without evidence  that Khashoggis murder was the work of rogue killers. The presidents strange behavior has observers, including some Democratic senators, wondering what role Trumps personal financial ties to the repressive kingdom might play in his calculations.

Trump and his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner do, in fact, both have real estate interests in New York City that benefit from Saudi investment  or its foreign policy.

Trump took to Twitter earlier this week to declare: For the record, I have no financial interests in Saudi Arabia (or Russia, for that matter). Any suggestion that I have is just more FAKE NEWS (of which there is plenty)!

He may not currently have any known business interests in Saudi Arabia per se, but its not for lack of trying, according to media reports. There is plenty of money flowing between Saudis and the Trump Organization and there also appears to be a link in how the foreign policy of the Trump Administration follows the needs of Kushner, who more than anyone else has cultivated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a top foreign ally.

It wouldnt be the first time that Trump has been accused of putting business before country. There is of course the ongoing special counsel investigation that is partly devoted to probing his relationship with Russia and its oligarchs. While Trump talks tough on trade with China, that hasnt stopped him from benefitting from their help in a real estate project in Indonesia.

Heres a run-down of how it all works  and how it involves various buildings in Manhattan:



The Trumps wanted to do business in Saudi Arabia before the election

The Washington Post did report shortly after the election that eight companies were registered three months after Ivanka Trump told the publication Hotelier Middle East in 2015 about how the Trump Organization was looking to do business throughout the region. We are looking at multiple opportunities in Abu Dhabi, in Qatar, in Saudi Arabia, so those are the four areas where we are seeing the most interest, she said.



Saudis are keeping Trumps hotel businesses profitable

Some observers credit the Saudi government with keeping some Trump hotels afloat. The general manager of the Trump International Hotel in Manhattan credited the crown princes visit earlier this year with contributing so much business that revenues actually rose one quarter after a two-year slump, the Washington Post reported in August. Saudi-based customers have also booked a total of 218 nights at a Trump hotel in Chicago  a 169 increase from 2016. Then there is the Trump hotel down the street from the White House where a lobbying firm linked to the Saudi Embassy has spent $270,000 on food and lodging at the same time they were advocating against a law that would have allowed 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government. Though they are not the only country accused of trying to gain Trumps favor by helping his bottom line, they have exhibited a unique determination to use hotels to do that, according to the Washington Post.



Trump has a long history of selling assets to Saudi officials

"They buy apartments from me," Trump said about the Saudis during an Alabama rally in 2015. "They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much. In 2001, the Saudi government bought the entire 45th floor of a Trump property near the United Nations in Manhattan for $4.5 million. A 10,500-square-foot property in another Trump property on the west side of Manhattan was bought years before the 2016 election by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, who then sold it earlier this year for $36 million.

Saudi money has also come to Trump at some important junctures in his career. There was the time in 1991 that Saudi prince Alwaleed bin Talal helped Trump cut his losses at a time of great financial distress by buying the $29 million yacht that Trump bought from the Sultan of Brunei three years earlier. Talal also helped Trump out a few years later by buying a 51 percent stake in the New York Plaza hotel. I bailed you out twice; a 3rd time, maybe? Talal wrote during a 2016 Twitter feud with Trump. What would eventually happen to the Warren Buffett of Saudi Arabia, as Talal was once known? He would be jailed by the crown prince during the 2017 U.S.-backed crackdown on corruption that also conveniently removed much of the top-level political opposition to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.



The Qatari blockade foreign policy may have saved Kushner Companies

The crown prince reportedly said that he has Kushner in his pocket and its not hard to speculate as to why. In the past year, Kushner Companies was desperate to find someone to invest in 666 Fifth Avenue, a Midtown Manhattan office tower that Kushner purchased for $1.8 billion before the 2008 financial crisis. A $1.2 billion mortgage was coming due in Feb. 2019, and Kushner Companies, which Jared Kushner led until he came to the White House in early 2017, needed access to some deep pockets.

At first it appeared that Anbang Insurance Group, a Chinese conglomerate with deep ties to the ruling Communist Party  might be the investor that would save Kushner Companies. But the $4 billion deal fell apart after lawmakers and others cried foul. So the Kushners turned to Qatar. According to The New Yorker, Jared Kushners father Charles and sister Nicole appeared at the St. Regis Hotel in April 2017 as the tiny oil nations finance minister Ali Sharif al-Emadi held court to hear investment pitches. But al-Emadi rebuffed the Kushners request for just under $1 billion. They could have bought the building  believe me, they have the money, one analyst told the magazine. They just didnt think it would ever pay off.

Thats where the Saudis came in. They had their own qualms with the Qataris over their relationship with Saudi rival Iran and they were looking to whip up support for a naval blockade of Qatar. Its possible that a Spring 2017 meeting between Jared Kushner and Mohammed bin Salman was where the U.S. government gave its backing to the Saudi-led effort to isolate Qatar diplomatically and economically. Qatar managed to emerge from the confrontation more or less victorious, but months later Apollo Global Management  which the Qatari government has a large investment in  lent $184 million to Kushner Companies to refinance the mortgage on a Chicago property, The New York Times reported. More importantly, another Qatar-backed company, Brookfield Property Management, announced in Aug. 2018 that it would save Kushner Companies after all in by taking out a 99-year lease on 666 Fifth Avenue. The analyst cited by the New Yorker observed that the relationship between Jared Kushner and the crown prince was key to securing Qatars help after it originally refused to invest in the aging 41-story Manhattan tower: Heres a question for you: If they had given Kushner the money, would there have been a blockade? I dont think so.
Unicef, the international aid body for children, saw a fall in its overall income from 102.8m to 100.2m, after falls in funding from legacies and corporate partnerships.

The charity saw a rise in its single largest source of funds. Income from direct marketing  largely from individual regular givers  which rose from 41.4m to 44.2m. And income from charitable trusts also rose.

But legacy income fell from 9.3m to 5.9m, and income from corporate partnerships fell from 16.7m to 13.8m.

Income from the Department for International Development more than halved, from 5.6m to 2.3m.

Reserves fall

Unicefs free reserves fell from 6.2m to 3.6m  technically less than two weeks spending. However the charity said that the current position is consistent with the amount of money it needs.

The appropriate level of reserves are set at an amount sufficient to cover unfunded expenditure from unrestricted funds for a period of four months in the event of a significant fall in income, the charity said in its accounts. General funds at the balance sheet date amounted to 2.65m, which is consistent with the reserves policy.

Despite the low level of reserves the charity is unlikely to be facing financial difficulties. Its income is largely unrestricted, much of its spending is discretionary, and its cash reserves are significantly more favourable than its accounting balance.

New strategic direction

Unicefs accounts lay out a new four-year strategy covering the period to 2021. The strategic plan has four main causes and four objectives it wishes to achieve.

The four cause areas are:

Protecting children on the move

Happy, healthy lives

Ending violence for every child

Education for every child

The four strategic objectives are:

To achieve exceptional public engagement

To build on our great partnerships

To develop tomorrows supporters

To create a truly digital organisation

For more news, interviews, opinion and analysis about charities and the voluntary sector sign up to receive the Civil Society News daily bulletin here.
The November issue of San Francisco magazine will feature a 6,000-word true crime piece about a kidnapping in Mountain View, California, a profile of Bennet Omalu, the doctor who pioneered research on traumatic brain injury in the NFL, and a ten-page spread ranking the Bay Areas 101 best cities. (Spoiler alert: San Francisco doesnt win.)

For the first time ever, Novembers issue will also contain a must-run story from San Franciscos parent company, Modern Luxury, which owns and publishes 83 other city, design, and bridal magazines: a two-page spread on travel in the Dominican Republic, which coincides with a recent advertisement by the DRs tourism ministry in the magazines online newsletter. Its the sort of editorial-advertising wall-crossing that San Francisco has historically avoided, according to Articles Editor Ian Stewart, and the last thing on earth we would ever assign ourselves.

ICYMI: A portrait of Trumps mental state by photojournalists

But these are not normal times at San Francisco, which is feeling the effects of moves by Modern Luxury to shrink the monthly magazines budget. Modern Luxury is pulling back design functions to a consolidated creative hub in Chicago and instituting shared or repurposed contentunprecedented at San Francisco but common in other Modern Luxury publications. (Last month, Modern Luxury mags from Miami to Dallas to DC all featured a story on the actor Kyle Chandler. Gentleman Charmer Star Next Door, their covers identically proclaimed.) Modern Luxury representatives say they have no plans to change San Franciscos journalistic character, but staffers are worried. They would never give orders to stop producing good content, Stewart explains. Theyre just going to squeeze resources so much that it will be a necessity.

Thats why, after closing the November book last week, Stewart and all but two members of San Franciscos editorial team quit or gave notice of their intent to leave the magazine soon. The name will be the same, but in every way imaginable it seems it will be a different and lesser magazine moving forward, Stewart, who gave notice, adds.

Founded in 1955, San Francisco has long been home to meaty narrative and investigative journalism with strong northern California roots, according to the magazines former editor-in-chief, Jon Steinberg. The formerly independent outfit was acquired by Modern Luxury in 2005 but, unlike many of the conglomerates publications, remained editorially autonomous and an essential part of the local media landscape even as other Bay Area newspapers and alt-weeklies have grown threadbare or closed shop. The magazines full-time editorial staff fell to nine people, from 12, over the previous two years, but the team nevertheless managed to win a National Magazine Award this year for General Excellence.

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Real trouble began after Modern Luxury acquired a major competitor, GreenGale Publishing, last spring. The move increased Modern Luxurys magazine portfolio by 25 percent but brought with it financial difficulties, as the companies struggled to combine staffs and accounting systems. Within months, Steinberg felt the impact of the parent companys woes: Payments to regular contractors and freelancers became inordinately late, and this spring San Francisco was forced to reduce its per-issue freelance budget, which funds most of its longform content, from $30,000 to $20,000. This summer, Modern Luxury signaled that deeper cuts to the magazines budget were likely imminent, leading Steinberg to resign. You cant put out an awards-caliber publication with just three or four full-time editorial staffers, he says. The idea of it is pretty laughable.

Stephanie Davis Smith, Modern Luxurys editorial director, defends budget cuts as common sense and something hitting magazines across the country. She suggests, for example, that San Francisco might decrease its monthly allotment of longform content from three to two pieces, and that it should seek opportunities for synergies when content from other markets might make sense in the Bay Area. The aim is not to make San Francisco a carbon copy of other publications: It will all make sense and feel local, Smith tells CJR. She disputes reports that that Modern Luxury was planning layoffs at San Francisco.

But magazine staffers had received much different signals from San Franciscos publisher, Paul Reulbach, according to multiple sources. Such confusion was no surprise, though, according to Stewart, as communication from both Modern Luxury and Reulbach was slim throughout the summer. Following Steinbergs resignation, for example, Stewart says Reulbach assured staff that hard-hitting journalism would remain central to San Franciscos mission. Modern Luxury ultimately named Jason Sheeler as editor, which didnt exactly calm the staff unease. Sheeler formerly served as the style director at Departures, a luxury magazine published for American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders. Sheeler didnt respond to a request for comment, and Reulbach declined.

Laura Fraser, a longtime contributor to San Francisco, is skeptical of the magazines journalistic integrity moving forward. Fraser is among the many freelancers and contractors who went unpaid for their work as Modern Luxury struggled to get its accounting in order. In September, with payment for an article outstanding for four months, Fraser sent an email directly to Modern Luxurys CEO, ccing 120 writers in the Bay Area: In what world do you think its okay to stiff writers this way? . . . I am going to make as big a fuss as I need to make to get my due, and believe me, after 30 years in the business, I know how to make a very widely publicized fuss, she wrote. Many freelancers might have been intimidated at the prospect of burning a bridge, but Fraser was undeterred. The reason I was able to be so direct is I dont give a fuck, she tells CJR. Im 57. I dont need San Francisco magazine.

Meanwhile, at the San Francisco office, the mood has resembled a Viking funeral, in the words of Senior Editor Scott Lucas, who started as a fact checker in 2012 and will depart following the completion of the December issue. Lucas intends to stay in the Bay Area and would like to remain in journalism. He recalls with pride the old San Francisco covers, framed on shop and restaurant walls around town. San Francisco really did have a deep intellectual lineage in this area, Lucas says. Like all the regional magazines that are going away, thats probably not the case anymore.

ICYMI: How a local reporter got a priest to confess to sexual abuse

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Andrew McCormick is an independent journalist and former CJR Delacorte Fellow. His work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, the South China Morning Post, and more. Follow him on Twitter @AndrewMcCormck.
Nick Cleggs appointment as Facebooks new vice president of global affairs and communications raised eyebrows on both sides of the AtlanticBrits in withering bemusement, Americans in who he? ignorance. In Brussels, Berlin, and Paris, however, the hire will have made perfect sense.

Clegg has become a punchline in the UK; his spell as a centrist, Liberal Democrat deputy prime minister in a rare, Conservative-led coalition government emaciated his party as well as his personal credibility. Clegg, however, remains well-connectedand well-respectedamong the European elite.

For Facebook, thats precious currency. While a series of scandals has battered the companys reputation in the US, Congress has so far shown little inclination to clip its wings. In the European Union, by contrast, stringent new data protection rules have hit Facebooks core business model hard, and typified a more interventionist approach to big tech generally.

RELATED: During his interview with Vox, Zuckerberg seems to become genuinely peeved at one point

Facebook is clearly betting that Cleggs savoir-faireand contact bookwill improve its strained relations with the bloc. And beyond those assets, Clegg looks a snug fit in other ways. Hes a died-in-the-wool liberal used to defending unpopular, incremental change in an era of convulsive political polarization.

As UK voters decisively soured on the European project in recent years, Clegg bucked the trend as a consummate, cosmopolite Europhile with real political clout. His mother is Dutch, his wife is Spanish, and those are just two of the five languages he speaks. He first served the EU as a technocrat before his election, in 1998, to the European Parliament. In 2010now a UK lawmaker and leader of the Liberal DemocratsClegg struck a coalition agreement that made him new Conservative Prime Minister David Camerons deputy. Cleggs star was rising. But the British public, unaccustomed to multi-party government, quickly brought him to earth. In 2015, he resigned as leader of his party after it was booted from government and decimated in Parliament. Two years later, Clegg lost his own seat.

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In the coalition years, Clegg acted as a firewall between Cameron, who wanted Britain to remain in the EU, and many Conservative lawmakers, who wanted out. With Clegg gone, Cameron had no choice but to call a referendum on EU membership, which his side lost in 2016. Clegg was a prominent voice for the Remain campaign despite his fall from grace, and he has continued to advocate vocally for a second referendum, which he hopes would overturn Brexit.

Clegg is thus less aligned with his countrymen than with the European elites who have given Facebook such a hard time of late. Since the EU introduced hardened new data laws earlier this year, Facebook has been squarely in its crosshairs: The company could be fined more than a billion dollars should European regulators determine that it did not take sufficient steps to prevent a mass breach of user data last month. More broadly, European lawmakers are far less tolerant of unregulated corporate monopolies than their US counterparts.

Before taking the Facebook job, Clegg sought assurances from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg that hed be allowed into the companys black box, with significant say over its inner workings and future direction. How Facebook responds to this challenging European climate will surely be central to his purview. Clegg wont overturn a continents entrenched governing philosophy. But he might be able to shape it, and he can certainly be Facebooks window onto a world it does not fully understand.

Clegg is a good fit for Facebook in other ways. Hes a classical liberal in the economic and social senses of the term, and a firm believer that incremental change can, eventually, be transformative. While he has criticized Facebook in the past (for its monopoly grip and its messianic Californian new-worldy-touchy-feely culture), he has consistently argued that big tech is an overwhelming force for good. After his Facebook move was confirmed, he told the BBC, Im basically a tech optimist, a liberal who thinks you should shape progress.

Before his reputation went south, Clegg was known as a gifted communicatoran attribute that will be central to his new role. After excelling during Britains first-ever televised election debates in 2010, a bout of Cleggmania swept the country, complete with I agree with Nick T-shirts and lapel stickers. More recently, Clegg has learned how to weather a public beating. One of his more famous public interventionsa video apology for his partys broken promise not to raise university tuition feeswas autotuned into a viral Im sorry, Im sorry, Im so, so sorry remix. Whether you take him seriously or not, the fulsome public apology is a strategy Facebook has not yet convincingly tried.

While many in the UK ridicule him as a lying opportunist, Clegg has consistently pressed the case that small, sincere changes can improve toxic brands. He maintains that his party softened bad Conservative policies in meaningful ways during its time in government; more recently hes asked British voters to see the greater good in the European project, despite its deepening unpopularity. Americans should expect him to extol the positives of Facebook in a similar way: stressing the radically transformative potential of the product through scandals about data use and fake news. (Hes already started to push this line, for example in a Guardian op-ed to mark his appointment.)

Like any salesman, Clegg is only as good as the product hes selling. Liberal participation in a Conservative-led government was simply never acceptable to many of the partys members and those to their left. At Facebook, hell hope the appeal of the product can shepherd him through PR crises to come. This time, he isnt accountable to the whims of the ballot box.

From archives: Voices on the left are rising in the US. Why arent they in mainstream media?

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Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
After the 2016 contest for the presidency, when many media outlets missed the rise of Donald Trump, they were left grasping for explanations. There had been too much focus on the horse race, not enough coverage of people on the ground, a fundamental misunderstanding of what polls actually say. All were seen as missteps. Now, less than three weeks out from the midterm elections, its hard to quantify whether there has been any meaningful shift from empty prognosticating, though news outlets are talking a good game about having learned from the past.

For CJR, David Uberti notes that some newsrooms that got Trumps election spectacularly wrong have done away with their numerical projections entirely. Others have taken steps to tell their audience understand what the numbers mean. As news organizations rev up their coverage for midterm elections, the credibility of polling analysis is back on the line, Uberti writes. And the question of how to predict what might happen looms ever larger given the political stakes, leaving prognosticators to reconsider how they frame predictions for laypeopleif they produce them at all.

The midterms have been cast as a referendum on President Trump, but competitions for Senate and House seats are inherently local competitions. Ahead of November 6, CJR invited writers from around the country to spotlight stories that deserve closer scrutiny in their states. The subjects that the writers chose varied from coal to racial divides to voter suppression, and several dispatches lamented the dwindling resources of local news outlets.

RELATED: Covering a country where race is everywhere

From Montana, Anne Helen Petersen writes that the local press simply lacks the resources or wherewithal to pursue the larger issues, institutions, and money-flows in depth. The states lone congressional seat is held by Republican Greg Gianforte, who assaulted a reporter on the eve of his special election in the spring of 2017. How do you cover a candidate whose antagonism towards the press includes physical abuse? Petersen wonders.

Kris Kobach, the secretary of state of Kansas, is running for governor there. Kobach, a Republican who led President Trumps voting fraud panel (since disbanded), has turned Kansas into the epicenter of a national voter-suppression crisis, Sarah Smarsh reports. Readers, viewers and listeners deserve to understand the forces that might compromise the power of their ballots, from gerrymandering to unlawful purging of voter rolls, she writes. With pivotal midterm races across the country, no election coveragein Kansas, and beyondis complete without deep investigations into the voting process.

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And in Virginia, journalists are dealing with how to report on the racial demagoguery spouted by Corey Stewart, a Republican candidate for senate who has been abandoned by leading officials in his own party. The press and public, Elizabeth Catte writes, are putting lessons learned covering Trump, about being less reactionary in news production and consumption, in practice.

Trumps dominance of national news storylines and his desire to inject his role into hundreds of local races mean that midterm voters may be thinking more nationally than in years past. But as CJRs dispatches from around the country show, there are plenty of local and regional concerns that deserve coverage, too.

Below, more on the subjects that are driving some of the races around the country.

Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Remembering the man at the center of an international crisis

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Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.
Capital Insurance Group Hires Mehrtens as Vice President of Claims

Capital Insurance Group (CIG), a regional property and casualty insurer serving the Western United States, announces the appointment of Cynthia Mehrtens, CPCU, ARe, AIM, as vice president of claims. In this position, Mehrtens will be responsible for loss investigation, loss reporting, settlement, and legal claims handling for the company. She will also be responsible for CIGs regulatory compliance to shareholders, lawmakers, reinsurers, and regulators.

Mehrtens comes to CIG with more than 30 years of experience in claims and litigation within the insurance industrys small and medium-sized markets. Most recently, she served as the vice president of claims at Indiana Farmers Mutual. In this role she realigned the claims department and instituted best practices and litigation management. During her tenure, Mehrtens implemented an effective CAT response program and revised performance evaluations. As a result, over a two-year period, litigation expenses decreased by 33 percent and subrogation results increased by 50 percent.

Over the past three decades Mehrtens career has taken her across the country, where she served in leadership positions for Peerless Insurance, Ohio Casualty Insurance, CHUBB Group, and Safeco Insurance, among others.

Mehrtens will replace Tom Scherff upon his retirement, effective October 15, 2018. Scherff, who has been in the industry for more than 40 years, joined CIG in 1995. During his tenure he has seen the company through significant growth and expansion.

She will be based in Monterey, Calif., operating out of the companys headquarters.

Zurich Executive Named North America Head of Casualty

Valerie Butt has been named Head of Casualty for Zurich North America Commercial Insurance, effective October 16.

Butt will lead the casualty business with responsibility for new and renewal business. She will be based in Chicago and report to Paul Horgan, head of Zurich North America Commercial Insurance.

Since joining Zurich in 1997, Butt has held a number of leadership positions in underwriting, customer relationship and distribution teams in Commercial Insurance and Global Corporate.

Most recently, Butt served as global head of Customer, Distribution and Market Management for Commercial Insurance. In this role, she led the team responsible for developing and deepening relationships with key global customers, devising and implementing the go-to-market strategy and partnering with strategic brokers to drive growth and retention. Under her leadership, Zurich won the 2016 Strategic Account Management Associations Excellence Award for Outstanding SAM Program Leadership for Mature Programs.

Butt steps into the role that was vacated when Brandon Fick was named chief underwriting officer for Zurich North America.

Marias Technology Promotes Olson to Assistant Vice President, Operations

Ohio-based Marias Technology, a provider of software testing and implementation services to the insurance industry, has promoted Stephanie L. Olson to the position of assistant vice president, Operations. Olson, who joined Marias in June of 2010 after having worked as an independent insurance agent for seven years, formerly held the position of Manager, Testing and Implementation Services.

In her new role, Olson will oversee everything pertaining to the services Marias delivers to its customers.
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 womens 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 childrens 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.

Californias law allows no more than 0.03 percent cadmium in childrens 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 cadmiums cancer-causing properties, noted that contact can trigger skin rashes including psoriasis.

Cadmium is bad, said Harbut, who teaches at Michigan State Universitys 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 isnt 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 youre the person that buys and is wearing that jewelry, you dont really care whether its 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 states 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 childrens 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.)

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Fast-moving floodwaters destroyed a bridge, forced the evacuation of riverside homes and led to numerous water rescues in Central Texas on Tuesday after more than a foot of rain fell in recent days.

The bridge crumbled as it was overrun by the bloated, roiling Llano River in Kingsland, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of Austin. The Llano and Colorado rivers meet at Kingsland, and the National Weather Service said both were experiencing major flooding. A flash flood warning was in effect.

Residents were evacuated from homes in Kingsland and in nearby Marble Falls, which was being overwhelmed by the Colorado River. Several school districts closed for the day, and emergency personnel blocked access to more than 150 low-water crossings.

Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement urging all Texans to take their safety into their own hands by closely monitoring changing weather conditions and heeding warnings from local officials.

The governors warning came little more than a week after four people were washed away when the South Llano River, which becomes the Llano River downstream, overran an RV park in Junction, Texas. Three bodies have been recovered. The search for the fourth has been suspended due to the heavy rain.

The most dramatic scenes Tuesday played out in Marble Falls, where an extraordinary amount of water poured over the Starcke Dam, carrying with it riverside docks and other large debris.

Homes also were being evacuated in nearby Granite Shoals, and people were sheltering at a middle school.

Bill and Laura Villella awoke early Tuesday to about 12 inches (30.5 centimeters) of water in their Llano home. The rising water forced them to stand on their kitchen counter before emergency personnel in a boat pulled them to safety.

We honestly did not believe it would go up that high, Bill Villella told the Austin American-Statesman. His wife added: Ive been through a lot in my life, but thats the scaredest Ive ever been.

Water levels along the Llano River at Llano have subsided but are still well above major flood stage. Levels rose to just under 40 feet (12 meters) on Tuesday but fell as the morning progressed, settling at little more than 35 feet (11 meters), according to the National Weather Service. Major flood stage is 23 feet (7 meters), and the river isnt expected to drop below that stage until Wednesday.

Heavy rains were also impacting other parts of the state.

Flood warnings were issued for areas north of Houston, and the Fort Worth Fire Department said it responded to some 80 traffic accidents blamed on slick roads and poor visibility Tuesday morning. Officials in Dallas said the rain was causing sewer overflows in several parts of the city but added that its water supply wasnt affected.

In Austin, fire officials temporarily banned all watercraft. Flooding was also occurring in Kerr County, northwest of San Antonio, and other parts of Texas Hill Country, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. The Guadalupe River at Comfort, northwest of San Antonio, was forecast to rise from about 5 feet (1.5 meters) up to more than 28 feet (8.5 meters).

Patricia Sanchez, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, said the transition from fall to winter usually brings elevated levels of rainfall  but nothing compared to the amount of precipitation over the last month.

The ongoing multiple days of rain and the extraordinary amount is of course not normal, she said. Not for this time of year.

Recent tropical systems and moisture from the Gulf of Mexico are contributing to the amount of rain Texas has seen, she said. Light to moderate rain will continue for the next couple of days but taper off as the weekend approaches, she said.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Jurors who found that agribusiness giant Monsantos Roundup weed killer contributed to a school groundskeepers cancer are urging a San Francisco judge not to throw out the bulk of their $289 million award in his favor, a newspaper reported Monday.

Juror Gary Kitahata told Judge Suzanne Bolanos in a letter that the jury was convinced by the evidence, the San Francisco Chronicle said.

I urge you to respect and honor our verdict and the six weeks of our lives that we dedicated to this trial, he said.

Juror Robert Howard wrote to the judge that the jury had paid studious attention to the evidence and any decision to overturn its verdict would shake his confidence in the judicial system.

Bolanos said last week she is inclined to throw out $250 million in punitive damages in favor of DeWayne Johnson. She is also considering dramatically reducing the remaining award. Her final decision is due by Oct. 22.

Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer AG in June, has asked the judge to override the jurys decision and enter judgment in its favor or order a new trial.

Bayer AG in a statement on Monday thanked the jury for its important public service, but said the post-trial motions in the Johnson case raise issues of law that are properly addressed by Judge Bolanos.

Johnson sprayed Roundup and a similar product, Ranger Pro, at his job as a pest control manager at a San Francisco Bay Area school district, according to his attorneys. He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2014 at age 42.

His lawsuit is among hundreds alleging Roundup caused cancer, but it was the first one to go to trial.

Many government regulators have rejected a link between glyphosate  the active ingredient in Roundup _ and cancer. Monsanto has vehemently denied such a connection, saying hundreds of studies have established that glyphosate is safe.

The jury in August determined that Monsanto should have provided a label warning of a potential health hazard.

In a tentative order last week, Bolanos said Johnsons attorneys had failed to show Monsanto acted with malice or oppression  a prerequisite for punitive damages.

Howard told the Chronicle testimony at trial showed there were serious questions about the safety of Roundup when the company gave it to Johnsons employer.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AKRON, Ohio -- Akron Community Foundation announced it will award impact grants starting at $10,000 to local LGBT programs through its Gay Community Endowment Fund.

The impact grant program will fund initiatives that focus on the health and wellbeing of Akron's LGBT community.

The foundation will give preference to grant proposals supporting suicide prevention and mental-health programs, combating phobias about the community and creating safer environments for LGBT youth.

"This new grant-making approach allows us to strategically concentrate our funding on programs that will make a significant difference for the LGBTQ+ community," Phil Montgomery, Gay Community Endowment Fund advisory board chair, said in a news release.

The foundation also will accept LGBT-focused, micro-grant proposals starting at $1,000 for programs related to the arts, community events and operational needs for local nonprofits.

Applications for grant funding can be submitted starting on Nov. 15.

Gay Community Endowment Fund representatives have scheduled an information session for Thursday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. for those interested in the grant application process. The session is to be held at Akron Community Foundation, 345 West Cedar St., in Akron.

The deadline to apply for an impact grant is Dec. 15. The foundation will announce recipients of each type of grant in March 2019.

Contact John Garofalo, Akron Community Foundation vice president of community investment at jgarofalo@akroncf.org or 330-436-5624 for more information about the impact grant application process.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio - A national organization that represents water systems has honored Cleveland's water department with its Gold Award for excellence in operations, one of just three issued this year.

The Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies recognized Cleveland for tackling issues such as water loss, water quality, monitoring the health of Lake Erie and investing in technology and training to improve customer service.

Joining Cleveland in receiving Gold Awards were the Ann Arbor (Michigan) Water Utility and the Greenville (North Carolina) Utilities Commission.

"AMWA's 2018 award winners are industry-leading water systems with innovative managers and dedicated workforces who create sustainable utilities marked by high quality, affordable water, responsive customer service, and attention to resource management and environmental protection," Mac Underwood, AMWA president, said in a news release.

The award means a lot for Cleveland because it validates improvements the department has sought to make in customer service, as well as in plant operations, Water Commissioner Alex Margevicius told cleveland.com.

"There's no hiding that we had some problems," Margevicius said. "Our performance all the way around is far better today than it was."

Earlier this decade, the department was using outdated, manual or labor-intensive procedures with high error rates. Collections hovered around 88 percent, with $73 million in delinquencies. More than 13,000 accounts never received consistent bills.

By 2013, that changed. Calls were answered more promptly. Bills were sent out in timely fashion and the collections rates improved to more than 98 percent.

Call center workers got better training and supervision. New departmental leaders were installed. And the three subdivisions within the Public Utilities Department -- water, Cleveland Public Power and water pollution control -- centralized communications and personnel.

The city replaced 400,000 antiquated water meters with new, high-tech meters that better gauge water usage and also provide data that the department and the customers can use to troubleshoot problems.

"The customer himself can set up a portal online and see his daily and hourly usage," Margecivius said.

That helps to identify problems that might go undetected, such as a leaking pipe, that can drive up usage and water bills. If the meters register steady usage through the night, for example, that might indicate a problem exists.

The department has sent 40,000 notices alerting users that their usage patterns suggest there might be a problem.

The award also recognizes Cleveland for its operations. Cleveland's water has earned high marks in the past for water quality and taste. What many people don't realize is the level of research that goes into that.

The city often works with research agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The work involves monitoring conditions in Lake Erie, the source for Cleveland's water, to detect levels of algae, depletion of oxygen and turbidity to allow better treatment.

"We try to best understand what is coming our way," Margevicius said. "We're blessed with Cleveland Water that we have Lake Erie. ... We do not take for granted anything."

The award stands in contrast to a J.D. Power survey earlier this year that ranked Cleveland 17th among 17 large water systems in the Midwest and 84th for customer satisfaction among the 88 water utilities surveyed nationwide.

J.D. Power asked people about their satisfaction over six categories: Water delivery; price; conservation; billing and payment; communications; and customer service.

"The AMWA award better recognizes where we are today," Margevicius said. But the J.D. Power survey is a reminder that the department must work to improve and change perceptions.

"We recognize that we still have work to do," he said.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Mayor Frank Jackson will be honored by the Downtown Cleveland Alliance on Oct. 26, when the organization presents its annual Ruth Ratner Miller awards.

The award, which is presented annually, honors community leaders for their significant contributions toward the advancement of the downtown. Jackson, in the first year of an unprecedented fourth term as mayor, embodies the same attributes as Miller, a statement from the Downtown Alliance said.

"For the 20th anniversary of this luncheon, Ruth would be very happy to know the mayor was selected to receive this award in her name," said philanthropist Albert B. Ratner, Miller's brother. "They share so many traits in common. She wasn't somebody who doted on what she accomplished, and neither is he. She was a woman of the people. He is a man of the people. When you look at the two of them, they represent what is best in the people of our city."

Miller, who died in 1996, was a business and civic leader and philanthropist. Her efforts are credited for the relighting of the Terminal Tower in 1981, a symbol of Cleveland's rebirth.

She was instrumental in converting the former Halle Brothers Co. store into an office building and the renovation of the Terminal Tower's lower levels into Tower City Center. Miller served as president of Tower City Center from 1982 until her death.

Her numerous community leadership positions included chairing the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland and board positions with University Circle, Inc., the Western Reserve Historical Society, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the New Cleveland Campaign, Cleveland State University, the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and the Cleveland Bicentennial Commission.

A series of development awards also will be presented during the awards luncheon. Those recipients are:

811 Building, Dimit Architects

Canvas City, FRONT International

Crowne Plaza, Playhouse Square

The Foundry Community Rowing and Sailing Center, MCPc

GBX Group Headquarters, GBX Group

The Halle Building, K&D

The Hausheer Building, Geis Companies

KeyTower and Marriott at Key Tower, The Millennia Companies

The Lofts at Southworth, Cicerchi Development Company

The Lofts of West 9th, CITIROC Real Estate Company

The Ritz Carlton-Cleveland, Bedrock Real Estate

Starr Gennett Building, The George Group

Tenk West Bank, BNR Ventures

The awards luncheon will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, Ballroom C, 300 Lakeside Ave.

More information about the event is available online via the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. Tickets may be purchased online for $75.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man who has spent six years in prison in a 2009 gang-related shooting pleaded guilty to manslaughter charges after the victim in the case died last year of complications related to the shooting.

Raymond Adams, now 25, pleaded guilty Thursday to involuntary manslaughter and two counts of felonious assault related to the death of Choosah Peak.

Peak died in January 2017 from bronchopneumonia and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a homicide.

Common Pleas Court Judge Dick Ambrose accepted Adams' plea and set his sentencing for Nov. 27.

Adams was 16 years old and Peak was 15 years old. Both were members of rival Cleveland gangs when a fist fight broke out on July 19, 2009, near East 145th Street and St. Clair Avenue, according to court records.

Adams pulled out a gun during the melee and fired more than a dozen shots, striking and seriously wounding Peak, records say.

Adams was prosecuted as an adult and eventually pleaded guilty to attempted murder, felonious assault and other charges in the shooting, as well as robbery charges in a separate incident, at a 2012 hearing.

A transcript from the hearing depicts a chaotic and emotional scene inside Common Pleas Court Judge Daniel Gaul's courtroom.

Peak's brother, Charles Sheron, told Gaul about his younger brother's grave condition. Peak was hooked up to a ventilator at a nursing facility in Middleburg Heights, ate through a feeding tube and could not communicate or move one of his arms, Sheron said.

Gaul pointed out that several other people were in the back of the courtroom, and asked if anyone was present for the shooting, the transcript said.

One man, who was not identified by name, came forward and told Gaul that the fight was fair until Adams's group started to back off, but Adams stayed and "called somebody who had a gun and they started shooting," the transcript says.

The man said no one in Peak's group had a gun, according to the transcript.

Another man who identified himself as Adams's older brother cried and made comments from the back of the room that were not recorded in the transcript.

Gaul called for extra security and asked for the brother to be brought back into the courtroom, the transcript says.

Gaul asked the brother if he wanted to say anything, and he said he wanted to go home, the transcript said. Before he let him, Gaul asked the brother if he heard Sheron's description of Peak as being "comatose, brain-dead, in a nursing home, on a feeding tube, will be for the rest of his life," according to the transcript.

The brother said he had heard, and again said he wanted to go home. Gaul ordered him out of the courtroom.

Adams's lawyer at the time, Harvey Bruner, said he told Adams not to speak to the court to preserve a future defense in case Peak died and prosecutors sought additional charges, according to the transcript. Bruner said Adams was sorry for the way things ended and said he got knocked down during the fight between rival gangs, the transcript says.

Gaul said he wanted Adams's case to send a message.

"So, you know, this should be lesson to everybody who wants to be in gang, everybody who wants to be violent in the community, when you're involved in this kind of behavior, you have to do a serious amount of time in the state penal institution," Gaul said, according to the transcript. "You will do just that."

He then sentenced Adams to 13 years in prison.

To comment on this story, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Seven Hills man who runs a nonprofit feline rescue shelter is asking a federal judge to prevent the Cleveland Animal Protective League from adopting out or euthanizing more than 130 cats that the APL seized earlier this month.

Dennis Glendenning runs Lucky's Angels Cat Rescue out of his home on Crossview Road. He says in a lawsuit Friday that an Ohio law used by authorities to seize 131 cats, as well as the bodies of other dead cats and kittens, is unconstitutional. He also says the law contemplates that an owner whose animals are seized is also charged with a crime, and Glendenning has not been criminally charged.

A prosecutor, however, says Glendenning will face charges and that the law allows the seizure of animals while an investigation continues.

"These animals were in conditions of extreme filth. The investigating officers had to wear HAZMAT suits to get into the house" because of the amount of urine and fecal ammonia, said Jeff Holland, a prosecutor for the case.

Parma Municipal Court Judge Deanna O'Donnell found probable cause on Oct. 11 that the seized cats were subjected to animal cruelty. She ordered Glendenning to pay $450 a month per cat for the APL to care for them, and said he must pay $58,950 by Friday.

If he doesn't pay by then, the APL is allowed to dispose of the animals as it deems appropriate, which means adopting them out or euthanizing extremely sick cats, O'Donnell wrote.

Glendenning filed a lawsuit on Friday morning, as well as a request for a temporary restraining order that asks a federal judge to prevent the APL from disposing of the cats.

The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. Michela Huth, Glendenning's attorney, said the judge has not ruled on anything, but she said that she and opposing counsel had conversations with him on Friday afternoon and was confident nothing would happen until after hearing.

The lawsuit says Glendenning, who lives in a 6,000-square-foot house, specializes in rescuing, socializing and adopting out feral cats.

The Cleveland APL entered his house with a search warrant on Oct. 2 and seized the living cats, along with several dead ones, the suit says. A majority of the dead cats were in the garage, as he intended to bury them on his property, according to the suit.

He also had six dead kittens in a freezer, as he was waiting for a woman who said she would cremate them to pick them up, the suit says.

One of the cats, Princess Kong, had cancer and died while in the care of the APL, the suit says.

Huth said the law used to seize the animal, also contemplates a person being charged either immediately or soon thereafter.

"It's been 18 days and there are no criminal charges pending," Huth said.

Holland said Huth's characterization of the law is "misleading" and that the law, used for hundreds of cases over the years, allows for prosecutors to file charges within the statute of limitations of a crime. In this case, Glendenning would likely face misdemeanors charges, and the statute of limitation is two years.

He said there is always a delay between seizing evidence and filing charges, and that he plans to review veterinarian's reports and other evidence before making a charging decision. He also said the APL worked with Glendenning for more than a year, and that Glendenning was doing better before a recent backslide.

"It is a baseless lawsuit," Holland said. "It is frivolous and it is an attack on people who really care about animals."

Carmen Rey, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland APL, said there was nobody in the office Friday who could comment on the situation.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Friday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Fifteen of the nineteen men who carried out the 9/11 attacks that have killed more than 3,000 people in the U.S. were citizens of Saudi Arabia. Now Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) has been linked to the torture, murder and dismemberment of U.S. resident and Washington Post writer Jamal Khashoggi. So why in the world was U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo smiling from ear to ear in a photo-op with the crown prince on a visit to discuss the evident killing of Khashoggi?

CNN reports that when Pompeo met with MBS behind closed doors, the secretary of state was more stern, telling him Saudi Arabia had to own the situation.

Grin and bear it Pompeo

Pompeo should have also looked stern and serious when he was photographed sitting with MBS in public before they met in private. Considering the situation and the stakes, Pompeo's wide smile was incredibly inappropriate, setting the wrong tone and sending the wrong message for the world to see, especially Khashoggi's personal and professional family.

Upon returning from his grin and bear trip to Saudi Arabia, Pompeo announced he recommend to President Trump that the Saudis be given a few more days to complete their investigation of themselves for Khashoggi's torture and murder.

"I told President Trump we ought to give them a few more days to complete that (investigation) so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that -- at which point, we can make decision how or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi," said Pompeo.

"How or if "? Or if?? Yes, Trump and Pompeo want to wait and see if they need to sanction the Saudis by withholding Trump hotel bathrobes when they visit or something less severe.

Pompeo really wants to give the Saudis a few more days to work out a mutually agreeable cover story and identify a patsy to fall on their sword for MBS. Pompeo may end up going by the initials 'pBS.'

With a straight face, Pompeo told reporters that he and the president were given assurances that the investigation would be " accurate, fair, transparent," by the same crown prince who may have ordered the live dismemberment and beheading of the reporters' colleague, Khashoggi.

Pouring salt on the Khashoggi wounds, Pompeo told reporters, "We need to be mindful" the Saudis "continue to be an important counterterrorism partner. They have custody of two holy sites. They're an important strategic alliance of the United States."

Tortured for torture sake.

We also need to be mindful that Khashoggi wasn't simply murdered, he was brutally tortured. And that in addition to having custody of two holy sites, the Saudis now appear to have custody of Jared Kushner, Trump and it sounds like Pompeo too.

Turkey said their audio evidence records Khashoggi being dismembered and beheaded alive, with the autopsy doctor, who was part of the assassination team, recommending the hit squad wear music headphones while carrying out their sadistic mission.

When medieval England would draw and quarter its enemies, they did it in public to instill fear, to intimeditate. Khashoggi being dismembered alive, in private, was sadistic torture for tortures sake.

Pompeo claims the Saudis are an "important counterterrorism partner." What happened to Khashoggi was terrorism. Whoever ordered the gruesome torture and killing of Khashoggi as he sought marriage paperwork is a terrorism partner, not a counterterrorism partner.

MBS, Trump, Pompeo body slam free press.

With Trump at a rally Thursday cheering Rep. Greg Gianforte for body slamming a reporter for the Guardian newspaper, we can ill-afford to have the grinning U.S. secretary of state being equally tone-deaf.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly bragged to associates that he had Jared Kushner in his pocket. It's looking like Trump and Pompeo are in his pocket too.
- T. S. Eliot

Thoughts After Lambeth

"The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide."
Associated Press

Trump jokes about congressman assaulting reporter

President Donald Trump praised Montana Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter during his campaign last May, saying "any guy who can do a body slam ... he's my guy" and made a gesture mimicking a body slam. The comment comes at the same time as the administration responds to the disappearance and apparent murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. (CNN)

Don't Edit

The police arrested a man they believe is a member of the Proud Boys, a far-right group involved in a brawl in New York last week https://t.co/0Y1JATqp8d  The New York Times (@nytimes) October 19, 2018

New York Times

FEATURED STORIES

Turkish source says Pompeo heard recording of Khashoggi murder, State Department denies (ABC News)

Conservatives mount a whisper campaign smearing Khashoggi in defense of Trump (Washington Post)

Justice Department opens probe into child sex abuse in Pennsylvania clergy (Fox News)

Trump administration supports Mexico, UN plan to deal with caravan of migrants (USA Today)

Don't Edit

Associated Press

NATIONAL NEWS

Kelly, Bolton get in profane shouting match outside the Oval Office (Bloomberg News)

Lawmakers to quiz Trump-Russia probe overseer Rosenstein (Reuters)

Justice Department asks Supreme Court to toss kids' climate change lawsuit (NBC News)

Ex-FBI agent gets 4 years in prison for leaking documents (Politico)

Sheriff calls for volunteers to look for evidence as search for Jayme Closs, 13, continues (ABC News)

Hurricane Michael: Returning to a city that no longer exists (BBC)

Red tide is spreading in Florida. Hurricane Michael didn't stop it (CNN)

Arizona man, 62, falls into mine shaft, breaks bones and kills 3 rattlesnakes before being rescued days later (Fox News)

Don't Edit

China growth slowest since financial crisis as trade war looms - business live https://t.co/AxQbhAyE9l  The Guardian (@guardian) October 19, 2018

The Guardian

WORLD NEWS

U.S. officials rebut Putin ISIS hostage claims: 'fake news' (Fox News)

Kandahar police chief killed in Afghan attack, U.S. Gen. Scott Miller is unhurt (NBC News)

Mattis meets with Chinese defense minister amid tensions (The Hill)

Pope receives Kim Jong Un's invitation to visit North Korea (CNN)

Israel's high court orders release of detained U.S. student (The Hill)

Take it or leave it? EU offers May few options on Brexit deal (Reuters)

U.S. merges consulate in Jerusalem with embassy, in a blow to Palestinians (Politico)

FBI agents raid San Juan, Puerto Rico city offices in fraud, obstruction investigation (USA Today)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The search continues for a 13-year-old Wisconsin girl whose parents were found dead in their home, with the FBI pushing to get information out nationwide.

Special Agent Vicki Anderson of the Cleveland Division of the FBI says in an email that there are no indications that Jayme Closs is in Northeast Ohio.

Still, Anderson says the bureau is releasing photos and information on Closs nationwide just in case she has been seen.

Closs' parents, James Closs, 56, and Denise Closs, 46, were found dead of gunshot wounds early Monday at their home in Barron, Wis., ABC News reports.

Authorities believe Jayme was home when the shooting occurred and that she disappeared moments later, according to CNN. An Amber Alert has been issued and she is considered endangered.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald tells CNN that he has a "100 percent expectation" that Jayme Closs is alive.

On Thursday, investigators in Wisconsin searched an area near a highway in Barron about three miles from the Closs' home but found no evidence, reports say.

A cell phone used to make a 911 call after the shooting has been found, Fitzgerald tells CNN. Authorities know who the phone belongs to but have not said who it is, USA Today reports.

Police responded four minutes after the call was made but Jayme was gone, ABC News reports.

"Is it a random attack or a targeted attack? I don't know that answer," Fitzgerald says. "That's why those leads are so important."

Jayme Closs is 5-feet tall, weighs 100 pounds and has strawberry blonde hair and green eyes.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the Barron County Sheriff's Office at 1-855-744-3879 or the local FBI division.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Thursday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man and his daughter, who had cerebral palsy, were found dead Thursday morning in a suspected murder-suicide in the city's West Boulevard neighborhood, police said.

The 60-year-old man and his 36-year-old daughter were found dead about 10 a.m. at a duplex on West 112th Street near South Frontage, police said.

Both were found dead in a basement, police said. Investigators believe the father hanged himself, but they have not said how the daughter died.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet released their names.

A Brook Park woman listed in Cuyahoga County property records as one of the home's owners also confirmed that a father and daughter were found dead in the duplex. The daughter had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, the owner told cleveland.com on Thursday afternoon.

She declined to be identified or provide their names.

The Brook Park woman co-owned the duplex with her late husband, who died earlier this month, she said.

The father and daughter were tenants at the duplex but were moving out, the owner said. They had not been heard from in days, and a neighbor requested a welfare check on them Thursday morning, she said.

Cleveland police officers found them dead while performing the welfare check. Investigators cleared the scene by 2 p.m.

Neighbors declined to comment about the deaths.

Investigators have not released any more information. A Cleveland police spokeswoman could not provide any additional details.

To comment on this story, visit Thursday's crime and courts comments page.
MARION, Ohio -- An early-morning house fire Thursday claimed the life of a 61-year-old woman and injured three children, according to reports.

The unidentified woman was pronounced dead at Marion General Hospital, WCMH Channel 4 reports. Firefighters found her in a hallway in the home.

Firefighters rescued a 4-year-old boy from an upstairs room and he was flown to a hospital in Columbus for treatment.

A 3-year-old girl also was treated in Columbus for smoke inhalation, 10tv.com reports. A third child, whose age and gender were not released, also was taken to Columbus.

Officials say eight people were living in the home, which did not have smoke detectors. Reports say it's believed the fire started in the home's kitchen.

The fire remains under investigation.

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Thursday's crime and courts comments section.
FREMONT, Ohio -- A man who pleaded guilty to raping three sisters has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, according to reports.

Officials with the Sandusky County Sheriff's Department say they became aware of the assaults by Anthony Knight, 43, after one of the victims wrote about them in an essay for an assignment at her high school, the Fremont News Messenger reports.

"The class was asked, I believe, to write an essay pertaining to obstacles that they had overcome in their life and she had disclosed that she had been sexually abused as a child," Det. Sgt. Kenneth Arp tells WTOL Channel 11.

The school, the Vanguard Tech Center, notified authorities after receiving the essay.

Knight was convicted on three counts of felony rape. He also must register as Tier III sex offender. He had been indicted on 12 counts.

The rapes reportedly occurred "years ago," Arp said. He said the victims were reluctant to come forward but he credited their courage.

"The biggest thing was the help and support that I got from the school," Arp tells WTOL. "They were a tremendous asset in the investigation."

If you would like to comment on this story, please visit Thursday's crime and courts comments section.
MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Possession of marijuana, Lucerne Drive: An officer went to an apartment complex at 12:11 p.m. Oct. 6 after receiving reports of the scent of marijuana inside a building.

The officer smelled marijuana when he entered the building and went to the apartment from where it was emanating. The man opened his apartment door and immediately walked into the hallway and closed the door behind him.

He told the officer he was not smoking any dope. The officer asked if he could search his apartment. The man said no. He later agreed. The officer found marijuana and a grinder inside the apartment.

Damaged property, Stroud Road: A man heard a noise at 1:30 a.m. Oct. 14 at his home and investigated it, but thought it was a branch hitting a window. When he left for work later that morning, he saw that a window had been shattered and that there was glass in the bushes. It is unknown what caused the damage, which was estimated at $1,200.

Weaving, Engle Road: An officer saw a car at 2:16 a.m. Oct. 14 pull out of the Taco Bell parking lot, make a wide right turn, cross the double yellow road lines and perform an illegal u-turn in the roadway.

After he was stopped, the motorist told the officer that he was tired of waiting in line and decided to leave and turn around. The officer noticed that the man had slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol on him. The motorist said he had had two beers.

He failed field sobriety tests and refused to take a breath test. He was cited for drunken driving and making a u-turn.

Lost property, Engle Road: A man checked out of his Motel 6 room at 11 a.m. Oct. 13. He later discovered his wallet was missing and contacted the motel, saying that he believed he had left his wallet on the nightstand.

He was told that his wallet had gone through the laundry. He later returned and picked up his wallet, but told police that $40 in cash was missing, as well as two credit cards. No one, however, tried to use those cards.

Slow speed, Robert Drive: An officer at 1:08 a.m. Oct. 13 saw a car on the street without its headlights on and weaving. It also stopped for about five seconds at a green light, then continued to weave. The officer stopped the car.

The driver said she worked at the airport. Noting a scent of alcohol on her, the officer asked if she had had anything to drink. She said she had had about three or four beers.

She failed field sobriety tests and measured a .172 blood alcohol content level. She was also cited for weaving and drunken driving.

Suspicious persons, Franke Road: An officer saw two men sleeping in a car outside a residence early on Oct. 9. The officer woke them up.

The driver said he was parked in front of a relative's home and was waiting to go to work. He had no identification on him. A check of his identification came back clean.

The passenger, however, had a warrant out of Strongsville. The officer told the passenger to get out of the car. The passenger pushed the officer in the chest in an attempt to run away. He was subdued and arrested.

The man later calmed down and was cooperative during booking. He was cited for obstructing official business and resisting arrest.

Theft, Southland Drive: A loss prevention employee at Marshall's saw a man enter the store Oct. 8, walk into the men's department and take nine hats, four shirts and three sweatshirts off the hangers and place them in his large jacket. He also took two pairs of sweatpants and walked into the dressing room, where employees confronted him about the concealed items.

He was then escorted to the loss prevention office, where $209 worth of hidden merchandise was found.

Criminal damage, Briarcliff Parkway: Someone punctured tires of a car parked in a driveway overnight Oct. 13. The culprit also tossed a rock through the car's back window.

Assault, Paula Drive: The city's detective bureau is investigating an assault by a student against another student that occurred Oct. 9 at Berea-Midpark Middle School.

Harassing communications, Southland Drive: A woman told police that she has been receiving unwanted and harassing phone calls and texts from her former boyfriend. She told her ex on Oct. 7 to stop all types of communications with her.

She returned to the police station later that day and showed officers that since she had left the station earlier, she had received 14 texts and two phone calls from him.

Police tried contacting the man and left a message for him. He was then cited.

Theft, Pearl Road: A North Energy Shell gas station employee went to police Oct. 5 about a theft. He said that while doing inventory, he found a large shortage of meat stick snacks of various vendors missing.

He checked security video and saw that on Oct. 1, a man had entered the store, walked to the snack aisle, stuffed lots of snacks into his waist area, closed his jacket and left the store. The items taken totaled $600.
Rotunda Rumblings



Getting down to brass taxes: Cleveland.com's Rich Exner took a deep dive Thursday into the myriad tax changes that have been implemented since John Kasich became governor in 2011 -- and some of the tax issues the next governor will face.

Renacci ups the ante: Late Thursday, Rep. Jim Renacci's campaign issued a statement he said depicted a woman's allegations of an unwanted encounter with Sen. Sherrod Brown in the late 1980s, cleveland.com's Andrew Tobias writes. The statement, issued by a Canton attorney who's a longtime Renacci business associate, does not name the woman or provide any supporting evidence. The Brown campaign, which sent a cease and desist letter to Renacci earlier in the day, called the statement "nothing more than further anonymous and unsubstantiated claims" and threatened legal action.

The plane, boss, the plane: Back when he was still a governor candidate, Rep. Jim Renacci repeatedly flew in a strip-club owner's plane around the state without properly reporting the expense, the Associated Press's Julie Carr Smyth reports. A Renacci spokeswoman responded that "according to Rep. Renacci" Renacci reimbursed the plane's owner directly, which was "permissible."



Social Security searches spike: Ohioans made Social Security a top-searched issue on Google this week, Tobias writes. The ascendance of the issue, which previously generally hasn't cracked Google's top-searched lists, coincides with Democratic accusations that Republicans plan to cut the program to pay for their recent tax-cut bill.



Going digital: Conservation Ohio, which has already purchased about $600,000 in TV time on behalf of Democrat Richard Cordray, announced Thursday it is spending $250,000 on pro-Cordray digital ads - a huge amount for a state-level digital ad campaign. The ads will be targeted to women across the state.



On top of that: The AFL-CIO is spending $25,000 on its own pro-Cordray digital ads, according to a spokesman for the union. The ads, set to run through Election Day on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, are part of a 15-state digital buy that's the largest in the AFL-CIO's history.



Another processor announced: Schottenstein Aphria II LLC in Columbus was awarded a provisional medical marijuana processing license Thursday. If it clears inspections, the company will be authorized to turn marijuana bud into tinctures, vaping oils, edibles and other products allowed under the state's medical marijuana law.



Roger that: Roger Stone, the colorful ex-Trump campaign adviser and veteran GOP operative, endorsed Libertarian Travis Irvine for Ohio governor on Thursday. In a Daily Caller op-ed, Stone asserted that only Irvine "recognizes the advantages of accessible medicinal cannabis over killer opioids." Stone's endorsement of Irvine isn't too surprising, as Stone previously assisted Libertarian Charlie Earl's short-lived campaign for governor in 2014.



Martin O'Malley's back in Ohio: The ex-Maryland governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate is spending Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the Buckeye State. He'll be attending canvassing kickoffs, fundraisers, and other events around the state for Democratic candidates. He told cleveland.com that his busy travel schedule isn't just to help Democrats, but to "stay in touch with my network" should he decide to run for president again in 2020. O'Malley said that as a "relative unknown," he'll have to make a decision on a presidential run "fairly soon" once the midterms are over. "I'm keeping an open heart and an open mind," he said.



OH-14 rundown: Cleveland.com's Sabrina Eaton gives a rundown of the race for Ohio's 14th Congressional District between incumbent Republican Rep. Dave Joyce and his Democratic challenger, Betsy Rader.



Balderson bumped: Political guru David Wasserman downgraded Rep. Troy Balderson's re-election chances this week in the aftermath of a disappointing campaign-finance report. He now deems the OH-12 rematch against Democrat Danny O'Connor a "toss-up" as opposed to "likely Republican."



On the flip side: Sabato's Crystal Ball has changed its rating in OH-1 in favor of Republican Rep. Steve Chabot in his race against Democratic challenger Aftab Pureval. The race moved from "Toss-up" to "Leans Republican." (It did not change its OH-12 rating of "Leans Republican.")



Let's spend some time together: While Balderson and O'Connor still have yet to agree on an official debate, the 12th Congressional District candidates are set to appear together in public during the next two weeks. The two are scheduled to attend a chamber of commerce breakfast in Sunbury on Friday., a candidate forum in Westerville next Thursday, and a televised forum in Zanesville on Nov. 1, according to an O'Connor release.



In related news: Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan and his Republican challenger, Christopher DePizzo, are set to debate on Nov. 1 in Trumbull County, according to the Warren Tribune Chronicle's Renee Fox.



And a reminder: Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican Rep. Jim Renacci are set to debate at 7 p.m. Saturday at WOSU's studios in Columbus.

Five Questions

John Kennedy, a Democrat, is challenging Rep. Sarah LaTourette in House District 76. He lives in Aurora, works as an IT director for a higher education association, is married and has two daughters, ages 5 and 4.

1. I'm sure you get asked this all the time: Any relation to President John Kennedy?

"Not that we know of. But I have a funny side story: I have a brother named Robert and a sister named Jacqueline.... (The parents were) big Kennedy fans."

2. How would you assess the job Rep. LaTourette has done representing the district?

"She gives herself a lot of credit, and probably rightly so, for shepherding through a lot of the budget items that get passed through the Statehouse, and I would argue that we needed to spend more money - not less - on things like education, health care, veterans' benefits, on women's health issues, and those sorts of things. And those have not been a priority."

3. You are a Type 1 diabetic who needs insulin daily or you will die. What do you want to accomplish in health care at the Statehouse?

"Insulin 30, 40 years ago cost me 30, 40 bucks out of pocket. And now it's over $300. They haven't improved insulin. It's the same stuff. So it's pure profit ... The first bill I would introduce in January is a bill called Drug Price Transparency... to force pharmaceutical companies to have to publicly display how much money it costs to produce the medicine or the drug, and what their profit margins are."

4. In September you ran 142 miles from your home in Aurora to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, running straight through without stopping to sleep - drawing attention to your campaign, affordable health care and delivering petitions to lawmakers from diabetics who sometimes have to ration medicine to save money. What was that like?

"We met kids who are diabetic who met up with us and walked with us and ran with us a little bit. It wasn't a race. It was being part of a movement. It was less about John Kennedy for Ohio, and bring attention to this issue (of expensive medicine) because people are dying."

5. What do you suggest for those of us who hate running?

"There's something to be said about getting off pavement. Don't run on pavement. Get onto a trail, go into the woods. There's tons of great trails in the Cleveland Metroparks, in Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a place I really adore. Once you catch the fever of being on a trail, you learn to love it."

Birthdays



Rep. Riordan McClain



Straight From The Source



"Richard Cordray, unlike Santa Claus, doesn't have a magic bag that he can reach into and grab a billion dollars here or four billion dollars there." - Republican Ohio Senate President Larry Obhof at a GOP event Thursday in Columbus covered by the Columbus Dispatch.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
Melody J. Stewart

There's a reason Judge Melody J. Stewart of the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals in Cleveland received the Ohio State Bar Association's highest judicial candidate rating in Supreme Court contests this year, with 29 out of 30 points: She's a superlative judge, knowledgeable in the law and focused on fairness and equity in the judicial process.

But Stewart, 56, a Democrat of color who has served on the local appellate court for almost 12 years, would be much more if elected: a change-maker on a high court that is entirely white and entirely Republican and that needs to intensify its oversight of those judges who fail to adhere to judicial canons, fail to act with respect to all those who come before them and sometimes even fail to show up on time.

"I would vehemently work to push some reforms to make the judicial system overall more effective, more efficient and more accountable," Stewart vowed in the endorsement interview.

Also running for the seat vacated earlier this year by the resignation of Democratic Justice Bill O'Neill of Chagrin Falls during his unsuccessful bid for governor is Republican Justice Mary DeGenaro of suburban Youngstown, appointed to fill the vacancy.

With nearly 18 years as an appellate judge on the Youngstown-based 7th Ohio District Court of Appeals and extensive community service, the engaging and gregarious DeGenaro, 57, is experienced and impressive in her own right. She has served well.

But Stewart, her legal acumen attested to by her peers, would bring a different frame of reference to the Ohio Supreme Court in a state whose diversity is not reflected in that august body.

Voters should elect Melody J. Stewart to the Ohio Supreme Court in the Jan. 2 term.

Early in-person and absentee voting for the Nov. 6 election has begun. For more resources on judicial races, consult the Judge4Yourself ratings by four Cuyahoga County bar associations, Judicial Votes Count at the University of Akron and the League of Women Voters' voters' guide.

Local appellate Judge Melody J. Stewart, a Democrat who has served on the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals in Cleveland since 2006, is facing off for an open Ohio Supreme Court seat against Republican Justice Mary DeGenaro, who was appointed in January to finish out Democrat Bill O'Neill's term on the Ohio Supreme Court. Stewart and DeGenaro were interviewed by the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer on Sept. 18, 2018 as part of its endorsement process. Listen to full audio of this interview below:

About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.

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Michael P. Donnelly

Two capable candidates are running for the Ohio Supreme Court seat being vacated by Justice Terrence O'Donnell, a Rocky River Republican who is stepping down because of Ohio's judicial age limits. But what the state high court needs is not just competency, but a greater determination to make the provision of justice in Ohio more responsive, more transparent and fairer.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael P. Donnelly, a Cleveland Heights Democrat, would deliver on those priorities.

Donnelly faces Judge Craig Baldwin of the 5th Ohio District Court of Appeals, a Newark Republican who vows not to legislate from the bench, giving the Ohio Supreme Court's landmark 1997 DeRolph ruling finding Ohio's method of school funding unconstitutional as an example of that practice.

Baldwin, 54, also believes judges should be courteous and rule on motions in a timely way - positions with which Donnelly agrees.

But Donnelly, 52, who serves on the state's busiest trial court, argues that Ohioans are losing faith in courts in part because of plea bargains that aren't related to a defendant's actual offense, typically in sex-crimes cases where the defendant doesn't want to end up on the sex offender registry. Early in 2016, the Ohio Supreme Court rejected a "truth in sentencing" rule 4-2 (one justice abstained). That was the day, Donnelly said, he decided to run for the Supreme Court.

Baldwin declined to participate in the Cuyahoga County bar associations' Judge4Yourself judicial rating process, which gave Donnelly its highest possible rating of 4.0. The Ohio State Bar Association's Commission on Judicial Candidates called both Baldwin and Donnelly "highly recommended." giving Donnelly a score of 26 out of a possible 30 points and Baldwin 25.

Michael R. Donnelly is the superior candidate in this race and should be elected to the Ohio Supreme Court.

Early in-person and absentee voting for the Nov. 6 election has begun. For more resources on judicial races, besides the Judge4Yourself ratings by four Cuyahoga County bar associations, consult Judicial Votes Count at the University of Akron and the League of Women Voters' voters' guide.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael P. Donnelly is vying for an open Ohio Supreme Court seat against 5th Ohio District Court of Appeals Judge Craig Baldwin, who has served on the appellate bench for five years. The two candidates were interviewed by the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer on Aug. 28, 2018 as part of its endorsement process. Listen to full audio of this interview below:

About our editorials: Editorials express the view of the editorial board of cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer -- the senior leadership and editorial-writing staff. As is traditional, editorials are unsigned and intended to be seen as the voice of the news organization.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.

* Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, & look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com.
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Robbery, Chagrin Boulevard: At 8:45 p.m. Oct. 15, police were called to Rite Aid Pharmacy, 20405 Chagrin Blvd., where officers detained a Michigan man, 44, who had threatened an employee, demanded money and stolen goods.

The suspect, who is believed o have mental health issues, did not have a weapon, but threatened to harm an employee.

Police arrested the suspect a short distance from the store and recovered the merchandise and money. No one was injured.

Grand theft, Daleford Road: At 4:20 a.m. Oct. 11, a resident living in the 3000 block of Daleford Road reported that someone had stolen their 2010 Hyundai Accent from their driveway.

Theft, Chagrin Boulevard: At 8:40 a.m. Oct. 11, an employee of Heinen's grocery store, 16611 Chagrin Blvd., reported that a male suspect stole drinks totaling $25, as well as cleaning supplies. The suspect was not apprehended.

Theft from auto, Daleford Road: At 2:10 a.m. Oct. 13, a resident living in the 3000 block of Daleford Road reported that a male suspect damaged their auto, entered the vehicle and stole personal property.

A jacket and currency were stolen from the locked car. The total value of the theft was $120.

Breaking and entering, Pennington Road: Just after 5 p.m. Oct. 13, a North Randall resident who was in the 3000 block of Pennington Road reported that someone had damaged their unoccupied home when breaking in. Copper pipes and equipment were also stolen.

Grand theft, Lee Road: At 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13, a Richmond Heights resident reported that his unlocked 2008 Hyundai Elantra was stolen from the 3000 block of Lee Road.

Damage to auto, Warrensville Center Road: At 8:40 p.m. Oct. 17, a Garfield Heights resident who was in the 3000 block of Warrensville Center Road reported that someone had damaged the interior and exterior of their locked, rental storage vehicle.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
It's a trend that can be seen across workers of all ages and all wage-brackets, including those who earn six-figures: Americans are quitting at the highest rate since 2001. More than 3 million workers voluntarily leave their jobs each month.

In fact, according to a new report from Ladders, most workers making more than $100,000 are planning to quit their jobs within a year.

Ladders surveyed more than 50,000 workers earning over six-figures and found that 67 percent see themselves at the different company in just six months. About 40 percent would move out-of-state for just $10,000 more in pay.

"The gold rush of 2019 is on," Ladders CEO Marc Cenedella tells CNBC Make It. "With an incredibly strong employment market, more professionals than ever are on the lookout for a better future."

Experts like Brian Kropp, vice president at research firm Gartner, and Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor, suggest that the reason so many American workers are leaving their jobs is because quitting is the best chance they have at getting a raise right now. The current labor market has 7 million unfilled jobs, but is not providing significant wage growth.

According to Kropp, the average increase in compensation for a worker who quits their old job for a new one in today's tight labor market is about 15 percent. "You're never going to get that 15 percent [increase] by staying at your current job," he tells CNBC Make It. "That's just not going to happen."
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is sizing up locations for its second US headquarters. Among the criteria: convenient access to mass transit and an international airport, a highly educated labor pool, a strong university system and a diverse population.

Amazon is set to open a new office in Manchester and will hire more than 1,000 new staffers to work on research and development in the U.K.

The U.S. tech giant said Thursday it would hire additional roles in Manchester, Edinburgh and Cambridge as part of its boosted investment in Britain.

Its new Manchester base alone will lead to the creation of 600 jobs, the firm said, indicating a serious investment in England's North. It will also take on more than 250 high-skilled staffers in its Edinburgh development center and 180 in its Cambridge facility.

"With the U.K. taking a leading role in our global innovation, we are delighted to announce plans to create capacity for over 1,000 new highly-skilled roles across the country," Amazon's U.K. Country Manager Doug Gurr said in an official statement Thursday.

"These are Silicon Valley jobs in Britain, and further cement our long-term commitment to the U.K."

The U.K. is a major international market for the e-commerce firm, which made pre-tax profits of 72.4 million in the country last year, according to a filing with U.K. business registrar Companies House, a huge hike from the 24.3 million it made in 2016.

That disclosure led to criticisms, however, due to the discovery that the firm paid just 4.6 million in corporation tax in 2017, far below the 7.4 million it paid out in the previous year. Amazon argues that this is because the firm grants full-time employees share awards, which it says reduces its tax liability. Britain's Finance Minister Philip Hammond has floated the idea of a tax on digital platforms to level the playing field for traditional retailers.

The news comes after a report earlier this year that said the corporation was mulling the creation of its own insurance price comparison website in the U.K., denoting both a further push into the financial services and a challenge to the competitive domestic price comparison market.
Dialog Semiconductor, the Anglo-German chipmaker that Apple is injecting $600 million into, is "carefully" monitoring the brewing trade conflict between the U.S. and China, its CEO said Friday. Jalal Bagherli noted that many companies in the electronics space have supply chain exposure to China, but added that there were no current signs pointing to an impact on Dialog's business operations. "Most of the high-tech companies, particularly electronics, you will have a supply chain that touches China one way or another," Bagherli told CNBC's "Street Signs Europe." "The current trends don't impact us so much, but just like any other international business we have to watch carefully how those tariffs go up." Trade tensions between Washington and Beijing have been simmering in recent months, with both sides imposing tariffs on one another. Some observers have raised concerns about the effect tariffs could have on semiconductor products shipped from China into the U.S.

A customer shows his iPhone XS Max during the launch of iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max at an Apple store on the Nanjing East Road on September 21, 2018 in Shanghai, China. Visual China Group | Getty Images

Last week, it was announced that Apple would buy part of Dialog's business in return for a licensing deal that sees the latter supplying chips for the U.S. tech giant over the next three years. Apple will bring on roughly 300 engineers from Dialog  most of whom had already worked on chips for Apple's devices. "Apple has been a great partner for us for the last 12 years, we've had growing business," Bagherli told CNBC. "This business becomes more and more strategic for them to in-source, to accelerate what they're trying to achieve, and in return we can license part of our technology." "It's not actually selling the business," he added. "We retain the revenue of all our existing products, we're licensing technology and we're giving them very skilled engineers to use those technologies to create their own chips." The transaction was significant as it showed Apple is tightening its grip on chipmaking operations for its hardware products. Late last year, shares of Dialog took a sharp dive after the company told investors Apple was planning on cutting orders for its power-management chips from Dialog by about 30 percent this year. Apple plays a huge role in Dialog's business  it accounted for 77 percent of Dialog's sales in 2018.
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook attends China Development Forum (CDF) 2018 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse on March 24, 2018 in Beijing, China. China Development Forum (CDF) 2018 is hosted by the Development Research Center of the State Council of China on March 24-26 in Beijing.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is calling for Bloomberg to retract its story about Chinese spy chips embedded in the company's server equipment, telling Buzzfeed News in an interview, "This did not happen. There's no truth to this."

"I was involved in our response to this story from the beginning," Cook said according to Buzzfeed. "I personally talked to the Bloomberg reporters along with Bruce Sewell who was then our general counsel. We were very clear with them that this did not happen, and answered all their questions. ... Each time they brought this up to us, the story changed and each time we investigated we found nothing."

Cook also said Bloomberg should "do that right thing and retract" the story.

It's the latest and strongest of denials from Apple in response to the October story in Bloomberg Businessweek. The news magazine alleged data center hardware used by Apple and Amazon Web Services, and provided by server company Super Micro, was under surveillance by the Chinese government. Practically all the companies named in the report denied Bloomberg's claim.

"Apple has never found malicious chips in our servers," Apple said earlier this month in response to the report. "Finally, in response to questions we have received from other news organizations since Businessweek published its story, we are not under any kind of gag order or other confidentiality obligations."

A representative for Bloomberg said the company stands by its story.

"Bloomberg Businessweek's investigation is the result of more than a year of reporting, during which we conducted more than 100 interviews. Seventeen individual sources, including government officials and insiders at the companies, confirmed the manipulation of hardware and other elements of the attacks. We also published three companies' full statements, as well as a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We stand by our story and are confident in our reporting and sources," the company said in a statement to CNBC.

Read the full interview on Buzzfeed's site.

CNBC's Kate Fazzini and Todd Haselton contributed to this report.
Regulators are considering prohibiting some e-cigarette sales in convenience stores and confining them to vape shops, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Friday.

High school e-cigarette use surged 77 percent last year, Gottlieb said in an interview on "Squawk Box," citing preliminary figures from the federal Youth Tobacco Survey. Middle school use skyrocketed about 50 percent last year, he said. Gottlieb has called these levels "epidemic."

Many teens are illegally buying e-cigarettes, including the most popular one, Juul, in convenience stores, Gottlieb said. To confront the issue, he said, regulators could limit sales of flavored e-cigarette products to vape shops.

"We're looking at what can be sold in brick-and-mortar stores and whether or not flavored products can be sold in regular stores like a 7-Eleven and a truck stop and a gas station, or whether or not flavored products on the market should be confined to adult vaping shops, which generally tend to do a better job of checking ID," Gottlieb said.

The agency conducted a retail blitz over the summer, the largest coordinated enforcement effort in FDA history, and issued more than 1,300 warning letters and fines to retailers who illegally sold Juul and other e-cigarettes to minors.

Retailers who were caught include national convenience stores and gas stations like 7-Eleven, Circle K, Shell and Mobil, according to an FDA database.

The FDA is also weighing a ban of online sales of e-cigarettes while it crafts regulation with guidelines on online sales, he said.

These moves are part of the FDA's crackdown against youth e-cigarette use. Last month, the agency ordered five manufacturers  Juul, British American Tobacco's Vuse, Altria's MarkTen. Imperial Brands' Blu E-cigs and Japan Tobacco's Logic  to submit plans to address teen use of their products within 60 days.

Gottlieb said Friday the FDA has now met with Juul, Altria and Reynolds, a unit of British American Tobacco.
The public comment period ended on Wednesday with several prominent industry groups, including the Financial Services Forum and the Bank Policy Institute, urging the five agencies involved to seriously reconsider or scrap major portions of the proposal.

The Volcker Rule was introduced by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act after many firms, including insurance giant AIG had to be bailed out when their bets in the derivatives market went bad.

Wall Street has long complained about the complexity and subjectivity of the rule, which bans banks that accept U.S. taxpayer-insured deposits  such as Goldman Sachs , JPMorgan Chase , and Morgan Stanley  from engaging in short-term speculative trading.

On May 30, U.S. regulators unveiled a plan to modify the so-called Volcker Rule introduced following the 2007-2009 financial crisis, aiming to make compliance easier for many firms and relieving small banks altogether.

Banks on Thursday pushed back on how regulators are attempting to simplify rules prohibiting banks from trading on their own account, a development that is likely to delay efforts to wrap up the overhaul in the coming months.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is reflected in a puddle in New York, U.S., on Monday, June 18, 2018.

In particular, they said the agencies should toss out a proposed new test for assessing whether trades are speculative that would focus on the accounting treatment of the instruments traded.

The five agencies are the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Reuters reported in June that banks had identified the "accounting prong" as a major problem that could actually make life far harder by capturing even more trades than the current rule.

The Financial Services Forum, which represents the heads of the nation's largest banks, said on Thursday that the test was "overbroad and inconsistent" and should be scrapped.

The Federal Reserve declined to comment, but officials at the central bank have said in the past that they are very open to industry feedback on how to improve the proposal.

Regulators had hoped to advance the rule-changes by year end, but one regulatory source involved in the discussions said industry pushback would complicate the process and potentially extend that timeline.

Several industry groups also pushed regulators to better streamline their supervisory work. The five regulators share responsibility for enforcing the Volcker Rule, but banks have long complained that being overseen by so many agencies can be onerous and create conflicting demands.

However, industry groups were generally supportive of a proposal to tailor the rule by reducing its requirements for banks with less than $10 billion in trading assets.

Consumer groups are also pushing regulators to rethink, arguing the proposal would weaken the rule and in turn put the financial system at risk.

"It creates numerous loopholes, intentionally blinds regulators, eliminates reporting requirements, and leaves the banks to self-regulate," said Dennis Kelleher, president and chief executive of Better Markets, a group that lobbies for tighter regulation.

Spokespeople for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. declined to comment. Spokespeople for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China's economic growth slowed more than expected to the weakest pace since the first quarter of 2009 as the country's trade war with the U.S. puts pressure on growth, according to official data released on Friday.

The world's second-largest economy said its economy grew 6.5 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2018. That missed expectations for a 6.6 percent growth, according to analysts polled by Reuters. The latest GDP data also came in lower than the 6.7 percent year-over-year expansion in the previous quarter.

Despite the GDP miss, China's stock markets recovered from earlier losses to trade in positive territories. The Shanghai composite was about 0.37 percent higher, and the Shenzhen composite inched up 0.325 percent.

On a quarter-on-quarter basis, China's economy grew 1.6 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. That met the estimates by economists in a Reuters poll.

Kelvin Tay, regional chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management, said the slowdown in China's growth is not surprising.

"China cannot be growing at 6.6-6.7 percent every quarter because of the fact that they're starting to deleverage and also for the fact that you've got a trade dispute going on with the Americans," he told CNBC's "Street Signs" after the GDP data release.

In addition to the latest GDP figures, China also released a slew of other economic data:

Industrial production for September grew 5.8 percent compared to a year ago, missing expectations of a 6 percent expansion by Reuters.

Retail sales for September jumped 9.2 percent compared to the same month last year, beating Reuters' estimates of a 9 percent increase.

Fixed asset investment for January-to-September grew 5.4 percent year-over-year, beating Reuters' forecast of a 5.3 percent growth.

Although Beijing's official GDP figures are tracked as an indicator of the health of the world's second-largest economy, many outside experts have long expressed skepticism about the veracity of China's reports.

Nevertheless, any signals about growth are closely watched amid China's trade fight with the U.S. as the two economic superpowers slap tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's goods.
The Chinese flag flies outside the headquarters of the People's Bank of China in Beijing.

Three top Chinese financial regulators spoke in support of local markets on Friday, just ahead of the morning's disappointing gross domestic product report and amid an ongoing stock sell-off.

All three statements were transcripts of interviews with media, according to postings on each government organization's website.

"The recent stock market volatility is primarily the result of investor expectations and emotions," said the Chairman of the People's Bank of China, Yi Gang, according to a CNBC translation.

China's economic fundamentals are good, in contrast to the historically low valuations in the stock market, Yi added.

The central bank "actively encourages" some local governments' policies to support the liquidity of businesses based there, and is promoting plans to support equity and bond financing of private enterprises, he said.

The Shanghai composite is trading near four-year lows, hit by worries about economic slowdown, increasing trade tensions with the U.S.  China's largest trading partner  and a global market sell-off in the last few weeks.

The index ended Friday's morning session little changed after China reported third-quarter gross domestic product of 6.5 percent, its weakest since 2009 and missing expectations of 6.6 percent from a Reuters poll of analysts. The country remains on pace to meet its official growth target of roughly 6.5 percent.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's top economic advisor Liu He said in an interview Friday published by state news agency Xinhua that the stock market slump is due partly to the U.S-China trade tensions and other external factors. Liu also attributed the decline to China's economic transition and economic uncertainty, but that the sell-off could be good for the stock market's healthy long-term development.

China Securities Regulatory Commission Chairman Liu Shiyu said in a separate statement that the commission has maintained a baseline of financial market reform, opening up innovation as it seeks to stabilize and boost market confidence.

"[We will] encourage local government-managed funds, qualified private equity investment funds, broker-managed products or newly organized funds, to help relieve the stock pledge difficulties of public companies with good prospects but are temporarily facing operational difficulties, so they can develop healthily," Liu said.
The Chinese stock market is getting wiped out.

China's Shanghai Composite sank to four-year lows this week, while the so-called BATS stocks  Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent and Sina  have suffered heavy losses this month.

That tsunami of selling has inflicted heavy technical damage on the Shanghai Composite, says one technician.

"There's been a very long-term uptrend that's been intact since 1996, and the recent price action on the Shanghai Composite is now violating this," Craig Johnson, chief market technician at Piper Jaffray, said on "Trading Nation" on Thursday.

"From a technical perspective, the next area of support that would come into play on the Shanghai Composite would be around 2,000. That's about 20 percent lower from here, so still significant downside left to go," said Johnson.

As of Thursday's close, the Shanghai was 30 percent below its 52-week high, pushing it deep into a bear market. Another 20 percent drop would drag it 44 percent from the year's highs. It rose 2.58 percent on Friday, even though China's latest GDP report was lower than expected.

"Are you going to continue to see the Shanghai come down, [and] will that ultimately affect the U.S. equities? From my perspective I think the answer is ultimately yes it will," said Johnson.

So far, the has mostly resisted the severity of sell-offs seen in Chinese stocks. The index is down 5 percent this month, around half the drop on the Shanghai Composite. The FXI China large-cap ETF has fallen nearly 10 percent.

There is one Chinese tech name that could be worth a second look, according to Stacey Gilbert, market strategist at Susquehanna.

"Alibaba would be the name that I would highlight," Gilbert said on "Trading Nation" on Thursday. "China has huge and growing e-commerce, and we believe that this is going to be the winner, Alibaba will win. There's no doubt about that."

Alibaba posted 60 percent sales growth in its most recent March-ended fiscal year. It has reported double-digit revenue increases for every year since its U.S. market debut in 2014.

"There are two ways you could play it," Gilbert said. "Set it and forget, just buy the stock, don't look at it again.  The alternative is buying calls."

Gilbert says an in-the-money call in Alibaba shares would provide upside exposure while limiting downside risk. Although elevated volatility has made it more expensive, Gilbert says it is not elevated relative to ETFs that contain the stock.
Full story here

Lora Kolodny

In conversations with 35 current and former Tesla employees, CEO Elon Musk is described as a polarizing figure who inspires but micro-manages to an extreme.

Musk has been known to approve expensive, high-tech projects against the advice of his own direct reports.

Employees also say Tesla relies on disconnected custom apps that make it hard to keep track of project budgets and parts.

It was late 2016. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had confidently told investors that his company would be cranking out 500,000 electric cars a year by 2018.

To hit those mass-market volumes, the CEO ordered a team of engineers to figure out how to "automate everything" about Model 3 assembly. The Model 3 was the future of Tesla. At $35,000 for the base model, it was supposed to be an affordable electric car that would vault Tesla from a niche car maker for the wealthy to a company that could serve everyone.

The team outlined four tiers of car parts that could be put together by machines, from the most rigid and easiest parts, to the most difficult items, which were the flexible components including wire harnesses, carpets and trim.

Musk told them to automate everything through tier 3. The team warned him robots aren't good at installing floppy parts like the big foam hoops that are the seals on Model 3 doors, and that Tesla needed more engineers to manage such extensive automation. But Musk insisted.

The company built big stalls into the Model 3 production line at its Fremont factory, including expensive robots that could, in a perfect set-up, put seals on doors. They never worked correctly, and "primary seal automation" was designated for removal in the first quarter of 2018. The equipment remained for months with cars streaming through the stall. The robots were finally taken out this summer.

Musk eventually acknowledged in an interview with CBS and a tweet in April 2018 that he had been over-reliant on automation. He admitted it was "my mistake."

This anecdote is emblematic of Musk's management style, Tesla insiders told CNBC. Interviews with 35 current and former employees depict an ambitious CEO whose drive to make everything from scratch sometimes impaired his decision-making, leading him to approve expensive projects that failed and delayed production. They also described occasions where Musk refused to consider methods pioneered by other automakers, and ignored advice from industry veterans within Tesla's ranks.

Tesla's future as a mass-market car company hinges on efficient, automated production of the Model 3. Tesla will lose $6,000 for every $35,000 Model 3 it sells, says UBS analyst Colin Langan. It only breaks even if the car sells for over $41,000. Tesla has yet to produce the $35,000 base model of the Model 3.

Tesla did meet the goal of producing more than 5,000 Model 3 vehicles in a week during the third quarter. It made 80,142 vehicles (including 53,239 Model 3s) beating Wall Street analysts' expectations. But the company is nowhere near the 500,000 mark Musk promised in 2016. As of the end of Q3, Tesla has produced 167,975 cars this year. To put that in context, Fordmakes that many cars approximately every 10 days.

Tesla promised investors that it will achieve positive cash flow and profitability in the second half of 2018. But some investors and analysts are deeply skeptical this will happen. Tesla's debts are quickly coming due: The company has to pay around $230 million in November, part of a larger $1.3 billion debt bill coming due in March 2019, according to AP.

Faith in the Tesla CEO is being tested like never before. Investors are wary of his social media and legal battles, attitude towards regulators and recreational drug use.

Many employees think Musk is essential to the company's success. They praise his creativity, sense of humor and inspiring speeches. Some credit his hands-on management style with building a great company. A former Tesla and SpaceX employee, Spencer Gore, who is now the CEO of Impossible Aerospace, explained:

"Elon Musk is in a position most will never experience  trying to deliver an industry-defining product on a limited budget. He can't afford to make decisions slowly, or even always compassionately. When he involves himself in low-level details it's to enhance execution speed. For some engineers, this can be frustrating, at times heartbreaking  but Elon's unconventional style is what built the Tesla we all chose to join."

But other employees describe how Musk's management style has increased costs and complexity in the factories.

Big expensive projects

Musk's ambition to make Tesla factories high-tech and distinct from all other car makers led him to approve spending on systems that some of his direct reports had cautioned were unnecessary or at least unproven.

One example was a project known as the "vision system."

Among other things, the vision system was supposed to speed up end-of-the-line quality inspections for fully assembled Model 3s. Manufacturing engineers installed high-resolution cameras and aimed them at cars coming through to snap photos and transmit them to inspectors in another part of the factory. Inspectors should have been able to evaluate the pictures on a computer, then click "good to go" or flag the car for further reviews or rework. They would be helped by vision control software Tesla bought for the initiative.

Former Tesla employees said the cameras couldn't get a clear shot of some of the key parts and connections that quality inspectors needed to evaluate in every car, such as bolts that were holding air bags in place, or wiring underneath a package tray. Some cameras were repositioned, and new ones were added, but workers would frequently bump their heads on them.

Cameras from this part of the line were removed in the first half of 2018. However, computer vision systems are used elsewhere in the factory for simpler tasks, including body inspections.

Another example goes back to 2016, when Tesla began devising a "magic carpet" that would move parts to workers on the Model 3 production line with software-controlled conveyors and sleds that ran beneath them.

Tesla elevated the entire Model 3 line to make room for this system, and expected to spend around $40 million on the equipment, permits and installation alone, according to engineers familiar with the plans. Tesla dedicated 20 engineers full-time to this initiative for over 3 months, employees said.

This system never worked. Today, factory employees bring parts to the Model 3 line with trucks, tuggers and pallet jacks. Portions of the magic carpet have been repurposed and used in Model 3 general assembly. (Tesla says the project did not end up costing $40 million.)

Musk acknowledged in the company's second quarter earnings call that the original plan didn't work, and said that some parts of the conveyor system were adapted for use elsewhere in the factory.

"So we actually didn't have time to order new equipment because it would have taken too long to arrive. So we took the conveyors that we discarded from the GA 3 line, which didn't work. Or it was way too complex to actually move our products."

The Elon way, not the Toyota way

Current and former employees say that Musk rejects approaches taken by big car-makers, especially Toyota, GM or Volkswagen. This even extends to industry-standard acronyms, which are discouraged at Tesla. Employees who work with suppliers or other outsiders have to translate Tesla-specific jargon into industry standard terms. For example, an ASRS  automated storage and retrieval system  is called a "vertical storage" system at Tesla.

Rejection of outside expertise has extended to best practices that made production more efficient elsewhere.

For instance, in early 2016, parts were stacking up in ill-organized boxes alongside the Model X line, according to people who worked in the factory in Fremont, California. Workers would have to scramble to find the right part, and sometimes sent Model Xs down the line with incorrect or missing parts, hoping they would be caught in final inspections.

Musk heard about a drag on Model X production and was outraged. He marched down to the line and mandated that the team solve the parts shortages by moving a warehouse of pallets closer to the line, and bringing in more parts than needed.

The fix only created more clutter. The production rate didn't improve.

Behind his back, employees turned to a method pioneered by Toyota, known as "kanban" to solve their problems. In its simplest form, workers using "kanbans" put up workflow charts, schedules and cards around a production line to help keep track of items they have and items they need.

In this case, workers took all the parts out of the boxes around the Model X line, arranged the parts with a clear sequence and labels, and put the parts back into the boxes. If one part was out of sequence or damaged, they'd remove a card and leave it in a box or bag to let the supply team know what needed to be replenished.

The cards helped the teams reduce the clutter, keep a small stock of spares nearby, and find the right parts quickly.

But because kanbans were pioneered by Toyota, workers thought they had to hide their kanban cards from Musk during his visits to the factory. Half a dozen current and former Tesla workers say that supervisors in Fremont warned them that if Musk discovered kanban cards posted around their work areas, they were in danger of being fired.

In another part of the factory, some engineers created a digital kanban app, which they used on iPads to avoid scrutiny.

Within Tesla's MOS factory software, there are digital kanban modules, but workers say this was named a "schedule based replenishment" feature to get around the term that Musk hates.

A Tesla spokesperson suggested this widespread perception is wrong, that kanban methods are used widely in Tesla factories and that no workers have ever been fired for using them.

DIY software

Musk has decreed that Tesla should build its own software where possible, instead of relying on business factory management programs like SAP or Sage, or service center and dealership software like QuickBase, DealerTrack or ADP. (The company does use some outside apps, like Atlassian JIRA and Coupa, but aims to become completely self-reliant, employees said.)

Among Tesla's many home-made business applications is a purchasing order system called WARP, previously known as Warpdrive. WARP is also used for car work orders in service centers.

While most Tesla-made software tends to improve over time, recent employees say WARP is seemingly never complete, and has made it hard for them to keep track of whether their projects are staying within budget.

Factory workers say they can't easily see what's been invoiced to the projects they're responsible for in WARP, and how much their team may have left to spend. Getting such information typically requires an email to accounts payable, where a finance professional has to pull and send a custom report back.

More often than not, several Tesla employees said, accounts payable was too busy to send a detailed report, and simply asks how much they need to spend, then reply with a quick approval or denial.

Workers said detailed invoices are hard to find in the WARP system, which does not allow for easy searches. One said he thought he was within budget and found nearly $1 million in charges had been invoiced to his team's project by unknown colleagues. They were now over budget but he couldn't find out why or who was responsible.

Former Tesla service supervisors and regional managers said Tesla's disparate home-made programs made it hard to know when their purchase orders were going to be approved, and when spare parts were coming in for them to fix customers' cars.

Besides WARP Tesla has created several other programs including:

TMOS, its "manufacturing operating system," to track where a Model 3 is in the process of manufacturing, repairs and testing.

MES, a "manufacturing execution system," to support production of its Model S and X vehicles

A Tesla Executive Factory dashboard to show equipment effectiveness and line data, and high-level production numbers to executives

Garage (or Garage Portal) to let workers locate a Tesla vehicle and see which firmware updates customers may have gotten or may need.

Across the many programs, it can be easy to lose track of information about people, expenses, or any particular part and its whereabouts.

Some service employees said they were surprised to learn that when they sent mechanics to help out with "bursts" to build new vehicles in the Fremont factory, their time was billed either to "training," or "research and development," rather than service or vehicle assembly. One said he was relieved that travel, per diem expenses and overtime wasn't charged to his region.

Troubleshooting on the fly

Toward the end of April this year, Musk was troubleshooting at Tesla's Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, where the company makes batteries for its electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

The CEO had promised investors the company should be able to produce 5,000 cars per week by the end of June. Battery production had been a major bottleneck, however, as quality checks ate up time, and automation wasn't working. Employees were still making battery modules partly by hand.

Musk spent time with workers on the line, and swiftly decided to take out a number of "parts, production steps and specs" that he deemed "unnecessary," as he explained to all employees in an email he sent in the wee hours of May 15. He emphasized in the email that all executives should "go on the production line and perform the most arduous tasks personally" to look for inefficiencies that could be stomped out.

Then, to drive his point home, he attached a flattering message that a process technician had sent him, which said:

"I just wanted to express my gratitude for CEO Elon Musk coming down to the 'front lines' at Giga 1 this last week. I can not speak for everyone; but from where I work he came in and eliminated 80% of the problems we were having in about 20 minutes. It was amazing. He re-engineered process and final product on the spot and in 'real-time.' In completely cool fashion he actually 'talked and listened' to the workers on the line where the work is being done and the 'tires hit the road'...That same night we blew away the record for the most production by a long shot! My coworkers and I were all giving high fives at the end of shift."

But not everybody was excited about Musk's revisions.

Several workers at the Gigafactory and Tesla's car plant in Fremont, California, said the vehicles and batteries being made with the new process omitted some parts  including some fasteners that connect the battery to the body of a Model 3  and were not tested for crash-worthiness until months later.

In weeks following Musk's visit, former employees said, they remained under pressure to improve their production numbers.

At the Gigafactory, one manager told quality engineers to keep using parts that were "red-tagged" for scrap or further review, according to one current and two former employees. Employees responsible for quality control repeatedly saw battery modules come through with cells that were raised too high or slightly out of place, and an insulating material called Fiberfrax in the wrong places, they told CNBC.

The manager didn't want modules to slow down battery pack production, and told them to pass the parts or quit. Employees filed several complaints about this issue and manager using an HR system called the "answer bar." More than one person was asked to leave in May after pressing the matter.

In a statement, Tesla said:

"During a production ramp where production processes are not yet mature, sometimes additional parts or steps are added, and sometimes, when it becomes clear that certain parts or steps are duplicative or unnecessary, they are eliminated. This is completely normal and to be expected, and no action is ever taken if it impacts safety, as that is more important than anything.

The allegation that any batteries were not properly tested is wrong, and if someone is saying this, they clearly do not have the full set of facts. Every battery goes through rigorous testing before it is used in a vehicle. Notably, after more than a year of Model 3 production, there have been zero battery safety issues in the field. This would not be possible if we had sacrificed safety or overlooked important tests.

Production will never take precedence over safety  which is confirmed by the fact that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded Model 3 RWD a 5-star safety rating in every category and sub-category. "

'Fail fast and move on'

While Musk may have slowed progress with his hands-on approach and reluctance to use methods invented elsewhere, he seems to be learning from his mistakes.

Tesla more than doubled its production volume between the first and third quarter of 2018, and was able to meet its production goals for the third quarter. It did this in part by acting more like a traditional car maker.

Over the summer, Tesla built an additional assembly line in Fremont in a gigantic tent, or "sprung structure," with an aluminum frame. Workers there now assemble Model 3s with little automation. Michael Kirschner, a global ergonomics program manager at Tesla, said the structure is working so well that Tesla will keep using it for the foreseeable future.

"In a sense, the tent is going back to basics," said Model 3 quality manager Dexter Siga, who has worked at Tesla for 7 years.

"Elon Musk himself agrees that he automated too much, too soon," says Ram Ramasamy, Frost & Sullivan's industry director for automation. "He probably could have avoided a lot of problems by starting small, failing fast, then driving adoption and changing the culture to scale what works."

But Ramasamy says Musk's ability to experiment then move on quickly is a good sign for the long run.

"I'm amazed by his ability to fail fast and move on. He does not lay down but gets up and moves quickly. That really will serve the company well."

Steve Finch, a former GM plant manager with about 40 years of automotive experience, agrees that Musk's approach could eventually set Tesla apart.

"Elon Musk is not afraid of a mistake. He thinks it's probably the way Tesla will actually achieve success. You have a number of failures but that one idea will really propel you and take the industry to the next level."

He adds, "The question is will this put your people at risk, or will you have enough time and money to weather the inevitable failures?"

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CNBC's Jim Cramer said on Friday that Canadian pot stock Canopy Growth is now a buy.

Cramer, who has always viewed Canopy as a best-in-class among the cannabis companies, had cautioned as recently as Wednesday, the day Canada legalized marijuana for recreational use, that he would not pull the trigger yet.

But two days later, Cramer said, "It is time to buy" Canopy, adding he feels the stock is "done going down" after last week's high, making it an attractive investment.

Shares of Canopy opened on Friday about 2 percent higher at nearly $50 each.

Canopy hit a new 52-week high above $59 during the trading day on Oct. 17, adding to a 14.2 percent gain the prior day after announcing a takeover of U.S.-based hemp company Evergreen. But by the Oct. 17 close, Canopy fell 6.8 percent to about $53.

In the Wall Street frenzy for Canadian pot stocks in advance of legalization, Canopy shares have gained more than 400 percent in the past 12 months.

The "Mad Money" host also cited as a positive Constellation Brands upping its bet on Canopy, announcing in August an additional $4 billion stake with options for future investments.

With this latest investment and execution of some warrants, Constellation said its stake in Canopy will become 38 percent. The Corona and Modelo maker also received an opportunity over the next three years to buy up to 139.7 million in new Canopy shares, which represents up to $5 billion in additional funding. If Constellation utilizes those warrants, it could raise its total stake in Canopy to more than 50 percent.

"One day Constellation may be 50 percent of its market cap," Cramer said on Friday.

Cramer's charitable trust does not own any Canopy shares. It sold Constellation Brands before the August announcement regarding Canopy.
The upcoming week of earnings reports may be the "toughest of all," CNBC's Jim Cramer warned after Friday's trading produced "the most treacherous up day" he'd seen in years. "We have more blowups in high-growth stocks, more disappointment in tech, more sadness in health care, and they're offset by just a fantastic pair of rallies in Procter & Gamble and PayPal," the "Mad Money" host said. And strong earnings reports aren't the only things working in investors' favor, Cramer said. "It's the companies that can't be crushed by the Fed or by the trade war with China. And, in fairness, that is a shrinking group," he said. "My watchword remains the same: if a company has any of its fortunes tied to China or the Fed, then its stock is going to be guilty until it is proven innocent, and even then, I wouldn't expect the jury to acquit." With that in mind, Cramer turned to his packed game plan for the week ahead:

Monday: Kimberly-Clark, Hasbro

Kimberly-Clark: Kleenex parent Kimberly-Clark kicks off the week with its earnings report, and after Procter & Gamble's beat, Cramer didn't envy the consumer packaged goods company. "It's going to be a really tough act to follow," he said. "The consumer packaged goods stocks have been tough to own, but Procter gives people hope. Let's see if Kimberly-Clark can keep hope alive." Hasbro: Toymaker Hasbro will also issue its quarterly results, having passed through the worst of Toys R Us' liquidation. "That's flooded the toy market with excess inventory, so I doubt the company will be able to trounce the numbers yet, but if they can't do it this quarter, you know what? They're going to do it next quarter," Cramer said. "I like the stock of Hasbro here, although I'd like it even more if it sells off."

Tuesday: 3M, Verizon, United Technologies, Caterpillar, McDonald's

3M: Tuesday morning marks "the toughest couple of hours in earnings season," and Cramer is most worried about the report from 3M, the manufacturer of Scotch tape and a host of other consumer, industrial and health-related goods. On Thursday, Cramer noted that he was considering trimming his charitable trust's position in 3M ahead of the quarter. "Unless the company announces some significant changes to its worldwide portfolio, I figure it's going to guide down again thanks to the weakness in autos," he said. "It is a shame: 3M's stock is now down more than 60 points and it still hasn't been able to attract any substantial buyers." Verizon: Cramer expected "another stellar quarter" from telecommunications giant Verizon. "It's funny, the stock's just a buck off its 52-week-high because the story is all domestic with tremendous strength in wireless and a good yield," he said. "If Verizon comes in at all Monday, just go buy it, please." United Technologies: The "Mad Money" host is still waiting for United Technologies to finalize its deal to buy Rockwell Collins, reiterating that "the stock will indeed soar" once the deal is closed. The only thing missing is the Chinese government's approval, which has been "elusive" amid the United States and China's dispute over their trade relationship, Cramer said. "However, let me put a worrisome thought right into your head right now: Today Honeywell, which is further along in its restructuring, reported what I can only say was a monster good quarter, [...] but ... someone talked about tariffs on the call and then, boom, next thing you know, the stock is actually down," Cramer said. "It's mighty hard to trust the industrials because of China, and the Fed's not exactly making it easy, either," he continued. "Since United Technologies has some housing exposure and some Chinese exposure, [I'll] pass." Caterpillar: Another China-linked industrial, Caterpillar, will issue its earnings report. "Caterpillar should be terrific, but I doubt anyone will really care," Cramer said. "Linked to China? Slowing. Linked to construction in this country? Slowing. Linked to mining? Eh." McDonald's: McDonald's, however, could emulate Procter & Gamble's "coiled spring" effect when the fast-food chain's CEO, Steve Easterbrook, talks about a return to growth in the U.S. market, Cramer said.

Wednesday: Boeing, AT&T, Ford, Microsoft, Visa, Advanced Micro Devices

Boeing: The deluge of earnings continues Wednesday with a report from aerospace colossus Boeing. Business is so strong at the aircraft maker that even negatives related to China "can't derail this story," Cramer said. "I bet they'll talk about the burgeoning service business, which, like with Apple, has terrific margins," he said. "And not to mention, of course, they have an insanely large backlog." AT&T: AT&T's earnings report  and especially its post-earnings conference call  will give Wall Street insight on how the telecom giant's Time Warner integration is going, the "Mad Money" host said. "I think they're going to regale us with the greatness of their faster-growing media division, but I'm concerned that we'll also hear about that worrisome balance sheet that's caused the stock to lag dramatically behind Verizon," he warned. Ford: Automaker Ford has fallen on hard times as U.S. auto sales taper off, and Cramer cautioned that the pain could be on full display in its earnings report. "This morning Morgan Stanley booted Ford off of its buy list, talking about all the dreams that didn't pan out. When I see a downgrade that close to when it reports, ... I think it's going to be a doozy of a quarter," he said. "It's hard to believe that this stock really acts almost as badly as it did during the Great Recession. I hope the Fed listens to Ford's conference call so they can just see how weak some parts of this economy really are." Microsoft: Expecting "a blowout number" from Microsoft's upcoming earnings report, Cramer said he'd keep an eye on the company's results for Azure, its cloud business that competes with Amazon Web Services. Visa: "Beloved" financial technology player Visa should report "a solid quarter" considering the strong results from rivals American Express and PayPal, Cramer said. "Visa's always a buy on any weakness leading up to earnings," he added. "Take a look at the chart  you'll know what I'm talking about." AMD: Chipmaker AMD also reports earnings, but shares have rallied so dramatically this year that Cramer worried about how high the bar was set. "That said, those expectations are being reset rapidly, as AMD's down more than 30 percent from its highs, including a hideous 11 percent decline [Friday]," he said. "I think you should certainly wait, if you don't have any, to buy it."

Thursday: Comcast, Amazon, Alphabet

Comcast: NBCUniversal parent Comcast's earnings report will likely focus more on connectivity and growth than it will on the media giant's recent acquisition of European cable provider Sky. "So far, the stock's been true to its form," Cramer noted. "The last two times Comcast has done big mergers, the stock initially reacted poorly  goes down about 7 percent  before rallying to crush the averages when people finally understood how good the deals were for shareholders. I think the decline's over. It did the 7 percent thing; now it's ready to run." Amazon and Alphabet: The "Mad Money" host thought Amazon and Alphabet's earnings reports would be "fantastic, but misunderstood" because Wall Street's expectations are so high. "I don't know if you should even buy them ahead of their quarters," he said. "Their stocks have come down, but if they miss, you're going to get an excellent opportunity to buy two of the finest growth stocks of our lifetime at substantially lower levels. I don't see much risk in taking a wait-and-see approach."

Friday: Colgate

Cramer was concerned about Colgate's fate after Procter & Gamble's earnings win. "For all we know, Procter & Gamble didn't just accelerate sales, it took market share from Colgate, which used to be more nimble and much more savvy in the emerging markets," he said. "I think the risk-reward will be muddled now that the stock's jumped a bit in sympathy with Procter."

Final thoughts

With earnings season now in full swing, the windfall of reports still won't be enough to cloud the overarching pressures of trade with China and interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve, Cramer warned. "I'm calling today a reprieve from the dreary grind, but we'll be right back at it with a truly dicey earnings season when we reconvene next week," he said Friday.

WATCH: Cramer warns of Fed, China ties ahead of earnings wave
Anthony Brandisi, Democratic New York State Assembly member from Utica Brian Schwartz | CNBC

EARLVILLE, N.Y.  Anthony Brindisi is trying to walk a tightrope in one of the most hotly contested elections of the midterm cycle. The Democrat, who is challenging Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney for her 22nd Congressional District seat, is a critic of President Donald Trump's economic policies. But in an upstate region Trump won by 20 percentage points in 2016, Brindisi is also trying to avoid outright offending voters who still support the president. Voters have been inundated with attack ads from both candidates, and outside groups have spent record numbers on ads to influence the race. Across a broad stretch of the district, seemingly every other home has a sign in the front yard reflecting an association with different political parties, a striking visual indication that it will likely be a close contest all the way to Election Day. Nonpartisan political analysis site Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball has labeled the district a toss-up. Data analyst Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight gives the Democrat a 60 percent chance of winning. In August, a Siena College poll had Brindisi up by 2 points but a recent survey conducted by Citizens United Political Victory Fund, a political action committee associated with conservative activist group Citizens United, has Tenney up by 8. With the race so tight, Brindisi has been careful not to weigh in too much on the biggest partisan issues of the day, such as the fight over Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation. Brindisi didn't rule out the possibility that the battle fired up the GOP voter base, potentially hurting him on Election Day. "Anything's possible. Certainly I think it's time for the country to move past the Kavanaugh nomination. I can't control things in the U.S. Senate. I can only control things here on the ground," Brindisi said in an interview with CNBC. A Republican strategist aligned with Tenney, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the GOP hasn't seen that passion subside from their internal polls as time goes by. It's been particularly evident coming from the base within the district.

It's the economy, too

On Wednesday in Earlville, Brindisi faced difficult questions about how he can help the region's struggling economy. According to a recent study by the nonpartisan think tank Empire Center, certain parts of upstate New York have seen minimal job creation over the past year. The study shows that from April 2017 through April 2018, Binghamton, a city in the district that has lost over 1,000 jobs throughout the year.

A campaign sign for NY Democratic congressional candidate Anthony Brindisi. Brian Schwartz | CNBC

"What can we do to bring this back into this place? The world needs to be fed," a dairy farmer told Brindisi at the Earville Opera House. The event was billed as a celebration of Brindisi being endorsed by Richard Hanna, a longtime 22nd District Republican representative before he retired in the run-up to the 2016 election. Tenney succeeded him in the seat. After Hanna and Brindisi made their opening remarks, they called on voters in the concert hall to step up to the microphone to let their concerns be heard. The farmer went on to explain that the dairy industry used to be the top money-making business in the district. He said he's seen firsthand how dairy farmers in his community are struggling and one of their ongoing hurdles is a lack of a comprehensive farm bill. Congress has failed to pass a bill that could give those in the agriculture industry the aide they need.

In an interview with CNBC, Brindisi cited Trump's trade war with China, Canada and Mexico as one of the issues dairy farmers continue to face. "Tariffs have hurt dairy farmers in this region," Brindisi said. "At a time when dairy farmers are already struggling with low milk prices, the tariffs have had an impact, and immigration is another issue they are struggling with as they struggle to find migrant labor," he added. He also noted that the median household income in the area is $48,000. Experts, including Iowa's Republican Agriculture secretary, Mike Naig, have said tariffs will have a negative impact on farmers and the agricultural industry as a whole.

The balancing act

The wariness to go after Trump also translates to Brindisi's messaging on certain aspects of the economy being guided by a Republican administration. He held back in criticizing the president's new trade agreement between Mexico, Canada and the United States, calling for more details before he makes up his mind. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, is intended to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. One of the expectations is that the new agreement will give those in the agricultural business, including dairy farmers, greater access to the Canadian market.

Claudia Tenney campaign sign. Brian Schwartz | CNBC

Congress still has to approve the deal. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recently said USMCA will not see a vote until next year. Tenney, meanwhile, has often sided with the president, who campaigned for her in August. She voted to pass Trump's tax reform bill, and she hasn't held back in siding with the administration in regards to some of their trade policies. "It's a mixed bag.  It has affected us in some ways more on the crop side in agriculture and in some ways it has helped," Tenney recently told The Hill. A campaign spokeswoman said Tenney was unavailable for an interview for this story. Trump, meanwhile, made the first presidential visit to Utica in about seven decades in August. He praised Tenney during his trip: "I'm here for Claudia. She has been incredible in Congress. She has helped us so much. ... Hopefully we put Claudia right over the top where she belongs. I don't think she's going to have any problem." Still for the district, it remains unclear if that ultimate allegiance with the administration will translate into her keeping her seat on Nov. 6.
European stocks pared earlier losses on Friday after Europe's economy commissioner said no decision had yet been taken on Italy's controversial budget plan.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended a shade lower, 0.06 percent down as Friday's closing bell rang. In terms of country performance, the FTSE 100 in the U.K., the Swiss SMI, Spain's IBEX were all higher, while France's CAC 40, Germany's DAX and Italy's FTSE MIB pared losses but finished lower. Auto stocks was the worst-performing sector amid corporate news. Michelin fell 11.28 percent, its worst day in seven years, after announcing lower full-year forecasts. Europe's oil and gas stocks were above the flat-line. Norway's Aker BP, partly owned by oil major BP, was the top sectoral performer, after the company reported stronger-than-anticipated third-quarter operating profit forecasts. Shares of the Olso-listed stock rose 4.13 percent. In other corporate news, Intercontinental shares took a hit today after the company delivered weaker-than-expected revenue. The British hotel group however painted a positive picture for the rest of the year, saying its Chinese business is on track to achieve its best ever results.

Brexit talks
The deteriorating relationship between the world's two biggest economies is at a possible tipping point into a cold war, John Rutledge, a principal architect of Ronald Reagan's economic plan, told CNBC on Friday.

"The single biggest question for the future safety of my children is whether China and the U.S. end up as friends or enemies," said Rutledge, now chief investment officer at the Safanad global investment firm. He has also advised leaders in the Chinese government.

The U.S. and China are currently locked in a trade war, with accusations flying on both sides. Most recently, President Donald Trump's administration levied tariffs on $200 billion worth of goods from China, prompting Beijing to put tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods.

"I have literally been there 100 times, trying to do things to bring communications together between these two places," Rutledge told "Squawk Box." "It's going the wrong way now; the wrong way here, with our own issues, but it's going the wrong way in China too, with rise of [Chinese President Xi Jinping] and his power base."

On Wednesday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Fox News that U.S.-China trade talks are on hiatus. And then on Thursday, Larry Kudlow, Trump's top economic advisor, told CNBC that China "has not responded positively" to any of the proposals being put forth by the U.S. He did not elaborate.

"What I keep hoping for is people to get to know each other well enough so they can actually try to sit down and sort things out," said Rutledge. "The cost of not getting along is higher. And the danger of not getting along is higher."

On Friday, China reported slowing economic growth in the third quarter of 6.5 percent, missing expectations and lower than the 6.7 percent expansion in gross domestic product there in the previous quarter.

By comparison, the U.S. economy advanced 4.2 percent in the second quarter. Next week's release from the Commerce Department is expected to show a GDP gain of 3.3 percent, according to the CNBC Rapid Update estimates.

While slowing, the Chinese GDP numbers are high and "masking a much bigger problem," Rutledge said. "The owners of businesses that I know and investors in China are deciding that the trade war with the U.S. is morphing into a longer-term cold war of sorts, and that it's not going to go away when the tariffs go away, if they do."

Rutledge was using the term "cold war" to mean an economic standoff, not the decades-long "mutually assured destruction" nuclear stalemate between the U.S. and Russia that began to thaw in the detente period that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

Earlier this month, former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh was among others who have made that same comparison, asking in a CNBC interview, "Could we be at the beginning of a 10- or 20-year cold war? That has huge implications for the economy."

"Five or 10 years from now we might see two poles: a Chinese-centric world and an American-centric world. And the [other global] economies and countries will have to plug into one or both," said Warsh, who had been on Trump's short list for Fed chairman before Jerome Powell was chosen.

WATCH: US appears at 'precipice of brand new relationship' with China
Ford Motor Company president and CEO James Hackett Rebecca Cook | Reuters

Morgan Stanley downgraded Ford on Friday, saying its earnings and cash flow are under pressure and its dividend is at risk. The number two U.S. automaker is suffering from a perception among investors that it lacks transparency and is failing to take quick, decisive action in executing its turnaround plan, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said in a note. "While we do believe investors will eventually pay for details and execution, we think the market needs more evidence of success before embracing the Ford restructuring story," Jonas said. Jonas downgraded Ford from overweight, the equivalent of a buy rating, to equal weight, which is essentially a hold. He lowered his 12- to 18-month price target from $14 to $10 a share.

Shares of Ford fell about 2 percent in early trading Friday, at around $8.34 a share. Ford's recently announced $11 billion restructuring plan is a "crucial step" for the company, but it hasn't provided enough detail on how that money will be spent, Jonas said. Its share price has fallen more than 30 percent this year. The company also canceled its investor day in September, which worries Jonas. "We had hopes that Ford management would move the other way with transparency and increase engagement with investors on long-term strategy in a more proactive way, which is especially important during uncertain 'shoulder periods' of the cycle," Jonas said. The company hasn't provided enough details on the automaker's plan to invest in autonomous driving and other future technology either, he said. It appears to be behind competitors, such as larger rival General Motors, which has attracted outside investments in its Cruise Automation unit. Japanese conglomerate SoftBank and automaker Honda recently made investments in GM Cruise, which is developing autonomous driving technology for the automaker. Morgan Stanley values GM Cruise at $11.5 billion, more than 10 times what it values Argo AI, an autonomous driving research company Ford has taken a significant stake in. Despite all this, Jonas says CEO Jim Hackett is a visionary leader, who thinks unconventionally and is taking a long-term approach to managing the business.
As Republicans bash Democrats by saying they use "mob" tactics ahead of the November midterms, President Donald Trump offered praise for GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte's assault on a reporter in 2017.

"Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of  he's my guy," Trump said, pantomiming a wrestling move while a packed crowd cheered and applauded during a campaign rally Thursday night in Montana.

Trump doubled down on his praise for Gianforte at a memo signing event Friday when reporters asked about his remarks during the rally.

"Greg is a tremendous person and he's a tough cookie, and I'll stay with that. You're talking about a different world," Trump said after signing a bill meant to promote water supply and delivery in western states.

Trump's rhetoric on Gianforte's attack also appeared to break sharply from his administration's recent tone on press freedom in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance and alleged murder.

GOP lawmakers, including every Republican senator, did not provide answers to CNBC's inquiries about the president's remarks. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

"All Americans should recoil from the president's praise for a violent assault on a reporter doing his Constitutionally protected job," White House Correspondents Association President Olivier Knox said in a statement.

"This amounts to the celebration of a crime by someone sworn to uphold our laws and an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has solemnly pledged to defend it. We should never shrug at the president cheerleading for a violent act targeting a free and independent news media," Knox said.

Gianforte assaulted Ben Jacobs, an American reporter for The Guardian newspaper, during an interview on the eve of his election in May 2017. Gianforte's campaign initially blamed Jacobs for the altercation, saying in a statement that the reporter "entered the office without permission, aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg's face, and began asking badgering questions."

Kathleen William, Gianforte's Democratic challenger in the upcoming election, said in a statement that "Gianforte's assault and lies are not who we are as Montanans," The Guardian reported.

Gianforte, who was charged with misdemeanor assault, won the special election and subsequently apologized. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in June to 40 hours of community service and 20 hours of anger management classes.

At the time of the incident, some Republicans had condemned Gianforte's behavior. "There is no time a physical altercation should occur with the press or just between human beings," House Speaker Paul Ryan said, adding that Gianforte "should apologize."

A spokeswoman for Ryan did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment on Trump's remarks at the rally.

Trump's son, Eric Trump, balked at the Correspondents' Association's condemnation. "Oh, stop," Trump's son said on Fox News Channel. "He can have fun."

"This is actually exactly why my father won," Eric Trump added, explaining that people are sick of politicians with no "charisma" or "personality."
Italy's rule-defying budget plan is fast-becoming a key concern for global markets, as investors monitor the growing likelihood of a showdown between the EU and Rome's populist government.

Concerns over a confrontation between the anti-establishment government in Italy and the European Commission have intensified in recent weeks, as Rome insists on sticking to its expansive spending ambitions  despite an unprecedented rebuke from the EU.

The European Commission said on Thursday that Italy's 2019 budget draft is in serious breach of EU spending rules. Brussels' most pressing fear is that higher spending in Italy could increase the country's debt pile, which is already the second-largest in the euro zone.

The commission's response prompted yet another sell-off in Italian markets on Friday, adding to the repeated waves of selling in the country since a Euroskeptic government took power in June.

The Italian budget debacle sent Rome's government bond yields to four-year highs on Friday. The 10-year bond yield rose almost 10 basis points to 3.77 percent, while the 30-year bond yield hit a more than four-and-a-half year high of 4.22 percent.

Meanwhile, the yield spread between Italian and German 10-year benchmark bonds rose approximately 340 points on Friday, registering a fresh five-and-a-half year high. Shares in the country's notoriously fragile banking sector also tumbled 5 percent Friday morning.

Italian Stocks and bonds fought back in Friday afternoon trade however, after European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Pierre Moscovici, said he wanted to reduce tensions between Brussels and Rome.
Billionaire investor and one of President Donald Trump's closest allies Tom Barrack will not be attending the Future Investment Initiative conference in Saudi Arabia, CNBC has learned.

Barrack will no longer be attending as his speaking session was cancelled by the conference hosts after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pulled out of attending on Thursday, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

Mnuchin and Barrack were slated to be on a panel together next Tuesday in Riyadh.

Barrack is the latest prominent business figure who have dropped out of taking part in the conference, also known as "Davos in the Desert," following the disappearance of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

A spokesman for Barrack declined to comment.

Barrack, a Lebanese American, became close to the president and his operation during the 2016 presidential election. He was one of the lead business figures who helped raise funds for then-candidate Trump and later introduced him to his previous campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Barrack later served as chairman of Trump's inaugural committee

Barrack himself has strong business ties to the Middle East. He reportedly has $200 million invested into the region. His real estate investment firm, Colony Capital, manages at least $34 billion in assets, including $18 billion in over 16 commercial real estate and distressed debt-focused funds.
For investors, the opportunity zones come with several tax advantages. Capital gains placed in a certified opportunity zone fund will not be taxed through the end of 2026 or when the investment is sold, whichever comes first. Any gains from the fund are permanently shielded from taxes if the investment has been held for 10 years. In addition, the initial investment will be discounted by up to 15 percent for tax purposes after seven years.

"We want all Americans to experience the dynamic opportunities being generated by President Trump's economic policies," Mnuchin said in a statement. "This incentive will foster economic revitalization and promote sustainable economic growth, which was a major goal of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act."

The proposed guidance would govern investments in so-called "opportunity zones" across the country that were created under the sweeping new Republican tax law. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin estimated as much as $100 billion in private capital could be funneled into those areas.

The Treasury Department on Friday outlined rules for investors seeking to finance development in underserved regions in exchange for significant tax breaks.

The guidance comes just weeks before the midterm elections. The GOP has struggled to sell its tax law to voters as the party tries to hold onto its House majority.

The proposed regulations clarify that only capital gains are eligible for preferred tax treatment. Investors who can participate include individuals, corporations, businesses, REITs, and estates and trusts. Treasury said additional guidance will be released before the end of the year, with final rules likely to come in the spring.

"We felt it was important to issue the core guidance now that's needed to get the funds up and operating and not wait until we have every question answered," said a senior Treasury official who declined to be named.

Read more: 'Opportunity zones' are popular with investors, but they might offer less benefit to voters

One key outstanding issue is how much flexibility the funds will have to buy and sell assets within an opportunity zone. The official said that will be part of the second round of guidance.

Still, some investors are already setting up funds amid early interest in the new program. Craig Bernstein of OPZ Capital said he has "soft-circled" $50 million in funding, and that demand has been high among families who have been reluctant to sell their businesses or significant shares of stock because of the tax implications.

"I think these regulations are going to free up and unlock a lot of capital that has been sitting on the sidelines waiting to get involved," Bernstein said.

States have designated more than 8,700 Census tracts as opportunity zones, including nearly all of Puerto Rico. The average poverty rate in the zones is 32 percent, compared with the national average of 17 percent.

The American Investment Council, which represents private equity investors, said it is reviewing the regulations but has welcomed the idea.

"The private equity industry supports Opportunity Zones and looks forward to playing a role as this important program moves forward," AIC President Drew Maloney said in a statement to CNBC. "Our members have a successful record of investing in communities across America, supporting millions of jobs, and strengthening local economies."

WATCH: Trump agenda, attitude overshadow tax cuts
Italian sovereign debt yields hit fresh multi-year highs Friday morning, as investors grow cautious over lending to the embattled government after it unveiled new budget plans. Ten-year and 30-year bond yields  yields have an inverse relationship to a bond's price  hit their highest levels since early 2014, according to Reuters, just hours after the European Union warned of rule breaches in Italy's draft budget. The interest rate on the 10-year benchmark bond rose to 3.7410 percent by 9:00 a.m. London time after finishing Thursday at 3.673 percent. Shares on Milan's FTSE MIB also slid 0.9 percent in early trade after steep losses in the previous session. Italian stocks and bonds fought back in Friday afternoon trade however, after European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs, Pierre Moscovici, said he wanted to reduce tensions between Brussels and Rome. Investors have shown concerns over Italy's 2019 budget, which was officially sent to the EU this week for analysis. The anti-establishment and partly right-wing government in Italy plans to increase public spending, sticking with campaign pledges before the general election in March this year.

There are fears that the fiscal plan will derail the reduction of the country's debt pile  which is the second largest in the euro zone, totaling 2.3 trillion euros ($2.6 trillion). Within Europe, countries are expected to not run an annual deficit greater than 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). However, in Italy's case its debts have led to Brussels requesting that Rome work toward balancing its books. Italy's prime minister has defended its free-spending budget this week, after officials in Brussels criticized the plans. On Thursday, the Brussels-based institution sent a letter to the Italian finance minister, Giovanni Tria, warning him that the 2019 budget draft seemed to point to a "particularly serious non-compliance with the budgetary policy obligations laid down" in European rules. The Italian government has until Monday to reply to the commission's latest letter. Bryn Jones, the head of fixed income at Rathbones, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Friday that he would rather wait to see what happens before taking a position on Italian debt. "The yields are currently very high, but I wouldn't be adding to them until this story plays out a little bit. I am not that confident that we will get to a solution in the very-short term," Jones said.
Growing a company requires hiring the right people. For Jack Ma, the man behind Chinese tech giant Alibaba, that's a process that took him some time to master.

Ma, speaking in the Indonesian resort island of Bali in October, recalled a hiring mistake he made in the early days of Alibaba.

"When I raised my first round of funds, it was $5 million. I hired a lot of vice presidents from multinational companies. One of the VPs of marketing came to me, he gave me a proposal, he said: 'Sir, this is our next year's business marketing plan,'" Ma said at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

As it turned out, that plan was designed to cost $12 million  way over the spending budget that the company could afford back then, Ma explained. But that employee admitted that he had never done a business plan below $10 million.

"So I said: 'Alright, it's not his fault, it's my fault,'" Ma said, adding that he realized his decision to hire those people then was akin to placing a Boeing 747 engine into a tractor.
Ronald Derisi was arrested for allegedly threatening to assault and murder two U.S. senators over their support for Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. (File photo).

A New York man was arrested Friday morning for allegedly threatening to murder and assault two U.S. senators because of their support for the successful nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, federal authorties said.

The man, 74-year-old Ronald DeRisi of Smithtown, Long Island, phoned in his expletive-laden threats to the offices in the home states of the senators, according to a federal complaint lodged against him. The complaint did not identify the senators.

DeRisi previously pleaded guilty to a state charge of aggravated harassement, which was related to his repeatedly phoning a victim's home and office more than 15 times in 2015 to leave threatening messages.

The new complaint says that DeRisi, starting on Sept. 27, left more than 10 "threatening voice-messages" at the offices of the two senators regarding Kavanaugh's then-pending nomination.

The threats apparently were made to discourage the senators from supporting Kavanaugh "and/or as retaliation for having voted to confirm Judge Kavanaugh" later, according to a statement by the United States Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting the case.

The complaint said DeRisi used a pre-paid cellphone to make the threatening calls from or around his home.

DeRisi's lawyer, Peter Brill, told CNBC that his client was diagnosed after his 2015 arrest with "cerebral atrophy which has led to progressive dementia."

"He's not a violent person, although his disease has led to an increased lack of impulse control," Brill said. "We know this story was scary to the people he called, but he's not a violent person and I'm just going to continue to hope that he gets th help that he needs."

The arrest comes two days after the husband of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said he received a threatening letter that referred to Collins' support for Kanvanaugh, and which claimed to be tainted with the deadly toxin ricin.

Tests showed there was no danger from the letter, but Collins' husband, Thomas Daffron, and the couple's Labrador retriever, Pepper, were quarantined before the test results. The person responsible for the letter to Daffron has not been apprehended.

In one message cited in the complaint unsealed in New York, DeRisi on Sept. 27 left a voice message that said he had a "present" for the first senator, saying, "It's a nine millimeter. Side of your ... skull.

"Yeah, Kavanaugh  I don't think so," DeRisi said, according to the complaint. On the same day, the complaint said, DeRisi left another message for the same senator, saying "If f----- Kavanaugh get's in, he's dead f------ meat!"

In an Oct. 6 call to the second senator, which was the same day Kavanaugh was confirmed, DeRisi said, "You better pray this guy don't get in."

"I'm gonna get you," DeRisi said in a follow-up message to the same senator, the complaint charges.

DeRisi was identified through phone records, voice exemplars and the debit card he used to buy the pre-paid cell phone, according to authorities.

After his arrest, United States Capitol Police, who led the investigation, executed a search warrant and seized the cell phone used to leave the threatening messages, prosecutors said.

"We and all those dedicated to the rule of law will not tolerate the use violence and threats of violence in attempts to prevail in political disputes," said Richard Donoghue, the U.S. Attorney for New York's Eastern District.
Rocket builder Vector said Friday it has raised $70 million in a round of financing, with a Morgan Stanley alternative investment fund joining Silicon Valley backers.

Vector is developing small rockets priced at less than $3 million a launch. They are designed to be capable of putting up satellites and spacecraft about the size of a microwave, which are a premium part of the rocket market. Small rockets can save customers months of time getting to orbit but come at a higher cost compared with flying as a "rideshare" on a larger rocket like the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

CEO Jim Cantrell told CNBC that Vector is trying to do "essentially what Henry Ford did with the automobile assembly line," but with rockets. Vector's end goal is to be launching more than 100 times each year, with this latest round of funding intending to get its two rocket types, the Vector-R and the Vector-H, flying to orbit.

"We're looking to fly up to a dozen next year," Cantrell said. "We've got to get the Vector-R launched first but we're also hoping to have the inaugural Vector-H launch next year."

New York-based Kodem Growth Partners led the $70 million round in conjunction with the strategic opportunities business within Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners. Previous investors Sequoia Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Shasta Ventures also joined this round.

"What drew us to Vector was the vision Jim Cantrell and John Garvey painted for us about how space communications and the satellite industry were fundamentally changing," Lightspeed partner Alex Taussig told CNBC. "They convinced us that there was this bottleneck, and if you solve the bottleneck then you will multiply the addressable market significantly."

The strategic opportunities business is a smaller fund within Morgan Stanley, which has about $475 billion total assets under management, and is only accessible to a limited number of the investment bank's clients.

"Silicon Valley is where we got our start, but we have found that there was a huge interest in the New York money community," Cantrell said.'

Space Angels CEO Chad Anderson tweeted congratulations to Vector, saying the company has "by far the most efficient use of capital in the launch business."

@spacecapital: Congrats to the entire Vector team! @SpaceAngels is proud to have led Vector's Seed round - by far the most efficient use of capital in the launch business, with just 2.5 years from founding to orbit.

Kodem operating partner Phil Friedman also joined Vector's board of directors, intending to help prepare the company for an initial public offering. Cantrell described Friedman as "an insider in the aerospace industry," noting that Friedman has been in buy-side and sell-side roles on Wall Street for over 35 years.

"We were very impressed with management's forwarding looking view regarding how to ramp production once the development phase had ended," Friedman said in an email.

While Friedman said Kodem's investment does not have a "preconceived philosophy regarding exit," Cantrell estimated an IPO for Vector is about three years away.

"We think the new space community needs more IPOs and intend to be the ones leading that," Cantrell said. He added that he's seen anecdotal interest from the public, with retail investors asking to buy shares in Vector. Cantrell said he's hopeful an IPO is in only a few years, and he's "trying to give the public and our investors a feel for what it's like to develop a rocket company."
Pope Francis on Thursday received an invitation to visit North Korea and the pontiff indicated he would consider making what would be a landmark trip to a nation known for severe restrictions on religious practice, according to South Korean officials.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in relayed the invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to the pope verbally during a 35-minute meeting in the Vatican.

Any visit would be the first by a pope to the reclusive state which does not allow priests to be permanently stationed there. There is little information on how many of its citizens are Catholic, or how they practice their faith.

North Korea's constitution guarantees freedom of religion as long as it does not undermine the state.

But beyond a handful of state-controlled places of worship - including a Catholic church in the capital of Pyongyang - no open religious activity is allowed and the authorities have repeatedly jailed foreign missionaries.

Kim told Moon, a Catholic, of his wish to meet the pontiff during a meeting last month and the South Korean leader announced before the trip that he would be relaying a message.

According to the president's office, Francis expressed his strong support for efforts to bring peace to the Korean peninsula. Moon's office quoted the pope as telling Moon: "Do not stop, move forward. Do not be afraid."

Asked if Kim should send a formal invitation, Moon's office quoted the pope as responding to Moon: "your message is already sufficient but it would be good for him to send a formal invitation."

"I will definitely answer if I get the invitation, and I can go," the president's office quoted the pope as saying.
When asked to confirm that Khashoggi is not inside the consulate, the crown prince told Bloomberg, "Yes, he's not inside."

"My understanding is he entered and he got out after a few minutes or one hour. I'm not sure. We are investigating this through the foreign ministry to see exactly what happened at that time," he told Bloomberg at the time.

It also contradicts the Saudi government's earlier account of events. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman previously told Bloomberg that the dissident journalist left the consulate shortly after he arrived .

That explanation counters multiple reports of how Khashoggi died. Turkish officials told The New York Times that it has audio evidence which proves Khashoggi was tortured, killed and subsequently dismembered by a hit team of Saudi agents.

The government said that Khashoggi got into a fight with the people he met at the consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on Oct. 2. The kingdom alleged that Khashoggi died in that clash.

A man holds a poster of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a protest organized by members of the Turkish-Arabic Media Association at the entrance to Saudi Arabia's consulate on October 8, 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The kingdom also fired Deputy Chief of General Intelligence Ahmad bin Hassan Asiri and royal court advisor Abdullah Al-Qahtani. The kingdom also said a committee would be formed to restructure its intelligence agency under the supervision of Prince Mohammed, "to modernize its regulations and define its powers precisely."

On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Saudi officials close to the crown prince planned on blaming Asiri for Khashoggi's death. The Times said by making Asiri a scapegoat, the government could help shield the crown prince from blame.

Through its state press, the kingdom said it has detained 18 Saudi nationals after preliminary investigations linked them to the case.

@Spa_Eng: Attorney General: Primary investigations disclose the death of Jamal Khashoggi. Investigations continue with 18 persons, all are Saudi nationals.

Saudi Arabia said it "is taking the necessary measures to clarify the circumstances in the case of Saudi citizen Jamal Khashoggi" and that "all those involved will be brought to justice."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders issued the following statement:

"The United States acknowledges the announcement from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that its investigation into the fate of Jamal Khashoggi is progressing and that it has taken action against the suspects it has identified thus far. We will continue to closely follow the international investigations into this tragic incident and advocate for justice that is timely, transparent, and in accordance with all due process. We are saddened to hear confirmation of Mr. Khashoggi's death, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family, fiancee, and friends."

In the weeks following Khashoggi's disappearance, the international community increasingly pressed Saudi Arabia for the dissident's whereabouts. U.S. President Donald Trump also faced mounting criticism for being too soft in his response. On Thursday, Trump acknowledged Khashoggi was likely dead and said he would consider "very severe consequences" if Saudi Arabia is found responsible.

But Trump's resistance to act swiftly sparked comparisons to how he has spoken deferentially about other autocratic leaders accused of human rights abuses, such as Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. On Tuesday, the president told The Associated Press that he saw a case of "you're guilty until proven innocent."

Trump on Friday called the arrests a "good first step." Yet he also mentioned that he would be reluctant to undo arms deals with the kingdom if the U.S. were to slap Saudi Arabia with sanctions over Khashoggi's death.

Vice President Mike Pence said that the U.S. will not "solely rely" on information provided by Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Several members of Congress have called for swift sanctions on oil-rich Saudi Arabia in the uproar over Khashoggi. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., quickly expressed his doubts about the Saudi account of the journalist's death, saying "It's hard to find this latest 'explanation' as credible."

@LindseyGrahamSC: First we were told Mr. Khashoggi supposedly left the consulate and there was blanket denial of any Saudi involvement. Now, a fight breaks out and he's killed in the consulate, all without knowledge of Crown Prince.

The announcement comes more than two weeks after Khashoggi was last seen in public, entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi was a frequent critic of Saudi Arabia's royal family and wrote columns for The Washington Post.

In his last column for the Post, Khashoggi highlighted the need for independent and free press in Arab nations. He said the international community had turned a blind eye to the increasing rate at which Arab governments were silencing the press.

"These actions no longer carry the consequence of a backlash from the international community. Instead, these actions may trigger condemnation quickly followed by silence," Khashoggi wrote.

 CNBC's Jacob Pramuk, Christina Wilkie and Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.
Staff members and journalists pose with the screen showing Alibaba's GMV of the Single's Day Global Shopping Festival at Shanghai Expo Centre in Shanghai, China.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba said that its upcoming mega-shopping event will be the largest-ever in terms of "scale and reach" as it looks to continue growing what has become a multibillion-dollar sales day.

The event, which takes places on Nov. 11, is Alibaba's day of massive sales across all of its platforms and has been compared to Black Friday in the United States. Widely known as "Singles Day," the event is also known as the 11:11 shopping festival because of the date it takes place.

It's the 10th anniversary of the event, which was created by current Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang in 2009. Back then, Singles Day brought in $7.8 million in gross merchandise value. Total GMV generated in 2017 was $25.3 billion. In comparison, online sales for Black Friday in the U.S. racked up $5 billion last year, according to data from Adobe.

Alibaba did not offer any forecast for this year's sales.

On Friday, Alibaba officially kicked off the festival with an event in Beijing, China, where Zhang outlined how the company's so-called "new retail" strategy will help make this year's event be the largest ever "in terms of scale and reach," according to a press release.
Check out the companies making headlines before the bell:

Procter & Gamble  The consumer products giant reported adjusted quarterly profit of $1.12 per share, exceeding estimates by 3 cents a share. Revenue also came in above Street forecasts and the company posted organic sales growth of 4 percent for its fiscal first quarter.

Honeywell  Honeywell earned an adjusted $2.03 per share for the third quarter, 4 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also came in above forecasts, with strong sales in the company's warehouse automation and aerospace businesses.

Ford Motor  The automaker's stock was downgraded to "equal-weight" from "overweight" at Morgan Stanley, which said it's seen limited progress from Ford's restructuring as well as increased risk in a variety of areas.

VF Corp.  The apparel maker topped estimates by 3 cents a share, with adjusted quarterly profit of $1.36 per share. Revenue also came in above expectations. VF was helped by strong demand for its Vans shoes and North Face clothing.

Harley-Davidson  BMO Capital downgraded the motorcycle maker's stock to "market perform" from "outperform," saying it made a "bad call" in a previous upgrade given that expected sales drivers did not materialize.

Amazon.com  Amazon has made a fresh round of visits to candidate cities for its planned second headquarters, according to The Wall Street Journal. The paper said Amazon has visited New York, Newark, Chicago, and others  although the visits don't necessarily mean that those cities are the most likely choices.

Walt Disney  Barclays upgraded Disney to "overweight" from "equal weight," saying the company has a key mix of assets to be successful in a world increasingly focused on "over the top" offerings.

American Express  American Express beat estimates by 11 cents a share, with quarterly profit of $1.88 per share. The financial services giant's revenue also topped forecasts, helped by a boost in credit-card spending.

PayPal  PayPal reported adjusted quarterly profit of 58 cents per share, 4 cents a share above estimates. Revenue for the payment services company also topped forecasts by a slight margin. PayPal saw a 15 percent increase of total active accounts to 254 million.

Apple  Apple was rated "outperform" in new coverage at Wedbush Securities, which set a $310 per share price target and added the stock to its "best ideas" list. Wedbush thinks the Street's consensus on iPhone demand may be too conservative.

Roku  The stock was upgraded to "outperform" from "sector perform" at RBC Capital, which noted the recent correction in the stock price and said the video streaming device maker represents one of the best opportunities in the ad-supported "over the top" programming space.

AIG  AIG said it expected third-quarter catastrophe losses of $1.5 billion to $1.7 billion. The insurer said the losses were largely related to two typhoons in Japan, Hurricane Florence in the U.S., and California mudslides.

DowDupont  DowDupont said it would take a $4.6 billion impairment charge, after an analysis showed its agriculture unit would not meet prior sales and profit projections.

Tesla  Tesla unveiled a $45,000 version of its Model 3 sedan, featuring a battery whose range is about 260 miles, 50 miles less than the more expensive version of the vehicle.

E*Trade Financial  E*Trade board chairman Rodger Lawson told analysts that the online brokerage firm is not for sale, saying its best path to create shareholder value is to continue to execute its business plan.

Skechers  Skechers reported quarterly profit of 58 cents per share, 7 cents a share above estimates. The footwear maker's revenue came in below Street forecasts, but still hit record levels thanks to growth in both domestic and international markets.

Intuitive Surgical  The company earned an adjusted $2.83 per share for its latest quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.66 a share. Revenue came in slightly above estimates, helped by increased use of its robotic surgical devices.

Micron Technology  Micron will buy out Intel's stake in a flash memory joint venture for $1.5 billion. The chipmaker said it expects to close the deal within six to 12 months.

Biogen  Biogen was downgraded to "market perform" from "outperform" at Bernstein, which said it is tough to envision material outperformance for the drug maker in 2019.
Elon Musk, Tesla CEO J. Emilio Flores | Corbis | Getty Images

It was late 2016. Tesla CEO Elon Musk had confidently told investors that his company would be cranking out 500,000 electric cars a year by 2018. To hit those mass-market volumes, the CEO ordered a team of engineers to figure out how to "automate everything" about Model 3 assembly. The Model 3 was the future of Tesla. At $35,000 for the base model, it was supposed to be an affordable electric car that would vault Tesla from a niche car maker for the wealthy to a company that could serve everyone.

The team outlined four tiers of car parts that could be put together by machines, from the most rigid and easiest parts, to the most difficult items, which were the flexible components including wire harnesses, carpets and trim. Musk told them to automate everything through tier 3. The team warned him robots aren't good at installing floppy parts like the big foam hoops that are the seals on Model 3 doors, and that Tesla needed more engineers to manage such extensive automation. But Musk insisted. The company built big stalls into the Model 3 production line at its Fremont factory, including expensive robots that could, in a perfect setup, put seals on doors. They never worked correctly, and "primary seal automation" was designated for removal in the first quarter of 2018. The equipment remained for months with cars streaming through the stall. The robots were finally taken out this summer. Musk eventually acknowledged in an interview with CBS and a tweet in April 2018 that he had been over-reliant on automation. He admitted it was "my mistake." Tweet This anecdote is emblematic of Musk's management style, Tesla insiders told CNBC. Interviews with 35 current and former employees depict an ambitious CEO whose drive to make everything from scratch sometimes impaired his decision-making, leading him to approve expensive projects that failed and delayed production. They also described occasions where Musk refused to consider methods pioneered by other automakers and ignored advice from industry veterans within Tesla's ranks.

Tesla's future as a mass-market car company hinges on efficient, automated production of the Model 3. Tesla will lose $6,000 for every $35,000 Model 3 it sells, says UBS analyst Colin Langan. It only breaks even if the car sells for over $41,000. Tesla has yet to produce the $35,000 base model of the Model 3. Tesla did meet the goal of producing more than 5,000 Model 3 vehicles in a week during the third quarter. It made 80,142 vehicles (including 53,239 Model 3's), beating Wall Street analysts' expectations. But the company is nowhere near the 500,000 mark Musk promised in 2016. As of the end of Q3, Tesla has produced 167,975 cars this year. To put that in context, Ford makes that many cars approximately every 10 days. Tesla promised investors that it will achieve positive cash flow and profitability in the second half of 2018. But some investors and analysts are deeply skeptical this will happen. Tesla's debts are quickly coming due: The company has to pay around $230 million in November, part of a larger $1.3 billion debt bill coming due in March 2019, according to AP. Faith in the Tesla CEO is being tested like never before. Investors are wary of his social media and legal battles, attitude toward regulators and recreational drug use. Many employees think Musk is essential to the company's success. They praise his creativity, sense of humor and inspiring speeches. Some credit his hands-on management style with building a great company. A former Tesla and SpaceX employee, Spencer Gore, who is now the CEO of Impossible Aerospace, explained: "Elon Musk is in a position most will never experience  trying to deliver an industry-defining product on a limited budget. He can't afford to make decisions slowly, or even always compassionately. When he involves himself in low-level details it's to enhance execution speed. For some engineers, this can be frustrating, at times heartbreaking  but Elon's unconventional style is what built the Tesla we all chose to join." But other employees describe how Musk's management style has increased costs and complexity in the factories.

Big expensive projects

Musk's ambition to make Tesla factories high-tech and distinct from all other carmakers led him to approve spending on systems that some of his direct reports had cautioned were unnecessary or at least unproven. One example was a project known as the "vision system." Among other things, the vision system was supposed to speed up end-of-the-line quality inspections for fully assembled Model 3s. Manufacturing engineers installed high-resolution cameras and aimed them at cars coming through to snap photos and transmit them to inspectors in another part of the factory. Inspectors should have been able to evaluate the pictures on a computer, then click "good to go" or flag the car for further reviews or rework. They would be helped by vision control software Tesla bought for the initiative.

Former Tesla employees said the cameras couldn't get a clear shot of some of the key parts and connections that quality inspectors needed to evaluate in every car, such as bolts that were holding air bags in place, or wiring underneath a package tray. Some cameras were repositioned, and new ones were added, but workers would frequently bump their heads on them. Cameras from this part of the line were removed in the first half of 2018. However, computer vision systems are used elsewhere in the factory for simpler tasks, including body inspections. Another example goes back to 2016, when Tesla began devising a "magic carpet" that would move parts to workers on the Model 3 production line with software-controlled conveyors and sleds that ran beneath them. Tesla elevated the entire Model 3 line to make room for this system, and expected to spend around $40 million on the equipment, permits and installation alone, according to engineers familiar with the plans. Tesla dedicated 20 engineers full-time to this initiative for over 3 months, employees said. This system never worked. Today, factory employees bring parts to the Model 3 line with trucks, tuggers and pallet jacks. Portions of the magic carpet have been repurposed and used in Model 3 general assembly. (Tesla says the project did not end up costing $40 million.) Musk acknowledged in the company's second-quarter earnings call that the original plan didn't work and said that some parts of the conveyor system were adapted for use elsewhere in the factory. "So we actually didn't have time to order new equipment because it would have taken too long to arrive. So we took the conveyors that we discarded from the GA 3 line, which didn't work. Or it was way too complex to actually move our products."

Damien Boozer and Paul Jacob work on the general assembly of the Tesla Model 3 at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California, on Thursday, July 26, 2018. Mason Trinca | The Washington Post | Getty Images

The Elon way, not the Toyota way

Current and former employees say that Musk rejects approaches taken by big carmakers, especially Toyota, GM or Volkswagen. This even extends to industry-standard acronyms, which are discouraged at Tesla. Employees who work with suppliers or other outsiders have to translate Tesla-specific jargon into industry standard terms. For example, an ASRS  automated storage and retrieval system  is called a "vertical storage" system at Tesla. Rejection of outside expertise has extended to best practices that made production more efficient elsewhere. For instance, in early 2016, parts were stacking up in ill-organized boxes alongside the Model X line, according to people who worked in the factory in Fremont, California. Workers would have to scramble to find the right part, and sometimes sent Model Xs down the line with incorrect or missing parts, hoping they would be caught in final inspections. Musk heard about a drag on Model X production and was outraged. He marched down to the line and mandated that the team solve the parts shortages by moving a warehouse of pallets closer to the line and bringing in more parts than needed. The fix only created more clutter. The production rate didn't improve.

Behind his back, employees turned to a method pioneered by Toyota, known as "kanban," to solve their problems. In its simplest form, workers using "kanbans" put up workflow charts, schedules and cards around a production line to help keep track of items they have and items they need. In this case, workers took all the parts out of the boxes around the Model X line, arranged the parts with a clear sequence and labels, and put the parts back into the boxes. If one part was out of sequence or damaged, they'd remove a card and leave it in a box or bag to let the supply team know what needed to be replenished. The cards helped the teams reduce the clutter, keep a small stock of spares nearby, and find the right parts quickly. But because kanbans were pioneered by Toyota, workers thought they had to hide their kanban cards from Musk during his visits to the factory. Half a dozen current and former Tesla workers say that supervisors in Fremont warned them that if Musk discovered kanban cards posted around their work areas, they were in danger of being fired. In another part of the factory, some engineers created a digital kanban app, which they used on iPads to avoid scrutiny. Within Tesla's MOS factory software, there are digital kanban modules, but workers say this was named a "schedule based replenishment" feature to get around the term that Musk hates. A Tesla spokesperson suggested this widespread perception is wrong, that kanban methods are used widely in Tesla factories and that no workers have ever been fired for using them.

DIY software

Musk has decreed that Tesla should build its own software where possible, instead of relying on business factory management programs like SAP or Sage, or service center and dealership software like QuickBase, DealerTrack or ADP. (The company does use some outside apps, like Atlassian JIRA and Coupa, but aims to become completely self-reliant, employees said.) Among Tesla's many homemade business applications is a purchasing order system called WARP, previously known as Warpdrive. WARP is also used for car work orders in service centers. While most Tesla-made software tends to improve over time, recent employees say WARP is seemingly never complete and has made it hard for them to keep track of whether their projects are staying within budget. Factory workers say they can't easily see what's been invoiced to the projects they're responsible for in WARP and how much their team may have left to spend. Getting such information typically requires an email to accounts payable, where a finance professional has to pull and send a custom report back.

A worker at the Tesla Motors factory in Fremont, CA. Jill Silvestri | CNBC

More often than not, several Tesla employees said, accounts payable was too busy to send a detailed report and simply asks how much they need to spend, then replies with a quick approval or denial. Workers said detailed invoices are hard to find in the WARP system, which does not allow for easy searches. One said he thought he was within budget and found nearly $1 million in charges had been invoiced to his team's project by unknown colleagues. They were now over budget, but he couldn't find out why or who was responsible. Former Tesla service supervisors and regional managers said Tesla's disparate homemade programs made it hard to know when their purchase orders were going to be approved and when spare parts were coming in for them to fix customers' cars. Besides WARP, Tesla has created several other programs, including: TMOS, its "manufacturing operating system," to track where a Model 3 is in the process of manufacturing, repairs and testing.

MES, a "manufacturing execution system," to support production of its Model S and X vehicles

A Tesla Executive Factory dashboard to show equipment effectiveness and line data, and high-level production numbers to executives

Garage (or Garage Portal) to let workers locate a Tesla vehicle and see which firmware updates customers may have gotten or may need. Across the many programs, it can be easy to lose track of information about people, expenses or any particular part and its whereabouts. Some service employees said they were surprised to learn that when they sent mechanics to help out with "bursts" to build new vehicles in the Fremont factory, their time was billed either to "training" or "research and development," rather than service or vehicle assembly. One said he was relieved that travel, per diem expenses and overtime wasn't charged to his region.

Troubleshooting on the fly

Toward the end of April this year, Musk was troubleshooting at Tesla's Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, where the company makes batteries for its electric vehicles and energy storage systems. The CEO had promised investors the company should be able to produce 5,000 cars per week by the end of June. Battery production had been a major bottleneck, however, as quality checks ate up time, and automation wasn't working. Employees were still making battery modules partly by hand. Musk spent time with workers on the line, and swiftly decided to take out a number of "parts, production steps and specs" that he deemed "unnecessary," as he explained to all employees in an email he sent in the wee hours of May 15. He emphasized in the email that all executives should "go on the production line and perform the most arduous tasks personally" to look for inefficiencies that could be stomped out. Then, to drive his point home, he attached a flattering message that a process technician had sent him, which said: "I just wanted to express my gratitude for CEO Elon Musk coming down to the 'front lines' at Giga 1 this last week. I can not speak for everyone; but from where I work he came in and eliminated 80% of the problems we were having in about 20 minutes. It was amazing. He re-engineered process and final product on the spot and in 'real-time.' In completely cool fashion he actually 'talked and listened' to the workers on the line where the work is being done and the 'tires hit the road'...That same night we blew away the record for the most production by a long shot! My coworkers and I were all giving high fives at the end of shift." But not everybody was excited about Musk's revisions. Several workers at the Gigafactory and Tesla's car plant in Fremont, California, said the vehicles and batteries being made with the new process omitted some parts  including some fasteners that connect the battery to the body of a Model 3  and were not tested for crash-worthiness until months later.

Members of the media film machinery inside the Tesla Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada. Troy Harvey | Bloomberg | Getty Images

In the weeks following Musk's visit, former employees said, they remained under pressure to improve their production numbers. At the Gigafactory, one manager told quality engineers to keep using parts that were "red-tagged" for scrap or further review, according to one current and two former employees. Employees responsible for quality control repeatedly saw battery modules come through with cells that were raised too high or slightly out of place, and an insulating material called Fiberfrax in the wrong places, they told CNBC. The manager didn't want modules to slow down battery pack production and told them to pass the parts or quit. Employees filed several complaints about this issue and manager using an HR system called the "answer bar." More than one person was asked to leave in May after pressing the matter. In a statement, Tesla said: "During a production ramp where production processes are not yet mature, sometimes additional parts or steps are added, and sometimes, when it becomes clear that certain parts or steps are duplicative or unnecessary, they are eliminated. This is completely normal and to be expected, and no action is ever taken if it impacts safety, as that is more important than anything. The allegation that any batteries were not properly tested is wrong, and if someone is saying this, they clearly do not have the full set of facts. Every battery goes through rigorous testing before it is used in a vehicle. Notably, after more than a year of Model 3 production, there have been zero battery safety issues in the field. This would not be possible if we had sacrificed safety or overlooked important tests. Production will never take precedence over safety  which is confirmed by the fact that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded Model 3 RWD a 5-star safety rating in every category and sub-category."

'Fail fast and move on'

While Musk may have slowed progress with his hands-on approach and reluctance to use methods invented elsewhere, he seems to be learning from his mistakes. Tesla more than doubled its production volume between the first and third quarter of 2018, and was able to meet its production goals for the third quarter. It did this in part by acting more like a traditional carmaker. Over the summer, Tesla built an additional assembly line in Fremont in a gigantic tent, or "sprung structure," with an aluminum frame. Workers there now assemble Model 3s with little automation. Michael Kirschner, a global ergonomics program manager at Tesla, said the structure is working so well that Tesla will keep using it for the foreseeable future. "In a sense, the tent is going back to basics," said Model 3 quality manager Dexter Siga, who has worked at Tesla for 7 years.

A tent is seen at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California, U.S. June 22, 2018. Reuters | Stephen Lam
Just as China started to come to grips with the scale of its massive debt accumulation, the impact of the trade war with the U.S. is forcing a retreat.

One expert said that could prove "disastrous" for the country's economy.

Years of big-ticket investment projects helped spur double-digit growth in China's gross domestic product, sending the country into position as the world's second-largest economy  trailing only the United States.

The price tag, however, was a mountain of debt that needed to be drawn down as authorities refashioned growth to a more sustainable model. The plan has been to base the more mature economy on the increasing spending power of China's rising consumer class rather than old-fashioned investments in infrastructure.

But the trade war is denting China's economic growth and forcing a rethink in debt reduction  known as deleveraging  as authorities look for ways to juice the economy to make up for hits resulting from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Chinese exports.

Economists increasingly see future tariffs as likely to apply to all shipments from China to the United States, meaning Beijing is set to even further loosen financial taps.

That's already been seen in the form of cuts to reserve requirement ratios for banks, which set the amount of funds they must keep on hand. The recent moves mean banks have more money to lend out, stimulating the economy with more debt.

Li-Gang Liu, chief economist for China at Citi, said that a major stimulus announced last month by Guangdong Province, China's export center, that includes tax, land and utilities measures, is a prime example of the new trend in the country.

"Such kind of policy suggests that going forward China's deleveraging has more or less halted," Liu said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday. "We will see more fiscal and monetary stimulus ahead."
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis with his Chinese counterpart General Wei Fenghe during a meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations security summit in Singapore on October 18, 2018.

Military ties between the world's two largest economies could remain at a deadlock until both parties make progress on thorny political and economic issues, strategists predict.

In an effort to ease diplomatic hostilities that spiked following U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's sharp critique of Beijing earlier this month, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis met Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of an Asian security summit in Singapore on Thursday.

No new agreements were announced, but Chinese media reported that both sides agreed to deepen trust during the hour-and-a-half discussion. Mattis and Wei also discussed an existing invitation for Wei to visit Washington, the Associated Press reported.

However, it's unclear whether talks can meaningfully improve military links, which have suffered as the trade war spills over into other aspects of the U.S.-China relationship.

"Substantive issues will need to be addressed before the U.S. and China can continue military dialogue," said Alexander Neill, senior fellow for Asia-Pacific security at The International Institute for Strategic Studies. "Traditionally, military ties lag behind other areas of the bilateral relationship so I don't think any progress can be made until the trade war and other economic issues get sorted out."

The two superpowers have already scaled down several high-level security engagements amid ongoing trade concerns.
Harley sales already had slipped 8.7 percent in the first half of 2018 while its main American competitor, Polaris and its Indian brand, saw a 4 percent gain, according to industry analyst Gerrick L. Johnson at BMO Capital Markets. While that didn't cover the period from when the president's dispute with the company began, Johnson said recent evidence suggests the fight is adding to Harley's woes.

Harley-Davidson 's spat with President Donald Trump seems to be having a significant impact on the iconic motorcycle manufacturer, according to an analyst report. Trump backed a possible boycott of the Wisconsin-based motorcycle manufacturer on social media.

Harley riders have been trading in their "hogs" in increasing numbers as the company fights through a public relations nightmare created when it said it was shifting some production overseas, Johnson said. The Milwaukee-based manufacturer said it was doing so in response to retaliatory tariffs abroad due to Trump's duties on steel and aluminum imports from other countries.

"While President Trump's assessment of HOG's actions in his tweets were often factually inaccurate, the damage has been done," said the BMO report. "Dealers are feeling an impact, and we find that the impact has become more acute over time."

While both companies have tried to tamp down the president's influence on motorcycle sales, Johnson said the impact is unlikely to be a coincidence. Back in August, Trump used his Twitter account to lambaste the company for its production shift and seemed to back a boycott he said was already underway. It's not clear whether a boycott ever began.

Harley tweet

"While President Trump's assessment of HOG's actions in his tweets were often factually inaccurate, the damage has been done," Johnson said in a research note. "Dealers are feeling an impact, and we find that the impact has become more acute over time."

Johnson said he was cutting Harley's stock from outperform to market perform and knocked the price target to $45 from $52, which still implies 11.5 percent upside from Thursday's close. Harley shares were off by 2percent Friday morning after sliding 3.1 percent in Thursday's broad market sell-off. The stock has tumbled just over 20 percent year to date.

CNBC has reached out to Harley-Davidson for comment. The company reports earnings on Tuesday (an earlier version of this story said Monday).

It's not so much a problem with Harley's products, Johnson said. He added that the company has continued to bring good bikes to market, but to little avail.

"For the first time in 10 years of covering powersports we have seen a manufacturer develop innovative new products that are significantly better than what they replace, and yet not seen an increase in demand," he wrote.

But the company, according to the analysis, has failed to capture young riders, due in part to overpricing, and it managed the public relations poorly around the production move and Trump's subsequent reaction. Indian has had some success in attracting younger riders, BMO said.

"The overlap between Donald Trump supporters and Harley riders is significant," Johnson said. "Thus, it's disconcerting to have the President call on these consumers to boycott the brand. In response to new European tariffs on American motorcycles, HOG may have had the right financial intentions but the way it communicated its strategy was a public relations debacle."

Johnson suggested the company shouldn't have been as public as it was in announcing the move and shouldn't have decided to "poke" the president when doing so.

The issues this year continue a trend in which Polaris and Indian have been able to take market share. The company still only holds 7 percent of the market for "heavyweight" brands, compared with 50 percent for Harley-Davidson but says it has about a 20 percent share in the midsize market, which is geared toward younger riders.

In addition, Indian has grown year-over-year sales in 42 of 46 months, while Harley has done so just 12 times during the period.

Since the battle with Trump, Johnson said he has found "that a majority of dealers feel they have lost at least some sales."

"It should be disconcerting to HOG investors that most Indian dealers we speak with are seeing an uptick in Harley trade-ins for whatever the reason may be," the analyst wrote.
A courtroom sketch showing Paul Manafort dressed in a prison uniform and sitting in a wheel chair in court in Alexandria, VA on Oct. 19th, 2018.

A federal judge on Friday scheduled a Feb. 8 sentencing date for Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, who was convicted on eight counts of tax and bank fraud.

Manafort showed up to the Alexandria, Va. courthouse for the hearing reportedly clad in a prison jumpsuit and sitting in a wheelchair. He appeared to be missing his right shoe when he was wheeled into the courtroom, NBC News reported.

His attorney, Kevin Downing, said in court that Manafort is suffering "significant issues" with his health "that have to do with his confinement," The Washington Post reported. Downing did not elaborate on Manafort's apparent health problems, but Judge T.S. Ellis agreed to hasten the preparation of Manafort's pre-sentencing report anyway.

Manafort was sent to jail on June 15 by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson pending his multiple trials in Virginia and Washington, D.C., after prosecutors accused him of tampering with potential witnesses.

His lawyers had complained that Manafort was "locked in his cell for at least 23 hours per day" in solitary confinement as they appealed Jackson's decision.

But prosecutors pushed back, detailing a recorded phone call in which Manafort said the jail staff was treating him like a VIP. He was subsequently transferred to the Alexandria Detention Center.
President Donald Trump's promise to protect pre-existing conditions coverage, perhaps the most popular Affordable Care Act provision, rings hollow. That's because his administration is backing a lawsuit that would scrap it.

As Republicans face midterm election pressure from an energized Democratic base over their efforts to repeal Obamacare, the president tweeted Thursday that "all Republicans support people with pre-existing conditions" or "will after I speak to them" if they do not already. He added that "I am in total support."

Trump tweet

His administration's actions suggest otherwise. The Justice Department has declined to defend the health care law in court against a suit from 20 GOP-led states challenging Obamacare's constitutionality. They argue the rest of the law does not hold up after Republicans rolled back its individual mandate provision last year. By doing so, the Trump administration tacitly supported the suit, which could roll back Obamacare's coverage guarantees for people with pre-existing conditions if it succeeds.

As Democrats try to flip control of the House, candidates across the country have attacked the GOP for threatening coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Amid the broadsides, Republican lawmakers who have pushed to repeal Obamacare for years are pledging to protect the provision. The GOP has good reason for its sudden shift on the issue: about three-quarters of Americans do not want pre-existing conditions protections to be reversed, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey earlier this year.
The president also said he knew "a lot already" about what had happened to the dissident journalist, but he declined to say exactly what. This came just a day after Trump had called Khashoggi's suspected death "bad, bad stuff."

WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump on Friday acknowledged that an "event" occurred earlier this month at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where journalist Jamal Khashoggi is believed to have been killed.

Trump emphasized that his administration would "find out who knew what, when and where" about Khashoggi's fate. He also said Congress will be involved "very much" on what the next steps would be in the U.S.-Saudi relationship. "I will very much listen to what Congress has to say," Trump told reporters.

Several top Republicans in Congress have called for swift sanctions on the longtime U.S. ally in retaliation for Khashoggi's death. But Trump has voiced concerns both publicly and privately about the potential risk of upending the longstanding military and diplomatic relationship.

Trump Tweet

Even as Trump refuted reports that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo received intelligence about Khashoggi's death from the Turkish government, it was evident Friday that there was a shift in the president's attitude toward Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Trump appeared to dismiss the claims underpinning blanket denials coming from Saudi officials, who insist they know nothing about Khashoggi's disappearance.

Representatives of the ruling Saudi royal family have yet to offer any alternative to their initial version of events, which was that Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate on Oct. 2, and he walked out a short while later.

On Thursday, Trump said for the first time Khashoggi had most likely been killed. The president did not, however, say how he had reached this conclusion. Turkish officials have reportedly identified 15 Saudi officials they believe carried out the extra-judicial killing, several of whom work directly for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Asked by a reporter whether Khashoggi was dead, Trump replied, "It certainly looks that way."

The president also took a harder line Thursday on what potential consequences Saudi Arabia might face if they are shown to have been involved in the dissident journalist's death.

"It will have to be very severe," Trump told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base. "It's bad, bad stuff," Trump said, before tacking on his preferred caveat: "But we'll see what happens."

Turkish officials have reportedly said they are in possession of tapes proving that Khashoggi was tortured to death and that his body was later dismembered. So far no U.S. officials have confirmed that they've seen the alleged tapes.

Pompeo visited both Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week, but returned with few answers about what actually happened. Saudi Arabia claims it is conducting an internal investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance, but it has yet to present any results.
Twitter chief executive officer Jack Dorsey testifies during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing concerning foreign influence in use of social media platforms, on Capitol Hill, September 5, 2018 in Washington, DC.

A network of suspected Twitter bots was suspended Thursday after appearing to coordinate the spread of pro-Saudi talking points about the alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

NBC News first reported the suspension after presenting Twitter with a list of hundreds of accounts that spread identical pro-Saudi government tweets at the same time.

The coordinated tweets seem to be an effort at bringing global attention to pro-Saudi talking points in the wake of Saudi journalist Khashoggi's suspected killing. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government and a Washington Post columnist, disappeared after an Oct. 2 visit to the Saudi consulate in Turkey. Turkish officials have said they have audio and video evidence that Khashoggi was killed by Saudis inside the consulate. The Saudis have denied any involvement.

The tweets included a hashtag that became a top Twitter trend worldwide on Sunday. The Arabic hashtag roughly translates to "#We_all_trust_Mohammad_Bin_Salman." Mohammad Bin Salman is the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. It was not immediately clear who created accounts.

A Twitter spokesperson told NBC News that the company had already suspended pro-Saudi government accounts for violating spam policies prior to learning of the additional suspected bots. In recent months, Twitter has begun to crack down on suspected bot accounts by purging "locked accounts" that have exhibited suspicious activity. During a purge this summer, Twitter's own account lost 7.7 million followers.
In this handout image provided by South Korean Defense Ministry, U.S. Air Force B-1B bomber (L), South Korea and U.S. fighter jets fly over the Korean Peninsula during the Vigilant air combat exercise (ACE) on December 6, 2017 in Korean Peninsula, South Korea.

The United States and South Korea have suspended upcoming joint air defense drills to give diplomatic efforts with North Korea "every opportunity to continue," the U.S. military said on Friday.

The Pentagon said the decision to suspend Exercise Vigilant Ace, which had been scheduled for December, was taken by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, who met in Singapore on Friday.

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement that the decision had been taken to "give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue."

"Both ministers are committed to modifying training exercises to ensure the readiness of our forces. They pledged to maintain close coordination and evaluate future exercises," White said.

She added that Mattis had spoken with his Japanese counterpart as well on the issue.

The two Koreas have held three summits this year. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also held an unprecedented summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore in June, where the leaders promised to work toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Vigilant Ace is one of several exercises that have been suspended since the summit to encourage dialogue aimed at getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

Last year, Vigilant Ace had more than 230 aircraft, including six F-22 Raptor stealth fighters, and around 12,000 U.S. service members.

Trump caught many U.S. officials off guard earlier this year when he announced after his summit with Kim that the United States was suspending the summers joint military drills with South Korea, known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian.

"If we continue to suspend the major exercises, our military capacity will begin to atrophy," said Abraham Denmark, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia under President Barack Obama.

Denmark said the U.S. military could likely tolerate the suspension of major exercises for about a year before serious challenges to military readiness and capability.

Last month, the Pentagon's pick to be the new commander of U.S. forces in South Korea said the decision to suspend some joint exercises between South Korea and the United States was a "prudent risk" but had caused a "slight degradation" in military readiness.

Denmark said joint exercises were particularly important as a new commander, U.S. Army General Robert Abrams, takes charge of U.S. forces in South Korea.

Washington and Seoul both publicly insist they are on the same page about dealing with Pyongyang. But behind the scenes, there are growing signs of disagreement as South and North Korea forge ahead with plans to defuse military tensions and rebuild economic ties.

"The U.S. continues to make these major, substantive concessions and the North Koreans continue to drag out any sort of diplomatic process towards denuclearization," Denmark said.
A Russian waves a Facebook flag in Red Square, Moscow. Sasha Mordovets | Getty Images

A Russian woman has been charged with trying to interfere and "sow discord" in the American political system, including in the 2018 midterm elections as part of a conspiracy that exploited thousands of social media accounts and emails that claimed to be owned by U.S. residents, authorities said. Elena Khusyaynova of St. Petersburg, Russia, is accused of participating in a conspiracy engaged in "information warfare against the United States" that aimed "create and amplify divisive social media and political content." The case against the 44-year-old Khusyaynova, which does not allege involvement by any Americans, is the first to involve alleged interference in next month's Congressional elections.

But the Justice Department said, "The criminal complaint does not include any allegation that Khusyaynova or the broader conspiracy had any effect on the outcome of an election." The department said it received "exceptional cooperation" in its probe from Facebook, Twitter and other "private sector companies." Prosecutors claim Khusyaynova, who is not in custody, is the chief accountant for a Russian entity dubbed Project Lakhta, and managed the group's financing. That group is backed by a Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, and two companies that he controls, Concord Management and Consulting LLC, and Concord Catering, according to prosecutors. The Concord firms were named in a criminal indictment brought by special counsel Robert Mueller that alleged attempted interference in the 2016 presidential election. Prigozhin has been called "Putin's chef," a reference to Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The case against Khusyaynova is not being brought by Mueller. Instead, she is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. The conspiracy tried to "inflame passions on a variety of topics," including "immigration, gun control and the Second Amendment, the Confederate flag, race relations, LGBT issues, the Women's March, and the NFL national anthem debate," according to a complaint against her. That complaint included images of various images, or "memes," the conspiracy used as part of that effort.

Perosecutors noted that the conspirators' activities "did not exclusively adopt one ideological view; they wrote on topics from varied and sometimes opposing perspectives." "Members of the conspiracy were directed, among other things, to create 'political intensity through supporting radical groups" and to 'aggravate the conflict between minorities and the rest of the population,' " the Justice Department said. The effort targeted both Democrats and Republicans. And after Mueller indicted a number of Russians last February for intefering in the 2016 presidential election, it praised the special counsel and attacked President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly called Mueller's probe a witch hunt. "Still think this Russia thing is a hoax and a witch hunt?" said one social media post cited in the complaint. "Because a lot of witches just got indicted."

One directive issued to members of the conspiracy targeted the late Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, citing an online news article about McCain believing that Trump's idea for a border wall with Mexico was "crazy," according to the complaint. The directive detailed how members should, in their social media platforms, "Brand McCain as an old geezer who has lost it and who long ago belonged in a home for the elderly," the directive said. Antother directive talked about how write about House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.
Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST

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Hi! I'm an education beat reporter for Fall 2018, and I'm a senior studying print and digital news. Please provide me with any feedback, questions or tips you have  my email is kyle.lahucik@mail.missouri.edu and my phone number is 708.359.9917.

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The owner of the dispensary declined comment, but his outlet was among those illegal pot shops that remained open across Canada on Wednesday, despite not holding the appropriate licences.

For the USA border, a Customs and Border Patrol spokesman who did not identify himself stated similarly that determinations about admissibility and whether any regulatory or criminal enforcement is appropriate are made by the officer based on the facts and circumstances known at the time.

"I've been hearing that the retailers in Alberta are saying it's going to be $8.68 a gram - that's their wholesale price from the government".

Canada has posted signage at airports and boarder crossings to keep recreational cannabis users aware - crossing global boarders with the drug is still very much illegal. "They'll probably be looking, especially with people going on the weekends, or if someone goes and comes back on the same day". Canada's Public Safety Minister said the government will consider a proposal to pardon those jailed for possessing a small amount of marijuana - as long as they have finished their sentence.

Officials in Nova Scotia and Manitoba said they won't have a large selection, at least not on the first day, CNN affiliate CBC News reported.

The rule against public marijuana use is particularly limiting for tourists, who may not have a private location to smoke. Consumers are expected to purchase the drug from retailers regulated by provinces and territories or from federally licensed producers when those options are not available. Beyond that, a Canada Post strike looming on the horizon could throw Ontario's legal weed system completely out of whack.

Please, save yourself a lot of trouble.

To give you an idea of how much items will cost here's a comparison of the three different strains offered (Indica, Sativa, Hybrid) and organized them by price from lowest to highest. Eight of the states saw legalization through ballot measures, Vermont's was legalized through the legislature.

What about previous pot charges?

A formal announcement was planned for later Wednesday.

By afternoon, Clarke had sold his entire cannabis supply and had to turn away customers.

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to parliament, reiterating why he had been campaigning for this legislation over the last few years. Canada has one of the highest rates of cannabis use in the world, particularly among young people, so there's already a huge market for it there.

Day one of Canadian cannabis legalization is officially in the rearview, and what might be seen as a very successful first day, was certainly not met without challenges.

Not in many places.

US Customs and Border Protection have reiterated that marijuana remains illegal under US federal law and those caught at the border with pot would be subject to arrest and prosecution. Uruguay was the first country to legalize marijuana.

"Regardless of Canada's legalization of marijuana today, nothing will be changing on the US side or with CBP policies and procedures at the border", Malin said via email. To become legal, they'd have to stop doing that so Smith says it's only a matter of time before they're shut down along with other illegal pot shops in B.C.

It revealed that "edibles" sales are on track to reach more than $4.1 billion by 2022, with spending on the category reaching $1 billion in 2017 in the United States and Canada.
Types of obituaries

The Missourian publishes two types of obituaries  family obituaries and life stories.

A family obituary is the version submitted by a funeral home or family. Please see the submission form for details on cost and deadlines. Family obituaries

A life story is a closer look at a person's life and involves a reporter contacting family and friends. Life stories are based on newsworthiness and consent of the family. Life stories.
May confirms shes prepared to consider extending the transition period

She still cant accept hard border in Ireland  Guardian

Tusk says not enough progress made  Daily Telegraph

Theresa May was on Thursday evening increasingly isolated over her plan to keep Britain tied to the EU for longer as she was savaged by both wings of her party and left in the cold by EU leaders. Mrs May confirmed on Thursday that she was prepared to consider extending the transition period  currently due to end in December 2020  by a matter of months in an attempt to break the deadlock over the Northern Ireland border issue. The move enraged Brexiteers who said it would cost billions, and angered members of the Cabinet who said they had not formally agreed the plan before she offered it up as a bargaining chip.  Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday: Video: WATCH: There are a few but considerable outstanding issues in relation to the Irish backstop, says May

These latest concessions make this the most perilous week of her time as prime minister

Theresa May faces the most perilous week of her premiership after infuriating all sections of her party by making further concessions to Brussels. Her offer to extend the transition period after Brexit  made without cabinet approval  enraged both Remain and Leave Tory MPs. With confidence in No 10 ebbing away, rival blocs of Conservative MPs stepped up plotting against the prime minister. David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, was calling ministers yesterday to urge a change of course in the negotiations. He is definitely on manoeuvres, said one recipient of a call. Allies of Mr Davis say that he wants to change the policy not the PM, but it is thought that a small but growing band of Conservative MPs would like to see him installed as a caretaker leader.  The Times

Comment:

This is a dangerous idea from May  Andrea Jenkyns, Daily Telegraph

It could work. No, it couldnt  Dominic Sandbrook and Daniel Hannan, Daily Mail

She has a wobbly tightrope to walk  Patrick Kidd, The Times

She needs to go  Nigel Farage, Daily Telegraph

Watch out for Javid  Stephen Pollard, Daily Express

Labour could save the day  Manuel Cortes, Guardian

Editorials:

Tories are in despair  The Sun

May is failing here and abroad  Guardian

>Today: Iain Dales column: Lets be frank. The entire commentariat class hasnt a clue what will happen next

Cochrane: Scotland would not put up with this

Mundell says he couldnt accept extension  Daily Telegraph

Patel: We must give effect to the referendum result. Theres no point in extending the transition

For much of that time it has been the Irish Problem, and the need to avoid a hard border, that has trumped what Theresa May might have believed were aces in her hand as she reached for a deal. However, just when what was seen by some as a chink of light was emerging from this weeks Brussels summit, in the shape of an extended transition period over the UKs exit, along came the Scots to say, in effect: Up with this we will not put. In what could yet emerge as a major crisis for the Prime Minister, it seemed clear last night that any acceptance by Mrs May of a longer transition is a complete non-starter  unless she can cope with another resignation from her Cabinet and an open revolt by her entire Scottish party.  Daily Telegraph

Of course, its important that we leave in an orderly fashion. When we formally exit on 29 March 2019, its crucial that theres a smooth path to a future, permanent trading relationship. Businesses understandably need some time to prepare for the new arrangements. But this must be time-limited. The end of 2020 is already long enough. I see no point in us building a bigger bridge to nowhere. Why would we extend the transition phase when we dont know where or what we are even transitioning to? The transition period will only kick in at the end of March next year if we secure a withdrawal agreement. And to secure this, both sides have committed to agreeing an Irish border backstop  an insurance policy designed to prevent the need for customs checks. It is this that is causing the deadlock.  Guardian

UUP leader says Varadkar is breaking Belfast Agreement over Irish Sea border

Merkel calls for an answer  FT

She and Macron ask Barnier to be flexible over Ireland  The Times

Hunt says backstop could go on forever  Daily Telegraph

The Irish Prime Minister is breaking the Belfast Agreement requirement for unionist consent by insisting on a border between NI and GB in the Irish Sea, UUP leader Robin Swann has said. Mr Swann said today that the EU should give Prime Minister Theresa May the flexibility she is requesting in Brexit talks  and that undermining the Belfast Agreement to facilitate the preferred Irish backstop proposal is not a sensible way forward. Dublin is pressing for EU customs checks to treat the island of Ireland has a single unit, whereas unionists would prefer a frictionless soft border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland which makes no distinction between the Province and the rest of the UK.  Belfast News Letter

Comment:

Heres a thought experiment on Ireland  Henry Newman, The Times

>Today: ToryDiary: Merkel will rescue the Prime Minister. Where have we heard that before?

Nelson: A no deal plan would need to be bold and striking. Here are some ideas

At a recent Cabinet meeting, Sajid Javid listed the options: if talks fail, he said, there can be an immediate stimulus. A chance to push through long-overdue changes and advertise Britain as a self-confident country, presenting itself anew to the world  with tax cuts to show it means business. Other Cabinet members are talking to each other about similar ideas. A plan to ameliorate a no-deal Brexit is starting to emerge. It would need to be bold, striking  and, ideally, focus minds in Brussels. In his Budget this month, for example, the Chancellor could say that, in the event of no deal, Britain would immediately begin unilateral free trade by abolishing all import tariffs on everything except food  Daily Telegraph

Leadsom says vote will only be over any final deal  Guardian

>Yesterday: MPsEtc: Fox. Go for the Export Dividend. Based on a ten per cent uplift in exports, the budget deficit could reduce by some 20 billion. His trade speech: full text

Mercer calls Mays government a shit show and claims theres absolutely no chance hed run for parliament now

He calls May a technocrat  Daily Telegraph

Fox withdraws from Saudi economic forum following Khashoggi murder

A Conservative MP has said that he would not vote Tory, in a withering critique of Theresa Mays government. Johnny Mercer, 37, who left the army in 2013 and was elected in Plymouth, Moor View in 2015, told House magazine that there was absolutely no chance he would run for parliament now. Asked how he would vote, he said: Just being honest, I wouldnt vote. Of course I wouldnt, no. Theresa Mays government, he said, was a shit show and he would not join it if he were offered a job. He appeared to suggest that he was more comfortable with David Camerons leadership of the Conservative Party than Mrs Mays.  The Times

Liam Fox, the UK trade secretary, and the US Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, joined key European partners in pulling out of a major economic forum in Saudi Arabia nicknamed Davos in the desert, in response to the alleged murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Reports of Khashoggis gruesome murder at the hands of a gang of 15 men with links to the Saudi royal court have already led to many western media firms and bankers pulling out, and the political lead from Fox and Mnuchin is likely to accelerate the boycott of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh next week. Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi regime, was apparently tortured to death and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, having entered the building to obtain a divorce certificate.  Guardian

More parliament

May speaks of Choudarys strict licence conditions  The Sun

Select committee calls for earlier ban on petrol and diesel cars  The Sun

More Conservatives

Mordaunt heckled by feminist during speech  The Times

Javid loses at chess  The Times

Labour

Blair and Brown reunite at Jowell memorial service  Guardian

Umunnas well-paid new job  The Times

Hammond calls Labours economic plans reckless  The Sun

Collins: We should copy Canada and legalise cannabis

The future is clear on this  Simon Jenkins, Guardian

News in Brief

Housing? Its the supply-side, stupid  John Myers, CapX

Not me too  Walter Ellis, Reaction

Is May lying?  Stephen Bush, New Statesman

The truth about Ireland  James Forsyth, Spectator

Khashoggi left a final column  Robin Wright, New Yorker

This week Canada became the second country, after Uruguay in 2013, to legalise the use of cannabis. People with convictions for possessing up to 30 grams will be pardoned and Canadians will henceforth be free to order marijuana products through websites run by provinces or private retailers. Canada follows the US states of Washington, Nevada, California, Massachusetts and Colorado which have all legalised cannabis for recreational use. Prohibition has done nothing to control use but has instead created a criminal supply chain. It has put people through court proceedings who ought to be nowhere near the criminal justice system and it means that drugs come on to the black market without any regulation of their strength.  The Times
Nigel Wilcock is the Executive Director of the Institute of Economic Development

The general public have not yet caught up with the fact that no-one knows how local government will be funded beyond 2020  or that the seemingly unrelated crisis on the High Street, with large chains collapsing, is increasingly a contributor to this issue.

Councils were supposed to be self-financed by 2020 through the retention of Business Rates and with a formula to redistribute from those areas with a large amount of related revenue to those with less. But the Local Government Finance Bill to enable this was omitted from the last Queens Speech after being dropped from the governments agenda due to the quickly-called 2017 General Election. Now there is no plan. The Local Government Information Unit has noted that 80 per cent of councils fear for their financial sustainability and there is concern that the cash-ravaged Northamptonshire County Council is the tip of the iceberg for local authorities.

The uncomfortable truth that needs to be heard is that every pound lost on business rates is now a pound lost to essential local government services. Retail is a huge contributor of business rates and critically important to the remaining sources of local government funding.

Every time there is another large-scale retail closure, such as the recent House of Fraser announcements in Edinburgh, Hull and Swindon, there is a growing clamour for rates to be reduced to shore up the distressed retail sector. Throw in the usual demands for free parking in council-owned car parks to support town centres and local government faces a perfect storm.

For millions of UK residents it is unclear how adult and childrens social services will be run in the future, how local roads will be maintained and whether any libraries and leisure centres will remain open  not to mention how local government workers will be paid their pensions.

The Local Government Finance Bill was supposed to deal with this uncertainty. Now we are looking at a worse-case scenario where the central government funding mechanism finishes in 2020 but without a plan to pick up the pieces.

Overall, there is a need for a greater spotlight on local government finance.We need a public debate  a debate which would be better served if information was clearer on exactly what services now need to be funded by local taxation.

There is a case for be made for linking this to the new UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF)  although the title may seem like schadenfreude to some local authorities. Government is currently consulting on the creation of a system to replace the European programmes that fund local services and regeneration programmes which come to an end for the UK in 2020 (or presumably in 2019 if there is a no deal Brexit). The redistributive mechanism for business rates seems to be closely related to the required allocation of funds to underperforming regions within UKSPF.

From the IEDs perspective, it seems that if statutory activities are forced on local authorities there should either be some central funding  or that local authorities are given more freedom over the tax revenues they can generate. We urge a clear statement for local government funding post-2020 and suggest that the formula for redistributing business rates is pegged to the same distributive formula as the UKSPF.

Finally, it should not go unnoticed that those local authorities which have been the most successful in their economic development approaches are now in the best position to survive.
John Hayes is a former Minister of State who served in six departments, and is MP for South Holland and the Deepings.

The Good Friday Agreement settled the matter of who exercises power in Northern Ireland and how they are held to account. It made clear that a range of matters affecting the province should be for the people of Ulster and those they elect to agree.

In that spirit, decisions about the provision of abortion in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Indeed, the Good Friday Agreement cemented an arrangement in place ever since 1921. However, by means of a Ten Minute Rule Bill to be debated next Tuesday, Diana Johnson and others want to exploit the current political discord in Northern Ireland to impose changes to abortion law in the Province. Regardless of our individual views on abortion, this proposal has far-reaching and damaging constitutional implications and must be resisted.

Were Westminster to force such a change on Northern Ireland, we would effectively be saying we know better than the people of the province and their elected representatives. This would be the height of arrogance. Critically, it also would undermine the whole devolution settlement. The repercussions of doing so would be felt not only in Northern Ireland, but also in the other devolved administrations, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly. No wonder the SNP (whatever their individual views about this particular issue) have warned against overruling the devolution settlement.

In 2016, MLAs debated Northern Irelands current abortion law, and a clear majority voted not to change it in any way. Northern Ireland therefore has an abortion law with the most recent democratic mandate of all the legal frameworks within the United Kingdom. Any tampering with abortion law in the province by Westminster MPs would be in violation of this, and would fail to recognise that a clear majority of Northern Irelands MPs and indeed, almost all of those who take their seats in Westminster, oppose allowing widespread access to abortion in the province. For MPs to vote to change abortion laws in Northern Ireland would be wholly undemocratic, when so many of us at Westminster simply cannot claim to represent or speak for people there.

And it is not just the politicians in Northern Ireland who dont want change. Polling last week shows that 64 per cent of people in Northern Ireland dont think MPs from outside Northern Ireland should decide this issue for them.

Recognising the importance of respecting the Belfast Agreement, devolution and the political and social consequences of undermining this settlement, the British Government has repeatedly and recently confirmed that abortion law has long been a devolved matter and should stay that way.

On June 5, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was very clear in the House of Commons when she said: Abortion has been a devolved matter in Northern Ireland since it was created in 1921, and it would not be appropriate for Westminster to seek to impose its will, or to be the arbiter of an issue that has long been devolved to the people of Northern Ireland. The Government believe that the question of any future reform in NI must be debated and decided by the people of Northern Ireland and their locally elected, and their accountable, politicians. She made a similar comment more recently in the House of Commons on September 5.

So, abortion law provision in Northern Ireland is not a matter on which the Westminster Government should intervene. It has, rightly, long been a devolved matter which locally accountable politicians in Northern Ireland should have the opportunity to debate and consider. The constitutional implications of UK MPs interfering with this long-established principle would be far-reaching and profound  indeed, reaching far beyond this particular issue. The UK Governments stated priority is to help restore the devolved government in Northern Ireland at the earliest opportunity.

If we respect devolution, we have a duty to respect  whatever our own views on this particular matter  the right of the Northern Ireland Assembly to decide for itself and its people what abortion provision looks like there. If we truly respect the integrity of the devolution settlement, we must resist Johnsons attempt to impose such a change. It would set a dangerous constitutional precedent. The Prime Minister said in June: My preferred option is for it to be dealt with and addressed by those people who are elected politicians in and elected as accountable politicians in Northern Ireland. It is their responsibility, not ours, to legislate on devolved matters such as this.

Johnsons Bill is contrary to the Prime Ministers pledge; contrary to Government policy; and contrary to the constitutional settlement established by the Belfast Agreement  which is why all MPs who respect good governance should vote against the Ten Minute Rule Bill next Tuesday.
An integral element of the Governments Brexit negotiation strategy has been to try and play the EU Commission off against the member states. David Davis, before his resignation over the Chequers plan; Jeremy Hunt; Philip Hammond; David Lidington, who served as Europe Minister for six years  all, at one time or another, have toured the capitals of the EU27 to fish for support and allies. No country has been trawled more hopefully than Germany.

Perhaps, Ministers and Brexiteers have speculated, Angela Merkel will stir from torpor, rise, and deploy her mighty powers, once used to squeeze Yanis Varoufakis, to save Theresa May. The German Chancellor, the argument runs, is apprehensive about a messy Brexit on her north-west frontier. Nor does she want those legendary German car manufacturers knocking angrily on her door. She will rise up, pull Emmanuel Macron into line, give Michel Barnier his marching orders, fix the talks, and deliver a decent Brexit deal.

So at last, there is hope that this deliverance is at hand. Or is there? Todays Financial Times reports that, at this weeks summit dinner, Merkel indicated that the EU should rethink its approach to the backstop. If a solution can be found, we will exit the Customs Union before the next election and gain the freedom to negotiate meaningful trade deals. The biggest obstacle to a deal would fall away. The Prime Minister would be rescued from her present agonies, which now reportedly include the possibility of being replaced by Davis.

We have been here before. If you doubt it, read Daniel Korksis account of David Camerons dealings with the German Chancellor. First came the overture. The former Prime Minister and Merkel both believed that Jean-Claude Juncker was the wrong man for the Commissions presidency. But the Chancellor was forced to drop her opposition in response to a brilliant campaign run by Junckers chef de cabinet, Martin Selmayr. And Camerons attempt to block Juncker failed. Merkel left him exposed and embarrassed.

The main act was the then Prime Ministers renegotiation package. The Chancellor saw talks about it as a nuisance, according to Korski: we wereover-reliant on [her], even after she showed us that she wasnt as dependable a supporter as we might have wished. We invited ridicule with how much we feted her  inviting her to address parliament, which she did movingly, and flying to a succession of events in Germany. But our efforts yielded little.

She was willing, he writes, to give Cameron part of what he wanted but not all of it. He himself became unwilling to push her harder on treaty change and freedom and movement, because he concluded that this wouldnt get him anywhere. And after the referendum, she said to him that there would indeed have been no other offer forthcoming. Exit Cameron. Enter May. And so to where we are now  with Government hopes pinned on Merkel once again.

Perhaps it really will be different this time. Those German manufacturers are certainly nervous about a No Deal Brexit. Their access to American markets is threatened by Donald Trumps protectionist instincts, and their entry to others, such as China and Russia, by his use of sanctions. None the less, the car-makers have remained remarkably disciplined in their insistence that the integrity of the Single Market comes before ease of trade with the UK: their stance is part-choreographed, part-real.

But here are three cautionary notes. First, never forget that politicians in other European countries think less about Brexit than ours do. Merkels in-tray was piled high with other matters when Cameron was Prime Minister. So it is now. And she was in a much stronger position then. Although she won a fourth term last year, her partys vote share fell by nine per cent  almost the same percentage as the gain made by the AfD, now the opposition. Her migration stance had allowed the CDU to be outflanked on its right  for the first time.

Support for her government is at a record low. Backing for her party is at 25 per cent. Her CSU ally has just recorded its worst result in Bavaria for 60 years. The CDU now faces another electoral trial in Hesse. But if there is an obvious threat from the AfD on her right, there is a more subtle one on her left: the weakness of her SPD partner in coalition is, by extension, also a problem for her. These external problems are breeding internal ones. Volker Kauder, her man at the head of the CDUs parliamentary group, has been ousted.

She will doubtless be re-elected as the CDUs leader at its biannual party conference later this year. But she may face a contest, and may not scoop the 90 per cent or so of the vote that she did last time round. This points towards the second factor. While Merkel reportedly wants the EU to rethink its approach to the backstop, she wants our Government to do so too. But she may not be focused on the details (though she has clearly grasped the point that if the talks collapse, Ireland will face precisely the hard border that it fears).

Other leaders, the FT says, remain puzzled about the chancellors intentionsone senior diplomat joked that as a scientist Ms Merkel saw things in a different way in time and space. These ambiguities lead to the third factor. A compromise forced on both the EU and the UK may not be one that works for anyone. Emmanuel Macron may resist any hint of a soft north-south border on the island of Ireland, since this could, in his view, open the Single Market to the flow of poorly-regulated goods.

And Theresa May should stand firm against any scheme that would leave Britain stuck with the backstop. She reportedly told Leo Varadkar that she agrees there should be no time limit on it. That makes sense, because what is needed is not so much a set time limit as a unilteral escape clause. It isnt hard to imagine Merkel pushing a scheme that doesnt guarantee one  with May then trying to sell it to the Pizza Group of Brexiteering Cabinet Ministers, just as she floated the Robbins scheme to some of them last week.

Beware Germans bearing gifts, some will say, adapting the old saw about Greeks. That might seem tough on a German Chancellor who could yet bear a key that could unlock the door to a deal. But all would depend on its terms. Camerons simply wasnt good enough. May faces the same risk  assuming, that is, that there is really any daylight between the German Chancellor, besieged as she is by a plague of troubles, and an apparently unyielding Commission plus Macron, who seems to see himself as the guardian of the EU project.
As the BBCs Northern Ireland Business Editor points out, Caine is the senior SpAd in the Northern Ireland Office, and has more experience of the province than its entire ministerial team combined. (Ian Duncan, the Under-Secretary of State, a.k.a Lord Duncan of Springbank, is steeped in the politics of Scotland, and also serves at the Scottish Office.)

Caine is a former SpAd to no fewer than four Conservative Northern Ireland Secretaries. He began under Peter Brooke, over a quarter of a century ago during the early 1990s, and went on to work for Patrick Mayhewbefore returning to government after the New Labour era was over, during the period of the Coalition Government, as SpAd first to Owen Paterson and then to Theresa Villiers. Caine is the Conservative Partys Mr Institutional Memory when it comes to Northern Ireland. He will also be the departments, having been around for longer than its senior civil servants.

The tweets significant feature is not so much its content, about which Tories and Unionists will agree, but its author. That Caine should pronounce in this way says something about the state of the Brexit talks, something about the dominance of the Irish nationalist narrative on Northern Ireland which he is challengingand perhaps something about the condition of the Government, since he feels it necessary to tweet at all.
Contractors Question: Ive potentially won a new client in Bucharest, Romania and want to know if there is anything I must do before going there to do their tech work. I was wondering if Ill need to give proof of ID and what other document requirements there might be?

Experts Answer: Any British contractor pursuing an opportunity in Romania will need to be aware of a few compliance requirements.

In the first instance, you will need a fixed address in the country for the purpose of registration with the tax authorities. All foreign nationals require a temporary residence permit if they intend to stay in Romania for 120 days or more and they must contact the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the area in which they plan to reside to ensure they can obtain the permit before arrival.

If youre planning on registering as self-employed (this is called an Authorised Physical Person or PFA activity), note that a University degree is required.

Also, if you choose to follow this opportunity in Romania, you will need to register with the Trade Register and for income tax, social security and VAT. The following documents will be required in order to complete this:

Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your expected stay)

Notarised degree certificate (depending on the country, this may also need to be apostilled)

Signed power of attorney

A criminal record certificate (which is obtained in Romania)

Residence permit

Job description

Medical certificate

Address of the end-client where services are to be performed

A rental agreement

A rental contract can be signed by a hotel if required. Before any rental contract is agreed and signed, a qualified local specialist should verify it in order to ensure that it conforms to the requirement of the Trade Registry.

It is also advisable to open a local bank account and have all income paid into that account, however, it is not essential. Payments for tax and social security will need to be made in local currency so this needs to be taken into consideration. Good luck!

The expert was Michelle Reilly, CEO of 6CATS International, which advises contractors on overseas contracting compliance.
Putin said SIS leaders had made demands but didn't say what they were.

He added that ISIS was expanding its control in territory controlled by US and USA -backed forces in Syria.

Abdulrahman said that Belgian and French nationals were among the hostages.

"Some US and European citizens are among the hostages".

Russian President Vladimir Putin is hailing Turkey's efforts to set up a demilitarized zone in Syria's northern province of Idlib. Last month Russian Federation and Turkey agreed on a withdrawal of Syrian radical groups and heavy weapons from the northern province: "Turkish partners are doing all they can to fulfill their obligations", he said.

He said unstable young people were creating "fake heroes for themselves" and "reaching out for a surrogate for heroism" in the absence of the real thing.

"I want to thank our Turkish partners, we see that they work, they are fulfilling the obligations. -Russian ties" and said Moscow is ready for that "at any moment".

The Russian leader pointed at political infighting between the Democrats and the Republicans, saying it blocked any possible effort by Trump to fix the fractured ties with Russia. He said he and Trump had a good discussion despite policy differences. But, Putin declared, Russian Federation will never be the first to use nukes, saying, "We have no concept of preemptive strike" (though RT explains why there may be a loophole to that).

"Any aggressor should know that retribution will be inevitable and he will be destroyed".

"In such a situation, we expect to be struck by nuclear weapons, but we will not use them" first, he said. He acknowledged it will mean a global catastrophe, but emphasized that "we can't be those who initiated it".

"Only when we become convinced that there is an incoming attack on the territory of Russian Federation, and that happens within seconds, only after that we would launch a retaliatory strike", he said.
CORNWALL, Ontario  The Cornwall Community Police Service (CCPS) announced on Friday morning that they had conducted a drug raid at an address on Prince Albert St.

CCPS Emergency Response Team assisted their Street Crime Unit in executing the warrant. In the course of the operation, distraction devices were used, but CCPS did not fire their weapons.

Early morning drug warrant executed at a Prince Albert Street address, a statement on the CCPS Facebook page reads. Distraction devices were used and heard, not gunfire. More details to follow.
Israel's Supreme Court overturned an entry ban for a U.S. student on Thursday after she was blocked from entering the country due to her alleged support for a boycott campaign against Israel.

American Lara Alqasem was denied entry to Israel because of her suspected support for a boycott campaign.

Alqasem, 22, was detained at Ben-Gurion Airport upon her arrival on October 2 after she was flagged as a BDS activist.

Alqasem, who has Palestinian grandparents, holds a visa to study in Israel and had planned to enroll in a master's programme at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Lara Alqasem, who was born in the U.S. but is of Palestinian descent, entered Israel on a student visa earlier this month, but was barred from entering and has been held in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport since.

She turned to the high court Wednesday after a lower court rejected her appeal.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court said the state's evidence was not enough to justify its use of the anti-boycott law.

It was Erdan's ministry that flagged Alqasem's previous position as president of Students for Justice in Palestine, a US campus group that advocates a boycott, and highlighted her presence at a protest of an Israeli hummus brand.

Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan argued that Alqasem "was President of a chapter of one of the most extreme and hate-filled BDS groups in the United States", and accused BDS groups of engaging in "anti-Semitic and violent activity". They also say that applying it too broadly could end up playing into the hands of BDS advocates, who often depict Israel as a hard-line, fascist state. "Today, the court once again trampled on the authority of the government and intervened in what is entirely its discretion", Smotrich said, explaining that "no person who is not a Jew or an Israeli citizen has a vested right to enter Israel, and the court once again invented out of whole cloth a sanctioned right for the enemies of the State of Israel to enter it and harm it from within".

Alqasem's lawyers praised the Supreme Court's verdict, saying, "The court's decision is a victory for freedom of expression, academic freedom and a victory for the rule of law". "Israel has the right to control its borders, but that right does not give the Interior Ministry unchecked power to turn away anyone it deems unwanted", Ben Hillel and Bechor said in a statement.

But Israeli tourism minister Yariv Levin called the court decision "shameful" and said that with their decision, the justices "were continuing to act against Israeli democracy and the clear lawmaking of the Knesset". "I shall look into how to prevent such a thing happening again".

The Israeli Strategic Affairs Ministry relies on tips from informants and social media snooping to identify BDS activists.
Manny Rivas, public health manager at Royal Caribbean International, is celebrating 50 years with the company.

Fifty years ago, Rivas, then 23 years old, went to sea as an assistant purser October 18, 1968, on a 300-passenger ship belonging to a company that eventually led to the formal start of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, according to a statement on the Royal Caribbean website.

Rivas then held a variety of positions, including chief purser, hotel operations manager, environmental officer and more, and is now the company's long-time public health manager.

Im still here. To be honest, retirement is kind of scary for me. I love to work with the ships.Theres a lot of people there I love to support, and I really enjoy what I do. This is the truth," Rivas said.

Rivas said that everything in the cruise industry is new.

When you think you have done everything, theres something new coming all the time. And this is great," he noted.

He added that the the old days were very special, and most years he gathers with cruise industry veterans to swap tales, including getting seasick his first week weeks aboard.

I still enjoy this, Rivas said If I take two weeks vacation, which doesnt happen that often, I miss this.
The last cruise ship set to sail during the 2018 season will depart from Vancouver on Friday, marking the end of the 32nd consecutive cruise season at Canada Place terminal at the Port of Vancouver.

According to the Port of Vancouver, the Star Princess was the first ship to kick off the 2018 season and her sister ship, the Emerald Princess, will be the last to depart Canada Place this year at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow, heading down the Pacific Coast to Los Angeles, before embarking on a 28-day round trip to Hawaii.

This year was an especially exciting season for the cruise industry in Vancouver, said Peter Xotta, vice president of planning and operations at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. Working alongside our destination, cruise line and industry partners, we made history with the arrival of the 25-millionth cruise passenger, saw the highest number of cruise passengers since 2010, and hosted the largest cruise ship ever to visit Vancouver.

In 2018, Vancouver welcomed more than 900,000 cruise passengers on 243 ship visits, reflecting a 7 percent increase in passenger volumes over 2017. Cruise is a key economic driver for the region as each cruise ship adds about $3 million to the local economy.

The 2019 cruise ship season kicks off with the arrival of the Emerald Princess on March 29.

Vancouver cruise passenger volumes have been strong and steady over the past five years, and in 2018 were the highest since 2010.

On September 30, the Port of Vancouver welcomed the Norwegian Bliss, which accommodates more than 4,000 passengers and is the largest cruise ship ever to visit Vancouver.

The 2018 season included several new cruise ships to homeport at the Port of Vancouver, such as Windstar Cruises luxury Star Legend and the Norwegian Jewel, which replaced the Norwegian Sun.

The Port of Vancouvers Canada Place cruise ship terminal welcomed the return of Holland America, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Crystal Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, and Silversea Cruises. These cruise lines all have ships that use the Port of Vancouver as homeport.

In 2009, the Canada Place cruise ship terminal became the first in Canada and third in the world to offer shore power for cruise ships. Since then, the Port stated, there have been 493 successful shore power connections out of 624 calls from ships able to connect to shore power.
Dream Cruises welcomed its 1 millionth passenger with a celebration at Hong Kongs Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.

Walking off the World Dream on Oct. 19, Hong Kong resident Mimi Lo was welcomed at the cruise terminal with a short celebration and ceremony attended by Thatcher Brown, president of Dream Cruises, Jeff Bent, managing director of Worldwide Cruise Terminals, Captain Robert Bodin of the World Dream, Christine Li, senior vice president, head of marketing and communications, Genting Cruise Lines and Ann Zhang, hotel director of World Dream.

On behalf of Dream Cruise, I would like to congratulate our 1 millionth guest on Dream Cruises, Ms. Mimi Lo. It is fortuitous that this important milestone is taking place during Genting Hong Kongs 25th Anniversary, said Brown. As this is her second time onboard our ship, I would like to personally thank Ms. Lo for her continued support of Dream Cruises and hope to see her on another cruise very soon.

Thank you Dream Cruises for this wonderful surprise, said Lo. Dream Cruises provides my family with an ideal vacation option that not only appeals to me but also offers a choice of activities for my children and my parents as well. We have also been impressed with the facilities in The Palace and appreciate the great service from our butlers and all the crew members onboard.

Lo was onboard the World Dream for a six-day journey to Naha and Miyakojima in Okinawa, Japan, with three generations of her family.

Onboard World Dream, Lo and her family were surprised with special gifts including signed prints by artist Jacky Tsai, who also created the ships distinctive hull art, a private tour of the bridge, exclusive photo shoot and champagne and other treats.

I am extremely proud of how quickly Dream Cruises has grown since its launch just under two years ago, added Brown. It is truly a testament to our remarkable crew and reflects the support we have received from government bodies, our business partners, the media and the public that we have reached our 1-millionth passenger in such a short period.
East Ridge City Councilwoman Esther Helton has received her second endorsement of early education advocates, Tennesseans for Quality Early Education  Political Action Committee. Ms. Helton, who won a rancorous and hard-fought GOP primary with the support to TQEE-PAC, has secured the endorsement in the general election over her Democratic opponent.

Councilwoman Helton demonstrated toughness, perseverance and grace in her primary campaign, said TQEE Executive Director Mike Carpenter. We look forward to having Esther put those qualities to work for young children in Tennessee who need a high-quality early education.

Ms. Helton, a grandmother of five and a product of East Ridge public schools, said she supports investing in training and professional development for early grades teachers to ensure they have the age-appropriate skills to teach young children. She wants to continue the momentum in Tennessee around early literacy, so children can read on grade-level by 3rd grade. Because of her healthcare background, she understands the impact of childhood trauma, like opioid addiction and domestic violence, on the brain development of young children.

Like the overwhelming majority of Tennesseans, Councilwoman Helton agrees that early education is the building block of all future learning," said Mr. Carpenter. "As a conservative, she knows investing in early education leads to a return on investment that taxpayers cannot achieve by investing in prisons and social programs."




Seven of the eight dioceses in the state, Philadelphia, Erie, Harrisburg, Scranton, Pittsburgh, Greensburg and Allentown, all said they had received federal grand jury subpoenas from the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania requesting documents.

The U.S. Department of Justice has served subpoenas to several dioceses in the state of Pennsylvania, in what is believed to be a statewide move by federal authorities to investigate sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.

A spokeswoman for Erie says the diocese's counsel is working with the DOJ.

Three men and one woman who say they were sexually abused by priests decades ago filed a lawsuit Thursday against every diocese in IL for an alleged ongoing scheme to cover up sexual assault by priests.

A sweeping USA grand jury report 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.

Now federal prosecutors are bringing the Justice Department's resources to bear, according to two people who were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The subpoenas were first reported by The Associated Press, which said investigators sought to examine organizational charts, insurance coverage, clergy assignments and confidential documents stored in what has become known as the church's "Secret Archives".

An 884-page report made public in August by Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro after a two-year investigation contained graphic examples of children being groomed and sexually abused by clergymen.

However, the report said only two priests could be charged because of time limits on legal action for such crimes.

The files requested of at least one diocese date back only to 2001, the official said. "Its counsel is in conversation with the Department of Justice". The sexual abuse of children and young people is an appalling crime and a sin.

The Archdiocese of Chicago said in a statement that while officials had not reviewed the lawsuit, the diocese has in recent years taken significant steps to address the issue, including posting the names of priests who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse on its website. The dioceses of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Erie, Allentown, Harrisburg and Greensburg all issued statements saying they had received subpoenas and meant to cooperate with federal investigators.

A representative for McSwain declined to comment, as did a Justice Department spokesperson.

Soto said the diocese planned to hire former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Kathleen McChesney, a consultant who has worked with other dioceses to do similar reviews. "The federal government has so far been utterly silent on the Catholic cases", she added. More than 100 of the priests are dead, and many others are retired or have been dismissed from the priesthood or put on leave.

Earlier this month Cardinal Wuerl announced his resignation as Washington's archbishop so that the church could "focus on healing and future". He was accused of helping to protect some child-molesting priests when he was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006.

The report is thought to be the most comprehensive to date into abuse in the United States church. It found that church leaders systematically hid evidence of wrongdoing. Lawmakers ended the session Wednesday without taking action.

Shapiro declined to comment Thursday on the federal investigation.

According to The Washington Post, the decision to open the investigation was made by federal prosecutors in the US attorney's office in Philadelphia and was not a directive from Washington, D.C. A jury convicted him in 2012.
A Rhode Island brewer well known to Baby Boomers in Connecticut held a preview gathering the other night at Shell & Bones Oyster Bar and Grill in New Haven, where chef Arturo Franco-Camacho created a tasty series of seafood samplings.

No surprise there; the location and food are top-notch.

But this was a chance to celebrate an old-school brews nod to the competitive beer markets boutique-brew craze that fills brewers tasting rooms most nights. The old name is Narragansett; the new-ish offering is Fresh Catch, brewed specifically to pair with New England seafood.

Before we get to that, consider the brands tumultuous recent history since the 1980s  not long after Narragansett was in the category of Schaefer, Ballantine, Pabst and Piels  a good drinkin beer! as Jimmy Breslin would say.

The (Narragansett) brand was sold in the middle 70s, says Narragansett marketing official BJ Mansuetti, and due to some legal issues, it didnt go through until the 80s, to a company called Falstaff. And they were out in Indiana, and they ended up moving production out there, they changed the recipe; and we employed almost 1,000 Rhode Islanders at the time. And laying off those people just left a bitter taste in local folks mouths.

Consider that in the previous 20 or 25 years, seven out of 10 beers consumed in New England were Narragansett beers, Mansuetti says. Based in Cranston, Rhode Island, We were bigger than Budweiser ever was, he says.

Then came the rebirth of the brand.

The first thing we wanted to do when we came back in 2005  we bought the brand back; a bunch of Rhode Islanders got together, wanted to restart it and do it right  is we actually found a guy named Bill Anderson (in California), and he was in his 80s ... and he was our brewmaster in the 50s and 60s back in the heyday. And he still had the recipe.

The new owners flew in Anderson, who worked on the recipe for a month until he said, This is what I was brewing back then. Anderson died in 2017.

The lager is still the mainstay, but eventually the new owners just sort of got the itch to try out some other drinkable styles, said Mansuetti.

Fresh Catch is a beer the brew team put together a while ago in a slightly different recipe, says Mansuetti. The previous version was known as Summertime Citra Ale, which was popular.

We wanted to keep it around but it said Summertime on the can, Mansuetti laughs. So we wanted to kind of rebrand it (and) we reworked the recipe a little bit. Its a nice, light golden ale or blonde ale that we dry hop with citra hops.

So what makes a beer that goes with seafood?

The idea is that fish, and seafood in general, has pretty delicate flavors, and theyre so subtle and complex, Mansuetti said. And if youve got a beer that is super hoppy or has all this malt character or is bitter, it really kind of gets in the way of really tasting some of those ... flavors.

In keeping with the brand names classic American lager, Fresh Catch is nice and light. (The) citra hops ... give a little bit of a grapefruit and just a little bit of a passion fruit kind of aroma to it.

The hugely popular local breweries have opened in post-industrial spaces across the state (New England Brewing, Hanging Hills, Hog River, Thimble Island), with hoppy IPAs and boutique brews that seldom include the word lager. Narragansett isnt trying to do stouts, porters and sour beers. Theres no hiding it, says Mansuetti, lagers are our flagship. Its our beer, its what weve been brewing for 128 years.

So while the company has come up with an IPA called Its About Time, Narragansett has always wanted to brew beers that are drinkable and balanced. ... Youre not going to see too many ... 10 percent (alcohol) or double IPAs. Its just not really in our DNA.

There is another major twist in the Narragansett story. The original location of Narragansetts brewery was a huge plant that had since been torn down, and the reboot effort ran into red tape and failed deals to secure a new location, until about four years ago when owners were 11 days away from signing the deed to a new brewery space. And then? It went up in a five-alarm fire right beforehand, says Mansuetti. And (he sighs) ... it just made us laugh at that point because it kept getting snake-bit.

About two years ago, the group teamed up with a company called The Guild in Pawtucket and built a collaborative brewery there, moving in about 18 months ago. Some smaller breweries also use it. Narragansett, while not very big still, sells its beer from Maine to Florida, after adding the Georgia market a month ago.

We still dont have our own tasting room or tap room, where everybody else does, says Mansuetti. But whats been fun for us is it makes us go out into bars and restaurants and do this kind of stuff.

jamarante@nhregister.com; @Joeammo on Twitter
BRIDGEPORT  The art is back.

Two-plus years after a massive renovation project sent a good chunk of the Housatonic Community Colleges nearly 7,000-piece collection into storage, pieces are coming out of hiding.

Hundreds of them.

What better way to celebrate than to host a scavenger hunt, using this eclectic mix of African, Native American, abstract, collage, pop art and more.

The Housatonic Museum of Art will hold a Night at the Museum from 7 to 10 p.m. on Thursday in the Burt Chernow Galleries at Housatonic Community College, 900 Lafayette Boulevard.

Beyond an art-inspired hunt, participants will be treated to gypsy jazz music by Chat Noir, sweet treats such as bacon-topped Elvis cupcakes and craft cocktails.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will support museums programming, such as a student docent program, as well as collection upkeep.

Its a fun way to get people back and let them explore the building, said Robbin Zella, executive director of the museum.

The museums Chernow Gallery has been out of commission since an Aug. 22, fire in an upstairs computer lab at the college cause extensive water damage to the gallerys ceiling, floors, walls and sound system.

As a result, Zella turned her attention to the expansive corridors throughout the colleges 300,000-square-foot, two-building campus that had been stripped during renovation.

It gave me the opportunity for the first time ever to start with a blank slate, she said. I was able to designate certain areas. So the atrium area (in Lafayette Hall ) is always going to focus on African art. Work in the cases will change, but they will always be African art.

Beacon Halls first floor atrium, meanwhile, is devoted to Native American Art. Its second floor will focus on color. Portions of the second floor of Lafayette Hall will house abstract art.

We are always adding to the collection, Zella said. Two pieces were delivered today.

The museum was founded in 1967 by the late Burt Chernow, a professor emeritus at Housatonic, who started collecting art at the college for students without the means to visit galleries. It has grown into one the most extensive college-based collections in the country and includes Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Chagall and Rodin.

The Night in the Museum is expected to draw 150 or more participants  ages 21 or older only  who will search for clues in the art work. Those that get stuck can buy clues. There will be prizes for the winners, along with a silent auction, a Tarot card reader and a fortune teller.

lclambeck@ctpost.com; twitter/lclambeck
BRIDGEPORT  Residents who showed up to a forum to discuss the flooding that hit the city late last month all seemed to have the same attitude: they were fed up and wanted answers.

More than 50 people gathered at 250 Brooklawn Ave. on Thursday to talk about a storm that hit on Sept. 25 and dropped 6.8 inches of rain in the area of Cartright Street, Dora Circle and Renwick Drive  all along the Rooster River.

This thing happened so fast ... I have a new appreciation for flash flooding, said Howard Gardner, who lives at 25 Cartright St. and organized the forum. We actually live in fear (of rain) now.

Some of the attendees shouted questions at city and state officials who showed up to hear stories and update residents on what was being done. Among those officials was John Ricci, director of the citys public facilities, who took the brunt of residents frustrations.

Sir, with all due respect, youve come here and youve shut down every person that spoke ... Youre not listening, said Siobhan Kieras, the president of the board at 25 Cartright St., to Ricci. I understand that it was a bigger storm, but what are we going to do today?

Though there were no long-term solutions handed out, Scott Appleby, the director of emergency management and homeland security in Bridgeport, urged residents to inform the Emergency Operations Center of any uninsured damages to their homes or properties.

As of Thursday, the city had gathered reports of $2.9 million in damages. To have the situation declared a disaster and to qualify for federal funding to help with reimbursements, Fairfield County has to file $3.3 million in damages and the state has to file a total of $5 million in damages, Appleby said.

We have to keep the process moving, he said, adding that hes been in touch with other Fairfield County towns and cities, including Greenwich, Norwalk, Fairfield and Trumbull, about submitting damage reports.

The federal aid is being pursued because so many residents found that their insurance wasnt covering all their damages from the Sept. 25 storm. State Representative Steve Stafstrom said he was going to reach out to the insurance commission and find out, specifically, why the claims were denied.

I want a full list of denied claims, he said, offering to visit residents homes to see damages firsthand so he could take that information back to Hartford and see what he could do.

Some residents claimed their streets still hadnt been cleared of debris, mostly mud, by the city. One resident said her husband went out and used a power washer to clean the streets because they didnt want to wait for the city any longer.

More Information If you aren't already registered with the Bridgeport emergency alert system, call the EOC at 203-579-3829 and someone will set up your account. All state residents should also sign up for state alerts. You can do that at https://www.ct.gov/ctalert/cwp/view.asp?a=3875&q=458434. See More Collapse

Im getting to old for this, her husband said. We cant do this anymore.

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim and Ricci confirmed crews would be out to clean them on Friday. Ricci said cleanup will continue into next week.

Ganim said he understood the frustration, mentioning when he used to live on Cartright Street.

It has to be a collective strategy, Ganim said about addressing the flooding and looking into solutions.

And with many people saying the flooding seen on Sept. 25 was the worst theyd seen in decades, Ricci seemed to agree.

Everything worked against us, Ricci said. You just had too much water coming down.

Residents shared their personal stories about the flooding, many of them saying that so much water was coming down and raising the water level of the river to the point where they had no choice but to flee.

Were in a disaster right now, said Mary Stephens, who lives on Renwick Drive. We need help.
BRIDGEPORT  A man previously convicted on weapons charges was again charged last month for threatening a city restaurant owner and security staff at gunpoint, an incident report said.

Shakir Sultan, 39, of Thorme Street in Bridgeport, was charged with carrying a pistol without a permit, failure to safely store a loaded firearm, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, carrying a dangerous weapon, criminal possession of a firearm and ammunition and first-degree threatening.

A recently obtained incident report indicated that on Sept. 17, police responded to Paradise Restaurant and Bar at 1725 Barnum Ave. around 1 a.m. for a report of a suspicious man with a gun who fled in a silver car with Florida plates.

Officers that spoke to the owner and security at the bar found out that the man, later identified as Sultan, was asked to leave the bar when he started to become disruptive, the incident report said. The owner told police the man had been a patron of his for some time.

According to the report, Sultan was unhappy that he was asked to leave and said he would be back. And shortly after, the incident report said, Sultan did exactly that.

He was pounding and kicking on the door, the report said. And when the owner and security staff opened the door, he then pulled a firearm out from somewhere on his person, held it in his right hand, and said Now what! You know me now!?

Sultan left, in a Enterprise rental car with a passenger, after the owner ran back inside to call 911.

Officers soon found the suspect vehicle at the Turnid gas station on the corner of East Main and Hamilton streets. Sultan was detained in the store.

Police did a sweep of the vehicle and saw a black firearm sticking out from under the passenger seat, the incident report said. Police said the gun was a .38 caliber Lorcin with seven rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.

A photo of Sultan was taken to the restaurant owner, who positively identified him as the person who had threatened him and his security at gunpoint.

Court records show Sultans bail was set at $100,000. He was released from custody. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 14.
October 1 marks the state of the holiday season and one Houston area donut shop is offering customers a unique service to help the community get into the Halloween spirit.

Hurts Donuts off Spring Green Boulevard in Katy already started offering scary clown donut deliveries to help customers "scare the sprinkles" out of their friends last week; as of Oct. 1, all Hurts locations across the country will be joining in on the fun.

The popular donut chain's Katy location is the only one in the Houston area and specializes in unique donut flavors and combinations.

Those interested in sending a sweet, scary treat can call 346-387-9900 to schedule a delivery. The business is also offering customers the chance to win a free delivery of a dozen donuts.

Hurts' Facebook post announcing the deliveries spread online after being shared more than 600 times and earning nearly 1,000 likes. Some have jumped on the idea and warned their friends to keep an eye out for a terrifying clown bearing sweet treats.

"So doing this for you!," one woman commented, tagging her friend. "Do y'all want plain, glazed or assorted?," another woman said, tagging two friends in her post.

The price of the delivery service depends on each order and location of the delivery.

MAKE YOUR COWORKER'S DAY: Best donuts in Houston to bring to the office

The clown delivery service will be offered throughout the month of October, co-founder and marketing director Kas Clegg told the Chronicle. Clegg said the newest location will open in Fort Worth in less than 90 days, but customers there won't have to wait to get their hands on a donut. The business started offering the clown delivery service as of Oct. 1. Fort Worth foodies can schedule a delivery by calling 469-214-8001.

Clegg said Greater Houston area residents further out from the Katy location can call the business to see about scheduling a day for their city for clown deliveries.

"The best way to get their city on the schedule is to call," Clegg said. "They wont go unless they call and ask for delivery there, they will plan an entire day for that city."

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.

Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message.
The United States is changing as a nation. Youthful diversity is becoming the counterweight of white aging consumers. This demographic and cultural shift is challenging brands in every way -- from how to interact with these new consumers to efficiency and marketing. The one-size fits all approach is now outdated, and the more progressive companies are realizing that it is no longer cost-effective. Corporations have to be more strategic in their approach and develop a deep understanding of the customer base they serve.

I personally believe that the market is shifting from a transaction focus to a brand experiential stand point. With today's diverse, tech-savvy and more demanding audience, you have to create an experience from the moment a consumer first interacts with your brand. That experience must keep them engaged throughout the purchase process and keep them connected afterwards.

The old-fashioned, inefficient way of thinking that I still encounter with some corporate executives is: "You come to us if you need our product or service." You simply cannot have that mindset in this marketplace if you want to survive. Today, you need to reach out and connect with consumers within their lifestyle. You must create a memorable experience and messaging that will resonate with them. Maintain the momentum all the way from introduction to well past the purchase. Keep them engaged and you will have a loyal customer. This is crucial if you want to increase revenue, market share, and set yourself apart from your competitors.

I inteviewed Pablo Guzman, Vice-President of Sales -- Hispanic Markets, at Keurig Dr. Pepper Inc. (CPG). Guzman is a passionate and well-respected Hispanic market leader with more than 20 years of experience in the industry working for CPG brands in the U.S.A.

Guzman shared with me the three strategic pillars he believes are necessary for a successful outcome of any Hispanic market initiative.

Related: 10 Examples of Companies With Fantastic Cultures

Build brand presence.

This starts with the media part of the marketing campaign (digital, TV, radio, point-of-sale, etc). You must bring the message to life for the consumer. The media needs to be coordinated to have the brand present and available for the consumer to either see, sample, or buy. It means building a meaningful presence, whether it is graffiti art, a billboard, interactive digital media, or the point-of-sale on display at the store. You need to be visible and present.

Additionally, the message must be as consistent for the general market consumer as it is for the Latino consumer. It does not require a separate Spanish version campaign (not to be interpreted as saying no Spanish media), but rather trans-created to get the brand message across in a culturally relevant manner. The brand presence will come when the consumer sees the same message throughout the market.

Execute with a Latino-centric focus.

The Latino consumer today is shopping in ALL channels and stores. Whether it's ecommerce, clothing, food and beverages or something else, you need to keep the consumer's culture in mind. Take advantage of where you know the consumer consistently shops and have the right mix in mind. Take soda, for example: The Latino culture is a big fan of citrus flavors, so you might emphasize those options. But don't forget: Latino consumers are also evolving and will develop new preferences.

This Latino-focused approach will provide authenticity and new growth. Just look at what has happened in food: Salsa has surpassed ketchup. Tortillas are a value item in a burrito, yet they are a high-margin item when they are called "wraps". This is why it is also important to keep this focus when you look at general market stores like Kroger, Publix, or Walmart. Latino consumers are shopping everywhere, so if you don't offer a good selection of Hispanic items they will go elsewhere.

Related: The 5 Must-Ask Interview Questions to Determine if Someone's a Fit

Become part of the community.

Build a long lasting commitment with local communities. Some people call this grass roots marketing, some call it neighborhood marketing. Guzman calls it building trust. There are many companies that rely on the Latino community for growth and are quick to take advantage of this. But, if they don't build a long-term relationship with the culture as a whole, that growth will be short-lived.

Within the executive world, there is still a lack of understanding or denial to embrace the fact that consumers are becoming more diverse and they know exactly what they want. Technology allows them to be that way. They can determine if you are a reputable brand and if you will be able to fulfill their needs with just a simple touch of their screen and a quick scan of online reviews.

Your story behind the brand and your cultural relevancy at the time of execution are crucial. If you want to connect with the Latino community in a very powerful way, learn the right way to trigger their behaviors to engage with your brand. Do not expect that a marketing campaign alone will get the job done. There is still much work that needs to be done with consumers at the retail point. Remember, the role of advertising is to bring awareness, generate a desire of ownership, and drive traffic to your ecommerce site or store front. From there, you must act on the momentum and provide a welcoming, culturally relevant customer experience so you can retain them, gain their loyalty and turn them into an ambassador for your brand.

Related:

3 Strategic Pillars to Build Loyalty With a Hispanic Audience

How to Increase Your Return on Investment With Hispanic Markets

How the New Animated Smash, 'CoCo,' Got It Right, in Its Outreach to Latino Audiences



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
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FAIRFIELD  Police said two Waterbury residents led officers in a brief pursuit after allegedly stealing merchandise from Home Deport, 541 Kings Highway, Sunday evening.

According to the report, security at Home Depot called police when they spotted Ryan McCarthy, 42, who they said was a known shoplifter, pushing a cart with about $1,500 worth of items to the door. The employee watched McCarthy load the merchandise into a waiting car, and police attempted to stop that car in the parking lot. The car sped off and drove onto Interstate 95 northbound, getting off at Exit 25. McCarthy, who was driving, made a left turn off the exit onto a dead end road and was apprehended by police.
For a few years now, a statistic has been floating around about peoples average attention spans being shorter than that of a goldfish -- eight seconds vs. nine seconds, respectively. While there is some debate about whether goldfish really do have such short attention spans, the point is that many people believe that their attention spans are shrinking. But theyre not. Theyre evolving.

Its certainly logical to believe our attention spans are in decline. With so much content coming at us constantly across multiple channels and devices, its hard to focus on any one thing for any length of time. Heres something perplexing, though: While many of us struggle to pay attention during a one-hour business meeting, we have no trouble binge-watching a series on Netflix for six hours at a stretch. Why is that?

Turns out that the firehose of content we face each day is forcing us to become more selective about what we devote our attention to -- and new research from Prezi backs this up.

Related: Combating the Millennial Attention Span to Keep Your Team Engaged

Signs of improvement -- and even expansion

Prezi teamed up with strategic consulting firm Kelton Research to conduct a study to gauge the effectiveness of content and presentations and to better understand how they resonate with business professionals across demographics, including millennials, Generation X and baby boomers. The findings suggest that our ability to maintain our focus on content is actually improving over time as we become more selective about the content we choose to devote our attention to.

The research, presented in detail in Prezis 2018 State of Attention Report, found that well over half -- 59 percent -- of business professionals feel they can give a piece of content their undivided attention more so today than they could just one year ago. Also, nearly half (49 percent) of respondents said they are more selective about the content they consume now compared to one year ago.

The State of Attention study also found evidence that attention spans are not only intact across generations, but also expanding in younger generations. Thats important information for businesses: Many organizations struggle to communicate effectively with, and develop engaging content for, all groups in their multigenerational workforce -- but thats especially true with millennials. And millennials, according to Pew Research Center, are the largest generation in the workforce as of 2017.

Related: The Myth of the 8-Second Attention Span

The keys to engagement: great stories and highly compelling visuals

Catering to this choosier, modern-day attention span is difficult, but not impossible. But what defines winning content that commands a persons undivided attention today? Based on findings in the State of Attention report, its content that features a compelling narrative combined with stimulating visuals and dialogue.

More than half (55 percent) of all business professionals surveyed for the study said a great story captures their focus and keeps them engaged with the content. One-third (33 percent) of respondents report that visual stimulation is critical to maintaining their attention.

The high expectations todays professionals have for the content they consume apply to sales and other business presentations, too. Nine in 10 respondents to the State of Attention study said either a strong narrative or the story behind the presentation is critical to maintaining audience engagement. And, more than three-quarters (79 percent) of professionals surveyed find the use of animated visuals in presentations effective at keeping audiences focused.

However, other data from the study suggests that many presenters are falling short with their storytelling: Four in five business professionals -- across demographics -- said they shifted their focus away from the speaker in the most recent presentation they watched. More than half of the respondents attributed their disengagement to instances where a story either lacked substance or did not challenge them mentally.

These findings underscore why its so important for businesses to undergo a storytelling evolution. This process involves two important shifts: First, to embrace conversational presenting. This approach allows the presenter to create a dialogue with their audience, and with the right technology, to move through a presentation seamlessly and get to the content that interests them most. The second is visual storytelling -- incorporating compelling visual elements like infographics to bring data to life in presentations so that people wont ignore it (or the presenter).

Related: Why Short-Form Video Needs to Be Part of Your Content Strategy

The distracted workforce: A major risk for the bottom line

Conversational presenting and visual storytelling are the foundational elements for a fast-emerging concept in business communication called conversational storytelling. Its a nonlinear, highly visual and narrative-based approach to presenting information. Its the next frontier of communication, actually, and businesses need to prepare for it now. But as they do, they shouldnt be thinking only of how to improve sales and other external-facing presentations. Content for their workforce needs to become more engaging, too.

A distracted workforce can have a negative impact on a businesss bottom line. If employees arent fully engaged by content that is critical to doing their jobs well, their overall productivity and performance will suffer. That, in turn, could undermine business innovation and profitability. And the State of Attention study shows that todays workers are definitely distracted: Ninety-five percent of all business professionals surveyed say they multitask during meetings.

Many people consider being a multitasker a badge of honor  and many businesses specifically seek multitaskers when hiring. But there are clear downsides to trying to split your attention across too many things at once. On-the-job mistakes are a big one. In fact, one in five business professionals admits that multitasking in meetings has caused them to make an error in their work. One in three multitaskers reports that they lose track of or have trouble retaining the information that is discussed in a meeting.

Multitasking millennials seem to struggle the most with distraction, compared to business professionals from other generational groups in the workforce. The State of Attention study found that more millennial professionals have had to watch, read or listen to something again due to dividing their focus between two pieces of content. Also, they have difficulty retaining the material they consumed when they attempted to split their attention across multiple pieces of content. And 90 percent of millennials surveyed said that, during the most recent presentation or sales pitch that they saw live, they shifted their focus away from the speaker.

Millennials can help drive the business storytelling evolution

The studys findings on millennials distracted state at work are especially important for businesses to be aware of, and to take action on. As noted earlier, millennials are already the largest generation present in the workforce -- they are your new leadership, your customers, your partners.

That said, millennials are uniquely positioned to help their organizations evolve their approach to storytelling because they are easily distracted. Millennials already inherently understand how storytelling and presenting in business need to evolve. Visual storytelling is a driving force in their lives, and has been since they entered the world. Many millennials dont even remember a time without the internet, and are downright conditioned to use visually intensive social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat as their go-to communication tools.

So, its no surprise that millennials tolerance level for boring, static content is more pronounced than older generations' in the workforce. More than one-third of millennial business professionals surveyed for the study say they only engage with content that they feel has a great story or theme. Finally, millennials, more than any other age demographic say animated visuals are effective at keeping them engaged.

Businesses should look to millennials to help them create content that reflects the way people, both by choice and necessity, consume information today. Millennials, especially those in leadership roles, should also recognize that they have a unique opportunity to help their organizations move in the right direction with their storytelling. They can help spark and push this critical evolution forward -- and they should step up to do both.

By using more effective storytelling to create an engaged workforce, and reduce the risk of fostering a distracted one, businesses can also solve another important business problem: bridging communication gaps with all the different generations in their workforce. Research for the State of Attention study shows that Gen Xers and baby boomers also face attention and retention issues due to being overwhelmed by content -- or underwhelmed by a live presentation. So, the reality is that all business professionals, regardless of their generation, can benefit from viewing content that is more compelling.

As for that goldfish stat? Flush it. Our undivided attention can be captured for long periods of time, provided that content creators and presenters use the right bait: relevant, engaging content that features great stories and highly compelling visuals. And the sooner businesses start creating content thats suited to the way todays audiences prefer to consume it, the better their chances will be of growing alongside these shifts in behavior. Their long-term survival truly hinges on their ability to evolve their content in tandem with peoples evolving attention spans.

Related:

How to Biohack Your Way to Optimal Sleep and Increase Performance

Sorry, Goldfish: People's Attention Spans Aren't Shrinking, They're Evolving

I Built My Multimillion-Dollar Side-Hustle While Working a Full-Time Job and So Can You



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Thankfully, most don't seem to have been too bad in the end: Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are already back in training after missing an global match each, while Sadio Mane has had surgery on his hand.

Liverpool suffered a number of injury problems with players on global duty.

Mane missed Senegal's 1-0 win over Sudan on Tuesday in African Nations Cup qualifier and joined a growing list of injured players at Liverpool ahead of Saturday's league trip to Huddersfield.

Besides Sane, Liverpool have the likes of Mohamed Salah (groin), Virgil van Dijk (ribs) and Naby Keita out of action with injuries.

Jurgen Klopp's side were already without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain due to a long-term knee injury and James Milner, who was substituted in the first half of the draw against Manchester City before the internaitonal break with a hamstring problem.

"Now it's getting a bit hard with judging how fit he is really", the Reds boss said. Nobody, not even he, knows how long he can [play] and stuff like that.

He is 100 per cent back and looks really good in training.

The spate of injuries threatened to leave Liverpool shorthanded for their clash against the Terriers, but the Reds can be buoyed by some good news in training. But we can not forget it completely or ignore it.

He said: "He (Van Dijk) spoke to the manager".

Van Dijk played the entirety of the Netherlands' win over Germany on Saturday and then returned to Liverpool - missing Tuesday's friendly with Belgium.
Australia began their day with the overnight batsmen Aaron Finch and Travis Head hoping to delay the inevitable.

On day three of the second Test between Pakistan and Australia in Abu Dhabi, Pakistan middle-order batsman Azhar Ali was dismissed in a weird fashion that needs to be seen to be believed.

Starc was only used for three overs as Australia managed his hamstring tightness, while Jon Holland - down on luck over the first couple of days - was also used sparingly, completing a miserable series with the ball for the Victorian, who took just four wickets at 75 across the two Tests.

So Starc pinged the ball back and Tim Paine knocked off the bails, dismissing Azhar for 64.

Head edged to substitute wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, standing in after captain Sarfraz Ahmed went to hospital for precautionary scans when he woke up on Friday and complained of headaches.

The keeper-batsman lasted just three balls, bowled by Abbas after opting to leave a ball that was pitched just outside off stump, to extend Australia's collapse from 1-71 to 5-78.

The former England captain may have scored nearly 8,000 global runs and 18 Test centuries, but he says Abbas is the type of bowler that would make him "poop his pants".

Imad has been out of the Pakistan limited-overs squad since a year ago due to a knee problem and was also overlooked for the Asia Cup last month after failing a fitness test.

Man of the match Abbas continued his phenomenal series to snare 10 wickets across both innings as Australia fell short of their first Test series victory in Asia since 2011.

Mohammad Abbas' career average (15.64) is the best for any bowler who has taken at least 50 wickets in Tests in the last 122 years.

Mohammad Abbas' first 10-wicket haul in tests made him the first pace bowler to claim 15 or more dismissals in a test series in the United Arab Emirates.

Australia slide two places to fifth in ICC Test Team Rankings following a 1-0 series loss.
Paramedic lecturer leads team on NATO Exercise

A paramedic lecturer from the University of Cumbria is playing a leading role in a military exercise which could help shape a country's response to natural disasters.

Major David Bates ARRC is currently deployed as an army reservist and is leading a UK mentoring team made up of 16 mentors and advisers in Kosovo.

The exercise, called Silver Sabre 18-2, is a NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR) Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response exercise designed to assist the Kosovo Security Organisations and the Institutions in Kosovo with mitigating actions and preparations for natural or man-made disasters.

By bringing together the responder agencies to rehearse their plans and to learn from one another the local agencies can improve their response to future threats and hazards, such as flooding.

This exercise is vital in bringing together the responder agencies to rehearse their plans and to learn from one another in order to improve their response to future threats and hazards such as flooding, Major Bates said. This work will hopefully feed in to two new modules at the University of Cumbria that will better prepare humanitarian and disaster response operators to meet the challenges of working in austere and potentially hostile environments. There is real synergy between what we do in the Army Reserve, with voluntary organisations and the university. Everybody benefits and it is very cost effective sharing knowledge, skills, experience and time.

David leads the universitys Disaster Response module so it is essential that he maintains his knowledge and skills when not deployed on real disaster operations by supporting exercises and training such as this, Louise Nelson, head of the University of Cumbrias department of nursing, health and professional practice. He also volunteers with the Humanitarian Aid and Relief Trust which deploys to help communities that are voiceless and therefore do not receive international assistance. This kind of practical experience means hes able to pass on real, relevant insight to our students.

Photograph Crown Copyright: David Bates flanked by members of the Kosovo Security Councils Situation Centre and Marko Bulmer (far right) during Exercise Silver Sabre 18-2.
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South Korea's president said he was certain peace could be achieved on the Korean Peninsula ahead of an audience on Thursday with Pope Francis where he's expected to extend an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to visit the reclusive country.

Two men, a 58-year-old Singaporean and a 30-year-old North Korean, were charged on Thursday (Oct 18) for supplying prohibited luxury items to North Korea.

'I will definitely answer if I get the invitation, and I can go'.

The South Korean leader signed a broad agreement with Kim last month created to reduce military tensions on the peninsula. If it materialises, such a visit would be the first by a pope to North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended a special mass for peace on the Korean Peninsula celebrated by Vatican's secretary of state Pietro Parolin at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Oct. 17, 2018, in Rome. The pope said the Vatican strongly supports the peacemaking process on the peninsula and told President Moon that he should move forward with the ongoing denuclearization process.

A Vatican statement made no mention of the verbal invitation from Kim.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (left) in talks with Pope Francis (right) during their private.

Moon also had an important role in setting up a June meeting between Kim and President Donald Trump that took place in Singapore, where they announced aspirational goals for a nuclear-free peninsula without describing how and when it would occur. The Vatican has not had diplomatic relations with Beijing since 1951.

"This is the first time that officers from the two Koreas and UN Command held a meeting", the Defense Ministry said. Pope Francis also is planning to visit Japan early next year.

Francis, however, has taken a less-absolutist approach and recently agreed to a deal with China over bishop nominations signed with China, which only allows religious practice in state-sanctioned churches. Pyongyang's constitution purportedly ensures "freedom of religion" as long as it does not undermine the state, although no openly religious activities are allowed.

Church officials estimate that North Korea had a Catholic community of about 55,000 just before the 1950-53 Korean War.
President Donald Trump tweeted early Thursday morning that he will send troops and close the border if Mexico lets the latest caravan of thousands of migrants marching north reach the boundary between the two nations.

It's unclear how he intends to close the entire US-Mexico border and he already earlier this year called up some military units to do border security. He also suggested that it could jeopardize a revamped trade deal with Mexico and Canada, which is waiting to be signed by each country's leader.

However, the caravan reportedly is still on its way to reach Mexico's southern border and then to the southern border of the US.

On Wednesday, Mexican officials said those in the Honduran caravan with proper documentation could enter the country and those without it would have to apply for refugee status or face deportation.

"I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to US" he said.

Honduran migrants bound to the U.S border climbed into the bed of a truck in Zacapa, Guatemala, Wednesday.

Democratic consultant Scott Ferson told the Herald he takes Trump at his word.

Trump also threatened in April to withdraw aid from Honduras and other countries that allowed passage for a similar caravan that originated in the Central American country.

Trump also suggested that the migrants hoping to enter the US are linked to crime and drugs that he said are "pouring in", and he called on Mexico to stop the "onslaught".

If an individual manages to evade the new system and travels through Mexico to eventually cross the border into the U.S., Mexico will now allow those persons to be returned to Mexico, the official told Fox News.

The caravan has been growing steadily since it left the violent Honduran city of San Pedro Sula on Saturday. "All Democrats fault for weak laws!"

"It was predictable and also the election process is very close, so he is making a political calculation", he added.

Illegal immigration is likely to be a top issue in November 6 United States congressional elections, when Democrats are seen as having a good chance of gaining control of the House of Representatives from Mr Trump's fellow Republicans.

Over the last few days, that number has swollen to 3,000.

Trump's tweets came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo prepared to embark on a tour of the region that will see him visit Mexico ahead of its December inauguration of President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as well as Panama.

Arpaio applauded Trump's warning of possible financial penalties for Central American nations if the threats to the USA border are not addressed.

"We are going to continue, " Navarreto said.

The migrants are fleeing widespread poverty and gang violence in one of the world's most murderous countries, and many blamed Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez for what they called unlivable conditions back home.
WEST CHESTER  Charles B. Smith, a senior Common Pleas Court judge in Chester County whose common sense demeanor and jack-of-all-trades work ethic distinguished him in a judicial career that spanned nearly four decades, died on Wednesday after leaving the county Justice Center for the day. He was 79.

Smith had left the courthouse after having presided over a three-page long miscellaneous court docket that spoke to his ability to handle all types of cases, from criminal to civil to family. His list dealt with the legal matters that concern average citizens on a fundamental, everyday basis, from appeals of speeding tickets and minor citations to probation violation hearings, from defendants seeking expungements of their criminal records to drunk driving sentences. For good measure, a civil matter was thrown in, and Smith was asked to preside over whether those people picked up on fugitive warrants should be released or held in prison.

He cared for all the people who appeared in front of him, said President Judge Jacquline Carroll Cody Thursday, who announced his death in a statement with the county commissioners, Michelle Kichline, Kathi Cozzone, and Terence Farrell.

Smith reportedly collapsed in Courthouse Alley at the rear of the Justice Center, where his car was parked, on his way to the annual Red Mass at St. Agnes Church for members of the judiciary. Deputies from the county Sheriffs Office attempted to revive him, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Chester County Hospital shortly after 5 p.m.

Judge Smith was a dedicated jurist who faithfully served the citizens of Chester County for many years, the statement from Cody and the commissioners read. Judge Smith faithfully served the residents of Chester County for many years on the bench. He will be greatly missed. May he rest in peace.

His work ethic was unparalleled, said Common Pleas Judge John Hall, who practiced before Smith when he was a prosecutor in the county District Attorneys Office and as an attorney in private practice, and then served alongside him on the county bench. He worked until the day he died.

Smith, of Malvern, was a graduate of Dickinson College and Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University. He was admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania in 1965, and from then until 1970 he served in the U. S. Army and was a member of the Judge Advocate Generals Corps.

A trial lawyer for more than a decade, Smith worked with the Legal Aid Society of Chester County in the 1970s, representing indigent clients in civil matters at no cost. Smith was a Chester County Juvenile Court Master from 1975 to 1981, and was elected to the county Common Pleas Court in 1981, being retained by the voters in 1991 for another term. In 1992, Smith was appointed a Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He retired from the federal bench in 2007 but began working as a senior judge in the county. He was planning to retire at the end of the year because of limits placed on senior judges service, but Cody said he had offered this month to continue working without pay next year.

He dedicated his life to his family, Cody said in an interview in her chambers Thursday. His strength was his faith, and his commitment was to insuring that justice was done.

Hall, who along with Cody recalled appearing before Smith during his first stretch on the bench in the 1980s, said that among Smiths trademarks was an ability to preside over all types of cases. Hall said his first non-jury trial was a juvenile matter before Smith, and the elder judge would at times spell him in his position on Juvenile Court.

He pitched in wherever and whenever we needed him, Hall said in an interview. He fulfilled his duties until the very end. It was a great honor to have worked with him.

Smith was not the sort of judge to make headlines with bombastic pronouncements from the bench or jaw-dropping rulings or out-of-the-blue sentences. But one of the trials he presided over was a hot topic in the county, and a decision he made in the case  or did not make, depending on your view  may have made the difference between a life and death sentence.

In 1984, a West Chester man, Timothy Levi Bailey, was arrested and charged with the rape and murder of a borough woman after a night of drinking at a west side bar. Her nude body was found hanging by clothesline from a swing set behind a house on Hannum Avenue.

Bailey had been free on bail at the time, having not been sentenced for a previous rape charge because of court scheduling errors. The ensuing negative publicity surrounding the case forced Smith, who was assigned the case, to bring in an out-of-county jury to hear the trial. Smith then reached out and appointed two young criminal defense attorneys, Robert Donatoni and Arthur Donato, to take over Baileys defense.

In an interview Thursday, Donatoni remembered getting a telephone call from Smith telling him he had, good news and bad news.

The good news was I wasnt going to have to take a lot of other run-of-the-mill court appointed cases, the veteran defense attorney said. The bad news was that I was going to have to take on Tim Baileys case.

It was an extraordinarily difficult case, a death penalty case, but it was an honor to have been appointed by him and to practice in front of him. He treated all attorneys who appeared before him with respect, and he had a self-deprecating sense of humor. Jurors responded to him and loved him because he was a common-sense, down-to-earth sort of guy, Donatoni said.

During Baileys trial in 1985, Bailey was leaving the witness stand after being questioned by Donatoni about whether he had been involved in the womans murder. As Bailey passed by Donatoni, he swung a fist at him and connected, punching his own attorney in the middle of the courtroom while the jury watched.

Although he could have done so, Smith declined to declare a mistrial to have the case tried at another time before another jury. Donatoni on Thursday said that the jurors, however, viewed the attack as indicative of Baileys temperament, and decided he could not have formed the required premeditation to plan the womans murder. They found him guilty of second-degree murder, sparing him the death penalty.

Afterwards, Smith took Donatoni into his chambers. He said, Im sorry you had to go through that. Its so very sad to have him go. He was such a great guy.

Funeral details were not available at press time.
Until I read his obituaries this week, after his death at the age of 88, I confess that the name Walter Mischel meant nothing to me  although his nickname the Marshmallow Man rang the faintest of bells.

It was only when I read on that it began to come back to me, and I realised that he was the American psychology professor who inspired one of the most interesting debates of our time.

For Mischel was the Vienna-born refugee from Hitler who devised the famous marshmallow test, which divided humanity into two categories: those of us who cant resist instant rewards, and those who have the willpower to delay gratification in the expectation of gaining greater benefits later.

To remind readers with memories as rusty as mine, his experiment  launched at Stanford University, California, in the Sixties  involved putting terrible temptation in the way of 653 children aged three to five.

In front of each boy and girl his researchers placed a marshmallow, telling them that if they waited 20 minutes before eating it, they would be given an extra one. But that wouldnt happen if they gobbled theirs up straight away.

Walter Mischel designed the 'marshmallow test' which was test on children and rose to prominence during the 1960s

Distract

The assistants then left the children on their own, while Professor Mischel watched them from behind a one-way mirror, studying their agonies as they battled to resist temptation.

In these more sensitive times, the experiment would probably be condemned as child cruelty. But callous soul that I am, I found the professors observations hilarious.

Some of the children covered their eyes so that they couldnt see the marshmallow. Others stuck their fingers in their ears or tried to distract themselves by singing or arguing aloud the case for waiting.

Of one boy, Mischel wrote: Enrico tipped his chair far back against the wall, banging it non-stop while staring up at the ceiling with a bored, resigned look, breathing hard, seemingly enjoying the large crashing sounds he was making.

The long and the short of it was that most of the professors young guinea pigs couldnt bear to wait for the full 20 minutes. A few tucked into their marshmallows immediately, while the average length of time his subjects managed to hold out was less than three minutes. Only some 30 per cent stayed the course, resisting their marshmallows until the researchers returned with a second one for each of them.

In front of each boy and girl his researchers placed a marshmallow, telling them that if they waited 20 minutes before eating it, they would be given an extra one

In one dramatically successful self-distraction technique, reported the professor, after experiencing much agitation, a little girl rested her head, sat limply, relaxed herself, and proceeded to fall sound asleep.

But what made the experiment so fascinating was a follow-up study decades later. From this, it emerged that those who had been best able to delay gratification in their childhood tended to be the most successful in life.

Those who had eaten their marshmallows immediately, on the other hand, were more prone to obesity, alcohol dependency, poor exam results, drug addiction and a host of other problems.

All I can say is that if Professor Mischel had tested me in my toddlerhood, Im quite sure I would have been among the very first to tuck in to my marshmallow.

At every stage of my life, Ive been a firm believer in the old saying that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. And like Oscar Wildes Lord Darlington, in Lady Windermeres Fan: I can resist everything except temptation.

Mind you, Im a little more patient than a colleague in the office, who confides that she cant watch the first episode of a thriller series on TV without looking up the plot on the internet to discover what happens at the end. She tells me shell even skip to the last page of a book, after reading the first chapter, because she cant wait to find out whodunit.

But in pretty well every other area, Ive always wanted my gratification sooner, rather than later  even if that means piling up difficulties for the future. Internet shopping? Give me next-day delivery, every time, and to hell with the extra expense.

Prudent

Hurry back from lunch to tackle the ever-growing mountain of correspondence on my desk  or linger at the pub for just one more pint? No contest, Im ashamed to say. The pint always wins, while the mountain grows.

Its the same with my tax return. Should I file now  or keep it hanging over me until the last minute and beyond, at the risk of incurring a fine? Let it wait.

Or take saving for retirement. Twit that I am, in my early years of parenthood I cashed in my first two pension pots when I moved jobs. In those days, the gas bill, the mortgage and our plans for a family holiday seemed far more important than the vague possibility that I might one day grow old. Its because of this that I appear to have doomed myself to carry on churning out these weekly meanderings until well after my 65th birthday next month.

Meanwhile, my more prudent contemporaries will be reaping the fruits of their additional voluntary contributions, with their feet up next to some pool by the Mediterranean. I just pity the poor readers. Its not your fault.

I feel the same way about matters political. Though a passionate Brexiteer, of more than 40 years standing, Ive long lost track of the befuddling array of options said to be open to us, from the Norway model to Canada Plus Plus.

All I can say is that if Professor Mischel had tested me in my toddlerhood, Im quite sure I would have been among the very first to tuck in to my marshmallow, TOM UTLEY said. Pictured: Professor Mischel on This Morning in 2014

But I suspect I speak for countless others when I say that although I cant be sure what kind of Brexit would be best, Im absolutely positive that I want it now. Deal or no deal, Im almost past caring  as long as we get out.

My heart sank along with many others when it emerged this week that our negotiators are prepared to drag out this dismal process by extending the transition period to full Brexit by as much as another year.

Reward

If so, a full five years will have passed since that glorious referendum before we finally regain the right to govern our own country. If we ever do.

Which brings me to my chief objection to the conclusions Professor Mischel drew from his experiment. Of course, those who can resist their marshmallows may argue that the extra wait for Brexit will be worthwhile if it means a better deal. But will it? If you ask me, its not merely weak will that makes some of us impatient to grab what we can, when we can. Trust  or our inability to trust  also comes into the equation.

After all, the professors young guinea pigs couldnt be sure that he would be as good as his word, when he promised those extra marshmallows to the children who waited. Nor could they be certain that another child (a future banker, perhaps) wouldnt eat his own marshmallow  and then steal theirs at the last minute.

In those circumstances, it may have made good sense to some of the children to take what they could, while it was still on the table. A more extensive study than Professor Mischels, published earlier this year, suggests that children from poorer families are less likely to delay gratification, simply because they fear that whats on offer may be taken away.

All I know is that the more I see of the Brexit negotiators, on both sides of the table in Brussels, the less I trust them. Havent we every right to fear that theyre spinning this process out in the belief that the longer it takes, the better their chance of denying us Leavers the national sovereignty we were promised?

As for those 30 per cent of the professors subjects who delayed their gratification, isnt it possible that some of them simply didnt like marshmallows  just as our negotiators patently dont like Brexit?
Rory Kennedy has always had a passion for NASA. It was her uncle John F Kennedys support for the space agency that encouraged its first big success  landing a man on the moon.

His 1962 speech at Rice University in Houston, Texas  in which he said, We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy but because they are hard  underpinned the spirit of NASA.

Rory never met JFK, who was assassinated five years before she was born. She never met her father Bobby, JFKs brother, either  the senator and presidential hopeful was murdered when her mother was three months pregnant with her in 1968.

But shes carrying on the family tradition by making an awe-inspiring film about NASA as it celebrates its 60th birthday.

John F Kennedy gave a 1962 speech at Rice University in Houston, Texas while president, which would go on to underpin the passion and spirit of NASA. Pictured: John and Bobby Kennedy with their younger brother Teddy

In true Kennedy style, this is a film with a message. I feel connected to NASA because of my uncles involvement and his vision in getting us to the moon, she says. It seemed like a good thing to look back at what NASA has accomplished over six decades.

At first I thought Id do it chronologically, but the more interviews I did the more I realised there was something else underpinning what NASA had discovered. The more NASA has explored outwards, the greater its appreciation of the uniqueness of this planet becomes. And its vulnerability.

Rory appears a little nervous when we meet. While shes an acclaimed film-maker  she was Oscar-nominated for her 2014 documentary Last Days In Vietnam  shes been dubbed the quiet Kennedy, and it suits her. She gives few interviews and unlike many in Americas foremost political dynasty, she does her talking through film.

She documented the wall between America and Mexico long before it became an obsession for Donald Trump, and has made films about pregnant drug addicts, the Aids epidemic and the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

It was the president's love of space and support of NASA that proved to be a huge source of support for the space agency. In fact, he encouraged its first big success  landing a man on the moon

I have an appreciation for politics but it must be very frustrating being a Democrat right now, she says. They dont have control of the Senate so theres little they can do except obstruct. Im happy right now to have a voice outside politics where I can still contribute.

Her 90-minute film about NASA, Above And Beyond, for the Discovery Channel is a beautiful study of all the work behind the scenes, what life is like for the astronauts who leave our planet and the space agencys triumphs and tragedies.

In the two years it took to make, she talked to dozens of astronauts and scientists, showing the efforts that went into reaching the moon, the introduction of the satellite system and the creation of the International Space Station. She chronicles the space shuttle accidents of 1986 and 2003, and the wonders seen from the Hubble telescope, which gave blurred images at first because a mirror was less than a millimetre out of shape. And she looks to the future, at NASAs plans to send us to Mars by 2030.

Now Rory Kennedy, JFK's niece (pictured), is carrying on the family's support of NASA and love of space. She never met her uncle before he was assassinated, but she has just made an awe-inspiring film about NASA as it celebrates its 60th birthday

The story of NASA is also about the people who spend ten years working on a particular mirror or the spokes of a wheel, she says. People who put their lives and souls into making this quest into space possible.

Rory looks at how the more NASA learns about the universe, the more special Earth seems. Almost everyone at NASA believes well find life elsewhere, she says. But there are no signs of it yet, not of intelligent life. Space isnt really friendly. For humans, every month theyre out there they lose one per cent of bone mass. The more we learn about space, the more we learn about the preciousness of Earth.

Speaking from the International Space Station, astronaut Peggy Whitson tells Rory, The first time you see Earth from space, its dramatic. You see its curve and you see that the atmosphere is so thin compared to the size of the planet. There is not much protecting us from the vacuum of space. Its just a thin blue iridescent band that enables life to exist on this amazing ball flying through space.

And thats why NASA has turned its satellites inwards to examine our world. Rory shows how the agency uses lessons learned from examining planets such as Venus, which were once potentially hospitable, to study the changes caused by global warming here.

We need to take note of what NASA has found, she says. NASA is not a political organisation, but we really need to look at what their data shows. They have scientists looking at us on the ground and from above. This is science-driven data that shows were facing a trainwreck if more is not done to prevent global warming.

Speaking about her work, Rory said: 'I feel connected to NASA because of my uncles involvement and his vision in getting us to the moon'. Pictured: JFK inspects the interior of 'Friendship 7'

I had no idea how much NASA is the source of information on climate change. Were seeing now the effects of the Earth being 1C warmer; things that have happened over the past 12 months are in line with predictions. I live in California and this year weve had some of the most damaging forest fires on record. There are 175mph winds in the Philippines, Pacific Islands are vanishing underwater.

If the planet is 5C warmer, well be in a world that is no longer friendly to humans. Its upsetting people arent taking this seriously. This theme ended up being the spine of my film.

My uncle showed what happens when you have great leadership. He said we should take on challenges because theyre hard. He talked about bringing out the best of human ability, and thats the leadership that taps into the best of us. There are some lessons there for our current President.

I cant imagine hell watch this  its too long, too full of information  but I have a message for him. We shouldnt just tap into the worst of humankind, our fears and anxieties. We can do amazing things when asked. We can change the course of history. And we need real leadership.

Above And Beyond: NASAs Journey To Tomorrow will be shown tomorrow at 8pm on Discovery Channel.
Meghan Markle has been vocal about her devotion to her friend Heather Dorak's Pilates Platinum workouts, which she once described as 'hands down the best thing you can do for your body'.

So the pregnant Duchess of Sussex could well look to Heather - who it's now emerged is expecting a baby just like her royal pal - for advice on pre-natal workouts.

Texas-based Heather, who was a guest at Harry and Meghan's Windsor Castle wedding on May 19th along with her husband Matt Cohen, has been documenting her pregnancy journey on her Instagram account, sharing pictures of herself 'lunging into the weekend' as she hit the 17-weeks mark, and even sliding into the splits - undeterred by her blossoming baby bump.

It seems Heather has every intention of maintaining her fitness routine as she prepares to welcome her second child, and Meghan, famously a yoga devotee who has said in the past the practice is 'in her blood' thanks to her instructor mother, Doria, seems likely to adopt a similar approach.

Pilates Platinum classes, which the now Duchess attended in LA in her acting days, are billed as an 'inventive and aggressive' approach to full-body fat burning and conditioning.

Trainer Louisa Drake, whose own Louisa Drake Method incorporates elements of pilates and yoga, told FEMAIL that women with 'uncomplicated pregnancies should be encouraged to include aerobic and strength and conditioning exercises before, during and after pregnancy'.

'Physical activity in pregnancy has minimal risks and has been shown to benefit most women,' she explained.

The Duchess of Sussex, whose mother Doria is a yoga instructor, spoke many times about her passion for fitness when she was a Toronto-based TV star, and is likely to continue to exercise through her pregnancy - which was confirmed by Kensington Palace in an announcement on Monday, just hours after she and Harry arrived in Australia ahead of a major overseas tour

The Duchess' friend Heather Dorak, the founder of the Pilates Platinum studio Meghan attended in LA, is also expecting a baby - and documenting her adapted exercise routine on her Instagram account

In interviews published before her relationship with Prince Harry became public, Meghan gushed about her 'amazing' and 'inspiring' friend Heather, whose energy she said drew a 'cool and unpretentious' crowd to her classes.

Heather's classes are designed around the Megaformer machine, which like a classic Pilates reformer machine uses spring-loaded platforms and pulleys to challenge the body as different poses are adopted - but with the option to ramp up the intensity level.

'Our workout gives you the heart-pumping, muscle-quivering, body-lengthening, muscle-strengthening exercises our body desires,' the Pilates Platinum website says, adding that sessions burn up to 700 calories a time.

The pilates instructor, who attended Harry and Meghan's Windsor Castle in May, told her followers she was 'lunging my way into the weekend' in a post last month, as she reached the 17 week mark in her pregnancy - indicating her intention to continue with her fitness routine

The now Duchess of Sussex is seen enjoying a playful beach workout with her friend, pilates instructor Heather Dorak, in a social media snap shared before Meghan began dating Prince Harry. Both women are now expecting

Meghan, seen with Heather in another social media snap from her actress days, has previously described her friend's Pilates Platinum workouts as 'hands down the best thing you can do for your body'

Heather, who is already mother to a one-year-old boy, Noah, is a member of the close-knit girl squad understood to have masterminded Meghan's secret hen do ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry.

She and her husband Matt joined the likes of Priyanka Chopra, Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams and George and Amal Clooney at the spectacular St George's Chapel ceremony, which was followed by a lavish after-party at Frogmore House.

Meghan, who frequently shared snaps of herself and Heather on her now defunct Instagram account, told Women's Health Magazine in an interview before her relationship with Prince Harry: 'There are so many workouts that you try out once and never go back to; Heather's studio is the complete opposite.

'You keep coming back for several reasons: first off, your body changes immediately... give it two classes and you will see a difference; second, Heather is amazing - as an instructor, as a friend, she is inspiring in every way.

'Lastly,' the now Duchess went on, 'the people in class are cool, unpretentious, and motivating... and that is a testament to Heather's energy.'

The ultra-flexible pilates instructor clearly has no intention of letting a blossoming bump get in the way of her workouts. The now Duchess of Sussex previously called Heather's pilates classes 'hands down the best thing you can do for your body'

Fitness fan Meghan, seen on Bondi Beach on Friday as the first week of her royal tour with Prince Harry approaches a close, has been showing the hint of a baby bump

Meghan, seen in Melbourne with Harry on Thursday in a chic navy dress and matching Manolo Blahnik heels, has spoken openly about her passion for fitness. Her mother Doria Ragland is a yoga instructor, and the Duchess has said the practice is 'in her blood'

Pilates instructor Heather, who was a guest at Prince Harry and Meghan's Windsor Castle in May along with her husband Matt Cohen, is already mother to a little boy, Noah, aged one

Heather (seen far right) and her husband Matt (second from left), posed with fellow glamorous guests including James Corden (far left) and Priyanka Chopra (fifth from left) following the ceremony at St George's Chapel on May 19th

The close friends are seen together in a snap posted on Meghan's now defunct Instagram account, which she regularly updated before her relationship with now husband Prince Harry became serious

Louisa Drake said that just as in all phases of life, regular physical activity during pregnancy 'promotes physical and mental health benefits' - and could also pave the way for a smoother labour when the time comes.

'Pregnancy is the ideal time for maintaining or adopting a healthy lifestyle that will help you achieve a comfortable pregnancy and an easier birth,' she said.

'Physical activity in pregnancy has minimal risks and has been shown to benefit most women,' she went on, adding that 'some modifications to the exercise routines will be necessary due to the anatomic and physical changes and fetal requirements'.

'Especially as clients move into the later stages of pregnancy, they might feel more uncomfortable with higher intensity workouts,' Louisa said.
A mother-of-two who faced rejection from 13 beverage manufacturers and 19 distributors is now set to have a gross sale of $195,000 by Christmas.

Natalie Moubarak, 32, from Sydney knew that creating hemp water would be an expensive and risky process but she was willing to take the chance when she quit her day job to focus on it.

'It was tough and at times I felt like giving up, but I'm grateful to have a strong support system in my family,' she told FEMAIL.

'They kept reminding me how much I have invested into this  both time and money  to be Australia's first true hemp water and that kept me going.'

Natalie Moubarak, 32, from Sydney knew that creating hemp water would be an expensive and risky process but she was willing to take the chance

Ms Moubarak started with $30,000, which was mostly for branding and bottle design, and didn't include the initial research or travel expense she incurred going to all the stockists.

'I kept going and invested in other areas to continually improve the product and ended up investing a total of $100,000,' she said.

Her brand +hemp has involved 18 months of naysayers and closed doors; she has survived purely off Ms her own money and her sheer determination to be the first product of its kind in Australia.

At the beginning Ms Moubarak cold-called distributors  many of which declined to meet with her.

+hemp is a drink that uses hemp extract to deliver a variety of vitamins and nutrients

Her brand +hemp has involved 18 months of naysayers and closed doors and has survived purely off of Ms Moubarak's own money and her sheer determination

While Facebook and Instagram wouldn't let her advertise, her organic posts were shared rapidly and some cafes and fitness centres in Sydney, Melbourne and Queensland  and even America  asked to stock +hemp.

The tables seem to be turning as although +hemp only launched nine weeks ago interest been so strong she's constantly having to reorder a new batch for her distributors.

Now it's been estimated that she will sell 65,000 bottles by the end of the year.

At the beginning Ms Moubarak cold-called distributors  many of which declined to meet with her

What are the benefits of hemp water? Hemp water  namely +hemp  uses high-quality organic hemp oil mixed with water and natural ingredients. Hemp oil has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and benefits including increases to the immune system, decreases to cholesterol and has been linked to cardiovascular health. It also boasts amino acids and high levels of omega-3 and omega-6. We've also added vitamin C in +hemp for that added boost of nutrients and health benefits. Advertisement

The entrepreneur explained that the reason she faced so much difficulty initially is because there are many misconceptions and negative associations with hemp.

The hemp seeds the company uses are a part of the cannabis sativa species and has no psychoactive or hallucinogenic effects.

'Hemp was only legalised as a food in Australia  in its seed form  in November last year,' she said.

'I think I had so much rejection because there is still a lot of reluctance by people who aren't aware of its benefits and associate it with recreational drugs.'

She was lucky enough one day to run into a representative from a major beverage distributor when she brought samples in to a petrol station.

The entrepreneur explained that the reason she faced so much difficulty initially is because there are many misconceptions and negative associations with hemp

They organised a meeting with his team a few days later where they accepted +hemp on the spot.

'The ball has kept rolling ever since and +hemp is now in over 150 retailers around Sydney, South Australia and Queensland,' the former real estate agent said.

'Since I was the first to market with a true hemp water, there wasn't anything like +hemp already available.'

'I think if it was already a saturated market, I may not have had the same initial success.'

Hemp water  namely +hemp  uses high-quality organic hemp oil mixed with water and natural ingredients

Hemp oil has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and benefits including increases to the immune system, decreases to cholesterol and has been linked to cardiovascular health

Her tips for entrepreneurs Never start anything without a solid financial and business plan. Remember to separate the business from the personal or you could find yourself in trouble! You will receive plenty of advice from opinionated people from family, friends or even distributors but you can't let that overload and confuse you. You might make mistakes, but you will regret it more if it's a mistake you took from someone else's advice. I'm not saying no to listen to advice and opinions, but don't let it change your initial game plan. Advertisement

Without her persistence to get +hemp out there and her dedication to perfect the formula, it wouldn't have received the success it has.

The idea of +hemp came about when Ms Moubarak originally mixed hemp and moisturising cream to treat her psoriasis after doing extensive research on hemp and its benefits.

From there she became interested in the legislative process of hemp and started to track the progress of hemp-based foods.

To make her dream work Ms Moubarak personally banked that hemp would be legalised as a food.

She took the risk of starting research and development in February 2017, before the legalisation of hemp, which happened in November that same year.

'I realised that this was missing in the market and saw the opportunity to be the first-to-market true hemp water,' she said.

The idea of +hemp came about when Ms Moubarak originally mixed hemp and moisturising cream to treat her psoriasis after doing extensive research on hemp and its benefits

As the beverage industry is entirely new to her the biggest challenge is to make sure she keeps up with the larger beverage companies.

The mother-of-two has come into the market with this new out-of-the-box product and they already have established relationships with distributors and retailers.

'That is a big challenge but I can't let that stop me and so I've put in more effort into meeting my retailers, communicating directly with them and following up on how business is going on their end,' Ms Moubarak explained.

She's now planning to expand the business by releasing new flavours of +hemp and eventually having the product stocked in more places around Australia and overseas.

'There will be a lot more surprises and exciting things to come  it will be a whole new look for health drinks and maybe even food,' she said.
Dr Carmel Harrington was a devoted mother of three when her world was shattered by the sudden death of her two-year-old son Damien in 1991.

The devastated mum from Sydney's coastal suburb of Coogee was practicing as a lawyer, but quit her job in order to devote herself to raising awareness and finding answers about sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Now a renowned sleep expert, Dr Harrington is working with Sydney University and Children's Hospital Westmead to fund research to identify why some children are more vulnerable to SIDS.

She shared her heartbreaking story with FEMAIL and discussed the passion she has found since losing her son.

Dr Carmel Harrington was a devoted mother of three when her world was shattered by the sudden death of her two-year-old son Damien (both pictured in 1991)

Of her three children, daughter Charlotte had the roughest start to life.

'My eldest child Alexander was always health; when I had the twins, Damien and Charlotte, Charlotte was quite sick - she was in intensive care for quite some time and had many surgeries.

'If there was anyone going to suffer with health issues we assumed it would be her, but Damien was fine.'

WHAT IS SIDS? Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden, unexplained death of a baby that doesn't have a known cause even after a complete investigation. Most deaths happen during the first three months of a baby's life. Infants born prematurely or with a low birth weight are at greater risk. SIDS is also more common in baby boys. Most unexpected deaths occur while the child is asleep in their cot at night. Source: Health Direct Advertisement

'He was absolutely perfect - I hate to say the word but to all intents and purposes he really was,' she said.

But just days before her twins second birthday, Dr Harrington's world came crashing down around her when she found Damien lying face down and lifeless in his cot.

'Almost thirty years later, it still takes my breath away - he was laughing and giggling hours before.

'For months it's like a bad dream. You can't sleep, you can't eat, and I know sudden death of any kind brings these feelings up for everyone but when it's a tiny baby they are especially intense.'

'He was absolutely perfect - I hate to use the word but he really was'

'Almost thirty years later, it still takes my breath away - he was laughing and giggling hours before'

'My undergraduate degree is in biochemistry, but I went back and trained as a lawyer because it's quite hard to get adequate funding for scientific research in Australia.

'After Damien, I spent a lot of time doing my own research and speaking to experts and I realised no one could tell me why this had happened. There were no answers.'

Taking inspiration from tragedy, Dr Harrington made it her mission to return to college to complete a PhD in child sleep so she could focus on SIDS.

Working on research and awareness raising initiative about the condition has brought Damien's death to the front of Dr Harrington's mind once more, reminding her of how much she struggled to come to terms with his passing.

After Damien died, Dr Harrington spoke to experts but could find no answers

'A few years after, when it was coming up to Charlotte's fourth birthday, it just hit me that he wasn't coming back.

'I know this might be hard to understand for others but I genuinely kept thinking something would happen to bring him back  I don't think I had fully let go or accepted what had happened until that point.

'This research is not a solution to SIDS, but it is unearthing promising facts - it's so important.

'We're trying to figure out why some infants are more vulnerable than others, they haven't discovered this yet.'

Dr Harrington's children Alexander (left), Damien (centre) and Charlotte (right) shortly before Damien passed away

Her current research, in collaboration with Sydney University and Children's Hospital Westmead, requires $100,000 in funding costs.

'We named it Damien's Legacy and our aim is to end the heartbreak of SIDS.

'We need $50,000 for stage one, and another $50,000 for the second stage.

'We've been crowd funding for a few weeks and it's already at $42,000 which is incredible, so we're focusing on that last push for the first round.'

Despite her personal tragedy, Dr Harrington always carries a piece of her son close thanks to her medical research.

'Life is never the same after losing a child. I was smashed into a million pieces and I've had to put myself back together over time, but I've found a new piece to myself.

'Damien has given me the passion of my research, that's what he did for me.'
Trump wrote on Twitter.

The Mexican government said Thursday that the first migrants in a caravan that has drawn the ire of U.S. President Trump have reached their southern border with Guatemala.

While those who reach the United States commonly apply for asylum, most aren't eligible because they aren't fleeing state persecution, but instead escaping abysmal conditions in their countries.

An estimated 10% of the population of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras have fled danger, forced gang recruitment and dismal economic opportunities.

Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo will visit Mexico City on Friday to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

"The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA", he tweeted, referring to a trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada.

In neighboring Guatemala, where their journey continued Wednesday amid warning tweets from President Donald Trump and other US officials, they were helped at every turn by residents who offered them food, water and rides in pickups or on flatbed of semi-trailer trucks. Trump tweeted on Thursday, adding that he blamed Democrats for what he called "weak laws!"

"The position of President Trump is the one he has always raised, I do not see him as anything surprising, I would be surprised by a different position", Ebrard told local radio station Radio Centro.

Mexico requires Hondurans to present a passport and in most cases a Mexican visa in order to enter.

A caravan of migrants fleeing Honduras has grown to 4,000 and the Mexican government has sent an additional 500 federal police to its border with Guatemala in anticipation of their arrival, according to USA government documents obtained by NBC News.

The use of military to help secure the US border is not unprecedented.

In April, Trump signed a proclamation to send the National Guard to the border to keep the migrants from entering the United States.

Luis Arreaga, the USA ambassador to Guatemala, posted a video message on Twitter to migrants thinking of entering the United States illegally.

The Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation urged citizens to stop participating in the caravan, as it could put their lives at risk.

Mexico has sent hundreds of police to its southern border as a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants approaches from Guatemala.

In a statement Thursday evening, the agency says officials are explaining the migrants' options and helping those who have requested refugee status to navigate the process.

With a record number of families entering the United States illegally through the nation's southern border, the Trump administration is considering taking drastic action. "I mean they should work with us".

US Representative Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said US border security was a key election issue.
A newly engaged teacher celebrated her birthday with an ambush makeover  and the results were so dramatic her fiance didn't even recognize her.

Ann Rapp, 64, from New Port Richey, Florida, flew all the way to New York City with her soon-to-be husband, Roger, in hopes of getting a new look, and her wish came true when she was plucked from the crowd in the Today show plaza on Thursday.

'You don't know what we've had to go through to get to this point,' Roger told Today fashion expert Jill Martin. 'You know, it's been a week of praying.'

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Then and wow! Ann Rapp, 64, from New Port Richey, Florida, received a dramatic ambush makeover on the Today show Thursday morning. She was celebrating her 64th birthday

Say what? The newly engaged teachers fiance, Roger, didn't even recognize her when she stepped on stage

'We did it,' Ann interjected. 'I'm so happy.'

Ann looked like a new woman when she stepped on stage in Studio 1A, so much so that Roger didn't realize it was her when he first removed his blindfold.

'She's right here,' Today anchor Hoda Kotb told him, while Ann added: 'It's me, I'm right here.'

'No, no way!' Roger said before walking over to his fiancee and giving her a sweet kiss on the lips.

Stunned: 'She's right here,' Today anchor Hoda Kotb (center) told him

Look of love: Roger walked over to give Ann a sweet kiss on the lips after she showed off her new look

Ann was just as stunned when she turned around and saw her transformation in the mirror for the first time.

While she was gaping at her new look, Roger couldn't stop gushing about it.

'Look at at that hair  so short,' he noted.

Celebrity hairstylist Louis Licari agreed that Ann looked 'fantastic.'

'You know, Ann was so beautiful before. I saw I saw these eyes. I saw this beautiful face, and all we had to do was find it,' he said.

Blown away: Ann was just as stunned when she turned around and saw her transformation in the mirror for the first time

A big change: Celebrity hair stylist Louis Licari took Ann's gray waves and dyed them a warm red. 'You look like you belong right here in New York City,' he told her

Ann's hair was dyed a warm red and cut into a sleek bob that hit right above her chin.

'Her gray hair was overwhelming  even though the gray did actually sort of look good  but this looks so much better I think,' Louis explained.

'You look like you belong right here in New York City.'

Jill, meanwhile, dressed Ann in an elegant black bell-sleeve dress and topped off the chic look with a white statement necklace and snakeskin heels.

Before and after: Elizabeth Duva of Connecticut also received an ambush makeover on Thursday morning's show. She is celebrating her 60th birthday on Friday

Impressed: Elizabeth was joined by her best friend Carrie and her daughter Katie

Elizabeth Duval of Connecticut also received an ambush makeover on Thursday's show, the day before her 60th birthday.

After working in special education as an art therapist for over 20 years, she had decided to retire and spend the next decade of her life working on her own artwork.

The artist explained that she wanted a new look to match her new lifestyle.

'Well, it's a new decade,' she told Jill. 'I've just started a new life, and I've been wanting to be on Ambush Makeover for years.'

Elizabeth was joined by her daughter Katie and her best friend Carrie, who were both wowed by her new look.

Amazed: 'Wow, is that me?' Elizabeth asked when she looked at herself in the mirror

Stunning: The mom's long blonde waves were cut into layers and straightened to give her an updated look. 'We basically tamed it down,' Louis said of her long locks

'Wow, is that me?' Elizabeth asked when she looked at herself in the mirror.

The mom's long blonde waves were cut into layers and straightened to give her an updated look.

'Now Elizabeth had beautiful hair, but as you saw before, she just let it go,' Louis explained.

'So we basically tamed it down. I warmed up her color. I moved the highlights more towards the end, of course, outlining her face.'

As for her outfit, Jill went all out and dressed Elizabeth in a wine-colored dress that skimmed the floor and featured lace detailing.
A baby born with a cleft lip and palate can smile properly for the first time after undergoing a life-changing surgery to rebuild his mouth.

Cam Martin, a six-month-old from Forney, Texas, looks unrecognizable after a plastic surgeon spent five hours fixing his top lip. The baby boy's parents Matt, 29, and Sara, 27, welcomed him just two minutes after his his twin brother, Jack, on April 3.

But unlike his sibling, Cam had a cleft lip and palate, meaning his upper lip, the bones of his upper jaw, and his gum were split.

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Before and after: Cam Martin, a six-month old from Forney, Texas, was able to smile for the first time after having life-changing surgery to fix his cleft lip

Birthday: The baby boy's parents Matt, 29, and Sara, 27, welcomed him just two minutes after his his twin brother, Jack, on April 3

His condition was not picked up in any of Sara's sonograms, but Matt said that as soon as Cam was born at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, he and his wife knew something was wrong.

'No one said anything at first. I went over to see Cam and the nurses were all huddled together,' the filmmaker, explained. 'I had never seen anything like his face before. I had no idea what I was looking at.

'A nurse told me he had a cleft lip and palate and that they needed to work out how he was going to eat and breathe.'

The defect meant Cam was unable to breastfeed and had to be fed through a bottle with a special valve.

After a few days on the neonatal intensive care unit, Cam returned home with his parents.

Differences: Unlike his brother, Cam was born with a cleft lip and palate, meaning his upper lip, the bones of his upper jaw, and his gum were split

Struggle: The defect meant Cam was unable to breastfeed and had to be fed through a bottle with a special valve

In the weeks that followed, the couple visited a plastic surgeon who explained that Cam would require three operations to rebuild his mouth.

Baby Cam was fitted with a mouthpiece, known as a NAM device, that covered the roof of his mouth and stretched out the area in preparation for his first operation.

'The mouthpiece had little balls that were fitted into Cam's nostrils to stretch out the skin between his nose and mouth,' Matt explained.

'We had to go in every week for them to adjust it. We hated seeing Cam in pain and we did wonder whether we were doing the right thing.'

On July 25, when Cam was just three months old, he underwent the operation to fix his upper lip at Medical City Dallas Hospital.

Homecoming: Cam spent a few days in the neonatal intensive care unit before returning home with his parents

Journey: The couple visited a plastic surgeon who explained that Cam would require three operations to rebuild his mouth

Preparation: Cam was fitted with a mouthpiece, known as a NAM device, that covered the roof of his mouth and stretched out the area in preparation for his first operation

'Doctors stitched his lip together where it was split so that his lip was no longer in three parts,' Matt recalled. 'It was really hard to hand him over for surgery. When the nurses gave him back he was screaming.

'They had him on morphine and his face was swollen and bruised and bloody. It was like we had been given back a different baby.

'He cried the whole day. We had to feed him with a syringe after the operation,' he added. 'I hated knowing that something we had chosen, the operation, had caused so much pain for our son.'

But a few days after the operation, as the swelling went down and the bruising healed, Matt and Sara were rewarded by seeing Cam smile for the first time with his full upper lip.

'Sara was changing his diaper and I was watching TV. She started screaming: 'Come in here, he's smiling!' Matt said.

'I rushed in. I couldn't believe it. In my darkest moments, I thought I'd never see him smile with a healed top lip but here he was beaming at me.'

Patience: Matt and Sara had to take Cam to the doctor every week to have the devise adjusted

On July 25, when Cam was just three months old, he underwent his first operation to fix his upper lip at Medical City Dallas Hospital

Heartwarming: After few days after Cam underwent an operation to fix his upper lip, Matt and Sara saw him smile fully for the first time

Adorable photos show the youngster smiling widely just a few days after the surgery.

'It was a full face smile. He was giving the biggest grin he could,' Matt said. 'Sara and I cried because we were beginning to think we'd never see him smile.

'The beam was in his eyes and in his cheeks. He was saying: "I'm still here, I'm still the same baby, everything's OK."

When Cam is 18 months old he will have a second surgery to repair the roof of his mouth. His final procedure, a bone graft to rebuild his gum, will taken place when is between the ages of four and seven.

Matt is sharing his story because he wants to give hope to other parents who are struggling with a baby who was born with a cleft lip and palate.

'It is terrifying, but the scariest part is before you go and talk to surgeons,' he explained. 'Once you get your doctor and a solid team in place, it gets a lot less scary.

'You fall in love with your baby and it doesn't matter whether they have a cleft palate or not.'
Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison met the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on Friday afternoon before climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Prince Harry.

The two men looked delighted to be scaling the city's most prized monument, even swapping a joke or two when they launched the 2018 Invictus Games flag at the top.

But they'll be swapping more than just a laugh later on when Mr Morrison presents the royal couple with a baby gift, specially picked out after the couple's pregnancy announcement on Monday.

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison (fourth on the left) met the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (sixth on the left) on Friday afternoon before climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Prince Harry

Speaking to Nova 969 hosts Fitzy and Whippa on Friday morning, the nation's leader said he'd chosen to gift May Gibbs children's books 'Snugglepot and Cuddlepie' to their future child

Speaking to Nova 969 hosts Fitzy and Whippa on Friday morning, the nation's leader said he'd chosen to gift May Gibbs children's books 'Snugglepot and Cuddlepie' to their future child.

The iconic Australian author based the books off native wildlife found in the Blue Mountains region and called the series her 'bushland fantasy'.

'When a young couple is having their first child, I just think that is one of the best things there is. I'm looking forward to congratulating them on that,' the PM told the hosts.

The iconic Australian author based the books off native wildlife found in the Blue Mountains region and called the series her 'bushland fantasy'

'When a young couple is having their first child, I just think that is one of the best things there is. I'm looking forward to congratulating them on that,' the PM told the hosts

But Mr Morrison can't take credit for coming up with the idea, instead suggesting it was his wife who decided on the book.

'Jenny's really great at buying gifts for kids, it really lights her up,' he explained. 'It will be a very happy occasion.'

He said his wife and their two daughters Lily and Abbey were really looking forward to watching him climb the bridge.

Earlier in the day the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (pictured) visited a high school in western Sydney

Duchess Meghan was originally tabbed to participate, but her name was mysteriously removed from the itinerary a month earlier

Prince Harry and Mr Morrison were joined on the sky-high hike by four competitors from the Australian Invictus Games team, including Luke Hill, Ruth Hunt, Heidi Joosten and Michael Lyddiard.

Also participating in the climb was Gwen Cherne, whose late husband served in Cambodia, Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Duchess Meghan was originally tabbed to participate, but her name was mysteriously removed from the itinerary a month earlier.

The reasoning wasn't clear until this past Monday, when it was announced she was pregnant.
When Meghan Markle visited Bondi Beach on Friday morning, fashionistas were quick to size up the Duchess of Sussex's shoes.

But while Meghan's Castaner canvas wedge espadrilles retail for $147 (GBP 80), you needn't spend three figures on the sold-out style to get her look for less.

In fact, there is a pair of almost identical wedges on sale at Amazon Australia for just $49.

When Meghan Markle visited Bondi Beach with Prince Harry on Friday morning, fashionistas were quick to praise the Duchess of Sussex's shoes (pictured)

But you needn't spend three figures in order to get your hands on the Duchess's now sold-out style (pictured)

The Novo Women's Brielle style (left) are almost identical to the $147 Castaner wedges (right) worn by Meghan on Friday morning, and feature the same detailing

The Novo Women's Brielle style were first identified by Who What Wear as being similar to the Duchess's shoes.

The espadrilles feature almost the same corkscrew nude heel, the black round-toed top section and the ties all seen on the Duchess's feet.

And the best news of all is that unlike the more expensive Castaner shoes, this option is still in stock.

The Castaner wedges seen on the Duchess quickly sold out, in what has been dubbed the 'Meghan Effect' this week

Since the start of their official engagements earlier this week, the Duchess' wardrobe choices have caused sartorial stock to sell out around the world.

Dubbed 'The Meghan Effect', her outfit selections have crashed the sites of fashion labels including Karen Gee, Club Monaco and Dion Lee, despite the Dion Lee dress only being available for pre-order at present.

Meanwhile, others have been looking to replicate the 37-year-old mum-to-be's style for less, with the wedges on Amazon being just one of any number of budget replicate looks.

Meghan's outfit selections have crashed the sites of fashion labels including Karen Gee, Club Monaco and Dion Lee this week

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex enjoyed a visit to Bondi Beach on Friday morning, where they met with people of all ages, who shared their experiences of mental health issues.

The newlyweds also visited Macarthur Girls school, where they engaged with students to discuss topical issues such as social justice and youth empowerment.

On Friday afternoon, Prince Harry scaled the Sydney Harbour Bridge accompanied by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and athletes to raise the official flag of the Invictus Games.

Friday's engagements will wrap up with calls on the Leader of the Opposition at Admiralty House, and the Prime Minister at Kirribilli House.
A make-up artist who developed severe adult acne aged 21 was so desperate to cure it she washed her face using undiluted Dettol.

Ella Gorton, 25, from Swinton, Greater Manchester, only ever experienced the 'odd spot' throughout puberty and her late teens, but during a girls holiday to Mexico in 2014, painful bumps began forming around her mouth.

The baffled beautician, who has qualifications in skincare, spent the next two years 'trying everything' to clear it up, splurging a small fortune on high-end products in a bid to soothe the angry red cysts and pustules covering her once smooth face.

Ella, who said she questioned her ability to do her job in light of her problem skin, became so desperate she resorted to washing her face in antiseptic agent Dettol, before finally turning to controversial Roaccutane.

She said an eight-month course of the powerful drug, which she started taking in October 2016, finally cleared her skin.

Ella Gorton only ever experienced the 'odd spot' throughout puberty and her late teens but during a girls holiday to Mexico in 2014, painful bumps starting emerging around her mouth (seen before October 2016)

Despite her fears over using the drug - the side effects of which have been linked to depression and suicidal thoughts - desperate Ella decided it was 'worth the risk'.

After two courses of the specialised acne medication, Ella has seen amazing results and is back to her confident self, happily showing off her radiant makeup-free skin.

Speaking about how her journey began, Ella said: 'I had never suffered from acne, I would just get the odd hormonal spot.

'Then I was on a girls' holiday and I started getting these really sore lumps around my mouth.

Despite her fears over using the controversial drug, which has been linked to 20 suicides and can have serious psychological and physical side effects, Ella decided it was 'worth the risk' (seen after her course finished in June 2017)

'I didn't know what was bringing them up. I thought maybe I was using the wrong sun cream for my skin.

'I think at first I was in denial. I kept telling myself it would eventually clear up but it just kept getting worse. You never expect to get acne at that age.'

Plucking up the courage to seek professional help she continued: 'By the time I went to the doctor a few months later, he showed me this chart. There are five stages and I was a stage three.

'I remembered seeing the same chart when I was studying skin care at college and thinking how awful it was.

'So when the doctor was then showing that chart to me, I was so upset. I just couldn't believe we were talking about my skin.

Ella Gorton, 25, from Swinton, Greater Manchester, developed severe adult acne four years ago and after trying to fix it with Dettol, cured it with controversial drug Roaccutane (seen in October 2016 at the beginning of her treatment)

Pictured: Ella Gortons acne started to reduce in redness after she started to take the controversial drug roaccutane (seen at the end of 2016)

'It was extremely painful. I had to learn to sleep on my back because if I slept with my face touching the pillow it would be too sore and sometimes the cysts would burst in the night and cover the pillow with blood.

'Being a makeup artist and having acne is the worst. I felt like people were looking at me and thinking 'she's not doing my makeup, she can't even look after her own skin'.

'It got so sore, it hurt to touch it and day to day putting makeup on became so painful.

'Having a skincare background, I didn't want to wear makeup because I wanted to let my skin breathe but at the same time I couldn't face going out without covering it up.

Remembering her desperate attempts to cure her skin condition she recalled trying a range of products before settling on the roaccutane- seen during the course of the drug

The baffled beautician, who also has qualifications in skincare, spent the next two years trying everything and spending fortunes on high-end products to soothe the angry red cysts and pustules covering her once smooth face.

'It really knocked my confidence, I was so self-conscious. I didn't want people to stare at me so I would just look at the floor and not make eye contact with anyone.

Remembering her desperate attempts to cure her skin condition she recalled trying a range of products.

'It was making me so low that I was willing to try absolutely everything to get rid of it. I tried every single cream, ointment and antibiotic the doctors could prescribe.

'I also spent a fortune on different skin care regimes, trying to use all the high-end products, but nothing worked.

'I would scrub my skin until it bled. I got so desperate I even tried washing my face with pure Dettol which was so dangerous. It made no difference, nothing did.

'It's so scary looking back to think I was willing to do absolutely anything.'

Ella Gorton first tried the drug in 2014 which cleared up her skin, but when it returned in 2016 she completed a second, longer course of roaccutane and now has clear skin

After visiting her GP in late 2014, Ella was advised she may need to take Roaccutane but decided to try other milder medications first.

Over the next two years, Ella was prescribed various courses of antibiotics and creams but her skin never improved.

Once all other options were exhausted, Ella accepted her GP's referral to hospital to get a prescription for Roaccutane but the wait was going to be lengthy.

Seeing their daughter's growing despair, Ella's parents Megan Gorton, 53, and Craig Gorton, 56, offered to pay for her to see a private dermatologist.

Just a couple of weeks later, Ella started on her first course of Roaccutane, taking 50mg a day for the next four and a half months.

While she didn't experience any of the more serious potential side effects of the drug, Ella did suffer extremely dry lips, dried out hair and nose bleeds.

A second longer course of the medication, which ended in June this year, has worked completely and Ella is now celebrating being acne free (seen this year)

These side effects all felt worthwhile as Ella watched her skin clear up but taking such a short course of Roaccutane saw her acne return in October 2017.

However a second longer course of the medication, which ended in June this year, has worked completely and Ella is now celebrating being acne free.

Roaccutane's link to 20 suicides was investigated and widely reported back in May 2015.

Ella said: 'When my GP first mentioned Roaccutane in 2014, I really didn't want to take it. I asked to try all the other options first.

'I'd only ever heard bad things about it and its links to depression and I didn't want to risk it.

Pictured: Ella Gorton, 25, can finally enjoy having clear skin after completing two courses of roaccutane- seen this year

Her painful and bumpy skin made Ella so insecure that she felt like people questioned her ability to do her job and she found herself constantly looking at the ground to avoid strangers glares- but now she's confident and happy

'But I spent years trying everything and spending so much money on all these different products.

'Every time I went back to the GP he could see how distressed I was getting and eventually he told me again he thought I should have a referral to the hospital to get Roaccutane and I accepted it.

'My skin was already so bad it was making me depressed so Roaccutane wasn't going to do anything worse.

'Just getting a hospital appointment, let alone getting the medication through the NHS, was taking months and months.

'My parents could see how upset I was so they offered for me to see a private dermatologist. I got my first prescription in just a couple of weeks, it was amazing.

Ella did experience nosebleeds but she says the side effects are worth it and she's happy with her skin now

'I did have a few side effects but nothing too severe. Everyone gets the dry lips and my hair was so dry I never had to wash it - which was quite handy actually.

'I got a few nose bleeds too but I consider myself really lucky that I didn't get anything too serious.

'My skin got worse before it got better because all the toxins start coming out but after the first few weeks, the improvements I saw every day were incredible.

'I knew it was a risk doing such a short first course and my acne did start to come back but I just did a longer course the second time around and now my skin is completely clear.

'Now being able to look in the mirror and smile and not worry about how I'm going to cover up my skin, there's such an amazing sense of freedom', she said

'I'm so much happier and more confident since my skin has cleared up.

'Putting my makeup on is a joy now, it doesn't hurt and my skin is so smooth. But I also joke that I'm the laziest makeup artist ever now because I love going out makeup free.

'I would recommend Roaccutane to anyone suffering with acne. There are risks but they're so worth it.

'Looking back now, I wish I'd never hesitated about taking it. I just wasted so much of my time feeling trapped in my own skin.

'Your face is the first thing you see every day when you wake up and brush your teeth and not liking what you see is horrible.

'Now being able to look in the mirror and smile and not worry about how I'm going to cover up my skin, there's such an amazing sense of freedom.'

Roaccutane's link to 20 suicides was investigated and widely reported back in May 2015 which caused Ella to initially hesitate about the treatment

A spokesperson for Roche, the Swiss health care company that develop Roaccutane, said: 'More than 17 million patients worldwide have received RoAccutane  (isotretinoin) since it was first introduced in 1982 and we are pleased that Ella had a positive experience using it to treat her condition.

'That said, we understand that patients may be concerned about the possible side effects of any medicine.

'The association between isotretinoin and depression has been reviewed by regulators and a link has not been proved or disproved.

'It's also known, that severe acne can affect the mood and self-esteem of some sufferers sometimes leading to depression.

'The information provided with RoAccutane carries a warning that some patients may experience mood changes, including an increase in depression.

'It is important that, before they start taking the medicine, every patient tells their doctor if they are depressed, or if they have felt this way in the past.

'If anyone believes they have suffered a side effect to any Roche medicine they should report it to us directly or to the MHRA via its yellow card system.'
The Duchess of Cambridge took part in a second unannounced engagement this week, it has been revealed.

Kate, 37, joined husband Prince William, 36, to host a reception for inspirational teenagers at Kensington Palace on Wednesday.

The event, which recognised the finalists of Radio 1's Teen Heroes of 2018, was not announced by the royal couple ahead of time.

Kate joined husband Prince William to host a reception for inspirational teenagers at Kensington Palace on Wednesday. The engagement was not announced ahead of time

The royal couple hosted the finalists of Radio 1's Teen Heroes of 2018, as well as BBC1 DJs Greg James and Clara Amfo (far right). The Duke and Duchess appeared in good spirits at the event

It is the second time Kate has taken part in an unannounced appearance this week, having hosted a private meeting for one of her charity initiatives on Tuesday.

Typically the royal household reveals the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's engagements in advance.

Kate looked perfectly on trend in a 159 polka dot dress from high street chain Whistles for the Teen Heroes reception and wore her hair in bouncy curls.

Meanwhile her husband William looked smart in a navy suit with an open collar white shirt.

The royal household typically announce the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's engagements in advance but details of the Radio 1 reception, pictured, only emerged after the fact

The Radio 1 Teen Heroes awards honours the UK's unsung heroes. This year's three winners are Siena, 16, who works to support students with autism and learning disabilities; Lily, 14, a wheelchair motocross competitor and advocate; and Junior, 14, a dancer who campaigns against bullying.

The winners were invited along with five other finalists and Radio 1 DJs Greg James and Clara Amfo.

It is the third consecutive year that Radio 1's Teen Heroes have been honoured with an invitation to the Palace.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were last seen publicly together at the wedding of Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle last Friday, pictured

The winners will each be presented with their Teen Hero Award at Radio 1's Teen Awards in front of 10,000 people at London's SSE Arena, Wembley, on Sunday.

Greg James said: 'To be recognised as making a difference to other people's lives by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will inspire them to carry on the extraordinary work they already do.

'Siena, Lily and Junior had an incredible day speaking to William and Kate about their work and also enjoyed the incredible selection of biscuits that were on offer. All in all, it was a truly great day.'
The Queen looked in good spirits as she stepped out on Friday, waving as she arrived in Berkshire.

Putting on a bright display in a coordinated ensemble, the monarch, 92, smiled at the waiting crowds during her visit to Bracknell.

The royal will tour the town's new Lexicon shopping centre and meet representatives from the Bracknell town development project, before marking her visit by unveiling a plaque later in the day.

The Queen, 92, will become a great-grandmother for the eighth time when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle welcome their first child in the spring of 2019.

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The Queen put on cheerful display as she arrived in Berkshire, UK, in a coordinating mint-coloured coat and hat to view the town's new developments and shopping centres on Friday

Cutting a cheerful figure, the Queen opted for a mint-coloured coat embellished with a silver diamond-encrusted brooch and statement black buttons down the centre.

She coordinated the look with a matching pale green hat adorned with flowers, and continuing the theme with a floral skirt.

Opting for black court shoes and warding off the chill with gloves, the royal warded off the autumnal chill as she arrived with officials.

Completing the ensemble the royal carried a black leather Launer bag, an accessory she is rarely seen without.

Putting on a bright display in a coordinated monarch ensemble, the monarch, 92, smiled at the waiting crowds during her visit to Bracknell

Her Majesty, who is partial to a hat, could be seen admiring the millinery on display in store

The Queen showed a great interest in the hats on display, although she was already wearing a rather impressive one

The Queen has a busy day ahead, and will start her day at The Bull Pub before visiting the Lexicon shopping centre.

She will then continue her visit at the town's Fenwick department store, where she will meet staff and view their collections.

Additionally the monarch will pay a visit to Union Square to meet architects, builders and developers.

Concluding the visit, she will hear music from the Maestros band before unveiling a plaque to mark her visit.

The royal will tour the town's new Lexicon shopping centre and meet representatives from the Bracknell town development project

The Queen will start her tour at The Bull pub where she will view material showing the transformation of the site

The Queen is rarely seen without her handbag, usually a black patent design by Launer, and it now taking centre stage in her latest portrait.

Award-winning artist Ben Sullivan included the accessory in a new painting of the Queen to help show the person behind the head of state.

In the painting, commissioned by the RAF Club to mark its centenary, she is shown sat in an ornate chair in Windsor Castle's white drawing room with the item by her feet.

Cutting a cheerful figure, the Queen opted for a mint-coloured coat embellished with a silver diamond-encrusted brooch and statement black buttons down the centre

Cutting a cheerful figure, the Queen opted for a mint-coloured coat embellished with a silver diamond-encrusted brooch and statement black buttons down the centre

The Queen received a typically warm welcome upon her arrival at the shopping centre today

He said about his sitting with the Queen at Windsor Castle: 'I was saying it was quite cold when we did it because it was the end of February and she said, 'it doesn't look like I'm cold' so I think by then we had some extra heaters brought up.

'I think the idea was to capture something of the role of the monarch, but one tries to get behind that to the person.

'And I really like the idea her handbag was placed in front of the gilt chair. It was almost happenstance that it was placed there but it gives some idea there's actually a person as well as a figurehead  it's personal.

'It's where she put it, and I thought I could take it out, but then I thought  actually it's quite a nice thing, a personal thing.'

The brightly coloured monarch could be seen engaging in conversation with plenty of royal fans today

There was no shortage of flowers for the monarch today who was delighted as a scout handed her a bunch of roses

Another enthusiastic young well-wisher came armed with a brightly coloured bouquet
The Duchess of Sussex has made headlines with her dazzling royal tour wardrobe - but her range of hairstyles has been equally noteworthy.

Pregnant Meghan, 37, has been mixing up her signature soft waves and 'fuss-free' buns with slicked pack ponytails that show off her cheekbones. She has also experimented with a new half-up hairstyle - a look favoured by her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge.

The styles have been created by George Northwood, who is part of the 10-strong 'Sussex squad' accompanying the royals on the 16-day tour of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji.

London-based Northwood, who counts the likes of Alexa Chung and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as his clients, is known for styling Meghan's hair in laid back updos and was responsible for the chic undone bun she wore on her wedding night.

Speaking to FEMAIL, celebrity hairdresser Jay Birmingham, owner of Jay Birmingham Hair, noted updos are a way to show off the duchess' 'stunning features and smile'.

Day One, morning: Soft waves for a photo call at Admiralty House, Sydney, pictured, followed by Taronga Zoo. How to create the look, Jay said: 'Create super chic waves using wide plate straightening irons. For this kind of look it is important to use volumising products so before blowdrying her hair she may have used a root volumiser to lift the hair and add some body'

Day two, afternoon: A signature messy bun for a reception at Admiralty House, Sydney. How to create the look: Jay said, 'By having her hair wavy earlier in the day gives this up do the hold and added texture it needs. Simply section a low pony in to two and twist then wrap around into a low bun shape and Kirby in place  pull sections of the twisted hair out to add texture and she has left a few loose strands at the front to create an undone yet glamorous look'

He said: 'Effortless and elegant, Meghans low pony, buns and half up-dos are perfect for the fuss-free Duchess. She is experimenting with her looks which I love...

'By having her hair off her face means it is easier to manage and is not getting in the way or fuss over any flyaways,' which is particularly important on action-packed tour days.

Stylist to the stars Jason Collier added that updos are a handy go-to on a royal tour as they help communicate a feeling of confidence.

'Messy up dos are Meghans signature style and there is a very good reason for this,' he said.

'Not only do they open her whole face and highlight her fabulous cheekbones but when hair is pinned back it prevents any twiddling which makes the wearer seem far more confident and assured. Which is exactly what Meghan will want on her first tour.'

Day three, all day: Slick low ponytail with centre parting for a day of engagements in Dubbo, New South Wales. How to create the look: Jay said, 'Her low pony has been slicked back with a light hair gel to keep flyaways and loose strands in place, and a section of the hair has been wrapped around her hair tie to create added edge to this look'

The Duchess of Sussex, who is expecting her first child with husband Prince Harry next Spring, kicked off the week with soft waves - a versatile choice for a morning involving a formal photo call and trip to Taronga Zoo.

Jason observed that Meghan appeared to have arrived in Australia on Monday with freshly washed hair, meaning it was still fresh for the busy morning on Tuesday.

Both Jay and Jason commented that Meghan's hair appeared markedly thicker and speculated that hair extensions might have been used to create the fuller look.

A wardrobe change for the evening reception was accompanied by a new hairstyle, with the hair being pinned back into a bun that would have taken just minutes to create.

Day four, all day: The Duchess wore her hair down in soft ways for appearances in Melbourne. How to create the look: Jay said, 'Prep hair with a smoothing spray to give hair intense shine and protect it against the heat. Once styled with a curling iron, brush the waves out and add some styling serum through the midlengths and ends to seal the cuticle and remove any unwanted flyaways'

'Simply section a low pony in to two and twist then wrap around into a low bun shape and Kirby in place,' Jay explained.

'Pull sections of the twisted hair out to add texture and she has left a few loose strands at the front to create an undone yet glamorous look.'

The following day Meghan and Harry had an early start as they boarded a plane and headed off to Dubbo, a city in rural New South Wales, for a day of appearances.

In a potentially time-saving move, Meghan wore her hair slicked back in a 'sophisticated yet on-trend' low-ponytail with a sleek centre parting.

Jason said: 'I like when she is slightly edgy and the centre-parted ponytail looks really modern for a Duchess.'

Day five, morning: A soft, mid ponytail for an outing to Bondi Beach, Sydney. How to create the look, Jay said: 'A light gel has been applied to the hairline and "slicked back" part of the pony. Use a smoothing brush to tame down any extra flyaways and smooth into a mid ponytail. Use a pony tail elastic tie to secure the pony in place and take a small section of the pony tail and wrap it around the base of the pony tail to hide the elastic tie. Once youve finished wrapping the hair, secure it with a bobby pin and a light spray of hairspray to hold in pace'

Day five, afternoon: A new half-up do for Meghan as she visits Macarthur Girls High School, Sydney. How to create the look: Jason said, 'Going for a bit of height with some back combing and pinning back. Once the half-pony is in place the hair has been sectioned and curled'

Inspired by Kate? How Meghan's sister-in-law rocks the half-up style It is not difficult to see who might have inspired the Duchess of Sussex's new half-up style she debuted on Friday. Her sister-in-law the Duchess of Cambridge, 37, has long been a fan of the look and has used it for a number of high profile appearances, most notably her wedding day in April 2011. However while Meghan opted for a higher, more backcombed look with more volume at the crown, Kate typically keeps her take on the half-up do low, simply sweeping strands back from the side of her face and fixing at the back. Go-to style: The Duchess of Cambridge has long been a fan of the half-up do and frequently chooses it for royal engagements. Pictured, the royal on a visit to Caerphilly Family Intervention Team (FIT) in Caerphilly, Wales, in February 2017 Wedding belle: Kate most notably chose the flattering look for her wedding to Prince William in April 2017, pictured Versatile: Kate again sported the half-up look on a visit to a London school in July 2014 Advertisement

He estimated the look - a departure from the royal's typically loose styles - would have taken no more than 10 minutes' to create.

After returning to her loose waves for her engagements on Thursday, today saw two further updos, including a catwalk-inspired mid ponytail for her visit to Bondi Beach.

'It's a look we see over and over again on runways and it works really well for people with great bone structure and good hairlines like Meghan,' Jay said.

Jason agreed the 'messy ponytail', which he thought would have taken just 20 minutes' to achieve 'is perfect for the beach'.

The afternoon marked what might just be the Duchess of Sussex's most experimental look to date, the half-up do often worn by the Duchess of Cambridge.

Jay said: 'Her half up, half down look frames her face beautifully and by having the top half pinned back shows off her stunning features and smile  by having her hair off her face means it is easier to manage and is not getting in the way or fuss over any flyaways.'

While Jason felt the look was too 'contrived' for the usually laid back duchess, he noted it was still a relatively straightforward look to achieve halfway through the day, estimating that just 40 minutes would need to be set aside for it.
Carole Middleton was seen visiting her newborn grandson on Friday morning.

The proud grandmother, 63, looked chic in an orange coat as she arrived at daughter Pippa Middleton's 17million home in Chelsea, west London.

Pippa, 35, the Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister, welcomed her first child with husband James Matthews on Monday, making Carole a grandmother of four.

Kate hasn't been seen visiting her new nephew yet, but may well have already paid a visit to Pippa and her son either in the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital itself, or at her home.

Kensington Palace declined to comment on whether the Duke and Duchess have met the baby.

Proud grandmother Carole Middleton , 63, looked chic in an orange coat as she arrived at daughter Pippa Middleton 's 17million home in Chelsea, west London, on Friday, pictured

Grandmother-of-four Carole was seen with a brown delivery box from baby gifts company My 1st Years, pictured, as she went inside to visit her four-day-old grandson

The box from My 1st Years, which offers customisable baby gifts, had apparently been delivered and left outside Pippa and James' family home in Chelsea, pictured

Pippa, 35, the Duchess of Cambridge's younger sister, welcomed her first child with husband James Matthews on Monday, making Carole Middleton a grandmother of four. Pictured, the couple at Princess Eugenie's wedding in Windsor last Friday, just days before their son's birth

Mrs Middleton was fashionably dressed in black fitted jeans and black heeled ankle boots and added a splash of colour with her vibrant 220 coat from Boden.

She was seen helping out her daughter by picking up parcels that had been left outside the family home and carrying them inside.

Among the deliveries was a brown box from baby gifts company My 1st Years.

The British-based brand was behind the adorable dressing gown Prince George - Pippa's son's cousin - wore to meet then US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on their visit to Kensington Palace in 2016.

Mrs Middleton was also seen with a lavishly wrapped hamper, which is believed to have been filled with presents for the new mother and her son, although it is not clear whether this had also been left outside.

Mrs Middleton appeared to be helping out her daughter by picking up parcels that had been left outside, pictured, and carrying them inside

Mrs Middleton was also seen with a lavishly wrapped hamper, which is believed to have been filled with presents for the new mother and her son, although it is not clear who it was from

Pippa, 35, gave birth to a son at the private Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, on Monday afternoon.

It was the same day the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they are expecting their first child together in Spring 2019.

The Matthews' baby was delivered at the 7,500-a-night private maternity unit where the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to her three children.

The little boy is the cousin of future King Prince George, five, his brother Prince Louis, five months, and their sister Princess Charlotte, three.

Carole Middleton, fashionably dressed in an orange coat and fitted black jeans, spotted the My 1st Years box outside the home after it was apparently dropped off by a delivery driver

Mrs Middleton helped daughter Pippa by bringing the delivery inside the Chelsea mansion

UK-based My 1st Years is the company behind the adorable dressing gown Prince George wore when he met then President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on their visit to Kensington Palace in 2016, pictured. The style quickly sold out online

Pippa and Kate's younger brother James Middleton, 31, was the only member of the family seen visiting the new arrival in hospital.

New parents Pippa and James Matthews are believed to have left the hospital through a side door on Tuesday night and quietly returned to their newly-renovated family home.

Millionaire Mr Matthews, 43, was yesterday seen making a quick dash to his office in well-heeled Mayfair.

The proud father is the CEO of Eden Rock Capital Management.

Mrs Middleton latter emerged from the house and made to way towards her car outside

The grandmother-of-four brought a burst of colour to the autumn day in an orange Boden coat
A glamour model who hit the spotlight after dramatically changing her skin colour through tanning injections has married in Hawaii.

Martina Big, 30, from Germany, is famous for her body modifications - including 32S breast implants that she had boosted even further in time for her wedding.

Martina married her fiance, named only as Michael, 31, on an idyllic beach on 'Big Island', as the main island in the US state of Hawaii is known.

The model, who also had extra lip fillers before her big day, has splurged more than 50,000 on plastic surgery, and claims to have the biggest breasts in Europe.

She's also had radical tanning injections, a nose job, liposuction, and had lip fillers - all to achieve her goal of becoming an 'African woman'.

German glamour model Martina Big, 30, who hit the spotlight after 'turning herself black' with tanning injections and various surgeries has married Michael, 31, in a quiet ceremony in Hawaii

Speaking about how she prepared for her wedding, she said: 'I let my doctor enlarge my breasts and my lips. Now I have 7800cc per breast. And my lips got a whole syringe of lipfiller.'

Her breasts now weigh an astonishing 7.5 kilogrammes (16.5 lbs) each, but the model said she did not mind a little extra discomfort to feel more attractive for her big day.

For their big day the couple took a 26-hour flight from Germany to Hawaii, which followed stag and hen parties held in a field near the city of Bremen in north-western Germany.

However the wedding itself was a more low key affair, involving just the happy couple and their wedding planner who they named only as Stefan.

Martina married her fiance, named only as Michael, 31, on an idyllic beach on 'Big Island', as the main island in the US state of Hawaii is known

Martina says one of the big challenges she faced was finding a wedding dress to fit her unique body, seen trying on a more traditional gown at first

Martina says one of the big challenges she faced was finding a wedding dress to fit her unique body, at first trying on a yellow maxi dress and then a more traditional white gown.

Next she opted for a fuchsia pink frock embellished with sequins which she matched with dramatic drop earrings and a necklace along with killer heels.

However in the end she settled on a custom-made strapless white dress with pink mesh paneling which barely contained her very ample assets.

In the end Martina settled on a custom-made strapless white dress with pink mesh paneling which barely contained her very ample assets, which matched Martin's suit (seen)

And she faced another nightmare when her make-up artist cancelled at the last minute, however managed to pull together her look at the last minute.

Adorning her curly wig with a flower floral hair wreath to match her bouquet and necklace on the day, Martina married Michael on a picturesque on the 'Big Island'.

Matching his bride, Michael opted for a white suit with a lime green bow tie as the pair exchanged vows before he held up their marriage certificate proudly.

Adorning her curly wig with a flower floral hair wreath to match her bouquet and necklace on the day, Martina married Michael on a picturesque on the 'Big Island'

The model, whose official name is now Malaika Kubwa, 'big angel' in Swahili, is a former blonde air hostess who decided to try to become a 'true African woman' by undergoing tanning injections (seen prior)

And Martina was reportedly very happy with her wedding pictures - and now plans to press on with her ambition of holding the official Guinness World Record for the largest breasts.

The model, who divides her time between Los Angeles and the Eifel region of western Germany, said her transformation into a black woman was an 'internal one'.

The model, whose official name is now Malaika Kubwa, 'big angel' in Swahili, is a former blonde air hostess who decided to try to become a 'true African woman' by undergoing tanning injections.

As well as her breast implants, said to be the largest of any European model, she has had her legs, hips, and waist narrowed, her nose reshaped, her lips enlarged and her front teeth covered with porcelain veneers.

In July Martina appeared on the Botched season finale in the hopes to having bum implants and a more 'African nose', revealing of her look: 'I'm really proud that it works for me so well. So, I decided to support my body to going really African girl. I bought a wig. Black curls'.

The wedding itself was a more low key affair, involving just the happy couple and their wedding planner who they named only as Stefan (seen right)
They pushed across the border into Guatemala on Monday, despite a heavy police presence and government order attempting to block their route. Trump repeatedly threatened to deport them. Red Cross workers gave medical attention to some migrants who fainted in the heat. Town residents brought the migrants bread, beans, cheese and coffee.

Chacon said she had tried selling Avon beauty supplies in Honduras, but "people are so poor they can't buy".

The organiser of a migrant caravan from Honduras was detained on Tuesday in Guatemala as the USA government threatened to withdraw aid from both countries and El Salvador if the flow of migrants north to the United States was not stopped.

United States President Donald Trump has insisted that anyone entering the country illegally will be arrested and detained.

Mexico's government says people in a caravan of Honduran migrants headed for the US will be treated the same as anyone else entering the country: That means those with proper documents can enter and those who don't either have to apply for refugee status or face deportation. Estimates of their numbers ranged up to 3,000.

On Friday, the caravan left San Pedro Sula, a large city in the northwest of the country, despite warnings from US Vice President Mike Pence that they would be turned back at the US border. Honduras' ability to stop the caravan is doubtful since the group is already in Guatemala.

Three weeks before midterm elections in the United States, the caravan elicited a tough response from Trump.

Trump did not follow through on a similar threat to the Central American nation in April over an earlier caravan, which eventually petered out in Mexico. The group was ultimately able to cross, said march organizer Bartolo Fuentes, a former Honduran lawmaker.

"There are sectors that want to destabilize the country, but we will be decisive and we will not allow it", Hernandez told reporters.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Honduras foreign ministry urged its citizens against joining the caravan, dismissing it as a political ploy to " to disrupt the governability, stability and peace of our countries".

They say they will turn away anyone who doesn't meet Mexico's immigration requirements. Hondurans need visas to visit Mexico in most cases.

More than one million Hondurans live in the United States, a lot of them undocumented.

Carlos Reyes, 20, told the AP he was fleeing after men tried to kill him a week prior because he is gay.

The migrants hope that traveling en masse affords them protection from robbery, assault and other dangers that plague many on the journey north.

Guatemala's government has not given official figures for how many migrants are in the group.

The U.S. Embassy in Honduras said it was deeply anxious about the group and that people were being given "false promises" of being able to enter the United States.

Frank added that the caravan's rapid growth "underscores quite how desperate the Honduran people are - that they'd begin walking toward refuge in the United States with only a day back full of belongings".

Washington has committed to providing funding for programs that improve security and create development opportunities in a bid to put the brakes on migration.

"We are here because of Juan Orlando", said Nelson Zavala, a 36-year-old labourer.

Honduras has a long history of poverty and corruption.
She has become a style icon, known for her chic sartorial choices.

And Queen Letizia of Spain didn't disappoint as she arrived at the Princess of Asturias Awards in Oviedo, Northern Spain, on Friday.

The royal consort, 45, put on a stunning display in a red fit-and-flare dress as she joined husband King Felipe for the ceremony, named after their daughter Leonor, 12, who is heir to the Spanish throne and holds the title of Princess of Asturias.

The annual Asturias Awards are presented to individuals or organizations who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs.

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Queen Letizia of Spain didn't disappoint as she arrived at the Princess of Asturias Awards in Oviedo, Northern Spain, on Friday, dressed in a chic red dress

The royal consort, 45, was joined by husband King Felipe for the ceremony, named after their daughter Leonor, who is heir to the Spanish throne and holds the title of Princess of Asturias

Putting on an upbeat appearance, Letizia showed off her enviable physique in the frock, which was cinched in at the waist with an A-line skirt.

The sleeveless piece featured floral lace cut-out panels and fell just below the knees, and Letizia teamed it with a pair of patent nude court shoes.

Coordinating the look, the mother-of-two teamed the dress with a pair of elegant diamond and ruby drop earrings, wearing her glossy chestnut hair in loose waves around her face.

She was spotted laughing and chatting with King Felipe as they proceeded to meet with attendees and winners.

Letizia showed off her enviable physique in the frock, which was cinched in at the waist with an A-line skirt while Felipe looked dapper in a suit

Putting on a stylish display in a form-fitting red dress, Letizia proved her fashion credentials once again as she beamed at onlookers

The sleeveless piece featured floral lace cut-out panels and fell just below the knees, and Letizia teamed it with a pair of patent nude court shoes as she followed Felipe to the ceremony

King Felipe and Queen Letizia were seen giving a medal to Polish mountain climber Krzysztof Wielicki, before posing with the winners of 2018 Asturias medals.

The awards ceremony was established in 1980 by Felipe, who was then heir to the throne, before he ascended the throne in 2014.

The event was established to consolidate links between the autonomous community Principality of Asturias and the King, as well as to encourage scientific, cultural and humanistic development.

Each year the recipients of the awards receive a sculpture created by Spanish prestigious sculptor Joan Miro.

Letizia was seen shaking the hand of a nominee as she joined Spanish Kings Felipe VI during an audience with the winners of 2018 Asturias medal in Oviedo

Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia were seen giving a medal to Polish mountain climber Krzysztof Wielicki

Queen Letizia is mother to Princesses Leonor, 12, and Sofia, 11, with husband King Felipe, 50, who ascended to the Spanish throne in 2014.

Letizia married King Felipe ten years ago at Cathedral Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena in Madrid.

King Felipe ascended the throne following the abdication of his father King Juan Carlos in 2014.

Spanish King Felipe and Letizia were seen during an audience with the winners of 2018 Asturias medal in Oviedo, posing for pictures

Opting for natural make-up, she was spotted laughing and chatting with King Felipe as they proceeded to meet with attendees and winners

The awards ceremony was established in 1980 by Felipe, who was then heir to the throne of Spain, before he rose to king of the country in 2014
Marie Antoinette's dazzling jewellery, unseen in public for two centuries, went on show in London on Friday before going under the hammer next month in a sale expected to fetch as much as 4million.

The collection, held by the historic Italian royal House of Bourbon-Parma, is being sold by Sotheby's auction house in Geneva on November 14.

On show at their London headquarters, the lots include 10 jewels which belonged to Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was guillotined in Paris aged 37.

The highlight is Queen Marie Antoinette's Pearl, a natural pearl and diamond pendant valued at up to 1.5million.

Marie Antoinette's dazzling jewellery, unseen in public for two centuries, went on show in London on Friday before going on sale next month in a rare auction of such treasures

The auction house has added further pieces to its catalogue of 'incomparable' royal jewels being put up for auction in Geneva later this year.

Among them is a pair of natural pearl and diamond earrings valued at 233,000 and a single-strand natural pearl necklace, expected to make as much as 54,000.

French queen Marie Antoinette was often depicted wearing pearls and was famed for her love of jewellery. Now some of her beloved jewels are going up for sale in a 3.85m auction

The remarkable items, which were smuggled out of France during the Revolution, are being offered for sale as part of the 3.85m auction.

The collection includes a natural pearl and diamond necklace composed of three rows of more than 100 slightly graduated pearls is expected to fetch 153,338-230,000.

A monogrammed ring containing a lock of her hair is valued at 6,133-7,666.

'The romance, magic and universality of her name is because she represents that sophistication of l'ancien regime. She is it,' Andres White Correal, Sotheby's senior director of jewellery, told AFP.

'It is the sale of the 21st century. Because how do you top Marie Antoinette? Also because it's so scarce. There isn't much left.'

White Correal compared her to Egyptian pharaoh Cleopatra and Britain's Diana, princess of Wales.

He said there were queens with greater political and historical stature but Marie Antoinette 'had the allure'.

The sale also contains jewellery belonging to Charles X, the last king of France, including a diamond tiara; jewels from empress Marie Therese of Austria - Marie Antoinette's mother - and from Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I, who died in 1916.

Model wearing Jewels owned by Marie Antoinette including The 'Queen Marie Antoinette's Pearl', Pair of natural Pearl and Diamond pendant earrings, late 18th Century, Important natural Pearl and Diamond necklace, Monogrammed ring containing a lock of the Queen's hair and Diamond Brooch, second half of the 18th Century Bourbon Parma Family jewellery

The remarkable items, which were smuggled out of France during the Revolution, are being offered for sale as part of the 3.85m auction

A pair of natural pearl and diamond earrings that once belonged to Marie Antoinette set to make up to 233,000 (left); and a diamond ring decorated with the ill-fated queen's portrait, set to make the equivalent of 9,300 when it goes up for auction next month (right)

How were Marie Antoinette's jewels smuggled out of France? The impressive ensemble of jewels to be offered this autumn has an extraordinary story. In March 1791, King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and their children began to prepare their escape from France. According to accounts written by Marie Antoinettes lady in waiting, Madame Campan, the queen spent an entire evening in the Tuileries Palace wrapping all of her diamonds, rubies and pearls in cotton and placing them in a wooden chest. In the following days, the jewels were sent to Brussels, which was under the rule of the queens sister, Archduchess Marie-Christine and which was home to Count Mercy Argentau. The count, the former Austrian Ambassador to Paris, was one of the only men who had retained the queens trust. It was he who took delivery of the jewels and sent them on to Vienna, into the safe keeping of the Austrian Emperor, Marie Antoinettes nephew. Advertisement

In 1792, the royal family was imprisoned in the Temple tower. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were executed by guillotine in 1793 and their 10-year old son, Louis XVII, died in captivity.

Marie Antoinette's personal collection of pearls were unveiled earlier this year ahead of the landmark jewellery sale.

According to the auction house, the Queen's pearls have not been on public display for the last 200 years and have been kept in immaculate condition by a private owner.

Among the collection is a diamond pendant supporting 'a pearl of exceptional size', which is estimated at 770,000 to 1.5 million.

Other items of note include a spectacular necklace featuring 300 pearls which is expected to fetch up to 231,000.

Marie Antoinette (17551793) was both famed and despised for her enormous private collection of jewellery.

In fact, one particular necklace left her tangled in a scandal which led to her eventual execution at the hands of revolutionaries.

The sale also contains jewellery belonging to Charles X, the last king of France, including a diamond tiara (above); jewels from empress Marie Therese of Austria - Marie Antoinette's mother - and from Austrian emperor Franz Joseph I, who died in 1916

This beautiful six-strand pearl necklace also provides a direct link to the doomed queen of France. Its clasp - which remains unaltered today - was part of her collection, and features five large and 18 smaller natural pearls. The other pearls were added by subsequent owners

A stunning diamond brooch from the late 18th century, featuring a beautiful yellow diamond (left); and a brooch containing diamonds that once belonged to Marie Antoinette (right)

Also from Marie Antoinette is this single-strand natural pearl necklace, valued at up to 54,000. Her personal jewellery collection was smuggled out of France during the Revolution

The Queen caused uproar after the 1785 incident, known as the 'Affair of the Diamond Necklace', when she was accused of trying to defraud the royal jewellers to obtain a particularly opulent necklace.

Parisian jewelers Boehmer and Bassenge had created the 2million livre necklace (10.7m in today's money) for Marie Antoinette's predecessor Madame du Barry - the partner of Louis XV.

But the piece took several years to make and by the time it was completed the king had died of smallpox and the jewellers couldn't find a buyer for the necklace.

After the Queen rejected the piece, a low ranking courtier named Jeanne de la Motte wrote letters to officials claiming to be the Queen asking for them to buy it on her behalf.

A stunning diamond pendant with a 'pearl of exceptional size' that was once owned by Marie Antoinette is part of the landmark Sotheby's sale taking part in Geneva next month

Another item once owned by the Queen was a 300-pearl necklace estimated to sell for up to 231,000. The pearls are natural, not cultured as most are today

A model shows a diamond parure composed of 95 diamonds, including five solitaire diamonds that belonged to Marie-Antoinette. It was made for Louise of France (1819-1864), grand-daughter of Charles X, King of France

After sending a prostitute dressed up as the Queen to inspect the diamonds, De la Motte took the necklace and sent it to England to be broken up and sold - but was caught in the process.

By the time she was condemned, however, the dye was cast and many in the court believed the Queen was guilty of the crime.

Before her execution and the start of the French Revolution, however, the Queen made provision for her jewels to be sent to England.

King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's loyal servants ferried the enormous horde to safety while the King and Queen tried in vain to escape their fate.

A depiction of the execution of Marie Antoinette on October 16, 1793, after she was caught trying to escape France with Louis XVI

The infamous necklace created by the Paris jewellers Charles Bohemer and Paul Bassenge, which dragged Marie Antoinette into the 'Affair of the Diamond Necklace'

They were executed by guillotine in 1793 and the jewels passed to Marie-Therese de France, their only surviving child, after her release from prison after three years.

Marie-Therese then gifted them to her niece the Duchess of Parma in whose family they have stayed until now.

The jewels are being sold by the Bourbon-Parma family, which dates back to the Duchy of Parma in 1545.

They are set to be sold in November in Geneva in an auction collectors have already described as one of the most significant royal jewellery sales in recent memory.
A Florida mother of two little girls has sparked intense debate after blogging about getting so fed up that she got rid of all of her kids' toys.

Ruth Soukup, 40, had been worrying for some time that her daughters were too fixated on the stuff they had, failing to enjoy experiences and taking blessings for granted.

So when, one day, her kids wouldn't clean up their toys, she packed up every single thing into boxes and took them away  and her decision has led to some fiercely-argued opinions, even years later.

Extreme changes: Ruth Soukup runs the blog Living Well Spending Less from Florida. In 2012, the now-40-year-old boxed up every toy that her two daughters had

Ruth first blogged about the incident on her site, Living Well Spending Less, in 2012.

But in the years since, the post has continued to be shared over and over again on social media, and this week it earned renewed attention thanks to a new thread shared on BoredPanda.

Ruth is all about staying organized and decluttering. In the year leading up to moment she reached her breaking point, she had already rid her children's room of 75 per cent of their toys, hanging onto just those that 'encouraged their imagination.

But it didn't seem to be enough. That summer, she, her husband, and their two girls visited a dinosaur-themed restaurant called T-Rex in Downtown Disney.

On the way in, they passed a Build-a-Dino Workshop in the gift shop, and one of her daughters became fixated on it. She continued to ask for it throughout dinner, ignoring the fun experience of the restaurant.

Ruth and her husband were 'worried' about their kids 'lack of contentment' but hadn't yet formulated a way to deal with it.

Reasons: She said that she and her husband were worried that they'd become too fixated on having stuff - and they wouldn't clean up when she asked repeatedly

Then, not long after, Ruth was 'telling my kids to clean their room for the umpteenth time' when 'I made the somewhat impulsivealbeit pre-warneddecision to take away ALL their stuff.'

They didn't have a lot to begin with, and Ruth kept it all organized in bins, but the girls wouldn't put the few items away when they were done with them, despite her repeated requested.

'I finally gave up and took it all away,' she wrote. 'I wasnt angry, just fed up.

'I calmly began packing up not just a toy or two, but every single thing. All their dress-up clothes, baby dolls, Polly Pockets, & stuffed animals, all their Barbies, building blocks, and toy trains, right down to the the furniture from their dollhouse and play food from their kitchen.

'I even took the pretty Pottery Barn Kids comforter from their bed. The girls watched me in stunned silence for a few minutes and then, when the shock wore off, they helped. And just like that, their room was clear.'

Ruth admitted, 'I worried that I was scarring them for life, depriving them of some essential developmental need, taking away their ability to self-entertain.'

Not so bad: After, she noticed that they were less focused on buying new things and found other ways to entertain themselves

But, 'in reality, the opposite has happened.'

A month later, on family trip to Key West, the girls didn't ask to buy anything. They seemed to have learned a valuable lesson.

'Its okay that we dont have any more toys Mommy,' her daughter reportedly told her. 'We can just read and use our imaginations. And now we wont have to clean up every day.'

'Had I not experienced it with my own eyes, I wouldve never believed that an addiction to stuff could be broken that quickly,' Ruth added.

She did clarify that she didn't actually toss everything  she donated some of it, and hid away items like Legos and dress-up clothes, which she would still take out from time to time to entertain them.

But ultimately, teaching her kids to do with less was important.

'Stuff isnt evil in and of itself, but in a world where we are constantly told that what we have isnt quite good enough, the love of things can so very easily consume us,' she wrote.

'It is the pursuit of it allmore toys, cuter clothes, a prettier house, a nicer car, a bigger computer, a fancier phonethat makes us forget all the things that actually matter.'

Imagination: She didn't actually toss them. Though some were donated, others were hidden away and she'd take them out from time to time

Over the years, Ruth's post has been shared 234,000 times on social media, with thousands of people responding to it.

Some find her take smart and refreshing.

'Love this!! My husband and I are thinking of trying it. We have these same issues with our son, who is a great kid but just completely obsessed with toys and electronics,' wrote one.

'This post came at the perfect time for me! My kids have an overwhelming amount of STUFF and my husband and I have be one sick of it,' wrote another mom. 'I want my kids to understand that life is about love and people around you, not the stuff.'

Added a third: 'You are an inspiration! I feel like I am being driven out of my house by all of the stuff that my children and husband acquire! I always nagging them about the memories that we have. None of them include this STUFF! I would love to do this, but I feel like I would be lynched in my own home.'

'I will be doing something like this soon. With my entire house! I am tired of all the STUFF,' said one more.

Reviews: Her post has sparked some debate online. While most parents commenting on her blog applauded her, a few non-parents were angry

Hundreds of people applauded Ruth, with many saying they'd love to try a similar tactic at home.

While the vast majority of comments were supportive, though, Ruth has had a few critics.

'Wow. Whos going to take toys away from their children? Thats just terrible,' wrote one.

'Really? You are idiotic you are influencing parents to make a horrible choice damaging their childrens lives,' added another. 't disgusts me that you make them lose all physical play and leave them to use fantasies in their minds. That was a very bad decision.'

On Tumblr, her critics have been especially vicious. It's worth noting, though, that most of the commenters on her blog appear to be parents themselves, while the Tumblr commenters don't seem to have children and likely skew younger in age.

'I loathe this woman. Rescue her kids,' wrote one.

'This mom is self-congratulatory that her kids now behave in the way she wants for her control freak minimalist neat and tidy showroom-floor aesthetic,' wrote another. 'How terrible is that?'

'This is how you get your child to 1. Never trust you again. 2. Develop anxiety in asking you for anything, ever,' griped another. 'I am so sick of these "modern" parents who shove their beliefs down their kids' throats.'
A wheelchair-bound widow left a rose beside the lake where her husband's ashes were scattered with a note asking someone to throw it in for her - and now her wish has been fulfilled in a 'beautiful' act of kindness that's being praised around the globe.

The unnamed woman left her message scrawled on a piece of paper pinned to a single red rose beside Powell's Pool in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, explaining that because she's in a wheelchair she couldn't get past the gate to access the water and toss in her tribute to her late husband.

Ian Bousfield, a member of Bishop Vesey's Grammar School Rowing Club, which trains on the water, found her note and immediately fulfilled her request, posting a photo of the flower in the water on Twitter, with the message: 'Whoever you are, rest assured your rose is in place in the middle of the lake.'

The tweet has been shared around the world, with Twitter users as far afield as the US and Australia replying to say the gesture had 'restored their faith in humanity'.

The generous act of kindness posted on the Twitter account of Bishop Vesey's Grammar School Rowing Club was heavily praised. The note asked for help from a unnamed woman who was in a wheelchair and couldn't lay a rose in honour of her husband

The second picture showed the crimson flower resting on the water of Powell's Pool in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, where the Bishop Vesey's Grammar School Rowing Club train. The woman had explained that her husband's ashes were in the lake

Ian Bousfield, of the rowing club, revealed that he had generously fulfilled her request in a post on the club's Twitter account

The post, showing the note and the rose lying on the water's edge quickly wracked up thousands of likes and shares from people all around the world saying their 'faith in humanity was restored'.

He shared the kind act of remembrance along with the caption: 'This note was left on the gate at the water this afternoon.

'No name or number but whoever you are, rest assured your rose is in place in the middle of the lake.'

The note read: 'Please can someone throw this into the lake for me?

'My late husband's ashes are in the lake and I can't get to the lakeside in my wheelchair anymore and gates are locked.

'Have to drive back up north tonight. Thank you x.'

The Powell's Pool in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, where the Bishop Vesey's Grammar School Rowing Club train

Bishop Vesey's Grammar School (pictured) headteacher Dominic Robson said of 'Ian's "lovely gesture' was 'just typical of the man'.He added: "He's a very unassuming man - he's not one for lots of attention

People from all around the world commented on the viral post with many thanking the rowing club for their heartwarming act of kindness fulfilling the woman's request

Dominic Robson, headteacher of the school told the Sun 'Ian's "lovely gesture' was 'just typical of the man'.

He added: "He's a very unassuming man - he's not one for lots of attention.

'He just wanted to make sure that whoever put [the rose and note] there knows that their wishes had been respected.

'He's a very, very good person and very honourable guy who as a human being was moved by the heartfelt message.

As the post went viral, thousands of people thanked the rowing club for fulfilling the woman's request: 'Faith in humanity - restored.'

The post was far-reaching: 'I hope that this woman knows that her message went viral, and is being appreciated in the United States.

'Love, condolences, and many thanks to the people who shared this bit of humanity. We are better people for sharing this.'

Even Mrs. Brown's Boys actor Rory Cowan wrote: 'I hope the woman sees this.'

'Faith in humanity restored x Well done BVGS rowing. RIP to the ladies husband,' added another.
Candice Swanepoel is a busy mother-of-two, so it should come as no surprise that the model has mastered the art of giving herself a 'fake natural' makeup look complete with painted on freckles in just ten minutes.

The 29-year-old Victoria's Secret star is the latest celebrity to share her step-by-step makeup routine with Vogue, and in the new video the South African beauty dishes about everything from her beloved $4 lip balm to her 'crazy veins from breastfeeding.'

However, before she applies any beauty products, Candice demonstrates her trick for easily adding waves to her 'super straight' blonde hair.

Scroll down for video

Tricks of the trade: Candice Swanepoel shares her step-by-step makeup routine in a new video for Vogue

Easy as can be: She begins by throwing her blonde hair up into two Princess Leia-inspired buns. She explains that her hair is 'super straight' and she likes to add some waves to it

Busy mom: The 29-year-old Victoria's Secret star (pictured at the brand's runway show in 2017) has given birth to two sons in two years

She explains that she likes to have a 'little bit of curl,' so after she messily dries her long locks, she throws them up into two Princess Leia-inspired buns on the top of her head.

'Sometimes I'll get the curling iron out, but I don't have time for that kind of thing these days and I get lazy,' the mom admits.

Candice gave birth to her first son, Anacan, in October 2016, and she welcomed her second son, Ariel, this June, so it's safe to say she has her hands full.

In the clip, she starts off by applying face oil, but she notes that if she has time, she likes to use eye masks.

'Lord knows I haven't slept in two years,' she jokes.

Keeping it real: In the Vogue video, Candice points out that she has developed 'crazy veins' on her chest

Mom on duty: The model explains the veins are from breastfeeding her sons. She is pictured nursing her now two-year-old son, Anacan, when he was three months old

Candice, who often shares Instagram photos of herself nursing Ariel, then points to the 'crazy veins' on her chest, explaining that they are from breastfeeding.

Interestingly, she opts to apply a liquid bronzer before her concealer, noting that her face is always lighter than her body because she uses sunscreen daily.

As a model, she often gets her makeup professionally done, and she credits the makeup artists she has worked with for helping her learn the tricks of the trade.

Candice uses Kryolan Dermacolor Camouflage Creme ($18.75), a heavyweight concealer that she likes to mix with oil or other liquids to smooth out.

She spritzes her Beauty Blender sponge with rose spray before dabbing the concealer under her eyes and on her forehead.

Go-to products: Candice likes to use Kryolan Dermacolor Camouflage Creme ($18.75) and the Stila Convertible Color ($25)

Tricks of the trade: The mother-of-two applies the cream blush to her cheeks using the pads of her fingers

She's not wrong! She contours her eyes with a mauve eyeshadow, MAC Eyeshadow in Haux ($17), which she insists makes her blue eyes pop

'I have some sun damage and markings from my pregnancy. It's a normal thing that happens,' she says before using a brush to apply MAC Prep + Prime setting powder ($29) all over her face.

'My skin is oily so shine comes through quickly,' she notes. 'By the time we finish this video, I will be shiny again.'

She then uses her hands to dab Stila Convertible Color ($25) as a cream blush on the apples of her cheeks, eyelids, and nose.

'I just feel like it makes you look a little more alive,' she explains. 'Blush on the nose kind of gives a fake sun-kissed look because that is where you look sunburned naturally.'

After applying the blush, she goes back to her concealer and uses her fingers to apply even more under her eyes to 'really get those little bags.'

Precision: Candice uses a fine angled brush to apply her brown pencil eyeliner

Almost natural: She adds Nars' Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 'Do Me Baby' ($27) to her pout

Never too much? After doing most of her makeup, Candice adds even more cream blush to her cheeks. 'I didn't go to Greece, but that's not a problem. I can fake it,' she says of her look

Candice notes that when she is at home, she likes to do half of her makeup and then spend some time with her kids or eat breakfast to give it some time to set before finishing it up.

However, for the sake of the video, she moves on to curling her eyelashes with the Kevyn Aucoin Eyelash Curler ($21).

'When men see you doing this, they feel like you are torturing yourself,' she jokes.

The blonde beauty uses two different brow pencils, one from Burberry ($33) and one from Laura Mercier ($24), to fill in the hairs, while admitting that her brows weren't always so thick.

'I used to pluck my eyebrows in high school, and it was the first thing my French agency told me to stop doing,' she reveals. 'Thankfully they grew back. The bushier the better.'

Candice likes to use MAC Haute & Naughty Lash Mascara ($24) on her lashes, and after applying it, she takes a cotton swab and dips it in concealer to clean up the 'messy mascara bits' that ended up under her eyes.

Almost done: Towards the end of the video, she takes her locks down to show off her 'lazy girl's curly hair.' 'Not bad for not doing anything,' she says with a laugh

Beach waves: Candice sprays her blonde locks with Living Proof Dry Shampoo ($13) to add volume to her 'do

She contours her eyes with mauve eyeshadow, the MAC Eyeshadow in Haux ($17), which she insists makes her blue eyes pop and then goes on to apply Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lip Moisturizer.

Candice says the affordable drugstore lip balm, which costs about $4, is her 'absolute favorite.'

Using the same mauve eyeshadow she used on her lids, the model contours her cheeks, hairline, and jaw.

'I like to use the same products for various things so you don't end up packing so much,' she explains.

After contouring, she applies Benefit's Hoola Matte Bronzing Powder ($16) all over her face, including her forehead, because 'that is where the sun hits you.'

Added touch: Candice ends the video by demonstrating how she uses Dior Diorshow Pro Liner ($33) to add faux freckles to her nose and cheeks

Simply stunning: Candice says this is the makeup look she does when she has meetings or is out for the day

'I didn't go to Greece, but that's not a problem. I can fake it,' she notes.

When she is pressed for time, Candice says she will only put a lip stain on her pout, opting for the Benefit Benetint ($30) but she explains that she plans on adding lip color today.

However, she moves on to adding highlighter - what appears to be the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer ($38) - around her eyes, admitting that she is a 'little disorganized' when she is doing her makeup.

Candice points out that sometimes giving yourself a 'fake natural' look actually takes longer than going all-out glam.

She uses a fine angled brush to apply her Max Factor Kohl Eye Pencil ($5), and then she adds Nars' Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in 'Do Me Baby' ($27) to her pout, topping it off with some more of her RMS highlighter.

Candid: Candice (pictured in September) admits that achieving a 'fake natural' makeup look can sometimes take longer than going all-out glam

Beauty: The model looked stunning while posing on the red carpet at the Diamond ball in New York City last month

As she nears the end of her makeup routine, she uses a sponge to press setting powder all over her face and then adds even more blush to her cheeks.

At this point, she takes her locks down to show off her 'lazy girl's curly hair' before spraying Living Proof Dry Shampoo ($13) to add volume to her 'do.

'Not bad for not doing anything,' she says with a laugh.

Candice ends the video by demonstrating how she uses Dior Diorshow Pro Liner ($33) to add faux freckles to her nose and cheeks, a trick she learned from a Brazilian makeup artist she likes to work with.

She admits it 'looks crazy at first,' but after she uses the pads of her fingers to pat the spots, they look completely natural.

'I always felt like freckles look really youthful, like you have been in the sun,' she explains.
A woman has regrown her fingertip after it was bitten off by a puma while she was vacationing in Honduras.

Ja'Niya Walker, from Los Angeles, California, took a trip with her friend to Roatan in July 2017, where they visited an animal sanctuary.

She had her hand resting on the cage of a puma when the animal reached over and bit her right index fingertip off.

Doctors told the 40-year-old fashion designer that there was nothing they could do and that she would have to accept that she would have an amputated finger for the rest of her life.

That is until she met a doctor who offered her an usual alternative: using platelets from her own blood which have stem-cell like properties called growth factors, and by injecting them into her finger, they could stimulate the growth of her fingertip.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Online, Walker discusses how she saw results in as little as two days and that she knew she had her life back when she was finally able to glue an acrylic nail on.

Ja'Niya Walker, 40 (left and right), from Los Angeles, California, was vacationing in Roatan, Honduras, in July 2017. She visited an animal sanctuary with her friend and hand her hand resting on a puma cage when the animal bit her right index fingertip off

Walker had her finger stitched up and doctors in Honduras and the US told her that she would have to accept her amputated finger. Pictured: Walker's fingertip after it grew back

Walker said that it was on the second day of her trip, while visiting the Little French Key Island, when the incident occurred.

She and her friend had been enjoying the beach, swimming and drinking, when around 5pm they decided to visit the animal sanctuary.

'The monkeys were almost asking us to come and feed them and give them water,' Walker told Daily Mail Online.

'Almost no one else was there so it was just this empty kind of jungle area and we got mesmerized by the pumas.'

Walker said the wildcats were coming up to the cages and nuzzling the visitors.

'I hand my hand on the cage and I guess it slipped through the hole because in an instant [the puma] just grabbed onto my finger.'

The animal had grabbed hold of Walker's right index finger. When she pulled back instinctively, her fingertip 'came right off'.

The puma was guarding [my fingertip] so I quickly realized I was just going to have to just let that one go

She can't remember how bad it was bleeding but she remembers grabbing the towel that was around her neck and wrapping it around her finger. She could see the tip still hanging on the cage.

'I could see my fingertip on the cage, almost looking at me, and I was yelling at my friend: "Take my fingertip! Please! Maybe they can sew it back on!"' Walker said.

'But the puma was guarding it, so I quickly realized I was just going to have to just let that one go.'

Her friend flagged down a passerby, who took them on a jet ski to the main island. Walker remembers furiously puffing on a cigarette to calm her nerves as said passer-by got a car to take her to the hospital.

She estimates was at a hospital within 20 minutes.

Walker still had three more days on the island so she swam with her hand in the air and visited a hand surgeon every afternoon to get properly cleaned.

When she returned home, she had to visit doctors to take care of her wound.

'No doctor I saw - and I saw four doctors - offered support or advice. They just said you can collect disability for the rest of your life,' Walker said.

Through research, she found Dr Akash Bajaj, an orthopedist and pain management specialist based in Marina Del Rey.

Dr Akash Bajaj, a pain management specialist told Walker that with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) technology, he could stimulate the growth of her missing fingertip. Pictured: Walker's fingers before the accident

He told her that with the help of something called platelet-rich plasma (PRP) technology, he could stimulate the growth of her missing fingertip.

Walker was lucky her fingers amputated below her nail because PRP technology cannot regrow an entire finger.

Blood is mainly made up of liquid, or plasma, but it also contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Platelets are responsible for clotting blood and contain proteins known as growth factors, which are similar to stem cells and help injuries heal.

Blood is drawn from the patient and spun in a centrifuge - a machine with a rapidly rotating container - to separate the platelets from red and white blood cells.

This increased concentration is then injected into the affected area.

'The way that I explain it is that the body is using its own repair therapy to heal itself without steroids or other medication,' Dr Bajaj told Daily Mail Online.

'In Ja'Niyas case we injected it into the tip of her finger, which isn't easy but she took it like a champ. The PRP steps on the gas and it improves the healing process.'

Walker went in for her first appointment in late August 2017 after her stitches were removed. She said within the first two days she noticed results.

'It was instantaneous,' she said.

'For a while I had to lift up my finger when I was doing dishes and shower with a paper bag over my finger.

PRP technology involves drawing blood from a patient and separating the platelets from red and white blood cells. Platelets contain proteins known as growth factors, which are similar to stem cells and help injuries heal. This increased concentration is then injected into the affected area. Pictured, left and right: Walker

Walker said that within two days her skin color returned to normal and within two months her nail grew back. She said she now feels like she has her life back. Pictured: Walker's fingers right after the accident

'But then I saw the old skin peeling off and the new skin growing in and the skin was returning to its normal color. And then once I saw the nail and the cuticle growing in, I wasn't scared to avoid doing things anymore. It was amazing to see.'

Dr Bajaj admitted that he was even surprised by her results.

'It was far better than what I had expected,' he said. 'I assumed the PRP would help the injured digit and grow some of it back, but I was happily surprised how along that paradigm went.'

Walker said the true test of her progress was when she attended LA Fashion Week last October, just two-and-a-half months after her accident.

'I was able to put an acrylic nail on over my old nail and no one was able to tell what had happened to my finger. I felt like I had my life back,' she said.

Walker went it for her last appointment a few weeks ago and said she finally has gotten back into jewelry making and cooking again.

She says she hopes her story inspires others to try alternatives if they're not satisfied with what they're being told.

'Don't always rely on what everyone else tells you and have the confidence to ask around and look a little bit further,' she said,

'I wasn't satisfied with what everyone else was telling me but I looked around until I found a better solution and got my confidence back.'
Most parents go out of their way to prevent their children from contracting chickenpox.

But a group in Boulder, Colorado, is doing the exact opposite - arranging 'chickenpox parties' to deliberately infect their children.

It is a technique that was used by families decades ago, before the varicella zoster vaccine was released in 1995, in an attempt to 'naturally' build up their kids' immunity to viruses.

The vaccine offered a far less arduous and less risky alternative: a dead or weakened form of the virus is injected into a child, stimulating antibodies to recognize the virus without making them sick.

However, as the state's thriving anti-vaccination movement gains steam, more and more are shunning the shot - and the trend of pox parties is making a resurgence, according to a report by 9News.com.

What's more, the group claim to be following advice from 'a friend that works at the CDC' and 'the UK's NHS', despite the fact that both the CDC and the NHS advise against this approach.

The group in Boulder, part of a growing anti-vaxxer movement, believe infecting their kids is safer than getting a varicella zoster vaccine, and they wrongly claim it's advice from the NHS and CDC

'I have been swamped with requests to have my daughter share chicken pox, and I can accommodate as many requests as possible,' a mother wrote in the private Facebook group, seen by 9News.com.

'We seem to have a pretty contagious wild virus here that started when my husband came down with the shingles around the middle of September,' she added.

'It seems to be a [week] or so before you notice results.'

She then offers specific times and days of the week when she can host visitors.

One of the messages posted in a private Facebook group seen by 9News.com

There are options for strategies. Either the child can simply spend time with infected people, or they can be 'tented' - putting them in a very small space filled with exhaled air for 30 minutes.

On top of that, the mother adds: 'Bonus for sharing snacks out of the same bowl. Also, bring the host mom something by way of thx. A casserole or tp or something!'

In essence, a bout of chickenpox and a vaccine do the same thing.

Both stimulate the body's defense mechanism to recognize the virus and fight against it in the future, making secondary cases of chickenpox unlikely, and potentially lowering the risk of related viruses, like shingles.

The risk with chickenpox, though, is that the virus can develop into further complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis, and group A strep, all of which can prove fatal in young, vulnerable, developing children.

Vaccines, meanwhile, are tested to ensure the lowest risk of complications.

As Dr Robert M Jacobson, a pediatrician and medical director for the Population Health Science Program at Mayo Clinic, has told DailyMail.com: vaccines are more rigorously checked for side effects than any other type of medication.

'Vaccines are the most tested thing that we as physicians prescribe, because they are being administered to millions of people so there is no room for error,' Dr Jacobson explains.

'Vaccines are tested in tens of thousands of people, compared to, say antibiotics to prevent infection from a tattoo, which are tested in hundreds.'

Nonetheless, over time, the rate of people foregoing vaccines is climbing, and these messages show parents believe turning back the clock 30 years would be better for their children's health.
Doctors need to get better at talking to patients about dying, a report has suggested.

The Royal College of Physicians said confidence is one of the main barriers, with many - from medical students to consultants - feeling uncomfortable about initiating such conversations.

Some doctors also avoid the topic as they feel death could be perceived as failure as modern medicine is expected to cure all ailments, the report found.

The RCP said that as nearly half of all deaths in the UK occur in hospital, and many patients admitted to hospital are within the last year of life, it is vital doctors and other healthcare professionals have the knowledge and skills to undertake sensitive conversations at the appropriate time.

Avoidance: Workforce pressures, lack of privacy, lack of prioritised clinic or ward time to have the conversations, and the challenges of being sensitive to different religions, are factors

It found evidence from patients and carers that many people do want to talk about death, and planning for it helps patients feel more empowered about their care and decision-making.

The report, which is based on conversations with doctors at all levels, along with patients, carers and medical organisations, highlights how medical students and junior doctors often have little practice in talking about the subject with real patients.

Another issue is confusion over whether hospital doctors or the patients GP should be having the conversation, along with reluctance to begin conversations if the doctor is not going to be responsible for the patients care going forward.

Workforce pressures, lack of privacy, lack of prioritised clinic or ward time to have the conversations, and the challenges of being sensitive to different cultural and religious beliefs were also important factors raised in the report.

But it said evidence shows patients who have had these conversations and have end-of-life care plans put in place have a better experience than those who only have them in the final days or hours of life, when they can seem unexpected to patients and carers.

The report makes a series of recommendations for physicians and the wider healthcare system to improve the situation, including asking the patient if they would like to have the conversation and how much information they want.

Great expectations: Modern medicine is expected to cure all ailments, so many doctors feel a pressure to actively avoid talk of mortality

All healthcare professionals reviewing patients with chronic conditions, patients with more than one serious medical problem or terminal illness should also initiate such discussions, including advance care planning.

Conversations about the future can and should be initiated at any point, it adds.

The General Medical Council (GMC) defines patients as approaching the end of their life when they are likely to die within the next 12 months.

RCP president Professor Andrew Goddard said: 'This report is a big step forward in helping patients, relatives and doctors to talk honestly about death and dying.

'We must minimise the barriers in our systems and culture that prevent this from happening.

'This is not just about palliative care in the final days, but about having a series of conversations much earlier after a terminal diagnosis.'

RCP immediate past-president Professor Dame Jane Dacre said: 'Patients value and benefit from clear conversations about the end of life.

'These conversations are difficult, but we need to get better at having difficult conversations.'
Smoking cannabis may boost your risk of having a stroke, research suggests.

Researchers analysed hospitalisations of more than two million cannabis users between 2010 and 2014.

Rates of stroke among non-cannabis users didn't change. However, rates among recreational users jumped by 15 per cent.

However, the research was only conducted on adult cannabis users, leaving the scientists unsure if the same risk of stroke applies to children.

Compounds known as cannabinoids in marijuana may cause blood vessels in the brain to narrow, triggering a stroke, the scientists said.

The study comes after the announcement that medicinal cannabis will be available on prescription in England, Scotland and Wales next month.

Researchers analysed hospitalisations of more than two million cannabis users between 2010 and 2014 (stock)

The dramatic change to policy followed a review into the medicinal status of the drug after high profile cases of patients were being denied products containing THC - the psychoactive compound that makes users 'high'.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid insisted the change, which was announced on October 11, is not the first step towards the broader legalisation of cannabis. However, pressure has grown for the drug to be made legal to smoke recreationally in the UK.

In the US, recreational marijuana is legal in nine states, including California, Colorado and Massachusetts.

Cannabis can also be taken for medical reasons in 30 US states, such as Illinois, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Oklahoma is the most recent state to allow marijuana to be taken on prescription, bringing in the law just last Wednesday.

And in Canada, residents were able to legally buy cannabis for the first time yesterday when a new law came into place.

THE LANDMARK CASE OF BILLY CALDWELL THAT PROMPTED THE GOVERNMENT TO CHANGE ITS STANCE ON MEDICINAL CANNABIS Billy Caldwell's mother Charlotte (pictured together) had seven bottles of cannabis oil confiscated at Heathrow Airport customs, prompting a row over cannabis oil Cannabis oil was thrust into the limelight when epileptic boy Billy Caldwell's mother had seven bottles confiscated at Heathrow Airport customs. The 12-year-old sparked a row over the medicinal status of the oil, prompting the Home Office to step in and grant his mother Charlotte an emergency licence for his product that was calming his seizures, which contained THC. Billy's bottles were confiscated on June 11 after she brought them in from Toronto. On the back of the cases of Billy and fellow epileptic boy Alfie Dingley, six, Home Secretary Sajid Javid called for a review into medicinal cannabis. In a major shift of policy, he announced in July that some products containing the drug would be available on prescription in the UK from the autumn. And earlier this week it was revealed cannabis-based products for medicinal use will only be available for specialist doctors - not GPs - to prescribe legally. Officials have yet to confirm which medicines may be prescribed, but said they must be regulated as a medicinal product. Advertisement

Avalon University researchers, led by Dr Krupa Patel, analysed 2.3 million people between the ages of 18 an 84 who used cannabis recreationally and spent time in hospital from 2010-to-2014.

Of these, 32,231 - 1.4 per cent - had a stroke.

And 19,452 had an acute ischemic stroke (AIS), which occurs when blood supply to an area of the brain is suddenly cut off, leading to a loss of cognitive function.

Over the four years, the rate of all strokes among marijuana users rose from 1.3 per cent to 1.5 per cent. And AIS increased from 0.7 per cent to 0.9 per cent.

Among non-cannabis users, the rate of stroke remained constant throughout the study period.

The research was presented today at the World Stroke Congress in Montreal.

They scientists believe their findings 'warrant further prospective studies to evaluate the marijuana-stroke association amidst legalisation of recreational use'.

But the study contradicts previous research that suggests smoking cannabis can actually reduce the risk of stroke by boosting blood flow to the brain.

Marijuana has also been linked to faster recovery post stroke.

Stroke is the second leading cause of death and disability globally, with one person passing away from the condition every six seconds.

Around 140,000 people die from stroke in the US and 32,000 in the UK every year.

This comes after research released last year suggested the over-the-counter supplement ginkgo biloba boosts memory, muscle strength and speech in stroke survivors.

The herbal supplement prevents cell death in the brain by improving its blood flow, according to a study by Nanjing University, China.
A teenager whose giant facial tumour caused his mother to disown him has had surgery and has been reunited with his family.

Kambou Sie travelled from his hometown of Bondoukou in the Ivory Coast to Italy for life-changing treatment to tackle the tumour engulfing his whole face.

Stunning before and after pictures show the 18-year-old's transformation after surgeons reconstructed his face.

The 18-year-old, known as Prosper, was 10 years old when the aggressive mass first started to appear on his cheek.

It was left untreated and over the years it began to completely swamp his facial features, affecting his eyesight and his whole face to droop.

Before and after: Kambou Sie, from the Ivory Coast, is barely recognisable after his life-changing surgery was successfully performed in Italy

Growing up, he was often ignored or avoided by his community because nobody understood his condition and thought he was contagious.

The only person who supported him was his father, as he was even disowned by his own mother.

After arriving at Naples Pascale Hospital in Italy 14 months ago, tests revealed that the tumour was a rare form of cancer called Burkitt lymphoma, which attacks the immune system.

He underwent six months of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and stem cell replacement to reduce the tumour.

Prosper said: 'When I arrived here, often I was afraid. I think that fear was all I felt. My nose used to block my sight. I had to hold my nose down to be able to see.

'Three days after I began chemo I realised I didnt need to hold my nose down anymore to see.

'I am very happy because when I go out I dont cry. I am happy to meet people. I go out, I have fun, I play around. I have no problems. I am very happy.'

Now the cancer has been eradicated, surgeons are working to reconstruct his face.

Decade struggle: He was 10 years-old when aggressive mass first appeared on his cheek

Afflicted: By the time he was 18 the tumour began to completely swamp his facial features, affecting his eyesight and his whole face to droop

Post-surgical: Prosper having his bandages removed after surgery to reconstruct his face

Extensive treatment: He underwent six months of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and stem cell replacement to reduce the tumour

Specialist Dr Franc Ionna explained: 'Theres a flaw in the development of the facial bones. He has an alteration of the facial bone.

'Theres a dissymmetry the left side is different to the right. One side has too much bone on the other is a deficit.'

It will take several surgeries, as the cancer has affected the bone structure of Prospers skull.

The right side of Prospers face has an underdeveloped cheek bone and eye socket, which will need to be rebuilt.

But Prospers bones are still recovering from the impact of radiotherapy, so Dr Ionna will first work on the lower half of his face.

The surgeon spent three hours removing the cancer-damaged skin and releasing scar tissue hardened by the radiotherapy.

He said: 'I had an endless series of difficulties due to him having gone through radiotherapy the tissues were very stiff just like a wall.'

But the surgery goes well and Prosers face is starting to take shape.

Reunited: Kambou Sie reunited with his mother after a long period of estrangement

His only long-standing supporter: Kambou pictured with his father, who never abandoned him

Dramatic difference: Prosper looking in the mirror after surgery to reconstruct his face

Home: Kambou pictured with friends and family his hometown of Bondoukou, Ivory Coast

WHAT IS BURKITT LYMPHOMA? Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that affects children and adults. BL develops when the body makes abnormal B-cells  the lymphoma cells. B-cells are white blood cells that fight infection. BL may cause a lump in the tummy area, which can cause pain, swelling, nausea and diarrhoea. It can also cause painless swellings in the neck, armpit or groin. Other symptoms may include: night sweats, high temperatures, weight loss and tiredness. Source: Macmillan Advertisement

Three weeks after his surgery, Prosper returned to his home in the Ivory Coast, where his community rejected him. He is welcomed by his fathers open arms and his mothers quest for reconciliation.

Prosper will return to Italy in the future for more surgeries, but for now he his enjoying being part of the community again.

He said: 'My face has changed. Its not finished, but its changed. I have also changed. I am not like before.

'Before leaving, I couldnt see a thing. Its my country, but today as I arrive Im new to it. I now have eyes to see it all. I don't know what to expect. How the welcome will be. I dont know if the welcome will be good or not. Were arriving, its here.

'After the new year, Ill go to school to study and find out what I want to do in the future.'

Prospers story is featured on Body Bizarre. Body Bizarre is on Saturdays at 10pm on TLC UK
Meanwhile, a Turkish forensics team finished earlier in the morning a search inside the consulate.

Turkey had wanted to search the consulate for days. Turkish officials have not said if any significant evidence was found.

"We went inside all the rooms, without any exceptions".

The official did not say when the search of the consul's home would take place.

Ultra-violet equipment is seen used inside the Saudi consulate during an investigation.

Speaking on Tuesday after Turkish police entered the consulate for the first time and searched the premises for nine hours, Erdogan also told reporters that they were looking into toxic materials at the mission. This will make it harder for the White House to rely on Saudi protestations of ignorance and any Saudi-Turkish agreement that tries to sweep Khashoggi's disappearance under the carpet. The fact that Khashoggi had a voice and, in The Post, a megaphone to share his dissenting views made him a powerful irritant, particularly at a time of mounting questioning of MBS's approach to domestic and global policymaking.

On Monday, Mr Trump tweeted: "Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened "to our Saudi Arabian citizen".

"However, there are some findings and they are being worked on", he said, adding that painting may have damaged some evidence.

The search for what happened to missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi progressed on several fronts Tuesday, with Turkish crime scene investigators finishing an inspection of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo going to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Salman.

Donald Trump said, Saudi Arabia may looked elsewhere, possibly China and Russian Federation to buy arms again Donald Trump hinted on protecting USA job losses if sanctions was imposed on Saudi Arabia.

Though the Khashoggi case has dominated his talks so far, Pompeo has raised other issues on his last-minute trip.

After talks with the king earlier in the day on what happened to Khashoggi after he walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, Pompeo will have dinner with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the official said, requesting anonymity.

King Salman emphasised the importance of the Turkey-Saudi relationship and said no-one should be able to "undermine the strength of this relationship", Saudi's official media reported.

While lurid claims have appeared in Turkish media - including that Khashoggi was tortured and dismembered - Turkey's leadership has so far refrained from pointing the finger directly at Riyadh in public comments. Permission apparently came after a late Sunday night call between King Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

"He literally begged the president to save them", the source said.

Khashoggi also advised Prince Turki al-Faisal al-Saud, the former longtime head of Saudi intelligence who served as Saudi ambassador to Britain and then the United States in the 2000s.

Saudi Arabia is preparing a report that would admit Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed as the result of an interrogation that went wrong, CNN and the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources. Saudi Arabia has previously insisted he left the building alive, but Cengiz says she never saw him again.

Butler, who planned to promote his new movie "Hunter Killer", about a standoff between a USA submarine and Russian forces, said neither the US government nor the Navy asked him not to visit the country. The powerful young prince, who has spent millions of dollars promoting his image in the West, has been tarred badly by Khashoggi's presumed murder.

Turkish officials have told MEE that three of the 15-man hit squad allegedly sent by Riyadh to Istanbul for the operation came from MBS's personal bodyguard.

Prince Mohammed said during the meeting on Tuesday: "We are strong and old allies".
A Scottish farmer has today spoken of his devastation after mad cow disease was discovered among his herd.

Thomas Jackson said he had taken pride in doing everything correctly and it was 'heartbreaking' to be told the dead animal had mad cow disease.

His farm in the Huntly area in Aberdeenshire is currently on lockdown as health officials desperately try to determine its source.

Investigators have stressed there is no risk to public health, and the case shows the surveillance system is working effectively.

Mr Jackson spoke of his devastation in a statement issued through the National Farmers Union in Scotland.

Mad cow disease infected tens of thousands of cows in the 1990s and led to many being culled (pictured: a photo from 1996 of cows killed because of mad cow disease)

Regular testing for bovine spongiform encephalopathy is done to make sure mad cow disease is detected before infected meat can make it near the food chain  all cows over the age of four which die on farms in Scotland are tested for BSE (pictured: dead cows on a farm in France during a 1996 outbreak)

He said: 'This has been a very difficult time for myself and my wife and we have found the situation personally devastating.

'We have built up our closed herd over many years and have always taken great pride in doing all the correct things.

'To find through the surveillance system in place that one of our cows has BSE has been heartbreaking.

'Since this has happened we have been fully cooperating with all the parties involved and will continue to do so as we like everyone want to move forward and clear up this matter.'

The farmer said several other cows will be slaughtered and tested for BSE, known in full as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, as a precaution.

Scotland's chief veterinary officer said she believes the disease was not transmitted, and occurred spontaneously in the affected animal.

Today's case of mad cow disease is first in the UK since it was found in a dead animal in Wales in 2015  the disease wreaked havoc on the UK in the 1990s when entire herds had to be destroyed and Britain was banned from exporting beef to the European Union

People can become terminally ill if they eat beef infected with BSE because it can cause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a degenerative brain disorder (pictured: ground beef made from infected cattle being moved at RAF Quedgeley in Gloucestershire, 1996)

Mad cow disease, which can spread to humans and cause a deadly brain infection, led to the slaughter of all cows over the age of 30 months in 1996 (pictured: a herd of 124 cows in France had to be killed in 1996 because one of them had the disease)

HOW BAD WAS THE 1990s MAD COW DISEASE OUTBREAK? Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)  more commonly known as mad cow disease  was first discovered in 1984 in Sussex. In the ensuing outbreak British beef exports were banned, cows were culled, and people died because of a brain illness caused by BSE. The first cow to be diagnosed, known as cow 133, had an arched back, had lost weight, suffered tremors and lost its co-ordination  it died within six weeks. Officials found giving cows 'cannibal' feed with protein from other cows or sheep was the cause of BSE, so banned the practice in 1989. The Government ordered that infected cows be killed but only offered a 50 per cent compensation to farmers, leading some of them to illegally sell infected animals for human food. By 1992 and 1993, thousands of cows were infected. In those two years alone, 72,370 cows in the UK were found to have mad cow disease. In comparison, there have been just six cases since 2012  including today's. By 1996, people had begun to die from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, which occurs in the brain of people infected with mad cow disease. In the same year, all beef exports from Britain were banned by the European Union and the ban wasn't lifted until 2006. Cows over the age of 30 months were ordered to be killed to halt the spread of the disease  called the Over Thirty Months Scheme. Sources: New Scientist and World Organisation for Animal Health Advertisement

But she warned it could be several months before investigators can say for certain.

Sheila Voas told BBC Scotland's Good Morning Scotland radio programme: 'All the information we have is this is under control, there's no reason for people to panic.

'It's not the start of an outbreak, it's a single isolated case that won't affect the food chain.'

Routine testing found an animal which died on the farm in Huntly on October 2 was infected and its four calves were put down as a safety precaution.

The case is the first in Scotland since 2008 and mad cow disease was last found in the UK in 2015, when a dead cow in Wales was found to have had it.

Prior to the discovery of the latest case Scotland had earned itself 'negligible risk' status along with Northern Ireland. Now it will re-join England and Wales in having 'controlled risk' status.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency has stopped animals going in or out of the farm as a precaution while it works to figure out how the cow got the disease.

The five-year-old animal died more than two weeks ago but the diagnosis of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was only confirmed yesterday.

Chief veterinary officer for the Scottish Government, Sheila Voas, said the detection of the case is 'proof that our surveillance system is doing its job'.

All animals over the age of four which die on a farm are routinely tested for BSE.

This 'isolated' case was identified because of that strict testing system, and Food Standards Scotland confirmed there is no risk to human health.

Although the disease is not directly transmitted from animal to animal, cows which had been in contact  including any calves  with the infected animal will be killed.

FATHER OF GIRL WHO DIED FROM MAD COW DISEASE QUESTIONS IF CONTROLS ARE STILL IN PLACE The father of a girl who died from the human form of mad cow disease fears rules introduced to stop its spread may have been relaxed. Roger Tomkins watched as his beloved daughter Clare wasted away from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), in the late 1990s. Mr Tomkins said he cannot be certain that Britain won't see another outbreak in his lifetime - despite strict controls launched two decades ago. He questioned how a new case has been found if the strict controls, which have a 'significant' cost, were still in place. Roger Tomkins watched as his beloved daughter Clare wasted away from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), in the late 1990s Mr Tomkins' daughter Clare was in her early 20s and engaged when she began to suffer unusual symptoms. In the space of just six months, she was reduced to a wreck of a human being who could not control her movements (pictured with her partner Andrew) Speaking from his home in the Norfolk Broads, Mr Tomkin said the latest case was 'disturbing to say the least'. He said: 'The BSE Enquiry held at the back end of the 90s - which I did attend - recommended that stricter controls must be put on the meat industry, the animal feed and so on and so forth. 'Having been a member of the CJD support network for many years, we were always encouraged to see that the number of variant CJD cases was reducing. 'However I did hear over the course of time that the cost of the controls was significant and there was suggestion that maybe there were those in the industry that were looking - because it had been successful - to reduce those controls because everything was under control. 'My only comment really is have the controls been relaxed to some extent and has something slipped through the net?' Advertisement

More than 70,000 cows were infected with mad cow disease in 1992 and 1993, and the raging crisis in the UK led to the EU banning British beef exports three years later (pictured: cows being slaughtered on a French farm in 1996)

Cows exposed to BSE must be slaughtered and disposed of to ensure they never make it near the food chain (pictured: a cow being cremated during the 1996 cull)  the Scottish Government today said the offspring of the infected cow in Aberdeenshire will be destroyed

Professor Matthew Bayliss, chair of veterinary epidemiology at the University of Liverpool said: 'It is too early to say if this case is significant.

'It is described as "classical BSE", like the vast majority of cases we have seen in the UK. This form of BSE is acquired by cattle from BSE-contaminated food.'

The disease originally spread when cows were given animal feed made with ground up parts of other dead, infected cows.

This was banned in 1989 - when the scandal came to light and it became clear it was causing disease. Millions of cattle were culled as a result.

However, cow feed can still contain unwanted parts of animals which have eaten potentially contaminated cow-based feed, according to PETA.

The disease can also be caused by a genetic mutation, which would only pose a risk to the offspring of infected animals.

Scotland's food standards agency said any products thought to be contaminated would be removed from the supply chain.

If passed on to humans when they eat contaminated beef, BSE can cause variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD)  a fatal, degenerative brain disorder.

At the disease's peak in the early 1990s, it was infecting more than 30,000 cows a year but, until yesterday, there had been only five cases in the UK since 2012.

Around 4.4 million cows were destroyed - burnt in smoking pyres in the countryside or incinerated and buried in mass graves.

The outbreak cost the UK beef industry dearly and strict rules were introduced meaning older cattle could not enter the food chain.

THE NUMBER OF MAD COW DISEASE CASES IN THE UK SINCE 1987  including Great Britain, N. Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man and Alderney (Source: World Organisation for Animal Health) Year Total BSE cases in the UK Year Total BSE cases in the UK 1987 and before 446 2002 1,144 1988 2,514 2003 611 1989 7,228 2004 343 1990 14,407 2005 225 1991 25,359 2006 114 1992 37,280 2007 67 1993 35,090 2008 37 1994 24,438 2009 12 1995 14,562 2010 11 1996 8,149 2011 7 1997 4,393 2012 3 1998 3,235 2013 3 1999 2,301 2014 1 2000 1,443 2015 2 2001 1,202 2016 0
LETTERS

WHAT A HAZARD A LETTER IS

by Caroline Atkins (Safe Haven 14.99, 304 pp)

How I wish Virginia Woolf had sent her furiously funny letter about class to the Left-wing New Statesman in 1932.

Goaded by J. B. Priestleys jibe about sensitive, cultured, invalidish ladies with private means, she trained her elegant shotgun on inverted snobbery.

Yes, she says, I am highbrow  and dont let anybody deprive me of that status.

Hilariously, she contrasts lowbrows and middlebrows, ending the screed thus: If any human being, man, woman, dog, cat or half-crushed worm dares call me middlebrow I will take my pen and stab him, dead.

Caroline Atkins collates a series of unsent letters throughout history in a new book featuring icons including Virginia Woolf and John F. Kennedy (file image)

But, sadly, her ever-protective husband Leonard advised her not to send this glorious diatribe. When she re-read her own words, she was glad, suspecting it would make her look as large, as ugly as could be. Yet, after her death, Leonard did publish it in an essay collection, and so the magnificent letter had life after all.

Anyone who has ever speedily sent an unwise, even destructive, email in a fit of temper (as I have) and regretted it, may wonder that anybody would go to the trouble of putting pen to paper and then waste all that effort.

Yet unsent letters provide essential devices in fiction, as well as being part of the tragedy of life  as editor Caroline Atkins shows in this gloriously varied collection. Her title comes from the 19th-century poet Emily Dickinson, who once wrote to a friend: What a Hazard a Letter is! When I think of the Hearts it has scuttled and sunk . . .

What inner turmoil prompted the reclusive poet to write letters to an unknown man?

These passionate outpourings of humble adoration were never sent and are painful to read: Master  open your life wide, and take me in for ever, I will never be tired  I will never be noisy when you want to be still. I will be . . . your best little girl.

Refreshingly robust, Atkins comments: Quite a lot of it sounds downright deranged. Indeed  but isnt that what unrequited love does to people?

What is the longest postal day for a letter? 89 Years passed in the longest postal delay, with a letter posted in 1919 and delivered in 2008 Advertisement

Cleverly, Atkins mixes fictional unsent letters with ones from real life. Epistolary plot devices, in novels such as Ian McEwans Atonement, Patrick Gales The Whole Day Through, E. M. Forsters Howards End, Thomas Hardys Tess Of The DUrbervilles, are used by all-powerful authors to manipulate their characters and set them on the rack.

Still, when real letters are set next to chunks of fiction, were forced to catch our breath, moved by the randomness of fate  with nobody pulling the strings.

Captain Scotts last letter to his wife is devastating in its stiff-upper-lip courage: Well dear heart I want you to take the whole thing very sensibly as Im sure you will . . . Later, remarried and afraid she may die in childbirth at 45, Kathleen Scott wrote her own unsent letter to her son, Peter (Little sweetheart): Dont be too miserable. Ive had a lovely life but Im getting fairly old and its very nice (since one must die sometime) to do so before one gets ill and blind and deaf and bored and tiresome.

WHAT A HAZARD A LETTER IS by Caroline Atkins (Safe Haven 14.99, 304 pp)

So lets all be quite cheerful about it.

Such sangfroid was impossible for Phyllis Kelly. On October 28, 1916, she wrote to her sweetheart, Second Lieutenant Eric Appleby, wounded at the Somme: Oh my love, my love, what shall I do . . . dear one, surely God wont take you from me now. . .  But before she could send the note came the news Eric was dead. Phyllis never married: that desperate letter enshrines a never-ending love.

Atkins explains that her search for unsent letters took her through history and literature, biographies and journals, from world events to personal stories of confusion, caution and fatal indecision. It was a worthwhile hunt.

Within these fascinating pages jostle Beethoven, John F. Kennedy, Van Gogh, Boris Johnson, Oscar Wilde, John Major and more  all putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and then thinking better of it.

As one who still sends handwritten letters, I wonder what will be the legacy of a generation that relies on email and text? Nowadays, the ether is full of words that ought not to have been sent  while history is all the poorer for those not written at all.
A misunderstanding about driver assistance systems - such as adaptive cruise control and lane keep assistance - and misleading marketing by car makers is 'dangerously confusing' motorists into thinking they have an autonomous vehicle.

That's according to research by two of Europe's leading safety bodies.

Crash test experts Euro NCAP released the results of a new set of tests that found that motorists cannot rely on these already-available systems.

And Thatcham Research said manufacturers are over-hyping the technology as semi-autonomous or self-driving systems to 'gain a competitive edge' that is making seven in 10 people think you can buy a driverless car in showrooms today.

They're not autonomous cars: A recent survey of drivers found that 71% think there are already self-driving vehicles on sale today because they are 'dangerously confusing' assistance systems as autonomy

A survey of more than 1,500 issued by both safety groups found that 71 per cent of motorists wrongly believed that autonomous cars are already on sale today.

Shockingly, one in 10 polled said they would consider taking a nap when a driver assistance system - such as Tesla's AutoPilot - is activated, while 18 per cent said the could 'sit back and relax and let the car do the driving'.

The results of the survey also found that only half thought they would be responsible if their vehicle crashed with one of the driver assistance systems active.

Both safety organisations pointed the finger at manufacturers' marketing materials as being misleading.

Thatcham singled out Audi, BMW, Citroen, Mercedes, Tesla and Volvo as examples that could confuse motorists into thinking they can rely entirely on these assistance systems.

Examples of misleading marketing about driver assistance systems AUDI: 'The new Audi A6 is developed to take a step towards the era of autonomous driving thanks to the Audi AI garage pilot and the Audi AI parking pilot.' BMW: 'Semi-autonomous driving due to Driving Assistant Plus.' CITROEN: 'DS CONNECTED PILOT is a step closer to autonomous driving, but still allows you to retake full control of the car at any point.' MERCEDES: 'The C-Class is able to drive semi-autonomously in certain situations.' TESLA: 'All Tesla vehicles produced in our factory, including Model 3, have the hardware needed for full self-driving capability at a safety level substantially greater than that of a human driver.' VOLVO: 'For smoother driving from standstill up to motorway speeds, Pilot Assist semi-autonomous drive supplements Adaptive Cruise Control by adding gentle steering support to help keep the car centred in its lane and at a set speed.'

Both Thatcham Research and Euro NCAP said manufacturers were somewhat to blame for misleading marketing of driver assistance features

While Euro NCAP and Thatcham Research both warned about the dangers of wrongly believing that these features meant a car to drive itself, they said the assistance systems worked with the driver to make driving safer as long as the human was ready to intervene.

To showcase the limitations of the existing technology, Euro NCAP conducted tests while using two of the most misunderstood assistance systems.

Euro NCAP's key conclusions from driver assistance tests - No car on the market today offers full automation or autonomy. - Cars on the market today can provide driver assistance but this should not be confused with automated driving. The driver remains fully responsible for safe driving. - Used correctly, this technology can help the driver to maintain a safe distance, speed and to stay within the lane. - These systems should not be used in situations they are not designed for and should not be relied upon as an alternative to safe and controlled driving. - Different manufacturers have implemented different approaches to the application of driver assistance technologies in terms of the level of assistance given to the driver. - Euro NCAP's tests assess and highlight these differences and the varying degree of driver support each manufacturer provides.

Adaptive cruise control can automatically match the speed of the vehicle travelling in front and accelerate and decelerate to retain the same distance to the car ahead.

Used together with lane keep assist - which steers the car so it remains within the road markings - may give the impression that the vehicle is driving itself.

However, controlled tests using a number of vehicles on the market showed this was not the case.

Euro NCAP said there are common scenarios that take place on dual carriageways and motorways where the systems fail to avoid accidents, mainly when another car cuts in ahead or when the vehicle being followed swerves at the last second to avoid a collision with something in the road, not giving enough time for the technology to react.

Thatcham added that 'none of the systems were able to help and crashes could only be avoided if an alert driver braked or steered away from trouble'.

The systems reviewed were also found to have varying levels of human dependency.

The DS 7 Crossback and BMW 5 Series, for example, were judged to leave the driver primarily in control in all scenarios.

However, an Audi A6, Ford Focus, Mercedes C-Class, Volvo V60 and Nissan Leaf also reviewed were said to offer 'a balance between driver and system assistance'.

Tesla, on the other hand, was deemed too effective by the test panel.

In the report, safety experts said the American firm's AutoPilot system 'risks an over reliance on the assistance system with the vehicle being primarily in control'.

Controlled assessments by both safety groups revealed that these driver assistance systems would fail to avoid crashes in particular scenarios, such as when another car suddenly pulls out in front

Thatcham called for more clarity from car makers about what driver assistance systems are capable of

A survey revealed that an alarming number of motorists believed that today's driver assistance features meant they could 'sit back and relax' while the car drove itself

Matthew Avery, head of research for Thatcham, said some car maker were risking the safety of motorists by designing and marketing vehicles in such a way that drivers believe they can relinquish control.

'Car makers want to gain competitive edge by referring to 'self-driving' or 'semi-autonomous' capability in their marketing, but it is fuelling consumer confusion,' he said.

'This is exacerbated by some systems doing too much for the driver, who ends up disengaged.'

He added: 'Our message is that today's technology supports the driver.

'It is not Automated Driving and it is not to be relied upon at the expense of driver attentiveness. The driver is in control and must always remain alert.

'If used correctly Highway Assist systems will improve road safety and reduce fatalities, but they won't if naming and marketing convinces drivers that the car can take care of itself.'

In the report, safety experts said Tesla's AutoPilot system 'risks an over reliance on the assistance system with the vehicle being primarily in control'

The overriding findings from the tests was that current technology should not be relied upon at the expense of driver attentiveness

Euro NCAP shared that sentiment.

Michiel van Ratingen, secretary general at the car test firm said: 'Euro NCAP's message from these tests is clear - cars, even those with advanced driver assistance systems, need a vigilant, attentive driver behind the wheel at all times.

'It is imperative that state-of-the-art passive and active safety systems remain available in the background as a vital safety backup.'

The big thing about assisted driving is that these cars cant drive themselves, they work with the driver to make the driving safer. If drivers over rely on the technology, it can lead to dangers and the car getting into trouble. Matthew Avery, @ThatchamRsrch #TestingAutomation pic.twitter.com/ji5FIDGKQP  Euro NCAP (@EuroNCAP) October 18, 2018

A recent survey of 2,000 Britons conducted by MoneySupermarket found that almost half of the nation think introducing driverless cars is a bad idea, with a lack of trust in the technology (68 per cent) and a fear of not having control over their own vehicle (76 per cent) cited as the key concerns.

Women (53 per cent) dread the introduction of driverless vehicles more than men (42 per cent), while it's better received among 25 to 34-year-olds (49 per cent), compared to just 18 per cent of those aged 55 or over.
Trading woman's crumpet? Chisel-cheeked Hollywood actor Patrick Dempsey

Morgan Stanley's Canary Wharf office has been a hotbed of giddy excitement.

Chisel-cheeked Hollywood studmuffin Patrick Dempsey, 52, best known for playing Dr Derek 'McDreamy' Shepherd in hospital drama Grey's Anatomy, popped in to do research this week for a future role.

My man on the trading floor reports: 'He wasn't short of females offering their mentoring services. Nor male ones, for that matter.'

Domino's Pizza delivered its first trading update yesterday under chief financial officer David Bauernfeind, after predecessor Rachel Osborne departed in June.

Bauernfeind is the fourth head bean-counter in four years to serve under the pizza parlour's not-as-nice-as-he-looks boss David Wild.

He's so far been in post for ten days. Who said it wouldn't last?

Why hasn't Amazon founder Jeff Bezos commented on the disappearance of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, last seen entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Turkey a fortnight ago?

As proprietor of the Post  and a model one thus far, it should be said  one might have expected him to have at least issued a statement on the matter.

Surely Bezos isn't afraid of offending the Saudi Kingdom, where he has business interests? He's always more than happy to irritate President Trump.

Rolls-Royce is moving its HQ in Victoria's Buckingham Gate  minutes from the Palace  to the Guardian's glass-fronted property in King's Cross.

The area now also houses Facebook and Google, and is unrecognisable from its previous incarnation as London's most notorious red light district.

Once-mighty US department store Sears' decision to file for bankruptcy raises inevitable questions about its chairman and majority shareholder Edward Lampert.

Some accuse the billionaire hedge funder of being out of step with the store's traditionally middle-class clientele.

Alarm bells first began ringing among staff when the ex-Goldman trader, 56, began espousing to them the customer service he received in luxury store Hermes while buying 800 shoes.

Craft brewers Brewdog today launches Hop Exchange, a new beer whose price correlates with the movement of the FTSE 100.

Something to look forward to during the next meltdown, I suppose.
BT bound? FormerO2 boss Ronan Dunne

BT NO-GO The former boss of UK mobile network O2 has sought to dampen rumours he is in the running to be the next boss of BT.

Ronan Dunne, a senior vice-president at US telecoms giant Verizon, told the Mail: I have the privilege of working with a company that is leading the world in 5G, so there is a ton of exciting stuff to be done in the US.

CHINA CLOSURE Fashion chain New Look is closing all of its 120 stores in China at the end of the year amid disappointing sales.

FAST JOBS Filipino fast food chain Jollibee will create 1,500 jobs in the UK by 2023 as part of a plan to open 25 stores, it revealed ahead of the opening of its first London store.

OIL HOPE Production at the so-called Gatwick Gusher oil field is being targeted for early 2019 by Horse Hill Developments after a test showed the well is viable.

VEG PORTION Food packing firm Hilton Food Group has bought a 50 per cent stake in Dutch vegetarian product manufacturer Dalco Food.

The deal has been agreed through a joint venture with Dalcos investors.

DRUGS DEAL Japanese regulators have approved Takedas 47billion takeover of London-listed drug maker Shire, bringing it a step closer to sealing the deal.

TAXI BOND Taxi app Uber has raised 1.5billion in a bond sale, as it looks to continue financing its rapid expansion around the world.

DIESEL OFFER Scandal-hit car maker Volkswagen has said it will offer Audi customers price incentives and an environmental bonus if they trade in their older diesel vehicles for newer cars in Germany.

NEW HUB A major Santander office in Bootle, Merseyside, is being replaced with a 75million complex. The bank said it will be its main call centre and house more than 2,500 staff.

FIRST BANK Shares in HSBC are set to list on the Shanghai stock market  making it the first foreign company to be traded in China.

GOING UP There were 5.6billion worth of construction contracts agreed last month, making it the sectors second-best month so far this year.

HACK ATTACK Small businesses in the UK are being targeted by 65,000 hacking attacks a day, insurer Hiscox has warned.
Property mogul John Whittaker has launched a 2.9bn takeover bid for one of Britain's biggest shopping centre groups.

The 76-year-old has joined forces with Brookfield Property Group of Canada and Saudi Arabia's Olayan Group to swoop for Intu, whose empire includes the Metrocentre in Gateshead, Lakeside in Essex and Manchester's Trafford Centre.

The offer valued Intu shares at 215p each. The stock jumped 12.6 per cent, or 22.3p, to 200p, leaving it some way off the offer price, suggesting investors are sceptical over whether a deal will be agreed.

Takeover bid: Intu's empire includes the Metrocentre in Gateshead, Lakeside in Essex and Manchester's Trafford Centre

Analysts at Liberum said shareholders may not accept any offer below 239p a share, or 3.2bn.

Whittaker is deputy chairman of Intu and owns a 27 per cent stake through his firm Peel Group.

His offer is far below the 3.4 billion rival shopping centre owner Hammerson offered for Intu before their deal collapsed earlier this year.

Intu said Whittaker and his consortium of investors increased their possible bid from 205p after meeting to discuss the deal.

But Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, added: 'It could hardly be construed as generous, particularly as any dividends paid before the deal completes will be taken off the offer price.

'An imminent revaluation of Intu's assets might cast the price in a better light, as many analysts believe retail sector property valuations will have to be marked down.'

Hammerson, which owns Bicester Village and Brent Cross Shopping Centre, was embarrassed earlier this year when it was forced to walk away from a takeover of Intu due to shareholder opposition. Its shares climbed 0.5 per cent, or 2.4p, to 447.3p last night.

Intu's chief executive David Fischel subsequently stepped down as the company swung to a loss and warned of lower growth in rental income. But experts have said renewed interest in a takeover of Intu is a sign of confidence in the retail sector at a time when companies such as Marks & Spencer, House of Fraser and New Look are all closing shops.

The 2.9 billion proposal is in contrast to the total value of Intu's assets, which are worth 5.6 billion. The value of retail sector properties has slumped amid uncertainty over further store closures or retail failures, after Toys R Us, Poundworld and Maplin went bust earlier this year.

Retailers are also busy renegotiating rents with landlords as they battle with rising staff costs and crippling business rates and an onslaught from online rivals. A spokesman for Intu said last night that the company 'intends to issue a trading update for the period from July 1 as soon as practicable, which will include the outcome of an updated independent valuation of the company's investment and development properties as at September 30'.
The Italian banking sector was hit by a sharp sell-off and its debt costs surged amid fears of a massive row with the EU.

The country's new political leaders are preparing a spending spree which economists fear is unsustainable and will breach European Union rules.

It sent stock in the country's lenders plummeting as investors bet their profits could be wiped out by the turmoil ahead.

Collision course: Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte branded his budget 'beautiful' and refused to back down

Shares in Italy's only globally important lender, Unicredit, dropped 1 per cent in Milan and rival Monte dei Paschi di Siena shed 4.7 per cent. The stock market as a whole was down by 1.7 per cent at one stage, but closed flat.

The row has also spooked bond investors, causing them to dump Italian state debt because they fear it might never be paid back.

Borrowing costs in Italy have now surged to a four-and-a-half-year high.

And the gap between Italian and German bond prices  seen as a crucial measure of how worried investors are about Rome  widened to its highest level since 2013 when the eurozone crisis was still in full swing.

Italy plans to boost government spending by 2.7 per cent next year, much higher than a limit agreed with Brussels of 0.1 per cent.

The European Commission this week warned Rome in a letter that its plans have caused serious concern.

But Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte branded his budget 'beautiful' and refused to back down.

Critics have warned that the ensuing chaos could reignite the eurozone crisis.
Sales of alcohol free and low alcohol beers are rising substantially as more people choose to drink it as a lifestyle choice.

Non-alcoholic beer sales were up 58 per cent this summer compared to the same time last year, according to recent figures from Kantar Worldpanel.

Separate data from market research firm Nielsen show that more than 43million pints of non-alcoholic beer were drunk in the last year, up 27 per cent on the previous 12 months.

It comes as more Britons shun alcohol in an effort to improve their health and save money - while zero per cent offerings improve.

Millennials are shunning alcohol but not their social life - meanwhile older generations are influenced by documentaries highlighting health risks associated with drinking too much

This year, Adnams - the Southwold-based brewer and distiller - have gotten involved, releasing an alcohol free Ghost Ship beer.

Andy Wood, chief executive of Adnams, says: 'Off a low base we are seeing an increase in the sales of non-alcohol and alcohol free beer by 25 per cent while others in the sector are seeing flat or low levels of growth.'

Wood said there are a number of reasons for the boost in alcohol free sales, but highlighted that millennials were taking the lead by shunning booze.

'They are choosing not to drink but still go out to socialise,' he explained.

Wood admitted that people are increasingly making healthier choices and are more health conscious thanks - in part - to television programmes, such as Adrian Chiles' BBC documentary 'Drinkers like Us.'

He adds that campaigns such as the Public Health England's DrinkFreeDays and Go Sober for October, which encourages people to go booze free for the 31 days of October, have also brought it into the limelight.

Additionally, the trend towards increased zero per cent beer sales is a shift towards the demise of 'toxic masculinity' and men feeling less pressured to be out drinking.

Beer Duty Strength (ABV) Beer Duty rate per litre for each % of alcohol More than 1.2% up to 2.8% 8.42p More than 2.8% up to 7.5% 19.08p More than 7.5% 24.77p Source: www.gov.uk

Price sensitivity could also be a reason why people are forgoing alcohol in favour of the zero per cent versions, as the price of a pint continues to surge.

In London, it is commonplace to surpass the 5 barrier for a beer. At a time of higher living costs and slow wage growth, it is hitting the pub industry.

How much beer duty you pay depends on the beer's strength or 'alcohol by volume', see table above.

'This product doesn't get taxed so in that respect, it can be cheaper. Beer producers are able to pass on the cost saving to the consumer,' adds Wood.

Adnams currently sells its alcohol free Ghost Ship eight pack bottles (500ml) for 11.99 while it sells its regular Ghost Ship eight pack for 14.49.

Low alcohol and non-alcohol beers tend to be cheaper than alcoholic versions.

Adnams currently sells its alcohol free Ghost Ship eight pack bottles (500ml) for 11.99 while its regular Ghost Ship eight pack is 14.49.

Tesco - Britain's biggest supermarket chain - meanwhile also sold its alcohol free lagers for less than their alcohol versions.

For instance, its Heineken Lager five per cent 330ml six pack is sold online for 5, while the Heineken 0.0 lager beer 330ml six pack is being sold for 4.

Wood believes this trend in drinking alcohol-free beer will continue.

'I don't see millennials changing this habit very soon. The health benefits will also ensure that this continues.'

The Ghost Ship is only 21 calories per pint, the brewery says.

Wood added that producers have also improved on the taste and quality of alcohol free beers, giving their alcoholic competitors a run for their money.

'We're now producing great tasting beers without the alcohol,' he said, adding that it's no longer a grudge purchase.

'It used to be a distress purchase but the technology has improved and the industry is now taking this sector seriously.'
This might be the most intriguing, creative night out you will have all year but its certainly not for the faint of heart!

A Midnight Visit has officially opened in Sydney, and it has to be seen to be believed.

Part adult playground and part immersive theatre experience, A Midnight Visit is a must-do for the brave, the bold and the curious.

Set in an abandoned two-storey warehouse in Newtown, guests can take a self-guided tour of 30 unique rooms to discover this ever-changing dream world inspired by the dark works of American poet and writer Edgar Allan Poe.

A creative 'dream world': A Midnight Visit has opened in Sydney for a limited run of shows

Tribute: A Midnight Visit celebrates Edgar Allen Poe

With each show, A Midnight Visit brings to life the writers obsessions with the macabre, the nightmarish, and the line between imagination and reality.

Think low light and themed rooms, which you can explore as much or as little as you dare.

Performers dressed as characters from Poes work are stationed throughout the event to interact with guests, many of which you might remember from high school English Literature classes.

You'll see Virginia, his famously beautiful wife and muse who tragically died at age 25; a suspicious Black Cat; and the Usher twins, a brother and sister who share a spooky life-and-death connection, among others.

Poe himself also features, trying to makes sense of the world within in A Midnight Visit along with the audience.

Brave and bold: Themed cocktails are a must-try, all made with Baron Samedi

But don't leave this eerie, unique venue without visiting bespoke bar, The Ravens Rest  named with a nod to Poes most famous poem. Serving up themed food and drinks, the cocktails are a true highlight.

The hero ingredient here is Baron Samedi made with Caribbean rum. While youll have to attend the shows to get a glimpse at the cocktail list, you can expect themed concoctions that make the most of Baron Samedi's unique and exotic spice mix.

Prop up the bar: The Ravens Rest  named with a nod to Poes most famous poem - is a highlight of the A Midnight Visit experience

Embrace the unknown: The event is an immersive homage to writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe

Immerse yourself: The event is a delight for the senses and your imagination

If a night of daring and creativity is what you're looking for, youll need to act quickly  A Midnight Visit has begun its run of limited shows, and with the final performance scheduled for December 9th 2018, tickets are already selling fast.

So get your bravest, boldest mates together and book your session now!

Tickets range in price from $45 to $65 (plus booking fee), and the whole experience is designed to take approximately 60 to 75 minutes to complete all 30 rooms.

Expect the unexpected: A Midnight Visit will be a night to remember
The restaurants will remain Starbucks branded but Alsea will pocket the profits

Starbucks has announced it's selling hundreds of stores across Europe and closing its office in Amsterdam - but the coffee giant will bolster its headquarters in London.

The Seattle-based chain is selling 83 company-owned stores in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, to its longtime partner Alsea, after several years of slowing growth.

Alsea will also take over operations at 177 other Starbucks locations in those countries which are owned by franchisees.

Starbucks has announced it's selling hundreds of stores across Europe after years of slowing sales

Mexico City-based Alsea already operates more than 900 Starbucks stores in Mexico and South America.

The deal is similar to one Starbucks made in 2016, when it sold off its stores in Germany.

Starbucks also plans to close offices in Amsterdam and consolidate its European headquarters in London.

The closure will impact 186 employees, who will be encouraged to apply to open jobs in London.

Starbucks will retain a roasting plant in the Netherlands which employs 80 people.

The move comes as it struggles to see growth in Europe, Middle East and Africa, where same-stores sales have failed to show strong growth in the past year.

It will also close offices in Amsterdam and encouraged Dutch workers to join their headquarters in London

Starbucks said the move to license out would help it 'unlock untapped potential' for growth, adding it would close a support center in Amsterdam and consolidate its European headquarters in London.

The Amsterdam closure will impact about 186 employees, the spokeswoman said.

For Alsea, the new deal expands its ties with Starbucks outside of Latin America and brings its partnership with the chain to nine markets globally.

Both Starbucks and Alseas shares were down 1.2 per cent at 12pm upon the news.
The U.N. human rights office says the disappearance of a Saudi journalist from the Saudi Consulate in Turkey's largest city is "of serious concern", and is urging the two countries to cooperate in investigating it.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul says he'll try to force a vote in the Senate this week blocking USA arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. "I hope we won't encounter an undesirable situation".

Also Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called Khashoggi's disappearance "very, very upsetting", but would not confirm reports that he was killed at the consulate, the Post reported.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also called on the Saudi government on Monday to support "a thorough investigation" of Khashoggi's disappearance, and to be transparent on its results.

"Deeply troubled to hear reports about Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi".

Turkish authorities believe prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared four days ago after entering the House of Saud regime's consulate in Istanbul, Turkey has been killed.

The U.S. State Department and President Donald Trump say they're concerned about the disappearance of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but they have no idea what happened to him.

Turkish officials have said they fear the columnist was killed there.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "is acting like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin", Khashoggi wrote in another one.

Khashoggi went to the consulate to obtain official documents ahead of his marriage to his Turkish fiancee.

During the meeting, Ryan expressed The Post's "grave concern" about Khashoggi's disappearance.

A top Senate ally of Trump warned of a "devastating" impact on the USA alliance with Saudi Arabia if allegations are confirmed.

USA officials are aware of The Post's report about Khashoggi but can not confirm it, and do not know where Khashoggi is, a senior US official told the Post on Saturday.

Saudi Arabia, while not yet being an official North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member, is a prominent US partner.

On Wednesday, the Post published a column by Cengiz, who said her fiance first visited the consulate on September 28 "despite being somewhat concerned that he could be in danger". The administration has formed a close relationship with bin Salman.

Reuters also reported, however, that Otaibi said the consulate "was equipped with cameras, but they did not record footage, so no images could be retrieved of Khashoggi entering or leaving the consulate, which is ringed by police barriers and has high security fences topped with barbed wire".

She added: "Although this incident could potentially fuel a political crisis between the two nations, let us not lose sight of the human aspect of what happened".

Turkey summoned the Saudi ambassador on Sunday to request the kingdom's "full cooperation" in the investigation, a Foreign Ministry official said.

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.

Khalid said that Khashoggi, who was once close to the ruling family in Saudi Arabia, had "always been honest".

Otaibi said there were no legal charges against Khashoggi at the consulate, and he gave a tour of the building to Reuters to demonstrate that the missing journalist was not on the premises.

Between those stints, he was a media adviser to Prince Turki al-Faisal, the Saudi ambassador to the U.K. and then the United States.

"Based on their initial findings, the police believe that the journalist was killed by a team especially sent to Istanbul and who left the same day", the government source told AFP on Saturday.
Two Kansas water park workers were acquitted Thursday of impeding an investigation into the 2016 death of a 10-year-old boy who was decapitated while on a ride that had been billed as the world's tallest waterslide.

David Hughes and John Zalsman were found not guilty of obstruction of justice in connection to the death of Caleb Schwab, the son of a Kansas legislator. The boy was killed while on the 17-story Verruckt waterslide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City.

Zalsman's attorney called the prosecution 'sloppy' and accused the attorney general of overreaching in an attempt to push innocent men to turn on employees higher up in the company. The attorney general's office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

David Hughes (left) and John Zalsman (right) were found not guilty of obstruction of justice in connection to the death of Caleb Schwab, the son of a Kansas legislator

The boy was killed while on the 17-story Verruckt waterslide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City

Hughes and Zalsman, both maintenance workers, were the first employees to stand trial in the death. Others have also been charged, including one of Schlitterbahn's owners and the designer of the slide, who have both pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

The since-closed waterslide used rafts that made the 17-story drop at speeds of up to 70 mph (110 kilometers per hour), followed by a surge over the hump and a 50-foot (15-meter) descent to a finishing pool. Caleb was in a raft that went airborne and slammed him into a metal pole that supported a net meant to keep riders from flying off the slide. Two women on the raft also were injured.

Prosecutors alleged that Hughes and Zalsman failed to replace a brake mat that fell off the slide two weeks earlier but told investigators that the mat had only been on the slide during testing phases. Video evidence showed that the mat was used after the ride opened to customers in 2014, prosecutors said.

'This was not a mistake, this was intentional calculated conduct,' said Adam Zentner, assistant Kansas Attorney General.

The since-closed waterslide used rafts that made the 17-story drop at speeds of up to 70 mph (110 kilometers per hour), followed by a surge over the hump and a 50-foot (15-meter) descent to a finishing pool (pictured in 2014)

The defense said prosecutors didn't understand how the slide functioned and questioned the testimony of Jason Diaz, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation agent who interviewed the defendants. The defense also noted that another Schlitterbahn employee who made false statements to investigators wasn't charged.

'These are just two good old boys, they're hard working guys and because they're the only two adults in the room they get singled out and have to get charged ,' said Scott Toth, defense attorney for Hughes, as he addressed jurors.

Diaz said he didn't believe the other employee had intentionally misled him.

Schlitterbahn has said the company had no reason to believe any employee obstructed justice.

Caleb was in a raft that went airborne and slammed him into a metal pole that supported a net meant to keep riders from flying off the slide. Two women on the raft also were injured

'We have maintained our belief in the integrity of our staff and respect the process and decision by the jury,' Winter Prosapio, spokeswoman for Texas-based Schlitterbahn, said in an email after the verdict.

The most serious charges in Caleb's death have been filed against one of Schlitterbahn's owners, Jeff Henry, Verruckt designer John Schooley and general contractor Henry & Sons Constructions. Each is charged with second-degree murder, which carries up to 41 years in prison; aggravated battery; and aggravated endangerment of a child. Another employee is charged with involuntary manslaughter.

They have all pleaded not guilty. Their trials have not yet been scheduled.

The slide was shut down after Caleb was killed.

The boy's father, state Rep. Scott Schwab, a Republican from the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, had no immediate comment after being informed of the verdict Thursday

The boy's father, state Rep. Scott Schwab, a Republican from the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, had no immediate comment after being informed of the verdict Thursday.

His son's death prompted Kansas legislators to strengthen the state's relatively lax oversight of amusement park rides. Their 2017 law required amusement park rides to be inspected every year by qualified inspector after previously allowing the parks to do their own. The law also mandated that parks report injuries to the state.

But lawmakers quickly delayed criminal penalties for violations and then this year loosened rules further for county fairs and other short-term, one-location events run by nonprofit groups. They also exempted attractions such as hay-rack rides.

The Schwab family will receive nearly $20 million in payments from legal settlements from companies associated with Schlitterbahn, the general contractor, the raft manufacturer and a company that consulted on the waterslide.

The elder Schwab is the Republican nominee for Kansas secretary of state.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will pay tribute to a British special forces hero on their first royal trip to Fiji next week.

The royal couple plan to unveil a statue of Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba, a Fijian member of the elite British Special Air Service (SAS), who single-handedly held off 250 attackers from taking an army base 46 years ago.

Labalaba, renowned as one of the SAS's greatest heroes, gave his life in an epic struggle to defend his fellow soldiers at the Battle of Mirbat, in what is now Yemen, in 1972.

The statue will be erected in Nadi, a town on Fiji's main island of Viti Levu, and officially unveiled by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they visit at the end of October, the British High Commissioner in Fiji, Melanie Hopkins said.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will unveil a statue of Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba, a Fijian member of the elite British Special Air Service, during their first royal visit to Fiji next week

Labalaba, renowned as one of the SAS's greatest heroes, gave his life in an epic struggle to defend his fellow soldiers at the Battle of Mirbat in July 19, 1972

The 30-year-old held off 250 opposition fighters for six hours after sprinting through enemy fire to single-handedly man a three-person machine gun. He and eight fellow SAS soldiers were stationed at a British Army training team house just outside the port of Mirbat in Oman

Labalaba and eight fellow SAS soldiers were stationed at a British Army training team house just outside the port of Mirbat in Oman.

For a year the crack unit had been on a secret assignment, codenamed Operation Jaguar, to protect the Sultan of Oman from an insurgent force, the People's Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arab Gulf.

On the morning of July 19, 1972, 250 of the Front's best fighters stormed the port in a surprise attack that left the nine SAS men pinned down inside their fort.

Labalaba, 30, knew that without heavier fire power, the unit faced almost certain annihilation. In a daring break, he sprinted across an exposed 800 yard stretch to reach a 25-pound field gun.

The gun usually required three men to operate it, and by the time he reached it Labalaba was soaked in blood from a bullet wound to his jaw.

But the elite soldier, still under heavy fire, spun the cumbersome weapon to face the advancing guerrilla fighters and opened up from close range, decimating them.

For a year the crack unit had been on a secret assignment, codenamed Operation Jaguar, to protect the Sultan of Oman from an insurgent force, the People's Front for the Liberation of the Occupied Arab Gulf. Pictured: Inside the BATT House at Mirbat

The sergeant was posthumously awarded a Mention in Dispatches for his bravery, and his body was returned to England, where it was buried at St Martin's Church in Hereford (pictured)

Ignoring his wounds he continued to hold off the 250 Front fighters for six hours.

Captain Mike Kealy and comrades Tommy Tobin and Sekonaia Takavesi also ran the 800 yard gauntlet to try to save the courageous sergeant's life.

They arrived too late, but Labalaba had held off the guerrilla force long enough for the Sultan's Strikemaster jets to arrive. The jets drove back the attackers while reinforcements from nearby Salalah were organized.

In SAS: Operation Storm, a book recounting the battle, fellow trooper Roger Cole wrote that the fight would surely have been lost had Labalaba not taken the 25-pounder.

The sergeant was posthumously awarded a Mention in Dispatches for his bravery, and his body was returned to England, where it was buried at St Martin's Church in Hereford.

A statue to the war hero was erected at the SAS headquarters outside the town in 2009.

The royal couple will arrive on October 23, greeted by a Guard of Honor at Nausori Airport, before meeting the President of Fiji, Jioji Konrote, at Borron House on the island of Suva, Hopkins told local news site Fijivillage

A statue to the war hero was erected at the SAS headquarters outside Hereford in 2009

Labalaba is an enduring legend among Fijians, 1,250 of whom are currently serving in the British Army.

Harry and Meghan are set to unveil the second statue to the soldier on the third day of their trip to the country.

It will follow their tour of Australia and New Zealand, which began earlier this week in Sydney and has seen a rapturous reception for the couple and the newly-pregnant Duchess of Sussex.

The royal couple will arrive on October 23, greeted by a Guard of Honor at Nausori Airport, before meeting the President of Fiji, Jioji Konrote, at Borron House on the island of Suva, Hopkins told local news site Fijivillage.

The couple will then attend a ceremony at Albert Park  following in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh's visit in 1953. President Konrote will host a state dinner that evening at the Grand Pacific Hotel, where Harry is set to give a speech.

The royal couple's visit to Fiji will follow their tour of Australia and New Zealand, which began earlier this week in Sydney and has seen a rapturous reception for the pair

The next day the Duke will meet Fijian veterans, some of whom served in the British military, and lay a wreath at a war memorial.

On October 25 the couple will travel to Tonga, where they will meet the kingdom's princess, Angelika Latu-fui-peka.

'We're really hoping that that ceremony will be a chance for Fijian communities to showcase the wonderful traditions and heritage of Fiji,' Hopkins told Fijivillage.

The prince himself served twice in combat in Afghanistan.

His first tour of duty was as a forward air controller - a cavalry officer calling in air strikes on Taliban positions and then commanding a squadron of light tanks - and his second was as co-pilot and gunner of an Apache attack helicopter in the British Army Air Corps.
onditionally bailed to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on November 9

A doctor will face multiple charges in court next month after he allegedly drugged and indecently assaulted a patient at a Sydney medical practice.

Police based at Leichhardt commenced an investigation when a 20-year-old woman attended Glebe police station in late August and spoke with detectives.

It will be alleged the woman was indecently assaulted and drugged without her knowledge or consent while under the care of the 48-year-old man at a Glebe practice.

A Sydney doctor is facing multiple charges in court next month after he allegedly drugged and indecently assaulted a female patient earlier this year in Glebe (stock image)

On Thursday, a search warrant was executed at another medical practice in Auburn, in Sydney's western suburbs, as well as the doctor's Rydalmere home address, where police seized a number of items.

The man was arrested and taken to Granville police station where was charged with three counts of aggravated indecent assault and using intoxicating substances to commit an indictable offence.

As a result of the ongoing investigation, three other victims were also identified, with more charges expected to follow.



The man was conditionally bailed to appear at Downing Centre Local Court on November 9.
A quiet Arkansas congressional race exploded in national scandal on Thursday following news reports of a radio ad that compared Democrats' treatment of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the mistreatment of black men accused of sexual misconduct.

Republican Rep. French Hill disavowed the ad, funded by a small group called Black Americans for the President's Agenda  but it ran in some Arkansas markets for 10 days before Hill complained.

The 60-second spot begins with an African-American woman saying it's 'dangerous to change the presumption of innocence to the presumption of guilt, especially for black men.'

Arkansas Republican Rep. French Hill is in a re-election fight but wants no part of an outside group's ad that claims Democrats' grilling of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh suggests they would back a white woman 'crying rape' over a black man

Kavanaugh survived his ordeal after a California woman claimed that he had sexually assaulted her 36 years earlier when they were both in high school; the Arkansas radio ad scorns her for not producing evidence or corroborating witnesses

That mirrors President Donald Trump's central complaint about how Senate Democrats handled last month's nomination fight after a woman came forward to claim a teenage, drunken Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 during a high school party.

The woman, Christine Blasey Ford, was unable to back up her claims with witnesses or evidence, but her testimony nearly derailed Kavanaugh's ascent to the highest federal bench.

'If the Democrats can do that to a white justice of the Supreme Court,' the radio ad's first character asks, 'with no evidence, no corroboration, and all of her witnesses including her best friend say it didn't happen, what will happen to our husbands, our fathers or our sons when a white girl lies on them?'

'Girl, white Democrats will be lynching black folk again,' a second woman replies.

The first says she has advised her son to avoid dating white girls who 'WILL cry rape.'

Political gadfly Vernon Robinson's organization, Black Americans for the President's Agenda, ran the ad along with another one about racial disparities in abortion statistics

The ad debuted on October 8, according to a self-described 'gonzo journalist' who spotted it thanks to a press release from Black Americans for the President's Agenda and its leader Vernon Robinson.

'This is appropriate payback for the Democrats behavior during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings,' Robinson said in a statement at the time.

'Every black mom in the county has warned her son of what is in our ad, including mine. It will reflect on the reality of black mothers' concerns for their children. If a white Supreme Court Justice can be threatened without evidence, what does that mean for black males? Democrats are dangerous,' he said.

Robinson's super PAC has spent about $90,000 this year on congressional races.

He's best known for launching a committee in 2015 to draft Ben Carson into the presidential race and raising money for it long after Carson became a candidate  without directing much of the proceeds to Carson's campaign.

Rep. Hill tweeted his disavowal of the controversial radio ad but seemed to take no public notice of it until if had been running for 10 days

The group also ran an ad in Little Rock in late September tying Democrats to racial disparity in abortion statistics and declaring Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger was a eugenecist whose goal was to reduce America's black population.

'The Democrats dont care that black babies are three times more likely to die in abortion than white babies,' says the same woman who leads off the 'cry rape' ad.

'Republicans know, and French Hill knows, that Black babies matter. Democrats hold Sanger up as a hero, she is no hero. She created Planned Parenthood to exterminate black folks. With 6o per cent of black babies dying in abortions in New York, looks like the Democrats are succeeding.'

Hill hasn't addressed the abortion ad but he tweeted Thursday that he wants no part of the rape-related sequel.

'Some may have heard an appalling ad on the radio. I condemn this outrageous ad in the strongest terms,' he said.

'I do not support that message, and there is no place in Arkansas for this nonsense.'
The biological mother of murdered schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer is suing the Queensland government and foster care agency for the trauma she suffered when her daughter was raped and murdered by her foster father.

Cindy Lee Palmer, known as Cindy Uluave, said her 12-year-old daughter should never have been placed with the Thornburn's who killed her.

She is set to argue about the trauma she suffered when her daughter was killed by Rick Thorburn and sexually assaulted by her foster brother Trent, Courier Mail reported.

Rick Thorburn killed Tiahleigh between 8pm and 10pm on October 29, just hours after his son Trent confessed to having sex with her

Cindy Lee Palmer, known as Cindy Uluave (pictured), said her 12-year-old daughter should never have been placed with the Thornburn's who killed her

The case is in pre-court disclosure where lawyers on both sides are discussing and attempting to reach an agreement behind closed doors.

No court date has been set yet.

Legal expert Bill Potts told the publication that Ms Palmer's case is 'not completely unprecedented', and that she would have to prove that the foster agency knew the Thorburn's were unfit to care for Tiahleigh.

'It is a case of a person who has clearly suffered the loss of a child and its obviously distressing for anybody no matter what the circumstances, but it's a long bow to draw to demonstrate the state was somehow responsible,' he explained.

Rick Thorburn killed his foster daughter between 8pm and 10pm on October 29, just hours after his son Trent, who was 18 at the time, confessed to having sex with her, telling his parents he feared she was pregnant.

Tiahleigh's badly decomposed body was found by fishermen on the banks of the Pimpama River six days after she went missing while in the Thorburn family's care.

Her foster father had claimed he dropped her off at Marsden State High School, and he and his family told police everything was normal on the morning she vanished.

Rick Thorburn is serving life behind bars for murdering Tiahleigh

Trent, who admitted to having sex with his foster sister, was jailed in September 2017 for a maximum four years after pleading guilty

Thorburn is serving life behind bars for murdering Tiahleigh.

Trent, who admitted to having sex with his foster sister, was jailed in September 2017 for a maximum four years after pleading guilty at the Beenleigh District Court to four charges, including incest.

His mother Julene spent six months behind bars after pleading guilty in November 2017 to perjury and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The Thorburns' eldest son, Joshua, was sentenced to three months in jail in July 2017 after pleading guilty to same charges as his mother.
President Donald Trump opened a furious attack on Democrats en route to Montana and kept it going on the ground  even suggesting they are responsible for a caravan of illegal immigrants making their way toward the border.

Trump blasted the caravan organizers for arriving before the November elections, casting it as a politically foolish move. 'Regardless, thats our issue,' he said at a rally at a private air hanger in Missoula.

'Theyre an there are those that say that caravan  it didnt just happen,' Trump said, blasting his opponents for bad politics.

'They have horrible policy. They hate ICE. They dont like our military. They dont like our vets,' Trump said. 'They wanted that caravan.'

The president didn't provide evidence that Democrats arranged roughly 4,000 citizens of Honduras, Mexico, and other countries to make their way toward California before the election.

Late Thursday, the Trump administration announced it had arranged a plan with the Mexican government to handle the matter.

The have asked the UN to help them identify 'legitimate' asylum claims from the people moving north.

Many of them will apply to enter the US on the basis they are fleeing violence in their home countries.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Missoula International Airport in Missoula, Montana on October 18, 2018

Trump blasted Democrats as the force behind an immigration caravan at a Montana rally

People in the audience cheer as Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Minuteman Aviation Hangar, Thursday, October 18, 2018, in Missoula

The Mexican government will reportedly work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide shelters along its southern border with Central America, Mexican ambassador to the US, Geronimo Gutierrez, said on the Fox News Special Report.

The ambassador said: 'The Mexican government, and this is a very important step, requested the intervention of the UN, the Office of the High Commissioner on Refugees, to help Mexico review any asylum claims from the members of the caravan.

'That will allow us to have a process by which in our border we will make sure that of serving human rights, respecting international law, if there are legitimate claims to refugee, those can be processed in a very clear way.'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the proposal in a statement late Thursday.

'We welcome the government of Mexicos statement that they will seek cooperation with UNHCR to address immigration issues in the region, including the influx of people arriving in Mexico.

'The United States stands ready to assist the Government of Mexico and UNHCR in this effort.'

Honduran migrants, part of a caravan trying to reach the U.S., climb on a bus during a new leg of their travel, in Guatemala City, Guatemala October 18, 2018

Honduran immigrants are seen at the Agua Caliente border as they wait to cross into Guatemala in a bid to join a migrant caravan heading to the US in the municipality of Ocotepeque, Honduras October 18, 2018

Trump suggested Democrats are responsible for a caravan of illegal immigrants making their way toward the border. Honduran migrants are pictured in a caravan in Zacapa, Guatemala October 17, 2018

Late Thursday, the Trump administration announced it had arranged a plan with the Mexican government to handle the fleeing migrants. Migrants are seen at a migrant shelter in Guatemala City, Guatemala on October 17, 2018

Also at the rally Thursday, Trump hailed the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and trashed Democrats for trying to block him.

'What they did was terrible. And what they did to Brett Kavanaugh and his beautiful family is a national disgrace that will not be soon forgotten,' Trump said.

He later threatened: 'We fight back. Call it whatever the hell you want.'

Trump launched his first attack on Democrats from the air above the Rocky Mountains.

'Will be landing soon. Looking forward to seeing our next Senator from Montana, Matt Rosendale. He will represent our Country well, far better than Jon Tester who will vote with Cryin Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi - never with us!' Trump wrote, blasting the two congressional Democratic leaders.

Before Trump even arrived, Montana Sen. Steve Daines ignited cheers of 'lock her up' when he said: 'Thank god that Hillary Clinton is not president of the United States.

He also blasted home-state Sen. Jon Tester, saying: 'We need a U.S. senator who believes in the rule of law, not mob rule.'

That was an attack picked up by GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte, who is seeking reelection, and who drew national attention last year when he slammed a reporter to the ground.

Trump supporters lined up to hear the president at a private air facility in Missoula

The Trump campaign transported media members and rally attendees to the event aboard school buses

'We got leftist mobs in the streets. They're calling for open borders and to abolish ICE,' Gianforte said.

On Wednesday, before his trip, Trump made plain that his third campaign trip to Montana Thursday is driven by a desire to hit back at Democratic Sen. Jon Tester for helping torpedo the nomination of White House physician Ronny Jackson to run the VA.

Trump brought up Tester's role in the fiasco of Jackson's nomination to run the Department of Veterans' Affairs in a tweet Wednesday evening  blasting Tester for 'vicious' statements about Admiral Jackson.

Tester, who is in a toss-up race that will help determine control of the Senate and leads narrowly in polls, revealed information that came to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, where he is the top Democrat, which helped lead the nomination to blow up.

'Ever since his vicious and totally false statements about Admiral Ron Jackson, the highly respected White House Doctor for Obama, Bush & me, Senator John Tester looks to be in big trouble in the Great State of Montana!' Trump wrote on the eve of his trip here.

Reporters got treated to a 'Real News' board as they entered

'He behaved worse than the Democrat Mob did with Justice K!' Trump added, in reference to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whose nomination was narrowly confirmed on a 50 to 48 vote.

Tester voted against both Kavanaugh and Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump's previous nominee.

While vulnerable, Tester has led in three recent polls, and has a three point edge over his opponent in the latest RealClearPolitics average.

Jackson was revealed after his nomination to be close to Trump, with regular contact with him in the East Wing.

But he soon came under fire for his office's practice of liberally distributing prescription medications on presidential trips  evening earning the moniker 'Candy Man' during the Obama administration.

'That's not a nickname you want in a doctor. And if you consider the prescription drugs [problem] we have a problem within this country right now, it's not the example we need to have set,' Tester told CNN in April.

President Donald Trump is visiting Montana to try to take down one of his favorite targets - Senator Jon Tester (above)

'Ever since his vicious and totally false statements about Admiral Ron Jackson (above), the highly respected White House Doctor for Obama, Bush & me, Senator John Tester looks to be in big trouble in the Great State of Montana!' Trump tweeted on Wednesday
Australian discount retailer The Reject Shop faces a tough battle unless it changes its business model.

The rise of German supermarket giant Aldi in recent years has been significant, as well as the growing influence of online traders such as eBay.

Profit forecasts for The Reject Shop have been reduced from an estimated $17.7 million to around $10 million leading into Christmas - unless the company can drastically turn sales figures around in the next couple of months.

Sales have declined for The Reject Shop due to the rise of Aldi plus online traders such as eBay (stock image)

The Reject Shop isn't the only place for customers to purchase household bargains - and as a result profit margins have been slashed (stock image)

Gary Mortimer, an associate professor from the Queensland Institute of Technology, pointed to a number of factors as the reason for the worrying decline in business trade.

'The appeal of The Reject Shop was that you could go in and buy a bag of lollies for $1 and a bottle of shampoo or conditioner for $2,' he told news.com.au

'But, now you can go to stores like Kmart (and similar stores such as Big W and Target) and pick up pretty much the same thing for the same price.

'The growth of Aldi has also been a major challenge because they are very focused on low prices and they constantly evolve their bi-weekly specials.'

Ross Sudano, The Reject Shop's company managing director, is adamant the alarming sales slide is due to an 'extremely challenging consumer environment', as opposed to their company strategy or execution.

'The continuing absence of real wage growth and increases in the cost of many basic expenses (including mortgage rates) ensures that competition for the discretionary spend of consumers remains high,' he said via a market statement.

'In addition, we have seen increased investment in promotional pricing across many retailers, particularly in the fast-moving consumable goods (FMCG) space, resulting in additional investment in our FMCG pricing to ensure our value proposition is not damaged.

Profit margins for The Reject Shop have been slashed leading into Christmas from $17.7 million to an estimated $10 million (stock image)

Despite their everyday low prices, profit margin at The Reject Shop has been slashed due to the rise of competitors such as Aldi and eBay

'We will continue to source our products and look to supply them at a cheaper price than many other stores.'

The Reject Shop started in Melbourne in 1981 and now boasts 340 franchises nationwide.
Cab drivers have launched a $500 million lawsuit against ride-share giant Uber who they claim have stolen their livelihoods.

The case already has $20 million in backing for legal expenses and is expected to be filed within weeks.

The US based corporation operated in Melbourne for a period of time before it was legalised and cab and hire car companies will sue for lost earnings during that time frame.

A $500 million lawsuit has been launched against ride-share giant Uber by cab drivers who claim that the company stole their livelihoods

The company operated for about five years with a huge financial advantage according to Rod Barton, president of the Commercial Passenger Vehicles Association of Australia.

'That advantage caused us enormous financial harm,' he told Today.

He said cab drivers were extremely angry about what had been done to them and that the class action suit would be filed within the week.

'We are very confident that we have got a case given the amount of work that has been done,' told the Herald Sun.

UK based Harbour Litigation Funding is backing the case and there is also a similar case set for Canada.

Uber is worth a massive $120 billion and turned the taxi industry on its head since arriving in Australia in 2012.

'The work and investigation we have undertaken over the past year indicates that this is not only a strong case, but very likely one of the biggest class actions we've seen,' Andrew Watson, Maurice Blackburn's national head of class actions, said.

'The damage Uber caused to thousands of legally operating ride service providers was enormous and it is our view that Uber should be responsible for the impact of what we allege was their unlawful conduct.'
Principal Donna Tripi (above) apologized on Monday for sending the email last month

An elementary school principal is facing scrutiny after sending an email to students' parents warning of an incident with a black male in a Starbucks.

Principal Donna Tripi apologized on Monday for sending the email last months to parents of students at La Jolla Elementary, a public school in the wealthy enclave in San Diego, the Union-Tribune reported.

Tripi's email had warned parents that a man had leered at a one of the female elementary students in a Starbucks and then followed her across the street when her mother became uncomfortable and left the cafe.

The email described the man as 'an African American male about 30 years old, about 6'1''-6'2'', dressed in all black and a hooded sweatshirt.'

'We're all hoping it was an isolated incident,' the email concluded, 'but reminders are always helpful.'

The La Jolla Elementary principal sent the above email to parents last month, warning of a creepy interaction that a parent reported at an area Starbucks

La Jolla Elementary (above) is public school in the wealthy enclave in San Diego. The school's student body is less than 1 per cent black, as is the general population of the town

In an email of apology this week, Tripi said that she didn't regret sending the warning, but did apologize for her description of the suspected pervert.

'My email was a mistake. While it is critical to keep our school family safe, the way I communicated didn't provide enough specifics to identify the individual, but could easily lead to unnecessary and harmful reactions against other members of our community,' Tripi wrote.

'African American males continue to face discrimination in our society every day. The thought that I unintentionally contributed to that climate with a vague email is something for which I owe our community an apology.'

Andre Branch, president of the San Diego Branch of the NAACP, told the Union-Tribune that he was just as upset by Tripi's apology as by her original email.

This Starbucks is just a block away from the elementary. It's not clear which location the concerning incident occurred at, in which a man leered and followed a young girl and mom

'She repeats the description of the man, mentioning his race, but not that of the parents or the children,' Branch said.

'This repetition reinforces the idea that the parents and their children have something to fear from African-American men.'

Out of 535 students enrolled at La Jolla Elementary last fall, five were black, or about 1 per cent, state data show.

The overall population of La Jolla, a coastal neighborhood about 13 miles from downtown San Diego, is itself 0.8 per cent black.

The elementary plans to hold a forum on Monday at 6pm regarding the matter and how to 'support all families' at the school.
An Australian doctor is behind bars in Canada accused of making, possessing and distributing child pornography.

Skin cancer specialist Stephen Peter Menzies Murray, 57, of Frenchville, Queensland, was arrested while visiting Canada's Prince Edward Island earlier this month.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Leanne Butler told AAP on Thursday authorities were alerted when a member of the public reported Murray to police.

Dr Stephen Murray is now behind bars in Canada for alleged child pornography charges

An Australian doctor is behind bars in Canada for allegedly making, possessing and distributing child pornography

Sgt Butler declined to elaborate, pointing to the charges.

'The charges are child pornography, right?' Sgt Butler said. 'Possession of. So a witness saw something that made him come to us and enter into an investigation which resulted in charges of possession of child pornography and making and distributing.'

The RCMP has reached out to Australian authorities.

'We are doing a joint investigation with Australian police and part of the reason why we haven't released a whole lot (publicly about the case) is we are waiting to hear back from their investigators,' Sgt Butler said.

The Australian doctor has been arrested in relation to child pornography charges (stock image)

Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested the Australian doctor and charged him in relation to child pornography

Murray was arrested on October 3 and remains in custody.

He will face a Prince Edward Island court on Friday for a 'show cause' or bail hearing to determine if he will remain behind bars.

The activity allegedly took place in a public area although Sgt Butler declined to say where.

Murray was visiting the province Prince Edward Island for a few days.
The Orthodox Church in Ukraine has been under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church since the late 1600s.

On October 11, the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople said that it would now proceed towards granting independence, or autocephaly, to the Church in Ukraine, which is currently divided into various factions, some loyal to Moscow and others to the self-proclaimed Patriarch of Ukraine in Kiev.

"They demonstrated yet again that they are under the direct and immediate influence of the Kremlin, the Federal Security Service", Poroshenko said.

The tussle over Ukraine's spiritual future flows from the poisoning of relations between Kyiv and Moscow after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the outbreak of separatist fighting in Ukraine's east that has killed over 10,000 people.

The rupture on Monday came after the Istanbul-based clerics agreed to launch the process of recognising the independence of the Ukrainian Church, a move Russian Federation has long campaigned against.

Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev, who heads foreign relations for the Russian Orthodox Church, said Russian Orthodox leaders chose to "break the Eucharistic communion" in response to actions it called "lawless and canonically void".

The Russian Orthodox Church is the largest and the most influential of all modern Orthodox Churches as the number of its followers amounts to between 90 and 120 million.

The Russian Orthodox Church, which claims traditional and canonical authority over the Orthodox community in Ukraine, has denied taking political sides in the conflict and said it has worked for peace in eastern Ukraine. A danger for Orthodox Christians after a row between Moscow and Constantinople demands unity and prayers from the faithful, Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East said on Wednesday while visiting Serbia. It also made a decision to grant independence to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in a move actively supported by the current government in Kiev.

"We are hoping common sense will prevail and that the Constantinople Patriarchate will change its relations to existing Church reality", Metropolitan Hilarion said.

The Orthodox Church in Macedonia unilaterally proclaimed autocephaly from the Serbian Church in 1967 and remains unrecognised.

While the conflict grew out of the turbulent relations between Ukraine and Russian Federation, a complete breach between the churches in Moscow and Turkey could threaten the integrity of the Orthodox Church as a whole, which has some 250 million believers around the world.

But Mr Shterin, who lectures on trends in ex-Soviet republics, says some Moscow-linked parishes will probably switch to a new Kiev-led church, because many congregations "don't vary a lot in their political preferences".

The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, refounded in 1990, is similarly seen as a breakaway group.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is under the authority of the Russian Church and has been the officially recognized Orthodox Church in the country.
A selfie-loving GP who bedded two patients and left her own husband for one of them has dumped her new man and found yet another lover.

Clare Nettleton, 49, was branded the real Doctor Foster when her dramatic love life first went public in 2015.

The mother-of-two was suspended from working at Williton Surgery, in Somerset, for three months after she was found to have accessed the records of patient Richard Atkinsons wife and two daughters.

Mr Atkinson left his partner Lucy Large for the doctor who he fell for at the village hall at a New Year's Eve party, he claimed, leaving her feeling 'shattered'.

She went on to leave her husband Chris Davis and marry Mr Atkinson but their marriage fell apart soon afterwards, The Sun reports.

During proceedings it emerged she had inappropriate relations with another male patient.

Clare Nettleton, 49, was branded the real Doctor Foster when her dramatic love life first went public in 2015

Her life was compared to that of the main character in the BBC show Doctor Foster  although on this occasion it was her doing the dirty.

Now, villagers have once again turned their attention to the doctor after she met Andy Duncan, a police officer from Forfar in Scotland, the Sun Reports.

Clare Nettleton, 49, is dating a police officer in Scotland now, after dumping her former patient lover

Lucy Large, 41, with her husband, Richard Atkinson, 42, who had an affair with their village GP

Suspended: GP Clare Nettleton had an affair with father-of-two Richard Atkinson, and another patient

One male villager told The Sun: She seems to thrive on the attention. She used to mow her lawn in her bikini knowing it would outrage the village but she didnt care. And we were supposed to respect her as a professional.

In December 2015, she was axed from another job in administration at a dispensary which involved working with medical records.

It is understood staff at the Dunster surgery had protested at Nettleton being given the role but their concerns were overruled by a senior partner.

However, she has returned to work at her former surgery in Williton and has since shared a number of selfies.

One local said her life was: one car crash after another.
The Anglican Church in Sydney is set to debate the introduction of a policy that will ban same-sex weddings from its cathedrals or any of its properties.

The new policy specifically excludes advocacy for transgender ideology and advocacy for same-sex marriage that is contrary to the Anglican doctrine of marriage, according to documents obtained by Fairfax Media.

The Sydney diocese of the church, whose supreme governor is Queen Elizabeth II, grandmother of Princes Harry and William, will debate the policy next week.

Anglican Archbishop of Sydney Glenn Davies (left) with Prince William, who will become the supreme governor of the Anglican Church when he becomes King. The Sydney diocese will debate new property rules next week that would ban same-sex marriage from its churches

If introduced, there are fears the policy could stifle pastors, teachers or student LGBTI support groups from speaking in favour of same-sex marriage at Anglican schools.

The policy would mean that all church-owned buildings are used only for 'acts or practices which conform to the doctrines, tenets and beliefs of the diocese.'

Rodney Croome, spokesman for LGBTI advocacy group Just.Equal, said the Sydney Anglican Archdiocese had opposed the 'Yes' vote, claiming free speech would be suppressed.

Australians celebrate the 'Yes' vote to allow same-sex marriage in November 2017. Activists say the church is hurting free speech by banning marriage equality advocacy on its property

'Yet here it is, violating the free speech of everyday Anglicans by insisting no-one is allowed to talk about LGBTI equality on church property,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'This ban is intended to silence and cower supporters of LGBTI equality in the Anglican Church but I suspect it will have the opposite effect of mobilising them against repressive bishops.'

Bishop of South Sydney Michael Stead told Fairfax that the new policy was not a change in the Church's position and wouldn't affect activities.

Mr Stead, who authored the proposal, said the policy clarified the church's doctrine of marriage because the federal government had changed the legal definition of marriage.

St Andrew's Cathedral at Town Hall, Sydney. Religious groups say their right to freedom of religion means they must be able to practise their faith according to their own doctrines

'Property use scenarios relate only to man/woman marriage,' he was quoted by Fairfax as saying.

Australia voted in November last year to approve gay marriage in a historic postal survey on same-sex unions.

Close to eight million people, or 61.6 per cent of the population voted 'Yes', while 4.8 million - representing 38.4 per cent of the population - voted 'No'.

While the majority of the population favours marriage equality, Christian and Muslim groups opposed it on religious grounds.

Social media stars Rose, 30, and Rosie, 28, a UK couple whose gay wedding in 2015 has been watched more than 1.6 million times on YouTube, show how far community attitudes have changed and how widespread the acceptance of same-sex marriage has now become.

Religious groups fearful of how the 'yes' vote would affect their religious freedom lobbied the Turnbull Government which commissioned a review last year.

The Religious Freedom Review reported to the Government in May with the key recommendations leaked last week.

It recommended the Government abolish any religious exceptions to the anti-discrimination laws for race - but said the laws should allow discrimination against staff for sexual orientation as long as it was based on religious teachings.

Some churches such as the Uniting Church in Australia, have embraced same-sex marriage and have begun conducting ceremonies.
A man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl on a suburban bus in Melbourne has been released on bail.

The 46-year-old man allegedly assaulted the 17-year-old girl during a trip from Hallam to Narre Warren, in Melbourne's south east, on September 17.

A 46-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl on a suburban bus in Melbourne has been released on bail

The man allegedly assaulted the 17-year-old girl during a trip from Hallam to Narre Warren, in Melbourne's south east, on September 17

Police say he approached the teenager on a bus on Frawley Road just after 1.50pm and removed her bag from the seat next to her and sat down, police said.

The man allegedly had an inappropriate conversation with the girl and sexually assaulted her, before he got off the bus at a shopping centre on Overland Drive.

The 46-year-old Dandenong man was arrested by Transit Crime Investigation Unit detectives and charged with one count of sexual assault on Thursday.

He has was later released on bail and is due to appear at Dandenong Magistrates' Court on December 20.
Shayna Hubers, now 27, who shot her ex-boyfriend Ryan Poston, 29 (pictured), to death six years ago over him planning a date with Miss Ohio 2012 was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday in Kentucky

The woman who shot her ex-boyfriend to death six years ago over him planning a date with Miss Ohio 2012 showed no emotion as she was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday.

Shayna Hubers, now 27, was sentenced in Campbell County, Kentucky for the cold-blooded murder of Ryan Poston, 29, who she shot six times in the head, neck and torso.

Hubers wrote a letter to the judge presiding over her case that included an apology for killing Poston on October 12, 2012, but has never uttered 'I'm sorry' to Poston's family, the Enquirer, out of Cincinnati, reported.

'She has expressed no remorse,' Kentucky Commonwealth's Attorney Michelle Snodgrass, the lead prosecutor in the case said.

The defense asked the judge for a mistrial, which was denied.

Since she's already been in custody for those six year, Huber will be eligible for parole in 14 years.

Poston's mother, Lisa Carter, hugged friends and loved ones after the sentence was handed down, saying, 'Its never over.'

The family of the young lawyer has had to endure not one, but two criminal trials, before Hubers would be convicted for good of killing Poston on the night of October 12, 2012 at his condominium in Highland Heights.

The first guilty verdict resulted in a recommended sentence of 40 years, before being thrown out because on juror was discovered to have been convicted of a felony.

Judge Daniel Zalla recounted to Huber how she picked up gun off of a table and shot Poston to death, while she showed no emotion throughout the hearing this week, and said that he saw no reason to go against the jury's recommendation of a life sentence, on Thursday; Since she's already been in custody for six years, Huber will be eligible for parole in 14 years; Huber is pictured here before an earlier sentencing hearing on August 29 in Kentucky

Shayna Hubers (pictured) wrote a letter to the judge presiding over her case that included an apology for killing Poston on October 12, 2012, but has never uttered 'I'm sorry' to his family; Hubers is shown here in court on August 14, 2015

'Evil, for reasons only evil knows, took it upon herself to take from us that which she could never possess,' Jay Poston, the father of Ryan Poston, said.

The first guilty verdict had to be thrown out after it was found one of the jurors had previously been convicted of a felony.

The second jury found her guilty in August after deliberating for just five hours, following a two-week trial.

Katie Carter, Poston's sister, brought a teddy bear made out of one of her brother's shirts to the stand as she spoke of the family's loss, during an earlier sentencing hearing in August.

When she pressed the bear's hand, Poston's voicemail greeting played for the jury.

'That's it,' Carter said as she wept on the stand. 'That's all we have. A voicemail.'

Jay, the first witness to take the stand during the earlier hearing, said it was his son's 'kindness' that got him killed.

She took advantage of his kindness,' he said.

On the night of October 12, 2012, Poston was supposed to meet Miss Ohio 2012 Audrey Bolte for a date.

The family of the young lawyer has had to endure not one, but two criminal trials, before Hubers would be convicted for good of killing Poston on the night of October 12, 2012 at his condominium in Highland Heights.; Hubers and Poston are pictured her together, sometime between 2011 and his death

The first guilty verdict had to be thrown out after it was found one of the jurors had previously been convicted of a felony; Hubers is shown here during a sentencing hearing for the first trial, in October of 2015

Katie Carter, whose brother was shot to death by Hubers in October 2012, holds a teddy bear made out of one of Poston's shirts and presses a button to play a voicemail message recorded by Poston, during the sentencing hearing for Hubers on August 29 at the Campbell County Courthouse in Newport, Kentucky

On the night of October 12, 2012, Poston was supposed to meet Miss Ohio 2012 Audrey Bolte for a date; Bolte is pictured here during the 2012 Miss USA pageant at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on June 3, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada

But Poston never made it to his date with Bolte, who is pictured here attending the 'Evening' Sherri Hill show during Spring 2013 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Trump Tower Grand Corridor on September 7, 2012 in New York City

Instead the young lawyer was found dead in his penthouse apartment, shot six times in the forehead, back, and torso.

Hubers called 911 after the shooting and told the dispatcher: 'Ma'am, I killed my boyfriend.'

She claimed Poston had pushed her and thrown her against furniture in the moments before she fired the first shot in his face.

But three of Hubers' cellmates testified that she boasted about giving Poston the 'nose job he always wanted' and cackled once he was dead.

Donna Dooley, Holly Nivens, and Cecily Miller all told the court Hubers still showed no remorse for the killing, Cincinnati.com reported in August.

Nivens said she overheard Hubers on the phone to her mother saying Poston's family was rich enough to buy another son.

'She would get on the phone and cry and sing to her mom and say there's worse crimes than murder,' Dooley added.

Their accounts were similar to what Hubers herself told police after she was questioned following the shooting.

'He's very vain,' she was recorded telling police about Poston. 'One of our last conversations we had that was good was that he wants to get a nose job.'

'And I shot him right here. I gave him his nose job he wanted. I broke it.'

She also began to question the officers about what life was like behind bars, asking if she'd be allowed to take her phone or have a shower.

Unprompted, Hubers then declared: 'I don't know if anyone will ever want to marry me if they know that I killed a boyfriend in self-defense - not funny.'

Unprompted, Hubers then declared: 'I don't know if anyone will ever want to marry me if they know that I killed a boyfriend in self-defense - not funny.'

When officers stepped out of the room at one point, Hubers began singing Amazing Grace.

She also started dancing around the interrogation room, twirling and snapping her fingers, while she sang 'I killed him, I killed him' and 'I did it. Yes I did it. I can't believe I did that'.

During the second trial, Hubers painted a picture of an abusive relationship, making claims that would support her self-defense case.

She recounted how she and Poston went on their first date on her 20th birthday in April of 2011 after meeting on Facebook months earlier.

She said even on that first night she was rattled by his physicality and how forward he was and called a taxi from the bathroom of a bar to get away.

'I smacked or hit him in the face around his mouth. He shoved me, he shoved me back,' she said.

The pair tried to get back together about a month before the murder, but Poston had conditions that would drastically change their relationship, she said.

'He wanted me to be his incognito girlfriend and he wanted me to talk 25 percent less, he always said I talked too much,' Hubers testified.

'And he wanted me to get a hobby while I was at his condo and he wanted me to also agree to have threesomes with other girls.'

But Carissa Carlisle, Poston's step-cousin, said the attorney tried to end the relationship with Hubers 'multiple times'.

At one point he even asked Carlisle to tell Hubers why the relationship was ending.

'She never actually listened to me though,' Carlisle said as she testified.

And Poston never made it to his date with Miss Ohio. Instead, he ended up dead.

The final sentencing hearing was delayed multiple times while the defense team poured over victim impact statements, trying to find any excuse to argue for a lighter sentence.

Judge Daniel Zalla recounted to Huber how she picked up gun off of a table and shot Poston to death, while she showed no emotion throughout the hearing.

'Your actions that evening were grossly violent and intentionally calculated to cause his death,' Zalla said to Hubers.

The judge saw no reason to go against the jury's recommendation of a life sentence, he said on Thursday.

Hubers' defense attorney David Eldridge had asked for the minimum sentence of 20 years, unsuccessfully arguing that Hubers had changed and was a low risk to offend again.

While in custody earlier this year, Hubers married a transgender woman named Unique Taylor, who spent 14 years in federal custody and has been picked up on an unrelated warrant in Tennessee, Snodgrass said at the final hearing.
There is increasing pressure to legalise vaping as the price of cigarettes in Australia - already the highest in the world - continues to soar.

One Nation Senator Peter Georgiou has backed the legalisation of electronic cigarettes, saying the high cost of tobacco was 'price gouging'.

'We seem more concerned about slugging smokers as much as we can to fatten up the government coffers,' he said in a speech to the Senate.

'Is the government more concerned about its coffers drying up if people switch to vaping?'

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There is increasing pressure to legalise vaping as the price of cigarettes in Australia - already the highest in the world - continues to soar (stock image)

One Nation Senator Peter Georgiou has backed the legalisation of electronic cigarettes, saying the high cost of tobacco was 'price gouging'

The Steamery in Beaconsfield, Sydney bills itself as the city's 'Premier Vape Lounge', home to a community of 'vapers', many of whom have had to break laws

Senator Georgiou cited a CSIRO report which concluded that vaping helped smokers to quit the habit.

'If we are genuine in helping people to stop smoking why don't we encourage this option?

He slammed the government for treating smokers as a 'never-ending cash cow'.

'A pack-a-day smoker will spend up to $10,000 a year just to sustain his addiction,' he said.

'Smoking through a device is different to lighting up, it sure is a lot cheaper.'

Government tax revenue from cigarettes has jumped from $4.5billion in 2001 to more than $12billion in 2018, One Nation said.

Party leader Pauline Hanson showed her support for legalising e-cigarettes on Twitter.

Pauline Hanson showed her support for legalising electronic cigarettes on Twitter

E-cigarettes which contain nicotine are legal in the United Kingdom and Canada but remain outlawed in Australia

E-cigarettes which contain nicotine are legal in the United Kingdom and Canada but remain outlawed in Australia.

They are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid solution into an aerosol which is inhaled and exhaled.

It is an offence in every Australian state and territory to manufacture, sell or supply nicotine, which is scheduled as a 'dangerous poison'.

However, liquid nicotine can be imported by an individual for use as an aid to stop smoking, if the importer holds a prescription from a doctor.

It is believed very few doctors are willing to write such prescriptions so those wanting to buy nicotine go online and overseas.

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Meanwhile, smokers over 18 can freely buy cigarettes and other tobacco products which cause cancer.

The Steamery in Beaconsfield, Sydney bills itself as the city's 'Premier Vape Lounge', home to a community of 'vapers', many of whom have had to break laws.

Vaping devices cannot be openly displayed and are only revealed when a potential customer specifically asks to see one. Other quit-smoking aids such as nicotine patches, lozenges and gum sold by chemists face no similar restrictions.

Even products such as batteries and battery chargers must be hidden, yet nearby electronic stores sell the same accessories without those rules. Vaping bars cannot provide free samples.

Former Treasurer and current Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the latest tax increase to cigarettes in the Federal Budget in May in a bid to kerb smoking.

However, spending on smoking increased in the last quarter of 2017 by 2.6 per cent to just under $4 billion - the first time it rose in generations.

Australians spent about $16 billion on smoking last year as ABS trend measurement of underlying cigarette consumption has been going up since December 2016.

It is an offence in every Australian state and territory to manufacture, sell or supply nicotine, which is scheduled as a 'dangerous poison
House prices in Sydney and Melbourne are set to fall a whopping 20 per cent, according to a top economist.

AMP's Shane Oliver blames tightening credit conditions, supply rises and a 'negative feedback loop' for the drop.

In August, AMP predicted a 15 per cent drop in house prices for these cities, but he has now revised his forecast.

It's even worse than we thought; House prices could plunge 20 per cent - with the hit being mainly felt in Sydney and Melbourne (stock image)

'As such we are now allowing for a 20 per cent decline in prices in these cities, again spread out to 2020, which would take average prices back to first half 2015 levels.' he told Business Insider.

He said the significant drop could also be down to an ongoing decline in auction clearance rates across Australia's capital cities, which fell to just 50.7 per cent last week.

Australian capital city home prices have declined for 12 months in a row and are four per cent from their peak.

Annual price falls in Sydney reached 6.3 per cent, while Melbourne declined by four per cent.

However, Mr Oliver said there was hope for Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Hobart, whose housing markets are expected to perform better in 2020.

But he added that prices in Perth and Darwin are now 'close to the bottom'.

Mr Oliver said that the long term effects of falling house prices could be a slowdown in construction and reduced credit growth.

However, the prospect of a housing crash, defined as 20 per cent or more across the national market, was still unlikely.

The negative effects of a stagnant housing market in Sydney could also be offset by a strong growth in infrastructure spending and business investment.
A doctor has been accused of raping a patient at a medical centre.

Police allege the doctor, 50, assaulted a woman, 26, in a medical facility, in Chermside, on the north side of Brisbane, on Thursday.

The medical professional, from Carindale, has been charged by police.

Police have charged a 50-year-old male doctor with the rape and sexual assault of a patient

He will appear at Brisbane's Magistrates Court, on Friday, on one charge of rape, and one count of sexual assault.

Police were alerted of the incident at about mid-morning on Thursday.

Detectives from the North Brisbane Criminal Investigation Branch are continuing with with inquiries.
A man in his 60s has been stabbed in a residential road in London.

The man was found with knife wounds in Zetland Street, Poplar in the borough of Tower Hamlets, late on Thursday evening.

Footage showed police scouring the street in the aftermath.

The attack comes just one day after a man was beaten to death Battersea, south London, bringing the capital's murder toll to 113.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'Police were called at approximately 10:20pm to reports of a stabbing in Zetland Street, E14.

'Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and found a man, believed aged in his 60s, suffering stab injuries.

'He has been taken to an east London hospital for treatment.'

A police van was stopped in the middle of the street as officers searched Zetland Street in Poplar

A police dog was brought in to look for suspects after a man in his sixties was stabbed in Tower Hamlets

There is currently no information on the man's condition.

A crime scene has been set up and police dogs have been seen in the area. There have been no arrests.

Yesterday, Cecil Tomlin described how he found son Ian, 46, dying in a stairwell after being attacked.

Speaking at the scene in Battersea, south London, Ian's grieving father, 84, said his son shared his fears over people dealing drugs outside his ground floor flat two months ago.

Great-grandfather and dad-of-seven Cecil, who lives nearby, said he believed drug dealers had killed his son during an incident at around 5.30pm on Wednesday.

He said: 'He has been afraid of them.

'He don't smoke and they were selling drugs outside his house.

'He said 'Don't sell here!' He said 'Don't come here and sell drugs because I can't stand the scent of it'.

'He said 'no you don't come in'.

London recorded its 100 murder in September, with even long-serving Met detectives shocked by the volume of violent crime and ferocity of some attacks in the capital this year.

A breakdown of the London killings released today shows 55 happened in public places and 22 are believed to be gang-related. Forty of those killed were aged under 25.

Of the grim total, 64 of the deaths were caused by stabbings, 10 were shootings and 18 were violent assaults. A breakdown of the victims shows 43 were described as Afro Carribean, while 36 were white.

Meanwhile, Britain's second biggest city, Birmingham, has seen gun crime rates rise above those of London.

There have already been over 33 homicides in the city this year alone, with over 25 gun crimes per 100,000 people, higher than in London.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 and quote CAD8424/18Oct or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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A teenage boy has died after an accident involving a heavy log during a PE class up a mountain on Thursday.

The year ten student was taking part in a physical education class on Ainslie Mountain in Canberra, when he was involved in an accident on the mountain trail.

While the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, The Canberra Times reports that the 'accident involved a heavy log.'

Campbell High School principal wrote to parents asking them to give the family space to grieve

Emergency services were called at 11.30am and the year 10 student was rushed to Canberra Hospital to be treated for his head injuries.

Tragically, the boy later died.

Staff, students and parents are deeply shocked by the incident, with Campbell High School cancelling their school dance on Thursday night out of respect.

The mood at the school on Friday morning was understandably sombre, as students struggled to deal with the death of one of their peers.

The year 10 boy was rushed to Canberra Hospital where he later died from his injuries

School principal, Steve Collins, wrote to parents saying that the school had to 'stand close as a community' and to give the family space to grieve.

'Reach out and talk with each other and support those around you. Look out for signs that your children might be struggling with what happened' wrote the school principal.

Education minister Yvette Berry said she was 'deeply saddened' and that the 'ACT Government will support the family and the school in any way it can' in a press release issued on Thursday.

Education minister Yvette Berry has spoken to the parents of the boy, who are 'understandably very, very upset'

The minister told ABC News that she got in touch with the family on Friday morning, who were 'understandably very, very upset.'

She said that suspending PE classes had not been discussed, and that it was 'just a terrible accident.'

The school has arranged counselling for those who are suffering in the aftermath of the tragic incident.

An ACT Policing spokesman said police are currently investigating the incident and couldn't provide any further details given the sensitive nature of the matter.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has denied reports that he listened to an audio recording of Washington Post columnist Jamal Kashoggi's torture and murder.

State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Thursday that Pompeo 'has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript related to Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance.'

It follows an ABC News report citing Turkish sources that the alleged recording was played for Pompeo during meetings with officials in Turkey on Wednesday.

Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian citizen with U.S. residency, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork needed to marry his fiancee.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during their meeting at Ankara Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesay

Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian citizen with U.S. residency, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork needed to marry his fiancee

It is widely believed that Khashoggi was brutally tortured and murdered inside the consulate, with the Turkish government investigating an alleged 'hit squad' of 15 Saudi security men who entered and exited Istanbul on private jets.

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he presumes Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be 'very severe' but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.

'It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad,' Trump said when asked if he believed Khashoggi is dead, before boarding Air Force One to depart for a rally in Montana.

In an interview with the New York Times, Trump based his acknowledgment that Khashoggi was dead on intelligence reports.

Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: 'Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens.'

Turkey believes that Khashoggi, 59, was murdered inside the consulate while his fiancee waited outside, never to see him again. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has close ties to some of the alleged hit men, has denied the allegation.

Jamal Kashoggi is seen with his finacee Hatice Cengiz, who stood outside the consulate waiting for hours after he walked inside on October 2, never to emerge

Chilling accounts of an audio recording of Khashoggi being tortured and killed have circulated in recent days.

Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak on Wednesday cited what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi's slaying, which it said showed the writer was tortured.

The newspaper said Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi could be heard on the tape, telling those allegedly torturing Khashoggi: 'Do this outside; you're going to get me in trouble.'

The newspaper said one of the Saudis torturing Khashoggi replied: 'Shut up if you want to live when you return to (Saudi) Arabia.'

The audio also reveals that Khashoggi's fingers were cut off during an interrogation before he was beheaded and dismembered, according to the reports.

Turkish officials reportedly possess the tapes, but it remains unclear if they have shared them with any U.S. officials after Pompeo's denials on Thursday.

Pompeo was back in Washington on Thursday, after a whirlwind trip to Riyadh and Ankara in an attempt to defuse the mounting international crisis over Khashoggi's disappearance.

Pompeo delivers remarks to reporters following a meeting with Trump about missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the White House on Thursday

A man holds Yeni Safak newspaper in a cafe with a headline that reads 'This is how Khashoggi was slaughtered' in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday. The outlet says it has audio of his death

Pompeo told reporters in a press conference outside the White House that he advised Trump that Saudi Arabia should be given a few more days to complete its investigation into the disappearance.

'I think it's important for us all to remember, too - we have a long, since 1932, a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,' Pompeo told reporters, also calling Saudi Arabia 'an important counterterrorism partner.'

The U.S. has long relied on Saudi Arabia as a regional counterbalance to Iran, overlooking a track record of human rights abuses in the kingdom, as well as ongoing bombing in civilian areas of Yemen.

Meanwhile, some of the strongest circumstantial evidence yet linking Prince Mohammed to Khashoggi's presumed torture and murder emerged on Thursday.

Multiple Turkish outlets reported that the prince's close confidante Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb was caught on surveillance video entering the consulate just hours before Khashoggi arrived for his appointment.

Mutreb, a Saudi intelligence official, is reportedly high ranking in the elite Royal Guard that personally protects Prince Mohammed.

A man identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb walks toward the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul before writer Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on October 2

Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, reportedly now being sought by Turkish authorities for questioning over Khashoggi's disappearance, can be seen in the background as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (front right) visits a Habitat for Humanity event in Houston in April

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (seen in file photo) denies any connection to Khashoggi's apparent murder, despite close ties to alleged hit men at the embassy

On Wednesday, Turkish police conducted a new intensive eight-hour search of the consulate, combing for forensic clues to Khashoggi's fate.

A team of dozens of police and prosecutors, including forensics experts in white overalls entered the residence of the consul, searching for clues with cadaver dogs and drones.

Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi, who was at the consulate when the alleged assassination of Khashoggi took place, fled Turkey one day before the search was carried out.

It follows a search on Monday, in which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said that investigators found fresh paint and 'toxic materials' - potential signs of an attempted cover-up.

Turkish forensic police officers use a sniffer dog for investigation at the back yard of the residence of the Saudi consul Mohammed al-Otaibi in the early hours of Thursday

Investigators are seen carrying gear during the search of the consulate on Wednesday. The search lasted for eight hours and stretched past midnight

What may have happened to the body remains a mystery.

Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancee, raised the alarm at about 5pm on October 2, about three hours after he entered the embassy.

Turkish officials rushed to inspect a private Saudi airplane before it could take off, and failed to find Khashoggi or his remains in the plane or luggage, sources told CNN.

According to local reports, Turkish police are searching an area of woodland outside Istanbul as well as a farm house across the Marmara Sea, in a grim hunt for the journalist's remains.

Investigators are said to have collected CCTV images from the entrance to Belgrad Forest to the north of the city amid fears the body was dumped there.

After tracing the route of the convoy of cars which left the Saudi consulate on October 2, the search has moved to woodland near the city of Yalova, a 55-mile drive south of Istanbul.

Investigators are reportedly also preparing to 'excavate' a villa in Yalova province, where one of the vehicles linked to the Saudi 'hit squad' was seen, according to Turkish media.

Turkish police are searching Belgrad Forest (pictured) outside Istanbul in the hunt for missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to local reports

Investigators are said to have collected CCTV images from the entrance to Belgrad Forest to the north of the city amid fears the US-based Saudi writer's body was dumped there

On Wednesday, the Washington Post published Khashoggi's final column, a searing call for press freedom protections in the Middle East.

Post global opinion editor Karen Attiah received the column from Khashoggi's assistant the day after he was reported missing, but had withheld if from publication until now in hopes of going through editing rounds with the writer.

'Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post,' Attiah wrote in note on the column.

Attiah continued: 'This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for.'

Khashoggi's final column is a straightforward call for greater press freedom in Arab countries - and a demand that the rest of the world hold the region's governments accountable for attacks on journalists.

The writer warns: 'Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate.'

He cited as examples the five-year imprisonment of Saudi writer Saleh al-Shehi for penning 'comments contrary to the Saudi establishment', and the Egyptian government's seizure of the entire print run of a newspaper.

'These actions no longer carry the consequence of a backlash from the international community,' Khashoggi wrote. 'Instead, these actions may trigger condemnation quickly followed by silence.'
The county schools will push forward with an equity effort that appeared to have been paused after board members Rhonda Thurman and Joe Smith in May said they rejected the idea that county schools need to racially and economically integrate.

An equity task force did not meet for several months and the schools did not move forward on hiring an outside consultant to help direct the effort.

However, Dr. Marsha Drake, chief equity officer, said Thursday that sub-committees of the Equity Task Force will begin meeting monthly to work on specific issues related to equity - which was described as giving an opportunity for every student to reach full potential.

She also said the PowerSchool educational technology platform will be used to handle two upcoming lotteries - the first being for enrollment in the much-sought-after Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts (CSLA) and Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences (CSAS). County school staff will no longer be involved in the lotteries.

Supt. Bryan Johnson said the magnet schools have a free and reduced lunch number of about 8-12 percent compared to close to 40 percent in other schools. He said, "We want those schools to be a little bit more cultural mirroring." CSAS officials said the school is 30 percent minority.

Board member Karitsa Mosley Jones, a graduate of CSAS, said schools like her alma mater and Normal Park School "are like private public schools. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

She said the equity push "is going to make some people uncomfortable who have been comfortable for a long time."

Jenny Hill, a new board member, said in order to push equity forward "things are going to have to change. If we have to change around every school in Hamilton County, then so be it."

Officials are still holding back on hiring an outside consultant, though Ms. Lennon told Dr. Drake, "That's a lot of work you're doing. You're just one person."

Dr. Johnson said, "It's a big elephant. It's a bite at a time."

Mr. Smith said he was leery of hiring outside experts, saying the schools should listen to those with experience in the system.

Another part of the effort is setting up a Newcomer School at Howard School to help with students who do not have English as their primary language.

Another is hiring more guidance counselors to give needy students more social and emotional support.

Ms. Thurman asked about a move to expand open enrollment schools. She said that is something "the parents should decide."

Dr. Drake said she has secured an 18-month equity fellowship to help her on the issue.

The board put off a vote on a five-year contract with Teachers For America, a group that recruits and trains teachers to work in inner-city schools. About half of the teachers are minorities.

Chairman Joe Wingate said a leader of the group was giving a newspaper interview before contacting and briefing him. Steve Highlander said he needed more time to study the details of the contract. Of TFA goals, he said, "I like some of them and some I don't like."

TFA is to supply 15 "supplemental" teachers to the county schools in 2019. They will be paid by the school system. The system is also to pay $250,000 per year that goes to the national organization for recruitment, training and administration. The state provided $1.5 million in funding that will cover that annual cost.

It was noted there are currently six teacher vacancies in the High Priority Schools. Ms. Jones said, "I've got students who don't have a math teacher. Some of the teachers tell me they can't wait until May 25 (end of school)."

TFA officials said Oct. 29 is the initial deadline for next-year teacher commitments. The board is to hold a special called meeting prior to that date.
New post, The Adversarial System and the Torah Ethic of Justice on Nishma Policy
As one of the most famous and most photographed women on the planet, the Duchess of Sussex is certainly used to being the centre of attention and having the world's eyes locked on her every move.

But while Meghan seems to have taken the intense demands of royal life in her stride, the former actress revealed that it was a different kind of pressure that she suffered from keenly before her romance with Harry blossomed.

The 37-year-old disclosed that she now feels 'free' after closing down her social media accounts and lifestyle blog as she spoke out on the dangers of seeking validation online.

She conversed openly about the hidden perils of Facebook and the like during a chat with members of the public on Bondi Beach, where she and her husband Prince Harry met with others to discuss issues surrounding mental health.

The former actress was previously an avid user of social media, documenting many aspects of her love life, travelling and charity work, and even had her own lifestyle and wellbeing blog called the Tig.

However activity on the accounts of Meghan, who had 1.9 million followers on Instagram, slowly died down in 2017 amid rumours that she was dating Prince Harry.

In fact shortly after news of their romance broke she shared a picture of two bananas hugging with the caption 'Sleep tight xx' in what many interpreted it as a symbol of the couples long distance relationship.

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Meghan is pictured placing her hand on her tiny baby bump as she arrived at Sydney's iconic Bondi on Friday morning

The couple announced their first pregnancy on Monday, the same day they arrived in Australia for their royal tour

Meghan social media shutdown Before embarking on a social media detox, the Duchess of Sussex was an avid user of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as well as a regular lifestyle blogger. However, Royal watchers were alerted to the growing importance of her relationship with Harry when her social media postings began to trail off in 2017. Tig Meghan began posting less and less, and in April 2017 she said her final farewell to her blog Tig, putting the nation on high alert that her relationship with Harry was about to be confirmed. 'After close to three beautiful years on this adventure with you, it's time to say goodbye to The Tig,' she wrote. The former Suits start went on to thank her followers and contributors for their ongoing support since she started the blog in 2014. Meghan began posting less and less, and in April 2017 she said her final farewell to her blog Tig, putting the nation on high alert that her relationship with Harry was about to be confirmed. 'You've made my days brighter and filled this experience with so much joy,' she continued. 'Keep finding those Tig moments of discovery, keep laughing and taking risks, and keep being "the change you wish to see in the world." 'Above all, don't ever forget your worth - as I've told you time and time again: you, my sweet friend, you are enough. Thank you for everything.' The actress signed the note 'Xx Meghan Markle', and a page featuring her letter along with a collage of images is now the only thing left on the site. Instagram As her behind the scene shots of her days on the Suits set, holiday photos and suppertime snaps lessened, rumours gathered that her hushed romance with Harry was becoming serious. Then, a playful image of two bananas smiling and spooning each other, seemingly signifying the closeness of a relationship with another, was shared onto her account - sending royal watchers into overdrive. A playful image of two bananas smiling and spooning each other, seemingly signifying the closeness of a relationship with another, was shared onto her account - sending royal watchers into overdrive Meghan's old Instagram account contained plenty of playful selfies, such as the one pictured Another selfie Meghan posted on her Instagram before freezing her account after entering the royal family A photograph of Meghan performing a gymnastic manoeuvre that was posted onto her Instagram A cheeky snap from Meghan's Instagram showing the then actor wearing a playful pair of jeans Feeling broody? Meghan is pictured with her two 'fairy goddaughters'  their mother is her friend Benita Litt, who helped with her lifestyle website, The Tig Getting political: Meghan risked nailing her colors to the mast by posting this snap of a protester after the Brexit vote  something the palace would no doubt frown upon Big event: Meghan marked her spot at the UN where she was giving a talk in 2015. She wrote she was 'excited' to be placed close to Hillary Clinton, whose seat was just out of shot Sense of humor: Meghan thanked loungewear clothing company Lunya for this pair of pajamas  which came in very cheeky packaging that says 'Good in Bed' A right-on motto for a very modern woman: Meghan shared one mantra about breaking glass ceilings Long time ago: This poem  by U.S. poet Tyler Knott Gregson, who is famous for writing Japanese haikus  was posted in 2014... before Meghan even met Harry Twitter These days Meghan's Twitter feed is a far more formal affair, having handed over the reigns to the Palace PR team. Before that though, she had three million followers and allegedly exchanged direct messages with GMB host Piers Morgan. Sadly for the daytime TV presenter, she 'ghosted' him when her relationship with Harry progressed. Piers revealed the hilarious anecdote while hosting GMB following Kensington Palace's confirmation that the royal and Meghan were an item. Now no longer in charge of her Twitter feed, carefully curated snaps of her and Harry attending functions and meeting with well wishers is the norm - while major announcements and statements are also shared via the medium. Recently their tour of Australia has been documented via the Kensington Palace channel, with meetings Facebook In January 2018, Meghan shutdown all of her social media channels, including Facebook, releasing a statement through Kensington Palace which said the 36-year-old was "grateful to everyone who has followed her social media accounts over the years" but had closed them "as she has not used these accounts for some time". Advertisement

Duchess Meghan has now revealed she does early-morning yoga to cope with sleeplessness brought on by her pregnancy

The duchess finally closed the blog and her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts in January ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry to bring her in line with the rest of the royals, whose accounts are run by the social media teams of their household.

Jessina Oakes, 26, of Bondi, revealed how the duchess was incredibly open about her experience online, as the pair chatted on the beach in Sydney during the fourth day of the royals' tour of Australia.

Jessina said: 'She said a really beautiful quote. She said "flattery and criticism run through the same filter". She said it was very freeing that she no longer has social media.'

Meghan, who is expecting her first baby with Prince Harry in the Spring of 2019, also told royal fans who gathered to catch a glimpse of the popular couple on Bondi Beach in Sydney on Thursday how she's relying on yoga to boost her energy levels.

The Duchess, 37, admitted she'd been awake at 4.30am that morning practising in an effort to combat her tiredness, as she and Harry joined an 'anti bad vibes' circle on Australia's most iconic beach with members of a local surfing community group.

The royal's mother Doria Ragland is a yoga instructor, and fitness fan Meghan - who was frequently snapped out and about with her yoga mat in the days before she joined The Firm - has previously described the practice as being 'in her blood'.

Charlotte Connell, 35, who is 23 weeks pregnant, and is the mother of Finn, two, said: 'Meghan told me that pregnancy was like having jet lag. She said she was up up at 4.30am this morning doing yoga in her room as she couldn't sleep.

'Its a bit of a double whammy for her, she said, as she has both the baby and the jet lag to content with.

'We both talked about how you feel jet lagged even though you have not travelled anywhere.

'Even in her jet lag she got up to do yoga this morning at 4.30. Physical activity like yoga and surfing is so good for healing your mind.'

As a TV star based in Toronto presiding over her own lifestyle website, The Tig, then actress Meghan frequently updated her fans on her favourite workouts - revealing she was a fan of Pilates Platinum, the megaformer method founded by her close friend, pilates instructor Heather Dorak.

Her remarks today made clear she intends to keep working out through pregnancy.

Kensington Palace confirmed the Duke and Duchess' happy news in a statement on Monday, just hours after they touched down in Australia at the start of their first major overseas tour.

The popular couple have been greeted by cheering crowds at all of their engagements to date, including a trip to Bondi Beach on Friday morning where Harry and Meghan joined a circle of colourfully dressed surfers to discuss the importance of being open about mental health battles.

The couple spent around ten minutes listening to the experiences of other members of the group and sharing their own, laughing and putting their arms around each other.

The royal couple visited Macarthur High School on the afternoon of the fourth day of their Australian tour

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke to the high school students about striving for female empowerment

The royals' attendance to the school was the worst kept secret in town, with students anxiously awaiting their arrival

They were shown student projects, including one where students made boxes of supplies to donate to vulnerable women

Meghan was sympathetic when a student told her about their part-time job, reminiscing on her own first job

The Duke and Duchess were introduced to teenage boys and girls from the In League In Harmony project from the NRL

'All these people you know of in your neighbourhood, now you know them and you're united,' the Duchess told students

They also visited Macarthur Girls High School on the fourth day of their visit to Australia and spoke to teenagers about equality, with the Duchess - who has even put her 'feminist manifesto' on the Buckingham Palace website - saying she felt 'emotional' hearing their passionate views.

Harry, who is now said to identify as a feminist, told the girls he wants men to add their voices to the fight for equality.

'Men can help as well by getting involved, we have to,' he said.

'We need to get men's voices involved as soon as possible.'

His wife, who has been a long-term advocate for women's rights, told students that their projects, including making boxes of supplies for women in need, made her proud.

'You guys all remind me so much of myself when I was growing up,' she told 14-year-old girls.

'I went to an all girls school which was incredibly diverse as well.

'I think being around such empowered young women, it becomes something that you all just grasp onto to understand your world.

'It's made you confident, well-spoken. You have an intention set to really do something to change the world, and you have to keep it up.

'It makes me so emotional. You're doing really, really good work and I'm so happy that we're here. We give you our full support.'

The couple's 'surprise' appearance at the school on Friday turned out to be the worst-kept secret on campus.

As Gladys Berejiklian, the Premier of New South Wales, teased them about being overexcited to see her, the teenagers fizzed with anticipation until the Duke and Duchess were finally introduced.

Then, cheers and excited screams filled the air as they walked outside to meet the well-behaved girls, who had been sitting neatly for assembly.

Invited to sit on a park bench in the centre, the couple watched a ballet-inspired dance performance from students to the song 'Power of Love' before heading inside for the workshops.

The program aims to unite young people from diverse communities to be 'advocates for positive change in their communities'

Invited to sit on a park bench, the couple watched a ballet-inspired performance from students to the song 'Power of Love'

The couple earlier went to Bondi Beach, one of Australia's most famous landmarks, to meet a local community surfing group known as One Wave.

It was founded by Grant Trebilco who suffered from mental health issues for a decade but felt unable to talk about them.

He was eventually diagnosed as being bi-polar and hospitalised.

When he came out, he said surfing was 'his saviour' and he finally felt able to open up to his closest friends, who were incredibly sympathetic to him and also shared issues of their own.

He has now created 'Fluro Fridays' where people dress up in fluorescent clothes and go to the beach, with the aim of fostering an atmosphere where others can open up about their own mental health issues.

Harry and Meghan, who was wearing a sleeveless Martin Grant dress with espadrille tie wedges, were both given brightly-coloured 'leis' - garlands of flowers - to put round their necks in order to enter into the spirit of things.

Accompanied by Trebilco, they kicked off their shoes on the edge of the beach and walked barefoot to sit in a group with some of the colourfully-dressed surfers.

Among others, Meghan spoke to fellow expectant mother Charlotte, who is pictured with her two-year-old son Finn

Meghan shared with a group of yoga performers she does yoga to stay grounded, while Harry prefers to talk openly

Harry revealed her prefers informal chats about mental illness, hoping to reduce the stigma around them

The couple met with members of a local surfing community called One Wave, which aims to raise awareness for mental health

The community group One Wave aims to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing, saying it's a strength to ask for help

The couple spent around ten minutes listening to the experiences of other members of the group and sharing their own

Meghan told them yoga helps ground her and that she tries to find the time to make it part of her daily routine

One Wave founder Grant Trebilco said the couple's openness about mental health will help people across the globe

Trebilco, 37, of Bondi, said the couple's openness about mental health would help people around the world.

'To have the Duke and Duchess down at Fluro Friday helped make mental health visible around the world,' he said.

'And it let people know that mental health doesn't descriminate.

'One thing that really stood out for me was that Prince Harry said asking for help is not a sign of weakness.

'It's a sign of strength.

'Mental health is invisible. You can't see when people are struggling.

'Wearing the bright flouro helps start conversations that never usually happen around mental health

'It reduces that barrier.

'Those bright colours show we can make it visible and we don't have to go through it alone.'

The couple donned floral leis as they met surfing and yoga members of the community

Members of the sharing group said the royal couple were relatable, open and honest

Dabriella Quayle, 37, said afterwards: Oh my goodness, they were just so real, so relatable. They shared their own experiences, which was amazing.

'Harry said seeking help was the best thing he had ever done. He was really open and honest. He said it doesn't matter who you open up to, they don't have to be professional. Anyone can be there for you. It could be your best mate or a stranger. You just need to open up to them.'

She added: 'They talked about the strangeness of their own situation and the lives they lead but that at the end of the day they are just real people. They are just human beings.

'They said they were just like us in that people say lots of positive things to you and then they say one negative thing, and that's what gets you down.

'Meghan said how she did yoga at 4.30 this morning because of the jet lag. She says she is feeling OK, not too bad. They said they hadn't really had time to settle down and get their heads round thing, and they have another 70 odd engagements to go.'

One member of One Wave said Meghan had a 'double whammy' of jet lag due to her pregnancy

Meghan revealed she had been up at 4.30am that morning practicing yoga when she couldn't get back to sleep

Meghan said yoga was her 'leveller', with the couple still having another 70 odd engagements to go

After the circle the royals walked over to a group practising yoga.

Nio Poniatowski, 25, said: 'Meghan said it was her "leveller", it's what keeps her grounded, like surfing does for us. She said it was her escape.'

Chatting with another group of surfers, Harry said he had never waxed a board before, so he and Meghan both had a go.

Surf instructor Sam Schumacher, 31, said the couple both revealed they had surfed, adding: 'The circle time was great. Two or three of us shared our personal stories.

'This visit will really raise the profile of what we are trying to do and the fact that mental health doesn't discriminate.

'It can affect anyone and that we all need to try and look after each other.

'I can see the passion in their eyes.'

Trebilco said the couple had been 'so nice, so friendly'.

One member of the circle said he could 'see the passion' for awareness of mental health in the couples' eyes

Chatting with another group of surfers, Harry said he had never waxed a board before, so he and Meghan both had a go

The royal couple pictured with garlands of flowers, or 'leis', dangling around their necks as they walk through the sand

Thousands of well-wishers came out to Sydney's iconic Bondi Beach to see the royal couple on Friday morning

Stuart Klees, 34, of Bondi, said: 'Harry shared his views on mental health towards everyone.'

'He's a big believer in normalising the conversation around mental health.

'He feels fortunate that he's in a position to get the right people together to spread that message.

'He's a big supporter of small community groups like One Wave.'

Prince Harry talked to the group about his own issues with mental health.

'He said he's seen a couple of counsellors before and never found one that suits him,' Klees said.

'He's a big believer in having normal conversations with normal people.

'He was pretty genuine, real honest, real open, real relaxed.

'He wasn't trying to put on a show. He was really genuine in the way he came across.'

As she left, Meghan told the group that she was 'loving' her first experience of Australia. 'It is so great to be here,' she said.
A double rapist has set up a Tinder profile calling himself an 'easy-going guy' after being released from prison.

Brian Davey, 27, from Bangor in Northern Ireland, is using the dating app to hook up with women despite being found guilty of rape and sexual assault.

The news led to an outcry from the father of one of his victims, who said he was 'almost sick' when he saw the profile.

Brian Davey, 27, from Bangor in Northern Ireland, is using Tinder to hook up with women despite being found guilty of rape and sexual assault

The rapist, whose original release date is believed to have been next September, says he likes 'food, cinema, sport and music', reported the Belfast Telegraph.

Davey, the son of a police officer, was found guilty of raping a student and jailed for three years at Belfast Crown Court in 2013.

He sexually assaulted a teenager after being released from prison three years later.

Her father, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, reacted with horror after seeing Davey's Tinder profile.

Davey, the son of a police officer, was found guilty of raping a student and jailed for three years at Belfast Crown Court in 2013 (where he is pictured)

'His is a face I will never forget,' he said. 'When I was told what he had done to my daughter, it took six men to hold me back and calm me down.

'I believe Brian Davey is a dangerous man.

'He is convincing, conniving and on the surface very charming, a man who still claims despite all his convictions that he has never done anything wrong.'

During the first attack, Davey invited himself into his victim's home, where his advances were rejected.

The woman went to the toilet, where she texted her housemate saying: 'I'm sacred of this creep.'

Later she woke to find Davey performing oral sex on her before pushing her down and raping her.

He assaulted her another time while she was 'crying and begging him to stop'.

Davey was imprisoned against in 2017 for breaking his licence conditions and later found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenager. He was released on October 5.
A British man who died in Egypt had his heart and kidneys removed before his body was repatriated, it has emerged.

David Humphries, 62, died after collapsing in the pool during a game with his grandchildren in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

Mr Humphries and his wife of 39 years Lynda were on a two-week family holiday in September with their daughter and grandchildren when he fell ill.

A UK coroner ordered a second post-mortem examination of his body  and the shocking discovery was made.

David Humphries, 62, and his wife Lynda, 59, were on holiday when David died. His vital organs were missing during a second post-mortem

David and his wife Lynda were married for 39 years when he fell ill in Egypt. Mrs Humphries is now asking for answers over his missing organs and his death

Mr Humphries' heart and kidneys were removed. His daughter believes they will not ever know what happened to him

Heartbroken wife Lynda Humphries, 59, said she wants answers after it emerged David sought medical help before he died.

A week into the family holiday David had complained of chest pains.

Not willing to take a risk the family visited Red Sea Hospital where Dave was handed antibiotics. He died just days later.

Anita Goodall, the couples daughter had joined them on the break.

She said: He was taken to hospital but nothing could be done.

They should never have sent him back to the hotel.

Mr Humphries died in September after seeking medical help in Egypt but was given antibiotics and sent back to the hotel

After five hours of interviews following his death the family was told an autopsy was being carried out against their wishes.

They had requested this not be done but were told it was procedure because they raised concerns over the hospitals treatment.

Anita added: We didnt trust anyone anymore but they told us it was a police inquiry.

When the body arrived home we were told it was in no state to be seen. Thats when alarms started ringing. His heart is most likely the thing that will tell us how he died. Now well never know.

In Egypt they believe that someone cant be laid to rest without their heart. So I just dont understand why they would do this to our family.

Egypt is no stranger to illegal organ markets with millions of dollars being made by organised crime rings.

Earlier in 2018 37 people were convicted of being involved in the illicit sales.

Mr Humphries is not the first Brit to die in Egypt this year.

John, 69, and Susan Cooper, 64, died on August 21 after being taken ill at a hotel booked through Thomas Cook in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

The Coopers died suddenly on August 21, after becoming ill while staying at the Steigenberger Aqua Magic Hotel.
Business rates are likely to soar by 14 per cent over the next five years in a bitter blow to High Street stores as they battle to survive.

The bill paid by British firms will rise from 29.6billion last year to 33.8billion in 2022-23, according to the Treasurys official forecasts.

That will spell misery for thousands of shopkeepers and other businesses facing fierce competition from online rivals.

Chancellor Philip Hammond has been urged to produce a budget for the high street

Retailers complain that Amazon paid business rates of 14 million compared with 184 million with Marks & Spencer

The business rates burden has already risen by 26.5 per cent since 2009-10 when it stood at 23.4billion. If the bill does reach 33.8billion in 2022-23 as predicted, it would have gone up by more than 44 per cent since the turn of the decade.

Chancellor Philip Hammond is under growing pressure to use this months Budget to help save the High Street.

The Mail has been campaigning for the Treasury to create a level playing field between traditional shops and online firms such as Amazon and Asos.

Last year Amazon paid 14million in business rates on its 14 warehouses across England and Wales, compared with Marks & Spencer which paid 184million. Amazon said its total bill was higher than this once its other sites were taken into account but refused to say how much it was. MPs have called for greater transparency around how much such companies pay.

Peter Kyle, a Labour MP and member of the business select committee, said: We have to have transparency about who is paying tax, and what tax, now.

Right now there is a bitterness creeping into the minds of high street retailers that the benefit of online activity is happening at their expense.

Mark Pawsey, a Conservative MP and also a business committee member said: A modest online retail tax would go some way to restoring the balance between online and bricks and mortar retailers. Maintaining our town centres is incredibly important.

Rosa Ashby, who has run Rosa Flowers in Witney near Oxford for more than 20 years, said: Business rates are an absolute nightmare. Each year it gets harder. Our rates are approximately 9,000 a year. Thats approximately 770 a month.

The UKs hospitality sector, which includes hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafes, is also affected by rising business rates, with the industry due to pay an extra 113million next year.

Katie Nicholls of industry body UK Hospitality, said urgent reform was needed in order to preserve the sector and the jobs it provides.

We call on the Chancellor to announce a freeze in the Budget and introduce a digital tax, she said.
A man who killed his friend's housemate and left him in a pool of blood with a fruit cake on his head will spend at least 24 years behind bars.

Leslie Kevin Talbot, 51, was sentenced to life in jail with a non-parole period of 24 years after he was found guilty of murdering David Saunders, 59, in February 2017.

Mr Saunders was found in a pool of blood on his kitchen floor at his Hayborough home, near Victor Harbor, South Australia.

A fruit cake had been placed on his head.

Leslie Kevin Talbot, 51, was sentenced to life in jail with a non-parole period of 24 years after he was found guilty of murdering David Saunders, 59 (pictured), in February 2017

Justice David Lovell, who handed down Talbot's life sentence, described the attack as being 'prolonged' and 'vicious', ABC News reported.

'You attacked him so viciously that when you stomped on his head you actually fractured his skull,' Justice Lovell said.

The judge said the attack was unprovoked by Mr Saunders, who had welcomed Talbot - who showed no signs or remorse - into his home.

He said the fact that Talbot was unwilling to provide no explanation as to why he put a fruit cake on the victim's head also showed he intended to 'demean' Mr Saunders.

'No doubt you are proud of your efforts as your subsequent bragging demonstrates,' he said.

The court previously heard Mr Saunders was struck at least six times in the head and was stabbed in the neck.

A saucepan, which had a large dent in it, was also found next the victim's body, along with a blood smeared carpet sweeper.

Mr Saunders was found in a pool of blood on his kitchen floor at his Hayborough home, near Victor Harbor, South Australia, with a fruit cake on his head (stock image)

A saucepan (pictured), which had a large dent in it, was found next the victim's body, along with a blood smeared carpet sweeper

'Mr Saunders was not a robust man...he was clearly no match for a person of your size and a person in your underlying anger,' the judge told Talbot in sentencing.

'Your behaviour on the day of the offending and leading up to the murder was belligerent, domineering and bullying.'

The South Australian Supreme Court heard Talbot had also been drinking earlier in the day, ABC News reported.

Officers delivered Talbot to the Hayborough home, where Mr Saunders lived with his flatmate Wayne Crouch, 48, after they received a call to 'keep the peace'.

Despite Talbot's alleged aggression and agitation on the day, the court heard the three men seemed amicable and were laughing at the time police left the house.

The South Australian Supreme Court heard Talbot had also been drinking earlier in the day and was taking to the Hayborough by police

While Talbot admitted to manslaughter before the trial, his guilty plea was not accepted by the Crown.

When Justice Lovell handed down the sentence, he said no clear motive had been offered for the killing and Talbot had been drinking heavily on the day.

He also revealed Talbot had a 'lengthy' 31-year criminal history, mostly for dishonesty and drug offences.

Outside the court, the dead man's family said they were happy with the sentence.

In a previous victim impact statement, Mr Saunders' daughter Stephanie said her only feelings towards Talbot were anger and hate.

'You violently killed my dad, you stomped on him, you strangled him, you stabbed him and you beat him with objects from around the room,' she said.

'He lay motionless and you still continued to stomp and beat him, letting him bleed out from his ears with a fruitcake on his head.

'To add to that you sat back drinking, thinking you were a big man, boasting how you stomped on the c***,' she said.
A man who 'never got over his childhood sweetheart' has been convicted of stalking her 50 years after they last saw each other.

Everard Cunion, 62, tried to track down Julie Taylor and rekindle his friendship with her earlier this year after he claims losing his job made him re-evaluate what was important in life.

He researched births, deaths and marriage registers in order to find Ms Taylor, who he had not seen since 1972, and obtained her wedding photo.

Everard Cunion, 62, tried to track down Julie Taylor and rekindle his friendship with her earlier this year

Obsessed Cunion also turned up at her old family home where her 88-year-old mother Georgina Allen still lived, a court heard.

Although Cunion was told to leave, he went on to send eight letters addressed to Ms Taylor.

He also went jogging past her mother's house every day over a four-month period and once even followed a woman he thought might be Ms Taylor from the property

Ms Taylor, nee Allen, did not respond to his letters but she and her mother became concerned when Cunion made a joke about kidnapping her in one.

Ms Taylor, from Christchurch, Dorset, reported the IT software engineer to the police.

Cunion initially denied his behaviour amounted to harassment but admitted one charge of stalking Ms Taylor, 62, and one of harassing her mother.

He will be sentenced next month but was told by magistrates to stay away from the family.

Afterwards Cunion, who lives with nine life-size dolls at his home in Christchurch, said he felt 'stupid' over the matter.

He said: 'I upset her (Ms Taylor) when I was at school and it's haunted me for 50 years.

'I was determined to try to find out if she was okay but clearly I alarmed her.

'I wanted to find a way of making it up to her.

'Girls have to be able to reject guys they don't want and those guys have to accept that. For some reason I have not really been able to.

'It's a shame and I do feel really stupid about the whole thing.'

Lee Turner, prosecuting, explained Cunion's unrequited love for Ms Taylor began when he went to school with her between 1968 and 1972.

He said: 'They last saw each other on the last day of school in 1972. He wrote a letter to her in the early 1970s but it didn't reach her as her mother burnt it and in 1978 she received a letter from him but disposed of it and didn't reply.

'In May this year he went to the old family home and the door was answered by her 88-year-old mother.

'He started asking questions about her daughter and she immediately recognised him as the male who used to have an infatuation with her daughter at school.

'He tried to give her a letter but she said no and shut the door.

'A couple of days later post arrived addressed to Julie Allen, her maiden name, detailing how much he wanted to get in touch.

'He sent a further seven letters in May, June, July, August and September.

'He made reference to some gates that the mother had only just had installed and she started worrying he was watching the property.

'The letters started off short and over time became lengthier and more rambled.

'The fifth letter, in August, caused her to phone the police as he made reference to wanting to kidnap her. It was written in a light-hearted way saying his kidnapping days were done but it caused her alarm.

'He also made reference to having researched her and knew little-known private details.

'In a letter in September he detailed an incident where he followed a female leaving the address on foot, believing it was Julie - it wasn't.

'She never replied to any letters.'

He researched births, deaths and marriage registers in order to find Ms Taylor and even turned up at her old adress

James Moore, defending, told Poole Magistrates' Court that Cunion never posed a threat to Ms taylor or her mother.

He said: 'Redundancy caused him to take stock of his life and all he wanted to do was see if he could rekindle a friendship with her.

'He realises that is not going to happen and since his arrest he hasn't engaged in any behaviour like this with Julie or her mother.

'He only attended the address on two occasions and thereafter posted letters.

'He made a joke (about kidnapping) because he was trying to build a rapport. There was no malice on his part but he accepts he might have been over the top.

'He doesn't oppose a restraining order and is keen to draw a close to the matter.'

District judge Stephen Nicholls adjourned the case for pre-sentence reports.

He released Cunion on bail on condition that he does not contact either of the women, not to go to their home and not to research any material relating to them.
A face-tattooed Australian man has admitted to kidnapping and raping a British backpacker during a nightmare 1,500km (932 miles) road trip through the Outback.

Marcus Allyn Keith Martin, 23, appeared before the Cairns District Court via video link on Friday, pleading guilty to raping and kidnapping a 22-year-old female tourist.

The offences took place over a two-month period in 2017, with police only rescuing the distraught victim after she drove off from a petrol station without paying in south-west Queensland last March.

Martin pleaded guilty to three counts of rape and one count of deprivation of liberty and will be sentenced in February next year.

The Liverpool woman's horrifying ordeal took place when the two were travelling together in Queensland's outback last year.

Marcus Allyn Keith Mitchell, 23, has pleaded guilty to raping and kidnapping a British tourist

The man was travelling with a 22-year-old female British backpacker in early-2017

The pair met in Cairns on Australia Day in 2017, driving for nearly 1,500km (932 miles).

Last year it was reported that the victim started a relationship with Martin after they met at an outdoor dance party, known as a 'doof'.

At the time, friends said the backpacker appeared to be under her alleged attacker's 'spell'.

But within days the relationship began to sour as he allegedly became 'obsessive and clingy'.

Her later disappearance made international headlines, before the case culminated in the regional town of Mitchell.

She had been driving a white Mitsubishi Pajero through Mitchell when she stopped at a petrol station to fill up.

The service station attendant, Beverley Page, remembered her being in a 'state of shock when she came in, almost zombie like'.

The assaults were brought to the attention of police after the British woman (pictured) drove from a petrol station without paying

The pair drove together for nearly 1,500km (932 miles) before the woman was pulled over by police with Martin hiding in the back of the car

The attendant said she had tears streaming down her face and was unable to pay for the fuel.

'She was in a state of shock when she came in, almost zombie-like,' Ms Page said at the time. 'Tears were running down her face.'

'I made the decision to follow her because I thought that if I could get the registration number I'd be able to file a report to the police,' Ms Page said.

The victim drove off without paying and the attendant immediately called police.

A dramatic rescue took place hours later when police pulled over the four-wheel drive, finding the distraught and badly beaten woman at the wheel.

An inspection of the car revealed her captor, Martin, stowed away in the back.

Martin and the British woman had been travelling together for two months in a Mitsubishi Pajero

He was arrested and charged with rape, assault, strangulation and kidnap offences

He was arrested and charged with four counts of rape, eight counts of assault, four counts of strangulation and two of deprivation of liberty and declined bail.

He has been in custody since his arrest last March.

He earlier pleaded guilty to supplying dangerous drugs, wilful damage, assault occasioning bodily harm and strangulation.

Prosecutors discontinued ten of the charges following Martin's guilty plea on Friday.
President Donald Trump saluted Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte at a campaign rally in Montana for body-slamming a reporter last year  saying there was 'nothing to be embarrassed' about and calling him 'my kinda guy.'

The president's outright praise for the assault came at a time of intense interest in press freedoms after the alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident who wrote a Washington Post column, inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Trump, who once again went after the 'fake news' at his Missoula campaign rally Thursday night, called Gianforte up on stage and recounted the time he went after Guardian journalist Ben Jacobs, after he asked him a question about his health care plan.

'Greg is smart. And by the way never wrestle him. Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kinda  he's my guy,' Trump said.

'TOUGH COOKIE': President Donald Trump hailed Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after body slamming a reporter, as 'my kinda guy' and a 'tough cookie'

Trump's comments drew cheers from supporters who gathered to see him rally.

'I shouldn't say this, because I'll - there's nothing to be embarrassed about,' Trump continued.

He told the crowd that he was in Rome when he learned about the incident  and his mind immediately turned to the political ramifications.

'I had heard that he body-slammed a reporter. And he was way up [in a special election]. And I said, oh this is like the day of the election or just before. And I say this is terrible he's going to lose the election.'

Then upon reflection: 'I said wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well I think it may help him, and it did,' Trump said.

'He's a great guy. Tough cookie.'

The Guardian issued a statement from U.S. editor John Mulholland condemning Trump's comments on Thursday night.

'To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it.'

'In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi,' the statement continued, 'it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats. We hope decent people will denounce these comments and that the president will see fit to apologize for them.'

In explicitly praising the violent attack by the lawmaker, Trump went further than he did last month in Billings, where he praised Gianforte using less direct language.

Gianforte apologized and paid $50,000 to a charity after the incident

Trump also blasted Democrats as the 'party of crime' at a rally in Missoula, Montana

President Donald Trump is greeted by Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale and his wife Jean., as he arrives at Missoula International Airport on Air Force One, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in, Missoula, Mont. Trump said he was campaigning in Montana because of what Tester did to stop the nomination of Dr. Ronny Jackson to run the Veterans Affairs Department

'This man has fought,' Trump said, 'in more ways than one, for your state. He has fought for your state. Greg Gianforte. He is a fighter and a winner,' Trump said, using more subtle language while still delivering the message at that event.

Last year, Gianforte attacked Jacobs by slamming him to the ground when the press was asking questions.

He initially falsely told the Gallatin County sheriff's office afterward that the reporter 'stuck a microphone in my face' and was 'interrogating [him] in a very intensive way.'

But audio subsequently released by Jacobs and eyewitness accounts contradicted the lawmaker, who went on to win reelection.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, paid a $50,000 fine to the Committee to Protect Journalists and issued an apology letter.

In a courtroom he pledged to do an interview with Jacobs, but never did, the Guardian reported.

The close embrace of Gianforte came at a rally where Trump said his true purpose was to try to take down Sen. Jon Tester in a bit of political payback.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after his assault on Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs

Trump called Tester, a Democrat who carves out a centrist image and has ads running throughout the state touting care for veterans and bipartisan support, as 'super liberal.'

Tester voted against both of Trump's Supreme Court nominees, including Justice Brett Kavaugh, who was accused of sexual assault in what Trump called a smear.

But it was Tester's role in helping sink the nomination of Dr. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician, to head the Veterans Affairs Department that Trump says brought him to Montana.

'And Jon Tester led the group. That's why I'm here,' Trump said.

Trump also went after Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass

'First of all I have a lot of respect for the man that's running, Matt,' Trump hastily added, referencing Rosendale.

'Also I'm here because I can never forget what Jon Tester did to a man that's of the highest quality.'

'What he did was vicious. What he did was as they did with Judge Kavanaugh  same thing,' Trump said. 'Almost,' he added.

As his lively rally inside an air hangar continued, and with control of Congress hanging in the balance, Trump took shots at a range of potential 2020 opponents.

'How about Pocahontas, Elizabeth Warren?' Trump said, bringing up the Massachusetts Democrat who released the results of a DNA test Monday showing a small fraction of Native American heritage.

'You know, the one good thing about her test is that there was so little. She had less than the average American. I used to say, 'I have more Indian blood in me than she does, and I have none.' I used to say it. And I was right!' Trump said.

'But the only good thing she did -- I think she's probably disqualified, because she made a fool out of herself. But I think the only good thing she did [is] I can't call her Pocahontas anymore, right? She has so little Indian blood, she has none, that I cannot call her Pocahontas anymore. But if you don't mind, I'll continue. Do you mind? Because it'll show everybody what a phony she is, he said.

Earlier, Trump opened a furious attack on Democrats en route to Montana and kept it going on the ground  even suggesting Democrats are responsible for a caravan of illegal immigrants making their way toward the border.

He blasted the caravan organizers for arriving before the November elections, casting it as a politically foolish move. 'Regardless, that's our issue,' Trump said at a rally at a private air hanger in Missoula.

'They're an there are those that say that caravan  it didn't just happen,' Trump said, blasting his opponents for bad politics.

President Donald Trump kicked off a campaigng swing at a rally in Missoula, Montana

'They have horrible policy. They hate ICE. They don't like our military. They don't like our vets,' Trump said. 'They wanted that caravan.'

He also hailed the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and trashed Democrats for trying to block him.

'What they did was terrible. And what they did to Brett Kavanaugh and his beautiful family is a national disgrace that will not be soon forgotten,' Trump said.

He later threatened: 'We fight back. Call if whatever the hell you want.'

Trump launched his first attack on Democrats from the air above the Rocky Mountains.

'Will be landing soon. Looking forward to seeing our next Senator from Montana, Matt Rosendale. He will represent our Country well, far better than Jon Tester who will vote with Cryin' Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi - never with us!' Trump wrote, blasting the two congressional Democratic leaders.

Before Trump even arrived, Montana Sen. Steve Daines ignited cheers of 'lock her up' when he said: 'Thank god that Hillary Clinton is not president of the United States.

Trump visited Montana to try to take down one of his favorite targets - Senator Jon Tester (above). He slammed the Democrat for criticizing failed VA nominee Ronny Jackson

He also blasted home-state Sen. Jon Tester, saying: 'We need a U.S. senator who believes in the rule of law, not mob rule.'

That was an attack picked up by GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte, who is seeking reelection, and who drew national attention last year when he slammed a reporter to the ground.

'We got leftist mobs in the streets. They're calling for open borders and to abolish ICE,' Gianforte said.

On Wednesday, before his trip, Trump made plain that his third campaign trip to Montana Thursday is driven by a desire to hit back atDemocratic Sen. Jon Tester for helping torpedo the nomination of White House physician Ronny Jackson to run the VA.

Jacobs tweeted about the incident immediately after it happened

Trump brought up Tester's role in the fiasco of Jackson's nomination to run the Department of Veterans' Affairs in a tweet Wednesday evening  blasting Tester for 'vicious' statements about Admiral Jackson.

Tester, who is in a toss-up race that will help determine control of the Senate and leads narrowly in polls, revealed information that came to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, where he is the top Democrat, which helped lead the nomination to blow up.

'Ever since his vicious and totally false statements about Admiral Ron Jackson, the highly respected White House Doctor for Obama, Bush & me, Senator John Tester looks to be in big trouble in the Great State of Montana!' Trump wrote on the eve of his trip here.

Trump supporters lined up to hear the president at a private air facility in Missoula

The Trump campaign transported media members and rally attendees to the event aboard school buses

Reporters got treated to a 'Real News' board as they entered

'He behaved worse than the Democrat Mob did with Justice K!' Trump added, in reference to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whose nomination was narrowly confirmed on a 50 to 48 vote. Tester voted against both Kavanaugh and Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump's previous nominee.

While vulnerable, Tester has led in three recent polls, and has a three point edge over his opponent in the latest RealClearPolitics average.

Jackson was revealed after his nomination to be close to Trump, with regular contact with him in the East Wing. But he soon came under fire for his office's practice of liberally distributing prescription medications on presidential trips  evening earning the moniker 'Candy Man' during the Obama administration.

'That's not a nickname you want in a doctor. And if you consider the prescription drugs [problem] we have a problem within this country right now, it's not the example we need to have set,' Tester told CNN in April.

'Ever since his vicious and totally false statements about Admiral Ron Jackson (above), the highly respected White House Doctor for Obama, Bush & me, Senator John Tester looks to be in big trouble in the Great State of Montana!' Trump tweeted on Wednesday
A prolific drug dealer, who managed to smuggle more than $90,000 worth of ice onto a plane, was caught two days later after he walked in on a police raid.

Daniel Bennett, 29, flew with 335.76g of methamphetamine from Adelaide to Darwin before renting a Darwin hotel room.

Two days later he drove to an apartment block in The Narrows where a police drugs bust was already taking place.

A prolific drug dealer, who managed to smuggle more than $90,000 worth of ice onto a plane, was caught two days later after he walked in on a police raid

He gave police a false name but they searched his car and found 56.6g of ice, digital scales, empty clip-seal bags, a drug ledger ,$11,145 in cash and three mobile phones.

He also had two diamonds in a screw top car.

Police also raided his hotel room where they found 279g of ice $49,450 in cash and a stun gun disguised as a mobile phone.

Bennett pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a commercial quantity of the drug, at the Supreme Court, after his arrest in February.

He was sentenced to four years and 10 months in jail with a non-parole period of three years and five months.

Justice Bokland said that drug ledgers found in his possession had indicated that he was selling meth for $7,000 to $8,000 per ounce.

This would have meant he had been in possession of more than $95,000 worth of methamphetamine.

The court heard that Bennett was selling meth by the ounce, with total potential profits amounting to more than $95,000 (stock image)

Justice Jenny Blokland told the court that Bennett expressed remorse, citing a difficult childhood and a family involved in the drug scene as his reasoning behind the offence.

His mother had previously spent time in jail for drug trafficking.

'He talks about growing up with a parent who had drug problems and that he knows first-hand the level of misery caused by methamphetamine in the community and that it can tear families apart,' she said.
An Australian man has died in a motorbike crash after he smashing into a church's brick wall while he was on holiday in Bali.

Callan Jay Everts, 32, from Perth, died of severe head injuries when he crashed his motorbike into the Santo Paulus Church in North Kuta,on Wednesday morning.

Bali Police said Mr Everts' was not wearing a helmet, which was tied to the handle of his vehicle, and suffered from a massive open wound on the back of his head.

But his sister, Michelle, told The ABC that he was wearing a helmet when he crashed.

Callan Jay Everts (pictured with his sister), 32, from Perth , died of severe head injuries when he crashed his motorbike into a concrete wall

Mr Everts (pictured) was hospitalised at Sanglah Hospital with a massive open wound at the back of his head where he died

Mr Everts had two Australian friends with him who were also riding their own motorcycles but neither were injured, reportsNews Corp Australia.

According to police documents Mr Everts, a property valuer, was recklessly driving a Honda Beat motorbike from 'north to south' and turned left when he lost control and hit the wall of the Catholic church.

Before the crash occurred, Mr Everts had one friend riding in front of him and another behind.

Bali Police who investigated the scene said Mr Everts was driving recklessly when the crash occurred

Mr Everts was driving recklessly without a helmet when he turned left on a street and crashed into a concrete wall

Callan Jay Everts , 32, was killed in a motorbike crash after he smashed into the brick wall of a church

The 32-year-old was taken to Sanglah Hospital where he died, said Badung Traffic Police chief Ni Luh Putu Anne Parwisti.

Mr Everts' sister Michelle Everts took to Facebook and expressed a moving tribute about her 'beloved' brother, who she referred to as a 'beautiful soul who made this world a better place'.

'Callan you were a beautiful soul, so kind, so genuinely carding, so loving so generous,' she wrote.

'You were always there for me, you'd drop everything if I needed your help'

'I cannot bear the thought of the world without you. Please shine down on us from heaven, please God give us strength.'

'I love you so much, always and forever xxx.'
Nearly 100 women who say they were sexually harassed or abused by a former University of Southern California gynecologist are suing the school, contending it ignored decades of complaints.

'I am part of an accidental sisterhood of hundreds of women because the university we love betrayed our trust,' said Dana Loewy, who alleged that Dr. George Tyndall assaulted her during an examination in 1993.

She was among some 20 women who appeared at a news conference on Thursday to announce the filing of new lawsuits on behalf of 93 women against the university.

About 500 current and former students have now made accusations against Tyndall.

The women alleged USC ignored decades of complaints about a former University of Southern California gynecologist. Pictured, student Brennan Heil

Around 20 women appeared at a news conference on Thursday to announce the filing of new lawsuits on behalf of 93 women against USC

They contend he routinely made crude comments, took inappropriate photographs and forced plaintiffs to strip naked and groped them under the guise of medical treatment. Complaints reportedly go back as far as 1988.

Attorney John Manly noted that Los Angeles police and the Los Angeles County district attorney's office both are reviewing allegations against Tyndall.

But he called on the state attorney general's office to investigate USC's handling of complaints against Tyndall.

'The University of Southern California, my alma mater, is the recipient of hundreds of millions of dollars of state of California aid, and it is clear they miserably failed these women,' he said.

They contend he routinely made crude comments, took inappropriate photographs and forced plaintiffs to strip naked and groped them

Brennan Heil, a USC senior, said she went to see Tyndall as a freshman after she was raped.

'During the consultation, he molested me,' she alleged during the press conference.

About 500 current and former students have now made accusations against George Tyndall (pictured). He has denied the allegations

Two women said they called USC's hotline to report complaints against Tyndall but received no follow-up.

Manly accused USC's Board of Trustees of failing to speak out about the alleged abuses.

He specifically named some of the high-powered members, including Steven Spielberg, United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz and Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss.

'They haven't said a word. Not one,' he said. 'All these women: 500. You're on the board. Say something.'

In a statement, USC said it was aware of the lawsuits and will seek 'a prompt and fair resolution that is respectful of our former students.'

Tyndall spent about three decades as a USC staff gynecologist before retiring last year after a USC investigation concluded that there was evidence that Tyndall sexually harassed students during physical examinations.

Tyndall has denied the allegations and has not been charged with a crime. USC has denied accusations of a cover-up.

In August, USC President C. L. Max Nikias stepped down in the wake of the criticism arising from the sex-abuse allegations.

A group of current and former USC students comfort each other during a press conference in Los Angeles
President Donald Trump praised his wife Melania during a rally in Montana on Thursday after a government plane carrying her was forced to turn around on Wednesday and return to an air base in Maryland after smoke filled the cabin.

Trump bragged about how the first lady handled the situation by remaining calm as others aboard the plane covered their faces with cloths.

'She was cool, she was cool,' he said. 'Once I found out, I asked how was she, was she scared? No, sir. What was she like? She was so cool, we couldnt believe it. Everybody else had cloth on their face, and I probably would have also. Cloth that was water, right wet on their face. She sat there.'

The plane quickly returned to Maryland, and everyone was back on their way to Philadelphia in under an hour.

Journalists on board said no one was hurt.

The president also addressed the controversial 'pith' hat Melania wore while visiting Kenya in early October, pointing out that he thought it was bought in Los Angeles.

In Montana, Trump described how he reacted when he got word that there was 'fire on the plane' carrying his wife, and how promptly the issue was handled.

'I got a call, "Sir, your wife is up in the air, theres a fire on the plane," I said, "Dont tell me that. Dont tell me that." And they came down quickly. Great people, great pilots, great pilot,' he said.

The morning flight had only been underway for 10 minutes when Secret Service agents leapt from their seats and ran to the front of the aircraft.

The first lady's spokesperon Stephanie Grisham said shortly after the brief crisis was declared over that a 'minor mechanical issue' was to blame. No smoke was visible from the outside of the plane after it touched down.

Melania's flight returned to Joint Base Andrews and landed safely at 9.05am.

President Donald Trump praised first lady Melania during a rally in Montana on Thursday after a plane carrying her was forced to turn around on Wednesday as smoke filled the cabin

The first lady calmly walked off the plane wearing a navy-checked belted coat, sunglasses and her signature stilettos, and carrying her handbag, as she was hustled off to a waiting SUV

The president also addressed the controversial 'pith' hat Melania wore while visiting Africa, during a safari in Nairobi, Kenya, on October 5, which was called out as a nod to colonization

Secret Service agents spread across the tarmac to secure the area and shoo away reporters the moment they disembarked

They're fine. I just spoke to her. They came back, she got on another plane. I said, 'I hope this plane's better than the first one.' But yeah they had a problem. Yeah, but she's fine.  President Donald Trump

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar was also on the faulty flight.

A press pool reporter on board the first plane said journalists 'could see a thin haze of smoke and smell something burning. The smell quickly became stronger.'

A crew member told the reporter that a 'malfunctioning comms unit' was to blame. The White House has not confirmed any details.

When the flight landed in the midst the scare, the first lady calmly walked off the plane and got into a waiting SUV. A pool reporter said a second plane was made ready for takeoff within 50 minutes, and the first lady was on her way again.

She landed safely at her destination less than an hour later.

Melania Trump's plane turned around after smoke filled the cabin on Wednesday; she's pictured at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia after arriving on a second aircraft, and grinning as she got laughs when she apologized 'for a little delay'

Once in Philadelphia, the first lady addressed a hospital conference on neonatal abstinence syndrome, a condition that strikes infants who have withdrawal from their mothers' use of narcotics while pregnant

Melania didn't mention her travel problems during her brief remarks at a meeting on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome convened by the Department of Health and Human Services in Philadelphia.

But she drew chuckles with a grinned apology 'for a little delay.'

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome strikes infants who experience withdrawal from their mothers' use of narcotics while pregnant.

'There are few things harder than seeing a newborn suffering,' the first lady said. 'I am anxious to do all I can to shine a light on this epidemic.'

She toured a neonatal intensive care unit and met with families affected by the syndrome before returning to Washington in the afternoon.

President Donald Trump said the first lady was unharmed and joked that he hoped the replacement airplane was 'better than the first one'

Later on Wednesday, the president confirmed to Fox Business Network that all was well with Melania.

'They're fine. I just spoke to her,' Trump said. 'They came back, she got on another plane.'

'I said, "I hope this plane's better than the first one",' he quipped. 'But yeah, they had a problem. Yeah, but she's fine.'

Also on Thursday, Trump made mention of the 'pith' hat Melania wore on a safari in Africa this month.

History: Safari hats emerged in the 19th century and were predominantly worn by armed forces in British colonies, which is why the accessory didn't sit well with many Twitter users

Questions: Several people wondered why Melania decided to wear the hat given its cultural significance

He said: 'They said it represented a colonialized nation. And everybodys trying to figure  I think it came out of Los Angeles. I think they actually bought it in Los Angeles. But they love the job shes doing.'

But people were not concerned about where the hat was from. They were concerned about what it has come to represent, which is oppression, according to the Guardian.

The pith helmet was favored by European explorers and imperial administrators in Africa, parts of Asia and the Middle East in the 19th century. It was then adopted by military officers as it quickly became a symbol of status and oppression.

It later fell out of favor with soldiers, guides and wildlife specialists who came to understood the harsh connotation of the headwear.
President Donald Trump has resumed mocking Senator Elizabeth Warren over the results of her private DNA analysis, joking that the test showed so little native ancestry that he can no longer call her 'Pocahontas'.

'You know the one good thing about her test is that there was so little - there was less than the average American,' Trump said on Thursday at a midterm campaign rally in Missoula, Montana.

Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, released the test results on Monday, showing that she had as little as 1/1,024th Native American ancestry.

'I used to say, 'I have more Indian blood in me than she does and I have none,' and I was right,' Trump continued.

Trump said of Warren (left) on Thursday at a midterm campaign rally in Montana: 'She has so little Indian - well she has none - that I cannot call her Pocahontas anymore'

Trump said that 'she probably disqualified herself because she made a fool out of herself,' apparently referring to Warren's ambitions for a 2020 presidential run.

'I can't call her Pocahontas anymore,' he added. 'She has so little Indian - well she has none - that I cannot call her Pocahontas anymore. But it you don't mind I'll continue, do you mind?'

The audience roared in approval of the pejorative nickname, which Trump has defended by saying it is only 'mean' to the 'real Pocahontas'.

'It will show everyone what a phony she is!' Trump said, appearing to vow to continue using the nickname.

Warren's DNA analysis, conducted by a privately hired scientist who is an expert on Native American genomics, found that her Native American ancestry was between 0.09 percent and 1.5 percent.

One 2014 study found that, on average, European Americans tested for 0.18 per cent Native American ancestry.

Trump said that 'she probably disqualified herself because she made a fool out of herself,' apparently referring to Warren's ambitions for a 2020 presidential run

Warren took the test after she was criticized for billing herself as a 'minority' faculty member at Harvard University and other schools in the 1980s and 90s, based on a family tale that a great-great-great-grandmother had been Cherokee.

The Cherokee Nation was quick to condemn Warren on Monday for implying that she was among their 288,000 enrolled members. She has said in the past that one of her ancestors was part Cherokee and part Delaware.

Warren is ineligible for Cherokee membership. Her forebears aren't listed on the Dawes Rolls, a sheaf of hundred-year-old government documents considered the first step to Cherokee citizenship.

On Wednesday, Warren told The Boston Globe that she wishes she had been more careful to distinguish between her claims about her family tree and the notion that she might belong to an actual tribe.

'Theres a distinction between citizenship and ancestry. I wish I had been more mindful of that distinction,' the Massachusetts Democrat said Wednesday. 'The tribes and only the tribes determine citizenship.'
Australia has risked enraging China after a Navy warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait.

In a move viewed as evidence of Australia's alliance with the United States, the HMAS Melbourne, an Australian Navy Vessel armed with guided missiles, passed through the Taiwan Strait in September last year.

The voyage, which was revealed on Friday, happened only weeks after China vehemently opposed the same path taken by two US warships.

Guided missile frigate HMAS Melbourne (pictured) was reportedly seen in the Taiwan Strait

The United States and China have been embroiled in tension for months, heightened last July when the USS Mustin and USS Benfold passed through the Taiwan Strait.

China's intense desire for international recognition of their claim to Taiwan makes them very protective of the Strait.

Security experts say the continual movement of HMAS Melbourne through the Taiwan Straight could displease Beijing, particularly in the midst of their tense standoff with the US.

Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute, Euan Graham, told The Australian the move was likely to be indignify China.

'Sailing through the Taiwan Strait is not a [freedom-of-navigation operation], but neither is it an everyday occurrence. It always attracts negative attention from the PRC (People's Republic of China),' he said.

A senior US official suggests the Australian warships passage proves strength is the Australian and United States' alliance

A senior US official discussed the Australian warship, suggesting the US and their allies were rallying against China's claim on Taiwan, according to the publication.

Their protectiveness flared again earlier this week with China protesting the docking of a navy research ship in the nation's southern port on Wednesday.

Taiwanese officials said the ship was part of an international research project, which also involved researchers from Australia.

Australia last month condemned China after a Chinese warship nearly collided with a US destroyer.
Nine Insulate Britain eco zealots will be in prison for Christmas after being jailed today at the High Court for breaching an injunction designed to prevent their M25 road blockades which caused two months of chaos. Two of the activists were jailed for three months, a further six were imprisoned for four months and the ninth - Ben Taylor (top right, today), 27 - received six months after boasting he would immediately block the motorway again if not imprisoned. Ben Buse, 36, Ana Heyatawin, 58, Louis McKechnie, 20, Roman Paluch-Machnik (top left), today), 28, Oliver Rock, 41, Emma Smart (bottom centre), 44, Tim Speers (bottom right), 36, James Thomas, 47, and Mr Taylor were all jailed and could have to pay up to 91,000 in costs. The nine were imprisoned over a protest on October 8 at Waltham Cross in Hertfordshire which saw a total of 16 people arrested - but dozens more activists are set to be issued with committal proceedings in the next few days. The group and its supporters chanted 'We are unstoppable, another world is possible' as they were led to the cells through the dock by security officers at the court in London. Heyatawin and McKechnie were both jailed for three months while Buse, Paluch-Machnik, Rock, Smart, Speers and Thomas all received four-month sentences. The shorter jail term for Heyatawin was because of her medical issues, while McKechnie's was due to his younger age. The men will be at Category B Pentonville jail in Islington and the women at Category A Bronzefield in Surrey. Insulate Britain is an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, which today described those jailed as the 'Highway Nine'.
The mother of a young woman who disappeared six years ago says she will never be at peace until her daughter's body is found.

Leisl Smith, 23, vanished from the NSW Central Coast on August 19, 2012, and is presumed to have died near that time.

Her former on-and-off boyfriend James Scott 'Jim' Church, 48, was arrested about 5.10pm on Thursday and charged with murder later that day.

He was refused bail in Inverell Local Court on Friday.

Leisl Smith, 23, vanished from the NSW Central Coast on August 19, 2012, and is presumed to have died near that time

Leisl's mother Sandi Smith said she hoped the court case would finally reveal what happened to her and allow her to be given a proper burial

Leisl's mother Sandi Smith said she hoped the court case would finally reveal what happened to her girl, and allow her to be given a proper burial.

'There's never closure on the death of a child, you can never walk away from it, it sticks with you forever,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'No parent should have to bury a child, and I haven't even been able to do that. I lost my father years ago and I miss him terribly  but I know where he is.'

Ms Smith said her whole family knew a trial would open wounds and be a 'hard path to tread', but hopefully provide answers.

'It's an emotional time for everyone, it's hard for everyone. They want results so we're not wondering every day where she is and what happened,' she said.

The still-grieving mother said Leisl met Church as he was a neighbour of her father Storm Smith in Wallarah and they bonded of their mutual love of horses.

James Scott 'Jim' Church, 48, (left) was arrested about 5.10pm on Thursday and charged with murder later that day

Ms Smith said they pair began an on-again, off-again relationship between other partners over several years.

'The age gap wasn't really a surprise because most of her boyfriends were much older than her,' she said.

'She said about a different man "Mum, you can't help who you fall in love with".'

Detectives said Leisl may have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance.

Police said Church was a person of interest since he was first questioned by detectives in April 2013.

His home, and four others linked to him bordering the Golden Highway in Merriwa in the Hunter Valley, were searched by cadaver dogs and some items seized but no body found.

Leisl met Church as he was a neighbour of her father Storm Smith and they bonded of their shared love of horses, her mother said

Detectives said Leisl (left) may have been pregnant at the time of her disappearance

Leisl (left) was last seen on CCTV leaving her car at Tuggerah Railway Station that night, before getting into a white ute, allegedly owned by Church, and driving away

Police gave no indication of why they decided to charge him now, but Ms Smith said officers told her the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions reviewed the case and said there was enough evidence to charge him.

'Police have keep information very close to their chest the whole time, which is infuriating but I understand,' Ms Smith said.

Storm Smith has also frequently criticised the police investigation, but said he hoped the breakthrough in the investigation would finally lead to his daughter's body.

'I don't think the truth will ever come out. When they find the body, I'll believe there's hope,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Leisl was last seen on CCTV leaving her car at Tuggerah Railway Station that night, before getting into a white ute, allegedly owned by Church, and driving away.

Her Honda Accord was found abandoned at the station car park on September 26, 2012.

Church was refused bail in Inverell Local Court on Friday and remanded in custody until his next court appearance on December 19.

Since her disappearance from Wallarah on the Central Coast on August 19, 2012, extensive searches conducted by Strike Force Wehl have been carried out
guilty to low-range drink driving, $700 fine and lost licence for six months

Mother of one was p

Mother of one was p ulled over for a random breath test in Sylvania on July 9

A Sydney mother has been labelled a 'potential killer' by a judge after she was caught drink driving in July.

Elodie Le Labourier, 36, a former elite equestrian rider in France, was pulled over by police on July 9 in the southern Sydney suburb of Sylvania.

She admitted to officers she had drunk 15 full strength beers the night before at a house in nearby Woolooware.

Le Labourier recorded a low-range reading of 0.075, with police observing she had bloodshot eyes.

Elodie Le Labourier (pictured) was convicted of drink driving this week - she admitted to police she had drunk 15 full strength beers the night before her arrest on July 9

Elodie Le Labourier (pictured) drank 15 full strength beers at an address in Woolooware before deciding to drive the next day

She also appeared to be still affected by alcohol.

'I'm guilty, it is all my fault really,' Le Labourier told Sutherland Local Court Magistrate Glenn Bartley on Thursday.

Le Labourier subsequently pleaded guilty to low range drink driving and was fined $700.

The casual French teacher also lost her licence for six months.

An irate magistrate Bartley noted it wasn't the first time Le Labourier was before the courts for a drink-driving matter.

She was stripped of her licence for 18 months in 2012 when convicted of driving more than four times above the legal limit in Victoria.

'You have an alcohol abuse problem that has continued since then,' Mr Bartley said.

'That makes you a potential killer  other people might be killed or injured because of your gross driving impairment.'

Elodie Le Labourier (pictured) pleaded guilty to drink-driving in Sutherland Local Court this week - she had 15 beers before choosing to drive

A judge has labelled Elodie Le Labourier (pictured) a potential killer after she elected to drive despite having 15 beers

Le Labourier, a single mother with a four-year-old girl, was on her way to Mascot to pick up a friend when she was pulled over in the Shire.

'Driving to Sydney Airport from Sylvania is a considerable distance to drive as a potential killer,' Mr Bartley said.

'You are drinking too much, too often and for too long.'

Representing France, Le Labourier snared a bronze medal for endurance riding at the 2006 World Equestrian Games.
Jared Kushner, who has developed a close relationship with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is allegedly urging Trump to proceed with caution on any measures that may be taken on the 'murdered' Saudi journalist.

Kushner told his father-in-law to move forward slowly and not be pressured into any quick decisions on the situation with regards to the possible murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a report suggests.

According to CNN, Kushner warned that a sudden withdrawal of support for Riyadh could have far reaching consequences, including with Iran, and added that the US has relationships with more ill-reputed countries.

The official speaking to CNN said that the New York Times' characterization of Kushner asking President Trump to stand by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was inaccurate and that instead, Kushner told Trump to give them time.

Jared Kushner is reportedly advising Trump to proceed with caution in taking any steps against Saudi Arabia over fears they murdered Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi at their embassy in Turkey

Jamal Khashoggi (left) is believed to have been murdered inside the Saudi embassy in Turkey as video shows him walking in, but never walking out. The Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has denied any involvement and promises a full investigation into the journalist's disappearance

Kushner has been developing a relationship with the Crown Prince over the past several months and he has spoken to Salman several times over the past week.

One of those conversations included national security adviser John Bolton last Tuesday.

When Trump boarded Air Force One on his way to a Montana rally Thursday night he told reporters he believes the journalist was killed.

'It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad,' Trump told journalists. 'It's bad, bad stuff, but we'll see what happens.'

Trump said that the punishment would be 'severe' if he finds out that Saudi Arabia harmed the journalist.

He ignored questions as he left the White House on about the suspected murder and his earlier claim that it may have been perpetrated by rogue killers.

Hours before a family member of Khashoggi's - a cousin still living in Saudi Arabia- suggested the writer who lives in America could still be alive.

Motasem Khashoggi told CNN in a statement that Khashoggi family considers the Saudi-born writer to be a 'missing person' and they have 'no legal or official proof' that would prove otherwise.

CNN says the family pushed backed on claims that Khashoggi is a Saudi dissident whom the government would want to target.

The statement said that the family had been in 'close contact with the Saudi government at the highest level' and that they were assured that 'many steps that are being taken at the very top to answer many of the questions we, and the world have, regarding Jamal's disappearance.'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday from the White House that he advised the president to give the Saudis a few more days to conclude their investigation before jumping into action.

However, the investigation being led by the Saudis likely won't be impartial.

Suggesting a shift in U.S. opinion, however, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin caved to pressure and said he would join a slew of CEOs and foreign officials in dropping out of a Saudi investment conference slated to begin on Oct. 23 in Riyadh.

'Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia,' Mnuchin tweeted.

Mnuchin had been under intense pressure to drop out of the conference that the White House had cast as intrinsic to its effort to dry up funds for terrorists.

He had maintained until now that he would participate, in spite of Turkish assurances that Khashoggi was not missing but had been kidnapped and murdered by a Saudi Arabian hit squad.

President Trump admitted Thursday that Jamal Khashoggi is probably dead, as hope that the missing journalist would turn up alive dissipated

Mnuchin had been under intense pressure to drop out of the conference that the White House had cast as intrinsic to their effort to dry up funds for terrorists

The U.S. backed away from the three-day conference that's known 'Davos of the Desert' after top American CEOs and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde pulled out.

Fox Business followed suit shortly after - depriving Saudi Arabia of it's last media sponsor.

Thrive's Ariana Huffington, the LA Times' Patrick Soon-Shiong, MasterCard's Ajay Banga, UK trade minister Liam Fox, JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim were among the other major business and government leaders who said this week that they would no longer attend, CNNBusiness reports.
Nikki Haley poked fun at her Indian heritage and roasted both President Donald Trump and Senator Elizabeth Warren during a speech at a white-tie gala in New York on Thursday evening.

The outgoing UN Ambassador joked that President Trump didn't know the difference between Indian and Native American, and managed to get jibes in about Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

While Haley appeared to bring the house down, both NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo were met by boos when introduced to the guests.

Roasting: During her speech at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Nikki Haley joked that Trump didn't know the difference between Indian and Native American

Appreciated: The outgoing UN ambassador was met with cheers and applause when she was introduced to the dinner

Haley delivers her keynote speech during the annual white-tie dinner which raises money for Catholic charities in honor of the late Alfred E. Smith, former governor of New York and America's first Catholic presidential nominee

'So I really am super excited to be at the Al Smith Dinner,' Haley, the keynote speaker at the event, remarked. 'As a member of the Trump cabinet it is a thrill to be out to dinner without being harassed.'

Haley, who recently announced she was stepping down at the end of the year, joked that last year's event with 'boy scout' Paul Ryan was 'a little boring.'

'So this year you wanted to spice things up again, right? I get it. You wanted an Indian woman, but Elizabeth Warren failed her DNA test.'

'Actually, when the president found out I was Indian American, he asked me if I was from the same tribe as Elizabeth Warren,' said Haley.

'Everyone in Washington called me with advice about this speech. They all said the same thing. Do not under any circumstances make any jokes about the president. So good night everybody!' quipped Haley.

'Actually the president called me this morning and gave me some really good advice. He said if I get stuck for laughs, just brag about his accomplishments,' she added.

Joker: Nikki Haley, who is born to Indian immigrant parents, joked about her own heritage and about Elizabeth Warren's claims of being part-Native American

Not as popular: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, seen seated either side of Mary Ann Tighe, were reportedly met with boos when announced

Glamorous posse: Seated to the left of Ms Haley is Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and to her right, is her husband Michael Haley

Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, center, acknowledges applause after her keynote address at the 73rd Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner

Got them all: The former Republican South Carolina governor joked about Trump, Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Paul Ryan

The former Republican South Carolina governor made the jabs at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, named after the former New York governor, who was the first Catholic to receive a major party nomination for president when he unsuccessfully ran in 1928.

The annual roast hosted by New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan draws luminaries from finance and politics and is often the last time two presidential nominees share the stage before election day.

Two years ago, Trump - then the Republican presidential nominee and Democratic rival Clinton traded caustic barbs at the charity event meant to raise money for impoverished children.

At the time, Trump drew boos when he said of Clinton, 'Here she is tonight, in public, pretending not to hate Catholics.'

The Ambassador to the United Nations looked like she was having the time of her life, making the guests laugh during her speech on Thursday evening

Famous faces: Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, speaks with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg during at the annual dinner

Center of attention: The top tables on the stage during the 73rd Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner Thursday

Haley also joked about Clinton and how she conducted her 2016 campaign, quipping that Clinton would be going trick-or-treating 'everywhere' for Halloween 'except Michigan and Wisconsin'.

Haley was born Nimrata Randhawa to parents who had emigrated from Punjab in India to the United States.

President Trump has long ridiculed Senator Warren's claim of Native American heritage by calling her 'Pocahontas.'

The Democratic senator from Massachusetts recently released DNA test results that genealogists say show she could be anywhere from 1/64th to 1/1024th Native American.
An eleventh hour bid to save chocolate cafe chain Max Brenner has fallen through leaving a sour taste for the business that has lost its lifeline in Australia.

Liquidators BDO have reportedly confirmed that the sale of Max Brenner to investment firm Tozer & Co will now not be going ahead.

It is as yet unclear why the transaction was pulled.

Chocolate lovers celebrating the opening of a Max Brenner in Sydney in 2009. The cafe chain has been plunged back into uncertainty after an eleventh hour deal fell through

Chocolate lovers have taken their mourning to social media.

'It's like they glued my heart back together and shredded it up all over again,' wrote Lara Smith on FaceBook.

Andrew Sallway, a Partner in the Business Restructuring Division of BDO Sydney, said yesterday that Tozer & Co had bought the business in a deal sealed late Wednesday, hours before the company was due to go into liquidation.

But that deal is now not going ahead.

White Knight business buyer David Tozer of Tozer & Co said he was upset the purchase was not going ahead, didn't know why and may sue. He is discussing his options with his legal advisers

Mr Sallway said today it would be business as usual while the liquidator looked for other avenues.

'We will continue to trade the company whilst we explore options with the licensor, Max Brenner Industries Ltd, regarding the Max Brenner brand in Australia,' Mr Sallway told Fairfax Media.

David Tozer of Tozer & Co told Fairfax he was upset the sale was not going ahead, didn't know why - and may sue.

Max Brenner employed around 600 staff at its peak, many of whom are worried for the future

'At the 11th-hour the liquidator requested something entirely unreasonable. They didn't want this deal to go through,' he was quoted by Fairfax as saying.

Mr Tozer said he would meet his legal team to work out his options.

The vibrant chocolate cafe chain announced it would go into voluntary administration last month.

It said half of its Australian stores would close due to 'escalating costs and tighter retail trade'.

Nine stores remain open in NSW, four in Victoria, three in Queensland and one in the ACT after 20 stores closed last week.

Max Brenner had about 600 employees in Australia at its peak.

Former staff members have told media outlets that employees were owed pay including superannuation and some may not be able to pay their rent.

Some took to social media to complain.

'This is so unbelievably stressful for staff who were promised they would be paid, then informed any work from the 17th would not be guaranteed to be paid, to being informed we would be paid all that is owed, to once again not knowing the future of our employment or payment status! This is beyond ridiculous,' wrote one person on Facebook.

The vibrant chocolate cafe chain said it would go into voluntary administration last month

Nine stores remain open in NSW, four in Victoria, three in Queensland and one in the ACT after 20 stores closed last week.

Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner started the Max Brenner brand in Israel in 1996 as a small chain of chocolate shops.

Tom and Lilly Haikin, who made BRW's Young Rich list in 2013 with a net worth of $40 million, owned and ran the Australian Max Brenner operations.

The first cafe opened in Paddington, in Sydney's eastern suburbs in 1999.

The chain has branched out across Australia and travelled to Japan, China, the US, Singapore and Russia.
The net is tightening on a man who previously traveled with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the US after a source told CNN he played a 'pivotal role' in 'the plot' to allegedly have Jamal Khashoggi killed.

After pro-government Turkish newspaper The Sabah published shots purporting to show Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb walking into the Saudi consulate building October 2 at 9.55am with several men trailing behind him on the day the writer vanished, a source suggests he was a mastermind behind a plan to kill him.

The CCTV images place him as one of the 15 people who allegedly tortured the Washington Post journalist before he disappeared in Istanbul, Turkey, after entering the same building at 1.14pm.

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CCTV images printed by the Sabah newspaper purportedly show royal protection officer Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul at 9.55am on October 2, just hours before the journalist went missing

Another CCTV image claims to show Mutreb outside the Saudi consul general's residence later in the day at 16.53. CNN reports that a source claims he played a 'pivotal role' in the disappearance of the Washington Post journalist

Jamal Khashoggi (right) was also captured on CCTV arriving at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul. He has not been seen since and Turkey has accused Saudi agents of murdering him

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to be behind the alleged killing

Missing journalist Khashoggi, pictured in Switzerland in 2011, may have been murdered because he knew too much about the Saudi royal family, one of his friends has said

'He was seconded to an elite protection brigade within the Royal Guard to serve as the personal security force of [the crown prince],' the insider familiar with the Turkish investigation added about Mutreb's relationship with the Crown Prince.

He was the first secretary at the Saudi embassy in London and is reportedly described as a colonel in intelligence for the country.

The Sabah newspaper showed an image of the man at 4.53pm at the consul's home, then at 5.15pm checking out of a hotel. He later cleared airport security at 5.58pm.

Previously leaked surveillance footage showed consular vehicles moving from the consulate to the consul general's official residence, some 1.2 miles away, a little under two hours after Khashoggi walked inside.

Mutreb, reportedly now being sought by Turkish authorities for questioning over Khashoggi's disappearance, can be seen in the background as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (right) visits a Habitat for Humanity in Houston, Texas in April

Sabah published pictures which it said showed Mutreb and others at Ataturk Airport at 5.58pm

According to Sabah, this CCTV image shows Mutreb 'and his people' with a large suitcase at a hotel in Turkey

A frame grab from a police CCTV video made available through Turkish Newspaper Sabah shows a private jet alleged to have ferried in a group of Saudi men suspected of being involved in Khashoggi's disappearance

Images shot by the Houston Chronicle and later distributed by the AP show the same man was in Prince Mohammed's entourage when he visited a Houston subdivision in April to see rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Harvey.

The same man wore lapel pins, including one of the flags of Saudi Arabia and America intertwined, that other bodyguards accompanying Prince Mohammed wore on the trip.

The three-week trip across the US saw Prince Mohammed meet with business leaders and celebrities, including Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, who now owns the Washington Post.

The Hill had previously reported Saudi Arabia's leaders were considering blaming a top Saudi intelligence officer for the apparent murder - according to the Hill.

The man who could be blamed for the killing, General Ahmed al-Assiri, is a top adviser to Salman.

CNN also reported sources familiar with the case claimed that the alleged mission that resulted in the journalist's disappearance was organized by a high-ranking officer with Saudi Arabia's main intelligence service - the General Intelligence Presidency.

CNN reported one of the sources as saying that the officer was close to the inner circle of the powerful Crown Prince and that the officer assembled and sent his own team to interrogate Khashoggi suspecting him of having ties to Qatar - the kingdom's arch rival. CNN reported that there had been no evidence to substantiate such a link.

Meshal Saad M. Albostani (left), one of the 15 Saudis who flew to Turkey on the day journalist Khashoggi (right), disappeared has been killed in a car crash, it has been claimed

Investigators are said to have collected CCTV images from the entrance to Belgrad Forest to the north of the city amid fears the US-based Saudi writer's body was dumped there

Turkish police are searching Belgrad Forest (pictured) outside Istanbul in the hunt for missing journalist Khashoggi, according to local reports

Turkish police have been searching an area of woodland outside Istanbul as well as a farm house across the Marmara Sea, in the hunt for the missing journalist, according to local reports.

Investigators are said to have collected CCTV images from the entrance to Belgrad Forest to the north of the city amid fears the US-based Saudi writer's body was dumped there.

After tracing the route of the convoy of cars which left the Saudi consulate on the day the journalist went missing, the search moved to woodland near the city of Yalova, a 90-kilometre (55 mile) drive south of Istanbul.

They are reportedly also preparing to 'excavate' a villa in Yalova province, where one of the vehicles linked to the Saudi 'hit squad' was seen, according to Turkish media.

NT's report of the forest search comes after it was claimed that one of the 15 Saudis who flew to Turkey on the day Khashoggi disappeared had been killed in a 'suspicious' car crash. Meshal Saad M. Albostani, a lieutenant of the Saudi Royal Air Force, is said to have died in the capital Riyadh.

Politicians, tycoons and CEOs pull out of Saudi investment conference Three European government ministers have joined an array of corporate chiefs in pulling out of an upcoming investment conference in Saudi Arabia, following the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Company leaders risk losing lucrative business with the kingdom by shunning the conference, and countries such as the United States, Britain and France have several defence deals at stake. But Turkish claims - denied by Riyadh - that Khashoggi was killed by a hit squad in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 have put them in an awkward spot. International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde has already withdrawn from the Future Investment Initiative taking place on October 23-25 in Riyadh, which is billed as a showcase for the economic reforms of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would decide later on Thursday whether to attend, after reviewing the outcome of a diplomatic dash by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The conference's website previously featured a star-studded list of speakers. But that has been removed amid the steady flow of defections. Here is a list of no-shows: POLITICS - French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire - British International Trade Secretary Liam Fox - Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra FINANCE - HSBC chief executive John Flint - Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam - MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga (HSBC, Credit Suisse and MasterCard are listed among the eight 'strategic partners' of the conference. Another is Siemens, whose boss Joe Kaeser says he is still mulling whether to come.) - BNP Paribas chairman Jean Lemierre - Societe Generale CEO Frederic Oudea - JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon - BlackRock chief Larry Fink - Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman - Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters - London Stock Exchange CEO David Schwimmer INDUSTRY/TECHNOLOGY - Ford chairman Bill Ford - Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi - British billionaire Richard Branson - Thrive CEO Ariana Huffington - Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene MEDIA - Viacom CEO Bob Bakish. In addition, multiple media groups have withdrawn executives or journalists who were due to take part in the conference, including CNN, Bloomberg, The Economist, The New York Times, CNBC and the Financial Times. Advertisement

Pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak reported that there was little more detail about the car crash that supposedly left Albostani dead. It's the same publication that reported there were audio recordings documenting the alleged interrogation and torture of Khashoggi.

But Turkey has yet to share with the US government or key European allies any graphic audio or video evidence it allegedly collected on the US-based Saudi journalist's visit to the embassy.

Last week, Turkish newspaper Sabah released CCTV images of Albostani among a group of men who flew into Istanbul on the day Khashoggi went missing. They were pictured arriving at Ataturk airport's border control having flown into Turkey in two private jets from the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Turkish officials also provided CNN with passport scans taken October 2 of seven other men in connection with the team.

One of them seems to belong to Salah Muhammad al-Tubaiqi (Salah Mohammed A Tubaigy in the document) - head of forensic medicine at the Saudi Ministry of Interior.

Another is reportedly Muhammad Saad al-Zahrani, who has appeared on Saudi state TV with the crown prince.

Meanwhile, a Saudi team investigating the disappearance has left the Saudi consul general's residence in Istanbul, after a nine-hour search a Reuters witness said early on Thursday.

Turkish investigators had also searched the Saudi consulate for some nine hours on Monday as part of the investigation.

Two weeks after the disappearance, the United States and allies have collected some intelligence through their own sources and methods, which partly confirms news reports based on leaks of audio recordings, four sources told Reuters.

Yeni Safak had reported that Khashoggi's alleged torturers severed Khashoggi's fingers during an interrogation, and that he was killed within minutes. According to the report, his body was later beheaded and dismembered by his killers.

A New York Times report on Wednesday cited a senior Turkish official confirming the details published by Yeni Safak. Two Turkish government officials contacted by Reuters declined to confirm the report.

The reluctance of the Turks to turn over hard evidence they have said they have documenting Khashoggi's fate has led US and European security officials to assess that the most brutal accounts of Khashoggi's demise are likely accurate, the sources said.

US President Donald Trump appeared to confirm the lack of evidence in US hands when he said on Wednesday that the United States had asked Turkey for any audio or video evidence it may have related to Khashoggi.

'We have asked for it, if it exists ... I'm not sure yet that it exists, probably does, possibly does,' Trump said.

'I'll have a full report on that from Mike (Pompeo) when he comes back ... That's going to be the first question I ask,' he said.

Khashoggi, a prominent critic of Saudi policies and columnist for the Washington Post who was living in the United States, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get marriage documents.

Secretary of State Pompeo refused to blame Saudi Arabia for the alleged killing of Khashoggi after his visit to Turkey for talks with President Recep Erdogan.

Pompeo headed straight to the Turkish capital, Ankara, after visiting Saudi Arabia to discuss the progress of the investigation into the writer's alleged killing.

He said after meeting the Saudi royal family that officials in the kingdom told him their investigation into the disappearance and alleged killing won't spare anyone, including royals.

Thursday afternoon, Russia's President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin will wait for the outcome of a probe into the disappearance of the dissident writer before deciding what impact it may have on relations with Saudi Arabia.

Speaking at an international policy forum, Putin said 'those who believe that there was a murder must present evidence.'

He noted that 'the disappearance was a tragedy, but we need to understand what happened' before deciding what impact it may have on Russia's relations with Saudi Arabia.

Putin noted that 'the US bears a certain responsibility' for what happened to Khashoggi, who went into self-imposed exile in the US.
Heidi Cruz has opened up about her marriage to Ted Cruz, lamenting that they can't afford a second home on his Senate salary.

'Yeah, we're seven years into this, and we're not buying a second home anytime soon,' Heidi Cruz said in an interview with the Atlantic that ran on Thursday, as her husband faces a tough re-election.

With Ted Cruz pulling down a mere $174,000 salary as a senator, his wife said that she has been forced to work 70-hour weeks as an investment manager at Goldman Sachs.

'It does take some supportiveness, you know,' she told the magazine. 'With me being the primary breadwinnerit's like, 'Uh, yeah, this is when people say thank you. I'll now take that appreciation.''

Heidi Cruz has opened up about her marriage to Ted Cruz, lamenting that they can't afford a second home on his Senate salary. They are seen above at the end of his 2016 presidential run

The Cruz family's Houston home is seen. Heidi Cruz laments that the family can't afford another on Ted Cruz's salary as a senator, forcing her to work 70 hours a week

Ted Cruz is facing a difficult reelection campaign against Democrat challenger Beto O'Rourke, and his wife opened up for the interview as part of the publicity push for November.

The senator's wife also revealed that Ted Cruz insisted that they closeout their wedding ceremony with a tape of the song 'A Whole New World' from the movie Aladdin, a song that had ended up shaping the next 17 years of their lives together.

'And I do appreciate that Ted started our life together with that song, because there's some truth to it,' she said. 'He'll be like, 'It's such a great life! We have so much adventure ahead! It's like our magic-carpet ride.' And sometimes I'm like, 'I hope we don't hit the cement.' '

Which is exactly when happened when her husband when he husband ran for the GOP nomination for president, coming in second to Donald Trump after a nasty campaign that enveloped the two men's wives.

Heidi Cruz swears that she and her husband laughed off a meme that the president tweeted comparing her, on one of her less flattering days, to a photo-ready Melania Trump when Ted and Donald were sworn enemies.

'These things don't bother Ted. He's not saying, 'Oh, I feel so bad; they think my wife's ugly. You're so pretty, Heidi. You're not ugly,' ' she said. 'He's like, 'Hah! That was the worst move he's ever made.' '

Heidi Cruz swears that she and her husband laughed off a meme that the president tweeted comparing her, on one of her less flattering days, to a photo-ready Melania Trump

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have made amends since the nastiness - they're hitting the campaign trail together next week in Houston

The senator's wife recalled feeling self conscious about the Fox News interview from which the screen grab was taken and that she hadn't wanted to do it, because she knew she needed to get her hair highlighted.

But she laughed about it all the same, The Atlantic reported, letting the incident roll off her back two and a half years later.

The Twitter battle was one of the low points of the Republican primary in 2016.

It started with Trump claiming that 'Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!'

Cruz responded: 'Pic of your wife not from us. Donald, if you try to attack Heidi, you're more of a coward than I thought. #classless'

The exchange inspired one Twitter user to create a meme of Heidi and Melania.

'No need to 'spill the beans,' ' the graphic said. 'The images are worth a thousand words.'

For the most part, Heidi Cruz said she was able to see beyond the campaign. She said she also laughed off a National Enquirer story about her husband's alleged cheating.

'I called up Ted and I was like, 'Have you had five affairs? Ha-ha-ha,' 'she said of her initial reaction to the story that claimed he'd had 'five secret mistresses' over the years but didn't identify them.

The Twitter battle was one of the low points of the Republican primary in 2016. It started with Trump calling her husband 'Lyin' Ted'

The exchange inspired one Twitter user to create a meme of Heidi and Melania

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) kisses his wife Heidi after a debate with Rep. Beto O'Rourke on September 21, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. The Democratic representative is seeking to boot Cruz, a Republican, from the U.S. Senate

Enraged, her husband blamed the story on Trump, who's a close friend of the tabloid's publisher, David Pecker.

'This National Enquirer story is garbage,' the freshman senator said. 'It is a tabloid smear, and it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen.'

Heidi Cruz says she 'literally laughed' at first mention but was affected by the story when she saw it at the grocery store in person.

'I called my mom and I was like, 'This actually is out there. Like, this is really a thing. It hasn't bothered me, but now I'm seeing thisdo you think people read this? Do you think people believe this?' '

In the interview with the Atlantic, the mother-of-two acknowledged 'you do have a moment of doubt' like that as a candidate's spouse, and by the end of the vicious race, she was ready for her husband to drop out.

'I don't know that I even shed a tear,' she said of his announcement on May 3 of 2016 that he was he was stepping down.

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have made amends since the nastiness - they're hitting the campaign trail together next week in Houston - and Heidi Cruz says she and her husband don't regret supporting the billionaire's general election bid.

'What I did talk to Ted about  was if we support him and he ends up not being a conservativenot appointing conservative justices, not doing tax reform are we part of a damaging decision in history?' she said.

Trump has checked both of those boxes since taking office, signing a tax overhaul and appointing two Supreme Court justices who had the support of conservatives.

Heidi Cruz said her husband's influence on Trump's lifetime appointments to the court is enough for the family to feel that they made the right decision.

This year, Ted Cruz is squaring off against Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke for reelection in a comparatively calmer race that resurrected the president's nickname for him from before - Lyin' Ted.

The incumbent senator's wife said she believes he'll keep the job that O'Rourke accused him of trying to abandon for the Oval Office.

'I don't know the future,' she acknowledged. 'I think he's gonna win.'
Two years ago, a federal prosecutor in Pittsburgh considered filing a racketeering lawsuit against a Roman Catholic diocese over its handling of child sex-abuse complaints, but left office before he could make the bold move.

However, a colleague in Philadelphia is now taking aim at the church this month, sending grand jury subpoenas to dioceses throughout Pennsylvania as he tries to build a federal criminal case centered on child exploitation.

U.S. Attorney William McSwain of Philadelphia has a head start on the work, given the sweeping state grand jury report released this summer, which found that 301 priests molested more than 1,000 children over seven decades. McSwain, a Harvard Law School graduate and former Marine sniper platoon commander, was appointed by President Trump and took office just four months ago.

'It's a courageous move, whenever prosecutors take on something that there's no precedent for, that is uncertain. You're investing resources with potentially no return. But it needs to be done,' said David Hickton, the former U.S. attorney in Pittsburgh who looked at the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese in 2016.

A sweeping grand jury report in Pennsylvania revealed credible allegations against more than 300 predator priests and identified more than 1,000 victims of child sex abuse covered up for decades by the Roman Catholic Church

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro spoike Wednesday about stalled legislation responding to the grand jury report, accompanied by lawmakers and victims of child sexual abuse

U.S. Attorney William McSwain sent out grand jury subpoenas last week to Pennsylvania dioceses as part of a federal investigation of clergy abuse

Pope Francis is leading the global Catholic church at a time when its skeletons are on full display and the shame of being a victim of a pedophile priest is fast evaporating

All but one of the state's eight dioceses confirmed Thursday that they have received the federal subpoenas sent last week, and largely sounded willing to comply.

McSwain, among other things, wants to know if any priests took children across state lines for sex; viewed child pornography; reassigned predators; or used church funds or assets to cover up sexual misconduct. He has demanded the church turn over files from any 'Secret Archives,' along with financial, personnel and treatment records. And he expects to take testimony from church leaders.

'This is the first time I have ever heard of a federal investigation into child sexual abuse in a Catholic diocese or church. This is a monumental moment for clergy sexual victims everywhere,' said Mitchell Garabedian, the Boston-based plaintiffs' lawyer who played a major role in uncovering the scandal in the Boston Archdiocese in 2002.

There's no sign so far that the Justice Department plans a national investigation aimed at the church.

Still, the federal government's intervention opens a new front of legal peril for the Catholic church, given that investigations into sexual abuse by clergy members have historically been handled exclusively by state and local authorities.

Survivors of child sexual abuse gathered Wednesday in the Pennsylvania Capitol, including one who held a photo of herself as a child and another who posed with duct tape over her mouth

Church officials across the state - in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Scranton, Erie, Greensburg, Allentown and Harrisburg - said on Thursday they would cooperate or were working with Justice Department officials.

'This subpoena is no surprise considering the horrific misconduct detailed in the statewide grand jury report,' the Greensburg Diocese said in a statement. 'Survivors, parishioners and the public want to see proof that every diocese has taken sweeping, decisive and impactful action to make children safer. We see this as another opportunity for the Diocese of Greensburg to be transparent.'

It could be months before the grand jury hears testimony because of the time it takes to review the cache of requested documents. He wants to know if any priests, bishops, seminarians or others committed any federal crimes.

McSwain also demanded that bishops turn over any evidence that anyone in their ranks instructed anyone not to contact police. The subpoenas seek documents related to the dioceses' organizational charts, finances, insurance and clergy assignments.

A representative for McSwain declined to comment on Wednesday, as did a Justice Department spokeswoman.

Two Eastern Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania - the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and the Byzantine Archeparchy of Pittsburgh - also acknowledged they are under investigation.

David Poulson, a priest charged in connection with the grand jury investigation into Catholic clergy abuse, had a hearing Wednesday at Jefferson County Common Pleas Court in Brookville, Pennsylvania

Poulson is pictured in May before his preliminary plea hearing; he's a Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing two boys

'I'm thrilled at hearing this information. We have the full weight and attention of the United States federal government investigating the Roman Catholic Church,' said Shaun Dougherty, 48, of Johnstown, who told authorities he was molested by a priest as a boy in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese.

While the subpoenas hint at possible charges of sexual exploitation of minors and fraud, legal experts said that if federal prosecutors can show that church leaders systematically covered up for child-molesting priests in the past five years, dioceses could also be charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, the law originally passed to bring down the Mafia.

The nearly 900-page Pennsylvania grand jury report found that church leaders had engaged in a systematic cover-up by shuffling accused priests around to different parishes and in some cases working to prevent police investigations. Most of the complaints were decades old, and because of the statute of limitations, only two priests were charged as a result of the investigation. Many other priests are dead.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who oversaw the state probe, declined to comment on the federal investigation.

In the wake of the report's release, Shapiro said at least a dozen states opened investigations of their own and more than 1,300 accusers contacted his office on a victims' hot line.

The report also led to the resignation last week of Cardinal Donald Wuerl as archbishop of Washington. He was accused of helping to protect some child-molesting priests when he was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006.

This week, the report triggered a showdown in the state Legislature, where lawmakers facing opposition from the church declined to give child-abuse victims a two-year window to sue in cases too old to otherwise file.

The difficulty of making charges stick against higher-ups in the church was illustrated when the Philadelphia district attorney's office brought a landmark cover-up case in 2011 against Monsignor William Lynn, a longtime aide to two Philadelphia cardinals.

Lynn, first U.S. church official ever prosecuted for the alleged cover-up of child molestation by priests, was arrested on child-endangerment charges. At trial, he said he had merely followed orders from above. A jury convicted him in 2012. He spent three years in and out of prison as his conviction was twice overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. He is awaiting a third trial.
A man who was left devastated after the death of his beloved father has decided to quit his job and travel the world with his beloved White Shepherd.

Mark Zeman from Melbourne lost his 63-year-old father to a sudden heart attack and knew that he needed a change from his everyday life.

The 34-year-old wanted to travel to Canada, a place where he's always wanted to visit, but was constantly making excuses as to why he should not go.

The 34-year-old wanted to travel to Canada, a place where he's always wanted to travel to, but was constantly making excuses as to why he should not go

His father's death made him realise that, 'you've got to make the most of things'

'I'd wanted to head to Canada since I was 16 but I'd always made excuses - career, then I had a girlfriend, then trying to build wealth, then the excuse was Mya,' he told Nine News.

His father's death made him realise that, 'you've got to make the most of things', so he worked hard and saved up some money and took his White Shepherd with him, Mya.

The pair are currently in the middle of an 18-month trip in North America and are expected to head over to Europe in mid-2019.

They left Australia in November and have travelled to almost most of the 50 US states.

The pair are currently in the middle of an 18-month trip in North America and are expected to head over to Europe in mid-2019

Mr Zeman said that it had been quite difficult to always take his best friend with him and he had to place her in doggy day care

They have also paid a visit to Mexico, the Grand Canyon and Lake Tahoe.

Mr Zeman said that it had been quite difficult to always take his best friend with him and he had to place her in doggy day care.

'It's forced me to look at different activities I can do with her as well,' he told the publication.

'I honestly believe that she's learned that wherever we pack, that's our home, as long as we're together,' he said.

Mr Zeman hopes his adventures educate his thousands of followers on Instagram, showing them that anything is possible, even with a dog.

'I honestly believe that she's learned that wherever we pack, that's our home, as long as we're together,' he said
A devastated Australian father faces being deported to New Zealand - despite only living there for just over a year as a baby.

Christian Feetham, 42, from Apollo Bay in Victoria has been living at detention centres around Melbourne due to his criminal history.

He was born in New Zealand while his Australian parents worked there for a short time in the 1970s, before moving back to Victoria when Feetham was 13 months old.

His parents never applied for Australian citizenship because passports and visas were not a requirement for travel between the two countries when he was born.

Feetham - a father of three children - took to Facebook to explain his frustration.

'I certainly admit that I've been no angel in the past, but become reformed and rehabilitated, always had great employment and paid my taxes,' he said.

Christian Feetham (pictured), 42, from Apollo Bay in Victoria has been living at detention centres around Melbourne due to his criminal history

Feetham (pictured with partner Prudence Gregson) said he was 'more Aussie than Vegemite', and became a ward of the state after suffering abuse from his father

'Forty plus years (an) Aussie, even a ward of the state when I was a child, so the government was my guardian and now they want to put me on a plane with a plastic bag of clothes and send me to New Zealand, where I have no family and will be ridiculed for being (an) Aussie.

'This country is my home and I'm more Aussie than most (of) the people I've had dealings with that work for immigration. Where's the sense?'

Feetham said he was 'more Aussie than Vegemite', and became a ward of the state after suffering abuse from his father.

'I used to have no respect for the law or myself,' he told Nine News.

He spent two years in jail from 2004 to 2006 for assault and driving charges, and a further two years in prison between 2012 and 2014.

Feetham said the detention centre he lives in is 'worse than prison'.

'There is no end date, you are at the discretion of Home Affairs (as to) when you will be released. It's a very (depressing) environment. We're treated like prisoners.'

Feetham (right) said his life had been 'ripped from underneath' him. He can choose to leave detention at any time, but that means he would be sent to New Zealand

Feetham said his life had been 'ripped from underneath' him. He can choose to leave detention at any time, but that means he would be sent to New Zealand.

'But then I'm leaving my family, my farm, everything I've ever worked for. My kids would live their life without a father.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment.
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It took royal fanatic Jordan Ilencik three attempts but he finally got to meet the Duke of Sussex when he was plucked from the crowd under the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Friday afternoon.

Jordan had been trying to meet the royal couple all week, catching a train into the city from Campbelltown in Sydney's southwest on his own.

The 13-year old spent $250 on a replica of a tiara once worn by Prince Harry's mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and presented it to the prince along with a miniature photograph of Diana wearing the original.

Jordan Ilencik, 13, finally meets the Prince Harry after he was plucked from the crowd under the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Friday afternoon

Jordan posed for a photo after chatting with the prince for a few minutes, giving a big grin as his dreams came true

'He gave me a hug and he said "thank you so much". I loved it so much, he was very nice to me. I wanted him to know how much I love him,' Jordan said

He was chosen to meet his idol as Prince Harry was climbing down the Sydney Harbour Bridge along with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, but without his wife Meghan.

'I just met Prince Harry and I told him that I love him so much,' he excitedly said after managing to give the gift to the Duke, and pose for a photo with him.

'I gave him a replica of his mother's crown. He gave me a hug and he said "thank you so much".I loved it so much, he was very nice to me. I wanted him to know how much I love him.

'They picked me out and said "come over here". I thought I was in trouble. I said 'what did I do wrong? They said "you're going to meet Prince Harry".'

Asked what he said to the prince, Jordan said: 'I just said I love him so much'.

Jordan also told Prince Harry he loved his 'beautiful' wife Meghan in the television show Suits.

The 13-year old spent $250 on a replica of a tiara once worn by Prince Harry's mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and presented it to the prince along with a miniature photograph of Diana wearing the original

Jordan waiting the the crowd near the bridge with this sign, with the replica tiara in a box tucked under his arm, before he was grabbed by security and escorted to meet the prince

Jordan had been trying to meet the royal couple all week, catching a train into the city from Sydney's southwest on his own

Jordan's thrilling meeting came after two failed attempts. On Tuesday the boy was on the Opera House forecourt by 6am but just missed out on greeting Prince Harry and Meghan.

'I didn't actually get to meet them but she was two people away from me,' he said as he waited at the bridge for his third chance.

'But I know I will get to meet them one day. Let's hope I will today.'

'Do you think he'll like it?' he asked about the tiara. 'I hope I can give him a hug.'

Jordan's school was initially unimpressed with his mini royal tour but had since posted pictures of him attending events on its Facebook page, he said.

'They said 'you have to come to school'. I said "I'm not coming to school".'

Jordan holds up the tiara alongside other wellwishers who spent hours standing below the bridge hoping to meet or at least catch a glimpse of Prince Harry

Daphne Dunn, a 98-year-old war widow and huge royal fan, poses with Jordan's tiara as she waits to see Prince Harry, who she met earlier in the week along with on previous visits in 2015 and 2017

Jordan's thrilling meeting came after two failed attempts. On Tuesday the boy from Campbelltown was on the Opera House forecourt by 6am but just missed out on greeting Prince Harry and Meghan

On Friday Jordan intended to be at Bondi Beach by 7am but slept in.

'I was meant to wake up at three o'clock in the morning but I woke up late and I was very upset. I cried,' he said.

By the time he got to Bondi it was too late.

'When I was coming into Bondi I could hear sirens and it was them coming out,' he said.

Later in the day he was in The Rocks, hoping to catch the attention of Prince Harry when he climbed the Harbour Bridge.

Again it looked like it was not meant to be, until royal minders pulled him from the crowd at the southern end of the bridge.

Jordan, who is a huge fan of the television series The Crown, cannot remember a time he was not in love with royalty.

'I was always a royal baby,' he said. 'I used to set the table like they did at Buckingham Palace. I tried to anyway. It's the whole family.'

Jordan's meeting came just after Prince Harry scaled the Sydney Harbour Bridge alongside Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (far right) and Invictus Games athletes (left) for one of the best views of the city

Harry gives an enthusiastic thumbs up to photographers as he looks back mid-climb to take in the breathtaking view

After stopping to admire the view, the group headed down the other side of the bridge after crossing the span

But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are his favourites.

'I think Harry and Meghan, they break the rules a lot. They show a lot of affection. They're more free than William and Kate,' Jordan said.

So what does his family think of this obsession?

'They're like, 'Jordy, you love them too much. It's a bit overboard. It is a bit overboard but I just love the royals,' he said.

Jordan was delighted Meghan was expecting a child, with on one qualification.

'I like the idea. I think they deserve the child but I wish I was the child.'
Stephen Colbert has mocked President Donald Trump for his perceived soft-pedaling of suspicions that Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in a Saudi Arabian consulate.

'Trump's getting some criticism for his bold soft-on-murder stance,' Colbert said on Thursday in his monologue for the CBS Late Show, referring to the president's statement on Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and U.S. green card holder, disappeared on October 2 after entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, where he is widely believed to have been tortured and killed.

Asked on Thursday if he believed Khashoggi is dead, Trump replied: 'It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad.'

Stephen Colbert (above) mocked President Donald Trump for his perceived soft-pedaling of suspicions that Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered

Jamal Kashoggi is seen with his finacee Hatice Cengiz, who stood outside the consulate waiting for hours after he walked inside on October 2, never to emerge

Colbert mocked the response, saying: 'He must give a very moving eulogy.'

'Friends, loved ones, I'm going to go out on a limb and say, that's a casket. Never a good sign,' Colbert said, imagining Trump as a eulogizer.

'Ugh, what a mess. Anyway, that's my time. Tip your pall bearer,' he continued.

Colbert then moved on to mock Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who said earlier in the day that the investigator should continue at least a few days in order to 'have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we could take decisions about how, or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi.'

Colbert joked: 'Yes, the 'Incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi.' What could the incident be? It's a baffling mystery just like the Hitchcock movie 'Dial M For Incident.''

Pompeo delivers remarks to reporters following a meeting with Trump about missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the White House on Thursday

Turkish investigators suspect Khashoggi was tortured and killed by a 15-man 'hit team' of Saudi agents who arrived and left in Istanbul on private planes. Riyadh strongly denies the claim.

Meanwhile, some of the strongest circumstantial evidence yet linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi's presumed torture and murder emerged on Thursday.

Multiple Turkish outlets reported that the prince's close confidante Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb was caught on surveillance video entering the consulate just hours before Khashoggi arrived for his appointment.

Mutreb, a Saudi intelligence official, is reportedly high ranking in the elite Royal Guard that personally protects Prince Mohammed.
Supermarket costs are set to edge upwards in an unprecedented rise as higher petrol prices and the drought takes its toll on farmers and suppliers.

Analysts have warned consumers they will feel the pinch in their weekly grocery spend as food prices increase.

Australia's second largest supermarket, Coles, saw a jump in food prices in the September quarter for the first time in almost 10 years, the Australian Financial Review reported.

Supermarket costs are set to edge upwards in an unprecedented rise as higher petrol prices and the drought takes its toll on farmers and suppliers (stock image)

The uptick came as price reductions on packaged groceries were more than offset by higher prices for meat, bread, dairy foods, fruit and vegetables.

As crop shortages continue to plague the drought-affected eastern state, the supermarket giants were criticised by Queensland Nationals MP Llew O'Brien.

'The evidence is mounting for a royal commission into the predatory purchasing practices and pricing policies by these supermarket giants that are destroying farmers,' he told federal parliament on Wednesday.

It was pointed out the chains had shown favouritism when they applied a 10 cent a litre levy to the three-litre private label milk at Coles and a new 'drought relief' range at Woolworths, rather than on all brands and bottles of milk.

There has been a push for both supermarkets to increase milk prices across the board for the sake of drought-stricken dairy farmers.

As the pressure mounts, the supermarket chains have reportedly shown a greater leniency on price hikes in other aisles such as chicken, bread and other dairy products.

The uptick came as price reductions on packaged groceries were more than offset by higher prices for meat, bread, dairy foods, fruit and vegetables (stock image)

The price of Goodman Fielder's Helga's bread rose 20 cents, up from $3.50, and barbecue chickens increased 12 per cent to $9, while fresh chicken prices shot up by five to eight per cent.

And Ingham's acting chief executive Quinton Hildebrand told shareholders at the annual meeting on Thursday that higher feed, energy and fuel costs would likely lead to further increases in chicken prices.

Australian Food and Grocery Council chief executive Tanya Barden told the Australian Financial Review that higher shelf prices did not necessarily mean suppliers were getting higher wholesale prices.

'I wouldn't take the recent price increases in a few products, mostly fresh, as being reflective of the market,' she told the publication.

She added that 'we're still seeing significant resistance to price increases and where they are given we are often seeing companies being asked to mitigate that increase by funding retailer's price promotions and the like'.

As crop shortages continue to plague the drought-affected eastern state, the supermarket giants have been criticised by federal politicians (stock image)

She pointed out that suppliers had already been cutting operating costs to offset rising energy, labour and transport prices, but were reaching breaking point.

Coles' new managing director Steven Cain told the Australian Financial Review that Coles would stay competitive on price but at the same time priority would be placed on the retailer's online business.

'We're trying not to be too focused on beating the competitor, it's more about doing a better job for customers and making life easier,' he said.

'We believe we are the best-value full-service supermarket out there and we want to maintain that as we invest in value over time [but] we'd prefer it's engineered in rather than as a hit to margins'.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Woolworths for comment.
China's former head of internet censorship, who once held high-profile meetings with industry leaders such as Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, pleaded guilty to accepting at least 32 million yuan (3.5 million) in bribes.

Lu Wei has admitted to his crimes and expressed remorse during his train today in the eastern city of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Lu, who oversaw a tightening of online censorship during his tenure at the Cyberspace Administration of China, was a fierce defender of the country's policy of internet control.

Lu Wei, fourth from left, former minister of China's Cyberspace Administration, is escorted by police officers to his trial in the city of Ningbo in eastern China's Zhejiang province today

Chinese President Xi Jinping, centre, talks with Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg as Lu Wei looks on during a gathering of CEOs and other executives at Microsoft's main campus in Redmond, Washington on Sept 23, 2015

In 2016, he stepped down from his post, and officials announced he was being investigated for suspected disciplinary violations the following year.

According to a post from Ningbo Intermediate Peoples Court's official Weibo account today, Lu was charged with accepting bribes from 2002 until late 2017.

Prosecutors said that Lu used his influence and position at various government organisations, including the Cyberspace Administration of China and Xinhua News Agency, to help others in exchange for benefits.

At the end of the trial in Zhejiang province, Lu pleaded guilty and 'repented in court', it said, but did not set a date for sentencing.

China has 700 million people online, but it heavily censors content, especially that of a political nature, along with sites related to gambling, drugs and pornography.

Lu Wei, former minister of China's Cyberspace Administration, speaks during his trial

Ex-Internet czar Lu Wei poses for a photo with Apple CEO Tim Cook next to him during a gathering of executives at Microsoft's main campus in Redmond, Washington in 2015

Lu was responsible for leading the government's efforts to tighten control over domestic cyberspace and championing the party's position that governments have a right to filter and censor their countries' internet.

He took a hard line in demanding tough security checks on imported foreign tech products and keeping out foreign internet companies and social networks like Facebook in the name of preserving social stability.

Lu worked his way up the ranks of China's official Xinhua News Agency from a reporting job in the southern city of Guilin in the early 1990s to becoming the agency's vice president from 2004 to 2011. He was vice mayor of Beijing from 2011 to 2013.

At the height of his influence, he was named among the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine in 2015. He also met with several Silicon Valley executives, including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who personally welcomed him to the company's Silicon Valley headquarters in 2014.

Zuckerberg has made several attempts to woo Chinas top brass, including President Xi Jinping, as the US social networking site, along with Twitter and Google, remains blocked by China's 'Great Firewall' of online censorship.

Lu Wei, then deputy head of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China, speaks at a forum in Nanning in southern China's Guangxi in September 2015

President Xi has carried out a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption, including targeting former president of Interpol, Meng Hongwei (pictured), whose whereabouts remain unknown

While CCTV's report gave few details, previous accusations against Lu said he engaged in factionalism and 'selectively enforced' the party's 'strategic arrangements on internet work,' in addition to being corrupt and abusing his powers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has carried out a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption that observers say is also calibrated to bring down political opponents.

Among officials and military leaders recently ensnared is the former president of Interpol, Meng Hongwei, who vanished after traveling to China late last month from France, where the global anti-crime body is headquartered.

Days later, China said Meng was under investigation for graft and possibly other crimes, although there are heavy suspicions he had fallen out of political favor with Xi.

His wife, Grace Meng, said she received a threatening phone call from a man speaking Chinese and is under police protection in France.
Anjem Choudary was seen enjoying his freedom after he was released from jail having served only half his sentence for swearing an oath of allegiance to ISIS.

The hate preacher smiled and waved as he stepped out of a bail hostel in north London, having been shown his room and given a tour of the building.

He is set to receive free unsold food from the likes of Pret a Manger and Tesco at the hostel  which backs on to a 15,000-a-year private school  as police monitor him in a security operation set to cost 2million annually.

The notorious Islamist cleric was swept out of Belmarsh Prison in south-east London at 4am this morning in a blacked-out people carrier followed by a convoy of unmarked cars carrying police and MI5.

Choudary, branded Britain's most dangerous extremist, still has his long beard and wore blue Adidas trainers and a long white robe today.

The 51-year-old, who looks older and thinner than before he was jailed, was uncharacteristically silent due to stringent conditions of his release which state he cannot speak to media.

Authorities are mounting a huge security operation in a bid to prevent him radicalising a new generation of home-grown jihadi terrorists costing taxpayers at least 2million a year.

Scroll down for video.

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been pictured out and about in London after his release from prison this morning

Choudary looking thinner and more run-down than when he was jailed two years ago. Council community wardens were stationed outside the building today amid local anger

Choudary's hostel is a five-storey building sandwiched between a primary school, offices and townhouses and locals are furious he has been put there.

One neighbour told MailOnline: 'I think it is disgusting that he is here and freed so early given what he is responsible for. It is repugnant to think that this man who inspired terrorists is now living here'.

A source at the Ministry of Justice described the hostel as a form of half-way house between prison and the normal outside world.

Council community wardens stood outside the building today, though they will not be stationed at the site in the long-term.

Choudary's wife and children live about ten miles from the hostel. She was not at her home this morning and neighbours said she left around 8am.

A fellow resident of the hostel where Choudary is living told MailOnline the cleric will have his own room with a double bed, chest of drawers and a wardrobe.

Like other newly released criminals he will have to adhere to a strict curfew.

The hostel resident said Choudary will spend his first day being briefed by staff who will explain the rules of the premises.

The hostel resident said Choudary will spend his first day being briefed by staff who will explain the rules of the premises

Choudary leaving a probation hospital today. A fellow resident of the hostel where Choudary is living told MailOnline the cleric will have his own room with a double bed

This is the moment Anjem Choudary was swept out of Belmarsh Prison in a blacked out car at 4am

This is the north London bail hostel just yards away from a primary school where Choudary could live for six months

The hate preacher will be offered the choice of eating his meals in a communal area or in his own room.

Although he does not have cooking facilities in his room he will have the use of a shared kitchen.

Parole board's plan to keep Anjem Choudary from spreading poison Choudary will face 25 licence conditions. Any breach could result in a return to custody. They have been drawn up by the security services, police, probation service and the Ministry of Justice, they include:  Being forced to live in an approved hostel  Electronic tagging  A night-time curfew  Keeping in contact with his supervising probation officer  Handing over his passport  A ban on travelling outside the M25  Only being allowed to attend pre-approved mosques  Only being allowed one mobile phone, which he must hand over to the authorities for checking on request  A ban on contacting individuals who he knows or believes to have been charged with or convicted of extremist-related offences without prior approval  No use of the internet unless with prior permission  No unsupervised contact with children  Not being allowed to speak to the media  A ban from preaching  Not being allowed to convene meetings Advertisement

Choudary will also be allowed to buy his own TV for his room or can join the 30 other residents in a communal area. Mobile phones are allowed but he will not have access to a computer.

The resident, who has lived at the hostel for six weeks, said: 'It is up to him if he wants to talk with us. He can stay in his room and be private and no one will bother him. All he has to do us shut his bedroom door'

Before his release he was transferred to Belmarsh after a spell in HMP Frankland in Durham, where fellow inmates included fellow extremist Michael Adebolajo, an acolyte of Choudary's who murdered Lee Rigby in 2015.

Today he is a free man despite becoming 'hardened' in jail and more determined than ever to spread his toxic Islamist propaganda.

The hate preacher's already militant views became 'far more extreme and aggressive' while locked up and he now sees himself as a 'martyr', according to those who met him in prison.

And he is allegedly plotting to 'circumvent' strict control orders aimed at stopping him spreading his message that has radicalised hundreds of disaffected young Muslims and helped incite dozens of murders.

Yet he has been released automatically after only serving half his jail term despite inspiring around 100 British jihadis to kill or join ISIS and spreading hate on Britain's streets.

Choudary faces up to 25 strict conditions drawn up to control almost every aspect of his life - including a ban on talking to children - and will wear an electronic tag.

He is starting his life at a North London bail hostel where monitoring will cost at least 2m a year

His blacked out people carrier was followed, presumably, by police and perhaps even the MI5

Ex-terror chief says preacher is 'pathetic groomer', not genius A former head of counter-terror policing has insisted Choudary is not 'some sort of evil genius'. Sir Mark Rowley (pictured), who retired from policing earlier this year, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'It was a significant arrest and it was good to put him in prison. 'But I think we have to be careful not to overstate his significance. 'At the end of the day, he is a pathetic groomer of others. 'That is what he has done in the past. He is not some sort of evil genius we all need to be afraid of. 'We have to recognise that radicalisers look to generate a profile, they look to prey on the vulnerable. 'We need to be thoughtful about how we report their activity.' Advertisement

The hate preacher branded the most dangerous man in Britain will live at the property under the strictest conditions ever imposed on a released prisoner.

The hate preacher will remain at the hostel after serving half his five year and a half year sentence for pledging allegiance to ISIS.

One trader, who asked not to be named, said: 'It is sickening knowing he is so close.

'They should find another place for him away from the community. Everyone has heard of him. If he hates this country so much he should be deported.'

Another trader setting up a stall selling T-shirts and items for tourists, added: 'I know people are meant to get a second chance - but not for this man. He's done too much damage'.

The Government has launched a campaign to debunk his influence and ridicule with Whitehall sources calling him a 'shameless coward' who was 'too scared' to go to war himself so encouraged vulnerable young men to go instead.

The insider told the Telegraph: 'Choudary is just a coward. He has never travelled anywhere to fight and yet has been happy to see followers go abroad to wage jihad and die.

'He doesn't care about them. He is happy to radicalise vulnerable young men and send them to fight. But he is too scared to go. He is no martyr'.

Neighbours are irate that Choudary is living next door to a primary in his bail hostel

Choudary was to a probation hostel after serving half his sentence for swearing an oath of allegiance to Islamic State  despite security experts warning the 'Pied Piper of jihad' would inspire more terror attacks.

However, he will be subject to a huge security operation, including surveillance teams, monitoring devices and demands that he adhere to up to 25 rules controlling his activities.

Anjem Choudary has been released from prison after serving just half his five-and-a-half year sentence

Choudary, 51, a married father of five, is one of Britain's most notorious firebrand clerics.

He was jailed for five-and-a-half years for inviting support for ISIS, but was given automatic release after serving half his sentence.

The judge who sent him to prison in 2016, Mr Justice Holroyde, said he would be dangerous in jail and on release.

He told him at the Old Bailey: 'You show no remorse at all for anything you have said or done and I have no doubt you will continue to communicate your message whenever you can'.

His unpopular release came as:

Campaigners said he remained 'Britain's most dangerous extremist' after research showed he is already linked to over 120 Islamist terrorists.

It was revealed that the huge security surrounding him is estimated to cost the taxpayer more than 2million a year - compared to the 50,000 to keep him in jail.

An imam who has met Choudary in jail suggested he had used human rights laws to be placed in a half-way house in North London  close to where he used to preach  by claiming he had to be near his children.

The release is a landmark moment for the Government, which is still reeling from a string of atrocities which left more than 30 dead last year.

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary pictured in the 1990s as a student drinking with friends who are reading Mayfair magazine

The preacher, who once led banned group Al-Muhajiroun, was sentenced in 2016. Fiyaz Mughal, head of anti-extremist group Faith Matters, has spoken to the imam who was brought into jail to try to de-radicalise him.

'Choudary was put in containment that stops him engaging with other prisoners, but also given pastoral care to see if they could get through to him,' he said. 'I asked the guy who spoke to him if the de-radicalisation programme had worked and he said, 'No, he's got worse. He's hardened'. He speaks in the mind-set of the victim. He sees himself as a martyr the state tried to silence.'

Choudary does not plan to directly challenge the conditions of his release, but instead is working out ways to get round them, Mr Mughal said.

'He's said things like, 'if someone wants to upload my videos I'm not going to stop them'.'

Mr Mughal added: 'He should have served the full term. It's a terrible day for victims of the attacks he has helped incite.

'We need a change in the law so that anyone named as the inciter in two terrorist attacks should automatically serve the full sentence.'

Dr Michael Kenney, of the University of Pittsburgh, who followed Al-Muhajiroun for five years for his research, said its followers were 'very excited' about his release.

They had been dormant following his arrest, but are now expected to try to 'rebuild and revitalise', he said.

And he warned it was 'entirely possible' that more of his followers would turn to terrorism, like Khuram Butt, who was part of last year's London Bridge terror attack and Lee Rigby killers Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.

Security expert Professor Anthony Glees, of Buckingham University, said: 'He is charismatic and a very gifted orator  he is the Pied Piper of Jihad.

'Those who are vulnerable to his warped messages will see him as a hero  who has been through the fire of imprisonment.'

Security sources say Choudary's conviction has raised his credibility among fanatics. In the past, his desire not to go to prison and, what was seen in some quarters as his cowardice by not going to Syria, raised suspicions that he was a stooge for the security services.

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary - who inspired some of Britain's most notorious terrorists - is to be released on Friday and moved to a bail hostel

Campaign group Hope not Hate found he has been directly or indirectly linked to at least 123 Islamist terrorists.

'Anjem Choudary will remain the most dangerous extremist in Britain today,' said Nick Lowles, chief executive. 'This is a man who has inspired dozens to commit acts of violence.'

The security operation will include surveillance teams, monitoring devices and demands that Choudary adhere to up to 25 rules. He also faces being targeted by UN sanctions to freeze his assets, prevent him travelling and even enforce 'arms embargo provisions'.

Theresa May yesterday insisted safeguards were place to protect people from him.

Web of hate: How Anjem Choudary's sermons inspired a generation of home-grown terrorists and radicals

The hate-filled circle around Anjem Choudary was a breeding ground for the Islamic extremism which plagued Britain in the last two decades.

Former law-student Choudary, who previously called for adulterers to be stoned to death and branded UK troops 'cowards', always hid behind free speech rules whenever challenged by the authorities.

But the group he helped to set up were linked to a series of terrorist attacks, as easily-influenced young men became inspired by his twisted vision of jihad.

The best known of his disciples was Muslim convert Michael Adebolajo, who, along with Michael Adebowale, attacked Fusilier Lee Rigby with a meat cleaver in Woolwich in 2013 in a murder which shocked the country.

Anjem Choudary was at the centre of a web of extremists who operated in London

Adebolajo was a supporter of Choudary's al-Muhajiroun group and was pictured standing behind the hate preacher in 2007.

After the incident, Choudary said Adebolajo was 'a practising Muslim and a family man' who he was 'proud of'.

But he denied encouraging the killer to carry out the attack, insisting he was 'channeling the energy of the youth through demonstrations and processions'.

London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt also joined one of Choudary's rallies, this time on College Green outside the Palace of Westminster in 2013.

There, Butt 'verbally assaulted' a moderate Muslim leader who had opposed Choudary's extremist rhetoric.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Reza Haque, thought of as Choudary's bodyguard, disappeared from Britain in 2014.

London Bridge attacker Kharum Butt (left) and Westminster attacker Khalid Masood (right)

A photograph taken in Syria showed him in a balaclava and camouflage clothing, brandishing an AK-47 assault rifle and he has since been suspected as being a tall figure in ISIS's horrific execution films.

Siddhartha Dhar, who once ran Choudary's media operation, was also seen posing in a military style coat and boots, brandishing an assault rifle and holding his new born baby in Syria, labelling the picture 'Generation Khilafah'.

In December 2014, two other close associates were discovered in the back of a lorry at Dover as they tried to leave the country.

Westminster attacker Khalid Masood was also linked to Choudary through Ibrahim Anderson, an al-Muhajiroun activist convicted of inviting support for ISIS in 2016.

Will this fanatic branded despicable by fellow Muslims spark a new terror wave, asks NEIL TWEEDIE

He laughs boorishly for the camera across a pub table crammed with half-drained pint glasses and cans of cider, while a friend sitting next to him flaunts a copy of a soft-porn magazine. As a young man  a failed medical student turned aspiring lawyer  Anjem Choudary liked porn, casual sex, booze and getting stoned.

Now, at the age of 51, he prefers others to get stoned  but not on drugs. For people who have had adultery committed against them, people who have had their wives taken, a lot will say: I think stoning to death is appropriate, he has said.

Welcome to the warped, medieval world of Britains most virulent Islamist hate-preacher who, following his expected release from prison today, is back in circulation  albeit hemmed in by draconian restrictions on his freedom.

Choudary, who was raised in Kent by Pakistani immigrant parents, is a man consumed with hatred for the liberal society that nurtured him, and a believer in the unforgiving rule of sharia law. In his universe, for every human weakness there is a brutally appropriate punishment, including crucifixion, and for every infidel a place in hellfire.

Hate preacher Anjem Choudary - who inspired some of Britain's most notorious terrorists - is to be released on Friday and moved to a bail hostel including Michael Adebolajo (left) who beheaded Fusilier Lee Rigby in 2013

This so-called cleric, who is not a recognised religious scholar, has inspired some of Britains most infamous Islamist terrorists, including Khuram Butt, leader of the London Bridge attacks in June last year, and Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, murderers of Fusilier Lee Rigby who was hacked to death in Woolwich in 2013.

It is thought that more than 100 terrorists owe him some degree of allegiance, and many more acolytes have made their way to Syria to take part in jihad. Choudary, a qualified solicitor who used his skills to stay just the right side of the law during two decades of extolling extremism, was brought to justice after being caught expressing support for the banned terrorist sect Islamic State.

Jailed for five and a half years at the Old Bailey in August 2016, he is now free on licence after serving half his sentence  to the frustration of those who understand the danger he represents.

I would describe him as a hardened terrorist, somebody who has had huge influence on the Islamist extremist scene in this country over many years, says Richard Walton, a former head of Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command. I believe we are under-estimating the potency and danger of the radicalisers who dont carry knives, guns and overtly plot terrorist attacks but who pollute the minds of young Muslim men.

During a debate in the House of Lords on the Governments proposed counter-terrorism and border security Bill this month, Lord Anderson, a former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said a quarter of jihadis convicted in Britain between 2001 and 2015 were associated with Choudary, compared with a tenth linked to al-Qaeda and one in 20 connected to Islamic State.

Describing Choudary as a highly dangerous fanatical extremist, prisons minister Rory Stewart has promised that he will be subject to round-the-clock surveillance.

Under the terms of his early release, which cannot be prevented under current law, he will be housed in a probation hostel in London for six months, away from his family home in Ilford in the east of the city, and must remain within the area bounded by the M25 motorway.

There are fears Choudary, who previously mocked up a picture of Buckingham Palace as a mosque, could go back to radicalising young men after his release this week

He will be electronically tagged, subject to a curfew, banned from preaching and attending certain mosques, allowed to associate only with approved people and barred from using the internet. A single mobile phone is allowed  but subject to examination at any time. In addition, Choudarys assets have been frozen, and he will be subject to strict limits on financial activity.

MI5 and intelligence agency GCHQ will participate in the surveillance operation targeting the preacher, but pressure on resources makes continuous physical surveillance less likely. With 23,000 potential extremists at large, they have their hands full.

Choudary spent most of his sentence at Frankland high-security prison in County Durham. It is one of three institutions in Britain equipped with a separation unit, a prison-within-a-prison intended to isolate terrorists from ordinary inmates.

Choudary is barred from contacting partner-in-crime Mohammed Mizanur Rahman

Choudary, whose release date takes into account time spent on curfew and remand before his trial, was allowed to associate only with a handful of similar prisoners, and subject to psychological and spiritual counselling involving an approved imam.

Much good it did him  he is reported to be as extreme as ever and has been penning a book chronicling his martyrdom. Choudary may not have coached suicide bombers directly, says David Videcette, a former counter-terrorism officer, but he is the calibre of person who would do such a thing. A person thinking of sacrificing his or herself for Allah, in Syria or elsewhere, will seek this mans approval, and he has the contacts to make this ambition a reality.

Now he is expected to tread very carefully, giving the authorities no excuse to send him back to prison.

He is aware of what the law allows him to say and what not to say, and he rarely steps over the line, adds Mr Videcette. He knows how not to get himself into trouble  we were extremely lucky to find some material showing him promoting IS that allowed us to put him away. He remains a danger to anyone with whom he comes into contact  those who are vulnerable and impressionable.

Choudary studied medicine at Southampton University but failed his first-year exams and took up law. As an undergraduate, he was known as Andy, a party animal who indulged his appetite for alcohol, cannabis and women.

Estrangement from British society began with his failure to secure a job in a top law firm and he began to gravitate towards extremism, becoming a disciple of Syrian-born Islamist preacher Omar Bakri Muhammad. Together, the men founded al-Muhajiroun (ALM), a shadowy organisation promoting a hardline version of Islam.

All the time, he and his equally radical wife, and their children, were sustained by benefits from the state they both profess to loathe  totalling some 20,000 a year in child benefit, housing benefit and tax credits.

An incubator for terrorism, al-Muhajiroun was proscribed in 2010 but re-emerged under a series of new names such as Muslims Against Crusades. Bakri had left the UK in 2005, leaving Choudary as the guiding light of the Islamist movement here.

A narcissist with a taste for the limelight, he was adept at courting media attention. In his vision of the future, the black flag of the caliphate will fly over Buckingham Palace and Downing Street, and the Queen will be forced to cover her face, he repeatedly told journalists. In 2010, he led a protest in the Wiltshire market town of Wootton Bassett, through which the coffins of British servicemen killed in action in Afghanistan were paraded and honoured after being flown in to nearby RAF Lyneham.

Goading is part of his strategy, says Mr Videcette. He wants to drive a wedge between the Muslim community and the secular community. Terrorism is about polarising views  Muslims are left alone by the main population and that allows extremists to thrive within that community.

Choudary is one of the few public faces of Islamist extremism. There are not many people with his public persona, but several hundred who behind closed doors share his views. He is at the top of a hierarchical structure that at its base has about 20,000 people who are known to have contact with these hundreds of advisers.

As a young man, Adam Deen was seduced by the simplistic Muslims against the rest message of ALM and joined the group. Now a director of the anti-extremist organisation Quilliam, he warns that the impending release of Islamist leaders like Choudary from prison could re-energise groups whose ranks have been thinned by deaths in Syria and other causes.

Restrictions are not going to stop Anjems act, says Mr Deen. Be it middle-men or whoever, he will find a way to make an impact. I would be very surprised if he has in any way been reformed by prison. He has too much invested in his image. Some think he doesnt mean what he says, but he does. Its the scariest thing about him.

The new counter-terrorism bill should reduce the legal threshold for incitement, making it easier to prosecute the Choudarys of this world

Sentences for most Islamist extremists in the UK have been relatively short due to the effective tactic of convicting them for conventional crimes. About half of known extremists were found guilty of other forms of criminality.

This approach resulted in a spate of arrests but now many of those offenders are coming up for release, presenting the already stretched

security services with a fresh headache. A BBC Newsnight report this week cited Akbar Dad Khan, a moderate Muslim councillor in Luton, who warns that al-Muhajiroun is far from a spent force and that thousands of Muslims continue to support its aims.

Imprisonment has failed to dent the enthusiasm of many extremists, and Britains embattled penal system has, if anything, served as a breeding ground for radicalism. Separation units are not billed as a punishment but as a precaution. So Islamist extremists enjoy access to television, participate in Friday prayers and are entitled to a halal diet.

The separation unit at Frankland has been described as successful but claustrophobic by prison monitors. The three separation units in the country can hold just 28 prisoners in total.

Before he tripped himself up over endorsing IS, Choudary was happy to exploit his countrys protection of free speech while rubbishing the freedom that allowed him to exercise it. You see, we dont believe in the concepts of freedom and democracy, he told an interviewer. We believe sovereignty belongs to God.

Extolling the dystopian horror that was the so-called caliphate established by IS in Syria and Iraq, he went on: They dont see in the public arena things like alcohol, drugs, gambling, these kinds of vices. Theyve been completely wiped out.

In many respects its the kind of society Id love to live in with my family.

Radicalism is certainly a feature of the Choudary household. In 1996, Anjem married Rubana Akhtar, then 22. She proved to be every bit as extreme as her husband, being secretly filmed in 2016 speaking in favour of IS, making light of the burning to death in a cage of a captured Jordanian fighter pilot and predicting the destruction of the non-Muslim population of Britain.

Their daughter, Hediya Mehraj, appears to have followed in her parents footsteps. In 2013, the then 16-year-old used Twitter to urge Muslims to wage holy war in Syria.

The new counter-terrorism bill should reduce the legal threshold for incitement, making it easier to prosecute the Choudarys of this world. But the hate preacher of Ilford will be on his guard.

Choudary was hard to catch in the first place and will be harder to catch in future, says Mr Videcette. These people become skilled at countering electronic surveillance. They leave their phones in separate rooms and conduct business in open spaces. Messages will be passed by hand, and important contacts made through third parties.

Our best bet is to make him as paranoid as possible. We will be looking to feed agents into his circle  people who will be recording him. Yes, we are going to bug his phone; yes, we are going to break into his house and bug it; and yes, we are going to install bugs in his car. Yes, every single person he talks to could be an agent.

But we need to be at the top of our game. We are going to be stuck with him for some time.

Understandably, moderate Muslims are alarmed at the prospect of Choudarys release. Miqdaad Versi of the Muslim Council of Britain says: Mr Anjem Choudary has long been condemned by Muslim organisations and Muslims across the country, who consider him and his support for Daesh (IS) to be despicable.

Many Muslims have long been puzzled why this man was regularly approached by the media to give outrageous statements that inflamed Islamophobia.

Surely the best thing to do  when once again Anjem Choudary attempts to spread his own special brand of hatred  is to ignore him.
Algerian authorities have put a ban on the wearing of niqab, a full-face veil, at workplace across the country, over difficulties to identity faces behind the veil.

Under the decision, made by Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia and announced Thursday, governors, ministers and other public authorities shall ensure that the ban is implemented in public work places, over security reasons, RTL Info reports.

 it should be recalled that, given their public service missions, public officials and public servants are subject to specific legal and statutory obligations, the Algerian Prime Minister said in a circular. In this respect, officials and public officials must, in addition to the professional obligations to which they are subject, comply with the rules and requirements of security and communication within their department, which impose their systematic and permanent physical identification, in particular on their place of work, the circular added.

Public servants and public officials are thus instructed to refrain from wearing any clothing that impedes the performance of their public service missions, particularly the wearing of the niqab which is strictly prohibited in the workplace.

Most Algerian women do not wear the niqab, but radical Muslims, namely Salafists, have endorsed it. Actually, the country has been split between moderates and more radicals who follow a more conservative form of Islam since the 1990s, when the country was plunged into a deadly civil war in 1992, following the cancellation by a military-backed government of elections that an Islamist party, the FIS, was poised to win.

The North African country has not witnessed any major terrorist attacks recently, but armed jihadist groups continue to launch sporadic attacks, like the assault on the countrys oil installations in Ain Amenas few years ago.
A surfer in his 20s has been taken to hospital after he was attacked by a shark, believed to be a great white, in New Zealand.

The terrifying incident happened at 6pm local time at Baylys Beach, close to Dargaville on the country's north island.

Police said the man suffered bites to his arm and hand and paddled back to shore following the attack.

A surfer in his 20s has been taken to hospital following a shark attack in New Zealand (pictured visible teeth marks on the edge of the board)

Pictures released by police of the man's surfboard show teeth marks embedded into the board

Pictures released by police of the man's surfboard show visible teeth marks on the edge of the board.

The surfer was then given a ride up the beach by a passer-by in a ute before a helicopter flew him to Whangarei Hospital for treatment.

According to the New Zealand Herald, Dargaville Volunteer Fire Brigade deputy chief Michael Ross said the victim was in pain but 'walking and talking'.

'It has got him in the hand, the elbow and a bit on his mouth,' he said.

'I've lived here 45 years and I can't remember the last person who's been bitten by a shark out here.'

The helicopter airlifted him to hospital from outside a shop fittingly called Sharkys Takeaways at just after 7pm.

The incident happened at 6pm local time at Baylys Beach - close to Dargaville on the country's north island (pictured helicopter seen in vicinity)

Everyone was told to get out of the water, while police initially stayed at the beach to give advice to those in the area.

One member of the Baylys Beach Community Facebook Page reported seeing a helicopter in the area and hearing police sirens shortly after the incident.

A Department of Conservation marine scientist told the newspaper the bite marks on the surfboard were unmistakably those of a great white shark.

Shark expert Clinton Duffy said the spacing between the bite marks were a give-away, and the tooth embedded in the board was clearly that of a great white.

There have been fewer than 50 unprovoked recorded shark attacks in New Zealand since 1850.
A 70-year-old surfer from Queensland has died in the Philippines after being shot in the head as he drank a beer.

Reginald Rene Hodgens, a builder, was reportedly shot in the head at the gate of his rented home in the north-western coastal province of Ilocos Sur.

Filipino media stated he was killed about 7.45pm on October 15 at his home in the city of Sinait - a town of 25,600 people on the north coast of the province.

But the exact date of his death remains a mystery even to Mr Hodgens own family, News Ltd reported.

They believe he was shot at point blank range as he enjoyed a beer.

Mr Hodgens was taken to the Ilocos Sur District Hospital, but was declared dead on arrival, local news outlet Tawid Newsmagazine reported.

Police recovered one cartridge case and a deformed bullet from the crime scene, Tawid stated.

Philippines National Police senior inspector Edmund Artates was quoted by Philippines Lifestyle as saying Mr Hodgens had been living on the west coast in the town of Cabugao, but had left after filing a (court) case against a Filipino.

'Perhaps, the motive, with revenge, is based on the documents we have detected, there is a case in Cabugao,' he said.

Police are investigating and are reviewing CCTV footage.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade cited privacy obligations for not providing any comment other than to confirm an Australian man had died and it was providing consular assistance to his family.

Mr Hodgens reportedly moved to Townsville after growing up in Brisbane and had travelled the world as a surfer before settling down in the Philippines.

Filipino pastry chef Alexander Dennis said Mr Hodgens was a friend of his family and paid tribute to him on FaceBook.

'Justice for Australian Surfer Mr. Reginald Rene Hodgens.. a good man.. a family friend.. may he rest in peace,' he wrote on Tuesday.
A man has been shot after a violent brawl in a busy shopping centre car park.

The victim, aged in his 40s, is understood to have been involved in an altercation with two other people on Queensland's Sunshine Coast before being shot in the stomach on Friday afternoon.

Witnesses said they saw two men attacking the man near The Reject Shop at Currimundi Market Place about 1.30pm.

A man has been shot after a violent brawl in a shopping centre car park on Friday afternoon

One of the men then pulled out a gun and shot the victim, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported.

All of the men had cleared out by the time officers arrived at the scene, with two men seen speeding out of the car park in a sedan.

The shot man turned-up at a Battery Hill medical centre shortly after with a wound to his abdomen.

He was taken to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Witnesses told police they saw two men attacking the victim, who was by himself.

'It looked really violent,' one witness said. 'One guy got a gun out and shot it at the guy who was by himself.'

The man, aged in his 40s, was involved in an altercation with two other people on Queensland's Sunshine Coast

Management from Currimundi Markets shopping centre said it was assisting authorities with their investigation.

Unconfirmed reports suggest another man may have sustained a leg injury in the brawl.

Police have set up a crime scene at the car park, with detectives and forensic officers investigating.
The mum of a backpacker facing ten years in a Thai prison after he sprawled graffiti on an 800-year-old fortress says she is 'embarrassed and ashamed' of her son.

Lee Furlong was caught on CCTV using a can of black spray paint to tag the historic Tha Phae gate in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, yesterday at 4am.

The 23-year-old managed to spell 'Scouse' incorrectly, first writing 'Scousse Lee' before going back over the letters and changing it to 'Scouser Lee'.

The graffiti sparked outrage among locals who accused the traveller of disrespecting the ancient 13th century monument and their country.

But his mum, Michelle Furlong, says his embarrassing behaviour may actually be caused by rare brain condition - Tuberous Sclerosis Complex - and discovering his grandmother was on her death bed.

Today, Furlong admitted he was now 'terrified' and was 'blind drunk' when he picked up the can of black spray.

Lee Furlong (left), 23, used a can of black spray paint to tag the historic Tha Phae gate in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, on October 18 at 4am

Furlong was caught on CCTV (pictured). The graffiti - which read 'Scouse Lee' and 'B' on the line below - sparked outrage from locals who accused the traveller of disrespecting the ancient 13th century monument and their country

Michelle Furlong says her son sprayed the ancient building because he has Tuberous Sclerosis Complex - a rare brain condition. He also found out his grandmother was dying the night of the drunken incident

Speaking today, Mrs Furlong from Liverpool said: 'We feel absolutely devastated, mortified and so scared - because my kid is in prison in Thailand, and all the horror stories that go along with that.

'I am so embarrassed and ashamed. I cannot even begin to describe how our family has been affected by his actions.

'He is prone to making ill judgements - he has a lot of tumours in the frontal and temporal lobes of his brain and suffers with epilepsy as a result of it.

'He has always struggled in educational situations and obviously emotional situations - and has always had difficulties.'

She believes a combination of the recent bad news that his gran is dying earlier this week and his own health condition led her son to go out drinking and write on the ancient monument.

On Tuesday Mrs Furlong's mother-in-law was rushed into hospital and later was taken to a hospice for end-of-life care.

Mrs Furlong said: 'We are in the process of losing a loved one - she is on her deathbed and we are trying to hide all of this news from her.

'We've obviously had to tell my father-in-law what is going on because it has made national news and even international news. I can't believe we have been put in this situation.

Officers took Furlong (right) and Schneider (left) to the site - which had already been cleaned - where they confessed to the crime

Canadian Brittney Schneider (left) and British Furlong Lee (second left) stand in front of Tha Pae Gate in Chiang Mai province, northern Bangkok

Residents reported the crime at first light and it took police just two hours to track down the pair. Pictured: Officials clean the wall

Mrs Furlong said the family are unable to afford her son's 3530 bail, leaving him facing potential 33 months in jail until his trail and a further ten years in prison

'That is how he has ended up getting into such a state.

'And making such a jackass of himself to put it mildly. If I could, I would go out there and clean the wall myself.'

Mrs Furlong found out about her son's imprisonment yesterday morning at 9am after receiving a call telling her she would need to pay together 3,530 bail in 24 hours to get her son released.

She said the family are unable to afford her son's bail, leaving Lee facing potential 33 months in jail until his trail and a further ten years in prison.

Mrs Furlong added: 'My husband is an ill man and unable to work, and I work in a sweet shop.

'We live hand-to-mouth with what's going on in this country with this government - we live hand-to-mouth, we live week-to-week and it is only through the goodwill of other people that we have even been able to glean this bail money together.

'He was due to fly home on Sunday and I felt like I could finally breathe out, because he only had five days left and then he would home safe.'

Speaking by phone from his hotel, Furlong said he had been 'drinking all day' before spraying the words on the wall

The pair now face prosecution under Thailand's Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museums act 1961, section 32, which carries a maximum punishment of ten years in prison

Yesterday officers frogmarched the pair of backpackers to the site - which had already been cleaned - where they confessed to the crime

Lee was spending his final week in Thailand after four weeks abroad travelling with a housemate when the drunken incident happened.

Speaking by phone from his hotel, he said today: 'I'd been drinking all day. I'd had some bad news from my family and I went out drinking. I mean, I was really, really drunk.

'I saw the spray can and just picked it up. Honestly, I didn't know what I was doing. When I woke up the police were here.

'They took me to the station and I was in shock. I'm terrified of what will happen now.'

Furlong said that police had taken away his passport and a court hearing had been set for two weeks from now.

He said: 'I've spoken to my family and I'm trying to get some help. I really need it. I honestly don't know what to do. My visa runs out in two days, that's another problem.

'I had been having such an amazing time here. The best time of my life. I'm just devastated that I've done something so stupid. I'm sorry to all the Thai people that have been offended by it. I've been an idiot.'

A backpacker from Liverpool is facing ten years in a Thai prison after spraying 'Scouse Lee' (pictured) on an 800-year-old Thai fortress

Lieutenant Colonel Teerasak took the pair to the wall yesterday where they were seen standing in front of the crime scene and pointing to where the graffiti was

Police launched a man hunt and Furlong, as well as Canadian woman, Brittney Schneider, 23, who was with him at the time and sprayed 'B' on a separate line, were arrested yesterday afternoon.

Officers took them to the site - which had already been cleaned - where they confessed to the crime.

The pair now face up to ten years in prison and / or a one million baht (23,500) fine for desecrating an historical site.

Lieutenant Colonel Teerasak Sriprasert from Chiang Mai police said: 'The graffiti says 'Scousse Lee'. This means ''Scouser Lee from Liverpool''. The girl is called Brittney and she wrote a letter 'B' on the wall.

'Officers investigated the vandalism after it was seen on CCTV cameras. The offenders were tracked to a guest house near the same road as the wall.

'The accused will be investigated and prosecuted according to the law.'

Lieutenant Colonel Teerasak took the pair to the wall yesterday where they were seen standing in front of the crime scene and pointing to where the graffiti was.

He added: 'The accused were questioned and confessed that the incident happened earlier in the morning at 4am.'

Today, Furlong admitted he was now 'terrified' and was 'blind drunk' when he picked up the can of black spray

Furlong said that police had taken away his passport and a court hearing had been set for two weeks from now

Police said that Furlong and Schneider told them they had been drinking with friends at a nearby restaurant until they were drunk.

Police Major Anon Cherdchutrakulthong told Reuters. 'When people visit somewhere they should know not to [leave] graffiti.'

They were walking back to the Mad Monkey Hostel when they found the spray paint lying on the ground and decided to graffiti the wall as a 'prank'.

Furlong is seen spraying 'Scouse' before the Canadian girl puts the first initial of her name below. The Liverpudlian then finished the tag off with his name 'Lee'.

The pair only stopped when a passing tuk-tuk driver intervened and told them off, at which point they left the spray can and walked back to the hostel.

Residents reported the crime at first light and it took police just two hours to track down the pair.

They now face prosecution under Thailand's Antiques, Objects of Art and National Museums act 1961, section 32, which carries a maximum punishment of ten years in prison and / or a one million baht fine for 'anyone who invades an ancient site, or damages, destroys, degrades or renders it useless'.

Tha Phae gate is part of a crumbling wall was built in the 13th century as a fortress to protect the city of Chiang Mai.

It is the centre of tourism in the bustling northern city popular with backpackers and is surrounded by bars, restaurants, hotels, markets, massage parlours and shops.
Worshippers at at Turkish mosque have been praying the wrong way for nearly 40 years.

The mosque in Sugoren in the country's west was built incorrectly in 1981, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.

The new imam Isa Kaya, 24, addressed rumours of the design flaw and consulted with local muftis, the village elders.

Scroll down for video

A villager prays in the right direction indicated by the white lines painted on the carpet

The muftis said the Mihrab, a niche built into the Mosque's wall to indicate the direction of Mecca, was facing the wrong way.

It is thought that the mistake was a relic from the old mosque so villagers may have been praying in the wrong direction for many more years.

The faith says that prayers should be directed towards the Kaaba which sits at the centre of Islam's most sacred site in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

As a temporary solution Mr Kaya laid down arrows of white tape to point his flock right, the Hurriyet Daily News said.

The outside of the mosque in the village of Sugoren

Worshippers circle the Kaaba at Mecca which Muslims around the world point to in prayer

The interior of the mosque where worshippers have knelt in the wrong direction for decades

It is thought that the mistake was a relic from the old mosque meaning villagers may have been praying in the wrong direction for more than 37 years

The mosque in Sugoren, in the western province of Yalova which was built wrongly in 1981

'We have explained the situation to our congregation and most of them have reacted positively to our solution,' the imam told Demiroren News Agency on October 17.

Their prayers, which are said five times a day, are now being said as the Quran instructs.
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The Duchess of Sussex has revealed how her upbringing at an all-girls school and her first job 'taking out the trash' as a 14-year-old girl has made her 'the person she is today'.

And her husband Prince Harry urged men to join the drive for female empowerment as the royal couple visited Macarthur Girls High School on the fourth day of their whistle-stop tour of Australia.

The couple have taken the country by storm since arriving earlier this week ahead of a two-week tour of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga.

Earlier in the day, they joined an 'anti-bad vibes' circle with surfers on Bondi Beach before making a surprise visit with schoolchildren during their morning assembly.

Meghan spoke passionately to teenagers about equality, with the Duchess - who has even put her 'feminist manifesto' on the Buckingham Palace website - saying she felt 'emotional' hearing their passionate views.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Macarthur Girls High School on the fourth day of their whistle-stop tour of Australia

Meghan changed from her Martin Grant maxi beach dress into a sleeveless navy dress as she and Harry arrived at the girls school in the city following a visit to the beach

Prince Harry and Meghan's school visit was their second official engagement of the day. Above, they are seen being entertained by a dance group, ahead of a chat with pupils in which they spoke about equality and work ethic

Meghan spoke passionately to teenagers about equality, with the Duchess - who has even put her 'feminist manifesto' on the Buckingham Palace website - saying she felt 'emotional' hearing their passionate views

Harry, who is now said to identify as a feminist, told the girls he wants men to add their voices to the fight for equality.

'Men can help as well by getting involved, we have to,' he said. 'We need to get men's voices involved as soon as possible.'

His wife, who has been a long-term advocate for women's rights, told students that their projects, including making boxes of supplies for women in need, made her proud.

'You guys all remind me so much of myself when I was growing up,' she told 14-year-old girls.

'I went to an all girls school which was incredibly diverse as well. I think being around such empowered young women, it becomes something that you all just grasp onto to understand your world.

'It's made you confident, well-spoken. You have an intention set to really do something to change the world, and you have to keep it up.

Schoolgirls wait eagerly with their mobile phones ready to go before the arrival of the royal mother and father-to-be

The Duchess of Sussex is seen speaking to a teacher during a visit to Macarthur Girls High School in Sydney on Friday

Teachers explained that the girls have been taking an 'integrated course' on top of their usual studies, to give them '21st century capabilities' including creativity and critical thinking

New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian (left), along with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, watch a dance performance at the Sydney school

'It makes me so emotional. You're doing really, really good work and I'm so happy that we're here. We give you our full support.'

'Don't stop,' the Prince reiterated. 'Get more people involved, guys as well.'

The Royal couple arrived at Macarthur Girls School on Friday morning, where their 'surprise' appearances turned out to be the worst-kept secret on campus.

As Gladys Berejiklian, the Premier of New South Wales, teased them about being overexcited to see her, the teenagers fizzed with anticipation until the Duke and Duchess were finally introduced.

Then, cheers and excited screams filled the air as they walked outside to meet the well-behaved girls, who had been sitting neatly for assembly.

Invited to sit on a park bench in the centre, the couple watched a ballet-inspired dance performance from students to the song 'Power of Love' before heading inside for the workshops.

Teachers explained that the girls have been taking an 'integrated course' on top of their usual studies, to give them '21st century capabilities' including creativity and critical thinking, with 'a core focus on making a change in local communities'.

The royals look on during their surprise visit to the school in Sydney's west on Friday. The pair were entertained with a dance to the Frankie Goes To Hollywood version of The Power of Love

A student's tribute to Meghan is pictured above during her visit to Macarthur Girls High School in Sydney on Friday

The Duchess of Sussex told students how her upbringing at an all-girls school and her first job 'taking out the trash' has made her 'the person she is today'

The couple heard about the National Rugby League's In Harmony program, which aims to unite and empower young people to be advocates of positive change

One project saw them make boxes of supplies to donate to vulnerable women via police stations and refuge centres, while another saw them create notebooks to pass forward for students to write about the women who have inspired them.

Coincidentally, one pupil had written about the Duchess long before the royal visit had been announced.

Tahlia Ohenhen, 15, told the Duke and Duchess how another group had created picture books to teach younger children about poverty and encourage them to treat those less fortunate with kindness and empathy.

The couple nodded as Tahlia added: 'The younger you get your children educated on things like this, the easier it is for them to grow up and be aware of it and make a difference.'

'Kindness and empathy lacks big time in the world,' Harry said. 'It's so great you are passionate about all of this.

'Do you realise this is the generation that's going to make all the difference?'

Later in the morning, the Duke and Duchess were introduced to teenage boys and girls from the In League In Harmony project from the NFL.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are seen with students at Macarthur Girls High School in Sydney's west on Friday

Prince Harry and Meghan watch a dance performance on a visit to Macarthur Girls High School, where the duchess gave pupils an inspiring speech about equality and her own upbringing

Sitting separately, with a mixed-sex group each, the couple listened to young people's growing up in Australia, and day to day lives.

As one young man told the Duchess about his part-time job, she empathised: 'My first job when I was 14, I remember taking out the trash, all sorts. It give you a good work ethic, right?'

She joined groups of students from across different schools in Sydney who have been introduced via the programme, which teaches them: 'Everybody belongs.'

'It's so important,' said the Duchess. 'All these people you know of in your neighbourhood, now you know them and you're united.

'You're proud of where you're from, you can champion where you're from and make people see it for what it is.'

Haeey, sitting with a second group of youngsters, joked that he was 'clinging onto my youth at the age of 34,' saying he now looked to the younger generation for inspiration.

'We're so lucky that wherever we go in the world, we're finding young people like you guys.

'This sweeping wave of kindness and optimism and empathy that's seems to be lacking in some of the previous generation. You guys get a kick out of that, right?'

Earlier in the day, Prince Harry and Meghan met a local surfing community group, and playfully pulled at the cape of a toddler (pictured) on Bondi Beach
A U.S. Navy helicopter has crashed on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier in the Philippine Sea, injuring an unknown number of sailors.

The MH-60 Seahawk crashed shortly after takeoff from the USS Ronald Reagan while the carrier was off the Philippine coast, the Navy said.

The Navy's 7th Fleet said the cause of the crash, which took place on Friday morning while the Ronald Reagan Strike Group was conducting routine operations, is under investigation.

Crash: The MH-60 Seahawk crashed on the flight deck of the USS Ronald Reagan, pictured earlier this month, in the Philippine Sea, causing non-fatal injuries to a number of sailors

All affected sailors were in stable condition and their injuries were non-life threatening, the Navy said.

The Navy did not specify how many sailors had been hurt in the incident.

It said some of them would be examined and treated after they reach the shore, though officials did not specify the destination.

The Navy did also not give details on any damage to the helicopter or the aircraft carrier but USS Ronald Reagan has since resumed flight training.

Unknown cause: The Navy's 7th Fleet said the cause of the crash on the aircraft carrier, which took place on Friday morning, under investigation

The Navy said the aircraft carrier is fully capable to conduct its mission for security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The massive nuclear-powered aircraft carrier patrols throughout the Pacific, including sailing through the disputed South China Sea earlier this year as part of a mission intended to reassure Washington's allies in the area.

USS Ronald Reagan participated in the international naval review hosted off the South Korean island of Jeju last week.
The CEO of housebuilding company Persimmon walked away after being quizzed about his controversial 75million bonus.

Jeff Fairburn, chief executive of the firm, was originally due to receive a 100million kickback but took a 25million cut after an outcry from politicians and the public earlier this year.

Persimmon benefited greatly from the taxpayer-backed Help to Buy scheme which was introduced to help first-time buyers get on the property ladder.

When asked about his multi-million pound bonus, Mr Fairburn said it was 'unfortunate' the reporter had brought the issue up.

The clip begins with BBC reporter Spencer Stokes (right) saying: '[Persimmon] obviously have been doing well, have been doing well last year, that was reflected in your bonus. Do you have any regrets about the furore surrounding that?'

Spencer Stokes, Business and Transport Correspondent for BBC Look North in Yorkshire, posted the video on his Twitter page at 6.54pm yesterday.

The clip begins with Mr Stokes saying: '[Persimmon] obviously have been doing well, have been doing well last year, that was reflected in your bonus. Do you have any regrets about the furore surrounding that?'

Mr Fairburn begins to respond as someone off-camera says 'can we not?'

The CEO agrees with the interjection as the BBC reporter continues: 'Obviously, the construction and the bricks, you know, follows on from how well Persimmon is doing so I just thought it should be tied together really.'

CEO Jeff Fairburn (pictured) begins to respond as someone off-camera says 'can we not?'

'I'd rather not talk about that, it's been well covered actually, so...' Mr Fairburn said.

'So you don't want to discuss that today?' Mr Stokes asks.

Mr Fairburn does not answer and the reporter continues: 'Are there any lessons to be learned from that? It was the biggest bonus in the country.'

Again Mr Fairburn does not reply. He looks away and walks off as Mr Stokes says: 'No? Okay, right, fine.'

The CEO says: 'I think that's really unfortunate actually that you've done that.'

Persimmon faced a major shareholder revolt in April after several shareholders expressed outrage at the 'enormous sums' awarded to Mr Fairburn and other executives.

He posted profits of 516million in the first half of 2018.

Labour MP Rachel Reeves, who chairs the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, had called the huge bonuses at the company impossible to justify.

As the reporter justifies the question Mr Fairburn says: 'I'd rather not talk about that, it's been well covered actually, so...'

Mr Stokes walks away from the interview as the CEO says: 'I think that's really unfortunate actually that you've done that'

She called the scandal 'a tale of corporate greed and incompetent pay management financed on the back of a taxpayer-funded housing scheme'.

In February Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable demanded an inquiry into the bonuses which he called the worst style of fat cattery.

Former Conservative minister Steve Norris said it was hard-pressed taxpayers who had made Fairburn and other housebuilding bosses so rich.

At the shareholder meeting in Yorkshire, 64 per cent of shareholders did not back the bonus with only 36 per cent voting in favour, but despite investor outrage the pay policy was approved as almost a third of shareholders abstained from the vote.

Among those who voted, 51.5 per cent were in favour and 48.5 per cent were opposed.

Bosses at Persimmon tried to calm the furore earlier by handing back an accumulative 50million of their payouts.

Mr Fairburn had his almost 100million bonus slashed by 25million after cutting the number of shares he can gain under a 2012 long-term incentive plan (LTIP).

The controversial pay plan was defended in a statement from Persimmon which claimed that the LTIP was a 'significant factor in the company's outstanding performance'.

Mr Fairburn had his almost 100million bonus slashed by 25million after cutting the number of shares he can gain under a 2012 long-term incentive plan (LTIP)

Mr Fairburn deflected stinging criticism over his bonus in February this year by announcing plans to hand over a 'substantial amount' of the award to charity.

Persimmon's LTIP was introduced in 2012 and was set out to pay out more than 200million.

After the cuts to the bonuses were announced Ashley Hamilton Claxton, head of responsible investment at Royal London Asset Management (RLAM), which holds a 0.5% stake in the company, said the incident was a 'classic corporate governance failure'.

He continued: 'However, even after this reduction, in our view the scale of the remuneration on offer under this plan is still extremely generous given the government's support for the sector through the Help To Buy scheme.'

Amidst the furore finance director Mike Killoran had his 77million bonus reduced to 53million and managing director Dave Jenkinsons was trimmed by 2million, lowering his bonus to 38million.

Last night Luke Hildyard, director of the High Pay Centre, said: 'It shows again what a stunning lack of judgement it was by Persimmon to make the award and for Mr Fairburn to accept it.

'A bonus of that size would be ludicrously disproportionate in any circumstance, but even more so when the increase in the company's profits was so clearly the result of outside circumstances nothing to do with the executives.

'If he was even a fraction as good a business leader as his bonus implied, he'd have foreseen this straight away and turned down the award.'

The controversial pay plan was defended in a statement from Persimmon which claimed that the LTIP was a 'significant factor in the company's outstanding performance'

Labour MP Clive Betts, chairman of the Commons housing, communities and local government committee, said: It is pretty outrageous. I understand why Mr Fairburn does not want to defend himself, because his position is indefensible.

'He has received his bonus on the back of a rise in profits driven almost entirely by taxpayer money, through Help to Buy, which has allowed developers to simply put up prices.

Mr Stokes' tweet has gained nearly 2,000 retweets, 3,000 likes and nearly 500 replies.

The video drew mixed responses from social media users, with one commenting: 'His company is doing well. He got a bonus why shouldnt he? Irrespective of the value?'

Another responded: 'Because it isnt proportionate to the job hes done. Its greedy, obscene, unjustifiable. There is a nationwide housing crisis and they have profited how much?! He isnt the only culprit, theres a deep rooted corporate epidemic of greed at the expense of the rest of us.'

In December last year The Mail on Sunday reported that more than 50 per cent of Persimmons sales are through Help to Buy - its share price soaring by more than 200 per cent since 2013.
Feared dead: The wife of Chinese former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei fears her husband has been killed

The distraught wife of the disappeared former Interpol head has hit out at officials she described as 'cruel', in a hard hitting rebuke of Beijing.

Meng Hongwei disappeared on September 25 - the day he travelled to his native China from France.

Grace Meng unleashed the emotional tirade against Beijing in an interview with the BBC.

'I'm not sure he is alive,' Ms Meng said. 'They are cruel. They are dirty... I think it is political persecution.'

The Chinese government have accused Mr Hongwei of accepting bribes, and said his detention is part of a far-reaching anti corruption drive.

Mr Hongwei officially resigned as head of the international police organisation, which is based in France, on October 7 - the first time Beijing let on that he was in their custody.

Ms Meng has claimed that since her husband disappeared she has received a threatening phone call, and now fears for her own life. She was told there were 'two teams' to target her 'in France' - with French police now providing her with armed protection.

Ms Meng tells the press of her travails, while concealing her identity in fear for her safety

'I tell (our children) daddy is on a long business trip,' said a distraught Ms Meng, in her first interview with British press, in which she concealed her face and identity for her own safety.

A source familiar with the investigation said the working assumption was that the 64-year-old, Mr Hongwei had antagonised Chinese authorities. With suggestions that his links to fellow fallen former official Zhou Yongkang were behind his mysterious detention.

Beijing confirmed that a new government body, the National Supervisory Commission was investigating Mr Hongwei - who is also a Chinese government Vice-Minister for security - for corruption. The agency can hold suspects captive for six-months without charge.

Meng Hongwei was the first Chinese head of international anti-crime organisation, Interpol

Mr Hongwei is only the latest high-profile Chinese citizen to disappear, accused of corruption. X-Men superstar, Ms Fan Bingbing went quiet on social media in May - before authorities accused her of tax avoidance.

The star was only seen for the first time since May earlier this week - after making an extraordinary public confession on Chinese social media site Weibo.

'I've been suffering unprecedented pain recently. I'm so ashamed of what I've done. Here, I sincerely apologise to everyone' she wrote to her 62 million followers.
Theresa May today admitted that 'time is running out' to get a Brexit deal as she held a desperate conference call with 120 business chiefs abut the crunch talks.

The PM also conceded that the dragged-out negotiations have plunged Britain's businesses into uncertainty.

But she insisted that Britain can still thrash out an agreement by the end of the year, saving the country from a cliff edge Brexit.

Business leaders warned the PM that her Chancellor Philip Hammond must find extra cash in his Budget later this month to plough into no deal planning.

Stephen Martin, director general of the Institute of Directors, who was on the call this afternoon, told BBC Radio 4's PM Programme: 'From listening to the Prime Minister this afternoon, she was absolutely clear that she is pushing hard for a deal.

'She accepts fully that time is running out and that a deal has to be done, certainly in the autumn, as she put it.

'But I think we need time to get ready for that. She was very clear, she accepts the uncertainty that it is causing ta the minute and the impact that could be having.'

Mrs May personally briefed 120 business chiefs about Brexit today in a bid to calm nerves as she faces a revolt on all sides of her party.

Theresa May (pictured today in Brussels) faces a revolt from all sides today over the Brexit end games as she battles to hold her Government together until the Budget in ten days

Mrs May and EU Council President Donald Tusk held further discussions in view of the cameras after stalemate at the latest summit

The Prime Minister hosted the call from her home in Sonning, Berkshire, after she travelled back from the EU-Asia summit in Brussels today.

Firms who were on the call - part of her final Brexit charm offensive push - included RBS and Diageo, as well business groups like the CBI.

Barnier sparks fury by saying Brits backed Brexit out of nostalgia Michel Barnier (pictured in Brussels on Wednesday) risked igniting Brexit fury today after saying Britain voted to leave the Brussels bloc out of 'nostalgia'. Michel Barnier ignited Brexit fury today after saying Britain voted to leave the Brussels bloc out of 'nostalgia'. The EU's chief negotiator said that the public were not told all the consequences about the historic referendum. And he said he is not convinced that a deal can be done as the crunch negotiations enter their final, crucial stages. His remarks come despite reports that he was told by France and Germany to be 'more flexible' amid growing fears the UK will crash out without a deal. While Theresa May is facing a mutiny among her Tory backbenchers furious at proposals to extend the Brexit transition deal. Speaking to French radio station Inter this morning, Mr Barnier said that the Brexit vote was driven in part by 'nostalgia'. He added: 'I don't want to impose a hard Brexit. A hard Brexit is the absence of a deal and I am working for a deal. But Brexit can't be soft. It has innumerable consequences. It was chosen by the British. 'Were they well informed at the time they voted? They were not told all the consequences - even Mr [Nigel] Farage recognised that everything was not spelt out in the campaign.' Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg lashed the remarks, telling MailOnline: 'Democracy is not nostalgia and rejecting the EU's outdated and failed economic model is not an unknown but a welcome consequence of leaving. 'The Eurocrats cannot understand the writing that is already on the wall.' Advertisement

Mr Martin said that the PM made it clear that 'she believes a deal can be done' in time.

But he warned that only a third of businesses who are part of his group have begin work on no deal planning as small firms are overwhelmed and do not have the resources to properly plan.

He said: 'Only around a third of our members have actually done any contingency planning for a no deal scenario.

'The difficulty they have, particularly the smaller businesses, is how you plan for these unknowns  there are so many things you need to look at and they don't have the resource to do that.

'That's why we have been calling for the Government, for the Budget when it comes up later this month, to actually give some help and advice through the use of Brexit planning vouchers.'

He added: 'We have been pushing hard for that, we had a positive discussion with the chancellor but you can appreciate he has a lot on his plate at the minute.'

The PM's charm offensive comes after this week's EU summit saw her accept the possibility of extending the Brexit transition beyond December 2020.

The move was branded 'mad' by her DUP allies and slammed by both Brexit and Remain critics.

The incendiary row prompted claims the PM faces her toughest week in the run-up to the Budget on October 29, as rumours swirled Brexiteers could try and install David Davis to replace her.

Leading Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith branded Mrs May's backing for a possible extension to the Brexit transition as a 'capitulation' to Brussels at yesterday's summit.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the ringleader of Brexiteer stories, said the pattern of the negotiation been 'giving the EU what it wants' - warning his group would vote down any extra payments to the EU triggered by a longer transition.

And Remainer former minister Lord Bridges said the idea was 'dead on arrival'.

But Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted today the Prime Minister was delivering on the 'letter and spirit' of the referendum result.

And he claimed the reason a deal was not struck in Brussels yesterday was because the PM 'has not buckled' on the outstanding issue of the Irish border.

Mrs May managed a laugh as she posed with Asia's national leaders in Brussels (left) after grim-faced discussions with Mr Tusk (right)

Rumours swirled in Westminster today former Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured last week on Peston) could be installed in Downing Street to take over the negotiations

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt insisted today the Prime Minister was delivering on the 'letter and spirit' of the referendum result

Ahead of the Budget, an unnamed senior minister told The Times: 'Next week is going to be tricky for [Mrs May], there's no point in denying it.'

The DUP warned last week they were prepared to vote down the Budget over Brexit if the deal did not meet their demands. Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson yesterday derided a longer transition as a 'mad plan'.

Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt told the Today programme: 'We are leaving the EU next year with the letter and the spirit of what people voted for in the referendum'

Why is the Budget so dangerous for Theresa May? What happens if the Budget vote is lost? Mrs May and her Chancellor could try to come up with a new Budget package and vote again. Or the PM could accept she no longer has a majority in the Commons and quit. The Fixed Term Parliaments Act means it will not automatically trigger an election, as it would in the past. Will it happen? Unclear. Theresa May is in a perilous state in Parliament, with only a minority of Tory MPs propped up by 10 DUP MPs. With Labour certain to vote against the Budget, it means a tiny rebellion of Brexiteers could destroy the Budget - but it would be a huge political step. Rebels have already signalled they will vote down tax hikes proposed by the Chancellor. Crucially, if they want to bring down the PM defeating the Budget is much easier to win than a confidence vote among Tory MPs, which would require 158 MPs to vote against the PM. How could May be forced out? Tory MPs can remove their leader. They can trigger a no confidence vote if 48 MPs write to the party's ruling 1922 committee calling for one. Winning the vote requires a simple majority of Tory MPs - 158 of them. Mrs May's critics are widely thought to have the 48 needed to start a contest but maybe not the 158 needed to win. Will there be an election? Losing a Budget used to be a fast track to an election. Law changes under the coalition mean it is much more complicated - both making it more likely the Budget could be defeated and less like Britain goes to the polls. To call election now, there needs to be either a two thirds majority in the Commons or the PM needs to lose a specific confidence vote and Jeremy Corbyn be unable to form a Government after two weeks. May could resign and there not be an election. Advertisement

He added: 'The reason this week has been difficult is Theresa May has not buckled, she has stuck to her principles it is because she has not capitulated that we have not struck an agreement.'

Mr Hunt insisted with 'four weeks' until a November deadline, Mrs May had successfully narrowed the unresolved issues down to the Irish border.

He warned rebels: 'The great strength of the EU27 is they have stayed united... we need to do the same.'

His defence of the PM came after Mr Duncan Smith told BBC2's Newsnight: 'I couldn't understand why we would offer to extend the transition period when we still haven't got anything back in return.

'By extending the backstop we are likely to fall straight into the next budget of the EU which will mean tens of billions of pounds extra to be paid across to the EU.

'We are in a negotiation but at the moment it begins to look more like a capitulation than a negotiation.

'We have got to get some steel in our backbone and do something about actually negotiating, rather than saying 'what would you like?''

It emerged today Mr Davis has been calling allies in Parliament about how to change the Prime Minister's policy - prompting rumours of a leadership challenge.

'He is definitely on manoeuvres,' one recipient of a call told The Times.

Although friends of Mr Davis insist he is only seeking a reversal of policy, not a change in leader, there are said to be a small but growing group of Tory MPs who would like to install him in a caretaker capacity.

One senior Conservative said the 'current was flowing' against Mrs May as Brexiteer MPs met to discuss submitting letters of no confidence - with 48 needed to dislodge her.

Eurosceptic Nadine Dorries urged MPs to follow her own lead by submitting a letter of no confidence in the PM.

Jacob Rees-Mogg said a longer transition was a 'poor attempt at kicking the can down the road', while a source on the European Research Group said Tory MPs were 'on a hair trigger' to call for Mrs May to go.

The group has warned Mrs May it will re-write the laws on delivering the Brexit deal to ban any extra payments to the EU caused by a longer transition period.

Leading Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith (left at conference earlier this month) branded an extension to transition a 'capitulation' while Remainer Lord Bridges said it was 'dead on arrival' as Mrs May faced critics on all sides

He told Today: 'Are you really telling me standing firm on the integrity of the United Kingdom is a really brave thing for the British Government to do?

Brexiteers warn they will vote down bid to pay EU more in longer transition Brexiteer MPs have warned they would vote down any extra payments to the EU for a longer transition. Britain has already agreed a 39billion divorce bill to cover subscriptions to the end of 2020 and other liabilities. Transition could now run longer, Theresa May admitted yesterday, in a bid to avoid using the controversial backstop on the Irish border. But Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the ERG group, warned against trying to force it through Parliament. He told Today: 'If the Government is saying to us we will pay 39 billion plus, for the extension, 15 or 16 billion more per annum and we don't have anything in return other than a waffly political declaration, I think that will be very hard to get through the House of Commons.' Advertisement

'You would have thought this was to be taken as read.

'Surely no government would ever go into a negotiation and agree to carve up the country for the sake of an international organisation.'

He warned any attempt to extend the transition period - with the UK continuing to pay billions into the EU on top of the 39 billion 'divorce' bill - would be voted down by MPs.

'If the Government is saying to us we will pay 39 billion plus, for the extension, 15 or 16 billion more per annum and we don't have anything in return other than a waffly political declaration, I think that will be very hard to get through the House of Commons,' he said.

On the Remain side, groups representing more than 100 pro-EU Tory MPs held a meeting to discuss ways of blocking a no-deal Brexit.

Former minister Nick Boles, who campaigned for Remain, warned that Mrs May was 'losing the confidence of the party'.

Extending the transition  which is due to finish at the end of December 2020  means the UK would continue to accept EU laws and the free movement of people, and would involve billions more in payments on top of the 39billion divorce bill. Critics said an extra year could cost 16billion.

There were indications in Brussels that Mrs May's gambit could break the deadlock over the issue of the Irish border, which has threatened to derail hopes of a deal.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was reported to have told EU leaders it was time to show 'flexibility' in Brexit negotiations.

What is the Frida Kahlo bracelet Theresa May wears and what are the artist's links to Communists? Theresa May wore her Frida Kahlo bracelet in Brussels today (pictured) Theresa May wore her favourite bracelet depicting the famous late Mexican artist Frida Kahlo - a Communist and feminist icon - at today's EU summit. It is an odd choice for a Tory leader to wear as Kahlo was a political radical who loathed conservatism. But it seems to be the PM's go to piece of jewellery for big political events. She wore it while delivering her speech to the party conference last year when she was struck down by her infamous coughing fit. And she sported it again at this year's conference. Born in 1907 in Mexico, Kahlo joined the country's Communist party in 1927 where she met her husband Diego Rivera, the famous Mexican muralist. Kahlo also joined the Fourth International - a Communist group dedicated to fomenting revolution around the world. The couple only stay card carrying Communist members for two years, but they continued to have close links with Russian revolutionaries and far-left groups. And she had an affair with Leon Trotsky, who masterminded the Russian revolution but was later purged from by Stalin. She and her husband had offered Trotsky sanctuary in their home, and it was here where Kahlo and Trotsky embarked on a passionate love affair. It was in Mexico in 1940 where Trotsky was murdered on Stalin's orders by an ice pick to the back of the head. Kahlo and Rivera both also supported Communists fighting in the Spanish civil war. During her lifetime Kahlo's own artistic career was overshadowed by her husband's, who was the world's most famous muralist. But since her death in 1954 her star has risen, and she is now one of the world's most famous - and thanks to her uni-brow instantly recognisable - artists. Her self-searing portraits are celebrated around the world and she is seen as a feminist pioneer. Her paintings hang in the most famous galleries around the world and the V&A is currently staging a major retrospective of her work.

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But this did little to put out the political firestorm at home, with both Brexiteers and some Remainers warning that the concessions were a step too far.

There was also concern that Mrs May did not dispute a claim by Helen McEntee, Ireland's Europe minister, that she had dropped her demand for a fixed end date on a backstop plan that could see the UK remain in a temporary customs union after the transition ends.

It was unclear, however, whether the anger would end in a leadership challenge, with much of the criticism coming from those who were already attacking Mrs May's approach. A Tory source added: 'It's the same people, they're just shouting louder.'

Despite the firestorm of opposition, Mrs May's willingness to extend the transition is also thought to have the support of some prominent Cabinet ministers.

Business Secretary Greg Clark, Chancellor Philip Hammond and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox all told the PM she was on the right track.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Commons leader Andrea Leadsom  both Brexiteers  are also said to have indicated they could live with the compromise. Yesterday, other Tories urged the party to get behind Theresa May and stop sniping.

Former minister Gary Streeter said: 'We are making the mistake of reacting to the ebb and flow of negotiations rather than judging the deal at the end.'

But there were positive noises from Brussels, with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker saying an extended transition was 'a good idea' and a deal 'will be done'.

Speaking in Brussels, Mrs May played down the criticism back home, and hinted that further concessions may be needed to seal a deal, warning of 'more difficult moments as we enter the final stages'.

However, some Brexiteer ministers gave coded criticisms, with International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt dismissing the idea of staying bound to the EU for longer, adding: 'That is not the position. The Prime Minister has been very clear about when the implementation period will come to an end.'

Mr Gove said it was vital that Brexit occurred 'at the earliest possible point'.

But Tory moderates urged MPs to back the PM. Simon Hart, founder of the Brexit Delivery Group of 80 Tory MPs, said critics were 'weakening our negotiating position'.

A Whitehall source said Mrs May had offered concessions on the Irish border to 'unblock' talks that collapsed at the weekend, adding: 'We have got to get movement on this issue.

'It is holding everything back. If we don't solve it, we're stuck.'

Downing Street said Mrs May told the business leaders that 'significant progress' has been made in the talks.

'She acknowledged that there were a few significant issues that were still outstanding, but said that the very real sense she had from leaders around the table at the council was that they wanted to reach a deal as soon as possible this autumn,' a No 10 spokesman said.

'She emphasised that both sides wanted to have our future relationship in place by the end of December 2020 so that the backstop never needed to be used, but that the negotiating teams would work intensively on this to find a way forward.'

What is the Brexit transition and how could it be extended? What is the Brexit transition period? The EU and UK agreed in March that there would be a 21-month transition after Brexit day on March 29, 2019. It is due to expire on December 31, 2020. In the period Britain will still obey all EU rules without having any say in setting them, pay membership fees, and have the same trade terms. The current plan has not yet been voted on in Parliament. How long could it be extended? There is a new proposal to extend transition for another few months, possibly to the end of 2021. Why is there talk of extending it? March's agreement also included a commitment to create a 'backstop' on the Irish border - a back up plan to ensure the border stays open in the absence of a long term trade deal. There is a deep dispute over how this should work so the new suggestion is a longer transition could allow a full trade deal to be completed in time for the backstop never to be used. The theory is this takes pressure off the exact form of the backstop, making it easier to agree and solving the last issue in the divorce deal. Does anyone support extending it? The EU says it is willing to adopt a longer transition if Britain asks for it. Theresa May says Britain is not asking for a longer transition - but might accept a mechanism for extending the current transition. Tory Brexiteers hate the idea, fearing it will just be extended again and again and leave Britain facing billions in extra charges. Government sources tried to calm the row today by insisting an extension would only be acceptable if the EU accepted the UK's version of the backstop. Would it solve the Irish problem? Nobody knows. Both sides are still far apart on how the backstop will work and there is doubt a full trade deal can be finished even by the end of 2021. What happens if transition is extended? Britain would continue to follow all EU rules without having a say on how new ones are made - meaning continued free movement, European Court judgements and bills to Brussels. Trade across the Channel would also continue under today's rules. Advertisement

What are the Brexit alternatives? As Theresa May is condemned on BOTH sides of the divide this is what the rival camps say they want instead

Theresa May will return from Brussels today facing revolts on all sides of the Brexit debate - both inside her party and in wider politics.

The Prime Minister published her Brexit plan in July following the Cabinet showdown at Chequers and is sticking to it - despite its rejection by several factions in her party and the EU.

Mrs May is sticking by her plan for Britain to voluntarily follow the EU's rulebook on goods, while keeping freedoms around its services sector and striking trade deals.

But who are the rival factions and what do they say they are the alternatives?

Theresa May (pictured today in Brussels) will return from Europe today facing revolts on all sides of the Brexit debate - both inside her party and in wider politics

Brexiteers in the European Research Group (ERG)

Who are they?

Led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the ERG counts Boris Johnson, David Davis and other former ministers including Steve Baker and Iain Duncan Smith.

Estimates vary on how many members it has. It secured 62 signatures on a letter to the PM in February while Mr Baker has claimed the group has a bloc of 80 Tory MPs willing to vote against May's plans.

What is in Theresa May's Brexit blueprint? These are some of the key features of the Chequers plan being pushed by the UK government: A new free trade area in goods, based on a 'common rulebook' of EU regulations necessary. This will require the UK to commit by treaty to match EU rules

'Mobility' rules which will end automatic freedom of movement, but still allow UK and EU citizens to travel without visas for tourism and temporary work. It will also enable businesses to move staff between countries.

Continued UK participation in and funding of European agencies covering areas like chemicals, aviation safety and medicines

A 'facilitated customs arrangement', removing the need for customs checks at UK-EU ports. It would allow differing UK and EU tariffs on goods from elsewhere in the world to be paid at the border, removing the need for rebates in the vast majority of cases. This is designed to avoid the need for a hard Irish border. But in theory it still allows Britain to sign trade deals.

Keeping services - such as banking or legal support - outside of the common rule book, meaning the UK is completely free to set its own regulations. It accepts it will mean less trade in services between the UK and EU.

Continued co-operation on energy and transport, a 'common rulebook' on state aid and commitments to maintain high standards of environmental and workplace protections.

A security deal allowing continued UK participation in Europol and Eurojust, 'co-ordination' of UK and EU policies on foreign affairs, defence and development.

Continued use of the EHIC health insurance card. Advertisement

What do they want instead?

The ERG has said Mrs May should abandon her plans for a unique trade deal and instead negotiate a 'Canada plus plus plus' deal.

This is based on a trade deal signed between the EU and Canada in August 2014 that eliminated 98 per cent of tariffs and taxes charged on goods shipped across the Atlantic.

The EU has long said it would be happy to do a deal based on Canada - but warn it would only work for Great Britain and not Northern Ireland.

The ERG say the model can be adapted to work for the whole UK. They say Northern Ireland can be included by using technology on the Irish border to track goods and make sure products which don't meet EU rules do not enter the single market.

They also say it would give complete freedom for Britain to sign new trade deals around the world to replace any losses in trade with the EU.

The group is content to leave the EU without a deal if Brussels will not give in.

What are the pros and cons?

PROS: A clean Brexit after transition with no interference from the EU in how Britain runs its affairs and complete freedom to strike trade deals.

CONS: New hurdles to existing cross-Channel trade - potentially harming just-in-time deliveries to industries such as car making. Does not currently cover Northern Ireland.

Why won't the Government support it?

Mrs May says a Canada-style deal is not good enough for Britain. She says it would slow down goods coming across the Channel, which are currently subject to no checks at all.

It also does not include services - a major British industry, particularly in banking and other financial work. The PM has also warns it would take a long time to negotiate.

Analysis

The ERG has been endorsed by the Economists for Free Trade group, chaired by Thatcherite Patrick Minford. It has more positive forecasts generally on the impact of Brexit on the economy and backs the ERG belief quitting the EU will help business.

It is dismissed as hard-line by most other commentators. Most official forecasts of the economy are pessimistic about Brexit generally and a hard Brexit in particular.

Led by Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured yesterday in Westminster), the ERG counts Boris Johnson, David Davis and other former ministers including Steve Baker and Iain Duncan Smith

Moderates in the Brexit Delivery Group (BDG)

Who are they?

A newer group, the BDG counts members from across the Brexit divide inside the Tory Party. It includes former minister Nick Boles and MPs including Remainer Simon Hart and Brexiteer Andrew Percy.

There are thought to be around 50 members.

What do they want instead?

A newer group, the BDG counts members from across the Brexit divide inside the Tory Party. It includes former minister Nick Boles (pictured) and MPs including Simon Hart and Andrew Percy

The BDG prioritises delivering on Brexit and getting to exit day on March 29, 2019, without destroying the Tory Party or the Government. If the PM gets a deal the group will probably vote for it - but is cross about extending transition.

It is less interested in the exact form of the deal but has said Mrs May's Chequers plan will not work.

Mr Boles this week set out a proposal for Britain to stay in the European Economic Area (EEA) until a free trade deal be negotiated - effectively to leave the EU but stay in close orbit as a member of the single market.

Under the Boles plan, Britain could eventually sign a Canada-style deal with the EU favoured by the hard line Brexiteers but until then stay as close to the bloc as possible.

What are the pros and cons?

PROS: If Britain joins the EEA, there is no change in current trading rules for businesses and much greater certainty while a trade deal is negotiated

CONS: With no end in sight, Britain would keep paying into the EU coffers, keep its doors open to EU migrants and risks the UK being kept in the 'waiting room' for years instead of a full Brexit.

Why won't the Government support it?

EEA membership is effectively EU membership but without any of the voting rights. It means free movement would continue, many EU subscription fees would still apply and the European Court would still impose most of its rulings.

There is also concern that Britain in the EEA would be such a good outcome for the EU, it would never seriously negotiate on a full trade deal.

Big business groups such as the CBI (led by Carolyn Fairbairn, pictured) are on board with anything that keeps Britain inside the EU single market so would probably back an EEA-based plan

Analysis

Big business groups such as the CBI are on board with anything that keeps Britain inside the EU single market so would probably back an EEA-based plan.

What will happen next in Brexit? Following the stalemate at the October summit, this is what is supposed to happen next: Mid November, 2018: The deal could be finalised, at least at negotiator level. A planned emergency summit is currently shelved. December 13-14, 2018: The next leader's summit and seen by many as the last chance to seal a deal. Late December, 2018-early January, 2019: The meaningful vote in Parliament. This is probably the main make-or-break moment to decide if Theresa May's deal will work. February, 2019: Ratification of the deal in the EU Parliament. Should be a formality if the deal has passed the UK Parliament. March 29, 2019:Exit day where transition is supposed to begin. December 31, 2020: The current date for ending transition - but this now could be delayed. 2021-2025: In theory, the final trade deal comes into force. Advertisement

During the referendum campaign, economic think tank the IFS warned joining the EEA would cost about 4billion a year - wiping out much of the saving on EU membership fees.

Pro-Brexit economists say it is the worst of all worlds - accepting rules from the EU without a say but no freedom to strike new trade deals.

Unrepentant Remainers in the People's Vote

Who are they?

A handful of Tory MPs - mostly former ministers - who never supported Brexit an think the failure of politicians to get a deal means Parliament should hand it back to the people. The group includes Anna Soubry, Dominic Grieve and Justine Greening.

What do they want instead?

A so-called People's Vote. The exact timing still needs to be sorted out but broadly, the group wants the Article 50 process postponed and a second referendum scheduled.

This would take about six months from start to finish and they group wants Remain as an option on the ballot paper, probably with Mrs May's deal as the alternative.

There are established pro-Remain campaigns born out of the losing Britain Stronger in Europe campaign from 2016. It is supported by Tony Blair, the Liberal Democrats and assorted pro-EU politicians outside the Tory party.

Tory MP Anna Soubry is among a small band of hard core rebels who think there should be another referendum on Britain's EU membership

What are the pros and cons?

PROS: Could end the political impasse in Parliament and give politicians a clear indication of what voters really want from Brexit.

CONS: Risks undermining voters trust if they believe they already gave a clear verdict last time around.

Why won't the Government support it?

Mrs May has repeatedly ruled out calling another referendum, calling it a betrayal of the 2016 referendum.

Analysis

Consensus is there is simply no time. There is no agreement on what any question should be or when a referendum should be held.

Business wants certainty - not another six to 12 months of limbo.

The European Union

Who are they?

The main players are negotiator Michel Barnier, EU Council President Donald Tusk and the senior national leaders - particularly French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The main players are negotiator Michel Barnier, EU Council President Donald Tusk (pictured together on Tuesday) and the senior national leaders - particularly French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel

What do they want instead?

Brexit to be over and done with, without undermining the EU or its single market. In an ideal world, the EU would probably agree to cancelling the whole thing.

Mr Barnier's negotiating mandate from the 27 leaders gives room to give Britain full membership of the single market and customs union - the Norway or EEA model - or negotiate a trade deal similar to Canada's - if Northern Ireland is effectively left behind to solve the Irish border.

Getting a divorce finalised requires a deal on the Irish border acceptable to the EU - the so-called backstop. This essentially means Northern Ireland staying on the same rules as the EU in the absence of a trade deal.

Why won't the Government support it?

Mrs May has insisted she wants a hybrid deal to reflect Britain's unique status as a current EU member with totally frictionless trade.

Analysis

The EU has so far not shifted its substantive position on Brexit throughout the negotiation - but is thought more likely to compromise the later in the process talks get.

Brussels is now broadly on board with a UK-wide backstop but says it will take time to deliver.

So is it a sell-out - Or plain common sense?

Calm down dears - the plan may work, says Dominic Sandbrook

On the face of it, Theresa May's suggestion that Britain could extend its period of transition after leaving the EU looks like weakness.

And it's easy to see why ardent Brexiteers are infuriated, not least because it could leave us facing a bill for an extra 10billion. And this on top of a divorce bill currently standing at some 39billion!

But there is a difference between a sign of weakness and a recognition of reality. And Mrs May is nothing if not a realist. The central, unanswerable fact is that negotiations with the 27 member states have stalled over the Irish border.

Theresa May made her speech in the lurid European Council room (pictured today) before leaving the EU leaders to discuss Brexit over dinner

And although some insist the issue can be solved through some miraculous but hitherto undiscovered technological fix, no such solution has presented itself.

Mrs May's idea of an extended transition is an attempt to deal with that problem. In effect, she is offering to keep Britain inside the customs union and single market for another year  or as she puts it, a few months  so there is no border in Northern Ireland before a new arrangement is found.

Judging by some of her opponents' more hysterical effusions, you might think she had offered to tear down Nelson's Column and invited Jean-Claude Juncker to move into Buckingham Palace. In fact, she has merely suggested it might be worth abiding by EU rules for a little bit longer  if it buys us a better deal. Of course it's not ideal. I don't like the idea of paying an extra 10billion more than anybody else. But given that we have spent the last 45 years in the EU, a delay of a few months, even a year, should not strike even the most ardent Leaver as the end of the world.

Also, an extra 10billion seems a small price to pay to avoid crashing out without a deal. A no-deal would be a disaster. A drop of 2 per cent in our annual economic growth in the next two years  which would be an unrealistically good outcome  would cost us at least 22billion.

By comparison, even an additional 12 months under the EU's umbrella, would hardly be economic Armageddon. We might not like it in principle, but in practice I suspect most of us would barely notice.

The fact that Mrs May is a pragmatist is why her MPs put her in Downing Street in the first place. It would be an unconscionable act of treachery and irresponsibility if they stabbed her in the back now.

Betrayal leaves us humiliated, says Daniel Hannan

Let me ask you a question. What do you think is the worst imaginable outcome of our EU talks? Is there something so ghastly that Eurosceptics and Europhiles alike would see it as more painful than either leaving or staying?

How about this? What if we kept every dot and comma of our existing EU obligations with only one change, namely that we lost our say over what they were. All of us, surely, can agree that that would be the most injurious status of all. We'd still be subject to the Common Agricultural and Fisheries Policies, to freedom of movement, to the budget levies, to the supremacy of EU over British law.

The only difference is that we'd no longer be able to block proposals we didn't like. Indeed, the EU might bring forward measures that were specifically designed to hurt us  by, for example, seeking to shift financial services from London to Frankfurt  and we'd have to comply.

After the summit meeting on Wednesday night (clockwise around the table from back right) French President Emmanuel Macron, Mrs Merkel, Belgian PM Charles Michel and Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel went out for drinks at a bar in Brussels

You can see why Brussels likes the idea of extending the transition period. It is better than anything Eurocrats had hoped for  better even than the prospect of undoing Brexit, and seeing a humiliated Britain begging for readmission without its rebate. It would give them full control of the UK economy with no British veto.

Why are we contemplating the idea? If reports are to be believed, we are ready to be a Euro-colony for at least three years. I say 'at least' because, once Brussels had us in such a position, it would have no incentive to discuss anything further. Our thraldom might become permanent.

We're told that we need time to sort out the outstanding withdrawal issues, but hardly anyone believes that. The only outstanding issue is the Irish border. Even if you accept there is a problem  and the relevant customs officials say there is no logistical need for physical checks at the frontier  it is hard to see how an extra year would solve anything.

The two sides have set out their positions, and either London or Brussels will have to give way. If that's going to happen, it might as well happen now. An extra year won't solve anything.

Supporters of this climbdown seem to think that the only thing that matters is having something that can be technically called 'Brexit'  even if that something patently fails to address all the concerns that both Leavers and Remainers have expressed. In fact, literally any outcome  Norway, Switzerland, no deal, postponing our departure  would be better than non-voting membership. It's extraordinary that that should need saying.

EU banks could be BANNED from trading in US markets if Brussels imposes 'completely irresponsible' new trading rules on Brexit Britain

By Tim Sculthorpe, Deputy Political Editor for MailOnline

European banks could be banned from trading in US markets if Brussels forces new reading trading rules on Brexit Britain.

A top US regulator said the EU's threats were 'completely irresponsible' and 'wholly unacceptable'.

Christopher Giancarlo, head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), said the EU should not be ordering rafts of regulatory changes.

Christopher Giancarlo, head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), said the EU should not be ordering rafts of regulatory changes

European Union financial regulators want more oversight of how markets outside the EU handle transactions customers inside the bloc.

The rules are due to be in place before March and would apply to the City of London after Brexit.

Mr Giancarlo warned the changes are too 'expansive' and must be blocked or could be subject to sanction by the US.

He said the CFTC has 'strong and blunt' tools it can deploy unilaterally as a last resort without new legislation - including a ban on US firms using European banks.

Mr Giancarlo added: 'I am ready to jump on even more planes, trains and automobiles bound for any European capital to work out a sensible approach.'

The watchdog has privately warned European officials that the bloc would suffer far more than the United States in an all-out clearing war because US firms are much larger liquidity providers to European exchanges than vice versa.

The rules are due to be in place before March and would apply to the City of London (file image) after Brexit

European Commission spokesman Johannes Bahrke said the proposed EU regulations were actually based on existing US rules.

He said: 'It is the prerogative of the EU legislator to set the general supervisory framework for central counterparties (CCPs) active in the EU and we would expect third country authorities to respect that, just as we respect the rules and legislative procedures in other countries.

'We reiterate that the cooperative oversight we have proposed is modelled for systemically important cross-border CCPs on the United States' own supervisory system.'
Saudi Arabia is planning to blame one of its top intelligence officers for journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death, it has been claimed.

The kingdom's rulers could point the finger at General Ahmed al-Assiri, who is close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, sources have claimed.

They will say he was responsible for a botched interrogation of the writer that the country's leaders knew nothing about, the New York Times reports.

Khashoggi, 60, went missing having entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago sparking claims he was tortured and murdered in the building. Turkish police want to question 15 Saudis who flew to Turkey on the day he disappeared.

Saudi Arabia is planning to blame a top intelligence officer General Ahmed al-Assiri (left) for Jamal Khashoggi's (right) death, it has been claimed

Jamal Khashoggi (right) arriving at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2. He has not been seen since and Turkey has accused Saudi agents of murdering him

The New York Times said it had spoken to three people with knowledge of the Saudi plans relating to General Assiri, who had earlier served as the spokesman for the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen before being promoted to his current job in intelligence.

Two of the sources said Saudi rulers are set to explain that Assiri had been given verbal permission from the Crown Prince to capture Mr Khashoggi for questioning in Saudi Arabia but that he either overstepped the authorisation or misunderstood his orders.

The newspaper said Assiri had not responded to requests for comment.

Turkey reportedly suspected the journalist had been killed within hours of his disappearance.

Intelligence officials in Istanbul are said to have raced to the airport to stop a private Saudi plane taking off, but found nothing suspicious, CNN reported.

It comes after President Donald Trump said he now believes Khashoggi is dead and warned of 'very severe' consequences should Saudi Arabia be proven responsible.

'It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad,' Trump told journalists when asked if he believed that Khashoggi, who disappeared more than two weeks ago, is no longer alive.

Asked about the potential US response to Saudi Arabia, which is accused of murdering the Washington Post columnist and critic of the Saudi regime, Trump said: 'It will have to be very severe. It's bad, bad stuff.'

This marked a hardening of tone from the Trump administration, which has been reluctant to blame ally Saudi Arabia, despite mounting evidence that the kingdom's agents killed and dismembered Khashoggi inside its consulate in Istanbul more than two weeks ago.

Turkish officials say investigators are assessing the possibility whether Khashoggi's remains may have been taken to the Belgrade Forest (pictured) in the outskirts of Istanbul

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives for talks at 10 Downing Street earlier this year

A former regime insider, Khashoggi had become a critic of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the point man in ever-tightening military and commercial relations between the petro-state and the Trump administration.

Just hours earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he had told Trump the Saudis should be given 'a few more days to complete' an investigation.

Turkey denies giving 'any kind of audio tape' on Khashoggi to US Turkey on Friday denied giving 'any kind of audio tape' from the investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or any American official. 'It is out of the question for Turkey to give any kind of audio tape to Pompeo or any other US official,' said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, two days after meeting with the US's top diplomat for talks in Ankara. Turkey's pro-government press has reported that Turkey has an audio recording that proves the alleged murder of Khashoggi at the consulate and that he was tortured before his death. The existence of the tape has never been confirmed on the record by Turkish officials. ABC News, quoting a senior Turkish official, reported Thursday that during his visit to Turkey this week Pompeo heard this audio and was shown a transcript of the recording. But Pompeo denied the report. 'I've seen no tape. I've seen no - or I've heard no tape. I've seen no transcript,' he told reporters during a trip to Latin America. Cavusoglu, like other Turkish officials, stopped short of revealing details of the investigation but vowed they would be shared in due course. 'We will share the results to emerge with the entire world. It is out of the question for us to share this or that information with any country,' he said, quoted by the state-run Anadolu news agency. Advertisement

Only then, Pompeo said, 'we can make decisions how or if the United States should respond.'

Four prominent human rights and press freedom groups on Thursday urged Turkey to request a United Nations investigation to prevent a 'whitewash' of the alleged crime.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders said such a probe established by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would finally clear up the affair.

But the United States, the Saudis' most powerful patron, has repeatedly given the country's royals the benefit of the doubt, with Trump and top officials stressing that the US-Saudi relationship cannot be put at risk.

Trump has repeatedly praised massive Saudi arms purchases, while Pompeo used much of his brief remarks on Thursday to recall Washington's 'long strategic relationship with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.'

The Saudis 'continue to be an important counter-terrorism partner, they have custody of the two holy sites... We need to be mindful of that as well,' he said.

The furor has also blown a hole in next week's Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, which was meant to showcase Prince Mohammed's plans for modernizing the desert kingdom.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was pulling out, joining senior ministers from Britain, France and the Netherlands, as well as a string of corporate leaders.

Mnuchin's announcement on Twitter helped push down stock prices on Wall Street.

His withdrawal 'raises worry that the administration is being pushed to take a harder line against Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi murder and there could be retaliation,' said Karl Haeling of LBBW.

Responses from Saudi Arabia could include selling US Treasuries, or punishing US companies seeking business in the kingdom, Haeling said.

Missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, pictured in Switzerland in 2011, may have been murdered because he knew too much about the Saudi royal family, one of his friends has said

Most analysts don't think Saudi Arabia would cut off oil supplies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, took a dig at Washington, saying that 'the US holds a certain responsibility over what happened to him.'

But he said Moscow would not 'start deteriorating relations' with Saudi Arabia as long as 'it did not know what really happened.'

Neither Turkey nor the United States has publicly confirmed that Khashoggi is dead or said officially that Riyadh is to blame.

Twitter 'suspends bot network that pushed pro-Saudi material' Twitter has suspended a network of suspected 'bots' pushing out pro-Saudi material about the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, it has emerged. The clampdown has taken place in the past week after the internet giant was presented with a list of hundreds of accounts that tweeted and retweeted posts at the same time, NBC reports. NBC said an unnamed Twitter employee had told them that the accounts were suspended for violating spam rules. Some of the accounts sent tweets which included an Arabic hashtag translated to '#We_all_trust_Mohammad_Bin_Salman' which became the top worldwide Twitter trend at one point over the weekend. Another hashtag translated as '#unfollow_enemies_of_the_nation'. Hundreds of the accounts NBC presented to Twitter were created within minutes of each other on November 16 and 17 last year, the network claimed. Some bot account messages urged social media users to cast doubt on news stories reporting that journalist Khashoggi had been murdered at the Saudi embassy in Istanbul. According to NBC, one message said: 'From the very beginning, false statements have tried to link the disappearance or killing of #Jamal_Khashoggi to the kingdom. This is a campaign they are waging against the kingdom.' Advertisement

But a steady stream of unconfirmed leaks from officials to Turkish media have painted a detailed and horrifying picture of Khashoggi's last minutes, allegedly at the hands of 15 Saudi agents waiting for him when he came to the consulate for paperwork.

The pro-government Yeni Safak newspaper on Wednesday claimed it had heard audio tapes in which Khashoggi's alleged killers tortured him by cutting his fingers off before his decapitation.

ABC News, quoting a senior Turkish official, reported Thursday that during his visit to Turkey this week Pompeo heard this audio and was shown a transcript of the recording. But Pompeo and Turkey denied the report.

'I've seen no tape. I've seen no - or I've heard no tape. I've seen no transcript,' he told reporters during a trip to Latin America.

The pro-government Sabah newspaper on Thursday said Saudi security official Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, believed to be close to the crown prince, was the leader of the operation.

'Here is the head of the execution team,' said Sabah's headline, and the paper then detailed Mutreb's movements on the day Khashoggi went missing.

Meanwhile, Turkish officials say investigators are assessing the possibility whether the remains of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been taken to a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul or to another city, if and after he was killed inside the diplomatic mission earlier this month.

The official told The Associated Press on Friday that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the Saudi consulate left the building on October 2 - the day Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

The official says one vehicle went to the Belgrade Forest outside Istanbul while the other travelled to the city of Yalova. It's unclear if police had already searched these areas.
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Members of a 4,000-strong migrant caravan have made it to a Guatemalan border town across the muddy Suchiate River from Mexico and faced-off with authorities as a notorious march ringleader has been arrested.

The first members of the group began arriving in Tecun Uman on buses and trucks early Thursday, but the bulk of the caravan sloshed into town on foot in a downpour late in the afternoon and into the evening. Hundreds walked to the river's edge where they sang the national anthems of Honduras and Guatemala. By Friday a huge crowd was gathered - one man was seen being detained by Guatemalan police.

A smaller group walked to the border crossing but was blocked by Guatemalan police. They eventually retreated to await the rest of the caravan. The migrants, many who started traveling in small groups up to eight weeks ago, are covering around 30 miles a day.

Irineo Mujica, the director of the organisation Pueblo Sin Fronteras, who was detained at a march in Ciudad Hidalgo, southern Mexico when he led a caravan of hundreds of migrants towards the US border last spring has been arrested Thursday.

Mujica's organisation shared the following statement on Facebook: 'He was arrested along with three migrants by about 20 [immigration] agents and about 15 federal police as they marched toward a church as part of a welcome march for the Caminata del Migrante.'

Mexican immigration officials claimed that Mujica, who has dual U.S. and Mexican citizenship, attacked immigration agents and local and federal police after he was asked for his identification during the protest.

The immigration agency added that he was detained by authorities for resisting and damaging property.

A clip showing Mujica being arrested saw him being bundled into a van while his supporters screamed in protest.

Members of a 4,000-strong migrant caravan have made it to a Guatemalan border town across the muddy Suchiate River from Mexico and faced-off with authorities

A man is detained by Guatemalan police while Honduran migrants gather around the central square of Tecun Uman, on the border between Guatemala and Mexico, Guatemala, Friday

Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the United States, argue with Guatemalan police officers after a fellow man, who had been arrested, was released in Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala, in the border with Mexico, on Friday

Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the United States, argue with Guatemalan police officers close to the Mexican border on Friday

Thousands of Honduran migrants wait at the border between Guatemala and Mexico, in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Friday

Hundreds of Honduran migrants stand at the shore of the Suchiate river on the border between Guatemala and Mexico, in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Thursday

Honduran migrants sing their national anthem standing standing at the shore of the Suchiate river on the border between Guatemala and Mexico, in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Thursday

Hundreds walked to the river's edge where they sang the national anthems of Honduras and Guatemala on Thursday

Pueblo Sin Fronteras have called for his release, claiming that he was illegally detained by authorities.

In a statement, the group said: 'Mujica has committed no crime.'

The group also claimed that the National Commission for Human Rights, which was there for the demonstrations in the morning and afternoon, disappeared for around half an hour when Mujica was arrested.

President Donald Trump has threatened retaliation if the thousands of migrants continue toward the United States.

En route to Montana and at a rally there on Thursday night he opened a furious attack on Democrats, even suggesting they are responsible for a caravan of illegal immigrants making their way toward the border.

The map above shows the journey the caravan is taking from Honduras through Guatemala and up through Mexico into the U.S.

The latest caravan has been labelled the 'March of the Migrant,' or 'Caminata del Migrante.' Migrants are pictured on Friday

Thousands of Honduran migrants look up at a helicopter as they wait on the border between Guatemala and Mexico, in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Friday

On the Mexican side, the foreign ministry said its government was in constant communication with members of the caravan explaining the migrants' options. Migrants are seen near the Mexican border Friday

Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the United States, gather at the central park of Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Friday

Trump blasted the caravan organizers for arriving before the November elections, casting it as a politically foolish move. 'Regardless, that's our issue,' he said at a rally at a private air hanger in Missoula.

'They're an there are those that say that caravan  it didn't just happen,' Trump said, blasting his opponents for bad politics.

'They have horrible policy. They hate ICE. They don't like our military. They don't like our vets,' Trump said. 'They wanted that caravan.'

Mujica's caravan in Spring also drew the anger of Trump and led to a US border crackdown.

The latest caravan has been labelled the 'March of the Migrant,' or 'Caminata del Migrante.'

The exhausted travelers, the majority from Honduras, dispersed to the local migrant shelter and parks where volunteers offered them food Thursday.

Jonathan Perales, 22, arrived with his wife Heidy and their daughters, aged two and four. They'd been traveling since 4am and arrived at the border after dark. They paid for bus tickets they could ill afford.

'It was a great sacrifice, but it's all for a better life,' he said. 'It's not all good. We're wet and we still don't have a place to sleep.'

On the Mexican side, the foreign ministry said its government was in constant communication with members of the caravan explaining the migrants' options. It said officials were already assisting some migrants who had crossed and requested refugee status.

Video of Irineo Mujica's arrest has gone viral on social media. He is seen (wearing black) above being bundled into a van by authorities

Irineo Mujica, the director of the organisation Pueblo Sin Fronteras, was detained at a march supporting a new giant 'caravan' of migrants headed to the US. Here he is pictured during a protest outside the US Embassy in Mexico City on April 12 this year

Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the United States, rest in Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala, in the border with Mexico, on Friday

A Honduran migrant heading in a caravan to the United States, holds a sign reading 'Donald Trump, we are not criminals, we are workers who want to work', at the central park of Ciudad Tecun Uman, Guatemala, in the border with Mexico, on Friday

A Honduran migrant waves the flags of Guatemala and Honduras during his journey in the caravan of migrants heading to Mexico, in Mazatenango, Guatemala, on Thursday

Mexican federal police officers walk at the international border bridge that links Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, with Tecun-Uman, Guatemala, in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas state, Mexico, on Thursday

Paramedics attend Honduran migrant Jose Alainez, 49, who suffered an epileptic seizure while walking north with other migrants, before taking him to the hospital in Guatemala City

Honduran migrants aboard a pick-up van, head to the United States in a caravan under heavy rain 60 km south of Guatemala City

Honduran migrants are taken care of by Guatemalan Red Cross volunteers, in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Thursday

Honduran migrants, part of a caravan trying to reach the U.S., rest inside a shelter during a new leg of their travel in Tecun Uman, Guatemala on Thursday

Trump has made it clear to Mexico that he is monitoring its response. Early Thursday, he threatened to close the U.S. border if Mexico let the migrants advance. Later, he retweeted a video of Mexican federal police arriving at the Guatemalan border and wrote: 'Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!'

Two busloads of those police were visible on the Mexican side of the bridge from Tecun Uman Thursday. Metal barricades were stored to one side, but not yet deployed.

Edgar Corzo of Mexico's National Human Rights Commission expressed concern about the police deployment in Ciudad Hidalgo.

'We hope that the immigration officials and federal police have a humanitarian understanding,' Corzo said. He said they were 'worried that things could escape rational margins.'

Mexico's southern border is notoriously porous and it was unclear how many of the migrants would attempt to cross legally at the bridge.

Some migrants crossed the river at a point where they could walk through shallow water Thursday, Corzo said. Others could opt for the rafts that ferry people  and historically migrants  daily across the river.

'How they're going to cross is what we're anxious about,' he said.

Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the United States, queue to receive food, after arriving in Mazatenango, Suchitepequez departament 160 km south of Guatemala City, on Thursday

A couple of Honduran migrants stand at the shore of the Suchiate river on the border between Guatemala and Mexico

The new caravan, believed to be 4,000-people strong, is far larger than last spring's and has already led to Nation Guard troops being sent to the border - the last caravan numbered more than 1,200 people at its highest point with 300 of those people having crossed into the US.

It has also prompted a slew of new rulings about asylum law from Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and the introduction of a 'zero tolerance' policy for border crossers that led to family separations.

The caravan started its journey in Honduras before crossing into Guatemala on its way to Tapachula, which is the primary crossing point from Guatemala to Mexico.

Pueblo Sin Fronteras has said it has no organizational role in the current caravan, although Mujica has been quoted as saying they would 'help'.

On Tuesday, he told Honduran newspaper La Prensa his group were not supporting a new caravan but would aid it if it entered Mexico.

This prompted Mujica to travel to the march in Ciudad Hidalgo to express his support.

Mexico has said the Hondurans would not be allowed to enter as a group and would either have to show a passport and visa  something few have  or apply individually for refugee status, a process that can mean waiting for up to 90 days for approval. They also said migrants caught without papers would be deported.

Thursday night, a man from Pueblo Sin Fronteras who did not give his name, told migrants in Tecun Uman that they would try to cross en masse on Saturday morning.

Three weeks before U.S. midterm elections, Trump has seized on the caravan as a political winner for Republicans.

Early Thursday he tweeted: 'I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught  and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!' Trump tweeted, adding that he blamed Democrats for what he called 'weak laws!'

Several US officials have reportedly expressed their concerns about the migrant caravan, including Donald Trump who was prompted to write several angry tweets

Marcelo Ebrard, who is set to become foreign relations secretary when President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office December 1, said Trump's tweets need to be understood in the context of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

'The electoral process is very near, so he is making a political calculation,' Ebrard said in an interview with Radio Centro.

Trump's stance, he said, was 'what he has always presented,' adding he saw 'nothing surprising in it.'

Current Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray was also sanguine and viewed things through the lens of U.S. politics.

'Nobody likes them (Trump's comments). There's no reason to give them greater transcendence or importance,' Videgaray said from the United Nations where he sought the world body's help processing asylum requests from the migrants. 'What is important to us is the migrants, respect for human rights, their due protection, particularly the most vulnerable.'

Honduran migrants aboard a truck, head in a caravan to the United States, in the outskirts of Mazatenango, Suchitepequez departament 160 km south of Guatemala City, Thursday

Honduran migrants leave Guatemala City at sunrise Thursday, October 18, as they continue their way north toward the US. The caravan is believed to number around 4,000 people

Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the United States receive food after arriving in Tecun Uman, on the border with Mexico

The Mexican government will reportedly work with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide shelters along its southern border with Central America, Mexican ambassador to the US, Geronimo Gutierrez, said on a Fox News Special Report.

The ambassador said: 'The Mexican government, and this is a very important step, requested the intervention of the UN, the Office of the High Commissioner on Refugees, to help Mexico review any asylum claims from the members of the caravan.

'That will allow us to have a process by which in our border we will make sure that of serving human rights, respecting international law, if there are legitimate claims to refugee, those can be processed in a very clear way.'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed the proposal in a statement late Thursday.

'We welcome the government of Mexico's statement that they will seek cooperation with UNHCR to address immigration issues in the region, including the influx of people arriving in Mexico.

'The United States stands ready to assist the Government of Mexico and UNHCR in this effort.'

Juan Escobar, 24, said he had heard about Trump's comments but said they would not dissuade the migrants from continuing their journey.

'Only God on high can stop us,' Escobar said.
This is the hilarious moment a workman was cornered in his van by sheep.

The heating engineer went to 'save' his pals from a rampaging sheep.

But he was then cornered in a van by the woolly fiend before charging off to pen himself in his vehicle.

Rikki McKay assured his workmates that he would deal with the sheep which was repeatedly headbutting their ladders as they installed a wood burner at a farm in Minishant, South Ayrshire, last Wednesday afternoon.

But the ex-abattoir worker's bravado soon turned to fear when the inquisitive mammal dubbed Lamb Lamb trotted up to his van and blocked his way out.

After poking his head out of the door a couple of times 32-year-old Rikki leapt from the van, sprinted to another vehicle and locked the door - with Lamb Lamb in hot pursuit.

Rikki from Ayr, South Ayrshire, said: 'The sheep kept coming up behind me no matter where I went so I had no option but to go into the van where it couldn't get me.

'I absolutely deny being afraid of the sheep, I used to work in an abattoir. I'm not afraid of no sheep, certainly not, I'm only afraid of the sheep making a fool out of me.

Rikki McKay, 32, became trapped in his friends' van after trying to get rid of an angry sheep

'I don't know if it recognised me from when I worked in an abattoir, but it was out with a vengeance.'

Ayrshire Chimney Services worker pals Greg Watson, 32, and Ben Mitchell, 18, can be heard laughing loudly in the short clip.

Greg, who filmed the sheepish spectacle, said: 'When we saw the sheep attack our ladder Rikki came and said he was going to rescue us all, but instead he was terrified of it.

'The sheep had taken a serious dislike to Rikki, but it was funny to see Rikki pretend like it was 'only a sheep' but then be so scared.

'We have been making fun of Rikki all day because of the way he reacted. He thought he was being so macho but now we know the truth.

'He wound up trying to hide inside one of our vans, but the sheep found him.

'When he tried to run off, the sheep chased after him - it was just hilarious.'

The workman made a quick escape from the headbutting sheep and runs to his own van

The trio were midway through a five-hour job at Laigh Midton farm when the Lamb started ramming their ladders.

But the protective sheep appeared to take a personal dislike to Rikki, perhaps sensing what he did in his former line of work.

Greg from Ayr, Scotland, said he won't let Rikki live it down and has already made plans to buy him a sheep costume for Halloween.

Married father-of-one Greg said: 'This kind of thing doesn't happen too often so we were having a laugh, it definitely lightened up the mood while we were working.

'In the 10 years I've done this job I've never had anything like this happen - certainly no pet sheep charging at us.

Mr McKay ran to his van after the sheep continued to chase him down the lane in Scotland

'When the farm owners came back they were in stitches as they didn't realise they had a guard sheep protecting their land.

'I don't think we'll ever let Rikki live this down, we're going to get him a sheep costume for Halloween.'

Co-director of Ayrshire Chimney Services Jim McNish said he couldn't believe Rikki feared such a cute woolly creature when he saw the hilarious clip.

The 58-year-old grandad said: 'He kept saying how he used to work in an abattoir, but he must have been having frightening flashbacks.

'I think I'll be teasing him for a long time, his new nickname is Lamb Lamb.'

Mr McKay (pictured) originally worked in an abattoir and believes the sheep was seeking revenge
Judah Adunbi - who was Tasered by police last January - has again been questioned after the mistook him for a once-wanted man

A race relations adviser Tasered by police in a case of mistaken identity has hit out after officers again mistook him for a suspect.

Judah Adunbi, 64, was at the centre of a police brutality storm after shocking footage filmed by a member of the public showed him being Tasered in the face as he tried to enter his home in Bristol in January last year.

He was left furious again this week after he was stopped by police and asked if he was Royston McCalla, the man who was being hunted in the first incident.

Mr Adunbi said he was shouted at by police from a squad car as he left a local shop in the Easton area of Bristol.

He said: 'They pulled in by the shop and kept calling me "Royston". I decided to ignore them. They were saying "are you Royston or are you Ras [Mr Adunbi's nickname]?"

'There was one male officer and one female officer in the car. They were shouting this and then as they drove away past me, they were giggling about it.

'I felt terrible. I walked home and locked my door and didn't want to go back out. To think this has happened again, and they were joking about it, winding me up.'

He added: 'They had enough time to look at me and know it was me. Millions of people have seen the video of me, the police ought to know me by now, the police ought to know where I live now, that this is my street.

'Surely it is impossible for them to even try to suggest this. I knew they were having a joke because if they did think I was Royston, they would've come in the shop, but they waited until I came out so they could drive past me.'

Mr Abunbi was Tasered by acting sergeant Claire Boddie when she was on patrol with Pc Darren Weston on January 14 last year.

Pc Claire Boddie has been cleared of assault and misconduct

A video of the incident was shared online, with some criticising the officers over the speed at which they went from questioning him to struggling with and then Tasering him.

A police spokesman confirmed that the incident did take place, saying: 'Officers on patrol in a marked car drove alongside a man in Chelsea Road yesterday evening, October 17, to ask for his name, as they thought he might be a man wanted for an offence," he said.

'The man was asked to confirm his name but he didn't reply," he said.

'On closer look, officers were able to establish the man wasn't the wanted suspect and they drove off.

'We fully accept the man the officers spoke to wasn't the man we're trying to trace.'
A student who was held hostage at knifepoint by his own uncle at school was rescued by a brave security guard in south-east China.

The 40-year-old suspect, later identified as Liu, planned a revenge attack on the boy following an argument with his elder brother, according to local police.

Armed with a fruit knife, the man went looking for the boy at Kangle Experimental Primary School in Wanzai County, Jiangxi province on October 10.

A student who was held hostage at knifepoint by his own uncle at school was rescued by a brave security guard in Wanzai County, south-east China's Jiangxi province

The security guard stepped forward and lunged towards the man in an attempt to disarm him

Video footage of the dramatic incident shows the student being held at knifepoint by the suspect while horrified teachers and students looked on.

Seconds later, a security guard stepped forward and lunged towards the man in an attempt to disarm him.

The suspect lost his grip on the boy and he was able to run to safety during the struggle.

The boy was unhurt thanks to the heroic act of the quick-thinking officer

The suspect lost his grip on the boy and he was able to run to safety during the struggle

Police arrived on scene later and retrieved the knife from Liu.

The boy was unhurt thanks to the heroic act of the quick-thinking officer who was later identified as Liu Guofang, People's Daily reported.

Liu has since been detained and the incident is under investigation, according to Wanzai district police in a statement.

The authorities also said that more patrol teams would be dispatched near the school area to ensure the safety of students.

Suspect Liu has since been detained by the police and the incident is under investigation
Headteacher Barry Smith has been criticised by some parents but praised by Ofsted

One of Britain's strictest headmasters has enraged parents once again after calling in staff from a school uniform shop to measure pupils' skirts.

The school defended the tactic because some girls were hitching up their skirts above the school-approved knee-length.

Barry Smith, head teacher of Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, has risked the wrath of parents in the past by banning the tousle-topped 'meet me at McDonald's' haircut and telling pupils when to go to bed and get up.

This time one parent called the hands-on approach to uniform policy 'a joke' while another said: 'Not best pleased that outside people are inspecting my daughter's uniform.'

Charter has once again defended its decision. This February Ofsted praised the school for a 'significant improvement in pupil behaviour' under the strict regime imposed since Charter took over Great Yarmouth High School in September 2017.

Mr Smith enlisted members of staff from nearby uniform retailer, Harrisons Schoolwear, to measure pupils' hems.

The 800-pupil Norfolk secondary school said the women identified a handful of students flouting its rules by using hair bobbles and elastic bands to raise the hemline of their skirts.

The Harrisons store manager explained that a handful of girls had raised their hemlines by pulling up their skirts, bunching the excess material at the side and then using a hair bobble or elastic band to tie it up and hold the garment in place.

The grey skirts should be knee-length and sit on the hip, according to the academy's own uniform policy.

'School ethos': The strict regime for appearance and behaviour has been defended by the academy as being part of building a school ethos (stock pic)

Don't meet me at McDonalds: Earlier this year Great Yarmouth Charter Academy wrote to parents to ban this haircut, which had been nicknamed the 'Meet me at McDonalds' online for its association which 'chav' culture.

One mother raged on Facebook: 'I think it's a joke. You'd think they'd have more important things to do than waste time checking children's uniforms. Great use of taxpayers' money.'

Another moaned: 'So today 2x ladies from Harrison's uniform shop were in and (Mr) Smith was saying all skirts and trousers have to be from Harrisons and will be put on the site soon.

'The Harrisons ladies then inspected all skirts with a teacher. Not best pleased that outside people are inspecting my daughter's uniform.'

The Inspiration Trust, the academy chain behind Charter, defended the decision.

What is the 'Meet Me At McDonalds' haircut? The hairstyle dubbed the 'Meet me at McDonald's' originated from a social media trend poking fun at 'chavvy' attire worn by teens who meet up at the fast food giant. In 2015 a Twitter page posted an image of four youngsters with the cut, captioning it 'the Meet us at McDonald's haircut'. There is also a 2016 Facebook page dedicated to the trend, called 'meet me at mcdonalds hair cut.'[sic] The page posted an image of the 'starter pack' for the trend, featuring the hairstyle, an Adidas tracksuit and Nike trainers. Advertisement

A spokesman said: 'Great Yarmouth Charter Academy held assemblies to remind pupils of the school's uniform policy, and to introduce pupils to staff from the school's uniform supplier, Harrisons.

'Some pupils were given advice on their uniform, particularly in relation to skirt length.'

Harrisons Schoolwear added: 'We were called in by the school to check the lengths of some of the girls' skirts because some of them are rolling them up. Their policy is for knee length.

'We work with the schools and if the schools want us we are there. We are there to back the schools because we are their stockists, we are working with them.'

It comes after a report found one in three schoolgirls had experienced some form of unwanted sexual attention while wearing their uniform.

A poll of 1,004 girls aged 14-21 found 35 per cent had received unwanted sexual attention or contact such as being groped, stared at, catcalled or wolf-whistled.

One in eight of respondents said they first received such unwanted attention before they turned 13.

Great Yarmouth Charter Academy has previously been criticised by some parents for its strict new rules on uniform and haircuts, banning one style called 'Meet Me at McDonald's'.

The curly-on-top, short-at-the-sides look has been compared to the eighties' New Romantic movement. It features shaved sides and a long tousled top with a floppy fringe.

In a lengthy letter sent to pupils in February, the school outlined specific haircuts which would not be allowed including:

Noticeably longer tops that are not layered in and combined with sharply contrasting sides and back.

Variations of the style often known as 'Meet me at McDonald's'

Overgrown, heavy fringes brushed forward onto the face

High top styles of excessive height

Shaven parting lines

Hair that is teased to give excessive height

Any type of Mohican hairstyle.



Improving: In 2016 the Norfolk school had some of the worst exam results in the county but two years later under the Charter Academy Ofsted inspectors found much to praise

The school said uniform and appearance were a 'key part of developing school ethos.'

After the Inspiration academy trust took over the school in September 2017, pupils were banned from using mobile phones at school, ordered to walk in single file to lessons, and told to be asleep by 9.30pm and up by 6.30am every day.

Parents took to social media to call elements of the new regime 'silly', but an unannounced Ofsted inspection this February found the once-poorly performing school heading in the right direction.

Inspectors found a 'considerable decline of serious misconduct' since the measures were introduced.

Ofsted inspector Jason Howard said staff and pupils attributed the improvements to the new behaviour policy introduced by Mr Smith.

He wrote: 'All of the large number of pupils who spoke with inspectors said that they now feel safe at school.

'Pupils moved around the school site in an orderly manner and behaved very politely and respectfully to their peers and to adults.

'They wore their uniform with pride, arrived at lessons promptly, and settled down to learning quickly.

'In all lessons visited, learning took place in a calm and orderly environment.

'Relationships between pupils and teachers were positive, and consequently pupils had the confidence to ask and to answer questions.

'Pupils behaved well, both when interacting with their teachers and when working on their own.'
An Arizona woman, 27, has lifted the lid on her huge age-gap relationship telling how she met her 54-year-old husband through her best friend - his daughter.

Taylor Lehman from Phoenix, met her now-husband Kern five years ago, through his daughter Amanda, 30.

Mrs Lehman said: 'People stare at us, but I think it's because when we are both dressed up we are a good-looking couple.'

Mrs Lehman, who claims the couple are often compared to Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas as a result of their age gap, says the relationship threatened to ruin her friendship with Amanda at first.

Happy families: Taylor's husband Kern, 54 left, is also the father of her best friend Amanda, 30, pictured right with 27-year-old Taylor, pictured center

Mrs Lehman says people compare them to celebrity couple Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas who also have a significant age gap

Mr and Mrs Lehman hit it off five years ago, and despite both being in relationships, their attraction was immediate.

Mrs Lehman said: 'When we first met, I worked with Kern's daughter, she was my best friend and he was married at the time. I was also in a relationship.

'At first I thought he was very handsome. I have always been attracted to older guys. He thought I was cute, and we started flirting at a bar.

'Amanda and I had been friends for a year before I got with her dad, so I did have a lot of guilt and felt bad at first.

'But over time I have gotten over that. She knows I will always be there for her in her life and problems.

Out of the woods: Mrs Lehman, pictured with her now-husband at their joint bachelor and bachelorette party, says she did not expect their fling to turn into marriage

Perfect match: The couple from Phoenix, Arizona, met through Mr Lehman's daughter Amanda, and properly hit it off when Mrs Lehman was just 22 years old

Perfect day: Mr and Mrs Lehman, aged 27 and 54, are pictured at their wedding in 2017

Speaking of the first stages of the couple's relationship, Mrs Lehman said: 'We found out we had a lot in common, but I don't think either of us expected we would get married. We thought it would be a rebound thing for us both.

'But, we hit it off, we like the same music and are both old souls. I fell in love with him for his personality, it made him so attractive to me.

'He is fun, outgoing, we both like to party, and he was charming. I appreciate his age, wisdom and also, the security we have as a couple.'

Mrs Lehman said they are more commonly compared to Zeta Jones and Douglas than they are confused for a parent and child.

'We've only had one experience of people confusing our relationship, it was when we closed on our California home, the notary said, "Your daughter can fill this out or sign here"' and we started laughing and Kern told her, "she's my wife", and the notary felt stupid.

'At the beginning my parents were kind of concerned, my mom was upset that this was my friend's dad, but they know I've always dated older men.

'But time heals everything though and my mom, dad and step mom have visited us and are all fine with it.'

Modern make-up: Mrs Lehman, left, had been close to her now-husband's adult daughter Amanda, pictured right, for a year when she fell for him

Strong friendship: Both Mrs Lehman says their friendship initially suffered when she started dating her husband, but that they now all holiday together

Mrs Lehman, who married Kern in a romantic ceremony in Cancun, Mexico last year, says it took a while for her to get used to strangers staring at them.

'When we first got together I was very insecure, I felt everyone was staring or questioning us, but that was only because it was new.'

With an age gap of 27-years between them, the couple have had to speak about the possibility that Kern could pass away before her, which Mrs Lehman admits she struggles with.

Taylor said: 'We met with a will attorney, it's something not a lot of mid-20s women have to deal with and it's pretty hard.

'But who knows what will happen. Tomorrow is never promised. I could go first tomorrow by a freak accident or anything.'

Feeling content with the lives ahead of them, the pair are due to celebrate their second wedding anniversary in May.

Adventures: Mrs Lehman says the couple bonded over their love of travelling and music

Out and about: The couple are pictured on one of their beloved trips to enjoy nature

Mr Lehman said: 'Taylor has a great sense of humor, is vivacious and an old soul. She also has a huge heart and is fiercely loyal. Also she is my best friend and is very easy to talk to about anything.

'I didn't really have any reservations, and whether Amanda realizes it or not she was largely responsible for our meeting.

'Neither Taylor or I really expected it to develop into what it did at the time.

'When it did, my attitude was that I've done a lot for my children, but choosing my mate is not within their purview.'

Mr Lehman advises others in age gap relationships to ignore people who look down or judge their love.

He said: 'If it makes you happy and you click, it's nobody's business but yours and if people want to be judgmental the hell with them. Leave them in their glass house.'
Illegal immigrants have set up warning systems using WhatsApp text messages to avoid being caught, a report has revealed.

They contact each other on the encrypted messaging service to raise the alarm about immigration raids.

The tip-offs mean they can stay one step ahead of Home Office enforcement officials.

The tactic was disclosed in a report by academics at the University of Oxford's Centre on Migration, Policy and Society.

Illegal immigrants have set up warning systems using WhatsApp text messages to avoid being caught, a report has revealed

The report also exposed the huge industry in fake identity papers sold by criminal gangs.

It also said those in Britain without permission were avoiding working in certain industries known to be targeted by officials, such as construction or kebab shops, to minimise the risk of being caught.

Former Home Office chiefs have admitted there are more than a million illegal immigrants in the UK.

They are a mixture of people who sneaked in on the back of lorries, those who arrived on visas but never went home, foreign criminals never booted out and failed asylum seekers who have avoided deportation.

Critics warn many are earning money by working in the black market but not paying taxes, while adding to the burden on public services such as hospitals and schools.

The report described some of the methods used to evade capture. It said: 'They set up warning systems, for example using WhatsApp messenger boards.

'Others moved out of areas where immigration enforcement raids were observed, moved addresses under which they had previously been recorded, avoided addresses that had been raided before, avoided houses of other immigrants, hid IDs at different addresses and avoided the London Underground.'

The tip-offs mean they can stay one step ahead of Home Office enforcement officials (stock)

Some illegal immigrants bought false identity documents to try to secure a better chance of staying in the UK, finding a place to live and getting a job.

One Brazilian interviewed for the study said: 'There is this industry of fake documents.

'It is amazing, you can get anything you want, ID cards, passports, driver's licence, this construction card, anything.'

The report found curbs designed to tackle illegal immigration were failing to reduce numbers.

It said the so-called 'hostile environment'  introduced by successive governments to make it harder for illegal immigrants to rent homes, work, open bank accounts or claim benefits  had not worked.

One immigrant told researchers: 'Being illegal in the UK is still better than being legal in my own country'.

Lead researcher Dr Franck Duvell said: 'Our project shows that, if there is labour market demand while labour migration restrictions are in place, irregular migration is an inevitable consequence  which potentially means that efforts to restrict low-skilled EU migration after Brexit may generate a lot more irregular immigrants.'

A Home Office spokesman said: 'We are committed to an immigration policy which welcomes and celebrates people here legally, but which tackles illegal immigration, prevents abuse of benefits and services and removes incentives to enter and remain in the UK unlawfully.'
Michel Barnier ignited Brexit fury today after saying Britain voted to leave the Brussels bloc out of 'nostalgia'.

The EU's chief negotiator said that the public were not told all the consequences about the historic referendum.

And he said he is not convinced that a deal can be done as the crunch negotiations enter their final, crucial stages.

His remarks come despite reports that he has been told by France and Germany to be 'more flexible' amid growing fears the UK will crash out without a deal.

While Theresa May is facing a mutiny among her Tory backbenchers furious at proposals to extend the Brexit transition deal.

Speaking to French radio station Inter this morning, Mr Barnier said that the Brexit vote was driven in part by 'nostalgia'.

He added: 'I dont want to impose a hard Brexit. A hard Brexit is the absence of a deal and I am working for a deal. But Brexit cant be soft. It has innumerable consequences. It was chosen by the British.

'Were they well informed at the time they voted? They were not told all the consequences - even Mr [Nigel] Farage recognised that everything was not spelt out in the campaign.'

Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg lashed the remarks, telling MailOnline: 'Democracy is not nostalgia and rejecting the EUs outdated and failed economic model is not an unknown but a welcome consequence of leaving.

'The Eurocrats cannot understand the writing that is already on the wall.'

Michel Barnier (pictured in Brussels on Wednesday) risked igniting Brexit fury today after saying Britain voted to leave the Brussels bloc out of 'nostalgia'.

Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron (pictured together at the EU summit on Wednesday) reportedly implored the EU's chief negotiator to give a legal guarantee that no new customs border will be set up between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Mr Barnier also chucked cold water over hopes that a Brexit deal can be thrashed out in the final, crucial months ahead.

Asked directly if an agreement can be struck, he said: 'I have no deep conviction on this subject, because in the UK the political situation is very complex and I dont know what decisions Theresa May will take.

'I hope for a deal, I am working for it, because it is in our common interest.'

His words come despite reports that Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron urged him to give a legal guarantee that no new customs border will be set up between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Former Brexit minister savages May's plan for a Brexit transition extension as 'dead on arrival' Lord Bridges, who served in the Department for Exiting the European Union between July 2016 and June 2017, joined a chorus of criticism after the Prime Minister raised the possibility of the new concession Theresa May is facing the most dangerous week of her premiership after angering Tories of all stripes over her proposal to extend the Brexit transition period, an idea one former Brexit minister called 'dead on arrival'. Remainer Lord Bridges, who served in the Department for Exiting the European Union between July 2016 and June 2017, joined a chorus of criticism last night after the Prime Minister raised the possibility of the new concession. The news has unleashed a new frenzy of plotting against the Prime Minister, with former Brexit secretary David Davis calling round ministers to call for a change in the negotiations - prompting rumours of a leadership challenge. 'He is definitely on manoeuvres,' one recipient of a call told The Times. Although friends of Mr Davis insist he is only seeking a reversal of policy, not a change in leader, there are said to be a small but growing group of Tory MPs who would like to install him in a caretaker capacity. One senior Conservative said the 'current was flowing' against Mrs May as Brexiteer MPs met to discuss submitting letters of no confidence - with 48 needed to dislodge her. Advertisement

They issued the plea behind closed doors at the EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday night after Mrs May urged leaders to compromise.

Mr Macron is said to have adopted a more conciliatory approach privately than he did in public yesterday when he said it is up to the UK to compromise in a way that does not breach the EU's red lines.

Mrs May is facing a mutiny among her backbenchers in Britain after she admitted the Brexit transition period could be extended by 'months'.

The suggestion has sparked fury among Brexiteers and Remainers who say the plan will leave the UK having to swallow EU rules while having no say in them.

And they have lashed the prospect of Britain having to pour yet more billions into the EU budget.

Ex Brexit minister Lord Bridges - who backed Remain - branded the plan 'dead on arrival' while Tory Eurosceptic MP Jacob Rees-Mogg said it is a 'poor attempt at kicking the can down the road'.

But as Tory MPs pile the pressure on the PM at home, EU leaders are said to finally be keen to help her get an agreement avoid a cliff edge no deal.

Sources told The Times that at the working dinner at the EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday night, the French and German leaders both called for more creativity.

The German Chancellor urged him to launch a fresh push to find a new alternative to the EU's Irish backstop plans which would avoid new customs checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Mrs May said that this is her 'red line' and no British PM could agree to the EU's current proposal, which would see Northern Ireland alone tied into their customs and singe market rules.

And the DUP - whose ten MPs wield a massive amount of power because they prop the Tories up in No10 - have threatened to collapse the government if the red line is flouted.

A diplomat told the newspaper: 'She asked Mr Barnier to be more flexible on Ireland.'

Speaking publicly yesterday, Mrs Merkel told a press conference in Brussels that she is determined to see a deal done.

Angela Merkel (pictured at the EU summit in Brussels this morning) has said that she wants to see a deal done but warned that not enough progress has yet been made

Emmanuel Macron (pictured at the Eu summit on Brussels yesterday) and Angela Merkelare said to be in 'deal mode' and keen to help Theresa May get a deadline as the crunch talks enter their final, crucial months

But she warned that still not enough progress has been made on the talks to get a deal over the line.

She said: 'All of the 27 said that we wish to bring about a solution, one that clearly expresses the fact that Britain is no longer a member of the EU, but also expresses what we all want politically speaking - namely that we establish a good relationship with Britain for the future.'

'As long as we don't have a satisfactory solution we cannot really explain in a satisfactory way how this is to come about but I think where there is a will there is a way. That is usually the way.

'We agreed that once there is sufficient progress we will meet again at any point in time that is convenient, but right now we cannot safely say when such a meeting should take place.'

Mr Macron said that the problems in Brexit talks were 'no longer a technical issue' but followed a 'political inability for the UK to reach an agreement that can be presented to us'.

at her own press conference at yesterday's summit, Mrs May admitted that a longer transition period is now on the cards.

She said: 'This is an idea that has been around before. I have been asked about the potential for an extension in the House of Commons previously.

Theresa May (pictured today at the EU's Asia Summit in Brussels with Donald Tusk) faces a mutiny among her backbenchers in Britain after she admitted the Brexit transition period could be extended by 'months'

'I have always been very clear that we negotiated an implementation period with the EU, and we negotiated that implementation period would end at the end of December 2020.

'What has now emerged is the idea that an option to extend the implementation period could be a further solution to this issue of the backstop in Northern Ireland.

'What we are not doing, we are not standing here proposing an extension to the implementation period.

'What we are doing is working to ensure that we have a solution to the backstop issue in Northern Ireland... which is currently a blockage to completing the deal, that enables us to get on with completing the deal that delivers on the vote of the British people and is good for the future of the UK.'
Jair Bolsonaro on the campaign trail. The former paratrooper has offended ethnic minorities and women with his comments

Allegations of a dirty tricks campaign on WhatsApp dominated Brazil's presidential election race on Thursday, turning attention to social media manipulation following abuses uncovered in the US election and Britain's Brexit referendum two years ago.

Trailing leftist candidate Fernando Haddad accused the far-right frontrunner, Jair Bolsonaro, of 'illegal' electoral tactics after a report that companies were poised to unleash a flood of WhatsApp messages attacking him and his Workers Party.

Bolsonaro denied the allegation, tweeting that the Haddad's Workers Party 'isn't being hurt by fake news, but by the TRUTH.'

The exchange happened 10 days before a run-off election that polls predict Bolsonaro - a bluff, internet-savvy, pro-gun polemicist often compared to US President Donald Trump - will likely win comfortably.

Ordinary Brazilians told AFP that some in their families or entourage swallowed some misinformation from WhatsApp - but denied they themselves were being influenced.

Anti-Bolsonaro Brazilians campaign against the divisive Presidential hopeful, with some comparing him to Hitler because of his right-wing agenda

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro campaign for the right-wing candidate who has promised to liberalise gun ownership and crack down on crime

'We get a lot of news, even false news, but some true, about politics but I don't think it changes very much in terms of making decisions,' said Ana Clara Valle, a 27-year-old engineer in Rio.

She said she was voting for Bolsonaro because of his Catholic, pro-family stance, not because of any 'extreme right' sensibility.

Andre de Souza, a 35-year-old lawyer leaning toward voting for Bolsonaro, said he receives around 500 WhatsApp messages a day for and against both candidates.

The rumours and false information 'don't make a difference to me,' he said, but added: 'My mother received a WhatsApp message saying Bolsonaro was doing away with (mandatory) end-of-year salary payments, and she believed it!'

There are 120 million WhatsApp user accounts in Brazil, whose population is 210 million. The app is a wildly popular communication tool between friends, families and work colleagues, outstripping even Facebook - which owns WhatsApp - in usage.

Haddad (left) will face far-right front runner, Bolsonaro (right) in the final round of Brazil's Presidential run-off

Haddad made his accusation after Brazil's widest circulation newspaper, Folha de Sao Paulo, reported it had discovered contracts worth up to $3.2 million each for companies to send out bulk WhatsApp messages attacking the Workers Party.

'We have identified a campaign of slander and defamation via WhatsApp and, given the mass of messages, we know that there was dirty money behind it, because it wasn't registered with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal,' Haddad told a media conference in Sao Paulo.

Bolsonaro's lawyer, Tiago Ayres, told the financial daily Valor there was no evidence of any connection between the companies mentioned by Folha de Sao Paulo and Bolsonaro's campaign.

The row shone a light on an issue that has become a pressing one in democracies: the organized abuse of social media to sway public opinion in countries.

Facebook is the most prominent company that has come under scrutiny, though Twitter has also come in for criticism.

Bolsonaro has campaigned on a promise of promoting pro-life traditionalist values in the majority Catholic South American country

The platforms have made an effort to clean up who uses their services after evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 US election that saw Trump triumph, and accusations Facebook allowed user data to be harvested to bolster the campaign the same year for Britain to leave the European Union.

Facebook has also shut down disinformation pages traced to campaigns believed to have ties to Iran's state-owned media and to Russian military intelligence services.

There is no evidence of foreign interference online in Brazil's election.

However the director of major polling firm Datafolha, Mauro Paulinho, said on Twitter that his company had detected 'some shifts' in public opinion just before the first round of the election on October 7, which Bolsonaro won handily.

Sergio Amadeu, a member of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee created by the government, said it was up to electoral authorities to determine if any laws were being broken.

Fernando Haddad (above) has accused far-right front runner, Bolsonaro, of 'illegal' dirty tricks

But he said there was 'a disinformation campaign very similar and more sophisticated than the one in the US... because it was carried out within the framework of Brazilian political culture.'

An editor with the collaborative fact-checking organization Comprova, Sergio Ludtke, said public awareness and long-term education was needed to counter disinformation delivered via social media.

He added that 'I consider it a mistake to think that the problem of disinformation will stop when the elections are over. These mechanisms are causing more damage each time, and society needs to respond.'
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photos: Getty Images

When Max Boot was a young conservative apparatchik on the make, the key moment in his career occurred when he got a meeting with Robert Bartley, editor of The Wall Street Journal editorial page, one of the movements most prestigious and influential organs. To Boots surprise, Bartley offered him a job as economics editorialist. The prospect horrified him, he writes in his new memoir and critique, The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right, because he had never taken a class in the subject and had no interest in it. Boot later learned that Bartley sought out conservatives unfamiliar with economics for such jobs. He did not want to hire an economist because most professional economists disdained supply-side economics, which is to say, an inability to see through the pseudo-economic nonsense was a cherished attribute.

When reading this story, I am reminded of a scene in Goodfellas, when Henry Hill pistol-whips a man who tried to rape his girlfriend, Karen, and then tells her to conceal the weapon. Karen narrates the scene. I know there are women, like my best friends, who would have gotten out of there the minute their boyfriend gave them a gun to hide, she tells the audience. But I didnt. I gotta admit the truth: it turned me on.

Likewise, the minute he discovered that the economics line for the conservative movement was being set by an institution so hostile to rigorous thinking that it treated a lack of qualifications as a qualification, Boot probably should have rethought his career choices. Instead, he accepted a different job (op-ed editor) from Bartley. And he was on his way, moving through columnist spots and jobs as speechwriter or policy adviser to Republican presidential candidates like John McCain and Marco Rubio.

It came to a halt with the rise of Donald Trump. Boot, like most conservative intellectuals, reacted with incredulous disdain when a demagogic reality-television performer registered at the top of opinion polls in 2015. Most of those conservatives eventually reconciled themselves to Trump, either after Trump had sewn up the nomination, following his election, or after one of his many partisan skirmishes, at which point they could declare that the liberals had forced them to Trumps side by criticizing Trump too harshly, opposing Brett Kavanaugh, or some other offense. Boot did not. Instead, he has written one of the most impressive and unflinching diagnoses of the pathologies in Republican politics that led to Trumps rise.

Boot is hardly a surprising candidate for ideological defection. Having immigrated to the United States as a child from the Soviet Union, he gravitated toward the more stridently hawkish Republican Party, as many refugees from communist countries did. He never surrendered either his sense of outsiderness (having had to learn English and assimilate to strange American culture) or his intense pro-American idealism.

Of all the intellectual tribes of the right, neoconservatives (like Boot) mounted the deepest and longest resistance to Trump. The core neocon worldview is a moralistic vision in America as a beacon of democracy and staunch foe of dictatorships (sometimes, as the Bush administration illustrated, to the point of delusion.) Trump mollified most conservative activists during the 2016 campaign or after. He renounced his pro-choice and anti-gun views, and stopped promising to raise taxes on the rich, more strictly regulate Wall Street, or give everybody health insurance (and in fact did the opposite once in office). But he never stopped expressing an utterly transactional foreign-policy worldview and regularly praising dictators (not despite but frequently because of their authoritarianism) and treating their lies with deference.

But what makes Boots argument admirable is that he doesnt simply follow his ideology in a mechanical fashion. Instead he treats the rise of Trump with the seriousness an event of such magnitude demands. If you discovered your best friend was working on a plan to kill hundreds of people in a terrorist attack, you wouldnt simply condemn his plan while continuing to appreciate his non-terrorist qualities. You would question your entire relationship and what it is about this person you missed in the first place. Likewise, when your political party has elected an ignorant, viciously bigoted, compulsively lying authoritarian crook as president, you need to raise fundamental assumptions about that partys makeup, rather than treat it as an unfortunate turn of events one must muddle through.

Boot accordingly retraces the steps both of his own career and the history of the movement he joined to try to discover where it all went wrong, what parts can be salvaged and which cannot. He describes his rise within the movement as a process of indoctrination  largely self-indoctrination, I should add  that took decades and that I am only now escaping. Boot recounts the social pressures to toe the party line, and the rewards (career advancement, lavish parties) that came with faithful adherence. At one point he commissioned an op-ed criticizing supply-side economics by Paul Krugman, who was not yet a New York Times columnist but was a famous economist with a punchy prose style. Bartley not only killed the op-ed but also came close to firing Boot for his apostasy.

Boot recounts briefing Sarah Palin, in his capacity as a McCain 2008 campaign adviser. (Unsurprisingly, he found her to be nonresponsive and uninterested in foreign policy issues.) After he began criticizing Trump, Boot describes the president of a conservative think tank expressing private agreement, but admitting he could not say so publicly for fear of offending his board of directors. When a friend got an appointment in the administration, she crossed Boot off the guest list for a party lest she be associated with a turncoat. Reexamining his career and the movement that brought him up professionally with a more skeptical eye, Trumps rise becomes more explicable.

Boot also acknowledges that racism and sexism continue to exert a harmful and potent influence over American life, and while he still disagrees with the corrosiveness of woke leftist discourse, he does not see those responses as more harmful than racism itself. This is a decisive break with conservatism, which  with a handful of mostly recent exceptions  treats racism and sexism as historical vestiges, cynically exploited by the left to tar innocent modern conservatives.

But the truly radical act in The Corrosion of Conservatism is its clear-eyed excavation of the movements history. The right has spent decades regurgitating a potted version of their own history that is so selective and sanitized that it amounts to an upside-down version of reality. The conservative creation myth, which any right-wing pundit, intern, or congressional staffer could recite from memory, runs as follows: In the mid-1950s, conservatism lacked any form or intellectual coherence. Then William F. Buckley emerged to build conservatism as a serious movement of ideas. He purged the Birchers, instilled intellectual rigor in the movement, and while their first foray into elective politics, the Barry Goldwater campaign, failed, it set the stage for the triumphs of Ronald Reagan and his successors.

Even many anti-Trump conservatives cling tightly to this mythical history. It is the foundation of a much weaker book of the same form by Charlie Sykes. A conservative talk-show host, Sykes turned against Trump, and spends his book grappling inconclusively about how the great movement of Buckley and Goldwater took a sharp and inexplicable turn into Trumpism.

Boot acknowledges that he, too, subscribed to this myth. But revisiting that past, he discovers something very familiar. Conservatism trafficked all along in anti-intellectualism, bigotry, ideological radicalism, and loopy conspiracy theories. The conservative movement was a revolt against the moderation of mainstream Republicans like Dwight Eisenhower while fiercely defending the vicious lies of Joe McCarthy. Buckley renounced the president of the John Birch Society while continuing to endorse the organization itself, which was a large and powerful constituency. While most mainstream Republicans at the time supported civil rights, conservatives opposed those mainstream leaders for that very reason. Conservatives understood very clearly at the time that their project of turning the Republican Party into a vehicle for conservatism required prying millions of white segregationists from the Democratic Party.

Boot is not so reductive as to depict Trump as the inevitable historical consequence of conservatisms historical arc. He is able to acknowledge that Trump is both a freakish outlier and an authentic outgrowth of conservatism. The movement had cultivated an atmosphere congenial to his bigoted demagoguery, and a freakishly dangerous figure walked through the door conservatism had opened for him.

Among Boots former comrades, the rise of the conservative movement is the unquestioned shining past to which every faction lays claim. Boot is making an astonishing break in his suggestion that the Republicanism of Eisenhower was actually good, and that the conservative alternative of McCarthy, Buckley, and Goldwater was misguided. His analysis is as heretical as an orthodox Communist arguing in the 1950s that the problem with the Soviet Union began with the October Revolution. Ross Douthat wrote a New York Times column politely inviting Boot not to return to the GOP. Some of his former cadres think he has gone insane. Calling Barry Goldwater an extremist, complains conservative columnist Jay Caruso, is not reasoned criticism. (Goldwater, of course, famously declared, Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, which was a forthright defense of his belief that liberty required such radical steps as risking nuclear war to liberate territory from Soviet control and tearing down vast swaths of the government.)

But it is hard to see any choice between Boots radical surgery, which will require ripping the partys conservative dogma out by the roots, and disaster for the brand of center-right values he espouses. The disaster may take the form of Trump and his party continuing their lurch into authoritarianism, which increasingly offers the only avenue for imposing unpopular policies on taxes, spending, and regulation demanded by its plutocratic base. Or it may involve the Republican Party discrediting itself irrevocably, as polarization allows Democrats to move farther and farther left without losing the loyalty of a base that will never forgive the party of Trump. A disaffected foot soldier from the conservative movement can now clearly see that the partys salvation lies in prying it free of conservative control.
Salvatore Mannino, 52, disappeared after dropping his children at school in Pisa, Italy, and was found suffering from memory loss nearly a month later in Edinburgh, Scotland

An Italian man who vanished from his home near Pisa has been treated in an Edinburgh hospital for nearly a month after losing his memory.

Salvatore Mannino, 52, was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on September 20, after being taken ill in St Giles' Cathedral in the capital.

He had disappeared from his home in Lajatico, near Pisa, the previous day after dropping his children off at school and was last seen at a railway station.

Detectives in Scotland were baffled by the case as Mr Mannino was unable to tell them who he was or where he was from.

Today Mr Mannino's lawyer, Ivo Gronchi, confirmed that Mr Mannino was the 'mystery man' being treated at the hospital.

Mr Gronchi said: 'His wife and oldest son were reunited with him but he didn't know them, it was like they were total strangers to him,' reports The Times.

His family declined to give a statement, but his wife, Francesca, is by his bedside.

The father-of-four was said to have looked at weather forecasts for Edinburgh and Aberdeen online before he disappeared, sparking an appeal from cops in Italy.

The father-of-four (pictured with wife Francesca) was said to have looked at weather forecasts for Edinburgh and Aberdeen online before he disappeared

Italian investigators found a bag left at Mr Mannino's home with 10,300 (9,050) in cash, reports The Times.

Mr Mannino's credit cards and wallets were also left behind, but his identity card was missing.

They are also said to have found a cryptic note written in a numerical code which was unscrambled by Mr Mannino's 18-year-old son Filippo.

The student told Corriere della Sera that it read 'Forgive me I'm Sorry' and it must have been left for him as he is passionate about mathematical games.

Mr Mannino (inset) was last seen at a railway station by his home in Lajatico, near Pisa, and was taken to hospital in Edinburgh a day later

Police only discovered the mystery man was Mr Mannino because of the tattoos on his left arm and right shoulder, reports Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

It is also believed that he no longer speaks Italian and expresses himself using simple English he may have learned at school.

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: 'Police in Edinburgh are pleased to confirm that the identity of a man who took unwell within St Giles Cathedral on September 20 has now been established.

'Officers would like to thank the public and media who shared our appeals for information and assisted with this investigation.'
South African city is gearing up for a 'test case' over new land redistribution laws in which land seized from white farmers, can be carried out legally.

A city outside Johannesburg is preparing what the mayor calls a 'test case' over plans to take hundreds of acres of land from private owners, without paying for it in order to build low-cost housing.

Last month, Ekurhuleni's city council voted in favour of forging ahead with 'expropriation without compensation' - a legal tool that the ruling African National Congress says is necessary to provide land for disadvantaged black citizens.

The new laws are designed to correct the 'historic injustices' of apartheid and distribute land more equitably.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who faces elections in 2019, has said expropriating farms without compensating their owners would 'undo a grave historical injustice' against the black majority during colonialism and the apartheid era.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (far left) hands over the title deeds of 4,586 hectares of land to Inkosi (Chief) Mandla Mkwanazi of the KwaMkwanazi community in Empangeni near Durban

Ekurhuleni's Executive Mayor, Mzwandile Masina, calls his city a 'test case' for the nation as the seizure of hundreds of acres of land from private owners, without paying for it, to build low-cost housing gets underway

On Sunday Ramaphosa handed over the title deeds of 4,586 hectares of land to Chief Inkosi Mandla Mkwanazi of the KwaMkwanazi community in Empangeni, near Durban.

The KwaMkwanazi community was forcibly removed from their land more than 100 years ago following the enactment of the 1913 Land Act.

Like other South African cities, Ekurhuleni faces a dire housing crunch, with some 600,000 of its nearly 4 million people living in 'informal settlements' and a shortage of land to build homes.

Nearly a quarter-century after the end of white-minority rule, white South Africans comprise just eight per cent of the population but still hold most of the individually owned private land.

This disparity keeps most of the economic power in the hands of a few and makes the country one of the most unequal societies in the world.

In July President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ANC planned to amend the constitution to allow for expropriation without compensation, sparking concerns that the move could destabilise the fragile economy and spur conflict in an already socially divided nation.

A month later US President Donald Trump waded into the controversy by tweeting - incorrectly - that South Africa had begun seizing farms and that high numbers of farmers were being killed.

Ramaphosa addresses people during a hand over transfer of land and ownership to the community following a land claim by the evicted KwaMkwanazi community

The ANC has sought to reassure people inside and outside the country that its efforts to ensure the majority of black South Africans have better access to land - a long-standing party promise - will be legal and should not be cause for alarm.

Ramaphosa has said everyone should 'relax' about the land reform process and that it would 'end up very well'.

Political parties and NGOs have criticised the government's attempts to change land reform measures.

Executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Mzwandile Masina, who heads the local ANC-led coalition, echoed the president, saying landowners in South Africa don't need to be 'scared'.

He added: 'Our policy is not to take the land by force. Our policy is to make sure the land is shared amongst those that need it.'

Ekurhuleni plans to expropriate about 865 acres (350 hectares) of land in the city limits, both private and government-owned, that has been vacant for decades and develop it to relieve pressure in vast tracts of ramshackle dwellings. The mayor did not identify the landowners.

Somsy Matso, a community leader in the local housing fight, walks along a street at Winnie Mandela Informal Settlement in Tembisa, of east of Johannesburg, South Africa

Ramaphosa (left) jokes as he receives a traditional spear as a gift from Chief Inkosi during the handover of land north of Durban on October 14

Masina said that the conditions in these settlements are, adding, 'horrible for human beings. We are not going to expropriate land and keep it for ourselves'.

He expects the city to be taken to court once it notifies landowners of its intent to seize their property - and that is the point, he says.

The municipality wants the case to force a ruling on whether expropriating land in the public interest is legal as the nation's laws stand, or whether the constitution needs to be amended.

Whether the court case will pan out favorably for the city is unclear.

Ben Cousins, research chair in poverty, land and agrarian studies at the University of Western Cape, said; 'You can't guarantee the outcome. 'The court may find you do have to pay some level of compensation. It could backfire quite badly.'

Somsy Matso stands at the door of his shacks that his mother first occupied in 1994, at Winnie Mandela Informal Settlement in Tembisa, of east of Johannesburg

The move has already put Masina's political life on the line with the opposition Democratic Alliance party has tabled a motion of no confidence in the mayor for October 25.

Though South Africa's land reform debate is often focused on farmland, the demand for urban land is intense, particularly in the economic hub of Gauteng province, which includes Johannesburg.

The Ekurhuleni test case is part of a new push in Gauteng to 'release' land to residents every week, giving parcels to people who need it for homes or businesses.

Dikgang Uhuru Moiloa, head of the provincial department of Human Settlements, says the government is starting the program by redistributing state-owned land but is also looking at privately owned land that is not being used, as is the case in Ekurhuleni.

There are more than 1.2 million people registered and waiting for government-subsidized housing in the province, and the government can only provide 26,000 homes a year.

Somsy Matso inside his shacks as the debate over land redistribution grows, his city is set to be a political battleground for the controversial policy

Moiloa said: 'It's a huge backlog. We have to be very rational. We can't just chase people out of land, their livelihoods, and providing food for the nation. We can't do that. Those that use the land effectively definitely will have to be left to use the land effectively.

'The [city officials] are just quiet. They are not saying anything.'

In Ekurhuleni's Winnie Mandela Informal Settlement, a sprawling complex of tiny homes pieced together with cement blocks, plywood and corrugated tin, more than 11,000 people registered for government housing in the late 1990s and many are still waiting to get it.

The mayor says the city has invested 'a substantial amount of money' to improve living conditions, installing electricity and building schools.

But some say they feel left in the dark about their future.

Somsy Matso, a community leader in the housing fight, lives in a small complex of shacks that his mother first occupied in 1994. She applied and was approved for a government house, Matso said, but it has yet to materialise.
A three-year-old boy with a severe egg allergy could have died after a baking company allegedly used the ingredient in his birthday cake, despite assuring his mother they would not.

Ali Carstens ordered the custom-made dinosaur cake for her son Deysel's third birthday party from Sophie Amelia Creative Cakes in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Deysel's celebrations took a horrifying turn however, when he blew out his three candles, took a bite of the cake in front of friends and family, and quickly began to projectile vomit.

Ali Carstens ordered the custom-made dinosaur cake for her son Deysel's third birthday party from Sophie Amelia Creative Cakes in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Deysel's celebrations took a horrifying turn however when he took a bite of the cake and began to projectile vomit

His lips rapidly blistered, his face swelled and he needed emergency treatment at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, while his birthday guests were left traumatised by the event.

Ms Carstens has slammed the baking company and claims she was told they could cater for his requirements.

'We rushed him straight away to A&E - we were absolutely terrified.

'We rang the bakers, who confirmed that despite their initial reassurances, they had put egg whites in the cake. They could have killed him.'

A spokesperson for the company denied that egg whites were used in the cake and said it could have been traces of egg white powder used for other orders that day.

Ms Carstens said 'someone from the cake company came to Stoke Mandeville to apologise immediately'.

Adding: 'Not only were we terrified, but the kids at the party must have been traumatised' she added.

'The whole room was so shocked when Deysel began to be sick and his face was swelling up.

'The worst thing about allergic reactions is you don't know how big the reaction will be nor where it will stop.

Ms Carstens has slammed the baking company and claims she was told they could cater for his requirements. 'We rushed him straight away to A&E - we were absolutely terrified'

'We were terrified his airwaves would close up and he would go into anaphylactic shock. Luckily the staff at Stoke Mandeville A&E were very helpful.

'He was given anti-histamines and steroids to try to control the reaction.'

Ali is now in contact with the local trading standards team and says they are set to launch an investigation.

She added 'Deysel is now afraid to eat. We're finding it really hard to get him to eat his dinner for fear of another reaction.

'It's heart-breaking but it's also bad for the kids who saw it, who must be traumatised.'

Sophie Amelia Creative Cakes said in a statement: 'I had no idea how the eggs could end up in an egg free cake, but unfortunately thinking of it once I learned about the reaction I realised it could be traces of egg white powder that was used for other orders that day.

'The customer was notified of it immediately, along with apologies if that was the cause.

'My page states clearly that all sorts of allergens are handled in my kitchen and therefore traces of those might be found in all the foods
Andreas Garberg (pictured) told how he was beaten up by Apprentice star Tom Bunday

A young father has told how he was attacked by Apprentice star Tom Bunday in a fight where a beer bottle was smashed over his head, leaving him covered in blood.

Bunday, 28, was jailed for the unprovoked attack on Andreas Garberg following an incident in a Swedish nightclub.

The tree surgeon, who narrowly avoided being fired by Sir Alan on Wednesday, was given a six month prison sentence after DNA evidence of his victim's blood on his fists were shown to the court.

Speaking for the first time about the 2010 assault, his victim said kicks and punches kicks rained down on his head and body after being set upon by Bunday and one of his friends.

Mr Garberg said that he was already bleeding from a wound after being smashed over the head with a beer bottle after he tried to break up a fight at a nightclub in the small town of Gavle, about 200km from Stockholm.

Bunday, 28, (right) was jailed for the unprovoked attack on Mr Garberg, a father of two (left) following the 2010 incident in a Swedish nightclub in Gavle, about 200km from Stockholm

Bunday, who narrowly avoided being fired by Sir Alan on Wednesday, was given a six month prison sentence after DNA evidence of his victim's blood on his fists were shown to the court

As he walked to taxi rank he was suddenly jumped by Bunday and his mate who carried a vicious unprovoked attack.

Recalling the assault, he told MailOnline: 'On my way to the town square where most taxis are, I was attacked from behind by two or three men.

'They kicked me in the back so I fell to the ground and then started throwing punches and kicks at me.

'I was trying to keep my hands above my head so as not to not get any serious damages.

'I was later told that I managed to get up and ran a few meters before they attacked me again, but I can't remember that.'

Mr Garberg, a father-of-two, who still lives in the town of Gavle, said he was saved from serious injury when other men ran to his aid.

Bunday, from Southampton, who has a fiancee, fled from the scene but were later picked up and arrested by police.

His victim suffered bruising to his nose, left eye and scarring on his elbows, left shoulder and spine. He also required stitches to the head wound.

The Apprentice contestant Bunday, who was ordered to pay his victim 1,300 compensation, said he 'deeply regretted' the incident that landed him in a Swedish prison for six months

Recalling the assault, Mr Garberg, a pklumber, told MailOnline: 'On my way to the town square where most taxis are, I was attacked from behind by two or three men. 'They kicked me in the back so I fell to the ground and then started throwing punches and kicks at me'

He does not know if he was hit with the bottle by Bunday, who was 20 at the time, or his friends in the nightclub as he momentarily blacked out.

He said he was drunk and the memory of the nightclub incident was hazy but he remembers the later assault.

Bunday, who was ordered to pay his victim 1,300 in compensation, said he 'regretted' the incident.

He said: 'This incident is well in my past but I still feel a huge amount of regret for any distress caused.

'It was an extremely hard time for me and my family, but it made me realise I really wanted to give back to my family and society in general.

'I have now created 23 full-time jobs through a company I started from scratch, which I'm extremely proud of, as well as being able to provide a stable income for my family.'

During Wednesday night's episode he was appointed project manger for this week's show where the contestants had to make donuts to sell to retailers and the public.

His team lost the task and he ended up in the boardroom to face the wrath of Sir Alan Sugar but escaped being fired.

TV executives who recruited him for The Apprentice were not told about his past conviction.

Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 any person with a criminal conviction does not need to notify employers once a set time frame has passed. There are similar provisions under Swedish law.

A BBC spokesperson confirmed he was not under obligation to tell the show's producers.

During Wednesday night's episode Bunday was appointed project manger for this week's show where the contestants had to make donuts to sell to retailers and the public

Mr Bunday (pictured far left, front row) does not have to inform new bosses of his conviction because in legal terms it is now spent

His victim, who now works as a plumber he expressed no bitterness towards Bunday and was unaware he was on the popular reality show where contestants battle it out to get a 250,000 investment in their business idea from Sir Alan Sugar.

He said: 'I have no hard feelings today towards this Bunday or his friend. Things like this unfortunately happens from time to time when alcohol is used among young men. They have hopefully turned their lives around after this.

'It is not an incident that has haunted me afterwards or anything. Its more like a bad memory from my youth from a night out when everything went wrong.

'The injuries I got were not sustainable or anything like that. I looked terrible when I woke up the next day of course, but nothing was broken or anything like that.'
A same sex couple has revealed how they overcame fertility problems to become pregnant at the same time - before giving birth just two days apart.

Anna and Renee McInarnay, 35 and 36, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, US, both underwent IVF treatment, and were told they had just a 38 per cent chance of success because of their ages.

Renee had an even lower chance as she also had polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and so neither believed that conception could be a 'real possibility'.

The couple documented their struggle online and said they received abuse from trolls.

Anna (right) and Renee (left) McInarnay, 35 and 36, from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, US, gave birth two days apart. Pictured are the couple holding the baby they gave birth two. Emma (left baby) and Avonlea (right baby) were born two days apart

They then received a phone call telling them that Anna was pregnant and were stunned to find out that Renee, who had only produced one egg for fertilisation, was also carrying a child too.

The couple, who have been together for 18 years, said the news was a 'miracle' and went on to attend birthing classes together, even planning to welcome their little ones into the world on the same day.

However, because of complications, they both needed c-sections after long labours and decided to give birth separately.

On Saturday October 13, Emma Reese was born to Renee. She weighed 7lb 13oz.

Anna then gave birth to Avonlea Grace, 7lb 1oz, a mere two days, seven hours and 48 minutes later.

On Saturday October 13, Emma Reese (right) was born to Renee. She weighed 7lb 13oz. Anna then gave birth to Avonlea Grace (left), 7lb 1oz, a mere two days, seven hours and 48 minutes later

Anna, a teacher, said: 'Before, Renee and I never knew if we could have children of our own, but then we had a miraculous outcome and it feels amazing.

'The labour was complicated, we had a real fear about both of the girls getting here, so now it feels like we are living in a dream.

'It was our doctor's suggestion that we not to go into labour on the same day, so that we could both be there for each other and hold one another's hands.

'We were both able to remember, participate in and are able to say we were there for both of our daughters' births.

The couple didn't think that either of them would get pregnant but were stunned when doctors told them that not only had Anna conceived, but Renee had too. Here they are at their gender reveal party

'One of the favourite parts from my birth was during particularly painful contractions, when Renee pulled up Emma and said, ''Look here is Emma and why you are doing this'' and that was all I needed.

'I couldn't be more grateful for having a good doctor that listened, it made a really beautiful outcome for Renee and I, ensuring we were all healthy and safe the whole time.

'We hope our daughters will be really close, they have been sleeping next to one another and are calm when they are together.

'They listened to both of our voices for their entire lives.

Here are the mothers. Pictured is Renee (left) with Anna on the bed waiting to give birth. Renee is holding little Emma Reese who was born weighing 7lb 13oz - to Renee

'When we were pregnant, we prayed every day, spoke and sang to them, so when they came out it felt right to put them together.

'There has been a giant lack of sleep occurring, but it's overset by joy, happiness and lots of relief.'

The couple say they have been criticised online for being pregnant at the same time - even though neither expected it.

However, they sat that they have received positive feedback and well wishes from people in their everyday lives.

They both decided to undergo IVF at the same time as they feared it could be Renee's last chance at motherhood and. They both doubted the likelihood of either of them falling pregnant.

Renee gave birth first and can be seen laying in bed while a heavily pregnant Anne supports her. Renee's child was born on October 13

Anna said: 'We ovulated on the same day, which was pretty miraculous, when they checked I had three eggs and Renee had one.

'We decided to both try for a baby knowing the chances were very low, we didn't know if Renee would get the chance to conceive again.

'We decided that with more eggs between us we stood a better chance but didn't think we could be pregnant at the same time.

'Even the doctors thought it was such a little chance of happening for us both and on our first time, the odds and statistics were so low it didn't seem like a real possibility.'

They were overwhelmed when they received a call two weeks later to reveal not one, but two babies were on the way.

Emma Reese (pictured left) was born two days before her sister Avonlea Grace (pictured right). In total, there were two days, seven hours and 48 minutes between the births of the two girls

Anna said: 'When they said, ''Anna you're pregnant'' we were screaming and shouting.

'They asked us, ''Are you sitting down?'' and I thought they were going to say I was carrying twins but then they told us Renee was pregnant too and we both burst into tears.

'We just wanted for one of us to have a child, I'm 35 and my wife is 36, so we didn't expect this miracle at all.

'We feel extremely gracious that it happened to us, but it wasn't something where we thought 'Let's get pregnant together.''

They only had a 38 per cent IVF success rate. Renee had an even lower chance as she also had polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and so neither believed that conception could be a 'real possibility'

They documented their pregnancy online, with photographer Ginny Sims, 33, snapping them together.

She said: 'I had such a great time photographing Anna and Renee. Spending time with them, you can really see the love they have for each other shine through, and that joy is contagious.

'What I loved most about photographing Anna and Renee is that their love always shines through.

'Listening to them chatter and joke between pictures and hearing them talk to their daughters - you just know that this family is full of love.

'Capturing even a small part of that is something really special.'

The couple admit that their birthing classes weren't used to same sex couples, let alone two pregnant mothers-to-be, but they were embraced with open arms.

The couple, who have been together for 18 years, said the news was a 'miracle' and they went on to attend birthing classes together. They said, though surprised, they were welcomed with open arms

Anna added: 'We would laugh when they said, ''Would all of the fathers'' and we had to decide who wanted to be the ''father'' each time.

'It was a positive experience though and most of the breathing tricks they taught us, I used a lot in labour, it was a pretty good thing going to those classes.'

The couple can't wait to enjoy their baby moon together now that they have been joined by Avonlea Grace and Emma Reese.

Anna said: 'More often than not, we have been so fortunate to receive support and love, and people wishing us and our daughters well.

The couple are thrilled by their daughters and said: 'We hope our daughters will be really close, they have been sleeping next to one another and are calm when they are together'

'That's all we encounter day to day. We only get hate online from the internet trolls and what have you. From our community and the people that know us, it's all love.

'It's been incredible, we hoped for one baby but now we have a little family, we could never have dreamed of this outcome.'

The couple hope their story will offer hope to other families struggling to conceive.

Anna added: 'The fortune we have had has laid heavily on our hearts, it's not lost us that we had this amazing opportunity.

'We want everyone trying to have a family to know that our hearts are with them.

'We had an amazing experience where some people struggle for years and years.

'Anyone who wants a family should be able to have a family through any means they can do.'
Theresa May will return from Brussels today facing revolts on all sides of the Brexit debate - both inside her party and in wider politics.

The Prime Minister published her Brexit plan in July following the Cabinet showdown at Chequers and is sticking to it - despite its rejection by several factions in her party and the EU.

Mrs May is sticking by her plan for Britain to voluntarily follow the EU's rulebook on goods, while keeping freedoms around its services sector and striking trade deals.

But who are the rival factions and what do they say they are the alternatives?

Theresa May (pictured today in Brussels) will return from Europe today facing revolts on all sides of the Brexit debate - both inside her party and in wider politics

Brexiteers in the European Research Group (ERG)

Who are they?

Led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the ERG counts Boris Johnson, David Davis and other former ministers including Steve Baker and Iain Duncan Smith.

Estimates vary on how many members it has. It secured 62 signatures on a letter to the PM in February while Mr Baker has claimed the group has a bloc of 80 Tory MPs willing to vote against May's plans.

What is in Theresa May's Brexit blueprint? These are some of the key features of the Chequers plan being pushed by the UK government: A new free trade area in goods, based on a 'common rulebook' of EU regulations necessary. This will require the UK to commit by treaty to match EU rules

'Mobility' rules which will end automatic freedom of movement, but still allow UK and EU citizens to travel without visas for tourism and temporary work. It will also enable businesses to move staff between countries.

Continued UK participation in and funding of European agencies covering areas like chemicals, aviation safety and medicines

A 'facilitated customs arrangement', removing the need for customs checks at UK-EU ports. It would allow differing UK and EU tariffs on goods from elsewhere in the world to be paid at the border, removing the need for rebates in the vast majority of cases. This is designed to avoid the need for a hard Irish border. But in theory it still allows Britain to sign trade deals.

Keeping services - such as banking or legal support - outside of the common rule book, meaning the UK is completely free to set its own regulations. It accepts it will mean less trade in services between the UK and EU.

Continued co-operation on energy and transport, a 'common rulebook' on state aid and commitments to maintain high standards of environmental and workplace protections.

A security deal allowing continued UK participation in Europol and Eurojust, 'co-ordination' of UK and EU policies on foreign affairs, defence and development.

Continued use of the EHIC health insurance card. Advertisement

What do they want instead?

The ERG has said Mrs May should abandon her plans for a unique trade deal and instead negotiate a 'Canada plus plus plus' deal.

This is based on a trade deal signed between the EU and Canada in August 2014 that eliminated 98 per cent of tariffs and taxes charged on goods shipped across the Atlantic.

The EU has long said it would be happy to do a deal based on Canada - but warn it would only work for Great Britain and not Northern Ireland.

The ERG say the model can be adapted to work for the whole UK. They say Northern Ireland can be included by using technology on the Irish border to track goods and make sure products which don't meet EU rules do not enter the single market.

They also say it would give complete freedom for Britain to sign new trade deals around the world to replace any losses in trade with the EU.

The group is content to leave the EU without a deal if Brussels will not give in.

Who do they want as Prime Minister?

Probably Boris Johnson or David Davis - certainly a Brexiteer, amid lost patience with Remainer Mrs May.

What are the pros and cons?

PROS: A clean Brexit after transition with no interference from the EU in how Britain runs its affairs and complete freedom to strike trade deals.

CONS: New hurdles to existing cross-Channel trade - potentially harming just-in-time deliveries to industries such as car making. Does not currently cover Northern Ireland.

Why won't the Government support it?

Mrs May says a Canada-style deal is not good enough for Britain. She says it would slow down goods coming across the Channel, which are currently subject to no checks at all.

It also does not include services - a major British industry, particularly in banking and other financial work. The PM has also warns it would take a long time to negotiate.

Analysis

The ERG has been endorsed by the Economists for Free Trade group, chaired by Thatcherite Patrick Minford. It has more positive forecasts generally on the impact of Brexit on the economy and backs the ERG belief quitting the EU will help business.

It is dismissed as hard-line by most other commentators. Most official forecasts of the economy are pessimistic about Brexit generally and a hard Brexit in particular.

Led by Jacob Rees-Mogg (pictured yesterday in Westminster), the ERG counts Boris Johnson, David Davis and other former ministers including Steve Baker and Iain Duncan Smith

Moderates in the Brexit Delivery Group (BDG)

Who are they?

A newer group, the BDG counts members from across the Brexit divide inside the Tory Party. It includes former minister Nick Boles and MPs including Remainer Simon Hart and Brexiteer Andrew Percy.

There are thought to be around 50 members.

What do they want instead?

A newer group, the BDG counts members from across the Brexit divide inside the Tory Party. It includes former minister Nick Boles (pictured) and MPs including Simon Hart and Andrew Percy

The BDG prioritises delivering on Brexit and getting to exit day on March 29, 2019, without destroying the Tory Party or the Government. If the PM gets a deal the group will probably vote for it - but is cross about extending transition.

It is less interested in the exact form of the deal but has said Mrs May's Chequers plan will not work.

Mr Boles this week set out a proposal for Britain to stay in the European Economic Area (EEA) until a free trade deal be negotiated - effectively to leave the EU but stay in close orbit as a member of the single market.

Under the Boles plan, Britain could eventually sign a Canada-style deal with the EU favoured by the hard line Brexiteers but until then stay as close to the bloc as possible.

Who do they want as Prime Minister?

Keeping Theresa May - at least until Brexit is done in March.

What are the pros and cons?

PROS: If Britain joins the EEA, there is no change in current trading rules for businesses and much greater certainty while a trade deal is negotiated

CONS: With no end in sight, Britain would keep paying into the EU coffers, keep its doors open to EU migrants and risks the UK being kept in the 'waiting room' for years instead of a full Brexit.

Why won't the Government support it?

EEA membership is effectively EU membership but without any of the voting rights. It means free movement would continue, many EU subscription fees would still apply and the European Court would still impose most of its rulings.

There is also concern that Britain in the EEA would be such a good outcome for the EU, it would never seriously negotiate on a full trade deal.

Big business groups such as the CBI (led by Carolyn Fairbairn, pictured) are on board with anything that keeps Britain inside the EU single market so would probably back an EEA-based plan

Analysis

Big business groups such as the CBI are on board with anything that keeps Britain inside the EU single market so would probably back an EEA-based plan.

What will happen next in Brexit? Following the stalemate at the October summit, this is what is supposed to happen next: Mid November, 2018: The deal could be finalised, at least at negotiator level. A planned emergency summit is currently shelved. December 13-14, 2018: The next leader's summit and seen by many as the last chance to seal a deal. Late December, 2018-early January, 2019: The meaningful vote in Parliament. This is probably the main make-or-break moment to decide if Theresa May's deal will work. February, 2019: Ratification of the deal in the EU Parliament. Should be a formality if the deal has passed the UK Parliament. March 29, 2019:Exit day where transition is supposed to begin. December 31, 2020: The current date for ending transition - but this now could be delayed. 2021-2025: In theory, the final trade deal comes into force. Advertisement

During the referendum campaign, economic think tank the IFS warned joining the EEA would cost about 4billion a year - wiping out much of the saving on EU membership fees.

Pro-Brexit economists say it is the worst of all worlds - accepting rules from the EU without a say but no freedom to strike new trade deals.

Unrepentant Remainers in the People's Vote

Who are they?

A handful of Tory MPs - mostly former ministers - who never supported Brexit an think the failure of politicians to get a deal means Parliament should hand it back to the people. The group includes Anna Soubry, Dominic Grieve and Justine Greening.

What do they want instead?

A so-called People's Vote. The exact timing still needs to be sorted out but broadly, the group wants the Article 50 process postponed and a second referendum scheduled.

This would take about six months from start to finish and they group wants Remain as an option on the ballot paper, probably with Mrs May's deal as the alternative.

There are established pro-Remain campaigns born out of the losing Britain Stronger in Europe campaign from 2016. It is supported by Tony Blair, the Liberal Democrats and assorted pro-EU politicians outside the Tory party.

Who do they want as Prime Minister?

Theresa May.

Tory MP Anna Soubry is among a small band of hard core rebels who think there should be another referendum on Britain's EU membership

What are the pros and cons?

PROS: Could end the political impasse in Parliament and give politicians a clear indication of what voters really want from Brexit.

CONS: Risks undermining voters trust if they believe they already gave a clear verdict last time around.

Why won't the Government support it?

Mrs May has repeatedly ruled out calling another referendum, calling it a betrayal of the 2016 referendum.

Analysis

Consensus is there is simply no time. There is no agreement on what any question should be or when a referendum should be held.

Business wants certainty - not another six to 12 months of limbo.

The European Union

Who are they?

The main players are negotiator Michel Barnier, EU Council President Donald Tusk and the senior national leaders - particularly French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The main players are negotiator Michel Barnier, EU Council President Donald Tusk (pictured together on Tuesday) and the senior national leaders - particularly French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel

What do they want instead?

Brexit to be over and done with, without undermining the EU or its single market. In an ideal world, the EU would probably agree to cancelling the whole thing.

Mr Barnier's negotiating mandate from the 27 leaders gives room to give Britain full membership of the single market and customs union - the Norway or EEA model - or negotiate a trade deal similar to Canada's - if Northern Ireland is effectively left behind to solve the Irish border.

Getting a divorce finalised requires a deal on the Irish border acceptable to the EU - the so-called backstop. This essentially means Northern Ireland staying on the same rules as the EU in the absence of a trade deal.

Who do they want as Prime Minister?

Theresa May - at almost any cost, for fear a hard Brexiteer like Boris Johnson could sweep in and change everything at the last moment.

Why won't the Government support it?

Mrs May has insisted she wants a hybrid deal to reflect Britain's unique status as a current EU member with totally frictionless trade.

Analysis

The EU has so far not shifted its substantive position on Brexit throughout the negotiation - but is thought more likely to compromise the later in the process talks get.

Brussels is now broadly on board with a UK-wide backstop but says it will take time to deliver.
A woman whose ex-boyfriend bit off her lip when she refused to get back together with him says she finally has closure after he was jailed for 12 years.

Kayla Hayes, 19, said 'a piece of me died' when Seth Aaron Fleury, 23, viciously attacked her in Simpsonville, South Carolina, on October 21 last year.

Hayes told DailyMail.com she was 17 when she started dating Fleury in October 2, 2016, who was 21 at the time.

But after almost a year of him treating her like his 'property', she broke things off for good in September last year.

But Fleury refused to accept it - and when they met up to talk a few weeks later, he tried to kiss her. When she pulled away, he bit down on her bottom lip with such force that it was ripped off.

Hayes underwent emergency plastic surgery, but doctors were unable to reattach her lip and she was left with permanent scarring and a limited range of motion with her mouth.

Now, almost a year since the brutal assault happened, Hayes has gotten justice after seeing the boyfriend who became her 'worst nightmare' jailed.

Kayla Hayes said she finally has 'a bit of closure' after her ex-boyfriend Seth Aaron Fleury (left) was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday

Hayes (pictured after the attack) was left with permanent scarring after the vicious assault on October 21 last year

Judge Robin N. Stilwell sentenced Fleury to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to assault and battery of high and aggravated nature at Greenville County Courthouse on Thursday.

He will have to serve at least 85 per cent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

At Thursday's hearing, Hayes recalled in detail the day her life changed at the hands of someone who claimed he would always protect her in a heartbreaking victim impact statement provided to DailyMail.com.

In it, she recalled how she ended up sitting in a puddle of her own blood with her lip on her leg and wishing her injuries would take her life.

'October 21st, 2017. This was the day that a piece of me died,' she said.

A year on, Hayes says she hopes her story will help others.

'No one deserves to be hurt by the ones they love, but unfortunately it is more common than we realize,' she told DailyMail.com.

'Everyone has a story and just because you don't see their scars, as you will mine, this doesn't meant that they didn't fight the same battle.

'Even if my story only helps one single person, I will know that there was a reason for this happening to me.'

She added: 'No one truly believes that this could happen to them but it can happen in the blink of an eye.

'Someone could be the most outstanding person you have ever met, but until you are with them behind closed doors you just never know.

Kayla Hayes (pictured after the attack) had to undergo emergency plastic surgery, but doctors were unable to reattach her lip

Hayes is pictured in her high senior photo, taken about a month before she started dating Fleury

'I want to help others see that it is okay to ask for help to get out of their situation.

'Not only do I want them to know that, but that there is light at the end of the tunnel.'

In her victim impact statement, she said: 'I remember every detail of this very moment, the thoughts that ran through my mind when I opened my camera, were very dark which only seemed to worsen.

'Sitting in a puddle of my own blood with the majority of my lip laying on my leg, my whole mouth on fire, confused and terrified, I didn't know how I could ever show my face again.

'At that point, honestly wishing that those very seconds would just be my last - I wanted to give up for good.

'I kept replaying what had just happened in my head, from telling Seth that I was not there to get back together with him, however I was there for him to right his wrongs.

'To getting flowers and cards thrown at the back of my head and then quickly get in my car to seeing my leg shaking uncontrollably to finally look up at him picking everything up.

'I could not figure out how this happened so fast. I couldn't figure out how he was so mad. From putting the items in the passenger seat leading to him trying to kiss me.

'Of course, as I said before, I wasn't there to get back together with him. I refused and backed up only to feeling him latch on to me. Feeling it tear about half way.

'I then just started screaming at the top of my lungs for help and out of fear for my life. He then yanked me out of my own vehicle and slammed the door in my face so he could take off, and run away from what he had just done.'

Hayes was 17 when she began dating Fleury (pictured during their relationship) in October 2016

Alongside pictures she'd taken in the moments after the attack, Hayes revealed the dark thoughts that ran through her mind afterwards

She added: 'He continued to call me once I made it into the ambulance, which felt like a lifetime after having something many women hold precious to them, completely mutilated.

'I just don't understand how you could be filled with such anger. I remember the look of terror on the mans face that just so happened to save my life this day.

'As well as the sweet elderly lady that had to walk out of her home to see such tragedy occurring but yet was so kind to try to help me and keep me comforted until further help arrived.

'I remember Officer R coming around the back of the vehicle with Officer P following. I remember Officer R pulling his walkie talkie over to speak in to it.

'Saying something along the lines of it being more serious than what he was expecting, my lip being completely severed off and for the EMS to come quick.

'Then giving me a piece of gauze and trying to assist me to stay calm and find out the details.'

In the ambulance, Hayes didn't have the heart to ruin her mother's vacation by calling her. It was the first she had taken without her daughter.

When she called friends, they couldn't understand her when she tried to explain what had happened because of the severity of her injury.

'I remember being in the ambulance, being told to call my mother. I couldn't bring myself to do it.

'She was seven hours away on her first vacation she had ever taken without me, how could I ruin it.

'I then got on the phone with her friend and I remember trying to say he bit me but no one could understand me because my lips couldn't pronounce it.

Hayes (pictured in hospital) was left with a limited range of motion with her mouth after the attack last year

Hayes, who turns 20 in November, has now found love with a new boyfriend (pictured together, above)

'I then blew up into a ball of emotions and gave the phone to the lady behind me, allowing her to explain.

'I remember just watching out of the back of the window of the EMS, watching the roads thinking we were never going to make it to the hospital, again wishing that these moments would just be my last.

'Still to this day I cannot hear or see an ambulance without going into a panic. It brings me right back into this moment.'

When she woke up in hospital was when she realized how significantly her life had changed.

'I remember waking up, looking up to my nurse trying to lighten the air around me and making a joke about how at least now I wouldn't have to dress up for Halloween to scare everybody, that I could now go as myself.

'She chuckled and nodded then proceeded to bring me a mask to cover my face.

'That was when it hit me, this was my new reality. What I just woke up from was no joke. Never a day in my life will I ever wake up living my 'normal' life again.'

Hayes said that in the months that followed, she blamed herself  but has realized that only Fleury is at fault.

'For many months I found myself at blame for what happened to me. But now I have finally realized that I am not at fault,' she wrote.

'This happened because I chose not to get back together with someone that I knew didn't deserve me which he proved once again.

'I used to be my attacker's property, he manipulated me to the point where I almost lost everything and everyone in my life.

'The day that I walked out of this relationship was one of the best days of my life. Although, that was when he snapped.

'When he realized he lost all control over me and wasn't gaining it back this day, October 21st, 2017, I truly believe that was what through him over the edge. He was always great at getting in my head, but this time, I no longer allowed it.'

Hayes said at the time of the attack, she was just friends with her current boyfriend (pictured together above). 'He rushed to the hospital and has been by my side ever since,' she said

'I grew up in a home with a single mother that always put me before a man, so I was very naive when it came to them.

'I had no idea what abuse was until I physically and emotionally dealt with it first hand from Seth.

'I was 17 when I began dating Seth Fleury and he was 21.

'From the very beginning, there were many signs that I needed to be long gone but this was my very first serious relationship.

'Many people ask why I stayed if it was so bad but what they don't know is that it wasn't always bad.

'We had some very good times because when he was good, he was great but when he was bad, he became my nightmare.

'Think about it, some of you may have a daughter or used to be this girl... as a naive seventeen year old girl, who is now with her first boyfriend, who is older, and this was her first 'love' and the first one that she thought loved her.

'Of course she wanted to pursue him no matter what. I always thought that if you just gave up when it got bad then that truly means you don't love them but there comes a point where you don't 'give up' but you have to get out because your life may depend on it.

'What they also don't know is that many times I tried to get out but when I did, it only got worse for me but finally I gained the courage to say I was done and stood firm with my decision.

'Just like his family, many of times, I protected Seth. But this time he has done something that there is absolutely no excuse for and needs to face the consequences before the next girl faces something worse than what I did.'

Hayes went on to reveal she was so afraid in the wake of the assault that she was afraid to drive for months and how her scar made her 'feel like a monster.'

Hayes told DailyMail.com that Fleury (pictured with Hayes during their relationship) was manipulative and treated her like 'property'

The day she ended her relationship with Fleury (pictured with Hayes) in September 2017 was 'one of the best days of my life,' Hayes said

She was also forced to withdraw from college, where she was studying dental hygiene, and as a result, lost her scholarship.

When she returns, she told DailyMail.com she plans to switch her major to study a subject related to domestic violence.

'We now are present day October 18th, 2018. This is a day that I should be sitting in a College classroom preparing for a test or out on the field learning new things.

'But instead I am at a courthouse having to explain the impact that someone else's actions had on me.

'When this happened, I was about a month and a half into my first year of college.

'Now, I am a year behind and should have been only about a year away from being done.

'Due to having to withdraw, I lost all of my scholarship which will now have to come out of mine and my mother's pocket when I plan to go back.'

She added: 'When this happened, we had to sell the first home my mother had ever purchased.

'Where the attack took place was right down the street from our front door. I could not even go back to my own home for weeks because I would begin panicking every time I even saw the street.

'I was not able to drive for around two months, due to being on medicine and then being frightened to really venture out much.

'I sat in a bedroom constantly scrolling through social media, which only led me comparing myself to everyone on my feeds, which only led to my thoughts worsening.

Hayes said she was in her first semester of college when the attack happened, forcing her to withdraw and lose her scholarship

'I thought there was no use for me left in this world. Being a young girl is already hard because you have so many expectations of how you should look, so you can only imagine how my insecurities sky rocketed once I had a flat face with a scar wrapping from cheek to cheek and was now known as the 'girl that had her lip bitten off'.

'When I gained the courage to go out, I would constantly have heads turning to stare me down. I felt like a monster.

'I could not even walk out of the house without smothering myself in makeup or being in fear that I would see him.'

As well as the crippling anxiety, her day-to-day life has changed - she still can't eat normally and suffers from nightmares.

'It took me months to finally be able to open my mouth wide enough to put a regular sized small fork or spoon in my mouth,' she said.

'I was having to use little plastic ones that were smaller than the ones that babies use. I could not and still cannot bite off of food, I first have to tear everything to bits.'

She added: 'About a month or so after this happened, my mom came home to check on me on her lunch break. I was asleep so she just laid next to me.

'She began having to shake me to wake me. I was screaming and crying in my sleep because I was having nightmares that my attacker, was coming after me once again.

'But that wasn't the end of them, I still have them to this day. My biggest fear is that he will get his hands on me again and next time I will not be up here for you to hear my voice.'

Hayes recalled the day her life changed in harrowing detail after her attacker was jailed

Hayes (pictured after the attack) underwent emergency plastic surgery, but doctors were unable to reattach her lip and she was left with permanent scarring

As well as the nightmares, she would be woken up at all hours of the night to be told if Fleury's ankle monitor hadn't registered a signal.

'My nights don't just consist of nightmares, but getting woken up from my phone ringing in the hours from 1.30am to 4am.

'These calls are from the GPS Monitoring company, calling to tell me that 'Seths monitor has not had a signal to them in a hour or so, they haven't been able to get ahold of him but for me to have a goodnight. *click*'.

'Imagine that... your biggest fear is someone that has hurt you before, coming after you and yet they don't know where he is. They leave me in a panic and follow it with no update.'

Sadly, Hayes also revealed that she no longer wants children if it means they'll be in danger.

'I used to dream of having a big family and having little babies, as most do. As of now, I am completely against this.

'I no longer want kids because I feel like bringing them in the world would be putting them into danger. If Seth could flip like a switch because I refused a kiss, then imagine what he would do if he ran into me or my family again.

'I have seen videos and pictures of Seth on the internet, showing off his ankle monitor as if it is a joke and having a grand old time, but this is no joke.

'This is my reality, this is my life, my emotions, and everyone else around me that has had to make arrangement to switch things up, so I can feel as comforted as possible, that he has affected with absolutely no remorse.

'Before this happened, when I was upset, I would stare into the mirror until I could force a smile on my face, now I cannot even do so and I never will be able to again.

'I was told to not post anything about being happy or what I was doing but Seth Fleury has taken enough of my happiness. I cannot allow him to keep taking it or I will never live the life that I was meant to.

Hayes now runs a Facebook page called Rise Above to helps others spot the signs of abuse

'No one understands how everyday is a struggle to get up and go about my days, but if I sit down and let this defeat me then he will only get more satisfaction out of what he's done.. so I just ask that the focus today is on what he is done and not at how far I have come or what I have felt that I have had to do to overcome what he has done to me.

'I could honestly keep going on about how much this has changed my life but I am going to leave it at this. I know you will do what you believe is best.'

In a Facebook post after Fleury was sentenced, she said she will now wear her 'scars as wings.'

Alongside pictures she'd taken in the moments after the attack, she wrote: 'Today I sat in a court room, surrounded by the people I love most, facing someone that I once believed loved me.

'Someone who claimed that they would always protect me and keep me safe, but yet was my worst nightmare.

'I had to listen to his attorney say that when he attacked me, it was intentional. Saying that he claimed 'he was going to leave his mark for my next boyfriend'.'

'But today, October 18th, 2018, I have finally gotten a little bit of closure.'

She also warned: 'Be careful who you are with and who trust, evil is the face of all types.'

As well as seeing her attacker jailed, Hayes has since found love with a new boyfriend.

'We were only friends when it happened, but he rushed to the hospital and has been by my side ever since,' she told DailyMail.com.

Now, Hayes - who runs a Facebook page called Rise Above to helps others spot the signs of abuse - says she will 'rise above this' and 'wear my scars as wings.'

'No longer a victim, but a survivor,' she adds.




Gruesome pictures have emerged showing ISIS thugs killing so-called 'spies' in the same region where they kidnapped hundreds of hostages - including jihadist widows.

Images show five captives, purportedly members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, kneeling in front of masked fanatics in Deir ez-Zor province before being shot in the head.

The photos, which show a child watching on in the background, emerged after reports that ISIS had raided the Al-Bahra refugee camp in the same province.

According to the respected Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), some 90 women described as ISIS widows or wives of former jihadists were among those seized in the raid.

Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Islamist terrorists had kidnapped a total of 700 hostages and warned the extremists will kill ten every day unless their demands are met. But the US says it is 'sceptical' about those claims.

Gruesome pictures have emerged showing ISIS thugs killing so-called 'spies' in the same region where they kidnapped hundreds of hostages

Images show five captives, purportedly members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, kneeling before masked fanatics in Deir ez-Zor province before being shot in the head

The photos, which show a child watching on in the background, emerged after reports that ISIS had raided the Al-Bahra refugee camp in the same province

Images released by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights SOHR images show people in the camp (pictured)

While the US military acknowledging there had been an attack on the camp, the rest of Putin's claims were described as 'unsubstantiated'.

Pentagon spokesman, Commander Sean Robertson said in a statement: 'While we have confirmed there was an attack on an IDP (internally displaced persons) camp near (Deir ez-Zor) last week, we have no information supporting the large number of hostages alleged by President Putin and we are sceptical of its accuracy.'

SOHR images show the plight of people in the Al-Bahra refugee camp, which is in an area of eastern Syria controlled by U.S.-backed forces.

According to Putin, some 700 refugees were abducted on October 13, with ISIS kidnapping around 130 families before taking them to the nearby city of Hajin. He claimed that the hostages included several U.S. and European nationals.

Speaking at the Valdai discussion forum in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Putin said yesterday that ISIS leaders had made demands, but did not specify what they were.

Photos released by the respected Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights shows the al-Bahra camp, where the ISIS raid took place

The camp has been home to displaced people from Hajin area in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor

Pictures show refugees have been living in tents in the camp. Hundreds are said to have been kidnapped by ISIS

A girl sits on the ground in another photo showing the al-Bahra camp in war-torn Syria

However, The Observatory reported this week that negotiations have begun, and that ISIS are demanding 'food and medical supplies' in exchange for the hostages' safe return.

'They have issued ultimatums, specific demands and warned that if these ultimatums are not met they will execute ten people every day.

'The day before yesterday they executed ten people,' Putin said, adding: 'This is just horrible, it is a catastrophe.'

The attack on the refugee camp in Deir ez-Zor last week came after several days of intense clashes between ISIS and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

ISIS attacks: Photos are said to show an ISIS attack on U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the same area as the refugee camp where terrorists kidnapped hundreds

The images shared on social media show men being kidnapped at gunpoint in Syria, allegedly by ISIS fighters in an attack last week

Convoy: This is reportedly the moment ISIS fighters leave the SDF camp - ISIS flags can be seen being flown on two of the cars

Last week's attack - separate from the kidnappings at the refugee camp - was allegedly also carried out near Hajin in Deir ez-Zor province, and saw ISIS set buildings on fire

The SDF said in a statement that the fighting in the Hajin refugee camp on October 13 which resulted in the kidnapping, had left 20 ISIS gunmen and 'several' SDF fighters dead.

Since ISIS 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, the Observatory said.

Earlier this week, the United Nations warned that the fight for Hajin, where the SDF estimates some 3,000 ISIS fighters remain, was having a 'devastating' effect on thousands of civilians.
Rising star Tory MP Johnny Mercer (file) has warned Theresa May he would not vote Conservative if he were not a politician and branded her Government a 's*** show'

The Tory MP who branded Theresa May's government a 's*** show' today doubled down on his extraordinary attack - but said the PM should not quit.

Johnny Mercer, a rising star in the party, said he would not vote for the Tories if he was not one of their MPs and that he would not run for election now.

His remarks won the backing of Boris Johnson - who pointedly tweeted his support for the ex Afghanistan veteran.

The row has deepened the Tory civil war and is another hammer blow for Mrs May who is under huge pressure amid a mutiny from her backbenchers over her Brexit plans.

And challenged about the comments while attending a literature festival today, Mr Mercer said he stoood by them.

He told Sky News: I believe in a Conservative party that shares the values and ethos of a modern Britain.

I have no self interest in this  its about the country. I believe the Conservative party is clearly the party of government and its my job to speak out when I feel thats going awry.

Asked if he thought the Prime Minister needed to resign, he said: No, absolutely not.

Boris Johnson (pictured at the Tory party's annual conference in Birmingham earlier this month) backed Johnny Mercer after he launched an excoriating attack on the PM

The former Foreign Secretary Johnny Mercer launched an extraordinary attack on his own party's leadership, plunging the Tories into further civil war

Mr Mercer, 37, a father of two, heaped yet more pressure on Mrs May by lashing her leadership.

He used an interview with The House magazine to say that with hindsight his pre-MP self 'wouldn't vote', adding: 'There's no doubt about it that my set of values and ethos, I was comfortable that it was aligned with the Conservative Party.

'I'm not as comfortable that that's the case any more.'

And today Mr Johnson - who quit the Cabinet in fury at the PM's Chequers Brexit plan - backed him.

He tweeted: 'The Conservative Party is fortunate to have MPs with the passion and determination of Johnny Mercer - his fight for veterans shows why we need more like him.'

Mr Johnson's barb will heap more petrol on the fire engulfing the Tory party.

Since his shock resignation from the cabinet in July, Mr Johnson has become one of Mrs May's biggest critics.

He has repeatedly thrown her premiership into turmoil by launching fiery attacks lashing her Chequers plan.

And he cast a long shadow over the Tory party conference in Birmingham earlier this month by giving a talk to a huge fringe event on the eve of the PM's own keynote address.

He sent Tory activists wild in the 1,500-seater hall by delivering a stark ultimatum that Mrs May must 'chuck' her Chequers blueprint, raging that it denied the result of the referendum and could even be illegal.

Mr Mercer is an Afghan veteran who served with 29 Commando, part of the Royal Artillery, before becoming an MP.

Johnny Mercer said he would never have run for Parliament under Theresa May (pictured in Brussels today). He fought and won Plymouth Moor View under David Cameron.

He took his Devon seat from Labour in 2015 and increased his majority to more than 5,000 last year, but warned the party was being led by 'technocrats and managers' who were exposing it to 'ridicule' over Brexit.

Since being elected he has joined the Defence Select Committee and campaigned for veterans, including those with mental health problems and others facing prosecution for alleged crimes during the Troubles.

He gained notoriety and column inches after being elected when it emerged he had appeared in a shower gel advertisement, in which he was shown soaping himself while half naked.

It is not the first time Mr Mercer has criticised the Conservatives from within.

In November he told the Telegraph the party 'still seems punch-drunk' and was 'in danger of losing credibility' after the snap general election in 2017 which saw the Tories lose their majority in Westminster.

The Remain supporter, who describes himself as being centre-right, told The House that Theresa May's Chequers deal was 'your classic professional politician's answer' that pleases no one.

Mr Mercer warned that if Tory internecine rows over Brexit let in Jeremy Corbyn (pictured in the East Midlands today) to Downing Street

'People who pay our wages and vote for us expect us to make decisions and get on with government, not be fixated on us retaining our position,' he added, warning that the party had 'lost this ability to fight, to scrap for what we believe in'.

He added: 'The party will never really change until you have somebody who is leading the party who has won a seat and knows what it's like to go out every weekend and advocate for what you just voted for that week.

'I sat down with a colleague the other day and I was stunned when [she] told me she had never been canvassing.

'A lot of these candidates, these safe seats come up and they just bounce around one to the other. It becomes something I don't really recognise.'
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has admitted the Liberal Party is likely to lose the Wentworth by-election following community anger over Malcolm Turnbull's axing.

The Saturday poll could make history as the seat in Sydney's east is a renowned 'safe' blue-ribbon seat having been held by the Liberals since the party's inception in 1944.

Less than two-months into his new role as Prime Minister, Mr Morrison could lose his one-seat party majority in parliament if the Liberals lose.

Mr Morrison said he was dubious about the Liberals chance to hold onto the seat when asked if the party's candidate Dave Sharma is expected to lose.

Scott Morrison (pictured) has admitted the Liberal Party is likely to lose the Wentworth by-election following community anger over Malcolm Turnbull's axing

'I think the expectations are clearly set in this direction,' Mr Morrison said on Friday.

'There has been high expectations that this is a seat that cannot be lost by the Liberal Party  I have never thought that.'

The Prime Minister made a last minute visit to the electorate in a bid to sway voters away from Independent Kerryn Phelps.

According to the bookies, Dr Phelps, a City of Sydney councillor and former president of the Australian Medical Association, is a firm favourite at $1.33 while Mr Sharma is at $3.

There are concerns the government could be ravaged by chaos if Dr Phelps is elected and the prospect of a hung parliament looms.

Mr Morrison said he understood voters could be angered by Mr Turnbull's axing as Prime Minister in August but warned there would be 'unnecessary uncertainty' if Mr Sharma loses to Dr Phelps.

Mr Morrison said he was dubious about the Liberals chance to hold onto the seat when asked if Liberal candidate Dave Sharma (pictured) is expected to lose

According to the bookies Dr Kerryn Phelps (pictured), a City of Sydney councillor and former president of the Australian Medical Association, is a firm favourite at $1.33 while Mr Sharma is at $3

'I accept and understand that anger and outrage,' Mr Morrison said at Bronte Beach.

Mr Sharma, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, is running on 45 per cent of the two-party preferred vote compared to 55 per cent for Dr Phelps, internal Liberal Party polling suggests.

The Liberal candidate said the 'unique circumstances' that sparked the vote meant the election was going to be difficult.

Mr Morrison (pictured) said he understood voters could be angered by Mr Turnbull's axing but warned their would be 'unnecessary uncertainty' if Mr Sharma loses to Dr Phelps

The Liberal candidate, Mr Sharma (pictured), said the 'unique circumstances' that sparked the vote meant the election was going to be difficult

'There's no doubt this is going to be a close by-election,' he said.

'This is a choice for voters: Do they want to keep a one-seat majority government in Canberra with strong economic credentials and a reform agenda?'

The seat became vacated by former Primer Minister Malcolm Turnbull following the dramatic leadership spill in August.

Mr Turnbull won Wentworth at the last election in 2016 with a 17.7 per cent margin.
A defend diversity pro-affirmative-action rally in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts on October 14, 2018. Photo: Pat Greenhouse/Boston Globe via Getty Images

One legal term of art the Supreme Court has never bothered to define with precision is the phrase critical mass. When the Court last upheld the use of affirmative action by colleges and universities in the admissions process, Justice Anthony Kennedy glossed over those words without really stopping to explain what they meant.

Broadly defined, though, achieving a critical mass on campus means simply to assemble a diverse student body and let students reap the educational benefits that flow from that learning environment. So long as race is just one of many factors administrators weigh in deciding whom to admit, the Supreme Court has made clear, its consideration doesnt run afoul of the Constitution. It is the Universitys ongoing obligation to engage in constant deliberation and continued reflection regarding its admissions policies, Kennedy said in 2016s Fisher v. University of Texas, the case that breathed life anew into race-sensitive admissions policies.

One misconception about the high-profile affirmative action trial now unfolding in a federal courtroom in Boston is that affirmative action itself is on trial. Its true that Edward Blum, the conservative legal activist who engineered and lost the Fisher case, has never encountered an affirmative action program that he likes. His latest crusade against Harvard University is unquestionably an attempt to once again try to kill affirmative action for good. But thats one thing Allison Burroughs, the federal judge overseeing the four-year dispute, wont do. When Blum and his group, Students for Fair Admissions, brought the case in 2014, their complaint asked Burroughs outright to reject diversity as a rationale for justifying the continued use of affirmative action. The Supreme Courts decisions holding that there is a compelling government interest in using race as a factor in admissions decisions in pursuit of diversity should be overruled, the lawsuit charged. Those decisions were wrongly decided at the time they were issued and they remain wrong today.

But lower court judges know their place, and are aware thats not how precedent works. In 2017, in pretrial proceedings, Burroughs dutifully rejected that argument and ruled for Harvard on that point, acknowledging that doing away with precedent is something [she] decidedly cannot do. Affirmative action, its fair to say, is not going anywhere under her watch.

If this talk of what judges may or may not do with precedent rings a bell, its because it figured prominently in the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh, who talked a big game about respecting precedent to obfuscate his own views on issues that may soon be on the chopping block. The extent to which public universities may consider certain factors as admissions criteria is the subject of precedent and ongoing litigation, he told Vermont senator Patrick Leahy in response to follow-up written questions for the record about a range of subjects. As I discussed at the hearing, and in keeping with nominee precedent, it would be improper for me as a sitting judge and a nominee to comment on cases or issues that might come before me.

Thats Blums long game  to get Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, as the Boston case is known, all the way before Kavanaugh, who is nothing like Kennedy, and the newly reconstituted Supreme Court, which for the first time has five conservative votes to turn back the clock on a 40-year-old precedent that in many conservatives minds should have never happened: the 1978 decision that flat-out rejected racial quotas in higher education but blessed the limited use of race as a plus factor in college admissions.

But before the case even gets to the justices, and in light of Burroughss preliminary rulings, Blum and his legal team have to pretend that this case isnt about affirmative action. The future of affirmative action is not on trial, insisted Adam Mortara, one of the lawyers representing Students for Fair Admissions, during opening arguments earlier this week. That Mortara and three other lawyers on the anti-Harvard team are all former law clerks for Justice Clarence Thomas, who benefited from affirmative action but nonetheless despises it as a matter of constitutional law, only adds to the many ironies of the case.

The case is farcical to the bone. Harvard, for one, is the institution Justice Lewis Powell praised as a model in his landmark opinion setting into motion our current affirmative action jurisprudence; to illustrate how much he endorsed Harvards methods, which he found illuminating, Powell even took the rare step of attaching Harvards admissions program as an appendix to his opinion. Blum, for his part, has never really cared about discrimination against people of color  his thing has always been reverse discrimination against white people. And yet here hes relying on a group of aggrieved Asian-American plaintiffs who didnt get admitted to Harvard, all of them recruited anonymously, to advance his own vision of a colorblind, race-neutral Constitution.

A deeply reported New Yorker article on Blums efforts leaves little doubt that everything about his case against Harvard is but a conceit to attain his ultimate goal through nontraditional means. By seizing on the grievances of a small but vocal cadre of Asian-Americans, the vast majority of Chinese descent and recent immigrants, he has managed to pit a subset of one racial minority with its own history of discrimination  and on the whole largely supportive of affirmative action  against African-Americans and Latinos, who also support race-sensitive college admissions and have their own history of racial strife and disadvantage to show for it. The evil genius of this us-vs.-them scheme is that if it works, a minority within a minority will have undermined a historic civil-rights tool that for decades has increased educational opportunities for all minority groups.

But thats getting ahead of ourselves. Now that the trial is under way, the only question for Burroughs isnt whether Harvards reliance on affirmative action is unconstitutional  it isnt, and she has already ruled to that effect. It is, as Harvard law professor Jeannie Suk Gersen has explained, an entirely factual dispute about the extent to which Harvard and its officers took explicit steps to favor black, Latino, and white applicants to the detriment of Asian-American applicants with equal or better credentials  to achieve a kind of racial balancing that the Supreme Court has already said is constitutionally unacceptable.

If the weight of the evidence points in that direction, that would be discrimination and Harvard would be in violation of federal law. Affirmative action may yet survive, but the unsavoriness of it all, on appeal, would give the likes of Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas and even John Roberts the cover they need to wring their hands and do away, once and for all, with the four-decade experiment of achieving a diverse student body to enrich the college experience.
A top engineer has lost his professorship at Imperial College after he ignored police warnings to leave his former girlfriend alone.

Dutchman Rob Krams, 63, worked at the university based in London as a bio-engineering lecturer when he met Ausra Satiene, 50, on Tinder.

They were in a relationship for a year and half enjoying trips across Europe and eating out at expensive restaurants in London.

But in January this year they split up after arguments and disagreements about money.

Despite being warned by the police and given a caution Krams sent Satiene four letters and phoned her.

His ex-girlfriend told Westminster Magistrates' Court that the letters from Krams had left her 'anxious and scared.'

Professor Rob Krams (L) seen here arriving at court, said it was his Dutch culture which led to repeated displays of affection towards ex-girlfriend Ausra Satiene, 50, (R)

At his sentencing hearing his solicitor Georgia Luscombe said: 'He has been punished socially and professionally.

'He received a letter from Human Resources saying that he is no longer able to continue as professor at Imperial College.

'He does have another professorship but he is unsure of that. His is 63 years old and he has no previous convictions. This offence is wholly out of character.

'Mr Krams deeply regrets his actions. I think talking to probation was sobering for him. He told me he misinterpreted these missed or unknown phone calls.

'I don't think he did appreciate at the time what effect these letters were having but he does now.

'There were no threats in these letters. They were reconciliatory in tone and they were never calculated to cause alarm or distress.'

Krams, walking away from the court in London where Magistrates heard his ex-girlfriend believed he had mocked her social class

Krams appeared in the dock and was given a 12 month community order with 40 hours unpaid work.

He was told to pay costs of 660 and the victim surcharge of 85. Sitting in the dock he was quiet and hung his head while his counsel described him as 'extremely stressed'.

Ms Satiene said in a statement: 'The harassment has made me feel very uncomfortable and has caused a lot of anxiety especially when the letters were being physically delivered to our door.

'I felt that there was no end to this. I only feel better now that we have moved to a location he has no knowledge of.

'I was worried he would contact my employer and bad-mouth me like he had in the letters.

'After a couple of sleepless nights due to anxiety and worry I felt very tired at work and it was affecting my performance.'

The couple enjoyed trips across Europe and eating out at expensive restaurants in London during the course of their 18-month relationship, which ended in January

The court heard Krams had sent letters and phoned his ex-lover during June and July of this year, but he still denies posting the letters by hand through her door.

He contacted the police and admitted sending a letter but carried on after being told to stop.

Banning him from contacting Ms Satiene for two years, magistrate Lucinda Lubbock said: 'We have taken into account all that has been on your behalf. We are therefore, giving you a 12 month community order and 40 hours unpaid work.

'We are going to impose a restraining order but we will time it to two years rather than indefinite. That is not to contact Ausra Satiene directly or indirectly.'

During Krams' trial earlier this month Ms Satiene told the court: 'I did not know what the next step would be. It made me feel very anxious, uncomfortable and emotional.

'It made me feel terrible. Even after the police got involved the letters were still coming and I did not know what to do.

'Each time I had to open a letter I did not know what to expect. I was very anxious, I was very unhappy and I was very concerned.

'In the letter he mentioned social class and I felt that he was putting me down.

'I felt scared because I was receiving personal letters after he received a warning and a caution.

'He was still contacting me after we broke up and things were over. He disrespected my decision.'

The disappearing professor: How Krams vanished from university website Today (October 19) an Imperial College webpage which used to read 'Professor Krams holds a Chair in Molecular Bioengineering at Imperial College' had been taken down. An error page in its place reads: 'The Imperial College London Professional Web Page (personal profile) you are trying to access is no longer active. 'Please use our College Directory to search for current staff or students by name.' When MailOnline searched the directory it told us there are now no Imperial College staff named Krams. Prior to joining Imperial College Krams worked as Associate Professor of bioengineering in the Netherlands. Advertisement

The professor admitted he sent letters to Ms Satiene on 23 June, 6, 18, and 25 July and called her on 27 June.

Krams, who is also a doctor at Hammersmith Hospital, complained he was taken advantage of and treated like a 'sugar daddy'.

In November 2017 Krams took a job at Queen Mary University where he worked as a counsellor while still working at the hospital twice a week.

He told the court: 'At the beginning I was very much in love with her. What happened in October was aggressive and strong minded - it was not my style.

'There were two phone calls were she asked for money in December. I was already thinking about her attitude. Then suddenly received phone calls that I should pay her because she is younger.'

Ms Satiene also worked at the same hospital and Krams said he wrote to her because he was fearful for his career.

He claimed she was phoning him up to 30 times from withheld numbers after their break-up but not speaking when he picked up the call.

He added: 'I sent her flowers. I am from a Dutch culture. I bought my ex-wife in Holland flowers almost every week.

'I was secretly hopeful she would phone and say "Rob I did not pay you enough attention" but she phoned to ask me for money.'

Krams, of North Gate, Prince Albert Road, St John's Wood, northwest London, denied harassment but was found guilty after trial and was sentenced to a 12 month community order with 40 hours unpaid work.
A devastated couple have received an NHS compensation payout after medics missed three opportunities to save their baby from an 'avoidable' death.

Kimberley Wilson, 27, and partner Paul York, 30, were left heartbroken when their daughter Ava Wilson-York died in the womb.

Medics at Kettering Hospital failed to recognise tell-tale signs of Kimberley suffering from pre-eclampsia and as a result their daughter Ava was born stillborn.

Kimberley Wilson (pictured) said she was only able to hold her stillborn baby for a few minutes because she had been so unwell

Kimberley first raised concerns following a visit to her GP on June 14, 2016, when she was suffering from swollen legs and ankles.

With just one month until her due date July 13, she was referred to Kettering Hospital's maternity unit to check for the condition.

After several hours she was discharged and told to attend twice weekly community midwife appointments.

Just three days later, on June 17, she had symptoms of mild oedema, high blood pressure and protein was found in her urine, all symptoms of pre-eclampsia.

Paul York, Ava's father (pictured) has called on Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to learn lessons from Ava's death

Despite her symptoms, no referral or admission to hospital was made by the midwife and Kimberley was told to take painkillers.

By June 19, Kimberley, was complaining of severe stomach pains, blurred vision and feeling sick but medics told her it was normal and to have a bath.

Kimberley was then brushed away by Kettering General Hospital when she called them and was told she would have to wait if she wanted to be seen as the delivery suit was very busy.

Following this she called another hospital and attended its maternity ward. She started undergoing treatment for pre-eclampsia. However, by this time it was too late and doctors could not save Ava.

Kimberley was referred to Kettering Hospital's maternity unit to check for the condition

Following Ava's death a serious investigation report published by the Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust found Ava's death had been 'avoidable'.

As a result, the couple have received undisclosed damages from the Trust.

Care assistant Kimberley, of Wellingborough said: 'Both me and Paul feel completely devastated by the loss of Ava.

'Time may have moved on from Ava's death but life hasn't. I say that I am fine and coping but I'm not sure I will ever get over losing Ava.

'I sit there at night going over everything that happened and why it did. I will never forget when the staff told me that my baby didn't have a heartbeat.

'I was becoming concerned that something wasn't right. I was being sick and the pain was getting worse. It got to the point where we had to try another hospital. From that point everything just moved so quickly.

'To make it worse after Ava was delivered I could only hold her for a short while.

'She was perfectly formed and weighed 5lb 1oz but the doctors had to take away because I was so poorly.'

THREE MISSED OPPORTUNITIES June 14, 2016: Kimberley goes to Kettering General Hospital after suffering swollen legs and ankles but is sent home. June 17, 2016: Midwives review Kimberley and find her legs and ankles are still swollen. Protein was also found in her urine. June 19, 2016: Kimberley telephoned the hospital complaining of abdominal pain, but was advised to stay at home and take a bath and painkillers. She was finally admitted to another hospital but Ava had already died. Advertisement

The NHS trust admitted Kimberley's symptoms displayed on June 17 were indicative of pre-eclampsia and warranted referral to hospital and admission. Had she been properly treated she would have received CTG monitoring and baby Ava would have been delivered by caesarean section.

The failings were highlighted in a Serious Untoward Investigation report that showed medics missed three chances to save Ava and the hospital agreed an undisclosed settlement.

Rosalie Reading, specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, representing the couple, said: 'Pre-eclampsia is a severe type of high blood pressure in pregnancy that can have tragic consequences for babies; and can leaves mums seriously ill.

'Understandably Ava's death has had a profound effect on Kimberley and Paul who feel badly let down by the events that led to Ava's avoidable death.

'Whilst nothing can ever make up for their loss we are pleased that the Trust has accepted liability, allowing the couple to try and rebuild their lives the best they can.

'We now call on the Trust to ensure it learns lessons from Ava's death so other families do not have to suffer the heartbreak that Kimberley and Paul have.'

Director of Nursing and Quality for Kettering General Hospital, Leanne Hackshall, said: 'We are deeply sorry for the loss of baby Ava and for the life changing consequences that this has had on her parents.

'Immediately after this sad event we launched an external serious incident investigation to establish the circumstances that led to the death of Ava and identify what we could have done differently.

'I would like to reassure Ava's parents and our patients more widely that we have learned from Ava's death.

'This has included establishing improved systems to ensure that all contact with the maternity service is logged onto the electronic patient record system and readily available to all of our staff so that we always have a complete overview of previous discussions and case history.

'We have also improved our guidelines around how we monitor women with raised blood pressure and shared learning with all staff through our skill drill sessions.

'Alongside these developments we have also held specific learning sessions for all staff across the maternity service around communication skills'.
The nine-year-old black boy falsely accused of sexual assault by a white woman in a New York City bodega earlier this week has spoken out to tell of his humiliation since a video of the incident went viral.

Jeremiah Harvey was wrongly accused of groping Teresa Klein's backside in a bodega in Brooklyn last Wednesday. She called 911 afterwards, standing outside the convenience store as Jeremiah and his young sister cried to their mother.

The incident was caught by shocked onlookers and was posted on Facebook. They dubbed Klein 'cornerstone Caroline' in accordance with a recent trend of white people unnecessarily calling the police on innocent black people in public places.

Surveillance footage from inside the bodega showed that Jeremiah had in fact only brushed past Klein with his book bag. His hands were in front of him and he was with his mother at the time.

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Jeremiah Harvey, nine, cried as he said he still felt 'humiliated' for being wrongly accused of sexually assaulting a 53-year-old woman

Jeremiah's mother Someko Bellille comforted the young boy as he said he had not been able to think of anything else since the incident

Despite the 53-year-old woman's apology earlier in the week, the boy and his mother Someko Bellille said on Friday morning that they are still reeling from her false accusation and the racial undertones behind it.

Appearing on Good Morning America, Jeremiah said: 'It's still hard because I had this lately on my mind...I can't think [of] nothing more but this.

'I felt humiliated.'

His mother was emotional as she described having to talk to him that night about sexual assault.

Jeremiah's emotional mother said she never thought she would have to have a conversation with him about sexual assault much less at his age

Teresa Klein, 53, is the woman who wrongly accused him. Last week, she returned to the bodega to apologize to the boy on camera

The moment Jeremiah's bag grazes Klein in the Sahara Deli Market in Flatbush last Wednesday

Klein confronted passers-by (left) who told her to 'go home' and continued to tell police she had been assaulted (right)

'It was devastating for him because even after walking away he was pointing to patrol cars on Flatbush Avenue and say, "Mommy are they here to take you away from us?"

Jeremiah said he had forgiven the woman because 'friendship is the key'

'To be having a conversation with your son about sexual assault at the age of nine... I never thought I would be having this conversation with my son at all.'

Earlier in the week, Jeremiah said he did not forgive Klein for her accusation.

He has since changed his mind.

'I do [accept her apology]. Friendship is the key,' he said.

His mother, determined that he should be an example for other children and not let the incident get the better of him, said she also forgave the woman.

'I accept her apology.

'I want unity. I don't want no harm brought to this lady,' she said.
The famous 'Circle of Life' Lion King scene - where Simba is lifted above the African planes - has been re-enacted in real life by a monkey.

Life imitated art when the mother was seen lifting up her baby aloft to recreate the iconic cinematic spectacle.

Photographer Dafna Ben Nun captured the moment the baboon and her infant recreated the much-imitated scene.

'It's the Circle of Life': The adult baboon holding its baby aloft in Zimbabwe to recreate the famous cinematic scene

Rafiki holds newborn Simba up in the original 1994 movie in one of the film's much-loved scenes

'It's the wheel of fortune': The baby baboon was held up as another looks on at the re-enactment

The 38-year-old captured the incredible real-life 'Lion King' moment whilst on a trip to Zimbabwe.

During her trip to the Southern African country to learn about the local wildlife, Dafna was instantly surprised to see the two monkeys recreating such a well-known moment.

The animals, that are native to South Africa, are often found in open savannah and open hills around Africa.

'It's the leap of faith': In the 1994 film lion Simba was held up by baboon, Rafiki while parents Mufasa and Sarabi watch on

Dafna, from Israel, said: 'I couldn't believe it when I saw an adult baboon holding a baby, looking exactly like Simba in the Lion King.

'It was just a split second, but it was fascinating to watch.

'They were all in the same group so no harm was done to any of the animals.'

The scene was made famous in the 1994 film with the soundtrack featuring Elton John.

In the movie baboon Rafiki, similar to the one more recent recreation, lifts the newborn Simba on the edge of a cliff as the chorus to 'Circle of Life' plays.

Songs from the film written by Elton John and Tim Rice and the score was composed by Hans Zimmer.
The man responsible for sending leaflets accusing Islam of plotting to 'bring England to her knees' to Muslim family homes has claimed 'no offence' was intended.

Six of the hate-filled booklets containing Islamophobic cartoons were sent to Muslim families in hand-addressed envelopes in Preston, Lancs.

Lancashire-based 'independent Christian' Michael Davis, who admitted sending the booklets, said around 15 homes in the Blackpool Road area of the city had the leaflets delivered.

Pav Akhtar, 40, holds one of the hate-filled booklets that was delivered to his house

Lancashire Police have confirmed they are investigating if a hate crime has been committed.

Mr Davis said: 'They have nothing to worry about - there was no offence intended and there won't be any more.

'This was simply a right of reply from Christians - over the summer the Muslims held an event on the Flag Market in Preston and passed out leaflets.

'There has also been door-to-door canvassing by Muslims in the city, for example at the time of local elections - this was our reaction to that.'

Mr Davis said his group had targeted homes that had previously been seen to display political posters such as local election posters or Brexit material.

The booklets were sent out in handwritten addressed envelopes.

They show a father and son encountering Muslims in prayer who are then threatened they could be killed for insulting Islam and the religion will bring 'England to her knees'

The booklets claim that the 'Islamic religion is bringing England to her knees'

In the cartoon story a father who stands with a mosque in the background tells his son(SIC): 'They're praying to their moon god, son'.

The father and son are then threatened by a man wearing an Arab-style headscarf who says (SIC): 'The holy Koran says I could KILL you for saying that.

'Islam is the second largest and fastest growing religion in America and you should fear it.'

'We expect a Muslim flag to fly over the White House by 2010.

'Think it's impossible? England was our first target.

'And the Islamic religion is bringing England to her knees.'

The cartoon then shows one Muslim character converting to Christianity

Pav Akhtar, 40, who was among those who received the booklet, said none of his white or Sikh neighbours had received them.

He said: 'What was most concerning for us is that each note was a handwritten envelope sent to six specific households - how they know which households to target I couldn't tell you.'

Pav, who was staying at his mother's address, said the mail was picked up by his niece and nephew Sehr, 11, and Shahzaib, 10.

He said: 'The children feel nervous and unsure.

'They're asking 'why do they hate us?' Why don't they like us?' If the idea had been to intimidate us then it achieved that.'

The booklet also contains a section allowing recipients to tick a box 'yes' or 'no' to accept Christ 'as your own personal Saviour'.

Pav Akhtar, 40, with his niece and nephew Sehr, 11, and Shahzaib, 10, who picked the booklet up

It advises them to pray to Christ in the following way (SIC): 'Dear God, thank you for showing me what You think about Islam.

'I also reject it!'

Pav, who reported the booklet to the police, said since the Brexit vote he has noticed a change in the attitude within the UK and a spike in hate crime.

'I'm not blaming the police but there aren't enough officers - my neighbours are hard-working citizens.

'We do so much good work. We shouldn't be treated this way - I was born here and lived here all my life.'

Pav said since the Brexit vote he has noticed a change in the attitude within the UK and a spike in hate crime

Although Pav is speaking out over the hate mail on principle he is also very frustrated at the lack of response by authorities in addressing the issue.

Pav, a Cambridge graduate and governor at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said 'People need to speak up and confront it.

'This kind of behaviour shuts doors rather than opens them.'

As well as reporting the booklet to the police Pav posted the details of it onto Twitter.

However he was immediately labelled a terrorist and met with further abuse and degrading racial slurs.

He duly reported that to the social media company but to no avail.

A response from Twitter stated: 'We have reviewed your report carefully and found that there was no violation of the Twitter Rules against abusive behaviour.'

The booklets were hand delivered to six Muslim households in Preston, Lancashire

Incensed at the reply Pav said it was exactly that kind of response which gives victims of hate crime little faith in the purpose and power of reporting such incidents.

He said: 'Online platforms have a responsibility to step up and take this seriously.

'What do they have to do for it to be abusive behaviour? 'People say report it - report it to what effect?'

A spokesman said: 'Between 10am and noon on October 9, an anti-Islamist book was delivered to an address on Blackpool Road.

'A further report of the same book being delivered to another address on the street was received on October 12.'

Pav said that since the Brexit vote he has noticed a change in the attitude within the UK and a spike in hate crime.
China, the world's top pork producer, has culled 200,000 pigs so far following outbreaks of highly contagious African swine fever in the country, a Chinese animal health official said on Friday.

While that represents only a tiny portion of the nearly 700 million pigs slaughtered in China each year for sale as pork, restrictions on the transport of animals to curb the spread of the disease have created tight supplies in some parts of the country.

China has seen 41 outbreaks of the disease, affecting 27 cities across the country, Wang Zongli, deputy director of the China Animal Health and Epidemiology Center, said at a conference in Zhengzhou.

African swine fever is not harmful to humans but causes haemorrhagic fever in domesticated pigs and wild boar. China has culled 200,000 pigs so far following the outbreaks

Labourers at a pig farm Labourers at a Pig Farm on the outskirts of Wenling, Zhejiang Province

The comments came as the agriculture ministry said that prices of pork could rise amid ongoing outbreaks of African swine fever.

China has culled pigs on farms infected by the disease as well as those on farms within a three-km (1.9 mile) radius of the outbreaks, Wang told Reuters.

Many outbreaks of the disease have occurred in the northeast, particularly in Liaoning province, an area that typically trucks a significant portion of its pigs further south for slaughter closer to consumption centres.

Wang said research showed that transport was one of the main risks for spreading disease.

'We need to focus more on slaughtering close to production,' he said, in order to reduce the long distances pigs are currently transported.

Pigs receiving a vaccine to fight against the swine virus on a farm in Changzhi, Shanxi province

A Chinese farmer checks the growth of pigs at a pig farm in Liutang town

Beijing reported its first case of the disease in early August, and since then the virus has spread to pigs in several cities across China.

African swine fever is not harmful to humans but causes haemorrhagic fever in domesticated pigs and wild boar that almost always ends in death within a few days.

There is no antidote or vaccine, and the only known method to prevent the disease from spreading is a mass cull of the infected livestock.

Cases have been recorded across Europe, Russia and sub-Saharan Africa, but it has never occurred in East Asia until now, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation.

China accounts for almost half the worlds pork consumption, and imports are surging as China's demand outstrips its supply of pork, according to the Wall Street Journal. In the past decade, US pork exported to China has increased nearly 10-fold to 675,224 metric tons.
Father-of-four Richard Moananu (pictured), charged over a crash that killed a pregnant mother, her unborn twins and a learner driver, has been refused bail

Police will lay further manslaughter charges against a man accused of killing unborn twins if they can prove either of them took a breath before they died.

Richard Moananu, 29, was allegedly unlicensed and more than four times over the legal alcohol limit when his Mazda crashed into a Nissan on September 28.

Pregnant mum Katherine Hoang, 23, her unborn twins, and sister-in-law Ahn Hoang, 17, were all killed when the father-of-four plowed into their car.

Katherine's husband Bronko Hoang was also in the car but miraculously survived, and faces months of rehabilitation before he can go home.

Under current NSW laws, the death of an unborn baby is only recognised as serious injury to the mother.

On Friday, detectives told Penrith Local Court they were carrying out tests to find out whether either of the twins drew breath after the crash, which would allow further charges to be laid against the alleged killer.

Moananu was refused bail and remanded in custody.

He had earlier pleaded for the right to send a remorseful letter to the victims' family, according to Channel 7 .

Moananu could face additional manslaughter charges if it is found either of Katherine Hoang's (left) unborn sons drew breath in the immediate aftermath of the crash. Her husband Bronko Hoang (right) survived the crash

The 29-year-old is already facing 12 charges over the collision on The Northern Road at Orchard Hills.

'The accused chose to get in his car and drive in an atrocious manner,' prosecutor Lisa Graham told the court.

'He was observed by witnesses to be driving erratically. Speeding, and weaving in and out of traffic.'

The court also heard Moananu had been drinking at a pub from 10am in the hours leading up to the collision.

The 29-year-old Richard Moananu is already facing 12 charges over the collision (pictured) on The Northern Road at Orchard Hills, in Sydney's west

Lucy La, a family friend of the victims, launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family (Katherine Hoang pictured)

Moananu said he plans on applying again to the New South Wales Supreme Court for bail in November.

He is yet to enter a plea.

Lucy La, a family friend of the victims, launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for the family.

'The money we raised will be given to both Katherine's family as they begin to make funeral preparations,' the page states.

More than 800 people had donated to the page in eight days, raising close to $50,000.
Silver Spoons star Ricky Schroder has been boasting about his hunting success on social media.

Yesterday, the former child star posted a photo of himself carrying the leg of an elk across his shoulder.

The 48-year-old he captioned the image: 'Look like Elks for dinner! #caveman #meat #thankful'.

The former child star and hunting enthusiast posted a photo of himself on Instagram in which he is seen carrying the bloodied leg of an elk across his shoulder, taken in Wolf, Wyoming

The actor appears to be on a horseback hunting trip to Wolf, Wyoming, from where he has been posting several images in the past few days.

Schroder has never hidden his great interest in hunting, fishing and the outdoors on social media.

There are several photographs on his Instagram which shows him having hunted or while out on a fishing trip.

Schroder is also an active members in the National Rifle Association.

Schroder is best known as a child actor. He made his screen debut in the son of Jon Voight's character in the 1979 film The Champ, and went on to become a star of the 1980s sitcom Silver Spoons.

Classic show: Alfonso Ribeiro as Alfonso Spears and Ricky Schroder as Ricky Stratton in hit sitcom Silver Spoons

As an adult, he went on to star in TV dramas NYPD Blue, Scrubs and 24 and most recently the 2016 TV movie Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.

He was previously married to Andrea Bernard, with whom he shares four children: Holden, 26, Luke, 25, Cambrie, 21, and Faith, 17.

The couple met as teenagers, and Andrea filed for divorce in 2016, just weeks before their 24th wedding anniversary.

Cambrie and Faith have both gone on to become models and social media influencers, with a collective Instagram following of more than 445,000.
Ex-Mexican President Vincente Fox put his finger on the scale for the Democratic candidate in the Texas race for the U.S. Senate, saying he should have the vote of 'every single' Latino in the state.

The Trump-hating former official came out in favor of Rep. Beto O'Rourke in a video he posted to Twitter that said: 'Wow! What a candidate! What a man! Beto, you are fantastic. Youre great! Youre an all-American.'

'You are the enlightenment for Texas and I hope every single Mexican, Latin, every Hispanic in that great state of Texas is going to vote for you,' Fox said.

Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke is attempting to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, a Cuban-American

Ex-Mexican President Vincente Fox put his finger on the scale for the Democratic candidate in the Texas race for the U.S. Senate, saying he should have the vote of 'every single' Latino in the state

O'Rourke is attempting to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, a Cuban-American.

Cruz is seven points ahead of his challenger in the latest CNN poll with less than three weeks to go.

On Monday, in Houston, the sitting senator will campaign with the president, who's certain to bring up his desire to construct a wall along Texas' border with Mexico.

He claims the foreign nation is purposely sending murderers and rapists across into America.

O'Rourke has said that he believes that Trump's arguments in favor of a border barrier are a 'racist reaction to a racist myth that does not reflect the reality of this country at all.'

Fox said in a video he posted to Twitter on Thursday night that O'Rourke is just the kind of politician that Texas needs in the U.S. Senate.

'You deserve it because you are going to respond to the hope and expectations of Texas, understanding what they need and understanding what America needs,' he said as footage of O'Rourke from CNN's town hall that evening played in the background.

Cruz is seven points ahead of his challenger in the latest poll with less than three weeks to go

The former Mexican president, who served until December of 2006, has been one of Trump's most outspoken critics, when it comes to building a border wall.

Fox has repeatedly attacked Trump for the campaign promise that he originally accompanied a promise that the barrier would be directly paid for by Mexico.

The retired politician said in an April interview with CNBC: 'We are not paying for that f***in' wall. That's for sure. And why should we? I mean, it's incredible.

'We are offended. We're really offended. We don't like what he has said about Mexico and Mexicans. Every Mexican is now very clear that we must fight, we must resist,' Fox insisted. 'That he will go away one day, I hope soon. And that Mexico's much more than this relationship. We are not the little guy on the backyard.'

Outgoing Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto also says his country won't pay for the border barrier, as has his successor.

Trump has since claimed that he'd get money from Mexico through forced concessions in the newly-negotiated United States Mexico Canada Agreement.

The former Mexican president, who served until December of 2006, has been one of Trump's most outspoken critics, when it comes to building a border wall. He condemned his reference to illegal immigrant gang members as 'animals' in a tweet earlier this year

He says the wall is necessary go keep out drug dealers and 'animal' gang members who torture and kill their victims.

In a May tweet, after Trump first called murderous illegal immigrants 'animals' during a conversation on border security at the White House, Fox told the American president 'youve got to get your s**t together: migrants are people who have left everything behind - not by choice, to pursue a better life.'

'You must show compassion and humanity. your golden head and a #F***ingWall wont stop these peoples dreams and hopes,' he said.

In a January tweet, after Trump's reported 's***thole' countries comment, Fox told him: 'Donald Trump, your mouth is the foulest s***hole in the world. With what authority do you proclaim whos welcome in America and whos not.'

Fox did not mention Trump in his endorsement of O'Rourke but alluded to the immigration debate.

'You not only understand America, you know about humanity. This is what the U.S. needs: someone compassionate yet firm. I stand with you because I believe youre what America needs,' a tweet that accompanied the video stated.
Sir Nick Clegg, pictured on Wednesday, will be joining Facebook as a PR executive after being recruited by Mark Zuckerberg to help him lobby in the EU and the US

Sir Nick Clegg could be paid more than 4million a year by Mark Zuckerberg after he was hired to head up Facebook's global lobbying team after 'months of wooing' by the social network's founder.

The billionaire has asked Britain's former Deputy Prime Minister to take over from PR chief Elliot Schrage, who quit in June after a series of damaging scandals.

Sir Nick, 51, has agreed a contract that could see him paid more than 4million a year including share options, Silicon Valley sources told MailOnline today.

The giant pay packet is not unusual for the 'big tech' industry, but dwarfs his recent MP's salary of 77,379.

He will be paid to lobby in Europe and the US where Facebook faces probes over its tax affairs and data breaches including the Cambridge Analytica scandal where app developers harvested information from millions of accounts.

The social network's recent woes wiped billions off its share price and Mr Zuckerberg's own $58billion [50bn] fortune.

Nick Clegg with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg at a recent meeting

Previously Sir Nick was highly critical of the company's paltry tax bills and said the social media giant clearly wasn't paying 'all the tax they could' in Britain.

'I'm not especially bedazzled by Facebook. I actually find the messianic Californian new-worldy-touchy-feely culture of Facebook a little grating,' he said two years ago.

'Nor am I sure that companies such as Facebook really pay all the tax they could  though that's as much the fault of governments who still haven't got their tax act together.'

Facebook paid only 7.4m in tax in the UK last year despite collecting a record 1.3bn in British sales.

Vince Cable, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said he would write a letter to Sir Nick: 'I will be urging him to make sure Facebook co-operates with attempts to make sure they pay their fair share of taxes.'

Tory MP Nigel Evans told said he looked forward to Sir Nick persuading the Facebook chief to pay for UK corporation tax.

He said: He can help them to increase it to much higher levels. Perhaps he could dedicate a Facebook page on his actions and successes he achieves for UK plc.

Sir Nick and his Spanish wife Miriam will be heading to Silicon Valley in the coming months with their three children

The former Liberal Democrat MP, who lost his Sheffield Hallam seat to Labour last year, will also end his personal campaign for a second EU referendum, which saw him join forces with Tony Blair and Sir John Major and flying across Europe meeting its political leaders.

Posting a video online he said he would help Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg to 'navigate the onward journey'.

In a statement on his Facebook page he said leaving before Brexit would be 'a wrench' but the move was 'an exciting new adventure'.

But people were quick to mock him in comments under the post, saying: 'looks like freedom of speech is doomed then'.

Mark Zuckerberg is said to have pursued the former MP for months as he battles scandals in the US and EU

Sir Nick Clegg: Former Lib Dem MP accused of wrecking his party Sir Nick Clegg was knighted for services to politics this year but more than 50,000 people signed a petition to have the honour reversed, branding Mr Clegg a 'failed politician'. The father-of-three, whose son Antonio recently fought blood cancer, is married to Spanish city lawyer Miriam Gonzalez Durantez. Last year he revealed that his son Antonio - one of the couple's three children - had been diagnosed with blood cancer. The arch Remainer was among a number of Lib Dems showered with honours in recent years, with knighthoods for Vince Cable and Ed Davey, who both lost their seats in 2015 after serving in the Cabinet. Mr Clegg held on but lost the Sheffield Hallam seat he held for 12 years in June 2017. He has called for a second referendum and written a book called How To Stop Brexit. In his book on Brexit, Mr Clegg wrote: 'There is nothing remotely inevitable about Brexit  except that it will be deeply damaging if it happens.' He said there should be a second vote because the people who voted Leave were dying off. Mr Clegg, the third of four siblings, entered the Commons in 2005 after years working in Brussels. He took up a post with the European Commission in 1994 and five years later he was elected as a Liberal Democrat MEP in the European Parliament. After swapping Brussels for Westminster, he won the race to become party leader in 2007 by beating Chris Huhne after Menzies Campbell was persuaded to step down. Three years later he rode a wave of so-called 'Cleggmania' that briefly saw his party top the polls during the 2010 election campaign. Although the results did not match this early success, he became a power broker during coalition talks, eventually siding with the Tories and allowing David Cameron to enter No 10. In return, Mr Clegg was handed the position of deputy prime minister and brought the first Liberal MPs into government for decades. However, his party's poll ratings began to plummet after he was forced to renege on a major pledge not to increase tuition fees. And he suffered the humiliation of losing a referendum on changing the voting system to a form of proportional representation. After the party's 2015 election disaster, Mr Clegg resigned as leader and returned to the backbenches. A year later, following the EU referendum, he became the party's Brexit spokesman but then lost his seat. Advertisement

Before his career in politics the ex-MP worked in Brussels as an MEP and the Facebook billionaire believes he can build bridges with the EU.

He will lobby Eurocrats who are pushing for a new tech tax by next year and who are also promising more punishing fines for high-profile data breaches like the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Last week, Facebook revealed new platform tools it says will increase transparency of political advertising as it faces investigations over the role of the adverts in elections around the world

It is also facing a potential 1.2 billion fine for a data breach that allowed hackers to access the personal information of 30 million users last month.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC), the lead supervising authority for Facebook in the EU, officially opened its investigation last week after the social media giant admitted hackers could have accessed the accounts of millions of users through a 'vulnerability' on September 28.

In America the company faces upcoming midterms where it must fight Russian interference and it still faces investigation in by the Federal Trade Commission and the Security Exchange Commission.

Mr Clegg may also help Mr Zuckerberg with his public speaking after he spent two awkward days stammering his way through Senate hearings this year.

Critics have today slammed the former MP's new job as a 'damning indictment' of the revolving door between politics and big business.

Sir Nick is the most senior politician from Europe to work for Facebook and in a statement on his Facebook page he said he was looking forward to 'an exciting new adventure'.

He added that the firm and its apps, including Whatsapp and Instagram was 'at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult questions we face as a society', over individual privacy, democratic integrity, the balance between free speech and prohibition online, artificial intelligence and the well-being of children.

He went on: 'I believe that Facebook must continue to play a role in finding answers to those questions - not by acting alone in Silicon Valley, but by working with people, organisations, governments and regulators around the world to ensure that technology is a force for good.

'I am looking forward to being part of this endeavour.'

Jon Trickett MP, Labour's Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office said: 'It is a damning indictment of the sorry state of our country's politics that, at a time when digital giants such as Facebook are rightly coming under public scrutiny, our former Deputy Prime Minister has been hired to lobby on their behalf.

'Labour is committed to slamming shut the revolving door between politics and big business, which for too long has corroded public trust in politics.'

Sir Nick released a long statement explaining why he was moving to Facebook and the 'wrench' of quitting the second referendum campaign

People on Facebook were quick to mock his post, saying: 'looks like freedom of speech is doomed then'.

Nick Clegg takes Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons in November 2010, deputising for David Cameron after forming a coalition government earlier that year

He will start working for Facebook's global affairs and communications team in London in the coming weeks after Mr Zuckerberg looked to him for help with its ailing reputation.

Facebook has been rocked by scandal after scandal and Mark Zuckerberk is looking to Nick Clegg for help

Sir Nick, his Spanish wife Miriam, a partner at law firm Dechert, and their children will then move to California.

British PR expert Rachel Whetstone, one of the people said to be vying for Sir Nick's new job, has recently moved to Netflix from Facebook.

The social network has been rocked by recent data scandals where millions of accounts were compromised.

Mark Zuckerberg had to give a number of humbling apologies this year and it is understood he personally pursued Sir Nick for the job.

Until now he has dedicated himself to campaigning for a second referendum and had written a book called How To Stop Brexit.

In his book he said there should be a second vote because the people who voted Leave were dying off.

Mr Clegg also joined former PMs Tony Blair and Sir John Major in their 'shuttle diplomacy' jetting across the continent arguing British politics had made it 'viable' for the UK's exit to be stopped,

But in leaving for Facebook some have suggested he may believe that the referendum result cannot be reversed as he wished.





Lord Allan of Hallam, who was Cleggs predecessor as Sheffield Hallam MP, is director of policy at Facebook.

The company is already facing tough questions over its treatment of customers.

Mr Zuckerberg, one of the richest and most powerful men in the world, has faced a barrage of criticism over Facebook's privacy policies.

The ex-Mp will be working at Facebook's HQ in Menlo Park, California, from the new year

Under his stewardship Facebook has been accused of allowing Russians to interfere in the US election and spread 'fake news'.

Leaving Britain before Brexit is a 'wrench' - but I'm excited to jon Facebook, says Nick Clegg Here is Nick Clegg's statement in full: I am delighted to be joining Facebook. After almost twenty years in European and British politics, this is an exciting new adventure for me. Having spoken at length to Mark and Sheryl over the last few months, I have been struck by their recognition that the company is on a journey which brings new responsibilities not only to the users of Facebook's apps but to society at large. I hope I will be able to play a role in helping to navigate that journey. Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Oculus and Instagram are at the heart of so many people's everyday lives  but also at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult questions we face as a society: the privacy of the individual; the integrity of our democratic process; the tensions between local cultures and the global internet; the balance between free speech and prohibited content; the power and concerns around artificial intelligence; and the wellbeing of our children. I believe that Facebook must continue to play a role in finding answers to those questions  not by acting alone in Silicon Valley, but by working with people, organizations, governments and regulators around the world to ensure that technology is a force for good. I am looking forward to being part of this endeavour. Throughout my public life I have relished grappling with difficult and controversial issues and seeking to communicate them to others. I hope to use some of those skills in my new role. As someone who has spent a lifetime arguing for Britain's wholehearted commitment to Europe, it is of course a wrench to be leaving the public debate at a crucial time in the Brexit process. But the key decisions will soon pass to Parliament, of which I am no longer a Member, and once I had decided to take up this unique new challenge at Facebook, I felt it was best to get going sooner rather than later. Miriam and I have been so grateful for the warm welcome extended to us by everyone we have met at Menlo Park. Moving to California is a new beginning for us  and for our three sons  which we are looking forward to with great excitement and anticipation. Advertisement

Earlier this year it emerged that the personal information of 87million Facebook users had been harvested by Cambridge Analytica, a data company that used the information to help Donald Trump win the US presidency.

Mr Zuckerberg was dragged before Congress to testify about its privacy policies in April.

Awkward and at times evasive, the one time Silicon Valley darling spent two days stammering his way through the hearings.

He was ridiculed online for everything from this clammy appearance to ill-fitting suit, and was even caught using a booster seat to make himself look taller than his 5ft 7in.

The UK's information commissioner's office has said it intends to fine Facebook about 500,000 over what happened - the maximum penalty.

A Congressional investigation then found that agents from Russia and other countries had been posting fake political adverts on Facebook since at least 2016.

Last month the social media giant admitted that a security flaw in its systems had allowed criminals to break in and effectively take control of millions more profiles.

The hack potentially gave the cyber-attackers access to vast amounts of personal data, including people's addresses, email accounts and even bank details.

They may also have been able to access intimate family photographs, along with details of users' personal lives, friends and hobbies. All of this information would potentially be a goldmine for fraudsters. It is one of the biggest cyber-hacks ever recorded.

A group of major Facebook investors have even called for Mr Zuckerberg to be ousted as chairman after the business lurched from crisis to crisis.

The backlash comes after the tech giant's billionaire founder, who is also chief executive, was put on the back foot by a series of security and privacy scandals which have subjected the company to intense public scrutiny over its use of user data.

Those behind the proposal to remove Zuckerberg and make the role of chairman an independent position, include New York City's pension fund and Trillium Asset Management.

Scott Stringer, manager of the 122bn New York fund, said: 'An independent chair is essential to moving forward from this mess.'
Donald Trump and national security adviser Michael Flynn during the 2016 campaign. Photo: David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

The alliance between the Trump campaign and Russia had many nodes of contact. One of the least known, but potentially most significant, is the work that ran through Republican operative Peter W. Smith. Much of the reporting on Smith has been broken by The Wall Street Journal, and its accumulated reports are building an incriminating story.

Smith is a Chicago-based operative with a taste for the political dark arts, who set out in 2016 to obtain Hillary Clintons State Department emails, which he believed had been stolen by Russian hackers. Smith died under somewhat odd circumstances last year  he committed an apparent suicide days after being contacted by a reporter, citing an expiring life-insurance policy, but seemed to be in good spirits just hours before his death.

But the most important mystery involving Smith is how important his work was to the campaign, and where it led. When he met with a cybersecurity expert in 2016, Smith represented himself as working on behalf of Michael Flynn, Trumps chief national security adviser during the campaign. Flynn, of course, had ties to Russia and was forced to resign very shortly after starting as national security adviser for lying about his contacts with Russia.

But Smith, unlike Flynn, was not a famous figure, and initially some people assumed that he might have been working on his own. The Journal has fleshed out Smiths role, and every new report has suggested that his work was significant. An October 7 report found that Smith raised at least $100,000, from at least four donors, for his work on the emails. An October 10 follow-up confirmed that Smith and Flynn were in regular, close contact.

Todays report is more explosive still. Investigators have evidence that Smith may have had advance knowledge of details about the release of emails from a top Hillary Clinton campaign official by WikiLeaks, according to the Journal.

If true, this would mean that Smith wasnt merely attempting to get ahold of stolen Clinton emails. He got through to WikiLeaks and was, in some form, a channel of collusion between the hackers and the Trump campaign.

Flynn long ago started cooperating with Robert Mueller. So if Flynn discussed any of this information with Trump during the campaign, the special counsel probably knows about it.
Police in New York City have arrested a suspected member of the far-right group Proud Boys in connection to a violent clash with anti-fascist protesters that occurred on Manhattan's Upper East Side last week.

Geoffrey Young, 38, was arrested at his Manhattan home on Thursday night on charges of attempted assault and rioting

Young was one of nine men affiliated with Proud Boys that the NYPD this week asked the public to help identify from the many cellphone and surveillance videos depicting the October 12 brawl that have been shared on social media.

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First Proud Boy caught: Police on Thursday night arrested Proud Boys member Geoffrey Young (left and right) , 38, in connection to a brawl to took place on October 12 in Manhattan

This screenshot from a surveillance video shows a man in a polo shirt worn over a long-sleeve shirt believed to be Young fighting with Antifa protesters

Young was seen in the footage sporting a greying beard and a long-sleeve shirt beneath his Proud Boys uniform consisting of a black polo shirt with a yellow-striped collar.

Police are still looking for eight other members of the Proud Boys group and three members of the Antifa organization in connection to the melee.

Young is pictured sporting a MAGA hat in a YouTube video from August 2017 posted by Proud Boys

Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes held a rally for around 50 people at the vandalized Manhattan Republican Club on October 12.

After the rally was over, a number of bare-knuckle fights broke out with the men tussling on the sidewalk.

'Followed the Proud Boys as they left the event,' photojournalist Shay Horse tweeted after the incident. '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.

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.'

About 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.

The Antifa protesters were wearing black masks, and faced off against the group The Proud Boys on Manhattan's Upper East Side, shown in a new disturbing surveillance video that police have reviewed and released

It happened on October 12 outside an Upper East Side Manhattan club where Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes had delivered a speech

This image appears to show the arrested suspect Geoffrey Young in the middle of the frey

Several Proud Boys could be seen kicking victims after they had been knocked to the ground

In the immediate aftermath of the unrest, police arrested three protesters - Finbarr Slonim, 20, Caleb Perkins, 35 and Kai Russo, 20 - on charges of robbery, harassment and assault.

McInnes, who was not arrested that night, later praised the NYPD, but the department's spokesperson tweeted that the leader of the far-right group 'does not speak for' the police.

'There is no tolerance for violence anywhere in New York City, and the NYPD will do everything in its power to ensure public safety,' NYPD spokesman Phillip Walzak said on Sunday.

The Proud Boys formed in 2016 as a fraternity of 'western chauvinists.' The Southern Poverty Law Center has designated it as a hate group.
A kindergarten teacher in east China has been caught on video physically abusing one of her students during class, sparking outage among net users.

The female teacher, identified as Ms Weng, was believed to be punishing a misbehaving boy at Xietang Hangtian Kindergarten in Jinhua, Zhejiang province.

In the shocking CCTV footage, she was seen violently pushing the boy to the ground after throwing out his chair. The teacher has been fired following the incident, Chinese media reported.

A kindergarten teacher in east China's Zhejiang province has been caught on video physically abusing one of her students during class, sparking outage among net users

In the shocking CCTV footage, the teacher is seen violently pushing the boy to the ground

The incident occurred at about 10:30am on Tuesday in front of a class of nearly 30 students.

The teacher was seen taking the boy's chair and throwing it out the classroom.

She then returned and grabbed the boy by his head before slamming him to the floor in front of his stunned classmates.

Instead of helping him up, the teacher sat back down and left him lying on the ground while continuing the lesson.

In a notice sent to parents following the incident, the school apologised and said that Weng has been sacked, according to news site BTime.

The teacher is seen grabbing the boy by his head before slamming him to the floor

Instead of helping him up, the teacher sat back down and left him lying on the ground behind her while continuing the lesson. She has been fired from the school following the incident

It is unsure if she will be charged.

Net users in China heavily criticised the teacher's violent actions.

'The teacher should be detained at the police station for her actions!' user Luoji3564 said.

'How was she qualified to become a teacher in the first place? another said.

Various incidents of child abuse in recent years have haunted China's booming pre-school industry.

In May, a kindergarten teacher in Hezhou city, Guangxi was sentenced to one year in jail for physically abusing three students by restraining them under duvets to force them to nap.

The kindergarten run by pre-school operator RYB Education Inc was investigated by China's police last year after students claimed they were sexually molested and pierced by needles

In one case that rocked the nation last year, students at a kindergarten run by operator RYB Education in Beijing claimed that they were sexually molested, pierced by needles and given unidentified pills.

After police investigations, one teacher had been detained for pricking children with a sewing needle as a disciplinary measure when they did not go to sleep on time. Molestation and drugging claims have been dismissed.

Experts have previously told South China Morning Post that abuse in mainland kindergartens was due to a mindset widely accepted in society that adults can use methods they themselves deem appropriate, like beating, scolding and emotional abuse or 'cold violence' to control or educate children.
A man, 30, said bike riders stole a $95,000 Patek Philippe watch from his wrist (file)

Bike-riding thieves stole a $95,000 watch off the wrist of a New York City man while they were bumming a smoke from him.

A 30-year-old man told authorities that he was in his car, smoking a cigarette out the window Wednesday early morning in the East Village when the incident occurred, the New York Post reported.

The victim, who has not been named, told police that two or three bike riders approached his car at about 12.30am that day and asked him for a cigarette.

While he was digging around to find one, the bike riders apparently grabbed the man's arm and forcibly removed his watch  a $95,000 affair from luxury timepiece makers Patek Philippe.

With the man's watch in hand, the thieves then pedaled off into the night.

Police sources told the newspaper that the bike-riding watch thieves have not yet been found. There was no description of the suspects available at the time.

It's unclear what model watch the man was wearing and whether it had been worn on the wrist of his arm which was hanging out of the car window at the time when he was robbed.

The incident was said to have occurred at this cross street in Manhattan early Wednesday

Patek Philippe watches are frequently on thieves' wish lists.

In August, a 34-year-old man said that a woman he took back to his five-star hotel room after meeting her at a Manhattan restaurant and nightclub, relieved him of his $135,000 Patek Philippe while he was showering.

He claimed that he had put the watch in his hotel safe before leaving the woman alone, according to the New York Post.

And in May, authorities said that three thieves stole a variety of luxury watches from gym locker rooms. Among the watches taken was a $25,000 Patek Philippe watch, whose owner had left it in a locker at the Peninsula New York Hotel gym, ABC 7 reported.

Luxury watch thefts, whether stolen off people or in smash and grabs at jewelry stores, have been on the rise.

The world's largest database of lost and stolen watches, the Watch Register  a sibling of the Arts Loss Register  noted that identifying details for more than 10,000 stolen watches had been added to its database from May 2017 to May 2018, according to the Telegraph.

Before the Watch Register was spun off, the Arts Loss Register had only recorded 60,000 stolen watches over the course of 24 years, from 1990 to 2014.
The Vatican ambassador who accused Pope Francis of rehabilitating a disgraced ex-American cardinal is doubling down on his attack, claiming that the 'scourge of homosexuality' in the priesthood is responsible for sex abuse and that the Vatican is being hypocritical in refusing to acknowledge it.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano issued a third installment Friday in the war of words over the cover-up of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

He was responding to a Vatican cardinal who had rebuked him and accused him of mounting a 'blasphemous' political hit job against Francis with his claims.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S, has accused Pope Francis of hypocrisy and called for him to resign over the McCarrick scandal

Vigano has accused Francis of effectively rehabilitating McCarrick, 88, from restrictions imposed during Pope Benedict XVI's papacy because of allegations he pressured seminarians to sleep with him.

He has called for Francis to resign over the McCarrick scandal, which has sparked a crisis of confidence in the U.S. and Vatican hierarchy.

Francis has responded to the McCarrick allegations by removing him as a cardinal, over an allegation he molested a minor, and by ordering a Vatican investigation into its archives to determine how McCarrick rose through the ranks despite allegations he also molested adults.

Pre-empting the outcome, Cardinal Marc Oullet, who heads the Vatican's bishops' office, penned a letter on October 4 saying he had gone through his archives and found no evidence of any formal canonical sanctions signed by any pope.

In his new missive, Vigano accurately noted that Ouellet actually confirmed the core of his allegations: that McCarrick was placed under some form of restriction - not necessarily formal sanctions - because of alleged sexual misconduct.

Then Cardinal Theodore McCarrick prays during the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' annual fall assembly in Baltimore

Pope Francis talking to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, (left), who is in Italy for a series of meetings that culminated with an audience with Pope Francis at which he's expected to extend an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to visit

Refuting Ouellet's claim that the Vatican only had heard rumors about McCarrick, Vigano listed all the letters that had reached the Vatican starting in 2000, when a priest from a New Jersey seminary first wrote relaying concerns from seminarians invited to McCarrick's beach house and into his bed.

Vigano said he was shocked that Ouellet omitted any reference in his letter to McCarrick's victims, or to what he said was the 'principal cause of so many sexual abuses: homosexuality.'

'It's hypocrisy to refuse to admit that this scourge is due to a grave crisis in the spiritual life of clergy, and to not take measures to remedy it,' he wrote.

While the McCarrick scandal has exposed how seminarians can be vulnerable to sexual abuses by their gay superiors, studies have shown that homosexuals in general are no more likely to abuse than heterosexuals.

Vigano, who was Vatican ambassador to the U.S. from 2011-2016, was allied with the conservative culture warriors among U.S. bishops, particularly in articulating the Catholic Church's opposition to gay marriage.

Vigano's latest letter appeared Friday on the blog of Marco Tosatti, the conservative Italian journalist who helped Vigano write and edit his original 11-page accusation, and then arranged for its publication in right-wing media Aug. 26.
Shocking footage shows the moment a shopper angrily destroyed a gift shop and hurling a till across the counter after she was accused of stealing candy floss.

Staff say the woman, accompanied by two small children and a man, had been accused of pinching two tubs of candyfloss and a cuddly toy.

Shopkeeper Alice Parker, 50, says she had clumps of her hair ripped during the row, which police are investigating.

The shocking footage captures the moment the woman pulls Ms Parker by her hair across the shop floor.

Shocking footage shows the moment a shopper angrily destroyed a gift shop and hurling a till across the counter (shown) after she was accused of stealing candy floss

CCTV, which was posted by Ms Parker on social media, showed a major fracas in the doorway of the busy shop

Ms Parker said the trouble started after staff stopped a customer who appeared to be about to leave without paying for two tubs of candy floss and a cuddly toy.

She said the woman, who had a Liverpool accent, then attacked her and pulled lumps of hair from the back of her head.

Ms Parker added: 'I noticed a bit of a commotion at the door after staff stopped a woman from leaving the shop.

'We think she had tried to leave without paying for some candy floss and a cuddly toy. She was with a man and two children.

'I went over to try and calm her down but the woman just went berzerk. She was screaming at me and definitely had a very strong Liverpool accent.

'She then grabbed the back of my neck and just pulled me to the floor. I was bleeding from my mouth.

'Fortunately a customer then intervened and pulled the woman off me.

'The woman who attacked me then left, but came back a few minutes later and pushed the till off the counter. I just hope the police can catch up with her as soon as possible.

'I am okay now but have lost a few clumps of hair from the back of my head.

'There were young children in the shop at the time and they were obviously really upset by what they saw.'

Ms Parker said the trouble started after staff stopped a customer who appeared to be about to leave without paying for two tubs of candy floss and a cuddly toy

Shopkeeper Alice Parker, 50, says she had clumps of her hair ripped during the row (pictured), which police are investigating

The incident happened at Spends in Blackpool shortly after 8pm on Saturday night.

CCTV, which was posted by Ms Parker on social media, showed a major fracas in the doorway of the busy shop.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: 'We responded at 8.10pm to reports of an assault that had taken place at Spends gift shop.

'A 50-year-old woman was assaulted by an alleged shoplifter who made off from the scene.

'We are keen to speak to a woman, who was accompanied by a man and two young children in relation to this incident. The woman is believed to be from the Liverpool area.

'We are investigating the incident and ask if anyone has any information to contact police on 101 and quote the reference number WA1825162 of October 13.'

Alternatively independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
Hundreds more children have been sent home after a suspected false widow spider infestation led to the closure of an eleventh London school.

Fairlop Primary School, in Hainault, east London, is the latest to be affected.

The school, which has around 750 pupils, was closed yesterday and remained closed today.

Based in Redbridge, it marks the second case of a venomous spider outbreak outside the borough of Newham; another infestation hit Highfield Primary School in Enfield, north London.

More than 4,000 pupils had been told to stay at home after nine schools in the east London borough closed following outbreaks of the UK's most venomous spider.

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Fairlop Primary School (above), in Hainault, east London, is the 11th school to be closed following a suspected infestation of false widow spiders. The school, in Redbridge, was closed yesterday and remains closed today

Godwin Junior School was closed last Thursday and Friday. A sign (above) urged parents to read the school closure information following a spider infestation. The school re-opened on Monday after the premises were fumigated

Cobwebs could be seen on the gates of Godwin Junior School prior to the fumigation. False widows do have a venomous bite but the venom is not particularly potent for humans

Highfield Primary School (pictured) in Enfield, north London was also closed last week. It also re-opened on October 15

The false widow (above) was introduced to Britain in late 19th century and is native to the Canary Islands and Madeira. It appears similar to the deadly Black Widow but its bites are similar to wasp or bee stings

Eleven schools in total have now been potentially affected by false widow spider outbreaks

What are false widow spiders? False widows were first recorded in the UK in the 1870s after it is believed they stowed away on cargo ships from their native Madeira and Canary Islands

Since the 1980s the false widow species has established populations in the majority of the southern counties

False widows do have a venomous bite but the venom is not particularly potent for humans

Symptoms of a bite is pain which may radiate away from it

There are over 650 species of the spider in the UK Advertisement

Council leader Jas Athwal said the exact species and type of infestation at Fairlop Primary was yet to be established, but it could be false widows.

A council spokeswoman said: 'After reports that a small number of people had been bitten by a spider, Fairlop Primary School was closed to allow for pest control assessments to be made and for the problem to be treated.

'The school worked in conjunction with parents to ensure that all pupils were safely released to their parents' care and provided further advice to parents and staff about how a spider bite of this kind might be treated.

'The school will be closed for the rest of today and will remain closed tomorrow to allow the relevant services access to the parts of the schools affected.

'Treatment of the affected areas of the school will continue during the half term holiday next week and the school will make arrangements to provide advice and guidance to parents about the school re-opening after the forthcoming October holiday'.

The false widow was introduced to Britain in late 19th century and is native to the Canary Islands and Madeira.

It appears similar to the deadly Black Widow but its bites are similar to wasp or bee stings.

Rokeby Secondary School, pictured, has also been closed until October 29. Head teacher Charlotte Robinson said clearing the false widows would take up to three weeks

Star Primary School was also affected by an outbreak. There are three types of the spider - the noble false widow, or steatoda nobilis, the steatoda bipunctata and the steatodo grossa - in the UK. They all have shiny abdomens with a white half-moon shape at the front, and grow up to 14 mm long

Lister Community School, pictured, closed on October 4 and has now re-opened

Ellen Wilkinson Primary School was also among the schools that closed on October 4. It has since re-opened

There are three types - the noble false widow, or steatoda nobilis, the steatoda bipunctata and the steatodo grossa - in the UK.

They all have shiny abdomens with a white half-moon shape at the front, and grow up to 14 mm long.

The noble false widow has the most toxic bite of any British spider but there have been no reported deaths resulting from them, yet.

Timeline of school closures October 4 Lister School closes. It has now re-opened. Star Primary and Ellen Wilkinson primary. Have both now re-opened. Rokeby Secondary School closes. It will reopen on October 29. Monega Primary School closed briefly. Earlham Primary school was closed but has now been declared spider free. October 10 Eastlea Community School closes. It will remain closed until October 29. Highfield Primary School closes. It reopened on October 15. October 11 Godwin Junior School closes. It reopened on October 15. October 12 John F Kennedy Special School closes both its campuses in Stratford and Beckton. It is not known when they will re-open. October 18 Fairlop Primary School was closed yesterday and remains closed today. Advertisement
The Scottish Conservatives have revolted over the prospect of extending the Brexit transition into 2021 in fear it will damage Ruth Davidson's bid to oust Nicola Sturgeon.

The party had promised to Scottish fishing towns it would bring back full control over their waters in time for the next Holyrood elections in May 2021.

A longer transition period would mean the promise is unfulfilled by polling day.

Scotland Secretary David Mundell has warned Downing Street he would could quit the Government over the idea, which Theresa May admitted in Brussels yesterday.

The Scottish Conservatives have revolted over the prospect of extending the Brexit transition into 2021 in fear it will damage Ruth Davidson's (pictured at Tory conference earlier this month) bid to oust Nicola Sturgeon

A longer transition period would mean the promise is unfulfilled by polling day in a major boost to Ms Sturgeon's re-election hopes

Mr Mundell and Ms Davidson are also deeply concerned about any proposals which separate Northern Ireland from Great Britain - warning a special status would fuel Scottish nationalist demands.

David Duguid, the MP for Banff and Buchan, told the Telegraph: 'It is my red line, is the Scottish Conservative's red line.

'The terms of the implementation period, which will be part of the withdrawal agreement, dictates how we manage fisheries in that period.

'The current position, as I understand it from Michael Gove, is that we will be negotiating as an independent coastal state in December 2020.'

Scotland Secretary David Mundell has warned Downing Street he would could quit the Government over the idea, which Theresa May admitted in Brussels yesterday

Mr Mundell confirmed to MPs yesterday he would quit if the Government red line on the Irish Sea is breached.

'I make no apology for making absolutely clear that the integrity of the UK is a red line for me and my Scottish Conservative colleagues in any deal on leaving the EU,' he said.

'The position is exactly the same for our Prime Minister.

'I know those on the SNP benches' preference would be a Brexit of the most disruptive kind, which they say is best able to take forward their cause.'

May will personally brief 120 business chiefs about Brexit today in a bid to calm nerves as she faces a revolt on all sides of her party.

The Prime Minister will fly home from Brussels before hosting the conference call with firms including RBS and Diageo, as well business groups like the CBI.

Downing Street said the call, which Mrs May will host from her constituency in Maidenhead, will focus on this week's European Council.

The summit saw Mrs May accept the possibility of extending the Brexit transition beyond December 2020 - a move branded 'mad' by her DUP allies and slammed by both Brexit and Remain critics.
Tonya Couch (pictured in her June mugshot) has been released on bail ahead of her trial

The mother of notorious 'affluenza teen' Ethan Couch has been released on bail as she awaits trial for allegedly helping her son flee to Mexico in 2015.

Tonya Couch was charged with money laundering and hindering apprehension charges in 2016, and is set to face trial next month.

She had previously been released on bail, but a judge ordered her re-arrest in June this year after she tested positive for methamphetamine, violating the bond terms.

Her son was 16 when he killed four pedestrians while drink-driving, but dodged prison after suggesting at trial that his irresponsibility was a result of his entitled upbringing.

Couch is alleged to have helped him flee the country and cross the Mexico border, after he was caught drinking - a violation of his probation - in 2015.

Couch was released Thursday from the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, fitted with an ankle monitor and released to home confinement. A judge also ordered her to take no drugs, not even vitamins or over-the-counter medications.

Tonya breached her bond back in March after failing a urine test (pictured in jail) before being caught again just two weeks later

Tonya was arrested for helping son Ethan flee to Mexico in 2015 after he was caught in breach of his probation for killing four people in 2013. The pair were eventually caught (Ethan's arrest mugshot pictured left) and he spent two years in jail before being released in April (right)

Ethan Couch was famously given ten years of probation for killing four people and crippling another in a drink driving wreck back in 2010.

The conditions of his probation strictly forbade drinking alcohol.

Police went to arrest Ethan but found he had gone missing, before tracking him to Mexico along with mother Tonya.

The pair were eventually brought back to the US, where Ethan was jailed for breaching his probation. He was released in April this year.

On June 15, 2013, Couch killed four people and crippled another while drink and drug-driving his father's pickup truck near their home in Burleson, Texas.

Speeding at 70mph, Ethan left the road, and hit a group who were helping to fix a punctured tire.

Tonya (pictured returning to the US after her arrest in Mexico) is facing charges of money laundering and hindering apprehension

Ethan became notorious after lawyers at his original trial (pictured) argued that he had been brought up with such wealth and privilege that he didn't know right from wrong - a condition which the referred to as 'affluenza'

Breanna Mitchell, 24, father Brian Jennings, and mother and daughter Hollie and Shelby Boyles all died in the crash.

Ethan also left friend Sergio Molina, who had been riding in the bed of the pickup, a quadriplegic after he was thrown clear of the wreck.

During his trial, Ethan's lawyers argued that he had been brought up in such a wealthy and relaxed environment that he did not know the difference between right and wrong - a condition they referred to as 'affluenza'.

A judge sentenced Ethan to 10 years of probation with therapy instead of sending him to jail, causing a national uproar.
Notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been released from prison on Friday, October 19, after serving only half of his five-and-a-half-year sentence.

The radical cleric, branded the most dangerous man in Britain, has reportedly been associated with more than 100 terrorists through his extremist Al-Muhajiroun (ALM) network, including Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, who hacked Fusilier Lee Rigby to death in Woolwich in 2013.

I would describe him as a hardened terrorist, somebody who has had huge influence on the Islamist extremist scene in this country over many years, says Richard Walton, a former head of Scotland Yards counter-terrorism command.

Islamist hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been released from prison on October 19

I believe we are under-estimating the potency and danger of the radicalisers who dont carry knives, guns and overtly plot terrorist attacks but who pollute the minds of young Muslim men.

With Choudary now out of prison, here is all you need to know about him, including who he is, why he was in prison, why he was released and what happens to him now.

Who is Anjem Choudary?

Born in London in 1967, Anjem Choudary grew up in the capital and went to school in Woolwich. He initially studied medicine at the University of Southampton but ended up failing his first-year exams.

He switched to law instead and became known on the course as Andy, a party animal who drank alcohol, smoked cannabis and read adult magazines.

Failure to land a job at a law firm was reportedly the starting point of Choudarys extremism. He connected with Islamist preacher Omar Bakri Muhammad and together they founded ALM.

The network was proscribed in 2010 and counted the Lee Rigby murderers and London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt among its followers.

Westminster attacker Khalid Masood was also linked to Choudary through Ibrahim Anderson, an al-Muhajiroun activist convicted of inviting support for ISIS in 2016.

His wife, Rubana Akhtar, whom Choudary married in 1996, is thought to be just as extreme as her husband, having been filmed in 2016 talking favourably about ISIS.

Anjem Choudary's extremist group ALM was connected to several London terrorists

Why was Choudary in prison?

Choudary, now 51, was charged in 2015 and jailed in 2016 for five-and-a-half-years for inviting support for ISIS.

In 2014, he and his followers met at a curry house in east London and formally pledged allegiance to the ISIS caliphate.

While not naming the terrorist network, Choudary then sent a series of tweets encouraging Muslims to join an unspecified caliphate. The oath was then posted on an Indonesian website by convicted terrorist Mohammed Fachry, giving the police enough evidence to make an arrest.

The judge who convicted Choudary, Mr Justice Holroyde warned that the cleric would pose a danger in jail and on his release.

He told him at the Old Bailey: 'You show no remorse at all for anything you have said or done and I have no doubt you will continue to communicate your message whenever you can'.

Why was he released?

Choudary was released after only serving half of his prison term because current legislation allows prisoners to serve the second part of their sentence on licence.

Fiyaz Mughal, head of anti-extremist group Faith Matters, who was brought in to speak to Choudary to try and de-radicalise him said the law should be changed.

'He should have served the full term. It's a terrible day for victims of the attacks he has helped incite.

'We need a change in the law so that anyone named as the inciter in two terrorist attacks should automatically serve the full sentence.'

He also said that Choudary actually got worse in prison, more radicalised.

'Choudary was put in containment that stops him engaging with other prisoners, but also given pastoral care to see if they could get through to him,' he said.

'I asked the guy who spoke to him if the de-radicalisation programme had worked and he said, 'No, he's got worse. He's hardened'. He speaks in the mindset of the victim. He sees himself as a martyr the state tried to silence.'

What happens now?

On Friday October 19, at 4am, Choudary was released from Belmarsh Prison in south-east London and taken to his bail hostel.

He is out on licence and will have to stay there for six months. His hostel is located between a primary school and offices, something the locals are furious about.

One neighbour told MailOnline: 'I think it is disgusting that he is here and freed so early given what he is responsible for. It is repugnant to think that this man who inspired terrorists is now living here'. The clerics family lives ten miles away.

A local trader, who asked not to be named, said: 'It is sickening knowing he is so close.

They should find another place for him away from the community. Everyone has heard of him. If he hates this country so much he should be deported.'

Choudary will face 25 licence conditions. He is allowed a TV in his room and a mobile phone, which he must hand over to the authorities on request, but he will not have access to a computer.

He will be subject to electronic tagging; a night-time curfew; a ban on travelling outside the M25; a ban on speaking to the media; a ban on preaching; no unsupervised contact with children, among other restrictions.

It is estimated that the taxpayer cost of the security surrounding Choudary will top 2 million a year; it cost 50,000 to keep him in prison.
It seems 'The Simpsons' has once again been ahead of its time, predicting Canada's free usage of cannabis 13 years before the country's dispensaries ran out of supplies by the second day of legalization.

In a 2005 episode called 'Midnight Rx', filmed during the show's 16th season, the conniving Mr Burns starts a chain reaction making prescription drugs affordable in Springfield, Illinois.

Homer and Grampa Simpson start smuggling cheaper drugs from Manitoba, Canada, and find that they've been lauded as heroes. On one of their future runs, they are joined by Apu and Ned.

In a 2005 episode called 'Midnight Rx', Homer Simpson and his pals journey to Manitoba, Canada, to get cheaper alternatives to their prescription drugs

While in Canada, Ned meets the Canadian version of himself - set with a curly afro - but instantly takes a disliking to him after his counterpart tries to give him a 'reeferino.'

Reeferino appears to be a doobie - also referred to as a joint.

'Its legal here,' Canadian Ned tells his American counterpart. Ned quickly retorts: 'They warned me Satan would be attractive. Let's go!'

The Simpsons has predicted other historic occurrences before, most notably the eventual rise of Donald Trump as president.

The cartoon foretold a Trump presidency in a surreal episode where Bart is given a window into the future - and found a country brought to its knees by financial mismanagement and a crime wave ushered in by The Donald

In Bart to the Future, first aired in March 2000, a fortune teller gave Bart a glimpse of 2030 - just weeks after Trump vacated the White House.

While in Canada, Ned meets the Canadian version of himself but instantly takes a disliking to him after his counterpart tries to give him a 'reeferino'

The United States' neighbor to the north on Wednesday became the first industrialized nation to legalize the drug after a nearly century-long ban

The United States' neighbor to the north on Wednesday became the first industrialized nation to legalize the drug after a nearly century-long ban and a two-year push by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Most pot enthusiasts were exuberant about the end of prohibition, but a few expressed disappointment over not being able to buy the now-legal marijuana on the first day.

Others balked at the relatively high prices - ranging from $5.25 in Canadian dollars in Quebec to $18.99 in Saskatchewan per gram - compared to the black market that saw average prices plunge in the last year to $6.79 per gram.

But by the next day, all of their dispensaries had ran out of pot

In Ontario, Canada's most populated province, 38,000 orders for weed were processed in the first few hours Wednesday, while in neighboring Quebec 42,000 orders were processed in-store and online, smashing all expectations.

Supply shortages were reported in the provinces of Newfoundland and Saskatchewan, as well as in the Arctic territory of Nunavut.

Several online retailers including the Ontario government's pot portal, meanwhile, warned customers to expect shipping delays of up to five days as they worked late into the night filling orders.
President Trump. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump took a brief respite from his campaign to brand Democrats as an angry mob to campaign on behalf of a violent criminal. In the course of endorsing Greg Gianforte, who slammed a reporter to the ground for having the temerity to ask his stance on the Republican health-care repeal bill, the president regaled a supportive crowd last night with an inside look at his thought process at the time of the crime.

I was in Rome, Trump tells the audience, and I heard he body-slammed a reporter! At this point the audience cheers. Trump recounts that he initially met the news with concern  not because he had any ethical problem with assaulting a reporter, but because voters might not like it. I said, Oh, this is terrible, hes going to lose the election. But then, Trump says, he drew upon his deep understanding of the state, and  displaying his professed ability to correctly predict every outcome  quickly realized I know Montana pretty well. I think it might help him. And it did!

President Trump praising Rep. Greg Gianforte for body slamming a reporter, a crime for which Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault. pic.twitter.com/DS1z3YBE0C  Axios (@axios) October 19, 2018

Trumps riff offers some revealing insight into both his own mentality and that of his supporters: They not only view Gianfortes assault as tolerable, a price theyre willing to pay to keep a House seat in Republican hands, but as praiseworthy. Trump is telling Republicans everywhere that they can help gain power and esteem through violence against journalists. His crowds enthusiasm vindicates him.

It also gives a useful perspective on the apparent murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Of course, the amount of violence in the two incidents is very different. But one similarity here is that both attacks represent the analogous thresholds of acceptable violence against journalists in their respective societies. In the U.S., the edge of the boundary of political acceptability is a body slam. In an illiberal kingdom like Saudi Arabia, it takes much more, like torture and murder. In both cases, the event extends the horizon of what can be imagined and tolerated at the moment.

In both cases, the assailants immediately denied their guilt. Gianfortes spokesman offered up a fantastical account of the assault, in which the slender Jacobs, a liberal reporter, aggressively shoved a recorder in Gregs face. Terrified by this attack, Greg then attempted to grab the phone, at which point the journalist escalated his attack: Jacobs grabbed Gregs wrist, and spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground. Also in both instances, the lie was undermined by a third party that possessed audio of the episode. (In Gianfortes case, the local Fox News team witnessed and had audiotape of the entire attack.)

Its also worth considering what Trumps contemporaneous account of his own views of Gianforte last year tell us about his thinking about Khashoggi today. In 2017, after all, Trump did not praise Gianforte for attacking a reporter. House Speaker Paul Ryan expressed his public disappointment at the attack and demanded an apology, and Trumps no-comment allowed Ryans statement to represent the party line.

Today, Trump officially disapproves of the Khashoggi murder. But everything about his body language indicates his disapproval is purely pro forma. Yet he repeatedly indicates the factors that actually weigh on his mind: the Saudis are valuable customers who have treated him well. His concern is not the murder but the worlds response to the murder: This one has caught the imagination of the world, unfortunately, he lamented the other day.

Meanwhile, Trump is helping the Saudis craft a cover story. The alliance will go on, and the unfortunate wave of moral revulsion will be forgotten. In a year from now or so, Trump and Mohammed bin Salman will probably have a good laugh over it.
Saudi Arabia's King Salman is now personally intervening in the Jamal Khashoggi case after being kept in the dark about the crisis by his powerful son's aides, sources have claimed.

The 82-year-old monarch has delegated vast powers to his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, essentially handing him the day-to-day running of the kingdom.

But his 33-year-old heir is facing a battle to contain the fallout from the disappearance of Khashoggi amid claims the journalist was murdered after entering the Saudi embassy in Istanbul on October 2.

So grave is the crisis that King Salman has felt compelled to intervene, five sources with links to the Saudi royal family said.

The revelations emerged as the former head of MI6 said evidence suggests Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince ordered the death of Khashoggi.

The former head of MI6,Sir John Sawers (pictured) has said evidence suggests Saudi's Crown Prince ordered the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Saudi Arabia's King Salman (pictured) is now personally intervening in the Jamal Khashoggi case after being kept in the dark about the crisis, sources have claimed

Sir John Sawers also dismissed as 'blatant fiction' the idea that rogue elements in Saudi's military were behind the disappearance of the writer in Istanbul on October 2.

Sawers, who headed MI6 between 2009 and 2014, said he had based his assessment on conversations with sources in Whitehall coupled with his understanding of Turkey's intelligence services.

He said 'all the evidence points to it being ordered and carried out' by people close to Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler.

Sawers told the BBC Radio 4 show, World at One, that 'I don't think he would have done this if he hadn't thought he had license from the U.S. administration to frankly behave as he wished to do so.'

He added: 'If it is proven, and it looks very likely to be the case, that [Prince Mohammed] ordered the killing of the journalist it is a step too far  one that the UK, the EU and the US are going to have to respond to.'

The 'rogue elements' theory of Khashoggi's disappearance 'simply doesn't hold water,' he said.

Sawyers said the fate of Khashoggi - whom Turkish authorities say was killed inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul - was a wake-up call to the Trump administration about 'just how dangerous it is to have people acting with a sense that they have impunity in their relationship with United States.'

Now Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is facing a battle to contain the crisis - forcing his father to intervene.

Such a development is hugely embarrassing for the young Crown Prince, who has implemented a series of high-profile social and economic reforms since being handed increasing authority to run Saudi Arabia.

The 82-year-old monarch, who rose to the throne in 2015, has delegated vast powers to his son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (pictured shaking hands with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday), essentially handing him the day-to-day running of the kingdom

The Crown Prince is facing a battle to contain the fallout from the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi (pictured) amid claims the journalist was murdered after entering the Saudi embassy in Istanbul on October 2

In 2015, it was reported that King Salman was thought to have 'significant health problems'.

The Washington Post article had initially reported that he was 'widely believed  to suffer from dementia'. But this was later removed by the Post after the Royal Court of Saudi Arabia insisted that King Salman is 'most certainly not suffering from dementia or any other kind of mental impairment.'

Last Thursday, October 11, the king dispatched his most trusted aide, Prince Khaled al-Faisal, governor of Mecca, to Istanbul to try to defuse the crisis.

During Prince Khaled's visit, Turkey and Saudi Arabia agreed to form a joint working group to investigate Khashoggi's disappearance. The king subsequently ordered the Saudi public prosecutor to open an inquiry based on its findings.

'The selection of Khaled, a senior royal with high status, is telling as he is the king's personal adviser, his right hand man and has had very strong ties and a friendship with (Turkish President) Erdogan,' said a Saudi source with links to government circles.

Since the meeting between Prince Khaled and Erdogan, King Salman has been 'asserting himself' in managing the affair, according to a different source, a Saudi businessman who lives abroad but is close to royal circles.

Saudi officials did not immediately respond to Reuters questions about the king's involvement in helping to supervise the crisis. A spokesman for Prince Khaled referred Reuters to government representatives in Riyadh.

Initially the king, who has handed the day-to-day running of Saudi Arabia to his son (pictured), commonly known as MbS, was unaware of the extent of the crisis, according to two of the sources with knowledge of the Saudi royal court

Jamal Khashoggi (right) arriving at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul on October 2. He has not been seen since and Turkey has accused Saudi agents of murdering him

Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and leading critic of Prince Mohammed, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Turkish officials say they believe the Saudi journalist was murdered there and his body removed, allegations which Saudi Arabia has strongly denied.

Initially the king, who has handed the day-to-day running of Saudi Arabia to his son, commonly known as MbS, was unaware of the extent of the crisis, according to two of the sources with knowledge of the Saudi royal court. That was partly because MbS aides had been directing the king to glowing news about the country on Saudi TV channels, the sources said.

That changed as the crisis grew.

'Even if MbS wanted to keep this away from the king he couldn't because the story about Khashoggi's disappearance was on all the Arab and Saudi TV channels watched by the king,' one of the five sources said.

'The king started asking aides and MbS about it. MbS had to tell him and asked him to intervene when Khashoggi's case became a global crisis,' this source said.

Since he acceded to the throne in January 2015, the king has given MbS, his favourite son, increasing authority to run Saudi Arabia. But the king's latest intervention reflects growing disquiet among some members of the royal court about MbS's fitness to govern, the five sources said.

MbS, 33, has implemented a series of high-profile social and economic reforms since his father's accession, including ending a ban on women driving and opening cinemas in the conservative kingdom.

But he has also marginalized senior members of the royal family and consolidated control over Saudi's security and intelligence agencies.

His reforms have been accompanied by a crackdown on dissent, a purge of top royals and businessmen on corruption charges, and a costly war in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives for talks at 10 Downing Street earlier this year

Khashoggi's disappearance has further tarnished the crown prince's reputation, deepening questions among Western allies and some Saudis about his leadership.

'Even if he is his favourite son, the king needs to have a comprehensive view for his survival and the survival of the royal family,' said a fourth Saudi source with links to the royal court.

'In the end it will snowball on all of them.'

Saudi officials did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied any role in Khashoggi's disappearance. But the sources familiar with the royal court said the reaction from the United States, an ally for decades, had contributed to the king's intervention.

'When the situation got out of control and there was an uproar in the United States, MbS informed his father that there was a problem and that they have to face it,' another source with knowledge of the royal court said.

The crown prince and his aides had initially thought the crisis would pass but they 'miscalculated its repercussions', this source said.

Turkish officials have made clear they believe Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate, and two Turkish sources have told Reuters police have audio recordings to back up that assertion.

Today, investigators were trying to pinpoint where his remains may be as members of staff at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul were interrogated.

Investigators are pursuing the possibility the remains were taken to a forest outside Istanbul or to another city after his suspected killing at the consulate earlier this month. Ankara's top diplomat, meanwhile, denied sharing any audio from the Saudi Consulate with US officials.

The official told The Associated Press that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the consulate left the building on October 2, the day Mr Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

One of the vehicles travelled to the nearby Belgrade Forest while the other went to the city of Yalova, across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the secrecy of the ongoing investigation.

It was not immediately clear if police had already searched the areas.

Turkish prosecutors meanwhile, questioned 15 Turkish employees of the consulate, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. They include the consul's driver, technicians, accountants and telephone operators, according to the report.

Earlier, a group of people left the building, got into a van belonging to the Saudi mission and were driven away.

Journalist Jamal Khashoggi, pictured in Switzerland in 2011, went missing after entering the Saudi embassy in early October

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican close to President Donald Trump, on Tuesday accused MbS of ordering Khashoggi's murder and called him a 'wrecking ball' who is jeopardizing relations with the United States. He did not say what evidence he was basing the allegation on.

Trump said on Thursday he presumed Khashoggi was dead but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened. Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: 'Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens.'

Trump has previously said 'rogue killers' may have been responsible and has ruled out cancelling arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars. On Tuesday, Trump said he had spoken with MbS and that the crown prince told him he did not know what had happened in the consulate where Khashoggi went missing.

The case poses a dilemma for the United States, as well as Britain and other Western nations. Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter, spends lavishly on Western arms and is an ally in efforts to contain the influence of Iran.

But in a sign of the damage, a succession of international banking and business chiefs, including IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, JP Morgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon and Ford Chairman Bill Ford, have pulled out of a high-profile investment conference in Saudi Arabia this month.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday also abandoned plans to attend, as did Britain's trade minister and the French and Dutch finance ministers, putting the event in question.

Saudi officials have said they plan to move forward with the conference, scheduled for October 23-25, despite the wave of cancellations.

Neither JP Morgan nor Ford would elaborate on the reasons for the decision not to attend and did not comment on whether concerns about the disappearance of Khashoggi were a factor.

Lagarde had previously said she was 'horrified' by media reports about Khashoggi's disappearance. An IMF spokesperson did not give a reason for her deferring her trip to the Middle East.

Before the king's intervention, Saudi authorities had been striking a defiant tone, threatening on Sunday to retaliate with greater action against the U.S. and others if sanctions are imposed over Khashoggi's disappearance. A Saudi-owned media outlet warned the result would be disruption in Saudi oil production and a sharp rise in world oil prices.

Turkish officials say investigators are assessing the possibility whether Khashoggi's remains may have been taken to the Belgrade Forest (pictured) in the outskirts of Istanbul

'Reaction and threats to the possible sanctions of the last 24 hours were still (coming) from the crown prince,' the businessman close to royal circles said on Monday. 'The king is now holding the file personally ... and the tone is very different.'

The king has spoken directly with Erdogan and Trump in recent days. Both the king and his son met U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when he visited Riyadh on Tuesday.

King Salman, 82, spent decades as part of the inner circle of the Al Saud dynasty, which long ruled by consensus. In four decades as governor of Riyadh, he earned a reputation as a royal enforcer who punished princes who were out of line.

Whether he is willing or able to resume that role in this crisis remains unclear, palace insiders say. One source with links to the royal court said the king was 'captivated' by MbS and ultimately would protect him.

Still, there is precedent for the king's intervention.

He stepped in this year to shelve the planned listing of national oil company Saudi Aramco, the brainchild of MbS and a cornerstone of his economic reforms, three sources with ties to government insiders told Reuters in August. Saudi officials have said the government remains committed to the plans.

And when MbS gave the impression last year that Riyadh endorsed the Trump administration's still nebulous Middle East peace plan, including U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the king made a public correction, reaffirming Riyadh's commitment to the Arab and Muslim identity of the city.

Despite these rare instances of pushback, several of the sources close to the royal family said that King Salman had grown increasingly detached from decisions taken by MbS.

'He has been living in an artificially-created bubble,' said one of the sources. Lately, though, the king's advisers have grown frustrated and begun warning him of the risks of leaving the crown prince's power unchecked.

'The people around him are starting to tell him to wake up to what's happening,' the source said.

Tory MP Rehman Chishti stepped down as an adviser to a think tank based in Riyadh when he became Conservative vice-chairman.

He told Channel 4 News if the reports about Jamal Khashoggi were proved to be true it was 'completely and utterly unacceptable'.

Mr Chishti sidestepped questions over whether he would be happy to work for a Saudi organisation now.

'I don't have time for any other responsibility other than to be the vice-chairman of the Conservative party,' he said.
Julian Assange is set to sue the government of Ecuador claiming that his 'fundamental rights and freedoms' have been violated

The founder of Wikileaks is set to launch legal action against the government of Ecuador claiming that his 'fundamental rights and freedoms' have been violated.

Julian Assange has been in London's Ecuador embassy since 2012, fearing extradition to the United States if he leaves.

The move comes several months after Ecuador cut off communications for Mr Assange, who has been living inside their embassy for over six years.

WikiLeaks lawyer Baltasar Garzon has arrived in Ecuador to launch the case, which is set to be heard in a domestic court next week.

WikiLeaks said Ecuador had threatened to remove the protection Mr Assange has had since being granted political asylum. They added that his access to the outside world had been 'summarily cut off.'

WikiLeaks have also said that the government of Ecuador refused a visit by Human Rights Watch general counsel Dinah PoKempner, who has likened Ecuador's isolation to 'solitary confinement', and had not allowed several meetings with his lawyers.

A statement said: 'Ecuador's measures against Julian Assange have been widely condemned by the human rights community.'

Mr Assange's lawyers said they were also challenging the legality of the Ecuador government's 'special protocol' which makes his political asylum dependent on 'censoring' his freedom of opinion, speech and association.

The protocol also requires journalists, his lawyers and anyone else seeking to see Julian Assange to disclose private or political details.

Mr Assange has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy (pictured) in London since 2012

This can include sharing their social media usernames, the serial numbers and codes of their phones and tablets, with Ecuador - which the protocol says the government may 'share with other agencies'.

The protocol claims the Embassy may seize the property of Mr Assange or his visitors and, without a warrant, hand it over to UK authorities, said the statement.

WikiLeaks said that US congressmen had written an open letter to Ecuador's president, Lenin Moreno, saying that in order to advance 'crucial matters ... from economic co-operation to counternarcotics assistance, to the possible return of a USAID mission to Ecuador, we must first resolve a significant challenge created by your predecessor, Rafael Correa - the status of Julian Assange'.

Pressure has mounted on Ecuador to hand Mr Assange over to the UK, WikiLeaks believes.

It is understood that the theme of the legal action will be on Mr Assange's isolation, ban on visits, speech restrictions, and failure to live up to international obligations.

Earlier this week a document was leaked which showed tensions were growing between Mr Assange and his hosts.

The list included demands for Mr Assange to keep the bathroom clean, take good care of his cat or it will be confiscated and to steer clear of topics that could harm Ecuador's diplomatic interests.

The document also stated that Assange must tell officials the serial number and model of all his devices and will have to pay for his own medical evaluations and food.

Embassy staff said he couldn't use any 'communication equipment' except his computer and mobile phone and reserved the right to seize his equipment.

Mr Assange was also limited to three visitors at once, the document said, adding that they will have to get written permission from the ambassador at least three days in advance.

However the nine-page memo published by Ecuadorean website Codigo Vidrio did reveal that that his WiFi has been restored.

Assange's lawyers rejected the new rules, in place since Saturday 13 October , saying they 'violate international agreements' and 'a prison regime is being imposed on him.'

Mr Assange initially moved into the embassy after he was accused of rape and sexual assault in Sweden, but the investigation was dropped in 2017.

As he breached his bail conditions by seeking Ecuadorian asylum, he could potentially be arrested by UK authorities, and so he remains at the embassy.

Despite an initial warm welcome, the Ecuadorians have reportedly grown increasingly tired of their live-in guest.

It was reported in September that the Ecuador government cut off Assange's phone and internet access earlier this year and banned people visiting him.
Jayme Closs, 13, pictured, the missing Wisconsin teen who was abducted from her home on the day her parents were killed was at home at the time of the shooting

An FBI insider has said that murders of two parents of a Wisconsin teen was a targeted attack and not a random killing.

The FBI says it's expanded its search nationwide for 13-year-old Jayme Closs who went missing earlier this week and whose parents, James and Denise, were shot and killed in their home.

'There is a report that someone allegedly knocked on the door and as the father went to answer it gunfire erupted through the door. That has not been confirmed yet as it's an active investigation,' an FBI source told RadarOnline.com.

'The mother appeared to have barricaded herself in the bathroom and called police,' added the source detailing that she was unable to call 911 before being killed.

It's unclear what happened to Jayme when her parents were shot, but the FBI source said she was home during the altercation and 'the perpetrator had the specific intent to leave the home with Jayme in their possession.'

Authorities say Jayme was in the family's home when her parents, Denise and James Closs, were killed based on evidence from both the scene and from the 911 call

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald speaks during a press conference about 13-year-old Jayme Closs who has been missing since her parents were found dead in their home

Investigators have been searching for 13-year-old Jayme Closs since deputies responding to a 911 call early Monday found her parents dead in their home in Barron

One-hundred volunteers have now joined the search after Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald requested help on Thursday in the hopes of finding clues as to the whereabouts of Jayme who isn't a suspect in her parents' deaths.

Evidence from both the house and from the 911 call indicate Jayme was in the house when her parents  46-year-old Denise and 56-year-old James Closs  were killed.

Fitzgerald said Wednesday that investigators believe she's alive but in danger and he urged the public to continue calling in tips.

A group of volunteers searched the ditches along highway 8, in Barron, Wisconsin near the home where 13-year-old Jayme Closs lived with her parents James, and Denise

100 volunteers took park in the search and police say they have received 800 tips

Wisconsin DNR warden supervisor Russell T Fell selected 100 volunteers to search the ditches

Jayme was first reported missing after officers were summoned to her home in Barron just before 1am on Monday; . The teen is not a suspect in the homicides

Fitzgerald said police have since identified whose cell phone the 911 call came from, and that evidence from the call showed Jayme was inside the house when her parents died

The girl, who was ruled out as a suspect on the very first day, was gone when deputies arrived. The front door to the house was shot in.

The sheriff's office posted on Facebook Thursday afternoon that so far 'nothing of evidentiary value has been recovered.'

The FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are helping in the search.

The sheriff has so far declined to elaborate as to why investigators believe Jayme is not a runaway, saying that disclosing more information would compromise their investigation.

'I'm telling you, Jayme is missing and endangered,' Fitzgerald said.

'We want to bring Jayme home and put that smile back in her family's hands,' he said.

Joan Smrekar said that she heard two gunshots at the home were where the Closs's were killed

Wisconsin DNR warden Supervisor Russell T Fell selected 100 volunteers to search the area

The volunteers were out and about for most of the day looking for clues for the teenager

Community members held a candlelight vigil for Jayme at St Peters Catholic Church in Barron on Tuesday night (pictured)

'Is it a random attack or a targeted attack? I don't know that answer. That's why those leads are so important.'

He said that even though they've received more than 800 tips, none have been of a credible sighting.

Volunteers searched a 20 mile radiance around Jayme's home on Thursday, but did not recover any evidence.

He implored the public to share any suspicions, including any behavioral changes in people they know, no matter how small.

Deputies responding to a 911 call early Monday found Jayme's parents, James and Denise Closs, dead in their home in Barron, a rural community about 80 miles northeast of Minneapolis.

Jayme is described as 5ft and 100 pounds, with green eyes and blond or strawberry-blond hair

No gun was found at the scene but autopsies confirmed that Jayme's parents had been fatally shot. Relatives of the family said that the front door of the home was shot in.

The FBI said Thursday that, 'out of an abundance of caution,' it was sending a digital Missing Person poster to local media partners across the country for display.

More than 100 local and state FBI agents have been working on the case, and officials say hundreds of tips have come in from the community and people around the country.

Jayme is described as standing 5-feet tall, weighing 100 pounds, with green eyes and blonde hair.

Earlier in the week it was revealed that police have recovered the phone used to make a 911 call from inside the home where her parents were found.

Cops say they have since determined who it belonged to but have so far not identified the owner of the phone.

No one was communicating to the dispatcher on the 911 call but 'some kind of disturbance could be heard'.

Authorities responded to a cryptic 911 call early Monday and found the parents of 13-year-old Jayme Closs dead in their home in Barron.
Spain's Prime Minister has said that a Brexit deal on Gibraltar has been done in a rare breakthrough in the crunch negotiations.

Pedro Sanchez said the protocol which sets out the Rock's relationship with its European neighbours 'is already closed with the British government'.

While Spain's foreign minster Josep Borrell said that Spanish negotiators have been told not to change the deal 'over the dead bodies'.

The deal is a rare piece of good news for Theresa May amid growing fears that Britain will crash out of the EU without a deal.

European leaders snubbed her plea for a breakthrough at a Brussels summit on Wednesday and said more progress must be made before a deal can be sealed.

Spain's PM Pedro Sanchez (pictured talking with Theresa May at the EU summit on Wednesday) said the protocol which sets out the Rock's relationship with its European neighbours 'is already closed with the British government'.

While she is facing fury from her MPs in Britain after admitting she is considering extending the Brexit transition deal by months.

There had been fears Spain would seize on Brexit to try to lay claim to Gibraltar - an area on the tip of Spain which has been a British overseas territory since 1713.

Spain has repeatedly tried to claim the land should be theirs, and there had been fears the country would wreak havoc to the territory by slapping the border - which thousands pass easily through every day now - with extra checks.

But speaking at the EU summit in Brussels last night, Mr Sanchez said that a deal on Gibraltar has been draw up and agreed as part of Britain's EU Withdrawal Treaty.

And confirming the news, Mr Borrell said: 'If the Brexit agreement needs to be signed tomorrow, it will be signed and Gibraltar won't be a problem'.

He said that he had ordered Spanish negotiators not to let the protocol be changed 'over their dead bodies.'

Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's First Minister - effectively the territory's PM - addressed Gibraltar's Parliament on the Brexit talks yesterday when he confirmed mch of the deal was in place.

Spain has repeatedly tried to claim Gibraltar (pictured) should be theirs, and there had been fears the country would use Brexit to try to restake their claim

He said: 'I believe that there is genuine reason for optimism that there is no longer any question mark over the inclusion of Gibraltar in any transitional or implementation period.

'There is no longer talk of vetoing Gibraltars inclusion in the transition or implementation period.

'In fact, Mr Speaker, I think it is clear that neither the United Kingdom nor Gibraltar has ever doubted that would be the case.

'Beyond the Protocol, there are also to be a number of sets of practical arrangements reflected in various Memoranda of Understanding.'
A Texas man opened fire on his ex-girlfriend and her best friend during an argument, killing the friend and critically wounding his ex, before turning the gun on himself.

Daniel Outlaw, 35, and Jennifer Lee, 29, died Thursday night during a murder-suicide in Conroe, Texas.

Montgomery County Sheriffs Office deputies responded to a call at about 11.45pm and found Outlaw, Lee, and a second woman lying in the middle of Winchester Drive.

Police arriving at the scene of a domestic disturbance in Conroe, Texas, found three people suffering from gunshot wounds in the middle of the street. Shooter Daniel Outlaw, 35, and Jennifer Lee, 29, died in a murder-suicide, while Outlaw's ex-girlfriend was taken to hospital

A Montgomery County Sheriffs Office deputy taping off what's said to be a large crime scene

Outlaw and Lee were declared dead from apparent gunshot wounds, while the as-yet-unnamed second woman, 28, was taken to the hospital in critical condition, authorities said in a press statement posted on Facebook.

The unnamed woman is said to be Outlaw's ex-girlfriend, while Lee was her best friend, ABC 13 reported.

Police said that there had been a domestic disturbance involving all three people prior to the shooting.

In the middle of the fight, police said that Outlaw pulled out a handgun and shot at the two women multiple times, striking them, before turning the gun on himself.

Police said that the rumor that the ex-girlfriend was pregnant at the time of the shooting was found to be untrue and that authorities are processing the large crime scene, which includes Outlaw's car.

The ex-girlfriend was said to be undergoing emergency surgery Friday.

Police said that Outlaw had pulled out a handgun in the middle of the domestic, shooting at his ex-girlfriend and her best friend, Lee
A couple have been arrested after they were spotted riding a moped with their five-month-old baby between them.

Cane Hartwick, 26, and Athena Colon, 24, were arrested in Fredericksburg, Maryland, after police received calls from concerned passersby who'd spotted the couple.

Reports say they rode with the child for at least six miles and the couple were charged with two counts of felony child neglect.

Police later confirmed that the child suffered a 'very serious rash' - although they are unsure what caused it.

Cane Hartwick, 26, and Athena Colon, 24, were arrested in Fredericksburg, Maryland, after they were spotted riding on a moped with their five-month-old baby between them (pictured)

According to Spotsylvania County Sheriff's office, officers received calls on Wednesday about the couple and the 'very young child' riding as a passenger.

Officers identified Hartwick as the driver, Colon as the passenger and their five-month-old baby as the child.

The child appeared to be precariously balanced between its parent.

Hartwick (left) and Colon (right) were stopped by police after being seen riding with their baby by concerned passersby. They were arrested and have now been charged with two counts of felony child neglect

A passerby took a photo of the family on the moped and it was later shared on social media.

The Department of Social Services and members of the Child Victims Unit responded to the scene to investigate the child's welfare, where the determination was made to arrest the parents.

The child was taken to a local hospital to be treated for a severe rash on his upper torso.

Sherrif Harris from the County Sheriff's office said: 'This is a prime example of how the community and Law Enforcement can work together to ensure the safety of our youth.'
The elementary teacher who gave a tell-all interview mocking senior White House advisor Stephen Miller for being a glue-eating loner is back from having been placed on leave by her school.

Nikki Fiske, 72, who taught Miller in the third grade at Franklin Elementary in Santa Monica, California, had given an interview to the Hollywood Reporter in which she bashed Miller while he was a child.

'I remember he would take a bottle of glue  we didn't have glue sticks in those days  and he would pour the glue on his arm, let it dry, peel it off and then eat it,' she said in the story that ran on October 10, adding that 'He was a strange dude.'

The Los Angeles Times reported that just after a week of being placed on leave, Fiske has been allowed back to her classroom.

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Nikki Fiske was placed on 'home assignment' from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District after giving an interview mocking Stephen Miller as an eight-year-old student

Fiske said Miller was a loner who would isolate himself from classmates and had a penchant for eating dried glue. (Circled is Miller in third grade. Fiske is pictured far right)

After the interview was published, Fiske was placed on 'home assignment' from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, while the California public school system determined whether she had violated any rules about disclosing to the public information about students.

School officials did not reveal whether Fiske had been disciplined, but they did confirm that she had been allowed to continue teaching.

'We have conducted a thoughtful review and we have addressed the matter with the teacher,' a spokesperson for the school district told the LA Times.

If she faced any punishment for her actions, it could have included things like having a warning or letter added to her personnel file or having her 'home assignment' be recorded as a paid suspension.

Fiske has avoided the media and appears to have disabled her Facebook account since the incident.

Miller, 33 (on October 17), is a top policy advisor to Trump, credited with being the mastermind behind controversial policies including the Muslim ban and the arrest of parents who illegally cross the southern border with children

Fiske has been allowed to return to her post at Franklin Elementary School in Santa Monica, California, the same school that she taught Miller at when he was in third grade

In the Hollywood Reporter story, Fiske also said that despite keeping up with his classmates academically, Miller struggled socially.

Fiske said that he was a 'loner,' who had a messy desk and would often isolate himself from classmates.

'Do you remember that character in Peanuts, the one called Pig Pen, with the dust cloud and crumbs flying all around him? That was Stephen Miller at eight,' she said.

Registered Democrat Fiske's Facebook page was filled with liberal sentiments such as support for gun control and comparisons of President Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler.

'Wake up, people who support D. Trump. His administration is an abomination,' she wrote in a post last year.

Miller, 33, is a top policy advisor to Trump and has been seen as the architect of several controversial administration policies, including the entry ban on nationals from certain Muslim-majority countries, and the arrest of parents who illegally cross the southern border with children.

Fiske's interview provoked outrage from some conservatives, who saw a teacher dishing dirt on a former student's childhood as beyond the pale.

Other people who knew Miller (on Oct 9) when he was in third grade have also come forward to discuss his obsession with setting boundaries and fascination with glue as a child

Her comments are, strangely, not the first to be made about Miller's time in third grade.

In June, classmate John Muller wrote a tell-all for Politico about his time in Fiske's classroom with the boy who would go on to help write Trump's inauguration speech.

Muller sat next to Miller, but said the pair were never friends. He, like Fiske, said Miller was difficult to get through to, and even claimed the eight-year-old had divided their table in half to establish a clear boundary.

'He especially was obsessed with tape and glue,' Muller wrote.

'Along the midpoint of our desk, Stephen laid down a piece of white masking tape, explaining that it marked the boundary of our sides and that I was not to cross it.'

The former Harvard lecturer said he found it intriguing that for a child so determined to keep others out of his space, he took no care to maintain that space, and recollected Miller's desk being 'sticky and peeling' with pencils and bits of paper everywhere.

Like Fiske, Muller also recalled Miller's fascination with glue.

'When Stephen wasnt picking at the tape [dividing the desk], he was playing with glue,' he said.

'He liked to pour it into his hands, forming grime-tinted glaciers in the valleys of his palms. Glue thusly in hand, he deployed his deepest powers of concentration to watch these pools harden.'
A former adviser to Hillary Clinton says the failed Democratic presidential candidate could challenge Donald Trump for the Oval Office again in 2020.

Clinton insider Philippe Reines tells Politico, 'Its somewhere between highly unlikely and zero - but its not zero.'

A current spokesman for Clinton did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on the possibility that the former first lady could seek higher office for a third time.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders responded in a tweet that said: 'Christmas coming early this year?'

A former adviser to Hillary Clinton says the failed Democratic presidential candidate could challenge Donald Trump for the Oval Office again in 2020

Clinton insider Philippe Reines says, 'Its somewhere between highly unlikely and zero - but its not zero'

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders responded with a tweet mocking the president's vanquished 2016 opponent

Clinton has been active on Twitter throughout the midterms and has ramped up her media appearances.

'Whatever you do, do something. These midterm elections are our last chance to defend our democracy. Let's win,' she said in a tweet earlier this week.

Her comments have become a thing of mockery for the White House, with Kellyanne Conway ridiculing remarks Clinton made in an interview on civility as 'unfortunate and graceless' and a 'little bit dangerous.'

Trump at a rally in Montana on Thursday night brought up Clinton and called her 'crooked' again as he made fun of her pledges to unify the country.

'It is incredible the deep state where they don't even look at her. It's incredible Think of it. Thirty three thousand e-mails. She gets a subpoena from the United States Congress Forget about all the other things forget about, and you can never forget about Benghazi,' he said. 'Never forget, Benghazi, but forget about all the other things.'

Trump also did a bit on Clinton's email scandal, claiming that the State Department or Department of Justice might be sitting on incriminating messages.

Clinton became a fresh target for the right after she told CNN in an interview, 'You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about.

'That's why I believe, if we are fortunate enough to win back the House and or the Senate, that's when civility can start again.'

Conway, a top adviser to the president and Trump's general election campaign chief, fired back on 'Fox & Friends' in an interview, where she said, 'I think her discourse now is a little bit dangerous. I don't like the implications there.'

'It's one thing to call us deplorable, irredeemable, laugh at people who don't have all the privileges that she has had, with her Ivy League law degree and through her marriage to a much more popular man who was a two-term president that she'll never be,' Conway asserted. 'I don't like that kind of talk, and I avoid it.'

After the interview, Conway charged that Clinton's remarks are 'less inspiring and more inciting' as she spoke to DailyMail.com in front of the White House.

'I know she and her husband are going to go out there and have a 13-stop tour. She needs to be seated next to him, I guess to get the crowds in there,' Conway scoffed.

Donald Trump lost the popular vote to Clinton in 2016 by millions of ballots but won the Electoral College, which as the final say

Clinton beat Trump in the popular vote by nearly three million ballots in 2016. But that's now how presidential elections are decided in America. Oval Office winners are determined by the Electoral College, a weighting mechanism intended to give less populous states an equitable amount of power.

If the ex-senator who resides in New York were to run again, she'd face a considerably more crowded field of candidates than she did the last time that she ran for office.

Vanquished opponent Bernie Sanders, a Vermont senator, could run again, as could former Vice President Joe Biden.

'Its curious why Hillary Clintons name isnt in the mixeither conversationally or in formal pollingas a 2020 candidate' Reines told Politico. 'Shes younger than Donald Trump by a year. Shes younger than Joe Biden by four years. Is it that shes run before? This would be Bernie Sanders second time, and Bidens third time. Is it lack of support? She had 65 million people vote for her.'

Trump has said he'd relish facing any of the also-rans from years past in 2020. He joked recently that he hopes they 'stay healthy' so he doesn't have to campaign against a younger, more viable candidate like California Sen. Kamala Harris.

He has not commented on the prospect of another Clinton challenge, although he routinely relives his election against her at his rallies, where his supporters still chant 'Lock her up!'

Kellyanne Conway ridiculed Hillary Clinton's roadshow as 'unfortunate and graceless' and her rhetoric as a 'little bit dangerous' as she tore into the former presidential candidate for saying it's OK to be uncivil with Republicans in charge of the country

Both Trump and his 2016 campaign manager, Conway, have mocked Clinton as of late for she and her ex-president husband's multi-city speaking extravaganza that begins in November in Las Vegas.

'I don't see all those Democratic candidates banging down Hillary Clinton's door, asking her to lock arms,' she contended. 'Again, she has to go with her husband to do this 13-city tour, $120 million. And I assume that they're not going to donate to some center on women and girls. I don't see her doing that.'

She said: 'I think it's not just unfortunate and graceless, but a little bit dangerous, and I would ask her to check that.'

'I have no idea why she just can't take whatever platform and prestige that she has left and have a little bit more grace and class and try to channel that,' she pondered.

Conway said that Clinton needs to 'tamp down the rhetoric' as she unloaded on the former first lady. She had just finished arguing on Fox that Trump 'has called for civility' and has said 'that he represents all Americans' unlike Clinton who 'offends at least one half of the country' every time she opens her mouth.

'I have a pretty good idea why the Democratic candidates this time aren't asking her to campaign with them, which is rich and ironic,' she said of the mid-term elections. 'And it's one thing to disagree, but you ought to disagree civilly, and her saying you can't be civil to a party that was looking to destroy your ideas is very dangerous. It takes it to a different level.'

Hillary Clinton lashed out this montha at Donald Trump for his scorched-earth speech at a swearing-in ceremony for Brett Kavanaugh. She also refused comparisons of her husband's accusers to the Supreme Court Justice's and told Democrats they don't need to be civil to Trump

The president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, was also on the attack

The president's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, has also attacked Clinton for her interview comments.

'WOW: Hillary Clinton has said there will be no civility in American politics until Democrats are in control. She is threatening continued obstruction, destruction and incivility unless you do what she wants. Democrat agenda is impeachment; Republican making America even greater,' the former New York City mayor tweeted.

President Trump personally ripped into Clinton this month after she called him out in the interview for his scorched-earth speech and apology 'on behalf of our nation' to Brett Kavanaugh at a swearing-in ceremony for the new Supreme Court justice.

Clinton castigated it a 'political rally' that 'undermined' the integrity of the court.

Responding to the comment from his former 2016 rival on Tuesday morning Trump said: 'I guess thats why she lost. She doesnt get it. She never did.'

'I knew that a long time ago. Hillary never got it thats why she lost. Anything else?' he asked reporters in the Oval Office.

At a rally he revisited the topic. Mocking the Clintons' latest money-making venture he said, 'Theyre doing a tour, her and her husband or something. She made a statement, some ridiculous  I said, "Well thats why she lost the election. Shes never gotten it.'

Clinton had lashed out at Trump on over the Kavanaugh event.

'What was done last night in the White House was a political rally. It further undermined the image and integrity of the court,' she said.

'And that troubles me greatly. It saddens me. Because our judicial system has been viewed as one of the main pillars of our constitutional government,' Clinton told CNN.

The former first lady argued that Trump has continually 'insulted, attacked, demeaned women' throughout his career, including when he ran against her, and he's 'been true to form' since he took control of the Oval Office.

'So I don't know how people are going to react to it,' she said of Monday night's speech. 'I think, given our divides, it will pretty much fall predictably between those who are for and those who are against.'

Asked about Clinton's comments about his Brett Kavanaugh 'political rally' earlier this month, Trump said: 'I guess thats why she lost. She doesnt get it. She never did'

She slapped the GOP as an 'ideological party that is driven by the lust for power, that is funded by corporate interest who want a government that does its bidding' in comments in which she claimed that Democrats 'can be civil, but you cant overcome what they intend to do unless you win elections.'

And she outright rejected comparisons of her husband, an admitted adulterer who settled a sex assault case out of court and lost his law licence, to President Trump.

'Bill had to be incredibly strong, first, to get elected, then to get reelected, and to survive. And it was not easy by any means, obviously. But he really believes that Democrats have to be tougher and have to stand up to the bullying and the intimidation,' he stated.

'So, I think Bill has things to say about his own experience and how it applies here. I will, certainly, have a lot to say about whats going on in the world today based on, not only my Secretary of State years, but my travels, and my book, "What Happened," which came out in paperback which has an afterward where I talk about these threats to democracy.'

Hillary and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, are seen here on Oct. 3 in New York City. They are about to headline a multi-city tour together in the U.S. and Canada

Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have committed to headlining a multi-city tour, beginning next month that runs at least through the spring. They're selling tickets to the roadshow that range in price from $70 to $700 at venues in Canada in the United States.

The tour kicks off on Sunday, Nov. 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

They're promoting the events as a 'one-of-a-kind conversation with two individuals who have helped shape our world and had a front seat to some of the most important moments in modern history' and pledging to 'provide a unique perspective on the past, and remarkable insight into where we go from here.'
Australia is set for more political uncertainty as Prime Minister Scott Morrison resigns himself to a minority government ahead of his party's expected defeat in Saturday's blockbuster Wentworth by-election.

In further political turmoil, election favourite and Independent Dr Kerryn Phelps threatened on Friday to potentially support a no-confidence motion in the Government before later backtracking.

Adding to the chaos, doubts have also been raised over Dr Phelps' eligibility to sit in parliament and fears she could be referred to the High Court under section 44 of the Constitution because of her job as a GP.

Polls in Wentworth, in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs, opened at 7.30am on Saturday.

Voters in the formerly safe Liberal seat are voting to elect a replacement for former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who quit politics after being ousted from the top job in a leadership spill.

According to the bookies, Dr Phelps, a City of Sydney councillor and former president of the Australian Medical Association, is a firm favourite at $1.33 while Liberal candidate Dave Sharma is at $3.

According to the bookies, Dr Kerryn Phelps (pictured), a City of Sydney councillor and former president of the Australian Medical Association, is a firm favourite for Saturday's Wentworth by-election

Less than two-months in the top job Mr Morrison (pictured) has been forced to prepare for a minority government as the coalition could lose their one-seat majority

Dr Phelps said she was keeping her options open but strengthened her threat to support a no-confidence motion on Friday.

'I think we've seen enough recklessness and chaos,' she said.

'In terms of a no confidence motion, I think it would be reckless to make any kind of prediction about that without knowing what the circumstances might be.'

Dr Phelps quickly backtracked on the idea and instead claimed she would support the coalition to finish their term, the Daily Telegraph reported.

'I've said that I think governments should serve their full term and there is an election in the middle of next year and that's when the Australian people should decide who their next government should be,' she said.

'Why would I go through all this now only to have to turn around to do it all again?'

In a last minute plea before eastern suburbs locals head to the booths, Mr Morrison said a minority government would have grave consequences for the economy and urged residents to vote for Liberal candidate Dave Sharma (pictured)

Dr Phelps said she was keeping her options open but strengthened her threat to support a no-confidence motion on Friday

Dr Phelps could face the High Court due to section 44 of the Constitution which prohibits candidates who have an 'office of profit under the crown', The Australian reported.

Labor had previously attempted to refer Peter Dutton under the same section because he is the beneficiary of a family trust that operates a childcare centre which receives money in the form of the Child Care Subsidy.

Despite this, Dr Phelps claims she received legal advice and was confident no s. 44 would cause no further concern.

Less than two-months into his new role Mr Morrison has been forced to prepare for a minority government as the Liberals could lose their one-seat party majority.

In a last minute plea before eastern suburbs locals head to the booths, Mr Morrison said a minority government would have grave consequences for the economy, The Australian reported.

'We can't put that (the economy) at risk. This is the appeal we are making. I know people are angry about what happened (the leadership spill), I get it. But we need to now put it behind us  it is now about something bigger than that,' Mr Morrison said.

'It's only been eight weeks (since the leadership spill), I'm just getting started... I have a lot more to do.'

The desperate plea came after the Prime Minister admitted he was dubious the Liberals would hold onto the historically dominant seat.

Mr Morrison said he understood voters could be angered and outraged by Mr Turnbull's axing as Prime Minister in August but warned there would be 'unnecessary uncertainty' if Mr Sharma loses to Dr Phelps.

Mr Sharma, a former Australian ambassador to Israel, is running on 45 per cent of the two-party preferred vote compared to 55 per cent for Dr Phelps, internal Liberal Party polling suggests.

The Liberal candidate said the 'unique circumstances' that sparked the vote meant the election was going to be close.

Dr Phelps (pictured) quickly backtracked on the support of a no-confidence motion and instead claimed she would support the coalition to finish their term

'This is a choice for voters: Do they want to keep a one-seat majority government in Canberra with strong economic credentials and a reform agenda?' Mr Sharma said.

The Saturday poll could make history as the seat in Sydney's east is a renowned 'safe' blue-ribbon seat having been held by the Liberals since the party's inception in 1944.

The seat became vacated by former Primer Minister Malcolm Turnbull following the dramatic leadership spill in August.

Mr Turnbull won Wentworth at the last election in 2016 with a 17.7 per cent margin.

Labor leader Bill Shorten has not visited Wentworth once during the campaign.

The opposition leader hopes Dr Phelps will finish ahead of his candidate Tim Murray so she can receive preferences to ruin Mr Morrison's chance of a governing majority.
Billionaire James Packer has revealed how his dream to become a politician was crushed by his father Kerry.

In a new biography, Mr Packer said he was approached by businessman and party powerbroker Michael Kroger to run for pre-selection in the blue-ribbon seat of Kooyong in Melbourne's east in 1994.

In The Price of Fortune: The Untold Story Of Being James Packer, he told how he had 'always been interested in politics'.

James Packer, pictured here with model and socialite Kylie Lim, has revealed his parliamentary ambitions in a new biography

Mr Packer (pictured) said in his new biography The Price of Fortune: The Untold Story Of Being James Packer, he told how he had 'always been interested in politics'

'In the early 90s I had become good friends with Michael Kroger. When Andrew Peacock announced his retirement from politics, Kroger encouraged me to run for pre-selection,' Mr Packer said.

Mr Packer said he was 'interested' in running for the seat but according to The Australian he revealed he was persuaded not to enter the political game by his father Kerry Packer and former Labor Senator Graham Richardson.

The billionaire said his father thought the tilt at federal politics 'was a seriously bad idea'.

In a revealing excerpt from the book, Mr Packer revealed the words exchanged between his father and Mr Richardson as they discussed the possible career move.

Mr Richardson had told aspiring politician Mr Packer he agreed with his father that politics was not a good move.

'I especially remember him saying words to the effect of, ''You don't realise what (then primer minister) Paul Keating would do to you. He would tear you limb to limb and then spit you out,' he said.

James Packer said he was approached by businessman and Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger in 1994 and encouraged to run for pre-selection in the Melbourne seat of Kooyong but he was eventually dissuaded by his father Kerry Packer (pictured)

A run at parliament would have made James Packer the latest member of the Packer family to be directly involved in policy-making (he is pictured right with former Liberal Party deputy leader Julie Bishop, left, and her partner in 2015)

Former federal treasurer Peter Costello also said in the book how he strongly advised Mr Packer not to run for pre-selection, calling it a 'stupid idea'.

A run at parliament could have made him the latest member of the Packer family to be directly involved in policy-making.

His uncle Clyde Packer was an Liberal Party MP in New South Wales.

Despite deciding against the move, Mr Packer joined the Liberal Party to back Malcolm Turnbull's pre-selection for Wentworth - the seat currently at the centre of a fierce by-election campaign - in 2003.
Law enforcement officials at the University of California-Los Angeles are asking the public for help in locating a man accused of sexual assault.

The victim told police that she was sexually assaulted on October 12 just after midnight while attending a fraternity party.

Her identity is not being revealed at this time given the nature of the crime.

Wanted: UCLA Police are trying to locate a man who is accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a fraternity party last week and then fleeing the scene (suspect above)

Hot line: Any person with information regarding this incident should contact the UCPD Detectives at 310-825-1491 and refer to Report #18-2077

The suspect then fled the scene according to the victim.

A report was filed in the immediate aftermath of the alleged assault, and on Wednesday police also released images of the suspect.

Police say they are not releasing the name of the fraternity where the assault took place at this time while they are still investigating the incident.

The suspect is a male who is believed to be of Persian of Indian descent adnd between the ages of 18 and 23.

Police believe his height is approaxiate 5ft 7in to 5ft 11in and say his is of medium build with black hair and brown eyes.

He had a short beard on the night of the alleged attack, when he was seen wearing a t-shirt with a tuxedo photo on it and black pants.

Any person with information regarding this incident should contact the UCPD Detectives at 310-825-1491 and refer to Report #18-2077.
Theresa May faces new warnings of a party coup today after she signalled in Brussels the Brexit transition could eventually be extended.

The Prime Minister has lived under the threat of a no confidence vote ever since she threw away the Tory majority in a snap election.

A leadership contest will be called either if Mrs May quits or she loses a confidence vote. A confidence vote can be called by as few as 48 Tory MPs - though 158 would have to vote against her to oust her.

These are the leading contenders to replace her:

Boris Johnson

Rated as second favourite by the bookies, Boris Johnson's (pictured at Tory conference earlier this month) biggest challenge will be navigating the Tory leadership rules

How did they vote on Brexit?

Led the Vote Leave campaign alongside Michael Gove.

What is their view now?

Hard line Brexiteer demanding a clean break from Brussels. The former foreign secretary is violently opposed to Theresa May's Chequers plan and a leading voice demanding a Canada-style trade deal.

What are their chances?

Rated as second favourite by the bookies, Mr Johnson's biggest challenge will be navigating the Tory leadership rules. He may be confident of winning a run-off among Tory members but must first be selected as one of the top two candidates by Conservative MPs.

Sajid Javid

Sajid Javid (pictured in Downing Street on Tuesday) is probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain but kept a low profile in the referendum.

What is their view now?

Pro delivering Brexit and sceptical of the soft Brexit options.

What are their chances?

Probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary. Mr Javid has set himself apart from Mrs May on a series of policies, notably immigration.F

Favourite with several of the bookies at around 5-1.

Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt's (pictured in London on Monday) stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain.

What is their view now?

The Foreign Secretary claims the EU Commission's 'arrogance' has made him a Brexiteer.

What are their chances?

Another top contender inside Cabinet, Mr Hunt's stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation. Widely seen as a safe pair of hands which could be an advantage if the contest comes suddenly.

Rated around 8-1 by the bookies.

David Davis

David Davis (pictured last month at a Brexiteer policy launch) is seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave.

What is their view now?

Leave and a supporter of scrapping Mrs May's plan and pursuing a Canada-style trade deal with the EU.

What are their chances?

The favoured choice of many hard Brexiteers. Seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary. He could be promoted a caretaker to see through Brexit before standing down.

Unlikely to be the choice of Remain supporters inside the Tory Party - and has been rejected by the Tory membership before, in the 2005 race against David Cameron.

Rated around 11-1 by the bookies.

Amber Rudd

Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Amber Rudd (pictured at Tory conference earlier this month) is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain. Represented Britain Stronger in Europe in the TV debates.

What is their view now?

Strongly remain and supportive of a second referendum - particularly given a choice between that and no deal.

What are their chances?

Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Ms Rudd is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal. Badly hampered by having a tiny majority in her Hastings constituency and would not be able to unite the Tory party in a sudden contest over the Brexit negotiation.

Out to 50-1 among many bookies.

Dominic Raab

Newly installed as Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab (pictured in Downing Street on Tuesday) is trying to negotiate Theresa May's Brexit deal

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave, with a second tier role campaigning for Vote Leave.

What is their view now?

Newly installed as Brexit Secretary to replace David Davis, Mr Raab is trying to negotiate Theresa May's Brexit deal.

What are their chances?

Made a well received speech at Tory conference and seen as performing well in the job of Brexit Secretary. There was a broad view Mr Raab's arrival in Cabinet was well overdue, partly because he was not personally favoured by Mrs May.

Rated around 10-1 at the bookies.

Penny Mordaunt

Possible dark horse in the contest, Penny Mordaunt (pictured in Downing Street on Tuesday) is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave

What is their view now?

Leave and subject of persistent rumour she could be the next to quit Cabinet over Mrs May's Brexit deal.

What are their chances?

Possible dark horse in the contest, Ms Mordaunt is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster. She has been encouraged to join the Cabinet revolt over the Brexit plans.

Bookies rate her around 16-1.
Britain's former head spy today said Russia only mounted the Salisbury novichok attack because the country was 'weak and isolated' after voting for Brexit.

Sir John Sawers, a former MI6 chief, said Moscow would not have dared strike against a German or American city.

But MPs branded the remarks 'abject and utter nonsense' and said Britain's allies rallied to the country's defence by expelling 150 Russians as pay back.

Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were left fighting for their lives after being poisoned by agents from the GRU military intelligence squad.

While British mother-of-three Dawn Sturgess, 44, was killed after finding and spraying herself with the perfume bottle used to carry the deadly novichok.

Sir John Sawers, a former MI6 chief (file picture, of Mr Sawers leaving Downing Street) said Moscow would not have dared strike against a German or American city

Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia (pictured together) were left fighting for their lives after being poisoned by agents from the GRU military intelligence squad

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's World At One programme, Sir John said: 'They thought they could pick on Britain and bully us because we were looking weak.

'Actually Theresa May and her Government responded very strongly and forcefully to the Skripal attack but it was only because we were able to carry our European partners, the Americans and others, with us.

'It was through engagement with others that we were able to push back and have a credible response to the Skripal attack.'

The Government and Britain's intelligence community said that Russia carried out the strike in Salisbury in march this year.

What is the Novichok nerve agent used against the Skripals? Novichok was secretly developed by the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold war in the 1970s and 1980s. Communist scientists developed the poison so it would not be able to be detected by Nato's chemical detection equipment. They come in the form of a ultra-fine powder, Novichok is up to eight times more potent than the deadly VX gas. Victims who are poisoned by the powder suffer muscle spasms, breathing problems and then cardiac arrest. There is a known antidote to the nerve agent - atropine can block the poison. But doctors find it very tricky to administer the antidote because the dose would have to be so high it could prove fatal for the person. Advertisement

The Kremlin have furiously denied any involvement in Salisbury - and even suggested that the whole tragedy could have been staged by Britain.

But Britain and more than 20 allies around the world expelled more than 100 Russian diplomats as they hit back at the Kremlin over the brazen attack.

And the two agents behind the strike were unmasked as GRU agents Dr Alexander Mishkin and Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga.

Sir John warned in future Britain's diplomatic leverage would be weakened as it heads out of the EU in March 2019.

'Our strength in the world has come from our ability to work with both the United States and our European partners,' he said.

'The more influence we have with the European Union, the more weight we have with America and vice versa.

'The Americans are to some extent walking away from their relationship with Europe, the transatlantic relationship, and we are walking away from the European Union. The West is fragmented.'

He added: 'What we are doing is losing traction both in Washington and in Europe, and that will make Britain less influential on the world stage.'

But Tory MPs hit back at his controversial remarks.

Conservative Jack Lopresti, a leading Brexiteer, said: 'What abject and utter nonsense, Sir John really should know better.

Theresa May (pictured at the EU summit in Brussels today with Donald Tusk) has said that Russia was to blame for the Salisbury attack and rallied support among the international community which saw 150 diplomats expelled worldwide

'The UK is a leading member of NATO, and we are one of the worlds highest defence spenders and have a unique relationship with the United States.

'The first duty of any government is defence of the realm and protection of our people.

This will not be diminished in any way once we have left the European Union. To suggest Brexit has encouraged Putin is ridiculous.'

Tory MP Mark Francois, who sits on the defence select committee, told MailOnline: 'If this was what the Russians thought then they massively miscalculated.

'The mass expulsions of over 150 Russian diplomats by Britain's allies around the world, including in both Europe and the United States, shows that we were anything but isolated - in fact, completely the reverse.

'When we were attacked our allies from around the globe came rapidly to our aid. So this proves, empirically, that we were not isolated and our friends stood by us.'
Jacey Romano was arrested on Tuesday for carrying a weapon on school property

An 18-year-old student was arrested after she brought a knife to school  and told teachers she had it to snort cocaine off.

Jacey Romano was arrested on Tuesday for carrying a weapon on school property, police said.

Romano had a pocket knife with her when she arrived on the bus to West Greenville School in Greenville, South Carolina, KSBW 8 reports.

When staff at the school asked her why she had the knife, Romano told them she snorted cocaine off it.

She also said used the knife had snorted eight lines of the drug before school and that her heart was racing, according to the station.

The knife was detected just after 9am after Romano, of Piedmont, got off the bus and entered the school, according to WSPA.

A metal detector wand went off during routine metal detection searches that are done at the school by staff.

Romano was then taken into a room so a search could be carried out.

Romano had a pocket knife with her when she arrived on the bus to West Greenville School (pictured)

She was charged with carrying a weapon on school property and suspended from school indefinitely.

Beth Brotherton, a spokesman for Greenville Co. School, told WSPA that West Greenville School is a special school for students with emotional, behavioral and mental health challenges.

She said it has tighter security than most schools as well as additional mental health counseling and other support services.
Mohamed Sayem faces a felony resisting arrest charge after he was beaten up and handcuffed by Orange County Deputy Michael Devitt on August 18

Shocking newly released police dashcam footage shows a California cop brutally punching a drunk motorist in the face and pummeling him to the ground before his arrest.

Orange County Sheriff Deputies Michael Devitt and Eric Ota arrested Mohamed Sayem for misdemeanor public intoxication on the morning of August 19.

Sayem was charged with a felony of resisting arrest and has pleaded not guilty.

However the police dashcam footage is casting doubts on whether Sayem did resist arrest at all.

The video reveals Deputy Devitt initiating the physical confrontation and using excessive force on Sayem without physical provocation.

The clip begins with Devitt and Ota waking up Sayem who is slouched in the driver's seat of his car seemingly intoxicated and parked in a Stanton parking lot.

Police dashcam footage has cast doubts on Deputy Michael Devitt's report that Sayem assaulted him as it shows Devitt threw him out of the car and repeatedly punched him in the face

In the shocking video Sayem appears to be drunk and says 'Don't touch me' leading Deputy Devitt, above, to grab his arm and pull him out of the vehicle

Once Sayem was dragged out of his car on August 18, Devitt started to throw punches at him

Beating: He repeatedly struck him in the face and Sayem never fought back or reacted

Devitt gets increasingly agitated with Sayem when he fails to show his identification and tries to get out of the car. The deputy eventually loses his patience and says 'Stay in the car dude. Listen bro it's five o'clock in the morning I don't have time for this' leading Sayem to laugh.

Then Devitt pushes Sayem back into his seat leading him to say 'Don't touch me like that'.

That's when Devitt grabs Sayem's arm and pulls him completely out of the vehicle and once he's standing he starts to hit him square in the face, repeatedly throwing left hooks into his jaw.

Sayem doesn't react and begins to fall to the ground. Ota runs to help Sayem onto the ground and doesn't say anything to his peer throwing the punches.

The officer then asks Sayem if he's even been arrested before and if he's on parole.

Sayem replies saying he was arrested before.

When further questioned Sayem asks 'Are you going to shoot me?'

'No,' Devitt answers. Ota adds he'd 'like to'.

The clip ends with Sayem saying: 'Come on, bro, really? Really?'

A photo of Sayem following the incident shows his bloody cuts and bruises to his temple and mouth.

Devitt claimed in the incident report and in a follow-up interview with his supervisor that Sayem assaulted him after he was found intoxicated in his Jeep, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Devitt pummeled him to the ground and handcuffed him. Sayem asked him: 'Are you going to shoot me?' Devitt replied 'No' while his colleague Deputy Eric Ota said 'like to'

Sayem never hit back as Devitt punches him square in the face and the jaw in the video

Devitt told his supervisor that the two got into a physical struggle, even though the video shows that Devitt himself initiated it. Sayem pictured on the ground

Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders said that his account contradicts the video footage recorded on police dashboard cameras in a motion seeking Devitt's personnel files.

Sanders alleges Devitt made up the details of Sayem's violence to justify his use of excessive force. He claimed Sayem 'tried to bear hug on me'.

'I used my left hand and pushed his face in an effort to create some space between us. He did not let go of my vest and continued to physically struggle. Due to his aggressive demeanor, and the fact he was already resisting, I believed Sayem was going to continue to try and physically assault me,' Devitt wrote in his report.

'He unjustifiably used very significant violence against my client, and he knew he did it without justification,' Sanders said on Thursday.

'His answer was to make my client a felon for the rest of his life, so he doesnt get held accountable for his act of violence,' he added.

The Orange County Sheriff's Department said 'a review of the full video indicates that the deputy made every attempt to deescalate the situation and provide the subject multiple opportunities to simply provide his identification,' in a statement on Thursday.

'The subject refused to do so and attempted to physically engage the deputy, during which the deputy used force appropriate for the situation,' it added.

'I think that this agency believes they have impunity. Folks are not standing up to them, and theyre not being punished. Theyre completely fearless. Theres something at the core thats very wrong with whats going on here,' Sanders said.
U.S. President Donald Trump raised some eyebrows for his recent praise of a U.S. Representative who attracted international notoriety over a 2017 incident.

At an October 18, 2018 rally in Missoula, Montana, Trump hailed Greg Gianforte as a great guy even though he previously pled guilty to assaulting a political reporter in 2017, just days after winning a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

But just who is Greg Gianforte? Heres a look at the Montana congressman.

Greg Gianforte pled guilty to assaulting The Guardian journalist Ben Jacobs back in June 2017

Who is Greg Gianforte?

Greg Gianforte is an entrepreneur and politician who currently serves as the Republican U.S. Representative for the at-large congressional district for the state of Montana. In 2017, he attracted international attention after assaulting a political reporter for The Guardian.

He was born in San Diego, California on April 17, 1961.

Gianforte grew up in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1983 with a bachelors degree in electrical engineering and a masters degree in computer science.

He cofounded the software company Brightwork Development in 1986 and later sold it to McAfee Associates in 1994. After relocating to Montana, he established RightNow Technologies, which went public in 2004 and was later sold to the Oracle Corporation in 2011 for 1.5 billion (1.1b).

Gianforte soon decided to enter politics, launching a campaign in 2016 for the governorship of Montana, though he was ultimately narrowly defeated by the incumbent Democratic Governor Steve Bullock.

Shortly after Montanas at-large U.S. Representative Ryan Zinke was named by US President Donald Trump to be his choice for U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Gianforte announced his candidacy for his seat in a special election slated to take place on May 25, 2017.

After being selected as the official Republican Party nominee on March 6, he began campaigning in earnest across the state but generated immense controversy just one day before the special election after being accused of assaulting Ben Jacobs, a political reporter for The Guardian.

Gianforte ultimately won the election but pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor assault charges, ultimately being ordered to pay a fine, attend anger management courses and perform community service.

He was sworn in to the US House of Representatives on June 21, 2017.

How old is Greg Gianforte?

Greg Gianforte is 57 years old.

He was born on April 17, 1961.

Gianforte has been a strong supporter of Donald Trump since assuming office on June 21, 2017

Who is Greg Gianfortes wife?

Greg Gianfortes wife is Susan Gianforte.

The couple, who live in Bozeman, Montana, were married in 1989 and have four children together.

What is Greg Gianfortes net worth?

Greg Gianfortes net worth is reportedly estimated to be as high as $315 million (241.5m), making him one of the wealthiest members of the United States Congress.

How does Greg Gianforte make his money?

Gianforte draws much of his staggering wealth from his success as an entrepreneur in the private sector.

He established Brightwork Development, a software firm, in 1986 and later sold it to McAfee Associates in 1994 for $10 million (7.6m) with his business partners.

Gianforte later founded RightNow Technologies in 1997, which he eventually sold to the Oracle Corporation in 2011 for a staggering $1.5 billion (1.1b).

Trump praised Greg Gianforte as a 'great guy' at an October 18, 2018 rally in Missoula, Montana

Greg Gianforte journalist assault incident

On May 24, 2017, just one day before the U.S. House special election in Montana, a political reporter for The Guardian, Ben Jacobs, said that Gianforte assaulted him by bodyslamming him to the ground, breaking his glasses in the process.

The Gianforte campaign initially disputed the allegations, though the release of an audio recording of the incident and other reporters present at the scene corroborated Jacobss account.

Gianforte was cited for misdemeanor assault and was ordered to appear in court. Three of the largest newspapers in Montana, including the Billings Gazette, the Independent Record and the Missoulian, all rescinded their endorsements of Gianforte while Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and other members of Congress called on Gianforte to apologize.

After winning the special election on May 25, he apologized to Jacobs during his acceptance speech and later issued a handwritten apology to the reporter on June 7. Gianforte also donated $50,000 (38,357) to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

On June 12, he pleaded guilty in court to misdemeanor assault charges and was subsequently sentenced to 40 hours of community service, a 180-day deferred sentence, 20 hours of anger management and a $300 (230) fine along with a court fee of $85 (65), also apologizing to Jacobs again in the courtroom.

At an October 18, 2018 rally in Missoula, Montana, U.S. President Donald Trump once again brought up the incident, praising Gianforte for assaulting Jacobs, saying he had nothing to be embarrassed about and was my kinda guy.

'He's a great guy. Tough cookie, Trump said of Gianforte.
A North Carolina man said he told a dying state trooper that he would be 'fine' after the officer had been fatally shot during a traffic stop.

Hilton Cox said that he found NC Highway Patrol trooper Kevin Conner lying in the road after he was leaving a Columbus County convenience store on Wednesday morning. He immediately called 911.

'I told him everything will be OK. It will be fine. He would make it through this,' Cox explained to ABC-11.

Hilton Cox said that he found NC Highway Patrol trooper Kevin Conner lying in the road after he was leaving a Columbus County convenience store

The 38-year-old trooper had pulled over a speeding pickup on Highway 701 when the driver 'fired several shots' on Wednesday night

'A truck driver stopped. Turned out he worked with military EMTs. The trooper was still gasping for air. He was still breathing and still had a good pulse. Then the sheriff showed up.'

Raheem Davis, the 20-year-old driver of the pickup, fled the scene but was arrested without incident

Cox - who is married with two children - admitted that the officer's death shook him and has made it difficult for him to sleep.

'I've seen him around, you know, small county,' Cox added. 'Everybody tells me he was a nice guy. It puts a burden on me, but I'm glad they caught the guy. That helps me out a little bit.'

The 38-year-old trooper had pulled over a speeding pickup on Highway 701 when the driver 'fired several shots,' according to a news release from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

The 11-year veteran was hit by two of the shots - one in the eyebrow and the other in the torso - according to WITN.

Raheem Davis, the 20-year-old driver of the pickup, fled the scene but was arrested without incident, WECT-TV reports.

Authorities stated that Davis had stolen the vehicle but that the trooper wasn't aware of this

Authorities stated that Davis had stolen the vehicle but that the trooper wasn't aware of this.

A GoFundMe has been set up for the trooper's family and has raised just over $5450 of its $50,000 total.

'Trooper Conner was well known, respected, and will always be remembered for the joy he had for living,' the listing said.
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Palestinian protesters launched flaming kites and incendiary balloons towards Israel today in a fresh outbreak of violence in Gaza which left 130 people injured.

Thousands of Palestinians massed along the border on Friday in a protest co-ordinated by Hamas which saw some demonstrators breach the perimeter fence.

It came in spite of Egypt's efforts to reach a lasting cease-fire between the territory's militant Hamas rulers and Israel.

Hamas praised the turnout as a challenge to Israel, which was mulling a large-scale military response after a rocket was fired from Gaza on Wednesday and destroyed a house in southern Israel.

Palestinian demonstrators burn tyres in response to Israeli soldiers' intervention during a demonstration within the "Great March of Return" near Al Bureij Refugee Camp on the Gaza-Israel border on Friday

Disabled Palestinian demonstrator Sabir al-Askar throws rocks using a slingshot during the latest protests on Friday

A protester shows his bloody hand while helping a wounded youth as others burn tires near the fence of the Gaza Strip border

A Palestinian protester drags a tyre to be burnt during a demonstration near the border with Israel today

Incendiary balloons attached to a drone are launched towards Israel in fresh protests along the perimeter fence today which left 77 demonstrators shot and injured, according to Hamas

A disabled Palestinian tries to remove Israeli wire during the latest protest calling for lifting the Israeli blockade on Gaza, which came in spite of Egyptian efforts to broker a cease-fire

A wounded Palestinian is evacuated during the protest on Friday at which large crowds gathered along the Gaza border in what Hamas called a 'challenge to Israel'

Israeli soldiers are seen on their side of the border with the north-east of the Gaza strip after checking one of the incendiary devices launched by Palestinian protesters

Gaza's Health Ministry reported at least 130 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire on Friday and six of them were in serious condition.

'The Israeli enemy's threats have effectively motivated the crowds to participate powerfully in the protest,' said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, which has staged the protests since March.

Hamas has said the weekly protests will continue until there is an easing of the Egyptian-Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave.

The large attendance was a test to Egypt's efforts to push Hamas into scaling down the protests and rein in marchers who venture out to the fence and breach it, triggering deadly Israeli fire.

At least 156 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the protests began more than six months ago, and an Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper.

Today protesters burnt tires and threw rocks with slingshots toward the heavily guarded fence.

Hamas' al-Aqsa TV aired footage of Palestinians climbing over the fence and others breaching it and entering into Israeli territory. Others used cutters to tear down parts of the barrier.

Israeli forces showered the demonstrators with tear gas and occasionally live fire.

In the southern Gaza Strip, an aircraft hit a group of Palestinians launching flaming kites and balloons toward Israel near one protest location, the Israeli military said.

Earlier on Friday, the United Nations' Mideast peace envoy urged Israel and the Palestinians to exercise restraint ahead of the protests.

A Palestinian protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask stands in the smoke billowing from burning tyres during a demonstration near the border with Israel on Friday

An Israeli soldier stands in front of balloons released by Palestinians protesters near Nahal Oz, facing the Gaza neighborhood of Shajaeih, during the latest Friday demonstration today

Smoke plumes rise from burning tyres as Palestinian protesters gather during a demonstration along the border fence today in the latest protest against the Israeli military blockade

Palestinian demonstrators, some of them wearing masks and holding flags, take cover next to Israeli wire during a protest calling for lifting the Israeli blockade on Gaza on Friday

Israeli soldiers taking position during clashes with Palestinian protesters across the border as smoke billows from burning tyres during the latest demonstration along the perimeter fence

A picture taken from the Israeli side of the border with the northeast of the Gaza Strip shows Israeli soldiers taking position during clashes with Palestinian protesters

'In light of today's planned Gaza march, I urge all to exercise restraint, to proceed in a peaceful manner, and to avoid escalation,' Nickolay Mladenov said in a statement.

'The U.N. is working with Egypt and its partners to avoid violence, address all humanitarian issues and support reconciliation.'

Egyptian intelligence officials met with Hamas and Israeli officials on Thursday in efforts to broker a cease-fire and ease months of deadly border protests.

Egypt and the U.N. have attempted to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas for weeks in a bid to ease tensions in the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Hamas has said protests will not stop until the blockade - imposed after the Islamic group seized control of Gaza in 2007 in an armed coup - is eased.

The protests have intensified in recent weeks as Egyptian and U.N. cease-fire negotiations have faltered, and cross-border violence earlier this week has brought tensions to a simmer.

On Wednesday, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip destroyed a house in the Israeli city of Beersheba in the worst bout of violence in recent weeks. Israel retaliated with airstrikes and has beefed up its military forces along the border.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet resolved to retaliate more severely to cross-border attacks, but has thus far refrained from further action, suggesting it was giving the Egyptians a chance to restore calm.

An Israeli soldier is seen after having inspected balloons released by Palestinians protesters near Nahal Oz, facing the Gaza neighborhood of Shajaeih

Palestinians protest at the Gaza side of the the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, in what Hamas described as a 'challenge to Israel', seen from the Israeli side of the border

An Israeli tank drives near the border on the Israeli side of the border during the protests today

Palestinian demonstrators burn tyres and throw rocks with slingshots in response to Israeli soldiers' intervention during what they call the 'Great March of Return' demonstrations
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will take part in a anti-terror meeting in Saudi Arabia with Saudi security bigs despite the uproar over the alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

The meeting, which will include figures from the same security service linked to Khashoggi's disappearance, is separate from the 'Davos in the Desert' economic summit Mnuchin announced he was skipping after a parade of corporate and media figures backed out.

The Terrorist Financing Targeting Center in Riyadh Mnuchin would still attend would include security service members, the Washington Post reported, citing people familiar with Mnuchin's plans.

Mnuchin announced he would skip the other event following a White House meeting with President Trump, who has been criticized for his efforts to explain the Saudi position since Khashoggi disappeared Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin caved to pressure on Thursday and said he would join a slew of CEOs in dropping out of a Saudi investment conference

Reporting since then has indicated members of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman security detail and Saudi intelligence services were part of a 15-man team that allegedly flew in into the country and killed Khashoggi.

The Treasury Department didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The moves comes after Mnuchin caved to pressure on Thursday and said he would join a slew of CEOs in dropping out of a Saudi investment conference.

'Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia,' Mnuchin said.

Mnuchin had been under intense pressure to drop out of the conference that the White House had cast as intrinsic to their effort to dry up funds for terrorists.

He had maintained until Thursday that he would participate, in spite of Turkish assurances that Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi was not missing but had been kidnapped and murdered by a Saudi Arabian hit squad.

The Dow fell sharply after Mnuchin revealed he was bowing out of the financial event Thursday. It dropped 327 points, or 1.3 per cent, throughout the whole day, but the slide accelerated as the news surfaced.

Mnuchin had been under intense pressure to drop out of the conference that the White House had cast as intrinsic to their effort to dry up funds for terrorists

The Dow fell sharply after Mnuchin revealed he was bowing out of the event. It dropped 327 points, or 1.3 per cent, throughout the whole day, but the slide accelerated as the news surfaced

After a meeting with Trump and the secretary of state, who was fresh off a trip to both nations, Mnuchin suddenly changed course.

President Trump admitted Thursday that Jamal Khashoggi is probably dead, as hope that the missing journalist would turn up alive dissipated.

'It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad,' Trump told journalists as he prepared to board Air Force One for a flight to Montana. 'It's bad, bad stuff, but we'll see what happens.'

Trump said that the punishment would be 'severe' if he finds out that Saudi Arabia harmed the journalist.

The announcement came minutes after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at the White House that Saudi Arabia deserves a 'few more days' to get to the bottom of the disappearance of Khashoggi amid a growing uproar about the alleged murder of the Saudi dissident.

President Trump admitted Thursday that Jamal Khashoggi is probably dead, as hope that the missing journalist would turn up alive dissipated

'We made clear to them that we take this matter very seriously, and they made clear to me that they too understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi,' he said. 'They also made clear that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr. Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion.'

Pompeo spoke after he briefed President Trump on his meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, where he warned the Saudi royal family they have 72 hours to finish the investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance.

Reports described a tough meeting between Pompeo and the crown prince, after smiling photos of the two men fed a narrative that the U.S. was willing to assist the Saudis in finding a cover for the killing.

Trump insisted on Wednesday that that wasn't the case.

'Im not giving cover at all,' he argued. 'With that being said, Saudi Arabia has been a very important ally of ours in the Middle East.'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Saudis 'assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr. Khashoggi' following his disappearance

Trump said he wanted to speak to Pompeo before deciding on a course to take. He said he had not personally gotten his hands on a reported audio tape of the journalist's killing.

'We have asked for it, if it exists. We have asked for it,' Trump said.

The president had suggested earlier in the week that the suspected death was a 'rogue' killing that was not ordered by the Saudi kingdom after a conversation with the nation's king.

Pompeo revealed little additional information about the state of internal investigation that's being conducted by Saudi Arabia. Turkey is also doggedly pursuing leads into the disappearance of the journalist who was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

'I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so we can get a complete understanding the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make a decision about how the United States should respond to the issues surrounding Mr. Khashoggi,' Pompeo said.

Pompeo said the crown prince made a 'personal commitment' to him about the nature of the investigation  which takes place amid intelligence leaks from Turkey that are already providing gruesome details of Khashoggi's alleged murder and torture inside the consulate in Istanbul.

'We're all going to get to see the work product, we're all going to get to see the response that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia takes with this,' Pompeo said.

'When we see that we'll get a chance to determine, all of us will get to make a determination with respect to the credibility and the work that went into that. Whether it's truly accurate, fair, transparent in the very way they made a personal commitment to me, and the crown prince also made a personal commitment to the president when he spoke to him, I believe it was the night before last,' he asserted.

Pompeo's public comments follow statements by anonymous sources familiar with his meeting with the crown prince that it was a tough encounter that belies the smiling public images of their talks.

A source told CNN that Pompeo warned Mohammed bin Salman the Saudis must 'own' the situation because 'every fact is going to get out.'

Pompeo spoke to the press at the White House following reports he had delivered a stern warning to the Saudis in private

He also communicated 'bluntly that if they don't, the US will have to deal with this,' according to the source, and 'will take action because the world will demand it and that President Trump's hand will be forced by the global pressure.'

The top U.S. diplomat arrived in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Wednesday after visiting Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to discuss the progress of the investigation into the Washington Post columnist's disappearance.

Turkish media published grisly new allegations that Khashoggi was killed by being gradually dismembered by a Saudi assassination squad just hours before Pompeo's plane touched down for talks with King Salman and his son Mohammed bin Salman.

As Pompeo prepared for his meeting with Trump after his conversation with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he told reporters that he wanted to see the results of the investigation before arriving at any conclusions.

'I keep hearing that we're giving them some benefit of the doubt. They're going to do an investigation,' he said on Wednesday.

'I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so we can get a complete understanding the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make a decision about how the United States should respond to the issues surrounding Mr. Khashoggi,' Pompeo said

All smiles: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shakes hands with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday

Turkey's President Recep Erdogan and Pompeo shake hands in front of a picture of Ataturk in Ankara on Wednesday

Pompeo speaks to reporters at a refueling stop in Brussels and says the US will wait for the outcome of the investigation and it was not 'about giving benefit of the doubt'

Pompeo was slammed for the warm, smiling images of his photo opportunity as he greeted the crown prince in Riyadh, the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia and the accused orchestrate of the interrogation and killing of the dissident journalist.

The New York Times reported that a suspect identified by Turkey as a bodyguard of the prince's, Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, was seen entering the Istanbul consulate hours before Khashoggi arrived to collect divorce paperwork on October 2.

Three other suspects have been linked to the crown prince's security detail and a fifth is a high-level forensic doctor, Salah Muhammad al-Tubaigy, the Times said.

But the United States has refused to rebuke its ally, with President Trump insisting on the principle of innocent until proven guilty.

Pompeo, a former CIA chief under Trump, has refused to dole out any information on the suspected murder,telling his traveling press in Riyadh, 'I don't want to talk about any of the facts.'

Pompeo told the media as he left Saudi Arabia: 'My assessment from these meetings is that there is serious commitment to determine all the facts and ensure accountability, including accountability for Saudi Arabia's senior leaders or senior officials.

'They made a commitment that they would show the entire world the results of their investigation. They also indicated they would get this done quickly.'

Jamal Khashoggi has not been seen since he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2

A still image from surveillance camera footage taken the day Khashoggi entered the consulate of a man previously seen with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed entourage during a visit in April

President Trump also refused to accuse Saudi Arabia and even drew a parallel with the case of new U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who had faced a swirl of sexual assault allegations in the lead up to his confirmation hearing.

'Here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent,' Trump told the Associated Press.

American intelligence officials are increasingly convinced that Mohammed bin Salman is culpable in the killing of Khashoggi, a source told the New York Times.

Consul General Mohammed al-Otaib, who was reportedly heard on an audio recording telling the assassins, 'do this outside, you're going to get me in trouble', as they cut off journalist's fingers one-by-one inside embassy.

It was reported Wednesday night he had been fired and subjected to an investigation following his return to Riyadh after he fled Turkey, but independent sources have not corroborated that information.

Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect divorce papers so he could marry his Turkish fiancee

A Turkish police officer walks outside the Saudi Arabia consul general's residence in Istanbul today as officers searched the premises after he left for Riyadh

Turkish government sources have said police believe the journalist was killed by a special team of 15 Saudi officials sent to Istanbul especially to carry out the 'hit' and were lying in wait for Khashoggi.

The controversy has blown a hole in attempts by Crown Prince Mohammed to promote himself as a modern reformer and led to a spate of cancellations of Mnuchin and top CEOs from a major Riyadh investment conference, dubbed 'Davos in the desert', which was due to start next week.

Trump would only say Thursday in a matter-of-fact statement that he had spoken with his secretary of state.

'Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned last night from Saudi Arabia and Turkey. I met with him this morning wherein the Saudi situation was discussed in great detail, including his meeting with the Crown Prince. He is waiting for the results of the investigations being done by the Saudis and Turkey, and just gave a news conference to that effect,' the president tweeted.
A violent street gang - the youngest member who is 13 - has been banned from riding bikes, wearing hoodies and producing rap videos in an effort to tackle the crime plague they have caused.

The 40-strong C17 gang has been operating with impunity across Grays in Essex, dealing cocaine, cannabis, heroin and crack.

C17 - which has close affiliations with London gang the 410's - committed a string of violent crime and disorder, making life miserable for local shopkeepers and residents alike.

Roland Douherty, also known as 'Valenti' and Ayomide Olarbigbe, also known as 'Riggz' are two members of the C17 gang who have been banned from Grays town centre as part of a major clamp down on anti-social behaviour in the area

Reece Stoddart and Billy Monteiro have also been banned from large parts of Grays, Essex

Like many gangs C17 have also posted 'drill videos' on YouTube - laying down challenges to rivals from other Essex towns and glamorising the lifestyle and the money that comes with it.

Incredibly one of the videos of C17 showed the gang members as they performed their raps directly in front of Essex Police vehicles.

In Grays town centre in the past year there were nearly 300 incidents of anti-social behaviour along with large scale group disturbances and more than 100 drug-related incidents.

Police believe members of the C17 gang are responsible for a large number of offences in Grays.

Members of the gang have been banned from recording new 'drill rap' videos

The gang had recorded one of their music videos in front of an Essex police vehicle

Officers have tried to target senior members of the gang, known as 'elders', but they use several methods to avoid prosecution, such as targeting vulnerable youngsters and use them to move drugs and weapons as well as deploying them as spotters.

However, Essex Police has secured civil court injunctions against nine members of the gang - four adults and five juveniles - banning them from the town centre.

As well as restricting their movement, the nine gang members cannot make 'drill videos', wear hoodies or associate with other C17 members on social members.

Also, adult members of the gang are banned from being with girls under the age of 16 unless they are related.

The members of the gang named in the order must hand over details of all their social media profiles and can only carry one mobile phone which has to be registered with Essex Police.

The nine members of the gang have also been banned from riding bikes - as police believe this is the main method used of transporting narcotics around Grays.

Sgt Scott Fitzmaurice part of the Operation Raptor team, said: 'Of the guys facing injunctions, none of them have been prosecuted for the violent incidents.

'There are other members who are in prison for for violent offences who aren't subject to this order.

'They are very organised - it's the sheer volume of their operation which makes going down the criminal route quite hard.

'If we are trying to stop people with drugs, there might be 10 to 15 of them working in the town at any one time, you might only have one carrying drugs, one with cash and another one has the phone* trying to enforce against that is quite hard which is why we've gone down the injunction route.'

The four men and among nine members of the gang who have been banned from large parts of Grays and have restrictions on their social media and mobile phone use

The C17 came to the police's attention in May last year operate in and around the Grays area, including the Lakeside shopping centre.

Their name originates from the area's postcode with 'C' for Chafford, the area they originate from, and '17' from the part of the RM17 postcode for Grays.

The gang will will now be prevented from being in Grays town centre and the Lakeside complex.

Police hope hard-hitting measures will disrupt the life of gang members.

Seven of C17 have already been served with injunctions, leading one gang member telling an officer 'you've got the town on lockdown', it was claimed.

It is only the second time Essex Police has used the injunction measure to tackle gangs, with the force taking inspiration from other ares of the country where the method has proved successful - including Merseyside and West Midlands.

The C17 gang leader Roland Douherty, , 18, also known as 'Valenti' is the older brother of Jordan Douherty who was brutally beaten and stabbed at a party earlier this year in Romford.

Essex Police's Operation Raptor team has been working round-the-clock to tackle the gang with plain clothes officers able to walk the streets and pull up any gang members suspected of breaching the injunction.

Since last month's injunctions were made against seven members of the gang, there have already been three breaches, helping to disperse the gang.

The four C17 adult gang members now banned completely from four areas of the Thurrock District are Douherty, of Chafford Hundred; Ayomide Olarbigbe , AKA 'Riggz', 22, of Romford; Reece Stoddart, 19, of Grays and Billy Monteiro, 25, of Grays.

Monteiro, who appeared in court alongside his mother today, has appealed against his injunction, so is subject only to an interim order which he plans to appeal against.

The youngest known member of C17 is just 13 years old - and gang members attempt to recruit children as they leave school, with girls the desired target as they are deemed less likely to be stopped by police.

Worryingly for local parents, a lot of youngsters in the district have aspirations to be in the gang.

Colleges and schools have reported those attitudes to the police but the C17 tap into the youngsters' desire for a more 'glamorous' lifestyle by letting them appear in their drill videos.

'They are our first big urban street gang for Thurrock and, because of drill music and the following, you get a lot of youths and a lot of people who want to be associated with C17.

'They have seen that lifestyle... we are stopping them and they are telling us 'we are part of C17' - they are filming the music videos locally and they are letting the youths join in those videos.

'You'll see large crowds of them in the videos with their faces covered so it's hard to work out how many there are', Sgt Fitzmaurice added.

Chief Superintendent Andrew Mariner of Essex Police was quick to shoot down any suggestions that the police had lost control of the streets of Essex.

'The C17 gang have not just been selling drugs on our streets, they have been targeting young people and getting them involved in gang life, preying on the vulnerable, exploiting young girls and been responsible for unprecedented levels of serious violence, crime and disorder, including attacks involving acid, stabbings and violent robberies.

'They have left some businesses and members of our community afraid to go about their daily business.

'Our Operation Raptor team have repeatedly and proactively targeted this gang, arresting many of C17 and remanding and convicting a number for a range of serious offences, but we have not stopped there.

'Essex Police, our partners at Thurrock Borough Council, residents and businesses are not prepared to put up with C17 and that is why we have come together to provide the evidence to seek a hard-hitting injunction that bans them from the parts of our community they have blighted.

'The injunction also seeks to prevent the further exploitation of young members of the gang who have been enticed into a dangerous and violent lifestyle, living with the constant threat of violence if they don't do as they are told.

'The sad reality is that a number of members of this gang, including some of the elders, have at some point in their life been missing children.

'It is often the cycle of vulnerability that results in a lifetime of violence. We are tackling that side of the gang by using the order to ensure they seek employment and engage with the Gangsline charity to divert them away from their dangerous lifestyle.

'We have already had one member of this gang who has died in violent circumstances and it is time that violence stops. We won't stop until this violence is removed from our streets.'

A team of dedicated plain clothes officers have been working to tackle C17.

The funding for the extra hours needed to tackle the epidemic has been provided not from Essex Police's budget, but from funds provided by Thurrock Council.

Rob Gledhill , Thurrock council leader, said: It's very important for everyone in the community to support the police in their work to tackle the small minority of individuals in our

local area who attempt to commit disgusting crimes such as drug dealing and assault as well as preying on vulnerable teenagers and young girls.

'These criminals completely lack respect for others and their behaviour can have an extremely negative impact not just on the people they directly interact with but the wider community.

'The first injunction has appeared to have an impact on Grays town centre and I am delight that the second injunction has been secured, which will mean even more members of this criminal gang will be unable to bring violence and destruction to area near our homes and businesses.'

An Essex Police spokeswoman said: 'The gang, which is headed up by Roland Douherty, aka Valenti, has plagued the town centre, town park and beach areas of Grays as well as Lakeside, dealing drugs in those area and committing crime and disorder.'
Lee Universitys Symphony Orchestra will hold its fall concert on Monday at 7:30 p.m. in Pangle Hall.

Robert Bernhardt, artist-in-residence, will conduct the program, while faculty guests Jonathan Jung, piano, and Charlotte Kies, clarinet, will perform with the orchestra.

Were excited to present two great overtures alongside solos from our faculty guests, said Maestro Bernhardt. We look forward to sharing this evenings music with all in attendance.

The concert will include music from Brahms and Rossini, while the faculty soloists will perform Rachmaninoff and Mozart.

According to Mr. Bernhardt, Brahms composed the buoyant Academic Festival Overture as a gesture of gratitude to the University of Breslau in Germany, which awarded Brahms an honorary doctorate. The piece was a favorite among students when it premiered at the university, as Brahms borrowed and used student drinking song melodies throughout the overture.

Rossinis William Tell was his 39th and last opera, and its overture is among the most famous and popular pieces of classical music ever written, according to Mr. Bernhardt.

The work is divided into four distinct parts, including a chorale prelude for low strings featuring cellos, a storm sequence that is among the most famous in music, the calm after the storm highlighted by a duet between flute and English horn, and the rescue finale made popular as the theme music for televisions The Lone Ranger.

Dr. Jung will perform Rachmaninoffs Piano Concerto No. 2, which was an instant success following its first performance in 1901 and became part of the standard repertoire from that day. Ms. Kies will play the first movement of Mozarts Clarinet Concerto, which was composed just two months before Mozarts death and is beloved for its profound beauty and sunny disposition, according to Mr. Bernhardt.

Maestro Bernhardt joined Lees faculty in the spring of 2011. He also serves as Music Director Emeritus and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, and Principal Pops Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra and Grands Rapids Symphony. He was formerly the music director and conductor for 19 seasons with CSO, and he is the first to hold the title Emeritus. He is also a frequent guest conductor for the Boston Pops and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Dr. Jung joined the faculty of Lees School of Music as an assistant professor of piano in the fall of 2017. He previously taught at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and Jones County Junior College. In addition to teaching, Dr. Jung performs regularly across the United States. He has performed with the Eastman Philharmonic Orchestra and Korean Philharmonic Orchestra of New Zealand.

Ms. Kies is a clarinetist based in Chattanooga. She joined the Lee University School of Music faculty in 2017 and is a member of the Ohio Light Opera Orchestra. She was recently named the 2017 Second Prize Winner in the International Clarinet Association's Orchestral Audition Competition.

The Symphony Orchestra is an ensemble of select instrumentalists, which performs one major concert each semester. Its musicians frequently participate in opera, choral, and other concerts on campus.

The concert is a free, non-ticketed event, and is open to the public.

For more information, call 614-8240 or email music@leeuniversity.edu.




A frustrated Donald Trump denied Friday on Twitter that Turkish authorities played an audiotape of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder for his top diplomat.

'Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was never given or shown a Transcript or Video of the Saudi Consulate event. FAKE NEWS!' the president tweeted.

Pompeo issued his own denial on Thursday and criticized ABC News for reporting that he had heard and shared a transcript with Trump.'

'Ive seen no tape,' Pompeo told reporters in Mexico City, adding a moment later: 'Ive heard no tape. Ive seen no transcript.'

'And the network that reported that ought to pull down the headline that says I have,' he sniped, according to a State Department transcript of a short press availability.

President Trump denied on Friday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had a transcript or a videotape of journalist Jamal Khashoggi being killed in Saudi Arabia's Turkich embassy

'FAKE NEWS!' the presdient tweeted

Pompeo met with Turkish authorities, and ABC News reported that he was shown and given proof that Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert added later that Pompeo 'has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript related to Jamal Khashoggis disappearance.'

ABC reported, based on a single unnamed Turkish source, that Pompeo 'heard an alleged audio recording of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.'

The story also said Pompeo gave the president a transcript of the recording.

The network hasn't retracted those claims, but did change its headline overnight to include the State Department's denial.

Together, the tut-tuts from Trump and Pompeo still left open the possibility that Pompeo was given an audio recording for Trump to listen to, but hadn't heard it himself.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, however, issued a broader denial.

'Turkey has not given a voice recording to Pompeo or any other American official,' he told reporters Thursday. '[The] chief prosecutor of Istanbul has launched an investigation and we are waiting for the results of this investigation.'

'We will share the results that emerge transparently with the whole world. We have not shared any information at all with any country,' Cavusoglu added.

Pompeo scolded reporters hours later in Mexico City, saying ABC shouldn't allow foreign sources to speculate anonymously about something the U.S. government has denied.

'They shouldnt do that,' he said. 'This is wrong to do to the fiancee of Khashoggi. ... This is a very serious matter that were working diligently on. And so to put out headlines that are factually false does no one any good.'

'Its most constructive when the media tells the truth. Its very useful.'

Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian citizen who has resided in the United States, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork needed to marry his fiancee.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during their meeting at Ankara Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesay

Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian citizen with U.S. residency, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork needed to marry his fiancee

It is widely believed that Khashoggi was brutally tortured and murdered inside the consulate, with the Turkish government investigating an alleged 'hit squad' of 15 Saudi security men who entered and exited Istanbul on private jets.

Trump said Thursday that he presumes Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be 'very severe.'

'It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad,' Trump said.

In an interview with The New York Times, that president based his acknowledgment that Khashoggi was dead on intelligence reports.

Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: 'Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff.'

Turkey believes Khashoggi, 59, was murdered inside the consulate while his fiancee waited outside in vain. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has close ties to some of the alleged hit men, has denied the allegation.

Jamal Kashoggi is seen with his finacee Hatice Cengiz, who stood outside the consulate waiting for hours after he walked inside on October 2, never to emerge

Chilling accounts of an audio recording of Khashoggi being tortured and killed have circulated in recent days.

Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak on Wednesday cited what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi's slaying, which it said showed the writer was tortured.

The newspaper said Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi could be heard on the tape, telling those allegedly torturing Khashoggi: 'Do this outside; you're going to get me in trouble.'

The newspaper said one of the Saudis torturing Khashoggi replied: 'Shut up if you want to live when you return to [Saudi] Arabia.'

The audio also reveals that Khashoggi's fingers were cut off during an interrogation before he was beheaded and dismembered, according to the reports.

Turkish officials reportedly possess the tapes, but it remains unclear if they have shared them with any U.S. officials after Pompeo's denials on Thursday.

Pompeo was back in Washington on Thursday, after a whirlwind trip to Riyadh and Ankara in an attempt to defuse the mounting international crisis over Khashoggi's disappearance.

Pompeo delivers remarks to reporters following a meeting with Trump about missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the White House on Thursday

A man holds Yeni Safak newspaper in a cafe with a headline that reads 'This is how Khashoggi was slaughtered' in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday. The outlet says it has audio of his death

Pompeo told reporters in a press conference outside the White House that he advised Trump that Saudi Arabia should be given a few more days to complete its investigation into the disappearance.

'I think it's important for us all to remember, too - we have a long, since 1932, a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,' Pompeo told reporters, also calling Saudi Arabia 'an important counterterrorism partner.'

The U.S. has long relied on Saudi Arabia as a regional counterbalance to Iran, overlooking a track record of human rights abuses in the kingdom, as well as ongoing bombing in civilian areas of Yemen.

Meanwhile, some of the strongest circumstantial evidence yet linking Prince Mohammed to Khashoggi's presumed torture and murder emerged on Thursday.

Multiple Turkish outlets reported that the prince's close confidante Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb was caught on surveillance video entering the consulate just hours before Khashoggi arrived for his appointment.

Mutreb, a Saudi intelligence official, is reportedly high ranking in the elite Royal Guard that personally protects Prince Mohammed.

A man identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb walks toward the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul before writer Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on October 2

Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, reportedly now being sought by Turkish authorities for questioning over Khashoggi's disappearance, can be seen in the background as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (front right) visits a Habitat for Humanity event in Houston in April

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (seen in file photo) denies any connection to Khashoggi's apparent murder, despite close ties to alleged hit men at the embassy

On Wednesday, Turkish police conducted a new intensive eight-hour search of the consulate, combing for forensic clues to Khashoggi's fate.

A team of dozens of police and prosecutors, including forensics experts in white overalls entered the residence of the consul, searching for clues with cadaver dogs and drones.

Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi, who was at the consulate when the alleged assassination of Khashoggi took place, fled Turkey one day before the search was carried out.

It follows a search on Monday, in which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said that investigators found fresh paint and 'toxic materials' - potential signs of an attempted cover-up.

Turkish forensic police officers use a sniffer dog for investigation at the back yard of the residence of the Saudi consul Mohammed al-Otaibi in the early hours of Thursday

Investigators are seen carrying gear during the search of the consulate on Wednesday. The search lasted for eight hours and stretched past midnight

What may have happened to the body remains a mystery.

Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancee, raised the alarm at about 5pm on October 2, about three hours after he entered the embassy.

Turkish officials rushed to inspect a private Saudi airplane before it could take off, and failed to find Khashoggi or his remains in the plane or luggage, sources told CNN.

According to local reports, Turkish police are searching an area of woodland outside Istanbul as well as a farm house across the Marmara Sea, in a grim hunt for the journalist's remains.

Investigators are said to have collected CCTV images from the entrance to Belgrad Forest to the north of the city amid fears the body was dumped there.

After tracing the route of the convoy of cars which left the Saudi consulate on October 2, the search has moved to woodland near the city of Yalova, a 55-mile drive south of Istanbul.

Investigators are reportedly also preparing to 'excavate' a villa in Yalova province, where one of the vehicles linked to the Saudi 'hit squad' was seen, according to Turkish media.
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The caravan of Honduran migrants making their way to the US stormed through a border gate in Guatemala on Friday morning to run over a bridge to Mexico where they were met with tear gas from riot police before being allowed into the country and continue their march towards America.

The group of around 4,000 migrants overpowered police first in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to make their way over the short bridge into Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexican's southernmost state of Chiapas.

At least a dozen people jumped into the water, either to try and swim across the river of simply because they were trying to get away from the crowds in the stifling heat.

The migrants had been forced to retreat and reorganize earlier in the day after being met with strong resistance.

After crossing the bridge, they were confronted by a daunting force of armed Mexican officers who threw tear gas in their direction and stood in lines, lifting up children who ran towards them and standing firm behind their shields.

After a standoff, they agreed they would let some of the migrants through and started asking that they form lines.

An aerial shot shows thousands of Honduran migrants marching from Guatemala to Mexico on Friday where they were met with riot police (shown bottom right) who threw tear gas at them and resisted them before agreeing to let them pass in, women and children first, before putting them on buses. Also shown are the small numbers who took their chances on the River Suchiate in makeshift rafts built out of discarded tires (top right). The caravan, which has around 4,000 people in it, is determined to make it to the US and has already crossed through two countries on foot to get there

The migrants crossed over the bridge on Friday after overpowering police in Guatemala (left) to make their way into Mexico (right), the last country they must get through before they reach America

The migrants were then allowed to cross the gates single file where Mexican police were waiting to put them on buses. Sources at the scene say they were told they would be allowed to go further north but where exactly the police are taking them remains unclear. On Thursday night, Mexican officials struck a deal with the US which involved them agreeing on sending any of the migrants who make their way into Mexico and claim asylum there to be put in shelters

Thousands of Honduran migrants were tear gassed by Mexican police as they stormed the border with

A baby is squashed between its mother and Mexican police as the migrants try to force their way into the country on Friday

A father shields his baby daughter from the chaos as he retreats from police. Sources on the border tell DailyMail.com the police threw tear gas into the crowds before suddenly deciding to let women and children through

The sudden clash was frightening and dangerous for the thousands of children involved. While the police officers tried to comfort the children and keep them out of the fray, the chaos grew too large to contain on Friday

The crowd broke down barriers and rushed towards the riot police, hellbent on getting through them no matter the cost. Above, a boy retreats in his mother's arms after coming up against the squad of officers

A woman wipes blood from her face after splitting her tooth as she tried to cross into Mexico from Guatemala on Friday

The line of police officers stood firm behind shields as the migrants ran fearlessly towards them

A Honduran child faints as she tries to cross to Mexico in the border city of Tecun Uman on October 19

Hondurans help a fellow migrant who appears to have collapsed as they reach the border crossing point with Mexico

Hondurans are seen waiting for fellow migrants to jump from the Guatemala-Mexico international border bridge into the Suchiate river, to swim or board a raft to reach Mexico

A woman hands a young girl to a young man as they arrive at the border with Mexico on October 19

Honduran migrants hold up a child in a stroller while gathering at the Guatemalan border to cross into Mexico

The map above shows the journey the caravan is taking from Honduras through Guatemala and up through Mexico towards the U.S.

They plan to allow women and children into the country first.

The decision flies in the face of President Trump's plea to Mexican officials on Thursday to put an end to the caravan's progress.

Though the State Department and Mexican officials have agreed on a plan to shelter any of the migrants who make asylum claims in shelters, their decision to let them carry on north on Friday sends them marching on towards the US.

Videos showed the thousands of migrants celebrating on the bridge once they had managed to get over the crossing.

A Honduran woman interviewed at the Guatemala/Mexico border by Noticias, who did not give her name, said: 'We are going to the United States. We know God is going to help us because we cant live in Honduras, our country. Every month the president is raising electricity costs. We cant live. We cant live with him.

'We are suffering a lot (on this trip). Sleeping on the ground but its worth it for my children as they can see that my country is not worth anything. That president we have is worthless.

'Can I send a message to Trump? Mr. Trump I ask of you to take Juan Orlando [Hernandez] out from my country. You have him there. Look how my country is turning out. The young people in my country, Honduras youth, look at how theyre suffering, kids in coffins, kids along the way have died, pregnant women have died on us because of this delinquent man that we have in the country.  Trump has him in there. Take him out mister. Take him out of the country. We dont want him. Its a president he [Trump] placed, we didnt place him.'

A Honduran woman interviewed at the Guatemala/Mexico border by Noticias, who did not give her name, said: 'We are going to the United States. We know God is going to help us because we cant live in Honduras, our country. Every month the president is raising electricity costs. We cant live. We cant live with him'

A woman has her face and hair washed after being sprayed with tear gas at the Mexican border on Friday

A woman tries to wash out her mouth as another of the migrants douses her in water. The group was met with large resistance at the Mexican border after overpowering Guatemalan officials with considerably less violence

A Mexican police officer was among those injured by the gas as his comrades sprayed it into the crowds on Friday

The group has thousands of people in it and was an unstoppable force in Guatemala, heaving against police to break past barriers and move on. They continued moving as one in Mexico but were met with more resistance

The crowd lifted up barriers with ease, discarding them in the street as they carried on before being met with a line of police

The thousands of migrants climbed the roofs of checkpoint stands to try to sneak past and scaled fences too

A woman weeps into her child's hand as they try to enter Mexico with thousands of others in the caravan on Friday

Not all of the migrants went on foot. A small number took their chances in makeshift rafts made from discarded rubber tires and wood

They waved Honduran flags, chanted and beeped horns in victory and celebrated as they reached the Mexican side of the bridge.

Mexican police threw tear gas into the crowds, according to Guatemalan sources who spoke with DailyMail.com on Friday. Mexican officials then asked them to form lines and said they would allow women and children through first.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez said on Twitter on Friday he had requested permission from Guatemala's government to send civil protection agents to help Hondurans in Guatemala and was seeking transport for those wishing to return home.

On Thursday, authorities there arrested a key activist who was waiting to welcome the migrants once they crossed over.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on his way to Mexico to try to talk to local officials there.

Thousands of Honduran migrants have stormed a border crossing in Guatemala and have made their way into Mexico

Thousands of Honduran migrants pour through the border gate at Tecun Umna, Guatemala, to make their way into Mexico on Friday

A Honduran migrant climbs over the border gate at the Guatemalan - Mexico boorder as children cling on to it on the other side, sitting on their parents shoulders

Before the barrier came down, there were many who climbed over the fence to get t the other side

Some of the migrants climbed the gate first then pulled at it as their countrymen and women on the other side pushed to tear it down

Two Honduran men pull at the gate as others on the other side push it frantically to try to tear it down in Tecan Uman on Friday

There are thousands of children and babies among the migrants passing through. Drenched in sweat, they were passed above head between adults on Friday morning as chaos ensued at the border crossing

The migrants heaved against Guatemalan police who were dressed in riot gear and were able to overcome them with their large numbers

On the other side of the crossing, a single Guatemalan police officer prepares to run as the large group crashes down the gate

It did not take long for the group to reorganize on Friday morning after retreating briefly elsewhere in the town. Among the first to run over were elderly women and children, spurred on by the crowd behind them

Jubilant migrants shout and sing in victory as they run across the border into Mexico from Guatemala on Friday as Guatemalan police run out of their way

Mothers clutched their babies and young children to rush over the border, fearful of how the police would respond with their weapons

Many among the group of thousands are children. They set off from Honduras in search of a better life free of drug wars and desperate work prospects

A young boy is passed over the gate before the migrants were able to smash it open by two Honduran men who later helped the crowds tear it down

There are approximately 4,000 people traveling in total as part of the main group or in smaller, breakaway groups from Honduras

A Honduran migrant chants on Friday morning as the group makes their way towards the Mexican border crossing. They yelled: 'One way or another, we will pass' in Spanish and said: 'We are not smugglers, we are migrants'

A woman carries a baby across the border as others around her tote strollers and backpacks, their chosen belongings to make the trip

A frightened boy is lifted overhead in the crowd to climb the border fence in Guatemala on Friday morning as the group continues its march into Mexico and towards the US

Migrants saunter past the migration checkpoint that was left abandoned by workers after they flooded the gates and overpowered police

A woman is pictured after being injured during the chaotic crossing on Friday morning. She was pictured in Chiapas, the Mexican state the migrants crossed into

A jubilant Honduran man raises his arms in celebration on Friday after crossing the bridge from Guatemala into Mexico

Others used makeshift rafts made out of discarded car tires to cross the Suchiate River

On Friday the group chanted: 'We are not smugglers, we are migrants,' as they reorganized themselves on Friday afternoon.

The stern police presence comes after President Trump appealed directly to Mexico to help block the flood of people.

Hundreds of Mexican police officers and troops have stationed themselves along the other side of the tall fence which separates it from Guatemala. Guatemalan troops are also said to be putting up resistance.

Mexico has implemented what the ambassador to Guatemala calls a 'metered entry' system to try to control the vast numbers of people who are traveling there from other Central American countries.

Next stop USA: The group are now in Mexico, the last country they need to get through before they arrive at their intended destination

The immigrants breaking through the gate on the Mexican side of the bridge after crossing over from Guatemala

It did not take long for the group to crash open that gate, as they had with the other, and continue on their path

A Mexican police officer strokes his eye as he recovers from the scuffle with the migrants in a police van

A young man holds an umbrella over a baby on her father's shoulders to keep her out of the sun as they continue their march over the bridge and towards Mexico

Late on Thursday night, a small number of the Honduran group who broke off from the main crowd were able to successfully cross over into Mexico.

NBC reports that US officials are now tracking that small group as they make progress towards the US.

The migrants are fleeing Honduras where they say they have no prospects. Many are eager to escape the gang violence they say their children are doomed to encounter as they grow up.

Trump has commentated on their movements throughout by blaming their optimism on Democrats and calling their march towards America an 'assault' on the country.

On Thursday, as the group made progress through Guatemala, he tweeted: 'I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to U.S.

Earlier: Police stand in riot gear at Mexico's border with Guatemala ready to take on the Honduran migrants who retreated on Friday to reevaluate their plan

There are thousands of people in the largest group. Some are pictured waiting near the border in Tecun Uman on Friday

A migrant prays as he waits for the group to decide what to do on Friday in Tecun Uman, Guatemala

'In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!'

'The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA.

'Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border.

'All Democrats fault for weak laws!'

On the Mexican side, the foreign ministry said its government was in constant communication with members of the caravan explaining the migrants' options.

It said officials were already assisting some migrants who had crossed and requested refugee status.

On Thursday, Mexican officials said they had agreed on a plan with the US to establish shelters along the Mexican southern border for anyone in the caravan who makes an asylum claim in Mexico.

'Just today, the Mexican government, and this is a very important step, requested the intervention of the U.N., the Office of the High Commissioner on Refugees, to help Mexico review any asylum claims from the members of the caravan,' Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Geronimo Gutierrez told Fox News.

'That will allow us to have a process by which in our border we will make sure that of serving human rights, respecting international law, if there are legitimate claims to refugee, those can be processed in a very clear way,' he added.

Pompeo later released a statement to say the State Department supported the plan and would be 'ready to assist'.

'We welcome the government of Mexicos statement that they will seek cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to address immigration issues in the region, including the influx of people arriving in Mexico.

'The United States stands ready to assist the Government of Mexico and UNHCR in this effort,' he said.

But the migrants are determined to plow through Mexico on foot and in trucks, eventually reaching the US border where they want to make their final crossing.
Tommy Robinson has celebrated the jailing of 20 sex gang members in Huddersfield despite jeopardising the trial with an illegal Facebook video.

The EDL founder was arrested in May as he reported about the case live on Facebook from outside the court, breaching a reporting ban.

He was jailed and later released on a technicality, but faces a fresh hearing at the Old Bailey on October 23.

The reporting ban was imposed to prevent jurors in one case being influenced by another, because the 20 abusers were dealt with in a series of trials.

Tommy Robinson (pictured) has celebrated the jailing of 20 sex gang members in Huddersfield despite jeopardising the trial with an illegal Facebook video

Judge told Robinson he could have ended trials and cost thousands Jailing Robinson after the Leeds video, Judge Marson told him his actions could have caused the trial to be re-run, costing 'hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds'. His lawyer Matthew Harding claimed Robinson had 'deep regret' for what he had done in Leeds and had been 'mindful, having spoken to others and taken advice, not to say things that he thought would actually prejudice these proceedings'. But Judge Marson said: 'Not only was it a very long video, but I regard it as a serious aggravating feature that he was encouraging others to share it and it had been shared widely. That is the nature of the contempt.' The judge added: 'Everyone understands the right to freedom of speech but there are responsibilities and obligations.' Advertisement

A gang who sexually abused vulnerable girls as young as eleven in Huddersfield were jailed for a combined total of more than 220 years.

Robinson - whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - wrote on Facebook: 'Reporting restrictions lifted on Leeds case, all 10 from that trial I attended were convicted.

'One of these sick child rapists is on the run in Pakistan because he was given bail!

'No bail for me though, they took me off the street and put me in prison inside five hours but 10 mass child rapists with 15 witness statements of child rape spend a year walking the streets with your children because the establishment thought they posed no risk!'

The mention of a 'rapist on the run' was an apparent reference to Sajid Hussain, known as 'Fish', who went on the run and was sentenced in his absence.

Reporting is sometimes postponed where there are separate trials case so jurors cannot be prejudiced by reading accounts of previous cases.

Robinson's video was viewed on social media 250,000 times within hours.

He was given a 13-month jail term by Judge Geoffrey Marson QC in May, but was released from HMP Onley in Rugby on August 1 after successfully challenging the contempt of court ruling.

The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, said the judge at Leeds Crown Court was wrong to deal with Robinson as quickly as he did.

Jailing him after the Leeds video, Judge Marson told him his actions could have caused the trial to be re-run, costing 'hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds'.

The restriction which banned reporting of the Huddersfield trials has now been lifted following representations by a number of media organisations.

If found in contempt at his second hearing Robinson may be sent back to prison.

Robinson is a convicted fraudster who has also served time for assault and drugs offences.

Robinson - whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - wrote on Facebook: 'Reporting restrictions lifted on Leeds case, all 10 from that trial I attended were convicted'
A French MP has said someone's accent should be a protected characteristic along the lines of sex and race, and that mocking it should be made illegal.

Laetitia Avia of President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party - La Republique En Marche! - has proposed that anti-discrimination laws be expanded to include accents.

Avia's suggestion came after French politician Jean-Luc Melenchon derided a journalist's pronunciation at a press conference and asked if anyone else had a question in 'understandable French'.

Laetitia Avia, a member of the National Assembly for Paris who represents Emmanuel Macron's ruling party, has suggested on Twitter that linguistic discrimination should be made illegal

'Do we speak French any the less with an accent. Must one suffer humiliation if one doesn't speak standard French? Because our accents are our identity, I am tabling a bill to recognise glottophobia as a source of discrimination'

A French MP on Thursday announced the tabling of a bill to outlaw regional linguistic discrimination, 'glottophobia', after a prominent politician mocked a journalist's southern accent

The journalist, who was from Toulouse in southwest France, had asked the former presidential candidate about an anti-corruption investigation into his hard-left political party, La France Insoumise.

Melenchon mimicked her accent, saying she was 'talking nonsense' before turning away and asking: 'Has anyone got a question in more or less comprehensible French?'

A clip of the awkward exchange has been widely circulated on social media and was shared by Avia herself.

She had previously taken to Twitter to propose that discrimination based on pronunciation, whether regional or foreign, should not be tolerated.

French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon was accused of Glottophobia - the unjust treatment of a person based solely on their way of speaking - after an exchange with a journalist at a press conference in Paris on Friday October 19

#glottophobie Je naurais jamais imagine enrichir le vocabulaire de JL Melenchon  Qui indique quil ne pensait pas a mal.

Bilan : un debat utile sur les discriminations ordinaires, de nombreux temoignages, une prise de conscience et un peu de legerete  pic.twitter.com/k6BgsOuAxi  Laetitia Avia (@LaetitiaAvia) October 19, 2018

'Do you speak poorer French if you have an accent? Do people have to endure humiliation if their pronunciation is not of the standardized kind,' she wrote.

A French linguist recently coined the term 'Glottophobia' (Glottophobie in French) which means linguistic discrimination, exclusions or unjust treatment of a person based solely on their ways of speaking a language (for example with a regional accent).

It can also be used to describe prejudice against those who speak other, lesser valued languages (such as a regional language) instead of the expected, imposed, and overvalued language.

French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon (right) speaks to media as he arrives for a hearing at the police headquarters, in Nanterre, France. The Paris prosecutor says that an investigation has been opened against him for intimidation and violence against anti-corruption investigators

Melenchon, who crashed out in the first round of the Presidential election won by Macron in May 2017, has garnered a reputation as a somewhat tempestuous politician.

His party and election campaign are currently under investigation by French justice officials after reports emerged of irregular financing.

Meanwhile Melenchon himself faces allegations of intimidating magistrates and police officers.
Former gymnast Jessica Howard on Friday hit out at the beleaguered USA Gymnastics and its recently indicted ex-president Steve Penny, claiming that he is 'guilty as sin' of covering up the sexual misconduct of Team USA doctor Larry Nassar.

Howard, a one-time member of USA Gymnastics board, was interviewed on CBS This Morning following Penny's dramatic arrest on Wednesday during a family vacation in Tennessee on charges of tampering with evidence in the Nassar investigation.

Penny was named the organization's president in 2005 and resigned under pressure in March 2017 amid the sexual abuse scandal.

Not mincing words: Former gymnast Jessica Howard went on CBS This Morning on Friday and slammed USA Gymnastics and its recently arrested ex-president Steve Penny

Fall from grace: Penny was arrested in Tennessee on Wednesday on charges of tampering with evidence in the Larry Nassar sex abuse case

Howard said she was among the nearly 300 women and girls who were molested and assaulted by Nassar over the years.

The former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor is now serving up to 175 years in prison for sexual abuse and possession of child pornography.

At the time of his arrest, Penny said through his attorney that he is confident that facts will show he had done nothing criminal, but Howard strongly disagrees.

He has been orchestrating this from the very beginning,' she said of her former boss, whom she described as intimidating and authoritarian. 'This guy's been guilty as sin from the very beginning. He's known about this since 2015.'

Former USAG gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar is now serving up to 175 years in prison for molesting women and girls and possessing child pornography

Howard, who for the past eight months has worked as an athlete advisor with the organization Equality League, further accused Penny of trying to silence everyone who knew about the abuse and of waiting five weeks before contacting the FBI to report the allegations.

During that time, Nassar continued working with athletes as young as eight years old and molested an additional 50 women and girls.

You cannot understated the pain that he has caused just by his lies, Howard said of Penny.

A Texas grand jury last month returned an indictment against Penny, which alleges that he ordered the removal of documents from the Karolyi Ranch training facility near Huntsville relating to Nassar's activities there.

It alleges Penny acted after learning that Texas Rangers and Walker County authorities were investigating the ranch, which was being managed by USA Gymnastics.

The documents were delivered to Penny at the USA Gymnastics headquarters in Indianapolis, according to the indictment.

Howard, a three-time rhythmic gymnastics national champion, also slammed the USA Gymnastics organization as a whole for allegedly showing little care for athletes and focusing all their attention on victories and financial gain.

'As soon as I joined the board, I found out from my first meeting that all they were interested in was money and medals, she said. It was not about the athletes.'

Howard, a former rhythmic gymnastics champion (pictured years earlier), accused USAG of caring only for medals and money instead of athletes

Howard testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her sexual abuse at the hands Nassar in 2017

Howard recalled one exchange she had with Penny, during which the physically imposing and 'gruff' head of USA Gymnastics stopped her in a hallway and allegedly told her point-blank: 'why do we even have your sport? It doesnt bring in any money.'

USA Gymnastics said in a statement that it has fully cooperated with investigations and it would continue to do so to help the survivors and our community heal from this tragedy.

But Howard remains skeptical of the USA Gymnastics' new leadership' ability to overhaul the culture of the organization, and believes that the US Olympic Committee should decertify it.

They have shown over and over and over and over again that they are incapable of dealing with this situation, she said of USAG. They are not athlete-centric: they are medals- and money-centric.
Russian, China, Iran and other countries are engaged in continuous efforts to influence American policy and voters in the upcoming elections and beyond, U.S. national security officials said Friday.

'We are concerned about ongoing campaigns by Russia, China and other foreign actors, including Iran, to undermine confidence in democratic institutions and influence public sentiment and government policies,' the officials said in a joint statement. 'These activities also may seek to influence voter perceptions and decision-making in the 2018 and 2020 U.S. elections.'

The two-page statement about foreign influence in U.S. elections was issued just weeks before the Nov. 6 elections by the Office of the Department of National Intelligence, the Justice Department, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Intelligence estimates from four Trump administration agencies were combined and distilled into a two-page summary Friday about foreign threats to the integrity of America's elections

The Director of National Intelligence, Justice Department, Homeland Security and FBI expressed concern about election-influenc campaigns from Vladimir Putin's Russia (left) and Xi Jinping's China (right)

Other countries are using social media to amplify divisive issues in American society, sponsor content in English-language media, such as Russia's RT and Sputnik news outlets, the statement said. They also distribute propaganda and plant disinformation against political candidates, the departments said.

They statement did not provide specific examples of foreign interference.

The agencies said they currently do not have any evidence that voting systems have been disrupted or compromised in ways that could result in changing vote counts or hampering the ability to tally votes in the midterms, which are fewer than 20 days away.

'Some state and local governments have reported attempts to access their networks, which often include online voter registration databases, using tactics that are available to state and nonstate cyber actors,' they said.

But so far, they said state and local officials have been able to prevent access or quickly mitigate these attempts.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's Iranwasn't let off easy, cited along with China and Russia as major threats

Christopher Krebs, undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security's National Protection and Programs Directorate, spoke during a news conference about election cyber security on Friday in Arlington, Virginia

President Donald Trump has often cast doubt on U.S. intelligence findings that Russia interfered with the 2016 election, as special counsel Robert Mueller investigates potential ties between Russia and Trump's campaign.

But Trump recently accused China of meddling in the midterms, and Vice President Mike Pence said in a speech this month that Russia's actions in 2016 pale in comparison to the covert and overt activities China is taking to interfere in the U.S. midterm elections and counter Trump's tough trade policies against Beijing.

China has denied that it is interfering in U.S. affairs.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said recently that Russia has no intention to interfere in the midterm elections in the U.S. or meddle elsewhere.
Ronald Derisi, 74, of New York, was charged threatening to murder a federal official

Police say a New York man threatened to kill two U.S. Senators for supporting Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Police charged Ronald Derisi, 74, of Smithtown, New York, with threatening to murder a federal official.

Authorities said that Derisi had left a series of threatening voicemails at the two Senators' offices in which he threatened to kill them, according to the criminal complaint which was obtained by TMZ.

The identities of the allegedly-threatened Senators has not been released. However, it appears that at least one of the Senators does not represent the state of New York.

Two of the threatening voicemails were left for a Senator on September 27, the same day that Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who came forward to accuse the now Supreme Court Justice of sexually assaulting her while they were teens, testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In one Senator's voicemail, timestamped that day at 4.55pm, the caller can be heard saying, 'It's a 9 millimeter. Side of your f**king skull you scumbag motherf**ker,' before signing off with, 'Yeah, Kavanaugh, I don't think so.'

Almost an hour later, at 5.42pm, the caller left another voicemail for the same Senator, in which he appeared to say that he was 'tired' of the Senator 'sucking taxpayers' money! Getting a free f**king ride!'

The caller then went on to say, apparently about the Senator, 'He's a dead man! 9 millimeter, side of the f**king head!'

He then said, 'If f**king Kavanaugh gets in, he's dead f**king meat! Actually, even if Kavanaugh doesn't get in he's dead f**king meat. 9 millimeter, side of the head, you f***ing old bastard,' according to TMZ.

Two of the threatening voicemails were left for a Senator on September 27, the same day that Kavanaugh (shown) and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate members

The other Senator contacted by the caller was called a 'f**king twit' and 'f**king moron,' and then told, 'Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.'

Authorities said that the two Senators' offices provided them with 10 voicemails from the caller.

Capitol Police said Derisi called the senators from a pre-paid cellphone and left threatening voicemails both before and after Kavanaugh's contentious confirmation on October 6.

Investigators said they traced the calls to Derisi using cellphone records and 'location information' from the phone's provider.

Although he had used a burner phone, it appeared that Derisi had used his debit card to buy the phone.

Derisi was scheduled to appear Friday at a federal court on Long Island.

A call to Derisi's residence seeking comment rang unanswered. It wasn't immediately clear whether he had an attorney.

Derisi has previously pleaded guilty to making other harassing calls.

And, in 2011, Derisi was arrested for cutting the cables of a disputed Metro PCS cell phone tower that had sprung up near a gated community of townhouses, according to CBS New York.

Derisi, then 67, who was said to have lived closest to the tower, was charged with two felony counts of tampering and criminal mischief, after having allegedly caused about $100,000 in damage by cutting the feeder cables.
President Trump slapped back at a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate on Friday - Beto ORourke - over his claim at a town hall that the president has committed acts that are impeachable.

'Beto ORourke is a total lightweight compared to Ted Cruz, and he comes nowhere near representing the values and desires of the people of the Great State of Texas,' he argued. 'He will never be allowed to turn Texas into Venezuela!'

ORourke, a sitting congressman, has not plugged socialism in the race to unseat Republican Ted Cruz, but he did throw his weight at a town hall behind impeachment.

President Trump slapped back at a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate on Friday - Beto ORourke - over his claim at a town hall that the president has committed acts that are impeachable

On Monday, in Houston, Trump will campaign for the senator he once called 'Lyin' Ted' amid their brutal 2016 match up. Trump says that in this race, however, Cruz has his 'full endorsement' for reelection

On Thursday evening at an event hosted by CNN, he said: 'I do think there's enough there for impeachment.'

The performance was enough to win the support of ex-Mexican President Vincente Fox put his finger on the scale for the Democratic candidate in the Texas race, saying he should have the vote of 'every single' Latino in the state.

The Trump-hating former official came out in favor of O'Rourke in a video he posted to Twitter that said: 'Wow! What a candidate! What a man! Beto, you are fantastic. Youre great! Youre an all-American.'

'You are the enlightenment for Texas and I hope every single Mexican, Latin, every Hispanic in that great state of Texas is going to vote for you,' Fox said.

Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke is attempting to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, a Cuban-American in the Texas Senate race

O'Rourke is challenging Cruz, a Cuban-American, for his seat in the U.S. Senate.

The incumbent senator is seven points ahead of his challenger in the latest CNN poll with less than three weeks to go until the Nov. 6 election.

On Monday, in Houston, Cruz will campaign with the president who once called him 'Lyin' Ted' and mocked his wife's looks in their brutal 2016 match up.

Trump says that in this race, however, Cruz has his 'full endorsement' for reelection.

'Ted Cruz has done so much for Texas, including massive cuts in taxes and regulations - which has brought Texas to the best jobs numbers in the history of the state. He watches carefully over your 2nd Amendment. ORourke would blow it all! Ted has long had my Strong Endorsement!' Trump this week tweeted.

He said at a Thursday night rally in Montana, 'I have great relationships: Ted Cruz has become a friend of mine.'

Trump took his complaints against the Democratic congressman a step further on Friday after he indicated he would in favor of impeachment if delivered the chance to convict the president of high crimes and misdemeanors.

Cruz is seven points ahead of his challenger in the latest poll with less than three weeks to go

He claimed that ORourke wants to turn Texas into Venezuela, a country the U.S. has heavy sanctions on over human rights violations and other destabilizing behavior.

That's Trump's latest jab against 'radical' Democrats whom he says want 'open borders' and crime and do not support the military or law enforcement.

'They want to raise your taxes. They want to impose socialism on our incredible nation make in Venezuela because that's what's going to happen. They want to take away your health care because you won't be able to have it,' he claimed Thursday night in Montana. 'Destroy your Second Amendment and throw open your borders to deadly drugs and vicious gangs, because plenty of them are coming across and a lot of drugs Democrats have become the party of crime.'

He's likely to make the same complaints at his event with Cruz on Monday - and ptich the construction wall along Texas' border with Mexico.

He claims the foreign nation is purposely sending murderers and rapists across into America.

O'Rourke has said that he believes that Trump's arguments in favor of a border barrier are a 'racist reaction to a racist myth that does not reflect the reality of this country at all.'

Trump says the wall is necessary go keep out drug dealers and 'animal' gang members who torture and kill their victims.
On October 5 he customized his bike by adding a caricature of Trump grasping a bun with the pork sausage and a list of the fast food items he sells

Customers have remarked on how the father-of-five possesses the same gold locks and tanned skin as the president

Uptanacio Melgarejo, a father-of-five, has gained notoriety in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, because of his likeness to Donald Trump

A street trader in Paraguay is using his likeness to U.S. President Donald Trump to boost sales.

Uptanacio Melgarejo, 54, said that ever since Trump entered the presidential race more than three years ago, he has seen a boom in business at his motorized chorizo and juice stand on the streets of Ciudad del Este near the Brazilian border.

Customers have remarked on how the father-of-five possesses the same gold locks and tanned skin as the president.

'They started calling me that because of the similarity I had with him,' Melgarejo told ABC Color in Paraguay.

Uptanacio Melgarejo, 54, said that ever since Trump entered the presidential race more than three years ago, he has seen a boom in business

'I have become famous,' Melgarejo said. 'They call me from all sides and they take pictures of me.'

Now Melgarejo is hoping to increase his profits even further. On October 5 he customized his bike by adding a caricature of Trump grasping a bun with the pork sausage and a list of the fast food items he sells.

He has been running his business for seven years.

His goal is to one day meet Trump and have a photo taken with his doubleganger.

'I have become famous,' Melgarejo said. 'They call me from all sides and they take pictures of me'

His goal is to one day meet Trump and have a photo taken with his doubleganger
Republican Representative French Hill of Arkansas has condemned a radio ad released on his behalf where two black women praise the GOP party and say if Democrats take over they will be 'lynchin' black folk again'.

The shocking radio ad caused the quiet Arkansas congressional race to explode when it aired on Thursday.

But Rep. Hill claims that he does not support the ad and did not pay for it, distancing himself from the scandal.

'Some may have heard an appalling ad on the radio. I condemn this outrageous ad in the strongest terms. I do not support that message, and there is no place in Arkansas for this nonsense,' Hill tweeted on Thursday.

Republican Representative French Hill of Arkansas has condemned a radio ad released on his behalf where two black women praise him and say if Democrats take over they will be 'lynchin' black folk again

The ad ran for 10 days starting on October 8. On Thursday French Hill released statement condemning it as 'appalling' saying he does not support it

His Democratic challenger Clarke Tucker also spoke out on the ad Thursday evening.

'Rep. Hill & his allies will have to live with the kind of campaign they're running. This radio ad is disgraceful & has no place in our society,' he said.

'We won't let these shameful tactics distract us from our fight to stand up for the people in #AR02 on the critical issues in our lives,' he added.

The controversial ad was 60-second conversation between two African American women sharing their thoughts on Washington.

One says: 'It's dangerous to change the presumption of innocence to the presumption of guilt, especially for black men'.

The ad mirrored President Donald Trump's argument of how Senate Democrats handled the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexually assaulting Christine Blasey Ford in the summer of 1982 at a high school party.

Democratic challenger Clarke Tucker spoke out on ad Thursday evening calling it 'disgraceful'

He said: 'Rep. Hill & his allies will have to live with the kind of campaign they're running. This radio ad is disgraceful & has no place in our society'

Vernon Robinson's organization, Black Americans for the President's Agenda, ran the ad along with another one about racial disparities in abortion statistics

Ford was unable to back up her claims with witnesses or evidence, but her testimony jeopardized Kavanaugh's nomination to the Court.

In the commercial one woman says: 'If the Democrats can do that to a white justice of the Supreme Court with no evidence, no corroboration, and all of her witnesses including her best friend say it didn't happen? What will happen to our husbands, our fathers, or our sons when a white girl lies on them?'

The ad's script Woman #1: What do you think about what's happening in Washington? Woman #2: Our congressman French Hill and the Republicans know that it's dangerous to change the presumption of innocence to a presumption of guilt. Especially for black men. If the Democrats can do that to a white justice of the Supreme Court with no evidence, no corroboration, and all of her witnesses including her best friend say it didn't happen? What will happen to our husbands, our fathers, or our sons when a white girl lies on them? Woman #1: Girl, white Democrats will be lynchin' black folk again Woman #2: Honey I've always told my son, don't be messing around with that. If you get caught, she will cry rape. Woman #1: I'm voting to keep Congressman French Hill and the Republicans because we have to protect our men and boys. We can't afford to let white Democrats take us back to bad old days of race verdicts, life sentences and lynchins' when a white girl screams rape. Advertisement

Another says: 'Girl, white Democrats will be lynchin' black folk again.'

The first woman then sponsors Congressman French Hill and the Republicans 'because we have to protect our men and boys'.

'We can't afford to let white Democrats take us back to bad old days of race verdicts, life sentences and lynchins' when a white girl screams rape,' she adds.

The ad debuted on October 8 was funded by a small group called the Black Americans for the President's Agenda, which has now come under major scrutiny it is revealed they're a group funded by retired wealthy white Americans.

The group is run by its president Vernon Robinson who is best known for running Ben Carson's draft into the presidential race.

'This is appropriate payback for the Democrats behavior during the Brett Kavanaugh hearings,' Robinson said in a statement at the time.

'Every black mom in the county has warned her son of what is in our ad, including mine. It will reflect on the reality of black mothers' concerns for their children. If a white Supreme Court Justice can be threatened without evidence, what does that mean for black males? Democrats are dangerous,' he said.

His PAC spent about $90,000 this year on Congressional races.

Robinson said the ad is a part of a $50,000 buy that includes similar spot running on stations in Missouri, according to AP. The group had not coordinated the ad with Hill or spoken to his campaign about it, Robinson said.

The PAC is based in North Carolina and was formed just earlier this year.

This week reported having about $52,507 cash on hand and $62,769 in debt. The group has spent about $30,000 in recent weeks on ad buys in Arkansas and Missouri races, according to Federal Election Commission records.
They are among the nation's brightest prospects  but students at Cambridge are starting their degree courses in the dark.

Instead of lodging in historic surroundings, some have been given portable cabins in a college car park with small windows and barely any natural light.

Renovations that have overrun mean undergraduates at Murray Edwards College are living in the cramped rooms which they say lack heating or hot water for showers.

University chiefs said students were offered other temporary accommodation inside the college but chose the car park cabins, above

This is despite the fact that some students are paying more than 200 a week to live in the female-only college, whose alumni include Strictly Come Dancing's Claudia Winkleman and ex-Great British Bake Off star Sue Perkins.

Youngsters have been living in the car park since they arrived for the start of term earlier this month. Any dreams of experiencing Cambridge's fine dining have been replaced with putting up with kitchens measuring just 10ft by 11ft, shared between 15 students. Usually, up to eight share a kitchen.

And angry students have snapped photos of building materials, ladders and paint scattered outside the cabins.

Those living there are being charged 1,375 per term plus 40 for internet charges and 223 for overheads  a total of 1,638 for the eight-week term.

Angry students have snapped photos of building materials, ladders and paint scattered outside the cabins

The university says it will waive the 40 charge for anyone complaining of a poor internet connection.

But one undergraduate told student website The Tab: 'It has been really upsetting because more and more issues just seem to be coming up and the college almost seem a little fed up with us.

'We were told that they were 'top-of-the-range'  we can't even seem to have a hot shower or do our work due to a lack of wi-fi.'

Evie Aspinall, the president of Cambridge University Students' Union, said: 'It is entirely unacceptable to be housing students in portable cabins that are clearly not fit for purpose.

'Not only that, but to be charging them well over 1,000 to do so is disgraceful. Those at Murray Edwards are clearly, and understandably, very angry at the college's housing provision and yet the college fails to recognise the problem.'

University chiefs said students were offered other temporary accommodation inside the college but chose the car park cabins.

Renovations that have overrun mean undergraduates at Murray Edwards College are living in the cramped rooms which they say lack heating or hot water for showers

In a statement, the college said: 'Some parts of the college require essential work and, although we do our utmost to minimise the impact of this for our students, in this case, we were required to house some students in temporary accommodation for the earlier part of the term.

'We are sorry that the students have faced additional issues on top of the disruption this has already caused for them and we are working closely to resolve the outstanding issues as soon as possible.

'We fully expect that the students will be back in their chosen accommodation in November.'
The Justice Department has charged a Russian woman with a conspiracy to 'sow division and discord' in the U.S. elections  including the upcoming midterms.

The government on Friday charged Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, a resident of St. Petersburg, Russia, with playing a key financial role in a Kremlin-backed plan to conduct 'information warfare' against the United States.

Her efforts date to 2014, according to the government.

Asked about the alleged effort to sow divisions in U.S. politics, President Trump responded that it had nothing to do with his campaign.

U.S. officials announced the indictment of another Russian engaged in efforts to interfere in U.S. politics, in an effort funded by an associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin's

'It had nothing to do with my campaign. All of the hackers and all everybody that you see - nothing to do with my campaign,' the president said.

'If they're hackers - a lot of them probably liked Hillary Clinton better than me. Now they do. Now they do. But ... they go after some hacker in Russia and they say oh - it had nothing to do with my campaign,' the president said.

In a further statement about the apparent effort to try to impact the critical 2018 elections, which have enormous implications for Trump and his agenda, the president attacked Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and what he calls the 'fake news.'

Asked if he had a warning for Russia, Trump responded: 'I've already said it. And, you know I always say this ... President Obama was contacted by the FBI in September, long before the election in November. And they told him there may be meddling by the Russians. And he did nothing about it because he thought Hillary Clinton would win. He did nothing,' Trump said.

Obama warned Russia's Vladimir Putin to cease election meddling in advance of the elections.

'He didn't lift a finger,' Trump continued. 'He didn't spend a dime. We've done a lot to protect the elections coming up very shortly. But President Obama - people don't want to bring it up,' he said.

Then the president referenced Senate Intelligence cochair Richard Burr and said there was 'no collusion.'

The indictment describes efforts to sow divisions in American society on issues like the confederate flag

Conspirators also tried to stoke the NFL kneeling controversy, a favorite topic of President Trump's

'But the good news is it never affected - whatever did take place never affected the vote. And everybody agrees to that. It never affected the vote. Uhh, the candidate affected the vote. The bad candidate. She should have gone to Wisconsin. She should have gone more to North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida. She should have gone out a little bit more. She had to work a little bit harder. That affected the vote,' Trump said.

According to prosecutors, the goal of the conspiracy she took part in was to 'create and amplify divisive social media and political content.'

This included injecting herself into a variety of controversial topics including gun control, the women's march, and even kneeling during the National Anthem during NFL games, NBC reported.

The group also engaged in the Unite the Right rally that led to violent clashes in Charlottesville, gay rights, and other topics.

Targets included leaders of both parties, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, President Barack Obama, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The criminal complaint unsealed on Friday makes her the first individual to be indicted for attempting to interfere in the 2018 U.S. elections.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has already indicted 13 Russians with an interference campaign in the 2016 presidential election.

President Donald Trump warned Putin at their Helsinki summit not to interfere in U.S. elections, saying after the meeting, 'that's the way it's going to be.'

Khusyaynova was the chief accountant for Project Lakhta, an interference campaign out of Russia targeting the U.S. and other countries. It was funded by Russian oligarch Eveny Prigozhin.

He is known as 'Putin's chef,' for hosting lavish dinners for top Kremlin officials where Putin was present.

The complaint said Khusyaynova was the chief accountant for Project Lakhta, which it said was funded by Prigozhin and two companies he controls, Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering.

Jess Sessions' Justice Department on Friday charged a Russian national with playing a key financial role in a Kremlin-backed plan to conduct 'information warfare' against the United States, including to influence next month's congressional elections

Concord Management and Concord Catering were among the three entities and 13 Russian individuals who were indicted by Special Counsel Robert Muellers office in February in an alleged criminal and espionage conspiracy to tamper with the 2016 U.S. presidential race, boost Trump and disparage his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The case against Khusyaynova was unsealed in Alexandria, Virginia, and is not being handled by Mueller because it includes activities related to the 2018 elections, which are not part of his remit, the official familiar with the matter said.

Using social media and other avenues, the conspiracy participants waged 'information warfare against the United States,' attempting to sow distrust of candidates for U.S. political office and the U.S. political system, according to the complaint.

Khusyaynova was the chief accountant for Project Lakhta, funded by Russian oligarch Evgeny Prigozhin, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and known as 'Putin's chef'

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has charged a number of Russians with interfering in the 2016 elections. Friday's indictment is the first related to 2018

Prigozhin, who was among those personally charged by Mueller, has been dubbed 'Putin's cook' by Russian media because his catering business has organized banquets for Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior political figures. He has been hit with sanctions by the U.S. government.

According to a joint statement by the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security: 'We are concerned about ongoing campaigns by Russia, China and other foreign actors, including Iran, to undermine confidence in democratic institutions and influence public sentiment and government policies. These activities also may seek to influence voter perceptions and decision making in the 2018 and 2020 U.S. elections.'

"Currently, we do not have any evidence of a compromise or disruption of infrastructure that would enable adversaries to prevent voting, change vote counts or disrupt our ability to tally votes in the midterm elections,' they said.

U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies said on Friday they remain concerned about attempts by Russia, China, Iran and other foreign groups to interfere with the Nov. 6 congressional elections, as well as the presidential election in 2020.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Justice Department, FBI and Department of Homeland Security said they do not have any evidence that anyone went far enough to prevent voting or change vote counts. Some state and local governments, which run polling sites, have reported attempts to access their networks, but officials were able to 'prevent access or quickly mitigate these attempts,' the agencies said in a joint statement.

In July, Mueller's office also indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers who were accused of hacking Democratic computer networks as part of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Members of the conspiracy operated fictitious social media pages and groups.

They falsely claimed to be activists, when in fact they were part of the conspiracy out of St. Petersburg.

The group had a graphics department, an IT department, and a search engine department, as well as a finance department.

Payments for Project Lakhta were misleadingly labeled as being for software development. According to the indictment, as many as 14 bank accounts were used to steer funds to it.

Khusyaynova kept detailed financial budgets, however, which the government was able to obtain.

The budget she submitted for 2017 was about $1 million, though it was in rubles. It listed such expenses as 'advertisement on Instagram' and 'advertisement on Facebook.'

The 2018 budget jumped to $1.7 million.

Conspirators took advantage of U.S. news events to tout their themes, including the horrific shootings of congregants in a mostly black church in Charleston, South Carolina and the Las Vegas shooting.

Police shootings of African American men also were exploited.

They were directed to create political intensity through supporting radical groups and oppositional social movements.

According to one conspirator, it sought to effectively aggravate the conflict between minorities and the rest of the population.

But they didnt adopt a single ideology and sometimes put out opposing viewpoints.

Translated internal messages instruct participants when is the most opportune time to release postings, noting that posting can be 'problematic' due to the time difference with St. Petersburg.

It posits that LGBT groups are active at night, while conservatives can view a repost when they wake up in the morning.

A member of the conspiracy provided directions for how to handle an article about the late Arizona Sen. John McCain.

'Brand McCain as an old geezer who has lost it and who long ago belonged in a home for the elderly,' the person advises, adding to emphasize McCain's 'pathological hatred toward Donald Trump.'

The group also advises attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller, who it wants described as a 'puppet of the establishment.'

Posters were encouraged to list 'scandals' while he ran the FBI and to call his investigation 'damaaging to the country.'

The conspirators wanted to expose Sen. Marco Rubio, like McCain a Russia critic, as a 'fake conservative.'
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Death, destruction and warriors in action. Here hangs an epic pictorial history of conflict and conquest, captured on fabric in intricate detail for the benefit of future generations.

Except I am not looking at the Bayeux Tapestry in Normandy. I am in the Potteries Museum in Stoke-on-Trent.

There is no sign of Norman ships in this tableau, nor King Harold with an arrow in his eye.

Instead, we see the wreckage of Ypres, rats in the trenches, artillery barrages and an enemy pilot plunging to his death.

Yet, as in Bayeux, the theme is timeless: war on a grand scale.

In this case, it tells the story of one battalion's valour and sacrifice through the Great War. It is a memorial to the fallen by those lucky enough to make it home. This is the ultimate Roll of Honour.

Part 1 of 9. The huge wall hanging tells the story of one battalion's valour and sacrifice through the Great War

Part 2. We see the wreckage of Ypres, rats in the trenches, artillery barrages in the long-forgotten wall hanging

Part 3. The wall hanging is in pride of place in the city's museum, ahead of the centenary of the end of World War I next month

Not that many people have ever seen this stunning work unrolled to its full 70ft length. Were it not for a stroke of luck last year, it might have disappeared for ever, having long ago been dumped at the back of a municipal storeroom. There it sat for years, wrapped in a sheet with a faulty label attached to it saying 'Tram Map of Stoke-on-Trent'.

Now, however, it is in pride of place in the city's museum, ahead of the centenary of the end of World War I next month.

It has never enjoyed the fame of that illustrious needlework in Bayeux, which recounts William the Conqueror's invasion of England in 1066. None the less, there is a similar magical quality to what we should call the Great Wall-Hanging of the West Midlands. It, too, commemorates a monumental, bloody cross-Channel military expedition.

It honours the 5th Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment, a unit which suffered almost double the average casualty rate on the Western Front. Running beneath it are the names of nearly a thousand men from the Potteries who never returned.

The first thing that strikes you as you enter the gallery is the size of it. Though a third of the length of the Bayeux model, it is much taller  9ft from top to bottom.

This is not actually a tapestry, of course.

At a 1921 reunion of veterans, Tom Simpson MC proposed the idea of a pictorial Roll of Honour for the battalion and recruited a small team of old comrades who, like him, had an artistic flair.

Part 4. Not that many people have ever seen this stunning work unrolled to its full 70ft length

Part 5. Were it not for a stroke of luck last year, it might have disappeared for ever

Part 6. It honours the 5th Battalion of the North Staffordshire Regiment, which suffered double the average casualty rate

Part 7. The canvas still needs expert conservation work before it can go properly on display

It was painted in the same year on to an industrial roll of canvas. It was then brought out for display at regimental gatherings. But when the last of the old 'Terriers', as the North Staffords called themselves, ended their reunions in the Seventies, the great canvas disappeared with them. Eventually, last year, it was found (wrongly labelled) in a warehouse. As they unrolled it, the staff were astonished.

For here was a warscape on both a grand and human scale, set amid towns and villages with tragically familiar names like Ypres, Lens and Passchendaele. And the colours have not faded because they were never exposed to daylight. The canvas still needs expert conservation work before it can go properly on display. So, for now, only a central section is on show, alongside a facsimile version of the original. Once 50,000 has been raised, the original will go on display in a new gallery.

'These are the teardrops of a lost generation,' says Levison Wood, 65, the former teacher and Territorial Army officer-turned- historian who started the hunt for the lost work (his son, Levison Wood Junior, is the television presenter and explorer who walked the length of the Nile). Levison Senior has spent four years recording every fallen member of the North Staffords in a magnificent two-volume register.

As we inspect the replica version of the 'tapestry', he talks me through the scenes which open in Flanders in 1915 when the battalion saw its first action.

Part 8. Though a third of the length of the Bayeux model, it is much taller  9ft from top to bottom

Part 9. For now, only a central section is on show, alongside a facsimile version of the original

Soldiers in the trenches, wearing their helmets and smoking cigarettes, are depicted in the giant 'tapestry'

The 5th North Staffords suffered their worst losses at the Battle of Loos when 800 men went over the top

A German pilot leapt from his burning plane right above the British lines - in pre-parachute days - in one of the images

A plane flies past an explosion in one of the scenes. For now, only a central section is on show, alongside a facsimile version

Shortly afterwards, they were stationed at a notorious pinch-point in the Western Front's trench network known as Hill 60. Here the men witnessed their first aerial dogfight. Many regimental accounts refer to a grim scene on June 25, 1915, when a German pilot leapt from his burning plane right above the British lines  in pre-parachute days. And there he is.

In the same year, the 5th North Staffords suffered their worst losses at the Battle of Loos when 800 men went over the top and 500 were lost in half an hour (including three brothers). They endured similar carnage a year later during the Battle of the Somme where they were ordered to charge an impregnable German bunker at Gommecourt Wood.

By the start of 1918, so many men had been killed that the battalion was disbanded and its survivors transferred to other units, including the 6th Battalion which helped capture the Riqueval Bridge over the St Quentin Canal, a pivotal action at the end of the war. As a result, the bridge features right at the end of the 'tapestry'.

After the war, survivors resumed civilian careers. The last of the 'Terriers' is now long gone, of course. And yet, thanks to the efforts of Tom Simpson and his comrades, their memory lives on. The North Staffords became part of the Staffordshire Regiment. They, in turn, became part of today's Mercian Regiment, who served with distinction in Afghanistan.

'Stand Firm and Strike Hard' is their motto. Take a look at this profoundly moving testimony to their forebears and you can see why.

For The Fallen is at Stoke's Potteries Museum until November 18.

Stoke-on-Trent's Potteries Museum and Art Gallery which displays the giant artwork
President Trump pinned the divisive discourse in American politics on former Department of Justice head Eric Holder and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a video shared on his official Twitter account.

He said in remarks in front of the White House that Democrats are 'losing it' and out on the campaign trail 'ranting and raving' in the video posted to his accounts on Friday.

'The Democrats don't like being called an angry mob. But really, that's what they've become,' the president said. 'They've gone so far left, they can't even believe that they're over there. They don't know what's going on.'

Trump's video targeting Democratic leaders he blames for inciting division and violence was juxtaposed to the complaints he was facing on social media over his own comments on the campaign trail about the assault of an American journalist.

Donald Trump released a video targeting Democratic leaders he blames for inciting division and violence on the same day he faced complaints about his own conduct on the campaign trail

Trump pinned the divisive discourse in American politics on former Department of Justice head Eric Holder and ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a video shared on his official Twitter account

He claimed that Montana Congressman Greg Gianforte shouldn't have had to apologize for body-slamming a journalist asking him questions ahead of his special election.

'He's a great guy. Tough cookie,' Trump said. 'Greg's opponent, Kathleen Williams, is a radical, far-left Democrat.'

Trump cast Democrats as an 'angry mob' at the rally and said they aren't 'crazy, intelligent' as he promoted his new tagline 'mobs not jobs' at the event.

'The Democrat Party has gone so far left that nobody knows what to do. It's become radical resistance,' he asserted. 'The Democrats have truly turned into an angry mob, bent on destroying anything or anyone in their path.'

Democratic whip Sen. Dick Durbin was incredulous on Friday as he responded to the comments on CNN.

'I can't believe this mob rule charge. I have three words for the president: Lock her up,' he said. 'Rally after rally, his supporters are out there screaming, "Lock her up," every time he mentions a Democrat, particularly if it's a Democratic woman.'

Durbin brought up Trump's comments about Gianfote assaulting The Guardian's Ben Jacobs before he was elected.

'And we're supposed to be the mob? Give me a break,' the Illinois senator said.

Trump's remarks about Democrats as an 'angry mob' are rooted in incidents involving Holder, Clinton and California Democrat Maxine Waters.

Holder said at an event, 'When they go low, we kick 'em.' And Clinton claimed in an interview, 'You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about.' Waters encouraged supporters to seek out Trump administration officials at restaurants and 'tell them they're not welcome.'

'When you listen to Holder talking about "kicking"... or Hillary Clinton saying what she said, which was so horrible,' Trump said in his video, 'they just don't see it.'

Continuing, he said, 'Maxine Waters, constantly, day in and day out, ranting and raving...they're losing it, and they shouldn't be.

'We should be a unified country,' he concluded in the short video. 'It will happen some day.'
Eric Trump expressed his sympathy for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and explained the U.S. has to tread carefully to keep its relationship with the Saudi kingdom.

The president's son spoke on Fox News' Outnumbered show on Friday afternoon to lament the brutal murder of the 60-year-old journalist who disappeared on October 2 after walking into the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

On Friday, Saudi Arabia said Khashoggi died in a fight after offering various explanations for his disappearance two weeks ago.

There remains rumors he was murdered by squad of Saudi hitmen.

Trump said the the U.S. is keen to keep its good terms with Saudi Arabia, one of the nation's few allies in the Middle East, and asked if the nation is willing to 'throw that all away' over Khashoggi's murder.

'Listen, I think it's tough, right, you can't have journalists getting murdered. And the way they did it was obviously savage and awful, and you have 15 people go through and I mean, God knows what actually happened in that room, but whatever happened was clearly awful,' he said before Saudi confirmed the journalist was dead.

Eric Trump says the U.S. shouldn't 'throw away' their relationship with Saudi Arabia over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Speaking on Fox News on Friday Trump condemned his death as 'savage' but said the U.S. has to act carefully as Saudi Arabia is one of the nation's few friends in the Middle east

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on October 2 in the Saudi consulate in Turkey and is widely believed to have been allegedly tortured and killed by Saudi 'hit squad' of 15 men

'At the same time. I think we have to be honest with ourselves that as America, we face a little bit of a problem in that we don't have all that many friends in the Middle East. And you've got real problems in the Middle East,' he added.

He said in the greater scheme of international politics, the U.S. should focus on maintaining a good relationship with Saudi Arabia.

'Saudi Arabia has actually been a friend to the U.S. in many ways. They're ordering from us, massive, massive orders. Hundreds of billions of dollars worth of arms that will create tens and tens of thousands of jobs,' Trump said.

He condemned the murder of a journalist as 'savage' but qualified his statement saying 'at the same time who are our friends in the Middle East - the U.A.E, Israel, and Saudi...'

'So what are you going to do you do? You're going to take that and you're going to throw all of that away?' he asked.

Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian citizen with U.S. residency, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork needed to marry his fiancee

Jamal Kashoggi is seen with his finacee Hatice Cengiz, who stood outside the consulate waiting for hours after he walked inside on October 2, never to emerge

'I don't mean to be binary with this. One action is not acceptable but it leaves the country in a very tough predicament,' he closed his statements.

The murder of Khashoggi, who wrote columns for the Washington Post and was a harsh critic of the Saudi government, has shed light on the reserved Saudi royal family which has been tied to Islamic extremist terrorism as well as human rights abuses.

On October 2 Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen who had been living in the United States entered the consulate to receive a document that would permit him to wed his Turkish fiancee Hatice Cengiz.

She stood outside the consulate for hours, waiting for Khashoggi to emerge. But he never did.

It is widely believed that Khashoggi was brutally tortured and murdered inside the consulate, with the Turkish government investigating an alleged 'hit squad' of 15 Saudi security men who entered and exited Istanbul on private jets.

Eric Trump gushed about the great relationship the U.S. has with Saudi Arabia, specifically in trading arms saying: 'You can't be executing journalists ... at the same time who are our friends in the Middle East, what are you going to do, take that and throw all of that away?'

Donald Trump said Thursday that he presumes Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be 'very severe.'

'It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad,' Trump said.

In an interview with The New York Times, that president based his acknowledgment that Khashoggi was dead on intelligence reports.

Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: 'Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff.'

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has close ties to some of the alleged hit men, has denied the allegation.
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The bodyguard cut an unusually glamorous figure for a police officer, in black culottes and beige heels

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a new female head of protection  armed and in heels.

The woman, who the Mail is not naming for security reasons, has been working with the couple for several months and is currently with them in Australia, overseeing the massive police operation that surrounds them.

Harry and Meghan are travelling across four different Commonwealth nations, conducting 76 engagements in 16 days.

Most senior female members of the Royal Family have at least one woman close protection officer on their team.

The Duchess of Cornwall has always had one, as does the Duchess of Cambridge who has become extremely close to her 'PPO', mother-of-one Emma Probert, who has been with her for a number of years.

It took a little while to find a woman for the job with Harry and Meghan, but the new senior female police officer, who has the rank of Inspector, has replaced the prince's long-standing head of security, Sergeant Bill Renshaw, who retired after more than 30 years in the force.

This week she has been very much in evidence, standing discreetly alongside the prince and his new wife. In Melbourne on Thursday she kept a watchful eye over pregnant Meghan as she undertook a huge public walkabout.

As the duchess shook hands, posed for photographs and collected dozens of bunches of flowers and gifts, she cut an unusually glamorous figure for a police officer, in black culottes and beige heels, a smart black jacket and striped top concealing the gun and Taser that most protection officers normally carry.

Her long, blonde hair was artfully twisted and clipped from her face. And on Friday she was dressed down in flat pumps while she oversaw operations on Bondi Beach as the couple met surfers.

Kensington Palace declined to comment last night.

This week the bodyguard has been very much in evidence, standing discreetly alongside the prince and his new wife

But a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said they could confirm that 'there are a number of female officers working within the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command, including an inspector currently working in Australia'.

The spokesman added that they were not prepared to confirm the identities of officers in roles of this nature.

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick has been keen to raise the number of women in senior jobs.

In a recent interview discussing the BBC hit Bodyguard, she said she thought the plotline of the show was 'ridiculous' but added: 'It's great of course to have senior female role models and figures in senior positions in drama as well as real life, I think it inspires lots of people to think I maybe could be the Home Secretary or maybe I could do this  I have a lot of protection officers.' A source said the unnamed inspector was a 'brilliant' appointment, who had earned their role on merit.

They added: 'As these officers are by their principal's side 24 hours a day, it is always preferential to have a woman on the team. There are some things that a MRF (Member of the Royal Family) just feels more comfortable doing with a woman at her side. But to have a woman in charge of the team is pretty much unheard of. It is good news for the Duke and Duchess and good news for the force.'

Duchess: I'm glad I quit social media She was once a voracious social media user. But it seems Meghan had no trouble giving it up when she joined the Royal Family. The Duchess of Sussex told a fan yesterday how liberating it had been to have to close her accounts and shut her website when she got engaged to Prince Harry. 'She said it was very freeing that she no longer has social media,' said Jessina Oakes, 26. 'She said a really beautiful quote: 'Flattery and criticism run through the same filter'.' It is understood the duchess  who was visiting Sydney's Bondi Beach  was quoting artist Georgia O'Keeffe, who said: 'Flattery and criticism go down the same drain.' While working as an actress, Meghan documented every aspect of her life on Twitter, Instagram and her lifestyle site The Tig. Advertisement

4.30am yoga takes the edge off jet lag The Duchess of Sussex has been doing 4.30am yoga sessions in Australia to help with her pregnancy and jet lag, according to another mother-to-be. Charlotte Connell, 35, is 23 weeks pregnant and is the mother of Finn, two, who gave Meghan, 37, and Harry, 34, garlands when they joined surfers for a barefoot 'anti bad vibes circle' at Bondi Beach in Sydney. She said: 'Meghan told me that pregnancy was like having jet lag. She said she was up at 4.30am doing yoga as she couldn't sleep. It's a double whammy for her, she said, as she has both the baby and jet lag. 'We talked about how you feel jet lagged even though you have not travelled anywhere. But physical activity like yoga and surfing is so good for healing your mind.' Advertisement

Tuesday: the Duchess of Sussex in Sydney after the swell news (left); starting to show in khaki (right)

Wednesday: hanging loose in Dubai (left); Thursday: bulging in blue in Melbourne (right)
The father of mutilated murder victim Joey Comunale was left in tears while taking the stand to testify about the last time he saw his son alive.

Patsy Comunale was in Manhattan Supreme Court Thursday, testifying during the first day of 27-year-old James Rackover's murder trial.

Rackover and former friend, Lawrence Dilione, 30, are accused of fatally stabbing Joey Comunale, 26, at the alcohol and cocaine-fueled party inside Rackover's luxury New York City apartment after an argument over cigarettes in November 2016.

Patsy Comunale (on Thursday) was seen crying as he recounted his last interactions with his slain son, Joey Comunale, during the first day of James Rackover's murder trial

Joey's body was found three days later, mutilated, burned and buried in a shallow grave in Oceanport, New Jersey, where Dilione lived.

In court Thursday, Joey's father, Patsy Comunale was seen crying as he relived his last few interactions with his son.

Joey Comunale was killed in November 2016. He had been stabbed and his body was mutilated, burned and buried in a shallow

'It would have been at my house,' Patsy said, noting that he knew his son intended to go out the night that he died. 'He wasnt feeling well. He went out anyway.'

When gruesome crime scene pictures were shown, revealing Joey's burned and mud-covered remains, both Patsy and Joey's mother, Lisa Comunale, were said to have struggled to keep their composure, according to the New York Daily News.

At one point, Lisa was seen with Patsy's arm around her as she cried into her hands. Patsy, meanwhile, held back more tears.

Meanwhile, Rackover, dressed in a tailored three-piece suit, was said to have shown no emotion during Patsy's testimony and when the crime scene pictures were shown.

During his opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Peter Casolaro said that Rackover 'lied to everyone who asked about what happened to' Joey while the Comunales were searching for him before his body was discovered.

Casolaro also said that Joey had no chance at defending himself against the attack that ended his life, due to how intoxicated he had been at the time, and said that Rackover was a killer with 'a monstrous indifference for human life.'

Rackover's defense lawyer, Maurice Sercarz, asked no questions of Patsy while he was on the witness stand. 'I only have condolences,' Sercarz said.

James Rackover, 27 (right in 2017), is accused of killing Joey during an alcohol and cocaine-fueled party inside Rackover's apartment

Rackover's former friend, Lawrence Dilione, 30 (center), is also accused in Joey's death

During his opening statement, the prosecutor said that Joey (shown) had no chance at defending himself against the attack that ended his life, due to his state of intoxication

Sercarz, however, did take the opportunity to point the finger away from his client and towards Dilione, who he suggested was the person who actually killed Joey, noting that Rackover's part was just that he 'succumbed to the need to get that body out of the apartment and assisted in that endeavor,' the New York Post reported.

Dilione's murder trial is expected to begin in January.

Rackover has been charged of second-degree murder, hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence and concealing a human corpse. He faces up to life in prison for the murder charge, with additional possible sentences for the additional charges.

Max Gemma, 30, who was also said to have been at Rackover's apartment the night Joey was killed, has been charged with helping in the clean up attempt, but not for Joey's murder.

Rackover is said to the be 'surrogate son' of celebrity jeweler Jeffrey Rackover, who has designed baubles for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and was responsible for Melania Trump's $3million engagement ring.

Jeffrey Rackover has since distanced himself from his 'adoptive' son, but was named in a lawsuit filed in June 2017 alleging he helped to cover up the murder.

Pat Comunale claimed Jeffrey provided cleaning supplies to Rackover and alleged that the pair were in a sexual relationship.

The lawsuit also alleged that Jeffrey let Rackover borrow his Mercedes-Benz to dispose of the victim's dismembered remains on the Jersey Shore.
For more than a decade, Michael Cohen was Trump's personal lawyer and also worked for the Trump Organization, but he has flipped and appears to be campaigning for the Democrats.

On Friday, Cohen pleaded with the American public on Friday to head to the polls and vote against the President and the Republican Party predicting chaos if they did not.

'Listen, here's my recommendation. Grab your family, grab your friends, grab your neighbors, and get to the poll, because if not, you are going to have another two or another six years of this craziness,' Cohen told CNN in a brief interview outside of his Manhattan home. 'So, make sure you vote. All right?'

Cohen was a Democrat for years, but changed his official registration to Republican after the 2016 election - he has now switched back according to an interview with CNN

His remarks are his first on-camera comments to the media since pleading guilty in August to eight criminal counts.

Cohen changed his party registration back to Democrat last week after previously switching to become a Republican after the 2016 election.

'I've been Democrat for pretty much my whole entire life. I switched because of a request of the RNC. Couldn't be the vice chair of the RNC and be a Democrat.' Cohen told CNN about the decision to change his party registration,.

Cohen has even said that he is willing to campaign for Democrats -- and against Trump in the midterms and the 2020 presidential election.

Cohen has been pleading with the American public to vote for the Democrats

Earlier this year Cohen plead guilty to a series of crimes, including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and bank fraud

'The #MidtermElections2018might be the most important vote in our lifetime,' Cohen tweeted over the weekend, adding: '#GetOutAndVote#VoteNovember6th'

In addition to tax evasion and making false statements to banks, Cohen pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance violations.

He said in a courthouse that 'in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office' -- Trump -- he kept information that could have harmed the President from becoming public during the 2016 election.

Cohen is awaiting a December sentencing after pleading guilty to tax fraud, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

During his plea, Cohen said Trump directed him to arrange a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election in an effort to silence her about her alleged affair with Trump.

Cohen, who worked as a lawyer and more for Donald Trump from 2006 to May 2018, has been cooperating with federal prosecutors since his guilty plea

He was also involved in a similar hush agreement and paid $150,000 through a media company to Playboy playmate Karen McDougal who alleges to have had an affair with Trump.

As part of his plea, Cohen agreed not to challenge any sentence of less than five years and three months in prison.

Even without a cooperation agreement, he might still be able to win a measure of leniency at sentencing by cooperating with authorities in New York and Washington.
Aged five, Carl Edon loved to draw. He spent hours working on dot-to-dots or his colouring books, and drawing his own shapes and patterns.

One morning, his mother, Val, noticed how long he had been working on a picture and asked to take a look.

It was surprisingly neat, not a scribble, yet she could not quite make out what the designs were meant to be.

Carl explained that these were his air force badges. The first was an eagle, its wings drawn straight out at the sides.

But before Carl could describe the next symbol, Val recognised it with a jolt. It was a swastika.

Perhaps even more extraordinary was the picture that his father Jim found in Carls bedroom just after his sons sixth birthday. It showed the cockpit of a plane, complete with all the gauges, instruments and levers.

Carl pointed out a red pedal at the bottom: this was the handle to drop the bombs, he said, adding that it was a Messerschmitt bomber like the one he had flown in the war.

It was not the first time the boy had claimed to remember a past life as a German pilot. As young as two, he would wake from vivid dreams, screaming that his plane had crashed, his leg was severed and he was bleeding to death.

These were horrific nightmares for a boy so young  and, more eerie still, Carl refused to accept they were just dreams.

It really happened, he would say. I died. One of our engines ran out and I opened a hatch to try and get out, but my right leg was gone.

He showed his mother where the fatal wound had been. On the inside of his right thigh, he had a blotchy red birthmark.

Val was frightened and confused, but her husband was sceptical. He tried to pick holes in the boys fantastic story. And he thought hed spotted a big one, believing the Messerschmitt was a fighter plane, not a bomber.

From the moment Carl Edon was born, his mother sensed there was something different about him

He decided to test Carl a little more. So what uniform did you wear? he asked. Carl replied without hesitation: Grey trousers, tucked into knee-high leather boots and a black jacket.

A few days later, Jim visited the local library in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, clutching the pictures Carl had drawn.

In the history section he pulled out any books he could find on the German Luftwaffe of World War II. With the books laid out in front of him, he sat in total shock.

It was all there. The picture of the cockpit, the badges, the description of the uniform: everything was exactly as Carl had described. There was even a Messerschmitt bomber  the 110.

The legend of a crashed German bomber had a special significance for the people of Middlesbrough. On January 15, 1942, after a German attack on merchant ships in the North Sea, a stricken Luftwaffe plane attempted a crash-landing outside the town and ploughed straight into an anti-aircraft cable, a thick metal line securing a barrage balloon.

The cable sheared off one wing, and the aircraft smashed into the ground. The fireball was so intense that it was half an hour before firemen could get close. The next morning the wreckage lay in a smouldering crater, amid 100ft of smashed railway track.

Rescue workers, watched by two intelligence men in thick woollen coats, pulled three charred bodies from the plane.

World War Two German bomber Heinrich Richter, who Carl Edon believed he was during a past life

There was meant to be a four-man crew  the fourth body was thought to have been completely destroyed in the fire. The three corpses were taken to nearby Thornaby-on-Tees cemetery and laid to rest.

With the government keen to rebuild the track as soon as possible, the remains of the aircraft were buried under a mound of earth and the track was reinstalled as if nothing had ever happened.

On December 29, 1972, 30 years later, Carl Edon was born. From the moment he arrived, Val sensed there was something different about him.

These were physical differences at first: Carls dark-haired brother and sister had brown eyes, whereas Carls were blue and his hair strawberry blonde. Carl was also pale, while their skin was a little darker and tanned easily.

But there was something else, too: the sense that Carl never seemed able to relax. He was so particular about his clothes  his collars always had to be ironed.

When he was seven, his friend Michael came over for tea. Carl told him the story of how he had died in World War II. Val grew increasingly uncomfortable as Carl described bleeding to death and predicted he would die again before he was 25.

He finished by describing a man called Adolf Hitler, then got down from the table and started goose-stepping round the kitchen. Michael didnt stop laughing until Val quietly reminded them to finish their food.

Carls belief in this extraordinary past life began to have an impact at school.

During a parents evening, one teacher asked Val and Jim if everything was all right at home, adding that she had noticed Carl becoming distracted in class.

When I talk to him about anything, its as if he is staring straight through me, she said. Over the next few years, Carl continued to describe vividly a life lived somewhere else, in a time and place unrecognisable from the concrete streets and industry of Seventies Middlesbrough.

He spoke of a village tucked away amid forest hills, and explained how his father Fritz used to teach him about the flowers and trees.

He couldnt remember his mothers name, only that she wore spectacles and had been large, with dark hair pulled tightly back in a bun.

But Im your mother, Val would say whenever Carl got too carried away, her voice gently breaking. I know, Carl would reply, but shes my mother, too.

According to Carl, in his past life he would often have to do chores, chopping up wood and bringing it home in a wheelbarrow  or else face the wrath of his mother, bossing him about with her glasses perched on the end of her nose.

When she wasnt ordering him to chop wood, she would be by the stove making a dark red soup, like nothing Val had ever made.

He remembered brothers, too, who also fought in the war, including a younger boy who was apparently killed shortly after him. The pictures seemed to come to him as if he was watching clips from a television show, turning on and off for a few seconds at a time.

One minute he was a seven-year-old boy playing with toys in his bedroom, the next he was 19 and living in a kind of camp, with lots of small huts lined up in rows, watching people collecting water from a pump.

Sometimes he recalled putting bandages on people, or standing in a hall, surrounded by rows of men in uniform. In this hall was a framed picture of a man he recognised by now as Hitler.

Together, he and the others were stamping their feet and raising their arms in a salute with the fingers locked together.

Val felt uneasy when Carl repeated the gesture. To hear Hitlers name spoken aloud by her young son, when it had never been mentioned in the home before, sent shivers down her spine.

One morning, an oddly subdued Carl told his mother about a new dream from the night before. He was 23, sitting in what seemed to be the cockpit of a plane. He couldnt say if he was flying it or not, but it was shaking all over the place.

Suddenly everything went black. When he woke again in the plane, the buildings on the ground were rushing up towards him. In that moment, Carl knew he was going to die.

As the plane crashed it must have gone through a window, he thought. There was glass everywhere. He saw that his leg had been cut off and he felt very sad, not for himself but for a 19-year-old woman he wanted to marry, left behind in his village in Germany.

Val listened in horror as Carl finished the account by describing his final moments, bleeding to death alone in the plane.

The following year, after a journalist caught wind of Carls extraordinary claim and published a small piece in the local paper, the nine-year-old was interviewed by Womans Own magazine. Later that year the story even made it as far as Germany when it was picked up in Berlins Morgenpost.

With the exposure came ridicule at school. Within days of the articles appearing, Carls classmates began calling him Hitler and throwing their arms up in Nazi salutes. Most days Carl returned home in tears because of all this teasing.

As the attention became unbearable, he decided to stop talking about it. But that didnt mean interest in his case waned. It was some time toward the end of 1983 when the Womans Own article found its way to the U.S., onto the desk of Dr Ian Stevenson in Virginia. At the time, he was the Carlson Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

A fascinating but controversial figure, he had dedicated himself to investigating so-called reincarnation cases for 25 years. He even established a specific department, the universitys Division of Perceptual Studies, to better conduct his research.

Despite much criticism from his peers, Dr Stevensons dogged research ultimately earned him grudging respect from the psychiatric community.

His interest in reincarnation stemmed from his fascination with how certain characteristic traits or unusual illnesses often seemed incompatible with any environmental or hereditary influences.

This suggested that there may be a third type of influence on human character, such as memory transfer.

One feature in many of Dr Stevensons case studies, of which there were hundreds, was the appearance of birthmarks or birth defects in places with a deep significance to the past life.

For example, in his book Reincarnation And Biology: A Contribution To The Etiology Of Birthmarks and Birth Defects, published in 1997, Stevenson recounted the story of a young boy who became convinced that he had shot himself in a past life.

The boys recollections eventually led him to a woman whose brother had indeed shot himself in the throat.

When Dr Stevenson examined the boy, he found a birthmark on his throat where the bullet had entered, and suggested checking for an exit wound. Sure enough, after pulling back the hair on top of the boys head, a birthmark was found.

Dr Stevenson was immediately enthralled by Carls case, and in particular the birthmark on his right leg. He sent an associate, Dr Nicholas McClean-Rice, to interview Carl and his family.

After analysing the various anecdotes and stories collected, Dr Stevenson concluded that reincarnation was at least a plausible explanation for Carls story.

However, by the age of 13, Carls lingering memories of the mysterious Luftwaffe pilot had apparently all but vanished. He left school at 16 to work for British Rail.

Five years later, Carl granted one final interview to Dr Stevenson. It proved disappointing for the psychiatrist, with Carl unable to offer any more insights into his apparent past life, but Dr Stevenson was pleased to find the young man happy and in love, living with his 17-year-old girlfriend.

Carl welcomed his first child with her 12 months later, and he proposed the following year, with a second baby on the way.

It was as if his life had truly become his own, and the spectre of the mysterious German pilot had finally been laid to rest.

Then tragedy struck. In the heatwave of summer 1995, a man walked into Middlesbroughs South Bank police station, his clothes covered in blood. He said his name was Gary Vinter, he worked for British Rail, and he had come to report a murder.

He had been working the evening shift less than a mile away, at the Grangetown signal box, when he and a colleague got into an argument.

Vinter claimed he couldnt remember exactly what had happened  only that when it was over, his workmate was dead.

Beside the tracks, in a squat redbrick building with a flat Tarmac roof, police found the body of a man lying in a pool of blood. The remains of a knife still protruded from his body.

The man was Carl Edon. He had been stabbed 37 times across his whole body, with most of his internal organs punctured.

The pathologists findings seemed to contradict Vinters initial claim that he had acted in self-defence. The jury at his trial agreed and he was convicted of murder the following year.

For Carls family  his fiancee and two young daughters, his parents, brother and sister  the grief and shock were almost unbearable.

But as the months went by, the Edons couldnt help but reminisce about Carls early years and those peculiar visions that had plagued his childhood.

Then, in November 1997, workers for the Northumbrian water board were digging a sewage pipeline at a site on Clay Lane, a few miles down the track from the Grangetown signal box, when one of them hit something in the mud.

A couple of workers jumped into the pit and, scraping away at the earth, found a mangled metallic structure underneath. One of the men spotted what looked like an old sack. Opening it, he found a bundle of pristine white silk stuffed inside: a parachute.

Concerned that they might not only have the remains of a wartime aircraft on their site, but also some unexploded ordnance, the water workers immediately informed the Royal Engineers.

Within days, a team of bomb disposal experts from nearby RAF Wittering set about excavating the wreckage. The plane was soon identified as a German bomber that had belonged to a unit of the Luftwaffe, based at Schiphol in the Netherlands.

A quick check of the records revealed it to be the plane that crashed on the evening of January 15, 1942 after taking a hit just off the coast and colliding with a barrage balloon.

When the engineers dug deeper, they found more than five tons of wreckage, including machine guns, a wooden propeller and two further parachutes. Then they came across a fragment of bone.

From the records they ascertained that the bodies of three of the crew had been recovered from the crash, with a fourth thought to have been too badly burned to be removed.

But they soon discovered what appeared to be a complete skeleton, in what would have been the gunners position, a large bubble of glass at the base of the plane.

The missing body was identified as that of the planes gunner, Heinrich Richter.

When the aircraft crashed nose-first, this bubble  effectively a spherical glass window  would have borne the brunt of the initial impact and been smashed to smithereens, covering the occupant in thousands of shards, similar to the way Carl had described a shattering window in his dreams.

Most peculiar of all, when the team removed the skeleton from the wreckage, they discovered it wasnt quite as complete as they had first thought.

The right leg had been severed in the crash.

News of the planes rediscovery soon spread throughout the town and, the following year, the remains of Heinrich Richter were laid to rest alongside his comrades at the cemetery at Thornaby.

The German ambassador to Britain attended the moving burial ceremony, as well as a handful of the crews descendants, 22 British ex-servicemen and more than 200 members of the public.

Heinz Mollenbrok, then 78, a former Dornier pilot of the same unit who was shot down during the Battle of Britain, laid the first wreath on Richters grave.

He then placed another on a monument for British airmen, representing the 55,000 members of RAF Bomber Command who, like Richter and his fellow crew members, had never made it back home.

And as the RAF military standards were lowered and a bugler of the Cleveland police blew the Last Post, two other faces watched from the back of the crowd. Val and Jim Edon were there to pay their respects to the German airman.

Years later, after further investigative work, Middlesbrough historian Bill Norman tracked down Richters family. One morning, Bill received a letter containing a striking photograph of the young airman shortly before he was killed.

When Val and Jim looked at the picture for the first time, they felt as though they were seeing a ghost.

There, staring back at them, with his strong nose and chin, was the face of their son.

The collar of Richters jacket bore the insignia of eagles  just as Carl had drawn them in his childhood pictures all those years ago.
President Trump says he's relying on lawmakers to come up with an appropriate punishment for Saudi Arabia should evidence emerge that the nation was behind Jamal Khashoggi's suspected assassination.

Trump said Friday that he trusts senators to do their job, just like he believed in them to make the right call on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

'I am going to have very much Congress involved in determining what to do,' Trump said at the event in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Although, he added, 'I will in this case make certain recommendations.'

The president's comments followed a break with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham earlier this week on sanctioning Saudi Arabia. The GOP senator who's become close with Trump said he wanted to 'sanction the hell' out of the Middle Eastern nation.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?: President Trump says he's relying on lawmakers to come up with an appropriate punishment for Saudi Arabia should evidence emerge that the nation was behind Jamal Khashoggi's suspected assassination

The president said Friday it's 'too early' to be drawing conclusions, but sanctions 'could be' on the table for the foreign nation accused of murdering the dissident journalist.

'I think it's too early to say,' he stated. 'We're doing investigations right now. We have a lot of people working on it, we do. And we have other countries working on it, as you know. It's a very serious problem.'

Trump reiterated his position that murder is 'very serious stuff' and pledged that his administration is 'going to get to the bottom of it.'

He wouldn't tell journalists what the 'severe' consequences were that he was considering while indicating once again that he is not in favor of blocking defense contracts he says could bring in up to $110 billion.

'There are other things we can do, but i would certainly make that recommendation to Congress,' he said. 'But I will very much listen to what Congress has to say.'

Trump said: 'I do hope that they'll be able to see the way clear to take, to make these products. We're talking about almost every state in the union is affected, because it's the largest order ever given.'

In an interview this week Trump acknowledged that his routine denigrations of lawmakers had made some midterm voters cynical. He admitted that supporters of his had told him they did not plan to vote for Republicans he needs in Congress voting in favor of his agenda because they sensed he doesn't like them.

The president pointedly told reporters on Friday that he feels Graham and two other GOP senators, Iowa's Chuck Grassley and Texas' John Cornyn, are 'doing a great job.' He recalled how he said 'let them decide what to do in terms of that investigation' when it came to sex assault charges against Kavanaugh, and how that vote worked out.

'And I think I'll have a very similar attitude on this. I think, you know, we have, Congress is very much involved. I will in this case make certain recommendations.'

Trump said Friday that he trusts senators to do their job, just like he believed in them to make the right call on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh

He stressed that Saudi Arabia's 'been a great ally, they've been a tremendous investor in the United States' and the kingdom has been helpful in dealing with Iran.

'But we're going to know over the next two or three days, we're going to know a lot. We're getting information, as we speak,' he said.

Hours earlier, the president pushed back on Twitter on reports that Turkish authorities played an audiotape of the Saudi journalist's murder for his top diplomat.

'Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was never given or shown a Transcript or Video of the Saudi Consulate event. FAKE NEWS!' the president tweeted.

Pompeo issued his own denial on Thursday and criticized ABC News for reporting that he had heard and shared a transcript with Trump.'

'Ive seen no tape,' Pompeo told reporters in Mexico City, adding a moment later: 'Ive heard no tape. Ive seen no transcript.'

'And the network that reported that ought to pull down the headline that says I have,' he sniped, according to a State Department transcript of a short press availability.

Hours earlier, the president pushed back on Twitter on reports that Turkish authorities played an audiotape of the Saudi journalist's murder for his top diplomat

Pompeo met with Turkish authorities, and ABC News reported that he was shown and given proof that Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert added later that Pompeo 'has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript related to Jamal Khashoggis disappearance.'

ABC reported, based on a single unnamed Turkish source, that Pompeo 'heard an alleged audio recording of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi's murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.'

The story also said Pompeo gave the president a transcript of the recording.

The network hasn't retracted those claims but did change its headline overnight to include the State Department's denial.

Together, the tut-tuts from Trump and Pompeo still left open the possibility that Pompeo was given an audio recording for Trump to listen to but hadn't heard it himself.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, however, issued a broader denial.

'Turkey has not given a voice recording to Pompeo or any other American official,' he told reporters Thursday. '[The] chief prosecutor of Istanbul has launched an investigation and we are waiting for the results of this investigation.'

'We will share the results that emerge transparently with the whole world. We have not shared any information at all with any country,' Cavusoglu added.

Pompeo scolded reporters hours later in Mexico City, saying ABC shouldn't allow foreign sources to speculate anonymously about something the U.S. government has denied.

'They shouldnt do that,' he said. 'This is wrong to do to the fiancee of Khashoggi. ... This is a very serious matter that were working diligently on. And so to put out headlines that are factually false does no one any good.'

'Its most constructive when the media tells the truth. Its very useful.'

Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian citizen who has resided in the United States, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork needed to marry his fiancee.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) shakes hands with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during their meeting at Ankara Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesay

Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian citizen with U.S. residency, disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to get paperwork needed to marry his fiancee

It is widely believed that Khashoggi was brutally tortured and murdered inside the consulate, with the Turkish government investigating an alleged 'hit squad' of 15 Saudi security men who entered and exited Istanbul on private jets.

Trump said Thursday that he presumes Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be 'very severe.'

'It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad,' Trump said.

In an interview with The New York Times, that president based his acknowledgment that Khashoggi was dead on intelligence reports.

Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: 'Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff.'

Turkey believes Khashoggi, 59, was murdered inside the consulate while his fiancee waited outside in vain. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has close ties to some of the alleged hit men, has denied the allegation.

Jamal Kashoggi is seen with his finacee Hatice Cengiz, who stood outside the consulate waiting for hours after he walked inside on October 2, never to emerge

Chilling accounts of an audio recording of Khashoggi being tortured and killed have circulated in recent days.

Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak on Wednesday cited what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi's slaying, which it said showed the writer was tortured.

The newspaper said Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi could be heard on the tape, telling those allegedly torturing Khashoggi: 'Do this outside; you're going to get me in trouble.'

The newspaper said one of the Saudis torturing Khashoggi replied: 'Shut up if you want to live when you return to [Saudi] Arabia.'

The audio also reveals that Khashoggi's fingers were cut off during an interrogation before he was beheaded and dismembered, according to the reports.

Turkish officials reportedly possess the tapes, but it remains unclear if they have shared them with any U.S. officials after Pompeo's denials on Thursday.

Pompeo was back in Washington on Thursday, after a whirlwind trip to Riyadh and Ankara in an attempt to defuse the mounting international crisis over Khashoggi's disappearance.

Pompeo delivers remarks to reporters following a meeting with Trump about missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the White House on Thursday

A man holds Yeni Safak newspaper in a cafe with a headline that reads 'This is how Khashoggi was slaughtered' in Ankara, Turkey on Wednesday. The outlet says it has audio of his death

He told reporters in a press conference outside the White House that he advised Trump that Saudi Arabia should be given a few more days to complete its investigation into the disappearance.

'I think it's important for us all to remember, too - we have a long, since 1932, a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,' Pompeo told reporters, also calling Saudi Arabia 'an important counterterrorism partner.'

The U.S. has long relied on Saudi Arabia as a regional counterbalance to Iran, overlooking a track record of human rights abuses in the kingdom, as well as ongoing bombing in civilian areas of Yemen.

Meanwhile, some of the strongest circumstantial evidence yet linking Prince Mohammed to Khashoggi's presumed torture and murder emerged on Thursday.

Multiple Turkish outlets reported that the prince's close confidante Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb was caught on surveillance video entering the consulate just hours before Khashoggi arrived for his appointment.

Mutreb, a Saudi intelligence official, is reportedly high ranking in the elite Royal Guard that personally protects Prince Mohammed.

A man identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb walks toward the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul before writer Jamal Khashoggi disappeared on October 2

Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, reportedly now being sought by Turkish authorities for questioning over Khashoggi's disappearance, can be seen in the background as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (front right) visits a Habitat for Humanity event in Houston in April

Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (seen in file photo) denies any connection to Khashoggi's apparent murder, despite close ties to alleged hit men at the embassy

On Wednesday, Turkish police conducted a new intensive eight-hour search of the consulate, combing for forensic clues to Khashoggi's fate.

A team of dozens of police and prosecutors, including forensics experts in white overalls entered the residence of the consul, searching for clues with cadaver dogs and drones.

Saudi Consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi, who was at the consulate when the alleged assassination of Khashoggi took place, fled Turkey one day before the search was carried out.

It follows a search on Monday, in which Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan said that investigators found fresh paint and 'toxic materials' - potential signs of an attempted cover-up.

Turkish forensic police officers use a sniffer dog for investigation at the back yard of the residence of the Saudi consul Mohammed al-Otaibi in the early hours of Thursday

Investigators are seen carrying gear during the search of the consulate on Wednesday. The search lasted for eight hours and stretched past midnight

What may have happened to the body remains a mystery.

Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancee, raised the alarm at about 5pm on October 2, about three hours after he entered the embassy.

Turkish officials rushed to inspect a private Saudi airplane before it could take off, and failed to find Khashoggi or his remains in the plane or luggage, sources told CNN.

According to local reports, Turkish police are searching an area of woodland outside Istanbul as well as a farm house across the Marmara Sea, in a grim hunt for the journalist's remains.

Investigators are said to have collected CCTV images from the entrance to Belgrad Forest to the north of the city amid fears the body was dumped there.

After tracing the route of the convoy of cars which left the Saudi consulate on October 2, the search has moved to woodland near the city of Yalova, a 55-mile drive south of Istanbul.

Investigators are reportedly also preparing to 'excavate' a villa in Yalova province, where one of the vehicles linked to the Saudi 'hit squad' was seen, according to Turkish media.
Blackpool has been hit by four earthquakes in two days  after fracking was restarted in the area this week.

The most recent quake occurred yesterday afternoon at an amber level on the official monitoring scale, which means proceed at caution.

Firms stopped fracking in Lancashire in 2011 after two earthquakes, and experts now fear further disturbances.

Blackpool has been hit by four earthquakes in two days  after oil and gas firm Cuadrilla started fracking in the area again. Pictured: The drilling site in Little Plumpton, Lancashire

But oil and gas firm Cuadrilla started drilling again on Monday after campaigners lost a last-ditch legal battle to stop them at the High Court.

David Smythe, emeritus professor of geophysics at the University of Glasgow, warned that there may be trouble ahead if work continues.

He said: Recent research by Stanford University shows that these tiny tremors can be indicators of bigger quakes to follow  like canaries in a coal mine. The problem for Cuadrilla is that if it carries on regardless, bigger earthquakes may well be triggered.

Cuadrillas only safe option is to cease fracking.

Blackpool has been a focal point for the anti-fracking movement after the 2011 quakes. One reached 2.3 on the Richter scale on April 11.

Fracking for shale gas was ceased in the UK in 2011 after one tremor of magnitude 2.3 hit the Fylde coast. Pictured: Protesters campaigned against the process being restarted

Cuadrilla was ordered to stop all work shortly after the second smaller shock on May 27, 2011. Preliminary studies by the British Geological Society suggested the tremors were linked to fracking.

Blackpool was hit by three minor quakes on Thursday at 3.48pm, 10.54pm and 11.44pm.

They were at minus levels of seismic activity, only picked up on specialist equipment. Yesterday at 1.20pm the area was hit by an earthquake with a 0.3 magnitude  which would still not have been felt by residents.

Blackpool was hit by three minor quakes on Thursday at 3.48pm, 10.54pm and 11.44pm. Pictured: Anti-fracking protesters gather around a stove in a small shelter near the entrance to the drill site two weeks ago

But environmental campaigners claim it has hit a level where fracking should again be reconsidered.

A spokesman for Cuadrilla said the quakes were very far below levels that could be felt at surface.

He added: We take the monitoring and regulation of seismicity seriously, with daily reports sent to regulators.
Houston tattoo artist Aubrey Delinzer, as his name is listed on Facebook, showed former bully Tamarion kindness when he picked on his son, Jordan, and learned the child was being bullied, himself, due to being homeless

A Houston man showed love and kindness to the boy bullying his son, only to find out the former bully was homeless, so he took action and now the two children have become fast friends.

Aubrey Delinzer, as his name is listed on Facebook, shared a video of him taking the boy, named Tamarion, on a shopping trip that ended with him seated across from his son, Jordan, poised to hash out their differences.

'Speak your mind, son,' the tattoo artist says in the clip. 'This is a meeting. We're having a meeting.'

The next photo Aubrey shared was of the boys passing a video game controller back and forth, with the words, 'problem solved' written across it.

The story quickly went viral on Twitter, where it was viewed over 4.5 million times.

Delinzer used the notoriety he's gained from sharing the story to start a GoFundMe campaign for Tamarion and his family, who have been living in a hotel.

'I know you guys cant see exactly how great things are going for the boys .. but hes been hanging out with us ever since,' Delinzer shared in an update to the GoFundMe page on Friday night.

'Things really turned out phenomenal.. more than I could ever imagined .. just wanted everybody to know that I appreciate all the love and support from all across the world .. shoutout to you guys .. the boys having a sleep over next weekend [...] this is really greater than we imagined.'

Delinzer shared with KHOU that he had been bullied when he was younger, which gave him a unique perspective into the situation.

'It taught me something. I was angry at first, then I said let me try something different,' Delinzer said.

'I know you guys cant see exactly how great things are going for the boys .. but hes been hanging out with us ever since,' Delinzer shared in an update to the GoFundMe page on Friday night, along with a photo of Tamarion (left) and Jordan (right)

On Tuesday, Tamarion (left) and Jordan (right) were seated across from each other poised to hash out their differences, and by the end of it all, they had become fast friends

Along with the video that Delinzer first shared on Wednesday, he revealed what he learned when he took a ride with Tamarion and listened to what he had to say.

'I decided to spend some time with my sons school bully yesterday .. just to dig a little deeper on "why?" .. come to find out he was being bullied for not having clean clothes n clean shoes..,' Delinzer wrote on Facebook.

'I asked "Who? Youre big, who is picking on you?" He said"'All the other kids, they make fun of me,"' he told KHOU.

In his post, Delinzer shared more.

Along with the video that Delinzer first shared on Wednesday, he revealed that he learned that Tamarion was homeless, and was being bullied, himself, which led to him picking on Jordan

'Once again I asked "why?" .. just to find out that his family had fell on hard times and is currently homeless .. it started to make perfect sense ..,' he wrote.

'We have no clue what these children are going thru these days because a lot of us just dont care ..and this is not a uncommon story for a lot of people .. so I spent a lot of my day yesterday by shopping and teaching this young man about self respect. Integrity. Morals. Confidence. And other things that consist of going from a troubled youth to a great man.. we all come from different backgrounds but we all share the same goal of success .... I see wayyyyyy too much flexing and twerking .. club s**t n etc.. not enough helping to our black community.. these young kings need us man they really do .. I cant do it by myself .. .. you call yourself "woke" but are you truly enlightened .. yesterday somebody called me a angel .. honestly I feel it now .. if anybody wants to help this young man my dms are open ...'

He added another line to say, 'I mean this in biggest way of endearment "I love my negus" I really #blackexcellence #blackkings #blackqueens #blacklivesmatter#blackfathers #fathersagainstbullies.'

The video shows Delinzer in a car, at first with a reluctant-looking Tamarion

After a moment, Tamarion quickly loosens up with a big smile on his face, listening to music

The video shows Delinzer in a car, at first with a reluctant-looking Tamarion. Delinzer asks him, 'What are you thinking about?' as the child stares out the window, and replies, 'Nothing.'

But after a moment, Tamarion quickly loosens up with a big smile on his face, listening to music and laughing with Delinzer.

As they make it a store to get him some new clothes, Delinzer can be heard telling him, 'Put your shoulders back. Stand like you got some pride, dog. Put your shoulders back, stick your chest out.'

At a store to get him some new clothes, Delinzer can be heard telling him, 'Put your shoulders back. Stand like you got some pride, dog. Put your shoulders back, stick your chest out'

Back in the car, the two are all smiles with the radio blasting, as Delinzer yells, 'Sing!'

Tamarion laughs, shouting back 'I can't sing!' through a toothy grin, looking very relaxed

Back in the car, the two are all smiles with the radio blasting, as Delinzer yells, 'Sing!' and Tamarion laughs, shouting back 'I can't sing!' through a toothy grin, before another clips focuses on the boy with Delinzer showing off his new clothes.

'Check you out dog!" Delinzer says. 'Lemme see what you looking like, oooh! Lemme see your fresh, your fresh right there! Lemme see your feets!

The shopping trip took place on Tuesday, and the very next day, the boys were sharing a video game controller of Delinzer's tattoo shop off of Westheimer Road.

Another clips focuses on Tarmarion with Delinzer showing off his new clothes,saying, 'Check you out dog!" Delinzer says. 'Lemme see what you looking like, oooh! Lemme see your fresh, your fresh right there! Lemme see your feets!'

'This is today .. .. potnas .. n now Im a first time mentor [man shrugging emoji, praying hands emoji],' he tweeted on Wednesday, with a photo of the two boys standing behind a parked car, with big smiles on their faces.

Delinzer reflected on how his son's newfound friendship made him feel, and the advice he would give to other parents who find their families in similar situations.

'That's not my only child, so I went through a lot being a father and it means a lot to me to see that,' he said.

His best advice for others is to simply listen, whenever possible. It can be that simple, he said, as long as you commit to keeping an open mind.
Ian Tomlin was just an ordinary dad trying to protect his two young children from the drug dealers who peddled their poison outside his flat, says Amanda Platell

By all accounts Ian Tomlin was just an ordinary dad trying to protect his two young children from the dope-smoking drug dealers who peddled their poison outside his flat.

On Wednesday, the 46-year-old had the audacity  and courage  to tell the thugs to leave. They responded by battering and stabbing him to death.

His father Cecil  one of the Windrush generation  had reported the drug dealers to the police before but they did nothing. He was too frightened to confront them himself as he was scared theyd kill me. How poignant those words now sound.

Yet this is daily life for folk such as Ian Tomlin on the Battersea council estate in South London where he lived. Yes Battersea, less than four miles from the Houses of Parliament.

Ian was a driver for the council and a devoted dad. The news of his death came as Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced plans to expand hate crime to include acts of misogyny, contempt towards elderly people and even misandry  hatred of men. Met Police Superintendent Waheed Khan confirmed it might even be extended to cover groups such as redheads, goths and punks.

This is madness. Last year police forces  despite being desperately short of resources  investigated no fewer than 94,000 hate crimes, wasting precious hours on what in many cases amounted to nothing more than grievances. Sergeant Richard Cooke, chairman of the West Midlands Police Federation, has said forces are expected to record and follow up hate crime reports even when no criminal offence has taken place.

In the meantime, callous, savage crimes of the kind that killed Ian Tomlin go unchecked.

Javid and London Mayor Sadiq Khan  who is responsible for crime and policing in the capital  have played up their humble origins as sons of immigrants.

Yet the people who suffer most from prioritising hate crime at the expense of street crime are those of similarly poor ethnic backgrounds.

The cold fact is that killings in this country are at a ten-year high. Ian was the 113th murder victim in London so far this year.

Of course, Im not saying police should ignore genuine crimes caused by intolerance and prejudice.

But how can it be right that police have to chase up a wolf whistle or an insensitive comment about ginger hair when genuine hate crimes are committed daily by drug gangs and serial criminals with impunity?

And a loving father loses his life as a result.

Reality TV starlet and beautician Scarlett Harrison, 20, claimed she couldnt blow into a breathalyser after being stopped for drink-driving as her enhanced trout pout lips were too fat. Not half as flabby as her brain.

Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet with a local surfing community group, known as OneWave, raising awareness for mental health and wellbeing at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia

Just let go of him, Meghan

Yes shes joyfully pregnant, yes its her first big tour with Harry, but does Meghan have to cling on to her husband constantly as if her life depended upon it?

On Bondi Beach they had each other in a double hand grab.Where did the feisty feminist go?

Lets see a little less of the leech-like Duchess and a bit more of the independence that endeared Meghan to us.

While Megs was wowing the locals in an 800 summer frock (her umpteenth change in a few days), tottering along the beach in 5in wedges before going barefoot, then taking part in an anti-bad-vibes yoga circle, the Queen was in the somewhat less glamorous Bracknell visiting a new shopping centre. Now thats real royal duty.

As for that hand-baked banana loaf she presented to residents in the town of Dubbo, no one believes she made it.

Hard work, but Posh is worth it

Victoria Beckham must have been hurt when David described their marriage as always hard work. He added: I feel like Im doing OK, but its a struggle.

VB has stood by him throughout all those rumours of his affairs, and shes raised four children in the full public glare  although its true, she is not averse to the limelight.

Was Becks being unchivalrous though, or just speaking a truth  that marriage is tough and you have to work damned hard at it?

Well, their hard work has paid off. In the fickle world of celebrity, few marriages last five years, let alone the 19 Posh and Becks have managed through thick (him) and thin (her).

They know the joy of family life is so much better than the misery of divorce.

Holly's Ant-free zone

Holly Willoughby will co-host I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! With Dec, despite having a fear of snakes

Before entering the jungle to co-present Im A Celebrity with Dec Donnelly, Holly Willoughby reveals she is petrified of snakes. No need to fear, love, as the most poisonous snake, Ant McPartlin, will be safely back in Britain.

After the jury failed to reach a verdict, teacher Eleanor Wilson, 29, will not face a retrial over claims she denies that she had inappropriate encounters, including sex in a plane loo, with her then 16-year-old pupil. She may not have not joined the mile-high club with him but she certainly went the extra mile in offering special tuition  given the 339 texts she sent him from her phone.

With eight Academy Award nominations and two wins, George Clooney has proved himself to be Oscar gold. Now hes appearing in full armour for Nespresso coffee in a TV ad, looking like an extra in Monty Python And The Holy Grail. What has happened to his acting career? Perhaps its time he was put out to rust in peace.

George Clooney in full armour for Nespresso coffee in a TV ad looks like an extra in Monty Python And The Holy Grail, says Amanda Platell

Westminster wars

After their crunch meeting the EU leaders had dinner, without inviting Theresa May.

Then Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron and the PMs of Belgium and Luxembourg met up for a cosy drink and stayed out very publicly boozing until 1am.

Its the first time Ive actually felt sorry for our friendless Prime Minister.

As for Frau Merkels apparently conciliatory statement over the deadlocked Brexit negotiations that where theres a will, theres a way, what the German leader really meant was: If theres a will to screw over the British, well find a way.

I wonder if the real reason the Labour sisterhood turned out in force to shore up the beleaguered Speaker John Bercows position was because they felt sorry for his frisky wife Sally.

If he stood down, hed be home early every night.

First snog-gate, when comedian Seann Walsh was dumped by his girlfriend after being caught getting amorous with his dance partner Katya Jones.

Now professional dancer Dianne Buswell has ditched her boyfriend having become too close to her partner, YouTube star Joe Sugg.

Lets just rename it Strictly Horizontal Dancing and be done with it.

Now ageism is to be a hate crime, I fear for my Dad, 92, who constantly refers to himself as Fossil Frank  a decidedly ageist term. Given the Aussie police are even more achingly PC than ours, he could have his pyjama collar felt before he finishes his cocoa.

Racists? Exterminate

Amanda Platell yearns for the days Doctor Who's biggest problem was the Daleks

Our fearless new Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker, travels back in time tomorrow night to Alabama in 1955 to revisit civil rights heroine Rosa Parks.

Rosa bravely refused to give up her seat in the coloured section of a bus for a white passenger. Jodies sidekicks then discuss the problems of racism today.

Yes, all very worthy, but doesnt it make you yearn for the simple days when the Doctors biggest problem was the Daleks?

Frozen star Kristen Bell attacks Snow Whites prince for failing to get consent before kissing the sleeping beauty. Surely the real crime is discrimination against dwarfs  why was it Snow White could only be awakened by a tall white guy, as opposed to any of the handsome, heroic seven little chaps who rescued her?

Before the thanksgiving service, attended by 1,000 of Tessa Jowells friends, I re-read one of her emails to me when I was ill, sent before she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. It ended: You are very precious, with very much love, Tessa. She had a great gift  to make everyone she met feel they were precious, as her memory still is to all those of us who loved her.
President Donald Trump said Friday that he doesn't regret praising a Montana congressman for physically assaulting a reporter last year.

Trump saluted Rep. Greg Gianforte at a campaign rally for body-slamming Guardian journalist Ben Jacobs, saying there was 'nothing to be embarrassed' about and calling him 'my kind of guy.'

Asked in Arizona a day later if he shouldn't have done it, Trump said 'No.' Twice.

'No. No. Not at all,' the president insisted. 'That was a different world. That was a different league, a different world.'

Trump didn't say whether he was explaining the nature of Thursday's rally or the 2017 special election environment that led a congressional candidate to body-slam a reporter and break his eyeglasses.

'No, he's just a great guy,' he said, adding that 'Greg is a tremendous person and hes a tough cookie. And Ill stay with that.'

President Donald Trump said Friday in Arizona that he has no regrets after praising a Republican congressman who body-slammed a reporter last year

Rep. Greg Gianforte of Montana infamously attacked a journalist just days before the special election that sent him to Congress

The president's outright praise for the assault came at a time of intense interest in press freedoms after the alleged murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident who wrote a Washington Post column, inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Turkey.

Trump, who once again went after the 'fake news' at his Missoula campaign rally Thursday night, called Gianforte up on stage and recounted the time he went after Guardian journalist Ben Jacobs, after he asked him a question about his health care plan.

'Greg is smart. And by the way never wrestle him. Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of  he's my guy,' Trump said.

Trump's comments drew cheers from supporters who gathered to see him rally.

'I shouldn't say this, because I'll - there's nothing to be embarrassed about,' Trump continued.

He told the crowd that he was in Rome when he learned about the incident  and his mind immediately turned to the political ramifications.

Trump hailed Gianforte even though he pleaded guilty to the attack, as 'my kind of guy' and a 'tough cookie'

'I had heard that he body-slammed a reporter. And he was way up [in a special election]. And I said, oh this is like the day of the election or just before. And I say this is terrible he's going to lose the election.'

Then upon reflection: 'I said wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well I think it may help him, and it did,' Trump said.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after his assault on Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs

'He's a great guy. Tough cookie.'

The Guardian issued a statement from U.S. editor John Mulholland condemning Trump's comments on Thursday night.

'To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it.'

'In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi,' the statement continued, 'it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats. We hope decent people will denounce these comments and that the president will see fit to apologize for them.'

In explicitly praising the violent attack by the lawmaker, Trump went further than he did last month in Billings, where he praised Gianforte using less direct language.

Gianforte apologized and paid $50,000 to a charity after the incident

Trump also blasted Democrats as the 'party of crime' at a rally in Missoula, Montana

President Donald Trump is greeted by Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale and his wife Jean., as he arrives at Missoula International Airport on Air Force One, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, in, Missoula, Mont. Trump said he was campaigning in Montana because of what Tester did to stop the nomination of Dr. Ronny Jackson to run the Veterans Affairs Department

'This man has fought,' Trump said, 'in more ways than one, for your state. He has fought for your state. Greg Gianforte. He is a fighter and a winner,' Trump said, using more subtle language while still delivering the message at that event.

Last year, Gianforte attacked Jacobs by slamming him to the ground when the press was asking questions.

He initially falsely told the Gallatin County sheriff's office afterward that the reporter 'stuck a microphone in my face' and was 'interrogating [him] in a very intensive way.'

But audio subsequently released by Jacobs and eyewitness accounts contradicted the lawmaker, who went on to win reelection.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, paid a $50,000 fine to the Committee to Protect Journalists and issued an apology letter.

In a courtroom he pledged to do an interview with Jacobs, but never did, the Guardian reported.

The close embrace of Gianforte came at a rally where Trump said his true purpose was to try to take down Sen. Jon Tester in a bit of political payback.

Trump called Tester, a Democrat who carves out a centrist image and has ads running throughout the state touting care for veterans and bipartisan support, as 'super liberal.'

Tester voted against both of Trump's Supreme Court nominees, including Justice Brett Kavaugh, who was accused of sexual assault in what Trump called a smear.

But it was Tester's role in helping sink the nomination of Dr. Ronny Jackson, the White House physician, to head the Veterans Affairs Department that Trump says brought him to Montana.

'And Jon Tester led the group. That's why I'm here,' Trump said.

Trump also went after Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass

'First of all I have a lot of respect for the man that's running, Matt,' Trump hastily added, referencing Rosendale.

'Also I'm here because I can never forget what Jon Tester did to a man that's of the highest quality.'

'What he did was vicious. What he did was as they did with Judge Kavanaugh  same thing,' Trump said. 'Almost,' he added.

As his lively rally inside an air hangar continued, and with control of Congress hanging in the balance, Trump took shots at a range of potential 2020 opponents.

'How about Pocahontas, Elizabeth Warren?' Trump said, bringing up the Massachusetts Democrat who released the results of a DNA test Monday showing a small fraction of Native American heritage.

'You know, the one good thing about her test is that there was so little. She had less than the average American. I used to say, 'I have more Indian blood in me than she does, and I have none.' I used to say it. And I was right!' Trump said.

'But the only good thing she did -- I think she's probably disqualified, because she made a fool out of herself. But I think the only good thing she did [is] I can't call her Pocahontas anymore, right? She has so little Indian blood, she has none, that I cannot call her Pocahontas anymore. But if you don't mind, I'll continue. Do you mind? Because it'll show everybody what a phony she is, he said.

Earlier, Trump opened a furious attack on Democrats en route to Montana and kept it going on the ground  even suggesting Democrats are responsible for a caravan of illegal immigrants making their way toward the border.

He blasted the caravan organizers for arriving before the November elections, casting it as a politically foolish move. 'Regardless, that's our issue,' Trump said at a rally at a private air hanger in Missoula.

'They're an there are those that say that caravan  it didn't just happen,' Trump said, blasting his opponents for bad politics.

President Donald Trump kicked off a campaigng swing at a rally in Missoula, Montana

'They have horrible policy. They hate ICE. They don't like our military. They don't like our vets,' Trump said. 'They wanted that caravan.'

He also hailed the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and trashed Democrats for trying to block him.

'What they did was terrible. And what they did to Brett Kavanaugh and his beautiful family is a national disgrace that will not be soon forgotten,' Trump said.

He later threatened: 'We fight back. Call if whatever the hell you want.'

Trump launched his first attack on Democrats from the air above the Rocky Mountains.

'Will be landing soon. Looking forward to seeing our next Senator from Montana, Matt Rosendale. He will represent our Country well, far better than Jon Tester who will vote with Cryin' Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi - never with us!' Trump wrote, blasting the two congressional Democratic leaders.

Before Trump even arrived, Montana Sen. Steve Daines ignited cheers of 'lock her up' when he said: 'Thank god that Hillary Clinton is not president of the United States.

Trump visited Montana to try to take down one of his favorite targets - Senator Jon Tester (above). He slammed the Democrat for criticizing failed VA nominee Ronny Jackson

He also blasted home-state Sen. Jon Tester, saying: 'We need a U.S. senator who believes in the rule of law, not mob rule.'

That was an attack picked up by GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte, who is seeking reelection, and who drew national attention last year when he slammed a reporter to the ground.

'We got leftist mobs in the streets. They're calling for open borders and to abolish ICE,' Gianforte said.

On Wednesday, before his trip, Trump made plain that his third campaign trip to Montana Thursday is driven by a desire to hit back atDemocratic Sen. Jon Tester for helping torpedo the nomination of White House physician Ronny Jackson to run the VA.

Jacobs tweeted about the incident immediately after it happened

Trump brought up Tester's role in the fiasco of Jackson's nomination to run the Department of Veterans' Affairs in a tweet Wednesday evening  blasting Tester for 'vicious' statements about Admiral Jackson.

Tester, who is in a toss-up race that will help determine control of the Senate and leads narrowly in polls, revealed information that came to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, where he is the top Democrat, which helped lead the nomination to blow up.

'Ever since his vicious and totally false statements about Admiral Ron Jackson, the highly respected White House Doctor for Obama, Bush & me, Senator John Tester looks to be in big trouble in the Great State of Montana!' Trump wrote on the eve of his trip here.

Trump supporters lined up to hear the president at a private air facility in Missoula

The Trump campaign transported media members and rally attendees to the event aboard school buses

Reporters got treated to a 'Real News' board as they entered

'He behaved worse than the Democrat Mob did with Justice K!' Trump added, in reference to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whose nomination was narrowly confirmed on a 50 to 48 vote. Tester voted against both Kavanaugh and Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump's previous nominee.

While vulnerable, Tester has led in three recent polls, and has a three point edge over his opponent in the latest RealClearPolitics average.

Jackson was revealed after his nomination to be close to Trump, with regular contact with him in the East Wing. But he soon came under fire for his office's practice of liberally distributing prescription medications on presidential trips  evening earning the moniker 'Candy Man' during the Obama administration.

'That's not a nickname you want in a doctor. And if you consider the prescription drugs [problem] we have a problem within this country right now, it's not the example we need to have set,' Tester told CNN in April.

'Ever since his vicious and totally false statements about Admiral Ron Jackson (above), the highly respected White House Doctor for Obama, Bush & me, Senator John Tester looks to be in big trouble in the Great State of Montana!' Trump tweeted on Wednesday
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle traded their formal attire for casual looks as they took a boat across Sydney Harbour to Cockatoo Island for a special Invictus Games car challenge.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took the private vessel from Admiralty House in Kirribilli where they have been staying a guest of Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove.

The couple changed out of the sombre dress they wore to open an extension to the ANZAC War Memorial in Hyde Park on Saturday morning, opting for polo shirts emblazoned with the Invictus Games.

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Meghan Markle took a boat across Sydney Harbour to Cockatoo Island with Prince Harry to take in a special Invictus Games challenge car challenge.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex took the private vessel from Admiralty House in Kirribilli where they have been staying a guest of Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove

The couple travelled to the island to watch the Invictus Games Jaguar Land Rover driving challenge

The boat carried the royal couple with a sizeable entourage, most of whom were also in Invictus clothing

Harry smiled as the couple walked towards the jetty hand-in-hand flanked by burly security guards watching over them

The couple changed out of the formal attire they wore to open an extension to the ANZAC War Memorial in Hyde Park on Saturday morning, opting for polo shirts emblazoned with the Invictus Games

Meghan threw an elegant white white Altuzarra 'Acacia' blazer, worth about $AU2,371 over the top of her shirt, which was paired with matching 'looker' denim jeans from Los Angeles brand Mother.

The Duchess accessorised with Illesteva sunglasses, worth about $240, and completed the outfit with a pair of Tabitha Simmons 'Millie' heels, which retail for about $1,033. Harry wore grey trousers and brown boots.

The couple travelled to the island to watch the Invictus Games Jaguar Land Rover driving challenge, the first event of the Games hours before the evening's opening ceremony.

Once on the island they were greeted by competitors in their racing uniforms, one athlete from Poland seated in a wheelchair as he chatted to Meghan.

Harry put an affectionate hand on his wife's lower back as they walked along the Cockatoo Island jetty to greet the waiting drivers and their support staff.

Meghan let her hair down and changed into a casual blazer and skinny jeans combination after her perfectly polished ensemble hours earlier

Meghan threw an elegant white blazer over the top of her shirt, which was paired with matching skinny jeans and tortoise shell sunglasses, while Harry wore grey trousers and brown boots

Meghan accessorised with Illesteva sunglasses, worth about $240, and completed the outfit with a pair of Tabitha Simmons 'Millie' heels, which retail for about $1,033. The whole outfit is worth almost $4,000

Harry put an affectionate hand on his wife's lower back as they walked along the Cockatoo Island jetty to greet the waiting drivers and their support staff

Once on the island they were greeted by competitors in their racing uniforms ahead of the first medalled event of the Games

One athlete from Poland, a country competing at the games for the first time, seated in a wheelchair as he and his teammate chatted to Meghan

Harry looked in his element as he chatted to others outside the course on Cockatoo Island before the race began

Harry gives a rockstar thumbs up as he walks around Cockatoo Island hand-in-hand with Meghan

Meghan smiles as she watches the action during the car challenge final between Australia and France

Harry helps his wife off the boat as the pair return to Admiralty House after the race to get ready for the Invictus Games open ceremony at the Sydney Opera House

The loved-up couple continued to hold hands after Meghan was safely on to the jetty

Just before the opening ceremony, the couple will join Premier Berejiklian for a dinner reception at Bennelong Restaurant in the Sydney Opera House with legendary Australian Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe

From there they watched the cars go through their paces in preparation for the race to be held soon after, as dozens of others reached over barriers to snap photos of the action.

Australia went down to France with its team of retired sniper Craig McGrath, 45, who was hit by shrapnel in Afghanistan in 2012, and mine specialist Scott Reynolds, 39, who served in Iraq in 2003.

The competitors raced through three courses, the first getting them to quickly park in marked rectangles the exact size of the car.

Then they had to squeeze through posts sticking out of half a metre of water on a complicated track, and race through a course that was randomised with flashing lights.

The royal couple also took time out to play with remote control cars alongside children from different countries who travelled to the event with the athletes.

Harry appeared to have a barrel of fun driving the cars across the uneven grass off to one side of the course, laughing, smiling, and sometimes gesturing his arms in frustration.

The royal couple also took time out to play with remote control cars alongside children from different countries who travelled to the event with the athletes

The children looked both excited to be racing the cars with the prince, and wanting to beat him at the game

Harry appeared to have a barrel of fun driving the cars across the uneven grass off to one side of the course

He laughed and smiled but sometimes gestured his arms in frustration while Meghan chuckled beside him

Harry's attempts at racing remote control cars against the children were a rollercoaster of emotion

Harry laughs as he runs to retrieve a remote control car that got into difficulty on the uneven grass

Harry offered Meghan a turn with the remote but she didn't look particularly enthused about taking him up on it

Meghan looked on with amusement and smiled at the youngsters who were excited to meet the Duke and Duchess, even shaking hands with one as Harry gave him a pat on the head

The couple also presented the children with medals for their participation in the remote control car rally

Meghan looked on with amusement and smiled at the youngsters who were excited to meet the Duke and Duchess, even shaking hands with one as Harry gave him a pat on the head.

The competition turned serious as Harry competed against two boys, one from Australian and another from Holland in a race across a track strewn with rocks and other obstacles.

A chuckling prince enthusiastically pursued the boys' cars with his own calling out 'alright I'm coming, I'll catch you,' while sporting a giant grin.

The Prince was bested by 13-year-old Danyan Jones from Ballina in the NSW Northern Rivers whose father Jamie Tanner, 35, will represent Australia in the wheelchair tennis and rugby events.

Mr Tanner was a soldier in the Australian army who served in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan before he was medically discharged in 2016 with terrible injuries and PTSD.

Danyan bragged about his victory after defeating Harry, who mostly enjoyed himself but looked frustrated at time during the friendly race.

'Harry was good at remote control cars, but I was better  obviously,' Danyan said.

From there they watched the cars go through their paces in preparation for the race to be held soon after, as dozens of others reached over barriers to snap photos of the action.

One car was seen squeezing through posts sticking out of knee-high water on a complicated track that tested the wounded veteran drivers' skill

Another part of the course on Cockatoo Island, with the gorgeous Sydney Harbour including the Bridge and Opera House as a backdrop

Competitors raced through the track in an attempt to win the first medals of the fourth edition of the Invictus Games

Danish athletes cheer on their teammates during the event, waving flags and shouting encouragement from the sidelines

Other athletes and spectators, a few supporting Georgia, applaud from the gallery as the race goes on

The Duchess posed with the silver medal-winning Australian team as they stand on the podium after the race

'Meghan was funny. She was saying 'I'll have a go but I'll crash it over the fence and put it in the water' Harry took the controls and had a great sense of humour about it, too.'

Danyan recalled that another boy's car knocked over both theirs and Harry's, and the child, Aiden, six, only put his own car the right way up, prompting the Duke to joke 'thanks for picking my car up, mate', to much laughter.

The royal couple were a big draw card for Danlan and his siblings attending the Games, along with watching their father compete, according to mum Leesa Kiwok.

'For months and months the kids have been saying will we get to meet them (Harry and Meghan) and we kept saying you'll see them but you most probably won't get to meet them,' she laughed.

'This is just extraordinary.'

Earlier Harry and Meghan were greeted by adoring fans as they opened a $40 million extension of the war memorial at Hyde Park in Sydney's CBD in a surprise appearance.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at Hyde Park about 10am on Saturday with NSW Governor David Hurley, a former chief of the defence force, and were welcomed by an Australian Army marching band.

Harry rolled out his best 'officer and a gentleman look' in the tropical dress of his regiment, the Blues and Royals, with medals, KCVO and sword.

Meghan wore an elegant $AU2,927 black frock by New Zealand designer Emilia Wickstead, a choice that was seen by many as a nod to the ANZACs.

She also wore a pillbox style hat by Philip Treacy and paired it with a matching clutch bag.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were earlier greeted by adoring fans as they opened a $40 million extension of the war memorial at Hyde Park in Sydney's CBD in a surprise appearance

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex make their way down the war memorial steps during the ceremony alongside Governor Hurley and his wife Linda, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison following behind along with NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian (back right) and Veterans Affairs Minister David Elliott (back left)

Harry rolled out his best 'officer and a gentleman look' alongside Meghan, wearing an elegant Emilia Wickstead dress and Philip Treacy hat

Meghan waves as he gets of of the car after the royal couple arrived at Hyde Park on Saturday morning

Prince Harry wore the tropical dress of his regiment, the Blues and Royals, with medals, KCVO and a sword

They were joined by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, and Veterans Affairs Minister David Elliott on an overcast Sydney morning.

Walking beside Harry as he arrived, and throughout the ceremony, was Governor Hurley, who was decked out in a similar white dress uniform to the prince's, with his wife Linda in a blue dress and hat.

Harry and Meghan were treated to a traditional Welcome to Country, including a didgeridoo performance by two Aboriginal men painted in traditional body paint, and a performance by an indigenous dance troupe.

Aboriginal twins Krystal and Sienna Dawson presented the royal couple with a medallion and a painting during their visit.

The girls, aged nine, were from the Koomurri aboriginal dance troupe and both said they were nervous about meeting and performing for Harry and Meghan.

Krystal, who did an aboriginal art floral painting said: 'They said hi and 'nice to meet you'.'

The medallion, presented by Sienna, said 'play the game', the motto of the Beverly Hills public school which they attend.

'I didn't want to dance at first, but then it was fun,' she said.

Their mother, Connie, said: 'I think it was very overwhelming for them, as a parent. It was a very important ceremony and it's important that the next generation coming through should be part of it.'

Harry pays his respects at the foot of the steps and unveils a commemorative plaque during the ceremony to open the war memorial extension

The couple laid a wreath in remembrance of fallen soldiers during the ceremony

Harry and Meghan sombrely carry the wreath together towards the foot of the steps before placing it on a stand

Harry and Meghan held the wreath together as they laid it at the foot of the steps near the fountain at the bottom

Harry salutes the newly-reopened memorial after laying the wreath, showing his respect for Britain's staunch allies during World War I and following conflicts

The touching note left on the wreath by Meghan and Harry, expressing their gratitude to soldier who fell 100 years ago

Harry and Meghan bow their heads during a sombre part of the ceremony with the wreath they laid in the background

The Duke and Duchess were seated with Premier Berejiklian and Mr Morrison on their right and Governor and Ms Hurley on their left during the ceremony

Prince Harry shakes hands with Premier Berejiklian at the conclusion of the ceremony. The pair will cross paths again on Saturday night when she hosts the royals at a dinner reception at the Opera House

Prince Harry and fellow military man Governor Hurley share a moment as the Australian Army marching band plays

Harry and Meghan shake hands with Aboriginals painted in traditional body paint after they were treated to a traditional Welcome to Country, including a didgeridoo performance

Harry and Meghan then laid a wreath at the foot of the steps to honour Australian war dead, saluted the memorial, and unveiled a commemorative plaque.

Royalty fans had to hustle to the park after hearing of the couple's involvement as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's attendance was kept secret until the last minute.

Spectators lucky enough to see the barricades and heavy police presence as they walked past got prime position before others heard about it on social media and flooded the streets.

'I just bought a car and was driving it around when I noticed all the road blocks, so I thought I'd see what was going on. It was a big surprise,' a man called Arthur told Daily Mail Australia.

The crowd was far less prepared than at previous appearances, lacking the signs and costumes of fans at Bondi Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Friday, which were advertised well in advance.

However, a cardboard cutout of Harry and Meghan watched on from a balcony overlooking the park as the royals arrived.

The couple received a tour of the new education and interpretation facilities and the Hall of Service where the new sculpture Sacrifice stands

Harry stares pensively across Hyde Park after his tour of the war memorial extension, alongside Meghan and Governor Hurley and his wife Linda (left)

Governor Hurley fills the royal couple in on the plan after they exchange greetings upon arrival at Hyde Park

Harry walks with NSW Governor David Hurley, a former chief of the defence force, with their wives chatting as they followed behind

Governor Hurley salutes Prince Harry as they meet on the street next to Hyde Park after the royals arrive

Jordan Ilencik travelled by train from Glenfield on his own on Saturday for a second meeting with the prince, a day after presenting him with a $250 replica tiara of one once worn by his mother Princess Diana.

'I met him on the Harbour Bridge yesterday, and he said if I came today, I could meet Meghan,' he said excitedly.

The 13-year-old brought with him a sign made of lipstick and a framed photograph of the pair together. He also had a letter to deliver to the Duke and Duchess containing photographs of the pair together.

He was joined by Adam Yassine, nine, who was coming back from a basketball game when he saw police horses standing guard.

'I wanted to know what was happening, and now I want to meet Harry,' he said. 'I like him because he's nice and he helps poor people.'

Mr Morrison clutches a war memorial pamphlet and a sprig of wattle as he attends the ceremony with the royals

He greeted other VIPs who assembled for the ceremony, a welcome distraction from Saturday's potentially disastrous Wentworth byelection

Royalty fans had to hustle to the park on Saturday morning after hearing of the couple's involvement as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex 's attendance was kept secret until the last minute

Spectators lucky enough to see the barricades and heavy police presence as they walked past got prime position before others heard about it on social media and flooded the streets

A cardboard cutout of Harry and Meghan watched on from a balcony overlooking the park as the royals arrived

Jordan Ilencik, 13, (left) brought with him a sign made of lipstick and a framed photograph of the pair together from when they met after Harry climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Friday. He was there with his friend Adam Yassine, nine (right)

Before the ceremony, the couple received a tour of the new education and interpretation facilities and the Hall of Service where the new sculpture Sacrifice stands.

The sculpture features more than 1,700 soil samples from each NSW town, suburb, and district given as a place of address by First World War enlistees in the region.

The extension includes a water cascade on the southern side. A walkway through the cascade allows Memorial visitors to enter the new Hall of Service, exhibition galleries and education facilities.

The Anzac Memorial Centenary Extension, as it is called, was opened this year as it is the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

The Memorial, which commemorates the sacrifices made by those who served for Australia and New Zealand, was initially designed in the 1930s by Bruce Dellitt.

Harry salutes as he arrives at the memorial, paying his respects to Australians killed in World War I, 100 years after the end of the conflict

Prince Harry walks beside Governor Hurley with Meghan and Ms Hurley following behind, with army personnel bringing up the rear, as they enter the war memorial

The Memorial, which commemorates the sacrifices made by those who served for Australia and New Zealand, was initially designed in the 1930s by Bruce Dellitt

The couple were welcomed by an Australian Army marching band who played the national anthem and other tunes

Prince Harry stands to attention as the army band plays in front of him and the public take photos from across the road

But following the Great Depression, the finances were not available to make Mr Dellitt's vision a reality, including a four-tier cascading waterfall on the Liverpool Street side of the monument.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian also attended the ceremony from a VIP seating area at top of the the steps by the fountain and pool of reflection.

Later in the evening, Prince Harry will open the Invictus Games at the opening ceremony in the Opera House forecourt, where his expected to make a speech.

Just before the opening ceremony, the couple will join Premier Berejiklian for a dinner reception at Bennelong Restaurant in the Sydney Opera House with legendary Australian Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe.
Theresa May wore her Frida Kahlo bracelet in Brussels today (pictured)

Theresa May wore her favourite bracelet depicting the famous late Mexican artist Frida Kahlo - a Communist and feminist icon - at today's EU summit.

It is an odd choice for a Tory leader to wear as Kahlo was a political radical who loathed conservatism.

But it seems to be the PM's go to piece of jewellery for big political events.

She wore it while delivering her speech to the party conference last year when she was struck down by her infamous coughing fit.

And she sported it again at this year's conference.

Born in 1907 in Mexico, Kahlo joined the country's Communist party in 1927 where she met her husband Diego Rivera, the famous Mexican muralist.

Kahlo also joined the Fourth International - a Communist group dedicated to fomenting revolution around the world.

The couple only stay card carrying Communist members for two years, but they continued to have close links with Russian revolutionaries and far-left groups.

And she had an affair with Leon Trotsky, who masterminded the Russian revolution but was later purged from by Stalin.

She and her husband had offered Trotsky sanctuary in their home, and it was here where Kahlo and Trotsky embarked on a passionate love affair.

It was in Mexico in 1940 where Trotsky was murdered on Stalin's orders by an ice pick to the back of the head.

Kahlo and Rivera both also supported Communists fighting in the Spanish civil war.

During her lifetime Kahlo's own artistic career was overshadowed by her husband's, who was the world's most famous muralist.

But since her death in 1954 her star has risen, and she is now one of the world's most famous - and thanks to her uni-brow instantly recognisable - artists.

Her self-searing portraits are celebrated around the world and she is seen as a feminist pioneer.

Her paintings hang in the most famous galleries around the world and the V&A is currently staging a major retrospective of her work.




Delivering packages, shopping for groceries and even building a house.

These are some of the skills new robots presented at the World Robot Summit in Tokyo can perform.

From enormous 'construction workers' to helpful personal shoppers, here are some of the latest breakthroughs in robotics.

Delivering packages, shopping for groceries and even building a house. These are some of the skills new robots presented at the World Robot Summit in Tokyo can perform (stock image)

Package delivery service

CarriRo, shaped like a toy London bus with friendly 'eyes' on its front, delivers packages by rolling around streets at four miles per hour.

It directs itself via GPS to addresses within a one-mile radius, explained Chio Ishikawa from Sumitomo Corp which is promoting the robot.

The person receiving the package is sent a code to their smartphone which allows them to open up CarriRo and retrieve whatever it is delivering them.

Services like this are especially needed in ageing Japan.

With nearly 28 per cent of the population over 65, mobility is increasingly limited and the country is struggling for working-age employees.

An Omron robot picks an item off a shelf at the summit. Some of the robots presented can help stack shelves at the 55,000 convenience stores open 24/7 in Japan

A man empties the robot's basket, which it had filled up with items from a shelf

Building for the 2020 Olympics

As Tokyo prepares to welcome the world for the 2020 Olympics, there are construction sites all over the city but not always enough people to work them.

HRP-5P is a humanoid-shaped machine which looks like a brawny builder, standing at almost six foot (1.8 metres) tall and weighing in at 16 stone (101kg).

It is designed to carry out the same construction tasks that humans currently perform - even when left to its own devices.

HRP-5P is built like a human so it can use the same tools as a man, explained one of its creators, Kenji Kaneko from the National Advanced Industrial Science and Technology research facility.

Construction robot HRP-5P is built like a beefy builder and has the skills to match

Vital support for elderly

Toyota's 'Human Support Robot' (HSR) stands at three feet (1 metre) tall and looks like a bin with arms, but provides much-needed support to the elderly and those less mobile.

It can handle and maneuver a variety of objects and provides a key interface with the outside world via its internet-connected screen.

And Omron showcased a robot that can be programmed to glide around a supermarket and place various items into a basket.

Some of the robots presented can even help stack shelves at the 55,000 convenience stores open 24/7 in Japan.

A robotic hand which can grip objects and help those less mobile with chores around the house

A SEED Solutions humanoid robot on display at the World Robot Summit in Tokyo, Japan

Infallible tourist guide

Manufacturers were also promoting the latest in talking robots, which are becoming increasingly 'intelligent' in their responses.

Sharp's Robohon - just over half a foot (20cm) tall - recounts to tourists the history of the ancient Imperial capital of Kyoto in English, Japanese or Chinese.

A SEED Solutions humanoid robot performing a Japanese musical drama called 'Noh'

A table tennis robot developed by Omron returns a shot to a human player

Exceptional mimic

Very popular among visitors to the World Robot Summit was a robot replica of 85-year-old Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, one of the country's top TV stars.

Created in collaboration with Japanese robotics master Hiroshi Ishiguro, it replicates her facial expressions almost perfectly.

But conversation with the machine hardly flows.

'The difficulty is being able to create fluid conversations with different people,' said Junji Tomita, engineer at telecoms giant NTT which is also involved in the project.

'The number of possible responses to an open question is so vast that it is very complicated.'

A robot replica of 85-year-old Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, one of the country's top TV stars

It replicates her facial expressions almost perfectly but was not very chatty in conversation
Earth's most powerful telescopes are beginning to show the strain of decades of use and may soon stop working completely.

Astronomical observatories such as Hubble and Chandra were launched into orbit several years ago and have provided us with stunning images and precious data ever since.

These wondrous machines, that have been invaluable in the advancement of modern science, are deteriorating with age and Nasa has no plan in place to replace the ailing technology.

They were developed to help map distant galaxies, peer into black holes and locate new planets but astronomers fear their eyes in the sky may soon go dark.

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The Hubble telescope (pictured) was launched in 1990 and Nasa hope it will remain operational into the 2020s. It studies visible and near UV light and there is no clear successor lined up to replace it. It malfunctioned and went into 'sleep mode earlier this week

'The unwillingness to invest in substantial science has begun to worry us,' astrophysicist Matt Mountain, president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, which operates the Hubble telescope on behalf of NASA, told The Washington Post.

'We're facing a very daunting prospect as a community. Some fields just won't have a telescope. And the science will not be possible to do in any other way.'

Funding for successors to these marquee telescopes has yet to be secured and Paul Hertz, the astrophysics division director at Nasa said it is a 'choice for the nation'.

'What missions we do will be influenced by priorities of the community as well as the funding choices made by the political system,' he added.

Hubble was launched in 1990 and earlier this month it malfunctioned, halting its work and reinforced to the scientists that are totally dependent on the 28-year-old machine just how reliant they are on technology first designed in the 1970s.

The Chandra X-ray telescope is now in its 20th year of operation and has surpassed its projected operational lifespan by nearly 15 years.

Chandra automatically went into so-called safe mode earlier this month, because of a gyroscope problem.

'The cause of Chandra's safe mode on October 10 has now been understood and the Operations team has successfully returned the spacecraft to its normal pointing mode,' Nasa said.

It claimed the safe mode was caused by a glitch in one of Chandra's gyroscopes resulting in a three-second period of bad data that in turn led the on-board computer to calculate an incorrect value for the spacecraft momentum.

The erroneous momentum indication then triggered the safe mode.

'The team has completed plans to switch gyroscopes and place the gyroscope that experienced the glitch in reserve,' Nasa said.

Hubble went into hibernation due to a similar gyroscope failure.

NASAs Hubble Space Telescope is still working and has made more than 1.3 million observations since its mission began in 1990 The Hubble telescope was launched on April 24, 1990, via the space shuttle Discovery from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. It is named after famed astronomer Edwin Hubble who was born in Missouri in 1889. He is arguably most famous for discovering that the universe is expanding and the rate at which is does so - now coined the Hubble constant. The Hubble telescope is named after famed astronomer Edwin Hubble who was born in Missouri in 1889 (pictured) Hubble has made more than 1.3 million observations since its mission began in 1990 and helped publish more than 15,000 scientific papers. It orbits Earth at a speed of about 17,000mph (27,300kph) in low Earth orbit at about 340 miles in altitude. Hubble has the pointing accuracy of .007 arc seconds, which is like being able to shine a laser beam focused on Franklin D. Roosevelt's head on a dime roughly 200 miles (320km) away. The Hubble telescope is named after Edwin Hubble who was responsible for coming up with the Hubble constant and is one of the greatest astronomers of all-time Hubble's primary mirror is 2.4 meters (7 feet, 10.5 inches) across and in total is 13.3 meters (43.5 feet) long - the length of a large school bus. Hubble's launch and deployment in April 1990 marked the most significant advance in astronomy since Galileo's telescope. Thanks to five servicing missions and more than 25 years of operation, our view of the universe and our place within it has never been the same. Advertisement

Nasa claims the issues with Chandra have now been resolved but it remains low on fuel and it it is unclear how long it will remain functional.

The Space agency says it's coincidental both Chandra and Hubble went 'asleep' within a week of one another.

It 'continues to work toward resuming science operations of the Hubble Space Telescope after the spacecraft entered safe mode due to a failed gyroscope (gyro).'

An astronomer who works on Chandra, Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, tweeted Friday that 'Chandra decided that if Hubble could have a little vacation, it wanted one, too.'

The political behemoth in the US provided Nasa with ample resources and financial support to launch and sustain the Great Observatory programme in the 1970s.

The Chandra X-ray telescope (pictured) is now in its 20th year of operation and has surpassed its projected operational lifespan by nearly 15 years

Four telescopes were designed and built that would measure the entire spectrum of light from Gamma rays (Compton Gamma Ray Observatory) to infrared radiation (the Spitzer Space Telescope).

The other two telescopes in this programme - Hubble and Chandra - analyse visible/near ultra-violet light and X-rays, respectively.

Between them they would find and help unpick the mysteries behind the most energetic explosions in the universe, black holes, exoplanets, newborn stars and discovering the age of the universe.

Compton perished in 2001 after a gyroscope issue rendered it useless and Spitzer is expected to die next year.

Nasa expects both remaining telescopes to continue working into the 2020s.

'People suddenly realised that Hubble is not going to live forever,' said Tom Brown, the Hubble mission head at the Space Telescope Science Institute.

When Hubble does fail, there will be no visible or ultraviolet telescopes at that scale.

This, Dr Brown says, is leading scientists to wonder what happens next.

The James Webb telescope will study infrared radiation in space but has been beleaguered with delays and errors that has seen the launch date pushed back to 2021.

As with the visible light spectrum, there are no plans from Nasa to replace Chandra and further study the X-ray wavelength of light.

Gamma ray astrophysicist Julie McInery, the project scientist for Fermi, the smaller successor to Compton, said: 'You have to have a minimal level of activity in any given telescope area to maintain expertise in the community so you can continue to build instruments.'
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who said he thinks space exploration would be 'the greatest peace driver there ever was'

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says space exploration could make Earth more peaceful because wars over resources would vanish.

The US-born author believes that if we make the solar system 'our backyard' then that could be 'the greatest peace driver there ever was'.

As well as hosting Cosmos, Tyson also produces the podcast Star Talk and is director of the New York Planetarium.

Tyson spoke out at a press event in New York for 'Cosmos: Possible Worlds', which he will be hosting for its third series next year.

He told Fox News: 'The next 60 years, I think that the solar system can become our backyard.

'If that happens we can exploit resources that are otherwise rare on Earth but are plentiful in space.

'So the exploration of space may be the greatest peace driver there ever was. That's my hopeful thought.'

The Cosmos host said he thinks the show's success is because it crosses multiple branches of science and tells viewers why these developments matter.

Tyson and NASA both celebrated their 60th birthday earlier this month.

He said it is important to remember that the space agency was created in response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik in October 1957.

Had Russia pursued exploration of Mars, he said, then there would have been settlements on the planet by the 1980s.

He added that 'people were so disappointed' that this was not fulfilled.

NASA has a goal of sending a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s.

NASA exploring Mars in 2012. Tyson said there could have been settlements on the planet by the 1980s

NASA has a goal of sending a manned mission to Mars (pictured) in the 2030s

Tyson, one of the most respected figures in the scientific community, is known for speaking out on issues from climate change to the film Titanic.

Last year he said he had no patience for politicians who 'cherry pick' scientific research to suit their climate change beliefs and that it may be too late to tackle it.

He also once claimed that Leonardo DiCaprio's character in Titanic would have fought much harder to survive if it had been a real-life deadly scenario.

The astrophysicist has also said he would only go to Mars aboard a SpaceX rocket if Elon Musk sent his own mother there and back alive first.
Ultra-hot lasers that punch holes in clouds could pave the way for high speed satellite communications by 2025, scientists say.

Although satellite radio communication is powerful, it can no longer keep up with the daily demand for the flow of information.

Instead, scientists are increasingly looking to lasers which can carry 10,000 times more information than radio waves.

However, their one problem is that they cannot penetrate clouds and fog  an obstacle which scientists say they might have now overcome.

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Ultra-hot lasers that punch holes in clouds could pave the way for high speed satellite communications by 2025, scientists say (artist's impression)

Due to their density, clouds stop the laser beams and scramble the transfer of information.

Scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have devised an ultra-hot laser that creates a temporary hole in the cloud, which lets the laser beam containing the information pass through.

This is a world-first, according to their paper, published in the journal Optica.

People are increasingly concerned about the security problems associated with using radio frequencies.

Their long wavelength also limits the amount of information transmitted, while the frequency bands available are scarce. This is why research is turning to lasers.

'It's a new technology that is full of promise,' said Jean-Pierre Wolf, professor in the Physics Section at UNIGE's Faculty of Science.

'The very short wavelengths can carry 10,000 times more items of information than radio frequency, and there aren't any limits to the number of channels', he said.

'Lasers can also be used to target a single person, meaning it's a highly secure form of communication.'

Experts are building more and more ground stations capable of receiving the laser signals in various parts of the world.

The idea is to choose the station targeted by the satellite according to the weather.

Although satellite radio communication is powerful, it can no longer keep up with the daily demand for the flow of information (stock image)

However, this is not ideal as it is difficult to tell if there will be cloud cover at specific times.

'We want to get around the problem by making a hole directly through the clouds so that the laser beam can pass through,' said Professor Wolf.

His team has developed a laser that heats the air over 1,500C.

It produces a shock wave to expel the suspended water droplets that make up the cloud.

This creates a hole a few centimetres wide over the entire thickness of the cloud through which the laser could travel.

It is the discovery of these ultra-powerful lasers that has just been awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics 2018.

'All you then need to do is keep the laser beam on the cloud and send the laser that contains the information at the same time,' said Guillaume Schimmel, a researcher in the team led by Professor Wolf.

'It then slips into the hole through the cloud and allows the data to be transferred.'

This 'laser cleaner' is currently being tested on artificial clouds that are 20 inches (50cm) thick but that contain 10,000 times more water than a natural cloud.

'Our experiments mean we can test an opacity that is similar to natural clouds. Now it's going to be about doing it on thicker clouds up to one kilometre thick,' said Professor Wolf.

'We're talking about possible global implementation by 2025, and our idea is to be ready and to allow countries that are overcast to have this technology', he said.
The US Air Force's X-37B unmanned space plane has passed 400 days in orbit as part of its fifth secretive mission.

The aircraft's latest trip, called the Orbital Test Vehicle-5 (OTV-5), started on September 7th 2017.

The craft was launched aboard one of Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

Officials have revealed few details about the OTV-5 mission but there has been a suggestion it could be part of a push for a US Space Force.

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The US Air Force's X-37B unmanned space plane (pictured) is nearing one year in orbit as part of its fifth secretive mission

The space plane is 29 feet (8.8 metres) long, 9.6 feet (2.9 metres) tall and weighs around 11,000 lbs. (4,990 kilograms).

It is orbiting at around 200 miles (320 kilometres) high and is powered by solar cells with lithium-ion batteries.

Little is known about what it is carrying but on board OTV-5's payload is a US thermal spreader which will test the longevity of electronics and heat pipes in the space environment.

In June, President Donald Trump announced that he is directing the Pentagon to a new Space Force as an independent service branch aimed at ensuring American dominance in space.

The president framed space as a national security issue, saying he does not want 'China and Russia and other countries leading us'.

One expert has suggested that this aircraft could already be part of an early US Space Force.

'Ironically, the X-37B is exactly the type of program  toward giving the U.S. flexibility of operations in space  that seems to be prompting the current push for a Space Force, yet are already underway,' said Joan Johnson-Freese, a professor in the National Security Affairs Department at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, writes Space.com.

Four previous X-37B missions have been launched by United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets.

Each time the unmanned space plane has carried a mystery payload on long-duration flights in Earth orbit.

The craft (pictured) was launched from Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida

WHAT IS THE X-37B SPACE PLANE? The U.S. Air Force's unmanned X-37B space plane looks similar to Nasa's space shuttle but is much smaller. The space plane is 29 feet (8.8 metres) long, 9.6 feet (2.9 metres) tall and weighs around 11,000 lbs. (4,990 kilograms). It is orbiting at around 200 miles (320 kilometres) high. The U.S. Air Force's unmanned X-37B space plane looks similar to Nasa's space shuttle but is much smaller. The space plane is 29 feet (8.8 metres) long, 9.6 feet (2.9 metres) tall and weighs around 11,000 lbs. (4,990 kilograms) Officials have revealed few details about the OTV-5 mission (the aircraft's fifth) but according to the Air Force, one on board OTV-5 payload is US thermal spreader which will test the longevity of electronics and heat pipes in the space environment. The craft is powered by solar cells with lithium-ion batteries. Four previous X-37B missions have been launched by United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rockets. Each time the unmanned space plane has carried a mystery payload on long-duration flights in Earth orbit. Advertisement

'The many firsts on this mission make the upcoming OTV launch a milestone for the program,' said Randy Walden, the director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office at the launch last year.

'It is our goal to continue advancing the X-37B OTV so it can more fully support the growing space community.'

'The fifth OTV mission continues to advance the X-37B's performance and flexibility as a space technology demonstrator and host platform for experimental payloads,' a spokesperson for the US Air Force said.

The previous OTV-4 mission was 718 days long.

The Boeing-built space plane blasted off in May 2015 from nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard an Atlas 5 rocket built by United Launch Alliance, a partnership between Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing.

The reusable X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (pictured) returned in June after its fourth mission, concluding an almost two-year mission in orbit, according to the US Air Force

The X-37B, one of two in the Air Force fleet, conducted unspecified experiments during its lengthy orbit.

It was the fourth and lengthiest mission so far for the secretive program, managed by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office.

The Air Force said the orbiters 'perform risk reduction, experimentation and concept-of-operations development for reusable space vehicle technologies.'

The Air Force tweeted that the vehicle had landed safely, marking the conclusion of its fourth classified mission, which lasted more than 700 days

However, the exact nature of the mission and its cost is classified.

The Secure World Foundation, a nonprofit group promoting the peaceful exploration of space, says the secrecy surrounding the X-37B suggests the presence of intelligence-related hardware being tested or evaluated aboard the craft.

The X-37B first flew in April 2010 and returned after eight months.

A second mission launched in March 2011 and lasted 15 months, while a third took flight in December 2012 and returned after 22 months.
Alaska's unseasonably warm weather is a result of the 'blob' - a period of high pressure over the state's coast.

This dome of warm air has stunted the progression of autumn and seen the state cling to the remnants of summer.

Unusual weather patterns have extended beyond the air temperature and has spread to the ocean, with an area of warm water found in the usually frigid north Pacific waters.

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Alaska's unseasonably warm weather is a result of the 'blob' - a period of high pressure over the state's coast. Previous iterations of the blob have appeared and had significant impacts on the Lower 48

Scientists are unsure how long the blob will remain in place and the consequences it may have on the weather for the contiguous 48 states.

Previous iterations of the blob have appeared and had significant impacts on the Lower 48.

Previous experience says the blob causes unseasonably warm and dry conditions in the West and cold and stormy conditions in the East.

This is a result of the high pressure area in the Gulf of Alaska causing the jet stream to rise above the blob.

A wall of high pressure gathers around the northwestern states and brings warm weather while blocking storms.

It is believed the Californian drought of 2013-2015 was partly caused by one of the blob's predecessors.

Previous experience says the blob causes unseasonably warm and dry conditions in the West and cold and stormy conditions in the East. This is a result of the high pressure area in the Gulf of Alaska causing the jet stream to rise above the blob

Seattle's 2015 was also the hottest on record and also blamed on the blob.

The National Weather Service on Thursday predicted a warmer than normal winter for the northern and western three-quarters of the nation.

The greatest chance for warmer than normal winter weather is in Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Montana, northern Wyoming and western North Dakota.

'How long will BLOB Jr. last? At least as long as we have persistent high pressure over the north Pacific,' wrote Cliff Mass, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Washington, in a blog post.

Professor Mass added: 'It looks like things are evolving to a pattern with less high pressure offshore, so the BLOB should weaken.
A Roman clay pot thought to be at least 1,800 years old has been discovered broken into two perfectly fitting halves on a muddy beach.

The top half of the jigsaw vessel was initially found just weeks before the bottom half, which lay around 30 ft (9m) away and was uncovered on a subsequent visit.

Believed to date back to the second century AD, the pot features a cross-hatching design across its base.

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A Roman clay pot thought to be at least 1,800 years old has been discovered broken into two perfectly fitting halves on a muddy beach

Father-of-two Steve Tomlinson, 47, was out for a stroll on the beach when he came across a piece of pottery sticking out of the ground.

Roman history enthusiast Mr Tomlinson was delighted when he realised he had discovered the top half of a Roman pot.

Five weeks later Mr Tomlinson, an ecologist, visited the beach again to see what else he could find - and his disbelief was compounded when he found the bottom half stuck in mud a stone's throw away.

Sure enough, when stunned Mr Tomlinson jigsawed the two pieces together back at home, they fit perfectly and formed a complete Roman clay pot.

The top half of the jigsaw vessel (left) was initially found just weeks before the bottom half (right), which lay around 30 ft (9m) away and was uncovered on a subsequent visit

Mr Tomlinson, from Birchington, Kent, said he 'couldn't believe' his find and has since been offered 2,000 for it by a private collector.

However, he won't accept the offer for the six-inch-tall pot, which was found on a beach on the Thames Estuary, Kent, as he believes it holds significant archaeological value and deserves to be in a museum.

The pot is a piece of black burnished ware pottery - a type of ceramic made and distributed in the Thames Estuary area between 140 AD through to the mid third century.

Believed to date back to the second century AD, the pot features a cross-hatching design across its base

Father-of-two Steve Tomlinson, 47, was out for a stroll on the beach when he came across a piece of pottery sticking out of the ground

Mr Tomlinson, from Birchington, Kent, said he 'couldn't believe' his find and has since been offered 2,000 for it by a private collector

Mr Tomlinson said: 'I just couldn't believe it - to find the two pieces weeks apart is a one in a million chance.

'I'm into archaeology, but I was down there just mooching around - I hadn't gone to the Estuary to look for anything. But, there it was.

'I just don't believe it, what are the chances?

'When you go to museums, everything is behind glass. When I found this I thought to myself the last person to touch this was alive 2,000 years ago.

'I will report this to the finds liaison officer, and if it's of specific interest, I would consider giving it to a museum to share our heritage.

'I've had an offer of 2,000 from a private collector, but for me it's not about the money. It's about the archaeological value, the historical value.

'It's not about money, it's about what we can learn from this piece of history.'

Jo Ahmet, finds liaison officer for Kent said he only sees reports of whole pots being found two or three times a year.

He said: 'A complete pot is not hugely common. I've only had two this year.

'This pot is quite large too, which makes it unusual. Other complete pots tend to be tea-cup size.'
Tim Cook has hit back at Bloomberg for a story claiming the servers of tech giants including Apple contained spy chips.

Apple, Amazon and Super Micro, the Chinese motherboard manufacturer Bloomberg claimed introduced the chips, all deny claims the chips, which were 'not much bigger than a grain of rice,' would have given China unprecedented backdoor access to computers and data.

There is no truth in their story about Apple,' Cook told BuzzFeed News in a phone interview. 'They need to do that right thing and retract it.'

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Apple CEO Tim Cook, center, talks with Qu Zhangcai, left, and Liu Zhipeng, right, founders of the Xichuangzhu software app, during a visit to the Confucius Tempe in Beijing earlier this month. Tim Cook has hit back at Bloomberg for a story claiming the servers of tech giants including Apple contained spy chips.

'We turned the company upside down,' Cook said.

'Email searches, data center records, financial records, shipment records.

'We really forensically whipped through the company to dig very deep and each time we came back to the same conclusion: This did not happen. There's no truth to this.'

Asked if a scenario like the one Bloomberg described could occur without him knowing about it, Cook replied, 'The likelihood of that is virtually zero.'

However, Bloomberg says it stood by the story, telling Buzzfeed 'Bloomberg Businessweek's investigation is the result of more than a year of reporting, during which we conducted more than 100 interviews,'

'Seventeen individual sources, including government officials and insiders at the companies, confirmed the manipulation of hardware and other elements of the attacks.

'We also published three companies' full statements, as well as a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We stand by our story and are confident in our reporting and sources.'

Apple previously strongly denied the report in a statement, saying in a statement published to its website: 'Over the course of the past year, Bloomberg has contacted us multiple times with claims, sometimes vague and sometimes elaborate, of an alleged security incident at Apple.

HOW IT WORKED This is how the unnamed officials say the chips operated. All of their claims were refuted by Amazon, Apple and Supermicro. The chip was designed by spies from China's People Liberation Army, according to US government officials cited by the Bloomberg report. Once complete, the spies approached factory managers at the four subcontractors hired by Supermicro to manufacture servers. They bullied them into incorporating the chips onto the motherboards by bribing them and threatening to shut down the factories, it is claimed, all the while posing as Supermicro designers or Chinese government officials. Once the chips were loaded onto the motherboards, they were included in the servers and sent to Supermicro's customers. When the server was switched on, the chips were activated. Above is an example of a Supermicro motherboard. Apple, Amazon and Super Micro, the Chinese motherboard firm believed to have introduced the chips, have all denied the report They were inconspicuous and signal conditioning couplers which are common on motherboards so would not be detected. Once they were activated, they could essentially allow the hackers to do whatever they liked, the report said. Amazon has never used their products in the US but it did use them in Beijing in its AWS data center, the report claims. Apple, on the other hand, was using them 'sporadically' but ramped up its reliance on them when it acquired a startup designed to speed-up Siri, the voice assistant function. No consumer data was stolen, the officials say, but the threat the chips posed was extraordinary. Advertisement

'Each time, we have conducted rigorous internal investigations based on their inquiries and each time we have found absolutely no evidence to support any of them.

'We have repeatedly and consistently offered factual responses, on the record, refuting virtually every aspect of Bloomberg's story relating to Apple.

'On this we can be very clear: Apple has never found malicious chips, 'hardware manipulations' or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server. Apple never had any contact with the FBI or any other agency about such an incident,' the firm added.

Data center hardware used by Apple, Amazon and dozens of other US companies may have been fitted with tiny microchips placed there by Chinese spies, an explosive report claims

Similarly, Amazon Web Services, which oversees the data center equipment believed to have been targeted by the attack, denied the report's findings.

'As we shared with Bloomberg BusinessWeek multiple times over the last couple months, this is untrue. At no time, past or present, have we ever found any issues relating to modified hardware or malicious chips in SuperMicro motherboards in any Elemental or Amazon systems. Nor have we engaged in an investigation with the government,' Steve Schmidt, Amazon Web Services' chief information security officer, said in a statement posted to its website.

The firm also denied that it had knowledge of any hardware modifications.

'There are so many inaccuracies in this article as it relates to Amazon that they're hard to count.

'...Security will always be our top priority. AWS is trusted by many of the world's most risk-sensitive organizations precisely because we have demonstrated this unwavering commitment to putting their security above all else.

'We are constantly vigilant about potential threats to our customers, and we take swift and decisive action to address them whenever they are identified,' Schmidt added.

READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM APPLE ON THE SPY CHIP REPORT What Businessweek got wrong about Apple The October 8, 2018 issue of Bloomberg Businessweek incorrectly reports that Apple found 'malicious chips' in servers on its network in 2015. As Apple has repeatedly explained to Bloomberg reporters and editors over the past 12 months, there is no truth to these claims. Apple provided Bloomberg Businessweek with the following statement before their story was published: Over the course of the past year, Bloomberg has contacted us multiple times with claims, sometimes vague and sometimes elaborate, of an alleged security incident at Apple. Each time, we have conducted rigorous internal investigations based on their inquiries and each time we have found absolutely no evidence to support any of them. We have repeatedly and consistently offered factual responses, on the record, refuting virtually every aspect of Bloomberg's story relating to Apple. On this we can be very clear: Apple has never found malicious chips, 'hardware manipulations' or vulnerabilities purposely planted in any server. Apple never had any contact with the FBI or any other agency about such an incident. We are not aware of any investigation by the FBI, nor are our contacts in law enforcement. In response to Bloomberg's latest version of the narrative, we present the following facts: Siri and Topsy never shared servers; Siri has never been deployed on servers sold to us by Super Micro; and Topsy data was limited to approximately 2,000 Super Micro servers, not 7,000. None of those servers have ever been found to hold malicious chips. As a matter of practice, before servers are put into production at Apple they are inspected for security vulnerabilities and we update all firmware and software with the latest protections. We did not uncover any unusual vulnerabilities in the servers we purchased from Super Micro when we updated the firmware and software according to our standard procedures. We are deeply disappointed that in their dealings with us, Bloomberg's reporters have not been open to the possibility that they or their sources might be wrong or misinformed. Our best guess is that they are confusing their story with a previously-reported 2016 incident in which we discovered an infected driver on a single Super Micro server in one of our labs. That one-time event was determined to be accidental and not a targeted attack against Apple. While there has been no claim that customer data was involved, we take these allegations seriously and we want users to know that we do everything possible to safeguard the personal information they entrust to us. We also want them to know that what Bloomberg is reporting about Apple is inaccurate. Apple has always believed in being transparent about the ways we handle and protect data. If there were ever such an event as Bloomberg News has claimed, we would be forthcoming about it and we would work closely with law enforcement. Apple engineers conduct regular and rigorous security screenings to ensure that our systems are safe. We know that security is an endless race and that's why we constantly fortify our systems against increasingly sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals who want to steal our data. The published Businessweek story also claims that Apple 'reported the incident to the FBI but kept details about what it had detected tightly held, even internally.' In November 2017, after we had first been presented with this allegation, we provided the following information to Bloomberg as part of a lengthy and detailed, on-the-record response. It first addresses their reporters' unsubstantiated claims about a supposed internal investigation: Despite numerous discussions across multiple teams and organizations, no one at Apple has ever heard of this investigation. Businessweek has refused to provide us with any information to track down the supposed proceedings or findings. Nor have they demonstrated any understanding of the standard procedures which were supposedly circumvented. No one from Apple ever reached out to the FBI about anything like this, and we have never heard from the FBI about an investigation of this kind  much less tried to restrict it. In an appearance this morning on Bloomberg Television, reporter Jordan Robertson made further claims about the supposed discovery of malicious chips, saying, 'In Apple's case, our understanding is it was a random spot check of some problematic servers that led to this detection.' As we have previously informed Bloomberg, this is completely untrue. Apple has never found malicious chips in our servers. Finally, in response to questions we have received from other news organizations since Businessweek published its story, we are not under any kind of gag order or other confidentiality obligations. Advertisement

Chinese officials also denied the attack.

'We hope parties make less gratuitous accusations and suspicions but conduct more constructive talk and collaboration so that we can work together in building a peaceful, safe, open, cooperative, and orderly cyberspace,' said a spokesman from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to Bloomberg, the spy chips were designed for motherboards -- the nerve centers for computer equipment -- used in data centers operated by Apple, Amazon Web Services and others.

The chips were designed to be undetectable by standard machines and covertly attached during the manufacturing process to motherboards which wound up in servers deployed in the US.

Bloomberg said a three-year secret investigation, which remains open, enabled spies to create a 'stealth doorway' into computer equipment, a hardware-based entry that would be more effective and harder to detect than a software hack.

SuperMicro denied the existence of an ongoing investigation, saying: 'We remain unaware of any such investigation,' Supermicro spokesman Perry Hayes told Bloomberg.

Hayes added that it has never been notified about malicious chips on its motherboards by customers, such as Apple and Amazon, or US law enforcement.

The chips were designed to be undetectable by machines and covertly attached during the manufacturing process to motherboards which wound up in servers deployed in the US

READ THE FULL STATEMENT FROM AMAZON DENYING THE SPY CHIP REPORT Setting the Record Straight on Bloomberg BusinessWeek's Erroneous Article Today, Bloomberg BusinessWeek published a story claiming that AWS was aware of modified hardware or malicious chips in SuperMicro motherboards in Elemental Media's hardware at the time Amazon acquired Elemental in 2015, and that Amazon was aware of modified hardware or chips in AWS's China Region. As we shared with Bloomberg BusinessWeek multiple times over the last couple months, this is untrue. At no time, past or present, have we ever found any issues relating to modified hardware or malicious chips in SuperMicro motherboards in any Elemental or Amazon systems. Nor have we engaged in an investigation with the government. There are so many inaccuracies in this article as it relates to Amazon that they're hard to count. We will name only a few of them here. First, when Amazon was considering acquiring Elemental, we did a lot of due diligence with our own security team, and also commissioned a single external security company to do a security assessment for us as well. That report did not identify any issues with modified chips or hardware. As is typical with most of these audits, it offered some recommended areas to remediate, and we fixed all critical issues before the acquisition closed. This was the sole external security report commissioned. Bloomberg has admittedly never seen our commissioned security report nor any other (and refused to share any details of any purported other report with us). The article also claims that after learning of hardware modifications and malicious chips in Elemental servers, we conducted a network-wide audit of SuperMicro motherboards and discovered the malicious chips in a Beijing data center. This claim is similarly untrue. The first and most obvious reason is that we never found modified hardware or malicious chips in Elemental servers. Aside from that, we never found modified hardware or malicious chips in servers in any of our data centers. And, this notion that we sold off the hardware and datacenter in China to our partner Sinnet because we wanted to rid ourselves of SuperMicro servers is absurd. Sinnet had been running these data centers since we launched in China, they owned these data centers from the start, and the hardware we 'sold' to them was a transfer-of-assets agreement mandated by new China regulations for non-Chinese cloud providers to continue to operate in China. Amazon employs stringent security standards across our supply chain  investigating all hardware and software prior to going into production and performing regular security audits internally and with our supply chain partners. We further strengthen our security posture by implementing our own hardware designs for critical components such as processors, servers, storage systems, and networking equipment. Security will always be our top priority. AWS is trusted by many of the world's most risk-sensitive organizations precisely because we have demonstrated this unwavering commitment to putting their security above all else. We are constantly vigilant about potential threats to our customers, and we take swift and decisive action to address them whenever they are identified. - Steve Schmidt, Chief Information Security Officer Advertisement

Citing unnamed US officials, Bloomberg said a unit of the People's Liberation Army were involved the operation that placed the chips on equipment manufactured in China for US-based Super Micro Computer Inc.

Super Micro, according to Bloomberg, also manufactured equipment for Department of Defense data centers, the CIA's drone operations, and onboard networks of Navy warships.

The report said Amazon discovered the problem when it acquired software firm Elemental and began a security review of equipment made for Elemental by California-based Supermicro.

Super Micro builds its equipment in San Jose, California, but outsources its manufacturing to contractors in China.

Many US tech companies outsource parts of their supply chain operations to facilities in China.

This has stoked fears about foreign intelligence agencies infiltrating US companies via 'supply chain attacks.'
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From the Vatican to the Tower of London, there is always one thing travellers are certain to see at tourist hot spots - lots of other tourists.

Often quiet time for contemplation and uninterrupted gazing in a world famous museum or at an ancient site is almost out of the question.

But - and whisper it - there are exclusive tours that visitors can book at some of the world's most famous places that guarantee an absence of throngs of people. And there are even some that grant access to areas normally closed off to the public...

Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro

The peak of Corcovado Mountain, home to the Christ the Redeemer statue, can be an extremely busy place but one tour allows travellers to go to the top before it opens to the general public

If tourists want to extend the experience from the Christ the Redeemer statue, they can hop on a cable car, pictured, to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain

The peak of Corcovado Mountain, home to the Christ the Redeemer statue, can be an extremely busy place.

But one TripAdvisor tour allows tourists to access the peak - via 220 steps - to view the statue early in the morning before the crowds gather, with commentary from a local guide.

The tour costs from 48 but can also be upgraded so visitors hop on a cable car afterwards and go to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain to see panoramic views of Rio.

One review of the trip read: 'We were among the first people up at Christ the Redeemer so we had plenty of time to take amazing pictures and enjoy the moment and space just for us!'

The Vatican

Each day, a small number of tourists can join the 'Clavigero' (the Vatican key holder) as he unlocks the doors to the Sistine Chapel, pictured, Raphaels rooms, the Galleries, and more - hours before these iconic sites open to the public

Early entry on the 'Wake up in the Vatican' experience means visitors can enjoy the art in the museums without the crowds

The Vatican attracts more than five million visitors each year but one exclusive tour allows tourists to beat the queues and elbow jostling to wander the corridors of St Peter's Basilica in solitude.

TripAdvisor offers the unique excursion, which sees a small number of travellers joining the 'Clavigero' (the Vatican key holder) as he unlocks the doors to the Sistine Chapel, Raphaels rooms, the Galleries, and more, hours before these iconic sites open to the public.

Due to its exclusive nature, the tour - which departs at 6am Monday through to Saturday - comes with a hefty price tag, with tickets costing from 281 per person.

On reviewer wrote on TripAdvisor: 'Being in such a sacred and well known place early in the morning was so cool.'

Accademia Gallery in Florence

The David statue inside the Accademia Gallery in Florence. Those wanting to beat the crowds can book an early morning tour for entry an hour and a half before the crowds

The Accademia Gallery in Florence is home to some of Michelangelo's most famous works of art including Prigioni, San Matteo and David.

So it always attracts the crowds.

But an exclusive TripAdvisor tour, costing from 58, allows a group of up to 15 travellers be the first of the day to enter the gallery - an hour and a half before the crowds are allowed to enter.

The tour is led by an art historian, who can talk visitors through the Renaissance art housed at the world-famous gallery. However, it is only available from April to October.

One tourist wrote on TripAdvisor: 'We were first in to see David and literally had no one else in the corridor with us leading up to this magnificent work of art.'

The Hermitage, St Petersburg

On a trip organised by UK-based tour company Exeter International, visitors to the Hermitage in St Petersburg, pictured, can enjoy behind-the-scenes experiences such as a tour of the treasure-stuffed storage rooms

The Hermitage in St Petersburg is one of the largest museums in the world with a jaw-dropping collection of art on display from the likes of Picasso, Leonardo and Michelangelo.

But as the attraction is based in 400 rooms spread over three floors of five interlinked buildings getting around can be difficult.

However, one UK-based tour company, Exeter International, offers tours of the museum that include a number of 'behind the scenes' experiences.

These include a tour of the treasure-stuffed storage rooms of the Hermitage and a private visit to the Amber Room workshops of Catherine Palace to see craftsmen recreating the exquisite amber panels.

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

TripAdvisor offers a tour around New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, pictured, which starts an hour and a half before its doors open to the public in a group of no more than 25 people

One review of the early access tour of the Met said: 'From being able to clearly hear your guide and close up views of the exhibits, to being able to take photos of completely empty rooms - it was an amazing experience'

The Metropolitan Museum of Art sees millions of visitors pass through its doors each year making it one of New York's busiest tourist attractions.

But art lovers can get up close and personal to works by Canova and Vincent Van Gogh with a TripAdvisor tour before the museum opens, for 136 ($177).

The tour, led by one of the museum's own guides, starts an hour and a half before its doors open to the public in a group of no more than 25 people.

One review of the tour said: 'From being able to clearly hear your guide and close up views of the exhibits, to being able to take photos of completely empty rooms - it was an amazing experience.'

Alcatraz, San Francisco

Crowds flock to Alcatraz to visit the famous island prison, but a TripAdvisor tour that is available sees tourists gain early entry to the jail cells

Crowds flock to Alcatraz island in San Francisco to see what life was like inside the jail cells of notorious criminals such as Al Capone.

But an exclusive TripAdvisor tour, which costs from 149, allows tourists to get admission to the island prison before large groups turn up.

The tour, which has no more than 25 people, starts at Fishermans Wharf where travellers board an 8am ferry to Alcatraz, then explore the city by cable car.

One review on TripAdvisor reads: 'No queue access to Alcatraz followed by a superbly guided tour of the city aboard an antique adapted cable car, this is a must do for San Francisco visitors.'

Tower of London

The Tower of London, pictured, offers private showings of the nightly ritual known as the Ceremony of the Keys and exclusive tours of the building for groups of up to 20

The Ceremony of the Keys has been performed every night without fail for more than 700 years at the Tower of London.

And visitors to the tower can arrange their own private showing of the ritual, which dates back to Edward III, and see the main gates secured for the evening.

The private showing can be for up to 20 guests, who watch the ceremony from the battlements. It costs from 700 for the whole group.

It also includes an exclusive tour of the Tower of London before the ceremony.

Chichen Itza, Cancun, Mexico

Tourists visiting the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico, pictured, often complain about the long lines and scorching midday heat. But a small early morning tour is available on TripAdvisor

The exclusive early morning tour means groups can admire the ruins when the temperatures are more comfortable and look at ancient sites not usually open to tourists

Tourists visiting the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico often complain about the long lines and scorching midday heat.

But TripAdvisor offers an early access tour to the ancient ruins, which includes seeing sites that most groups don't visit with an archaeologist providing nuggets of information them.

The tour costs from 42, and includes priority access to Chichen Itza early in the morning, when temperatures are more comfortable.

One traveller said in a Tripdvisor review: 'While getting up early was a pain, being some of the first to see the gorgeous structures that day made it well worth it.'

Capuchin Crypt and Catacombs, Rome

The Capuching Crypt, also known as the Bone Chapel, tucked beneath the streets of Rome. One late night tour allows visitors into the chapel and Rome's Catacombs after the doors close to the general public

The Capuchin Crypt, also known as Rome's Bone Chapel, is tucked away beneath the city's streets.

And a TripAdvisor tour allows travellers to walk around the church as well as the centuries-old Catacombs of Priscilla after the doors close to the general public.

This means they can get a clear view of where Rome's early Christians gathered to pray and bury their dead.

The tour costs from 56 and one person who experienced the tour wrote on the review website: 'Would definitely recommend this tour, especially for those who enjoy experiences a little outside the typical tourist attraction.'

Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City

The Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City houses 12 halls filled with royal artefacts, and can be visited before general admission starts

The Chapultepec Castle is one of the most popular attractions in Mexico City with its 12 halls filled with royal artefacts - and tourists.

But travellers can book a TripAdvisor tour that allows early access before the crowds set in, from 29 per person.

The tour includes the insight of a guide, who leads tourists around the National Museum of Anthropology, which houses the largest collection of traditional Mexican art in the world.

One review on TripAdvisor states: 'Early access to Chapultepec Castle meant that we had the place to ourselves to enjoy before the gates were opened to the public.'

Piscina Mirabilis, Bay of Naples

On an eight-day guided tour of southern Italy, Andante Travels offers a trip to the cavernous Piscina Mirabilis at Misenum, which is usually closed to the public

Ancient history and archaeology tours specialist Andante Travels organises lecturer-led tours of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Campania.

And on one of its eight-day guided trips to southern Italy, guests gain access to the cavernous Piscina Mirabilis at Misenum, which is usually closed to the public.

The gigantic cistern stored water for the Roman fleet and fed the towns of the Bay of Naples.

Meanwhile the full tour, which starts from 1,695, also includes access to new, rarely-visited villas in Pompeii.
Shocking pictures show a plane cabin left in disarray with food and trays littering the floor after it was hit by severe turbulence leaving passengers bruised with nose bleeds.

Fifteen passengers were injured when Aerolineas Argentinas flight AR1303 from Miami to Buenos Aires, with 192 people on board, experienced the terrifying conditions as it flew over western Brazil.

Passengers who had to endure the nightmare on the Airbus A330 took to Twitter after they landed and posted images of the utter carnage inside the plane.

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Shocking pictures show the cabin of a Aerolineas Argentinas plane in disarray after it hit severe turbulence. Pictured left are passengers looking down at meal trays and food littered across the floor. Pictured right is a member of the cabin crew attempting to clear up the mess

Passengers who had to endure the nightmare on the Airbus A330 took to Twitter after they landed and posted images of the utter carnage inside the plane

One passenger shared a video of a bloody napkin after suffering a nose bleed on the flight

In one picture, meal trays and food can been seen strewn across the aisle.

A video shows another passenger holding a bloody tissue after apparently suffering from a nose bleed.

While another, taken in the aftermath of the turbulence, shows a flight attendant attempting to pick up the discarded trays.

Dramatic images also show the galley, where oxygen masks can be seen hanging from the ceiling and toppled trolleys with food spilling out of them.

Meanwhile a curtain separating the galley from the cabin is pictured hanging from the ceiling.

After the severe turbulence, the flight then continued on to Ezeiza International Airport in the Argentine capital, where eight of the injured passengers were taken to hospital.

In a statement,Aerolineas Argentinas confirmed the incident saying it happened in the 'cruise' phase of the flight.

The airline added that some passengers suffered bruises and cabin crew did their best to assist customers before landing after the bumpy air subsided.

Pictures from the flight show the galley in the aftermath of the turbulence. Food trolleys toppled over, leaving food all over the floor

A curtain pole was ripped from the ceiling during the turbulence, which left 15 people injured

HOW DO PILOTS DEAL WITH TURBULENCE? A serving airline captain reveals four methods for dealing with turbulence: 1. Grin and bear it - the aircraft is more than capable of withstanding the loads associated with turbulence (although severe turbulence can be quite uncomfortable and best avoided for passenger comfort). 2. Try flying higher (if aircraft performance allows it) or lower (although this burns more fuel and might make things worse). 3. Fly at the aircraft turbulence penetration speed - generally a little slower than normal cruising speed 4. Turn to avoid the area of turbulence if its localised (such as near a thunderstorm). Advertisement

It explained: 'Once the area of turbulence was crossed, the crew in charge of the flight was dedicated to assist injured passengers.'

Previously, a UK-based pilot told MailOnline Travel how there are two types of turbulence with people most unnerved by clear air turbulence.

The pilot said: 'The sort of turbulence that people often get anxious about is clear air turbulence, which is often what happens at high altitude. And that's associated with the intercontinental jet streams that circle the globe.

'And where these jet streams collide, obviously is determined by weather patterns. And when they collide it creates ripples in the air. And that's what clear air turbulence is.

'Because we have a lot of people now who fly an awful lot, sometimes they're a bit casual about whether they should return to their seats and put their seatbelts on, and people think it's a bit of a drag, but there will be that one time in a hundred when it suddenly becomes really important to be in your seat.'
She filed for divorce from him last month.

But Roger Mathews still wished Jersey Shore star Jenni 'JWoww' Farley, 32, on their third wedding anniversary Thursday.

Roger, who has apparently stayed stayed close with JWoww since the filing, posted a throwback Instagram photo of himself dancing with her at their wedding.

'Happy Anniversary Babe': Roger Matthews celebrated his anniversary with Jenni 'JWoww' Farley with an Instagram photo of them with their daughter Meilani at the wedding

In that photo, Roger could be seen cradling the couple's then one-year-old daughter Meilani, who had been the flower girl at the ceremony.

'This happened 3 years ago today. 8 years together total. 3006 days together. Not one of them was a flawless day. Not one of them would I change. Happy Anniversary Babe @jwoww,' Roger wrote in his touching caption.

The pair recently shared dinner and wine in a snapshot Roger posted to Instagram Sunday, captioning: 'Rome wasn't built in a day.'

Shortly thereafter, he uploaded a sweet Instagram video revealing he had taken JWoww on a romantic carriage ride celebrating their anniversary.

Back on?: JWoww filed for divorce last month, but it appears that the couple - who also share son Greyson, two - have stayed close since the filing

It was at their October 2015 nuptials that JWoww and Roger announced she was pregnant with their son Greyson, who is now two.

News emerged precisely three weeks before their wedding anniversary that JWoww had filed for divorce over 'irreconcilable differences.'

She was said to have made the filing in New Jersey, explaining that the marriage had been in trouble for the prior six months,E! News reported.

So sweet: The pair recently shared dinner and wine in a snapshot Roger posted to Instagram Sunday, captioning: 'Rome wasn't built in a day'

JWoww wants life insurance policies on Meilani and Greyson with herself as the trustee, and she wants 'primary residential custody.'

After the reports emerged of the divorce filing, Roger posted a heartfelt interview confirming that it was true.

He insisted, however, that there had been 'no cheating,' and he resolved: 'I'm gonna win my wife back,' adding that 'We're in counseling, so there's hope.'

What a gesture: Shortly thereafter, he uploaded a sweet Instagram video revealing he had taken JWoww on a romantic carriage ride celebrating their anniversary

Born on Long Island, JWoww shot to fame on the original run of the smash hit MTV reality show Jersey Shore from 2009 and 2012.

When that show eventually ended, she briefly starred in a spinoff series called Snooki And JWoww alongside her old Jersey Shore co-star Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi.

JWoww and Roger were a longtime couple before tying the knot - and in fact they were on Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars in 2014, the year prior to their wedding.
KIIS FM serial pranksters Will McMahon and Woody Whitelaw dined out for free at a posh Melbourne restaurant while posing as consultants for the Royal Family.

Boasting impressive British accents, the cheeky larrikins appeared to dupe the maitre d' of swanky eatery Ezard, after claiming they were 'surveying options' for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry who are currently on tour in Australia.

'We're a contracted private company by the royal family, we're actually surveying a number of options for them,' Will is seen telling the waiter in a clip posted to Instagram on Thursday.

The Royal Treatment! KIIS FM serial pranksters Will McMahon (right) and Woody Whitelaw (left) score free swanky slap-up meal while posing as bogus consultants for Prince Harry and Megan Markle

The waiter of the establishment, where mains begin at an eye-watering $49, proceeds to serve the giggling pair.

'I've had a quick chat with the chef and with your blessing, I've organised five courses,' he says while topping up their glasses with fine wine and champagne.

Hoodwinked: Boasting impressive British accents, the cheeky larrikins appeared to dupe the maitre d' of swanky eatery Ezard, after claiming they were 'surveying options' for Megan Markle and Prince Harry who are currently on tour in Australia

'We're a contracted private company by the royal family, we're actually surveying a number of options for them,' Will asks in a clip posted to Instagram on Thursday

Clinking their glasses together, a smirking Woody claims, 'this is probably the best champagne I've ever had.'

But as the alcohol flow, their British accents begin to slip.

'I'm starting to sound like Austin Powers,' Woody says, as the pair crack up.

'This is probably the best champagne I've ever had! 'Clinking their glasses together, the pair get a fit of the giggles

'I'm starting to sound like Austin Powers!' As the alcohol flow, their British accents begin to slip

However, the maitre d appears non the wiser as he offers the meal free of charge.

'I'm quite happy for that to be with our compliments,' he says, before adding, 'if we were to see [Harry and Megan], that would be so flattering.'

While it's unclear whether the restaurant was in on the joke, Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ezard for comment.

Known for their hilarious stunts, the KIIS FM duo pushed the boundaries a little too far earlier this year when they tested whether an Uber driver would be willing to transport a corpse for a five-star rating.

'I'm quite happy for that to be with our compliments!' However, the maitre d appears non the wiser as he offers the meal free of charge

In the hair-raising clip, the pair are then seen dumping a fake body wrapped up in garbage bags into the back of the vehicle.

And while initially unsuspecting, the pair eventually freaked out the driver when asking if he could give them a hand with removing the 'dead body' from the boot.

Realising that it's in fact a live body wrapped up in garbage bags, the driver flees the scene screaming, 'S**t I didn't do this!'

A prank gone too far? Will and Woody tested whether an Uber driver would be willing to transport a 'DEAD BODY' for a five-star rating on Thursday

In hysterics: Realising that it's in fact a live body wrapped up in garbage bags, the driver flees the scene screaming 'I didn't do this!'

Will and Woody kicked off their highly-coveted drive time program on KIIS FM in January.

The funnymen, who previously spent four years together on breakfast radio in Perth, took over from power couple Dave Hughes and Kate Langbroek.
He's known for his roles in comedy hits like Superbad, Knocked Up and 21 Jump Street, and recently made his directorial debut in coming of age comedy-drama Mid90s.

But it turns out Jonah Hill never had big dreams of being an actor.

No, instead, the 34-year old actually had his sights set on making music and being a rapper.

Revelation: Jonah Hill revealed he had dreams of making music and being a rapper when he was younger (pictured Thursday)

'This is an exclusive. I didnt have an emcee name, but I made a lot of beats,' the Los Angeles native said during an appearance on The Breakfast Club with DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne tha God.

Then after a little prodding from the hosts he revealed his producer name.

'This is very embarrassing - it was Spindrome. Like syndrome, but spin. It was wack, dude. Im not a good emcee or a good producer - I mean I kind of made fire beats - but I still had an MPC [drum machine] and was making beats for six years.'

The Maniac actor spoke as he gears up for the release of Mid90s, a movie about a boy named Stevie growing up in the 1990s who escapes his troubled home by falling in with a group of young skateboarders.

Hits theaters across the US October 19! The 34-year old Oscar nominee made his directorial debut in the coming of age dramedy Mid90s

Group shot: Hill - who confessed his producer hip-hop name was 'Spindrome' - posed with his cast - (from L-R) Na-kel Smith, Ryder McLaughlin, Gio Galicia, Olan Prenatt, Alexa Demie, and Sunny Suljic - at the Los Angeles premiere Thursday

Rap music is featured heavily in the movie, and Jonah says it was important to him that the genre was treated with respect.

'Hip-hop, like skateboarding, is always misrepresented in film,' Jonah said.

'Its always shown - people driving through the hood or popping champagne - as some exploitative dumb stereotype. And for me it was it was very important to make an elegant, honest, emotional film, that showed hip-hop as what it is for me, which is the emotional backbone of my childhood.'

Paying homage: Hill says rap music is featured heavily in his movie, and that it was important to him that the genre was treated with respect

Although Jonah found fame as a Hollywood star, he previously said he didnt think he was 'good' at being a celebrity, but added hes 'proud' to be bad because it means he isnt fake.

'I'm just not good at being famous. I'm proudly not good at it. Because to be good at being famous you have to be fake and full of s**t. I don't know if I want to be better at that.'

Mid90s premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. It opens in theaters in the US October 19.
Teen Mom star Jenelle Evans has deleted her Twitter account following reports she was hospitalized after police were called to her home on Saturday.

Law enforcement responded to a 911 call alleging an assault had taken place and an ambulance was called.

However, the 26-year-old ended up being taken to a medical facility by a private vehicle and a spokesperson for authorities in Columbus County, North Carolina, said no official incident report was taken.

No tweets: Teen Mom's Jenelle Evans deleted her Twitter account following reports Thursday that she was hospitalized over the weekend after police were called to her home for an assault

The original call came from a female around 10 p.m. and was calling in 'an assault', according to the Columbus County Chief Of 911 Operations.

Jenelle lives at her home with husband Dave Eason with whom she shares 21-month-old daughter Ensley. She is also mom to son Jace, eight, whom she with ex Andrew Lewis, and son Kaiser, four, with ex Nathan Griffith.

Reps for the MTV reality star told People Thursday that she had been injured when she 'had friends over Saturday night and they had a bonfire on her property.'

'Jenelle ended up tripping and falling by the fire,' they explained.

She was not filming for her reality show, according to insiders.

Coincidentally, the Teen Mom star posted a photo to her Instagram on Saturday showing herself with a bandaged nose and wearing dark glasses as she lies propped up in a hospital bed with Dave by her side.

Using hashtags, she said she was having a 'rough recovery' following septoplasty, a procedure to repair a deviated septum.

While she has deleted her Twitter account, she still maintains her presence on Instagram and Facebook.

Coincidentally, Jenelle posted photos to her Instagram on Saturday showing her with a bandaged nose and wearing dark glasses for what she said was a 'rough recovery' following septoplasty for sinus issues

In August, Dave was 'cleared of criminal wrongdoing' in a child abuse investigation instigated by ex-fiance Nathan Griffith.

Back in July, Griffith had called 911 to accuse Eason of abusing their son Kaiser and leaving him with painful bruises.

'I received my child and he has marks all over him,' Nathan told Columbus County Emergency Services at the time.'We asked [Kaiser] about it and he said David hit him with a stick.'

Jenelle denied the abuse accusations on Twitter.

According to TMZ, the Department Of Social Services found no signs of abuse during their visit to her home last month.

The exes are locked in a custody battle over Kaiser.

Mom of three: The reality star, 26, who lives in North Carolina, has sons Jace, eight, and Kaiser, four,. with former partners and also a 21-month-old daughter Ensley with husband Dave Eason

Meanwhile, Dave was fired from MTV earlier this year, after posting homophobic and transphobic messages to his Facebook.

In the now deleted posts, he wrote about how he would not going to let his children associate with LGBTQ people or 'be that way.'

MTV responded to public outcry saying: 'David Eason's personal comments do not reflect the views of MTV. With six weeks left of production on Teen Mom 2, effective immediately, we are ending our relationship with him.'

Issues: Dave, whom Jenelle married last year, was fired from MTV earlier this year, after posting homophobic and transphobic messages to his Facebook




The stars of Gogglebox have asked what most of Australia is thinking: What on earth happened to Ali Oetjen's face?

The 32-year-old's appearance has changed significantly since she appeared on The Bachelor in 2013, something that was pointed out several times on Thursday's show.

While watching The Bachelorette premiere, Angie Kent observed: 'I can't tell [that Ali is excited] because [her] face isn't moving!'

'Her face isn't moving!' The stars of Gogglebox mocked The Bachelorette's Ali Oetjen over her Botox, fillers and breast enlargement. Pictured left: Ali in her teens, and right: earlier this year

Meanwhile in the Silbery household, Kerry asked, 'What's happened to her bosoms?', to which her daughter Isabelle replied, 'She bought them - and she bought a lot of them!'

Kerry then added, 'she looks completely different', and Isabelle jokingly mimicked a needle going into her chin, lips and cheeks.

Ali has admitted to a having a breast augmentation in the past, but has claimed she regrets the decision. She has also acknowledged having lip fillers and Botox.

Ouch! While watching The Bachelorette premiere, Angie Kent (left) observed, 'I can't tell [that Ali is excited] because [her] face isn't moving!' Pictured with Yvie Jones (right)

'She looks completely different!' Meanwhile in the Silbery household, Kerry (left) asked, 'What's happened to her bosoms?', to which her daughter Isabelle (right) replied, 'She bought them - and she bought a lot of them!'

Transformed: Ali has admitted to a having a breast augmentation in the past, but has claimed she regrets the decision. She has also acknowledged having lip fillers and Botox. Pictured left: Ali in 2013 and right: Ali in 2017

A Beverly Hills plastic surgeon told Daily Mail Australia in June that Ali appeared to have made several significant changes to her face.

Comparing older photos of Ali with more recent footage, Dr. Urmen Desai believed the fitness blogger had undergone multiple procedures in recent years.

The Harvard-educated doctor claimed she 'likely went from a large A-cup size to a small D-cup size' as a result of her breast augmentation. (Media reports have since claimed her breasts could be as large as a G-cup).

'With regards to her face, Ali has obviously had her upper and lower lips over-injected with fillers,' Dr. Desai added at the time.

Expert opinion: A Beverly Hills plastic surgeon told Daily Mail Australia in June that Ali appeared to have made several significant changes to her face, including a possible rhinoplasty. Pictured left: Ali in her youth and right: Ali in May 2018

He continued: 'In addition to this, her forehead is frozen without any motion, which points to the fact that she likely had Botox injections to her forehead.

'Finally, in order to assist with reversing the ageing process, she has likely received filler injections to her cheeks to achieve a more youthful face.'

Dr. Desai was also of the opinion that Ali could have undergone rhinoplasty.

Plump pout: 'With regards to her face, Ali has obviously had her upper and lower lips over-injected with fillers,' Dr. Urmen Desai said. Pictured left: Ali in 2013, and right: Ali in 2018
Ant McPartlin has reportedly purchased a 5 million house to renovate after his divorce from ex-wife Lisa Armstrong was finalised earlier this week.

According to reports, the Geordie presenter, who is one half of TV duo Ant and Dec, 42, will be using the home project as part of his recovery from a drink and prescription drug addiction after entering rehab earlier this year.

A source told The Sun that Ant is 'very excited' about his 'dream home', they said: 'The next couple of months will be difficult for him, given hes not in Australia with Dec for Im A Celebrity.

Moving on: Ant McPartlin has reportedly purchased a 5 million house to renovate after his divorce from ex-wife Lisa Armstrong was finalised earlier this week

'But this house provides him a fresh start.

'Its a big project for him that hes going to throw himself into before going back to work.'

The source added that Ant's girlfriend Anne-Marie Corbett will not be moving into the new property and will instead live nearby with her two children, as they're taking things 'slowly'.

Fresh start: According to reports, the Geordie presenter, 42, will be using the home project as part of his recovery from a drink and prescription drug addiction

MailOnline has contacted Ant's representative for comment.

Earlier this week on Tuesday, Ant and his ex-wife Lisa's divorce was finalised with their 11-year marriage ending in a 30-second hearing at the Central Family Court.

The I'm a Celeb host and his teenage sweetheart had been together for 23 years and married in 2006 but announced the end of their marriage in January.

Court documents revealed that McPartlin had 'committed adultery' with his new girlfriend Anne-Marie and that his former wife found it 'intolerable to live with' the TV star.

Future: A source told The Sun that Ant is 'very excited' about his 'dream home', they said: 'The next couple of months will be difficult for him, given hes not in Australia with Dec for Im A Celebrity.'

Under divorce laws, Ant technically had to admit adultery because he was still married when the relationship began.

He has since been seen out with Anne-Marie, who was the ex couple's former PA, and has even made the background on his mobile phone.

Lisa has not commented, but liked Twitter comments from friends telling her 'good things come to kind people' and 'pull on your big girls pants, it's your turn to start afresh'.

Since learning of her former colleague's relationship with her estranged husband, Lisa has revealed that she didn't know the two were dating until she saw pictures of them together in a newspaper.

It's over!: Earlier this week on Tuesday, Ant and his ex-wife Lisa's divorce was finalised with their 11-year marriage ending in a 30-second hearing at the Central Family Court

In 2017, Ant entered rehab after struggling with a two-year addiction to super-strength painkillers following a knee operation in 2015.

In April, three months after announcing his split from Lisa, he was banned from the road for 20 months and fined 86,000 for driving while more than twice the legal limit.

After the incident and another rehab visit, Ant announced that he is stepping down from all his TV commitments and will not appear on the next series of Im a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

It has since been revealed that Holly Willoughby will replace the presenter on the hit ITV Australian jungle series with his co-host Declan Donnelly later this year.
The Bachelor's Brittany Hockley and Sophie Tieman were both dumped by Nick Cummins in the dramatic Bachelor finale.

And on Thursday, the two women proved that their friendship is still going strong months after their shared heartbreak.

Brittany, 30, posted a photo to Instagram of herself and Sophie, 25, enjoying a bottle of wine on holiday in the Hunter Valley.

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No heartbreak here! Brittany Hockley (right) and Sophie Tieman's (left) friendship continues to blossom as they enjoy a girls' trip to the Hunter Valley... after both being dumped on The Bachelor

'I know, you'd think we'd be sick of each other by now,' Brittany captioned the snap.

The pair were later joined by Brittany's sister, personal trainer Sheri Hockley, as they enjoyed an afternoon bike ride.

Brittany and Sophie became firm friends while filming The Bachelor earlier this year.

Good vibes! Brittany recently shared several Instagram snaps from her Hunter Valley getaway

Their friendship only strengthened after Nick 'The Honey Badger' Cummins decided that he wasn't in love with either of them.

Meanwhile, it seems Brittany has been enjoying the great outdoors after finishing her promotional duties for The Bachelor.

Earlier this week, she was pictured in Jervis Bay, on the New South Wales south coast, with her sister Sheri.

No boys allowed! The pair were later joined by Brittany's sister, personal trainer Sheri Hockley, as they enjoyed an afternoon bike ride

'Getting off the beaten track as much as possible. Getting back to real, raw nature,' Brittany captioned a photo of the siblings drinking wine.

She added: 'Enjoying this south coast sunset with a nice red because that's just what you do after a 17km hike. So much Yes.'

Another post shared by Brittany featured her sister posing with a kangaroo, which she captioned: 'Back to nature'.

Back to nature! It seems Brittany has been enjoying the great outdoors after finishing her promotional duties for The Bachelor. Pictured during a recent trip to Jervis Bay

The brunette seemed to be enjoying the peace and quiet and looked in happy spirits after escaping the media frenzy in Sydney.

Earlier this month, the Bachelor finale aired and delivered a shock result no one was expecting.

In an unprecedented twist, Nick dumped both finalists - Brittany and Sophie - and left the program a single man.

Support: Brittany is pictured drinking wine with her sister Sheri (left) in Jervis Bay

In an interview with The Sunday Project earlier last week, Nick defended his decision to walk away without choosing a winner.

The former Wallaby revealed he wasn't in love with either Brittany or Sophie and didn't want to fake a romance for the cameras.

He told the panel: 'I thought, 'I can avoid a whole lot of drama - for me, for the girls - and just pick someone'. Or I could just be honest

'She'd be sitting here now [with me]. People would be asking if you're in love. And it's like, I didn't want to lie.'

Nick concluded: 'It's not fair to her. Going down that path three months, only to break her heart.'
Jeff Bridges reunited with his Big Lebowski bowling buddies John Goodman and Steve Buscemi at Smokehouse in Burbank on October 4 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Coen Bros. cult classic.

The 68-year-old Oscar winner - who gained icon status as LA slacker Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski - wrote of the reunion on Thursday: 'Missing some of our cast here, but it was a blast getting back together!'

The talented trio had a blast dubbing the 260 F bombs for the clean TV version of the 1998 mistaken identity flick - which went on to gross $46.2M, earn rave reviews, and inspire annual Lebowski Fests all around the world.

'It was a blast getting back together!' Jeff Bridges (M) reunited with his Big Lebowski bowling buddies John Goodman (L) and Steve Buscemi (R) at Smokehouse in Burbank on October 4 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Coen Bros. cult classic

Fantasy sequence: The talented trio had a blast dubbing the 260 F bombs for the clean TV version of the 1998 mistaken identity flick - which went on to gross $46.2M, earn rave reviews, and inspire annual Lebowski Fests all around the world

As for Steve, the 60-year-old Golden Globe winner wasn't so sure he wanted to portray timid Theodore Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos, who's constantly bulled by temperamental Vietnam veteran Walter Sobchak (Goodman).

'I loved it, I thought it was really kind of wild and weird and funny, but I have to say, when I was reading the part of Donny, I kind of didn't get it,' Buscemi admitted to NBC's Harry Smith during a 26-minute TODAY interview.

'I felt bad for the guy. I felt sad. I thought, "Why does Walter bully him all the time?" And as I'm reading it I thought, "How am I going to tell Joel and Ethan that I don't want to do this?"

'And then I got the last scene, well Donny's last scene - I didn't read the rest of the script - and then I saw the relationship. I saw how much Walter really loves Donny and how they're really brothers and I found it very moving.'

'I found it very moving': As for Steve, the 60-year-old Golden Globe winner wasn't so sure he wanted to portray timid Theodore Donald "Donny" Kerabatsos, who's constantly bulled by temperamental Vietnam veteran Walter Sobchak (Goodman)

'They're really brothers': Buscemi's favorite scene was when his character's ashes were scattered, unceremoniously, after a bizarre beach eulogy by the 66-year-old Golden Globe winner (L) as Walter

The Brooklyn-born firefighter's favorite scene was when his character's ashes were scattered, unceremoniously, after a bizarre beach eulogy by the 66-year-old Golden Globe winner as Walter.

'Theodore Donald Kerabatsos loved to surf,' John said, quoting his monologue.

Bridges interrupted: 'You can do that whole thing verbatim!'

And The Conners star then joked: 'I can barely remember my own name now.'

The nepotistically-privileged son of Lloyd Bridges then recounted an interesting fan theory he heard that Steve's character Donny does not actually exist.

'He's a figment of Walter's imagination': The 68-year-old Oscar winner (L) - who gained icon status as LA slacker Jeffrey 'The Dude' Lebowski - recounted an interesting fan theory he heard that Steve's character Donny does not actually exist

RIP: Missing from memory lane was the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman (R) and David Huddleston who died in 2014 and 2016 - as well as Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Tara Reid, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara, Peter Stormare, etc.

'He's a figment of Walter's imagination. He's an old war buddy that died,' Jeff laughed.

'If you think [about it], I don't ever really relate to [Donny]. I think I say, "Thank you Donny" when you say the phone is ringing. I could just say that to just be busting Walter's chops. I play along with it. "Thank you Donny!"'

Missing from memory lane was the late great Philip Seymour Hoffman and David Huddleston who died in 2014 and 2016 - as well as Julianne Moore, John Turturro, Tara Reid, Sam Elliott, Ben Gazzara, Peter Stormare, etc.
Kim Kardashian learned the value of 'privacy' through her marriage to Kanye West.

The 37-year-old reality star tied the knot with the rapper - with whom she has North, five, Saint, two, and Chicago, eight months - in 2014.

On an episode of the new program The Alec Baldwin Show, she said that before she met Kanye, her whole life revolved around being in the spotlight.

Candid: Kim Kardashian (right) learned the value of 'privacy' through her marriage to Kanye West, she told the host of the new television program The Alec Baldwin (left) Show

She said: 'We would get our hair and makeup done after we filmed the show. Then it was like: "I was like what is the hottest restaurant in Hollywood? Where can I go? Where can I be seen? Who is there? What are they doing? Who is there?"'

But when she met the Heartless rapper, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star says her perspective changed and he taught her how to value her private life, as he likes to keep to himself when he isnt working.

Kim explained to Alec: 'It started with Kanye. His work life is very public, but then when he was off, he was very private.'

Family matters: The 37-year-old reality star tied the knot with the rapper - with whom she has North, five, Saint, two, and Chicago, eight months - in 2014

Kim recalled: 'I was - everything had to be public for me back then.'

By contrast: 'Now it's, where can I go on vacation where nobody will see us? All I want is privacy. I never thought that I would be at that point.'

Despite their close bond, it was recently claimed Kim doesnt always agree with her outspoken spouse, but will only challenge his opinions behind closed doors.

Balance: Kim explained to Alec that Kanye's 'work life is very public, but then when he was off, he was very private'

A source said to People: 'She lets him take the lead, and she never disagrees with him publicly.'

According to the insider: 'She has decided that's the right move, but she isn't scared to share her disagreements with him behind closed doors.'

This source was sure to insist: 'Don't think that she's afraid of him, because she's not. She's just managing him the best she can.'
Cassandra Thorburn has exposed an Instagram troll who mocked her father's death.

On Friday, the 47-year-old shared a screenshot of an insensitive comment somebody had left about Max Thorburn's death from cancer this week. The vile post also referenced Cassandra's ex-husband Karl Stefanovic.

'It's disgraceful. I won't stop calling out this behaviour,' the former journalist told Daily Mail Australia.

'It's disgraceful and I won't stop calling out this behaviour': Cassandra Thorburn (pictured) has exposed a troll who mocked her father's death on Instagram. Pictured on Studio 10 recently

Shortly after Cassandra announced her father's death on Thursday with a touching photo, a troll commented: 'Looks like Karl left now Max... another one bites the dust.'

The reference to Karl 'leaving' was a cruel and unnecessary swipe at Cassandra's divorce from the Today show host after 21 years of marriage.

The children's author named and shamed the Instagram user in a separate post on Friday, telling her followers: 'This is the behaviour that needs to stop on social media. Hiding behind fake accounts to torment and cause others pain and suffering.'

Vile: Shortly after Cassandra announced her father Max Thorburn's death on Thursday with a touching photo, a troll commented: 'Looks like Karl left now Max... another one bites the dust'

Taking a stand: The children's author named and shamed the Instagram user in a separate post (pictured) on Friday, telling her followers: 'This is the behaviour that needs to stop on social media. Hiding behind fake accounts to torment and cause others pain and suffering'

She added: 'Yes, whoever you are, it is devastating to lose my dad but I guarantee you he did not want to leave me or any of his family. Whatever sick pleasure this gives you, shame on you.'

Cassandra later told Daily Mail Australia that the trolling she received has been 'disgraceful', but she will continue to fight back.

'It's disgraceful. I won't stop calling out this behaviour. I've had enough after two years of it,' she said.

Tragic loss: On Thursday, Cassandra took to Instagram to reveal that her father Max Thorburn - an accomplished journalist of over five decades - had died from cancer

On Thursday, Cassandra took to Instagram to reveal that her father Max Thorburn - an accomplished journalist of over five decades - had died from cancer.

She wrote a touching post dedicated to Max alongside two photos: one of her father in his youth, and another of her holding his hand more recently.

'A journalism career spanning over 50 years in TV, newspapers and radio. A role model to many and my biggest supporter. Thank you for being the beloved poppy to my children and my dad,' Cassandra wrote.

The post concluded: 'Max Thorburn 27/4/1946 - 18/10/2018.'

In addition to working as a journalist and broadcaster, Max also served for three terms as a councillor in Mildura, Victoria.

Tribute: Speaking to Daily Mail Australia about her father's death, Cassandra (pictured) said on Thursday: 'My dad's passing is a loss to so many. I was just blessed to be his daughter and my children had the most incredibly devoted poppy'

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia about her father's death, Cassandra said: 'My dad's passing is a loss to so many. I was just blessed to be his daughter and my children had the most incredibly devoted poppy.

'What more can be said? He fought hard for three years and the last six months have been excruciating. We are devastated.

'My dad taught me to accept life is full of imperfect people, including ourselves, and to approach each day as an opportunity to do better. If you hurt someone, be man enough to admit it and make amends.'

After her marriage to Karl, 44, fell apart in September 2016, Cassandra was thrust into the media spotlight and even targeted by cruel online trolls.

Three months after splitting from Cassandra, Karl struck up a relationship with Mara & Mine co-founder Jasmine Yarbrough, 34.
A man accused of stalking Kendall Jenner was released from custody, then arrested the next day based on a development in the investigation.

The accused stalker, a native of Canada named John Ford, was arrested Tuesday while he was trespassing on the property of the reality star, as he was on her porch after breaking into the gated community where the 22-year-old model resides, TMZ reported.

If Ford, 37, is found guilty of misdemeanour criminal trespass he will face a maximum of six months behind bars, but could be out within days.

Troubles: A man accused of stalking Kendall Jenner who was previously released from custody in the matter was arrested Thursday based on a development in the investigation. The model, 22, was snapped in Paris last month

Due to overcrowding in LA County Jail, it is likely he will be released within day, the outlet reported.

To access the exclusive property Ford had to scale the side of a mountain adjacent to the property.

Authorities put him on a 5150 psychiatric hold, at which point - due to his lack of insurance - he was transported to Los Angeles County Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, the outlet reported.

Ford was determined to be stable mentally by a psychiatrist, and released from the hold well short of the 72-hour maximum.

Upon his release, police arrested him Thursday in connection with criminal trespassing and violation of a restraining order, with officials setting bail at $30,000, the outlet reported.

Ford was not on or near the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star's property during his apprehension Thursday.

He had been arrested in September after a break-in, pleaded guilty to a trespassing charge, and was issued a restraining order to remain at least 1,000 feet in distance from the property.

Cautious: Kendall's team is seeking a modified restraining order against the suspected stalker

Flip-side of fame: Kendall has dealt with a number of stalkers in recent years

He did not obey, as he was spotted on the property twice since, with authorities placing him into custody the second time he was spotted on Tuesday.

Ford is slated for an arraignment, insiders told the outlet, and could be released on his own recognizance ahead of a potential trial.

Kendall's legal team, headed by Shawn Holley, is seeking to obtain a civil restraining order against Ford, which would implement additional restrictions on the proximity he could be to the gated community where Kendall lives.

The gated community where the oldest daughter of Caitlyn and Kris Jenner lives is taking additional security measures in both manpower and fencing, TMZ previously reported. The area is a hotbed for celebs, with stars such as Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton living there, or having lived there before.
They are the picture of true love, having been together for more than three years.

And Sadie Frost cuddled up to her beau Darren Strowger as they attended the Big Up Uganda charity gala for Save The Children, in London on Thursday.

The actress, 53, and her multi-millionaire businessman boyfriend wrapped their arms around each other's waists as they got cosy at the glitzy fundraising event.

No Frost-y relationship here! Sadie Frost flaunted her legs in a polka dot dress as she cuddled up to her beau Darren Strowger at glitzy charity gala in London on Thursday

Sadie looked fabulous in her navy and white patterned number which was slashed to her thighs to show off her lean legs.

The actress paraded her limbs in her boots with metallic detailing on the front to catch the eyes of onlookers.

VOGUE cover girl and model of the moment Adwoa Aboah joined forces with Felix Cooper to throw the bash at Wild By Tart at Ecclestone Yards.

Hosted to raise money for Save The Children, the charity aims to promote kids' rights and provides help to youngsters in developing countries.

Sadie and her beau Darren proved they are stronger than ever after they hinted at a split earlier this year.

Frost-y night: Sadie looked fabulous in her navy and white patterned number which was slashed to her thighs to show off her lean legs

Back in May, the pair were seen having an emotional chat over a meal  which saw Sadie hand him back a ring, seemingly marking the end of their three-year romance.

The duo had met at a north London cafe, but left shortly after the awkward exchange, with an onlooker claiming Darren had left in tears.

A source told The Mirror at the time: 'Sadie looked really upset, she put her hand on Darrens head and handed him her ring. She looked particularly downbeat as they left the cafe and Darren was crying.'

Happy days: The actress, 53, and her multi-millionaire businessman boyfriend wrapped their arms around each other's waists as they got cosy at the glitzy fundraising event

However, the duo appear to have got things back on track, and have been seen together at a number of events since  including the Epsom Derby in June.

Sadie went on to gush about her man in an interview with Closer later that month, revealing: 'Darren is very confident, very extrovert, generous and romantic.'

When asked whether she would tie the knot again, she replied: 'Being married before hasn't put me off, so never say never.'

Sadie and Darren began dating three and a half years ago, after being introduced by their mutual friend Kate Moss.

Darren has been described as a 'perfect fit' for the fashion designer following her previous marriages to Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp  who she split with in 1995  and Alfie actor Jude Law.

Former flames Sadie and Jude amicably raise their children Rafferty, 22, Iris, 17, and Rudy, 16, together.

Sadie also has another older son Finlay, 28, from her first marriage to musician Gary.
Singing in a movie musical proved a tad tricky for Michaela Coel once shed lost her voice.

During the shoot, my voice just went, she says, recalling the troubles she endured while making Been So Long, the screen adaptation of Che Walkers 2009 stage hit about friends, frenemies and lovers who collide in Camden Town. (The piece was augmented with songs by Arthur Darvill and Christopher Bangs.)

Once Coels honeyed singing voice had returned, she dubbed over the recordings shed struggled to make during filming. Watching the picture, shown last week at the British Film Institutes London Film Festival and due to be streamed on Netflix from October 26, youd be hardpressed to know that there had been a problem.

Coel, pictured, recalled the troubles she endured while making Been So Long, the screen adaptation of Che Walkers 2009 stage hit

Coel refused to take a break to rest her voice. She carried on filming and a doctor prescribed steroids, so there would be no delays.

The 31-year-old showed similar fortitude during the filming of Hugo Blicks superb BBC2 drama series Black Earth Rising. While on location in Ghana, she fell into a deep gutter, tearing a ligament and injuring her knee.

The doctors said I had to rest, she tells me. And the producers said theyd rearrange the schedule. I said that I could not take time off. And I didnt have a single day off.

She felt that it was imperative she continue playing legal investigator Kate Ashby in the compelling story about bringing war criminals to justice. Its about genocide . . . happening now! she says.

The knees still recovering, but she shrugs when I ask how shes coping. This is nothing compared to the bigger picture, she says, explaining that she was determined that Black Earth Rising  one of the years best TV dramas  should be part of the conversation when people discuss war crimes.

Coel pictured speaking on the Jonathan Ross Show earlier this month. While on location in Ghana filiming for Black Earth Rising, she fell into a deep gutter, tearing a ligament and injuring her knee. But she didnt have a single day off

Coel invested months of her time preparing to play the formidable Kate, a woman who says exactly whats on her mind.

She trained in single sculling at Latymer Rowing Club, spent six months studying the dramas political topics and even learned French!

Essentially, shes the heart of Black Earth Rising. And she and Arinze Kene are the heartbeat of Been So Long.

Now shes writing January 22nd, a comedy drama about sexual consent, for BBC2, which shell also direct, produce and star in.

The title refers to the date Michaela herself was sexually assaulted. Its about what its like to go through trauma, and have no days off, she says.

Coel has become a role model. She said that when she was growing up in East London, there were no role models who looked like her. Thats why she pushed to play single mother Simone in Been So Long.

I thought it was important to have someone like me: someone with no hair, who is darker than the usual romantic lead. Just the chance to have one (role model) for the people who look like me.

Michaela tells me that she has been seeing a therapist for two years and ten months.

I think in this industry you need to make sure youre really keeping yourself on the ground. So you have to have someone to really check in with. You can be led astray, mentally, into focusing on all the parts that lead you to anxiety.

Coel notes that her therapy and all the thinking in between allows her to focus on being a storyteller.

You cant argue with her logic. Her Chewing Gum television comedy shows have garnered her Bafta and Royal Television Society honours.

Im grateful to be working, she says. Thats what the therapy does for you.

Motherhood puts Patti in fine company

Broadway star Patti LuPone said that working with a woman director  whos also a mother  has been one of the best experiences of her career.

Ive had good musical experiences, and really bad ones, the American actress told me at the opening night party for the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, directed by the multi-award-winning Marianne Elliott.

Shes a mother, and theres a different sensibility, explained LuPone, who stars with Rosalie Craig in the 1970 show that has been updated to the present day  with Craig playing the central role that was originally written for a man.

LuPone, left, pictured above with Company co-star Lily James earlier this month. The show has become a sensation in the West End, and has already extended its run at the Gielgud Theatre

LuPone insisted that somebody who has borne a child better understands the love of human nature.

She praised Elliott, and her producing partner Chris Harper, for dealing with the company of Company on the same level playing field, adding that it really inspires you to investigate, and do the best you can.

Elliott told me that she got the best out of her cast because she treated them with respect. Its not a dictatorship, she said.

Also celebrating was Jonathan Bailey (below), who played Jamie (formerly known as Amy), who received rave notices across the board from critics this week.

LuPone, pictured, praised Elliott, and her producing partner Chris Harper, for dealing with the company of Company on the same level playing field, adding that it really inspires you to investigate, and do the best you can

The show has become a sensation in the West End, and has already extended its run at the Gielgud Theatre. Theres even talk of a possible production on Broadway.

Elliott and Harper allowed cameras to chart key moments of the two-and-a-half years it took to bring the brilliantly re-imagined Company to life, including meetings with Sondheim; casting; and rehearsals.

Executives from BBC, C4 and Sky are due to view the footage.

History calls for Lester the hustler

Adrian Lester pointed to Josie Rourke and said: She set me free.

To be honest, I had no idea what the award-winning actor was on about.

We were at the annual party that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosts during the BFI London Film Festival.

This year, it was held in the National Gallerys Sainsbury Wing.

Ms Rourke, above, cast Adrian Lester in her movie as an ambassador to Scotland. I wear the full costume. Made a change from a two-piece suit, Lester joked

Ms Rourke, the outgoing artistic chief of the Donmar Warehouse Theatre, has directed her first film: the much-anticipated Mary Queen Of Scots, starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie (its due out in cinemas here on January 18).

She said it was insane that Lester  widely known for roles in TV series such as Hustle, Undercover and Trauma  had never made a period film. Hes one of our best classical actors! she stormed.

As a director, she did something about it  and cast Lester in her movie as an ambassador to Scotland. I wear the full costume. Made a change from a two-piece suit, Lester joked.

She set me free, he added, as we all admired the paintings that were the backdrop to Saturday nights reception, attended by film stars including Nicole Kidman, Timothee Chalamet and Mahershala Ali, as well as Olivia Colman and Lesters playwright wife, Lolita Chakrabarti.

Rourke will be leaving the Donmar next year to concentrate on making movies.

Watch out for...

Phyllis Logan, who brings her chain-smoking portrait of American author Patricia Highsmith (she of The Talented Mr Ripley fame, to name just one of her novels) to the Ambassadors Theatre in London from November 10, in the fictional play Switzerland.

Joanna Murray-Smiths drama, directed by Lucy Bailey, ran at Bath Theatre Royals Ustinov studio in the late summer.

Logan, above, brings her chain-smoking portrait of American author Patricia Highsmith to the Ambassadors Theatre in London from November 10, in the fictional play Switzerland

It imagines Highsmith, who died in 1995, receiving a young man (played by Calum Finlay) at her Swiss home. He claims hes there to discuss a publishing venture.

Since the play ended its run at the Ustinov, Ms Logan (pictured left) has been filming the Downton Abbey movie with all those fondly familiar faces from the television version.

She played housekeeper Mrs Hughes who, in the final series, married butler Mr Carson, played by Jim Carter.

Josh Dylan, who attracted attention as young Bill (Stellan Skarsgard played old Bill) in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Dylan joins Peaky Blinders star Jack Rowan in a TV series, made by UK studio Mammoth Screen, based on author Malorie Blackmans dystopian Noughts & Crosses books (there are four and shes working on a fifth).

Dylan (above) joins Peaky Blinders star Jack Rowan in a TV series, made by UK studio Mammoth Screen, based on author Malorie Blackmans dystopian Noughts & Crosses books

Theyre set in a world where there are just two races: black and white. And the people of colour aint the slaves.

The series will be directed by Julian Holmes. And Jay-Zs Roc Nation company will be involved in creating the shows original score.
Deena Cortese found out the gender of her baby on Thursday's episode of Jersey Shore Family Vacation.

The 31-year-old reality star and husband Christopher Buckner, 29, hosted a gender reveal party in New Jersey with family, friends and roommates.

'I can't wait anymore. I'm dying,' Deena admitted while waiting for a color-coded smoke signal during the backyard party.

Gender reveal: Deena Nicole Cortese and husband Christopher Buckner hosted a gender reveal party on Thursday's episode of Jersey Shore Family Vacation

Blue smoke rose up and Chris yelled 'Yeah!' as he hugged Deena.

'Now I can name my son after Chris and my dad,' said Deena whose father passed away in June 2016.

'Christopher John after my dad,' she said when asked what her boy would be named.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, 32, made a surprise appearance at the gender reveal party.

Smoke signal: The couple waited for a color-coded smoke signal to reveal the gender of their baby

The moment: Deena was anxious to learn if she was having a boy or a girl

He was last seen hospitalized after dragged by a vehicle during a dispute with his girlfriend Jen Harley.

'I'm concerned about Ron, I don't know what's going on with him,' admitted Nicole 'Snooki' LaValle, 30.

She was shocked when Ronnie arrived looking spiffy.

Alleged dragging: The group had not seen Ronnie Ortiz-Magro since his on-off girlfriend Jen Harley allegedly dragged him with a car

Surprise appearance: Ronnie surprised his roommates by arriving at the gender reveal party

'I feel like I'm seeing a ghost,' Snooki said.

Vinny Guadagnino, 30, compared seeing Ronnie to a Bigfoot sighting.

Ronnie made a point of attending after failing to console Deena after her father's death from leukemia.

Ghost sighting: Nicole 'Snooki' LaValle felt like she was seeing a ghost when she saw Ronnie

Sasquatch legend: Vinny Guadagnino compared seeing Ronnie to a Bigfoot sighting

'I'm so happy you came, I'm shocked,' Deena told Ronnie who told her that he didn't want to miss 'another big event'.

Deena during a confessional said that Ronnie being there made her cherish their friendship even more.

Vinny and Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino, 36, during the party grilled Ronnie about being dragged by Jen.

Pleasant surprise: Deena was touched that Ronnie came to the gender reveal party

Bond builder: The 31-year-old reality star said that Ronnie's presence made her cherish their friendship even more

'It was an accident,' insisted Ronnie who welcomed daughter Ariana with Jen in April.

The Situation asked if they were trying to work things out and Ronnie said they were.

'What the hell is this kid doing?,' Vinny wondered during a confessional.

Accidental dragging: Ronnie was grilled by Vinny and Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino over how he sustained his injuries

Tough crowd: The Situation and Vinny were skeptical of Ronnie's claim that the dragging was an accident

The roommates next gathered to celebrate the birthdays of The Situation and Paul DelVecchio Jr., better known as DJ Pauly D.

Mike was turning age 36 on July 4, while Pauly D was celebrating becoming 38 on July 5.

Jennifer 'JWoww' Farley, 32, was looking forward to the birthday celebration so she could meet Angelina Pivarnick's fiance Chris.

'I'm dying to see who put a ring on that. Who wifed you up girl?,' said JWoww.

Looking forward: Jennifer 'JWoww' Farley, 32, was looking forward to the birthday celebration so she could meet Angelina Pivarnick's fiance Chris

The crew headed to Atlantic City, New Jersey for the birthday bash where Pauly D had a DJ gig lined up.

They first celebrated at a Dave & Buster's arcade restaurant where Pauly D was gifted a small bullhorn with a siren.

The Situation who was facing sentencing for tax evasion jokingly ran as Pauly D blared the siren.

Birthday boy: Paul DelVecchio aka DJ Pauly D enjoyed his joint birthday party with The Situation at a Dave & Buster's

Best present: Pauly D loved the bullhorn with siren that he was gifted

'Put your hands on the vehicle, pay your taxes,' Pauly D barked through the bullhorn.

Pauly D scored a sweet suite at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City where he was performing.

The hallway carpet featured images of Pauly D and his room was filled with giant balloons showing his face.

Sweet suite: The DJ was set up with a sweet suite at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City

'Yeah, buddy, it's my birthday,' Pauly said through his bullhorn.

He also hoped that Ronnie wouldn't bring Jen and 'bring the mood down'.

Ronnie showed up solo much to the relief of Pauly, Deena and Vinny.

Solo arrival: Ronnie arrived solo to Atlantic City much to everyone's relief

They went to a steakhouse for dinner before Pauly D's gig the next night.

Ronnie kept walking away from the table while The Situation was enjoying all the food offerings.

'He's fighting with Jen, you can tell,' Pauly D told the table.

Steach choices: The roommates were offered a selection of steaks

Food fan: The Situation took advantage of the food options at the steakhouse

Taking off: Ronnie left the table after being on his phone

Ronnie then returned and said he had a question for everybody.

'Do you guys mind if Jen comes to Pauly's gig tomorrow and hangs out?,' Ronnie asked.

JWoww said the question was 'next-level mind-blowing'.

Big question: He returned and asked the group if they would mind if Jen came out with them the next night

Next level: JWoww thought the question was 'next-level mind-blowing'

Angelina said she wouldn't mind 'as long as she's nice to you'.

The Situation also said that he was fine with it.

Vinny was resigned to the fact that Jen would do whatever she wanted anyway.

Be nice: Angelina said she was fine with Jen coming as long as she was nice to Ronnie

'She can come, I always wanted to be on TMZ,' he quipped.

A preview of next week's episode showed Ronnie and Jen arguing at a nightclub during Pauly D's performance.

Jersey Shore: Family Vacation will return next week on MTV.
Their fathers are some of the biggest names in showbiz.

Yet Anais Gallagher and Rafferty Law showed off their own celebrity credentials as they attended the American Vintage store opening in Marylebone, London, on Thursday.

As well as their modelling talents, the duo showed off their flair for fashion as the blonde-haired teenager, 18, and the 22-year-old, displayed their sense of style.

Casual: Anais Gallagher and Rafferty Law showed off their own celebrity credentials as they attended the American Vintage store opening in Marylebone, London, on Thursday

Anais, daughter of Noel Gallagher and Meg Mathews, wore a pair of grey tracksuit bottoms with a black and purple jumper over the top.

She teamed the casual ensemble with a pair of platform black and blue Dr Martens boots.

Anais styled her long blonde locks into a loose blow-dried hairdo, she added a slick of minimal make-up.

Star-studded: As well as their modelling talents, the duo showed off their flair for fashion as the blonde-haired teenager, 18, and the 22-year-old, displayed their sense of style

London bash: Also attending was India Rose James who showed off her signature pink hair

Made In Chelsea: Oliver Proudlock was also in attendance as he wore an all-black ensemble

Meanwhile, Rafferty, son of Jude Law and Sadie Frost, wore a black suit with a black shirt with red patterned writing on it.

He completed his look with a silver necklace, brown belt and black dress shoes.

Rafferty was joined by his girlfriend, Clementine Linares, who matched her beau in an all-black ensemble.

Retro: Jessica Alexander went for a vintage ensemble at the event

Fun times: Jeremiah Emmanuel, Kelly Okogwu and Shamel Kendrick were also in attendance

Casual: Fin Kemp also cut a casual figure in a black tracksuit with a denim jacket

The couple have been dating for more than a year, with the model often sharing cute photos of the pair via his Instagram.

Also attending the event were the likes of Oliver Proudlock and India Rose James.

Only recently, Anais worked the camera at the launch of Miss Selfridge's Christmas collection in London.

The daughter of Noel Gallagher and Meg Mathews then documented her playful argument with boyfriend Kitt Sullivan, 27, on Instagram Stories later that evening.

Talented: Portia Ferrari got behind the decks as she showed off her DJ skills at the star-studded bash

The long-haired photographer refused to take her picture for social media and so she called him out on it.

Anais shared the video with 155,000 followers joking:

'Kitt's mad at me because I asked him to take pictures of me which any loving boyfriend should take pictures of their girlfriend when they're asked to'.

Kitt is heard in the background disagreeing before Anais posted a second video asking her boyfriend to stop laughing at her.

Model Anais and Kit first met while on a photoshoot early in 2018 and have been inseparable since.

Anais is taking the fashion world by storm as she's been announced as a contributing fashion editor at Tatler.

And she's enrolled at Camberwell College of Arts in South London next month.

Also attending the Miss Selfridge Christmas launch were Maddi Waterhouse, sister of Suki, and Made in Chelsea's Sophie Hermann.
He was dumped by Ali Oetjen on Thursday's Bachelorette, but it looks like Nathan Favro didn't waste any time jumping back into the dating scene.

The 23-year-old carpenter was photographed kissing an unidentified woman at a Gold Coast nightclub the weekend before his last episode aired.

A photo has surfaced showing the self-confessed 'party boy' playfully locking lips with a mystery blonde at Hotel Komune.

That didn't take long! The Bachelorette star Nathan Favro was photographed kissing an unidentified woman at a Gold Coast nightclub the weekend before his last episode aired

Looking slightly worse for wear, Nathan wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulders, while clutching a beverage in his other hand.

His wild night out occurred days before Australia watched him get unceremoniously sent home by Ali Oetjen, 32, for discussing her alleged 'cheating' scandal.

Back in May, Ali was publicly accused of infidelity by her ex-boyfriend Grant Kemp, who she met on Bachelor In Paradise last year.

The account manager has never denied Grant's allegations, but was nonetheless furious to learn they were being talked about in the mansion.

He's outta there! He was dumped by Ali Oetjen on Thursday's Bachelorette, but it looks like Nathan didn't waste any time jumping back into the dating scene

While dumping Nathan on Thursday's episode, Ali said: 'I have to be selfish, especially after what happened with Grant and I. There's no way anybody else will hurt me like that.

'I need to analyse everybody because I've been so hurt in the past because I've had people just delivering lines to me.

'I've had people saying, "Yeah, I want two kids too," [but] when I go visit them in LA, they're a party animal!'

Coming soon! Meanwhile, a source told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that Nathan has already been offered a spot on the upcoming season of Bachelor In Paradise

Meanwhile, a source told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday that Nathan has already been offered a spot on the upcoming season of Bachelor In Paradise.

'He's been telling friends he's already signed up for Paradise and has been boasting about his newfound fame,' the insider claimed.

Daily Mail has reached out to Network Ten for comment.
Halloween (18)

Verdict: Not a bad stab

Rating:

Jamie Lee Curtis is back, after too long off our screens, scaring us out of our wits with a mildly deranged performance, grinning inanely one minute, looking daggers the next, pawing everyone around her, talking wildeyed gobbledygook and refusing to shut up.

Right, thats her appearance on last weeks edition of BBC1s The Graham Norton Show out of the way. But what about her turn in Halloween, a sequel (conveniently forgetting all the other sequels over the years) to John Carpenters 1978 slasher classic?

Curtis, who made her film debut in the original, again plays Laurie Strode, the teenager stalked all those decades ago by masked serial killer Michael Myers

Curtis, who made her film debut in the original, again plays Laurie Strode, the teenager stalked all those decades ago by masked serial killer Michael Myers.

She is now a reclusive granny, semi-estranged from her daughter (Judy Greer) and desperate to set in motion a plan that she has spent 40 years refining  to kill the dreaded Myers.

She yearns for him to escape from his high-security psychiatric hospital. And what do you know, one foggy night, while being transferred from one compound to another with a group of his fellow inmates, he obliges.

The film begins, rather effectively, with a pair of persistent investigative journalists from the UK visiting Myers in captivity.

A doctor obsessed with the hospitals most notorious inmate tells them that he has been examined over the years by 50 clinical psychiatrists whose consensus of opinion, it wont surprise you to learn, is not that he has anger-management issues aggravated by moderate paranoia and an extreme dairy allergy, but that he is pure evil.

Soon, the eager-beaver Brits are very much regretting their trip, and Myers, in the memorable words of the sheriff in the benighted town of Haddonfield Illinois, is loose with a bunch of nutbags, on Halloween night.

There ensues a predictable sequence of events, with Myers embarking on an indiscriminate killing spree, handily facilitated by the fact that his is not the only mask in town.

Mind you, he seems to draw the line at babies and cute chubby kids on his murderous rampage, which suggests either that there is the tiniest drop of compassion in his well of pure evil, or that director David Gordon Green doesnt want to alienate the audience.

Meanwhile, Lauries granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) is off to a Halloween dance with her boyfriend. It concludes unhappily, but for romantic rather than psychopathic reasons, and Allyson ends up walking home with only the class nerd for company through Haddonfields strangely deserted streets.

The stage is perfectly set for Lauries worst nightmare, that this boogeyman will murder Allyson, the only person in her miserable life who seems to understand her.

Most of this is modestly unsettling rather than full-on scary, but the suspense is cranked up nicely in the march towards an overwrought denouement.

Moreover, a grim-faced Curtis does justice to her own illustrious place in the slasher-movie firmament, as not only the star of the 1978 film but also, of course, the daughter of Janet Leigh, who  as Marion Crane  came such a terrible cropper at the hands of another knife-wielding nutter in Hitchcocks 1960 masterpiece Psycho.

This is certainly no masterpiece, but it might be the best of all the repeated stabs at trying to reproduce the scares of the original.

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (PG)

Verdict: Horror for kids.

Rating:

Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween comes at trick-or-treat night from a different angle; its effectively a horror film for robust youngsters, and quite nicely done.

It is the second film based on the books of R. L. Stine, who has been described as Stephen King for the under-15s. The first, in 2016, was really terrific, with an enjoyably madcap performance by Jack Black as Stine himself.

This is less well-crafted, but I should think it will be quite spooky enough for its young audience.

It is the second film based on the books of R. L. Stine, who has been described as Stephen King for the under-15s

A pair of entrepreneurial schoolboys, Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and Sam (Caleel Harris), run a junk-clearance business. On one job they find a ventriloquists dummy called Slappy, which turns out to be a good deal less inanimate than they first think.

To start with, Slappy comes to their aid by turning on the school bullies who routinely torment them. But soon, armed with the supernatural ability to bring other inanimate objects to life, he is terrorising the boys themselves, Sonnys older sister Sarah (Madison Iseman), and pretty much everyone in town.

Black turns up again briefly as Stine, though its the younger members of the cast who drive the story, and they do a decent job. But the first Goosebumps had a faintly malevolent charm that Ari Sandels film never quite recaptures.

This 7 stone weakling will make you happier than a dog with two tails Dogman (15) Verdict: An Italian treat Rating: If ever there was an antidote to the seductive concept of la dolce vita, its this brilliant Italian-language film from accomplished director Matteo Garrone, set in a desperately down-at-heel town where the rain never seems to stop. I first saw it at this years Cannes Film Festival, where, in my view, it comfortably deserved (though didnt win) the main prize: the coveted Palme dOr. Manicure, madam? Marcello (Marcello Fonte) and friend Garrones previous film, 2015s Tale Of Tales, was a sumptuous fantasy. Dogman is the exact opposite, an unvarnished, slice-of-life drama about a weedy little man called Marcello, who runs the local dog-grooming parlour. Marcello is played beautifully by Marcello Fonte, who did win at Cannes, as best actor. His character is a fundamentally decent fellow, devoted to his daughter, but practically the definition of hangdog and catastrophically in thrall to the town bully, an appalling brute called Simoncino. This tyrant all but destroys Marcellos life, and the narrative pivots around the question of whether the 7st weakling will finally hit back. Its a moving, funny, compelling film, among the best Ive seen all year. Advertisement

Big, dumb and a whole lotta fun

Hunter Killer (15)

Verdict: Enjoyably preposterous

Rating:

Gerard Butler  who somehow seems to be getting squarer-jawed as he gets older  plays Joe Glass, a rugged maverick in command of a U. S. submarine sent to sort out a right old hoo-hah in Russian waters.

We first meet Glass above the surface, as he prepares to shoot a handsome-looking stag with a bow and arrow. Is he the hunter killer of the title? Nope, thats the sub.

Besides, he hesitates, struck by the majesty of his quarry, and the fact that he (the stag) appears to be a proud husband and father.

Thus, Glass is established as tough and ruthless enough to go hunting, but also compassionate and decent enough to spare an animals life. Thats the kind of movie this is. A very, very unsubtle one.

Butler: Square-jawed maverick

Its also a movie which presents Gary Oldman as a permanently irritable Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff back in Washington DC. In fairness, he has much to be irritable about.

For one thing, World War III appears to be kicking off under the Barents Sea, where someone is firing missiles at both Russian and American subs. For another, he simply cannot get his hair under control.

No matter how long hes spent at the Pentagon, barking at assorted admirals, he always looks as if hes just got out of bed. The problem at the root of most of this, if not Oldmans unruly barnet, is a megalomaniac Russian defence minister (Mikhail Gorevoy), who plans to topple his own president (Alexander Diachenko) by destabilising U.S.-Russia relations.

Glasss job is to rescue the Russian president and blow the dastardly defence minister to kingdom come, neither of which is all that easy from a submarine. But, handily, he has the help of a doughty bunch of Navy Seals, led by a man even squarer-jawed than he is, played by Toby Stephens.

Its enjoyably preposterous stuff, unashamedly alpha-male U.S. jingoism (despite the British leads) conducted with a certain elan by director Donovan Marsh.

The script is as ludicrous as the plot  nobody says lets go when they can John Wayne-ishly say waddya say we get the hell out of here.

But its done with such a defiant swagger that, despite all my better instincts, I liked it.
She revealed earlier this month that she was moving in with her actor beau.

And Stacey Solomon gave fans a sweet yet candid insight into her new Essex family home on Thursday.

The Loose Women panellist, 29, shared a picture of her boyfriend, Joe Swash, and her two sons, Zachary, ten, and Leighton, six, posing in one of the rooms, which had a stylish brick wall.

Home sweet home: Stacey Solomon gave fans a sweet yet candid insight into her new Essex family home on Thursday

Perching on boxes and a cat basket, Stacey and her family posed while tucking into a Chinese takeaway using 'random Christmas dishes' as bowls.

She captioned the photo with: 'HOME SWEET HOME. Finally all in and ready to start a fresh together. If youre wondering whats going on here...

'We are eating a Chinese out of random Christmas dishes, using our hands, whilst sat on washing baskets and cardboard boxes eating off of a cat basket [crying laughing emoji] nothing to see here...[house emojis].' (sic)

Milestone: The Loose Women panellist, 29, revealed earlier this month that she has moved in with her EastEnders boyfriend of two years, 36, just in time to celebrate her 29th birthday

Stacey has two sons, Zachary, with her former teenage sweetheart Dean Cox, and Leighton with ex-fiance Aaron Barnha.

While Joe has son Harry, nine, with his former girlfriend Emma Sophocleous.

Stacey revealed earlier this month that she had moved in with her boyfriend of two years just in time to celebrate her 29th birthday.

The Loose Women panellist and EastEnders actor, who began dating in 2016 after meeting on Im A Celebrity in 2010, settled into their new home in Essex at the start of October.

Happy: Stacey and Joe, who began dating in 2016 after meeting on Im A Celebrity in 2010, settled into their new home in Essex at the start of October

And the former X Factor star gushed that waking up with Joe, 36, and her two sons was the 'best birthday present' ever.

Sharing a sweet Instagram snap of her with Joe and Leighton on Instagram, she wrote: 'Happy birthday to me yaaay. Was imagining being surrounded by thousands of pink balloons when I woke up on a four poster bed.

'But I'm actually sooo much happier to be waking up on a mattress on the floor surrounded by brown boxes because we are about to move in together and blend our lives together which is the best birthday present I could have ever wished for.'

Stacey previously revealed her plans to move in with Joe, telling new! magazine: 'We've actually got a date at the end of the month. It's in Essex  I could never move out of Essex.

'I can't wait! You know when something's just been such a long time coming.'

Stacey also admitted that she and Joe are 'always' thinking about having children.

When asked if she wanted more, she said: 'It's always in the back of our minds. It's not something we're ready for just yet, but we hope in the future it would happen. We don't really have the time to make a baby.'
Three-time Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver rocked a sexier look than usual - a translucent top - while attending the Directors Guild of America Honors in her native Manhattan on Thursday.

The Stanford and Yale graduate - last seen in James Cameron's Story of Science Fiction on AMC - easily defied her 69 years while flashing her black bra beneath an edgy mesh crew-neck top.

The Rakka action star dressed the rest of her towering 5ft11in figure in black flared pants, matching maxi-jacket, and patent leather pointy-toed heels.

See-thru: Three-time Oscar nominee Sigourney Weaver rocked a sexier look than usual - a translucent top - while attending the DGA Honors in her native Manhattan on Thursday

Aliens alum: The Stanford and Yale graduate easily defied her 69 years while flashing her black bra beneath an edgy mesh crew-neck top

Marvel fans might get a second season of Weaver as Alexandra Reid as the long-dormant Facebook page for The Defenders posted a Daredevil poster on Wednesday captioned: 'And expect more good news soon!'

Sigourney (born Susan) plays a powerful antagonist opposite superhero vigilantes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist in the New York-set Netflix miniseries.

The Finding Dory actress will next receive the Voice Arts Icon Award for Arts and Humanities on November 18 at the 5th Annual Voice Arts Awards happening inside Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

According to the official website, the two-time Golden Globe winner will be honored alongside The Death of Superman's Rosario Dawson, CNN host Van Jones, and The Lion Guard's Phil LaMarr.

Head-to-toe black: The Rakka action star dressed the rest of her towering 5ft11in figure in flared pants, matching maxi-jacket, and patent leather pointy-toed heels

Minimalist: The Ghostbusters actress finished off her red carpet look with gold earrings

'Expect more good news soon!' Marvel fans might get a second season of Weaver as Alexandra Reid as the long-dormant Facebook page for The Defenders posted a tease on Wednesday

New York-set Netflix miniseries: Sigourney (born Susan) plays a powerful antagonist opposite superhero vigilantes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist

Honorees: The Finding Dory actress will next receive the Voice Arts Icon Award for Arts and Humanities on November 18 at the 5th Annual Voice Arts Awards in Burbank

Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep was wearing a baggy purple dress, likely in honor of GLAAD's Spirit Day for LGBTQ youth.

The 69-year-old acting legend was there presenting a trophy to costume designer Ann Roth , who dressed her in 14 projects including Steven Spielberg's The Post last year and Mike Nichols' Silkwood way back in 1983.

Meanwhile, Meryl's Mamma Mia castmate Christine Baranski looked every bit the showbiz diva in a black pencil dress beneath a chic grey-collared coat.

Hairstylist Moiz Alladina coiffed the 66-year-old Tony winner's blonde wavy bob and make-up artist Rebecca Restrepo applied her red pout.

Supportive shade: Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep was wearing a baggy purple dress, likely in honor of GLAAD's Spirit Day for LGBTQ youth

Collaborators: The 69-year-old acting legend was there presenting a trophy to costume designer Ann Roth (R), who dressed her in 14 projects including Steven Spielberg's The Post last year and Mike Nichols' Silkwood way back in 1983

Yasss! Meanwhile, Meryl's Mamma Mia castmate Christine Baranski looked every bit the showbiz diva in a black pencil dress beneath a chic grey-collared coat

Hoop earrings: Hairstylist Moiz Alladina coiffed the 66-year-old Tony winner's blonde wavy bob and make-up artist Rebecca Restrepo applied her red pout

Democractic Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar - who famously faced off with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh - glammed up in a pink gown to accept her DGA trophy for championing copyright protection bills.

Oscar winner Kevin Kline - turning 71 next week - complimented his silver hair and blue eyes with a coordinating grey three-piece suit and blue necktie.

The event devoted to directors served as a glamorous date night for Oscar-winning filmmaker Ang Lee and his microbiologist wife Jane Lin, twinning in black suits.

Faced off against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh: Democractic Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar glammed up in a pink gown to accept her DGA trophy for championing copyright protection bills

Bobs Burgers star: Oscar winner Kevin Kline - turning 71 next week - complimented his silver hair and blue eyes with a coordinating grey three-piece suit and blue necktie

Married in 1983! The event devoted to directors served as a glamorous date night for Oscar-winning filmmaker Ang Lee and his microbiologist wife Jane Lin, twinning in black suits

Reunited: Sigourney presented a DGA trophy to the 63-year-old Taiwanese maestro, who directed her in the seventies-set drama The Ice Storm back in 1997

Broadway bound! Scandal heartthrob Tony Goldwyn - who's directed four feature films of his own - also suited up (sans tie) to attend the industry awards show

Sigourney presented a DGA trophy to the 63-year-old Taiwanese maestro, who directed her in the seventies-set drama The Ice Storm back in 1997.

Scandal heartthrob Tony Goldwyn - who's directed four feature films of his own - also suited up (sans tie) to attend the industry awards show.

SAG Award nominee Samantha Mathis opted for a black sophisticated off-the-shoulder blazer over matching pants and sparkly silver bowed-pumps.

River Phoenix's ex-girlfriend: SAG Award nominee Samantha Mathis opted for a black sophisticated off-the-shoulder blazer over matching pants and sparkly silver bowed-pumps

Thespian: Comedian Mike Birbiglia made time for the bash ahead of his big Broadway debut in The New One, which he also penned, at the Cort Theatre where previews begin October 25

At the helm: Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Peirce suited up beneath a fabulous red leather coat in order to 'honor some folks in New York!'

Man of the hour! DGA President Paris Barclay - who executive produces ABC's Station 19 - looked dapper as ever in a grey suit to preside over the festivities

Comedian Mike Birbiglia made time for the bash ahead of his big Broadway debut in The New One, which he also penned, at the Cort Theatre where previews begin October 25.

Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Peirce suited up beneath a fabulous red leather coat in order to 'honor some folks in New York!'

DGA President Paris Barclay - who executive produces ABC's Station 19 - looked dapper as ever in a grey suit to preside over the festivities.
Just when you think Ambulance (BBC1) has settled into a predictable pattern, contrasting patients with life-threatening injuries and those who just need a little gentle coaxing, the show delivers a jaw-dropping twist.

The fourth series returned to follow Manchesters North West Ambulance Service, gearing up for one of the busiest weekends of the year with the Parklife music festival.

Our embattled NHS was about to be overloaded with more than 70,000 emergency calls from pleasure-seeking idiots who had swallowed unknown, illegal substances and then wondered why they were feeling poorly.

Glynn and Andrea (pictured) spent most of the afternoon trying to persuade another spirited old girl, Pat, that she needed to go to hospital

The first call-out of the episode was a grim one in every way. Senior paramedic Gari answered an urgent plea from a woman whose elderly husband had collapsed on the toilet.

At first it seemed Jim had suffered a workable arrest  999 jargon for a heart attack that might not prove fatal, with luck. But nothing worked, and his widow faced a painful decision: keep fighting to bring him round, knowing he would have serious brain damage, or let him slip away.

She chose the hardest but most loving way, and said goodbye. Filming in these raw conditions must be next to impossible. We forget that the camera crews have to be in the room. Staying out of everyones way, while securing the patients trust, surely requires skills as complex as those of the paramedics themselves.

And then, following the well-tried Ambulance format, we had a bit of fun, as response team Glynn and Andrea called to give 95-year-old Marion a hand. Shed fallen off the sofa and, though she hadnt hurt herself, couldnt get up. Worse, she couldnt reach her fags.

Marion was a smasher. Flirting furiously, she admired Glynns tattoos  she fancied having one of her own, perhaps a rose, but didnt dare . . . with a bum like mine?

Glynn and Andrea spent most of the afternoon trying to persuade another spirited old girl, Pat, that she needed to go to hospital.

Pat was having none of it: shed rather die in her own bed, she declared. The two paramedics looked emotionally wrung out by the time they left.

The fourth series returned to follow Manchesters North West Ambulance Service, gearing up for one of the busiest weekends of the year with the Parklife music festival

And here came the shocker. Glynn remarked that he needed a cuppa. Andrea retorted that shed put the kettle on for him, but she was having something stronger, thank you very much. They began planning their evening . . . together. Our ambulance duo were married. They were parawedded.

The puerile show-offs in Gordon, Gino And Fred: Road Trip (ITV) arent an item, but only because they could never love each other more than each man already adores himself.

Much was made of an accidental trip to a nudist beach, with Gino cavorting naked and demanding group hugs. That night, he and Gordon were apparently sharing a bed in the campervan  for comic effect, like Morecambe and Wise. But Eric and Ernie would have quit comedy and become binmen, rather than do a joke as cheap, crude and tasteless as the one that closed the scene.

And thats the problem with this dire show. Gordon and his faux mates obviously think theyre funny. They really arent.

Their gags are so scripted and repetitive it becomes painful. Their timing is abysmal, and the laughs wouldnt stand a chance even if the material was funny in the first place  which it certainly isnt.

These men have surrounded themselves with underlings who dare not point out what utter tripe it all is. This isnt a road trip, its an ego trip.
Rose Byrne was spotted in New York City on Thursday.

The Bridesmaids star led a cavalcade of celebrities for the Broadway opening of The Lifespan Of A Fact starring her longtime beau Bobby Cannavale.

And the 39-year-old Australian actress commanded attention on the red carpet in a shimmering gold metallic gown.

Solid gold: Rose Byrne, 39, was spotted in New York City on Thursday

Daring to impress, the natural stunner swathed her enviable figure in the puffy sleeved number that boasted a high neckline.

She paired the sophisticated look with a matching gold metallic clutch and a pair of black high heels.

Her newly dyed blonde locks were left long and loose as they cascaded over her shoulders and framed her youthful face.

She accessorised with sparkling gold earrings by Jennifer Fisher.

The beauty has been sparking engagement rumours once again by stepping out with a large diamond ring.

Support: The Bridesmaid star led a cavalcade of celebrities for the Broadway opening of The Lifespan Of A Fact starring her longtime beau Bobby Cannavale

Rose was first pictured wearing the same ring in 2016 while in her native Australia, but she has never publicly confirmed she is engaged.

Last year, she told ES magazine that she often refers to Bobby as 'my husband.'

'He's practically my husband, so calling him that is easier,' she said.

Impressive: Daring to impress, the natural stunner swathed her enviable figure in the puffy sleeved number that boasted a high neckline

Hair story: Her newly dyed blonde locks were left long and loose as they cascaded over her shoulders and framed her youthful face

'The formality isn't a draw for me, but we'll do it one day. Once you have children, I just think, 'why not?''

Rose and Bobby, who have worked together onscreen in Annie, Spy and Adult Beginners, share two sons, Rocco, two, and 10-month-old Rafa.

Bobby was previously married to American actress Jenny Lumet and they share an adult son Jake, who showed up to support his father's play.

Cute couple: Bobby Cannavale held Rose's hand before the play started

Smooches: The loved up pair shared a sweet kiss

Son support: Bobby was previously married to American actress Jenny Lumet and they share an adult son Jake, who showed up to support his father's play

Darling: Jason Biggs and wife Jenny Mollen were a darling duo on the red carpet

Meanwhile, the stars came out in droves for the play based on the book co-written by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal in 2012.

Jason Biggs and wife Jenny Mollen were a darling duo on the red carpet.

And Jennifer Nettles cut a chic figure in a yellow and black checked dress.

Check her out! Jennifer Nettles cut a chic figure in a yellow and black checked dress
As an intrepid reporter for Channel Nine's Today show, Sylvia Jeffreys is used to being recognised wherever she goes.

But on Friday, the 32-year-old failed to attract the attention of Prince Harry as she covered the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's visit to Bondi Beach in Sydney.

In a cringeworthy live segment, Sylvia pleaded with the young royal to take a bag full of Aussie souvenirs, but he completely ignored her.

Royally rejected! The Today show's Sylvia Jeffreys (centre) pleaded with Prince Harry to take a bag of Aussie souvenirs at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Friday - but he completely ignored her

Despite her TV star status, Sylvia was forced to stay behind a barricade as Harry and his wife Meghan Markle spent time on Bondi Beach.

When the couple walked back up the sand, the newsreader unfortunately found herself stuck behind a throng of people.

Despite being well out of reach, Today Extra crossed live to Sylvia in the crowd as she tried to give Harry a bag of Aussie souvenirs, which included Vegemite and budgy smugglers.

Down Under: On Friday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent time at Sydney's Bondi Beach with One Wave founder Grant Trebilco (right)

'Come on, Sylvia!' Today Extra host David Campbell encouraged her back in the studio.

As Harry approached the crowd of fans, Sylvia desperately dangled her plastic bag of gifts and pleaded: 'Please come a little closer! Harry and Meghan! Come on, Harry!'

After being snubbed, the persistent journalist then turned her attention to another gentleman who was walking with the royal couple.

Walk on by! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle strolled past as Sylvia Jeffreys yelled at them from behind a barricade

'Hey, Grant!' she called out to One Wave founder Grant Trebilco.

'Oh, come on!' she continued wailing, as he also walked past, prompting David to suggest from the studio: 'Chuck it at them!'

Harry and Meghan visited the iconic Bondi Beach on Friday, after their royal tour stopped by Melbourne and Dubbo, NSW.
Flipping Out star Jeff Lewis and Andy Cohen aren't on the best of terms these days.

The 48-year-old reality star on Tuesday opened up about the friction he has with the Watch What Happens Live host on Tuesday, reading aloud texts he claimed to have received from Cohen on Jeff Lewis Live, his SiriusXM program on Cohen's Radio Andy channel.

Lewis said that Cohen was upset over an image he posted to Instagram, indicating in a humorous fashion that Bravo wasn't planning to renew his (now-expired) contract.

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At odds: Flipping Out's Jeff Lewis, 48, opened up about the friction he has with Andy Cohen, 50, reading aloud texts he received from Cohen on Jeff Lewis Live, his SiriusXM program on Cohen's Radio Andy channel on Tuesday

The Southern California native said that he and Cohen have shared 'a sibling-type of a relationship' in their 11 years of working with one another, and that Cohen's 'been known to lose his temper' with him.

Lewis, who shares one-year-old daughter Monroe with partner Gage Edwards, said he decided to post the aforementioned shot to social media as a gambit in his contract drive.

'I normally would never read his texts on air, but the reason I would read this is that he has changed his strategy with me,' Lewis said. 'Yesterday, I think when it happened, he thought, "I'm not getting through to him by screaming at him. I'm not getting through to him by writing nasty, threatening texts. I'm going to try a different strategy.'"

Lewis said Cohen asked him via text what he hoped to gain with the Instagram post, to which he responded: 'It's a joke. Didn't mean anything by it.'

Controversy: Lewis said Cohen was upset about the above shot he posted to Instagram

Upset: Lewis said Cohen sent him more texts during the broadcast, infuriated that he revealed his texts over his satellite series

Cohen replied, 'Would it be funny to Bravo?' to which Lewis wrote, 'I hope so.'

Cohen said he doubted the network was amused by the post, to which Lewis said that he wasn't attacking the network, just mocking the situation itself.

Lewis said Cohen texted back to him: 'Looks to me like you're vilifying the network. They usually pick up shows after they finish their season, but maybe you want to let competitors know you are open for business, which you are definitely doing.'

Lewis said he responded to Cohen that he was not trying to make Bravo look bad, but to let 'competitors know [he's] a free agent,' predicting, 'I'll be at WE in no time.'

Lewis said Cohen texted him, 'You're just pi**ing everyone there off again and making them think Bravo is cancelling the show, which doesn't make them look good. If you're doing it to work somewhere else, I get it.'

Lewis said he texted back that he's 'always open to working with and for Bravo' and that there's no 'ill will.'

Lewis said Cohen sent him more texts during the broadcast, infuriated that he revealed his texts over his satellite series.

'He just said, "You're an a**hole,"' Lewis said. 'He said, "Don't ever read my texts on air again. You're an a**hole."'

On the broadcast, Lewis noted that the show hasn't been cancelled yet, as Bravo typically takes an extended look at ratings before deciding whether or not to renew.

Flipping Out can be seen on Bravo Tuesday at 10/9c.
They're both hail from Brazil and were long standing Victoria's Secret Angels.

And Thursday saw Alessandra Ambrosio and Izabel Goulart strike their best poses as they walked the catwalk together in their hometown for high fashion brand Le Lis Blanc.

The 37-year-old mother-of-two opened the show and flaunted her incredible gym-honed physique in the shimmery night time ensemble.

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Catwalk queens: Alessandra Ambrosio joined Izabel Goulart to lead the Le Lis Blanc runway in their hometown Brazil on Thursday

Alessandra dressed in a sequin number that drew attention to her ample cleavage with its scoop neck and spaghetti straps.

The nude color ensemble reached to just above her knees before flaring out into a neat fringe design.

And it was also a party at the back, sporting a low cut feature that reminded fans of her incredibly toned physique.

Her look was teamed with a pair of neutral color tie-up block heels for the runway show.

Gorgeous: Alessandra dressed in a sequin number that drew attention to her ample cleavage with its scoop neck and spaghetti straps

Toned: And it was also a party at the back, sporting a low cut feature that reminded fans of her incredibly toned physique

Showstopping: The 37-year-old mother-of-two opened the show and flaunted her incredible gym-honed physique in the shimmery night time ensembles

Alessandra had her brunette locks styled out into voluminous beach waves and stunned with a natural dewy complexion.

The beauty sported blushed cheekbones and completed her breathtaking look with a nude lip.

Izabel was every-bit Alessandra's twin during Thursday night's runway show in Brazil.

Natural beauty: Alessandra had her brunette locks styled out into voluminous beach waves and stunned with a natural dewy complexion

Stunner: The beauty sported blushed cheekbones and completed her breathtaking look with a nude lip

Sisters? Izabel was every-bit Alessandra's twin during Thursday night's runway show in Brazil

The Vogue model dazzled in a mosaic inspired silver mirror mini dress that showcased her incredibly long and lean pins.

She broke up the catwalk look with a thick navy rope around her waist that was tied in a bow to one side.

Izabel sported the same hairstyle with lose voluminous beach waves and her makeup look drew attention to her chiseled cheekbones and plump nude pout.

Models-on-duty! The duo were also seen with fellow Brazilian model Fernanda Motta (middle)

Blinding! Fernanda stunned in a shimmery silver two piece that was held together with a single button

The duo were also seen with fellow Brazilian model Fernanda Motta.

The beauty stunned in a shimmery silver two piece that was held together with a single button.

Fernanda was also seen in the same block heels and accessorised her look with a pair of drop earrings.

Camila Queiroz, Ana Beatriz Barros and Lea T were also at the runway show.
She's renowned for her jaw-dropping booty.

But on Friday, Tammy Hembrow made sure all eyes were on her ample assets by going braless underneath a sheer white dress.

Exposing more than she bargained for in the figure-hugging number, the Instagram model, 24, flaunted her incredible figure while pouring her dangerous curves into the showstopping outfit.

Sheer delight! Tammy Hembrow exposes her nipples in figure-hugging white dress...after taking a swipe at her ex-fiance's new girlfriend

In a clip posted to Instagram, the mum-of-two panned the lens up and down her dress, which accentuated her flat stomach and astonishing waist-to-hip ratio.

Styling her blonde locks in a low bun, the fitness model kept her accessories simple, with a dainty pendant and gold hoop earrings.

Flaunting pink manicured nails, she wore a flawless nude make-up palette with thick brows and lashings of mascara.

Jaw-dropping: In a clip posted to Instagram, the mum-of-two panned the lens up and down her dress, which accentuated her eye-popping flat stomach and waist-to-hip ratio

White hot: Exposing her nipples in the figure-hugging number, the Instagram model, 24, flaunted her incredible figure while pouring her dangerous curves into the showstopping outfit

Having recently returned from a Fiji getaway, the beauty thrilled fans with a series of the bikini snaps from the holiday island.

The tropical jaunt came shortly after Tammy took a swipe at her ex-fiance Reece Hawkins' new girlfriend, London Goheen.

Last week, Reece shared a loved-up Instagram snap with Goheen, 20, before Tammy responded with a cryptic post that was quickly deleted.

Showing him what he's missing? Tammy (left) has been sharing cryptic social media posts since her ex Reece confirmed his new relationship with London Goheen (together, right)

'Man if people knew the TRUTH about some people. Biting my tongue so hard it's gonna bleed when I'm done,' the post read.

Tammy and Reece, who were once dubbed 'Instagram's hottest couple', split in June after four years together.

The former couple share two children: son Wolf, three, and daughter Saskia, two.
The Conners' Michael Fishman called the show's return to TV without Roseanne Barr 'bittersweet,' adding that he's kept in touch with the fallen star since she was quickly fired by ABC after a racist tweet about Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett.

'It's bittersweet, it really is,' the 36-year-old actor told TMZ in New York City Thursday. 'The thing about it is, that's where [cast members] have to come together and rise together.'

The actor, who plays DJ Conner, was asked about the program's rebooted debut, which aired Wednesday to an audience Nielsen estimated at 10.5 million viewers.

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Out and about: The Conners' Michael Fishman, 36, called the show's return to TV without Roseanne Barr 'bittersweet,' adding that he's kept in touch with the fallen star since she was quickly fired by ABC. He was snapped in LA earlier this month

'I think it went pretty well; I mean, its a complex show with a lot of stuff ... it was good,' Fishman said, noting that thinks the show's fan base will get into the storylines set for this season.

'I think people are really gonna like the direction we're headed,' he said, 'so I think people will grow with us.'

Asked about the difference in the numbers - Roseanne debuted to 18.2 million people earlier this year, to The Conners 10.5 million - Fishman attributed it to '20 years of people waiting' for the reboot of the show, which originally ran from 1988 until 1997.

Fishman told the outlet he had no say if Roseanne - who said of Jarrett, 'Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj' - could possibly return in a cameo such as a flashback.

'I don't know I'm not in charge of it,' he said. 'That's a writers decision.'

Moving forward: Roseanne was snapped at a Beverly Hills event last month

Moving forward: The Connors cast reflects the updated cast after Roseanne was quickly fired by ABC after a racist tweet about Obama administration official Valerie Jarrett in May

Fishman said that the death of Roseanne's character from a drug overdose was something of a mirror of what's going on in society, something the show has always done.

He said that he and Roseanne 'have been in contact' in the wake of her firing from the series.

On Tuesday, Fishman appeared alongside his castmates on a Paley Center panel in which he explained the double-edged sword in moving on without Roseanne, who created the series.

'We had such a close relationship and we think about her all the time,' Fishman said, according to the AP. 'But, at the same time, we know as a group that we kind of collectively have taken the decision to carry the legacy, and so it's important for us to do it right.'

He said returning to the series marked 'a really special opportunity' amid the difficult stretch of uncertainty after Roseanne was cancelled.

'Well it was a heartbreaking summer, but then the idea of coming back was just kind of this amazing gift. You know this will be the third time that we're all together in this way and trying to bring these characters to life,' he said.

The Conners airs Tuesdays on ABC at 8/7c.
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The ninth annual amfAR Gala Los Angeles that raises millions of dollars for HIV/AIDS causes took place in Beverly Hills on Thursday night.

And Katy Perry and Heidi Klum led the style pack as they wowed in dazzling gowns on the red carpet.

Songstress Katy, 33, opted for a cool blue feather embellished gown while Heidi, 45, chose a sizzling red ruffled number.

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Glamorous gals: Katy Perry and Heidi Klum led the style pack in dazzling gowns on the red carpet at the ninth annual amfAR Gala Los Angeles held in Beverly Hills Thursday night

The Roar hitmaker was an honoree at the gala for her commitment to the cause.

For her big night, she decided on a dramatic look of full-length gown with large dyed ostrich feathers at the shoulders along with chiffon short sleeves and a large bow.

The dress had shiny silver stripes down either side and a silver embellishment on the bodice below the bow.

Perry added pointed toe shimmery silver shoes and accessorized with silver earrings.

Stylish: The Roar hitmaker opted for a dramatic pale blue full-length gown. The dress had large dyed ostrich feathers at the shoulders along with chiffon short sleeves and large bow

In the spotlight: The gala raises millions of dollar each year for HIV/AIDS causes and Perry, 33, was an honoree for her commitment to the cause

Striking: The dress had shiny silver stripes down either side and a silver embellishment on the bodice below the bow

Bejeweled: She accessorized with silver earrings and a stunning ring on the index finger of her left hand

Dapper: Perry's boyfriend Orlando Bloom, 41, was also a guest at the gala but decided to walk the red carpet solo

Radiant: Katy looked sensational in her powder blue couture gown

Her platinum crop was styled in a sleek side-parting while her pretty features were accentuated with metallic shadow, fluttery lashes, feline flicks of liner and a rose lipstick.

Perry's boyfriend Orlando Bloom was also a guest at the gala but decided to walk the red carpet solo.

The British actor sported a buzz cut and stubble along with his designer tuxedo.

Model and TV personality Klum, 45, flashed some skin in her strapless gown that had long loose sleeves.

The dress was slightly cinched at the waist and fell to the floor with a small train.

The model and TV personality, who's a judge on America's Got Talent, left her shoulder-length blonde hair loose and added dangly silver earrings.

Sizzling: Klum's strapless gown had long loose sleeves and fell to the floor with a small train

Natural beauty: The model and TV personality flashed some skin thanks to the low-cut back. She left her long blonde hair loose in a tousled style

Headliner: The Top Model host made quite an entrance

A radiant dusting of make-up adorned her striking features.

Rumer Willis put on a busty show in a very low-cut yellow satin gown.

The daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore wore the dress's straps off the shoulder for maximum effect and the backless number revealed the tattoos on her arms and shoulder blade.

The gown featured silver floral embroidery and was open at the front thanks of an asymmetrical hem allowing Rumer to show off her legs.

The actress and Dancing With The Stars champion wore her hair styled back from her face and accessorized with pendant earrings.

Flaunting it: Rumer Willis, 30, put on a busty show in a very low-cut yellow satin gown

Dared to bare: The daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore wore the dress's straps off the shoulder. The backless number revealed tattoos on her arms and shoulder blade

Leggy look: The gown featured silver floral embroidery and was open at the front thanks of an asymmetrical hem allowing Rumer to show off her legs

Vision of beauty: Katy showed off her toned curves in the showstopping gown

Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland channeled a ballerina with her ensemble.

She showcased her lithe frame in the black leotard with a pink tutu-style puff skirt.

There was a white flower embellishment on top of a black bow at the navel and she added black tights and black heels.

The 27-year-old wore her long hair up in a messy bun.

Eye-catching: Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland channeled a ballerina with her ensemble. She showcased her lithe frame in the black leotard with a pink tutu-style puff skirt

Sitcom star: There was a white flower embellishment on top of a black bow at the navel and she added black tights and black heels. The 27-year-old wore her long hair up in a messy bun

Luminous: Victoria Justice, 25, stood out from the crowd in a neon semi-sheer sleeveless dress. The full-length low-cut number had a tiered skirt and straps across the back

Wow factor: Carmen Electra, 46, put on an eye-popping display in a very revealing dark blue gown with black stripes and a small train

Buxom beauty: The former pinup and Baywatch star wore her blonde hair styled in a cascade of ringlets

Stunner: TV Host & Celebrity Fashion Blogger Diana Madison looked sensational in a dress by Tom Ford 10 months after giving birth

Hot stuff! She also clutched a stunning Yves Saint Laurent handbag with dazzling silver adornments

Victoria Justice, 25, stood out from the crowd in a neon semi-sheer sleeveless dress.

The full-length low-cut number had a tiered skirt and straps across the back.

She carried a silver box clutch and stunning diamond earrings.

Carmen Electra, 46, put on an eye-popping display in a very revealing dark blue gown with black stripes and a small train.

Her blonde hair was styled in a cascade of ringlets and she carried a black purse.

Wild: Eve also dared to bare in a shimmery patterned pant suit, going bra-less under the jacket and showing her paw print inkings

Blinged: The rapper and actress, 39, accessorized with a statement necklace and wore pink eye-shadow and glossy pink lipstick

Classic looks: Lydia Hearst, left, Kat Graham, center, and Gigi Gorgeous, right, all wore black

Designer look: Moroccan blogger Abla Sofy made an impact in a white outfit with semi sheer overlay and long sleeves and diamond hoop earrings

Some celebrity couples made a date night of the gala.

Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow were all loved up as they posed for photos with their arms around each other.

The actress, 46, looked lovely in a strapless sea green gown with an orange sash at the waist and dark green and gold patterns.

The director, 50, opted for a blue suit paired with a white shirt and blue patterned tie.

Cute couple: Leslie Mann and Judd Apatow looked smitten at the event

Big night: TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie was also an honoree and arrived at the gala with his wife Heather Lang

Socialites: Hotel heir Barron Hilton II, 28, wore a stripy suit while his wife Tessa, 24, donned a plunging black gown

Expecting: Robin Thicke, 41, arrived with his pregnant girlfriend April Love Geary, 23, on his arm

Robin Thicke, 41, arrived with his pregnant girlfriend April Love Geary, 23, on his arm.

The Blurred lines singer wore a black shirt and trousers with a black bow tie and a dark blue tuxedo jacket.

Geary showed off her baby bump in a strapless full-length blue dress decorated with ostrich feathers on the lower portion of the skirt.

Suited and booted: Robert Pattinson, 32, left, and Chris Tucker, 47, right, looked suave

Popular: Perry spent some time greeting fans as she arrived

Say cheese: The hitmaker worked the red carpet like a pro

Pals: Inside the venue, Bloom posed for pics with Thicke

Showbiz pals: Andy Garcia, Robin and April caught up at the event

Had a chat: Justice and Hyland caught up with each other over dinner

Live entertainment: Darren Criss performed during the evening, accompanying himself on the guitar

Dashing: Andy Garcia, Robert Pattinson, Orlando Bloom, and Jeremy Scott caught up at the bash

Glam: Victoria and Sarah went for 80s inspired outfits

Cahhty: Supermodel Heidi looked showstopping in her ruffled scarlet gown

Statement: The blonde beauty showed off her lithe frame in the gown

Style: Leslie looked flawless in her floral and pearl studded strapless dress as she joined hunky 13 Reasons Why actor Tommy Dorfman at the event

Hollywood heartthrob: Robert adjusted his tousled tresses as he posed

Talented trio: Robert, Orlando and Jeremy chatted at the gala
She worked up a sweat during an exercise session earlier in the day.

But by Thursday evening, Sarah Hyland was all glammed up as she attended the amfAR gala in Los Angeles.

Hyland, 27, made quite the fashion statement in her ballerina outfit with an accompanied gleaming pink tutu.

She's glowing: Sarah Hyland wore a ballerina outfit to the amfAR gala in Los Angeles on Thursday

Sarah chose to sport a pair of pointy black heels in her patterned black sheer tights as she walked the blue carpet.

Hyland's facial features were enhanced with a radiant dusting of make-up while her brunette tresses were styled in a neatly tied ponytail.

The 27-year-old has had quite the eventful week behind her.

Hyland made quite the fashion statement in her ballerina outfit with an accompanied gleaming pink tutu

Happy to be here: The actress put on a smile for the occasion as she graced the blue carpet

Inside the venue: Sarah posed for photos with fellow actress Victoria Justice

On Monday, she celebrated her one-year anniversary with boyfriend Wells Adams.

The occasion saw Sarah and her man dress up for an elegant date as she posted a photo ahead of their romantic evening together.

'Last night... @wellsadams holds the [key] to my [heart],' Hyland had captioned a photo of herself donning an all black high-slit dress while Wells looked dapper in his suit.

A walk down memory lane: Adams had shared throwback photo of when he first asked Sarah to be his girlfriend as he also celebrated the occasion with fans on Instagram

On the same day, Adams had taken to his own Instagram account to mark the special event, recalling how the duo fell in love through a series of images.

'A couple hours after we took these pics, @sarahhyland said 'when are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend.' I said, 'right now,' Wells recalled in his caption.

'I then doubled down and said 'I'm falling in love with you.' She responded with, 'I can't say that yet.' And then like 15 minutes later she did,' he continued.

It's a date! The duo dressed in all black on Monday, as they enjoyed a romantic evening together

The reality TV personality, who is now in a live-in relationship with his sitcom star girlfriend, closed his caption saying: 'Happy anniversary, baby. I love you most.'

In July, Us Weekly had reported that Wells and Hyland made a drastic step forward in their relationship when the Bachelor in Paradise star moved into his girlfriend's Los Angeles home.

And it would seem as if Sarah plans on sharing many more milestones with Adams in the years to come.
Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's eldest daughter Rumer flaunted substantial cleavage in a bright yellow off-the-shoulder gown at the amfAR Gala, which took place Thursday at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

The 30-year-old DWTS Mirrorball champ also showed a lot of leg in the floral-embroidered dress and gold stilettos selected by stylist duo Brit + Kara Elkin.

The Kentucky-born, Idaho-raised socialite showcased her progress removing many of her 22 tattoos - including a garish lion head on her left shoulder - at LaserAway.

Golden girl: Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughter Rumer flaunted substantial cleavage in a bright yellow off-the-shoulder gown at the amfAR Gala in Beverly Hills on Thursday

Train: The 30-year-old DWTS Mirrorball champ also showed a lot of leg in the floral-embroidered dress and gold stilettos selected by stylist duo Brit + Kara Elkin

Hairstylist Anthony Holguin coiffed Rumer's blonde updo while make-up artist Amy Oresman applied her brown lids and pink glossy pout.

Similar to Keeping Up with the Kardashians' Kylie Jenner, Willis has truly transformed her face over the years with subtle surgeries and lip injections.

The SOS video vixen has been hard at work shooting Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which she plays Manson Murder victim Sharon Tate's (Margot Robbie) friend Joanna Pettet.

But it's still unclear if the Planned Parenthood activist has remained clean since publicly celebrating six months of sobriety on June 30 of last year.

Thanks LaserAway! The Kentucky-born, Idaho-raised socialite showcased her progress removing many of her 22 tattoos - including a garish lion head on her left shoulder (seen right in 2016)

Dewy: Hairstylist Anthony Holguin coiffed Rumer's blonde updo while make-up artist Amy Oresman applied her brown lids and pink glossy pout

2018 versus 2010: Similar to Keeping Up with the Kardashians' Kylie Jenner, Willis has truly transformed her face over the years with subtle surgeries and lip injections

Impressive: The SOS video vixen has been hard at work shooting Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, in which she plays Joanna Pettet

Once inside the swanky AIDS benefit, Rumer - who boasts 947K Instagram/Twitter followers - Insta-storied several selfies of her glamorous look.

Willis last made headlines when The Blast revealed she now owns the $971K Hollywood Hills home which used to partially belong to her former 'heartthrob' father-in-law Ashton Kutcher (who married her 55-year-old mother from 2005-2013).

The USC drop-out next plays Raven - who takes a road trip with her brother's girlfriend Jessica (Emma Dumont) - in Rob Gardner's long-delayed thriller What Lies Ahead, which finally hits US theaters December 31.

Blowing kisses: But it's still unclear if the Planned Parenthood activist has remained clean since publicly celebrating six months of sobriety on June 30 of last year

Mirror mirror: Once inside the swanky AIDS benefit, Rumer - who boasts 947K Instagram/Twitter followers - Insta-storied several selfies of her glamorous look

2010 family portrait: Willis last made headlines when The Blast revealed she now owns the $971K Hollywood Hills home which used to partially belong to her former 'heartthrob' father-in-law Ashton Kutcher (M, who married her 55-year-old mother, R)

Hits US theaters December 31! The USC drop-out next plays Raven in Rob Gardner's long-delayed road trip thriller What Lies Ahead




Erin Molan gave birth to daughter Eliza Ogilvy in June.

And on Friday, the first-time mother flaunted her impressive post baby body during a play session with her cherubic bub.

Taking to Instagram, Erin looked incredible in a tight white singlet which clung to her chest as she laid on the floor with the youngster.

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What's her secret? Channel Nine's Erin Molan flaunts her incredible post baby body only four months after giving birth to daughter Eliza

Meanwhile, the Channel Nine star showed plenty of confidence with a leggy display in a pair f olive-coloured linen shorts.

Appearing to be make-up free, the relaxed television personality let her blonde hair sit behind her head.

In the photograph, Eliza, dressed in a colourful onesie and what appeared to be a bib, sat on Erin's trim pins.

'Play before work in our home': Erin has been overjoyed at being a new mother since giving birth to the cherubic youngster in June

'Play before work in our home,' Erin captioned the snap.

Earlier this year, Erin likened her maternity leave to that of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

'At the six or seven week mark, I will head back,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

'Although if I need more time or if Eliza isn't settling or isn't okay without me there, then I will delay it,' she added.

Time together: Earlier this year, Erin likened her maternity leave to that of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. 'At the six or seven week mark, I will head back,' she said

It comes after big changes for Erin, with Channel Nine's decision to axe The Footy Show after 25 years on air.

Erin had only been installed in the host's chair earlier this year, after she unseated long-running host Paul 'Fatty' Vautin.

She's has now reportedly signed a three-year contract with Nine for an undisclosed 'big money' salary.
She's one of the fashion world's most popular models.

So perhaps it's no surprise that Bella Hadid is launching her own partnership with the famous True Religion denim brand.

The 22-year-old Victoria's Secret darling was on hand Thursday night as the brand hosted an event held at Los Angeles hotspot Poppy to celebrate the effort.

Eye-catching: Bella Hadid stepped out in eye-catching style on Thursday, when she attended the launch party for her collaboration with True Religion at Los Angeles hotspot Poppy

For the evening, Bella donned an extremely flattering denim tank that provided a glimpse of both her decolletage and her taut midsection.

A pair of matching skintight denim capri bottoms put her lithe legs on full display.

Leopard print pointed-toe heels were secured around the ankle with straps, and complemented her small leopard print purse perfectly.

Ensemble: The brunette beauty displayed her enviable physique in a double denim ensemble

Fresh look! The daughter of Yolanda and Mohamed sported some new bangs, along with a cinnamon brunette hue

Stunner! The 22-year-old Victoria's Secret darling was on hand Thursday night as the brand hosted an event in Los Angeles to celebrate the effort

Pert: The former Fyre Festival spokesmodel perched on the banquette while rocking leopard-print Louboutin ankle-strap heels

Leggy lady! A pair of matching skintight denim capri bottoms put her lithe legs on full display

Support from friends: Bella took some time to snap a photo with fellow model Jordyn Woods

Glam squad: Hadid - sporting a bouffant hairpiece - also posed with hairstylist pal on the payroll, Jen Atkin

Expanding the empire! Perhaps it's no surprise that Bella is launching a partnership with the famous True Religion denim brand

The daughter of Yolanda and Mohamed sported some new bangs, along with a cinnamon brunette hue.

Dark eye make-up, subtle blush and pale rose lipstick ensured the beauty was ready for her stroll down the red carpet.

Of course other celebs were on hand at the star-studded fashion event.

Kylie Jenner's bestie Jordyn Woods, 21, kept her outfit relatively low-key, opting for a black True Religion tee, tight jeans and black leather boots.

A fan of the brand! Kylie Jenner's 21-year-old bestie kept her outfit relatively low-key, opting for a black True Religion tee, tight jeans and black leather boots

A lot of material! Model Jasmine Sanders, 27, embraced the brand with a full length denim bodysuit with a plunging neckline

Partygoers: Jasmine later took a seat in the lap of her neon-haired gal pal Margie Large

Gentlemen: Sanders also got up close and personal with Christian 'King' Combs (M) and Shaun Ross (R)

Party time: The glamorous group of friends were seen getting into the party spirit at the soiree

Beautiful buddies! Victoria's Secret Angel Jasmine Tookes (L) wore a floral crop top and some tight black jeans

Lovely ladies: The 27-year-old VS Angel walked into the venue beside Jocelyn Chew (L), who's hip-hop mogul Diddy's rumored new girlfriend

Victoria's Secret Angel Jasmine Tookes, 27, wore a floral crop top and some tight black jeans.

Miley Cyrus' 31-year-old sister Brandi was hard to miss in a canary yellow, thigh-skimming dress which showcased her long legs.

Model Jasmine Sanders, 27, embraced the brand with a full length denim bodysuit with a plunging neckline.

Actress Nicole Williams decided on a black ribbed turtleneck paired with black trousers with a silver stripes down the side.

Something different! Miley Cyrus' 31-year-old sister Brandi was hard to miss in a canary yellow, thigh-skimming dress which showcased her long legs

No denim here! Actress Nicole Williams decided on a black ribbed turtleneck paired with black trousers with a silver stripes down the side

Two of a kind! Models Brittany Hampton and Asia Bryant were in attendance as well

DJ duo: Simi Khadra and Haze Khadra manned the decks at the bash

Model citizen: American's Next Top Model alum Don Walls rocked a green and denim bomber at the event

All eyes on me: Bella continued to be the centre of attention as she made her exit from the bash

Details: The sister of Gigi Hadid matched her vertiginous animal-print heels with a small bag
Lauren Lapkus recently married actor Mike Castle in a 'super simple' courthouse ceremony.

The 33-year-old actress and Mike got married on October 5 during a courthouse ceremony, according to an article on Thursday by People.

'We are so happy! The whole day was exactly what we wanted it to be: stress-free, romantic, and fun,' she said.

Newly married: Lauren Lapkus and Mike Taylor, shown last week on Instagram, got married earlier this month in a courthouse ceremony

The Orange Is The New Black star shared images with People that showed her in a white wedding dress holding red balloons and a bouquet at the courthouse.

Mike looked dapper in a blue suit and also held red balloons in the wedding photo.

'We kept everything super simple by getting married at the courthouse and having an intimate dinner party after, with a truly breathtaking performance from our musician friend, Dan Mangan,' Lauren said.

'I am thrilled to be married to my best friend!,' she added.

Super simple: The 33-year-old actress, shown in March in Austin, Texas, called Mike her 'best friend'

Mike showed his funny side after her remark.

'I can't wait to meet her best friend. I have never known anyone like Lauren, and getting to spend a whole day celebrating this feeling has been the best experience of my life,' he said.

'Apparently my vows made our judge cry; I wonder if she's Lauren's best friend,' he quipped.

New husband: Mike, shown in October 2015 in Beverly Hills, California, starred with Lauren in the TBS comedy Clipped

Lauren played security guard Susan Fischer on the first two seasons of the hit Netflix show Orange Is The New Black.

She and the cast in 2015 won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

Lauren also starred with Mike in the 2015 TBS sitcom Clipped that was cancelled after one season.

Hit show: Lauren is shown in a 2013 still from Orange Is The New Black

The Illinois native had a role in the 2015 blockbuster Jurassic World starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Lauren also had starring roles earlier this year in the films The Unicorn and Dog Days.

She can next be seen in the upcoming mystery comedy film Holmes & Watson starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.

Lauren was previously married to actor and improviser Chris Alvarado for nearly two years before their split in 2016.
Baywatch alum Carmen Electra glammed up for the annual amfAR Gala, which took place Thursday night at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills.

The 46-year-old Prince protegee flaunted her surgically-enhanced cleavage and taut 5ft2in figure in a plunging navy-embroidered Jovani gown, and she toted a black patent leather Henri Bendel clutch.

Hairstylist Riad Azar coiffed the Whose Line Is It Anyway guest star's platinum blonde ringlets and she rocked several Hearts On Fire rings with her white manicure.

Baywatch alum: Carmen Electra glammed up for the annual amfAR Gala, which took place Thursday night at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills

Toted a black Henri Bendel clutch: The 46-year-old Prince protegee flaunted her surgically-enhanced cleavage and taut 5ft2in figure in a plunging navy-embroidered Jovani gown

And Adam Burrell applied Carmen's signature heavy-handed make-up and Priscilla Presley-style false lashes for the swanky AIDS benefit.

The Alone, Together guest star - who boasts 4.1M social media followers - made sure to Insta-story a selfie as well as the view from her seat of honoree Katy Perry onstage.

When Electra (born Tara Patrick) was first starting out she was so 'painfully shy' and insecure she would sometimes 'walk out' of auditions.

Fierce after 40! Hairstylist Riad Azar coiffed the Whose Line Is It Anyway guest star's platinum blonde ringlets and she rocked several Hearts On Fire rings with her white manicure

Curls: And Adam Burrell applied Carmen's signature heavy-handed make-up and Priscilla Presley-style false lashes for the swanky AIDS benefit

Social media: The Alone, Together guest star made sure to Insta-story a selfie as well as the view from her seat of honoree Katy Perry onstage

Born Tara Patrick: When Electra was first starting out she was so 'painfully shy' and insecure she would sometimes 'walk out' of auditions

The Ohio-born beauty explained to the New York Times earlier this month: 'I wasn't ever shy to dance, but I wouldnt read a book report in front of the class'

'I wasn't ever shy to dance,' the Ohio-born beauty explained to the New York Times earlier this month, 'but I wouldnt read a book report in front of the class.'

Carmen also recalled the surreal experience of being publicly insulted by the future POTUS Donald Trump when he told The Howard Stern Show in 2005: 'I think the boob job is terrible. They look like two light bulbs coming out of a body.'

'I literally had to call and tell everyone, like, "He said my breasts look like light bulbs, like, do they? Do they? I don't know!"' the former Pussycat Doll lamented.

Carmen also recalled the surreal experience of being publicly insulted by the future POTUS Donald Trump when he told The Howard Stern Show in 2005: 'I think the boob job is terrible. They look like two light bulbs coming out of a body'

The former Pussycat Doll said: 'I literally had to call and tell everyone, like, "He said my breasts look like light bulbs, like, do they? Do they? I don't know!" It was surreal, because it just came out of the blue. I need to really study a light bulb now, because, I don't know, maybe he's right, maybe. Who knows? It was odd, it came out of left field. And out of all these people, like why me?' (pictured in 2005)

'It was surreal, because it just came out of the blue. I need to really study a light bulb now, because, I don't know, maybe he's right, maybe. Who knows? It was odd, it came out of left field. And out of all these people, like why me?'

Electra - whose ex-husbands are Dennis Rodman and Dave Navarro - will next appear October 26-27 at the Chiller Theatre Expo taking place inside New Jersey's Hilton Parsippany.
She sparked fury among her followers when she posed naked for a shoot to promote her new eyeshadow collection.

And Kim Kardashian proved she wasn't letting the criticism get to her as she shared an eye-popping topless photo to Instagram on Friday.

The reality queen, who will turn 38 on Sunday, showcased her ample cleavage as she cosied up to a hunky male model in the campaign shot for her Flashing Lights Collection, shot by David LaChapelle.

Defiant: Kim Kardashian proved she wasn't letting the criticism over her naked photo get to her as she shared another eye-popping topless photo to Instagram on Friday

Striking a sultry pose, the brunette beauty let her tousled raven locks cascade down her chest on to her taut midriff, protecting her modesty in the Lady Godiva inspired shoot.

Oozing confidence, the star was embraced by a male model, who had a white dove resting on his hand. The star tenderly held his hand as she pointed up into the sky.

Her stunning features were enhanced with 60s style powder and navy eyeshadows, with feline flicks of liner accentuating her peepers.

A pop of rose blush and frosted lipgloss on her plump pout completed the showstopping look.

The photo was a demure departure for the star who provoked ire among her fans with a saucy image shared on Thursday.

So Kim of her!The photo was a demure departure for the star who provoked ire among her fans with a saucy image shared on Thursday

The diva, was naked as she partially covered her chest with her fingers and had only the corner of a silver sheer over her lower half.

Immediately her followers went wild with comments with one saying, 'U have a husband and kids!' and another asking, 'Is she selling boobs or something?'

In the eyes: As she lay down on a bed looking up, the star revealed a full face of makeup that appeared inspired by the 1960s. She had on silver eye makeup and a light pink lip

A third fan said she was 'spicy' as another added the 'flashing lights' makeup name was very appropriate. And one especially harsh critic wrote: 'This was the only idea you could come up with to advertise eye shadow?'

Her caption read, 'A little silver eye this morning!'

As she lay down on a bed looking up, the star revealed a full face of makeup that appeared inspired by the 1960s. She had on silver eye makeup and a light pink lip. The new makeup collection goes on sale Friday.

She knows how to get attention on social media: Her caption read, 'A little silver eye this morning!'

Push back: Some of her followers did not like her decision to pose naked

This comes the day after she posted another eye-opening image that shocked her 119m followers.

The high school graduate was seen on her knees in a silver leotard and clear above-the-knee boots as a naked man held up a mirror for her.

Mrs Kanye West was announcing that she was introducing new jewel toned colors for KKW Beauty.

New look: The pinup posted another risque photo o Instagram on Wednesday

Ready to rock: The TV star and producer was seen on her knees in a silver leotard and clear above-the-knee boots as a naked man held up a mirror for her

Kim proudly captioned the exotic image: 'Kkwbeauty by David LaChapelle! A New collection featuring 7 Pressed & Loose Powder Pigments, all in bright & jewel-toned shades!!!!!'

Kim has worked with LaChapelle on one of her family Christmas cards.

On her KKW Beauty side more was said: 'To celebrate Kim Kardashians birthday this weekend were releasing a brand new collection featuring 7 Pressed Powder Pigments & 7 Loose Powder Pigments, all in bright & jewel-toned shades for the ultimate party vibe.'

Like a Blade Runner character: The mother-of-three wore heavy purple eye shadow

Deep colors: On her KKW Beauty side more was said: 'To celebrate Kim Kardashians birthday this weekend were releasing a brand new collection featuring 7 Pressed Powder Pigments & 7 Loose Powder Pigments, all in bright & jewel-toned shades for the ultimate party vibe'

Like amethysts and emeralds: The packaging is no-nonsense in small KKW Beauty containers

This post comes after West wants to have a total of seven children with wife Kim.

That is what the rapper told Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni as he visited the State House in Entebbe for a brief meeting on Monday.

His wife looked stunned by the news. The couple already have three kids: North, aged five, Saint, aged two, and Chicago, only nine months old.

Seven IS a lucky number: Kanye West wants to have a total of seven children with Kim. That is what the rapper told President Yoweri Museveni as he visited the State House in Entebbe for a brief meeting on Monday

When the president asked how many kids they have, Kanye got right to it. 'We have three. I would like to have seven,' said West.

The camera panned over to Kim, who sat patiently several feet away.

The Playboy cover girl looked shocked and at first could not speak, but then she muttered: 'I would not like to have seven.'

The star was smiling a bit as if she were embarrassed to be put on the spot.

She loves wildlife: This image shared on Thursday morning showed two giraffes in Africa

In the past, Kim has said she may want another child.

And she added that they have more embryos so it would not be as much effort on their part.

They would likely use the same gestational carrier they used for Chicago.

But Kim has never spoken of having seven kids.

Adding four more kids to their family would take a lot of time and planning.

Kim and Kanye jetted to the East African Nation over the weekend with their daughter North for a vacation in one of the country's national parks.

Visiting the locals: On Wednesday Kim and North were seen at the Uganda Women's Effort to Save Orphans

Helping others: And the KUWTK star and producer shared this image with North and Kanye

It seems as if Saint and Chicago stayed home.

Since then, Kanye has been seen jamming out to local music and performing. He is said to be recording his ninth album, Yandhi, while he is there.

The visit to the State House on Monday comes less than a week after his bombastic, headline-making trip to the White House to meet with Trump.

During that meeting, he pounded on the Resolute Desk, said he felt like 'Superman' whenever he wore his Make America Great Again Hat and went on a long rant which left the often garrulous president speechless.
The Income Tax department officials have launched a crackdown on famous eateries hoarding big cash in the garb of running small businesses in Punjab. In a recent major recovery in its Patiala district, the Income Tax officials recovered an undisclosed income of Rs 1.20 crore from a famous 'chaat wala'.

During the raid, the officials found out he had not paid income tax for the past two years. The I-T sleuths also conducted a discreet survey of his shop and took note of the customer footfall in a day and the overall expenses incurred by the owner. During the preliminary enquiry, the officials came to know about his real estate investments too, which were running into lakhs.

This chaat wala's businesses are not limited to only one particular shop. He also runs a booking centre in Sirhind area of Punjab, where he takes bulk orders, especially for weddings and big events, and supply 'chaat' to several areas of these districts, reported Hindustan Times.

This is the second incident in a month in which a small vendor has been caught hoarding unaccounted cash. In a similar incident on October 8, a 'pakoda wala', named Dev Raj, who runs two outlets of the Indian snack in Ludhiana, had submitted Rs 60 lakh as the annual tax liability after the I-T department sleuths conducted raids at his shops located at Gill Road and Model Town in Ludhiana.

Before conducting raids at his shop, the I-T officials had scrutinised all his financial records as well as his daily sales. On verifying it with his annual tax returns, the department officials asked the shop owner to submit Rs 60 with the department as an undisclosed income.

Small vendors running 'pakoda' business had become the talk of the town a few months back when PM Narendra Modi suggested selling 'pakodas' should be counted as employment. "If someone opens a 'pakoda' shop in front of your office, does that not count at employment? The person's daily earning of Rs 200 will never come into any books or accounts. The truth is massive people are being employed," he had said.

Edited by Manoj Sharma
Her husband Daniel Craig was at the centre of a media storm after Piers Morgan criticised him for carrying their newborn daughter in a papoose.

But Rachel Weisz put the controversy behind her as she dazzled at the premiere of her new film, The Favourite, in London on Thursday.

The Oscar-winning actress, 48, was positively glowing as she showed off her enviable post-baby body in a plum sequinned gown, less than two months after giving birth, as she joined co-stars Emma Stone and Olivia Colman on the red carpet.

New mother: Rachel Weisz put the controversy of 'papoose-gate' behind her as she dazzled at the premiere of her new film, The Favourite, in London on Thursday

The sparkling gown teased the star's cleavage with its plunging neckline and black lace underslip and cinched in at her toned waist.

Adding drama to the look, the dress featured elegant flared sequin and tulle sleeves with a fishtail hem.

The Mummy star boosted her height with simple black stiletto sandals as she worked her magic on the red carpet at the American Express gala screening.

Adding a touch of sparkle Rachel accessorised with Aspreys diamond earrings, teamed with ruby and diamond and Stargazer rings

Glowing: The Oscar-winning actress, 48, was positively glowing as she showed off her enviable post-baby body less than two months after giving birth in a plum sequinned gown

Dazzle: The sparkling gown teased the star's cleavage with its plunging neckline and black lace underslip and cinched in at her toned waist

Glow: Her tresses were pulled back into an elegant chignon with wavy strands framing her face while a radiant palette of make-up accentuated her English Rose features

Her tresses were pulled back into an elegant chignon with wavy strands framing her face while a radiant palette of make-up accentuated her English Rose features.

Rachel and James Bond star Daniel, 50, welcomed their baby daughter in late August.

The baby is the first child for the Runaway Jury and Denial star and her hunky hubby who wed in 2011.

Rachel shares son Henry, 12, with former fiance, director Darren Aronofsky, while Daniel, 50, has a daughter Ella, 26, with ex-wife Fiona Loudon.

Leading lights: Rachel looked gorgeous as she posed with glamorous co-stars Olivia Colman and Emma Stone

Chic: Rachel was glowing as she stepped out to promote the film

Beauty: The star showed off her flawless visage on the red carpet

Rachel's appearance came after presenter and journalist Piers Morgan provoked a furious debate on Twitter by claiming Daniel has been emasculated by carrying his one-month-old daughter in a sling.

The actor was spotted on a solo outing in New York on Sunday with the newborn, but Piers was unimpressed, tweeting: 'Oh 007.. not you as well?!!! #papoose #emasculatedBond.'

Twitter users were not impressed and bombarded the GMB host with images of fathers baby wearing with some toting two children at the same time.

Even Captain America star Chris Evans weighed in, tweeting: 'You really have to be so uncertain of your own masculinity to concern yourself with how another man carries his child.

'Any man who wastes time quantifying masculinity is terrified on the inside.'

For the fans: The star signed autographs for her legions of adoring fans

Chic: The star looked confident as she dazzled in her gown

Line-up: Rachel joined the cast and crew of the critically acclaimed film

Devoted dad: Rachel's husband Daniel Craig was at the centre of a media storm after Piers Morgan criticised him for carrying their newborn daughter in a papoose

Piers later apologised for 'papoose-gate'.

On Wednesday Harry Hill, 54, got his own back on behalf of all papoose-wearing dads when he threw a cream pie at Piers on Good Morning Britain.

He roared: 'That's for all the dads who wear papooses.'

As Piers, 53, milked the moment, he suddenly leaped up and threw another pie in co-host, 47-year-old Susanna Reid's face after he caught her laughing at him.

The cream went in her hair and all over her green satin dress, but the trio couldn't stop laughing.

As if that wasn't enough, Piers then threw another at Harry, with bits of sponge going in his mouth as he was talking at the time.
She let fans stunned with her gorgeous silver gown on the red carpet.

But Emma Stone switched it up into something more comfortable on Thursday evening, as she headed to The Favourite afterparty in London.

The 29-year-old Oscar winner looked effortlessly chic in a plunging white suit as she headed into the bash at London's BFI Film Festival, after posing up a storm at the red carpet premiere.

Looking good: Emma Stone was putting on a stylish display on Thursday evening, as she changed into the plunging white suit to attend The Favourite after party in London

Emma accentuated her trim figure by going for the single-breasted white silk blazer and matching trousers, which perfectly complimented her alabaster complexion.

The La La Land star accessorised her look with quirky white kitten heels and a dainty necklace, keeping her auburn tresses in a simple side-swept look.

Emma also highlighted her gorgeous complexion by going for just a touch of mascara and silver eye shadow, finishing off her look with a classic nude lip.

Sensational: The 29-year-old Oscar-winning actress ditched her red carpet look in favour of a stylish white suit

Gorgeous: Emma accentuated her trim figure by going for the single-breasted white silk blazer and matching trousers, with perfectly complimented her alabaster complexion

Emma's appearance at the American Express gala screening came after he recently gave a talk on mental health in New York.

The beauty has previously discussed her battle with anxiety and told Rolling Stone in a previous interview: 'When I was about seven, I was convinced the house was burning down. I could sense it.

'Not a hallucination, just a tightening in my chest, feeling I couldn't breathe, like the world was going to end.'

Transformed: The La La Land star changed into the co-ords after dazzling in a metallic silver gown for the The Favourite's premiere on the red carpet in London (right)

Glamour girl: Emma looked ready to party as she arrived for the bash following the star-studded premiere, where she rubbed shoulders with Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman

Emma explained: 'There were some flare-ups like that, but my anxiety was constant. I would ask my mom a hundred times how the day was gonna lay out.

'At a certain point, I couldn't go to friends' houses anymore. I could barely get out the door to school.

'I drew a little green monster on my shoulder that speaks to me in my ear and tells me all these things that aren't true. And every time I listen to it, it grows bigger.

'If I listen to it enough, it crushes me. But if I turn my head and keep doing what I'm doing; let it speak to me, but don't give it the credit it needs; then it shrinks down and fades away.'
She endured a somewhat awkward run-in with not one, but three of her reality star exes at an ITV gala event earlier this week.

But Megan McKenna showed her former flames exactly what they're missing as she unveiled her brand new Studio Mouthy swimwear collection in pictures exclusively obtained by MailOnline on Friday morning.

The former TOWIE star, 26, posed up a storm in a sizzling new shoot, stripping down to a tiny yellow Aztec-print bikini and box-fresh white trainers.

Sizzling: Megan McKenna proved to be her own best model as she unveiled her brand new Studio Mouthy swimwear collection exclusively to MailOnline on Friday morning

The TV personality, who has designed the collection herself, showed off her gym-honed physique as she modeled eight different looks for StudioMouthy.co.uk.

Speaking of the new collection, the reality star said: 'With girls travelling all year round I wanted to create a swimwear collection that would work for any occasion in any destination.'

The Ex on The Beach alumni added: 'Whether you feel more comfortable in a one-piece or a bikini, my collection is designed with the option to ensure you feel glamorous whether you're wearing it poolside or to the beach.'

Other looks see the former Celebrity Big Brother star dazzle in on-trend low scooped necklines and pretty floral and paisley prints.

Washboard abs: The former TOWIE star, 26, posed up a storm in a sizzling new shoot, stripping down to a tiny floral bikini and box-fresh white trainers

Flawless: The TV personality, who has designed the collection herself, showed off her gym-honed physique as she modeled eight different looks for StudioMouthy.co.uk

The High Heeled Shoes hitmaker showed off a bouncy blowdry and flawlessly made-up visage, complete with thick strip lashes, an incredibly plump pout, and glowing tan.

Megan made the most of her physique by flaunting her washboard abs in racy high-waisted bikini bottoms.

The beauty's new collection comes a month after she addressed she had broken up from Mike Thalassitis for good, after the pair were spotted together in a make or break getaway in Dubai.

'Muggy' Mike confirmed their split in July after he was seen moving his belongings out of Megan's Essex home, before she deleted all trace of him on Instagram.

Flawless: The reality TV star showed off a bouncy blow-dry and flawlessly made-up visage

But the stars were later, spotted poolside in the luxurious Five Palm Hotel in Dubai.

Megan said of the break: 'We went there because it was out of the public eye and it could be the two of us. But it hasn't worked. Sometimes it just can't happen. I'm just trying to move on with my life now.'

Although insisting 'everything happens for a reason', the Mouthy author stressed she was keeping 'very busy' to help heal her heartache.

Megan revealed she had been on holiday to Ibiza just shortly after the break up and she had been focusing on her music to 'clear' her head.

Single and ready to mingle: Megan's new collection comes a month after she addressed she had broken up from Love Island's Mike Thalassitis for good

She told Good Morning Britain: 'It's pretty awkward, I do think everything happens for a reason, I've been away, I've cleared my head, I'm very busy I'm doing my music.

'I'm working on an album. I just feel like everything does happen for a reason, the path I'm going on right now...'

The reality star couple had been known for documenting their lavish holidays and romantic date nights together on social media.

Sparks first started flying when they were dating in March, with their romance immediately taking off with a holiday to Barbados together.

Woman of many talents: Megan looked every inch the cover girl as she posed up a storm in front of the camera

However, two months later the pair had unfollowed each other on social media and they were seen in a fierce row in the street following a night out.

Speaking to OK! magazine, the ITVBe regular, who dated Mike for seven months, explained that the pair were at different stages of their life and although they have called time on their romance, their break-up wasn't 'nasty or messy'.

'I can't even say why we split,' she said. 'I just feel like we're both at different point in our lives. We both respect each other and we didn't want it to get nasty or messy.

'There is only so much you can do in a relationship and when it's not working you've got to take separate routes. But I wish him all the luck in the world, he's not a nasty person. Everything happens for a reason.'

All swimwear is available in sizes 6 to 14 and is available through Megan's e-tail offering www.studiomouthy.co.uk.
They have fuelled engagement rumours after she was spotted flashing a jaw-dropping diamond ring on her wedding finger earlier this year.

And proving that their controversial romance is set to stand the test of time, Jeremy Meeks, 34, has hinted that he is set to wed Chloe Green, 27, imminently.

Speaking to US Weekly, the model, most famously known for being the 'Hot Felon', teased 'maybe' when asked if they were set to take the next step in their relationship anytime soon.

Set to marry SOON? Proving that their controversial romance is set to stand the test of time, Jeremy Meeks, 34, has hinted that he is set to wed Chloe Green, 27, imminently

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Jeremy and Chloe for further comment.

The couple first sparked engagement rumours in July, as Chloe was seen sporting a huge diamond ring on her finger while showcasing her incredible post-baby body on their extended holiday.

She has been wearing the sparkler throughout the family break. MailOnline contacted representatives for both Chloe and Jeremy for comment at the time.

The couple were forced to previously deny engagement claims, after Chloe was sported wearing another ring on her engagement finger on numerous occasions.

In love: The model, most famously known for being the 'Hot Felon', teased 'maybe' when asked if they were set to take the next step in their relationship anytime soon

Rumours: The couple first sparked engagement rumours in July, as Chloe was seen sporting a huge diamond ring on her finger while showcasing her post-baby body on their holiday

Chloe and 'Hot Felon' Jeremy began dating a year ago, first sparking romance rumours when they were spotted locking lips on her father's yacht last summer.

Their romance wasn't without controversy, as news of the duo dating left Meeks' ex-wife Melissa devastated.

Since then, Chloe and Jeremy's relationship has gone from strength to strength and the couple welcomed their first child together, son Jayden Meeks-Green, at the end of May.

Chloe had kept her pregnancy under wraps until June, when she unveiled her baby bump during a holiday on her father Sir Phillip's super yacht in Monaco.

Jeremy recently claimed the daughter of Topshop tycoon Sir Philip Green had to chase him around Cannes and gatecrash his dinner parties before he fell madly in love with her.

Controversial: Chloe and 'Hot Felon' Jeremy began dating a year ago, first sparking romance rumours when they were spotted locking lips on her father's yacht last summer

Heartbreak: Their romance wasn't without controversy, as news of the duo dating left Meeks' ex-wife Melissa (pictured) devastated

He boasted: The third time we met, designer Philipp Plein threw a dinner for me and Chloe was there.

'I didnt put her on the guest list and I still dont know who invited her but I am happy she was there, and after that we fell in love.

The 'Hot Felon' mode also has a nine-year-old son, who he shares with ex-wife Melissa Meeks.

It's been reported that Jeremy has been given custody of his nine-year-old son so he can bring him to the UK to be with his girlfriend Chloe.

Family: Chloe and Jeremy's relationship has gone from strength to strength and the couple welcomed their first child together, son Jayden Meeks-Green, at the end of May

Pursued: Jeremy recently claimed the daughter of Topshop tycoon Sir Philip Green had to chase him around Cannes and gatecrash his dinner parties before he fell madly in love with her

The convict-turned-model was reportedly originally only given 30 per cent custody of Jeremy Junior when he split up with his mother Melissa.

But he has managed to reverse the original divorce settlement, bagging 70 per cent custody in the hope of bringing him to Britain, reports TMZ.

Meeks has grafted a flourishing career in modelling, taking to catwalks all over the world, after his 2014 mug shot went viral on Facebook and Twitter with admirers gushing over his chiselled face and dreamy blue eyes.
They divorced in 2016 but supermodel Kate Moss and ex-husband Jamie Hince put on a very friendly display when they reunited in LA on Thursday.

The stunner, 44, who is now dating Count Nikolai von Bismarck, 31, threw her arms around The Kills rocker, 49, as he gave her a big kiss in front of the supermodel's 16-year-old daughter Lila Grace, who arrived carrying a fluffy white dog.

Their mutual pal, Kelly Osbourne, 33, came along for the lunch date and appeared in high spirits as she joined the former loves for their West Hollywood outing.

No worries here: Kate Moss and Jamie Hince were the friendliest of exes as they kissed and cuddled during their LA reunion alongside mutual pal Kelly Osbourne on Thursday

It's a family affair: They were joined by Kate's 16-year-old model daughter Lila Grace, who arrived carrying a small fluffy white dog

Kate, who has embraced a healthy lifestyle and been sober for one year, looked incredible for the outing.

She wore a faded Saint Laurent rocker tee, teamed with flared jeans and wore the biggest smile on her face as she walked up to see Jamie.

He was making his own style rules, wearing a velvet Gucci bomber jacket, with his trademark black skinny jeans and a pair of bright aquamarine loafers.

Happy: Their mutual pal, Kelly Osbourne came along for the lunch date and appeared in high spirits as she joined the former loves

I've got a story to tell you: Musician Jamie was seen getting animated as he chatted away, while Kate and Lila leaned in closer to listen

Kelly was also dressed to impress, wearing a floaty white blouse and black skinny jeans and a blazer which was covered in pins.

The style chameleon wore her lilac-rinse locks in loose curls for the outing.

Not to be outdone, Lila  who is following in her mother's footsteps as she embarks on a modelling career  also stepped out in casually cool style.

The teen went for a simple look, pairing a loose-fitting white tee with a black denim miniskirt, while she wore her sandy brown locks in a high ponytail.

How times change: The trio cut a wholesome figure compared to back in 2008 when they were all pictured out together partying in Punk nightclub in Soho, London

She's got the look: Kate wore a faded Saint Laurent rocker tee, teamed with flared jeans and wore the biggest smile on her face as she walked up to see Jamie

Kelly once revealed in an interview that she calls Jamie 'grandad' because of his demeanour.

The trio cut a wholesome figure compared to back in 2008 when they were all pictured out together partying in Punk nightclub in Soho, London.

Kate and Jamie tied the knot in 2011 - the couple started dating in autumn 2007 after being introduced by a mutual friend.

Their relationship started shortly after Kate ended her turbulent engagement to troubled rocker Pete Doherty.

Love: Kate and Jamie tied the knot in a village church in the Cotswolds in July 2011, with the supermodel accompanied by 15 bridesmaids, including her daughter Lila Grace

Kate and Jamie tied the knot in a village church in the Cotswolds in July 2011, with the supermodel accompanied by 15 bridesmaids, including her daughter Lila Grace.

The bride looked stunning in a vintage-style cream dress and matching floor-length veil, designed by close friend John Galliano.

Prior to the nuptials, Kate seemed to hint that she wanted more children.

She told German magazine Gala: 'First of all I am going to get married... and maybe more kids. Who knows what the future will bring? My career is OK... so far.

'When I gave birth to Lila, after I did it I was just thinking, "Yeah! I really made it!"'

Lila, now 16, is Kate's daughter with former partner Jefferson Hack.
Even supermodels such as Jennifer Hawkins have to do chores.

On Friday the 34-year-old shared a picture to Instagram of herself mowing the lawn.

The Miss Universe Australia winner wore a billowing white T-shirt, denim shorts and a wide-brim straw hat as she shoved the mower up and down the length of the lawn - with a beautiful view of the bay for a backdrop.

Another hard day's work! Supermodel Jennifer Hawkins (pictured) revealed the unlikely chore her father still makes her do on Friday

Breaking with convention - and safety first rules - Jen opted to go barefoot as she shredded the grass.

'Oh, standard Friday... ha ha,' the stunning blonde captioned the photo.

Jen also revealed that her father had made her put in the hard yards.

The 34-year-old captioned the lawn mowing picture: 'Oh standard Friday'

'Omg! Do you like having feet?' one social media user commented upon realising the former TV host was operating the machinery barefoot.

Another chose to comment on the fact her father was still making her do chores.

The social media user wrote: 'I hope you made sure that he gave you your pocket money!'

Jen opted to go barefoot as she mowed the lawn, raising safety concerns with her fans on social media, one of whom wrote: 'Do you like having feet?'

'It's nice to see a supermodel and former Miss Universe is just like the rest of us that have chores that need doing. Very beautiful but not afraid of hard work,' another commented.

Earlier this year, after 12 years with mega department store Myer, Jennifer confirmed she would no longer be the face of the brand.

However, she is still involved with her tanning brand and her tequila label.
She's the Swedish-Australian reality star who made headlines for her shocking $50,000 plastic surgery makeover.

And on Friday, Josie Capllonch showed that her transformation was money well spent as she flaunted her artificial assets on the set of a raunchy photo shoot in Las Vegas.

In one X-rated image, the 31-year-old stripped down to a blue G-string and posed with her hand covering one of her exposed breasts.

She isn't shy! Reality star Josie Capllonch flaunted her assets on the set of an X-rated photo shoot this week

In another, the blonde struggled to contain her cleavage in a low-cut midriff top.

'Can't stop, won't stop!' she captioned one raunchy photo, before adding: 'Best shoot ever!'

Josie first graced screens on Channel 7's Please Marry My Boy back in 2012, before reemerging earlier this year on Love Island Sweden.

'Best shoot ever!' The 31-year-old showed off her curves in a variety of raunchy outfits

The blonde beauty is now completely unrecognisable compared to her former self thanks to her plastic fantastic makeover.

'I look nothing like I used to and people love to hate on it,' Josie told Daily Mail Australia last month.

In the past, she's had two boob jobs, a nose job, Botox, fillers in her cheeks, lips, and jawline, and even a Brazilian butt lift to plump up her derriere.

A nose job, two boob jobs, Brazilian butt lift, fillers, Botox and more! The 31-year-old (pictured) recently revealed the shocking $50,000 plastic surgery makeover that turned her from a sweet brunette (left) into a Barbie bombshell (right)

'I look nothing like I used to and people love to hate on it!' Josie (right) looked completely different before her plastic fantastic makeover

'For the Brazilian butt lift, they transferred fat from my stomach, back, and inner thighs to my booty,' she explained.

While the BBL only set her back $5,000, Josie admits her two breast augmentations cost $10,000 each, her nose job was $18,000, and that her fillers and Botox total over $4,000 a year.

Instead of being satisfied with her new look, the stunning star says she is planning to go back under the knife for a third boob job, a second nose job, and eyelid surgery.

'For the Brazilian butt lift, they transferred fat from my stomach, back, and inner thighs to my booty': The busty blonde claims she spent $5,000 on a Brazilian butt lift

It ain't cheap! Josie admits that her two boobs jobs cost $10,000 a pop, her nose job was $18,000, and that her fillers and Botox total over $4,000 a year

Explaining her reasons for undergoing another breast augmentation, Josie said that her last procedure left her with scarring and the wrong sized nipples.

'I wanted smaller nipples last time, but it backfired and now I've got huge scars all around my nipples and they've gotten even bigger now,' she said.

'I'm not comfortable without a bra on, which I hate.'

She's not done yet! Instead of being satisfied with her new look, the stunning star says she is planning to go back under the knife for a third boob job, a second nose job, and eyelid surgery

Superstar: The former Channel Seven reality star recently returned to screens as a late season entry on Love Island Sweden

Josie, who is Swedish but is based between LA and Sydney, was a 24-year-old student when she tried to woo Matt Kenny on Channel Seven's Please Marry My Boy.

She was briefly linked to Penrith Panthers player Sandor Earl after the series aired, but faded away from the spotlight after that.

She returned to screens last month for a short stint on Love Island Sweden.
Kyle and Jackie O Show's 'Intern' Pete Deppeler can't keep away from The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Intern Pete was rejected by the royal couple for a second time during an engagement in Bondi Beach on Friday.

A video shared to Instagram by the KIIS FM breakfast program showed Prince Harry greeting fans as the radio prankster called out to him to get his attention.

When the royal walked by Pete he told him: 'You shouldn't be here.'

The video then cut to Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O in the studio, who gasped at Harry's blanket rejection of Intern Pete.

Pete revealed that he had been scolded by security personnel as the event was for the public, not the media, and that he had left straight after the royal snub.

'You shouldn't be here': Radio prankster 'Intern' Pete Deppeler was rejected by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for a SECOND time - on this occasion at Bondi on Friday

'I've gotten out of there,' Pete said.

He added: 'After Harry told me off, and then after Meghan and some other security guards came over and said, "Why are you here again? This is for the public, not the media."'

As Prince Harry and Meghan returned, Pete said: 'I've got to go and hide around the corner.

Royal snub! When the royal walked by Pete he told him, 'You shouldn't be here'

'It has not been a good day for Peter Deppeler.'

The rejection comes after Prince Harry failed to recognise Intern Pete on Tuesday.

Speaking about their awkward encounter on Wednesday's Kyle and Jackie O Show, the serial pest admitted to feeling 'hurt'.

Absolute shock: Pete revealed that he had been scolded by security personnel as the event was for the public, not the media, and he had left quickly

During their brief exchange outside the Opera House, The Duke of Sussex failed to recognise Pete despite the fact they'd met in Australia twice before.

'It hurt a little bit because we have met. That's the third time I've met him,' Pete said.
She's been back to her best in recent weeks after taking a break from the show to focus on her battle with depression.

And TOWIE's Yazmin Oukhellou was difficult to miss in a sexy 'Zombie Barbie' costume on Thursday, as she joined her co-stars to film a spooky Halloween special.

The 25-year-old reality TV star left little to the imagination as she donned a skingtight pink leotard and matching wig to film the scenes at a stately home of sorts in Suffolk.

Jaw-dropping: TOWIE's Yazmin Oukhellou was difficult to miss in a sexy 'Zombie Barbie' costume on Thursday, as she joined her co-stars to film a spooky Halloween special

The TOWIE girls were all sporting their Halloween best as they all dressed up for the occasion, as Yazmin went for flaunting her legs and cleavage in the tight pink frock.

The star seemed to be taking inspiration for the iconic busty blonde doll, with her leotard boasting the word Doll.

Yazmin teamed her look with knee-high white bowed socks, and matching heels, finishing her look with a matching fuchsia pink wig, tiara and jewelled necklace.

She also received plenty of support from her boyfriend James Lock who - complete with a bit of fake blood - arrived hand-in-hand with his long-term partner.

Jaw-dropping: Yaz left little to the imagination as she arrived to film the special in a Suffolk stately home, rocking a skintight fuchsia pink leotard

Revealing: The beauty accentuated her look with matching bowed socks and heels, along with bright pink wig

Jaw-dropping: Recently Yaz made a sensational return to the show after taking a break, which came as it was revealed she was struggling with depression and anxiety

Proud beau : But Yaz's boyfriend James Lock also shared his support for her at event, sporting a bit of fake blood to get in the spooky spirit

Also getting all dressed up for the occasion was a glamorous Shelby Tribble, who oozed horror chic in a blood-covered tartan costume.

The Essex beauty teamed a busty black and tartan dress with a bloody heart mark and slits around her neck, leading to similar additions all over her face.

She had her glossy brunette tresses effortlessly curled and added a statement red lip to the ensemble, finishing her look with white sock boots.

Creepy: Also getting all dressed up for the occasion was a glamorous Shelby Tribble, who oozed horror chic in a blood-covered tartan costume

Pals: The brunette was seen rubbing shoulders with Clelia Theodorou (left) as she oozed sex appeal in the leggy frock

Jaw-dropping: Shelby put on a spooky display in the black and tartan dress with fake blood covering her face and throat

Shelby's outing came after she admitted she was 'devastated' to find out that Pete had been sending sexually explicit messages with up to ten women.

Speaking candidly with The Sun, the reality star said: 'I was devastated, I thought he was The One but after reading those texts I was left heartbroken.

'He was sexting another girl and talking about joining the Mile High Club with her.

'Someone else sent nude pictures to him. I saw all these messages to other girls on Instagram, other texts in his archive  in fact some of the texts were sent just two days before we were due to go to a wedding together in Croatia.'

Sexy: Shelby left little to the imagination in a skintight PVC midi dress, with an array of creepy makeup covering her face

Revealing: She had her brunette tresses in a classic poker straight style, accessorising with nude strapped heels

Best friends: Saffron Lempriere was also seen making her arrival with pal Bobby Norris, as they both sported distressed blood-covered looks

Kooky: Saffron embraced her inner doll in a pretty maid's outfit splashed with fake blood, pulling her blonde curls into pretty pigtails

Loving it: As they filmed inside the stately home a grand spread appeared to have been laid out in true Halloween fashion

Yazmin's outing came after she made a sensational return to filming for the show in recent weeks, having taken a break from the show to focus on her battle with depression.

A source exclusively told MailOnline: 'Its true that Yazmin has gone to Holistic Bootcamp in Marbella to escape her troubles. Things have just got too much for her on the show and issues with various cast members have really got her down. Shes a very normal girl with no ego and she doesnt need that negativity in her life.

'Shes been treated for anxiety there but its not been revealed that shes also being treated for severe depression that has been debilitating to the point where she hasnt wanted to get out of bed.

'Flying out to Spain to work with Rob Hisee was the only answer for her. James (Lock) her boyfriend is behind her 100% and like her friends and family, just wants her to back to her old self and well again.'

Busty: Amber Turner went for the classic 'sexy army girl' look as she arrived to film the special episode, with a touch of fake blood to add a sinister twist

Spooktacular: With her long hair in effortless curls, the blonde looked nothing short of amazing as she arrived for the filming

Sassy: Amber accessorised her look with matching knee-high khaki boots which elongated her lean legs

United: She was also seen putting on a united display with boyfriend Dan Edgar, despite reports earlier this month that they had called it quits

Sweet: Highlighting her cute features Georgia Kousoulou sported a pretty doll dress in a black and white checked print along with matching makeup

Since then James has gone onto pledge his support for Yaz, telling friend Pete Wicks: 'It's mad, Yaz and I are with each other everyday, 24/7. I do miss her.'

He continued to gush over the brunette's state following her departure: 'Yaz leaving Essex and other people has done her a world of good. I spoke to her, she seems to be in a better place, I'm proud of her. All my tensions and anxiety are just gone.'

Lauding Yaz's actions, Pete added: 'Hats off to Yaz, what she's done is brave.'

Since returning to the show Yaz has seemed fresh and rejuvenated, after sharing an inspirational post telling fans to focus on life's positives.

'As soon as you wake up give thanks to all of the positives in your life. Trust me youll have such a happier day,' she wrote alongside a snap of herself sporting a tiny yellow bikini while on holiday.

Suave: Pete Wicks was also dressed up for the occasion in all-black with matching false blood

Glamour girls: The stars of the ITVBe mainstay were out in force to film the star-studded spooky special (left Chloe Meadows and right Courtney Green)

Eye catching! Chloe Lewis left many fans spooked with her quirky choice of contacts along with a leather-clad ensemble
She celebrated her 50th birthday last month with a trip to Morocco with family and friends.

And Naomi Watts showed off her age-defying beauty in a stunning tailored suit at the Hugo Boss Prize 2018 Artists Dinner at the Guggenheim Museum in New York on Thursday.

The Oscar-nominated actress looked every inch the star in the lilac two-piece which she teamed with pointed stiletto heels.

Pretty: Naomi Watts, 50, showed off her age-defying beauty in a lilac tailored suit at the Hugo Boss Prize 2018 Artists Dinner at the Guggenheim Museum in New York on Thursday

Showing off her lithe limbs, the Birdman actress wore a skinny leg pastel trouser with a matching double-breasted suit jacket.

She paired the look with patent black stilettos and a matching satin clutch bag.

Under the suit was a simple silk camisole in off-white, that was tucked into her trousers.

Age-defying beauty: Showing off her lithe limbs, the Birdman actress wore a skinny leg pastel trouser with a matching double-breasted suit jacket

Friends: The mother-of-two showed off her natural beauty with a simple make-up look as she posed with Hugo Boss CEO Mark Langer

The mother-of-two showed off her natural beauty with a simple make-up look, opting for a neutral foundation, lick of mascara and statement red lip.

Naomi juggles her acting career with raising her two sons Sasha, 11, and Samuel, nine, whom she shares with her ex-partner Liev Schreiber.

She recently wrapped production on the family drama Once Upon A Time In Staten Island opposite Bobby Cannavale and Frank Grillo, and is getting ready to shoot the Divergent Series TV movie Ascendant with Bill Skarsgard and Octavia Spencer.

Balancing act: Naomi juggles her acting career with raising her two sons Sasha, 11, and Samuel, nine, whom she shares with her ex-partner Liev Schreiber

The compassionate star recently said she was 'honoured' to travel to Australia to flip burgers at the annual Ronald McDonald House charity drive which raises funds towards supporting the families of seriously ill children.

'As a mum, I couldn't imagine being apart from my kids if they were sick or injured,' the star said.

Ronald McDonald House Charities keeps these families together when they need it most and I'm honoured to be this year's ambassador.'

On November 17, Naomi will ask Aussies to spare a couple of dollars and purchase a Big Mac to add to the $42 million raised since McHappy Day began in 1991.

Little black dress: Also at the party was Canadian artist Chloe Wise (left) and Victoria Secret model Cindy Bruna (right)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced more measures to increase liquidity flows to the non-banking financial companies on Friday. The RBI has permitted banks to use government securities equal to their incremental outstanding credit to NBFCs, over and above their outstanding credit to them as on October 19, to be used to meet liquidity coverage ratio requirements.

The move will help provide liquidity to housing finance companies (HFCs) and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) which have come under pressure following series of default by IL&FS group companies.

"... banks will be permitted to also reckon Government securities held by them up to an amount equal to their incremental outstanding credit to NBFCs and HFCs, over and above the amount of credit to NBFCs and HFCs outstanding on their books as on October 19, 2018, as Level 1 HQLA under FALLCR within the mandatory SLR requirement," RBI said in a notification.

This will be in addition to the existing FALLCR of 13 per cent of total deposits, and limited to 0.5 per cent of the bank's total deposits.

Liquidity coverage ratio refers to highly liquid assets that financial institutions need to hold in order to meet short-term obligations. The additional window will be available up to December 31, 2018, the notification said.

Besides, it said, the single borrower exposure limit for NBFCs which do not finance infrastructure stands increased from 10 per cent to 15 per cent of capital funds, up to December 31, 2018.

The RBI has been taking series of steps to infuse liquidity in the system. It has also been undertaking open market operation at regular intervals to add liquidity.
They split on Tuesday amid claims Georgia Steel was unfaithful to Sam Bird - but in an interview with MailOnline, the Love Island star admits she fell out of love with him.

Georgia, 21, has said she's fuming the hunk, 25, went through her phone, admits to feeling trapped and insists she didn't cheat - but DID sleepover at her ex's house.

The beauty admitted she knew her relationship with Sam was over for a while but wanted to prove the public wrong, saying: 'There was NO third party involved in the break up between him and I.

Love Island's Georgia and Sam split EXCLUSIVE: Star has admitted she DID sleepover at ex's house, fell out of LOVE with hunk and only stayed with him to prove the public wrong

'Sam thinks I cheated because he went through my phone and threatened to sell the screenshots to the press.

'He read and took screen shots of banter I had between me and my best mate.

'The banter was about my ex boyfriend from which hes then put two and two together and come up with an imaginary scenario.'

All over: The couple went their separate ways just hours after this photo was taken at the ITV Palooza on Tuesday night - but Georgia says she did remain loyal to Sam

However, Georgia admitted she hasn't been completely innocent.

She said: 'I will put my hands up and say yeah I do admit I went round [to my ex's] house and stayed the night in the spare room but NOTHING did happen.

'Im honestly not like that. I went over to collect some things which he had of mine which I needed for the flat and then ended up having a heart to heart as I was very down as me and Sam had been constantly arguing.

'Sam now wants to believe that I did cheat on him but in reality the relationship ended due to the fact I fell out of love.'

Georgia has implied there is now no going back for the couple.

She said: 'He was a lovely boyfriend and I did really love him but moving in so soon and the public pressure did make me feel very trapped.

'I gave our relationship everything as I really did want it to work and I was loyal throughout. But you cant help your feelings.

'Im stubborn and wanted to prove the public wrong about me and him but the reality is it just didnt work.

'I really do hope he finds the girl for him as he has so much to give and does deserve to find love. And I really hope I find the man for me too in the future.'

Something to say: After speaking to MailOnline, Georgia posted her statement to her Instagram stories

Georgia's words come a day after a source told MailOnline: Sam found out she had gone to her ex-boyfriend's flat without telling him and he was pretty annoyed.

'He and Georgia had dated up until a few months before she went on Love Island and she still had belongings stored at his place from when they used to live together.

'She hasn't cheated on Sam, there has been no sleeping around and she only went round as a one-off. But it doesn't sit well with him that she didn't tell him.'

Sam admitted how devastated he is about the split on social media but the source also told MailOnline the writing has been on the wall for a while.

Awkward: Amid the chaos, Georgia previously vehemently denied claims made by the Mirror Online that she was romantically involved with her tour manager Steven West

They said: 'In reality, the relationship has been coming to an end for a while. They've been doing PA's at opposite ends of the country and hardly see one another.'

Amid the chaos, Georgia vehemently denied claims made by the Mirror Online that she was romantically involved with her tour manager Steven West.

Steven West is a third man and not the ex-boyfriend Sam is referring to.

The 'loyal' beauty made further claims a romance with West was 'laughable' as she reiterated he is her tour manager who drives her to her press days.

She wrote via Instagram stories: 'The story of myself being linked with Steven West. This is laughable.

'He is my tour manager who drives me to all my PAs. Nothing more.'

Explained: Steven is a third man and not the ex-boyfriend Sam is referring to

Split: The fitness trainer, 25, revealed their break-up in a cryptic statement on Twitter on Wednesday evening, shocking fans in the process

Sam and Georgia are now the fifth couple from this year's series to part ways, attended the ITV Gala just hours before Sam, 25, revealed their break-up on Twitter.

In his initial statement, Sam penned: 'Im devastated to announce me and Georgia have split up for reasons I can't bring myself to comment on at the moment. As always I wish her all the best.'

Shocked fans rushed to offer their support to Sam, with one writing: 'So sorry to hear this I really thought you was going to last for a long time x' while another penned: 'Noooooo!!!! All the best to both of them.'

Love Island 2017 star Chris Hughes added: 'Chip up buddy. More happiness around the corner. Keep smiling and upbeat.'

Their split comes after the break-ups of their co-stars Laura Anderson and Paul Knops, Laura Crane and Jack Fowler, Charlie Brake and Ellie Brown and Samira Mighty and Frankie Foster.

The duo met on Love Island over the summer and had been inseparable since leaving the villa, often attending glitzy events together.

No more: He penned: 'Im devastated to announce me and Georgia have split up for reasons I cant bring myself to comment on at the moment. As always I wish her all the best'

Support: Love Island 2017 star Chris Hughes added: 'Chip up buddy. More happiness around the corner. Keep smiling and upbeat'

They embarked on a whirlwind romance and moved in together in Essex just weeks after returning home from Mallorca.

Last month Georgia gushed that the hunk was her 'best friend' as well as boyfriend, while sharing loved-up snaps of them.

'Thank you for being my partner in crime and always standing by my side. Not just my lover but my best friend too,' she penned.

Former flames: The duo met on Love Island over the summer and had been inseparable since leaving the villa, often attending glitzy events together (pictured last week)

Their romance was previously rocked when fans accused Sam of being at a 'girl's house' while she was away.

Tweeting a photo of Sam on his phone while sitting on a sofa, a user wrote in August: 'Hey @georgia_steel where was @SamRobertBird on the weekend? Not so LOYAL.'

Georgia replied: 'By the looks of it babe hes ordering a Uber home sweetheart' accompanied by a laughing face emoji.

The fan hit back: 'No s**t Sherlock, thats what most guys do when they leave a girls house.'

Rejected: The pair struck up a romance in the villa after Georgia's love interest, Josh Denzel decided to couple up with newcomer Kaz Crossley (pictured) after they hit it off in Casa Amor

Oh dear: She then sparked public outcry with 'Kiss Gate' after insisting she didn't kiss newcomer Jack Fowler on the lips first - despite the footage showing otherwise

Sam then waded in to explain himself, writing: 'With my friends at a house I was in for 10 minutes so I could charge my phone and get an Uber home (as seen in your picture). Youre embarrassing yourself mate.'

The pair struck up a romance in the villa after Georgia's love interest, Josh Denzel decided to couple up with newcomer Kaz Crossley after they hit it off in Casa Amor.

Georgia caused friction in the villa when she picked then newcomer Jack Fowler, who was coupled up with Laura Anderson, to go on a date with her, and then caused chaos when she kissed him at the end of the date.

Scandal: Kissgate worsened when host Caroline Flack oversaw a VAR breakdown of the kiss on After Sun, only for viewers to point out continuity errors in the playback of the kiss from different angles

Tension: Things took more of a turn when Georgia and Sam decided to split up in order to remain on Love Island - leaving their fellow contestants baffled

The plot thickened when Georgia and new Jack ended up offering different accounts of what actually went down, with Georgia saying the kiss was mutual but Jack saying it was unintentional.

Kissgate worsened when host Caroline Flack oversaw a VAR breakdown of the kiss on After Sun, only for viewers to point out continuity errors in the playback of the kiss from different angles.

Trying to set the record straight, Georgia has now admitted the kiss was filmed more than once.

Oh dear: Their romance was preciously rocked when fans accused Sam of being at a 'girl's house' while she was away
She was recently forced to deny rumours she is pregnant.

And Dakota Johnson, 30, stepped out wearing a cropped T-shirt and 'mom' jeans as she picked up lunch from Earth Bar in West Hollywood on Thursday.

The actress looked effortlessly cool in a pair of oversized shades, going make-up free as she carried her food from the eatery.

Grab and go: Dakota Johnson was pictured leaving Earth Bar eatery in West Hollywood on Thursday wearing a cropped T-shirt and 'mom' jeans

Her brown hair was styled wavy and loose for the outing as she picked up her healthy food.

The Fifty Shades Of Grey star added a pop of colour to her outfit with a bold leopard print belt and black and white checked Vans trainers.

She held a cold drink, possibly a smoothie, in one hand and her food and mobile phone in the other as she strolled off.

Casual chic: Dakota looked cool and casual in a white T-shirt teamed with baggy light blue jeans and a bold leopard print belt

Steady! Dakota headed to her car with her lunch and balanced her drink on the car roof

The pics came a day after Dakota jetted out from London's Heathrow airport back to Los Angeles having attended the BFI London Film Festival with co-stars Mia Goth and Tilda Swinton.

The remake of Suspiria, directed by Luca Guadagnino and written by David Kajganich, stars Dakota as Susie Bannion, a young American who travels to the Markos Dance Academy in Berlin.

Once there, she meets Sara, played by Mia, who both dance for Madame Blanc, played by Tilda. The film, also starring the original lead Jessica Harper and Chloe Grace Mortez, follows Dakota's Susie as a string of unusual happenings occur.

Dakota recently had to hit out at rumours that she was expecting a baby with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, 41.

Speculation started when pictures surfaced of a party at Dakota's home decorated with pink and blue balloons which were taken to mean that she was throwing a gender reveal party.

Speaking on The Ellen Show this week, Dakota clarified that 'the only thing I'm pregnant with is a lot of really good ideas. But not any babies.'

Dakota went on: 'It was my birthday, and there were balloons that happened to be pink and blue, and so then, I was pregnant?'

As well as Suspiria, Dakota also has thriller Bad Times At The El Royale coming out this month.
She's never been a stranger of flashing the flesh.

And Lady Victoria Hervey was sizzling in a revealing white bikini on Thursday as she soaked up the sun on a holiday to Malibu.

The 42-year-old socialite had her jaw-dropping figure on full display in the revealing ensemble as she strolled next to the crystal clear waters.

Gorgeous: Lady Victoria Hervey was sizzling in a revealing white bikini on Thursday as she soaked up the sun on a holiday to Malibu

Victoria showed off her amazing body as she donned the white double-strapped bikini with tassel detailing, teamed with a red printed sarong.

Going barefoot on the beach under the clear blue sky, the blonde beauty had her tresses in effortless waves with sunglasses perched on the top of her head.

Victoria also sported barely a scrap of makeup on her ageless complexion on the low-key stroll down the beach.

Incredible: The 42-year-old had her amazing figure on full display in the white double-strapped bikini teamed with a red printed sarong as she strolling along the beach

Amazing: Victoria also took to Instagram to share a sizzling selfie from the beach, with her ageless complexion on full display

Victoria's outing came after she left the little to the imagination last month in an extremely revealing mesh dress while attending the amFAR gala in Milan.

Showing off her holiday tan, the see-through chain dress had her underwear on full display despite being embellished with flower decorations.

With her blonde hair in dramatic curls the star joined the lineup at the Italian event, held to raise funds for HIV and AIDS research.

Jaw-dropping: Victoria's outing came after she left the little to the imagination last month in an extremely revealing chain mesh dress while attending the amFAR gala in Milan

Victoria made the most of her jet-set summer by flying off to the hottest destinations including Mykonos, Cannes and Italy so far.

Although she has been travelling all over the world, she recently discussed her future plans to settle down and become a mum after realising her dream for a baby.

She revealed to The Mail On Sunday that she started freezing her eggs in a fertility clinic  which cost her 11,000  after letting years of partying slip away.
She recently returned to the UK after enjoying a sun-soaked babymoon in Dubai, two months before she's set to welcome her first child into the world.

And on Friday, Tyla Carr, 25, was seen perusing some last-minute items ahead of her bundle of joy's arrival as she attended the annual Baby Show, held at west London's Kensington Olympia.

The former Love Island star cradled her growing baby bump as she wandered the grounds of the expansive exhibition space with a female pal and her toddler.

Baby on board! Pregnant Tyla Carr was spotted attending the annual Baby Show, held at west London's Kensington Olympia, on Friday

Tyla looked casually cool for the leisurely outing, stepping out in a loose-fitting striped blouse, teamed with skinny jeans and white low-top Converse All-Stars.

With her glossy raven locks falling beyond her shoulders in a voluminous blowout, she highlighted her natural beauty with a flattering palette of makeup.

The seven-months-pregnant reality star took to her Instagram account to share snapshots and footage of the numerous items on offer at the three-day event.

Ready to push: The Love Island star was seen getting to grips with a pram as she perused the numerous luxury items on offer at the annual exhibition

Tyla is fresh from her trip to Dubai, where she enjoyed a sun-soaked babymoon with her boyfriend Ross.

Earlier this week, Tyla told fans she was grateful to have a holiday with Ross before they welcome their little one, admitting it had given her partner a better opportunity to bond with their bump.

She wrote: 'I am already so in love with this child. Can I just say, holidays are a completely different experience to what I'm used to, sun bathing is a whole new ball game.

'The heat gets unbearable and there is no comfy way to sunbathe, nor can you wear heels out for a long period of time...

Cradle: The brunette beauty cradled her baby bump as she lapped up the festivities of the day

'However, I would recommend anyone healthy enough to travel at this stage of pregnancy to use it to spend some good quality time with their partner before the baby arrives.

She continued: 'Even if you can just make it a weekend away, anything that gives you time on your own as a couple. It's so lovely to not have any stresses or work worries or frantic moments of worrying about the things you need to buy for the baby.

'I've loved it and I really feel like my partner has had a chance to bond more with the bump which has been so nice.

'No doubt we are going to look back and miss our time alone together for a while, but we are also so excited to have ourselves a little family of three.'

Casually cool: Tyla looked casually cool for the leisurely outing, stepping out in a loose-fitting striped blouse, teamed with skinny jeans and white low-top Converse All-Stars

Natural beauty: With her glossy raven locks falling beyond her shoulders in a voluminous blowout, she highlighted her natural beauty with a flattering palette of makeup

Tyla and Ross have been together for almost a year, but first met nine years ago in Mallorca. They reunited after Tyla shot a calendar there.

While Carr seemed to be fully embracing her pregnancy, she did admit that she 'waddles' due to her growing bump and is 'scared' for it to get any bigger.

'That face you make when you wish for a bump so big that you waddled and god really did answer your wishes,' she wrote on Instagram alongside a selfie.

'It just scares me that I still have at least a 2 and a half months left! I'm going to be huge and I'm so proud of it.'

She added: 'The extra weight, the extra cellulite and the potential stretch marks will all be worth it when I have a healthy happy baby in my arms.'

Blossoming romance: Tyla and her boyfriend Ross have been together for almost a year, but first met nine years ago in Mallorca. They reunited after Tyla shot a calendar there

Oh baby! The 25-year-old reality star recently returned from a sun-soaked babymoon to Dubai

The reality star previously confessed she was left dumbstruck for awhile when she found out she was with child during a lunch date at Nando's.

She reminisced to OK! magazine: We stopped for lunch after I bought the test and I couldnt wait until I got home. When I saw it was positive, I ran back to tell Ross  it felt like the longest journey of my life!

I was over the moon but part of me was worried too. We havent been together very long and wed only just moved in together. I started to panic that we had rushed.

Tyla was propelled into the limelight in the Love Island villa where she enjoyed brief romances with 'Muggy' Mike Thalassitis and bad boy Jonny Mitchell in 2017.

The brunette bombshell got her first taste for reality television when appearing on First Dates.

Shots: During her visit to the show, Tyla took to her Instagram account to share snapshots
Rami Malek has revealed that he was 'shocked' to meet Freddie Mercury's sister Kashmira Cooke on-set, ahead of the much anticipated biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Speaking on Friday's Lorraine, the Mr Robot star said she was lost for words as she saw him in character as the young showman, who died in 1991 at the age of 45.

Rami was joined on the show by co-stars Joseph Mazzello and Gwilym Lee, who told a hilarious tale of the moment Brian May's wife Anita Dobson visited the set, and started 'flirting' with Gwilym who plays a young version of the legendary guitarist.

Surprising: Rami Malek has revealed that he was 'shocked' to meet Freddie Mercury's sister Kashmira Cooke on-set, ahead of the much anticipated biopic Bohemian Rhapsody

The three men explained to Lorraine that they struck up an extremely close bond while working on the film, which is finally set for release next Wednesday (October 24).

Rami then said Kashmira was stunned to meet him on set due to his resemblance to Freddie in his prime, as the film tells of his incredible rise to success that culminated in the 1985 Live Aid concert.

He added that much of their performance came from the guidance of Brian May, who served as a creative consultant on the film.

Shocking: The Mr Robot actor explained that he was stunned to meet Kashmira on set as she was lost for words at his resemblance to the late music icon

Unbelievable: Kashmira paid a visit to the Bohemian Rhapsody set during filming, with Rami explaining she was taken aback to see him in character

Awaiting: Rami has been tipped for awards thanks to his role as Freddie in the film, and he is certainly a dead ringer for the legend, who died in 1991 at the age of just 45

Here soon: Rami was appearing on Friday's Lorraine alongside Gwilym Lee (middle) and Joseph Mazello (right) who play young Brian May and John Deacon in the film respectively

He said: 'Having Brian May there from the very beginning just accepting us, he and Roger Taylor had the final say on who would play us.

'I met Cashmera on set one day and Anita brought her over and just it was sheer shock to have her see her place a young version of her brother.'

Gwilym - who plays Brian in the film - then explained the hilarious moment Anita came to face to face with him also in character - complete with the signature mass of brown curls.

He said: 'It was quite a surreal day on set because I was in full makeup and costume and she said ''you are the same age as when Brian and I met.''

Show must go on: In the film, alongside Rami, Gwilym and Joseph, EastEnders star Ben Hardy plays drummer Roger Taylor

Anticipated: The actors also recalled the hilarious moment they met Brian May's wife Anita Dobson, who told Gwylim: 'You are the same age as when Brian and I met'

Funny: Joseph then said there was some 'flirting' between Anita and Gwilym, with Rami saying he'd 'never seen her smile quite that wide'

As Joseph said that there was some 'flirting', Rami added: I don't think I'd seen Anita Dobson smile quite that wide as that moment.'

Rami - no stranger to critical acclaim thanks to his Emmy-winning role on Mr Robot - explained that he immersed himself in the character of Freddie, in a bid to master his mannerisms and performance style.

'I've watched everything that possibly exists, all the archival footage, the radio interviews,' he said.

'I tried to immerse myself as much as possible, that hand thing, no one does that when they're playing the song itself.'

Committed: Rami explained further that he immersed himself in the role by watching endless performances and videos starring Freddie

Big film: Gwilym (left) plays Brian in the film, while Jurassic Park star Joseph Mazzello plays John Deacon

Sensational: The film is set to tell the tale of the band as it form in the early 1970s, building up their iconic Live Aid concert in 1985

Joseph - who recently made a return to acting after starring as the young Tim Murphy in the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park - said it was a far cry from anything he had ever done in the past, playing John Deacon in the film.

He explained: ' It was a particular task for all of us, we were never asked to play the songs perfect. The challenge was to make it look effortless, and like we had been doing that all our lives.

'It was definitely an interesting role to play, there was a lot to put into it, to have to do the accent. This is a really great one to be a part of as well, the Jurassic Park of my adult career.'

Alongside the trio EastEnders' Ben Hardy also stars in the film as drummer Roger Taylor, and the band are inevitably set to take centre stage in the film when it finally hits cinemas.
Model Belle Lucia has shown off her swimwear haul on her Instagram Story.

But the 24-year-old has faced backlash over the sound of her voice as she discussed the items of clothing.

The brunette beauty showed off a series of revealing swimwear from a campaign she shot with fashion label Pretty Little Thing on Thursday.

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'I'm Australian, mate': Model Belle Lucia hit back at a troll who told her to use her 'real' voice as she sounded 'irritating' as she modelled a swimwear collection on social media

She posed in all-white two-piece and a figure-hugging tan one piece in the social media posts.

However one social media user didn't agree with the sound of Belle's voice in the videos.

The user replied to her story: 'Omg could you use your normal/real voice already?

'Use your normal/real voice': However one social media user didn't agree with the sound of Belle's voice in the videos

'You're beautiful but sound so stupid and it's super cringey and irritating, mate.'

Belle, who is currently in London, screenshotted the troll and shared the comment on her story.

She wrote over the comment: 'I'm Australian mate... that is my real voice.'

'That is my real voice': Belle, who is currently in London, screenshotted the troll and shared the comment on her story

Belle, who has more than 1.3 million Instagram photos, paired her reply with three eye-roll emojis.

In August she was struck down with a mystery illness during a flight to Australia from Vancouver, Canada.

Taking to Instagram to share the dramatic news, Belle told her followers she had experienced 'the most intense flight ever'.
They're the Australian models who've built a brand around their identical genes.

And now Jordan and Zac Stenmark are keen to land TV and film roles after making a move to Hollywood.

The twins, both 26, told The Daily Telegraph that Americans 'love Australians' and they are landing lots work in the US.

'America is the place you've got to be': On Friday, Twin models Jordan and Zac Stenmark explained why they've left Australia behind for Hollywood as they eye an acting career in big screen comedies

'We are developing lots of contacts and looking at moving into film and TV. And America is the place you've got to be for that,' Zac told the paper.

The brothers have looked at comedy as a possibility as 'Jordan thinks he is quite funny'.

However Zac is cautious to ensure that the brothers are taken seriously and not just seen as 'models trying acting'.

'We are developing lots of contacts and looking at moving into film and TV. And America is the place you've got to be for that,' Zac said. The twins are pictured in Hollywood

'There are so many phenomenal actors and I guess we don't want to be those models who think they can act,' Zac told the publication.

Taking to Instagram, the twin brothers recently shared an adorable throwback photo of themselves as young boys as they gushed about their 'blessed' lives.

The genetically blessed pair marked their 26th birthday in March by sharing a heartfelt post with their 130,000 Instagram followers.

Hilarious! The brothers have looked at comedy as a possibility as 'Jordan thinks he is quite funny'. The twins are pictured in Venice Beach, California

'Thanks you everyone for making our birthday and the last 26 Years so amazing! We can't appreciate enough all the love, care and support! We love you all so much and feel so blessed to have you in our lives,' the twins wrote in the caption.

Although the Stenmark twins have built a brand centred around their similar look, late last year, Jordan and Zac pointed out they're not as alike as one would think.

They even write using a different hand - Zac, who is older by a very slim, but still important margin, of eight minutes, with his left and Jordan with his right.
Her character Villanelle charges high fees for ruthlessly slaughtering people to fund her love of designer clothes.

And Jodie Comer transformed into the Russian femme fatale once again as filming got under way in Bloomsbury, London for the hotly-anticipated second series of Killing Eve on Thursday.

The Liverpudlian actress, 25, cemented the serial killer's fashion icon status as she ca clashing navy patterned coat and red high-waisted trousers.

License to kill: Jodie Comer transformed into the Russian femme fatale once again as filming got under way in Bloomsbury for the hotly-anticipated second series of Killing Eve on Thursday

The geometric coat, which featured hues of navy, orange and green sheathed Jodie's trim frame, with the actress layering the three-quarter length jacket atop of a form-fitting black polo neck.

The Doctor Foster star paired the look with tailored pillar box red trousers, complete with ruffle pockets and added a boost to her height with patent black leather boots.

In the scenes, Villanelle stared at a large floral tribute of the word 'mum', no doubt reflecting on her troubled childhood.

Psychopath: The Liverpudlian actress, 25, cemented the serial killer's fashion icon status as she modeled a clashing navy patterned coat and red high-waisted trousers

Fashion maven: The geometric coat, which featured hues of navy and green, sheathed Jodie's trim frame, with the actress layering the three-quarter length jacket atop of a black polo neck

It will be hard to predict what the brutal hired assassin, who is an orphan with a violent reputation, is thinking due to her being a psychopath who kills with flair.

And while Jodie filmed in the streets of London a huge spoiler became apparent as the actress stood before cameras with a co-star.

Fans of the show recently saw Jodie's assassin character Villanelle vengefully murder her old mentor Konstantin Vasiliev (Kim Bodnia).

Stylish display: The Doctor Foster star paired the look with tailored pillar box red trousers, complete with ruffle pockets and added a boost to her height with patent black leather boots

Flashback to the past? In the scenes, Villanelle stared at a large floral tribute of the word 'mum', no doubt reflecting on her troubled childhood

Risen from the dead: And while Jodie filmed in the streets of London a huge spoiler became apparent as the actress stood before cameras with co-star Konstantin Vasiliev

Plot twist: Fans of the show recently saw Jodie's assassin character Villanelle vengefully murder her old mentor Konstantin Vasiliev (Kim Bodnia)

But it now appears that all is not how it may have initially seemed, as Danish actor Kim, 53, was spotted shooting scenes for the acclaimed drama's second season alongside Jodie.

Jodie was seen chatting away with her co-star on set as they prepared to portray their respective characters, whose relationship crumbled after Konstantin doubled-crossed Villanelle  prompting her to calmly shoot him to death.

Killing Eve is an eight-part series about a bored, deskbound MI5 operative, Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and glamorous Russian assassin Villanelle.

Eve is assigned by her boss Carolyn (Fiona Shaw) to track the psychotic Villanelle and becomes obsessed with her target.

Mesmorised: Villanelle gazed at the floral display for quite some time while Konstantin gazed at her phone

Iconic: American Vogue called Killing Eve 'the most fashionable show on TV, with outfits  particularly those worn by Villanelle  better suited to a high-end catwalk

But when Villanelle realises shes being watched she becomes equally fixated with Eve. The two begin a deadly cat-and-mouse game  falling in espionage love as writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge puts it  that takes them all over Europe.

Much of the drama was shot around north London, but the cast also travelled to Paris, Bucharest and Tuscany for scenes.

American Vogue called Killing Eve the most fashionable show on TV, with outfits  particularly those worn by Villanelle  better suited to a high-end catwalk than blood-spattered murder scenes.

Her designer wardrobe, estimated to be worth tens of thousands of pounds, is part of the plot: Villanelle is based in Paris, and charges high fees for ruthlessly slaughtering people, to fund her love of clothes.

She wears a bubblegum-pink tutu-style dress with Balenciaga boots to meet her employer in Paris, dons a brocade Dries Van Noten suit to carry out a hit in a Berlin club and stabs a man in the eye in Tuscany using a vintage hairpin  but not before checking with him who designed his silk throw.
Harry Styles and Lady Gaga are leading the shortlist for the Gay Times Advocate of 2018 prize.

The former One Direction star, 24, and the Poker Face hitmaker, 32, are among the names nominated for the award, which honours those who have spoken out in support of gay rights in the past 12 months.

The celebration will be held at Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery on November 8 and will celebrated those who have used their platforms to champion LGBTQ people and raise awareness of LGBTQ issues.

Nominated: Harry Styles, 24, leads the nominations for the Gay Times Honours which will take place on November 8 at Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery

During his California concert in July, Dunkirk star Harry said: 'We're all a little bit gay, aren't we?' in response to a fan who held up a sign saying that he is gay.

Lady Gaga - real name Stefani Germanotta - credited the gay community for her success and has always been outspoken about rights.

She said: 'I make a joke sometimes, behind every female icon is a gay man'.

Gaga later added: 'I really wouldn't be here without the gay community, what they have taught me about love and acceptance and bravery'.

Thankful: Lady Gaga, 32, is nominated for an honour at the Gay Time Awards; she has credited the gay community for her success in the past

Gaga and Harry will battle it out against Brockhampton, Cupcakke, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy for the honour.

British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, 46, has been shortlisted in the Entrepreneurship category, while Australian drag queen and personality Courtney Act, 36, has been nominated for the Media accolade.

Gay Times owner James Frost said: 'Everyone on the shortlist should be immensely proud of the positive impact they've had on the lives of LGBTQ people.

'The Gay Times Honours are unique because they recognise people and organisations from across public life who have blazed a trail for the LGBTQ community as well as the individuals and organisations who have worked hard to advance LGBTQ rights.

Looking good: Vogue UK editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, 46, is up for an award at November's Gay Times Honours

'Were incredibly excited about the forthcoming ceremony and welcoming all of those on the shortlist to celebrate and reflect just how far we have come as a community.'

The winners will be recognised through specially commissioned paintings which will be displayed on the night.

The award ceremony will take place on November 8.
The former Miss Universe Tegan Martin has just moved down to Melbourne with her partner Blake Worrall Thompson.

And on Friday, friend and reality star Keira Maguire, 32, was seen showing her the ropes as they spent a girls' day out together in the Victorian city.

Taking to her Instagram, Keira shared some flawless fresh-faced selfies of the pair enjoying their lunch date at popular lunch spot Legacy Camberwell.

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'She's moved to Melbourne': Bachelor star Keira Maguire (left) took former Miss Universe Tegan Martin (right) sightseeing on a girls day out in Melbourne on Friday

'Reunited with my babe Tegan Martin,' she wrote beside the two photos. 'She's just moved to Melbourne so I'm showing her the ropes. First stop Legacy Camberwell.'

The cute friendly snaps comes after Tegan, 26, announced she was packing up her Sydney life and heading down to Melbourne.

The friendly catch-up comes after Tegan confirmed to the Herald Sun last week she will be bidding farewell to the Sydney beach-side suburb of Coogee.

Flawless: 'Reunited with my babe Tegan Martin,' she wrote beside the two photos. 'She's just moved to Melbourne so Im showing her the ropes. First stop Legacy Camberwell'

Tegan said while the couple had plenty of travel plan in mind, the interstate move was their priority at the moment.

'I think we have a few more travel plans first but he's definitely my one,' she told the publication.

However, the blonde beauty was cryptic about whether this was leading to an engagement for the couple.

'I think we have a few more travel plans first but he's definitely my one,' Tegan told The Daily Telegraph, but wouldn't confirm if the pair were planning an engagement. Pictured with Blake Worrall Thompson

'You just know when you know,' she said.

Tegan has lived at Coogee for the past five years.

She got together with Blake last year, after she finished filming the Network Ten reality show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!

New chapter! The couple have been living together in the Sydney suburb of Coogee for the past year

Last month, the blonde beauty spoke candidly to Yahoo Be! about her years as a model living in Europe revealing she didn't have the healthiest drinking habits.

'My binge drinking phase was when I was living in Europe as a model,' Tegan told the website.

She added: 'I was living in Paris and I was nightclubbing every single night from Thursday night to Sunday night.'

Looking good! Tegan and hunky Blake, who is a celebrity personal trainer, have been together for a year, starting out their relationship as flatmates

Tegan confessed the 'anxiety' she experienced during her teenage years accelerated her unhealthy relationship with alcohol.

'I remember being so anxious in my teens and always on edge and feeling like I didn't know why things wouldn't go right for me,' she said.

The Ocsober ambassador - who will abstain from alcohol throughout this month - added that binge drinking in her youth 'negatively impacted her long-term health'.
Information technology (IT) stocks crashed in trade today after Washington said it was planning to "revise" the definition of employment and specialty occupations under the H-1B visas by January, a move which will have an adverse impact on Indian IT companies in the US.

TCS dropped 0.92%, Wipro was down 0.92% and Infosys lost 2.95% on the BSE.

The BSE IT index fell 423 points or 2.88% to 14,254 on the BSE. The index had closed at 14,677 level on Wednesday.

Top losers on the IT index were MindTree (16.42%) Mastek (5.16%), Mphasis (4.91%) and HCL Technologies (6.24% ).

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to come out with its new proposal by January 2019.

It will "propose to revise the definition of specialty occupation" to increase focus on obtaining the best and the brightest foreign nationals via the H-1B programme.

It will also "revise the definition" of employment and employer-employee relationship to "better protect" US workers and wages, the DHS said.

Such a move, which is part of the Unified Fall Agenda of the Trump administration, is likely to have an adverse impact on the functioning of Indian IT companies in the US and also small and medium-sized contractual companies in the IT sector, which are mostly owned by Indian-Americans.

The H-1B visa, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
She's been soaking up the sun on a holiday to California.

And Love Island star Alexandra Cane was making the most of endless Santa Monica promenades, as she enjoyed some rollerblading in the boiling hot sunshine on Friday.

The 27-year-old makeup artist flashed her abs in a black crop top and denim shorts as she larked about on the beach with her pals, as it is rumoured she is set to join the lineup for this year's I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

Loving it: Love Island star Alexandra Cane was making the most of endless Santa Monica promenades, as she enjoyed some rollerblading in the boiling hot sunshine on Friday

Alexandra had her jaw-dropping curves on full display in the funky look, sporting a black crop top with a Disney-inspired symbol along with the tiny denim shorts.

The raven-haired beauty - who had a short-lived romance with Dr Alex George in the villa - looked to be having a whale of a time as she rolled along next to the sands.

Alexandra let her long tresses tumble in loose waves as she carried her essentials in a backpack for the outing, soaking up the Santa Monica atmosphere on a welcome break from chilly Britain.

Sensational: The 27-year-old makeup artist was flashing her abs in a black crop top and cut-off shorts, with her long black tresses tumbling down her back

Low-key: Showing off her incredible pins, Alexandra could be seen speeding down the beach on the blades, carrying her essentials in a black backpack

Jovial: The star put on a playful display with her pals as they soaked up the Santa Monica sunshine

Glamour girl: Alexandra has been living the single life since leaving the Love Island villa, as her romance with Dr Alex George on the show failed to progress

Perky: Her peachy posterior was on full display as she showed off her tanned physique in the casual look

Alexandra's outing came after she sparked rumours she is set to join the lineup for this year's I'm A Celebrity, after saying she would open to a new challenge by jetting to Australia.

The curvy star said she hasn't let the 'humiliating' experience of being on Love Island put her off reality television after expressing an interest to head into the Oz jungle.

The boohoo ambassador confessed she loves a 'bit of danger' as well as claiming snakes and spiders don't bother her.

So many questions: Alexandra's outing came after she sparked rumours she is set to join the lineup for this year's I'm A Celebrity

Rumours: Alexandra's outing comes amid reports she is set to enter the jungle later this year for the new series of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!

So many questions: The star sparked the reports during an interview with The Metro, when she said she would love to take on the challenge

Candid: She said: 'I love a bit of danger. I love snakes and I don't mind spiders so I think I'd be really good on the show. I'd win everyone meals in the camp. Lara Croft vibes!'

Of the possibility, she told The Metro: 'I know I'm A Celeb don't like Love Island people but I'm determined!

'I will go on that show because I love everything they get involved in. Something where you're doing challenges or you're active or you have to rehearse.

'I love a bit of danger. I love snakes and I don't mind spiders so I think I'd be really good on the show. I'd win everyone meals in the camp. Lara Croft vibes!'

Alexandra's representatives declined to comment on whether she would be appearing on I'm A Celebrity.

Daring: Alexandra didn't seem fazed by the wobbly blades, despite struggling through the sand in them

Energetic: Alexandra also couldn't hide her delight at succeeding in staying upright

Determined: Love to do it! The curvy star said she hasn't let the 'humiliating' experience of being on Love Island put her off reality television after expressing interest in heading to Oz
Lena Dunham has confirmed that she is shutting down her website Lenny Letter after three years.

The Girls star released a statement on Friday, which was also posted to Lenny Letter, telling her readers that it's Lenny's 'final chapter'.

'While theres no one reason for our closure, this change allows for growth and a shift in perspectives  ours and yours,' Lena wrote.

Saying goodbye: Lena Dunham has confirmed she's shutting down her feminist website Lenny Letter

The former Girls star thanked her readers, writers and artists for their support and contribution to the site.

'In the three years since we began, the Internet has opened up for underrepresented writers in ways we wouldnt have predicted or believed from our 2015 bunker.

'It was an honor to be part of that brigade, and we cant wait to see how those who forged that path keep holding space after Lenny is gone.' she wrote.

Lena encouraged her fans to 'continue to push forward the voices that need a platform, the untold stories that deserve to be heard, the diversity that the publishing industry claims to value but has never mastered.'

Big news: The 32-year-old actress posted a letter on her website as well as emailing a statement to her readers

You did it: The former Girls star thanked her readers, writers and artists for their support and contribution to the site

Take action: The actress and producer added a note about the November elections, urging her readers to vote in the midterms

The actress and producer added a note about the November elections, urging her readers to vote in the midterms.

'Real change-making takes work, and part of that work will come this November. There is nothing more critical to counteracting the daily devastation of the current regime than the midterm elections.' she wrote.

It was revealed by The New York Post on Thursday that the feminist website with past contributors including Jennifer Lawrence and Alicia Keys will be ceasing operations this Friday, according to The New York Post.

Lenny Letter staffers were notified last week of the closure, Digiday reported, citing an email it had reviewed.

Lenny Letter was launched in 2015 by Lena and her longtime collaborator, Jenni Konner

Shutting down: It was reported Thursday that Lenny Letter would cease operations on Friday with staffers notified last week of the closure

Editors at the site reportedly told freelance writers this week they would be receiving 'kill fees' - compensation for articles that have not yet been published, according to The Post.

Described as 'Feminism, style, health, politics, friendship, and everything else  unfiltered', Lenny Letter was launched in 2015 by Lena and her longtime collaborator, Jenni Konner.

The pair had already been working together for years on Lena's hit series, Girls.

The very first issue of Lenny Letter featured an interview with Hillary Clinton, and later would draw articles from stars including Jennifer Lawrence and Alicia Keys.

Homepage: Described as 'Feminism, style, health, politics, friendship, and everything else  unfiltered', Lenny Letter was launched in 2015 by Lena and her longtime collaborator, Jenni Konner

Lena even spoke candidly about suffering from endometriosis in articles she had written for the site.

But the website struggled to find advertisers, according to The Post, and last summer it's readership reportedly plummeted when only half of it's 500,000 subscribers were clicking on newsletters.

Hearst was initially tasked with selling advertising, and a source told The Post at the time that they struggled to find meaningful revenue for the site.

Tough: But the website struggled to find advertisers, according to The Post, and last summer it's readership reportedly plummeted when only half of it's 500,000 subscribers were clicking on newsletters

Conde Nast later took over advertising sales in a deal that was set to begin this year.

A number of controversies attached to the site were reportedly not helpful in attracting advertisers either.

Last year Lena faced major backlash for calling actress Aurora Perrineau a liar when she claimed she was raped by a writer from Girls.

Lena and Jenni said that Murray Miller was innocent and that Aurora - who said that she was 17-years-old when she was raped in 2012 - was 'one of the three-percent of assault cases that are misreported every year'.

The HBO star apologized and then went into a self-imposed social media exile and made no public appearances for some time.

In July, Lena and Jenna announced they would be ending their producing partnership as they prepared for the debut of their new HBO show, Camping.
Gordon Ramsay partied all night until 3am in a Dubai nightclub with two sisters who called him 'a party animal'.

The Hell's Kitchen star, 51, was invited by the owner to an exclusive VIP area of the club and 'swore like a trooper' all night, revellers said.

'Gordon really knows how to have fun,' revealed a party-goer. 'He was a party animal, posing for photos and using bad language all night. He was a really good sport.

Gordon Ramsay is pictured on a night out where he partied until 3am in a Dubai nightclub with two sisters who called him 'a party animal'

The Hell's Kitchen star, 51, was in an exclusive VIP area and 'swore like a trooper' all night, revellers said

The celebrity chef arrived at the Base club VIP area at 10pm with seven male companions. He saw a group of women celebrating a birthday

'He was smiling and charming and having a really lovely time.'

The chef, who was checking on his Bread Street Kitchen and Bar at the Atlantis Palm Hotel is famous for his expletive-filled on-screen rants.

But last Saturday he was all smiles when he arrived with seven male pals at the Base super-club VIP area just after 10pm.

'The girls were dancing by their table,' said an onlooker. 'He asked them where they were from. When they said that they were from Manchester they all started chatting.'

Scot Ramsay, who's now a muscle-bound triathlete living in LA  left with his party at 3am. The girls left a little while later.

A woman at the club posted this photo of the chef on to her Snapchat. Ramsay was in Dubai staying at the Atlantis Palm Hotel where he was checking on his Bread Street Kitchen and Bar

Party-goers said Ramsay was smiling and charming as he stayed at the popular club until around 3am. The women left later on

'He was relaxed and good fun. He was swearing so much that the girl that he was talking to told him that he 'needed some f***ing water!'
Katie Price was seen looking overjoyed outside The Priory rehab clinic on Friday as she reunited with her mother, Amy, who is suffering with terminal lung cancer.

The 40-year-old star has been battling a string of personal woes, leading to her stint in the legendary centre as she is treated for PTSD after a drink-drive arrest.

The embattled glamour model smiled as she cuddled her parent and chatted away with her in a touching display following months of concerning behaviour.

Loving: Katie Price was seen looking overjoyed outside The Priory rehab clinic on Friday as she reunited with her mother, Amy, who is suffering with terminal lung cancer

Following a series of concerning incidents, including her arrest, a series of drink and drug related scandals and her money woes Katie has been seeking treatment.

In the midst of her dramas, the mother-of-five seemed to be in great spirits as she walked towards her own mother and offered her a clinging hug.

Katie opted for a casual look with jeans and a yellow hoodie combo teamed with a pair of trainers. Wearing a beaming smile, the former Page 3 model swept her dark hair back into a high ponytail while opting for minimal make-up.

Amy greeted her daughter in style with a zebra printed scarf and a glamorous long black coat and appeared delighted to see her beloved girl.

Reunited: The embattled glamour model, 40, smiled as she cuddled her parent and chatted away with her outside The Priory rehab clinic in London

Affection: The mother-of-five seemed to be in great spirits as she walked towards her own mother and offered her a clinging hug

Easy-going: Katie opted for a casual look with jeans and a yellow hoodie combo teamed with a pair of trainers

She paired the outfit with some white trousers while leaving her blonde locks loose.

Katie is on a 28-day treatment plan at The Priory after her family urged her to seek help following her recent wild partying antics in Mallorca.

The reality TV star was reportedly confronted by her loved ones after shocking footage emerged of her rapping 'I love coke' during a booze-fuelled hen do.

All smiles: Wearing a beaming smile, the former Page 3 model swept her dark hair back into a high ponytail while opting for minimal make-up

Doting mother: Amy greeted her daughter in style with a zebra printed scarf and a glamorous long black coat

TV personality Katie broke down after the intervention and admitted she needed help to get over her chaotic behaviour  which has been blamed on her PTSD.

Not only did the star discover her husband Kieran Hayler had been unfaithful for a fourth time, she learned just days before that her mother is battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung condition with no known cure.

Following her daughter's check in to rehab, Amy said: 'I am relieved that Katie has admitted she needs help to cope, to recognise her shortcomings and erratic behaviour, and to learn to love herself  to find the person inside she really is.'

Details: She paired the chic outfit with some white trousers while leaving her blonde locks loose

Struggles: Katie is on a 28-day treatment plan at The Priory after her family urged her to seek help following her recent wild partying antics in Mallorca

Meanwhile, Katie is reportedly 'stressed and tearful' after realising she can't afford a new home should her looming bankruptcy deadline result in her mansion being lost.

According to The Sun, the star is keen to find herself a new place to live, but has become disheartened after coming to terms with the fact that her living space would have to be significantly downsized to fit her tight budget.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Katie Price for comment.

Katie has had a string of personal woes of late, as she completes her rehab stint and has only a couple of weeks to pay off her debts before she is declared bankrupt.

Doing her best: Katie is said to be trying to sell her 2million West Sussex mansion which she bought in 2014, as her bankruptcy deadline is up on October 30

Last week, she was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after crashing her 75,000 Range Rover into a bush after attending her ex Kris Boyson's 30th birthday party.

This comes after it was alleged she still has bailiffs turning up at her house as her bankruptcy deadline looms.

During her stay at The Priory Katie has reportedly had debt collectors turning up to her home every week but she can't do anything about it, insiders claim.

A source told the website that the troubled star still hasn't paid off a lot of her debts for items such as horse feed and farm supplies.

Happy families: Katie loves her big family and is no doubt keen to work out her problems

They said: 'Katie still hasn't paid off a lot of her debts so the door is always going with companies who want their money back. 'Katie can't do anything about it now she's in rehab  she's just focused on her recovery  and she doesn't have a ready supply of cash to pay bills.

Reality star Katie's father is currently staying on the property in a motorhome but she has apparently insisted that they are her debts and she will deal with them because she doesn't want her family to get involved.

Katie, who is currently dating toyboy Alex Adderson, 25, narrowly avoided bankruptcy back in August, when she was given three months to come up with a plan to pay off her debts, totalling more than 250,000 including more than 20,000 in tax debt.

Making festive plans: Kieran Hayler has revealed he wants his two children with estranged wife Katie  son Jett, five, and daughter Bunny, four  to spend Christmas with him

Family: Amid her woes, a source has revealed to MailOnline that she plans to spend Christmas with her two elder children Junior, 13, and Princess, 11, despite reports to the contrary

She has been bidding for months to stave off bankruptcy as her once-lucrative media empire began to fall apart following the demise of her third marriage and the collapse of her businesses.

Katie is said to be trying to sell her 2million West Sussex mansion which she bought in 2014, as her bankruptcy deadline is up on October 30.

Yet the TV personalty is reportedly on the verge of getting a lifeline amid her financial woes, as it's TV bosses are said to be planning a third season of her reality show My Crazy Life.

Weeks after it was initially claimed that the future of her series was 'hanging in the balance' as she stumbled from one scandal to another in recent months, it has now been claimed that bosses at TV network Quest Red are eager to resume production.

A source told The Sun: 'She knows this is her financial lifeline.'
Travis Scott is surrounded by scantily clad women in the music video for Sicko Mode.

The official video dropped Friday and at one point shows Travis, 26, sitting in an armchair as dozens of women lie at his feet wearing just bras and thongs.

The track, from his album Astroworld released in August, features Drake, who also appears in the dimly lit video co-directed by Travis and Dave Meyers.

What will Kylie think? Travis Scott surrounds himself with women wearing skimpy underwear in a scene from his new video Sicko Mode which dropped Friday

A-team: The rapper appears along with collaborator Drake in the trippy video which Travis co-directed with Dave Meyer

The Goosebumps hitmaker raps about girlfriend Kylie Jenner, 21, and their eight-month-old daughter Stormi Webster in the song.

'Pass this to my daughter, I'ma show her what it took (Yeah)/Baby mama cover Forbes, got these other b****es shook.' he raps.

Travis also shows off a large diamond 'Stormi' necklace in large cursive.

What Kylie thinks of the visuals, however, is anyone's guess, as it features numerous women in just their underwear and lots of sexy dancing and twerking.

A lot of the music video it is shot in downtown Houston, where Travis is from.

Tribute to his girl: Travis rocks a giant 'Stormi' necklace which is encrusted with diamonds

'Pass this to my daughter': The Goosebumps hitmaker raps about girlfriend Kylie Jenner, 21, and their eight-month-old daughter Stormi Webster in the song

Sicko mode: The video is quite surreal, jumps from scene-to-scene and has three main parts

King Travis: The hip-hop star sits on a worn-out arm chair in what appears to be an outdoor area with a burning barrel beside him

Eye candy: Another model cycles by in her underwear

In the raciest scene the hip-hop star sits on a worn-out armchair in what appears to be an outdoor area with a burning barrel beside him.

The ladies lie on their sides, accentuating their figures in tiny thongs, as they gaze up at Travis.

The video is quite surreal, jumps from scene-to-scene and has three main parts; Drake raps at the beginning before Travis takes over for the majority of the clip and then back to Drake at the end.

Ahead of its unveiling the rapper couldn't hide his excitement and stayed up all night in anticipation for the video drop.

Dressed up: The Houston-born rapper wears a variety of outfits in the video

Bootylicious: Another dancer twerks wearing a lacy white bodysuit

'Staying up literally till 9am to watch this sicko mode' he wrote on Twitter at 10pm on Thursday.

He again tweeted at 7am 'BRUH IM STILL UP. WAITING ON SICKO MODE TO DROP. IM ON MY 7th CAFFEINE SIP. IVE WATCH 4 WES ANDERSON MOVIES. CAN 9 am COME FAST ENOUGH'.

The official music video comes after Travis also filmed a live Sicko World video at Drake's recent concert in Toronto.

He continues his Astroworld: Wish You Were Here tour next month in Baltimore.

Travis and Kylie welcomed daughter Stormi, their first child together, in February.

No sleep: The rapper couldn't hide his excitement for the video drop and stayed up all night in anticipation for it

Still up: He again tweeted at 7am revealing he was drinking caffeinated drinks to stay awake
Teen Mom star Jenelle Evan accused her husband of violently attacking her in a frantic 911 call made while she was recovering from a nose job on Saturday.

The 26-year-old could be heard crying hysterically while accusing drunk and aggressive David Eason of breaking her collarbone in a recording of the call obtained by TMZ on Friday.

She said her children were sleeping upstairs during the assault.

A spokesperson for Jenelle tried to cover up the incident this week, insisting she had tripped and fallen into a bonfire while hosting friends at her home.

Disturbing: Jenelle Evans cries hysterically as she tells an 911 operator that her husband Dave Eason attacked her. The incident happened not long after she posted this picture on Saturday, which shows her recovering from a nose job with Eason by her side

In the call Jenelle says Eason 'pinned her down on the ground' so hard she heard her 'collarbone crack.' She continued to tell the operator that she had no feeling in her arm because of the injuries.

She also said that Eason was drunk and suggests that he flew into a rage because he was inebriated. When asked if he has 'weapons', Evans first tells the operator 'no' before clarifying 'I don't know what he has.'

The incident happened while Jenelle was recovering from surgery to repair a deviated septum in her nose. She also revealed that the family's four children were in the house 'sleeping' at the time of the incident.

Jenelle broke her silence about the alleged assault to E! News Friday, dismissing the incident as just 'drunk and dramatic misunderstanding.'

The MTV persona seemed to walk back her accusations, telling E! News 'It was a drunk and dramatic misunderstanding. Everything is great. We are totally fine  just taking time off social media, time to focus on ourselves and our family.'

On Saturday Law enforcement responded to a 911 call alleging an assault had taken place and an ambulance was called.

However, she ended up being taken to a medical facility by a private vehicle and a spokesperson for authorities in Columbus County, North Carolina, said no official incident report was taken.

The original call came from a female around 10 p.m. and was calling in 'an assault', according to the Columbus County Chief Of 911 Operations.

Jenelle lives at her home with husband Dave Eason with whom she shares 21-month-old daughter Ensley. She is also mom to son Jace, eight, whom she with ex Andrew Lewis, and son Kaiser, four, with ex Nathan Griffith.

Dave has a daughter from a previous relationship.

Violent: In the call Jenelle claims Eason 'pinned her down on the ground' so hard she heard her 'collarbone crack.' She also said that Eason was drunk and suggests that he flew into a rage because he was inebriated. The pair are pictured here in 2017

Reps for the MTV reality star told People Thursday that she had been injured when she 'had friends over Saturday night and they had a bonfire on her property.'

'Jenelle ended up tripping and falling by the fire,' they explained.

She was not filming for her reality show, according to insiders.

'Family and friends' of the star 'hope she leaves' Eason, according to a source who spoke to Us Weekly.

The Teen Mom star deleted her Twitter account following reports she was hospitalized after police were called to her home on Saturday.

Before scrubbing her social media, the Teen Mom star posted a photo to her Instagram on Saturday showing herself with a bandaged nose and wearing dark glasses as she lies propped up in a hospital bed with Dave by her side.

Using hashtags, she said she was having a 'rough recovery' following septoplasty, a procedure to repair a deviated septum.

Hurting: The Teen Mom star posted a photo to her Instagram on Saturday showing herself with a bandaged nose and wearing dark glasses as she lies propped up in a hospital bed with Dave by her side

Mom of three: The reality star, 26, who lives in North Carolina, has sons Jace, eight, and Kaiser, four, with former partners and also a 21-month-old daughter Ensley with husband Dave Eason. David has a daughter from a previous relationship

While she has deleted her Twitter account, she still maintains her presence on Instagram and Facebook.

Though Jenelle said she was taking a break from the internet, David shared several posts of the pair together.

In a video from today the couple are seen playing with their daughter, but Evans' face is conspicuously kept out of the frame.

He also shared a provocative photo of Jenelle's rear end, completely ignoring the controversy at hand.

But commenters didn't let him off the hook, flooding the post with call outs about the alleged domestic abuse.

He later turned the comment feature off.

David posted this picture of his wife on Thursday, days after the alleged attack

Playing happy families: In a video from today the couple are seen playing with their daughter, but Evans' face is conspicuously kept out of the frame

Jenelle's mother Barbara has expressed fear over her grandchildren's well-being.

Opening up on last season's Teen Mom 2 reunion Barbara said: 'I dont feel Jenelle is OK. David is going to hurt her.'

She wasn't afraid to express her disapproval for her child, tweeting several scathing things about Jenelle since news of her hospitalization.

'WOW....SHOCKING' she wrote in a retweet of a news story about the incident.

She also shared a photo of a trash can with the message: '**EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JENELLE**'

In August, Dave was 'cleared of criminal wrongdoing' in a child abuse investigation instigated by ex-fiance Nathan Griffith.

Back in July, Griffith had called 911 to accuse Eason of abusing their son Kaiser and leaving him with painful bruises.

Bad feeling: Jenelle's mother Barbara (above in 2015 together) has expressed fear over her grandchildren's well-being, telling people at the Teen Mom reunion 'I dont feel Jenelle is OK. David is going to hurt her'

Not surprised: Barbara wasn't afraid to express her disapproval for her child, tweeting several scathing things about Jenelle since news of her hospitalization

Not subtle: She also shared a photo of a trash can with the message: '**EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JENELLE**'

'I received my child and he has marks all over him,' Nathan told Columbus County Emergency Services at the time.'We asked [Kaiser] about it and he said David hit him with a stick.'

Jenelle denied the abuse accusations on Twitter.

According to TMZ, the Department Of Social Services found no signs of abuse during their visit to her home last month.

The exes are locked in a custody battle over Kaiser.

Meanwhile, Dave was fired from MTV earlier this year, after posting homophobic and transphobic messages to his Facebook.

In the now deleted posts, he wrote about how he would not going to let his children associate with LGBTQ people or 'be that way.'

MTV responded to public outcry saying: 'David Eason's personal comments do not reflect the views of MTV. With six weeks left of production on Teen Mom 2, effective immediately, we are ending our relationship with him.'
Fans have been urging them to 'get together' following Dianne Buswell's split from Emmerdale star Anthony Quinlan.

But choosing to ignore romance rumours, Joe Sugg and the Strictly Come Dancing professional, 29, instead were seen sharing a joke as they rehearsed for their upcoming performance on the series.

YouTuber Joe, 27, was seen poking fun at Dianne in an amusing video he shared to Instagram on Friday.

Shunning the rumours! Joe Sugg and Dianne Buswell have ignored fans desires for them to 'get together' following the dancer's split from boyfriend Anthony Quinlan

The star was seen walking alongside a member of the crew who was clad in a jumper with Dianne's name across it and joked: 'Dianne, since when did you grow a beard?'

The crew member then spoke in an Australian accent, imitating Dianne as he said: 'I'm so proud of you Joe, you've really come a long way.'

Joe made sure to tag his dance partner in the videos he shared on social media and it wasn't long before Dianne reacted. She re-posted Joe's video and alongside a shot of him and the crew member, Dianne joked: 'I've never looked better.'

She and Joe were also seen playing around on a rubbish truck, with Dianne pretending to be his uber driver.

End of the road: Dianne and Emmerdale star Anthony Quinlan have called time on their relationship

Having fun: Joe and the Strictly Come Dancing professional, 29, were seen sharing a joke - and ignoring speculation - as they rehearsed for their upcoming performance on the series

Funny: Dianne re-posted Joe's video and alongside a shot of him and the crew member, Dianne joked: 'I've never looked better'

Playful: She and Joe were also seen playing around on a rubbish truck, with Dianne pretending to be his uber driver

Their playful display comes after news surfaced confirming Dianne's split from boyfriend of 10-months Anthony. Reports claim her relationship with the soap star broke down due to 'long distance'.

The split came amid claims everyone on Strictly had been discussing how 'close' Dianne and Joe had become on the show, with the flame-haired beauty said to be 'enjoying spending time' with Joe following her break up.

'Everyone on set's been discussing how close they'd become. It did not go unnoticed by Anthony,' a source told The Sun.

All over: Their playful display comes after news surfaced confirming Dianne's split from boyfriend of 10-months Anthony was due to 'long distance'

'They are quite a fiery pair and have been clashing a bit more than often lately.

'A couple of weeks ago they just decided enough was enough and ended things. It was only a few days after the Katya and Seann pictures emerged.'

Seann Walsh and Strictly dancer Katya Jones have come under fire for kissing during a drunken night out. Seann had been with ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries at the time, while Katya is married to fellow Strictly professional Neil Jones.

The insider added that despite being 'quite serious' they ended things because he was in the North and she's working in London and things weren't 'working' anymore.

Drama: It came amid claims everyone on Strictly had been discussing how 'close' Dianne and Joe had become on the show, with sources claiming it 'hadn't gone unnoticed' by Anthony

The source alleged that while Dianne was hit hard by their last break-up, she seemed less upset by this split and was 'having a lot of fun' on Strictly.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Strictly, Anthony and Joe for comment.

Anthony and Dianne were introduced by Gemma Atkinson, 33, who is dating Strictly pro Gorka Marquez, 27, in December after she worked with Anthony on Emmerdale.

'Can they just get together': Fans have been urging Joe and Dianne to become romantically involved after watching their partnership develop on Strictly

In the wake of her split with Anthony, fans have been championing her partnership with Joe, with many urging the pair to 'get together' as a couple.

They penned: 'Can joe sugg and dianne buswell please get together like now thanks.

'i hope joe and dianne get together after the show they have such a nice connection, they'd be so cute together.

'i don't know but i feel like @Joe_Sugg and Dianne are going to end up falling for each other, their chemistry is just so pure #Strictly #SCD2018.'

Strictly has found itself under scrutiny in recent weeks following the fallout from Seann and Katya's smooch after a boozy night out.

All over: Seann Walsh's ex-girlfriend Rebecca Humphries dumped the comedian after pictures surfaced of him kissing Katya on a night out on Rebecca's birthday

Going strong: Katya and Seann defiantly brushed off the drama to perform on Strictly Come Dancing the weekend following them locking lips

Seann was publicly dumped by his ex-girlfriend of five years Rebecca for the kiss, that took place on her birthday, while Katya has insisted her marriage to Neil is 'absolutely fine' despite her actions. Neil is yet to comment publicly on the incident.

Despite the kiss causing outrage among viewers and many calling for the duo to be axed from the competition, reports claim the Strictly crew are throwing their support behind Seann and Katya.

A source told The Sun: 'Cast and crew were offering support. Whatever they think of the kiss they know it must have been a horrid week for them.

'He knows what he did was wrong but he feels he has done everything he can after kissing Katya and is desperate to get the chance to move on with Strictly and with his life.

Moving on: Reports surfaced claiming the Strictly crew have thrown their support behind Katya and Seann, with sources saying: 'He knows what he did was wrong'

'He is training hard and is going to give everything he can in the performance. It is going to be emotion-packed as he and Katya know millions are watching their every move.'

Many fans were adamant that Seann and Katya would be eliminated after their scandalous behaviour, but Katie Piper and Gorka Marquez were the latest couple to be sent home - saving the controversial pair.

Seann and Katya have defiantly insisted they are 'not giving up' despite the controversy surrounding them on the show, as they continue to work together on Strictly.

They will return to the Strictly dancefloor on Saturday night alongside Dianne and Joe who will be taking on the waltz.
Paris Hilton has become the victim of a stalker who turned up at her home in the same gated community as Kendall Jenner, who was also targeted this week.

A man who 'looked insane and unstable' managed to get past security to reach Hilton's house in Los Angeles twice this week, according to aTooFab source.

According to the website Hilton, 37, wasn't home at the time and her fiance Chris Zylka reportedly confronted the man and told him to leave.

Paris Hilton became the victim of a stalker this week as a man who appeared 'unstable' managed to get past security at her gated community in Los Angeles

When he refused Zylka then called security to escort him out. The man had apparently posed as a delivery man to get past the front security gate.

After his first attempt he apparently returned on Thursday night and tried to get into Hilton's home, which is when cops were called.

Hilton is currently in Italy promoting her ProD.N.A line of Paris Hilton Skincare products.

TooFab reports the DJ has now increased security at her home, adding 24-hour armed guards.

According to TooFab Hilton, 37, wasn't home at the time and her fiance Chris Zylka reportedly confronted the man and told him to leave

It comes the same week a stalker was arrested at Jenner's home in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

The accused stalker, a native of Canada named John Ford, was arrested after he was found on the supermodel's porch.

To access the exclusive property Ford had to scale the side of a mountain adjacent to the home.

After his first attempt he apparently returned on Thursday night and tried to get into Hilton's home, which is when cops were called

Worrying: It comes the same week a stalker was arrested at Kendall Jenner's home in the same gated community

Authorities put him on a 5150 psychiatric hold, at which point - due to his lack of insurance - he was transported to Los Angeles County Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, the outlet reported.

Ford was determined to be stable mentally by a psychiatrist, and released from the hold well short of the 72-hour maximum.

TMZ reports he was re-arrested Thursday in connection with criminal trespassing and violation of a restraining order, with officials setting bail at $30,000, the outlet reported.

Ford was not on or near the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star's property during his apprehension Thursday.

Unhinged: The accused stalker, a native of Canada named John Ford, was arrested after he was found on the supermodel's porch on Tuesday

Due to overcrowding in LA County Jail, it is likely he was released within the day, the outlet reported.

TMZ reports that if Ford, 37, is found guilty of misdemeanor criminal trespass he will face a maximum of six months behind bars.

He had been arrested in September after a break-in, pleaded guilty to a trespassing charge, and was issued a restraining order to remain at least 1,000 feet in distance from the property.

He did not obey, as he was spotted on the property twice since, with authorities placing him into custody the second time he was spotted on Tuesday.

Cautious: Kendall's team is seeking a modified restraining order against the suspected stalker

Flip-side of fame: Kendall has dealt with a number of stalkers in recent years

Ford is slated for an arraignment, insiders told the outlet, and could be released on his own recognizance ahead of a potential trial.

Kendall's legal team, headed by Shawn Holley, is seeking to obtain a civil restraining order against Ford, which would implement additional restrictions on the proximity he could be to the gated community where Kendall lives.

The gated community where the oldest daughter of Caitlyn and Kris Jenner lives is taking additional security measures in both manpower and fencing, TMZ previously reported. The area is a hotbed for celebs, with stars such as Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears also residing there.
Two of the original fab five have reunited and are heading back to the network that made them famous in a new show that will transform the lives and homes of people all around America.

And, the Bravo stars told DailyMailTV's Senior Correspondent Alicia Quarles that they'd love their former Queer Eye co-stars to make a appearance on their new design docu-series.

Get a Room With Carson & Thom will see the television stars help out interior design challenged folks turn their homes into works of art.

Get a Room! Queer Eye for the Straight Guy castmates Carson Kressley and Thom Filicia joined DailyMailTV to share some details about their upcoming new show Get a Room With Carson & Thom

Design duo: The best friends are going to transform the boring and drab homes of America into something fabulous

New adventures: It's been 15 years since the stars joined forces in the first season of the original Queer Eye

In addition to teasing their new series, the duo also took a walk down memory lane and reminisced about their iconic show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Kressley and Filicia starred alongside Ted Allen, Kyan Douglas and Jai Rodriguez on the first-of-it's-kind transformational reality show from 2003 to 2007.

'You know, doing Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was such a life changing experience for us,' Kressley said.

The 48-year-old fashion guru recently got into some hot water about a comment he made regarding the Netflix reboot of their Emmy winning show.

During a red carpet interview, Carson told a reporter he was 'thrilled' the reboot was nominated for an Emmy but clarified that 'it was a little more groundbreaking back when we won an Emmy in 2004.'

However, the two original QE stars seemed to have nothing but love for the reboot while sitting down with DMTV.

Bravo: Thom and Carson are returning to Bravo with their new show; the same network that aired their 'life changing' first series

Fab Five: Left to right in 2003, Jai Rodriguez, Ted Allen, Carson Kressley, Thom Filicia and Kyan Douglas

Faux pas: Carson recently got into hot water over a statement he made about the revamped version of the award wining show

In 2018, Netflix revived the series and cast Antoni Porowski, Karamo Brown, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France and Bobby Berk as the revamped Fab Five. The new series released two eight-episode seasons in one year and was met with widespread acclaim.

Thom Filicia, 49, told Quarles that he's watched the revival.

'We've seen a bunch of the episodes,' Carson agreed.

He elaborated: 'And, what I think is so great: Queer Eye has always been about looking at things from a different perspective and I think it probably needed the new young cast to kind of look at it through today's lens.'

Carson clarified his original statement about the reboot to People Now: 'I did a red carpet during the Emmy's and the reporter actually said, "The show isn't as groundbreaking."

Confessions: The stars admitted they've both watched the Netflix reboot of their series

A lot to learn: Carson will learn the ropes of interior design from Thom in Get a Room

'And I said, "Well, maybe it's not as groundbreaking in that it's not the first version, but it's certainly a great show and the guys do a fantastic job."'

As for the rest of the original Fab Five, the Get a Room star's said there is a chance they might make an appearance on their new show.

'Possibly, we've talked about it,' Thom said regarding his former castmates.

'We wanna do that,' he added.

The pair's new show will see them taking on more of a master and apprentice role as Thom guides Carson through the thick and thin of interior design.

Cameos? Thom told DailyMailTV that they've talked about bringing on the rest of the Fab Five for an episode or two

'I love interior design:' While Thom is the expert, Carson has been bitten by the interior design bug

Style and substance: Each episode will see the experts working together on rooms for two different clients

'Carson has been bitten by the decor bug,' according to Bravo, 'and he's looking to his interior designer buddy, Thom, to take him under his wing and teach him the design trade from soup to nuts.'

Thom concurred that Carson's newfound love for design helped get the show in motion.

'He's been stalking me,' the design star joked.

'I love interior design,' chimed Carson.

Kressley's usual expertise centered around one part of a home, the wardrobe, as he's made a name for himself as one of the premiere voices in fashion.

'They're really similar kinds of fields: fashion design, fashion styling and interior design,' he explained to DMTV.

While the style veteran has an eye for home decor and design, he still needed some guidance.

'He's been stalking me:' Thom said that Carson's new love for interior design prompted the two old friends to get together for the show

Issues: The pair promised there would be high drama and clashes with clients on the new series

Tune in! Get a Room With Carson & Thom premieres Friday, October 19 at 9PM ET/PT on Bravo

'I really needed to learn the science of it and Thom is so talented and has been doing this for forever.'

He added jokingly: 'I mean, look how old he is.'

Get a Room, which premieres Friday, October 19 at 9PM ET/PT, will see the pair 'help fight the uniformity and ubiquity of American home design.'

Each episode has two lucky clients with different budgets turning to the design duo to help create something spectacular and unique.

The best friends and colleagues did warn DailyMailTV that fans can expect some drama with the drapes and clashes with clients who just can't get on board with their vision.

Get a Room is available to stream in the UK & Ire on hayu
Kendall Jenner's alleged stalker was caught on her porch by her security team on Tuesday, just days after seen sitting by her pool.

And the model has now obtained a restraining order against the 37-year-old man - John Ford - according to TMZ.

The 22-year-old catwalk queen was home when he rang her doorbell on Tuesday at 6:30, according to the declaration obtained by the outlet, where she said the 'repeated stalking' has caused her emotional distress.

Law: Kendall Jenner obtained a restraining order against her alleged stalker, according to TMZ

The website reported that she stated he has shown up at her residence four times in the past three months. Three different incidences - one in September and two times in October - have been reported; the fourth incident has not been disclosed when it occurred.

Security at her gated community has also increased; there are security personnel at the mountainside Ford used to breach her property. Fences are also being installed for further security measures, according to TMZ.

Her lawyer Shawn Holley filed for a civil restraining order for Kendall on Friday, which the judge granted. It is a court order that protects an individual from someone - banning them from contacting him or her or any members of their household, come near their home or their workplace and not have a gun, according to Courts.ca.gov.

A temporary restraining order lasts approximately 20 to 25 days until a court hearing.

TMZ added that she stated in the document that 'despite all of my efforts to get him to stop,' 'the fact that he has continued to come to my home scares me.'

Protecting herself: The 22-year-old catwalk queen was home when he rang her doorbell on Tuesday at 6:30, according to the declaration obtained by the outlet, where she said the 'repeated stalking' has caused her emotional distress

Ford must stay 100 yards away from the model and her home, according to the order by the judge.

His most recent trespass occurred on Tuesday.

Kendall stated in the TMZ obtained restraining order filing that Ford 'rang her doorbell at 6:30 am' when she was home.

TMZ reported that Ford climbed an non-secure mountainside to breach her property.

Her security team stopped him and called the police who then arrested him; he was released one day later - on Wednesday.

Ford was placed in a 5150, where a person can be held for up to 72 hours; he is a Canadian citizen and had no insurance so was taken to L.A. County hospital.

He was released 36 hours later, after a psychiatrist deemed him mentally stable.

Crime: His most recent trespass occurred on Tuesday

Last week he was caught in her backyard by her pool, after scaling the mountainside next to her property.

Her security team saw him but he disappeared before police could arrest him.

According to TMZ police, on Thursday he was re-arrested by LAPD; the arrest was not near or at Kendall's home.

He was arrested and booked for criminal trespass and violating a restraining order.

TMZ reported that he is in jail with a bail set at $56,000.

In September, Ford trespassed her property, which led to Kendall filing a criminal protective order, which is also known as a 'stay away order.'

Courts.gov.ca describes a criminal protective order when a district attorney files criminal charges against the individual when there is a series of incidences.

This is turns starts a criminal court case.
The Lee University Chorale will present its fall concert on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Lee Chapel.

The concert, a performance of sacred choral music in celebration of Lees Centennial year, will include Psalms, hymns, and spirituals by Leonard Bernstein, Estonian composer Cyrillus Kreek and American composer Theodore Morrison.

Many of the pieces were selected based on their connection with 1918, the year of Lees founding. Featured pieces include Chichester Psalms by Bernstein, Down by the Riverside, Psalm 84 by Morrison, Taaveti Laulud (Psalms of David) by Kreek, and hymn settings such as Amazing Grace and St. Patricks Hymn.

A highlight of the program is The Flame Divine, an original song by Lee music professor John Wykoff, commissioned in commemoration of the Centennial.

Chorale is honored to be a part of the Centennial celebration of the university and has put together a wonderful program that looks back at music a century ago, coupled with some remarkable modern pieces, including the newly commissioned work, said Chorale director Dr. William R. Green.

Dr. Green joined the faculty of Lee University in 2004 and now serves as professor of choral music and dean of the School of Music. He is active nationally and internationally as a guest conductor, adjudicator and clinician, and has presented workshops throughout the United States.

Chorale is an ensemble of highly motivated vocalists who are selected by audition. An emphasis is placed on the diversity and breadth of traditional choral literature. Chorale has been featured in performances with the Chattanooga Symphony, at Carnegie Hall, and throughout Europe.

The concert is a free, non-ticketed event, and it is open to the public. The Lee Chapel is located on the corner of Ocoee and 11th Streets.

For more information about the concert and other School of Music events, call 614-8240 or visit http://leeuniversity.edu/academics/music/.




The YES Bank stock fell in early trade today after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday refused to grant more time to the bank's long serving CEO and MD Rana Kapoor and asked the private sector lender to appoint his successor latest by February 1, 2019. At 10:35 am, the YES Bank stock was trading 6.86% or 15.50 points lower at 216.25 on the BSE.

The stock of the private sector lender opened at 227 level and fell to intra day high and low of 230.45 and 214.70 (7.30%), respectively. It has been falling for the last two days and lost 13.28% during the period. It opened at a loss of 2.05% in trade today. The stock has shed 31.38% since the beginning of this year and lost 39.62% during the last one year.

30 of 46 brokerages rate the stock "buy" or 'outperform', 12 "hold", two "underperform" and two "sell", according to analysts' recommendations tracked by Reuters.

The RBI on Wednesday refused to grant more time to YES Bank's long serving CEO and MD Rana Kapoor and asked the private sector lender to appoint his successor latest by February 1, 2019.

Last month, the bank's board had sought at least a three-month extension for Kapoor from the RBI beyond January 31, 2019, stating that finding a suitable successor is a "time consuming challenge".

The central bank, however, has not agreed to the suggestion and insisted YES Bank's board should find his successor within the stipulated time.

"The Reserve Bank of India has reaffirmed that a successor to Shri Rana Kapoor, MD & CEO, YES Bank should be appointed by February 1, 2019," the lender said in a stock exchange filing.

The apex bank had earlier curtailed the three-year term that the board had sought for Kapoor, also one of the promoters of the bank, to January 31, 2019, and asked the bank to find a replacement. Kapoor has been in his position since the inception of the bank in 2004.

Meanwhile, Equinomics has reiterated its 'buy' call on the stock. In a note, the brokerage said, "The bank has more than doubled its loan market share - to 2.3% in March 2018 from 0.8% in March 2014. It has also increased its market share within private banks to 7.8% in March 2018 from 4.1% in March 2014, as it outpaced its peers in terms of the loan growth (mainly from FY2016).

The current market price trades at two times its Q1FY2019 Adjusted Book Value of Rs 106 and at 1.8 times its FY2019 expected Adjusted Book Value of Rs 120. We firmly reiterate our BUY call (which we initiated at Rs 201/ on October, 3, 2018) on YES Bank with a target price of Rs 300/ with a time horizon of 1 to 2 years."
She has been at odds with her Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills castmates for weeks.

Now Lisa Vanderpump plans to skip co-star Camille Grammer's wedding to lawyer David C. Meyer in Hawaii this weekend.

Dorit Kemsley, Kyle Richards, Teddi Mellencamp, and Lisa Rinna are expected to all be on hand for the grand ceremony on The Big Island on Saturday.

Rift: Lisa Vanderpump is not planning to attend RHOBH co-star Camille Grammer's wedding in Hawaii this weekend; the ladies are pictured together in West Hollywood in August 2015

'Camille couldnt care less that Lisa Vanderpump is skipping out on her big wedding day,' a source told Hollywood Life. 'She is so excited to tie the knot again and so happy that the cameras are rolling.'

Us reported that Vanderpump has been keeping her distance from her costars after she was allegedly caught in a lie.

There have also been reports that the relationship between Vanderpump and her castmates took a turn for the worse after Dori Kemsley adopted a chihuahua mix from Lisa's dog rescue, and then returned it to another shelter after it tried to bite her kids.

The reaction: 'Camille couldnt care less that Lisa Vanderpump is skipping out on her big wedding day,' a source told Hollywood Life

The ongoing battle: Tensions have gotten so bad Lisa hasn't been speaking to any cast members; Erika Girardi, Grammer, Lisa Rinna and Vanderpump in 2015

Ceremony pass: 'Lisa is both stressed and relieved as she finally made the decision yesterday (Tuesday) not to attend Camilles wedding,' a source said; Kim Richards, Vanderpump and Grammer are pictured at the premiere party for RHOBH in December 2016

Tensions have gotten so bad Lisa hasn't been speaking to any cast members, with exception of newcomer Denise Richards, and she has been refusing to film with them.

'There have been numerous attempts from the other cast members to reach out to her and they have gone unanswered,' an insider told Us. 'She has kept her distance and now thats creating more problems with the cast.'

'Lisa is both stressed and relieved as she finally made the decision yesterday (Tuesday) not to attend Camilles wedding,' a source close to RHOBH revealed.

'Lisa refuses to handle the stress of the event and doesnt see the point in putting herself in an uncomfortable situation.'

Both Erika Girardi and Denise Richards couldn't make it to the wedding due to previous work or family commitments.

The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills is expected to return to Bravo in 2019.


Country pop princess Taylor Swift certainly gave her all at the first of her Australian concerts in Perth on Friday.

Taking to the stage as part of her Reputation world tour, the 28-year-old commanded attention.

Clad in a sparkling black bodysuit and thigh-high boots, the Sparks Fly hit-maker made a number of animated expressions.

Sparks Fly! Taylor Swift, 28, put on a hair-raising performance at her first Australian concert in Perth on Friday, as part of her Reputation world tour

Taylor put on an energetic performance, flipping her hair back and forth and making a number of animated facial expressions.

Revealing her slim figure in a racy black bodysuit with cut-out detailing, the blonde beauty teamed the look with thigh-high lace-up boots.

A dark red lip and a slick of blue polish on her talons added to the show-stopping look.

Energetic: Taylor put on an energetic performance, flipping her hair back and forth and making a number of animated facial expressions

Dazzling: The blonde beauty donned a sparkling black bodysuit and thigh-high lace-up boots

Thrilling: The show featured pyrotechnics and routines by a group of talented back-up dancers

Taylor later made costume changes, including a black and silver embellished playsuit and a black and gold leotard with zipper detail.

Taylor addressed the 45,000-strong crowd: 'Good evening Perth. Thank you for being here with us on the first night of our Australian tour in this beautiful brand new stadium.

'We are so happy to be here with you. You set the bar for how crazy fans can be.'

Taylor kept her fans in mind, having gifted each audience member with a wristband that lit up in time to the music.

Crowd in mind: Taylor kept her fans in mind, having gifted each audience member with a wristband that lit up in time to the music

Costume change: Taylor later donned another outfit, consisting of a black and silver embellished playsuit

Wardrobe: The close pal of Selena Gomez also sported a black and gold leotard with zipper detail during the show

The rest of the performance featured pyrotechnics and routines by a group of talented back-up dancers.

Taylor will next travel to Melbourne for a show on October 26.

The close pal of Selena Gomez will then make her way to Sydney's ANZ Stadium on November 2, before heading back to Brisbane for her final show.

Gestures: Taylor mingled with fellow singers and fans at Perth's Optus Stadium

Multi-talented: Taylor, clad in a rose patterned sparkling jacket and black boots, showed off her skills on guitar
Kim Kardashian has revealed she's 'insecure and shy' in the bedroom.

Talking to Richardson Magazine for its 20th anniversary cover story, the 37-year-old reality star acknowledged how her wild and sexual public persona differs from the one at home.

'I'm actually uncomfortable when I talk about sex,' she tells the erotica publication, 'But Im vain like that. I can go on a set and be fully naked in front of 50 people doing a shoot, but if Im one-on-one, intimate in bed, Im, like, shy and insecure.

'I definitely have two different personalities': Kim Kardashian has revealed she's shy and insecure in the bedroom

'I definitely have two different personalities like that. But I think motherhood has actually made me more confident about being publicly sexy.'

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, who rose to fame after a sex-tape of her with then-boyfriend Ray J leaked.

The racy video helped spawn Keeping Up With The Kardashians which hit TV screens in Octonber 2007.

'Everyone deals with things differently, and I seem to deal with things  whether the sex tape, the [2016 Paris] robbery, even the death of my dad [Robert Kardashian], who was the most important person in my life  I push to just overcome it,' she told the magazine. 'I just dont have a victim mentality. Thats never been my personality. Ive always been, like, the victor  "I can get past this, and this will not define me."'

'If Im one-on-one, intimate in bed, Im, like, shy and insecure': Kim, 37, told erotica magazine Richardson. She didn't seem shy in this snap she posted to Instagram last month

Elsewhere in the interview Kim, who is a mother-of-three to daughters North, five, Saint, two and Chicago, nine months, with husband Kanye West, talks about feeling not-so-sexy after pregnancy.

'I was somebody who gained 60 or 70 pounds in my pregnancies and felt so unlike myself and so unsexy,' she confessed.

'Literally, at the end, when you can't even have sex, I thought, "I'm never going to have sex again in my life!" I just felt so bad about myself in my soul.'

'I was somebody who gained 60 or 70 pounds in my pregnancies and felt so unlike myself and so unsexy,' Kim confessed to feeling miserable when she was bigger during pregnancy

'Literally, at the end, when you can't even have sex, I thought, "I'm never going to have sex again in my life!' Kim said. She's pictured with husband Kanye in September 2015 before welcoming son Saint

Kim said she took a while to lose the post-pregnancy weight but once she had, she felt better than ever.

'I didnt lose weight that quickly. But I'd say eight months later, I had probably my best body ever,

'I felt like, "I did this. I lost all this weight on my own. I feel better than ever!" I just put my body through that, and it was so empowering when I did a nude shoot.'

For the accompanying cover photo Kim strips off to just a white thong as she poses legs open while sitting on a stool.

The spread by Steven Klein was inspired by Japanese animated psychological thriller Perfect Blue.
After 16 hit seasons, Bravo's Project Runway will start fresh with new host Karlie Kloss and mentor Christian Siriano, with departing host Heidi Klum admitting the show has been 'stale for years.'

During an interview with People, Heidi Klum, who hosted the show alongside mentor Tim Gunn, thinks the show is in need of fresh blood.

'I can see how they are going to change it, because it needed some change. It has been stale for sixteen [seasons],' Klum, 45, said.

Time for a change: Departing Project Runway host Heidi Klum admits she thinks the show has been 'stale for years' ahead of her and Tim Gunn's departure

Last week, Bravo announced Kloss and Siriano, who Klum has plenty of faith in.

'I dont think they need advice,' Klum said at theWe left Project Runway in great hands, with Karlie [Kloss] and Christian Siriano, and I think they are going to do a great job,' Klum said at the amfAR Gala in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The America's Got Talent judge added that her time on Project Runway was, 'great,' she also acknowledged, 'it needed something new too.'

Leaving Runway: Klum and Gunn have been with the show since the series it launched in 2004, but it was announced in September that they were both leaving to start a new fashion program for Amazon

Klum and Gunn have been with the show since the series it launched in 2004, but it was announced in September that they were both leaving to start a new fashion program for Amazon.

While the title has yet to be revealed, the official announcement said it would be, 'a fresh take in the reality space and will appeal to a global audience who are entertained by competition, storytelling, and authenticity.

The show will also be linked to a 'shoppable experience' from Amazon Fashion that Amazon boasted, 'is perfectly suited to the cord cutter generation and streaming consumers.'

Looking back: The America's Got Talent judge added that her time on Project Runway was, 'great,' she also acknowledged, 'it needed something new too'

Kloss and Siriano will be joined by ELLE Editor-in-Chief Nina Garcia, fashion designer Brandon Maxwell and former Teen Vogue Editor-in-Chief Elaine Welteroth as judges.

The new season is currently in the pre-production phase, slated to debut on Bravo at some point in 2019.

Klum and Gunn's currently-untitled series doesn't have a premiere date yet either, but it will launch globally in over 200 countries.

Dynamic duo: Klum and Gunn's currently-untitled series doesn't have a premiere date yet either, but it will launch globally in over 200 countries

Klum also lends her voice to Jade and Bertha in the new animated movie Arctic Justice, which opened last weekend in the U.K.

She also serves as a judge on NBC's hit reality series America's Got Talent, which wrapped up its 13th season last month.

The 45-year-old model has also made headlines and turned heads by dating 29-year-old Tom Kaulitz.
Her latest film Boy Erased has already been tipped for Oscar nominations.

And on Thursday in New York, Nicole Kidman spoke candidly about playing the mother of a gay teenager subjected to gay conversion therapy.

The 51-year-old cut a smart casual figure for the occasion in a tailored white blazer, cropped jeans by Sezane and sneakers.

Scroll down for video

In conversation with Nicole Kidman: The 51-year-old actress spoke candidly at the New York reception for Boy Erased on Thursday, as the film continues to attract Oscar buzz

Nicole posed for photos prior to a sit-down interview with Alison Bailes.

The wife of Keith Urban sported a white blouse, teamed with a double-breasted suit jacket and cropped lightwash jeans.

Nicole added a pair of white sneakers and delicate jewels to the look.

Smart casual: Nicole sported a white blouse, teamed with a double-breasted suit jacket, cropped lightwash jeans and white sneakers

In profile: The Grace of Monaco star styled her strawberry blonde locks in soft waves, framing an elegant makeup palette

Talking points: Nicole posed for photos prior to a sit-down interview with Alison Bailes

The Grace of Monaco star styled her strawberry blonde locks in soft waves, framing an elegant makeup palette.

Nicole plays Nancy Eamons, Jared's conflicted mother in the drama film directed by Joel Edgerton.

As much as Nancy loves her child, she struggles to come to terms with her son's homosexuality.

Starring role: Nicole plays Nancy Eamons, Jared's conflicted mother in the drama film Boy Erased, directed by Joel Edgerton

Conflicted: Nancy loves her child but struggles to come to terms with her son's sexuality

Lucas Hedges, plays the role of a 21-year-old Jared Eamons, who is subjected to gay conversion therapy by his parents, with Russell Crowe playing his Baptist father.

Australian-born Joel Edgerton, 44, recently told news.com.au that he hopes the film will shed light on the extent of gay conversion therapy and become a 'great conversation starter'.

According to a recent study by La Trobe University and the Human Rights Law Centre, there are currently 10 organisations in Australia providing gay conversion therapy.

Acclaim: The film is already tipped for Oscar nominations

Social: Nicole happily posed for photos with television and film producer Jean Doumanian [left] and actress Celia Weston [centre]

'On one hand it's an identifier for young people to go, "I'm not alone; here's a story I can identify with",' Joel began.

'The other side of it is for parents, to educate parents about what someone else went through and the decisions they've made and how in the aftermath of that they realised that maybe they'd made a mistake and they're both evolving in their own way. It's a great conversation starter,' he added.

Boy Erased is out in cinemas on November 8.
A Philadelphia songwriter has been awarded more than $44 million in damages in a suit that targeted the co-writers of a hit Usher song.

A jury last week awarded the sum to Daniel Marino, who claims he was cut out of profits and credit from song that was recorded by Usher, although Usher himself wasn't named in the suit.

His former co-writer William Guice was ordered to pay $6.75 million in compensatory damages, and $20.25 million in punitive damages.

Big payday: Philadelphia songwriter Daniel Marino was awarded $44 million in damages for his work on a hit song recorded by Usher (seen above in a 2016 performance)

Also last week Destro Music Productions, owned by co-defendant Dante Barton, agreed to pay Marino $17.35 million. That brings his total award to $44.35 million.

The lawsuit stemmed from Marino's work on a song called Club Girl.

Marino says he created most of the song, including its guitar hook, tempo and chord progression. The song was recorded by Usher in 2004 and renamed Bad Girl.

Birthday party: Usher, seen at his 40th birthday party on Sunday, wasn't named a defendant in Marino's lawsuit

Marino was represented by Francis Malofiy, who is currently on another case involving the classic Led Zeppelin song Stairway to Heaven.

'The big thing in all these music cases, and I represent the creatives, is giving credit where credit is due, and thats really what we fought for the hardest,' Malofiy said.

'Were happy Marino got his day in court after seven years of litigation,' the attorney added.

The song Bad Girl was included on Usher's 2004 album Confessions, which Billboard said in 2012 was one of the best-selling albums of the decade.

The album sold over 10 million records, just the 19th album to eclipse that mark since SoundScan started tracking data in 1991.

There were 1.1 million albums sold in its first week, one of just 17 albums to sell over 1 million copies in a single week.
Vince Vaughn has pleaded not guilty to DUI charges stemming from an arrest in June.

The 48-year-old actor was pulled over in Manhattan Beach, California, at a DUI checkpoint on June 10.

He was charged last month with three misdemeanors including driving under the influence, driving with a 0.08 percent blood-alcohol content or higher, and refusing to comply with a peace officer or submit to an inspection.

Trouble: Vince Vaughn has pleaded not guilty to DUI charges stemming from his arrest on June 10 in Manhattan Beach, California

While stopped at a sobriety checkpoint at 12.40am the Wedding Crashers star was allegedly asked repeatedly to get out of his vehicle but he refused.

He was driving with a male passenger who was also arrested and charged with obstructing officers and public intoxication.

After his arrest and booking Vaughn was later released on $5,000 bail.

Vaughn's attorney Blair Berk entered the plea of not guilty to all counts as the actor was a no-show at Torrance Courthouse on Friday.

Vince was stopped at a sobriety checkpoint on June 10 and asked repeatedly to get out of his vehicle but he refused. He is charged with three misdemeanors

The Wedding Crashers star was with a male companion who also was charges with obstructing officers and public intoxication. (Vaughn is pictured with Owen Wilson who was not involved in the incident)

Judge Nicole Bershon asked Berk whether they had received Vaughns blood test results. Berk replied no, and she said she is expecting that it will take some time.

'But I think we are on track, Berk said.

If convicted of the three charges the star faces up to a year in county jail.

Vaughn is required to return to court on December 12 for a pretrial conference.

Vaughn is married to Kyla Weber and the couple have two children together; daughter Lochlyn, seven and son Vernon, five.
Flash flooding is forecast for parts of northeastern NSW over the weekend as a weather system developing off Queensland heads south.

The Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast are tipped to experience heavy rainfall and possible flooding on Sunday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

"We're expecting rainfall to peak on Sunday and the first part of Monday in association with the potential for a trough to move from Queensland further south into NSW," BOM forecaster Katarina Kovacevic said.

Ms Kovacevic said due to the nature of the weather system, it was still unkown exactly what areas would be most affected.
A Senate inquiry into the ABC should closely examine claims of political interference in the national broadcaster, say the Australian Greens.

The Greens will seek Labor, government and crossbench support in parliament for the inquiry, which was triggered by the sacking of ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie.

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield, former ABC board chair Justin Milne and the ABC board would be asked to front the inquiry, which would report by March 29 next year.

Releasing the proposed terms of reference, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the inquiry should seek to establish whether there was political interference in Ms Guthrie's sacking, the conduct of the chair and board, the workings of the board itself and interference in editorial decision making.

As well it would examine ways to strengthen the ABC's editorial independence.

"We know something has gone terribly wrong at a board level at the ABC," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"While dedicated staff and journalists continue doing their jobs, senators across party lines also need to rise above the politics and get to the bottom of what is going on with the ABC."
The Greens say the federal government's law changes to stop religious schools excluding LGBT students don't go far enough and should also protect teachers.

The party has confirmed it will introduce its own amendment to stop discrimination against both students and teachers on the basis of sexual or gender orientation, a move earlier flagged by leader Richard Di Natale.

"If you want the privilege of educating the next generation of young Australians, you don't have the right to discriminate, period," Senator Di Natale said.

LGBT rights activist and spokesperson for just.equal Rodney Croome has also called on the government and Labor to ban discrimination against LGBT students and teachers.

"If students in faith-based schools are to receive the best possible education, teachers must be employed on the basis of their skill, not their sexuality, Mr Croome said on Saturday morning.

But Prime Minister Scott Morrison has refused to commit to extending amendments to cover LGBT teachers, saying "there will be further opportunities to discuss broader questions".

"What I'm most concerned about now is that children are at risk of being expelled from schools," he said.

Labor's education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek also declined to pledge support for extending the laws, saying the protection of children was "a first step" and the opposition would then listen and speak with schools about discrimination against LGBT staff.

Catholic Schools NSW CEO Dallas McInerney welcomed the changes to anti-discrimination laws.

However he said Catholic education had never sought the right to expel students or to dismiss or refuse to hire staff based on their sexuality.

"All that we expect is that, once employed or enrolled, people within a Catholic school community adhere to the school's mission and values," Mr McInerney said.
Menard Optimistic Heading Into Kansas

Posted by: newsla on Oct 18, 2018 - 06:44 PM Menard Optimistic Heading Into Kansas



Fresh off a ninth-place finish in a typically topsy-turvy race at Talladega, Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/NIBCO team head to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400.



The veteran driver said hes feeling good about his teams prospects for Sundays race.



Im looking forward to getting back to Kansas, he said. Thats been a pretty good track for me.



Menard finished sixth in the KC Masterpiece 400 at Kansas in May and has five other top-10s there in his career. He also is encouraged by the performance of his No. 21 Fusion showed in a recent test session at Kansas, and hes interested to see how the race plays out.



We had good speed at the test, and we were surprised how fast the top groove came in, he said. You run right by the wall to get the best speed.



Its definitely going to be a little different than the average race on an intermediate track.



Looking back at Talladega, Menard said he was proud of the way his team kept its focus despite falling two laps down early in the race because of a flat tire and the resulting green-flag pit stop.



We fought through a lot and got a good finish, he said, adding that he believes his teams perseverance at Talladega is a sign of ongoing improvement. Were still learning each other, and were getting more comfortable with the decisions we make throughout the weekend.



Qualifying at Kansas is set for Friday at 7:10 p.m. Eastern Time, and the race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday with TV coverage for both events on NBCSN.



PaddockTalk Perspective




Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has intervened in the US-China trade battle saying that as a "trade-exposed country" it is in Australia's interest to "see cooler heads prevail".

His remarks were made during a discussion of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Indonesia.

"China is our number one trading partner and the US is our number one investor. We have a real stake in the global trading system," Mr Frydenberg said.

"The G20 should work to strengthen World Trade Organisation processes so that all parties have confidence in the rules-based trading system and the WTO as a forum for resolving trade differences."

"If we can make the WTO more relevant to the parties around this table, it will go a long way towards ensuring that these trade tensions do not escalate."

Present at the dinner discussion were China's Vice Minister of Finance Zou Jiyai, People's Bank of China governor Yi Gang, US Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell and US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

Mr Frydenberg reportedly had a separate meeting with Mr Mnuchin in which he invited him to visit Australia.
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.

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".

"By the time I introduced Donald Trump to the Egyptian president in September 2016, a politically motivated surveillance operation by at least the UK and Australia was targeted at me and the campaign for seven months," Papadopoulos wrote on Twitter earlier this week.

"Who authorised that?

"Congress has the answers."

Downer has denied Papadopoulos' claims.

Downer told The Australian newspaper Papadopoulos, during their London drinks, mentioned "the Russians might use material that they have on Hillary Clinton in the lead-up to the election, which may be damaging".

Downer said he passed the information back to Canberra "the following day or a day or two".

It eventually made its way to the FBI or US intelligence agencies.

"Alexander Downer will go down in history as a stooge for Clinton who single handedly caused irreparable damage between the USA-Australia," Papadopoulos wrote on Twitter last month.

"Congrats, buddy."
Former prime minister John Howard has told Liberal voters in Wentworth if they don't vote for the party's candidate in Saturday's by-election they risk "robbing" the Morrison government of its parliamentary majority.

"If enough people decide to register a protest vote then the seat could go to an independent and that will rob the Morrison government of its working majority and make the remaining months of this term of office very difficult," the former Liberal leader said when campaigning alongside candidate Dave Sharma in Double Bay.

It's been reported senior Liberals wanted former Wentworth MP and ex-PM Malcolm Turnbull to come out strongly in support of Mr Sharma but, in his absence, the party on Thursday brought out Mr Howard.

"There's no such thing in modern politics as an unlosable seat," he told reporters.

"This seat may have been held by the Liberal Party or its predecessors since federation but every election and every by-election is different."

Mr Howard acknowledged people were "grumpy" about the Liberal Party knifing Mr Turnbull as leader in August.

"A lot of people here are sad that he's not any longer the member and prime minister but others will take a view projecting forward," he said.

"They'll say we're unhappy about that but we're a lot more unhappy about the thought of having a Shorten (Labor) government snaffling our hard-earned savings."

Mr Howard joined Mr Sharma and Prime Minister Scott Morrison in condemning an email which falsely claimed independent frontrunner Kerryn Phelps was withdrawing from the contest because she'd been diagnosed with HIV.

"I think it's disgusting and I utterly repudiate it. It deserves our contempt," he said.

Mr Sharma in Double Bay said he'd welcome a police or electoral commission investigation into who was behind the "vile" email.

"These sort of things are despicable and they should be confronted and combated," he said.
Senators have forced a vote to kill off legislation for a national vote on returning to the White Australia policy.

Queensland senator Fraser Anning on Thursday tried to postpone debate on his own bill paving the way for an end to non-white immigration.

But the government, Labor, Greens and some of the crossbench took the unusual step of refusing the deferral.

Senator Anning's bill was then put to a vote and immediately defeated.

His call for a division, which would have recorded who voted for and against, was not supported.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex got a taste of Australia's native cuisine when they visited a social enterprise in Fitzroy on Thursday.

During their whirlwind tour of Melbourne, Harry and Meghan dropped into Charcoal Lane for a 'touch, taste, smell' hands-on tour of native ingredients.

They entered via the laneway where indigenous artist Robert Young discussed his mural depicting a Victorian Aboriginal Health Service van flying a banner which reads 'Deadly Future'.

"Deadly has a different meaning for us," the Gunnai and Waradgerie man told Harry and Meghan to the sound of royal laughter.

Inside the kitchen, head chef Greg Hampton explained the rules.

"You can taste anything you like," he said. "Just ask me first."

The menu included crispy fried saltbush, bunya nuts, sea blight, rosella flowers, cinnamon myrtle, lemon tea tree leaves and river mint, to name a few.

The chef crushed and gave them to Meghan and Harry to smell.

"It's got a few different names, it's called fruit salad herb, strawberry gum, forest berry herb ... people get musk out of it, people get mango out of it, people get berries out of it, eucalyptus," he said.

"They're trying to describe something they've never smelled or tasted before".

But the tour was about more than food and art. The royal couple met several of the young Indigenous trainees who are in the process of gaining certifications in hospitality.

In 10 years, Charcoal Lane has trained more than 250 young Indigenous people for the workforce with a 70 per cent completion rate, Mission Australia CEO James Toomey said.
A manhunt is underway for a young man who repeatedly slashed the face of a 12-year-old Brisbane schoolgirl in a random attack with a box cutter-like instrument.

Police say the girl talked to officers before undergoing surgery for extensive facial injuries on Thursday after the "vicious" attack on her in a tunnel under the Logan Motorway.

"The young girl is very brave," Detective Acting Inspector Grant Ralston told reporters.

He said she was walking to school alone with her schoolbag, when the man, aged about 18, struck her for no reason.

"The male is believed to have had possession of some sort of cutting instrument, like a box cutter, and continually struck the young girl on the right side of the face causing extensive injuries.

"She fought as best she could and eventually after being struck approximately 20 times to the face, incredibly, she managed to pick herself up and run towards her school at Kingston and the offender ran off."

The girl was bleeding profusely when helped by paramedics and taken to hospital.

She told police the entire incident only took 10 to 15 seconds and the man ran off as she screamed and tried to fight him off.

"The assault can only be described as vicious and cowardly," Det Insp Ralston said.

Up to 30 investigators are working on the case, trying to find the attacker who is described as Caucasian in appearance.
The Law Council is concerned proposed new police and intelligence agency powers to deal with terrorists' encrypted messages could breach privacy and legal rights.

The laws create a new regime for law enforcement and national security agencies to compel tech companies to assist them in decrypting information, create a new covert computer access warrant regime and toughen search and seizure powers.

The government argues 95 per cent of investigations now involve people using encrypted messages, and public safety demands the new powers.

Law Council president-elect Arthur Moses said while there is value in the laws, it is possible people could be detained without a lawyer.

There was also uncertainty as to whether police and ASIO officers could request a provider to undertake certain acts, such as telecommunication interception, without a warrant.

"The safeguards that currently exist to protect the privacy and rights of Australian citizens should not be able to be sidestepped, which may occur if this bill is allowed to pass in its present form," Mr Moses wrote in his submission to an inquiry into the laws.

The Law Council has also asked that the attorney-general, rather than a senior ASIO bureaucrat, be responsible for conferring civil legal immunities for providers.

A public hearing into the laws will be held in Canberra on Friday.
Jurors are expected to begin their deliberations in the murder trial of a Brisbane financial planner who smashed his top client's head in a with a hammer during a heated business meeting.

Trung The Ma, 35, is on trial in the Supreme Court accused of murdering Huegio Bonham, 63, during an argument following the financial planner's alleged theft of $706,000 from the spiritual guru.

Ma has admitted killing his former client and hiding his body in a storage unit but denies murdering Mr Bonham and is fighting the charge on mental health grounds.

The former Commonwealth Bank employee told the court the room was spinning and he had lost control when he struck Mr Bonham in the head three times with a hammer at his client's Gold Coast hinterland home.

Footage played to the jury by the Crown purportedly shows Ma buying two large containers from Bunnings about the time of Mr Bonham's death on February 3, 2014.

Ma admitted to police that after killing Mr Bonham, he put the body into the containers and took it to an Indooroopilly storage facility before dumping Mr Bonham's belongings.

A psychiatrist told the court that Ma had felt weighed down from an early age by the pressure of providing for his extended family, with whom he had escaped from Vietnam by boat as a young boy.

This anxiety and stress, coupled with a mild mental illness Ma had been hiding for years, contributed to his explosion and fatal bashing of Mr Bonham during the argument on February 3, 2014.

But the psychiatrist told the court that despite Ma's mental state at the time of the killing, he was also capable of understanding right from wrong.
The head of National Australia Bank is set to be grilled by federal politicians about the "appalling behaviour" uncovered at the banking royal commission.

Andrew Thorburn will face the House of Representatives economics committee at a public hearing in Canberra on Friday.

He is the final chief executive from the big four banks to be questioned by the group this month.

Commonwealth Bank's Matt Comyn and Westpac's Brian Hartzer fronted the committee last Thursday, while ANZ's Shayne Elliott appeared the day after.

Mr Comyn and Mr Hartzer each acknowledged their institutions took too long to address misconduct that was eventually uncovered by a royal commission.

They also admitted they have their work cut out regaining the public's trust.

"From an overall reputation point of view, this is obviously going to take years to restore," Mr Hartzer said.

Mr Elliott said he was "appalled" to learn through the banking royal commission what impact the institution has had on some Australians.

The financial harm and emotional stress on customers was completely unacceptable, he said.

All three chief executives outlined their organisation's plans for turning things around, including clearer accountability.
Voters in the Sydney seat of Wentworth are gearing up to head to the polls on Saturday amid calls for an investigation into a "homophobic" smear campaign against independent candidate Kerryn Phelps.

The tight by-election battle has thrown climate and even foreign policy into the spotlight and on Wednesday it was revealed an anonymous email was being circulated urging voters to back Liberal candidate Dave Sharma over Dr Phelps.

The fake communication encouraged voters not to support Dr Phelps because she was diagnosed with HIV and there was "no chance she will be running for election".

The former Australian Medical Association boss on Thursday said the email, which had a "homophobic element" to it was "definitely not true".

Dr Phelps says there's no evidence the Liberal Party was behind the email and Mr Sharma, who says the attack is "despicable," backed any investigation by police or the electoral commission.

Meanwhile, former prime minister John Howard urged "grumpy" Liberal loyalists not to jeopardise the stability of the Morrison government with a protest vote on Saturday.

The federal government is facing a possible historic defeat in the blue-ribbon seat with leaked Liberal polling suggesting Mr Sharma's primary vote could be as low as the mid-30s.

The polling, published in The Australian this week, suggested Dr Phelps could win 55 to 45 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.
South Australians Ronald and Esther Collings are celebrating their 80th wedding anniversary, joining just a handful of Australians to reach the milestone.

Ronald, 103 and Esther, 102, met as teenagers in Adelaide in the 1930s.

They married in 1938 aged 23 and 22 and will mark their special day on Friday with afternoon tea at their Goolwa nursing home.

There will be cake, lots of congratulations and a video message from Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove.

On Thursday the couple were feted in federal parliament with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and local MP Rebekha Sharkie wishing them well.

They watched the speeches, somewhat surprised at all the attention.

"My father said 'I can't believe they're talking about me'," their son Ron told AAP.

"They didn't realise it would be such an event."

Mr Morrison described Friday's anniversary as a "very special moment for Australia" and said the happy couple were an "inspiration to every single married couple in this country".

Mr Shorten said reaching 80 years together was a "rare and remarkable" feat while Ms Sharkie said she was looking forward to celebrating with Ronald and Esther.

In their younger years, Esther was a dressmaker and Ronald a travelling salesman.

They also enjoyed seeing new places, travelling extensively around Australia as well as to Europe, India and Asia.
Freed American pastor Andrew Brunson (L) shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at the White House

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' -

US pastor Andrew Brunson arrives at the airport in Izmir, after being freed by a Turkish court

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.
A photo issued by the Uganda Red Cross shows the damage caused by the landslide

At least 41 people were killed after a river in eastern Uganda burst its banks, sending a torrent of mud and rocks barrelling into homes, disaster officials and survivors said Friday.

Rescue teams continued picking through the rubble late Friday, searching for survivors and victims of the disaster which took place the previous day in the eastern Bududa district.

An unknown number of people remained missing.

"41 lives have been lost but they're still going ahead digging, trying to look for whether there are other bodies in the riverbed somewhere," said Hilary Onek, Uganda's minister for relief, disaster preparedness and refugees.

"There are casualties up in the hills," he added, referring to higher ground where the river burst its banks before washing away homes lower down.

Onek said 38 bodies had so far been found, as well as dismembered limbs believed to belong to three more individuals.

Survivors spoke of panic and horror as water cascaded down the hillside.

At the hillside Nanyinza village, the Sume river rushed past the ruins of a concrete bridge swept away by the heavy rainfall.

"The moment we saw the water coming we ran and climbed a hill," said John Makimpi a 28-year-old fish trader from Nanyinza who got involved in the ad hoc rescue effort.

"We dragged seven bodies from the river," he said, adding that four of the bodies had been smashed beyond recognition by falling rocks.

- More to bury -

Uganda

Irene Namutosi, 30 and with her legs caked in mud, watched as a solitary mechanical digger struggled to clear huge tree trunks and boulders from the road.

"We found three dead people at one bridge and another three further down the river," she said. "Some didn't have arms or legs because the water and stones hit them so hard."

Government meteorologist Godfrey Mujuni said it was the River Sume, a tributary of the River Manafwa, that had burst its banks.

"It's a mountainous region and because of the high altitude and steep slopes even a small amount of rain can trigger landslides. There is no early warning system in that particular area hit yesterday."

"The rains are still coming and the government and NGOs need to keep their preparedness levels high," he warned.

Nathan Tumuhamye, director of an organisation that helps communities recover from natural disasters and conflict, told AFP that "four to five villages" had been affected.

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.

Downriver from Nanyinza, a small crowd gathered round the bodies of a girl and her grandmother, swept away as they returned from a hospital appointment.

Lacking a child's coffin mourners simply wrapped the body of the five-year-old in a yellow scarf and laid her on a woven sack next to her grandmother's white coffin.

Relief workers expect to bury more in the days to come.
US student Lara Alqasem, who appealed after she was refused entry to Israel over her alleged support for a pro-Palestinian boycott campaign, sits in a Tel Aviv district Court on October 11, 2018

An Israeli court on Friday upheld a ban on a US student refused entry and held for 10 days over her alleged support for a pro-Palestinian boycott campaign.

Lara Alqasem's case has been one of the most high profile so far under a 2017 Israeli law barring supporters of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.

In its ruling, the court said that "any self-respecting state defends its own interests and those of its citizens, and has the right to fight against the actions of a boycott... as well as any attacks on its image."

It rejected Alqasem's appeal against the ban, but did not rule on whether she should be sent home.

The 22-year-old has been held for 10 days at an immigration facility in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport.

Alqasem landed there on October 2, intending to study for a master's degree at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, but was not allowed to enter despite having a visa.

She was detained but chose to challenge the entry ban rather than return to the United States.

In March 2017, Israel's parliament passed a law banning the entry of supporters of the BDS movement, inspired by an international campaign against South Africa before the fall of apartheid.

Alqasem, reportedly of Palestinian descent, is said to have been president of a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine during her undergraduate studies at the University of Florida.

The group has supported boycott campaigns against Israel.
A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to throw a rock at Israeli forces along the Israel-Gaza border east of Gaza city on October 12, 2018

Six Palestinians were killed in new clashes along the Gaza-Israel border on Friday, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said.

It said the six men, ranging from 17 to 29 in age, had been killed as thousands of protesters approached the heavily-guarded Israeli border.

Four were killed along the frontier east of Al-Bureij in the centre of the coastal territory, while another died east of Gaza City and one near Rafah in southern Gaza, a ministry spokesman told AFP.

The Israeli army said approximately 14,000 "rioters and demonstrators" had gathered at various sites along the border.

A statement said troops "spotted a number of assailants who climbed the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip".

It said they planted an "explosive device" which blew up and "set the security fence on fire".

The assailants subsequently approached an Israeli border post and were shot, the statement said.

"The assailants were killed," it said, without giving a number.

At least 204 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 lands 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 the enclave's Islamist rulers 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.

However thousands again gathered Friday in 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.
Turkish government sources say Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was tortured and murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul - a claim Riyadh denies

Donald Trump claims he is being "very tough" with Saudi Arabia and Britain has warned of "serious consequences". But besides demanding the truth about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the West is likely to continue doing business as usual with the Gulf kingdom, experts say.

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.

Turkish government sources say the 59-year-old writer, who was critical of some of the policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was tortured and murdered there -- a claim Riyadh denies.

The high-profile case has drawn attention to the large-scale crackdown on dissenters in Saudi Arabia, which was largely swept under the rug when its new 33-year-old strongman toured the US and Europe earlier this year.

Trump and other Western leaders, who feted the prince for giving women the right to drive among other social freedoms, have reacted cautiously to the murder claims.

"There might be some pressure from behind closed doors on MBS (the prince's nickname) to not embarrass his Western allies because Western allies don't want to be seen as being in bed with dictators," Madawi Al-Rasheed, a Saudi-born professor at the London School of Economics, told AFP.

"But whether Western governments will reconsider their relations to the extent of having a break with Saudi Arabia, I very much doubt it," she added.

- 'We don't like it' -

The ultra-conservative kingdom -- the world's biggest oil exporter -- has traditionally received only sparing criticism from Western governments, which see it as a key Middle Eastern ally on security, intelligence gathering and trade.

For the US particularly, the Sunni power also acts as a vital counterweight to Shiite rival Iran.

After several days' silence, Trump, who visited Saudi Arabia on his first visit abroad as president in May 2017, this week demanded answers about Khashoggi's disappearance.

"We are very disappointed to see what's going on. We don't like it and we're going to get to the bottom of it," he said.

But the "America First" leader -- who is campaigning in November mid-term elections -- was also quick to rule out limiting arms sales to the biggest buyer of US weapons.

Responding to calls by several Republican and Democratic senators to use US weapons for leverage with Riyadh, Trump warned that the Saudis would just "take that money and spend it in Russia or China or someplace else."

"That would not be acceptable," he declared, estimating the loss to the US at $110 billion in defence spending.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted Prince Mohammed at a private dinner at the Louvre in April, was even slower to react to the allegations, prompting criticism over his approach to a country which France has heavily courted for arms contracts.

On Friday, Macron broke his silence to describe the case as "very serious" and call on the investigation underway in Turkey to provide the "truth and complete clarity".

- The Canada precedent -

Some of the strongest reaction of the former British protectorate came from London, where Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told AFP that Khashoggi's fate could have "serious consequences".

But Western governments, while likely engaging in behind-the-scenes efforts to rein in the prince's authoritarian tendencies, are unlikely to jeopardise ties with the Saudi monarchy, according to Al-Rasheed.

"There might be noise to please their constituency because this is about freedom of speech, security and the rule of law... But I think they will still have the red carpet out for him (MBS)," she predicted.

Camille Lons, a specialist on the Gulf at the European Council on Foreign Relations, pointed to the fury unleashed by Saudi Arabia against Canada recently when Ottawa criticised its rights record.

Riyadh expelled the Canadian ambassador and severed all trade and investment ties with the country.

"As we saw with Canada it's a country whose reactions are difficult to foresee because MBS is unpredictable," Lons said.

The allegations that a 15-man Saudi team flew to Istanbul to either capture or kill Khashoggi could nonetheless "damage the confidence of Western powers" about its commitment to reforms, Sarah Bollinger, a Jordan-based analyst of Middle Eastern affairs, said.

Western business leaders have already begun reviewing their Saudi connections.

On Friday, British billionaire Richard Branson announced that he was suspending his involvement in a major Saudi real estate project, saying Khashoggi's disappearance had tested "the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi government."

The case also looked set to overshadow a high-profile investment conference set to take place in Riyadh from October 23 to 25.

Several US business figures and journalists have already pulled out of the forum.
Saudi Arabia hit out at accusations Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside its Istanbul consulate

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 missing Saudi journalist disappeared in Istanbul after a visit to Saudi Arabia's consulate last week

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.

- Did he leave? -

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.

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.

The Washington Post has reported Turkish officials have told the US administration they have recordings from inside the Saudi consulate building

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.

- 'Visual' search only -

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.

Disappearance of a Saudi journalist

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.

- 'Chilling effect' -

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".

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US Cardinal Donald Wuerl was blamed for not doing enough to deal with paedophile priests when he was a bishop in Pennsylvania

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of US Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who was blamed for not doing enough to deal with paedophile priests when he was a bishop in Pennsylvania, the Vatican said Friday.

Wuerl, who has stepped down as archbishop of Washington, had announced last month that he planned to meet with the pope to discuss his resignation.

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.

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 to cover up the scandal. He has faced numerous calls for his resignation, including from his own clergy.

In the US capital last month, Wuerl prostrated himself in a sign of repentance at a mass dedicated to victims of abuse.
A Turkey-backed Syrian rebel-fighter patrols in al-Bab, Syria, where aid agencies warned of dire humanitarian consequences if a Russia-Turkey deal creating a buffer zone is not implemented

Aid agencies on Friday warned of dire humanitarian consequences if a Russia-Turkey deal to avert a regime assault on Syria's last major rebel stronghold was not fully implemented within days.

Regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey agreed last month to set up a buffer zone around the northwestern region of Idlib to separate jihadist and rebels inside from government fighters massing on its edges.

Under the accord, jihadists have until Monday to withdraw from the buffer zone semi-circling the region of some three million people, but have not yet shown any sign of moving.

On Friday, international aid groups working in Idlib warned that failure to implement the deal could spark renewed violence and trigger mass displacement.

Local partner organisations and "civilians receiving aid have expressed fears that violence could spiral out of control in the next few days if either the deal collapses or fighting escalates in areas not covered by it", they said.

"Even a limited military offensive would displace hundreds of thousands of people," CARE International, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Mercy Corps and Save the Children said in a statement.

Nearly half of the people living in Idlib have fled from their homes in other parts of the war-torn country, according to the United Nations, and many already depend on aid.

"If this deal falls short and military operations start, many hundreds of thousands will struggle to get the help they will so badly need," warned Lorraine Bramwell, IRC's Syria country director.

For the agreement to be implemented, Idlib's dominant force, an alliance led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria affiliate, and other jihadists must withdraw from the planned buffer zone by Monday.

But the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alliance has not yet officially responded to the deal, and a Britain-based war monitor said on Friday that no jihadists had withdrawn yet from the buffer zone.

"There has been no withdrawal of any members of the jihadist factions with their light weapons," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

An AFP correspondent said that residents in the area received warning messages Friday on their mobile phones from the Syrian army.

"Get away from the fighters. Their fate is sealed and near," one said.

"Don't allow the terrorists to take you as human shields," said another, addressed to residents of the planned buffer zone.

HTS, jihadists from the Turkestan Islamic Party and current Al-Qaeda outfit Hurras al-Deen control more than two-thirds of the expected demilitarised zone.

Turkey-backed rebels and jihadists this week met a first cut-off date on Wednesday to remove their heavy weaponry from the buffer strip.

But it is not clear what will happen if the second and last October 15 deadline is not met.

Despite progress in implementing the accord, Assad insisted on Sunday it was a "temporary measure" and that Idlib would eventually return to state control.

The Syrian war has killed more than 360,000 people since it erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
Cardinal Donald Wuerl has resigned as archbishop of Washington DC after a report accused him of covering up sexual abuse

Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignation of Washington DC archbishop Donald Wuerl, who has been blamed for not doing enough to deal with paedophile priests.

Cardinal Wuerl, 77, had offered to resign on September 21 after facing strong criticism over a report detailing mass sexual abuse cases when he was a bishop in Pennsylvania.

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.

On Saturday, Francis ordered an investigation into the Vatican archives over the allegations.
Placards with the names of asylum seekers who died while in Austrailian detention centers are seen during a protest demanding humane treatment of refugees in July 2018

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.
An official peers from the door of Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on October 12, 2018

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.
Palestinian men carry an injured protester into a hospital in Gaza City, on October 12, 2018

Israel suspended fuel deliveries to Gaza on Friday in response to border violence which the Hamas-run health ministry said left seven Palestinians dead in the coastal enclave.

The Israeli army said five were shot dead after breaking through the border fence and attacking an army post.

But the Gaza health ministry said seven Palestinians were killed as thousands of protesters approached the heavily-guarded Israeli border.

It said four died along the frontier east of Al-Bureij in central Gaza, two east of Gaza City and one near Rafah in southern Gaza.

It named one of those killed as Mohammed Abbas, who was shot in the head.

It said all the victims were males aged between 17 and 29.

A Palestinian protester uses a slingshot to throw a rock at Israeli forces along the Israel-Gaza border east of Gaza city on October 12, 2018

Israeli 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.

- 'Immediate' halt to fuel deliveries -

In response to the violence, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered deliveries of fuel to the Palestinian enclave be suspended.

"Following the serious incidents in the Gaza Strip, the defence ministry orders the immediate halt to the delivery of fuel" to the area, he said in a statement.

Four Israeli tanker trucks had delivered fuel to Gaza on Friday morning before "riots" broke out, Lieberman said.

The suspension comes just days after a United Nations-brokered deal to supply the territory with Qatari-bought fuel came into effect.

The terms of the deal saw Doha, a longtime Hamas backer, pledge to pay $60 million (52 million euros) for fuel to be brought into Gaza over six months to supply the strip's sole power plant.

Palestinian paramedics carry an injured protester into a hospital in Gaza City, on October 12, 2018, after clashes with the Israeli army along the Gaza border fence

In a rare interview recently, Hamas's Gaza head Yahya Sinwar encouraged world powers to work with it to ease suffering in the strip.

Jason Greenblatt, US President Donald Trumps peace envoy, had hailed the fuel agreement.

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 over the same period.

Protesters have sent incendiary devices attached to balloons into Israeli territory during demonstrations, which Israel says has caused hundreds of thousands of dollars-worth of damage to farmland.

The protesters are demanding to be allowed to return to lands 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.

Palestinian protesters carry and burn tyres at the Israel-Gaza border, east of Gaza city, on October 12, 2018

Israel accuses the enclave's Islamist rulers Hamas of leading the protests and using them as a cover for attacks.

There had been hopes the protests would ease after the UN-brokered agreement to ease the strip's energy crisis took effect this week.

But thousands of protestors again gathered Friday in 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.

Israel's army said approximately 14,000 "rioters and demonstrators" took part in Friday's protests.
A refugee leaves after a medical check in the UNWRA (UN Relief and Works Agency) health center at the Asker refugee camp east of Nablus in the occupied West Bank

Canada stepped up aid for Palestinian refugees on Friday, announcing Can$50 million (US$38 million) for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), whose mission has suffered since Washington cut its help.

The Canadian top up comes after the United States, the largest single contributor to UNRWA, announced in August an end to its US$350 million a year funding for the agency.

UNRWA was set up in 1950 to help Palestinian refugees who lost their homes because of the 1948 Middle East conflict. Its assistance includees schools, healthcare centers and food distribution.

The Canadian contribution is to be spread over two years. Can$40 million will go to "meeting the basic education, health and livelihood needs of millions of Palestinian refugees," Ottawa said in a statement.

Another Can$10 million will be used to provide "emergency life-saving assistance to more than 460,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria and Lebanon," it said.

In 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's administration reversed cuts to Palestinian aid by his predecessor.

US President Donald Trump, as well as Israel, opposes how the agency operates and how the number of refugees is calculated.

More than 750,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled during the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation.

They and all their descendants are deemed by the UN agency to be refugees who fall under its remit.

Canada said it "exercises enhanced due diligence" for all aid for Palestinians including "strong anti-terrorism provisions in funding agreements."
Tom Hanks stars in the new Mr Rogers biopic, whose shooting was interrupted by the on-set death of an award-winning sound mixer

An award-winning sound mixer died after falling from a balcony on the set of a new movie starring Tom Hanks as the children's television presenter Mr Rogers.

James Emswiller, who won an Emmy award in 2015, appeared to have fallen from a balcony in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, during a breaking in shooting, police said.

Police said witnesses had reported that Emswiller, 61, "was alone on the balcony taking a cigarette break when he may have suffered a medical emergency resulting in his fall from the balcony."

"Initial information does not indicate any foul play," the police said.

Emergency services rushed Emswiller, who had previously worked on the superhero film "The Avengers," as well as the teen tear-jerker "The Fault in Our Stars," to hospital but he died shortly afterwards, local media said.

Police said shooting of the movie, provisionally titled "You Are my Friend," was halted while they investigated the fatal fall.

The movie is based on the creator of the much-loved children's show "Mr Rogers' Neighborhood," which launched in 1968 and ran until 2001.
UN peacekeepers stand on a watchtower in the Israel-Syria border Quneitra crossing area of the annexed-Golan Heights

The United Nations, Israel and Syria reached an agreement to reopen the Quneitra crossing in the Golan Heights on Monday, the United States announced Friday, urging the two Middle East countries to facilitate the work of peacekeepers in the zone.

"The United States welcomes the re-opening of this crossing, which will allow UN peacekeepers to step up their efforts to prevent hostilities in the Golan Heights region," US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said in a statement.

The UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), with about 1,000 troops, was established in 1974 and monitors a ceasefire line separating Israeli-occupied parts of the Golan Heights from Syria.

UNDOF resumed its patrols in the area of the crossing point in August, after withdrawing in 2014 when Al-Qaeda-linked rebels overran the area, three years into Syria's civil war.

UNDOF's return was made possible after Syrian government troops retook the Syrian side of the crossing in July under a deal with rebel fighters brokered by Moscow.

It had been sealed completely since rebels overran it in April 2015, choking off one of the most important trade routes for the government.

"We look to both Israel and Syria to provide UN peacekeepers the access they need as well as assurances of their safety," Haley said.

"We also call on Syria to take the necessary steps so UNDOF can safely and effectively deploy and patrol without interference."

Haley added that all sides must stick to a 1974 agreement and keep any military forces other than UN peacekeepers out of the zone.

Israel seized much of the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six-Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community.

The Quneitra crossing was used by Druze living on the Israeli side travelling to Syria for higher education or weddings. Druze farmers also exported apples to Syria through Quneitra.
Anwar Ibrahim is expected to easily take the seat in Port Dickson

Anwar Ibrahim won an overwhelming mandate in a parliamentary by-election Saturday, officials said, setting the stage for his return to frontline Malaysian politics and sealing the once-jailed opposition figure's remarkable resurrection.

Figures released by the Election Commission showed he 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 said after the victory, which marks the charismatic politician's stunning political comeback from prison to parliament.

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.

About 100 supporters greeted Anwar with shouts of "Reformasi" -- his battlecry while in opposition -- as he arrived at a polling station

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.

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.

Underscoring the drama of Saturday's vote, one of Anwar's six challengers is the ex-aide who had accused him of sodomy, still illegal in the largely Muslim country.

Polls opened under cloudy skies at 8:00 am (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.

Political heavyweights including Mahathir have campaigned for Anwar in a road back to office that was unthinkable even six months ago

"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."

About 100 supporters greeted Anwar with shouts of "Reformasi" -- his battle cry while in opposition -- as he arrived at a polling station.

"I will see you in parliament on Monday," a smiling Anwar told an AFP reporter earlier on Saturday.

- Charismatic politician -

There had been little doubt the reformist 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.

Anwar Ibrahim won more than 71 percent of the total votes cast

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.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the trade war with China will benefit, not hinder, allies

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 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.

"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."
The opioid crisis is rooted in decades of overprescription of OxyContin and other addictive painkillers, leading to more than two million people becoming addicted

A businessman who operated pain clinics in the US states of Ohio and Michigan pleaded guilty Monday to a $150 million scheme to fraudulently distribute millions of doses of highly-addictive opioid medications.

Mashiyat Rashid, CEO of Tri-County Wellness Group, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and one count of money laundering, the US Justice Department said.

The 38-year-old allegedly fueled a lavish lifestyle of luxury clothes and exotic automobiles by creating a massive fraud scheme to illegally prescribe 4.2 million doses of opioid medications such as oxycodone to patients, including addicts.

The investigation was part of an initiative by President Donald Trump's administration to crack down on medical professionals who unscrupulously distribute the dangerous drugs to addicted patients for profit.

Such proliferation of prescription drugs helps fuel a massive opioid painkiller and heroin epidemic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans.

Last week, prosecutors unveiled charges against five New York doctors, a pharmacist and their associates.

"The Department of Justice has made ending the opioid crisis a top priority and taken historic new steps to stop the spread of addiction," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement.

"Today's guilty plea helps us bring the defendant to justice and reduce the supply of illegal drugs flowing into our communities."

Rashid agreed to forfeit more than $51 million, as well as properties prosecutors considered ill-gotten gains, such as various real estate holdings. He is scheduled to be sentenced in April.

The CEO owned and operated numerous pain clinics, laboratories and other health care facilities.

Twelve others, including seven doctors, have also pleaded guilty in the case.

The US opioid epidemic has led to the first drop in life expectancy over two consecutive years since the early 1960s, American statisticians say.

In 2017, a record 71,568 people died from overdose deaths, far more than traffic accidents and gun-related deaths, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The crisis is rooted in decades of overprescription of OxyContin and other addictive painkillers, leading to more than two million people becoming addicted.

In recent years, addicts have been forced to turn to heroin and the cheaper, far more potent fentanyl as authorities have cracked down on prescription painkiller sales.
Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor and US resident, has been missing since entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on October 2

Two weeks after he disappeared, The Washington Post on Wednesday published what it said appears to be Jamal Khashoggi's final column, in which the missing Saudi journalist writes of the importance of a free press in the Arab world.

Such a forum is currently lacking, says Khashoggi, a Post contributor and US resident who disappeared entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

"The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power," he writes.

"The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices," Khashoggi writes.

"Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face."

The ultimate fate of Khashoggi -- whose writings have been critical of powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- is still unknown, but leaks by anonymous Turkish officials have painted a picture of him allegedly meeting a grisly demise in the consulate at the hands of Saudi agents.

Saudi Arabia has denied to the United States having knowledge of what happened at the consulate.

In the introduction to Khashoggi's column -- which was accompanied by a photo of the smiling writer -- the Post's Global Opinions editor Karen Attiah said the newspaper held off on publishing it in the hopes that he would return.

"Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post," Attiah wrote.

"This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for."
Activists in Argentina wear the "Handmaid's Tale" costume in August 2018 to protest the legalization of abortion

From the United States to Argentina, by way of Ireland and Poland, the red habit and white bonnet synonymous with "The Handmaid's Tale" have become a powerful symbol of the #MeToo movement.

Yet its potency has come as a shock to 54-year-old costume designer Ane Crabtree, the creator of the now iconic outfit for the runaway-hit television series based on the dystopian 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood.

"It's a very big thing. It's grown bigger than the purpose I designed it for," Crabtree told AFP during a recent visit to New York to be a judge at Comic Con.

The book's success has been amplified by the wild popularity of the Hulu series, which first aired in April 2017 just as liberal America started contending with the presidency of Donald Trump.

Costume designer Ane Crabtree -- seen here at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on September 8, 2018 in Los Angeles -- says she did not realize the impact of her "Handmaid's Tale" design at first

Atwood's nightmare of an America transformed into a totalitarian society, where women are reduced to sexual slavery, quickly became a parable to many about the political shift to the right and the national reckoning about sexual abuse.

Since then, female protesters have donned the costumes worn on TV by the persecuted women on Gilead all over the world.

In Washington, women who opposed the confirmation of new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh -- in part because of sexual assault allegations against him -- donned the habit.

Others wore it at abortion rallies in Buenos Aires and Dublin, or at anti-Trump rallies in Warsaw.

Crabtree, the daughter of a US father from Kentucky and a Japanese mother from Okinawa, admits she was oblivious to the phenomenon at first.

"For two and a half years, I was doing 'The Handmaid's Tale'. I did not really see the impact," she says.

A protester walks in a US Senate office building on September 4, 2018, the first day of confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexually assaulting a woman when they were teens -- he has now been confirmed

Filming was intense and breaks were rare. It was only afterwards that Crabtree, who worked in fashion in the 1990s before moving into television, realized that her design had taken on a life of its own.

"For me, it's brilliant news -- it's something that's quite emotional and emotionally satisfying," she tells AFP.

"As an artist, you are trying to express the times, aren't you? Trying to understand how to communicate and emotionally commune with people."

- 'Normal and terrifying' -

Her costume -- which instantly evokes dread -- clearly struck a chord, even if the design cost her countless sleepless nights and lengthy periods of self-doubt.

"I had great love for the story and respect for the story," she said. "I didn't want to get it wrong."

Costume designer Ane Crabtree says the use of her costume for protests, as seen here in Washington, dredged up a past she tried to forget -- sexual abuse she suffered as a child

But she knew she wanted "to do something different, not just do a period look that nobody would relate to in 2016," explained Crabtree.

"I wanted people to be afraid. I wanted it to be normal and terrifying. Sometimes the most terrifying things are the most normal things and then you think, 'Oh my God, it could happen -- this really could be me'."

Crabtree's bet paid off, but she didn't escape unscathed. The two seasons she spent working on "The Handmaid's Tale" dredged up a past she had been keen to forget.

"This show triggers too much of my own personal life and I didn't realize this until this month," she said.

US President Donald Trump's 2016 election victory left her "so angry" that she threw her rage into her work and says the experience brought to the surface sexual abuse she suffered as a child.

- 'Healing' -

In Brussels in September 2018, pro-abortion protesters donned the instantly recognizable red habits and white bonnets for a demonstration

"I didn't remember anything till I was 28 and it is still buried in many ways," she said.

"It was not at the forefront when I began this journey with 'The Handmaid's Tale' but it has absolutely highlighted everything," she added.

The mental toll became so onerous that she left the series after two seasons, despite the show's enormous success and the boost it had given her career.

"It's so healing in the long run, it's both very painful and beautiful at the same time... how it keeps coinciding with real life."

While she has since worked on other projects -- notably a "feminist" film with "Mudbound" director Dee Rees and another with actress Anjelica Huston -- Crabtree is happy to see her costumes take on a life of their own.

Reality star Kim Kardashian made a "Handmaid's Tale" statement -- albeit an incongruous one with a plunging neckline, bulging cleavage and thigh-high slit.

Lingerie website Yandy caused uproar with a "Brave Red Maiden Costume" for Halloween -- a skimpy, skin-tight minidress with long red cape and white bonnet, which it was forced to withdraw in late September under a storm of controversy.

Another 'Handmaid' anti-Kavanaugh protester on Capitol Hill -- Crabtree says she is proud to see that her work has taken on a life of its own

Crabtree laughs it off.

"Everyone is going to dress themselves the way it fits them," she says.

"I am a purist -- any artist would want to see it the way they envisioned -- but maybe that's ego and maybe we should just let people be."
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, pictured at the White House in June 2018, gave no explanation for pulling out of the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and senior ministers from Europe on Thursday pulled out of an investment conference in Saudi Arabia, deepening the kingdom's isolation amid an uproar over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Officials from some of Saudi Arabia's leading Western allies joined a slew of corporate bigwigs who are now shunning next week's gathering, touted as a high-powered showcase for the economic reforms of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In an announcement that sent stocks tumbling on Wall Street, Mnuchin said he had decided with President Donald Trump that he would "not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia."

The decision was given in a terse tweet after Trump and Mnuchin were briefed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has just returned from Saudi Arabia and Turkey to probe for answers over the journalist's disappearance in Istanbul.

Mnuchin gave no explanation. But Britain and France -- which like the United States are leading suppliers of arms to Saudi Arabia -- made clear their disquiet over Khashoggi's fate as they yanked their own representation at the Riyadh conference.

"We have taken this decision in a coordinated manner among Europeans," President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at an EU summit in Brussels.

"It is what's required in the short term, taking account of the gravity of the facts, in the absence of (Saudi) clarification," he said, after French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire confirmed he was staying away from Riyadh.

British International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said "the time is not right" to go to the Saudi capital for the October 23-25 conference, dubbed "Davos in the Desert."

- Holding to account -

Khashoggi, who was living in self-imposed exile in the United States where he contributed to the Washington Post, vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish media report that he was killed and dismembered inside the consulate by a hit squad which arrived from Riyadh -- claims denied by the Saudi government.

"The UK remains very concerned about Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance," a British government spokesperson said in a statement, insisting that the Saudis abide by their pledge to carry out a full and transparent investigation.

"Those bearing responsibility for his disappearance must be held to account."

The Netherlands said Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra was no longer going to the conference, and that it was also canceling a planned trade mission to Saudi in December.

Working with the EU and other partners, the Dutch government would "look at ways international concerns about Khashoggi could be addressed", Foreign Minister Stef Blok said.

International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde already pulled out of the conference this week along with several Western business leaders and media groups.

But while withholding judgment on the case, Trump and Pompeo in recent days have stressed the depth of US-Saudi cooperation in financial and counterterrorism matters stretching back for almost a century.

burs-jit/ft
Several thousand Syrian refugees have returned home from Lebanon, taking advantage of return trips coordinated by Lebanese and Syrian authorities

Syrian toddler Luay happily explores his grandfather's modest house near Damascus for the first time. After years as refugees in Lebanon, the three-year-old and his family have returned to their homeland.

They are among several thousand Syrians who have made an emotional journey home from Lebanon, where they sought safety from the war that has ravaged their native country since 2011.

Worn down by tough economic conditions in Lebanon and seeing regime victories back home as bringing stability, they have taken advantage of return trips coordinated by Lebanese and Syrian authorities.

Last month Luay's father Rawad Kurdi, 30, his mother, and his baby sister Luliya decided to make the trip themselves.

As the sun was rising, they lined up with dozens of other refugees to board buses that would whisk them out of Beirut.

With them were more than a dozen suitcases and boxes -- everything they could carry from their five years in Lebanon.

During a nine-hour wait for the buses to move, Rawad was anxious to end his family's long exile.

Rawad Kurdi, 30, and his 35 relatives were forced to flee Syria for Lebanon in 2012

"This return is definitive. I will never leave Syria again," he told AFP.

In 2012, Rawad and his 35 relatives were forced to flee their hometown of Babila southeast of Damascus after fighting broke out between rebels and government forces.

They came to Lebanon. Three years later, some of the elderly family members including Rawad's father Ahmad returned to Syria, and more have hit the road home since.

- 'Feel alive again' -

Rawad's return to Babila meant Ahmad, now 70, could finally meet the two grandchildren born in Lebanon after he left.

A content look on his face, Ahmad sits with one-year-old Luliya in his lap, as Luay scrambles over the couch in the dimly lit living room.

"My home is not worth anything without my children and grandchildren. Now, both I and my home feel alive again," said Ahmad, his hands stained black from picking aubergines on his nearby land.

Luay, son of 30-year-old Syrian refugee Rawad Kurdi, prepares to board a bus with his family as they return home from Lebanon

Although six of his children have already returned to Syria, another three are still living as refugees in Lebanon.

One day, he hopes, they can all be reunited back home.

"I'd much rather live with my children and grandchildren in war, than them being safe but far away," he said.

Since Syria's conflict erupted, more than five million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries and another six million are internally displaced.

But back-to-back military victories this year have put more than two-thirds of Syria under regime control, including Babila and other areas around the capital in the spring.

These wins prompted host countries, like Lebanon, to encourage refugees to move back home.

Just under one million Syrians are registered as refugees in Lebanon, although the number is likely higher.

This year, Beirut and Damascus began coordinating weekly convoys taking Syrians back home, only if their names are cleared by Syrian security services.

Around 6,000 refugees have gone back to Syria in these coordinated returns since April, according to an AFP tally.

Others have remained in exile, fearing Syria's compulsory military service or stuck in too much debt to leave Lebanon.

- 'No reason to stay' -

Rawad said he is exempt from the army because he is overweight.

He wanted to leave in 2015 with his father, but said he was unable to cross the border because he could not afford paying fines he had accrued for overstaying his residency in Lebanon.

This September, the Lebanese authorities waived these penalties for those taking part in the coordinated returns, and Rawad decided to bring his family home.

Back in Babila, he gazes at old photos hanging on the wall.

"War has changed us so much, and then came emigration, also leaving its marks on our faces and in our eyes," said the portly tailor in a grey T-shirt and sleeveless black jacket.

Some Syrian refugees have become worn down by tough economic conditions in Lebanon

The fabric workshops he owned in Babila have been looted, but he remains optimistic.

"For now, the future's uncertain -- but however long it takes, goodness will only come from this land," he said.

The dream of returning home also kept Rawad from seeking asylum in Europe.

"As beautiful, quiet and safe as those countries were, they could never be a substitute for the one where my family, my memories and my neighbours are," he said.

He spends his days with family or wandering the streets of Babila, eager to get to know its streets and homes again.

During such a stroll, his phone rings. It's his brother Ayman, who still lives in Lebanon and is hesitating to return.

"There's no reason to stay in Lebanon. The war is over," Rawad reassured him.
The Vatican has said there are no plans for the pope to visit Taiwan

Taiwan said Friday it would continue to push for a papal visit to the island after the Vatican turned down its most recent invitation.

Vice president Chen Chien-jen made the invitation during an audience with the pope Sunday as Taiwan seeks to deepen ties with its only ally in Europe after the Holy See signed a historic deal with Beijing.

The landmark agreement last month on the appointment of bishops paved the way for a rapprochement between the Vatican and China.

That raised questions over the future of official ties between Taiwan and the Holy See as China makes a concerted effort to poach its dwindling number of diplomatic allies.

The Vatican issued a brief statement Thursday saying a visit to Taiwan "by the Holy Father is not being planned".

Taiwan's foreign ministry said Friday it would not be deterred.

"Over the past years, we and the Bishop's Conference have extended invitations to the Pope to visit, to experience first hand Taiwan's religious freedom and progress in many diversified areas," it said in a statement to AFP.

"We will continue to extend invitations to the pope to visit Taiwan, and hope that the Vatican can accommodate such a visit," it added.

Devout Catholic Chen's audience with the pope came ahead of the canonisation of Pope Paul VI.

Taiwanese officials had said his visit would help deepen Taiwan-Vatican relations and that they believed the Vatican would not abandon Taiwan.

China sees self-ruling democratic Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified and demands its allies forfeit recognition of the island.

Taiwan, which sees itself as a sovereign country and has around 300,000 Catholics, has lost five allies to Beijing in the past two years.

Relations have deteriorated since President Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, as she does not recognise Taiwan is part of "one China", as Beijing insists.
Mozambique tightened security in its Cabo Delgado province, where more than 50 people have been killed in gun, grenade and knife assaults in a growing jihadist insurgency over the last year

Armed Tanzanians are seeking to establish a base in Mozambique, police said Friday, after the arrest of dozens of suspected militants from Tanzania in connection with deadly Islamist attacks across the border.

Over the last year, more than 50 people have been killed in gun, grenade and knife assaults in a growing jihadist insurgency in Mozambique's northern province of Cabo Delgado.

Some 50 Tanzanians are among 180 suspects on trial over the attacks.

"These criminals want to establish a base in Mozambique. But they are fooling themselves as we have good relations with Mozambique and other neighbouring countries," said police chief Simon Sirro, addressing a press conference in Dar es Salaam.

Sirro said the Tanzanians, including young girls, were part of a group responsible for several murders of police officers and administrative officials in Tanzania's eastern Pwani province in 2016 and 2017.

The motives of these attacks were unclear and Tanzanian officials are hesitant to point the finger at religious extremism, an extremely sensitive topic in the country.

After the killings in Pwani, President John Magufuli hinted at the motive, saying: "There is no religious faith that teaches people to kill."

Sirro said police recently arrested 104 members of this group trying to enter Mozambique.

"As you know there are those we have arrested, there are those who have been killed in clashes with police ... some managed to cross the border" into Mozambique, said Sirro.

"They hide in the forests, learn how to use weapons of war such as the AK47. This trend comes from foreign countries, we don't have this in Tanzania," he said.

Some 60 percent of Tanzanians identify as Christian and 36 percent as Muslim, according to a 2010 survey from the Washington-based thinktank, the Pew Research Centre.

The country has not had the same struggles with extremism as seen elsewhere in the region, with the only high profile attack the 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam.

Militants linked to Somalia's Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Shabaab are believed to be active in the country and in 2016 a video circulated of a group of men pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group.

There have been smaller scale attacks -- however it is often unclear whether this is linked to criminal activity rather than Islamism.

The semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar, with a majority Muslim population, has been a hotbed of religious tensions, with Islamists blamed for setting churches on fire, attacking Christian leaders and carrying out an acid attack on two British girls in 2013.
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - In a story Oct. 11 about Hurricane Michael, The Associated Press reported erroneously that Karen Clark & Company is an insurance company. Karen Clark & Company is a risk-modeling firm.

A corrected version of the story is below:

The Latest: Georgia crops hit hard by Hurricane Michael

An insurance company that produces models for catastrophes is estimating Hurricane Michael caused about $8 billion in insured losses

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the impact of Hurricane Michael's destructive path across the southeastern U.S. (all times local):

9:45 p.m.

Georgia's Department of Agriculture is coordinating efforts to assist recovery in Southwest and Central Georgia, areas most affected by Hurricane Michael.

Commissioner Gary W. Black, in a news release Thursday, 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. He says 84 chicken houses, estimated to have held more than 2 million chickens, were destroyed. The farms, dairies and processing plants affected were in Appling, Colquitt, Coffee, Decatur, Evans, Houston, Mitchell, Randolph, Lee and Wilcox counties.

Damaging winds also drove much of the cotton crop to the ground for a total loss or tangled it, making it harder to extract clean lint during the ginning process. Assessments for peanuts and pecans are ongoing.

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8:10 p.m.

A risk-modeling firm that produces models for catastrophes is estimating Hurricane Michael caused about $8 billion in insured losses.

Boston-based Karen Clark & Company released the estimate Thursday. 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.

Michael made landfall as a 155 mph (250 kph), Category 4 storm Wednesday afternoon in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane left a path of destruction through the Florida Panhandle and entered Georgia as a Category 3 storm.

KCC estimates that nearly half of insured loss from Michael occurred in Florida's Bay and Gulf counties. Total damages from storm surge are estimated to be $3.7 billion, of which about ten percent will be insured.

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7:30 p.m.

Fast-moving Michael was leaving North Carolina behind with rivers rising and more than 530,000 households in the dark.

Gov. Roy Cooper's office said the power outages were concentrated in central North Carolina's Piedmont region, as trees and power lines toppled under the pressure of winds of up to 60 mph (97 kph).

Heavy rains dumping up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) in some areas were making flooding a serious threat.

Flash flooding was snarling the state's two largest cities, Charlotte and Raleigh, as well as the university town of Chapel Hill. Dozens of swift water rescues and evacuations were needed in the Piedmont region as well as the state's mountains and foothills.

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6:35 p.m.

State officials say Hurricane Michael left Florida's largest psychiatric hospital "entirely cut off."

A spokesman with the Florida Department of Children and Families says 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.

Landlines and cellphones are also down at the hospital, which has nearly 1,000 residents and more than 300 staff. Staff are using emergency radios to stay in contact with first responders.

Many roads in and around the facility are blocked, but 50 staff from two other state mental health facilities are being brought in to assist.

Patients at the facility have been committed involuntarily either through civil or criminal cases.

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5:30 p.m.

As Tropical Storm Michael rolls across North Carolina, it's continuing to produce life-threatening flash flooding and powerful winds.

The National Weather Service said the storm was centered about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Raleigh at 5 p.m. Thursday and heading northeast at 24 mph (39 kph) with winds of up to 50 mph (80 kph). It was expected to keep on the same track but head even faster and cross into Virginia during the evening.

Michael was sending dangerous wind gusts over portions of Virginia and central and eastern North Carolina.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 230 miles (370 kilometers) mainly over water to the southeast of the center.

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5:10 p.m.

North Carolina's electric utilities reported over 390,000 outages at 5 p.m., as a weakened but still formidable Michael gusted through the state.

A large number of the power outages were in a swath from Greensboro and Winston-Salem southwest to Charlotte. Duke Energy alone reported about 307,000 of these outages.

Earlier Thursday, North Carolina authorities said a driver has died after a tree fell on his car as Michael's wind and rain lashed the state.

It happened in Iredell County, north of Charlotte, where authorities have reported strong winds and numerous roads closed by flash flooding.

The storm came ashore on Florida's Gulf coast as a Category 4 hurricane before weakening to tropical storm status over Georgia.

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3:50 p.m.

After reports of several possible tornadoes touching down in Georgia, National Weather Service crews are going out to examine the sites.

Weather Service meteorologist Matt Sena said Thursday they include sites in Pike, Peach and Crawford counties and an area near Atlanta in Fulton County.

In Roberta, in Crawford County, Hill Bentley said he saw spinning clouds that looked like a tornado Wednesday.

"I told my wife, Judy, 'Come on out, you want to see what a tornado looks like?'"

Bentley's home wasn't hit, but his friend Bradley Lewis wasn't so lucky. Dozens of fallen pines littered Lewis' front and back yards and his roof and back porch were damaged, but he was uninjured.

"Kaboom! Like the world moved or something," Lewis said of the moment when the trees snapped while he sheltered inside.

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3:30 p.m.

North Carolina authorities say a driver has died after a tree fell on his car as Michael's wind and rain lashed the state.

The accident happened in Iredell County, north of Charlotte, where authorities have reported strong winds and numerous roads closed by flash flooding.

Kent Greene, the county's director of emergency management and fire services, said in an email that the man died Thursday after his car was struck by a tree on a highway east of Statesville.

Greene confirmed the death was storm-related. He wasn't able to immediately release the man's age or identity.

The sheriff's office has urged people to stay off the roads until the storm and its after-effects clear.

Meanwhile, the state is reporting nearly 220,000 power outages, with many in the Charlotte area.

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2:15 p.m.

Forecasters say Tropical Storm Michael is speeding over the Carolinas on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.

The National Hurricane Center says the storm is moving northeast at 23 mph (37 kph) with top sustained winds have dropped to 50 mph (85 kph).

Forecasters say Michael's heavy rains are causing flash flooding across parts of North Carolina and southern Virginia. Up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain could fall in some parts of the the two states.

At 2 p.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Greensboro, North Carolina. It was expected to emerge over the ocean Thursday night.

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1:55 p.m.

Florida's governor is asking for a two week delay in a debate with the Democratic incumbent in the U.S. Senate race so he can focus on response and recovery from Hurricane Michael.

Republican Gov. Rick Scott issued a statement Thursday asking CNN to postpone the debate with Sen. Bill Nelson, which was originally scheduled Oct. 16.

Scott cited "catastrophic destruction caused by Hurricane Michael," and said he's certain Nelson agrees the response should be a priority.

He said, "We appreciate CNN understanding the dire situation in North Florida," and added, that Scott "will have no time for campaigning in the next few weeks as he focuses exclusively on recovery efforts for the foreseeable future."

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1:30 p.m.

Virginia's governor has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Michael's remnant passing through the state.

Gov. Ralph Northam issued the declaration Thursday and urged Virginians to prepare for possible flash floods, strong winds, tornadoes and power outages.

Northam said the declaration would also allow Virginia to help neighboring states deal with cleaning up after Michael.

Michael was downgraded to a tropical storm after slamming into the Florida panhandle Wednesday.

Deadly tornadoes hit Virginia last month as the remains of Hurricane Florence made its way over the state.

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1:30 p.m.

The Florida resort city of Panama City Beach appears to have escaped the worst of Hurricane Michael.

While houses along the city's beachfront had broken windows and missing shingles, the destruction was nowhere near that sustained by Mexico Beach or even Panama City, just 10 miles to the east.

Panama City Beach's streets were remarkably free of sand and falling trees, the kind of debris making rescue and recovery efforts so difficult in other areas hit by the storm.

Michael roared ashore Wednesday as a powerful Category 4 hurricane near Mexico Beach, rendering the town nearly unrecognizable.

Panama City Beach was mostly empty Thursday because residents and tourists alike heeded the evacuation order. The city had no electricity at 1 p.m. Thursday but few power lines were down.

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1:10 p.m.

The power is still out for most customers in Tallahassee. People love the trees in Florida's state capital, where canopy roads have large oak trees on both sides of some streets that branch out and meet each other above the traffic.

The area also has above-ground utility lines and often loses power when branches fall during severe storms.

Many of these trees were lost to Hurricane Michael, but the city has quickly cleared them from the busiest roadways. Grocery stores, gas stations and drug stores are open and running on generator power, traffic is busy despite police warning people to stay off the roads so utility crews can better restore power.

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12:50 p.m.

Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida will remain closed while officials assess what they're calling "widespread catastrophic damage" from Hurricane Matthew.

Base leaders say no injuries were reported, but an initial assessment found roof damage to "nearly every home" on the base, which is very near where the center of the Category 4 storm made landfall.

Col. Brian Laidlaw, commander of the 325th Fighter Wing, said on Facebook that "Tyndall residents and evacuated personnel should remain at their safe location." His mandatory evacuation order applied to some 600 families living on the base. He later warned personnel to make plans for an extended time away.

Laidlaw says they're "developing plans to reunite families" and "provide safe passage back to base housing."

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12:30 p.m.

Thousands of National Guard troops, law enforcement officers and medical teams are working their way into damaged communities to search for survivors of Hurricane Michael.

What authorities don't want are evacuees trying to come back to check on their properties. Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford says residents aren't being allowed past checkpoints until crews clean up downed power lines and trees.

Florida emergency officials say the devastation is so massive that it remains unclear if people who ignored evacuation orders were killed.

Authorities said that 285 people in Mexico Beach refused to leave, and many homes in that community were washed away. A National Guard team found 20 survivors there overnight and more crews were working through the wreckage on Thursday.

Hospitals and nursing homes are so damaged in the Panama City area that ambulances and helicopters are being used to ferry patients elsewhere.

Michael remained a hurricane for 12 hours and 200 miles as it moved over Florida and Georiga, and other teams are looking at reports of possible tornado damage well inland.

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12:15 p.m.

Experts at the National Hurricane Center say Hurricane Michael's devastating storm surge reached as high as 14 feet (4.27 meters) in some areas of Florida's Gulf coast.

The center's storm surge unit said Thursday that peak storm surge ranged from 9 feet (2.7 meters) to 14 feet (4.27 meters) from Mexico Beach east through Apalachee Bay.

Officials said the highest storm surge hit near Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe, based on available observations and post-landfall models.

Officials had been warning that the surge of water pushed by the storm could be as serious as the hurricane's punishing winds. The threat of the storm prompted local officials to order mandatory evacuations in several Florida coastal counties.

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11:55 a.m.

A coroner has identified the 11-year-old girl who was killed as Hurricane Michael blew through south Georgia.

Seminole County coroner Chad Smith on Thursday identified the girl as Sarah Radney.

Smith said an official cause of death had not been determined but that it would likely be massive blunt force trauma.

Seminole County Emergency Management Agency director Travis Brooks said strong winds picked up a portable carport Wednesday and dropped it down on the roof of the home where the girl was inside. One of the carport's legs punctured the roof and hit the girl in the head.

Seminole County is in the southwest corner of Georgia.

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11:50 a.m.

The largest hospitals in Panama City are shutting down and evacuating patients due to heavy damage from Hurricane Michael.

Officials at Bay Medical Sacred Heart announced that they're transferring about 200 patients to hospitals in Pensacola and Jacksonville, and to Mobile, Alabama.

Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center says it has suspended all services and is evacuating patients as well.

Sacred Heart's statement says the transfers began at 3 a.m. Thursday with 39 critical care patients and would take about 48 hours to complete.

Damage at Sacred Heart includes blown-out windows, a cracked exterior wall and a roof collapse in a maintenance building that stores supplies necessary for long-term care. The hospital says no patients were injured and its emergency room remains open on generator power.

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11:25 p.m.

A federal judge is rejecting a push to extend Florida's voter registration deadline because of Hurricane Michael, saying there's "no justification" to do so.

U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled late Wednesday against the Florida Democratic Party, which called the Republican-led response to the storm's disruption confusing and inadequate.

Florida's deadline to register to vote was Tuesday, 29 days ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner told local election supervisors that if their offices were closed Tuesday due to the hurricane, then they could accept paper applications for a single day once their offices reopen.

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10:55 a.m.

Most hurricanes quickly fall apart as they move over land. Not Michael. The third-most powerful hurricane on record to hit the U.S. mainland carved a path of destruction for roughly 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico before its top sustained winds dropped to tropical-storm strength.

The National Hurricane Center says Michael did not lose its hurricane status until early Thursday, when its winds finally dropped below 74 mph (119 kph) near Browndale in central Georgia.

Based on its internal barometric pressure, Michael was the third most powerful hurricane to make landfall, behind the unnamed Labor Day storm of 1935 and Camille in 1969. Based on wind speed, it was the fourth-strongest, behind the Labor Day storm, Camille and Andrew in 1992.

Michael had top sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph) when it hit Mexico Beach on Wednesday.

It's down to a tropical storm now as it moves over the Carolinas, but forecasters expect it to strengthen again once it moves over the Atlantic.

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10:10 a.m.

Gov. Rick Scott says the Florida National Guard got into Mexico Beach and found 20 people who survived a direct hit from Hurricane Michael.

The town where the hurricane made landfall Wednesday remained very difficult to reach by land a day later, with roads covered by fallen trees, power lines and other storm debris.

Overhead video from a CNN helicopter Thursday morning reveals widespread devastation across the town of about 1,000 people.

Entire blocks of homes near the beach have been washed away, leaving nothing but concrete slabs in the sand. Rows and rows of other homes are smashed to pieces or crunched to the ground and leaning at odd angles.

The town was under a mandatory evacuation order as the rapidly developing storm targeted the coast, but some people were determined to ride out the hurricane.

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10 a.m.

Utilities in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Alabama reported that more than 932,000 customers were without power in the wake of Hurricane Michael.

Nearly half of those affected were in Florida, which bore the brunt of Michael - the most powerful storm on record to hit the state's Panhandle. It left widespread destruction as it crossed into Georgia toward the Carolinas, a region still reeling from epic flooding in Hurricane Florence.

The Category 4 storm made landfall Wednesday afternoon amid beach resorts and coastal communities, packing 155 mph (250 kph) winds.

Michael thrashed Georgia as a hurricane and eventually weakened to a tropical storm early Thursday. Despite the downgrade, the storm was still pounding the Southeast with heavy rains, winds, and a threat of spinoff tornadoes.

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9:50 a.m.

The Army Corps of Engineers is sending in generators to help get power to storm-ravaged areas, and teams to start clearing debris and begin building temporary roofs.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said officials were just starting to go in and survey the damage but expect power to be out for weeks in some areas. Hurricane Michael made landfall in Mexico Beach, just down the coast of Panama City, and left a wide path of destruction in its wake.

Long says "Mexico Beach took the brunt, that's probably ground zero."

Red Cross officials say 7,800 people were in 100 shelters across three states. They said it's still not clear how many people stayed put and would need to be rescued.

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9:15 a.m.

Authorities are correcting early reports about the death of an 11-year-old girl as Hurricane Michael blew over southwest Georgia.

Seminole County Emergency Management Agency director Travis Brooks said it wasn't a tree but a carport that hit her home and killed her.

He said strong winds picked up a portable carport Wednesday and dropped it down on the roof. One of the carport's legs punctured the roof and hit the 11-year-old girl in the head.

Brooks said he wasn't able to get out much overnight to fully assess the damage in the county, because downed power lines and trees made roads impassable in the darkness. But he said the sheriff told him it looked like a bomb had gone off.

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7:30 a.m.

Fires still burned in the early morning darkness the day after Hurricane Michael made landfall in Mexico Beach, a Florida Gulf Coast beach town that doesn't usually get much attention. Michael pushed a 10-foot (3-meter) storm surge and 155 mph (249 kph) winds, just shy of a Category 5 hurricane, and Mexico Beach got the worst of it.

A reporter and photojournalist from the Tampa Bay Times ventured there in the dark early Thursday, finding the town of about 1,000 almost impassable. They reported seeing many destroyed homes, some with staircases leading to doors suspended 10 feet (3 meters) in the air with nothing on the other side, entire structures washed away. Refrigerators and toilets and piles of soggy furniture are strewn across properties.

And amid the wreckage, the crew spotted survivors - people who rode out the storm. One couple was looking for their mother's portable oxygen machine. Another man was shining a flashlight from his balcony as alarms sounded and fires burned.

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6:45 a.m.

The Florida Highway Patrol has closed an 80-mile stretch of Interstate 10 to clear debris from Hurricane Michael.

In an email sent early Thursday, spokesman Eddie Elmore said the road was closed "due to extremely hazardous conditions."

The agency is working with the Florida Department of Transportation to clear the interstate which is the major east-west route across northern Florida and the Panhandle.

Elmore said the road is closed west of Tallahassee, between mile marker 85 near DeFuniak Springs and mile marker 166 near Lake Seminole.

The email didn't say how long the work was expected to take.

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5:00 a.m.

Tropical Storm Michael continues to weaken as it over eastern Georgia as it makes its way toward the Carolinas. Early Thursday, the eye of Michael was about 90 miles (144 kilometers) northeast of Macon, Georgia and 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of Augusta. The storm's maximum sustained winds have decreased to 50 mph (80 kph) and it was moving to the northeast at 21 mph (33 kph).

The National Hurricane Center says the core of Michael will move across eastern Georgia into Central South Carolina on Thursday morning. It will then move across portions of central and eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia into the Atlantic Ocean by late Thursday or early Friday.

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12:00 a.m.

Hurricane Michael's battering waves swamped streets and docks and shrieking winds splintered trees and rooftops. The most powerful hurricane on record to hit Florida's Panhandle left widespread destruction and wasn't finished Thursday as it crossed Georgia toward the Carolinas, a region still reeling from epic flooding in Hurricane Florence.

Authorities say at least one person died, a man hit by a falling tree on a Panhandle home.

The supercharged storm crashed ashore Wednesday afternoon amid beach resorts and coastal communities, a Category 4 monster packing 155 mph (250 kph) winds. Downgraded to a tropical storm over south Georgia, it was weakening by the hour. But it's still menacing the Southeast with heavy rains, winds and a threat of spinoff tornadoes.
PHOENIX (AP) - In a story Oct. 12 about immigrants in Arizona, The Associated Press reported erroneously the name of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Border officials alarmed by migrants abandoned in the desert

Smugglers in recent weeks have been abandoning large groups of mostly Guatemalan adult and child migrants near Arizona's boundary with Mexico, alarming Border Patrol officials who say the trend puts hundreds of children and adults at risk

By ANITA SNOW

Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) - Smugglers in recent weeks have been abandoning large groups of Guatemalan and other Central American migrants in Arizona's 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.

"We've seen large groups in the past, but never on this scale," Tucson-based Border Patrol Agent Daniel Hernandez said. "It's 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.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Arizona began releasing hundreds of people Sunday to await court dates, saying it didn't 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 didn't 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 it's 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 doesn't 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.

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Follow Anita Snow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/asnowreports

Her stories can be found at: https://apnews.com/search/Anita%20Snow
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - In a story Oct. 11 about an incident at Grand Canyon National Park, The Associated Press reported erroneously that a park ranger shot a suspect. While the ranger's weapon was fired, authorities said the suspect's injuries were due to a scuffle with the ranger.

A corrected version of the story is below:

Ranger fires shot during scuffle with suspect at Grand Canyon

Authorities say a Grand Canyon National Park ranger fired a shot while scuffling with suspect

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - Authorities say a Grand Canyon National Park ranger fired a gunshot during a scuffle with a suspect who was not wounded by the gunfire.

However, park spokeswoman Kari Cobb said both the ranger and suspect sustained minor injuries from the scuffle that occurred in a public area near a lodge at Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim about 1 a.m. Thursday.

Cobb said Friday that the suspect, whose identity wasn't released, remained in custody pending further investigation of the incident.

Cobb said the incident occurred after the ranger responded to a call to authorities. Additional information on the circumstances of the incident wasn't available, Cobb said.

In announcing the incident, the Park Service said it didn't believe there were any safety concerns for the public and the park remained open.
MEXICO BEACH, Fla. (AP) - 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 13, not counting any victims 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.

A body is removed after being discovered during the search of a housing structure in the aftermath of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

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.

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 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."

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Contributors in Florida include Associated Press writers Jay Reeves in Panama City, Brendan Farrington in St. Marks, Gary Fineout in Tallahassee, Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, Terry Spencer in Fort Lauderdale, and Jennifer Kay and Freida Frisaro in Miami. Others include Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina, Darlene Superville in Washington, and Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland.

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For the latest on Hurricane Michael, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes

Destruction can be seen all over Mexico Beach Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. Residents of the small beach town of Mexico Beach, Fla., began to make their way back to their homes some for the first time after Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday. (Chris Urso/The Tampa Bay Times via AP)

People walk around the destroyed portion of Alligator Drive, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 in Alligator Point, Fla. The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael came into focus with rows upon rows of homes found smashed to pieces, and rescue crews struggling to enter stricken areas in hopes of accounting for hundreds of people who may have stayed behind. (Tailyr Irvine/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Entire blocks were destroyed in Mexico Beach, Fla., on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, two days after a Category 4 Hurricane Michael devastated the small coastal town just outside Panama City, Fla. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP)

Boats are seen among the rubble along the canals Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Fla., two days after a Category 4 Hurricane Michael devastated the small coastal town just outside Panama City, Fla. (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP)

A body is removed after being discovered during the search of a housing structure in the aftermath of hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Bentley Davis looks at his damaged house Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, on Arthur Hills Drive in Colonial Heritage in Williamsburg, Va., after last night's storm. He and wife Carolyn were watching television in their family room when they heard patio furniture moving around outside their French doors last night. The tree fell through the roof of their home and landed between their seats and the T.V. (Alexa Welch Edlund /Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Dave Stough recovers a flag that was attached to his car port that was crushed by a large tree crashing and his mobile home, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 in Virginia Beach, Va. Strong winds from the remnants of Michael moved through Hampton Roads. Dave and his wife were awake at the time but not injured. They and their pets are now trying to figure out where they will stay. (L. Todd Spencer/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

A body is removed after being discovered during the search of a housing structure in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Power lines lean against the trees on Alligator Drive in Alligator Point, Fla., on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Tailyr Irvine/The Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Rescue personnel and volunteers wait on a road as State Police dive team members search a creek for a missing woman after their car was swept off a bridge in Charlotte County, Va., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Rescue personnel and volunteers wait on a road as State Police dive team members search a creek for a missing woman after their car, right, was swept off a bridge in Charlotte County, Va., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Residents assess the damage to their home after Hurricane Michael hit Alligator Drive in Alligator Point, Fla., on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (Tailyr Irvine/The Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Malik Mutcherson, from Pepin Distributing, loads supplies for people affected by Hurricane Michael, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 in Tampa, Fla. The devastation inflicted by Hurricane Michael came into focus with rows upon rows of homes found smashed to pieces, and rescue crews struggling to enter stricken areas in hopes of accounting for hundreds of people who may have stayed behind. (Monica Herndon /Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Brad Parsons, with the Davis H. Elliot company, works to replace a cross arm on a utility pole in Hanover County, Va., on Friday Oct. 12, 2018. Remnants of Tropical Storm Michael left hundreds of thousands in Virginia without power. (Dean Hoffmeyer/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)

Damaged boats sit among debris in a marina in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A woman walks past a damaged building in the historical downtown district in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Hector Morales sits on a debris pile near his home which was destroyed by hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach, Fla., Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. "I have nothing else to do. I'm just waiting," said Morales as he wonders what he will do next. "I lost everything." (AP Photo/David Goldman)

A helicopter flies along the coast as a portion of Highway 98 is seen crumbled Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Fla. Residents of the small beach town of Mexico Beach began to make their way back to their homes some for the first time after Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday. (Chris Urso/The Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Where homes once stood now remains debris and destruction caused by category four Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach on Friday, October 12, 2018. The hurricane made landfall in Mexico Beach on Wednesday, October 10. (Bronte Wittpenn/The Tampa Bay Times via AP)
HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - Former Vice President Joe Biden brought his blue-collar appeal to a Democratic stronghold of Indiana on Friday, heaping praise on Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly as the kind of guy who keeps his word, puts country over party - and would have his back in a street fight.

"Joe is as good a man as I know," Biden told a crowd in the heavily industrial northwest corner of Indiana, adding that if they'd grown up in the same neighborhood they would've been friends.

"I'll tell you why: I know that if I were coming through my neighborhood and I got jumped by four guys, even though ... it wouldn't make a difference, Joe would jump in and help me," Biden said.

For Donnelly, victory in a neck-and-neck race with Republican businessman Mike Braun requires a big turnout in the area, which draws more from the machine politics of nearby Chicago than the rural conservatism prevalent elsewhere in the state.

"Northwest Indiana is red meat for Joe Donnelly," said Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott. "Eight out of 10 of those people that show up are going to vote for Joe Donnelly."

With early voting starting in Indiana this week, Biden urged the crowd to turn out for Donnelly and bring their friends, saying "if there's any time we needed character in the United States Senate, it's now."

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2018, file photo, Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., left, shakes hands with Republican former state Rep. Mike Braun following a U.S. Senate Debate in Westville, Ind. Donnelly is hoping a visit from former Vice President Joe Biden will help his effort to run up the vote in the Democratic stronghold of northwest Indiana. Vice President Mike Pence will be appearing at a fundraising dinner in Indianapolis around the same time to rev up support for Braun. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, Pool, File)

But Biden wasn't the only vice president paying a visit to the state. Three hours south, current Vice President Mike Pence - the state's former governor - rallied GOP activists at a fundraising dinner with Braun and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in Indianapolis.

Pence said the choice between Donnelly and Braun was clear: Braun would support President Donald Trump's agenda, while Donnelly's re-election would lead to "unprecedented obstruction."

"The truth is, a vote for Joe Donnelly is a vote to make Chuck Schumer the leader of the United States Senate," Pence told a crowd of about 1,000 Republicans packed into a hotel ballroom in downtown Indianapolis. "A vote for Joe Donnelly is a vote to turn the United States Senate into the center of resistance in Washington, D.C."

The dueling appearances by the vice president and his predecessor underscored the high stakes in this battleground race that could help determine control of the Senate.

Donnelly has held a slight edge in recent polls, but the race remains within the margin of error. Still to be seen is whether Donnelly's vote against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh could impact the race. Republicans have fanned GOP outrage over the tactics used by Democrats in their attempt to block his nomination, which has upended other races in other states that Trump carried.

"The fact that both of them are in the state on the same day is evidence that it's a 1-, 2-, or 3-point race with enough undecided voters that turnout is going to matter," said Mike O'Brien, a veteran Republican operative who ran Gov. Eric Holcomb's successful 2016 campaign. Pence's visit is important, he added, because "there's a thousand people in that room that we need working their hardest in the final 30 days."

Donnelly, Indiana's lone statewide Democrat, won his first Senate election in 2012 by running up big numbers in northwest Indiana and the Indianapolis area, heavily populated places where he needs to do well again to keep his seat.

He won almost 70 percent of the vote in Lake County, where Friday's rally was held - his best showing in any county. It's a place where precinct committee members can be a powerful force for turnout.

"In politics you always have to pay your respects, you never want to take anyone for granted and this is just a smart way to chessboard out a victory," said Christina Hale, a northern Indiana native who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2016.

Throughout the campaign, Donnelly has appeared in ads where he crisscrosses the state in a used RV while touting his willingness to buck liberal Democrats in Congress and "drive down the Hoosier common-sense middle."

But Republicans are trying to challenge this down-home image. They say he talks a good game but is ultimately a tool of Sen. Schumer.

That's where Biden could help.

His visit generated excitement, in part because he could run for president in 2020, McDermott said. But Biden, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, has also criticized Democrats for turning their back on middle America. His visit could not only boost Donnelly but demonstrate Biden's willing to campaign in places Hillary Clinton largely overlooked in 2016.

Some are wondering if Donnelly, who has brought in few national figures to campaign for him, may be in trouble. Recently, his campaign started buying airtime in the expensive Chicago TV market, Federal Communications Commission filings show.

"It makes me wonder what's up," said Cam Savage, a Republican consultant who helped Sen. Todd Young win in 2016. "They must be underperforming up there and my guess is they are concerned."
FIA in contact with Interpol on matter of Husain Haqqani

The Supreme Court was informed on Thursday that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) was in contact with Interpol on the matter of former ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani.



A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard a suo motu case pertaining to the implementation of the 2011 Memogate scandal.



During the hearing, senior legal expert Ahmer Bilal Soofi informed the bench that the FIA had submitted a challan in the special court against Haqqani.



FIA has contacted Interpol and permanent warrants have been issued for Haqqani, he added.



Soofi further said, The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has granted the FIA authority and a progress report will be submitted during the next hearing. Justice Nisar, I want to wrap up this case before I leave.



The hearing of the case was then adjourned for an indefinite period.



The Memogate scandal erupted in 2011, when Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz claimed to have received an anti-army memo from Haqqani, the then Pakistan envoy in Washington DC, for the then US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Admiral Mike Mullen. The memo sent by Haqqani allegedly mentioned a possible army coup in Pakistan following the US raid in Abbottabad to kill Osama bin Laden.



It also allegedly sought assistance from the US for the then Pakistan Peoples Party government for reigning in the military and intelligence agencies. In 2012, a judicial commission was tasked to probe the case, and it concluded that the memo was authentic and authored by the former envoy. The commission said the purpose of the memo was to convince American officials that Pakistans civilian government was pro-US. The scandal, taken to the Supreme Court by then opposition leader Nawaz Sharif and several others, led to Haqqanis resignation and subsequent exit from the country.
MOSCOW (AP) - NASA's chief heard one reassuring sound over the radio link after the aborted launch of a Soyuz capsule with an American and a Russian aboard.

It was U.S. astronaut Nick Hague calmly relaying information in Russian to flight controllers.

"My reaction was, 'things aren't going well and he's not speaking English,'" NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters Friday, after Hague and Roscosmos' Alexei Ovchinin returned to the Star City training center outside Moscow from their abruptly shortened mission.

"So, in other words, he was calm, he was cool, he was collected, he was doing what he was trained to do," said Bridenstine, who was at the Baikonur Cosmodrome to watch the launch.

Two minutes after Hague and Ovchinin blasted off Thursday for the International Space Station, their rocket failed, triggering an emergency landing. Their capsule fell from an altitude of about 50 kilometers (31 miles) at a sharper-than-normal angle, building up gravitational forces at 6-7 times those on Earth.

It was the first such accident for Russia's manned program in over three decades, although there also have been launch failures in recent years involving unmanned vehicles. An investigation is underway, and Bridenstine said he doesn't expect the next mission taking a crew to the space station in December to be delayed.

In this photo made available by Roscosmos on Friday, Oct. 12. 2018, agency leader Dmitry Rogozin, center, embraces cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin, left, and U.S. astronaut Nick Hague at Star City, Russia, a space training center outside Moscow. After an aborted launch on Thursday, Rogozin promised that Hague and Ovchinin will be given another chance soon to work on the International Space Station. (Roscosmos via AP)

He recalled the tense moment when he heard Hague reporting the G-forces in Russian to Mission Control, followed by a break in communications and the loss of flight data.

"There was the time when I heard 6.7G, and that was the first time I realized that's not right," he said. "And then of course data was lost, communications was lost for a period of time, and then everybody went to their respective corners attempting to find out what the truth is. And when we learned that the crew was safe and descending it was a moment to behold. A lot of people very, very happy."

Hague's calm voice showed he was well-trained for the emergency, although there was still a nervous atmosphere at Baikonur, Bridenstine said.

"That's the scary moment, you know, when you know that the Gs are not where they should be and then communications stops and I'm sure that they are going through their procedures and doing their thing and the question is what's the ultimate G-load ... and how does that affect the crew," he said. "And during that time we weren't getting a lot of feedback, but again that's appropriate because they were busy and we were OK with that."

About 34 minutes elapsed from the time the rocket failed to when the capsule finally parachuted to a landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan, where rescue crews swiftly picked up the pair.

Bridenstine praised the Soyuz emergency rescue system, saying it functioned like a "miracle."

"Even when a failure occurs, because of the engineering and the design and the great work done by folks in Russia, the crew can be safe," he said. "That's an amazing capability and we can't understate how important it is. Not every mission that fails ends up so successfully."

Hague also expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you all for your support & heartfelt prayers," he tweeted from Star City. "Operational teams were outstanding in ensuring our safety & returning us to family & friends."

Sergei Krikalyov, the head of Roscosmos' manned programs, said the launch went awry after one of the rocket's four boosters failed to jettison about two minutes into the flight, damaging the main stage and triggering the emergency.

Experts are now trying to determine what specific glitch prevented the booster's separation.

"We will need to look and analyze the specific cause - whether it was a cable, a pyro or a nut," Krikalyov said, adding that Roscosmos hopes to be able to sort out the problem and carry out the next Soyuz launch in December.

Roscosmos promised to share all relevant information with NASA, which pays up to $82 million per Soyuz seat to the space station.

"I have no anticipation right now that the launch in December for the next crew will be delayed," Bridenstine said. "The investigation is ongoing, Russia has been very supportive of sharing data with the United States and we're grateful for that. And at this point I'm confident that we'll launch in December."

The current space station crew of an American, a Russian and a German was scheduled to return to Earth in December after a six-month mission. A Soyuz capsule attached to the station that they use to ride back to Earth is designed for 200 days in space, meaning that their stay in orbit could only be extended briefly.

"We don't have an opportunity to extend it for a long time," Krikalyov said.

Krikalyov pledged that the Russian space agency will do its best not to leave the orbiting outpost unoccupied.

"The station could fly in an unmanned mode, but will do all we can to avoid it," he said. "The conservation of the station is possible, but it's undesirable."

Russia currently operates the only spacecraft for ferrying crews to the station following the retirement of the U.S. space shuttle fleet, but it stands to lose that monopoly in the coming years with the arrival of commercial U.S. crew capsules - SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner.

"We're getting really close already," Bridenstine said. "We are anxiously anticipating early next year the test of two separate commercial crew vehicles that will fly to the International Space Station - SpaceX ad Boeing."

He said that the launch failure underlined the need for multiple launch systems to complement one another.

"In other words, if there is a hiccup in one country's system, there is another country's system capable of maintaining the operation until the first country is ready to go again," he said. "This demonstrates how important it is to have collaboration and to not be dependent on one system or another system."

But he also underlined the need for continuing U.S.-Russian cooperation in space, voicing hope that it wouldn't be affected by politics.

"We can both do more in space together than we can ever do alone," Bridenstine said. "When it comes to space and exploration and discovery and science, our two nations have always kept those activities separate from the disputes that we have terrestrially."

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Associated Press writer Nataliya Vasilyeva contributed.

Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jim Bridenstine enters the hall before a news conference at the U.S. embassy in Moscow in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jim Bridenstine speaks during a news conference at the U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jim Bridenstine speaks during a news conference at the U.S. embassy in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)

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, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. 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 Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, but their Soyuz booster rocket failed about two minutes after the launch. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) - 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 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.

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.

President Donald Trump listens to a question about the missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi after landing at Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport, Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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 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.

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.

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AP writer Suzan Fraser reported from Ankara.

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. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Saudi officials enter 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 who vanished last week after entering the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The Latest on missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi (all times local):

1:45 a.m.

The Turkish fiancee of missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi says he wasn't nervous when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and did not suspect that anything bad would happen to him.

Hatice Cengiz told The Associated Press on Friday that Khashoggi's last words to her before entering the building were "See you later my darling." She says they 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.

The 59-year-old writer and Washington Post contributor has been missing since he entered the Saudi mission on Oct. 2 to obtain paperwork required to marry Cengiz. Turkish officials are not commenting on reports that the government has told U.S. officials it has audio and video proof that Khashoggi was killed in the consulate.

In written responses to questions by the AP, Cengiz said Turkish authorities had not told her about any recordings and that Khashoggi is officially "still missing."

A security guard looks out of 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 who vanished last week after entering the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

She confirmed reports that Khashoggi was wearing an Apple watch when he entered the consulate and said investigators were examining his cell phones, which he had left with her.

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12:20 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he will soon speak with Saudi Arabia's King Salman about the disappearance of journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, went missing more than a week ago after entering a Saudi consulate in Turkey, and Turkish officials have said they believe he was murdered there.

Trump calls it a "serious situation" and pledges that the U.S. government will find out what happened to Khashoggi. U.S. officials say they are seeking answers from the Saudi government, and are not yet accepting the Turkish government's conclusions.

Trump says Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin will evaluate at a later date whether to attend a Saudi investor conference later this month. Mnuchin had indicated earlier Friday he still planned to attend.

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8:40 p.m.

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 comes in response to international reports mentioning the case in the context of the disappearance earlier this week of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.

Aujjar said Turki bin Bandar, who fell out with the Saudi royal family and fled to Paris in 2012, was arrested in Morocco on Nov. 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 minister told The Associated Press that Morocco's supreme court issued the order for the extraction of Turki bin Banda and that his arrest "also followed strict judiciary procedures."

The Washington Post reported that Turki disappeared in 2015.

Moroccan authorities wouldn't comment on Khashoggi's case.

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8:35 p.m.

Saudi Arabia has welcomed Turkey's approval of a joint Turkish-Saudi working group to investigate the disappearance of Saudi Arabian writer Jamal Khashoggi.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed its appreciation to Turkey for agreeing to form a "joint action team."

The Saudi delegation arrived in Turkey earlier Friday, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu said.

The Saudi statement said the kingdom is keen "to sustain the security and safety of its citizenry, wherever they might happen to be."

Saudi Arabia has called allegations it abducted or harmed Khashoggi "baseless."

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8:30 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.

Following a Turkish court's decision to free the evangelical pastor, Andrew Brunson, 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.

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5 p.m.

President Emmanuel Macron says France wants to know "the whole truth" about the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, calling the early details about the case "very worrying."

Macon 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.

Macron said he hasn't discussed the issue with Saudi authorities and the Turkish president yet, but will do so in the coming days. He said he will take position on the case after more details are known and verified by French intelligence services.

Turkish officials allege Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate.

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1:15 p.m.

Germany says it is "very concerned" about the disappearance of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul, and is calling on Saudi Arabia to "participate fully" in clearing up reports that he may have been killed.

Khashoggi went missing over a week ago after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials allege he was killed inside the consulate.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said "the suspicion that is being talked about here is appalling, and so this disappearance must be cleared up as quickly and thoroughly as possible."

He added that "Saudi Arabia must participate fully in clearing this up."

Foreign ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas gave a similar message to the Saudi ambassador in Berlin earlier this week.

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1 p.m.

The Washington Post says the Turkish government has told U.S. officials it has audio and video proof that missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul.

In a report Friday, the newspaper, for which Khashoggi is a columnist, cited anonymous officials saying the recordings show a Saudi security team detaining the writer when he went to the consulate on Oct. 2 to pick up a document for his upcoming wedding.

The Associated Press was not immediately able to confirm the report, and Turkish officials would not comment.

Saudi Arabia has called the allegation it abducted or harmed Khashoggi "baseless."

However, it has offered no evidence to support its claim he left the consulate and vanished even though his fiance waiting outside.

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12:55 p.m.

Turkey's state-run news agency says a delegation from Saudi Arabia has arrived in Turkey as part of an investigation into missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi.

Anadolu Agency said Friday that 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 Khashoggi's disappearance. The journalist vanished last week after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Turkish officials have said The Washington Post contributor may have been killed inside the consulate, but they haven't offered any evidence. Saudi Arabia has denied the allegation as "baseless."

A man knocks the entrance of 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)

Security personnel check the identity papers of visitors 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 who vanished last week after entering the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

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. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Saudi officials enter 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 who vanished last week after entering the Saudi diplomatic mission in Istanbul. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
NORRISTOWN, Pennsylvania (AP) - Amid unfolding sex-abuse scandals, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl as archbishop of Washington. But the pope's gentle words and lack of condemnation angered those who feel top Catholic leaders continue to shirk responsibility for the global crisis.

Among those frustrated by the pope's announcement Friday was Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who oversaw a grand jury report issued in August on rampant sex abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses. The report accused Wuerl of helping to protect some child-molesting priests while he was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006.

"It is unacceptable that then-Bishop Wuerl ... oversaw and participated in the systematic cover-up that he did when leading the Pittsburgh Diocese and that he is now able to retire seemingly with no consequences for his actions," Shapiro said. "We can't rely on the church to fix itself."

Shapiro spoke at a news conference after urging the state Senate to pass legislation allowing sex-abuse victims to sue in old cases they now can't pursue because of the statute of limitations.

Wuerl had offered his resignation as archbishop in late 2015, after he turned 75. Pope Francis accepted the offer Friday, but asked Wuerl to stay on temporarily until a replacement is found and suggested he had unfairly become a scapegoat and victim of the mounting outrage over the abuse scandal.

"You have sufficient elements to justify your actions and distinguish between what it means to cover up crimes or not to deal with problems, and to commit some mistakes," Francis wrote to Wuerl. "However, your nobility has led you not to choose this way of defense. Of this I am proud and thank you."

FILE - This Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015 file photo shows Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, left, talking with Pope Francis after a Mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Pope Francis has accepted Friday Oct. 12, 2108 the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File )

Wuerl, who turns 78 in November, initially played down the grand jury report and defended his own record, but eventually concluded he should no longer lead the archdiocese.

"The Holy Father's decision to provide new leadership to the archdiocese can allow all of the faithful, clergy, religious and lay, to focus on healing and the future," Wuerl said in a statement Friday. "Once again for any past errors in judgment I apologize and ask for pardon."

With the resignation, Wuerl becomes the most prominent Catholic head to roll since his predecessor as Washington archbishop, Theodore McCarrick, was forced to resign as cardinal this year over allegations he sexually abused at least two minors and adult seminarians.

Wuerl, even as he drew criticism in the grand jury report, also faced widespread skepticism over his insistence that he knew nothing about years of alleged sexual misconduct by McCarrick.

Wuerl was named prominently in the 11-page denunciation of an aleged McCarrick cover-up that was written by the Vatican's former ambassador to the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano. He accused a long line of U.S. and Vatican churchmen of turning a blind eye to McCarrick's penchant for sleeping with seminarians.

Francis' praise for Wuerl alarmed advocates for abuse survivors, who said it was evidence of the clerical culture Francis himself denounces in which the church hierarchy consistently protects its own.

The pope "needs to fire and publicly admonish any bishop that has enabled perpetrators by concealing their crimes from law enforcement and the public," said Becky Ianni of SNAP, a network of abuse survivors.

She said Francis should turn over all Vatican records on child sex crimes to secular authorities, and also demand that every cardinal and bishop post the names of all the accused clergy on diocesan websites.

Patty Fortney-Julius, one of five sisters from central Pennsylvania who have accused their now-dead parish priest of sexually abusing them as children, also voiced frustrations.

"If the pope truly wants a pure faith and Catholics that can walk in on Sunday morning with their head held high ... then they will open up every secret archive in the world, and that's the bottom line," she said at Josh Shapiro's news conference. "You can't speak out of both sides of your mouth. Scripture doesn't teach that, so the Catholic Church shouldn't teach that, especially from the pope's pulpit."

Wuerl has not been charged with any wrongdoing but was named numerous times in the grand jury report, which details instances in which he allowed priests accused of misconduct to be reassigned or reinstated.

In one case cited in the report, Wuerl - acting on a doctor's recommendation - enabled the Rev. William O'Malley to return to active ministry in 1998 despite allegations of abuse lodged against him in the past and his own admission that he was sexually interested in adolescents. Years later, according to the report, six more people alleged that they were sexually assaulted by O'Malley, in some cases after he had been reinstated.

In another case, Wuerl returned a priest to active ministry in 1995 despite having received multiple complaints that the priest, the Rev. George Zirwas, had molested boys in the late 1980s.

Wuerl's defenders have cited a case that surfaced in 1988, when a 19-year-old former seminarian, Tim Bendig, filed a lawsuit accusing a priest, Anthony Cipolla, of molesting him. Wuerl initially questioned Bendig's account but later accepted it and moved to oust Cipolla from the priesthood. The Vatican's highest court ordered Wuerl to restore Cipolla to priestly ministry, but Wuerl resisted and, after two years of legal procedures, prevailed in preventing Cipolla's return.

Wuerl's archdiocese issued a series of plaudits Friday, coinciding with the Vatican announcement. They included a letter from the archdiocesan chancellor, Kim Vitti Fiorentino, who lamented that Wuerl's "pioneering leadership in the enhancement, implementation and enforcement of historically innovative child protection policies was overshadowed by the (Pennsylvania grand jury) report's flaws and its interpretation by the media."

In a letter to the Washington faithful, which Wuerl asked to be read aloud at Mass this weekend, the cardinal addressed survivors of abuse.

"I am sorry and ask for healing for all those who were so deeply wounded at the hands of the church's ministers," he wrote. "I also beg forgiveness on behalf of church leadership from the victims who were again wounded when they saw these priests and bishops both moved and promoted."

That message failed to impress one of Wuerl's conservative critics, Michael Hitchborn of the Lepanto Institute.

The letter "apologizes for the actions of others, but offers not even a shred of ownership of the pain, humiliation, and horror inflicted upon those he was responsible for," Hitchborn said.

A more nuanced response came from John Gehring, the Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life, a Washington-based clergy network.

"Cardinal Wuerl did many good things over the years. He also made mistakes and failed," Gehring tweeted. "But it was the right decision to resign. DC Catholics need a fresh start."

Wuerl was born in Pittsburgh, attended Catholic University in Washington and received a doctorate in theology from the University of Saint Thomas in Rome. He joined the priesthood in 1966, was ordained a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 1986, and served briefly as auxiliary bishop in Seattle before going to Pittsburgh.

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Winfield reported from Rome. Crary reported from New York.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro speaks at a news conference Friday Oct. 12, 2018, in Norristown, Pa. Shapiro is appealing to legislators to change state law so that civil cases can be pursued in court in decades-old clergy abuse cases. Shapiro also wants the Legislature to lift the statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions going forward. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

In this Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010 file photo, Archbishop Donald Wuerl prays as he celebrates Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington. Pope Francis has accepted Friday Oct. 12, 2108 the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015 file photo Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, stands in the doorway of the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington. Pope Francis has accepted Friday Oct. 12, 2108 the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

In this Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010 file photo, Archbishop Donald Wuerl prays as he celebrates Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington. Pope Francis has accepted Friday Oct. 12, 2108 the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015 file photo Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, stands in the doorway of the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington. Pope Francis has accepted Friday Oct. 12, 2108 the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

Patty Fortney, center, and Carolyn Fortney, left, Harrisburg-area clergy abuse victims, participate in a news conference alongside Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro Friday Oct. 12, 2018 in Norristown, Pa. Shapiro is appealing to legislators to change state law so that civil cases can be pursued in court in decades-old clergy abuse cases. Shapiro also wants the Legislature to lift the statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions going forward. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the aftermath of Hurricane Michael (all times local):

11 a.m.

Power and cellphone service is 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.

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)

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.

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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.

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10 p.m. Friday

The Internal Revenue Service says victims of Hurricane Michael will get a grace period before having to file some tax returns and payments.

The IRS said Friday it's offering the relief in parts of Florida and other regions that may be added later to the disaster area as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Individuals who had a valid extension to Oct. 15 for filing their 2017 return now will have until Feb. 28, 2019, to file. Because tax payments related to the 2017 returns were due on April 18, however, those payments don't qualify for relief.

The new Feb. 28 deadline also applies to quarterly estimated income-tax payments normally due on Jan. 15, 2019, and to quarterly payroll and excise tax returns due on Oct. 31, 2018 and Jan. 31, 2019. The IRS says it will automatically provide relief for people with addresses in the counties designated a disaster area.

Taxpayers who qualify for relief but live outside the disaster area can call the IRS at 866-562-5227.

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For the latest on Hurricane Michael, visit https://www.apnews.com/tag/Hurricanes

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)

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)

A home stands damaged from hurricane Michael as members of a South Florida urban search and rescue team look for survivors 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)

South Florida urban search and rescue K-9 specialist Brian Smithey works with his dog Doak to check a debris pile 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. 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)
JUNCTION, Texas (AP) - Crews have resumed searching along a West Texas river after the bodies were found of two of four people swept away when floodwaters overran a recreational vehicle park.

Texas A&M Forest Service spokeswoman Christi Powers says the search resumed Friday morning. She says while "we never lose hope," the search turned from rescue to recovery after the discovery of two bodies Thursday.

The four were swept away early Monday morning from the RV park in Junction, located about 140 miles (225 kilometers) west of Austin. The search area spans from the RV park to about 35 miles (56 kilometers) downstream as the South Llano (LA'-noh) River becomes the Llano River.

She says the bodies were found along the Llano River, about 9 miles (14 kilometers) downriver from the RV park.

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)
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Tropical Storm Sergio dissipated into a remnant low Friday after soaking the Baja California Peninsula, crossing the Gulf of California and then continuing to lose punch over mainland Mexico.

But the U.S. National Hurricane Center said the remnants of the system were still expected to produce total rainfall of 3 to 5 inches over northwestern Mexico and 1 to 3 inches in parts of Arizona, New Mexico and toward the southern plains through Saturday, potentially causing dangerous floods.

Baja California Sur Gov. Carlos Mendoza Davis said via Twitter that the Sergio caused minor damage to some roads and roofs and knocked down trees and power poles, but the storm did not cause any injuries or deaths in the state.

Schools in the northern part of the state where the storm passed will reopen Monday, Mendoza said. The ports of San Carlos, Loreto, Adolfo Lopez Mateos and Santa Rosalia were to reopen later Friday or on Saturday.
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) - The Latest on the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl (all times Eastern):

12:30 p.m.

The prosecutor who released a grand jury report in August on rampant sex abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses says it is unacceptable that Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl is retiring with no apparent consequences.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said Friday the grand jury report and diocesan records documented Wuerl oversaw and participated in a systematic cover up of child sexual abuse by clergymen while leading the Pittsburgh diocese.

Wuerl was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006.

Wuerl is apologizing to Catholics in his archdiocese after Pope Francis accepted his resignation Friday as archbishop.

In this Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2010 file photo, Archbishop Donald Wuerl prays as he celebrates Mass at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington. Pope Francis has accepted Friday Oct. 12, 2108 the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The pope, in accepting Wuerl's resignation, asked him to stay on temporarily and suggested Wuerl had unfairly become a scapegoat, having made some "mistakes" in handling sex abuse cases, but not having covered them up.

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11:35 a.m.

Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl is apologizing to Catholics in his archdiocese after Pope Francis accepted his resignation as archbishop amid unfolding sex abuse and cover-up scandals.

Wuerl wrote in a letter that he asked priests to share at Mass this weekend that "I am sorry for all of you, faithful members of the church, who have had to face the shame of these scandals and witness doubt and perplexity among your family and friends."

The pope, in accepting Wuerl's resignation as archbishop on Friday, asked him to stay on temporarily and suggested Wuerl had unfairly become a scapegoat, having made some "mistakes" in handling sex abuse cases, but not having covered them up.

Wuerl, 78, becomes the most prominent head to roll in the Catholic Church scandals since 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.

A grand jury report in August on rampant sex abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses accused Wuerl of helping to protect some child-molesting priests while he was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006.

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6:05 a.m.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock.

But in a letter released by Wuerl's office, Francis asked him to stay on temporarily and suggested Wuerl had unfairly become a scapegoat, having made some "mistakes" in handling sex abuse cases, but not having covered them up.

With the resignation, Wuerl, 78, becomes the most prominent head to roll in the scandal roiling 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.

A grand jury report issued in August on rampant sex abuse in six Pennsylvania dioceses accused Wuerl of helping to protect some child-molesting priests while he was bishop of Pittsburgh from 1988 to 2006.

FILE - This Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015 file photo shows Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, left, talking with Pope Francis after a Mass in the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington. Pope Francis has accepted Friday Oct. 12, 2108 the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File )

FILE - In this Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2015 file photo Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, stands in the doorway of the Apostolic Nunciature, the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Washington. Pope Francis has accepted Friday Oct. 12, 2108 the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals and lost the support of many in his flock. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
BEIRUT (AP) - The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah made no mention of weapons capability on Friday in his first speech since Israel claimed that the Islamic militant group has a missile-launching facility near Beirut's international airport.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah's comments were his first since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month- holding up an aerial image of the alleged missile sites - accused Hezbollah in a speech before the U.N. General Assembly of setting up rocket factories near Beirut's airport and using civilian infrastructure to hide them.

Nasrallah made no direct comment about the allegations, only saying "we should not help the enemy in its psychological war against our country, people and government."

"Delivering free information even by denying is considered as a free favor for the enemy," Nasrallah added. He said his group is using what he called "intentional ambiguity."

Last month, Nasrallah boasted that Hezbollah now possesses "highly accurate" missiles despite Israeli attempts to prevent it from acquiring such weapons.

Nasrallah also blasted in his speech President Donald Trump for his repeated calls on Saudi officials to pay Washington for protection of the kingdom.

"The intimidation (of Trump's speech) aims to extortion. He is blackmailing them (Saudi Arabia) to sell them more weapons," Nasrallah said. "They will ask him for more protection and he will get more money."

Earlier this month, Trump said in a speech that he recently called Saudi's King Salman and told him: "I love the king, King Salman, but I said, 'King, we're protecting you. You might not be there for two weeks without us. You have to pay for your military, you have to pay.'"

"Trump's greed has no limits," Nasrallah said.
JERUSALEM (AP) - The lawyer for a U.S. student who has been barred from entering Israel because of alleged involvement in a Palestinian-led boycott movement says that her appeal to remain in the country has been rejected.

Yotam Ben-Hillel says a Tel Aviv Court on Friday rejected Lara Alqasem's appeal to remain in Israel to attend graduate school. He says the 22-year-old Florida native has until Sunday morning to decide whether to appeal to the Supreme Court or leave the country.

Alqasem landed in Israel with a student visa on Oct. 2 but was blocked from entering because of her past involvement in the boycott movement against the Jewish state. She has been held in detention while appealing the order.

Alqasem has argued that she is no longer active in the boycott movement and has been supported by professors at her alma mater, the University of Florida, and Israel's Hebrew University, where she hopes to pursue a master's degree in human rights.
Govt to hold audit of two LNG deals: Fawad Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Thursday decided to renegotiate the terms and conditions of unjustified deals pertaining to the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminals with the companies concerned as the national economy was under pressure because of these deals.



Addressing media following the cabinet meeting, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said the government had already decided to hold an audit of the two LNG deals as the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had played havoc with the national economy by signing such accords.



Federal Minister for Petroleum Ghulam Sarwar Khan said the PML-N government had inked two LNG agreements during their tenure. In one agreement, the return of equity was 44 per cent in dollar, which was much higher as compared to the international standards. While in the second, the return of equity was about 22 per cent. The return of equity in both the agreements is very high as internationally it is about 18 to 20 per cent, he said, adding that the agreements have a renegotiation clause and the government will use it. If the negotiation is not successful, the government will utilize other remedies also, he added.



The minister said according to the second agreement, the government has to pay about 245,000 dollars per day to the LNG terminal owner. Even if the second LNG terminal runs below its capacity, the government has to pay 245,000 dollar per day, he revealed. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he said, was looking into the LNG cases while the Supreme Court was also examining the same and his ministry had already submitted its reply in the court. He recalled that terms and conditions were re-negotiated with the independent power producers (IPPs) in the past, which had resulted in decrease in their rates.



Fawad said under the prime ministers economic vision, development of Balochistan and Karachi was the top priority of the government.



He said there were complaints that the funds given for the development of Karachi were not properly utilized. Karachis transformation into a fully developed city, he said, was an important agenda of the PTI government as it was crucial for the countrys progress. A high-powered committee headed by Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has been constituted to ensure proper use of the development funds given by the federal government for Karachi, he said. The mega city, he said, had come out of ethnic politics after a long time and now it was the responsibility of PTI to come up to the expectations of its people. He said the provincial government would also be taken on board on the funds released by the federal government for the uplift of Karachi.



Fawad said the federal government had decided to hand over administrative apparatus of tribal areas to the Chief Minister Secretariat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by abolishing the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Secretariat. He said the provinces would reduce their share in the National Finance Commission Award to give three per cent share for the development of erstwhile FATA.



The minister said the federal government had decided to withdraw its appeal in the Supreme Court regarding automatic weapons licenses. It believed that after the 18th constitutional amendment, it had become a provincial issue and the provinces should make their policies keeping in mind their traditions, he added. He said the Law Ministry had been advised to withdraw the case from the Supreme Court and Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi would hold meetings with representatives of the provinces to chalk out a new strategy.



The minister said the cabinet has decided to merge the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) into the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), as it had almost completed its task of reconstruction after the 2005 earthquake. He, however, made it clear that all its employees would be accommodated in the provincial departments and NDMA, and no one would be terminated from service.



Fawad said the cabinet decided that that keeping in view the farmers interest, sugarcane crushing would start from November 15 instead of November 30 as demanded by the mill owners. He said it was unfortunate that the farmers were exploited by sugar mill owners as well as the middlemen and they were not paid proper and timely price of their produce. The chief ministers of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would meet the prime minister and discuss the issue of timely payment of dues to the farmers, he added.



To a question, he said discussions were continuing with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as well as friendly counties for provision of $12 billion. He rejected the impression that investors were scared by the ongoing accountability process in the country, adding that transparency in affairs attracts more investment instead.
BRUSSELS (AP) - The U.N.'s World Food Program is preparing for a vast new wave of refugees likely to flee to Turkey if a looming conflict breaks out in Syria's flashpoint Idlib region, WFP Executive Director David Beasley said Friday.

Beasley told The Associated Press that the agency is "pre-positioning rations for short term, middle range, along the Turkish border."

He said 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.

The deal averted a government offensive on the last major opposition stronghold left after seven years of war, but Russian and Syrian officials say it's only a temporary agreement.

Over 10 million people in Syria suffer from hunger or are at risk of it. Turkey is already struggling to cope with some 3 million people who fled the war.

FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018 file photo, fighters with the Free Syrian army eat in a cave where they live, on the outskirts of the northern town of Jisr al-Shughur, Syria, west of the city of Idlib. Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency news agency said Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, that Syrian rebels have finished withdrawing all their heavy weapons from the front lines in the northwestern province of Idlib. The move was part of a deal reached between Russia and Turkey to demilitarize the front lines between Syrian government forces and the opposition in and around the province. Idlib is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. (Ugur Can/DHA via AP, File)

In Brussels for talks with senior European Union officials, Beasley said the bloc and its international partners could save both lives and money by helping to meet people's food needs now.

"It costs us about 50 cents per day to feed a Syrian inside Syria," he said. "But to support that same Syrian in Berlin or Brussels on humanitarian support is 50 euros ($58)."

"The Syrian wants to be home and so anything we can do to address food security is a win-win for everybody," Beasley added.

More than one million migrants, many fleeing conflicts in Syria and Iraq, entered the EU in 2015. The bloc has pledged at least 3 billion euros to Turkey to help Syrians there, in exchange for Ankara halting the flow of migrants into Europe.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - A man accused of detonating a pipe bomb outside an Oklahoma military recruiting station has been found not guilty by reason of insanity.

Court records in Tulsa indicate a federal judge handed down the verdict Tuesday to 29-year-old Benjamin Roden. The former Air Force senior airman was indicted for destruction of government property after a pipe bomb exploded in front of an unoccupied Air Force recruiting station near Tulsa on July 10, 2017. No one was hurt.

The ruling states psychological examinations of Roden proved he had "a severe mental disease or defect" and didn't understand what he was doing when the offense occurred. Federal prosecutors agreed to the verdict.

The judge ordered Roden to remain in federal custody for treatment. Roden has been required to take antipsychotic medication.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israeli forces shot dead six Palestinians Friday 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 added that at least another 140 Palestinians were wounded by live bullets. It said that four of those killed were targeted at one of the five camps along the fence where protesters convene.

The Israeli army said it fired at several Palestinians who blew up a section of the fence, breached it and approached soldier positions. No Israeli troops were harmed, it added.

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."

Israeli trucks carrying diesel fuel enteri Kerem Shalom cargo crossing on the Israel Gaza border, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Qatar has agreed to buy fuel to restart the only power plant in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, a top United Nations official said Tuesday, triggering accusations by the Palestinian Authority running the rival government in the West Bank that this will perpetuate the militants' control of the isolated enclave. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

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.

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.

A firefighting plane passes over a fire started by a balloon with attached burning cloth launched by Palestinians from Gaza Strip in Karmia nature reserve park near the Israel and Gaza border, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Police say a Michigan State University student from Texas has been fatally shot during a fight at an off-campus student apartment complex.

East Lansing police say the 22-year-old man was pronounced dead early Friday at a hospital. Police initially said he wasn't a student. His name and hometown weren't immediately released.

Police had responded to a call about shots fired when he was found shot. Police say they don't think there's an immediate danger to the public.

The apartment complex is located about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) north of the Michigan State University campus. The shooting is under investigation.

Tape cordons off part of an apartment complex in East Lansing, Mich., on Friday, Oct. 12, 2018. Police said a shooting during a fight at the off-campus residences left a Michigan State University student dead (Kara Berg/Lansing State Journal via AP)
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked these out. Here are the real facts:

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NOT REAL: Food Fight! Jailbird Bill Cosby Slapped With Chicken Patty In Prison

THE FACTS: Comedian Bill Cosby, now inmate No. NN7687 in a Pennsylvania prison, was not slapped with a chicken patty or a hot dog bun during food fights, despite stories circulating online. Reports claiming inmates were throwing food at the 81-year-old Cosby began circulating on online news sites and social media soon after he was sent to prison for sexual assault. He was sentenced to three-to-10 years in prison Sept. 25, after being convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his gated estate in 2004. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections spokeswoman Amy Worden told The Associated Press that Cosby had not been involved in any food fights since his incarceration. And, she noted, he does not eat in the main dining room with other inmates.

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NOT REAL: Texas Democrat Slapped With Federal Charges - Completely Destroys His 2018 Race

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2018, file photo, Bill Cosby arrives for his sentencing hearing at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa. Cosby, now inmate No. NN7687 in a Pennsylvania prison, was not slapped with a chicken patty during a food fight despite reports circulating online. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

THE FACTS: Democratic Congressman Beto O'Rourke of Texas, who is running against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz for a Senate seat, has not been charged with federal campaign finance violations as suggested in claims circulating online. The claims stem from a letter the Federal Election Commission sent the O'Rourke campaign, dated Sept. 30, that identified potentially "excessive, prohibited and impermissible" contributions from supporters. O'Rourke raised nearly $24 million through the first half of 2018 in his challenge against Cruz, defying expectations and making the Senate race one of the most expensive of the midterm elections. Claims on social media have mischaracterized the letter to suggest O'Rourke had been "slapped with federal charges" that will derail his candidacy. However, the FEC said it routinely sends similar letters to political campaigns and the notices carry no civil or criminal penalties. Cruz's campaign has received the same notices, including one as recently as June, according to FEC filings.

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NOT REAL: "Heads up Georgia. The Muslim Brotherhood is backing Abrams"

THE FACTS: In a photo circulating on Facebook, Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and activist Linda Sarsour are pictured holding a sign that says: "COMMUNIST STACEY ABRAMS GOVERNOR #MuslimBrotherhood." The photo has been altered. Abrams' office said that in the original photo, taken at a 2018 Women's March anniversary event in Georgia, the women are holding a sign that reads "Stacey Abrams Governor." Abrams tweeted the photo in January, saying that she was "proud to stand" with Sarsour, an organizer of the march who wears a hijab. "This photo has been doctored to imply that Stacey Abrams has affiliations she does not have," Priyanka Mantha, Abrams' director of communications, told The Associated Press in a statement. "While true that the photo was taken with one of the co-chairs of the Women's March in 2018, the sign being held up has been altered in a deceitful attempt to mislead voters."

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NOT REAL NEWS: Former Fed chair Alan Greenspan has died

THE FACTS: Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, did not die despite reports that circulated on Twitter early Tuesday. His wife, Andrea Mitchell, responded to the erroneous information tweeting, "By now you know the rumors are a hoax. Alan's doing great. In fact, he has a new book out next week!"

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This is part of The Associated Press' ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform.

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Find all AP Fact Checks here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/APFactCheck

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Follow @APFactCheck on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APFactCheck
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - 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.

"We're nowhere near done," said Sara Burlingame, executive director of the Cheyenne-based LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality. The group's work today "is the same thing that was there 20 years ago."

As recently as Tuesday, days before the anniversary of Shepard's 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."

The acrimony over Shepard's 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 I'm from Laramie, Wyoming, they still zero in on this hate crime," said Trudy McCraken, who spoke at the forum and was Laramie's mayor at the time of the slaying.

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., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (Dennis Shepard/The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP)

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 victim's identity, such as their sexual orientation. President Barack Obama signed a federal hate crime prevention act named after Shepard in 2009, a law that Shepard's 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 state's 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.

"Twenty years on, it's 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 Shepard's 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 Matthew's 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 Shepard's death in a prison interview Tuesday with The Associated Press.

Still, he insisted, 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. He died less than a week later, on Oct. 12, 1998, at age 21.

Henderson's remarks don't change the facts of the case, which include McKinney's confession to police, Marsden said.

McKinney repeatedly used homosexual slurs in his confession, Marsden said. McKinney's lawyers also wanted to argue that Shepard caused McKinney to explode in a rage by putting his hand on McKinney's leg. The judge prohibited the "gay panic" defense.

Because of overcrowding at Wyoming's 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 I've had that he hasn't had, his family hasn't had, his friends haven't had. I'm 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 LGBT group Equality Forum and a former federal prosecutor.

Marsden pointed out that only Wyoming's governor could commute Henderson's sentence, a prospect that he called "super unlikely." Burlingame of the Wyoming Equality group 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 we're also trying to get to the next Aarons and the next Russells."

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Associated Press writers Brady McCombs in Laramie and David Crary in New York contributed to this report.

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Follow Mead Gruver at https://twitter.com/meadgruver

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 1999 file photo, a cross made of stones rests below the fence in Laramie, Wyo. where a year earlier, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was tied and pistol whipped into a coma. He later died. The murder of Shepard was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

This 1995 photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation shows Matthew Shepard. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (Zeina Barkawi/The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation, shows Matthew Shepard, left, with his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP)

FILE - In this April 5, 1999 file photo, Ron Wilcoxson stands dressed as an angel as a response to anti-gay protesters from Westboro Baptist Church before the trial of one of two men accused of beating Matthew Shepard to death, in Laramie, Wyo. The murder of the gay University of Wyoming student was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. ( Dan Cepeda/The Casper Star-Tribune via AP, File)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018 photo, Sara Burlingame, executive director of the Cheyenne-based LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality, speaks during an interview in Cheyenne, Wyo. Disagreement and raw emotion over gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard's killing linger in Wyoming 20 years later. "We're nowhere near done," said Burlingame. The group's work today "is the same thing that was there 20 years ago." (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, photo, Trudy McCraken looks on during a community forum in Laramie, Wyo. About 200 people attended the forum questioning the prevailing view Matthew Shepard was murdered because of his sexual orientation. "Once people find out I'm from Laramie, Wyoming, they still zero in on this hate crime," said McCraken, who spoke at the forum and was Laramie's mayor at the time of the slaying. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, photo, a taped interview of Russell Henderson, who is currently serving two consecutive life sentences for the murder of Matthew Shepard, is shown to a community forum in Laramie, Wyo. About 200 people attended the forum questioning the prevailing view Shepard was murdered because of his sexual orientation. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, photo, inmate Russell Henderson is lead to a prison interview at Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution, in Torrington, Wyo. Henderson is serving two consecutive life sentences for the murder of Matthew Shepard. Disagreement and raw emotion over Shepard's killing linger in Wyoming 20 years after the crime. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, photo, inmate Russell Henderson looks on during a prison interview at Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution, in Torrington, Wyo. Henderson is serving two consecutive life sentences for the murder of Matthew Shepard. Disagreement and raw emotion over Shepard's killing linger in Wyoming 20 years after the crime. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

In this Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, photo, inmate Russell Henderson looks on during a prison interview at Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution, in Torrington, Wyo. Henderson and Aaron McKinney are each serving two consecutive life sentences for the murder of Matthew Shepard. Disagreement and raw emotion over Shepard's killing linger in Wyoming 20 years after the crime. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 1999 file photo, Judy Shepard, left, wipes tears from her eyes with Detective Sgt. Rob DeBree at her side, as her husband Dennis reads a statement to the media regarding Aaron McKinney's plea bargain in the murder of Shepard's son Matthew, at the Albany County Courthouse, in Laramie, Wyo. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)
LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) - On Oct. 12, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, died at a hospital in Colorado nearly a week after being beaten and lashed to a fence post before being found by bicyclists. Shepard's death turned the college student into a powerful symbol of the quest for acceptance and equal rights.

The Associated Press is republishing a version of its report of Shepard's death to mark the 20th anniversary .

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A gay college student who was lured from a campus hangout, beaten and lashed to a split-rail fence died Monday, and the two young men arrested in the attack now face murder charges that could bring the death penalty.

Matthew Shepard, 21, died at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colo., while on life support. His skull was so badly smashed that doctors could not perform surgery, hospital president Rulon Stacey said.

The University of Wyoming student had been in a coma since bicyclists found him in near-freezing temperatures Wednesday evening. They at first mistook him for a scarecrow.

This 1995 photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation shows Matthew Shepard. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (Zeina Barkawi/The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP)

The attack has spurred calls nationwide for hate-crimes legislation protecting gays. President Clinton pressed Congress to expand the federal hate-crimes law to cover offenses based on disability or sexual orientation.

"Americans will once again search their hearts and do what they can to reduce their own fear and anxiety and anger at people who are different," Clinton said. "And I hope that Congress will pass the hate-crime legislation."

Russell Arthur Henderson, 21, and Aaron James McKinney, 22, were originally charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and aggravated robbery, and jailed on $ 100,000 bail each.

Police said that with Shepard's death, the charges against them will be upgraded to first-degree murder, which carries a possible death sentence.

Their girlfriends - Chasity Vera Pasley, 20, and Kristen Leann Price, 18 - were charged with being accessories after the fact. Police said the women helped dump bloody clothing and initially lied about their whereabouts.

Police said that robbery was the main motive but that Shepard apparently was chosen in part because he was gay. The 5-foot-2, 105-pound Shepard had been beaten twice in recent months, attacks he attributed to his homosexuality.

In a statement issued by the hospital, Shepard's mother, Judy Shepard, urged parents to hug their children and enjoy every day with them.

"He came into the world premature and left the world premature and they are most grateful for the time they had to spend with Matthew," the hospital president said.

Of the 41 states that have hate-crime laws, 21 states specifically cover offenses motivated by the victim's sexual orientation. Efforts to pass a hate-crime law in Wyoming have failed several times.

On Monday, the giant rainbow flag that symbolizes the gay movement was lowered to half-staff in San Francisco's Castro District. College students rallied in downtown Denver to remember Shepard and denounce violence. And in Laramie, where the long-planned Gay Awareness Week began, some students wore yellow and green armbands to send a message of peace.

"It's a great loss to everyone, whether they knew him or not. He was an incredible individual," said Jim Osborn, a friend of Shepard's and chairman of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgendered Association, a University of Wyoming student group.

"To beat somebody and tie them to a fencepost and beat them some more, obviously you're trying to make a statement," said Erik Abbott, a 25-year-old University of Wyoming student. "Obviously these people felt this was the feeling of the community as a whole, and it's not."

Shepard was remembered on Monday by about 800 people who attended a memorial service on Prexy's Pasture, the sprawling green on the University of Wyoming campus that students cross several times a day.

Friends gathered with many who were strangers to Shepard, who died Monday.

"I had never met Matthew; I'll never have that chance," said Jesus Rios, president of the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming. "But without a doubt Matthew's life and death have impacted my life in ways I won't soon forget."

Authorities have withheld many details in the case, and a judge is considering a prosecutor's request to seal the records.

Police said the two men lured Shepard out of the Fireside bar late Tuesday or early Wednesday by telling him they were gay. The three of them got in McKinney's truck, where the beating began, police said.

Later, Shepard was tied up and pistol-whipped as he begged for his life, and he was robbed of his wallet and black patent leather shoes, police said. A .357 Magnum used to beat Shepard was found at McKinney's home, police said.

McKinney's girlfriend, Ms. Price, and his father, Bill McKinney, told The Denver Post that the two men didn't set out to kill Shepard but wanted to get back at him for making passes at McKinney in front of his friends.

Police said that early Wednesday morning, apparently after they left Shepard, Aaron McKinney and Henderson were involved in an altercation with Emiliano Morales III, 19, and Jeremy Herrera, 18, both of Laramie.

Morales and Herrera said they were the victims of an unprovoked attack, in which McKinney and Henderson repeatedly swore at them on a Laramie street corner.

"Next thing I know, Jeremy yelled, 'He's got a gun.' I looked over and he (McKinney) hit me on the head," Morales said. "Jeremy ran up and hit him with a stick and we took off."

Both McKinney and Morales were treated for head injuries after the altercation.

Police said the investigation into that street fight led to the arrests of McKinney and Henderson after Shepard's body was found, a half-day later and about two miles away.

At the fence where Shepard was left behind, there was a single basket of flowers Monday.

A funeral was planned for Saturday in Casper, where Shepard was born, and a campus memorial service was being planned.

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 1999 file photo, Judy Shepard, left, wipes tears from her eyes with Detective Sgt. Rob DeBree at her side, as her husband Dennis reads a statement to the media regarding Aaron McKinney's plea bargain in the murder of Shepard's son Matthew, at the Albany County Courthouse, in Laramie, Wyo. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 1999 file photo, a cross made of stones rests below the fence in Laramie, Wyo. where a year earlier, University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard was tied and pistol whipped into a coma. He later died. The murder of Shepard was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 1998 file photo, from left are Russell Henderson, Aaron McKinney, and Chastity Pasley, three suspects in the beating death of gay University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard wait to be arraigned in Laramie, Wyo. The murder of Shepard was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

This 1998 photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation, shows Matthew Shepard. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness.(Judy Shepard/The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP)

FILE - In this Oct. 10, 1999 file photo, students sing at a vigil against violence at Prexy's Pasture on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie, Wyo. The murder of Matthew Shepard, an openly gay student at the University of Wyoming, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)
NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on Facebook security breach (all times local):

1:50 p.m.

Facebook says it has gotten a handle on a security breach affecting nearly 30 million accounts, but it hasn't ruled out the possibility of smaller-scale efforts to exploit the same vulnerability.

Facebook is offering a website for people 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.

Facebook says it has already fixed the vulnerability, which stemmed from three distinct bugs in Facebook's code.

On Friday, Facebook pinned the number of accounts accessed at 29 million, fewer than the 50 million it initially believed were affected when it disclosed the breach two weeks ago.

FILE - This Feb. 19, 2014, file photo, shows a Facebook app icon on a smartphone in New York. South Korea's telecoms regulator says it is fining Facebook for illegally limiting user access to its services. Facebook says hackers accessed data from 29 million accounts as part of the security breach disclosed two weeks ago. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison, File)

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1:10 p.m.

Facebook says the FBI is investigating a major security breach of its service, but the company says authorities asked it not to discuss who may be behind the attack.

That suggests Facebook may know or suspect who's behind the breach. When Facebook disclosed the breach two weeks ago, company officials said they didn't know who was behind the attacks or where they might be based.

Facebook is disclosing for the first time that hackers accessed data from 29 million accounts as part of the breach. The exact number hadn't been known before. Originally Facebook said 50 million accounts could have been affected, but Facebook didn't know if they had been misused.

Facebook says third-party apps and Facebook apps like WhatsApp and Instagram are unaffected.

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1 p.m.

Facebook says hackers accessed data from 29 million accounts as part of the security breach disclosed two weeks ago.

The exact number hadn't been known before. Originally Facebook said 50 million accounts could have been affected, but Facebook didn't know if they had been misused.

The hackers accessed name, email addresses or phone numbers from those 29 million accounts. For 14 million of those accounts, hackers got even more data, such as hometown, birthdate, the last 10 places they checked into or 15 most recent searches. One million accounts were affected but hackers didn't gain information. The social media service plans to send messages to people whose accounts were hacked.

Facebook says third-party apps and Facebook apps like WhatsApp and Instagram were unaffected by the breach.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The disappearance of journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi after visiting a Saudi consulate in Turkey has thrust into the spotlight the Trump administration's large number of diplomatic vacancies.

Khashoggi's case and the fact that there are no American ambassadors in Ankara or Riyadh has reignited concerns about a spate of unfilled senior State Department positions almost two years into Donald Trump's presidency. Those concerns have sparked an increasingly partisan battle over who is to blame.

Aside from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, Trump has yet to nominate candidates for nearly 50 top posts, including envoys to key countries like Australia, Mexico, Pakistan, Egypt and Singapore. At the same time, a similar number of nominated candidates are still awaiting Senate confirmation, prompting angry complaints from the administration.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - The chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has apologized for the school's history of slavery, adding that her words "must lead to purposeful action."

Chancellor Carol Folt issued the apology Friday during the celebration of UNC-Chapel Hill's 225th anniversary. Slaves built and maintained the university.

The apology comes as Folt and other school officials must decide whether to restore the Confederate statue known as Silent Sam, which protesters toppled Aug. 20. The UNC Board of Governors has set a Nov. 15 deadline for a recommendation from Folt on the statue's fate.

Earlier this month, the school said it will change the name a plaque at Kenan Memorial Stadium so it no longer honors a man who participated in white riots against blacks in Wilmington in 1898.
Kandahar police chief killed by Taliban

ISLAMABAD: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani confirmed on late Thursday that Kandahar police chief General Abdul Raziq Achakzai, and intelligence chief in Kandahar Momin were killed in shooting at a security meeting of senior local and American commanders.



Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi said Taliban carried out the attack and released a photograph of the alleged attacker, who was one of the guards of the slain police officer.



Ahmadi said in a statement that the top American commander General Austin Scott Miller, who was also in the meeting, and Gen Raziq, were the prime target.



The US-led Resolute Support mission in Kabul and the US defence department Pentagon said that Gen Miller was unhurt.



At Kandahar palace today: In fact, three coalition personnel were wounded  one US service member, one American civilian and one coalition contractor. All three have been medically evacuated and are stable. General Miller is uninjured. Afghan officials were the targets, the mission tweeted.



Raziq, who was known for his tough anti-Taliban stance, had earlier survived several attacks.



Afghan officials did not confirm reports that Kandahar Governor Zalmay Weesa was also killed in the deadly attack that killed and injured top security officials in Kandahar, the Taliban birthplace.



Earlier, section of the Afghan media had quoted officials as confirming the death of Weesa. However, officials later said Weesa was critically injured and shifted to a local hospital in Kandahar.



Kabul Press Club confirmed that Afghan National Radio TV (RTA) Saleem was also killed in the attack. Afghan officials said that 12 people, including several guards of Gen Raziq, were injured in the attack.



Correspondents in Kandahar said that the authorities had closed all bazaars and markets in Kandahar in the morning in view of the high-level meeting and the arrival of the NATO commander in the city. The meeting that lasted for nearly six hours was aimed at discussing security for the October 20 parliamentary elections in Kandahar and other southern provinces.



The attack again raised serious concern at the inside attack after one of the guards sprayed bullets at the high-level security meeting attended by top American commander and senior Afghan security officials.



Timing of the attack was important as the incident happened just two days ahead of the parliamentary and district council elections.



On Wednesday, Taliban also killed influential parliamentary candidate Abdul Jabar Qaharman in a bomb blast in southern Helmand.



President Ashraf Ghani confirmed the death of Gen Raziq in an address to the nation.



Iannounce that the Kandahar police chief and intelligence chief have been martyred in a painful incident. I want to convey my condolences to the whole nation and particularly to the people of Kandahar. The situation in Kandahar is being monitored and the situation will soon return to normalcy, he said.



President Ghani said he presided over a high-level meeting to review the situation after the incident and ordered dispatching a unit of commando forces, led by the intelligence chief Masoom Stanikzai, to Kandahar. He also instructed all security forces in Kandahar to step up measures for maintaining order and security.



Tolo TV reported that the incident happened when officials were leaving the governors office and were on their way to a helipad.



Condemning the terrorist attack, Pakistan said the country stands with the Afghan government and people, reiterating its support for the Afghan democratic process.



We hope that the parliamentary elections due to take place the day after tomorrow would be held peacefully. Strengthening of democracy is a key to long term peace and security in Afghanistan, said a statement issued by the Foreign Office.



Pakistan condemns terrorism, it added.



Islamabad also expressed heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives and pray for swift recovery of the injured.



Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the Kandahar incident. He linked Pakistans peace and security to that of Afghanistans in a tweet.



Pakistans army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa also condemned the deadly terrorist attack and expressed desire to see an end to prolonged violence in the neighbouring country.



Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal also condemned the attack.
FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) - The wife of a man fatally shot by a West Virginia deputy has filed suit against the sheriff's department and county officials.

The Times West Virginian reports Christy J. Rhoades filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in federal court against the Marion County Sheriff's Department and the County Commission in the death of her husband, Philip Jontz Rhoades.

The lawsuit accuses the deputy of using excessive force and seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

County administrator Kris Cinalli said Wednesday that commissioners hadn't yet reviewed the suit. The newspaper said it couldn't reach Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Riffle.

According to the report, the shooting happened in August 2017 as deputies chased a stolen vehicle. Deputies said Rhoades drove toward the deputy who shot him, but the lawsuit disputes that.

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Information from: Times West Virginian, http://www.timeswv.com
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) - A defense lawyer says three Nebraska farmers charged in an organic grain fraud scheme were working under a Missouri businessman who marketed ordinary corn and soybeans as organic.

Tom Brennan, James Brennan and Michael Potter are expected to appear Friday afternoon in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to plead guilty to wire fraud.

Prosecutors say each received $2.5 million from 2010 to 2017 from sales of corn and soybeans falsely marketed as certified organic.

Potter's attorney Clarence Mock says the scheme was led by Randy Constant, president of Jericho Solutions, Inc., who bought and sold their crops.

Constant, of Chillicothe, Missouri, hasn't been charged but the investigation is ongoing. Court documents refer to the owner of a company initialed "J.S." as a co-conspirator.

Constant didn't immediately return phone messages.
LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Portugal's defense minister has resigned amid the legal and political fallout from last year's theft of weapons from the national armory.

Minister Jose Azeredo Lopes quit Friday, days after a senior member of his staff admitted he had received confidential information by hand from investigators about the case. Azeredo Lopes has publicly denied ever receiving such information.

The resignation was the latest twist in the unresolved theft amid repeated leaks, public accusations and military arrests.

The state-owned news agency Lusa published the minister's resignation letter, in which Azeredo Lopes said he didn't want the armed forces to become "worn down" by the accusations.

The stolen weapons reappeared four months after the theft in a field 30 kilometers (20 miles) away and were recovered after an anonymous tip-off.
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Missouri supporters of medical marijuana will have their say in the November election. The only question: Do they cast a yes vote once, twice or three times?

Thanks to successful petition drives for three competing proposals, all three are on the ballot. Two would amend the Missouri Constitution; the other would simply change state law.

What happens if more than one passes? That's where things get sticky.

According to the Missouri Secretary of State's office, the constitutional amendments take precedence over the state law proposition. If both constitutional amendments pass, the one with the most "yes" votes takes effect.

But legal experts agree that passage of more than one measure will almost certainly result in a court fight. Former Missouri Solicitor General Jim Layton said one key issue remains unclear: If a measure passes but is nevertheless trumped by one of the others, would its non-conflicting provisions also become law?

Former Missouri Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Wolff figures such nuances will be irrelevant to most voters.

FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2018, file photo, an employee at a medical marijuana cultivator works on topping a marijuana plant, in Eastlake, Ohio. Voters in Missouri have three competing proposals on the ballot dealing with medical marijuana in the November election. Two would amend the Missouri Constitution; the other would simply change state law. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File)

"If they want medical marijuana, they're going to vote for all three of them," Wolff said.

All three would allow patients with cancer, HIV, epilepsy and other conditions access to medical marijuana. The differences largely involve how marijuana would be regulated and taxed, and where the new tax dollars would go.

Backers of the two competing constitutional amendments are waging a bitter fight.

Amendment 2, from a coalition of patients, doctors and veterans called New Approach Missouri, emphasizes the value of medical marijuana for veterans. Post-traumatic stress disorder is among the conditions that would qualify, and a 4 percent sales tax would go to a newly-created fund for health and care services for veterans. The sales tax revenue also would be used to administer licensing of medical marijuana businesses.

New Approach Missouri spokesman Jack Cardetti said the measure would "put the decision-making process back in the hands of doctors and patients when it comes to medical treatment options."

The competing Amendment 3 effort is financed almost exclusively by Brad Bradshaw, a Springfield personal injury attorney who also is a medical doctor. It would impose a 15 percent tax on the retail sale of marijuana as well as a wholesale tax on the sale of marijuana flowers and leaves. Those funds would be used to create a new state institute to research "presently incurable diseases."

Critics say the Amendment 3 tax would be far and away the highest in the nation on medical marijuana. Cardetti was critical of a provision in Amendment 3 that would give Bradshaw broad powers over operation of the new research institute, including choosing its board members.

Bradshaw, who has loaned $1.5 million to the Amendment 3 campaign, also is dealing with two tax liens amounting to more than $119,000. He and his wife were subjects of an $88,166 lien from the Missouri Department of Revenue in November. Bradshaw's company was the subject of a $31,375 federal tax lien in April.

Bradshaw was traveling and unavailable for comment, a spokesman said. His attorney, Kevin J. Kerr, said in a letter to the Post-Dispatch that Bradshaw was in a repayment plan with the state. Kerr blamed the federal lien on the Internal Revenue Service misapplying a corporate payroll payment, and said that matter will soon be resolved.

Bradshaw filed lawsuits that sought to have the other two measures removed from the ballot over petition signature issues. A judge in August tossed out the suit over Amendment 2. Bradshaw in September withdrew the case against the state law proposal, Proposition C.

Proposition C would impose a 2 percent tax on the sale of medical marijuana to be used for veteran services, drug treatment, early childhood education and public safety in cities with medical marijuana facilities.

Mystery surrounds its backers: Proposition C is supported by Missourians for Patient Care, a political action committee. It has not disclosed its financial supporters. Email and phone messages left with the PR and lobbying firm behind the petition drive were not returned, and an attorney involved in the effort declined comment.

Kevin Sabet, CEO of Washington-based Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said his group opposes all three Missouri measures.

"We need to let science take the lead as opposed to sort of making this about medicine by popular vote," Sabet said.

Thirty other states have passed medical marijuana laws. Missouri legislative researchers have estimated that more than $100 million worth of medical marijuana could be sold annually if it becomes legal
NEW YORK (AP) - New court filings show the FBI and U.S. State Department are investigating an American diplomat found death last month in Madagascar as a homicide.

U.S. officials recently released new details about the Sept. 22 death of Kevin Webb.

Authorities arrested a suspect who confessed to fighting Webb in his apartment before the diplomat collapsed.

The FBI seized several items from the apartment but declined to comment on Webb's cause of death.

A State Department spokeswoman said Webb entered the foreign service in 2003. He was assigned to the American embassy in Madagascar in July 2017.

The State Department said the investigation is ongoing.
GRAND HAVEN, Mich. (AP) - A western Michigan man told police that he fatally shot a neighbor on the day after Christmas while she cleared snow, saying she was a "nuisance to the neighborhood."

A video of Wendell Popejoy's confession was played for jurors Friday in Ottawa County. He's charged with murder in the death of Sheila Bonge (BON'-gee), whose unclothed body was put on a sled and found at the bottom of a hill a few days later.

Police say Bonge was shot while snowblowing an easement that she and neighbors used to get to their driveways in Crockery Township. The Grand Rapids Press quotes neighbors as saying Bonge would shoot snow into their driveways to aggravate them.

Popejoy told police that he regretted what happened and said the killing was a "snap decision."
NEW YORK (AP) - Twenty years after Matthew Shepard's death , the federal hate crimes law bearing his name is viewed with mixed feelings by LGBT and anti-violence organizations that lobbied over nearly a decade for its passage.

President Barack Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law on Oct. 28, 2009, just over 11 years after Shepard - a gay 21-year-old college student - died from injuries suffered in a brutal beating by two Wyoming men .

The act expanded the 1969 federal hate-crime law to include crimes based on a victim's sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It strengthened other aspects of the old law and provided funding and technical assistance to state and local jurisdictions to bolster their investigation and prosecution of hate crimes.

The U.S. Justice Department says that as of this summer, it had used the Shepard/Byrd law to indict 88 defendants in 42 hate crimes cases, with 64 convictions to date. It provided a breakdown on the nature of recent hate crimes cases, saying seven of the 32 convictions since January 2017 involved crimes targeting gay and transgender people. A 2017 report compiled for the Matthew Shepard Foundation documented 25 cases prosecuted under the Shepard/Byrd law through mid-2017; nine of them involved LGBT victims.

Some activists have been disappointed by the relatively low number of anti-LGBT cases prosecuted under the law.

But David Stacy, government affairs director of the Human Rights Campaign, considers it a success because of its role in motivating state and local prosecutors to take anti-LGBT violence more seriously.

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2009 file photo, President Barack Obama, greets the parents of Matthew Shepard, Dennis and Judy, during a White House reception commemorating the enactment of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act in Washington. Twenty years after Matthew Shepard's death, the federal hate crimes law bearing his name is viewed with mixed feelings by LGBT and anti-violence organizations that lobbied over nearly a decade for its passage. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

"Even when these prosecutors don't bring a hate crimes charge, they're pushing to solve these crimes," he said.

Judy Shepard, Matthew's mother and co-founder of the foundation bearing his name, said the federal law has been helpful, but she hopes for further steps - requiring law enforcement agencies to report hate crimes to federal authorities and providing better training for officers handling the cases.

"We are seeking to create environments where victims of hate violence do not fear re-victimization by the police," she said by email

The New York City Anti-Violence Project is among the groups that initially supported the Shepard/Byrd law but now have misgivings.

"There has been a real transformation about how we think about ending violence and what justice looks like," said the group's director of organizing, Audacia Ray. "We wanted the system to fix things through punishment. We now believe punishment doesn't end violence - it perpetuates it."

Ray said anti-LGBT violence could be reduced through "economic justice" and better housing options for marginalized LGBT people.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, 30 states now have laws covering crimes based on sexual orientation, including 18 that also cover anti-transgender crimes.

Five states, including Wyoming, have no hate crimes laws of their own; 15 states have such laws - but don't cover anti-LGBT-crimes.

Jenny Pizer, law and policy director for the LGBT-rights group Lambda Legal, said the state and federal laws have proven to be important in both practical and symbolic ways but are also a disappointment to many "because they only do so much."

She questioned their deterrent effect on perpetrators consumed by "irrational hatred" but suggested they had a positive effect on state and local law enforcement.

She also said the laws may have helped LGBT people feel less marginalized by social stigma.

"They don't transform attitudes overnight, or even over decades for some people," Pizer said. "But they do help, and that matters."

This undated photo provided by the Matthew Shepard Foundation, shows Matthew Shepard, left, with his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (The Matthew Shepard Foundation via AP)

FILE - In this Nov. 4, 1999 file photo, Judy Shepard, left, wipes tears from her eyes with Detective Sgt. Rob DeBree at her side, as her husband Dennis reads a statement to the media regarding Aaron McKinney's plea bargain in the murder of Shepard's son Matthew, at the Albany County Courthouse, in Laramie, Wyo. The murder of Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was a watershed moment for gay rights and LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S., so much so that 20 years later the crime remains seared into the national consciousness. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)
CINCINNATI (AP) - A Chinese national charged with trying to steal trade secrets from multiple U.S. aviation and aerospace companies has pleaded not guilty.

Defendant Yanjun Xu (Yahn-Juhn Joo) was also ordered Friday to be detained before trial over the objections of his attorneys, who say he's not at risk of fleeing.

Prosecutors allege that beginning in December 2013, Xu recruited experts who worked at aviation companies, including GE Aviation. They say Xu and others would pay stipends for the experts to travel to China under the guise of delivering a university presentation.

Court papers say Xu and other operatives discussed how they would obtain "highly sensitive information" from the experts.

Xu was charged Wednesday with conspiring and attempting to commit economic espionage and theft of trade secrets.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Argentina's top criminal court has confirmed a prison sentence against former President Carlos Menem.

Friday's ruling ratifies a 2015 sentence of 4 1/2 years for embezzlement.

It also confirmed a sentence of 3 1/2 years against former Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo for his role in illegal payments to staffers that were authorized by Menem during his 1989-1999 presidency.

Menem is currently a senator and that status as a lawmaker protects him from being arrested.

Menem says he's a victim of political percussion. Cavallo also denies any wrongdoing.

Both Menem and Cavallo are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Lawmakers would have to vote on whether they take away Menem's immunity from arrest if the decision is ratified by the Supreme Court.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Trump administration is appealing a judge's ruling that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants from four countries who are living and working in the U.S. under temporary protected status.

Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice filed the notice of appeal on Thursday.

It was expected after U.S. District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco last week issued a preliminary injunction stopping the administration from ending the protections for immigrants from Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti and El Salvador.

Temporary protected status is granted to people from countries ravaged by natural disasters or war.

The judge said there was evidence that President Donald Trump harbors prejudice against non-white, non-European immigrants.

The Justice Department said the administration has done nothing improper.
NAB to probe Thar underground coal gasification project

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe Thar underground coal gasification project, a private TV channel reported.



A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar heard the suo motu case regarding Thar coal power project. Prominent scientist and chairman of underground coal gasification project in Thar Dr Samar Mubarakmand appeared for the hearing.



The bench ordered the auditor general to conduct forensic audit of the project and submit a report within 15 days. The Sindh chief secretary was directed to seize the projects belongings.



The projects feasibility report is not clear. It was said that 10,000MW of electricity will be produced for 30 years, but according to experts the project will lower underground water reserves and affect the environment, court adviser Salman Akram Raja informed the bench. One committee has said that this is a failed project and more funds should not be allocated for it. Those who approved the project should have also looked into it, he added.



At this, the chief justice said, For the first time I have realised what a billion is. Billions of rupees were spent like [dried] leaves fly from a tree. Rs 3.8 billion have already been spent on this project and who is responsible for this? Does Dr Mubarakmand have to pay this money? he asked.



Where did Dr Mubarakmands tall claims go? Should this matter not be sent to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) or a fresh investigation be initiated? Justice Nisar questioned the court adviser. A lot of noise was created over the project that something not done by any scientist before was done this time, the chief justice said. A 100MW project is not generating even 3MW of electricity, he lamented.



Pakistan is a poor country and is this how we will continue to waste our money? There are two ways of producing electricity from Thar underground coal gasification project  either through coal or by operating the way plants set-up on the ports do, the chief justice said.



NAB prosecutor Asghar Haider then submitted a report regarding the projects before the bench. According to engineers, it is not possible to generate electricity from underground coal gasification, it said.



Court advisers Salman Akram Raja and Shehzad Elahi also submitted their recommendations, following which the chief justice asked about the positions of the federal and Sindh governments on the matter. The advocate general Sindh informed the court, The project was entirely funded by the federal government and only the land belongs to the Sindh government. Dr Muabarakmand then said, The project did not cause any environmental degradation. An Australian company was also working on an underground gasification project  lawyers cannot judge this project.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - 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.

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 was previously 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.

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Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com/
CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - Authorities say human remains found in New Jersey this week were those of a child believed to have been a toddler.

Camden County prosecutors say the remains were found Thursday afternoon in a trash-strewn alleyway in the 800 block of Mount Ephraim Avenue. They were determined to be that of a child, believed to be between 13- and 19-months-old and about 30 inches in length.

The cause and manner of death have not yet been determined. It's also not known how long the remains may have been at the site before they were found.

The child's remains have been turned over to state police for further analysis.
REPUBLIC, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri man has been charged with lighting his own home on fire, grabbing a rifle and waiting outside because he was upset that his ex-wife was dating a firefighter.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that 35-year-old Jason Hawkins, of Republican, pleaded not guilty Wednesday during his arraignment on charges of arson, unlawful use of a weapon and resisting arrest.

His attorney didn't return a phone message Friday from The Associated Press.

Charging documents say Hawkins admitted to setting the fire in July. The home was engulfed in flames when authorities responded. Hawkins is accused of initially ignoring commands to drop his rifle and then struggling with officers who tried to arrest him. He told police that his "business" was with the firefighter.

He's been jailed since then. Charges were refiled this week.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Vandals damaged a Republican office in Manhattan Friday that is set to host the founder of a far-right men's organization.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Marc Molinaro says the damage includes smashed windows, a spray-painted door and glue put in the locks at the Metropolitan Republican Club, a longtime gathering spot for Republicans. Molinaro, the Dutchess County executive, says the office serves as one of his campaign's headquarters.

State party officials say a note was left behind claiming the damage was "just the beginning." The club was scheduled to host an event Friday night with conservative Gavin McInnes, the founder of a far-right men's organization known as the Proud Boys.

Republicans called on Democrats to denounce the vandalism. The director of the state Democratic party condemned the act as repugnant.
FLINT, Mich. (AP) - U.S. mayors say more help is needed from the federal government to replacing old, failing water pipes.

Members of the United States Conference of Mayors' Water Council are meeting Friday in Flint, Michigan, which continues to recover from a water crisis.

Mayor David Berger of Lima, Ohio, says cities aren't getting enough money from Washington to meet mandates ordered by Congress and federal agencies.

Flint's tap water became contaminated with lead in 2014 and 2015 after officials switched to the Flint River from a regional water source while waiting for a pipeline to be built. Residents were exposed to lead from old pipes and fixtures because the corrosive water wasn't properly treated.

Besides seeking more federal aid, mayors say cities can save money by changing the bidding process on projects.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Border Patrol sector in Laredo, Texas - where two agents were accused this year of multiple murders in separate cases - disciplined employees more on average over two years than any other major sector, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Friday.

The findings were part of a comprehensive look at misconduct at the 60,000-employee law enforcement agency that includes the Border Patrol. The data showed overall there was a decline in substantiated complaints of misconduct and fewer arrests of agents between the budget years 2016 and 2017.

"The disciplinary reports show that the vast majority of CBP agents and officers exemplify our core values, perform their duties with integrity, and that every employee is accountable to upholding the high standards of professional conduct both on and off-duty," said Melvin Harris, deputy assistant commissioner of human resources management at CBP.

The data do not include 2018. But they showed the Laredo sector, one of the nation's largest, was experiencing disciplinary issues even before the high-profile cases.

According to the reports, there were 435 instances where an agent in Laredo was dismissed, suspended, demoted or given another form of discipline in the 2016 and 2017 budget years.

The average rate of disciplinary actions in Laredo was 11.3 per 100 employees in the 2016 fiscal year and rose to 13 per 100 employees in 2017. In both years, Laredo was above the national average for those years, which was 8.1 and 7.4, respectively.

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2018, file photo, dozens of family members and friends of four women who authorities say were killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent Juan David Ortiz, gather for a candlelight vigil at a park in downtown Laredo, Texas. The Border Patrol sector in Laredo, Texas, where two agents were accused this year of multiple murders in separate cases, disciplined employees more over two years than any other major sector, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Friday. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)

Laredo had the second-highest rate of any sector in 2016, behind only Miami, a comparatively small sector with no land border to patrol.

It had the highest rate of all sectors in 2017. It had almost the same number of disciplinary incidents that year as the neighboring Rio Grande Valley sector, which is the nation's busiest corridor for unauthorized crossings and has nearly twice as many employees.

Last month, Laredo agent Juan David Ortiz was arrested and accused of targeting women believed to be prostitutes in what prosecutors say is the work of a serial killer. He has been accused of killing four women, and prosecutors say he likely used his service weapon in the crimes. Ortiz has not yet been indicted and his attorney didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

And Ronald Anthony Burgos-Aviles, another supervisory agent, was arrested in April and charged with capital murder on allegations that he killed a 27-year-old woman with whom he was romantically involved, as well as their 1-year-old son. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Burgos-Aviles pleaded not guilty.

Border Patrol officials have said the suspects were outliers who do not represent the agency or the sector.

The same sector also drew attention in May after the Border Patrol changed its story about why an agent shot and killed a 19-year-old Guatemalan woman, Claudia Gomez Gonzalez, who had crossed the border near Laredo. Officials initially claimed the agent had been attacked "by multiple subjects using blunt objects," only to revise that statement two days later and remove the claim.

Customs and Border Protection is the largest U.S. law enforcement agency and is tasked with enforcing immigration and trade laws. The largest components are the Border Patrol, whose agents arrest people caught crossing the border illegally between ports of entry, and the Office of Field Operations, which manages the ports.

The data released Friday are part of an overall effort by Customs and Border Protection to increase transparency and hold employees more accountable for misconduct following criticism over what some lawmakers and reform advocates said was a lack of oversight of agents and a culture that condoned abuse and misconduct.

About 155 employees were removed during 2016 and 2017 over misconduct claims. Scores more retired. The reports do not specify what claims prompted the removals.

About 250 employees were arrested on criminal charges during the budget year 2016 and 245 in 2017, for crimes including corruption, drugs and alcohol and sexual misconduct. Those numbers declined from 336 during 2012.

Despite the decline, the arrests are a continued concern for the department, which is working to address the problem, according to the reports.

Officers and agents are using deadly force less, and non-lethal force, like pepper spray, is also down dramatically. Officials say it's due in part to revamped training on how and when to use force.

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Merchant reported from Houston. AP data journalist Larry Fenn in New York contributed to this report.

FILE - This file photo provided by the Webb County Sheriff's Office shows Juan David Ortiz, a U.S. Border Patrol supervisor who was jailed Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, on a $2.5 million bond in Texas. Ortiz was arrested was accused of targeting women believed to be prostitutes in what prosecutors say is the work of a serial killer. He has been accused of killing four women, and prosecutors say he likely used his service weapon in the crimes. Ortiz has not yet been indicted and his attorney didn't immediately respond for comment. The Border Patrol sector in Laredo, Texas _ where two agents were accused this year of multiple murders in separate cases _ disciplined employees more over two years than any other major sector, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Friday. (Webb County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)
CHICAGO (AP) - The city of Chicago has sued the U.S. Department of Justice again for withholding public safety grants for the "sanctuary city's" refusal to cooperate with the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies.

The lawsuit filed Friday in federal court says the administration hasn't released the 2017 grants worth millions and that Chicago hasn't, unlike other cities, received a key 2018 grant letter.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a statement that Chicago "will not be bullied." A message seeking comment from the Justice Department wasn't immediately returned.

The lawsuit says new grant conditions this year include that Chicago not "harbor" immigrants without immigration papers.

Judges largely sided with Chicago in a similar 2017 lawsuit that also argues the grant conditions are unconstitutional. The Justice Department continues to appeal those rulings.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A federal jury has convicted a suspended West Virginia Supreme Court justice of some charges at his criminal trial, found him not guilty of others and deadlocked on one count.

The jury announced the verdict Friday for suspended Justice Allen Loughry in U.S. District Court in Charleston.

News outlets report he was found guilty of 11 counts, not guilty of 10. Sentencing is Jan. 16.

Most of the charges involved allegations he used a state vehicle and gas card for personal use.

The 48-year-old Loughry was replaced as chief justice in February and was suspended from his seat earlier this year.

The state House of Delegates impeached Loughry and three other justices in August over questions involving lavish office renovations that evolved into accusations of corruption, incompetence and neglect of duty. Loughry still faces an impeachment trial.
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) - A white retired firefighter has been convicted of assault for shooting at a black teenager who came to his suburban Detroit home for directions.

Jeffrey Zeigler was charged with attempted murder, but Oakland County jurors on Friday convicted him of the lesser assault charge and a gun crime.

Fourteen-year-old Brennan Walker told police he missed a school bus on April 12 and knocked on Zeigler's door in Rochester Hills after getting lost while walking. Brennan says he ran after seeing a man inside the house grab a gun. The teen heard a gunshot but wasn't hurt.

Zeigler testified that he woke up to his wife's screams. He says she believed that someone was trying to break into their home.

Home video showed the 53-year-old Zeigler raising a shotgun twice before firing toward Brennan.
WACO, Texas (AP) - Health officials say a New Jersey man who died from a rare "brain-eating amoeba " was likely exposed to it during his visit to a Texas water resort last month.

The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District said Friday that testing done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found evidence of the amoeba at one of the four attractions at the BSR Cable Park and Surf Resort in Waco, and conditions favorable for its growth at the other three.

Health officials say the amoeba was found at the attraction that's a natural body of water, but it'll remain open because risk of exposure is considered the same as at any natural body of water. But officials say the other three attractions won't reopen until "all health and safety issues" are addressed.

Fabrizio Stabile died Sept. 21 after contracting the deadly amoeba.
Pak-China initiated cooperation on fighting corruption: FO

Pakistan and China have initiated cooperation on fighting corruption, the Foreign Office said on Thursday. I can confirm you that politically Pakistan and China are actively cooperating in fight against terrorism, Foreign Office Spokesman Dr Faisal told a weekly press briefing here at the Foreign Office.



China had assured the government of Pakistan of supporting its agenda of fighting corruption during a recent meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and Minister for International Development of the Communist Party of China Song Tao here in Islamabad.



To a question whether Pakistan would conform to the Chinese model of anti-corruption, the spokesman said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) would be dealing with the matter.



The spokesman said Pakistan wanted the military forces of the United States to continue with their presence in Afghanistan till completion of the agenda of peace. When asked if Pakistans stance could invite the ire of Taliban, he said Pakistan in fact did not want to experience the same chaos as it did after the USSR abruptly left Afghanistan in late 90s. He said the presence of American and other allied forces in Afghanistan were under the mandate given by the United Nations.



He said there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict. Negotiated settlement is the most viable option and we are pleased that other important actors are also arriving at the same conclusion and exploring the possibilities of peace and reconciliation. Pakistan welcomes efforts for negotiated settlement and will extend all possible support in this regard, he added.



The spokesman said there was no change in Pakistans stance on the Kashmir issue. He said the new government was continuing with the same policy on Kashmir and mentioned the prime ministers initiative of writing a letter to his Indian counterpart for holding talks on important issues including Kashmir and terrorism. Pakistans position on Kashmir is based on principles and is undeterred, he added.



The spokesman mentioned the blatant human rights violations in the Indian-held Kashmir and said the culprits involved in rape and murder of eight-year-old Muslim girl Asifa were still at large despite availability of the authentic forensic evidence.



The spokesman reiterated a call for a thorough and independent investigation into use of chemical weapons by Indian forces in the occupied valley. Indian forces are committing heinous crimes in occupied Kashmir and the same was documented by the UN Human Rights Commission in its recent report, he said.



To a question on news reports about Indias plan to suspend flight operations of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), he said the PIA had been facing problems with regularization of its accounts in India and the matter was sub judice in a Delhi court.



He said despite repeated requests, India was delaying the visa extension of PIA manager and his family, forcing them to return to Pakistan.



He called upon India to facilitate the PIA official under the air services agreement between the two countries, which otherwise could be harmful to the bilateral relations and people-to-people contacts between Pakistan and India.



To a question about progress on CASA-1000, the spokesman said during the meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the president of Tajikistan on the sidelines of the SCO Heads of Government Conclave in Dushanbe, the two sides stressed on fast-tracking the project for ensuring establishment of an energy corridor in the region.
MIAMI (AP) - 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.

FILE - In this March 19, 2010 file photo, the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort returns to port, in Baltimore, after providing disaster relief operations following the earthquake in Haiti. The Comfort will be on Colombia's Caribbean coast starting on Oct. 11, 2018, to assist in treating thousands of Venezuelan refugees that have crossed the border, fleeing Venezuela's political, social and economic crisis and help relieve the pressure on Colombia's medical systems (AP Photo/Rob Carr, File)

"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."

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.

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."
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A school bus company and its striking drivers' union on Friday reached a tentative deal to end the strike that has lasted more than two weeks, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza announced Friday evening.

Elorza said details of the agreement between bus company First Student and the Teamsters Local 251 were still being finalized and that members of the union must ratify it.

The strike began Sept. 27 and affects more than 9,000 schoolchildren. The dispute centered on retirement benefits.

"I am glad that both sides are heeding the call to put the needs of students and families first by engaging in constructive dialogue," City Council President David Salvatore said in a joint statement with Elorza.

First Student had released a statement earlier Friday calling on drivers to return to work Monday.

City officials had said they would consider requesting new proposals for school bus transportation.

Absences have risen as some students have had trouble getting to school, and the city hasn't provided any alternative transportation.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island initiated legal action earlier this week against state educational officials for failing to provide transportation for students with disabilities, something the ACLU said schools are required under the law to provide.

A fire in the company's bus yard Thursday damaged more than half a dozen buses, First Student spokesman Frank McMahon said. Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare said while the cause of the fire remains under investigation, it is considered suspicious.

McMahon said he would not speculate on whether the fire was connected to the strike until the investigation is completed. The union condemned the property damage.
ATLANTA (AP) - Civil rights organizations have filed a federal lawsuit against Georgia Secretary of State and Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp, accusing his office of preventing minority voters from registering ahead of next month's closely watched race.

Thursday's lawsuit targets Georgia's "exact match" verification process, which requires that information on voter applications precisely match information already on file.

An analysis by The Associated Press found over 53,000 voter registration applications sitting in pending status. Nearly 70 percent of those affected are black.

Kemp oversees elections and is facing Democrat Stacey Abrams, who is vying to become the nation's black female governor. Recent public polling indicates the race is a dead heat.

Candice Broce is a spokeswoman for Kemp's office. In a statement, she called the lawsuit "bogus" and "a complete waste of our time and taxpayer dollars."

FILE - In this July 26, 2018, file photo, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp appears during a unity rally, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is trying to reach voters who don't usually vote in midterm elections in the hopes to drive up turnout in her race against Kemp. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

Brian Kemp, the Republican nominee for Georgia governor, speaks at a rally at the Classic Center in downtown Athens, Ga., Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2108. The winning can all go away in an instant. That was the message that Donald Trump Jr. had for Georgia Republicans as he urged them to support Kemp for governor. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Organizers of a small-town Kansas parade decided Friday night that they won't stop Republican candidate Kris Kobach from having a replica machine gun on a jeep after initially objecting to a key symbol of his campaign for governor and support for gun rights.

The organizing committee for Iola's Farm City Days previously told Kobach's campaign that it would have to remove the replica gun. But Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state, said Friday that requiring him to ride without the machine gun mounted on back would violate his free-speech rights.

Daniel Schowengerdt, attorney for the parade's organizing committee, said Kobach "was coming regardless" to Saturday's parade with the jeep and the committee's volunteers never intended to "forcibly prevent him from entering."

The committee now expects Kobach to place an orange cap on the machine gun's barrel, to show to parade-goers that it is a replica. And, Schowengerdt said, the committee expects an 11-inch by 17-inch sign on the jeep saying the committee "does not condone the display of large-scale military weapons" in the parade.

The sign also is supposed to say: "The Farm City Days committee does support the Second Amendment."

But Kobach's supporters have scheduled a short gun-rights rally before the parade, said Virginia Crossland-Macha, a local GOP activist. She said Kobach is expected to speak about the First and Second Amendments to the U.S. Constitution protecting speech and gun ownership.

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2018 file photo, a jeep with a replica machine gun mounted on back sits outside the hotel where Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach's supporters were meeting in Topeka, Kan. Organizers of a small-town Kansas parade have told Kobach that he must remove the replica machine gun from the vehicle that's become a key part of his campaign for governor and emblematic of his no-apologies style. An attorney for the organizing committee for Iola's Farm City Days said it was in talks Friday Oct. 12, 2018, with Kobach's campaign to find a compromise. (AP Photo/John Hanna File)

Iola, with about 5,700 residents, is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City. It is the seat of Allen County, where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 2-to-1 and President Donald Trump received 67 percent of the vote in 2016. Kobach carried it in a crowded GOP primary in August with nearly 43 percent of the vote.

Crossland-Macha said she was upset enough about the committee's initial decision several weeks ago to resign as its president. She was not present when that decision was made.

She said Farm City Days is nonpartisan and staffed by volunteers and was drawn into "a mess" potentially hurting the event.

"I just find it kind of crazy," she said before the committee's latest decision.

Kobach has been riding in the jeep with the replica gun at least since June. Its appearance then in a suburban Kansas City parade prompted criticism, an apology from the sponsoring city and what Kobach derided as a "snowflake meltdown." Besides using it to bolster his gun-rights credentials, Kobach used the jeep to symbolize his defiance of liberal critics.

But Schowengerdt said organizing committee members felt the gun's "wartime message" clashed with the event's message of bringing farms and cities together. He said the committee stands by that assessment.

He said organizers had no problem with the jeep, which is decorated with U.S. flag designs and has a bobblehead of President Donald Trump on its hood - only with the replica machine gun. He said under past U.S. Supreme Court decisions, private parade organizers have a right to choose the content of their events.

"This is not a leftist organization," Schowengerdt said. "In fact, the vast majority of the people on the committee are gun-owning Republicans."

He said his ongoing discussions with Kobach, a former law professor, were "positive" and "productive," though the two disagree on legal issues.

"We did discuss, if this went to court, what we think would happen," he said. "No one threatened anyone."

The entry form for the parade does not mention firearms or mounted guns but says parade organizers "reserve the right to refuse entry to any person, group or entity. It also bans semi-trucks and tells participants that they cannot throw candy or other items from a float or vehicle.

Kobach said Iola is the first community to express any reluctance about the replica machine gun.

"In contrast, we've had mayors from other cities asking us to bring the gun," Kobach said. "The Second Amendment applies as well in the city as it does in the country, and there is no conflict whatsoever between the joining of city and country and the Second Amendment."

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Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
FOREST PARK, Ga. (AP) - Democrat Stacey Abrams says she cannot become governor of Georgia without convincing tens of thousands of sporadic voters to come to the polls.

So her campaign is spending considerable sums on paid canvassers, field offices for volunteers and direct mail pieces aimed at more than 1.5 million Georgians who don't usually vote in midterm elections.

It's a contrast to Republican Brian Kemp. The current secretary of state has a well-funded and aggressive campaign, but will depend more on the traditional Republican electorate in Georgia.

Abrams is trying to become the first black female governor in U.S. history.

Early returns from mail-in ballots suggest she's having at least some success in coaxing ballots from black voters and young voters who didn't vote in the 2014 midterms.

FILE- In this May 22, 2018, file photo Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams waves in Atlanta. Abrams is trying to reach voters who don't usually vote in midterm elections in the hopes to drive up turnout in her race against Republican Brian Kemp. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

FILE - In this July 26, 2018, file photo, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp appears during a unity rally, in Peachtree Corners, Ga. Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is trying to reach voters who don't usually vote in midterm elections in the hopes to drive up turnout in her race against Kemp. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) - An investment adviser charged with orchestrating a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme spent nearly three-quarters of a million dollars on prayers by Hindu priests in India to ward off a federal investigation and save her failing business, according to testimony at her trial this week.

Using investors' money, Dawn Bennett paid a man in Washington state approximately $720,000 between 2015 and 2017 to arrange for the priests to perform religious ceremonies meant to ease her troubles, said a Justice Department prosecutor and the man Bennett paid. For one of these "yagya" rituals, Bennett spent $7,250 for five priests to pray for her across 29 consecutive days.

"I am in a very very tough fight going against my enemies and I need all the help I can get," Bennett wrote in an email to Puja.net website operator Benjamin Collins.

Six-figure payments for prayers didn't spare Bennett from a 17-count indictment on fraud charges. Neither did the "hoodoo" spells that investigators suspected her of casting to stymie federal investigators, a claim fueled by a peculiar discovery during an FBI search of her home.

Collins, a government witness at Bennett's trial, testified on Tuesday that he sincerely believed the religious rituals would help Bennett, whose payments accounted for roughly half of his website's income.

"We don't necessarily pray with a guaranteed outcome," he added.

CORRECTS IDENTITY OF DENNIS BOYLE, LEFT, AND BLERINA JASARI, TO U.S. ATTORNEY GREGORY BERNSTEIN, LEFT, AND FBI SPECIAL AGENT KEITH CUSTER - U.S. Attorney Gregory Bernstein, left, and FBI Special Agent Keith Custer walk outside the federal courthouse, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018, in Greenbelt, Md. Authorities and a government witness say that investment adviser Dawn Bennett, cast paranormal spells and spent nearly three-quarters of a million dollars on prayers in a desperate attempt to avoid charges that she orchestrated a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Bernstein is one of the prosecutors in the case against Bennett and Custer was one of the agents who investigated the case. (AP Photo/Michael Kunzelman)

Bennett, 56, raised more than $20 million from at least 46 investors in her luxury sportswear company, often preying on elderly clients who knew her from a radio show she hosted in the Washington, D.C., area, authorities have said. They said she used investors' money for her personal benefit, including jewelry purchases, cosmetic medical procedures and a $500,000 annual lease for a luxury suite at the Dallas Cowboys' home stadium.

Bennett told U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis on Thursday that she doesn't intend to testify at her trial. One of her trial lawyers, Dennis Boyle, said Bennett invested $13 million of her own money into the fledgling apparel business, selling assets and mortgaging homes to generate cash.

"She clearly believes that this is a legitimate company," he said. "It catered to only the most discerning people."

But her apparel business, DJBennett, never made a profit and had at least $15.6 million in liabilities and only $550,000 in revenue by December 2016, according to a complaint filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The indictment says she also used money from some investors to pay others, but many lost everything they paid Bennett.

Joan Barney, a retired travel agent whose husband has Parkinson's disease and dementia, said she invested a total of $200,000 in Bennett's business. Barney testified Wednesday that she had known Bennett for more than 25 years and believed her promise that she could get her money back, plus 15 percent interest, whenever she needed it. She said Bennett sent her a business plan that purportedly showed the company was profitable.

"I trusted Dawn," said Barney, who added that Bennett "knew that this was the only money that I had to care for my husband and his illness."

Barney received a $37,500 return on her investment but lost the rest. Another investor, Diane Keefe, fought back tears when she testified that she hasn't recovered any of the $816,805 she paid Bennett.

Keefe said Bennett had told her the online apparel company was thriving.

"And I believed her," she said.

The FBI's investigation of Bennett began in December 2015 after the SEC formally accused her of defrauding investors by inflating the amount of assets she managed and exaggerating the returns on her customers' investments. The SEC cited statements that Bennett made on her paid weekly radio show, "Financial Myth Busting With Dawn Bennett."

Bennett's financial advisory business was losing clients and incurring millions of dollars in losses before she turned to the fraudulent sale of promissory notes to "tap a new income stream," the SEC said in its complaint.

"As her financial condition rapidly deteriorated, Bennett began accumulating a variety of personal financial obligations, but nonetheless continued to spend considerable sums to fund her extravagant lifestyle," the complaint said.

When FBI agents searched Bennett's home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, last year, they found instructions for placing people under a "Beef Tongue Shut Up Hoodoo Spell" and biographical information for at least three government attorneys working on the SEC investigation of Bennett, according to an agent's affidavit.

FBI agents also found the initials of SEC attorneys written on the lids of Mason jars stored in Bennett's freezers, suggesting she had cast spells in hopes of "paranormally silencing" the SEC attorneys, the agent wrote.

Bennett's attorneys argued that any such "hoodoo" practices are irrelevant and their mention by prosecutors only serves to smear her. Boyle also objected to testimony about the "substance" of the prayers she commissioned in India.

"The fact that she prays to a different God or has a different faith shouldn't matter," he said.

Bennett's trial in Greenbelt started Oct. 2 and is expected to stretch into next week. Bennett was freed after her August 2017 arrest in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but a magistrate judge later ordered her detained for violating the terms of her pretrial release.

Bradley Mascho, who worked as the chief financial officer for one of Bennett's companies, was indicted on related charges. He pleaded guilty in June to conspiring to commit securities fraud and awaits a sentencing hearing.
GORHAM, Maine (AP) - The campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Shawn Moody angrily denounced suggestions he mistreated an employee who brought a sexual discrimination complaint over her firing after she gave birth.

The Maine GOP on Friday called news reports about a $20,000 settlement paid to the former employee a "smear" against the candidate just weeks before Election Day.

The settlement, first reported by the New York Times, stems from single mother Jill Hayward's ordeal after being fired from Moody's Collision Centers. She filed a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission in 2006, but it was withdrawn after Moody's insurer settled.

Moody, who's running against Democratic Attorney General Janet Mills and two independents, said Friday that the terms of the settlement prevented him from discussing details.

But he insisted all workers, men and women, were treated well.

"Let me just say this, and in the strongest way possible, I have always treated every co-worker employee with dignity and respect, always," Moody said in a statement. "It is just outrageous to even suggest my business does not have opportunities for women."

The 2006 complaint states that Moody told Hayward: "I know you gave me 210 percent of yourself, but you won't be able to do the job now that you have" a child. It also states that Moody asserted Hayward's "responsibilities have changed" due to motherhood.

Hayward didn't respond to an email request for comment from The Associated Press.

Surrounded by female employees and family members in Gorham, Moody suggested Friday that Hayward's dismissal had nothing to do with her pregnancy or being a single mom. "Honestly, we never let anyone go in this company for any reason other than performance-related issues," he said.

One of his workers, herself a single mom, praised the employee-owned company for being flexible when she needed time with her child.

The complaint states Moody hired a man to fill Hayward's position and that at the time, only four or five of approximately 50 employees were women. The company said there are now 200 employees, about 25 of whom are women. Six of the women are in leadership positions.
NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) - Video shows a dramatic Oregon courtroom scuffle in which a defendant lunges for a police officer's gun.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports a judge had denied a request by deputies to restrain 27-year-old Scott Lemmon in court Wednesday.

In the video, Lemmon stands up and grabs for a gun worn by a Newport police officer sitting at a table nearby.

The officer turned away and a courthouse deputy tackled Lemmon to the floor.

Lemmon was on trial for robbery and other charges and was later convicted. The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office says he could face new charges.

His defense attorney, Brian Gardner, did not return a request for comment Friday.
NEW YORK (AP) - President Donald Trump's business ties to Saudi Arabia are under scrutiny following the disappearance of one of its critics, writer Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump has rented event space to Saudis and sold an entire floor of one of his buildings to them. He got a billionaire from the country to buy his yacht and his hotel overlooking Central Park.

Trump pronounced "I love the Saudis" when he announced his presidential run at Trump Tower in 2015.

Trump's close Saudi ties are attracting attention as pressure mounts from Congress to find out if Khashoggi was killed in a Saudi consulate in Turkey, as Turkish officials say.

Trump said Friday he'll soon speak with Saudi Arabia's king about Khashoggi's disappearance. Saudi Arabia calls allegations it killed Khashoggi baseless.

In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, Trump World Tower, right, rises above the United Nations headquarters, left, in New York. In 2001, Donald Trump's business ties to Saudi Arabia run long and deep, and he's often boasted about his business ties with the kingdom. Now those ties are under scrutiny as the president faces calls for a tougher response to the kingdom's government following the disappearance, and possible killing, of one of its biggest critics, journalist and activist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump said Friday that he will soon speak with Saudi Arabia's king about Khashoggi's disappearance. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this Oct. 10, 2018 photo, Trump World Tower, right, rises above the United Nations headquarters, center, in New York. Donald Trump's business ties to Saudi Arabia run long and deep, and he's often boasted about his business ties with the kingdom. Now those ties are under scrutiny as the president faces calls for a tougher response to the kingdom's government following the disappearance, and possible killing, of one of its biggest critics, journalist and activist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump said Friday that he will soon speak with Saudi Arabia's king about Khashoggi's disappearance. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - The Latest on North Carolina's oldest public university responding to its history involving Confederate landmarks and slavery (all times local):

7:25 p.m.

Faculty members at North Carolina's flagship public university say a statue of a Confederate soldier torn down from its prominent spot on the Chapel Hill campus shouldn't be put back.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reports that the Faculty Council adopted a resolution Friday calling for the statue nicknamed "Silent Sam" and its remaining stone pedestal to be removed from campus grounds.

The faculty move came hours after the university's 225th birthday celebration. Campus Chancellor Carol Folt used the occasion to make a public apology for the university's connection to slavery and the oppression of African-Americans.

Folt and the school's trustees have until Nov. 15 to present a plan to the statewide public university system's governors for what to do with the statue.

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1:30 p.m.

The chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has apologized for the school's history of slavery, adding that her words "must lead to purposeful action."

Chancellor Carol Folt issued the apology Friday during the celebration of UNC-Chapel Hill's 225th anniversary. Slaves built and maintained the university.

The apology comes as Folt and other school officials must decide whether to restore the Confederate statue known as Silent Sam, which protesters toppled Aug. 20. The UNC Board of Governors has set a Nov. 15 deadline for a recommendation from Folt on the statue's fate.

Earlier this month, the school said it will change the name a plaque at Kenan Memorial Stadium so it no longer honors a man who participated in white riots against blacks in Wilmington in 1898.
The Soddy Daisy police department is moving in a new direction, said Chief Jeff Gann. It started with his own promotion earlier this month after past Chief of Police Phillip Hamrick retired. At the Thursday evening commission meeting, Chief Gann introduced two new police officers and announced promotions within the department after which a pinning ceremony was held.

Two newly-hired officers are Jamie Thompson who comes to Soddy Daisy with 17 years of experience in the Red Bank police department, and Melissa Hyslop. Officer Hyslop worked for the city in the past before she moved to Hawaii. She has moved back to Soddy Daisy and has come back to work again in the police department.



Brock Nunley has been with the department, running the canine patrol for some time, said Chief Gann. He was promoted to Sergeant on patrol.



Mike Brown has worked for the Soddy Daisy police department for around 19-20 years, starting in patrol, moving to shift sergeant and then to codes enforcement. He has now been promoted to Lieutenant over the patrol department.



Marty Bowman has worked up through the ranks, said the chief. He started with the Soddy Daisy police department in dispatch, and was moved up to lieutenant. Thursday night he was promoted to Captain of the Soddy Daisy police department.



"Congratulations and thanks for their work," was expressed by the commissioners. Mayor Robert Cothran told them Weve got your backs.



Chief Gann compiled statistics from his department for the month of September. The long list of calls they responded to included 50 auto crashes, 35 burglar alarms, four narcotics violations, 19 thefts, most of these occurring at Wal Mart, four auto thefts, two burglaries and one robbery of a business. Police assisted 23 citizens including wellness checks during September. There were 271 traffic stops made, and checks were made in response to 36 suspicious persons and 11 suspicious vehicles. There were 1450 checks made to businesses during the third shift. The fire department responded to two residential fires, one commercial building fire and one vehicle fire.



City Manager Janice Cagle received approval from the commissioners to purchase LED light bulbs for use in city hall, which she hopes will save money in the long run. The north end of the city has almost recovered from the devastating floods that happened two weeks ago, said Ms. Cagle, and has almost finished making repairs to the senior center, that were necessary because of the flooding. Commissioner Max Lowe noted during September the city continues to grow, with eight new building permits being issued in September.


Pakistan rendered immense sacrifices in the war against terrorism: Arif Alvi

RISALPUR: President Arif Alvi has said that Pakistan is a peace loving country but is fully prepared and capable of responding to any aggression.



Addressing the passing-out parade of cadets at PAF academy Asghar Khan in Risalpur on Thursday, he pointed out that the glorious past of the armed forces was witnessed to the fact that the sons of the soil defended the motherland with sweat and blood.



Pakistan follows the policy of friendly relations with all its neighbours. We desire to establish warm relations based on mutual respect with the international community, he maintained.



Alvi said that Pakistan had rendered immense sacrifices both in terms of human and material in the war against terrorism. We stand firmly committed to this cause and will not allow any anybody to misinterpret our intent and actions.



He said that Pakistan was facing both internal and external challenges and vowed to overcome them through cohesive approach. Our struggle against terrorism has played a vital role for regional peace and security. Our armed forces displayed immaculate harmony in the operations against terrorism.



Heaping praise on the Pakistan Air Force, the president said that the PAF had played a leading role in annihilating sanctuaries of terrorists.



Alvi noted that the graduating cadets had been trained in line with the finest traditions set by the great air warriors of the past and expressed the confidence that they would set new records in the line of duty. He asked the cadets to demonstrate professionalism to maintain the status of being second to none as envisioned by the founding father.



The president acknowledged the efforts of PAF towards indigenization, saying: The government will fully support all such efforts and provide resources to equip the armed forces will latest technology to ensure national defence.



Earlier, the president distributed medals among outstanding cadets. The coveted Sword of Honor was received by cadet Zeeshan Ashraf. The president also inspected a guard of honour. On the occasion, the PAF aircraft presented fly past and breathtaking aerobatic maneuvers.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina couple on the run from drug charges for nearly 19 years is in custody after law officers tracked them down to a beach resort in western Mexico.

U.S. Marshals Service said Friday that agents last week arrested 61-year-old Robert Edward Freer and his wife, 52-year-old Wendy Dehaven Freer. They were indicted in 1999 on federal charges of money laundering and conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Bryan Konig said the Freers were accused of distributing large amounts of marijuana on North Carolina's Outer Banks.

The couple owned and operated a quiet, vacation rental resort on San Pedrito Beach on Mexico's Baja peninsula.
LANCASTER, Calif. (AP) - A Southern California man has pleaded not guilty to sending an email threatening to kill U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

City News Service says 47-year-old Craig Shaver of Lancaster entered the plea Friday to felony charges of attempted criminal threats and being a felon in illegal possession of a revolver. He could face more than three years in prison if convicted.

Authorities say Shaver sent the email on Sept. 30 but haven't released specifics of the message.

Shaver was arrested on Tuesday.

Feinstein is the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She has received threats and abuse because some Republicans accuse her of trying to thwart the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) - The founding member and former bassist of the rock band 3 Doors Down has been sentenced to 10 years in Mississippi state prison for possession of a firearm by a felon.

News outlets report Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Robert Krebs gave Todd Harrell the maximum penalty during a hearing Thursday.

Authorities responded to Harrell's home after an alarm went off in June. Harrell's wife told deputies they had got into an argument that turned physical. While deputies were talking to the couple, they noticed guns and drugs in the home.

Harrell had served two years in prison for causing a fatal crash in Nashville in 2013. He testified in 2015 that he had been addicted to prescription drugs and was speeding.

The band, which has had hits including "Kryptonite," suspended Harrell after a second-offense DUI in 2012.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on dueling rallies former Vice President Joe Biden and current Vice President Mike Pence are having in Indiana to support Senate candidates (all times local):

9:15 p.m.

Former Vice President Joe Biden has brought his blue-collar appeal to a Democratic stronghold of Indiana, heaping praise on Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly as the kind of guy who keeps his word, puts country over party - and would have his back in a street fight.

Biden told a crowd in the heavily industrial northwest corner of Indiana on Friday that, "Joe is as good a man as I know."

He says that "if there's any time we needed character in the United States Senate, it's now."

Donnelly is in a tight race for re-election against Republican businessman Mike Braun. The contest could determine which party controls the Senate.

FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2018, file photo, Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., left, shakes hands with Republican former state Rep. Mike Braun following a U.S. Senate Debate in Westville, Ind. Donnelly is hoping a visit from former Vice President Joe Biden will help his effort to run up the vote in the Democratic stronghold of northwest Indiana. Vice President Mike Pence will be appearing at a fundraising dinner in Indianapolis around the same time to rev up support for Braun. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, Pool, File)

Vice President and former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence spoke at a rally for Braun in Indianapolis at about the same time.

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8:10 p.m.

Vice President Mike Pence is telling a crowd in Indianapolis that a vote for Indiana Democrat Joe Donnelly is a vote to turn the U.S. Senate into the liberal "center of the resistance."

The former Indiana governor was in his home state Friday for a fundraising dinner, where he urged Republicans to turn out in force for GOP businessman Mike Braun.

Donnelly is among a handful of Democrats running for re-election in states President Donald Trump won. He and Braun are locked in a tight race that could determine control of the Senate.

Pence says Braun will be a loyal supporter of Trump. But re-electing Donnelly could hand the reins of the Senate to New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is the Senate Democrats' leader.

Pence says that would lead to "unprecedented obstruction."

Former Vice President Joe Biden was appearing with Donnelly at about the same time at a rally in northern Indiana.

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12:54 a.m.

Sen. Joe Donnelly is bringing in help in his effort to run up the vote in the Democratic stronghold of northwest Indiana.

Vice President Joe Biden, who has blue-collar appeal and presidential ambitions, will campaign with Donnelly Friday in this heavily industrial corner of the state.

But Biden won't be the only vice president paying a visit to the state.

Vice President Mike Pence will be appearing at a fundraising dinner in Indianapolis around the same time to rev up support for Donnelly's rival, Republican businessman Mike Braun.

Indiana has been a reliably red state in recent years, but the two are locked in a close race that could determine which party controls the Senate.
CHICAGO (AP) - 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.

President Trump delivers remarks Monday, Oct. 8, 2018, at the International Association of Chiefs of Police, at the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando, Fla. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

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 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.

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Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mtarm
DETROIT (AP) - Authorities say the bodies of 11 babies have been found in a funeral home that was closed six months ago.

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs spokesman Jason Moon says inspectors found the bodies Friday at the Cantrell Funeral Home on the city's east side.

Detroit police say eight or nine bodies were found in a cardboard box and the others in one or more caskets, all hidden in a ceiling. Police ordered a search of the building to ensure there are no additional bodies inside.

The regulatory agency suspended the license of the funeral home in April after inspectors found decomposing embalmed bodies and other violations. Violations also included two improperly stored bodies covered in what appeared to be mold and a third body with unknown fluids covering the facial area.
PORT DICKSON, Malaysia (AP) - Charismatic Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim won a by-election for a parliamentary seat with a landslide victory on Saturday in a grand political comeback to help him prepare for his eventual takeover from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Anwar was designated as Mahathir's successor after the two men set aside a bitter feud and joined hands to win a stunning victory in May's general election.

Anwar couldn't participate in the election due to a sodomy conviction - a charge that he alleged was politically motivated - but he was freed and received a royal pardon days after the polls.

The Election Commission said Anwar received 31,016 votes for the parliamentary seat in the southern coastal town of Port Dickson, defeating six other candidates. His closest rival secured only 7,456 votes.

He will be sworn in as a lawmaker in parliament on Monday.

Anwar was once a high-flying member of the former ruling coalition but was convicted of homosexual sodomy and corruption after a power struggle with Mahathir, who was prime minister for 22 years until 2003.

Malaysia's politician Anwar Ibrahim, right, celebrates after winning the by-election in the southern coastal town in Port Dickson, Malaysia. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim won a parliamentary seat and returns to active politics as he prepare for his eventual takeover from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Anwar was freed in 2004 but was once again convicted for sodomy in 2015, charges he said were concocted to destroy his political career.

Angered by a massive corruption scandal at a state investment fund, Mahathir made a political comeback and the two men forged an alliance that paid off in the May 9 national election.

Mahathir, the world's oldest leader at 93, 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 Mahathir's governance.

"Attention should focus on what he would do in parliament and his relationship with those in government," said Bridget Welsh, a political science lecturer and Southeast Asia expert at John Cabot University in Rome.

Malaysia's politician Anwar Ibrahim celebrates after winning the by election in the southern coastal town in Port Dickson, Malaysia. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim won a parliamentary seat and returns to active politics as he prepare for his eventual takeover from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysia's politician Anwar Ibrahim, right, waves as he celebrates after winning the by election in the southern coastal town in Port Dickson, Malaysia. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim won a parliamentary seat and returns to active politics as he prepare for his eventual takeover from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysia's politician Anwar Ibrahim, second left, and his wife and Deputy Prime Minister Malaysia Wan Azizah Ismail, celebrate after winning the by-election in the southern coastal town in Port Dickson, Malaysia. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim won a parliamentary seat and returns to active politics as he prepare for his eventual takeover from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

Malaysia's politician Anwar Ibrahim, right, sit next to his wife and Deputy Prime Minister Malaysia Wan Azizah Ismail as they waiting for result of the by election in the southern coastal town in Port Dickson, Malaysia. Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim won a parliamentary seat and returns to active politics as he prepare for his eventual takeover from Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
LISBON, Portugal (AP) - Hurricane Leslie weakened slightly into a post-tropical cyclone late Saturday as it closed in on Portugal and Spain, bringing heavy rain, high winds and dangerous surf to western parts of the Iberian Peninsula.

Portugal's weather service issued red warnings - its highest level- for high winds or dangerous coastal conditions for 13 of its 18 mainland districts, including Lisbon, the capital. Forecasters said sections of Portugal would see near hurricane-force winds, while parts of western Spain could be hit with tropical- force winds.

Maximum sustained winds in the former Category 1 hurricane decreased to 70 mph (110 kph) as the storm neared Portugal's west coast, the U.S National Hurricane Center in Miami said. Tropical force winds were felt up to 160 miles (260 kilometers) from its center.

Luis Belo Costa of Portugal's National Protection Agency recommended that people "avoid at all costs walking on the street."

A tropical storm warning was discontinued for the Madeira archipelago. But Leslie was still expected to generate ocean swells that would affect Madeira, the Azores and the Canary Islands throughout the weekend, in addition to the Atlantic coasts of Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Forecasters said the swells were likely to bring "life-threatening surf and rip current conditions."

Leslie is a bit of a weather outlier, since hurricanes that regularly batter the American side of the Atlantic rarely bring their destructive force across to Europe.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Democrat Karl Dean and Republican Bill Lee avoided throwing bombs and held back from taking swipes at each other during Tennessee's third and final gubernatorial debate.

Instead, the two top candidates on Friday once again outlined their positions while at Belmont University in Nashville by remaining cordial and rarely mentioning their opponent while responding to issues such as Medicaid expansion, the death penalty and education funding.

Both of the candidates came out in favor of maintaining Tennessee's death penalty, agreeing they would follow the law if elected governor.

Tennessee's capital punishment has been in the national spotlight since death row inmate Edmund Zagorski requested to use the electric chair for his execution. Tennessee is just one of nine states to allow such execution methods.

Democratic former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, left, and Republican businessman Bill Lee prepare to leave the stage after their final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)

Republican businessman Bill Lee, right, and Democratic former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, left, shake hands after the final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)

Democratic former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, left, and Republican businessman Bill Lee shake hands after the final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)

Democratic former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, left, and Republican businessman Bill Lee participate in the final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)

Democratic former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean, left, and Republican businessman Bill Lee participate in the final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)

Democratic former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean speaks during the final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)

Republican businessman Bill Lee speaks during the final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)

Democratic former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean speaks during the final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)

Republican businessman Bill Lee speaks during the final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)

Republican businessman Bill Lee speaks during the final gubernatorial debate at Belmont University Friday, Oct. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, Pool)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Latest on the conflict between organizers of a small-town Kansas parade and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach over his use of a jeep with a replica machine gun (all times local):

9:30 p.m.

An attorney says organizers of a small-town Kansas parade won't try to stop Republican gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach from riding in a jeep with a replica machine gun on the back.

But attorney Daniel Schowengerdt said Friday night that the organizing committee for Iola's Farm City Days expects Kobach to put a sign on the jeep during Saturday's parade saying the committee doesn't condone the display of "large scale military weapons" during the event. He said the sign will say the committee does support gun rights.

The organizers previously told Kobach he had to remove the gun because it clashed with the event's message of bringing farms and cities together.

Kobach says he believes keeping the gun out of the southeast Kansas parade would violate his free speech rights.

FILE - In this Aug. 7, 2018 file photo, a jeep with a replica machine gun mounted on back sits outside the hotel where Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach's supporters were meeting in Topeka, Kan. Organizers of a small-town Kansas parade have told Kobach that he must remove the replica machine gun from the vehicle that's become a key part of his campaign for governor and emblematic of his no-apologies style. An attorney for the organizing committee for Iola's Farm City Days said it was in talks Friday Oct. 12, 2018, with Kobach's campaign to find a compromise. (AP Photo/John Hanna File)

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5:04 p.m.

Organizers of a small-town Kansas parade have told Republican gubernatorial candidate Kris Kobach that he must remove a replica machine gun from the back of a Jeep to use it in their event.

The Jeep has become a key part of Kobach's campaign and emblematic of the Kansas secretary of state's strong support for the right to own guns.

An attorney for the organizing committee for Iola's Farm City Days said it was in talks Friday with Kobach's campaign to find a compromise.

Attorney Daniel Schowengerdt said committee members felt the replica gun's "wartime message" clashed with the event's message of bringing farms and cities together.

Kobach said that he believes organizers can't prevent him from using the Jeep in Saturday's parade in southeast Kansas without violating his free speech rights.
Pakistan won't succumb to US strong-arm tactics in any way: Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday said that Pakistan wont be pressurised into attaining any other countrys foreign policy objectives.



Qureshi made the remarks at the 17th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Member States of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.



When asked if Washington would pressurise Islamabad into attaining its set goals in Afghanistan, the foreign minister categorically denied it would succumb to US strong-arm tactics in any way.



Pakistan welcomes important actors coming to the negotiating table, he said while referring to the last week meeting of Afghan Taliban and US officials in Qatar.



Reaffirming the Pakistans stance, the foreign minister said that dialogue was the only way forward for peace in Afghanistan. He, however, said that this process must be spearheaded by Kabul through political means.



The foreign minister highlighted that Washington as well as other important stakeholders had come to the same conclusion after exploring possibilities of initiating a peace and reconciliation process.



The foreign minister said that Islamabad would extend its full support towards the peace efforts, adding, It is among Pakistans top foreign policy objectives to witness peace in Afghanistan.



To a question about the closure of the Pak-Afghan border in Chaman owing to differences between the two countries on border fencing, with reported exchanges of fire, he responded saying that the border was open.
BEIJING (AP) - Activists are protesting the Hong Kong government's disqualification of a legislative candidate who advocated self-determination for the Chinese territory.

The government announced Friday that Lau Siu-lai was barred from running in a Nov. 25 election. Lau was stripped off a seat in the Hong Kong legislature in 2016.

Election authorities said Lau's previous statements in support of self-determination for Hong Kong were illegal.

Hong Kong Watch, a human rights group, criticized the decision as a violation of the "right to stand in free and fair elections."

Hong Kong authorities are stepping up efforts to quash pro-independence voices ahead of the election. In September, authorities banned a pro-independence political party, citing a national security law.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Even by South Carolina standards, this is a lot.

There's no set date for the state's pivotal 2020 presidential primary. But that's not stopping a half dozen potential Democratic contenders from swarming the state over the next week, connecting with voters and political operatives.

The first-in-the-South primary can be a make-or-break contest for White House contenders from both parties. In addition, South Carolina's significant black population offers an opportunity for Democratic candidates to test their messages in a way that's not possible in other early-voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire, which have fewer minority voters.

That's especially important for a party that could field multiple candidates of color and is making diversity an explicit part of its appeal.

A look at what's happening in the Palmetto State, which could be a political ground zero for nearly a year and a half:

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FILE - In this June 29, 2018, file photo, former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to the media in Cincinnati. Home to the first-in-the-South primaries, South Carolina is accustomed to the parade of presidential candidates who frequent the state in hopes of boosting their national credibility. But, with eager Democrats' open 2020 contest, that competition has begun here early, with candidates lining up visits with a frequency accelerated from years past. Biden, who has said it'll be at least January before he decides about 2020, has been keeping an elevated profile in South Carolina this midterm cycle, even for him (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)

BIDEN, SANDERS

Long fond of vacationing on Kiawah Island, former Vice President Joe Biden has had close relationships with two of South Carolina's longtime senators, Democrat Ernest Hollings and the late Strom Thurmond, a Republican. Biden eulogized Thurmond at his 2003 funeral.

Biden has said he won't decide on running until at least January, but he's been keeping an elevated profile in the state. He visits Saturday for events with Democratic gubernatorial nominee James Smith and state Senate hopeful Dick Harpootlian. Harpootlian is a longtime Biden adviser who unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to enter the 2016 presidential race.

Biden, 75, has endorsed Democratic congressional candidate Joe Cunningham and even waded into a down-ballot race, backing the party's pick for state treasurer. Earlier this year, he spoke at an NAACP gathering.

Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, another possible Democratic contender, is also returning. On Oct. 20, he'll take part in a rally with the state's arm of Our Revolution, an offshoot of Sanders' campaign. He was soundly defeated in 2016 by ultimate Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, earning just 26% of the vote.

Sanders' visit has made clear that divisions still exist among the state's Democrats following the bruising 2016 primary. The day after his visit was announced, some of the party's young leaders called the trip "extremely selfish" and self-serving, as Sanders hadn't been invited by any candidate on this fall's ballots. One said Sanders would be better off if he "got lost."

State Rep. Justin Bamberg, one of Sanders' biggest South Carolina backers, said the trip was more about continuing to push some of Sanders' top issues, like increasing the minimum wage. "The man has never said he's running for president in 2020," Bamberg said.

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THE NEWER FACES

A slew of fresher faces are also introducing themselves to South Carolina.

New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker headlines a Democratic fundraiser in Orangeburg next week that will include many of the state's most prominent black leaders and activists. Without much of that backing, it's difficult for any Democratic hopeful to have much success in a state where black voters comprised 61 percent of 2016 Democratic primary electorate.

A day later, California Sen. Kamala Harris makes her first trip to South Carolina, with events in Columbia and Greenville. A few days before the midterm election, former Attorney General Eric Holder is set to speak to the Charleston NAACP, the same group Biden addressed earlier this year.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the only senator to back Sanders' 2016 bid, has made several trips so far. He's delivering a keynote to state Democrats' annual convention and attending events with Rep. Jim Clyburn and as an Our Revolution town hall.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has spoken to the Charleston County Democratic Party's Blue Jam and hosted a fundraiser for state Democrats.

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg planned to campaign Friday with Cunningham. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock planned to do the same Saturday. California Rep. Eric Swalwell recently campaigned with another Democratic congressional nominee, Mary Geren.

Nearly a year ago, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and California Rep. Adam Schiff spoke at a party conference. Maryland Rep. John Delaney, the only Democrat who has already launched his 2020 presidential bid, has visited the state multiple times and spoke at Clyburn's event in April. Billionaire hedge fund manager Tom Steyer has also made several trips.

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A LIBERAL STAR AND A CELEBRITY LAWYER

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren hasn't publicized any trips to South Carolina, but recently sent a fundraising email on behalf of state Democrats. A woman who formerly served as her press secretary is the state party's new communications director.

Michael Avenatti campaigned in the state Friday with Democratic congressional candidate Sean Carrigan. He was attending three fundraisers in South Carolina Friday and planned more stops Saturday including headlining an annual Democratic dinner in Horry County Saturday night.

Avenatti, who is representing adult film actress Stormy Daniels in her legal battle with President Donald Trump, has been making trips to Iowa and New Hampshire, where he's met with state-level operatives and sold-out party dinners.

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FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2018, file photo, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. James Smith, D-Richland, second from right, talks with Lucas Atkinson, D-Marion, second from left, Rob Williams, D-Darlington, right, and David Weeks, D-Sumter, left, at the South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia, S.C. Home to the first-in-the-South primaries, South Carolina is accustomed to the parade of presidential candidates who frequent the state in hopes of boosting their national credibility. But, with eager Democrats' open 2020 contest, that competition has begun here early, with candidates lining up visits with a frequency accelerated from years past. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford, File)
FOREST PARK, Ga. (AP) - Democrat Stacey Abrams says she cannot become governor of Georgia without convincing tens of thousands of sporadic voters to come to the polls.

So her campaign is spending considerable sums on paid canvassers, field offices for volunteers and direct mail pieces aimed at more than 1.5 million Georgians who don't usually vote in midterm elections.

It's a contrast to Republican Brian Kemp. The current secretary of state has a well-funded and aggressive campaign, but will depend more on the traditional Republican electorate in Georgia.

Abrams is trying to become the first black female governor in U.S. history.

Early returns from mail-in ballots suggest she's having at least some success in coaxing ballots from black voters and young voters who didn't vote in the 2014 midterms.

FILE- In this May 22, 2018, file photo Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams waves in Atlanta. Abrams is trying to reach voters who don't usually vote in midterm elections in the hopes to drive up turnout in her race against Republican Brian Kemp. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

In this Monday Oct. 8, 2018, photo, Leila Hart, 21, explains early voting and absentee voting to a resident in Forest Park, Ga. Hart is a paid canvasser for Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams trying to reach voters who don't usually vote in midterm elections. Forest Park is a Democratic-leaning Atlanta suburb among the many pockets of Georgia where Abrams hopes to drive up turnout in her race against Republican Brian Kemp. (AP Photo/Bill Barrows)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A pastor who's an adviser to Tennessee GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee says the Bible requires victims of sexual misconduct and other offenses to have at least two or three witnesses.

Steve Berger, pastor of Franklin-based Grace Chapel, made the remarks during a Sept. 30 sermon that focused on the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Blasey Ford's allegations against the judge.

Berger is one of Lee's advisers on engaging and recruiting faith-based organizations to address state issues.

Lee's religious faith has become a defining characteristic of the Republican. His campaign says the biblical requirement cited by Berger would not become the state standard if Lee is elected governor on Nov. 6.

Lee is running against Democrat Karl Dean, who is Catholic, for the open gubernatorial position.
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) - Armenia's prime minister has stepped down, a political maneuver aimed at forcing an early election.

Nikol Pashinian, who took office in May after spearheading weeks of protests that forced the resignation of his predecessor, has pushed for an early parliamentary election this fall in a bid to unseat foes who maintain a majority. He announced his resignation live on national television.

Early elections are held if lawmakers fail to appoint a prime minister, and Pashinian persuaded his opponents not to nominate any candidates. He led thousands of supporters to besiege parliament earlier this month to force his foes to accept an early vote.

Pashinian, a former journalist, tapped public anger over the widespread poverty, high unemployment and rampant corruption that flourished under the old government.
CAZENOVIA, N.Y. (AP) - A first-term Republican in Congress whose brash rhetoric has been compared to President Donald Trump is softening her tone as she faces a Democratic challenger in a hotly contested race in upstate New York.

Claudia Tenney was an early Trump supporter who backed his tax overhaul and the bid to repeal the Affordable Care Act. She has claimed, without presenting evidence, many people who commit mass murders are Democrats and once circulated a petition to prosecute and lock up Hillary Clinton.

Now Tenney says she doesn't always agree with the president, but their close relationship allows her to advocate for her district.

She faces Democrat Anthony Brindisi in a close race. The district went big for Trump in 2016 and covers a swath of upstate New York that includes Binghamton and Utica.

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2014, file photo, New York State Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi speaks during a news conference in Verona, N.Y. Democrat Brindisi aims to oust Republican U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, an outspoken Trump supporter, in a closely watched contest in upstate New York. Tenney attracted national criticism for saying most mass murderers are Democrats, and her campaign has tried to link Brindisi, a state lawmaker from Utica, to organized crime. (Mark DiOrio/Observer-Dispatch via AP, File)
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The alma mater of U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says it has no plans to rescind an honorary degree it awarded the Maine Republican despite requests from alumni and faculty.

Hundreds of St. Lawrence University alumni who opposed the U.S. Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh signed a letter to the university calling for the revocation, stating that Collins is "not deserving of it in the face of her recent actions."

Collins cast a critical vote to confirm Kavanaugh.

The university said Tuesday the school is "non-partisan and without political party affiliations." It says St. Lawrence "has never rescinded any earned or honorary degree, and it has no intention of doing so in this situation."

Collins graduated from the New York university in 1975 and received the honorary degree last year.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A missing Wisconsin girl's parents were shot to death in their house while the girl was home, authorities said Wednesday as they urged the public to keep phoning in tips about her whereabouts.

Investigators have been searching for 13-year-old Jayme Closs since deputies responding to a 911 call early Monday found her parents dead in their home in Barron. The girl, who was ruled out as a suspect on the first day, was gone when deputies arrived.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said during a news conference Wednesday that autopsies confirmed that James and Denise Closs had been fatally shot and that their deaths have been ruled homicides.

He said no gun was found at the scene and that evidence from both the house and from the 911 call indicate Jayme Closs was in the family's home when her parents were killed.

Barron is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Minneapolis.

Fitzgerald said investigators still have a "100 percent expectation that she's alive," but that even though they've received more than 400 tips, none have been of a credible sighting. He implored the public to share any suspicions, including any behavioral changes in people they know, no matter how small.

This undated photo provided by Barron County, Wis., Sheriff's Department, shows Jayme Closs. Authorities say that Closs, a missing teenage girl, could be in danger after two adults were found dead at a home in Barron, Wis., on Monday, Oct. 15, 2018. (Courtesy of Barron County Sheriff's Department via AP)

"We want to bring Jayme home and put that smile back in her family's hands," said Fitzgerald, who added that investigators don't know whether the attack was random or targeted.

The sheriff called a meeting Wednesday evening with Barron County residents, but he barred reporters from attending, saying he wants to have a private dialogue with the people who elected him.

Bill Lueders, president of the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council, called the decision to bar the media "offensive."

"The media are uniquely able to help, in terms of getting out information and encouraging people to share tips," Lueders said. "Does he want to find this girl, or does he just want to make a public display of his dislike for the press?"

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Law enforcement personnel bring in a search dog, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, at the house where a couple found were found dead in Barron, Wis. A Wisconsin teenager who has been missing since her parents were found dead in their home isn't a runaway and investigators believe she's in danger, a sheriff said Tuesday. (T'xer Zhon Kha/Herald-Times Reporter via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Don McGahn has returned to civilian life.

A White House official confirms that Wednesday was McGahn's last day as White House counsel. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

President Donald Trump announced in August that McGahn would leave after the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

McGahn is a top election lawyer who served as general counsel in Trump's election campaign. He played a pivotal role in the president's remaking of the federal judiciary with young, conservative judges, like Kavanaugh. He was also the main point of contact inside the White House for special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

In an interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Trump said Washington lawyer Pat Cipollone would replace McGahn.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Less than two months before President Enrique Pena Nieto leaves offices, his administration is seeking to shield itself from a corruption investigation that has the potential to sweep up federal officials.

The presidency's legal office filed a motion with the Supreme Court seeking to protect federal officials from being targeted in a criminal process underway in northern Chihuahua state over public funds purportedly diverted to a campaign of the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI for its initials in Spanish.

It is the first publicly known case in which the president's legal office has sought to protect him and his officials in a corruption investigation.

The Supreme Court received the filing Oct. 11, but it was not made public until the newspaper Reforma published its contents Wednesday. The legal document is public.

Last December, authorities detained Alejandro Gutierrez, a former high-ranking PRI official, for alleged participation in a plan to siphon off the equivalent of $12 million in Chihuahua state public funds for political campaigns.

The money was allegedly diverted in 2016, and state authorities are searching for former PRI Gov. Cesar Duarte, who is currently a fugitive. Gutierrez was acquitted in the case and freed last month.

FILE - In this Sept. 3, 2018 file photo, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto waves to guests as he arrives to deliver his sixth and final State of the Nation address at the National Palace in Mexico City. The Pena Nieto adminsitration is looking to protect itself from future investigation of corruption once it leaves power. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Javier Corral, Chihuahua's current governor from the opposition National Action Party, has been a staunch critic of federal action in the case. In an interview after Gutierrez's exoneration was announced, he called the entire process a "pretense."

"Corruption was not encapsulated in the states," he said, but rather "rose to the federal level, touched officials from the government of Pena Nieto and Pena Nieto himself, and for that reason they have resorted to these acts of cynicism."

Against that backdrop, the presidency's legal office this month filed the motion against Corral and judicial authorities of Chihuahua seeking to block any "existing or imminent" legal actions against "current or prior federal public officials," either "directly or indirectly (related) to the exercise of their duties."

While it is common in Mexico for public officials who fear an investigation to appeal to courts against future legal action, there is no precedent for it being done by the presidency to the high court.

Cases of alleged corruption have dogged Pena Nieto's government, and at least three PRI ex-governors are under arrest. Analysts consider it one of the main reasons his party lost the presidential election in July.
US continue to apply pressure on Pakistan until Islamabad changed its policy: Henry Ensher

WASHINGTON: While calling recent meetings between United States officials and the new Pakistani government useful, acting Deputy Secretary of State Henry Ensher said the US would continue to apply pressure to Pakistan until Islamabad changed its policy towards regional peace and stability in Afghanistan.



There is truth to the idea that we are applying pressure to Pakistan, and it is an important component of our policy, said Mr Ensher while speaking at a seminar organised by a think-tank called Indus at the Wilson Centre, Washington.



The US official said the pressure should not disguise the fact that we genuinely believe that a shift in Pakistani policy in line with our strategy, the South Asia Strategy, is very much in Pakistans own interest as well".



Mr Ensher argued that the status quo in Afghanistan did not serve Pakistans interest, as groups such as the ISIS posed a threat to both Afghanistan and Pakistan.



Referring to Islamabads complaint that the Afghan territory was often used for launching attacks into Pakistan, the official said: The greater the instability in Afghanistan, the more the Pakistani-Taliban TTP can use Afghanistans territory as a platform for [carrying out] attacks in Pakistan. The second most serious concern for US policy makers, according to him, is Pakistans strategic weapon
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Washington Post has published a new column by missing Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi in which he warns that governments in the Middle East "have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate."

The Post published the column Wednesday, more than two weeks after Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul and only hours after a gruesome account in Turkey's Yeni Safak newspaper alleged that Saudi officials cut off Khashoggi's fingers and then decapitated him inside the consulate while his fiancee waited outside. The Saudi government, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has denied any involvement.

In a note affixed to the top of the column, Post Global Opinions editor Karen Attiah said she received the essay from Khashoggi's translator and assistant a day after he was reported missing. Khashoggi first began writing for the Post's opinion section in September 2017, and his columns criticized the prince and the direction of the Saudi kingdom.

In the op-ed, titled "Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression," Khashoggi recounted the imprisonment of a prominent writer who spoke against the Saudi establishment, and cited an incident in which the Egyptian government seized control of a newspaper.

"These actions no longer carry the consequence of a backlash from the international community. Instead, these actions may trigger condemnation quickly followed by silence," he wrote.

"As a result, Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate," Khashoggi wrote.

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2015, file photo, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi speaks during a press conference in Manama, Bahrain. A pro-government Turkish newspaper on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 published a gruesome recounting of the alleged slaying of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, just as America's top diplomat arrived in the country for talks over the Washington Post columnist's disappearance. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, File)

President Donald Trump, who initially came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but since has backed off, said Wednesday that the U.S. wanted Turkey to turn over any audio or video recording it had of Khashoggi's alleged killing "if it exists." He has recently suggested that the global community had jumped to conclusions that Saudi Arabia was behind Khashoggi's disappearance.

In the column, Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen who went into self-imposed exile in the U.S. over the rise of the crown prince, also discussed the practice of Middle Eastern governments blocking internet access to control tightly the information their citizens can see.

"The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power," Khashoggi wrote.

He praised the Post for translating many of his columns from English into Arabic and said it's important for Middle Easterners to be able to read about democracy in the West. He also said it's critical that Arab voices have a platform on which to be heard.

"We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education," Khashoggi wrote. "Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face."

The Post initially held off on publishing the column amid hope for Khashoggi's return, Attiah said. But, she wrote, "Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen."

She ended her note: "This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together."
TOKYO (AP) - Japan recorded a trade surplus for September of 139.6 billion yen ($1.2 billion), but exports fell 1.2 percent from the previous year in the first decline for the world's third largest economy since 2016.

A series of natural disasters took a toll, but the lag in exports also reflects uncertainties over trade tensions after President Donald Trump imposed penalty tariffs on billions of dollars' worth of Chinese exports. Weaker U.S.-China trade generally hurts the export-dependent Japanese economy.

Imports rose 7 percent, according to data released Thursday by the Ministry of Finance.

During the month, a major earthquake hit the northernmost island of Hokkaido, causing fatal landslides and widespread blackouts, while a typhoon struck the western Kansai area and temporarily shut down a major airport.

Those events followed deadly flooding in southwestern Japan and a quake in Osaka earlier this year.

The last time Japan's exports fell on-year was in November 2016, when they slipped 0.4 percent, data show.

FILE - In this Feb. 19, 2015, file photo, port workers chat each other next to a pile of cargo at a container terminal in Tokyo. Japan has recorded a trade surplus for September of 139.6 billion yen ($1.2 billion), but exports fell 1.2 percent from the previous year, marking the first decline since 2016, after several natural disasters. September imports rose 7 percent, according to data released Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, by the Ministry of Finance. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

For the six months through September, the first fiscal half, exports grew 5.2 percent, while imports rose 10 percent.

Junichi Makino, analyst with SMBC Nikko Securities, said one factor behind the numbers was the recent rise in oil prices, which boosts the value of Japan's imports. Japan imports almost all its oil. But Makino said the volume of global trade was holding up overall despite the trade war between China and the U.S.

The Trump administration intends to pursue trade agreements with the European Union and Britain, as well as Japan. The administration recently reached a deal with Canada and Mexico to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement.

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BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday that he hadn't decided if he would vote for fellow Republican and U.S. Senate candidate Geoff Diehl even though he has publicly endorsed his candidacy - but quickly backtracked and pledged to cast a ballot for Diehl.

Baker made the statement during his second televised debate with Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez.

Baker said he decided to back the state's Republican ticket which includes Diehl, who co-chaired President Donald Trump's 2016 Massachusetts presidential campaign. When pressed, the governor wouldn't say whether he planned to vote for Diehl, who's hoping to unseat Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

"I don't know what I'm going to do yet with respect to that one," Baker said. "I'll make my decision eventually. I'll make sure people know."

That decision came quickly. Talking with reporters after the debate, Baker said he misspoke.

"I'm going to vote for the ticket," Baker said. "I'm going to vote for him."

Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, left, and Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez, right, pose with hosts Jim Braude and Margery Eagan prior to a gubernatorial debate at the studios of WBGH-TV in Boston, Wednesday Oct. 17, 2018. (Meredith Nierman/WGBH-TV via AP, Pool)

Gonzalez has repeatedly criticized the governor's support for Diehl despite Baker's decision not to vote for Trump in 2016. He said Baker's refusal not to say whether he would vote for the GOP senate candidate doesn't make sense.

"I still can't believe that the governor's asking people in this state to vote for Geoff Diehl and won't say whether he's going to vote for him, himself," Gonzalez said during the debate.

Diehl would be a "rubber stamp" for Trump's agenda, Gonzalez said.

Baker said voters know where he stands on issues, including his opposition to several Trump initiatives, including proposals to end President Barack Obama's 2010 health care law and cut funding to the National Institutes of Health.

During the hourlong debate on WGBH, Baker criticized a proposal by Gonzalez to create a so-called single-payer health care system in Massachusetts, saying it would cost $30 billion. Baker said he would instead try to improve the current health care system, including going after the cost of prescription drugs.

"That's just a profound change in literally everything," Baker said of the single-payer proposal, which would essentially guarantee universal health coverage to all Massachusetts residents.

Gonzalez said the plan wouldn't cost $30 billion and would end up saving money overall.

Baker also hit Gonzalez on his proposal to tax the endowments of the state's wealthiest colleges and universities like Harvard University and MIT, saying it would make it harder for them to offer scholarships to students who need them.

Gonzalez defended the plan, saying it - and a second proposal to impose a surtax of 4 percent on any portion of an individual's annual income that exceeds $1 million - would end up bringing in an additional $3 billion annually that could be spent on improving local schools and transportation, including metropolitan Boston's public transit system.

During the debate, Baker was also asked if he had any information about the investigation into his son Andrew "A.J." Baker. A woman told officers that Andrew Baker groped her during a flight from Washington to Boston in June, according to a police report obtained by the Boston Globe.

Baker said he hasn't talked to anyone in the U.S. Attorney's office or the Massachusetts State Police about his son. He referred questions to the U.S. Attorney's office.

"My son's a private citizen and I said it should be investigated and I said he would cooperate," Baker said.

Gonzalez - the state's top budget official under Baker's predecessor, former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick - has been trying to chip away at Baker, who has maintained a lead over the Democrat in polls and has millions more in his campaign account.

There were moments of agreement during the debate.

Both Baker and Gonzalez said they oppose an effort on the November ballot to repeal the state's 2016 transgender rights law. The law in part guarantees transgender people can use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identities in Massachusetts.

Election Day is Nov. 6.

Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker facing Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez during a debate at the studios of WBGH-TV in Boston, Wednesday Oct. 17, 2018. (Meredith Nierman/WGBH-TV via AP, Pool)

Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, right, and Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez wait to be introduced prior to a televised debate at the studios of WBGH-TV in Boston, Wednesday Oct. 17, 2018. (Meredith Nierman/WGBH-TV via AP, Pool)

Democratic challenger Jay Gonzalez prior to a debate against Republican Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker at the studios of WBGH-TV in Boston, Wednesday Oct. 17, 2018. (Meredith Nierman/WGBH-TV via AP, Pool)
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Republican Rep. Leonard Lance touted his record as bipartisan and jabbed his Democratic challenger as a "carpetbagger" and potential Nancy Pelosi supporter, while Tom Malinowski called the five-term incumbent is ineffective and a failed check on President Donald Trump in an hourlong and at-times testy debate Wednesday.

Lance and Malinowski clashed on NJTV in a debate televised statewide as they compete in the tightly contested and closely watched 7th District, which experts say could flip from Democratic to Republican control in the Nov. 6 election.

Democrats need to convert 23 seats to take control, and they've identified Lance's seat as among the most vulnerable.

Lance is seeking his sixth term. Malinowski moved back to the state where he was raised to challenge Lance after a career in Washington that included a stint as President Barack Obama's assistant secretary of state for human rights.

In perhaps one of his sharpest attacks against Malinowski, the typically reserved Lance suggested his challenger only moved to New Jersey to seek office and said he was a "complete and total carpetbagger." Malinowski said later that the remark "kind of" gets to him since he graduated high school in the district before moving away.

But Lance repeatedly raised Pelosi, the Democratic leader who is unpopular with Republican voters. He pointed out that other Democratic House candidates in New Jersey have said they won't support her.

Republican candidate Leonard Lance, right, speaks during a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate with Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

"All the other Democrats have said they would not support Nancy Pelosi for speaker. Mr. Malinowski has refused to do that."

Malinowski said he'll vote for a speaker who would help New Jersey, but he didn't rule out supporting Pelosi.

"Sometimes if feels like there's a Republican campaign school that teaches candidates that the answer to every question should be noun, verb Nancy Pelosi," he said.

Malinowski jabbed Lance over not doing enough to stop the GOP tax bill that capped state and local deductions at $10,000, a big issue in the district's more affluent suburbs. Lance voted against the bill but couldn't stop it from being enacted.

"I don't see a lot of fight in you," Malinowski said.

Lance responded by pointing to disaster aid for Puerto Rico that he sponsored as well as money to address the opioid crisis.

The candidates clashed on issues as well.

Malinowski said he favors offering a public option for health care but stopped short of backing Medicare for all. Lance said he opposes both and instead wants to give residents a chance to purchase insurance across state lines.

Lance mentioned throughout that he's a member of a bipartisan problem-solvers caucus and praised Republican Senate candidate Bob Hugin, who's competing against Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.

Republican candidate Leonard Lance, left, shakes hands with Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski prior to a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Republican candidate Leonard Lance speaks during a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate with Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski speaks during a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate with Republican candidate Leonard Lance, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski, left, looks toward Republican candidate Leonard Lance while answer a question during a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski speaks during a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate with Republican candidate Leonard Lance, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Republican candidate Leonard Lance speaks during a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate with Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski, left, and Republican candidate Leonard Lance participate in a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Republican candidate Leonard Lance, right, looks on as Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski answers a question during a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Republican candidate Leonard Lance, right, looks on as Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski answers a question during a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Republican candidate Leonard Lance speaks to reporters following a U.S. Congressional District 7 debate with Democratic candidate Tom Malinowski, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - With less than three weeks until Election Day, the men vying to be South Carolina's next governor got a chance Wednesday to begin drawing their final contrasts as voters prepare to decide between them.

The debate in Florence is the first of two general election debates for Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and Democratic state Rep. James Smith before they face voters Nov. 6. McMaster - in office for nearly two years since Nikki Haley's departure to join the Trump administration - stressed that voters are better served by keeping him in office, pointing to job creation and enthusiasm he said he's heard from foreign companies looking to expand in the state.

McMaster, a former attorney general and lieutenant governor who has been in and around state government for decades, touted the "great team in South Carolina" of which he said he's honored to be a part. Without directly referencing President Donald Trump, who has endorsed his campaign, McMaster also several times reminded voters of his connection to the administration, saying he has its "full support."

Smith, a state lawmaker for more than two decades, portrayed McMaster as out of touch with South Carolina's needs, like expanded health care choices or infrastructural improvements.

"Henry, if this is winning, I would hate to see what losing looks like to you," Smith said.

The candidates were also asked about how they'd tackle future natural disasters, like recent devastating flooding that impacted the state following Hurricane Florence. Saying that McMaster previously vetoed attempts to fund flood relief, Smith also noted McMaster's veto of last year's gas tax increase, a long-debated measure that passed with bipartisan support in an effort to fund infrastructural changes like road improvements. Lawmakers overrode the veto nearly unanimously.

Democratic state Rep. James Smith and Republican Gov. Henry McMaster meet in the South Carolina governor debate, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 at Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in Florence, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP)

McMaster, arguing that his team's response to Hurricane Florence "got plaudits from all over the country," also pointed to an executive order he recently issued to create the South Carolina Floodwater Commission, which is charged with studying ways to mitigate coastal and river flooding in the future.

"We're going to have more storms. We're going to have more flooding, and we have to plan for the future," McMaster said.

Unlike in their respective primary debates, which focused largely on personality differences, there were more policy distinctions drawn Wednesday night. Smith, saying he'd accept federal money when it's in the state's best interest but saying improvements to the state's health care system are drastically needed. McMaster, saying he would accept needed funds as long as it "does not come with strings attached to it," advocated the expansion of programs like telemedicine rather than putting more into Medicaid.

Both men were asked to weigh in on a months-long probe into state government corruption. Neither Smith nor McMaster have been accused of wrongdoing, but both men's names were mentioned in the State Grand Jury report released last week. McMaster's longtime political consultant was charged, but charges were dropped in return for his cooperation.

Saying he had never been misled by consultant Richard Quinn, McMaster pointed out that his primary opponents' attempts to tie him to corruption had failed and stressed his own role in achievements in state ethics reform. Smith, who said his name was only mentioned tangentially, said he would continue to argue for more transparency in state government.

McMaster and Smith meet next week for their final debate. Their lieutenant governor running mates debate at the end of this month.

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Sign up for "Politics in Focus," a weekly newsletter showcasing the AP's best political reporting from across the United States leading up to the 2018 midterm elections: https://bit.ly/2ICEr3D.

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Kinnard can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.

Democratic state Rep. James Smith and Republican Gov. Henry McMaster shake hands prior to the South Carolina governor debate, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 at Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in Florence, S.C. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP)

Republican Gov. Henry McMaster speaks during the South Carolina governor debate, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 at Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in Florence, S.C. Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and Democratic state Rep. James Smith met in Florence on Wednesday for the first of two general election debates. (Andrew J. Whitaker/The Post And Courier via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" is a film about Lee Israel, a biographer who started a side hustle writing fake letters as Noel Coward, Louise Brooks, Dorothy Parker and other deceased luminaries and selling them to collectors. Part cautionary tale, part celebration of this unapologetic literary rebel who was so good that her forgeries even appeared in a Coward biography, it's also the year's unlikeliest mediation on friendship between two people who've been tossed out by polite society.

Melissa McCarthy plays Israel and Richard E. Grant co-stars as Jack Hock, a charismatic grifter who ends up helping Lee. The two actors became fast friends off screen as well, and on a recent afternoon in Los Angeles excitedly discussed the hamburgers that McCarthy's husband would be making for them that evening.

McCarthy and Grant spoke to The Associated Press about the film, out Friday.

Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

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AP: Were you able to talk to anyone who knew Lee or Jack to prepare?

This image released by Fox Searchlight Pictures shows Richard E. Grant, left, and Melissa McCarthy in a scene from "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" (Mary Cybulski/Fox Searchlight Pictures via AP)

GRANT: All his friends are dead. And he died at 47. And Lee, the true, selfish authentic person she was, wrote very, very little about him at all! She wrote everything about herself. It's a testament to the screenwriters that between them they have made this friendship into a three-dimensional, A to zed story. I thought it would be like Wikipedia, like it's a real life person, I can find photographs...

MCCARTHY: Even Lee. There's no video. I found three photos that were basically the same. I was never trying to mimic because there's nothing to mimic. But I think we were lucky enough for Lee that two of our producers knew her quite well.

GRANT: But her voice is so strong and clear in the book of someone who is so smart.

MCCARTHY: And so witty.

GRANT: And that's why they got a very stupid actress to play the part. (LAUGHTER)

AP: What did the producers tell you about her?

MCCARTHY: (That) everything was difficult: There was going to be a fight about a project and a fight about not doing a project. When we were shooting at Julius' (bar) there was an older guy who was just kind of lingering. We were on a break and I walked by and introduced myself and I said "who are you here with" and he said "it's hard not for me to come and join you." I didn't exactly know what that meant. And he goes, "I sat to her left. That was my job. Lee was my friend for many years." And it really did take the air out of me. I said "Would Lee be happy with this?" And he goes, "happy wasn't really Lee's thing." But he said she'd love the attention on her work.

AP: What did you find compelling about these characters?

GRANT: Hock is like a Labrador and she literally is a porcupine. So you go a porcupine and a Labrador, it's the most unlikely friendship but they end up like that "Incredible Journey" movie where the most unlikely animals end up looking out for one another. He's someone who, living on his wits, is going to spend whatever money he has trying to make himself look as glamorous as he can. He would take the false teeth out of his grandmother's face, polish them up and resell them to her at a discount and make her feel like she got a bargain.

MCCARTHY: They're perfect opposites. Lee doesn't want to put on airs. Their balance somehow meets in the middle. They've both been so good at something and they're meeting at a time when they've both been told they're obsolete. And it's like, well then what? You would go to measures that on a rational day you wouldn't admit to.

AP: Aside from the literal theft, her forgery is kind of an art.

MCCARTHY: I love that her letters went into that biography until the second printing of it. I always think that those authors would get a kick out of it. I think Dorothy Parker would be like, maybe don't grift off me anymore, but still the audacity to do something like that? Wouldn't Dorothy Parker applaud that?

AP: Director Marielle Heller recreates the New York City of the early 90s so precisely, it's almost uncanny. Does that time and place hold any significance to you?

MCCARTHY: I moved to New York in 1990. From 20 to like 27, that was my period in New York City. I literally thought, every single day of my life "I can't believe I live here." We were all working three jobs and trying to do something because we wanted to do it and thought we could do it. You could still live in Manhattan. We lived like animals, two and three in a studio, but, my god, my address was New York City. I got really choked up one night, it was just like a street scene and I said, "You gave me back one of the times of my life that I think formed me as a person. You handed back this golden moment to me."

AP: It's surprising that you two met only days before shooting.

GRANT: I begged the director, I said, "I know Miss McCarthy is on many other projects, but please can we just have 15, a half an hour, lunch maybe."

MCCARTHY: Can you imagine meeting on set?

GRANT: I wasn't going to sleep for 72 hours unless we met. And we did. And we didn't get on.

MCCARTHY: And still don't.

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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

This image released by Fox Searchlight Pictures shows Richard E. Grant, left, and Melissa McCarthy in a scene from "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" (Mary Cybulski/Fox Searchlight Pictures via AP)

This image released by Fox Searchlight Pictures shows Melissa McCarthy, left, and Richard E. Grant in a scene from "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" (Mary Cybulski/Fox Searchlight Pictures via AP)

Actors Richard E. Grant, left, and Melissa McCarthy participate in the BUILD Speaker Series to discuss the film "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" at AOL Studios on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Actor Melissa McCarthy participates in the BUILD Speaker Series to discuss the film "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" at AOL Studios on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's Supreme Court on Thursday overturned an appeals court ruling that agreed with the government's decision to bar an American graduate student from entering the country over her alleged involvement in the boycott movement against the Jewish state.

The court accepted Alqasem's appeal, saying her desire to study in Israel undermines the premise of her alleged support for a boycott. It said that if her deportation was based on her political opinion, then the state's order was "a radical and dangerous step" that could erode Israeli democracy.

Lara Alqasem's lawyers said she was released from Ben Gurion International airport, where she had been held in detention since arriving in the country Oct. 2 with a valid student visa to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Alqasem said in a statement that she was "relieved at the court's decision" and thankful for the support of her friends and family.

Alqasem, 22, a Florida native whose father is Palestinian, is a former president of the University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. The group is a branch of the BDS movement, named for its support of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel.

Israel's Strategic Affairs Ministry, which spearheads the government's efforts against the boycott campaign, describes the group as an extremist organization and says BDS aims to delegitimize or even destroy the Jewish state.

FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 file photo, American Lara Alqasem sits in a courtroom prior to a hearing at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel. Lawyers for Alqasem who was denied entry to Israel because of alleged support for a boycott campaign say the Supreme Court has accepted her appeal and will allow her study at Hebrew University, where she had been registered for classes. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, File)

Last year, Israel passed a controversial law banning entry for any foreigner who "knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel." It has come under heavy criticism for its handling of Alqasem's case.

Alqasem has fought her expulsion order for more than two weeks, the longest anyone has been held in a boycott-related case.

She turned to the high court Wednesday after a lower court rejected her appeal. She insists she no longer participates in boycott activities and promises not to engage in boycott activities in the future.

Her lawyers called the government's attack on Alqasem "thought-policing" and said the state failed to present credible evidence against her.

Government lawyers argued that Alqasem's deletion of her social media accounts aroused suspicion and that her past affiliation with the BDS movement still makes her a threat.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court said the state's evidence was not enough to justify its use of the anti-boycott law.

Alqasem's attorneys lauded the high court's ruling as a victory for free speech, academic freedom and the rule of law.

"Lara has ensured that no one else should be denied the right to enter Israel based on sloppy Google searches and dossiers by shadowy smear groups," lawyers Yotam Ben-Hillel and Leora Bechor said.

Gilad Erdan, head of Israel's Strategic Affairs Ministry, said the ruling was a victory for BDS and undermines Israel's anti-boycott law.

"I'm deeply disappointed," he said. "This damages the ability of the state of Israel to combat boycott activists that harm us all."

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri likewise lamented the court's decision, calling it a national embarrassment.

"Where is our national pride? Would she also have dared in the United States to act against the state while demanding to remain and study in it?" he wrote on Twitter.

Hebrew University, which has vigorously backed Alqasem and joined in her appeals, said it looks forward to welcoming her to classes next week.
PANAMA CITY (AP) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is meeting with Panama's president to discuss the situations in Venezuela and Nicaragua.

Political unrest and economic problems have sparked an exodus from both countries.

Pompeo also discussed drug trafficking, migration and anti-terrorism efforts in his meeting Thursday with President Juan Carlos Varela.

Both countries have encouraged talks between the government and opponents in Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Pompeo is scheduled to fly later Thursday to Mexico, where a caravan of about 3,000 Honduran migrants is expected to try to reach the U.S. border.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives to board his plane at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, as he travels to Panama and Mexico . (Brendan Smialowski/Pool Image via AP)
MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin says Islamic State militants in Syria have recently seized some 700 people as hostages and are carrying out executions.

At an international policy forum in Sochi on Thursday, Putin said "they have been recently expanding their area and took about 130 families hostage, which accounts for about 700 people."

Putin said the militants have put forth demands, which he did not specify, and have warned that they would kill 10 people a day if the demands are not met.

"They killed 10 people the day before yesterday," he said. "They are now carrying out their threats."

State news agency Tass Wednesday cited an unnamed "diplomatic-military source" as saying the hostages were seized in a raid on a refugee camp and were demanding Syria free IS members.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The stakes in Saturday's parliamentary elections in Afghanistan have never been higher, coming just two days after the Taliban assassinated two top provincial officials in an audacious attack on a security conference attended by the top U.S. military commander in the country.

The attack came just as Washington is trying to find a peace deal that will allow the U.S. to draw down its forces and extricate itself from the 17-year war, the longest in American history.

On Friday, Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission postponed polls in southern Kandahar province for one week in response to the brazen attack that killed the powerful provincial police chief, Gen. Abdul Raziq, who was gunned down Thursday as participants wrapped up a day-long meeting to lay out security plans for Saturday's elections. Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan, escaped injury, but his presence at the gathering was indicative of the importance Washington places on a violence-free election, particularly in the country's south and east, once the religious and political heartland of the Taliban before their 2001 ouster.

Raziq's death deals a powerful blow to the Afghan government's already flagging war against a resurgent Taliban.

"The Americans found (Raziq) brutally effective against the Taliban," said an analysis released Friday by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, or ICG. "Raziq did not fight by the rules: the U.N. Committee Against Torture called for his prosecution last year after he was personally implicated in torture and extrajudicial killings."

Raziq had escaped several assassination attempts, including one last year in which five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates were killed. Considered a soldier's soldier, Raziq mixed easily and often with his troops and was known to take a helicopter to front line battles against Taliban insurgents.

Military personnel held a photo of Gen. Abdul Raziq, Kandahar police chief, who was killed by a guard, during his burial ceremony in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. Afghanistan's election commission on Friday postponed elections in Kandahar for a week, following a brazen attack on a high-profile security meeting there with a U.S. delegation that killed at least two senior provincial officials, including the province's police chief. (AP Photo)

"Raziq's death likely does the greatest damage to the morale of the Afghan security forces," said the ICG analysis. "The Taliban now initiate roughly 90 percent of battles in the war, meaning that security personnel find themselves routinely on the defensive."

The Taliban's consistent and relentless show of force would also seem to give the Taliban greater leverage as the United States accelerates efforts to find a peaceful exit from the 17-year war, which has cost the United States more than 2,400 lives and over $900 billion.

Last month the United States appointed Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan American and former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, as a special envoy tasked with finding a peaceful end to a protracted war that is mostly forgotten in the United States, but one from which U.S. President Donald Trump promised to withdraw during his 2016 presidential election campaign. Earlier this month the Taliban announced they had met Khalilzad in the Middle Eastern state of Qatar, where the insurgent group maintains a political office. The U.S. has neither confirmed nor denied the meeting.

"It's quite clear that the Taliban is ramping up its violence in order to strengthen its bargaining position in potential talks," said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center. "There may be a two-fold strategy at play: Test the Americans to see how committed they really are to talks, and try to make Kabul and Washington desperate enough to agree to generous concessions."

Regardless, the Kandahar attack, more than 17 years after the Taliban were driven from power, underscores the harrowing insecurity in Afghanistan ahead of the elections. More than 50,000 Afghan National Security Forces personnel have been deployed across the country to protect the 21,000 polling station. Insecurity forced the Independent Election Commission to close nearly a third of its polling centers and cancel elections in 11 of nearly 400 districts. As well as Kandahar, elections will not be held in Ghazni province where polls have been postponed until next year.

The Taliban have vowed to disrupt Saturday's vote, warning teachers and students not to allow schools to be used for polling and warning Afghans to stay away from the polls.

Pakistan closed its two official border crossings with Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said. The development came at the request of the Afghan government, which routinely accuses Pakistan of harboring Taliban militants, a charge Islamabad denies. The crossings were to remain closed Friday and Saturday.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's adviser, Ziaulhaq Amarkhil, said the Kandahar attack was meant to disrupt the elections and urged voters to defy Taliban threats, saying casting their ballot "would be a big slap on the face of the enemy."

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the killing of the Kandahar police chief is unlikely to fundamentally weaken the security situation in Afghanistan. Speaking while in Singapore for a conference on Thursday, Mattis called Raziq's death a tragic loss but said he believes the Afghan security forces have matured to the point where they can continue fighting the Taliban without him. Yet more than 20 Afghan Security Force personnel have died daily in Taliban attacks over the last several months.

The Taliban routinely point to the government's runaway corruption and dysfunction as proof of its illegitimacy, and have rejected international demands to hold peace talks with the authorities in Kabul, who they view as Western puppets.

Many Afghans say they hope Saturday's poll will result in less power for the warlords and corrupt political elite, who currently dominate Parliament, but few expect the new generation can compete against the lavish entertainment and cash handouts to impoverished voters that characterized the election campaign of the country's politically powerful.

"Prospective peace talks would get a big boost if they include a credible Afghan government partner regarded as legitimate and truly representative of the people," said Kugelman of the Wilson Center. "To get a credible peace partner, you need a successful political transition, and that transition starts with the Saturday polls."

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Associated Press writer Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Robert Burns, AP national security writer in Singapore contributed to this report

Trucks are parked at Pakistan-Afghanistan border Torkham, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. Pakistan closed its two official border crossings with Afghanistan, the foreign ministry said. The development came at the request of the Afghan government, which routinely accuses Pakistan of harboring Taliban militants, a charge Islamabad denies. The crossings would remain closed Friday and Saturday. (AP Photo/Qazi Rauf)

Kandahar Gov. Zalmay Wesa, left, stands with the head of NATO troops in Afghanistan, Gen. Scott Miller, center, and a translator, during a meeting, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. The three top officials in Afghanistan's Kandahar province were killed, including Wesa, when their own guards opened fire on them at the security conference Thursday, the deputy provincial governor said. A Taliban spokesman said the target was Miller, who escaped without injury, according to NATO. (AP Photo)

FILE - In this Aug. 4, 2016 file photo, Gen. Abdul Raziq, Kandahar police chief, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Three top Kandahar officials, including Raziq, were killed by their own guards Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, although a Taliban spokesman who claimed responsibility told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that U.S Gen. Scott Miller, commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan was the target. Miller was unhurt but two U.S. troops were injured and evacuated. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini, File)

Afghan National army soldiers search a car at a checkpoint ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 20, at the Independent Election Commission compound in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

In this Tuesday Oct. 16, 2018 photo, a bus is covered with posters for candidate, Alhaj Abdul Hossain Hossainzada, ahead of parliamentary elections, in Kabul, Afghanistan. The elections are being held Saturday despite deep security concerns and ongoing fighting in as many as 20 out of the country's 34 provinces. The vote comes amid a particularly vicious campaign by the Taliban and the Islamic State group, which have been staging near-daily attacks and there have also been concerns over the transparency of the vote. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The Latest on the situation in Afghanistan ahead of the country's parliamentary election on Saturday (all times local):

1 p.m.

Afghanistan's election commission has postponed Saturday's elections in Kandahar province for a week, following a deadly attack there that killed at least two senior provincial officials, including its powerful police chief.

The Independent Election Commission's deputy spokesman, Aziz Ibrahimi, says the decision on the postponement was made to allow mourners to observe funeral rites for the slain police chief, Abdul Raziq, and others killed in the attack.

Along with Raziq, the province's intelligence chief and two policemen were killed. The condition of Kandahar's governor, Zalmay Wesa, who was wounded in the attack, was shrouded in secrecy. Security officials in the capital, Kabul, maintained Wesa was wounded but survived.

Raziq's funeral was being held Friday in Kandahar's holiest of shrines, Kherqa Mubarak, said to contain the cloak of Islam's Prophet Mohammed.

FILE - In this Aug. 4, 2016 file photo, Gen. Abdul Raziq, Kandahar police chief, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Three top Kandahar officials, including Raziq, were killed by their own guards Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, although a Taliban spokesman who claimed responsibility told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that U.S Gen. Scott Miller, commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan was the target. Miller was unhurt but two U.S. troops were injured and evacuated. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini, File)

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11:50 a.m.

Pakistan's two official border crossings with Afghanistan have closed for two days at the request of the government in Kabul, worried about the security situation during the parliamentary elections this weekend.

Pakistani foreign ministry statement says the crossings would be closed on Friday and on Saturday - the day of the elections in Afghanistan - "for all kinds of traffic except emergency cases."

One of the crossings is at Chaman, in Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan's Kandahar province where the powerful provincial chief was assassinated on Thursday in an audacious attack claimed by the Taliban. The other crossing is at Torkham, in northwestern Pakistan.

Afghanistan and the United States have routinely accused Pakistan of harboring Taliban insurgents, a charge Islamabad denies. Following Thursday's attack some Afghan officials railed against Pakistan, accusing its military and intelligence of inciting Afghans to carry out violent attacks against government officials. Islamabad had immediately condemned the Kandahar attack.

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11:30 a.m.

Afghans are preparing for the funeral for Kandahar's powerful police chief, assassinated when one of his elite guards turned his gun on the official and killed him during a high-level meeting the previous day that was also attended by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

Abdul Raziq's burial ceremony is to take place Friday in Kandahar's holiest shrine, the Kherqa Mubarak shrine, said to contain a cloak worn by the Prophet Mohammad, an indication of the police chief's stature.

Also killed in Thursday's attack was the Kandahar intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin, but the condition of the province's governor, Zalmay Wesa, who was wounded in the assault, is shrouded in mystery. Some reports say Wesa has been transferred to a NATO hospital outside Kandahar.

A Kandahar hospital official says two Afghan policemen were also killed and three were wounded in the attack. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to reporters.

-Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan;

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10:10 a.m.

Afghanistan is reeling after the Taliban assassinated two senior officials in Kandahar province, including its powerful police chief. The top U.S. commander who attended the high-level meeting where the attack happened was unharmed.

Thursday's meeting, on security plans for Afghanistan's parliamentary elections this weekend, had just concluded when an elite Afghan guard turned his gun on his colleagues.

The Kandahar police chief, Abdul Raziq, and the province's intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin, were killed. Three Americans - a U.S. service member, a coalition contractor and an American civilian - were wounded.

A Taliban spokesman said the top U.S. commander in the country, Gen. Scott Miller, was the target.

The attack, more than 17 years after the Taliban were driven from power, underscores the harrowing insecurity in Afghanistan ahead of the elections.

The head of NATO troops in Afghanistan, Gen. Scott Miller, center left, Kandahar Gov. Zalmay Wesa, center right, and their delegations attend a security conference, in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. The three top officials in Afghanistan's Kandahar province were killed, including Wesa, when their own guards opened fire on them at the conference Thursday, the deputy provincial governor said. A Taliban spokesman said the target was Miller, who escaped without injury, according to NATO. (AP Photo)

In this Aug. 4, 2016 photo, Gen. Abdul Raziq, Kandahar police chief, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Three top Kandahar officials, including Raziq, were killed by their own guards Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, although a Taliban spokesman who claimed responsibility told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that U.S Gen. Scott Miller, commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan was the target. Miller was unhurt but two U.S. troops were injured and evacuated. (AP Photo/Massoud Hossaini)

Afghan National army soldiers search a car at a checkpoint ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 20, at the Independent Election Commission compound in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Opening batsman Usman Khawaja is a doubtful starter for Australia's next series against India after injuring his left knee during the second test against Pakistan.

Khawaja has not participated in the second test since he twisted his knee during a warm-up before the third day's play, and has been pushed down the batting order despite wickets falling in the fourth innings on Friday.

In Khawaja's absence, Australia opened with Shaun Marsh after Pakistan setup a monumental target of 538 with six sessions remaining in the match.

Scans showed a cartilage tear that could sideline Khawaja for up to eight weeks.

He batted for more than 125 overs and scored 141 runs in the last innings of first test to help Australia salvage an unexpected draw in Dubai.

Australia has struggled since then and after Khawaja was dismissed early in the first innings of the second test, Australia was bundled out for just 145 and conceded 137-run lead.

Australia's Usman Khawaja celebrates his centuray during their test match against Pakistan in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed also was sidelined at the start of play Friday after complaining of headaches.

Pakistan team management said Ahmed was taken to a hospital for precautionary scans and Asad Shafiq led the team in his absence, with Mohammad Rizwan deputizing as wicketkeeper.

Ahmed was struck near to his left ear as he tried to duck Peter Siddle's short delivery while he was batting on Thursday.

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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/tag/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Thousands of Palestinians massed Friday along Israel's frontier, with dozens approaching and breaching the perimeter fence that separates Gaza from Israel, even as Egypt stepped up efforts reach a lasting cease-fire between the territory's Hamas rulers and Israel.

The militant Hamas group praised the turnout as a challenge to Israel, which was mulling a large-scale military response after a rocket was fired from Gaza on Wednesday and destroyed a house in southern Israel.

Gaza's Health Ministry reported 77 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire and six of them were in serious condition.

"The Israeli enemy's threats have effectively motivated the crowds to participate powerfully in the protest," said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, which has staged the protests since March.

The large attendance was a test to Egypt's efforts to push Hamas into scaling down the protests and rein in marchers who venture out to the fence and breach it, triggering deadly Israeli fire.

At least 156 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the protests began more than six months ago, and an Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper.

A protester shows his bloody hand while helping a wounded youth as others burn tires near the fence of the Gaza Strip border with Israel east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Protesters Friday burnt tires and threw rocks with slingshots toward the heavily guarded fence. Hamas' al-Aqsa TV aired footage of Palestinians climbing over the fence and others breaching it and entering into Israeli territory. Others used cutters to tear down parts of the barrier.

Israeli forces showered the demonstrators with tear gas and occasionally live fire.

In southern Gaza Strip, an aircraft hit a group of Palestinians launching flaming kites and balloons toward Israel near one protest location, the Israeli military said.

Earlier on Friday, the United Nations' Mideast peace envoy urged Israel and the Palestinians to exercise restraint ahead of the protests.

"In light of today's planned Gaza march, I urge all to exercise restraint, to proceed in a peaceful manner, and to avoid escalation," Nickolay Mladenov said in a statement. "The U.N. is working with Egypt and its partners to avoid violence, address all humanitarian issues and support reconciliation."

Egyptian intelligence officials met with Hamas and Israeli officials on Thursday in efforts to broker a cease-fire and ease months of deadly border protests. Egypt and the U.N. have attempted to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas for weeks in a bid to ease tensions in the beleaguered Gaza Strip.

Hamas has said the protests will continue until there is an easing of the Egyptian-Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave that was imposed after the Islamic group seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 in an armed coup.

The protests have intensified in recent weeks as Egyptian and U.N. cease-fire negotiations have faltered, and cross-border violence earlier this week has brought tensions to a simmer.

On Wednesday, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip destroyed a house in the Israeli city of Beersheba in the worst bout of violence in recent weeks. Israel retaliated with airstrikes and has beefed up its military forces along the border.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet resolved to retaliate more severely to cross-border attacks, but has thus far refrained from further action, suggesting it was giving the Egyptians a chance to restore calm.

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A Palestinian protester hurls stones towards Israeli troops at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A protester hurls stones while others burn tires near the fence of the Gaza Strip border with Israel, east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Medics and protesters evacuate a serious wounded youth who was shot at his back, from near the fence of the Gaza Strip border with Israel east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Protesters burn tires while other wave his national near the fence of the Gaza Strip border with Israel east of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Adel Hana)

Palestinian protesters take cover at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian medics treat a wounded protester was shot by Israeli troops at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinians protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinians evacuate a wounded protester at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian medics evacuate a wounded protester at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinians protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian protesters take a cover during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian protesters run for cover from teargas fired by Israeli troops during a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Palestinian protesters gather as they attend a protest at the Gaza Strip's border with Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

Israeli soldiers are positioned on a sand berm as Palestinian protesters run from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during a protest along the Israel Gaza border, Israel, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli soldiers stand guard as Palestinian protesters arrive during a protest along the Israel Gaza border, Israel , Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Local elections on Sunday are expected to measure popular support for Poland's conservative ruling party, whose policies have produced street protests and repeated clashes with European Union leaders.

The voting for local offices - from city mayors to village councilors - also will gauge an opposition centered on the pro-EU party that governed Poland for eight years before the Law and Justice party supplanted it in 2015.

Because most municipal candidates run as representatives of their political parties, their performances will reflect on parties' strength at the national level. The two main political forces represented in the weekend races are Law and Justice and its unseated predecessor, Civic Platform.

The elections' outcomes could indicate whether the Law and Justice-led government's aggressive overhaul of the justice system, social benefits and antagonism toward the EU appeal to a majority of Poles. Critics see the party's firm grip on power and its moves to control the justice system as threats to economic growth, democracy and Poland's position in Europe.

In a sign of how much the local elections matter, Law and Justice leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is believed to pull the government's strings from his office, campaigned for party candidates across the country. He promised infrastructure and improvements to enhance voters' daily lives while stumping with an intensity that would be suited for a general election.

"This will be a major test of voter support for Law and Justice, a test of whether they have been able to maintain the backing from their 2015 win" or increase it, Warsaw University political scientist Anna Materska-Sosnowska said.

Electoral posters are displayed on a boat in Pultusk, Poland, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2018. Local elections on Sunday are expected to measure popular support for Poland's conservative ruling party, whose policies have produced street protests and repeated clashes with European Union leaders. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The big race to watch is the mayoral election in Warsaw. Civic Platform now has control of City Hall in the capital, as well as many other cities. Law and Justice has put up as its candidate a deputy justice minister who has tried to prove real estate mismanagement by Warsaw's current administration.

"It will be a great defeat, an absolute failure for Civic Platform" if it loses mayor positions in the big cities, Materska-Sosnowska said.

Opinion polls give the euroskeptic Law and Justice an approval rating of 40 percent in the otherwise strongly pro-European nation of some 37 million people. About two million Poles emigrated - mainly to Germany and Britain - after Poland joined the EU in 2004.

Governing under the slogan "Good Change," Kaczynski's party has ploughed through the education system, subjected state media to political control and revised voting regulations, as well as overhauled the judiciary.

The EU has said the judicial changes, which included lowering the retirement age for Supreme Court justices so many sitting judges had to step down early, violated the rule of law. It launched an unprecedented sanctioning procedure against Poland.

But public benefits that pay 500 zlotys ($135) per child each month to families with two or more children seem to be the main factor behind the high and steady support Law and Justice enjoys, according to Kazimierz Kik, a political scientist at Kielce University.

The local elections are the first in a series of political barometers. Elections to the national parliament and the European Parliament are set for next year, a presidential election in 2020.

Full official results are expected late Tuesday or Wednesday.

FILE - In this Sept. 2, 2018 file photo Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the ruling Law and Justice party speaks during his party's electoral convention ahead of the Oct. 21 local elections, in Warsaw, Poland. Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice party, whose policies have drawn massive street protests and repeated clashes with its European Union partners, faces a major test of support in Sunday's local elections, the first in a string of votes that can strengthen or chip its firm grip on power. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, file)

People speak with electoral campaign workers in Pultusk, Poland, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2018. Local elections on Sunday are expected to measure popular support for Poland's conservative ruling party, whose policies have produced street protests and repeated clashes with European Union leaders. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

In this Oct. 18, 2018 photo people walk past electoral posters in Pultusk, Poland. Local elections on Sunday are expected to measure popular support for Poland's conservative ruling party, whose policies have produced street protests and repeated clashes with European Union leaders. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuela's chief prosecutor said he is investigating police officers who failed to keep safe an opposition politician who plunged from the 10th floor of a high-security building, even as he rejected calls for an independent probe into the suspicious death.

The death last week of Fernando Alban touched a nerve with many Venezuelans who doubt the government's account that the Caracas-area councilman took his own life just three days after his surprise arrest at an airport. Alban was returning from a trip to the U.N. General Assembly in New York to galvanize opinion against President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government.

In an interview, Chief Prosecutor Tarek William Saab downplayed the criticism and suggested that opposition leaders who insist that Alban was thrown from the building or tortured to death could face prosecution themselves.

"Those who say it was a murder haven't presented any evidence," he said. "They first have to give names of those who carried out the murder. But nobody has dared to do that because they know making something up would be committing slander."

He said the autopsy performed on Alban was documented with photographs and the results were shared with Alban's family and lawyers for them to audit. So far, they haven't presented any objections, he said.

Saab rejected calls by opposition leaders for an independent probe carried out by international experts to settle conflicting reports over how he died. He said such calls, which have been backed by the United States and other foreign governments, are an attempt to "interfere" in Venezuela's justice system.

Venezuela's Chief Prosecutor Tarek William Saab speaks during a interview with the Associated Press at his office in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Saab said he is investigating the police officers who failed to keep safe an opposition politician who plunged from the 10th-floor of a high-security building even as he rejects calls for an independent probe into what authorities contend was a suicide. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

"We aren't going to delegate to any foreign government the ownership of our criminal justice system," Saab said. "That's abusive and disrespectful."

Still, he recognized that no prisoner should be able to commit suicide while in state custody and said those responsible for failing to protect him would be probed for negligence.

"His keepers were interviewed because they are part of the investigation," he said.

For many Venezuelans, including some former government supporters, Alban's death has echoes of the dirty war tactics used by state agents in the 1960s and 1970s, when prominent leftists - including the father of Vice President Delcy Rodriguez - were found dead in jail cells with little explanation.

Saab, 56, took over as Venezuela's chief prosecutor 15 months ago when his predecessor Luisa Ortega was ousted by the pro-government constitutional assembly that has taken powers from the opposition-controlled congress.

Since then, he's arrested dozens of senior officials, including two former heads of state-run oil giant PDVSA, on allegations of corruption - something the now-exiled Ortega was loath to do in the decade she was in charge.

But he's also faced criticism for wielding his power arbitrarily and failing to release dozens of activists jailed on what the opposition considers trumped-up charges.

In August, Saab was with Maduro on stage at a military ceremony when explosives-laden drones were detonated nearby.

Saab said that prosecutors have so far identified 51 suspects who were allegedly part of the conspiracy hatched in the U.S. and Colombia to assassinate the president.

He said the evidence points to the involvement of prominent opposition politicians including former National Assembly President Julio Borges. Borges, now living in exile in Colombia, has called the accusations a baseless attempt to crush dissent amid an unprecedented economic crisis.

"It's a huge contradiction to say the autopsy can be audited but then threaten those who believe he was murdered," said Borges, who was with Alban at the U.N. General Assembly before his arrest at Caracas' airport.

Saab's refusal to allow an international probe of Alban's death stands in contrast to his invitation to the FBI to aid in the investigation of the drone attack on Maduro.

While serving as Venezuela's top human rights official last year, Saab was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for his role promoting the pro-government constitutional assembly, which the Trump administration has condemned as a naked power grab.

Like other top officials, he considers the sanctions to be a badge of honor. His office in downtown Caracas is decorated with fading snapshots of himself in the company of his revolutionary heroes: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Cuba's Fidel Castro and Algerian independence leader Ahmed Ben Bella.

He also fashions himself something of a hippy. He likes to rock out to Neil Young classics, has tattoos spread across his body, has published several books of poetry in Spanish and Arabic, and sometimes walks around his office in sandals.

___

Follow Goodman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/APjoshgoodman

Venezuela's Chief Prosecutor Tarek William Saab works at his office in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. Saab said he is investigating the police officers who failed to keep safe an opposition politician who plunged from the 10th-floor of a high-security building even as he rejects calls for an independent probe into what authorities contend was a suicide. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) - Uruguay's Congress has approved a law that guarantees rights to the South American country's transgender community.

Lawmakers in the lower house voted in favor of the measure late Thursday. It had already been approved by the Senate.

The law grants transgender people the right to get an operation that matches their sexual identity. It will be paid by the Uruguayan state along with hormone treatments.

The law also ensures a minimum number of transgender people are given public jobs in the next 15 years.

It mandates that 1 percent of government jobs be reserved and establishes a pension to compensate transgender people who were persecuted during Uruguay's 1973-1985 military dictatorship.

Activists celebrate during a session inside the Legislative Palace, the approval of the Integral law for Trans People that was voted by Uruguayan legislators in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Activists celebrate outside the Legislative Palace the approval of the Integral law for Trans People that was voted by Uruguayan legislators in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Legislators vote for the Integral law for Trans People during a session in the Legislative Palace in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Activists celebrate inside the Legislative Palace when the Uruguayan legislators finally approved the Integral law for Trans People in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Activists celebrate outside the Legislative Palace the approval of the Integral law for Trans People that was voted by Uruguayan legislators in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Activists dance to celebrate outside the Legislative Palace the approval of the Integral law for Trans People that was voted by Uruguayan legislators in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Activists dance to celebrate outside the Legislative Palace the approval of the Integral law for Trans People that was voted by Uruguayan legislators in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

A legislators displays a bandana in support of the Integral law for Trans People during a session in which will be voted on in Montevideo, Uruguay, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018. The proposed law has already been approved in the Senate. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Activists listen to legislators during a session in which the Integral law for Trans People will be voted, in Montevideo, Uruguay, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018. The proposed law project has already been approved in the Senate. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)
The UK will not accept a Brexit deal that involves being indefinitely locked into a customs union with the EU, Dominic Raab has said.

The Brexit Secretary said that a provision on a customs union which was not finite would fail to deliver the result of the 2016 referendum.

Downing Street has insisted that Theresa 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 a crunch Brussels summit next week.

European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said on Friday that it does appear possible there will be a breakthrough at the October 17-18 summit, fuelling speculation a deal is near on a so-called backstop for the Irish border.

It is understood that a number of ministers voiced concern at a meeting with the PM in Downing Street on Thursday that any such backstop could leave the UK in an open-ended customs union, preventing it from seeking trade deals elsewhere in the world.

Mr Raab said: 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.

What we cannot do is see the UK 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.

Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested a backstop on the Irish border will `probably have to come into effect for a period (Jonathan Brady/PA)

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 Mays minority Conservative administration in the House of Commons, said he expected developments over the weekend in terms of the Governments own position and the Cabinet.

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds suggests "developments" in the Government's Brexit position possible over the weekend. @PA pic.twitter.com/QQbs4ocJ4N  michael mchugh (@mmchugh02) October 12, 2018

The DUP is adamant it will not agree to anything which results in imposition of extra customs or regulatory checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

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.

However, 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.

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.

As officials continued to wrangle over the precise wording of the agreement in Brussels, a Downing Street spokeswoman said the Prime Minister would never agree to a deal which would trap the UK in a backstop permanently and our position is that this future economic relationship needs to be in place by the end of December 2021 at the latest.

Leading Conservative Brexiteer Steve Baker said that any backstop which went beyond a simple free trade agreement amounted to effectively committing the UK to membership of the single market and customs union.

Mr Baker said: That wont wash. The British people voted to take back control over money, laws borders and trade.

If the UK commits to a NI backstop beyond an essential FTA then it is effectively committing the UK to membership of the single market and customs union.



That wont wash. The British people voted to take back control over money, laws borders and trade. https://t.co/WyDENXyVFk  Steve Baker MP FRSA (@SteveBakerHW) October 12, 2018

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.

However, Mr Hammond 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.

Following Thursdays meeting of the inner Cabinet in Downing Street, 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 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.

As talks with Brussels continued, Whitehall published a series of documents on preparations for a no-deal Brexit.

They indicated the collapse of negotiations could threaten electricity blackouts in Northern Ireland, disrupt Channel Tunnel rail services and cost the UK free trade agreements with more than 70 non-EU countries around the world.
Russias ambassador has accused Britain of waging an aggressive anti-Russian campaign which has left relations between the two countries at a very low level.

During a lengthy press conference at the embassy in London, Alexander Yakovenko dismissed recent high-profile claims of cyber attacks by the Russian GRU military intelligence agency and involvement in the Salisbury nerve agent incident.

He said a four-man GRU close access team accused by the British and Dutch of trying to hack the computers of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague had simply been in the city to conduct routine security checks at the Russian embassy.

And he complained the UK authorities were continuing to refuse to co-operate with Moscow over the investigations into the attempted poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury and the murder in London of Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov.

He claimed the UK actions were intended to divert attention from the Salisbury incident and from Brexit.

The result of what he said had been a well-orchestrated campaign to discredit his country was to reduce UK-Russia relations to a very low level.

The reason for that lies in an aggressive anti-Russian campaign launched by the current Tory Government and supported by British media, he said.

The Conservative Government has been acting in a completely unconstructive way by breaching multiple bilateral and international agreements and refusing to co-operate with Russia officials on the Salisbury incident or the death of the Russia national Nikolai Gushkov.

Mr Yakovenko said an alleged GRU team intercepted in The Hague were carrying out security checks at the embassy (Dutch Ministry of Defence/PA)

The bilateral high-level political dialogue is currently frozen. That was not our initiative. That was the initiative of the British Government.

Mr Yakovenko dismissed claims by the Bellingcat investigative website to have unmasked the true identities of the two suspects in Salisbury case  originally identified by the UK authorities by the aliases Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov.

The website said their real names were Anatoliy Chepiga and Alexander Mishkin and that they were both highly-decorated officers in the GRU.

However, Mr Yakovenko insisted that there was no reason to doubt their assertion in a Russian television interview that they were actually Boshirov and Petrov and that they had been innocent tourists on a visit to Salisbury when the attack on Mr Skripal took place.

We have the official statement of these people and we do not have any reason not to trust them, he said.

He repeated Russian claims that Bellingcat was simply a tool of the British special services.

Bellingcat is not the media. This is the tool of the deep establishment to leak certain things, he said.
Scotland Yards most senior police officer has said criticism of her deputys decision to stay in his car as an unarmed Pc was stabbed to death in the Westminster terror attack is simply wrong.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick defended Sir Craig Mackey after an inquest jury found Khalid Masood, 52, was lawfully killed when he was shot dead by a Cabinet ministers bodyguard.

Her comments echoed those made by Chief Coroner Mark Lucraft QC and the Mets counter-terror chief Neil Basu, who both spoke out in support of Sir Craigs actions on March 22 last year.

Masood mowed down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in a hired SUV, killing four and seriously injuring 29, before storming through gates near the Houses of Parliament armed with two knives.

Sir Craig, then acting commissioner, told an inquest into his death he had just left a ministerial meeting as Muslim convert Masood attacked Pc Keith Palmer, 48.

Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood (Met Police)

He faced calls to resign and severe criticism on social media after telling the Old Bailey jury he remained in the vehicle with two civilian colleagues because they had no personal protective equipment or a radio.

Masoods 82-second rampage was brought to an end when he was shot three times by a bodyguard just yards away.

CCTV footage showed Sir Craig, who is due to retire in December, then opened the door to get out of the car but was advised by an officer on guard at the site to leave.

Sir Craig Mackey (Victoria Jones/PA)

Speaking after the inquest Ms Dick addressed the extraordinary amount of confused, unpleasant, personalised and ignorant commentary about the actions of Sir Craig.

These criticisms are simply not supported by the evidence, she said.

The attack in New Palace Yard occurred and was stopped in seconds. Sir Craig had absolutely no opportunity to stop the killer or save Pc Palmer. Anyone who suggests otherwise is simply wrong.

The actions he was able to and did take were to protect the unarmed police staff colleagues who were in the car with him. He went on to lead the Mets response to the attack with distinction.

(PA Graphics)

Speaking outside the Old Bailey, Mr Basu, who headed the investigation into Masood, also blasted the abhorrent remarks levelled at Sir Craig.

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, he said.

The coroner has earlier defended Sir Craigs actions as sensible and proper and intended to protect others in the car, pointing out that he did not flee the scene.

It is clear from the evidence of Sir Craig there was nothing he could have done to stop Masood, he said.

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.

A jury of seven men and four women took two hours and 22 minutes to find that Masood was lawfully killed.

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)

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.

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 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.

At the time it was not known whether it was part of a wider co-ordinated attack, although investigations later confirmed Masood acted alone.

Victims of the attack (left to right) Pc Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade, Leslie Rhodes, Andreea Cristea and Kurt Cochran (Met Police)

Masoods five victims were Pc Palmer, 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.

The Met has apologised over the possibility that the force lost the chance to prevent the murder of one of its officers and Ms Dick said: We have already fully accepted the Chief Coroners findings of shortcomings in the security system at New Palace Yard in March 2017.

We have made substantial improvements since the attack. Once we receive the detailed findings from the Chief Coroner we will respond to any recommendations that are made.
A no-deal Brexit could threaten electricity blackouts in Northern Ireland, disrupt Channel Tunnel rail services and cost the UK free trade agreements with more than 70 non-EU countries around the world, the Government has warned.

The latest round of guidance papers issued by Whitehall departments highlighted rafts of bureaucratic and logistical problems which could be thrown up if the UK crashes out of the EU next March without a deal.

The 29 papers made up the final tranche of a total 104 documents spelling out preparations which the Government believes companies, organisations and individuals should be making for the possibility of a disorderly exit from the EU.

Their publication was completed just five days before the European Council summit in Brussels at which it is hoped that a withdrawal agreement will be struck.

An array of possible problems included:

 Professionals like doctors, pharmacists and architects will no longer have their qualifications automatically recognised in the EU;

The Government has released more Brexit papers (Victoria Jones/PA)

 Livestock breeders could lose entitlements to extend programmes on the continent;

 The cost of imported caviar and fashion items made from some animal skins could increase;

 The UK export trade in rough diamonds could be totally halted.

Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said: Securing a good deal with our EU partners remains our top priority.

But if the EU doesnt match the ambition and pragmatism weve showed, we have the plans in place to avoid, mitigate or manage the risk of no deal  and make a success of Brexit.

However, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said that ministers had barely scratched the surface of what would need to be done in the event of no deal.

The Government has yet to admit that a no-deal would require a raft of substantial legislation to be rushed through Parliament, crucial stop-gap agreements with the EU on matters relating to Northern Ireland and security, and the recruitment of thousands of customs officials, said Sir Keir.

None of this is going to be done or ready by March 2019.

The truth is the only reason the Tories are talking about no-deal is because their civil war on Europe has put any chance of a good deal for Britain at risk. Its time ministers stopped arguing with themselves and put the national interest first.

One preparation document released by the Department for Business acknowledged that there was a a risk that the single electricity market on the island of Ireland may not be able to continue in a no-deal scenario, risking blackouts north of the border.

Another paper, from the Department for International Trade, said the UK would lose the benefits of about 40 EU agreements delivering preferential tariffs and enhanced market access to more than 70 non-EU countries, which between them account for 12% of Britains trade.

In the event of a no deal, EU trade agreements will cease to apply to the UK when we leave the EU, the department warned.

DIT said that, in its preparations for Brexit, it is seeking to forge new bilateral deals with the 70 countries currently covered by EU trade agreements which will be identical or substantially the same as the arrangements which Britain is giving up.

It warned companies that, even if such deals can be reached, there may be practical changes to the way trade takes place, depending on discussions with each individual country.

It confirmed that if these are not in place in time for a no-deal Brexit, exports and imports to these countries will become subject to tariffs under World Trade Organisation rules.

Scottish National Party Europe spokesman Stephen Gethins said the technical papers should serve as a wake-up call.

Day by day the price of a Tory hard Brexit becomes clearer, said Mr Gethins.

The UK Governments own economic guidance could not be clearer about the need to avoid a hard Brexit.

If the Prime Minister is serious about protecting the rights of people in the UK, rather than pandering to the extreme Brexiteers within her own party, the UK Government must commit to remaining in the single market and the customs union.
Former President John Dramani Mahama is calling for a "rematch" with President Nana Akufo Addo in the 2020 presidential election.



Speaking during a recent visit to Lancing Secondary School in the United Kingdom, President Akufo-Addo indicated that he was undecided about leading his party in the 2020 polls.



But former President Mahama, who is on a five-day campaign tour of constituencies in the Brong Ahafo Region to meet with NDC delegates ahead of the partys flagbearership contest, is urging the NPP leader to contest the next elections.



The former president told delegates of Nkoranza South constituency at a meeting in Nkoranza on Thursday that a contest between the two will be the final decider between them, since they both won a presidential election.



Sounding very confident of victory in the 2020 elections, Mr Mahama said a "final bout is not just imperative" but it is also "important for the NDC to work hard to reduce the high cost of living and provide jobs".

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Featured Video
Jay Gatsby, the beguiling millionaire celebrated as one of American literatures greatest characters, is an unlikely man on whom to model ones husband.

Princess Eugenie was said to have been reminded of her new spouse, Jack Brooksbank, when she saw a description of the eponymous character in F Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby.

An extract from his 1925 novel read at the couples wedding speaks of the self-made socialites bewitching smile, which possesses a quality of eternal reassurance in it.

Princess Beatrice reads an extract from F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby'. #RoyalWedding pic.twitter.com/T92alHoyPE  The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 12, 2018

However, the passage from Fitzgeralds magnum opus may be less flattering than it seems, experts on the text have suggested.

Sarah Churchwell, a professor in American literature who has written extensively about the book, said it is the moment when Fitzgerald first suggests Gatsby hides a deeper  and ultimately criminal  truth, as he meets narrator Nick Carraway.

In the book, the former soldier builds a fortune  along with a reputation for opulent parties  to embed himself among the wealthy elite of Long Island, New York, of which his married former lover, Daisy Buchanan, is a member.

Princess Eugenie and her new husband Jack Brooksbank (Victoria Jones/PA)

Prof Churchwell told the Press Association: It is the moment at which you see Gatsbys facade  and the moment that facade also disappears.

Nick says flat-out that hes a rough-neck, which is not a compliment  that means hes a thug and that hes a fraud.

The smile is an ingratiating smile that hes using to charm people because hes the frontman for a mobster.

By the end of the story, its clear he is involved in financial crimes, he is a bootlegger  which is the equivalent of being a drug dealer  and he ends up in an adulterous affair and is shot dead because of it.

That quotation right there is the first moment in which Fitzgerald begins to pull the veil away to say he is a rough-neck.

Gatsbys social-climbing ambitions are also laid bare in the passage, making it an unlikely choice as a royal wedding reading, according to Dr William Blazek, an associate professor at Liverpool Hope University who co-edits The F Scott Fitzgerald Review.

Dr Blazek told the Press Association: I find it really fascinating that Eugenie chose this, as its really about the complexities of fitting in that the smile represents in some ways and how difficult and even impossible it is.

Its the subtleties of that class  the secure money, the old money  there are little things they can pick out that show hes not part of that world.

The Great Gatsby was written as a parable about the ravages of wealth and desire, framed by the pursuit of what became known as the American dream.

Nick  a member of the elite himself  notes his ostentatious neighbour is a man whose elaborate formality of speech just missed being absurd, while his words are picked with care  implying he is mimicking the manner of a class to which he does not belong.

Dr Blazeks views were echoed by Dr Tara Stubbs, an associate professor in English literature and creative writing from the University of Oxford, who said: The sense that Gatsby doesnt belong within the gilded worlds of West Egg and East Egg underlines Nicks characterisation of him here, and it is therefore strange that possible parallels with the royal family and outsiders might not have been noticed before selecting the passage.

She added, however: The Great Gatsby is one of those novels that people often read for the beauty of its language, and if we read this passage out of context it can be seen as a gorgeous description of unspoken communication between two people, which is why (I imagine) it was chosen.

Dr Blazek also welcomed the departure from the usual readings of scripture seen at royal weddings.

He said: Thank you, Princess Eugenie, for reminding people of the greatness of The Great Gatsby as a novel and if it gets more people to go back to that novel then she has done a great service to literature.
Patisserie Valeries chairman has said it will be business as normal at the cafe chain after swooping in with a rescue package that saved nearly 3,000 jobs and the company from collapse.

Luke Johnson told the Press Association said that while he was unlikely to open more stores in the near future, his huge personal commitment to the business should be enough to reassure both shareholders and employees.

We have rescued the business, he said in an interview following a torrid 72 hours for the company.

Ive never experienced anything like it in my life but weve come through it in this week  Ive obviously made a huge personal commitment, I think we have a good business with loyal staff, and I think of it now as back on stable footing.

The chairman came through with a major rescue package on Friday that saw him pledge up to 20 million in new loans to keep the company afloat.

I did it because I believe in Patisserie Valerie. I spent 12 years involved with this business, weve employed 2,800 staff and rescuing it has essentially saved those jobs and I believe it has a strong future, he said.

The company also successfully raised more than 15 million through the issue of new shares.

The money will flow into the business in the coming days, Mr Johnson explained.

Luke Johnson is chairman of the cake chain (BBC/PA)

Funds raised through the share placement will be used to pay back around half the money loaned by Mr Johnson, as well as to meet outstanding liabilities including a major tax bill owed to HM Revenue & Customs.

While at least two London stores were shuttered by landlords over overdue rent payments, Mr Johnson said: No stores will be taken back (by landlords).

This is not the climate where landlords want retail sites back, frankly, so Im very confident that we will be opening all our stores for business tomorrow.

Mr Johnson, a serial entrepreneur, is the largest shareholder in Patisserie Holdings, and had a 37% stake in the business ahead of the rescue deal.

The companys future was thrown into question earlier this week after it uncovered fraudulent activity around its financial accounts and was served a wind-up order by the taxman over 1.14 million owed to HM Revenue & Customs.

In a statement issued to the market on Friday afternoon, Patisserie Holdings said the loans would enable it to continue trading for the forseeable future.

It had been feared that the company could go into administration as soon as this week, with advisers at PwC thought to be on stand-by for a collapse.

We are going to cease new openings for a period and focus on making the most of what we have, we are going to stabilise our relations with suppliers, landlords, etc., were going to beef up our systems and controls, Mr Johnson said in an interview with PA.

Obviously we are going to make some additions to the senior leadership, particularly in finance.

Directors said that initial investigation showed that historical statements on the cash position of the company were misstated and subject to fraudulent activity and accounting irregularities, directors said.

The groups finance director Chris Marsh, who was suspended from his role earlier this week, has since been arrested on suspicion of fraud, but was later released.

The Serious Fraud Office has now opened a criminal investigation.

Patisserie Holdings  which owns additional brands such as Druckers, Philpotts and Baker & Spice  trades from more than 200 stores and also has a partnership with Sainsburys, with branded counters present in the supermarket.
Britain will get a Brexit deal dividend if it is able to agree good terms with Brussels to leave the European Union, Philip Hammond has said.

The Chancellor made the claim as he told the BBC that the last 10 days had seen a measurable change in pace in Brexit negotiations, although many challenges remain ahead of a prospective deal.

Mr Hammond is due to present a crunch Budget  the last currently due before the UK quits the EU next March  at the end of October.

The idea of a Brexit dividend has previously been floated by Prime Minister Theresa May, who suggested it as a way to part-fund a 20.5 billion-a-year boost to the NHS budget.

But its validity has been questioned, including from within the Conservative Party.

Mr Hammond, speaking to reporters at the International Monetary Funds annual meeting in Bali, told the Financial Times: If we are successful in negotiating that package, there will be an upside dividend in terms of the economy and, consequently, the fiscal numbers, so thats the first bonus.

Philip Hammond repeated the claim that a good Brexit deal would create a `dividend for Britain (Aaron Chown/PA)

The second bonus is that Ive been holding a slightly larger fiscal buffer than would otherwise be necessary because of the degree of uncertainty that exists at the moment.

As that uncertainty is unwound and were in more favourable circumstances, logically, one would need less of a fiscal buffer and some of that could be released to support the spending envelope or to deliver tax cuts.

Mr Hammond spoke the day after the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) warned that the UKs economy and public finances are likely to be weaker as a result of the Brexit vote than they would have been if the country have decided to stay in the European Union.

A discussion paper by the Budget watchdog also indicated that a no-deal Brexit could have a severe short-term impact on the economy and potentially lead to a sharp fall in asset prices.

Speaking to the BBC on Friday, Mr Hammond added that he had always been optimistic about a deal, because it was clearly in the interests of both sides to do so.

He added: What has happened over the last week, 10 days, is there has been a measurable change in pace.

There is a real sense now of engagement from both sides, of shared enterprise in trying to solve a problem rather than posturing towards each other. A really important step change.

But that shouldnt conceal the fact that we have some big differences left to resolve. Process is a lot more positive this week, substance still very challenging

If we are able to get to a good deal for Britain as we leave the European Union I believe there will be a dividend, a deal dividend for us.

Mr Hammond said securing a finalised withdrawal agreement at next weeks Brussels summit would be highly ambitious.

He told CNBC: Well, it is very ambitious and I am not conducting the negotiations.

There are people in Brussels right now working hard at this.

But I think what is very clear is that we have to make significant progress by the time of the October council to show that we are on track, that we are moving forward and that it would be, if we dont reach a deal in October, at least we are making sufficient progress that everyone can see it is sensible to come together again in November for that last push to get there.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said: This all smacks of good old-fashioned spin. It looks like Hammond is desperate to save his and the Prime Ministers skins by dressing up a classic put it off fudge as a deal, which will fail to provide the long-term security and certainty investors and businesses need.

It appears that Hammond is planning a few tax conjuring tricks in the Budget to kid people that austerity is over when the reality is that the vast bulk of the cuts are still rolling out. We need a Chancellor not a conjuror.

Mr Hammonds predecessor, George Osborne, dismissed the notion of a Brexit bonus, telling Channel 4 News: The idea that Britain is better off for leaving the EU, I just dont believe it, nor does anyone  almost no-one credible believes that.

So theres the question of how much worse off are we than we would have otherwise have been, and thats all up for debate and all dependent partly on the outcome of these Brexit negotiations.
Argentinas top criminal court has confirmed a prison sentence against former president Carlos Menem.

Fridays ruling ratifies a 2015 sentence of four and a half years for embezzlement.

It also confirmed a sentence of three and a half years against former economy minister Domingo Cavallo for his role in illegal payments to staff that were authorised by Menem during his 1989-1999 presidency.

Menem is currently a senator and that status protects him from being arrested.

Menem and Cavallo deny any wrongdoing.

Both are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Carlos Menem is currently a senator and that status protects him from being arrested (Santiago Llanquin/AP)

Politicians would have to vote on whether they take away Menems immunity from arrest if the decision is ratified by the Supreme Court.
Israeli forces shot dead six Palestinians on 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, Gazas health ministry said.

The ministry said four were killed in one location, where the Israeli military said it opened fire on a crowd 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 tyres and throwing rocks, firebombs and grenades at soldiers stationed on 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.

A protester uses his crutch to hurl stones (Adel Hana/AP)

More than 150 Palestinians taking part 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 Gazas two million residents.

Electricity is supplied for roughly four hours a day, unemployment stands at more than 50% and tap water is undrinkable.

A protester tries to hit back a tear gas canister fired by Israeli troops (Adel Hana/AP)

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 fuelled the demonstrations.

This week, the United Nations began supervising deliveries of Qatari-donated diesel fuel meant to restart Gazas only power plant to increase electricity supplies and mitigate the crisis. The station has yet to operate.

Hamas seeks a ceasefire 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 ceasefire talks.
An auction house has called a prank by the secretive street artist Banksy which partially shred a 1 million painting immediately after it was sold at auction a coup on the art world.

The anonymous artists Girl With Balloon was bought for 1.04 million by a European art collector at a Sothebys sale on October 5.

But almost as soon as the hammer fell, the canvas was passed through a secret shredder hidden in the large Victorian-style frame, leaving the bottom half in tatters and only a solitary red balloon left on a white background in the frame.

But the artwork was granted certification by Pest Control, Banksys authentication body, and has been given the new title Love Is In The Bin.

Sothebys confirmed that the buyer, a long-standing female client of the prestigious auction house, has agreed to buy the work for the price agreed at auction.

The auction houses head of contemporary art, Europe Alex Branczik said this is believed to be the first time a new artwork has been created during an auction.

Banksys artwork Girl With Balloon, which shredded itself after being sold for more than 1 million at auction (Sothebys/PA)

He told the Press Association he initially thought the painting had fallen out of its frame but then an alarm went off in the frame and he realised the auction house had been Banksyed.

Mr Branczik added: When I saw the picture had dropped I thought oh no but when I realised it was a Banksy intervention I think I laughed.

I took it for what it was, a coup on the art world.

He said the initial feeling in the busy auction hall was consternation but then everyone realised it was a prank by the artist.

Mr Branczik added: The work wasnt destroyed, it was created, destruction is a form of creation.

We are definitely not the first and wont be the last art establishment to be the platform for Banksy to make his art.

In a statement the buyer, who has not been named, said: When the hammer came down last week and the work was shredded, I was at first shocked, but gradually I began to realise that I would end up with my own piece of art history.

Girl With Balloon appeared on a wall in Great Eastern Street, London.

The framed, stencil spray painting shows a girl reaching towards a heart-shaped balloon.

The gallery version featured spray paint and acrylic on canvas, mounted on a board.

The lot was estimated to sell for 200,000 to 300,000 before the auction.

It is not known how the shredder was installed in the frame or how the anonymous artist timed his stunt.

Banksy rose to prominence through a series of graffiti pieces that appeared on buildings across the country, marked by deeply satirical undertones.

Last weeks self-destruction was the latest in a long history of anti-establishment statements by the street artist.

Other recent works included the opening of Dismaland, his dystopian, Disneyland-esque theme park in 2015, which he described as a family theme park unsuitable for children.
At least 34 people have died in mudslides triggered by torrential rains in a mountainous area of eastern Uganda, a Red Cross official has said.

More victims were likely to be discovered when rescue teams access all the affected areas in the foothills of Mount Elgon, said Red Cross spokeswoman Irene Nakasiita.

People were killed by boulders and chunks of mud rolling down hills following a sustained period of heavy rains on Thursday in the district of Bududa.

Houses were destroyed in at least three villages, and in some cases only body parts of the victims have been recovered from the mud, she said.

We expect the death toll to increase as some people are still missing, she said. Its really bad.

A river burst its banks, destroying a bridge and threatening settlements nearby, according to Martin Owor, a government commissioner in charge of disaster management.

Residents carry an injured person (Ronald Kabuubi/AP)

At least 31 bodies had been recovered and identified, Owor said.

It was difficult to establish the number of dead because it had been a busy market day, politician Godfrey Watenga Nabutanyi of Luteshe County told broadcaster NTV.

Bridges are gone. Roads have been cut off.

Local official Wilson Watila estimated that about 100 houses had been swept away.

A river is filled with mud (Ronald Kabuubi/AP)

Residents wept over recovered bodies, while men dug into the mud with blunt pieces of wood in desperate efforts to find others.

One survivor described running to safety with a friend after spotting a house being wiped away by the mudslide.

Schoolchildren, those who were drinking, market vendors, they were all swept away, Paul Odoki said.

Residents look for survivors at a river filled with mud (Ronald Kabuubi/AP)

In March 2010 at least 100 people died in similar mudslides in Bududa, and injuries or deaths have been reported every year since then during the wet season.

Efforts by Ugandas government over the years to relocate all residents away from steep slopes have not succeeded.

There also have been calls for people to plant more trees on steep hillsides.
Mohamed Salah limped off towards the end of Egypts 4-1 friendly win over Swaziland with a muscle strain.

The Liverpool forward scored direct from a corner in the African Nations Cup qualifier in Cairo before appearing to suffer a hamstring injury.

Egypt assistant Hany Ramzy moved to ease fears over the 26-year-olds fitness post-match by insisting it was not a big injury.

The initial diagnosis confirmed that the injury is a muscle strain and there is no possibility of muscle rupture, Ramzy is quoted as saying by www.yallakora.com.

The player needs to have radiation to determine the injury and the duration of his absence.

It is not a big injury, we support him with all our energy and we hope he will return without being affected by an injury as soon as possible.

Mohamed Salah suffered an injury on Friday (John Walton/PA)

Salah, who hit 44 goals for Liverpool in all competitions last term, has struggled for form so far this season.

The former Roma star has scored just three in 11 appearances for the Reds, who return to Premier League action against Huddersfield on October 20.

Egypt face a return fixture against Swaziland on Tuesday in Group J.
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.

I didnt recognise nothing. Everythings gone. I didnt 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.

Weve got to figure something out. Were starting from scratch, all of us, Plushnik said.

Boats lay among the debris from homes destroyed by Hurricane Michael (Chris OMeara/AP)

Across the ravaged region, officials 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 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.

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

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.

Boats are seen among the rubble along the canals in Mexico Beach (Pedro Portal/Miami Herald via AP)

We still havent gotten into the hardest-hit areas, he said, adding with frustration: 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.

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.

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 cant tell you how long that will take, but Im 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.
Northern Irelands Nations League worries deepened as Austrias Marko Arnautovic condemned them to a 1-0 defeat in Vienna.

The West Ham striker scored the only goal in the 71st minute to leave Michael ONeills men without a point from their opening two matches in League Bs Group 3.

With the risk of relegation growing, they now need to win Mondays match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo to keep their fate in their own hands.

Austrias Marko Arnautovic (centre) celebrates (John Walton/PA)

Arnautovic, a constant thorn in the Northern Ireland defence, sprung the offside trap to get on to Peter Zuljs pass before slotting the ball past Bailey Peacock-Farrell to settle a close contest.

Following Kyle Laffertys shock decision to withdraw himself from the squad at the last minute, Josh Magennis was the man to start up front for Northern Ireland, but the Bolton mans first major contribution was in defence.

His somewhat awkward touch did the job in diverting Marcel Sabitzers shot over the crossbar as he fired through the crowd when Northern Ireland could only half-clear an early corner.

Northern Ireland now have it all to do (John Walton/PA)

Bailey Peacock-Farrell  involved in the mix-up which gifted Bosnia and Herzegovina a crucial second goal in Belfast last month  then committed a major mental error when he picked up Jonny Evans back-pass to give away an indirect free-kick, and the Leeds stopper was grateful to see Arnautovic fire into the wall.

Northern Ireland did not get a sniff of goal until after the half-hour mark when Ollie Norwoods raking ball found the run of Shane Ferguson, but the Millwall man  making his first start in almost two years  got his angles all wrong to head high and wide.

All the chances that had been missing in the first half seemed to arrive at one when the second half began.

First, Austria could only half-clear Stuart Dallas long throw and Paddy McNair tried to curl the rebound home, but it was an easy enough save for Heinz Lindner.

Northern Ireland were backed by a strong crowd but were unable to get the result (John Walton/PA)

The hosts then went straight to the other end where a mis-hit clearance fell kindly for Arnautovic, who bundled his way past Dallas before hitting a low shot which Peacock-Farrell diverted wide.

The Leeds man then denied Sabitzer after his turn and shot, while Steven Davis dragged his shot wide after being played through on goal by Dallas.

Arnautovic wanted a penalty when he tried to cut in from the right and tumbled over Jamal Lewis in the 65th minute, but the referee showed no interest.

He would soon have his goal regardless, providing the one real moment of class in the match.

And it was almost 2-0 when Stefan Lainer turned Valentino Lazaros corner into the side-netting.

83' POST!! Grigg gets a flick on at the front post but its bounces off the post and into the hands of Lindner!  0-1. #GAWA  Northern Ireland (@NorthernIreland) October 12, 2018

ONeill went into all-out attack mode as Rotherham striker Kyle Vassell came on to make his debut, swiftly followed by Will Grigg, and the Wigan man was inches away from an equaliser when he twisted to head McNairs 84th-minute corner on to the far post.

But that was as close as they would come, and the match ended with Arnautovic missing a fine chance to make it 2-0 as he fired wide from a tight angle.
US President Donald Trump has said he will speak to Saudi Arabias King Salman about the disappearance of Saudi writer and US resident Jamal Khashoggi.

Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government, went missing more than a week ago after entering a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Turkeys government has reportedly told US officials it has audio and video proof that he was killed and dismembered at the consulate in Istanbul.

Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

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 forthcoming wedding.

A delegation from Saudi Arabia has now arrived in Turkey as part of an investigation into his 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.

Turkish officials have said they believe he was murdered there.

Protesters at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Donald Trump has called it a serious situation and pledged that the US government would find out what happened to Mr Khashoggi.

US officials say they are seeking answers from the Saudi government, and are not yet accepting the Turkish governments conclusions.

Meanwhile Moroccos 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 Khashoggis disappearance.

A security guard looks out of the entrance of Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul (Petros Giannakouris/AP)

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 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.
The man who threw acid over television presenter Katie Piper has been released from prison.

Stefan Sylvestre, now 30, from Shepherds Bush, west London, was given a life sentence in 2009 for the attack and was told he must serve a minimum of six years before he would be eligible for parole.

He was reportedly released from a jail in Suffolk on Wednesday.

Piper, who is starring in the current series of Strictly Come Dancing, suffered horrific injuries in the acid attack that left her permanently scarred.

She was left fighting for her life after obsessive ex-boyfriend Daniel Lynch arranged for Sylvestre to throw the corrosive liquid in March 2008.

It was revealed in August that the Parole Board had directed the release of Sylvestre after the case was considered at an oral hearing.

Piper later said she was trying to come to terms with the decision, and that she was going through a really difficult time.

The Parole Boards decision summary said Piper had read statements in person to the panel.

The panel took full account of the content of these statements and the supporting documentation, the summary said.

The document added: The panel considered that there were a number of things that reduced Mr Sylvestres risk of causing serious harm in the future.

Mr Sylvestre is now 30 years of age and was just 19 when he committed the index offence.

He was drawn into a criminal lifestyle in his teens and was involved with drugs.

During his time in custody, Mr Sylvestre has actively avoided anti-social behaviour within the prison and has avoided violence, despite being under threat.

He has behaved well to distance himself from such influences.

He has repaired his relationship with his family, has gained employment-related skills and improved his education.

He has not been involved in drugs in prison and has completed relevant offence-focused work to challenge and change his attitude and thinking.

Stefan Sylvestre, Katie Pipers acid attacker, has been released from prison (Metropolitan Police/PA)

The summary also said Sylvestre had displayed empathy for the victim and expressed remorse and shame for his actions.

He became eligible to be considered for release on April 8 2014, and had a previous review by the Parole Board in 2015.

Offenders who are released from jail are subject to strict licence conditions, which can include exclusion zones. Failure to comply can result in an immediate recall to prison.

Lynch was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years for sexually assaulting Piper and telling Sylvestre to throw acid over her.

The pair had dated briefly before steroid-fuelled martial arts fan Lynch, who had a previous conviction for pouring boiling water over a man, became obsessively jealous.

In court, Lynch and Sylvestre were told by Judge Nicholas Browne QC they were the face of pure evil.

Piper, a 35-year-old presenter and former model, is best known for sharing her story about surviving the attack in the documentary Katie: My Beautiful Face.
Diabetes patients are more likely to die from alcohol-related factors, accidents or suicide, new research has found.

A study published in the European Journal of Endocrinology suggests that the increased risk of death from these causes may be related to the mental health of patients, due to the psychological burden of living with diabetes.

Researchers in Finland found that diabetes patients who required regular self-injections of insulin were particularly more likely to die from these factors.

Everyone with type 1 and some people with type 2 diabetes need to inject insulin to help manage their blood sugar levels.

Around nine in 10 people with diabetes have type 2  which is linked to an unhealthy lifestyle.

Since 1996, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has increased from 1.4 to 2.9 million. And by 2025 it is estimated that it will affect around one in every seven adults  around five million people.

A study finds that diabetic patients are more at risk of death from alcohol, accidents and suicide (Peter Byrne/PA)

The study authors said it is well known that diabetes patients have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, cancer and kidney disorders, which can lead to earlier death.

More recently, diabetes has also been linked to an increased risk of depression, although how poor mental health may affect patients with diabetes has not been fully investigated.

For their nationwide study, Professor Leo Niskanen and colleagues from the University of Helsinki, University of Tampere and Helsinki University Hospital, assessed the alcohol-related, suicides or accidental causes of death of more than 400,000 people with or without diabetes.

Of the 434,629 individuals they analysed, 208,148 had diabetes.

The mean follow-up time was 7.1 years, with them finding there were 2,832 deaths due to alcohol, 3,187 caused by accidents, and 853 due to suicide.

Researchers found diabetes was associated with higher mortality in nearly all end-points, especially in insulin-treated patients.

Prof Niskanen said: We know that living with diabetes can lead to a mental health strain.

Having to monitor their glucose levels and inject themselves daily with insulin has a huge impact on daily life; simply eating, moving and sleeping all affect blood glucose levels.

This strain combined with the anxiety of developing serious complications like heart or kidney disease may also take their toll on psychological wellbeing.

This study has highlighted that there is 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.

There are many ways that these problems can be managed, provided they are communicated.
From the dress that showed off her scoliosis scar to the arrival of the mother of the bride, every detail of Princess Eugenies lavish wedding has been recorded and analysed by Britains newspapers.

As the Queens granddaughter married Jack Brooksbank in the second royal wedding of the year, it is no surprise the event drew comparisons with the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs nuptials at the same venue in May.

The Daily Mail fills its Saturday front page with an image of the newlyweds sharing a kiss on the steps of St Georges Chapel  alongside a caption which reads: Five months after Meghans showstopper Nothing second best about THAT kiss!

Inside, columnist Robert Hardman describes it as emphatically, Eugenies day, and says not even a host of celebrities or a full royal turnout could take away the spotlight from the Queens sixth grandchild.

The crowds in Windsor were a world away from the boisterous invasion back in May, he adds, but writes: Yet it was never a numbers game, let alone a competition between two very dear cousins.

The Daily Express, featuring the same main image on its front page of the couples first kiss as husband and wife, highlights the brides visible scar, shown off by her low-backed dress, from the surgery she underwent at the age of 12 to correct scoliosis.

Thank You, the papers headline reads, and says the dress was chosen specifically as a tribute to the NHS staff who performed the life-changing operation.

Picture

Fashion editor Antonia Kraskowski writes that Eugenie looked radiant in the gown, which included details meaningful to the bride and her new husband.

The Sun focuses on mother of the bride the Duchess of York, revealing how she nearly stole the show by arriving six minutes late.

Running with the headline Fergie Time, the paper adds that the duchess revelled being back in the limelight as she returned to the royal fold.

Tomorrow's front page: Duchess of York arrives SIX minutes late and nearly upstages Princess Eugenie on her wedding day https://t.co/4PAT8i0mgu pic.twitter.com/SR2g9KMazS  The Sun (@TheSun) October 12, 2018

The Times says pre-wedding cynicism about the cost of the wedding were swept aside, asking: With a bride who simply seemed incapable of stopping smiling, who could begrudge them their happiness?

The paper also focuses on Eugenies decision to wear a low-backed dress, and says it was not the conventional adornments of beauty that lit up St Georges Chapel. It was her scar.

Tomorrow's Times front page: Tory rebels vow to block Hammond pension raid pic.twitter.com/R64Ii0aFPw  The Times (@thetimes) October 12, 2018

The Daily Telegraphs assessment of the wedding, meanwhile, is simple: Love won the day.

It adds: From the Princesss dress, designed to show the faint silvery scar of a life-changing childhood operation, to the fond family speeches, the steadfast young couple were the picture of unshowy devotion.

A comment piece by Judith Woods concludes that the wedding was a unique and rather lovely affair, adding: It may not have been this years first royal wedding, but it was never going to be second class.
Heavy rain is expected in parts of Scotland with warnings that flooding could pose a danger to life.

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings of rain for Strathclyde and southern Scotland which come after a day of very wet weather on Friday.

The warnings, in force from midnight on Friday October 12 until just before midnight on Saturday October 13, warn that further heavy and persistent rainfall is expected on Saturday, with more flooding possible.

Forecasters warn that homes and businesses could be flooded and some communities cut off, while power cuts and transport disruption are also possible.

Heading out on #Saturday morning? Some of you might want to stay indoors as the #rain will keep on coming. The northwest and southeast will be drier with sunshine and it'll be warm in the south pic.twitter.com/3Tq0vfy7qQ  Met Office (@metoffice) October 12, 2018

They warn that fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, posing a danger to life.

The Met Office warning states: Following Storm Callum, heavy rain will continue to affect southwest England, parts of Wales and northwest England along with southern Scotland for much of Saturday.

More wet weather is forecast on Saturday (Aaron Chown/PA)

Areas of high ground exposed to the south and south west will be most affected, with the potential for a further 50-80 mm quite widely over hills.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued three flood warnings for the Churchill Barriers in Orkney, the Upper Tay and Ballinluig to Logierait in Tayside.

Ten flood alerts are also in place with southern and western Scotland particularly affected.

Meanwhile fresh landslips on Friday caused by Storm Callum as it swept the west of Scotland will keep the Rest and be Thankful closed over the weekend.

Heavy rain and strong winds brought 300 tonnes of debris from the hillside on to the A83 in Argyll and Bute on Friday as operators tried to clear landslips from earlier in the week.

The closure has caused a diversion of almost 60 miles for motorists.
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.

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.
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.

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.
Martin ONeill has admitted Jeff Hendrick may have set the bar too high for himself with his performances at the Euro 2016 finals.

Hendrick, along with Robbie Brady, starred for the Republic of Ireland in France as they made it to the last 16, where they gave the hosts an almighty scare before bowing out with their heads held high.

However, ONeill believes the heights they hit on that stage have left people expecting too much of them, with neither man having been able to rediscover that kind of form on a consistent basis for their country since.

Speaking alongside as he prepared for Saturday nights Nations League clash with Denmark at the Aviva Stadium, the Ireland boss said: He was part of a side that actually did go 11 games with one defeat, and we never lost in a game away from home.

We went to some difficult places  Serbia, in fact he scored a goal out in Serbia  so he had reached a very high performance level in the Euros, and so the expectation on himself and Robbie Brady and the likes of Seamus Coleman did become very high.

It became high with all of us and I think it became high with himself as well. Sometimes whatever you do, maybe you dont reach that sort of level, but that was very high.

Republic of Ireland boss Martin ONeill has urged people to cut midfielder Jeff Hendrick some slack (Tim Goode/PA)

I just think you have to give him a little bit of slack here. Hes done exceptionally well. There are some games where he didnt do so well, but the very fact is that were judging him now on the performances that he made out in France.

Burnley midfielder Hendrick has become a fixture in ONeills team and while he acknowledges the need for consistency, he insists no one expects more from him than he does from himself.

Asked to assess his form for the Republic since the Euros, he said: I have played in a few different positions, we have played some really hard opposition. I think Ive done well in some games; other games, Ive not done well.

At the end of the day, I expect a lot from myself as well going into games and I havent been happy with a lot of my performances, so Im trying to put that right  Ive said that before and Im still trying to do that.
A teenager who repeatedly ran over two young women in his car struck their bodies like a speed bump, a court has heard.

McCauley Cox, 19, is accused of deliberately driving into a crowd of people in his Ford people carrier after a fight broke out outside a nightclub in Newport.

On Tuesday one witness told Newport Crown Court he believed Cox had been going for victims Sophie Poole and Emma Nicholls in his black Ford C-Max, before he and others on the street began to try and smash its windscreen.

Nathan Rumble, who was outside the Courtyard nightclub on Cambrian Road at the time, said: The car went straight up into a crowd of people. I heard girls screaming.

I saw people go down. The girls were under it the first time, under the front end, under the bumper.

The car reversed back over the girls. It went back approximately where it was in the beginning. Then he revved the engine and then went off again.

McCauley Cox denies two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent (Claire Hayhurst/PA)

The second time I saw the car go over the girls again.

The car looked like it went over a speed bump. But knowing what was going on I assumed it was one of the girls.

There was a lot of screaming going on.

Mr Rumble said he and other men began attacking the car after witnessing Cox hit the young women, adding: It was wrong. He was going for them.

You cant just hit someone twice and not know what you are doing.

Id never been so angry. I was angry at the driver. Hed run over some girls. I dont know who does that.

Prosecutor James Wilson told the court on Monday Cox had deliberately driven his car at a man who was fighting with his two friends, only to miss him and instead strike Miss Poole and Miss Nicholls who were sitting on a kerb.

The university friends suffered really serious injuries, with Miss Poole needing specialist skin grafts and Miss Nicholls suffering a lacerated spleen.

Mr Wilson said Cox had admitted unlawfully injuring the two young women, but denies his intention had been to drive his car into the unidentified male.

Cox, from John Ireland Close, Newport, denies two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The trial continues.
The City watchdog has extended the financial ombudsmans powers to oversee new SME complaints, but advocates say it is only a piecemeal solution towards bringing banks to justice.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has unveiled plans to allow small and medium-sized businesses with less than 50 employees and a turnover of less than 6.5 million, or a balance sheet under 5 million, to refer unresolved complaints to the ombudsman.

It will give 210,000 additional SMEs access to recourse the service.

Additional proposals by the FCA also aim to raise the maximum compensation that financial firms can be forced to pay out by the ombudsman from 150,000 to 350,000.

FCA chief executive Andrew Bailey said: We recognise it is vitally important for SMEs to have a mechanism to resolve disputes and we are clear the Financial Ombudsman Service is the right route for this.

The changes we are making are as far as we think we should go within our powers, but they will provide access to the ombudsman service for a significant number of smaller businesses. Before this their only option was potentially a costly legal one through the courts.

The plans will give 210,000 additional SMEs access to recourse the service (Matt Crossick/PA)

While the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Business Banking (APPG) said it welcomed the news, it falls short of demands for a Financial Services Tribunal that would give firms quick, cheap, efficient access to justice if they are mistreated by lenders.

Scandals such as RBS GRG and HBOS Reading, among others, have shown that it is only a tribunal that can provide a holistic solution to the lack of redress mechanisms for businesses in the UK, the APPG.

This tribunal will be the only mechanism, other than the courts, that will be able to compel witnesses, force the disclosure of information and hear judgments in a public court that can influence culture and behaviour, it added.

The APPG is pleased to have the support from the FCA  as they recognise that these approaches are complementary and that an extension to the remit alone will only provide a piecemeal and temporary solution.

It said the ball is now in the Treasurys court.

Kevin Hollinrake, co-chair of the APPG added: This is a good first step in the right direction, but taken alone it is not enough.

It is now up to the Government to step up to the plate by introducing a Tribunal that ensures that a holistic solution is found that provides access to justice for businesses in the UK.

The plight of SMEs has gained attention in recent years amid scandals that victims say left them out of pocket or bankrupt.

Royal Bank of Scotlands now-defunct Global Restructuring Group, for example, was accused of pushing firms towards failure in the hope of picking up assets on the cheap, though the FCA said there was no evidence of this, or of dishonesty or lack of integrity.

The FCA this summer concluded that the activities of RBSs now-defunct Global Restructuring Group (GRG) were not within its remit and that its powers did not apply.

The influential Treasury Committee  headed by Conservative MP Nicky Morgan  has said it was disappointing and bewildering that the FCA is not able to act, adding that the case demonstrated the need for change in how lending for SMEs is regulated.

Even RBS chief executive Ross McEwan has called for fresh oversight, despite the bank having dodged disciplinary due to business lending not being regulated by the FCA.

In a recent interview with the Press Association, Ross McEwan admitted that the market sorely required proper checks and routes for complaints.

I think somebody needs to be there to put a second view around the SME market place, he said.

Some sort of regulation around that seems to be needed.
Can I travel outside of Canada with weed?

Ian Power and Nikki Rose were the first to make historic inaugural purchases.

Blair cautions that legalization is only the first step towards a strictly regulated cannabis regime that achieves the government's twin objectives of getting pot out of the hands of kids and eliminating the thriving black market run by organized crime.

The site, which first opened for business on Wednesday when marijuana officially became legal in Canada, promised to deliver products within three days but a message on ocs.ca now tells customers that their orders could take up to five days to be delivered.

In Ontario, Canada's most populated province, 38,000 orders for weed worth about Can$750,000 were processed in the first few hours Wednesday (total figures for the day were not yet available), while in neighboring Quebec 42,000 orders were processed in-store and online, smashing all expectations.

The organization also maintains that by moving forward with the legalization of cannabis for non-medical purposes in disregard of its legal obligations and diplomatic commitments, the government of Canada has contributed to weakening the worldwide legal drug control framework and undermining the rules-based global order.

Countries around the globe, many of whom are just approving medical marijuana, are watching Canada's recreational legalization, which combines federal rules with varying provincial regulations.

Tom Clarke, who sold marijuana illegally for 30 years, was also one of the first to make a legal sale in Canada.

"Regardless of Canada's legalization of marijuana today, nothing will be changing on the US side or with CBP policies and procedures at the border", a spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection told the outlet.

Country-wide legalization of the substance fulfills Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise from his 2015 campaign.

Narcos: Mexico se presenta con este trailer oficial

Hoy Netflix lanzo el trailer oficial de la serie Narcos: Mexico , dos minutos en donde se muestra en accion a Diego Luna interpretando a " Felix Gallardo ".

Arctic Monkeys estrenan su documental 'Warp Speed Chic'

Pase varias semanas con la banda en Francia documentando el proceso de grabacion con mi camara de 16mm en septiembre de 2017. Casi un ano despues, estaba en el escenario con ellos en Lyon , Francia, grabando algunas de esas mismas canciones.

France's finance minister cancels his Saudi conference trip amid Khashoggi disappearance

Khashoggi had left the country a year ago amid the rise of Prince Mohammed, whom he wrote critically about in the Post . On Tuesday, G7 foreign ministers called for Saudi Arabia to conduct a "transparent" investigation into the issue.

It could have been even worse had more brick-and-mortar shops opened for legalization but as there are still few retail locations and most orders being purchased online, the supply chain has not been strained excessively.

Ontario, Canada's most populous province, will only begin opening retail stores next year, though residents will be able to order cannabis online. Four others will license private retailers, while British Columbia stands out for its mix of both options.

"Most of our customers are professionals, not your typical stoners", said general manager Alex Orantes.

Even in provinces with more shops, empty shelves are likely due to a shortage of product.

A study by the University of Waterloo and economic policy think tank C.D. Howe Institute found legal supply will satisfy under 60 percent of demand in the early months, though that will change as production increases.

"Oct. 17 will. probably be the least elegant day", Canopy's CEO Linton said.

"And if they find it, then they might refer it to law enforcement". He says it's not the end of cannabis activists in Canada.

The Associated Press reported this story.

"I'm very happy that prohibition has ended", Stone said.

"This is an agriculture product, so we'll get some varieties coming in soon and others may take a little while to put in place", he said.
A union has voted to reject a 350 million local government pay deal and move towards industrial action.

Unite local government staff members voted by 73% in a consultative ballot to reject the revised pay deal from local authority umbrella body Cosla.

Of those who rejected the deal, 88% backed industrial action following the month-long consultative ballot.

Unite members emphatically reject #COSLA pay offer.



73% of Unite members voted to reject the 3% pay increase and of those who rejected 88% indicated support for industrial action.



Read the full story here -> https://t.co/m6fKds4Wmn pic.twitter.com/pYy4De2yhe  Unite Scotland (@UniteScotland) October 16, 2018

A separate consultative ballot for the unions local government craft members is due to close on Friday October 26.

The union, along with the GMB and Unison, recommended members reject the recently revised pay deal from local authority umbrella body Cosla, arguing workers are being offered less than teachers.

They want pay parity across the local government workforce but Cosla said the offer of a 3% increase for those earning up to 80,000 puts staff on a par with those working in the NHS and other parts of the public sector.

Unite members have voted to reject a local government pay deal in a consultative ballot (Jane Barlow/PA)

Cosla warned any further increase would lead to cuts to jobs and services.

The value of Local Government staff recognised with 350 Million offer to the workforce. A fair deal for those who deliver our #essentialservices say @COSLA @AlisonEvison and @CllrGMacgregor https://t.co/O8dhCXqBKy  COSLA (@COSLA) September 19, 2018

Ann Farrell, Unite Scotlands local authority committee chairwoman, said: Unite members have emphatically rejected the revised pay offer.

This outcome was inevitable in light of Coslas failure to properly and fairly reward the lowest-paid workers in local government.

She said Unite will move towards a legal ballot and will urge members to back industrial action.

Meanwhile, around 80,000 members of Unison are also being balloted on the issue.

The consultative ballot opened on Tuesday and will close on November 7.

Unisons Johanna Baxter said: Our local services are delivered by one team and if Cosla and the Scottish Government really value the contribution all their staff make they must ensure that everyone who works in local government gets a fair and decent pay rise.

Cosla resources spokeswoman, Annandale North Councillor Gail Macgregor, said: I am deeply disappointed that Unison are urging their membership to reject what is a very fair offer of 3% in a one-year deal  backdated to April.

From a personal perspective I am also disappointed that with various ballots now under way and more on the horizon that my own priority of getting the backdated pay rise into the pay packets of our workforce looks unlikely to happen anytime soon.

She said 350m is a massive investment, adding: We asked the trade unions to take a realistic approach and accept our offer and then work together for a fairer local government settlement from the Scottish Government  but obviously this is not something that they are willing to do.
The Duke of Cambridge will learn about the UK Atomic Energy Authoritys (UKAEA) project to develop a fusion reactor when he visits its science centre.

Williams visit will officially mark the end of construction of the Mast (Mega Amp Spherical Tokamak) Upgrade Fusion Experiment that aims to bring the power source a step closer.

Fusion power holds out the promise of almost unlimited supplies of clean energy.

It uses special forms of hydrogen as fuel, produces no greenhouse

gases, and the only waste product is helium.

But harnessing and reining in the mighty forces involved is a daunting challenge as at the heart of a fusion reactor is a super-hot cloud of electrically charged gas, or plasma, hotter than the suns core.

Keeping the hot gases stable and stopping them from escaping are some of the crucial problems scientists are hoping to solve in the coming years.

William will tour the experiment at the Culham Science Centre near Oxford (Anthony Devlin/PA)

UKAEA is working with partners in Europe to create a reactor that can one day be plugged into the grid to produce low-carbon energy from fusion.

William will tour the experiment at the Culham Science Centre near Oxford and be shown footage of inside the Mast, which was completed this summer after five years.

In the control room, the duke will meet university and industry partners before starting a plasma test.
An extended transition period would not solve a fundamental problem with the EUs backstop proposals, the DUP said.

The UK would continue to pay contributions to the bloc while having no say post-Brexit, deputy leader Nigel Dodds warned.

He said: Such an extension would cost United Kingdom billions of pounds, yet our fundamental problem with the EU proposal remains.

He repeated his partys criticisms of the EUs Irish border backstop position.

I am glad that it is not just unionists in Northern Ireland who recognise the dangers of the EU proposals on the backstop to the Union.

An extended transition period means the United Kingdom continues to pay but have no say in Brussels. pic.twitter.com/Lx1Ixpo9Ha  Nigel Dodds (@NigelDoddsDUP) October 18, 2018

Such a backstop is unacceptable to many others from right across the United Kingdom.

Deputy leader Nigel Dodds attacked the EU backstop plan (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Meanwhile, his Sinn Fein counterpart Michelle ONeill said Prime Minister Theresa May had refused to hold a joint meeting with the leaders of Northern Irelands main anti-Brexit parties.

She said Mrs May had turned down a request for talks with the leaders of Sinn Fein, the nationalist SDLP, cross-community Alliance Party and the Green Party in Northern Ireland.

Mrs ONeill said: In order to preserve her toxic alliance with the DUP, she is trampling over the rights of citizens by acquiescing to that partys refusal to share power (at Stormont) on the basis of equality.

And by refusing to meet their representatives, Theresa May is also ignoring the democratic will of the majority in the north who voted to reject Brexit.

She said the British Government was incapable of acting responsibly or with any semblance of impartiality while it remained wedded to the DUP.

Theresa May is showing nothing but disdain for the people of the north, for the Good Friday Agreement, for our economy and rights and for the peace process.

It is an appalling failure of her responsibilities as a co-equal guarantor of our peace and political process and there is an onus on the Irish Government and EU27 to defend our best interests during this critical stage of the Brexit negotiations.
There have been further withdrawals from Saudi Arabias Davos in the desert investment conference following concerns over the disappearance in Turkey of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said he will not attend the event, following similar moves from the UKs International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Frances finance minister, Bruno Le Maire.

Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.  Steven Mnuchin (@stevenmnuchin1) October 18, 2018

Mr Mnuchin made the announcement on his Twitter account, saying the decision was made after a White House meeting with President Donald Trump and US secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

Mr Mnuchin said in his tweet: I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.

His announcement comes after Mr Pompeo told reporters at the White House that the administration would await the outcome of investigations by Saudi Arabia and Turkey before deciding how the US will respond.

File photo of Jamal Khashoggi in Davos (Virginia Mayo/AP)

Earlier, a UK government spokesman said Dr Fox had decided the time is not right to participate.

Mr Le Maire said on French TV channel Public Senat that I will not go to Riyadh next week for the conference known as Davos in the desert, a nod to the annual gathering of the rich and famous in the Swiss Alps.

Several top business executives have also cancelled their plans to attend, as has the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde will not attend the meeting (John Stillwell/PA)

Dutch finance minister Wopke Hoekstra also cancelled, after discussing the issue with Mr Le Maire, the Dutch foreign minister said.

Stef Blok wrote that a Dutch trade mission planned for December to Saudi Arabia also likely will not go ahead.

Mr Le Maire said the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi is serious and facts about it need to be explained by Saudi authorities.

Investigators at work in Istanbul (Emrah Gurel/AP)

Turkish officials say Mr Khashoggi was killed and dismembered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Saudi officials have denied the allegations as baseless, but have not provided evidence of the writer leaving the diplomatic mission alive.

Mr Le Maire added his decision on the investment conference does not call into question the strategic partnership between France and Saudi Arabia.
A Bill designed to create time and space for Northern Ireland politicians to reach agreement is no substitute for devolved government, the Democratic Unionists have warned.

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley introduced the new Bill to the House of Commons on Thursday.

She described it as her clear plan to restore devolved government.

The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Bill is intended to allow time and space for political parties to agree a return to power-sharing government.

Parliament Buildings at Stormont in Belfast where the Northern Ireland Assembly remains in suspension. PA/Liam McBurney

It also gives guidance to senior civil servants at Northern Ireland departments who have been left to make decisions in the absence of ministers.

The region has been without devolved government since January 2017 following a breakdown of relations between the DUP and Sinn Fein.

The time-limited Bill covers three areas including a five-month period during which an Executive may be formed without further primary legislation or an Assembly election.

The second section aims to give clarity and certainty to senior civil servants in Northern Ireland departments over taking decisions in the absence of ministers.

This comes following a legal challenge to a decision by a Department for Infrastructure official in September 2017 to approve an incinerator in Mallusk.

The High Court ruled the senior civil servant, Peter May, had no power to approve the planning application.

The Bill comes with accompanying guidance to decisions that should be taken in the absence of a minister, taking into account whether the decision is in the public interest and needed to maintain the delivery of public services.

Thirdly, the Bill allows UK Government ministers to make key public appointments in the absence of Stormont ministers. This will apply to a number of bodies including the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission and Northern Ireland Policing Board (and approval of the boards appointment of senior police officers).

The Bill is time-limited to March 26 2019. The date was agreed with political parties in recognition of political campaigning that will be happening ahead of local government elections.

It can be extended for a further five months to August 26. However, the extension is only intended to be applied if there is a genuine prospect of agreement.

The Bill is set to be debated in the Commons on October 24 and is planned to become law in November.

DUP MP Gavin Robinson described it as a limited measure, adding it is in no way, a substitute for democratically elected representatives making decisions.

There are a number of outstanding issues which we shall seek clarity on during the passage of this legislation through Parliament, he said.

Mr Robinson repeated his partys position blaming Sinn Fein for the continued collapse of Stormont.

The public in Northern Ireland are suffering because of Sinn Feins boycott policy, he said.

It is appalling one partys decision to prioritise a narrow agenda has had an impact upon everyone living here.

This limited measure is, in no way, a substitute for democratically elected representatives making decisions in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein has previously responded to this claim, accusing the DUP of walking away from a deal in February.

Alliance leader Naomi Long described the Bill as a sticking plaster on a broken leg.

The Civil Service taking decisions is not in any way equivalent to politicians driving change through committees, departments, the Assembly and the Executive, she said.

While this legislation will effectively allow civil servants to take decisions of an urgent nature, there remain decisions which may not be urgent but are of strategic importance. If delayed, they carry with them significant implications and allow the deepening of the crises emerging across our public services, including our health and education systems.

This Bill allows for urgent intervention, but for Northern Ireland to function properly, we need more than just a sticking plaster on what is a broken leg. The only effective and sustainable solution is for local politicians to step up and do the job they were elected to do.

Green Party MLA Stephen Agnew has accused Mrs Bradley of absolving herself of the big decisions.

Legislation to allow the Sec. of State to absolve herself of big decisions is due today.



The SoS can and should deliver on:



HIA redress

Ind. talks mediator

Marriage equality



Karen Bradley's cardboard cut out approach isn't good enough.



More https://t.co/Wcm91VUo5h pic.twitter.com/fhZuwnsa7p  Green Party NI (@GreenPartyNI) October 18, 2018

Effectively, shes taking those big decisions out of her in tray and shuffling them across to unelected civil servants, he said.

The Secretary of State can and should appoint an independent talks mediator to kick start a return to devolution.

The Secretary of State can and should implement equal marriage in Northern Ireland through Westminster legislation  in line with the overwhelming majority view.

Instead, we have a cardboard cut out approach to the brief  we see Karen Bradley MP now and again, but she doesnt appear on move on or do anything.
Laws against terrorism, for example, are not effective per se since they do not rely on the judgement of humans based on reasonable evidentiary support but on social conditioning the accused have been subject to

The international community has always faced a quagmire in its desperate attempt to give a definition to terrorism. After all, one mans freedom fighter is a terrorist for the other. The issue in defining it is the danger it entails of becoming so narrow that it does not incorporate all forms of terrorism. Similarly, there exists the danger of it becoming so wide that it holds no meaning and any criminal could be held liable as a terrorist.

General tendency is to equate terrorism to Islamist fundamentalist terrorism, although this is usually the result of being continually exposed to a traditional and textualist mass media. In reality, this is not the case and terrorism is not solely restricted to militant Islamism. It is, in fact, so wide and multi-faceted that it takes different forms across the globe and cultural demographics. FARC, the militant Communist group in Columbia or the Klu Klux Klan in the US, stand as testimony to this fact. Before Indias independence, radical freedom fighters were seen as terrorists by the colonial Government whereas in modern-day India, Kashmiri separatists are seen as heroes by some and terrorists by others.

The need for a definition of terrorism stands as a major criticism of the existing tactics the states use to wage fight against terrorism since all existing laws would not be jurisprudentially justified without understanding and truly defining what they want to fight or prevent. One such law is preventive detention, wherein it is not known who the enemies are. In studying its morality and effectiveness as a legal tool, preventive detention can be analysed using these two basic systems of ethics: Deontological and virtue ethics. According to deontological ethics, which focuses more on the validity of the action than its consequence, preventive detention is wrong since it does not detain people on the basis of merits of their acts but on mere suspicion.

Virtue ethics can be used to argue it in both ways but it leans towards the idea that it is wrong since there is no direct way of knowing who is going to cause harm. Therefore, susceptibility to cause harm to an innocent, which is innately non-virtuous, would rule it out. There are a plethora of problems with preventive detention. First, it rests on a prediction about future behaviour and that too on very little evidence. Second, the risk of detaining innocent people is very high. Third, preventive detention is inconsistent with basic notions of human autonomy and free will. Last, even preventive detention faces the problem of not being specifically defined as it always revolves around systems of pre-charge detention, pre-trial detention, administrative detention, immigration detention and national security detention.

The lacunae in the laws related to preventive detention on an international level are also contributing to many different problems. The basic right to hearing on time is the main issue that sprouts from it. Another major issue is the problem with granting of bails. A person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But many countries have no provision for grant of bail to the accused. The main question on the debate revolving the rights of the suspected terrorists is: How effectively is the law safeguarding them? For this, we need to look at the general rule that is followed in most countries that are in a continuous raging battle against terrorism, especially India.

In India, the Constitution itself sanctions the preventive detention laws while at the same time, guaranteeing fundamental rights to a detained person. Entry 9 of List I in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution provides the Parliament with the exclusive right to enact laws relating to preventive detention for matters that are related to foreign affairs, defence or the security of the nation. In the recent past, the enactment of various laws relating to preventive detention and the subsequent cases challenging the validity of the provisions of the same have added new contours of development to the laws.

In todays time, National Security Act of 1980 (NSA) and the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974 (COFEPOSA) are the main preventive detention legislations. The Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1985 (TADA), the Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) are some of the other legislations that were enacted to counter terrorism in India. In particular, it was the UAPA Act that was used recently to arrest five activists, including Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha and Arun Ferreira who were put under house arrest after orders from the Supreme Court.

POTA, which was legislated after the strikes in the Indian Parliament, had two repressive measures that are inconsistent with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Right (ICCPR). First, it did not allow the legal counsel to be present during the time of interrogation of the accused. And second, it allowed the prosecutor to file a charge sheet extending to a time period of 180 days. Additionally, it was almost impossible for the accused to be granted a bail as it could be granted only when the court thought that there were "reasonable grounds to believe that the accused is not guilty of the alleged offence and not likely to commit the offence while on bail".

POTA was, thus, repealed in 2004. But after the Mumbai bombings, the presence of POTA was introduced in the UAPA (Amended) wherein it was stated that any officer knowing of a design or having reason to believe that a person might commit an act will have the power to arrest the person. Bail was denied again to 180 days of investigation period. The ICCPR is an instrumental human rights treaty which provides people with protection for civil and political rights. India acceded to the ICCPR in 1979 after which it issued a declaration regarding Article 9 of ICCPR, which specifically deals with preventive detention. It was stated that the Article has to be operated in conformity with Article 22 of the Constitution of India which provides safeguards for an arrested person. But it has been seen time and again that detention laws in India are incompatible with Article 9 of the ICCPR as safeguards are not applicable to persons arrested under any law providing for preventive detention.

The present law in force to counter terrorism, UAPA, itself suffers from many drawbacks. It provides a very huge definition of unlawful activities, includes action which disclaims, questions, disrupts the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India due to which any fair comment against the Government of the day can land a person in jail. Further, detention without the filing of a charge-sheet can be stretched up to 180 days and the Court can, only on a bare perusal of the police diary, deny bail to an accused. Furthermore, the Government is also empowered to label any organisation as a terrorist organisation by a notification in the Official Gazette.

Therefore, despite the claim made by India that its laws are internationally complied with certain facets, like the excessive periods of detention or arbitrary implantation of policies, leave no room for basic human rights of the accused to be exercised. In any case, the state should not deprive any suspected terrorist of the basic rights of being presumed innocent until proven guilty. Thus, the laws against terrorism are not effective per se since they do not rely on the judgement of humans based on reasonable evidentiary support but on the social conditioning, they have received. This could counterfeit the efforts of the war on terrorism since it further divides a population already subjugated by communal and cultural conflict.

Without debate and deliberation of a courtroom, which is the fairness of a just trial, this detention of suspects means nothing to this impending struggle against one of the most frightening forces the world has dealt with. Thus on moral and legal grounds, laws related to terrorism need to be visited again by the legislature.

(Raghav Pandey is Assistant Professor of law, and Neelabh Bist is a fourth year student of law at the Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai)
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday held a series of bilateral meetings with her counterparts from ASEAN nations and US Defence Secretary James Mattis on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meet here.

Defence Ministers from ASEAN countries and that of Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US have gathered here for the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the 5th ADMM-Plus, which is being hosted by Singapore.

The ADMM and ADMM-Plus serves as key Ministerial-level platforms in the regional security architecture, promoting strategic dialogue and practical cooperation between ASEAN and its partners.

"Smt @nsitharaman in a bilateral meeting with #SecDef James Mattis, United States Secretary of Defense on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meet (Plus) in Singapore," the defence minister tweeted.

Sitharaman also met her Malaysian counterpart Mohamad bin Sabu, Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne, Philippines' Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana and Vietnam Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich during her fast-paced day-long meetings.

She will also hold a bilateral meeting with her Singapore counterpart Dr Ng Eng Hen.

According to sources, India and Singapore will extend their already comprehensive bilateral defence collaboration.

A new agreement is likely to be signed for the Army-to-Army collaboration as well as bilateral hosting of logistics and furthering supports for exchange visits by of naval vessels of the two countries, the sources said.

Both the countries conduct regular exercises involving the armed forces, navies and air forces.

India and Singapore will also be celebrating 25 years of SINBEX, an annual exercise with a two-week naval exercise programme in the Bay of Bengal in the coming weeks.

Sitharaman arrived here Thursday and will return home on Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Lotay Tshering, president of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa for his party winning the Bhutan elections and reiterated Indias commitment to work with the new Government for socio-economic transformation in that country. Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa party won 30 of 47 national assembly seats in the third general election in Bhutan.

The PM also congratulated Tshering for his own election to the National Assembly, a statement from the Prime Ministers Office said.

During his telephonic conversation, Prime Minister Modi welcomed the successful conduct of general elections, which is an important milestone for consolidation of democracy in Bhutan.

Modi conveyed that India attaches the highest priority to further strengthening unique ties of friendship and cooperation with Bhutan, which is based on shared interests and values, utmost trust, goodwill and mutual understanding.
Amritsar revellers mowed down on tracks by speeding trains while watching Ravana dahan; death toll may rise to 60 plus

The occasion of Ravana dahan to mark the end of Durga Puja festivities turned out to be a heart-rending event in Amritsar when a speeding train mowed down around 61 revellers who were gathered on the tracks to watch the ten-headed Ravana effigy go in flames across the railway crossing on Friday.

As the effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd started retreating towards the tracks where a large number of people were already standing to watch the event, officials said. However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape, they said, adding that at least 300 people were near the tracks.

Eyewitnesses told The Pioneer that due to sound of firecrackers people could not hear the sound of the approaching trains. No one heard the trains coming and it was running at quite a speed, said Sukhjinder Singh an eyewitness. I have lost my minor child. I want him back, an inconsolable mother could be heard.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred in the evening at Joda Phatak. There are more than 60 casualties. We are evacuating people, injured are being taken to the hospital, said SS Shrivastava, Commissioner of Police, Amritsar, moments after the tragedy. Sub Divisional Magistrate, Amritsar I, Rajesh Sharma said 61 bodies have been found and at least 72 injured have been admitted to a Government hospital. Officials said the toll may be higher.

Wails and cries of people filled the air as friends and relatives frantically looked for their near and dear ones. Severed bodies, including of many children, were still lying on the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing authorities to remove them.

Several times we have been requesting the authorities and local leaders telling them to take up the issue with railway authorities to slow down the trains near this Phatak during Dussehra, but no one has listened, a local said.

Angry people shouted slogans against local MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was present as Chief Guest during the event.

She later said she rushed to the hospital immediately after the incident. The MLA later told reporters that after she left the spot she got a call about the accident. I am camping at hospitals to supervise rescue and. I will camp here the entire night to see that affected people get some succour.

Navjot, also a former MLA, wondered how train could move at a speed and there was no mechanism to warn railway authorities about the gathering.

Eyewitnesses said there were no barricades near the railway tracks and the people were forced to see the Dusshehra ceremony by standing on tracks. The effigy of Ravana was being burnt around 200 feet away from the railway track.

Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh rushed to Amritsar to personally supervised relief and rescue efforts. He has asked all Government and private hospitals to stay open. My Government will give Rs 5 lakh to kin of each deceased and free treatment to injured in Government and private hospitals. District authorities have been mobilised on war footing, he tweeted.

The CM, who was scheduled to leave for Israel this evening,

has postponed his trip and will fly to Amritsar in the morning to personally supervise relief operations and meet families of the victims of the incident, which occurred during Dussehra festivities, an official statement said.

The CM also announced free treatment to all injured in the accident. But what people in the city are questioning is the approach of the Railway authorities and how could they allow the train when they knew that a crowd had gathered to watch the Dussehra festivities. The train was moving at a fast pace...How the train driver could not see such a large number of people on the railway tracks, said a retired Railway official on the condition of anonymity.

This is inexplicable...I cannot even comprehend how could this happen in a railway system which is supposed to be so modern, he added. Former Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal tweeted, Extremely sad to hear the unfortunate death of innocent devotees watching Dussehra at Joda Gate in Amritsar by a speeding train. Local organisers and police must answer how the celebrations were allowed to be held near the railway track.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the incident and said he had asked officials to provide immediate assistance. Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required, he tweeted.

Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani and Northern Railway general manager Vishwesh Chaube are rushing to the spot, officials said.

Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident that occurred in Amritsar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly. Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations, Goyal tweeted from the US, where he had gone to attend an event.

Very very sad to learn about the unfortunate rail incident in Amritsar during Dussehra festivities. I have no words to describe my shock and agony. My heart goes out to the family members of the victims. Pray that the injured persons recover very quickly, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee tweeted.
With aim to create awareness about plastic-borne pollution, the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) in association with Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA) will launch door-to-door campaign in its areas. The eight days campaign will be launched on October 22.

A senior EDMC official said under this campaign, the civic body would create awareness among people about the adverse effects of plastic. Additionally, important information would be sprayed

about importance of segregation, collection, storage, processing and disposing of plastic waste, he said.

Alka Sharma, Additional Commissioner of EDMC said that the corporation is constantly trying to create awareness in its localities. She said that the corporation is doing everything for the collection of waste, segregation and disposal (disposable) for disposal.

We are also taking services of various agencies to ensure regular and uninterrupted services to the residents. These agencies also ensure that separated plastic waste must send to appropriate and relevant vendors for further process, she said.

Sharma appealed people to use carry bags made of clothes, paper and jute etc and use only those plastic items which can be recycled.
"We are in a much better mood than after Salzburg", said Tusk, adding that his optimism was "maybe more emotional" than "rational".

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker welcomed the opening May offered, saying, "This prolongation of the transition period probably will happen".

But in the U.K., Brexiteers reacted with outrage to the idea of an extension, raising doubts that it would be approved by Parliament.

Back in Westminster, MPs from all sides of the Brexit debate reacted angrily to May's announcement. But each has rejected the other side's solution.

The lack of progress means a special European Union summit on Brexit that had been penciled in for next month has been scrapped, though European Union leaders said they would assess the situation later. "People who have been supportive of her throughout this process, they are close to despair at the state of this negotiation", said Conservative lawmaker Nick Boles, a critic of May who during the referendum backed remaining in the European Union and now wants to stay in the single market on an interim basis.

May says this new would destroy the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom, by putting a customs border between Northern Ireland and the British mainland.

Officials said there were hints that Britain might consider extending a post-Brexit transition period beyond the proposed 21 months to make talks on a future trade relationship easier.

With the deadlock, this week's summit, which had been billed as a make-or-break moment, turned simply into a chance for Britain and the European Union to give themselves more time _ perhaps until the end of the year _ to break the logjam.

As he arrived for the Brussels meeting, Barnier had said "we need time, we need much more time" for talks, vowing to work "calmly and patiently" for a deal in the coming weeks.

Mr Barnier said there was absolutely no intention by European leaders to punish Britain.

"I stand ready to convene a European Council on Brexit, if and when the EU negotiator reports that decisive progress has been made", Tusk said.

Russian Orthodox says ecumenical cooperation can help young people

The Moscow-based Russian Orthodox Church has at least 150 million followers - more than half the total of Orthodox Christians. The Russian Church, meanwhile, has other problems, besides Ukraine, in Moldova.

Roku volvera a venderse en Mexico

"Esperamos traer los equipos Roku de regreso a Mexico , y ofrecer una experiencia de streaming aun mas enriquecida", asevero. Anderson agrego que Televisa ya no podra interponer otro recurso para frenar la venta de estos dispositivos en Mexico .

Pochettino happy with Spurs squad despite no signings

Different types of club have the possibility to sign because it is so healthy, the financial [situation] in the Premier League". Midfielders Christian Eriksen and Mousa Dembele are fit again but Dele Alli, Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen are still missing.

The Labour leader went on to issue caution, warning that instead of "using Brexit to rebuild Britain", the government will "slash rights and protections and turbocharge their bankers-first market free-for-all".

"My working assumption is not that we will have a no-deal, a no-deal would be unsafe for Britain and the European Union".

"It is always the case in negotiations that they are tense and hard and challenging at the end".

A backstop proposed by the EU would see Northern Ireland remain in the EU customs union and single market to avoid border and customs checks.

And one person familiar with the discussions said May's Tory party would find it hard to be fighting the next general election - due in 2022 - while the country is still inside the single market and customs union.

Britain continues to be split by Brexit more than two years since the referendum - which was settled in favour of Leave by 52% to 48%.

Tajani, however, also emphasised that "without an agreement on the three points (EU citzens rights in the UK, Brexit divorce bill and the Northern Ireland matter), the European Parliament can not and will not vote in favour of the agreement".

But even extending the transition period led to a compromise between May and the EU-27, there is no guarantee that she would be able to sell such a deal to her divided Conservative party.

"But I still believe that this agreement is possible and our goal is to find the solution and to find the way".

In a lighthearted moment, they were joined by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, and his Luxembourg neighbor Xavier Bettel, who is said to have picked up the tab because he was celebrating his re-election on Sunday.

"Today we do not know what they want".
Siddh Bhau, Chairman of the Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital Trust, met the patients admitted in the hospital for their surgeries and inquired about their well-being in 92nd Free Urology Camp here on Friday.

Siddh Bhau said due to the lack of specialised medical facilities and resources these poor patients are deprived of the proper treatment. He re-iterated that almighty God himself have sent the surgeons and trained paramedical staff to relieve them from the agony of the diseases.

Siddh Bhau enquired about well- being of the operated patients also. He expected from duty Doctors, paramedical staff and volunteers to behave politely and sympathetically with the patients.

Earlier he went to the operation theatre and met the operating surgeons and took an account of ongoing surgeries.

As many as 35 patients of various urinary disorders have been operated on Friday.

These include seven patients of Prostate enlargement, 16 patients of Kidney and Gal Bladder Stone, two patients of Harnia and 10 other patients of various urinary disorders.

This camp was jointly organized by Sewa Sadan Eye Hospital, Jeev Sewa sansthaan and Jai Shiv Shakti Health and Education Foundation, Bangaluru.

It was learnt that total 527 patients have registered their names for treatment.

After their preliminary investigations, about 128 patients identified for their uro surgeries. Efforts are being made to perform all surgeries before and upto October 21, 2018.

America based urology specialists Dr Shibban Warikoo, Delhi based Dr Salim Naik, Dr Surabhi Desai, Dr Neeraj Sharma and Dr Prashant Jain, Ahmedabad based Dr Darshan Shah, Radiology specialist Dr Deepak Jhangiyani from Mumbai Anesthetist Dr Deepak Jain, Dr Shailendra Singh and Dr Ajay Raghuwanshi Urologist Dr CP Dewani, Dr Dhirendra Shrivastava and Dr Sudhir Lokwani of Bhopal have also rendered their services in the camp. Physician Dr Naresh Himthani of Apollo Ahmadabad and Dr Abhishek Gyanchandani of Delhi have taken the responsibility of the post operative care of the operated patients.
Full dress rehearsal parade was held in the Memorial Corridor situated on Lal Parade ground on Thursday for the Police Memorial Day October 21. Director General of Police (acting) VK Singh took inspected the parade and reviewed the arrangements for the parade.

On this occasion, Additional Director General of Police, SAF Vijay Yadav was also present. Sub-Inspector Shaily Thomas plays the Chief Guest in the rehearsal.

The Police Memorial Day parade will be held on Sunday from 8 am on, October 21. In the parade, Governor Anandiben Patel will be the Chief Guest.

In the state six policemen laid their lives for the country during the year.

The martyred policemen were ASI Amrit Lal Bhilala, ASI Devchand Naagle, HCM Indrapal Singh Sengar, HCM Arvind Kumar Sen, constable Raj Bahadur Yadav and Constable Balmukund Prajapati.

On the Police Memorial Day parade IPS ASP Jabalpur Hansraj Singh will lead the parade, while second in Command would be State Police Service DSP Dhar Mohit Yadav.

In the parade District Force, Government Railway Police Platoon (Women), Special Armed Forces, District Force / Government Railway Police Platoon (Male), Nagar Sena Platoon, Color Party, Police Band Platoon and Dog Sqaud would participate.

On this occasion, Inspector General of Police Bhopal, Jaydeep Prasad, Deputy Inspector General of Police, SAF. Sanjay Tiwari, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Deepak Verma (Central Area) and Deputy Inspector General of Police Bhopal,. Dharmendra Choudhary, Commandant 25th Corps,. Monica Shukla were present. Deputy Inspector General of Police,. Deepak Verma, read out the names of police officers / employees of all the states of the country who were martyred on duty. During this period, paid tributes to the martyrs. At the height of 16 thousand feet on October 21, 1959, a troop of 10 CRPF soldiers was patrolling the hot springs in Ladakh led by Sub Inspector. Karam Singh were killed in an attack by Chinese army. In his memory this day is celebrated by all police units of the country.
Haryana Government has constituted a five member committee for the management of the states first community reserve project, Golden Jubilee Brahma Sarovar Community Reserve at village Thana in district Kurukshetra.

The project envisages the conservation of biodiversity of this area, said a spokesman of Forest and Wildlife Department.

The Chief Minister Manohar Lal has approved a proposal for constitution of this committee which will work under the expert supervision of the Wildlife Department. The members of the management committee included Sarpanch Gram Panchayat, Thana, Harjeet Singh of village Jhurasi Kalan; Ramdhari Sharma, Municipal Councilor, Pehowa; Rinku, Member, Zila Parishad and Dr Chetna Sharma of Modern Diagnostic Laboratory, Kaithal.

He said that the Chief Minister had laid the foundation stone of Swarna Jayanti Brahma Sarovar Community Reserve.

The ancient Brahma Sarovar at Thana village is a rare natural habitat for the endangered species of turtles. The water body spread over 100 acres is also a home to several species of migratory and resident birds, the spokesman said.

Under the project, various ghats would be restored and fruit trees would be planted all around the pond. The Wildlife Department would prepare safe nesting sites for turtles for laying eggs and water management at the pond, he added.

He further said that with a view to protect and conserve the ecological biodiversity of the area surrounding Brahma Sarovar in village Thana and to further develop the area as a tourist destination, the Haryana Government has implemented project for Eco-restoration of Brahma Sarovar Sacred Pond at village Thana in the district.

Under this project, which is the first of its kind, restoration activities would be carried out in about 100 acres comprising Brahma Sarovar and its surroundings.

The spokesman said that three turtles of different species have been released into Brahma Sarovar. The restoration of the Reserve would be carried out at a cost of about Rs 7.5 crore. Besides, a skill development centre would be established on the Reserve where youth and self help groups from nearby villages would be imparted skill development training to make them employable and self-sustaining.

They would also be imparted training so that they may act as guides for visitors to the area and inform them about the local flora and fauna. It is a unique project where the community will be directly involved in the protection of the wildlife, he added.
Continuing the agitation against the Haryana Governments decision to hire 700 private buses, the roadways employees unions on Friday announced to extend their strike till October 22 even as the stir entered fourth day causing inconvenience to lakhs of commuters.

Protesting since October 16, the roadways employees unions had on Wednesday announced the extension of their strike by another two days and decided to further extend it by another 72 hours on Friday, accusing the Haryana Government of taking anti-employees decisions.

Despite the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) being in force and the State Government ordering suspension of several workers in the past three days, the roadways employees have threatened to continue their strike till the government withdraws its decision to hire 700 private buses.

While talking to the mediapersons, Chief Minister Manohar Lal said that roadways employees union leaders have a right to raise issues pertaining to the workers, but not to interfere in decisions related to state policies.

He said that the decision to introduce 700 private buses is a policy matter and will be not withdrawn.

As far as employees issues are concerned they can raise these, but they should not interfere in government's policy matters, he added.

The employees unions have accused the Haryana Government of opening the route to complete privatisation of the Haryana Roadways with its decision to hire 700 private buses.

Through its move to introduce over 700 private buses, the State Government wants to open the doors for complete privatisation of the roadways," alleged state president of Sarv Karamchari Sangh Dharambir Phogat.

He said the government has remained adamant on its stance. They have not initiated any talks with the striking employees because they are not concerned about public welfare.

We understand inconvenience being caused to public, but the government is to be blamed for the strike. They have shown apathetic attitude and left us with no choice. Now, we have been forced to extend our strike by 72 hours, up till October 22, Phogat added.

For the fourth consecutive day, the roadways buses remained off roads on Friday, when the state was celebrating the occasion of Dussehra.

The State Government plied buses, mainly on short routes, by taking services of drivers and conductors from other government departments including the police.

Policemen in uniform have also been driving the roadways buses for the past two days. The authorities also hired buses from educational institutions and pressed these into service on several short distance routes throughout the state.

A day before, the government had decided to employ the services of buses of private schools, polytechnics, engineering colleges, nursing colleges, other education institutions, factories and other companies across the state from Friday to Sunday. It was decided to pay Rs 30 per km for their services.

The State Government has also decided to make immediate appointment of 930 conductors and 500 drivers. The Transport officials have said that the ongoing strike is causing a loss of around Rs 8-9 crore to the state roadways every day.

Justifying move to introduce 700 private buses, the government has maintained that the Haryana Roadways at present has only 4,100 buses. Given the demand, the state needs 15,000 buses to cater to the population of over 2.5 crore.

The government has claimed that roping in private buses on public-private partnership (PPP) mode is in employees' interest.

There are about 19,000 employees in Haryana Roadways, which has a fleet of more than 4000 buses in which nearly 12 lakh passengers travel daily.

private operators will run new buses and have their own drivers, the conductors will be employees of the Haryana Roadways, who will submit the receipts to the government.

Notably, Haryana Government had on August 30 imposed ESMA to prevent the one-day strike of roadways unions from taking place on September 5. Following ESMA enforcement, the strike call given by roadways unions had fizzled out.

Earlier on August 7 also, the commuters were inconvenienced when roadways employees had taken part in a nationwide strike for the amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act.
Chinese emergency services said Thursday that about 6,000 people were evacuated after a landslide in Tibet blocked the flow of one of the region's key rivers, creating a lake that could endanger downstream areas in India.

The collapse Wednesday morning of a cliff in the deep valley through which the river flows created a dam-like barrier on the Yarlung Tsangpo, the headwater of India's Brahmaputra River, the local emergency response bureau said in a report carried by state media.

The landslide struck near a village in Menling County and water in the lake had risen to a height of 40 meters (130 feet) by Thursday, the bureau said.

No deaths or injuries were reported and the bureau said China has been keeping India updated on the blockage.

Authorities in northeastern India issued an alert warning villagers in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, the state bordering China's Tibet region, not to venture near the river.

District magistrate Tamiyo Tatak said water levels in the river had fallen drastically and once the blockage was cleared in China, water might suddenly rush downstream, causing a disaster in India.

In June 2000, a sudden high discharge of water from the Yarlung Tsangbo caused extensive damage in Arunachal Pradesh and other downstream areas in India.

With its towering peaks and glaciers, Tibet is the source of numerous Asian rivers, adding to China's strategic influence over its southern neighbors. Fast-rising temperatures have caused those glaciers to melt at an increasing pace, throwing a shadow over future water resources for China and other Asian nations.
Bitauto Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, provides internet content and marketing services, and transaction services for the automobile industry in the People's Republic of China. It operates in three segments: Advertising and Subscription Business, Transaction Services Business, and Digital Marketing Solutions Business. The Advertising and Subscription Business segment offers advertising services, including automobile pricing and promotional information, specifications, reviews, and consumer feedback to automakers through its bitauto.com Website. It also provides transaction-focused online advertisement and promotional services for automakers, automobile dealers, auto finance partners, and insurance companies; and Web-based and mobile-based integrated digital marketing solutions to automobile dealers. The Transaction Services Business segment offers transaction platform and self-operated financing services. The Digital Marketing Solutions Business segment offers one-stop digital marketing solutions, including website creation and maintenance, online public relation, online marketing campaign, advertising agency, big data application, and digital image creation services. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.

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Cenovus Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region. The company operates through Oil Sands, Conventional, and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment develops and produces bitumen in northeast Alberta. Its bitumen assets include Foster Creek, Christina Lake, and Narrows Lake, as well as other projects in the early stages of development. The Conventional segment holds assets primarily located in Elmworth-Wapiti, Kaybob-Edson, and Clearwater operating areas of British Columbia and Alberta, as well as various interests in natural gas processing facilities. The Refining and Marketing segment transports and sells crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs. This segment owns a 50% ownership in Wood River and Borger refineries located in the United States; and owns and operates a crude-by-rail terminal in Alberta. Cenovus Energy Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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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
Conifex Timber Inc. primarily manufactures and sells lumber products in the United States, China, Canada, Japan, and internationally. It is involved in the timber harvesting, reforestation, and forest management activities; manufacture of finished softwood lumber from spruce, pine, and fir logs; manufacture, sale, and distribution of dimension lumber; processing logs into lumber and wood chips, as well as by-products or residues, such as trim blocks, sawdust, shavings, and barks; and providing value added lumber finishing services. The company also develops bioenergy and bio products; and operates a 36 megawatt biomass power generation plant, which produces renewable energy for commercial sale. The company was formerly known as West Fourth Capital Inc. and changed its name to Conifex Timber Inc. in June 2010. Conifex Timber Inc. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF shares split on the morning of Monday, October 19th 2020. The 4-1 split was announced on Friday, September 18th 2020. The newly created shares were payable to shareholders after the market closes on Friday, October 16th 2020. An investor that had 100 shares of iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF stock prior to the split would have 400 shares after the split.
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. provides technical, professional, and construction services. The company's Aerospace, Technology, Environmental and Nuclear segment offers scientific, engineering, construction, nuclear, environmental, and technical support services to the aerospace, defense, technical, and automotive industries. Its Buildings, Infrastructure and Advanced Facilities segment develops/rehabilitates plans for highways, bridges, transit, tunnels, airports, railroads, intermodal facilities, and maritime or port projects; develops or rehabilitates critical water resource systems, water/wastewater conveyance systems, and flood defense projects; and provides engineering design, construction management, design build, and operations and maintenance. This segment also designs and constructs buildings; offers consulting, engineering, procurement, construction management, and delivery services for life sciences clients; and provides services relating to modular construction and other consulting and strategic planning services, as well as offers services in containment, barrier technology, locally controlled environments, building systems automation, off-the-site design, and fabrication of facility modules. The company's Energy, Chemicals and Resources segment offers services relating to onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities, processing facilities, gathering systems, and transmission pipelines and terminals; feasibility/economic studies, technology evaluation, conceptual engineering, front end loading, detailed engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and commissioning services; and engineering, procurement, and construction solutions. This segment also provides services, such as manufacturing complex, expansions, modifications, and management of plant relocations; construction management and field construction services; and services to operate and maintain facilities. The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

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Intu owns and manages some of the best shopping centres, in some of the strongest locations, in the UK and Spain. Our UK portfolio is made up of 17 centres, including eight of the top-20, and in Spain we own three of the country's top-10 centres, with advanced plans to build a fourth. We are passionate about creating compelling experiences, in centre and online, that make our customers smile and help our retailers flourish. We attract around 400 million customer visits and 26 million website visits a year offering a multichannel approach that truly supports retail strategies. Our strategic focus on prime, high-footfall flagship destinations, combined with the strength and popularity of our brand, means that intu offers enhanced footfall, dwell time and loyalty. This helps our tenants flourish, driving occupancy and income growth. We are committed to our local communities, with our centres supporting nearly 130,000 jobs (representing about 3 per cent of the total UK retail workforce), and to operating with environmental responsibility. We have already met or exceeded a significant number of our 2020 environmental targets.

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Preferred Apartment Communities, Inc. engages in the acquisition and operation of multifamily properties in select targeted markets throughout the United States. It operates through the following segments: Multifamily Communities, Financing, New Market Properties, Preferred Office Properties, and Others. The Multifamily Communities segment consists of company's portfolio of owned residential multifamily communities. The Financing segment refers to the portfolio of real estate loans, bridge loans, and other instruments deployed by the company to partially finance the development, construction, and prestabilization carrying costs of new multifamily communities and other real estate and real estate related assets. The New Market Properties segment covers portfolio of grocery-anchored shopping centers, as well as the financial results from the retail real estate loans. The Preferred Office Properties segment relates to the portfolio of office buildings. The Others segment includes deferred offering costs. The company was founded by Leonard A. Silverstein and John A. Williams on September 18, 2009 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

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There is not enough analysis data for Revolution Bars Group.

5.0 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Revolution Bars Group has received 285 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Revolution Bars Group has received 83 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment Revolution Bars Group has received 77.45% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Revolution Bars Group and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe RBG will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe RBG will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. engages in the provision of equipment, systems, and value-added services for the rail industry. It operates through the following segments: Freight and Transit. The Freight segment involves in the manufacture and offers services components for new and existing locomotives and freight cars; supplies rail control and infrastructure products such as electronics, positive train control equipment, and signal design and engineering services; overhauls locomotives; and provides heat exchangers and cooling systems for rail and other industrial markets. The Transit segments includes the manufacture and providing services components for new and existing passenger transit vehicles, including regional trains, high speed trains, subway cars, light-rail vehicles, and buses; supplies rail control and infrastructure products such as electronics, positive train control equipment, and signal design and engineering services; builds new commuter locomotives; and renovate passenger transit vehicles. The company was founded in 1869 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.

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Embraer SA engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of aircraft and its parts for commercial, defense, and executive aviation sectors. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Aviation, Defense and Security, Executive Jet Business, Service & Support and Others. The Commercial Aviation segment is involved in the development, production, and sale of commercial jets; and the provision of support services to regional aviation and aircraft leasing. The Defense and Security segment engages in research, development, production, modification, and support for defense and security aircrafts, as well as other integrated products and solutions including satellites and information and communication systems. The Executive Jet Business segment deals with the development, manufacture, and sale of executive jets. The Service & Support segment provides after-service solutions and support to its customers through a comprehensive portfolio of innovative and competitive solutions to ensure operational efficiency of products manufactured by Embraer and by other aircraft manufacturers, extending the useful life of commercial, executive and defense aircraft. The Others segment refers to

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Chattanooga Police have arrested Charles Dijon Pipkens and Lajeromeney Brown in connection with a series of violent home invasions in which the suspects told their victims they were Chattanooga Police officers..

Pipkens, 27, was charged in an Aug. 11 case and Brown, 40, in an incident on Sept. 19.

Pipkens, of 434 N. Hickory St., is charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, unlawfully carrying a weapon, use of a weapon during the commission of a felony, and criminal impersonation.

Police said on Aug. 11 after 2 a.m. that a couple returned home on Acuff Street after eating at a Waffle House. The man went inside the residence, while the woman fell asleep in the car. The man then went back out and woke her up.

As the woman was walking toward the house, two black males came up from behind the residence wearing all black and ski masks. They put a gun to her back and told her they were police and not to scream or make any noise.

When they entered the residence, they zip tied her hands behind her back. After 3-4 minutes a third black male came inside the house and told her she had better cooperate or she would get hurt.

They located the man, pepper sprayed him and also zip tied his hands.

The trio then ransacked the house, while appearing to be looking for something. They took $500 cash, several pairs of Jordan sneakers and the man's drugs. They tried to take out a large bin of Jordan sneakers, but were unable to get it.

After they left, the woman was able to get her hands free. She then helped the man get untied.

Police said since that incident there have been at least four more home invasions with the same MO. Police have developed several suspects.

A photo lineup was shown and Pipkens was identified as one of the suspects. The witness could not identify a second suspect.

Pipkens has several prior felony convictions.

He is in jail on bonds totaling $419,000.

The case in which Brown is charged happened on Eastwood Drive.





The reporting party stated to police while attempting to enter her home she was approached by four black males identifying themselves as "Chattanooga Police Officers." One of whom was pointing a gun at her. The suspects held her and another person against their will while they stole electronics, cash, and a vehicle.





Brown is already incarcerated at the Hamilton County Jail for charges stemming from a home invasion that occurred on Aug. 15. Brown could face more charges as the investigation continues, police said.

He is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, especially aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, criminal impersonation of a police officer and carjacking.
Canadian Utilities Limited and its subsidiaries engage in the electricity, natural gas, and retail energy businesses worldwide. It operates through Utilities, Energy Infrastructure, and Corporate & Other segments. The Utilities segment provides regulated electricity transmission and distribution services in northern and central east Alberta, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories; and integrated natural gas transmission and distribution services in Alberta, the Lloydminster area of Saskatchewan, and Western Australia. It owns and operates approximately 9,000 kilometers of natural gas pipelines, 16 compressor sites, approximately 3,700 receipt and delivery points, and a salt cavern storage peaking facility located near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta in Canada. The Energy Infrastructure segment provides electricity generation, natural gas storage, industrial water, and related infrastructure development solutions in Alberta, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Australia, Mexico, and Chile. The Corporate & Other segment retails electricity and natural gas business in Alberta. The company was incorporated in 1927 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Canadian Utilities Limited is a subsidiary of ATCO Ltd.

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Aphria, Inc. engages in the production and supply of medical cannabis. It operates through the following segments: Cannabis Operations, Distribution Operations, and Business Under Development. The Cannabis Operations segment produces, distributes, and sells both medical and adult-use cannabis. The Distribution Operations segment are carried out through its wholly owned subsidiaries ABP, FL Group, and CC Pharma. The Distribution Under Development segment includes operations in which the firm has not received final licensing or has not commenced commercial sales from operations. The company was founded by Cole Cacciavillani and John Cervini on June 22, 2011 and is headquartered in Leamington, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Banco Santander: 2 & 3 Triton Limited, A & L CF (Guernsey) Limited (f), A & L CF June (2) Limited, A & L CF June (3) Limited, A & L CF March (5) Limited, A & L CF September (4) Limited, AFB SAM Holdings S.L., ALIL Services Limited (b), AN (123) Limited, ANITCO Limited, Abbey Business Services (India) Private Limited, Abbey Covered Bonds (LM) Limited, Abbey National, Abbey National Beta Investments Limited, Abbey National Business Office Equipment Leasing Limited, Abbey National International Limited, Abbey National Nominees Limited, Abbey National PLP (UK) Limited, Abbey National Property Investments, Abbey National Treasury Services Investments Limited, Abbey National Treasury Services Overseas Holdings, Abbey National UK Investments, Abbey Stockbrokers (Nominees) Limited, Abbey Stockbrokers Limited, Ablasa Participaciones S.L., Administracion de Bancos Latinoamericanos Santander S.L., Aduro S.A., Aevis Europa S.L., Afisa S.A., Albert., Aljardi SGPS Lda., Alliance & Leicester, Alliance & Leicester Cash Solutions Limited, Alliance & Leicester Commercial Bank Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments (Derivatives) Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments (No.2) Limited, Alliance & Leicester Investments Limited, Alliance & Leicester Limited, Alliance & Leicester Personal Finance Limited, Altamira Santander Real Estate S.A., Alternative Leasing FIL, Amazonia Trade Limited, Amherst Pierpont, Andaluza de Inversiones S.A., Aquanima Brasil Ltda., Aquanima Chile S.A., Aquanima Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Aquanima S.A., Arcaz - Sociedade Imobiliaria Portuguesa Lda., Argenline S.A. (b), Asto Digital Limited, Athena Corporation Limited, Atual - Fundo de Invest Multimercado Credito Privado Investimento no Exterior, Atual Servicos de Recuperacao de Creditos e Meios Digitais S.A., Autodescuento S.L., Autohaus24 GmbH, Auttar HUT Processamento de Dados Ltda., Aviacion Antares A.I.E., Aviacion Britanica A.I.E., Aviacion Centaurus A.I.E., Aviacion Comillas S.L. Unipersonal, Aviacion Intercontinental A.I.E., Aviacion Laredo S.L., Aviacion Oyambre S.L. Unipersonal, Aviacion Real A.I.E., Aviacion Santillana S.L., Aviacion Suances S.L., Aviacion Triton A.I.E., Aymore Credito Financiamento e Investimento S.A., BEN Beneficios e Servicos S.A., BRS Investments S.A., BZW Bank, Banca PSA Italia S.p.A., Banco Bandepe S.A., Banco Madesant - Sociedade Unipessoal S.A., Banco PSA Finance Brasil S.A., Banco Popular, Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A., Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso 100740, Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso 2002114, Banco Santander (Mexico) S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico como Fiduciaria del Fideicomiso GFSSLPT, Banco Santander - Chile, Banco Santander Consumer Portugal S.A., Banco Santander International, Banco Santander International SA, Banco Santander Mexico S.A. Institucion de Banca Multiple Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Banco Santander Peru S.A., Banco Santander Rio S.A., Banco Santander S.A., Banco Santander Totta S.A., Banco Santander de Negocios Colombia S.A., Banco de Albacete S.A., Bansa Santander S.A., CCAP Auto Lease Ltd., Canyon Multifamily Impact Fund IV LLC, Capital Street Delaware LP, Capital Street Holdings LLC, Capital Street REIT Holdings LLC, Capital Street S.A., Carfax (Guernsey) Limited (f), Carfinco Financial Group, Carfinco Financial Group Inc., Carfinco Inc., Casa de Bolsa Santander S.A. de C.V. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Cater Allen Holdings Limited, Cater Allen International Limited, Cater Allen Limited, Cater Allen Lloyd's Holdings Limited, Cater Allen Syndicate Management Limited, Centro de Capacitacion Santander A.C., Certidesa S.L., Chrysler Capital Auto Funding I LLC, Chrysler Capital Auto Funding II LLC, Chrysler Capital Auto Receivables LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding 2 LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding 4 LLC, Chrysler Capital Master Auto Receivables Funding LLC, Cobranza Amigable S.A.P.I. de C.V., Community Development and Affordable Housing Fund LLC (g), Compagnie Generale de Credit Aux Particuliers - Credipar S.A., Compagnie Pour la Location de Vehicules - CLV, Comunidad Laboral Trabajando Argentina S.A., Comunidad Laboral Trabajando Iberica S.L. Unipersonal en liquidacion (b), Consulteam Consultores de Gestao Lda., Consumer Lending Receivables LLC, Crawfall S.A. (b), Cantabra de Inversiones S.A., Cantabro Catalana de Inversiones S.A., Darep Designated Activity Company, Decarome S.A.P.I. de C.V., Deva Capital Advisory Company S.L., Deva Capital Holding Company S.L., Deva Capital Investment Company S.L., Deva Capital Management Company S.L., Deva Capital Servicer Company S.L., Digital Procurement Holdings N.V., Diners Club Spain S.A., Direccion Estratega S.C., Dirgenfin S.L. en liquidacion (b), Ebury, El Corte Ingles, Elavon Mexico, Electrolyser S.A. de C.V., Entidad de Desarrollo a la Pequena y Micro Empresa Santander Consumo Peru S.A., Erestone S.A.S., Esfera Fidelidade S.A., Evidence Previdencia S.A., Financeira El Corte Ingles Portugal S.F.C. S.A., Financiera El Corte Ingles E.F.C. S.A., Finsantusa S.L. Unipersonal, First National Motor Business Limited, First National Motor Contracts Limited, First National Motor Facilities Limited, First National Motor Finance Limited, First National Motor Leasing Limited, First National Motor plc, First National Tricity Finance Limited, Fondos Santander S.A. Administradora de Fondos de Inversion (en liquidacion) (b), Fortensky Trading Ltd., Fosse Funding (No.1) Limited, Fosse Master Issuer plc, Fosse Trustee (UK) Limited, GTS El Centro Equity Holdings LLC, GTS El Centro Project Holdings LLC, Gamma Sociedade Financeira de Titularizacao de Creditos S.A., Gesban Mexico Servicios Administrativos Globales S.A. de C.V., Gesban Santander Servicios Profesionales Contables Limitada, Gesban Servicios Administrativos Globales S.L., Gesban UK Limited, Gestion de Instalaciones Fotovoltaicas S.L. Unipersonal, Gestion de Inversiones JILT S.A., Gestora de Procesos S.A. en liquidacion (b), Getnet Adquirencia e Servicos para Meios de Pagamento S.A., Global Vosgos S.L. Unipersonal, Grupo Empresarial Santander S.L., Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico S.A. de C.V., Grupo Financiero Santander SAB de CV, Guaranty Car S.A. Unipersonal, HQ Mobile Limited, Hispamer Renting S.A. Unipersonal, Holbah II Limited, Holbah Santander S.L. Unipersonal, Holmes Funding Limited, Holmes Master Issuer plc, Holmes Trustees Limited, Hyundai Capital Bank Europe GmbH, Iberica de Compras Corporativas S.L., Independence Community Bank Corp., Insurance Funding Solutions Limited, Interfinance Holanda B.V., Inversiones Capital Global S.A. Unipersonal, Inversiones Maritimas del Mediterraneo S.A., Isla de los Buques S.A., Klare Corredora de Seguros S.A., Landcompany 2020 S.L., Langton Funding (No.1) Limited, Langton Mortgages Trustee (UK) Limited, Langton Securities (2008-1) plc, Langton Securities (2010-1) PLC, Langton Securities (2010-2) PLC, Laparanza S.A., Liquidity Limited, Luri 1 S.A. en liquidacion (b) (e), Luri 6 S.A. Unipersonal, Master Red Europa S.L., Mata Alta S.L., Merciver S.L., Mercury TFS, Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.A. de C.V., Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.L., Mercury Trade Finance Solutions S.p.A., Moneybit S.L., Mortgage Engine Limited, Motor 2016-1 PLC, Motor 2017-1 PLC, Mouro Capital I LP, Multiplica SpA, NW Services CO., Naviera Mirambel S.L., Naviera Trans Gas A.I.E., Naviera Trans Iron S.L., Naviera Trans Ore A.I.E., Naviera Trans Wind S.L. (b), Naviera Transcantabrica S.L., Naviera Transchem S.L. Unipersonal, NeoAuto S.A.C., Norbest AS, Novimovest  Fundo de Investimento Imobiliario, Open Bank Argentina S.A., Open Bank S.A., Open Digital Market S.L., Open Digital Services S.L., Operadora de Carteras Gamma S.A.P.I. de C.V., Optimal Investment Services SA, Optimal Multiadvisors Ireland Plc / Optimal Strategic US Equity Ireland Euro Fund, Optimal Multiadvisors Ireland Plc / Optimal Strategic US Equity Ireland US Dollar Fund, PBE Companies LLC, PECOH Limited, PI Distribuidora de Titulos e Valores Mobiliarios S.A., PSA Bank Deutschland GmbH, PSA Banque France, PSA Finance UK Limited, PSA Financial Services Nederland B.V., PSA Financial Services Spain E.F.C. S.A., PSA Renting Italia S.p.A., PagoFX Europe S.A., PagoFX HoldCo S.L., PagoFX UK Ltd, PagoNxt Merchant Solutions S.L., PagoNxt S.L., Parasant SA, Patagon.com, Pereda Gestion S.A., Pingham International S.A., Popular Spain Holding de Inversiones S.L.U., Portal Universia Argentina S.A., Portal Universia Portugal Prestacao de Servicos de Informatica S.A., Prime 16  Fundo de Investimentos Imobiliario, Punta Lima LLC, Punta Lima Wind Farm LLC, Retop S.A., Return Capital Servicos de Recuperacao de Creditos S.A., Return Gestao de Recursos S.A., Riobank International (Uruguay) SAIFE (b), Rojo Entretenimento S.A., SAM Asset Management S.A. de C.V. Sociedad Operadora de Fondos de Inversion, SAM Investment Holdings S.L., SAM UK Investment Holdings Limited (b), SANB Promotora de Vendas e Cobranca Ltda., SCF Eastside Locks GP Limited, SDMX Superdigital S.A. de C.V., SMPS Merchant Platform Solutions Mexico S.A de C.V, Sancap Investimentos e Participacoes S.A., Santander (CF Trustee Property Nominee) Limited, Santander (UK) Group Pension Schemes Trustees Limited, Santander Ahorro Inmobiliario 1 S.A., Santander Ahorro Inmobiliario 2 S.A., Santander Alternatives SICAV RAIF, Santander Asesorias Financieras Limitada, Santander Asset Finance (December) Limited, Santander Asset Finance plc, Santander Asset Management - S.G.O.I.C. S.A., Santander Asset Management Chile S.A., Santander Asset Management LLC, Santander Asset Management Luxembourg S.A., Santander Asset Management S.A. Administradora General de Fondos, Santander Asset Management S.A. S.G.I.I.C., Santander Asset Management UK Holdings Limited, Santander Asset Management UK Limited, Santander Back-Offices Globales Mayoristas S.A., Santander Banca de Inversion Colombia S.A.S., Santander Bank & Trust Ltd., Santander Bank National Association, Santander Bank Polska S.A., Santander Brasil Administradora de Consorcio Ltda., Santander Brasil Gestao de Recursos Ltda., Santander Brasil Tecnologia S.A., Santander Capital Desarrollo SGEIC S.A. Unipersonal, Santander Capital Structuring S.A. de C.V., Santander Capitalizacao S.A., Santander Cards Ireland Limited, Santander Cards Limited, Santander Cards UK Limited, Santander Chile Holding S.A., Santander Consulting (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Santander Consumer (UK) plc, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2013-B2 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2013-B3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L4 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2018-L5 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-B1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-L2 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2019-L3 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-B1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-L1 LLC, Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Funding 2020-L2 LLC, Santander Consumer Bank, Santander Consumer Bank AG, Santander Consumer Bank GmbH, Santander Consumer Bank S.A., Santander Consumer Bank S.p.A., Santander Consumer Banque S.A., Santander Consumer Credit Services Limited, Santander Consumer Finance Benelux B.V., Santander Consumer Finance Global Services S.L., Santander Consumer Finance Oy, Santander Consumer Finance S.A., Santander Consumer Finance Schweiz AG, Santander Consumer Financial Solutions Sp. z o.o., Santander Consumer Finanse Sp. z o.o. (b), Santander Consumer Holding Austria GmbH, Santander Consumer Holding GmbH, Santander Consumer International Puerto Rico LLC, Santander Consumer Leasing GmbH, Santander Consumer Mediacion Operador de Banca-Seguros Vinculado S.L., Santander Consumer Multirent Sp. z o.o., Santander Consumer Operations Services GmbH, Santander Consumer Receivables 10 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 11 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 3 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables 7 LLC, Santander Consumer Receivables Funding LLC, Santander Consumer Renting S.L., Santander Consumer S.A., Santander Consumer S.A.S., Santander Consumer Services GmbH, Santander Consumer Services S.A., Santander Consumer Technology Services GmbH, Santander Consumer USA Holdings Inc., Santander Consumer USA Inc., Santander Consumo S.A. de C.V. S.O.F.O.M. E.R. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Santander Corredora de Seguros Limitada, Santander Corredores de Bolsa Limitada, Santander Corretora de Cambio e Valores Mobiliarios S.A., Santander Corretora de Seguros Investimentos e Servicos S.A., Santander Customer Voice S.A., Santander Digital Assets S.L., Santander Drive Auto Receivables LLC, Santander Equity Investments Limited, Santander Espana Merchant Services Entidad de Pago S.L. Unipersonal, Santander Espana Servicios Legales y de Cumplimiento S.L., Santander Estates Limited, Santander F24 S.A., Santander Facility Management Espana S.L., Santander Factoring S.A., Santander Factoring Sp. z o.o., Santander Factoring y Confirming S.A. E.F.C., Santander Finance 2012-1 LLC, Santander Financial Exchanges Limited, Santander Financial Services Inc., Santander Financial Services plc, Santander Finanse Sp. z o.o., Santander Fintech Holdings S.L., Santander Fintech Limited, Santander Fundo de Investimento SBAC Referenciado di Credito Privado, Santander Gestion de Recaudacion y Cobranzas Ltda., Santander Global Consumer Finance Limited, Santander Global Facilities S.A. de C.V., Santander Global Facilities S.L., Santander Global Operations S.A., Santander Global Services S.A. (b), Santander Global Sport S.A., Santander Global Technology Brasil Ltda., Santander Global Technology Chile Limitada, Santander Global Technology S.L., Santander Global Trade Platform Solutions S.L., Santander Guarantee Company, Santander Holding Imobiliaria S.A., Santander Holding Internacional S.A., Santander Holdings USA Inc., Santander ISA Managers Limited, Santander Inclusion Financiera S.A. de C.V. S.O.F.O.M. E.R. Grupo Financiero Santander Mexico, Santander Insurance Agency U.S. LLC, Santander Insurance Services UK Limited, Santander Intermediacion Correduria de Seguros S.A., Santander International Products Plc. (d), Santander Inversiones S.A., Santander Investment Bank Limited, Santander Investment Chile Limitada, Santander Investment I S.A., Santander Investment S.A., Santander Investment Securities Inc., Santander Investments GP 1 S.a.r.l., Santander Inwestycje Sp. z o.o., Santander Lease S.A. E.F.C., Santander Leasing LLC, Santander Leasing S.A., Santander Leasing S.A. Arrendamento Mercantil, Santander Lending Limited, Santander Mediacion Operador de Banca-Seguros Vinculado S.A., Santander Merchant Platform Operations S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Services S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions Mexico S.A. de C.V., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions S.A., Santander Merchant Platform Solutions Uruguay S.A., Santander Merchant Platform SolucoesTecnologicas Brasil Ltda., Santander Merchant S.A., Santander Mortgage Holdings Limited, Santander Paraty Qif PLC, Santander Pensiones S.A. E.G.F.P., Santander Pensoes - Sociedade Gestora de Fundos de Pensoes S.A., Santander Private Banking Gestion S.A. S.G.I.I.C., Santander Private Banking UK Limited, Santander Private Banking s.p.a. in Liquidazione (b), Santander Private Real Estate Advisory & Management S.A., Santander Private Real Estate Advisory S.A., Santander Real Estate S.A., Santander Retail Auto Lease Funding LLC, Santander Rio Asset Management Gerente de Fondos Comunes de Inversion S.A., Santander Rio Trust S.A., Santander Rio Valores S.A., Santander S.A. Sociedad Securitizadora, Santander Secretariat Services Limited, Santander Securities LLC, Santander Seguros y Reaseguros Compania Aseguradora S.A., Santander Servicios Corporativos S.A. de C.V., Santander Servicios Especializados S.A. de C.V., Santander Technology USA LLC, Santander Tecnologia e Inovacao Ltda., Santander Tecnologia Argentina S.A., Santander Tecnologia Espana S.L.U., Santander Tecnologia Mexico S.A. de C.V., Santander Totta SGPS S.A., Santander Totta Seguros Companhia de Seguros de Vida S.A., Santander Towarzystwo Funduszy Inwestycyjnych S.A., Santander Trade Services Limited, Santander UK Group Holdings plc, Santander UK Investments, Santander UK Operations Limited, Santander UK Plc, Santander UK Technology Limited, Santander Wealth Management International SA, Santander de Titulizacion S.G.F.T. S.A., Santusa Holding S.L., Services and Promotions Delaware Corp., Services and Promotions Miami LLC, Servicio de Alarmas Controladas por Ordenador S.A., Servicios de Cobranza Recuperacion y Seguimiento S.A. De C.V., Sheppards Moneybrokers Limited, Shiloh III Wind Project LLC, Sociedad Integral de Valoraciones Automatizadas S.A., Sociedad Operadora de Tarjetas de Pago Santander Getnet Chile S.A., Socur S.A., Sol Orchard Imperial 1 LLC, Solarlaser Limited, Sovereign Community Development Company, Sovereign Delaware Investment Corporation, Sovereign Lease Holdings LLC, Sovereign REIT Holdings Inc., Sovereign Spirit Limited (f), Sterrebeeck B.V., Suleyado 2003 S.L. Unipersonal, Summer Empreendimentos Ltda., Super Pagamentos e Administracao de Meios Eletronicos S.A., Superdigital Argentina S.A.U., Superdigital Colombia S.A.S., Superdigital Holding Company S.L., Superdigital Peru S.A.C., Suzuki Servicios Financieros S.L., Swesant SA, TIMFin S.p.A., TOPSAM S.A de C.V., Taxagest Sociedade Gestora de Participacoes Sociais S.A., Teatinos Siglo XXI Inversiones S.A., The Alliance & Leicester Corporation Limited, The Best Specialty Coffee S.L. Unipersonal, Time Retail Finance Limited (b), Tonopah Solar I LLC, Toque Fale Servicos de Telemarketing Ltda., Tornquist Asesores de Seguros S.A. (b), Totta (Ireland) PLC, Totta Urbe - Empresa de Administracao e Construcoes S.A., Trabajando.com Mexico S.A. de C.V. en liquidacion (b), Trabajando.com Peru S.A.C., Trans Rotor Limited (b), Transolver Finance EFC S.A., Tresmares Growth Fund Santander SCR S.A., Tresmares Santander Direct Lending SICC S.A., Tuttle and Son Limited, Universia Brasil S.A., Universia Chile S.A., Universia Colombia S.A.S., Universia Espana Red de Universidades S.A., Universia Holding S.L., Universia Mexico S.A. de C.V., Universia Peru S.A., Universia Uruguay S.A., Uro Property Holdings SOCIMI S.A., WIM Servicios Corporativos S.A. de C.V., WTW Shipping Designated Activity Company, Wallcesa S.A., Wave Holdco S.L., Waypoint Insurance Group Inc., and Wirecard (Technological Assets).
International Business Machines Corp. is an information technology company, which provides integrated solutions that leverage information technology and knowledge of business processes. It operates through the following segments: Cloud and Cognitive Software, Global Business Services, Global Technology Services, Systems, and Global Financing. The Cloud and Cognitive Software segment provides integrated and secure cloud, data, and solutions to the clients. The Global Business Services segment provides clients with consulting, application management, and business process outsourcing services. The Global Technology Services segment provides comprehensive IT infrastructure and platform services that create business value for clients. The Systems segment provides clients with innovative infrastructure platforms to help meet the requirements of hybrid cloud and enterprise AI workload. The Global Financing segment provides client financing, commercial financing, and participates in the remanufacturing and remarketing of used equipment. The company was founded by Charles Ranlett Flint and Thomas J. Watson Sr. on June 16, 1911 and is headquartered in Armonk, NY.

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China Mobile Limited provides mobile telecommunications and related services in Mainland China and Hong Kong. The company offers local calls; domestic and international long distance calls and roaming services; and value-added services, such as caller identity display, call waiting, conference calls, and others. It also provides wireless Internet service, as well as digital applications comprising music, video, reading, gaming, and animation; wireline broadband services; and wireline voice services. In addition, it offers dedicated line and IDC services to corporate customers in a range of industry sectors; and basic corporate communication products comprising corporate VPMN and SMS, and tailor made solutions. Further, the company provides international telecommunications services, which includes IDD, roaming, Internet, MNC, and value added business services. Additionally, it offers telecommunications network planning, design, and consulting services; roaming clearance, IT system operation, and technology support services; value-added platform development and maintenance services; mobile data, and system integration and development services; network construction and maintenance, network planning and optimizing, and training services; electronic communication products design and sale of related products; and non-banking financial services. It also provides mobile cloud research and development services; call center services; e-payment, e-commerce, and Internet finance services; and mobile Internet digital content services, as well as operates a network and business coordination center. The company serves 950 million mobile customers and 187 million wireline broadband customers. The company was formerly known as China Mobile (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to China Mobile Limited in May 2006. The company was incorporated in 1997 and is based in Central, Hong Kong. China Mobile Limited is a subsidiary of China Mobile Hong Kong (BVI) Limited.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Stryker: ActiViews, Aimago SA, Alcott Indemnity Company, Arrinex Inc, Arrinex Inc., Ascent Healthcare Solutions, Berchtold, Berchtold + Fritz GmbH, Berchtold Consulting GmbH, Berchtold Corporation, Berchtold GmbH & Co. KG, Berchtold Holding Switzerland GmbH, CHG Hospital Beds, Cactus LLC, Cardan Robotics, Changzhou Orthomed Medical Instrument Company Limited, Concentric Medical, Concentric Medical Inc., Entellus Medical, Entellus Medical Europe Ltd, Entellus Medical Inc., GYS Tech LLC, Gaymar Industries, Gongping (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., Groupe Bertec, HeartSine Technologies LLC, HeartSine Technologies Limited, Howmedica International S. de R.L., Howmedica Osteonics Corp., Hygia Health Services, Hygia Healthcare Services Inc., HyperBranch, HyperBranch Technology Inc., ITAPCo Limited, Image Guided Technologies, Imorphics Limited, Infinity MSD Corp., Infinity MSE Corp., Infinity MSF Corp., Infomedix Communications, Instratek, InstruMedics L.L.C, Invuity Inc., Ivy Sports Medicine, Ivy Sports Medicine LLC, Jiangsu Chuangyi Medical Instrument Company Limited, Jolife AB, K2M Germany GmbH, K2M Group, K2M Group Holdings Inc., K2M Holdings Inc., K2M Iberia Medcomtech S.L.U., K2M Inc., K2M Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, K2M Spine Solutions (Schweiz) GmbH, K2M UK Limited, Loon Intermediateco LLC, MAKO Surgical, MAKO Surgical Corp, Memometal Technologies, Mobius Imaging, Mobius Imaging LLC, Muka Metal, Muka Metal Ticaret ve Sanayi Anaonim Sirketi, NV Stryker SA, Nettrick Limited, Novadaq Corp, Novadaq Hong Kong Ltd, Novadaq Technologies, Novadaq Technologies ULC, OOO "Stryker", Orneo Ozel Saglk Hizmetleri Medikal Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, OrthoSpace, OrthoSpace Ltd., OrthoSpace US Inc., Orthomed (Hong Kong) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Orthovita, Orthovita Inc., OtisMed, P.C. Sweden Holding AB, Patient Safety Technologies, Patton Surgical, Pficonprod Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control, Physio-Control (Shanghai) Sales Co. Ltd., Physio-Control Brazil Vendas Ltda., Physio-Control Czech Sales s.r.o., Physio-Control Holdings Cooperatief U.A., Physio-Control Holdings Inc, Physio-Control Hungary Sales Kft, Physio-Control Inc., Physio-Control India Sales Pvt. Ltd, Physio-Control Investments LLC, Physio-Control Lebanon Sales Offshore s.a.l., Physio-Control Manufacturing Inc., Physio-Control Operations Netherlands B.V., Physio-Control Sales Limited Liability Company, Physio-Control Singapore Pte. Ltd., Physio-Control South Africa Sales Pty. Ltd., Physio-Control UK Sales Ltd., Pivot Medical, PlasmaSol, Porex Technologies, SSI Divestiture Inc., SYK Costa Rica Services Sociedad De Responsabilidad Limitada, SafeAir AG, SafeWire, Sage Products, Sage Products Coperatief U.A., Sage Products Holdings II LLC, Sage Products Holdings III LLC, Sage Products LLC, Scopis GmbH, Sightline Technologies, Small Bone Innovations, SpineCore, Spirox Inc., Stanmore Implants Worldwide, Stanmore Implants Worldwide Limited, Stanmore Inc., Stryker (Barbados) Foreign Sales Corporation, Stryker (Beijing) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Shanghai) Healthcare Products Co. Ltd., Stryker (Suzhou) Medical Technology Co Ltd, Stryker (Thailand) Limited, Stryker AB, Stryker Acquisitions BV, Stryker Asia Holdings CV, Stryker Australia LLC, Stryker Australia Pty. Ltd., Stryker Austria GmbH, Stryker B.V., Stryker Berchtold BV, Stryker Beteiligungs GmbH, Stryker Canada GP ULC, Stryker Canada Holding Company, Stryker Canada Manufacturing ULC, Stryker Canada ULC, Stryker Canadian Management ULC, Stryker Canadian Sales Holding Company ULC, Stryker Capital BV, Stryker China Limited, Stryker Colombia SAS, Stryker Communications Inc., Stryker Corporation (Chile) y Compania Limitada, Stryker Corporation (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Stryker Customs Brokers LLC, Stryker Czech Republic s.r.o., Stryker Delaware Inc., Stryker EMEA Supply Chain Services BV, Stryker Employment Company LLC, Stryker European Coordination Center BV, Stryker European Holdings Cooperatief U.A, Stryker European Holdings I LLC, Stryker European Holdings II LLC, Stryker European Holdings LLC, Stryker European Holdings V LLC, Stryker European Operations B.V., Stryker European Operations Holdings I BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings II BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings III BV, Stryker European Operations Holdings LLC, Stryker European Operations Limited, Stryker European Technologies C.V., Stryker Far East Inc., Stryker Foreign Acquisitions Inc., Stryker France Holding SNC, Stryker France MM Holdings SAS, Stryker France SAS, Stryker Funding B.V., Stryker GI Services CV, Stryker Global Technology Center Private Limited, Stryker GmbH, Stryker GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Grundstucks GmbH & Co KG, Stryker Grundstucks Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Holdings BV, Stryker IFSC Designated Activity Company, Stryker Iberia SL Unipersonal, Stryker India Private Limited, Stryker International Acquisitions BV, Stryker International Holdings BV, Stryker Investment Holdings B.V., Stryker Ireland Holding Unlimited Company, Stryker Ireland Limited, Stryker Italia S.r.l. S.U., Stryker Japan Holdings BV, Stryker Japan K.K., Stryker Korea Ltd., Stryker Lebanon (Offshore) S.A.L., Stryker Leibinger GmbH & Co. KG, Stryker Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Stryker Luxembourg Sarl, Stryker Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Mauritius Holding Ltd., Stryker Medical London LP, Stryker Medtech K.K., Stryker Medtech Limited, Stryker Mexico Holdings B.V., Stryker Mexico SA de CV, Stryker NV Operations Limited, Stryker Nederland BV, Stryker New Zealand Limited, Stryker Osteonics AG, Stryker Pacific Limited, Stryker Performance Solutions LLC, Stryker Polska Sp.z.o.o., Stryker Portugal - Produtos Medicos Unipessoal Lda., Stryker Professional Latin America S. de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Puerto Rico Limited, Stryker Romania SRL, Stryker Sage Inc., Stryker Sales Corporation, Stryker Servicios Administrativos S.de R.L. de C.V., Stryker Singapore Private Limited, Stryker South Africa (Proprietary) Limited, Stryker Spine SAS, Stryker Spine Sarl, Stryker Sustainability Solutions Inc., Stryker Tibbi Cihazlan Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Stryker Trauma GmbH, Stryker Turkish Holdings BV, Stryker UK Ltd, Stryker Verwaltungs GmbH, Stryker Vietnam Company Limited, Stryker do Brasil Ltda, Surpass Medical, Synergetics, TG SP Holdings Corp, TSO3 Corp, TSO3 Inc, Trauson, Trauson (China) Medical Instrument Company Limited, Trauson (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (BVI) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings (Hong Kong) Company Limited, Trauson Holdings Company Limited, VEXIM SA, Vexim, Waterloo Bedding Co., Wright Medical Group, ZipLine Medical Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ZipLine Medical Hong Kong Limited, ZipLine Medical Inc., and eTrauma.com.
Comerica, Inc. engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Bank, Retail Bank, Wealth Management, Finance and Other. The Commercial Bank segment involves in the middle market businesses, multinational corporations, and governmental entities by offering various products and services such as commercial loans and lines of credit, deposits, cash management, capital market products, international trade finance, letters of credit, foreign exchange management services, and loan syndication services. The Retail Bank segment includes small business banking and personal financial services, which consist of consumer lending, consumer deposit gathering, and mortgage loan origination. The Wealth Management segment offers fiduciary services, private banking, retirement services, investment management and advisory services, investment banking and brokerage services. The Finance segment comprises corporation's securities portfolio and asset and liability management activities. The Other category consists of income and expense impact of equity and cash, tax benefits, charges of an unusual or infrequent nature that are not reflective of the n

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The following companies are subsidiares of American International Group: AGC Life Insurance Company, AIG APAC HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., AIG Advisors S.r.l., AIG Aerospace Insurance Services Inc., AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd., AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited, AIG Asset Management (U.S.) LLC, AIG Assurance Company, AIG Australia Limited, AIG Brazil Holding I LLC, AIG CIS Investments LLC, AIG Canada Holdings Inc., AIG Capital Corporation, AIG Capital Services Inc., AIG Claims Inc., AIG Egypt Insurance Company S.A.E., AIG Employee Services Inc., AIG Europe (Services) Limited, AIG Europe Holdings S.a.rl., AIG Europe S.A., AIG Federal Savings Bank, AIG Financial Products Corp., AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., AIG Global Asset Management Holdings Corp., AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., AIG Global Reinsurance Operations, AIG Holdings Europe Limited, AIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, AIG Insurance Company China Limited, AIG Insurance Company JSC, AIG Insurance Company of Canada, AIG Insurance Company-Puerto Rico, AIG Insurance Hong Kong Limited, AIG Insurance Limited, AIG Insurance Management Services Inc., AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited, AIG International Holdings GmbH, AIG Investments UK Limited, AIG Israel Insurance Company Ltd, AIG Japan Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha, AIG Kenya Insurance Company Limited, AIG Korea Inc., AIG Latin America I.I., AIG Latin America Investments S.L., AIG Lebanon SAL, AIG Life Holdings Inc., AIG Life Insurance Company (Switzerland) Ltd, AIG Life Limited, AIG Life South Africa Limited, AIG Life of Bermuda Ltd., AIG MEA Holdings Limited, AIG MEA Limited, AIG Malaysia Insurance Berhad, AIG Markets Inc., AIG Matched Funding Corp., AIG PC Global Services Inc., AIG Philippines Insurance Inc., AIG Property Casualty Company, AIG Property Casualty Inc., AIG Property Casualty International LLC, AIG Property Casualty U.S. Inc., AIG Re-Takaful (L) Berhad, AIG Resseguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., AIG Shared Services Corporation, AIG South Africa Limited, AIG Specialty Insurance Company, AIG Technologies Inc., AIG Travel Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., AIG Travel Assist Inc., AIG Travel Assist Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., AIG Travel EMEA Limited, AIG Travel Inc., AIG Uganda Limited, AIG Vietnam Insurance Company Limited, AIG WarrantyGuard Inc., AIG-FP Pinestead Holdings Corp., AIG-Metropolitana Cia. de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A., AIGGRE EOLA LLC, AIGGRE Europe Real Estate Fund I GP S.a r.l., AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I GP LLC, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I LP, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund II GP LLC, AIU Insurance Company, AM Holdings LLC, Ageas Protect, AlphaCat Managers Ltd., American General Corporation, American General Life Insurance Company, American Home Assurance Co. Ltd., American Home Assurance Company, American Home Assurance Company Escritorio de Representacao no Brasil Ltda., American International Group Inc., American International Group UK Limited, American International Overseas Association, American International Overseas Limited, American International Realty Corp., American International Reinsurance Company Ltd., American International Underwriters del Ecuador-Holding S.A., American Security Life Insurance Company Limited, Arthur J. Glatfelter Agency Inc., Avondhu Limited, Blackboard Customer Care Insurance Services LLC, Blackboard Insurance Company, Blackboard Services LLC, Blackboard Specialty Insurance Company, Blackboard U.S. Holdings Inc., Chartis Takaful Enaya B.S.C. (c), Commerce and Industry Insurance Company, Crop Risk Services Inc., Eaglestone Reinsurance Company, Ellipse, Fortitude Group Holdings LLC, Fortitude Life & Annuity Solutions Inc., Fortitude Reinsurance Company Ltd., Franklin Life Insurance Company, Fuji Fire and Marine, Glatfelter Insurance Group, Globe and Rutgers Insurance Group, Grand Isle SAC Limited, Granite State Insurance Company, Group Risk Services Limited, Group Risk Technologies Limited, Illinois National Insurance Co., Jefferson Eola Venture LLC, Johannesburg Insurance Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Laya Healthcare Limited, Lexington Insurance Company, MG Reinsurance Limited, Mt. Mansfield Company Inc., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pa., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Vermont, New Hampshire Insurance Company, PT AIG Insurance Indonesia, Pine Street Real Estate Holdings Corp., Private Joint-Stock Company AIG Ukraine Insurance Company, Risk Specialists Companies Insurance Agency Inc., SA Affordable Housing LLC, SAFG Retirement Services Inc., Service Net Warranty LLC, Stratford Insurance Company, SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners Inc., SunAmerica Asset Management LLC, Talbot Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Ltd., Thai CIT Holding Company Limited, The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, Travel Guard, Travel Guard Group Canada Inc./Groupe Garde Voyage du Canada Inc., Travel Guard Group Inc., Tudor Insurance Company, VALIC Financial Advisors Inc., Valic Retirement Services Company, Validus Holdings, Validus Holdings (UK) Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., Validus Reinsurance (Switzerland) Ltd, Validus Reinsurance Ltd., Validus Ventures Ltd., Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Inc., Western World Insurance Company, and Western World Insurance Group Inc..
There is not enough analysis data for Leagold Mining.

4.8 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Leagold Mining has received 135 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Leagold Mining has received 51 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment Leagold Mining has received 72.58% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Leagold Mining and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe LMC will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe LMC will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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The following companies are subsidiares of CVS Health: @Credentials Inc., ACS ACQCO CORP., ADMINCO Inc., AE Fourteen Incorporated, AHP Holdings Inc., AMC - Tennessee LLC, APS Acquisition LLC, ASCO HealthCare LLC, ASI Wings LLC, AUSHC Holdings Inc., Accendo Insurance Company, Accordant Health Services L.L.C., Active Health Management Inc., Administrative Enterprises Inc., AdvancePCS SpecialtyRx LLC, AdvanceRx.com L.L.C., Advanced Care Scripts Inc., Aetna, Aetna (Beijing) Enterprise Management Services Co. Ltd., Aetna (Shanghai) Enterprise Services Co. Ltd., Aetna ACO Holdings Inc., Aetna Asset Advisors LLC, Aetna Behavioral Health LLC, Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health Inc., Aetna Better Health of California Inc., Aetna Better Health of Florida Inc., Aetna Better Health of Kansas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Better Health of Missouri LLC, Aetna Better Health of Nevada Inc., Aetna Better Health of North Carolina Inc., Aetna Better Health of Oklahoma Inc., Aetna Better Health of Texas Inc., Aetna Better Health of Washington Inc., Aetna Capital Management LLC, Aetna Card Solutions LLC, Aetna Corporate Services LLC, Aetna Dental Inc., Aetna Dental of California Inc., Aetna Financial Holdings LLC, Aetna Florida Inc., Aetna Global Benefits (Asia Pacific) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bahamas) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Bermuda) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Europe) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits (Middle East) LLC, Aetna Global Benefits (Singapore) PTE. LTD., Aetna Global Benefits (UK) Limited, Aetna Global Benefits Limited (DIFC UAE), Aetna Global Holdings Limited, Aetna Health Holdings LLC, Aetna Health Inc., Aetna Health Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Aetna Health Insurance Company, Aetna Health Insurance Company of Europe DAC, Aetna Health Management LLC, Aetna Health and Life Insurance Company, Aetna Health of California Inc., Aetna Health of Iowa Inc., Aetna Health of Michigan Inc., Aetna Health of Ohio Inc., Aetna Health of Utah Inc., Aetna HealthAssurance Pennsylvania Inc., Aetna Holdco (UK) Limited, Aetna Holdings (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Inc., Aetna Insurance (Hong Kong) Limite, Aetna Insurance (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Aetna Insurance Company Limited, Aetna Integrated Informatics Inc., Aetna International Inc., Aetna Ireland Inc., Aetna Korea Ltd., Aetna Life & Casualty (Bermuda) Ltd., Aetna Life Assignment Company, Aetna Life Insurance Company, Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC, Aetna Multi-Strategy 1099 Fund LLC, Aetna Network Services LLC, Aetna Partners Diversified Fund LLC, Aetna Pharmacy Management Services LLC, Aetna Resources LLC, Aetna Risk Assurance Company of Connecticut Inc., Aetna Rx Home Delivery LLC, Aetna Services (Thailand) Limited, Aetna Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Aetna Student Health Agency Inc., Aetna Ventures LLC, Aetna Workers Comp Access LLC, Alabama CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Alaska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Allina Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, American Continental Insurance Company, American Drug Stores Delaware L.L.C., American Health Holding Inc., Arbor Drugs, Arizona CVS Stores L.L.C., Arkansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Badger Acquisition LLC, Badger Acquisition of Kentucky LLC, Badger Acquisition of Minnesota LLC, Badger Acquisition of Ohio LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Company, Banner Health and Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Banner Health and Aetna Health Plan Inc., Beauty Holdings L.L.C., Best Care LTC Acquisition Company LLC, Busse CVS L.L.C., CCI Foreign S.a R.L. (R.C.S. Luxembourg), CCRx Holdings LLC, CCRx of North Carolina LLC, CHP Acquisition LLC, CP Acquisition LLC, CVS 2948 Henderson L.L.C., CVS 3268 Gilbert L.L.C., CVS 3745 Peoria L.L.C., CVS AL Distribution L.L.C., CVS AOC Corporation, CVS AOC Services L.L.C., CVS Albany L.L.C., CVS Bellmore Avenue L.L.C., CVS Care Concierge LLC, CVS Caremark Advanced Technology Pharmacy L.L.C., CVS Caremark Indemnity Ltd., CVS Caremark Part D Services L.L.C., CVS Caremark TN SUTA LLC, CVS Foreign Inc., CVS Gilbert 3272 L.L.C., CVS Health Solutions LLC, CVS Indiana L.L.C., CVS International L.L.C., CVS Kidney Care Advanced Technologies LLC, CVS Kidney Care Health Services LLC, CVS Kidney Care Home Dialysis LLC, CVS Kidney Care LLC, CVS Manchester NH L.L.C., CVS Media Exchange LLC, CVS Michigan L.L.C., CVS Orlando FL Distribution L.L.C., CVS PA Distribution L.L.C., CVS PR Center Inc., CVS Pharmacy Inc., CVS RS Arizona L.L.C., CVS Rx Services Inc., CVS SC Distribution L.L.C., CVS State Capital L.L.C., CVS TN Distribution L.L.C., CVS Transportation L.L.C., CVS Vero FL Distribution L.L.C., Campos Medical Pharmacy LLC, Canal Place LLC, Care Pharmaceutical Services LP, CareCenter Pharmacy L.L.C., Carefree Insurance Services Inc., Caremark Arizona Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Arizona Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark California Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Florida Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Florida Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Hawaii Mail Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Hawaii Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark IPA L.L.C., Caremark Illinois Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Illinois Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Irving Resource Center LLC, Caremark Kansas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark L.L.C., Caremark Logistics LLC, Caremark Louisiana Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Maryland Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Massachusetts Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Michigan Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Minnesota Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark New Jersey Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark North Carolina Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ohio Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Pennsylvania Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark PhC L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico L.L.C., Caremark Puerto Rico Specialty Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Redlands Pharmacy L.L.C., Caremark Repack LLC, Caremark Rx L.L.C., Caremark Tennessee Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Mail Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Texas Specialty Pharmacy LLC, Caremark Ulysses Holding Corp., Caremark Washington Specialty Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Alabama Mail Pharmacy LLC, CaremarkPCS Health L.L.C., CaremarkPCS L.L.C., Central Rx Services LLC, Claims Administration Corp., Cofinity Inc., Compscript LLC, Connecticut CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Continental Life Insurance Company of Brentwood Tennessee, Continuing Care Rx LLC, Coram Alternate Site Services Inc., Coram Clinical Trials Inc., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Alabama, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater D.C., Coram Healthcare Corporation of Greater New York, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Indiana, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Massachusetts, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Mississippi, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Nevada, Coram Healthcare Corporation of North Texas, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Northern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern California, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Southern Florida, Coram Healthcare Corporation of Utah, Coram LLC, Coram Rx LLC, Coram Specialty Infusion, Coram Specialty Infusion Services L.L.C., Coventry Consumer Advantage Inc., Coventry Health Care National Accounts Inc., Coventry Health Care National Network Inc., Coventry Health Care Workers Compensation Inc., Coventry Health Care of Illinois Inc., Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc., Coventry Health Care of Missouri Inc., Coventry Health Care of Nebraska Inc., Coventry Health Care of Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Care of West Virginia Inc., Coventry Health Plan of Florida Inc., Coventry Health and Life Insurance Company, Coventry HealthCare Management Corporation, Coventry Prescription Management Services Inc., Coventry Rehabilitation Services Inc., Coventry Transplant Network Inc., D & R Pharmaceutical Services LLC, D.A.W. LLC, Delaware CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Delaware Physicians Care Incorporated, Digital eHealth LLC, District of Columbia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., E.T.B. INC., Echo Merger Sub Inc., Eckerd Corporation of Florida Inc., Employee Assistance Services LLC, Enloe Drugs LLC, Enterprise Patient Safety Organization LLC, EntrustRX, Evergreen Pharmaceutical LLC, Evergreen Pharmaceutical of California Inc., Express Pharmacy Services of PA L.L.C., FOCUS HealthCare Management Inc., First Health Group Corp., First Health Life & Health Insurance Company, First Script Network Services Inc., Florida Health Plan Administrators LLC, Garfield Beach CVS L.L.C., Generation Health L.L.C., Geneva Woods Health Services LLC, Geneva Woods LTC Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Management LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Alaska LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Washington LLC, Geneva Woods Pharmacy Wyoming LLC, Geneva Woods Retail Pharmacy LLC, Georgia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., German Dobson CVS L.L.C., Goodhealth Worldwide (Asia) Limited, Goodhealth Worldwide (Global) Limited, Goodyear CVS L.L.C., Grand St. Paul CVS L.L.C., Grandview Pharmacy LLC, Group Dental Service Inc., Group Dental Service of Maryland Inc., Health Care Management Co. Ltd., Health Data & Management Solutions Inc., Health Re Inc., Health and Human Resource Center Inc., HealthAssuance Pennsylvania Inc., Healthagen LLC, Highland Park CVS L.L.C., Holiday CVS L.L.C., Home Care Pharmacy LLC, Home Pharmacy Services LLC, Hook-SupeRx L.L.C., Horizon Behavioral Services LLC, Idaho CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., IlliniCare Health, Indian Health Organisation Private Limited, Innovation Health Holdings LLC, Innovation Health Insurance Company, Innovation Health Plan Inc., Interlock Pharmacy Systems LLC, Iowa CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., JHC Acquisition LLC, Kansas CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Kentucky CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., LCPS Acquisition LLC, Langsam Health Services LLC, Lo-Med Prescription Services LLC, Lobos Acquisition LLC, Longs Drug Stores, Longs Drug Stores California L.L.C., Louisiana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., MHHP Acquisition Company LLC, MHNet Life and Health Insurance Company, MHNet Specialty Services LLC, MHNet of Florida Inc., Managed Care Coordinators Inc., Managed Healthcare LLC, Martin Health Services LLC, Maryland CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Med World Acquisition Corp., Medical Arts Health Care LLC, Medical Examinations of New York P.C., Melville Realty Company Inc., MemberHealth LLC, Mental Health Associates Inc., Mental Health Network of New York IPA Inc., Meritain Health Inc., Merwin Long Term Care LLC, MetraComp Inc., Minor Health Enterprise Co Ltd., MinuteClinic, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Alabama L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Arizona LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Florida LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Georgia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Hawaii L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Illinois LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Kentucky L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Louisiana L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maine L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Maryland LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Massachusetts LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Nebraska L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Hampshire L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of New Mexico L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Ohio LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oklahoma LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Oregon LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Pennsylvania LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Rhode Island LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of South Carolina L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Texas LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Utah L.L.C., MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Virginia LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Washington LLC, MinuteClinic Diagnostic of Wisconsin L.L.C., MinuteClinic L.L.C., MinuteClinic Online Diagnostic Services LLC, MinuteClinic Physician Practice of Texas, MinuteClinic Telehealth Services LLC, Mississippi CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Missouri CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Montana CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NCS Healthcare LLC, NCS Healthcare of Illinois LLC, NCS Healthcare of Iowa LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kansas LLC, NCS Healthcare of Kentucky Inc. (Oh, NCS Healthcare of Montana LLC, NCS Healthcare of New Mexico LLC, NCS Healthcare of Ohio LLC, NCS Healthcare of South Carolina LLC, NCS Healthcare of Tennessee LLC, NCS Healthcare of Wisconsin LLC, NIV Acquisition LLC, Navarro Discount Pharmacy, Nebraska CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., NeighborCare Holdings Inc., NeighborCare Inc., NeighborCare Pharmacy Services Inc., NeighborCare Services Corporation, NeighborCare of Indiana LLC, NeighborCare of Virginia LLC, New Jersey CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Niagara Re Inc., North Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., North Shore Pharmacy Services LLC, NovoLogix LLC, OCR Services LLC, Ocean Acquisition Sub L.L.C., Ohio CVS Stores L.L.C., Oklahoma CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Omnicare, Omnicare Holding Company, Omnicare Inc., Omnicare Indiana Partnership Holding Company LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania East LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of Pennsylvania West LLC, Omnicare Pharmacies of the Great Plains Holding LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy and Supply Services LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of Tennessee LLC, Omnicare Pharmacy of the Midwest LLC, Omnicare Property Management LLC, Omnicare of Nebraska LLC, Omnicare of Nevada LLC, Omnicare of New York LLC, Oregon CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., PE Holdings LLC, PHPSNE Parent Corporation, PP Acquisition Company LLC, PRN Pharmaceutical Services LP, PT Aetna Management Consulting, Pamplona Saude e Beleza LTDA, Part D Holding Company L.L.C., PayFlex Holdings Inc., PayFlex Systems USA Inc., Pennsylvania CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Performax Inc., Pharmacy Associates of Glenn Falls LLC, Pharmacy Consultants LLC, Phoenix Data Solutions LLC, Precision Benefit Services Inc., Prime Net Inc., ProCare Pharmacy Direct L.L.C., ProCare Pharmacy L.L.C., Prodigy Health Group Inc., Professional Risk Management Inc., Pt. Aetna Global Benefits Indonesia, Puerto Rico CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Red Oak Sourcing LLC, Resources for Living LLC, Rhode Island CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Roeschens Healthcare LLC, RxAmerica, Schaller Anderson Medical Administrators Incorporated, Scrip World LLC, Sheffield Avenue CVS L.L.C., Shore Pharmaceutical Providers LLC, Silverscript Insurance Company, Soma Intimates, South Carolina CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., South Wabash CVS L.L.C., Specialized Pharmacy Services LLC, Spinnaker Bidco Limited, Spinnaker Topco Limited, Stadtlander Drug Company, Stadtlander Pharmacy, Sterling Healthcare Services LLC, Superior Care Pharmacy LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Administrative Services LLC, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Company, Sutter Health and Aetna Insurance Holding Company LLC, T2 Medical Inc., TCPI Acquisition LLC, TargetPharmacy, Tennessee CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Company, Texas Health + Aetna Health Insurance Holding Company LLC, Texas Health + Aetna Health Plan Inc., The Vasquez Group Inc., Thomas Phoenix CVS L.L.C., Three Forks Apothecary LLC, U.S Healthcare Holdings LLC, U.S. Healthcare Properties Inc., UAC Holding Inc., UC Acquisition LLC, UNI-Care Health Services of Maine LLC, Universal American - Medicare Part D Business, Utah CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., VAPS Acquisition Company LLC, Value Health Care Services LLC, Vermont CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Virtual Home Healthcare L.L.C., Warm Springs Road CVS L.L.C., Washington CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Washington Lamb CVS L.L.C., Weber Medical Systems LLC, Wellpartner LLC, West Virginia CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Westhaven Services Co LLC, Williamson Drug Company LLC, Wisconsin CVS Pharmacy L.L.C., Woodward Detroit CVS L.L.C., Work and Family Benefits Inc., ZS Acquisition Company LLC, Zinc Health Services LLC, Zinc Health Ventures LLC, bSwift LLC, and iTriage LLC.
Xcel Energy, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity. It operates through the following three segments: Regulated Electric Utility, Regulated Natural Gas Utility and All Others. The Regulated Electric Utility segment generates, transmits and distributes electricity primarily in portions of generates, transmits and distributes electricity in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Colorado, Texas and New Mexico. In addition, this segment includes sales for resale and provides wholesale transmission service to various entities in the United States. It also includes commodity trading operations. The Regulated Natural Gas Utility segment transports, stores, and distributes natural gas primarily in portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan and Colorado. The All Others segment engages in steam, appliance repair services, nonutility real estate activities, processing solid waste into refuse-derived fuel and investments in rental housing projects that qualify for low-income housing tax credits. The company was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN.

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Invesco China Technology ETF's stock was trading at $51.99 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, CQQQ shares have increased by 36.8% and is now trading at $71.10.

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iShares MSCI Canada ETF's stock was trading at $23.42 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWC stock has increased by 68.8% and is now trading at $39.53.

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iShares MSCI Australia ETF's stock was trading at $17.46 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, EWA shares have increased by 46.2% and is now trading at $25.52.

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Imperial Brands PLC, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, imports, markets, and sells tobacco and tobacco-related products. It offers a range of cigarettes, fine cut and smokeless tobacco, papers, and cigars; and next generation product (NGP) portfolio, such as e-vapour products, as well as oral nicotine and heated tobacco products. The company sells its products under various brands, including Davidoff, Gauloises, JPS, West, L&B, Bastos, Fine, Winston, News, Parker & Simpson, blu, Kool, Horizon, Jade, Cohiba, Montecristo, Romeo Y Julieta, Backwoods, Skruf, Golden Virginia, Rizla, and Knox in approximately 160 countries worldwide. It also provides logistics services that include the distribution of tobacco and NGP products for tobacco and NGP product manufacturers; and various non-tobacco and NGP products and services. In addition, the company is involved in the management of a golf course; marketing of papers; restaurant business; distribution of pharmaceuticals, POS software, and published materials and other products; printing and publishing activities; and provision of long haul transportation, industrial parcel and express delivery, advertising, and support management services. Further, it owns the trademarks; and retails its products. The company was formerly known as Imperial Tobacco Group PLC and changed its name to Imperial Brands PLC in February 2016. Imperial Brands PLC was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Bristol, the United Kingdom.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, Agile Pursuits, Agile Pursuits Franchising, Arbora, Arbora & Ausonia, Arborinvest, Billie, Braun (Shanghai) Co., Braun GmbH, Braun-Gillette Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Celtic Insurance Company, Compania Procter & Gamble Mexico, Compania Quimica S.A., Corporativo Procter & Gamble, Cosmetic Products Pty. Ltd., Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., Eurocos Cosmetic GmbH, FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Fater S.p.A., Fountain Square Music Publishing Co., Gillette (China) Ltd., Gillette (Shanghai) Ltd., Gillette Aesop Ltd., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette Canada Holdings, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Gruppe Deutschland GmbH & Co. oHG, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Nova Scotia Company, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Poland S.A., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay, Giorgio Beverly Hills Inc., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, LLC "Procter & Gamble Novomoskovsk", LLL "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", Laboratorios Vicks, Liberty Street Music Publishing Company, Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', Limited Liability Company with foreign investments Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, New Chapter, New Chapter Canada Inc., Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G Prestige Service GmbH, P&G South African Trading (Pty.) Ltd., PGT Health Care (Zhejiang) Limited, PGT Healthcare LLP, PPI ZAO, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Procter & Gamble (Chengdu) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (East Africa) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Egypt) Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble (Enterprise Fund) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty Care) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Jiangsu) Ltd. China, Procter & Gamble (L&CP) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing) Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble (Shanghai) International Trade Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Acquisition GmbH, Procter & Gamble Administration GmbH, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chile , Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Commercial de Cuba S.A., Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent (Beijing) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deuttschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing (Philippines) Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distribution Company (Europe) BVBA, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana, Procter & Gamble Europe SA, Procter & Gamble Export Operations SARL, Procter & Gamble Exportadora e Importadora Ltda., Procter & Gamble Exports, Procter & Gamble Fabricacao e Comercio Ltda., Procter & Gamble Far East, Procter & Gamble Finance (U.K.) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care, Procter & Gamble Hellas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holdings (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership (KKT), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings, Procter & Gamble Indochina Limited Company, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama, Procter & Gamble International Operations Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Investment Company (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment GmbH, Procter & Gamble Italia, Procter & Gamble Japan K.K., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea, Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble Lanka Private Ltd. Sri Lanka, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Marketing and Services doo, Procter & Gamble Maroc SA, Procter & Gamble Mataro, Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Investments B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Nordic, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan (Private) Limited, Procter & Gamble Partnership LLP, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals France SAS, Procter & Gamble Philippines, Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo, Procter & Gamble Product Supply (U.K.) Limited U.K., Procter & Gamble Production GmbH, Procter & Gamble Productions, Procter & Gamble Productos de Consumo, Procter & Gamble RHD, Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services BVBA, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Satis ve Dagitim Ltd. Sti., Procter & Gamble Seine S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services (Switzerland) SA, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Share Incentive Plan Trustee Ltd., Procter & Gamble South America Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. (Ltd.), Procter & Gamble Sports and Social Club Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Procter & Gamble Trading (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Verwaltungs GmbH, Procter & Gamble Vietnam, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil S/A, Procter & Gamble do Brazil, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Redmond Products, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Richardson-Vicks do Brasil Quimica e Farmaceutica Ltda, Riverfront Music Publishing Co., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Scannon S.A.S., Series Acquisition B.V., Shulton, Surfac S.R.L., Sycamore Productions, TAOS - FL, TAOS Retail, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving - FL, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble GBS Company, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon (Shanghai) Academy, Vidal Sassoon Co., WEBA Betriebsrenten-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Walker & Company Brands, and iMFLUX Inc..
Wells Fargo & Co. is a diversified, community-based financial services company. It is engaged in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance. It firm operates through the following segments: Community Banking, Wholesale Banking, Wealth & Investment Management, and Other. The Community Banking segment offers complete line of diversified financial products and services for consumers and small businesses including checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, and automobile, student, and small business lending. The Wholesale Banking segment provides financial solutions to businesses across the United States and globally. The Wealth and Investment Management segment includes personalized wealth management, investment and retirement products and services to clients across U.S. based businesses. The Other segment refers to the products of WIM customers served through community banking distribution channels. The company was founded by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo on March 18, 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Mohawk Industries: A&S Energie NV, A&U Energie NV, Aladdin Manufacturing Corporation, Aladdin Manufacturing Of New York LLC, Aladdin Manufacturing of Alabama LLC, Alsace Logistique S.A., Avelgem Green Power CVBA, Avon Pacific Holdings Ltd, B&M NV, BGE Mexico S. de R. L. de C.V., Berghoef GmbH, Berghoef-Hout B.V., Bienes Raices y Materiales del Centro S. de R.L. de C.V., C.F. Marazzi S.A., Canterbury Spinners Ltd, Carpet Foundation Ltd, Cevotrans BV, Ceramus Bahia S/A  Produtos Ceramicos, DT Mex Holdings LLC, DTM/CM Holdings LLC, Dal Italia LLC, Dal-Elit LLC, Dal-Tile Chile Comercial Limitada, Dal-Tile Colombia S.A.S., Dal-Tile Distribution Inc., Dal-Tile Group Inc., Dal-Tile I LLC, Dal-Tile Industrias S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile International Inc., Dal-Tile Mexico Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Dal-Tile Operaciones Mexico S. De R.L. De C.V., Dal-Tile Peru SRL, Dal-Tile Puerto Rico Inc., Dal-Tile Services Inc., Dal-Tile Shared Services Inc., Dal-Tile Tennessee LLC, Dal-Tile of Canada ULC, Daltile, Daltile, Dekaply NV, Durkan, Dynea NV, Eliane Argentina Sociedad Anonima, Eliane S/A - Revestimentos Ceramicos, Emilceramica India Pvt Ltd., Emilceramica S.r.l, Emilgermany GmbH, Emilgroup Asia Ltd, Explorer S.r.l., F.I.L.S. Investments Unlimited Company, Feltex Carpets Ltd, Feltex Carpets Pty Ltd, Feltex New Zealand Ltd, Fibremakers Australia Pty Ltd, Flooring Foundation Ltd, Flooring Industries Limited S.a r.l., Flooring XL B.V., Floorscape Limited, Godfrey Hirst & Co Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Australia Pty Ltd, Godfrey Hirst Group, Godfrey Hirst NZ Ltd, Hytherm (Ireland) Limited, IVC BVBA, IVC Far-East Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., IVC France S.a r.l., IVC GROUP LIMITED, IVC Green Power NV, IVC Group, IVC Group GmbH, IVC Luxembourg S.a r.l., IVC Rus OOO, IVC US Inc., International Flooring Systems S.a r.l., International Vinyl Company - Vostok OOO, KAI Group, KAI Keramica Ltd, KAI Mining EOOD, KERAMA CENTER OOO, Kerama Baltics OOO, Kerama Export OOO, Kerama Marazzi OOO, Kerampromservis (LLC), Khan Asparuh - Transport EOOD, Khan Asparuh AD, Khan Omurtag AD, Koninklijke Peitsman B.V., Kraj Kerama OOO, MG China Trading Ltd., MI Finance SRL, MUD (Holding) Brazil Ltda., Management Co EAD, Marazzi Acquisition S.r.l., Marazzi Deutschland G.m.b.H., Marazzi France Trading S.A.S., Marazzi Group, Marazzi Group F.Z.E., Marazzi Group S.r.l., Marazzi Group Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marazzi Iberia S.L.U., Marazzi Japan Co. Ltd., Marazzi Middle East FZ LLC, Marazzi Schweiz S.A.G.L., Marazzi UK Ltd., Mohawk Assurance Services Inc., Mohawk Australia Pty Ltd, Mohawk Canada Corporation, Mohawk Capital Finance S.A., Mohawk Capital Luxembourg SA, Mohawk Carpet Distribution Inc., Mohawk Carpet Foundation Inc., Mohawk Carpet LLC, Mohawk Carpet Transportation Of Georgia LLC, Mohawk Commercial Inc., Mohawk ESV Inc., Mohawk Europe BVBA, Mohawk Factoring II Inc., Mohawk Factoring LLC, Mohawk Finance S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Acquisitions S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Funding S.a.r.l, Mohawk Foreign Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Foreign Investments Inc., Mohawk Global Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Holdings International B.V., Mohawk Industries Inc., Mohawk International (Europe) S.a r.l., Mohawk International (Hong Kong) Limited, Mohawk International Capital N.V., Mohawk International Financing S.a.r.l, Mohawk International Holdings (DE) LLC, Mohawk International Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk International Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk International Netherlands B.V., Mohawk International Services BVBA, Mohawk KAI Luxembourg Holding S.a r.l., Mohawk KAI Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Capital S.A., Mohawk Luxembourg Financing S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Holdings S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Luxembourg Pacific S.a r.l., Mohawk Marazzi International BV, Mohawk Marazzi Russia BV, Mohawk New Zealand Limited, Mohawk Operaciones Mexicali S. de R.L. de C.V., Mohawk Operations Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk Pacific Investments S.a r.l., Mohawk Resources LLC, Mohawk Servicing LLC, Mohawk Singapore Private Limited, Mohawk Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mohawk Unilin Luxembourg S.a r.l., Mohawk United Finance B.V., Mohawk United International B.V., Mohawk Vinyl Financing S.a r.l., Molber Beheer B.V., Monarch Ceramic Tile Inc., P.F. Onroerend Goed B.V., PF Beheer B.V., Pergo, Pergo (Europe) AB, Pergo Holding BV, Pergo India Pvt Ltd, Polcolorit S.A., Premium Floors Australia Pty Limited, RR Apex LLC, Rata International Pty Ltd, Recubrimientos Interceramica S. de R.L. de C.V., Riverside Textiles Pty Ltd, S.C. KAI Ceramics SRL, Sibir Kerama OOO, SimpleSolutions USA LLC, Soft Step (Australia) Pty Ltd, Spano Group, Spano Invest BVBA, Spano NV, Stroyagromekhzapchast ChaO, Stroytrans OAO Orelstroy, Summit Wool Spinners Ltd, The Flooring Federation Ltd, Tiles Co OOD, Unilin (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Unilin ApS, Unilin Arauco Pisos Ltda., Unilin BVBA, Unilin Beheer BV, Unilin Distribution Ltd., Unilin Distribution Ukraine LLC, Unilin Finland OY, Unilin Flooring India Private Limited, Unilin Flooring SAS, Unilin GmbH, Unilin Holding BVBA, Unilin Insulation BV, Unilin Insulation SAS, Unilin Insulation Sury SAS, Unilin Italia S.R.L., Unilin North America LLC, Unilin Norway AS, Unilin OOO, Unilin Panels SAS, Unilin Poland Sp.Z.o.o., Unilin SAS, Unilin Spain SL, Unilin Swiss GmbH, Unilin s.r.o., World International Inc., Xtratherm, Xtratherm Limited, Xtratherm S.A., and Xtratherm UK Limited.
The following companies are subsidiares of Brinker International: BI INTERNATIONAL SERVICES LLC, BI MEXICO HOLDING CORPORATION, BIPC GLOBAL PAYROLL COMPANY LLC, BIPC INVESTMENTS LLC, BIPC MANAGEMENT LLC, BRINKER AIRPORTS LLC, BRINKER ALABAMA INC., BRINKER ARKANSAS INC., BRINKER ASIA INC., BRINKER BRAZIL LLC, BRINKER CANADIAN HOLDING CO. ULC, BRINKER CANADIAN RESTAURANT CO. ULC, BRINKER CB LP, BRINKER CB MANAGEMENT LLC, BRINKER FHC B.V., BRINKER FLORIDA INC., BRINKER FREEHOLD INC., BRINKER GEORGIA INC., BRINKER INTERNATIONAL PAYROLL COMPANY L.P., BRINKER LOUISIANA INC., BRINKER MICHIGAN INC., BRINKER MISSISSIPPI INC., BRINKER MISSOURI INC., BRINKER NEVADA INC., BRINKER NEW JERSEY INC., BRINKER NORTH CAROLINA INC., BRINKER OF BALTIMORE COUNTY INC., BRINKER OF CARROLL COUNTY INC., BRINKER OF CECIL COUNTY INC., BRINKER OKLAHOMA INC., BRINKER OPCO LLC, BRINKER PENN TRUST, BRINKER PROPCO FLORIDA INC., BRINKER PROPERTY CORPORATION, BRINKER PURCHASING INC., BRINKER RESTAURANT CORPORATION, BRINKER RHODE ISLAND INC., BRINKER SERVICES CORPORATION, BRINKER SOUTH CAROLINA INC., BRINKER TEXAS INC., BRINKER VIRGINIA INC., CHILIS BEVERAGE COMPANY INC., CHILIS INC. a Delaware corporation, CHILIS INC. a Tennessee corporation, CHILIS INTERNATIONAL BASES B.V., CHILIS OF BEL AIR INC., CHILIS OF KANSAS INC., CHILIS OF MARYLAND INC., CHILIS OF WEST VIRGINIA INC., Grady's Inc., MAGGIANO'S OF ANNAPOLIS INC., MAGGIANO'S OF HOWARD COUNTY INC., MAGGIANO'S OF KANSAS INC., MAGGIANOS BEVERAGE COMPANY, MAGGIANOS HOLDING CORPORATION, MAGGIANOS INC., MAGGIANOS OF TYSONS INC., MAGGIANOS PROPERTY CORPORATION, MAGGIANOS TEXAS INC., PEPPER DINING HOLDING CORP., PEPPER DINING Inc., and PEPPER DINING VERMONT INC..
The following companies are subsidiares of Boston Scientific: 34 Biomedical Merger Corp., 9357-1867 Quebec Inc., Acurate Industria e Comercio Ltda., Advanced Bionics, Advanced Stent Technologies, American Medical Systems, American Medical Systems Europe B.V., Apama Medical, Apama Medical Inc., Asthmatx, Atritech, Augmenix, Augmenix Inc., Augmenix K.K., BSC International Medical Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BSC Medical Device Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., BTG, BTG Australasia Pty Ltd, BTG Europe B.V., BTG IM Holdings Ltd., BTG International (Holdings) Limited, BTG International Asia Limited, BTG International Canada Inc., BTG International Germany GmbH, BTG International Healthcare Inc., BTG International Healthcare LLC, BTG International Healthcare Limited, BTG International Inc., BTG International Limited, BTG Limited, BTG Management Services Limited, BTG Medikal Limited Sirketi, Bard Electrophysiology, Barosense, Biocompatibles Inc., Biocompatibles International Limited, Biocompatibles UK Limited, Boston Scientific (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Boston Scientific (South Africa) Proprietary Limited, Boston Scientific (Thailand) Ltd., Boston Scientific (UK) Limited, Boston Scientific AG, Boston Scientific Argentina S.A., Boston Scientific Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Boston Scientific Benelux NV, Boston Scientific Canada Limited, Boston Scientific Ceska republika s.r.o., Boston Scientific Chile SpA, Boston Scientific Colombia Limitada, Boston Scientific Comercial de Costa Rica BSCR S.R.L., Boston Scientific Far East B.V., Boston Scientific Gesellschaft m.b.H., Boston Scientific Group plc, Boston Scientific Hellas S.A., Boston Scientific Hong Kong Limited, Boston Scientific Iberica S.A., Boston Scientific India Private Limited, Boston Scientific International B.V., Boston Scientific International Finance Limited, Boston Scientific International S.A., Boston Scientific Israel Ltd., Boston Scientific Japan K.K., Boston Scientific Korea Co. Ltd., Boston Scientific Lebanon SAL, Boston Scientific Limited, Boston Scientific Ltd., Boston Scientific Medical Device, Boston Scientific Medical Device Limited, Boston Scientific Medizintechnik GmbH, Boston Scientific Middle East FZ-LLC, Boston Scientific Middle East SAL, Boston Scientific Nederland B.V., Boston Scientific Neuromodulation Corporation, Boston Scientific New Zealand Limited, Boston Scientific Nordic AB, Boston Scientific Peru S.A.C., Boston Scientific Philippines Inc., Boston Scientific Polska Sp. z o.o., Boston Scientific Portugal - Dispositivos Medicos Lda, Boston Scientific Pty Ltd, Boston Scientific Romania S.R.L., Boston Scientific S.A.S., Boston Scientific S.p.A., Boston Scientific Scimed, Boston Scientific Scimed Inc., Boston Scientific Services Private Limited, Boston Scientific TIP Gerecleri Limited Sirketi, Boston Scientific Technology & Engineering Services Private Limited, Boston Scientific Uruguay S.A., Boston Scientific Vietnam Company Limited, Boston Scientific de Costa Rica S.R.L., Boston Scientific de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Boston Scientific del Caribe Inc., Boston Scientific do Brasil Ltda., Bravo Bidco Limited, BridgePoint Medical, Cameron Health, Cardiac Pacemakers Inc., Cardiac Pathways Corp, Catheter Innovations, Claret Medical, Claret Medical Inc., Cosman Medical, Cosman Medical LLC, CryoCor, Cryterion Medical, Cryterion Medical Inc., Cryterion Medical Ireland Limited, EKOS LLC, EMcision, EMcision International Inc., EP Technologies, EP Technologies Inc., Electron Acquisition Corporation, EndoChoice, EndoChoice Holdings Inc., EndoChoice Inc., EndoChoice Innovation Center Ltd., EndoChoice Israel Ltd., Endotex, Enteric Medical Technologies, Galil Medical Inc., Galil Medical Ltd., Galil Medical UK Limited, Guidant, Guidant Delaware Holding Corporation, Guidant Europe NV, Guidant Puerto Rico B.V., Hong Kong Medtech Trading Limited, Intelect Medical, Millipede, Millipede Inc., NXT Merger Corp., Notebook Merger Sub Ltd., Novate Medical Limited, NxThera, NxThera Inc., PT Boston Scientific Indonesia, PneumRx GmbH, PneumRx LLC, PneumRx Liimited, Protherics Medicines Development B.V., Protherics Medicines Development Limited, Protherics UK Limited, Provensis Limited, RMI Acquisition Corp., Remon Medical Technologies, Rhythmia Medical, Robert S. Smith M.D. Inc., Roxwood Medical Inc., SNS Merger Corp, Sadra Medical, Sadra Medical Inc., Securus Medical Group, Securus Medical Group Inc., Special K Merger Corp., StarMedTec, Stream Enterprises LLC, Symetis, Symetis SA, Target Therapeutics, Target Therapeutics Inc., The LumenR Tissue Retractor System, Veniti, Veniti Inc., VertiFlex, Vertiflex Inc., Vessix Vascular, Xlumena, Zuma Investment Pty Ltd, iogyn, nVision Medical, and nVision Medical Corporation.
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 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.
Premier African Minerals Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, evaluation, development, and investment of natural resource properties on the African continent. The company explores for tungsten, lithium, tantalum, fluorspar, xenotime, zinc, nickel, uranium, gold, specialty minerals, limestone, potash and limestone, and rare earth metals. It holds interests in various properties located in Zimbabwe, Togo, Benin, and Mozambique. The company was formerly known as G&B African Resources Limited and changed its name to Premier African Minerals Limited in April 2012. Premier African Minerals Limited was founded in 2007 and is based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.

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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.

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Stantec Inc. provides professional consulting services in the area of infrastructure and facilities in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company provides consulting services in engineering, architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, surveying, environmental sciences, project management, and project economics. It also offers water, transportation, and public works; transportation planning and traffic engineering; and resource assessment, mine development, reclamation, hydrology, and geotechnical and infrastructure engineering services, as well as urban planning, traffic assessments and optimization, environmental impact assessments, and public consultation services. In addition, the company provides structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and hydraulics engineering services. It serves urban regeneration, infrastructure, education, public and private sector, tourism and leisure, and waste and water sectors, as well as office and commercial, residential, and retail and town centers. The company was formerly known as Stanley Technology Group Inc. and changed its name to Stantec Inc. in October 1998. Stantec Inc. was founded in 1954 and is headquartered in Edmonton, Canada.

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Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Consumer Staples ETF's stock was trading at $130.54 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, RHS shares have increased by 22.9% and is now trading at $160.4958.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
The following companies are subsidiares of Tesco: Adminstore Limited, Adsega Limited, Alfred Preedy & Sons (Trustees) Limited, Alfred Preedy & Sons Limited, Anthony Heagney Limited, Arena (Jersey) Management Limited, Armitage Finance Unlimited, Armitage Luxembourg s.? r.l., BLT Holdings 2010 Limited, Bath Upper Bristol Road Management, Bedminster Estates Limited, Beehythe Estates limited, Berry Lane Management Company Limited, Blinkbox Books Limited, BlinxBox, Booker Group, Brian Fords Discount Store Limited, Broadfields Management Limited, Brookmaker (GP) Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 1 Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 2 Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 3 Limited, Broughton Retail Park Nominee 4 Limited, Buckingham Road (Bletchley) Management Company Limited, Bugden Ltd, Buttoncable Limited, Buttoncase Limited, Canterbury Road Management Limited, Cardiff Cathays Terrace Management Company Limited, Careneed News Limited, Cheshunt Finance Unlimited, Cheshunt Holdings Guernsey Limited, Cheshunt Hungary Servicing Limited Liability Company, Cheshunt Luxembourg S.? r.l., Cheshunt Overseas LLP, China Property Holdings (HK) Limited, Chirac Limited, Cirrus Finance (2009) Limited, Cirrus Finance Limited, Cirrus Luxembourg s.? r.l., Clarepharm Limited, Clondalkin Properties Limited, Comar Limited, Commercial Investments Limited, Crazy Prices, Crest Ostrava a.s, Cullens Holdings Limited, Cullens Stores Limited, Daily Wrap Produce Limited, Day And Nite Stores Limited, Delamare Cards Holdco Limited, Delamare Cards MTN Issuer plc, Delamare Finance PLC, Delamare Group Holdings Limited, Delamare Holdings BV Netherlands, Delamare Luxembourg s.? r.l. Luxembourg, Delamare One Limited, Dunnhumby Ventures LLC, ELH Insurance Limited, Edinburgh Butterfly Farm Limited, Edson Investments Limited, Edson Properties Limited, Ek-Chai Distribution System Co. Ltd., Euphorium (London) Limited, Euphorium (North London) Limited, Euphorium Group Limited, Euphorium IP Limited, Europa Foods Limited, Faraday Properties Limited, Flitwick Pharmacies Limited, Food & Wine Lovers Limited, Forum Liberec s.r.o, Freds Food Construction Limited, Freehold and Leasehold Property Fund, Gain Land Limited, Genesis sp. z o.o., Gibbs News Limited, Gibbs Newsagents Limited, Gida Sanayi A.S., Giraffe, Giraffe Cafe Limited, Giraffe Concepts Limited, Golden Island Management Services Limited, HIT hypermarket Sp. z o. o., Halesworth SPV Limited, Harris and Hoole Holdings Limited, Harris and Hoole Limited, Harris and Hoole Nominees Limited, Homeplus, Hymall Co. Ltd., J E Properties Holdings Limited, Jasper Sp. z o. o. Poland, KSS Retail Limited, Kabaty Investments Tesco (Polska) Sp. z o. o. Sp.k, Kingsway Fresh Foods Ltd, Koxka Hungary Refrigeration LLC, Launchgrain Limited, Launchtable Limited, Laws Stores Limited, Lazada Group S.A., Lee (Southern) Limited, Lek?ren? Tesco Bansk? Bystrica k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Dunajsk? Streda k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Ko?ice k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Lama k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Nitra k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Petr?alka k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Pie?tany k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Pre?ov Vukov k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Senec k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Spi?sk? Nov? Ves k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Trenc??n s.r.o. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Zlat? Piesky k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Lek?ren? Tesco Zvolen k.s. Slovakia Limited Partnership, Linebush III Holdings Limited, Linebush III Limited, Linebush IV Limited, Linebush Limited, Linebush V Limited, London and Home Counties Superstores Limited, Lowfoods Limited, M & W Limited, Merrion Shopping Centre Ltd, Mills (East Midlands) Limited, Mills (West Midlands) Limited, Mills Group Holdings Limited, Mills Group Limited, Mobcast Services, Monread Developments Limited, Morgam Holdings Limited, Morgam News Limited, Motorcause Limited, NPL (Hardgate) Limited, Nabola Development Limited, NutriCentre Limited, OC FORUM Liberec Ltd., Oakwood Distribution Limited, Obchodn? dom Bratislava s.ro, Obchodn? dom Ko?ice s.ro., Obchodn? dom Nitra s.ro., Obchodn? dom Pre?ov s.ro., Old FEHC Inc., Old FEPC LLC, One Stop Community Stores Ltd, One Stop Convenience Stores Limited, One Stop Stores Limited, One Stop Stores Trustee Services Limited, Orpingford, Orpington (Station Road) Limited, Oxford Fox and Hounds Management Company Limited, PEJ Property Developments Limited, Paper Chain (East Anglia) Limited, Pharaway Properties Limited, Power Supermarkets Limited, Premier Garage (Worthing) Limited, Pulford Foods Limited, R.J.D. Holdings, Retail Property Co. Ltd, S Bottomley & Bros Limited, Sanders Supermarkets Limited, Sandtable Limited, Sarcon (No. 239) Limited, Seacroft Green Nominee 1 Limited, Seacroft Green Nominee 2 Limited, Shire Park Limited, Shuke Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Snowman Retail 1 Limited, Snowman Retail 2 Limited, Sociomantic AB, Sociomantic Labs B.V, Sociomantic Labs Inc, Sociomantic Labs Internet Hizmetleri Limited ?ireketi, Sociomantic Labs LLC, Sociomantic Labs Limited, Sociomantic Labs Private Limited, Sociomantic Labs Pte Ltd, Sociomantic Labs S.r.l, Sociomantic Labs SARL, Sociomantic Labs Servicos Web Ltda, Sociomantic Labs Sp.z.o.o., Sociomantic Labs s.r.o., Sociomantic S.L.U., Sociomantic labs GmbH, Spen Hill Developments (Holdings) Ltd, Spen Hill Developments (Portishead) Ltd, Spen Hill Developments (Tonbridge) Limited, Spen Hill Developments Limited, Spen Hill Management Limited, Spen Hill Properties (Holdings) plc, Spen Hill Properties (Southend) Limited, Spen Hill Regeneration Limited, Spen Hill Residential No 1 Limited, Spen Hill Residential No 2 Limited, Station House Welling Management Limited, Statusfloat Limited, Stewarts Supermarkets Limited, Streatham Management Company Limited, T & S Management Services Limited, T & S Properties Limited, T & S Stores Limited, TESCO (POLSKA) sp. z o.o., TESCO Akad?mia K?pz?si ?s Fejleszt?si Kor?tolt Felelss?g T?rsas?g, TESCO MOBILE POLSKA SP. Z O.O., TESCO STORES SR a.s., Tapesilver Limited, Teesport (GP) Limited, Teesport (Nominee) Limited, Telegraph Properties (Kirkby) Limited, Tesco (Foxtrot 1) Limited, Tesco (Foxtrot 2) Limited, Tesco (Fujian) Industry Limited, Tesco (Jersey) Limited, Tesco (Overseas) Ltd, Tesco (Yorkshire) Limited, Tesco Aqua (1LP) Limited, Tesco Aqua (3LP) Limited, Tesco Aqua (FinCo1) Limited, Tesco Aqua (FinCo2) Limited, Tesco Aqua (GP) Limited, Tesco Aqua (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Aqua (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Aqua (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Atrato (1LP) Limited, Tesco Atrato (GP) Limited, Tesco Barbers Wood Limited, Tesco Bengaluru Private Limited, Tesco Blue (1LP) Limited, Tesco Blue (FinCo2) Limited, Tesco Blue (GP) Limited, Tesco Blue (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Blue (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Blue (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Capital No. 1 Limited, Tesco Capital No. 2 Limited, Tesco Card Services Limited, Tesco Card Services Limited, Tesco Card Services Ltd., Tesco Chile Sourcing Limitada, Tesco Coral (GP) Limited, Tesco Corporate Treasury Services PLC, Tesco Depot Propco Limited, Tesco Distribution Holdings Limited, Tesco Distribution Limited, Tesco Dorney (1LP) Limited, Tesco Dorney (GP) Limited, Tesco Dystrybucja Sp. z.o.o., Tesco EU IT Services s.r.o., Tesco Employees Share Scheme Trustees Limited, Tesco Estates Limited, Tesco Europe B.V. Netherlands, Tesco Family Dining Limited, Tesco Food Sourcing Brazil Representa??o De Servi?os Ltda., Tesco Food Sourcing Limited, Tesco Foundation (Nadacia Tesco), Tesco Freetime Limited, Tesco Fuchsia (1LP) Limited, Tesco Fuel Limited, Tesco Global Employment Company Limited, Tesco Guangdong (HK) Co. Limited, Tesco High Beech Limited, Tesco Holdings BV, Tesco Holdings Limited, Tesco Home Shopping Limited, Tesco Hungary (Holdings) Limited, Tesco International Franchising s.r.o., Tesco International Internet Retailing Limited, Tesco International Services Limited, Tesco International Sourcing Limited, Tesco Ireland Holdings Limited, Tesco Ireland Limited, Tesco Ireland Pension Trustees Limited, Tesco Jade (GP) Limited, Tesco Joint Buying Service (Shanghai) Co Limited, Tesco Kipa Kitle Pazarlama Ticaret Lojistik ve, Tesco Kirkby (General Partner) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (LP) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Unitholder 1) Limited, Tesco Kirkby (Unitholder2) Limited, Tesco Lagoon GP Limited, Tesco Licences Limited, Tesco Lotus Retail Growth, Tesco Lotus Retail Growth Freehold and Leasehold Property Fund, Tesco Maintenance Limited, Tesco Mauritius Holdings Limited, Tesco Mobile (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Tesco Mobile CR s.r.o., Tesco Mobile Communications Limited, Tesco Mobile Ireland Limited, Tesco Mobile Ireland Limited, Tesco Mobile Limited, Tesco Mobile Services Limited, Tesco Mobile Slovakia s.r.o, Tesco Mobile Slovakia s.r.o., Tesco Mobile CR, Tesco Nanjing Zhongshan, Tesco Nanjing Zhongshan (HK) Co. Limited, Tesco Navona (1LP) Limited, Tesco Navona (GP) Limited, Tesco Navona (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Navona (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Navona (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Navona PL Propco Limited, Tesco Opticians Limited, Tesco Overseas (Holdings) Limited, Tesco Overseas Investments Limited, Tesco Overseas ULC, Tesco Passaic (1LP) Limited, Tesco Passaic (GP) Limited, Tesco Passaic (Nominee 1) Limited, Tesco Passaic (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Passaic (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Passaic PL Propco Limited, Tesco Pension (Jade) Limited, Tesco Pension Investment Limited, Tesco Pension Trustees Limited, Tesco Personal Finance, Tesco Personal Finance Compare Limited, Tesco Personal Finance Group Limited, Tesco Property (No.1) Limited, Tesco Property (Nominees) (No.1) Limited, Tesco Property (Nominees) (No.2) Limited, Tesco Property (Nominees) Limited, Tesco Property A.S., Tesco Property Finance 1 Holdco Limited, Tesco Property Finance 1 PLC, Tesco Property Holdings (No. 2) Limited, Tesco Property Holdings Limited, Tesco Property Limited, Tesco Property Nominees (No.5) Limited, Tesco Property Nominees (No.6) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (GP No.2) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (GP) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (No.1) Limited, Tesco Property Partner (No.2) Limited, Tesco Red (1LP) Limited, Tesco Red (GP) Limited, Tesco Red (Nominee 2) Limited, Tesco Red (Nominee Holdco) Limited, Tesco Sarum (1LP) Limited, Tesco Sarum (GP) Limited, Tesco Seacroft Limited, Tesco Secretaries Limited, Tesco Services Limited, Tesco Sourcing India Private Limited, Tesco Stores (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Tesco Stores (Thailand) Ltd, Tesco Stores CR a.s., Tesco Stores Limited, Tesco Technology Services HK Limited, Tesco Treasury Services PLC, Tesco Trustee Company of Ireland Limited, Tesco Underwriting Limited, Tesco Vin Plus SA, Tesco Worldwide Limited, Tesco for Thais Foundation, Tesco-Global Stores Privately Held Co. Ltd, Tesco.Com Limited, The Brookmaker Limited Partnership, The Teesport Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Aqua Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Atrato Limited Partnership, The Tesco Blue Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Coral Limited Partnership, The Tesco Dorney Limited Partnership, The Tesco Kirkby Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Navona Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Passaic Limited Partnership Limited Partnership, The Tesco Property (No.2) Limited Partnership, The Tesco Red Limited Partnership, The Tesco Sarum Limited Partnership, Trent Hypermarket Private Limited, Trigger Retail Ltd, Valiant Insurance Company DAC, Value House Properties Limited, Variable Preference, Ventnor High Street Management Company Limited, Verulam Properties (2001) Limited, Verulam Properties Limited, Victoria BB Sp z.o.o., WE7, WSC Properties Limited, Wanze Properties (Dundalk) Limited, Weymouth Avenue (Dorchester) Limited, Whitecastle Properties Limited, Wm. Low Supermarkets Limited, Woolwich Central Residents Management Company Limited, Worple Road Plc, Xiamen Firste Property Limited, Xiamen Firste Property Limited, aAcklam Management Company Limited, dunnhumby (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, dunnhumby (Thailand) Limited, dunnhumby Canada Limited, dunnhumby Consulting Services India Private Limited, dunnhumby Czech s.r.o., dunnhumby Employment Company Limited, dunnhumby Holding Limited, dunnhumby Hungary Kft, dunnhumby IT Services India Private Limited, dunnhumby Inc, dunnhumby International Limited, dunnhumby Ireland Limited, dunnhumby Italia Srl., dunnhumby Limited, dunnhumby Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., dunnhumby Netherlands B.V., dunnhumby Norge A.S., dunnhumby Overseas Limited, dunnhumby Poland Sp z.o.o, dunnhumby Slovakia s.r.o., dunnhumby South Africa (Pty) Ltd, dunnhumby Trustees Limited, and dunnuhumby.
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

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The following companies are subsidiares of V.F.: 1994 Inc. Ltd., 530 Park Ave 10-F LLC, 530 Park Ave 14-H LLC, ALL'CROWN SA, Administradora Mexicana de Servicios S de RL de CV, Administradora de Servicios Honduras S.A., Altra Footwear, Altra LLC, C.C.R.L. LLC, Chapter 4 Corp, Cherry SAS, Ciliegia Srl, Corporacion Distribiduidora de Dickies S de RL de CV, Cutler de Mexico SA, Czech Distribution Services s.r.o., DSI Enterprises LLC, Dickies de Honduras SA de CV, Dickies de Parras S de RL de CV, EAGLE CREEK EUROPE LIMITED, Eagle Creek, Eagle Creek Inc., GFYS LLC, GREENSPORT MONTE BIANCO, Horace Small, INVERSIONES INMOBILIARIES AUSTRALES SA, INVERSIONES VF CHILE DOS LTDA, INVERSIONES VF CHILE LTDA, IW Apparel LLC, IW Holdings LLC, IW Panama Trading S. de R.L., IceBreaker, Icebreaker Apparel LLC, Icebreaker Australia Pty, Icebreaker Australia Retail Pty, Icebreaker Europe Limited, Icebreaker Holdings Limited, Icebreaker Licensing LLC, Icebreaker Limited, Icebreaker Merino Clothing Europe Ltd., Icebreaker New Zealand Limited, Icebreaker Pure Merino GmbH, Imagewear Apparel Corp., Industrial Laundry Services LLC, Industrias Coahuila de Zaragosa S de RL de CV, JanSport Apparel Corp., Kipling Apparel Corp., Kipling Belgium, Kipling Holdings LLC, Kirsche GmbH, Kodiak Group Holdings CO., Lee Bell Inc., Lucy, Lucy Apparel LLC, Majestic Athletic Official Store, Mo Industries Holdings, NII Sales - Texas LLC, Napapijri, North East Rig-Out Limited, North Elm Properties LLC, RED KAP DE MEXICO S DE RL DE CV, RKI HONDURAS S de RL, Reef Holdings Corporation, Rock & Republic, SERVICIOS Y PROMOCIONES TEXTILES LTDA, South Cone, South Cone Inc, Supreme, Supreme Holdings Inc., Supreme Intermediate Holdings Inc., T.I. Venture Group Inc, TBL INVESTMENTS HOLDING GMBH, TBL Licensing LLC, THE NORTH FACE ITALY SRL, THE NORTH FACE SAGL, THE RECREATIONAL FOOTWEAR CO., TIMBERLAND EUROPE BV, TIMBERLAND HK TRADING LTD., TIMBERLAND LUXEMBOURG HOLDING ASIA S.A.R.L., TIMBERLAND UK LTD., The North Face, The North Face Apparel Corp, Timberland, Timberland Asia LLC, Timberland IDC Ltd., Timberland International LLC, VANS MADEIRA LDA, VANS SPAIN SL, VF (J) FRANCE SAS, VF (J) NEDERLAND BV, VF (J) NETHERLANDS SERVICES BV, VF APPAREL PORTUGAL LDA, VF ASIA LTD, VF Apollo Investments Limited, VF Apollo Singapore Pte. Ltd., VF Asia Sourcing Ltd, VF Austria GMBH, VF BRANDS MALAYSIA SDN BHD, VF BRANDS TAIWAN LTD., VF Belgium BV, VF Brands Pte. Ltd., VF CH Apollo Sagl, VF CH Holdings GmbH, VF CH Imagewear Canada GmbH, VF CH MEXICO INVESTMENTS SAGL, VF CH-MEX Holdings LLC, VF CHINA LTD., VF CIS LLC, VF COMERCIALIZADORA LTDA, VF CZECH SERVICES SRO, VF CZECH SRO, VF Corporation, VF DE ARGENTINA SA, VF DO BRAZIL LTDA, VF EGE GIYIM SANAYI VE TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI, VF EUROPE BV, VF GERMANY TEXTILE-HANDELS GMBH, VF Germany Services GMBH, VF HELLAS EPE, VF HOLDING SAGL, VF HOLDINGS MEXICO LLC, VF Hong Kong Limited, VF IB Holdings LLC, VF IMAGEWEAR DE MEXICO S DE RL DE CV, VF IMAGEWEAR MAJESTIC (UK) LTD, VF INTERNATIONAL SAGL, VF INVESTIMENTOS DO BRAZIL LTDA, VF IP Holdings LLC, VF ISRAEL (APPAREL) LTD, VF ITALIA SRL, VF ITALY SERVICES SRL, VF Imagewear Canada Co., VF Imagewear Inc, VF Intellectual Property Services Inc, VF International Holding GmbH, VF Investments Holding GmbH, VF Investments Netherlands BV, VF JEANSWEAR ARGENTINA SRL, VF JEANSWEAR ESPANA SL, VF Japan KK, VF KOREA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, VF LUXEMBOURG SARL, VF Management Service Italy S.r.l., VF NL Holdings CV, VF NL Imagewear B.V., VF NORTHERN EUROPE LIMITED, VF NORTHERN EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, VF Norway AS, VF OUTDOOR (CANADA) CO, VF OUTDOOR MEXICO S DE RL DE CV, VF OUTDOOR SERVICES S DE RL DE CV, VF Outdoor LLC, VF PANAMA SOURCING SERVICES S. DE R.L., VF PARTICIPACOES DO BRASIL LTDA, VF PERU SA, VF POLSKA DISTRIBUTION SP ZO O, VF Playwear Dominicana SA, VF Playwear LLC, VF Receivables LP, VF Receivables Services LLC, VF SAGEBRUSH ENTERPRISES LLC, VF SALES SAGL, VF SERVICIOS DE HONDURAS SA, VF SERVICIOS EL SALVADOR LTDA. DE CV, VF SHANGHAI SOURCING LIMITED, VF SOURCING THAILAND LTD, VF Scandinavia ApS, VF Services LLC, VF Servicios de Guatemala Srl, VF Servicios de Nicaragua Srl., VF Shanghai Enterprise Company, VF Shanghai Limited, VF Singapore Overseas Services Pte Ltd, VF Solutions LLC, VF Sourcing India Private Limited, VF Sweden AB, VF Switzerland Enterprises GmbH, VF Taiwan Limited, VF Transglobal GmbH, VF Treasury Services LLC, VFSE Investments LLC, VFSLA Commercial Services LLC, VFSLA Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Vans, Vans Inc, W-D APPAREL COMPANY LLC, W-D Licensing LLC, WD Europe SAS, WD Supply Holding Limited (HK), Walls Cayman Limited, Walls Holding Company LLC, Walls Industries LLC, Williamson Industries Ltd., Williamson-Dickie APAC Holding Company Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Apparel Trading (Shanghai) Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Canada Co., Williamson-Dickie Europe GmbH, Williamson-Dickie Europe Holdings Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Europe Ltd., Williamson-Dickie HK Holding Company Ltd., Williamson-Dickie Holding Co-Mexico S de RL de CV, Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company LLC, Williamson-Dickie Middle East FZE, Wooster GK, Workwear Sourcing S. de R.L., World Jeans VF Asia Ltd, Worldwide Workwear Ltd., and Ying Tao Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd..
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The first class of Leadership Hamilton County Schools kicked off this week with a new opportunity for the community to get involved in the public schools. The first session of Leadership Hamilton County Schools met on Tuesday, at the central office of Hamilton County Schools. Leadership Hamilton County Schools is a six-session program running through April that will allow participants to experience the people and programs in our area schools preparing our children for success after graduation.

The first meeting was very helpful, said David Denmark, executive director of the Maclellan Foundation.

I left with a much greater appreciation for the complexity of the challenges facing our schools. Consequently, my already-existing respect for Dr. Johnson and his team has increased to a new level.

The first session covered an introduction to education governance, an overview of the Future Ready 2023 five-year district action plan, and a more comprehensive look into the first action area of the plan, Accelerating Student Achievement. The first class of Leadership Hamilton County Schools includes 18 people representing businesses, non-profits, government, and faith-based organizations in the community.

The next Leadership Hamilton County Schools session will cover the new Future Ready Institutes and how the district plans to produce Future Ready Students. The session will visit the Future Ready Institute at Red Bank High School on Nov. 13. The sessions topic will be Future Ready Students: Education in the 21st Century.

The participants will also get to be a principal for a day, learn how the district seeks to recruit great teachers and leaders for our schools, get information on budget preparation, how the district seeks to engage the community, and efforts to run efficient and effective operations to maximize funding.

The Leadership Hamilton County Schools first class includes:

 Joshua Sneideman, vice president at Learning Blade

 Miles Huff, community relations specialist, Unum

 Tag Thompson, entrepreneur in investment and strategic consulting

 Chad Jaynes, solutions development manager, Chattanooga State College, Economic, and Workforce Development Division

 Sabrena Smedley, broker/owner of Sabrena Realty Associates, LLC in East Brainerd and Hamilton County Commissioner, District 7

 Bishop Kevin L. Adams, Sr., senior pastor of Olivet Baptist Church

 Molly Blankenship, vice president of talent initiatives at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce

 Kristen Pavlik McCallie, executive director of the Childrens Advocacy Center: The Emmy Haney House

 Troy Brand, senior pastor of the Orchard Park Seventh-day Adventist Church and an adjunct theology instructor at Southern Adventist University

 Amber Hoyle, director of Site-Based Programs at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga

 David Denmark, executive director of the Maclellan Foundation

 Geoff Ramsey, 2018 president, Greater Chattanooga REALTORS Board of Directors

 Jeanette Omarkhail, president of the Hamilton County Education Association

 Rachel DeVore, director of education at the Bethlehem Center

 Strat Parrott, president and chief creative/technology strategist for Juncture

 Demetrus Coonrod, District 9 Councilwoman of the City of Chattanooga

 Christine Bespalec-Davis, manager of school and teacher programs at the Hunter Museum of American Art

 Gina Stafford, assistant vice chancellor for marketing and communications at UTC
Democrats need 23 seats to take control of the House. They are about there with likely pickups of suburban seats across the country, from Pennsylvania and Minnesota to Colorado and California. Most of these districts tilt blue, or Democratic, and were carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

But to produce a blue wave, gaining 35 to 40 seats, Democrats have to capture Republican-held seats in red-tinted small towns and rural America that havent been friendly in recent years.

Six difficult, though competitive, districts illustrate the challenge: Maines second district comprising most of the state geographically; New Yorks 22nd along the Mohawk River Valley; West Virginias third in the heart of coal country; Illinois 12th district in the southern part of the state; Kansass Second, which includes Topeka and the university town of Lawrence but is otherwise rural; and Washingtons Fifth, covering the entire less populated eastern slice of the state.

Two of the districts have open seats; the others are defended by incumbents. All of them are predominantly white. Except for the Illinois district, less than 10 percent of the voters are African-American or Latino. The income and education levels are below the national average. If that sounds like Trump country, it is; he carried all these places by double digits.

Republicans had been concerned about lethargy in these districts, they said, but now insist that the bitterly partisan hearings over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh energized their base. Trumps active campaigning and messaging in the next three weeks will make a difference in the contests, Republicans believe.

Democrats counter that the Kavanaugh effect was primarily in a few Senate races and has dissipated since he was confirmed. They contend an important indicator is their growing support among non-college-educated white women who have been voting Republican.

In the Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll, white non-college-educated women, over four years, had given the GOP a 10-point advantage on which party they favored to control Congress. Last month the poll flipped as these women preferred Democrats by five points.

There is no competitive House race where Trump isnt a factor; to see which way this cuts, just look at whether hes cited more by the Republican candidate or the Democratic one.

The six red-tilting battlegrounds in this analysis are all Democratic priorities, among the 84 seats on the partys Red to Blue target list. (The Democrats probably have a private list about half that length, and the six are on that one, too.) Republicans are pulling resources out of more than a half-dozen suburban seats to focus more on districts like these.

For all their demographic similarities, these contests (like most contests) are affected by the quality of the candidates and extraneous factors, like who is on the top of the partys ticket in those states in races for the U.S. Senate and for governor. In general, these considerations are working to the Democrats advantage in tough territory.

In the Northeast, the Democrats have recruited two attractive state legislators in their 30s: Anthony Brindisi in New York and Maines Jared Golden, who is a Marine veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. The central New York seat has a six-point generic Republican advantage, but incumbent Rep. Claudia Tenney, a vocal Trump supporter, is to the right of the districts electorate.

In both West Virginia, where Trump remains very popular, and Kansas, the Democrats have fielded strong candidates that suit their districts. Richard Ojeda in West Virginia may be helped by a strong showing in Democratic Sen. Joe Manchins re-election bid. In Kansas, Paul Davis ran a close race for governor four years ago and carried the House district where he is running this year. He also may be helped by an ideological struggle in the state Republican ranks.

The two most difficult races for Democrats of the six in this analysis may be against Republican incumbents Mike Bost in Illinois and Cathy McMorris Rodgers in Washington state. Both contests provide openings, however.

Bost is running against Brendan Kelly, who Bost charges has spent his career supporting House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic speaker of the Illinois state house. Kelly, a Navy veteran and prosecutor the past eight years, has never served in either legislature, and he opposes Pelosi for House speaker.

In her race, McMorris Rodgers, who is chair of the House Republican conference, is accused by her Democratic opponent, former state Senator Lisa Brown, of lacking convictions. McMorris Rodgers praises the huge federal tax cut, while claiming to worry about the ballooning U.S. deficit, and she supported Kavanaugh, yet said she found Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused him of sexual assault, credible.

All districts are unique. Yet looking at the results on Nov. 6 in these half-dozen seats across the U.S. will provide a reliable guide to the new House of Representatives. If the Democrats get shut out in these races, theyll be lucky to have a bare majority. If they win two or three of the six, look for an overall gain of 30-plus members. Four or five victories would signal a 40-seat edge.

If they sweep, its a blue tsunami.



Hunt is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal.
Pets often become an integral part of human lives, especially for an actor, who is constantly craving for that one person who will listen.

Salman Khan had found that support in his two pets MySon and MyLove, who he adored and often took on sets as well.

While MySon left the world long back, MyLove is also now gone, confirmed Salman Khan through his social media handles.

He wrote, My most beautiful my love gone today. God bless her soul, in one post, and Kisses my Love in another.

Reportedly the actor, who has been shooting for Bharat since some time, is heartbroken and with his family at their Panvel farmhouse.
Real-life couple Naga Chaitanya and Samantha are presently doing a film that is being directed by Shiva Nirvana. According to a source, the film is titled Majili. The film is progressing very well and recently the director shot a few important scenes at Nanakramguda, says a source.

Since their marriage, Sam and Chay have been paired onscreen for the first time in this film. After a few days of shooting, everyone is praising the director Shiva Nirvana and are confident about the film. They all believe in the content.

Though Sam and Chaitanya are acting together, they dont have any scenes that call for intimacy, reveals an insider. Rao Ramesh is playing another versatile role in the project. He has been cast as Naga Chaitanyas onscreen father. After they have shot a few key scenes, the unit will leave for Visakhapatnam.

HT05
For people with diabetes, the chance of developing eye damage that can lead to blindness may depend on how many hours per day they can keep their blood sugar levels under control, a Chinese study suggests.

This eye damage, known as diabetic retinopathy, is often caused by diabetes-related changes in blood vessels in the eye and is one of the leading causes of blindness in working-age adults, researchers note in Diabetes Care.

Poorly controlled glucose, or blood sugar, has long been linked to an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy. But the current study offers fresh evidence that the number of hours each day that people spend with poorly controlled blood sugar and the variation of glucose levels over 24 hours can both influence their risk of eye damage, said senior study author Dr. Weiping Jia of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth Peoples Hospital.

To minimize the risk of retinopathy, a patient needs to control his/her blood glucose as soon as possible, and maintain the glucose levels in the target range as long as possible, Jia said by email.

The 3,262 patients in the study were 60 years old on average and had been living with type 2 diabetes for an average of about eight years.

They typically had poorly controlled diabetes, based on blood tests of so-called hemoglobin A1c, which reflect average blood sugar levels over about three months. A1c readings above 6.5 percent signal diabetes, and everyone in the study had readings of at least 7.5 percent.

Participants initial A1c readings averaged 8.9 percent, representing dangerously elevated blood sugar that can increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness, amputations and death.

For the study, researchers asked all the participants to wear continuous glucose monitors over three days to directly measure their blood sugar in real time. They calculated whats known as time in range (TIR), the total proportion of time over 24 hours that blood sugar was within a healthy range of 3.9 millimoles per liter to 10 mmol/L (70 milligrams per deciliter to 180 mg/dL).

Overall, 780 people in the study, or 24 percent, had diabetic retinopathy.

Patients with the least amount of time in range in a typical 24-hour period were most likely to have diabetic retinopathy, the analysis found. Less time in range was also associated with increased severity of the eye damage among those with retinopathy.

This link between time spent in range and eye disease was independent of the A1c readings, suggesting that even among people whose average blood sugar over months seems good, sharp daily fluctuations can still do damage.

The study wasnt designed to prove whether or how time in range might directly impact diabetic retinopathy, and it also wasnt set up to test any potential benefits of continuous glucose monitoring, such as whether it helps control blood sugar levels.

Controlling blood glucose has been shown to reduce progression of diabetic eye disease in trials in both type 1 and 2 diabetes, Dr. Simon Heller, a clinical diabetes professor at the University of Sheffield in the UK who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. Heller has consulted or advised makers of diabetes drugs and devices including Eli Lilly, Novo-Nordisk, Mannkind and Takeda.

Improving blood sugar can both help prevent diabetic retinopathy and stall its progression once people already have this complication, said Dr. Roy Beck, executive director of the Jaeb Center for Health Research in Tampa, Florida.

The closer to the normal range a person with diabetes can achieve, the lower will be the risk of retinopathy, Beck, who wasnt involved in the study, said by email. If near normal glucose levels can be achieved, the risk is very low.
The idol is said to be almost 1000 years old, and was found 14 feet under the ground by one of the Haldar forefathers somewhere in Odisha. (Photo: www.baghbazarhaldarbari.com)

Kolkata: Durga Puja is the most anticipated festival in West Bengal, one of the many reasons for the wait is the grandeur that it brings along. The festival which is celebrated over a span of at least five days witnesses the city of Kolkata at its best - adorned with lights and Pandals which often have a message to convey.

Over the years, theme-based pandals have been the talking point in Kolkata. The Pandals draw inspiration from many aspects ranging from politics to social issues. However, what is losing its essence is the traditional Durga Puja. The divide between the traditional Puja and the modern theme-based Puja becomes distinct if one takes a round of the pandals in the southern part of the city, and moves to the north, which is known for clutching on to the rituals and the traditions of the Puja.

One such Durga Puja can be witnessed in the Haldar household in North Kolkata's Baghbazaar area. What makes Haldar Puja stand out is the fact that this is the only place where the idol of Durga is never immersed and is worshipped all round the year. The history attached to the Haldar Durga Puja is rich and intriguing. The idol is said to be almost 1000 years old, and was found 14 feet under the ground by one of the Haldar forefathers somewhere in Odisha, and is known to have survived the Mughal era.

The Idol has been since worshipped by the Haldars for more than 400 years, since the excavation. The idol at Haldarbari is made of "Kasthipathar" (Philosopher's Stone) instead of clay.

Regarding the excavation of the idol, Dr. Partha Sarathi, the eldest grandson of the Haldar Household said, "One of the forefathers of the Haldar family went for a trip to a palace named Sahebpur located near Balasore of Odisha. During his stay, some of the people who accompanied him dreamt of a Goddess instructing them to excavate her idol buried about 14 feet deep beneath the earth inside the house of a Muslim fisherman. The Goddess also instructed to worship her daily."

Following the divine order, the excavation was carried out and the idol of Devi Durga was recovered in perfect condition, unlike many other idols of that time.

Similar idols can be seen at British Museum, Chandannagar Museum and Institute as well as the Kolkata Museum, however, those idols are not in an unscathed condition.

Debasis Haldar, one of the eldest members of the household recalled some of the legends associated with the Puja. One of them is regarding the recovery of a Navaratna (Nine Gems) amulet which has been with the household since ages. "There is a Nabaratna Amulet at the Halder residence which is used during worship of the Goddess. It is sometimes kept under the feet of the Goddess and sometimes in the offering container ( Barandala ) of the Goddess. After the untimely demise of one of the family members, it was decided to sell off the amulet. The amulet was then sold. However, after three days the man who bought the amulet came back to return the amulet saying that he received a divine message from the Goddess in his dream to return the amulet. The gentleman handed it back and even refused to take the money that he paid for it," he said.

Scores of people pour in every year to witness the rituals and offer prayers to the Goddess Durga in Hakderbari. The 'Sondhi' Puja of the Halder household, which takes place on Ashtami, is one of the major attractions for many. On this day, the "Durga Dalan" or the Corridor is elaborately decorated with 108 lotus flowers and an equal number of lamps. The members of the family said that the design for the arrangement of the 108 lamps is conveyed to the eldest member through divine intervention.

The celebrations end with Sindur Khela on the day of Maha Dashami, after which the idol is placed facing the West for daily worship.
Police said the accused and the victim were having an illicit relationship for three years, as they lived in neigbouring flats, along with their respective families, in R.R. Nagar. (Representional Image)

Bengaluru: A 30-year-old woman was brutally stabbed by her 35-year paramour for allegedly refusing to continue physical relationship with him. The man reportedly stabbed her over 10 times and later surrendered before the police.

The accused has been identified as Raghu Shastri, a private financier and a resident of K.S. Layout. He was arrested by R.R. Nagar police.

The victim is undergoing treatment at a private hospital and her condition is said to be critical.

Police said the accused and the victim were having an illicit relationship for three years, as they lived in neigbouring flats, along with their respective families, in R.R. Nagar.

About six months ago, the families came to know about their relationship and Raghu moved to another house in K.S. Layout along with his family.

In the meantime, the woman repeatedly called Raghu asking him to repay the money he had taken from her.

On Tuesday night, Raghu called the woman and asked her to come near Murugan Temple in R.R. Nagar. After she arrived, Raghu took her to NICE Road where he allegedly asked her for sexual favours and demanded that she continue relationship with him.

When the woman refused, Raghu pulled out a knife and stabbed her repeatedly. Being aware that he could not escape the police, Raghu surrendered before the R.R. Nagar police and confessed to the crime.

The woman was rushed to a private hospital by some passersby who noticed her writhing in pain and lying in a pool of blood.

The police registered a case and produced Raghu before a local court which remanded him to judicial custody.
Srinivas Reddy misbehaved not only with me but also with other women housekeeping staff inside his chamber on the campus. (Representional Image)

Hyderabad: A woman supervisor has lodged a complaint of sexual harassment and stalking against a staffer of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad, on Friday.

The 39-year-old woman, a housekeeping staff supervisor at the NIFT, in her complaint to the Madhapur police alleged that B. Srinivas Reddy, a faculty of NIFT who works in the examination branch, was sexually harassing and stalking her.

Srinivas Reddy misbehaved not only with me but also with other women housekeeping staff inside his chamber on the campus. He insisted on posting beautiful and young women at his chamber. Many a time, he spoke in a vulgar language with me and asked me to come to his home, the supervisor alleged.

She alleged in the complaint, He tried to hold my hand once. There are several women against whom he misbehaved. He touched the women inappropriately and made vulgar comments and outraged their modesty.

Another woman speaking to the media said, He (Srinivas Reddy) troubled us a lot. He used to hold our hands and hips. He takes photographs and asks us to close the door while working and insists that only one woman should work at his chamber. He asked me to cooperate with him for a better future of my kids.

Madhapur inspector Y. Nageshwar Rao said that based on a complaint the police had registered a case against Srinivas Reddy under Sections 354 and 354 D of the IPC and started an investigation.
This image shows a landslide and barrier lake on Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet in western China. (CCTV via AP Video)

Beijing/New Delhi: Chinese emergency services said on Thursday that about 6,000 people were evacuated after a landslide in Tibet blocked the flow of one of the region's key rivers, creating a lake that could endanger downstream areas in India.

The collapse on Wednesday morning of a cliff in the deep valley through which the river flows created a dam-like barrier on the Yarlung Tsangpo, the headwater of India's Brahmaputra River, the local emergency response bureau said in a report carried by state media.

The landslide struck near a village in Menling County and water in the lake had risen to a height of 40 meters (130 feet) by Thursday, the bureau said.

No deaths or injuries were reported and the bureau said China has been keeping India updated on the blockage.

Authorities in northeastern India issued an alert, warning villagers in the East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, the state bordering China's Tibet region, not to venture near the river.

District magistrate Tamiyo Tatak said water levels in the river had fallen drastically and once the blockage was cleared in China, water might suddenly rush downstream, causing a disaster in India.

In June 2000, a sudden high discharge of water from the Yarlung Tsangbo caused extensive damage in Arunachal Pradesh and other downstream areas in India.

With its towering peaks and glaciers, Tibet is the source of numerous Asian rivers, adding to China's strategic influence over its southern neighbors.

Fast-rising temperatures have caused those glaciers to melt at an increasing pace, throwing a shadow over future water resources for China and other Asian nations.
According to PTI news agency, a police official said, 'There has been a UBGL attack followed by firing at the Army camp in Shadimarg area of Pulwama.' (Representational Image)

Kashmir: An army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama was attacked with a grenade launcher on Friday.

In a tweet, Kashmir Zone stated that the attack was followed by firing at the army camp in Shadimarg.

According to PTI news agency, a police official said, "There has been a UBGL attack followed by firing at the Army camp in Shadimarg area of Pulwama."

More details are awaited.

(With PTI inputs)
No woman has yet been able to visit the Sabarimala temple after the Supreme Court lifted the centuries-old ban. (Photo: PTI)

Kerala: Minutes away from creating history by entering the Sabarimala temple, two women, a journalist and a woman devotee, activist have decided to return after the chief priest of the shrine said he would be forced to shut the temple and walk out with the keys if the women enter.

The women, who were led by a team of police headed by IG S Sreejith, are now being escorted back and would be under police protection till they are safe back home, the senior police officer said.

According to reports, the home of one of the women in Kochi was vandalised early on Friday morning. Anticipating trouble, the journalist was made to wear riot gear, while the devotee wore a helmet along with the traditional attire for the pilgrimage.

Today is the third day after the Sabarimala temple opened its doors to the shrine for women of all ages following the Supreme Court September 28 verdict that lifted ban on entry of women between ages 10 to 50 years.

No woman has yet been able to visit the Lord Ayyappa shrine after the apex court lifted the centuries-old ban.

Devotees have blocked attempts from women of menstruating age from taking the 4.7 km walk from Pamba.

On Thursday, Suhasini Raj, who works as India correspondent for The New York Times, along with a foreign national colleague, managed to go past the Pamba gateway but was turned back mid-way by agitated devotees who formed a human wall before her.

On Thursday, Sabarimala temple chief priest had appealed to women belonging to the age group of 10-50, not to come to Sannidhanam.

Read: Wont close Sabarimala temple, but urge women not to come: Head priest

Sabarimala Ayyappa temple's website explains that since Lord Ayyappa was "Nithya Brahmachari" - or celibate - women in the 10-50 age group are not allowed to enter. "Such women who try to enter Sabarimala will be prevented by authorities," the website mentions.

On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by then Chief Justice Dipak Misra lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine.

Here's what happened on day 3 of Sabarimala temple opening:

05:24 pm: We have decided to appeal against the Supreme Court verdict that allowed women of all age groups to enter Sabarimala Temple, said A Padmakumar, Travancore Devaswom Board chief.

03:53 pm: "We want to abide by the Supreme Court's order. Earlier, the Congress was in favour of entry of women of all age groups in the Sabarimala temple but now they are protesting against it as we are in power," said CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

03:52 pm: "Following the Supreme Court's verdict, a lot of arrangements had to be put in place but the BJP is causing hindrance in putting those arrangements in place," said CPI(M) leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Violence in Sabarimala organised by RSS: CPI(M)

03:42 pm: "All the TV crews who went there which had women were roughed up, the pattern is very similar to the time of the Babri Masjid demolition. You have the heads of the volunteers wearing saffron bands, the same dress you found there then. Similar thing is being done here (Sabarimala) so it is an organised thing that the RSS is doing. RSS has lost the battle of not letting the gates of Sabarimala open, they even lost the battle that the temple shouldn't open on time," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said.

03:15 pm: "This is agenda driven. Police is also involved in it...This is not a place for sex tourism. This is the abode of lord Ayappa," Prayar Gopalakrishnan, former Travancore Devaswom Board President.

01:19 pm: "I don't know what happened to my children. My life is also in danger. But they (police) have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back," woman activist Rehana Fatima.

01:18 pm: "People, not the devotees, who want to disrupt peace didn't allow us to enter. I want to know what was the reason. Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee. You tell me that first and then I will tell you if I'm a devotee or not," said woman activist Rehana Fatima.

01:15 pm: "Thank you for supporting us. We're feeling* proud. You've seen what dangerous situation we faced," journalist Kavitha Jakkal said.

12:29 pm: "Sabarimala is not a tourist spot, only devotees go there. Right now what Kerala police is doing is wrong. Had there been our government we would've handled the situation better. We would've talked to devotees, there would've been no violence," Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said.

12:23 pm: "We met the Governor and explained to him the current situation. Not only Hindus but people from all religions are going there. Everyone is worried. The woman activist (Rehana Fatima) was given a police uniform. It was wrong," Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said.

12:07 pm: After two women were turned back by devotees, another woman devotee Mary Sweety, who was heading to the Sabarimala temple was returned from mid-way. Mary Sweety was stopped by protesters at Pamba.

"I don't know about them (journalist Kavitha Jakkal and woman activist Rehana Fatima). If women have returned, it is your drawback. I want to go there," Mary Sweety said.

She has currently been taken to a police control room.

11:36 am: "It's a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to temple and gave them protection but 'darshan' is something which can be done with consent of priest. We will give them (journalist Kavitha Jakkal and woman activist Rehana Fatima) whatever protection they want," Kerala IG S Sreejith said.

11:35 am: "We had brought them (journalist Kavitha Jakkal and woman activist Rehana Fatima) till (Sabarimala) temple premises but tantri and priest refused to open temple for them. While we were waiting, tantri informed me that if we attempt to take the women ahead they would close the temple," Kerala IG S Sreejith said.

11:19 am: "We have decided to lock the temple and handover the keys and leave. I stand with the devotees. I do not have any other option," Sabarimala head priest Kandararu Rajeevaru.

(Photo: Twitter | ANI)

10:59 am: "We have told the female devotees about the situation, they will now be going back. So we are pulling pack. They have decided to return," Kerala IG said.

10:50 am: The two women - a journalist and a devotee, activist - who had made the trek to the Sabarimala temple early on Friday morning have agreed to return. The women were stopped around 500 metres ahead of the shrine by devotees. The two women will receive police protection on their way back to the base camp.

10:42 am: Head priest of the Sabarimala temple informed police that temple rituals will be closed if the women are allowed entry to the shrine.

10:41 am: "If the women enter the temple then we will be forced to shut the temple. I will walkout with the keys": Sabarimala temple head priest Kandararu Rajeevaru told media.

10:35 am: "There are some people like activists trying to enter. It's impossible for the government to figure out who is who. We know there are two activists. One is believed to be a journalist as well. People of all ages will be allowed to go there. But at the same time we won't allow it to be a place where activists can come&showcase their power. It can't be a place where they prove certain points of theirs," State Devaswom (religious trusts) Minister said.

10:30 am: To take stock of the situation, Kerala Governor K Sathasivam sought an update from Kerala police on the Sabarimala deadlock. Kerala DGP is scheduled to meet the Governor shortly.

10:15 am: Journalist Kavitha Jakkal of Hyderabad based MoJo TV and woman activist Rehana Fatima moved to the office where the two have been called by Inspector General S Sreejith.

(Photo: Twitter | ANI)

09:50 pm: The hearing in the bail application matter of activist Rahul Easwar will take place tomorrow before Pathanamthitta Judicial first class Magistrate 1. He was arrested on October 17 from Nilakkal base camp.

09:38 am: Devotees are sitting in protest the Sabarimala temple.

09:21 am: Police will not create any issue in Sabarimala and we don't want a confrontation with you devotees. We are only following the law. I will be discussing with the higher authorities and brief them on the situation: Inspector General S Sreejith to devotees.

(Photo: Twitter | ANI)

08:45 am: Kerala minister Thomas Isaac said, "Violence at Sabarimala is BJP's manipulation".

08:40 am: Kavitha Jakkal, the Hyderabad based woman journalist undertaking the trek, is being escorted by police. Police have assured her protection till the shrine.

(Photo: Twitter | ANI)

08:30 am: The Supreme Court is right that men and women are equal. But here some culture is going on that women in age group of 10-50 years aren't allowed in the temple. It's our custom. We should follow our customs as India is custom-following country: Devotee at Sannidhanam, Kerala.

(Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Also Read: Undeterred by protests, 2 women trek to Sabarimala temple amid security

08:25 am: Journalist Kavitha Jakkal of Hyderabad based MoJo TV and activist, Kochi resident Rehana Fatima have started 4.7 km trek towards the Sabarimala temple. Police said they will be escorted till the shrine.
This is not the first time that ex-TDB president Prayar Gopalkrishnan made such misogynistic statement. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Thiruvananthapuram: In clear defiance of the Supreme Court verdict, anti-women protesters, under the guise of devotees, did not allow any woman in the banned age group to reach the holy shrine on the third consecutive day of the opening of Sabarimala temple.

In a statement that is likely to boost the morale of the fierce protesters, former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) chief Prayar Gopalkrishnan on Friday said that allowing women inside the temple will turn the Lord Ayappas shrine into a spot for sex tourism.

This is agenda-driven. Police is also involved in it... This is not a place for sex tourism. This is the abode of Lord Ayappa, Prayar Gopalkrishnan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

This is not the first time that the ex-TDB president made the misogynistic statement.

Last year, after the Supreme Court referred the contentious issue to a constitution bench, Gopalkrishnan had said that letting women inside the shrine will lead to immoral activities and transform the place into a spot for sex tourism like Thailand.

Women between the age of 10 and 50  when they are most likely to be in the menstrual age  were banned from the Sabarimala temple. However, the apex court on September 28 lifted the centuries-old ban.

Since the opening of the temple on October 17 following the historic top courts verdict, several women have tried to visit the shrine. However, no woman has yet been able to visit the Lord Ayyappa shrine as protesters are blocking them from taking the 4.7 km walk from Pamba.

Today, two women, a journalist and an activist, who had covered a 5 km trek uphill and were minutes away from the 18 steps that lead to the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, were forced to return.

Also Read: My life is in danger, says women activist turned back from Sabarimala

Another woman also started her climb only to be told by the police that she had to make her way to the shrine on her own, reports said.

Sabarimala priests have also threatened to lock the temple if women aged between 10 and 50 entered Lord Ayappas abode.
Amritsar: At least 52 people were killed after a train ran over a crowd of Dussehra revellers as they were watching the burning of Ravanas effigy standing on a railway track near Amritsar in Punjab Friday evening.

As Ravana's effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd retreated towards the tracks. A large number of people were already standing there to watch the procession.

However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape, officials told news agency PTI. Several people were killed after one of the trains ran over them.

According to reports, people were mowed down as they could not hear the hooting of the train due to the exploding crackers.

Rajesh Sharma, Sub Divisional Magistrate Amritsar, said 52 people have died and at least 72 injured have been admitted to Amritsar hospital.

Severed bodies, including of many children, were still lying on the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing authorities to remove them.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred in the evening at Joda Phatak. At least 300 people were at the spot watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks, PTI further said.

The Dussehra celebration was organised by the Congress party without permission, an eyewitness told news agency ANI.

Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife was the chief guest at the celebrations and she continued to give a speech as people were struck down by the train," the eyewitness alleged.

However, Navjot Kaur Sidhu denied the allegation and said she had left the site before the accident took place. She also said that people doing politics over the incident should be ashamed.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has directed state home secretary, health secretary and ADGP Law and Order to immediately rush to Amritsar.

The chief minister is also rushing to Amritsar to personally supervise relief and rescue operations. He has also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each deceased and free treatment to those who are injured in government and private hospitals.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sadness over the tragic incident and said that he has asked officials to provide required assistance immediately.

Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 19, 2018

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed shock over the incident and assured all possible help to the state government.
Relatives mourn near a victim at the site of a train accident at Joda Phatak in Amritsar on Friday. (Photo:PTI)

Amritsar: At least 58 people were killed on Friday after a train plowed into revellers gathered to watch burning of Ravana effigy in Amritsar, police said.

The train hit a crowd standing on the railway line to watch a fireworks show during Dasara celebrations, police and eyewitnesses said.

There was a lot of noise as firecrackers were being let off and it appears they were unable to hear the approaching train, a police official at the scene told AFP.

An eyewitness told a local TV channel there was utter commotion when the crowds noticed the train coming very fast towards them. Everyone was running helter-skelter and suddenly another train crashed into the crowds of people, he said.

Sub divisional magistrate Amritsar I Rajesh Sharma said 58 people have died and at least 72 injured have been admitted to Amritsar hospital.

As the effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd started retreating towards the tracks where a large number of people were already standing to watch the event, officials said.

However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape, they said. Wails and cries of people filled the air as friends and relatives frantically looked for their near and dear ones. Severed bodies, including of many children, were still lying on the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing authorities to remove them.

It was heart rending sight as the dismembered body parts laid strewn on the blood-soaked ground. Many bodies could not be identified.

People shouted slogans against local MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was present as chief guest during the event. She later said she rushed to the hospital immediately after the incident.
A landslide in Tibet has blocked the flow of the Yarlung Tsangpo (referred to as Yaluzangbu in Chinese) creating a barrier lake that could starve downstream areas of water in Arunachal Pradesh, sparking fears in Indias frontier north-eastern state.

New Delhi: A landslide in Tibet has blocked the flow of the Yarlung Tsangpo (referred to as Yaluzangbu in Chinese) creating a barrier lake that could starve downstream areas of water in Arunachal Pradesh, sparking fears in Indias frontier north-eastern state. Authorities in Arunachal have issued an alert warning villagers in the states East Siang district  the area bordering Chinas Tibet region  not to venture near the river.

The district magistrate of Arunachals East Siang district Tamiyo Tatak said that water levels in the river had fallen drastically due to blockage and once it (the blockage) collapses or cleared in China, water might suddenly rush downstream, causing a disaster in Indias north-east.

The river, originating in the Tibetan plateau, is the source of Indias mighty Brahmaputra river which is the lifeline of the North-east. Yarlung Tsangpo becomes phenomenally wider and is called the Siang downstream from Arunachal Pradesh. After reaching Assam, the river is known as Brahmaputra.

In a statement issued from its embassy in New Delhi, China said it was working closely with India in sharing hydrological inputs under the Emergency Information Sharing Mechanism.

Beijing said the positive gesture was part of the Wuhan Consensus, a reference to the informal summit at Wuhan in China between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a statement on the landslide, Chinese embassy spokesperson and Counselor Ji Rong said, On the early morning of October 17, a landslide took place near Jiala Village in Milin County in the lower ranges of Yaluzangbu River in Tibet Autonomous Region of China.

The river was blocked, and a barrier lake was formed. After the incident happened, ministry of water resources of China informed thIndian side immediately and activated the Emergency Information Sharing Mechanism. The Chinese Embassy further said, "The Chinese side will closely monitor situation of the barrier lake.
Bhubaneshwar: Odisha chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik, whose political career had taken a big leap after the 1999 Super Cyclone, a disaster that left nearly nine thousand people dead, now finds a similar disaster  cyclone Titli  brining his much claimed reputation as an efficient administrator to trial. Political analysts predict that the mishandling of the disaster Titli might adversely affect the poll prospects of the ruling BJD in 2019 assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

Titli, the severe cyclone that hit Odisha coast on October 11, according to official figures, killed 57 persons while the Opposition parties claim nearly 100 lives perished in the disaster.

Odisha CM and BJD president Naveen Patnaik during an aerial survey to the cyclone-hit pockets.

The natural calamity, according to independent analysts, has exposed the hollowness in the claim of CM Naveen Patnaik of giving good governance to people at the grassroots.

Most of the deaths were reported from Gajapati and Ganjam districts. As many as 39 persons died in Gajapati, 12 died in the CMs home district of Ganjam.

Of the 39 people who died in Gajapati, - 18 persons belonged to Baragarh village under Rayagad block. They had taken shelter in a cave in the nearby hill as they feared their thatched houses cannot withstand high wind speed and heavy rains. They died as the cave collapsed due to landslide during the cyclone.

The incident of people taking shelter in a cave in the 21st century to ward themselves off against vagaries of the nature, according to the opposition parties, points to governance failure. Besides, lack of electricity and telephone connectivity at Baragarh that led to the people not getting real time information on the progress of the disaster is another lapse on the part of the state administration.

The victims who died in the collapse of cave belonged to very poor families. They deserved to get pucca houses under Indira Awas Yajana or Odisha governments own housing scheme Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana. But none of them was provided a pucca house. Had there been at least five such pucca houses, - the villagers could have taken shelter under them and saved their lives. Besides, had there been electricity or telephone connections, they would have got information on the progress of the disaster and accordingly could have taken precautionary measures, said BJP vice president Samir Mohanty.

Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Niranjan Patnaik portrayed the deaths as state governments utter failure in disaster management.

When India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted heavy rains during the cyclone, the BJD government sat silent with complacency and claimed that it was fully prepared to effectively meet the disaster and achieve zero casualty. Proper information could not reach to the people in interior pockets of South Odisha which led to loss of so many precious lives, said Mr Patnaik.

The opposition BJP and Congress, in fact, have taken the destructions by the cyclone very seriously. Top leaders of both the parties have already visited Baragarh to meet the relatives of the cave collapse victims.

Senior BJP leader and Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan and OPCC chief Niranjan Patnaik along with their party workers visited Gajapati and Ganjam districts and expressed solidarity with the affected people.

A day after the visit of opposition leaders to the cyclone-hit areas and following scathing attack by them, chief minister Naveen Patnaik visited the Ganjam and Gajapati districts and raised ex-gratia amounts from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 10 lakh each for families of the deceased.

The BJD had come to power in 2000 by telling people that the Congress government had failed in post reparation work after the 1999 Super Cyclone. Now, - what is this party doing? It could not save lives of people against the massive destruction wrought by Titli nor has its performance post the disaster been satisfactory. BJD will meet the same fate as we did in 2000, said Congress leader Sarat Rout.

B11
Former Congress chief Sonia Gandhi pay last respects to party veteran N.D. Tiwari at his residence in New Delhi on Friday. (PTI)

Hyderabad: Much before #MeToo wave, the Raj Bhavan of Andhra Pradesh witnessed its occupant Governor Narayana Dutt Tiwari leave the office unceremoniously on charges of inappropriate behavior. He passed away on Thursday. He was 93 after a local TV channel beamed footage of sleaze in the palace.

Narayan Dutt Tiwari was sworn in as the 21st governor of Andhra Pradesh in August 2007 and held that position for 26 months. The Raj Bhavan sex scandal shook the nations conscience as Andhra Pradesh was seen on the fast track of development with Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy as the chief minister during those times.

During his tenure at Hyderabad, a retired professor Ujjwala Sharmas son Rohith Shekhar filed a paternity suit to claim he was Tiwaris offspring. After contesting the claim for years, Tiwari not only accepted Rohith as his son but also tied the knot with Ujjwala at the age of 89. Tiwari is the second governor of Andhra Pradesh to leave under a cloud.

The late Ram Lal was removed in the wake of the pro-democracy agitation in August 1984 when he unceremoniously dismissed the popularly-elected government of N. T. Rama Rao and installed Nadendla BhaskaraRao.

Raj Bhavan, which is mostly secluded for common men, had become a place of intrigue, subterfuge as the resident acted as an agent of the Centre.

Born in 1925 in Nainital district, Tiwari served as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh four times and became the first elected chief minister of the newly-created Uttarakhand in 2002. He held important portfolios including finance, commerce, external affairs and petroleum at the Centre. He floated the Congress (Tiwari) in 1995 following differences with P.V. Narasimha Rao but later merged the party with the Congress.

A police complaint was filed against Tiwari for sexually abusing girls, blackmail and misuse of office and the Raj Bhavan staff were interrogated by police about details related to the scandal, alleged to be the result of the fallout of a mining deal.
Kavitha Jakkala climbs Neelimala with heavy police escort on Friday. (R) Rehna Fathima at Pampa police station. Image: Peethambaran Payyeri

Pampa: Women aged below 50 failed to enter Sabarimala hill shrine for the third day on Friday, even as the Travancore Devaswom Board decided to apprise the Supreme Court of the developments following its verdict lifting the ban.

Two young women, Kavitha Jakkala, 24, a reporter with Telugu channel Mojo TV, and Rehna Fathima, a Kochi-based activist, trekked uphill with heavy police escort led by Inspector General S. Sreejith from Pampa at 6.30 am.

Both were wearing police riot gears, and they faced no attacks except for some isolated stone pelting.

When they reached the temple, protesters along with kids and priests staged a sit-in right in front of the Sannidhanam blocking them.

By 7.30 am, Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran got the information on their identity and asked state police chief Loknath Behera not to protect anyone trying to create provocations.

While the IG was negotiating with protesters, the tantri family declared that they would suspend the pujas and close down the sanctum sanctorum forcing the police, including black cats, to retreat.

Responding to reporters after their safe return to Pumpa, the women expressed deep despair.

While Ms Jakkala said she would come back if she gets a chance to enter, Ms Fathima responded that she came to Sabarimala with Irumudikettu and strict penance as a devotee.

The IG said the situation on the route from Pampa to Sannidhanam was under their control.

"Our duty is to uphold the law. If anybody wants protection, we are ready to provide," he told DC.

Ms Jakkala had reached Pamba on Thursday night and insisted on trekking. But the police promised to take her in the morning.

She came in a white Omni van of Asianet Kannada Channel at Nilakkal in the afternoon.

When she returned to Pampa after the failed attempt, she was in casuals while Fathima was in traditional Ayyappa devotee cloth.

Three other crew members of Mojo TV, including reporter Balakrishna and cameraperson Narasimha, were on the team.

Though another woman, Mary Sweety, 46, approached cops for protection to trek after them, they refused.

New York Times journalist Suhasini Raj was the first female of the previously restricted age between 10 and 50 to try to trek to Sabarimala the previous day.

Meanwhile, the police arrested seven Yuva Morcha activists from Pampa for breaching prohibitory orders.

The men with Irumudikettu came in and sat before Pandalam Raja Mandapam chanting Ayyappa slogans for 15 minutes.

Though police asked them to withdraw, they refused to budge.

They were later released on bail.
Hyderabad: Telangana state has recorded a revenue deficit in the first five months of the current financial year. According to the Comptroller and Auditor Generals (CAG) report at the end of August 2018, the Telangana state government has a revenue deficit of Rs 5,203.93 crore. The state government projected a revenue surplus of Rs 5,520.41 crore by the end of the financial year 2018.

The state government presented an annual budget of Rs 1,74,453 crore for the financial year 2018-19, and projected a revenue surplus at the end of the financial year.

In the previous financial year, at the end of August 2017, the revenue deficit was Rs 2,812.85 crore, but in the current financial year by the end of August the revenue deficit has almost doubled. In the first five months of the current financial year the total revenue was Rs 34,663.29 crore whereas the revenue expenditure was Rs 39,867.22 crore, creating a revenue deficit of 5,203.93 crore.

Every year CAG takes serious note of TSs finances and remarks that the state government has overestimated the revenue surplus. For example, in the 2016-17 financial year, the state government had said the revenue surplus would be Rs 6,778 crore but the CAG said that the actual surplus was Rs 1,386 crore. The state government simply rejects the CAG argument.

Every year the state government overestimates its own revenue to boost the total budget figure. Sources said that in fact the state government's own revenue is increasing compared to the previous year but the state government fixes the targets of revenue earning departments by overestimating.

The state government has to pay about Rs 5,000 crore to several contractors. The contractors have stopped all work due to non-payment of pending bills.
Hyderabad: After eight days of investigation against TD MP C.M. Ramesh, income tax sleuths zeroed in on a dubious transaction to the tune of Rs 74 crore done by Rithwik Projects Pvt Ltd (RPPL), in which Mr Ramesh is director. This apart, the department alleged that another firm linked to the Rajya Sabha member, also a close aide of AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, had siphoned off Rs 100 crore through fake transactions with sub-contractors.

The IT sleuths have so far seized Rs 13 lakh cash, $3,000 and several documents from his residence. A source said, The RPPL has been found to have allegedly siphoned off Rs 74 crore through untraceable transactions, while bills of Rs 25 crore have been allegedly found to be dubious.

The probe found that a sub-contractor, M/S EDCO (India) Pvt Ltd, was paid Rs 12 crore over the past six years by RPPL. However, the company could not be found at the four addresses mentioned in the records.

The probe also found that correspondences of EDCO were received by one Saibaba, who is an accountant with RPPL. Saibaba was found to possess the stamp and seal of EDCO.

During questioning, neither Ramesh nor his accountant were able to justify a bill worth Rs 33 crore purchased for a commission and there was no account of cash amounting to Rs 23 crore. This apart, the company received Rs 12.24 crore from steel suppliers but the cash transaction could not be explained. Another mail attachment showing Rs 7.98 crore cash received from steel suppliers for two per cent commission was also found.

A payment of Rs 6 crore to a Delhi sub-contractor, M/S NKG Constructions, could not be substantiated as no bill for the transaction was found.
Hyderabad: TRS president and caretaker Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao will meet with party candidates on October 21, a day after Congress president Rahul Gandhi visits the state and addresses three meetings. After they took up the campaign for the December 7 elections, this is the first time that Mr Chandrasekhar Rao will be meeting with all of them.

A couple of hours after recommending the dissolution of the Assembly on September 6, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao had announced the names of 105 candidates out of the 119 in the state. He was monitoring their campaign every day and passing on necessary directions to finetune their strategy.

Mr Chandrasekhar Rao was speaking with the candidates over phone and inquiring about party position and public mood from them. To enable the candidates to assure the public in their campaign.

The TRS leadership has directed all the 105 candidates to attend the meeting without fail. Sources said that during the meeting, Mr Chandrasekhar Rao will interact with all candidates and inquire about their campaign, the partys standing and public reaction to the partial manifesto.

The TRS president will educate the candidates about the strategy to be followed in the campaign and how to behave in public and during the canvassing when they will be representing the party.

Mr Rahul Gandhi will address public meetings in Adilabad and the old Nizamabad districts on Saturday.
These are far from memorable days in the history of the Sabarimala temple after the doors of the shrine opened for worship on Wednesday. The Supreme Court had passed a historic verdict allowing women of all ages to enter the temple on overturning a centuries-old ban on menstruating women praying at the hill shrine. Hindu hardliners opposed to the breaking of tradition, saw to it that not a single woman got anywhere close. The two women who got the closest to the Sannidhanam on Friday were also convinced into going away without attempting to enter the sanctum. The Kerala government had tried its best to carry out the top court order but was prevented by devotees and activists in the garb of devotees resisting womens entry. The art of intimidation practised on the television media crew covering the stirring events seemed to suggest the kind of right wing political forces that were behind the operations.

The Constitution was not upheld. This is a country in which the people owe allegiance to the Constitution. Regardless of the faith we belong to, the ultimate authority is the Constitution under which the Supreme Court is one of the important guardians. If its verdict cannot be carried out, the fear will be engendered of mob rule being able to nix the law of the land. The Constitution has stood the test of time for over 70 years and served well the people of India. It is the Constitution which is under the greatest threat in this battle of faith versus law.

Gender justice was denied on the ground although the court had ruled that anyone could worship Lord Ayyappa at his most famous abode. Obscurantism is winning at the expense of an opportunity to set right a gender-based anomaly by which menstruating women are barred from ever entering the temple. Patriarchy has been masquerading as custom by referring to an old tradition of menstruating women not being allowed entry for fear of the ambience around a bachelor God being defiled. Science backs no such theory. Matters of faith may be different. It does, however, appear that it is politics at play in Kerala with the BJP-RSS and the Congress egging on the resistance because the faithful outnumber the atheists. Politics is the bane of India and the Sabarimala argument may become just another example of this. Isnt it time the government, the Devaswom board and the political parties sat together to resolve the issue until the top court rules on revision petitions?
The Uttar Pradesh governments decision to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj close on the heels of Mughalsarai railway station being named after Sangh Parivar icon, Deendayal Upadhyay, is nothing but state-sponsored majoritarian cultural assertion with politico-electoral purpose and is against the grain of ideal state policy in a pluralistic society. The announcement, made as India gets into the pre-election driveway, has indisputably been taken with an eye on wooing the Hindu majority and not just in Uttar Pradesh. However, the Yogi Adityanath regimes decision has to be seen from two prisms.

First, the decision is part of the overall Sangh Parivar-driven politics of renaming streets, markets, commercial hubs, landmarks, railway stations and of course towns and cities. This thinking is driven by an unscientific approach to history wherein mythology is presented as the actual past and an era of infinite glory. This viewpoint does not deem more recent medieval history as anything but brutal repression. Importantly, to popularise a prejudicial narrative among people, leaders of the Sangh Parivar harp on 1,200 years of slavery clubbing the colonial period with the era starting arrival of Muslim rulers.

Although the politics of renaming has acquired greater public attention since 2014, the plan is part of the saffron folds agenda for long. There is a long list of cities and places that are to be renamed whenever the parivar has legislative capacity. Allahabad is the latest after Gurgaon in April 2016, Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi being recast as A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Road and Mughalsarai. Others in the wish list includes Ahmedabad as Karnavati after Hindu king Karan Dev said to have established the city in the 11th century, Hyderabad as Bhagyanagar after goddess Bhagyalakshmi and Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar after Sambhaji, elder son of King Shivaji, captured and executed by the Mughals.

Renaming of cities is a global phenomenon especially in the post-colonial world as new nations, one after another, became independent after the end of the Second World War. The objective was to destabilise or erasing prevailing memory while simultaneously super-imposing history. This phenomenon has been prevalent across countries and spanning decades. In India too, renaming of cities, streets and markers is not new and in the wake of Partition and the nation becoming independent, vestiges of colonial presence were slowly effaced. But the current wave of giving new names to cities is with the sole intention of stamping majoritarian authority.

The first in the list of sites from whose names colonial legacy was removed were streets in New Delhi. Not long after independence Kingsway Road became Rajpath, and Queensway became Janpath; Irwin Road became Baba Kharak Singh Marg; King Edward Road was renamed Maulana Azad Road. Slowly other names too were changed although people still referred to places with old names  Sham Nath Marg was known among people for long as Alipore Road and Ram Manohar Lohia hospital remained Willingdon Hospital till the mid 1980s. The entire exercise, however, was a part of post-colonial purge and most evident in the coronation park in north Delhi which became the biggest graveyard of statues of British noblemen and women.

In contrast, the Sangh Parivars effort to rename cities has a sectarian purpose for it is not aimed at removing association with an oppressive past from the collective memory of citizens. Instead, the emphasis is to emphasise imagined or exaggerated repression of one section of society. The effort is also to erase recent historical associations of cities and towns that are more relevant to the times and instead harp back to a mythical era because this perpetuates the propaganda of this government restoring lost glory. It is pertinent to ask which part of Allahabads past has greater relevance in contemporary pluralistic context  it having incubated a large number of Prime Ministers and being a major nursery of the nationalist movement, or its mythical and holy association? In any case, modern Allahabad never forgot its past and Prayag remains a railway station and with it being the venue of Kumbh melas every few years and the citys Hindu past is indelible regardless of which government is in power. However, the UP government wishes to completely ignore its syncretism which makes the city more inclusive.

Because renaming of Allahabad draws on history, the forbidding coincidence of the decision with the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, which falls in barely 20 days on November 9-10, cannot be ignored. Also called the Night of Broken Glass, the German National Socialist (read Nazi) government let loose forces who vandalised Jewish homes, schools and businesses and killed close to 100 Jews. This pogrom was preceded by a systemic campaign of changing streets names in major German cities, which had a Jewish association and replacing them with so-called heroes of the National Socialist movement. Although this writer refrains from drawing parallels between this regime and the fascist government under Adolf Hitler, this is one occasion when the historical parallel is too stark to ignore.

But the second prism, mentioned at the outset of this article, through which Yogis decision must be seen is more important because his government is covering up for its governance deficit. In August, the housing and urban affairs ministry released the result of a survey of 111 cities evaluating the ease of living. Not a single city from UP was among top 30 in this survey  Varanasi and Jhansi were the first UP cities at 33 and 34. Allahabad, the city about which so much chest-thumping has been done, features at 96 on this list: Ghaziabad, Rae Bareli, Agra, Faridabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Bareilly, Aligarh and Moradabad. Mind you, most of these cities are smaller in size and population and of lesser importance. If the UP government and Sangh Parivar wishes to improve cities, there are better areas to work than to set false targets which divide society.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said the Indian purchase was part of its efforts to acquire a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System through multiple sources. (Photo: File)

Islamabad: Pakistan said on Friday that India's decision to buy S-400 missile defence system from Russia will further destabilise stability in the region and renewed the arms race. In a statement, the Foreign Office said the Indian purchase was part of its efforts to acquire a Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) System through multiple sources.

"This (S-400) will further destabilise strategic stability in South Asia, besides leading to a renewed arms race," it said.

India and Russia concluded the USD 5 billion S-400 air defence system deal early this month during the visit of President Vladimir Putin to New Delhi for the annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The S-400 Triumf system is a next-generation mobile air defense system, which is capable of destroying aerial targets at an extremely long range of up to 400 kilometers. The S-400 is known as Russia's most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.

The Foreign Office also claimed that following the May 1998 nuclear tests by both sides, Pakistan had proposed a Strategic Restraint Regime in the region, advocating against the acquisition of BMD systems due to their destabilizing effect.

"Indian rejection of this proposal forced Pakistan to develop capabilities which render any BMD system ineffective and unreliable," it said. Pakistan remains fully confident of its ability to address threats from any kind of destabilizing weapon system, the Foreign Office said.

"We reiterate our commitment towards ensuring national defence in line with the policy of maintaining credible minimum deterrence and maintaining strategic balance in the region in the future as well," it said.
Wary of China, India on Friday moved fast to engage with the new government of Bhutan, where an urologist-turned-politician led a new party to victory in the just-concluded parliamentary elections

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) party chief Lotay Tshering, who is now set to lead the new government in Thimphu.

Modi congratulated Tshering and invited the 50-year-old urologist-turned-politician to visit New Delhi.

Prime Minister conveyed to the DNT chief that India attached the highest priority to further strengthening unique ties of friendship and cooperation with Bhutan, based on shared interests and values, utmost trust, goodwill and mutual understanding.

Tshering's DNT won 30 of the 47 seats in National Assembly of Bhutan. The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) won the 17 seats and would continue to be the opposition party.

The primaries had last month cleared the DNT and DPT to contest the third parliamentary elections of Bhutan. The People's Democratic Party (PDP), which was in power in the country since 2013, had lost the primaries and had not participated in the main elections that had taken place earlier this week.

Modi is likely to visit Thimphu after Tshering takes over as the new prime minister of Bhutan.

He on Friday also reiterated Indias steadfast commitment to work with the new Prime Minister in Bhutan in its national efforts for socio-economic transformation, based on the priorities and interests of the people and the government of the neighbouring country.
A Delhi court on Friday rejected a bail plea by a son of former BSP MP, who brandished a pistol and allegedly threatened a man and his woman companion in a five-star hotel here.

Ashish Pandey, whose video has gone viral, was produced before metropolitan magistrate Sumeet Anand here at Patiala House courts after one-day police remand.

The court sent him to judicial custody till October 22, after noting arrogance and high-headedness in him out of possession of firearm and death threat to the victim, Gaurav Kanwar, son of a former Delhi Congress MLA.

The Delhi Police which arrested Pandey, son of former BSP MP Rakesh Pandey, on Thursday, sought his further police remand but the court rejected it.

The police claimed that they wanted to establish link of the accused with other women accomplices and their financial transactions, the chain of events after the incident and the recovery of arm licence, which required further two days custodial interrogation.

However, the magistrate said, for verification of arms licence, custody of the accused is not required. As far as establishing link between the accused and lady accomplices and their financial transactions to be ascertained is concerned, it is not the subject matter of this case.

Senior advocate Hari Haran and advocate S P N Tripathi, the counsel for the accused, submitted that he has never absconded and has in fact surrendered on being aware of the lodging of the case.

Agreeing to their plea, the court said as the weapon, its licence and the car of the accused stood recovered, it does not find any reason to send him to further police custody.

On this, the counsel sought bail for the accused contending he was a businessman with clean antecedents and belonged to a respectable family and assured to participate and cooperate in investigation. He also contended that the offence of criminal intimidation was not attracted as no FIR was filed by the victim.

The court, however, said Pandey exposed the weapon at a public place and a group of persons have been given death threat. From the contents of the FIR, the arrogance and high-headedness germinating out of possession of a firearm can be seen. The investigation is at the initial stage. The victim with whom the accused had an altercation have been threatened with death threat. This court is not inclined to admit him to bail.
Delhi's air quality remained "very poor" for the second day this season, with several areas in the national capital nearing "severe" levels of pollution, according to the authorities.

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 315, same as Wednesday, according to the Centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research.

Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Greater Noida all recorded very poor air quality.

The PM2.5 (presence in the air of particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) touched a new high at 158, even as the authorities said it could increase further.

The PM2.5, also called "fine particulates," is a more serious health concern than PM10.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor" and 401 and 500 "severe".

A senior Central Pollution Control Board official said the situation is being monitored and depending upon the quality more stringent measures like increase of parking fees and a complete ban on construction activities would be imposed.

"We are hoping that with a slight improvement in meteorological conditions, the air quality would improve. But if it doesn't, we would impose stringent measures," he said.

On Thursday, Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 315, Dwarka Sector 8 369, ITO 256, Jahangirpuri 337 and Rohini 368, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

The PM10 level (presence in the air of particles with a diameter of less than 10 micrometres) in Delhi stood at 297 and the PM 2.5 level was recorded at 140, according to the CPCB data.

Further deterioration of air quality has been forecast for the coming days with the PM10 level reaching 332 and the PM2.5 level 158.

The data released by the CPCB shows that the air quality in the last three years has not improved much but officials also said a clear picture would emerge by end of this month.

A CPCB official said a number of factors were responsible for the deteriorating air quality, including vehicular pollution and construction activities.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a resident of Assam's Kamrup district from Guwahati, who was allegedly part of a Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) racket and was involved in the collection of fake currency from across the international border and circulation in Bengaluru.

An NIA official said Akbar Ali is a "kingpin" of the FICN network in the country and a reward of Rs. 25,000 was earlier announced for his arrest in connection with a case registered by NIA's Hyderabad office in 2015.

An NIA team from Hyderabad on Thursday arrested Ali, a resident of Goroimari village in Kamrup district, situated about 50km west of Guwahati, from Kotahbari here.

"Investigation revealed that Ali had come to Bengaluru from Assam in 2007 and was working in a flower shop. He was introduced into the FICN business by another accused Hakim, who is known to be his uncle. Akbar Ali was instrumental in forming a gang at Bengaluru which was involved in trafficking and circulating the high-quality FICN. He was a part of a larger conspiracy along with other accused persons mostly based in Malda, West Bengal in smuggling high-quality FICN from across the international border with an intention to threaten the monetary stability of India. The proceeds from the circulation of FICN were deposited into the bank accounts of accused persons and their associates based at Malda," an NIA statement said.

The case relates to the seizure of fake Indian currency notes worth Rs.5,01,500 from the possession of one Saddam Hossain in September 2015 at Visakhapatnam.

"During the investigation it was revealed that the accused Saddam had travelled to Malda (West Bengal) from Bengaluru on the instructions of Amirul Hoque, another accused and collected the FICN from another gang member Roustam on four occasions in 2015 and was part of a larger group of persons involved in smuggling of FICN from across the international borders and circulating it in Bengaluru," said the statement.

During the investigation, the names of other members of the inter-state gang and their associates from Malda and Bengaluru have come to light and further investigation against them is going on, said the statement.

The NIA Hyderabad branch has already filed charge sheets against Saddam Hossain and Amirul Hoque on July 29, 2016, and August 12, 2016, respectively and against Roustam and Hakim on July 24 this year.
WASHINGTON  Whatever the eventual consequences of the Saudi Arabian regime's suspected murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, President Trump's initial response indicated much about the priorities of America First foreign policy. His instincts were commercial and transactional  a concern that America might lose defense contracts in a confrontation with the Saudi government. "I don't like stopping massive amounts of money that's being poured into our country," he explained. Trump's reaction was nativist, pointing out that "Khashoggi is not a United States citizen." And after consulting with the Saudi king, the president seemed determined to provide an alibi, raising the prospect of "rogue killers" that brought back memories of the O.J. Simpson trial.

Trump  drafting behind growing global outrage  now pledges "severe punishment" if the Saudis were actually involved in Khashoggi's disappearance. But can there be any doubt that Trump would ignore the situation if ignoring it were costless? Trump began his diplomatic confrontation with Saudi Arabia by pointing out (and exaggerating) the kingdom's economic leverage against us  the deal completely stripped of art. And the administration's conspicuous apathy was reinforced by a false, re-tweeted attack on Khashoggi by Donald Trump Jr.

It is difficult to trace causality in foreign affairs, but there is little doubt that Trump has reduced the cost of oppression and political murder in the world by essentially declaring it none of America's business. And when you reduce the cost of something, you get more of it. American indifference on human rights abuses is taken by other governments as a form of permission.

The story of a journalist killed while picking up documents for his wedding is particularly powerful. But the aggregation of such horrors  the sum of killing and human misery at this historical moment  is stunning. The Trump era is also  perhaps not coincidentally  the age of mass atrocities. And America's president is not concerned enough to be ashamed of it.

There is the Saudi war in Yemen, which has caused massive displacement, hunger and disease. The Trump administration has certified that the Saudis are taking sufficient measures to prevent civilian casualties. The U.S. military provides aerial refueling support for bombing raids. The United Nations, meanwhile, has accused Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of war crimes, including arbitrary detention, torture and rape.

Syria remains a bleeding wound. Hundreds of thousands have died. More than 5 million people have left the country as refugees. More than 6 million are internally displaced. During the largest refugee crisis since World War II, the U.S. has slashed the number of refugees it will admit to the lowest level in four decades. And Trump has turned these suffering people into political scapegoats, feeding unfounded fears they may be Trojan horse terrorist threats.

In China, perhaps a million ethnic Uighurs are being held in re-education camps. Human-rights groups report forced displacement, family separations and psychological and physical torture. Yet the whole of Trump's relationship with China seems determined by the level of our trade deficit. Human rights are hardly an afterthought.

Then there is the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya people in Myanmar  involving the burning of villages, rape and attacks on civilians  which has caused more than 700,000 people to flee their homes. According to a State Department report, "Multiple witnesses report soldiers throwing infants and small children into open fires or burning huts." Yet the Trump administration has refused to designate this as "crimes against humanity" or "genocide."

Then there is South Sudan's five-year civil war, in which perhaps 380,000 people have died and around 2.5 million people have fled the country. Decades of American effort to help give birth to that nation are being washed away on Trump's watch.

And then there is North Korea, which is guilty of mass enslavement, torture, rape, forced abortions and the extermination of suspected regime opponents. Yet Trump recounts how he and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un "fell in love."

I conduct this tour of global horrors, not to argue that America could easily resolve each one, but to point out that they don't even register in the president's priorities. This does violence to American ideals. But it also illustrates a foreign-policy law. A vacuum of American leadership is not occupied by good and pleasant things. It is filled by ruthless power politics, aimless allies, aggressive authoritarians, gathering threats and cruelty without consequence. And the trail of evidence leads from the villages of Myanmar to a consulate in Istanbul.
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SALT LAKE CITY  The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office has positively identified a body found in Juab County over the weekend as that of a missing Sandy woman.

But investigators aren't saying how Jan Pearson-Jenkins, 64, died. Juab County Undersheriff Brent Pulver said Thursday that his office is not commenting on that information for now.

A man whom Pearson-Jenkins was believed to be with during a camping trip that weekend, Cody Alexander Young, 42, was arrested for investigation of murder in connection with her death and booked into the Juab County Jail. But as of Thursday, formal charges had not been filed against him.

Under state law, prosecutors have 72 hours to file charges or they must release a suspect from jail unless a judge grants an extension. Pulver said the Juab County Attorney's Office has filed an extension to hold Young in jail.

An initial court hearing could happen on Tuesday, he said. A secretary with the Juab County Attorney's Office said no one was available on Thursday to comment on whether there would be a court hearing early next week.

Jace Pearson, Pearson-Jenkins' brother, said Thursday that the family has not been told about any preliminary cause of death, but was told to be prepared for a Tuesday court hearing.

Young and Pearson-Jenkins were believed to have gone camping on Oct. 4 in the Silver City area of Juab County. The couple was in "somewhat" of a relationship, according to a jail report. But Young claimed they got into an argument that night and again the next morning. Young would later tell police the argument was over money and that the two had smoked methamphetamine together that night, police said.

On Oct. 5, Young said "he did not feel comfortable being around Jan any longer," according to the report. He told police he locked the doors of his van and drove away as she tried to open the driver's door about 4 p.m.

Young said he contemplated returning to get Pearson-Jenkins, but decided to contact her brother instead.

Pearson-Jenkins' family received a text from Young that same day claiming that he left her in the Silver City/Eureka area. She did not have a cellphone and police said she was not dressed for inclement weather. Pearson-Jenkins' brother said the texts he received were bizarre.

On Saturday, Pearson-Jenkins' nude body was discovered in a sage brush area near where the couple had allegedly camped. She "had marks and bruising on the back and legs as well as a mark on her head. It appeared the body had been exposed to the elements for some time," the report states.

About two hours after that discovery, rangers at Yuba State Park spotted Young and his van near Yuba Lake, about 45 miles from the campsite. He was questioned by detectives and later arrested in connection with Pearson-Jenkins' death, the undersheriff said.

Young, who police say is homeless and lives in his van, said he stayed in a Nephi parking lot for two days after leaving his girlfriend behind. "Cody stated he was hurting and needed to remove himself from the situation," deputies wrote in the report.

He allegedly said he then went to the Yuba Lake area, where he remained until he was found on Saturday. Young also said he had read news reports about his missing girlfriend.
PERRY, Box Elder County  Two women wanted for questioning in connection to the death of two infants in Idaho were taken into custody Thursday in Perry, Box Elder County, officials said.

About noon, Utah Highway Patrol troopers learned that Cache County detectives had located Haley Miller and Sylvia Tapia, according to a news release from the Utah Department of Public Safety.

Idaho news outlet KMVT reported the women were wanted on meth trafficking charges out of Twin Falls County. According to police, the two lived in the same home as infant twin brothers who died Friday of unknown causes, KMVT reported.

The women were "flagged" by Utah's Statewide Information and Analysis Center, which sent a message to Utah officers to find Miller and Tapia, according to the release.

"Cache County detectives located and were following (Miller and Tapia) through Sardine Canyon in an unmarked car," officials said.

Troopers arrived to aid the detectives and they set up a high-risk stop as the women turned south on U.S. 89 in Perry.

Officials said the women were taken into custody without incident and they have been booked into Box Elder County Jail. They will be extradited to Idaho, according to the release.

The Utah Highway Patrol originally reported the women were wanted in connection with a homicide investigation, then later clarified police were seeking to question them about the unexplained deaths.
SALT LAKE CITY  Why don't Utah college students want to become teachers?

No surprise, it's the salaries. But it's also because they have other interests and talents, an Envision Utah survey of some 4,000 college students shows.

But the survey also shows that among high achieving students  those with GPAs 3.5 and higher and ACT test scores of 30 and above  they would go into teaching if there were higher salaries, career growth options and more scholarships and financial aid.

The online survey of public college and university students conducted in early 2018 found 42 percent of the respondents considered becoming teachers before choosing some other major or career.

The number is significant because if even one-tenth of those 80,000 students who entertained the idea of going into teaching became educators, that could go a long way to relieve Utah's teacher shortage, according to Jason Brown, vice president of communications of the think tank Envision Utah.

Brown said the survey was conducted to gain a better understanding of Utah's teacher shortage and to test commonly held suppositions about college students' views.

"As we were in talks to people about the teacher shortage, we realized that a lot of us were speculating on what college students were thinking or what teachers were thinking as they went into the career. We were doing it. Other education leaders were doing it. We were all kind of speculating why people were or were not choosing to be teachers. Then we realized, maybe we should just ask them," Brown said.

Survey responses challenged a commonly held perception that people who select teaching as a career are more altruistic and want careers that make a difference in young people's lives "almost like a Peace Corps volunteer," he said.

"At least in college, everybody is thinking about that," Brown said of the survey results.

"Whether you're a teacher or biology major or a business major, making a difference is a big priority. You're looking for that and you're planning for that," he said.

One common perception regarding teachers new to the profession is that they will leave the workforce early in their careers to raise families. The survey results support that notion.

Among education majors who responded to the survey, 16 percent said they would leave the profession to raise a family, which was a higher percentage than students in other programs.

However, "it was male business majors who put the strongest emphasis on raising a family," Brown said.

Forty-nine percent of education majors said they planned to be teaching five to seven years after graduation. Nineteen percent saying they planned to seek graduate degrees following graduation.

When all respondents were asked to prioritize their values, personal relationships, financial stability and raising a family ranked highest. Wealth ranked last.

Factors that influenced college students' choice of majors suggest it's not all about the money. The top five influences were interest, talents, making a difference, career options, followed by salary.

Retirement ranked as a lesser influence, which tracked with another finding that college students generally believe they are familiar with potential salaries in their chosen field but they knew significantly less about benefits, particularly retirement.

Other survey findings:

 Twenty percent of respondents said there was nothing that could get them to become teachers.

 Twelve percent said they wouldn't not go into teaching because the profession is not held in respect.

 Teaching majors havent always known they should be educators. Nearly 40 percent chose to become teachers in college.
FARMINGTON  How are they still around?

While the world has witnessed the steady decline and demise of big-box electronics stores since their heyday in the '80s and '90s, Best Buy has continued to navigate a successful path forward in the face of aggressive competition from online retailers.

And now the 52-year-old Minneapolis-based business is doing something else entirely unexpected  opening a brand-new store in Farmington.

It will be the first new U.S. outlet for the company in seven years and is, perhaps, the physical manifestation of a winning business approach that Charles Darwin would have appreciated  adapt or die.

Bret Nelson is the general manager of the new store in Farmington's Station Park and a 12-year veteran of the company. He believes Best Buy has distinguished itself from online competitors through providing both pricing value and something that the digital ether can't offer shoppers  an in-person experience with expert help.

"I think our key is the training we put into associates," Nelson said. "The company has spent a lot of money on training our staff and making sure they have the product knowledge to demonstrate and show whats possible."

Best Buy has also adopted programs to extend in-person customer service beyond the walls of their expansive retail outlets. The company purchased Geek Squad, a roving tech support startup, back in the early 2000s and more recently expanded in-home services with a subscription-based Total Tech Support service. The company also offers free visits and consultations from a team of its In-Home Advisor program that can provide insight and direction on customers' technology and appliance needs.

University of Utah professors Arul and Himanshu Mishra teach marketing at the David Eccles School of Business, and both specialize in consumer behavior. In an email interview with the Deseret News, the Mishras wrote that in-person assistance, particularly with purchasing high-tech products, can be a powerful differentiator for buying decisions.

"Tech products are constantly changing and it is difficult for customers to keep track of the constant updated models," the Mishras said. "The added features are also abundant and it is difficult to convey all possible information online. Having a person explain to them the benefits from features is preferred rather than gleaning that information from other customer reviews."

The Mishras also noted that consumers are typically "cognitive misers" who want to make a decision quickly and efficiently and "prefer to talk to another individual and make a decision rather than go through a lot of online information."

While personal service matters, and can help sway a purchase decision, pricing still figures largely in the minds of consumers, particularly for big-ticket items. Earlier this decade, Best Buy was losing money at an alarming rate and getting beaten on price points across the board by a rising online nemesis, Amazon.com. Shortly after he was hired in 2012, CEO Hubert Joly instituted a price-matching program that promised customers Best Buy would match any price offered by the online retail giant.

That program continues and, according to details on Best Buy's website, the price-matching promise extends to any retailer within a 25-mile radius of a Best Buy store as well as a handful of other online outlets.

Joly's focus on human interaction and price points is proving to be a winning formula for Best Buy. While the company's stock dropped to about $11 a share shortly after he took over, the value has been on a steady upward trajectory since, and on Thursday it was trading at $72.65 a share at the end of regular trading.

A recent Bloomberg report noted the company consistently outperforms analysts' earnings estimates when compared to other brick-and-mortar operations like Home Depot, Costco and Walmart, as well as those of its digital adversary, Amazon.

While Amazon competes directly with Best Buy across numerous product lines, the company did something else that may seem counterintuitive  it struck a deal with the online retailer to feature a selection of its products at mini-stores located inside Best Buy locations. Google, Microsoft and Sony also have similar in-store deals with Best Buy.

Wedbush Securities Inc. analyst Michael Pachter told Bloomberg the partnerships have been a "phenomenal success" that have helped Best Buy bolster its bottom line.

"Best Buy is like an arms dealer, Pachter said. Theyre indifferent to what brand you buy as long as you buy it from them.

The recent bankruptcy declaration by the 125-year-old U.S. retail icon Sears will also, according to industry watchers, bode well for Best Buy. A CNBC report earlier this week noted that 85 percent of Sears stores are within 5 miles of a Best Buy store and that the Sears' filing is "a major positive for Best Buy."

Best Buy is currently operating over 1,000 stores and employs some 125,000.

Nelson said he believes the new Best Buy location in Farmington will also contribute to the company's continued arc of success by providing its in-person customer service and competitive pricing in a location that was previously underserved.

"People in this area who wanted to shop at Best Buy have had to travel over 15 miles north or south to get to the nearest store," Nelson said. "We're very excited to be a part of this community."

Nelson said the new store is staffed with about 90 employees and is in the process for hiring additional help ahead of the holiday shopping season. Those interested in employment opportunities at Best Buy can find details at bestbuy-jobs.com.

A Best Buy spokesman said, with the addition of the Farmington outlet, Best Buy has almost 1,000 Utah employees working at nine stores.

Correction: A previous version incorrectly stated the age of Best Buy. The chain is 52 years old, not 35.
SALT LAKE CITY  A former chief deputy Utah attorney general says Salt Lake County prosecutors violated his civil rights when they had him thrown in jail, claiming he told them he wouldn't be available to testify in the John Swallow trial last year.

Kirk Torgensen, who now lives in Florida, contends in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday that he cooperated fully with the criminal investigations into his former bosses, ex-attorneys general Swallow and Mark Shurtleff.

Torgensen said Thursday that the "biggest shock of my life" is the how the system he worked in for over 25 years was used to violate his constitutional rights and dignity in such a "blatantly illegal and unethical way."

"Obviously, the DA office was not concerned by what the law stated and chose to throw an innocent person in jail for their own warped reasons," he said in an email. "There were no facts whatsoever to warrant anything they did. It saddens me that the system I dedicated my career to could be used in such (an) evil way."

The lawsuit names Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill; deputy district attorneys Chou Chou Collins, Fred Burmester and Sam Sutton; and investigator Cortney Nelson as defendants. Collins and Burmester were the lead prosecutors in the public corruption case against Swallow.

Gill said he was unaware of the lawsuit Thursday. He said his office would respond after it has a chance to see the complaint.

When Torgensen came to Utah in January 2017 for his mother's funeral, Collins contacted him to talk about calling him as a witness at Swallow's trial in February.

Torgensen was surprised because he had not heard from prosecutors for more than a year and didn't know the trial date, according to the lawsuit. He explained he had a long-planned, six-week international trip scheduled during that time but would do provide his testimony "one way or another," including flying home from vacation if the county would pay for it.

A day later, he was served with a subpoena to appear at the trial, which Torgensen said he fully intended to comply with, the lawsuit says. The next day, the Swallow trial judge issued a material witness warrant and Torgensen was arrested at the home of a friend, assistant Utah attorney general Scott Reed.

"I was arrested by seven armed FBI agents just hours after burying my mother," Torgensen said.

Torgensen believes that his arrest was "intended to intimidate and pressure him to testify in a manner consistent with the prosecution's view of the case," according to the lawsuit.

He was held in the Salt Lake County Jail on $100,000 bail until the judge released him after a hastily called hearing the day after his arrest. She also ordered him to be present to testify for three days in February and that the state pay his travel costs from Florida.

The lawsuit says Torgensen was treated like a "common criminal, including wearing an orange jail jumpsuit" and being handcuffed and shackled during his arrest and incarceration.

"He was treated with disrespect by jail personnel, including being cross-checked with a baton while being told to "face the (expletive) wall," according to the lawsuit.

Torgensen ultimately testified at the trial for less than an hour, and mostly on cross-examination by Swallow's defense lawyer.

"After all of this trouble and effort, the prosecution elicited no inculpatory evidence during Torgensen's direct examination," the lawsuit says.

A jury acquitted Swallow on all charges. Prosecutors dropped all charges against Shurtleff.

Torgensen suffered humiliation, depression requiring medical attention, and physical pain including injury to his Achilles tendon from being shackled, according to the lawsuit.

"While officials from the DA's office have conceded error in obtaining the material witness arrest warrant for Torgensen, the DA's office has failed to reimburse Torgensen for his attorney's fees or compensate him for the economic and non-economic damages caused by these unlawful and traumatic events," the lawsuit says.
SALT LAKE CITY  Days after the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah released a report slamming Operation Rio Grande as "heavy-handed"  a report that rattled the operation's staunchest supporters  a public conversation about the yearslong effort has reignited.

A panel of officials involved in the state's homeless issues in widespread ways, including Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown, homeless providers, and a defense attorney, discussed Thursday the impact of Operation Rio Grande  the good and the bad.

Among the panelists, Kate Conyers, a former public defender and currently a private defense attorney at Conyers & Nix, praised the ACLU's report for doing "an incredible job" of identifying problems Operation Rio Grande has contributed to, including the "criminalization" of homelessness.

"I can't forgive that Operation Rio Grande assumed and still assumes that most people who called 'the block' their home, that they must be criminals," Conyers said, decrying a build-up of charges that have complicated the lives of arrestees and clogged the criminal justice system.

However, Conyers also acknowledged the effort has helped change lives. She noted she was "deeply touched" when she attended a graduation ceremony Wednesday night where 15 Operation Rio Grande arrestees celebrated sobriety and cleansed their criminal records.

Still, Conyers cited that just three of 1,106 Operation Rio Grande bookings at the Salt Lake County Jail were third-degree felonies, and only 1/5 had any felony charges at all. She noted that most charges that have resulted from the operation have been misdemeanors or active warrants, which can complicate the lives of people already struggling with other issues.

While the panel discussion  organized by the ACLU of Utah and moderated by KRCL's Lara Jones and Billy Palmer  was tame, supporters of Operation Rio Grande, including House Speaker Greg Hughes, came to the effort's defense.

The speaker, leading into a question to the panel, said he was "more than disappointed" by the report, which he labeled misleading and "myopic." Hughes said it was inaccurate for the report to state that of more than 5,000 arrests, only one in 13 people were placed in a new treatment program because many of the 5,000 were repeat arrests.

Hughes cited numbers calculated by Salt Lake County, noting that even though only 243 residential treatment beds have been added to the system, that number doesn't include additional detox, outpatient and intensive outpatient expansion. In Operation Rio Grande's first year, 1,165 individuals have accessed behavioral health treatment services within Salt Lake County's network.

Hughes said "if we so grossly misrepresent the work of law enforcement, the work of the county, the work of the state" it could "mislead" policymakers to think the state has squandered the estimated $70 million its spent on this effort.

"This isn't just heavy-handed, black helicopters flying around," Hughes said.

The ACLU did correct its report Wednesday night, according to an ACLU spokesman, Jason Stevenson, to clarify the 5,000 figure as arrests, not individuals.

The Pioneer Park Coalition, another supporter of Operation Rio Grande, also issued a written statement ahead of Thursday night's panel, calling the report "shallow," with an analysis that "failed to recognize the significant level of lawlessness and chaos" that existed before.

"The Pioneer Park (and) Rio Grande neighborhood was the epicenter and rendezvous point for crime that impacted all of Salt Lake. It was the crossroads of the state for drug trafficking and a meeting place for people looking for drugs and trouble," said Tiffanie Provost, chairwoman of the Pioneer Park Coalition, in the statement, calling Operation Rio Grande "the essential first step in the process to make the area safe."

Panelist Matt Melville, director of Catholic Community Services' homeless services, also credited Operation Rio Grande for ending "one of the worst chapters" in Salt Lake City history.

"People were being victimized on the hour before Operation Rio Grande happened," he said.

Conyers, responding to Hughes, said she agreed "there were some serious criminal elements" in the Rio Grande area before the operation and it has resulted "in a lot of good things," but she added there is "no question in my mind there were a lot more arrests than there needed to be."

Stevenson, addressing the crowd at the conclusion of Thursday night's panel, said the purpose of the report was to "keep the conversation going" on Operation Rio Grande as policymakers approach the June 2019 deadline for the closure of the downtown shelter.

"We need to keep asking hard questions to make it better," he said.
SALT LAKE CITY  A man wanted by the Metro Gang Unit and U.S. marshals was shot and killed during a downtown confrontation with police late Thursday.

It is the fifth officer-involved shooting along the Wasatch Front in a little over a week.

On Thursday, members of the Metro Gang Unit, which consists of officers from across the Wasatch Front, and the U.S. marshal's Violent Fugitive Apprehension Team spotted Andrey Tkachenko, 23, of Salt Lake City, who was wanted in connection with several recent felony crimes.

The officers, in unmarked vehicles, followed his car and a second vehicle until they could find the right place to attempt to make an arrest, said Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray.

About 10:30 p.m., the two vehicles pulled into an ally near 455 E. 300 South. It was there that a confrontation took place between officers and Tkachenko, Gray said. The officers were outside their vehicles when something prompted two officers to shoot, she said.

Ben Williams, who lives in an apartment nearby, said he heard five to 10 shots. When he looked out his window, he saw the officers had boxed the two vehicles in, and officers pulled the driver out of the car that officers shot at. Police then gave medical attention to that driver, he said.

A handgun was recovered at the scene, according to Gray.

A Unified police officer and an officer from the Saratoga Springs Police Department fired their weapons, she said. Tkachenko died en route to the hospital.

Two officers suffered minor injuries. The Saratoga Springs officer who fired his gun was treated at a local hospital for a knee injury, Gray said. It was not revealed how he suffered that injury. A second officer was injured while climbing a fence trying to get to the scene.

One other man who was in the car with Tkachenko ran off but was arrested a short time later on outstanding warrants, Gray said. The second car contained two women who were detained and questioned by officers but not arrested.

Saratoga Springs Police Chief Andy Burton said his officer is experienced and has been with the gang unit for over five years. He also said Tkachenko was on parole.

Court records show Tkachenko had a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for theft, burglary, drug possession, and in at least one case firing shots at a woman. He also had a history of fleeing from police, according to police records.

On Dec. 6, 2017, police were looking for Tkachenko in a Lexus after previously fleeing from officers in Midvale. "While fleeing, Andrey attempted to strike a Midvale patrol officer," a Salt Lake County Jail report states.

When Tkachenko again tried to drive away from officers, they had tire spikes already set up because of his history of "constantly" fleeing from law enforcement, according to the report.

West Valley police will conduct the independent review of Thursday's shooting.

The incident marked the fifth police shooting in Utah since Oct. 10.

 On Wednesday, a Unified police officer shot James Lyle Kuehn, 61, of Kearns, who allegedly had just robbed a Mexican restaurant at knifepoint. Kuehn remained hospitalized in critical condition Thursday.

 On Oct. 12, Jacob E. Albrethsen, 17, was shot and killed by Orem police officers responding to a "family problem" involving Albrethsen and a woman. While the officers were inside the home, Albrethsen came at them "armed with a knife," according to police.

 On Oct. 11, Diamonte Riviore, 22, was shot and killed by a West Jordan police officer responding to a domestic violence call. Riviore, who had a history of threatening his ex-girlfriend, was holding a knife when officers arrived, police say.

 On Oct. 10, a Tooele police officer looking for a man wanted in a domestic violence-related assault shot at Christopher Michael Ono, 27, after Ono allegedly pointed a gun at the officer. No one was injured, and Ono was arrested and later charged.
SALT LAKE CITY  When you talk to Randy Stinson, the conversation quickly turns to numbers.

Some of those numbers are small: one to five (the number of dollars his music store, Randys Record Shop, used to charge for Led Zeppelin albums); 45 (the RPMs at which 7-inch vinyl singles are played); 60 (I worked probably 60 hours a week for most of my life, Stinson said); '67-'69 (the years he was in Vietnam). Those numbers quickly skyrocket: 1989 (the year major record labels stopped printing new vinyls); 10,000 (the number of dollars he borrowed to open Randys Records in 1978); and more than 100,000 (the number of records he once owned).

Another number sticks out: 40  the years that Randys Record Shop has now been open.

The store celebrates its 40th anniversary on Saturday, Oct. 20. Live music and DJs will be on hand for the afternoon event, and the store will be offering discounted merchandise and some limited edition T-shirts.

The music business has changed considerably over the past four decades. Somehow, Randys Records has survived it all. Stinson said he opened the store out of necessity  before the store opened in 1978, Stinson had been a fixture in local radio for more than a decade, usually playing songs through a phone line from his own house. For his radio gigs, Stinson took a lot of song requests, but that was far more difficult when DJs needed a vinyl copy of every song.

In the beginning I didnt even have Monster Mash by Bobby Boris Picket, he told the Deseret News during a recent interview. Running a record store helped connect him with record labels, who could send him more records.

Not the he had a small inventory. During the interview, Stinson pulled out a local newspaper article from 1973, which detailed his early record-collecting exploits. The article said he owned about 15,000 vinyls back then, but Stinson thinks it may have been closer to 30,000.

This is a great area, he said. I mean, I wouldve never gone to Ogden or Provo. There were so many people moving here. And they bought a lot of records. We sold tons.

During the stores early years, Stinson said the biggest sellers were artists like Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones. I mean, you could sell a little bit of Barbra Streisand, and that kind of stuff, but it was mostly rock n roll, he added.

As the years went on, Stinsons inventory grew. But CDs started becoming the dominant medium, and by the late 1980s, Stinsons biggest distributors had stopped printing vinyl altogether.

So at that point, I decided I had to buy every used record I can, he recalled. People were bringing records in like crazy. Theyd say, Yeah, I bought CDs, now I dont want records anymore.

Oddly enough, Stinson thinks this influx of used records ultimately saved the store through the lean years that followed. If someone needed a specific vinyl, chances are Randys Records had it.

About that massive inventory: Stinsons son, Sam Stinson, has never known a life without it. During his childhood, Sam said he simply listened to whatever his dad was playing  Elvis Presley, lots of rockabilly, etc.  but the stores never-ending inventory of records became a curiosity for Sam during his teenage years.

We had this warehouse of records, so I could just walk in back and find Devo records to listen to, or I could listen to the Clash or The Dead Milkmen, Sam said. I could go pull whatever I wanted. It never dawned on me as being anything out of the ordinary, having access to all that music.

These days, Sam Stinson oversees most of the duties at the record shop. Randy no longer drives, and lives with his wife in Lindon, so hes rarely at the shop. He still likes to price 45s though  It takes me a long time since my eyesights bad; Im kind of slow now, he admitted. Through it all, Stinson said vinyl has remained the store's main source of income.

Worldwide, vinyl has made a sustained comeback over the past decade. More than 14 million new vinyls were sold in 2017, according to a Nielsen Music report. Sony even began printing records again last year  something the company hadnt done in almost 30 years. It may not be the dominant medium it was when Randys Records first opened, but vinyl has showed sustained growth for long enough to be more than a last dying gasp. Somehow, records have maintained their relevance.

And, in turn, so has Randys Record Shop.

If you go 

What: Randy's Record Shop 40th anniversary party

When: Oct. 20, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Where: Randy's Record Shop, 157 E. 900 South

How much: Free

Web: randysrecords.com
WOODS CROSS  A Woods Cross family was waiting to hear Friday if two bodies found near the Utah-Arizona border belong to a couple missing since the beginning of the year.

The family of Jerry and Susan McFalls was informed by the Mohave County Sheriffs Office Thursday afternoon that two bodies had been discovered Monday in the Virgin River Gorge area.

He wouldnt give me a whole lot of details as to a specific location where at, Meridee McFalls told the Deseret News. They were unsure at the time whether they were male or female.

The remains were taken to "the FBI crime lab," according to a statement from the Mohave County Sheriff's Office, though it did not say in what state. FBI investigators and sheriff's deputies combed through the area for evidence for four days before announcing their discovery, according to the statement. The sheriff's office did not say who found the remains.

Investigators asked the family if they could expedite dental records on the couple to help identify the bodies.

Jerry David McFalls and his wife, Susan Marie McFalls, both 63, owned a second home in Littlefield, Arizona, and have not been heard from since Jan. 11. On that day, the couple texted family members that they would be traveling to their main home in West Jordan, according to court documents.

According to a search warrant filed in 5th District Court in St. George, a Mohave County sheriff's deputy went to the McFalls' residence on Jan. 21 to conduct a welfare check. The deputy found their house unlocked, pickup trucks that looked like they were in the process of being loaded, including "coolers and snacks" in the back of one, two dogs inside the house with no food or water, and a purse, wallet and cellphone on the kitchen table.

The McFalls' son, who lives in Woods Cross, told investigators at the time that his parents "are not the type to leave the property without a vehicle, and do not hike due to their physical limitations. Susan Marie McFalls is reported to be a diabetic, and has issues walking for extended periods of time," according to the warrant.

The family reiterated that on Thursday.

"From their house to the gorge is about 3 to 4 miles, Jerry McFalls Jr. said. My mom had degenerative back disease  and she couldnt walk more than 100 yards in that kind of terrain. They always took their side-by-side if they were going on the dirt roads or one of their cars if they were going somewhere else. They really didnt walk anywhere."

"If it is them, they did not get there on their own  its one thing that we know for sure, Meridee McFalls said. All their vehicles were at home. They did not go for a walk up the gorge any direction.

Shell casings were found near the couple's truck in Littlefield and at least one handgun, possibly two, were missing from the house, court records state.

In March, a private investigator hired by the family said he believed the McFalls were the victims of homicide.

A sheriff's office spokeswoman on Friday said she did not know how long it would take to identify the remains that were found or determine a cause of death.
Lee University student Kelly Wnuk, a senior anthropology major from Chattanooga, presented at the Appalachian College Association Annual Summit held in Kingsport, Tn.

Ms. Wnuk was invited to present her findings after she was awarded a Ledford Scholarship from the ACA to conduct original research during the summer of 2018, under the supervision of Dr. Arlie Tagayuna, associate professor of sociology.

Ms. Wnuks research presentation, titled Leave History Alone: Renegotiating Collective Memory among Confederate Historical Preservationists in the Southeast, examined recent controversies surrounding Confederate monuments and the changing meanings that these symbols represent. In particular, she studied the role that historical preservationist groups play in shaping the collective memory of the country.

I am proud that Kellys research is recognized as one of the few social science research projects at the ACA conference, Dr. Tagayuna said. By looking at the perspectives of many historical preservationists, Kelly was able to bring to light the tensions and concerns about how collective memories need to be contextualized and negotiated, especially here in the South. She was able to put a face to Confederate preservationists as active agents in keeping the past.

Her research involved ethnographic interviews and document analysis in order to understand how historical preservationists are working to redefine the emotions and meanings attached to Confederate objects, how much of an influence they have on their community, and how they believe recent controversies should be handled.

Ms. Wnuk is also a McNair Scholar under the mentorship of Dr. Murl Dirksen, professor of anthropology and sociology at Lee, and will present at the Society for Applied Anthropologys international conference in Portland in March.

Kelly is an exceptionally intelligent student, Dr. Dirksen said. Although she had a difficult time with her research due to the highly volatile and political nature of her topic, she was able to adjust and find creative ways to get at the information.

The ACA is an association of 35 private four-year liberal arts institutions from the central Appalachian Mountains including Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

For more information about the Appalachian College Association, visit https://acaweb.org.










SALT LAKE CITY  A man released from jail earlier this year after serving nearly a year for inappropriately touching random women on the University of Utah campus has been arrested for allegedly doing the same thing to teenage girls riding TRAX, police say.

Jared David Grimes, 27, who is believed to be homeless, was arrested Thursday for investigation of forcible sexual abuse and drug possession.

On Thursday, a 15-year-old girl reported to police that Grimes sat next to her on a TRAX train in South Salt Lake.

The male "began to ask the girl for her cellphone number and took the victim's cellphone placing his number into her phone. The female victim said that the male then asked if she wanted to get a hotel room at which time she said no and told the male she was only 15 years old," a Salt Lake County Jail report states.

Grimes then kissed the girl and inappropriately touched her, according to the report.

When the girl got off the train, her friends waiting for her noticed something was wrong and notified UTA police. Officers obtained a photo of Grimes through a surveillance camera and "discovered that the male was the same suspect from a similar incident reported early in the day on the FrontRunner train in Salt Lake City during which the same male approached juvenile females and asked them for their phone numbers and made them uncomfortable," the report states.

Police were able to locate Grimes and after interviewing him, arrested him.

"There have been two previously reported incidents involving Mr. Grimes approaching young juvenile females on the transit system and asking them for their phone numbers and making it uncomfortable enough that they reported the encounters to the police," investigators noted.

In 2017, Grimes was convicted of an amended charge of attempted forcible sexual abuse, a third-degree felony. On Aug. 31, 2016, Grimes approached three women on the U. campus asking for their phone numbers. He then licked the necks of the women and in at least one case, inappropriately touched a woman with his hands, a police report states.

After his arrest, Grimes was found to be incompetent to stand trial and he was sent to the Utah State Hospital, according to court records. In February, it was determined that his competency had been restored. He immediately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to time served for the nearly one year he had been in custody.

Grimes was also placed on 60 months of probation and ordered to undergo substance abuse, mental health and psychosexual evaluations and take psychotropic medication, court records indicate.
SALT LAKE CITY  A man who prosecutors say lost his cool when a dog named Temper ate his dinner was charged Friday with beating the dog with a hammer.

Stanley Jocelyn, 50, of Salt Lake City, is charged in 3rd District Court with torture of a companion animal, a third-degree felony.

On Aug. 13, Jocelyn "set his dinner down on the living room table after which the dog, Temper, ate the steak off of the plate," according to charging documents. When Jocelyn started moving toward the dog, Temper bit him.

Jocelyn responded by getting a hammer and "repeatedly struck Temper in the head," the charges state.

"You killed the dog," Jocelyn's girlfriend and the owner of the dog yelled, according to court records.

Temper was taken to a local pet hospital and was "treated surgically for a crushing injury to his skull," the charges state.
Theres no denying that Tiger Shroff can give some of the leading Hollywood action heroes a run for their money  What makes it even more interesting is that he is also the youngest action hero to com

November 17, 2021 07:01 IST
Novartis to acquire US cancer drugs maker Endocyte for $2.1 billion

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis on Thursday announced the signing of an agreement for a planned acquisition of Endocyte, a US-based biopharmaceutical company focused on developing targeted therapeutics for cancer treatment, for about $2.1 billion, to enlarge its portfolio of radiopharmaceuticals.

Novartis said the planned acquisition of Endocyte will help expand its expertise in cancer drugs and build on commitment to transformational therapeutic platforms.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Novartis would acquire all outstanding shares of Endocyte common stock for $24 per share, for a total of $2.1 billion.

Chief executive Vas Narasimhans who is reshaping the Swiss drugs group from a pillmaker to a provider of sophisticated therapies, is counting on Endocytes treatment for prostate cancer topping $1 billion in sales after it hits the US market in 2021.

Endocyte uses drug conjugation technology to develop targeted therapies with companion imaging agents, including 177Lu-PSMA-617, for investigational radioligand therapy (RLT) for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

177Lu-PSMA-617 targets the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), present in the majority of patients with mCRPC, and is said to have shown promising Phase II data. 177Lu-PSMA-617 is currently being investigated in the Phase III global VISION clinical trial in men with mCRPC, a disease with limited treatment options and significant unmet medical need.

If completed, the Endocyte acquisition would expand the Novartis RLT platform with both a potential near-term product launch and early-stage clinical development programmes. The deal would also enable Novartis to harness its research and development expertise to investigate the potential development of 177Lu-PSMA-617 for use in earlier lines of prostate cancer therapy.

Today's announcement about the proposed acquisition of Endocyte builds on our growing capability in radiopharmaceuticals, which is expected to be an increasingly important treatment option for patients and a key growth driver for our business. We are also excited about the opportunity to break into the prostate cancer arena with a near-term product that has the potential to make a meaningful impact for patients in great need of more options," Liz Barrett, CEO, Novartis Oncology, said.

The Endocyte pipeline includes additional investigational RLTs, including 225Ac-PSMA-617 in preclinical studies for the treatment of mCRPC.

Radiopharmaceuticals such as 177Lu-PSMA-617 are innovative medicinal formulations containing radioisotopes that are used clinically for both diagnosis and therapy.

Through the acquisition of Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA), Novartis acquired Lutathera (lutetium Lu 177 dotatate / INN: lutetium (177Lu) oxodotreotide) - the first ever approved Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy - for the treatment of somatostatin-receptor positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), an orphan disease.

The transaction would be in the form of a merger of Endocyte and a newly formed Novartis subsidiary. Under the terms of the agreement and plan of merger, upon closing, holders of Endocyte common stock would receive $24 in cash per share. This offer values Endocyte's equity at $2.1 billion.

Closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approval of Endocyte's stockholders and receipt of regulatory approvals, Novartis said, adding that Endocyte will continue to operate as a separate and independent company until closing of the deal.

The acquisition of Endocyte is planned to be funded through available cash, it added.
Tata Group eyes controlling stake in Jet Airways

Tata Sons, which already owns majority stake in two airlines  Air Asia India and Vistara  is now looking at acquiring a controlling stake in crisis-hit Jet Airways, reports quoting sources said on Thursday.

The diversified Tata Group, which owns majority stakes in two airline joint ventures - Vistara and AirAsia India - is now looking to expand its presence in the aviation sector.

The salt-to-infotech group is reported to be in talks to acquire the entire 51 per cent stake that Naresh Goyal and his wife owns in the countrys top airline. UAE-based carrier Etihad also holds 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways.

Jet Airways is in deep financial strain and has even delayed payment of salaries to staff.

The proposal from Tatas, however, is in the preliminary stage, and ,according to reports, initial talks seems to have failed as Tata Sons has rejected Jet's proposal of 26 per cent stake and board level positions.

The Tata Group is not interested in having joint control and part-ownership as it does not sync with the company's plan for a "scalable airline" venture. The company has also made it clear to representatives of Jet Airways that there is no part deal - either sell the entire company or its aircraft and infrastructure or there's no deal.

Jet Airways spokesperson, however, refuted news reports to the effect, saying the news report was "totally speculative".

Reports said an earlier investment proposal by US investment company TPG Capital had also declined Jet Airways' similar offer of part ownership.

The Tata Group, which already has two joint ventures with Singapore-based Vistara and Malaysia's low-cost carrier AirAsia, is trying to increase its footprints in the aviation space. Group chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran had in April hinted at adding another airline to its aviation business.

For Jet Airways, which is mired itself in alleged falsification of accounts and suspicious transactions and has failed to pay salaries to employees for the past few months, a turnaround strategy would come only with fresh investments.

Credit rating agency ICRA has already downgraded its long-term borrowing programme and no lender would extend credit to the airline now.
India jumps 5 places to rank 58th on WEF's Global Competitive Index

India has jumped five places to rank 58th in the latest edition of the World Economic Forums (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index  clocking largest gain among G-20 economies  gaining from a high-level of innovation.

India, the worlds sixth largest economy, is continuing with its steady rise on global platforms amidst domestic troubles of widening current account deficit and high bad loans.

India is a remarkable example of a country that has been able to accelerate on the pathway to innovation (where it now ranks 31st, with a score of 53.8), due, particularly, to the quality of its research institutions, the WEF said in the report.

The recent jump in the WEF index follows similar progress in the United Nations E-Government index and World Banks Ease of Doing Business index. India jumped 22 ranks in last four years on the E-Government index, which measures the level of digitisation in governance. The biggest shot came last year when India leapfrogged 30 places to secure a place in the top 100 nations on the Ease of Doing Business index.

The United States continues to top the WEF list of 140 nations, followed by Singapore and Germany at second and third ranks, respectively.

Indias neighbour and G-20 member China is way ahead of India at 28th rank. The report noted that both India and China are catching up with or even outperforming the average among high-income economies.

The WEF, while calling India the main driving force for South Asia, was critical of its less-efficient bureaucracy for rising insolvency among businesses. In spite of a high degree of entrepreneurship, business dynamism is hampered by administrative hurdles, the report said, advising India to open up its trade.

The Switzerland-based global platform also asked India to step up efforts to make the best use of its extremely young population. India is set to become the youngest nation by 2020 with an average age of just 29

More investments will be necessary to spur innovation beyond hubs of excellence and diffuse economic growth more broadly. This includes continuing to widen the adoption of ICT technologies and improving the quality and conditions of human capital across the country, taking advantage of an extremely young population, the report said.
Fergal Megannety can recall in detail his brush with death in October 1988 when he walked away unscathed from a plane crash near Newmills outside Letterkenny.

Megannetty, a photographer based in Letterkenny and his pilot, Stephen Dobbie Robinson, from Coleraine, were on an aerial shoot flying a Cessna 152, when the aircraft, literally fell out of the sky, ploughing into boggy ground.

30 years ago this month the crash was, literally, front page news. The October 7 issue of the Donegal Democrat reported on its front page about a miraculous escape for both men, who walked away from the crash with minor cuts and scratches.

Megannetty can recall in minute detail the events of that day, and interestingly, he maintains at no stage, as the plane fell to earth from over 1,000 feet, did he think he was going to die: Travelling at 80 mph I never feared that we were going to be killed. I felt we would have cuts and bruises and a few broken bones but death never entered my mind.

Not surprisingly, the memory of his lucky escape remains vivid despite the passage of time: I recall the crash as if it was only yesterday, and I have recalled the story numerous times down the years. I may forget something that happened last week or last month, but not the crash, even though it was 30 years ago.

Recalling the story, Fergal explained that he had two run of the mill photographic jobs to do, both had to be done from the air, and there were no drones then.

We hired the plane from Eglinton Flying Club in Derry for two hours and we got through the jobs fairly quickly. When we were finished Dobbie asked me, as we had plenty of time, was there anywhere else I wanted to go. I said lets go to Gartan.

Everything was going fine and both were enjoying the flight as they made their way to Gartan, but near Newmills, Fergal realised they were well below the 1,000 foot apron that small aircraft had to fly above.

I noticed we were flying lower than normal. Those small planes were supposed to fly no lower than 1,000 feet. I often tried to persuade the pilots to fly lower but they would never agree.

As we approached Newmills, I could see the ground was getting closer and closer. We were flying at about 80 mph at the time and that was as slow as we could go.

I turned to Dobbie and I asked him were we going to crash and he said the plane wont rise for me hopefully we will get over the ridge.

Fergal could see the ground getting closer and closer but there was no sense of panic: The strange thing all though we were travelling at 80 mph I never feared that we were going to be killed. I felt we would have cuts and bruises and a few broken bones but death never entered my mind.

Plane smashed into the ground

Fergal describes how the plane just smashed into the ground, tumbled over and ended upside down with himself and the pilot hanging upside down, strapped in by their harnesses.

I dont remember how long passed whether it was seconds or minutes passed. But Dobbie turned and asked me if I was alright and I said I was fine and he said he was fine.

The next thing I remember myself and Dobbie undoing the harness and getting out of the plane. We dont know how we did it but we did it. We were dangling by the harness head down. How we opened it and released ourselves we simply dont know.

As they walked away from the wreckage an ambulance was already speeding up the road towards them. A local farmer had watched the planes descent and knew they were in difficulty. He had called the emergency services before the Cessna hit the ground. They were whisked off to Letterkenny General Hospital, x-rayed and thoroughly examined.

Remarkably neither man suffered any serious injury: The only injury I had was a scratch across the top of my forehead.

Looking back on the accident, Fergal points to two things that saved them. The soft, boggy nature of the land they hit was key to their survival: The spot where we crashed was soft and boggy and the plane dug in. If it had happened a further five yards on it was solid rock and it would have been a different story altogether.

In addition the fact that they both wore harnesses was critical. Fergal admitted that he rarely wore one, but that day as they were taking off, the door of the aircraft opened and he very quickly snapped on his harness.

The accident didnt have any lasting impact on Fergal, it certainly didnt stop him from flying, as hje explains: I remember I got a call a week later inquiring did I do aerial photography and I was back in the air again a few days later. I have been up a number of times since and I have no fear of flying whatsoever.

However, the need for aerial photography has reduced nowadays with the advent of drones.

Fergal still lives and works in Letterkenny while the pilot Stephen Robinson has moved to China where he lives full time. The two friends are still in regular contact and from time to time they do remind each other how lucky they were on that day back in the beginning of October 1988.

Investigation

There was an international investigation into the crash because the plane was registered in the North of Ireland and the crash happened in the south. Pilot error was the official findings of the investigation

Fergal has other view on the outcome of the investigation but felt it was better let sleeping dogs lie.
Bundoran has been chosen along with 14 other cities and towns as a Think Before You Flush community. Clean Coasts together with Irish Water are launching the third year of the Think Before You Flush campaign as the utility reveals that there are an estimated 4,600 sewer blockages across the country this year due to inappropriate items being flushed down toilets.

When the 3 Ps (pee, poo and paper) are flushed down the toilet they travel along the sewer network to wastewater treatment plants. However, every day people flush thousands of items such as wet wipes, cotton bud sticks, nappies and cotton wool pads down the toilet instead of putting them in a bin. Flushing these items can have a negative impact on internal plumbing in homes and businesses, the wastewater network and our marine environment.

Bundoran along with 14 other towns and cities across the country have been selected to become Think Before You Flush Communities. Clean Coasts together with Irish Water will be delivering educational workshops in schools, promoting the campaign at festivals and community events and working with businesses in these communities.

The 14 other Think Before You Flush communities are: Blackrock, Co Louth; Navan, Co Meath; Maynooth, Co Kildare; Tullamore, Co Offaly; Cork City; Dunmanway, Co Cork; Bantry, Co Cork; Tramore, Co Waterford; Waterford City; Galway City; Ahascragh, Co Galway; Strandhill, Co Sligo; Bellmullet, Co Mayo; and Dublin City.

Siobhan Sheil, Irish Water said: Irish Water is delighted to partner with Clean Coasts on this important educational campaign. We estimate that there has been over 4,600 sewer blockages across the country this year already. The scale of the impact of flushing the wrong items down the toilet is incredible.

She added: Irish Water is investing in wastewater infrastructure right across the country. We are building new wastewater treatment plants, upgrading old plants and laying new sewers. It is also really important that people recognise the impact of what they flush so the network can function efficiently and effectively. Placing a bin in the bathroom and disposing of sanitary items safely and appropriately has a hugely positive impact on the network and the environment.

Irish Water has invested 9 million in the completion of the Bundoran Wastewater Treatment Plant. This project has stopped the discharge of the equivalent of 9,600 wheelie bins of raw sewage per day into the sea. Bathing water quality for surfers and swimmers in Bundoran will be greatly improved and there will be great scope for economic and social development in the area. In order to make the most of this water quality improvement we are asking locals to think before flush items such as wet wipes and sanitary products down the toilet.

Sinead McCoy, Clean Coasts Manager added: Sewage related litter is one of the categories of waste we find on our beaches however its presence is preventable through some simple measures. Through this campaign we are working with Irish Water to change the nations flushing behaviour which will make a difference to our coastal environment.

In addition to the completion of the sewage treatment works in Bundoran, works have also been completed in Killybegs, Glencolumbkille, Convoy, Glenties and Dungloe. Works are also underway on the Ballybofey and Stranorlar Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Letterkenny Sewerage Scheme.

For more information about Think Before You Flush please visit www.thinkbeforyouflush.org
German electronics company Panasonic together with, Globetrotter and SchwarzWeiB magazines are spending this week in Ireland on a photo shoot as part of a campaign which will jointly promote the northern headlands and surf coast region of the Wild Atlantic Way with their new Lumix G9 camera.

To kick off the campaign, which will see Panasonic promote the Wild Atlantic Way across their digital channels, as well as at major events in Germany (overall reach 500,000 consumers), aimed at encouraging German visitors to consider the Wild Atlantic Way as a place to visit.

The film crew were provided with an itinerary of the best locations to film on the Wild Atlantic Way in counties Donegal, Galway, Mayo, and Sligo at off the beaten track as well as some of the more well-known spots by tourism agencies Failte Ireland, in conjunction with Tourism Ireland.

The group visited 20 locations, five of those in Donegal - Harveys Point Hotel; Slieve League Cliffs; Dunfanaghy Riding stables; Trekking on Killahoey Strand; Glenveigh National Park. They also visited well known attractions in Leitrim, such as Glencar Waterfall and in Sligo, Classiebawn Castle at Mullaghmore and Ethnas by the Sea.

Daragh Anglim, Head of Marketing and Digital with Failte Ireland said the region around Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal provides extraordinary and breath-taking possibilities for visitors. "With the exposure that this event will receive, particularly in Germany, and by providing them with a positive experience during their visit, we hope to welcome many more people from Germany and Europe to the West of Ireland to enjoy the fantastic and unspoilt Irish landscapes on our Wild Atlantic Way.

He added that CSO data shows visitor numbers from Germany are showing 21% growth in the first eight months of 2018, compared with the same period last year.

He said: "This demonstrates what an important market Germany continues to be for Ireland and we will continue to be on the front foot in attracting visitors from Germany."
The Bali Bible is a Bali travel platform, what started out as a Facebook page for recommendations in 2008 has ten years later become a fully-fledged travel business and tourism guide. With close to a million Instagram followers and nearly two million people a month on its homepage, The Bali Bible could be considered one of Australias most successful online travel technology platforms. Just recently, the platform introduced its online booking and deals offering which allows you to book and explore the very best of Bali in one online location.

Founded by husband and wife Simon and Lani te Hennepe, the travel site grew from the duos love of Bali and channelled that passion into a social media page and online travel site for the world to share and contribute to.

Lani te Hennepe was the brainchild behind The Bali Bible and now is the Head of Social Media and Partnerships. Her passion for Social media and creative has been a key driver for a labour of love  which now passes 8 years where she has been heavily involved in social and digital media and headed up the Creative and Social Media Channels for The Bali Bible.

Dynamic Business had a chat with te Hennepe about The Bali Bible journey, running a business with a romantic partner and her latest endevours.

The entrepreneur previously worked as a Recruitment Manager for a large-scale corporation in the technology sector. While working there she learnt about digital media and discovered a gap in the market that allowed people to find curated recommendations from real people so she started The Bali Bible.

Whenever I took annual leave it was always to head to Bali and every time when Id come back Id have colleagues and friends alike that would ask for my recommendations. It was through these conversations that our idea for The Bali Bible started, she said.

The Bali Bible started as a PDF document in 2009. I used to get asked all the time about my favourite places to eat, sleep and party in Bali and I decided to create a document that my friends could use. When my friends visited Bali they didnt want to stay in the most popular 5 star hotel; nor did they want to go to the top-rated bar. They wanted to do as I had always done  they wanted to know where Id had the Babi Gulings I always raved about, for example, or how to get to my secret beach.

Simon and I started a Facebook page then turned that into a website that now has over 1.5 million followers and gets over 2 million hits to its website per month. Instagram was reasonably new at the time so we were very early adopters and got our foot in the door at the right time.

Now the Bali Bible sits under the wider business of TRAVLR, with users able to book entire curated trips through the startups website. The startup is profitable and is already in the midst of seeking a Series B capital injection after the duo acquired Series A late in 2018.

The startup founder says social media is hugely important.

These days everyone is on social media. Theyre actively looking for inspiration on where to go and what to do while planning their holiday. Not only do we have incredible imagery of the very best of Bali on Instagram but weve backed this up with authentic lists of recommendations via our website so that our audience can get the best of both worlds, she says.

Our audience are digitally savvy, fast-paced and fun. Theyre active social media users and expect us to be the same. Our hashtag (#thebalibible) currently outperforms Tripadvisor, which just goes to show the impact that social media has.

Not only is The Bali Bible the ultimate guide to Bali, its also a place where you can book your next trip  and get yourself a great deal at some of the best places in Bali. The Bali Bible is still in its growth phase and evolving day by day.

Were making improvements every day and were constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of our users. Our social accounts continue to grow and since launching our deals and accommodation booking functionality weve seen big spikes in website traffic which signals that were on the right path to success, says the founder.

The Bali Bible was self-funded by the duo while they worked full time. It was a labour of love for many years. They worked long nights, early mornings and hustled to get all the content onto the website & socials. Like most start-up founders, they put everything they owned into the business and hoped that it would be successful.

Two years ago we decided to risk it all, and put every cent of profit we made into expanding The Bali Bible into global platform TRAVLR. We received great traction, and after some great evidence of traction we completed a Series A funding round. TRAVLR acts as the technology platform allowing users to book their end-to-end trips across our destinations (Bali, New Zealand, Fiji and Indonesia). We couldnt be happier with how TRAVLR is progressing, were reinventing the user experience for the better, she said.

The Bali Bible plans to keep growing and evolving in order to give customers the best user experience.

Top tips from Lani te Hennepe:

Top tips for social media for a startup business?

Creating a brand identity is key. Think about your tone of voice, how you want to engage with your followers and what type of imagery will work for your audience. Posting frequencing is another key one, set up a schedule early on and play around with timings so that you can work out what times get you the best engagement. Latergram is great for this.

One thing that has worked well for The Bali Bible is just being ourselves. The way we speak, post and communicate is fun and honest. We dont take ourselves too seriously, but we give damn good recommendations on where to go.

Top tips for running a business with a romantic partner?

Trust in the other persons ability, try to have time-out from talking work and excellent communication is the key!

Best business advice you have ever been given?

If you dont know what decision to make, always choose the one that benefits the user the most.
Russia asks ECHR to review Pussy Riot compensation judgment

11:59 19/10/2018

MOSCOW, October 18 (RAPSI)  Russian authorities have asked the European Court of Human Rights to refer a case of Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova to the Grand Chamber for reconsideration, the Justice Ministrys statement reads.

In July, ECHR considered a complaint about the applicants criminal prosecution for the performance of February 21, 2012 and found violation of Article 3 (Prohibition of torture), Article 5  3 (Right to liberty and securit), Article 6  1 and 3 (Right to a fair trial), Article 10 (Freedom of expression) of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

The Court ordered Russia to pay Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova 16,000 euros in compensation each and 11,760 euros in respect of costs and expenses while the applicants demanded 240,000 euros. One more Pussy Riot member Yekaterina Samutsevich was granted a 5,000-euro compensation.

The Justice Ministry in its official statement said that ECHR refused to consider several violations of the applicants rights allegedly committed by Russian authorities. However, violations pointed by the Court were subject of its standard practice produced for all countries of the Council of Europe, the statement reads.

Feminist punk group Pussy Riot became known in February 2012, when Alyokhina along with four other young women wearing brightly colored balaclavas staged a punk rock prayer in Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral. An edited video of their performance was posted on the Internet and caused a public outcry.


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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.




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Defending against foreign interference in American elections is one of the priorities Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been focusing on this year, he said in a post Wednesday.

The issue is highly sensitive, and it is one that has garnered a great deal of discussion in media reports and on the Web. Special counsel Robert Mueller warned in a court filing this spring that foreign interference efforts were still going on, and President Trump earlier this week signed an executive order that would punish such interference with sanctions.

To date, Facebook has taken the following steps:

Identified and removed fake accounts ahead of elections in various countries;

Taken down foreign influence campaigns from Russia, Iran, Mexico and Brazil trying to influence elections abroad;

Attacked economic incentives to spread misinformation;

Worked more closely with governments -- including in Germany, the United States and Mexico -- to improve security during elections; and

Set a new standard for transparency in the advertising industry that makes advertisers more accountable for the ads they run.

Using machine learning, Facebook identified and removed more than 1 billion fake accounts between October and March. It has doubled its safety and security workforce over the past year, from 10,000 to more than 20,000. It has been identifying and removing accounts associated with networks of people launching coordinated campaigns to distribute fake information.

Multiplying Moles

Facebook also has been taking down viral misinformation that might contribute to violence. It has been reducing the distribution of viral misinformation in general. It has been using the International Fact-Checking Network to review posts going viral or flagged as potentially false, and demoting those rated as false.

Advertisers running political and issue ads on Facebook now must disclose their identities. Ads are put into a searchable public archive. Also, businesses whose ads touch various issues now must get verified.

Facebook this spring set up an independent election research commission to independently study its role in elections, including its effectiveness in preventing abuse.

Facebook needs "to constantly improve and stay one step ahead," Zuckerberg said, an effort that will "take continued, heavy investment in security on our part as well as close cooperation with governments, the tech industry, and security experts, since no one institution can solve this on their own."

The situation "is basically an arms race, and Facebook is massively overmatched," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

"When you're rolling against the governments, the efforts of any company are likely inadequate," he told the E-Commerce Times. "Governments can continue to swap out bad actors and even place them in country or in the company, making identification and elimination nearly impossible."

Also, posting on Facebook is free, so rogue nations "can also use deep learning and machine learning to massively increase the frequency of posts and the variety of posters," Enderle said. "It's like Whack-a-Mole but with a million moles that are feverishly reproducing."

Further, rogue countries can use other forms of communication and social media sites to engage and trick real people into posting fake information and political messages on their own Facebook accounts, he noted.

Partnering With Others

"We have longstanding relationships with other technology companies to combat security threats, and we have increased our collaboration over time," said Facebook spokesperson Jay Nancarrow.

"In just the last months, Facebook has helped convene meetings with other technology companies to discuss election protection efforts and combating cybersecurity threats," he told the E-Commerce Times.

The company has signed the Cybersecurity Tech Accord, and has been "working with the FBI, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and others on election protection efforts," Nancarrow said.

"There's more to do, but we are encouraged by actions like the creation of the FBI foreign influence task force," he added.

However, fake accounts continue to slip through without detection, and Facebook has taken down legitimate users mistakenly, Zuckerberg admitted.

"These systems will never be perfect," he acknowledged, "but by investing in artificial intelligence and more people, we will continue to improve."

Facebook's coordination with governments and industry has improved, according to Zuckerberg, but he called for better coordination among governments, tech companies and independent experts such as the Atlantic Council. Facebook this spring signed an agreement with the council to prevent election interference.

"Governments' objectives are towards more control, while social media is about personal interaction," observed Michael Jude, program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

"Governments have no business involving themselves in such interactions," he told the E-Commerce Times.

A No-Win Situation

"Facebook's in a no-win situation," said Ray Wang, principal Analyst at Constellation Research.

"What's inflammatory to someone in California may not seem so to someone in Texas. They're getting flak for shutting down people's voices and, on the other hand, they're getting flak for not doing enough," he told the E-Commerce Times.

However, Facebook has shut down several conservative commentators, "and that's not right and shouldn't be," Wang said. "Good luck in determining what's hate speech and what isn't."

American conservatives who believe that Facebook and other tech companies have censored their posts without good cause have filed a US$1 billion lawsuit against them.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has found that Facebook's definition of "terrorism" mutes dissent.

"These are legitimate concerns, but nobody's forced to use Facebook," noted Frost's Jude.

Whistling in the Wind

"If Facebook's attempting to protect elections, it has to be very clear about how that impacts its users," Jude said. "If Facebook's a free speech zone, it shouldn't police anything. That should be up to ... well ... police."

Social media sites "say they are open forums, but they're really advertising companies with a vested interest in consumer perceptions," he pointed out. "They should completely open their forum to everything, then tell the government if it wants to police discourse, to get a warrant and go for it."

Facebook's attempts to combat fake news are ineffective, according to Jude, because "there are too many ways around anything they might build."

Richard Adhikari has been an ECT News Network reporter since 2008. His areas of focus include cybersecurity, mobile technologies, CRM, databases, software development, mainframe and mid-range computing, and application development. He has written and edited for numerous publications, including Information Week and Computerworld. He is the author of two books on client/server technology. Email Richard.


Russian lawyer to stay detained for 2 more months in Roscosmos embezzlement case

 RIA Novosti, Sergey Mamontov

15:59 19/10/2018

MOSCOW, October 19 (RAPSI)  The Babushkinsky District Court of Moscow has extended detention for the the chairman of the law firm Tretyakov & Partners Igor Tretyakov involved in a case on embezzling 330 million rubles (about $5 million) from Roscosmos state space corporation, the courts press service has told RAPSI.

The defendant will remain in jail until December 19.

Earlier, the court detained two other persons, ex-CEO of the S.A. Lavochkin Scientific Union Sergey Lemeshevsky and chief of the Unions legal department Yekaterina Averyanova as part of the embezzlement case.

According to investigators, the defendants have stolen assets of Roscosmos by signing fraudulent contracts for provision of legal services with the law firm. All the works were allegedly performed by the corporations own specialists. The overall sum of payments to the firm reached 330 million rubles.
The White House's just-released list of planned environmental and public health rollbacks includes letting high-school-age kids spray brain-damaging pesticides on commercial farms.

The plan would drop the age of workers permitted to spray restricted-use pesticides on crops from 18 to 16. Minors would be allowed to apply dangerous chemicals such as chlorpyrifos, which U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists say can cause brain damage in children even in small doses.

The move, which would take effect next September, was first announced last year by Scott Pruitt, the former head of the EPA, who was forced in July to resign after a string of ethical scandals. In one of the first acts of the Trump administration, Pruitt aborted a scheduled ban of chlorpyrifos just weeks after meeting with the CEO of Dow, chlorpyrifos's manufacturer.

Pruitt's reversal of the ban was recently overturned by a federal appeals court. Under acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler, the EPA is fighting the court's order to ban the pesticide.

The minimum age rules were enacted by the Obama administration to protect minors who work on farms. Many of these teenagers are migrant workers who speak little English, making it harder to understand directions on how to apply pesticides safely. The rules were championed by physicians and farmworker-rights advocates, who led a multi-year effort to improve protections for farmworkers.

"Letting younger teenagers handle dangerous pesticides fits perfectly with the Trump administration's war on children's health protection," said EWG President Ken Cook. "There are other farm jobs they could do that don't involve strapping containers of dangerous chemicals on their backs that they will inhale and ingest. But this administration will let unscrupulous farm bosses risk these kids' health."

"Maybe the president should pick up a spray nozzle for a day and see what it's like walking through a plume of pesticide fumes," said Cook. "But the closest he gets to a farm is flying over them on the way to his golf resorts and MAGA rallies."
The internal watchdog of the Department of the Interior (DOI) concluded Thursday that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke violated department travel policies by having his family members ride in government vehicles, The Hill reported.

The report, by the DOI's Office of Inspector General (OIG) also confirmed that Zinke and his wife Lolita cost taxpayers more than $25,000 when they travelled through Greece and Turkey with a Park Police security detail, though there were no policies against them doing so.

"Being exposed for abusing his power to rip-off the taxpayer while benefiting himself provides all the proof that should be needed to fire Ryan Zinke," Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune said in a statement following the report.

Zinke has been a controversial Interior Secretary because of his pro-oil and gas drilling stance and his dubious ethical behavior, including a conflict of interest with oil-giant Halliburton. There are three other investigations underway within the DOI into his actions in office, The Guardian reported.

The report found that Zinke had brought his wife with him on department boat travel, with a sign off from the DOI's solicitor general's office, but that on other occasions the Zinke family had reimbursed the DOI for family travel. It also found that Zinke's staff looked into making Lolita a volunteer, apparently in order to get around travel restrictions, though Zinke denies that was the reason. She was not eventually given volunteer status.

The report further found that Zinke took non-government guests on a National Park Service boat through the Channel Islands in California, including two who had hosted a fundraiser for Zinke's 2014 Congressional bid and one whose family had owned property in the islands. At the time, they were classified as "stakeholders," so weren't asked to reimburse the department, but ethics officials at the time were not aware of their ties to Zinke's campaign or the land they were viewing, The Hill reported.

Interior spokesperson Heather Swift said the report largely showed that Zinke had not done anything wrong.

"The Inspector General report proves what we have known all along: the secretary follows all relevant laws and regulations and that all of his travel was reviewed and approved by career ethics officials and solicitors prior to travel," she said.

But the Sierra Club cast doubt on that interpretation, saying that Zinke was merely shifting the blame.

"Even Scott Pruitt resigned before he could be fired, but Zinke doesn't even have that sense of decency," Brune said. Zinke is selling-out our public lands to corporate polluters, using his power to enrich himself, and ripping off the public by wasting their tax dollars. It's time Donald Trump fires Ryan Zinke, not give him a chance to engage in a Washington cover-up."

The report came the same day that Interior officials denied reports from Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that a Trump appointee from HUD, Suzanne Israel Tufts, was headed to DOI to lead the Inspector General's Office, The Hill reported.

Good government advocates had worried that a political appointee could interfere with the integrity of the investigations into Zinke currently underway.

"Why replace an acting Inspector General with a political appointee who has no government oversight experience?" Director of Public Policy with the Project on Government Oversight Elizabeth Hempowicz asked The Washington Post.


With an unprecedented number of teachers running for state office during this contentious election season, many candidates will need to make a tough choice: Knowing that their students are watching, are they willing to go negative in their campaign advertisements?

For a lot of teachers, the answer has been no.

No matter how the campaign goes, I need to be able to look my students in the eyes at the end of all of this, said Christine Porter Marsh, a high school teacher who is running for Arizonas Senate as a Democrat. Being truthful [and] harsh might work, but Im certainly not going to be resorting to some of the lies I see in some of the campaigns.

Her goal to stay away from negative ads was challenged when Republicans in the state released a series of Facebook campaign ads that accused Marsh of being an aggressively radical political candidate.

The campaign ads featured an unflattering photo of Marsh, who was the 2016 Arizona Teacher of the Year, with the words Wrong for AZ. The ads were funded by the Arizona Senate Victory PAC, which is the political expenditure arm of the state Senate Republican majority.

Marsh said she has mostly been ignoring the ads. She hopes her students will, too: I would think that theyre outlandish enough that most of my students, even though we dont talk about those issues in class, they would know me well enough to know Im not terribly extreme on much of anything.

For many teachers running for state legislature, their students are never far from their minds. Many say they decided to run in the first place because they wanted to improve the quality of public education for their students.

Education Week has counted nearly 160 current teachers who are running for their state legislatures , and about 100 of those have advanced past the primary elections . An analysis of Facebook political ads for and against a dozen teachers in Education Weeks database found that there were few negative ads on that platform, both from the teachers campaigns and their opponents.

But there are some notable exceptions, including the attack ads against Marsh. And as Election Day nears, teachers who are running in heated state races have to weigh the pros and cons of going negative, and figure out how to position themselves as a better candidate for education than their opponents.

The research generally suggests that negative advertising tends to reduce evaluations of both the attacker and the person who is attacked, said Patrick Meirick, the director of the Political Communication Center at the University of Oklahoma. This might be part of why you see teachers being reluctant to attack, in part because there are norms theyre trying to live up to as teacherstrying to be positive role models for their students.

Touting Classroom Experience

One way to get around attack ads, Meirick said, is to release comparative adsones that pit a candidates stance against his or her opponents. Many teachers running for office have been using this campaign tactic, touting their own personal experiences in public schools.

In Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arizona, and West Virginiastates that experienced teacher activism in the springat least 31 teachers are running in the general election against incumbents who were in office at the time of the teacher walkouts. Thats more than half of the teachers who made it past the primary elections in those states.

In some of those races, teachers ads and campaign rhetoric have highlighted how their opponents acted during the walkouts, including comments they made and whether they voted for teacher pay increases.

For instance, this spring, Republican Rep. John Allen, the state House majority leader in Arizona, said teachers might be working second jobs not because theyre financially struggling, but because they want to pay for a boat. They want a bigger house.

The comments angered teachers across the state, who were in the middle of a weeklong walkout because of low salaries. Allen is now running against an 8th grade teacher, Jennifer Samuels (along with two other candidates for the two-representative district).

This month, Samuels started running a Facebook ad calling Allen out of touch. The ad emphasized Samuels firsthand experience in public schools, saying that she would fight for policies to improve education in the state.

When I was first running, I did hesitate to call him out on that comment for fear of being viewed as attacking him, but the fact of the matter is, he did say that, said Samuels, a Democrat. I believe as a teacher its my obligation to shed some light on the [truth].

Samuels, who hasnt seen any negative ads against her, said she has been buoyed by public support for schools after the teacher walkout.

For the first time in a really long time, voters in Arizona are paying attention to whos in office ... and what their values are, she said.

That renewed focus on public education might be deterring some candidates and political parties from attacking teachers running for office, said Meirick, who is also an associate professor of political communication at the university.

The state legislatures in Oklahoma, Arizona, and West Virginia all passed teacher pay raises this spring. In Oklahoma, raising taxes to fund the teacher pay raise required a three-fourths majority votewhich hadnt happened for nearly three decades.

To get to the point where there was enough pressure to increase revenues to support a teacher pay raise, it meant that you had a critical mass among both Democrats and Republicans to support that, Meirick said. I dont think its going to be a good look to attack teachers when really both parties are on record supporting teacher pay raises.

A Heated Battle

Indeed, public support for teachers has been on the upswing in recent months . A recent poll from the journal Education Next found that in the states that experienced widescale teacher activism, 63 percent of respondents favored raising teacher pay . Public support in those six states jumped by 16 percentage points since last year.

Still, this has been a divisive midterm election season, and some of the heat from national campaigns has trickled down to state-level races. In northern Kentucky, voters received phone calls and campaign mailers claiming that Jenny Urie, a high school social studies teacher, wants to take Kentuckians guns away and supports open borders. The ad campaign also tied Urie to national Democratic leaders U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton.

None of these claims are true, said Urie, a Democrat who is running for state House against incumbent state Rep. Phillip Pratt. She is a gun owner and supports the Second Amendment, she said, and hasnt publicly weighed in on any national issues, like border control.

I really hoped that we could just run an issues-based, clean campaign, but it appears its not going to be that way, she said. I have no plans on lying about my opponent, [but] ... I now have to make sure voters know the truth about him.

For example, she said, Pratt is supported by Gov. Matt Bevin, who is unpopular among teachers in the state after making several inflammatory comments during the protests in the spring. And Pratt voted for the unpopular pension changes , as well as legislation to allow charter schools in the state.

In a Facebook political ad that ran last month, Urie defended herself against the attack ads and criticized Pratts voting record. She wrote that Pratt refuses to support teachers and other workers.

Urie is running for office in the same district where her students live, so she said she knows theres a risk that they will see the negative ads. Though Urie doesnt talk about her campaign in the classroom, she has taught her students how to identify reliable sources of informationa solid foundation for making sense of political campaign ads, she said.

I would hope that they would take some of the lessons weve worked hard to teach and use them when theyre finding out the truth for themselves, Urie said.

There will likely be more negative advertisements in teachers campaigns in the few weeks leading up to Election Day, Meirick said.

The closer you get to crunch time, youre going to see more negativity coming out, he said. [Then], classic campaign theory is you pull back on negativity the last few days before the election so you can leave the voters with a good taste in their mouth.
Minister Overrules Planning Committee



DEFA Minister Geoffrey Boot MHK

Plans to build 10 houses in Jurby have won the support of a government minister.

Geoffrey Boot has overruled a planning committee recommendation against it.

But he has imposed some conditions.

The application is from Jenson Ltd and is for new terraced homes in Palm Court and Jurby Garage.

Among the conditions imposed by Mr Boot, is that the application for full approval must be made to his department within two years.

The company must also be prepared to deal with any potential contamination in the area.
Ford Brook Park

Ford Motor Co. has put its shuttered Brook Park engine plant, on Snow Road, up for sale. The plant closed in 2012.

(CBRE, Inc.)

BROOK PARK, Ohio -- More than six years after Ford Motor Co. shuttered its Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2, the automaker has decided to sell the massive complex and adjacent land.

The 195-acre property, at 18300 Snow Road in Brook Park, hit the market Thursday.

Just east of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and touched by freeways and rail lines, the site includes the 1.7 million-square-foot engine plant, which ended its 57-year run in spring 2012, and land where a mammoth casting plant once stood.

In a market where such large sites are a rarity - and at a time when industrial vacancy is strikingly low, especially for high-quality buildings - the Ford property is likely to attract a flurry of interest from real estate speculators, developers and companies in need of manufacturing or distribution space.

Ford's defunct Walton Hills stamping plant, on 111 acres near the Hard Rock Rocksino and Northfield Park, went up for sale earlier this year. Now Ford is evaluating a dozen offers for that property, most of them above the advertised price of $9 million.

"I've never seen a market like this," said Howard Lichtig, a CBRE, Inc., vice president who is handling both the Walton Hills and Brook Park listings for Ford with colleague Michael Toth. "There's a ton of velocity, and there's very little product. And those are great market conditions if you're a seller."

The listing for the Brook Park property doesn't include an asking price, and Lichtig would not throw out any numbers. But based on other recent land sales in the area, it wouldn't be out of the question to see the Ford plant go for $20 million, or more.

Ford couldn't immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

Public officials and civic leaders greeted the listing with relief.

They've been waiting anxiously for Ford, which transferred the property from its manufacturing division over to its land division for sale earlier this year, to make a move. Ford still employs 1,180 people at Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 in Brook Park, according to the city, and is hanging onto some land between the operating and vacant facilities as an apparent buffer or possible expansion site.

"This comes along once in a generation, as far as I'm concerned," Scott Adams, the city's economic-development commissioner, said of the opportunity to market such a prominent site.

The city is hoping to woo one large industrial user, or a handful of users, to the property.

Under a long-running program, the site qualifies for 15 years of full property-tax abatement on improvements, such as renovations to the existing plant or construction of new buildings. And Brook Park is willing to consider other financial incentives, such as city job-creation tax credits, and to help with efforts to secure county and state money for cleaning up the site or bringing jobs there, Adams said.

The former automotive plant, close to workers and public transportation, also could play into broader discussions about establishing a multi-city innovation district and jobs hub, called an aerozone, near the airport and NASA Glenn Research Center.

Vince Adamus, vice president of real estate and business development for the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the metropolitan chamber of commerce, has sent emails to Brook Park and Ford over the years about statewide leads on companies looking for large manufacturing buildings or industrial properties. Those businesses ultimately didn't land in Northeast Ohio.

Now, he said, the region has a compelling site to pitch in such contests.

The chamber hopes both the Brook Park and Walton Hills properties will remain industrial, though Walton Hills rezoned its stamping-plant site a few years ago to encourage mixed-use development. That zoning change wouldn't necessarily rule out an industrial project.

While discussing the potential of the Brook Park site, real estate brokers mentioned the transformation of a former Chrysler stamping-plant property in Twinsburg into a business park. In that case, developers razed the 1.8 million-square-foot plant and have been replacing it with new warehouses and distribution buildings.

Though portions of the former Ford plant in Brook Park also could be demolished, it's possible a company might come along and fill the entire thing.

"There are a couple owner-users that had stepped up in prior discussions that would want to keep Walton Hills intact and that may also be candidates for Brook Park, in which case they would keep Brook Park intact," Lichtig said. "This is not a functionally obsolescent building."
"The evidence collected in this investigation indicated that firms behaved competitively," the commission said.

The Federal Trade Commission said the sharp increase in fuel costs was attributable to market forces  namely big drops in supply and production and runs on inventories after major damage to refineries, ports and pipelines. In a report that Congress ordered last year after hurricanes struck the nation's refining hub on the Gulf Coast, the commission found no evidence of price collusion or improper reductions of inventory or supplies to increase company profits.

Despite suspicions among consumers about rapidly rising gasoline prices and record oil industry profits, a federal investigation concluded Monday that the jump at the pump over the last year had not been the result of unlawful price manipulation.

Or, could have we resolved this with about 45 minutes in an econ 101 class (which we did, all across the country)? From Gas Prices Legitimate ...

Nevertheless, we must do something, anything to fix the problem:

Since the report did not find an industry villain, it was not likely to quell voter anger over the high gas prices. That is likely to add political pressure on Congress to take steps to lower prices or reduce the earnings of some oil companies. It could also provide some impetus for legislation, already adopted by the House, to outlaw price gouging and impose high penalties for violations.

We must outlaw price gouging even if there is no price gouging:

The commission said it found 15 examples of pricing by refineries, wholesale companies and retailers that technically fit the definition of "price gouging." (It defined gouging as a price increase in the month after the hurricanes that was not attributable to the additional costs caused by weather-related damage.) But it said that in nearly all of those instances, there was probably not gouging because of regional or local trends that justified the higher prices. "Some price gouging by individual retailers did occur to a limited extent," the report said. "Local or regional market trends, however, seemed to explain the price increases in all but one case. Exceptionally high prices on the part of individual retailers generally were very short-lived." The report did not identify the retailer involved in the one case.

Mom and Dad are P.O.'d:

While the agency had been expected to reach the conclusions that it formally announced on Monday, senior commission officials said they expected the agency would come under criticism when the five commissioners appear before the Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday.

Of course, the FTC could be a bunch of partisan hacks, bought and paid for by "big oil":

But Democrats in Congress, who have been the biggest critics of the commission for the way it monitors the industry, challenged the report's conclusions. "The F.T.C. white paper on gas price gouging is a whitewash," said Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon. "They find substantial numbers of refiners engaged in anticompetitive practices. They don't like the remedy Congress is proposing, namely a law on price gouging. But they just walk away from responsibility and don't propose a remedy themselves." Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York, also criticized the commission. "It just defies belief that they didn't find price gouging because there is simply no price competition," he said. Mr. Schumer said that the Senate "could do a lot if it had the backbone." "We could issue subpoenas, we could call in the executives, we could get to the bottom of this," he said. "The problem is that the Senate leadership believes, as the president does, that what's good for big oil is good for America."

This would make for great TV during an election year!

What's missing from the Dems response is a recognition that the price of the raw material for gasoline is set in international commodities markets and the price at the pump is set by the retailers themselves. The cases where it seems that price gouging actually occured appeared to be a few rogue, I could tell they were rogues because they wore eye patches, retailers and distributors.

Just a suggestion: In order to decrease gas prices we've got to figure out how to significantly ... significantly ... increase supply or decrease demand.

And another suggestion: Since high gas prices are a political problem*, not an energy, environmental or economic problem (except for a small percentage of households), government should do nothing to try to lower them. Whatever poorly conceived gas price policy we end up, will turn out worse than what we have now (i.e., price controls) or have no effect (i.e., windfall profits tax, price gouging laws).

*A problem for Republications ... An opportunity for the Democrats!
But DNA is not a liquid that can be divided down into microscopic drops. Its a string-like molecule, arranged into 23 pairs of chromosomes, that gets passed down through the generations in a counterintuitive way.

Eggs and sperm randomly end up with one copy of each chromosome, coming either from a persons mother or father. In the process, some DNA can shuffle from one chromosome to its partner. That means we inherit about a quarter of our DNA from each grandparent  but only on average. Any one person may inherit more DNA from one grandparent and less from another.

Over generations, this randomness can lead to something remarkable. Look back far enough in your family tree, and youll encounter ancestors from whom you inherit no DNA at all.

The geneticist Graham Coop of the University of California, Davis, and his colleagues have studied how DNA disappears. If you pick one of your ancestors from 10 generations back, the odds are around 50 percent that you carry any DNA from him or her. The odds get even worse beyond that.

Even if you get no DNA from many of your ancestors, they are still your ancestors. Genetics, Dr. Coop has noted , is not genealogy.

To understand Senator Warrens ancestry, the geneticist Carlos Bustamante of Stanford University examined the sampling of DNA she inherited from some of her ancestors. He used software he and his colleagues have developed to compare stretches of DNA in one person to those in different populations.

Dr. Bustamantes study had some clear limits. For example, Native Americans in the United States have not participated much yet in genetic studies, so he couldnt include them in his comparison.
Pollution and health have always been directly linked, both environmentally and medically, but few people consider the economic impact felt by countries afflicted with poor outdoor air quality. The World Health Organization estimates that the cost of disability and premature death from air pollution in Europe totalled close to $1.6 trillion USD in 2015 . Each form of pollution presents its own unique challenges, while resulting in a hefty expense and posing a threat to human health.

Particle pollution is a major air quality concern. Microscopic fibers from combustion, dust, and debris are spread through the air in a mix of solids and liquid droplets. Activities like industrial processes, construction, and burning emit particles that are easily inhaled or consumed. Particle pollution becomes increasingly dangerous when it includes harmful toxins like asbestos, which has direct ties to cancerous conditions including peritoneal mesothelioma . Natural disasters, demolition, and climate change can all contribute to particle pollution, sometimes causing levels to spike during certain times of the year.

Due to worsening conditions, gaseous air pollution like ozone and carbon monoxide have been hot topics in recent years. Levels often increase during the summer when higher temperatures and sunlight stimulate chemical reactions in the lower atmosphere. Gases like ozone can aggravate the respiratory system , resulting in conditions such as chronic obtrusive pulmonary disease (COPD) and worsening asthma and emphysema. Although urban areas are often the most affected, the impact of air pollution reaches far into the rural and natural world.

The toll air pollution takes on the environment is costly. Heightened levels of smog or haze can prevent plants from receiving needed sunlight exposure, while certain chemical emissions, like halons, deplete the upper ozone level that protects us from harmful UV rays. Crop and forest damage are a result of air pollution as well, causing land fertility issues and stunted growth .

Economic Impact

Although some headway has been made in terms of sustainability and cutting back on toxins, pollution from energy production continues to cost the U.S. hundreds of billions of dollars each year. According to a report by the World Bank , this rounds out to about $5 trillion in welfare expenses annually, with developing countries seeing some of the worst effects. Much of this is attributed to healthcare costs, as more people are being exposed to harmful airborne toxins. Additional financial burdens can develop from labor productivity and insufficient crop yields.

A number of studies surrounding the economic result of air pollution recommend policy change. One report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) encourages the use of local policies to directly target and break down the issue. Certain global cities like Beijing or Dubai are experiencing increasingly dangerous air quality levels, sometimes resulting in city-wide smog warnings that bring businesses to a halt. Although there may be fears that industrial-centric jobs may be lost while attempting to reduce pollution, the economic model suggests those positions will be balanced out by gains made in other industries, including green building and architecture. Environmentally conscious policy will benefit and stimulate the economy by encouraging efficient use of resources while lessening healthcare costs.

Participating in clean air initiatives and sustainable development are attractive markets for many countries. Those that enter into clean technologies have the advantage of growing and leading the industry, all while improving national health and increasing GDP. Perhaps if those financial gains were highlighted, countries like the U.S. would feel more incentivized to adopt green and non-toxic technologies to help reduce the effects of air pollution.

Emily Walsh

Community Outreach Director

Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance
The Adivasi women of Jharkhand negotiate with power structures within the family system and society, and are further entrapped in gender hegemonies that are part of larger shifts in the political economy. Their lived experiences in the urban and rural landscape of Ranchi, a Schedule V district under the Constitution, and an analysis of the enforcement of legal machinery in removing or tightening the existing disparities provide crucial insights into the sociolegal realities of the lives of Adivasi women, thereby mapping their everyday experiences of violence and the means available to address their issues.

For indigenous women, gender-based violence is shaped not only by gender discrimination within indigenous and non-indigenous arenas but also by a context of ongoing colonisation, militarism, racism and social exclusion; andpoverty-inducing economic and development policies (FIMI 2006: 6). Active negation of the political, economic,social and cultural rights expounded under the United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), 2007 has been most pronounced for the Scheduled Tribes (STs) situated in Jharkhand. Various scholars have engaged with their colonial and neocolonial exploitation, and this study is a limited attempt to capture the present burdens of the tribal women situated here.

The Annual Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Concerns (2015), a first on indigenous women, acknowledges that hitherto, the specific situation of tribal women has been neglected in policy and on the ground. This is further exacerbated by the fact that in India, state budgets and policies deploy gender or identity-based categories without accounting for the intersectionality of vulnerabilities as experienced by tribal women. Disparagingly, for a state with a significant chunk of tribal population26.2% of the state population is tribal, as per the Government of Jharkhand (2018)the state legislative assembly does not lay out a single provision specifically for Adivasi women in the state budgets.1
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital analyzed a national sample of Emergency Department visits between 2011-15 to determine what proportion of them could be denied coverage if commercial insurers across the U.S. adopted the policy of a large national insurer, Anthem, Inc., to potentially deny coverage, after the visit, based on ED discharge diagnoses.

Researchers studied visits by a population of over 28,000 commercially insured adults, aged 15-64, and found that the insurer's list of non-emergent diagnoses would classify coverage denial for 15.7 percent, or 4.6 million ED visits annually. Their findings will be published in the October 19 issue of JAMA Network Open.

"Up to one-sixth of adult emergency department patients with private health insurance would qualify for further review and may be denied coverage under this policy," said Shih-Chuan (Andrew) Chou, MD, MPH, attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Brigham, and lead study author.

Researchers noted that in almost 90 percent of ED visits, the primary presenting symptoms that brought patients to the emergency department were the same presenting symptoms as those with diagnoses at risk of denial. Yet, among these patients, more than 65 percent received emergency-level services, such as imaging or multiple blood tests. Researchers concluded that using a diagnosis-based approach to retrospectively identify inappropriate visits as a means of determining coverage may be problematic because patients make reasonable decisions to go to the ED based on their symptoms.

"Nearly 90 percent of adult ED patients will have symptoms that may potentially lead to a non-emergency diagnosis, and review for possible coverage denial, including symptoms such as chest pain, which is one of the most common reasons patients are hospitalized from the ED," Chou said.

"Patients come to the ED with symptoms and not diagnoses," said Jeremiah D, Schuur, MD, MHS, emergency physician and health policy researcher at the Brigham, and senior author of the study. "After-the-fact policies that use final diagnoses to judge the appropriateness of an ED visit and further apply a financial penalty will put patients in a difficult spot where they are expected to self-determine whether there is a concerning illness or not. A better solution is to make it easier for patients to receive care for acute illnesses when they want to go outside the ED, for example, with urgent care centers."

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Schuur and Chou report grants from the Emergency Medicine Foundation for unrelated work. Schuur reports receiving personal fees from the Emergency Foundation, and grant funding from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation for unrelated work. Schuur also serves on the Quality and Patient Safety Committee of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) is a 793-bed nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of Partners HealthCare. BWH has more than 4.2 million annual patient visits and nearly 46,000 inpatient stays, is the largest birthing center in Massachusetts and employs nearly 16,000 people. The Brigham's medical preeminence dates back to 1832, and today that rich history in clinical care is coupled with its national leadership in patient care, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, and its dedication to research, innovation, community engagement and educating and training the next generation of health care professionals. Through investigation and discovery conducted at its Brigham Research Institute (BRI), BWH is an international leader in basic, clinical and translational research on human diseases, more than 3,000 researchers, including physician-investigators and renowned biomedical scientists and faculty supported by nearly $666 million in funding. For the last 25 years, BWH ranked second in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) among independent hospitals. BWH is also home to major landmark epidemiologic population studies, including the Nurses' and Physicians' Health Studies and the Women's Health Initiative as well as the TIMI Study Group, one of the premier cardiovascular clinical trials groups. For more information, resources and to follow us on social media, please visit BWH's online newsroom.
Maureen E. Lyon, Ph.D., a principal investigator at Children's Center for Translational Science, will be honored with a "Recognition Award for Excellence and Innovation in Research" by Respecting Choices for outstanding excellence in patient-centered advance care planning and shared decision-making.

Respecting Choices will present the award on Oct. 26, 2018, during its "National Share the Experience Conference" in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Lyon's expertise is in advance care planning and shared decision-making for children and adolescents with life-threatening illnesses and their families, a field that has transformed in recent decades in order to pave better paths forward for difficult but necessary conversations.

"It came from my clinical experience," Lyon says. "In the early days of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic in the U.S., everything, absolutely everything, was done to keep the kids alive in the hopes that some new drug would come around the corner, and we could bring them back from the brink. I remember one of the young boys saying to his case manager that he didn't want all of these interventions. But he hadn't told his family."

That young man's eye-opening comments--and learning that Children's National Health System had a policy that teenagers were to be included in conversations about their own advance care planning--inspired Lyon to conduct a series of surveys involving adolescents, families and clinicians.

"I remember sitting down with friends and saying 'There must be a better way to do this. Everyone is afraid to broach the subject,' " Lyon recalls. So, she conducted surveys of all healthy kids coming through Children's adolescent clinic and kids diagnosed with HIV, cancer and sickle cell disease.

"It turned out the kids did want to talk about it. That was the first thing. Families told us they wanted help breaking the ice. Physicians felt it wasn't their role--many doctors felt their role was to save people--or, they didn't have the training," she says.

Through a series of focus groups with youths living with HIV, families and community members, Lyon adapted the adult-centric Respecting Choices model to create a three-session intervention to better meet the advance care planning needs of youths and adolescents living with HIV.

Lyon's recent work includes a single-blinded, randomized study published Oct. 19, 2018, in Pediatrics that finds the more families understand the end-of-life treatment preferences expressed by adolescents living with HIV, the less likely these youth are to suffer HIV-related symptoms, compared with youths whose families do not understand their end-of-life care goals.

She also has adapted the Respecting Choices intervention to facilitate its use with children diagnosed with cancer. More recently, she has adapted the model for use by parents of children with rare diseases who cannot communicate on their own.

"For the other life-threatening health conditions, we worked to support adolescents in expressing their advance care planning choices in their own voices. With rare diseases, we're shifting gears," she adds.

Published research indicates a sizable proportion of pediatric patients who die in hospitals now have confirmed or suspected rare diseases, she says. During a pilot involving seven families, many parents multitasked during the conversations, taking pauses to attend to various alarms as they sounded, to complete regular feedings and to contend with their child's petit mal seizures.

"The level of burden of taking care of these children with terminal illnesses was pretty overwhelming," she says. "Still, families were not too burdened to participate in advance care planning, but first wanted to identify their priority palliative care needs and to develop a support plan to meet those needs. We also had more fathers involved."

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OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Oct. 18, 2018--Scientists studying a valuable, but vulnerable, species of poplar have identified the genetic mechanism responsible for the species' inability to resist a pervasive and deadly disease. Their finding, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could lead to more successful hybrid poplar varieties for increased biofuels and forestry production and protect native trees against infection.

A research team--jointly led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Oregon State University in partnership with the DOE Joint Genome Institute and the University of Georgia--analyzed the genetic response of purebred black cottonwood poplars infected by a pathogen known as Septoria.

Septoria causes untreatable cankers, or wounds, on the surface of the trunk and branches and kills trees early in the growing cycle.

"Since the 1900s, industry has tried to grow hybrid varieties of poplar--including those made by crossing eastern cottonwood and black cottonwood--to produce a faster-growing tree, and they have been puzzled by the early death of hybridized poplars grown in many parts of the United States," said Wellington Muchero, the study's lead author with the Center for Bioenergy Innovation at ORNL.

Hybrid varieties are economically valuable because they can grow up to three times faster than the pure species. If the hybridized poplars survive, they could dramatically increase production of high-value, bio-derived materials, biofuels and forestry products such as pulp and paper, lumber and veneer.

Black cottonwood poplars grow natively in river systems across the Pacific Northwest region of the United States where Septoria is not yet a threat.

"What our study revealed is a double whammy for black cottonwoods," said Muchero, a specialist in plant microbe interfaces. "Since the pathogen is not prevalent in its native region, these trees have allowed their genetic resistance mechanisms to fall apart with no consequence."

"Surprisingly, we found that a gene that causes susceptibility is widely prevalent across the species range," said Jared M. LeBoldus, senior author and assistant professor of forest pathology at Oregon State University. "This degraded resistance and maintained susceptibility could be detrimental to the ecosystem if Septoria is introduced in the Pacific Northwest."

To map the genetic behavior of black cottonwood, Oregon State scientists assessed more than 3,000 individual black cottonwoods using a combination of digital imagery and measurements of disease severity for susceptibility to Septoria canker.

ORNL scientists used computational resources coupled with genome sequencing and profiling of more than a thousand genomes provided by DOE Joint Genome Institute that helped identify the resistance and susceptibility gene in each individual black cottonwood. The team then searched for links between a dataset of 28 million known mutations and the poplars' genetic profiles to verify which trees lined up with those that were predicted to be resistant or susceptible to Septoria.

"Out of those billions of computations, we found mutations that are consistently correlated with either resistance or susceptibility to the disease," Muchero said. "At ORNL, we can show that our results hold up in real-world field conditions and that most black cottonwoods from the West Coast cannot tolerate the Septoria pathogen."

Yet, the results also identified individual trees that are resistant to the disease and can be used to develop resistant hybrids for commercial production, as well as inform intervention strategies to protect Pacific Northwest ecosystems from the spread of Septoria.

Muchero and LeBoldus said this research supports a challenge issued by an ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to investigate the potential for biotechnology to address forest health.

"Genetic studies can help scientists and forestry experts prepare for a situation when a pathogen enters an ecosystem with little warning and deploy methods to inoculate and potentially save the at-risk species from being wiped out," they added.

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Co-authors of the paper titled, "Association mapping, transcriptomics, and transient expression identify candidate genes mediating plant-pathogen interactions in a species of forest tree," include Wellington Muchero, Jin-Gui Chen, Jin Zhang, Yongil Yang, Priya Ranjan and Sara Jawdy of ORNL; Jerry Tuskan of ORNL and the DOE Joint Genome Institute; Kelsey L. Sondreli, Alexandra J. Weisberg and Jeff H. Chang of Oregon State University; Jared M. LeBoldus of Oregon State and North Dakota State University; Breeanna R. Urbanowicz, Jeong-Yeh Yang and Kelley W. Moremen of University of Georgia, Athens; Vasanth Singan, Erika Lindquist and Kerrie Barry of the DOE JGI; Jeremy Schmutz of the DOE JGI and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology; and Robert S. Brueggeman, Juan Franco-Coronado and Nivi Abraham of North Dakota State.

The research was funded by DOE Office of Science in part through DOE's Center for Bioenergy Innovation at ORNL.

The DNA sequencing was conducted by the DOE Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility.

This study also leveraged the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, and the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit http://science.energy.gov/.
Munich, Germany, 19 October 2018 - Women with HER2-positive early breast cancer with small tumours have similar disease-free survival and lower risk of cardiac toxicity with a nine-week course of adjuvant trastuzumab compared to those treated for one year, according to a subgroup analysis of the Short-HER trial reported at ESMO 2018 Congress in Munich (1).

A second study showed that a six-month course of adjuvant trastuzumab was cost-effective compared to 12 months, with an average cost saving of nearly 10,000 (Euros 11,300) per patient (2).

Current guidelines recommend one year of anti-HER2 antibody therapy as part of standard adjuvant treatment for HER2-positive early breast cancer patients (3) based on the duration of treatment used in pivotal registration trials. There is interest in whether a shorter course of trastuzumab could potentially achieve similar efficacy with lower risk of side-effects and costs.

The Short-HER trial randomised 1254 HER2-positive early breast cancer patients to either nine weeks or one year's treatment with trastuzumab, with both groups also receiving chemotherapy. Results after a median of six years' follow-up showed the short course did not achieve non-inferiority but was associated with a reduction in the rate of severe cardiac toxicity (4).

The researchers have now analysed whether there are subgroups of patients where a shorter course of trastuzumab may be non-inferior to a longer course. Multivariate analysis showed that pathologic tumour size (pT) and nodal status (N) were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS).

They identified three prognostic groups:

low risk (pathologic tumour size [pT] < 2cm and N0), accounting for 37.5% of patients

intermediate risk (pT < 2cm and any N category), accounting for 51.9%

high risk (pT > 2cm and N4+), accounting for 10.5% of the patient population.

Results showed that patients with low and intermediate risk had similar five-year DFS with a nine-week course of trastuzumab (88%) as with one year (89%; hazard ratio 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.78-1.33) but their risk of cardiac events was nearly three times lower (4.5% vs 12.8%, relative risk 2.88 95% CI 1.85-4.47). Women at low and intermediate risk of relapse accounted for 89% of patients in the study.

"The study was underpowered because of difficulties in recruiting patients in a reasonable time so non-inferiority could not be claimed based on the results," said lead author Pierfranco Conte, Professor of Oncology at the University of Padua and Director of the Division of Medical Oncology at the Instituto Oncologico Veneto, Padua, Italy. He added: "Based on our data, one year trastuzumab remains the standard treatment for women with HER2-positive early breast cancer,"

However, Conte added: "Physicians can stop trastuzumab before one year in patients who develop a cardiac event during treatment without compromising efficacy and can consider shorter-duration trastuzumab treatment in patients at risk of cardiac toxicity and a low or intermediate risk of breast cancer relapse." He suggested that consideration of shorter-duration trastuzumab may also facilitate access to patients who cannot afford a longer course.

Commenting on the study for ESMO, Prof. Nadia Harbeck, Head of the Breast Center, University of Munich, said: "The results of this analysis showed that patients with a high tumour load definitely derive substantial benefit from longer duration trastuzumab."

She added: "The results may impact on clinical decision-making, although it is an exploratory analysis of a negative trial so does not meet the criteria to be practice changing. I think it will influence clinicians and patients in that if patients cannot complete one year of trastuzumab, those patients with low tumour burden can feel reassured that they have not lost out on efficacy."

Six-month course of trastuzumab saves nearly 10,000 per patient

A second study showed that a six-month course of adjuvant trastuzumab was cost-effective compared to 12 months, giving an average cost saving of nearly 10 000 (Euros 11,300) per patient with no evidence of detriment to quality of life (2).

Researchers analysed the cost-effectiveness of a six-month course of adjuvant trastuzumab compared to the standard 12-month course in patients with HER2 positive early breast cancer taking part in the PERSEPHONE trial. This is the largest phase 3 randomised trial to compare six months with 12 months of trastuzumab and demonstrated non-inferiority of reduced-duration trastuzumab (5).

The new study analysed health service activity and costs in addition to quality of life in 4009 patients who were disease free at six months; 250 were excluded due to lack of data. In a landmark analysis six months into treatment the researchers estimated the cost-effectiveness of six months of trastuzumab compared to a 12-month course of trastuzumab from the perspective of the health and social care sector over two years of follow-up.

Results showed the average costs for an individual patient treated with trastuzumab for six months were 2,538.64 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2,383.38-2,700.72) compared to average costs per patient of 12,333.83 (95% CI 12,098.58-12,562.27) in those treated with trastuzumab for 12 months.

Treating for six months gave an average cost saving of 9,793.25 (95% CI 9,515.86-10,071.64) per patient. Trastuzumab treatment and administration accounted for the vast majority of this cost saving, with the remainder arising from cardiac assessment and treatment costs and inpatient days.

The average Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) for an individual in the 6-month arm and 12-month arm were 1.146 (95% CI: 1.131 - 1.161) and 1.128 (95% CI: 1.113 - 1.144), respectively, giving an average QALY difference of 0.018 (95% CI: - 0.003 - 0.039). Thus the 6-month treatment arm dominated, with a probability of being cost-effective of 100%.

"A six-month duration of adjuvant trastuzumab with chemotherapy was found to be cost-effective compared with 12 months, which is currently the standard of care," said lead author Claire Hulme, Professor of Health Economics at the Academic Unit of Health Economics, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.

She added: "The results, alongside the clinical effectiveness results demonstrating non-inferiority, are the first steps in the safe reduction of treatment for many women with HER-2 positive breast cancer. They present an opportunity for significant cost savings for health service providers."

Hulme acknowledged that a limitation of the study was that it was a landmark study, which meant the researchers looked only at a specific timepoint from six months into trastuzumab treatment. She said the research group intends to carry out further sensitivity analysis and to assess the financial costs of treatment to patients rather than only from the perspective of health service providers.

Harbeck commented: "Showing that it was more economical to treat with six months of trastuzumab versus 12 months is an important contribution for global access to treatment." But she added: "The subgroup analysis of PERSEPHONE could not exclude a benefit of one year trastuzumab in clinically relevant subgroups, so one year remains the standard duration. And we now have biosimilars, which could also help to increase access to treatment in countries where there is no general access."

Looking to the future, she said: "We should not do these trials assuming 'one size fits all' for the whole population but we should take into account patients' individual responses to neoadjuvant anti-HER2 therapy and ask the question whether patients who have sufficient response may forgo further therapy." She noted that recent research has also shown that high-risk patients benefit from two HER-2 antibodies, such as trastuzumab and pertuzumab, more than one.

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Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO 2018 Congress Official Congress hashtag: #ESMO18

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of those abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References

1 Abstract 191PD_PR '9 weeks versus 1 year adjuvant trastuzumab for HER2+ early breast cancer: subgroup analysis of the ShortHER trial allows to identify patients for whom a shorter trastuzumab administration may have a favourable risk/benefit ratio' will be presented by Pierfranco Conte during the Poster Discussion Session on Saturday 20 October, 15:00 to 16:15 (CEST) in Room 15 - Hall A1. Annals of Oncology, Volume 29 Supplement 8 October 2018

2 Abstract LBA12_PR 'PERSEPHONE: 6 versus 12 months (M) of adjuvant trastuzumab in patients (PTS) with HER2 positive early breast cancer (EBC): cost effectiveness analysis results' will be presented by Claire Hulme during the Proffered Paper Session on Fri-day 19 October, 16:00 to 17:30 (CEST) in Room 13 - ICM. Annals of Oncology, Volume 29 Supplement 8 October 2018

3 Senkus E, Kyriades S, Ohno S et al. Primary breast cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology 2015; 26: v8-v30.

4 Conte PF, Bisagni G, Frassoldati A et al. 9 weeks vs 1 year adjuvant trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy: Results of the phase III multicentric Italian study Short-HER. J Clin Oncol 2017; 35 suppl; abstract 501.

5 Early HM, Hiller L, Vallier A-L et al. PERSEPHONE: 6 versus 12 months (m) of adjuvant trastuzumab in patients with HER2 positive early breast cancer: randomised phase 3 non-inferiority trial with definitive 4-year disease-free survival results. Journal of Clinical Oncol-ogy 36, no. 15_suppl (May 20 2018) 506-506.

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With 18,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 150 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide.Visit http://www.esmo.org

191PD_PR - 9 weeks versus 1 year adjuvant trastuzumab for HER2+ early breast cancer: subgroup analysis of the ShortHER trial allows to identify patients for whom a shorter trastuzumab administration may have a favourable risk/benefit ratio

P.F. Conte1, V. Guarneri2, G. Bisagni3, F. Piacentini4, A.A. Brandes5, L. Cavanna6, F. Giotta7, M. Aieta8, V. Gebbia9, A. Frassoldati10, A. Musolino11, O. Garrone12, C. Taverniti13, A. Rimanti14, S. Sarti15, D. Rubino16, A. Bologna17, R. Vicini18, S. Balduzzi18, R. D'Amico18

1Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, Padua, Italy, 2Department of Surgery, Oncology and Gastroenterology, University of Padova, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, Padua, Italy, 3Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova - IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, Italy, 4Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences for Children & Adults, Azienda Ospedaliero - Universitaria Policlinico di Modena, Modena, Italy, 5Department of Medical Oncology, Ospedale Bellaria, Bologna, Italy, 6Oncology Department, Azienda Ospedaliera Piacenza, Piacenza, Italy, 7Medical Oncology, Istituto Oncologico Bari, Bari, Italy, 8Medical Oncology, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico Basilicata IRCCS, Rionero in Vulture, Italy, 9Medical Oncology, Ospedale La Maddalena, Palermo, Italy, 10Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera di Ferrara St. Anna, Ferrara, Italy, 11Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera di Parma, Parma, Italy, 12Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera St. Croce e Carle, Cuneo, Italy, 13Oncologia Medica Senologica, AOU Citta della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Turin, Italy, 14Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera di Mantova, Mantova, Italy, 15Medical Oncology, Istituto Tumori della Romagna I.R.S.T., Meldola, Italy, 16Medical Oncology, AOU Policlinico Sant'Orsola Malpighi, Bologna, Italy, 17Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova - IRCCS, Reggio Emilia, Italy, 18Department of Diagnostic and Clinical Medicine and Public Health, University Hospital of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

Background: In the ShortHER trial, 1254 HER2+ early breast cancer patients were randomized to 9 weeks versus 1 year trastuzumab. At 6 years median follow up, non inferiority could not be claimed according to the frequentistic approach (HR 1.13; 90% CI 0.89;1.42) with the upper limit of CI crossing the non inferiority margin set at 1.29. However, based on the pre-planned Bayesian analysis, the probability that the short arm is not inferior to the long one was 80%. Moreover, G >/= 2 cardiac events were 82 in the long and 27 in the short arm (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.55). It is therefore of interest to identify subgroups of patients for whom, based on the risk/benefit ratio, a shorter treatment might be an option.

Methods: At multivariate analysis, pathologic tumor size and nodal status were independent prognostic parameter for Disease-Free Survival (DFS) and three prognostic groups could be identified: low risk (pT = 2cm and N0), intermediate risk (pT = 2cm and any N category or pT > 2cm and N 0-3) and high risk (pT > 2cm and N 4+).

Results: The low, intermediate and high risk groups included 37.5%, 51.9% and 10.5% of the patient population, respectively. The 5 year DFS and G>/=2 cardiac events in the long and short arms according to the prognostic group are summarized below:

Conclusions: Subgroups analysis of the ShortHER trial allows to identify patients at low and intermediate risk of relapse. This population includes 89% of the patients and the 5 year DFS is not different in the two treatment arms (89% long, 88% short; HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.78-1.33); on the contrary, the risk of cardiac events is significantly higher in the long arm (12.8% vs 4.5%; RR 2.88, 95% CI 1.85-4.47). These results may contribute to better define the risk/benefit ratio of 1 year adjuvant trastuzumab.

Clinical trial identification: EudraCT: 2007-004326-25; NCT00629278

Legal entity responsible for the study: University of Padova and University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

Funding: Agenzia Italiana del Farmaco (AIFA).

Disclosure: P.F. Conte: Research funds (Institution): Roche; Speakers' Bureau: Roche/Genentech.

V. Guarneri: Research funds (Institution): Roche.

All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

LBA12_PR - PERSEPHONE: 6 versus 12 months (m) of adjuvant trastuzumab in patients (pts) with HER2 positive (+) early breast cancer (EBC): Cost effectiveness analysis results C. Hulme1, P. Hall2, B. Shinkins1, F. Chehadah1, C. McCabe3, L. Hiller4, J. Dunn4, H.M. Earl5

1Academic Unit of Health Economics, University of Leeds-Institute of Health Sciences, Leeds, UK, 2Edinburgh Cancer Research UK, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK, 3Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada, 4Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, University of Warwick, Warwick, UK, 5Department of Oncology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK

Background: Adjuvant trastuzumab has significantly improved outcomes for HER2+ EBC, using the 12m duration empirically adopted from pivotal registration trials. Given an annual per patient cost of trastuzumab treatment of over 30,000 (Euro35,000), a shorter duration has the potential to improve cost-effectiveness if efficacy is maintained.

Methods: The cost-effectiveness analysis was based on data from the PERSEPHONE trial, a phase III non-inferiority RCT comparing 6 to 12m Trastuzumab, the largest reduced-duration non-inferiority trial internationally. A landmark analysis 6 months into treatment was conducted, comparing costs and quality of life throughout follow-up (6m - 24m post treatment start). Multiple imputation was required to impute incomplete quality of life data. Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) were adjusted for differences at baseline. Uncertainty is estimated using the non-parametric bootstrap method.

Results: 4009 patients were disease free at 6m (6m: n=2000, 12m: n=2009) and therefore eligible for the analysis. Of these, 250 individuals (6m: n=132, 12m: n=118) had either no returned PQ forms or no returned treatment forms and therefore were excluded from the analysis. The average costs for an individual in the 6m arm and 12 month arm were 2,538.64 (95% CI: 2,383.38 - 2700.72) and 12,333.83 (95% CI: 12,098.58 - 12,562.27), respectively, giving an average cost saving of 9,793.25 (95% CI: 9,515.86 - 10,071.64) per individual. Trastuzumab treatment and administration accounted for 9,699.58 (95% CI: 9,436.20 - 9.954.67) of this cost saving, the remaining arising from cardiac assessment and treatment costs and inpatient days. The average QALYs for an individual in the 6m arm and 12 month arm were 0.764 (95% CI: 0.754 - 0.774) and 0.752 (95% CI: 0.742 - 0.763), respectively, giving an average QALY difference of 0.012 (95% CI: -0.002 - 0.026). Thus, the 6m arm dominated with a probability of being cost effective of 94.78%.

Conclusions: 6m of Trastuzumab was shown to be cost effective compared to 12m with cost-savings and no evidence of a detriment to quality of life.

Clinical trial identification: ISRCTN 52968807

Legal entity responsible for the study: University of Leeds

Funding: National Institute of Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) Programme UK. Funding reference number - 06/303/98.

Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Munich, Germany, 19 October 2018 - Nearly one in six premenopausal women being treated for early stage breast cancer do not adhere adequately to tamoxifen therapy after one year of treatment, potentially putting themselves at increased risk of recurrence and reduced survival, a French prospective study reports at ESMO 2018 (1).

Hormonal therapy such as tamoxifen is recommended for five to ten years in all patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (2) but previous research has shown that many discontinue long-term therapy (3).

"This issue is important because non-adherence with hormonal therapy - meaning taking less than 80% of prescribed treatment - can be associated with higher risk of mortality and shorter time to recurrence of breast cancer," said lead author Dr. Barbara Pistilli, a medical oncologist at Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France.

The French study is the first to assess adherence by measuring serum levels of tamoxifen rather than simply asking patients about how they take their treatment; there has previously been limited information on adherence to hormonal therapy in younger women.

"I was surprised at the high rate of non-adherence, which was considerably higher than reported previously," said Pistilli. "Women with breast cancer should be encouraged to discuss their treatment and any side-effects they experience with their doctor to obtain help to take their therapy."

The study included patients recently diagnosed with early (stage I-III) breast cancer in the CANTO cohort, which is a French prospective study investigating the long-term impact of side-effects with breast cancer treatments in around 12,000 participants. The researchers focused on the sub-group of 1799 (16%) premenopausal women prescribed adjuvant hormonal therapy, assessing their adherence to tamoxifen by measuring serum levels at one, three and five years and comparing this with patients' self-reports of adherence.

The study is also exploring clinical and social characteristics that could impact on adherence to endocrine therapy with the aim of identifying patients most at risk of not taking endocrine therapy as recommended.

Results showed that nearly one in five (16.0%; 188/1177) of the premenopausal women prescribed tamoxifen were not adequately adherent at one year based on serum assessment of tamoxifen (defined as <60ng/ml)

Just over one in ten (10.7%) were non-adherent, with undetectable levels of tamoxifen. A further 5.3% of patients were poorly adherent, with serum levels of tamoxifen below the steady-state concentration expected after 3 months of treatment.

Analysis of patients' self-reports showed that at least 50% of patients with undetectable/low tamoxifen levels did not declare they were not taking their tamoxifen as prescribed.

Pistilli commented, "We should take time to explore with patients if they are experiencing side-effects that can affect their adherence, and support them to be open about non-adherence so that we can discuss options to help." She added, "We need to understand the patients most at risk of being non-adherent early in their treatment and provide targeted interventions aiming to improve their self-efficacy and self-management of side-effects."

Based on their findings, the researchers now plan to develop an intervention to support improved adherence to hormonal therapy in premenopausal women.

Commenting on the study for ESMO, Prof. Giuseppe Curigliano, Head of the Early Drug Development Division at the European Institute of Oncology, University of Milan, Italy, said: "The fact that 16% of patients appeared not adequately adherent to tamoxifen should, in my opinion, suggest strategies to increase adherence." He warned: "Non-compliance with adjuvant hormonal treatment is an under-appreciated and under-reported problem and places patients at risk of inadequate clinical benefit. Taking into account that many high-risk premenopausal women worldwide are receiving aromatase inhibitors plus ovarian suppression, both inducing more side-effects than tamoxifen, we are under-reporting the non-adherence rate in real life."

Curigliano suggested, "We need also to identify factors that are associated with poor adherence." He noted that patients' beliefs about cancer and their treatment have been shown to be predictive factors for adherence, with fear of recurrence supporting adherence to therapy.

"It is important for physicians to have a good relationship with their patients and get a feel for the patient's personality to be able to orient discussions positively and potentially counteract any misunderstandings in order to reduce poor compliance with treatment," he said.

Pistilli acknowledged that limitations of the study included the fact that it was based on a French cohort, so may not necessarily apply elsewhere. It was not designed to investigate patients' fertility concerns and these are going to be investigated in the future. In addition, serum tamoxifen was measured at only one timepoint, reflecting levels over the previous month, and not across the whole year.

The study will continue to measure serum tamoxifen after three and five years of treatment and the impact of non-adherence on mortality and breast cancer recurrence in long-term follow-up.

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Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO 2018 Congress Official Congress hashtag: #ESMO18

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of those abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References

1 Abstract 185O_PR 'Serum assessment of non-adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) among premenopausal patients in the prospective multicenter CANTO cohort" will be presented by Barbara Pistilli during the Proffered Paper Session on Friday, 19 October, 16:00 to 17:30 (CEST) in Room 13 - ICM. Annals of Oncology, Volume 29 Supplement 8 October 2018 The data in the press release are the final data reported at ESMO 2018 and are updated from the initial abstract.

2 Senkus E, Kyriakides S, Ohno S et al. Primary breast cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology 2015; 26 (supplement 5): v8-v30

3 Hershman DL, Shao T, Kushi LH et al. Early discontinuation and non-adherence to adjuvant hormonal therapy are associated with increased mortality in women with breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2011; 126: 529-537

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With 18,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 150 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide. Visit http://www.esmo.org

185O_PR - Serum assessment of non-adherence to adjuvant endocrine therapy (ET) among premenopausal patients in the prospective multicenter CANTO cohort

B. Pistilli1, A. Paci2, S. Michiels3, A. Ferreira4, V. Poinsignon2, P.H. Cottu5, F. Lerebours6, C. Coutant7, A. Lesur8, O. Tredan9, P. Soulie10, L. Vanlemmens11, C. Jouannaud12, C. Levy13, S. Everhard14, P. Arveux7, A.H. Partridge15, S. Delaloge16, F. Andre17, I. Vaz-Luis16

1Breast Cancer Group, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, 2Pharmacologist Unit and SIPAM, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, 3Team Oncostat, CESP, Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, 4Medical Oncology, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal, 5Medical Oncology, Institut Curie, Paris, France, 6Medical Oncology, Institut Curie Saint Cloud, Saint Cloud, France, 7Medical Oncology, Centre Georges-Francois Leclerc, Dijon, France, 8Medical Oncology, Institut de Cancerologie de Lorraine, Nancy, France, 9Medical Oncology, Centre Leon Berard, Lyon, France, 10Medical Oncology, Centre Paul Papin, Angers, France, 11Medical Oncology, Centre Oscar Lambret, Lille, France, 12Medical Oncology, Institut Jean Godinot, Reims, France, 13Medical Oncology, Centre Francois Baclesse, Caen, France, 14UCBG, UNICANCER, Paris, France, 15Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA, 16Medical Oncology, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France, 17Breast Cancer Unit, Department of Medical Oncology, Gustave Roussy - Cancer Campus, Villejuif, France

Background: Previous studies demonstrated that younger patients (pts) with breast cancer (BC) are more likely to be non-adherent to adjuvant ET, leading to impaired prognosis.

Methods: The CANTO cohort (NCT01993498) is a French multicenter prospective longitudinal study that will include 12000 pts with recently diagnosed stage I-III BC, to characterize long-term impact of BC treatment toxicities. CANTO COMPLETE, a pre-defined sub study, aims to determine, in premenopausal pts who have been prescribed adjuvant ET, the prevalence and dynamic predictors of non-adherence, at 1 (M12), 3 (M36) and 5 (M60) years, using serum assessment of tamoxifen (TAM) and aromatase-inhibitors (AI) matched with pts' self-declaration. TAM dosage has been determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry on 200 L of serum. According to standard definitions, adherence to TAM has been defined as: non-adherent if TAM less than or equal to 15 ng/mL ( less than or equal to 40 nM), poorly-adherent if TAM 15-60 ng/mL (40-150 nM) and adherent if > 60 ng/mL (>150 nM).

Results: By December 2017, 11237 pts have been included in CANTO, of whom 1799 (16%) are premenopausal and have been prescribed and agreed to take ET: TAM 1496 (83.2%); TAM + LHRH-analogs (LHRH) 26 (1.4%); AI+LHRH 134 (7.5%); unknown 143 (7.9%).We present here the results of TAM plasma assessment at 1 year on all 1228 pts who reached 1 year of follow-up. Overall, 224 (18.2%) pts appeared not adequately adherent to TAM: 162 (13.2%) non-adherent and 62 (5.0%) poorly-adherent. Matching with pts' self-declaration and clinical determinants of non-adherence will be presented.

Conclusions: At one year from initiation of TAM, plasma measurements show that a substantial proportion of premenopausal pts are not adequately adherent to this treatment. Poorly-adherent pts could benefit from metabolic and pharmacogenetic investigations. Identification of pts at risk of non-adherence allows early targeted interventions to promote adherence in this unique population.

Clinical trial identification: NCT01993498

Legal entity responsible for the study: UNICANCER

Funding: UNICANCER

Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
Munich, Germany, 19 October 2018 - Men and women may need to be treated differently - at least when it comes to some types of cancer. In an analysis (1) to be presented at the ESMO 2018 Congress in Munich, data was pooled from four UK randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of first line chemotherapy in oesophagogastric (OG) cancer, finding significant differences in a number of important side-effects experienced by male and female patients.

Study author Dr. Michael Davidson, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, said: "We have known for a long time in oncology that there are differences between males and females in the incidence and prognosis of many non gender-specific cancers. We are now also beginning to understand some of the complex cellular, molecular and metabolic differences between the two sexes which influence both cancer development and response to treatment. The clinical question we wanted to answer was whether sex influences the toxicity and efficacy of common chemotherapies administered in oesophageal and gastric cancer. It's the first time that gender-differentiated data has been collected on such a large scale for this tumour type."

The trials selected for this pooled analysis were all evaluating first line chemotherapy regimens for patients with advanced OG cancer. "The four trials we included were large international trials conducted in the UK and Australasia with comparable patient populations and treatments being used," Davidson said. "This allowed us to collate and compare the data." In total 1654 patients were included: 80% were male and 20% were female. A greater proportion of gastric as opposed to junctional or oesophageal cancers were seen in female patients. "These findings are consistent with the incidence and distribution of OG cancers in Western populations," Davidson observed.

Based on the toxicities captured commonly in all four trials, the analysis showed no significant difference between the overall rates of toxicity experienced by men and women. "The data get more interesting once we look at individual toxicity results," Davidson explained. Indeed, women were found to have experienced significantly higher rates of nausea and vomiting, with 89.3% of women versus 78.3% of men experiencing this common toxicity. "This tendency was confirmed on the more serious end of the spectrum, too, with 16.7% of female patients experiencing it at a severity grade 3 or above, compared to 9.5% of males," said Davidson.

Women were also more prone to diarrhoea (53.8% of females compared to 46.9% of males), mouth ulceration (49.5% versus 40.7%) and hair loss (81.4% versus 74.3%) at all grades of severity. By contrast, 49.3% of male patients suffered from peripheral neuropathy - damage to peripheral nerves resulting in loss of sensation - compared to 42.6% of females.

In terms of treatment efficacy, no significant difference was seen in survival between male and female patients. The overall response rate - namely the number of patients achieving a reduction in tumour size on chemotherapy - was higher in males to an extent that approached but did not reach statistical significance.

"Our key finding, therefore, is that men and women treated with similar chemotherapy combinations for OG cancer were affected by a number of different toxicities to varying degrees," Davidson said. "The clinical relevance of this remains to be established. Whilst there is not enough data here to support alternative chemotherapy dosing strategies for men and women, it is useful for clinicians to be aware of such findings in order to refine their treatment in other ways. For example, knowing that women are more likely to experience gastrointestinal side-effects such as nausea and vomiting or diarrhoea may allow for more tailored education to be given to patients, empowering them to report problems early and allowing doctors to introduce supportive measures more proactively and intensively."

Commenting on the results, Prof. Michel Ducreux, from the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France, said: "Dissimilarities in men and women's reactions to treatment had already been observed in a number of past clinical trials. Until recently though, because no one could explain why such differences might exist, they tended to be written off as a statistical artefact and remained absent from the discussion. In the clinic, meanwhile, the trends highlighted in this study would have been imperceptible to physicians. Thanks to the large number of patients included, this analysis was able to show statistically significant gender differences in the frequency of several side-effects of chemotherapy. Now, not only must we discuss their implications, we also need to understand the underlying reasons."

Ducreux added: "Going forward, we might consider stratifying patients according to their gender in clinical trials, so as to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of treatments in each sex from the beginning of drug development. If further studies systematically confirm that women are more prone than men to a wider range of side-effects, then we will also need to think about entirely different prevention and support strategies for female patients."

###

Notes to Editors

Please make sure to use the official name of the meeting in your reports: ESMO 2018 Congress Official Congress hashtag: #ESMO18

Disclaimer

This press release contains information provided by the authors of the highlighted abstracts and reflects the content of those abstracts. It does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of ESMO who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the data. Commentators quoted in the press release are required to comply with the ESMO Declaration of Interests policy and the ESMO Code of Conduct.

References

1 Abstract 619PD_PR 'Influence of sex on chemotherapy efficacy and toxicity in oesophagogastric (OG) cancer: a pooled analysis of 4 randomised trials' will be presented by Michael Davidson during Poster Discussion Session on Friday, 19 October 2018, 16:00 to 17:30 (CEST) in Room 21 - Hall B3. Annals of Oncology, Volume 29 Supplement 8 October 2018

About the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)

ESMO is the leading professional organisation for medical oncology. With 18,000 members representing oncology professionals from over 150 countries worldwide, ESMO is the society of reference for oncology education and information. ESMO is committed to offer the best care to people with cancer, through fostering integrated cancer care, supporting oncologists in their professional development, and advocating for sustainable cancer care worldwide.

619PD_PR - Influence of sex on chemotherapy efficacy and toxicity in oesophagogastric (OG) cancer: A pooled analysis of four randomised trials

M. Davidson1, A.D. Wagner2, K. Kouvelakis3, N. Starling1, I. Chau1, D. Watkins1, S. Rao1, C. Peckitt3, D. Cunningham1

1Gastrointestinal Department, Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, 2Medical Oncology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois - CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland, 3R&D,

Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

Background: Sex is a contributing factor to inter-patient variability of chemo metabolism and dose-response, potentially influencing both efficacy and toxicity. Use of a triplet chemo regimen comprising an anthracycline, platinum and fluoropyrimidine remains a standard option in first line treatment of advanced OG cancer. Comparative data on the effect of sex on chemo-related toxicity in this tumour type are lacking.

Methods: Data for pts randomised to ECF, ECX, EOF or EOX chemo within 4 UK-NCRI multicentre RCTs of first line treatment in advanced OG cancer were pooled. Demographic and outcome data, and prevalence of all grade and grade ?3 toxicity were compared between males and females. Adverse events and response rates were compared by Chi-squared test; survival outcomes by log-rank test.

Results: 1654 pts were included; 1328 males (80.3%) and 326 females (19.7%). Age and PS were equally distributed; gastric tumours were more prevalent in females (57.4 vs 34.1%). For toxicities captured commonly across all 4 trials there was no significant difference in all grade or grade ?3 toxicity between females and males (67.2 vs 62.8%; p=0.19). Females experienced significantly higher rates of nausea and vomiting, both all grade (89.3 vs 78.3%; p<0.001) and grade ?3 (16.7 vs 9.5%; p<0.001); all grade diarrhoea (53.8 vs 46.9%; p=0.027); all grade stomatitis (49.5 vs 40.7%; p=0.004) and all grade alopecia (81.4 vs 74.3%; p=0.009). There was a trend towards increased rates of grade greater than or equal to 3 neutropaenia and febrile neutropaenia (45.1 vs 40.4% and 11.8 vs 7.7% respectively), although significance was not reached. Males experienced significantly more all grade peripheral neuropathy (49.3 vs 42.6%; p=0.03). There was no difference in PFS or OS by sex; ORR was higher in males (46.6 vs 40.4%), which approached significance (p=0.051).

Conclusions: This represents the largest pooled analysis of sex effect on outcome and toxicity in advanced OG cancer pts treated with equivalent first line chemo. Females demonstrated significantly higher rates of a number of toxicities, primarily GI in nature, and a trend towards increased rates of neutropaenia. Such results suggest that further research on the impact of sex on the efficacy and toxicity of chemo is necessary.

Legal entity responsible for the study: Royal Marsden Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Funding: National Institute of Health Research

Disclosure: N. Starling: Research funding AZ, BMS and Merck. Honoraria AZ. I. Chau: Advisory Board: Sanofi Oncology, Eli-Lilly, Bristol Meyers Squibb, MSD, Bayer, Roche, Five Prime Therapeutics; Research funding: Janssen-Cilag, Sanofi Oncology, Merck-Serono, Novartis; Honorarium: Taiho, Pfizer, Amgen, Eli-Lilly. D. Cunningham: Research funding: Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Celgene, Merck-Serono, Medimmune, Merrimack, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.
New evidence of a causal link between herpes viruses and Alzheimer's reinvigorates research into the possible role of infections -- and their treatment -- in the disease

What causes Alzheimer's disease? The answer could be right under our noses, says leading expert Professor Ruth Itzhaki. Her latest paper presents a lifetime of research evidence that the herpes virus responsible for cold sores can also cause Alzheimer's - and new data which show antiviral drugs drastically reduce risk of senile dementia in patients with severe herpes infections. The review in Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience raises the tantalizing prospect of a simple, effective preventive treatment for one of humanity's costliest disorders.

The HSV1 theory of Alzheimer's disease

Herpes viruses are the dreaded 'gift that keeps on giving'. They remain lifelong in our neurons and immune cells, reactivating and resurfacing in characteristic blisters when we're run down by stress or illness. Most people are infected by Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1) by the time they reach old age.

But what happens to infected neurons in our brain during this reactivation?

"HSV1 could account for 50% or more of Alzheimer's disease cases," says Professor Itzhaki, who has spent over 25 years at the University of Manchester investigating a potential link.

HSV1 is better known as the cause of cold sores. Itzhaki has shown previously that cold sores occur more frequently in carriers of APOE-4 - a gene variant that confers increased risk of Alzheimer's.

"Our theory is that in APOE-4 carriers, reactivation is more frequent or more harmful in HSV1-infected brain cells, which as a result accumulate damage that culminates in development of Alzheimer's."

Proving the theory

Few countries collect the population data required to test this theory - for example, to find out whether antiviral treatments reduce dementia risk.

In Taiwan however, researchers have done just that. There, 99.9% of the population is enrolled in a National Health Insurance Research Database, which is being extensively mined for information on microbial infections and disease. In 2017-2018 three studies were published describing Taiwanese data on the development of senile dementia - of which Alzheimer's is the main cause - and the treatment of patients with marked overt signs of infection with HSV or varicella zoster virus (VZV, the chickenpox virus).

"The striking results include evidence that the risk of senile dementia is much greater in those who are infected with HSV, and that anti-herpes antiviral treatment causes a dramatic decrease in number of those subjects severely affected by HSV1 who later develop dementia."

Previous findings from Itzhaki's own research group provide a mechanistic link which supports these epidemiological findings. They found that HSV1 causes protein deposits characteristic of Alzheimer's: 'plaques' between neurons, and 'tangles' inside of them.

"Viral DNA is located very specifically within plaques in postmortem brain tissue from Alzheimer's sufferers. The main proteins of both plaques and tangles accumulate also in HSV1-infected cell cultures - and antiviral drugs can prevent this."

Towards a cure

"It should be stressed that the results of these Taiwanese studies apply only to severe HSV1 (or VZV) infections, which are rare," admits Itzhaki. "Ideally, we would study dementia rates amongst people who have suffered mild HSV1 infection, including herpes labialis (cold sores) or mild genital herpes, but these are far less likely to be documented."

Although further work is needed to confirm and define a causal link between HSV1 infection and Alzheimer's, Itzhaki is enthusiastic about the treatment prospects.

"Considering that over 150 publications strongly support an HSV1 role in Alzheimer's, these Taiwan findings greatly justify usage of antiherpes antivirals - which are safe and well-tolerated - to treat Alzheimer's disease.

"They also incentivize development of an HSV1 vaccine, which would likely be the most effective treatment."

This echoes the growing use worldwide of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to prevent cervical cancer - another virus-disease link which emerged in a similar process of research.

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Many important natural products such as antibiotics, immunosuppressants, or cancer drugs are derived from microorganisms. These natural products are often small proteins or peptides which are generated in the cell by NRPS enzymes similar to a modern automobile factory: at each station additional parts are added to the basic structure until finally a completed automobile leaves the factory. With regard to the NRPS, a specific amino acid is incorporated and processed at each station (module), so that in the end peptides emerge that can be linear, cyclic or otherwise modified including unusual amino acids.

If larger peptides are generated by these systems, often several NRPS enzymes - or assembly lines - operate successively. The order in which this happens is determined by docking domains. These are small regions at the end of the assembly lines that fit with the next NRPS enzyme in line like a key in a lock. Although the basic principles of these NRPS interactions have been known for a long time, the structure of the docking domains was unknown until now. The research groups led by Professor Jens Wohnert form the Institute of Molecular Biosciences and Professor Helge Bode from Molecular Biotechnology at Goethe University have now been able to successfully explain this.

"We were able to determine the structures of individual docking domains and, for the first time, an NRPS docking domain pair as well," explains Carolin Hacker, who is a PhD student in Jens Wohnert's group. "This made it possible to clarify the rules for the interaction of the docking domains and to change them in such a way that new natural products will be generated," adds Xiaofeng Cai, postdoctoral researcher in Helge Bode's group.

"We are only at the beginning of our research: We need structures of additional and structurally diverse docking domains so that in the end we can utilise them like building blocks. Our goal is to connect various biosynthesis pathways and create totally new substances" Wohnert explains. "Nature has been quite inventive in this area, and there are apparently numerous different ways to mediate the interaction of these complexes," adds Bode.

Research in this area continues in both groups as part of the LOEWE research cluster MegaSyn. The first results on the structures of additional docking domains are quite promising.

###

Publication:

Carolin Hacker, Xiaofeng Cai, Carsten Kegler, Lei Zhao, A. Katharina Weickhmann, Jan Philip Wurm, Helge B. Bode, Jens Wohnert: Structure-based redesign of docking domain interactions modulates the product spectrum of a rhabdopeptide-synthesizing NRPS, Nature Communications, https://www.nature.com/ncomms/, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06712-1

You can download an image at: http://www.uni-frankfurt.de/74390329

Caption: 3D structure of an NRPS docking domain pair. The docking domains of NRPS B (green) connects to the fitting docking domain of NRPS C (magenta) via a -leaflet.

Further information:

Professor Jens Wohnert, Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Faculty 15, Riedberg Campus, Tel. +49 69 798-29785, woehnert@bio.uni-frankfurt.de

Professor Helge B. Bode, Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty 15, Riedberg Campus, Tel.: +49 69 798-29557, h.bode@bio.uni-frankfurt.de.

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Goethe University is a research-oriented university in the European financial centre Frankfurt The university was founded in 1914 through private funding, primarily from Jewish sponsors, and has since produced pioneering achievements in the areas of social sciences, sociology and economics, medicine, quantum physics, brain research, and labour law. It gained a unique level of autonomy on 1 January 2008 by returning to its historic roots as a "foundation university". Today, it is among the top ten in external funding and among the top three largest universities in Germany, with three clusters of excellence in medicine, life sciences and the humanities. Together with the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of Mainz, it acts as a partner of the inter-state strategic Rhine-Main University Alliance. Internet: http://www.uni-frankfurt.de

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The funds will support the creation of myAURA, an easy-to-use web service for epilepsy patients

The National Institutes of Health, under the National Library of Medicine's program on data science research, has awarded $1.55 million to an interdisciplinary team lead by Luis Rocha, a professor of informatics and the director of the NSF-NRT complex networks and systems program at the Indiana University School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering.

The four-year project, a collaboration between the IU School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering and the IU School of Nursing, will employ innovative data- and network-science methods to produce myAURA, an easy-to-use web service for epilepsy patients.

This service will integrate practical, location- and patient-specific health-care information with electronic health records, targeted scientific literature, biomedical databases, social media, and epilepsy-related websites with information about specialists, clinical trials, drugs, community resources and more. The project builds on previous research conducted by Rocha's team and funded by Persistent Systems, which extracted big data about chronic conditions and drug interactions from Twitter and Instagram.

myAURA will be based on a large-scale epilepsy knowledge graph built by integrating data from social media, electronic health records, patient discussion boards, scientific literature databases, advocacy websites and mobile app data. The knowledge graph will, in turn, be used to fuel recommendation and visualization algorithms based on the automatic inference of relevant associations.

The inference will follow algorithms developed by Rocha's team to remove redundancy and extract factual information from large knowledge graphs as well as parsimonious network visualizations developed by Katy Borner, an IU Distinguished Professor in the IU School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering.

The project will also focus on user-centered development and pilot testing of myAURA to validate if and how it improves patient activation through a series of studies lead by Wendy Miller, an assistant professor at the IU School of Nursing.

"Our previous work on depression showed that it's feasible to look at social media for health-related issues," said Rocha. "The collaboration with Dr. Miller, who is an expert in epilepsy management, will allow us to translate our data and network science research, and develop personalized inferences useful to patients of this chronic disease."

Updated information on epilepsy treatment can be difficult for patients to obtain, and the team hopes to create a novel resource for patients.

"One of the problems in the United States is that most small towns--and even not-so-small towns--don't have epileptologists," said Rocha. "At best, patients might see a neurologist, who is not specialized in epilepsy, but most often, people just see a general practitioner. It often happens that they get prescribed older medications not ideally targeted to the patient's case, and follow-up often does not work very well.

"We think data science can help this situation. We came up with the idea to integrate data from social media, from electronic health records, from the published literature, from doctor databases, and from clinical trials into the large-scale knowledge graphs that enable myAURA, which is a personalized portal where people with epilepsy can manage their disease and find personalized information."

Rocha and his team will enjoy the cooperation of the Epilepsy Foundation of America, which manages epilepsy.com, the premiere site for sufferers of epilepsy.

Rocha hopes to expand the techniques used to create myAURA to develop web-based applications for other chronic diseases.

"Projects such as these are the perfect example of the ways big data, data science, network science and informatics can come together to solve important real-world issues," said Raj Acharya, dean of the IU School of Informatics and Computing. "This interdisciplinary work showcases the potential SICE has to impact lives."

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UNIGE and HUG scientists show that rare ovarian and pancreatic cancers in young women are caused by cells that have settled in an organ other than the one for which they were intended during embryogenesis

Among several forms of pancreatic cancer, one of them affects specifically women, often young. How is this possible, even though the pancreas is an organ with little exposure to sex hormones? This pancreatic cancer, known as "mucinous cyst", has strange similarities with another mucinous cancer, affecting the ovaries. By conducting large-scale analyses of genomic data, researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and at the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland, in collaboration with colleagues from the United States have provided an answer: both tumours originate from embryonic germ cells. While still undifferentiated, these cells migrate to the reproductive organs. On their way, some can mistakenly stop in other organs, bringing a risk of tumour that may occur 30 years later. By allowing a better classification of these mucinous tumours, this study, to be read in the Journal of Pathology, paves the way for a more appropriate and personalized management aligned with the tumour's origin.

Mucinous tumours of the ovary and pancreas affect young women - between 30 and 40 years of age. They take the form of a large cyst, a kind of ball filled with liquid. Rare - they account for about 3% of ovarian and pancreatic cancers - they are usually treated by surgery. Taken in time, the cancerous cyst is completely removed. However, in 15% of cases, the cyst breaks before surgery; the cancer cells spread into the peritoneum, giving rise to metastases that are highly resistant to chemotherapy. In such cases, the survival prognosis of patients does not exceed one year.

"Initially, this work was based on clinical observation," says study leader Dr. Intidhar Labidi-Galy, a researcher at the Translational Research Centre in Onco-haematology at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine and a physician at the HUG. "As a specialist in ovarian cancer, I came across an article detailing the genetic profile of mucinous tumours of the pancreas. To my great surprise, they had the same genetic alterations as mucinous tumours of the ovary, although these two organs have no direct relationship with each other. Dr. Kevin Elias, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham's and Women's Hospital, Boston, USA and first author of the paper, identifies the close links between the two tumours: "We found the same genetic mutations, the same types of victims - young women, often smokers - and, even more surprisingly, ovarian tissue in pancreatic cysts."

A common origin

Why is a non-gynaecological cancer almost exclusively female? What is the link between the ovary and the pancreas? "It is only during embryogenesis that these organs are really close. At the very beginning of pregnancy, the embryo possesses primordial germ cells - in a way, precursors of gametes, oocytes or spermatozoa - which, between 4 and 6 weeks of pregnancy, makes a long migration in the human body. They pass behind the future pancreas and arrive in the outline of the gonads, around the 7th week of pregnancy. Most likely, some of these germ cells stop on the way," says Dr. Labidi-Galy.

Using public databases, Kevin Elias and Petros Tsantoulis from UNIGE, together with Intidhar Labidi-Galy and co-leader Ronny Drapkin from University of Pennsylvania have developed a transcriptomic profile - which identifies gene expression levels in a tissue - of primordial germ cells at 6, 7, 11, 16 and 17 weeks of pregnancy, as well as of tumoral and healthy ovarian and pancreatic cells.

The researchers then compared these data, on one hand with the pancreas and on the other hand with the ovary, by studying for each of these two organs the profile of healthy tissues, mucinous tumours and other types of tumours. Their results are clear: in both cases, the transcriptomic profile of the mucinous tumour is far away from the supposed tissue of origin (ovary or pancreas), but very close to the primordial germ cells. This proves that these tumours are closer to the primordial germ cells than to the organ in which they developed.

Unexpected stops during migration

These results indicate that a stop in cell migration that occurred accidentally during the embryonic life of these women may, decades later, be expressed as cancer, depending on their other risk factors (e.g. smoking) and where in the body these primordial germ cells have settled. Indeed, while the scientists have examined the pancreas and ovary, similar cases have been reported everywhere on the migration line of germ cells, particularly in the liver or peritoneum.

"Our results will not change the surgical management of these patients, but may lead us to reflect on chemotherapy protocols. These rare tumours are a bit like the orphan diseases of cancers, for which there are no standard treatments. By linking them to other cancers, we hope to identify treatments that would be effective. For each mutation, what is the best treatment? We are here at the heart of personalized oncology: knowing your enemy in every detail makes it easier to fight him," concludes Dr. Labidi-Galy.

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Running low on oxygen is a major danger for any of your body's tissues, but the heart is particularly sensitive to such hypoxic conditions, which can lead to long-term tissue damage or even heart attacks.

In new studies conducted at UC San Francisco, a novel oxygen-delivery therapeutic restored the function of oxygen-starved heart tissue in an animal model of global hypoxia. Unlike its experimental predecessors, the new drug does not appear to cause systemic side effects or overcorrect with excessive blood oxygenation, which can itself be toxic. Instead, the new drug delivers its precious oxygen cargo only to the tissues that need it most.

"Any tissue with compromised blood flow, whether due to trauma, stroke, or heart disease, could potentially be targeted by a treatment like this," said Emin Maltepe, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics at UCSF and co-senior author of the paper.

The new drug, called OMX-CV, was developed by Omniox, Inc. -- a biopharmaceutical company developing oxygen-delivery therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, trauma and other conditions in which low oxygen levels, or hypoxia, negatively impact disease outcomes.

Omniox, which was among the first startup biotech companies to launch in the QB3 "Garage" incubator space on UCSF's Mission Bay campus, in 2010, teamed up with Maltepe and other UCSF researchers to test the treatment, and published their findings October 18, 2018, in the journal PLOS Biology.

Hypoxia During Heart Disease -- an Unmet Clinical Threat

Cardiovascular diseases such as coronary artery disease can starve the heart of oxygen, triggering cardiac dysfunction or heart attacks in adults, but hypoxia in the heart is also a problem in children. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 10,000 children are born each year with a critical congenital heart defect. Many of these infants require heart surgery within their first year of life, during which blood may be temporarily removed from the heart, leaving the organ starved for oxygen.

Under normal conditions, the heart consumes more oxygen by weight than any other organ, and when oxygen levels are low, its demand soars even higher. The hypoxic heart pumps harder to deliver oxygen to the rest of the body, and paradoxically, requires more and more oxygen itself to maintain function. An oxygen-delivering drug like OMX-CV could ease the physical stress of hypoxia and improve recovery following heart attacks or after open heart surgery in adults and children.

Scientists have tried to design ways to fight hypoxia by delivering oxygen on the back of hemoglobin, the protein that lets red blood cells shuttle oxygen throughout the body and also produces their scarlet color. But these treatments also carry a lot of baggage.

Hemoglobin-based drugs have proven too good at their jobs: they tend to flood the blood with excess oxygen that can itself cause serious tissue damage. Moreover, when outside the bounds of a red blood cell, hemoglobin can grab hold of nitric oxide, a natural muscle relaxant found in blood vessels. Vessels robbed of nitric oxide constrict, causing blood pressure to jump, raising the risk of heart attack and decreasing blood flow to important organs like the kidneys.

OMX-CV sidesteps these problems by employing an engineered bacterial protein known as H-NOX as its base, rather than hemoglobin. H-NOX proteins contain a "co-factor" called a heme group -- the same co-factor that gives hemoglobin its name -- which allows the protein to bind not only oxygen but also nitric oxide. By modifying the chemical structure of H-NOX proteins, Omniox scientists reengineered them to hold tight to oxygen, but leave nitric oxide alone.

The researchers also showed that the modified proteins bind oxygen so tightly that they only relinquish their grip when they come across a severely hypoxic tissue.

"Unlike hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers, OMX-CV is fine-tuned to only release oxygen under pathologic conditions," said Ana Krtolica, PhD, vice president of research at Omniox and co-senior author of the paper. "Relatively small doses of the drug transform the capacity of the heart to keep up in the face of severe hypoxia."

Targeted Delivery to Oxygen-Starved Tissues

The authors envision OMX-CV primarily being used to treat many conditions impacted by hypoxia in adults, but the new study was also designed with an eye toward pediatric applications. The research was conducted through the Initiative for Pediatric Drug and Device Development, or iPD3, a collaboration between UCSF and the University of Maryland, Baltimore. The effort aims to design and test therapeutics specifically for pediatric care, rather than "handing down" therapies designed for adults.

"Kids change so much as they grow -- their drug metabolism changes dramatically year to year," said Maltepe. "After drugs are established in adults, pediatricians essentially have to experiment with kids to understand the treatments' toxicity profiles and proper dosing for different age groups." By initially designing and testing drugs with kids in mind, and taking measures such as using juvenile animal models of disease, the researchers hope to circumvent this unwieldy guesswork.

In their experiments, the scientists tested the effects of OMX-CV in acute hypoxia, and to ensure that their results would also apply to children, the researchers examined the drug's ability to supply oxygen to juvenile animal hearts, which share important anatomical and physiological characteristics with the hearts of human infants.

The researchers found that OMX-CV delivered oxygen to stressed hearts but not to tissues with an adequate oxygen supply. The OMX-CV infusion improved the hearts' ability to contract almost twofold better than their own baseline under hypoxic conditions, without the toxic effects of hemoglobin-based treatments. In contrast, the cardiac function of untreated animals deteriorated significantly over the hour-long study.

These impressive results were obtained with a relatively low dose of OMX-CV: each animal was treated with a dose equivalent to only 2 percent of the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood's naturally circulating hemoglobin.

Ongoing studies at UCSF funded by the National Institutes of Health, using similar juvenile animal models, are designed to test whether OMX-CV can be developed to protect infant hearts undergoing cardiac bypass surgery.

A Myriad of Applications

More preclinical research is needed before OMX-CV reaches human clinical trials. Looking forward, the researchers expect separate clinical trials for the drug's various applications.

"Given the general need for oxygen across tissue and organs, hypoxia is associated with a number of pathological conditions," said Krtolica. Omniox is developing preclinical programs focused on oxygen delivery in ischemic stroke, which compromises blood flow to the brain, as well as in cancer.

"This treatment targets a fundamental problem in medicine --- in the ICU, for instance, you're always battling against tissues becoming hypoxic," said Maltepe, adding that the technology could someday form the basis of a more general blood replacement product, long considered a 'holy grail' of medicine.

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Authors: Emin Maltepe, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of pediatrics at UCSF and the director of product development for the Initiative for Pediatric Drug and Device Development (iPD3). He is co-senior author of the new paper. Ana Krtolica, PhD, is vice president of research at Omniox, Inc., and co-senior author of the paper. Jason Boehme, MD, of UCSF and Natacha Le Moan, PhD, of Omniox, Inc., are co-first authors of the paper.

Additional co-authors are Rebecca J. Kameny, MD, Michael J. Johengen, Amy L. Lesneski, Wenhui Gong, MD, PhD, Youping He, PhD, Sanjeev A. Datar, MD, PhD, Jeffrey R. Fineman, MD, and Janel Long-Boyle, PharmD, PhD, of UCSF; Alexandra Loucks, PhD, Tina Davis, MPH, Kevin Tanaka, Andrew Davis, Jonathan A. Winger, PhD, and Stephen P. Cary, PhD, of Omniox, Inc.; and Vijay Ivaturi, PhD, and Joga Gobburu, PhD, MBA, of the University of Maryland. Long-Boyle, Ivaturi, Gobburu, Fineman and Maltepe are all directors of the UCSF Initiative for Pediatric Drug and Device Development (iPD3).

Funding: Supported by National Institutes of Health grants R44HD094414, R01HL133034 and R01HD072455.

Disclosures: Krtolica, Le Moan, and other authors are employees of Omniox, Inc. Maltepe and Fineman are consultants to Omniox, Inc. Other UCSF authors declare no conflicts of interest. The University of Maryland authors declare no conflicts of interest.

About UCSF: UC San Francisco (UCSF) is a leading university dedicated to promoting health worldwide through advanced biomedical research, graduate-level education in the life sciences and health professions, and excellence in patient care. It includes top-ranked graduate schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy; a graduate division with nationally renowned programs in basic, biomedical, translational and population sciences; and a preeminent biomedical research enterprise. It also includes UCSF Health, which comprises three top-ranked hospitals - UCSF Medical Center and UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland - as well as Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children's Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. UCSF faculty also provide all physician care at the public Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, and the SF VA Medical Center. The UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program is a major branch of the University of California, San Francisco's School of Medicine. Please visit http://www.ucsf.edu/news.

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When designing flying vehicles, there are many aspects of which we can be certain but there are also many uncertainties. Most are random, and others are just not well understood. University of Illinois Professor Harry Hilton brought together several mathematical and physical theories to help look at problems in more unified ways and solve physical engineering problems.

"There are many equations because there are many phenomena. They are an attempt to describe mathematically the physical phenomena so that you can solve these problems. Words alone won't solve the problem. In this case, the problem is how do to build the perfect flying vehicle for specific missions and purposes," said Harry Hilton, a professor emeritus in the Department of Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Hilton looked at models independently of each other, then put them together.

"If you don't use the right model, the rest becomes an exercise in futility. It may be a model that's self-consistent but has no reality," he said. "Of course, the only way you can validate a model is to run experiments and even then, you're introducing another reality into the picture which is the experiment and not the real airplane. So each one of these is an idealization."

Hilton began by analyzing the da Vinci-Euler-Bernoulli theory of elastic bending. "It's deterministic, that is, determined that it is true with a probability of 1, based on a set of equations that give a set of answers," Hilton said. Added to that is the Timoshenko theory that takes load and other realistic properties such as wind shear into consideration. Hilton merges those theories with properties of viscoelastic materials--which includes time dependent material behavior and is of particular importance in modern composite materials and metals at elevated temperatures.

On top of it all, there are probabilities that certain things will happen.

"We may assume that the loads and material properties are certain, but they're not. Think about wind gusts. They can be sudden and unpredictable in strength and direction," he said. "It's the difference between deterministic - which means the probability is one and events are going to happen as opposed to a probability between zero and 1 where zero is never and 1 is always. "Probability happens in the real world. What's the probability of you getting hit by a car when you cross Green Street? Pretty high. When you cross Wright Street, maybe not as likely," he said.

Hilton's analysis provides a new model that takes into consideration as many, but still not all, known phenomena. These analyses, while more inclusive, form a linear beginning as a stepping stone to the real nonlinear random world.

"We use both math and physics in engineering, but within limitations. In physics, we don't always understand what's going on," he said. "That's the case here as well. There are pieces of principles that haven't been resolved. The mathematics are very exact but we tend to shade the equations in terms of what we can solve, rather than what it should be.

"The probabilistic analyses really pay off when designing a missile because you have just one flight to get it right. Either it hits the target or it doesn't. But it never comes back and is reused."

About his merging of models and its potential impact, Hilton quoted Winston Churchill from a speech he gave in 1942 concerning the Second Battle of El Alamein. "Churchill said, 'It's not the beginning of the end but the end of the beginning.' You could look at it that way. We're so far from the total knowledge that any one of these types of fundamental analytical papers is an end of the beginning."

The paper, "A Unified Linear Bending/Shear Beam (Spar) Theory: From Deterministic da Vinci-Euler-Bernoulli Elastic Beams to Nonhomogeneous Generalized Linear Viscoelastic Timoshenko ones with Random Properties, Loads and Realistic Physical Starting Transients, and Including Moving Shear Centers and Neutral Axes, Part I:Theoretical Modeling and Analyses," was written by Harry H. Hilton. It appears in MESA, the international journal of Mathematics in Engineering, Science and Aerospace.

###

Portions of the paper were presented in May 2018 at the N. Sri Namachchivya Symposium on Dynamical Systems, in Waterloo, Canada.
Research from the LBJ School of Public Affairs finds that the country's strict abortion laws have negative consequences for women's health and well-being, suggesting a public-health rationale to decriminalize abortion

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 19, 2018 -- Despite a policy change to provide free abortion services for women traveling from Northern Ireland to clinics in Great Britain, Northern Irish women still experience multiple barriers to accessing care, according to new research from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. The study also found that some women preferred to use medication from online telemedicine services to self-manage their abortions at home, but that the experience is dominated by fear and isolation due to the risk of prosecution.

Northern Ireland's abortion laws permit the procedure only to preserve a woman's life or prevent permanent long-term physical or mental injury. Any abortion taking place outside the law is punishable by up to life in prison.

Abigail Aiken, an assistant professor of public affairs and a fellow of the Richter Chair in Global Health Policy at the LBJ School, conducted anonymous in-depth interviews with 30 women living in Northern Ireland who either traveled to England to obtain an abortion in a clinic or who self-managed a medication abortion at home using online telemedicine. Results, which were peer-reviewed and published in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health, show barriers to traveling for abortion services, including the cost of travel, the inability to receive care confidentially and the challenges of arranging child care or taking time away from work.

"The recent policy change to provide free abortions for women traveling from Northern Ireland to clinics in Great Britain has not been sufficient to create a reliable and accessible pathway to care," Aiken said. "In addition to the physical toll and emotional stress of traveling overseas, many women do not have the required travel documents or need to keep their abortions secret from their families or communities."

Women in the study often said they found self-managing their abortions at home with medication more acceptable than travel. But those in the study who chose this option said they experienced severe anxiety about when or even whether they would receive the medications if Northern Irish Customs seized or delayed their packages. Some tried less effective or even unsafe methods while they waited.

Finally, the lack of clarity surrounding the duties of health care providers to report self-managed abortion led women in the study to mistrust the health care system. Although the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety declared in 2016 that medical personnel who treat women experiencing miscarriage symptoms aren't required to ask about or report an attempted abortion, women still feel compelled to either lie to their doctors or avoid seeing a health care professional altogether.

Earlier this year, an overwhelming majority in the Republic of Ireland voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment outlawing abortion, and legislators in the Isle of Man also voted to legalize the procedure -- moves that put pressure on lawmakers in Northern Ireland and the U.K. Parliament to re-examine the country's abortion laws. In a 2017 survey, nearly 80 percent of Northern Ireland's population supported changing current regulations.

###

The research was supported by funding from a Junior Investigator grant from the Society of Family Planning, a grant from the European Society of Contraception and Reproductive Health, and a grant from the HRA Pharma Foundation. The study was also supported in part by an infrastructure grant awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
UPDATE: The Pound-to-Dollar exchange rate concluded the week crucially above the $1.30 handle. In a brief to clients, analysts at Scotiabank suggest a breach of this handle could see sterling vulnerable to the next major support:

"The GBPs slide over through the middle of the week leaves the market resting on support just above 1.30. Spot is trading below the 40-day MA (1.3057) that has served as a good bellwether guide for the pounds broader fortunes. The weekly GBPUSD close is likely to be soft and we think a push below 1.30 (a stronger possibility unless the GBP can regain 1.3060+) will leave the pound vulnerable to a push to 1.2920/25 major support."

Pound Sterling Forecast: Citibank see GBP/USD exchange rate at 1.33 in 3 months

Financial markets were under heavy selling pressure once again on Thursday as Chinese equities slid with the Chinese Yuan. The problems in China followed on, and US stock markets had another weak day with the Dow shedding around 300 points. The primary concerns were evidently that the Federal Reserve is talking about raising rates beyond what they deem to be a neutral rate, suggesting that Governor Powell has no interest in Trumps concerns over higher rates and instead will keep steadily increasing, even to a point where monetary policy starts to look restrictive rather than expansionary. There were also concerns that the stand-off with Saudi Arabia may have a more meaningful impact on the current state of geopolitics as Stephen Mnuchin, Secretary of the US Treasury announced he would not attend the Davos in the Desert in Saudi Arabia. This move seemed to spark some equity selling, and many major CEOs have also joined in this boycott until some further light is shed on the goings on surrounding the suspected murder of a US resident in the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey.

Citibank forecast Pound-to-dollar exchange rate at 1.26 in 1 year

For the British Pound, forecasts are rapidly growing more bearish as the Brexit outlook darkens. Economic data is still holding on despite recent disappointment (note the fact that wage growth has been very encouraging) and Citibank believe the Pound could trade higher from current levels but believe there could be no rate hikes until well into next year which may weigh on Sterling,

Macro data in the UK has stabilized somewhat recently, with Citis UK ESI now back in positive territory, vindicating somewhat the unanimous vote to hike the Bank Rate at the August MPC. But Citi now believe that the Bank could be on hold, possibly until August 2019.

Even though the Pound is undervalued in Citibanks view, there is still potential for further weakness in Cable, as they look for a drop to 1.26 over a 12-month forecast,

GBP TWI is ~5% from its all time low. But as [we] enter into the climax of Brexit negotiations, GBP may further weaken. GBP/USD 0-3M forecast: 1.33; 6-12M forecast: 1.26.

Technical analysis suggests that the British Pound might again find support, but expect the most likely range trade is between 1.29 and 1.33, and note that resistance is some way off to the upside,

GBP rebounded after falling to down channel bottom, reflecting a limited downside. The pair may range trade between 1.2922-1.3317 in the short term, with next resistance at 1.3472.

Forecasting the British Pound is very difficult given the amount of uncertainty and this is likely what is causing a serious amount of volatility in the near term. Although positioning is broadly bearish, it is clear that investors are rather shaky when it comes to committing to their bullish positions. Brexit seems to be set to go down to the wire, and Theresa May is determined to do nothing as Remain leads over Leave now amongst the general public but Brexiteers still have the upper hand in her party who could spur a no-confidence vote. She will continue to tread a soft-Brexit line as this seems to keep both sides appeased for now, but the window for inaction appears to be closing.
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Early voting opens October 22 in Texas. While theres a lot at stake choosing candidates to represent us in the courts, in Austin and in Washington, dont sleep on the parallel ballot questions in San Antonio and Houston, each driven by those cities firefighters unions jockeying for better pay.

Each set of ballot questions results from voter petition drives intended to move decision-making on compensation out of city governments hands and into voters hands.

The Houston ballot question, Proposition B, asks voters to mandate equal pay between city firefighters and police, following a period in recent years in which police have successfully negotiated regular pay raises but firefighters have not.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, in opposing the proposition, has argued that the pay hike would produce an immediate $100 million liability for which the city is not financially prepared.

The San Antonio ballot questions A, B, and C present a broader set of proposals:

To lower the barrier to creating, and broaden the scope of topics for, future ballot petitions.

To term-limit and cap the city managers pay.

To force arbitration between the firefighters and city when the firefighters are not satisfied with negotiations.

These would cause complex and not completely knowable financial effects in San Antonio. The clear political effect would be to weaken city government with respect to many financial questions, especially, of course, firefighter pay.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, in opposing the propositions, wrote to me, These propositions  designed and paid for by a self-serving union leader with one purpose (to weaken city leadership and allow special interests to control the publics agenda and resources) would end up slashing city services, raising taxes and ushering in an era of fiscal instability and uncertainty.

So, the firefighters want us to say yes to these ballot questions, the mayors and city governments want us to say no. Whats the smart money way to vote?

One basic financial starting point is that firefighters deserve to be paid well, both for services already rendered and to help them recruit and retain future talent. Uniformed public servants literally throwing themselves into harms way on our behalf deserve our admiration as well as fair compensation. In some way, pay should reflect the reverence my 8-year-old shows when we pass a fire house: Whoa! Look! Fire Truck!

On the competing side, we have a city governance model that gives elected representatives and city technocrats responsibility to negotiate what that fair compensation should be. Not just for firefighters but for all employees.

I found an interesting argument I had not expected from Houstons past president of the Houston Police Officers Union, Ray Hunt.

I kind of expected solidarity between the blue and the red when it came to unions negotiating with the city. Nope. Hunt pulls no punches describing the tactics of his counterparts in the Houston Firefighters Union.

In an opinion piece he wrote in the 2017, Hunt says equalizing pay between firefighters and police is a terrible idea and totally financially irresponsible.

About firefighter claims that Proposition B would not raise taxes or hurt the city financially, Hunt told me on the phone, a yes vote would result in fees, and layoffs. I believe they have completely snowed the voters.

Hunt went on, This is nothing more than an indefensible position, spreading lies to voters, that firefighters should be paid equal to police. This is a complete lie. If I had made similar statements to voters regarding proposition B, the Houston police department internal affairs would be investigating me for untruthfulness.

He described the local firefighter union as all take, no give, in contrast to how the police union has historically negotiated in good faith.

Far from red and blue solidarity, Hunt said the Houston Police Officers Union is 100 percent opposed to Proposition B. And were putting a significant amount of PAC money to fight it.

The common thread of ballot questions in both cities  beyond the fact that the firefighter unions pushed the questions on to the ballot  is that they tend to remove the power to negotiate public-employee pay from city managers and elected officials and places it in the hands of voters.

Without getting too theoretical about governance, my finance-guy view is that a representative form of government, rather than direct democracy, is a safer way to manage costs.

These specific public servants deserve pay raises! says the voter, but that sort of populist appeal is bad governance that leads to financial folly.

In Houston, the mayor estimates a short-term $100 million hit if proposition B passes.

In San Antonio, financial estimates from a consultants economic impact analysis run well in excess of that, from around $350 million to over $4 billion in the next 20 years. That estimate is based on the high political uncertainly that would follow a weakening of city control over its budgets, and the estimate themselves seem highly uncertain. Two of the three major bond-rating agencies noted the extra risk posed by the ballot questions to San Antonios AAA rating and therefore cheap borrowing status.

The fiscal hit to Houstons budget seems straightforward and bad. The cost to San Antonio is less knowable, but plausibly chaotic.

Ill be voting no on the three ballot questions in San Antonio. If I lived in Houston Id vote no on Proposition B.

Michael Taylor is a columnist for the San Antonio Express-News and author of The Financial Rules For New College Graduates.

michael@michaelthesmartmoney.com | twitter.com/michael_taylor
Texas Sen. John Cornyn on Friday called the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement a good deal during a visit to San Antonio, though he said it needs some tweaks to avoid pain for Texas manufacturers.

During a visit to Toyotas San Antonio plant, Cornyn discussed USMCA, which will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, and its effect on the automaker.

One of the concerns was the increased requirement of content from NAFTA countries that has to go in the vehicles, but Im told by Toyota officials that that will not have a negative impact, he told reporters. What they are concerned about is some of the steel and aluminum tariffs that have been issued and the cost that that will increase to the consumer and the impact on jobs.

Thats something I think they have a very good point on, he added. I intend to go back to Washington and continue my advocacy to drop those steel and aluminum tariffs, which I think will have a negative impact on Toyota, on Texas and on jobs.

Cornyn, a Republican, was there for a celebration of the plants 15th anniversary. Toyota employs more than 3,000 people at the plant, and another 4,000 work at the 23 suppliers on the campus. More than 2.2 million Tacoma and Tundra trucks have been built at the plant, known as Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas, since its opening in 2003.

USMCA is a good deal that will support at least 14 million jobs and hopefully many more in the future, Cornyn said.

Asked about the November midterm elections, he acknowledged that much could change.

My hope is that it will give us the time to work with the administration to tweak problematic areas in the agreement, he said. There needs to be time for us to be able to educate members of Congress and then to sell it so that we can get it passed.

Having a successor treaty to the North American Free Trade Agreement was critically important, said Chris Nielsen, Toyota Motor North America executive vice president, chief quality officer and executive general manager. NAFTA was extremely effective in increasing the number of U.S. jobs, he said.

The automaker plans to support ratification of the USMCA, and having an agreement with Canada and Mexico is crucial to all U.S. industries, Nielsen said. Still, there are some challenges, he said.

The previous NAFTA had the highest rules of origin standard of really any global trade agreement, and that has been actually taken up even further, as well as some other provisions in rule of origin I think will create some challenges for automakers, he said.

We are working now, studying our supply chain, which has been in place based on the previous NAFTA for a couple decades now and understanding what adjustments we need to make to that. Those adjustments may come at a cost. We could see some increased operational cost, which will affect the competitiveness of the products we produce here, but I think we view that as something we will work through positively.

Its too soon to tell whether any increased costs would be passed down to consumers, he said. Its important to understand the agreements requirements and how it will affect the automakers supply base, Nielsen added.

We are committed to our San Antonio plant, to continue production of our great Tundra (and) Tacoma vehicles here, he said. Well study the impacts that it may have, but were absolutely here for the long haul.

At the anniversary event, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas announced donations to four local organizations  Palo Alto Colleges STEM Center, EPIcenter, University Health Systems Buckle Up for Life initiative and Evas Heroes. The donations bring the plants total philanthropic investment in the city to $45 million, officials said.

San Antonio embraced Toyota Texas as a member of the community when we broke ground here, said Yoshi Nagatani, plant president. We have since enjoyed a strong partnership and look forward to continuing to support the needs of our neighbors right here in the South Side of San Antonio.

madison.iszler@express-news.net | @madisoniszler
The economy in Texas continued to sizzle as the states seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to a record low 3.8 percent in August, the government reported Friday.

Texas added 15,600 jobs jobs in September, while annual employment growth for the state last month was 3.3 percent. The state has recorded annual growth 27 consecutive months, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.

The San Antonio-New Braunfels metropolitan area had an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent in September, an improvement over the 3.5 percent rate in August. The unemployment rate was 3.2 percent a year ago September.

Texas continued addition of jobs over a twenty-seven month period demonstrates the competitive advantage and market opportunities available to our Texas employers and world-class workforce, said said Texas Workforce Commission Chair Ruth Ruggero Hughs in a news release.

Jobs related to financial activities led all industries and rose by 5,800 positions over the month.

The high-paying energy sector, which includes both mining and oil and gas, continued to increase, adding 2,600 new jobs in the month as the industry continues to recover from a downturn that began in late 2014.

Construction boosted jobs by 3,000 in September. Professional and business services added 2,500 jobs while trade, transportation and utilities added 2,100.

Four sectors reported job losses last month: Education and health services fell by 1,900; government dropped by 1,100; information-related posts ebbed by 600; and leisure and hospitality by 200.

Over the past year, Texas added 402,500 jobs, according to the Workforce Commission.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas on Friday estimated that Texas jobs would grow 2.7 percent this year  a forecast that would mean an estimated 336,300 jobs will be added in the state in the December-to-December period.

Keith R. Phillips, Dallas Fed assistant vice president and senior economist, noted in a news release that, Job growth has been broad-based across metro areas with particular strength in Houston.

Midland recorded the months lowest unemployment rate among Texas cities  just 2.2 percent thanks to the booming Permian Basin oil province.

Midland was followed by the Amarillo area and the Odessa area which had the second lowest rate in the state at 2.7 percent.
Bailie McLendon vividly remembers her introduction to Harry Potter.

McLendon, who is now 30, was 11  the same age as Harry when the series begins  when she picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, the first book in J.K. Rowlings epic saga. She was hooked by Rowlings vivid writing right away: Ive always been an avid reader. This was the first time, instead of seeing words, I saw a world.

Her interest held through the next seven books in the series. Eleven years after the series capper, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, hit stores, she is just as dedicated a fan as she was as a kid, revisiting the world every time she cooks from The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook or dominates a trivia night. She even spent a few years waiting tables as Luna Lovegood, a good-hearted (if a bit spacey) friend of Harrys, at the Dallas Magic Time Machine.

She is not alone among her peers in her fondness for Rowlings world. Millions of millennials make room in their adult lives to reconnect with Harry Potter. They visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme parks, take part in pub crawls, collect memorabilia, cosplay as their favorite characters and mark big life events with Harry Potter-themed weddings and showers.

On ExpressNews.com: SA Potter fans prep for the final film

Theres a good reason so many fans who first came to the series as children are still invested: Rowling structured the books so that the characters age one year in each, so young readers have many big rites-of-passage at roughly the same time as Harry and his pals (wand lessons and battling Voldemort excepted).

You feel that youre growing up with the characters, and youre matching the feelings youre reading about, said Cody Asher, 28, who started reading the series in the third grade and has cosplayed in that world as an adult. Like at one point, its about candy and jokes, then it comes to responsibility and love and thinking about what you can do as an adult for the betterment of your future.

Ashley Hamilton, 25, who has taken part in several Potter-themed pub crawls, said there are now many more ways for fans to become immersed in Rowlings world.

The butterbeer is alcoholic instead of just butterscotch-flavored, she said, and there are all of the conventions and now there are bars that you can go to for pub crawls.

Some readers have managed to make a living out of their fandom. Brits Daniel Clarkson and Jefferson Turner are touring the country in Potted Potter, their two-man show boiling all seven books into just 70 minutes.

The tour stops in San Antonio on Tuesday for seven performances at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre.

Its so much fun, Clarkson said. Here I am in my 30s and I get to dress up as lots of odd wizards. My mum tells people Im a lawyer, but Im having a great time: Im a wizard, mum.

Clarkson, who discovered the books in college and fell for them while reading them to his younger brother, echoed Ashers point of view about why readers who grew up with the books dont outgrow them in the way they might have outgrown other series they read as youngsters.

You really did grow up with him, he said. Were all waiting for our Hogwarts letter.

On ExpressNews.com: New YA book by SA author deals with grief

The closest fans will get to that giddy moment when young wizards-to-be receive their acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is to be sorted into one of the schools four houses. (For the benefit of those yet to be swept up in Rowlings creation, thats the process in which young wizards learn the house they will be associated with during their time at Hogwarts.)

There are a number of sorting quizzes on the internet, including one on Pottermore, Rowlings vast site devoted to the world she created.

Thats how Allie Smith, 26, learned that she was a Gryffindor, part of the same house as Harry.

As an adult, I feel like when you figure out what house am I in, that becomes an important part of your self-identity, said Smith, who included the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in her honeymoon.

She and her husband, a fellow Harry Potter nerd, have taken part in the pub crawls and other events that draw fans.

I feel like it is a very tight-knit community, she said. Those who like Harry Potter are very like-minded people.

The houses that Amy Dullnig Scharff and her husband, Ben, were sorted into were reflected in their wedding cake. Dullnig Scharff bought a custom topper in which the bride and groom wear scarves representing their houses: Gryffindor for her and Hufflepuff for him. Their dog Ziva is included, too, wearing a Gryffindor scarf of her own, the result of an online quiz that helps people sort their pets.

We wanted (the cake) to be classy but not too childish, said Dullnig Scharff, 35. I thought that was a nice balance of elegant and a nod to something we both enjoyed.

She has thrown a few Harry Potter-themed parties over the years, including a bridal shower she co-hosted for her friend and former roommate Allison Newsom Cornwell, 38.

It was a blast, said Newsom Cornwell. They had a whole candy buffet, and everything was labeled with Harry Potter-themed names, and Amy made a butterbeer-flavored cake with all the house colors.

Dullnig Scharff and Newsom Cornwell also have both taken part in Hogwarts Running Club events. The races are virtual, meaning people participate by covering a set distance along the route and at the time of their choosing. Proceeds benefit for charities focused on literacy, youth, veterans, homelessness animals the environment and fighting disease.

Youre doing this fun little thing, being healthy and contributing to a good cause, Newsom Cornwell said. Its a pretty cool deal.

The youngest millennials may not be at the point where theyre throwing each other Potter-themed showers, but they are immersing themselves in the wizarding world. At UTSA, that includes participating in Club Quidditch. Twenty members play a modified version of the high-flying sport played by characters in the books.

It kind of feels like youre living a fantasy that you always had as a kid, said Sam Benavides, 19, the teams secretary. As a kid, we all wished we became a superhero or got powers or were waiting for our letter from Hogwarts. Playing something so associated with something from my childhood makes me feel like a kid again.

Some millennial parents are figuring out how and when to introduce their children to the books. Smith has been collecting illustrated editions to share with her 6-year-old son. And McLendon dips into the books from time to time with her 6-year-old daughter Nakona, but shes holding off on doing much more than that. Partly thats because the books grow steadily darker and more adult-oriented as they go along.

Im kind of waiting a little bit, she said. I dont want to do it until her maturity will alow her to geek out on it.

Potted Potter can be seen at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Oct. 27 and 2 p.m. Oct. 28 at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Marys St. Tickets range from $39.99 to $99.99 at the box office and ticketmaster.com.

dlmartin@express-news.net | @DeborahMartinEN

Deborah Martin is an arts writer in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dlmartin@express-news.net | Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN
After a confirmation process marked by controversy and tension, NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg predicted a quiet Supreme Court term defined by relative consensus and narrow decisions on Thursday.

While Americans are more polarized than they have been since the Civil War, the longtime Supreme Court reporter doesnt expect the division to play out on the nations highest court immediately, she said, speaking to media before Trinity Universitys annual Distinguished Lecture.

If there was any inclination before to take the bull by the horns and just chug ahead on a conservative legal agenda, I think that probably has somewhat dissipated, she said. The court needs a break from controversy, and I think all of the members of the Court know that.

Totenberg, 74, joined National Public Radio in 1975 and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the Supreme Court.

In 1991, she broke the news of University of Oklahoma Law Professor Anita Hills allegations against Judge Clarence Thomas, which led to the reopening of his confirmation hearings before a scheduled Senate vote.

In the aftermath of Justice Brett Kavanaughs nomination and confirmation hearings, including Christine Blasey Fords testimony alleging he sexually assaulted her in high school, all of the justices would rather not make news, Totenberg said.

The slate of cases before the court this term can be decided on quite narrow ground, addressing only the specific issues in the case without a need for the justices to make a major break in tradition or precedent, she said.

I dont think theres anything of huge consequence, she said, though the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections could change that if claims of voter suppression or problems with voting systems arise.

If you dont have a voting system that is reliable and generally un-hack-able, which is not true in every state, the outcomes, if they are at all close, are going to be in dispute, Totenberg said. She pointed to Georgia, where about 53,000 voters registrations are still pending because their names on the voter rolls do not exactly match their identification, such as having a middle name or hyphen on a drivers license but not on a registration form.

If theres a close election in Georgia, theres going to be hell to pay, she said, with the results likely coming before the Supreme Court.

In the long term, she said, Kavanaughs addition to the court swings an already conservative bench even farther to the right.

She called the current court probably the most conservative court since the 1930s.

Several hundred people filed into Laurie Auditorium to hear Totenberg, who addressed how her reporting has changed along with the media and political landscape.

While the U.S. has had lots of grief from time to time, she said, I dont think weve been this tribal since the Civil War.

Its an entirely different environment we live in, where people are free to make their own reality, compared to when she started her career at a newspaper in 1965, she said.

LTeitz@Express-News.net | @LizTeitz
A fired San Antonio police detective faces criminal charges over accusations he botched the investigation of more than 130 cases of sexual assault and family violence.

Kenneth Valdez, a 17-year veteran of the department, is charged with eight counts of tampering with evidence in the cases.

He was fired twice in one year, once in November after police suspected he had mishandled the cases.

Police officers are seldom charged criminally in connection with their official duties.

In the grand jury indictment, Valdez, 46, is accused of four counts of concealing evidence, including buccal swabs, a phone and two video recordings. The other four counts are making false entries in the police department's record management system.

The charges cover the period from January 2016 to November 2017.

He posted $15,000 bond Wednesday.

His arrest comes nearly a year after supervisors in the Special Victims Unit noticed the division was not filing as many cases as normal with the Bexar County District Attorneys Office.

On ExpressNews.com: Over 130 sexual assault, family violence cases not properly investigated, SAPD says

The discovery led to an Internal Affairs investigation, which found that Valdez had not properly investigated or pursued more than 130 sexual assault or family violence cases. During the investigaiton, Valdez was put on administrative leave.

McManus indefinitely suspended Valdez, which is tantamount to firing, for failing to act on DNA evidence, not properly preserving evidence and closing cases without the approval from a supervisor.

McManus fired Valdez again in January for allegedly disobeying a direct order to end contact with a woman he was sharing an apartment with and continuing outside employment.

Valdez is appealing both suspensions.

He told Internal Affairs investigators he felt awful about overlooking the cases. He said he struggled with a high caseload, poor organizational skills, the difficult nature of the cases and personal issues that were affecting his work.

After Valdez was fired, city officials moved to prevent similar wrongdoing. An unnamed sergeant and lieutenant who oversaw the Special Victims Unit were transferred, though they were not formally disciplined.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio police chief changes procedures after detective fired

Earlier this year, the department implemented new operating procedures in all seven investigative units.

The department also hired an independent team to conduct an audit of the Special Victims Unit, which is responsible for investigating about 28 different offenses, including human trafficking, family violence, child abuse and sexual assault.

The audit, which was released earlier this year, found that 934 sex crime or family violence cases assigned to various detectives in the Special Victims Unit could have been reviewed more thoroughly.

That does not necessarily mean the cases were mishandled, the audit found. But supervisors could have reviewed the cases more closely to make sure all evidence was tested and there was detailed documentation explaining the investigative process and the reasons for closing a case.

Emilie Eaton is a criminal justice reporter in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | eeaton@express-news.net | Twitter: @emilieeaton

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | fsabawi@mysa.com | Twitter: @FaresInSA
CASTROVILLE  A candidate forum featuring Republican U.S. Rep. Will Hurd and his Democratic challenger, Gina Ortiz Jones, grew a little testy here Thursday night, as Jones publicly challenged the congressman to a televised debate.

The Jones campaign has been accusing Hurd of dodging debates, calling it nothing short of shameful.

The student-led, multicandidate forum Thursday at Medina Valley High School, which featured the two candidates alongside Libertarian gubernatorial hopeful Mark Tibbetts and three people running in local races, turned into a de facto debate for Congressional District 23.

The majority of questions were aimed at Hurd and Jones, who were sitting next to each other. Candidates walked to a microphone to answer questions. As Jones was answering a question about bipartisanship, she turned back to face Hurd and said it was important for voters in the district to hear about the candidates views.

So Will, will you agree to televised debate? she asked him. I think folks all across the district should hear these answers.

He appeared to nod yes.

The campaigns have been working with KABB to finalize a date, but early voting begins Monday.

Justin Hollis, Hurds campaign manager, said the campaign is evaluating potential dates.

The candidates spent much of the time discussing their views on issues ranging from gun laws and national security to health care and the economy. Jones repeatedly criticized Hurds vote to pass last years tax cut, which she characterized as a gift for only the wealthiest Americans. He responded that unemployment is at record-low rates and that the economy is doing very well.

Hurd in turn criticized Jones openness to starting another Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. The Pentagons process for restructuring has been mentioned often in the campaign because the district, which includes parts of San Antonio and stretches northwest to El Paso, has several military bases.

In January, Jones told the San Antonio Express-News that she supported reopening BRAC to make military spending more efficient.

Hurd has often criticized her for that position, and he did so again Thursday. Hurd said any candidate who supports BRAC or thinks it can be reopened without jeopardizing local military bases and jobs doesnt understand the district.

Jones, in an apparent reversal, responded that she does not support reopening the process.

Dylan McGuinness covers local politics and the Bexar County government for the Express-News. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | dylan.mcguinness@express-news.net | Twitter: @DylMcGuinness
AUSTIN  A federal appeals court on Thursday ordered Texas to improve investigations of child abuse in its foster care system and address long-standing problems with the caseloads of workers tasked with checking in on the children.

Whats more, state officials have been deliberately indifferent to the threat to childrens welfare caused by high caseloads and insufficient monitoring, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled.

"This is a huge victory for Texas children," said Houston attorney Paul Yetter, who is working with New York-based advocacy group Childrens Rights, which filed a class action suit in 2011 on behalf of the roughly 11,000 long-term foster children in the care of the state.

The order, however, invalidated costly reforms ordered by a lower court judge that would have likely required a dramatic increase in the number of foster homes.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Ken Paxton didnt say whether he plans to appeal.

The Fifth Circuits decision affirmed many of the significant changes the state has made to our foster care system, said Kayleigh Lovvorn. While the program still faces challenges, the Fifth Circuit upheld significant parts of the program as constitutional while finding that the district court engaged in judicial overreach in entering an overbroad and impractical injunction.

The Department of Family and Protective Services is reviewing the order and had no immediate statement.

The class action suit alleged youth were bounced between homes, had too little contact with overworked caseworkers and were not sufficiently protected from abuse.

In 2015, U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack of Corpus Christi ruled the states foster care system was unconstitutional, finding that foster children in Texas almost uniformly leave state custody more damaged than when they entered. In January, Jack ordered the state make dozens of sweeping changes. Paxton appealed.

The panel of appellate judges upheld some of Jacks remedies, including reforms to shore up abuse investigations by ensuring timely contact with alleged victims and setting deadlines for closing cases. The 103-page order also called for new workers to have different caseloads than more experienced staff.

But it invalidated dozens of others such as a requirement the state to set caseload caps at 17 children per worker, saying that move could exacerbate a staffing crisis and destabilize children in care. Instead, the family and protective services department must determine how many cases workers can safely carry and set internal standards.

"The evidence in the record establishes that the State is deliberately indifferent to the risks posed by its policies and practices toward caseload management, the order said. The State is well-aware that caseworkers have unmanageable workloads. It also knows that high caseloadswhich are a direct cause of high turnover rates  have a negative impact on (foster) childrens welfare.

In past court filings, the state has argued the plaintiffs dont represent the thousands of children in care, most of whom do not experience maltreatment. The court did find, however, the plaintiffs are representative of what happens to foster children, Yetter said.

"What we proved at trial and what the circuit court affirmed is Texas has failed to protect vulnerable children. There are too few caseworkers and there is an inadequate system to monitor foster placements, Yetter said.

Several of the original plaintiffs are now adults who will not benefit from reforms. After aging out of foster care, some of the original plaintiffs faced homelessness and unemployment. At least one had a child of her own, who is now in state care, according to interviews and court records.

Paxton and state officials have argued Texas is already taking steps to improve child welfare, which legislators named a priority last year. A plan is underway to further privatize foster care, including in Bexar County, with the hope that putting decision-making at the local level will help improve care and keep siblings together in their communities. Critics argue that eventual plans to shift case management duties to a private contractor are ill-advised.
Tom Reel, Staff / Staff photographer

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and his Democratic challenger Beto ORourke head into the final two weeks of their campaign covering much of the same territory this weekend.

Cruz will start his weekend in Fort Worth for a rally with members of the National Border Patrol Council, the union for border patrol agents. They endorsed Cruz earlier in the race.
For the last several years, many groups, individuals and parties interested in preserving public education for our children have stood firm as a rampantly growing privatization movement has descended upon our local educational landscape. We saw last year the Department of Education push a plan that would form a partnership zone which could potentially lead to schools in the opportunity zone being placed in the dysfunctional Achievement School District. The recent Every Student Succeed Act plan for Tennessee includes provisions for school takeover by the State. This has been in the face of empirical data and evidence that suggest several current strategies are more effective than many of the approaches that are periodically proposed.

Now the public has been informed that Teach for America is pushing to gain a foothold in Hamilton County, and if one was to look in education journals, newspapers like the Washington Post, or listen to education advocates like Dianne Ravitch, you might become disturbed on what the inclusion of Teach for America might mean for our system.

Teach for America professes to recruit the best students across the nation and incentivize them to join the teaching ranks. These teachers, who in many instances have failed to study education psychology, cognitive development, the diverse needs of learners, and a wide array of elements essential to understanding child development and education, are placed into quick track teacher training programs that last less than six weeks and are then placed into classrooms under the assumption that anyone who gives half a hoot can teach children. These bright minds in turn commit to staying in a school system, often under the guise of providing a valuable service to an underserved or underprivileged school, for a two year term.

T. Jameson Brewer and Kathleen deMarrais have highlighted concerns about Teach for America in the published work, Teach for America Counter Narratives: Alumni Speak up and Speak Out (2015). This book sought to provide individuals who had previously been employed with TFA a platform to discuss and detail their experiences and insights into the practices and designs that in their opinion dictated the scope and scale of how TFA operates. Alexandra Hootnicks 2014 article in The Nation, Teachers Are Losing Their Jobs, but Teach For America Is Expanding. Whats Wrong With That?, also referenced several concerns raised by former employees of TFA. Likewise, Kerry Kretchmar helped provide a chronological assessment of TFA in a 2014 article for the Urban Review entitled, The Revolution will be Privatized: Teach For America and Charter Schools. In reviewing these critiques by respected scholars and former individuals in the TFA ranks, numerous questions do arise.

How is their method of quick-tracking college graduates, however gifted they may be, of greater benefit than current teacher education programs, no matter how flawed they may be? What happens to the long-term stability of the teaching workforce if wages, workplace standards and professional development opportunities are undercut? Will the ability of teachers to garner present and future contractual obligations be usurped because of a workforce that only has a short-run interest? Will the relationship between TFA and policy makers be geared towards providing the essential needs of all students or relegated to promoting the aspirations of for profit businesses entities?

If history proves correct by what we have seen in New Orleans and the more than 50 areas TFA has become entrenched in, Hamilton County and indeed the State of Tennessee may well become ground zero for the next big wave of school privatization. Legitimate necessities such as the need to replenish an aging teaching workforce, provide greater parity and equity in schools, and close achievement and opportunity gaps could very well be manipulated and misconstrued to a citizenry who rightfully and urgently want our children to be provided the best possible education by those whose true motives are to advance and accelerate an agenda promulgated by big business and the for profit corporations, laying public education as we now conceive it asunder.

Some 190 years later, Horace Manns six guiding principles for common schools still reverberates: (1) Citizens cannot maintain both ignorance and freedom; (2) This education should be paid for, controlled, and maintained by the public; (3) This education should be provided in schools that embrace children from varying backgrounds; (4) This education must be nonsectarian; (5) This education must be taught using tenets of a free society; (6) This education must be provided for by a well trained and professional set of teachers and staff. For these reasons, we should be highly skeptical of any entity who is pushing market-based education solutions until they can demonstrate that it will be for the sheer betterment of our schools and students.

Respectfully,

Eric Atkins


GREENWICH  The heating at North Mianus School kicked on just in time for the cold snap this week, but district officials have no timeline for installing the new air-conditioning system.

The heating system was scheduled to be completed by the end of September and the air-conditioning by Oct. 15, Director of Facilities Dan Watson said last month.
FAIRFIELD  At the age of 52, Police Chief Gary MacNamara is stepping down from the job.

But after working his way up through the ranks, MacNamara wont be going far  just across town to Sacred Heart University, where he will become executive director of public safety and government relations, a newly-created position.

During his time with the department, MacNamara helped uncover a money laundering and prostitution ring that operated between Connecticut and Florida. He also served as the negotiator when students and a professor were taken hostage at Fairfield University. He is now known as the man in the red stilettos in the campaign against domestic violence.

His last official day will be Oct. 26, and it will end with a small march from police headquarters to the Fairfield Theatre Co. on Sanford Street for a retirement party. Rumor has it MacNamara, who has been known to take a turn at the microphone in New York City comedy clubs, will perform some of his stand-up routine.

But before he leaves, MacNamara, who was born in Canada when his father, a U.S. Customs agent was stationed there, answered a few questions about his time with the department. It was his fathers eventual transfer to Bridgeport that brought MacNamara to Connecticut, where he grew up in Shelton and attended Shelton High School.

Q: Why did you decide to become a police officer, what it something you always wanted to do?

A: I think growing up watching my father put on his uniform every day getting ready for work led to my desire to go into law enforcement. When I was much younger, I would sometimes go to work with him. He was so dedicated and loved his work, spending 50 years in government service.

Q: What brought you to Fairfield?

A: The Fairfield Police Department has always been well respected. While attending the University of New Haven, it was a department that was often referred to. In addition, several Fairfield officers were attending UNH while I was attending. When the test came up, I jumped at the opportunity. I did well and got hired. It was the only police test I ever took.

Q: What has been the most positive change in policing over the course of your career?

A: The most positive change is probably the addition of technology  from computers in our cars, email, realistic training simulations, cameras, accident scene documentation, better communications  have all led to a more effective and efficient agency. It allows us to do so much more, and also allows the community to be more engaged.

Q: What do you think is the biggest misconception the public has about police and police work?

A: I think there are a lot of misconceptions about the police, mostly because sometimes people dont look beyond the uniform. They perceive all of us from what they see on TV, read on the internet, or through a interaction they may have had. They dont get to know the people wearing the uniform. We are people who care. We are people who want to help. We are people, who besides being entrusted with the community safety, are dealing with the same concerns, worries and family challenges as everyone else. This is why it is important that we get to know the community we serve, but at the same time important for the community members to get to know us.

Q: What will your new job at Sacred Heart University entail?

A: As we all know, Sacred Heart University is a vibrant, growing institution. I plan on collaborating with members of public safety, the administration and the entire university community to continue to make it a safe place to learn. In some ways it will be very similar to the work I do here only on a smaller, but not less important, scale.

greilly@ctpost.com; 203-842-2585
FAIRFIELD  The death of Probate Judge Daniel Caruso this year opened up the race for the judgeship, which the Republican had held since 1995.

The race pits Democrat Kate Neary Maxham, who has worked as the staff attorney in the Probate Court, against the GOP candidate, Bryan LeClerc, a local attorney who previously served on the Representative Town Meeting and the Town Plan and Zoning Commission.

Just what role does a probate judge play?

Maxham said a probate judge needs to have extensive knowledge across a variety of legal fields. People look to the probate court for help, in good times and bad, Maxham said. Among other things, a probate judge handles delicate family matters, approves the distribution of estate assets and trust funds, manages the appointment of conservators for those unable to manage their own affairs and oversees guardianship for minors and adults with disabilities, she said.

While there are guidelines and statutes, Maxham said, a probate judge has to rely on experience and knowledge, because no two situations are exactly alike. I would say the most important job for a probate judge is to be compassionate, knowledgeable, experienced and prepared to rule fairly regardless of what type of matter is before the court, Maxham said.

A probate judge helps people at some of the most difficult times in their lives, LeClerc, who has received the endorsement of the Independent Party, said. The probate judge must be there when a loved one dies, when a family member is unable to manage his affairs and requires a conservator or requires a guardian for a child, and when a child needs protection from abuse and neglect.

The probate judge must be someone people know and can trust, LeClerc said, and someone who has spent a career as a practicing attorney helping people solve real problems, with compassion and commitment. He must have legal knowledge and the common sense to apply it appropriately to help make a residents quality of life better, help maintain their dignity, remain in their home or keep them safe.

For many people, the probate judge job has been seen for many years as a cushy way to to make easy money.

LeClerc said the probate judge is elected by the people to help and protect them. The position of probate judge should be held by a person with experience representing individuals in personal and family matters, not a political appointee, or career or long-term government or court employee, he said.

Saying he has never held a political patronage job, nor will he, LeClerc said, Probate judge will not be a promotion for me; it is a position for someone with knowledge, integrity, respect and legal experience, he said. I have practiced law for over 30 years, helping real people and families solve real-life problems. My community service has always been done with a desire to serve the community, not for personal advancement or gain.

Among recent reforms made to the Probate Court system is the way judges are compensated. After court expenses are paid, an assessment of the net income, based on population and workload, is paid to the Court Administration Fund. The balance is kept as compensation to the probate judge, up to a maximum of $110,085. State law says the probate judge compensation cannot exceed 75 percent of a Superior Court judges salary.

Probate Court judges are the only elected judges in the state of Connecticut, Maxham said. Inherent in that will always be the perception that those individuals nominated are being thanked for their services to their party.

However, she said, widespread reforms enacted in 2009 included stricter qualifying requirements for candidates in order to be nominated for the position. Probate judges must be attorneys and a member of the state bar and there is a code of ethics established. But in reality, the only way to change the perception of patronage is to demonstrate to all constituents that politics plays no role in the Probate Court, Maxham said.

Here in Fairfield, Maxham said, the probate judge position has never been a political fix and she said she hopes it doesnt become one. Judge Caruso brought immeasurable commitment and devotion to the court, and earned the trust and respect of all who appeared before him, she said. Thats why he was unopposed and re-elected time and time again.
When I think of Italy, I think of cars like Lamborghini, Ferrari and Fiat. I also think of wine, cheese, artists, architecture and music. Oh, and pizza and gelato.

I was one of 178 delegates from 53 countries invited to attend the sixth annual Maker Faire Rome last weekend. The event attracted some 115,000 people, 700 selected projects and people from 61 different countries. The Faire was billed as a showcase of Italian innovation and creativity.

Each of the seven halls covered themes including artificial intelligence, education, education, aerospace, robotics, electronics, fabrication, the circular economy, agriculture, food and manufacturing.

Everything from bicycles made from bamboo to new ways to grow food to high- tech ways to use materials that had previously been discarded  what they call the circular economy, this event was a showcase of what Italians are doing.

As with many Italian products, the design of many items showcased added to their attractiveness. A handful of designs caught my attention, including an exercise bicycle that looked truly stunning, rather than the typical look of a parked bicycle. I was also impressed by a ski boot that is light and strong, yet allows the ankle to move when not in a ski, thereby making walking to and from the slopes much easier.

As with many Maker Faires, Maker Faire Rome had the traditional fun and quirky makers, such as a 3D printer that prints using mud, drones and drone racing, people making musical instruments out of odd materials and more.

I quite enjoyed seeing the blend of new versus old as well as new combined with old. There were sensors used to sniff out whether parmesan cheese was really made in Italy, as well as items cut with laser cutters of designs from Leonardo da Vinci.

The first day of the event was on Friday. It was for students to see and experience all of these wonders without the weekend crowds. It was good to see the students engaged in seeing what their fellow Italians are working on, how their studies could be used, what careers may be of interest to them and what universities might be of interest. Representatives from about 25 Italian universities were there showcasing many of their programs.

Saturday and Sunday consisted of mostly families who attended for fun, but there were numerous speakers talking to interested people in more depth about what they are working on.

Maker Faire Rome is produced by the Rome Chamber of Commerce with the help of the Italian Trade Agency. It has a more corporate feel to it than others Ive seen. It still embodies the energy of other Maker Faires that are so attractive, but Maker Faire Rome is fairly unique in that it includes a major component of business development and showcasing of Italy that I had not seen before.

Maker Faire Rome has struck a good balance between fun and business, making it attractive to a broad audience, while being able to showcase Italy to people around the world at the same time. As one of the newspapers referred to on its front page when talking about this event: Inventiamo il Futuro, (We are) Inventing the Future. Indeed they are.

Mark Mathias is a 35-plus- year information technology executive and a resident of Westport. He can be contacted at livingwithtechnology

@mathias.org.
HARTFORD  Dennis Bradley, the state Senate hopeful in the 23rd District, has been denied about $95,000 in state campaign funding by the State Election Enforcement Commission.

The commission, meeting in an unusual Friday afternoon session in Hartford, turned back the candidates fund request owing to two actions that the panel said were not allowed under regulations of the Citizens Election Program grants.

The first had to do with a party in March at the Dolphin Cove restaurant in Bridgeport, which was sponsored by Bradleys BDK law firm, at which he announced that hed run for the seat being vacated by state Sen. Ed Gomes. The event was seen by the commission as an in-kind contribution from the firm.

The issue concerned another coordinated expenditure with the law firm, in which Bradley, an attorney and Bridgeport Democrat, appeared in an ad for the firm within 90 days of the election, and which didnt exist prior to the campaign.

Bradley could still face civil penalties, the commission said, although these were not discussed at Fridays session. He did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.

In November, Bradley will face Republican John Rodriguez, the party-endorsed candidate who survived a tight primary over challenger Caz Mizera.

Rodriguez, however, didnt qualify for SEEC funding. Some GOP regulars felt that Mizera would have been a stronger candidate, because he did qualify for a state campaign grant. The 23rd, which includes most of Bridgeport and a swath of Stratfords South End, is one of the most reliable Democratic state Senate districts in the state.

The seat had been occupied for years by Democrat Ed Gomes. Bradley, a Bridgeport Board of Education member who lost a 2016 primary to Gomes, handily won the party endorsement at the local convention May 23. But this time around, Gomes decided not to run.

Bradley also prevailed in a primary contest  it was against Aaron Turner, Gomes former legislative aide. Former Greater Bridgeport NAACP chairwoman Carolyn Vermont was also considering a run for the 23rd Senate seat this spring.
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iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF's stock was trading at $36.70 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWT shares have increased by 80.1% and is now trading at $66.08.

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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.
Travelport Worldwide Limited, together with its subsidiaries, operates a travel commerce platform that offers distribution, technology, payment, mobile, and other solutions for the travel and tourism industry in the United States, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It facilitates travel commerce by connecting travel providers, such as airlines, hotel chains, and car rental companies with online and offline travel buyers in a business-to-business travel platform. The company provides distribution and merchandising solutions for hotel, car rental, rail, cruise-line, and tour operators; Virtual Account Number payment solutions that automatically generate unique MasterCard numbers that are used to process payments; advertising solutions; and other platform services, such as subscription, processing, and business intelligence data services, as well as marketing-oriented analytical tools to travel agencies, travel providers, and other travel data users. It also offers critical IT solutions and other services to airlines, such as shopping, ticketing, departure control, business intelligence, and other solutions. Travelport Worldwide Limited was incorporated in 2006 and is headquartered in Langley, the United Kingdom.

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Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NYLD) posted its earnings results on Thursday, November, 2nd. The utilities provider reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the Zacks' consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.31. The utilities provider had revenue of $265 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $311.81 million. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.30 earnings per share.

View Clearway Energy's earnings history.
iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF's stock was trading at $25.60 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus (COVID-19) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWU stock has increased by 30.5% and is now trading at $33.42.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
The following companies are subsidiares of PPG Industries: AIPCF V Texstars Blocker Inc., AkzoNobel, Alermac Inversiones S.A. de C.V., Alpha Coating Technologies LLC, Alpha Coatings Inc., Broad Range Development Limited, Brown Brothers Distribution Limited, CG Holdings Manufacturing Co., Centro de Investigacion en Polimeros S.A. de C.V., Chemfil Canada Limited, Chorlton Trade Paints Limited, Comercial Mexicana de Pinturas S.A. de C.V., Comex, Comex Industrial Coatings S.A. de C.V., Consorcio Comex S.A. de C.V., Cristacol S.A., Cuming Microwave Corporation, Deutek SA, Dexmet Corporation, Dexmet Holding Corporation, Distribuidora Kroma S.A. de C.V., EPIC Insurance Co. Ltd., Eberle Design Inc., Empresa Aga S.A. de C.V., Ennis Canadian Holding Company, Ennis Flint Soluciones Seguras Para Trafico, Ennis Highway Traffic Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Ennis Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, Ennis Paint Australia Holding Pty Ltd, Ennis Paint Boya Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Ennis Paint Canada ULC, Ennis Paint Germany GmbH, Ennis Paint Netherlands Holdings LLC, Ennis Paint U.K. Holding Company Limited, Ennis Prismo Italio S.r.l., Ennis Traffic Safety Solutions Pty Ltd, Ennis  Flint Mexico, Ennis  Flint New Zealand, Ennis  Flint New Zealand Holding Pty Ltd, Ennis-Flint, Ennis-Flint Africa (Pty) Ltd, Ennis-Flint Inc., Foshan Bairun Chemicals Co. Ltd., Fpu Industrial S.A. de C.V., Grupo Comex S.A. de C.V., Hemmelrath Automotive Coatings (Jilin) Co. Ltd., Hodij Coatings B.V., Homax Products, Industria Chimica Reggiana I.C.R. SPA, Johnstones Paints Limited, Kalon Investment Company Limited, Kalon South Africa Proprietary Limited, Manchester Thermoplastics LLC, Masterwork Paint, MetoKote Canada Limited, MetoKote Corporation, MetoKote Mexico Holding Inc., MetoKote UK Limited, MetoKote de Mexico S. de RL de CV, PPG AC - France SA, PPG ALESCO Automotive Finishes Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., PPG AP Resinas S.A. de C.V., PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Architectural Coatings (Puerto Rico) Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Canada Inc., PPG Architectural Coatings Ireland Limited, PPG Architectural Coatings Italy S.r.l., PPG Architectural Coatings UK Limited, PPG Architectural Finishes Inc., PPG Asian Paints Private Ltd., PPG COATINGS SINGAPORE PTE. LTD., PPG Canada Inc., PPG Cieszyn S.A., PPG Coatings (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, PPG Coatings (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., PPG Coatings (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Thailand) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings (Wuhu) Company Ltd., PPG Coatings (Zhangjiagang) Co. Ltd., PPG Coatings B.V., PPG Coatings Belgium BV, PPG Coatings Danmark A/S, PPG Coatings Deutschland GmbH, PPG Coatings Europe B.V., PPG Coatings Manufacturing SARL, PPG Coatings Nederland BV, PPG Coatings S.A., PPG Coatings South Africa (Pty) Ltd., PPG DYRUP S.A., PPG Deco Czech a.s., PPG Deco Polska sp. z.o.o., PPG Deco Slovakia s.r.o., PPG Deutschland Business Support GmbH, PPG Deutschland Sales & Services GmbH, PPG Distribution S.A.S., PPG Europe B.V., PPG Finance B.V., PPG France Business Support S.A.S., PPG France Manufacturing S.A.S., PPG Guadeloupe SAS, PPG Hellas S.A., PPG Hemmelrath Coatings Inc., PPG Hemmelrath Lackfabrik GmbH, PPG Holdco SAS, PPG Holdings (U.K.) Limited, PPG Holdings Argentina USA LLC, PPG Holdings Latin America USA LLC, PPG Iberica S.A., PPG Iberica Sales & Services S.L., PPG Industrial Coatings B.V., PPG Industrial do Brasil - Tintas E. Vernizes - Ltda., PPG Industries (Korea) Ltd., PPG Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., PPG Industries (UK) Ltd, PPG Industries Argentina S.R.L., PPG Industries Australia PTY Limited A.C.N. 055 500 939, PPG Industries Colombia Ltda., PPG Industries Czech Republic s.r.o., PPG Industries Delfzijl B.V., PPG Industries Europe Sarl, PPG Industries France S.A.S., PPG Industries International Inc., PPG Industries Italia S.r.l., PPG Industries Kimya a Sanayi VE Ticaret AS, PPG Industries LLC, PPG Industries Lipetsk LLC, PPG Industries Middle East FZE, PPG Industries Netherlands B.V., PPG Industries New Zealand Limited, PPG Industries Ohio Inc., PPG Industries Poland Sp. Z.o.o., PPG Industries Securities LLC, PPG Industries de Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Italia Business Support S.r.l., PPG Italia Sales & Services S.r.l., PPG Japan Ltd., PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes Canada LP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.K. LLP, PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes U.S. LLC, PPG Luxembourg Finance S.aR.L., PPG Luxembourg Holdings S.aR.L., PPG Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Mexico S.A. de C.V., PPG Packaging Coatings (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., PPG Paints Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PPG Performance Coatings (Hong Kong) Limited, PPG Powder Coatings (Shanghai) Limited, PPG Romania S.A., PPG SSC Co. Ltd., PPG Switzerland GmbH, PPG Trilak Kft., PPG Vietnam Co. Ltd., PRC-DeSoto Australia Pty Ltd., PRC-DeSoto International Inc., PT. PPG Coatings Indonesia, Painter's Supply, Paintzen, Peintures de Paris SAS, Plasticos Envolventes S.A. de C.V., Polymeric Systems Inc., Prismo Road Markings Limited, ProCoatings B.V., ProCoatings BV, Protec Pty Ltd. A.C.N. 007 857 392, Reno A&E LLC, Revocoat France SAS, Revocoat Holding SAS, Revocoat Iberica SLU, Revocoat S.A.S, Road Infrastructure Investment Holdings Inc., SEM Products Inc., Sealants Europe SAS, Sierracin Corporation, Sierracin/Sylmar Corporation, Sigma Marine & Protective Coatings Holding B.V., SigmaKalon (BC) UK Limited, SigmaKalon Group, SigmaKalon Middle East B.V., Sikar (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Spraylat International Ltd, Texstars LLC, The Crown Group Co., The Crown Group Inc, The Homax Group, Tikkurila Group, Traffic Safety Intermediate LLC, Traffic Safety Parent LLC, United International Business NV, Vanex Inc., Vernisol S.p.A., Versaflex, Viasa S.A. de C.V., Whitford, Whitford B.V., Whitford Corporation, Whitford Jiangmen Ltd., Whitford Ltd. (HK), Whitford Ltd. (UK), Whitford Pte. Ltd., Whitford S.r.l., Whitford Worldwide Company LLC, Worwag Coatings, and Zaganite Industries Pty Ltd.
by Jody Smith | Jaguars Correspondent | Thu, Oct 18th 6:03pm EDT

As expected, Dallas will be without wide receiver Tavon Austin for Week 7's road game in Washington. Austin injured his groin in Sunday's victory over Jacksonville and could be sidelined for several weeks. (Ed Werder via Twitter )
The NFU is seeking an urgent meeting with the Government, highlighting how Brexit uncertainty is now "hugely damaging" the industry.

The union has criticised the lack of progress at the recent EU Council meeting on Wednesday night (17 October) for prolonging uncertainty within the industry.

Both the UK and the EU failed to come to an agreement on how the new post-Brexit relationship will work, with Prime Minister Theresa May now proposing an extension to the transition period "for a few months."

Many had expected Wednesday's summit to play a decisive role in moving the Brexit negotiations along.

Because of prolonged uncertainty and the prospect of a 'no deal' Brexit edging closer, the NFU has warned that such a scenario could bring farms to the "brink of collapse", and that it is the "Armageddon scenario" for the British farming industry.

The union is now seeking an urgent meeting with the "highest level" of Government.

NFU President Minette Batters said that the uncertainty now facing farmers and growers is "hugely damaging". She reminded Government that this is a sector that produces the raw ingredients for the UKs largest manufacturing sector, food and drink.

Mrs Batters said: More than two years on from the EU referendum, farmers and growers are still faced with considerable uncertainty around what the future will look like for their businesses.

From a new EU trading relationship to how businesses will be able to recruit a competent and reliable workforce, the lack of clarity and current timescales are now seriously undermining farmings ability to plan ahead.

She added: Understanding the trading environment you are operating in is vital to any business. For long-term businesses like farming, it is completely unacceptable.

The NFU President explained how farmers are having to plan now what they will produce and where it will be sold, doing so without any awareness of what the trading environment will be.

The NFU continues to maintain that "free and frictionless" trade is central to a viable future for British food and farming.

She added: The potential of leaving without a deal is unthinkable for British farming and I urge both sides to continue negotiations to reach a deal that works for everyone.

I am now seeking an urgent meeting with the highest levels of the UK Government to stress the urgency of the situation now facing us.
A fire which destroyed hay bales worth 30,000 has left a farmer "considerably out of pocket", the police have said.

The incident, described as a "reckless act" by the police, occurred at Adniston Farm, in Macmerry, around 7.30pm on Wednesday (17 October).

It is thought that around 1,000 hay bales were destroyed in the suspicious blaze.

Detective sergeant Jamie Gilmore said: "Whoever was responsible for this reckless act has left the farmer considerably out of pocket by completely destroying a large quantity of hay that was used either to feed livestock, or to be sold on.

"Anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity around Adniston Farm on Wednesday evening should contact police immediately.

Do you have any info re our inquiries into a suspicious fire at Adniston Farm, Macmerry, last night?

Approx. 1000 hay bales were destroyed worth 30,000.

If you can assist us please come forward & quote incident number 3673 of the 17th October.  East Lothian Police (@EastLothPolice) October 18, 2018

"We would also ask that anyone who can help us identify the culprits, or who has any other information relevant to this investigation, gets in touch as a matter of urgency."

The incident follows news of a huge fire which torched more than 150,000 worth of straw in a suspected arson attack in Nottinghamshire last year.
New licensing procedures for importing bovine semen into Northern Ireland from Britain has been announced.

Individuals and organisations who import bovine semen to NI from GB no longer need to obtain a specific import licence, as this material can now be imported under the terms of a general licence.

However, bovine semen imports must also be accompanied by an export health certificate signed by an Official Veterinarian, appointed by the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA) in Britain.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) said that anyone wishing to import bovine semen should familiarise themselves and be able to comply with the conditions set out in the general licence.

In order to safeguard Northern Irelands high health status and to mitigate the risk of disease in animals, the Department has comprehensive powers to ensure that all aspects of artificial reproduction practices are in line with existing regulations.

Importation of semen into NI without following the correct procedures could result in enforcement action and potential prosecution.

Artificial insemination is the process of collecting sperm cells from a male animal and manually depositing them into the reproductive tract of a female.

Only processed semen, which originates in Northern Ireland, and has been collected in a collection centre approved by the Department or which has been imported into Northern Ireland in accordance with the Departments import requirements, may be distributed.
Twenty-two farmers have been selected to join Oxford Farming Conference's Emerging Leaders programme, which aims to promote and support the next generation of agriculture.

Now in its third year, the aim of the programme is to enable farmers aged 30-45 to achieve their potential sooner, both in personal and career development, and to prepare them to put back into their profession and inspire others in farming.

Tipped for their leadership potential, the 22 successful candidates all actively farm.

As part of the programme, they will attend a tour and policy discussion in November at Fera Science. They will also be hosted at the three-day Oxford Farming Conference from 2-4 January 2019.

The theme for the Oxford Farming Conference in 2019 is World of Opportunity, with sessions focusing on the world beyond Brexit, innovation and opportunities in alternative incomes.

The farmers will also attend the famous union debate, a formal university college banquet and an evening at the craft brewery, TAP Social as part of the programme.

OFC Director and Emerging Leaders Programme co-ordinator, Andrew Pitts, said: "Leadership in the industry is crucial as we approach the unknown and our Emerging Leaders programme aims to give those with the potential to lead the exposure and enthusiasm to enact positive change.
A UK organic dairy cooperative highlights "growing opportunities" in the United States as the potential impact of an impending Brexit looms.

The Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo), formed in 1994 and now having 270 farmer members, reported a successful year-end at their annual members conference.

OMSCos strategy to spread risk through international market and product diversification remains key to the cooperatives success.

The cooperative's Chairman, Nicholas Saphir said: Although we anticipate considerably more organic milk becoming available in continental Europe over the coming months, and have witnessed oversupply in the USA, UK demand has recovered and were successfully balancing demand with supply.

Were continuing to manage the challenges of the global dairy market with the potential impact of an impending Brexit.

Over the past five years the cooperative has secured global alliances with Organic Valley and Eko Holland, and partnerships with UK and European processors including Wyke and Alpavit, all of whom were featured at the conference.

The cooperative also believe there are growing opportunities for OMSCo's USDA-certified cheese brand, Organic Kingdom, and organic butter in the USA.

Level of Brexit

With 25% of the milk produced by OMSCo approved by the USDA for export to the USA, Mr Saphir said he is confident this will be an increasing part of the long-term business strategy.

However, he acknowledged the risk that may arise should the government be unable to secure ongoing recognition of UK standards and a mutually acceptable future trade agreement.

Dairy farming exports to Europe and the continuing use of toll processing, will solely depend on whether there is a hard, soft, or transitional Brexit, he said.

However, we continue to make progress through government lobbying, to ensure the mutual recognition of standards with the USDA once we leave the EU. The big challenge will be to see this recognition with Europe by 30th March 2019.

'Think globally'

Nicholas speech was followed by comments from Mark Garnier MP - previously minister of the Department of International Trade and recently appointed to be the UKs regional trade envoy to the US - who said the UK needs to think more globally, to capitalise on the brave new world post-Brexit.

There is strong demand for high-quality agricultural produce from UK farms, but we need to change our culture to one that seeks out global opportunities, Mr Garnier said.

With UK exports currently equating to around 27% of GDP - much lower than comparable economies such as Germany - we need to improve our export performance. Through the Trade Department, the government provides 186 offices in 107 countries around the world, to specifically help British exporters do just that, he added.

With aspirations for over 40% of OMSCos future sales to come from exports and added-value dairy products, and 2019 marking the cooperatives 25th year, Mr Saphir is positive about the future.

As we focus on maintaining strategic relationships and existing trade agreements in Europe, we will also continue to drive opportunities for organic dairy on a global level, he added.
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GENEVA, October 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Released today by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), a new report looking at the burden and management of fragility fractures in six European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom), has highlighted the hidden, but very real, burden of fragility fractures - with the estimated associated cost at 37.5 billion per year threatening to cripple European healthcare systems by stealth.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click: https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8421451-iof-warns-fragility-fractures-cost-billions/



As the European population ages, the prevalence of chronic conditions, such as osteoporosis, is also set to rise, leading to an exponential rise in the prevalence of fragility fractures.

Every year 2.7 million fragility fractures occur across these six EU nations. This number is expected to increase by a further 23 per cent by 2030, with the associated cost impact escalating further, estimated to hit 47 billion in the same time period. The burden of fragility fractures exceeds those of many other chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], rheumatoid arthritis, and hypertension.

In addition to the cost burden, the physical and emotional impact must not be overlooked. Professor John Kanis, IOF Honorary President, explains: "In Europe, over 20 million people are affected by osteoporosis. Worldwide, fragility fractures affect one in three women and one in five men aged 50 or above. Fragility fracturescan result in significant impairment, often makingdaily activities such as eating, dressing, washing or shopping difficult. For hip fracture sufferers, there is a 40 per cent chance that they will not be able to walk independently.The physical and psychological impact is huge."

The report, "Broken bones, broken lives: A roadmap to solve the fragility fracture crisis in Europe" provides evidence that despite the availability of effective preventative therapies and management approaches for fragility fractures, 73 per cent of women and 63 per cent of men over 50 years of age with osteoporosis do not receive adequate management or treatment. After a fragility fracture, patients are five times more likely to experience a second fracture within the next two years, yet still the majority of patients do not receive treatment that could prevent the next fracture.

The social and economic impacts of fragility fractures highlight the need and urgency to implement best in class models of care. Models such as Orthogeriatric Services and Fracture Liaison Services have shown to deliver improved patient outcomes and cost saving treatments in an effective manner, in countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Sweden, UK and the United States.

With appropriate medical treatment, many fragility fractures can be avoided. Policy makers play a crucial role in funding diagnostic services and cost-effective interventions such as pharmacological treatment, falls prevention programs and coordinated care models, as well as enforcing necessary standards for healthcare professionals and institutions.

Professor Cyrus Cooper, IOF President, comments: "With the rising burden of fragility fractures imposing on healthcare systems acrossEurope, it is our ambition that these reports can support stakeholders in taking the necessary actions to cut associated costs and stop broken bones from breaking lives. As the economic stranglehold of fragility fractures tightens on healthcare systems, now is the time to take action and up-scale our response to this silent threat. We call on health authorities to accelerate this process by prioritising care standards and funding to support the effective management of fragility fractures, thus avoiding escalation of related costs."

Alongside the European report, detailed country reports are available for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

Cooper concludes: "At times of constraints on healthcare spending, we can no longer afford to ignore the prevention and management of fragility fractures."

For more information about the reports, visit www.iofbonehealth.org/broken-bones-broken-lives

Notes to editors:

Osteoporosis is a condition where bones weaken at a faster rate than normal; making them fragile and more likely to break. Even the slightest bump or fall can result in a broken bone (known as a 'fragility fracture'). After experiencing the first fracture, the likelihood of incurring another greatly increases. Worldwide, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 will fracture due to osteoporosis.

Alongside the referenced European report, detailed country reports are available for France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.



See country-specific releases: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, UK .

Reference: Broken bones, broken lives: A roadmap to solve the fragility fracture crisis in Europe



About IOF

The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) is the world's largest nongovernmental organization dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and related musculoskeletal diseases. IOF members, including scientific experts and 240 patient and medical societies worldwide, work together to make fracture prevention a global health care priority. http://www.iofbonehealth.org

World Osteoporosis Day, October 20www.worldosteoporosisday.org

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/771422/International_Osteoporosis_Foundation_Infographic.jpg )

Video:

https://www.multivu.com/players/uk/8421451-iof-warns-fragility-fractures-cost-billions/
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 18, 2018) - Plata Latina Minerals Corporation (TSXV: PLA) ("Plata Latina" or the "Company") announced that the Company has agreed to settle indebtedness of C$201,250 owing to its directors for accrued directors' fees from 2015 to present, and indebtedness of C$30,000 owing to its former CFO for a portion of the indebtedness owing to her as accrued management fees.

The Company has agreed to settle the aforementioned debt by issuing 4,025,000 common shares with respect to the accrued directors fees owing to W. Durand Eppler, Robert Blakestad, Letitia Wong and Margaret Brodie, and 600,000 common shares for the accrued management fees owing to Margaret Brodie. All of the shares will be issued at a deemed price of C$0.05 per share.

The above-described debt settlement is subject to acceptance for filing by the TSX Venture Exchange. All of the common shares to be issued in connection with the settlement will be subject to a four-month hold.

About Plata Latina Minerals

Plata Latina Minerals is a Canadian exploration company with a portfolio of four silver-gold properties situated in the prolific Mexican Silver Belt focused on discovering new silver-gold vein districts. Plata Latina's expertise in the ore horizon concept and extensive experience in Mexico provides a competitive edge for discovery of new districts between old historic deposits. Its highly experienced management team and board are focused on developing its portfolio of high-potential targets and exploring additional value-creation opportunities.

For more information, please contact:

W. Durand Eppler

Interim President & CEO

Telephone: +1 800 933 9925

Email: info@plminerals.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Novartis International AG / Novartis announces presentation of new Lutathera NETTER-1 data at ESMO demonstrating significant improvement in PFS regardless of baseline liver tumor burden . Processed and transmitted by West Corporation. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Lutathera treatment was associated with an ~80% reduction in the estimated risk of tumor progression or death vs comparator, regardless of baseline liver tumor burden[1]



Lutathera treatment was associated with a clinically significant reduction in the estimated risk for deterioration of global health status (self-assessment of overall health and quality of life) vs comparator, regardless of baseline liver tumor burden[1]



Progression free survival (PFS) was also improved in the presence of elevated alkaline phosphatase or large lesion at baseline[1]

Basel, October 19, 2018- Novartis today announced presentation of a new analysis of Lutathera (lutetium Lu 177 dotatate*) NETTER-1 data at the 2018 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress examining the impact of Lutathera treatment on patients with low, medium or high liver tumor burden. The data show that Lutathera treatment results in significant improvement in progression free survival (PFS) regardless of the extent of baseline liver tumor burden (LTB), elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP) liver enzyme or presence of large (>30mm diameter) lesion in patients with progressive midgut neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) compared to octreotide LAR alone[1].

Lutathera is the first Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) to receive regulatory registration, with approval by the European Commission in September 2017 and by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2018. Lutathera is an Advanced Accelerator Applications product.

"Patients with metastatic midgut NET and a high liver tumor load at diagnosis have a poorer prognosis than patients with few liver metastases[2],[3]," said Jonathan Strosberg, MD, Associate Professor, Section Head, Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at Moffitt Cancer Center, and Principle Investigator of the NETTER-1 study. "These new data provide hope for these patients and reinforce the potential benefit of Lutathera treatment in this population."

Liver tumor burden (LTB) was defined as tumor volume/total liver volume by CT or MRI, and categorized as low (<25%), moderate (25-50%), and high (>50%)[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone was 28.35 vs 11.04 in low (HR=0.218, 95% CI 0.120 to 0.394); Not Reached (NR) vs 8.67 in moderate (HR=0.202, 95% CI 0.077 to 0.525); 19.38 vs 5.52 in high LTB (HR= 0.193, 95% CI 0.079 to 0.474), respectively[1].

Because the numbers of patients and events of deteriorations are small for the moderate and high liver burden groups for quality of life assessments, moderate/high liver burden groups were pooled into one group[1]. Median TTD (months) for global health status (self-assessment of overall health and quality of life) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone was 28.81 vs 6.11 in low (HR=0.376, 95% CI 0.196 to 0.720); and NR vs 5.98 in moderate/high LTB (HR=0.453, 95% CI 0.178 to 1.152) [1]. Median TTD (months) for physical functioning was 25.20 vs 11.47 in low (HR=0.512, 95% CI 0.264 to 0.994); and NR vs 11.56 in moderate/high LTB (HR=0.526, 95% CI 0.207 to 1.335) [1].

"These results from the NETTER-1 study continue to show that Lutathera delivers strong efficacy in patients with a challenging disease burden," said Samit Hirawat, MD, Head of Novartis Oncology Global Drug Development. "Demonstrating improved PFS and maintenance of QoL in patients with neuroendocrine tumors with poor prognosis due to a high liver tumor burden is a great example of our commitment to reimagining cancer."

Additional sub-analysis evaluated median PFS in patient subgroups with normal or elevated baseline levels of liver enzyme alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and in subgroups with presence or absence of a large (>30 mm diameter) lesion at baseline[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone for the group with normal ALP was 28.35 vs 8.74 (HR=0.204, 95% CI 0.117 to 0.357)[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone for the group with elevated ALP was NR vs 5.78 (HR=0.191, 95% CI 0.090 to 0.405)[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone for the group with a large tumor lesion was 28.35 vs 8.44 (HR=0.266, 95% CI 0.165 to 0.429)[1]. Median PFS (months) in Lutathera arm vs 60 mg octreotide LAR alone for the group without a large tumor lesion was NR vs 8.74 (HR= 0.069, 95% CI 0.021 to 0.233)[1].

The NETTER-1 trial is an international phase III study in patients with progressive, somatostatin receptor-positive midgut neuroendocrine tumors[4]. Patients were randomized to treatment with Lutathera (Lu)(n=117) and best supportive care (30 mg octreotide LAR), or 60 mg octreotide LAR alone (Oct) (n=114). In total, 141 patients had low (71 Lu, 70 Oct), 50 patients had moderate (19 Lu, 31 Oct), and 40 patients had high LTB (27 Lu, 13 Oct).

European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaires, a commonly used metric for analysis of HRQoL in cancer patients, were assessed during the trial to determine the impact of treatment on HRQoL[5]. Patients completed the questionnaires at baseline and every 12 weeks until tumor progression. TTD was defined as the time from randomization to the first QoL deterioration >=10 points (on a 100-point scale) compared to baseline score for the same domain.

About Lutathera

Lutathera (lutetium Lu 177 dotatate*) is a lutetium Lu 177-labeled somatostatin analog peptide. Lutathera belongs to a class of treatments called Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT). Lutathera is comprised of a targeting molecule which carries a radioactive component. Lutathera has received orphan drug designation from the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In the US, Lutathera is indicated for the treatment of somatostatin receptor positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), including foregut, midgut, and hindgut neuroendocrine tumors in adults[6]. In Europe, Lutathera is indicated for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic, progressive, well differentiated (G1 and G2), somatostatin receptor positive gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) in adults[7]. Lutathera can cause serious side effects that may include bone marrow problems, kidney problems, liver problems, hormonal gland problems, fertility problems and problems arising from radiation exposure. Please see Important Safety Information and Full Prescribing Information at: www.lutathera.com (http://www.lutathera.com) .

* USAN: lutetium Lu 177 dotatate / INN: lutetium (177Lu) oxodotreotide

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions; safety, quality or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Advanced Accelerator Applications

Advanced Accelerator Applications, a Novartis company, is an innovative radiopharmaceutical company developing, producing and commercializing nuclear medicine theragnostics. AAA is also an established leader in radiopharmaceuticals for Positron Emission tomography (PET) and Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) diagnostic imaging, mainly used in clinical oncology, cardiology and neurology. For more information, please visit: https://www.adacap.com/ (https://www.adacap.com/).

About Novartis

Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 1 billion people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 125,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com (http://www.novartis.com).

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis (http://twitter.com/novartis)

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library (http://www.novartis.com/news/media-library)

For questions about the site or required registration, please contact media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com)

References

[1] Strosberg J, Hendifar A, Yao JC, et al. (2018, October) Impact of Liver Tumor Burden on Therapeutic Effect of 177Lu-DOTATATE Treatment: Analysis of Progression-Free Survival, Safety and Quality of Life in NETTER-1. Poster presented at the Annual Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology, Munich, Germany.

[2] Rinke A, Muller HH, Schade-Brittinger C, et al. Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Prospective, Randomized Study on the Effect of Octreotide LAR in the Control of Tumor Growth in Patients with Metastatic Neuroendocrine Midgut Tumors: A Report from the PROMID Study Group. J Clin Oncol. 2009;27:4656-4663.

[3] Rinke A, Wittenberg M, Schade-Brittinger C, et al. Placebo-controlled, Double-blind, Prospective, Randomized Study on the Effect of Octreotide LAR in the Control of Tumor Growth in Patients with Metastatic Neuroendocrine Midgut Tumors (PROMID): Results of Long-term Survival. Neuroendocrinology 2017; 104:26-32.

[4] Strosberg J, El-Haddad G, Wolin E, et al. Phase 3 Trial of 177Lu-Dotatate for Midgut Neuroendocrine Tumors. N Engl J Med 2017; 376:125-35.

[5] Aaronson NK, Ahmedzai S, Bergman B, et al. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30: a quality-of-life instrument for use in international clinical trials in oncology. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 1993; 85(5):365-76.

[6] LUTATHERA Prescribing Information

[7] LUTATHERA Summary of Product Characteristics

# # #

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com)

Eric Althoff

Novartis Global Media Relations

+41 61 324 7999 (direct)

+41 79 593 4202 (mobile)

eric.althoff@novartis.com (mailto:eric.althoff@novartis.com) Rachel Levine

Advanced Accelerator Applications

+1 212 235 2395 (direct)

+1 917 375 2935 (mobile)

rachel.levine@adacap.com (mailto:email.address@novartis.com)

Novartis Investor Relations

Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944

E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com (mailto:investor.relations@novartis.com)

Central North America Samir Shah +41 61 324 7944 Richard Pulik +1 212 830 2448 Pierre-Michel Bringer +41 61 324 1065 Cory Twining +1 212 830 2417 Thomas Hungerbuehler +41 61 324 8425 Isabella Zinck +41 61 324 7188





Media release (PDF) (http://hugin.info/134323/R/2221126/869323.pdf)


NCRM Edogawa Hospital to jointly award it as a part of NCRM NICHE in Tokyo, Japan

The Edogawa Niche Prize 2018, jointly established by Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) and Edogawa Hospital, Tokyo, Japan will be awarded to Prof. James Till, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto, Canada for his discovery of stem cells jointly with Prof. Ernest McCulloch in the 1960's (www.edogawanicheprize.org).

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181018006027/en/

Prof. James Till after the 2018 Edogawa NICHE Prize Ceremony with Prof. Levy, Prof. Humar Dr. Abraham (Photo: Business Wire)

The discovery of stem cells is considered as one of the most significant mile stones in Biological Sciences as it has helped save thousands of cancer patients through bone marrow transplantation and has heralded the birth of the Specialty of Regenerative Medicine which has given hope to patients with several diseases that don't have a definitive solution.

NCRM is an Indo-Japan JV institute working on Regenerative medicine, a rapidly evolving field with contribution from various domains of science. NCRM NICHE (www.ncrmniche.org) is an inaugural commemorative academic event conducted every October, since 2006, which brings together various stakeholders of this specialty through the Fujio Cup Quiz -An active knowledge gaining event, from all over the world (Held India until 2016). During the XII NCRM NICHE in Tokyo in 2017, Dr Masahiro Katoh (Chairman, Edogawa Hospitals) announced the Edogawa NICHE prize establishment to honour physicians or scientists, who develop a novel healthcare solution that enables prevention or diagnosis or treatment of any disease, through an inter-disciplinary interaction among different fields of science.

The Jinsei-sha (Parent organization of Edogawa Hospitals) NCRM joint committee, decided to honour Prof. James Till for his discovery of stem cells with the Edogawa NICHE prize in the first year of its establishment, which consists of a Medal, a Plaque and a cash reward of One Million Japanese yen.

The Edogawa Niche Prize 2018 was awarded to Prof. James Till in an Award ceremony in the University of Toronto, Canada by Prof. Gary Levy (Founding director, CIHR Transplant program) which will be videocasted during the NCRM NICHE 2018 held in Tokyo, Japan on the 21 October 2018.

Coming years, the Fujio Cup Quiz Elite scholars will have priority to nominate the Edogawa NICHE Prize recipients.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181018006027/en/

Contacts:

Queries to:

GN Corporation Co. Ltd.

Samuel Jk Abraham

info@gncorporation.com
AMSTERDAM, October 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

In an exciting joining of forces between science and business, the Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence (ICAI) and information analytics business Elsevier announce the opening of the Elsevier AI Lab. The lab, situated on ICAI's grounds in the Science Park in Amsterdam, will help further establish the Amsterdam region as a Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) center of excellence at a national and international level.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/754760/Elsevier_Logo.jpg )



As a true win-win situation, the collaboration allows Elsevier's data scientists to work closely with data scientists in academia, contribute to education and science, and pursue a PhD. Academics in turn gain a better understanding of how AI is used to innovate research platforms to solve real-world societal problems. In short, the Elsevier AI Lab closes the gap between the two worlds.

Through this multi-year partnership, ICAI, an open national collaboration launched by Amsterdam-based universities, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), and supported by the municipality of Amsterdam, gains a focused environment for AI researchers to help solve challenging, real-world problems in collaboration with an AI industry front runner. The ICAI in turn brings state-of-the-art AI technology and insights to Elsevier.

Maarten de Rijke, Director of ICAI and Professor of AI and Information Retrieval with the University of Amsterdam added: "It is precisely such a convergence of academia and industry input, both strongly represented within the Amsterdam ecosystem, that makes the Elsevier AI Lab so worthwhile from a scientific standpoint."

Frank van Harmelen, Professor of AI at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam said: "The existing collaboration between VU, UvA and Elsevier will be accelerated through this new Elsevier AI Lab. Together we will be innovating on a wide range of AI techniques, such as knowledge representation, machine learning and information retrieval."

Elsevier Scopus data confirms The Netherlands' strong position in AI research placing itself among the top 25 performing nations in terms of research output and impact in the field; only three of these 25 nations have a higher share of academic-corporate collaboration. At the same time, Dutch media have recently reported a 'brain drain' of academic AI expertise.

Alexander van Boetzelaer, Executive Vice President at Elsevier said: "VU and UvA together, via ICAI and the Amsterdam Data Science initiative, are very strong AI players in the region with international reputation. Teaming up with these formidable organizations demonstrates our commitment to strengthen The Netherlands as technology hotspot globally and adds to the impact academic-corporate collaborations can have. With our global headquarters here in Amsterdam we are confident that the AI Lab will allow us to learn how AI can be used to better serve the interests of all our customers, whilst simultaneously investing in talent development, creating new jobs and drawing AI experts to the region."

Elsevier's involvement in this initiative fits with the prominence it has gained in recent years as an industry leader in Artificial Intelligence. This is demonstrated best through its Artificial Intelligence Program, which undertakes to build a comprehensive global examination of artificial intelligence by combining semantic research with insights from AI experts, practitioners and policy makers. The program will publish a comprehensive report in late 2018 that will be freely available.

About ICAI

The Innovation Center for Artificial Intelligence (ICAI) is a national initiative focused on joint technology development between academia, industry and government in the area of artificial intelligence. The Netherlands has the talent, the world-class research and the longstanding tradition in AI education to be one of the world's top ranked countries in terms of innovation power. ICAI brings these positive forces together in a unique national initiative. ICAI's innovation strategy is organized around industry labs, these are multi-year strategic collaborations. So far three research labs have been founded: QUVA lab, Delta lab and AirLab, with more to come. At present, ICAI has five partners: the University of Amsterdam, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Ahold Delhaize, Bosch and Qualcomm. www.icai.ai

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global information analytics business that helps institutions and professionals advance healthcare, open science and improve performance for the benefit of humanity. Elsevier provides digital solutions and tools in the areas of strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support and professional education, including ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath. Elsevier publishes over 2,500 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell, 38,000 e-book titles and many iconic reference works, including Gray's Anatomy. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professionals and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com

Media contact

Sacha Boucherie, Global Communications

Elsevier

+31-6-306-671-29

s.boucherie@elsevier.com


19 October 2018

TECTONIC GOLD PLC

("Tectonic Gold" or the "Company")

Drilling update from Specimen Hill Project

Tectonic Gold plc (TDIM: TTAU), the Intrusive Related Gold System ("IRGS") exploration pioneer, is pleased to announce the that drilling has commenced on the final hole of an initial ten hole; 2,580m, diamond drilling campaign at the Specimen Hill Prospect in Queensland, Australia. Drilling is being executed under the drill for equity agreement with investor/partner Titeline Drilling Ltd.

Highlights:

Nine holes completed for 2,350m of core.

Successfully extended the epithermal zone with first six holes intersecting sulphide mineralisation as predicted.

Continuity of sulphide mineralisation confirmed an additional 100m below historic Main Lodes at Specimen Hill (assays pending).

Sulphide mineralisation intersected 1,000m south and 400m north of Main Lodes respectively in the Specimen Hill Fault that was mapped under cover using advanced geophysical surveys (assays pending).

Porphyry style mineralisation intersected below the epithermal zone as predicted (assays pending).

Drilling will be completed with full demobilisation within the week.

The drilling program has confirmed the accuracy of the technology deployed in following known mineralisation under cover, significantly extending the epithermal mineralisation evident at surface and in the historic workings. It has also validated the deeper porphyry targets within the system identified by the high resolution Canadian 3D IP technology Tectonic Gold introduced to Australia.

About the Specimen Hill Prospect:

Specimen Hill has produced over 8,000ozs of gold from historic small-scale surface mining with grades reported up to 40g/t Au.

Tectonic Gold reinterpreted historic data and identified the possibility of a much larger system under cover. Through the use of advanced analytics and pioneering a number of new technologies, Tectonic Gold mapped the structure hosting the known gold bearing mineralisation and demonstrated a significant epithermal gold prospect from surface to +500m with multiple potential porphyry feeder zones at depth.

Historic drilling of 63 shallow holes (to 125m) delivered grades up to 15g/t within a ~300m strike. The current drilling campaign visually confirms the strike extension mapped by our recent geophysical surveying to over 1,500m.

A buried intrusive interpreted to be a mineralising source for the epithermal deposit has been intersected in deeper drilling, confirming the targeting by DIAS 3D IP surveying completed in April 2018 (assays pending).

Visible sulphides over large intersections (+10m), associated with typical Intrusive Related Gold System alteration have been intersected in the current drilling campaign.

Drilling Campaign Plan:

The initial drill program consisting some 2,580m of HQ3 diamond coring is being completed with a UDR 650 diamond drilling rig by our investor/partner Titeline Drilling Pty Ltd.

Specimen Hill Phase 1 Diamond Drilling Program Hole Name Completed (Yes / No)

Planned Depth

Actual Depth SHDD07 Yes 150 149.5 SHDD08 Yes 220 233.9 SHDD09 Yes 110 116.8 SHDD10 Yes 290 323.7 SHDD11 Yes 200 200.6 SHDD12 Yes 250 269.5 SHDD13 Yes 150 149.7 SHDD14 Yes 480 485.2 SHDD15 Yes 480 427 SHDD16 Underway 220 -

About Tectonic Gold:

Tectonic Gold is a specialist gold exploration company, focused on the identification and delineation of large-scale, multimillion-ounce Intrusion Related Gold System ("IRGS") assets. Tectonic Gold holds a number of gold discoveries in the Lachlan Fold Belt in Eastern Australia, a prolific gold region that is home to Australia's two largest gold production companies, Newcrest Mining and Evolution Mining.

Mr. Brett Boynton, Managing Director - Tectonic Gold Plc

"This is very encouraging for the technical program and validation of a number of new technologies Tectonic Gold has pioneered and collaborated on. We now have visual confirmation for the first time of the scale of the system we predicted at Specimen Hill. The team will be finished drilling early next week and the site rehabilitated and completely demobilised by the weekend. Most of the core is already at our permanent core storage where, it is being batch processed for assaying over the next few weeks. We are eagerly awaiting these results."

We have shared a selection of core photos on the website at www.tectonicgold.com and on Twitter @tectonic_gold.

Qualified Persons:

Mr Jonathan Robbeson - BSc (Hons1), MEconGeol, MMinEng, (CP Geo) is a full time employee Signature Gold Limited and is a registered Chartered Professional (Geology) with the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM - 304542). Mr Robbeson has sufficient experience that is relevant to the style of mineralisation and type of deposit under consideration and the activity being undertaken to qualify as a Competent Person as defined in the Note for Mining Oil & Gas Companies, June 2009, of the London Stock Exchange and the 2012 Edition of the 'Australian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves' (JORC Code). Mr Robbeson consents to the inclusion in the release of the matters based on his information in the form and context in which it appears.

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

For further information, please contact:

Tectonic Gold plc

Brett Boynton

Sam Quinn

www.tectonicgold.com .

@tectonic_gold +61 2 9241 7665 NEX Exchange Corporate Adviser and Broker

Peterhouse Capital Limited

Mark Anwyl

+44 20 7469 0930

Financial Adviser and Broker

VSA Capital Limited

Andrew Raca +44 20 3005 5004

Ends
Other investors include Accion Venture Lab and Planet

KARACHI, Pakistan, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tez Financial Services , the first fully digital Non-Bank Microfinance Company (NBMFC) in Pakistan, today announced that it has raised USD$1.1 million in a seed round led by Omidyar Network , the impact investment firm established by Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay. Other investors on this round include Accion Venture Lab , the seed-stage investment initiative of global nonprofit Accion, and Planet N . Funds will help the company build its credit portfolio, enhance its mobile technology platform, and secure the company's NBMFC license.

You can learn more about the challenge, opportunity, and impact in this video .

"Our aim is to become the primary financial service provider for the unbanked and underbanked in Pakistan," said Nadeem Hussain , co-founder and CEO of Tez, who has more than 30 years of experience in the global financial services industry. "Tez delivers a seamless experience for our customers, providing loans in under 15 minutes as opposed to the usual month timeline from local commercial banks. Soon, we will be able to process life and health insurance claims in a similar timeframe."

In Pakistan, more than 50 percent of the population is unbanked, with only 23 percent of the population served by formal channels, and another 24 percent by informal channels, according to the World Bank. Despite the fact that the country has 43 banks, low penetration of formal financial services including credit (14%), savings (12%), and insurance (2%) is persistent.

Most unbanked and underbanked consumers use a variety of informal financial tools to manage their finances, but those can be unreliable, expensive, and inefficient. With more than one-third of the population living below the poverty line, minor fluctuations in income can raise significant short-term financing needs. That can mean the difference between paying a bill at the end of the month, such as tuition, or buying groceries.

Mobile phones are changing all of that. The GSMA estimates that in two years, more than 80 percent of Pakistan will have 3G/4G coverage. The country already boasts 28 million mobile accounts-an indicator of consumers' readiness to adopt digital financial services, especially in remote areas not served by traditional banking.

"New technologies, higher smartphone penetration, and falling data costs are fueling a great momentum for financial inclusion in frontier markets such as Pakistan. Tez is leveraging this to push the boundaries of banking in the country with an all-digital offering," said Kabir Kumar , head of Policy and Ecosystem Building at Omidyar Network. "Tez's diverse team is also well-positioned to bring about the products and services that really speak to the next generation of consumers in that country."

"Tez marks our first investment in Pakistan, a country with a significant need for innovative products that can bring its population into the formal financial system," said Michael Schlein, President and CEO of Accion. "By supporting Tez's all-digital model, we can help make an important difference for millions of underserved Pakistani families and businesses."

Tez uses some of the latest technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to analyze consumers' digital footprint trends, social behavior, and consumption patterns in order to customize its offerings to meet each individual's needs through an all-encompassing, easy to use app, as follows:

Cater to their short-term liquidity needs through Tez Advance

Enable them to park their funds in short-term savings avenues through community-led savings (Digital ROSCAs) through Tez Committee

Provide them security and protection via health and term-life insurance Tez Bima

Economically empower them to grow their wealth by investing in tailored investment plans through Tez Sarmaya

Tez has integrated with EasyPaisa , UBL Omni , and SimSim as its branchless banking partners, resulting in the largest combined agent network for its customers. Tez has also partnered with two of the largest insurance companies in Pakistan- EFU Life and Jubilee General -to provide life and health coverage. VentureDive is the technology partner, fostering technological innovation at a global scale, with offices in Pakistan, UAE, and Germany. Tez will soon launch additional products that will help further advance financial inclusion in Pakistan.

How it works

Visit Google Play to download the app Create your Tez Account Get your profile verified Link your mobile wallet with Tez Choose the amount to borrow and the tenure to apply for Tez Advance The amount will then be deposited in the mobile wallet

Tez is available for download on Google Play and for actively disbursing credit to the masses.

Media Contacts:

Tez Financial Services

Jamaluddin, jamaluddin@tezfinancialservices.pk, +92 21 3587 9281-2

Omidyar Network

Claudia Parazzoli, cparazzoli@omidyar.com, +1 650-482-2504

Gena Madow, FleishmanHillard, gena.madow@fleishman.com, +1 415-318-4230

Accion

Katie Mounts, kmounts@accion.org, +1 202-280-5859

About Tez Financial Services

Tez Financial Services (Tez) is Pakistan's first fully digital Non-Bank Microfinance Company. Tez aggregates credit, savings, insurance, and investments into a single platform-a smartphone app-and provides access to these financial services from the comfort of your palm. You can learn more about Tez here: www.tez.com.pk .

About Omidyar Network

Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create an opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. Omidyar Network has committed more than $1.3 billion to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple initiatives, including Financial Inclusion, Digital Identity, Education, Emerging Tech, Governance & Citizen Engagement, and Property Rights. You can learn more here: www.omidyar.com .

About Accion Venture Lab

Accion Venture Lab is a seed-stage investment initiative focused on fintech for the underserved. Venture Lab invests capital in and provides support to innovative fintech startups that improve access, quality, and affordability of financial services for the underserved at scale. Since launching in 2012, Venture Lab has invested in more than 35 early-stage startups that operate in over 25 countries worldwide. Venture Lab is a part of Accion, a global nonprofit committed to creating a financially inclusive world, with a pioneering legacy in microfinance and fintech impact investing. Accion catalyzes financial service providers to deliver high-quality, affordable solutions at scale for the three billion people who are left out of - or poorly served by - the financial sector. For more than 50 years, Accion has helped tens of millions of people through its work with more than 90 partners in 40 countries. For further information, visit https://www.accion.org/venturelab.
NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK COMMODITIES INCOME INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

54930040ALEAVPMMDC31

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Commodities Income Investment Trust plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

80.31p Capital only

81.26p Including current year income XD

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3. Following the Buyback of 14,588 ordinary shares on 09 October 2018, the Company now has 116,164,412 Ordinary Shares in issue (excluding 2,801,588 Ordinary Shares which are held in Treasury).

4. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK GREATER EUROPE INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

5493003R8FJ6I76ZUW55

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

341.85p Capital only (undiluted)

341.85p Capital only (Diluted for treasury shares)

346.30p Including current year income (undiluted)

346.30p Including current year income (Diluted for treasury shares)

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3.Following the Tender Offer of 2,317,172 ordinary shares on 01 June 2018, the Company now has 86,459,691 Ordinary Shares in issue (excluding 23,869,247 Ordinary Shares which are held in Treasury).

4. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK WORLD MINING TRUST PLC

LNFFPBEUZJBOSR6PW155

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock World Mining Trust plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

398.88p Capital only (undiluted)

409.15p Including current year income (undiluted)

Notes:

1. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

2. Following the buyback of 10,000 ordinary shares on 18 October 2018, the Company has 176,355,242 ordinary shares in issue, excluding 16,656,600 which are held in treasury.

3. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

4. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK THROGMORTON TRUST PLC

5493003B7ETS1JEDPF59

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Throgmorton Trust plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

540.97p Capital only

548.73p Including current year income

540.97p Capital only (adjusted for treasury shares)

548.73p Including current year income (adjusted for treasury shares)

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. The Company's issued share capital comprises 73,130,326 Ordinary Shares and 7,400,000 Treasury Shares.

3. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK EMERGING EUROPE PLC

549300OGTQA24Y3KMI14

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Emerging Europe plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

416.65c per share (US cents) - Capital only

318.69p per share (pence sterling) - Capital only

428.46c per share (US cents) - Including current year income

327.73p per share (pence sterling) - Including current year income

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value.

3. Following the cancellation of 400,000 treasury shares on 17 February 2017, the Company's share capital consists of 35,916,028 Ordinary shares (excluding 5,000,000 ordinary shares held in treasury) carrying one vote each.



4. As announced on 17 August 2018, the Company intends to put forward proposals which will result in the liquidation of the Company's assets. Effective 17 August 2018 the daily valuation includes an accrual in respect of expected costs associated with the liquidation. This accrual accounts for costs directly attributable to the liquidation. It is expected disposal costs will also be encountered while selling down the portfolio however such costs cannot be reliably estimated until the sale is executed. Consequently disposal costs have not been accrued in the valuation at this point.

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK NORTH AMERICAN INCOME TRUST PLC

549300WWOCXSC241W468

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock North American Income Trust plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

174.07p Capital only

175.33p Including current year income

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3. Following the buyback of 75,000 ordinary shares on 14 June 2017, the Company has 68,874,044 ordinary shares in issue, excluding 31,487,261 which are held in treasury.

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK LATIN AMERICAN INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

UK9OG5Q0CYUDFGRX4151

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Latin American Investment Trust plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

669.81c per share (US cents) - Capital only

669.81c per share (US cents) - Including current year income XD

512.34p per share (pence sterling) Capital only

512.34p per share (pence sterling) - Including current year income XD

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3. Following the Buyback of 20,000 ordinary shares on 24 May 2018, the Company now has 39,259,620 Ordinary Shares in issue (excluding 2,181,662 Ordinary Shares which are held in Treasury).

4. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK INCOME AND GROWTH INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

5493003YBY59H9EJLJ16

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Income and Growth Investment Trust plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

188.28p Capital only (undiluted)

192.85p Including current year income (undiluted)

Notes:

1. Following the buyback of 41,500 ordinary shares on 08 October 2018, the Company has 24,059,668 ordinary shares in issue excluding 8,874,264 shares in treasury.

2. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis, with the exception of the holding in Patisserie Valerie which has been valued at a directors' valuation following its suspension from trading on AIM on 10 Oct. The portfolio's holding in Patisserie Valerie at 18 October 2018 represents 0.16% of the Company's total portfolio following this revaluation

3. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK SMALLER COMPANIES TRUST PLC

549300MS535KC2WH4082

The unaudited net asset values for BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

1449.65p Capital only and including debt at par value

1443.42p Capital only and including debt at fair value

1475.32p Including current year income and debt at par value

1469.09p Including current year income and debt at fair value

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. The total number of ordinary shares in issue excluding treasury shares is 47,879,792. The total amount of ordinary shares

held in treasury is 2,113,731.

3. For the latest daily net asset value, previous month end performance statistics, asset allocation and ten largest holdings of the BlackRock managed Investment Trusts; see BLRKINDEX on Reuters or page 8800 on ICB (Topic 3).

NET ASSET VALUE

BLACKROCK FRONTIERS INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

5493003K5E043LHLO706

The unaudited net asset values for the ordinary shares of BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust plc at close of business on 18 October 2018 were:

164.45c Capital only USD (cents)

125.78p Capital only Sterling (pence)

171.28c Including current year income USD (cents)

131.01p Including current year income Sterling (pence)

Notes:

1. Investments have been valued on a bid price basis.

2. Revenue items included in net asset value, with dividends payable deducted on the ex-dividend date.

3. Following the share issuance of 250,000 ordinary shares on 16th October 2018, the Company has 203,491,108 ordinary shares in issue.
- KT's Smart Energy Meters to Be Installed in 360,000 Uzbek Households -

- Energy Cooperation in Uzbekistan to Springboard KT for Eurasian Markets -

SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- KT Corporation (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT), South Korea's largest telecommunications company, has won a key energy contract for a second time in Uzbekistan, further affirming the company's vision of becoming a global leader in information and communication technology (ICT).

The 30 billion won contract will see smart energy meters installed in 360,000 households throughout Uzbekistan over the next two years. KT formerly signed a deal worth 120 billion won (US$106 million) with Uzbekenergo, a state-run power company in the central Asian country, in 2015.

Based on KT's successful cooperation in Uzbekistan's energy sector, the Korean telecom leader plans to expand its business there beyond telecommunication services to convergence projects, including smart cities, fintech and digital healthcare, in collaboration with domestic small and midsize enterprises.

"This project shows KT's success in building trust in Uzbekistan with our technological excellence," said Yoon Kyoung-Lim, head of KT's Global Business Office. "With the experience and know-how gained in Uzbekistan, we will accelerate our efforts to introduce our smart meter system throughout Eurasian markets."

KT installed its smart energy meters in 1 million Uzbek households throughout the three provinces of Samarkand, Jizzakh and Bukhara as a result of the first contract.

Smart energy meters are electronic devices that record electricity consumption and have a two-way, real-time communication feature between the power company and its customers. Households that have smart energy meters are able to monitor their real-time power usage and view online billing, increasing efficiency and effective energy consumption.

"KT has successfully carried out its smart meter project since 2016, achieving satisfactory outcomes in effective energy management in Uzbekistan," said Ulugbek Mustafoev, chairman of Uzbekenergo. "We have asked KT to continue to cooperate in building an integrated smart meter system for the entire country."

Kwon Yong-Woo, South Korean ambassador to Uzbekistan, said that he hoped KT's business in Uzbekistan would expand to a diverse number of fields in ICT, building on the company's sustained success installing smart energy meters.

MEDIA CONTACTS

For inquiries, please contact our Foreign Media Relations Team at kt.fmrt@gmail.com

ABOUT KT CORPORATION (KRX: 030200; NYSE: KT)

KT Corporation, Korea's largest telecommunications service provider reestablished in 1981 under the Telecommunications Business Act, is leading the era of innovations in the world's most connected country. The company leads the 4th industrial revolution with high speed wire/wireless network and innovative ICT technology. After installing 20 million fixed lines in just 12 years, KT was the first telecom provider to introduce 5G broad-scale trial service in 2018. It is another step in KT's continuous efforts to deliver essential products and services as it seeks to be the No.1 ICT Company and People's Company.

For more information, please visit our English website at https://corp.kt.com/eng/

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/771927/KT_Uzbek_Photo.jpg
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Press Release

Source: Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN) (NYSE: SNY)





Sanofi receives positive CHMP opinion for dengue vaccine

Paris, France - October 19, 2018 - The European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has adopted a positive opinion for the marketing authorization of Sanofi's dengue vaccine, recommending its approval in Europe.

Dengue fever is a debilitating disease typically leading to prolonged fever and severe joint pain. Dengue infection can progress unpredictably to a life-threatening form of the disease called dengue haemorrhagic fever that often requires hospitalized care. Today, there is no specific treatment available for dengue disease.



"This is good news for people living in dengue-endemic parts of the European territories where frequent outbreaks could put them at risk of re-infection with another dengue virus serotype, which is often more severe than the first infection," said Su-Peing Ng, Global Medical Head at Sanofi Pasteur. "Sanofi is committed to ensuring access to dengue vaccination as part of integrated prevention efforts to reduce the burden of this disease in endemic populations around the world."

The indication for the dengue vaccine recommended by the CHMP is for use in prevention of dengue disease caused by dengue virus serotypes 1, 2, 3 and 4 in individuals 9 to 45 years of age with prior dengue virus infection and living in endemic areas. European Commission approval of the vaccine is expected in December 2018.

According to the WHO, the global incidence of dengue has grown rapidly in recent decades and it now puts at risk half of the world's population living in 128 countries.[i] Dengue is endemic in several European territories located in tropical and sub-tropical climates.[ii],[iii],[iv]

A person can get dengue more than once as there are four distinct virus serotypes circulating worldwide. Dengue infection is unique in that a secondary infection tends to be worse than the first infection. Therefore, preventing dengue in individuals with a prior dengue infection has the potential to reduce the high human and economic costs of severe dengue.

The dengue vaccine has been evaluated in studies involving more than 40,000 people from 15 countries with up to six years of follow-up data from large-scale clinical safety and efficacy investigations.

The vaccine, known as Dengvaxia, is currently licensed in 20 countries for the prevention of dengue.









About Sanofi







Sanofi is dedicated to supporting people through their health challenges. We are a global biopharmaceutical company focused on human health. We help prevent illness with vaccines, provide innovative treatments to fight pain, and ease suffering. We stand by the few who suffer from rare diseases and the millions with long-term chronic conditions.







With more than 100,000 people in 100 countries, Sanofi is transforming scientific innovation into healthcare solutions around the globe.







Sanofi, Empowering Life







Media Relations Contact

Jack Cox

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 77 46 46

mr@sanofi.com





Investor Relations Contact

George Grofik

Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 77 45 45

ir@sanofi.com (mailto:ir@sanofi.com)



Sanofi Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements include projections and estimates regarding the clinical development of and potential marketing approvals for the product. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "will be" and similar expressions. Although Sanofi's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Sanofi, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development of the product, future clinical data and analysis, including post marketing, decisions by regulatory authorities, such as the FDA or the EMA, regarding whether and when to approve the product as well as their decisions regarding labeling and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the product, the absence of guarantee that the product if approved will be commercially successful, risks associated with intellectual property, future litigation, the future approval and commercial success of therapeutic alternatives, and volatile economic conditions, as well as those risks discussed or identified in the public filings with the SEC and the AMF made by Sanofi, including those listed under "Risk Factors" and "Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in Sanofi's annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017. Other than as required by applicable law, Sanofi does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements.



[i] Brady OJ, Gething PW, Bhatt S, Messina JP, Brownstein JS, Hoen AG et al. Refining the global spatial limits of dengue virus transmission by evidence-based consensus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2012;6:e1760. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0001760. [ii] San Martin JL et al. The Epidemiology of Dengue in the Americas Over the Last Three Decades: A Worrisome Reality. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2010; 82(1):128-35. [iii] Larrieu S et al. Dengue outbreaks: a constant risk for Reunion Island. Results from a seroprevalence study among blood donors. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2014; 108(1):57-9 [iv] L'Azou M et al. Dengue seroprevalence in the French West Indies: a prospective study in adult blood donors. Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2015; 92(6):1137-40

Press release (PDF) (http://hugin.info/152918/R/2221284/869418.pdf)



This announcement is distributed by West Corporation on behalf of West Corporation clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Sanofi via Globenewswire


Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 19, 2018) - Cordoba Minerals Corp. (TSXV: CDB) (OTCQX: CDBMF) ("Cordoba" or the "Company") announced today that the non-brokered private placement (the "Placement") as announced on October 10, 2018 has closed.

Under the terms of the Placement, Cordoba has issued 26,605,128 units ("Units") to its majority shareholder, High Power Exploration Inc. ("HPX"), for gross proceeds to the Company totalling US$2.0 million. Each Unit consists of one common share ("Share") and one common share purchase warrant ("Warrant") of the Company. Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Share at an exercise price of $0.13 per Share for a period of 24 months.

Cordoba will use the proceeds to advance regional exploration at Cordoba's 100%-owned San Matias Copper-Gold Project in Colombia, to fund ongoing drilling activities at the Perseverance copper porphyry project in Arizona, USA, and for general working capital purposes.

The Shares and Warrants issued in connection with the Placement are subject to a statutory four month hold period. The Placement remains subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

About Cordoba Minerals

Cordoba Minerals Corp. is a Toronto-based mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of copper and gold projects. Cordoba is currently focused on its 100%-owned San Matias Copper-Gold Project, which includes the advanced-stage Alacran Deposit, located in the Department of Cordoba, Colombia. Cordoba has also entered into a joint venture and earn-in agreement to explore the Perseverance coppery porphyry project located in Arizona, USA. For further information, please visit www.cordobaminerals.com.

About High Power Exploration

HPX is a private, metals-focused exploration and development company, investing in mineral projects that have high potential for value uplift with HPX's technology, industry expertise, and capital.

ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY

Mario Stifano, President and CEO

Cordoba Minerals Corp.

For further information, please contact:

Evan Young, Director, Investor Relations

Email: eyoung@cordobamineralscorp.com

Phone: +1 (647) 808-2141

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. All statements included in this news release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements including, without limitation: (i) all statements with respect to the use of proceeds of the Placement; and (ii) final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "potential", "target", "'budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management based on the business and markets in which the Company operates, are inherently subject to significant operational, economic, and competitive uncertainties, risks and contingencies. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results, and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include actual exploration results, interpretation of metallurgical characteristics of the mineralization, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, delays or inability to receive required approvals, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators, including those described under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's most recently filed MD&A. The Company does not undertake to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except in accordance with applicable law.
Burlington, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 19, 2018) - On October 17, 2018, GTA Resources and Mining Inc. (TSXV: GTA) ("GTA") announced it had entered into an agreement for a loan of $425,000 (four hundred twenty-five thousand dollars) (the "Loan") from an arm's length party (the "Lender"). GTA also announced that it and the Lender were in discussions whereby GTA would divest itself of all its mining assets and then acquire assets in another industry in which the Lender may already have an interest (the "Change of Business").

Further to that disclosure GTA today announces that it has signed a letter of intent (the "Sale Agreement") to sell all its mining assets (the "Assets") to CBLT Inc. at a price of $1,050,000, to be paid in 35,000,000 treasury shares of CBLT. GTA's board has approved the Loan and the Sale Agreement. Further board approval will be needed upon the delivery of final documentation.

There is no standstill agreement or break fee in the Sale Agreement. GTA may continue to entertain expressions of interest or proposals from any person relating to the sale of all or part of the Assets, and if such sale or sales is consummated by GTA prior to closing on the Sale Agreement, then GTA and CBLT shall in good faith renegotiate downwards the number of CBLT shares to be issued from its treasury for the purchase of the remaining part of the Assets then owned by GTA.

Assuming GTA closes on the Sale Agreement and owns CBLT shares, it is GTA's current intention that it will at that time declare and pay a dividend in specie of all such CBLT shares to the GTA shareholders (the "Stock Dividend"). Every GTA shareholder will receive a pro rata portion of the shares to be issued by CBLT under the Sale Agreement.

CBLT is a Canadian reporting issuer in good standing (symbol "CBLT" on TSX Venture Exchange). GTA and CBLT are non-arm's length as they have a Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer in common, both of whom are also directors of both GTA and CBLT. Each of CBLT and GTA has taken steps to manage all conflicts of interest.

GTA shareholder approval will be needed for the Sale Agreement and the Change of Business which may involve any or all of a delisting from the TSX Venture Exchange, a new listing on another Canadian securities exchange, a financing or financings, a name change, a change of jurisdiction, a share consolidation in an as-yet unknown ratio, a reverse takeover or similar business combination, and a new board of directors. Regulatory approval would also be required for these events. CBLT shareholder approval will also be required for the Sale Agreement.

Unless otherwise directed by the shareholders, GTA will not close on the Sale Agreement while listed on the TSX Venture Exchange unless it has already entered into an agreement to acquire other assets or businesses in another industry or has secured further financing in the interim.

The effect of the events involved in the Change of Business and the Stock Dividend is to clean GTA's balance sheet and prepare GTA for the Change of Business.

"The lackluster commodity markets, the depressed public market for junior explorers, the muted market reaction to GTA's encouraging exploration results at Big Duck Lake, GTA's remaining 2018 flowthrough obligations and the severe challenge of raising further capital all contributed to this decision. It was not made lightly," said Peter M. Clausi, GTA's CEO. "We believe GTA's shareholders will be better served in a growth industry other than junior exploration, while still having exposure to the assets through the to-be dividended shares of CBLT."

ABOUT GTA RESOURCES - GTA is a publicly traded mineral exploration company with roughly 51,000,000 shares outstanding.

On behalf of the board of directors,

GTA Resources and Mining Inc.

"Peter M. Clausi"

President and CEO

+1 289-288-3255

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including statements regarding the anticipated content, commencement, duration and cost of exploration programs, anticipated exploration program results, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves, the timing of the receipt of assay results, and business and financing plans and trends, are forward-looking statements.Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions or are those which, by their nature, refer to future events. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include those related to weather, equipment and staff availability; performance of third parties; risks related to the exploration stage of the Company's projects; market fluctuations in prices for securities of exploration stage companies and in commodity prices; and uncertainties about the availability of additional financing; risks related to the Company's ability to identify one or more economic deposits on the properties, and variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located on the properties; risks related to the Company's ability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities on the properties; and risks related to the Company's ability to produce minerals from the properties successfully or profitably. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. All of the Company's public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and readers are urged to review these materials, including the latest technical reports filed with respect to the Company's mineral properties.

This press release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.
MAIDENHEAD, England, October 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Seqirus, a global leader in influenza prevention, today announced that its cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVc) has received a positive opinion from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for use in people aged 9 years and above. Subject to final approval by the European Commission, Seqirus plans to launch the vaccine as FLUCELVAX TETRA[1] in Europe for the 2019/20 influenza season.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/771972/Seqirus_Logo.jpg )



QIVc was first licensed in the US in 2016 and offers protection against four influenza virus strains -A(H3N2), A(H1N1) and two B virus strains.[2] The vaccine is produced using innovative cell-based technology, which means it avoids egg-adapted changes associated with traditional manufacturing methods.[3] QIVc may therefore offer a closer match to circulating viruses than traditional egg-based influenza vaccines, with the potential to provide better protection in some seasons.[4]

"We are delighted to receive this positive opinion, which takes us one step closer to bringing this truly innovative technology to Europe," said Gordon Naylor, President of Seqirus. "We stand ready to work with health authorities and immunization providers to make the new vaccine available as quickly as possible, helping to reduce the significant number of influenza-related deaths and hospitalizations in the region."

In June this year, the US FDA presented data showing cell-based influenza vaccines to be associated with better hospital outcomes than standard influenza vaccine options during the 2017/18 season.[5] Seqirus has worked with scientific partners to generate additional real-world data from this same period and will be releasing these data in the coming weeks. Increased availability of cell-based vaccines in future seasons in the US and Europe will provide further opportunities to study their effectiveness.

Seqirus produces QIVc at its state-of-the-art facility in North Carolina, US, which was built in partnership with the US Government to help combat influenza threats.[6] The company has been able to rapidly scale-up production making it the largest cell-based vaccine producer in the world. It is supplying more than 20 million doses of QIVc in the US this season and has the capacity to meet increased demand as well as expand access to the vaccine to Europe. QIVc will complement Seqirus' portfolio in Europe, which includes an adjuvanted influenza vaccine for adults aged 65 years and above.

The European Commission is due to consider the CHMP recommendation to grant marketing authorization for QIVc by the end of this year.

About Seasonal Influenza

Seasonal influenza is a common, highly contagious infectious disease that can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications in many people. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) estimates that 15,000 - 70,000 people in Europe die from influenza-related complications each year, and encourages annual vaccination as the most effective way to prevent influenza.

About Seqirus

Seqirus is part of CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The CSL Group of companies employs more than 20,000 people with operations in more than 60 countries.

Seqirus was established on 31 July 2015 following CSL's acquisition of the Novartis influenza vaccines business. As one of the largest influenza vaccine providers in the world, Seqirus is a major contributor to the prevention of influenza and a transcontinental partner in pandemic preparedness.

Seqirus operates state-of-the-art production facilities in the U.S., the UK and Australia, and manufactures influenza vaccines using both egg-based and cell-based technologies. It has leading R&D capabilities, a broad portfolio of differentiated products and a commercial presence in more than 20 countries.

For more information visit http://www.seqirus.com and http://www.csl.com.

References

Data on File. Summit, NJ : Seqirus USA Inc; 2018. FLUCELVAX QUADRIVALENT (Influenza Vaccine) [package insert]. Summit, NJ : Seqirus USA Inc; 2018. Rajaram S., Van Boxmeer J ., Leav B., et al. (2018). Retrospective evaluation of mismatch from egg-based isolation of influenza strains compared to cell-based isolation and the possible implications for vaccine effectiveness. Presented at IDWeek 2018, October 2018 . Centres for Disease Control (CDC). Cell-Based Flu Vaccines. November 2016 . https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/cell-based.htm Accessed October 2018 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Presentation Slides: June 2018 Meeting. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/slides-2018-06.html Accessed October 2018. This project has been funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, under contract numbers HHSO100200600012C, HHSO100200700030C, HHSO100200900101C and HHSO100201200003I

Media Contacts

Polina Miklush(US)

+1-(908)-608-7170

Polina.Miklush@Seqirus.com

Becky Roberts (UK)

+44-(0)-7960-718-712

becky.roberts@bairdscmc.com
Thunder Bay, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 19, 2018) - White Metal Resources Corp. (TSXV: WHM) ("White Metal" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company will begin drilling its 100% owed Shebandowan Gold Property (the "Property"), located in northwestern Ontario, Canada. The diamond drilling program is planned to consist of 3 holes totalling approximately 500 metres, and will follow-up on an area where former owner, Benton Resources Inc., intersected a gold zone assaying 19.5 g/t Au over 0.80 metres at a depth of 262 metres (drill hole SH-11-003). The current drilling program will be focused on drilling up-dip of hole SH-11-003 in order to test for the near-surface expression of the gold zone. The other two diamond drill holes are planned to be approximately 50 metre step-outs from the first drill hole in order to test the strike extent of the same gold zone.

The Shebandowan Gold Property is located in the Burchell Lake, Greenwater Lake and Kashabowie Lake areas in the Thunder Bay Mining District, approximately 100 kilometres west of the port City of Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Property also hosts the historic Vanguard polymetallic metal deposit from which Noranda Inc. reported a historic non-compliant National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource, stating the Vanguard West zone hosts 200,000 tonnes of 1.3% Cu, 1-2% Zn, 8.26 g/t Ag, and 4-6 g/t Au, and the Vanguard East zone hosts 100,000 tonnes of 1.8% Cu, 3-6% Zn, 6.8 g/t Ag, and 4-6 g/t Au. These non-compliant mineral resources are historical in nature and are not considered current resources with respect to the definitions defined by National Instrument 43-101 and CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves.

To the southwest, adjacent to the historic Vanguard deposit, are the former producing North Coldstream Copper-Silver-Gold Mine (1960's historic production of 102 million lbs of copper, 440,000 ounces of silver, and 22,000 ounces of gold produced from 2.7 million tons of ore; OGS Mineral Deposit Inventory, 2000), and the Osmani Gold Deposit (formerly the East Coldstream Deposit) containing National Instrument 43-101 Indicated Mineral Resources of 3.5 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.85 g/t Au, and Inferred Mineral Resources of 30.5 million tonnes at an average grade of 0.78 g/t Au (Foundation Resources Inc. NI 43-101 Technical Report, 2011).

The Shebandowan Gold Property is also located west of the former producing Shebandowan Nickel-Copper mine. This mine was in production from 1972 to 1998 and produced 8.34 million tons at 2.0% Ni, 1.2% Cu, and 3.96 g/t Pt+Pd+Au (MNDM MDI52B09SE00003, June 12, 2007).

Jean-Pierre Colin, President & CEO of White Metals commented, "The area of exploration which White Metal plans to drill on the Shebandowan Gold Property has previously revealed compelling assay results which definitely merit a close and definitive follow up. A previous 2017 Ontario-based flow through share funding commitment by White Metal has been allocated for this noteworthy programme. As a result, White Metal continues to retain all the proceeds of its 2018 financing announced in September 2018 available for subsequent expenditures on its other projects."

Technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Scott Jobin-Bevans (P.Geo.), Vice President Exploration and a Director of White Metal, who is a Qualified Person under the definitions established by the National Instrument 43-101.

For more information in regards to the Shebandowan Gold Property you can visit the company's Web Page at www.whitemetalres.com.

About White Metal Resources Corp (TSXV: WHM):

White Metal Resources Corp. is a junior mineral exploration company exploring for gold in Canada.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of White Metal Resources Corp.

"Jean-Pierre Colin"

Jean-Pierre Colin, President, CEO and Director

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements."

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projection

For further information contact:

Jean-Pierre Colin

President, CEO & Director

White Metal Resources Corp.

(416) 573-4300

Jpcolin.whitemetal@gmail.com

or

Michael Stares

Director

White Metal Resources Corp.

684 Squier Street

Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, P7B 4A8

Phone: (807) 628-7836

Fax (807) 475 7200
Seara launches the new line of halal antibiotic-free chicken in the Middle East Region in November of this year

SAO PAULO, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Seara Alimentos, a major Brazilian food company present in more than 150 countries, will participate in SIAL Innovation Selection Paris 2018 with its product line Seara 100% Natural, which was selected by professionals in the food industry, including chefs, journalists, food sector specialists, and professionals from the packaging industry, as one of the most relevant global product innovations. The product line introduces Halal certified poultry parts of chickens raised without antibiotics, international animal welfare certification, and raised in independent farms on a special 100% vegetable-based feed. To achieve its position among 400 most innovative products in the world displayed during Sial 2018, the line Seara 100% Natural was selected among more than 2,300 products, divided into 13 food categories. The 100% Natural will be part of the Sial Innovation display.

"Following the company commitment to Innovation and Quality, Seara's products have international certification, which strengthens our dedication to production processes, and contributes to Brazil recognition for excellence in poultry exports. Our goal is to provide the best service to our customers so that our products reach more consumer homes worldwide," said Joanita Karoleski, President of Seara Alimentos.

The line 100% Natural was developed exclusively for the Middle East, and will start being sold in November in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. Seara will be the first Brazilian food company to offer this kind of product, which meets the Halal requirements and Islamic rules. It also ensures the well-being of the animals, and assures that during any stage during the animal's life, the chickens do not receive any type of antibiotic. In Brazil, products of the line Seara 100% Natural line were launched in 2015 under the brand Seara DaGranja.

Guillermo Henderson, Managing Director of Seara in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), explains: "Seara has been growing in the Middle East in recent years through alliances with important partners in multiple distribution channels. The company's goal is to strengthen these relationships through products and innovations that meet local needs and preferences, aligned with global trends. Therefore, Seara's launchings for SIAL 2018 were developed exclusively for the Middle East with products that attest the Company's commitment to the Q of Quality, from the farm to the table of consumers."

"This will be the first market outside of Brazil to receive this innovation. Before starting to export to the Middle East, Seara tested products and concepts with local consumers, and the results were very promising" said Marcos Delorenzo, Director of Marketing & New Business Development at Seara MENA (Middle East and North Africa). In addition to the 100% Natural, Seara is presenting other product launches at Sial 2018 as the new line Seara Perfect Cuts, which offers finest hand-cut chicken parts that are ideal for preparing traditional Middle Eastern recipes such as Shish Tawook. "Our objective is to bring constantly more innovation and variety to our portfolio in the MENA region," Delorenzo added.

The Sial Paris 2018 is one of the most important events of the food industry and it is a source of trends to the industry. It takes place in Paris during 21st to 25th of October. Seara presents its range of international innovations in its stand 6L 102.

About Seara

With more than 60 years of expertise, Seara is a Brazilian food brand that is completely committed to high quality products, offering a large portfolio in the In-Natura meats and Poultry segments (frozen and fresh), as well as prepared and industrialized food solutions. Seara Alimentos, is part of JBS company the largest chicken and beef producer in the world. Seara is present in more than 150 countries (such as China, England, Kuwait, France, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United States and United Arab Emirates), and it has international certifications for excellence in production, such as BRC (British Retail Consortium), SWA (Supplier Workplace Accountability), Global GAP (Global Certificate for the Agricultural Chain), Swiss Law, ISSO 14001, Halal Certifications, Certificate of Conformity (ESMA Halal National Mark), among others.
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - October 19, 2018) - FluroTech Ltd. (TSXV: TEST), ("FluroTech" or the "Company"), developer of the CompleTest device for cannabis quality control, detection of the Company's biomarker and developer of a human saliva testing device that determines concentrations of 9-tetrahydrocannabinol ("THC"), methamphetamines and cocaine for use in roadside and work place impairment testing, applauds the efforts by the Government of Canada and others to increase public awareness of the dangers of driving while impaired by drugs and the acute problems of being under the influence of drugs in the workplace. Saliva based testing is the preferred method of impairment testing by insurance companies, workplace safety programs and the Government of Canada for roadside testing.

FluroTech has made significant progress in the development of its human saliva testing device that utilizes its validated proprietary spectroscopy-based technology. Recent developments include finalization of the design of a Drugs and Driving Committee of Canada compliant roadside testing device with orders of prototype components being made for final design validation; also completed is a unique saliva swab which allows for quick collection of saliva. Additionally, aptamers for detection of THC, methamphetamines and cocaine that effectively suppress background substrates are undergoing robust testing for accuracy and reliability in results. The Company anticipates submitting the application responding to current requests for submissions of testing devices for consideration to the Drugs and Driving Committee of Canada, Q4 2018.

Commercialization of the CompleTest device for cannabis quality control is on track for Q4 2018 following several months of beta testing with licensed producers. Feedback from the testers has been positive and enabled robust refinement of the user-friendly test kits. Ongoing validation of the device and test kits continues as the company progresses through the process required pursuant to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification. The Company notes that the October 17, 2018 legislation creates a framework for micro-cultivation, provincial government distribution and bricks and mortar retail stores which significantly broadens the market opportunity for portable, cost-effective lab quality testing devices.

Recent reports suggest a substantial portion of Canada's cannabis demand will likely continue to be supplied by the black market which would curtail government revenues ("Bloomberg October 2018"). FluroTech has made considerable advancements in its biomarking technology which will offer superior tracking capabilities and will help in the suppression of black-market cannabis supply. The biomarker specifically labels cannabis and cannabis oil in a manner that will allow fast, on-site identification of legal products using the CompleTest technology, economically and without the need for technical training.

About CompleTest

CompleTest is FluroTech's flagship brand and product line. CompleTest is a portable, cost-effective, state-of-the-art cannabis testing device, able to provide quick, accurate and consistent testing results. It is designed for cultivators, dispensaries and anyone with a vested interest in consumer safety to test the quality and safety of their cannabis products and to optimize potency yield.

About FluroTech (TSX-V: TEST)

FluroTech is a technology and marketing company whose core business is focused on the commercialization of new technologies in the cannabis industry. FluroTech's proprietary spectroscopy-based technology allows for the testing and identification of organic and inorganic compounds contained within biological samples. Using the technology that was developed at the University of Calgary in conjunction with the University of Alberta, FluroTech has developed a two-part solution comprising an instrument called the CompleTest and consumable testing kits.

To learn more, visit www.FluroTech.com and watch our video.

Contact Information

FluroTech Ltd.

Alistair Ross Technology Centre

Suite 111, 3553-31 Street NW

Calgary, AB T2L 2K7

info@flurotech.com

Danny Dalla-Longa

Chief Executive Officer

403.680.0644

danny@flurotech.com

Prit Singh

IR - Thesis Capital Inc.

905.510.7636

psingh@thesiscapital.ca





Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information generally refers to information about an issuer's business, capital, or operations that is prospective in nature, and includes future-oriented financial information about the issuer's prospective financial performance or financial position. The forward-looking information in this news release includes disclosure about timing of submission its application for consideration to the Drugs and Driving Committee, timing to commercialization of the CompleTest device, the future performance of the Company and the effect of the October 17, 2018 legislation on demand for the Company's products.

The Company made certain material assumptions, including but not limited to prevailing market conditions and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties to develop the forward-looking information in this news release. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Actual results may vary from the forward-looking information in this news release due to certain material risk factors. These risk factors include, but are not limited to, adverse market conditions and regulatory and other risks associated with the medical cannabis industry in general, failure to meet certain timelines for commercialization, failure to submit its application for consideration on time or at all, and failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of the October 17, 2018 legislation. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of material risk factors and assumptions is not exhaustive.

The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking information in this news release, unless it is required to do so under Canadian securities legislation.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
Novartis International AG / Novartis phase II GEOMETRY mono-1 trial of investigational medicine capmatinib (INC280) shows positive results in patients with MET mutated advanced NSCLC . Processed and transmitted by West Corporation. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Phase II study efficacy data showed overall response rate of 72.0% and 39.1%, respectively, in treatment-naive and previously treated patients with advanced MET exon-14 skipping mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)



Clinical findings from ongoing study indicate safety profile was consistent with previously reported data results



Capmatinib, an investigational MET inhibitor, may have the potential to improve response rates for people diagnosed with MET exon-14 skipping mutated NSCLC, a known oncogenic driver

Basel, October 19, 2018- Novartis today announced Phase II preliminary results of the GEOMETRY mono-1 clinical trial of investigational MET inhibitor capmatinib (INC280) in 94 adult patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring MET exon-14 skipping mutations. The GEOMETRY mono-1 study showed an overall response rate (ORR) of 72.0% (95% CI: 50.6-87.9) in treatment-naive patients and 39.1% (95% CI: 27.6-51.6) in previously treated patients. ORR was assessed by blinded independent review committee (BIRC). Adverse events (AEs) were consistent with previously reported data and no new safety signals were observed. Results of the Phase II study were presented today at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Congress [October 19, 2018 at 4:45 PM CET] (Abstract LBA52)[1].

"These preliminary findings reveal the potential of capmatinib in MET exon-14 skipping mutated NSCLC patients. Compared to the previously treated patient groups, the primary advantage in terms of overall response rate reported in treatment-naive patients highlights the clinical relevance for an earlier diagnostic testing and prompt treatment of this challenging patient population," said Juergen Wolf, MD, University Hospital Cologne.

NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer, impacting more than 2 million people per year[2]. Approximately 3-4% of all patients with NSCLC have an identified MET mutation[3]. Though rare, this mutation is an indicator of especially poor prognosis and there is currently no approved therapy designed to target this mutation[4].

"Patients diagnosed with advanced MET mutated NSCLC represent an unmet medical need and often face a poor prognosis," said Samit Hirawat, MD, Head, Novartis Oncology Global Drug Development. "We are encouraged by the GEOMETRY mono-1 results and the potential for capmatinib to help patients with this disease."

About GEOMETRY mono-1

The GEOMETRY mono-1 trial is a multicenter, open-label, phase II study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of single-agent INC280 in adult patients with EGFR wildtype, ALK-negative rearrangement, advanced NSCLC harboring MET amplification and/or mutations. Patients with MET exon-14 skipping were assigned to Cohorts 4 (previously treated patients) or 5B (treatment naive) regardless of MET amplification/gene copy number (centrally confirmed), and received 400 mg capmatinib tablets twice daily. The primary endpoint was ORR based on BIRC assessment per RECIST v1.1. The key secondary endpoint was duration of response (DOR) by BIRC. The GEOMETRY mono-1 study found an ORR in the treatment-naive patients (n=25) of 72.0% (95% CI: 50.6-87.9) and an ORR in the previously treated patients (n=69) of 39.1% (95% CI: 27.6-51.6). DOR was not reached by the time of analysis, indicating sustainability of response[1],[6].

The most common treatment-related AEs included peripheral edema, nausea, vomiting, and increased blood creatinine levels. Of patients treated with INC280, 83.8% experienced an AE, with 33.1% having grade 3/4 AEs[1],[6].

Capmatinib (INC280) is an investigational, oral and selective MET inhibitor licensed to Novartis by Incyte Corporation in 2009. Under the Agreement, Incyte granted Novartis exclusive Development and Commercialization worldwide rights to this MET inhibitor compound and certain back-up compounds in all indications.

Novartis Commitment to Lung Cancer

Worldwide, lung cancer causes more deaths than colon, breast and prostate cancer combined, and over 2 million new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed each year[2]. Among patients with NSCLC, almost 70% have an actionable mutation that may be targeted with available therapies[7]. To determine the most appropriate treatment, medical organizations recommend genomic testing for patients with lung cancer[8].

Novartis Oncology's research in NSCLC has helped transform treatment approaches for patients living with mutation-driven diseases, among others. Novartis continues its commitment to the global lung cancer community through ongoing studies, as well as the exploration of investigational compounds that target genetic biomarkers in NSCLC.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by expressed or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions; safety, quality or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG's current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 1 billion people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 125,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Find out more at www.novartis.com (http://www.novartis.com).

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis (http://twitter.com/novartis)

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library (http://www.novartis.com/news/media-library)

For questions about the site or required registration, please contact media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com)

References

[1] Juergen Wolf. Results of the GEOMETRY mono-1 phase II study for evaluation of the MET inhibitor capmatinib (INC280) in patients with MET exon-14 skipping mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Abstract LBA52. 2018 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO), October 19-23, 2018, Munich, Germany.

[2] Globocan. Lung Fact Sheet. Available at http://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/15-Lung-fact-sheet.pdf (http://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/15-Lung-fact-sheet.pdf). Accessed October 9, 2018.

[3] Salgia R. MET in Lung Cancer: Biomarker Selection Based on Scientific Rationale. Mol Cancer Ther. 2017;16(4):555-565.

[4] Tong JH, Yeung SF, Chan AWH, et al.. MET Amplification and Exon 14 Splice Site Mutation Define Unique Molecular Subgroups of Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma with Poor Prognosis. Clin Cancer Res. 2016;22(12):3048-3056.

[5] Lungevity. Targeted Therapy: What is driver mutation? Available at https://lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/lung-cancer-101/treatment-options/targeted-therapy (https://lungevity.org/for-patients-caregivers/lung-cancer-101/treatment-options/targeted-therapy). Accessed October 9, 2018.

[6] A Study of Capmatinib (INC280) in NSCLC Patients With MET Exon 14 Alterations Who Have Received Prior MET Inhibitor. (2016). Retrieved from http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2 (http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2) (Identification No. NCT02750215).

[7] Hirsch FR, Suda K, Wiens J, et al. New and emerging targeted treatments in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. Lancet. 2016;388:1012-1024.

[8] Lindeman NI, Cagle PT, Beasley MB, et al. Molecular Testing Guideline for Selection of Lung Cancer Patients for EGFR and ALK Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors. J Thorac Oncol. 2013;8(7):823-859.

# # #

Novartis Media Relations

Central media line: +41 61 324 2200

E-mail: media.relations@novartis.com (mailto:media.relations@novartis.com)

Eric Althoff

Novartis Global Media Relations

+41 61 324 7999 (direct)

+41 79 593 4202 (mobile)

eric.althoff@novartis.com (mailto:eric.althoff@novartis.com) Kristen Klasey

Novartis Oncology Communications

+1 862 778 4163 (direct)

+1 862 754 1732 (mobile)

kristen.klasey@novartis.com (mailto:kristen.klasey@novartis.com)

Novartis Investor Relations

Central investor relations line: +41 61 324 7944

E-mail: investor.relations@novartis.com (mailto:investor.relations@novartis.com)

Central North America Samir Shah +41 61 324 7944 Richard Pulik +1 212 830 2448 Pierre-Michel Bringer +41 61 324 1065 Cory Twining +1 212 830 2417 Thomas Hungerbuehler +41 61 324 8425 Isabella Zinck +41 61 324 7188





Media release (PDF) (http://hugin.info/134323/R/2221206/869394.pdf)


SALTILLO, MEXICO / ACCESSWIRE / October 19, 2018 / Grupo Industrial Saltillo, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: GISSA; BMV: GISSAA) ("the Company", "GIS", "GISSA") announced that it will hold its Third Quarter 2018 Conference Call in English on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. Mexico City Time / 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, which will be presented by Mr. Jose Manuel Arana - Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jorge Mercado - Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Saul Castaneda - Head of Investor Relations. GISSA will report its Third Quarter 2018 Earnings on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 after the market closes.

The conference call can be accessed through the following numbers:

001-800-514-6145 (Mexico Toll Free)

1-877-830-2576 (U.S. participants)

1-785-424-1726 (International participants)

Passcode: GIS

Link for presentation only (slides with no audio); participate in the conference call via telephone: https://webcasts.eqs.com/saltillo20181024/no-audio

Link for conference call via webcast only (live stream of audio and slide presentation): https://webcasts.eqs.com/saltillo20181024

Conference Replay:

A replay will be available on October 24, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. MCT for 7 days or at GISSA's website.

1-844-488-7474 (U.S. participants)

1-862-902-0129 (International participants)

Passcode: 10109212

About Grupo Industrial Saltillo

Grupo Industrial Saltillo manufactures and commercializes auto-parts (iron or aluminum foundry and machining), Construction (water heaters, pipe fittings, ceramic and porcelain coverings) and Houseware (tableware and kitchenware products) Sectors.

Grupo Industrial Saltillo brings together the talent of 8,000 employees in 25 production units, with operations in Mexico, Spain, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, and China; as well as market and distribution presence in the USA.

For additional information visit www.gis.com.mx or contact:

Jorge Mercado

CFO

Tel: +52 (55) 5279-9614

jorge.mercado@gis.com.mx

Saul Castaneda

Head of IR

Tel: +52 (55) 5279-9623

saul.castaneda@gis.com.mx

Melanie Carpenter

i-advize Corporate Communications

Tel: +1 212-406-3692/94

mcarpenter@i-advize.com

SOURCE: Grupo Industrial Saltillo, S.A.B. de C.V.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/525832/GRUPO-INDUSTRIAL-SALTILLO-SAB-DE-CV-Announces-Its-Third-Quarter-2018-Earnings-Conference-Call
SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hainan Airlines Holding Co., Ltd. ("Hainan Airlines") held a news conference this afternoon, announcing the formal launch of service between Shenzhen and Vienna, the City of Music, beginning October 20, 2018. The airline will operate a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the new route with two round-trip flights per week.

The non-stop service is yet another successful example of the growing cooperation between China and Austria this year. With Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and a number of the airline's partners serving as witnesses, Hainan Airlines signed a letter of intent for cooperation with Vienna International Airport during the Boao Forum for Asia held in April 2018, outlining a plan to launch a non-stop air route between Shenzhen and Vienna.

"The non-stop Shenzhen-Vienna service will not only make it more convenient for passengers in Guangzhou and Shenzhen who travel for business or leisure but also help promote economic cooperation and cultural exchanges between China and Austria," said a spokesperson for Hainan Airlines. "With the service, Vienna International Airport will have direct flights to 17 Asian cities, further complementing Vienna's international air route network and strengthening the airport's position as a gateway to Central and Eastern Europe."

With the launch of the Shenzhen-Vienna service, the airline will increase the number of its international and regional air routes from Shenzhen to 15, with non-stop services to Europe jumping to four, including flights to Brussels, Madrid and Zurich. These services will provide a higher level of convenience to passengers travelling between China and Europe with Chinese travelers being able to continue on to North Africa, West Africa and South America from Shenzhen by transiting in Brussels, Madrid, Zurich or Vienna, while European travelers can easily reach resorts in South China, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand via a transfer in Shenzhen.

Hainan Airlines' Shenzhen-Vienna Flight Timetable (All times are local):

Flight No. Aircraft Schedule Departure City Departure Time Arrival Time Arrival City HU789 B787 Thursday/Saturday Shenzhen 1:30 am 6:50 am Vienna HU790 B787 Thursday/Saturday Vienna 10:45 am 0:50 am +1 Shenzhen

Note: Specific timetables can be confirmed on Hainan Airlines' official website.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 19, 2018) - Anquiro Ventures Ltd.(TSXV: AQR.P) (the "Company" or "Anquiro") announces the approval and adoption by its Board of Directors of an advance notice policy (the "Policy"). The purpose of the Policy is to provide shareholders, directors and management of Anquiro with a clear framework for nominating directors of the Company. Anquiro is committed to: (i) facilitating an orderly and efficient annual general or, where the need arises, special meeting, process; (ii) ensuring that all shareholders receive adequate notice of the director nominations and sufficient information regarding all director nominees; and (iii) allowing shareholders to register an informed vote after having been afforded reasonable time for appropriate deliberation. The Policy is intended to further these objectives.

The Policy, among other things, includes a provision that requires advance notice to the Company in certain circumstances where nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors are made by shareholders of the Company. The Policy fixes a deadline by which director nominations must be submitted to the Company prior to any annual or special meeting of shareholders and sets forth the information that must be included in the notice to the Company. No person will be eligible for election as a director of Anquiro unless nominated in accordance with the Policy.

In the case of an annual meeting of shareholders, notice to the Company must be made not less than 30 days and not more than 65 days prior to the date of the annual meeting; provided, however, that, in the event that the annual meeting is to be held on a date that is less than 50 days after the date on which the first public announcement of the date of the annual meeting was made, notice may be made not later than the close of business on the 10th day following such public announcement.

In the case of a special meeting of shareholders called for the purpose of electing directors (whether or not called for other purposes), notice to the Company must be made not later than the close of business on the 15th day following the day on which the first public announcement of the date of the special meeting was made.

The full text of the Policy is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com or upon request by contacting the Company's Corporate Secretary at (604) 336-8611.

The Policy is in effect as at the date of this news release. Pursuant to the terms of the Policy, the Company will seek shareholder ratification of the Policy at its next annual general meeting of shareholders.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

SIGNED: "Teresa Cherry"

Teresa Cherry, CFO & Secretary

Contact: (604) 336-8611

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / October 19, 2018 / Findit, Inc. (OTC PINK: FDIT) a Nevada Corporation offers insight into the reasons Findit members double down on their investment into the platform and its services.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFHv2ZiFQCE

Business owners don't keep spending money on things that aren't driving revenue or brand awareness. In the data-driven world we live in, it's becoming easier and easier to keep track of the return on investment. This is what makes Findit.com member habits even more impressive. Once business owners start using the Findit platform and services, they don't simply continue - they buy in two, three, sometimes tenfold. Many members actually wind up purchasing multiple Findit URLs. These are the five reasons why they do.

1. Index long-tail keywords and searches

While they may already own their top pick of a URL, members often buy Findit URLs that help them target what are known as "long-tail keywords." Long-tail keywords are phrases that are searched for less often. However, these slightly more obscure terms offer some of the best SEO opportunities because there's less competition for them, meaning there's more opportunity to rank for them and to potentially dominate these long-tail targets. Additionally, long-tail searches can yield greater rewards. For a plumbing company based in Sandy Springs, Georgia, ranking on the first page of Google for "Sandy Springs plumbers" will likely bring similar business as ranking on the first page for "plumbers." The first query is a long-tail keyword, but that's an industry where proximity to the customer is a factor.





2. Reduce pay-per-click (PPC) costs

Instead of spending heaps of money to rank through pay-per-click advertisements, Findit users are able to climb to the first page of Google organically. SEO is all about organic results because it means that the business owner doesn't have to continue to pay for ads in order to be seen online. SEO is more sustainable long-term than SEM or PPC ads.





3. Keep competitors from getting them

After Findit members see how beneficial Findit URLs and the content management platform are for their SEO, they purchase multiple URLs to keep their competitors from getting them. This is arguably the most powerful testimony for what Findit is capable of from an online visibility standpoint.





4. Match URLs to specific website landing pages

Certain businesses offer a variety of services or products. For instance, an apparel company might sell shirts, shoes, pants, and hats. Instead of trying to cluster all of that content together under one Findit address, the business owner could build content around each type of apparel they offer and place the relevant content under separate Findit URLs.

5. Use URLs to create landing pages

Another reason why members own multiple Findit URLs is that it enables them to use them as landing pages without necessarily needing a full blown website - although, they can still have one. One scenario in which this makes sense is a business that has multiple locations and a need to target these areas with distinct content. The Findit member could buy a URL for each location and focus on content that serves that demographic.





About Findit, Inc.

Findit, Inc., (OTC Pinksheets FDIT) owns Findit.com which is a Social Media Content Management Platform that provides an interactive search engine for all content posted in Findit to appear in Findit search. The site is an open platform that provides access to Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines access to its content posted to Findit so it can be indexed in these search engines as well. Findit provides Members the ability to post, share and manage their content. Once they have posted in Findit, we ensure the content gets indexed in Findit Search results. Findit provides an option for anyone to submit URLs that they want indexed in Findit search result, along with posting status updates through Findit Right Now. Status Updates posted in Findit can be crawled by outside search engines which can result in additional organic indexing. All posts on Findit can be shared to other social and bookmarking sites by members and non-members. Findit provides Real Estate Agents the ability to create their own Findit Site where they can pull in their listing and others through their IDX account. Findit offers News and Press Release Distribution. Findit, Inc., is focused on the development of monetized Internet-based web products that can provide an increased brand awareness of our members. Findit, Inc., trades under the stock symbol FDIT on the OTCPinksheets.

Safe Harbor:

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), including statements regarding potential sales, the success of the company's business, as well as statements that include the word believe or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Findit, Inc. to differ materially from those implied or expressed by such forward-looking statements. This press release speaks as of the date first set forth above, and Findit, Inc. assumes no responsibility to update the information included herein for events occurring after the date hereof. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to factors such as the lack of capital, timely development of products, inability to deliver products when ordered, inability of potential customers to pay for ordered products, and political and economic risks inherent in international trade.

Contact:

Peter Tosto

Phone 404-443-3224

By Connor Judson Garrett

SOURCE: Findit, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/525769/The-5-Reasons-Businesses-are-Buying-Multiple-URLs-from-Findit
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHEREIT IS UNLAWFUL TO DISTRIBUTE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

This announcement is an advertisement for the purposes of the Prospectus Rules of the UK Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") and not a prospectus. This announcement does not constitute or form part of, and should not be construed as, an offer for sale or subscription of, or solicitation of any offer to subscribe for or to acquire, any shares in the Company in any jurisdiction, including in or into the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Investors should not subscribe for or purchase any shares referred to in this announcement except on the basis of information in the prospectus (the "Prospectus") published by BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust plc (the "Company") in connection with the proposed admission of its C Shares to the premium listing segment of the Official List of the FCA and to trading on the main market for listed securities of London Stock Exchange plc (the "London Stock Exchange"). A copy of the Prospectus will shortly be available for inspection from the Company's registered office and on its website (www.blackrock.co.uk/brfi).

BLACKROCK FRONTIERS INVESTMENT TRUST PLC

LEI: 5493003K5E043LHLO706

Publication of Prospectus and Circular

19 October 2018

On 17 August 2018, BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust plc (the "Company") announced that it had agreed in principle for the Company to act as the sole rollover vehicle for ordinary shareholders in BlackRock Emerging Europe plc ("BEEP") ("BEEP Shareholders") in connection with a proposed scheme of reconstruction and voluntary winding up of BEEP under section 110 of the Insolvency Act 1986 (the "Scheme"). Under the Scheme, the Company will issue C shares of $0.10 each in the capital of the Company ("C Shares") at an issue price of 100 pence per C Share in exchange for the transfer to it of cash, cash equivalents and securities which are consistent with the Company's investment policy (the "Scheme Issue"), that represent the interests of BEEP Shareholders who elect to rollover into the Company. Up to 150 million C Shares are being made available pursuant to the Scheme Issue, which would be sufficient to satisfy all elections of BEEP Shareholders in the event that all BEEP Shareholders elect to rollover their holdings into the Company.

BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited believes that there is scope to increase the capacity of the Company's investment in countries within the Frontiers Universe. Accordingly, the Company's board (the "Board") is also proposing to issue C Shares by way of a placing and offer for subscription at an issue price of 100 pence per C Share (the "Issue"). The maximum number of C Shares to be issued pursuant to the Issue is 150 million less the number of C Shares issued pursuant to the Scheme Issue. Consequently, a maximum of 150 million C Shares will be issued in aggregate pursuant to the Scheme Issue and the Issue (together, the "Issues").

In light of the continuing demand for the Company's ordinary shares of US$0.01 each in the capital of the Company ("Ordinary Shares") and the issuance of Ordinary Shares to date to satisfy this, the Directors also consider it expedient to renew the Board's authority to allot or to sell from treasury for cash, on a non-pre-emptive basis, Ordinary Shares (the "General Authority"). The General Authority will be sought in respect of 10 per cent. of the Ordinary Shares in issue as at the date of this announcement in substitution for the current authority to allot or sell from treasury Ordinary Shares.

The Board is therefore pleased to announce that the Company has today published a prospectus (the "Prospectus") in relation to the issue of C Shares pursuant to the Issues, together with a circular (the "Circular") to provide the Company's ordinary shareholders (the "Shareholders") with further details of the Scheme, the Issues and the General Authority (together, the "Proposals") and to convene a general meeting of the Company (the "General Meeting") to seek Shareholder approval for the Proposals. Further details on the Scheme and the Issues are set out at the end of this announcement.

The costs and expenses of the Scheme (excluding the costs associated with the Scheme Issue) will be paid by BEEP. The costs and the net proceeds of the Issue (which comprises the Placing and the Offer for Subscription) are dependent on the level of subscriptions received under the Issue.

The costs and expenses of the Issues, up to a maximum of 1 per cent. of the Gross Proceeds, will be borne indirectly by holders of C Shares since they will be paid out of the pool of assets attributable to the C Shares. In the event that the costs and expenses of the Issues (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, transaction costs incurred in connection with the deployment of the proceeds of the Issues) exceed 1 per cent. of the Gross Proceeds, the excess costs will be offset against any amounts payable by the Company to the Manager for management fees. For the avoidance of doubt, any offset shall apply against the management fees payable in respect of the C Shares or be taken account of as part of the Conversion, such that there is no impact, positive or negative, on the amount of the management fees payable in respect of existing Ordinary Shares.

In the event that the Issues do not proceed, all costs and expenses of the Company associated with the Issues will be offset against any amounts payable by the Company to the Manager for the management fees.

In accordance with the Company's normal dividend timetable, it is intended that a final dividend will be declared on the Ordinary Shares in respect of the financial year ended 30 September 2018 and such dividend is expected to have a record date of 4 January 2019 and to be paid in early February 2019. This will be declared as a final dividend and will therefore be subject to approval by Shareholders at the Company's annual general meeting, expected to be held on 5 February 2019, before it can be paid. It is the Board's expectation that the record date for the dividend will be prior to the conversion calculation date for the C Shares and, accordingly, it is not expected that C Shareholders will be entitled to receive this dividend.

Application will be made to the UK Listing Authority for the C Shares issued in connection with the Issues to be admitted to the premium segment of the Official List. Application will also be made to the London Stock Exchange for the C Shares issued in connection with the Issues to be admitted to trading on the premium segment of the main market. It is expected that the C Shares issued in connection with the Issues will be admitted to the Official List on 27 November 2018, and the first day of dealings in such shares on the main market of the London Stock Exchange will be 27 November 2018.

The ISIN of the C Shares will be GB00BD5GQJ41 and the SEDOL code will be BD5GQJ4.

Copies of the Circular and the Prospectus will shortly be available on the Company's website, www.blackrock.co.uk/brfi, and at the National Storage Mechanism, www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/nsm.

Terms used and not defined in this announcement shall have the meanings given to them in the Prospectus unless the context otherwise requires.



Expected timetable

Placing and Offer for Subscription opens 19 October 2018 Latest time and date for receipt of Proxy Forms

from Shareholders for use at the General Meeting 12:00 p.m. on 13 November 2018 Record date for the calculation of the BEEP

Shareholders' entitlements under the Scheme 6:00 p.m. on 13 November 2018 General Meeting of the Company 12.00 p.m. on 15 November 2018 First General Meeting of BEEP 2:00 p.m. on 15 November 2018 Latest time and date for receipt of Application Forms

and, if applicable, Tax Residency Self-Certification

Forms under the Offer for Subscription 1:00 p.m. on 21 November 2018 Scheme Calculation Date 5:00 p.m. on 21 November 2018 Latest time and date for receipt of commitments

under the Placing 2:00 p.m. on 22 November 2018 Second General Meeting of BEEP and

commencement of voluntary liquidation of BEEP 12:00 p.m. on 23 November 2018 Effective Date for implementation of the Scheme 26 November 2018 Announcement of the results of the Scheme 26 November 2018 Announcement of the results of the Issue 26 November 2018 Admission of C Shares and dealings in C Shares

issued under the Scheme and Issue commence 8.00 a.m. on 27 November 2018 CREST accounts credited in respect of C Shares

issued in uncertificated form 8.00 a.m. on 27 November 2018 Certificates despatched by post in respect of

C Shares issued in certificated form week commencing 3 December 2018

Notes:

The above times and/or dates may be subject to change and in the event of such change, the revised times and/or dates will be notified to Shareholders by an announcement through a Regulatory Information Service.

All references to times in this document are to London time unless otherwise stated.

Enquiries:

BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited

Simon White

Kevin Mayger 020 7743 3000 Winterflood Securities

Neil Morgan 020 3100 0000

Further details on the Scheme and the Issues

The Scheme

Pursuant to the terms of the Scheme, BEEP will be wound up by means of a members' voluntary liquidation pursuant to a scheme of reconstruction under section 110 of the Insolvency Act 1986.

Under the Scheme, eligible BEEP Shareholders ("Eligible Beep Shareholders") will be able to elect for the following options in respect of their holdings of BEEP Ordinary Shares:

to realise all or some of their investment in BEEP for cash (the "Cash Option"); and/or to roll-over all or some of their investment into the Company and receive C Shares at an issue price of 100 pence per C Share (the "Rollover Option").

Eligible BEEP Shareholders who do not make a valid Election under the Scheme will be deemed to have elected for the Rollover Option.

If the Scheme is implemented, the Company will acquire a pool of assets (made up of cash, cash equivalents and securities which are consistent with the Company's investment policy). The consideration for such acquisition will be satisfied by the issue of C Shares by the Company to Eligible BEEP Shareholders who validly elect (or are deemed to elect) for the Rollover Option.

The Issue

The Issue will offer existing and new investors the opportunity to invest capital while allowing the Company to take advantage of opportunities in the investible universe.

In the event that commitments under the Placing and valid applications under the Offer for Subscription (when aggregated with the C Shares to be issued pursuant to the Scheme Issue) exceed 150 million C Shares, it would be necessary to scale back applications under the Placing and the Offer for Subscription.

Benefits of theScheme Issue and the Issue

The Board believes that the Scheme Issue and the Issue will have, inter alia, the following principal benefits for Shareholders:

the additional capital raised will enable the Company to take advantage of attractive investment opportunities, whilst also diversifying its investment portfolio;

an increase in the size of the Company is expected to improve market liquidity of the Ordinary Shares. This may enhance the marketability of the Company and may result in a broader investor base over the longer term; and

an increase in the size of the Company will mean that the fixed costs of operating the Company are spread over a larger asset base thereby reducing the Company's ongoing charges ratio.

The issue of C Shares is designed to overcome the potential disadvantages for both existing and new investors which could arise out of an issue of further Ordinary Shares for cash. In particular:

the assets representing the Net Proceeds will be accounted for as a separate pool of assets until the Conversion Date; by accounting for the Net Proceeds separately, holders of existing Ordinary Shares will not be exposed to a portfolio containing substantial amounts of uninvested cash nor to the costs of investing the Net Proceeds;

subject to the Issues proceeding, the Net Asset Value of the existing Ordinary Shares will not be diluted by the expenses associated with the Issues which will be borne indirectly by the subscribers for C Shares, and in certain circumstances, the Manager; and

the basis upon which the C Shares will convert into Ordinary Shares is such that the number of Ordinary Shares to which the C Shareholders will become entitled will reflect the relative Net Asset Value per Share of the assets attributable to the C Shares and the Ordinary Shares. As a result, the Net Asset Value per Ordinary Share will not be adversely affected by Conversion. Upon Conversion, the investments which were attributable to the C Shares will be merged with the Company's existing portfolio of investments. The new Ordinary Shares arising on Conversion of the C Shares will rank pari passu, subject to the terms of the Articles, with the Ordinary Shares then in issue.

Conditions to theScheme

The Scheme Issue is conditional upon, inter alia:

the passing of all resolutions to be proposed at the BEEP General Meetings to approve the Scheme and to appoint the Liquidators and upon any conditions of such resolutions being fulfilled;

the passing of the Scheme Resolutions; and

the UK Listing Authority agreeing to amend the listing of the BEEP Ordinary Shares to reflect their reclassification as Reclassified Shares for the purpose of implementing the Scheme.

Conditions to the Issue

The Issue, which is not underwritten, is conditional upon:

Admission having become effective on or before 8:00 a.m. on 27 November 2018 or such later time and/or date as the Company and Winterflood may agree (not being later than 8:00 a.m. on 31 December 2018);

the Issue Resolutions being passed at the General Meeting; and

the Placing and Offer Agreement becoming wholly unconditional (save as to Admission) and not having been terminated in accordance with its terms at any time prior to Admission. The Scheme Issue and Issue are not conditional on each other.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

The information in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may be placed for any purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy or completeness. The material contained in this announcement is for information purposes only, is given as at the date of its publication (unless otherwise marked) and is subject to updating, revision and amendment. In particular, any proposals referred to herein are subject to revision and amendment.

This announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia), Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or to US Persons (as defined below). The distribution of this announcement may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions and persons into whose possession any document or other information referred to herein comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restriction. Any failure to comply with these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. Other than the United Kingdom, no action has been taken by the Company or Winterflood Securities Limited ("Winterflood") that would permit an offering of the C Shares or possession or distribution of the announcement of any other offering or publicity material relating to such shares in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required.

In member states of the European Economic Area ("EEA") other than the United Kingdom, this announcement is only addressed to and directed at persons who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive (Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including by Directive 2010/73/EU) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State). Further, in relation to each member state in the EEA that has implemented the AIFM Directive, no C Shares have been or will be directly or indirectly offered to or placed with investors in that member state at the initiative of or on behalf of the Company, the Manager, the Investment Manager or Winterflood other than in accordance with the methods permitted in that member state.

This announcement does not contain or constitute an offer for sale of, or the solicitation of an offer or an invitation to buy or subscribe for, C Shares to any person including in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or in any jurisdiction to whom or in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful.

The C Shares will be offered and sold only outside the United States in offshore transactions as defined in and in reliance on Regulation S ("Regulation S") under the United States Securities Act of 1933 (as amended) (the "US Securities Act") to persons who are not, and are not acting for the account or benefit of, US persons as defined in Regulation S ("U.S. Persons"). The C Shares and the Ordinary Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction in the United States. There will be no public offer of the Shares in the United States. The Company has not been and will not be registered under the United States Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "US Investment Company Act"), and investors will not be entitled to the benefits of the US Investment Company Act.

The C Shares and the Ordinary Shares have not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any state securities commission in the United States or any other U.S. regulatory authority, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of C Shares or the accuracy of adequacy of the Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States and any re-offer or resale of any of the C Shares in the United States or to U.S. Persons may constitute a violation of U.S. law or regulation. Any person in the United States who obtains a copy of the Prospectus is requested to disregard it.

The offer and sale of C Shares has not been and will not be registered under the applicable securities laws of any state, province or territory of Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Subject to certain exceptions, the C Shares may not be offered or sold in Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or to, or for the account or benefit of, any national, resident or citizen of Canada, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of South Africa or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This announcement may include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "estimates", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement, including, without limitation, those regarding the Company's financial position, strategy, plans, proposed acquisitions and objectives, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and, accordingly, the Company's actual future financial results and operational performance may differ materially from the results and performance expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These factors include but are not limited to those described in the Prospectus. These forward-looking statements speak only as at the date of this announcement and cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The Company, the Manager, the Investment Manager and Winterflood expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect actual results or any change in the assumptions, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based unless required to do so by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Prospectus Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, the EU Market Abuse Regulation or other applicable laws, regulations or rules.

Prospective investors should be aware that any investment in the Company should not be regarded as short-term in nature, involves a degree of risk, and could result in the loss of all or substantially all of their investment. Results can be positively or negatively affected by market conditions beyond the control of the Company, the Manager or the Investment Manager which may be different in many respects from those that prevail at present or in the future, with the result that the performance of investment portfolios originated now may be significantly different from those originated in the past. Persons considering making such an investment should consult an authorised person specialising in advising on such investments.

Winterflood is authorised and regulated by the FCA. Winterflood is acting exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the Scheme Issue and the Issue. Winterflood will not regard any other person as its client in relation to the subject matter of this announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to its clients, nor for providing advice in relation to the contents of this announcement or any transaction, arrangement or other matter referred to herein.

None of Winterflood, the Company, the Manger or the Investment Manager, or any of their respective parents or subsidiary undertakings, or the subsidiary undertakings of any such parent undertakings, or any of such person's respective directors, officers, employees, agents, affiliates or advisers or any other person ("their respective affiliates") accepts (save where required by law) any responsibility or liability whatsoever for/or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to this announcement, including the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made available or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith.

This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the proposed Issues. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. Before acquiring any C Shares, persons viewing this announcement should ensure that they fully understand and accept the risks that are set out in the Prospectus. Information in this announcement or any of the documents relating to the Issues cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. The timetable may be influenced by a range of circumstances such as market conditions. There is no guarantee that the Issues will occur and you should not base your financial decisions on the Company's intentions in relation to the Issues or the information contained in this announcement. The contents of this announcement are not to be construed as legal, business or tax advice. Each prospective investor should consult his, her or its own legal adviser, financial adviser or tax adviser for legal, financial or tax advice.

Recipients of this announcement are reminded that C Shares may only be acquired on the basis of the information contained in the Prospectus.



INFORMATION TO DISTRIBUTORS

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("Directive 2014/65/EU"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing Directive 2014/65/EU; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any "manufacturer" (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that the Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in Directive 2014/65/EU; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by Directive 2014/65/EU (the "Target Market Assessment").

Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Issues. Furthermore, it is noted that, notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, Winterflood will only procure investors under the Issue who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of Directive 2014/65/EU; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the Shares.

Each distributor is responsible for undertaking its own target market assessment in respect of the Shares and determining appropriate distribution channels.

PRIIPS Regulation

In accordance with the Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 November 2014 on key information documents for packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPs) and its implementing and delegated acts (the "PRIIPs Regulation"), a key information document in respect of the C Shares has been prepared by the Manager and will be available to investors on the Company's website.

If you are distributing the C Shares, it is your responsibility to ensure that the relevant key information document is provided to any clients that are "retail clients".
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA AND THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO MAY RESULT IN THE CONTRAVENTION OF ANY REGISTRATION OR OTHER LEGAL REQUIREMENT OF SUCH JURISDICTION

19 October 2018

BlackRock Emerging Europe plc

(LEI: 549300OGTQA24Y3KMI14)

Publication of Circular

Further to the announcement on 17 August 2018, BlackRock Emerging Europe plc ("BEEP" or the "Company") has today published a circular (the "Circular") in connection with the proposals for the reconstruction and winding up of the Company and rollover into BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust plc ("BRFI").

The Proposals

Under the Proposals, the Company is proposed to be wound up on 26 November 2018 by means of a members' voluntary liquidation pursuant to a scheme of reconstruction under section 110 of the Insolvency Act. Under the Scheme, Eligible Shareholders (being Shareholders other than Restricted Shareholders) will be able to elect for the following Options:

to realise all or some of their investment in the Company for cash (the "Cash Option"); and/or

to roll-over all or some of their investment into BRFI and receive BRFI C Shares at 100 pence per BRFI Share (the "Rollover Option").

Eligible Shareholders can make different Elections in respect of different parts of their holdings, and may therefore opt to roll-over part of their holdings and elect for the Cash Option for the remainder. Eligible Shareholders who do not make a valid Election under the Scheme will be deemed to have elected for the Rollover Option. Valid Elections under the Scheme must be received by 1.00 p.m. on 8 November 2018. Eligible Shareholders are encouraged to make an Election in respect of their Ordinary Shares by completing and returning a Form of Election.

If the Proposals are implemented, such assets of the Company that represent the interests of Shareholders who elect (or are deemed to elect) for the Rollover Option (being the Rollover Pool) will be transferred to BRFI. The consideration for such transfer will be satisfied by the issue of BRFI C Shares to such Shareholders at a deemed issuance price of 100 pence per BRFI C Share. It is envisaged that UK resident Eligible Shareholders who elect to roll-over will be given a tax-efficient rollover of their entitlements.

If the Proposals are implemented, such assets of the Company that represent the interests of Shareholders who elect for the Cash Option (being the Cash Pool) will be realised and the net proceeds will be returned to such Shareholders.

Benefits of the Proposals

The Directors consider that the Proposals should have the following benefits for Shareholders:

Eligible Shareholders have the opportunity to roll over their investment into BRFI, another closed-ended investment company under the management of the same team at BlackRock Fund Managers Limited led by Sam Vecht;

Eligible Shareholders who might otherwise be subject to UK tax on the realisation of their investment in the Company should be able to roll over their investment into BRFI and continue to receive investment returns without triggering an immediate liability to UK tax. However, this does not constitute tax advice. Please note that Shareholders should always obtain their own independent tax advice pertaining to their own personal circumstances;

Eligible Shareholders who elect to roll over may not suffer the full amount of the dealing costs that may be incurred on the full realisation of the Company's portfolio in the event of a simple winding up;

the use of a rollover vehicle will enable Eligible Shareholders to avoid dealing and other costs associated with a share sale or purchase in the secondary market (although there will be costs incurred by holders of BRFI C Shares); and

for those Shareholders that elect to receive cash and for Restricted Shareholders, the Proposals offer the certainty of a realisation for cash as soon as practicable following implementation.

BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust plc

BRFI is a closed-ended investment company incorporated in England and Wales on 15 October 2010 with an investment objective of achieving long term capital growth from investing in companies domiciled or listed in, or exercising the predominant part of their economic activity in, less developed countries. These countries are any country which is neither part of the MSCI World Index of developed markets nor one of the eight largest countries by market capitalisation in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index as at 1 April 2018: being Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa and Taiwan. BRFI carries on business as an investment trust within the meaning of Chapter 4 of Part 24 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010.

As at 17 October 2018 BRFI held 66 investments with an aggregate value of US$352 million. As at 17 October 2018 the unaudited net asset value (cum-income) of BRFI was 267,716,235 and the unaudited net asset value per BRFI Ordinary Share (cum-income) was 131.56 pence.

The BRFI C Shares

BRFI C Shares are a transient class of shares: the assets representing the net proceeds of any issue of BRFI C Shares will be maintained, managed and accounted for as a separate pool of capital of BRFI until those BRFI C Shares convert into BRFI Ordinary Shares (which will occur once substantially all of the assets representing the net proceeds of the Issues have been invested in accordance with BRFI's investment policy (or, if earlier, six months after the date of issue of the BRFI C Shares)). On such Conversion, each holder of BRFI C Shares will receive such number of BRFI Ordinary Shares as equals the number of BRFI C Shares held by them multiplied by the net asset value per BRFI C Share and divided by the net asset value per BRFI Ordinary Share, in each case as at a date shortly prior to Conversion.

Costs of the Proposals

The direct costs of the Proposals payable by the Company are expected to be approximately 392,000 (including VAT, where applicable) and will be borne by the Company. These costs have been accrued in the Company's net assets and represent approximately 0.32 per cent. of the Company's net assets as of close of business on 16 October 2018. In addition, there will be additional costs associated with selling down the portfolio including broker commission, depositary receipt fees and local market taxes as well as the market value impact of selling down the portfolio over a short time period. To the extent that these costs can be reliably estimated they will be accrued in the NAV.

The costs of the Issues will be payable out of the Gross Proceeds of the Issues (including the value of the Rollover Pool). In the event that the costs and expenses of the Issues (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, transaction costs incurred in connection with the deployment of the proceeds of the Issues) exceed one per cent. of the Gross Proceeds, the excess costs will be offset against any amounts payable by BRFI to the Manager for management fees. For the avoidance of doubt, any offset shall apply against the management fees payable in respect of the BRFI C Shares or be taken account of as part of the Conversion, such that there is no impact, positive or negative, on the amount of the management fees payable in respect of existing BRFI Ordinary Shares.

Overseas Shareholders and Restricted Shareholders

Overseas Shareholders (other than Restricted Shareholders) are entitled to participate in the Scheme. However, where the Directors and/or the BRFI Directors, acting reasonably, consider that any offer or issue of BRFI C Shares to those Overseas Shareholders would or may involve a breach of the securities laws or regulations of any jurisdiction, or if the Directors and/or the BRFI Directors reasonably believe that the same may violate any applicable legal or regulatory requirements or may require BRFI to become subject to additional regulatory requirements (to which it would not be subject but for such issue) and the Directors and/or the BRFI Directors have not been provided with evidence reasonably satisfactory to them that the relevant Overseas Shareholders are permitted to be offered, issued or to hold BRFI C Shares under any relevant securities laws or regulations of such overseas jurisdictions (or that BRFI would be subject to any additional requirements to which it would not have been subject but for such issue), such Overseas Shareholders will be deemed to have elected for the Cash Option.

Restricted Shareholders shall not be entitled to receive BRFI C Shares, but shall instead be deemed to have elected for cash pursuant to the Cash Option under the Scheme. The amount of cash to which Restricted Shareholders will be entitled will be determined in the same way as it is for all other Shareholders who elect (or who are deemed to have elected) for cash.

General Meetings

The implementation of the Proposals will require Shareholders to vote in favour of the Resolutions at the General Meetings, which have been convened for 2.00 p.m. on 15 November 2018 in respect of the First General Meeting and 12 noon on 23 November 2018 in respect of the Second General Meeting. The General Meetings will both be held at the offices of BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, 12 Throgmorton Avenue, London EC2N 2DL.

The Resolutions to be proposed at the First General Meeting and the Second General Meeting are conditional upon each other and, if any of the Resolutions are not passed, the Proposals will not be implemented.

A copy of the Notice for each of the General Meetings is included in the Circular which will shortly be posted to Shareholders. A copy of the Circular will be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism at http://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/NSM and will shortly be available for inspection at www.blackrock.co.uk/beep. The Circular will also be available from the Company's registered office, 12 Throgmorton Avenue, London EC2N 2DL.

Recommendation

The Board considers the Proposals to be in the best interests of the Company and Shareholders as a whole. Accordingly, the Board unanimously recommends Shareholders to vote in favour of the Resolutions to be proposed at the General Meetings as the Directors intend to do in respect of their own beneficial holdings totalling 207,606 Ordinary Shares (representing 0.6 per cent. of the total voting rights attaching to the Ordinary Shares).

The Directors intend to elect for the Rollover Option in respect of their own beneficial holdings in the Company. However, the Directors make no recommendation to Eligible Shareholders as to whether or not they should elect to receive BRFI C Shares or cash under the Scheme. In particular, the Directors are not responsible for, pass no judgment on, and are not offering, BRFI C Shares. The BRFI C Shares are offered on the terms of the enclosed Prospectus which can be found on the BRFI website at www.blackrock.co.uk/brfi, which is the sole responsibility of BRFI and for which the Board and the Company accept no responsibility.

Whether or not Eligible Shareholders decide to elect for BRFI C Shares or cash will depend, among other things, on their individual circumstances including their tax position.

Timetable

Latest time and date for receipt of Forms of Election or TTE Instructions from Eligible Shareholders 1.00 p.m. on 8 November 2018 Latest time and date for receipt of Forms of Proxy from Shareholders in respect of the First General Meeting 2.00 p.m. on 13 November 2018 Record Date for the calculation of Shareholders' entitlements under the Scheme 6.00 p.m. on 13 November 2018 Ordinary Shares disabled in CREST* 6.00 p.m. on 13 November 2018 First General Meeting 2.00 p.m. on 15 November 2018 Latest time and date for receipt of Forms of Proxy from Shareholders in respect of the Second General Meeting 12.00 noon on 21 November 2018 Calculation Date 5.00 p.m. on 21 November 2018 Ordinary Shares reclassified as Reclassified Shares in the Official List and dealings in Reclassified Shares commence** 8.00 a.m. on 22 November 2018 Listing of Reclassified Shares on the Official List suspended** 7.30 a.m. on 23 November 2018 Second General Meeting and commencement of voluntary liquidation of the Company 12.00 noon on 23 November 2018 Effective Date for implementation of the Scheme 26 November 2018 Admission of BRFI C Shares and dealings in BRFI C Shares issued to Eligible Shareholders under the Scheme 27 November 2018 CREST accounts credited with BRFI C Shares 27 November 2018 Cheques expected to be despatched in respect of the Cash Option and CREST payments made to Shareholders on or as soon as practicable thereafter w/c 3 December 2018 Certificates despatched in respect of new BRFI C Shares on or as soon as practicable after w/c 3 December 2018 Cancellation of listing of Reclassified Shares on the Official List** As soon as practicable after the Effective Date * For the avoidance of doubt the Company's register of members will remain open until the commencement of voluntary liquidation of the Company. ** Reclassified Shares are a technical requirement of the Scheme and will be created if the resolutions to be proposed at the First General Meeting are passed and become effective.

Defined terms used in this announcement have the meanings given in the Circular unless the context otherwise requires.

Enquiries:

BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited

Simon White

Sarah Beynsberger 020 7743 3000

Winterflood Securities

Neil Langford

Chris Mills 020 3100 0000

Important Information

This announcement contains information that is inside information for the purposes of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014, and is being made by the Company solely to comply with its regulatory disclosure obligations.

The content of this announcement has been prepared by, and is the sole responsibility of, BlackRock Emerging Europe plc. The information contained in this announcement is given at the date of its publication (unless otherwise marked) and is subject to updating, revision and amendment from time to time. Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks to the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this announcement.

The making of the Proposals in, or to persons who are citizens or nationals of, or resident in, jurisdictions outside of the United Kingdom or to custodians, nominees or trustees for citizens, nationals or residents of jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom may be prohibited or affected by the laws of the relevant overseas jurisdiction. Persons who are not resident in the United Kingdom should read the paragraph headed "Overseas Shareholders and Restricted Shareholders" set out in paragraph 11 of Part I of the Circular and should inform themselves about, and observe, any applicable legal requirements.

This announcement does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for any shares nor shall it (or any part of it) or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied on in connection with, any contract therefore. The Cash Offer and the Rollover Offer are being made pursuant to the Circular, the related Form of Election and, in the case of the Rollover Offer, the Prospectus relating to BRFI. The Circular should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus which has been prepared in accordance with the Prospectus Rules, approved by the Financial Conduct Authority in accordance with Section 84 of the FSMA and made available to the public in accordance with the Prospectus Rules. Investors should not subscribe for any BRFI C Shares referred to in this announcement or the Circular except on the basis of information provided in the Prospectus.

The full terms and conditions of the Proposals are set out in the Circular, which should be read in full in conjunction with this announcement.

Winterflood Securities Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, acting through its division, Winterflood Investment Trusts ("Winterflood"), is acting exclusively for the Company and no-one else in connection with the Proposals and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to customers of Winterflood or for providing advice in relation to the Proposals. Nothing in this paragraph shall serve to exclude or limit any responsibilities which Winterflood may have under the FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder.

Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed on Winterflood by the FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder, Winterflood accepts no responsibility whatsoever for the contents of this announcement or for any other statement made or purported to be made by it or on its behalf in connection with the Company or the Proposals. Winterflood accordingly disclaims all and any liability whether arising in tort or contract or otherwise (save as referred to above) which it might otherwise have in respect of this announcement or any such statement.

This announcement contains (or may contain) certain forward-looking statements with respect to the Company's current expectations and projections about future events. These statements, which sometimes use, but are not limited to, words such as 'anticipate', 'believe', 'intend', 'estimate', 'expect' and words of similar meaning, reflect the Directors' beliefs and expectations and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results and performance to differ materially from any expected future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward looking statement. Statements contained in this announcement regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. The information contained in this announcement is subject to change without notice and, except as required by applicable law, neither the Company nor Winterflood assumes any responsibility or obligation to update publicly or review any of the forward looking statements contained herein. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this announcement.
Empower Clinics Inc. (OTC: EPWCF) (CSE: EPW) (FRA: 8EC), a leading owner and operator of medical cannabis and wellness clinics in the US, today announced that it has signed a letter of intent for a national distribution agreement with Inolife R&D, an emerging specialty medical device company.

Under the agreement, Empower Clinics will make Inolife's pioneering needle-free injection devices available to patients at Empower's 15 clinics in Oregon, Washington, and Illinois. Inolife developed its Inojex 30 and Nanojex devices to be easy-to-use, safe, pain-free, and more efficient in delivering treatment to patients than is possible with traditional needle-based injections. The needle-free category has experienced sustained double-digit growth during the past five years.

"As we continue striving to offer the most efficient and effective ways to deliver treatment to patients, we're very pleased to be working with a proven leader in Inolife," said Craig Snyder, Empower CEO. "We are closely aligned with Inolife in terms of providing quality and results-focused care and look forward to working with them."

"With 15 clinics in three states, 25,000 active patients and 120,000 historic patients, Empower has a significant and growing footprint and we are excited to further our distribution by working together," said Michael Wright, President Chief Executive Officer of Inolife. "We look forward to providing Empower and its patients with access to new and very effective methods of administering treatment."

Empower also announced that it has granted an aggregate of 450,000 stock options, subject to approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange. 200,000 of such options vest immediately, are exercisable at CDN $0.26 per common share, will expire on May 25, 2023 and are otherwise governed by the terms and conditions of the company's stock option plan. The remaining 250,000 options vest in 62,500 tranches on January 22, 2019, April 22, 2019, July 22, 2019 and October 22, 2019, are exercisable at CDN $0.26 per common share, will expire on October 22, 2023 and are otherwise governed by the terms and conditions of the company's stock option plan Following the grant of the options, the company has a total of 7,600,000 stock options outstanding representing approximately 10% of the outstanding common shares of the company.

Empower intends to complete a non-brokered private placement 312,903 units (the "Units") at an issuance price of CDN $0.31 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of CDN $97,000. Each Unit consists of one common share and one warrant to purchase common shares at an exercise price of CDN $0.36 for one year from the date of issuance. The Units issued pursuant to this private placement will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance. Empower will also issue 517,132 Units, 1,204,851 common shares (at a deemed issuance price of $0.2325 per share) and 423,076 common shares (at a deemed issuance price of $0.26 per share) to settle $550,442 in outstanding commitments of the company.

ABOUT INOLIFE R&D INC./INOLIFE SCIENCES CORPORATION

Inolife R&D Inc. is an emerging specialty medical device company focused on developing and commercializing novel drug delivery technologies. Inolife commercializes patented and FDA-cleared needle-free injection devices. The company was founded to take advantage of novel techniques of the liquid jet and ballistics-based epidermal drug injection that improve patients' quality of life by making medicines easier to administer, work better, and remove the anxiety and inconvenience associated with hypodermic needle injections. For more information about Inolife and its products please visit www.inolifesciences.com.

ABOUT EMPOWER

Empower is a leading owner and operator of medical cannabis and wellness clinics, as well as a developer of medical products in the US, focused on enabling individuals to improve and protect their health. The company provides treatment solutions through its physician-staffed clinics that are focused on education, data, and efficacy. Empower is a recognized leader and the first choice for patients seeking quality experience and improved health.

For further information about Empower please see the Company's website at empowerclinics.com

Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. Forward-looking information contained in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the issuance and closing of the private placement of securities and the shares for debt transaction and the future growth plans of the Company. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events and are therefore based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Frankfurt Stock Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005476/en/

Contacts:

Investors:

Boom Capital Markets

Steve Low, 647-620-5101

steve@boomcapitalmarkets.com

or

Press:

Pointer PR LLC

Mark Peterson, 206-390-0204

mark@pointerpr.com
Ahmad Zahid, who is now President of the opposition United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), was detained after he presented himself at the MACC headquarters for the charges of abuse of power, breach of trust, and money laundering".



He will be brought to a Kuala Lumpur court on October 19 to face several charges under anti-corruption and money laundering laws, the MACC said.



It gave no further details but local media reported that he was accused of misappropriating 800,000 ringgit (over 190,000 USD) from a foundation he chairs to settle credit card payments for himself and his wife in 2014 and 2015.



Ahmad Zahid has denied wrongdoing. He said the payments were made in error by an aide and that he has since repaid the amount.



He is the latest former high-ranking official to be arrested over suspected graft since the election in May.



Former Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, face multiple charges in connection with a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).



Najib has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to 32 criminal charges involving more than 2.3 billion ringgit (553.6 million USD) allegedly siphoned from 1MDB. Meanwhile, Rosmah has pleaded not guilty to 17 money-laundering offences.



In June, the MACC said it had frozen several accounts linked to UMNO as part of their investigations into 1MDB.



Najib founded the 1MDB investment fund in 2009, supposedly to serve Malaysias development through global partnerships and foreign direct investment.



However, it became the centre of a money laundering scandal, allegedly causing losses of up to 3.7 billion USD and leading to probes into the financial markets in several countries such as the US, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia and China.



US authorities said more than 4.5 billion USD was misappropriated from 1MDB, and nearly 700 million USD from the fund was diverted into Najib's personal bank accounts.



From the raids on several of Najibs properties in Kuala Lumpur, police seized valuables worth up to 273 million USD.



Najib will go on trial on February 12, 2019. The trial will run from February 12 to March 29, 2019. If convicted, he will face multi-year prison sentences.-VNA
Distribute Hygiene CareKits to Sojourner Center and Family Promise of Greater Phoenix

Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - October 19, 2018) - HomeAid America, a leading national provider of housing and resources for the homeless, partnered with Taylor Morrison Foundation (NYSE: TMHC) for a HomeAid Care Day on Oct. 12, 2018. About 175 employees from Taylor Morrison volunteered their time to sort more than 10,000 hygiene items and to assemble 600 HomeAid CareKits. The CareKits were gifted to Phoenix-area HomeAid nonprofit partners, Sojourner Center and Family Promise of Greater Phoenix.

HomeAid CareKits are backpacks stuffed with the essential hygiene items needed to provide dignity, hope and a fresh, clean start for someone experiencing homelessness. At a minimum, each kit includes shampoo, conditioner, soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, razor, shaving cream, wet wipes, tissues, feminine products, a comb, and hand sanitizer.



Figure 1: Taylor Morrison Employees Create HomeAid CareKits for Homeless Organizations



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/5942/40500_a1539968410432_67.jpg

HomeAid America's mission is to rebuild lives for America's homeless through housing and community outreach. HomeAid identifies charities working to end homelessness and collaborates with the building industry to provide additional or upgraded facilities in which to house people. HomeAid's community outreach efforts help to off-set everyday living expenses by providing basic necessities such as clothing, food and hygiene items to those in need.

As part of the volunteer day, Sheryl Palmer, Taylor Morrison's Chairman and CEO and a member of HomeAid's National Board of Directors and Executive Committee, informed employees about the existing national partnership with HomeAid and renewed the company's commitment to work with HomeAid chapters across the country, as well as to assist with chapter expansion efforts in markets where Taylor Morrison currently builds.

"We are delighted to support HomeAid and their efforts to help end homelessness in America," said Palmer. "Our team members are incredibly passionate about building communities for people to thrive in, and HomeAid does just that by offering opportunities for our nation's homeless to get back on their feet, attain self-sufficiency and acquire longer-term housing."

"We are so fortunate to have a partner like Taylor Morrison to support us as we try to make a major impact on homelessness on behalf of the building industry nationwide," said Peter Simons, CEO of HomeAid America. "Sheryl's leadership at Taylor Morrison and at HomeAid have made her one of our strongest and most influential advocates, and we are so grateful for her and her company's efforts."

Taylor Morrison is involved with HomeAid in a number of its markets including Atlanta, Austin, Colorado, Houston, and four areas in California: San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Inland Empire and Orange County, where they have had representatives sit on the local Boards of Directors, have built several projects, and participated in numerous community outreach initiatives.

About HomeAid America

HomeAid is a leading national nonprofit provider of housing for the homeless. Through its network of 18 chapters in 12 states, HomeAid has completed over 550 housing projects that have sheltered over 325,000 previously homeless people. Through the generosity of builders, their trades and suppliers, HomeAid has added over $230 million of housing for the homeless, of which nearly 50 percent has been donated. HomeAid currently has over 60 projects in development across the country. For more information, visit www.homeaid.org.

About Taylor Morrison

Taylor Morrison Home Corporation (NYSE: TMHC) is a leading national homebuilder and developer that has been recognized as the 2016, 2017 and 2018 America's Most Trusted Home Builder by Lifestory Research. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona we operate under two well-established brands, Taylor Morrison and Darling Homes. We serve a wide array of consumer groups from coast to coast, including first-time, move-up, luxury, and 55 plus buyers. In Texas,Darling Homes builds communities with a focus on individuality and custom detail while delivering on the Taylor Morrison standard of excellence.

For more information about Taylor Morrison and Darling Homes please visit www.taylormorrison.com or www.darlinghomes.com.

Related Images:



Taylor Morrison Employees Create HomeAid CareKits for Homeless Organizations

taylor-morrison-employees-create.jpg

MEDIA CONTACT:

Amanda Genakos

HomeAid America

agenakos@homeaid.org
A.M. Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of "a+" of Seguros Catalana Occidente, S.A. de Seguros y Reaseguros (SCO) (Spain), Bilbao, Compania Anonima de Seguros y Reaseguros, S.A. (SB) (Spain) and Plus Ultra Seguros Generales y Vida, S.A. de Seguros y Reaseguros (PU) (Spain). All three companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Grupo Catalana Occidente, S.A. (GCO), the non-operating holding company of the GCO group, and form the traditional insurance business units of the group. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) remains stable.

The ratings of SCO reflect its balance sheet strength, which A.M. Best categorises as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. The ratings also factor in SCO's strategic importance to GCO, as its main operating entity of traditional insurance business. The track record of financial and operational support from GCO is a key factor for the ratings. Furthermore, the ratings of SB and PU reflect their strategic importance to the group.

GCO benefits from a very strong balance sheet, underpinned by an excellent consolidated risk-adjusted capitalisation, supported by solid and sustainable earnings from traditional and credit insurance business. The ratings also incorporate GCO's favourable business profile achieved through its traditional and credit insurance subsidiaries, which are among leaders in their respective markets.

SCO's balance sheet strength is underpinned by risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The assessment also factors in SCO's significant exposure to Spanish bonds, which have the potential to introduce volatility. Nonetheless, A.M. Best expects the company's balance sheet strength to remain resilient, supported by its strong earnings, excellent liquidity and the absence of external borrowings. Potential volatility introduced by catastrophe events is reduced significantly due to the protections afforded to the company through the Spanish national scheme, Consorcio de Compensacion de Seguros, which covers the majority of catastrophic perils in Spain.

SCO has a track record of generating strong operating performance as evidenced by a five-year (2013-2017) weighted average combined ratio and return on equity of 86.4% and 19.4%, respectively. SCO's technical results were profitable across most non-life and life business segments, despite competitive market conditions, from local and global insurers in the company's domestic market of Spain. The stability in technical earnings is underpinned by the company's extensive agency network, which has been in place for a number of years and allows SCO to tightly manage the underwriting process.

The traditional insurance business units of GCO collectively maintain a strong position in the group's domestic market. SCO is the leading entity within GCO's traditional insurance business unit, writing approximately 26% of GCO's consolidated written premium in 2017. SCO, SB and PU operate exclusively in Spain, and together form a solid and diversified franchise with presence in all of the regions and distribution channels of Spain's insurance market. GCO continues to invest in homogenising systems and platforms to take advantage of potential synergies and create future cost savings.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Understanding Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper media use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best press releases, please view Guide for Media Proper Use of Best's Credit Ratings and A.M. Best Rating Action Press Releases

A.M. Best is a global rating agency and information provider with a unique focus on the insurance industry. Visit www.ambest.com for more information

Copyright 2018 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005556/en/

Contacts:

A.M. Best

Jessica Botelho, CA

Financial Analyst

+44 20 7397 0310

jessica.botelho@ambest.com

or

Ghislain Le Cam, CFA, FRM

Director, Analytics

+44 20 7397 0268

ghislain.lecam@ambest.com

or

Christopher Sharkey

Manager, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

or

Jim Peavy

Director, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644

james.peavy@ambest.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 19, 2018) - Roscan Gold Corporation (TSXV: ROS) ("Roscan" or the "Company") has retained Michael Poulin to provide investor relations for the Company. Mr. Poulin will assist Roscan in expanding its visibility through marketing endeavours directed towards new and existing shareholders and investors.

Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Poulin will provide investor relation services for an initial six-month term, commencing September 16, 2018, at a cost of $3,500 per month. The agreement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange.

Mr. Poulin has worked as an investor relations consultant and/or employee for approximately 12 years with various public companies in Canada, focusing on small cap companies trading on North American stock exchanges, including Golden Dawn Minerals Inc., who he has worked with for the last 8 years. Mr. Poulin received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with an Economics major and Business minor from the University of British Columbia in 1991 and completed the Canadian Securities Course in 1993.

ABOUT ROSCAN

Roscan Gold Corporation is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of gold properties in West Africa. The Company has assembled a significant land position of 100%-owned permits in an area of large gold deposits for its Kandiole Project in west Mali.

For further information, please contact:

Greg Isenor

President and Chief Executive Officer

Tel: (902) 832-5555 or (416) 293-8437

Email: gpisenor@roscan.ca

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

-30-
SEATTLE, Oct. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LumiThera Inc., a commercial-stage medical device company focused on developing photobiomodulation (PBM) therapies for ocular disorders and disease, today announced that it will present at the Ophthalmology Innovation Summit at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (OIS@AAO) meeting on October 25, 2018, in Chicago, IL.

OIS unites industry, entrepreneurial and clinical leaders to collaborate on the development and commercialization of innovative drugs and devices to address unmet clinical needs. "We welcome the opportunity to present our company and our vision with other leaders in the ophthalmic industry at the OIS," said Clark Tedford, Ph.D., President and CEO of LumiThera.

Dr. Tedford's talk will highlight results from LumiThera's LIGHTSITE I Study and provide an update on the development of the Valeda Light Delivery System, which is being studied for the treatment of dry Age-related Macular Degeneration.

Details of the presentations are as follows:

Meeting: OIS@AAO

Session title: Company Showcase 1

Date: Thursday, October 25, 2018

Time: 9:35-9:41 AM CT

Location: Marriott Marquis Chicago

Presenter: Clark Tedford, Ph.D., President and CEO of LumiThera, Inc

About LumiThera, Inc.

LumiThera is a commercial-stage medical device company focused on treating people affected by ocular disorders and diseases including dry age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness in adults over 65. The company is a leader in the use of PBM for treatment of acute and chronic ocular diseases and disorders. The company is developing the office-based Valeda Light Delivery System to be used by eye care specialists as medical treatments.

The Valeda Light Delivery System has been granted authorization to use the CE Mark by an EU Notified Body as required for commercial use in the European Union only. Valeda is not approved for use by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in the USA.

2018 LumiThera, Inc., All rights reserved.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/772264/LumiThera_Valeda.jpg
(ASX:JOB)

Welcome to the Finance News Network. I'm Jessica Amir. With me today is soon-to-list company, Jobstorefounder and CEO Anson Wang, and chairman, Alan Beasley. Gentlemen, welcome to FNN.Thank you, Jessica.Thank you, Jessica.First up to you, Anson, just give us an introduction to Jobstore, and tell us why you're so unique.Jobstoreis artificial intelligence company focused on human resource industry. Currently we have operations in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. We have partnered with a number of big names in the market, including LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor and some other names in different countries. We have clients across more than ten different countries including Australia, Singapore and Malaysia, US, UK, Hong Kong, China and a few other countries. We founded in 2015 and we hope that we have a big growth in Australia.Thanks Anson. Now to more detail on your key product streams, starting with a talent-sourcing platform.When we started Jobstore, we noticed that clients posting jobs on multiple platforms is difficult, so when we started the talent-sourcing platform we helped clients to post jobs on up to 50 job sites. When client posts a job with Jobstore, the system will distribute to 50 job sites and we work together with a number of clients across ten different countries, for example Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and Australian High Commissions. We help clients to save up to 75 per cent of the cost and time on hiring.Thanks Anson. Now to the human capital management platform.The human capital management software is fully developed using artificial intelligence technology. Modules including resource planning, recruitment, compensation and payroll, training, and corporations. The software helps the companies to manage their internal resource for hiring. It also helps companies to do projection on the payroll and compensation payment. The software gives the companies the best tools to manage their internal resource on the employee expenditures, and give the best in maximum returns.Anson, now to financials. Since you started the company 3 years ago you've already had success, but what are the highlights?Business is doing fantastic. We have grown more than 200 per cent every single year, and we have served more than 6,000 clients across ten different countries, and we have established our business in Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia. We're looking forward, we can grow much bigger in Australia.Alan, over to you now, to the IPO and strategy. First up, how much are you planning to raise, and how will the funds be used?We're planning to raise around $6.6 million as a minimum, and possibly up to $8 million, and most of those funds will be invested in R&D and growth in Australia. We've had significant interest expressed for the offer. It's at 20 cents a share. We're seeking to raise up to $8 million. Most of that money will be reinvested in R&D and in growth in Australia. The offer is open until November 13, or until we've achieved the $8 million raised, and investors can download the prospectus from our website, CAGC, the lead manager, or speak with their own stockbroker.And lastly to you both, gentlemen, what's your focus for the next 12 months, and longer term?Well, post IPO, we will direct those funds to growth, particularly in Australia, and to R&D. That will see us, we believe, become one of the leading providers of software to the HR industry in the region.We have a fantastic team. We have a fantastic product. We believe we will have a fantastic growth.Wonderful. Anson Wang, Alan Beasley, thanks for your time, and good luck with the IPO.Thanks, Jessica.Thanks, Jessica.
The Finance Ministry is banking on merger and acquisitions among CPSEs and share buybacks by state-run companies to meet the Rs 80,000-crore disinvestment target for the current fiscal.

New Delhi: The Finance Ministry is banking on merger and acquisitions among CPSEs and share buybacks by state-run companies to meet the Rs 80,000-crore disinvestment target for the current fiscal.

The government has raised more than Rs 9,600 crore through IPOs of three CPSEs and a tranche of Bharat-22 ETF in the first six months of the fiscal so far.

A Finance Ministry official said there are liquidity constraints in the market for the past 3-4 months and such conditions would persist till there are uncertainties in global markets and crude prices remain volatile.

"We will meet the disinvestment target. We are looking at the acquisition of some state-run companies with similarly placed CPSEs, like PFC and REC," the official said.

To kickstart the merger and acquisition process, the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) will soon invite bids from merchant bankers and legal firms to handle consolidation, starting with two such deals.

The government is looking to sell its 65.61 percent stake in state-owned Power Finance Corporation (PFC) to Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), which could fetch about Rs 14,000 crore the exchequer.

Besides, the Finance Ministry has also shortlisted about a dozen Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), including Coal India, NTPC, Nalco and NMDC, for a possible buyback of shares in the ongoing financial year. The list also includes BHEL, NHPC, NBCC, SJVN, KIOCL and Hindustan Aeronautics.

These CPSEs have been asked to buy back shares following the capital restructuring guidelines set out by DIPAM on May 27, 2016.

The guidelines mandate that CPSEs having a net worth of at least Rs 2,000 crore and cash and bank balance of above Rs 1,000 crore have to mandatorily go in for share buyback.

The boards of three CPSEs -- NALCO, NLC and Cochin Shipyard-- have already approved share buybacks together worth Rs 2,000 crore.

"There will be about a dozen companies which will buy back shares. In view of the current market condition, we are not looking at any more IPOs and OFS at the moment," the official said.
Trading sentiment in Mindtree were hit as the company maintained a cautious business outlook amid volatile macroeconomic scenario across the world.

New Delhi: Shares of IT firm Mindtree cracked 18 percent on Friday as the company's September quarter earnings failed to cheer investors.

The scrip opened the day on a weak note and later plunged 17.66 percent to Rs 806 on BSE.

At NSE, shares of the company slumped 18 percent to Rs 801.10.

Trading sentiment in the stock were hit as the company maintained a cautious business outlook amid volatile macroeconomic scenario across the world.

"We sense a cautious and a volatile macroeconomic scenario in the world and that will pose some challenges to the business environment. In addition, Q3 has a regular seasonality factor as well. Inspite of these headwinds, we are confident that we have a very strong pipeline," Mindtree CEO and Managing Director Rostow Ravanan had said in a conference call Wednesday.

Mid-sized IT firm Mindtree on Wednesday posted a 65.4 percent rise in consolidated net profit at Rs 206.3 crore for the September quarter and exuded the confidence of registering strong revenue growth for the full fiscal despite "some challenges in the global business environment".

Stock markets were closed on Thursday for Dussehra.

The company had registered a net profit of Rs 124.7 crore in the year-ago period.

Its revenues rose 31.8 percent to Rs 1,755.4 crore in the quarter under review from Rs 1,331.6 crore in the year-ago period. On a sequential basis, the net profit was higher by 30.4 percent, while revenue grew 7.1 percent.
By Collin Eaton HOUSTON (Reuters) - Oil prices dipped on Thursday but pared losses as investors turned their attention to the impending loss of Iran's crude exports after the United States re-imposes sanctions in early November. In early trading, global benchmark Brent crude fell below $79 per barrel, or as much as 1.7 percent the day after a U.S. Energy Department report showed oil producers have put 22 million barrels in storage tanks over the past four weeks of increases in U.S.

By Collin Eaton

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Oil prices dipped on Thursday but pared losses as investors turned their attention to the impending loss of Iran's crude exports after the United States re-imposes sanctions in early November.

In early trading, global benchmark Brent crude fell below $79 per barrel, or as much as 1.7 percent the day after a U.S. Energy Department report showed oil producers have put 22 million barrels in storage tanks over the past four weeks of increases in U.S. crude stocks.

"We need to see signs loss of Iranian barrels will be replaced by other producers," said Gene McGillian, vice president of market research for Tradition Energy in Stamford, Connecticut. "We could see 2 million barrels taken off the market."

Brent crude was down 31 cents at $79.74 a barrel at 1:24 p.m. EDT (1724 GMT). It has dropped almost $7 since Oct. 3 when it reached $86.74, the highest since late 2014. U.S. crude was down 64 cents at $69.11.

Saudi Arabia said this month it would ramp up production by 300,000 barrels per day to help offset a sharp reduction of Iran's crude exports next month. Investors remained skeptical any country has enough spare capacity to make up for loss of crude from Iran, one of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' largest producers, analysts said.

"We're seeing some buying come back in," said Phil Flynn, an oil market analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

U.S. crude inventories rose 6.5 million barrels last week, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday, the fourth straight weekly increase and almost three times what analysts had forecast. [EIA/S]

Macroeconomic worries still weighed on prices. This month, the International Monetary Fund downgraded its forecast for 2018 global economic growth, which has weighed on oil prices. But tension between Saudi Arabia and the United States after the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has supported prices.

U.S. lawmakers pointed at the Saudi leadership over the disappearance and suggested sanctions could be possible. Saudi Arabia has denied that it had any role in Khashoggi's disappearance.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave Saudi Arabia the benefit of the doubt in the journalist's disappearance, suggesting the White House may not take additional action against Saudi Arabia.

"Although there's tension between Saudi Arabia and the U.S., the market doesn't think the Saudis are going to use their oil as a weapon," said Andy Lipow, an oil market analyst at Lipow Oil Associates in Houston. "Theyd face additional public negative public relations."

(Additional reporting by Alex Lawler and Osamu Tsukimori; Editing by David Gregorio)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
A similar increase was seen in the retail markets, where the onion was quoted in the range of Rs 30-40 per kg depending on the quality and locality.

New Delhi: Wholesale onion prices in the national capital have shot up to Rs 23 per kg in last ten days on tight supplies from producing states, a traders body said.

A similar increase was seen in the retail markets, where the kitchen staple was quoted in the range of Rs 30-40 per kg depending on the quality and locality.

"There has been Rs 7-10 per kilo increase in wholesale rates of onion in the last ten days," Onion and Potato Merchants Association (Azadpur mandi) General Secretary Rajendra Sharma said.

Not only the price gap between the old and new crop has come down, but also the arrival of new kharif crop is yet to begin in full swing as farmers have not started harvesting due to the festive break, he said.

Meanwhile at Lasalgoan in Nasik district of Maharasthra, Asia's largest wholesale market for onion, prices skyrocketed to Rs 21-22 per kg on reports of a possible drop in the kharif output of the bulb crop because of heat wave in the state.

The prices were ruling at Rs 15 per kg in the year-ago period at the Lasalgoan market, the official data showed.

The major onion producing states are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Orissa, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab and Rajashan.
The RBI permitted banks to use government securities equal to their incremental outstanding credit to NBFCs, over and above their outstanding credit to them as on 19 October, to be used to meet liquidity coverage ratio requirements.

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Friday announced more measures to increase liquidity flows to the non-banking financial companies.

The RBI permitted banks to use government securities equal to their incremental outstanding credit to NBFCs, over and above their outstanding credit to them as on 19 October, to be used to meet liquidity coverage ratio requirements.

The move will help provide liquidity to housing finance companies (HFCs) and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) which have come under pressure following series of default by IL&FS group companies.

"... banks will be permitted to also reckon Government securities held by them up to an amount equal to their incremental outstanding credit to NBFCs and HFCs, over and above the amount of credit to NBFCs and HFCs outstanding on their books as on 19 October, 2018, as Level 1 HQLA under FALLCR within the mandatory SLR requirement," RBI said in a notification.

This will be in addition to the existing FALLCR of 13 percent of total deposits, and limited to 0.5 percent of the bank's total deposits.

Liquidity coverage ratio refers to highly liquid assets that financial institutions need to hold in order to meet short-term obligations.

The additional window will be available up to 31 December, 2018, the notification said.

Besides, it said, the single borrower exposure limit for NBFCs which do not finance infrastructure stands increased from 10 percent to 15 percent of capital funds, up to 31 December, 2018.

The RBI has been taking series of steps to infuse liquidity in the system. It has also been undertaking open market operation at regular intervals to add liquidity.
They are An Thoi islet off Phu Quoc Island in southern Kien Giang province, and Binh Lap island in the central province of Khanh Hoa.Remarking on the construction site soundtrack that accompanies beaches on Phu Quoc, the article advises travellers to take a boat from the islands port to An Thoi, which has secluded coves and colourful reefs almost completely devoid of humans.Fifth on the list is Binh Lap Island in Cam Ranh Bay, which it describes as secluded and more Seychelles than Southeast Asia.Two beaches each in Thailand and Malaysia, one each in Hong Kong, Cambodia and the Philippines are also in the list.Interestingly, it includes an island in landlocked Laos, which only materialises in the November to April dry season as the Mekong River recedes.To prevent these and other unspoilt beaches from being ruined by tourism, The Telegraph article advises visitors to be responsible by removing all of your own rubbish, dont abscond with seashells or sands and use an ocean-safe sunscreen.

Vietnamplus
22:29 (ist)

Priority is to give best possible medical assistance to the injured: Northern Railways CPRO tells Firstpost

When asked whether any probe will be conducted by Northern Railways, Deepak Kumar  CPRO, Nothern Railways  told Firstpost: "The Minister of State for Railways, along with Railway Board chairman and other senior officials, are on their way to the accident site. Any announcement on any enquiry can be given only by them."

He also said that the railways was not responsible for the mishap. Kumar also said that the railways will decide on compensation later.

"The question of compensation doesn't arise immediately because the priority is to give the best possible medical assistance to the injured as of now. The railways would decide on compensation later," Kumar said.
Prominent political leaders from across the country expressed their condolences after at least 50 people were killed in a major train accident in Amritsar.

Dussehra celebrations on Friday turned tragic in Punjab's Amritsar as a train ploughed through people standing on the tracks watching as the effigy of Ravana went up in smoke.

The speeding train mowed down at least 50 revellers. At least 300 people were at the spot watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks.

Officials said at least 50 were also injured in the incident that took place at Joda Phatak. They said the train was travelling from Jalandhar to Amritsar.

President Ram Nath Kovind said he was "shocked to hear about the tragedy".

Shocked to hear about the tragedy on rail tracks in Amritsar, Punjab. Understand Indian Railways and local authorities are taking steps to help affected people. Heartfelt condolences to bereaved families #PresidentKovind  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) October 19, 2018

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives in the tragedy and said he has "asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required".

Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 19, 2018

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh announced compensation of Rs five lakh each to the kin of the deceased in the mishap. He also said he was rushing to the spot to personally supervise rescue and relief operations.

The chief minister also announced free treatment to all injured in the accident.

Rushing to Amritsar to personally supervise relief & rescue in tragic rail accident on Dussehra in Amritsar. My govt will give Rs 5 lakh to kin of each deceased & free treatment to injured in govt & pvt hospitals. District authorities have been mobilised on war footing.  Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) October 19, 2018

We will do everything possible to assist the injured. Have directed the district administration to leave no stone unturned to ensure the best possible treatment for them. pic.twitter.com/90ddA1XeZQ  Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) October 19, 2018

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he was "pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives" in the tragedy.

Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured.    (@rajnathsingh) October 19, 2018

I spoke to Home Secretary of Punjab and DGP of the state regarding the train accident in Amritsar. They are rushing to the spot. Centre is ready to provide all possible assistance to the state at this hour of grief.    (@rajnathsingh) October 19, 2018

Congress president Rahul Gandhi also urged "the state government and Congress workers to provide immdiate relief at the accident site".

The train accident in Punjab in which over 50 people have died is shocking. I urge the state government & Congress workers to provide immediate relief at the accident site. My condolences to the families of those who have died. I pray that the injured make a speedy recovery.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 19, 2018

BJP president Amit Shah also said that he had "spoken to the local BJP unit and asked out karyakartas to join the rescue operation".

I am pained beyond words to learn about the tragic train accident in Amritsar. I have spoken to the local BJP unit and asked our karyakartas to join the rescue operation. My deepest condolences with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for early recovery of those injured.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) October 19, 2018

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also tweeted on the accident and appealed all the AAP volunteers to help authorities in relief work.

Extremely sad news coming about a major train accident near Amritsar

I appeal to all our volunteers in the area to help authorities in the relief work and provide whatever help we can in this moment of crisis  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) October 19, 2018

Railways minister Piyush Goyal said that "railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations."

Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident that occurred in Amritsar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly. Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations.  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 19, 2018

Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, whose wife was the chief guest at the event, said that he will rush back to Amritsar from Bengaluru. "I have spoken to the deputy commission. There will be an investigation."

"My wife is visiting the injured at the hospital. One should understand, nobody causes such incidents intentionally. I urge people not to politicise the issue. At this time, everyone needs to come together and share the grief," he further said.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury also reacted and said that "relief must be topmost priority".

Condolences to the bereaved. Shocked at this tragedy. Immediate medical attention & relief must be topmost priority. Responsibility and accountability must be fixed at the very top for such accidents. #RailwaySafety https://t.co/0YlAKgKUWt  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) October 19, 2018

Congress leader and former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said he hopes "those injured recover soon".
A speeding train on its way from Pathankot to Amritsar smashed into a massive crowd on the railway tracks watching a burning Ravana effigy during Dussehra fireworks in Punjab's Amritsar on Friday at around 7 pm local time, killing at least 61 people and injuring 70 at last count.

A speeding train on its way from Pathankot to Amritsar smashed into a massive crowd on the railway tracks watching a burning Ravana effigy during Dussehra fireworks in Punjab's Amritsar on Friday at around 7 pm local time, killing at least 59 people and injuring 100 at last count. Outrage and sadness poured out as video clips surfaced of the gut wrenching moment when the train rams into the crowd - almost at the exact moment when the Ravana effigy erupts into a huge ball of flame in the distance, just across the tracks.

#PunjabTrainMishap -- Over 50 people were killed when a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching the burning of Ravana effigy near Amritsar were caught between two trains. pic.twitter.com/wuwUMY5jl3  News18 (@CNNnews18) October 19, 2018

#WATCH Eyewitness at #Amritsar accident site says, "Congress had organised Dussehra celebrations here without permission. Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife was the chief guest at the celebrations and she continued to give a speech as people were struck down by the train." pic.twitter.com/rcsxbVxiB9  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

The site of the accident - Joda Phatak near Dhobi Ghat - is nearly 465 kilometers north of New Delhi. Many of those killed were migrant workers who lived in the slums skirting the railway tracks. Chaotic scenes are playing out at the Civil Hospital in Amritsar into the early hours of Saturday morning. "Bodies of many victims including little children are lying on the floor as there is no place to keep them", reads a grim despatch from 101 Reporters. Friday's was among the deadliest train accident in recent years. In 2016, 146 people were killed when a train slid off railroad tracks in eastern India.

PTI is reporting that two trains arrived from opposite directions on separate tracks at the same time giving little opportunity for people to escape. However, the casualties were caused by one of the trains. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh has ordered an inquiry into the accident and announced immediate compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of those killed. Navjot Kaur Siddhu, a local Congress party politician who was the chief guest at the religious function, said the celebrations take place in the area every year and railroad authorities are alerted to run the trains at slow speeds. One of the people who escaped unhurt but lost "two brothers" said the train didn't sound its whistle as it sped past.

"Why did authorities allow the fireworks display so close to the railroad track?," he told a TV station. he asked. Another witness said victims didn't realize that a train was coming because the noise from the fireworks and the crowd drowned out the sound of the approaching train. Amarinder Singh, scheduled to leave for Israel on Friday evening, postponed his trip and will fly to Amritsar Saturday morning to meet families of the victims. The Punjab government also ordered state mourning; all offices and educational institutions will remain closed on Saturday. A crisis management group under Punjab health minister Brahm Mohindra has been set up to monitor relief and rehabilitation efforts. According to Raveen Thukral, media advisor to the chief minister, initial reports suggested the incident occurred during a stampede, as people rushed towards the tracks when crackers went off during 'Ravana dahan'. A railway official said in New Delhi that the drop gates at the spot were down but people still crowded on the tracks in violation of railway rules.

Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has cancelled all his engagements in the US where he is currently visiting and is returning to India.

Locals blame authorities; Congress government faces flak

A local resident alleged that the Dussehra celebrations were organised by forcing the local administration to grant permission near the railway tracks. He said the administration had not granted permission in 2017 for the use of this venue for Dussehra celebrations owing to its proximity to the tracks. Some people blamed Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur, who was the chief guest at the celebrations, saying her late arrival delayed the burning of the effigy by more than half an hour. Reacting to the row surrounding his wife's presence at the event, Sidhu said: "My wife is visiting the injured at the hospital. One should understand that nobody intentionally causes such incidents. I urge people to not politicise the issue. At this time, everyone needs to come together and share the grief." Navjot Kaur said the railways should have ensured that trains slow down near that section of the track during Dussehra celebrations. "Every year, Dussehra celebrations take place there." she said. Union minister and Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the entire onus was on the state government.

There are not enough words to mourn the Amritsar train tragedy that claims so many innocent lives. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. The incident needs to be probed as it casts serious question on administration. #AmritsarTrainTragedy|  Harsimrat Kaur Badal (@HarsimratBadal_) October 19, 2018

Congress MP from Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla said that a probe will be conducted into the incident. "Action will be taken against those found guilty, even if it is Navjot Kaur Sidhu," he was quoted as saying by ANI. BJP leader and Union finance minister Arun Jaitley said the initial reports suggest it was a tragedy that could have been avoided. Some Opposition leaders also alleged that the event was organised by the Congress. Former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal demanded an inquiry by a retired high court judge to fix responsibility and punish the guilty. President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the tragedy.

Shocked to hear about the tragedy on rail tracks in Amritsar, Punjab. Understand Indian Railways and local authorities are taking steps to help affected people. Heartfelt condolences to bereaved families #PresidentKovind  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) October 19, 2018

Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 19, 2018

The prime minister announced Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

Train services affected

All services on Jalandhar-Amritsar route remained suspended three hours after the incident, a railway official told PTI. While some trains are being diverted, many are stationed near Jalandhar, he said.

Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha told reporters in New Delhi that medical teams are rushing to the spot. "I am also leaving for the site of the accident. As per initial information, people present near the railway track couldn't hear the sound of the approaching train due to bursting of crackers," he told before leaving for Amritsar.

The railways has issued helpline numbers: 01832223171 and 01832564485.

Telephone numbers at Manawala station are 0183-2440024, 0183-2402927 and Ferozpur's helpline number is 01632-1072.

With inputs from Agencies and 101 Reporters
News channel NDTV has been sued by Anil Ambani's Reliance group for Rs 10,000 crore over the channel's coverage of the Rafale deal, NDTV said in a statement on Thursday. The channel called the move 'an unsophisticated warning to the media to stop doing its job'. The matter has been listed for hearing on 26 October in a court in Ahmedabad.

News channel NDTV has been sued by Anil Ambani's Reliance Group for Rs 10,000 crore over the channel's coverage of the Rafale deal, NDTV said in a statement on Thursday. The channel called the move 'an unsophisticated warning to the media to stop doing its job'. The matter has been listed for hearing on 26 October in a court in Ahmedabad.

According to the statement, the lawsuit was filed against NDTV's weekly show, Truth vs Hype, that aired on 29 September, which discussed whether the Reliance Defence (that belongs to the Reliance Group) was transparently chosen as the partner for Dassault Aviation in a deal where India bought 36 fighter jets. The channel said that top executives of Reliance Group had ignored multiple requests to appear on the show or comment on the matter.

NDTV denied the defamation charges, stating that they are a heavy-handed attempt by Anil Ambanis group to suppress the facts and prevent the media from doing its job  asking questions about a defence deal and seeking answers that are very much in public interest.

The channel clarified its role by stating that the show aired days after Francois Hollande  who was the President of France when the deal was struck  questioned the role of Reliance Defence. They claimed that the show reported all sides of the story including Dassault's denial that it had been under any pressure to select Reliance Defence. "The panellists, in a balanced discussion, examined whether issues like Reliance's vast debt and record in defence manufacturing made it a suitable choice for Dassault in India," the statement reads.

NDTV CEO Suparna Singh also tweeted about the lawsuit, calling it a brazen attempt at harassment and intimidation.

NDTV has been sued by Anil Ambanis Reliance for 10,000 crores in an AHMEDABAD court. For our coverage of Rafale. We will fight this brazen attempt at harassment and intimidation.  Suparna Singh (@Suparna_Singh) October 18, 2018

A huge controversy over the Rafale deal erupted in India after a report in the French media quoted Hollande as saying that the selection of the Indian company in the Rafale deal was done at the behest of New Delhi.

Hollande said that the Indian government proposed Reliance Defence as the partner for the French aerospace giant in the Rafale deal and France did not have a choice.

In August, Reliance Group companies had filed a Rs 5,000 crore defamation suit against the Congress-owned National Herald, claiming an article published in the newspaper regarding the Rafale fighter deal was "libellous and derogatory".

Earlier, the group had sent legal notices to several Congress leaders, asking them to "cease and desist" from levelling such allegations against the company in connection with the Rafale deal.
At least 15 people were killed in Amritsar in Punjab on Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers was run over by a train.

Amritsar: At least 52 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near here, officials said.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred at Joda Phatak where at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana dahan' at a ground near the tracks.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Amritsar I Rajesh Sharma said 52 people have died and at least 72 injured have been admitted to Amritsar hospital.

As the effigy was lit and the fireworks went off, a section of the crowd started retreating towards the tracks where a large number of people were already standing to watch the event, officials said.

However, two trains arrived from the opposite direction at the same time giving little opportunity to people to escape, they said.

Several people were mowed down by one of the trains, they said.

Wails and cries of people filled the air as friends and relatives frantically looked for their near and dear ones. Severed bodies, including of many children, were still lying on the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing authorities to remove them.

It was heart rending sight as the dismembered body parts laid strewn on the blood-soaked ground. Many bodies could not be identified.

People shouted slogans against local MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was present as chief guest during the event. She later said she rushed to the hospital immediately after the incident.

There was shock and disbelief as panic-stricken people recounted the horror.

"I have lost my minor child. I want him back," an inconsolable mother could be heard.

"Several times we have been requesting the authorities and local leaders telling them to take up the issue with railway authorities to slow down the trains near this Phatak during Dussehra, but no one has listened," a local said.

Another said people could not hear the sound of the approaching train due to bursting of fire-crackers.

The incident sent shock waves across the country. There was an outpouring of grief with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoling the loss of lives. Modi directed officials to provide immediate assistance.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching," he tweeted.

"My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," he said.

"Shocked to hear about the tragedy on rail tracks in Amritsar, Punjab. Understand Indian Railways and local authorities are taking steps to help affected people," Kovind said.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced compensation of Rs five lakh each to the kin of the deceased and said he was rushing to the spot to personally supervise rescue and relief operations.

He also announced free treatment to all injured in the accident.

Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha, Railway Board chairman Ashwani Lohani and Northern Railway general manager Vishwesh Chaube are rushing to the spot while Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said immediate relief and rescue operations are being conducted.
A division bench of justices RV More and Bharti Dangre said it will hear petitions filed by Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde urging the court to quash the case on 26 October.

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday said the Pune police shall not take any coercive action against activist Gautam Navlakha and professor Anand Teltumbde, both accused in Koregaon-Bhima case, till next week.

A division bench of justices RV More and Bharti Dangre said it will hear petitions filed by Navlakha and Teltumbde urging the court to quash the case on 26 October.

Additional public prosecutor Aruna Kamat-Pai told the court Friday that Navlakha was protected from arrest till 26 October by an order passed by the Supreme Court.

The high court then posted the petitions for hearing on 26 October and said, "No coercive steps (such as arrest) shall be taken till the next date of hearing."

Pune police in August this year lodged a case against Navlakha, Teltumbde and four other activists.

Navlakha, prominent Telugu poet Varavara Rao, activists Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves and trade union activist Sudha Bharadwaj were arrested. Teltumbde was not arrested but his house was searched.

Navlakha and Teltumbde moved the Bombay high court this month, seeking quashing of the First Information Report (FIR) lodged against them claiming there was no evidence and they were being falsely implicated.

After the arrest of Navlakha and four others by Pune police, the Supreme Court ordered that they be placed under house arrest.

The apex court, later, refused to interfere in the case and said the Pune police could go ahead with its investigation.

Earlier this month, the Delhi High Court freed Navlakha from the house arrest, saying the Supreme Court had given him the liberty to approach the appropriate forum within four weeks to seek further relief.

Pune police had claimed that they seized documents and emails exchanged between the accused which allegedly revealed their links with Maoist leaders and their roles in facilitating supply of weapons and funding.

The five activists were arrested on 28 August in connection with an FIR lodged following the Elgar Parishad conclave in Pune on 31 December last year which allegedly triggered violence at Koregaon-Bhima in Pune district the next day.
The Class 9 girl was battling for life after jumping from the roof of a three-storey building in Bihar's Chitranjan where she was raped after being intoxicated,

Patna: A gang-rape survivor was seriously injured on Friday after she leapt from a building and landed on high voltage wire in Bihar's Lakhisarai district, triggering mob violence, police said.

The Class 9 girl was battling for life after jumping from the roof of a three-storey building in Chitranjan where she was raped after being intoxicated, Lakhisarai Superintendent of Police Kartikey Sharma said. According to Sharma, the girl along with one of her friends had gone 'pandal' hopping on Durga Navami on Thursday.

It was unclear how she reached the third floor of the building, Sharma said. The police suspect that she must have jumped from the building after gaining consciousness. She was recovered in a half-naked condition. She was possibly forced to consume liquor before being raped, Sharma added.

The police are waiting to register her statement as she remains unconscious.

Her girlfriend, the owner of the building and another suspect have been detained, the police officer said.

Police have recovered some of the victim's clothes, liquor bottles and glasses from the building roof.

The incident triggered violent protests in the area. Hundreds of people blocked roads and ransacked public property demanding immediate police action. Additional security forces have been deployed in the area.
The Opposition Congress and BJP hit out at the Left government in Kerala for allegedly extending support to bring women activists to Sabarimala temple.

Thiruvananthapuram: The Opposition Congress and BJP on Friday hit out at the Left government in Kerala for allegedly extending support to bring women activists to Sabarimala temple, hurting the sentiments of devotees.

They also alleged the police gave one of the women, who climbed to the hill shrine amid heavy security, their official uniform and helmet.

The two women, identified as a journalist from Hyderabad and a Kochi-based activist, trekked Sabarimala and reached a few metres away from the holy 18 steps with police escort but had to return due to massive protest by devotees.

Attacking the CPM-led LDF government on the issue, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala asked whether the police gave security to the real devotees.

"Has the government taken to the shrine the real devotees? Is the entry of women into the shrine a commando operation? Is this the Supreme Court order?" he asked.

"The government has extended support to bring activists to Sabarimala, hurting the sentiments of Lord Ayyappa devotees," Chennithala said.

Earlier in the day, Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran admitted that one of the women who trekked to the shrine was an activist and made it clear that holy Sabarimala was not a place to show their strength and activism.

Referring to the massive protest at the temple complex by the devotees and the 'parikarmies', the assistants of the priests, Chennithala said the "illogical" steps taken by the government on the Sabarimala women entry issue had led to this situation.

He also reiterated the UDF stand that the Pinarayi Vijayan government showed "over-enthusiasm" and "hurry" to implement the apex court order permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

The government unilaterally moved forward on the matter without trying for a consensus among stakeholders, he said.

Chennithala also alleged that the BJP-RSS combine was trying to inflame communal passion over the matter.

Hitting out at the LDF government, BJP state president PS Sreedharan Pillai said the state authorities were trying to make Sabarimala a "clash zone".

The police escorted two women to the shrine by making one of them wear police uniform and a helmet, without considering the sentiments of the devotees, he alleged.

A large number of devotees blocked the young women and police team escorting them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy 'pathinettam padi' (the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum.

Tension was defused after the women agreed to return as the state government made it clear it did not want to take them to the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, by using force against the protesting devotees.
The Odisha government asked the Centre on Thursday to release an interim assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for relief-and-restoration work in 17 districts as last week's Cyclone Titli and the subsequent flood caused a loss of about Rs 2,765 crore and affected 60.11 lakh people.

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government asked the Centre on Thursday to release an interim assistance of Rs 1,000 crore for relief-and-restoration work in 17 districts as last week's Cyclone Titli and the subsequent flood caused a loss of about Rs 2,765 crore and affected 60.11 lakh people.

Apart from a severe damage to infrastructure, the natural calamities had claimed 57 lives in the state, officials said. "I would request you to kindly consider the grave situation in the state on account of the Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 'Titli' and its associated impacts and request you to please release an interim assistance of Rs 1,000 crore to the state to enable taking up relief and restoration works of immediate nature," chief minister Naveen Patnaik wrote to prime minister Narendra Modi.

This apart, Patnaik mentioned in the letter that keeping in view the fact that 57,131 houses were damaged, the Government of India should consider a special allocation of the same number of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). Noting that the state government had already submitted a preliminary memorandum to the Centre, pegging the funds required at Rs 2,770.28 crore, Patnaik said, "We are seeking central assistance of Rs 2014.09 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund, over and above the funds available in the State Disaster Response Fund for the year 2018-19."

Besides the loss of human lives, there had been an extensive damage to private and public properties, Patnaik said, adding that the standing crop on about 2.73 lakh hectares of land had also suffered massive damage. The chief minister said the damage to the electrical infrastructure in Ganjam and Gajapati districts was immense and the roads in the rural as well as urban areas were also in a very poor shape.

These needed to be repaired on an urgent basis, he added. Stating that his government had fully utilised its resources to tackle "Titli" and the resultant flood, Patnaik said the natural calamities had caused damage and destruction in 17 districts and affected 60.11 lakh people.

"A non-coastal district, namely Gajapati, has been the worst affected. Besides the cyclone and the flood, a massive landslide occurred in the Mahendragiri hills, which completely destroyed one village, namely Baraghara, under Gangabada GP of Gajapati district," the chief minister said, adding that 57 people lost their lives in different districts and 10 were reportedly missing due to landslides, wall-collapse incidents and drowning.

Meanwhile, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, visited Gajapati and Ganjam districts and expressed concern over the plight of the people even eight days after the cyclone hit the coast. Unhappy over the manner in which the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government in the state undertook the relief-and-restoration activities, he said, "The government should wake up from its slumber and swing into action to mitigate the miseries of the affected people."
Travancore Devaswom Board will meet on Friday in Thiruvananthapuram to find an amicable solution to the Sabarimala row, Narendra Modi to hand over keys of houses to PMAY beneficiaries in Maharashtra's Shirdi, Zika cases rise to 106 in Rajasthan - day's top stories

Sabarimala temple row: TDB to meet to find amicable solution

Amid mounting protests in Kerala against the entry of women of menstrual age into Sabarimala temple, the Travancore Devaswom Board will meet on Friday in Thiruvananthapuram to find an amicable solution to the row. Ahead of the meeting, the TDB, which administers the hill shrine, on Thursday said it was ready for any sort of compromise to end the stand-off. TDB president A Padmakumar said the board has always taken a stand that it was ready for any sort of compromise to end the protest and bring normalcy. "We are not for any politics over the issue," he told reporters in Pamba. Seeking to reach out to devotees opposing entry of women of all age groups, he asked if the protests would end if the TDB files a review plea in the Supreme Court against its verdict.

Narendra Modi to hand over keys of houses to PMAY beneficiaries in Maharashtra's Shirdi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hand over keys of houses to some beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and interact with them at the temple town of Shirdi in Maharashtra on Friday, an official said on Tuesday. Modi will be present at the e-griha pravesh ceremony for 40,000 beneficiaries of the affordable housing scheme of the government, he said. The prime minister will also participate in functions to mark the conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Samadhi centenary programme organised by the Sai temple trust. Modi is also expected to perform ground breaking ceremony for some projects of the trust, including the new "darshan" queue shelter to be constructed in the Sai temple, the official said.

Vikas Bahl hearing today

The Bombay High Court during a hearing on Wednesday directed Filmmaker Vikas Bahl, accused of sexual assault by a former employee of Phantom Films, to make the woman employee a respondent to the suit and adjourned the hearing to Friday. Bahl has filed a Rs 10-crore defamation suit against Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane, his former partners in the production house. Bahl, the director of Kangana Ranaut-starrer Queen, has sought interim direction from the court seeking to restrain Kashyap and Motwane from making any statements, either to the media or on social media platforms, against him. Justice SJ Kathawalla directed Bahl, Kashyap, Motwane and the woman to appear in person in his chamber on Friday when the matter would be heard. The unidentified woman employee alleged that Bahl sexually assaulted her in Goa during a promotional tour for the movie Bombay Velvet in 2015.

Uddhav Thackeray targets Narendra Modi over delay in construction of Ram temple

Making a strong pitch for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Thursday said he would visit the Uttar Pradesh town on 25 November and "question" Modi on the issue. Addressing the party's annual Dussehra rally in central Mumbai, a few months before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Thackeray said a "2014-like wave" is not prevailing in the country. The BJP had attributed its 2014 electoral success to the "Modi wave".

"I will go to Ayodhya on 25 November. I will ask questions to the prime minister (over alleged delay in constructing the temple)...We are not enemies of the prime minister, but we don't want to play with the emotions of the people," Thackeray told a huge gathering of the party workers.

Zika cases rise to 106 in Rajasthan

The number of people infected with Zika virus rose to 106 in Rajasthan on Thursday. Of the total affected people, 25 are pregnant women, said a Union health ministry official. The six new Zika cases confirmed on Thursday were from Jaipur and two neighbouring districts, he added. In view of the rising cases, the Centre on Wednesday rushed an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) team to the state to intensify vector control measures. The team of experts from ICMR has changed the insecticides which are being used in the city and neighbouring districts to kill mosquitoes that spread Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses as a part of the integrated mosquito management programme, the official said. Zika virus has been found in some mosquitoes taken as samples from Sindhi Camp and densely-populated Shastri Nagar.

Fuel prices drop in three months

Prices of petrol and diesel fell in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata by 21 paise and 11 paise respectively. This is the first price cut arising from a drop in international oil prices. Petrol was being sold at Rs 88.08 per litre in Mumbai while a litre of diesel cost Rs 79.24. In the National Capital, petrol was being sold at Rs 82.62 paise per litre as against Rs 82.83 a litre previously. A litre of diesel now costs Rs 75.58 as compared to Rs 75.69 previously. Before the 5 October price cut, petrol in Delhi had hit an all-time high of Rs 84 per litre and diesel was at a record Rs 75.45. This came down to Rs 81.50 per litre for petrol and Rs 72.95 in case of diesel.

If you can't support the #MeToo movement fine, but please don't mock it: Honey Irani

Veteran writer Honey Irani, maternal aunt of director Sajid Khan who has been accused of sexual harassment, says it's important not to "mock" the #MeToo movement. "It's sad that now that women are talking, most people don't listen, and ask why did you not speak up then? Well this is exactly why, when you can't deal with it now, imagine how could you 10 or 15 years back. If you can't support this movement fine, but please don't mock it," the Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai writer tweeted. Sajid has been named by multiple women for sexual misconduct. The actor-director stepped down as Housefull 4 director, saying he was doing so "till the time I can allay the allegations and prove the truth".

Apple iPhone XR pre-orders go live

Apples cheapest new iPhone, the iPhone XR is now available for pre-order at a price of Rs 76,900 for the 64 GB base model. The XR bears the same internals as the iPhone XS and XS Max and features the same notch with Face ID, Apples blisteringly quick A12 Bionic chip and one of the two rear 12 MP cameras. On the other hand, you only get an LCD display and an aluminium frame. The display is a 6.1-inch IPS LCD panel with a resolution of just 1792x828. Unlike its more expensive brethren, the XR is available in a lot more colours, which include Red, Yellow White, Coral, Black and Blue. Those who pre-order the phone should expect delivery by 26 October, which is the time at which the phone will go on sale at retail locations around the country.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
On Thursday, the court had accepted the surrender plea submitted by Pandey. In a video statement, which was tweeted out by journalists, Pandey claimed that he was branded as a wanted criminal by the media and is a victim of a media trial.

Dismissing the bail plea of Ashish Pandey, who was seen brandishing a gun and threatening a man outside a five-star hotel in the city, Delhi's Patiala House court on Friday sent him to judicial custody till Monday.

On Thursday, the court had accepted the surrender plea submitted by Pandey, after the court issued a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him on Wednesday. Pandey, who is the son of former Bahujan Samaj Party MP Rakesh Pandey, was missing since 14 October when the incident occurred outside the Hyatt Regency.

In a video statement, which was tweeted out by journalists on Thursday, Pandey claimed that he was branded as a wanted criminal by the media and is a victim of a media trial.

I am being projected like Im a wanted terrorist and that the police across the nation is looking for me. I am not denying that the incident never took place that night. A lookout circular has been issued against me. I learnt about this two to three days later when the video went viral. However, this entire incident is being shown through one perspective. If you check the CCTV footage, youll find who went to the ladies toilet that night and who threatened whom, he said.

In the video, Pandey also claimed that CCTV footage of the events that took place inside the hotel should be examined. He claimed that he was threatened but does not mention any name. He proceeds to say that statements from the security personnel as well as the staff of the hotel should be taken to find out what actually happened.

Further, in the video, Pandey said, "I admit that I did take the gun while getting down from the car for my safety. I didnt brandish it. It was hanging behind me all the time. There have been allegations that I had threatened that girl. I didnt even address that girl, she pushed me and made obscene hand gestures. I will share the details with the cops in my statement. I have faith in the judiciary and so I have decided to surrender. There is no history of any police case against me.

The video of the incident at Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Delhi prompted the police to step in and launch a hunt for the accused who had gone missing after the incident. Pandey's brother Ritesh Pandey is a sitting MLA from Uttar Pradesh.

With inputs from PTI
Though Imran Khan did not name any countries, Pakistan media reported that the government was consulting allies like China and Saudi Arabia for financial help.

Islamabad: Pakistan may not have to approach the IMF for loans as it has received "positive" responses from some "friendly countries", Prime Minister Imran Khan said days after Islamabad formally approached the global lender for a bailout to tide over the economic crisis.

Talking to a delegation of senior editors on Wednesday, Khan said his government was in touch with some "friendly countries" and has sought cooperation to address the mounting balance of payments deficit and dwindling foreign currency reserves.

Though he did not name any countries, Pakistani media reported that the government was consulting allies like China and Saudi Arabia for financial help. "Their response is positive. I am quite hopeful that we will not have to approach the International Monetary Fund for our economic needs," Khan was quoted as saying by The News International.

Khan's comments follow some tough talking by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde and the US on Pakistan's bailout plan, demanding absolute transparency on the country's debts, including those owned by China under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

Apart from selling off surplus luxury cars, Prime Minister Khan's proposals include turning state-owned buildings into universities, dispensing with VIP security protocol and cutting air conditioning in government offices to keep the economy afloat.

Khan has vowed to steer Pakistan out of a looming balance-of-payments crisis, saying it needs $10 to 12 billion. He said Pakistan's economy has been badly hit. He said the previous governments borrowed so much that it has become hard for his government to repay the loans. "Had the former government not received loans or the amount so received was utilised properly, the economy of the country would have been in a good shape," he said.

Pakistan Finance Minister Asad Umar met IMF chief Lagarde on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Bali, Indonesia on 12 October and formally requested a "stabilisation recovery programme". Umar said that a team of the IMF will arrive in Pakistan on 7 November.

He said the government don't want to fully rely on the IMF and would do anything to bring improvement in the economy. He said the loan programme with the IMF is almost final, but the government will have to see that the IMF does not place any undoable conditions for Pakistan in return.

Lagarde has made it clear to Umar that the IMF would require absolute transparency on Pakistan's debts, including those owned by China under the multibillion-dollar CPEC.

The CPEC is a network of infrastructure projects that are currently under construction throughout Pakistan that will connect China's Xinjiang province with Gwadar port in Pakistan's Balochistan province. It is the part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The US has said that the huge Chinese debt was responsible for the economic challenges facing Pakistan, adding that it will review Islamabad's bailout plea to the IMF from all angles, including the country's debt position.

Umar said the Pakistan government was also exploring other options to avoid problems if the IMF programme did not materialise.
#MeToo has taken India by storm. Despite certain speed bumps, this progressive movement is at full swing and there are high hopes that this will lead to a change for the better in society

#MeToo has taken India by storm. Despite certain speed bumps, this progressive movement is at full swing and there are high hopes that this will lead to a change for the better in society. The participants of this movement should be appreciated for their courage in speaking up despite the disbelief, harsh threats and other repercussions that are bound to follow. Media houses have been extremely instrumental in providing a platform for this movement, where the victims have been able to come forward, tell their story and be heard.

This brings to the fore the question of liability of these media houses: To what extent are they liable for the stories that they publish in good faith? Will the defamation standards that are applied in ordinary cases also apply in these situations?

The defamation law in India is guided by common law principles in matters relating to civil liability and Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in cases of criminal liability. Media houses or their journalists have no special protection under defamation laws in India despite stern attempts being made by the Editors Guild of India to decriminalise defamation for journalists.

However, recently the Supreme Court had held that every instance of wrong reporting by journalists cannot be equated to defamation. The case pertained to an appeal filed in the Supreme Court against a decision of the Patna High Court which had held a defamation case against senior journalists Rajdeep Sardesai and Raghav Bahl to be untenable. In that case, the petitioner had brought action against the defendants for a 2011 report accusing her of being involved in a land allotment scam. The then Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra had observed, "In a democracy you must learn to tolerate. The case has continued since 2011. The persons have spent a lot of time and money in defending themselves. Defamation may be constitutionally valid. But an alleged incorrect news item about a scam does not amount to defamation."

While this might be a silver lining for media houses, India still fails to provide strong protection to them through a definite law. On this point, the law in the United Kingdom is better evolved. The House of Lords in the case of Reynolds versus Times Newspapers Ltd, 2001 had evolved the concept of public interest defence. This allowed journalists to publish any matter of public importance without hesitation as they could not be held liable even if the allegation turned out to be untrue.

Further, 10 codes were enlisted to satisfy the criteria for responsible journalism in the judgment, some of which were seriousness of the allegation, nature of the allegation, steps taken to verify the source, and urgency of the matter. This defence of public importance is now known as the 'Reynolds Defence in the legal sphere. Recently, in 2013, the UK legislature gave its sanction to the defence by codifying this in its Defamation Act of 2013.

The US has also, as far back as in 1964, recognised special rights for its journalists in matters of public importance. In New York Times Co versus Sullivan, it was established that a malice standard had to be met before reports of the press against public figures could be held to be defamatory. The malice standard provided that if a defamation case is related to misdeeds of a public figure or authority then the press can only be held to be liable for any statement on his misdeeds if they knew that the statement was false or if they acted in reckless disregard to the truth. Otherwise, media houses were not to be held liable for any statements.

The media was provided with further protection by the courts in 1986, when in Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc versus Hepps, it was held that in a defamatory suit filed by a private person against a newspaper, the burden of proof lay on the person to prove the falsehood of the defamatory statements. This meant that the courts had to presume the truthfulness of every article published by a newspaper of national importance. Even more, in this case, the courts went on to extend the rule laid down in the Sullivan case to private figures if they were making a speech of public concern.

It is the need of the hour for India to start providing media houses with such extended protection in matters concerning the public at large.

The Fourth Estate has the vital function of providing for the free flow of information from their source to the public. If the standards of defamation are kept the same, then it will result in a chilling effect on free speech of the press due to which the news that may trigger a radical change in the society might never see the light of the day. If the 'Reynolds Defence' of public interest gets accepted by our judiciary, then there will be better chances of the press being able to exercise its freedom of speech and expression without any fear of deterrence.

Raghav Pandey is an Assistant Professor of Law at Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai and Neelabh Bist is a Fourth Year student of Law at Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai
In a tweet posted on 19 October, Publicis India said that its investigation in relation to this employee has concluded, and that his conduct has been found to be 'violative of Publicis India's policy'

Publicis India has terminated the services of Ishrath Nawaz, one of the people from the advertising industry who was named in the recent slew of #MeToo allegations.

Ishrath joined Publicis India in April 2018 as the executive creative director. On 5 October, he was accused of sexual harassment by a woman who was previously his colleague at a Mumbai-based firm.

In a tweet posted on 19 October, Publicis India stated that the investigation it had undertaken in relation to Ishrath Nawaz has been concluded. "Mr Nawaz's conduct has been found to be violative of Publicis India's policy. Consequently, Mr Ishrath Nawaz's services have been terminated."

In a previous Firstpost report, the woman had said that she was harassed by Ishrath from August 2016 to January 2017. He was the creative director and the manager she directly worked under.

This decision has come a day after the Dentsu Aegis Network announced that Kartik Iyer, the CEO of Happy Creative Services, Praveen Das, managing director, Bodhisatwa Dasgupta, senior creative director and Dinesh Swamy, national creative director, iProspect India had stepped down from their positions after being accused of sexual harassment.
Pune police on Friday detained gender equality activist Trupti Desai, who was on her way to Maharashtra's Shirdi to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demand his intervention into the Sabarimala row.

The Pune Police on Friday detained activist Trupti Desai, who was on her way to Maharashtra's Shirdi to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demand his intervention in the Sabarimala row.

After a scuffle with the Pune Police, Desai was taken to the Sahakar Nagar Police Station and will be held there until the end of Modi's visit, CNN-News18 reported. After being stopped from proceeding to Shirdi, Desai said that even though "being able to protest" is a "constitutional right", the protesters had been "stopped at home".

The move comes after Desai wrote a letter to Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police (SP) on Wednesday, demanding to meet Modi to discuss the Sabarimala issue ahead of his Shirdi visit. She had also threatened to stop his convoy if he doesn't agree to meet, ANI reported.

Police force was already here today morning when we were about to leave for Shirdi. It is wrong. It is our Constitutional right to protest. We are being stopped at home only. It is an attempt to suppress our voice through Modi ji: Activist Trupti Desai on being detained by police pic.twitter.com/n8NJXBhqGR  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

"I only wanted to tell Modi that you promised better days for women, but they are still unsafe. You spoke up for women on the triple talaq issue. But now you remain silent?" she was quoted as saying by India Today. "Many women want to enter the temple and pray, but they are scared of moving because of the violence in the area," she added.

India Today quoted police sources as saying that her detainment is a precautionary measure ahead of the prime minister's visit.

Tension prevailed on Thursday after Section 144 of the CrPC was in force in several parts of Kerala. A 24-hour shutdown backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was called in the state against Wednesday's police attack on protesters who were opposing the apex court ruling.

Follow LIVE updates from Sabarimala here.

With inputs from agencies
Addressing the BSF personnel, Rajnath Singh praised the multi-dimensional role of the BSF in guarding the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders, maintaining law and order in internal disturbances and tackling the Left Wing Extremism.

Bikaner: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday celebrated Dussehra with BSF jawans and performed 'shastra puja' in this forward post along the highly sensitive Indo-Pak border, officials said.

This was for the first time that a senior Union minister conducted the 'shastra puja' or worship of weapons on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami along India's border with Pakistan.

The home minister, who arrived at the frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) in Bikaner last evening, celebrated Dussehra festival with the jawans, an official said.

'Shastra puja' is part of the Dussehra festival which is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Ram over demon king Ravana.

Addressing the BSF personnel, the home minister praised the multi-dimensional role of the BSF in guarding the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders, maintaining law and order in internal disturbances and tackling the Left Wing Extremism.

Referring to the regular firing from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said Pakistan, despite being a neighbour, never exercised good neighbourly behaviour and instead sponsoring terrorism.

The home minister said that recently launched 'smart fence' pilot project, which entails deploying laser-activated fences and technology-enabled barriers to plug vulnerable gaps along borders, will help the border guarding forces in maintaining peace in forward areas.

The project was launched along Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir while it will be implemented along the Indo-Bangla border in Dhubri, Assam, next month, Singh said.

During the two-day visit, the home minister interacted with the family members of the BSF personnel and attended a feast with the jawans, another official said.

Singh also visited the family of a BSF jawan, who is currently posted in Jammu and Kashmir, and enquired about their wellbeing.

Later, the home minister reviewed the situation on the border and assessed the progress in various infrastructure projects.

The 3,323-km-long Indo-Pak border is considered to be highly sensitive.

Even though the border in Rajasthan is peaceful, the border guarding forces of the two countries often engaged in massive firing in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to loss of human lives and properties.

Last year, the home minister had celebrated Dussehra at Joshimath in Uttarakhand along the Sino-Indian border.
Two women stopped short of creating history by entering the Sabarimala shrine while they were just 200 metres away from the sanctum sanctorum, while a third was turned away from the Pamba base camp after the shrine's priests descended in an unprecedented protest and threatened to shutdown the temple gates.

Two women on Friday stopped short of creating history by entering the Sabarimala shrine while they were just 200 metres away from the sanctum sanctorum, while a third was turned away from the Pamba base camp after the shrine's priests descended in an unprecedented protest and threatened to shutdown the temple gates.

Later in the day, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) announced that it will file an urgent affidavit in the Supreme Court about the present situation and their report will become part of the existing review petitions in the top court.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders in Sabarimala were further extended till Monday.

In the three days that the Sabarimala temple has been open for the first time since the landmark Supreme Court order, no woman in the age group of 10-50 has made it to the shrine.

Twenty four-year-old Kavitha Jakkala, a Hyderabad-based news anchor and another woman, identified as Rehana Fathima from Ernakulam, created history by managing to reach within 200 metres of the shrine, the farthest any woman has ever managed to come. However, the women were forced to retrace their steps after the state police told them their visit can lead to a massive law and order problem.

It was around 6.45 am when Jakkala and Fathima, accompanied by 100 policemen led by Inspector General of Police S Sreejith, started their two-hour climb. Twenty led them from the front while 80 officers backed them from behind as at least one of the women put on police gear. The initial phase of their journey remained uneventful as they started the trek early morning when not many protesters were around.

However, as they reached Nadapandhal, merely 200 metres away from the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, around 250 devotees who were there to offer prayers formed a human barricade and laid down bare chest in the narrow pathway leading to the final 18 steps one needs to cross to get to the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine.

Besides that, in a never-before-seen move, around 30 employees attached to the temple tantri and the chief priest also went on protest as they stopped their rituals and sat down in front of the hallowed 18 steps and sang Ayyappa hymns after they heard that the two women were about to reach the shrine. Initially, IGP Sreejith tried to talk the protesters out of starting violence by saying that he too was an Lord Ayyappa believer but he was duty-bound to protect and escort the women.

He said that we don't want to do this by trampling upon you and promised the devotees an alternate solution. "Police will not create any issue in Sabarimala and we don't want a confrontation with you devotees. We are only following the law. I will be discussing with the higher authorities and brief them on the situation," he said.

However, soon Sreejith received a call. He told the protesters that the government has decided not to use force and asked them to relent.

"Now I have to talk to the two women, who also have their rights according to the Supreme Court directives and it too has to be protected. Please do not create any disturbances here, but you can continue to chant the hymns," said Sreejith.

After an hour, Sreejith told the media that he had a word with the temple tantri who categorically told him he would be forced to close down the temple if there was any violation of tradition and faith.

"So we told the two women about it and they also decided to abandon their trek and return, asking for protection till they reached home," Sreejith said, adding that would be provided. "So we are taking them back."

At 10.50 am, Kavita, the Hyderabad-based journalist and her four-member crew, along with another woman devotee Rehna Fathima from Kochi, began their descend towards Pamba foothills of the temple.

Meanwhile, a third woman Mary Sweety was turned back from Pamba after she declared she was there to visit the shrine.

"I go to church, mosques and temples. And I want to see Lord Ayyappa," Sweety told reporters as protesters surrounded her. Reportedly, the police personnel trying to dissuade her from taking the journey told her that the police cannot guarantee her security at the moment and she must not venture up to the hill under current circumstances.

'Devotee vs fake devotee'

Meanwhile, Kerala Minister of Devasom board, Kadakampally Surendran stirred a controversy as he suggested that some women were using the shrine to shocwcase their activism, and were not true devotees. He told the media here that they have come to know that the two women were actually activists.

"After coming to know that, it becomes our duty to protect the rights of the devotees and not that of activists."

"Our request to women activists is not to ply their trade in hallowed places. Sabarimala can never be made a war zone. Police should have been more careful while taking the two women up to the temple. Their backgrounds should have been checked. Sabarimala is not a place for activists to show their strength. Government will only support genuine devotees," he said.

A similar line of argument was adopted by BJP and Congress to target the government. "Sabarimala is not a tourist spot, only devotees go there. Right now, what Kerala police is doing is wrong. Had there been our government we would've handled the situation better. We would've talked to devotees, there would've been no violence," Congress leader Ramesh Chenithalla said.

Meanwhile, the BJP questioned whether Christian and Muslim activists were forcing their way to the temple merely to hurt Hindu sentiments, when theses women did not even believe in Lord Ayyappa.

"This is a war against belief by atheists. Activists were given police uniform and protection gear to climb Sabarimala. Government is creating a storm in the state," BJP state president PS Sreedharan Pillai said.

"Sabarimala is a place of worship for believers, not for non-believers or social activists going there to destroy other's faith for decades. Shocked to hear other religious fundamentalists are trying to enter in the guise of activism or secularism. Hurting Hindus is condemnable," Tamilisai Soundarrajan, another BJP leader tweeted.

BJP leader K Surendran lashed out at the state government and Sreejith for violating the Kerala Police Act Rule 43.

"According to the rules, none other than a police official can use their dress or their equipment. We wish to know how come Sreejith allowed the two women to use police uniform and helmet."

"This destroys the sanctity of the Sabarimala temple. We warn the Kerala government not to try tricks to forcefully impose the apex court verdict," said Surendran.

Activist's home attacked

Rehana Fathima's house in Kochi was meanwhile damaged by angry devotees. "We have just come here after hearing about the damage caused to her home. We do not know if there were other residents around," said a police official.

Fathima works with the BSNL in Kochi and lives with her partner. Both had started out for the temple.

"There are no separate rule of law for activists, or others. There is only one law. She is not an activist and she has the right to go and pray as per the apex court directive," said Fathima's partner, who is a news producer.

Fathima said that she was forced to take the decision because her life was under threat. "I don't know what happened to my children. My life is also in danger. But they (police) have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back," Fathima said.

Reacting to a Kerala minister's comment that the Sabarimala shrine was no place for showing activism, Fathima asked him how anyone can decide whether or not she was an activist.

"Who are you to decide what constitutes a believer, and who is a true believer? The police have failed me, and the government has failed me. I was told that there will be a law and order problem if we go up. Hence, I was forced to return because I didn't want to precipitate a law and order problem," she said.

BSNL has issued a statement saying it was not connected with Rehana Fathima's action, who is a staff of their Ernakulam Business Area.

"Outside BSNL premises, Rehana Fathima alone shall be fully responsible for her action in her own personal capacity outside the normal business hours."

"This is in no way related to the written assigned official responsibilities, as per BSNL conduct and service rules and regulations," the statement said.

When the police along with the two women were on their ascend, the temple tantri family and members of the Pandalam royal family went into a huddle. They were considering closing down of the temple if any other woman tries to enter the temple.

Kerala governor P Sathasivam summoned police chief Lokanath Behra to his office and spoke to him about the overall situation. Devasom Minister Surendran spoke to state CPM Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

The temple opened its doors on Wednesday for the first time since the 28 September Supreme Court verdict that allowed women from the 10-50 age group to enter the famed shrine. On Thursday, there was a dawn-to-dusk shutdown across Kerala called by outfits owing loyalty to Hindu groups and the BJP.

With inputs from agencies
Sabarimala has seen violent protests in the past few days as activists of Hindu fringe groups fought pitched battles with police, leaving many injured and bleeding.

The legal battle over the entry of women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala temple in Kerala appears set to be revived, as the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) announced its intention to file an urgent affidavit in the Supreme Court.

A number of review petitions are currently pending before the apex court.

The board is a temple body which manages the Ayyappa shrine in Sabarimala. Last month, the Supreme Court in a landmark verdict had held that women of all ages should be allowed inside the temple and that rules prohibiting the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 years were violative of the Constitution.

TDB president A Padmakumar said that it will approach senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi and request him to appear for it in the Supreme Court. He also said that the board will take a decision on whether to file a review petition after consultations with Singhvi.

He further said, "We want peace. We do not want the Sabarimala to become a protest site."

Padmakumar on Friday had said that the board is ready for "any type of compromise to sort this issue."

On Wednesday, the iron gates of Sabarimala temple were opened for the first time since the Supreme Court's verdict. However, no woman from the previously "banned" age group could make it to its precincts amid protests and violent clashes.

Sabarimala has seen violent protests in the past few days as activists of Hindu fringe groups fought pitched battles with police, leaving many injured and bleeding. The Opposition BJP and Congress have backed the protests, and have heaped criticism on the LDF government for its decision not to file a review petition against the apex court's verdict.

They also hit out at the state government for allegedly extending support to bring women activists to Sabarimala temple, hurting the sentiments of devotees.

The Centre has asked the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security in view of the continuing protests.

With inputs from PTI
The Union home ministry also asked the three states to closely monitor the dissemination of various 'adverse' messages through social media and the internet services.

New Delhi: The Centre has asked the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security in view of the continuing protests against the Supreme Court order allowing entry of women of all age groups to Sabarimala temple.

In an advisory, the Union home ministry also asked the three states to closely monitor the dissemination of various "adverse" messages through social media and the internet services.

"All necessary precautionary measures may be taken to maintain law and order and appropriate security arrangements may be made to prevent any untoward incident," the advisory, sent by the internal security division of the home ministry, said.

The advisory said appropriate prohibitory orders be issued and a close watch may be kept on dissemination of "adverse information" through social media and internet services, to ensure that no breach of law and order takes place.

It also referred to campaigns of certain civil and women's rights activists, Left parties and fronts and pro-Left wing extremism groups in favour of women's entry into the shrine and actively using women to do so.

While opposing groups and activists have threatened that they would not allow entry of women inside the shrine, Hindu outfits plan to organise protest programmes against apex court order, it said.

"Separately, Ayyappa devotees, Hindu outfits and certain caste-based outfits have been organising state-wide protest against the Supreme Court order. Participation in these protests has ranged from 50-3000, including participation of sizeable number of women.

"Hindu outfits have also organised a few protest programmes in neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka," the advisory said.

The Supreme Court has recently allowed women of the menstrual age group to visit Sabarimala Temple of Lord Ayyappa leading to the protests.

Two women reached the hilltop on Friday but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees.

A large number of devotees blocked the young women and police team escorting them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy 'pathinettam padi' (the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum.
Officials of the Fairyland Elementary School PTO said in recent months, the Fairyland Elementary School cafeteria "has effectively been shut down due to equipment (which broke in June) and consequent staffing issues."

The group said, "As it stands now, all food is 'satellited' in from Ridgeland High School to Fairyland Elementary School for all meals including breakfast, lunch and snack. This has presented a significant hardship on FES students and staff in a myriad of ways including but not limited to the disruption of schedules, extra work put on teachers and staff as well as stress and nutritional/allergy concerns for children.

"In an email sent on Aug. 21 and in a subsequent meeting on Sept. 27, the PTO formally asked for a plan to be presented about how the aforementioned situation was going to be rectified. On Oct. 15 at 5:44 (16 minutes before the Board Meeting that parents and concerned citizens were attending) the parents received an email from Superintendent Raines via Principal Jeremy Roerdink.

"The current matter has been further aggravated due to the Walker County Board of Educations failure to have a Public Participation Policy. Concerned parents have emailed and called to ask to have their voices heard and the topic discussed at the Board Meetings only to be told that there is no policy and therefore no way for them to voice their concerns at these meetings. When asked about an implementation date for the policy to be put in place, the response from the Superintendent and Board is that they do not have a timeline, effectively leaving the stakeholders, parents and tax payers of Walker County without a voice in these meetings.

"In Barrett v. Walker County School District et al, 4:15-cv-00055-HLM, U. S. District Judge Harold Murphy of the Northern District of Georgia, ruled that the Public Participation Policy was unconstitutional. The board in turn, decided to appeal the Judges ruling to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

"In a rare unanimous decision, the 11th Circuit upheld Judge Murphys ruling stating that the Public Participation Policy was indeed unconstitutional and further awarded attorneys fees to the plaintiff. Judge Murphy clearly had pointed out in his 95-page ruling that the board could merely adopt either Catoosa or the Floyd Countys policy which have both passed constitutional muster.

"On Oct. 15, after many weeks of trying to get a formal plan from Walker County concerning issues with the Cafeteria, the parents of Fairyland Elementary School decided to gather together and attend the Walker County School Board meeting in hope that the board would address their concerns. This effort only ended with the school board walking out of the meeting and not letting anyone speak to them directly. The school board is elected by the taxpayers of Walker County and we believe that constituents deserve to be heard. The action of the board cannot go on any longer; therefore, as the parents of Fairyland Elementary and taxpayers of Walker County, we have started a petition demanding the Walker County School Board to establish a Public Participation Policy no later than Friday, Nov. 19. As of today, we have 407 signatures between the online petition and hard copy petition. The hard copy petition is currently being delivered to the board.

"To be clear, the PTO at Fairyland Elementary is merely asking for equal treatment and focus for their children. We want to be able to participate and have a voice in the Walker County Board of Education Meetings and Planning Sessions."

Petition:

On April 4, 2016, in Barrett v. Walker County School District et al, 4:15-cv-00055-HLM, U. S. District Judge Harold Murphy of the Northern District of Georgia, ruled that Walker County Schools Public Comment Policy was unconstitutional. He went on to advise the Walker County School Board to adopt a new policy and to do so in short order. Furthermore, Judge Murphy cited three other North Georgia School Boards Public Comment Policies, which were found to be constitutional, which the Board could adopt; however, instead of doing so, the school board appealed the ruling to the 11 th Circuit Court of Appeals. On October 2, 2017, in a rare unanimous decision, the 11 th Circuit upheld Judge Murphys ruling that the Public Comment Policy was indeed unconstitutional. As of October 17, 2018, Walker County Schools still do not have a Public Comment Policy. This certainly gives new meaning to short order. On October 16, 2018, after many weeks of trying to get a formal plan from Walker County concerning issues with the Cafeteria, the parents of Fairyland Elementary School decided to gather together and attend to Walker County School Board meeting in hope that the board would address our concerns. This effort only ended with the school board walking out of the meeting, not letting anyone speak to them directly. The school board is elected by the taxpayers of this county and we believe that constituents deserve to be heard. This action of the board cannot go on any longer; therefore, as the parents of Fairyland Elementary and taxpayers of Walker County, we hereby formally PETITION the Walker County School board to establish a Public Comment Policy no later than Friday, November 19, 2018. If the Walker County School Board fails to do so we reserve the right to take further action. Please be advised we have attached sections of Judge Murphys ruling relating to the three North Georgia School Boards as well as Catoosa County Public Policy which was found on their website.
Ending hours-long drama and tense moments at Sabarimala, two women reached the hilltop on Friday but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees.

Sabarimala: Ending hours-long drama and tense moments at Sabarimala, two women reached the hilltop on Friday but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees.

A large number of devotees blocked the young women and police team escorting them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy 'pathinettam padi' (the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum.

The women were identified as a reporter from Hyderabad in her late 20s and an activist from Kerala.

The devotees, including senior citizens and children, protested against the entry of women of menstrual age group into the hill shrine.

Tension was defused after the women agreed to return as the state government made it clear it did not want to take them to the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, by using force against the protesting devotees.

The firm stand taken by the 'tantri' (head priest) that he would close the temple if the women were escorted into the sanctum sanctorum also persuaded them to return as per instructions of the police.

Though the women had earlier insisted they should reach the shrine, police later convinced them about the gravity of the situation and conveyed the stand taken by the government and the head priest.

If they had reached the shrine, they would have been the first women from the menstruating age group to visit the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala after the Supreme Court order permitting women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

Inspector General S Sreejith, who led the police team escorting the women, later told reporters the women expressed their willingness to go back.

"The tantri has informed me that he will close the temple and go if the women enter the shrine complex. It was conveyed to the women and they have expressed their willingness to go back. We will give them protection in the same manner to climb down the hills," he said.

Devotees received his announcement with thunderous chanting of "Swamiye Saranam Ayyappa".

Earlier, besides devotees, a group of "parikarmies", temple employees assisting priests in puja, also squatted on the holy steps and protested against taking the women to the shrine complex.

As the situation appeared to be going out of control with the protesters blocking the way sitting on the floor, Sreejith told them they were only implementing the law but there was no plan to go forward by hurting their sentiments.

State Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was in the state capital, told mediapersons that the government was not ready to use force and hurt the sentiments of devotees.

He also said that one of the women was later identified as an activist and holy Sabarimala was not a place to show their strength and activism.

"The government has the duty and responsibility to implement the Supreme Court order and give protection to devotees but not for activists," Surendran said.

"Police should have examined the veracity and background of the women who came to trek to the shrine," the minister added.

Madhavi, a devotee from Andhra Pradesh, and a New Delhi-based woman journalist were also forced to return following intense protests by devotees in the past two days.

Kerala has been witnessing massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees opposing the entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the Sabarimala temple since the government decided to implement the apex court order.

The devotees had intensified the agitation at the shrine complex and nearby areas including the base camps, Nilackal and Pamba, since the shrine was opened for the five-day monthly puja on 17 October.
Sabarimala temple LIVE updates: Opposition Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has rejected TDB decision to file the affidavit in the Supreme Court.

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Police has also imposed Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Section 144 in four places including Pamba, Sannidhanam to check any kind of protest and violence.

Buses and auto-rickshaws stayed off the road on Thursday. However, stray incidents of stone-pelting on Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses were reported from some parts of the state, police said. However, private vehicles were plying in some areas.

Kerala is experiencing a statewide shutdown since Wednesday after various Hindu outfits called for a hartal in protest against the Supreme Court's decision to allow women of all age groups to enter the Sabarimala temple.

Kavita works for an online mobile journalism portal, Mojo, and she is under 50 years of age.

Kavita, an Andhra Pradesh-based journalist, is at the moment climbing her way to Sabarimala under tremendous police protection. She is wearing complete police riot gear including helmets. Inspector General of Police S Sreejith is leading the police party. She claims she wants to report from Sannidhanam.

Another woman under the age of 50 is trying to reach the Sannidhanam. Donning the traditional black robes and irumudi on her head, the woman has reached Sabarideepam, a place merely 2 kilometres from the main temple. However, unlike the Andhra journalist, this devotee does not seem to be wearing the protection gear.

The devotees protesting against women's entry, however, were caught off guard, as only a handful of protesters were present at Pamba and they did not expect anyone to start the trek that early in the morning.

Kavitha, who landed at Pampa base camp on Thursday, had asked the police to enable her to climb in the night itself. However, since it was not safe at night police advised her to begin the climb by 6 am in the morning. Kavitha is is just 2.5 kilometres away from the shrine.

A big police party is taking Kavita and another woman devotee to the Sannidhanam. The police personnel have formed a ring protectig the two women, in case some devotees try to attack them. Kavitha is also wearing anti-riot gear, however, the Kochi-based devotee is dressed in the traditional attire.

Word that two women, a journalist and a devotee, are trying to trek up to the hill shrine, scores of Lord Ayyappa devotees have begin converging around the shrine. While some protesters are moving towards the woman  who are around Marakoottam, 2 km away from the shrine  another group is about to enter the temple and will try to block their entry.

A number of devotees from other states, who were enroute the shrine to offer their prayers, have also gathered to block the women trekking up to the hill shrine. However, even as the women were being escorted by a major party, things may go out of hand at the shrine as here were just around 25 policemen camping at the temple.

Mob of devotees likely to outnumber policemen soon, as merely 25 cops are stationed at shrine

He alleged that the real devotees are nowhere near the shrine, and the BJP, its youth wing and RSS cadre are actually converging near Sabarimala in huge numbers to incite violence.

Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac has blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party for trying incite the ongoing showdown near the Sabarimala shrine. Speaking to India Today TV, Isaac said that at least 80 percent of the goons gathered near the shrine.

However, the priest appealed to women belonging to the age group of 10-50 who were restricted as per the centuries-old traditions of the shrine, not to come to Sannidhanam.

The Sabarimala temple head priest, Kandaru Rajeevaru, on Thursday dismissed reports that the family planned to close down the Lord Ayyappa temple if women entered it to offer prayers, reported Deccan Chronicle .

An unprecedented moment is unfolding near the Sabarimala shrine as two women from the menstruating age group has reached Nadapandhal just ahead of the small flight of stairs that finally lead to the Lord Ayyappa shrine. This is the farthest any woman between the age of 10 and 50 has managed to come since the Supreme Court allowed all women to access the shrine.

"We are here to carry on the verdict of the Supreme Court. We are not here to harm you (devotees). So please cooperate with us. We are also Lord Ayyappa devotees but we have to protect faith and law too," Kerala IGP appealed to protesters

We are also Lord Ayyappa devotees, but must protect law and faith, says Kerala IGP appeals to protesters

"Police will not create any issue in Sabarimala and we don't want a confrontation with you devotees. We are only following the law. I will be discussing with the higher authorities and brief them on the situation: Inspector General S Sreejith to devotees

According to latest reports, the Kerala IGP consulted the government officials after the protesters refused to relent despite the police's appeal. He said that we don't want to trample upon you or hurt you in any way.

Surendran said that the state had no responsibility towrds activists merely trying to use the shrine as a place to stage their show of strength.

Kerala Devaswom Board minister Kadakampally Surendran indicated that the police may fall back as he claimed that the govermnment had no obligation to protect the rights of activits. He said that while the Supreme Court judgment stands above everything else, the state was alos responsible for protecting the faith of its people.

"Police will not create any issue in Sabarimala and we don't want a confrontation with you devotees. We are only following the law. I will be discussing with the higher authorities and brief them on the situation: Inspector General S Sreejith to devotees," he said.

An angry group of Sabarimala devotees are, however, grouped at the entrance of the pathway that leads to the temple. The protesters lied down bare chest to stop the police party escorting women to the shrine. Following this, the Kerala IGP requested the devotees to remain calm. He said that we don't want to do this by trampling upon you and promised the devotees to find an alternate solution.

The second women making her way to the Sabarimala shrine has been identified as activist Rehana Fathima. The woman's house in the Panampilly Nagar in Kochi was vandalised by unidentified miscreants about an hour ago. The Kerala Police has reached her property and is in the process of dispersing the angry protester

Kerala Devaswom Board minister Kadakampally Surendran said that the shrine is only for devotees of Lord Ayyappa and activists should not use a place of worship only to make a point. He said that the state government was duty bound to give protection to true devotees wishing to visit the shrine.

At least 35 priests of the Sabarimala shrine are sitting in protest. The priests have not stopped the pooja in the temple, but all the assisting priests are sitting below the 18 holy steps to protest the women's entry.

Kerala governor Palanisamy Sathasivam called the state's DGP Lokanath Behera for a meeting amid an ongoing standoff at the Sabarimala shrine. The DGP briefed the governor about the situation in a meeting that lasted almost 30 minutes.

The priests have completed the morning pooja, however, doubts looms large over whether the evening pooja can take place in view of the ongoing standoff.

"If women enter Sabarimala, then we will be forced to shut the Temple. I will walk out with the keys: Kandararu Rajeevaru," Sabarimala Head Priest said.

The head priest of the Sabarimala temple told CNN-News18 that the he will be forced to lock down the temple and hand over the keys to the temple managers of women between the age group of 10 and 50 years try to force their way in.

Will shut down temple and pooja if women force their way into shrine, says head priest

The two women who were enroute the shrine have agreed to give up their journey. The police had requested them to abort their plan earlier as an unprecedented showdown ensued between the police and protesters. In fact the head priest had also threatened to shut down the temple had the women tried to force their way in.

Kerala IGP Sreejith told media that the two women who reached the hill top have agreed to return without entering the temple. He said he had discussed with them the situation prevailing in the hill top and they agreed to cooperate. They have some concerns about returning. We will solve them and take them back safely

The two women - a journalist and a devotee -who were stopped 500 metres away from the 18 holy steps have agreed to return back. The main priest have informed police that temple rituals will be closed if the women are allowed entry to the temple. The two women will receive police protection on their way back to the base camp.

Kerala IGP confirms two women trying to enter shrine won't force entry, says they will be escorted back safely

"I am happy with the arrangements that we got. I feel that I am a winner. We will try to come back again," Kavitha said. She said that the only reason she was turning back from the shrine was becasue there were small children also present there.

While on her way back from Sabarimala, journalist Kavitha told CNN-News18 said that she was happy with the protection she got. She also said that she will try to come back later.

'Happy with protection provided, will try to come back again,' says journalist trying to enter shrine

The second woman trying to enter the shrine said that she was returning as there is a threat to her life and property. "My house at Kochi has been attacked. The situation at Sabarimala now is not suitable for the entry of women to the temple," she told Mathrubhumi channel.

'Giving up plan to enter shrine because my life is under threat,' says second woman trying to enter shrine

"If the government is trying to implement its agenda in Sabarimala we will prevent it even by taking law into our hand. The government had earlier said that it will not take any women to Sabarimala. It is now taking them even giving the police unifrom to a woman," Surendran added.

Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Surendran said that one of the women was given police shield and uniform. "Who has given this to the women. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan must explain. The government is trying to create provocation deliberately. They are challenging the Ayyappa devotees. The government is trying to implement its agenda. We will not allow this. Sabarimala is not a place for this," Surendran said.

Will take law in our hands if govt tries to escort another women to Sabarimala: BJP leader Surendran

The priests called off their protest after the two women who had almost made it to the shrine agreed to abort their journey. The protesting devotees also resumed the normal prayers after the women headed back to their homes.

"We took them up to temple and gave them protection but 'darshan' is something which can be done with consent of priest. We will give them whatever protection they want on their way back,' Kerala IG S Sreejith said.

"We had brought them (journalist Kavitha Jakkal and woman activist Rehana Fatima) till temple premises but tantri and priest refused to open temple for them. While we were waiting, tantri informed me that if we attempt to take the women ahead they would close the temple. It would have been a ritualistic disaster had the pooja stopped."

Kerala IGP said that the police force were helpless in the face of the protest as using force was not an option.

Another women 46 year old Mary Sweety is now attempting to trek to Sabarimala. However, the state police trying to deter her because its so unsafe at the moment. The police personnel have asked her to remain inside the control room till the IGP returns. He will take a further call on whether to escort her or to ask her to go back.

Third woman reaches Pampa in efforts to take darshan, police tries to dissuade her

Mary, however, is not carrying the 'irumudi' which is pre-requisite for climbing the 18 holy steps.

Mary, a 46-old woman, who works in Sharjah, has come forward to visit the temple without police protection. She said she is not an activist and had come to go to the temple with full devotion. She said that she had visited places of worship of all religions. Mary has not informed the police about her plan to go to the temple. She had come to Pampa with the intention of visiting the temple six months back but could not go.

I am not an activist, want to pray to Lord Ayyappa, says third woman devotee trying to reach shrine

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala accused the government of helping the BJP and RSS to create law and order problem. The government and the police are giving them fuel. The government had tried to complicate the issue from the beginning. The inept handling of the situation by the government and the police are responsible for the tense situation in the state. He said that the police remained inactive while protesters from the BJP stopped vehicles and checked them, but today they escorted activists to the shrine.

'Its your failure if women have turned back from shrine,' third woman trying to visit shrine tells police

The Pandalam Royal Family has written to the Sabarimala priests and the temple manamegemnt, asking them to lock the shrine if any more women try to force their way into the Sannidhanam.

Pandalam Royal family writes to Sabarimala priests, asks them to shut the temple if women try to enter shrine

"Who are you to decide what constitutes a believer, and who is a true believer. The police have failed me, and the government has failed me. I was told that there will be a law and order problem if we go up. Hence I was forced to return because I didn't want to precipitate a law and order problem," Rehana said.

Reacting to a Kerala minister's comment that the Sabarimala shrine was no place for showing activism, Rehana Fathima, one of the women turned back from shrine asked him that how can anyone decide whether or not she was an activist.

'Who are you to decide who is an activist, and who a devotee?' Rehana Fathima, one of the women turned back from shrine asks Kerala govt

"Sabarimala is not a place for activists to show their strength. Government will only support genuine devotees," he added.

Weighing in on the situation that unfolded at Sabarimala today morning, Dewasom Minister K Surendran said, "Sabarimala can never be made a war zone. Police should have been more careful while taking the two women up to the temple. Their backgrounds should have been checked."

"This is a war against belief by atheists. Activists were given police uniform and protection gear to climb Sabarimala. Government is creating a storm in the state," BJP State President PS Sreedharan Pillai said.

The Home Ministry had warned the state government about left activists using women to create trouble at Sabarimala. The ministry had also asked them to prepare for protests being called by right-wing groups.

The Union Home Ministry had issued an advisory dated 16 October to Kerala state government, asking them to make adequate security arrangements ahead of women's entry to shrine.

" People, not devotees, who want to disrupt peace didnt allow us to enter. I want to know what was the reason. Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee. You tell me that and then I will tell you if Im a devotee or not, activist Rahana Fathima said after she had to return without going to Sabarimala. 

After Fathima was identified, two bike-borne men reportedly attacked her house. I dont know what happened to my children. My life is also in danger. But they (police) have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back (home), Rehana Fathima, the woman who was asked to give up her plans to visit shrine said.

Don't know what happened to my children, my life is under threat, says Rehana Fathima

The house of activist Rehana Fathima was vadalised by unidentiied miscreants after she decided to enter Sabarimala shrine. She was later forced to turn back after police told her that the visit can escalate a law and order situation.

The Kerala Devaswom Board will hold an internal meeting at around 3 pm to discuss the strategy regarding the unprecedented resistance to the implementation of a Supreme Court order. The Travancore Devaswom Board will take a call on whether or not it will file a review petition in the Supreme Court against the September 18 order granting permission to all women to enter the shrine.

However, they decided to abandon their quest to enter the shrine after even the priests of the temple came down in protest and threatened to shut down the temple, if the women tried to force their way in.

In the three days that Sabarimala has been open for the first time since the landmark Supreme Court order, no woman in the age group of 10-50 has made it to the shrine. 24-year-old Kavitha Jakkala, a Hyderabad based news anchor and another woman, identified as Rehana Fathima from Ernakulam created history by managing to reach within 200 metres of the shrine, the farthest any woman has ever managed to come.

He also blamed the BJP for trying to disrupt the law and order, and planting organised protests. "This is the worst form of vote bank politics being played at the expense of destroying social harmony. Women were roughed up, and it is being done by RSS. They lost the battle of preventing Sabarimala gates from opening on time and they'll lose again."

CPM leader Sitaram Yeschury says efforts are being made to disrupt social harmony. In the name of harmony, other elements are causing discord, he adds. Those disturbing law and order will be dealt with, says Yechury.

According to NDTV, Kavitha, a journalist who was stopped from reaching Sabarimala temple on Friday, has said that she will go on strike against the protesters.

After the Travancore Dewasom Board(TDB) met on Friday, board president A Padmakumar said that they have decided to approach Senior lawyer Abishek Manu Singhvi as the lawyer to appear in the Supreme Court.

He said that the board had decided to approach the Supreme Court, which is the main demand of the devotees and Hindu outfits. There are currently 25 review petitions pending before it.

TDP president A Padmakumar said that the board will be filing a report about the present situation and will become part of the existing review petitions. Whether the board should give a review petition or not will be decided after consultation with lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Kerala BJP president PS Sreedharan Pillai has dismissed the TDB's decision as "insincere". "The TDB president A Padmakumar keep changing his stand. He must first prove his sincerity before announcing any new step," he said.

Save Sabarimala Forum activists taking out a march to Inspector General Manoj Abraham's residence at Thiruvananthapuram to protest against the police action the he led against the protesters at Nilakkal on Thursday. CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had termed the campaign against the IG as part of attempt to trigger a communal poarlisation in the police force.

Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran said that he had strong suspicion that today's developments were the result of a conspiracy by the BJP and the RSS to create trouble in Sabarimala. He has welcomed the TDB decision to file a report about the situation in the Supreme Court and high court.

Opposition Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has rejected TDB decision to file the affidavit in the Supreme Court. He said that the board should file a review petition instead of filing the affidavit. He accused TDB of acting on the orders of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).

After the Travancore Dewasom Board(TDB) met on Friday, board president A Padmakumar said that they have decided to approach Senior lawyer Abishek Manu Singhvi as the lawyer to appear in the Supreme Court.

He said that the board had decided to approach the Supreme Court, which is the main demand of the devotees and Hindu outfits. There are currently 25 review petitions pending before it.

TDP president A Padmakumar said that the board will be filing a report about the present situation and will become part of the existing review petitions. Whether the board should give a review petition or not will be decided after consultation with lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Kerala BJP president PS Sreedharan Pillai has dismissed the TDB's decision as "insincere". "The TDB president A Padmakumar keep changing his stand. He must first prove his sincerity before announcing any new step," he said.

Save Sabarimala Forum activists taking out a march to Inspector General Manoj Abraham's residence at Thiruvananthapuram to protest against the police action the he led against the protesters at Nilakkal on Thursday. CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had termed the campaign against the IG as part of attempt to trigger a communal poarlisation in the police force.

Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran said that he had strong suspicion that today's developments were the result of a conspiracy by the BJP and the RSS to create trouble in Sabarimala. He has welcomed the TDB decision to file a report about the situation in the Supreme Court and high court.

Opposition Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has rejected TDB decision to file the affidavit in the Supreme Court. He said that the board should file a review petition instead of filing the affidavit. He accused TDB of acting on the orders of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Sabarimala temple LIVE updates: Opposition Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala has rejected TDB decision to file the affidavit in the Supreme Court. He said that the board should file a review petition instead of filing the affidavit. He accused TDB of acting on the orders of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).

Travancore Dewasom Board decided to file an urgent affidavit in the Supreme Court on the entry of women at Sabarimala temple. Board president A Padmakumar said that they have decided to approach senior lawyer Abishek Manu Singhvi as the lawyer to appear in the Supreme Court.

Huge protests by hundreds of devotees at the entrance of Sabarimala temple forced the Kerala Police accompanying two women on Friday to call off their journey. Meanwhile, a third woman was turned back from Pamba camp after cops claimed that they were helpless after priests threatened to shut down the shrine.

Reacting to a Kerala minister's comment that the Sabarimala shrine was no place for showing activism, Rehan Fathima, one of the women turned back from shine asked him that how can anyone decide whether or not she was an activist.

Another 46 year old woman, Mary Sweety, who was attempting to trek to Sabarimala. However, the state police managed to dissuade her from going up for now. Earlier, the Sabarimala head priest had threatened that he will shut the doors of the shrine.

Kerala IGP said that the police force were helpless in the face of the protest as using force was not an option. He said that they had no option after the head priest said that he will shut down the temple. "Stopping the pooja would have been a ritualistic disaster," the police officer said.

The two women who were enroute the shrine were asked to return by the Kerala IGP. The police advised them against entering the shrine, as the devotees refused to relent. The shrine's head priest had also threatened to shut down the temple if the women tried to force their way in.

The two women who were enroute the shrine have agreed to give up their journey. The police had requested them to abort their plan earlier as an unprecedented showdown ensued between the police and protesters. In fact the head priest had also threatened to shut down the temple had the women tried to force their way in.

The head priest of the Sabarimala temple told CNN-News18 that the he will be forced to lock down the temple and hand over the keys to the temple managers of women between the age group of 10 and 50 years try to force their way in. The priests have completed the morning pooja, however, doubts looms large over whether the evening pooja can take place in view of the ongoing standoff.

Two women have reached within 200 metres of the Lord Ayyappa shrine, the farthest any woman between 10 to 50 years of age has ever come to the celibate deity's shrine. However, obstructing their way are around 250 male devotees who are lying down to prevent women from violating their faith, which in direct conflict with the recent Supreme Court order.

Kerala government makes a U-turn on its stand on women's entry following the latest showdown. The Kerala government's Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran said that the government had no obligation to protect the rights of activists merely turning up to stage a show of strength at a place of worship. He said the government will only protect real devotees turning up to pray to the devotee.

"We are here to carry on the verdict of the Supreme Court. We are not here to harm you (devotees). So please cooperate with us. We are also Lord Ayyappa devotees but we have to protect faith and law too," Kerala IGP tells protesters

Word that two women, a journalist and a devotee, are trying to trek up to the hill shrine, scores of Lord Ayyappa devotees have begin converging around the shrine. While some protesters are moving towards the woman  who are around Marakoottam, 2 km away from the shrine  another group is about to enter the temple and will try to block their entry.

Another woman under the age of 50 is trying to reach the Sannidhanam. Donning the traditional black robes and irumudi on her head, the woman has reached Sabarideepam, a place merely 2 kilometres from the main temple. However, unlike the Andhra journalist, this devotee does not seem to be wearing the protection gear.

Kavita, an Andhra Pradesh-based journalist, is at the moment climbing her way to Sabarimala under tremendous police protection. She is wearing complete police riot gear including helmets. Inspector General of Police S Sreejith is leading the police party. She claims she wants to report from Sannidhanam.

Amid mounting protest in Kerala against the entry of women of menstrual age into Sabarimala temple, the Travancore Devaswom Board will meet on Friday in Thiruvananthapuram to find an amicable solution to the row.

Ahead of the meeting, the TDB, which administers the hill shrine, on Thursday said it was ready for any sort of compromise to end the stand-off. TDB president A Padmakumar said the board has always taken a stand that it was ready for any sort of compromise to end the protest and bring normalcy.

"We are not for any politics over the issue," he told reporters.

Seeking to reach out to devotees opposing entry of women of all age groups, he asked if the protests would end if the TDB files a review plea in the Supreme Court against its verdict.

The meeting is being held after consensus eluded a crucial meeting of stakeholders called by the board last week to resolve the vexed issue of entry of women of all age groups into the shrine in the wake of the apex court judgment.

However, TDB, which manages over 1,200 temples in the state, including the Lord Ayyappa Temple, had said talks with the stakeholders would continue to find a solution.

Last week's meeting attended by various stakeholders of the shrine, including temple tantri (head priest), the Pandalam royal family, 'Ayyappa Seva Samajam' and 'Yoga Kshema Sabha', had failed to arrive at an agreement as the TDB stuck to its stand of not going for a review plea.

Representatives of the Pandalam royal family had walked out as TDB refused to concede their demand to take a decision on filing the review plea on Tuesday itself.

However, the TDB president had said the meeting was not a "failure" and the board wanted to settle the issue and go ahead with the talks with the people concerned again.

The Sabarimala temple, located on the mountain ranges of the ecologically fragile Western Ghats, opened on Thursday for the first time after the recent apex court order, allowing entry of women of all age groups there.

The shrine will close on 22 October after the five-day monthly puja during the Malayalam month of Thulam.
The #HappyToBleed became quite a rage in 2015 in response to a rather tame statement of the then president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Prayar Gopalakrishnan.

At a time when the #MeToo campaign on social media has claimed its most high profile person, a minister in the Narendra Modi government  something few expected, especially after the minister MJ Akbar brushed aside allegations of sexual misconduct by saying that lies dont have legs and filed a criminal defamation case against journalist Priya Ramani  the #HappyToBleed campaign against the denial of entry of women of menstrual age into the Sabarimala temple is inscrutably silent.

This is more intriguing now since the women have the Supreme Court and the state government on their side and a pitched battle is being fought in and around the Sabarimala temple to deny women their agency (the head priest threatening to close down the temple if women attempt to enter it and the faithful indulging in arson and physical assault on women).

The #HappyToBleed became quite a rage in 2015 in response to a rather tame statement of the then president of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) Prayar Gopalakrishnan, who had said in November that year that women would be allowed entry only when a machine is invented to scan if it is right time for women to enter the temple, it evoked a huge outrage from young women on the social media. Women were to hold placards/sanitary napkins/charts saying Happy To Bleed and post the pictures on their profiles or the campaign page to oppose the shame game played by patriarchal society since ages. Nikita Azad, a college student of Patiala, turned overnight into a celebrity for her write up, #HappyToBleed: An Initiative Against Sexism, in countercurrents.org. Soon #HappyToBleed went viral on Facebook with the conventional media jumping in.

But now there is a virtual silence on that front. The last posting on the Facebook page Happy To Bleed, hosted by Nikita Azad and four others, was on 11 August (a month-and-half before the Supreme Court verdict) which simply read: Entry of women to Sabarimala. There is no bar for young women to go to Sabarimala, because there is the Goddess Malikaprathamma sitting close to Ayyappa at Sabarimala. If women are prohibited a Goddess would not have been there at Sabarimala." There is just one like to this post.

There is another page HAPPYTOBLEED which carries nothing more than a quote from Justice DY Chandrachuds observations in the Sabarimala case: The social exclusion of women, based on menstrual status, is a form of untouchability which is an anathema to constitutional values. Notions of purity and pollution, which stigmatise individuals, have no place in a constitutional order. This post has been liked by six. A Twitter handle happytobleed too records very little activity  with only two of the four posts of this year making a passing reference to the temple, but not on the issue as such.

This silence may be because, as Azad wrote in her original article, this was not a temple-entry campaign. This campaign is an initiative against sexism, and the taboos it uphold since ages. Her concerns were, as she added, The class structure has created various forms of patriarchy like locking women in kitchens, reducing her contribution in production processes, considering her a reproductive machine, attaching the 'honour' tag, objectifying her as an object of sexual pleasure, impurity during menses etc.

Indeed, isolating menstruating women is quite pandemic in India. Many authors and commentators have explained that this is because Indian traditions have viewed menstrual blood as polluting, powerful, and therefore dangerous. In his 2003 book Kiss of the Yogini:Tantric Sex in its South Asian Context, David Gordon White of the University of California traces its origin to Rig Veda and Atharva Veda and explains how it brought about certain strange rituals. For example, he writes that Rig Veda enjoin the husband  who wishes to avoid the immediate destruction of his person from the lethal power of the virginal bloodshed on his wedding night  to give the bloodstained cloth of defloration to a Brahmin priest... In Atharva Veda, he writes, the defiling power of virginal blood requires that a second complete marriage ritual be held in the husbands home, following the consummation of the actual marriage. Here a scapegoat Brahmin priest absorbs and purifies the brides virginal blood of its magical dangers

Closer home, mythologist and author Devdutta Pattanaik, who had also joined the womens-entry-into-Sabarimala debate in 2015, explained in his article, Scanners for Menstrual Blood: The practice of restricting access to menstruating women is rooted in the pre-modern belief that links purity and power to bodily fluids. Not spilling male genital fluid (semen) makes men powerful and pure. Inability to hold back female genital fluid (menstruation) makes women weak and impure. This is why many babas and gurus of India insist they are celibate. That is why Jain munis rejected family life. This is why Buddhas enlightenment is closely linked to his rejection of his wife. The red-tilak of Hindu men and the red-bindi of Hindu women have close links to blood and its links to life. Menstrual blood is particularly feared as it came to be associated with death as it marked the failure of conception. In fact, as Pattanaik pointed out in the same article, the taboo relating to celibacy and menstruation exists in other religions and many cultures, except in the tantrik traditions.

As for the entry into the Sabarimala temple, TDB had explained in its deposition before the Supreme Court that the traditional ban on menstruating women was attributable to the manifestation of the deity at the Sabarimala Temple which is in the form of a Naishtik Bramhachari (an eternal celibate), who practises strict penance, and the severest form of celibacy. It said there were about 1,000 more temples dedicated to the same deity, Lord Ayyappa, which dont ban menstruating women because the deity in those temples was not in the form of a Naishtik Brahmachari.

Religious faith has its own logic, beyond rationality and science. It also runs very deep in individuals and society. The day the Supreme Court verdict came, one of the firsts to react was Gopalakrishnan who sparked the rage in 2015. (He has been replaced by A Padmakumar, former CPM legislator, as the TDB president since then.) He said, I am unhappy... A constitutional authority cannot interfere in religious matters, adding that his family, mainly his daughters, would not enter the shrine, come what may. When asked whether it was their decision, he replied: They are my daughters, it is my decision. I think my daughter's decision must be my decision.

No wonder, in the pitched battle between orthodoxy and constitutionalism  the Supreme Court talked about constitutional morality and values to justify entry of the menstruating women into the temple  womens agency has become a casualty.
BJP general secretary K Surendran alleged that the police was trying to implement the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) agenda to make Sabarimala a war zone.

The attempt by Kerala Police to take two women from the banned age group to the Sabarimala hill shrine in the wake of the 28 September Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all ages to enter the temple has turned Sabarimala into a rallying point for political and communal polarisation.

The police have come under fire from not only the hardliners who are resisting the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict but also a section of the Communist-led government, which decided to implement the verdict during the six-day monthly puja from 17 October.

What has spurred the wrath is the attempt by the police to take the two women, who have nothing to do with faith. While Kavitha Jakkal, a journalist from Andhra Pradesh, wanted to go to the hill shrine for reporting purpose, Rehna Fathima, a Muslim woman activist, came forward to enter the temple as part of her struggle for womens rights. Neither of them had performed the customary 41-day vritha (penance).

To make matters worse, the police sought to take them to the shrine with the protective gears that they use during riots. This evoked strong criticism from opposition parties. While senior Congress leader and former home minister Thiruvanchiyoor Radhakrishnan termed it as a naked violation of Section 43 of the Kerala Police Act, the Bharatiya Janata Party termed it as part of conspiracy by the Left Democratic Front government to implement its atheist agenda at Sabarimala.

Section 43 of the Kerala Police Act stipulates that no person other than a police officer discharging official purpose shall, except for artistic or scientific purpose, wear any police uniform or any dress which is likely to have a feeling that it is a police uniform.

By giving the uniform to the woman, the police have cheated the Ayyappa devotees, who are resisting the entry of women into the Sabarimala temple. This calls for action against those responsible for misusing the police uniform, he said.

BJP general secretary K Surendran alleged that the police was trying to implement the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) agenda to make Sabarimala a war zone. He said that party, which is propagating atheism, was trying to destroy Sabarimala.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government is using the Supreme Court verdict to pursue its agenda. We will not allow this. We will resist any attempt to play with the faith of the people by even taking the law into our hands, said the firebrand BJP leader.

The police action also drew criticism from Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran. He said that when the government declared its decision to implement the Supreme Court verdict it intended to provide protection to women devotees, who want to go to the temple and worship there.

The police have been using their force to take activists, who have nothing to do with faith. Sabarimala is not a place for activists to pursue their cause. The police should have checked the credentials of the two women who came forward to visit the temple on Friday before escorting them to the hill shrine, the minister said.

Health Minister K Shylaja also came down heavily on the police saying that the government had no intention to hurt the religious sentiments of the devotees. Even Governor Justice P Sathasivam disagreed with the way the situation was handled by the police.

Sathasivam, former chief justice of India, summoned Director General of Police Loknath Behra and conveyed his displeasure. The governor intervened after Sabarimala Thantri (high priest) Kandararu Rajeevaru threatened to close the temple if police went ahead with its move to facilitate the entry of the two women to the temple.

It was only after the intervention of the governor, the large police team led by Inspector General of Police S Sreejith decided to send back the women, whom they had escorted up to the Nadapanthal, which is 200 meters from the temple. The women were not willing to go back initially. They relented only after the devotees created a human shield.

The move also sparked protests in different parts of the state. While a group of aged women blocked the roads at Erumeli, one of the entry points to the shrine, another attacked the house of the woman from Kochi. The BJP and its womens wing also took out a march to her house at Panampally Nagar.

Rehna said she agreed to return after she realised that her action had put not only her life but also that of her children into risk. She said she did not want to jeopardise the lives of her two children. The 31-year-old woman, a BSNL employee and a mother of two, was part of several movements.

She had hit the media headlines in March this year by posing bare-breasted with watermelons when a male professor described students breasts as watermelons and chided them for covering it. Rehna was also in the forefront of the Kiss of Love campaign against moral policing in 2014.

Devotees feel that Rehna had tried to enter the temple for publicity and said that the police attempt to provide protection to such woman was aimed at provoking the devotees. Opposition leader Ramesh Chenenithala has blamed the government for the mess.

He said that the government had made Sabarimala a tourist spot by using its machinery to take women who have nothing to do with faith to the temple.

Sabarimala is not a tourist spot, only devotees go there. Right now, what Kerala police is doing is wrong. Had there been our govt we would've handled the situation better. We would've talked to devotees, there would've been no violence, he said.

Chennithala said it was unfortunate that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sought to go abroad when an explosive situation prevailed in the state. We did not criticise his visit to UAE since he had gone for raising funds for the post-flood reconstruction. However, the chief minister could have postponed his trip in view of the tense situation prevailing in the state, he said.

The Congress leader said that the government response to the situation had helped the BJP and the RSS to pursue their Hindutva agenda in the state. He said that the government had given fuel to the saffron party by implementing the Supreme Court verdict without taking the devotees into confidence.

Our government had opposed womens entry at Sabarimala when the petition against the temple custom came up in the Supreme Court. The government had not only overturned our stand but also prevented the Travancore Devaswom Board from taking an independent stand on the issue. This has whipped up passions among the devotees, he added.

He said that the refusal by genuine women devotees to go to Sabarimala showed that they were against breaking the customs and practices in the temple. The government cannot bulldoze the court order without understanding the feelings of the devotees and the situation prevailing in the state.

Devotee organisations have expressed happiness that no women have entered the temple since the court lifted the ban on women of the menstruating age. Ayyappa Seva Sangham secretary Mohanan Nair said that the government should learn a lesson from this and take steps to protect the interest of the devotees.
SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday accused the Punjab government of having 'failed' to incentivise farmers to check stubble burning in the state, prompting Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to term his charges as nonsensical and misleading.

Chandigarh: SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday accused the Punjab government of having "failed" to incentivise farmers to check stubble burning in the state, prompting Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to term his charges as nonsensical and misleading.

Badal had sought to know from the chief minister as to "why has his government failed to incentivise a single farmer to prevent stubble burning".

Sukhbir, in his statement, had also asked Amarinder Singh as to why he was "indulging in politics of lies and deceit by photo ops with the prime minister to befool the farmers of the state".

The chief minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Thursday to press for Rs 100 per quintal compensation to farmers to check problem of stubble burning.

Amarinder Singh told Modi that the problem of stubble burning could get aggravated, despite various steps being taken by the state government, with the close of the harvest season, and needed to be urgently addressed.

The Shiromani Akali Dal chief said the chief minister should first give a report card of the utilisation of Rs 385 crore received from the Centre to manage paddy straw.

A "huge scam" was in the making and would be uncovered by the SAD in the coming days, Badal said, raising doubts over the utilisation of the Rs 385 crore.

"Isn't it strange that Captain Amarinder is asking the Centre for more money to compensate farmers before telling why the state has been unable to disburse a single paisa to the annadaata (farmer) for this purpose," he asked.

Sukhbir said the Punjab government should immediately release Rs 3,000 per acre to all paddy growers to cover the cost of managing paddy straw.

"Once you do this, we will accompany you and ask the Centre to give more funds for farmers. However, if you do not do this, you will have to answer why you misused the central funds and did not give any direct benefit to farmers of Punjab," Badal said.

The former deputy chief minister said the SAD would stand with the farmers and would not allow the state government to "prosecute them in any manner".

Reacting to Sukhbir's charges, Amarinder lambasted him for his baseless and unfounded allegations against the government over the issue of incentivising farmers to prevent stubble burning.

Reacting strongly to Sukhbir's charges of "misuse of central funds", Amarinder Singh came out with "facts" to flay the former deputy chief minister for misleading the people with his completely unsubstantiated statement.

Asking him to stop talking nonsense, the chief minister told Sukhbir that contrary to his claims, the Government of India has given only Rs 269 crore out of Rs 665 crore sanctioned for stubble management.

"And we have already spent Rs 250 crore to provide 25,000 machines, of which 15,367 have actually been delivered and rest will be given by October end, said the chief minister.

He took a dig at Sukhbir over his remarks on the former's Delhi trips to pressurise the Centre to come to the rescue of the distressed farmers.

"Since you know so much about my Delhi trips, I am sure you would know that I've been seeking Rs 100 per quintal as stubble burning compensation for our farmers. Evidently you don't want that. But that won't stop me from doing everything for the farmers," he said.
Two terrorists were neutralised in exchange of fire with police party in Kralhaar area in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla.

Two terrorists were neutralised after an exchange of fire with police in Kralhaar area in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, ANI reported. Police recovered an AK-201 assault rifle and two Chinese pistols among other weapons.

Two terrorists were neutralised in exchange of fire with police party in Kralhaar, Baramulla. AK-201 assault rifle, 2 Chinese pistols and other weapons were recovered. #JammuAndKashmir (visuals deferred by unspecified time) pic.twitter.com/GcMVe8AYup  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

The terrorists, travelling in a car, were asked to stop at Kraalhaar but they opened fire at the security personnel, a police official said adding, that the duo was killed in retaliatory fire, PTI reported.

Earlier on Friday, a defence spokesperson had said that three unidentified terrorists were killed in a failed infiltration bid along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district. The army on Thursday had foiled the infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Uri sector of Baramulla district, the spokesman said.

The spokesman added that alert troops had noticed some suspicious movement along the LoC near Tourna in Boniyar area in the early hours of Thursday and challenged the infiltrators.
Sitaram Yechury demanded to know why Centre was not applying yardstick of equal treatment of women it used on the triple talaq issue to the Sabarimala row.

Chennai: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday demanded to know why the Centre was not applying the yardstick of equal treatment of women it used on the triple talaq issue to the Sabarimala row and blamed the BJP for whipping up communal passions for electoral gains.

The top Marxist party leader said roughing up of women journalists and the stir led by groups wearing saffron head bands at Sabarimala indicated a pattern seen during the demoliton of Babri Masjid (1992) and blamed the RSS for it.

Women journalists forming part of television crew were roughed up and "it is exactly the pattern, which is also very similar at the time of Babri Masjid demoliton...you have the heads of volunteers wearing saffron bands (leading protests)," Yechury said.

Such scenarios unfolded during the Babri protests and a "similar thing is done here; it is an organised thing that the RSS is doing and that will be fought," he said.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would "lose the Sabarimala battle," Yechury said.

Asked if his party-led Left Democratic Front government in Kerala will oppose review pleas on Sabarimala issue before the Supreme Court, he said it was for the government to answer.

In a historic judgment last month, the apex court had lifted the ban on entry of girls and women of menstrual age into the hill temple.

Citing the Centre's advisory to Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to take precautionary measures in view of some Hindu outfits planning protests, he said law and order was being maintained by the Kerala government.

"Those disturbing law and order will be dealt with, they are being dealt with," Yechury told reporters in Chennai.

On triple talaq, he said the Centre recently promulgated an ordinance making it illegal, saying the practice was unequal treatment of women, he said.

"The government did that saying equality of men and women is fundamental to our Constitution and that it should be protected."

"Therefore, triple talaq is unequal treatment of women and they brought this ordinance. Same principle why they are not applying for Sabarimala?" he asked.

His party had taken a stand against triple talaq for its "arbitary use and instant application, so we said that needs to be reformed."

The Centre still has the option of going in for a legislation or ordinance to circumvent the apex court verdict on Sabarimala "if they are really interested," the way it did for the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, he said.

However, "the real point here is to whip up communal polarisation with the hope that it will get some political and electoral benefit," he said.

Accusing BJP of playing the "worst form of vote bank politics," he said, "They are seeking the consolidation of Hindutva communal vote bank at the expense of destroying our social harmony, unity and integrity of our country and this is very dangerous."

He accused the BJP and Congress in Kerala, of "duplicity" on Sabarimala issue, adding the saffron party and Congress reversed its stand after initially welcoming the verdict.

Yechury said the state-wise electoral strategy (for the Lok Sabha 2019 election) would be worked out as per the recent central committee meet resolve to defeat BJP and its allies, strengthen the CPM and the Left in Parliament and work for an alternate secular government at the Centre.

The Muslim Women-Protection of Rights on Marriage-Ordinance was promulgated last month and a bill in this regard was passed by Lok Sabha last year, which is now pending in the Rajya Sabha.

Recently, the Parliament passed a Bill to overturn an apex court order covering arrests under the SC/ST Act and to restore the original provisions.
SpiceJet denied the allegations made by the passenger, including that there was bleeding on her head after the incident.

Mumbai: A woman passenger has alleged that SpiceJet staff did not treat her properly after a bottle fell on her head when a flight attendant was removing a bag from an overhead bin, with the airline saying it was an "unintentional mishap" and rejected many of her claims.

The incident happened on flight SG 169 when it was to take off from the national capital to Mumbai on 16 October.

The passenger, Shradha Shrimal Tripathi, took to Facebook alleging that she was not treated properly after she was hurt as a "bottle filled with water" fell on her head.

Speaking to PTI on Thursday, Tripathi said she had a small cut when the bottle's hook hit her on the head and a bump on her forehead.

She also claimed that the airline was more concerned about other passengers getting late than about a hurt passenger.

The passenger also posted a picture of a prescription from the hospital where she was treated after the incident on Facebook.

In a detailed statement on Thursday, SpiceJet denied the allegations made by the passenger, including that there was bleeding on her head after the incident.

"Our crew and senior officials on board that flight and at the airport went out of their way to assist the passenger and it is really unfortunate that such baseless allegations have been levelled by her," the airline said.

According to the airline, a cabin crew opened the overhead bin to remove the safety demo kit when she noticed there was a bag kept in the overhead bin which is the location for only keeping safety equipment.

"As she was removing the bag, which belonged to a passenger, a bottle in the side sleeve of the bag slipped and fell on the said passenger. The crew immediately apologised and offered ice to the passenger but she started shouting and abusing the crew," the statement said.

The airline also said that after much persuasion of other passengers, the said passenger was taken to the terminal building and offered medical assistance.

"After she was declared fit, she boarded the next flight SG 159 to Mumbai. She was assisted by SpiceJet staff all through this flight and offered a wheelchair... This was an unintentional mishap and our crew and staff did their best to help the passenger," it noted.
The first positive case of Zika virus in Jaipur was reported on 21 September which alerted the authorities both at the state and the centre.

Jaipur: The number of people infected with Zika virus rose to 109 in Rajasthan on Friday.

According to a spokesperson of the state medical and health department, the nine new cases confirmed were from Jaipur.

However, 91 Zika virus infected patients are healthy now after treatment, he said, adding the department is making all efforts to contain mosquito larvae in the affected area.

Most of the cases have been reported from densely populated Shastri Nagar locality of the state capital.

The first positive case of Zika virus in Jaipur was reported on 21 September which alerted the authorities both at the state and the centre.

In view of the rising cases, the Centre on Wednesday rushed an Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) team to the state to intensify vector control measures.

The team of experts from ICMR has changed the insecticides which are being used in the city and neighbouring districts to kill mosquitoes that spread Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses as a part of the integrated mosquito management programme.

Intense fogging and other anti-larvae activities are being carried out in the areas from where cases have been reported.

Zika virus, transmitted through the aedes aegypti mosquito, 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.

The state health department has advised pregnant women not to visit the affected areas.

In India, the first outbreak of Zika virus 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 disease is under surveillance of the Union Health Ministry although it is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under the WHO notification since November 18, 2016.

On Tuesday, the Union Health Ministry directed the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to monitor the cases on a daily basis and urged people not to panic.
If Annapurna Devi's was the story of a musician who turned away from the world of performance, the other event of the week in the sphere of classical music, was the surfacing of a wave of #MeToo stories

Two events shook the world of music last week.

Annapurna Devi  an extraordinary musician  died at the age of 92, leaving the music world much poorer even though she had been an unrelenting recluse for a good four decades. Following a vow to never perform in public in a bid to save her marriage to Pt Ravi Shankar, she shut the world out of her life. Very few met her and hardly anyone heard her music in those decades. She spurned the performers life and surrounded herself with mystique, legend, and a few students  to whom she passed on music as she thought it must be, and as she had received it from her own father.

If hers was a story of a musician who turned away from the world of performance, the other event of the week was the surfacing of a second wave of #MeToo stories. Women seeking to make their way in the world of performance shared stories of lechers and predators that they had to deal with during the course of their career. The #MeToo movement, in its very name, suggests the power of the community of victims that comes together to say "No". Individual voices are stifled, but a loud collective roar is harder to turn off. Social media has been abuzz with allegations about musicians, organisers, and gurus in the field of performing arts in South India and in Tamil filmdom.

Both are stories of the struggle of women and are indicative of the wide gamut of hurdles they face. Male dominance and discrimination against women operates at various levels, from the very subtle to the very gross, and in different forms. A level playing field is a distant dream.

Annapurna Devi was the daughter of Ustad Allaudin Khan, who contributed as much to the shaping of Hindustani music in the 20th century as did Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande.

Allaudin Khansaheb, who created giants like Ravi Shankar (who later wed Annapurna), Ali Akbar Khan and others, did not consider teaching Annapurna Devi because his elder daughters music education had not been received well by her in-laws. However, when he caught Annapurna Devi correcting her older brother, a child prodigy, during his riyaz, the father could no longer deny her talent and his duty to train her. Even though endowed with phenomenal talent, Annapurna might have been denied training simply because she was a woman. And on her fathers command, she took to the surbahar with its deep gravitas rather than the flashier sitar. Khansaheb expected Annapurna to pursue music not out of greed but out of genuine love for it, to receive and propagate the gift of music that he had received from his Guru. One can read much into this  the burden of retaining purity is on a woman. A male artist might make compromises out of various compulsions. As her father, one can expect that Khansaheb had the best intentions for her, but he still operated within the rules and expectations of a patriarchal society tilted against the woman.

Annapurna Devi's marriage to Pt. Ravi Shankar ended in an early separation and later, divorce. From all accounts, the two were not made for each other and the marriage could have only worked at tremendous cost. Annapurna Devi was apparently willing to pay that cost when she made a vow to never perform again in public. As an expression of societal values, this does not seem terribly unreasonable whereas it would be unthinkable for a man to make a similar vow. The woman bears the burden of keeping the family together.

Not only did she shun performance but also, nearly the entire outside world. To turn so uncompromisingly reclusive is not the most normal thing. To try to explain it as the result of the betrayal by her husband seems rather facile. It takes a very peculiar personality to be able to shut out the world as she did. One is reminded of Gandhari who, helpless and angered that she was being married off to a blind prince, opted for blindness herself, possibly deriving some comfort from the horror and regret of those responsible for her plight.

Read on Firstpost  Annapurna Devi passes away: A glimpse into the mind of the elusive Indian classical music legend

When she performed, Annapurna Devi dazzled connoisseurs and lay audiences. How easy was it then to give up performing? There are performers and then there are performers. There are those who revel in the applause and adulation and their own growth as artists takes a secondary place  the 'gallery musicians'. There are others, impossibly sensitive, who might find the demands of performance an obstruction in their growth as artists. The hope for music lies with those who strike a balance. It is not unimaginable that a great musician might find the performers life abhorrent. Annapurna Devi could well have been one such. No doubt the trigger to renounce performance was her unhappy marriage, but it might have helped that temperamentally she was more inclined towards a life of sadhana. Sadhana is an untranslatable term possibly captured in the phrase worshipful pursuit of music. Sadhana was also her father and gurus command.

This in fact, is the most valuable legacy of Annapurna Devi's life and music. That she reinforced the idea of a musician working in solitude on attaining some sort of perfection, some spiritual commune, away from the razzle-dazzle of impressing audiences: music as the souls lonely, gritty journey. For a musical tradition like raga sangeet this ideal needs to be visible and manifest from time to time, and her life kept this within our horizon.

Often the legacy of the life and work of extraordinary people are at variance. As in this case. Her life has been called tragic though she had come to terms with her broken marriage and gone on to marry again. Still her reclusiveness lends an eerie aura to her life story, suggesting an enduring bitterness and anger. She only met the outside world through her role as a teacher with deep secrets to give away, thus creating a niche for herself. She was a lighthouse, providing light for those who sought. When she performed during riyaz, strange, inexplicable fragrances filled the room, her students reported. That music, so elusive and rare and fragrant, is nothing like her life  bitter, angry and spurned.

Annapurna Devis life is comparable to that of Anjanibai Malpekar, another fabulous musician, who renounced the world of performance.

Anjanibai would have raised her hand for #MeToo. A famed beauty (and the muse and model for some of Ravi Varmas paintings), she was a victim of sexual innuendo and gestures during and after her performances. She withdrew from the stage. She too gathered a mystique around herself as a woman who stayed away from the world of performance and devoted herself to sadhana. She too taught  selectively and fiercely.

There is a well known myth about a dance competition between Shiva and Parvati. Parvati matched every of Shivas moves and proved herself to be an equal dancer until Shiva lifted his leg straight above his head in what is called the Urdhva Tandava posture. Feminine modesty prevented Parvati from matching that and she admitted defeat.

This raises many questions  what about masculine modesty? Why was it appropriate for Shiva to lift his leg but not Parvati? Does it not also resonate with the kind of compromises that a woman needs to make in a male-dominated world to win? And if she does not, she loses? Or she withdraws?

Such questions could not even be thought of in the patriarchal set up to which we have been acclimatised. But now these questions are being asked, and being asked with urgency and seriousness. Women should not have to renounce the pursuit of career or fulfillment of their talent because of patriarchy  of which sexual predators are but one expression. The Annapurna Devis of the world should be able to pursue sadhana without a heavy fog of negativity hanging over their lives.

Dr Lakshmi Sreeram is a Carnatic and Hindustani musician and researcher. She writes about art and culture using myth, story, philosophy, and everything in between. Write to her at larasriram14@gmail.com

Also read  TM Krishna on #MeToo in Indian classical arts: Halo around artists has given them licence to abuse
The ruling BJP is thinking of not giving tickets to 70-80 MLAs, including some ministers, for the forthcoming Assembly polls in order to tide over anti-incumbency

Bhopal: The ruling BJP is thinking of not giving tickets to 70-80 MLAs, including some ministers, for the forthcoming Assembly polls in order to tide over anti-incumbency, a party leader said on Friday. Assembly polls in the state are scheduled for 28 November and counting of votes will take place on 11 December.

"The party is seriously toying with the idea of not giving tickets to 70-80 MLAs and ministers," a state BJP leader told PTI on Friday. He added that the ruling BJP came up with this idea following reports of public outrage against some MLAs.

Party sources said that Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has been touring the state as part of his Jan Ashirwad Yatra, was receiving complaints about non-performing MLAs.

Besides, a recent opinion poll, which showed the Congress returning to power in MP after a gap of 15 years, has also prompted the BJP to set its house in order, they said. "There is public outrage against some MLAs but not against Chief Minister Chouhan, who still remains popular with the masses," a Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM) functionary said.

He said that the BJP stood a good chance of retaining power if new faces are given a chance.

The BJP, in the 2013 Assembly polls, had given about 25 percent tickets to new faces and 75 percent of them emerged victorious.

In the 2013 Assembly polls, the BJP had won 165 seats in the 230-member House. The Congress got 58 seats, the BSP four and one seat was won by an Independent.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's efforts to rename the state 'Bangla' have again faced an obstacle from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee's efforts to rename the state as 'Bangla' have again faced an obstacle from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

According to The Indian Express, the home ministry has expressed concern over this move, saying that the name "may sound like Bangladesh and that it would be difficult to differentiate the two at international forums". The home ministry has written to the Ministry of External Affairs, the report said, to obtain an opinion before any further consideration.

However, in 2016, Mamata had addressed the possibility of the name being confused with Bangladesh. Noting that the name 'Bangla' had historical significance, she had said, "In English it will be Bengal, so that there will be no confusion with the name of neighbouring Bangladesh."

A constitutional amendment is required for a change in the name of a state. A recent example of the name of a state being changed was that of Odisha (earlier called Orissa).

Banerjee's plans to rename the state have been taking shape since 2011, when the newly elected chief minister had put forward 'Paschim Banga' as an option.

Banerjee's effort in 2011 never saw the light of day at the Centre, and was unsuccessful even in 2016 when the state Assembly passed a resolution to change the name of West Bengal to language-specific names. The cabinet had proposed that the name of the state be 'Bengal' in English, 'Bangla' in Bengali, and 'Bangal' in Hindi. Then, the home ministry had rejected the proposal saying that it would not be possible for a state to have different names in different languages.

However, in July this year, the West Bengal Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to change the state's name to 'Bangla'.

According to reports, the state's Assembly pushed more strongly for the renaming after the July 2016 Inter-State Council meeting in Delhi, when Banerjee was the last chief minister to address the Council because the speakers were listed in alphabetical order of the states. The name 'Bangla' would bump the state up in an alphabetically-organised list to number four.

Apart from political repercussions of the move to rename the state, with the Left, Congress, and BJP state parties walking out of the Assembly in August 2016 over the issue, political analysts have warned against reigniting tensions in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong areas of the state. People residing in "the hills" as the areas are colloquially referred to, had in 2017 initiated a strong resistance to the state government's move to make Bengali a mandatory language in schools in the state.

The Gorkha and Nepali communities of the state demanded a separate state "Gorkhaland" in protest and as an assertion of the linguistic differences in the state. Even though those protests were successfully pacified by the Mamata Banerjee-government after three months, experts believe that there continues to be a divide in socio-cultural aspects in the state.

As this report by Marcus Dam points out, the attempt to rename the state may not go down well in the hills, as "Bangla" is also the locally accepted term for the Bengali language.

With inputs from agencies
The silence of the church organisations at a time when the BJP has become part of ruling dispensations in six of the seven northeastern states has drawn multiple interpretations.

Even as BJP national president Amit Shah launched the party's poll campaign in Mizoram on Wednesday, the church organisations  which have all along been vocal against the saffron party  have surprisingly chosen to remain silent.

The silence of the church organisations at a time when the BJP has become part of ruling dispensations in six of the seven northeastern states has drawn multiple interpretations.

Significantly, Mizoram is one among the three Christian states in the North East. The remaining two are Meghalaya and Nagaland. Nearly 87 percent of Mizos are Christians.

It is not only the presence of large Christian population that makes them known as Christian states. The reason why these states are known as Christian states is rather political, says renowned academician Professor Apurba Kumar Barua, who served a long term of his career as a teacher in the political science department in North Eastern Hill University.

He adds that the churches in these three states wield tremendous influence on the state machinery and local politics, which is why they are known as Christian states. The influence of churches in these states politics has always been visible.

Be it resisting BJPs Hindutva politics or opposition of practicing yoga in schools, the churches have always made their stance clear on political issues. Even in Mizoram, churches were vocal against the Hindutva politics of the BJP, which had earlier put BJP on the back foot.

In fact, the BJP went through a patchy phase in Mizoram just after the saffron party won over Assam in 2016 Assembly elections, as fear of upsurge in Hindutva politics in the region gripped the Christian state to the core.

In an interview with Firstpost published during that period, JV Hluna, the president of the state unit of the saffron party had lamented, We are having a difficult time in convincing the church that Hindutva is not our agenda, but development is.

But Hluna, much to his surprise, has now observed that the resistance of the church against the BJP has subdued in the last two years. Though there are still some fundamentalist forces spreading agenda against BJP, the Church is not against the party this time around, he said.

Interestingly, the BJP has now a far more powerful presence in the state than what it had earlier. In the 2013 Assembly election, the party had fielded 17 candidates in the state which has 40 Assembly segments. This has changed much as the party is confident enough to increase the number of candidates substantially. We are likely to field 27 to 30 candidates this time around as our prospects have grown much brighter than what they were earlier, says Hluna.

Even though the party did not win a single seat in the 2013 Assembly election, it won 5 of the 20 seats in the Buddhist-dominated Chakma Autonomous District Council election held earlier this year.

Has the church chosen to remain silent because it thinks the BJP has no chance of winning the election or becoming a part of the dispensation to be formed after the election? Or is it because the church fears losing its face in case people do not pay heed to its appeal and vote for the BJP, just in the lines of Nagaland Assembly polls held early this year?

Chuanteya, a resident of Aizawl, told Firstpost that the BJP has every right to propagate its ideology but it is the people who are to decide whether they will accept it or not.

I cannot comment for the church. But as a citizen, I personally feel that Hindutva politics has hardly any scope in Mizoram, as the Mizos are mostly Christians. Irrespective of the outcome of the election, Hindutva is unlikely to gain foothold in Mizo society, he said.

On the other hand, another source in Mizoram, on condition of anonymity, says that BJP has no seat-sharing alliance in Mizoram and hence, people in the state have enough parties to vote for even if they do not vote for Congress and BJP.

This was not the case in Nagaland where the saffron party forged a seat-sharing alliance with Nationalist Democratic Peoples Party, a regional outfit led by three-time Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. People who were fed up with the ruling Naga Peoples Front had to vote for BJP in many constituencies as there were hardly any plausible options for them, the source said.

Significantly, in Nagaland Assembly election held early this year, the BJP won 12 seats out of the 20 it fielded candidates for.

In Nagaland, despite vehement opposition from the Church, the saffron party won more than 50 percent of the seats it fielded candidates in.

But in Mizoram, Mizo National Front  a long-time ally of the NDA  has denied to forge any alliance with the BJP in the Assembly elections to be held in the month of November.

Firstpost tried to contact Reverend Lalramliana Pachau, one of the most vocal Church representatives in Mizoram via phone and messages, but he is yet to respond as to why the Christian religious institutions have chosen to remain silent on the issue of BJP.
Swami Paripoornananda, founder of Hindu Vahini, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday.

New Delhi: Swami Paripoornananda, founder of Hindu Vahini, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday, with BJP president Amit Shah expressing confidence that the addition will boost his party's prospects in the Telangana Assembly election.

Shah said Paripoornananda has made a big contribution in the fields of social service and religious activities in south India and his presence in the party will strengthen it a lot, especially in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

"His joining the BJP will infuse new energy into the party and boost its election prospects in Telangana," Shah, flanked by Paripoornananda and party general secretary Ram Madhav, told reporters.

Paripoornananda said he would work as a 'sevak' of the BJP with zero expectations and spread its message to southern parts of the country.

He was recently externed from Hyderabad by the city police for allegedly making provocative speeches but got a stay on the order from a court.

A Hindutva leader and strong votary of building Ram temple in Ayodhya, he may be fielded by the BJP in election, party sources said.

The Assembly poll in the state would be held on 7 December.
Reuters

European Union leaders agreed on 18 October to impose sanctions to stiffen their response to cyber attacks and to rush through new curbs on online campaigning by political parties to protect next years European polls from interference.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel became the latest leader this week to warn against the risk of disinformation and voter manipulation to undermine the May elections to the European legislature.

The threat of a special EU economic sanctions regime against computer hackers, including hostile governments and individuals, as well as fines for political parties, will act as a deterrent, European Council President Donald Tusk said after a summit of EU leaders.

Such a regime should help to protect our citizens, companies and institutions from all kinds of cybersecurity threats, Tusk told reporters, referring to proposals pushed by seven EU countries including Britain.

Russia has made cyber and electronic warfare part of its military operations, Western officials say, and Britain, the Netherlands and the United States have accused Moscow of conducting a global campaign of computer hacks against the West.

But EU officials are equally concerned about the misuse of voter data by domestic actors to sway elections.

The EU executive proposed new rules last month to guard against a repeat of the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The data of millions of EU citizens were among those used by the British political consultancy to build profiles on voters and influence the US presidential election in 2016.

In summit conclusions on Thursday, EU leaders said the new measures to tackle cybersecurity, disinformation and data manipulation deserve rapid examination and operational follow-up.

In their meeting with Asian leaders at the EU-Asia summit from Thursday evening, the 28 EU leaders will meet Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Chinas Premier Li Keqiang. Cybersecurity is expected to be discussed, with a final statement focusing on action to combat hackers.

Russia and China deny responsibility for cyber attacks.
Indo-Asian News Service

In line with its efforts to prevent the misuse of its platform during elections, Facebook has set up a War Room to reduce the spread of potentially harmful content.

Facebook faced flak for not doing enough to prevent the spread of misinformation by Russia-linked accounts during the 2016 US presidential election. The social networking giant has rolled out several initiatives to fight fake news and bring more transparency and accountability in its advertising since then.

The launch of the first War Room at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, is part of the social network's new initiatives to fight election interference on its platform.

Although Facebook opened the doors of the War Room ahead of the general elections in Brazil and mid-term elections in the US, it revealed the details only this week.

The goal behind setting up the War Room was to get the right subject-matter experts from across the company in one place so they can address potential problems identified by its technology in real time and respond quickly.

"The War Room has over two dozen experts from across the company  including from our threat intelligence, data science, software engineering, research, community operations and legal teams," Samidh Chakrabarti, Facebook's Director of Product Management, Civic Engagement, said in a statement on 18 October.

"These employees represent and are supported by the more than 20,000 people working on safety and security across Facebook," Chakrabarti added.

Facebook said its dashboards offer real-time monitoring of key elections issues, such as efforts to prevent people from voting, increases in spam, potential foreign interference, or reports of content that violates our policies.

The War Room team also monitors news coverage and election-related activity across other social networks and traditional media in order to identify what type of content may go viral.

These preparations helped a lot during the first round of Brazil's presidential elections, Facebook claimed.

The social networking giant said its technology detected a false post claiming that Brazil's Election Day had been moved from 7 October to 8 October due to national protests.

While untrue, that message began to go viral. But the team quickly detected the problem, determined that the post violated Facebook's policies, and removed it in under an hour.

"And within two hours, we'd removed other versions of the same fake news post," Chakrabarti said.

The team in the War Room, Facebook said, also helped quickly remove hate speech posts that were designed to whip up violence against people from northeast Brazil after the first round of election results were called.

"The work we are doing in the War Room builds on almost two years of hard work and significant investments, in both people and technology, to improve security on Facebook, including during elections," Chakrabarti said.

Earlier this month Facebook said that it was planning to set up a task force comprising "hundreds of people" ahead of the 2019 general elections in India.

"With the 2019 elections coming, we are pulling together a group of specialists to work together with political parties," Richard Allan, Facebook's Vice President for Global Policy Solutions, told the media in New Delhi.

Facebook has also set a goal of bringing a transparency feature for political ads  now available in the US and Brazil  to India by March next year, Allan informed.

With the new ad architecture in place, people would be able to see who paid for a particular political ad.
Reuters

French cloud computing company OVH plans to triple investment in the coming years to take on U.S. Internet giants Amazon and Alphabets Google in this fast-growing sector.

The privately-held company will invest between 4-7 billion euros ($4.6-$8.1 billion) over its next five-year plan starting in 2021, founder and owner Octave Klaba, 43, told reporters on 17 October.

This compares with its current 1.5 billion-euro investment plan running until 2020.

The company, based in the northern city of Roubaix near Belgium, is running 27 data centres in 19 countries worldwide, including the United States, and offers storage and web hosting services to companies and individual customers.

It portrays itself as a transparent and secure alternative to Google, Amazon and Microsoft, which dominate cloud computing. The sector is currently thriving on a greater need for IT infrastructure to drive new digital businesses, and now represents a major part of Amazons profits.

OVH does not disclose detailed financial information but says it has annual sales of about 500 million euros and positive earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

It says it is growing at a rate of 20 percent a year and that future investment will aim at exploring possible expansions in other countries, including Russia and China.

Klaba, who favours jeans and T-shirts over formal suits, came to France from Poland in 1991 with his family after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Eight years later, he created OVH with a 25,000 French francs loan  the equivalent of 3,800 euros.

The group is backed by US investment firms KKR and TowerBrook Capital Partners, which bought a minority stake in OVH for 250 million euros in 2016.

Klaba hired Michel Paulin, a former top executive at Frances number two telecoms operator SFR, to become chief executive and steer the company to its next development stage.

He did not exclude an initial public offering down the road.

All options will be on the table. Today, its not our focus, he said. We dont need more money for the moment.

The only option that is off the table is a sale of his family-owned company, he added.
tech2 News Staff

Google Pixel 2 will soon be getting support for VoLTE for Vodafone India. Google will apparently be rolling out this support in the next update.

This update has been mentioned in Googles issue tracker, which has now marked the issue of VoLTE support as fixed. This was first spotted by XDADeveloper.

Up till now, Google Pixel 2 has had VoLTE support only for Jio. And the same for Airtel is still not available; there isnt any timeline on that either.

For the uninitiated, VoLTE, which is short for Voice over LTE, is the next generation standard for voice calling on 4G LTE networks. It uses IP-based technology to place calls directly over LTE, instead of using legacy networks such as 2G or 3G. VoLTE is able to serve much higher quality calls.

While Jio has been supporting VoLTE for close to 2 years now, many network providers in India like Airtel and Vodafone India are still in the process of rolling it out in many regions.

The use of VoLTE in India perhaps skyrocketed in 2016 due to Reliance Jio, which uses an all IP-based LTE network with no fallback for 2G or 3G calling. Which makes essential for users to have a VoLTE-capable smartphone to use Jio.

Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL already come with VoLTE support.
tech2 News Staff

Surrounding the mysterious disappearance and alleged murder of Saudi Journalist for the Washington Post, Jamal Khashoggi, major tech companies, financial firms, and media houses have pulled out from a high-profile conference in Saudi Arabia commonly referred to as Future Investment Initiative (FII). The reason behind this is that it is largely suspected that Saudi Arabia is behind an alleged assassination of Jamal inside of a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Google was the latest tech company to boycott the conference after Diane Greene, Googles head of cloud computing pulled out without explanation. Other notable companies which will not be present at the conference include Mastercard (Ajay Banga), JP Morgan (Jamie Dimon) and Standard Chartered (Bill Winters).

In an earlier statement Uber boss, Dara Khosrowshahi said he was very troubled by the reports to date about Jamal Khashoggi. He continued "We are following the situation closely, and unless a substantially different set of facts emerges, I wont be attending the FII conference in Riyadh."

Arianna Huffington, who runs the health firm Thrive Global, Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of the LA Times, Virgin founder Richard Branson and the CNBC anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin are also notable names that will not be going for the conference which is popularly known as the 'Davos in the Desert'.

FII is the brainchild of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman and will be held from 23 - 25 October in Riyadh. The objective of the conference is to portray Saudi Arabia as an emerging leader in the field of technological innovation and many industries in the non-oil sector.

While Saudi Arabia has categorically denied any involvement in the disappearance of Khashoggi, a video outside the Saudi consulate shows him entering the building but never exiting it. On top of that 15 Saudi nationals were seen entering the consulate building after him.
Reuters

Tesla Inc has signed an agreement with the Shanghai government for an 860,000 square meter plot of land to build its first overseas Gigafactory, the electric carmaker said in a Chinese social media post on Wednesday.

The land agreement marks a key step toward the firm and its Chief Executive Elon Musk making cars locally in China for the fast-growing market, even as tariffs imposed by Beijing on U.S.-made goods have caused it to hike prices of its imported models.

Tesla signed a long-anticipated deal with Shanghai authorities in July to build its first factory outside the United States, which would double the size of its global manufacturing and help lower the pricetag of Tesla cars sold in the worlds largest auto market.

Securing this site in Shanghai, Teslas first Gigafactory outside of the United States, is an important milestone for what will be our next advanced, sustainably developed manufacturing site, Robin Ren, Teslas vice president of worldwide sales, said in a statement.

Tesla did not give the price tag for the plot, but the Shanghai Bureau of Planning and Land Resources said on Wednesday that a plot of land of 864,885 square meters had been sold at auction at a price of 973 million yuan ($140.51 million).

Tesla signed a deal with Shanghai authorities in July to open a plant in the Chinese city with an annual capacity of 500,000 cars.

The factory will help tap Chinas rapidly growing market for so-called new-energy vehicles (NEVs), a category comprising electric battery cars and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles, even as Chinas wider car market cools.

NEV sales were up 54.8 percent in September and climbed 81.1 percent in the first nine months of this year to 721,000 vehicles, the countrys top automobile industry association said last week.

Beijing, however, is reining in subsidies for the sector, concerned about overcapacity and blind development, with many inside the industry expecting a shake-out to hit the wide array of smaller local electric car start-ups.

Tesla, which started hiring for the new Shanghai factory in August, previously said that it would raise capital from Asian debt markets to fund the construction, which will cost around $2 billion.
Preparations for the vote in Kandahar, the Taliban's birthplace, were thrown into turmoil on Thursday when a gunman wearing a security forces uniform opened fire on a gathering of US and Afghan officials.

Kabul: Afghanistan postponed legislative elections in Kandahar province on Friday, after a Taliban-claimed attack on a US-Afghan security meeting killed a powerful police chief and threatened stability across the south.

Saturday's parliamentary ballot would be delayed by one week, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement, following an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council.

The Independent Election Commission would announce the new date, he added.

Preparations for the vote in Kandahar, the Taliban's birthplace, were thrown into turmoil on Thursday when a gunman wearing a security forces uniform opened fire on a gathering of US and Afghan officials.

General Scott Miller, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, escaped unhurt, but Kandahar police chief General Abdul Raziq was killed along with the head of the provincial intelligence unit and an Afghan journalist.

Another 13 people were wounded in the assault inside the heavily fortified provincial governor's compound, including the governor and two Americans.

Voter turnout for the election  which is more than three years late  already was expected to be far lower than the 8.9 million people officially registered, following the Taliban's pledge to attack the ballot.

Raziq's death is likely to deter even more voters from showing up at the more than 5,000 polling centres around the country, which Afghanistan's overstretched security forces have been tasked with protecting.

More than 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats in the lower house, which is responsible for making laws and supervising the government.

Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded in poll-related violence so far. At least 10 candidates have been killed.

Despite the threat of violence, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan on Friday urged eligible voters to "exercise their constitutional right to vote".

The poll is seen as a crucial test for next year's presidential election and an important milestone ahead of a UN meeting in Geneva in November where Afghanistan is under pressure to show progress on "democratic processes".
Anjem Choudary, 51, was released for his reported 'good behaviour' under very strict licence conditions from the high-security Belmarsh prison in south London. Under around 25 strict conditions imposed on him include having to stay at a monitored probation hostel over the next few months, not being allowed to leave London and not being allowed to interact with the media or preach to young people.

London: A Pakistani-origin radical Islamist preacher was freed from a UK jail on Friday after serving less than half of his five-and-a-half-year sentence for inviting support to the Islamic State terror group.

Anjem Choudary, 51, was released for his reported "good behaviour" under very strict licence conditions from the high-security Belmarsh prison in south London.

Under around 25 strict conditions imposed on him include having to stay at a monitored probation hostel over the next few months, not being allowed to leave London and not being allowed to interact with the media or preach to young people.

Any mosque he would wish to attend would have to be vetted by security officials and he will remain under surveillance as part of efforts to ensure he is not allowed to radicalise others. The Metropolitan Police and MI5 intelligence service are expected to be among a host of agencies involved in monitoring him in the community, under surveillance plans that will remain in place until the end of his sentencing period of five-and-a-half years.

Some of Choudary's other strict conditions cover electronic tagging; a night-time curfew; requirements to stay within a set area; a ban on contacting individuals who he knows or believes to have been charged with or convicted of extremist-related offences without prior approval; and restrictions relating to the internet use and mobile device ownership.

Any breach of licence conditions can result in immediate return to custody. UK-born Anjem Choudary was jailed at the Old Bailey court in London in September 2016 for radical preaching and urging Muslims to support the terrorist group ISIS. The so-called "hate preacher" was reportedly being held in a "separation centre" at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Frankland in County Durham.

Choudary, who led the Islamist group Al Muhajiroun until it was proscribed by the government in 2010, was accused of pledging an oath of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In his sentencing remarks, Justice Holroyde described Choudary as "dangerous" and "more calculating" than his fellow Islamist Mohammed Rahman, who was also jailed for five-and-a-half years for supporting Islamic State (IS).

"You show no remorse at all for anything you have said or done, and I have no doubt you will continue to communicate your message whenever you can," said Holroyde. Among Choudary's many UK followers was Indian-origin ISIS fighter Siddhartha Dhar, dubbed as "Jihadi Sid" by the UK media, who went on to become one of the senior commanders of the terror group in Syria.

The British Hindu, who converted to Islam and adopted the name Abu Rumaysah, had skipped police bail in the UK to travel to Syria with his wife and young children in 2014
The killings of two top security officials in Kandahar has only raised the stakes for the Afghanistan government to conduct nationwide parliamentary elections.

The terrible assassination of Kandahars top security leadership in a Taliban-engineered terror attack has underlined the growing challenge Afghanistan faces ahead of the much-delayed parliamentary elections scheduled on 20 October. Although the top American commander in Afghanistan narrowly escaped injury, General Abdul Raziq, the powerful police chief of Kandahar, and provincial intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin, were not so lucky when a bodyguard opened fire after a meeting.

Besides leaving a power vacuum in Kandahar ahead of crucial elections, the killings only underscore the level of confidence the Taliban has acquired after the Ghazni terror attack in August this year. Though it is too early to say anything with certainty how the attack would affect moves towards a nascent peace process, there is no doubt that it would further complicate the situation. Moreover, the unfortunate incident has only raised the stakes for the Ashraf Ghani-led government to conduct nationwide parliamentary elections which are being seen as a litmus test of the governments credibility amidst the Talibans brutal campaign to intimidate the voters and dissuade them from casting their ballots.

This is Afghanistans third parliamentary elections since 2004. There are over 2,500 candidates competing for 250 seats in the lower house, known as the Wolesi Jirga. Campaigning had started in September and the results are likely to come out after mid-November. After filtering out 600,000 unqualified voters, the Independent Election Commission has announced 8.8 million people as eligible to vote. It needs to be mentioned that elections were originally scheduled for 2015 but were repeatedly delayed due to the inability of the government to implement key electoral reforms. Because of this failure and infighting within the National Unity Government, the elections and their aftermath are likely to complicate the presidential elections set for April 2019. There is a strong apprehension of the losing candidates contesting the electoral outcome, while the country remains at war.

Security is the biggest challenge as demonstrated by the Kandahar assassinations. Despite 17 years of war efforts, the Taliban remains a dangerous insurgent force. In fact, they have only strengthened their ability to challenge the Afghan security forces for control of key territories, particularly in the rural hinterland. Regardless of how much support it gets from the US, the Afghan government is not capable of defeating the Taliban insurgency and taking back the territory currently held by it. Without American firepower, the Afghan security forces will collapse immediately, and the US troops cannot remain in Afghanistan forever.

The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the polling by launching terror attacks and have denounced the elections as a Western-backed charade designed to perpetuate a puppet government. The Taliban killed 22 Afghan officials in two provinces a few days ago. The Islamic State-Khorasan also poses a challenge, as manifested by the killing of 35 people on 2 October in an election rally attack in Nangarhar province. Due to the highly unstable security scenario, only 5,000 polling booths would be opened for voting across the country instead of more than 7,000 polling booths. Ghazni, which briefly fell to the Taliban in August, will not be going to polls due to various problems including a volatile security situation. Besides, there have been several concerns regarding equal representation, as reflected in the demand for demarcation of constituencies for ensuring a balanced electorate. Lawmakers elected from Ghazni in 2010 will retain their seats until the province goes to polls in April next year. Now voting in Kandahar has also been delayed by a week. Whatever the reasons of postponement, the failure to hold voting in Ghazni and elsewhere is an undeclared admission of failure on the part of the government.

The first-ever district level elections were also supposed to be held simultaneously with the parliamentary polls. These elections are aimed at devolving power to the local level, especially given the governments fragile hold over the countryside, where the majority of the population follows informal governance structures. But the shortage of candidates forced the election commission to delay the election process until the presidential contest in April 2019. It is likely that high illiteracy and fear of violence prevented candidates to run for district seats.

Afghanistans ethnic diversity also increases the challenge associated with elections. At more than 40 percent of the Afghan population, the Pashtuns account for the largest and the most dominant ethnic group in the country. But they are outnumbered by the non-Pashtun groups of Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks. The Pashtuns favour a centralised form of government under a strong president holding a powerful position. On the other hand, the non-Pashtuns are in favour of a federalised model in which a prime minister is elected by the parliament. As this system keeps a check on presidential powers, the Pashtuns fear the decentralisation model will erode their power, while enabling regional powers to have greater say in domestic politics.

Elections can be the basis of political stability, but only if they work well. A flawed voting system cannot be a source of stability and legitimacy. The process of electoral reforms gained momentum after widespread allegations of fraud characterised the 2014 presidential contest between Ghani and Abdullah. Ultimately, Washington was forced to intervene in order to broker a compromise agreement. However, it also led to demands of changes designed to reduce electoral frauds and malpractices in future. Despite the passage of a new electoral law, the changes are still incomplete due to lack of political consensus, intergovernmental quarrels as well as logistical challenges of carrying out the huge task.

These elections have already been dogged by other serious technical and organisational problems, notably around the use of untested biometric voter verification equipment rushed in after allegations of widespread voter fraud. In May this year, Ghani attempted to begin the move to electronic voting IDs, which ran into trouble due to the bitterly fractious nature of Afghan politics. At the root of the controversy was a long-standing dispute about nationality and ethnicity. The Afghan CEO Abdullah criticised the move, saying it was illegitimate in part because the ID cards used the term Afghan, which is considered synonymous with Pashtun.

Elections are meant to give representation to the people so that they can resolve their differences through a well-structured and non-violent mechanism. But like in all poor third world countries and in conflict zones where elections are viewed as a zero-sum game, Afghan politicians increasingly tend to regard their electoral defeat as losing access to scarce resources. The result is an agonisingly incremental progress in electoral reforms in Afghanistan.

But most importantly, the primary responsibility for vitiating the entire electoral process must be unmistakably put on the Taliban, which has called on voters and candidates to boycott the elections, saying it will target more than 50,000 Afghan security forces deployed for polling. As rightly pointed by Amrullah Saleh, former Afghan intelligence chief, the Ghani government has not been able to tackle terror emanating from Pakistan because it never adopted a consistent approach to the problem. During an interaction at the Indian Council of World Affairs in New Delhi on 17 October, he asked: If Pakistan has launched an undeclared war on us, whats our response? Have we created a debate in the UN Security Council about the role of the Pakistan Army in terror attacks in my country? No. He argued, We all know Pakistan has launched an undeclared war on Afghanistan but our response is neither politically proportionate to what they have done to us, nor militarily or otherwise. Accusing Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of having a direct link in supporting the Taliban, who have their ideological headquarters in Pakistan, Saleh asserted, As long as we do not acknowledge the existence of that ideological headquarters, they will be active. We are fighting the Taliban today with the assumption that Pakistan will never dismantle the ideological headquarters of the Taliban, its a deterrence which is very cheap for Pakistan.

The US claims that it has not seen decisive action by Pakistans security establishment against terrorists operating from its soil. Henry Ensher, deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asia, speaking recently at Wilson Center, said We have seen some action but we have not seen the decisive steps from Pakistan that could demonstrate commitment, ensuring their territory cannot be used by the Taliban, the Haqqani network and other groups that are so violent and bring instability in the region. It is therefore important for the Trump administration to ensure that Talibans ideological headquarters in Pakistan is dismantled and Rawalpindi is rendered incapable to assert its primacy in Afghan affairs. Pakistan cannot be expected to change course as long as it does not feel the pain for its misdeeds in Afghanistan. Washington can go easy on Pakistan at its own peril.
By Andrea Shalal BERLIN (Reuters) - Belgium is likely to decide which fighter jet to buy to replace its ageing F-16s by the end of this month, several sources have told Reuters, and industry experts expect it to pick Lockheed Martin's F-35 over the Eurofighter Typhoon. The multi-billion dollar decision, widely watched in the aerospace industry, had been expected in July before the NATO summit in Brussels. It was postponed due to Belgian local elections last Sunday and concern about a report suggesting the life of the existing F-16 fleet could have been extended

By Andrea Shalal

BERLIN (Reuters) - Belgium is likely to decide which fighter jet to buy to replace its ageing F-16s by the end of this month, several sources have told Reuters, and industry experts expect it to pick Lockheed Martin's F-35 over the Eurofighter Typhoon.

The multi-billion dollar decision, widely watched in the aerospace industry, had been expected in July before the NATO summit in Brussels. It was postponed due to Belgian local elections last Sunday and concern about a report suggesting the life of the existing F-16 fleet could have been extended.

Washington extended the terms of the F-35 bid for 34 fighter jets by two weeks through Oct. 31 at Brussels' request, U.S. sources said, adding that any further delay would trigger changes in pricing.

"The Belgian competition is the F-35's to lose," said Harry Breach, London-based analyst for Raymond James, noting that Belgium already flew the F-16 fighter, also built by Lockheed.

He said the Eurofighter Typhoon would be a more expensive option, adding: "For affordability reasons, smaller countries tend to pick a jet with lower size, payload and range. All that points to the selection of the F-35."

No comment was available from the Belgian defence ministry but official sources have indicated that a decision on the choice of warplane is likely this month.

Prime Minister Charles Michel has previously said he would like to make the decision on replacing the F-16s before a national election in May. Defence Minister Steven Vandeput said this week that he hoped to be able to settle the matter before he steps down at the end of the year.

A win for Lockheed would mark a setback for the four Eurofighter countries - Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain - which had lobbied for the order.

France, which did not submit a formal bid for the Rafale fighter built by Dassault Aviation but offered Belgium close defence cooperation, is also keen to prevent a further spread of the F-35 in Europe, industry sources said.

Lockheed spokeswoman Carolyn Nelson said the company's proposal included significant opportunities for Belgian companies to contribute to the global F-35 enterprise.

BAE Systems, which is leading the campaign for Eurofighter, said the British government's best and final offer was submitted in February and it was now awaiting the Belgian decision.

The company had said in July that Belgium could gain a possible role in future European combat jet developments if it picked the Eurofighter over the F-35.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Additional reporting by Mike Stone in Washington)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Lisandra Paraguassu and Eduardo Simoes BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday was forced to deny an accusation that he sought funding from business leaders to purchase mass WhatsApp messages, in an alleged campaign finance violation. But Bolsonaro is still leading leftist candidate Fernando Haddad, according to the latest Datafolha poll published by Globo TV, which showed Bolsonaro with 59 percent of voter support, compared with 41 percent for Haddad.

By Lisandra Paraguassu and Eduardo Simoes

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday was forced to deny an accusation that he sought funding from business leaders to purchase mass WhatsApp messages, in an alleged campaign finance violation.

But Bolsonaro is still leading leftist candidate Fernando Haddad, according to the latest Datafolha poll published by Globo TV, which showed Bolsonaro with 59 percent of voter support, compared with 41 percent for Haddad. In a Datafolha poll last week, Bolsonaro had 58 percent versus 42 percent for Haddad.

The poll, which interviewed 9,137 people and had a margin of error of 2 percentage points, suggests Bolsonaro is increasingly likely to win the Oct. 28 run-off vote and become Brazil's next president.

But a hiccup emerged on Thursday, when newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported that well-heeled Bolsonaro supporters had paid for messaging by third-party agencies, splashing out up to 12 million reais ($3.26 million) each to spread tens of thousands of attack ads.

The Folha accusation energized Bolsonaro's struggling opponent Haddad of the Worker's Party (PT), who said his party has witnesses saying Bolsonaro asked business leaders at a dinner in Sao Paulo for funds to pay for the bulk messaging, which he described as undeclared campaign contributions.

Bolsonaro, who has barely campaigned in recent weeks as he recovered from a near-fatal stab wound, used a Facebook Live video to deny the allegation. He had earlier described the messaging as "voluntary support."

"Since Sept. 6, I've been out of the fight. I was in the hospital 23 days, and I've been at home a few days. I did not dine or lunch with anyone. I only went out five times," Bolsonaro said.

Campaign propaganda has flooded social media in Brazil ahead of the run-off vote. The issue of fake news and abuse of social media has been a growing concern in elections across the world, and tech giants have come under growing pressure to stem the growth of misinformation.

The Workers Party filed a formal complaint with Brazil's election tribunal, asking it to investigate the Bolsonaro campaign and five companies cited in the Folha report for alleged abuse of economic resources and illicit use of communication media. PT lawyers also asked prosecutors and Brazil federal police to conduct a probe.

In a radio interview, Haddad said the Bolsonaro campaign had "created a veritable criminal organization with businessmen who are using undeclared money to pay for false messages on WhatsApp." He also called on international election observers and WhatsApp itself to look into the case.

Illegal, under-the-table funding by companies could, if proven, lead to the disqualification of the Bolsonaro ticket, said attorney Guilherme Salles Goncalves, an electoral law expert.

However, a Brazilian public prosecutor with experience in cyber crime was sceptical whether the allegations would constitute a serious crime. Legal precedents that apply to public social networks such as Facebook and Twitter may not apply to WhatsApp, where users communicate in smaller groups, said the prosecutor, who requested anonymity to discuss the case.

A representative for WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook Inc, said the report was being taken seriously.

"WhatsApp has proactively banned hundreds of thousands of accounts during the Brazilian election period," the spokeswoman said. WhatsApp's spam detection technology spots accounts that engage in automated behaviour and spread misinformation, she said.

Bolsonaro has vowed to pursue market-friendly policies laid out by his economic adviser, University of Chicago-trained economist Paulo Guedes, who has said that widely respected central bank chief Ilan Goldfajn would be asked to stay on.

However, Goldfajn is preparing to step down by the end of the year, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing two unnamed people who spoke to Goldfajn about the matter.

The central bank declined to comment.

Riding high on an anti-graft and law-and-order platform, Bolsonaro won 46 percent of valid votes in the first-round election on Oct. 7, barely missing the majority vote needed for an outright victory.

(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu and Eduardo Simoes; Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter in Rio de Janeiro, Ricardo Brito and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; editing by James Dalgleish and Leslie Adler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Lisandra Paraguassu and Eduardo Simoes BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Leftist presidential candidate Fernando Haddad accused right-wing front-runner Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday of soliciting mass messaging over social media via WhatsApp, funded by businesses, in an alleged violation of Brazil's campaign finance law. Haddad denounced the practice after newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported that well-heeled supporters paid for messaging by third-party agencies, each paying up to 12 million reais ($3.26 million) to spread tens of thousands of attack ads. Bolsonaro called it 'voluntary support' in a Twitter post retort that accused Haddad's Workers Party (PT) of stealing public money to 'buy minds' for political gain while in office.

By Lisandra Paraguassu and Eduardo Simoes

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Leftist presidential candidate Fernando Haddad accused right-wing front-runner Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday of soliciting mass messaging over social media via WhatsApp, funded by businesses, in an alleged violation of Brazil's campaign finance law.

Haddad denounced the practice after newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported that well-heeled supporters paid for messaging by third-party agencies, each paying up to 12 million reais ($3.26 million) to spread tens of thousands of attack ads.

Bolsonaro called it "voluntary support" in a Twitter post retort that accused Haddad's Workers Party (PT) of stealing public money to "buy minds" for political gain while in office.

Haddad said his party has witnesses saying Bolsonaro asked business leaders at a dinner in Sao Paulo for funds to pay for the bulk messaging, which he described as undeclared campaign contributions.

In a radio interview, Haddad said the Bolsonaro campaign had "created a veritable criminal organization with businessmen who are using undeclared money to pay for false messages on WhatsApp."

PT lawyers asked prosecutors and Brazil federal police to investigate. Illegal under-the-table funding by companies could, if proven, lead to the disqualification of the Bolsonaro ticket, said attorney Guilherme Salles Goncalves, an electoral law expert.

However, a Brazilian public prosecutor with experience in cyber crime was sceptical whether the allegations would constitute a serious crime. Legal precedents that apply to public social networks such as Facebook and Twitter may not apply to WhatsApp, where users communicate in smaller groups, said the prosecutor, who sought anonymity to discuss the case.

PT allies said they would file a complaint with electoral courts. Haddad called on international election observers and WhatsApp itself to look into the case.

A representative for WhatsApp, a division of Facebook Inc, said the report was being taken seriously.

"WhatsApp has proactively banned hundreds of thousands of accounts during the Brazilian election period," a spokesperson said. WhatsApp's spam detection technology spots accounts that engage in automated behaviour and spread misinformation, she said.

Campaign propaganda has flooded social media in Brazil ahead of an Oct. 28 run-off vote in the presidential election, which Bolsonaro is expected to win.

Bolsonaro vows to pursue market-friendly policies laid out by his economic adviser, University of Chicago-trained economist Paulo Guedes, who has said that widely respected central bank chief Ilan Goldfajn would be asked to stay on.

However, Goldfajn is preparing to step down by the end of the year, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, cited two unnamed people who spoke to Goldfajn about the matter.

Riding high on an anti-graft and law-and-order platform, Bolsonaro won 46 percent of valid votes in the first-round election on Oct. 7, barely missing an outright victory.

With a growing lead in opinion polls, Bolsonaro has said the presidency is "within reach," although he has been unable to campaign due to a near-fatal stabbing during a rally last month.

His doctors had instructed him not to take part in debates against Haddad but said after a check-up on Thursday that the decision was up to him and his campaign. They said he is recovering well but still needs "nutritional support and physiotherapy."

(Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter in Rio de Janeiro, Ricardo Brito and Anthony Boadle in Brasilia; editing by Bill Trott and James Dalgleish)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
US President Donald Trump acknowledged Thursday it 'certainly looks' as though missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened 'very severe' consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him. His warning came as the administration toughened its response to a disappearance that has sparked global outrage.

Washington: US President Donald Trump acknowledged Thursday it "certainly looks" as though missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened "very severe" consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him. His warning came as the administration toughened its response to a disappearance that has sparked global outrage.

Before Trump spoke, the administration announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had pulled out of a major upcoming Saudi investment conference and a U.S. official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader is at stake.

Pompeo said the Saudis should be given a few more days to finish and make public a credible investigation before the U.S. decides "how or if" to respond. Trump's comments, however, signaled an urgency in completing the probe into the disappearance of the journalist, last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

The messaging underscored the administration's concern about the effect the case could have on relations with a close and valuable strategic partner. Increasingly upset U.S. lawmakers are condemning the Saudis and questioning the seriousness with which Trump and his top aides are taking the matter, while Trump has emphasized the billions of dollars in weapons the Saudis purchase from the United States.

Turkish reports say Khashoggi, who had written columns critical of the Saudi government for The Washington Post over the past year while he lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S., was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to the writer.

Trump, who has insisted that more facts must be known before making assumptions, did not say on what he based his latest statement about the writer's likely demise.

Asked if Khashoggi was dead, he said, "It certainly looks that way. ... Very sad."

Asked what consequence Saudi leaders would face if they are found to be responsible, he replied: "It will have to be very severe. It's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens."

Vice President Mike Pence said earlier in Colorado that "the world deserves answers" about what happened to Khashoggi, "and those who are responsible need to be held to account."

In Istanbul, a leaked surveillance photo showed a man who has been a member of the crown prince's entourage during trips abroad walking into the Saudi Consulate just before Khashoggi vanished there  timing that drew the kingdom's heir-apparent closer to the columnist's apparent demise.

Turkish officials say Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb flew into Istanbul on a private jet along with an "autopsy expert" 2 October and left that night.

In Washington, Pompeo, who was just back from talks with Saudi and Turkish leaders, said of the investigations in Istanbul:"I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how, or if, the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

Although Pompeo suggested the U.S. could wait longer for results, an official familiar with his meetings in Riyadh and Ankara said the secretary had been blunt about the need to wrap the probe up quickly.

The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the private meetings and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Pompeo told the crown prince that "time is short." The official added Pompeo had warned him that it would be "very difficult for you to be a credible king" without a credible investigation. The prince is next in line for the throne held by his aged father King Salman.

Shortly after Trump and Pompeo met at the White House, Mnuchin announced that after consulting the president and his top diplomat "I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia."

The Saudis had hoped to use the forum, billed as "Davos in the Desert," to boost their global image. But a number of European finance ministers and many top business executives have pulled out as international pressure on Riyadh has intensified over Khashoggi.

Pompeo said that whatever response the administration might decide on would take into account the importance of the long-standing U.S.-Saudi partnership. He said, "They're an important strategic ally of the United States, and we need to be mindful of that."
President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to send the military to close the US-Mexican border against an 'onslaught' of migrants, stepping up his anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of congressional elections.

Washington: President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to send the military to close the US-Mexican border against an "onslaught" of migrants, stepping up his anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of congressional elections.

As several thousand Hondurans made their way through Central America toward the US border, Trump blamed Democrats for an "assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador" with a caravan "INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS."

"I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the US Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!"

Trump has made his call for a wall on the southern border a signature issue of his two-year presidency, but Thursday's tweet storm was especially fierce.

Trump suggested he was even prepared to put at risk the recently renegotiated North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Mexico, the United States and Canada, redubbed as USMCA.

"The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as president, than Trade or the USMCA," he said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders meanwhile said that "we are passionate about solving the issue of illegal immigration," and that "our administration is doing a great job on the border."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo embarked on a tour of the region that took him to Panama on Thursday with a visit to Mexico set for Friday.

The Mexican stop is important for future relations because it comes just ahead of the inauguration in December of President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's foreign minister-designate, downplayed Trump's comments as aimed at his domestic political base. "The position of President Trump is the one he has always raised," Ebrard told local radio station Radio Centro. "It was predictable and also the election process is very close, so he is making a political calculation," he added.

Controversial caravan

The president's message was part of a broad strategy to crack down on unauthorized immigrants and tighten rules for legal migrants.

Barely a week goes by without Trump warning about the danger posed by ultra-violent Central American gangs like MS-13, while chants of "build the wall" are a staple of his pre-midterms campaign rallies.

The latest focus is on some 2,000 Hondurans who departed Saturday from the city of San Pedro Sula in a caravan headed for the US border. A first group of several hundred Honduran migrants arrived late Wednesday on the Guatemalan-Mexican border, where they overflowed a shelter in the town of Tecun Uman, leaving many to sleep in the town square or on the street, an AFP correspondent said.

Many were travelling with a single change of clothes and little money. Others were carrying young children in their arms.

Several migrants told AFP the group plans to wait for the rest of the caravan to arrive, then cross the border en masse in hopes of overwhelming the Mexican immigration authorities, who have vowed to detain anyone without papers.

The migrants say they organized on social media for the long and difficult journey, but Washington suspects the group has been organized as a deliberate provocation. "This caravan did not appear organically," a senior Trump administration official told journalists.

"There's a political aspect and an organizational aspect which frankly seeks to sow chaos and dissent and that needs to be dealt with," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Border forces

In Mexico, hundreds of riot police deployed at a bridge on the border with Guatemala. Guatemala also sent police reinforcements. Responding to a tweet about Mexico deploying police equipped with anti-riot gear, Trump wrote: "Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!"

Mexico's ambassador to Guatemala, Luis Manuel Lopez Moreno, met with migrants camped out in the border town of Tecun Uman to discourage them from crossing illegally.

"We are offering documented entry to those who have a passport and visa, and to those who do not, documented entry via an application for refugee status, on humanitarian grounds. We will address every case," he told a large crowd of Hondurans gathered on the town's central square.

Mexico's foreign minister Luis Videgaray meanwhile told reporters he had met with UN chief Antonio Guterres, who said the UNHCR would help the Mexican government to process asylum applications for those in the caravan.

As for the US border, it remained unclear whether Trump's threat would result in any military deployment. The president announced plans in April to send thousands of National Guard troops to the border, where they could remain until his promised wall is constructed.

But at least five US states later refused to send the troops amid an outcry over a since-abandoned White House policy to separate migrant children from their parents at the border.
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) both face a drubbing in a regional election on Oct.

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) both face a drubbing in a regional election on Oct. 28 that risks further weakening their crisis-plagued national government, polls showed on Thursday.

The drop in support for Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) comes after their Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), suffered its worst performance since 1950 in a state vote on Sunday.

Poor back-to-back results for Merkel's conservative alliance would undermining her standing going into a CDU party conclave followed by the party's annual congress in early December. If she does not emerge well from those events, her opponents will be emboldened.

A regional poll by Forschungsgruppe Wahlen for broadcaster ZDF showed support for the CDU at 26 percent ahead of the Oct. 28 vote in the western state of Hesse, home to financial centre Frankfurt. The CDU won 38.3 percent at the last state election there in 2013.

A national poll by DeutschlandTrend had both the CDU and the SPD at their lowest levels since the survey launched in 1997, at 25 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

The regional poll suggested the Greens will be the big winner in Hesse, jumping into second place. However, support for the incumbent alliance of CDU and Greens was equal to that of the other parties, so they may need a third partner.

A so-called 'Jamaica' coalition of the CDU, Greens and FDP - whose colours match the Jamaican national flag - would be one option. Support for the FDP, and the far-left Linke, was at 8 percent each, the poll showed.

Negotiations on forming a Jamaica government at the national level collapsed this year, forcing Merkel's conservatives and the SPD to renew their governing coalition, a loveless alliance that had been plagued by infighting.

After the Bavaria election debacle, Merkel promised to restore trust in her government. SPD leader Andrea Nahles said "something has to change" in the ruling coalition.

Support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which hailed the Bavaria result as "an earthquake" that would rock the ruling coalition, was broadly steady in Hesse at 12 percent, the poll showed.

Forschungsgruppe Wahlen surveyed 1,035 voters in Hesse from Monday to Wednesday.

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Angus MacSwan and John Stonestreet)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Announcement from the Pakistan Foreign Office comes a day after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he had decided against attending the conference.

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan will attend a high-profile investment conference in Saudi Arabia next week, Pakistan Foreign Office announced on Friday, amid a string of cancellations from top global business leaders over the mysterious disappearance of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Foreign Office said Prime Minister Khan will visit Riyadh on 23 October on the special invitation of Saudi King Salman to participate in the three-day 'Future Investment Initiative' conference touted as 'Davos in the desert'.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan's participation on the first day of the conference is aimed at projecting Pakistan's economic and investment potential and the Prime Minister's vision of the country in the five years to come," it said.

The Prime Minister's participation in the conference signifies our solidarity with the Kingdom in its efforts to become emerging hub of international business and investment, the statement said.

The announcement comes a day after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he had decided against attending the conference.

"Just met with Donald Trump and Secretary Pompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia," he tweeted.

Mnuchin joined a long list of top US and global leaders, corporate executives and International Monetary Fund and World Bank officials in opting out of the conference following the disappearance of 60-year-old Khashoggi that has sparked global outrage.

Saudi Journalist Khashoggi, a well known critic of the Saudi Crown Prince has not been seen since 2 October when he entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. He is feared to have been killed inside the mission.

Britain's Trade Minister Liam Fox, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra have also pulled out of the conference.

The conference is part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan to transform the oil-dependent economy.

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and the heads of America's top investment firms  Blackrock and Blackstone  are among the leading figures who have decided to stay away.

Top executives at Ford, MasterCard (MA) and Google have also pulled out, besides the CEOs of Europe's top banks  HSBC, Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered.

The conference aims to host leading businesspersons, investors, corporate giants, representatives of hi-tech industry and major media outlets at one platform.

Prime Minister Khan will also call on King Salman and meet the Crown Prince Muhammad and discuss matters of mutual interest, the Foreign Office said.

Khan, who assumed office in August, last toured Saudi Arabia on 18 September and met King Salman.

The conference is now an annual feature in Saudi Arabia. The first conference was held last year, with participation of 3,800 people from 90 countries.
A Turkish official said that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the consulate, left the building on 2 October  the day Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

Istanbul: A Turkish official said on Friday that investigators are looking into the possibility that the remains of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been taken to a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul or to another city  if and after he was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier in October.

The official said that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the consulate, left the building on 2 October  the day Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

One of the vehicles travelled to the nearby Belgrade Forest while the other travelled to the city of Yalova, across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the secrecy of the ongoing investigation.

It was not immediately clear if police had already searched the areas.

Turkish reports say Khashoggi was brutally murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Prince Mohammed's rise to power.

President Donald Trump, who first came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but has since backed off, said on Thursday that it "certainly looks" as though Khashoggi is dead, and that the consequences for the Saudis "will have to be very severe" if they are found to have killed him.

Saudi Arabia has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press over recent days over Khashoggi's disappearance.

On Friday, Turkey's pro-government Sabah newspaper printed more surveillance camera photographs allegedly showing members of a Saudi team that was brought in to Turkey to dispose of Khashoggi.

A leaked surveillance photo published by the same paper on Thursday showed that a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage during several trips abroad had walked into the Saudi consulate, just before the writer disappeared there on 2 October.

The man, identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, has been photographed in the background of Prince Mohammed's trips to the United States, France and Spain this year.

This week, Turkish crime-scene investigators searched the Saudi consul general's residence in Istanbul and carried out a second search of the consulate itself.

Authorities have not said specifically what they found, although technicians carried out bags and boxes from the consul general's home. He left Turkey on Tuesday.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, a former deputy premier and ally of scandal-mired ex-leader Najib Razak, is accused of crimes that include accepting bribes to award government contracts and money-laundering. The 65-year-old pleaded not guilty to all charges, and will stand trial.

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's Opposition leader was Friday hit with 45 charges in a $26 million corruption case, a new blow to his beleaguered party which lost power in landmark elections this year.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, a former deputy premier and ally of scandal-mired ex-leader Najib Razak, is accused of crimes that include accepting bribes to award government contracts and money-laundering. The 65-year-old pleaded not guilty to all charges, and will stand trial.

A crowd of supporters turned up outside the court in Kuala Lumpur where he was being charged, waving banners that read "we reject the cruel treatment of our leader". Najib also attended the hearing to offer support. Ahmad Zahid is head of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lynchpin in a coalition of parties that ruled Malaysia from independence in 1957 until their shock defeat in May polls.

UMNO has been on the ropes since, with many coalition partners abandoning a party that had become synonymous with widespread graft, divisive racial politics in the multi-ethnic country and a rotten ruling elite. Najib has also been arrested and charged over allegations he oversaw the plundering of state fund 1MDB, a scandal that played a major part in the election defeat.

Ahmad Zahid is facing 27 money-laundering charges, eight counts of accepting bribes, and 10 for criminal breach of trust. Key accusations include that he misappropriated money from a charitable foundation he headed; received kickbacks in exchange for awarding government contracts; and laundered money by buying property.

The total amount of money involved in all the charges amounts to some 111 million ringgit ($26.6 million). Ahmad Zahid was released on bail of two million ringgit. His next hearing is set for 14 December. UMNO insists the case against their leader is politically motivated and his brother, Mohamad Lokman Hamidi, said Friday was a "black day" for Malaysia. "My brother is innocent," he told reporters.

The politician, who also served as interior minister in the last government, stuck by Najib even as other senior figures abandoned him over the 1MDB graft scandal. US authorities say more than $4.5 billion was misappropriated from the fund, with nearly $700 million diverted into Najib's personal bank accounts.

The ex-leader denies any wrongdoing.
Four prominent human rights and press freedom groups on Thursday urged Turkey to request a United Nations investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance.

United Nations: Four prominent human rights and press freedom groups on Thursday urged Turkey to request a United Nations investigation into the possible murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi to prevent a "whitewash" of the alleged crime.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders said such a probe established by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would shed light on the fate of the prominent journalist.

Khashoggi, a legal resident of the United States who wrote for The Washington Post, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October.

Media reports citing Turkish officials have said Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents within minutes of entering the consulate and that his body was dismembered.

"Turkey should enlist the UN to initiate a timely, credible, and transparent investigation," said Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

"UN involvement is the best guarantee against a Saudi whitewash or attempts by other governments to sweep the issue under the carpet to preserve lucrative business ties with Riyadh." Saudi Arabia has denied any involvement in Khashoggi's disappearance, while President Donald Trump has suggested that "rogue killers" may have carried out the alleged crime.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington that Saudi Arabia had "a few more days" to wrap up its own investigation and that the United States would decide on a response afterwards.

The Khashoggi affair has triggered a backlash against Saudi Arabia amid reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing.

Asked about the appeal from the rights groups, a Turkish diplomat told AFP that there was "no need" for a UN investigation for the time being.

"There's no need for the moment to go to the UN," said the diplomat, who asked not to be named.

"The Turkish police and the Turkish prosecutor are doing everything and collecting the evidence to find out what happened and how it happened," he said.

"We don't see it as something that we need because they don't have the expertise. What can the UN do?"

At a news conference held at the United Nations, the rights groups said evidence collected by a UN investigation team could be preserved for use in prosecutions.

The team should have access to all potential witnesses or suspects and recommend avenues for bringing to justice anyone against whom credible evidence is found.

"Partial explanations and one-sided investigations by Saudi Arabia, which is suspected of involvement, aren't good enough, said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch.

"Only the UN has the credibility and independence required to expose the masterminds behind Khashoggi's enforced disappearance and to hold them to account." Guterres at the weekend said in a BBC interview that the world should know "the truth" about Khashoggi's disappearance, and expressed fear that such incidents were becoming a "new normal." Amnesty International said Saudi Arabia has the most to gain from an impartial UN investigation.

"Without a credible UN inquiry, there will always be a cloud of suspicion hanging over Saudi Arabia, no matter what its leadership says to explain away how Khashoggi vanished," said Sherine Tadros, head the New York office of Amnesty International.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) described the suspected murder of Khashoggi as "one of the most shocking and extreme cases in recent years."
Taiwan officials described China's behaviour towards Taipei as 'arrogant and high handed.' Taiwan first requested to attend the meeting in 2016, when it was also denied. It did not apply in 2017 because the annual meeting was held in Beijing.

Taiwan: Taiwan said Friday that Interpol had rejected its request to attend next month's general assembly meeting in Dubai as an observer, blaming Chinese pressure in the latest snub from an international forum.

China sees self-governing democratic Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification and has used its clout to diminish the island's presence on the world stage since Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen took power in May 2016.

The government confirmed Friday that it had received official notification from Interpol that its request to attend the meeting as an observer had been denied. "Interpol's rejection of Taiwan is unreasonable but we know the important reason behind it is China's suppression of Taiwan," Taiwan's premier William Lai told reporters.

He described China's behaviour towards Taiwan as "arrogant and high handed." Taiwan first requested to attend the meeting in 2016, when it was also denied. It did not apply in 2017 because the annual meeting was held in Beijing.

Taiwan's foreign ministry also expressed "strong regret and dissatisfaction" at Interpol's decision. "Taiwan is justified in its desire to take part in Interpol and has the support from its allies and like-minded countries, including the United States," spokesman Andrew Lee added.

Taiwan's bids to attend international forums are regularly thwarted under pressure from Beijing.

The island has also been blocked from participating in the World Health Assembly (WHA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly meeting. China's foreign ministry has said that the island was only able to attend the WHA from 2009-2016 because the previous Taiwan government had a consensus with Beijing that there is only "one China".

While the island's former administration touted the agreement as enabling cross-straits relations to flourish without compromising Taiwan's sovereignty, Beijing saw it as meaning Taiwan and the mainland are part of a single China.

President Tsai and her independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party have refused to acknowledge the principle, which Beijing sees as the bedrock for relations.
General Abdul Razeq, one of Afghanistan's most powerful security commanders, was killed on Thursday in a shooting attack by a bodyguard that dealt a severe blow to the Afghan government ahead of parliamentary elections on Saturday, officials said.

Kandahar: General Abdul Razeq, one of Afghanistan's most powerful security commanders, was killed on Thursday in a shooting attack by a bodyguard that dealt a severe blow to the Afghan government ahead of parliamentary elections on Saturday, officials said.

General Scott Miller, the top US commander in Afghanistan who had been at a meeting with Razeq and the governor of the southern province of Kandahar only moments earlier, was not injured in the attack.

But Razeq, the Kandahar police commander, and the local head of the NDS intelligence service were both fatally wounded before the attacker was himself killed. Kandahar Governor Zalmay Wesa was severely wounded and contradictory reports about whether he had survived could not immediately be resolved.

Taliban militants claimed responsibility for the assault, which decapitated the security command in one of the country's most strategically important and contested provinces.

The Taliban said they said they had targeted both Miller and Razeq, who had a fearsome reputation as a ruthless foe of the Islamist insurgents in their southern Afghan heartland.

Security officials had warned of likely attacks ahead of the election but the death of Razeq caused deep shock that officials fear may keep away voters, after Taliban warnings not to take part in what they consider a foreign-imposed ballot.

"General Razeq's death will have a huge impact on security and the election in the south because a lot of voters may not feel safe to go to vote," said a senior security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Taliban released a picture of a young man in military-style uniform who they said was the attacker and Afghan officials identified him by the name of Gulbuddin.

It remained unclear how the insurgents managed to infiltrate a gunman so close to such senior commanders. Officials said Razeq, Miller and the other officials were walking towards a landing zone as the helicopter taking the US general's party back to Kabul approached to land when the gunman, who was waiting outside, opened fire on the group.

"Provincial officials including the governor, the police chief and other officials were accompanying the foreign guests to the aircraft when the gunshots happened," said Said Jan Khakrezwal, the head of the provincial council.

The attack underlined how precarious the situation remains in Afghanistan even after Taliban and US officials have opened preliminary contacts aimed at establishing the basis for future peace talks.

But a Pentagon spokesman said Washington remained committed to its strategy of maintaining heavy military pressure on the Taliban to force the insurgents to the negotiating table.

"This attack will not change US resolve in our South Asia strategy. If anything, it makes us more resolute," US Defense Department spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner told Reuters.

Body Armour

President Ashraf Ghani said a team led by the head of the NDS, Masoom Stanekzai, would be sent to Kandahar to bring the situation under control and investigate the incident, which sharply heightens security concerns around Saturday's election.

At least two hand grenade explosions and sporadic gunfire from around the compound were also reported by officials, in a sign the attack was carefully coordinated.

The three Afghan officials were all hit in the fusillade from the gunman and two Americans and a coalition contractor were hit in the crossfire. But Miller, who took command of US forces in Afghanistan and the NATO-led Resolute Support mission last month, was not harmed.

"The brutal police chief of Kandahar has been killed along several other officials," a Taliban statement said.

A flamboyant commander, whose men wore badges bearing his name, Razeq had survived several attempts on his life over the years and narrowly escaped an attack last year in which five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates were killed in Kandahar.

A US Embassy official said eyewitness reports indicated that claims Miller was a target in the attack were false, but he gave no detail. Local officials said Miller appeared to have been saved by his body armour but there was no immediate confirmation from NATO headquarters.

Razeq was criticised by human rights groups but highly respected by US officers who saw him as one of Afghanistan's most effective commanders, largely responsible for keeping Kandahar under control.

Although technically only a police commander, he was a powerful political figure in his own right and had clashed repeatedly with Ghani in the past, using his unchallenged position in Kandahar to resist attempts to sack him.

A cameramen working for Afghanistan's RTA state television was also killed on Thursday, according to the director of the Afghanistan journalists centre, Ahmad Quraishi.
By Jeff Mason and Ece Toksabay SCOTTSDALE, Ariz./ANKARA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he might consider sanctions against Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while emphasizing the importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship

By Jeff Mason and Ece Toksabay

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz./ANKARA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he might consider sanctions against Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, while emphasizing the importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship.

In Istanbul, Turkish prosecutors investigating Khashoggi's disappearance questioned Turkish employees of the Saudi consulate on Friday, widening the hunt for clues in a case straining Riyadh's alliance with Western powers.

Speaking to reporters in Scottsdale, Arizona, Trump said it was too early to say what the consequences for the incident might be. But he said the U.S. Congress would be involved in determining the American response.

Asked whether sanctions were one of the measures he was considering, Trump said, "Could be, could be."

"We're going to find out who knew what when and where. And we'll figure it out," Trump added.

Khashoggi, a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, went missing after entering the consulate on Oct. 2 to obtain documents for his upcoming marriage. Turkish officials believe he was killed in the building. Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations.

The U.S. Congress is controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans, some of whom have called for tough action against Saudi Arabia.

"I'm going to have very much Congress involved in determining what to do. ... I will very much listen to what Congress has to say. They feel very strongly about it also," Trump said.

Trump has also been reluctant to imperil major arms deals with Riyadh.

"Saudi Arabia has been a great ally of ours. That's why this is so sad. ... Saudi Arabia has been a great ally, they've been a tremendous investor in the United States," Trump said.

Turkish police searched a forest on Istanbul's outskirts and a city near the Sea of Marmara for Khashoggi's remains, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters, after tracking the routes of cars that left the consulate and the consul's residence on the day he vanished.

Investigators have recovered samples from searches of both buildings to analyse for traces of Khashoggi's DNA.

State-run Anadolu news agency said the Turkish prosecutor's office had taken testimony from 20 consulate employees, and that 25 more people including foreign nationals would be questioned.

The consulate employees questioned included accountants, technicians and a driver, Anadolu said. The investigation is being conducted by the prosecutor's terrorism and organised crime bureau, it added.

Turkey said on Friday it had not shared with any country audio recordings purportedly documenting Khashoggi's murder inside the consulate, dismissing reports it had passed them to the United States.

Turkish pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak has published what it said were details from the audio, including that his torturers severed Khashoggi's fingers during an interrogation and later beheaded and dismembered him.

"We will share the results that emerge transparently with the whole world," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

Trump wrote on Twitter that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "was never given or shown a Transcript or Video" from the consulate. Pompeo has also said he did not review any recordings.

The disappearance and presumed death of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, has caused an international outcry and strained relations between Saudi Arabia and Western allies.

(Additional reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara, Brendan O'Brien in Washington, Andrea Shalal and Maria Sheahan in Berlin, Aziz El Yaakoubi in Dubai, John Revill in Zurich, Katie Paul in Dubai; Writing by Stephen Kalin; Editing by William Maclean, Alistair Bell and Will Dunham)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Jeff Mason and Bulent Usta WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday he presumes journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S.

By Jeff Mason and Bulent Usta

WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday he presumes journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be "very severe" but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.

In Istanbul, Turkish investigators for a second time searched the Saudi consulate where Khashoggi - a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist who was a strong critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - vanished on Oct. 2, seeking clues about an incident that has caused an international outcry.

Trump acknowledged for the first time that Khashoggi had likely been killed.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One on a political trip.

Trump spoke hours after getting an update from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the results of Pompeo's emergency talks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Pompeo told reporters after his meeting that he advised Trump that Saudi Arabia should be given a few more days to complete its investigation into the Khashoggi disappearance. Turkish officials have said they believe the Saudi journalist was murdered at the consulate and his body chopped up and removed.

Trump said he was waiting for the results so that "we can get to the bottom of this very soon" and that he would be making a statement about it at some point.

Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: "Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens."

Saudi Arabia has denied involvement in the disappearance.

The United States considers Riyadh a linchpin in efforts to contain Iran's regional influence and a key global oil source, and Trump has shown no inclination to mete out harsh punishment to the Saudis.

Referring to the Saudis, Pompeo said he told Trump "we ought to give them a few more days to complete" their investigation in order to get a full understanding of what happened, "at which point we can make decisions about how - or if - the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

By casting doubt on whether the United States will respond at all, Pompeo reflected the internal struggle among Trump and his national security advisers on what to do should the Saudi leadership be blamed for what happened to Khashoggi.

"I think it's important for us all to remember, too - we have a long, since 1932, a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Pompeo told reporters after meeting with Trump, also calling Saudi Arabia "an important counterterrorism partner."

In addition, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin abandoned plans to attend an investor conference in Riyadh, putting the high-profile event in question.

Mnuchin became the latest Western official to pull out of the investment conference in Riyadh scheduled for Oct. 23-25, joining a list of international officials and business executives. Earlier on Thursday, senior government ministers from France, Britain and the Netherlands withdrew, too.

As of Thursday, the conference was still going on. The spokesman for Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which is hosting the event, was not immediately available for comment. The organizers could not be reached for comment.

(Additional reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun, Umit Ozdal, Yesim Dikmen and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Istanbul, John Irish and Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris, Bart Meijer in Amsterdam, Alistair Smout and Kylie MacLellan in London and Susan Heavey in Washington; Writing by Steve Holland, Daren Butler and Stephen Kalin; Editing by Angus MacSwan, Will Dunham and Yara Bayoumy)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Orhan Coskun ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish police are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for remains of a Saudi dissident journalist who disappeared two weeks ago after entering the Saudi consulate, two Turkish officials said. Investigators have also recovered 'many samples' from their searches of the consulate and the consul's residence, the senior officials told Reuters, and will attempt to analyse those for traces of the DNA of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

By Orhan Coskun

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish police are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for remains of a Saudi dissident journalist who disappeared two weeks ago after entering the Saudi consulate, two Turkish officials said.

Investigators have also recovered "many samples" from their searches of the consulate and the consul's residence, the senior officials told Reuters, and will attempt to analyse those for traces of the DNA of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia has denied allegations by Turkish officials who have said Khashoggi was killed inside the building and his body removed. His disappearance and likely death has caused an international outcry and strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States and European countries.

Authorities widened the geographic focus of the search after tracking the routes and stops of cars that left the Saudi consulate and the consul's residence on Oct. 2, the day Khashoggi was last seen, the senior officials said.

Khashoggi's killers may have dumped his remains in Belgrad Forest adjacent to Istanbul, and at a rural location near the city of Yalova, a 90-kilometre (55 mile) drive south of Istanbul, the officials said.

"The investigations led to some suspicion that his remains may be in the city of Yalova and the Belgrad forest, police have been searching these areas," one of the officials said. A "farm house or villa" may have been used for the disposal of remains, the official said.

Turkish investigators on Thursday for a second time searched the Saudi consulate where Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist who was a strong critic of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, vanished.

They have also searched the consul's residence.

Many samples were taken from the consulate and the residence, the official said, including soil and water. All of the samples will be taken to analyse for traces of Khashoggi's DNA.

Khashoggi went to the consulate seeking documents for his planned marriage and has not been seen since.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he presumes Khashoggi is dead and that the U.S. response to Saudi Arabia will likely be "very severe" but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.

(Reporting by Orhan Coskun; writing by David Dolan; editing by Grant McCool)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
The investigation comes after the release of a sweeping US grand jury report in August that revealed credible allegations against more than 300 suspected 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.

New York: The US has for the first time opened a federal investigation into abuse committed by Catholic clergy, issuing a subpoena to dioceses in Pennsylvania two months after the publication of a report on decades of sexual abuse in the state.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia confirmed on its website Thursday that it had "received a subpoena issued by a federal grand jury, which requires the production of certain documents."

"The archdiocese will cooperate with the United States Department of Justice in this matter," it said.

The Diocese of Greensburg, in western Pennsylvania, also confirmed that it has been subpoenaed, something that was "no surprise considering the horrific misconduct detailed in the statewide grand jury report."

"Survivors, parishioners and the public want to see proof that every diocese has taken sweeping, decisive and impactful action to make children safer," it said.

Six other dioceses in the state could not immediately be reached for comment, but US media reported that five confirmed they had also received federal subpoenas and were ready to cooperate with investigators.

The federal prosecutor's office in Philadelphia, which is in charge of the investigation, said that "the US Department of Justice generally does not confirm, deny or otherwise comment on the existence or non-existence of an investigation."

The investigation comes after the release of a sweeping US grand jury report in August that revealed credible allegations against more than 300 suspected 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.

The report is thought to be the most comprehensive to date into abuse in the US church.
Venkaiaha Naidu sought collaboration from both countries to strengthen ties in areas of defence, space, infrastructure and startups.

Brussels: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has met Prime Ministers of Greece and Portugal in Brussels and discussed ways to boost bilateral ties through greater economic cooperation and people to people exchanges.

Naidu, who is in Brussels to attend the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit, met on Thursday Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras and Portugese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and sought his collaboration to strengthen ties in areas of defence, space, infrastructure and startups.

Tsipras informed the Vice President about the economic conditions of Greece and the efforts taken by the government to restore stability to the financial system.

"He commended that the growth of the Indian economy over the last few years has had a positive influence on the global economic situation," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Tsipras encouraged Indian companies to consider investing in Greece, particularly in the port sector and extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Greece at an opportune time, it said.

The Vice President called for greater tourism flows between the two countries. He thanked Greece for its support for India's membership to the various export control regimes and its candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council.

Two countries agreed to further strengthen the bilateral ties through greater economic and people to people exchanges.

In his meeting with Naidu, Prime Minister Costa said he was happy with the ongoing positive momentum in the bilateral relations.

"He said that India-Portugal bilateral trade was on the rise and that Portuguese companies were encouraged by the potential of the Indian market," the External Affairs Ministry statement said.

Naidu thanked Costa for joining the Committee set up to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi worldwide.

He said India and Portugal should collaborate in new areas of cutting-edge technology.

Naidu said defence, space, infrastructure and startups were areas that offer potential business opportunities.

He also thanked Portugal for reiterating its support for India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Greece's economy has stabilised and grown slowly after the subsequent Great Recession and Greek government-debt crisis that plunged the economy into a sharp downturn.

It asked for a financial rescue by the European Union and International Monetary Fund. Bailouts - emergency loans aimed at saving sinking economies - began in 2010.

Greece received three successive packages, totalling 289 billion euros, but they came with the price of drastic austerity measures.
Vladimir Putin told a forum of international experts in the southern city of Sochi that Russia will only ever use nuclear weapons in retaliation to attacks from other armed forces.

Sochi: Russians will "go to heaven" as martyrs in the event of nuclear war because Moscow will only ever use nuclear weapons in retaliation, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

"We have no concept of a preemptive strike," Putin told a forum of international experts in the southern city of Sochi in response to a question from the audience.

"In such a situation, we expect to be struck by nuclear weapons, but we will not use them first," he said.

"The aggressor will have to understand that retaliation is inevitable, that it will be destroyed and that we, as victims of aggression, as martyrs, will go to heaven.

"They will simply die because they won't even have time to repent," he said to some laughter from the audience.

Putin last year unveiled "invincible" new weapons that would render Western missile defence systems obsolete.

In 2016 he called for the country to reinforce its military nuclear potential.
By Alexandra Valencia QUITO (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has filed a lawsuit in Ecuador against new terms of asylum in the Andean nation's London embassy that require him to pay for medical bills and phone calls and clean up after his pet cat, his lawyer said on Friday. Ecuador this month created the new protocol governing his stay at the embassy.

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has filed a lawsuit in Ecuador against new terms of asylum in the Andean nation's London embassy that require him to pay for medical bills and phone calls and clean up after his pet cat, his lawyer said on Friday.

Ecuador this month created the new protocol governing his stay at the embassy. Lawyer Baltasar Garzon told a press conference in Quito that the rules were drawn up without consulting the Australian national, who has sued Foreign Minister Jose Valencia in a Quito court to have them changed.

Assange has not had access to the internet since it was cut off in March, Garzon added, despite a WikiLeaks statement this week that it had been restored.

"He has been held in inhuman conditions for more than six years," Garzon said. "Even people who are imprisoned have phone calls paid for by the state," he added, describing the obligations regarding the cat as "denigrating."

Reuters was unable to obtain comment from Valencia, who Garzon says was named in the lawsuit because he serves as the intermediary between Assange and the Ecuadorean government.

The Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

Assange's stay has become an increasing annoyance for Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno, who has said the asylum cannot be eternal but has been reluctant to push him out of the embassy on concern for his human rights.

Assange believes he would be handed over to the United States to face prosecution over WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents.

Former Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa in 2012 granted Assange asylum as he sought to avoid extradition to Sweden for interrogation on alleged sexual assault crimes.

Sweden later dropped its investigation of Assange, but Great Britain says he will be arrested for violating the terms of his bail if he leaves the embassy.

Ecuador in 2017 gave Assange citizenship and named him to a diplomatic post in Russia, but rescinded the latter after Britain refused to give him diplomatic immunity, according to an Ecuadorean government document seen by Reuters.

(Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Dan Grebler)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Last week, SFGN took a look at five films from the festivals first weekend. Here, we offer mini-reviews of five more films worth seeing, all during the second weekend of the OUTshine Film Festival:

Girl

Thursday, Oct. 25, 7 p.m.

Savor Cinema

East Coast Premiere

Fifteen-year-old Laras goal is clear: to become a professional ballerina. Supported by her father, Lara (Victor Polster) attends a prestigious dance school. But, the frustrations and impatience of adolescence intensify as she gradually faces the daunting challenges classical ballet imposes on the body of a girl born in a boy's body.

SFGN: Its refreshing to see a story about a trans youth with supportive parents. Belgian director Lukas Dhont effectively and compassionately conveys the inner turmoil experienced by many trans people, but within the context of those formative adolescent years.

Mapplethorpe

Friday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m.

Savor Cinema

Perhaps the most controversial photographer in American history, Robert Mapplethorpe celebrated a range of subjectsfrom flowers to S&Min his striking images. He electrified the contemporary art world and immortalized a generation ravaged by AIDS. Matt Smith (The Crown, Doctor Who) stars.

SFGN: Matt Smith is arguably one of the finest dramatic actors on screens today and he once again completely assumes a role, this time the gay photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. There have been documentaries, but its fascinating to see Mapplethorpes life portrayed in a biopic.

Transmilitary

Saturday, Oct. 27, 12:30 p.m.

Classic Gateway Theatre

Transmilitary chronicles the lives of four patriots defending their countrys freedom while fighting for their own. They put their careers on the line by coming out as transgender to top brass officials in the Pentagon in hopes of attaining the equal right to serve.

SFGN: There are so many excellent documentaries in this years festival. The first weekend featured Man Made, about four trans men daring to compete in a bodybuilding competition. Here we meet determined men willing to die for their country.

Tenn

Saturday, Oct. 27, 9:30 p.m.

Classic Gateway Theatre

East Coast Premiere

In this period drama, Tom (Tennessee) Williams (Jacob Loeb), an aspiring writer in his 20s, lives with a negligent father. He attempts to maintain peace in the family while also dealing with his depressed and anti-social sister. Struggling against the societal pressures and expectations of him, Tennessee is determined to find his voice as a playwright.

SFGN: James Franco is a brilliant writer, director and actor, but so often his work seems either flighty or overly conceptual. Yes, were talking about The Disaster Artist and his ill-conceived dramatic documentary Interior. Leather Bar. This film is different.

Boy Erased

Sunday, Oct. 28, 6 p.m.

Savor Cinema

Boy Erased tells the story of Jared (Lucas Hedges), the teenage son of a Baptist pastor in a small town, who is outed to his parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe). Jared is faced with an ultimatum to attend gay conversion therapy or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family.

SFGN: This painful drama is headed to wider release across the country in just a few weeks, but an LGBT film festival seems like the ideal setting for this searing reminder that our brothers and sisters still face abhorrent treatment in our own country.

The OUTshine Film Festival runs Oct. 18  28 in Fort Lauderdale. For a complete schedule and tickets, go to OutShineFilm.com. Visit SFGN.com/OUTshine2018 for some reviews of other select films at this years film fest.
Achieving financial independence is deeply embedded in the American dream. Yet millions of young Americans see their parents and grandparents struggling to reach traditional retirement, living with minimal fixed incomes, or having to work far longer than they wanted.

FIRE stands for "Financial Independence, Retire Early." The goal is to attain enough wealth to retire early through a combination of a very high savings rate and a frugal lifestyle. And we aren't talking about retirement at 55. Most FIRE practitioners aim to retire in their 40s or even earlier.

Does FIRE make sense for you? If you're frugal, able to divert a very large portion of your income to retirement savings and investments, and have a do-it-yourself spirit, then adopting a FIRE lifestyle could be a perfect path to financial freedom. Chances are, even if you're not interested in going full-on FIRE, elements of the movement can help you reach your financial goals faster.

What is financial independence?

Financial independence means, in the most basic sense, that an individual no longer needs to work for money. Put another way, they are no longer financially dependent on an employer to provide them with a paycheck.

At its core, financial independence appeals to those who value their time at least as much as they value an increasing investment portfolio. At a certain point, the value of accumulating more and more assets begins to diminish, which generally makes people more aware of how they're spending their time.

From a purely mathematical standpoint, achieving financial independence requires having enough assets saved to predictably cover your living expenses in perpetuity. A good starting point is to set a savings goal based on the 4% withdrawal rule, which works out to building a nest egg equal to about 25 times your annual spending requirements. For example, someone who needs $50,000 per year would need to have a $1.25 million portfolio.

What is the FIRE movement?

The FIRE movement is made up of mostly ordinary individuals -- some of whom produce FIRE content via podcasts and blogs, and many who don't -- who have rallied around the principles of financial independence. Some are incredibly aggressive savers, some are remarkable investors, and some are insanely high earners. But all want to reduce the dependence they have on their respective employers and at least have the option to live life on their own terms.

When it comes to FIRE, you most certainly can have the "FI" piece without the "RE." This serves as a point of caution: Many FIRE movement adherents recommend retiring "to" a career or lifestyle you enjoy as opposed to retiring "from" a workplace you hate.

Being a 35-year-old retiree with nothing but time ahead can seem like a daunting proposition on its own. It's perfectly reasonable -- and abundantly common -- to achieve financial independence but continue to work in some capacity.

Tips to reach FIRE sooner

Those familiar with FIRE might think its adherents are frugal to an extreme. They might think that FIRE means living a life of pure sacrifice until an arbitrary portfolio value is reached. On the contrary, FIRE principles are freely accessible to almost anyone.

Make no mistake -- there are some strategic sacrifices involved -- but even the most ardent FIRE practitioners make room for enjoyment and self-indulgence. To get to their FIRE number as fast as possible, however, many FI devotees follow some of the value-maximizing principles of financial planning.

Some of the more common FIRE tips include:

Maximize employer matching in retirement plans such as a 401(k). Every dollar an employer matches is a dollar you don't have to earn or cut from spending to save.

Use tax-advantaged accounts like a Roth IRA to reduce taxes on retirement income.

Invest in low-cost index funds to generate higher long-term returns than cash.

Invest in assets such as commercial real estate or rental property that can generate predictable income.

Pay off expensive debt like autos, credit cards, and higher-interest student loans as soon as possible.

Take advantage of credit card points programs as long as you can be disciplined with spending, and don't carry a balance.

Learn a new skill or take on a side hustle that will increase your earnings.

Be more frugal. Buy a used car and keep it as long as possible instead of opting for a new car lease every three years. Ride a bike or use other low-cost transportation to further cut travel expenses. Learn how to make household repairs instead of buying a new appliance or paying a handyman. Cut back on recurring expenses such as cell phone, cable, internet, and other services where possible. Take advantage of free entertainment options.



The difference between the typical employee and the FIRE adherent is the one seeking financial independence is very deliberate in ensuring that each of these tips is met and surpassed. They are purposeful. Every dollar has a job. FIRE proponents understand that each of their small actions plays a significant role in ultimately hitting their retirement number, which will only come sooner with greater dedication.

A standard FIRE strategy

It starts with asking yourself some basic questions and then doing the math to figure out how much you'll need to save -- or if you need to adjust your goals.

How much income do you need to sustain your lifestyle in early retirement?

How soon do you want this to happen?

Once you've answered these two questions, you can start working to determine if your goal is feasible. Let's start with the first number, which is how much you expect to spend each year in retirement.

As mentioned earlier, a helpful rule of thumb is the "4% rule," which says your retirement savings will need to be large enough for you to withdraw 4% per year. In other words, your nest egg needs to be 25 times the amount you'll withdraw the first year. In each successive year, your withdrawal amount may be increased by inflation.

In the previous example, we used this concept to show that someone anticipating $50,000 in annual living expenses would need to accumulate $1.25 million. If your expectations for annual expenses in retirement aren't quite so frugal -- the median U.S. household income is now closer to $60,000 per year -- you may need to accumulate even more.

Let's use $1.25 million as a starting point, along with the next question: When do you want to retire?

If someone who's 25 wants to retire at 40 with a $1.25 million nest egg, they'd have to stick $83,000 per year in a savings account at current interest yields. Needless to say, that's out of reach for many people who don't earn a significant income.

However, there are ways to boost how much you save and to maximize how much your savings grow so you're not doing all the hard work on your own. And remember, FIRE is far from an all-or-nothing proposition. Even reaching 50% of your FI goal is a tremendous accomplishment and will earn you a significant amount of financial flexibility.

Of course, these are simple numbers to illustrate the point: Saving a lot of money is much harder than growing wealth by investing a portion of that savings over the long term. And, perhaps a more salient point: Investing as much money as you can -- as soon as possible -- will pave the way toward financial freedom.

What does FIRE mean to you?

One of the unique things about the FIRE movement is that its constituents come from all walks of life and all income levels. You don't need to be a Wall Street executive to reach financial independence; anyone can accelerate their trajectory toward FI by following a few simple financial planning principles. Retiring early, on the other hand, tends to be more controversial and more self-defined. Becoming financially independent doesn't force you into quitting your job the next day, but it certainly does give you the choice.

Many people are bothered by the idea that FIRE requires too much sacrifice of the "now." Yet many FIRE practitioners say the lifestyle can be deeply gratifying. Sure, there are sacrifices, but learning basic plumbing to fix a leaky faucet can save you hundreds of dollars versus hiring a handyman or plumber. It can also unlock your potential to do far more things on your own.

FIRE devotees also describe the lifestyle as being physically and emotionally healthy. Instead of a pricey resort vacation -- often with the added stress of air travel -- a camping or backpacking trip with family and close friends not only costs less, but it can result in more meaningful experiences.

But how much sacrifice FIRE requires you and your family to make really depends on your goals, your disposable income, and what you're prepared to give up or cut back on to get your savings rate as high as possible.

It's also possible to find over time that many things that were hard to give up are things you're better off having left behind. A simpler, less-expensive lifestyle that prioritizes experiences over things, especially when it helps you achieve financial independence as early as you can, is worth striving for.
Buckle up, burger fans. McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) is set to post its third-quarter earnings results before the market opens on Tuesday, October 23.

It's a highly anticipated report for one key reason: the fast-food titan's recent struggles in the core U.S. market. Specifically, falling customer traffic has investors worried that its global growth rebound could stall.

With that bigger picture in mind, let's take a closer look at the trends to watch in the upcoming announcement.

Getting back to traffic growth

Global demand looked strong last quarter, with comparable-store sales rising 4% to keep the chain well ahead of rivals like Dunkin' Brands and Starbucks. Looking beneath the headline sales result revealed key challenges, though.

That 4% expansion pace represented a slowdown from the 6% boost McDonald's notched in each of the past two quarters, for example. And customer traffic slipped for the second straight quarter in the key U.S. market.

Yes, McDonald's offset most of that slump with higher spending per visit in the U.S. and with faster growth in its international segment. However, the U.S. slowdown was significant enough to pull global traffic levels lower during the second quarter.

At a high level, the rebound initiatives that CEO Steve Easterbrook and his executive team have in place involve taking what's been working in outside markets like France and Japan and applying it to the U.S. segment. These strategies include a few quick fixes like menu updates.

Many more changes, such as store remodels and the rollout of enhanced digital and home delivery offerings, will take time before they begin lifting customer traffic. Broadly speaking, McDonald's is in the first year of an aggressive three-year investment plan that executives hope will lay the groundwork for many more years of market share gains on its home turf.

How investors benefit

Late last month, the company announced a hefty 15% increase to its dividend payout to mark its 42nd consecutive year of increases. The raise is part of a plan to return lots of cash to shareholders through a mix of dividends and stock buybacks. McDonald's expects to deliver $25 billion to investors through those channels in the three-year period that ends in 2019, in fact.

The company needs modest global sales growth to support those rising returns. But it also needs profit margins to keep marching up. That's why investors will be watching operating margin on Tuesday for signs that it is continuing to rise toward management's long-term goal in the mid 40% range.

It might seem odd that McDonald's can boost profitability while costs are rising and while the company doubles down on its value-based pricing strategy. Operating margin was far lower, at 33% of sales in 2016, after all.

Refranchising has been the key driver behind the recent gains. By selling company-owned locations to franchises, McDonald's has pushed its ratio down to below 8% of the global restaurant footprint from 14% just a year ago.

There are more gains to be won as the chain works toward its goal of operating just 5% of its restaurants and thus trading more volatile food sales for predictable, high-margin rent and franchise royalty fees.

The business -- and the stock -- performs best when McDonald's can pair that market-leading financial efficiency with robust sales growth. Revenue gains clocked in at a decent 4.7% over the first half of 2018, compared to the 5.3% boost it logged in 2017. The big question is whether that deceleration continues over the next few quarters, or stabilizes in response to the chain's aggressive moves around menu innovations, store upgrades, and home delivery.
Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI) recently completed a "momentous" quarter according to CEO Steve Kean. Not only did the pipeline giant's financial results beat its expectations, but it was a pivotal quarter on a strategic front, because the company closed the sale of the Trans Mountain Pipeline and locked up another new growth project.

However, the company isn't planning to slow down its momentum, which was evident on the accompanying conference call, during which Kean outlined four priorities that he hopes will take the pipeline giant another step closer to its aim of enriching shareholders.

Laying out the plan

After running through the highlight reel for the quarter, Kean transitioned into a discussion about what lies ahead by outlining four priorities, saying that the company will:

Complete the distribution of the Trans Mountain proceeds and continue our discussions on turning the positive indications that we now have from all three rating agencies into positive ratings actions. Continue executing on our project backlog, particularly the completion of Elba and the advancement of our Gulf Coast Express and PHP. Continue maximizing the benefit of our unparalleled gas network, seek to add attractive return projects to our backlog as we did this quarter with the addition of PHP. Continue returning value to our shareholders with a growing and well-covered dividend.

One central theme ran through those comments, which is that the company plans to continue its current strategy, which has included improving its balance sheet, building and developing expansion projects, and sending money back to investors.

On the balance sheet side, the company expects to receive a large cash infusion from its Canadian subsidiary Kinder Morgan Canada (TSX:KML) early next year, which is its share of the proceeds from the sale of Trans Mountain. Kinder Morgan plans to use that money to pay down debt, which will reduce its leverage to the point that it should be eligible for a credit rating upgrade. A higher rating will make it cheaper for the company to borrow money in the future, which will enable it to generate better investment returns and save on interest expenses.

At the same time the company remains focused on improving its financial profile, it continues to plow a large portion of its cash flow into expansion projects. It aims to complete its current slate as close to its budget and timeline as possible. Meanwhile, it's working to enhance its growth prospects by adding new expansions to its backlog, as it did last quarter by giving PHP the green light. Kean noted on the call that it's looking at a range of opportunities such as moving oil from the country's storage hub in Oklahoma toward the Gulf Coast, additional pipeline capacity out of North Dakota's Bakken Shale, and some opportunities in Louisiana's Haynesville Shale as well as Texas' Eagle Ford. Meanwhile, longer term, it could build a third long-haul gas pipeline out of the Permian.

Finally, thanks to the improvements in its balance sheet and growth prospects, Kinder Morgan expects that it can continue growing its dividend in the coming years, still aiming for 25% increases in both 2019 and 2020.

A potential enhancement to that plan could be coming down the pipeline

In addition to continuing to work on those initiatives, Kinder Morgan is also exploring its options for Kinder Morgan Canada. The company initially created that entity to be a self-funding vehicle for the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion. However, with it selling that business, the company's original purpose no longer exists.

While Kinder Morgan Canada could continue operating its remaining assets, it also could sell them to another company or back to Kinder Morgan. If it sells the business to a third party, Kinder Morgan will receive another cash infusion, since it has a 70% stake in that entity.

"With our leverage target achieved, we would expect to use the additional available cash to fund the equity portion of attractive growth projects that we may add to the backlog or for share repurchases," according to comments by Kean on the call.

Either option would enhance its current plan, since it could add even more expansion projects to its backlog or return additional value to shareholders above the dividend. That second option looks particularly appealing given Kean's belief that "our current share price is an attractive value for share repurchases."

More of the same, which isn't a bad thing

CEO Steve Kean made it clear on Kinder Morgan's third-quarter call that the company plans to continue its four-fold strategy to create value for investors. While that plan has yet to lift the stock price, it should eventually, especially as the company's expansion projects start growing cash flow and it buys back more shares. In the meantime, investors can buy this top-notch pipeline company for a ridiculously cheap price.
It has been an amazing year in the Island City, and as we start a new fiscal year, I am taking a moment to look back as well as forward.

At the end of 2015, the city commission approved and updated the Wilton Manors Strategic Plan, which we use as a roadmap for our vision of what our city will look like five years ahead. We have made important progress in achieving the 2020 goals and objectives and I will share some of the specific achievements in the coming months.

For now, let me summarize life in Wilton Manors over the last year.

Crime is down. 2017 crime rates overall in the city were the lowest in over 20 years. While our dedicated police department will continue to bring it down further, it bears sharing that our community is pretty safe, especially in relation to those around us.

Property values are up for the ninth year in a row, and we are in the top ten percentile of cities in Broward County in terms of increases. While we dont expect drastic increases to continue, we do hope to continue with modest growth.

Tax rates are down. This was the tenth consecutive year that your City Commission lowered the millage rate.

Our infrastructure is sound. City staff works long and hard to keep our infrastructure maintained and replaced at regular intervals. While we will be making upgrades in the next few years to our drainage and sewer systems to accommodate rising temperatures and seas, overall our infrastructure is very sound. One of the key goals of the Strategic Plan is to ensure that the citys properties and infrastructure meet present and future needs, and we are well on our way.

We have a robust leisure services platform, with programs for the young, young at heart, and in between. Last year we hosted more than 500,000 park visitors. If you havent done our Wilton Manors Self-Guided Ecotour I highly recommend it. I bet youll see something at every stop to make you say, Hmmm. Our parks are emerald gems placed in and around our urban village.

Looking forward, change is coming to Wilton Manors. Our city will have a new mayor and at least one new city commissioner beginning this month. The Island Citys main street of Wilton Drive is going to soon be transformed into a narrower, much more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly corridor. This has taken almost a decade of engagement with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and other agencies, and almost $4 million in funds from the Broward MPO.

Those of you who are on the Drive every day know it can be a speedway, mainly from traffic coming from and going to other places. There have been too many car vs. pedestrian" accidents, including fatalities, and with all that traffic, few stop to spend time dining and shopping on the Drive, rather than just speeding on it through our city. While it wont be easy going through the Drives transformation, on the other side of the construction will be a slower paced Main Street with more shade, pedestrians and bicyclists, galleries and restaurants, and an atmosphere that will better encourage business.

Maintaining the small-town feel will be our number one priority, with careful economic development a close second. We will be working hard to encourage the development and building of a hotel in close proximity to our downtown and looking at strategies to grow our class A office space and diversify our businesses. We will be incentivizing the use of alternative transportation, like ride sharing and other last mile options that encourage residents and visitors to leave their cars at home. We will be strategic about how we revise and update our city code of ordinances, to take a more common-sense approach and encourage and incentivize conservation.

We will be finishing up our Joint Climate Change Action Plan with Oakland Park, completing our community wide greenhouse gas inventory, and implementing ideas to reduce the citys carbon footprint.

Its been a year for the books with more growth on the way, and because of where weve been and the direction we are heading, I firmly believe lifes just better here in Wilton Manors...and hope you do too.
Valve has shipped a patch for Dota 2 that bakes dynamic loot box odds right into the in-game menu where players purchase treasure boxes. The patch introduces a clickable arrow next to each type of treasure that displays the current odds for rare, very rare, and extremely rare drops.

Whats neat about Dota 2s new feature is that per-box odds typically shift as players open more and more packs, and the odds listed in-game will always reflect those current odds rather than a general percentage of overall drop rates.

Its becoming increasingly common for developers to disclose those loot box odds either in-game or on a games website as lawmakers and governing bodies voice concerns over the similarities between the monetization system and gambling.

Valve itself has had its share of problems with loot box regulation in the past. The company recently shifted the way loot boxes work in the Netherlands for both Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 in an effort to navigate around requests from The Netherlands Gaming Authority.
A Diario report reveals that the wife of kidnapped 5Dimes owner communicated with a manager of the betting firm to send more than $700K in Bitcoin ransom to Cuba hours after Sean "Tony" Creighton allegedly disappeared.



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Creighton, 43 and originally from Bridgeport, West Virginia, was allegedly ambushed on September 25 by up to five armed men, one reportedly of dark complexion who spoke good English.

His current wife told authorities she paid $750K ransom via Bitcoin and have yet to hear back. Experts familiar with the 5Dimes operation were quick to suggest this to be a fraction of what 5Dimes would have on hand.

"Tony" was last seen September 25 in the area of San Isidro, Heredia and driving a Porsche Cayenne Turbo vehicle. That vehicle has since been located by Costa Rican police.



Sean "Tony" Creighton on video camera leaving the office just prior to his disappearance

A source tells Diario that there were three communications made from Cuba to Creighton's wife, one of which lasted as long as 20 minutes. Costa Rica does not have a restrictive relation with Cuba as does the United States.

That media outlet is also reporting that a security guard who worked in the 5Dimes office is also under heavy scrutiny at this time as is another individual, believed to have worked security at a nearby educational instruction center. Gambling911.com has confirmed that Creighton did not utilize a personal security detail outside of the office.

5Dimes continues to operate, however, customers continue to express concerns over the future of the nearly 20-year-old wagering business without Creighton's presence and direction.

The company issued a vague statement the other night via Twitter acknowledging the disappearance of its owner while ensuring "it's business as usual".

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
During the last few days, Rockstar Games has been in the middle of a controversy due to co-founder Dan Housers statements about the team working around 100 hours per week in wake of incoming Red Dead Redemption 2 release.

After Houser has clarified his statement with an official note from the studio, staffers from both San Diego and North teams have discussed the matter publicly, defending the company they work for.

R* has granted permission for us to speak frankly about this issue on social media. I want to stress that this is is my uncurated personal opinion, I am not being compensated for this post in any way and am making it voluntarily, said earlier today Rockstar Games San Diegos tools programmer Vivianne Langdon on Twitter.

I have never worked more than maybe 50 hours a week (and thats a rare occurrence), but I generally work about 2-6 hours of paid overtime per week, is the beginning of her story.

Im non-exempt so my overtime pay starts at 1.5x salary and scales to 2x after 8 hours of OT in a week or 12 hours in a single day, in accordance with California law. Also, I have only been asked to work on weekends once or twice in my entire time at R* on the Tools team.

The few instances when I work late overtime hours are generally because Im in the zone and dont want to stop until I finish some tricky problem. It is not the result of anyone forcing me to stay late or giving me impossible deadlines, but rather my own drive as a programmer.

Zoe Sams, the tools programmer at Rockstar Games North, has shared a similar story about her experience.

I havent worked a 100 hour work week in my life. Im thanked for any overtime I am asked to do, and it feels like in those circumstances it truly was an unfortunate situation.

I adore my team, this crazy family, and the work we put out. I like to think they know I do too, with the work I put in for them. I dont think were perfect? But I dont think anywhere is, and were all working to change that internally.

Rockstar Games Norths Martin puts it very simple: Ive spent nearly 5 years at Rockstar North. The number of 100 hour weeks done? Zero. The number of times Ive been given any pressure for that? Zero. Ive also been promoted during that time. I love working here, otherwise, Id go work somewhere else.

So, its clear that everyone might have different experiences at a workplace, and that to someone these women and men might not be telling the truth (or the complete truth) about whats happening at Rockstar Games.

As for me, as a video games fan, I am just glad to hear some positive stories coming out from one of the most talented studios out there, and hope to hear more since work conditions are too important to allow anyone  Rockstar included  to put them in doubt with excessive crunch times and offensive behaviors.

Source: Twitter
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
A timer has appeared on Swedish House Mafia's website, and it seems to be counting down over 400,000 seconds.

It ends on October 22nd at 11pm NZ time... but that's all we know at this stage.

Swedish House Mafia broke up back in 2013 after their aptly named 'One Last Tour', but they made a return this year at Ultra Miami at the festival's 20th anniversary. Steve Angello then confirmed the group's return in 2019 at the end of the set.

So we're guessing the countdown is likely an announcement of their reunion tour... but who knows, except that the hype is real!

We'll keep you posted.
Almost all galaxy clusters experience mergers. While a merger takes place, a specific pattern of "spiral" often can be observed in X-ray images.

Such a spiral feature is due to the motion of the gas (induced by a merger), called "sloshing gas." Observing a phenomenon similar to sloshing gas in the daily life is easy: when you swirl a wine glass containing some water in it and you will see how the water rotates along with the glass. Discovering how fast the sloshing gas moves in galaxy clusters has profound astronomical meaning and therefore is of great interest to astronomers. A group of researchers from Taiwan and Japan has now measured it by a novel technique enabled by the finest images from the space as well as the ground telescopes available to date; their answer is: "sub-sonic!"

The lead researcher of the study, Dr. Shutaro Ueda from Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (ASIAA) says: "Mergers are the most important factor in the evolution of galaxy clusters. So, measuring the velocity of sloshing gas is crucial for understanding not only the origin of the motion but also the evolution of galaxy clusters. But our knowledge about the velocity of "sloshing gas" is very limited due to the difficulty of measurement. So far, a few results are reported. Thanks to high quality Chandra X-ray and ALMA images, we succeeded in developing a novel technique which can solve the puzzle by combining both images and by calculating the minor perturbations of the gas in a distant galaxy cluster."

Measuring the moving gas has always been important to astronomers because motion is not only a basic aspect in physics but also an important observable of astronomical objects. The motion of astronomical object can directly tell us what has happened in the "systems." Therefore, measuring the motion is an important step towards the revealing of where or what the origin is, what the dominating mechanism is, and the nature of the astronomical object itself.

In the case of galaxy clusters, many kinds of features that indicate a presence of motion of intra-cluster medium are found. They are considered to be associated with the evolution of galaxy clusters. It is however hard to measure the motion of intra-cluster medium in galaxy clusters due to the energy resolution of X-ray CCD camera. So, astronomers' knowledge of the velocity field was limited to only a few samples out of hundreds of galaxy clusters -- even through a number of observations have been done in the past two decades. In addition, the measurements were restricted to the line-of-sight velocity of the intra-cluster medium, because only the Doppler effect on emission lines of highly-ionized iron can be used to measure the velocity in X-rays. Recently, a new method is proposed to measure the velocity field by focusing on the perturbation in X-ray images, but the study based on this method is limited so far. Therefore, the measurement of motion of intra-cluster medium is still one of the hottest topics and its velocity is one of the most important physical quantities to understand the nature of galaxy clusters.

The authors of this paper decided to measure the velocity in a luminous X-ray galaxy cluster RX J1347.5-1145 by Chandra and ALMA. Dr. Ueda added: "Of course we need to use Chandra X-ray Observatory and ALMA, because only these two provide us with the high-angular resolution that observing distant galaxy clusters requires. The objects are so tiny on the sky."

The second author of this paper, Prof. Tetsu Kitayama at Toho University, explains: "We estimated the velocity of the gas in a distant galaxy cluster, for the first time, by combining X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE) data and by solving the equation of state. In the end, we obtained a direct observational evidence for sub-sonic nature of the sloshing motion in a galaxy cluster 4.8 billion years away from the Earth. This means that the sloshing motion is rather gentle and nearly in pressure equilibrium. We expect that such measurements will become possible for a large number of galaxy clusters once the new ALMA Band 1 receivers, now being constructed under the leadership of ASIAA, are completed."

Dr. Keiichi Umetsu, a well-known cosmologist and a research fellow of ASIAA, says: "Understanding the physical state of galaxy clusters and their level of equilibrium is essential not only for the physics of galaxy clusters, but also for studies of cosmology, as they are the most massive objects to have formed in the universe. This study offers a new window into the velocity field of the gas in galaxy clusters. From now on, the novel technique developed by the team can add a new dimension of observable for astronomers to explore the nature and evolution of galaxy clusters."

Reference: "A Cool Core Disturbed: Observational Evidence for Coexistence of Subsonic Sloshing Gas and Stripped Shock-Heated Gas Around the Core of RXJ1347.5-1145," Shutaro Ueda et al., 2018 Oct. 10, Astrophysical Journal [http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/aadd9d, preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.09232]. The team members are Shutaro Ueda (ASIAA, Taiwan), Tetsu Kitayama (Toho University), Masamune Oguri (The University of Tokyo), Eiichiro Komatsu (Max-Planck Institute for Astrophysics / Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the universe, The University of Tokyo), Takuya Akahori (Kagoshima University), Daisuke Iono (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan / SOKENDAI), Takuma Izumi (The University of Tokyo), Ryohei Kawabe (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan / SOKENDAI / The University of Tokyo), Kotaro Kohno (The University of Tokyo), Hiroshi Matsuo (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan / SOKENDAI)

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Michael Barnard liked Sapphire Deo from the time he saw her as a yearling at Deo Volente Farms. After purchasing the filly trotter for $62,000 at the 2017 Lexington Selected Sale and changing her name to Miss You Kelly, he discovered even more reasons to like her.

Taylor Gower broke her and I was jogging her, not too long after he broke her, and she got startled by something in the grass and she took off on the trot, said Barnard, who owns Miss You Kelly as part of his Stormi And Bruiser Stable. She did it so easy and then just came right back to me.

I knew she was special there, just to be able to do that. She did everything perfect from day one, just a great attitude. Shes a beautiful horse to be around. Deo Volente turns out beautiful yearlings and Fidencio (operations manager Fidencio Cervantez) does a great job over there. Shes just a real sweet horse.

Miss You Kelly races Friday in the second of three Breeders Crown eliminations for two-year-old trotting fillies at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Miss You Kelly has the rail in that race, the fourth on the card, which is scheduled for 7:54 p.m. Racing begins at 7 p.m. and features a total of 10 Breeders Crown eliminations for two-year-olds.

Barnard is making his second trip to the Breeders Crown as an owner. His first was with Fresh Winner Pearl, who finished eighth in the 2002 event for three-year-old male trotters at Woodbine. He also bred Creamy Mimi, who won the 2008 Hambletonian Oaks and finished fifth in the Breeders Crown for three-year-old filly trotters.

Among Barnards other breeding credits is stakes-winner Brooklyn, who is the dam of another of this seasons two-year-old Breeders Crown hopefuls, trotting colt Kings County, who is owned by Lindy Farms.

Miss You Kelly, by Trixton out of Blue Yonder, was renamed in honour of Barnards rescue dog, who was a fixture around the horses and passed away last year.

She was my best friend, Barnard said. She was just the sweetest, kindest thing I ever had in my life.

Miss You Kelly has won two of six races this year. She is trained by Bruce Lauer.

Bruce has done a great job with her, Barnard said. Shes about as good as she could be right now. Hes done a great job getting her ready for this race. We just have to hope she gets a good trip and it works out for her.

Lauer is a veteran of the racing wars, but is making his Breeders Crown debut with Miss You Kelly.

Ive worked for, and with, some really good people over the years, Lauer said. Blair Burgess, Mark and Frank OMara, Ron Waples -- just to name a few -- so I have been here, but never on my own. I just never had the deep-pockets owners.

The first horses I trained on my own were a $4,000 claimer and a green three-year-old filly. I started when I was at the University of Toledo. A bunch of us went over to Raceway Park and before I knew it, I was on the backside.

Lauer said Miss You Kelly had a minor setback in June before beginning her career in an elimination of the Jim Doherty Memorial, where she finished eighth. After winning a maiden race at Harrahs Philadelphia, the filly went to Canada and finished fourth in a division of the Champlain Stakes and sixth in her elimination of the Peaceful Way.

She rebounded with a 1:57.1 victory at Pocono and heads to the Breeders Crown off a sixth-place finish against older horses at Pocono.

Weve always liked her, Lauer said. She had a minor setback in June and we had to back off with her and with her first start being in the Doherty she might have been over her head that early in her career. But she won a maiden with (Tim) Tetrick driving and he said he really liked her, so that was encouraging.

She raced OK in Canada. I probably should have shipped her up there sooner. She didnt really have her legs under her. Thats on me.

Lauer pointed the filly to the Breeders Crown by giving her the two races at the host track.

We wanted to get her a couple starts at Pocono to see if she could go enough, he said. Matt Kakaley drove her and she won pretty handily. Matt eased her up and said she left a couple of seconds on the track. The next week, the only race we could get her in was against the boys and three- and four-year-olds, but she still trotted in (1):54 and a piece, which is as much as a lot of these others have gone.

We figured it was time to give her a chance.

The top-three finishers from each elimination for the two-year-old filly trotters return Saturday (Oct. 27) for the $600,000 final. The draw is scheduled to take place live after the 10th race on Friday. Elimination winners, in an order determined by lot, draw for post one through five.

(Breeders Crown)
OnePlus 6T will launch a day early (on the 29th of October) due to Apple's launch event News oi-Vivek OnePlus 6T was all set to launch on the 30th of October

According to the newest blog post from OnePlus, the company has rescheduled the launch of the OnePlus 6T to 29th of October, which was originally informed to happen on the 30th of October. The company has made this decision, as Apple recently announced about a new product launch on the 30th of October. Here are the complete details on the OnePlus 6T launch.

On the 8th of October, the company officially announced that the OnePlus 6T will be launched in NewYork on the 30th of October. Just a few hours back, OnePlus decided to launch the OnePlus 6T a day before the actual launch date, where the company will be announcing the OnePlus 6T on the 29th of October due to the fact that Apple is launching the next generation iPad and MacBooks on the 30th of October.

Do note that, there is no information on the change in the launch date of the OnePlus 6T in India, so, the company is expected to launch the OnePlus 6T in India on the 31st of October.

OnePlus was pretty sure that Apple's launch event will overshadow the OnePlus 6T's launch event, where the OnePlus 6T will not get proper media coverage, and OnePlus does want that. According to OnePlus blog spot, the launch of the OnePlus 6T will happen in New York City at the same venue on the 29th of October. In fact, the company has clearly mentioned that OnePlus will cover any costs you might incur to change your plans. Ex: OnePlus can help to change your flight date, hotel arrangements, and more.

According to OnePlus, the launch of the OnePlus 6T will be the biggest event for the brand. In fact, for the first time, OnePlus 6T will be available in the USA with carrier billing facility, which will help OnePlus to penetrate into the US market.

OnePlus is also going big with the OnePlus 6T, which is the first OnePlus smartphone with an in-screen fingerprint sensor, bigger battery, improved camera, flagship specifications and more. In fact, the OnePlus 6T will also be the first OnePlus 6T smartphone without a 3.5mm headphone jack. The leaked pricing of the OnePlus 6T also suggests that the OnePlus 6T will be the most expensive smartphone from the company to launch in India.

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There was a special buzz in the air on Thursday (October 18) as Rideau Carleton Raceway and Casino, future home of Hard Rock, teamed up with the Canadian Cancer Society to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research and support programs through the Pink Power Battle to the Wire event.

The feeling of success was already in the air even before the first race. Local horseman Gary MacDonald, who has been touched by cancer in his family, had put in a tremendous amount of work in organizing this event. After everything was said and done, there was more support for this event than he ever expected.

We are so grateful that Rideau Carleton Raceway approached us to do this event, a representative from the Canadian Cancer Society said to horseman John MacMillan.

The bustling night raised approximately $12,000 from the many tickets sold for the Pink Power Battle to the Wire races, as well as from the silent auction and raffles held in the Rideau Carletons Clubhouse restaurant.

The night kicked off with four all-women races, with women from all over Ontario making the trek to Ottawa in to take part in this special event. Julie Walker, a driver based close to Hanover Raceway, said [cancer] has touched my family, and I think that something to do to bring awareness is always worth it.

One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and breast cancer is the leading cause of death, behind lung cancer, in women. Programs such as the Wheels of Hope, the Cancer Support Line, and various services help patients who cannot get to their treatments and therapies, people who are looking for support from their community and even women in the foster care system due to treatments. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, money that is raised...goes right back into their community.

Everyone I contacted was very excited to come here this evening," said MacDonald in an interview with MacMillan. They were 100% on board, and next year we may have 14 or 15 women drivers racing for the cause. We are looking forward to tonight being a great night, and next year being a continued success for us.

A huge thank you goes out to the many sponsors, donors, and organizers for the events that took place last night: Brodeur Sulky and Peppin Harness; G.T. Enterprises; Brooks Feed; JML Tack Shop; CIBC Findlay Creek Banking Centre; Russell Equine; Greenhawk Harness; Scalantes Salon & Barber Shop; Lindsay & Mccaffrey; Emerald Links / Anderson Links / Cloverdale Links; Home Hardware; Canadian Tire; Back on Track Physiotherapy; OFarrell Financial; National Capital Region Harness Horse Association; and the Rideau Carleton Raceway Casino, future home of Hard Rock.

For results from Rideau's Thursday card, click the following link: Thursday Results - Rideau Carleton Raceway.

(Rideau)
Lenovo might launch a dual-screen Thinkpad table in 2019 News oi-Vishal Kawadkar Lenovo wants to be ahead in the dual-screen race.

Lenovo could launch its new vision of dual-screen tablets next year. The company has always been known for testing out new design factors. For instance, it replaced the traditional keyboard with a secondary screen on one of its new Yoga models. However, this new dual-screen tablet, which is similar to Microsoft's latest patent for Andromeda, could use two displays in favor of a single tablet.

"LG Display will work with Lenovo, the world's largest PC maker, to develop a foldable tablet that folds the screen," a translation of South Korean publication ET Times reads. "The tablet will be equipped with a 13-inch foldable panel. 13 inch is the screen size that can be seen on a tablet or notebook now."

To be precise, Lenovo's folding screen PC could measure only eight or nine inches when folded, making it really convenient to carry around. With a 13-inch 4:3 panel, the screen could measure up to nine inches. A 16:9 aspect ratio means the display size will be trimmed down to 8-inches when folded.

The report also suggests that LG Display had partnered with Lenovo for an unknown amount to supply the 13-inch foldable panel by the second half of 2019. A foldable screen will allow smart devices to increase the viewable screen area while maintaining a compact form factor. Additionally, being able to fold the screen inward, the screens would be less vulnerable in case of accidental falls.

Microsoft's patent application, on the other hand, shows a device that doesn't use two foldable displays, instead uses a single flexible panel. This isn't the first time we've come across such a design idea and others have explored the possibilities as well, but Microsoft still seems to be in the designing stage.

"The description relates to hinged devices, such as hinged computing devices," the patent reads. "One example can include a first portion and a second portion that have to hinge ends rotatably secured by a hinge assembly. The example can also include a flexible display positioned over the first portion, the hinge assembly, and the second portion.

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Former FBI Agent Sentenced for Leaking Classified Information

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, October 18, 2018



Terry J. Albury, 39, a former Special Agent of the FBI, was sentenced today to 48 months in the District of Minnesota in connection with his unauthorized disclosure and retention of classified national defense information.

The announcement was made by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, FBI Director Chris Wray, Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office Nancy McNamara, and U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger for the Eastern District of Virginia, after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina M. Wright.

"We are conducting perhaps the most aggressive campaign against leaks in Department history," said Attorney General Sessions. "Crimes like the one committed by the defendant in this case will not be toleratedthey will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and punished. I want to thank Assistant Attorney General Demers, U.S. Attorney Terwilliger, and their attorneys for their hard work in prosecuting this important case. Today's sentence should be a warning to every would-be leaker in the federal government that if they disclose classified information, they will pay a high price."

"Every FBI agent has a solemn obligation to protect classified information from unauthorized disclosure to safeguard our national security. Terry Albury betrayed that responsibility, and he betrayed the trust bestowed on him by the American people," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "His sentencing today demonstrates those who violate the law by disclosing classified information will be held responsible for their reckless and illegal actions."

"Leaking classified national defense information to the media is a crime that damages our national security," said U.S. Attorney Terwilliger. "Albury transmitted classified information not just to one hostile foreign power, but to every hostile foreign power with the ability to pick up a newspaper or access the Internet. To be clear, this was not whistleblower activity. Albury made no attempts to engage in any of the legitimate whistleblower processes available to him, and instead chose to betray his oath and his colleagues by leaking classified national defense information to the press. This case should send a message to anyone considering violating the public's trust and compromising our national security by disclosing classified information. We will remain steadfast and dogged in pursuit of these challenging but critical national security cases."

"Terry Albury willingly disclosed classified information that he had taken an oath to protect, for his own purposes," said Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara. "He violated the trust that was placed in him by willfully providing information that could endanger national security to individuals not authorized to receive it and lied to the FBI about his actions. Albury violated the trust that was placed in him and his attempt to leverage national security information for his own reasons brought him to this sentence today. The FBI will continue to take all necessary and appropriate steps to thoroughly investigate individuals, no matter their position, who undermine the integrity of our justice system by lying to federal investigators."

According to court documents, Albury worked as an FBI Special Agent in the Minneapolis field office at the time of the disclosures, held a Top Secret//Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, and his daily duties provided him access to sensitive and classified FBI and other U.S. government information.

According to court documents, beginning in 2016 and continuing through August 2017, Albury knowingly and willfully disclosed national defense information, classified at the Secret level, to a reporter. Albury employed methods to avoid detection, including printing documents that he created by cutting and pasting portions of an original document into a new document so as to avoid leaving a record of having printed the original, classified document. Albury also accessed documents on a classified computer and took pictures of the computer screen in order to photograph certain classified documents. Those additional classified documents were recovered on an electronic storage device found during a search of his home.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Danya E. Atiyeh of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorneys Patrick T. Murphy and David C. Recker of the National Security Division's Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.

Topic(s): National Security

Component(s): National Security Division (NSD)

Press Release Number: 18 - 1361

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Former FBI Agent Sentenced for Leaking Documents

By VOA News October 18, 2018

A former Minnesota FBI agent who admitted to leaking classified documents to a journalist was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison and three years of supervision after his release.

Terry James Albury, 39, pleaded guilty last April to one count each of unauthorized disclosure of national defense information and unauthorized retention of national defense information for stealing documents and then sharing them with online news organization The Intercept.

The sentence is less than prosecutors had asked for, arguing that Albury had betrayed public trust when he leaked 70 documents, 50 of which were classified. One was a classified "secret" related to how the FBI assesses confidential informants.

Albury's attorneys asked for probation, saying that his experience as the sole African-American field agent for most of his five years at the Minneapolis branch of the FBI led him to become internally conflicted over anti-terrorism policies he saw as racial profiling.

Albury's attorneys said in a statement to reporters he was "driven by a conscientious commitment to long-term national security and addressing the well-documented systemic biases within the FBI," and that the racism he witnessed from agents and in the agency's policies drove him to disseminate classified information.

The Intercept, an online publication dedicated to what it calls "adversarial journalism," accidentally tipped off the FBI to the presence of a leaker when it submitted Freedom of Information Act requests referencing documents with names that were kept secret from the public. A subsequent audit of FBI systems found Albury had accessed documents that later appeared in The Intercept.

The federal government has been going through a crackdown under the supervision of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and President Donald Trump on employees who leak secret information to the press. Former NSA contractor Reality Winner received a sentence of five years and three months last August after also leaking documents to The Intercept, the longest sentence ever imposed for giving sensitive information to the press.

Albury worked for the FBI for 16 years, receiving an award from then-Director James Comey in 2015 for "exceptional efforts in the recruitment of two Confidential Human Sources."

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Department of the Army announces upcoming 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade unit rotation

By U.S. Army Public Affairs October 18, 2018

WASHINGTON -- The Department of the Army announced today the early 2019 rotation to Afghanistan of the 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade will replace the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Combat Aviation Brigade as part of a regular rotation of forces in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel.

"The 'Iron Eagles' look forward to working with our Afghan and regional partners. We are a trained combat aviation brigade, which is prepared to conduct a full range of operations in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel. I have the utmost confidence in our soldiers and leaders and know they are prepared and ready to support this mission," said Col. Jay Hopkins, commander of 1st Armored Division Combat Aviation Brigade.

For more information contact the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss public affairs officer, Lt. Col. Crystal Boring, crystal.x.boring.mil@mail.mil, or by phone at 915-744-8406.

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Three civilians killed in airstrike on Yemen

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Oct 18, IRNA -- Three civilians were killed and some others wounded during the latest Saudi-led coalition's attack on Al-Hudaydah province, west of Yemen.

According to AlMasirah news network, Al-Hudaydah city was targeted by Saudi fighters twice today (Thursday).

Despite international warnings on human catastrophes, Saudi-led coalition has launched massive attacks to occupy Al- Hudaydah port west of Yemen, which has faced resistance by the Yemeni Army and popular committees.

Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched a devastating military campaign against Yemen in March 2015, with the aim of bringing back the government of Hadi back to power and crushing the country's Houthi Ansarullah movement.

Some 15,000 Yemenis have been killed and thousands more injured since the onset of the Saudi-led aggression.

The assaults of the Saudi-led coalition forces have failed to stop the Yemenis from resisting the aggression. Recently, the Yemeni army unveiled its home-made underground missile launching pads.

8072**1396

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Formal Accession Talks with Skopje begin at NATO Headquarters

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

18 Oct. 2018

The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia marked an important step on its road towards NATO membership on Thursday (18 October 2018), beginning two days of formal Accession Talks at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The formal Accession Talks cover detailed aspects of membership, including political, military and legal questions. The Talks are chaired by NATO's Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Alejandro Alvargonzalez, who welcomed Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Radmila Sekerinska-Jankovska and the delegation from Skopje to NATO headquarters. The Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller also met with Minister Sekerinska-Jankovska to discuss the ongoing accession process.

Work on the accession process began in July, following the invitation from Allies at the Brussels Summit. At the recent meeting of the NATO Defence Ministers, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that "once all the constitutional changes on the new name are completed we can sign the accession protocol." He underlined that this is a "historic opportunity," and urged "all political leaders and parties to work together constructively and responsibly to seize this opportunity."

The country has worked closely with NATO, joining the Partnership for Peace (PfP) in 1995 and the Membership Action Plan (MAP) in 1999. For many years, the country has provided valuable support to NATO-led operations and missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo.

 Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.

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Palestinians rap US decision to merge al-Quds consulate into Israeli embassy

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 06:55PM

Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary General Saeb Erekat has strongly condemned a recent decision by the US administration to downgrade its consulate for Palestinians by merging it into its controversial embassy in the Israeli-occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.

"The (US President Donald) Trump administration is making clear that it is working together with the Israeli regime to impose Greater Israel rather than the two-state solution.

"The US administration has fully endorsed Israeli narratives on al-Quds, Palestinian refugees and settlements," he stated on Thursday.

"Palestine will not remain silent and will take all necessary steps in response. The move underscores the fact that US cannot play a peacemaking role. The Trump administration is part of the problem, not part of the solution," the high-ranking Palestinian official said.

Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US diplomatic mission in occupied territories, which deals with Palestinians, is being merged into the controversial new embassy in Jerusalem al-Quds.

Israel occupied Jerusalem al-Quds in 1967 in a move never recognized by the international community. The Palestinians want the city as the capital of their future state.

"This decision is driven by our global efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations. It does not signal a change of US policy on Jerusalem (al-Quds), the West Bank, or the Gaza Strip," Pompeo claimed in a statement.

Erekat, however, rejected the claim and said the move "has nothing to do with 'efficiency' and a lot to do with pleasing an ideological U.S. team that is willing to disband the foundations of American foreign policy, and of the international system, in order to reward Israeli violations and crimes."

Tensions have been running high in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip since last December, when Trump decided to recognize Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel's "capital" and relocate Washington's embassy from Tel Aviv to the Palestinian city.

On December 21 last year, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution that calls on the US to withdraw its controversial policy shift.

Despite the vote, the US went ahead with the embassy transfer on May 14, triggering angry protests in Gaza, the West Bank and elsewhere in the world.

Israel's crackdown in Gaza left over 60 protesters dead in Gaza on that day alone.

Angered by Trump's move, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas boycotted his administration, saying Washington is no longer qualified to serve as the sole mediator in the decades-long conflict with Israel, and that an international mechanism should be devised to replace the US in the so-called peace process.

Pompeo's announcement came weeks after the US shut down the Palestinian mission in Washington amid sour relations between the two sides. The US has also slashed funding for the Palestinians by hundreds of millions of dollars.

'Another nail in coffin of peace process'

The US consulate for Palestinians reports directly to the Department of State in Washington, and its merger into the embassy for Israel in Jerusalem al-Quds could be seen as American recognition of Israeli control over the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to analysts.

In remarks to The New York Times, Daniel C. Kurtzer, an ex-envoy to Israel under Republican and Democratic administrations, said the Trump administration's decision regarding its mission for Palestinians in the occupied territories would certainly be counterproductive.

"It's another nail in the coffin that they're constructing themselves with regard to their desire to advance the peace process," Mr. Kurtzer said.

"Now, the message is, we're not going to even give you the respect and dignity of having a representative designated to deal with you. They'll have to deal with [Ambassador to Israel] David Friedman, if he deals with them at all," he added.

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Northside Downs is pleased to present details and conditions for its upcoming Governors Cup Series for pacers that are non-winners of $10,000 in 2018 up to and including Sunday, October 21.

Horses must compete in both legs to be eligible for final and/or consolation.

Legs will feature purses of $1,200 and will be raced on Saturday, October 27 and Saturday, November 3. The $5,000 Guaranteed Final is slated for Saturday, November 10.

An eligibility fee of $100 is due before the first race on Saturday, October 27, 2018. There is no starting fee.

For more information, contact:

Northside Downs

105 Regent St.

North Sydney, NS

B2A 2G6 (902)-794-7599

Full Series Conditions:

1. Nominations due by Tuesday, October 23, 2018. Those nominating horses to these events are responsible for eligibility.

2. Declarations close at the time and date posted on the weekly condition sheet.

3. All eligibility fees will be added to the final.

4. Eligibility fee must be paid by Race 1 on October 27th. Payment for nomination fees must be in Canadian funds only. All nominations are subject to Northside Downs rules and policies at time of racing.

5. Points for each leg of the series go as follows: 1st, 16 points; 2nd, 12 points; 3rd, 10 points; 4th, 8 points; 5th, 6 points; 6th, 4 points; 7th, 2 points; 8th, 1 point.

6. Minimum of 14 nominations required to fill the series. If less than 14 nominations are received, the event may proceed at the discretion of Northside Downs.

7. If only 14 nominations are received, the top eight (8) point earners from the eliminations will race in the final.

8. If there are more than 18 nominations received, the top nine (8) money earners will race in the final, the 9-16th place money earners (8 horses) will race in the consolation; if a tie for 8th place it will be selected by lot.

9. There must be a minimum of six (6) entries for the consolation. In the event that there are fewer than six (6) entries, Northside Downs reserves the right to cancel the consolation.

10. In the event there is no consolation, Northside Downs reserves the right to have eight (8) starters in the final of the series.

11. In the event there is a consolation, horses that earn enough points in the series to qualify for the finals cannot race in the consolation.

12. In the event of a tie, the entry will be selected by lot.

13. All races will be at a distance of one (1) mile unless otherwise stated.

14. Post positions for all events will be drawn by the Standardbred Canada Electronic Draw.

15. All events will be conducted under the rules and regulations of the APHRC and Standardbred Canada.

16. Northside Downs reserves the right to refuse any and all nomination, return fees, rearrange programs and in the event that on the day of the scheduled race, the operation of races cannot be held for any reason whatsoever, they reserve the right to reschedule the race to an APHRC approved future race date or cancel it in which case all monies paid will be refunded. Northside Downs accepts no responsibility or liability for any accident, loss or damage, which may occur on their property as a result of these, or any races.

17. All owners, trainers, drivers must be members in good standing with the APHRC and Standardbred Canada.

18. All horses must meet the qualifying standards of Northside Downs.

19. In the consolation or final, should there be horses with common ownership; Northside Downs reserves the right to uncouple horses for pari-mutuel purposes as per APHRC Rule 208.

20. If there is more than one division of the preliminary legs or eliminations, each division will race for 100% of the advertised purse.

21. Purse distribution:

a. 5 or more starters: 50  25  12  8  5%;

b. 4 starters: 50  25  15  10%;

c. 3 starters: 60  30  10%;

d. 2 starters: 65  35%;

e. 1 starter: 100%

(Northside)
One killed, 3 injured as Taliban raid top US general's meeting

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 03:10PM

One of Afghanistan's most powerful security officials has been killed while two Americans and an Afghan governor were injured in a shooting at a high-level security meeting in Afghanistan, attended by top US commander General Scott Miller.

Officials said General Miller escaped unhurt after a burst of gunfire in the governor's compound in the southern province of Kandahar on Thursday, but Kandahar police chief Gen. Abdul Razeq was killed.

Meanwhile, Kandahar Governor Zalmai Wesa was seriously injured. Officials said one of Wesa's bodyguards opened fire as he came out of the meeting in his office with Miller, Razeq and other officials.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying both Miller and Razeq, who had a fearsome reputation as an enemy of the militant group, were targeted.

Miller took command of US forces and NATO troops in Afghanistan last month. NATO spokesman Colonel Knut Peters confirmed that two Americans were wounded in the crossfire.

The attack came ahead of parliamentary elections on Saturday, raising fresh security fears amid Taliban's warning to target the event.

Razeq's death risks destabilizing southern Afghanistan at a time of huge political uncertainty and a worrying deterioration in security situation.

The police chief was seen as one of Afghanistan's most effective leaders, largely responsible for keeping Kandahar province under control.

He had survived several attempts on his life over many years and narrowly escaped an attack last year in which five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates were killed in Kandahar.

On Wednesday, a bomber killed two Afghan civilians and wounded at least three foreign troops in an attack near the largest US military base near the capital, Kabul.

Mohammad Mahfouz Walizada, police chief of Parwan province where the military base is located, said a bomber on foot targeted foreign forces while they were on patrol.

Afghan people still face insecurity 17 years after the United States and its allies invaded the country as part of Washington's so-called war on terror.

Although the Taliban were removed from power as a result of the invasion, many areas are still threatened by insecurity.

Bomb attack injures 5 Czech solders in Afghanistan

In another development on Thursday, five Czech soldiers were injured in a bomb attack on a military convoy in Afghanistan's Parwan province, only two months after three others were killed, a Czech Defense Ministry statement was quoted by AFP as saying.

"The attack on the Czech patrol occurred on Wednesday around 1220 GMT near the Bagram base in the Parwan province," the statement added.

According to Czech army chief of staff, Ales Opata, the soldiers were injured when an Afghan civilian car loaded with explosives was blown up as the convoy led by an American vehicle was passing by, sweeping the Czech vehicle with six soldiers off the road.

Based on later reports, one soldier with serious injuries underwent two surgeries as another with light injuries remained in hospital. Another three were treated as outpatient and the last soldier got away unscathed.

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Yemeni ballistic missile hits gathering of Saudi-led mercenaries in Najran: Report

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 02:24PM

Yemeni armed forces have fired a ballistic missile at a gathering of Saudi-led mercenaries in Saudi Arabia's southern border region of Najran, a report says.

Yemen's Arabic-language al-Masirah television network, citing an unnamed military official from the missile unit of the Yemeni army, reported that the gathering had been hit with a short-range Badr-1 missile on Thursday morning, adding that the projectile had struck the designated target with precision.

The official also said that the missile strike had inflicted heavy human and material damage.

The report added that two other missiles of the same type also hit gatherings of Saudi-led forces in Yemen's central province of Ma'rib on late Tuesday.

Back on October 11, Yemeni forces also fired another Badr-1 missile at a Saudi military base in the Arab kingdom's southwestern border region of Asir. Al-Masirah, at the time, reported that the missile attack left an unspecified number of Saudi mercenaries either dead or wounded, and inflicted damage to the base and its equipment.

The Yemeni army launches such missile attacks against Saudi targets in retaliation for a brutal war imposed by Riyadh and a coalition of its allies on the impoverished country.

The Saudi-led coalition, including the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan, launched the military campaign in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall Yemen's former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and eliminate its Houthi Ansarullah movement, which has been running state affairs in the absence of an effective government besides defending the nation against the war.

The aggression initially consisted of a bombing campaign but was later coupled with a naval blockade and the deployment of ground forces to Yemen. More than 15,000 Yemenis have so far been killed and thousands more injured.

More than 2,200 others have also died of cholera, and the crisis has triggered what the United Nations has described as the world's worst humanitarian disaster.

The aggression has also taken a heavy toll on the country's infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger.

A number of Western countries, the United States and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.

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Haiti president 'survives assassination attempt'

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 11:07AM

Haitian President Jovenel Moise has reportedly survived an assassination attempt at a commemoration ceremony in the country's capital of Port-au-Prince, amid resumed anti-government protests against financial corruption and a range of economic issues.

Local media said the attack was carried out in the capital city during a wreath-laying ceremony on Wednesday to commemorate the 212th anniversary of the death of the first ruler of independent Haiti, Jean-Jacques Dessalines.

The media said unidentified gunmen opened fire at the commemoration ceremony attended by Moise. The Haitian president escaped unharmed but two members of his security team were injured.

Moise's security officers were said to have shielded the president from the gunfire at the time of the incident and later safely removed him from the scene.

Haitian authorities had earlier announced a temporary ban on the carrying of firearms throughout the country for security reasons.

Judicial sources said the ban would remain in effect until October 19 at midnight.

The reported assassination attempt comes against the backdrop of resumed protests in the impoverished Caribbean nation that call for Moise's resignation from power.

Earlier in the day, thousands of Haitians took to the streets of the capital to protest such issues as the government's alleged misuse of funds from an oil assistance program, the high costs of living, and the low level of minimum wage.

"We are out here to demand that Jovenel return the money from the Petrocaribe fund. We are suffering too much. We can't eat. Kids can''t go to school. Jovenel has to leave power no matter what," an unnamed protester told Reuters.

The demonstrators, armed with rocks and projectiles, set rubbish on fire as police fired tear gas.

Reuters reported that clashes between police and protesters on the streets of Port-au-Prince had left at least one person dead and dozens more injured.

The deceased was reportedly hit in the head by a bullet. It was not clear who fired the shot.

Back in July, the poorly-resourced country was rocked by strong protests against an announced reduction of fuel subsidies and a sharp rise in fuel prices as part of an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The violent protests prompted the resignation of the then-Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant.

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Greek FM resigns in internal dispute over Macedonia deal

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 10:02AM

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias has resigned in an internal dispute over a deal with neighboring Macedonia, which he helped negotiate but which has faced opposition from a section of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's coalition government.

The 67-year-old career diplomat and university professor abruptly offered his resignation to Tsipras on Wednesday, a day after he clashed in a cabinet meeting with Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, who heads the small, right-wing party of the Independent Greeks.

On Monday, the defense minister had threatened to pull his party from the coalition if the deal with Macedonia came to parliament for ratification.

It was not yet clear why exactly Kotzias  one of Tsipras's most experienced ministers  decided to step down, but he may have resigned to prevent the Independent Greeks from withdrawing from the coalition government.

The fragile coalition is composed of Tsipras's left-wing Syriza Party and the Independent Greeks.

At the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Kotzias ardently defended the agreement, but Kammenos lambasted it as what he described as a national sellout.

On Wednesday, the Greek prime minister was quick in accepting Kotzias's resignation, potentially signaling he was willing to sacrifice one of his closest political allies in favor of preserving his coalition government.

Shortly afterwards, Tsipras stressed that he would do whatever was required to ensure that the hard-fought deal  signed on June 17 to rename Macedonia as the "Republic of North Macedonia"  gets implemented.

"I am determined to do whatever I can (to) safeguard the successful conclusion of the historic... agreement," said the 44-year-old leftist Tsipras, adding that he had decided to take over the duties of foreign minister portfolio himself.

The deal is awaiting approval from the parliament in Greece. The Macedonian legislature has already ratified it.

Since 1991, when Macedonia declared its independence from former Yugoslavia, Greece, a member of NATO and the European Union (EU), has insisted that the name Macedonia implied territorial claims on a northern Greek province of the same name.

Although Macedonia became a member of the United Nations (UN) in 1993, due to the name dispute with Greece, it was admitted under the provisional description the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), a name that is also used by NATO and the EU.

The name dispute, which has so far barred Macedonia from becoming a member state to international institutions such as NATO and the EU, has triggered strong nationalist sentiments and strained the two countries' bilateral ties for the past 27 years.

The prospect of Macedonia becoming a member of NATO has already angered Russia, which has long opposed the eastward expansion of the military alliance. If it successfully joins NATO, the Balkan state will add to the bloc an 8,500-strong military, which relies on a combination of Russian, German, Greek, and US tanks and armored vehicles. It has no combat warplanes.

The Greek premier, whose Syriza Party is trailing poorly ahead of national elections due next year, is hoping a successful name change deal  a precondition set by Athens for removing its veto on Macedonia joining the EU and NATO  will help strengthen his political standing abroad.

"It is a decision not to tolerate, from now on, any double-speak from anyone or any personal agenda (against)... the national line," Tsipras warned in a televised statement on Wednesday, without elaborating.

People have already staged multiple protest rallies against any compromise both in Greece and Macedonia.

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Afghan Police, Intelligence Chiefs Killed In Shooting Attack

RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan October 18, 2018

The police chief and intelligence head of the southern Afghan province of Kandahar have been killed in a shooting attack, officials say, in a major blow to the Western-backed government in Kabul.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the October 18 assault in the provincial capital, also named Kandahar, which came just two days before parliamentary elections.

Afghan officials told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that a bodyguard opened fire after a high-level security meeting in the governor's compound.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, was present at the gathering but was unhurt, said NATO Resolute Support spokesman Grant Neely.

However, Kandahar Province's police chief General Abdul Raziq -- one of Afghanistan's most powerful commanders, with a fearsome reputation as an enemy of the Taliban -- and provincial intelligence head Abdul Momin Hassankhail were shot and killed.

"Today I lost a great friend Lt. Gen. Raziq. We had served together for many years. Afghanistan lost a patriot, my condolences to the people of Afghanistan. The good he did for Afghanistan and the Afghan people cannot be undone," Colonel Dave Butler, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, quoted Miller as saying.

Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said he was "deeply saddened" by Raziq's death, whom he described as a "great patriot," a "close friend," and a "hero" of the war against terrorism.

An Afghan journalist working for state media also died in the attack, according to NAI, a group supporting open media in the country.

There were conflicting reports about the fate of Kandahar Governor Zalmai Wesa, with some reports saying he was also killed.

However, Deputy Interior Minister Akhtar Mohammad Ebrahimi said Wesa was wounded.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a short speech confirmed the deaths of the police and intelligence chiefs, but didn't mention the governor.

Butler said "three Americans were wounded, have been medically evacuated and are stable."

He also said the gunman had been killed and that Afghan officials were the "target of the violence."

The Taliban claimed responsibility in a statement, saying, "The brutal police chief of Kandahar has been killed along several other officials."

"The target was General Miller and General Raziq," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter.

Fearsome Reputation

A close ally of the U.S. military, Raziq, has been credited with pacifying large swaths of Kandahar but has been accused by human rights groups of gross human rights violations, including forcible disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.

"We strongly condemn this terrorist attack & stand united in our unshaken resolve to fight terrorism. The struggle continues," Abdullah, Afghanistan's chief executive, wrote in a tweet.

Around 14,000 U.S. troops are currently in Afghanistan, and Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner told the Reuters news agency that the attack in Kandahar "will not change U.S. resolve in our South Asia strategy, if anything it makes us more resolute."

The Pakistani military condemned the Kandahar "incident," saying it wishes to see the "Afghan and other security forces succeeding to bring an end to this prolonged violence in Afghanistan."

"Peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace in the region. Support all initiatives towards this end," it added.

Afghanistan is on high alert ahead of the long-delayed parliamentary elections on October 20, after the Taliban pledged to block the vote.

More than 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament.

The run-up to the elections has been marred by deadly militant attacks and targeted killings of candidates, 10 of whom have been killed so far.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/powerful-afghan-police-chief -killed-in-shooting/29550866.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.

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Kosovo Lawmakers Back Bills On Expanding Security Forces

RFE/RL's Balkan Service October 18, 2018

Kosovo's lawmakers have given preliminary approval to legislation expanding the size and competencies of the country's security forces during a session that was boycotted by ethnic Serb representatives.

All parties in parliament, except deputies from the Serbian List that represents ethnic Serbs, on October 18 approved three draft laws to upgrade the mandate of the lightly armed Kosovo Security Force (KSF).

The draft laws will need to pass in a second reading before they are sent to President Hashim Thaci for his signing.

"The three laws have one task, to protect the territorial integrity of Kosovo, to protect the citizens of all communities in Kosovo," Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said before the vote.

Many lawmakers described the proposed changes as a step toward creating a national army -- a move opposed by the ethnic Serb minority in the northern part of the country and neighboring Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo's 2008 independence.

Lawmaker Igor Simic of the Serbian List said the draft laws violate the UN Security Council's Resolution 1244 from 1999 and Kosovo's constitution.

Serbia lost control over Kosovo in 1999 after NATO bombed to stop the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanians by Serb forces during a two-year counterinsurgency war.

Nearly two decades after the end of the conflict, the landlocked Balkan territory of 1.8 million people is still guarded by 4,000 stationed NATO troops.

The current KSF is a 2,500-strong force trained by NATO and tasked with crisis response, civil protection, and ordinance disposal.

The laws passed on October 18 envisions the new security force will have 5,000 active soldiers and 3,000 reservists.

A NATO official said that any change "in the structure, mandate, and mission of the Kosovo Security Forces is for the Kosovo authorities to decide."

"NATO supports the Kosovo Security Force under its current mandate. Should this mandate evolve, the North Atlantic Council will have to reexamine the level of NATO's engagement in Kosovo. We cannot predict decisions by the North Atlantic Council," the official added.

After Kosovo's government in September approved the draft laws to transform the country's security forces, the U.S. Embassy in Pristina said it was "not consulted on the timing of this announcement" and will have to "analyze the draft laws to understand their purpose and effect."

It also said its recent efforts have been concentrated on normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, which it considers "the most important step for progress in the near future."

A year ago, President Thaci withdrew draft legislation to broaden the responsibilities of the KSF.

Washington and the Western alliance had warned that they would reduce military cooperation if Kosovo converted its security forces into a regular army without changing the constitution.

Constitutional changes require the support of two-thirds of all 120 deputies in Kosovo's parliament and two-thirds of the 20 seats reserved for non-Albanian communities. Ethnic Serbs hold 10 of the seats reserved to ethnic non-Albanians.

With reporting by Balkan Insight and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-lawmakers-back-bills- on-expanding-security-forces/29551376.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.

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Will Macedonia's Orthodox Church Also Break Away?

Ron Synovitz October 18, 2018

Deep concerns have emerged within the Serbian Orthodox Church over a move by the leadership of Orthodox Christianity toward recognizing the Ukrainian church's independence from Moscow.

The reasons for concern go beyond the Serbian Patriarchate's historical and political ties with the Russian Orthodox Church, which announced on October 15 it was severing ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople over its recent decree on recognition of the autocephaly the Ukrainian church.

The Serbian Patriarchate has its own decades-old disputes with unrecognized breakaway churches in Macedonia and Montenegro -- territory long considered by the Constantinople Patriarchate, the spiritual leadership of the world's Orthodox Christians, as the domain of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Serbian Church officials say they fear the Constantinople Patriarchate's decree on Ukraine will be followed by recognition of the breakaway Macedonian Orthodox Church.

Bishop Irinej Bulovic, a spokesman for the Serbian Church, says there is "a real danger" new divisions will emerge in the aftermath of the Ukraine decision and fracture unity across the Orthodox Christian world.

In an interview with the Belgrade daily newspaper Politika, Bishop Irinej predicted the split would be "even bigger and harder" than the East-West Schism of 1054 that institutionally separated Christianity into the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.

Decision Time

Miroslav Kavezdi, an expert in Serbia on religious affairs, told RFE/RL that Orthodox patriarchates in the Balkans and around the world must now decide whether to continue honoring the leadership of the Constantinople Patriarchate or follow the Russian Church's lead and cut ties with the 1,600-year-old institution.

The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, currently Bartholomew I, has honorary and historical supremacy over the world's other Orthodox patriarchs.

He is considered to have spiritual and official precedence as "first among equals," but does not have the right to intervene in the religious affairs of other patriarchates.

Kavezdi says the process each patriarchate goes through will entail a lengthy reexamination of canon law on the issue of whether the Constantinople Patriarchate -- one of the world's most enduring institutions -- has jurisdiction to change the status quo in other partriarchates.

"A lot of things have not been elaborated," Kavezdi told RFE/RL. "There will be a long, tedious but necessary process of clarifying what is actually happening."

There is "concern among those who are members of the Serbian Orthodox Church because some solutions that are reflected in Ukraine in the status of the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate [one of the three Orthodox churches in Ukraine] could be applied" to the cases of the breakaway churches in Macedonia and Montenegro, Kavezdi said.

Conversely, Kavezdi says the Ukraine decision has bolstered hopes for the recognition of other breakaway churches.

In the face of those challenges, Bishop Irinej insists the Serbian Orthodox Church is committed to "respecting the canonical order of the past millennium."

But that position leaves open the question of whether the Serbian Patriarchate would continue to honor the authority of the Constantinople Patriarchate if it were to move toward granting independence to breakaway churches.

The Moscow Patriarchate weighed in on the issue at an October 15 synod in Minsk led by Patriarch Kirill of Russia, an ally of President Vladimir Putin.

Having held jurisdiction over Ukraine since the late 1600s, the Russian Church announced that the Constantinople Patriarchate has "excluded itself from the canonical field of the Orthodoxy" with "lawless and canonically void moves" on Ukraine.

Historic Feud Over Macedonian Church

The Constantinople Patriarchate has been examining a request to recognize the breakaway Macedonian Orthodox Church since May 2018.

The split goes back a half century to 1967, when the autonomous Macedonian Orthodox Church proclaimed independence from the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The Serbian Patriarchate responded by denouncing the move and labeling the Macedonian clergy as schismatic.

Since the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, the Serbian Church has tried to restore its control in Macedonia.

The breakaway Macedonian Church, which remains unrecognized by any Orthodox patriarchate, sees the efforts by the Serbian Church as being closely linked with the agenda of Serbia's government.

Funded by the Macedonian state, the breakaway Macedonian Church claims jurisdiction over eight dioceses and more than 1,000 churches across the country -- including the historic Archbishopric Of Ohrid established on Lake Ohrid in 1019, and hundreds of medieval Serb Orthodox shrines.

The breakaway church also claims jurisdiction over hundreds of thousands of ethnic Macedonian emigrants and their descendants around the world who form the Macedonian diaspora.

Since being elected in 1999 as the head of the breakaway Macedonian Church, Archbishop Stefan has lobbied politicians for support in the feud with the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Meanwhile, the Serbian Patriarchate has tried to regain its control over Macedonian diocese since the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990s.

It considers a competing branch that falls under the umbrella of the Serbian Orthodox Church as the only legitimate Macedonian Church, and it recognizes a Serb Orthodox bishop, Jovan Vraniskovski, as the legitimate leader.

The Serbian Patriarchate in 2005 appointed Jovan as Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje.

But Macedonia's state commission on religion recognizes Stefan's breakaway church and refuses to register Jovan's Serbian-backed Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric.

Authorities in Skopje also have expelled Jovan and his supporters from his former Metropolitanate, jailing the Serbian Orthodox bishop several times on charges ranging from disturbing the peace, resisting police, instigating ethnic and religious hatred, and embezzlement.

Jovan said shortly before the Ukraine decision that he was skeptical about the Constantinople Patriarchate ever granting independence to his rivals in the breakaway Macedonian Church.

Jovan said that "no one can take away" the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church over Macedonia "because it would create very big problems and would be unprincipled."

But Bishop Timotej, a spokesman for the synod of the unrecognized Macedonian Orthodox Church, told RFE/RL that the process of recognition remains "open."

Timotej says he expects the dispute to be resolved through the Constantinople Patriarchate.

"This will mean that the Macedonian Orthodox Church will be recognized by most of the Orthodox churches as an equal Orthodox church that can communicate on an equal footing with other Orthodox nations and churches," Timotej said.

"Whether the Serbian Orthodox Church or others agree with such a decision should not disturb us too much," Timotej said.

But some analysts see the Macedonian Church's battle for recognition as part of geopolitical positioning in efforts between Russia and the West -- with the Russian Orthodox Church increasing its pressure on other churches.

Deacon Andrei Kurayev, a prominent Russian Orthodox theologian, told RFE/RL on October 16 that he expects "Moscow diplomats, both those in religious robes and secular ones, will impose pressure on other churches to support Moscow."

"None of them will be ready to jump from a window if Moscow asks them to do so," Kurayev said. "None of them will break their ties with Constantinople.

Meanwhile, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev says he expects a resolution to the Macedonia-Serbia dispute soon.

Zaev told RFE/RL that the Constantinople Patriarchate's decision on Ukraine encourages the competing churches to look at the issue through the prism of "friendship and cooperation" in the interest of worshippers.

Written by Ron Synovitz with reporting by RFE/RL's Balkan and Belarus Services.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/29551213.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.

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NATO, Macedonia Launch Accession Talks as Skopje Gets Closer to Renaming Country

Sputnik News

16:17 18.10.2018(updated 16:18 18.10.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - NATO and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) have launched talks on the republic's accession to the alliance as the country has been moving toward the resolution of the long-standing name dispute with Greece, the alliance said in a statement.

"The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia marked an important step on its road towards NATO membership on Thursday (18 October 2018), beginning two days of formal Accession Talks at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. The formal Accession Talks cover detailed aspects of membership, including political, military and legal questions," the statement published on the official website of the alliance read.

According to the statement, the work to start the accession process was launched back in July, after Skopje was invited by the members of the alliance at a summit in Brussels. The organization added that NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had stressed earlier in October that the access protocol could be signed once the republic adopted all necessary amendments to the constitution to change its name.

Earlier in October, the Macedonian government adopted a draft law on renaming the country to the Republic of North Macedonia following an agreement with Greece and a national referendum on the issue in September. The bill was passed to the parliament, which has up to 10 days to review it and announce its decision.

The Macedonian ruling party needs to secure the support of 80 lawmakers out of 120 in order to pass the bill.

The agreement on changing Macedonia's name was signed by Athens and Skopje in June. The name dispute has been souring bilateral relations for years, with Athens opposing the use of "Macedonia," which is also the name of a region in Greece. If adopted, the new name will allow the republic to join NATO and the European Union, the process that Greece has been blocking over fears that the former Yugoslav republic might try to claim its region under the same name.

 Sputnik

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US Flies Two B-52 Bombers Over South China Sea Ahead of Key Defense Summit

Sputnik News

13:14 18.10.2018

Two US Air Force bombers have flown near disputed islands in the South China Sea ahead of a major regional security summit in Singapore, where the US and Chinese defense ministers are set to meet.

Two US B-52 Stratofortress bombers took off from the Anderson Air Force Base in Guam as part of a "routine training mission in the vicinity of the South China Sea" on Tuesday, the Pacific Air Forces said in a Thursday statement.

The Tuesday flight was said to be part of US Indo-Pacific Command's "Continuous Bomber Presence operations" since March 2004, and was "consistent with international law and [a] long-standing commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific."

The Pentagon, however, refused to confirm which islands the bombers flew by, but it may have been the Spratly Islands, claimed by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Addressing the tensions in the South China Sea at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang stated that Beijing had "indisputable sovereignty over the islands and their adjacent waters."

"China's peacebuilding activities in its own territory, including the deployment of necessary defense facilities, are to exercise the right of self-preservation and self-defense as a sovereign state in accordance with international law. These activities have nothing to do with 'militarization,'" he said, alluding to US claims about China's militarization in the disputed area.

The foreign ministry spokesman further added that there was "no problem with the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea."

"But the US side, under the pretext of 'navigation and overflight freedom,' has frequently sent warships and warplanes into waters near China's islands and reefs in the South China Sea. This is creating tensions and conducting 'militarization,'" he elaborated.

China is currently in control of the vast majority of islands, reefs and shoals in the South China Sea, which are also claimed by a number of other nations in the region, including Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

The developments came just a few days before the annual ASEAN defense ministers' meetings in Singapore on Thursday, where US Defense Secretary James Mattis will meet his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe.

The previous meeting between the two ministers was cancelled after a near-collision between a US and a Chinese warship near the disputed Spratly Islands last month. While Washington dismissed the Chinese warship's actions as "unsafe" and "unprofessional," Beijing labeled the move as "provocative" and said it would "take all necessary means to safeguard our rights and interests."

Relations between the two nations have drastically deteriorated since Donald Trump announced a set of measures to counter what he referred to as "unfair trade practices," exacerbated by Washington's claims of Beijing's meddling in US domestic affairs and a freshly announced US military equipment sale to Taiwan, despite formally adhering to the "One China" policy, under which Taiwan is considered to be part of China's territory.

 Sputnik

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US Not to Change Logistical Support for Saudi-led Operations in Yemen

Sputnik News

07:09 18.10.2018(updated 07:11 18.10.2018)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has no plans to change its logistical support for Saudi-led military operations in Yemen, US Air Force Special Operations Command chief Lt. Gen. Brad Webb said at a press briefing.

"I see nothing on the horizon that may change this focus at this point," Webb said on Wednesday, when asked about possible changes in future logistical support for Riyadh's operations in Yemen.

Numerous US lawmakers, including Senators Dianne Feinstein and Bernie Sanders, have urged the Trump administration to halt military support to Saudi Arabia following Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance after the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The Turkish authorities said they have audio and video recordings proving that Khashoggi, a US resident, was killed inside the Saudi consulate after entering it on October 2. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Turkish authorities have been able to identify by name five of 15 suspects allegedly involved in Khashoggi's death, four of whom have ties to the Saudi government.

 Sputnik

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Tuesday morning harness trainer Chris Lancaster had just finished jogging Lady Neigh Neigh, one of the favourites in Fridays $22,500 second division of the Jim Rogers Memorial, when a loose horse collided with the stable star inside Lancasters shed row at Northlands Park.

I had just taken off the jog cart and then bang, the loose horse ran into her, said Lancaster. Fortunately she didnt get hurt but it scared me pretty good. My first thought was Ive never had a two-year-old filly with that much talent and then this happens. But, like I said, she seems just fine. I jogged her (Wednesday) morning and she seemed full of herself. Just like she always is.

Owned by Lancaster and Chris Lambie, Lady Neigh Neigh demonstrated her ability when she convincingly won her division of the $22,500 Emerald stakes at Balzacs Century Downs going wire-to-wire and cruising home by three-and-a-half lengths.

Shes very gifted and that race showed it, Lancaster said of the good-looking bay filly with a big white blaze that leads to a snip. Shes got a crazy amount of reach. Her stride is flawless and effortless.

Lady Neigh Neigh hasnt won since taking the Aug. 6 Emerald but dont let that fool you. She looked like she was going to duplicate her Emerald performance in her next start, the Aug. 25 ASHA Filly stake. But when she was again alone and on top, Lady Neigh Neigh suddenly broke stride and took herself out of the race. She just got a little scared and excited and made a little break, said Lancaster.

Then, in her race after that -- a conditioned pace on Sept. 28 at Northlands -- Lady Neigh Neigh had a different excuse when she finished seventh as the even-money favourite. The second quarter went real slow, Lancaster said of a fraction that went in a dawdling 32 seconds with Lady Neigh Neigh boxed in with nowhere to go.

The excuses continued one race later when she finished fourth on Oct. 12. It was a real sloppy track -- the first time she had ever raced in that kind of conditions. She just didnt handle it. But Im expecting a big race from her on Friday. She should be real tough in there, said Lancaster, who drew a favourable post three while the filly that Lancaster expects to pose her biggest threat -- Keith Clarks Western Summit -- ended up with the outside seventh post.

I give Western Summit the utmost respect, said Lancaster. Keith is a pronounced trainer of young horses; Im sure he will have her right on top of her game. On paper it also looks like Lady Neigh Neigh drew into the easier of the two divisions of the Jim Rogers with Maxsamian and Gin Twist ending up in the first division along with another horse trained by Lancaster, Rockin Mystery.

Maxsamian, winner of both her division of the Aug. 18 Starlet -- by four-and-a-half lengths -- and the ASHA Filly, also finished second when asked to come from well behind in her division of the Emerald.

Gin Twist, meanwhile, won her division of the Starlet by four-and-a-half lengths as well, and lost her division of the ASHA Filly by a head. In her most recent outing, the Sept. 21 Starburst, Gin Twist, who is prone to putting in steps, broke stride before the start of the race an still finished a quick-closing third as the odds-on favourite.

I think I got the right shake and avoided those two heavy hitters, said Lancaster, who is quite a story himself. After working for the likes of Brandon Campbell, Jamie Gray, Kelly Hoerdt, and for the last three years, Rod Hennessy, Lancaster has only been on his own since the start of the current harness meet at Northlands.

To say that hes gotten off to a great start would be a huge understatement especially given that just last Friday he sent out the winners of three races at Northlands. First he won with favourite Yourlipstogodsears, who triumphed in a photo, then he won with Lissoy in another photo finish and then he capped off the nightcap with Gray Zee, who made a three-wide move to win by a length.

Like Lady Neigh Neigh, Yourlipstogodsears and Lissoy are both owned by Lancaster and Lambie while Gray Zee is owned by David Lamont and Donna Wyse.

Hes a very good worker. He deserves the break he is getting, commented Hennessy, who made sure to mention that Lancaster was also instrumental in the development of Cheddar Jack, who won last weekends Western Canada Pacing Derby. Hes very dedicated. He wants to work and learn things. It was just time for him to go on his own, said Hennessy. Hes done a great job with Lady Neigh Neigh.

Lancaster, 27, comes by his training sagacity naturally. My dad is a farrier at Fraser Downs. My grandfather was a trainer and a farrier down east and my great grandmother was a horse trainer in Ottawa at Rideau Carleton. I was born into it, said Lancaster, who was born in Calgary, grew up in B.C. and now lives in Airdrie, just eight minutes from Century Downs.

My mom, who is a nurse, didnt want me to get into the horse racing business. She wanted me to go to college. Im one of three children. My sister is a nurse and my brother is a heavy-duty operator. Im the only one who wanted to stay with horse racing. My mom had a strict rule. She insisted that I get my high school diploma first. When I turned 18 I jumped on the first plane out of B.C. and went to Grande Prairie and started working with Brandon (Campbell)."

I groomed horses for Brandon that summer. Then I worked for Kelly Hoerdt for a year and a half, Jamie Gray for two years and then Rod Hennessy the last three years. I always loved horses and Ive also always loved the thrill of horse racing. Ive been very fortunate to work for the trainers I have and Im fortunate to have great owners like Chris Lambie, who is also from Airdrie.

Lambie, Lancaster said, is very new to the business. He and his wife, Cara, have been breeding Hanoverians for the last 20 years and just last year they decided they wanted to take their knowledge of Hanoverians to Standardbreds, said Lancaster, who has eight horses for the Lambies, four of which, like Lady Neigh Neigh, are racing.

We bought Lady Neigh Neigh out of a sale last October at London, Ontario. Chris, Cara and I picked her out of a video catalogue. We liked what we saw -- she had great movement and seemed to have a great personality, Lancaster said of the daughter of Bettors Delight, a horse who, in just two years of racing, won $2.6 million with victories coming in races like the Little Brown Jug and the Breeders Crown.

We got an agent to bid on her and got her for $16,000. Its a fun time for all of us.

STOCK REPORT - On Saturday afternoon Northlands will feature two divisions of the Horizon Pace for two-year-old colts and geldings.

Crackle N Burn and Bad Moon Rising are the favourites in the first division. A homebred owned and trained by Rod Starkewski, Crackle N Burn won his division of the Rising Star by 11 lengths, and a division of the ASHA Colt by six; Bad Moon Rising took the other division of the Rising Star by three-and-a-half lengths.

The second division is headed by Outlawgrabbingears, who has won his last four races including a division of the Lonestar by six lengths and a track-record setting performance of the Century Stake at Century Downs in 1:55.2; I Ama Rocket, who took another division of the Lonestar by three-and-a-half lengths and who lost by a nose and a neck to Outlawgrabbingears in the Rising Star and the ASHA Colt and Chase Me Forever, who exits a win in a third division of the Lonestar.

To view entries for the Saturday card of harness racing at Northlands Park, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Northlands Park.

(Courtesy Curtis Stock/thehorses.com)
Restoring prospect of peace in Middle East is 'our shared responsibility' UN envoy tells Security Council

18 October 2018 - Violence is on the rise in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israeli authorities are continuing to demolish and confiscate Palestinian-owned homes and property, in contravention of international law, the United Nations envoy for the Middle East Peace Process said on Thursday.

Briefing the Security Council, Nikolay Mladenov called on Israel to stop the demolitions, adding that a negotiated resolution of the so-called final status issues  as defined by Israelis and Palestinians themselves  was essential for any lasting peace settlement.

"It is our shared responsibility to restore that prospect, to facilitate negotiations, to help the weaker party, to insulate the process from radicals and extremists and to show results."

Speaking via video link, UN Special Coordinator Mladenov also strongly condemned the killing of an Israeli man and woman by a Palestinian assailant in an industrial area in the West Bank, on 7 October, as well as of a Palestinian woman allegedly stoned to death by Israeli assailants, near a checkpoint in Nablus, on 12 October.

"I extend my condolences to the bereaved families. Such incidents must be condemned in the strongest of terms, and I call on everyone to stand up to violence and condemn terrorism," he stressed.

'Gaza is imploding ... It is a reality'

Turning to Gaza, Mr. Mladenov said that protests at the border fence which began in March, have expanded to include night demonstrations, and Hamas  which controls the Strip - and other militants, continue to send incendiary kites and balloons across the border, causing fires on the Israeli side, prompting Israeli forces to respond with live ammunition.

The humanitarian and economic situation in the enclave remains dire, he added, noting extremely high rates of unemployment and poverty, with every second person in Gaza now living below the poverty line.

We remain on the brink of another potentially devastating conflict, a conflict that nobody claims to want, but a conflict that needs much more than just words to prevent  UN Special Coordinator Mladenov

"We remain on the brink of another potentially devastating conflict, a conflict that nobody claims to want, but a conflict that needs much more than just words to prevent."

The senior UN official also asked Security Council members to urge all sides "to step back from the brink" and adhere to the 2014 ceasefire agreement.

"Hamas and other militant groups must immediately and effectively stop all provocations," he said, adding that "Israel must restore the delivery of critical supplies to Gaza and improve the movement and access of goods and people [and] exercise maximum restraint in the use of live ammunition," he said.

He also called on the Palestinian Authority not to disengage from Gaza and to continue working with the international community to help alleviate the suffering of its people in Gaza.

Mr. Mladenov also recalled the September ministerial meeting on the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), on the margins of the General Assembly's high-level general debate, which raised some $122 million, but added that a "significant" funding gap remains.

Also addressing the Security Council, Hagai El-Ad from the Israeli non-governmental organization B'tselem, was invited to speak, and noted the hardship that Palestinians face across the board. The NGO is known as the Israeli Information Centre for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, and works towards ending occupation.

"It is hard to articulate the flesh and blood meaning of the exposed lives Palestinians endure under occupation," he said, calling on Security Council members to act to reduce their suffering.

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UN rights chief calls for release of hundreds abducted and abused in South Sudan

18 October 2018 - Hundreds of civilians who were taken by opposition forces in South Sudan's Western Equatoria region during an uptick in fighting are still missing, the UN's top rights official said on Thursday, in a call for their immediate release.

The development reportedly happened in April, ahead of the signing in August of a new peace agreement aimed at ending years of bloody civil war involving President Salva Kiir and former vice-President, Riek Machar, who has backing from the Sudan People's Liberation Army in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).

"Most of the abducted civilians are, as far as we know, still being held captive", said Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "The SPLA-IO (RM) must immediately release them, first and foremost the children."

The High Commissioner's appeal follows the publication of a UN report into grave rights abuses against villagers in South Sudan's Gbudue and Tambura states, both of which are in Western Equatoria region.

A new peace agreement has been signed which puts the onus and responsibility on the warring parties to ensure that no atrocities are committed in future - David Shearer, Head, UNMISS

It details testimonies from victims and witnesses that indicate how women and girls as young as 12 were abducted by opposition forcesthen paraded and lined up for commanders to choose as "wives".

Some 900 people were abducted in total and 24,000 were forced to flee their homes, the report notes. Those who were not chosen were left for other fighters who subjected them to repeated rapes, while abducted young men and boys were forced to fight, or work as porters.

At least 28 villages were attacked by the same troops, along with a settlement for internally displaced people and a refugee camp, according to the report, which was compiled jointly by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, UNMISS.

During these attacks, victims were subjected to "unlawful killings, abduction, rape, sexual slavery, forced recruitment and the destruction of property", OHCHR said in a statement, which noted that three commanders had been identified who "allegedly had effective command and control of the forces committing these abuses, which may amount to war crimes".

Government forces were also found to have harmed civilians in their offensives against SPLA-IO (RM) militia, the report said, noting that "these operations failed to distinguish between civilians and combatants".

Head of UNMISS, David Shearer, expressed disappointment that the spike in violence happened while warring parties were negotiating a new peace agreement and despite reconciliation efforts in the region at the time.

"A new peace agreement has been signed which puts the onus and responsibility on the warring parties to ensure that no atrocities are committed in future," Mr Shearer said. "UNMISS will be closely monitoring any potential violations and abuses."

In addition to calling for the release of those taken during the attacks in Gbudue and Tambura, High Commissioner Bachelet called for rights abusers to be held accountable.

"As part of the revitalised peace process, it is also essential that the Government of South Sudan acts to hold the perpetrators of the abuses and violations detailed in this report to account," she said.

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Influential Afghan Police Commander Killed

By Ayesha Tanzeem October 18, 2018

Two top officials in southern Afghanistan, including powerful police commander General Abdul Raziq, have been killed in a shooting incident during a visit of the top U.S. general in Afghanistan.

American General Scott Miller was unharmed. He was visiting the Kandahar governor's compound for a meeting with the governor and other provincial officials. Local media said the participants were making their way to a helipad after the meeting when the shooting occurred.

In addition to Raziq, who had survived several previous Taliban attacks on his life, Thursday's assault killed the provincial intelligence chief and badly wounded the Kandahar governor. Earlier reports said the governor was killed. Two Americans, including one U.S. service member, were wounded.

The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying an "infiltrator" carried out the attack that was aimed at both Raziq and the American general.

U.S. military spokesman Col. Dave Butler said the wounded Americans "have been medically evacuated and are stable," adding that the attacker is dead and the area is secure.

"This was an Afghan-on-Afghan incident," he said, suggesting it was an insider attack in which Afghan personnel turn their guns on local partners.

Butler later tweeted a message from General Miller, saying "Today I lost a great friend Lt. Gen. Raziq. We had served together for many years. Afghanistan lost a patriot, my condolences to the people of Afghanistan. The good he did for Afghanistan and the Afghan people cannot be undone."

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, in a video address to the nation, told Afghans the situation in Kandahar would soon return to normal.

Raziq's assassination is a major blow to counter-Taliban efforts in Kandahar, where the U.S. military operates the second-largest base in the country.

Raziq had been the police chief for Kandahar province since 2011 and was known to have kept the Taliban at bay. A New York Times story in 2014 called him the man who put "Fear in Taliban and Their Enemies."

At the same time, human rights activists blamed his security forces for widespread abuses.

The United Nations Committee Against Torture in a report last year noted "numerous and credible allegations" that Raziq was "widely suspected of complicity, if not of personal implication, in severe human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and  secret detention centers." The committee called for Raziq and other Afghans involved in such practices to be duly prosecuted and punished.

In one of its recent reports, the Human Rights Watch observed that "even the Ghani administration seems afraid of Raziq, who operates far outside the law and has powerful support, notably from U.S. intelligence and security officials, who consider him an ally in the fight against the Taliban."

By many accounts, Raziq was one of the most powerful and wealthy men in southern Afghanistan. His death, analysts say, could change the political landscape.

"It's going to have a significant impact on the whole security balance in southern Afghanistan, but particularly Kandahar," said Mushtaq Rahim, an independent political analyst based in Kabul. "He was able to maintain the security presence of the Afghan government on the outskirts of the city and even in faraway areas."

In general, in Afghanistan, the rural areas outside the city are considered much harder to secure and many of them are under Taliban influence or control.

Ayaz Gul contributed to this report.

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US, Chinese Defense Chiefs Meet in Effort to Improve Ties

By VOA News October 18, 2018

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has told his Chinese counterpart that improved high-level relations between their countries will reduce the risk of unintentional conflict.

Mattis and Chinese General Wei Fenghe met on the sidelines of an Asian security conference in Singapore in an effort to normalize military relations. Following the talks, U.S. officials said they sensed relations with China's military had stabilized, although the talks did not produce new agreements.

Military relations between Washington and Beijing had deteriorated in recent weeks over a bitter trade war, U.S. sanctions against China's military for buying weapons from Russia, and Beijing's creation of military outposts in the South China Sea.

Pentagon official Randall Schriver told reporters after the longer-than-expected 90-minute meeting that Mattis "repeated our desire for a durable relationship that is a stabilizing force in the overall relationship."

Mattis planned to meet in Beijing with Wei a few weeks ago, but Chinese officials said Wei was not available, one of several indications strained U.S.-China relations had spread into the military arena. China's snub came as it reacted angrily to the sanctions

U.S. President Donald Trump has often lambasted China over its economic policies. Earlier this month, Vice President Mike Pence accused Beijing of using "predatory" trade practices and resorting to military "aggression."

China did not immediately comment to U.S. media after the meeting between Mattis and Wei during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference.

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Keesler AFB assists in Hurricane Michael Relief

By Senior Airman Jenay Randolph, 81st Training Wing Public Affairs / Published October 18, 2018

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFNS) -- The Kessler Air Force Base Airmen and Family Readiness Center hosted the first of two Evacuee Open-Houses in the Bay Breeze Event Center, Oct. 16.

The open house allows evacuees of Hurricane Michael from Tyndall AFB, Florida, with a "one stop" shop to gather information from Keesler AFB helping agencies, including military personnel and civilian personnel flight. During the event, there were food and beverages provided along with various different agency representatives to include military family life counselors, chapel services, and American Red Cross.

"With this event, they are able to meet face-to-face and address individual concerns," said Jackie Pope, 81st Force Support Squadron AFRC flight chief. "These agencies were able to provide on-the-spot assistance with financial aid, advising on prescription refills, and changing duty status to name a few."

There were approximately 180 evacuees in attendance at the open house Keesler AFB. The evacuees started checking in Oct. 9, when they received the notification from Tyndall AFB they had to evacuate as a result of Hurricane Michael. They had hours to gather as much as they could and head towards the nearest base outside of the evacuation zone.

Upon arrival, the evacuees checked in on Air Force Personnel Accountability and Assessment System to maintain 100 percent accountability. The 81st FSS is offering child care and housing to the evacuees and their families. The Airman's Attic provided donations to the families in the form of toiletries, clothing and any requested items that are provided for the families.

"It is extremely humbling to know that people have come together to help us and evacuees," expressed Tech Sgt. Alberto De La Garza, Tyndall AFB 325th Maintenance Squadron munitions production supervisor. "We are very grateful of all of the support and resources that Keesler has provided and we are glad that we came to Keesler instead of going somewhere without military reach out."

The AFRC is also providing an information package with the most up-to-date information from Tyndall AFB and other resources provided by helping agencies. The second open house will be held Oct. 18 at the Bay Breeze Event Center from 2 to 4 p.m. for other evacuees that were unable to attend the first.

"Team Keesler stands ready to provide assistance to our Hurricane Michael evacuees for as long as it takes," said Maj Amber Ortiz, 81st FFS commander. "We are honored to be able to provide help and relief during a time of crisis."

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Rewards for Justice - Reward Offer for Information on Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) Key Leaders

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

October 18, 2018

The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice Program is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the identification or location of Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) senior regional leader Khalid Saeed al-Batarfi, and is increasing from $5 million to up to $10 million its reward for information leading to the identification, location, arrest, and or conviction of the leader of AQAP Qasim al-Rimi.

Qasim al-Rimi was named emir of AQAP in June 2015. The following month, he swore allegiance to al-Qa'ida leader Ayman al-Zawairi and called for renewed attacks against the United States. Born in Yemen in 1978, he trained terrorists at an al-Qa'ida camp in Afghanistan in the 1990s. Al-Rimi subsequently returned to Yemen and became an AQAP military commander. He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2005 after being convicted in Yemen of plotting to assassinate the U.S. Ambassador to Yemen, and escaped from a Yemeni prison in 2006. Al-Rimi is linked to the September 2008 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Sana'a that left 10 Yemeni guards, four civilians, and six terrorists dead, and the December 2009 attempted suicide bombing by "underwear bomber" Umar Farouq Abdulmutallab aboard a U.S.-bound airliner. The government of Saudi Arabia placed al-Rimi on its list of most wanted terrorist suspects on February 3, 2009. In May 2010, the Department of State designated al-Rimi as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order (E.O.) 13224. The designation blocks al-Rimi's property and interests in property subject to U.S. jurisdiction and generally prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with him. In May 2010, al-Rimi was added to the United Nations (UN) 1267 Sanctions Committee's Consolidated List of individuals associated with al Qa'ida/ISIL.

In a May 7, 2017 video, he urged supporters living in Western countries to conduct "easy and simple" attacks and praised Omar Mateen, who killed 49 people in a June 2016 mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando Florida.

Khalid al-Batarfi is a senior member of AQAP in Yemen's Hadramaut Governorate and a former member of AQAP's shura council. Born in Saudi Arabia, in 1999 he traveled to Afghanistan, where he trained at al-Qa'ida's al-Farouq camp. In 2001, he fought alongside the Taliban against U.S. forces and the Northern Alliance. In 2010, al-Batarfi joined AQAP in Yemen, led AQAP fighters in taking over Yemen's Abyan Province, and was named AQAP's emir of Abyan. Following the death of AQAP leader Nasir Al-Wuhayshi in a June 2016 U.S. military strike, he issued a statement warning that al-Qa'ida would destroy the U.S. economy and attack other U.S. interests. After the United States announced that it would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, al-Batarfi appeared in an AQAP video in January 2018 threatening the United States and Jews. On January 23, 2018, the U.S. Department of State designated al-Batarfi as an SDGT under E.O. 13224.

More information about these reward offers is located on the Rewards for Justice website at www.rewardsforjustice.net. We encourage anyone with information on these individuals to contact the Rewards for Justice office via the website, e-mail (info@rewardsforjustice.net), phone (1-800-877-3927 in North America), or mail (Rewards for Justice, Washington, D.C., 20520-0303, USA). Individuals may also contact the Regional Security Officer at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

The Rewards for Justice program is administered by the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service. Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid in excess of $145 million to more than 90 people who provided actionable information that helped bring terrorists to justice or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Rewards4Justice.

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Treasury Sanctions Colombian Narcotics Trafficker With Ties to the FARC and La Oficina de Envigado

October 18, 2018

Washington -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified Colombian national Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (Kingpin Act). Four additional Colombian nationals were also designated for their involvement in the narcotics trafficking activities of Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue. As a result of today's action, all assets in which these persons have an interest in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons must be blocked and reported to OFAC. OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all dealings by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons.

"Today we are taking action against a Colombia-based narcotics trafficker tied to elements of the FARC," said Sigal Mandelker, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. "As Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue continues to supply narcotics to criminal groups such as Colombia's La Oficina de Envigado, which rely on the sale of these illicit drugs as the financial bedrock of their criminal activities, we remain committed to targeting their financial networks."

Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue has long controlled a narcotics trafficking corridor in and around the area of Corinto, Cauca, Colombia, where he has also financially supported FARC-led narcotics trafficking activities. The FARC was identified by the President in May 2003 as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker pursuant to the Kingpin Act. The FARC was also designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act on October 8, 1997, and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to Executive Order 13224 on October 31, 2001. Drug laboratories controlled by Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue in Colombia are responsible for producing ton quantities of cocaine, as well as smaller quantities of heroin, on a monthly basis for international narcotics markets. Additionally, Zuleta Noscue oversees the production of ton quantities of highly-potent marijuana (known as "creepy") which is supplied to both domestic and international markets. Among the primary purchasers of "creepy" marijuana from Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue is the Colombian criminal group known as La Oficina de Envigado, which sells the marijuana in and around Medellin, Colombia. OFAC identified La Oficina de Envigado as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker on June 26, 2014.

OFAC also designated four individuals for their role in Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue's drug trafficking activities: Alonso Zuleta Noscue is Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue's brother and primary partner in the narcotics trafficking business; Jose Efer Higuita Peralta is a front person and money launderer for Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue; and Jose Oscar Zuleta Trochez, a nephew of Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue, is involved in operating narcotics laboratories. Finally, Jonathan Alvarez Escobar (a.k.a. "Primo") is designated for his role as a member of La Oficina de Envigado who is responsible for brokering large-scale "creepy" marijuana purchases from Pedro Luis Zuleta Noscue, as well as coordinating the resale of narcotics throughout Medellin, Colombia.

OFAC closely coordinated with the Drug Enforcement Administration in order to execute today's action.

Since June 2000, more than 2,100 entities and individuals have been named pursuant to the Kingpin Act for their role in international narcotics trafficking. Penalties for violations of the Kingpin Act range from civil penalties of up to $1,466,485 per violation to more severe criminal penalties. Criminal penalties for corporate officers may include up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $5 million. Criminal fines for corporations may reach $10 million. Other individuals could face up to 10 years in prison and fines pursuant to Title 18 of the United States Code for criminal violations of the Kingpin Act.

Identifying information on the individuals designated today.

The Kingpin Act chart on individuals and entities designated today.

Information about the Kingpin Act.

###

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China Defends Xinjiang 'Internment Camps' Ahead of UN Review

By Bill Ide October 18, 2018

Just a few weeks before China's human rights record comes up for periodic review at the United Nations, the country's leadership is putting itself squarely behind a massive effort to detain and indoctrinate Muslims in its western region of Xinjiang.

The message from state media reports, editorials, an interview with Xinjiang's top official as well as a polished and lengthy propaganda film of what China calls "vocational education centers" has been clear.

The effort was needed to stem the spread of religious extremism and to stop a surge in "terrorist" attacks, according to the chairman of Xinjiang's government Shohrat Zakir. The propaganda video says thousands of attacks have been carried out in recent years before the program was put into place. How many attacks took place is unclear, but that would've put Xinjiang on par with Afghanistan, analysts note.

The centers are also needed for jobs and language training and a center featured in the video shows happy graduates receiving diplomas and learning skills such as woodworking or machine sewing to help them live a more "modern life."

The video and narrative, which comes after months of denying the centers even existed, is a sharp contrast to stories from families of Xinjiang's ethnic Uighurs  the region's Turkic speaking minority, ethnic Kazazkhs and other Muslims  who have been detained at what critics call "internment camps."

And while China is unlikely to change the minds of any Western elites or rights advocates, the target audience of its offensive is more those in the developing world, analysts note.

"This is a way, not so much perhaps to actually deflect those questions in the review itself, but at least to have a shot at trying to make a counter argument in the wider global media, that will cover the universal periodic review," said Barry Sautman, a political science professor at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. "Whether that has any chance of success is pretty problematic."

For months, Beijing has denied the existence of the centers, which analysts say authorities started to put in place in April 2017.

However, it wasn't until August of this year, when China faced a United Nations panel on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination that it admitted the existence of the centers.

What is surprising is that Beijing waited this long, said James Leibold, a Xinjiang specialist at LaTrobe University in Melbourne.

"I can't help but think that it is an effort to avert further embarrassment internationally at the U.N. and as you know U.S.-China relations have really soured and I think they feel they have to kind of respond to some of this criticism that is coming, particularly out of DC," he said.

Despite Beijing's clarifications, much remains unclear. For example, the number of centers that actually exist and how many have been detained. Critics and rights groups estimate that hundreds of thousands, perhaps more than one million people, have been sent to the centers.

What is also unclear is how long the training lasts and whether or not individuals come voluntarily as the government claims or not.

Xijiang's chairman Shohrat Zakir has said the trainees who come to the centers do so voluntarily. But Hu Xijin, editor in chief of the party backed tabloid, the Global Times, shared a different view on Twitter.

"I don't think trainees of vocational training centers in Xinjiang go there voluntarily, but they have been given sincere help of education and training to enable them to return to normal life eventually," he wrote.

How the United Nations review will go towards answering some of those questions or pressuring China to scrap the "internment camps", as rights groups are advocating, is uncertain.

Analysts note China is working aggressively to advance its view on human rights at the United Nations. That view includes putting a higher priority on stability, economic development and the state over individual rights.

China has already made some strides at chipping away at longstanding views of universal values. In March, it succeeded in passing a motion in the U.N. Human Rights Council to pursue a key rights notion of Xi Jinping: pursuing a "community of a shared future for all human beings."

The motion called for "mutually beneficial co-operation in the field of human rights" and stressed respect for each country's interpretation of the concept.

Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the German-based World Uyghur Congress, is calling for an end to the camps and at the very least independent press access. He expressed both confidence that China's move would backfire, but also concern that countries in Beijing's pockets would support it during the review.

"China has successfully kidnapped the U.N.'s Human Rights Council and used economic benefits to control it or drive a wedge [between members.] To a certain degree, the UN has been divided and kidnapped by those autocratic member countries, led by China," Raxit said.

China's Universal Periodic Review begins on November 6 in Geneva Switzerland, where groups such as Raxit's World Uyghur Congress and others are expected to stage large protests.

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Iran calls for joint operation with Pakistan to secure release of abducted forces

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 07:23AM

Tehran has called on Islamabad to adhere to its commitments under bilateral security agreements days after Pakistan-based terrorists kidnapped a number of Iranian forces, emphasizing the need for a joint operation to determine their fate.

In a letter to his Pakistani counterpart, Shehryar Khan Afridi, on Wednesday, Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli once again urged the neighboring country to spare no effort in securing the release of the abductees, who are reported to have been transferred to Pakistan.

Islamabad, he added, should fully honor its obligations under bilateral security agreements, which require it to prevent attacks targeting Iranian border posts from the Pakistani side.

Earlier this week, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said terrorists had kidnapped a number of Iranian forces, including local Basij volunteer forces and border guards, near the border town of Mirjaveh in the southeastern Province of Sistan and Baluchestan.

The IRGC did not give the exact number of those kidnapped, but Iranian media, quoting unnamed sources, put the number at 14.

Rahmani-Fazli further stressed that the Islamic Republic would firmly deal with Takfiri terrorist groups and bandits, adding, "All efforts should focus on releasing the hostages, decisively confronting the terrorists and preventing a recurrence of such incidents."

"Within the framework of bilateral relations and the principle of good neighborliness, as well as mutual security commitments, joint operations are urgently needed to achieve results," said Rahmani Fazli.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a phone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, to follow up on the fate of the kidnapped border guards.

Zarif stressed the need for strengthening security at common borders based on previous mutual agreements and talks, and urged Islamabad to take immediate and serious action to ensure the safety of the abductees as well as identify and arrest those behind the kidnappings.

Qureshi, in turn, strongly denounced the "inhumane" act of terror against Iranian forces and expressed deep regret over the incident.

The Pakistani minister pledged that Islamabad would make every effort "to identify and arrest the perpetrators of the incident and secure the release of the Iranian border guards."

These terrorist groups are common enemies of the two governments and nations, he said.

The so-called Jaish ul-Adl terrorist group  which is based in Pakistan  claimed responsibility for the kidnappings shortly afterwards.

The group was formed in 2012 by members of the Pakistan-based Jundallah, another terror outfit which was dismantled by Iranian intelligence forces in 2010 after its ringleader, Abdolmalek Rigi, was executed.

Iranian border guards have repeatedly come under attacks by terror outfits active on the Pakistani soil.

Back in August, Iran managed to release a guard from terrorist captivity. He had been abducted during an ambush on a border outpost in Mirjaveh and held in Pakistan for more than a year.

The two neighbors signed a security deal in 2013.

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Under fire, UN refugee agency evacuates 135 detained in Libya to Niger

18 October 2018 - Amid increasingly violent clashes between rival armed groups in Libya's capital,Tripoli, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has successfully airlifted 135 migrants and refugees to safety in Niger.

The agency staff endured security challenges including having to operate under the threat of intermittent fire between rival militias.

Many of those evacuated have been held in Libyan detention centres for several months, living in wretched conditions and suffering malnutrition and poor health.

They are now being hosted under UNHCR's Emergency Transit programme (ETM), pending more permanent solutions. UNHCR Chief of Mission in Libya, Roberto Mignone, said that for many of the Nigeriens, rescue meant the difference between living, and dying.

"These evacuations are a life-changing and life-saving escape for refugees trapped in detention in Libya," he said. "Refugees and migrants in detention centres often suffer squalid conditions and are at risk of being sold to traffickers and smugglers."

Many Nigerien migrants making their way to Europe are intercepted while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, ending up in Libyan detention centres, and returning home with accounts of the horrific human rights abuses they have suffered.

This evacuation, the first from Libya since June, brings the total number of migrants and asylum seekers evacuated since December 2017, to 1997.

Another 85 refugees from Syria, Sudan and Eritrea were also flow to relative safety this week, with assistance from the UN migration agency (IOM), and will spend a few days at UNHCR's Emergency Transit Mechanism before flying to Norway.

UNCHR welcomes the efforts of countries coming forward with offers to host refugees leaving Libya, and urges resettlement countries to speed up the process.

"People are being intercepted off the Libyan coast faster than we can evacuate them," said Mr. Mignone. "We are deeply grateful for all those who have come forward with resettlement places but the simple truth is we need more evacuations, more often."

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Italian Minister Says Rome Will Oppose Extension Of EU Sanctions On Russia

RFE/RL October 18, 2018

Italy's deputy prime minister says his country will oppose a renewal of European Union sanctions against Russia, but he suggested Rome is not ready to break with the rest of the EU and veto a rollover of the sanctions.

"I come here because I am convinced that sanctions are economic, social, and cultural madness," Matteo Salvini said on a visit to Moscow on October 17. Salvini leads Italy's far-right League party and is also Italy's interior minister,

He criticized the basis of the sanctions, which were imposed on Moscow after Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and backing for separatists in eastern Ukraine in a war against the government.

The EU's dominant powers, Germany and France, and most other EU members have said the sanctions should stay in place until progress is made in ending that conflict.

Salvini charged that the EU is sanctioning Russia for "alleged violations against Ukraine," while taking no action over Turkey's occupation of northern Cyprus -- "a European country" -- since 1974.

"It is folly," he said, vowing to "do his best" to bring an end to the Russian sanctions, or at least to resist attempts to make their renewal every six months automatic.

"If we are asked to confirm, we will say no. It's clear that it makes no sense that they are in place," he told a gathering of Italian businessmen in Moscow in a speech live-streamed on his Facebook account..

But he stopped short of saying Rome would veto a plan to roll over the sanctions, which is expected to come before a summit of EU leaders in December. The sanctions are due to expire in January.

"We can only play the veto joker once in Europe," Salvini said, noting that Italy is also battling Brussels on other fronts, including over the EU budget, immigration reform, and Italy's own, contested 2019 budget.

"If they reject that, I don't know what card I will play," he said.

EU sources have told RFE/RL that Italy might agree to extend the sanctions if the EU agrees to Rome's proposal to soften them somewhat by reviving EU bank funding for small Russian businesses that were not targeted by the sanctions.

Both Salvini's League party and Italy's other governing party, the Five Star Movement, are opposed to Russian sanctions on the grounds that they hurt Italian businesses and the economy.

Salvini has openly expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the League signed a cooperation deal in 2017 with United Russia, Russia's dominant political party.

"I feel at home here. In some European countries I don't. Here, I feel as safe as in my home," Salvini told the Moscow gathering.

During his visit, Salvini was received by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is due in Moscow next week for talks with Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/italian-deputy- prime-minister-salvini-says-rome-opposes-extension- eu-sanctions-russia-/29549946.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.

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Trump says it 'certainly looks' like Khashoggi is dead

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 09:17PM

US President Donald Trump says he believes dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and that the consequences should be severe for those who carried out the assassination.

In an interview with reporters from The New York Times in the White House on Thursday, Trump stopped short of saying Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered Khashoggi's murder, but he acknowledged that the allegations of the Saudi involvement in the atrocity had created a serious foreign policy crisis for his presidency.

"This one has caught the imagination of the world, unfortunately," Trump told the reporters. "It's not a positive. Not a positive."

"Unless the miracle of all miracles happens, I would acknowledge that he's dead," Trump said. "That's based on everything  intelligence coming from every side."

A short time later, Trump told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base when asked if Khashoggi was dead, "It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad."

Khashoggi, who was also a US green card holder, entered the Saudi mission on October 2 in order to obtain the necessary paperwork for marrying his fiancee. That was the last time he was seen.

According to The Washington Post, to which Khashoggi was a contributor, US intelligence intercepts already prove that he was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in a hit job directly ordered by bin Salman.

Saudi may blame intelligence official for murder

The Saudi rulers are weighing blaming a top intelligence official close to the crown prince for the assassination, three people with knowledge of the Saudi plan said Thursday, according to The New York Times.

The blame will be assigned to General Ahmed al-Assiri, a high-ranking adviser to the crown prince, but American intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced that bin Salman was behind Khashoggi's murder.

Turkish officials say they are in possession of audio and video recordings that prove the murder and incriminate Saudi diplomats.

First leaked details of the audio recordings picture a gruesome scene where Khashoggi is tortured, killed and dismembered by a Saudi assassination squad in cold blood.

On Wednesday, former CIA Director John Brennan said the United States government is working with Saudi Arabia to "concoct a story" about the fate of Khashoggi.

Speaking to MSNBC, Brennan said the Saudi Crown Prince and the White House knew what happened to Khashoggi.

"It also seems now we're in this surreal and morally horrific situation in which the White House and the Saudis seem to be trying to sort of figure out what story they can come up with that they can both have plausibility for Mohammad bin Salman," said Brennan.

The former spymaster said Washington and Riyadh might be looking for scapegoats inside Saudi Arabia but no matter what they do to make it look like MBS had nothing to do with the incident, their story "is going to fall apart."

Brennan also called on the CIA and other US intelligence agencies to hand in their evidence to Congress so that lawmakers could scrutinize the White House over its role in the alleged cover-up.

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Leading rights groups urge Turkey to call for UN probe into Khashoggi case

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 06:21PM

Four leading human rights and press freedom groups have urged Turkey to call for a UN probe into the possible murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in order to prevent a cover-up of the alleged crime.

Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders said on Thursday that a probe established by UN chief Antonio Guterres would shed light on the fate of the prominent dissident journalist and prevent a "whitewash".

"Turkey should enlist the UN to initiate a timely, credible, and transparent investigation," said Robert Mahoney, deputy executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists.

"UN involvement is the best guarantee against a Saudi whitewash or attempts by other governments to sweep the issue under the carpet to preserve lucrative business ties with Riyadh."

Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, said Khashoggi's family and the rest of the world deserve the full truth about what happened to him.

"Partial explanations and one-sided investigations by Saudi Arabia, which is suspected of involvement, aren't good enough. Only the UN has the credibility and independence required to expose the masterminds behind Khashoggi's enforced disappearance and to hold them to account."

However, British Ambassador Karen Pierce said the UN will only step in to investigate this case if it receives a request, adding it is unlikely that the Saudi government will take such a step.

Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Media reports citing Turkish officials have said Khashoggi was killed by Saudi agents within minutes of entering the consulate and that his body was dismembered.

US partly responsible for Khashoggi's fate

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the US bears a "certain responsibility" for the fate of Khashoggi.

"As far as I know, the journalist that disappeared lived in the US. In this sense, of course, the US holds a certain responsibility over what happened to him," Putin told the Valdai Discussion Club in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

While Saudi Arabia is globally under fire for its alleged role in the possible assassination, US President Donald Trump has tried to whitewash Riyadh's possible role by suggesting that "rogue killers" may have carried out the crime.

US gives Saudis 'a few more days'

The Trump administration on Thursday gave Saudi Arabia more time to investigate the journalist's fate. The decision was made after Trump met for less than an hour with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who gave the president an update on his talks this week with Saudi and Turkish officials about the Khashoggi case.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Trump, Pompeo said he made clear to the Saudis that "we take this matter with respect to Mr. Khashoggi very seriously."

The top US diplomat said he told Trump that "we ought to give them a few more days to complete" their investigation in order to get a full understanding of what happened "at which point we can make decisions about how - or if - the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

"I think it's important for us all to remember too that we have a long  since 1932  we have a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Pompeo added.

The incident has caused a global outcry, but also posed a dilemma to the United States and other Western nations, which have lucrative business dealings with the authoritarian kingdom and count on it as a key ally in the Middle East.

Following the incident, several high-ranking European officials including ministers from France and the UK and world business leaders called off their participation in a high-profile investor conference in Saudi Arabia over the apparent killing of Khashoggi.

Under the pressure of its allies and American entrepreneurs, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also announced on Thursday that he would not participate in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.

An administration official told CNN that no other government officials will attend next week's summit in Mnuchin's place.

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White House, Saudis working to make up story on missing journalist's fate: Brennan

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 05:55AM

Former CIA Director John Brennan says the United States government is working with Saudi Arabia to "concoct a story" about the fate of Jamal Khashoggi, an anti-Riyadh journalist who is believed to have been murdered after entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey's Istanbul earlier this month.

Speaking to MSNBC on Wednesday, Brennan said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the White House of President Donald Trump knew what happened to Khashoggi.

"It also seems now we're in this surreal and morally horrific situation in which the White House and the Saudis seem to be trying to sort of figure out what story they can come up with that they can both have plausibility for Mohammad bin Salman," said Brennan, a firm Trump critic who was director of the CIA under former President Barack Obama.

The former spymaster said Washington and Riyadh might be looking for scapegoats inside Saudi Arabia but no matter what they do to make it look like MBS had nothing to do with the incident, their story "is going to fall apart."

Brennan also called on the CIA and other US intelligence agencies to hand in their evidence to Congress so that lawmakers could scrutinize the White House over its role in the alleged cover-up.

"That's why it's so important for the intelligence agencies, and CIA, to fully brief the intelligence committees on the Hill so that they have full insight into what happened there and they can then hold the administration's feet to the fire," he explained.

Khashoggi, who was also a US green card holder, entered the Saudi mission on October 2 in order to obtain the necessary paperwork for marrying his fiancee. That was the last time he was seen.

According to Washington Post, to which Khashoggi was a contributor, US intelligence intercepts already prove that he was killed and dismembered by Saudi agents in a hit job directly ordered by bin Salman.

Turkish officials say they are in possession of audio and video recordings that prove the murder and incriminate Saudi diplomats.

First leaked details of the audio recordings picture a gruesome scene where Khashoggi is tortured, killed and dismembered by a Saudi assassination squad in cold blood.

Trump has so far rejected growing calls inside and outside the US to pressure Riyadh over the issue.

He said Wednesday that he had asked Turkish officials to hand in their evidence. However, the president is probably on Riyadh's side, as he has already indicated that while he would "punish" the perpetrators of the alleged murder, he would not go as far as risking the current financially profitable ties with Riyadh.

After sending US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo to Turkey and Saudi Arabia this week, Trump said neither Saudi King Salman nor his son, the crown prince, had any knowledge of Khashoggi's whereabouts and that "rogue killers" might have murdered him after all.

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Trump Says US to Make 'Strong Statement' Upon Receiving Khashoggi Probe Results

Sputnik News

23:08 18.10.2018(updated 00:19 19.10.2018)

US President Donald Trump said that the US government will be making a "strong statement" after receiving results of journalist Khashoggi disappearance investigation.

Donald Trump said that he is waiting for the results of the Khashoggi disappearance probe and noted that the consequences in the case might have to be "very severe." He has also said that the journalist's disappearance is a "bad, bad stuff."

When reporters asked if he thought Khashoggi was dead, Trump responded, "It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad."

Trump also said that if Saudi Arabia is found to be behind Khashoggi's death, the kingdom will face "very severe" consequences.

Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, went missing on October 2. He was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul where he went to receive papers he needed to remarry.

Turkish authorities said they have evidence Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Turkish authorities have been able to identify by name five of 15 suspects allegedly involved in the journalist's death, four of whom have ties to the Saudi government.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who just returned from meetings in both Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Pompeo said he told Trump to give the Saudis a few more days to complete their investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance before deciding on a US response.

 Sputnik

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Khashoggi case highlights 'very worrying practice' of overseas abductions, says UN expert

18 October 2018 - The case of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is just the latest example of a "new and very worrying practice" of States abducting individuals beyond their own borders, said the Chair of the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, addressing the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

In its annual report, presented to the UN Human Rights Council at the end of September, the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances highlighted the practice which Chair, Bernard Duhaime, said "occurs with or without the acquiescence of the host state, and while in most cases the victims reappear in detention after a short period, in other cases they remain disappeared  as in the recent shocking case of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi."

Mr. Duhaime reiterated a statement released on 9 October, which called for an independent international investigation into what happened, and the identification and prosecution of the perpetrators

He added that the Working Group had previously expressed its concerns over 'short-term disappearances', increasingly used in recent years especially in the context of anti-terrorism operations. Mr. Duhaime said it was often done "to extract evidence and finalise the investigation outside the protection of the law and often resorting to coercion, if not torture".

This year's report expresses serious concern that the number of enforced disappearances continues to be unacceptably high worldwide, with 820 new cases reported between May 2017 and May this year, and called for more assistance to be made available to family members and members of civil society to enable them to report cases to the Working Group and, more importantly, to keep working on enforced disappearance issues.

"Whether it is used to repress political dissent, combat organised crime, or allegedly fight terrorism, when resorting to enforced disappearance, States are actually perpetrating a crime and an offence to human dignity", Mr. Duhaime told the Assembly, urging all Member States to ratify, without delay, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

The Working Group was set up in 1980, to help families find out what happened to their relatives. It serves as a channel of communication between family members of victims of enforced disappearance and other sources reporting cases of disappearances, and the Governments concerned.

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Any foreign presence in Syria without invitation illegal

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, Oct 18, IRNA -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reaffirmed that any presence of foreign forces in Syria without an invitation of the Syrian government is illegitimate, pointing out that the Russian presence in Syria is upon an invitation of the country's government.

Lavrov pointed out in an interview with RT France Channel, Paris Match Magazine and Le Figaro Newspaper on Thursday that Washington is doing suspicious activities at the east of the Euphrates, expressing worry over incidents confirming that the US forces are transferring Daesh (ISIS) terrorists from Syria to Iraq and Afghanistan.

On Sochi agreement on Idleb Province, Lavrov pointed out that the agreement is being implemented, stressing that the dialogue on Syria should be based on UNSC Resolution No. 2254, which gives the Syrians the right to determine their own future.

1396**1396

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Daesh growing, taking hostages in US-controlled parts of Syria: Russian leader

Iran Press TV

Thu Oct 18, 2018 05:25PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin warns that Daesh is expanding its presence in the Syrian regions controlled by Washington and its allied Kurdish militants, revealing that the Takfiri terror outfit has managed to take hundreds of people hostage in those areas, including the US's own citizens.

Speaking in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on Thursday, the Russian leader said Daesh had taken nearly 700 people, including several European and US nationals, captive in areas on the east bank of the Euphrates River, where the US runs military bases.

Daesh has already executed some of the hostages and promised that it would kill off the rest, said Putin, lambasting Washington for staying conspicuously silent on this tragedy "as if nothing has happened."

This is just horrible, it is a catastrophe," emphasized the Russian leader.

Putin added that the Takfiri terrorists "have issued ultimatums, specific demands and warned that if these ultimatums are not met, they will execute 10 people every day. The day before yesterday they executed 10 people." The Russian leader, however, did not specify what the Daesh's demands were.

The American forces "have clearly fallen short of their target," which has been declared as eliminating Daesh terrorists in Syria, Putin said.

He added that Washington and its allies apparently failed to combat Takfiri terrorists in the parts of Syria they occupy, with Daesh continuing to expand its presence there.

The US, along with a coalition of its allies, has been conducting airstrikes inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. It has repeatedly been accused of targeting Syrian civilians and infrastructure.

On the contrary, Russia has been providing the Syrian army with both advisory and on-the-ground assistance in its counter-terrorism battles. Thanks to that help, Syrian armed forces have managed to liberate most of their homeland from the clutches of terrorists.

Putin further said Russia, unlike the US, had dealt a "heavy blow" to terrorists in Syria, eliminating many of them and forcing others to surrender their arms to advancing Syrian government troops.

"Over these years, we liberated almost 95 percent of the Syrian Republic's territory," he said, adding, "We maintained its sovereignty and did not let [the Syrian] state fall apart."

Putin further stressed that Russia's counter-terrorism actions in Syria  which come at the request of the legitimate government in Damascus -- helped "stabilize the situation in the region."

The mid-northern parts of Syria are under the control of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-dominated alliance of militants receiving arms and training from the US.

The SDF militants, mainly active in the eastern part of the Euphrates River, are purportedly fighting against the remnants of Daesh, which has already been driven out of all its urban bastions both in Iraq and Syria.

Damascus, however, regards them as occupying forces since they refused to return the areas they captured from Daesh to government control.

Back in June, the Russian military said that the last pockets of land occupied by Daesh were "only in areas controlled by the US."

It had also said in March that the US had set up around 20 military bases in areas controlled by the Kurdish militants.

Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the US is seeking to use its allies in Syria, especially the Kurds, in order to establish a quasi-state east of the Euphrates River and create illegal structures there.

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'More time' agreed for buffer zone, to spare three million Syrian civilians in Idlib

18 October 2018 - Russia and Turkey have said that they will allow "more time" for opposition groups to withdraw from a de-escalation zone in Syria's Idlib, which has been spared air raids for more than a month, a senior humanitarian adviser to the UN said on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva after a meeting of the International Syria Support Group's Humanitarian Access Task Force, Jan Egeland expressed "relief" that further violence in the north-west of the country had been averted, so far.

"The Russian and the Turkish side have indicated that indeed more time will be given to implement the agreement," Mr Egeland said, in his capacity as Senior Advisor to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, who announced his resignation on Wednesday.



The big battles have ended in most of the country (but Idlib) could still become the worst battle yet  Jan Egeland, Humanitarian Adviser

"Some of the first deadlines have passed  there will be more time for diplomacy and that is a great relief to us," he said, adding that "if one is to follow a military logic that has too often been followed in this war alone, it would be horrific news for civilians".

After more than seven years of fighting that has left hundreds of thousands of Syrians dead, uprooted millions more and enmeshed the interests of several foreign powers, Mr. Egeland stressed the value of the current deal between Russia and Turkey, who are the guarantors of a proposed demilitarized zone in Idlib.

"We have now had five weeks without any air raids," he said. "I can't remember such a period for the last three years in Idlib. It's a calm through this very sensitive, complex, difficult area full of three million civilians. It is a welcome calm."

In addition to opposition groups, some three million people live in Idlib, along with 12,000 humanitarian workers.

Many people are there after fleeing other areas of Syria which have been reclaimed by Government forces; most recently the provinces of Dar'a and Quneitra in the south-east, as well as Eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus.

"The big battles have ended in most of the country" but Idlib "could still become the worst battle yet", Mr Egeland said.

He explained that even if the opposition groups including Al-Nusra withdrew their heavy weapons from the contact line, they would "of course" embed themselves in built-up areas of Idlib, leaving "a million civilians engulfed" in conflict.

"This is a fantastic deal so far because it prevents bloodshed, it has to continue like that," he insisted.

While the eyes of the international community remain fixed on Idlib, there is still tremendous suffering in many areas of Syria, including in the east of the country, Mr Egeland stressed.

"There is horrific fighting that nobody seems to be caring about in the east, with 15,000 people in crossfire between Islamic state fighters and the attacking forces," he said, stressing that although war is ending "in more and more provinces", peace can only be built through human rights and the implementation of rule of law.

Egeland to follow de Mistura, and leave post next month

After coordinating the UN's efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria for more than three years, liaising with the Government of Syria and the international community over safe passage for aid convoys across front lines and borders, Mr Egeland also announced that it was time for him to step down.

Mirroring Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, who made a similar announcement on Wednesday at UN headquarters in New York, Mr Egeland said that he would be leaving his post at the end of November.

"It's been very exhausting reallythere hasn't really been an evening or a weekend where we have not been dealing with an Aleppo, Homs, Dera'a, Eastern Ghouta, now Idlib, Rukban or some other issues," he said. "So that's the issue, and I presume I will be replaced by somebody better and that they will continue with a Task Force because the job is not even half done."



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US Skeptical of Russia's Newest IS Claims

By Jeff Seldin October 18, 2018

The United States is pushing back against claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Islamic State terror group is starting to execute hundreds of hostages in Syria, including U.S. and European nationals.

Putin made the claims Thursday during the Valdai forum in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, saying IS had taken 700 people from a displaced persons camp near Deir el-Zour in an area controlled by U.S.-backed forces.

"They have issued ultimatums, specific demands, and warned that if these ultimatums are not met, they will execute 10 people every day," Putin said without elaborating on the demands. "The day before yesterday, they executed 10 people."

US officials are 'skeptical'

U.S. officials said Thursday that while there was an attack on the camp, the rest of the Russian president's claims, which echoed reporting by Russia's TASS news agency, were unsubstantiated.

"We are skeptical of its accuracy," Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson said in a statement to VOA.

"We have no information supporting the large number of hostages alleged by President Putin," Robertson added. "We are also unaware of any U.S. nationals located in that camp."

The Pentagon also rejected Russian allegations that the U.S. and its coalition allies had failed to stem the threat from IS.

"The coalition has liberated more than 99 percent of the territory previously held by ISIS," Robertson said, using another acronym for the terror group.

"Russia, on the other hand, has focused its efforts exclusively on aiding the Syrian regime with limited steps to address the threat posed by ISIS and without regard for the laws of armed conflict, civilian casualties or regime use of chemical weapons," he said.

US 'did not finish their job'

During his appearance in Sochi, Putin told the audience that U.S.-backed forces fighting against IS "did not finish their job."

"There are ISIS members remaining in several places," Putin said. "And they have started to broaden their presence recently."

U.S. military officials have been warning for months that IS remains a potent threat, despite the collapse of its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

IS fighters still cling to a small slip of land in Syria's Middle Euphrates River Valley, near the towns of Hajin and Abu Kamal.

Progress slowed

U.S. and coalition-backed forces have been battling to oust IS from the area for over a month. But U.S. officials say progress has been slowed by the terror group's extensive use of booby traps, improvised explosive devices and a network of tunnels.

The most recent U.S. intelligence puts the total number of IS fighters at 28,000 to 32,000, roughly split between Iraq and Syria. Of those, up to about 9,000 are believed to be in areas controlled by Russia, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran.

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Turkey Threatens to Move on Syria's Manbij

By Dorian Jones October 18, 2018

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is warning of military action against a key U.S. ally in the disputed Syrian city of Manbij, as bilateral tensions threaten to resurface between the NATO partners.

"We will do what is necessary," was Erdogan's message to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo when they met Wednesday in Ankara, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu who also attended the meeting.

Ankara is demanding the removal of all members of the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG from Manbij. The YPG, supported by U.S. forces, helped to oust the Islamic State from the strategically important city in 2016. But Ankara designates the militia as terrorists linked to the PKK, which is waging a decades-long Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey.

Washington's backing of the YPG in its war against the Islamic State remains a point of tension with Ankara. Under a road map agreed earlier this year to defuse bilateral differences, the militia would withdraw from Manbij, and joint U.S.-Turkish patrols of the city would be started.

'Turkey is ready'

However, Ankara is voicing growing frustration over what it sees as Washington backsliding. "Turkey is ready to eliminate terrorists in Syria's Manbij if the U.S. is facing difficulties," Cavusoglu said Wednesday after meeting with Pompeo.

Cavusoglu said it has been more than five months since the deal over Manbij had been agreed. "Some delays are normal during the groundwork, but there should not be a resistance from the [US] army in the ground," Cavusoglu said. Ankara has often criticized American forces in Syria of being too sympathetic to the Kurdish militia.

The Manbij road map until now was seen by analysts as a success, "The working relationship is still in place in Syria. We are still waiting for the joint patrol operation to start in Manbij," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served widely in the region, "The [anti-US] rhetoric, we can say, by President Erdogan until now was dialed back a bit."

Analysts suggest Cavusoglu's latest comment are likely in response to the lack of urgency expressed by the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford. "As for joint patrols  first, how to perform patrols, how to command and control. We need to develop a staffing plan, including what will be the rules of engagement. Then we have to train the people we have chosen to perform these joint patrols," Dunford said Tuesday.

"Obviously, we are moving forward with rational steps," Dunford added. "This is not an urgent issue. The urgent security issues were addressed immediately," he added.

Colliding interests

Ankara's suspicions of Washington are heightened by its new stated goal of curtailing Iran's influence in Syria. "Syria needs to get rid of the image of a country that exports terrorism to its neighbors. Also, militia groups fighting on behalf of Iran should be removed from the ground," said U.S. envoy for Syria, Ambassador James Jeffrey.

With the YPG controlling a large swath of northern Syria, including much of the Syrian-Iraqi frontier, observers say Washington sees it as key to containing Iranian influence. Manbij, on a main highway between Iraq and Syria is widely regarded as having particular strategic importance.

Ankara and Washington recently took a significant step to improve ties. Earlier this month American pastor Andrew Brunson was allowed to return to the United States after more than two years in detention on terrorism charges. Washington called the charges baseless and politically motivated.

But international relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbul's Kadir Has University says Manbij symbolizes the deepening mistrust between Turkey and the United States.

"My sense the most fundamental problem is that Turkish interests in the Middle East and American interests in the Middle East are not the same. Are they totally incompatible I am not sure," said Ozel.

While Washington sees Tehran as the region's main threat, Ankara has been deepening its cooperation with Iran over Syria. Ankara, Tehran, and Moscow have been coordinating efforts to end the civil war, even though they back rivals sides.

Observers suggest Iran will likely seek to exploit growing U.S.-Turkish tensions over Manbij.

Turkey's pro-government Sabah newspaper reported Wednesday the Free Syrian Army is seeking a green light from Turkey to move against the YPG in Manbij "in 20 days if Ankara instructs us," said Adnan Abu Faisal, the FSA military assembly leader. "The FSA has sworn to bury the PKK in their own pits and return the area to real owners," he added.

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China's engagement in Latin America aimed at isolating Taiwan: report

ROC Central News Agency

2018/10/18 20:19:40

Washington, Oct. 18 (CNA) A report released Wednesday by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) suggests that China's increasing engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is part of a tactic to diplomatically isolate Taiwan.

The report, titled "China's Engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean," describes how the country has ramped up its efforts in recent years to strengthen diplomatic, political and security cooperation with the region.

In addition to securing its own economic interests, such as gaining access to the region's abundant natural resources and consumer markets, China's efforts in the region include attempts to reduce the influence of the United States, the report said.

According to the USCC report, such efforts have also been aimed at Taiwan, as part of China's strategy to convince the nine LAC countries -- Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Paraguay -- to cut diplomatic ties with Taipei and officially endorse Beijing's "one China principle."

It went on to describe how China has, in the last year, resumed its "checkbook diplomacy" and secured recognition from Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the region, Panama, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador.

In 2008, China and Taiwan reached a "diplomatic truce" to stop using financial incentives to compete for recognition from each other's diplomatic partners, and from 2008-2016 China adhered to the truce and rejected attempts by countries to switch recognition from Taipei to Beijing, the report said.

However, that truce has ended, as "China is renewing its efforts to diplomatically isolate Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province," the report added.

(By Chiang Chin-yeh and Ko Lin)

Enditem/AW

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Taiwan's democracy serves as model for region: U.S. official

ROC Central News Agency

2018/10/18 14:45:38

Taipei, Oct. 18 (CNA) Taiwan's vibrant democracy, respect for freedom and commitment to the rule of law make it an "invaluable model" for many countries in the Indo-Pacific region that are suffering from democratic backsliding, visiting U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Scott Busby said Thursday.

During an address in Taipei at a Taiwan-U.S. co-hosted workshop on defending democracy through media literacy, Busby praised Taiwan's democratic achievements as something from which other countries in the region can learn.

"Looking to the Indo-Pacific region, we have seen disinformation used to instigate devastating human rights violations and abuses and erode democratic governance," he said.

Busby, who overseas U.S. engagement on human rights in Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, pointed the finger at Myanmar, where its military has been spreading disinformation through social media to propagate racism and dehumanization against the minority Rohingya.

"This disinformation has catalyzed severe discrimination and waves of violence against the Rohingya, which culminated in the ethnic cleansing that took place in northern Rakhine State in 2017 and forced over 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh," he noted.

Elsewhere in the region, governments have used legal provisions to weaken independent news sources and manipulate the environment for major elections, the U.S. official said, including in Cambodia, where July parliamentary elections "were neither free nor fair."

In Vietnam, meanwhile, its government has recently launched a harsh crackdown on independent bloggers and journalists critical of the government, he added.

"At a time of democratic backsliding and human rights abuses elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan serves as an invaluable model for others," he said.

Busby said the ongoing two-day workshop on the fight against disinformation is "timely and important," adding that it is important for democracies like Taiwan and the U.S. to stand together in promoting a "brighter future, free of repression, censorship and exploitation."

According to Busby, Taiwan knows "all too well how a determined external actor with hostile intentions can place enormous strain on democratic institutions through various influence tactics, including disinformation," referring to Beijing.

To meet the challenge of disinformation will require the efforts of both the government and private sector, as well as an active and informed citizenry, he concluded.

The two-day Taipei workshop is being held under the Taiwan-U.S. Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF), according to the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), which represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

Established in June 2015, the GCTF is designed to support bilateral cooperation in international public health, humanitarian assistance and other global issues.

The workshop features participants from 12 countries spanning two continents, who will share lessons and practices to deepen international cooperation on promoting media literacy.

This marks the 13th workshop since the GCTF's inception, AIT said.

(By Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/J

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Interpol against Taiwan's efforts to seek participation

ROC Central News Agency

2018/10/18 12:14:37

Paris, Oct. 18 (CNA) The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), sent a message Wednesday that states unequivocally that it is not in favor of Taiwan's efforts to seek participation in the organization's activities.

In an email message, Interpol stated clearly that it considers China to be the sole Chinese representative to the organization.

The group did not respond directly to a CNA question on its stance on Taiwan's efforts to participate as an observer in Interpol's General Assembly to be held Nov. 16-21 in Dubai.

"In 1984, the Interpol General Assembly decided that the government of the People's Republic of China will be the sole representative to Interpol," the Lyon-headquartered organization said in the email.

On Monday, Taiwan's Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) issued a statement saying that its Commissioner Tsai Tsan-po () had sent a letter to Interpol in September requesting that the CIB be allowed to participate as an observer in next month's general assembly and in the organization's activities, including the use of the global criminal databases through Interpol's I-24/7 system.

In Interpol, every member has its own National Central Bureau, which is responsible for communications with the group for international cooperation to prevent and crack down on crimes.

Interpol said any expansion of access to each other's criminal databases via the organization's I-24/7 system beyond a National Central Bureau is "a matter for the member country concerned." Currently, Interpol has 192 member countries.

The Republic of China used to be an Interpol member country, but since China was admitted into the organization in 1984 and planned to change the name of the ROC into "China, Taiwan," Taipei decided to withdraw from the group.

Bob Chen (), director-general of the Department of International Organizations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the ministry has asked friendly countries who are members of the Interpol executive committee to speak up for Taiwan at a committee meeting to be held in early November before the assembly begins.

The United States has repeatedly voiced its support for Taiwan's "meaningful" participation in international organizations, including Interpol.

Interior Minister Hsu Kuo-yung () reiterated Wednesday the government's desire to participate in Interpol, stressing the need for international cooperation in fighting drug smuggling, saying that China should not block Taiwan's bid to join Interpol.

(By Tzeng Yi-shiuan and Frances Huang)

Enditem/J

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Valley Mills Vineyards Goes Big In Waco, Texas Posted: Oct 19, 2018

by Andrew Chalk

To the list of hitherto unrecognized Texas wineries add Valley Mills Vineyards (VMV), 25 miles west of Waco, just outside the town of Valley Mills. Right now, the bucolic site is accompanied by spotty cell phone service and a highway that is still under construction. An impressive new winery is being built and, just as Chip & Joanna Gaines Fixer Upper projected Waco to a national audience, their B&B in nearby McGregor may make the Valley Mills area a tourist destination in its own right.



Fig.1 - Valley View Vineyards from the top of the estate vineyard.

(Photo By Andrew Chalk)



VMV is owned by the Bagnasco family. Founder John Bagnasco has handed over most of his responsibilities to son Joey. They have been growing grapes for just over a decade and selling wine for nearly as long. However, it was mainly direct-to-consumer (DTC) from a humble house on Hwy. 6, about 8 miles towards Waco. The new winery is a palace by comparison. It is also a subaltern to extant principles of good winery design. Gravity fed over three floors, concrete walls to stabilize temperatures, a fully buried 300 barrel-capacity cellar, a tasting room next to the crush pad to give visitors a closeup view of the process. In total 10,000 square feet and 10,000 case capacity, allowing VMV to grow beyond its 2,000 case output in its current premises.



These are the days of grand ideas.



The new Valley Mills Vineyards winery and tasting room as of mid-October 2018.

Photo: Andrew Chalk



Immediately outside the crush pad is the 5-acre estate vineyard. Originally planted with 1 acre of Muscat Canelli and Tempranillo by John Bagnasco in 2006 and now augmented with 3.5 acres of Tempranillo. The family also have a lease on output from seven acres a few miles away as well as buying from other vineyards. They use 100% Texas grapes and Joey says that there just wouldnt be any point in putting his life into the industry if it were not to be rooted (no pun intended) in Texas fruit.



Fig.2 - Tasting Room. (Photo By Andrew Chalk)



The new winery is just a half fabricated shell at the moment, but Joeys contractors promise him it will be completed by January 2019. I am no contractor but I will report that the walls are only partly done, none of the winemaking equipment is in, and Joey and I sat on a pile of drywall panels to conduct a tasting as the tasting room is just an empty space right now. However, the electricity worked! When completed, grapes will come in to the crushpad corresponding to the third level. Juice and must will fill flow down to the level below for cold soak and fermentation. Finished wine will flow one floor further to ageing tanks and barrels. It is very clever. Since the whole building is built on a hill, level three corresponds to ground level on the south side and level one to ground level on the north side. Arrival is from a quarter mile driveway that leads in from the entrance on China Spring Road. Parking space for the tasting room is planned adjacent to the crush pad and next to the barrel cellar. It will be an impressive facility visually and efficient practically when it is finished.



Joeys background in wine began when he was what he calls a lazy teenager. He worked the vineyard as a summer job. The winemaking business was just getting started when he went to college and post-college with limited experience in 2014 he went to work for Solaro Estate Winery in Dripping Springs as vineyard manager and also worked in the tasting room. Late in 2015 he moved on to Pedernales Cellars in Stonewall as assistant winemaker and vineyard manager taking charge of the Kuhlken family vineyard. Pedernales was where he met his great mentor, winemaker David Kuhlken.



At VMV his title is general manager and winemaking is in the hands of Marc Moberg, formerly with Inwood Estates Vineyards for five years.



Sitting on our pile of drywall panels we tasted through some recent wines. The 2017 Viognier, Texas, made without seeing malolactic fermentation, had soft lemony aromas, medium acid and flavors. Joey can be his own most cogent critic in that he wants to alter the character substantially in 2018. He is seeking a much more intense peachiness which he sees coming from super-ripe fruit. The intended character of this wine harks back to his training at Pedernales Cellars whose reserve Viognier has a similar profile. The 2016 Vermentino, Bingham Family Vineyards, Texas projects bountiful flavors of tropical fruit (papaya and mango) and the character may owe a lot to a long cold fermentation. This wine would be a pleasant choice as an aperitif.



The 2015 Tempranillo, Texas has a pronounced tannic backbone and bouquet of American oak. Joey wants less. I want him to keep the current profile, it gives the wine breed to distinguish it from an armada of fruit-driven Riojas that have flooded the market. Interestingly, this wines 2014 predecessor won a Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco Chronicle Competition (one of the toughest fairs in the country). It also won Gold at the 2018 TEXSOM awards where its counterparts were all from Spain, the home of Tempranillo: a Rioja, a Ribera del Duero, and a Navarra.



Of these three wines I see the Tempranillo emerging as VMVs signature wine. The winemaking of the whites is good but less confident in what each wants to be.



Capacity will be cranked up gradually, as demand grows. Weddings will bring a lot of new visitors, as will the spectacular views from the site. Visiting is easiest for visitors from Dallas on their way to the Hill Country.



Judged on the winemaking, VMV must be included among aspirational Texas wineries and we should expect award-winning wines in the future.



By Andrew Chalk

October 18, 2018

Source: Go-Wine.com
Ice skating sessions are sold out for Friday, but limited slots are available Saturday and Sunday.
Vancouver, October 19, 2018 - Guyana Goldstrike Inc. (the "Company" or "Guyana Goldstrike") (TSXV: GYA, OTC: GYNAF, FSE:1ZT) is pleased to report the completion of a helicopter-borne magnetic and radiometric geophysical survey and a site visit at its Marudi Gold Project ("Marudi" or the "Property") located in the Guiana Gold Belt, Guyana, South America.

Geophysical Survey Highlights

- First-ever performed geophysical survey over the entire 13,500 acre Property - A total of 1201 kilometres of flight lines were flown over the entire Property with a very low terrain clearance of 40 metres - Maximum resolution: 50-metre line spacing improves on historic government magnetic surveys that were designed and flown on 250-metre line spacing and at higher altitude - Latest technology: Advancements in instrument sensitivity, data acquisition and processing are expected to provide high-quality results - Successful track record: Magnetic and radiometric surveys are recognized as an excellent tool for the exploration of iron-formation-hosted gold deposits - A report with deliverables from the contractor, Precision GeoSurveys, is expected in about four weeks' time - The Company will then commission a detailed interpretation of the raw data (deliverables) by an independent third-party geophysicist - Objective of survey results: To provide geophysical signatures from previously known mineralized zones, to identify extensions of known mineralization for further development, to locate new zones for exploration, and to generate priority drill targets - The Company has planned a drilling campaign for January 2019

Marudi Site Visit

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has hosted a Marudi site visit, which included representatives from Gold Mountains Asset Management Ltd (GMA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group (see below under "Zijin Mining Group"). GMA through its managed funds, Zijin Global Fund and Zijin Midas Exploration Fund invested $3.2MM CDN earlier this year for the further exploration of hard-rock mineralization at Marudi.

The group visited the property and toured the various exploration and mineralized zones of interest and the mining camp facilities. Photos from the site visit can be viewed at the Company's website: https://www.guyanagoldstrike.com/index.php/investors/photos.

Zijin Mining Group

Listed on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges with a market capitalization of $18B, Zijin Mining Group ("Zijin") is a large Chinese mining group specializing in gold, copper, zinc and metalliferous resource exploration and development. It is the largest public gold producer, the second largest mined zinc producer and the third largest mined copper producer, in China. Its core asset Zijinshan Gold/Copper Mine was rated as China's largest Gold Mine by China Gold Association in March 2008.

Zijin has developed an extensive product portfolio of gold, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, iron ore and other base metals and has invested in 24 provinces across China and 9 foreign countries including Australia, Tajikistan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Peru, South Africa, and Serbia.

Current Zones and Mineral Resource Estimate at Marudi

The Toucan Ridge area is located approximately one kilometre east of the Marudi North zone and one kilometre north of the Mazoa Hill zone. The Mazoa Hill zone contains the project's current mineral resource estimate. Data analyzed suggests that the mineralized zone is open at depth and to the southeast. Mineral Resource Estimate:

- 259,100 indicated gold ounces within 4,428,000 tonnes grading 1.8 g/t; and, - 86,200 inferred gold ounces within 1,653,000 tonnes grading 1.6 g/t

Current Trenching at Marudi

A total of 1112 metres of trenching has been completed in the Toucan Ridge area of the Marudi Property. 390 samples have been taken. The exploration team will continue along the ridge progressing in an eastward direction with each new trench site stepping out roughly 50-100 metre intervals, mainly perpendicular to the ridge. The area of interest continues for more than 1.75 kilometres to the east of the first trench - TTR-18-05. Trench sites are planned where quartzite-metachert is exposed or interpreted to occur beneath the transported overburden. The eastern part of Toucan Ridge is approximately 400 metres south of the Paunch area which was trenched in May and returned the Company's first significant gold discovery.

About Quartzite-metachert (Host Rock) at Marudi

At Marudi, all important gold mineralization discovered to date is associated with the medial quartzite-metachert (host rock) unit of the Marudi Mountain Formation. Gold occurs within the magnetite-hematite rich quartzite and in the magnetite-silicate iron formation. Mineralization of the host rock may be affected at surface by the erosion at different levels of the strata. Therefore, all discoveries of quartzite-metachert on the Property are considered important for the potential of containing mineralization at surface and/or at depth and should be explored through trenching and drilling. When discovered these areas are assigned high levels of priority for further exploration work, including drilling in the Company's planned drill program.

Marudi Geology

Gold mineralization at Marudi is regarded as being related to iron-formation-hosted gold ("IFG") deposits that occur in other cratonic greenstone belts around the world. These deposits can be remarkably long-lived with sizeable gold production. They have a strong association between gold and iron sulfide minerals, the presence of gold bearing quartz veins and structures, the occurrence of deposits in structurally complex terranes, and the absence of lead and zinc enrichment.

Examples of some existing IFG deposits are: the Homestake Mine, Lupin Mine, and Musselwhite Mine.

The Homestake Mine is located in South Dakota USA and was the largest and deepest gold mine in North America. It has reported production of 43.9 million ounces of gold and was in production from 1878-2001. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestake_Mine_(South_Dakota)

The Lupin Mine located in Nunavut, Canada, no longer in production, produced approximately 3 million ounces of gold. (Source: http://www.kinross.com/news-and-investors/news-releases/press-release-details/2003/Suspension-of-Operations-at-the-Lupin-Mine/default.aspx)

The Mussellwhite mine located in Ontario, Canada has estimated reserves of 2.29 million ounces of gold and is owned and operated by Goldcorp and will be in production until 2020. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musselwhite_mine)

About the Marudi Gold Project

The Company is developing the Marudi Gold Project located in Guyana, South America. The project has 18-year mining license in good standing, all-season road access, infrastructure in place, with an established camp serviced by employees, service buildings, and a full-time camp manager. The Property has three known gold bearing areas: the alluvial areas, the saprolite, and the underlying hard-rock.

There has been 42,000 metres of historic diamond drilling (141 holes) completed on the project by prior operators that have delineated two zones of mineralization: Mazoa Hill and Marudi North zones. The Company has recently completed a mineral resource estimate on the Mazoa Hill zone containing 259,100 indicated gold ounces within 4,428,000 tonnes grading 1.8 g/t and 86,200 inferred gold ounces within 1,653,000 tonnes grading 1.6 g/t. There exists excellent exploration upside through the development of previously and newly identified mineralized bedrock targets on the project.

For information concerning the mineral resource estimate and the project, readers are encouraged to review "Technical Report: Marudi Property Mazoa Hill Mineral Resource Estimate", a technical report prepared for the Company by Global Mineral Resource Services and is available at http://www.guyanagoldstrike.com/images/pdf/43101_Report_Guyana_Goldstrike_Mazoa_Hill_Zone_Jan_2018.pdf and under the Company's profile on SEDAR www.sedar.com.

About Guyana Goldstrike Inc.

Guyana Goldstrike Inc. is a Canadian based junior gold company focused on the exploration, development, and operation of the Marudi Gold Project in Guyana, South America.

Please visit us at:

www.guyanagoldstrike.com

About Guyana

The Republic of Guyana is located in South America adjacent to Suriname. The country is English speaking and under British Common Law with a democratically-elected government. It has an established mining act and a rich history of gold production. In 2016, 690,000 ounces of gold was produced by operators mining in the country. The Fraser Institute's 2016 Annual Survey of Mining listed Guyana as the third best mining jurisdiction with regards to investment attractiveness in the Latin America and Caribbean Basin sub-group. The Guiana Shield is the geographic gold-hosting region, and is world-recognized as a premier gold region that is highly prospective, under-explored and has geological continuity with West Africa.* In 2016, two mines in Guyana declared the commencement of commercial production: the Aurora deposit (Guyana Goldfields) and the Karouni deposit (Troy Resources).

* Independent Technical and Environmental Review Karouni Gold Project - Guyana, Behre Dolbear Australia Pty Ltd, April 29, 2016

Qualified Person

Locke Goldsmith, M.Sc., P. Eng, P. Geo, Chief Geologist and Exploration Manager for the Company, is a Qualified Person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Goldsmith has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content of this news release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

Guyana Goldstrike Inc.

Peter Berdusco

President and Chief Executive Officer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, fluctuations in the market for gold, changes in exploration costs and government regulation in Guyana, status of artisanal mining activities and associated rights, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

Copyright (c) 2018 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Toronto, October 19, 2018 - Roscan Gold Corporation (TSXV: ROS) ("Roscan" or the "Company") has retained Michael Poulin to provide investor relations for the Company. Mr. Poulin will assist Roscan in expanding its visibility through marketing endeavours directed towards new and existing shareholders and investors.Under the terms of the agreement, Mr. Poulin will provide investor relation services for an initial six-month term, commencing September 16, 2018, at a cost of $3,500 per month. The agreement is subject to acceptance by the TSX Venture Exchange.Mr. Poulin has worked as an investor relations consultant and/or employee for approximately 12 years with various public companies in Canada, focusing on small cap companies trading on North American stock exchanges, including Golden Dawn Minerals Inc. , who he has worked with for the last 8 years. Mr. Poulin received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with an Economics major and Business minor from the University of British Columbia in 1991 and completed the Canadian Securities Course in 1993.Roscan Gold Corporation is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on the acquisition and exploration of gold properties in West Africa. The Company has assembled a significant land position of 100%-owned permits in an area of large gold deposits for its Kandiole Project in west Mali.Greg Isenor, President and Chief Executive OfficerTel: (902) 832-5555 or (416) 293-8437Email: gpisenor@roscan.caThis news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.-30-
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World energy consumption projections expect coal to stay one of the worlds main energy sources in the coming decades, and a growing share of it will be used in CTthe conversion of coal to liquid fuels (CTL). Researchers from the National Institute of Clean-and-Low-Carbon Energy in Beijing and Eindhoven University of Technology have developed iron-based catalysts that substantially reduce operating costs and open the door to capturing the large amounts of CO 2 that are generated by CTL. An open-access paper on their work is published in the journal Science Advances.

The conversion of coal to liquid fuels is especially relevant in coal-rich countries that have to import oil for their supply of liquid fuelssuch as China.

China represents the largest coal market in the world and is expanding its coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology by ~2% per year. By 2020, CTL is expected to account for 15% of the coal use in China. Accordingly, there is a large incentive to improve current CTL technology, which can convert coal into liquid fuels and valuable chemicals. Wang et al.

The first stage in CTL is the conversion of coal to syngasa mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H 2 ). Using the Fischer-Tropsch process, these components are converted to liquid fuels. But before that can be done, the composition of the syngas has to be changed to make sure the right products come out in the end. Some of the CO is taken out of the syngas (rejected) by converting it to CO 2 , in a process called the water-gas shift.

In this chain the researchers tackled a key problem in the Fischer-Tropsch reactor. As in most chemical processing, catalysts are required to enable the reactions. CTL catalysts are mainly iron-based. Unfortunately, they convert some 30% of the CO to unwanted CO 2 , a byproduct that in this stage is hard to capture and thereby often released in large volumes, consuming a lot of energy without benefit.

The Beijing and Eindhoven researchers discovered that the CO 2 release is caused by the fact that the iron-based catalysts are not pure, but comprise several components. They were able to produce a pure form of a specific iron carbideepsilon iron carbidethat has a very low CO 2 selectivity.

The existence of -iron carbide was already known but until now it had not been stable enough for the harsh Fischer-Tropsch process. The Sino-Dutch research team has now shown that this instability is caused by impurities in the catalyst. The phase-pure epsilon iron carbide they developed is, by contrast, stable and remains functional, even under typical industrial processing conditions of 23 bar and 250 C.

The new catalyst eliminates nearly all CO 2 generation in the Fischer-Tropsch reactor. This can reduce the energy needed and the operating costs by roughly 25 million per year for a typical CTL plant. The CO 2 that was previously released in this stage can now be removed in the preceding water-gas shift stage.

We are aware that our new technology facilitates the use of coal-derived fossil fuels. However, it is very likely that coal-rich countries will keep on exploiting their coal reserves in the decades ahead. We want to help them do this in the most sustainable way. lead researcher Professor Emiel Hensen of Eindhoven University of Technology

The research results are likely to reduce the efforts to develop CTL catalysts based on cobalt. Cobalt-based catalysts do not have the CO 2 problem, but they are expensive and quickly becoming a scarce resource due to cobalt use in batteries, which account for half of the total cobalt consumption.

Hensen expects that the newly developed catalysts will also play an import role in the future energy and basic chemicals industry. The feedstock will not be coal or gas, but waste and biomass. Syngas will continue to be the central element, as it is also the intermediate product in the conversion of these new feedstocks.

Resources
Hyundai CRADLE, Hyundai Motor Companys corporate venturing and open innovation business, is investing in Perceptive Automata to develop artificial intelligence software for self-driving cars and automated systems.

Perceptive Automata, a startup based in Somerville, Mass. with an office in Silicon Valley, has developed software that gives autonomous vehicles the ability to understand the state-of-mind of people, including pedestrians, cyclists and other motorists.





The predictive technology enables automated vehicles to make rapid judgments about the intentions and awareness of people on the street. This gives machines unprecedented human-like intuition.

Perceptive Automatas core technology takes sensor data from vehicles that show interactions with people. This rich data is used to train deep learning models to interpret human behavior the way people do. The end result is sophisticated AI software that can be integrated into autonomous driving systems. With the software installed, autonomous vehicles can anticipate what pedestrians, cyclists and motorists might do next.

Perceptive Automatas software is particularly useful if a pedestrian begins to cross the street but sees the approaching autonomous car and decides to stop and wave it on. In this situation, an autonomous vehicle without the software would stop and wait, even though the pedestrian has no intention to cross. Perceptive Automatas software can read the pedestrians intent and pass this information to the autonomous systems decision-making module.

One of the biggest hurdles facing autonomous vehicles is the inability to interpret the critical visual cues about human behavior that human drivers can effortlessly process. Perceptive Automata is giving the AV industry the tools to deploy autonomous vehicles that understand more like humans, creating a safer and smoother driving experience. John Suh, vice president of Hyundai CRADLE

This year, Hyundai has expanded its investment into artificial intelligence technologies that can improve Hyundais core automotive business, as well as adjacent areas in robotics and human machine interactions. Hyundai has also been actively investing from its AI Alliance Fund, co-founded in late 2017, with SK Telecom and Hanwha Asset Management.
Researchers at Tohoku University in Japan have identified a way to reduce harmful NO emissions produced by ammonia fuel during combustion. The process involves swirling the gas with air as part of the power generation process. The finding helps advance research into ammonia as an alternative to carbon-based fuels for cars, airplanes, and power generation facilities.

A paper on their work is published in the journal Combustion Theory and Modelling.





Left: Vortex structures of swirling flows. Right: Mixing pattern of two ammonia streams with the air stream near the swirlers, located at the bottom of the figure. Colors indicate ammonia mole fraction distribution, with higher amounts of ammonia molecules in red, and lower amounts in blue. Copyright : Taylor & Francis

This study simulated bluff body stabilized non-premixed turbulent ammonia (NH 3 )/air flames using swirling flows. Although the space and time-averaged emission (STAE) of NO was found to decrease with increase in the global equivalence ratio (global ) under stoichiometric and rich conditions, similar to the behaviour of premixed flames, the local NO concentration distribution within the combustor was heterogeneous, unlike the almost uniform NO distribution in premixed flames. Zones of high NO concentration were identified near the combustor wall boundaries, whereas there was almost nil NO in the combustor centre, irrespective of the global . The localized NO concentrations in non-premixed flames were shown to depend on the local  within the combustor and the model reproduced the NO emission characteristics of premixed flames in terms of . This study also found that the effect of pressure on NO emissions is significant irrespective of the combustion type, because reducing the OH radical concentration in NH 3 /air flame at high pressure limits the NO generation. However, the STAE of NO of non-premixed flames were slightly higher than those of premixed flames, especially under rich conditions, possibly owing to zones of elevated NO concentrations near the wall boundaries. The introduction of an additional NH 3 stream external to the air stream (by splitting the original NH3 flow) may mitigate this effect by creating an almost uniform  distribution within the combustor and thus a homogeneous NO distribution. The STAE of NO was minimized (and equalled that of a premixed flame) by applying a volumetric flow ratio between the innermost and outermost NH3 flows of 0.6:0.4. Somarathne et al.

Ammonia (NH 3 ) is a compound that contains one nitrogen and three hydrogen atoms. It is under investigation as an alternative fuel source for several reasons. While it contains a great deal of hydrogen, it is less expensive and less flammable than pure hydrogen, making it safer to transport. Production plants already exist because ammonia is widely used in fertilizers.

So far, ammonia has been considered as a fuel when blended with gasoline, diesel, hydrogen and methane fuels to reduce the proportion of carbon-based fuels and their emissions that contribute to climate change. Developing ammonia as a pure fuel source remains a challenge, in part because relatively high levels of harmful nitric oxide (NO) emissions are produced during the combustion process.

Nitric oxide is known to be harmful to human health, contributes to ozone depletion, and when it reacts with other compounds, contributes to acid rain and atmospheric warming.

A team from the Institute of Fluid Science at Tohoku University used supercomputers to run large eddy simulations to analyze how ammonia fuel behaves under different combustion conditions, and to see if it is theoretically possible to reduce nitric oxide emissions.

Specifically, they analyzed what happened when ammonia was swirled together with air inside a theoretical combustion chamber under different pressures. They compared the results with those of ammonia and air premixed before entering the combustion chamber, which is known to produce fewer nitric oxide emissions at high fuel to air ratio conditions.

They found that swirling not one, but two streams of ammonia gas with one stream of air reduced nitric oxide emissions to levels on par with premixed processes. Making the volume of the two ammonia streams between the innermost and outermost swirlers uneven60% and 40% of the total injected fuel, respectivelyled to a more even distribution of fuel and air throughout the combustion chamber, which produced lower nitric oxide emissions.

This study simulated bluff body stabilized non-premixed turbulent ammonia (NH 3 )/air flames using swirling flows. Although the space and time-averaged emission (STAE) of NO was found to decrease with increase in the global equivalence ratio (global ) under stoichiometric and rich conditions, similar to the behaviour of premixed flames, the local NO concentration distribution within the combustor was heterogeneous, unlike the almost uniform NO distribution in premixed flames. Zones of high NO concentration were identified near the combustor wall boundaries, whereas there was almost nil NO in the combustor centre, irrespective of the global . The localized NO concentrations in non-premixed flames were shown to depend on the local  within the combustor and the model reproduced the NO emission characteristics of premixed flames in terms of . This study also found that the effect of pressure on NO emissions is significant irrespective of the combustion type, because reducing the OH radical concentration in NH 3 /air flame at high pressure limits the NO generation. However, the STAE of NO of non-premixed flames were slightly higher than those of premixed flames, especially under rich conditions, possibly owing to zones of elevated NO concentrations near the wall boundaries. The introduction of an additional NH 3 stream external to the air stream (by splitting the original NH 3 flow) may mitigate this effect by creating an almost uniform  distribution within the combustor and thus a homogeneous NO distribution. The STAE of NO was minimized (and equalled that of a premixed flame) by applying a volumetric flow ratio between the innermost and outermost NH 3 flows of 0.6:0.4. Somarathne et al.

Still, emission levels were higher than the Japanese environmental regulations for gas power turbines. The researchers plan to next test if injecting air downstream of the combustor further reduces emissions.

This research was supported by the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI) and by the Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP) Energy Carriers, (funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)).

Resources
A research team in China conducted a longitudinal panel study among 43 non-smoking college students in Shanghai to explore the effects of personal ozone exposure on blood pressure (BP), vascular endothelial function, and the potential molecular mechanisms.

Endothelial cells line the inside of the heart and blood vessels and release substances that control vascular relaxation and contraction as well as enzymes that control blood clotting, immune function and platelet (a colorless substance in the blood) adhesion.

In the study, published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology, the researchers measured real-time personal ozone exposure levels, serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and endothelin-1 (ET-1), and locus-specific DNA methylation of ACE and EDN1 (coding ET-1).

They used an untargeted metabolomic approach to explore potentially important metabolites and applied linear mixed-effect models to examine the effects of ozone on the above biomarkers.





They found an increase in 2 h-average ozone exposure was significantly associated with elevated levels of BP, ACE, and ET-1. ACE and EDN1 methylation decreased with ozone exposure, but the magnitude differed by genomic loci.

Metabolomics analysis showed significant changes in serum lipid metabolites following ozone exposure that are involved in maintaining vascular endothelial function.

 our findings suggested that an acute exposure to ambient ozone can elevate serum levels of ACE and ET-1, decrease their DNA methylation, and alter the lipid metabolism, which may be partly responsible for the effects of ozone on BP and vascular endothelial function. Our study highlighted a potential mechanistic pathway for the increased BP and vascular endothelial dysfunction induced by short-term ozone exposure. Xia et al.

Resources
Samsung Electronics is introducing two new automotive solution brandsSamsung Exynos Auto and Samsung ISOCELL Autoto bring its application processor and image sensor technology solutions to the road.

Samsungs Exynos processors have been recognized for their performance and stability since its brand launched in 2011. On top of the powerful and efficient qualities of Exynos mobile versions, Exynos Auto meets industry requirements for harsher environments, allowing automotive manufacturers to develop cutting-edge applications such as infotainment, advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS) and telematics.

Processors provided by Exynos Auto are sorted into three sub-categories: Exynos Auto V series for advanced in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems; Exynos Auto A series for ADAS; and Exynos Auto T series for telematics solutions.

Samsungs ISOCELL image sensors have brought imaging technologies to mobile products since 2017. Built on the companys innovative pixel isolation technology, ISOCELL, the sensors provide visibility of the road and surroundings even in low-light environments, while enabling more precise identification of objects. This allows, for example, vehicles to perceive road conditions or potential hazards even when driving through tunnels or other high-contrast environments.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba ESS) concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with National Electrification Administration (NEA), an government organization of the Philippines, on the implementation of H2One, a hydrogen-based autonomous energy supply system with renewable energy and the use of hydrogen as a fuel for power generation in the Philippines.

Under the MOU, Toshiba ESS and NEA will study the installation site, the optimum system specifications in the Philippines, and the operation system, including maintenance.

In the Philippines, half of the current energy supply is from coal and oil-fired thermal power. The country is also reliant on imports of these fuels, and increasingly sees renewable energy as a chance to improve the self-sufficiency of its energy supply. The country seeks solutions for remote islands with low electrification rates, and ways to reduce risk from typhoons and other natural disasters.

H2One is an integrated system that uses a renewable energy source to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen, and stores and uses the hydrogen in fuel cells to provide stable delivery of CO 2 -free, environmentally-friendly electricity and hot water.





One of the application of H2One is the Off-grid solution distributed energy system that allows the supply of clean and stable energy, without influence from the weather, to islands currently reliant on diesel and other generating systems such as thermal power.

Toshiba ESS has been conducting a survey project to develop applications for the H2One in remote islands in the Philippines and Indonesia. Toshiba ESS has already reached a partnership agreement with Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi, an Indonesian government organization, for the spread of H2One throughout Indonesia.
Dutch energy storage and battery company Lithium Werks B.V. and Chinese Zhejiang Jiashan Economic and Technological Development Zone Industry Corporation have signed a framework agreement with the intention to construct a 60-hectare battery gigafactory in the Yangtze river Delta. Total investments required are estimated at 1.6 billion (US%1.85 billion).

The Lithium Werks factory and related facilities will produce Li-ion battery cells. Lithium Werks expects to have installed production capacity of 500 GWh per annum by 2030.

The agreement, which was signed in the presence of the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, marks the start of Lithium Werks plan to build multiple gigafactories across the world as part of a 15-to-20-year program that mirrors the long-term business models of the wind and solar industry.

Lithium Werks expects its revenue to exceed $1 billion by 2020 as it continues to grow its share of the rapidly expanding market for energy storage.
Duke Energy has proposed an electric transportation (ET) pilot program that will allow South Carolina to join other states in deploying EV infrastructure to meet the needs of this growing market.

The proposed $10-million pilot consists of four programs designed to research and better understand the effects of increasing adoption of electric transportation on Duke Energys electric system, the behavior of customers and the potential financial and environmental benefits to the state of South Carolina. They include:

Residential EV Charging Program. This program will provide a rebate and ongoing quarterly participation payments for up to 400 residential customers installing qualifying Level II charging equipment in exchange for utility management of home charging during defined hours.

EV School Bus Charging Station Program. This program is designed to facilitate the replacement of older diesel school buses with modern, clean, zero-emission electric school buses, reducing operating costs and eliminating harmful diesel emissions from the daily commutes of school children in South Carolina. Duke Energy will provide financial support for the purchase of about 30 electric school buses. In addition to studying the charging characteristics and usage patterns of electric school buses, this program will test bidirectional power flow abilities of electric school buses and the potential to use their batteries during times of high electric demand or during disaster recovery.

EV Transit Bus Charging Station Program. Duke Energy will provide financial support to eligible transit agency customers electing to procure electric transit buses for up to 30 electric transit bus charging stations. Electric transit buses also eliminate diesel emissions and reduce fuel and maintenance costs for transit agencies.

DC Fast Charging Station Program. Duke Energy will install, own and operate up to 30 DC Fast Charging (DCFC) installations across its South Carolina territory to provide a foundational level of infrastructure and facilitate EV market growth.

The estimated cost of the pilot is about $10.4 million over the proposed initial three years of the programs. The pilot must be approved by the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC) before it can be offered to customers.

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the US, with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released 2017 greenhouse gas (GHG) data collected under the EPAs Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), showing overall decreases across sectors and that total US greenhouse gas emissions reported decreased by 2.7 percent from 2016 to 2017.

The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) collects GHG data from large emitting facilities, suppliers of fossil fuels and industrial gases that result in GHG emissions when used, and facilities that inject carbon dioxide underground.

Reported emissions from large power plants declined 4.5% since 2016, and 19.7% since 2011.

This is the seventh year of full data collection for most sectors under the Program, and more than 8,000 large facilities reported 2017 GHG emissions to EPA.

EPA will hold an informational webinar on 24 October to demonstrate its large facility greenhouse gas data publication tool known as FLIGHT, including new features and a tutorial on common searches. FLIGHT allows users to view reported data by region, industry, or greenhouse gas; and download lists.
Momenta, a China-based autonomous driving company, has secured a new round of funding from industry-leading strategic investors and government funds at a valuation north of $1 billion, making Momenta the first autonomous driving unicorn company in China.

Existing investor NIO Capital and Pagoda Investment increased their investments. Strategic investors, including Tencent, government funds from Shanghai and Suzhou, China Merchants Group, and CCB International participated in this round.

Earlier, Momenta announced the close of a $46-million round of B-1 funding led by NIO Capital, a B-2 round led by Cathay Capital, an A round led by Shunwei Capital, as well as angel investment from Blue Lake Capital, Sinovation Ventures and Zhen Fund. Since its inception, Momenta has attracted investment totaling more than $200 million.

Founded in September 2016, Momenta is building intelligent systems for autonomous driving, aiming to provide solutions for Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs.

In the past two years, Momenta has undergone three phases of development: Phase 1 - Establish big data and computing platforms; Phase 2 - Develop deep-learning algorithms as foundation for Perception, HD Semantic Mapping, and Planning & Control; and Phase 3 - Develop multi-level autonomous driving solutions for mass production for highway and urban scenarios. Momenta CEO Xudong Cao

This year, Momenta also formed strategic partnership with the government of Suzhou, where the company will deploy a large-scale test fleet to accelerate its Level 4 autonomous driving development and support the government in building smart transportation systems. Momenta has expanded its business to international OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.

Momenta has world-class deep learning experts, including the authors of the most advanced image recognition frameworks, Faster R-CNN and ResNet, and winners of ImageNet 2015, ImageNet 2017, MS COCO Challenge and many other competitions. The team has grown significantly within the past two years with 80% of the Momenta team being researchers and developers.

Momenta positions itself as a Tier 2 software provider and aims to build the brains for self-driving cars. In this setup, the vehicle is considered the body; the on-board vehicles sensors represent the eyes & ears; and software which provides path-planning and control based on information produced by perception constitutes the brain, which Momenta will provide to automotive Tier 1 suppliers for OEM customers.

The key to achieve autonomous driving is ensuring extremely high level of safety and reliability. Momenta addresses this problem by creating and utilizing a closed feedback loop of big data, AI and solutions. Momenta has independently developed a whole set of deep-learning based software in perception, HD semantic mapping, and data-driven path planning, which enables the realization of full autonomy.

With the data collected from its own crowd-sourcing channels, Momenta developed its deep-learning algorithms for perception, HD Semantic Map and planning.

Momenta has developed multi-level autonomous driving solutions for both aftermarket and pre-installation (OE) market:
Daimler Financial Services, the financial and mobility services arem of Daimler AG, has made a strategic investment in Soul Machinesa New Zealand company re-imagining how humans connect with machinesfurther to develop the combined use of artificial and emotional intelligence. Daimler is the first premium brand in the automotive sector to develop emotional intelligence use cases based on Soul Machines technology.

After successfully testing how artificial intelligence helps our employees better service customers, we are now investing in a disruptive technology to further enhance the customer experience. Udo Neumann, global CIO of Daimler Financial Services

Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Daimler Financial Services and Soul Machines already presented digital avatar Sarah in February at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Since then, Sarah was successful in answering most frequently asked customer questions during an internal pilot at one of the companys call centers in the US.





Sarah

Daimler Financial Services plans to use Soul Machines' technology to optimize the customer experience through artificial and emotional intelligence. Digital avatar Sarah will be able to support customers like a personal concierge.

Using Emotional Intelligence, the machine will be able to recognize the most diverse individual customer needs and offer the right information at the right time. For customers, this means communicating with a convenient, voice-controlled and emotionally intelligent touchpoint.

This brings Daimler Financial Services at the forefront of a changing environment, as the share of online business is increasing significantly and customers are making their purchasing decisions on digital platforms.

Customers expect intuitive, time-saving services that are available 24/7 through the channel that is most convenient for them. With the investment in Soul Machines we are laying an important foundation to not just meet, but exceed these customer expectations. Benedikt Schell, Chief Experience Officer at Daimler Financial Services

Founded in 2016, Soul Machines specializes in digital avatars and emotional intelligence. The company brings technology to life by creating incredibly life-like, emotionally responsive, artificial humans with personality and character that allow machines to talk to humans face-to-face.
The Volvo Groupa global manufacturer of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines, but not Volvo Carshas reported that it has detected that an emissions control component used in certain markets is degrading more quickly than expected, which could cause the engines to exceed emissions limits for nitrogen oxides (NO x ).

All products equipped with the component meet emissions limits at delivery; the degradation is due to a materials issue that occurs over time. A full analysis of the issue is not completed and it is not possible to assess the financial impact at this stage; however, the Group said in a statement that the cost could be material.

The investigation so far indicates that the degradation does not seem to affect all vehicles and engines in the same way and to the same extent. The company is now in the process of informing the appropriate authorities in various markets, and beginning discussions regarding remediation plans.

The degradation of the component does not pose a product safety issue, nor does it negatively affect vehicle or engine performance in areas other than emissions control. The degradation is a result of a materials issue that occurs over time.

The Group emphasized that all engines and vehicles equipped with the component meet emissions limits at delivery. The largest volume of potentially affected engines has been sold in North America and Europe.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have been meeting with Volvo to discuss ways to address the faulty emissions control component in the vehicles, according to reports.
LG Chem, South Koreas leading manufacturer of advanced lithium-ion batteries, is hosting its first open innovation contestThe Battery Challengeto support start-ups specializing in new battery technology to strengthen its competitiveness in the industry. LG Chem will offer more than $1.9 million in funding to 8 selected start-up companies.

The finalists will enter partnership with LG Chem to develop joint technology and have access to commercialization opportunities in the future.

LG Chem is accepting applications until 2 November. The fields of application are separated into four categories: battery material, battery management and control, design, manufacturing and processing and recycle and regeneration. Start-ups can apply and receive detailed information through the official website.

The company asks all participants to submit their technology descriptions and business plans, which will then be carefully analyzed and evaluated to pick the top eight. Applications are encouraged to focus on technology and innovation in the battery sector.

The selected companies will then be invited to Demo Day in Silicon Valley around February of next year to present their business plans.

The finalists will be selected through the holistic evaluation of each business plan and presentation, taking into account each start-ups feasibility and marketability in the sector.

LG Chems goal is to discover innovative technologies and enhance competitiveness through active open innovation.

In June of this year, the company hosted the Global Innovation Contest (GIC) in an effort to promote technical cooperation between LG Chem and academia. Universities and research institutes from around the world took part, particularly those working on innovative technologies in five promising business areas: energy, environment, functional materials, biotechnology and platform technology.

LG Chems automotive battery business has exceeded 60 trillion won (approx. $53.263 billion) in order backlog by the end of the first half of 2018.

LG Chem plans to focus on R&D investment in the field of innovative batteries, which can far exceed the limits of conventional batteries, such as investment in high capacity electric cars, small batteries and high power ESS batteries with low cobalt content.

Furthermore, the company will continue to strengthen its R&D in various areas, such as innovative batteries, through the active search and support for inspiring start-ups with innovative battery technologies.
Groupe Renault and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited (Brilliance), who earlier this year formed Renault-Brilliance-Jinbei Automotive Co., Ltd., a joint venture to manufacture and sell light commercial vehicles (LCV), signed a Strategic Cooperation agreement with Chinese officials from Liaoning Province to further accelerate growth of LCVs in China. Renault also confirmed plans for three new electric light commercial vehicles for China within two years.





Ten months after our initial launch of our joint venture in China with Brilliance, we have a local management team in place, LCV product plan to deliver further growth with seven LCVs for China including three electric LCV models, starting in early 2019. Our agreement with the local government in Liaoning province will strengthen our foundation for growth. Renault Chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn

Groupe Renault and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited (Brilliance) signed a contract for the formation of a joint venture beginning in 2018, to manufacture and sell light commercial vehicles (LCV) under the Jinbei, Renault and Huasong brands with the goal of achieving 150,000 sales annually by 2022, and an acceleration of electrifying powertrains. Year-to-date since forming the joint venture, Jinbei brand sales hit 124,900 in September.

Renault-Brilliance-Jinbei Automotive Co., Ltd. is headquartered and has manufacturing operations in the Dadong District of Shenyang and is producing in three key segmentsMPVs, medium vans and heavy vans and will soon add electric LCV models to its range.

Liaoning Province is one of Chinas new automobile industrial hubs with more than 120 auto & auto-parts manufacturers and is the largest provincial economy of Northeast China.

The Chinese LCV market forecast is for 3 million units per year, growing and moving rapidly. Increasing urbanization rate as well as an e-commerce explosion make new and optimized logistics as well as inner-city transportation schemes necessary for both people and goods. Urban last-mile delivery is expected to grow by 125% till 2030. China is also the biggest, fastest growing EV-market in the world.
Russians will go to heaven in event of nuclear war: Putin

AFP, Moscow :

Russians will "go to heaven" as martyrs in the event of nuclear war because Moscow will only ever use nuclear weapons in retaliation, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

"We have no concept of a preemptive strike," Putin told a forum of international experts in the southern city of Sochi in response to a question from the audience.

"In such a situation, we expect to be struck by nuclear weapons, but we will not use them" first, he said.

"The aggressor will have to understand that retaliation is inevitable, that it will be destroyed and that we, as victims of aggression, as martyrs, will go to heaven.

"They will simply die because they won't even have time to repent," he said to some laughter from the audience.

Putin last year unveiled "invincible" new weapons that would render Western missile defence systems obsolete.

In 2016 he called for the country to reinforce its military nuclear potential.
Chattogram City BNP Vice President Abu Sufian exchanging greeting with the Hindu community at Chandgaon and East Sholoshhar in the Port City yesterday.
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Mukti busy with acting again

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :

If she is in work she stays in Dhaka but when she gets break goes to Daulatpur in Khulna. Her paternal and maternal grandfather and grandmothers houses is there. It is talking about popular actress Mukti who is hailed from Khulna. Mukti informed that few days ago, she could not concentrate in acting. As a result, she passed a long time in Daulatpur. In fact, she willingly couldnt focus on acting. But now she is trying to become regular in acting. Mukti has been attached with Boishakhi TVs ongoing serial titled Chhayabibi, directed by Golam Sohrab Dodul. So, when she gets schedule for shooting Mukti returns to Uttara in Dhaka. From there she goes to shooting spot to take part in shooting of the serial.

Later, when she does not has any work she again backs to Khulna where graveyards of her father Sheikh Abdar Rahman and brother Bobi remain there.

Now mother is all in all to Mukti. She loves to pass time with her. In 1999, Mukti started her career in play Agnigiri, directed by Minhazur Rahman, against Tauquir Ahmed. By this play Mukti came into limelight in media. In 2007, she acted in Hasibul Islam Mizans movie Tumi Achho Hridoye. Kayes Arju was her co-actor in that film. Muktis acting in her first acted movie impressed the viewers. She last acted against Shakib Khan in Shahadat Hossain Litons movie Jor Korey Bhalobasha Hoina. While asking her why she is not seen in big screen for long time Mukti replied, First of all, I think there is no exceptionality in the story of movie. Therefore, there is lack of proper budget for making any movie now. Overall, I cannot act in big screen now. If I get good story and role then I will surely work.

She also informed that besides acting in serial Chhayabibi, Mukti has also finished shooting of BTVs Biswa Natok titled The Marriage.

Therefore, Mukti is also acting in Shamim Zamans sequel play Noora Pagla-2 and Rakesh Basus serial Shesh Bhalo Jar. Today she will take part in shooting of Tushar Mahmuds a faction play in Pubail, Gazipur.


2D face unlocking (the type built into Android for the past few years) is not very secure, and we've known that for some time. But ever since Apple introduced the world's first 3D system (which it calls Face ID), we were under the impression that it was pretty much on par, security-wise, with a fingerprint scanner.

You can then imagine our surprise to find out that a couple of guys in Germany were both able to unlock the same Huawei Mate 20 Pro phone with their faces, despite only one of them being enrolled into the system.

The Mate 20 Pro uses a 3D face unlocking mechanism, so in theory its error rate should be around one in a million. And these people aren't twins, or siblings, or even related. They're just two men with similarly short hair and beards. One has glasses, the other one doesn't - but that didn't matter for the Mate 20 Pro face unlock. They even tested two separate units of the phone with the same results.

If your German is okay, you can head over to the Source linked below and watch a video describing the whole experience.

Comments from Huawei on the matter are forthcoming. Hopefully this is something that can be fixed in a software update, and it's not a more serious hardware issue. Still, it's a bit baffling that something like this got past the internal testing in the Chinese company's labs.

Source (in German)
OnePlus 6T might work on Verizon, would be the first OnePlus ever to do that

According to past rumors, the OnePlus 6T will be the Chinese company's first ever device to be offered by a US network - T-Mobile, that is. But that's apparently not the only exciting new OnePlus 6T US carrier-related development.

A report today says that according to "multiple different industry sources", the 6T will also be the first OnePlus handset ever to support Verizon's network. This, however, doesn't mean that the carrier nicknamed Big Red will sell the phone directly, just that if you buy one unlocked you will be able to use it on Verizon.

This is obviously very big news if it pans out, given Verizon's reach across the States and the fact that all past OnePlus phones worked only with GSM-based carriers (such as AT&T, T-Mobile, their prepaid subsidiaries, and the various MVNOs using their networks).

There's a big caveat to note here, though. It's very likely that the OnePlus 6T will be an LTE-only phone on Verizon, meaning that you won't be able to use it on the carrier's 2G or 3G systems. Another LTE-only handset on Verizon is the Asus Zenfone V, so such a move definitely wouldn't be unheard of.

And since the carrier's LTE coverage now exceeds its old CDMA (2G and 3G) geographical span, you don't really lose connectivity going with an LTE-only device. What's more, the voice quality is much better on LTE too.

The unnamed sources go on to say that the OnePlus 6T will support LTE band 13, which is critical for good compatibility with Verizon. Big Red's labs are allegedly hard at work on certifying the phone. If that process ends well for the OnePlus 6T, it might make it much more successful in the US than any of its predecessors dreamt of being.

Source
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) held an investor meeting, announcing more than 50 chip designs of the 7nm process technology will be issued by the end of 2018. The increase in interest for the new manufacturing process will raise its revenue share up to 20% for the new process only in Q4 2018, amassing for nearly 10% in the calendar year.

Company CEO CC Wei announced expectations of 20% total share of 7nm chip sales in 2019 when most of its customers Apple, Huawei, and Qualcomm will rely on the first-gen process. TSMC will include an enhanced version with EUV in 2019 that will come into mass production in 2020. This means we are unlikely to see a smaller process technology coming in the next two years, but the current one will see an improvement.

Analysts of the chip foundry market expect Qualcomm to switch from Samsung to the Taiwanese supplier for its next-gen Snapdragon 800 series systems. Other key clients TSMC expects to sign are AMD, Nvidia, Xilinx, along with a number of AI chip developers.

Although the future looks bright, TSMC posted a revised revenue growth that went downward from 7-9% to 6.5% estimations due to the weakening of cryptocurrency mining demand. The company is expected to post Q4 revenues around $9.4 billion, which is a 10% improvement over the previous quarter.

Source




Haiti - NOTICE : Denial of the Ministry of National Education





The Ministry of National Education, categorically denies the false statement informing the closure of schools until Monday, October 22.



"It is surely a network of misinformation fueled by individuals who probably have unconfessed and unmentionable interests.



Again, some politicians try to use the school to pay for their personal belongings.



The Ministry strongly condemns the malicious attitudes of these individuals who seek to mislead the population."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Cruzeiro players lift the Brazil Cup as they celebrate their victory over Corinthians in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Wednesday.




Haiti - Politic : Corruption, experts came to evaluate the measures taken in Haiti





As part of the 5th review cycle, the General Directorate of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) infoms that a joint delegation of the Organization of American States (OAS) composed of experts from Panama, the United States Argentina and 2 members of the technical secretariat came to Haiti to evaluate the implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption by Haiti.



During this visit, these experts had discussions with representatives of civil society on issues such as the recruitment systems for public officials, public procurement systems, whistleblower protection and witnesses in accordance with the provisions of point 13 of the document prepared by the OAS on the Methodology to be followed to carry out in situ visits.



On the other hand, the delegation also met with representatives of the public institutions concerned with the implementation of the provisions of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption : the Office of Human Resources Management (OMRH), the National Commission for Public Procurement (CNMP), the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC), the General Directorate of the Budget and the General Administration of Customs (AGD).



Recall that Haiti has already been evaluated in 2014 under the Mechanism for Monitoring the Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption (MESICIC) whose report includes many recommendations aimed in particular at strengthening the 5 supervisory bodies examined : the Superior Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ), the Superior Court of Accounts and Administrative Disputes (CSCCA), the National Commission for Public Procurement (CNMP), the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF) and the Unit for Combating Corruption (ULCC).



Download this report (PDF) :

https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/mesicic4_final_hti_en.pdf



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Arcahaie : Dangerous Gang Leader shot dead

Thursday night in Arcahaie, in the locality Labarre, the National Police of Haiti (PNH) after several attempts, ended the reign of the dangerous Chief of Gang Manley Ferdinand during an operation during which the wanted man who was spreading terror in the area was shot several times during a shooting and died at the scene of the police intervention.



The US Embassy resumes its activities

The Embassy of the United States in Port-au-Prince will resume normal operations at regular times this Friday, October 19th. The consular section will be open for services to US citizens, non-immigrant visa and immigrant services. To make an appointment for an interview, please call 509-2812-2929 (Haiti) or 1-703-544-7842 (United States).



PetroCaribe : "That shed light" dixit Moise

"Citizen's demand for light to be made on the use of PetroCaribe funds testifies to the vitality of our democracy I ask all indexed senior state officals who have been actively involved in the management of these funds to be at the disposal of justice. I ask the Head of Government to give all the necessary support to the institutions concerned, including the judiciary so that shed light on the use of PetroCaribe Funds. Nobody will escape justice. It is a moral duty and justice. All firms that have cashed the taxpayer's money and have not honored their commitment will be prosecuted wherever they are, according to the law. I ask the legal representatives of the state to do so according to the legally required forms," said Jovenel Moise.



Moise J-C announces the continuation of the demonstrations

Moise Jean Charles, the leader of the radical opposition of the "Pitit Dessalin" Party, rejoice of the important mobilization of October 17 and announces the continuation of the mobilization to demand the resignation of the Head of State. He also denounced the brutality of the PNH agents and the arrest of six Party activists during the demonstrations, for which he demands the release.



Demonstrations : Guyler Delva rejoices

Thursday, journalist Guyler C. Delva and former Minister of Culture, published on his Twitter account "The demonstration of yesterday, it is one of the best things that arrived in Haiti. I have the impression that the Haitian people are beginning to understand that corruption is the greatest evil of the country.



Distribution of 3,000 hot dishes and food kits

On Wednesday, October 17, 2018, at Merchants in the city of Dessalines, the Fund for Economic and Social Assistance (FAES) distributed 3,000 hot meals and 3,000 food kits to the inhabitants. Thursday morning, the FAES continued its assistance to the population by distributing kits and hot dishes.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















The Havre Public Schools Board of Trustees will meet Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. in the Robins School Administration Building.

The agenda for the meeting is:

A. Call to order

1. Pledge of Allegiance

2. Roll call

3. Welcome to visitors

4. Agenda deletions or corrections, if any

B. New business

1. Personnel

Open Agenda  An opportunity for any member of the audience to bring to the attention of the board questions or relevant comments concerning district matters not on the agenda. The board will not discuss or take action on items not on the agenda, but may refer a matter presented to a future agenda.

C. Closing

The next board meeting will be Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 6:30 p.m at Havre Middle School
by Emily Mayer

The news of the Border Saloon raid, the upcoming election and Spanish flu epidemic continued, as did the local newspapers making their political viewpoints known. Keep in mind Havre had three newspapers 100 years ago  The Havre Plaindealer, The Havre Daily Promoter and the Hill County Democrat. Each was making its alliances known as well as taking snipes at each other. With todays political climate being what it is, and so many people today saying reporters should be reporting the news just like it used to be, well, your grandparents generation of reporters were just as opinionated back then as they are today. They were not always nice about it, either.

Dr. Lanstrum was in Gildford, combatting both the Spanish flu epidemic as well as dealing with the Hill County chapter of the Non-Partisan League, who supported Dr. Lanstrum in his bid for the U. S. Senate. Apparently, avoiding going through Havre was top on their list. Havres reputation as a hotbed for vice didnt sit well with those running for office, and Havre didnt think much of them either. When Dr. Lanstrum got to Gildford, not only was he dealing with a deadly epidemic, he was also having to deal with dissention amongst the ranks in the Non-Partisan League. It was getting ugly all the way around.

The Plaindealer printed an editorial in its October 19, 1918 issue on failed Democratic candidate the Rev. E. J. Hustons bid for Hill County sheriff, taking shots at the reverends assertion his candidacy was called by the Lord, except The Lord had failed to tell the voters to nominate him and the voters had choice in the matter. The last paragraph reads:

According to the affidavits of two prominent leaders of the Non-Partisan league in Hill county, the Lord had nothing to do with the Rev. E. J. running for office, but he was induced by the Non-Partisan league to lend himself to their political needs and they induced him to run for sheriff on the democratic ticket to keep the democrats out of the republican primaries. Which satisfactorily explains the real happenings of the case but fails to vindicate the religious inspiration of the radical pastor. The Lord has been blamed for a lot of things with which he probably has no intimate concern, but making him sponsor for an exceedingly common political trick strikes as being most unsportsmanlike.

Readers of this column will remember the Reverend Huston was also intricately involved with the Border Saloon debacle, as was C. R. Stranahan, the candidate for Hill County Attorney supported by the Non-Partisan League. Stranahan, as you recall, had been working with the state Attorney Generals Office to clean up Havre and the Border Saloon raid was supposed to be their big score in so doing, as well as allegedly boosting Stranahans campaign. Except the state Attorney Generals Office failed to arraign the defendants in the case, setting trial, bringing in jurors from across Hill County (which also encompassed all of what is now Liberty County), only to send them home and have to pay for their trip to Havre because of a vital procedural error. The Plaindealers alliance was firmly with Hill County Attorney Victor Griggs, the Democratic candidate for Hill County Attorney. Of him, the Plaindealer campaigned:

The democratic candidate for county attorney has made an enviable record in his profession and the voters will find him one who will fill the office with credit to himself and the county. His cases are never thrown out of court because they are improperly presented or prepared. His qualifications assure that convictions will be secured if possible and no cases lost through bungling or ignorance of the law in which losses the money cost to the county is not the greatest loss although it can be made considerable if an incompetent man holds the office.

Griggs was busy prosecuting illegal gambling cases, among them one from Kremlin of which Non-Partisan League leader, L. E. Brady, was present. The Plaindealer snarked Brady, Boss of the Non-Partisan league in Hill county who led a procession into Havre recently, one of the featues of the procession being a banner about cleaning up the county seat. Evidently Brady himself needs a little cleaning up. It is also reported that Brady expects to be undersheriff or a deputy sheriff in the event that McLain is elected. Of course Brady can be expected to clean up the gambling, at least in Kremlin, of which he evidently has personal knowledge.

The newspapers in Joplin and Gildford were not kind to Havre and its naughty reputation, either, which prompted the Promoter and the Plaindealer to issue rebuttals. The Plaindealer had a response on its editorial page.

REAL GOOD TOWN

Some man in the east has announced that his town has nine lives and that nothing can kill it not even the destruction of its pet industry which reminds us of our own town. It hasnt a million dollar industry to lose to be sure, but it is in the midst of a section of territory that has been hit twice in successive years by the greatest drouth in the history of the state, and it is still doing business and helping the farmers to carry on.

It oversubscribed its liberty loan quota without a brass band or a moving picture machine to advertise the fact before it was accomplished. It has harbored a Honky Tonk and a restricted district and yet its citizens are mostly decent and self respecting. It has been the field of many a bitter political fight and its factions wax strong in their hatred and contempt of each other. And yet the town goes on growing and prospering. It has even survived vice crusades innumerable, wherein a few self appointed apostles of sweetness and light have attempted to prove that they alone were holy and all others are damned. But the worst thing the good old town has had to endure is the bunch of knockers who have tried to make political or personal capital out of the dislike they could stir up between the town and the rest of the county.

This is a favorite and especially pernicious sort of propaganda because of its nature. No person who is not trained by long experience to weigh and analyze whatever idea comes to his mind can escape at times being influenced by it.

Still we are optimistic about our town in spite of this latest and worst affliction. Hate and suspicion are short lived crops and those who have sown them usually reap the largest share of the yield. Our town will continue to build up its healthy civic life after the intruders who are doing this kind of farming have passed on to other fields. There is always hope. If they who dislike our town cant get out if it otherwise, kindly death will in time remove them.

The Spanish flu epidemic was taking its toll on activities in Havre and many communities across the state and nation. Here are a couple entries in the Plaindealer:

LAND SALE POSTPONED BECAUSE OF EPIDEMIC

Sale Had Been Advertised for October 25th

The sale of state lands in this section, which has been advertised in this paper for the past three weeks to be held on the 25th day of October at the county court house here, has been indefinitely postponed on account of the epidemic of influenza. This paper has been instructed to discontinue publication of the notice of the sale and has been advised that the lands will be re-advertised before they are again offered for sale.

The Red Cross was not immune:

The annual election of the Hill county chapter American Red Cross, postponed from Oct. 23, on account of the influenza epidemic, has been set for November 20.
Out our way, many ranchers have more than one pasture to prevent over grazing. We move the herd from the pasture they have been grazing all summer long down the valley to the winter pasture where the grass has had a chance to recover from last years grazing. In this way, summer and winter, the cattle can thrive. However, cattle arent the brightest critters in the universe and making the move can sometimes be quite a job.

Charlie and I were sent out in late fall a few years ago to move the herd from the summer to the winter pasture. It had been a good year for them and the land, so the upper reservoir still had some water, and the grass, though mostly grazed short by now, still covered the prairie. There was probably enough feed and water to sustain the large herd for a few more weeks, provided we didnt get an early snow, like we did last October when an Alberta Clipper covered the region and knocked out power all along the Hi-Line for a few days. In Montana, you hope for good fall weather and for the chinooks to give some relief even in calving season  but you cant count on it.

So although the day was warm, there was still some water and a bit of grazing left in the summer pasture, it was time to get the herd down to the lower elevation where the winter pasture was lush and the lower water sources full. Sadly, the cattle didnt understand that. They had their own ideas.

We drove the herd up and over one rise on the main trail, but on the other side were numerous cattle trails leading back to the pasture we had just left. The herd split into about five different groups, spread out across the prairie but all leading back to the summer reservoir and now largely grazed-over pasture. Charlie and I could turn one group but they quickly scattered and joined one of the others. I tried to block and ride swing as Charlie attempted to turn the largest group toward the green pastures and still waters waiting them below, but there were just too many of them for the two of us. They broke from Charlie, and while I could head off some 20 head, 100 others just went around me. Clearly, we needed more cowhands to get the job done. A week later with five other riders, we finally got the job done. But what if there had been no one but Charlie and me? A great many cattle would likely have been lost that winter when the storms came, the grass was gone and the upper reservoir dried out.

One of the issues facing many congregations today is that while they may have many members who attend, few show up to serve. Like a volunteer fire department in which the members leave the actual fire fighting to the chief and a few others, the result is disaster. We are a country with many professing Christians but few serving disciples. Like Charlie and  saw on the Tiger Ridge, the Lords work requires more than one or two dedicated hands to get the job done.

Jesus warned the few who followed Him that despite His popularity and the huge crowds that followed Him, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Many in the church today have realized that we have become a nation of all hat and no cattle Christians, letting the herd be lead by those who make the most noise rather than those with the greatest wisdom. One does not climb a mountain by going down hill and one does not make progress by going he wrong way. Cows dont know any better  and neither do a great many of our neighbors who are quick to follow the herd without knowing where they are going.

Christ is looking for laborers who will do His bidding  riders who will listen to His directions and help guide others. Jesus owns the pastures and has built the reservoirs You can trust the bellowing cow up front  or you can trust the Master  as to where the green pastures and still waters are to be found. Lots of false trails are out there and lots of loud critters claiming they know more than the Boss does. So He sends His hands to show those that seek the better way which trail to follow that will get them where they want to go. But there are far more loud mouth cattle bullying and bellowing the rest of the herd in the wrong direction than hands to correct and guide them in then right way. So far.

But maybe God is calling you to saddle up and join his crew  to listen and learn and discover the way we are all seeking  and then help others find it as well. Jesus had many admirers and attracted huge crowds, but only 12 disciples. The harvest is great but the workers are few. He needs more for winter approaches. Lots of false trails and false leaders taking the world down the wrong trails. We can just let a few try to get them back on the right trail against all odds  or we can saddle up and say to the Boss: Here I am, Boss, use me.

Brother John Bruington
That being said, approaching the matter can be awkward and uncomfortable if youre not prepared. HRD recommends following the guidelines, so you can help your workers when they need you the most.

Break the silence

A culture of silence in organizations does nothing to foster any employee confidence. For all HR talks about being supportive and transparent, some businesses are guilty of paying lip service to these beliefs. If employees feel unable to bring their whole selves to work, including their anguish and their mental health issues, then youll start to se a hug drop in productivity and a spike in turnover.

In fact, employees who claim to have a high level of trust in their leaders are five times more likely to remain in the organization, whilst 31% think increased transparency would actually help them in their current day-to-day roles.

Employees are more likely to open up to you about their grief and reveal ways in which you can help deal with it, if youve already got a solid culture of trust and support there. Otherwise, theyll just claim to be fine and go on suffering in silence.

Long-term leave

A report from The Grief Recovery Institute Educational Foundation found that one in four employees is grieving at any given time, with an estimated 30 work days lost each year by workers going through loss without the support of their employer. One way of addressing this is giving them some room to step back.
China and Vietnam on Thursday promised to make joint efforts to develop industrial and trade cooperation so as to build a closer partnership between the two neighbors.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang(right) and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. [Photo:Xinhua]

The two countries reached the consensus during a meeting here between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit.

Citing the fact that China and Vietnam share natural and unique advantages in cooperation, Li said China stands ready to work with Vietnam, on the basis of implementing top-level consensus, to promote production capacity cooperation that meets environmental standards and benefits Vietnam's industrialization process.

The two countries, Li suggested, should expand bilateral trade in a balanced and sustainable way, promote bilateral friendship and communication at all levels, and cement public support for their relations.

The two sides also need to bear the big picture in mind, properly handle the maritime issues, and jointly safeguard the peace and stability in the South China Sea as well as in the region, Li added.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, Li said, adding that the two countries are friendly neighbors and partners for win-win cooperation, and China will work with Vietnam to further deepen their ties and cooperation.

Vietnam and China are good brothers and comprehensive strategic cooperative partners, said the Vietnamese prime minister, highlighting the close high-level exchanges between the two countries in various forms.
Jatiya Oikya Front leader Mostafa Mohsin Montu briefing the media after a meeting over holding of Sylhet rally at Nagorik Oikya leader Mobarak Hossain\'s residence in city on Friday.
Culture plays an integral part in HubSpots offices globally. The company even boasts a culture code deck which had gone viral about four years ago, garnering about 4million views from netizens.

But as the company plans a massive expansion, how will it sustain its strong culture?

A big part of how weve sustained our culture with 2,000 employees in Asia Pacific (and counting) is because we recruit people with HEART  a shorthand for people who are humble, empathetic, adaptable, remarkable and transparent, Christian Ballard, recruiting lead APAC at HubSpot told HRD.

Attracting the best talent is not enough; candidates also have to embody these characteristics.

From Google to HubSpot

Newly appointed APAC managing director Shahid Nizami also had a few choice things to say about HubSpots culture. The role was created to help support the business expansion.
JCPenney is not the only company trying to come up with creative ways to hire the best employees. Other department stores, such as Target, Macy's, and Kohl's, have also offered new incentives to prospective candidates.

The holiday season is expected to generate 704,000 job vacancies, which is the highest number reported since 2012.

Andrew Challenger, vice president of Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, explained that talent recruitment is going to get more hectic for companies as Christmas draws near.

"The competition for seasonal workers is intense, especially as companies expand their compensation and benefits offerings," Challenger said.

Challenger attributes the surge in hiring to consumer confidence reaching its highest point in 18 years.
Photo by Russ Powell. Coffee dries outside the home of Pedro Mateo Lopez in San Antonio village, Honduras on January 17, 2017.

News of another caravan of Honduran emigrants fleeing northward to escape violence and economic insecurity did not surprise Heifer International Americas staff. Political tensions, violence and corruption can seem intractable in this Central American country where more than 66 percent of the population lives in poverty.

Heifer Honduras supports small-scale farmers and indigenous populations in rural areas, providing gifts of seeds, animals, equipment and training. But great need persists throughout the country.

Oscar Castaneda, Heifer Internationals senior vice president for the Americas, said he and his staff are keeping an eye on not only on the progress of the caravan of Honduran people, but also on the humanitarian and political reception they get as they travel north.

While governments in Guatemala and Mexico are under pressure to close the borders, people, poor people, are organizing shelters and collecting food to feed the migrant caravan. A fantastic example of solidarity when bigotry rules. Oscar Castaneda, Heifer International Senior Vice President for the Americas

While governments in Guatemala and Mexico are under pressure to close the borders, people, poor people, are organizing shelters and collecting food to feed the migrant caravan. A fantastic example of solidarity, when bigotry rules, he said.

Emigration is prickly, complex and difficult to grasp. The movement of stressed populations over international borders can have hefty political implications. This potential influx of Honduran people is stoking the already hot immigration debate in the United States.

Castaneda recommends the internet news source Latin America in Movement for some helpful perspective from outside the United States.



Top photo by Russ Powell. Laurentino Sanchez Rivera (42 yrs) works in the family garden in Torola village, Honduras on January 17, 2017.




We're a family of seven living in Georgia where Andrew's working as a professor at GSU. You can read more about us here
Laura Kenna is charged with trying to kill Fionnuala Bourke

A homeless woman on trial for the attempted murder of a civil servant stabbed a woman in the face at a Luas stop two weeks earlier, a court has heard.

Laura Kenna (35), of no fixed abode, is charged with trying to kill Fionnuala Bourke on Lower Drumcondra Road, Dublin 9, on January 3, 2017.

She is also charged with assault intending to cause serious harm, and has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to both counts.

Anthony Sammon SC, prosecuting, told the Central Criminal Court the key issue was Ms Kenna's state of mind.

He added that the jury would hear evidence from two consultant psychiatrists from the Central Mental Hospital and there would be a conflict in the opinions of the doctors.

Scarring

Mr Sammon told the jury that Ms Bourke, a civil servant, was walking home from work around 5pm on the day in question when she was attacked by Ms Kenna with a knife.

Ms Bourke's throat was slit and she suffered "severe facial scarring".

When arrested the next day, Ms Kenna told gardai: "I'm guilty. Yeah, I f**king did it. Is she still alive?

"Yeah I did it, I sliced her like you would a goat. You couldn't have stitched that up, I cut through her like butter."

On the third day of the trial yesterday, the defence called Dr Stephen Monks, a consultant forensic psychiatrist from the Central Mental Hospital.

Dr Monks told Barry White SC, for Ms Kenna, that she did not know what she was doing when she attacked Ms Bourke and couldn't stop.

As such, she fulfilled the criteria for a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Dr Monks said Ms Kenna had schizophrenic affective disorder and, at the same time, exhibited psychotic delusions and hallucinations.

He said Ms Kenna believed she was receiving messages from the television and could communicate with celebrities. She also believed other people could hear her private thoughts.

He told the jury that two weeks before the alleged attempted murder of Ms Bourke, Ms Kenna stabbed a woman at a Luas stop in the face with a pen. Ms Kenna believed the woman had been saying things about her under her breath but it was "most likely" the woman hadn't said anything at all.

Shortly after being released from garda custody for the Luas incident, Ms Kenna said she thought she was going to be "eaten" and that if she didn't kill somebody she wouldn't survive.

For the prosecution, Professor Harry Kennedy, another consultant forensic psychiatrist at the Central Mental Hospital, told the jury that he and Dr Monks were in agreement on many matters, including Ms Kenna's diagnosis.

However, Prof Kennedy said Ms Kenna did know what she was doing and was not entitled to the verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

By Ms Kenna's own account, Prof Kennedy said, she had obtained a knife to rob somebody and selected a victim. He referred to Ms Kenna's comments that she had let another woman "go" and selected Ms Bourke because "she was only little".

Prof Kennedy said Ms Kenna had an ability to cease and desist which she exercised once she had achieved her primary goal - to steal Ms Bourke's bag because she had no money.

However, he said he believed Ms Kenna was entitled to a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity for the Luas stop attack - which was returned by a jury in a previous trial.

The victim in that case gave evidence of Ms Kenna's words which confirmed that she was responding to hallucinations at the time.

The jury of seven men and five women will hear closing speeches from the defence and prosecution today.

Dr Monks said Ms Kenna, who was previously a heroin addict, had reduced her aggressive behaviour after her admission to the Central Medical Hospital after the attack on Ms Bourke.
Controversial presidential hopeful Peter Casey yesterday visited new homes for Traveller families - but made no attempt to meet any of them, claiming he did not want to "invade their privacy".

Mr Casey - who dropped in on the six-home development at Cabragh Bridge, outside Thurles, Co Tipperary - is in hot water over comments he made about Travellers in a podcast.

The entrepreneur and TV personality sparked a racism row when he told the Independent.ie that Travellers did not deserve special status.

Unapologetic

He said they were "basically people camping on someone else's land".

He was later unapologetic for his comments, and said they were driven by a row over the 1.7m housing development in Tipperary.

He said a number of Traveller families were refusing to take possession of the houses because the county council will not give them land for horses.

The controversy led Leo Varadkar to intervene and effectively urge people not to vote for Mr Casey.

"His remarks were very divisive and I think they were largely designed to draw attention for him and his campaign," said the Taoiseach.

"I think they're really regrettable and I hope, that when the people of Ireland go out to vote next Friday, they will give Mr Casey and anyone who holds those views, a very clear message."

In Tipperary yesterday, Barry McCarthy, who lives at Cabragh Bridge with his wife, Melissa, said their six young children had been "very frightened" by Mr Casey's comments.

Representatives of Travellers groups claimed Mr Casey was "taking a leaf out of Trump's book".

As Mr Casey and his wife, Helen, arrived at Cabragh Bridge, he gazed at the houses and said "solar panels" under his breath.

Asked if he was going to go in, he said: "No. It's bonkers."

Asked if he was going to apologise or explain himself, he said he was at the development to explain his position.

"The Proclamation said we should cherish all the children equally," he said. "It doesn't say we should cherish some children more equal than others."

Wrong

"Once I am President, I wouldn't be able to say anything, but now that I can, I think it's just wrong, downright wrong."

Asked if he was going to meet the families he said: "No, they know I'm here. If they want to meet me they can come down.I think it's wrong to invade somebody's privacy."

Asked what he wanted to achieve, he said: "People need to stand up and say something is wrong. There's people sleeping in the streets of Dublin tonight."

Pointed out to him that there was a legal process under way, he said it seemed to be taking a long time.

He claimed the support he has received has been "overwhelming".

When told that the families had lived at Cabragh Bridge for four generations, he was asked if he accepted that they had a legal right to live in the area, and said: "No, I don't."

And when asked why he had turned his focus on these six houses when the State is failing to build thousands of homes to solve the property crisis, he said: "I don't have the ability to do that. This is just an example. They want stables for horses and an acre of land."

Put to him that the families do have horses, Mr Casey sighed: "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

After he had left, protesters walked peacefully down the road carrying placards with slogans like: "We want a President that represents all of Ireland."

Margaret Casey, of the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project, said Mr Casey's comments were racist.

"He is actually trying to divide members of the settled community," she said. He is not fit to be President of Ireland. He should step down."
Hospital doctor Fei Tan arriving at court for his hearing

A doctor has admitted that he assaulted a woman colleague in a row over parking at a Dublin hospital.

It was claimed that Fei Tan (37) spat at the woman and slapped her in the face, though this was disputed by Tan.

He claimed instead that she pushed him first and he pushed her back.

The matter was before Tallaght District Court for sentencing after a judge ordered a restorative justice services report.

Judge Patricia McNamara further adjourned sentencing to allow Tan to complete voluntary work.

The defendant, of Hillview estate in Ballinteer, admitted assaulting his colleague in the car park of Tallaght Hospital on March 23, 2017.

Sergeant Michael Ahern said Tan had parked his car blocking in the victim's car.

She then called and asked him to move it.

There was limited parking at Tallaght Hospital, the sergeant said, and workers regularly double parked their vehicles and left their contact numbers on the windscreen.

Abused

Sgt Ahern said the victim was sitting in her car and rolled down the window when Tan arrived on the scene.

Tan then spat at her and verbally abused her.

She told him to calm down, and he slapped her in the face and threatened her.

Tan's defence lawyer said evidence which was heard during an internal hospital investigation was a little different.

He said the victim accepted she started shouting first, and that she had pushed Tan.

Tan pushed her back and struck her when doing so.

He should have walked away, the lawyer said.

The court heard that Tan had never been in trouble before and a criminal conviction could destroy his career.

The married father-of-two, had studied at the Royal College of Surgeons and later completed a doctorate in UCD. He is now working as a senior registrar at St James's Hospital.

He was "horrified" at his behaviour, and was stressed at the time because he had commitments but knew he was inconveniencing the victim.
President Michael D Higgins has refused to say whether he is a millionaire, claiming material things don't interest him.

The incumbent has been repeatedly lumped in with the Dragons' Den businessmen as a "one of four millionaires" in the election race.

Senator Joan Freeman has claimed the office of presidency is becoming unattainable without personal wealth or the backing of a political party.

Justified

Mr Higgins takes a reduced salary of just under 250,000 a year, adding up to 1.75m over his presidency. He also has rental income from a property in Galway and a pension from his time as a college lecturer.

When asked by the Herald if Ms Freeman is justified in casting him as a millionaire candidate, he replied: "Material things are not important to me."

The President said he has respect for Ms Freeman's work as a mental health campaigner and is "not really interested in trading insults with her".

Mr Higgins said his presidency so far showed his interest lay in "a civilisation of sufficiency".

He called for the final days of the campaign to focus on the "different versions of a potential future of Ireland" being offered by the candidates.

"What I'm offering is not just what is in the literature here but also the particular experience that I have had," he said.

Mr Higgins was speaking at the launch of an initiative he plans to introduce if re-elected, called "Samhlaiocht agus an Naisiun: Imagination and the Nation".
Richwood, TX (77531)

Today

Mainly clear. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 62F. SSE winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mainly clear. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 62F. SSE winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 15 mph.
For Subscribers Who are the top 25 county girls high school athletes since 2000?

Roughly 1,000 girls have earned at least one Herald-Mail All-Washington County first-team honor since 2000. Coming up with the top 25 was daunting.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

A shower is possible early. Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 44F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph..

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A shower is possible early. Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 44F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
Departmental leaders are among the most qualified public servants in the Federal Government. They are dedicated to ensuring the guidance and management necessary to support the health and well-being of the nation. Learn more about the Department's leadership:

Secretary and Deputy Secretary
Bollywood veteran Rishi Kapoor, who recently flew to the United States with wife Neetu Kapoor to seek medical treatment, was all smiles after meeting old friend Javed Akhtar. Taking to Twitter, the Mulk star uploaded a picture in which he can be seen standing beside Javed and wife Neetu.

He wrote, Thank you Javed Sahab for entertaining and making us laugh so much. Thank for visiting us! Wish you all super luck for your blockbuster musical shows. Believe me-your show is a breakthrough idea.

Thank you Javed Sahab for entertaining and making us laugh so much. Thank for visiting us! Wish you all super luck for your block buster musical shows. Believe me-your show is a break through idea. pic.twitter.com/X4tVoj9LSa  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) October 19, 2018

Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt is also in the US to meet her boyfriend Ranbir Kapoor and his parents. She was spotted hanging out with Priyanka Chopra in the city. Recently, The Rishi Kapoor also met his old friend, actor Anupam Kher, and his Agneepath co-star Priyanka Chopra along with Sonali Bendre and her husband Goldie Behl.

New York,Manhattan. "Kher-free" or is it "Care-free"on Madison Avenue with colleague and old friend Anupam Kher this afternoon! pic.twitter.com/6qwfUufuML  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) October 7, 2018

Talking about his grey hair which the actor has been sporting lately, Rishi had explained on Twitter a few days ago, This is to dispel all notions and wrong speculations of my hair turning grey/white overnight. My hair was dyed by Awan Contractor for a film produced by Honey Trehan and Sony pictures directed by Hitesh Bhatia. Film is untitled. Trust this clears the air. The senior actor had also revealed that his character is called Sharma Ji in the film.

This is to dispel all notions and wrong speculations of my hair turning grey/white overnight. My hair was dyed by Awan Contractor for a film produced by Honey Trehan and Sony pictures directed by Hitesh Bhatia. Film is untitled. Trust this clears the air pic.twitter.com/0v5Z0nFcDN  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) October 9, 2018

This is the final look of the film. Sharma ji. All grey! Will revert to original hair colour soon pic.twitter.com/luM4MKGVs1  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) October 9, 2018

In a cryptic tweet last month, Rishi announced that he was travelling to the US for medical treatment. Before his well-wishers could jump to conclusions, the Mulk actor asked them not to speculate his leave of absence.

Hello, all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well-wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. Its been 45 years plus of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes, I will be back soon! the 66-year-old had tweeted.

Hello all! I am taking a short leave of absence from work to go to America for some medical treatment. I urge my well wishers not to worry or unnecessarily speculate. Its been 45 years "plus"of wear and tear at the movies. With your love and good wishes,I will be back soon!  Rishi Kapoor (@chintskap) September 29, 2018

(With HT inputs)

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The festive season of Durga puja saw a host of Bollywood celebrities throng the puja pandals to seek blessings of the goddess. Actor Katrina Kaif, who has just returned from the Abu Dhabi schedule of her upcoming film Bharat, paid a visit to a Durga puja mandap in Mumbai on Thursday. The Bang Bang actor was spotted in a beautiful magenta sari. Looking gorgeous in the traditional bright number with her hair swept in side waves, Katrina hogged the limelight at the puja venue.

Katrina Kaif at a Durga Puja mandap in Mumbai. (Viral Bhayani)

The actor is currently in news for appearing on chat show Koffee With Karan with Sui Dhaaga actor Varun Dhawan. The episode is set to be a part of the sixth season of the talk show hosted by Karan Johar.

The Ek Tha Tiger actor will now resume the shooting of Bharat in India along with co-star Salman Khan. The latter has been busy shuffling between the film and his reality show Bigg Boss 12. Katrina had recently shared a selfie with Salman and Sunil Grover post the schedule wrap. The film has been shot at multiple international locations including Malta and also stars Disha Patani, Tabu and Jackie Shroff. Bharat is Salmans next big Eid release and is scheduled to hit the theatres in June, 2019.

Meanwhile, Katrina is also looking forward to her film Thugs of Hindostan. It boasts of a much talked about star cast that includes Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan and Fatima Sana Shaikh. The trailer of the film has garnered good response from the viewers and has been appreciated for its special visual effects and action scenes that include sword fighting as well. Directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, Thugs of Hindostan is set to hit the theatres on November 8, 2018.

Actor Mouni Roy was also spotted in a stripped black and white sari at a puja pandal. She even shook a leg during the Durga Puja celebrations at the venue.

Mouni Roy with Ayan Mukerji at a pandal. (IANS)

Mouni Roy joins the ladies to celebrate Durga Puja. (IANS)

Durga Puja seeks the blessings of the goddess. (IANS)

Mouni Roy dances at a Durga Puja pandal during the celebrations. (IANS)

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Sacred Games actor Elnaaz Norouzi has accused Bollywood director Vipul Amrutlal Shah of sexual harassment. The Iranian model-turned-actor says Vipul made sexual advance towards her while auditioning her for a role in his latest film, Namaste England.

In a long account in published in Mid-Day, Elnaaz details how Vipul kept her in the running for a small role in his film for months without ever actually casting her. She says he took several auditions of her but kept postponing signing her up for the film. I met him again in his office, and again he mentioned, We will sign the papers over the next couple of days. This time, when we were saying bye, he came on to me. It was too close for comfort. I didnt get the right vibe. He gave a peck on my face. I didnt expect it, she said.

She says he would try to kiss her every time she met him in his office and also touched her inappropriately in a hotel. The next time we met at his office, he tried to kiss me. I backed off, said, What are you doing? We are in your office! I pushed him away, being affirmative; but careful enough not to come across as rude, because I really wanted the film, she said.

Elnaaz said Vipul got her to come to the shoot location for Namaste England in Patiala without ever signing her up for the film. He took another audition of her there but still did not tell her the story of the film. He said, Come to my room. I will make you hear the script. At this point, he touched my butt, and dragged me towards himself. I dodged him, went to my room, and sat there wondering if I should just give in, she said. Elnaaz was then signed for Netflixs Sacred Games and says that Vipul tried his best to make her quit the project. He said that he would launch me in a big way. It was a girl-next-door part in Namaste England, and that he was clear he would not be able to cast me, as a result of Sacred Games, and that I should skip the offer, since they would make me do nude scenes, she said.

Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra and director Vipul Amrutlal Shah at the song launch of their upcoming film Namaste England in Mumbai. (IANS)

Elnaaz says it was evident that Vipul wanted sexual favours from her in exchange of a role in his film. I was mentally tortured for three months. It was evident that if I slept with Vipul, I would get the part. Every time I went to his office, he tried (to hit) on me. He (would) inappropriately touch me, and (try to) kiss me, she said.

She added that she didnt report him to the police as she is not an Indian national and she feared the police complaint might create work visa issues for her. However, she decided to share her story so that disgusting people to stop misusing their power.

The #MeToo movement in India started after Tanushree in September recalled an unpleasant episode with veteran actor Nana Patekar from the sets of Horn OK Pleassss in 2008. After that, a slew of controversies surrounding Vikas Bahl, Sajid Khan, Subhash Ghai, Chetan Bhagat, Kailash Kher, Rajat Kapoor and Alok Nath have emerged.

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#MeToos India chapter has come like a reckoning for many but actor Renuka Shahane says there are still uncountable, unknown stories of women who have faced sexual harassment and abuse that are waiting to be heard.

The actor says she also has a story but she was not wronged by someone famous. I dont think theres a single woman who does not have a #MeToo story. My story does not involve anyone famous. It happened a long time ago but it impacted me for the longest time. It has coloured how I view things. I have spent my entire life travelling in local trains and buses. You are constantly aware that you will get pinched, your breast will be pressed and so on. It doesnt matter if youre underage, married or pregnant. Its a never-ending list, Shahane told PTI in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

The actor, who unfailingly voices her opinions on important issues on social media, was recently announced as a member of an advisory committee by CINTAA (Cine And TV Artistes Association) to tackle sexual harassment in the industry, where the movement first began with Tanushree Dutta reiterating her decade-old harassment story against Nana Patekar.

Many more names have followed since with people like Alok Nath, Sajid Khan, Subhash Ghai, Kailash Kher and Rajat Kapoor being accused of sexual harassment and in some cases of rape. Shahane, 53, says she did not face any sexual harassment in the industry but its just a matter of luck. There have been propositions but when I refused the people respected my decision, so theres that. Naths misbehaviour was one of industrys worst-kept secret, Shahane says, corroborating accounts of Sandhya Mridul, Himani Shivpuri and Deepika Amin.

She adds it was years after she worked with the actor in Rajshri Productions Hum Aapke Hain Koun! and DD show Imtihaan that she got to know about Naths alleged behaviour when magazines splashed the news of Tara star Navneet Nishan slapping him.

Tara writer-producer Vinta Nanda has accused Nath of sexual harassment and rape from almost two decades ago. Everyone knew that once he downed a drink, he would become another person. When I read Sandhya Mriduls account, I thought at least he admitted it to her. But we see over the years, the behaviour just went on and on. I was not a party person, perhaps thats why I never experienced anything with him, she says, adding Rajshri always maintained strict discipline on its film sets. Everybody behaves in a very different way on a Rajshri set, she says.

Some sections of the society have branded #MeToo as a witch-hunt or public lynching with even innocent mens reputation being torched on social media. Shahane disagrees, saying nobody wants an innocent person behind the bars but the movement has come into existence because the legal route is long and tedious.

The burden to prove the truth is heavy. Thats why the movement has been important because at least they are being named and shamed. Yes, there will be some posts that will be shared out of revenge but most of the people who have been named and shamed like MJ Akbar and Alok Nath have been known to be serial offenders for years. These people have made life miserable for women for years altogether. I dont see it as lynching. They are moving court for defamation cases. Women are standing up. If they were not sure of such accusations, they would not be standing up, she says.

Shahane is happy that industry bodies such as CINTAA, Indian Film & Television Directors Association and Screen Writers Association and Producers Guild of India are taking steps to ensure safe working environment for women in showbiz. The actor says now the people who have faced sexual harassment in the industry will have a place to go to where they can be heard. All these associations have taken a very positive and strong reaction on the issue.

CINTAA has taken it seriously from day one. Im really happy that men like Sushant Singh and Amit Behl have stood up and decided that enough is enough. It is important to understand that it is not a womens movement, its a human movement. Irrespective of the gender, we all have to work together. Sexual harassment has no place in the workplace and it has to be done away with. It cant be a rule rather than being an exception. That so many people knew about it and did nothing, now that cannot be acceptable, she says.

Shahane, who will be next be seen in the second season of Dice Medias webseries What the Folks, says working on the sets of the family comedy, was a breath of fresh air for her. It is so easy to work in a non-misogynist environment, she says.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Bollywood actor Salman Khan is in mourning for his dog who died on Thursday. My Love, as the dog was called, got a sweet farewell from Salman and his rumoured girlfriend, Iulia Vantur.

Sharing the news with his fans on Twitter, Salman wrote in a tweet, My most beautiful my love gone today. God bless her soul. He also posted a picture in which he can be seen planting a kiss on his beloved pet.

Iulia also shared My Loves pictures on Instagram. U taught us love... My love Rest in peace My love U will always live in my heart, she captioned a post. The most loving... My Love I miss u #unconditional #love, she captioned another post. Actor Sonakshi Sinha also bid farewell to My Love with an Instagram post. Rest in peace beautiful baby girl, she captioned her photo.

My most beautiful my love gone today. God bless her soul. pic.twitter.com/a7Xdag3Xye  Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) October 18, 2018

Salman has three more pet dogs named Saint, Mowgli and Veer and is extremely fond of them. His other two dogs My Son and My Jaan died in 2009.

Salman recently wrapped up the Abu Dhabi shoot schedule for his upcoming film Bharat. He will be seen with Katrina Kaif in the film, which also stars Sunil Grover, Disha Patani and Tabu. Bharat is directed by Ali Abbas Zafar.

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The shameful spectacle that is unfolding at Sabarimala  women being assaulted by violent mobs, just a handful moving up to the temple in riot gear and body armour only to be forced back  tells you that when it comes to entrenched sexism, even the Supreme Court is not feared. Misogyny has found a happy partner in political opportunism: the BJP-RSS is backing the street protests; the Congress wants an ordinance to reverse the judicial fiat; and after the communists have failed to implement the court order, their ministers are open to a review petition by the temple board.

Modern India is telling its women: you can be fighter jet pilots, sail around the world, lead corporations, fight terrorism or break world records. But your menstrual cycle still makes you less than equal. It is an abomination.

Ironically, the problem may lie in the very framing of the historic verdict that first ordered the entry of women of all ages into the shrine. Led by the former Chief Justice Dipak Misra, the majority judgment argued that devotees of Lord Ayyappa do not constitute a separate religious denomination. They also argued that the practice of exclusion of women of 10-50 age group cannot be regarded as an essential religious practice.

The judges were forced to locate their empowering decision within these limitations because they had to balance competing constitutional entitlements : the Right to Equality and the Right to Religion. Article 14 and Article 25 of the Indian Constitution were technically at variance.

The court had to take exactly the same approach when it came to setting aside the arcane and awful tradition of instant triple talaq. Then too, the majority verdict argued that the instant divorce custom was against the tenets of the Quran and hence could not be considered essential to the practice of Islam.

This is a terribly slippery slope because it means that every time women challenge the religious orthodoxy, the court will have to take a piecemeal decision and look for ways to argue that the equality being upheld is not at odds with religious beliefs.

My question: so what if it is ?

I am a proud pluralist and of course I agree that Indias religious diversity must remain constitutionally protected. It is what makes this country so special. Equally, as a proud feminist, I do not accept that tradition and custom can remain frozen in time. When the interpretation of age-old religious tenets collides with modern principles of gender-equality, for me the latter wins  and should  every single time. And this principle needs to be applied across all religions.

Muslim women are now moving court for the right of entry to all mosques. They are also fighting for women to become imams. Parsi women have petitioned the court against a custom that bars them from their parents last rites if they marry outside the community. And Christian women have been battling the antiquated personal divorce laws. Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian or Parsi, personal laws and customs have always discriminated against women. It is time to change that fundamentally.

In the last year, women from multiple religions have courageously fronted the battle between faith and freedom. Nuns in Kerala have emerged from their cloisters to take on a bishop accused of rape. Bishop Franco Mulakkal, out on bail, was welcomed back as a hero in Punjab. That tells you how common patriarchal contempt for women is across India. Brave women of the Bohra community have taken on their religious establishment by waging a war on female genital mutilation. The fight against triple talaq was led by Muslim women. And Hindu women are demanding the right to pray at Sabarimala.

The only solution is a uniform civil code; a directive principle in the Constitution that has either been woefully politicised or entirely ignored. This cannot be a majoritarian charter: a very legitimate fear expressed by liberals. Instead it needs to be a code rooted in democratic rules of equality for all, especially women. This is essential because all personal laws are inherently unequal for women. Carnatic music vocalist TM Krishna has already steered the draft of a progressive uniform civil code. Many more such drafts should be pushed into the public domain to start a debate. It also conclusively terminates all controversies that religious conservatives make about cherry picking. Whether its the RSS or the Muslim Personal Law Board or any other religious group, no one will be able to object or play to populist resentment if a principle is uniformly applied to all religions.

What is happening at Sabarimala will repeat itself if we do not change the law. As women, we need to lead this.

Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author.

The views expressed are personal
Delhi, along with the rest of the country, is all set to celebrate the festival of Dussehra today with Ramlilas across the city erecting colourful effigies of the demon king Ravana, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakarna. HT photographers Sanchit Khanna, Mohd Zakir, Amal KS and Sanjeev Verma went around the city to bring a glimpse of the festivities.

Ramlila Grounds

The Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad effigies at Ramlila Grounds will face the fire for the 51st time this year. The Shri Ramlila Committee has picked black as the colour of Ravana, to depict evil.

Effigies of demon king Ravana and his son Meghnath and brother Kumbhkaran installed ahead of Dussehra festival at Shri Ramleela Committee, Ramleela Ground, in New Delhi. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Karol Bagh

The theme of Ramlila at Karol Baghs Ajmal Khan Park is inspired by SS Rajamoulis movie Bahubali. Organised by the Shri Sanatan Dharm Lila Samiti, the 70-foot effigies will emit different colours when set on fire.

Effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghad stand on the eve of Dussehra Fesitival at Ajmal Khan Park, Karol Bagh in New Delhi. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

Pitampura

The Ravana effigy at Netaji Subhash Place grounds will have a moveable tongue. The 60-foot tall effigies were given finishing touches by a team of around 15 artisans on Thursday. The artisans, who hail from UPs Farrukhnagar, claimed they have been making effigies for the last 50 years.

A view of effigies of Ravana on the eve of Dussehra festival at NSG ground Pitampura in New Delhi. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

Red Fort Grounds

This Ravana effigy stands 60-foot tall. Organised by Luv-Kush Ramlila Committee, the Ramlila this year saw Union minister Harsh Vardhan play the part of Sitas father Janak.

Effigies of demon king Ravana and his son Meghnath and brother Kumbhkaran installed ahead of Dussehra festival at Luv Kush Ramleela, Red Fort, in New Delhi. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Sarojini Nagar

Eleven workers from Uttar Pradeshs Paharpur Haveli have worked for a month on the 50-foot tall Ravana effigy. It will be ready to face the fire by Friday morning, at the grounds in Sarojini Nagar, opposite Pillanji village.

A view of effigies of Ravana on the eve of Dussehra festival at Sarojini Nagar in New Delhi. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

Red Fort Grounds

From the grand entry of Ram on a helicopter to Ravana appearing in the air (on a crane), the Nav Dharmik Lila Committee at the Red Fort Ground has always tried innovative ways to entertain the public. This year they plan to experiment with symbolic bow and arrows emitting different colour lights.

Visitors click selfie with the effigies of demon king Ravana and his son Meghnath and brother Kumbhkaran installed ahead of Dussehra festival at Nav Shri Dharmik Leela Committee, Red Fort, in New Delhi. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Rohini

In northwest Delhis Rohini, artisans at the Ram Lakhan Committee were giving the final touches to the 60-foot effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad. The artisans said they started assembling the effigies two days ago. The workers claimed that due to the height of the effigies, they were finding it difficult to balance the 10 heads of Ravana.

A view of effigies of Ravana on the eve of Dussehra festival at Deepali Chowk in New Delhi. (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)
First Church Crime Study Based on FBI Crime Data



AUBREY, Texas, Oct. 19, 2018 /



NOCSSM's president, Chuck Chadwick, said "Since 2009, one of our ongoing research projects is to analyze data from various databases. One database of particular interest is the FBI's ICPSR National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS)



The study was undertaken in the effort to use verified quantitative data to research the rate of church crimes in the U.S. It is the first such analysis of Church violent crimes derived from the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The study covers the years 1991-2016 and focuses on crimes of a violent or forceful nature against persons. The results are derived from research conducted on actual FBI data and not internet searches or news articles.



The study included over 97 million incidents, extracting incidents where the location code included church / synagogue / temple / mosque. The result was over 393,000 church related incidents.



V-Crimes - Data collection models differ in how they collect their data and which data they choose to count as what type of crime. This study focuses on crimes of force or violence against persons. V-Crimes include those crimes against persons coded as: Aggravated Assault, Assault, Murder/Nonnegligent Manslaughter, Negligent Manslaughter, Kidnaping/Abduction, Robbery, Forcible Rape, Forcible Sodomy, Sexual Assault with an Object, Forcible Fondling.



NIBRS is not perfect. NIBRS is an ongoing effort by the Federal Government to track crime in the U.S. Not all states report equally. There are exceptions to which states are included in the data available. However, it is the best quantitative data available. Some states report in Summary files, whereas other states report the Detailed Incident records.



Study findings:

National crime, as well as church specific incidents, increase as the number of people to commit them increases. The number of church crimes of all types has leveled off at approximately 23,000 per year for the past ten years trending downward. The number of violent crimes has leveled off at around 1,600 per year, trending upwards of only 13% for the past ten years.



Violent Church incidents have always happened at a steady percentage of all national and all church incidents and have not grown substantially over the 26 years of the study.



The available quantitative data supports the hypothesis that it is the amount of media/press coverage and the growth of technology that has generated a sense of accelerated growth in church crime.



NOCSSM looks forward to publishing other data from the study soon.



For further details go to



About NOCSSM

The National Organization of Church Security & Safety Management (NOCSSM) is dedicated to church security and safety issues through the implementation of security and safety measures specifically designed and time tested for churches.



CONTACT INFORMATION:

Chuck Chadwick -

The National Organization of Church Security & Safety Management (NOCSSM)

(214) 305-5616

www.nocssm.org





Share Tweet Contact: Chuck Chadwick, The National Organization of Church Security & Safety Management , 214-305-5616, cchadwick@nocssm.org AUBREY, Texas, Oct. 19, 2018 / Christian Newswire / -- The National Organization of Church Security & Safety Management (NOCSSM) has produced a first-of-its-kind study of church crimes based on the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System or "NIBRS."NOCSSM's president, Chuck Chadwick, said "Since 2009, one of our ongoing research projects is to analyze data from various databases. One database of particular interest is the FBI's ICPSR National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) ucr.fbi.gov/nibrs-overview , which contains summary reports and databases of individual crime incidents reported to the FBI. There have been other studies based on internet articles, but this study used actual FBI reports. This is the very first time anyone has actually studied church crime scientifically."The study was undertaken in the effort to use verified quantitative data to research the rate of church crimes in the U.S. It is the first such analysis of Church violent crimes derived from the FBI's National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The study covers the years 1991-2016 and focuses on crimes of a violent or forceful nature against persons. The results are derived from research conducted on actual FBI data and not internet searches or news articles.The study included over 97 million incidents, extracting incidents where the location code included church / synagogue / temple / mosque. The result was over 393,000 church related incidents.V-Crimes - Data collection models differ in how they collect their data and which data they choose to count as what type of crime. This study focuses on crimes of force or violence against persons. V-Crimes include those crimes against persons coded as: Aggravated Assault, Assault, Murder/Nonnegligent Manslaughter, Negligent Manslaughter, Kidnaping/Abduction, Robbery, Forcible Rape, Forcible Sodomy, Sexual Assault with an Object, Forcible Fondling.NIBRS is not perfect. NIBRS is an ongoing effort by the Federal Government to track crime in the U.S. Not all states report equally. There are exceptions to which states are included in the data available. However, it is the best quantitative data available. Some states report in Summary files, whereas other states report the Detailed Incident records.Study findings:National crime, as well as church specific incidents, increase as the number of people to commit them increases. The number of church crimes of all types has leveled off at approximately 23,000 per year for the past ten years trending downward. The number of violent crimes has leveled off at around 1,600 per year, trending upwards of only 13% for the past ten years.Violent Church incidents have always happened at a steady percentage of all national and all church incidents and have not grown substantially over the 26 years of the study.The available quantitative data supports the hypothesis that it is the amount of media/press coverage and the growth of technology that has generated a sense of accelerated growth in church crime.NOCSSM looks forward to publishing other data from the study soon.For further details go to www.NOCSSM.org About NOCSSMThe National Organization of Church Security & Safety Management (NOCSSM) is dedicated to church security and safety issues through the implementation of security and safety measures specifically designed and time tested for churches.CONTACT INFORMATION:Chuck Chadwick - cchadwick@nocssm.org The National Organization of Church Security & Safety Management (NOCSSM)(214) 305-5616
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.

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Delhi BJPs social media handlers were in for a shock Thursday. A message in the partys email inbox flashed the name of their political rivals in Delhi  the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)  who requested them for donations to fund their election campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Though the Delhi BJP confirmed having received the email and shared a screen shot of the mail, HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the mail as the AAP did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking a comment .

The request from the AAPs official email ID, signed by Delhi chief minister and party convener Arvind Kejriwal, flashed in the BJP mailbox around 1.30pm on Thursday. The mail read, After three years in government, we have a situation that the Delhi government is flush with funds but the AAP is poor...Many elections are coming up in next two years. We dont have money. We need money. We need your support.

The AAP has recently launched a campaign seeking donations from party supporters and donors to raise money for fighting the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The email received by the BJP was similar to what AAP supporters and donors have received as part of the partys big monthly donation campaign to raise money.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari was quick to acknowledge the donation request. He even went on to say that he would pay Kejriwals party over Rs 1 lakh from his personal earnings if the Delhi CM agreed to clear the proposal for Delhi Metros Phase IV, which is pending with the Delhi government for almost three years now.

Arvind Kejriwal ji, people have chosen you to represent them. Dont punish them. Delhi gave you 67 out of 70 seats. The chief minister of that place is saying that we will not give you Phase 4 of Metro? You want donations? Clear the Delhi Metro Phase 4 and I will give you Rs 111,100 from the money I have earned from singing, Tiwari tweeted on Thursday.

HT had on Tuesday reported that the proposal for Delhi Metros Phase 4 is stuck with the Delhi government and they are yet to communicate a rejection or confirmation of the routes proposed by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

BJP leaders said that they are not aware if this was a strategy of the AAP to gain sympathy or if this was a mistake by their social media team. They, however, said it was the first time that they received such a request for donations to fund the election campaigns of a political rival.
Apostle

Director - Gareth Evans

Cast - Dan Stevens, Michael Sheen, Lucy Boynton, Mark Lewis Jones

Rating - 3.5/5

To his credit, director Gareth Evans has made a conscious - and rather brave - choice to not repeat himself in Apostle, his first film since his breakout one-two punch, The Raid and its sequel, Berandal. Aside from a couple of muddy fisticuffs, Apostle is a great tonal, stylistic and narrative leap for the filmmaker, known for his flamboyant camerawork and fluid action.

For starters, Apostle is a dense horror-fantasy in the vein of the cult British film, The Wicker Man (not the ridiculous remake starring Nicolas Cage) and director Ben Wheatleys Kill List - a departure from the martial arts mania of his Raid movies. Its more sprawling in its scope - despite the claustrophobia of being set on an island - and more layered in its world-building.

This isnt to say that Apostle is a flawless victory - far from it, in fact - but its a worthy (and necessary) stepping stone for a filmmaker who will only move up the ranks in the years to come.

Watch the Apostle trailer here

The year is 1905 and Dan Stevens plays former missionary Thomas Richardson, who goes on a covert mission to rescue his sister from the clutches of a mysterious cult that has confined itself to an island off the coast of England. Led by the firebrand Prophet Malcolm Howe, played by Michael Sheen, the cult prides itself on its independence from the mainland.

Howe, along with two other convicts, had washed ashore years ago, and discovered the islands mysterious regenerative properties. Without going into too much detail about the backstory - part of the films fun is discovering just how kooky its willing to get - Howe exploited these almost magical qualities with a mixture of some old-fashioned witchcraft and his natural charisma, and established a self-sustaining community.

Michael Sheen plays the leader of a cult in Netflixs Apostle.

Sheen, an actor who has done everything from shoddy B-movie franchises to Oscar-nominated classics, plays Prophet Howe with less of a sinister edge than youd imagine. He cranks up his natural Welsh accent - an accent Tom Hardy once said he admired for its mellifluous gentleness - to almost comical levels. This makes his character seem more like a particularly passionate farmer than a radical leader of a cult.

Stevens, meanwhile, has that Ryan Gosling quality of being very difficult to pin down; hes just as capable of playing psychopaths - consider The Guest a major recommendation - and Jude Law-esque heartthrobs. In Apostle, he makes what could have been a fairly run-of-the-mill character - weve seen several films about cult breakouts - into an altogether more mysterious, and more meaningful person. His struggles with faith are cruelly emphasised in an environment that is as harmful to him as a bar would be to an alcoholic.

Dan Stevens in a still from Netflixs Apostle.

Horror, more than any other genre, tends to be subjective. What scares one person might be funny to another. For horror to truly take effect, there has to be an almost mystical synthesis of several factors - the environment in which the film is being watched, the willingness of the viewer to submit, and whether or not theyre open to revealing their personal demons. Everyone has a tipping point, and Apostle breaches many thresholds, which makes it a rather foolproof experience - whether youre paranoid about cults, or vulnerable to the sight of blood, Evans has made multiple horror films in one. Hes aided by opulent visuals, detailed production design, and a score that sounds like a thousand banshees wailing in painful unison.

He also finds time for religious critique - the cultists are essentially pagans - and for subtle feminism - the islanders worship a literal goddess, and the films female characters tend to be more resourceful than the bull-headed men.

Weve been distracted by the Summer of Love, but as with last year, a fantastic selection of horror has been released on Netflix in time for Halloween. With this, Hold the Dark and the terrific series The Haunting of Hill House, were all set.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

The author tweets @RohanNaahar
Former chief minister and Chhattisgarh Janata Congress (JCC) leader Ajit Jogi will not fight upcoming assembly election but will concentrate on campaigning for his alliance partners, his son Amit Jogi said Friday.

Amit Jogi said that JCC has formed a grand alliance with Bahujan Samaj Party and Communist Party of India (CPI) and the alliance has decided that Ajit Jogi will not contest in the election to the 90-member state legislative assembly.

He (Ajit Jogi) will concentrate on the whole state and will campaign for all the candidates instead of fighting elections himself. The aim is to strengthen the party campaign and form the government in Chhattisgarh, said Amit.

Ajit Jogi, Chhattisgarhs first chief minister had earlier announced that he will fight against incumbent CM Raman Singh from Rajanandgaon seat and was campaigning in the constituency for the last two months. The party is yet to decide who will replace Jogi as candidate in Rajanandgaon.

On September 20, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) tied up with the JCC to contest the assembly polls. BSP chief Mayawati had said that JCC will fight on 55 seats while BSP will be contesting on 35 seats.

The JCC has announced the names of 45 candidates so far.

But after the Communist Party of India (CPI) also allied the JCC last Sunday, Jogis party has pulled out of two seats to let the Communists contest from Konta and Dantewada.

Jogi will be campaigning for the candidates in Bastar region between October 20 and 24.

In the 2013 Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, the CPI got 0.66% of the votes and it had lost all 13 seats it had contested but the party has decisive votes in Konta and Dantewada constituencies of Bastar rgion
The Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress on Friday attacked the Left-led government in Kerala after two women attempting to enter the Sabarimala temple in the states Pathanamthitta district were forced to go back by protesting devotees.

Kavitha Jakkal of Hyderabad-based Mojo TV and Rehana Fathima had to go back from within 500 metres of the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa after devotees protested and the chief priest threatened to shut the temple down if they entered the shrine.

Priests of the temple also sat down in protest in front of the 18 stairs that lead to the sanctum sanctorum, affecting the rituals of the 800-year-old temple for the first time in recent history.

It is a big conspiracy to defame temple. How was a woman given a police uniform? It is a violation of the police act. The government should take action IG S Sreejith for enacting a dirty drama, BJP general secretary K Surendran said.

Surendran asked the Muslim community to desist from such moves, saying it was against Hindus.

Who enacted this drama? The government or the police? he asked.

The BJP further sought action against police officials for hurting religious feelings of devotees which led to the disruption of temple rituals.

Read | Sabarimala row: All you need to know about the historic temple

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala accused the government of playing with fire.

Not only Hindus but people from all religions are going there. Everyone is worried. The woman activist (Rehana Fathima) was given a police uniform. It was wrong... The government is giving enough fuel to the Sangh Parivar, the Congress leader said.

Sabarimala is not a tourist spot, only devotees go there. Right now what Kerala police is doing is wrong. Had our government (been there), we wouldve handled the situation better. We wouldve talked to devotees, there wouldve been no violence, he added.

The temple opened on Wednesday at 5pm for the first time after the September 28 Supreme Court ruling allowing entry of women aged between 10 and 50.

State temple minister Kadakampally Surendran pulled up the police for allowing Fathima to head for the temple, which he said was a lapse on part of the department.

Police should have checked the antecedents of women before escorting them, the minister said.

People of all ages will be allowed to go there. But at the same time, we wont allow it to be a place where activists can come and showcase their power. It cant be a place where they prove certain points of theirs, he said.
Tragedy struck at a Dussehra celebration in Amritsar on Friday when a speeding train ran over a festive crowd that spilled on to the tracks while watching the customary burning of a giant Ravana effigy. At least 61 people were killed and 74 injured in the accident, according to a senior government official.

Hundreds of people were gathered at an open ground near the manned crossing at Joda Phatak, barely 70 metres from the Amritsar-Jalandhar double railway track where the celebrations were happening at around 7.15pm. Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the wife of Congress minister and Amritsar East legislator Navjot Singh Sidhu, was the chief guest at the event.

The crossing, 3km from Amritsar railway station, was closed for vehicular traffic, but people were spread out from the ground to the areas surrounding the tracks on both sides; many of them standing on the tracks.

The track was not cordoned off by the police or the local administration, eyewitnesses alleged. It was not immediately clear if the administration had given permission to hold the festivities so close to a busy railway track.

As the effigy started burning, and firecrackers inside it started going off, many pulled out their phones to capture a video of the scene. The noise and the crowd seemed to have masked the sound of the train approaching Amritsar from Jalandhar. As the train thundered across the track, crushing several revellers, the force was such that bodies were flung in all directions. It took some time for onlookers, even those whose view of the effigy was temporarily blocked by the passing train, to realise what happened.

We didnt hear the train coming. It had become dark and everyone was watching the effigy when the train suddenly appeared, said Mintoo, a migrant labourer staying nearby. Most of the victims are feared to be migrant labourers.

Amritsar sub-divisional magistrate (I) Rajesh Sharma said 61 people were killed and at least 74 admitted to Amritsar hospital. Raveen Thukral, media advisor to chief minister Amarinder Singh, put the number of dead at 40, adding the toll could rise. The chief medical officer at Amritsar Civil hospital said doctors had treated at least 80 injured after the accident.

Leaders across the political spectrum put out condolence messages and a state of mourning was declared in Punjab, where all government institutions will be shut on Saturday.

The state government also announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the dead, while the Centre announced an addition Rs 2 lakh for grieving families.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said he was rushing to the spot to personally supervise rescue and relief operations. District authorities have been mobilised on war footing, Singh tweeted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the mishap. The tragedy is heart-wrenching, he tweeted. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required. Railways minister Piyush Goyal cancelled all his engagements in the US and said he was immediately returning to India. May God give strength to the bereaved and injured. Railways is proving all possible assistance at the site. I have cancelled all engagements in USA and immediately returning back to India, Goyal tweeted.

Minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha, railway board chairman Ashwani Lohani and northern railway general manager Vishwesh Chaube, too were rushing to the spot. Union home minister Rajnath Singh announced all possible assistance by the Centre.

Railways issued helpline numbers  0183-2223171, 0183-2564485  for information on the incident.

Some leaders also blamed the Congress government in Punjab for alleged lapses that led to the deaths. Union finance minister Arun Jaitley told news agency ANI that initial reports suggested it was a tragedy that could have been avoided. Union minister and Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal said the onus was on the state government. There are not enough words to mourn the Amritsar train tragedy that claims so many innocent lives. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. The incident needs to be probed as it casts serious question on administration, she tweeted.

The event close to tracks near Amritsar was a clear case of trespassing and no permission was given by the railways, a senior official told PTI.

Were not kept in the loop and we provided no permission for the event. It is a clear case of trespassing and the local administration should take responsibility, the railway official said.

Amid questions being raised in some quarters about why the train did not stop despite such a large crowd being there, the official said, There was so much smoke that the driver was unable to see anything and he was also negotiating a curve.

As the state government faced criticism, Navjot Kaur Sidhu talked to the media at a hospital where the injured were taken. We should not politicise the tragedy. Our priority is to help those in the hospital and provide compensation to the family who have died in the tragedy, she said.

(With agency inputs)
There was grief, confusion and panic at the Amritsar Civil hospital and the Guru Nanak Dev hospital as several people injured at the Joda Phatak Dussehra celebration were brought for emergency treatment by relatives and friends still coming to terms with the scale of the tragedy that left scores dead and at least 80 injured.

In the corridors of the hospitals, people were seen crying or venting their anger with the district administration as the hospital staff rushed to treat the injured. Many of the victims are migrant labourers who had gathered to watch the festivities.

Eyewitnesses said it took a long time for ambulances to reach the congested area that became even more inaccessible because of the rescue operation by volunteers and the state police.

At least 80 patients have been brought here. Of them, 30 have succumbed to injuries. The condition of 25 patients is very serious, said the senior medical officer at the Amritsar Civil hospital Dr Rajinder Arora.

The injured were coming in to the hospitals till after 10pm. Hospital authorities said they have requested the services of nearly 100 doctors from other institutions in Amritsar and the neighbouring districts of Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur.

Ram Singh, a migrant labourer who stayed near the accident lost four members of his family, including his daughter Kusum, nephew Neetu, sister Nirmala and sisters daughter-in-law in the accident.

It was all over in the flash, he said, still reeling from the shock.

There were many people at the hospital who were trying to search for family members missing after the accident.

The chief guest at the Dussehra festival, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the wife of Congress minister and Amritsar (East) MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu, came to the civil hospital to meet the injured.

The effigy of Ravana was burnt and I had just left the site when the incident happened. Priority should be to get the injured treated, she said.
Prem Dorjee Khrimey became a multimillionaire on Thursday, landing a windfall of Rs 6.31 crore.

No, he didnt take part in Kaun Banega Crorepatithe popular TV game show. Instead, it was compensation for land acquired from his family by the Indian Army around five decades ago.

The resident of Tukpen village in West Kameng district isnt alone. Phuntso Khawa and Khandu Glow  from Singchung in the same district have also turned millionaires overnight. While Phuntso got Rs 6.21 cr, Khandu became richer by Rs 5.98 cr.

The compensation has been possible because of love of Prime Minister Narendra Modiji for Arunachal, chief minister Pema Khandu, tweeted.

Several other residents in both areas also bagged hefty sums, which were handed over by Arunachal Pradesh chief minister at two separate functions on Thursday. Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju was also present at both the functions.

A total of Rs 24.56 cr was handed out to five villagers at the event in Singchung while Rs 13.17 cr was given to seven residents of Tukpen, Sonal Swaroop, deputy commissioner of West Kameng, informed.

This isnt the first instance of villagers in Arunachal Pradesh becoming millionaires  thanks to land acquisition by the Army since the early 1960s.

Following the Sino-Indo war of 1962, the Indian Army had launched a land acquiring programme in Arunachal Pradesh to set up bases, construct roads, build bridges etc. in the border state in northeast.

Until recently, the villagers hadnt been paid. In April 2017, the Centre released Rs 54 cr for 152 families of three villages of West Kameng district. In September last year, the Centre issued another set of notifications sanctioning release of Rs 158 cr as compensation for private land taken over in Arunachal Pradesh by the army.

In February this year, Rs 40.80 cr was handed over to 31 families of Bomja village in Tawang district. While 29 families got Rs 1.09 cr each, one family got richer by Rs 6.73 cr and another by 2.45 cr.
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman will meet her US counterpart James Mattis on Friday, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers Meeting Plus in Singapore to discuss the impact of the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) on New Delhis decision to acquire the Russian S-400 missile system this month. She may also discuss the fallout on India on the US sanctions on Iran that kick in on November 4.

Diplomats based in New Delhi and Singapore told Hindustan Times that while the two defence ministers will discuss the entire gamut of bilateral defence ties including the change of government in Maldives and the Indo-Pacific region, the spotlight will be on the Trump administrations reaction to the S-400 system purchase by India, a deal closed during Russian president Vladimir Putins visit to the country on October 5. The ADMM plus will be attended by 18 Defence Ministers of the region. Most will likely express their concerns over the rise of Chinese military presence in the Indo-Pacific region and its impact on sea lanes of communication.

Although it is not clear whether secretary Mattis will be part of the Trump administration when Sitharaman goes to Washington in December, she is expected to reinforce Indias position on why it qualifies for a CAATSA waiver on S-400 and also should be exempted by sanctions on the import of Iranian oil. India needs to press its case on Iranian oil imports as China has already cut down 50% of its imports from Tehran despite publicly claiming that not a drop of oil imports from Iran will be cut. The only issue on S 400 is the technical aspects which India is already discussing with US. This pertains to the sharing of radar signatures of US aerial platforms in service with the Indian Air Force. The Indian position on the S-400 system purchase is strong as the deal pre-dates the CAATSA Act and the countrys requirement is urgent after China cquired the same system from Russia. Even if New Delhi had decided to go in for an American alternative to S-400, South Block officials argue, it would have taken a minimum of five years of gestation period before the first surface to air missile system was installed on Indian soil.

On Iranian oil imports, India has already cut down its imports from Tehran to 1.5 million tons per month from well over two million tons per month in 2017. This has been done despite the fact that none of the oil producing countries barring Nigeria have started pumping more crude into the market and the international price has gone up by 20% since the US announced sanctions on Iran earlier this year. With US oil production only slated to go up by mid-2019 and India not interested from importing oil from Venezuela, the Modi government has no options but to keep up imports from Iran as there is no compensation from any other country including Saudi Arabia, UAE or Russia.On the trade deficit with the US, India has already made efforts to reduce the number from a high of $25 billion in 2016 to $23 billion this year by importing nearly $4 billion worth of oil and other commodities. Indian interlocutors have made it known to their US counterparts that while New Delhi will not be able to do commodity specific imports, it will compensate by importing other goods so that the trade deficit declines. Given that the clock has started ticking on general elections, India cannot import only those goods which the US wants to export due to lobbies. However, India at best will compensate by importing other goods, said a senior official who asked not to be named.

Defence minister Sitharaman will be in Singapore for two days.
India has been able to deliver on 16 of the 21 points raised by Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli during bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April, top foreign ministry officials said, with the latter personally tracking movement on these so as to get India-Nepal relations, which have suffered in recent years, back on track. Modi has visited Nepal four times since taking over in 2014.

The remaining five issues raised by Oli concern infrastructure projects and on these, Kathmandu has to move on things such as land acquisition, the foreign ministry officials added on condition of anonymity.

According to the officials the survey for the electric rail network between Raxaul and Kathmandu has been completed and two cross border rail links, between Jayanagar and Janakpur and Jogbani and Biratnagar have been finished, and should be ready for inauguration by this November or December.

As of now, the modalities on movement of trains are being bilaterally discussed with Nepal leasing rakes, bogies and engines from India.

Although Kathmandu is very keen that PM Modi personally visit Nepal to launch the rail link and participate in a major Hindu festival at the Sita Temple in Janakpur, no dates for a visit have been finalised by Ministry of External Affairs and the plan, as it stands now, if for the rail links to be launched through video conferencing.

But then it is for PM Modi to take a final call, said one of the officials. India has conveyed its unhappiness over Nepal walking out of the joint military BIMSTEC exercise in Pune last month, citing domestic political issues in Kathmandu, despite the matter being formally discussed and cleared at the level of the foreign secretaries of the two countries. Even Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who is co-chairman of the Nepal Communist Party was not consulted on the decision, it is learnt.

Notwithstanding the sour note on the BIMSTEC exercise, South Block officials say that bilateral cooperation between the two countries has deepened with Indias foreign secretary being in constant touch with his Nepalese counterpart through video conference and PM Modi personally monitoring project delivery schedules.

Every single leader talks about connectivity. It is definitely a positive thing. Connectivity is like motherhood. One of the things all of us who had something to do with bettering relations with our neighbours have focused on is the need to improve border infrastructure which ranges between horrible to bad. This will surely boost ties, said former Indian Ambassador to Nepal Shiv Shankar Mukherjee.

The officials added that India is also not unduly perturbed about the growing proximity between Nepal and China as it fully understands that Kathmandus interests lies in playing New Delhi against Beijing.

The Nepalese leaderships growing proximity to President Xi Jinping may be overstated, the officials said, pointing out that Prachanda didnt get to meet Xi during his visit to Beijing in March.

They also said New Delhi is not overtly bothered on trade and transit agreement signed during Olis visit to China last June as the road from Lhasa is fraught with natural hurdles and economically unviable.
Taking a serious note of the allegations of indiscipline against two of his grandsons, Indian National Lok Dal president Om Prakash Chautala has suspended Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala and youth leader Digvijay Chautala from the primary membership of the party, said an INLD release issued on Thursday.

The INLD chief also referred the matter pertaining to accusations of indiscipline against Dushyant and Digvijay, national president of the now dissolved Indian National Students Organisation, to the partys disciplinary committee.

The decision was taken at an executive committee meeting of Haryanas main opposition party held in Gurugram.

The disciplinary committee has been asked to submit its report by October 25 and till then, both of them will remain suspended from the primary membership of the party, added the release.

The meeting was presided by Om Prakash Chautala, who is serving a 10-year jail term in a teacher recruitment scam and is currently out on parole.

At the meeting, the former Haryana chief minister emphasised on the importance of discipline in the party.
Himachal Pradesh agriculture minister Ram Lal Markanda has demanded a vigilance probe into midday meal scam, which came into light in April 2018.

I have written to government. I have demanded a vigilance inquiry into the midday meal scam, agriculture minister and legislator from Lahaul and Spiti Ram Lal Markanda said.

He said rice meant for midday meal scheme was not supplied to schools from three years in the region. It is a matter of inquiry.

Even though education department has sought details from its office in Keylong about the scam, government is likely to order a vigilance inquiry to ascertain veracity of allegations.

After the scam came to light in April, state education department had ordered a preliminary probe to ascertain irregularities in supply of rice for schools.

In September, the preliminary inquiry found that food and civil supplies department had lifted rice for schools but did not supply them. It further revealed that the schools had purchased rice for students through school management committee funds.

Food and civil supplies minister Kishan Kapoor has directed food department to look into irregularities in supply of rice to schools in Lahaul and Spiti.

Minister has directed the department to inquire into the role of food and civil supplies officer who were responsible for supply of rice to the schools in regions, said an official of food and civil supplies department who requested anonymity.

We have sought details from our deputy director office and also requested subdivisional magistrate to ascertain more details, the official said.

Elementary education director Rohit Jamwal denied that government has ordered a magisterial probe. Since there is a single line administration, we have asked subdivisional magistrate in Kaza to ascertain veracity of facts, he said.

There are nearly 6,512 children enrolled in government schools in Spiti. The 98 schools, which havent received rice supply from 2016, did not get 896 quintals of rice from civil supplies department.

The tribal Lahaul and Spiti region remains cut-off from rest of the country for six months, following heavy snowfall at 13,050 feet high Rohtang Pass.
Authorities in Arunachal Pradeshs East Siang district have issued an alert asking people not to go near Siang and to remain alert following the formation of an artificial lake on the Yarlung Tsangpo in China on Wednesday after a cliff fell on a section of the river.

The water level of the Siang river in Arunachal Pradesh has gone down due to the formation of the lake and also led to fears of large-scale floods if the dam formed by the landslide breaks.

The Yarlung Tsangpo is called Siang once it enters Arunachal Pradesh from Tibet and the same river is known as the Brahmaputra after it reaches Assam.

We got a report from the Central Water Commission (CWC) about the landslide in Tibet. The water level in Siang river has gone down by around 2 metres at Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh, Duly Kamduk, deputy commissioner of Upper Siang district, said.

The East Siang district authorities have cautioned people not to venture into Siang and peripheral areas to collect driftwood, fishing or swimming apprehending a sudden flash flood in the downstream areas in case the dam bursts and releases the vast quantity of accumulated water.

And also people living in low lying areas (both the right and left bank of Siang River) viz Jarku, Paglek, SS Mission, Jarkong, Banskota, Berung, Jampani, Sigar, Ralling, Borguli, Seram, Kongkul, Namsing, Mer, Gadum, etc to remain alert but without panic for any eventuality that may happen due to above reasons, it said in a statement.

Further, it is directed that driftwood such logs, trees, bamboos clamps, and any uprooted vegetative materials brought by the river from upstream and parked along the banks both the banks of the Siang River shall not be lifted ... so as to serve as a Natural Flood Control Mechanism, it added.

It also said anyone violating the orders will be punished under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code and the relevant provision of the law.

According to an Associated Press report from Beijing, around 6,000 people have been evacuated in Tibet around the area where the lake has formed. China is said to have informed India of the development.

The landslide is stated to have struck near a village in Menling County and the water in the artificial lake has risen to 131 feet by Thursday, according to Chinese authorities, the AP report said.

Worried at the development, the lawmaker from Arunachal Pradesh Ninong Ering said that due to the landslide and formation of the lake the situation of rivers along Tuting, Yingkiong and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh is grim. These places are drying up rapidly due to the blockade.

The Siang has almost dried up, which is very unnatural. And if the dam breaks, there could be large-scale damage in Arunachal Pradesh and other states downstream, the Lok Sabha member wrote to Swaraj on Thursday.

According to Chinese ministry of water resources, the landslide took place around 80 km downstream from the Nuxia hydrological station in Linzhi in Tibet. Thats around 100 km from the Indian border, Ering said.

Earlier this year, waters in the Siang and Brahmaputra had turned turbid massive landslides caused by a series of earthquakes in Tibet.
A day after a couple was allegedly hacked to death, the brother of the suspected killer was lynched on Friday by an angry mob in a tea estate in Assam , the police said.

According to Dipendra Chetri, the officer-in-charge of Moran Police station in Dibrugarh district of Upper Assam, Bhola Praja and Ramoni were waylaid on Thursday evening by a man he identified as Jaggu Praja.

He hacked them with a machete. Both Bhola and his wife bled to death on the spot. When the police arrived their bodies were still lying on the spot, Chetri said.

The couple worked as permanent workers on the tea estate. The accused man, too, worked at the estate according to the police. On Thursday morning, the couple went to Jaggus house and had an altercation, Chetri said. Jaggus sister is married to Bholas son. The troubled marriage had led to friction between the two families, according to Chetri.

Jaggu ran away after the killing and was arrested on Friday afternoon. After the twin murders, locals went to Jaggus house on Thursday evening.

They assaulted his father, vandalised the house, even as rest of the family including his brother fled, Chetri said.

At about 8 am on Friday, Jaggus brother Puran Praja was waylaid by a mob when he was returning to his house on the tea estate, police said.

The mob comprising of locals assaulted him. He died of injuries. We are identifying those who were part of the mob. They will be arrested, Chetri said. The police claimed that they were under pressure from the locals o arrest Jaggu which may have led to a lapse in security on the tea estate that caused the brothers lynching.

We were given an ultimatum of 24 hours to arrest Jaggu. The police was present on the tea estate. But it was close to the house of the accused. The brother was assaulted on the way to the house, Chetri claimed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attacked the Congress party and the previous United Progressive Alliance government for their insincere schemes for the poor as he compared the projects initiated by his dispensation.

The schemes launched during the Congress-led government were aimed to benefit one specific family and to safeguard the vote bank. The schemes lacked sincere motive, Modi said.

He was addressing a rally in the pilgrimage town of Shirdi in Maharashtras Ahmednagar district associated with spiritual leader Sai Baba.

My government constructed 1.25 crore houses in four years against 25 lakh houses constructed by the Congress-led UPA government during 2010-14. Looking at the pace of the government, the Congress would have taken 20 years to build these many houses, Modi said during his 30-minute speech.

They cannot match the quality and the speed with which the schemes are being implemented currently, he said.

The function was organised to hand over the possession of the 250,000 houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

A permanent house makes life easy and provides enthusiasm to fight against poverty. Keeping this in mind, the government has set the goal of providing a permanent house to every family by 2022. I am happy that we have completed half the journey, the Prime Minister said.

He visited the Sai Baba temple before addressing the rally and interacted with the beneficiaries of housing schemes in various districts through video conferencing. He also launched various welfare schemes by the Sai Baba Temple Trust announced on the occasion of the centenary year of the Sai Babas passing away.

Modi also announced his support to the Maharashtra government in its efforts in fighting the drought in the 201 tehsils in the backdrop of the deficient rainfall. He said that the financial aid will be extended to the farmers in the western state with the help of various centrally-sponsored schemes.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, in his speech earlier in the day, had urged Modi to help the state fight the drought-like situation in more than half of its tehsils.
Protests erupted in many places in Kerala on Friday over the disruption of pooja in Sabarimala earlier in the day shortly before two women  a journalist and an activist  were forced to return from the vicinity of the temple following a threat by its chief priest to shut it down if they entered the shrine.

Furious devotees claimed that pooja at the temple dedicated to Lord Ayyappa was disrupted for one hour which had never happened before. The temple had opened for monthly rituals on Wednesday.

As tension mounted even after high drama forced the two women to return, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) which runs the temple, called another meeting in the afternoon in the state capital. TDB president A Padmakumar said he was open for discussion. (Follow live updates here)

It is a most painful day. I told everyone if women enter the holy steps. I will close temple and I will go back to my house. I am with devotees. I cant be a part to violation of temple rituals, Tantri (chief priest) Rajeevaru Kandarau told HT. There are 18 steps that lead to the temples sanctum sanctorum.

After the threat of temple closure, the women, journalist Kavitha Jakkal and activist Rehana Fathima were escorted to the base camp Pambha. Inspector general of police S Sreejith who had escorted the two women said it was a ritualistic disaster.

Its a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to temple and gave them protection but darshan is something which can be done with consent of priest. We will give them (the two women) whatever protection they want, Sreejith said, according to ANI.

People, not the devotees, who want to disrupt peace didnt allow us to enter. I want to know what the reason was. Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee. You tell me that first and then I will tell you if Im a devotee or not, said Fathima whose house in Kochi was vandalised in the morning.

This is the second successive day that women were denied entry into the temple despite a Supreme Court order after two other women including New York Times reporter Suhasini Raj were stopped on Thursday.

The two women were stopped a short distance away from the Sabarimala temple. The government had earlier insisted that it would do all that is needed to ensure that women are allowed to offer prayers in line with a Supreme Court order.

As tension mounted, the government tried to allay fears of a crackdown against devotees opposing the entry of women saying it would not use force.

Temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran also said devotees wont be forcibly evicted and told the police to avert a showdown.

Surendran also pulled up the police for allowing Fathima to head for the temple which he said was a lapse.

People of all ages will be allowed to go there. But at the same time we wont allow it to be a place where activists can come and showcase their power. It cant be a place where they prove certain points of theirs, ANI quoted Surendran as saying.

Tension soared in the morning with the erstwhile royal family of Pandalam, who are the custodians of the Sabarimala temple, asking the Tantri to close the doors of the shrine as two women headed for the temple under police protection.

The opposition also took on the government after one of the two women was seen in police riot gear.

Not only Hindus but people from all religions are going there. Everyone is worried. The woman activist (Rehana Fathima) was given a police uniform. It was wrong, said opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress after meeting governor Palanisamy Sathasivam.

The state unit of the BJP which is backing the devotees also waded into the imbroglio, seeking action against police officials who enacted a drama hurting religious feelings of devotees which led to disruption of temple rituals.

The days events also took a communal turn over Fathimas faith. K Surendran, general secretary of the BJPs Kerala unit asked the Muslim community to desist from such moves.

It is a move against Hindus, said Surendran. He also put Sreejith in his line of fire.

How was a woman was given police uniform? It is a violation of the Police Act. The government should take action IGP Sreejith for enacting a dirty drama, Surendran said.

Earlier, Kavitha and Fathima started their journey at 6.50 am amid heavy rain under police protection from Pambha, the base of the hilltop temple, police said.

The highest court has given the green signal. My trip is to uphold womens rights she said.

But for Kaviitha and Fathima, Sabarimala remained a temple too far.
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday held a series of bilateral meetings with her counterparts from ASEAN nations and US defence secretary James Mattis on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers Meet here.

Defence ministers from ASEAN countries and that of Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US have gathered in Singapore for the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and the 5th ADMM-Plus, which is being hosted by Singapore.

The ADMM and ADMM-Plus serves as key Ministerial-level platforms in the regional security architecture, promoting strategic dialogue and practical cooperation between ASEAN and its partners.

Smt @nsitharaman in a bilateral meeting with #SecDef James Mattis, United States Secretary of Defense on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers Meet (Plus) in Singapore, the defence minister tweeted.

Sitharaman also met her Malaysian counterpart Mohamad bin Sabu, Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne, Philippines Secretary of National Defence Delfin Lorenzana and Vietnam Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich during her fast-paced day-long meetings.

She will also hold a bilateral meeting with her Singapore counterpart Dr Ng Eng Hen.

According to sources, India and Singapore will extend their already comprehensive bilateral defence collaboration.

A new agreement is likely to be signed for the Army-to-Army collaboration as well as bilateral hosting of logistics and furthering supports for exchange visits by of naval vessels of the two countries, the sources said.

Both the countries conduct regular exercises involving the armed forces, navies and air forces.

India and Singapore will also be celebrating 25 years of SINBEX, an annual exercise with a two-week naval exercise programme in the Bay of Bengal in the coming weeks.

Sitharaman arrived here Thursday and will return home on Sunday.
Amid high drama, two women  a journalist and an activist  were forced to return from within 500 metres of the Sabarimala temple Friday after its chief priest threatened to shut it down if they entered the shrine dedicated to Lord Ayyappa. (Follow live updates here)

Prayer services in the temple were disrupted for the first time with priests boycotting rituals in protest.

It is a most painful day. I told everyone if women enter the holy steps. I will close temple and I will go back to my house. I am with devotees. I cant be a part to violation of temple rituals, Tantri (chief priest) Rajeevaru Kandarau told HT. There are 18 steps that lead to the temples sanctum sanctorum.

After the threat of temple closure, police said the two women would be escorted back.

We have told the female devotees about the situation, they will now be going back. So we are pulling pack. They have decided to return, inspector general of police S Sreejith

I have been forced to go back, said Rehana Fathima, one of the two women.

This is the second successive day that women were denied entry into the temple despite Supreme Court order after two other women including New York Times reporter Suhasini Raj were stopped on Thursday.

As the situation turned grave with devotees and police locked in a tense standoff outside the temple at Sabarimala, protests also erupted in Kochi and Calicut.

The two women  Kavitha Jakkal of Hyderabad based Mojo TV and Rehana Fatima  were stopped a short distance away from the Sabarimala temple. The government had earlier insisted that it would do all that is needed to ensure that women are allowed to offer prayers in line with a Supreme Court order.

The government tried to allay fears of a crackdown against devotees opposing the entry of women saying it would not use force.

Temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran also said devotees wont be forcibly evicted and told the police to avert a showdown.

Police will not create any issue in Sabarimala and we dont want a confrontation with you devotees. We are only following the law. I will be discussing with the higher authorities and brief them on the situation, ANI quoted IGP Sreejith telling devotees.

Police had landed in a quandary after activist Rehana Fathima refused to budge. She insisted that she undertook a 41-day fast and wanted to enter Sabarimala after the Supreme Court verdict of September 28 allowing women of all ages to enter the temple.

Surendran pulled up the police for allowing Fathima to head for the temple which he said was a lapse.

People of all ages will be allowed to go there. But at the same time we wont allow it to be a place where activists can come and showcase their power. It cant be a place where they prove certain points of theirs, Surendran said according to ANI.

Tension soared in the morning with the erstwhile royal family of Pandalam, who are the custodians of the Sabarimala temple, asking the Tantri to close the doors of the shrine as two women headed for the temple under police protection. Protesters squatted on the path leading to the hilltop temple.

The opposition Congress said the government was playing with fire. The government is giving enough fuel to the Sangh Parivar, said opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. It is committed to protect interest of devotees.

The state unit of the BJP which is backing the devotees also waded into the imbroglio, seeking action against police officials who enacted a drama hurting religious feelings of devotees which led to disruption of temple rituals.

By noon, the days event took a communal turn over Fathimas faith. K Surendran, general secretary of the BJPs Kerala unit asked the Muslim community to desist from such moves.

It is a move against Hindus, said Surendran.

He also demanded action against the IGP after one of the two women was seen in police riot gear.

How was a woman was given police uniform? It is a violation of the Police Act. The government should take action IGP Sreejith for enacting a dirty drama, Surendran said.

Earlier, Kavitha and Fathima started their journey at 6.50 am amid heavy rain under police protection from Pambha, the base of the hilltop temple, police said.

The highest court has given the green signal. My trip is to uphold womens rights she said.

But for Kaviitha and Fathima, Sabarimala remained a temple too far.
With the weight of UN ambassadorship nearly off her shoulders, Nikki Haley seems ready to speak her mind and have some laughs.

She poked fun at herself, her Indian roots and her boss, President Donald Trump, at a New York annual dinner on Thursday, at which chief guests are expected to skewer themselves and others. So she did, taking aim at Trumps last UN speech and his controversial immigration policy.

On a serious note, Haley delivered a sharp rebuke of Trumps divisive politics, saying opponents are not evil.

Setting up her speech, she said many people called to advise her on what she should say. One common suggestion was: Do not, under any circumstances, make any jokes about the president.

Haley, who recently announced she will leave her post at the end of the year, proceeded to do just that.

The president called me this morning and gave some really good advice. If I get stuck for laughs just brag about his accomplishments, Haley said, to laughs.

It really killed at the UN, Ive got to tell you, she continued, and added, with a chuckle, There has been some debate whether the UN laughed with the president or at the president.

The UN General Assembly had burst into laughter  some said mockingly  when Trump began his speech by claiming his administration was the most successful in US history. Trump, who has shown he cannot take a joke at his expense, insisted later world leaders had laughed with him.

Haley continued, with Trump still in her cross-hairs. In an obvious jab at Trumps crackdown on legal and illegal immigration and forced separation of families and deportations, she brought up her Indian roots. Her parents, she said, are immigrants from India  legal immigrants, she stressed.

But she keeps them at an undisclosed location, adding just in case. She let the audience fill in the blanks by drawing from images they have seen of families and children from the southern border.

Haley used her Indian heritage for a few more laughs, but mostly taking aim at others, including Trump: When the president found out I was Indian, he asked me if I belonged to same tribe as Elizabeth Warren.

Warren, a Democratic senator expected to run for the White House in 2020, has claimed Native American ancestry and recently cited a DNA test report in support though it was widely scorned for the remote possibility it indicated  at least one Native American ancestor six to 10 generations ago.

Haley went after Warren too. She said organisers of the event  Al Smith foundation dinner  had wanted to invite an Indian this year, and were forced to go with Haley because Warren failed the DNA test.

And then a serious note of difference. In our toxic political environment, Ive heard some people in both parties describe their opponents as enemies or evil, Haley said. But its been Trump who has used that word and defended it.

In America, our political opponents are not evil. In South Sudan, where rape is routinely used as a weapon of war, that is evil. In Syria, where the dictator uses chemical weapons to murder innocent children, that is evil. In North Korea, where American student Otto Warmbier was tortured to death, that was evil.
Prayer services in the Sabarimala temple were disrupted for first time in the recent past on Friday with priests boycotting rituals in protest that eventually forced two women  a journalist and an activist  to give up their attempt to enter the temple after they reached within 500 metres of it.

It is a most painful day. I told everyone if women enter the holy steps. I will close temple and I will go back to my house. I am with devotees. I cant be a part to violation of temple rituals, Tantri Rajeevaru Kandarau told HT. There are 18 steps that lead to the temples sanctum sanctorum.

After the threat of temple closure, police said the two women would be escorted back.

I have been forced to go back, said Rehana Fathima, an activist and one of the two women.

As the situation turned grave with devotees and police locked in a tense standoff, protests also erupted in Kochi and Calicut.

In the state capital, police chief Loknath Behra met Governor Palanisamy Sathasivam in the Raj Bhawan. Chief minister Pinyari Vijayan is currently out of the country on a tour of West Asia.

For now, Sabarimala remains off limits for women.

Kavitha Jakkal of Hyderabad based Mojo TV and Rehana Fathima were on Friday stopped a short distance away from the Sabarimala temple while the government tried to allay fears of a crackdown saying it would not use force. The government had earlier insisted that it would do all that is needed to ensure that women are allowed to offer prayers in line with a Supreme Court order.

Temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran also said devotees wont be forcibly evicted and told the police to avert a showdown.

Police will not create any issue in Sabarimala and we dont want a confrontation with devotees. We are only following the law. I will be discussing with the higher authorities and brief them on the situation, ANI quoted inspector general of police S Sreejith telling devotees at the foot of the steps leading to the main temple.

Police had landed in a quandary after activist Rehana Fathima refused to budge. She insisted that she undertook a 41-day fast and wanted to enter Sabarimala.

Surendran pulled up the police for allowing Fathima to head for the temple which he said was a lapse.

Activists came, not devotees .... Police should have checked antecedents of women before escorting them, Surendran said.

Tension rose sharply in the morning with the erstwhile royal family of Pandalam, who are the custodians of the Sabarimala temple, asking the Tantri to close the doors of the shrine as two women headed for the temple under police protection. Protesters squatted on the path leading to the hilltop temple.

The opposition Congress said the government was playing with fire. The government is giving enough fuel to the Sangh Parivar, said opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala. It is committed to protect interest of devotees.

The state unit of the BJP which is backing the devotees has sought action against police officials who enacted a drama hurting religious feelings of devotees which led to disruption of temple rituals.

On the ground, the police have maintained utmost restraint against the devotees who insist that women should not be allowed into the temple.

Earlier, Kavitha and Fathima started their journey at 6.50 am in heavy rain under police protection from Pambha, the base of the hilltop temple, police said.

Police threw a ring around the two women with Sreejith leading the group after the journalist asked for protection to enable her to visit the temple.

The highest court has given the green signal. My trip is to uphold women rights she said. On September 28, the Supreme Court had ruled that the ban on women visiting the Sabarimala temple was unconstitutional and permitted women of all age groups to enter the shrine.

Around 8 am, protesters who began to assemble near the temple, laid down on the ground and dared the police to walk over their bodies. A large number of devotees assembled at the base of the 18 holy steps that are considered sacrosanct as far as Sabarimala pilgrimage is concerned.

On Thursday, two other women had tried to enter unsuccessfully  NYT reporter Suhasini Raj and a woman from Andhra Pradesh named Madhavi.
Section 144 extended till October 22

Section 144 has been extended till October 22. The prohibition has been imposed in two more areas, Plapally and Laha. On October 18, Section 144 was declared in four places including Pamba, Sannidhanam.

Police want extension of Section 144

Police ask Pathnamthitta district collector to extend Section 144, which was initially declared for three days. They want the prohibition to be extended as the situation is getting grave.

Congress, BJP decry Kerala CMs absence from the state

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan is on three day visit to UAE to collect money for relief after floods. Both Congress and BJP have decried his absence.

Protesting devotees detained by police in Pamba

Police detain protesting devotees in Pamba.

#Kerala: Police in Pamba detain Lord Ayyapaa devotees protesting against entry of women of all ages in #SabarimalaTemple pic.twitter.com/0ySJjh1nmr  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Temple board to file affidavit in SC detailing Sabarimala situation

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) meeting is over. It decided to file an affidavit in Supreme Court citing the grave situation prevailing at the temple, says TDB president A Padmakumar.

We are not there to play politics. We are committed to protect believers, he says.

It is not a review petition but will detail facts and current situation at Sabarimala.

The board will also submit a report in high court, he says, adding the situation is really grave.

Centres advisory to 3 southern states

Centre has asked the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security in view of the continuing protests.

All necessary precautionary measures may be taken to maintain law and order and appropriate security arrangements may be made to prevent any untoward incident, the advisory, sent by the internal security division of the home ministry, said.

The advisory said appropriate prohibitory orders be issued and a close watch may be kept on dissemination of adverse information through social media and internet services, to ensure that no breach of law and order takes place.

Devotees being misled by BJP and Congress: CPI(M)

We are not against believers. They are being misled by BJP and Congress. We dont want Sabarimala to become a battle ground, says CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.

Sangh parivar outfits trying to foment trouble. They even trying to communalise police and target officials carrying out their duty, he says.

Party will organise family meets and house to house campaign to make people aware of ground situation, says Balakrishnan.

In name of devotees, other elements causing discord

CPM leader Sitaram Yeschury says efforts are being made to disrupt social harmony. In the name of harmony, other elements are causing discord, he adds. Those disturbing law and order will be dealt with, says Yechury.

Kerala govt doing its job, says CPM

CPI (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury defends the Left-led government in Kerala by saying it is doing its job. He further says there is a duplicity in the BJP which supported the Supreme Court verdict and the devotees.

Travancore Devaswom Board calls for meeting at 3pm

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has called for a meeting at 3pm to discuss the ongoing row over allowing women into the Sabarimala temple. TDB president A Padmakumar says hes open to a discussion.

Activist Fathima says devotees didnt disrupt peace, people did

People, not devotees, who want to disrupt peace didnt allow us to enter. I want to know what was the reason. Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee. You tell me that and then I will tell you if Im a devotee or not, activist Rahana Fathima says after climbing down. After Fathima was identified, two bike-borne men reportedly attacked her house. I dont know what happened to my children. My life is also in danger. But they (police) have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back (home), she adds.

What Kerala police are doing is wrong

Sabarimala is not a tourist spot, only devotees go there. Right now what Kerala police is doing is wrong. Had there been our government, we wouldve handled the situation better. We wouldve talked to devotees, there wouldve been no violence, says Congress leader R Chennithala.

People of all religions going to Sabarimala, says Congress

The Congress launches a strong attack over Sabarimala row. We met the Governor and explained to him the current situation. Not only Hindus but people from all religions are going there. Everyone is worried. The woman activist (Rehana Fatima) was given a police uniform. It was wrong, says leader Ramesh Chennithala

Congress seeks action against police

The Congress party sought action against Inspector general of police S Sreejith for hurting sentiments of devotees by allowing women till the Patthinettam padi, the 18 holy steps that lead to the temple. Of the two women, one was an activist, Rahana Fathima.

Both women reach base camp in Pambha

Both women, journalist Kavitha Jakkal and activist Rehana Fathima, have returned to base camp in Pambha. They will be escorted to their destinations with police protection.

Ritualistic disaster, says top cop

Inspector General of Police S Sreejith, who accompanied the two women up to the Pathinettam padi, calls the attempt a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to temple and gave them protection but darshan is something which can be done (only) with consent of priest. We will give them (women) whatever protection they want, he tells news agency ANI.

One more woman comes forward to trek to temple

A 46-year-old approaches police about trekking up to Sabarimala temple. Police warn her they cant provide protection. The woman, identified as Mary Sweety, is taken to the control room.

BJP attacks govt, police

BJP general secretary K Surendran criticises government for the row at Sabarimala. Says the issue has taken a communal turn due to activist Rahana Fathimas actions. It is a move against Hindus... Who enacted this drama? Government or police, he further questions.

Women begin climb down, priests call off protest

The woman journalist and activist head back down the hill after police talk to priests and devotees.

Police say women wont enter temple, to go back

Inspector general announces that women will be taken back amid protection. The announcement comes after head priest Tantri Rajeevaru Kandarau threatened to close the temple and quit.

Ready to dump position, says Tantri

I cant withstand such a moment. I have already taken decision... I respect Supreme Court verdict but I am with devotees. No ill will against anyone. I am helpless. I am ready to dump my position, says Tantri Rajeevaru Kandarau. He also asks devotees to exercise utmost restraint.

Head priest says he will shut temple if women enter

Temple head priest, Tantri Rajeevaru Kandarau calls today a most painful day. I told everyone if women enter holy steps, I will close the temple and I will go back to my house. I am with devotees. I cant be a part of violation of temple rituals, he says. Religious rituals have been disrupted for an hour.

Temple minister admits lapse

Temple minister Kadakampally Surendran admits lapse over activist being allowed. Had earlier said temple is not a place for activists.

Governor summons DGP over Sabarimala standoff

Director General of Police summoned by Governor Sathasivam.

Protests erupting in other parts of the state

As the standoff continues at the foot of the Pathinettam padi  the 18 steps that lead to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple  protests are erupting in Calicut and Kochi.

Temple priests join protests

Priests stage dharna, affecting temple rituals for the first time. Temple priests have so far never disrupted the temples routine, even carrying on during floods. The two women are 500 m away from the sanctum sanctorum, about a 10 minute walk to the shrine.

Opposition hits out at Kerala govt

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala criticises government, says it is playing with fire.

Temple minister criticises police

Police should have checked antecedents of the women before escorting them, says temple minister Kadakampally Surendran.

Activist Rehana Fathima refuses to leave

As police attempt to negotiate the womens entry to the temple, activist Rehana Fathima refuses to turn back. She says she undertook the 41 day fast devotees usually do and wants to enter the Sabarimala temple.

House of one of the women attacked

One of the women attempting to enter the temple has been identified as Rehana Fathima, an activist involved in several movements including the Kiss of Love campaign. Two bike-borne people attacked her house in Kochi, police sources said.

Speculation over whether women will turn back

As impasse continues, it appears police might have to take the women back without entering the temple. This is the closest any menstrual women has reached the hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa.

BJP leader arrested in Nilakkal

BJP leader Shohba Surendran arrested in Nilakkal for defying section 144, which prohibits assembly of more than five people in a public place.

Temple affairs minister says temple not a place for activists

Temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran says temple is not a place for activists.

Standoff between police and protesters continue

Protesters continue to block womens path to the holy steps of the temple that lead to the sanctum sanctorum. The 18 holy steps mark the final leg of the pilgrimage to the Sabarimala temple.

Devotees chant hymns as they hold a sit-in dharna

Hundreds of devotees, including children, have sat down in the space leading to the temples holy steps. They are chanting Lord Ayyappas name and hymns.

Kerala govt tells police to ensure no use of force

Government directs inspector general to ensure no police action or use of force. The two women are waiting at the base of temple.

Women stop approach 500m from temple

The women have reached the Nada Panthal, the point where from the holy steps lead up to the shrine.

Police attempt to reason with devotees blocking path

Inspector general of police S Sreejith talks to protesting mob blocking their path. Says police are duty-bound to enforce law. We are not here to hurt your sentiments, says the Sreejith. Protestors not ready to move.

The police and devotees are in stand-off at the Nada Panthal, the last pit-stop before the main entry to the temple. ( ANI/Twitter )

Devotees slowly turning violent

People are beginning to violently protest. The Pandalam family ask the temple head priest, called the tantri, to close the temple doors as the women get closer.

Police warn of stampede

Situation gets very tense in Sabarimala as any violent outbreak poses danger to everyone. The trekking path to the temple has deep gorges. Trying to push protestors out of the way could cause many casualties both among devotees and police personnel.

Second woman also making the climb

Police are escorting a second woman trekking up the mountain. Neither of the womens identity has been revealed to ensure their safety.

Woman crosses three-fourth of the distance

The journalist has come the closest to the temple than any woman of menstrual age so far. However, situation has become tense as devotees attempt to clock their path. Children among the devotees. Police warn of a stampede.

Path to temple clearer after police move protesters

Police moved devotees camping at the hilltop over the night to ensure security. Devotees on Thursday had lay on the ground in front of another woman making the trek to block her from climbing the hill.

Journalist crosses first mountain range

The woman journalist has crossed Neeli Mala, the first mountain range. She has two more steep ranges to cross. The situation has remained peaceful so far.

Journalist in police uniform, 150 cops form guard

The woman journalist has so far trekked 5 kms. Reports say she is in a police uniform and riot gear to camouflage her. She is accompanied by around 150 policemen who have formed a three-ring protection.

Woman journalist treks to Sabarimala temple

A woman journalist from Andhra treks to Sabarimala temple under police protection. The trek to the temple is a 5-kilometre stretch.
I photographed a few frames of Nimika Thapa in Washington Square Park a few weeks ago, and followed through with her on Instagram as to wh...
On day three of the reopening of Sabarimala temple after the Supreme Court order allowing menstruating women to enter the shrine, three women kept the police and the administration on tenterhooks on Friday.

Two of them  controversial activist Rehana Fathima and journalist Kavitha Jakkal  managed to reach within 50 metres of the temple and the third woman Mary Sweety was stopped at Pamba, the entry point 5 kms away.

It was around 6:45am when Rehana and Kavitha, accompanied by more than 100 policemen led by Inspector General of Police S Sreejith, started their two-hour climb. Twenty led them from the front while around 80 officers backed them; the entourage managed to reach right up to the Patthinettam padi  the 18 golden steps that lead up to the sanctum sanctorum.

At this point, police and protesters got in a standoff over letting the woman continue forward. Almost two hours later, Rehana and Kavitha were forced to back off as devotees and priests refused to comply with the Supreme Court order.

Rehana, 31, hit the headlines some time ago when she posed bare-breasted with watermelons to register her protest against the sexist and derogatory remarks against women by a professor in Kozhikode. She was also associated with the Kiss of Love movement, a non-violent protest against moral policing. According to news agency PTI, she works with the BSNL in Kochi.

Rehana claimed she had observed the 41 day-fast Ayyappa devotees usually do before undertaking the pilgrimage.

After she tried to enter the Sabarimala temple, her house in Kochi was vandalised by two unidentified people.

Kavitha Jakkal, in full riot gear, accompanied Rehana during the trek but also retreated as priests threatened to close the temple. She works for the Hyderabad-based Mojo TV and is 24-years-old, TV reports said.

On her way back, Kavitha told reporters that she is very proud for attempting to go to Sabarimala temple.

Sweety, 46, from Kazhakoottam near Thiruvananthapuram, was turned away within minutes of Rehana and Kavitha beginning their trek back. She said she did not seek any police protection to complete the temple visit.

I go to church, mosques and temples. And I want to see Lord Ayyappa, she told reporters. Police however escorted her to the control room where they reportedly told her they couldnt provide protection for her trek up to the temple.

Sweety claimed she was mediaperson based in the Gulf.
Two women were 50 metres away from history early on Wednesday, reaching near the 18 steps that lead to the sanctum sanctorum of Keralas Sabarimala temple even as thousands of protesters stood guard to stop them from entering the hilltop shrine. In the end, the women had to return  like many others over the past three days  after the temples main priest said he would stop the rituals and close the gates if they did not turn back.

Kavitha Jakkal, a journalist from Hyderabad, and activist Rehana Fatima, whose house in Kochi was allegedly attacked later in the day, retreated amid a strong police escort, pacifying protesters and priests who came out of the shrine and blocked their way.

A third woman, identified as Mary Sweety from Thiruvananthapuram, too, was turned away by protesters who say female devotees of menstruating age cannot enter the shrine because the presiding deity, Lord Ayyappa, is celibate.

We have told women devotees about the situation and they decided to go back, said inspector general of police S Sreejith, who was escorting the two women to the shrine along with his team.

Tension hung in the air for the third straight day after the temple opened its gates for the first time following the Supreme Courts September 28 order that allowed women of all ages to enter the shrine. Even after the women halted, protesters shouted slogans, rolled on the ground, and asked journalists to go back. It is a most painful day. If women enter the holy steps, I will close the temple and go back to my house. I am with devotees. I cant be a part to violation of rituals, tantri (chief priest) Rajeevaru Kandarau said, adding that he was not against the top courts order but cant hurt the sentiments of believers.

As protests spilled over to other parts, including Kochi, Pandalam and Palakkad, the Centre asked the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security. In an advisory issued this week, the home ministry also asked the three states to closely monitor the dissemination of various adverse messages through social media and the internet services.

The Congress party and the BJP, who have supported the protesters, hit out at chief minister Pinarayi Vijayans Left government, which says it is committed to implementing the court order and will not let anyone disrupt law and order. The government wants to convert Sabarimala into a battleground. It is out to hurt sentiments of devotees, said Congresss Ramesh Chennithala, asking why the police gave protection to an activist on the way to the shrine.

Fatima, a 31-year-old who was associated with a Kiss of Love movement to protest moral policing, said, I am a devotee. I took a 41-day penance before trekking to the temple.

Temple affairs minister Kadakampally Surendran assured that devotees wont be forcibly evicted, and told police to avert a showdown. He also pulled up the police for allowing activists proceed towards the temple. People of all ages will be allowed to go there. But at the same time we wont allow it to be a place where activists can come and showcase their power. It cant be a place where they prove certain points of theirs, he said.

State secretary of the ruling Communist Party of India (Maoist) Kodiyeri Balakrishnan accused both the Congress and the BJP of misleading devotees, stressing his party was not against Lord Ayyappa devotees.

Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which is responsible for the administration of the shrine, said it decided to send a status report to the Supreme Court. Situation is really grave. We will inform the court about this and seek its advice how to go about it, said its president, A Padmakumar. He clarified that it will not be a review petition but a status report. Padmakumar also said a similar report will be filed in the high court.
A day after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray avoided any direct criticism of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and any reference to alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), there is no clarity if the party will participate in the cabinet expansion this month. Senior Sena leaders said they are wary of participating in the expansion, as it could signal that it is going after power, while it is attacking the BJP over various issues.

Earlier this week, Fadnavis announced in Solapur that the expansion of his cabinet will happen soon, but BJP leaders said it is expected to be done before the end of the month.

The issue of accepting more cabinet berths could be a tricky one for Thackeray, as there are many disgruntled party MLAs, who have demanded a reshuffle of Sena ministers. Itll be a tightrope walk for Thackeray to balance partys demands and the course of action keeping the 2019 polls in mind. They [BJP] have not sought any names from Uddhavji for expansion. We will wait and see if there is any cabinet expansion. So far, we have not even started drawing up a list, said a Sena leader, requesting anonymity.

Another senior party leader said they could avoid participating in the expansion exercise with the BJP and do it after some time. We have been taking an anti-BJP stand all along. It would not be correct to be engaged in an exercise with them to get more cabinet berths. However, the leadership will take a final call soon, the leader added.

Thackeray in his partys Dussehra rally on Thursday devoted a majority of the time to project the Sena as the flag-bearer of Hindutva and to slam the BJP for forgetting its poll promise to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Although Thackeray attacked the Maharashtra government over its delay in declaring drought in the state, he steered clear of making any reference to Sena-BJP alliance or taking on Fadnavis.

According to a Sena functionary, a few party legislators from rural Maharashtra have met Thackeray to lobby for cabinet berths. Earlier, Sena MLAs had asked Thackeray to replace non-performing Sena ministers. Out of the five cabinet ministers, four are MLCs. There is a growing demand within the party to give the partys MLAs a cabinet berth. A few MLAs have met Uddhavji; some even from Marathwada region have demanded cabinet berths. But Uddhavji has taken no decision so far, he said.
The Bombay high court on Friday asked the Pune police not to take coercive action against activists Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde till October 26, when it will next hear the case. The courts directions came a day after the two activists filed petitions to quash the first information report (FIR) and criminal proceedings initiated against them after the violence at Bhima-Koregaon in January this year.

The proceedings against Teltumbde were initiated after the police claimed to have found documents during a raid at his house after the Bhima-Koregaon violence on January 2, 2018, which they said established his links with Maoists. The FIR against Navlakha accuses him of instigating violence at Bhima-Koregaon with his speech at the Elgar Parishad on December 31.Navlakhas plea sought to quash the FIR on grounds that he was implicated in the case. Both petitions claimed the police did not have any evidence against them.

The division bench of justice Ranjit More and justice Bharati Dangre, heard the petition on Friday. After additional public prosecutor, Aruna Kamat-Pai, told the court that the Supreme Court had protected Navlakha from being arrested till October 26, the bench said it would hear both petitions on that day. Until then, it restrained the Pune police from taking any action against either Navlakha or Teltumbde.
The bodies of a 21-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were found in a rented apartment in Block 24 of Omicron 3 society of Greater Noida on Thursday morning. Police said both bodies were hanging from a single ceiling fan in the apartment, raising suspicions of foul play.

The dead were identified as Gaurav Dhama, 21, and his friend 24-year-old Preeti Chipyana. While Dhama was a native of Pawla village in Baghpat district, Preeti was married to Pradeep and lived in Sunpura village under Ecotech 3 area of Greater Noida. The couple has two children.

Dhama had moved to Greater Noida about two months ago after completing his BCom from a private college in Baghpat. Dhama had got married to a woman named Chanchal (single name) in July 13, but the couple got divorced on October 15, police said.

Police said Preeti went missing on October 16 and, the same day, Dhama was allegedly active on social media, possibly for the last time. Photographs of his wedding with Chanchal, which took place at an Arya Samaj temple in Ghaziabad, were uploaded on Facebook around 3pm. One of the photographs was that of the marriage certificate, which shows the date of the wedding as July 13, 2018.

On October 16, Gaurav posted pictures of himself and Chanchal on Facebook along with their marriage certificate. We contacted him immediately as we did not know who Chanchal was but his phone was switched off. Then, around 6pm Wednesday, we were told by Dhamas neighbour that he had found Dhamas body and that of a woman in the flat. We asked him to inform the police but he refused to do it. We reached the flat by 2am and called the police. We thought the woman would be Chanchal but it turned out to be someone else, Jogender Dhama, Gauravs father, said.

Police, quoting the neighbour, a distant relative of Dhama, said he had gone to Dhamas flat to borrow a spare gas cylinder.

My husband wanted a spare cylinder and he went to Gauravs flat. However, after knocking for a few minutes, when there was no response, he peeped into the house from the balcony and saw something suspicious. He then broke into the house with the help of neighbours and found the bodies, the wife of neighbour, who doesnt wish to be named, said.

Prima facie, it is difficult to say whether it was a suicide or murder. The autopsy reports are awaited and no case has been lodged as yet, Munish Chauhan, station house officer, Surajpur police station, said.

Police said Preetis parents-in-law had lodged missing person complaint on October 17 at the Ecotech 3 police station saying she had gone missing on October 16.

Preeti had left home to pickup her children from school but she never reached there nor returned home. After waiting the entire day, we lodged a missing person complaint Wednesday morning. On Thursday, we got to know that she was found dead, a relative of Preetis, who did not wish to be named, said.

Chanchal stayed with Gaurav for two months in his Greater Noida flat and later, due to some differences, the couple got divorced on October 15. She came to her parents house almost a month ago, SHO Chauhan said.
US president Donald Trump has said it looks like Saudi Arabias missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and warned of very severe consequences if the kingdom is responsible.

Trumps remarks came after he was briefed on the investigation by secretary of state Mike Pompeo who returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Khashoggi, 60, who has not been seen since entering Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul earlier this month, is feared to have been killed inside the mission. The incident has resulted in a global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for The Washington Post.

It certainly looks that way to me. Its very sad. Certainly, looks that way, Trump told reporters at Joint Air Force base Andrews before boarding Air Force One on his way to Montana for a campaign rally.

This is the first time that the US has officially acknowledged about Khashoggis death, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Turkish investigators have told local media and also the US media that Khashoggi was brutally killed inside the consulate on October 2.

Well, itll have to be very severe. I mean, its bad, bad stuff. But well see what happens, Trump told reporters when asked what would be the consequences of such an unfortunate incident.

The Presidents remarks came hours after he had a detailed meeting with Pompeo, who a night earlier arrived from his trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, where he talked to them about the missing journalist.

We are waiting for some investigations, and waiting for the results. We will have them very soon, and I think well be making a statement, a very strong statement. But were waiting for the results of about three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon, Trump said.

Trump so far has resisted the call for strong action against Saudi Arabia.

During his meeting with Trump, Pompeo advised that Saudi Arabia be given some more time to complete investigation.

Weve made clear to them that we take this matter with respect to Mr Khashoggi very seriously. Theyve made clear to me they, too, understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi, Pompeo said.

They also assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion, and that this report itself will be transparent for everyone to see, to ask questions about, and to inquire with respect to its thoroughness, he said.

And I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that. At which point we can make decisions about how or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr Khashoggi, said the top American diplomat.

Meanwhile several lawmakers led by Congressman Jim McGovern introduced a legislation in the House to prohibit all US arms sales to Saudi Arabia until Secretary of State determines that the Saudi regime is not responsible for the disappearance or death of Khashoggi.

If the Saudi government is found to be culpable in Khashoggis disappearance, the legislation prohibits all US military aid and sales to Saudi Arabia until Congress passes a resolution approving such sales.

House Democratic Whip Steny H Hoyer said the reported death of Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi officials is appalling, as is the Trump Administrations failure to hold the government of Saudi Arabia accountable for its actions.

Given the reports surrounding Mr Khashoggis disappearance, Americas relationship with Saudi Arabia ought to be carefully scrutinised, as should any possible sale of US weapons to Saudi Arabia, he said.

If the President refuses to stand up to Saudi Arabia, it is incumbent upon Congress to take a stand to not only defend US values, but to send a strong signal of support to journalists and democracy activists everywhere, Hoyer added.

In a related development, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders on Thursday urged Turkey to urgently ask UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres to establish a UN investigation into the possible extrajudicial execution of Khashoggi.
The United Arab Emirates warned Friday that the growing controversy over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi should not be exploited to destabilise Saudi Arabia.

The UAE state minister for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted that Abu Dhabi was firmly opposed to politicisation (of the case) and efforts to destabilise Saudi Arabia, its close ally.
The US on Thursday said it will give Saudi Arabia a few more days to wrap up its probe into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi but announced its top treasury official will skip a global economic summit billed as Davos in the Desert.

I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia, treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin tweeted, referring to the meet. He joined a large number of prospective attendees who have dropped out over Khashoggis disappearance.

The summit is an initiative of Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, who is at the centre of the international controversy surrounding Khashoggi, a strident critic of the prince, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Khashoggi had lived in the US in self-imposed exile since 2017 and the Trump administration is under mounting pressure, including from Republican lawmakers, to hold the Saudi government, an ally and major buyer of American defence equipment, to account.

He was tortured and killed soon after arriving at the consulate, Turkish media reported, based on leaks from the government. The reports alleged his body was dismembered and the killing was carried out by a team of 15 men who arrived the same day from Saudi Arabia, and left soon after.

President Donald Trump is reluctant to call out the Saudis and has cited their denials and said he doesnt want to jeopardise the sale of military equipment worth over $1 billion. But coming under pressure, he sent secretary of state Mike Pompeo to Saudi Arabia and Turkey to ascertain facts.

I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so we can get a complete understanding the facts surrounding that, Pompeo told reporters after meeting Trump, before we can make a decision about how the US should respond.

Pompeo met Saudi King Salman and the crown prince in Riyadh before going to Turkey, where he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Asked what could have happened to Khashoggi, he said, There are lots of stories out there about what happened, and Im going to allow the process to move forward and allow the facts to unfold, and...we will make a determination for ourselves about what happened there, based on the facts that are presented.

There is a perception here among critics of the Trump administration that US officials are working with the Saudis to give them time to come up with a cover story.
The Annual Jamaican Product Exchange (JAPEX) was held this year at the Montego Bay Convention Centre, Sept 23  25.





Among the hundreds of delegates on the JAPEX trade floor was the Canna Culture Travel booth.

Tobi King of Canna Culture Travel described it as "a new type of company. We are a local DMC (destination management company) and we specialise in legal cannabis experiences in Jamaica.

She explained, though, saying, "People are under the impression that it (cannabis) is legal here and it is not, it is only legal for medical use at this point, getting the card is very simple.

On April 15, 2015, amendments were made to the Dangerous Drugs Act in Jamaica, and the amended Act now provides an avenue for visitors to Jamaica to apply for an exemption for medical marijuana. They may apply for a permit to allow them to lawfully purchase and possess up to 2 ounces of ganja at a time, for medical or therapeutic purposes.

To obtain this permit, visitors will need to produce evidence that their use of ganja has been recommended or prescribed by a licensed medical practitioner in the country where they live.

Canna Culture has therefore utilised this to promote a legal cannabis experience in Jamaica. The company offers a 420 Airport Transfer.

"When you arrive (at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay) you are greeted with a box that gives you everything you need for a 420 vacation and then we take you to a dispensary, it takes you 10 minutes to get your license and then you can purchase, King said.

Included in the box are a lighter, ashtray and grinder. No marijuana is provided inside the box.

In order to legally purchase marijuana, persons have to go to one of the three dispensaries currently operating on the island, one such dispensary being the Island Strains Herb House, which opened on August 5.

On sale are various strains of marijuana, including pre-rolled ones, but before any transaction could be facilitated, a nurse has to ensure all customers can be recommended for medical marijuana.

"We recognise that people travel to fulfil their passions and our job is to build products around those passion points, Jamaicas Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett is reported as saying during his address at the JAPEX media breakfast.

Bartlett said Jamaica has been reaping the benefits from tourism, and while he admitted it was too early to determine the increase attributable to medicinal marijuana use, he felt confident that a marijuana-infused experience will "add value to what is already a very powerful array of experiences in Jamaica. (Source: Caribbean 360)
(Left to right) Margie Gater from the League of Women Voters moderates a forum for GCSD board candidates Barbara Dye, Nancy Reed Marsh, David Seaton and Eric Suchomel. The discussion was followed by a forum for the MWSD board of directors. Alex Orlando / Review




The main opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) is urging nationals resident in New York, to join hands with it in making the country a better place for all.





In a well-attended town hall meeting in Brooklyn, Sunday, Oct. 14, four leading NDP members and candidates for the next general elections  Opposition Leader and NDP President Dr. Godwin Friday, Vice President St. Clair "Major Leacock, and Senator Kay Bacchus-Baptiste and Israel Bruce  appealed to their compatriots to join in their bid to replace the Government of Prime Minister Dr. Ralph E. Gonsalves.





They charged in speeches  punctuated with performances by Vincentian calypsonians, such as Bob MC, Patches Knight, I-Mad, Fabulous T and De Man Age  that the country has gone astray under the Gonsalves-led incumbent Unity Labour Party (ULP), accusing it of widespread corruption, lack of economic ideas, and being unable to address the spiraling crime wave, among other things.





"We are joining hands together for our country, in common cause against crime, poverty and economic hardship, political division and social strife in our homeland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, said Friday in his address, speaking on the theme One Nation, One People, One SVG (St. Vincent and the Grenadines).

"We can only succeed as a people by believing together, and, even when we have differences, by genuinely working together, continued Friday, parliamentary representative for the Northern Grenadines. "For too long, Vincentians at home and abroad have been pulled apart by the politics of pull-down and hate. The divide-and-conquer politics practised by those now in power in SVG can only lead to chaos and hardship.





"Today, to get ahead in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, it matters which party card you hold and the color of the shirt you wear  specifically that they are ULP and red. It should not be that way; it does not have to be that way. Truly, that is not our way  not the Vincentian way.





Friday, therefore, urged nationals to "embrace a better way.. to look out for one another.





The Economy





Regarding the general economic situation in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Friday pointed an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report last December that said that the economic growth in the country has been stagnant since 2009  at an annual average of 0.2 percent up to 2016, "and the future does not look much brighter.

He said, according to the IMF figures, that the overall unemployment rate stands at 25 percent, worse than it was in 2001 (20.9 percent), with an estimated rate of 46 percent among the 15-24 age group.





The national debt has "gotten much worse, Friday declared, with a debt-service ratio below the Eastern Caribbean average, the highest in "the Windward Islands and the highest in our countrys history.

Friday charged that the "massive public spending by this government  without accountability  has imposed an oppressive debt burden on taxpayers, with little benefit to them.





"Our people are paying more taxes every year to pay the growing government debt and are getting less for their sacrifice, he said. "We have the highest taxes and the lowest wages in the OECS (sub-regional Organization of Eastern Caribbean States).

Agriculture, he said, was "in the worst state it has even been in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, with no export of banana to the UK.





Friday claimed that tourism was struggling, too. In 2006, he said, while there were 97,432 stayover visitors, by 2016, the number had declined to 75,395.

Even in 2018, after a year of operation of the new Argyle International Airport, Friday said the number of stayover visitors is down.





"Despite this poor performance, the ULP Government has imposed an $8/room per night tax on all hotels and guesthouses, he said. "And hear this: the longer you stay, the more you pay!

Crime





On top of what he described as the dire economic situation, Friday said crime and violence are rampant in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.





"It is a crisis in our country, he said. "Year after year, we break records for the number of homicides taking place in our country  37 in 2016 and 40 in 2017.

"As at today in 2018, the number is 25, he added. "It could have been more, as we consider the circumstances of the latest shooting death.





Friday referred to a shoot-out in Pauls Avenue, Kingstown, Saturday night, in which four people were reportedly shot, with one being fatal.





"Weekends have become dangerous times in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, he said. "Ordinary people are scared. The fear is real.





According to Friday, ".. we accept that St. Vincent and the Grenadines cannot lead in the right areas,.that we will not measure up to our Caribbean neighbors in economic growth. We lead in homicides, rape, economic decline.





"Let us turn that around, so that St. Vincent and the Grenadines can be a shining light in the Caribbean and the world  an example not to be ridiculed but to be emulated, he urged. "I believe we can do it. I want you and the rest of our people to believe it, too; and, as I said at the outset, to work together to get it done.
Kelly Glass is set to become this countrys leading hotelier, with his investment in the Buccament Bay Resort.

After the "dotting of some remaining Is, the crossing of some Ts hanging about, and attending to matters concerning state- and privately-owned lands adjacent to and on which the compound sits, the Buccament Bay Resort will have new owners.





At a news briefing hastily convened on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves announced that businessman Kelly Glass, along with Barry Ferdinand  a Vincentian resident in the UK, and Scotsman Jonathan Mills, will become the principal investors in the Resort.





Dr. Gonsalves confirmed that a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed that very morning, Tuesday 16th October, between the new investors and Brian Glasgow, the trustee in bankruptcy for Harlequin, owners of the resort.





Another meeting was scheduled for today, Friday 19th October, during which, Gonsalves hoped, the parties could come to some definitive financial agreement.

As advanced by the Prime Minister, this new investment will make New Zealand-born, naturalized Vincentian - Kelly Glass, the leading hotelier in SVG.





The Buccament Bay Resort investment will now be added to his two joint ventures with Mills in Bequia (Plantation House Hotel and a tourism/luxury villa development at Adams Bay) and ownership of the Blue Lagoon Hotel and Marina at Ratho Mill on mainland St. Vincent.





The Resort





The Buccament Bay Resort was forced to close in December 2016, after, among other creditors, VINLEC, the state-owned power corporation, moved to collect on an outstanding debt, threatening the Resort with cutting its electricity supply.





Workers, even before this threat, had mounted protests demanded payment of wages and other agreed benefits.

In the midst of the turmoil, and with charges of fraud and tax evasion laid against him by local authroities, David Ames, the principal of Harlequin Property SVG, operators of the Resort, fled the state by boat under the cover of night, leaving behind a conundrum for the government to work through.





Ames who, like Glass, is a naturalized Vincentian, returned to England where he had been charged with three counts of fraud, following a four-year investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) with Essex Police.

He is currently on bail, with a UK court date expected in January 2019.

The Buccament Bay Resort will not reopen in 2018, and there was no projected date for reopening given by the Prime Minister.
The street in Pauls Avenue where most of the shooting have occurred.

Residents in the Pauls Avenue area are appealing to the police to treat them fairly, when dealing with reports of incidents in the community.





They complain in particular about what they see as police lethargy in responding to notification of shooting and other incidents in the community. Some even questioned whether the police are deliberating responding in a slow manner because of the stigma attached to the community.





A number of residents told THE VINCENTIAN that the police took about an hour to arrive at the scene of the shooting which occurred around midnight, Saturday 13th October. This they describe as "ridiculous, given the fact that the police headquarters is located within walking distance of Pauls Avenue.

"The way how the police them operating when coming to Pauls Avenue, it stinks because to see four man get shot and the police had just pass five minutes before that. When the shooting took place. A woman call them and they took between 45 minutes to 1 hour to respond, said one disgruntled resident.

"Is it that they dont like Pauls Lot people and giving us a rotten deal when coming to them kind a things? the resident asked.





The resident recalled that one year ago when Jawanza Fraser was shot (in Pauls Avenue), the police did no investigation until after Fraser was released.

"Then they want to know why people dont show up in court, the resident quipped, adding, "I have seen an incident when a man got killed and instead of the police looking for the killers, they went to search up the dead man place.





Referring to the most recent incident, that resident confirmed that the police took about an hour before they arrived on the scene.





"It seems that many of the times the police are frustrated because they cant find evidence to convict Pauls Lot (Avenue) man in thing. I would like them to respond quicker to incidents in Pauls Lot just like them does do in other villages, the resident further added.





Another resident said, "All I saying to the police is treat the people them in Pauls Lot fair. We are being labeled as bad but I have seen many instances where persons in Pauls Lot assist other people who need help, especially when they come to buy books at Gaymes Book Store. (KH)
Industry Update

Appointment

19 October 2018

Stephanie Smook

Named ACTE Regional Director for EMEA

At Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) in Alexandria - VA, USA

ACTE Global (Association of Corporate Travel Executives) today announced that it has named Stephanie Smook ACTE Regional Director for EMEA. She has been serving in this role in an interim capacity since July 2017. Stephanie will work with ACTE Global members and partners to further the organisation's mission to bring the best in education and networking opportunities to the corporate travel community. She began her career at ACTE Global as Education Programme Manager for EMEA in March 2014 and Global Relationship Manager in March 2015. Prior to joining ACTE Global, Stephanie worked as a corporate travel buyer with NIKE Europe.

Recent Appointments at ACTE Leigh Bochicchio - President 26 April 2017  The Association of Corporate Travel Executives has named Leigh Bochicchio its next president, effective 1 January 2018. Bochicchio, VP of Business Process Improvement, PME at Mastercard, will be ACTEs senior volunteer leader, serving at the order of the Board of Directors. read more

Jill Jefferis - Director of Global Engagement 17 June 2016  THE Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) has appointed Jill Jefferis as director of global engagement. She will be succeeding Amber Kelleher, who is leaving the association to launch a non-profit serving global communities in need. read more
Appointment

19 October 2018

After reviewing alumni nominations on a range of criteria, the MMH Award Committee has selected Pablo Azcarraga, MPS '85, to receive the 2018 Cornell MMH Outstanding Alumnus of the Year award, presented by the School of Hotel Administration and the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development.

As chairman of the board of directors for Posadas, the leading Latin American hotel company with 170 properties and 26,587 guestrooms, Azcarraga is responsible for managing the board, maintaining board communication, and acting as an adviser to the CEO. Azcarraga will receive the award at the annual Cornell MMH Reception on Sunday, November 11, in New York City.

With more than 30 years of hotel industry experience, Azcarraga uses his expertise to oversee the hotel group's investment evaluation committee and the development team that approves the inclusion of new hotels to the Posadas portfolio. Through maintaining relationships with current and potential hotel owners, Azcarraga guides the management team in the development of new business. Under Azcarraga's leadership and dedicated work ethic, Posadas Hotels has seen tremendous growth and continues to be known as one of Latin America's most-respected leaders in the hospitality industry.

Azcarraga serves both the hospitality industry and his community. He is the president of the National Assembly of Tourism Enterprises, an organization composed of 16 national chambers and associations that represents 90 percent of Mexico's private sector tourism activity. He is on the Advisory Council of the Nature Conservancy, was a past member of the Cornell University Council (2004-2008 and 2010-2014), and was the former Cornell Hotel Society Mexican chapter president (Aug. 2003-Jan. 2005).

Azcarraga holds a BS in business administration from the Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City. In 1985 he graduated with an MPS from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration and is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. He resides in Mexico with his wife, Mercedes. They have two daughters. Azcarraga consistently supports Cornell and the School of Hotel Administration by sponsoring events at his hotels and participating in panel discussions. The Hotel School was pleased to welcome him as a speaker for the Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series in 2007. He is the first MMH Outstanding Alumnus awardee from Central America.
By Trend





Azerbaijan has become one of the first countries supporting Chinas One Belt - One Way initiative, and is ready to make contribution to the implementation of this project, the Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) Ali Ahmadov said speaking at the fifth annual conference of the Taihu (Lake) World Cultural Forum.

Ali Ahmadov read a message from President Ilham Aliyev to the participants of the fifth annual conference of the Taihu World Cultural Forum.

Noting that the Azerbaijani-Chinese relations have a long history, Ali Ahmadov said Azerbaijan attaches importance to the development of relations with China in all spheres.

The Azerbaijani-Chinese ties built on a solid basis and based on friendship and mutual trust, can now be characterized as dynamically developing multilateral relations of serious partnership. The deputy prime minister added that Azerbaijan was one of the first countries supporting Chinas One Belt - One Way initiative and is ready to make contribution to its implementation.

Ali Ahmadov recalled that as a result of the military aggression of neighboring Armenia, 20 percent of the territories of Azerbaijan were occupied, more than one million Azerbaijani citizens became refugees and IDPs. The deputy prime minister expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for supporting Azerbaijans fair position in resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The international relations, economic, cultural, environmental, philosophical, sociological and other issues are discussed, as well as the discussions related to the One Belt - One Way initiative are conducted at the forum, consisting of six thematic sessions and the final meeting.

Speaking at the panel of leaders of the forum, Ali Ahmadov talked about the economic development of Azerbaijan, the work carried out in order to deepen intercultural and interreligious dialogue in the country, noted the international events held in Azerbaijan in this area.

The deputy chairman of YAP party added that the large-scale energy and transport projects implemented by Azerbaijans initiative, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project, which provides the shortest railway communication between China and Europe, are one of the major contributions made by Azerbaijan to regional and international cooperation and development.

Other members of the Azerbaijani delegation made presentations as speakers at other meetings of the conference.

The fifth annual conference of the Taihu World Cultural Forum began in Beijing city, the capital of China.

More than 1,000 representatives, including state officials, scientific men, public figures, cultural activists, are participating in the current conference, the theme of which is Dialogue of Civilizations: building a community of the common destiny for all mankind.

Azerbaijan is represented at the world forum by the delegation led by the Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP) Ali Ahmadov.

The World Cultural Forum (Taihu, China) is an independent national non-governmental organization, established in 2008 with the support of China. The International Cultural Forum is a universal, open, multinational platform for top-level discussions, the purpose of which is to develop and exchange creative ideas and proposals. It promotes the development of Chinese culture and cultural ties between the PRC and foreign countries.

In 2011, the first conference of the International Cultural Forum dedicated to the theme of "Dialogue and interaction in the interests of world harmony and common development" was successfully held in Suzhou (China).








Event

Mark your calendars for November 3, 2018. Save the Date for The Pineapple Ball as we honor Dr. Abraham Pizam.

Dr. Abraham Pizam, Founding Dean, UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Dr. Abraham Pizam is Dean and Linda Chapin Eminent Scholar Chair in Tourism Management in UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. Professor Pizam is widely known in the field of Hospitality and Tourism Management and has conducted research projects, lectured, and served as a consultant in more than 30 countries. He has held various academic positions, in the U.S.A, U.K., France, Austria, Australia, New-Zealand, Singapore, Israel and Switzerland, has authored more than 160 scientific publications and ten books, is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Hospitality Management and serves on the editorial boards of 20 academic journals. Professor Pizam has conducted consulting and research projects for a variety of international, national and regional tourism organizations.

Dr. Pizam has served at UCF for 35 years, 14 as the founding dean at UCF Rosen College. In leading this College, which is ranked #2 in the world among hospitality and tourism colleges by CEOWORLD magazine, Dr. Pizam has the distinct privilege of working with 72 faculty from 17 different countries around the globe, 70 staff from diverse backgrounds and 3,500 students who will be the next generation of leaders of the hospitality industry. UCF Rosen College is located in America's top tourism destination, within proximity to major hospitality and tourism industry employers and on a beautiful, resort-like campus setting.

The Pineapple Ball is organized by
Press Release

19 October 2018

The U.S. hotel industry reported mixed year-over-year results in the three key performance metrics during the week of 7-13 October 2018, according to data from STR.



In comparison with the week of 8-14 October 2017, the industry recorded the following:

Occupancy: -0.7% to 71.9%

Average daily rate (ADR): +1.6% to US$132.76

Revenue per available room (RevPAR): +0.8% to US$95.42

Among the Top 25 Markets, New Orleans, Louisiana, registered the largest increase in RevPAR (+21.5% to US$135.87), driven by a double-digit rise in occupancy (+11.3% to 80.0%) and the largest jump in ADR (+9.1% to US$169.91).

Detroit, Michigan, experienced the highest lift in occupancy (+13.6% to 77.8%), resulting in the second-largest jump in RevPAR (+20.1% to US$85.36).

Nashville, Tennessee, posted the third-largest increase in RevPAR (+11.9% to US$145.70), due primarily to the second-largest lift in ADR (+6.2% to US$168.76).

Overall, 14 of the Top 25 Markets reported growth in RevPAR.

Due to difficult-to-match year-over-year comparisons, Houston, Texas, experienced the steepest declines in occupancy (-25.0% to 63.9%) and RevPAR (-31.3% to US$67.70). Houston's hotel performance was lifted in the weeks and months that followed Hurricane Harvey in 2017 as properties filled with displaced residents, relief workers, insurance adjustors, media members, etc.

Washington, D.C.-Maryland-Virginia, posted the only double-digit drop in ADR (-12.5% to US$173.46), resulting in the second-largest decline in RevPAR (-17.0% to US$134.24).

Miami/Hialeah, Florida, saw the second-largest decrease in occupancy (-14.3% to 66.0%) and the third-largest drop in RevPAR (-16.0% to US$106.88).
Hotel and Proposed Disney Vacation Club Property, Three Other Previously Announced Resort Projects to Add More Than 1,700 New Hotel Rooms, Villas at Walt Disney World Resort

A new nature-inspired, mixed-use Disney resort will welcome families in 2022 along the picturesque shoreline of Bay Lake. Located between Disney's Wilderness Lodge and Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, this resort project joins three others underway at Walt Disney World Resort, bringing a total of more than 1,700 new hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas online over the next four years.



The deluxe resort, which will be themed to complement its natural surroundings, will include more than 900 hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas spread across a variety of unique accommodation types.

"Walt Disney World is in the midst of our most significant expansion in the last two decades and the combined 1,700 new hotel rooms and proposed Disney Vacation Club villas we are building at four different resorts will create thousands of new construction and permanent jobs and will drive economic opportunity and incremental revenue for Central Florida," said George A. Kalogridis, president of Walt Disney World Resort. "We continue to add new attractions, new lands  and these beautiful accommodations will be right in the heart of all that magic."

The soon-to-be named resort is slated to be Disney's 16th Disney Vacation Club property and it will continue to build on the value and flexibility of a Disney Vacation Club membership.

"This resort experience will be a celebration of Walt Disney's lifelong love and respect for nature, with some fun and even surprising accommodation types that families will find irresistible," said Terri Schultz, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Club. "It will give our members and guests yet another opportunity to stay in close proximity to all the newest attractions and experiences in our theme parks, and with the flexibility, value and world-class service families expect from Disney."

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort will debut completely reimagined in 2019, featuring a new 15-story tower overlooking Lago Dorado, the resort's centerpiece lake. Offering an additional 545 new guest rooms and suites, the tower also includes a two-level entrance lobby, concierge lounge, new meeting spaces and more. Guests will also be able to enjoy rooftop dining at a specialty table-service restaurant with panoramic views. The existing 1,800 guest rooms have all been fully updated with new fixtures, furnishings and a color palette that ties the entire resort together.

Also currently under construction near Epcot and anticipated to open in 2019 is Disney's Riviera Resort, the 15th Disney Vacation Club property. With plans for approximately 300 units across a variety of accommodation types, this much-anticipated property will connect to Disney's Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at Epcot via the Disney Skyliner. This new resort will be the first all-Disney Vacation Club property at Walt Disney World since Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa opened in 2004.

Seamlessly connected to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios, an immersive Star Wars-inspired destination will also be built at Walt Disney World Resort. This first-of-its-kind resort will be a completely immersive experience into an authentic Star Wars story as guests depart together for a multiday adventure aboard their starship. Guests will interact with characters as they become active citizens of the galaxy, dressed in proper attire as stories unfold all around them.

These resort projects join a flurry of expansion at Walt Disney World Resort, including the highly successful Pandora  The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom and the recent debut of Toy Story Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In early 2019, Walt Disney World will unveil a collection of shows, parties, Disney character interactions and more that will allow guests to cherish time with family and friends. And later in the year, guests will be able to travel to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios, where they can live out their own adventures in a galaxy far, far away. Guests will realize now more than ever is the perfect time to experience all of the fun and magic of a Walt Disney World vacation.



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 2021 Hotel News Resource
Jordan Brand's ever-growing line of Tinker Hatfield-inspired sneakers will continue today, October 19 as an all-new Air Jordan 10 colorway is slated release at 10am ET. Like each of the previous "Tinker" Air Jordans, as well as the ones that have yet to release, this upcoming AJ10 draws on inspiration from one of the iconic designer's memorable creations.

This time around, Jordan Brand is calling on the Tinker-designed Nike Huarache Light "Ultramarine" colorway from 2015. Just like that pair of kicks, the "Tinker" Air Jordan 10 boasts a "Racer Blue/Black-Team Orange-White" color scheme along with a white and orange striped outsole.

The special edition sneakers, retailing for $190, will be available at most major Jordan Brand retailers including Footaction, Jimmy Jazz, Shoe Palace, Kicks USA and of course, Nike SNKRS, starting today at 10am ET.

Check out the early purchase links in the tweet embedded below.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1053269626606551040


London skateboard and streetwear brand Palace is teaming with Ralph Lauren to produce a collaboration in the near future, sometime after the launch of their 2018 Winter Collection.

According to HighSnobiety, three large billboards announcing the partnership have been erected in the fashion mecca of Tokyo, Japan. Exhibit A just below shows a certain element of concurrence in the way both companies have gone about branding the project, with the trademark Polo player sitting overhead the regular scripted logo for Palace.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1053251456369917952



Palace which boasts fairly nice rugby sweater on its own accord is about to receive the type of manic treatment reserved for the Polo and Polo Sport brand by crazed "Lo Lifes," known in the past for boosting entires sales racks in a matter of minutes, if not seconds.

Guerilla marketing of this kind is not unusual for the London brand. In terms of marketing, the ability to create intrigue is as valuable a commodity as anything that can be stated in words. This current guerilla campaign is only months removed from an ever-successful collaboration put forth with Adidas, for this years Wimbledon tournament.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1053246586581647361



As of this writing, the mysterious billboards are all the information we have at our disposal.
Teyana Taylor's "Gonna Love Me" Wu-Mix has been unveiled as promised a few weeks ago. In making her announcement via Twitter, Teyana Taylor wasn't exactly clear as to how many members would congregate on the alleged Wu record. There were at least a few hopeful fans holding out for an 8-man posse cut + Teyana, but that would hardly boost productivity.

There's a better way to work. I believe it was GZA that once said, "if the Wu-Tang Clan spent as much time recording as they played pool, they'd own a scroll a scroll taller than Mount Sinai." Okay, I may have taken a few liberties in transcription.

In fact, it could be argued that Teyana decision to go quality over quantity was advisable. She chose three of Wu's very best in cameo spots: the legendary Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Raekwon. The smooth backing track reminds you of an old Ghostface slow cooker a la "All That I Got Is You." During Teyana's introductory part, Ghostface chimes in with complimentary "true" adlibs to give the K.T.S.E. remix an air of NY authenticity. Listen to Teyana's Wu-Mix of "Gonna Love Me," you won't be disappointed.

Quotable Lyrics:

Ayo Chef aka the wedding crasher,

Came through in a Cullinan the color of skimmed milk.

-Raekwon the Chef
A woman in North Charleston, South Carolina really had the audacity to call the cops on a group of young black students who were holding a Stop The Violence March. Community activist Jonathan Thrower tells the Charleston City Paper that he was marching with the kids when they said they were thirsty and asked if they could get something to drink at the nearby store.

An employee of the store told them to remain on the sidewalk and they listened and then another woman rolled up telling them she was calling the cops for their "riot."

"I thought she was playing at first," Jonathan told the publication. "I didn't really think that was gonna happen." The audio below is a clip of the woman's 911 calling telling police the kids were "absolutely destroying the outside" of the store.

"Theyre standing outside my store, theyre videoing us and everything, I need a police officer here now. I mean, it's like a riot out here," she said. The dispatcher tried to reason with her saying she really had nothing to worry about.

"The North Charleston Police Department  I applaud them, because the guy was like, 'You know, theyre just coming in to purchase something, Im sure theyre not causing any trouble," Jonathan added.

Once police made to the store the kids were gone.
Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is either bad news or in big trouble. Either way, the kingdom, and the petroleum industry should brace for a rough ride.

Available evidence points to a Saudi kill team murdering Saudi dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi inside the kingdoms Istanbul consulate. The only questions remaining are what did Saudi leaders know, and when did they know it?

On HoustonChronicle.com: Power grab in Saudi Arabia threatens oil market stability

Lets start by giving the crown prince, and his father King Salman, the benefit of the doubt. Lets say those rogue agents, as President Donald Trump put it, killed Khashoggi without authorization.

Turkish authorities have identified how the 15-member death squad arrived in Istanbul on a chartered jet owned by the Saudi government. Turkish sources have also released the manifest, and three men frequently photographed as part of the crown princes security detail were onboard.

This suggests that the so-called rogue agents are part of the Royal Guard. The only way these men could act without the crown princes authorization is if dissenting members of the royal family planned the operation to embarrass and hopefully topple the crown prince.

More from Chris Tomlinson Conservatives mount a whisper campaign smearing Khashoggi in defense of Trump

There are undoubtedly plenty of people who want to see Mohammed fail. For most of the kingdoms history, the throne went from one brother to another, power passing between family factions.

Ive been writing for years about the danger of King Salman, 82, breaking with tradition and elevating his son to deputy crown prince and then to crown prince. Typically, Saudi crown princes are not the kings son and are close to the kings age. Mohammed is only 33.

To deal with those who question whether an under-40 king should rule Saudi Arabia, Mohammed has ruthlessly cracked down on dissent. He has imprisoned more than 500 royals, activists and business people and extorted billions of dollars and oaths of allegiance from them.

While promoting himself as a reformer, Mohammed has jailed critics and ordered the execution of a popular Shiite cleric. He also started the war in Yemen, detained the prime minister of Lebanon, and blockaded neighboring Qatar, trying to overthrow its ruler. He is also encouraging Trump to confront Iran.

Allowing women to drive does not a progressive reformer make.

But while Mohammed has plenty of enemies, odds are they could not have pulled off such a plot. Saudi Arabias Royal Guard reports directly to the crown prince. Transcripts of the audio recording of the murder suggest the crown prince wrote Khashoggis death warrant.

Last year, I said no one knew for sure if Salman was a well-intentioned reformer or an aspiring dictator. We have our answer.

The impulsive prince also appears ready to throw Saudis weight around. The official response to Trumps comments suggests Mohammed is prepared to use his 10 percent of the global oil supply as a bludgeon. He could drive up oil prices, impose an embargo or punish U.S. businesses in Saudi.

His bullying, though, will only go so far. No international business leader wants his or her photo taken with a murderous dictator. They are bailing on Mohammeds Davos in the Desert because social media brings hell on companies that associated with oppressors.

Mohammed is also unlikely to get any more dinner invitations from Hollywood, Silicon Valley or even Houston elites. How this young man reacts will be telling, but the dictators Ive covered in the past typically lash out to demonstrate their economic and political power. Khashoggis murder was intended to send a message. He will send more.

On HoustonChronicle.com: New, unpredictable voice in Saudi Arabia

Should America change its foreign policy due to one innocent persons murder? Trump says no. He routinely praises and defends authoritarian leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese Xi Jinping and others with blood on their hands.

The problem, though, is not only the single assassination, but what it foretells about Mohammeds rule. Dictators typically become more brutal over time, not less.

I remember President Bill Clinton praising Meles Zenawi, Ethiopias autocratic prime minister as a great leader and giving him Humvees to fight terrorism. Later, I saw those Humvees used in the capital to crush a peaceful democracy movement.

Trump does not want to lose arms contracts with Saudi Arabia, but will American workers feel good when he uses those weapons against peaceful protestors? What death toll is the cut-off point for arms sales?

These are the times that test character and values. Mohammed will lash out against more dissidents and create more geopolitical trouble. Business leaders must decide if they want to be accomplices and prepare for the consequences if they dont.

Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business and economics.

chris.tomlinson@chron.com

twitter.com/cltomlinson
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

WASHINGTON - The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said Thursday director Scott Angelle is "optimistic" that drilling in the Gulf of Mexico will increase in 2019.

At the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry Conference in New Orleans this week, Angelle noted that applications for deepwater drilling permits had increased in 2018.
By Trend





Influential US newspaper The Daily Caller published an article by Azerbaijans Consul General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev on Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict on October 18, 2018, Azerbaijani Consulate General in Los Angeles said in a message.

Referring to the upcoming visit by U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton to the South Caucasus, Consul General notes that Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict will be one of the most important topics to be discussed during the visit.

Highlighting the history of the conflict, Aghayev writes: In the early 1990s, Armenia invaded around 20 percent of Azerbaijans sovereign territory, expelling over 800,000 Azerbaijani civilians from their ancestral lands in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. For the sake of comparison, the entire territory of the invaded lands is almost 13 times the area of the City of Los Angeles or larger than the U.S. State of Connecticut.

He further mentions that the illegal military occupation continues to this day despite fierce condemnation by multiple United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, as well as by other major international organizations. The real obstacle to resolving the conflict and bringing the much-needed peace to Armenian and Azerbaijani people remains unchanged: Armenias refusal to comply with UNSC resolutions by withdrawing its troops from the illegally occupied territories of Azerbaijan and enabling the expelled population of these territories to return to their homes.

Citing the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Millss recent interview to the Armenian press, the Consul General states that any settlement of the conflict requires the return of the occupied territories to Azerbaijan.

Nasimi Aghayev writes: Armenia is experiencing a grave demographic decline. Tens of thousands of young people, lacking opportunities at home, are emigrating from the country in search of a better life. In contrast, Azerbaijan has become the largest economy in the region, building strong partnerships around the world, implementing multi-billion dollar energy and transportation projects connecting continents, and contributing to the global energy security.

The Consul General underlines that the peace with Azerbaijan would tremendously benefit Armenia by bringing open borders, security and stability, stimulating investments, and integrating Armenia into the regions vast energy and transportation network. He states that to achieve peace Armenia must put aside belligerence and engage constructively in negotiations.

In conclusion, Consul General Aghayev notes: It is to be hoped that as a co-mediator with much at stake in the region, the United States will double its efforts in helping both sides achieve lasting peace and reconciliation.








Josh Groban plays a straight-laced detective with a quirky sense of duty in the new Netflix series The Good Cop. Hes currently touring behind new album Bridges, a mix of originals and covers. He earned a Tony nomination last year for his Broadway debut in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.

It all seems to come effortlessly for Groban, whose big break came when he subbed for an ailing Andrea Bocelli during the 1999 Grammys. Hes since released a series of albums that showcase his masterful vocal range and has flexed his acting chops with various film and TV roles, from Ally McBeal to Crazy, Stupid, Love.

But Groban insists that it wasnt all so obvious in the beginning.

TIME WARP: Barry Bostwick talks 'Rocky Horror' memories

When I was a teenager, I was just filled with so many inspirations. There were so many things I wanted to do, and I felt a little bit like an alien. I still do in this business, to be honest. I felt like a weird outsider, Groban says. He performs Tuesday at the Toyota Center with Idina Menzel.

I loved improv comedy. I loved singing showtunes. I listened to Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel. I felt like I had all of this eccentric stuff in me that I wanted to get out and was inspired by but didnt really fit in many lanes. So I just kind of did me and got picked on for it a little bit.

Groban is long past the picking these days. He talked about his early champions and what he learned from The Good Cop costar Tony Danza.

Q: Who helped put you on the path to applying your talents in so many ways?

A: With the music side of things, it was David Foster saying, I really love your voice, and I wanna produce it. And then after a ton of just being a weirdo in television and in film and interviews, Andy Breckman was my, like, TV David Foster and said, Hey, I really like the comedy stuff youre doing. I like your timing. I like your Broadway run. Id love to take you out for pancakes and talk to you about my new show The Good Cop.  People can go a lifetime without any of those things, and to have two of them in my life  more than two  is more than any one person deserves.

Q: Carol Burnett recently told me there are still new things shed love to try at 85 years old. Whats on your list?

A: Id love to host SNL. Thats a dream for me, hopefully by the time Im 85. At that point, a Lorne Michaels cyborg will have to hire me for that. I have loved hosting very, very much. I loved doing it on a short-lived reality show (Rising Star) on NBC. I loved doing it with Kelly Ripa 15 times. I loved doing it on the Tonys. And Id love to do some film scoring. I love writing music that doesnt involve having to then sing it.

Q: Youre known for lush covers of pop standards. How did you choose the ones on Bridges?

Josh Groban With: Idina Menzel When: 8 p.m. Tuesday Where: Toyota Center, 1510 Polk Details: $35-$199.50; 866-446-8849 or houstontoyotacenter.com See More Collapse

A: A lot of times, the covers really have been road tested for a long time before I record them. Sarah McLachlan and I did Run every night on tour two summers ago. It was my favorite moment of the night. Ive been doing Bridge Over Troubled Water for over a decade now on tour. Ive sung it with everyone from Foy Vance to Brian McKnight to Paul Simon, who was the first person I ever sang it with for a concert honoring him. I learned it for him. Its always terrifying to record a cover because so many people have generally done these incredible songs. Its generally an arrangement or a producer that finally gives you the confidence to put it on a record.

BEYOND BELIEF: Alyssa Edwards introduces Justin Johnson in new Netflix series

Q: The Good Cop was a big surprise just in visual alone  you and Tony Danza as father and son cops in New York.

A: Its jarring. Im always excited by unexpected opportunities. I was skeptical, and Tony was skeptical. We shared everybodys reaction when they see that picture pop up on Netflix. Once Andy (Breckman, the creator) got us at a table and put a glass of wine in both our hands, and we just shot the (expletive) over every topic imaginable, our chemistry just immediately clicked. I love challenges. When somebody at the top has said, I think youre right for this, it always piques my interest. I just thought (The Good Cop) was a hell of a lot of fun. I got to go to a ski lodge. I got to chase bad guys.

Q: What did you take from working with Tony Danza?

A: Both professionally and personally, there is just so much to learn from Tony Danza. He has so much charisma on and off the set. Im, like, a little internal Larry David. Anywhere I am, Im thinking about where the exit is. Tony waltzes into a room. Hes just endlessly charismatic and caring and filled the room with this positive light. Thats really fun to be around. So much of acting is reacting, and when you get to react off Tony Danza, half the work is done for you.

Q: What was your last Netflix binge?

A: The Staircase. I love true crime, and I love the documentary series they do on Netflix. You do your best not to Google, not to Wikipedia while youre watching. That was a real bleak week-and-a-half, but I loved every second of it.
If you think history is boring, J.P. Bryan is about to prove otherwise.

The Houston oilman and avid historian opened his Bryan Museum in Galveston in 2015 to house his vast collection of Texana, and his newest acquisition, the only remaining Original Borden Map of the City of Houston, comes with stories full of celebrity, intrigue and deception  and theres a brothel mixed in, too. Houstons founders used the Borden map, the oldest known plan of the city, to illustrate for sale the size and location of the lots, blocks and streets of the proposed municipality.

I had been a history major, and I loved it, but most children find history boring, Bryan said of his experience talking to children who have visited his office and museum. Goodness gracious, its anything but boring. Its high adventure.

Now the map, once owned by Sam Houston himself, is being given to his museum by its longtime owner, Old Republic Title. The Bryan family officially received the document Thursday night at The Antiquarian, a Houston gallery of historic maps, artwork and documents. A protective container will be created and then the map will go on display in The Bryan Museum in a month or so.

The map, measuring 18 inches by 29 inches, was created in 1836 by mapmakers Gail Borden and Moses Lapham for city founders J.K. and A.C. Allen, brothers from New York who had come to Texas as land speculators. After the Texas Revolution, they sited their fledgling city at the confluence of the White and Buffalo bayous, the spot where steamboats could travel and turn around.

Borden and Lapham took their map to New Orleans and had 20 lithograph copies made. Theres an inset of an early Stephen F. Austin map of the state and boxes of text that tout the citys virtues, since the Allen brothers used them to sell property to Easterners wanting to move West.

On the map, their sales pitch describes Houston as beautifully elevated and mentions rich soil, excellent spring water and fresh sea breezes. Naturally, theres no mention of our swampy elevation or our voracious mosquitoes.

This is the gem of all of the maps, Bryan said. If youre a Californian and you had the original map of Los Angeles, you might argue youve got something of equal importance. For Texans and people in Houston, theres nothing to compare to it.

The Allen brothers gave one of their 62 blocks to Sam Houston and handed him this map as well. Houston kept a lot for his own offices and quickly sold other lots to various merchants, including one who operated Kesslers Round Tent Saloon (then known as a grocerie) and another to Pamelia Mann, who had paid $500 to Harris County for a license to operate a brothel.

Incidentally, Manns brothel was located in the center of the block facing the Congress Square block that for a short time housed the Republic of Texas government.

Ed Grusnis, owner of The Antiquarian and caretaker of the map, said that Houston hung the map in his office for years and handed it down to his son, A.J. After A.J.s death, the map was auctioned and Old Republics predecessor  Houston Title Guarantee  bought it.

The map sat unnoticed in storage somewhere at the title company until scandal struck.

A newspaper story detailed a lawsuit filed by a man who believed that hed been swindled by a map dealer. Hed sold his antique city of Houston map for a measly $8,000 and was angry that the dealer turned around and announced it for sale for $95,000.

Folks at the now-Old Republic title company saw the story and were curious. They had a map just like it. Or they thought they did, anyway.

Turns out the man selling the map was a disgruntled Old Republic employee who stole it on his last day of work. They approached the dealer and got the map back. The theft prompted them to find a safer place for this valuable document.

Its surprising to me that they thought a map dealer was the safe place. My whole reason for being is to sell maps, Grusnis said, laughing. But Old Republic trusted Grusnis not only to care for the map, but also to help them find a suitable permanent home.

We had an unsolicited offer for the map in the high six figures, but Old Republic had no interest in selling it. They thought, wisely, this is part of the heritage of Texas, Grusnis said.

Thats where J.P. Bryan comes in. His passion for history has its own provenance: His great-great-grandmother Emily Austin Bryan Perry was a sister of Stephen F. Austin.

His father, James Perry Bryan Sr., was also a collector who in 1966 sold his own vast collection of Texas maps, documents and artifacts to the University of Texas.

When he did, J.P. Bryan realized that if he was ever going to have his own collection, hed have to buy it himself. His first purchase was a pistol that he bought when he was 10 years old, using money hed earned cutting grass.

My dad was a lawyer for Dow Chemical, and occasionally hed take me to things when I didnt need to be in school, he said. We would go to this antique gun dealer, and I was fascinated with them. I bored the guy to death because I had no money, and I asked all kinds of questions.

As he made more money he collected more things  art, maps, artifacts and documents  and kept them in his Houston home. When the collection finally conflicted with his wifes taste in French decor and antiques, Mary Jon Bryan gave him an ultimatum: Its me or the maps.

He kept her and took the maps and other items to his offices where he hung them first in public spaces. As the collection continued to grow they found their way in individual offices, and he thought it would be a good idea to let school children come to see his things. He even hired his own docents to lead the tours.

Ultimately, his collection outgrew his offices, and his search for a suitable museum space lead him to Galveston and the former Galveston Orphans Home on 21st street. After a restoration, its 20,000 square feet were filled with some 70,000 items, including books, saddles, antique firearms, spurs, art and, of course, maps.

When you have an addiction of collecting, it's a rather selfish endeavor because youre satisfying your own interests. Then when you have a chance to share it through a museum, its vastly more rewarding, he said. This is the foundational map of the city of Houston, which eventually will be the largest city in the west. Its just a wonderful claim to be able to make.

diane.cowen@chron.com
For Vijay Pallod, a board member of the Hindus of Greater Houston, attracting young people to his organization was sometimes a struggle.

Its always hard to find youth, he said. We wanted to have our own youth council. We want to unite all the Hindu youth across Houston. Weve been trying for a long time.

But those efforts appear to have paid off especially after Komal Luthra came on board as an intern and now, Young Hindus of Greater Houston is a reality.

Shes really fulfilled the dream, Pallod said.

Pallod said the Hindus of Greater Houston now hosts youth awards and has held a Hindu camp for children in the city. This past year, 205 students attended.

The group of young Hindu adults is inviting general members to join. Membership is open to individuals ages 18 to 40.

Luthra was interested in connecting young adults in the Hindu community.

We also wanted to make sure this organization is sustainable, and not just geared to people the age of my parents and grandparents, she said.

Her vision included fostering the culture and religion of the group, as well as providing opportunities for networking and leadership.

She started working with Raj Salhotra, 27, who serves as president of the Young Hindus of Greater Houston. He jumped at the opportunity to get involved.

It was a unique blend, he said. Not only was the religious piece important, but the social aspect of getting people together was as well. Its an opportunity to get people thinking about similar issues and to focus on how we can build more cohesion.

More Information For information, email younghindusofgreaterhouston@gmail.com. Follow the group on Facebook at www.facebook.com/younghindusofgreaterhouston. See More Collapse

Salhotra was already an active member at his temple, Arya Samaj of Greater Houston, and taught Sunday school classes there. Still, he recognized that younger Hindus in the city were not as connected as his parents and their friends.

Thats the biggest change from the previous generation, he said. Everyone just came from India, and they were hanging out all the time. There was a greater connection.

His age group seems less connected to religious organizations, Salhotra added. With my generation, theres a lot more assimilation and less of a feeling that we have to hang out with other Indians and Hindus, he said.

Still, his peers are interested in socializing, focusing on service and leadership opportunities, Salhotra said.

One of those opportunities for the Young Hindus of Greater Houston is Diwali.

Commonly known as the Festival of Lights, Diwali is celebrated by Hindus worlwide through family and public prayers and socializing with friends and neighbors. Preparations typically begin a month in advance with a thorough cleaning of houses. Diwali, which this year is Nov. 7, honors the victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance.

The annual Diwali-Dussehra Festival, held Saturday at Skeeters Stadium, in Sugar Land, united Hindus across Houston, celebrating Indian culture and traditional food, dance and music. Dussehra is the holiday marking the triumph of Rama, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, over the demon king Ravana, who abducted Ramas wife.

Various activities planned for the day included presentations from Folk Dance Ensemble, historical plays, a bridal fusion show and sampling of cuisines from different parts of India. The Young Hindus of Greater Houston volunteered to participate in the Dussehra Parade which was comprised of 50 floats depicting historic occasions.

Salhotra and Luthra began collaborating last February, meeting throughout the spring to develop the councils vision and goals.

We started working together, and talking to our friends, Luthra said. Then they contacted their friends, and now we have a board.

By the summer, they recruited 10 board members, and Luthra said that she is looking forward to seeing the group grow.

Its a great way to meet people, she said. Some of us start to lose touch with our culture, just being busy with academics and careers. This is a great way to reconnect with shared values and beliefs and to better ourselves through leadership activities and community service.

She added that young Hindu adults can use the council as a way to get back to their roots and to create a sense of community.

Our plan is to have one event per month, Salhotra said. Were kicking off in October with a social meeting.

There will also be discussion forums, professional panels and educational events on the groups calendar.

We want to make sure were not just focusing on the religious aspect but on other issues we face as young adults, Luthra said.

Salhotra hopes to see membership grow quickly and for members to feel more connected to the Hindu community and each other.

And most importantly, we can do some good, he said.

He and Luthra plan to get the group together to volunteer with local organizations like Meals on Wheels and the Food Bank, as well as focusing on mentorship opportunities.

The biggest thing is to make an impact, Salhotra said.

Pallod is convinced that the young Hindu adults can make a major difference. There are 125,000 Hindus in Houston, he said. There are a lot of youth interested in working together and volunteering.

Pallod said the council can help smaller temples in the area build youth activities. He added that there is no fee to become a member of the group. Anyone can join, he said.

Devinder Mahajan, chairman of the board of advisors for the Hindus of Greater Houston, added that young Hindus need a space to connect.

We want our youth to have the best of both worlds, he said. Theres a lot in our culture about doing good deeds, working with others and serving society. There are also values that the Western world provides, like independence. They can learn the best practices from both.

He believes the organization will provide a space for young Hindu adults to blossom.

The younger generation is sometimes caught between cultures, Mahajan said. This way they are not lost. And hopefully they will become model citizens. The youth have their own experiences, and they have a lot to offer to future generations.

Luthra would like to see the idea of groups similar to Young Hindus of Greater Houston take off in other cities.

Maybe this could be something at a national level, and Hindu youth could come together across the country, she said. I hope to inspire other cities to do this. I hope to not just have an impact locally but create something that can grow across the country.
Imam Rizwan Khan compares the coming visit of Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth khalifa and head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to an anticipated homecoming of a beloved parent.

Not only should the house be in top shape but the family should also be prepared, he explained. And other relatives will be clamoring to stop by as well.

We have a fresh layer of paint drying, and everything is being cleaned, Khan said. Were also expecting a large number of people coming in.

The imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Greater Houston expects guests from all over the Gulf Coast region and around the world to spend time with the Khalifa while he is at the Baitus Samee Mosque in north Houston.

Ahmad will be in Houston on Sunday and Monday and from Wednesday to Oct. 28.

To truly understand the importance of His Holiness coming to Houston, you have to look at the status he has in our eyes, Khan said. We see him as our spiritual father. We see him as the most holy person in the world.

Think of the pope coming to town or the Dalai Lama making an appearance, said Dr. Amir Malik, president of the Houston South Chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Its a very spiritual experience just being in his presence, Malik said.

Founded in 1889, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a revival movement within Islam and the fastest-growing sect of Muslims in the 21st century. A khalifa, or spiritual leader, oversees the international movement, assisted by regional amirs who help place imams in local mosques.

More Information Ahmadiyya Islam Founded: In 1889, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community spans more than 200 countries and comprises tens of millions of followers, which some observers estimate to be 1 percent of Muslims worldwide. In most countries they represent a minority of Muslims. In Pakistan, it is illegal for them to identify as Muslim. The current Ahmadiyya headquarters are in England. There are at least 15,000 Ahmadiyya Muslims in the United States. Khalifa: That is the title for a leader in Islamic tradition; it means "successor" or "steward" of the tradition of the prophet Muhammad. Sunni and Shia Muslims differ on whether succession should follow the prophet's bloodline (Shia) or spiritual election (Sunni). The Ahmadiyya community is a subset of Sunni Islam. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908): The founder of Ahmadiyya Islam was believed by his followers to be the long-awaited messiah. He preached an end to religious wars and the pursuit of justice and peace, and he advocated for the separation of mosque and state. Ahmad further declared that "jihad by the sword" should have no place in Islam. Five khalifas have succeeded Ahmad since his death in 1908. The fifth and current head is His Holiness the Khalifa of Islam Mirza Masroor Ahmad. All told, the movement has built worldwide more than 16,000 mosques, 500 schools, 30 hospitals and a global disaster relief organization. See More Collapse

Houston is one of only four stops Ahmad will make before heading to Guatemala to inaugurate a hospital built through the community's charity arm, Humanity First.

In Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, the khalifa will ceremonially recognize mosques, before heading to Houston for his first ever trip to Texas.

For many, its a once in a life-time opportunity, Malik said. People travel thousands of miles just to get a glimpse of him, just to pray with him.

Already his wifes parents have arrived from Pakistan for the occasion. My parents are coming in a few weeks, and all of my sisters are coming from California, he said.

And Malik is not alone. All of our houses are filled to the brim, he said. People come from all over for this.

While in Houston, Ahmad will lead prayers, hold classes for children and meet with families.

Those who have been through hardships take precedence, especially those who have come as refugees, Malik said.

Ahmad left his native Pakistan after he was elected to his lifelong position in 2003.

Pakistans constitution and penal code restricts members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from practicing or even associating with Islam, and violators face fines, imprisonment and potentially capital punishment.

Despite persecution and attacks on the Ahmadiyya Muslims in Pakistan, the khalifa forbids violence and has instructed his followers to respond through prayer.

In his new home of London, Malik said the khalifa spends his time reading the more than 1,500 letters he receives each day and meeting with members of the community.

He delivers a sermon each Friday, which is broadcast globally in more than 18 languages. He also travels the world to promote peace and interfaith harmony, speaking to political leaders and advocating for universal human rights and separation of religion and state.

His message is very deep and very profound, Malik said. He lives a lifetime in a day, every day. We are very blessed that out of his precious time, he is coming to Houston.

He said the local Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been preparing for the visit since August, reserving hotel space for visitors, finding volunteers for each task.

Khan said members want to take the opportunity to spend as much time in the khalifas presence as possible.

Its something we all look forward to, Khan said. The khalifa is very involved in the personal life of his followers. He has this very humble, fatherly presence.

Ahmad will spend his visit saying prayers with families. He asks very pointed questions and gives us the exact advice we need, Khan said. Whenever he visits, its a spiritual boost and a moral boost.

He asks congregants to spiritually prepare for the event  in the same way that he will.

What I try to do is look into myself for my own weaknesses and improve them, he said. I try to be the best I can be. Thats the best way I can lead, by walking in the path I preach.

Malik said that thousands of families have already requested to meet the khalifa in Houston, and he will only have time to meet with about 450. Due to the high demand for the spiritual leaders time, events at the mosque will be by invitation only.

For information, visit www.alislam.org.
Ask a building contractor about the foundation of a house, and he'll tell you that it should be made of material strong enough to last for decades, if not centuries.

Build a bad one, and cracks will appear. The edifice you thought sound will be suddenly vulnerable.

Literal and figurative foundations are at the center of Barbara Kingsolver's "Unsheltered" (Harper; 480 pages; $29.99). In chapters that alternate between the present day and the late 1860s, Kingsolver, ever the astute social commenter, presents two families, both of which are dealing with more than one type of crumbling house.

Each story is set in Vineland, New Jersey, where Willa Knox and her Greek husband, Iano, have moved from their home in Virginia. It's summer 2015, when a man referred to as the Bullhorn is one of 17 Republican presidential candidates.

Willa is the sort of person who "raised her anxiety shield against every family medical checkup or late-night ring of the phone, expecting the worst so life couldn't blindside them." Lucky for her, as her family faces many challenges. Iano, who has a Ph.D. in global politics, "laboriously blew his first shot at tenure" in Virginia, so they've moved into the decrepit Vineland house they inherited, and Iano has accepted a one-year assignment at a Philadelphia college named Chancel.

The salary and health insurance aren't great, but the family needs them because of Willa's current job status. Her last gig was as science editor at a defunct magazine outside Washington, D.C. Now, she has to freelance as "a regular incentive to get out of sweatpants."

Kingsolver lays out this background information too neatly in a conversation Willa has with a contractor who warns her about the house's "nonexistent foundation" and the expensive repairs it will require.

But the novel quickly gains momentum thereafter. Willa's father-in-law, a man "offended to distraction by the idea of a nonwhite man" as president and clinging to life with the help of an oxygen mask and constant care, lives with them, as does Tig, their adult daughter, who dropped out of college and spent a year in Cuba. She now works as a line cook in a restaurant.

NEW FICTION: Tom Perrotta and the serious comedy of sex

With Tig, Kingsolver shrewdly upends the reader's expectations. Tig may at first seem wayward and unfocused, but it's their older child, Zeke, a Harvard Business School graduate, who's less reliable. Helene, his partner, has killed herself and left him with their infant son. Zeke, however, wants to move to Boston to start a business. He heads north, leaving Willa to care for her grandson while she researches grants that might pay for the house's repairs.

Vineland has had more than a few dilapidated houses in its history. Back in the 1860s, high school science teacher Thatcher Greenwood, along with his young wife and her 12-year-old sister, moved into a house with roofing issues.

But that's only the start of Thatcher's problems. It's just his luck to have become a science teacher in a town founded by Charles Landis, "land developer and utopian visionary." "Temperance was crucial to the vision" of Vineland, and the headmaster of the school  a figure some readers might find too cartoonish  isn't open to the lessons Thatcher wants to teach, among them the theories of Charles Darwin.

Inprint Reading with Barbara Kingsolver What: Barbara Kingsolver with the Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series When: Monday, October 22, 2018, 7:30 p.m. Where: Cullen Performance Hall, University of Houston, 4300 University Drive Click here to buy tickets and for more information See More Collapse

But Thatcher has supporters, including Mary Treat, the real-life naturalist whose husband left her for "a champion of free love." When Thatcher first visits her at home, she's letting a Venus flytrap nibble her index finger so that she can study their carnivorous properties.

If Treat and Thatcher state their intellectual points too obviously, Treat is nonetheless a great character, encouraging Thatcher and piquing his curiosity when she says that carnivorous plants "have become one of my special projects with Mr. Darwin," with whom she corresponds.

And he's not the only one piqued by a Darwin connection. Willa's grant hunting unearths a prospect that might solve her financial problems: the possibility that Darwin once lived in her house.

NEW NONFICTION: Lawrence Wright can help you understand Texas

Kingsolver sometimes tries too hard to remind us that America's current period of strife is hardly unprecedented, as when Treat tells Thatcher, "When men fear the loss of what they know, they will follow any tyrant who promises to restore the old order."

The comparison of a fractured society being akin to a crumbling house may not be subtle, but it's apt. In its best moments, "Unsheltered" highlights the difficulty of all forms of repair, whether of one's home or the ripped fabric of society. "Presumptions of a lifetime are perilous things to overturn," Treat says. That was as true in her day as it is now. Not reassuring, perhaps, but that's one foundation that seems to have survived the centuries.

Michael Magras is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. His work has appeared in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Newsday.

Get the Gray Matters newsletter. It has carnivorous properties.
WASHINGTON - Facing a spike in unauthorized immigration, President Donald Trump on Thursday lashed out at Democrats and the leaders of Latin American nations, seeking to deflect blame and mitigate political damage by riling up his base just weeks before the midterm elections.

The president's mounting frustration was evident in a series of tweets in which he threatened to summon the military to guard the southern border, cut off aid to Central American nations and upend a recent trade deal with Mexico if those governments fail to stop a large caravan of migrants from Honduras making its way toward the United States.

Trump likely lacks the legal authority to carry out all of those drastic measures without congressional approval, but the threats highlighted the potentially perilous political implications for the White House as voters prepare to go to the polls with Republican control of Congress in the balance. In recent campaign rallies, Trump has sought to rally conservatives by asserting falsely that Democrats are in favor of "open borders" and that they favor increased crime.

"All Democrats fault for weak laws!" Trump wrote in one tweet, adding later: "Can you believe this, and what Democrats are allowing to be done to our Country?" The second tweet included a video clip of unknown origin that showed men, speaking in Spanish, handing out slips of paper to people in lines carrying bags. The footage was identical to a clip posted by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who claimed it showed cash payments to Hondurans to join the caravan and suggested without evidence the money came from a Democratic megadonor.

Republicans are facing a difficult election on Nov. 6, with polls showing Democrats holding an advantage on the general ballot and prognosticators favoring them to win control of the House. As pressure mounts, nerves have begun to fray inside the White House, with national security adviser John Bolton and Chief of Staff John Kelly engaging in a shouting match over immigration just outside the Oval Office on Thursday, according to White House aides.

Bolton had accused Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen of not doing enough to stem the surge in border crossings, said aides, who described the argument as profane and loud enough to draw stares from others in the West Wing. Kelly, who preceded Nielsen in the homeland security job and handpicked her as his successor, came to her defense.

A White House official said Nielsen came in Bolton's office after the fight and the two had a positive conversation about DHS and the border.

While some GOP leaders in the House had initially hoped to focus their election message on the economy, Trump has continued to highlight immigration, confident that his hard-line views on enforcement will motivate his base and carry significant crossover appeal to independent and moderate voters who helped him win in 2016.

Many Republican candidates, especially in Senate races in states Trump won in 2016, have modeled attack ads on Trump's rhetoric, aiming to raise public fears over the dangers of illegal immigration. Recent polls show that voters in both parties rank immigration among the top issues that will affect their choices in next month's elections.

"The border is a big issue for Republican base voters who are already energized after Kavanaugh," said Chris Wilson, a Republican pollster working on battleground races, referring to the contentious Supreme Court confirmation battle over Justice Brett Kavanaugh. "A reminder that illegal immigration is a real problem and that we just don't know who is entering our country can only boost Republican interest."

Democrats dismissed Trump's accusations as a sign of weakness from a president desperate to escape electoral consequences for failing to make good on his signature campaign promise to reduce illegal immigration.

Border Patrol agents arrested more than 16,000 immigrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border in September, the highest total on record and an increase of 80 percent since July, when Trump reversed his administration's policy of separating immigrant children from their parents after a public outcry.

In all, more than 107,000 family members were taken into custody in fiscal 2018, obliterating the previous high of just under 78,000 in 2016.

"It's pretty clear that the things this administration has attempted to address the situation at the border are failing," said Cecilia Munoz, an analyst at New America who served as White House domestic policy adviser in the Obama administration. "As is typical, this president is trying to lay the blame elsewhere."

The immigration spike this year, after a sharp decrease in the first six months of his presidency, has complicated Trump's immigration message. In response, he has exhorted aides to enact more extreme policies, including making it more difficult for immigrants to seek asylum protections and measures aimed at increasing criminal prosecutions of unauthorized border-crossers.

The White House is also considering a new policy, known as "binary choice," which would detain migrant families together and give parents a choice - stay in immigration jail with their child for months or years as their asylum case proceeds, or allow their child to be assigned to a government shelter while a relative or guardian can apply to gain custody.

In his tweets Thursday, Trump aimed to ramp up pressure on foreign governments.

"In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!" Trump said in one tweet.

In another, he suggested that the "onslaught" of immigrants could undermine a recently announced reworked trade deal with Mexico and Canada, writing that immigration is "far more important to me, as President, than Trade."

The new deal, which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, has yet to be signed by the three countries. Congress is not expected to ratify it before next year.

In recent years, Mexico has detained and deported far more Central Americans attempting to cross Mexico on the way to the United States. Still, Mexico's southern border with Guatemala remains relatively easy for migrants to cross.

In the wake of Trump's warnings, the Mexican government has signaled that it would take a more restrictive stance on the caravan of migrants this time around. Planeloads of federal police have arrived at Mexico's southern border and are positioned at crossing points. The Mexican foreign ministry on Thursday requested assistance from the U.N. Refugee Agency in processing Central American refugee claims.

The incoming government of President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who takes office in December, campaigned on a softer approach to migrants, saying protecting their human rights should be a top priority and that they shouldn't be treated like criminals.

But in response to the latest caravan from Honduras, said to number up to 4,000 people, top officials on Lopez Obrador's transition team have suggested that they would move to block such large groups of people.

"Mexico can't say that any caravan can pass to the United States," Marcelo Ebrard, the incoming foreign minister, said on Mexican radio on Thursday.

Mexican government leaders are "trying to perform a very difficult balancing act - on one hand with Trump watching and an the other hand with the Mexican population watching," said Carlos Bravo Regidor, professor at the Center for Research and Teaching in Economics in Mexico City.

Immigration is likely to be discussed Friday when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to meet with outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

In Washington, no matter how the midterm elections play out, the issue could come to a head in December.

Trump had threatened to force a partial government shutdown in the fall to force Congress to authorize billions of dollars for his proposed border wall. Instead, he signed a stopgap spending measure, setting up a potential fight over the wall in the congressional session between the election and the new Congress.

"Any purely enforcement-oriented solution will only move the needle in the short term," said Leon Fresco, an immigration attorney who served as an aide to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. "Over the long-term, in order to solve that, he has to either be realistic about a bipartisan solution and work with Congress - or continue to demagogue it as a political issue, but that's not going to solve it."

- - -

Partlow reported from Esquipulas, Guatemala. The Washington Post's Josh Dawsey, Sean Sullivan and Alex Horton in Washington and Kevin Sieff in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Houston's Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) has issued a public apology after distributing an an issue of its bi-weekly electronic newsletter with what many would consider a racially offensive term.

Thursday morning, when community and museum members checked their email accounts, they had an email from the museum with the subject line "Party with Spooks."

While the word "spook" is a synonym for the word "ghost," it's also a derogatory slur for a person of African descent.

HMNS president Joel Bartsch tells the Houston Chronicle, this is a case of the former.

"It's a tie to our annual Halloween party, which we've been doing for 10 years. The word was meant to be a rift on the word spooky. That was the intention."

RELATED: Peek inside the Houston Museum of Natural Science archives

Bartsch adds that his employees noticed the subject line of the email blast directly after it was sent, and acted swiftly to address it.

"Internal eyes noticed the subject line directly after it was sent. We immediately followed it up with an explanation," Bartsch notes.

The explanation reads:

"HMNS is committed to diversity and inclusion. We deeply regret that the subject line in this newsletter included a word with an offensive connotation, and sincerely apologize to everyone who received it. We are revisiting our internal policies and editorial review procedures to ensure this does not happen again."

Bartsch adds, "I am grateful to my staff for catching it, although slightly late, so that we could address it internally and before anyone responded."

RELATED: Zen and the art of fossil digging at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

Marcy de Luna is a digital reporter specializing in social media, the famous, and food. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
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MAN Auto-Uzbekistan will supply 14 trucks to Tajikistan worth over $1.4 million, Podrobno.uz. reported.

A contract was signed with Experimental Mechanical Plant CJSC in Tajikistan for supply of 14 MAN TGS 41.400 8x4 BB dump trucks worth $1.4 million.

These dump trucks are also equipped with powerful D20 engines with a modern common rail fuel injection system.

To date, 11 trucks worth $1.1 million have been supplied.
When the Hubble Space Telescopes mechanics got finicky 25 years ago, NASA scientists didnt worry too much  they sent astronauts aboard a space shuttle to service the groundbreaking observatory.

Even 10 or 15 years ago, crews made regular trips on a shuttle to the International Space Station to conduct research, learn about life in space, and build and repair the orbiting laboratory that they shared with international partners.

But NASA is much different today than it was back then, faced with a new reality driven home by a series of unfortunate events earlier this month that left the Hubble darkened, a much-anticipated modern moon trip mired in questions and an American astronaut grounded after a Russian spacecraft took a terrifying tumble through the sky.

The incidents may seem unrelated, but experts say they can be traced back to the early 2000s as the end of the space shuttle program neared and the agency started trying to do too much with too little.

The sudden finality of the shuttle program is what leads to this, but the root cause of that is not having enough money to do all the things we wanted to, said Herb Baker, a former NASA manager who retired last year after 42 years.

Read more: NASA working to fix downed Hubble Space Telescope

The decision to end the shuttle program came in 2004 as President George W. Bushs administration shifted its focus to frontiers beyond Earths orbit. But with too few coins to divvy up amongst its many projects and a lack of political direction, the history-making agency instead has been forced to change course virtually every four years as political winds change.

NASAs budget and policy seem to be based on Twitter, said Keith Cowing, editor of NASA Watch, a website devoted to space news. Its like, How can I come up with something in 280 characters? We cant think long term. We cant think multi-administrations.

That leaves space agency leaders wondering what will happen after the 2020 election. President Donald Trump has pushed to bolster human exploration  with an eye toward the moon and then onto Mars  but what happens if he isnt re-elected is anyones guess.

Policy fluctuations can be difficult to weather, Mark Geyer, director of NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, previously told the Houston Chronicle. It can cause fluctuations in the space program and thats hard if youre trying to move the country forward. But thats life, so you need to develop strategies to navigate that.

Changing priorities

Bushs decision to end the shuttle program followed the loss of the entire crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003, when the spacecraft disintegrated over northeast Texas and Louisiana as it re-entered Earths atmosphere.

The gargantuan shuttles were perfect for carting modules into low Earth orbit for the space stations construction, but that work would be finished in 2010, he said during a 2004 speech at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The expensive shuttle fleet, in essence, would be rendered unnecessary.

It was time, Bush said, to explore again.

In the past 30 years, no human being has set foot on another world or ventured farther up into space than 386 miles, roughly the distance from Washington, D.C., to Boston, Massachusetts, Bush said. America has not developed a new vehicle to advance human exploration in space in nearly a quarter century. It is time for America to take the next steps.

Read more: NASAs Orion launch faces further delays as new problems emerge with rocket

Bushs Constellation Program called upon NASA to develop a new spacecraft  what would one day be known as Orion  ready for a crewed mission by 2014. That vehicle would take astronauts to the space station after the shuttle program ended, but it would also take them beyond our orbit to other worlds, he said.

As early as 2015, humans would be making extended missions to the moon, he said, and eventually to the Red Planet.

It just was too expensive to continue to fly the shuttle and spend the money and have the people we needed to get Constellation or Orion moving, Baker said.

After three decades of flight, ending the shuttle program was the right decision, Charles Bolden -- who was NASA administrator from 2009 to 2017 -- wrote in a 2015 op-ed published in Wired, an online news publication.

It was the recommendation of the board investigating the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia and it was endorsed by many people in the space community, including myself, he wrote. But it was not meant to be the final decision.

Bushs edict was well-received, Cowing said, and NASA continued humming along.

It was kind of amazing. I didnt think Id live to see it, Cowing said. Everyone had an idea and Congress signed on to it.

But then, Bushs second term ended. And everything changed.

Read more: American, Russian astronauts safe after emergency landing of Soyuz spacecraft

President Barack Obama axed the Constellation Program in 2010  a year before the last shuttle flight  saying it was too costly and inefficient. He chose instead to fund the construction of NASAs most powerful rocket ever built, the Space Launch System, to send a crewed Orion spacecraft to an asteroid by 2025 and then near Mars by the 2030s.

The decision stunned NASA personnel, who had already spent five years and about $9 billion on Constellation. Bolden equated the move to a death in the family, according to Space.com.

"Everybody needs to understand that and we need to give them time to grieve and then we need to give them time to recover," Bolden told reporters at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

When the last space shuttle touched down on Earth in July 2011, NASA ended up without a backup.

A commercial crew program was in the works, however, in which companies would be funded to build vehicles to send U.S. astronauts to the space station. In the meantime, NASA would rely on the Russians  at a cost of $82 million per astronaut, per trip.

Grounding human spaceflights was always supposed to be temporary as we made the necessary transition to a new generation of spacecraft, operated by American commercial carriers, Bolden wrote in 2015. Likewise, paying for seats on Russian spacecraft to send our astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) was always intended to be a stopgap.

The economic benefits of using private companies would be huge. In 2015, Bolden said it would cost just $58 million per seat to send astronauts on commercial vehicles, far less than the amount paid to the Russians.

Now, however, NASA has a new directive  again. Trump has asked the space agency to return to the moon as a stepping stone for Mars, and to build a mini-space station orbiting the moon so that the country can sustainably return to the lunar surface.

But now, seven years after the last shuttle landed, private enterprise is still working to bring a commercial crew program to fruition. And the U.S. still doesnt have a way to get its own astronauts into space, even when its acclaimed Hubble telescope is out of commission.

Inadequate funding

Three years after President John F. Kennedy famously stood outside Houstons Rice University in 1962 and declared the moon the nations next big adventure, NASA was allotted $5.2 billion  5 percent of the federal budget, according to the National Park Service.

That would equate to about $41.7 billion in todays dollars.

We never will have Apollo-level funding again, said James Oberg, a former NASA engineer who worked for 20 years in Mission Control at Houston's Johnson Space Center. It was naive of us to think [JFKs speech] was an indication of a new era of funding when he really intended it to be a demonstration of American superiority to the world. It wasnt going to continue at that level.

Read more: NASA turns 60

By comparison, Trump has proposed $19.9 billion for NASA in the current fiscal year that began Oct. 1  about .5 percent of the federal budget. Trumped signed a continuing resolution that extend through Dec. 7 because Congress was unable to pass a budget for NASA and several other agencies in time.

Still, NASA has tried to do more and more with limited funds. It has launched countless satellites and telescopes; rovers have gone to Mars and probes have gone to Jupiter; it has continued to send humans into low Earth orbit, where the space station flies; and tried to develop new vehicles to take humans even deeper into outer space.

The money, however, can only stretch so far. And that led the U.S. to the predicament it found itself in during the 2000s, when it was trying to run three major programs at the same time.

The country was dumping money into the space station for development and human habitation, flying space shuttles on a regular basis and trying to build its next headlining spacecraft.

We just tried to do too much with not enough money, Baker said.

Something, he said, had to give, and that was the shuttle program.

We could have said, Hey, forget Constellation, Orion and SLS, but that wouldnt have been the smart thing, he said. At some point we had to move on to a next generation space vehicle.

Unfortunately, building a brand new spacecraft cost much more than expected. As of this year, NASA has spent $11.9 billion on the SLS rocket alone. The entire Apollo project, which flew missions from 1966 to 1972, cost $24 billion, the National Parks Service stated.

That would equate to about $145 billion today.

Looking ahead

With the 50th anniversary of the moon landing just nine months away, the U.S. may not have a way of getting its astronauts into space during this celebratory time.

And that problem is being felt acutely as 2018 comes to a close.

Hubble  credited with altering humankind's understanding of the solar system and how it formed during its almost three decades orbiting Earth  still is powered down after one of its six gyroscopes failed, limiting the telescopes ability to point accurately for extended periods of time. The telescope needs three gyroscopes to be fully operational, but three have failed and a fourth is having problems.

In the past, NASA would have sent a space shuttle to service the Hubble; they did so five times between 1993 and 2009. But without the shuttle, the agencys options are limited.

Cowing believes Orion could be outfitted for a servicing mission to Hubble, but it would need to get airborne first. The launch of Orion  the spacecraft being built to take humans back to the moon  has been delayed because of cost and development problems with its rocket.

Poor Orion, Cowing said. Theres nothing wrong with Orion, it just has the misfortune of only being usable on a big rocket thats never going to be able to fly.

The first Orion mission without a crew initially was scheduled to take place in 2017. That timeline had already been bumped to mid-2020, but a recent NASAs Office of Inspector General report concluded that date was no longer feasible. NASA disagrees with that assessment.

This likely will impact the crewed Orion mission around the moon, which was set for no later than 2023.

Cowing doesnt think humans will ever climb aboard a spacecraft strapped to the SLS rocket, though he said it potentially could haul cargo into space.

Will it get launched? It doesnt seem to be a bad rocket, Cowing said.

Read more: NASA astronaut Nick Hague ready to fly again after aborted Soyuz launch

The commercial sector, meanwhile, is building rockets for much cheaper. Since 2014, Boeing and SpaceX have been building spacecrafts to transport American astronauts to the space station, though both companies have delayed the launches of their first crewed test flights that were supposed to happen this year.

That brings NASA to its current problem. The U.S. has already spent more than $1 billion paying Russia to transport its astronauts to the space station, but a rocket booster failure on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft on Oct. 11 forced the launch to be aborted. Astronaut Nick Hague was aboard, but was not injured. The Russians are now investigating.

It wouldnt be an issue, however, if NASA could ferry its own astronauts to the space station or rely on private enterprise. Those options will both take time.

Cowing said its time for the commercial sector to step up.

The private sector is just writing checks and now theyre doing stuff that NASA would love to do but cant, he added. I think were going to start seeing at some point planetary missions not governmental ones because someone with money wants to do it. Unfortunately, NASA isnt going to go along with this willingly.

Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuckey@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.
A low carpet of morning clouds concealed much of the view for Navy Cmdr. Eric Doyle as his blue-and-gold plane touched down at Ellington Field.

But he was quite familiar with the ground below. Its where he grew up.

Doyle flew into the Houston airfield Thursday alongside seven other pilots in anticipation of this weekends annual Wings Over Houston airshow. Its his first time back home since taking over as the commanding officer of the Navys Blue Angel team of demonstration pilots, a role he stepped into after 21 years in the Navy.

The League City natives love of flying grew from watching the iconic team make impossible maneuvers over his hometown.

I spent a lot of time on this concrete watching the Wings show for years, Doyle said. I saw the Blue Angels for the first time here flying A-4s, and my dad flew here. Its very special to be back in Houston with all the amazing performers.

THIS WEEKEND: Halloween fest and a zombie party

More Information Tickets are still available for Saturday and Sunday shows at Ellington Field. Tickets at the gate start at $40 for those 15 and older, but discounts are available online and at H-E-B stores. See More Collapse

Doyle moved to Houston at age 8, when his father was stationed at Ellington Field with the Texas Air National Guard.

Thats when he first started attending Wings Over Houston, a show organized by nonprofit groups dedicated to preserving World War II-era aircraft. In addition to highlighting history, the events elite aerobatic pilots showcase the possibilities of modern aviation.

He said watching the Blue Angels  and his father  fly at Ellington Field in the 80s was the chief inspiration for becoming a pilot in the Navy after graduating from Texas A&M University in 1996.

Deciding to join the Navy came as somewhat of a surprise to Doyle. Its kind of funny  I applied to the Navy as a backup in case I didnt get an Air Force slot, and then I ended up getting both. I pitched Navy. Still, to this day, I couldnt tell you exactly why that happened that way.

While he opted for a different branch of the military than his father, he did adopt his dads call sign, Popeye.

During his years in the Navy, he often flew an F/A-18 Hornet, the same plane Blue Angels uses in its airshows.

Doyle and his team planned out their flights for this weekend by selecting landmarks around the Clear Lake area to serve as the perimeter for their shows. His moms house was just outside that zone.

Its interesting to see all the checkpoints around here and know them because Ive touched them or been in those buildings or driven down I-45 or Highway 3, Doyle said.

The show itself will bring the eight Hornets, led by Doyle in plane 1, as close together as 18 inches as they travel at hundreds of miles per hour. Blue Angel pilots are required to have logged at least 3,000 hours flying before joining, but extensive training during the winter lends an increased sense of trust.

Its kind of a subconscious trust that we know each other so well that we know how theyre going to fly, and they know how Im going to fly, Doyle said. And thats how we just slowly bring it in from miles to inches apart.

CITY COUNCIL: Panel approves $18.8 million for streets, utilities at Houston Spaceport

Every year, at least one headliner  either the Navy Blue Angels or Air Force Thunderbirds, another demonstration squad  finishes a day of aerobatic shows and static exhibition of antique planes.

Most Blue Angels officers volunteer for the team for just two years, and next years lineup isnt yet settled, so this year may be Doyles only chance to fly over Houston in the blue-and-gold plane.

There isnt a day that goes by that I dont look down at this blue flight suit and this beautiful blue airplane and feel humbled, Doyle said. Its just a thrill.
Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center announced Friday that it has hired two new cardiac surgeons to lead its embattled heart transplant program as it works to regain Medicare certification.

The surgeons, Dr. Kenneth Liao and Dr. Alexis Shafii, will together take over leadership posts previously held by Dr. Jeffrey Morgan, the heart program's surgical director since 2016. A St. Luke's spokeswoman said Morgan is still a member of the medical staff at St. Luke's, but she did not directly answer whether he will continue performing transplants.

Morgan declined to comment through a representative, and the hospital did not make Liao or Shafii available for interviews.

The staffing announcement comes two months after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cut off funding for heart transplants at St. Luke's, long regarded as one of the nation's top hospitals for cardiac care. The federal agency concluded that the Houston hospital had not done enough to correct problems that led to a high rate of patient deaths following transplants in recent years.

Liao comes to St. Luke's after several years as the top heart transplant surgeon at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis. When he arrives in January, he will be St. Luke's senior cardiac transplant surgeon, serving as the hospital's new chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and mechanical circulatory support.

Shafii joined St. Luke's in September after a stint as the surgical director of the lung transplant program at the University of Kentucky Transplant Center. At St. Luke's, Shafii has already taken over as the surgical director of heart transplants.

Additionally, St. Luke's announced it has hired Deborah Maurer, a longtime transplant program administrator in Chicago and Arizona, to serve as vice president of transplantation, a newly created position overseeing clinical and administrative operations for all organ transplant programs.

"The addition of two expert surgeons and an experienced executive who specializes in transplant program administration demonstrates Baylor St. Luke's continued and growing commitment to heart and lung transplants," said Gay Nord, St. Luke's president, in a statement announcing the new hires.

These changes follow a series of investigative reports by the Houston Chronicle and ProPublica into troubles at St. Luke's. In recent years, the articles revealed, the hospital's heart program performed an outsized number of transplants resulting in deaths or unusual complications while continuing to promote itself based on its storied past.

In 2015, seven out of 21 heart transplant recipients at St. Luke's died within a year of their surgeries, significantly higher than the national average. Hospital leaders said that the program slowed down that year and identified subtle ways to improve care. At the start of 2016, the hospital brought in Morgan to replace the program's longtime leader, Dr. O.H. "Bud" Frazier.

St. Luke's officials have said the heart transplant program's one-year survival rate improved in 2016 and 2017 under Morgan's leadership. But some heart transplant recipients suffered unusual complications since then, the Chronicle and ProPublica investigation found, including two who had major veins stitched closed during surgery, according to numerous sources. In one of those instances, Morgan has said the man's previous cancer treatments complicated his surgery. He has declined to comment on the other, citing patient privacy.

Several physicians left the program in recent years, including a couple of top cardiologists who said they expressed concerns to administrators about the care provided to heart failure patients and started sending some to other hospitals for transplants.

In an earlier interview and responses to written questions, Morgan defended his leadership of the heart program, which he said has improved under his watch.

"We only have had one year with below-expected outcomes in the recent past, 2015, and that's been corrected," Morgan said earlier this year.

In June, following the Chronicle and ProPublica reports, St. Luke's temporarily suspended the heart transplant program in order to review deaths of two additional patients in May following heart transplants. Hospital officials reactivated the program after two weeks, saying they had found no "systemic issues related to the quality of the program."

Two months later, Medicare cut off funding after concluding that St. Luke's leaders had not done enough to fix the problems that led to poor surgical outcomes. The termination prohibits the hospital from billing federal health plans for heart transplants and, according to experts, could threaten the program's overall viability. St. Luke's is appealing the decision.

In announcing its new staff members on Friday, hospital officials characterized the moves as part of "ongoing efforts to strengthen the program which started in January." When reporters met with Nord and other St. Luke's leaders that month, they did not mention any ongoing efforts to make improvements. Instead, they said the heart program had already completed changes necessary to improve outcomes and was operating at a high level.

Elizabeth Conley, Staff photographer / Houston Chronicle

In the statement Friday, Nord said the hospital would continue striving to make improvements: "Advancing our hospital programs is a never-ending process, and these latest appointments are part of our ongoing commitment to our patients, our physicians and staff, and our community."

Asked about Morgan's future role, spokeswoman Vicki Amalfitano said, "Dr. Morgan's status has not changed," emphasizing his continued position on the St. Luke's medical staff and on the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine, where he holds the academic title of chief of cardiothoracic transplantation and circulatory support.

When pressed on whether Morgan had been replaced as the hospital's surgical director, Amalfitano said, "The announcement is about the new staff, so I'd love to focus on them."

In a follow-up email, she clarified: "I can confirm that Dr. Morgan no longer holds the title of 'Surgical Director, Heart Transplant & Mechanical Circulatory Support' at Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center."

Alexander Aussi, a San Antonio-based transplant consultant, has been critical of St. Luke's handling of problems within its heart program. But he said the changes in surgical leadership announced Friday seem to indicate that the hospital is now taking meaningful steps to improve.

Aussi also applauded the decision by St. Luke's to add a high-level executive to ensure that all of the hospital's transplant programs meet regulatory requirements.

"These changes are a good indication that the senior administration is committed to rebuilding the program," Aussi said, noting that the hires amount to a multimillion-dollar commitment to a transplant program that still must regain Medicare approval.

"Given that they recruited really a star surgeon and made these other changes, that's obviously a commitment from senior administration to move the program forward."

***

This story is the result of a collaboration between the Chronicle and ProPublica, an independent nonprofit newsroom based in New York. Mike Hixenbaugh is an investigative reporter at the Houston Chronicle. Charles Ornstein is a senior editor at ProPublica.

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Are you an employee, patient or a family member of a patient at the Texas Medical Center? We'd like to hear from you about your experience. Please fill out this confidential questionnaire.

***
Marie D. De Jesus, Staff / Houston Chronicle

AUSTIN  Texas officials arent doing enough to fix systemic problems with special education in schools across the state, according to a U.S. Department of Education letter sent to the Texas Education Agency Friday.

Texas submitted a corrective action plan in April after federal officials determined that the state illegally set up what amounted to a cap on the number of students receiving special education. While 13 percent of students across the nation are in special education programs, Texas officials pushed school districts to admit no more than 8.5 percent of their students into those programs, the federal authorities found after a study prompted by a Houston Chronicle investigation published in 2016.


We endorse: Beto O'Rourke is best choice for Texas senator





The daily newspaper in Longview, Texas (pop. 82,000) pungently dismissed "LYIN' TED" CRUZ.Note the 82+ comments afterwards -- seems like some Texans are more robust and uninhibited in their discussion of public issues.Admirable, like in other American small towns outside Florida, where we tend to be bashful and tongue-tied by comparison. We need to raise the quality of public debate and support honest candidates. Thank you,for doing just that:
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
A note from Karen Attiah, Washington Post Global Opinions editor: I received this column from Jamal Khashoggis translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul. The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world  a freedom he apparently gave his life for. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together.

---

I was recently online looking at the 2018 Freedom in the World report published by Freedom House and came to a grave realization. There is only one country in the Arab world that has been classified as free. That nation is Tunisia. Jordan, Morocco and Kuwait come second, with a classification of partly free. The rest of the countries in the Arab world are classified as not free.

As a result, Arabs living in these countries are either uninformed or misinformed. They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative. Sadly, this situation is unlikely to change.

The Arab world was ripe with hope during the spring of 2011. Journalists, academics and the general population were brimming with expectations of a bright and free Arab society within their respective countries. They expected to be emancipated from the hegemony of their governments and the consistent interventions and censorship of information. These expectations were quickly shattered; these societies either fell back to the old status quo or faced even harsher conditions than before.

My dear friend, the prominent Saudi writer Saleh al-Shehi, wrote one of the most famous columns ever published in the Saudi press. He unfortunately is now serving an unwarranted five-year prison sentence for supposed comments contrary to the Saudi establishment. The Egyptian governments seizure of the entire print run of a newspaper, al-Masry al Youm, did not enrage or provoke a reaction from colleagues. These actions no longer carry the consequence of a backlash from the international community. Instead, these actions may trigger condemnation quickly followed by silence.

As a result, Arab governments have been given free rein to continue silencing the media at an increasing rate. There was a time when journalists believed the internet would liberate information from the censorship and control associated with print media. But these governments, whose very existence relies on the control of information, have aggressively blocked the internet. They have also arrested local reporters and pressured advertisers to harm the revenue of specific publications.

There are a few oases that continue to embody the spirit of the Arab Spring. Qatars government continues to support international news coverage, in contrast to its neighbors efforts to uphold the control of information to support the old Arab order. Even in Tunisia and Kuwait, where the press is considered at least partly free, the media focuses on domestic issues but not issues faced by the greater Arab world. They are hesitant to provide a platform for journalists from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Yemen. Even Lebanon, the Arab world's crown jewel when it comes to press freedom, has fallen victim to the polarization and influence of pro-Iran Hezbollah.

The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power. During the Cold War, Radio Free Europe, which grew over the years into a critical institution, played an important role in fostering and sustaining the hope of freedom. Arabs need something similar. In 1967, the New York Times and The Washington Post took joint ownership of the International Herald Tribune newspaper, which went on to become a platform for voices from around the world.

My publication, The Post, has taken the initiative to translate many of my pieces and publish them in Arabic. For that, I am grateful. Arabs need to read in their own language so they can understand and discuss the various aspects and complications of democracy in the United States and the West. If an Egyptian reads an article exposing the actual cost of a construction project in Washington, then he or she would be able to better understand the implications of similar projects in his or her community.

The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices. We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education. Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face.
United States Senator: Beto O'Rourke

Ted Cruz - Republican Party: 

Beto O'Rourke - Democratic Party: 1/2

ENDORSEMENTS: The Houston Chronicle editorial board recommends...

ALSO: Why do the candidate endorsements have star ratings?

The collective swoon that U.S. Senate candidate Beto O'Rourke has aroused among victory-starved Democrats nationwide recalls, even as it far exceeds, the fleeting infatuation that attached itself to another Texas politician not long ago. A Democratic gubernatorial candidate known for her 13-hour filibuster on the floor of the state Senate against stringent anti-abortion legislation, as well as for her watermelon-hued running shoes, she drew the same sort of clamorous attention that O'Rourke is getting this year.

As it turned out, of course, the Wendy Davis crush couldn't survive another sort of crush  an ignominious 22-point loss to her 2014 Republican opponent, then-Attorney General Greg Abbott.

A similar fate may await O'Rourke in this still-fervid red state, despite the charismatic El Pasoan's attention-getting and indefatigable campaign, the ubiquitous black-and-white "BETO" signs in yards across the state and an astounding fund-raising operation that has raised close to $40 million while eschewing money from political action committees. Impressive, yes, but Lone Star State Democrats have learned not to get starry-eyed during their nearly quarter-century sojourn in the political wilderness.

With eyes clear but certainly not starry, we enthusiastically endorse Beto O'Rourke for U.S. Senate. The West Texas congressman's command of issues that matter to this state, his unaffected eloquence and his eagerness to reach out to all Texans make him one of the most impressive candidates this editorial board has encountered in many years. Despite the long odds he faces  pollster nonpareil Nate Silver gives O'Rourke a 20 percent chance of winning  a "Beto" victory would be good for Texas, not only because of his skills, both personal and political, but also because of the manifest inadequacies of the man he would replace.

Ted Cruz  a candidate the Chronicle endorsed in 2012, by the way  is the junior senator from Texas in name only. Exhibiting little interest in addressing the needs of his fellow Texans during his six years in office, he has kept his eyes on a higher prize. He's been running for president since he took the oath of office  more likely since he picked up his class schedule as a 15-year-old ninth-grader at Houston's Second Baptist High School more than three decades ago. For Cruz, public office is a private quest; the needs of his constituents are secondary.

It was the rookie Cruz, riding high after a double-digit win in 2012, who brazenly took the lead in a 2013 federal government shutdown, an exercise in self-aggrandizement that he hoped would lead to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Cruz, instead, undercut the economy, cost taxpayers an estimated $2 billion (and inflicted his reading of Dr. Seuss's "Green Eggs and Ham" on an unamused nation). Maybe the senator succeeded in cementing in his obstructionist tea party bona fides, but we don't recall Texans clamoring for such an ill-considered, self-serving stunt.

Cruz's very first vote as senator was a "nay" on the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, a bill authorizing $60 billion for relief agencies working to address the needs of Hurricane Sandy victims. More than a few of Cruz's congressional colleagues reminded him of that vote when he came seeking support for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. Cruz's Texas cohort, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, was effective in those efforts; the junior senator was not.

Voters don't send representatives to Washington to win popularity contests, and yet the bipartisan disdain the Republican incumbent elicits from his colleagues, remarkable in its intensity, deserves noting. His repellent personality hamstrings his ability to do the job.

"Lucifer in the flesh," is how Republican former House Speaker John Boehner described Cruz, adding: "I get along with almost everyone, but I have never worked with a more miserable son of a bitch in my life."

Lindsey Graham, Republican senator from South Carolina, famously said: "If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate, and the trial was in the Senate, nobody would convict you."

Graham, of course, was being facetious  we think  and yet Cruz's off-putting approach works to the detriment of his constituents. His colleagues know that Cruz works for Cruz, first and foremost.

Former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a Texas Republican who was adept at tending to Texan needs and who worked tirelessly on the state's behalf, once reminded the Chronicle editorial board that Cruz would have to decide where his loyalties lay when he got to Washington: with fellow Texans or fellow obstructionist ideologues. Six years later, it's obvious he's decided.

Cruz's challenger is running as an unapologetic progressive. He supports comprehensive immigration reform, including a solution to the Dreamer dilemma; health care for all; an end to the war on drugs (including legalizing marijuana); sensible (and constitutional) gun control, and other issues that place him in the Democratic mainstream this political season.

What sets O'Rourke apart, aside from the remarkable campaign he's running, are policy positions in keeping with a candidate duly aware of the traditionally conservative Texas voter he would be representing in the U.S. Senate. Representing a congressional district that includes Fort Bliss and numerous military retirees, he has focused on improving the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, with special attention to mental health. He's a strong believer in free trade and global markets, an economic position that should appeal to pragmatic Houston business interests.

As a lifelong border resident, O'Rourke supports our trade ties with Mexico and our need to sustain and encourage those ties (despite the anti-Mexican malice that emanates from the White House). In fact, he once partnered with Cornyn on a bill to improve those economically critical border crossings. He opposes Trump's wall, not only because it's an absurd and colossal waste, but also because he objects to the government's use of eminent domain.

"While he may look like the second coming of Bobby Kennedy to D.C. pundits," political scientist Jay Aiyer of Texas Southern University has written, "Texans can see that O'Rourke has more in common with the politics and approach of former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, who advocated for modernizing Texas through bipartisan cooperation during his time leading the Texas Senate."

Aiyer also compares O'Rourke to Lloyd Bentsen, Ann Richards and Mark White  reform-minded Democrats all, "who recognized the need to expand opportunities systematically when leading a conservative state."

There's one more reason O'Rourke should represent Texas in the U.S. Senate: He would help to serve as a check on a president who is a danger to the republic. Cruz is unwilling to take on that responsibility. Indeed, the man who delighted in calling the Texas senator "Lyin' Ted" all through the 2016 presidential campaign, who insulted Cruz's wife and his father, is bringing his traveling campaign medicine show to Houston next week to buoy the Cruz campaign. The hyperbole, the hypocrisy and the rancorous hot air just might blow the roof off the Toyota Center.

While the bloviations emanate from the arena next week, imagine how refreshing it would be to have a U.S. senator who not only knows the issues but respects the opposition, who takes firm positions but reaches out to those who disagree, who expects to make government work for Texas and the nation. Beto O'Rourke, we believe, is that senator.
Sen. Ted Cruz is getting backup from President Trump on Monday when he comes to Houston to rally for the senator fending off a challenge from Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke.

Trump's theme at campaign rallies around the nation has been that a vote for the candidate he supports equates to a vote for him. Will such a message help or hurt Cruz heading into early voting starting on Monday?
JPMorgan Chase today announced the creation of AdvancingCities, a new $500 million, five-year initiative to drive inclusive growth and create greater economic opportunity in cities across the world. AdvancingCities applies insights from JPMorgan Chases proven model for impact in Detroit, Chicago and Washington, D.C., and combines the firms lending capital, philanthropic capital and expertise to make investments in cities.

Based on the firms previous experience, JPMorgan Chase expects its AdvancingCities investment to attract an additional $1 billion in outside capital, resulting in a total of $1.5 billion directed to efforts that will increase inclusive growth in cities. The firm will invest in cities where conditions exist to help those who have not benefited from economic growth. This includes demonstrated, strong collaboration across the public and private sectors on solutions that create opportunity for people at risk of being left out of economic growth. Specifically, AdvancingCities will deploy investments and encourage creative, forward-looking solutions that create more widely shared prosperity in two ways:

Advancing Cities Challenge : JPMorgan Chase will launch a challenge to source and seed innovative solutions that help drive inclusive growth in up to 30 communities. The Advancing Cities Challenge will make investments in select cities to support collaborative and sustainable solutions that address cross-cutting challenges and help more people benefit from a growing economy. Successful proposals will support existing local coalitions of elected, business and nonprofit leaders working together to address major social and economic challenges such as employment barriers, financial insecurity, and neighborhood disinvestment. Proposals must incorporate at least two areas of focus within JPMorgan Chases Model for Impact. Cities interested in applying for the Advancing Cities Challenge should visit www.jpmorganchase.com/advancingcities. The RFP goes live today, September 12, and closes on November 30, 2018. Winners will be announced in the spring of 2019.

: JPMorgan Chase will launch a challenge to source and seed innovative solutions that help drive inclusive growth in up to 30 communities. The Cities Challenge will make investments in select cities to support collaborative and sustainable solutions that address cross-cutting challenges and help more people benefit from a growing economy. Successful proposals will support existing local coalitions of elected, business and nonprofit leaders working together to address major social and economic challenges such as employment barriers, financial insecurity, and neighborhood disinvestment. Proposals must incorporate at least two areas of focus within JPMorgan Chases Model for Impact. Cities interested in applying for the Cities Challenge should visit www.jpmorganchase.com/advancingcities. The RFP goes live today, September 12, and closes on November 30, 2018. Winners will be announced in the spring of 2019. Targeted City Investments: In addition to the Advancing Cities Challenge, JPMorgan Chase intends to make large-scale investments in cities where the conditions are right for success and broader, deeper investments are needed to drive inclusive growth around the world. This fall, the firm will take this model for impact abroad and announce a new large-scale investment in a global city where the benefits of economic growth are not reaching everyone.

"Opportunity is not shared equally across neighborhoods," said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase. "Businesses can and must step up to help change the status quo by creating a better future for all, no matter where they live. It is in our best interest and the right thing to do."

Investment Model for Impact

JPMorgan Chases investments will continue to focus on four strategic drivers of inclusive growth, around which the firm has developed several global initiatives over the last five years. These initiatives are specifically focused on equipping workers with 21st century job skills, providing the capital and expertise that women and minority entrepreneurs need to grow their businesses, investing in locally-driven solutions to revitalize distressed neighborhoods and helping families build strong financial futures.

Half of the $500 million will consist of philanthropic investments and up to $250 million will be low-cost, long-term capital deployed by the new AdvancingCities Investment Fund. This capital will be used to fund sustainable projects in critical sectors of underserved neighborhoods that frequently lack access to traditional financing, such as affordable housing, commercial real estate and small businesses.

The firm expects its investment to leverage an additional $1 billion in outside capital. This estimate is based on the firms experience in Detroit, where $50 million in loan funds supporting Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) have leveraged over $233 million from outside investors (4:1 ratio) and its national PRO Neighborhoods initiative, which has enabled CDFIs to leverage an additional $549 million in capital (a 11.4:1 ratio) for neighborhood revitalization projects.

The firm will also leverage the expertise of its employees through its Service Corps and use data from the JPMorgan Chase Institute to maximize the strategic impact of these investments.

Criteria for Advancing Cities Investments

To help more people benefit from economic growth in cities, the firm takes an integrated and sustainable approach to its investments. Deep engagement and meaningful collaboration among city leaders, businesses and nonprofits is required to drive change at the scale and pace needed to tackle the complex challenges facing communities. Working with local civic, community and business leaders, the firms investments will:

Connect more people to jobs with a pathway to a career and greater financial security;

Provide small businesses with critical resources they need to grow, create jobs and fuel economic growth in underserved communities;

Revitalize economically distressed neighborhoods by preserving affordable housing and boosting opportunity.

Solutions will help break down silos between local programs, strengthen underlying systems and advance holistic solutions to create more widely-shared prosperity. Based on learnings from past investments, AdvancingCities will make investments in cities that demonstrate the following:

Commitment to tackling barriers to economic opportunity and upward mobility;

Innovative strategies that make measurable progress to solve challenges related to inclusive growth;

Presence of high-capacity nonprofits and government entities and strong engagement from the business community working together to implement solutions;

Alignment between the future challenges and opportunities in the city and JPMorgan Chases four philanthropic areas of focus, which include jobs and skills training, neighborhood revitalization, small business growth and consumer financial health;

Overlap with the firms geographical business footprint and resources; and

Opportunities to use the firms data, employee expertise and business lending capital to create sustainable solutions.

"We have seen a lot of mayors stepping up and partnering with business and community leaders to do whats right for their cities," said Peter Scher, Head of Corporate Responsibility, JPMorgan Chase. "We are excited to take learnings and best practices from investments in Detroit, Chicago and Washington, D.C. to more cities and test solutions that can help more people share in the rewards of a growing economy."

"Like many cities, Detroits growth remains dependent on cooperation to help solve our biggest challenges," said Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan. "JPMorgan Chase has been at the table with us for a long time and their investment has been critical to ensuring the citys recovery benefits everyone. Im hopeful experiences and lessons from their investment in Detroit will be valuable to mayors in other cities."

Sharing Insights and Expertise

As AdvancingCities works to drive inclusive growth solutions, practical insights and lessons will be shared with policymakers, community leaders and the private sector by:

Ensuring data and analysis can be put to use by practitioners and a wide range of policymakers. JPMorgan Chase will also support peer learning to share best practices, enhance field building, and strengthen the capacity of the firms partners.

Creating partnerships with other investments to scale efforts and layer investments where there are complementary strategies.

Leveraging the firms insights and expertise of internal and external advisors to proactively engage policymakers and leaders to better inform solutions at the local, state and federal level.

JPMorgan Chase has also established an External Advisory Council, which will offer unique expertise and substantive input that informs AdvancingCities approach to driving inclusive growth in communities.

The Council consists of the following civic and business leaders, as well as community development and inclusive growth experts who will help inform the work of AdvancingCities:

Angela Glover Blackwell , Founder-in-Residence, PolicyLink

, Founder-in-Residence, PolicyLink Freeman Hrabowski , President, University of Maryland, Baltimore

, President, University of Maryland, Baltimore Gerard Mestrallet , Chairman, Engie (Paris, France)

, Chairman, Engie (Paris, France) Marc Morial , President, National Urban League

, President, National Urban League Janet Murguia , President and CEO, UnidosUS

, President and CEO, UnidosUS Michael Nutter , former Mayor of Philadelphia and David N. Dinkins Professor of Professional Practice in Urban and Public Affairs

, former Mayor of Philadelphia and David N. Dinkins Professor of Professional Practice in Urban and Public Affairs Rip Rapson , President and CEO, The Kresge Foundation

, President and CEO, The Kresge Foundation Ashley Swearengin, former Mayor of Fresno and current President and CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation

"Mayors can get a lot done, but they cant do everything," said Michael Nutter, former Philadelphia Mayor and current David N. Dinkins Professor of Professional Practice in Urban and Public Affairs at Columbia University. "You need leadership from community organizations and business leaders too in order to attract additional investment and build support for solutions. JPMorgan Chases AdvancingCities effort is designed to do just this by laying out clear goals, encouraging partnerships and future investments that help more people share in economic growth."

For more information, visit www.jpmorganchase.com/advancingcities.

Source: https://www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/news/pr/jpmc-launches-500mm-advancingcities-initiative.htm
Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid attended a high-level event on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly, where Estonia and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) launched their cooperation project to support the development of e-governance, informs LETA/BNS.

The cooperation project is a major initiative to support the digital transformation of UNDP and developing countries. The aim of the project is to share Estonia's e-governance expertise with nearly 170 countries and territories. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia will provide the seed funding of 102,000 to launch the project, spokespeople for the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

"Too often digitalization within countries happens in isolation, effectively meaning that everybody is inventing the wheel. It makes a lot of sense to bring the best practices and the best experts together in one project that has the ability to impact many countries," Kaljulaid said of the reasons why Estonia decided to join forces with UNDP.

UNDP is the UN's global development network working in more than 170 countries. The organisation aims to reduce poverty in developing countries and support states in their development agendas and strategies and in using money more efficiently. UNDP focuses on the development of democracy, crisis prevention, poverty reduction, environmental sustainability and HIV/AIDS prevention.

The e-governance project will be implemented by UNDP and Estonia's E-governance Academy and the seed funding of 102,000 euros is allocated from the foreign ministry's development and humanitarian aid fund

Source: http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/modern_eu/?doc=143769
The competitive price of premium residential real estate in Dubai is underpinned by the city's huge potential for growth - which means stronger appreciation and return on investment - as it continues to record sustained growth led by its firm economic fundamentals.



In particular, the price of residential real estate in Emaar's Downtown Dubai offers the most competitive value for investors seeking short- to long-term, secure real estate investment in prime locations, said a statement from the developer.



Even with its iconic attractions and superior infrastructure, the average price in Downtown Dubai is only $550 (Dh2,020) per sq ft.



In comparison, the average price property prices in other key cities are significantly higher. Hong Kong leads the list at $11,000 per sq ft, followed by Tokyo ($7,600), London ($5,300), Paris ($4,400), Moscow ($4,250), New York City ($4,100), and Shanghai ($2,125).



As a gateway city of the world, the Dubai International Airport recorded passenger arrivals of over 43 million in the first half of 2018 and more than 88.2 million in 2017.



The world's fourth most visited destination, Dubai also hosted over 15.8 million overnight tourists last year, and 10.44 million as of end-August this year.



Investor appetite for premium real estate in Dubai's central locations such as Downtown Dubai, Dubai Marina, Dubai Creek Harbour, Dubai Hills Estate, and Emaar Beachfront, has spiked in recent months, led by strong demand from high net worth international investors.



Despite the increase in demand, the city offers the most competitive residential real estate rates compared to global cities, as well as significantly high return on investment.



For instance, compared to the prime yield of 3.6 per cent in New York, Dubai promises residential real estate yield of 7.5 per cent - making it one of the most secure cities for value gains through property investment, said the developer.



The prime yields in other key cities globally are: Beijing (6.2 per cent), Boston (4.1 per cent), Brussels (4.5 per cent), Chicago (5.3 per cent), Frankfurt (3.3 per cent), Hong Kong (2.7 per cent), London (3.5 per cent), and Los Angeles (4.3 per cent), and Madrid (3.8 per cent).



Competitive prices and strong yields matched by world-class design, astonishing lifestyle amenities and a central location are key drivers for investors in Dubai's property, such as in Downtown Dubai, the world's most-visited leisure and lifestyle destination with The Dubai Mall welcoming over 80 million visitors annually for four consecutive years.-TradeArabia News Service
Page Content

At special ceremonies for the Dominican Republic (top) and Guyana (bottom), ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu welcomed the two Caribbean States official confirmations of their participation in the ICAO Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) from its outset.

One of the measures in ICAOs basket of measures to address the impacts of aviation on climate, CORSIA supports the realization of carbon neutral growth through the offsetting of CO 2 emissions from international flights.

The letters of confirmation, presented to the Secretary General at these ceremonies by the Director General of the Dominican Republic Civil Aviation Institute (IDAC), Dr. Marcelino Alejandro Herrera Rodriguez (top, centre), and the Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Lt. Col. Egbert Field, (bottom, centre-right), affirm these States intentions to be active CORSIA participants from 2021.

As of today 75 States confirmed their participation in CORSIA, assuring that the offsetting schemes pilot phase will cover at least 75.96% of international aviation activity. Guyana became the first South American state to announce its participation in CORSIA.

The Dominican Republics ceremony was attended by (from left to right) IDACs Legal Director, Mr. Jose Valdez; the Representative of the Dominican Republic to ICAO, Ambassador Carlos Veras; ICAOs Deputy Director for Environmental Protection, Ms. Jane Hupe; the Director of the ICAO Air Transport Bureau, Mr. Boubacar Djibo; and IDACs Deputy Director, Mr. Santiago Rosa. Guyanas ceremony was attended by (from left to right) Mr. Djibo, the Representative of Cuba to ICAO, Ms. Mirta Marina Crespo Frasquieri (invited), Lt. Col. Field; and Ms. Hupe.
Joining forces for fisheries: 300+ delegates to gather for 3rd World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress

October 18,2018 | Source: Too Big To Ignore

Over 300 researchers, practitioners, small-scale fishers, civil society organizations, environmental organizations, and government representatives will gather next week to discuss transdisciplinary strategies to sustain small-scale fisheries as a global food production system, as part of the 3rd World Small-Scale Fisheries Congress.



Taking place on 2226 October 2018 in Chiang Mai, Thailand, under the theme Transdisciplinary and Transformation for the Future of Small-Scale Fisheries, the congress aims to facilitate information exchange, knowledge sharing, and discussion among participants who come from more than 50 countries for the viability and sustainability of small-scale fisheries worldwide.



Small-scale fisheries provide food for billions of people and livelihoods for millions. Yet these services are being affected by factors such as ineffective governance, inequitable fishing rights, climate change and competition for space and resources with large-scale industrial fisheries and other sectors. In many instances, social, policy and governance transformations have taken place in response, but these are not always favorable to small-scale fisheries. Careful considerations are therefore needed to promote positive outcomes and avoid harmful ones.



Svein Jentoft, professor and founding member of the Too Big To Ignore Partnership: Small-scale fisheries come in various sizes, use a wide range of gears, and can take place in all water bodies. Some of the catches from small-scale fisheries are for household consumption, while others are sold through different market channels. Fishing is not only an economic activity but a way of life. This means that policy and governance approaches must be sensitive to context, which is why a broad range of knowledge, including that of people working in small-scale fisheries, needs to be integrated across policymaking, capacity development and research.



The congresss main theme is addressed by focusing on knowledge, innovation and capacity in the context of science, community, and policy. The congress will be opened by three plenary speakers to set the stage on recent developments in these realms:



Professor Svein Jentoft, The Arctic University of Norway, Norway, will present on the state-of-the-art in small-scale fisheries research.



Editrudith Stephen Lukanga, World Forum of Fish Harvesters and Fish Workers, Tanzania, will speak about the latest activities that civil society organizations have been engaging in to support and promote sustainable small-scale fisheries.



Nicole Franz, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Italy, will provide an overview and update about the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries since its adoption in 2014.



Ratana Chuenpagdee, congress co-chair and project director of TBTI: The conference aim is to find feasible and innovative solutions to make fisheries sustainable, including ways to support implementation of the SSF Guidelines and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. These discussions will lay the foundation for greater coordination across the sector leading up to the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development in 20212030 and the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture in 2022.



The congress is co-hosted by Maejo University and TBTI, in partnership with Department of Fisheries, Thailand, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Kasetsart University, Mahidol University, the Marine Biodiversity Research Group of Ramkhamhaeng University, and the Marine Science Association of Thailand.

 2013 Too Big To Ignore. All Rights Reserved.

Theme(s): Others.
Transforming gender relations in the Caribbean to support SDGs

October 18,2018 | Source: GAF

Research into the participation and role of women in Caribbean small-scale fisheries, along with careful efforts to transform gender relations is crucial to the uptake of the UN/FAO Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.



This message will be the focus of two presentations at "Expanding the Horizons" the 7th Gender in Aquaculture and Fisheries conference in Bangkok on 18-22 October.



In "How has organization benefited women in the Barbados flyingfish fishery? A look from within", Maria Pena will present research into women's participation and role in the only post-harvest fisherfolk organization in Barbados - the Central Fish Processors Association (CFPA). Co-authors of the presentation include Patrick McConney, Bertha Simmons and Neetha Selliah.



Miss Pena, Project Officer, CERMES, the University of the West Indies (UWI): "There is limited literature in general on women in fisherfolk organizations in Barbados, where flyingfish comprise half of the annual total landings. Women are conspicuous in the postharvest sector of the flyingfish value chain, but their participation in fisherfolk organizations is unclear."



"Our research is the first to document women's engagement in collective action in the flyingfish fishery in Barbados. Such research contributes to the implementation of the 2014 SSF Guidelines, particularly in relation to gender equality, and responsible fisheries and sustainable development."



"Lessons learned and actions implemented may have a role in increasing women's participation and leadership in collective action in local fisheries in Barbados and elsewhere in the Caribbean. It's also hoped that the research will result in increased local attention (and maybe even regional and global) on fisherfolk organizations," she said.



In Gender-transformative approaches to development in coastal and fishing communities in the English-speaking Caribbean, Patrick McConney, Senior Lecturer, Marine Resource Management Planning at UWI, will present the findings of a 2017 scoping study and 2018 survey.Co-authors include Leisa Perch, a gender and environmental consultant, and Maria Pena.



"Our research explored how gender and fisheries actors should engage with efforts at the country, sub-regional and regional level to achieve SDGs 5 and 14, but individually and collectively, and ensure that achieving one is not done at the expense of the other.



"The findings show that better coherence-through a transdisciplinary approach and integrative policies are need to achieve a sustainable transformation of small-scale fisheries and ensure viable fisheries in the future.



"The transdisciplinary approach of combining natural and social science analysis offers valuable learning of global interest and informs a practical way forward for the Caribbean region.Though there is work to be done in advancing a transdisciplinary approach, the foundations exist in fisheries, gender and other social policies. A key first step is bringing them together and also identifying the gaps that need to be filled," she said.



The presentations will take place at the Asian Institute of Technology Conference Centeron 18 October at 15:30-17:00 in hall 2 and 19 October at 15:30-1730 in hall 2, respectively. All media are welcome to attend.

 2018 GAF CONFERENCE

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
The Hotel Galleria by Elaf in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has announced the launch of Birdcage, a boutique chocolate bar that serves a wide array of homemade chocolates and pastries, including one of the world's finest chocolate brand, Cacao Barry Chocolate.



With the opening of Birdcage, Elaf Group aims to further enhance the experience of its customers by offering one of the world's finest products for luxury chocolate lovers.



The Cacao Barry Chocolate at Birdcage is located on the sixth floor of the Galleria Hotel and serves the finest chocolate varieties prepared out of the best cocoa beans imported from the African continent.



Ziyad Bin Mahfouz, CEO, Elaf Group, said: The group remains committed to providing the finest international brands and world-class services and restaurants that are managed by a group of the best chefs, experts and professionals of global standards. The launch of the new chocolate brand reflects the group's commitment to meeting the requirements and expectations of customers by all standards, by providing the finest international products that suit different tastes.



At Birdcage, our guests will have the unique opportunity to experience the Cacao Barry Chocolate brand, which will increase customer demand and enhance the hotel's reputation as an ideal destination not only for authentic hospitality but also for chocolate lovers, Bin Mahfouz added. - TradeArabia News Service


By Nikhat Fatima, TwoCircles.net

Hyderabad: Dr Lubna Sarwath, who contested from Malakpet constituency on behalf of the Aam Aadmi Party in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, one day randomly checked for her name in the voters list and was shocked to find that her name was missing.

As a result, she sent a series of emails to the CEO (Chief Election Officer) of the district, GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) Commissioner, Complaint Forum, Election Commission along with informing different NGOs and people in the media.

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When the news of her name missing from the electoral list emerged, other eligible voters began looking up the official website of the Telangana government to search for their names. And almost in all the constituencies / Wards, there were many names missing from the voter list.

Before approaching the Election officer personally, Dr Lubna called up the grievances cell, only to find that the numbers listed on the site were unavailable.

The authorities had no explanations when Dr Lubna asked on what basis her voter identity was deleted when she neither changed her residential address nor moved from Hyderabad. Instead, she was informed that the GHMC Election Commissioner and ERO (Electoral Registration officer) are the right agencies where she can get a satisfactory answer.

The ERO said they do not have the updated list of voters and one of his staff members informed her that the IRER (intensive revision of electoral roll) was outsourced to another agency and they may have erroneously deleted her name and also that of so many others. But still, even the outsourced agency should have a record of the voter identities deleted by them stating the reason for deleting which could be the death of the voter, migration, residence change and/or other issues. But surprisingly, there were no records of any of the deleted identities.

In her letter to the CEO, Dr Lubna said, This is outrageous and demeaning, to say the least. With all the technology and staff at disposal, this is just an example of how shabbily the electoral revisions are being conducted in the most important agency of democracy, the ECI. This in spite of historical samaikya Telangana surveys held in our state! Is this the status of National Electoral Roll Purification and authentication Process NERPAP?

The authorities took 3 days time in which they assured they would answer her queries. But no explanation was given to her. However, the officials and other personnel from the department visited her house to collect relevant documents to make a new voter Id for Dr Lubna in a bid to pacify her. But these attempts failed.

She joined as an impleader in the case filed by Mari Shashidar Reddy, Ex MLA and senior leader of the Indian National Congress who has complained about the irregularities in the preparation of revised electoral rolls and deletion of genuine voters names. His appeal also pointed out that the early polls in Telangana will deprive nearly 18 lakh youth of their voting right as they turn 18 by January.

The High Court of Telangana after the first hearing on October 4 has now set the next hearing on October 31 to decide on the matter.

When contacted by TwoCircles.net, Lubna Sarwath said, This deletion of genuine voter identities appears to be a kind of conspiracy to accommodate bogus votes. I have been forced to apply as a new voter now. And none of the government agencies I approached have any answer as to why they have deleted my voter id. Are they not answerable to us?

She also said that when she sent an e-complaint for her voter ID to be restored, she got an SMS from the department that her complaint has been registered and then in a few hours she received another SMS saying that her complaint has been disposed of. But nothing was really done. It is important to point out that once deleted, even the Election commission cannot restore the voter ID.

Dr Lubna, who is now associated with the Socialist Party (India) also called on all other political parties to boycott the elections and have the electoral rolls cleaned.

TwoCircles.net contacted a few other eligible voters who found their names deleted from the list.

Chandrashekar from Yapral, Malkajgiri constituency said, Around 50 persons voter ids have been deleted in our ward. And this is not the first time. Before the general elections in 2014, we had applied for fresh voter IDs. After we voted in 2014, now our names are missing in the voting list. And we have applied as new voters again.

Another voter Md. Sardar who is also a social activist from Malakpet constituency said, I have access to a computer and I could search for my name on the website. I and my family members have applied for a new voter ID now. But there may be so many others who do not have access to a computer system to search for their names and so many others who may not even be aware that their names have been deleted.

Many people are waiting for the Hyderabad High Court order which will decide if the revised electoral rolls are genuine or not. And if they are not genuine and if the Court asks for a new revised electoral roll, it may mean the elections that have been slated for November may not take place in Telangana.
Imperial Valley News Center

Attack on Afghan Provincial Leadership in Kandahar

Washington, DC - The United States condemns the attack directed today on Afghan provincial leadership in Kandahar. We extend our sympathies and condolences to the families of General Raziq and the other senior Afghan officials who were killed in the attack. We also extend hope for the speedy recovery of all those injured in the attack, including two Americans and one Coalition member who were present at the time.

The United States is resolved to continue its support for the Government and people of Afghanistan as they work to provide security for all Afghan citizens, including for the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 20. Recent attacks against parliamentary candidates in the final days of campaigning in Afghanistan stand in stark contrast to the aspirations of the Afghan people for peace, security, and economic stability. The right and desire of the Afghan people for their votes to be counted must be respected.
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 financial center.

"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 role as director 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, and event loosely nicknamed the "Davos of the Desert" that takes place Oct. 23-25 in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

"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."

The decision could put Khosrowshahi and Uber in an awkward spot because Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund owns about a 5.6 percent stake in the privately held ride-hailing app. The fund invested $3.5 billion 2016 as Uber was growing quickly.

The investment conference lists dozens of expected speakers, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Blackrock Chairman Larry Fink and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, the latter confirming Friday that he will go.

"I am planning on going at this point," he told broadcaster CNBC. "If more information comes out and changes, we could look at that."

Joe Kaeser, the president and CEO of German industrial giant Siemens AG, also still plans to attend for now.

The Financial Times, which is listed as a media partner to the event, announced it would no longer be doing so. Bloomberg also said it would no longer serve as a media partner, thought it planned to cover the event.

CNN canceled its partnership, and said its anchors and reporters would no longer moderate panels. The New York Times and its business columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin similarly pulled out of the event. CNBC also said Friday it would not participate.

A list of confirmed speakers was later removed from the site of the event.

It is not clear how lasting an impact the scandal might actually have on business decisions, such as a Saudi investment in Uber.

But Madawi Al-Rasheed, a visiting professor at the Middle East Center of the London School of Economics, said it will encourage human rights activists to increasingly focus on corporations -- as opposed to governments -- to engender change in the kingdom.

Activists will be emboldened and keep seeking to target business leaders again. That could worry a regime that needs outside expertise and investment to carry out the vision of a country opening up to the world.

"A lot of NGOs from Amnesty to Human Rights Watch will be pleased to see the corporate world respond," she said.
A California-based startup has announced big plans to go small as it reaches into space, rocketing satellites the size of loaves of bread into orbit from Virginia.

The endeavor reflects increasing demand from companies and governments alike to monitor ships, crops and the weather from space.

Rocket Lab said Wednesday it will build its launch pad at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on the Eastern Shore. It's located at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility where unmanned cargo missions already are dispatched to the International Space Station.

Rocket Lab, which recently built its first launch pad in New Zealand, is setting up in Virginia at a time of unprecedented growth in the use of smaller and relatively inexpensive satellites.

The devices circle the earth for a few years before burning up in the atmosphere. Atlanta-based consulting firm SpaceWorks predicted in January that up to 2,600 of these will need to be launched into orbit over the next five years.

The industry is attracting venture capitalists, while firms in China and companies such as Virgin have built launch systems dedicated to the smaller devices. Dozens more are under development.

Rocket Lab has sent up two rockets so far, humorously calling those missions "It's a test" and "Still testing." The second rocket successfully reached orbit in January.

Rocket Lab's next commercial mission, known as "It's Business Time," is scheduled to lift off from New Zealand in November. Launches from Virginia are set to begin as early as summer 2019.

"We're not focused on the next flight, we're focused on the next 100 flights," Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck, a New Zealander, said at a news conference in Virginia.

Small satellites have often hitched rides on rockets carrying bigger satellites into orbit or with supplies to the space station. But more firms are offering small satellites their own launches, providing more control over their schedules and the orbits to which they're delivered.

Headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, Rocket Lab plans to keep costs low by using lightweight, expendable rockets with 3D-printed engines. It's a different plan than some other space companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX, which uses larger rockets to carry bigger payloads.

Rocket Lab said its cargo in January included an earth-imaging satellite for Planet, a company that offers clients information on anything from flooding to deforestation.

Rocket Lab said future launches will serve Luxembourg-based firm Kleos Space. That company says it can help law enforcement officials detect illegal activity, such as human trafficking or illegal fishing, by pinpointing maritime radio transmissions.

NASA also has a contract with Rocket Lab to deliver small satellites. But the firm's most famous cargo was perhaps the "Humanity Star," a geodesic sphere designed to reflect the sun's light back to Earth.

Beck said he hoped it would remind people to look past daily concerns and face larger challenges like climate change. The "Humanity Star" fell out of orbit a couple months after the January launch. Its life span was up to nine months.

Rocket Lab chose Virginia's state-owned spaceport over U.S. finalists that included Alaska's Pacific Spaceport Complex and Cape Canaveral in Florida. Virginia officials said it could create 100 jobs as flights increase to once a month.

Currently, there are four companies that have developed six vehicles dedicated to launching small satellites, and dozens more are under development, according to Carlos Niederstrasser, an engineer with Northrop Grumman who tracks the industry. His company also launches small satellites.

Other firms getting into this market include Virgin Orbit, a sister outfit to space-tourism company Virgin Galactic. It's been testing a small rocket that is to launch satellites into space from a 747 jet flying at 35,000 feet (10,000 meters). Chinese firms are also up and running.

Niederstrasser wrote in his 2018 industry survey that the market won't be able to support most of the new companies. But he said it's clear that the company's founders and investors believe there'll be room for at least some.
Imagine Bill Gates in seventh grade. Scrawny, nerdy--and destined for greatness, whether he knew it or not.

He had a million things going for him. But perhaps the most important ingredient to his eventual success was the person he met during that school year: his future co-founder at Microsoft, Paul Allen, who died this week at the age of 65.

Entrepreneurship is incredibly lonely--soul-crushingly lonely at times. The best way some of the smartest and most successful entrepreneurs combat that loneliness is to team up with a trusted co-founder.

In remembering Allen, Gates just explained the most important thing any founder can do if he or she wants to build something truly great. It's in the very first sentence of the tribute he penned to Allen for The Wall Street Journal:

I met Paul Allen when I was in 7th grade, and it changed my life.

Find a co-founder (at school if you can)

Co-founders find each other all kinds of places: previous workplaces, among friends, colleagues, community groups. But there's another story you'll hear over and over about some fantastic entrepreneurial founding teams--that they met in school.

Think of some of the founding teams we practically venerate:

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak met in high school.

Larry Page and Sergei Brin met in college.

Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard (founders of HP) were classmates at Stanford.

The Ben and Jerry's ice cream guys, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, met in high school gym class.

Jennifer Hyman and Jennifer Fleiss, co-founders of Rent the Runway, met at Harvard Business School.

Vinit Bharara and Marc Lore, co-founders of Quidsi (Diapers.com, among other brands, which sold to Amazon for $545 million) met in elementary school.

It goes on and on. Gates clearly recognizes this, even though Allen isn't the only person he ever partnered with, of course.

But if you want to build something truly great, and maybe even do it multiple times during your life, the people you work with are likely more important than almost anything else.

So, if you meet that key future co-founder, and him or her them early enough in life to develop a key relationship, it can affect everything else that happens.

The Gates and Allen story

Long since removed from seventh grade, Gates's article is an homage to a dear departed friend, but it's also testimony about just how important this relationship was.

He says he looked up to Allen immediately, as Allen was in ninth grade when Gates was in seventh. And Allen was a computer genius, which Gates greatly admired.

They bonded over their shared fascination with a teletype machine their school had, which was hooked up over telephone lines with a time-sharing computer owned by GE. As Gates recalled:

Eventually we were spending just about all our free time messing around with any machine we could get our hands on. At an age when other high school kids were sneaking out of the house to go partying, Paul and I would sneak out at night to go use the computers in a lab at the University of Washington. It sounds geeky, and it was, but it was also a formative experience, and I'm not sure I would have had the courage to do it without Paul.

You might already know how the story Gates recounts picks up from there. By the time he made it to Harvard, Allen had already dropped out of Washington State University and was working as a programmer in Boston.

Thus it was Gates to whom Allen ran in December 1974, when he saw a magazine article about the brand new Altair 8800 computer, urging him to join him immediately in business.

"That moment marked the end of my college career and the beginning of our new company, Microsoft," Gates writes.

Fascinating. As Gates tells the story, founding the company that became Microsoft wasn't even his idea. It was Allen's.

Oh, my god, what if you didn't meet a co-founder in school?

It's not as if you can't start a company without a co-founder. Or that the only place you can meet a great fit co-founder is in school.

It certainly does help if you've had a working or personal relationship before. You don't want the first time you've had a disagreement to be when you're facing a critical issue in your startup.

So, the true lesson? Build your relationships. Work on small projects with other people, and maybe they'll turn into bigger projects.
For a while there, you could get a meeting with a lot of potential investors by promising "the Uber of X." We're building the Uber of private jets. The Uber of trucking. The Uber of real estate.

Now, it seems like Uber itself wants to create a whole bunch of Uber of X's, starting with the Uber of corporate events and functions (subscription required). In Chicago and Los Angeles, the company is testing a pilot program where it provides on-demand waiters, security guards, and other 1099 independent contractors to businesses.

With about two million drivers worldwide, Uber would already be the world's fourth-largest employer--behind the U.S. military, the Chinese Army, and Walmart--if its workers were true employees, as opposed to independent contractors.

This move, which is probably set up for Uber's expected IPO next year, could grow the company's workforce even more. At least Uber's wait staff will be able to travel to their Uber events in an Uber car.

Here's what else I'm reading today:

A giant, secretive data mining company might go public

Palantir Technologies is eyeing an initial public offering for the second half of 2019, with a possible $41 billion valuation. Co-founded by Peter Thiel in 2004, the data mining company is secretive and influential.

Its analytics were credited with helping the government track down Osama bin Laden, and it has massive contracts with intelligence, defense, and police agencies around the world. (Rob Copeland, The Wall Street Journal)

In this entire scenario, you don't actually own anything

Rent the Runway announced a new partnership with WeWork this week, installing drop-off boxes at 15 WeWork pilot locations.

This means that women customers can rent clothes, have them delivered to a rented city apartment, and return them to a rented workspace. (Marc Bain, Quartz)

How online brands can go brick-and-mortar

It's been a sad--but not unexpected--week for retail, with the news that Sears is in bankruptcy.

The silver lining is that smaller stores can bring in a lot more revenue than big, legacy anchor stores--thanks to their ability to sell additional items online. Now, several new startups are trying to find ways to get online brands into recently vacated physical spaces. (Michelle Cheng, Inc.com)

Taking on the 'pink tax'

The shaving brand Harry's launched a line of women's products, under the name Flamingo, with a radical pitch: charging men and women the same amount for similar items.

Of course, that's only radical because pricing for women's products is often higher than for men's, even when the products themselves are exactly the same. This "pink tax" leads women to spend about $100,000 more over a lifetime than men do for basically the same stuff. (Sonia Thompson, Inc.com)

Panasonic's dystopian new office product

Panasonic says its new product, Wear Space, is intended to help people stay focused at work--but honestly, it just looks like horse blinders for humans. What's more, this multibillion-dollar company with 250,000 employees is running a crowdfunding campaign to bring the product to life.
Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

The image looked damning.

An airline's crew were lying on the floor, apparently trying to sleep in a brightly-lit room.

It looked a little too perfectly damning, to be honest.

These were, though, 24 members of four Ryanair crews stranded by weather in Malaga, Spain and not provided with a hotel by the airline.

This is a Ryanair 737 crew based in Portugal, stranded in Malaga, Spain a couple of nights ago due to storms. They are sleeping on the floor of the Ryanair crew room. RYR is earning 1.25 billion this year but will not put stranded crews in a hotel for the night. @peterbellew ? pic.twitter.com/lILWZVqqGj -- Jim Atkinson (@Jimbaba) October 14, 2018

Budget airline Ryanair isn't known for its demure approach to either business or humanity. It's endured many employee relations issues.

So it took to Twitter and Facebook and posted video of the crew staging the image.

Ryanair exposes fake photo of cabin crew sleeping in crew room. Watch video here: pic.twitter.com/tzTn6EHsKH -- Ryanair (@Ryanair) October 17, 2018

Oh, dear.

I asked Ryanair whether this wasn't a slightly unseemly move, one that may even have privacy implications.

An airline spokeswoman told me:

The publication of this video reveals the facts and exposes the SNPVAC union fake news/false claims.This video proves that the original picture was staged and no crew 'slept on the floor.' All Ryanair offices and crew rooms are equipped for security reasons with CCTV cameras and notifications of same as required by GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation].

Why, though, didn't the airline offer the crew a hotel for the night? Ryanair's spokeswoman insisted:

Due to storms in Porto (13 Oct) a number of flights diverted to Malaga and as this was a Spanish national holiday, hotels were fully booked. The crew spent a short period of time in the crew room before being moved to a VIP lounge, and returned to Porto the next day (none of the crew operated flights).

Oddly, local resident Alex Macheras noted that Booking.com showed more than 1,800 hotel rooms available in Malaga that night.

Update: 24hrs later, unfort no response from #Ryanair's COO @PeterBellew



'Sala VIP' lounge confirmed to me they have record of all visitors, no Ryanair crew entered,& the lounge closed at 11pm.



Booking .com say 1,834 rooms were available in Malaga areahttps://t.co/OtcaHr6H8N -- Alex Macheras (@AlexInAir) October 15, 2018

Ryanair's Chief Operating Officer Peter Bellew insisted that the airline had called 42 hotels.

Dear Alex. Please check VIP lounge at Malaga who kindly opened at 0515 to assist our crew and pax. The weekend was fiesta nacional de espana and Malaga packed. Our handler called 42 hotels near airport who were full. Apologies for inconvenience. -- Peter Bellew (@peterbellew) October 15, 2018

There was nothing for it but to dutifully ask Bruno Fialho, vice-president of the SNPVAC union, to offer me his two minutes on Ryanair's claims.

Please Fasten Your Seat Belts.

Fialho's version was a little different.

He told me that the 24 crew members were placed in the Ryanair crew room "so that they were kept isolated from the hundreds of passengers that were in the terminal."

It was 1.15 a.m. Then, Fialho told me:

For hours, the Crew attempted to contact Ryanair OPS and LESMA (local RYR Ground handling agent) to obtain information about the hotel accommodation and both replied that there weren't any hotels available. The Crew also contacted directly some hotels in the Malaga area and there were rooms available.

This is already not looking good. Fialho says that the crew were sent to an airport lounge at around 3.45 a.m. There were chairs, sofas and toilets available, but no food or drinks.

Next, Fialho says, the crew were told they'd be flown to Portugal on a 10 a.m. flight, but still no food or drinks were offered. In addition, Fialho says, the crew was guarded by security personnel, preventing them from leaving.

Then, mordant comedy. Fialho told me:

After the security guard made several phone calls, the Crew was allowed into the airport terminal to have some breakfast. Finally, at 9 a.m. the LESMA duty manager informs that he managed to get a hotel for everyone. However, the Crew was already informed of the flight at 10:00 a.m. (just 1 hour later) which the duty manager wasn't aware.

No, it wasn't over. Fialho again:

At 09.55 a.m. the Crew is sent on a bus to the aircraft with the information that 2 pilots were already there to take the aircraft ferry to Porto. When they got there, the aircraft was closed and the crew were left on the ramp. The Pilots decide to open the aircraft to wait inside as the weather conditions were adverse.

So the took off shortly afterwards, right? Well, no, says Fialho.

At 10.40 a.m. the Crew is informed of a 2 hour slot restriction and that they have to wait for another 10 pilots from Malaga Airport and other bases to take the same flight to Porto in order to operate the afternoon flights. The operating captain didn't have permission to leave Malaga before those 10 pilots arrived.

Please tell me you're still with me, as there's more. A lot more. Next, Fialho says:

At 11.20 a.m., the Crew asks the operating Captain to open the aircraft bars and get something to eat, a request that was denied by Operations. The Crew decided to ignore the instruction and opened the bar anyway, as they were feeling very hungry.

Fialho says that the flight finally landed in Porto at 1.42 p.m. Worse, he says, the Crew Controller was convinced that the crews had been given hotels and were properly rested, so they were being scheduled for new flights.

Yes, I hear you cry, but what about the staged photo? According to Fialho:

The photo was a gesture of protest, that immediately became viral. Laying on the floor was the only option to rest -- their 'suitable accommodation.' And precisely due to the unusual, deplorable and despicable treatment given to the Crew, Ryanair became the object of a social media frenzy.

Fialho added another kink to the story of the photo:

Ryanair rushes to call it 'staged,' but not before the Company's Chief Operating Officer apologized to the crew via Twitter.

Fialho believes this is merely another example of Ryanair's cold-blooded attitude to employee relations. But what about the privacy issue with the video? He told me:

Regarding the evident breach of the Global Data Protection Regulations we will discuss this in the appropriate institutions. Ryanair did us all a favor by providing evidence that in fact there were no minimum conditions for their employees to spend the night with dignity.

The People's Verdict.

If you look on Twitter and Facebook, sympathy largely rests with the cabin crews.

Above all, however, a single impression remains -- that relations between Ryanair and its employees are parlous at best.

How you treat your employees says so much about how your company is run. And once employer/employee unpleasantness reaches the public sphere, please imagine what your customers will think.
It was fortunate that Bryan Manning's girlfriend was around the day he and his brother Bradford started buying fabric. They had just ordered the material they'd chosen for their shirts in black and had moved on to navy, when the girlfriend pointed out that the swatch they were looking at also was black. "We almost double-ordered because we could not distinguish between the two colors," Bryan says.

At age 7, the Manning brothers were found to have a retinal disorder called Stargardt Disease that attacks the center of the eye while leaving peripheral vision largely clear. Bryan describes the experience as wearing a pair of glasses with Vaseline smeared across the middle of each lens. Their disability compounded the challenge of launching Two Blind Brothers, a New York City-based apparel manufacturer that donates all net profits to retinal research. (The company has donated $200,000 since its 2016 launch.)

"It's things like, is the label on this shirt correct? Are the notecards we put in the boxes correct? Is the bank statement we got in the mail correct?" Bradford says. "Those details are the toughest thing for us."

About 18 months ago, the Mannings started using Aira, a tool that connects blind and low-vision people to human agents who survey their surroundings through smart glasses or smartphone cameras. The agents can read aloud users' mail or describe the people in a room, hail them Ubers, or help them navigate a conference center. Twenty airports deploy the system for vision-impaired travelers. Several universities and retailers, such as Wegman's, also use it.

Starting this week the financial software company Intuit is making Aira available for free to all entrepreneurs and small-business owners. "We wanted to go big," says Ted Drake, the accessibility leader at Intuit. "If we can help a blind or low-vision entrepreneur build their business or start a new one, then hopefully that will lead to a lower unemployment rate and better jobs and lives for a lot of people."

A hard job made harder

The unemployment rate for the visually impaired hovers around 70 percent, according to the National Federation for the Blind. For many who can't find jobs, self-employment or entrepreneurship is the best option. Aira enables them to deal with inaccessible technology, like banking websites and point-of-sale systems. With permission it can also deploy software to connect directly with users' computers. That assistance may translate into lower headcount and a healthier bottom line. "If you can't perform a function yourself, you have to hire someone else to do it," says Colleen Wunderlich, director of employment and entrepreneurship at Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired, in Winnetka, Illinois.

The Manning brothers, who employ six people and manufacture through Lighthouse of the Blind, in Dallas, use Aira chiefly to read mail and other documents, to summon rides, and occasionally to read slides or narrate visuals in presentations. Although they use other hacks--such as zooming in on text with their iPhones--they like Aira "because there is a human on the other end," says Bradford. "A lot of tools feel like they put distance between you and the people around you."

In meetings, the brothers will often put their phones on speaker and summon an Aira agent for all to hear. "I will say, 'Susie, can you describe the room to me?' and she will make some comments about a shirt someone is wearing," Bradford says. "It is a great icebreaker."

"OnStar for the blind"

Suman Kanuganti, an Indian-born engineer with master's degrees in robotics and business, launched Aira in 2015 after befriending a man who had lost his vision at age 33. Hoping to create a kind of "OnStar for the blind," Kanuganti developed camera-equipped smart glasses that connect to virtual dashboards, allowing human agents to view and describe a user's environment. Agents typically respond to a summons in less than 10 seconds and assist for the duration of discrete tasks.

The Intuit program pays for work-related minutes used by Aira subscribers who have the glasses. It also picks up the cost for non-subscribers who forgo the glasses and simply point their phones at what they want to "see."

"They can use it for anything, from uploading their receipts to an accounting system to setting up an entire brick and mortar shop," says Kanuganti, who estimates the average session will be around 10 minutes.

The most important benefit Aira delivers to blind entrepreneurs, says Kanuganti, is time. Founders and small-business owners work ridiculous hours. For the visually impaired almost everything takes longer.
By Vince Martinez, Sr. Consulting Partner? for Partners in Leadership, and an expert on business and organizational development training.

Often, corporate leaders find themselves in one of two positions: either they are consistently missing targets, stuck in a cycle of teams failing to deliver on the actions necessary to achieve desired results; or they are just meeting their numbers, but ultimately left wondering why employees are unable or unwilling to go above and beyond to exceed expectations.

Even when corporate leaders have excellent management skills and make the best hires in their fields, they often still struggle to hold others accountable for achieving shared organizational results. To compound the issue, employees across the globe are reporting historically low levels of engagement at work, rendering accountability an uphill battle for leaders everywhere.

Here's why corporate leaders have a difficult time holding others accountable.

How a Lack of Clarity Hinders Accountability in the Workplace

The most likely culprit for an accountability deficit in the workplace is simply a lack of clarity around the concept. Most employers don't think it necessary to define accountability -- they presume everyone already knows what it means.

Unfortunately, when leaders fail to create a common language for understanding accountability, employees all come to the table with their own notions: some may believe that accountability is the same thing as responsibility, while others believe that it requires taking the blame when teams fail to deliver as promised. Misalignment around what is meant by accountability causes misunderstanding and ineffective performance. As a result, your employees may end up pointing fingers and playing the blame game when something goes amiss.

Take this example: a supervisor asks an employee for a report by Friday. The employee works hard to complete the report and delivers it on time. When the supervisor reads the report, however, he or she becomes annoyed that it does not cover the proper scope, makes grammatical errors, or fails to include important metrics -- so the supervisor feels the employee is not being accountable. In the meantime, the employee feels confident that he or she has successfully taken accountability because the report was delivered on the specified topic at the specified time. Here, a lack of clarity around what accountability entails creates a kink in the pipeline, inhibiting results.

Even if employees do share a unified definition of accountability in the workplace, many leaders still fail to define their organization's critical Key Results. As a result, employees come to work without a sense of direction or an understanding of how their daily tasks impact larger-scale results. This lack of direction causes confusion when priorities in the workplace seem to shift. If there is no clear target toward which employees are moving as a team, there can be no sense of accountability for reaching that target.

The Secret to Higher Accountability at Work

The first crucial step toward holding others accountable at work is to address this lack of clarity. Begin by aligning your team around a shared definition of positive accountability as the personal choice to rise above one's circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving results. Disseminate this message throughout your organization, ensuring that employees in every department recognize that accountability demands proactive commitment to the organization's shared goals. In organizations with high accountability, employees do not simply meet expectations, but consistently ask themselves, What else can I do?

Once accountability is embraced by employees at every level of your company, identify the meaningful, measurable topline results that your organization must achieve each year. Research indicates that people struggle to remember more than seven items on any given list, so narrowing your goals down to just three to five crucial results gives all employees a clear, memorable, and meaningful target to which they can connect their daily work.

After you've achieved clarity around accountability and your organization's Key Results, it's time to operationalize by actively implementing these principles. Done effectively, this means that each employee aligns his or her daily actions around topline results, acting with the knowledge that he or she is a key player in achieving those results.

Consider the earlier scenario, reimagined: a supervisor asks an employee for a report by Friday. Keeping in mind that one of the organization's clearly defined topline results is 10% year-over-year revenue increase, the supervisor outlines their expectations that the report include specific revenue growth metrics. The employee asks a follow-up question to clarify these expectations and agrees to take accountability to include all necessary information in the report.

Feeling as though they can do more, however -- and remembering the desired result of 10% year-over-year revenue increase -- the employee takes the initiative to include relevant expenditures as well as growth metrics, and ensures the report is proofread before submission. The employee submits the thorough, results-focused report well before the deadline, and the supervisor is pleased. Both parties have held themselves accountable for achieving the desired outcome.
You guys! Busy Philipps has written a book! If youre one of 1.3 million people who follow Philipps on Instagram, youll feel like you know her already, but in This Will Only Hurt a Little shes even more candid and even more loveable than in her famous Instagram Stories. Her book isnt a traditional celebrity memoir, but more like an extension of her social media presence: a collection of mini-essays, stories from Philippss life. My therapist, Bethany Rosenblum, says that everyone has one defining story. The story that basically sums up who they are and why they are the way they are, Philipps writes. I mean, personally, I feel like I have half a dozen of these defining stories. This admission comes early on in the volume, but it sets the tone for what follows. These are the stories  presented roughly in chronological order  that Philipps feels have defined her life, and she conveys in her instantly recognisable warmly conversational, if slightly obstinate, voice.

There are two central themes. Firstly, if Philipps sets her mind to something, theres no stopping her; and secondly, shes always wanted to be the centre of attention. When it comes to the latter, I spent much of the book trying to work out how something thats essentially one long imploring cry, Look at me! never becomes tiresome. I think  and the same can be said of her online success  its because shes completely honest and up front about her craving for acknowledgement. The reason I started the stories, she explains referring to her Instagram account. It was because I was lonely.

Philipps grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, but moved to LA  well, Loyola Marymount University in Westchester, California, which was about as close to Hollywood as I could get  when she was 18. Shes had roles in Freaks & Geeks, Dawsons Creek  which is where she met Michelle Williams, the two becoming close, a friendship that endures to this day  ER and Cougar Town, among others. The book goes into detail about these years, both the good and the bad. Shes upfront about how the boys club lets men get away with terrible behaviour, describing her Freaks & Geeks co-star James Franco as a f***ing bully who barely got a slap on the wrist for his violent behaviour towards her on set. She details how crushed she was the time she was screwed over by two men she worked on a script with  they took her name off it before they sold it.

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And shes open about how she works in an industry that consistently makes women feel bad about their bodies. Hearing this all is hugely refreshing, especially coming from a woman whos riding high at what looks to be the peak of her career: last autumn The New Yorker ran a piece calling Philipps the breakout star of Instagram Stories, now shes written this book, and shes about to start hosting Busy Tonight, her own late-night talk show on the American cable network E!. Shes a star ascending and everyone loves her for it.

This Will Only Hurt a Little by Busy Philipps is published by Sphere, 16.99
What happens to the characters in a horror film once the terror has ended? Its a meta question, of course, since in one very real sense nothing happens at all. Generally, though, filmgoers leave the cinema assuming a happy ending for those who made it out alive. Now a new sequel to a classic of the genre not only disputes that idea, but offers a timely reminder surviving such an ordeal is never the end of the story.

Halloween, the 2018 sequel, takes place 40 years after Michael Myers infamous killing spree in John Carpenters 1978 original. There have been a string of sequels and remakes since, but David Gordon Greens sharp, incisive new installment  with a screenplay co-written by Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride  has discarded them all. This time around, weve been saved from the revelation Michael is Lauries brother, thankfully.

Instead, Halloween revisits Laurie  played once again by Jamie Lee Curtis  in the present day. What we discover is she has been living under Michaels murderous shadow ever since. Her two marriages have fallen to pieces and she lost custody of her daughter Karen (Judy Greer), who has since distanced herself and her own daughter (Andi Matichak) from her mother.

For Laurie, the only priority has been to ready herself against what she sees as Michaels inevitable return. She has, essentially, become imprisoned in her own home, the place transformed into a fortress outfitted with every variety of weapon, hiding place and booby trap imaginable. Michaels campaign of violence did not end on 31 October 1978, but has raged on within Laurie, as the sole survivor of his spree.

The film was written before the #MeToo movement, Curtis tells me. It was written in January of 2016, and the movement really began in August 2017. And, yet, she points out, the movie chimes perfectly with the movements determination to highlight the deep, lasting effects trauma has on survivors of abuse and violence.

Women and men, all over the world, are starting to stand up and say: This happened to me, but it does not have to be the definition of me. We made a horror movie thats super scary but at its core is the subject of trauma. But in the world, we are having a conversation that has been silenced for a very long time.

The history of horror has always been the history of a nations fears. It has offered us a map of our changing anxieties, of how they have morphed and shifted over the decades. For 2018s Halloween to represent trauma in such a way is to acknowledge how our relationship with fear and violence has changed, and that the nature of 1978s bogeyman doesnt remain the same today.

 Halloween - Trailer 2

When producer Irwin Yablans first sought out Carpenter to write and direct a horror film for his new production company, he envisioned a picture that had the same impact as The Exorcist. That 1973 forerunner mined growing public anxiety over occultism, spurred on by the Manson murders of 1969. Halloween, however, instead captured a national obsession with the serial killer, which reached its peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The image of Michael as an unstoppable force, to an almost supernatural degree, cuts deep into the almost self-mythologising characteristics of the serial killers of the seventies; it was a decade stalked by the likes of the Zodiac Killer and the Alphabet Killer, both of whom were never caught. Such serial murderers were known by the strange patterns in their behaviour, or by taunting letters they sent to the media. The serial killer was, in a way, a kind of cultural bogeyman for the period: the faceless, incomprehensible force of evil.

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Even more terrifying was the concept of how close to home such evil could be. Halloween is set in the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois, but it could be anywhere; the name comes from Haddonfield, New Jersey, where co-screenwriter Debra Hill grew up, while most of the street names come from Carpenters hometown of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Michael is shown as a direct threat to suburbia  the apple pie and white picket fence landscapes so beloved of the nuclear American family.

Many of the most notorious, and highly publicised, serial killers of the seventies came to embody a similar threat: Ted Bundy was a clean-cut, charming man with a job in the Republican party; John Wayne Gacy would dress as a clown to perform at neighbourhood childrens parties. In fact, Michael nearly wore a clown mask, before his now-iconic look was settled on  a Captain Kirk mask spray-painted a bluish-white. Its the better choice: a blank, almost featureless visage that reminds us of the unidentified killers among us.

The film may have been largely dismissed by critics at first  The New Yorkers Pauline Kael said it was stripped of everything but dumb scariness  but Halloween clearly struck a chord with audiences. Despite being shot on a miserly budget of $320,000, the film went on to make $40m  equating to around $200m today.

Yet in 2018, the serial killer no longer carries the same threat. While statistics for serial murders peaked in the 1980s, they have been in steady decline ever since. The serial killer has now become a more historicised phenomenon, the subject of an endless stream of podcasts and Netflix documentaries that eagerly pore over the details in an attempt to understand what happened or why it happened  neatly acknowledged in 2018s Halloween, which features two British journalists hoping to mine information on Michaels past for a podcast.

Michaels threat has been neutralised to some degree, which perhaps explains why Rob Zombies 2007 remake invested so much energy into trying to explain his backstory, in an attempt to better understand him. And so, the nature of Michaels evil has also been shifted in the 2018 version; he is a danger both immediate and, in light of our changing understanding of trauma, long-lasting.

Curtis as Laurie 40 years ago (Rex Features)

In particular, 2018s Halloween seeks to reflect how research has shown trauma can be transmitted across generations, in genetic inheritance s well as behaviour. As Curtis explains: Trauma is the residual effect of violence. We know that. We know that through history, weve studied history. Because its generational. It gets passed on if its not worked out. And so this is a movie about generational trauma. In the film, Karen finds herself unable to forgive her mother for a childhood spent in constant fear, while Allyson struggles to detach herself from the inherited stress of Lauries experiences.

The 2018 Halloween, in a sense, marks the ultimate evolution of the final girl, a trope the 1978 film established, though its legacy remains conflicted. Curtis wasnt Carpenters initial choice for the role, but he was convinced after learning she was the daughter of Psychos Janet Leigh  Curtis as Laurie, therefore, could be sold as a daughter inheriting her mothers scream queen title. As it was her feature film debut, Curtis was reportedly only paid $8,000 for the part, although it launched her career.

However, despite Hills insistence Laurie was envisioned only as a strong character who was very willful and feared nothing, the fact it was Laurie  the virgin  who survived, has become central to a debate over whether the film contributes to a narrative in which a woman being sexually active is deemed worthy of punishment.

The best films of 2018 (so far) Show all 17 1 /17 The best films of 2018 (so far) The best films of 2018 (so far) The Guardians From its slow-burning beginning, The Guardians develops into an epic melodrama. Its a wartime story in which, for a change, the men are relegated to supporting roles. It follows in a tradition of French rural family sagas like Jean De Florette or Manon Des Sources. The landscapes and the changing seasons play as much of a part in the story as the main characters. The best films of 2018 (so far) Dark River Dark River offers little such consolation. It has some lyrical and delicate moments but the mood is generally overwhelmingly bleak and lugubrious. Incest and abuse dont leave much space for any comic interludes. This is a powerful film with a grinding intensity about it. Light relief it isnt but Dark River still has quite an impact. Alamy The best films of 2018 (so far) Zama Late on in Argentinean director Lucrecia Martels startling, highly original new feature, Zama, a character who has just had both his arms cut off, is advised to shove your stumps in the sand  if you dont bleed out, youll survive. Its a grisly, darkly humorous moment in a film that continually surprises us with both its brutality and its lyricism. The Match Factory The best films of 2018 (so far) The Breadwinner The most dispiriting aspect of this otherwise enrapturing Oscar-nominated animated feature is that its storyline still seems so current. The film depicts an Afghan society in which women dont have a face. It is set during the Taliban rule, which lasted from the mid-1990s until late 2001, but this doesnt feel like a period piece. Seventeen years after the Taliban were ousted from power in Afghanistan following the US invasion, the plight of women in the country appears hardly to have improved. GKIDS The best films of 2018 (so far) BlacKkKlansman Spike Lees work sometimes risks sensory overload. He fires off so many different ideas and storytelling styles that audiences can become bamboozled by his scattergun approach. BlacKkKlansman is one of his very best films because the digressions are as entertaining as ever but dont get in the way of the main story. AP The best films of 2018 (so far) Early Man Much of the pleasure in Aardman films has always lain in their gently ironic, Alan Bennett-like humour. They take very exotic characters and subject matter but then deal with them in a matter-of-fact fashion. They make a virtue out of their own relative modesty. Early Man isnt the flashiest animated feature that youll see this year but it is certainly the most likeable. The best films of 2018 (so far) Isle of Dogs Like all of Wes Andersons work, Isle Of Dogs is very stylised, very offbeat and characterised by its extremely dry and often ironic humour. This Japanese-set stop-motion fable is also gorgeous to look at  packed full of intricate visual detail. It deals with some weighty themes (ethnic cleansing, fascism and corruption) but does so in an idiosyncratic fashion. The best films of 2018 (so far) Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri Writer-director Martin McDonagh has a host of award-winning plays behind him but his movies havent always lived up to his stage work. This one certainly does. It shares some of the dark and nihilistic humour found in McDonaghs previous film, Seven Psychopaths. The best films of 2018 (so far) A Quiet Place In an era of wearisome poltergeist movies, haunted house stories and torture porn, A Quiet Place is a refreshingly pared-down and very original affair. Director John Krasinski relies on editing, sound effects and off-screen action to crank up the tension. We do see the creatures from time to time, sometimes even in extreme closeup. They are very grotesque, bigger versions of the polyp-like succubus which exploded out of John Hurts stomach in Alien. However, the most terrifying moments here come when the humans are waiting for them to appear, desperately hoping that they wont. Paramount Pictures The best films of 2018 (so far) Lady Bird Lady Bird is one of the best American coming-of-age films since Barry Levinsons Diner. Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, it offers an utterly winning mix of humour, poignancy and sharp-eyed social observation. Gerwig approaches her subject matter with the same tenderness and affectionate irony with which the adolescent Lady Bird regards Sacramento. Gerwig also shows Lady Birds heroism as the young heroine strives against the odds to become the very best version of herself she can be. A24 The best films of 2018 (so far) Phantom Thread If Phantom Thread is indeed Daniel Day-Lewiss final film as an actor, he is going out on a wondrously bizarre note. This must be the oddest film in his career, one in which he gives a typically commanding but very idiosyncratic performance. Almost everything here is jarring  but generally in a very positive way. The best films of 2018 (so far) First Reformed It is not so long ago that Paul Schrader seemed to be giving up on cinema. The American writer-director (whose credits include Taxi Driver, American Gigolo and Affliction) had taken to making movies like the sour Hollywood satire The Canyons with Lindsay Lohan and the cartoonishly violent Dog Eat Dog, shot cheaply, aimed at a VOD audience. The former had a montage of closed-down movie theatres. In interviews, Schrader struck a gloomy note about the future of the industry. This is why First Reformed is so refreshing. This is not just Schraders best film in a very long while. It is also a re-affirmation of the directors belief in the medium. Rex The best films of 2018 (so far) The Happy Prince Oscar Wilde goes to ruin in Rupert Everetts debut feature as director. Everett also wrote and stars in the film, giving a grandstanding performance as the Irish writer at the end of his life, after his release from prison, where he has been doing hard labour for gross indecency. This is a moving and surprising biopic that squeezes out every last drop of pathos from its subject matter. BBC Films The best films of 2018 (so far) Black Panther Black Panther is not only one of the most entertaining recent superhero films but has an intelligence and a political dimension that such inchoate offerings as Suicide Squad and Justice League completely lacked. It is an action movie which touches on Pan-Africanism and which owes as much to Malcolm X as it does to Batman or Captain America. Marvel Studios/Disney The best films of 2018 (so far) Sicilian Ghost Story Sicilian Ghost Story is a genre-bending affair that combines elements of teen romance, gothic psycho-drama and political thriller. It is loosely based on a true story of a boy called Giuseppe Di Matteo whose father, an ex-member of the Sicilian Mafia, turned grass against his erstwhile associates. The Mafia responded by kidnapping Giuseppe and keeping him in captivity for nearly 800 days. Altitude The best films of 2018 (so far) First Man First Man is all about understated heroism. Its affecting precisely because Armstrong (played with quiet intensity by Ryan Gosling) doesnt feel the continual need to boast about his mission. The film is a tearjerker but a very subtle one. AP The best films of 2018 (so far) Dogman Dogman is one of the best Italian films of recent times, a modern day neo realist fable that bears comparison with the great work of Fellini, Rossellini, De Sica et al. Its main character, the dog groomer Marcello (Marcello Fonte), is a wonderful creation: loveable, vulnerable, seedy and comic all at the same time. Curzon Artificial Eye

However you may feel about the final girl, 2018s Halloween not only deconstructs the idea, but questions the very validity of the term, when theres little finality to be found for Laurie. Trauma does not allow for that kind of victory. And that is a terror we must recognise.

For Curtis, her return to Laurie has finally allowed an important question to be asked: What happens to these people the next day? In her eyes, Laurie went back to school on 1 November 1978, the day after Michaels rampage, with a bandage on her arm, but as a different person. The Laurie that was popular, who did well in school, who had a crush on a boy, and had her whole life ahead of her, was now the Laurie people pointed at and whispered about in the hallways.

Thats what trauma does, Curtis says. It takes away your innocence, your life force, and it leaves you with a stain, and a badge, and a mark of trauma. And you have to have help. And we know that. And this is a movie about a woman who didnt get that kind of help.

Halloween is on release in UK cinemas
It is now 17 years since the Hollywood movie Sideways delivered what many thought was the coup de grace for merlot when lead character Miles (Paul Giamatti) said: If anyone orders merlot, Im leaving. I am not drinking any f***ing merlot!

At the time, merlot, a leading Bordeaux varietal, was being produced in large if not industrial quantities and as a result, the quality suffered. But this fleshy, dark-skinned grape (its name comes from the French for blackbird), wasnt going down without a fight.

Carefully tended and nurtured merlot is capable of providing us with some excellent wines  supple, smooth and easy to drink. Its use and appeal are universal.

How we tested:

We looked at wines from California, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand. Some are everyday lets have a bottle with supper tonight choices. Others are more costly, where production may be small  perhaps a single vineyard  and meticulous development and husbandry are paramount, and the end result is superlative.

So, dont let one mans view from a 2004 film put you off. Merlot is here to stay and well worth exploring. The rewards will be many.

Read more:

The best merlot wines for 2021 are:

Best overall Philip Shaw The Conductor Merlot 2017, 14.2%, 750ml: 16.49, Auswinesonline.co.uk

Philip Shaw The Conductor Merlot 2017, 14.2%, 750ml: 16.49, Auswinesonline.co.uk Best for a special occasion  Peter Franus Napa Valley Merlot 2016, 14.5%, 750ml: 43.37, Hometipple.com

 Peter Franus Napa Valley Merlot 2016, 14.5%, 750ml: 43.37, Hometipple.com Best for a drink with friends  Jordan Black Magic Merlot 2018, 14%, 750ml: 17.45, Pullthecork.co.uk

 Jordan Black Magic Merlot 2018, 14%, 750ml: 17.45, Pullthecork.co.uk Best for a midweek meal  Caliterra Merlot Reserva 2019, 13.5%, 750ml: 8.95, Yorkwines.co.uk

 Caliterra Merlot Reserva 2019, 13.5%, 750ml: 8.95, Yorkwines.co.uk Best for a grilled supper  Wakefield Estate Merlot 2020, 14%, 750ml: 11.95, Cheerswinemerchants.co.uk

 Wakefield Estate Merlot 2020, 14%, 750ml: 11.95, Cheerswinemerchants.co.uk Best to mark a memorable event  Rutherford Hill Merlot 2016, 14.5%, 750ml: 41, Henningswine.co.uk

 Rutherford Hill Merlot 2016, 14.5%, 750ml: 41, Henningswine.co.uk Best to aid the community  Co-op Fairtrade Merlot 2017, 12.5%, 750ml: 6.50, (in-store only) Coop.co.uk

 Co-op Fairtrade Merlot 2017, 12.5%, 750ml: 6.50, (in-store only) Coop.co.uk Best for a Sunday roast  Boschendal Elgin merlot 2016, 14%, 750ml: 30, Laithwaites.co.uk

 Boschendal Elgin merlot 2016, 14%, 750ml: 30, Laithwaites.co.uk Best for fruity flavours  Duckhorn Decoy merlot 2018, 14%, 750ml: 34.95, Secretbottleshop.co.uk

 Duckhorn Decoy merlot 2018, 14%, 750ml: 34.95, Secretbottleshop.co.uk Best budget choice  Taparoo Valley Australian Merlot 2021, 10.5%, 750ml: 3.99, Tesco.com

 Taparoo Valley Australian Merlot 2021, 10.5%, 750ml: 3.99, Tesco.com Best for cheese and wine  Villa Maria Hawkes Bay Merlot 2019, 13%, 750ml: 12.49, Waitrosecellar.com

 Villa Maria Hawkes Bay Merlot 2019, 13%, 750ml: 12.49, Waitrosecellar.com Best everyday choice  Chateau Los Boldos Tradition Reserve Merlot 2019, 13.5%, 750ml: 9.95, Nicholsonswines.co.uk

Philip Shaw the conductor merlot 2017, 14.2%, 750ml Best: Overall Rating: 10/10 Australia  hot and sunny, right? Well not quite, and certainly not true of the orange wine region in New South Wales where winemaker Philip Shaw found what he felt were the perfect growing conditions: high altitude, cool continental climate and rich volcanic soils. Now with his sons Daniel and Damian in charge, the fruitful yields of this 900m-high vineyard, which enjoys chilly nights and distinct seasonal changes, are rich and rewarding. The merlot, aged in French oak, has distinct black cherry and dark berry flavours with notes of cocoa and cloves and brisk but structured tannins. If Philip Shaw is the conductor, then in musical terms this is a symphonic triumph that deserves an encore. Buy now  16.49 , Auswinesonline.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Peter Franus napa valley merlot 2016, 14.5%, 750ml Best: For a special occasion Rating: 9/10 Winemaker Peter Franus sees it as his mission to restore merlot to its rightful stature as one of the truly great grape varieties. With that in mind, the grapes for this wine are grown in a single vineyard in Carneros, the cooler, southern section of Californias Napa wine region where Franus feels merlot can realise its true potential. The quantities produced are small, but the quality is high. Huge but balanced flavours of plum, blackberry and dark fruit jostle with structured tannins and intriguing notes of woodsmoke and tobacco. Its a serious wine with a price to match, but this sort of perfection never comes cheap. Buy now  43.37 , HomeTipple.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Jordan black magic merlot 2018, 14%, 750ml Best: For a drink with friends Rating: 8/10 The black magic invoked here by husband and wife winemaking team Gary and Kathy Jordan is less supernatural and more geological. The merlot grapes for this South African wine are nurtured in black tourmaline, a granite that gives the Stellenbosch terroir a darkness and warmth. The result is a merlot that with careful handling  including the use of gravity and gentle pressing  fully realises its rich potential. Sumptuous dark berry flavours are complemented by soft tannins and notes of cocoa and vanilla. Maturation in French oak adds that final velvety touch. Buy now  17.45 , Pullthecork.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Caliterra merlot reserva 2019, 13.5%, 750ml Best: For a midweek meal Rating: 7/10 From the Colchagua Valley in central Chile, a full-bodied and smooth merlot from the winery established in 1996 as a partnership between the renowned Californian Robert G. Mondavi family and the established Chilean winery Vina Errazuriz. With a name, Caliterra, that is a fusion of the Spanish words calidad, meaning quality, and tierra, meaning land, theres a focus on sustainability as well as quality from a vineyard that enjoys a Mediterranean-like climate. Fruit-driven, with concentrated dark plum and cherry flavours at the fore, its a great wine to enjoy with grilled or roasted beef and chicken. Buy now  8.95 , Yorkwines.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Wakefield Estate merlot 2020, 14%, 750ml Best: For a grilled supper Rating: 8/10 Respect the fruit is the catchword of the Taylor family who have been producing wine next to the Wakefield river in South Australias Clare Valley for more than 50 years. The wine is most definitely as good as their word too, with lashings of plum, cherry and red-berry flavours allied to notes of vanilla and chocolate, all rounded off with velvet-like tannins. Matured in a mixture of French and American oak barrels for six months before being blended and bottled, its ready to drink now or can be kept for a few more years for an even more rounded flavour. Buy now  11.95 , Cheerswinemerchants.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Rutherford Hill merlot 2016, 14.5%, 750ml Best: To mark a memorable event Rating: 9/10 Winemaker Marisa Taylor adopted an 18th-century technique for this 21st-century Californian merlot  adding syrah along with cabernet sauvignon to add structure, body and character to the blend. Capitalising as well on a terroir that resembles Pomerol, the original Bordeaux home of the merlot grape, the wine produced combines the best of the old and new world. Aged for 16 months in French oak it has rich and structured dark fruit flavours with notes of pepper and spice and a long and satisfying finish. The family-owned vineyards philosophy is to make a Napa Valley merlot that is supple and refined. This one wins in both categories. Buy now  41 , Henningswine.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Co-op fairtrade merlot 2017, 12.5%, 750ml Best: To aid the community Rating: 6/10 If you feel any guilt at opening a bottle of wine, then heres something to alleviate it. Funds from the sale of this merlot from the La Riojana wine co-operative in Argentinas Famatina Valley go towards a variety of local charitable projects including the construction of a clean-water facility and new secondary school. Fruity and forward with smooth tannins and satisfying long finish, its Fairtrade certified, traded and audited and sourced from Fairtrade producers. So simply enjoy a glass and think of all the good that it will bring. Buy now  6.50 , Coop.co.uk (instore only) {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Boschendal elgin merlot 2016, 14%, 750ml Best: For a Sunday roast Rating: 8/10 The Boschendal estate, about an hour away from Cape Town, is South Africas second oldest wine farm with a history of wine-making that stretches back to the 17th-century. But decades of disrepair took their toll and its only in the past five years that new investment and ecological advances have brought it back as a major player. Now employing 550 people it produces wines such as this super smooth merlot with its delectable dark fruit and red cherry flavours rounded off by hints of chocolate and ultra-silky tannins. A product of the cool climate that characterises the Elgin wine region of the Western Cape, its a bottle to enjoy now or savour fully in two or three years time. Buy now  30 , Laithwates.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Duckhorn decoy merlot 2018, 13.9%, 750ml Best: For fruity flavours Rating: 8/10 A merlot from a winery founded in Californias Napa Valley in 1976 by Dan and Margaret Duckhorn (hence the avian name and label image) thats renowned for its Bordeaux-varietal wines. Aged in oak it has bold and pronounced flavours of plum, cherry and blueberry, enhanced by notes of cocoa and spice. Smooth and full on the tongue, its a quality wine which would hugely benefit any meal involving roasted or grilled meat. Its also worth decanting an hour or two before the meal to enjoy it at its best. Buy now  34.95 , Secretbottleshop.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Taparoo Valley australian merlot 2021, 10.5%, 750ml Best: Budget choice Rating: 5/10 Well, heres a surprise. A decent bottle of merlot for under 4. It may not have the trappings of its more illustrious competitors, but its come all the way from South Australia and has a relaxed and laid back style with enough jammy fruit flavours to please everyone. If youre searching for a bottle to celebrate a special occasion, then perhaps look elsewhere, but if you want an easy-going wine for everyday use then this isnt a bad choice. Buy now  3.99 , Tesco.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Villa Maria hawkes bay Merlot 2019, 13%, 750ml Best: For cheese and wine Rating: 7/10 With around 2,200 hours of sunshine in an average year and cool winters, Hawkes Bay, on the east coast of New Zealands north island, is the home of some splendid wines including this succulent merlot from the family-owned Villa Maria winery. Rich and supple with forward flavours of plum and blackberry and notes of vanilla and oak, its a versatile wine and the ideal companion for any type of red meat, a soft blue cheese or various Italian and Mediterranean dishes. Buy now  12.49 , Waitrosecellar.com {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Chateau Los Boldos tradition reserve merlot 2019, 13.5%, 750ml Best: Everyday choice Rating: 8/10 Its in the New World that traditional Bordeaux varietals such as merlot have really prospered. This medium-bodied Chilean example is from Cachapoal near the western slopes of the Andes where the Mediterranean-like climate helps to produce smooth, eminently drinkable wines such as this. Aged in French oak for six months, theres lots of fruit on the nose  think black cherry, plum and blackberry  plus notes of cocoa and vanilla. A long finish and welcome tannins round things off nicely. Buy now  9.95 , Nicholsonswines.co.uk {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}}

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Gourmet Burger Kitchen (GBK) has pulled its newest campaign video and issued an apology after viewers labelled it racist.

In the advert, a bearded white man is seen standing outside curry houses in east London wearing a GBK sandwich board and telling customers that the food inside isnt proper Indian.

The short clip was made to promote the chains Indian-inspired Ruby Murray burger and depicts the man listing its ingredients (spiced lamb, mango chutney and poppadoms), touting its authenticity in a bid to start a "curry war".

He goes on to shout about the new burger via a megaphone while standing outside Indian restaurants.

The #CurryWars campaign sparked outrage after it was shared online, with critics accusing GBK of missing the mark and offending ethnic minorities.

Within hours of the clip being shared on social media, viewers were calling for it to be taken down, with many describing it as tone deaf.

Delete this, wrote one person on Twitter.

Then hire more minorities in senior positions so they can inform you when youre being racist bc clearly you cant tell by yourselves.

Yeah this is racist, added another.

And I'm guessing you don't even understand why. So can I suggest that before you issue the inevitable apology, you learn why.

GBK removed all evidence of its #CurryWars video campaign on Thursday, posting an apologetic statement on Twitter explaining that the clip was meant to be tongue-in-cheek.

To those offended by our Ruby Murray video, we humbly apologise, it reads.

The video was intended to be humorous. We know that a burger could never pass off as an authentic Indian dish. Having read your comments we've made the decision to take down the content. Unreserved Apologies, GBK.

The campaign was the product of a collaboration with marketing company You Agency, who have insisted that there was no racist angle in the clip.

Speaking to The Drum, Yous chief executive Michael Carr said: "Our campaigns have always been rooted in an unwavering belief in the quality of the burgers, and in this instance the joke is in the absurdity that a curry burger could possibly compete with genuine Indian cuisine.

Its not the first time GBK has come under fire for one of its advertising campaigns.

In 2016, the burger chain ran a series of ads on the London Underground featuring the tag lines: Vegetarians resistance is futile and Youll always remember when you gave up being a vegetarian.

The posters prompted a backlash on social media under the hashtag #gourmetmurderkitchen, as people accused GBK of looking to tempt veggies into eating its meat-based products.

GBK ultimately apologised and vowed to change its advertising.
A massive database containing the voting records of around 35 million US citizens has been discovered on the dark web, just weeks ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

Researchers from US-based cyber security firms Anomali Labs and Intel 471 discovered the huge cache on the dark web  a hidden section of the internet used by cyber criminals.

The records, posted to a popular hacking forum, included personally identifiable information such as the voters' full names, phone numbers, physical addresses and voting history.

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The researchers noted that the records did not necessarily originate from a hack, but rather could have been obtained by someone who has legitimate access to the databases, such as a government official.

"To our knowledge, this represented the first reference on the criminal underground of actors selling or distributing lists of 2018 voter registration data, including US voters' personally identifiable information and voting history," they stated in a report.

"With the November 2018 midterm elections only four weeks away, the availability and currency of the voter records, if combined with other breached data, could be used by malicious actors to disrupt the electoral process of pursue large-scale identity theft."

Ways in which the data could be used to disrupt the elections include deleting voting registrations, changing voters' addresses, or requesting absentee ballots on behalf of the legitimate voter.

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The voting records come from at least 19 US states, including: Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The price for the data of each voter list varies from $150 to $12,500 depending on the state, the researchers said.

"This pricing model could be related to the number of voter records per database listing and/ or, to a lesser degree of confidence, to offset the original cost to the illicit vendor," the report states. "Once purchased, the vendor claims to provide customers with regular updates at the start of each week."

The voter record listing claims to contain the details of 23 million voters in Louisiana, Wisconsin and Texas (Anomali Labs)

One of the voter record lists has already been made publicly available through the hacking forum, after a crowdfunding campaign was set up to purchase the entire database of Kansas.

A separate report published by dark web intelligence company Terbium Labs this week detailed how increased profits for cyber criminals has accelerated the "professionalisation" of fraud.

The report explained how leaked and stolen personal data can pass through a highly-sophisticated supply chain to carry out a variety of crimes.

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"Fraud is a multi-step process, and the dark web has accelerated the professionalisation of fraud to make these tools popular, affordable, and accessible," said Munish Walther-Puri, chief research officer at Terbium Labs.

There continues to be an increase in the variety and volume of goods and services offered in this underground economy... The fraud community is built on the trade of ill-begotten sensitive data and is highly developed, with infrastructure, operations, business models, and prot margins."
Breast cancer is more commonly associated with women than with men, affecting approximately one in eight women during their life.

However, men can still be diagnosed with breast cancer, albeit in far rarer circumstances.

While boys do not develop breasts like girls do during puberty, they still have a small amount of breast tissue behind the nipples where breast cancer can develop, Macmillan Cancer Support explains.

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Until puberty, breast tissue in boys and girls is the same. Both have a small amount of breast tissue behind the nipple and areola (the darker area of skin around the nipple), the charity states.

This is made up of a few tiny tubes (ducts) surrounded by fatty tissue, connective tissue, blood vessels and lymphatic vessels.

So how common is it for a man to be diagnosed with breast cancer, what are the signs that men should look out for and how can it be treated? Heres everything you need to know:

How common is male breast cancer?

Around 390 men are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK in comparison to 54,800 women, according to Cancer Research UK.

Men who are between the ages of 60 and 70 are more likely to be diagnosed with the disease.

Furthermore, men who have particularly high oestrogen levels also have more risk of developing the cancer.

As with women, if a man has family members who have had breast cancer in the past, then his chances of also developing the cancer will increase.

Around three in 100 breast cancers diagnosed in women are thought to be due directly to an inherited faulty gene (around three per cent). In men this might be more common, Cancer Research UK explains.

Doctors think that between 10 and 20 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in men are due to inherited faulty genes (10 to 20 per cent).

What are the symptoms?

The most common symptom for breast cancer that men need to look out for is a lump in the breast tissue that can be felt close to the nipple.

Lumps that require medical assessment may also be found further away from the nipple.

Additional signs of breast cancer can include symptoms such as liquid discharge being emitted from the nipple; a nipple thats inverted or feels sensitive; swelling in the chest area; ulcers in the chest or nipple area; or lymph nodes in the armpit area, as outlined by Breast Cancer Care.

The charity recommends visiting your GP as soon as you notice any changes to your chest area that could correspond to the aforementioned symptoms.

How can a man check for breast cancer symptoms?

His Breast Cancer, an organisation that raises awareness about male breast cancer, explains how men can carry out a self-exam.

First, stand topless in front of a mirror, placing your arms on your hips.

Look closely at your chest area, noting any changes to your nipples such as swelling or inversion.

Then, raise your arms above your head and inspect the areas around your chest and your armpits.

The next step is to feel your chest for any potential lumps, which can be done by moving your fingertips in a circular motion around the breast area.

"You can perform this in either an up and down method, a circular or a wedge pattern, but try to be consistent using the same method each time," His Breast Cancer states.

"In addition, check the nipple area for any discharge. Complete on both breasts."

You can also inspect the chest area by lying down, placing a pillow under your right shoulder and placing your right arm over your head.

Using the fingertips on your left hand, press down on the chest and armpit areas, before repeating the process on the other side.

How can it be treated?

The majority of men diagnosed with breast cancer may have to undergo a mastectomy, explains Breast Health UK.

This procedure would then be followed by radiotherapy treatment targeted at the chest area in order to kill any remaining cancer cells.

It can take between four to six weeks to recover from a mastectomy, as outlined by the NHS, with the operation lasting approximately 90 minutes.

A man whos undergone a mastectomy may have to have chemotherapy and hormone therapy afterwards.

This can depend on a number of factors, such as the size of the breast cancer tumour and whether or not the cancerous cells have spread.

As with female breast cancer, if the cancer is caught in the early stages, a cure may be possible, Breast Health UK states.

This is why early detection is important as once the cancer becomes more advanced, the prognosis and survival will be worse and long-term cure may not be possible."
Prince Harry has spoken out about the detrimental impact of plastic pollution, condemning the effect that fast fashion is having on the environment.

The Duke of Sussex was on South Melbourne beach with the Duchess of Sussex at the time as part of their royal tour in Australia.

The couple, who recently announced that they're expecting a baby next spring, took part in a beach clean alongside volunteers from BeachPatrol, an organisation that aims to reduce the amount of litter found on the coastline.

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Prince Harry expressed his disdain over the volume of litter that they found on the beach during their clean.

There is literally plastic everywhere, he said.

And you know, microplastics are a real problem, especially the microplastics from fast fashion.

Did you know thats one of the biggest culprits?

Earlier this month, MPs called on British fashion retailers to stop encouraging throwaway culture, a trend being caused by fast fashion.

In a letter directed at 10 of the UKs biggest high street brands, the Environmental Audit Committee outlined how British shoppers are currently buying twice as many clothes as they were a decade ago, leading to excessive waste on landfill sites.

The way we design and discard our clothes has a huge impact on our planet, said Mary Creagh, chairwoman of the committee.

The Duchess of Sussex wore eco-friendly Rothys shoes made from recycled water bottles while taking part in the beach clean with students from Albert Park primary school and Albert Park college.

Its amazing what you guys are doing, she told the students.

Well done, youre doing a really great job. Keep it up.

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After visiting South Melbourne beach, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ventured to Bondi Beach where they took part in an Anti Bad Vibe Circle with the OneWave Community.

While sitting in the circle, members of the community shared their experiences of suffering from mental health issues, something that Prince Harry has spoken very candidly about in the past.
Lena Dunhams popular feminist newsletter and website has shut down, the actor and writer confirmed in a statement on Friday.

Named Lenny Letter, the platform was launched by Dunham and her writing partner Jenni Konner, with whom she wrote Girls, in 2015.

According to the statement, there is "no one reason" for the closure.

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"In the three years since we began, the Internet has opened up for underrepresented writers in ways we wouldnt have predicted or believed from our 2015 bunker," it reads.

"It was an honour to be part of that brigade, and we cant wait to see how those who forged that path keep holding space after Lenny is gone."

Former staffers reacted to the news by sharing some of their favourite Lenny Letter pieces from the archives.

"Goodbyes are never easy... " tweeted Dunham, "but there are so many thank you's to all the Lenny supporters, writers, contributors, and readers... here is our @lennyletter farewell [sic]".

Though Dunham and Konner were best known for creating Girls, over the course of its existence, Lenny Letter became just as well-known and was praised for being a go-to resource for millennial women.

Among pieces by Dunham herself, Lenny Letter featured a number of essays written by Dunhams famous friends, such as Emily Ratajkowski, who wrote about feeling sexualised by men from a young age.

It also published several pieces written by female activists and interviews with high-profile female politicians, including one with Hillary Clinton in September 2015.

In January 2017, Dunham produced a short animated film for Lenny Letter featuring Meryl Streep and America Ferrera in homage to 100 years of Planned Parenthood, the nonprofit organisation providing sexual health care to women in the US.

One of the newsletters most notable polemics was by Jennifer Lawrence in October 2015, who questioned why her male co-stars in American Hustle had been paid significantly more than her.

When the Sony hack happened and I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with d****, I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself, the 28-year-old actor wrote in the piece, which prompted a global conversation surrounding equal pay in Hollywood.

Soon after launching the website, Lenny Letter also brought out a corresponding podcast in collaboration with feminist author Janet Mock, which featured in-depth interviews female politicians and celebrities, including Kris Jenner.

This followed the publication of Dunham's memoir, Not That Kind of Girl, which was criticised over an anecdote regarding her younger sister that led people to accuse the writer and actor of "sexual abuse".

Dunham has faced a number of criticisms over the years regarding Lenny Letter and beyond.

For example, author Zinzi Clemmons wrote an open letter in November 2017 explaining why she would no longer be writing for Lenny Letter, citing Dunhams well-known racism as one of her reasons for the boycott.

Clemmons also voiced concerns with Dunham and Konners decision to defend Girls writer and producer Murray Miller after he was accused of sexual assault by actor Aurora Perrineau.

When the allegations emerged, the two women released a joint statement to The Hollywood Reporter: While our first instinct is to listen to every woman's story, our insider knowledge of Murray's situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the three percent of assault cases that are misreported every year. It is a true shame to add to that number, as outside of Hollywood women still struggle to be believed.

We stand by Murray and this is all we'll be saying about this issue."

After facing a barrage of criticism for their comments, Dunham and Konner issued an apology.

In January 2018, Dunham came under fire again after she was accused of not partaking in the "Time's Up" initiative, which aims to fight sexual harassment in the workplace, though she did show support for the campaign on her social media profiles.

Lenny Letter had acquired more then 500,000 subscribers since its advent and its rapid growth led to a partnership with Vogue publishers Conde Nast in October 2017.
A no-deal Brexit could lead traders to bypass the UK and sail directly from Ireland to continental Europe, affecting food supplies, ferry operator Stena Line warned on Friday.

The company owns three ferry ports in the UK, at Holyhead, Fishguard and Cairnryan, and is the largest operator running services in the Irish Sea.

It told the BBC customs software due to launch in March could fail, and it may have to reduce sailings to and from Britain.

Ian Hampton, senior executive at Stena Line, said: Anxiety is high. We can only do so much, we cant plan on the basis of what we dont know. So we are very anxious about the outcome.

Overnight, a border appears, maybe trade will start to flow directly from the Republic of Ireland to the continent and it will miss out the UK as a land bridge.

A government spokesman said it was engaging with ports with the aim of ensuring trade continues as smoothly as possible after Brexit.

It is crucial to keep trade flowing when we leave the EU, the spokesman said.

That is why we are proposing a pragmatic and ambitious future economic relationship with the EU, and we remain committed to reaching agreement on the Withdrawal Agreement and future framework this autumn.
Theresa Mays hostile environment policy is failing in its objective to reduce the number of people in the UK unlawfully, according to a new report which brings the governments approach tackling illegal immigration under fresh scrutiny.

The academic study found little evidence that immigration enforcement activity deters irregular migrants or encourages them to leave the country  and instead gives rise to criminal practices and pushes undocumented people further underground.

The findings, by researchers at the University of Oxford, will place renewed pressure on the Home Office to reconsider its immigration policies following the Windrush scandal, which exposed how thousands of people were wrongly targeted by officials.

Politicians and campaigners called on ministers to launch an independent review into the hostile environment in light of the new findings, urging that a different approach was urgently needed.

Almost all irregular immigrants interviewed for the report were not deterred by tightened immigration controls or the hostile environment approach, with one saying being illegal in the UK is still better than being legal in my own country.

It found that immigration enforcement also had unintended and often perverse side effects, as undocumented migrants became increasingly vulnerable to exploitation by employers and fearful of accessing healthcare.

Rules requiring employers to conduct passport checks are pushing undocumented migrant workers into the hands of criminals trading false documents, while data-sharing between the NHS and the Home Office has led to many being afraid of going to see a doctor, the report states.

Researchers also warned that irregular immigrants had developed strategies to evade detection, most noticeably the use of false documents, which are more common than 20 years ago, implying that tighter controls provoke more criminal responses.

When presented with the findings, the Home Office defended the hostile  now officially labelled compliant  environment, saying it was what the public would expect as a matter of fairness.

Chai Patel, legal policy director at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, told The Independent: The hostile environment doesnt work to reduce irregular migration, but causes huge amounts of human suffering.

From the beginning, the government has refused to evaluate the real impact of hostile environment policies, but after the victimisation of the Windrush generation that is no longer sustainable.

All these policies must be immediately suspended pending a fully independent review.

Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, meanwhile said the research presented more evidence that the current immigration system was not fit for purpose and that a different approach was urgently needed.

Last year a former immigration enforcement official claimed the figure was likely to run to more than a million. In 2005 a Home Office assessment put the total unauthorised migrant population in the UK in 2001 at 430,000.

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A Home Office spokeswoman said: We are committed to an immigration policy which welcomes and celebrates people here legally, but which tackles illegal immigration, prevents abuse of benefits and services and removes incentives to enter and remain in the UK unlawfully.

Its what the public would expect as a matter of fairness, which is why it is right that we have a compliant environment to deter and tackle illegal immigration.

Since 2010, Immigration Enforcement has protected public safety by removing more than 44,500 foreign offenders who have abused our hospitality by committing crimes and has disrupted over 180 immigration crime groups since April this year.
Members of a law firm that pursued baseless allegations British troops tortured and murdered Iraqi detainees will not face new professional misconduct charges, after a legal challenge failed.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) had tried to prosecute Leigh Day co-founder Martyn Day and colleagues Sapna Malik and Anna Crowther, over their handling of claims against the Ministry of Defence.

But in June last year, a tribunal found none of the allegations were proven and cleared the lawyers of wrongdoing. The SRA challenged the findings.

Lawyers for the regulator claimed the earlier decision was significantly flawed, but the High Court dismissed its appeal on all grounds.

There is, overall, no proper basis on which the appellate court, on established principles, can legitimately interfere with the assessment of the evidence and the evaluative judgment of the tribunal on any of the allegations which are the subject of this appeal, Lord Justice Davis, Justice Foskett and Justice Holgate concluded.

The outcome is that this court unanimously concludes that all the grounds of appeal fail.

Mr Day said he was pleased and relieved by the judgment, following a six-day hearing earlier this year.

The investigations and prosecutions have been ongoing for many years and my greatest regret is that it has diverted me from doing the human rights work that I love, he added.

The Al-Sweady inquiry found allegations of murder and torture against British soldiers were false (PA)

I am very pleased that todays judgment will enable me to put my full energies back into that work.

A spokesperson for Leigh Day said it had to invest considerable sums fighting the charges and had set up a team specialising in regulatory and disciplinary issues to help other firms and lawyers against the SRA.

A spokesperson for the regulator said: We note the judgment, and will review it over the coming weeks.

Mr Day, Ms Malik and Mr Crowther had faced misconduct charges over their handling of the claims against the Ministry of Defence, alleging the mistreatment and unlawful killing of captives at Camp Abu Naji following the Battle of Danny Boy in May 2004.

The SRA prosecuted the lawyers after the 2014 Al-Sweady inquiry found the most serious claims, of murder and torture, were entirely false, and the product of deliberate lies.

Days after the inquiry opened, Public Interest Lawyers, a now-defunct British law firm acting for the families of dead Iraqis, announced it was withdrawing the allegations against British soldiers.

The Danny Boy checkpoint, near Amarah (PA)

After initially claiming 20 Iraqis had been tortured and killed inside an Army compound in Iraq, they accepted the prisoners had not been alive when taken there.

The Ministry of Defence has always said the men in question were killed during the battle, near Amarah, and their bodies were taken to Camp Abu Naji for identification before being released to families.

The inquiry, which cost 31m, found no prisoners had been murdered but nine Iraqi detainees had been mistreated, and some of the bodies of killed insurgents had been accidentally damaged.

Inquiry chair Sir Thayne Forbes said allegations made by the Iraqis were based on deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility.

Phil Shiner, the head of Public Interest Lawyers, later admitted professional misconduct over the case, and was struck off the solicitors roll in 2017.

Soldiers involved in the Battle of Danny Boy have told of the distress caused by the allegations, which they believe tarnished other troops serving in Iraq.

Government ministers and MPs have attacked public interest lawyers for spurious legal claims against the armed forces, and David Cameron promised to crack down on the practice as prime minister.

The High Court judges noted the saga had divided opinions over Leigh Day, with critics believing it to be involved in a trawl for cases, some of them highly controversial, involving relentless attacks on governments and corporations, in circumstances of self-sought publicity, and with large legal fees potentially accruing to the firm.
Julian Assange is suing Ecuadors government for violating his fundamental rights and freedoms, despite the fact he is still being sheltered in the countrys UK embassy.

The move comes several months after Ecuador cut off communications for Mr Assange, and just days after it emerged it has set new house rules for the WikiLeaks founder, including a ban on making political statements.

WikiLeaks lawyer Baltasar Garzon has arrived in Ecuador to launch the case, which is set to be heard in a domestic court next week.

WikiLeaks said Ecuador had threatened to remove the protection Mr Assange has had since being granted political asylum, and added that his access to the outside world had been summarily cut off.

Mr Assange fears being extradited to the US if he leaves the embassy.

WikiLeaks said the government of Ecuador refused a visit by Human Rights Watch general counsel Dinah PoKempner, who has likened Ecuadors isolation to solitary confinement, and had not allowed several meetings with his lawyers.

 Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno says embassy will continue to protect Julian Assange

A statement said: Ecuadors measures against Julian Assange have been widely condemned by the human rights community.

Mr Assanges lawyers said they were also challenging the legality of the Ecuadorian governments special protocol, which makes his political asylum contingent on censoring his freedom of opinion, speech and association.

The protocol also requires journalists, his lawyers and anyone else seeking to see Julian Assange to disclose private or political details, such as their social media usernames and the serial numbers and codes of their phones and tablets, with Ecuador  which the protocol says the government may share with other agencies.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 November 2021 The sun rises over South Shields Lighthouse, on the North East coast of England PA UK news in pictures 16 November 2021 ancer Maithili Vijayakumar at the launch of 2021 Diwali celebrations at St Andrew Square in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 15 November 2021 Forensic officers work outside Liverpool Women's Hospital, following a car blast, in Liverpool Reuters UK news in pictures 14 November 2021 Wreaths by the Cenotaph after the Remembrance Sunday service in Whitehall, London PA UK news in pictures 13 November 2021 Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is ending his hunger strike in central London after almost three weeks. Ratcliffe has spent 21 days camped outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London without food. He began his demonstration on 24 October after his wife lost her latest appeal in Iran, saying his family was caught in a dispute between two states PA UK news in pictures 12 November 2021 Peter Green protesting outside the Cop26 gates during the official final day of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow. 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PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2021 People walk past a life-size sculpture of British singer John Lennon entitled "Imagine", by sculptor Lawrence Holofcener, displayed to mark what would have been the 81st birthday for the former member of the Beatles in Carnaby Street Reuters UK news in pictures 8 October 2021 WW II veteran, 96-year-old Lorna Cockayne, who served in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), popularly and officially known as the Wrens, as a Bletchley Park codebreaker, poses for a photograph with the Legion d'honneur after receiving it during a ceremony at the Pear at Parley in Ferndown, Bournemouth PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2021 British comedian Jo Brand poses with cut-out silhouettes representing women outside the Metropolitan Police headquarters New Scotland Yard, to highlight violence against women by male police officers or former police officers AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 6 October 2021 A protester, wearing a mask of Johnson, holds a sign reading Question it all on the final day of the Tory conference Getty UK news in pictures 5 October 2021 Members of Insulate Britain outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, before a hearing over the injunction banning the environmental activists from blocking the M25 PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2021 A delegate passes a street cleaner on the second day of the annual Conservative Party Conference being held at the Manchester Central convention centre AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2021 Margaret Thatcher-themed mugs for sale at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester EPA UK news in pictures 2 October 2021 A couple make their way through a flooded underpass in Bristol as a yellow weather warning for rain and wind is issued for parts of the UK Tom Wren/SWNS UK news in pictures 1 October 2021 A driver talks to members of the media after passing his HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) driving test at National Driving Centre in Croydon, south London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 30 September 2021 The centrepiece One Thousand Springs by Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota is seen ahead of the beginning of the Japan Festival, a celebration of the countrys plants, art and culture running from 2-31 October, at Kew Gardens in London PA UK news in pictures 29 September 2021 The family of Betty Campbell unveil the bronze sculpture of her during the unveiling of the statue in Central Square, Cardiff, of Betty Campbell, Wales' first black headteacher PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2021 A sign referring to the lack of fuel is placed at the entrance to a petrol station in London AP

The protocol claims the embassy may seize the property of Mr Assange or his visitors and, without a warrant, hand it over to UK authorities, said the statement.

WikiLeaks said a US congressmen had written an open letter to Ecuadors president, Lenin Moreno, saying that in order to advance crucial matters  from economic cooperation to counternarcotics assistance, to the possible return of a USAID mission to Ecuador, we must first resolve a significant challenge created by your predecessor, Rafael Correa  the status of Julian Assange.

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Pressure has mounted on Ecuador to hand Mr Assange over to the UK, WikiLeaks believes.

It is understood that the theme of the legal action will be on Mr Assanges isolation, ban on visits, speech restrictions, and failure to live up to international obligations.

Additional reporting by PA
Boris Johnson has thrown his weight behind the Conservative MP who branded Theresa Mays party a s**t show, as the Tories enter a fresh round of Brexit infighting.

The former foreign secretary credited Johnny Mercer with having passion and determination after he branded Ms May a technocrat and said her Brexit strategy would not be swallowed by the party without a s**t fight.

Former cabinet minister Nicky Morgan said her party is now under existential strain, with friendships between colleagues irreparably damaged as it squabbles over the UKs departure from the EU.

It follows a summit in Brussels at which Ms May raised the prospect of an extension to the Brexit transition period as a way of breaking the impasse in negotiations  something both Tory Eurosceptics and remainers have attacked.

Thousands of people are preparing to march in central London this Saturday for a new Brexit vote at a demonstration jointly organised by The Independent and the Peoples Vote campaign.

The Independent is also running its own Final Say campaign to demand the referendum, with more than 930,000 people having signed its petition so far.

After the searing criticism from Mr Mercer, seen as a moderate backbencher, Mr Johnson said on Twitter: The Conservative Party is fortunate to have MPs with the passion and determination of [Johnny Mercer], his fight for veterans shows why we need more like him.

The comments from the ex-cabinet minister, himself an ardent critic of the prime minister since quitting the cabinet over Brexit, once again underline the difficulty Ms May will have passing her plans through the Commons.

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Senior backbencher Tom Tugendhat MP, seen as a key figure on the more liberal wing of the party, showed support for Brexiteer Mr Johnsons comments on social media.

Tory MP for West Aberdeenshire Andrew Bowie warned that Scottish Conservatives would find a move by Ms May to extend the transition unacceptable, if it meant remaining in the EUs Common Fisheries Policy.

But it was comments from the Tory chair of the Treasury Committee, Ms Morgan, that really laid bare the personal toll on MPs divided over Brexit.

Asked about the impact on her partys unity, she said it is massive, as she attacked interventions from Mr Johnson and former cabinet minister David Davis, who is also said to be on leadership manoeuvres.

Ms Morgan went on: I think its put the party under existential strain.

I still believe ... that we absolutely can come back together after this, but its going to have to be because people want to do that, there are still many, many issues which unite us as Conservatives, but yes I think there are friendships and relationships that will never be healed from this in the party.

Late on Thursday night, the Brexit-backing former party leader Iain Duncan Smith, said moving to extend the transition period would see the UK paying tens of billions of pounds extra to the EU.

Tory MP Nick Boles, who backed Remain in the EU referendum, said he would also oppose any extension, calling it an absolute mile from what we were originally told was necessary.
In a North London living room, two days before the Peoples Vote march, a small handful of the perhaps 100,000 people who will march through the capital met to make their posters.

They are, wait for it, the Hampstead and Muswell Hill Peoples Vote Community Group. It is a name that seems almost parodic of itself. These peoples concerns, after all, couldnt possibly be as serious as the concerns Leave voters have, the ones in northern towns and cities, with legitimate concerns about immigration, whove been left behind.

But real life, and real peoples lives are never quite so simple. Among them are John and Judy Dodds, both retired teachers.

This is not how we planned to spend our retirement, says Judy, by which she means, hanging around outside tube stations in the morning rush hour, handing out flyers and leaflets.

Judy, especially, is furious. Since the Brexit vote she has applied for German citizenship, but shes not sure if she will get it. Why would she be eligible? My mother was German, she says. Her aunt was kindertransport, interjects John, both refugees. Judys mother was a German Jew who came to Britain in the 1930s. Her sister came slightly later, in the kindertransport rescue effort in which 10,000 Jewish children were evacuated from Germany and other Nazi controlled countries in the nine months before the Second World War.

I am just so angry and so upset, she says. I have never been politically active, but this country is falling apart. I cant stand it. We used to be so proud to be British. We never say were British anymore. John and Judy have two children, one is married to a Czech woman and lives in Prague, where he works as a psychoanalyst. He has faced struggles to have his status sorted. Im pleased he is there, rather than here, she says.

This whole thing has really politicised us, but we just feel so isolated. We cant stand either of the leaders of the main parties, but we would vote for anyone who would stop Brexit.

If Brexit is not stopped, Judy says they would, like to leave but they accept they probably wont. Our whole life is here, were retired. We cant speak German.

Maybe, they admit, the march will have no effect, but you you have to try. Theyre more than aware of the broken politics of it all. Theres no majority in parliament for any option, says John. In the end, it may have to come down to a Peoples Vote. Six months ago, nobody had ever heard the term, and now look. Theresa May mentioned it in her conference speech, the Daily Express are calling us traitors on their front page, that shows theyre worried.

Then theres Saskia OConnor, whos a dentist. She was born and raised in Newry, County Down, right on the Irish border, and still remembers the bomb scares.

It was not a comfortable life, she says. But then there was the peace process. And Newry has done so well since then. The Troubles have subsided, tourism is booming. The hotels are all booked up, all the time.

If you have a hard Brexit, police checkpoints and so on, all that would be affected.

I just decided that I cant just sit there passively and watch it all happen. I work in the NHS, and there are nurse shortages because people dont want to come and work here. It paints the country in a very bad light. Its embarrassing.

I dont think people voted Brexit because they were bad people, but they were given false promises. They signed up for something that isnt going to happen.

And then theres Laura Abramovsky, whos a British national, but who grew up in Argentina. She too, unsurprisingly, lived through a youth that was not short on political convulsion. I have been on marches in Argentina, but never here, she says. This is the UK.

You know, the politics we are seeing is just the same, here as it was there. The politics are the politics of fear and resentment. You think you have basic rights, you take them for granted. But maybe you cant take them for granted, you must be careful with them.

Then theres Dominique and William Welbank, a married, middle aged couple. Dominique is French, but has been in the UK for twenty five years and suddenly, in June 2016 had her life turned upside down. During their marriage, William has worked and Dominique hasnt. Which means all, of a sudden, Dominique found herself not earning enough for personal residence, without five years worth of health insurance, because why would she have that. She meant to apply for British status in 2013 but didnt do the forms, which involved listing every time she had left the country in the last three years.

Dominique says she is not surprised at recent comments from Emmanuel Macron, that the question of status in the United Kingdom for EU nationals is not settled, because that is her experience too.

The banner she will be carrying on Saturday will say the words: Politicians had their chance. Now its our turn. It is a sentiment that is hard to query.

Whatever happens, one imagines the Welbanks problems will be sorted, but future generations will not be as lucky as them. People wont get the chance to fall in love, says William, and sweeps in to give his wife a fleeting peck on the lips.

Their organiser, or leader, if you like, is Sarah OKeefe. She teaches in a nearby state school. She describes feeling devastated by the referendum result, and doesnt feel any less devastated now. I wouldnt say the last two years have gone worse than I expected, she says. Theresa May has an impossible job. Im not surprised shes failed.

She admits to the possibility that a second referendum could go disastrously, and release even more toxic forces than the last one. But there are no good options.

Of course, no one here has changed their mind on Brexit. They hated it then, and they hated it now. But some people have changed their minds on Brexit, changed their positions: thats undeniable.

David Davis, for example, promised a free trade deal exclusively with the German car industry, and a free trade area ten times larger than the European Union. When asked to account for those views more recently, he just laughed and said, That was then. This is now hahahaha.

Liam Fox promised dozens of free trade deals ready to go the moment we left the European Union. He now admits that was always legally impossible.

Three days after the referendum, Nadine Dorries claimed that the Norway model has always been my preference. The Norway model involves staying in the single market. She has since described party colleagues advocating such a position as traitors.

So the politicians have changed their minds on Brexit, changed their positions, plenty of times in the last two years.

The only ones who have not been allowed to do so thus far are the people. It would not be an affront to democracy if that were to change.
Facebook has hired ex-deputy prime minister Nick Clegg as head of its global affairs and communications team.

In a surprise move, the former-Liberal Democrat leader will move to Silicon Valley in the new year to succeed Elliot Schrage.

The news, first reported by the Financial Times and since confirmed by Mr Clegg, comes as Facebook faces a string of challenges in the UK and Europe, including those arising from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, new EU regulation and claims of Russian cyber activity.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Mr Clegg said: Throughout my public life I have relished grappling with difficult and controversial issues and seeking to communicate them to others.

I hope to use some of those skills in my new role.

It follows the summer departure of two of Facebooks top policy and communications executives, Mr Schrage and Rachel Whetstone  married to ex-Cameron advisor Steve Hilton.

Mr Clegg is a former European Commission trade negotiator and former member of the European Parliament, suggesting Facebook wants to use his experience to gain an advantage in Brussels.

Facebook faces looming legal difficulties after a security breach in September saw the details of three million Europeans put at risk, which put it on a collision course with the EUs new General Data Protection Regulations. Both founder Mark Zuckerberg and chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg have been criticised for their response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Mr Clegg said: Having spoken at length to Mark and Sheryl over the last few months, I have been struck by their recognition that the company is on a journey which brings new responsibilities not only to the users of Facebooks apps but to society at large. I hope I will be able to play a role in helping to navigate that journey.

Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, Oculus and Instagram are at the heart of so many peoples everyday lives  but also at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult questions we face as a society: the privacy of the individual; the integrity of our democratic process; the tensions between local cultures and the global internet; the balance between free speech and prohibited content; the power and concerns around artificial intelligence; and the wellbeing of our children.

I believe that Facebook must continue to play a role in finding answers to those questions.

 Nick Clegg and Miriam Gonzalez Durantez describe telling son he has cancer

Facebook already has links to the Liberal Democrats in the UK. Richard Allan, its public policy chief for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, is a Lib Dem peer. Mr Clegg succeeded Mr Allan as MP for Sheffield Hallam.

Mr Clegg led the Liberal Democrats in coalition with David Camerons Conservatives between 2010 to 2015, but lost his seat in parliament in the 2017 general election.

The former MP has since been campaigning for a Final Say referendum on the outcome of Brexit negotiations but will now start working for Facebook in the next few weeks in London, before heading to the US with his wife and their three sons.

Writing in The Guardian, Mr Clegg claimed he wanted to build bridges between politics and tech so that tech can become the servant of progress.

If the tech industry can work sensibly with governments, regulators, parliaments and civic society around the world, I believe we can enhance the benefits of technology while diminishing the often unintended downsides, he wrote.

Mr Clegg will now be at the forefront of the effort by Facebook to ensure world leaders it is doing enough to counter threats like election meddling and attempts by hackers to gain access to private data. Mr Zuckerbergs company also owns WhatsApp and Instagram.

The ex-politician also said his new role required him to step back from Brexit-related campaigning, though he used his Guardian column to call the arguments in favour of a final say vote on any exit deal overwhelming.

It came a day before The Independent and the Peoples Vote campaign were due to stage a march in central London demanding a final vote.
Jeremy Hunt has insisted Brexit negotiations have made "enormous progress", despite continued deadlock over plans for a customs backstop and mounting Tory fury at Theresa May's strategy.

The foreign secretary claimed it was a sign of success that most of a deal is now in place, despite there being just weeks left to reach an agreement on the backstop, which has been the main sticking point in negotiations for months.

It comes as Tory MPs attacked Ms May's suggestion that the Brexit transition period could be extended, and EU leaders admitted they would have to help the prime minister force a deal through parliament.

Despite growing fears that Britain could crash out of the EU without a deal, Mr Hunt said the fact that a lack of agreement on the customs backstop was the "only really big outstanding issue" was a cause for celebration.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I think it is important to say that, four weeks before the November deadline that's been talked about, this is actually the only really big outstanding issue, and so we have made enormous progress."

Mr Hunt said he was confident a deal will be agreed, pointing to comments by Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, that "where there's a will there's a way."

He said: "It would be entirely possible to agree an EU-wide solution to this issue, but not one that means indefinite membership of the customs union, if there was a willingness to do it.

"We will never agree to a solution that leads to the break-up of the United Kingdom. The EU know that extremely well and Theresa May has been very, very clear on that."

The EU is willing to accept a backstop that would see the entire UK temporarily remain in the customs union but is insisting on a fall-back option that would apply only to Northern Ireland. The UK government has consistently ruled this out, leading to gridlock in talks.

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

Ms May suggested this week that the Brexit transition period could be extended in order to help secure an agreement on the backstop.

That triggered an angry backlash from Eurosceptic and pro-EU Tory MPs alike, with former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, a Brexiteer, claiming the government's strategy was "more like a capitulation than a negotiation".

Mr Hunt defended suggestions that the period could be extended, saying: "There is a situation where you've negotiated a free trade agreement and it's going to take a few months more to implement - months not years - when it might be helpful to have the ability to extend the transition period."

He also claimed the EU had been "more constructive" since he controversially compared the bloc to the Soviet Union in his speech at the Conservative party conference earlier this month.

He said: "I have to say that in the period since that speech we have had a very different approach from the EU - a much more constructive approach that has led to the situation that we're in now where all but one or two issues have been resolved."

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His comments come amid reports the EU is prepared to help Ms May get her Brexit plan through Parliament.

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, reportedly told EU leaders at a summit this week that they would need to assist the prime minister with convincing MPs to support the deal she brings back from Brussels.

Commenting on the prospects of a deal Mr Juncker said: "It will be done."
Algerian leader Ahmed Ouahiya has banned women working in the countrys public sector from wearing full-face veils, also known as niqabs.

In a letter sent to ministers and regional governors on Thursday, the countrys prime minister said the need for identification had prompted the move.

Civil servants, he wrote, needed to observe the rules and requirements of security and communication within their department, which impose their systematic and permanent physical identification.

Few women in Algeria wear the niqab. The hijab, a scarf that covers the head and neck but not the face, is more popular in the North African country.

But the decision is likely to be attacked by Algerias Salafist minority, who endorse Saudi Arabias strict Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam and oppose Sufi Islam, the version of the religion which dominates in Algeria and other North African countries.

In 2017 thousands of Algerian women challenged hardline Islamists by wearing bikinis to a beach after an online campaign by conservatives who criticised two-piece swimsuits.

Algerias secular-minded government has also clashed often with Islamist groups, most notably leading to the outbreak of civil war in 1992.

The conflict broke out after the military-backed government scrapped legislative elections that a radical Islamist party was poised to win.

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Some 200,000 people were killed in the ensuing conflict, leading to years of Islamist militant violence.

Clashes in the country have dramatically diminished since the turn of the millennium but a number of armed jihadist groups continue to launch attacks, mainly limited to remote areas.

Additional reporting by agencies
Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said she absolutely favours reopening an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh if her party takes control of the chamber next year.

Ms Feinstein, who is line to become chairwoman of the committee if Democrats prevail, was asked about the prospect during a debate on Wednesday in San Francisco as she seeks re-election to her senate seat.

Oh, Id be in favour of opening up the allegations. Absolutely, she said.

Mr Kavanaughs confirmation proceedings were roiled by allegations of decades-old misconduct from three women, including Christine Blasey Ford, who testified to the Judiciary Committee that a drunken Mr Kavanaugh assaulted her while both were in high school. Mr Kavanaugh vigorously denied all allegations.

Recommended Trump compares missing Saudi journalist case to Kavanaugh accusations

Mr Kavanaughs confirmation was delayed for a week to allow for a limited FBI investigation into Ms Fords allegations and those of another accuser. Republicans said interviews conducted by the FBI unearthed nothing to corroborate the claims, while Democrats said the probe was too narrow in scope to be enlightening.

Republicans quickly pushed back on Ms Feinsteins suggestion that more scrutiny is needed.

Apparently one kick of a mule is not enough for Senator Feinstein, Republican senator Lindsey Graham said during an appearance on Wednesday night on Fox News Hannity show.

Heres what I want every Democratic candidate for the Senate to be asked tomorrow: Do you agree with Dianne Feinstein? Graham said. Are you for more humiliation, degrading treatment of this fine man? Are you for continuing the this debacle?

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Ms Feinstein was criticised by many of her Republican colleagues for not sharing a letter she received from Ms Ford in July that outlined her allegations. Ms Feinstein said she honoured a request from Ms Ford to remain anonymous until her name leaked out.

Ms Feinstein faces another Democrat, Kevin de Leon, the president pro tem of the California state Senate, in next months election. Under the rules of Californias jungle primary, the top two finishers advance to the general election regardless of party.

The Washington Post
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.
Migrants in a caravan making its way north through Central America towards the US border have torn down gates and are making their way over a bridge into Mexico - with officials warning the trip will bring swift retribution from the Trump administration.

Young men in the caravan reportedly began on Friday violently tugging at a tall yellow fence in the way of the group before eventually tearing the barrier down. Men, women, and children then began rushing towards the bridge to Mexico that stands about 150 years (137 meters) away.

The fence toppling came just after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray to discuss the caravan, which started in Honduras last weekend.

Its a challenge that Mexico is facing, and thats how I expressed it to Secretary Pompeo, Mr Videgaray said in a news conference with the US secretary of state.

The Mexican government has asked for assistance from the United Nations refugee agency to help it process migrants arriving on the countrys southern border and seeking refugee status.

Processing those refugee claims could allow the Mexican government to disperse the caravan, and placate President Donald Trump, who is adamantly opposed to allowing any of the individuals into the US.

People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Show all 16 1 /16 People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Washington, DC, U.S., February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants AUSTIN, TX - FEBRUARY 16: Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Theopolis Waters/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Demonstrators march during the "Day Without Immigrants" protest in Chicago, Illinois, February 16, 2017. Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants, marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants Protesters march in the streets outside the Texas State Capital on 'A Day Without Immigrants' February 16, 2017 in Austin, Texas. The crowd, which grew to well over a thousand participants marched from the Austin City Hall to the Texas State Capital. Across the country hundreds of restaurants and eateries are closing for the day to protest President Trump's immigration policies and to highlight the contributions of immigrants to U.S. business and life. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school student Kathia Suarez holds up a sign as she protests with others outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. LM Otero/AP People strike across America for A Day Without Immigrants High school senior Vicky Sosa holds a sign outside the Grayson County courthouse in downtown Sherman, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. In an action called "A Day Without Immigrants," immigrants across the country are expected to stay home from school, work and close businesses to show how critical they are to the U.S. economy and way of life. LM Otero/AP

The caravan that is now at the Mexico border is composed of several thousand Honduran migrants who are seeking to scape violence and poverty in their home country. Mr Videgaray said earlier on Friday that the caravan was composed of some 4,000 people and each could present their claims to enter the country with refugee status.

We havent had a caravan or group of this size seeking refuge at the same time, thats why weve sought the support of the United Nations, he said on Mexican television.

The Mexican government is taking a different tact with this caravan than a similar one that made its way north earlier this year, similarly drawing anger from Mr Trump.

Unlike that caravan, which made its way into the heartland of Mexico before officials attempted to process claims, the Mexican government this time is focusing on processing the individuals as they arrive on the border.

In response to the advancing caravan, Mr Trump has threatened to instruct the US military to CLOSE THE SOUTHERN BORDER, and said that he would cut aid to Central American countries where the migrants are arriving from.

It is not clear if Mr Trump is seriously considering closing the US-Mexico border, and it is not clear that he could conceivably do so, either. But, if he did, experts say that such a closure would have a major impact on the economy and ability of people to travel in and out of the US.

A shutdown of the border, even for a temporary period of time, would have dramatic and devastating economic consequences, Peter Boogaard, a former Homeland Security official during the Obama administration who now works for the immigration advocacy group FWD.us, told USA Today.

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Presidents have rarely exercised their ability to shut down portions of the border. President George W Bush close part of the border following the 11 September terrorist attacks in order to process full inspections of incoming vehicles. President Ronald Reagan also closed some ports of entry along the US-Mexico border in 1985 after the kidnapping and murder of a DEA agent in Mexico.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
The US and South Korea have suspended planned joint military exercises to help diplomatic efforts with North Korea, the Pentagon has announced.

Pentagon spokeswoman, Dana White, said Washington and Seoul are suspending an air exercise known as Vigilant Ace to give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue.

That announcement comes while Pentagon chief Defence Secretary James Mattis is in Singapore for a meeting of Asian defence ministers.

Vigilant Ace is one of several exercises that have been suspended to encourage dialogue aimed at getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. Vigilant Ace is an annual exercise last held in December 2017.

In June the Pentagon cancelled this years Freedom Guardian exercise after President Donald Trump abruptly announced that he disapproved of the manoeuvres during a historic meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un,

North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Show all 18 1 /18 North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Participants wave flowers AFP/Getty North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (R) waves with China's Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Li Zhanshu (L) from a balcony AFP/Getty North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Airplanes forming the number 70 fly in formation and fire flares AP North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary North Korean performers dance EPA North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary North Korean military officers applaud near portraits of late North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il AP North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary North Korean tanks roll past AP North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary AP North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers take part AFP/Getty North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers march AFP/Getty North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Participants march during a mass rally on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang AFP/Getty North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary A girl reacts during a parade AP North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, reacts as he chats with China's third highest ranking official, Li Zhanshu AP North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary People carry flags in front of statues of North Korea founder Kim Il Sung (L) and late leader Kim Jong Il Reuters North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Performers take part in a concert at the Pyongyang Indoor Stadium AFP/Getty North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary North Korean artillery roll past AP North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Students perform Reuters North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Soldiers march during a military parade Reuters North Korea military parade celebrating nation's 70th anniversary Participants wave flowers AFP/Getty

The president called them provocative and expensive. The exercises are one of the major issues that Pyongyang has consistently railed against  also labelling them provocative.

Ms White said Mr Mattis and his South Korean counterpart are committed to modifying training exercises to ensure the readiness of our forces.

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They pledged to maintain close coordination and evaluate future exercises, she said.

On Friday Mr Mattis met jointly with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts and then met separately with Japanese officials.
The story of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections is a complicated one, made no easier to understand by the volumes written about it. By most accounts, the alleged operation was a shocking, landmark intervention: The New York Times called it the Pearl Harbour of the stealth cyber age.

This time around, as the US enters the final stages of another election cycle, there can be little talk of shock or surprise. In July, the US Department of Justice published a report that suggested it was not a matter of if, but how, where and when Russia and other foreign actors would try to meddle in the midterms. The same month, a poll suggested nearly six in 10 Americans agreed.

But despite years of worry and warning, experts surveyed by The Independent say US election systems remain woefully vulnerable to attack. Much of the voting technology remains as it was decades ago, while hostile agencies have steadily improved their stealth capacities.

Aside from charging 13 Russians, Robert Muellers indictments detailed two main channels of alleged Russian cyber operations in 2016.

The first was straightforward enough: Russian hackers aligned to the security agencies went after Hillary Clinton  reviled by Vladimir Putin for her part in supporting democratic revolutions around Russias borders  and her party. They got into the computers of the Democratic National Committee and published compromising material on a website called DC leaks.

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The second channel was more complicated: a campaign of influence and manipulation by quasi-state actors, using the latest social media tools. Most obviously, this was St Petersburgs infamous troll farm, aka the Internet Research Agency, reportedly funded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a courtier to the Russian leadership.

Mr Prigozhins trolls used many of the techniques seen in Russian propaganda  embracing conspiracy theories, fake news, and promoting divisive themes  to sabotage the Clinton campaign, and logic more generally.

Most of the vulnerabilities present in 2016 remain.

The midterms will be administered in the same way as presidential elections, that is to say by each state and, often, counties within states. That is good and bad news, says Andrew Grotto, former senior director for cybersecurity policy in the Obama and Trump administrations. Decentralised elections are a source of resilience against large-scale attacks, but it also means that resources are spread thinner.

No state is where I would prefer them to be, though some are better placed than others, he told The Independent.

Russian intelligence agencies can pick from any number of hardware and software vulnerabilities, says Harri Hursti, founding partner of Nordic Innovations Labs.

Only a minority of states have replaced voting machines in response to the new risks. But of most concern are the five states who will be relying on electronic voting devices without an auditable paper trail, said Mr Hursti. Paper ballots are not infallible either: the scanners that register votes can be hacked; and only a few states employ robust audit systems.

Other obvious vulnerabilities include election back office systems  usually connected to the internet  and new completely unregulated electronic electoral registers. Mr Hursti said he was not aware of any proven breach, but cyber attacks remained at unprecedented levels: Everyones activity is up, but its hard to tell what part of it are human attacks, and what part are malware.

If Russian security services were to tamper with the hardware or software of any of those systems, they would probably succeed, said Mr Grotto, adding it was unreasonable to expect a county official to go head-to-head with an intelligence agency.

Such breaches would usually be identified immediately or never.

Twitter and Facebook, unwitting importers of Russian news standards, hardly seem better placed. Both have tried to clean up the political space by deleting thousands of accounts and millions of images and posts. Twitter has embraced full disclosure, releasing on Wednesday a data trove of Russian and Iranian foreign intelligence campaigns and identifying 3,841 accounts linked to Prigozhins Internet Research Agency.

That is likely to be just the tip of a much bigger iceberg. The blank stares of Mark Zuckerberg as he gave testimony to the US Congress in April, spoke of the scale of this unexpected new threat.

Lyudmila Savchuk, who spent several months in 2015 working undercover at Prigozhins agency, said the work of the big social media companies has been  necessarily  reactive. She was happy Twitter and Facebook were making an effort to filter out criminal content, but was certain the troll factorys whizzkid technicians would find a way around restrictions: They live in social media like fish live in water. Theyll always be able to open new accounts.

Ms Savchuk, who continues to monitor the Russian organisation from afar, says its management has been forced to adapt to worldwide publicity and media interest. It used to be easy to become a troll. Adverts were plastered across the internet, offering great wages and conditions, and the job was subject to the most basic security clearance  in her case, a few interview questions. Now, workers are obliged to undergo a lie detector test and are closely controlled.

What that does not mean is that the agency, and other outsourced operations like it, have gone away. Quite the contrary, the Internet Research Agency has just upgraded to more comfortable, and larger premises. It is unclear how much of its work is focused on foreign operations  the agency works on Russian projects too  but it is safe to assume the Kremlin will not easily give up on one of its institutions that has been proven to have a disruptive effect on adversaries.

 Beto O'Rourke rips into 'liar' Ted Cruz in final debate before midterm elections

They are immune to publicity and criticism, even when they are caught lying  it just doesnt stop them, said Ms Savchuk. They continued to meddle in the US elections even after my investigation was published in 2015. I think you can be sure there will be attempts to influence these elections too.

Mr Grotto agreed the Kremlin was unlikely to rein in cyber operations over bad publicity as the Russian president did not care whether the worlds eyes are on him. It had not stopped him in Georgia, Ukraine or Syria, said Mr Grotto. There was likely to be some meddling in the midterms, but the more sophisticated new tradecraft was probably reserved for the European elections next year, he added.

Hackers will, indeed, continue to hack, said influential commentator Maxim Trudolyubov. But one result of the recent negative publicity is Moscow may turn more towards private contractors, such as the Internet Agency. That would be a way of increasing plausible deniability, he told The Independent; the Kremlin has always looked to outsource dirty operations when it can.

The extent of Russian involvement in these elections will, however, depend less on what happens in Moscow than in Washington, said Mr Trudolyubov.

If Republicans lose, Trump will start talking about Chinese meddling to offset the Russia story that he hates. You can already see him doing this.
With just three weeks until one of the most significant midterm elections for Texas in generations, a palpable energy can be felt coursing through the state particularly over the Senate race between Beto ORourke and Republican incumbent Ted Cruz.

Texans on both sides of the political aisle have become increasingly motivated to vote in November thanks to a slate of local issues and national controversies; from health care access  Texas is the most uninsured state in the country  to Donald Trumps hard-line immigration policies, which led to the separation of migrant families at the US-Mexico border.

For Democrats across the reliably red state, support for progressive candidates has been steadily building throughout 2018. Democratic voter registration has doubled; the partys senatorial candidate, Mr ORourke, has broken fundraising records and put Mr Cruz on the defensive during their final debate Tuesday night in San Antonio.

However, the statewide Republican base has become electrified following Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court confirmation battle. The fervour appears to be pushing back against a possible blue wave threatening the reliably red US senate seat: whereas Mr ORourke and Mr Cruz were in a statistical dead heat earlier this summer, the incumbent has pushed forward by seven per cent in the latest polls.

The fate of the upcoming elections in Texas likely rests in the hands of two key demographics: non-voters and Hispanics.

Mr ORourke is banking on first-time voters and Texans who typically sit out of the state election cycle to flock to the ballots come November. He visited all 254 districts during a 34-day trek spanning 7,000 miles in an attempt to meet with voters often ignored by his party during campaign seasons.

Meanwhile, Mr Cruz could secure a narrow victory thanks to Texas Hispanics, 37 per cent of whom support his re-election, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. While his Democratic opponent holds a commanding lead among Hispanics, the senator maintains loyal support from conservatives within the voting bloc who were raised in a Catholic culture that disavows of abortions.

Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz take part in a debate for the Texas US Senate, Tuesday, 16 October 2018, in San Antonio (AP)

Hes repeatedly highlighted the El Paso Democrats record on abortion access in recent weeks, including his voting against a bill in Congress that would have banned abortions after 20 weeks.

Many folks across the state dont consider abortion a top issue when discussing whats motivating them to vote next month; but throughout Texas, the topic is one that remains incredibly controversial in 2018, and could prove to be the wedge that divides Mr ORourke from the states independents and centrist Democrats.

During a Monday night event in San Antonio, Mr ORourke was confronted by a heckler who accused him of approving of abortions, causing the candidate to engage with the female agitator in a tense exchange. The incident served as a clear reminder for the Democrat and his progressive audience that many hearts and minds have not been changed when it comes to the issue of abortion for a number of decades in Texas, and that they likely wont budge in time for the election.

Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Show all 14 1 /14 Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Immigrant children, many of whom are separated form their parents, are housed in Texas' tent city Reuters Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Undocumented migrants ride on the top of a freight train referred to as the beast, or La Bestia Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border A cage inside a US Customs and Border Protection detention facility in Texas Reuters Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US Border Patrol Academy All new agents must complete a months-long training course at the New Mexico facility before assuming their posts at Border Patrol stations, mostly along the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence A group of young men walk along the Mexican side of the US-Mexico border fence in a remote area of the Sonoran Desert Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence in the US Man looks through US-Mexico border fence into the US in Tijuana, Mexico Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US-Mexico border fence US Border Patrol agent Sal De Leon stands near a section of the US-Mexico border fence while stopping on patrol on in La Joya, Texas Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border US Border Patrol Academy US Border Patrol instructor yells at trainees after their initial arrival to the academy Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Memorial service in Guatemala Families attend a memorial service for two boys who were kidnapped and killed in San Juan Sacatepequez, Guatemala. Crime drives emigration from Guatemala to the United States, as families seek refuge from the danger Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Arrests on the border Undocumented immigrants comfort each other after being caught by Border Patrol agents near the US-Mexico border Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Detention holding facility A boy from Honduras watches a movie at a detention facility run by the US Border Patrol Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Mexican farm workers Mexican migrant workers harvest organic parsley at Grant Family Farms in Wellington, Colorado Getty Undocumented immigration across the US-Mexico border Mexican family in Arizona A Mexican immigrant family sits in the living room of their rented home in Tuscon, Arizona. The family that Arizona's new tough immigrant law had created a climate of fear in the immigrant community. Getty

Perhaps the only thing thats clear when looking at the polls is that it can be virtually guaranteed each candidate will see their support fluctuate between now and Election Day.

Whats more, the president has decided to get involved, despite fiercely battling Mr Cruz for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 and insulting his wife on social media at the time.

Ted Cruz has done so much for Texas, including massive cuts in taxes and regulations - which has brought Texas to the best jobs numbers in the history of the state, he tweeted Wednesday, a day after the Texas senatorial debate. He watches carefully over your 2nd Amendment. ORourke would blow it all! Ted has long had my Strong Endorsement!

Mr Trump plans to campaign for the senator in Houston later this month, though it remains unclear whether his contribution will aid Mr Cruz or hamper his chances of garnering further support among Hispanics in the state who strongly disapprove of the presidents zero tolerance policy along the border.

Mr Cruz has supported his agenda since the 2016 election, however, the senator wrote legislation to reunite separated migrant families before the president signed an executive order walking back components of his policy.

With the election around the corner and Mr Trump now injecting himself into the race, things are once getting again getting personal.

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After repeatedly avoiding direct criticisms of his opponent along the campaign trail, Mr ORourke has now sharpened his attacks against Mr Cruz in a final attempt to take over the senate seat that hasnt been held by a Democrat since 1994.

Asked about Mr Cruz plans to campaign with the president, the Democrat told reporters after a Tuesday night speech, To me it demonstrates that Senator Cruz put his political ambition, his prospects in the next election, ahead of anything else, including those he is sworn to represent here in Texas.

He added, The presidents policies  these trade wars that hes entered into  hurt no state more than Texas, yet Senator Cruz is going to go on the campaign trail with him  Texas has lost its voice in the US Senate in Senator Cruz.

Mr Cruz appears ready and willing to fight back, accusing his opponent of siding with liberal extremists during this weeks debate. The people of Texas, and I will say, especially the Hispanic community, we dont want to see taxpayer-funded, Medicaid-funded abortions, he said.

From the vast stretches of borderlands, to the high northern plains and everything in between, the Lone Star state is ready for an old-fashioned Texas showdown in November; one that will ultimately shape the future of the region for generations to come. The only question remaining now is who will be left standing when the dust settles.
Donald Trump praised a Republican congressmans violent assault on a reporter during a rally aimed at helping the Montana representative win re-election.

Greg Gianforte attacked the journalist in May 2017 on the eve of a special election that he went on to win.

He pleaded guilty to assaulting the Guardian reporter but avoided jail time and instead was told to undergo community service, anger management therapy and pay a fine.

Referring to the incident in front of a crowd in Missoula on Thursday evening, Mr Trump said I had heard he body-slammed a reporter before adding that he was initially concerned that the altercation would lead to Mr Gianforte losing the vote.

I said, Wait a minute. I know Montana pretty well; I think it might help him. And it did.

Anybody that can do a body-slam, the president added, thats my kind of guy.

Mr Trump also jokingly warned the crowd to never wrestle the congressman.

At the time, Mr Gianforte pleaded guilty to the misdemeanour assault on Ben Jacobs and was given a 180-day suspended sentence, was required to do community service, pay a fine and to attend anger management classes.

A 2017 investigation into the assault included interviews with members of a Fox news crew who said Mr Gianforte had been angry with Mr Jacobs over what he perceived as biased coverage.

Witnesses said that the politician then body slammed Mr Jacobs onto the ground before punching him.

Mr Trump made no mention during the rally of Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident Saudi Arabian journalist who disappeared earlier this month.

The Washington Post columnist, who was based in the US, went missing after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

US intelligence officials say Mr Khashoggi was most likely killed by Saudi officials.

To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it, said John Mulholland, the editor of The Guardian US, in a statement issued on Thursday night, after Mr Trump had finished speaking.

In the aftermath of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats.

A Guardian article about the US presidents remarks described the comments as the first time he had openly and directly praised a violent act against a journalist on American soil.

The rally was part of a campaign blitz by Mr Trump, who is seeking to raise support for Republican Party candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

While speaking the president portrayed the vote as a referendum on his first 21 months in office.

Mr Trump is also looking ahead to his re-election campaign in 2020, for which he has already raised over $100m (77m).

Despite his remarkable fundraising, political commentator Joe Scarborough said he did not think Mr Trump would seek re-election.

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He didnt want to be elected president, he didnt think he would be elected president, the co-host of MSNBCs Morning Joe said during an interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

He didnt even think he was going to get the Republican nomination. Hes going to cash out.

Hell get money from the Saudis. Hell make money from Putin when he gets out, thats why hes been Putins lapdog. Donald Trump is all about money.

During his appearance in Montana the US president frequently veered off topic and reminisced about his 2016 election victory, a common theme in his speeches.

Additional reporting by agencies
A surfer in New Zealand survived a shark attack on Friday and had to be airlifted to hospital after being bitten on his hand, elbow and mouth.

The man was at Baylys Beach, about 100 km south of Auckland, when the attack happened, according to police.

He was left in pain and bleeding but was still able to walk and talk, according to the New Zealand Herald.

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A New Zealand police spokeswoman told the site that the man paddled himself to shore following the attack.

He was given a ride further up the beach by a man who helped him, she added.

Images posted online showed that the shark left bite marks and a tooth in the board.

The surfer, who is in his 20s, was flown to Whangarei Hospital for treatment.

Clinton Duffy, a marine scientist at New Zealands Department of Conservation, said that he believed the shark was a great white based on the markings it had left behind.

Most people survive attacks by great white sharks because they are often bite-and-release incidents, he added.

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Baylys Beach is a popular spot for surfers and several were in the water during the attack, Trish Rolfe, the owner of a holiday park nearby, told the website Stuff.

Shark attacks are relatively rare in New Zealand, with only 113 unprovoked incidents in the countrys waters having occurred since 1840.

Additional reporting by agencies
Israels Supreme Court overruled an entry ban on an American student accused of supporting a boycott campaign of Israel, ruling that her detention was an extreme and dangerous step.

Lara Alqasem, 22, who is of Palestinian descent, was detained on entry to Israel on her way to start a masters degree programme at Jerusalems Hebrew University.

The scholarship-winning graduate student was not permitted to clear immigration on 2 October despite having a visa, on the grounds she supported the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

She decided to stay in Israel and challenge the ban, despite being ordered to return to the United States.

She has been held at the airport since then, making her detention one of the longest for a boycott-related case.

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On Thursday a three-judge panel upheld her appeal against the ban, saying her actions did not sufficiently contradict the law and detaining her appeared motivated by disagreement with her political beliefs.

The inevitable impression is that invalidating the visa given to her was due to the political opinions she holds, read the verdict. If this is truly the case, then we are talking about an extreme and dangerous step, which could lead to the crumbling of the pillars upon which democracy in Israel stands, it added.

A spokeswoman for the immigration authority said she was released from the holding facility on Thursday evening.

Ms Alqasem said she was relieved and thanked her tireless lawyers as well as her supporters.

In March 2017, Israel's parliament passed a law banning the entry of supporters of BDS, a movement inspired by an international campaign against apartheid in South Africa. Ms Alqasem had been the president of a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at the University of Florida, which has supported boycotts of Israel in the past.

Ms Alqasem says she left the SJP in 2017 and is no longer part of the BDS movement.

The case has thrown a light on the contentious topic of BDS and Israels handing of its critics.

Ms Alqasem's lawyer Yotam Ben Hillel argued that if she intended to boycott Israel she would not want to enter the country.

The court ruled that denying her entry did not to advance the purpose of the law but rather harmed Israeli academia.

Many heralded the ruling as a victory for freedoms and an indicator of the impartiality of the judicial system, but interior ministry officials said it dealt a blow.

We are talking about an extreme and dangerous step, which could lead to the crumbling of... democracy in Israel stand Israeli Supreme Court ruling

Israeli Interior Minister Arie Deri, whose ministry looks after the immigration authority, vowed to prevent a ruling like this in the future.

"The decision to allow the student who openly acts against the state of Israel to remain in the country is a disgrace," he tweeted.

"I shall look into how to prevent such a thing happening again," he added.

Gilad Erdan, Israels Strategic Affairs Minister told The Jerusalem Post that the court unfortunately granted a big victory to BDS. He said the ruling would make it harder to fight activists who support boycotts of the country in the future.

Lawyer Ben Hillel said he hoped that the authorities would reconsider its policy.

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"Israel has the right to control its borders, but that right does not give the ministry of the interior unchecked power to turn away anyone it deems unwanted," he wrote in a statement.

"Lara's case proves that thought-policing has no place in a democracy."

Hebrew University said it looked forward to welcoming our newest student.

Ms Alqasem is expected to start her MA in human rights and transitional justice at their law school next week.
Prosecutors began interrogating staff at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Friday over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Turkish news outlets reported.

As many as 15 employees were questioned, including the driver of consul general Mohammed al-Otaiba, who left the country this week, according to the state-run Anatolia News Agency. Other interviewees included technicians, accountants, and secretaries.

Mr Khashoggi, 60, went missing on 2 October after he entered the Saudi consulate to obtain paperwork ahead of his marriage to a Turkish woman.

The well-connected dissident journalist and activist never emerged. Security camera footage and passport counter data released to media suggested 15 Saudi men arrived in Istanbul and headed to the consulate hours before Mr Khashoggis scheduled visit, later departing hastily for the airport and other locales in black-tinted vans.

Unnamed officials have reportedly described audio tape evidence of Mr Khashoggi being tortured and killed, and possibly dismembered, but no recordings have emerged.

A man entering Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul on Friday (AP/Lefteris Pitarakis) (AP)

Tight-lipped officials in Riyadh, under the sway of the countrys de facto ruler crown prince Mohammad bin Salman, have strenuously denied involvement in Mr Khashoggis disappearance.

Turkish and Saudi officials this week launched what has been described by officials as a joint investigation into the case. The probe has included searches of the consulate and the residence of the consul general, where some members of the 15-man Saudi team allegedly stopped off for around two hours on the afternoon of 2 October. They were then said to have headed to Istanbuls Ataturk airport and boarded private jets.

All the evidence points to it being ordered and carried out by people close to Mohammad bin Salman. Former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers

The fate of The Washington Post columnist has strained relations between the US and Saudi Arabia, a well-armed, oil-rich behemoth that serves as the US gendarme in the Persian Gulf.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo swept through Ankara on Thursday, meeting with top officials before heading back to Washington, where he recommended giving the investigation a few more days before taking any action. The administration of president Donald Trump is under tremendous pressure to act, with a group of 22 bipartisan senators triggering the Magnitsky Act, which forces the White House to consider sanctions against foreign leaders accused of human rights violations.

This week, Vermont senator Patrick Leahy, along with seven other Democrat senators, called for an investigation into family and business ties between the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia, upping the pressure on the White House.

If Mr Khashoggi was tortured and murdered by, or with the knowledge of, the Saudi government, it will be long past time to treat the Saudi royal family as the criminal enterprise that it is, Mr Leahy said in a statement.

A dozen Indonesian journalists hold posters with photos of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi during a protest outside the Saudi embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday ((AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim))

The Turkish government, too, is under pressure to get to the bottom of a case that has drawn international attention as an example of the impunity enjoyed by surging tyrannical regimes across the globe.

Turkeys main opposition Republican Peoples Party, known by the Turkish initials CHP, on Friday called for a parliamentary probe of Mr Khashoggis disappearance, arguing the case had harmed the countrys reputation.

The unserious attitude shown by Saudi consul general in Istanbul Mohammed al-Otaibi and the Saudi government is thought provoking, said a petition filed by lawmakers.

A former head of MI6, Sir John Sawers, told the BBC on Friday that all the evidence released so far strongly suggests Mr Khashoggi was killed on the orders of the Saudi crown prince, who has spent tens of millions of dollars casting himself as a modernising reformer to fawning western leaders and opinion-makers.

All the evidence points to it being ordered and carried out by people close to Mohammad bin Salman, he said. I think president Trump and his ministerial team are waking up to just how dangerous it is to have people acting with a sense that they have impunity in their relationship with the United States.
When Staffan de Mistura took up his post as the United Nations envoy for Syria four years ago, he would have encountered a very different country to the one he leaves behind.

Back then, fighting raged in almost every part of the country and a sizeable armed opposition, albeit divided, still threatened the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

Today, following an announcement from de Mistura that he is to step down, the Syrian government is firmly back in control of most of the country and violence has subsided, but the UN has been sidelined to the point of irrelevance.

The Italian-Swedish diplomat brought with him a wealth of valuable experience and a reputation for dealing with intractable problems. He had previously served as a deputy foreign minister in the Italian government and as the head of the UN mission in Afghanistan. In the run-up to 2009 provincial elections in Iraq, he played a key role in diffusing tensions in the sectarian hotbed of Kirkuk.

But Syria was a task like no other. He was the third envoy to try to bring Syrias warring sides together. Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi and Kofi Annan had made short-lived attempts before him. The former UN chief famously described the role as mission impossible, but de Mistura tested that theory to breaking point.

His defenders argue that he was dogged in pursuit of an impossible task, navigating the interests of not only the Syrian government and the opposition, but of Russia, the US, Iran and Turkey too. But whereas his predecessors stepped down quickly when it became clear that the Syrian government was focused on a military victory, critics say de Mistura hung on too long.

I think a lot of people expected him to resign a lot sooner, when it became clear that the process was going nowhere, said Nour Bakr, who works for Independent Diplomat, a non-profit diplomatic consultancy that advises the Syrian opposition and has been involved with every round of Geneva talks during de Misturas tenure.

Bakr, and a number of diplomats who have worked alongside or close to de Mistura, described to The Independent how the envoy remained committed to a peace process that was repeatedly undermined by actions on the ground, and how he underestimated the Syrian government and its allies.

His difficulties started when the US became less involved," Bakr said. He made a not unfair calculation to take the process where the leverage is, and that unfortunately meant going in the direction the Russians wanted. The Russians used de Mistura to an extent, and used the political process to give cover for their brutal military campaign on the ground.

The Russians used de Mistura to an extent, and used the political process to give cover for their brutal military campaign on the ground Nour Bakr, advisor to Syrian opposition

Robert Ford, the US ambassador to Syria from 2011 - 2014, worked with de Mistura in Iraq before he took up his post in Damascus. He described him as a skilful diplomat with a difficult task, but that he had made mistakes.

His drive over the past year to secure constitutional reform, while understandable in the context of a genuine human desire to help Syria, misunderstands the brutal nature of the Syrian security state and that state's complete disregard for the rule of law, he said.

Ford, a fellow at the Middle East Institute and Kissinger Senior Fellow at the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, said he also took issue with de Misturas position on accepting the Assad government's role in blocking aid to opposition-held communities while aid deliveries to government-held communities continued uninterrupted.

De Mistura might have been able to weather some of these challenges were it not for some early missteps.

Charles Lister, an analyst at the Middle East Institute who was involved in intensive backchannel talks with the Syrian opposition in 2016, said de Mistura was clearly determined to make something work on the political track, and his grit and persistence cant be denied.

But he added that the envoy displayed a remarkable lack of judgment in his early days, which damaged his reputation with the opposition.

He paid multiple visits to the regime and its partners before he took the time to reach out and meet with the Syrian opposition, Lister said, by way of example.

The result, as far as the opposition saw it, was a skewed process in which the UN was ignored and the balance of power lay firmly with the Syrian government and its superpower backer. With Russias entry into the war, the Syrian government had little motivation to negotiate and the talks drifted into farce.

But de Mistura had his own frustrations with the opposition. After several rounds of failed talks last year, he bluntly told the opposition that it was not strong enough militarily to continue to demand concessions from the government. Speaking ahead of peace talks, he posed the question: Will the opposition be able to be unified and realistic enough to realise they did not win the war?

Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Show all 13 1 /13 Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive A Syrian protester waves a flag of the opposition as during a protest against the regime and its ally Russia, in the rebel-held town of Maaret al-Numan in the north of Idlib province AFP/Getty Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Syrian rebel fighters from the recently-formed "National Liberation Front" stand guard over a trench as rebels prepare defensive positions in anticipation for an upcoming government forces offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Syrian rebel fighters pile-up sandbags AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive A Syrian rebel fighter looks through an embrasure in a make-shift bunker AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive Syrian rebel fighters walk through a trench AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive A Syrian protester waves a flag of the opposition AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive A Syrian rebel fighter stands guard over a trench AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images Fears for 3m people in rebel-held Idlib ahead of regime offensive AFP/Getty Images

To many Syrians, de Misturas efforts to remain neutral in pursuit of a fruitless process often bordered on callousness.

To close your eyes to injustice to show you are neutral, this is not fair, this is not the United Nations, said Abdulkafi al-Hamdo, a teacher and anti-government activist who survived the siege of Aleppo before escaping to Idlib.

Hamdo, like many others who supported the uprising against Assad, saw a false equivalence in de Misturas words, between the crimes of the government and the rebels who opposed him.

Even when we were in Aleppo and we were besieged, we were killed, suffering, he was speaking about Isis and al-Qaeda. What about these children who were dying?

But if the sign of a good mediator is to leave both sides unhappy then de Mistura can claim some degree of success. It was not only the opposition that felt hard done by.

De Mistura was clearly determined to make something work on the political track, and his grit and persistence cant be denied Charles Lister, analyst at the Middle East Institute

An article in the pro-Syrian government Al-Watan newspaper this week described the UN envoy as having been transformed into a spokesperson for the opponents of the Syrian state.

Elia Samman, an adviser to the Syrian Ministry of National Reconciliation, echoed that claim, telling The Independent De Mistura "was not able to achieve a lot on the political level because he and his team had fallen under the influence of foreign governments intervening in the Syrian crisis."

De Mistura continued to pursue peace talks aimed at a transition of power and a new constitution for Syria. From 2016, he led several rounds of talks in Geneva, which led nowhere. Eventually a parallel process set up by Russia, Iran and Turkey  known as the Astana talks  sidelined the UN process.

That process led eventually to a landmark agreement between Russia and Turkey that was widely credited with avoiding a devastating government offensive in Idlib. The leaders of Turkey, Russia, Germany and France will hold a summit next week to discuss long-term solutions for Idlib, and a wider political process for the resolution of the Syrian conflict.

Towards the end of his tenure, de Misturas focus turned from a political solution to reducing violence and de-escalation, but many agreements ended the same way, with the eventual use of force by Russia and the Syrian army to recapture rebel-held areas.

Nevertheless, de Mistura worked tirelessly to negotiate ceasefires wherever possible.

We will continue asking until we are red in the face, blue in the face for both sides ... to stop shelling each others area, de Mistura told reporters about one such ceasefire effort earlier this year.

Praising those efforts this week following the announcement of his departure, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said de Mistura has worked tirelessly to find a solution to the Syrian crisis.

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She added that he had saved lives by working to deescalate the violence that has engulfed the country, and eased suffering by constantly pressing for unhindered delivery of vital medical and humanitarian aid to Syrians in need.

In the last few months, de Misturas efforts have been focused on convening a committee to rewrite Syrias constitution.

Announcing his departure on Wednesday for purely personal reasons, he said he would continue to push for that goal.

A month can be a century in politics, he said. We will still have a very intense and, hopefully, fruitful month ahead. I am not laying down the charge until the last hour of the last day of my mandate.

De Misturas office declined a request for comment from The Independent.
So... Who are the good guys? That is what Tim Hayward wondered after reading my article two weeks ago about how many airlines flout Europes air passengers rights rules. Were I to warn against travel on all the airlines who appear to disregard their statutory obligations on care and compensation, I wrote, it would leave very few options.

So far this year British Airways has told me that, even though it cancelled my flight from Milan to Heathrow seven hours before departure, I would have to organise a room myself: pay first, reclaim later.

Many other passengers have had worse experiences: on one stormy August night alone, passengers on BA, easyJet and Ryanair were abandoned after last-minute cancellations at Nice, Biarritz and Girona respectively.

Recommended UK passengers have stronger rights to flight compensation post Brexit

So who are the good guys? Well, the best example of proper customer care that I have experienced this year began in San Cristobal, the main airport for the Galapagos.

I was booked to fly to Guayaquil, Ecuadors largest city, on Avianca  with a two-hour connection before an onward flight to Bogota. Rumours spread of a one-hour delay triggered by bad weather on the South American mainland. At Guayaquils compact, well-organised airport, a one-hour connection should pose no problem. I relaxed.

But a later whisper warned an unplanned wheel change meant the plane was now over two hours late.

It turned out to be three. The connection was toast. Fortunately I had booked the journey to Bogota on a single ticket, so my problem became the airlines.

The staffs dexterity in rebooking suggested they had plenty of experience of disruption. In short order, the (now not) connecting flight from Guayaquil to Bogota was rebooked for the following afternoon. A hotel was reserved, and meals paid for. Buen viaje.

The one hiccup was upon arrival at Guayaquil Airport along with other strays from the delayed plane. I was fondly expecting someone from the airline to meet us. Instead, it was a matter of guesswork. I went up to Departures and sought help from an Avianca check-in agent.

After a rapido phone conversation, he pointed to a fairly random spot in the middle of the concourse.

Wait there. In five minutes someone will arrive to take you to the Sheraton, he said, implausibly. In fact a driver appeared after three minutes and ushered us to a waiting minibus.

At the hotel, dinner had been arranged. Avianca?, asked the waiter. He wasnt offering the house speciality, but ascertaining if I was, in airline parlance, a distressed passenger.

I nodded. He simply asked: Meat or chicken?

Reasonably enough, airlines dont want stranded passengers ordering elaborate a la carte feasts. So Avianca had prescribed the set dinner (described on the receipt as a workers meal) for everyone. The meal was accompanied by a yellow soft drink of such luminous intensity that it surely belonged at the dodgy end of the periodic table of elements. I stuck to water, but dinner turned out to be generous and tasty.

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The following day, breakfast and late check-out had been arranged. So I spent the morning exploring a city which I had last visited 15 years earlier.

In 2003, Guayaquil felt gloomy and occasionally menacing. Today, it is a friendly, relaxed city which has iguanas in the central park, some colourful colonial touches and a squadron of shoe-shiners. I took a shine to Omar, who polished my shoes ready for the next flight.

Then I ambled along the a breezy riverside Malecon  promenade  and tried out the citys exciting-if-unfamiliar transport system that involves buses pretending, unconvincingly, to be trams. I made it back to the hotel, where a minibus was waiting for the journey back to the airport.

The delay cost the airline a small fortune, but Avianca did what was right. Its attitude, and disruption management, was a shining example of what European airlines are required to do when schedules are shredded, but all too often fail to deliver.
Ryanair passengers could be set for more strike misery before the year is out.

The Belgian trade union CNE said in a statement that it was putting Ryanair on probation, as they do with their own workers.

The union threatened to organise several more strike days before the end of the year, if Europes largest budget airline does not radically change its position and attitude.

The ongoing row focuses on Ryanairs practice of employing staff under Irish law. Unions are lobbying for a transition from workers being employed on Irish contracts to being subject to their own countries labour laws.

Meanwhile, Hans Elsen, secretary of Belgiums LBC-NVK union, tweeted that Ryanair still does not respect local legislation, in spite of widespread press coverage.

The news follows a summer of strikes for the Irish airline. On 28 September crew from Germany, Belgium, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy walked out for 24 hours in a move that saw Ryanair cancelling 250 flights across Europe. Around 40,000 passengers were affected.

Ryanair announced today it had signed an agreement with the Portuguese pilot union SPAC, which will provide for seniority and base transfer agreements, to cover all of Ryanairs directly employed pilots in Portugal. It has inked similar agreements with the UK and Italy.

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Ryanair added that it would begin negotiations with SPAC over full local contracts before the end of this month.

Eddie Wilson, Ryanairs chief people officer, said that the recent wave of airline failures, as well as base closures across Europe, have given a significant stimulus to these union negotiations over recent weeks.

Earlier this week, Ryanair admitted that a hard Brexit could ground UK flights for "three weeks".
Has it come to this, then?

An American Secretary of State tells the world that he doesnt want to talk about facts. Instead, as Mike Pompeo informed reporters, when they asked him if the Saudis had confirmed whether Jamal Khashoggi was dead or alive, Pompeo replied: I dont want to talk about any of the facts. They didnt want to either, in that they want to have the opportunity to complete this investigation in a thorough way.

Doesnt inspire much hope does it? Sooner or later some Saudi goon or other is going to have to carry the can for overdoing it in an interrogation of this journalist. We already know this because Donald Trump has told us he reckons it was a rogue killing. Well, it depends on what you mean by rogue, I suppose. Most of us would reach for stronger language to describe torture followed by murder.

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As with much else in Americas foreign policy, and indeed the whole of president Trumps political style, we pass through the veil of reality and into a strange looking-glass world where facts are not what we think them to be. What was it that Humpty Dumpty tells Alice in Wonderland? Here is the prototype Trump, as created by Lewis Carroll in 1872: 'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean  neither more nor less.

'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master  that's all.'

Indeed so. So when he wants to believe  and he wants the rest of us to believe  that Barack Obama wasnt an American born on American soil he expends ridiculous amounts of money and energy attempting to prove that fact. When he says he enjoyed the biggest inauguration crowds ever, he expects us to believe that, period, to use the word of his hapless former press secretary, Sean Spicer (remember him?  a miniature Humpty Dumpty himself who eventually fell off his White House dais). When Trump tells us that the stock market boom is all down to him  but when it dips it has nothing to do with his policies? When the Mexicans are all criminals, and the Chinese all crooks, and the rest of the trading world just one gigantic conspiracy to dupe and defraud the American people? When Kim Jong-un is almost simultaneously a crazy little rocket man but also a strong leader to be respected and dealt with as an equal? (Which in one sense, if you think about it, he is).

When the giant Mexican wall is not only practical but cannot ever simply be tunnelled under or gone around? When the president scrawls on a draft of a foreign policy speech TRADE IS BAD? When every challenge facing America has the simplest of answers?

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America has got itself a Humpty Dumpty president, sat up there on his great big beautiful wall, chopping logic, twisting facts and butchering words on whim after whim  and all with that stupid Humpty-style broad, smug grin slapped across his face.

Imagine having a leader whose entire approach to foreign (and domestic) policy operates on the basis of smoke and looking glasses; on fake news rather than on facts; on sending the media down rabbit holes; stories rather than policies; on slogans not reality. Trump is a disappointment to those of us who just expected him to be a cynical, lying monster: He is not that smart, and a little cracked too. Richard Nixon, as someone said on social media the other day, must be spinning in his grave.

I think you may guess what I am going to wonder next. When will this annoying, volatile, childish Humpty Dumpty have a great fall?
Theresa May has confirmed she is ready to consider a delay of "a matter of months" in Britain's final departure from the EU in order to avoid a hard border in Ireland.

But the Prime Minister said she does not expect any extension of the so-called "transition" to Brexit to be needed, because she still hopes to conclude a deal on the UK's future trade and security relationship with the EU by its scheduled end-date of December 2020.

Mrs May faced a backlash from Brexiteers after she indicated at a Brussels summit on Wednesday that she was not ruling out the UK remaining in the single market and customs union and subject to EU rules as late as the end of 2021.

Such a move would delay the final departure almost three years after the official date of Brexit on March 29 2019, and more than five years after the 2016 referendum vote to Leave, potentially costing the UK as much as 10 billion in additional contributions to the EU budgets.

Arriving for the second day of the European Council summit, Mrs May made clear she would accept an extension only as a means to ensure there was no hard border in Ireland if it proved impossible to implement the future partnership by the end of 2020.

"A further idea that has emerged - and it is an idea at this stage - is to create an option to extend the implementation period for a matter of months, and it would only be for a matter of months," she said.

"But the point is that this is not expected to be used, because we are working to ensure that we have that future relationship in place by the end of December 2020.

"I'm clear that it is possible to do that and that is what we are working for. In those circumstances, there would be no need for any proposal of this sort and I'm clear that I expect the implementation period to end at the end of December 2020."

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage said any extension to the transition period could delay full withdrawal almost until the general election scheduled for May 2022, and "may mean we never leave at all".

Tory MP Nadine Dorries repeated her call for former Brexit secretary David Davis to replace Mrs May as leader.

"We cannot find the money to fund our front-line police properly, we cannot find the 2 billion for the vulnerable on Universal Credit, but we can mysteriously find billions to bung to the EU for the unnecessary extra year Clegg and Blair asked Barnier for to waylay Brexit," said Ms Dorries.

Conservative former minister Nick Boles - who is pushing for a "soft Brexit" move to temporary membership of the European Free Trade Association (Efta) - warned Mrs May is losing the confidence of the Tory party.

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He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the EU is demanding "humiliating concessions" because the PM's Brexit plans fail to fix the problem of the Irish border.

"I'm afraid she is losing the confidence now of colleagues of all shades of opinion," he said.

"They are close to despair at the state of this negotiation because there is a fear that both the Government and the European Union are trying to run out the clock, that they are trying to leave this so late that they can credibly say there is no alternative but a no-deal Brexit, and most people agree that would be chaos.

"That is not an acceptable way for a leader of a government to behave."

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: "Extending the transition? More like kicking the can further down the road and delaying, by a bit, driving off the cliff.

"No deal the PM can secure will be as good as staying in the EU."

Meanwhile, leading Brexiteers Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg joined Mr Davis and three other former ministers in signing an open letter warning the Prime Minister not to "bind the UK into the purgatory of perpetual membership of the EU's customs union".

The group called on Mrs May to "reset" the negotiations and ditch her Chequers Brexit blueprint in favour of a Canada-style free trade agreement.

"We are close to the moment of truth. Brexit offers the prize of a better future, global free trade deals and political independence," said the letter.

"But if these potential gains are sacrificed because of EU bullying and the Government's desperation to secure a deal, the British people will not forgive us."

Mrs May initially suggested an "implementation period" of around two years after Brexit, to give the UK's authorities and companies time to prepare for new arrangements, but later accepted a 21-month transition ending on the last day of 2020.

It emerged on Wednesday that EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is ready to discuss a further year's extension to allow time to find a solution to keep the Irish border open.

A senior UK official stressed that the Prime Minister is not herself proposing any extension to the period already agreed, and declined to say how many months she regarded as the maximum she would consider.

"We are talking in a matter of months, we are not talking in a matter of years," he said.

The official added that Mrs May continues to regard as "unacceptable" the EU backstop proposal for Northern Ireland alone to remain in the European customs area until the implementation of a new trade deal.

Leaders of the 27 remaining EU states ditched proposals for a special Brexit summit in November, after Mr Barnier told them he needed "much more time" to find a way to avoid a hard border.

This week's summit had been billed as "the moment of truth" when agreement is needed to allow time for ratification in the Westminster and European parliaments.

But Mrs May has not come forward with the new "concrete proposals" demanded by European Council president Donald Tusk, instead telling fellow leaders that "courage, trust and leadership" are needed on both sides to find a solution.
Hoteliers and restaurant owners are guilty of not supporting Irish grown food and are seriously undermining the entire Irish agriculture industry, according to Michael Hoey of Country Crest, speaking at the recent Alltech forum held this week.

The Managing Director of the Dublin-based company said that he thinks food is too cheap today and that the hospitality industry has a big role to play in the sustainability of Irish agriculture in the future.

I think food now is too cheap. More and more food is being consumed outside of the home, that food does not get the same scrutiny that the food in supermarkets shelves does.

There are big providers to the hospitality industry, that are driving volumes of food into that industry with no traceability and no sustainability importance behind it, and that is a threat to agriculture going forward, Michael explained at the conference held in Dunboyne, Co Meath.

Not all restaurants are guilty of this, but a lot are buying on price and they don't look at origin or traceability in the same way supermarkets so, he said.

According to Hoey, the level of food being consumed outside of the home is growing year on year. He said that Irish consumers take caution when it comes to buying their weekly shop, but that the downfall is when consumers are going out to eat, theyve no idea where the food is coming from.

We as consumers go to supermarket on a Saturday morning checking all the labels, checking the traceability and then that evening we go out for a meal to restaurant or pubs, and we dont know where our food is coming from, he said.

He said that the hospitality industry is importing cheap produce to make up a profit and do not take the same care on buying Irish produce as supermarkets do.

Chefs out there and hospitality business owners are guilty in this way in that they are not adopting the same level of traceability that I think is undermining our whole agri industry on this island as it is on other parts of the world."

He also expressed his concern that it was in the interest of the future generation going home to supply an economically sustainable future for them as farmers and producers.

I think we have some of the best farmers in the world, some of the best ag colleges in the world and we need to protect that, and we need to give those young people a future that is sustainable.
Michael Ferris (blue shirt, no tie) who appeared at Tralee District Court in May 2017. Anthony O'Mahony (inset) Photo: Mark Condren

A jury in the Central Criminal court, sitting in Tralee, has found Michael Ferris not guilty of murder, but guilty of the manslaughter of John Anthony O'Mahony today.

The jury in the trial of north Kerry farmer Michael Ferris at the Central Criminal Court in Tralee returned a verdict of not guilty of murder, but guilty of manslaughter".

The seven men and five women had been deliberating for four hours 31 minutes. Ten minutes earlier had been told they could bring in a majority verdict.

The decision was reached by a majority of 10 to two.

Thanking them, Ms Justice Carmel Stewart said it had not been an easy trial and they could be excused from jury duty for 10 years.

Michael Ferris, a dairy farmer, and single man, aged 63, of Rattoo had been charged with murder and had pleaded not guilty to murder of John Anthony OMahony (73), a bachelor tillage farmer of Ardoughter, Ballyduff at Rattoo at around 8 am on the morning of April 4, 2017.

The prosecution had argued the killing had been deliberate and intentional and it was murder.

However, the defence had argued there had been accumulated provocation because of the behaviour of the dead man, John Anthony OMahony and the fair verdict and the just verdict would be manslaughter.

Brendan Grehan SC had said in his closing speech said he made no apology for speaking ill of the dead, which was not a normal thing to do. But it was necessary to show why Michael Ferris a good man who did a bad thing".

Michael Ferris, a man who had no previous convictions and for whom everyone had a good word, was obliging and kind had not become a murderer overnight, Mr Grehan said.

Anthony O'Mahony

The family of Anthony OMahony man shook their heads and cried as the not guilty of murder verdict was read out.

Ms Justice Stewart said she wanted to express her sympathy to Mr OMahonys relatives on his death.

The court heard a description of the deceased bachelor farmer.

He had bought the 100 acres in Rattoo, with his brother Seamus, in the 1980s. In fact he had in all 200 acres between Rattoo, Aroughter and Causeway.

He managed everything about the tillage  spraying, planting, and protecting, from pigeons and crows with a crowbanger. Previously he had had glass houses on the Rattoo lands.

He was passionate about his crops his nephew James OMahony told the trial .

A picture of a man of routine also emerged.

Every morning on the button he would be in Rattoo from April onwards, leaving his home at 8.45am, switching on the banger during crop planting time and again before harvest, his nephew said. There were two bangers in Rattoo but only one worked and it was used between the three farms, James said.

The crow bangers had to be kept locked up as  15 years back one was stolen and it was recovered by gardai from the Ferris shed.

Anthonys sister Angela Houlihan from Clashmealkon Causeway told how her brother was a man of strict routine; he would leave home at the same time each morning and she brought him his lunch back in Ardoughter every day for 20 years and he would smoke a cigarette, read the Irish Indpendent and go for a rest before heading back to Rattoo.

Defence counsel Brendan Grehan had put forward a defence of what the judge, in her charge to the jury, described as cumulative provocation.

The facts in the case had been accepted but the issue had been not what had happened by why it had happened, Mr Grehan argued from the outset.

Sentencing will be at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on November 26.
A solicitor has told a court that to be called a "sheep stealer" is the worst thing a farmer can be called in rural Ireland.

Solicitor Patsy Gallagher was speaking at Falcarragh District in Co Donegal after his client had been charged with handling 35 stolen lambs.

John McBride (47) of 11 Firmount pleaded guilty to a total of thirty-five sample charges.

Solicitor Patsy Gallagher told the court there was a stigma attached to the offence saying "To be called a sheep stealer in rural Donegal is the worst.

Garda Enda Jennings said that in April, 2017, when he had been approached by a local farmer, Michael Cullen who informed him that 76 of his lambs had been stolen.

He had carried out an investigation and lambs had been traced to a location at

Carrownagannonagh, in Milford and after getting a warrant they seized 37 lambs.

McBride claimed the sheep and lambs were his and told Gardai that he had bought the lambs from a man who he had failed to identify.

He said he bought the lambs for 20 each although the court was told that lambs cost 50 each and the accused should have known the real value.

Defending solicitor, Patsy Gallagher said his client, who was on Social Welfare, had paid the money for the lambs but there had been no suspicion that he had been involved in the theft of them. He had bought them with the intention of selling them on.

Pointing out that McBride was deeply remorseful for his actions, Mr Gallagher repeated that he had had no hand or part in the theft of the livestock.

Referring to the stigma to such incidents within the farming community, the solicitor claimed: To be called a sheep stealer in rural Donegal is the worst.

Judge Paul Kelly said there might have been more sympathy for the defendant if he had assisted the Gardai with their investigation initially. He is dealing with the consequences of failing to cooperate.

Taking to the witness stand, Mr Cullen told the court he had 76 lambs stolen in total.

He went on to claim that Mr McBride had been working at the mart in Milford and was not unemployed.

On the 35 sample charges before the court, Judge Kelly sentenced the defendant to three months imprisonment suspended for two years on his own bond of 250.

He also ordered the defendant to meet the costs incurred by the Gardai in transporting the lambs, totalling 3,300 euro, and also the costs of 6,423 to the Department of Agriculture in the case.
There is no need for concern among livestock farmers in Ireland after a case of Mad Cow disease was identified in Scotland, according to authorities here.

Sources at both the Department of Agriculture and the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) told the Irish Independent the discovery of the case in the UK was not a cause for alarm here.

Mad Cow disease - BSE - has been found on a farm in Aberdeenshire in the first case in Britain for three years.

Millions of cattle were culled in the UK in the 1990s due to BSE. The Scottish Government said precautionary movement restrictions have been put in place at the farm while further investigations to identify the origin of the disease take place.

A spokesman said it was standard procedure for a confirmed case of classical BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy), which does not represent a threat to human health. The disease affects cattle.

The Scottish Government's chief vet Sheila Voas said the case has "no effect on food safety", but the case was "not unexpected".

In 2015, an entire herd of cows was culled when the disease was found on a farm in Carmarthenshire, south Wales.

"Sad to have confirmed a case of BSE in Aberdeenshire this morning, but good surveillance system is proved to work well," Ms Voas said.

"Disappointing news, but not unexpected to have occasional sporadic cases, and no effect on food safety.

"Liaising closely with other UK Chief Veterinary Officers and Government and agencies all working together.

"Key is farmer and their household: they have been advised, are co-operating fully and importantly being supported to deal with situation."

An investigation is underway to find the source.
One of the largest agricultural companies in the world, DowDuPont has said it would write down the value of its agriculture business by $4.6 billion when it reports third-quarter results, as global seed makers face shifts in demand linked to the US-China trade war.

An escalating trade war between the United States and China is increasing uncertainty for players in the farm sector.

In response to Trump administration tariffs on Chinese goods, Beijing this year imposed a 25pc tariff on US soybeans, the most valuable American farm export to China.

The charge sent DowDuPont shares down as much as 6pc in extended trading.

The company, in a regulatory filing, also said its agriculture unit would see reduced cash flow, hit by weak sales and margin growth in North America and Latin American markets.

In a later statement, DowDuPont said the charge was non-cash and reflected the effect of previously reported market conditions. It said the charge would not affect full-year 2018 financial guidance for flat net sales in the agriculture business.

China, the worlds largest importer of soybeans, has scaled back purchases of US soy as a result, and is buying from Brazil instead. The shift has prompted Brazilian farmers to plant more soybeans, instead of corn. Some US farmers may make the opposite choice in the spring.

The changes can affect DowDuPont because about two-thirds of its net seed sales are corn and 20 percent are soybeans.

The lower growth expectation is driven by reduced planted area, an expected unfavorable shift to soybeans from corn in Latin America, and delays in expected product registrations, DowDuPont said in a filing.

DowDuPont also said low commodity prices and bigger-than-expected inventories would likely cause farmers to buy less-advanced seed technologies.

The trade dispute has hurt US crop prices, already under pressure from years of large harvests. This autumn, farmers are putting soy harvests into storage, rather than sell them to processors and merchants.

DowDuPonts cash flow projection for the agriculture unit reflects the anticipated impact of events of 2018 and will result in a reduction in long-term forecasts of sales and profitability, the company said, without providing numbers.

Analysts on average were expecting the company to report a profit of $1.6 billion, or 65 cents per share, for the three months ended September, according to Refinitiv data.

The companys shares were down 3.6 pct at $56.50 in after-market trading.

Bayer Crop Science (BAYGn.DE) has said the trade dispute is making it difficult to predict 2019 earnings for its agriculture unit.
Approximately 1,000 bales of hay were destroyed at the farm (Anthony Devlin/PA)

An East Lothian farm has been left considerably out of pocket after around 1,000 hay bales were set alight in a reckless act.

The incident at Adniston Farm, in Macmerry, happened around 7.30pm on Wednesday.

It is estimated the destroyed bales of hay were worth 30,000.

Police are now appealing for witnesses with inquiries ongoing to trace those responsible.

Do you have any info re our inquiries into a suspicious fire at Adniston Farm, Macmerry, last night?



Approx. 1000 hay bales were destroyed worth 30,000.



If you can assist us please come forward & quote incident number 3673 of the 17th October.  East Lothian Police (@EastLothPolice) October 18, 2018

Detective Sergeant Jamie Gilmore said: Whoever was responsible for this reckless act has left the farmer considerably out of pocket by completely destroying a large quantity of hay that was used either to feed livestock, or to be sold on.

Anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity around Adniston Farm on Wednesday evening should contact police immediately.

We would also ask that anyone who can help us identify the culprits, or who has any other information relevant to this investigation, gets in touch as a matter of urgency.
A scene from Cartoon Saloons animated feature The Breadwinner, which has been nominated for a Golden Globe

Taking the wrong career fork in the road isn't always the worst choice to make, as it can mean that the dream job - when it comes along - is that much easier to identify.

Cartoon Saloon's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Catherine Roycroft's path to her current role was "windy and multifaceted", originating in hospitality management after graduating with a Business and Human Resources (HR) degree.

After an initial role in Operations and HR in Jurys and a few years working in Washington DC as a food and beverages manager, Catherine wanted to move back home and into HR, where she believed her future career lay.

"I knew the administration side was where I was lacking so I got a job in the Kilkenny Cat Laughs Comedy Festival in 2005. It was my first break into the creative industry and I loved it; the mania of working towards a deadline that was immovable, learning how vast my multiskills were.

"The atmosphere was electric and the culture was incredible; it was there that I realised that an established career didn't have to be all suits and ties," she told Independent.ie.

Some 16 counties, from Cavan to Cork, hosted events to celebrate National Womens Enterprise Day (NWED) on Thursday.

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Catherine spoke at the event at Mount Juliet Estate in Thomastown, Kilkenny, and was joined by actress Deirdre OKane and Guinness World Record Holder and visually impaired athlete, Dr. Sinead Kane.

She wanted to share her success story of working for strong entrepreneurial women, namely Mary Murphy at stop.watch media and co-founder of Cartoon Saloon Nora Twomey.

"When Nora couldn't attend the NWED, I was asked. I'm not normally the forward facing person but this is my chance to share my story. I'm definitely a very enterprising woman and I want to tell other ambitious women not to give up, to create your own opportunities."

The move into animation itself was another rocky path. After working at stop.watch media, Catherine said she took the "wrong fork in the road" returning to the hospitality industry at the Ritz Carlton.

"I don't regret it, you learn from those those moves, you learn what you don't want. It also shows the importance of establishing relationships, they're so important, both internally and externally," said Catherine.

"Someone I worked with at the Kilkenny Cat Laughs put me in the direction of Cartoon Saloon and now I'm ingrained in the building and the culture."

Cartoon Saloon has received Oscar nominations for three animated films, 'Secret of Kells', 'The Breadwinner' and 'Song of the Sea', a 2014 production based on Irish folklore.

With a constantly growing team of more than 130 employees, the Kilkenny-based animation studio Cartoon Saloon is currently in early pre-production of a number of projects including two new TV Series, Dorg van Dango and Viking Skool, and Tomm Moores third feature Wolfwalkers, which is due to start production later this year.
Orthopaedic surgeon James Sheehan has told the High Court of the "huge upset" he has experienced because of a breakdown in relations with his brother, Joseph Sheehan Sr, another doctor.

The Court has heard of differences between the brothers over business matters relating to the Blackrock and Galway clinics. James Sheehan told the Court yesterday that difficulties arose between the pair when he had provided security on behalf of Joseph Sheehan Sr for the purchase of shares in the Blackrock Clinic.

James Sheehan said he had acted in "total good faith" and had held the shares on a temporary basis until his brother had his financial affairs in order, but that Joseph Sheehan Sr "always felt that I tried to do him out of his shares".

James Sheehan was giving evidence in a case brought by Joseph Sheehan's Blackrock Medical Partners against a number of parties connected to the Galway clinic, including businessman Larry Goodman's Parma Investments. Joseph Sheehan Sr told the court on Wednesday that a purported transfer of shares to Parma from another company breached a shareholders' agreement.

James Sheehan said yesterday that investment from Mr Goodman had enabled the Galway clinic to be completed, after the project set up by he and his brother got into financial difficulty. He said Mr Goodman was a personal friend who offered assistance after reading about the difficulties in the newspaper. The case continues.
AIB chairman Richard Pym attacked controls on top executive pay at the bank just months after the Government voted down plans for a deferred bonus pot at the lender, which the State bailed out after the financial crisis to the tune of 21bn.

AIB has repeatedly pressed for salary caps for bankers to be raised and said that the post-Brexit entry of British financial institutions will cause staff to leave as they are not subject to caps.

"Sometimes it feels in AIB that we're the training ground for the rest of the competition, as it were," he told the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI) annual conference in Dublin yesterday.

AIB is still 70pc owned by taxpayers, effectively handing Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe a veto over the bank's executive remuneration plans, something he exercised at the annual meeting earlier in April. Mr Donohoe has appointed consultants to look at the pay issue.

AIB management had tried to introduce deferred stock options for executives at the meeting.

Mr Pym told the banking conference that people had to "move on" from the hatred that was felt towards the banks for their role in the 2008 financial crisis that saw the State bail out the financial sector in what was one of the most expensive financial crises of the modern era.

"State control of the banking sector is normally an indication that the economy is not entirely open," Mr Pym, a bank restructuring veteran, said.

State finances still carry the scars of the financial crisis and debt is more than 200bn, or the equivalent of 42,000 for everyone in the State. Ireland's banking sector was given the thumbs up by ratings agency Moody's last week when it raised the industry's credit outlook to positive, thanks to a booming economy and rising wages and job numbers.

It noted that despite plans to sell more of the Government's stake in AIB, the bank would still likely benefit from a State backstop if it hit trouble again as it was such an important part of the financial system, even though new EU rules have shifted the onus for recapitalising banks onto shareholders and creditors.

AIB shares were trading at 4,398 by 3.30pm yesterday.
The primary driver of house price rises remain wider economic conditions and the continued misalignment between demand and supply. Stock image

THE move by Finance Ireland into the mortgage market is expected to see the non-bank lender launch an initial public offering.

Run by former Permanent TSB boss Billy Kane, the company is being funded in its mortgage move by London-headquartered international asset manager M&G.

As it does not have a full banking licence, Finance Ireland does not have a deposit book as a source of funding.

Sources close in the non-bank lending sector said the move into mortgage lending would give it a broad-based position in the finance market here, and was set to see it eventually floated.

Finance Ireland is expected to establish itself quickly in the mortgage market here after it acquired a 200m residential loan portfolio from Pepper Money, the Australian-owned lender that has a base in Shannon.

The loan book comprises around 900 performing mortgages originated by Pepper in the last two years. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Finance Ireland has also acquired the IT platform and the underwriting expertise of Pepper, allowing it to scale up in the mortgage market quickly.

The lender is already a big player in the car finance market. It is part owned by the State's Strategic Investment Fund, and US investment giant Pimco. Around a third of the firm is owned by Mr Kane and the other managers.

Established in 2002, Finance Ireland now has strong market presence in the auto, SME, agri and commercial real estate finance sectors.

Last year, its new lending increased by 43pcc to 435m, with net revenue up by 54pc to 26.3m. It saw underlying profits rise by 226pc to 8.3m, according to analyst Diarmaid Sheridan of Davy Stockbrokers.

The total lending portfolio, including off-balance sheet assets, rose by 58pc to 668m. The mortgage portfolio acquired by Finance Ireland relates to Pepper's new origination business over the past two years. Pepper will continue to act as loan servicer to the portfolio together with new business originated by Finance Ireland.

Mr Sheridan wrote in a note for investors: "The acquisition of Pepper Money's mortgage business by Finance Ireland presents it with a ready-made route to enter the market."

There was no comment from the company when asked if it planned to float. But there is a strong expectation now that it will float on the Dublin and London markets.
Proposal: Controversial tax law would target large companies to help pay for the homeless in San Francisco

The Limerick-born Stripe founder Patrick Collison has become involved in a row over homelessness in San Francisco, where his company has been accused of "not [being] willing to give back at scale" by Salesforce founder and chief executive Marc Benioff.

The dispute is over a controversial law that would tax large companies in San Francisco more to help pay for San Francisco's homelessness epidemic.

Mr Benioff says he now supports the law, arguing that rich tech companies need to "give more" to fight homelessness.

However, other tech CEOs, including Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Stripe co-founder Patrick Collison, have come out against the law. The founders cite San Francisco's Mayor, who also opposes it.

Stripe's chief lawyer, Jon Zieger, said that it "would permanently raise taxes and double spending for homeless services without a concrete plan, at a time when the city already lacks accountability for the more than $300m it's spending on homelessness every year. Prop C taxes gross receipts, not profits."

But some supporters claim that tech companies are simply agitating against a law that would cost them more money.

"He just doesn't want to give, that's all," said Mr Benioff of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in an interview with the 'Guardian'. "And he hasn't given anything of consequence in the city."

And Mr Benioff said of Stripe: "[Prop C] will be a direct tax on Stripe that they don't want to have to pay.

"Even though they've made $20bn in San Francisco, they're not willing to give back at scale."

Stripe made no comment on Mr Benioff's claims.

Stripe was recently valued at $20bn, although it is not known whether the company has yet turned a profit or what the net worth of the two Collison co-founders is.

San Francisco's first black female mayor, London Breed, opposed the new proposed law, fearing that it might weaken the city's revenue base by making rival cities more attractive to high-performing tech giants.

But proponents of the new law say that the tech companies are partially responsible for sky high rents and apartment prices around San Francisco, a key contributor to homelessness.

Stripe employs 1,000 people in San Francisco, while Twitter's global headquarters is on one of San Francisco's worst-hit streets for homelessness.
Investigation: Prosecutors in Cologne say the scheme was illegal and misled the German government into paying tax refunds

SPAIN'S Santander is the latest bank to be caught up in Germany's biggest post-war fraud investigation involving a share-trading scheme that the authorities say cost taxpayers billions.

In June, prosecutors in Cologne opened a tax investigation into Santander, confidential documents relating to a state prosecutors' investigation seen by Reuters and other European news organisations reveal for the first time.

Santander's role in the scheme was to carry out trades, the prosecutors say, as one of many parties involved. They are also looking at Australia's Macquarie Bank and Germany's Deutsche Bank, as part of the broader investigation.

A letter from prosecutors to Santander's lawyers sent on June 4 shows that they suspect the bank of having "planned and executed trades" that facilitated "severe tax evasion" from 2007 through 2011.

The cases relate to so-called "cum-ex" dividend stripping, a practice of buying shares shortly before a dividend is declared (cum-dividend) and selling them when they go ex-dividend - which can mean booking a notional loss on the shares while pocketing the shareholder payout.

A Santander spokesman said that the bank was "fully co-operating" with German authorities and conducting its own internal investigation. The bank "doesn't tolerate behaviour" that fails to comply with the rules and laws in the market where it operates, he said, adding "if our investigations do identify misconduct, we will take appropriate action".

Reuters spoke to bankers, officials and people directly involved in the probe and reviewed thousands of pages of internal bank files, correspondence and legal papers obtained as part of a European media investigation called the "cum-ex files", co-ordinated by non-profit newsroom Correctiv. The prosecutors say the players in the cum-ex scheme misled the German government into thinking a stock had multiple owners on its dividend payday who were each owed a dividend and a dividend tax credit.

The prosecutors say the scheme was illegal and misled the government into paying tax refunds. A spokesman for Santander declined to comment on whether it had broken the law while a spokesman for Macquarie, which is also under investigation, said it had believed the practice to be legal.

The documents show that the Cologne prosecutors closed in on Santander and other banks this year as the investigation, which began in April 2013, rapidly accelerated.

The models were designed to generate multiple tax rebates, prosecutors say. In essence, here is how it worked, according to the documents viewed by Reuters:

A bank would agree to sell a company stock, for example to a pension fund, before the dividend payout but delivered it after it had been paid. The bank and the fund would both reclaim withholding tax.

Sometimes banks sold shares they did not own and agreed to buy them later in a legitimate practice known as short selling. The stock was then traded rapidly around a syndicate of banks, investors and hedge funds to create the impression of numerous owners, prosecutors say. The profits from the deals were shared.

To generate bigger profits, the pensions funds could also buy large volumes of stocks, using loans from banks.

The German tax office wrote to the Cologne prosecutors to say there were "concrete indications" that Santander had acted as a short seller. Three pension funds had also used loans from Macquarie, people with direct knowledge of the matter say.

"Macquarie will continue to co-operate fully with the German authorities," a Macquarie spokesman said. "It has already resolved its two other matters involving German dividend trading that took place between 2006 and 2009."

The spokesman declined to say how they were resolved.

Similar investigations have been opened in Frankfurt and Munich, but Cologne, whose prosecutors specialise in international tax crime, made a breakthrough when at least six people involved in the trading gave detailed evidence, according to the documents.

Other banks, including UniCredit's German arm, have acknowledged they were also involved in such trading.

A spokeswoman for UniCredit said its German unit had been involved in cum-ex trading but that all criminal proceedings had since been terminated after, among other things, the payment of fines. She declined to comment further.

A spokesman for Deutsche Bank said it had not participated in an "organised cum-ex market" but that it had been "involved in some of its clients' cum-ex transactions". It said it was co-operating with the authorities.

Referring to all the banks involved, Norbert Walter-Borjans, the former finance minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, which includes Cologne, said: "They grabbed the kitty that had been paid for by ordinary tax payers.

"It is clear that it was against the law. How can it be legal to get something back twice or three times that has been paid only once?" he said.

According to the prosecutors, the scheme was promoted by German tax inspector-turned-tax adviser Hanno Mr Berger and others.

He advised Macquarie on cum-ex trading, according to a letter seen by Reuters which was sent by Mr Berger to a Macquarie employee in March 2008.

Mr Berger told Reuters he also provided advice to Macquarie on the scheme in later years but he said he was not paid for it. The Macquarie spokesman declined to comment on Mr Berger or the letter.

Macquarie said last month its incoming and outgoing chief executives are expected to be named as suspects by prosecutors. The pair were aware of the reputational risk to the bank of the trades, the documents show.

Mr Berger, the central suspect in the investigation who is living in exile in the Swiss Alps, said the banks used a legitimate loophole, which was closed in 2012, and did not break the law.

"They (the German state) cannot punish others for their mistakes," he told Reuters.

Some German officials and prosecutors refute this claim, noting that Germany made attempts to stamp out the practice by changing and clarifying the law in 2007, 2009 and 2012. One top German official, who asked not to be named, said those efforts made clear the trading was illegal.

German authorities estimate the scheme cost the state 5.6bn in tax rebates that should never have been paid, while some experts believe the damage could be 10bn.

The state prosecutor in Cologne declined to comment.

The documents show that the prosecutors in Cologne made a major breakthrough last year when a group of bankers, including a former Macquarie employee, offered information that showed Santander, Macquarie and others profited from the scheme.

Reuters
Ryanair said Friday it had reached an agreement with British, Portuguese and Italian pilots on contentious seniority and home base issues as the Irish budget airline seeks to end a damaging series of strikes that have hurt its business.

Ryanair has struggled with labour relations since it bowed to pressure to recognise unions for the first time almost a year ago, contributing to a rare profit warning this month and a warning of worse to come if strikes continue.

The Irish budget airline also said on Friday that it expects to sign a recognition agreement with the union representing Spanish pilots shortly.

"These signed agreements with our pilot unions in Portugal, the UK, Italy and shortly in Spain, demonstrate the considerable progress we're making in concluding union agreements with our people in our major EU markets," Ryanair Chief People Officer Eddie Wilson said in a statement.

However, the union representing pilots in Britain - BALPA - said it had not reached an agreement but rather had a joint proposal that members would vote on over the next few weeks.

"We signed a draft agreement to go to consultation. Ryanair knows that and should therefore not have said it was an agreement that covers UK pilots. That was wrong," BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said.

Ryanair reached its first recognition agreement with pilots in its largest market of Britain earlier this year where it has avoided industrial action.

It said on Friday that the Portuguese deal - covering issues such as leave allocation and promotion - would allow talks with Portugal's SPAC union on a full collective labour agreement to start by the end of the month. Pilots in Italy approved such a deal in August.

A recognition agreement in Spain will also pave the way for rapid negotiations on a full labour agreement with Spanish pilot union SEPLA and encouraging cabin crew in both Portugal and Spain to quickly conclude agreements, Europe's largest low-cost carrier added.

Cabin crew in Spain and Portugal took part in a walkout across six European countries last month that disrupted the plans of more than 40,000 passengers in one of Ryanair's worse strikes to date.

Two Belgian unions representing Ryanair cabin crew warned of several more days of strikes in Europe before the end of the year if Ryanair does not change its position in negotiations.
Julian Barnes famously described the Booker Prize as 'posh bingo', but there was little doubting that this year's shortlist was a fast and furious race with some truly feted writers in the running. Much garlanded titles like Sally Rooney's Normal People or Sophie Mackintosh's The Water Cure fell in the furlongs between the longlist and shortlist, leaving a shortlist of six, whittled down from a list of 170.

Richard Powers' The Overstory was the favourite for some time, although there was a late surge of betting for 27-year-old Daisy Johnson and her debut Everything Under.

Yet of the six, Northern Irish writer - and a consistent outsider in the bookies' odds - Anna Burns emerged victorious with the 50,000 prize and, one should think, the literary world now at her feet.

It was her third novel, Milkman, that saw the Booker judges - among them writers Jacqueline Rose and Val McDermid - award a very clearly stunned Burns the top prize. Indeed, the writer seemed at a loss for words as she accepted the trophy from the Duchess Of Cornwall at a glittering London ceremony earlier this week.

The judging panel concluded unanimously that Burns' imaginative and deft novel, set during the Troubles and charting the story of an unnamed woman who is pursued by a shadowy paramilitary figure, was the deserving winner.

The novel was hailed not just for its astute nod to #MeToo, but its experimental, often challenging, writing style.

Some pundits were every bit as surprised as the author herself. "Not since New Zealander Keri Hulme got that call in 1985 for The Bone People has a Booker jury delivered a bigger bombshell," noted The Guardian newspaper earlier this week. "It is a smartly provocative choice, one that has been waiting to be made as the publishing industry searches for the soul of its next generation."

Milkman makes Burns - who was shortlisted for what was then the prestigious Orange Prize in 2002 for her debut novel No Bones - the first female winner of the Booker since 2013.

That year, Eleanor Catton, still in her 20s, took the award for The Luminaries.

Burns (56) now joins a glittering roll call of Irish Booker Prize winners, including Roddy Doyle, John Banville and Anne Enright (and is the first Northern Irish winner of the prize).

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Asked by reporters what she will do with her prize money, Belfast-born Burns, who now lives in Sussex, replied: "I'll clear my debts and live on what's left."

It's a testament not just to the book, but the perennial influence of the Booker Prize itself, that fewer than 24 hours after the announcement of Burns' win, Milkman shot to number one on the Amazon bestseller chart. And of the six shortlisted titles, Milkman, despite its experimental bent, became one of the books that enjoyed a sharp spike in sales even before the winner was announced.

When the shortlist was announced in September, Milkman had sold 4,019 copies in Ireland, outselling her nearest rival, Daisy Johnson, whose debut novel, Everything Under, has sold 2,467 copies in the last four weeks (according to figures by Nielsen Book Scan).

Milkman has outsold the rest of the shortlist combined in Ireland in recent weeks, and is the most popular title in the combined British and Irish markets, with total sales of 6,442 copies since mid-September.

According to the Booker Prize Foundation, on winning the Man Booker Prize for Fiction, an author can readily expect international recognition plus a dramatic increase in book sales.

In the week following the 2017 winner announcement, sales of Lincoln in the Bardo by the American author George Saunders increased by a whopping 1,227pc.

Burns may seem like an overnight success to the casual book industry follower, but the truth is that the writer has already put in many hard yards down the years.

Born in Belfast and raised in the working class Catholic area of Ardoyne, she moved to Notting Hill in London in 1997 to go to university, and published her first novel, No Bones, in 2001.

As a child, she was a voracious reader and became something of a prodigious young writer: "As a child I'd be stuck fast in Enid Blytons, Agatha Christies, Russian fairytales one day I thought, hold on, I'm gonna write a book. So I was whatever age I was and I started writing this book which I envisaged as a school book. I mean one with a fictional boarding school setting," she said recently.

In her mid-30s the writing "began all of a sudden, in a rush... I did have a feeling something was coming before it came, and that it was going to be a lovely something for me to do, or be, or have."

No Bones, too, was set amid the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and Burns drew heavily on her own memories of growing up in Ardoyne.

Of writing with past experiences in mind, Burns has said: "I grew up in a place that was rife with violence, distrust and paranoia, and peopled by individuals trying to navigate and survive in that world as best as they could."

Whatever her inspiration, it certainly worked from the outset. In 2001, she had won the Winfred Holtby Memorial Prize, an award given to No Bones for the best regional novel.

A year later, she was shortlisted for the 2002 Orange Prize for her first novella. Other prominent works include Little Constructions, a novella published in 2007 and Mostly Hero in 2014.

In a bid to keep the wolf from the door, Burns has also reportedly worked in commercial events.

For now, she plans to return to the book that she started after Little Constructions; an unnamed title that she spent most of the years between 2006 and 2009 working on.

Of her writing style, she has said: "A creative writing instructor giving a talk once when I was starting to write, said to his audience of budding writers that there are writers who plot out every last detail before they put pen to paper and there are writers who don't know what's coming at the end of a sentence.

"If you're the former, he said, be prepared to change things, to open up, to adjust your thought-out plot. If you're the latter (like me), he suggested every so often taking stock of your work to see what you've got and to realise what your writing is saying or trying to say to you, and where it is going."

Milkman by Anna Burns is out now via Faber & Faber books

What the critics said:
Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood has reportedly savaged his colleagues on the show.

The judge has apparently lashed out at presenter Tess Daly as well as fellow judges Shirley Ballas and Bruno Tonioli.

According to The Sun, the Australian judge has branded Dalys questions on the show dull.

He has commented on the appearance of the head judge, Ballas, and called Tonioli an attention-seeker.

The Sun reports that Revel Horwood addressed a room of around 50 people in Oxford as part of a book tour.

It is reported that he criticised Daly for asking dull questions which he tries not to answer. He is alleged to have talked about Ballass breasts, which he claims are fake.

He reportedly added that Tonioli was a proper attention-seeker, although he believes him to be a nice guy.

Revel Horwood reportedly told the audience that the judging panel was scared when Seann Walsh and Katya Jones danced after revelations about their private life, and said that he would have got a room if he was them.

The judge added that he thought the so-called Strictly curse could be the Strictly blessing for couples who work out.

Representatives of Revel Horwood have been contacted for comment.
What is the referendum about and what are we voting for?

Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming blasphemy referendum.

What is the definition of blasphemy?

Blasphemy is "the action or offence of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things".

What are we actually voting for?

The Irish Constitution says that publishing or saying something blasphemous is an offence punishable under law. Blasphemy is currently a criminal offence and, if convicted of this offence, a person may be fined up to 25,000.

The upcoming referendum will decide if the Constitution should continue to say that publishing or saying something blasphemous is a criminal offence or, if the referendum is passed, the Oireachtas will be able to change the law so that blasphemy is no longer a criminal offence.

The proposal is to remove the word 'blasphemy'. If you vote YES, blasphemy will no longer be a criminal offence. If you vote NO, the Constitution will remain unchanged.

What does the Constitution say?

Article 40.6.1 of the Constitution says: "The State guarantees liberty for the exercise of the following rights, subject to public order and morality:

"The right of the citizens to express freely their convictions and opinions. The education of public opinion being, however, a matter of such grave import to the common good, the State shall endeavour to ensure that organs of public opinion, such as the radio, the press, the cinema, while preserving their rightful liberty of expression, including criticism of Government policy, shall not be used to undermine public order or morality or the authority of the State.

"The publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law."

The proposal in the referendum is to remove 'blasphemous' from the above text.

What does article actually this mean?

The Constitution currently says that citizens have the right to freely express their convictions and opinions, but there are certain restrictions on this right. For example, the Constitution says that the publication or utterance of something blasphemous must be a criminal offence.

The Constitution does not itself define blasphemy. The legal definition of blasphemy is contained in the Defamation Act 2009.

.... and what does that say?

The Constitution mandates that blasphemy be an offence and the 2009 Defamation Act legislation was enacted to give it a clear definition in law.

That Act says that a person publishes or utters something blasphemous if they;

"Publish or say something that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion, and intend to cause that outrage."

It is a defence if the accused can prove that a reasonable person would find genuine literary, artistic, political, scientific or academic value in what they published or said.

What is the punishment for blasphemy offences?

If convicted of this offence, a person may be fined up to 25,000. There is no prison sentence for this offence.

Has anyone ever been prosecuted?

No one has ever been prosecuted in Ireland.

When did we first hear that we would have a referendum on the issue?

Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny signalled in early 2017 that there would be a referendum on the issue.

Do any other countries have a blasphemy law? How does Ireland compare?

Out of all the countries in the world that have a blasphemy law, Ireland's is the least restrictive.

Ireland had the lowest score out of 71 countries in a 2017 US Commission on International Religious Freedoms report analysing the extent to which such laws are in conflict with international human rights laws. At the other end of the scale were Iran and Pakistan, which can both impose the death penalty for blasphemy offences.

The report found Ireland was among three countries whose laws allow for fines for the offence of blasphemy. The others are Spain and Switzerland.

Ireland's blasphemy law has probably had more effect internationally than here in Ireland. Our blasphemy law has been quoted directly by countries such as Pakistan at the United Nations in making the case for the prohibiting of 'defamation of religion'.

The most common punishment internationally among blasphemy laws is imprisonment, with 86pc of all states imposing a prison penalty, while a few countries have lashings and the death penalty.

... finally, what was the story about Stephen Fry and blasphemy?

Blasphemy laws here came under the international spotlight in May 2017 when gardai launched an investigation into comments made by comedian and actor Stephen Fry.

The probe was abandoned after gardai failed to find a large group of people outraged by Mr Fry's comments on an RTE show in which he questioned the existence of God in a world where there is so much misery.
A DOCTOR has admitted that he assaulted a female colleague in a row over parking at a Dublin hospital.

It was claimed that Fei Tan (37) spat at the woman and slapped her in the face, though this was disputed by Tan.

He claimed instead that she pushed him first and he pushed her back.

The matter was before Tallaght District Court for sentencing after a judge ordered a restorative justice services report.

Judge Patricia McNamara further adjourned sentencing to allow Tan to complete voluntary work.

The defendant, of Hillview estate in Ballinteer, admitted assaulting his colleague in the car park of Tallaght Hospital on March 23, 2017.

Sergeant Michael Ahern said Tan had parked his car blocking in the victims car.

She then called and asked him to move it.

There was limited parking at Tallaght Hospital, the sergeant said, and workers regularly double parked their vehicles and left their contact numbers on the windscreen.

ABUSED

Sgt Ahern said the victim was sitting in her car and rolled down the window when Tan arrived on the scene.

Tan then spat at her and verbally abused her.

She told him to calm down, and he slapped her in the face and threatened her.

Tans defence lawyer said evidence which was heard during an internal hospital investigation was a little different.

He said the victim accepted she started shouting first, and that she had pushed Tan.

Tan pushed her back and struck her when doing so. He should have walked away, the lawyer said.

The court heard that Tan had never been in trouble before and a criminal conviction could destroy his career.

The married father-of-two, had studied at the Royal College of Surgeons and later completed a doctorate in UCD. He is now working as a senior registrar at St Jamess Hospital.

He was horrified at his behaviour, and was stressed at the time because he had commitments but knew he was inconveniencing the victim.
Rebecca Kelly, 20, of Pearse House, Pearse Street, Dublin pictured leaving the Four Courts after she was awarded 550,000 damages following a High Court action. Pic: Collins Courts

Rebecca Kelly, 20, of Pearse House, Pearse Street, Dublin pictured leaving the Four Courts yesterday after she was awarded 550,000 damages following a High Court action. Pic: Collins Courts

A young girl who sustained a severe brain injury after she fell off the side of a Luas tram when she was "tram surfing" has settled her High Court action for 550,000.

Rebecca Kelly was only 13 years of age when she and a friend jumped on the outside of Luas tram gripping on to the edge of the doors as it departed the Fatima station on the Red Line eight years ago.

The young girl fell back on to the tracks striking her head and had to be rescued by her friend. The friend along with the help of others pulled Rebecca out of the way of an oncoming Luas tram en route to the city centre.

Rebecca's Counsel, Bruce Antoniotti SC today (Fri) told the High Court the young woman who became a mother just two weeks ago accepted the accident was her fault and she acknowledged she should not have been tram surfing and she knew at the time it was a dangerous activity. Counsel said Rebecca did not want to blame the driver .

Rebecca Kelly (20) of Pearse House, Pearse Street, Dublin had through her mother Elizabeth Kelly sued the Luas operators Veolia Transport Dublin Light Rail Ltd and Veolia Transport Ireland Ltd of St John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin as a result of the accident on September 3, 2010.

She claimed there was an alleged failure to have any or any adequate visual systems employed and activated on the tram and that the driver was unable in the circumstances to see the non-platform side of the tram before leaving the station. It was claimed the tram pulled off from the station without first observing the non-platform side of the tram.

All the claims were denied and Veolia contended there was contributory negligence on the part of the young girl as she had she had allegedly exposed herself to the risk of injury by tram surfing with a total disregard for her own safety.

Mr Antoniotti SC told the court it was a tragic case. He said Rebecca was with a group of friends at the Fatima Luas stop on the Red Line on the inbound platform at 9.15pm.

Expand Close Rebecca Kelly, 20, of Pearse House, Pearse Street, Dublin pictured leaving the Four Courts after she was awarded 550,000 damages following a High Court action. Pic: Collins Courts / Facebook

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Whatsapp Rebecca Kelly, 20, of Pearse House, Pearse Street, Dublin pictured leaving the Four Courts after she was awarded 550,000 damages following a High Court action. Pic: Collins Courts

He said at that time young people engaged in "tram surfing". Mr Justice Cross commented it was what boys used to do in the past by hanging on to the back of lorries.

Counsel said tram surfing was where young people jumped on to the side door where here was a small ledge and they put their fingers between the door and the body of the tram and "held on for dear life."

There were, he said, 54 incidents of tram surfing recorded on the Luas trams between 2005 and 2010, but the placing of metal strips to prevent gripping between the door and the body of the train had helped deter the practice.

Rebecca, he said, jumped on to the side of the Tallaght bound tram but fell off very quickly and hit her head. Counsel said she had never tram surfed before.

Counsel said there had been a problem in the UK and Ireland with young people tram surfing and and initially a grease was applied to the bodywork and cameras have been installed as well.

He said in this case the tram pulled in to the Tallaght bound platform and the driver had to watch the platform where passengers were getting on and off.

To view the other side of the tram where Rebecca jumped on would have required him to switch cameras. Counsel said the driver also had to be looking straight ahead when the tram moving off as people often try to cross in front.

He said that after this accident a metal strip was put in the space between the doors and the body of the trams.

Approving the settlement Mr Justice Cross said it was not necessary for the court to tell Rebecca Kelly she did a silly thing as she knew that.

However, he commended her for her honesty.
A woman on trial for attempted murder stabbed a woman on the Luas two weeks earlier, the Central Criminal Court has heard.

Laura Kenna (35), of no fixed abode, is charged with the attempted murder of Fionnuala Bourke on Lower Drumcondra Road, Dublin 9, on January 3, 2017.

She is also charged with assault intending to cause serious harm.

Ms Kenna has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to both counts.

Counsel for Ms Kenna, Barry White SC, called Dr Stephen Monks, consultant forensic psychiatrist based at the Central Mental Hospital, to give evidence yesterday.

Hallucinations

Dr Monks told the jury that he interviewed Ms Kenna on two occasions in 2018 and, in his opinion, Ms Kenna had schizophrenic affective disorder and presented concurrently with psychotic delusions and hallucinations.

In addition, she had manic mood swings and grandiose delusions.

He said she was hearing noises where in reality there were no noises.

He said Ms Kenna believed she was receiving messages from the television and could communicate with celebrities.

Dr Monks told the jury that two weeks before the alleged attempted murder of Ms Bourke, Ms Kenna stabbed a woman on the Luas in the face with a pen.

Ms Kenna believed the woman had been saying things about her under her breath but it was "most likely" the woman hadn't said anything at all.

She intended to stab her in the eye, the court heard.

Shortly after being released from Garda custody for the Luas incident, Ms Kenna stated that she thought she was going to be "eaten" and that if she didn't kill someone she wouldn't survive.

She stated that she was being talked into killing somebody by the "voices in her head".

Opening the case on Tuesday, prosecuting counsel Anthony Sammon SC said the central issue was the state of mind of Ms Kenna at the time of the alleged offence.

He said the jury would hear evidence from two consultant psychiatrists from the Central Mental Hospital and there would be a conflict in the opinions of the doctors.

Mr Sammon told the jury that Ms Bourke, a civil servant, was walking home from work around 5pm on the day in question when she was attacked by Ms Kenna with a knife.

Mr Sammon said Ms Bourke's "throat was slit" and she suffered "severe facial scarring".

Stitched

Upon her arrest the following day, Ms Kenna told gardai: "I'm guilty. Yeah, I f***ing did it. Is she still alive?

"Yeah, I did it, I sliced her like you would a goat. You couldn't have stitched that up, I cut through her like butter," the jury heard.

Ms Kenna told gardai that she had followed another woman along the Drumcondra Road shortly before the attack on Ms Bourke but "let her [the first woman] go", the jury heard.

When asked if she understood Ms Bourke was severely injured, Ms Kenna said she didn't care.

Under cross-examination from Barry White SC, for the defence, Detective Sergeant Ken Hoare said Ms Kenna presented at interview in a number of different ways.

It was "fair to say" there were mood swings, the detective sergeant accepted.

The trial continues.
Samantha Carr and Sean Deery, at Letterkenny District Court, had argued before Deery broke into his old apartment. PHOTO: North West Newspix

A man scaled up an apartment block and smashed a window to get into his apartment after a row with his girlfriend.

Sean Deery had gone to the pub after an argument with his girlfriend, during which she moved out of their home.

When he arrived back he found he was locked out and a new tenant had moved in.

Deery (29) burst into the apartment through the window, pushed the new resident out the door and locked himself in before gardai arrived.

Deery appeared at Letterkenny District Court, in Co Donegal, charged with trespassing and causing criminal damage.

Landlord of Robinson Hall, in Letterkenny, Manus McGroddy, said he had been contacted by the father of Samantha Carr, Deery's girlfriend, saying she was in fear of him.

He had travelled from his home in Wexford to take her back and Ms Carr handed over the only set of keys to the flat to Mr McGroddy.

However, when Deery returned he flipped out to find himself locked out and scaled to the first floor of the apartment just before midnight on August 5.

He found another tenant, Alexander Neill, sitting in his boxer shorts drinking coffee in the apartment.

Mr Neill said he was very frightened by what had happened.

The defence said his client admitted breaking into the apartment but produced a letter from the Department of Social Protection signed by all three parties including Deery, Ms Carr and Mr McGroddy.

After listening to the evidence, Judge Paul Kelly said he was satisfied there was a lease in existence and Mr McGroddy had no right to terminate it on behalf of Deery and dismissed the charge of trespassing.

However, he did find him guilty of causing 953.40 of damage. Judge Kelly fined him 50 and ordered him to pay 840 in compensation.
The jury in the trial of a Kerry farmer accused of murdering a neighbouring tillage farmer has been told by the defence "the fair verdict, the just verdict" would be manslaughter, not murder.

Michael Ferris (63), of Rattoo, Ballyduff, Co Kerry, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of John Anthony O'Mahony, of Ardoughter, Ballyduff, on the morning April 4, 2017, at Rattoo, when he drove the forks of his teleporter into a car driven by Mr O'Mahony.

The Central Criminal Court, sitting in Tralee, was told it was all about a crow banger, a device for scaring away birds, and defence counsel Brendan Grehan said the community of Rattoo was being oppressed by the deceased and living in fear of a totally unreasonable person.

Mr Grehan said he rejected the prosecution claim the killing was intentional and deliberate.

"We are all capable of losing it or getting excited. With some of us, it builds up slowly," Mr Grehan said.

The defence made "absolutely no apology" for what could be seen to be "character assassination" of the deceased.

Normally, one did not speak ill of the dead, he said.

"All of this was done so you can appreciate where Mr Ferris was coming from," Mr Grehan said.

Decency

By contrast, nobody had a bad word for Mr Ferris - they spoke of his decency, his neighbourliness, his helpfulness, his obliging nature.

The accused accepted he unlawfully killed Mr O'Mahony - but this was manslaughter, not murder, Mr Grehan said.

Speaking about the scene of the crime, Mr Grehan said Rattoo was the site on an ancient monastic settlement.

The ancient site "stands as a monument to community".

"People lived close to each other and shared activities," he said.

"And really that is what you heard in this case - people living in community, baking scones and dropping down scones to two bachelor farmers who got their dinner brought up to them," Mr Grehan said.

However, Mr O'Mahony and his crow banger amounted to oppression of the community.

The device was highly intrusive, in particular the repetitive nature of it going "boom boom" all day long. "The neighbours just had to put up with it because this man had a sense of entitlement," Mr Grehan said.

Patrick McGrath, for the prosecution, told the jury the actions of Mr Ferris, the accused, were not consistent with a sudden loss of self-control or acting in a fury.

He had been thinking about it for a number of days.

"What is remarkable is his behaviour afterwards, the absence of regret, the absence of remorse, the absence of shock," Mr McGrath said.

The counsel referred extensively to the interviews with detectives in which Mr Ferris agreed he had set out that morning to kill Anthony O'Mahony and that he drove the forks of the teleporter in through the car window. Asked if he had set out to kill him, the accused had said: "Well if I didn't kill him, I would have seriously injured him anyway."

Michael Ferris had never suffered from mental health problems, he had not acted under a sudden loss of control, Mr McGrath also said.

In her charge to the jury, Ms Justice Carmel Stewart told the five women and seven men their decision must be unanimous.

Summing up the prosecution case, at the end of her address to the jury, Ms Justice Stewart said it was the prosecution case that Mr Ferris parked his teleporter on the laneway, he went off and did a few jobs, he heard a horn hooting and got back into his teleporter.

She said if they accepted the defence plea of provocation, because of past history in relation to the crow banger, the loss of self-control must be total and "cannot be tinged by calculation".

The jury deliberated for just over an hour yesterday, and were set to resume deliberations today.
Shoplifting: Margaret Cash was warned not to give in to temptation. Picture: Steve Humphreys

A mother who publicised the homeless crisis by posting photos of her seven children sleeping in a Garda station has been put on probation for shoplifting.

Margaret Cash (28) stole clothing worth more than 300 from Penneys in Rathfarnham in February this year, Tallaght District Court was told.

Judge Patricia McNamara ordered Cash to enter into a probation bond for one year when she appeared for sentencing yesterday.

The judge warned Cash not to give in to "temptation" and to stay out of trouble, asking her: "Where will your children be, if you end up in prison?"

At a previous hearing, the defendant, living in B&B accommodation, admitted stealing clothes worth 321 from Penneys on February 17, 2018.

The judge ordered a probation report before sentencing.

The court heard Cash had 38 previous convictions, 37 for road traffic matters. Her last conviction, for theft, was in 2017.

Judge McNamara asked Sergeant Michael Ahern if Cash had come to the attention of gardai since the shoplifting. Sgt Ahern replied: "No."

He added the property from Penneys was not recovered.

The judge noted Cash was a homeless mother with seven children.

She told Cash she had read the probation report, and noted "issues in your background and your personal circumstances which cannot be ignored".

However, she said, Cash could not go around committing thefts.

As part of the one-year probation bond, Cash has been ordered to continue working with the probation services, and to engage with the local housing authority and homeless support services.

Judge McNamara warned Cash to "stay away from drugs" but Cash and her solicitor Kevin Tunney said drugs were not an issue.

She insisted she has last taken drugs as a teenager, before having children.

Last August, the photos of Cash's children sleeping in Tallaght garda station went viral after she posted them on social media.
Sheep stealer is the worst thing a farmer can be called in rural Ireland, a court was told.

Solicitor Patsy Gallagher was speaking at Falcarragh District Court in Co Donegal, where his client, John McBride (47) of Firmount, pleaded guilty to a total of 35 sample charges of handling stolen goods.

Mr Gallagher told the court there was a "stigma" attached to the offence, saying: "To be called a sheep stealer in rural Donegal is the worst."

Garda Enda Jennings said that in April 2017 farmer Michael Cullen informed him that 76 lambs had been stolen. They were traced to a location at Carrownagannonagh, Milford, and, after getting a warrant, gardai seized 37 lambs.

Defending solicitor Mr Gallagher said his client had paid money for the lambs and had "no hand or part" in theft.

Judge Paul Kelly said he "is dealing with the consequences of failing to co-operate".

On the 35 sample charges before the court, Judge Kelly sentenced McBride to three months' imprisonment, suspended for two years on his own bond of 250. He also ordered the defendant to meet almost 10,000 costs incurred by gardai and the Department of Agriculture in the case.
A Dubai-based senior figure in the Kinahan cartel is wanted for questioning in relation to the murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan.

The Dubai-based Crumlin gangster is a prime suspect in the murder of the close friend of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch.

The man would be "arrested on sight" if he were to return to Ireland.

"Despite the conviction of Jason Keating yesterday, this investigation is very much live," a source said last night.

Small-time criminal Jason Keating, who was on trial accused of murdering Mr Kirwan in the driveway of his Dublin home, admitted facilitating a criminal organisation in carrying out the killing.

Keating (27), of Lower Main Street, Rush, Co Dublin, has convictions for offences including the possession of drugs, assault and public order matters.

However, he is not considered a member of the Kinahan cartel and sources say he may have got involved in the murder because of a drugs debt.

Keating had earlier pleaded not guilty at the non-jury Special Criminal Court to the murder of Mr Kirwan, and his trial has been under way since then.

Yesterday, State Solicitor Michael O'Donovan told the three-judge court that the DPP had directed that Keating be brought before the court and charged with the facilitation offence to which he pleaded guilty.

Mr Justice Hunt remanded Keating in custody until November 22 for sentencing.
DCU president Professor Brian MacCraith has added his voice to the calls on Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan for a review of the case of a Zimbabwean student under deportation order.

Shepherd Machaya is a second year student on a degree programme in management of information technology and information systems at DCU.

DCU is Irelands first 'University of Sanctuary' and Shepherd Machaya is among a number of students on a 'Sanctuary' academic scholarship. The scholarships are mainly aimed at supporting students who are seeking asylum and living in Reception Centres.

Prof MacCraith said the issuing of the deportation order had "created much disquiet across the university community, as Shepherd is not only an able student in the academic context, but he has contributed in many ways as an active and respected member of the university community.

Expand Close Shepard Machaya is due to be deported on Sunday. Pic: DCU SU/Facebook / Facebook

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Whatsapp Shepard Machaya is due to be deported on Sunday. Pic: DCU SU/Facebook

"I am calling on the Minister for Justice and Equality to review Shepherds case with a view to allowing him to remain in Ireland in order that he may complete his course of studies at DCU."

Students at the university have started an online petition and written an open letter to Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan in an attempt to halt the deportation of a second year student.

I stand with Eric Zhi Ying Xue in Bray. He is 9. He is Irish. He was born in Holles Street. He is part of our community. On humanitarian grounds alone, this should be resolved. Common sense must prevail. Have made representations to that effect.  Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) October 18, 2018

Shepard Machaya, who is in his thirties, released a video saying that: "Ireland to me has become my second home. This is the only place I know other than Zimbabwe. My life is still in danger if I were to go back".

DCUSU are calling on Minister @CharlieFlanagan to revoke Shepherd deportation order for Sunday October 21st 2018. Shepherd deserves to complete his studies in DCU and stay in Ireland where he has made his home. Please watch our video and share.https://t.co/wNivyKEkiv  DCU Students' Union (@DCUSU) October 18, 2018

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In the letter to Minister Flanagan, DCU SU said that Machaya "was tortured by political groups" before he came to Ireland and if he were to return home he would be "in imminent danger, with the potential of facing more torture from political groups that he came here to escape".

The Union of Students of Ireland have echoed DCU SUs call for the minister to immediately revoke the deportation order.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Simon Harris has said he hopes "common sense will prevail" in the separate case of the ordered deportation of Eric Zhi Ying Xue (9).

On Tuesday, a petition was started by St Cronan's Boys National School in Bray, Co Wicklow, asking Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan to revoke the deportation order for the fourth-class pupil.

School principal Maeve Tierney said Eric is as "Irish as any of her other pupils" and was born in Ireland.

However, he is not an Irish citizen and Ms Tierney said Eric and his mum, Leena Mei Mei Xue, were told on Tuesday that arrangements were being made for their deportation.

Commenting on the case yesterday, Minister Harris said he has appealed for Eric, who lives in his constituency, to remain in Ireland on humanitarian grounds.

"I have made representations to the Department of Justice and Equality in relation to Eric's situation," he said in a statement to Independent.ie.

"I have appealed for Eric to remain in Ireland on humanitarian grounds. Quite frankly, Eric is Irish.

"He was born here, goes to school here and has never lived anywhere else. This is his home. This is his country. I really hope common sense can prevail."

Following a 2004 referendum, babies born in Ireland to foreign parents don't have an automatic right to Irish citizenship. The Department of Justice said it does not comment on individual cases.
Newly-appointed education minister Joe McHugh wants to explore the use of Skype interviews to help bring teachers back from abroad to fill staff shortages in Irish schools.

Mr McHugh made the comments in his first meeting with Department of Education officials. He had asked them to look at ways of attracting Irish-trained teachers, working in places like Dubai, home.

He also threw out the idea to more than 500 principals and deputy principals of second-level schools, when he addressed the annual conference of the National Association of Principals and deputy Principals (NAPD).

A shortage of teachers in key subjects was described this week as "the biggest crisis" affecting second-level schools at the moment.

Many schools did not open with a full complement of staff in September, and it was driving pupils to grind schools, NADP president Mary Keane told the conference.

Mr McHugh said there were thousands of Irish teachers in the United Arab Emirates  he was once on of them  and he knew from a previous role as minister for the diaspora that many of them wanted to return home.

"But, if you are a teaching n Dubai today and a post is advertised and mammy or daddy rings to say a post is coming up, the decision you have to make is about paying for a flight home with no guarantees that you are going to get a job," he said.

Mr McHugh said "there are many innovative ways of reaching out to the diaspora" and the State had a role, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, to "facilitate people in a better way".

Questioned by reporters about specific ways to achieve it, Mr McHugh said "the whole idea of an idea is to explore it".

He said wanted to look at creative ways to make it easier for teachers working abroad to be interviewed, possibly via Skype.

The NAPD conference was Mr McHughs first opportunity in his new role to speak directly to those at the coalface of education and he used it as an opportunity to send out a strong message that the pace of change in the system would slow down.

His words were well-received by NAPD delegates, whose president Mary Keane had earlier warned that "in the last year in particular we are feeling the grievous burden of initiative overload and deadline mania".

She referred to reforms, such as at junior cycle, as well as new responsibilities on schools in relation to data protection.

Ms Keane committed the NAPD to change, but said "we must be careful that we reach our destination together".

Mr McHugh acknowledged the work done by his predecessor Richard Bruton, who set out an Action Plan for Education, and another previous incumbent, Ruairi Quinn, who also drove an ambitious agenda, but said he was "hearing loud and clear" that people needed to have "freedom and time" to implement change.

The minister said it was not his intention to stop the action plan, because he believed in strategy, "but to stop, take stock, where we at are, what is working, what is not working and how we can fit it into three years."

He also pledged that there would be earlier allocations of grants to schools for small and medium-scale building and improvement schemes as the Summer Works Scheme, to facilitate planning at school level.
Newstalk presenter George Hook has doubled down on a controversial tweet about deportation case of Eric Zhi Ying Xue

George Hook has described the case of a nine-year-old boy facing deportation as "truly a terrible situation", but says he "should be deported because that's the law".

The Newstalk presenter doubled down on a controversial tweet he posted last night and said he believes he has done nothing wrong.

Mr Hook posted the message online following a tweet Health Minister Simon Harris made yesterday, expressing his solidarity with Eric Zhi Ying Xue.

The minister has also made representations in an attempt to prevent his deportation.

In response, Mr Hook tweeted: "With trolly [sic] numbers at world record levels, Minister Simon Harris, is worried about a Chinese boy!!"

The rugby pundits comments immediately received backlash, with one user replying: "Jesus, George, thats a disgraceful statement. This boy is Irish. He was born here and has never lived anywhere else."

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Another person wrote: "It's called "compassion", George. People can care about more than one thing at once and about people other than themselves."

When contacted by Independent.ie, Mr Hook stood his ground and said the government should not change the law based on popular opinions on Twitter.

He also heavily criticised Minister Harris, who he accused of deliberately trying to draw attention away from the trolley crisis.

"More than a decade ago, the Irish people said they didnt want to give automatic citizenship to children born in this country," Mr Hook said.

"Charlie Flanagan is in his office saying were going to deport this boy, but Harris, who is probably the worst minister for health in the history of the State, is saying we cant.

"The only narrative in this is not out of concern for this Chinese boy, but to simply to deflect from the fact that hes doing an appalling job.

"The question at the end of the day is, do we want a country with laws or a country run by Twitter?"

In 2004, a referendum was passed which meant that children born in Ireland to foreign national parents would no longer have a constitutional right to Irish citizenship.

"Everyone seems to think that this boy is Irish, but according to our laws, hes not," added Mr Hook.

"The reason why the government brought this law in was because pregnant women were flying into Ireland and having babies. This meant their children would become Irish citizens and their parents could stay here as well."

When asked what he thinks should happen to Eric Zhi Ying Xue, Mr Hook replied: "He should be deported because thats the law.

"Its truly a terrible situation, but what will happen if a similar case comes up next week with another child? And what would the government do if a hundred or even a thousand children facing deportation asked to remain in this country?

"At what point do we want the law to change?"

The Newstalk veteran, who was suspended from the station last year following comments he made about a rape case, said hes not concerned about a potential backlash from his radio station.

"If Im not allowed to have an opinion about anything or if I appear to be in favour of a country without laws then I dont think my job is worth having," he said.

"Fine Gael have recognised that Twitter is running the country. Dont forget that Varadkar, in his attempt to become leader of Fine Gael, seriously considered putting fake news stories out in order to get the job.

"When the Nazis took power, they gave everyone in Germany a free radio. They figured if we can get into the kitchen of every home in the country then were in business.

"So what Fine Gael are saying is that if we can get into everyones home through Twitter, were home free."

Back in 2004 Fine Gael was the only opposition party in the Dail to support a 'Yes' vote in the citizenship referendum.

Then-leader Enda Kenny had raised concern over the timing of the referendum on the same day as the local and European elections that year.

He warned that there was a probability that during an election campaign "inflammatory comments could be made about this sensitive situation".

However, in coming to the decision to support the 'Yes' vote, reports at the time said Fine Gael got independent legal advice about the potential to abuse Irish citizenship law under the existing provisions in the constitution.

Mr Kenny said: "While the party has serious reservations about the way in which the government has brought forward this referendum, we are satisfied that a constitutional referendum is necessary to restore the power to legislate for citizenship to the Oireachtas."

A spokesperson from Newstalk told Independent.ie that it would not be commenting on Mr Hook's Tweet.

Independent.ie contacted Simon Harris for comment.
The shocking plight of nearly 10,000 elderly patients over the age of 74 years, who have endured a full day or longer on a trolley in cramped A&E departments so far this year, is revealed today.

The often frail patients have borne the brunt of Ireland's escalating trolley crisis - which is now heading into another winter of gridlock.

Despite a "zero tolerance" pledge for this length of wait for the over-75s, the problem is getting worse.

By November 2 last year, some 9,206 people aged over 75 spent longer than 24 hours on a trolley.

Data for the first eight months of this year demonstrate a serious deterioration in how the HSE treat older patients when they present to emergency departments.

Figures released to Fianna Fail spokesman on health Stephen Donnelly reveal the depth of suffering of the oldest patients who seek emergency care in hospital.

He said: "I fully expect the total number for this year to exceed 14,000 - a shocking statistic in itself but even worse when we consider that these are our parents, our aunts and uncles left lying, often in a very vulnerable state, on uncomfortable and unsuitable trolleys.

Commenting on the figures, emergency consultant Dr Emily O'Conor said she is also predicting overcrowding will fall further into crisis.

She said: "Older people who need to be admitted to a bed can have longer trolley waits than younger people.

"Younger patients may present with acute appendicitis and need to go to theatre. They will get a bed earlier than an older patient who may be suffering from a urinary tract infection."

Dr O'Conor was speaking as emergency consultants from around the country gathered in Dublin for the annual scientific meeting of the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine (IAEM).

Dr O'Conor, who is IAEM president, said in her address that the theme was "changing hearts and minds - inspiring future generations of emergency medicine".

"We have a crisis but it is not emergency medicine crisis," she said. "It is a wide health sector crisis. Emergency medicine as a speciality is doing a remarkable job.

"The emergency departments are perpetually in crisis but emergency medicine specialists are doing very well."

Speaking to the gathering, she said: "We cannot always be the story of failure for our younger trainees. We have seen over one million patients at emergency departments this year already.

"That is under the governance of only 100 consultants in emergency medicine.

"Year to date we have seen and addition 67,000 and that is the size of an emergency department the size of Limerick.

"I don't think there is any other area that could absorb that attendance and continue functioning at all."

Dr O'Conor said she feared that inadequate preparation had now been made to cope with the influx of patients as the cold weather months tighten their grip.

There is still a desperate need for more hospital beds, but it now appears many will not be ready to cope with demands during the worst of the winter.

She said an early warning system designed to spot the signs of patients in emergency departments deteriorating has been launched.

More nurses will need to be hired to put in into practice and avoid patients whose condition is reaching a critical stage slipping through the net in chaotic emergency departments. Recruitment of nurses to emergency departments remains a serious issue.
CervicalCheck may have to send thousands of tests to laboratories in Europe or Australia to cope with a backlog that has built up in recent months.

A spokeswoman for the HSE said while measures, such as increased overtime, had been used to make inroads into the backlog of around 60,000 tests, it will be weeks before agreement is reached with existing laboratories on securing extra capacity.

The build-up of tests had meant women are waiting up to 17 weeks for the return of results.

The surge is due to the take-up of additional free tests to women in the wake of the CervicalCheck scandal. The offer was aimed at reassuring women who were worried and anxious.

Existing CervicalCheck laboratories, including two in Dublin and one in New Jersey, in the United States, cannot cope with demand.

The State is to take over the CervicalCheck work done by Medlab in Dublin, which is part of a global network of labs including Australia, Germany, the US and Switzerland.

It is understood there has been a reluctance by several labs outside of Ireland to take on the overflow of tests.

Delays, previously reported by the Irish Independent, are also now hitting colposcopy clinics where women whose tests have revealed abnormalities are referred for further examination.

Some of the abnormalities may later become cancerous and have to be removed.

A spokeswoman said the extent of the delays had to be validated.

Speaking in the Dail, Tanaiste Simon Coveney has apologised to women affected by the return of test result delays. "It is not good enough," he said.

"I would like to apologise to those patients affected by the delays and assure them that everything possible is being done."

He said there were a finite number of laboratories and that Dr Gabriel Scally, whose report looked at the CervicalCheck scandal, "had provided assurance on the labs the State used".

"Repatriating laboratories for testing isn't going to solve the problem in the short term."

He gave a commitment that it will "certainly endeavour to ensure that everyone who gets a smear test will get an accurate estimated time of results".

"It's the least we can do," said Mr Coveney.
Thousands of patients in mental health facilities are subjected to restrictive practices such as seclusion, even though they provide no therapeutic benefit, a report by the mental health watchdog warned yesterday.

The Mental Health Commission (HMC) found that in 2016 there was a total of 5,000 episodes of seclusion and physical restraint recorded which involved 1,291 patients.

Physical restraint was the most frequently used restrictive intervention followed by seclusion to de-escalate behaviour.

However, the report said there is a need for the use of preventive approaches to cope with challenging behaviour.

Rosemary Smyth, interim chief executive of the HMC, said: "Intervention that compromises a person's liberty is very serious and should only ever be used as a last resort.

Violence

"We know that there is no evidence of a therapeutic benefit associated with the use of restrictive practices and there is also limited evidence of restrictive practices reducing behaviours of violence and aggression. The commission is not in favour of such practices and encourages other measures to de-escalate situations."

Four years ago, the commission published a seclusion and restraint reduction strategy to achieve significant reductions in seclusion and physical restraint while also ensuring resident and staff safety.

It said that most approved centres do not have access to a psychiatric intensive care unit and in a situation where de-escalation techniques are not effective, can be left with last resort options of seclusion, physical restraint or rapid tranquilisation.

A Vision for Change, the Government policy on mental health services, recommended 30 intensive care beds per 1,000,000 population: based on the current population this would amount to 140 beds. The commission is aware of only 42 beds nationally.

Last year, training in the prevention and management of violence and aggression became mandatory and the hope is this will reduce the use of restrictive practices.
Women experience certain side effects of chemotherapy including nausea, vomiting and hair loss more frequently than men, according to research on oesophageal and stomach cancer patients.

Researchers at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in London said their findings add to the growing body of evidence that gender can be an important factor in cancer treatment.

The study, which is being presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress in Munich, Germany, analysed data from four randomised trials carried out in the UK and Australasia.

Data from 1,654 patients (1,328 men and 326 women) showed that women experienced significantly higher rates of nausea and vomiting (89pc for women and 78pc of men) and diarrhoea (54pc versus 47pc).

Hair loss was also suffered more by women - 81pc compared with 74pc of men - while mouth ulceration occurred in 50pc of women versus 41pc of men. The occurrence of "serious adverse events" during treatment - potentially serious treatment complications which often require hospital admission - was also higher in women.

There was a trend towards more infections in women as a result of low white blood cell counts, although this did not reach statistical significance.

When looking at chemotherapy effectiveness, there was no difference in survival between men and women, bur overall response rate to chemotherapy - those experiencing a reduction in tumour size - was higher in men.

Dr Michael Davidson, research fellow at the Royal Marsden Trust, said: "Our findings show that women seem to experience higher rates of certain chemotherapy side effects than men in this cancer type, particularly those related to gastro-intestinal function."
Health Minister Simon Harris has made an appeal to the Department of Justice in the case of a nine-year-old boy who was born in Ireland but faces deportation to China.

Eric Zhi Ying Xue, a fourth class pupil of St Cronan's Boys' National School in Bray, Co Wicklow, and his mother Leena Mei Mei Xue were informed on Tuesday that arrangements were being made for their deportation to Leena's native China.

Eric was born in Ireland and has never been to China.

Speaking last night, Mr Harris said he hoped "common sense will prevail" for the schoolboy, who lives in Mr Harris's constituency.

"I have made representations to the Department of Justice and Equality in relation to Eric's situation," he said in a statement to Independent.ie.

"I have appealed for Eric to remain in Ireland on humanitarian grounds. Quite frankly, Eric is Irish.

"He was born here, goes to school here and has never lived anywhere else. This is his home. This is his country. I really hope common sense can prevail."

Eric's school started a petition this week asking Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan to revoke the deportation order - last night, almost 40,000 people had signed it.

School principal Maeve Tierney said Eric is as "Irish as any of her other pupils" and was born in Ireland.

Following a 2004 referendum, children born in Ireland to foreign parents don't have an automatic right to Irish citizenship.

Eric's mother has exhausted all legal avenues for herself and her young son to remain in Ireland.

When contacted last night, the Department of Justice said it did not comment on individual cases.
A motorist has caused "criminal reckless damage" by driving through a train level crossing, Irish Rail has said.

Irish Rail shared footage on Twitter of a car crashing through the barriers at Porterstown, Co Dublin.

They wrote: "Criminal reckless damage caused to Porterstown Level Crossing by motorist, causing major delays to Maynooth, M3 Parkway, Longford/Sligo services. Crews en route to repair and control crossing.

"Gardai alerted to pursue culprit."

The full circumstances surrounding the incident are not yet known.

Irish Rail advised passengers that there were delays of up to 50 minutes for those travelling on Maynooth, Longfod, M3 Parkway and Sligo routes.

They have since said this has eased but that there are still delays of up to 25 minutes on Maynooth line services.

A garda spokeswoman confirmed they are investigating the incident.

"Gardai in Blanchardstown are investigating the incident that occurred this evening, Friday 19th October, 2018 at the level crossing at Porterstown Gate at approximately 5.30p.m.

"Investigations are ongoing into the matter at this time," she said.
HOUSING Minister Eoghan Murphy has defended turning up to cut the ribbon at the official opening of eight houses, given the huge scale of the housing crisis.

Mr Murphy was in North Dublin this afternoon to officially open the second phase of a neighbourhood for older people.

It brings to 45 the number of houses in the St Benedicts scheme in Malahide  a project spearheaded by the St Vincent DePaul with funding from Mr Murphys department and Fingal County Council.

Mr Murphy denied it was a sign of desperation that he was attending the opening of eight houses.

He insisted: Its important to be here to acknowledge the community and the fantastic work that people like St Vincent DePaul and the local authority have done to provide an additional eight new homes in what is already a large community for the elderly.

Mr Murphy also pointed out that Fingal County Coucnil will deliver more than 640 social homes this year alone in addition to other housing initiatives,

And he said the government will oversee the delivery of around 8,000 new social homes by the end of 2018 which he said is incredibly significant.

He said there will be around 20,000 new homes of all types built this year and said: next year were going to be ramping that up quite significantly.

These are big numbers and theyre going to help a lot of people but a lot more has to be done, he said.

Mr Murphy said thats why there was additional resources announced in the Budget to fund 10,000 social homes in 2019.

He said the government recognise that there are people who are struggling to pay the rent, there are people who are struggling to get a mortgage together to buy a home.

He also said: There are people in emergency accommodation tonight when they shouldnt be.

All of the things that were doing a as government, finding solutions and help for people.

The first phase of St Benedicts was completed in 2009.

It is built on a plot of land gifted by local woman, the late Josephine Denning, in her will to be used for housing older people.
Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has been forced to defend comments arguing against the designation of Travellers as a distinct ethnic minority.

The Government was recommended to officially recognise the Traveller community as an ethnic group in 2014.

However, the Fine Gael minister disagreed and said: I believe Travellers are Irish like the rest of us  no better, no worse.

Mr Flanagan insisted he disagrees with comments, made unprompted by Mr Casey in an Irish Independent interview, which have dominated the debate this week.

The controversy had led to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar making an unusual intervention and effectively urging people not to vote for Mr Casey.

"His remarks were very divisive and I think they were largely designed for attention for him," Mr Varadkar said.

"I think they're really regrettable and I hope that when the people of Ireland go out to vote next Friday, they will give Mr Casey and anyone who holds those views, a very clear message," the Taoiseach added.

Yesterday Mr Casey visited the vacant houses at the centre of the dispute between Tipperary County Council and Traveller families.

He faced charges of taking a leaf out of US President Donald Trump's book and engaging in a media stunt.

He did not meet with the Traveller families embroiled in the dispute, citing their privacy. However he again refused to withdraw his remarks.

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Representatives of Travellers' groups said that there had been "lies and misinformation" spread about their situation.

They have argued that the family had never asked for stables or land, merely for grazing rights.

Charlie Flanagan yesterday said he "fundamentally disagrees" with the businessman's comments and said he "fully accepts" the decision taken by Government to recognise Travellers as an ethnic minority in 2016.

Speaking ahead of that decision, Mr Flanagan had raised a concern about the status of different ethnic groups in Ireland and said the move was about political correctness.

"Do we now accord special ethnic status to Protestants, Jews and people from Connemara? I think this is more political correctness than Traveller rights," he said.

Pressed on whether his personal position had changed in the intervening years, Mr Flanagan defended his record of supporting the Traveller community.

"I've worked with Travellers and Traveller groups over the years in my constituency.

"I do acknowledge the position of grave disadvantage that Travellers have been in in society and continue to be in in society.

"There is far more that we should be doing to support Travellers than merely adopting a recognition status or a special ethnic status and I think Government needs to do it, whether it's in housing, health or education and I accept that.

"But as far as the designation of the ethnic status is concerned, I fully subscribe to a decision of Government as a member of the Cabinet."

He characterised the comments made by Mr Casey as "particularly unfair" to the Travelling community and said it was a mistake to introduce the issue into the presidential debate.

"I think it's regrettable that he should have brought these issues into a presidential campaign. I don't know his motivation for so doing but that'll be a matter for people to answer," he said.

Mr Casey's comments did not just include remarks about Traveller ethnicity but went further, saying that Travellers were "basically camping in someone else's land".

Mr Casey said that house prices drop in areas where they settle, and that they are "not paying their fair share of taxes in society".

Meanwhile, Mr Flanagan praised the work of David Stanton, a minister of state in the Department of Justice, and said the focus of Government needs to be on health, housing and education.

"I believe it has to be more than tokenistic. What does it mean to have a special ethnic status, what rights does that confer on people? It needs to be more," the Justice Minister said.

"Many of the problems and the challenges faced by the Travelling community before the ethnic status was granted are still very much in evidence."
Michael D Higgins accused Peter Casey of running black advertisements that are imported from the United States. Picture: Tony Gavin

PRESIDENT Michael D Higgins accused election rival Peter Casey of running black advertisements that are imported from the United States in the campaign.

His remarks came in response to an attack ad Mr Casey has posted on social media.

It features a shrinking photograph of Mr Higgins and claims his public appearances have decreased by more than 43pc over the last seven years.

It adds: if that rate continues for another seven-year term Ireland will find itself in a very uncomfortable position regardless of how much yoga we do, a reference to Mr Higgins revealing that he has a yoga teacher.

Mr Higgins was asked by RTE Radios Sean ORourke if claims that the number of his engagements dropped from 535 in his first year to 320 are accurate.

Mr Higgins replied: No  he [Mr Casey] is also running one of those black advertisements that is imported from the United States on those false figures.

He said: The reality is this.

In the first year I took up the programme which was already committed by my predecessor, added to it my own programme. I put every single thing I was doing into the diary.

As I got going after the next two years, I was doing even more.

And Mr Higgins asked: Do you know what the test is? Did I meet more people or less? Ive met more people actually in every year, in bigger crowds.

He said he is meeting people visiting Aras an Uachtarain and going out to communities and I do it in a much more flexible way I think that is important.

Mr Higgins said of his plans if he is re-elected: Am I likely to be less active or more active? Im actually going to approach the next seven years with an even greater intensity.
Media scrum: Presidential candidate Peter Casey visiting the houses at Cabragh Bridge in Thurles, Co Tipperary. Photo: Mark Condren

Peter Casey and his wife Helen arrived at Cabragh Bridge and gazed at the six neat houses.

"Solar panels," he noted with satisfaction, under his breath.

The size of the media pack assembled appeared to also please him greatly. But the questions were not always to his liking.

He seemed to have no patience for the finer details - such as whether he should not just leave this particular situation to the legal system.

Finally, he turned on a reporter whose pertinent queries to him were deemed by Casey to be impertinent, dismissing him with the ultimate Trumpian comeback: "You are rude."

He left quickly after getting the exposure he'd come for.

And then the Traveller families came out amid great dignity to describe how Casey's comments have frightened their children and attempted to drive a wedge between Traveller people and settled people.

Around a dozen gardai were assembled at various points - but there was no trouble.

Casey had travelled first to Cork by train yesterday morning to do a radio interview during which he continued his controversial streak.

"I'll be politically correct when I'm president - when I'll have to be politically correct," he declared.

After that, he had a pleasant wander around the English Market eating sausages on sticks, as a sizeable handful of people sidled up to him to mutter into his ear that he "spoke the truth".

For the most part, these people did not want to give their names.

"Do you want me to be burned out of my home?" demanded one man.

At Cabragh Bridge, members of the families there called down the hillside to give their verdict on Casey: "He don't like us, we don't like him."

And then Casey himself came strolling up the road, attracting cameras like a magnetic forcefield.

He was here to "explain his position", he said.

"It's bonkers," he said, claiming the Traveller families had looked for "two stables" per house as well as land for the horses.

The Traveller families later said that they had been promised grazing land by the council for their 12 horses.

Asked if he was going to meet the families, Casey said: "No, they know I'm here. If they want to meet me, they can come down. I think it's wrong to invade somebody's privacy," he said.

He left as soon as he could, as around 20 protesters walked quietly up the road with their placards with messages like: "We want a President that represents all."

Barry McCarthy, who lives at Cabragh Bridge with his wife Melissa and their six children, aged from 14 down to seven months, said the youngsters were "very frightened" by Casey's comments.

He was "very disappointed" not to meet him, he said, asking: "What was the reason for him coming so far?"

TJ Hogan, a Traveller social policy writer and member of the Traveller community, claimed that Casey was "taking a leaf out of Trump's book" with his controversial comments.

Margaret Casey of the Tipperary Rural Traveller project said Casey's comments were racist.

"He is actually trying to divide members of the settled community," she said.

"He's not fit to be President of Ireland, in my opinion. He should step down."
Controversial Presidential campaign Peter Casey has paid a visit to the houses built for Traveller families in Tipperary (Photo: Mark Condren)

PETER Casey and his wife, Helen, arrived at Cabragh Bridge and gazed at the six neat houses.

Solar panels, he noted with satisfaction, under his breath.

The size of the media pack assembled appeared to also please him greatly.

But the questions were not always to his liking. He seemed to have no patience for the finer details - like whether he should not just leave this particular situation to the legal system.

Finally, he turned on a reporter whose pertinent queries to him were deemed by Casey to be impertinent, dismissing him with the ultimate Trumpian comeback: You are rude.

He left quickly after getting the exposure hed come for.

And then the Traveller families came out amid great dignity to describe how Caseys comments have frightened their children and attempted to drive a wedge between Traveller people and settled people.

Around a dozen gardai were assembled at various points - but there was no trouble.

Casey had travelled to Cork by train that morning, with, first, a radio interview during which he continued his controversial streak.

Ill be politically correct when Im President - when Ill have to be politically correct, he declared.

After that, he had a pleasant wander around the English Market eating sausages on sticks, as a sizeable handful of people sidled up to him to mutter into his ear that he spoke the truth.

For the most part, these people did not want to give their names.

Do you want me to be burned out of my home? demanded one man.

At Cabragh Bridge, members of the families there called down the hillside to give their verdict on Casey: He dont like us, we dont like him.

And then Casey himself came strolling up the road, attracting cameras like a magnetic forcefield.

He was here to explain his position, he said.

Its bonkers, he said, claiming the Traveller families had looked for two stables per house as well as land for the horses.

The Traveller families later explained that they had been promised grazing land by the council for their 12 horses.

Asked if he was going to meet the families Casey said: No, they know Im here. If they want to meet me they can come down. I think its wrong to invade somebodys privacy, he said.

He left as soon as he could, as around 20 protesters walked quietly up the road with their placards with messages like: We want a President that represents all of Ireland.

Barry McCarthy, who lives at Cabragh Bridge with his wife Melissa and their six children, aged 14 down to seven months, said the youngsters were very frightened by Mr Caseys comments.

He was very disappointed not to meet him, he said, asking: What was the reason him coming so far?

TJ Hogan, a Traveller social policy writer and member of the Traveller community claimed Mr Casey was taking a leaf out of Trumps book with his comments.

Margaret Casey of the Tipperary Rural Traveller project said Caseys comments were very racist.

He is actually trying to divide members of the settled community, she said. Hes not fit to be President of Ireland in my opinion. He should step down.
'I was enchanted." That was the bemused response of world-renowned comedian and writer Stephen Fry when asked his reaction to the furore that followed a complaint to gardai that comments he made on RTE about the existence of God were contrary to Ireland's blasphemy laws.

In a wide-ranging interview with RTE's Marian Finucane on her Saturday morning show, he described the charges as "extraordinary".

The investigation was sparked after a member of the public made a complaint to Ennis Garda station in Co Clare shortly after an interview he gave to Gay Byrne for The Meaning of Life in February 2015.

During the show the comedian and writer was asked what he would say to God if he met him at the gates of heaven.

In an impassioned cri de coeur that made headlines around the world, Mr Fry, an avowed atheist, told Gay he would admonish God: "How dare you create a world in which there is such misery? It's not our fault? It's not right. It's utterly, utterly evil. Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid god who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain?"

He went on to say that if he was met by the Greek gods, he would accept them quicker because, "they didn't present themselves as being all-seeing, all-wise, all-beneficent".

He added: "Because the God who created this universe, if it was created by God, is quite clearly a maniac, an utter maniac, totally selfish. We have to spend our lives on our knees thanking him. What kind of God would do that?"

Speaking yesterday, Mr Fry said he received "wonderful letters" from the public who hoped the case would go all the way.

"[They] hoped I would appear in court because they wanted it to come to court. They thought it would just be the most wonderful, fantastic street drama in Dublin," he said.

Mr Fry also described the wording of our blasphemy legislation as a "wonderfully Irish solution".

Under the controversial legislation, introduced by then Justice Minister Dermot Ahern in 2009, it is illegal to publish or utter a matter that is "grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters sacred by any religion, thereby intentionally causing outrage among a substantial number of adherents of that religion".

"I discovered from the person who actually framed the blasphemy law that it was deliberately framed in order to be unworkable," Mr Fry said. "That's a wonderfully Irish solution to the fact that there was a pre-existing blasphemy law and they thought that was absurd and it would have taken a referendum to get rid of it so they thought that the easiest thing was to just engineer it a little so that it became preposterous.

"So that's really what that was all about," he added.

The media personality also said he was "pleased" gardai could not find enough people to be outraged in order to pursue the complaint further.

The man who made the complaint told gardai he was happy he had done his civic duty by reporting what he believed could be a crime under the current law.

He also confirmed to the detective that he was happy gardai had investigated the matter in full.
A company was effectively warned by a vulture fund there would be repercussions if it chose to appear before an Oireachtas committee.

The firm is going through a debt restructuring but was told if it addressed the committee an offer would be off the table, according to the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (Isme).

Isme chief executive Neil McDonnell told the Finance Committee: "I was to have been accompanied here by a company which is going through a debt restructure. But it was made very clear to them that the offer being negotiated currently would not be offered if the company appeared before you."

The committee was meeting representatives from the farming and small business communities to discuss the issue of loans being bought from banks by vulture funds.

Joe Healy, president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), said farmers had lost trust in the banks because of loan sales.

"Farmers view banks who sell their loan books as abdicating their responsibility to see through their dealings with their customers," he said.

He said the IFA was dealing with 150 cases of farmers who had loans sold to vulture funds who were not interested in a long-term debt resolution with the customer.
Food for thought: Andy McFadden and JP McMahon launch Food on the Edge, which takes place this Monday and Tuesday.

Imagine the most expensive meal youve ever eaten. Was it a three-course treat for a special occasion? Or maybe a seven-course tasting menu in an upmarket restaurant?

Food is culture, and for some, part of that is fine dining.

Perhaps its no surprise when Michelin star chef JP McMahon says he once racked up a bill of 1,000 on a meal-for-two.

He and his wife Drigin Gaffey, who dine for research as well as pleasure, spent it on a 20-course meal at Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark, and a bottle of wine, and they gave the staff a tip of somewhere in the region of 90.

Its something I enjoy doing, JP tells Independent.ie. Whatever people enjoy, they spend money on. Whether its an expensive car or a camera. We might do it once a year, its just a nice thing to do, dining at that level. You have a 20-course meal and there are 90 staff. You can see why [it costs to dine there]. Youre not paying for the food, youre paying for the labour of that food. The food is more technically proficient.

But I also enjoy some fried chicken and chips as well, he jokes.

When Aniar was first awarded a Michelin star in the prestigious 2013 restaurant guide, it instantly put Galway on the international food map.

Ever since, McMahon has met customers from all over the world whove travelled to Galway specifically to eat at Aniar.

Thats the power of the star, he says. 60pc of our customers are American. They literally travel to Galway to eat in Aniar.

His favourite kind of diner at Aniar is the researched diner.

In the context of Aniar, its the diner thats done a bit of homework. I love it when someone comes in and they know the type of food we serve. I do think the diners need to do a little bit of work. Theres no point going to a Japanese restaurant and then giving out that they dont serve any mashed potato.

Some of the American diners coming in, theyve planned their trip to Aniar so far in advance, they know what they want, and theyre a joy to serve. Most of the food we serve comes from Ireland, its seaweed and shellfish and sometimes over the course of a tasting menu you might not possibly love everything. So its about finding out what you like.

McMahon runs three restaurants in Galway but he also runs a cookery school attached to Aniar, and hes passionate about educating people about our natural resources like seaweed and seafood.

For me its really important to know how to open an oyster and how you can cook it. How do you cook mussels and make them really nice?

When you go to a top restaurant, really what youre asking is for the food to be perfect. But anyone can do that in their own home. To do that you need to source the ingredients.

Fish for example is much nicer fresh. I tell people to go to a fishmonger they can chat to. Find out about the fish. People always buy cod and salmon, but theres so much more. Fish baked whole is amazing as well.

McMahon admits that losing the Michelin star once youve received the award would be catastrophic.

We have a very good team, weve had the same team for a couple of years. I always say youre only ever as good as your team. The chefs and floor staff are very, very good.

Its always a delicate balance. Its important for me to be there and to ensure a standard of food and service. But you have to be able to let go as well  if the plate only works when Im there then were doing something wrong.

We have chefs in their early 20s and 30s working with us, and its important to teach them how to do things and learn from them and step back again.

[The star] always brings pressure. Maintaining the star is probably the most difficult thing to do. To lose the star would be catastrophic.

I worry about that. If Aniar lost the star, it would probably be devastating.

Its like being the doctor and then being debarred but youve been practicing for 25 years. You dont get to ask the reason why. You win, you lose, thats what happens.

However, he added: They invited me over [to the awards ceremony this year] and Id hope they wouldnt invite you to take it away from you. You never know until it comes out. It does get nerve wracking. When you look at restaurants that have lost the star, I cant explain why.

McMahon, who is director of Food on the Edge, a symposium on the future of food which takes place on Monday and Tuesday of this week, is all about spreading the love about wild Irish foods.

Im very interested in seaweed and shellfish as well. Something we have so much of in Ireland  a lot of people dont eat shellfish like mussels and clams, langoustines and razor clams. For some reason a lot of us turned away from the sea and focused on the land and beef or lamb. Im always very interested in pushing the wild food that comes from the sea.

We need to eat more fish and at the same time we need to mind the sea.

Shellfish farming is the way forward. The way its farmed in Killary Harbour for example, its really exciting.

At the moment there are so many different wild mushrooms everywhere. We have the potential to learn, you can do plenty of courses [to identify edible wild mushrooms]. Its an untapped resource.

When you look at France, Italy or Spain, every autumn they go out and pick the chanterelles and ceps.

The blackberry, he finishes, nobody really picks blackberries anymore. Theyre sitting there for everyone, anyone to pick them.
In January this columnist predicted that 2018 would become the year of the long- distance commuter. In the Irish Independent's How Much Is Your House Worth? survey of house prices by micromarket published in that month, we reported values in Co Laois jumping by a quarter in 2017 and Wexford prices by a fifth in those 12 months. It showed that Dubliners are once again prepared to jump over a neighbouring county in search of affordability and to maintain their quest to buy a family home in the face of being rack rented in their home city.

We saw double digit percentage increases in Westmeath (10pc) and even in Longford (17pc) and Monaghan (11pc) right up on the border. All attributed to a rise in Dublin-based buyers in search of affordable (and loan-qualifying) homes. In that survey even those estate agents based in Roscommon, almost two hours from the capital, claimed sales were being made to Dubliners who intended to commute.

Almost a year on, while Dublin prices are now cooling in the southside and better northside suburbs, they are not reducing and stand at almost 80pc of what they were at peak. Rents in the capital have already exceeded peak by 30pc.

The most recent data from the Real Estate Alliance (REA) Average House Price Index, published last month and commissioned by the Irish Independent, shows that the value surges in what we can now term the "outer" commuter belt have continued apace through the year thanks to increased competition from those based in the capital.

While there's much talk about houses which can be bought on "average" wages, ask where are the homes that can be bought on below-average wages - when obviously almost half of Dubliners are in that financial situation. Low-earning couples are the ones fueling the 'outer belt' phenomenon we are now witnessing.

Amidst a 12-month house price increase nationwide averaging 6pc for three-bed semis, Dublin and the 'traditional' commuter counties showed either static or below average growth. Meath prices roses by 5pc, Kildare by 4.2pc - demonstrating that huge hikes experienced in these locations in the past few years have also rendered much of the commuter stock unaffordable to low earners.

But semi prices in Laois rose by a staggering 22pc through the year to September - moving from 160,000 to 190,000. Of the outer counties, Laois, because of its transport links, is viewed by many as the cheapest practical place to buy in while working in Dublin on a lower wage. Cavan, another "outer belt" location, saw its prices hiked by a phenomenal 17pc. It now costs 122,500 for an average semi. Westmeath prices surged by 9pc and Wicklow saw prices hike by 10.3pc based largely on interest in the more remote south county area.

Wexford prices roses 9pc. All in this new 'outer belt'. Meantime Cork and Galway cities are finding themselves where Dublin was in the last boom. Average prices in both are well above average, pushing young Galwegians and Corkonians out into their county areas for affordable housing. Witness Galway County (minus the city) prices up 10pc and Cork County's up 11pc as buyers push out to places like Tuam and Mallow.

For Dublin's extra-long-distance commuters, their choices entail journeys of an hour and a half and sometimes even two hours each way, unless they are lucky enough to be on a city rail line.

Most don't intend staying and imagine getting on the property ladder with plans to trade up and closer within a few years. The reality is, most will stay put and find themselves taking a half hour to get their new families into creches before they embark on that 90-minute journey to their desks. The long-term effects will be socially devastating - of children who spend more time in creches year round than their parents do at their desks. And of parents who are physically and emotionally exhausted. This will be part of the long-term fallout of Dublin's housing crisis.

For them it is a Hobson's choice. Start a family in rental insecurity where it costs way more to rent a home than the repayments of the mortgage loan they won't qualify for; or go out as far as it takes to drive in that first stake of ownership and take the consequences.

The impact of the Dublin Luas service has shown how Government can help limit the fallout for these couples. For example, those living in Dundrum, a location an hour's walk from the city centre, could expect to spend 90 minutes in traffic trying to get to their desks in the city centre before Luas. With Luas, they can get to their desks within a half hour.

Towns in the new 'outer' belt are already served by rail links. But their inadequate frequency means trains are packed to the gills and that the service is often cost-prohibitive to low earners to the degree that they will attempt to drive to Dublin to work and back, even if that means a four-hour round trip.

The lack of action by Government these past five years means that Dubliners are likely to continue, for the foreseeable future, to buy in droves in locations two counties away. Investment in rail - in particular introduction of frequent high-speed trains - as enjoyed in other countries, is the only way to ensure their lives ahead can be bearable.
When the singing priest, Father Ray Kelly, visited the Old Parochial House at Moylagh near Oldcastle in Co Meath this week, the owner asked what hed say to a nice cup of tea? Father Ray, is well known in these parts and beyond, having raised the roof earlier this year with two powerful performances on Britains Got Talent.

His remarkable singing voice took him to the semi finals and he might have gone further had mobile users in Ireland been able to vote.

Meanwhile his version of Hallelujah sung at a wedding four years ago and posted on YouTube has now generated 63 million views, also securing him an album deal with Universal Music (2014s Where I Belong).

As part of his parish management last year, he had to decide on the wholly un-ecumenical matter of what to do with the extra parochial house. Built by the Catholic Church 100 years ago it was designed for three priests and their housekeeper, but had been empty since its last serving resident passed away six years ago.

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The parish was spending money to keep it heated and maintained and we couldnt take on the job of renting it out. It needed some considerable modernising so we decided the only thing we could do was to sell it. Enter London born carpenter and joiner John FitzGerald, who turned up to view the craggy old cut-stone house with his wife Anna and their three children. Practicality shouted careful now! but their instincts said: Go on! and so they acquired the property as a live-in project, took the money that was resting in their account and splurged it on the task of a full restoration. It was always a functional house that had, of course, never been a family home through its 100 years. So we were the first, says John. It turned out to be in generally good condition but it had been repaired over the years in a roughshod fashion. Stuff like chipboard used in walls, pipes running through ceilings, sinks stuck in corners for the curates, that sort of thing. Shoddy workmanship, thats what it is, he thought, but otherwise a beautiful house in pretty good condition. I had worked in London on plenty of restoration projects, so I thought Id give it ago. There was no resting on his account  John worked full time and late hours on it for a year.

Once I bought the house, people kept coming up to me handing me keys that they had been given to it. In all I think I was given about 12 different sets! I quickly realised this house was of the community and we had a great responsibility on our shoulders. But now that its done Im very pleased with the result. So when Fr Kelly came around the other day I asked him to come in, have a cup of tea and look over the work. I was so glad he was happy with it. And were happy to have helped give the house back for future generations. Now its the perfect family home.

The work involved rewiring, replastering, new heating, bathrooms, timber, sash window and shutter restoration and the fascias and soffets had to be redone. Now the project is ready the FitzGeralds are planning on moving on to a more permanent base around Virginia. So The Old Parochial House is for sale, this time with two acres and seeking offers of 450,000.

The three-bay, four-bedroom home spans almost 2,600 sq ft and is entranced through a decoratively tiled outer reception hall and then into the main hall. The original restored staircase leads to the first floor. The parishioner reception where 100 years of parish priests met their flock, is now a kitchen and dining room accessed by double doors. Here two rooms were fused together to create a bright central hub. Theres a solid fuel stove, a tiled floor and provision for an island unit. The living room has a bay window to the front and a limestone open fireplace. Also on this floor is a rear inner hall, a utility room, a pantry, a boot room and a snug off the main hall, which would provide an ideal home office and work station. Theres also a guest WC at this level.

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Upstairs the master bedroom suite has windows on two sides, including the feature bay window to the front of the house. Theres an original fireplace with ornate tiled side panels and theres a ceiling rose and coving overhead. Off the master chamber is a dressing room, also with a ceiling rose, and this leads through to the wood-panelled ensuite bathroom with a large shower enclosure, toilet and sink. Also off the main landing are three other bedrooms, and a family bathroom with a feature arch window and a vaulted ceiling.

The site includes two acres of grassland for those seeking to keep a lovely horse or two and a range of outbuildings which could be suitable for conversion to equestrian use. The house is approached by a sweeping avenue and Teds Bar is located across the road. The agent is Chris Smith of Quillsen.

Meantime the Singing Priest has ruled out entering new competitions (Eurosong?) on the grounds of being busy with parish duties, being off to Medjugorje and that notoriously tricky second album (due out next year). But fans can catch him performing a special one-off on November 11 at a charitable fundraiser at Tullamore Church.

The Old Parochial House

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Moylagh, Oldcastle, Co Meath

Asking price: 450,000

Agent: Quillsen (046) 902 2100
Panasonic, Globetrotter and SchwarzWeiB magazines on the Wild Atlantic Way with Panasonic's new Lumix G9 camera. Pic: Michael Mc Laughlin

Ryanair is to fly direct from Ireland West (Knock) to Cologne, with a new twice-weekly service from next June, the airline has announced.

The route will operate on Tuesdays and Saturdays as a summer service.

As well as providing direct access to Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia region, the flights could bring as much as 3m in tourism revenue to Ireland's west coast, the airport says.

German tourists are Ireland's third-largest inbound market, with visitor numbers up almost 21pc from January to August of this year, according to CSO data.

"German holidaymakers are Irelands most active visitors, exploring our historical sites and engaging in multiple events/activities such as hill walking and hiking while on the island," said Joe Gilmore, Managing Director at Ireland West Airport (Knock).

"That ties in perfectly with the airport's location as the Western gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way."

The new route marks another expansion of Ryanair's summer 2019 schedule, which has already seen 15 new services announced from Dublin, Cork and Shannon.

Ryanair's 15 new routes for Summer 2019

Dublin to/from Bordeaux (2 weekly)

Dublin to/from Bournemouth (4 weekly)

Dublin to/from Cagliari (2 weekly)

Dublin to/from Frankfurt (2 daily)

Dublin to/from Gothenburg (2 weekly)

Dublin to/from Lourdes (2 weekly)

Dublin to/from Luxembourg (3 weekly)

Dublin to/from London Southend (2 daily)

Dublin to/from Thessaloniki (2 weekly)

Cork to/from Budapest (2 weekly),

Cork to/from London Luton (daily)

Cork to/from Malta (2 weekly)

Cork to/from Naples (2 weekly)

Cork to/from Poznan (2 weekly)

Shannon to/from Ibiza (2 weekly)

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In total, Ryanair will operate 13 routes from Knock next summer.

To celebrate the new service, the airline is offering up to 30 off all return flights across its European network (book online before midnight on Sunday, October 21).

In other news, Failte Ireland and Tourism Ireland are currently working with German electronics company Panasonic on a Wild Atlantic Way photo shoot together with Globetrotter and SchwarzWeiB magazines.

The company is spending this week in Ireland as part of a campaign to promote Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal to some 500,000 German consumers with Panasonic's new Lumix G9 camera, Failte Ireland says.

Read more:
Enterprise Ireland will host a Brexit Advisory Clinic, in Dundalk on Monday, 22nd October. The purpose of the clinic is to support companies exposed to Brexit to take action and safeguard their business in key risk areas. This event, run with Local Enterprise Office support, is the second in a new series of Enterprise Ireland advisory clinics taking place nationwide, with events to follow in Waterford and Limerick.

Almost half (54%) of respondents to an audience participation poll at the last tranche of Brexit Advisory Clinics ranked customs and logistics as their greatest concern and as a result, this area will be given particular focus and will feature a presentation by Revenue, Irish Tax and Customs. Additionally, the clinic will include a seminar on the movement of people, which is of concern to businesses in this region.

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) will also be participating in this new series of clinics and will be available to advise companies who import or export chemicals or other industrial products, like machinery and lifts, on the impacts of Brexit.

Commenting, Aidan McKenna, Regional Director - Borders, Enterprise Ireland said, 'Enterprise Ireland is encouraging all companies in Louth and the surrounding area to take immediate action to mitigate the risks associated with Brexit. The first step for many companies will be getting valuable advice from experts, or hearing from other companies of similar size, or in the same sector, and these opportunities are available at the Brexit Advisory Clinics. The Brexit negotiations are reaching a crucial juncture and regardless of the outcome of discussions this month, taking action should be a priority for Irish businesses in the weeks leading up to March 29th 2019.'

The clinic will also feature expert presentations, one-to-one consultations and panel discussions in the areas of finance and currency management, and market development and market diversification. This event is free to attend and will also give companies the opportunity to speak one-to-one with independent experts, who will provide company-specific guidelines and advice, while allowing company managers, founders and CEOs to privately discuss their circumstances and concerns.
'The World of Nano Nagle in Ireland and Internationally' is the title of a series of lectures to be delivered at Nano Nagle's birthplace in Ballygriffin, Mallow next Saturday.

The lectures will examine the Ireland in which Nano Nagle grew up in and developed her mission; her maternal ancestry and Nano Nagle's Jacobite heritage and her family's continental networks.

2018 will mark the birth of Nano Nagle - the founder of the congregation of the Presentation Sisters in 1775 in Cork. Nano Nagle was born into a wealthy Catholic family during the Penal Laws in Ireland. As education was denied to Catholics in Ireland at the time, she was sent to Paris to be educated.

On returning to Ireland she set up her first school in Douglas Street in Cork City where Nano Nagle Place is now a vibrant heritage centre. Her influence on education in Ireland was enormous, and was later spread to developing countries through the Presentation Sisters. Professor Maurice Bric will speak on 'The Catholic Interest in Late-Eighteenth Century Ireland'. It was a time of challenge for a Catholic Church which wanted to rebuild its structures after years of enforced neglect, to regularise relationships between priests and people, and to define its relationships with the state.

It was also a time when - as an aspect of this new chapter in the Church's history - people like Nano Nagle pioneered the more socially-driven aspects of Catholicism and as such, brought them - and her - into the middle of a debate that was also going on in contemporary Europe about how the Catholic Church should be "reinvented" after the wars of the extended French Revolution.

To this extent, Nano Nagle inhabited different "worlds" - those of her own background as a member of a network of Catholic families and that of a Catholic at a time of change and challenge within her Church, and that of a vocation which sought to interact with the less fortunate at a time when the Church was discussing its "social mission" in new ways.

Other speakers on Saturday, October 20 will be Charles Lysaght, who is a Dublin-based biographer and he will speak on Nano Nagle's mother's side of the family. Nano's mother was Ann Matthew from Thurles. Dr Declan M Downey, School of History, UCD will speak on 'Nano Nagle's Jacobite Heritage and her family's continental networks'.

This presentation will explore and examine the Nagle family's prominence in the Irish Jacobite cause.

The conference will take place from 10am until 4pm and registration will take place at 9.30am. The cost is 65 which includes a light lunch and advance booking is required on (022)26411.
The Chinese Minister for Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Mr Han Changfu (right) checking out the quality grass on the Murphy family farm during his visit to Boherbue

China has a population of more than 1.3 billion people and it has in excess of 300 million farmers, and its vast Agricultural and Rural portfolio is overseen by Minister Han Changfu.

On Friday, Minister Han found himself more than 8,200 km from home and on very different terrain as he spent over two hours on a farm walk at the holding of Gerard and Majella Murphy at Knocknageeha, just outside Boherbue village.

Minister Han was joined by the Chinese Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Yue Ziaoyong, along with 40 others as they were led around the farm and saw grass based beef systems including finishing steers and heifers and cows. They also saw Charollais ewes, lambs, and wild bird cover consisting of linseed and oats which was sown for the Glas scheme. He also saw bird boxes and a 2,000 year old ringfort at the Murphy farm.

At one stage of the walk he said he was impressed with the docility of the stock and said with a smile: Are we here to see them or are they here to see us? as the cattle stood curiously watching the group of 40 people passing through their field.

They were in Ireland at the invitation of Minister Michael Creed who back in May travelled to China to build on a 100 million export market for frozen Irish beef to China. Minister Creed told The Corkman that Minister Hans visit demonstrates again the close working relationships which have developed between the Irish and Chinese authorities in relation to agri-food cooperation.

He said: Minister Han has been a good friend to Ireland and was accompanied Premier Li Keqiang during his visit to Mayo in 2015. I was pleased to have this opportunity to follow up on my meeting with the Minister in Beijing last May and to welcome him to my home county of Cork.

Minister Creed said he also thanked Minister Han personally for his assistance with the detailed process which resulted in the approval of Irish beef access to the Chinese market. I expressed the hope that we will be able to begin the process for sheep meat access next, he said.

China was Irelands third most important export destination last year, and the countrys second most important for both dairy and pig meat exports.

Early on Friday morning, the Chinese delegation went to Teagasc Moorepark where they were greeted by Minister Creed and at that meeting, a new Action Plan for Co-Operation between the two Ministers was signed. There was also a meeting of the Joint Committee on Agricultural Co-Operation where agricultural trade, food and safety controls along with rural development and information technology was also discussed.

Then it was off to Longueville House for lunch where the group was greeted by the Minister of State, Andrew Doyle.

Prior to arriving in Ireland, Minister Han had requested a visit to an Irish drystock farm. Fergus OSuilleabhain from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine contacted Teagasc for help to source a suitable grass based sheep/beef farm in the North Cork region, and the Murphys kindly took up the mantle and volunteered to host the visitors.

Gerard and Majella operate a mixed suckler beef and sheep enterprise. The cows are bred to a Charolais bull and all stock are finished on the farm as 20-24 months steers and heifers. They also lamb 100 Charollais ewes in January and lambs are sold to the factory at 18-22kg carcass weight. The Murphys are involved in a number of farm schemes, including the green, Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS).

Throughout the two hour walk, Minister Han and Dr Yue asked the Murphys many questions about their farm and stock. Gerard Murphy told The Corkman that Minister Han was only to stay for one hour but he was clearly in no rush as he was very interested in his new surroundings.

Mr Murphy said Minister Han asked him about his cattle and their silage, to how did he control weeds to the task of the electric fence.

He was very engaging and took a great interest in absolutely everything. He asked my daughters what they were studying in college and what they do on the farm, and about the depth of the soil and how deep it had to be ploughed and how often, said Mr Murphy.

We were really delighted to have him here in Boherbue and the Chinese delegation that was with him. He was a very nice man and took such an interest in absolutely everything and asked lots of questions through his interpreter who was also very nice, said Mr Murphy.

Tara McCarthy, CEO of Bord Bia and Michael Houlihan, Sector Manager of Bord Bia were also on hand to show the link between the Murphys farm practices and the Origin Green Programme, which they had discussed earlier in the day.

In addition, Fergus OSuilleabhain and Ted Curtin from the Department of Agriculture answered both environmental and veterinary queries from the group, while Billy Kelleher and Aisling Molloy from Teagasc Advisory outlined the benefits of Irelands grass-based system and provided information on farming schemes.

The Chairman of Boherbue Co-Op, Eugene OConnor welcomed the delegation. Declan OKeeffe CEO of Boherbue Co- Op said that the Murphy family farm highlighted to the Chinese delegation all the positive aspects of Irish grassland beef and sheep production.

In particular, what was very impressive was the manner in which Gerard, Majella and their daughters raised their livestock in a sustainable environmentally sensitive way, said Mr OKeeffe.

The Chinese delegation left Boherbue to again meet with Minister Creed for dinner and left the following morning for Iceland.
Mayor of County Cork Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy welcomed a delegation from the city of Newport, Rhode Island, led by Mayor of Newport City Harry Winthrop, to Cork County Hall to mark the success of the twinning between Kinsale and Newport, Rhode Island.

Newport is a coastal city in the State of Rhode Island, which prides itself on its beautiful harbour and quality dining. Since the formal twinning agreement was signed in 1999, delegations from the worlds of business, tourism and politics have travelled between the two regions, facilitating growth in both.

Mayor Murphy highlighted how their shared similarities and the interest of many Newport residents in Ireland have helped developed this successful relationship. "With direct flights between Providence and Cork, people from Newport and Kinsale have a second scenic coastal town, a second marina and a second culinary haven on their doorstep," he said. He added that it was good for Ireland but also great for Cork.
A very special greyhound was honoured by all at Curraheen Park Greyhound Stadium on Friday.

Dynamo Supreme, who is about to turn 6 years old, came out of the traps for the 70th time at the Cork venue. Owned by Denis Quinlan in Macroom, the dog has won 8 times, been runner up 14 times and third on 13 occasions. He has also recently become a father to three black and white puppies that were born last month.

"Dynamo Supreme is a wonderful dog that is adored by his owner Denis Quinlan," said Brian Collins, Racing Manager at Curraheen Park. "He has made Curraheen Park his second home having first raced here in March 2014 and a further 69 times since then.

"It's a remarkable achievement from him and from Denis for him to be here racing tonight at almost six years of age. It's a testament to how well cared for he has been. Regulars in Curraheen Park will be familiar with Dynamo jumping into the air twice with excitement on the way into the gates here!"

Dynamo Supreme has won 2,450 in prize money during his career with his last win coming in January.

CEO of the Irish Greyhound Board, Gerard Dollard, commented: "Having got to meet Dynamo Supreme for myself tonight - who's affectionately known as 'Jack' at home and off the track - it is obvious how well looked after and adored he is by his owner.

"The IGB's Strategic Plan 2018-2022, launched earlier this year, targets ensuring that older dogs like Dynamo Supreme become a recognised part of the greyhound racing fraternity. An initiative was also introduced earlier this year to provide more veteran races at tracks. Ensuring that the racing career of dogs is longer is a key component of continuing to prioritise greyhound welfare in the industry, while developing a 'whole of life approach' to the racing greyhound."

Dynamo Prince was 3rd in his race at Curraheen Park on Friday, crossing the line in a time of 18.54 seconds.
The biggest celebration of books and reading for children in Ireland is underway in libraries across the country and Fingal with free, fun events planned for all the family.

The Children's Book Festival is taking place throughout the month of October in all library services throughout the country.

The festival will give children of all ages the chance to meet their favourite Irish writers and talk to them about their books and the characters in the stories.

The annual festival encourages the enjoyment of books and reading among children and families, and provides a programme of free, fun events and activities with hundreds of Irish children's authors, poets and illustrators involved this year.

Fingal Libraries has an exciting programme of events and author visits scheduled for this year's Children's Book Festival throughout the month of October.

Young readers, looking for a new book to delve into are invited to attend the Children's Books Ireland 'Book Clinics' in Malahide and Balbriggan libraries for an informal consultation with one of Children's Books Ireland's friendly 'Book Doctors'. Booster Cushion Theatre present their popular puppet performance,

Authors who will visit Fingal Library branches during the month of October include Gary Ward, Ray Flannery, Alan Nolan, Sadhbh Devlin, Amanda Bell and Claire Hennessy.

Fingal County Librarian Betty Boardman said, "Children's Book Festival provides a great opportunity for parents to encourage their children to move away from screens and to discover the pleasure of reading books.'
'The Plough and the Stars' by Sean O'Casey was recently performed in Balrothery Set Dancing Club by drama group Draoicht, in aid of the Make-A-Wish Ireland Fund.

The play, held in Sunshine House, Balbriggan, saw more than 80 theatre-goers attend, and raised over 900 for the worthy cause.

'We'd normally hold a play once a year, with the proceeds going to a different charity each year, and this year we chose Make-A-Wish. It's now our third year holding a play at Sunshine House', Balrothery Set Dancing Club Secretary Ann Moore said.

'There was a child in Balrothery who died last year, then there's another child who has cancer who was brought on a holiday with Make-A-Wish, so that's why we chose the charity this year', she added.

According to Ann, the Draoicht drama group has been performing plays for Balrothery Set Dancing Club for around 20 years. The group, she says, was started by a husband and wife, who began holding plays for charity, and now plays in GAA clubs, schools and venues around Dublin.

According to Ann, Balrothery Set Dancing Club also hosts the occasional Ceili band, the proceeds of which also go to charity. Make-A-Wish Ireland grants wishes for Irish children who have life-threatening medical conditions, and to date has granted wishes for more than 2,300 children across Ireland.
Fingal Public Participation Network co-ordinator Jamie Moore has been appointed a Youth Advocate to the UN General Assembly in New York.

Jamie is passionate and experienced in the community and voluntary spheres, and he has been acknowledged for this through awards such as the Gold Gaisce Award,.

He currently co-ordinates the Fingal Public Participation Network (PPN) in Fingal County Council.

Jamie has been selected to join Ireland's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York this Autumn.

As Ireland's UN Youth Delegates for 2018/19 they work closely with Ireland's Permanent Mission to the UN and represent the youth of Ireland during sessions of the UN committee dealing with human rights issues.

The programme is run by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Irish Aid, and the National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI), which represents organisations working with over 380,000 young people each year.

Jamie is a committed advocate for education and sustainable development, with a focus on youth issues.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Jamie said: 'It is unacceptable that a young person's education should be dictated by circumstances of their birth. It should instead be reflective of their boundless potential, and cater to their unique needs.

'The ultimate objective of governments should be to provide the necessary infrastructure and services to ensure wellbeing of young people and empower them to break the cycle of poverty and to become agents of change in their lives, and the lives of their families and communities.'
Brave souls from Fingal who want to fire up their lives are being asked to walk over hot coals for children living in chronic pain and a young man from Ballyboughal is leading the way.

Irish skin charity Debra Ireland is seeking volunteers to take on their empowering Firewalk challenge, which takes place Dublin's Old Wesley rugby club, Donnybrook on Monday October 15.

Billed as the hottest event in town, firewalkers take part in two hours of motivational training before setting off on their short walk over three metres of burning wood embers.

Nathan Fynes (17) from Ballyboughal is doing the Debra's Ireland Firewalk on October 15 in memory of his brother Aaron (16) who had severe EB.

Aaron sadly died 10 years ago.

'Firewalking is truly awesome and after doing it you feel you can achieve whatever you are aiming for in life,' said Judith Gilsenan, Head of Fundraising for Debra Ireland.

'It's an amazing experience, a chance to ignite your passion and discover what you can really do.'

Debra Ireland supports people in Ireland living with EB (epidermolysis bullosa), an incredibly painful skin condition that causes the skin layers and internal body linings to blister and wound at the slightest touch.

'A firewalk might sound a bit scary but it is people with EB who are the real superheroes and they need our support,' said Judith.

Those taking part in the firewalk are asked to pay a 50 registration fee and raise 200 for Debra Ireland.

Organisers say the skills learned to get people safely through a firewalk are useful long after the event.

'You learn to break through your own limitations and overcome your fears,' said firewalking instructor Brian Moore.

'By conquering the fears that are holding you back you discover power to achieve what you want in any area of your life, be it in your personal relationships, in work, in business or in sport.'

Those brave enough to take up Debra's firewalking challenge should emerge from the experience unscathed but invigorated.

To register or find out more about Debra's Firewalk challenge see www.debraireland.org

Meanwhile, October 22 to 28 marks EB Awareness Week and the Ballyboughal family that Nathan, the heroic fire-walker comes from, is appealing to you to get involved.

The Ballyboughal family who lost their teenage son to a rare and painful skin condition are asking local people to help support others with the disease by wearing a special butterfly tattoo in this special week.

Val and Maria Fynes's16-year-old son Aaron had a severe form of the genetic 'butterfly skin' disease EB (epidermolysis bullosa).

This incredibly painful genetic condition causes the skin layers and internal body linings to blister and wound at the slightest touch.

One of only 300 people in Ireland with EB Aaron had to be bandaged almost from head to toe to protect him from everyday life.

'When Aaron was alive, every day was an uphill battle - he was in great pain before he died and 75% of his skin was missing,' said his dad Val.

'With severe EB you are fighting something you can never get ahead of.'

October 22-28 is National EB Awareness Week and Debra Ireland is trying to fight this devastating disease by creating a 'butterfly effect' during the week to raise both funds and awareness.
By the time you read this, Nathan Fynes from Ballyboughal will have walked across hot coals in memory of his brother who suffered pain every day of his life but bore it with a smile.

Nathan's brother, Aaron was a 'butterfly'. The affectionate name given to those suffering from EB.

It is a cruel condition that leaves those affected with incredibly fragile skin. They cannot be touched or held or hugged, making the condition as emotionally difficult for the family, as it is physically difficult for the person affected.

Nathan has a tattoo of Aaron's name on his arm and continues to be inspired by his remarkable brother to this day.

Aaron died at the age of 16 but left an extraordinary legacy behind him. His parents were one of the founding families of Debra Ireland which funds research into the condition and provides vital supports for the families affected.

That organisation began in Ireland and the UK has since spread to 60 countries, and it has meant that Aaron's legacy is now a global one.

Each year, Debra Ireland host an unusual fundraiser and awareness-raiser for the charity in the form of a fire-walk. And on Monday, Nathan took the challenge on.

Speaking prior to exposing his bare feet to hot coals, he said: 'I'm not really nervous. My sister did it and she is quite skittish so if she got through it, I think I can.

'I was there three years ago when she did it. Me, my father and my brothers and sisters went along to support her.

'Two hours beforehand they have someone come in to make a motivational speech to hype everyone up. At the end of it, they get people to break boards and everybody did it.'

He took on the challenge in honour of his brother and to raise awareness for the charity he inspired.

Nathan said: 'A lot of people still don't know about Debra Ireland so I love telling people about it and trying to inspire people.'

The family home in Ballyboughal is called 'Aaron's Haven' and it is clear that the butterfly kid is still a big presence in the house.

Nathan was seven-years-old when his brother died and he remembers: 'I was seven years of age when he died. My memories of him are of a happy young lad. He was always smiling and laughing and telling jokes. His favourite song was Rocky Road to Dublin and he drove my father and mother mad playing it all the time. He had the song on repeat all the time and it would drive you mental.

'He was 16 when he died. He lived with pain his whole life. It was quite terrible, he had to keep getting skin grafts and splints on his hands because his fingers would stick together.'

Aaron's story was shared a number of times in newspapers and on television and inspired people far beyond the Ballyboughal family.

Nathan explained: 'I love people telling this story. The year he died, which was 2001, a stranger came to the house.

'He must have seen Aaron on the television or in the newspaper. He had bought six tickets for the family for us all to go to Disneyland Paris and gave us 2,000 Francs out of the kindness of his his heart.

'That turned out to be Aaron's last holiday and it was absolutely brilliant. I want to track that guy down now and write him a letter or possibly meet up with him, just to say thanks.'

Another precious memory the family hang on to of Aaron is his driving skills in his powerchair.

Nathan said: 'He had a wheelchair he could drive around in so he used to chase us around in it.

'When we used to live in Portmarnock, we had a china cabinet. There were two stabilisers at the back of his wheelchair and he reversed into the cabinet and the stabilisers got lodged underneath it. He was driving around the house dragging the cabinet behind him. He shouts up to my mam: 'Mammy, the china cabinet is chasing me!''

Nathan said of his brother: 'He is still a big presence in the house, definitely. A lot of our values we would get from him.

'He was inspiring. There's nothing wrong with us and still we find something to give out about and Aaron went through so much pain but he was such an inspiration, going through all that smiling and laughing.

'My dad used to say to him: 'Power of the mind, Arron, power of the mind -- block it out.'

'We have a deep appreciation for everything we have now.'

Aaron brought this family together in a way that persists today, according to Nathan, who said: 'Everyone in the house are best friends. We never fight. If we are going out anywhere we always invite our brothers and sisters. Me and my dad are best friends and we never fight.

'I credit Aaron with all that. He was very inspiring and also watching what my mother and father went through and they never complained about it.'

So what does Nathan put Aaron's strength of character and good humour down to? He said: ' His strength came from my mother and father, definitely. They were always completely positive and never, ever put him on a downer.

'My father said to Aaron every day: 'It's the power of the mind, Aaron, you can block it out.'

'My mother and father, 30 years ago now, with a few other families, set it up. They are one of the founders. It's in 60 countries now and started here and in the UK. That's a fantastic legacy -- it's brilliant.

'Now that I'm older now I want to start helping out.

I''m going to get all my friends on board and next year we are going to try to get everyone down to do the fire-walk along with the whole family.

'All my friends want to do it now and jump on board.'

For Nathan, the fire-walk has symbolic significance. The event is all about the power of the mind to overcome the experience of pain and while the volunteers that took on the challenge will only have to manage that trick for a few seconds, Nathan knows that Aaron did it all day, every day of his sixteen years on earth.

'That's why they call them butterflies. They are not here for very long but they are beautiful while they are here,' he said.

Nathan said: 'The one thing they suffer with the most, is the itch.

'He had a chronic itch the whole time throughout his whole life. And if you have an itch you have to scratch it and he would, so he would bleed and the skin would tear off.

'Your skin is the first barrier to infection so it was pneumonia he eventually died of.

'That's why the call them butterflies. They don't live for very long but they are beautiful while they are here.'

Nathan's parents, afraid that the condition would affect another child, did not have another child for 10 years but ended up having a large and happy family and thankfully, no more of their children were affected with EB but one suspects, that this family would have borne that news with just as much courage and good humour as they dealt with Aaron.

The cautionary tests each child born after Aaron had, have left Nathan with some scars he is quite proud of.

He explained: 'I had skin samples taken while I was in the womb.

'I have scars from before I was born, which is actually pretty cool.'

Debra's Firewalk took place on October 15 and was a curtain-raiser for EB Awareness Week which runs from October 22 to 28 when Debra Ireland will be asking you to purchase their butterfly transfers to raise money for this most worthy of causes.

You can also still contribute to Nathan's fundraising efforts on behalf of the charity by going to https://firewalk-2018.everydayhero.com

Debra Ireland day to day, is raising money for research and supporting families. They have respite homes all over the world where families can go on holiday. As Nathan says: 'It's a big organisation now but a lot of people still don't know about it.' So it is time to educate yourself about it and make a contribution, if you can.
Balbriggan Educate Together NS made it to the Dail recently, when it relaunched a book it published earlier this year on the subject of human rights, written by students, teachers and parents of the school.

Clare Daly TD, speaking when she launched the book at the school in May this year, had told Principal Fintan Mc Cutcheon she'd like to relaunch it in the Dail.

The book, 'Writing Our Rights; Human Rights Month in Balbriggan Educate Together', was relaunched in the Dail before a number of visibly impressed Ministers and TDs.

Speaking to The Fingal Independent, Principal Fintan McCutcheon said: 'A group of teachers and parents went into the Dail, and 12 of the children read out their own contributions to the book, and then made a presentation to Clare Daly.

'There were a lot of TDs and Ministers there, including Katherine Zappone, Darragh O'Brien, Louise O'Reilly, Brendan Ryan and a few others. There was also the Head of Education in DCU, and a representative from the Minister for Education's office.

'Clare Daly said she was delighted to see such high quality education work going on Irish primary schools, and congratulated the children on their knowledge and commitment to human rights.'

'Writing Our Rights; Human Rights Month in Balbriggan Educate Together' is stocked with children's, teachers' and parents' writing, reflecting their 13 years' experience of human rights education in the school.

The children's writing shows examples of the impact of Human Rights Education on learning, how it develops the children's academic, social and emotional development and well-being.

According to Principal Mc Cutcheon, the teachers' writing is directed at student-teachers, teachers, schools and colleges, offering them 'an insight into the school's experiences of conducting Human Rights Education' since the school was founded in 2005.

He explained: 'We wrote the book because after being involved with human rights education for 13 years, we felt we had some kind of expertise to share.'

The school principal concluded: 'I'd like to thank all of the children in the school for their excellent contributions, and all of the teachers and parents who also told their human rights stories.'

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for the children to take their ideas right to the centre of power in the country and speak directly to the decision makers in the country on the issues that concern them.

This valuable lesson in civics will no doubt stand them in good stead as they move through life.

The children, their parents and this innovative school can all be proud of the work done on the report and the invitation they garnered to present that work to TDs and Senators as they did so impressively, last week.

Well done to everyone involved in the preparation of the report and its presentation.
The European Union Citizens' Dialogue on the Future of Europe is being hosted by Balbriggan Library, on Thursday October 18.

Organised by the Europe Direct Information Centre in Blanchardstown, the event will be opened by Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Grainne Maguire at 7pm, and will feature a panel of speakers, moderated by Consultant and Broadcaster Stiofan Nutty.

Dublin Constituency MEP Brian Hayes will be in attendance at the event. He will be joined by Head of the EU Commission Representation in Ireland, Gerry Kiely, Betsy Abu of Balbriggan Integration Forum and Chief Financial Officer of Country Crest, Chris Harmon, who is based in Fingal.

The event will give those who attend an opportunity to discuss future issues that will potentially affect local businesses and residents of Fingal.

Describing the event, Fingal County Council Librarian Siobhan Walshe said: 'The focus of this is to be an opportunity for the general public to have their say; asking questions and, equally importantly, discussing the issues with the panel.

'As Europe Direct is based in the community here in Fingal, it's both a convenient and neutral venue for members of the public to engage with their MEPs, the Commission Representation in Ireland, and other invited guests, including a local business person.

'This event is taking place throughout the Republic, so it's an excellent chance for people living and working in Fingal.'

Deputy Mayor of Fingal, Cllr Grainne Maguire said: 'This is a great chance for residents to engage with representatives from local government, electoral representatives across the political spectrum as well as representatives from the EU and local businesses to discuss the future issues that might affect business and the economy. This is particularly significant in the context of Brexit and how this will affect Ireland so I am looking forward to participating in this panel and hearing questions and insights from residents and speakers.'

Chief Executive of the council, Paul Reid said: 'I am delighted to see a Fingal Library used to facilitate this engagement between residents and representatives from the business community and government.'
It was a special day in St Catherine's NS in Rush as the school hosted a multicultural day thankd to the Parents' Association.

Parents and students came together to celebrate the multicultural nature of the Rush school. Parents from Ireland, Poland, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, The Netherlands, Australia, Romania, England, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Mauritius, Scotland, Bulgaria, Thailand and Pakistan all coming together to share food from their countries.

The children took on projects which decorated the walls. Many families came in traditional dress and this greatly added to the colour and buzz in the room.

The group was then treated to some highly entertaining performances. St Maur's Pipe Band opened the event with some excellent drumming. 6th class pupils danced The Walls of Limerick. Several children and adults recited poems or sang songs in their own languages. The performances were rounded off by the talented children and staff of St Catherine's N.S.,
Ardgillan Community College was forced to shut for a day last week after the school received a threat on social media from a student.

The school closed on Tuesday after the threat was made on social media the previous night.

Staff were threatened on social media and there was a reference to a gun in what ultimately proved to be a hoax.

A 16-year-old student from the school was arrested and questioned by Balbriggan gardai.

He was subsequently released without charge.

The Fingal Independent understands that a file on the case has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions and the case is likely to end up in the hands of the Juvenile Diversionary Programme.

It is understood that the youth that was arrested has never been in trouble before.

School principal, Michael O'Leary did not wish to comment on the incident and said that the patron of the school, the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board with issue a statement on the incident. The DDLETB said that the school was 'closed on a precautionary basis arising from a matter which came to the attention of the school management and which has been referred to the Gardai who are investigating. There are no further issues arising from this matter.' The school community quickly back to business the following day and is anxious to put the the episode behind them and continue delivering a great education to its students.
Among the congregation of the recent 33rd Irish Kidney Association's Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving to honour organ donors and their families was a woman from Portmarnock whose first thought every day is for her donor.

A congregation of over 2,000 attended, which included courageous families of deceased organ donors, living donors and grateful transplant recipients.

Among the congregation was Patricia McKenzie from Portmarnock, who told The Fingal Independent of her own personal journey through ill-health and recovery.

In 1999, following a bad fall and an admission to Beaumont Hospital, Patricia was given the alarming news that she was going into rapid kidney failure, and that she would have to go on dialysis immediately, as well as joining the transplant waiting list.

Patricia (69) was in disbelief, since she was a very active person and no-one else in her family had had kidney problems. She soon started dialysis, and after being discharged from the hospital, went back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4.30am for more treatment.

Patricia told the Fingal Independent: 'At first I found it very difficult. The dialysis was keeping me well, and I felt much better when I was on it, but it was a long haul.

'Because of the early mornings, I had to see it as kind of a part-time job or something. I was a bit slow on the dialysis days, but the days in between I was fine.

'I had to keep myself well, because if I did get a call about a transplant and I wasn't well, they wouldn't be able to do it.

'So, for eight and a half years I made the trip to Beaumont through spring, summer, autumn and winter, and it was tough going.'

Patricia added: 'My husband used to get up every morning at half three to make sure I got up.

'We decided that it was hard enough being on dialysis, and that if we complained about it, it would only make it worse. That was the easiest thing to do, just to get on with it, so that's what we did. '

Eventually, in the summer of 2007, Patricia got the call she had been waiting for for so long. After years waiting for a 'match', her wait was over.

She remembered: 'I got the call about two o'clock in the morning, and I couldn't believe it. I needed to stay calm so that my blood pressure would stay low, so my husband drove me in, and then I had to give bloods and wait around for about four hours to see if they were going ahead with it.'

Theresa's transplant was a success, and she began to return to health. What had been an almost nine year ordeal was finally over: 'I knew that there were no guarantees that the transplant would work, but you try not to think about that.

'They do all the testing, then you have to just go in good faith. Things were starting to go a bit off with me, just before I got the operation, but I feel great now, and I still fell as good as I did when I woke up after my transplant.

'I still have to go every three months for a check-up to make sure that everything's okay, but so far so good.'

Patricia is eternally grateful to her donor: 'It's all due to the donor, and the family of the donor, who in their time of grief consented.

'Every day, I thank them, because every day I wake up well, and it's all thanks to the donor.'

Patricia now works as Secretary of the Dublin North branch of the Irish Kidney Association, and also works a few hours a week at the IKA Renal Support Centre in Beaumont Hospital, a position she finds very fulfilling. Patricia's husband Colin, also works tirelessly as an honorary national treasurer of the IKA.

Grandmother to four children, with a son living in London and a daughter living in Rush, Patricia is very thankful for the support her family gave her throughout the ordeal, and in particular, her husband who helped her immensely.

Asked what her advice would be for other patients going through a similar experience, Patricia offered simple words of advice and assurance: 'I would say to anybody who is going through dialysis, just hang in there and try to stay well.'

She added: 'If we do what the medical people say, they will look after us well, as it has been with all of us who have got through it.'
A still from award winning film The Silver Branch which will be shown in Tralee and Listowel next week

You know that you are onto a winner when your film gets high praise from legendary Irish actor Brendan Gleeson.

This is just what happened for Clare filmmaker Katrina Costello and now the Kerry public will have the chance to see 'The Silver Branch' for themselves when it is shown in Listowel and Tralee next week.

This multi-award-winning IFTA film depicts the life and insights of the inimitable philosopher, poet, and fifth-generation farmer, Patrick McCormack, owner of 'Fr Ted's House' in the beautiful, austere Burren, Western Ireland.

Patrick longs to farm in the quite pace his antecedents did, to be free and to live in harmony with the landscape: The landscape

ature itself is our heroine: - beautiful, strong, wild, yet nurturing and all giving, but she needs protection from the cold front of capitalism and government sell outs.

Though it is centred around this remarkable man and his search for 'unity of being', it explores more universal themes:

It is a story of life, love, family, grief, of commitment and of the struggles of modern day life, which invites the viewer to follow in mindful meditation, to take a journey into the self and exam the relationship between man and landscape, between tradition and spirit, between body and soul.

Through Patrick's eyes and pastoral verse, the film immerses us in the exquisite textures of the natural world, bringing us a rare glimpse of a disappearing way of life with all its richness and roguery, and leading to a deep connection with the Earth and our ancestral wild spirit.

"Film making as it should be in Ireland, finding the universal in the local - with a sure footedness that is most unusual, magical  a unique and an important cinematic gift," is how the film was described by Mr Gleeson.

Filmmaker Katrina Costello - who spent five long years crafting the final product - is currently embarking on a nationwide tour with her debut feature documentary now and speaking to The Kerryman this week, Katrina described it as a "fantastic opportunity for the people of Kerry to see the film."

While many out there can be described as a jack of all trades and master of none, this is certainly not true of Katrina, who shot, edited and directed the film herself.

Still in its infancy, 'The Silver Branch' was named a winner in the Photo Diversity Film Festival while it was also named as the winner of the 'International Spectrum Audience Award' while at the IFTA's, it was nominated for the George Morrison award.

"I grew up farming in Ireland, but as John Moriarty, Irish philosopher said, "we were the generation who were educated out of the landscape," said Katrina, speaking about her inspiration behind her making of the film.

"I left Ireland in my teens and for 20 odd years I worked in the financial cities across the globe, when I returned and sat a while in the mountains of the Burren, I realized that my connection to landscape and farming was never far away and I wanted to reconnect people to that incredible love that rural people have with their land and their animals," she continued.

"For me the natural world helps us to see the greater picture, it gives us an excitement about being alive, it makes our private pain less personal; it helps us understand that we cannot separate humanity from nature and that spirituality is not a challenge to our intelligence but a freedom to enjoy," she said.

Tickets are currently available to buy for both screenings of the film - the first of which will take place next Tuesday night, October 23 at 8pm; it will be shown the night after (Wednesday October 24) in Siamsa Tire in Tralee at 8pm also.

Katrina is encouraging anyone looking to see the film to make sure that they book their tickets early to avoid disappointment - with crowd numbers at the last number of screenings exceeding expectations.

When it screened in glor earlier this year, over 500 people turned up - the largest crowd ever to attend an event in glor. When it screened in Ennistymon on Culture night people queued for an hour before starting and many were turned away so please do get your tickets early if you want to come see it," she finished.

See the trailer for 'The Silver Branch' on 'The Kerryman' Facebook page.
It was as Elgar and Tchaikovsky intended they be played as a young Kerry talent on the viola wowed the judges in one of Irelands most prestigious classical music competitions for secondary students.

17-year-old Paul Fitzgibbon of Cloontarrin, Ballymacelligott, emerged as one of just seven finalists from a fiercely-contested field in the 2018 Top Security Frank Maher Classica Music Awards held at the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin recently.

Hearts skipped beats in the audience as the Brookfield College sixth-year student soared through two beautiful pieces  Edward Elgars Concerto in E minor First Movement and Tchaikovskys Nocturne in D minor.

Lauded by the judges for his talent following the performance, Paul also received a bursary of 300, presented by Top Security chairman Emmet ORafferty to each of the seven finalists.

As always, there was an incredibly high standard of entries, with top class performances from all the finalists on the night...Paul now joins the growing line of extremely talented young musicians who have taken part in this competition and I wish him the very best in his future career, Mr ORafferty added.
Last week German newspapers reported the story of a Jesuit priest losing his job at the Saint George philosophy-theology institute in Frankfurt-am-Main. Fr Ansgar Wucherpennig had been re-elected rector at the institute and subsequently lost his job when the Vatican sacked him.

Wucherpennig is an academic with expertise in biblical scholarship. He has questioned the scriptural interpretation of homosexuality. His pastoral outreach is to the homosexual community in Frankfurt city. The 52-year-old Jesuit has also called for the church to recognise the love between homosexuals.

The story has been carried by a number of German newspapers including the 'Frankfurter Rundschau', which is a highly regarded liberal-leaning newspaper, which despite its name, is a national paper, available across the whole of Germany.

There's nothing new in such action from the Vatican but there are aspects to this story which are interesting. It's important to remember that Wucherpennig is a Jesuit as is Pope Francis. What did Francis know about this case before it went public?

Often during the Vietnam War vital information sent from the field back to the Pentagon never made it to the sitting president. No doubt similar shenanigans take place on a daily basis at the Vatican.

Something relatively new is happening in the Wucherpennig case. The Bishop of Limburg, Gerorg Batzing, whose diocese includes the city of Frankfurt, has come out in support of the silenced priest academic, so too has his Jesuit provincial, Johannes Seibner.

And another senior Frankfurt priest, Johannes zu Eltz has expressed great anger at the Vatican decision. He said to the 'Frankfurter Rundschau' newspaper: 'Ansgar Wucherpennig is a genuine priest and a professional academic. There is no sense or reason to this. How stupid can it get?'

Issues concerning all matters of sexuality raise their heads on a daily basis in the Catholic Church, indeed, in all churches. Sexuality is close to all of us.

But the Catholic Church has a real conundrum when it comes to all aspects of homosexuality and it seems to be tying itself up in knots.

There is an idea in circulation that it is the liberal wing of the church that goes easy on homosexuality. Whether that's the case or not can be disputed. From my experience, I am far more inclined to believe that there is a strong link between closet homosexual priesthood and a rigorous upholding of a conservative outdated clerical lifestyle.

Some years later, back in Ireland, in 1988 I attempted to discuss the issue at a forum. My opinion was received with a mix of smart-aleck comment, silence and an arrogant response that there was no foundation to what I was saying.

For the Vatican to respond as it seems to have done in the case of the German Jesuit priest and academic is not at all how to deal with such an important matter.

'Houston we have a problem.'
Finuge's claim to be the traditional arts centre of North Kerry was copperfastened last week amid a great turnout for the second annual Liam Tarrant Memorial Festival at Teach Siamsa.

Liam's family were delighted to welcome everyone to the arts centre he famously helped into existence. As organiser Jimmy Deenihan explained, it is a fitting festival given that it was Liam who identified the sites for both of Siamsa Tire's Tithe Siamsa - in Finuge and Carraig - and it was he who negotiated the purchase of the land back at the outset of the National Folk Theature's proud story, of which he played a key founding role.

The festival involved three workshops in Irish Traditional Music, hosted by Nicky McAulliffe and Maura Walsh; North Kerry Stepdancing, hosted by Jonathan Kelliher; and Song hosted by Micky McConnell. The workshops were attended by postgrad students from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in UL.

The concert on Friday night was a memorable event and was attended by a large number of Liam's family including his sons, Padraig and James, and daughter, Markie.

The concert was an exposition of the music, song, dance and story of North Kerry performed by local artists Sean Aherne, Jonathan Kelliher, Karen Trench, Brian Murphy and Jimmy Hickey.They were joined by Victoria Fraser from Alaska,Ernesto Gongora from Mexico and Neven Kernaudour, France.

Chairperson of the local organising committee Jimmy Deenihan said:

"Because of the positive feedback we received from all those who attended the concert and workshops, we are confident that the festival has real potential for the future.

"Together with the Sean McCarthy Festival and the Rambling House held in Sheehan's thatched cottage Finuge is becoming the traditional arts centre of North Kerry. In partnership with Siamsa Tire and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, we intend to develop our programmes and transmit our unique folk culture of North Kerry to both a National and International audience," Jimmy added.
In one of the most significant events of the trial last week, Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster gave evidence of the 'catastrophic' multiple injuries that were suffered by the late Anthony O'Mahony when his car was struck by the twin prongs of a teleporter agri-machine.

Dr Bolster told the court that on April 4, 2017, she arrived at the scene of the fatal incident at 5.25pm. She was shown Mr O'Mahony's damaged car which, she said, had a large gaping hole in the windscreen; two gaping holes in the roof and another in the bonnet.

Mr O'Mahony's body was still in the car along with "a large amount of broken glass" and the dashboard had been "driven" over the deceased man's legs. Dr Bolster added that an unloaded shotgun and shotgun cartridges had been found in the boot of the car.

She was then taken to see the teleporter alleged to have been used by the accused, Michael Ferris, to ram Mr O'Mahony's car and she told the court than on viewing it she noticed that the two prongs on it appeared to be "smeared with blood".

Mr O'Mahony's remains were taken to University Hospital Kerry where Dr Bolster carried out a post mortem examination.

She told the jury that Mr O'Mahony's clothing was "extensively torn" and that he had suffered multiple, catastrophic, penetrative wounds and that his death would have been immediate. There were five major 'gaping' penetrative wounds to Mr O'Mahony's head and body, including two that had penetrated right through his body to his back.

There were also fractures and cuts on his hands which, Dr Bolster said, were possibly "defensive injuries". His abdomen had suffered a "full split" and Mr O'Mahony's heart and liver had been "totally avulsed" and were found next to the driver's seat and in the foot-well of the vehicle.

There were also multiple fractures of Mr O'Mahony's ribs, backbone, pelvis and other bones as well as cuts and abrasions on his legs, arms and body.

Summing up her evidence Dr Bolster said that Mr O'Mahony's death was the result of "polytrauma, the total avulsion of his heart and liver with multiple penetrative wounds" and that his injuries were consistent with being caused by the prongs of a teleporter such as the one that she had been shown by gardai.

The defence opted not to cross examine Dr Bolster's evidence. Members of Mr O'Mahony's family were in court to hear Dr Bolster's evidence, the graphic nature of which left several of them extremely distressed. Dr Bolster's testimony concluded last week's evidence.
Anyone with even the most passing interest in Kerry politics would do well to pick up a fascinating new book that is to be officially launched later this week.

'A Century of Politics In The Kingdom' by Owen O'Shea and Gordon Revington will be launched at the county library in Tralee this Thursday evening.

The book tells tales ranging from scandals, punch-ups, election-campaign shenanigans and bitter inter-dynastic contests to the stories of the many ground-breaking politicians from Kerry who made their mark on the national stage and beyond.

Drawing on original research, newly published material from the political parties' archives and candid interviews, the book is being published to coincide with the centenary of the First Dail.

"From the first sitting of Dail Eireann, when Piaras Beaslai TD read its Democratic Programme, to Dan Kiely's Supreme Court challenge on how votes are counted in Ireland, and the role of several Kerry ministers in sensitive Anglo-Irish negotiations, Kerry politicians have been at the heart of matters nationally, both symbolic and significant," said co-author Owen O'Shea.

"Even if, as is continually attested, they have had to shout a little louder than many of their counterparts to have their priorities heard, Kerry politicians have indelibly influenced the course of Irish politics and left a lasting legacy in their home county," Owen added.

The book contains numerous remarkable stories ranging from a councillor who was unseated for plying voters with drink, to the north Kerry woman Jennifer Musa who became a politician in Pakistan.

Readers can also learn about the aristocrat who was invited to Buckingham Palace as a child and went on to become the first woman elected to Kerry County Council.

There's also the Kerry senator who received an apology from the BBC; the story of all of Kerry's female politicians; the tale of the councillor who took his own council to court and the notorious night gardai were called to a meeting of a Fianna Fail cumann in north Kerry.

Owen O'Shea, who hails from from Milltown, is the Communications Officer with Kerry County Council. He is a former Labour Party press officer and election candidate. He was a journalist with Kerry's Eye and Radio Kerry.

He is the author of Heirs to the Kingdom: Kerry's Political Dynasties (2011) and co-editor of Kerry 1916: Histories and Legacies of the Easter Rising (2016). Gordon Revington, from Tralee Kerry, is a journalist with Kerry's Eye who writes on Irish political history, rural affairs and sport.

He contributed to Kerry 1916: Histories and Legacies of the Easter Rising published in 2016.

The new book - which features the first ever definitive record of every Kerry Oireachtas member since 1919 - will be launched by former Tanaiste, Dick Spring at the County Library in Tralee on Thursday October 18 at 7pm. The book will be available from the middle of this week in all good bookshops, online, and from www.merrionpress.ie, as well as the launch on Thursday with for 19.99.

The following story is an extract from 'A Century Of Politics in The Kingdom'

'Fisticuffs at AGM of Moyvane FF Cumann' ran the front-page splash of The Kerryman on January 8 1972. Above the headline were two pictures by photographer, Xavier McAuliffe, of Fianna Fail party members during a kerfuffle 'as tempers flare.' In a dramatic opening paragraph, Tony Meade reported that:

'The annual general meeting of Moyvane Fianna Fail Cumann burst into fisticuffs on Tuesday night when Gardai were called to restore peace between the rival factions. The melee, in which a man was kicked on the head, started after an exchange between Deputy Tom McEllistrim, who had taken the chair for the election of officers, and Mr Con O'Riordan, a Dublin-based teacher, who is an outspoken member of the cumann.'

The row began when reference was made to a party report on the inner workings of the Moyvane cumann. Following a previous annual general meeting, Cavan TD Paddy Smith had been engaged to investigate allegations that some members had been prevented from voting in the election of officers. At its 1972 gathering, all cumann officers were re-elected without challenge.

A verbal exchange over the operations of the cumann and who was entitled to vote at the meeting began and quickly escalated. At one point, Deputy Tom McEllistrim interjected and stated: 'I am the boss here and I am saying who will vote.'

Con O'Riordan read a letter from party general secretary, Tom Mullins, which instructed that some of those who had been denied a vote at the previous AGM should be allowed to 'participate freely' in the 1972 meeting. 'If I'm not in charge,' McEllistrim responded, 'there is not much point in my being here.' As the shouting continued, some members removed O'Riordan from the room and prevented him from re-entering.

Another member, Denis Holly 'was trying to make himself heard above the uproar, shouting that he had a democratic right to be heard by the meeting. He was then attacked by a number of others and was knocked down and kicked in the head. Blood streamed down his shirt.' Holly was taken to hospital.

Somebody had taken it upon themselves to give the local gardai a heads-up that there might be trouble at the meeting because two officers were despatched to Moyvane prior to the meeting.

Two gardai who were nearby, heard the commotion and saw people being pushed out of the hall.

Some sixty party members left the meeting and the election of officers continued.
The latest IBAL Litter League is great news for Killarney but a dismal result for Tralee.

The League - run by An Taisce on behalf of the Irish Business Against Litter environmental alliance of businesses - sees 40 Irish towns and city centres rated and ranked according to the their cleanliness.

While the south Kerry tourist Mecca scored well with judges and jumped 10 places - to sixth in the league - Tralee was harshly criticised and slumped a further three places to end up near the foot of the table in 34th position.

Judges from An Taisce assessed litter levels over the summer months on behalf of IBAL, and 77 per cent of towns and cities were found to be clean. None were deemed to be a litter blackspot, but nine - including Tralee - were deemed to be 'littered'.

The IBAL judges were highly complimentary in their assessment of Killarney, which was found to be 'cleaner than European Norms'.

"A great achievement for Killarney to score so high during the peak tourist season. Clearly great care is taken with the overall presentation of the town," they state in their adjudication report on the town.

"Some examples of the top-ranking sites included Bishop's Lane, New Road, Main Street and Recycle Facility at Main Street - the latter was spotless, and it is quite a rare occasion in IBAL surveys that Recycle Facilities are deemed to be spotless," the judges wrote.

"The Main Street in Killarney was in excellent order. There was some lovely paving, for both the footpath and road surface, along one stretch of the street. The area was also enhanced by large planter boxes, seating, bollards etc. All aspects of the area surveyed were in very good condition" said the judges.

Tralee - which was deemed to be 'moderately littered' - did not fare as well. While the judges found no seriously littered locations in the town, they said there was a general problem with litter all over the county capital.

"There were no seriously littered sites or litter blackspots in Tralee, but there was a distinct shortage of litter-free sites with almost all moderately littered," the judges report states. "If some of the latter were improved this could make a big difference to Tralee's overall ranking e.g. Denny Street, The Square and Milk Market Lane. Pairc an Phiarsaigh was the only top ranking site - it was wasn't just good with regard to litter but also presented very well," said the judges.

Addressing the League as a whole, IBAL's Conor Horgan said that the organisation had seen "a worsening of litter levels in economically disadvantaged areas, which dominate the lower placings of our rankings," and suggested a lack of pride in these areas.
The family of an unmarried North Kerry woman who died in childbirth in 1946 after being refused entry to two hospitals has received a public apology in an unprecedented move by Kerry County Council.

Mayor of Kerry Norma Foley issued an apology on Monday on behalf of the elected Council to the family of Peggy McCarthy for the Authority's contributory role in a tragedy scarcely believable today.

Ms McCarthy, who had become pregnant out of wedlock, was rushed from her home in Finuge by Listowel taximan John Guerin during a crisis labour.

Despite presenting as an emergency at the door of Listowel hospital she was refused admission by a nun, prompting a desperate flight by Mr Guerin to Tralee hospital - only for the nun on duty there to once again refuse entry and treatment.

Ms McCarthy died en route to the 'union' hospital in Killarney. But the church would refuse her admittance once more - this time to St Mary's in Listowel for a Christian funeral.

It prompted John Guerin to lead a rebellion of parishioners against the then PP Canon Patrick Brennan, who was forced in the end to receive the remains of Ms McCarthy in the culmination of a shameful story.

The nun who refused admittance in Tralee would later cite Kerry County Council's then rule of refusing admittance to unmarried women at the hospitals it stewarded of the reason for her action.

Listowel Fine Gael Councillor Mike Kennelly called on the Council on Monday to address the McCarthy family, citing Conor Keane's RTE Radio One documentary In Shame Love, In Shame which recounted the whole sorry episode in dramatic fashion in August.

Responding to Cllr Kennelly, Mayor Foley stated: "In the documentary reference was made on a number of occasions to Kerry County Council. Therefore, I believe it is wholly appropriate...for the elected members of Kerry County Council to wholeheartedly express our profound sympathies and apologies to the McCarthy family and to state unequivocally our regret, sadness and sorrow over the failure to protect our most vulnerable citizens."

Mayor Foley said that only by reaffirming its present-day commitment to protecting the most vulnerable would the Council 'honour those like Peggy McCarthy'.

"This tragic story from our turbulent past is a timely reminder to all of us of the need to ensure an ongoing public service culture, here in Kerry, and indeed nationally, which serves to prevent discrimination and to protect the human rights of service users...

"We must strive every day to deliver on that ethos and by so doing honour those like Peggy McCarthy who in a previous era were not treated equally and whose human rights were most shockingly denied," Mayor Foley said.

I would exonerate the Council...they were only pawns of Church

It was the son of heroic taxi driver John Guerin who would ensure Listowel and the wider world would never forget the inhuman treatment of young Peggy McCarthy back in 1946.

In dramatising the story in his powerful 2002 play Solo Run, former detective garda and playwright Tony Guerin exposed the toxic nature of Church power in 20th Century Ireland in no uncertain way.

In fact, the play was among the first works nationally to have begun the painful examination of the Church's ferocious and often callous grip on its flock in this country.

And it set in motion a process of rising awareness of this particular episode, helped no end by Conor Keane's recent documentary in which Mr Guerin was interviewed at length.

Speaking to The Kerryman in the wake of the Council apology, Tony Guerin moved to downplay the Council role in the whole tragic story.

"I would exonerate the Council on the grounds that they were only pawns, the very same as the rest of the country and elected representatives everywhere, of the Church in a theocracy without a God at its core. And by God, I mean the God of love and compassion," Mr Guerin told The Kerryman.

Asked if he nonetheless welcomed the Council apology issued on Monday by Mayor Foley, Mr Guerin said: "If they thought it necessary well and good, but I wouldn't put any blame on them. They were the same as everyone else in the country back then...this rests squarely with the Church as far as I'm concerned."
Anne Gregory is part of the Newtownmountkennedy and Kilcoole Educate Together Campaign.

Educate Together are upping their campaign to get patronage of the new primary school serving Newtownmountkennedy and Kilcoole.

The Department of Education is expected to start the patronage process later this month for the eight-classroom school which is due to open in 2019.

According to the last Census, Newtownmountkennedy is the fastest growing town in the county, experiencing a 17.6 per cent growth in population between 2011 and 2016. Population figures are due to again grow dramatically over the coming years with planning for close to 1,000 houses in the immediate area.

'I think that bringing at Educate Together national school to Newtownmountkennedy and Kilcoole will serve the area well,' said Anne Gregory, volunteer with the Newtownmountkennedy and Kilcoole Educate Together Campaign,

'The towns are changing and becoming more diverse and we need a school to reflect that and to give families a true choice in the type of school they send their children. The Educate Together model welcomes everyone, no matter what religion and background they come from and the ethos of the schools helps children be accepting and feel accepted. I would urge the parents of Newtownmountkennedy and Kilcoole that want this model of education to check out the Educate Together website or find our campaign on Facebook'.

This month the Department of Education will launch an online survey (Online Patronage Process System) asking parents to choose their preferred school patron.

An Foras Patrunachta has also announced that it plans to apply for patronage of the 13 new primary announced back in April, including the school in Kilcoole/ Newtownmountkennedy.
Up to 30 people attended a protest outside the entrance to Luggala Estate on Sunday in opposition to the closure of a pedestrian gate each day at 5.30 p.m.

The protest was organised by Roger Garland of Keep Ireland Open, who fears the closure of the gate will have health and safety implications for people using the route to climb Fancy Mountain or Knocknacloghoge if they receive an injury.

'The problem is people often get lost in the mountains or might sprain an ankle. They struggle to get back to the gate and finally arrive at 6 p.m. only to find out it has been closed,' said Mr Garland. 'Walkers could also lose their way in the mist or fall ill and fail to meet the 5.30 p.m. deadline. It is an accident waiting to happen'.

Labour Party Chairperson and election candidate for Wicklow, Jack O'Connor addressed the protest.

He said: 'We all came together to insist that access to this beautiful place, which has always been respected, would continue to be preserved. It is part of our heritage as citizens of Ireland and we want to ensure that visitors would continue can enjoy the stunning scenery as guests of the nation and would continue to get access, through our lifetime, our children's lifetime and their children's lifetime. It is an area of real outstanding scenic beauty'.

Both Mr Garland and Mr O'Connor would like to see the State acquire the relevant part of the property, as recommended by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

'People are concerned that it might be closed off permanently,' said Mr Garland. 'I really think it should be in State ownership and the National Parks and Wildlife Service have recommended exactly that. The house and the land around it are strictly private and should be treated as so. We don't want to disturb that and people are entitled to their privacy but the rest of the land is perfect and ready for recreational use'.

Mr O'Connor said: 'It shouldn't be allowed to fall into the hands of any private corporation, not least one from outside of the country. The Government needs to take the necessary moves to ensure access is maintained, even if that means taking it into public ownership. The Government should certainly be more assertive and robust in their engagement and should consider legislation which would maintain our right of ways and take the whole estate into public ownership and develop it.'

The Guinness Trust, which owns the Luggala Estate, has said that the signs don't change public access to certain areas within the grounds.

'There are no public rights of way or rights of access to any of the estate' said a statement issued on behalf of Barbican International Corporation. 'However, successive owners over recent years permitted public access to certain parts of the estate via the present pedestrian access gate. The terrain at Luggala is mountainous and there are many exceptionally steep and unsafe sections. The owners have a duty of care regarding the estate and, as a result, a decision was taken to erect signage confirming that Luggala is private property and that the pedestrian access gate beside the public road would be closed from 5.30pm each day, a common practice in similar settings over privately owned land'.

Luggala Estate was the former home of Garech Browne, who passed away this year.
Tom Mulvihill (right) from Wicklow Rotary Club helps Andrew Lawless from Wicklow Tidy Towns to start plant some of the 5,000 bulbs donated by the Rotary Club at Bachelors Walk, Wicklow town.

The Rotary Club of Wicklow presented 5,000 crocus bulbs to Wicklow Tidy Towns last Thursday to acknowledge their tremendous performance in achieving the highest ever marks in the competition.

'We are proud of the local Tidy Towns committee in winning the Silver Award for the first time,' said Tom Mulvihill, President of the Rotary Club of Wicklow, as he presented the bulbs to Andrew Lawless, Chairperson, Wicklow Tidy Towns.

Wicklow Tidy Towns achieved its first ever 'Silver Medal' in September after four years of receiving 'Bronze' honours. This year's tally of 323 marks was the highest ever achieved by the county town.

'The performance of the committee and its supporters has been a major achievement for the town and local community groups. We are delighted to be associated with this initiative in not only presenting crocus bulbs but also in supporting the 'Wicklow Town through the Ages' mural at Abbey Street car park, which illustrates the rich heritage of the town,' said Mr Mulvihill.

'We believe that the performance by Wicklow in winning the Silver Medal this year augurs well for the future and now puts the town in a strong position to go on and win the coveted Gold Medal in the future. The town has inherent attractive qualities which are enhanced by Andrew Lawless and his hard working team. A few years ago it would be difficult to see Listowel winning the competition and yet it is now the outright winner, which should be an inspiration for Wicklow,' said Mr Mulvihill.

Wicklow received the second highest marks in the county and is now ranked 85th in Ireland, up from 130th. Entering the top 100 is excellent progress considering over 700 villages and towns throughout Ireland enter the competition each year.

'The Supervalu Tidy Towns is a major national events and the very strong performance achieved this year by Wicklow provides tourism and other benefits such as attracting investment into the town,' said Andrew Lawless.

'Award-winning towns and villages are now judged not only on their visual performance but on a wider range of criteria such as sustainability and local involvement. For example, the competition now places strong emphasis on how each Tidy Town group engages with local clubs, community groups and other organisations. This is why we encourage and value support throughout the community including Wicklow Rotary'.

Rotary supports a wide range of international projects but local initiatives also feature in their annual programme. Supporting Wicklow Tidy Towns is compatible with Rotary's community strategy, including the Nell Healy People of the Year Awards, the Remembrance Tree and the Youth Leadership Competition.
Ballot boxes for use in Afghanistans election (Rahmat Gul/AP)

Afghanistans election commission has postponed Saturdays elections in Kandahar province for a week.

It follows a deadly attack there that killed at least two senior provincial officials, including its powerful police chief.

Expand Close Murdered police chief Abdul Raziq (Massoud Hossaini/AP) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Murdered police chief Abdul Raziq (Massoud Hossaini/AP)

The Independent Election Commissions deputy spokesman, Aziz Ibrahimi, said the decision on the postponement was made to allow mourners to observe funeral rites for the murdered police chief, Abdul Raziq, and others killed in the attack.

Along with Mr Raziq, the provinces intelligence chief and two policemen were killed.

The condition of Kandahars governor, Zalmay Wesa, who was wounded in the attack, was shrouded in secrecy.

Expand Close The head of Nato troops in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller and Kandahar governor Zalmay Wesa, centre right, and their delegations attend a security conference, in Kandahar, Afghanistan (STR/AP) / Facebook

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Security officials in the capital, Kabul, maintained Mr Wesa was wounded but survived.

Mr Raziqs funeral was being held on Friday in Kandahars holiest of shrines, Kherqa Mubarak, said to contain the cloak of Islams Prophet Mohammed.

The Taliban said on Thursday that Nato commander General Scott Miller had been targeted in the attack which he survived.
Brazil's far-right election front-runner was accused of setting up a 'criminal network' with big businesses to spread fake news through WhatsApp.

Brazilian media reported that well-heeled supporters of Jair Bolsonaro paid for messaging by third-party agencies, each paying up to 12 million reais (2.8m) to spread tens of thousands of attack ads.

Leftist opponent Fernando Haddad, who trails by 18 points, denounced the practice revealed by newspaper 'Folha de S.Paulo', accusing Mr Bolsonaro of flouting campaign laws by creating "a veritable criminal organisation with businessmen who are using undeclared money to pay for false messages on WhatsApp".

Mr Bolsonaro's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

The candidate's son, Carlos Bolsonaro, accused 'Folha' and Mr Haddad's Workers Party (PT) of "telling half-truths or decontextualised lies" in a post on Twitter.

Mr Haddad said the PT has witnesses saying Mr Bolsonaro asked business leaders at a dinner in Sao Paulo for funds to pay for the bulk messaging, which he described as undeclared campaign contributions.

PT lawyers asked prosecutors and Brazil federal police to investigate. Illegal under-the-table funding by companies could, if proven, lead to the disqualification of the Bolsonaro ticket, said attorney Guilherme Salles Goncalves, an electoral law expert.

PT allies said they would file a complaint with electoral courts. Mr Haddad called on international observers and WhatsApp itself to look into the case.

Mr Haddad has complained frequently that he was the target of false social media information campaigns.

Among other things Mr Haddad (55) has railed against "libellous" social media posts claiming he tried to have sex education "gay kits" distributed in schools when he was education minister.

Mr Bolsonaro easily won the first round of the elections on October 7.
What connects Brett Kavanaugh, Pocahontas and American health policy? The answer lies in the extraordinary way that Donald Trump's steamroller tactics have captured not just the Republican Party but reshaped the entire political battlefield in his own, populist image with less than a month before midterm elections.

It did not start with the fight to confirm Mr Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court judge. But that battle, with allegations (denied by the judge) that he assaulted a woman when they were both high-school age, is a textbook example of how the president can bounce his opponents into the gutter.

Democrats should've known better... yet they took his culture war bait anyway. Once the debate became laced with questions about class, elite schools, and country clubs then the job was done.

The Democrats had legitimate reasons to ask about Mr Kavanaugh's fitness for the job. But those were lost as they moved into full oppositionist mode. Gone was any pretence of discussing their vision of how a Supreme Court is supposed to function, replaced by a populist, partisan fight.

The same thing happened last week, when Mr Trump put his name to an opinion piece in 'USA Today' which was a largely baseless attack on "Medicare for all", a policy endorsed by some - but not all - sections of the Democratic Party as a way of offering health care to all Americans.

The president's allegations, that it would close hospitals and put doctors out of jobs, depriving elderly people of services they had paid into while working, came almost entirely with evidence. But that, I suspect, was the point.

Democrats went for it, falling over themselves in their rage. The president was "a liar", they ranted, as the fact-checkers went into overdrive. Chuck Schumer, the Democrats' leader in the Senate, got out his red pen to "correct" the newspaper column, posting his handiwork on Twitter.

Nowhere amid the frenzy did I see the fully costed alternative health care proposal from the Democrats. Nowhere did I hear opposition politicians pushing back with nuance and detail. Nevermind the policy, here's the hyperbole.

And this week it is Pocahontas, the most bizarre example. Elizabeth Warren, the senator who might yet be the Democrats 2020 candidate for president, rose to Mr Trump's 'Pocahontas' insult with a misguided DNA test.

She has long claimed Native American ancestry much to the amusement of Mr Trump, who offered her a million dollars if she could ever prove it. Hence the DNA test. Which suggested a very distant connection - it said she is between 1/64th and 1/1,024th Native American.

Ms Warren's big mistake is the same as the wider Democratic error in strategy: She responded to Mr Trump's name-calling. Her effort to neutralise the issue merely ensured that a triviality became a major headline. She has not so much drawn a line under her Cherokee question as highlighted it.

In the same way, Mr Kavanaugh's confirmation may have motivated more Democrats to vote next month but waverers will not have been convinced that the Democrats have more noble aspirations for the Supreme Court than their opponents.

The winner at every stage is Mr Trump. He has set the terms of each debate. In so doing he has completed his grand project. His populist takeover is absolute.

After capturing the Republican Party he has now transformed the Democratic Party into a populist movement, animated only by its distaste for Mr Trump and defined by what it stands against - rather than what it stands for. That is how populist movements work.

That is bad news for a party that prides itself on winning when Americans are motivated by hope. Hillary Clinton discovered how that works in a presidential run. And her party seems destined to make the same mistake again.

 Daily Telegraph, London

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Huddersfield has joined a long list of English towns and cities where the same grim story has emerged of the sexual exploitation of teenage girls on a shocking scale.

The stories of the victims in the Huddersfield prosecution are almost identical to those told in Rochdale, Rotherham, Newcastle, Oxford, Aylesbury, Telford and a host of other places across the country.

These involved girls, sometimes as young as 11 or 12, being groomed and abused by groups of men, often of Pakistani-heritage backgrounds.

In most cases, these were girls from troubled backgrounds, flattered by the attention and who often believed they were in genuine relationships with the men.

But they would be plied with drink and drugs, then raped, subjected to violence, passed between a number of different men and even trafficked across the country and forced into prostitution.

In many of these towns, police and social workers were aware of what was happening to some of the victims but action was not taken due to a range of factors including difficulties in getting the girls to cooperate, a warped belief that they were consenting to what happened to them and misplaced fears over being branded racist.

Concerns over this particular pattern of child sexual exploitation first emerged more than a decade ago - especially when Ann Cryer, then the Labour MP for Keighley, in West Yorkshire, voiced her worries about the targeting of young teenage girls by men in her town.

A few years later, a series of court cases received a small amount of media attention including the jailing of five men in Rotherham in 2010 and another in Derby in the same year.

In the Derby case, the two ringleaders were told they had embarked on a "reign of terror on girls" in the town by a judge who spoke of "young human beings you degraded and treated with a total lack of humanity and respect."

But the full scope of the problem was exposed in January 2011 when The Times published a detailed investigation into a "conspiracy of silence on UK sex gangs".

The Times investigation pulled together more than a dozen prosecutions involving the on-street grooming of teenage girls by groups of men involving 13 different towns and cities.

In 2012 nine men were jailed for a string of sexual offences against girls in Rochdale in a case which received much more attention. Police said as many as 50 girls could have been victims of the gang.

Aspects of the case were later portrayed in the BBC drama, Three Girls.

Later in 2012, The Times published the results of an 18-month investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.

This led to the 2014 report by Professor Alexis Jay which provoked a national wave of shock when it revealed more than 1,400 children had been exploited in the town over more than a decade as police and council services ignored what was going on.

The Jay Report and the subsequent Casey Report on the failings of the council led to high-profile resignations and government-appointed commissioners taking over the running of Rotherham.

In 2015 and 2016 a series of men appeared in court following South Yorkshire Police's investigation into what happened in Rotherham and were found guilty of a huge number of sexual offences.

Ringleader Arshid Hussain was jailed for 35 years.

The National Crime Agency's (NCA) Operation Stovewood investigation of historical child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Rotherham is ongoing.

In February the NCA said there were 1,510 potential victims and survivors of CSE in the town.

It said officers were actively engaged with more than 260 victims, had identified 110 "designated suspects" and there were 144 officers working on the case - a figure they aimed to boost to more than 200.

Since 2010 a number of other prosecutions have brought different towns into the spotlight.

In 2013, the Old Bailey heard almost identical stories as five men were given life sentences in relation to an exploitation ring in Oxford and in 2015 it was Aylesbury's turn to have exploitation secrets exposed.

Such prosecutions became so commonplace, they began to get less and less media attention until August 2017, when 17 men and one woman were convicted in a series of trials at Newcastle Crown Court.

In this case, Northumbria Police had to face down criticism that they paid a convicted child rapist to be an informant as part of the investigation.

Earlier this year, Telford became the latest town to become the focus of the familiar stories of abuse.

A Sunday Mirror investigation concluded that around 1,000 children could have been sexually exploited in the Shropshire town over a 40-year period, leading to calls for a public inquiry.
Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has said Wednesday's mass school shooting in Crimea was the result of "globalisation" and the continuation of an American trend.

"It's a result of globalisation. On social media, on the internet, we see there is a whole community that has been created. Everything started with the tragic events in schools in the US," he said at a forum in Sochi, adding that unstable young people were creating "fake heroes for themselves" and "reaching out for a surrogate for heroism in the absence of the real thing".

He went on: "We're not creating healthy [internet] content for young people - which leads to tragedies of this kind."

Yesterday, Mr Putin's spokesman called the incident part of a "dangerous trend".

Vladislav Roslyakov (18) killed 20 students in the Moscow-annexed peninsula college before killing himself. More than 40 others were injured.

An ex-girlfriend said Roslyakov had spoken to her about taking revenge for bullying.

State television suggested Ukrainian agents were to blame. Sergey Aksyonov, the head of Crimea, said the gunman could not have organised the attack alone and investigators were looking into "who prepared him for this crime".
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters about missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

A security guard stands behind barriers blocking the road leading to the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

A man identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, walks outside the Saudi consul generals residence in Istanbul (Sabah/AP)

Turkish prosecutors are questioning a number of employees of the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Anadolu agency has reported.

Private A Haber TV said as many as 15 employees were being questioned on Friday.

The station said they included the consul's driver, technicians, accountants and telephone operators.

Mr Khashoggi was last seen entering the consulate on October 2.

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Turkish reports say Mr Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless.
European Union countries who refuse to host refugees could instead pay more for EU migration and development projects in Africa, head of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani said yesterday.

The proposal signals a possible compromise to end a bruising dispute in the bloc.

The migration standoff has divided southern and eastern EU states as well as richer countries such as Germany since 2015, when more than one million refugees and migrants from the Middle East and Africa reached the bloc's borders.

But the tone of the discussion changed recently after years of one camp insisting that all EU states must take in some migrants and the other side rejecting the plan.

"No relocation - [then] more money for Africa," parliament president Tajani told a news conference yesterday in Brussels as the bloc's 28 national leaders held discussions about migration.

"This should be a good compromise. It's better to have an agreement with a compromise than no agreement."

Mediterranean arrivals of migrants and refugees are below 100,000 people so far this year, according to United Nations data, a far cry from the 2015 influx that caught the bloc unprepared and overwhelmed security and other public services.

The EU has since tightened its external borders and has also become more restrictive on granting asylum. It has sealed deals with countries from Turkey to Libya to keep a lid on migrants departing their territory by sea for EU shores.

It will further step up returns and deportations of those who reach Europe but do not qualify for asylum, a joint statement said.

The bloc will seek to build "a broader partnership" with countries along the migratory routes, mainly in North Africa, including to crack down on people smugglers.

The chaotic scenes from 2015 have continued to reverberate around European politics.

A surge in support for anti-immigration, populist and nationalist groups has continued to grow across the continent. However, as migration numbers have slowed, a deal between the EU's members should be easier.

The eastern, formerly communist states like Poland and Hungary remain adamant that they will not allow in any refugees from mainly Muslim countries.

Germany, France and the Netherlands, which had previously demanded solidarity from all EU states, may be more open now to allowing their reluctant peers to buy out of the refugee distribution scheme as a way of sealing a deal, diplomats said.

"We cannot force [other countries to take in refugees], but those that do not do so must possibly contribute in another way such as in Africa.

"Everyone needs to take on some of the responsibility that we all have," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told his EU colleagues recently.

Any political agreement is likely to take more time, diplomats and officials said, not least because Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the eurosceptic Italian government have built their political clout on an anti-immigration line and criticism of how the EU has handled migration.

Meanwhile, Italy and the European Union should avoid acting unilaterally in talks about Rome's budget and build trust, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel told Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in a meeting on Wednesday, according to an Italian official.

"Merkel lent support to Conte to begin a positive dialogue with European partners on the budget," the source said.

"Merkel told Conte that at this stage it would be better to foster mutual trust, which is a key condition to favour dialogue."
Romans are to stage a mass protest against the parlous state of the Eternal City (stock picture)

Fed up with seeing wild boars trotting down streets, giant seagulls dismembering dead rats and perilous potholes in the roads, Romans are to stage a mass protest against the parlous state of the Eternal City.

Under the hashtag #roma- dicebasta - "Rome says enough" - residents' associations, civil society groups and ordinary Romans will come together for a sit-in outside the city's Renaissance town hall later this month.

Many Romans are bitterly disappointed with the administration of Virginia Raggi, the mayor, who was elected in 2016 promising a fresh start for the capital and an end to the days of cronyism and corruption.

Ordinary people say the city has got worse, not better, under the administration of Ms Raggi, a leading member of the Five Star Movement, which governs at the national level in partnership with the far-right League party.

"This city is now unlivable," said Marco, a 33-year-old taxi driver, as he negotiated gridlocked traffic and roadworks near the Basilica of St John in Lateran, near the British embassy. "We can't go on like this."

Wild boar are routinely seen on the street and in urban areas in Rome, where they feast on uncollected rubbish.

Playgrounds are falling to bits, public parks resemble unkempt jungles, trees drop their branches on top of cars and occasionally on the heads of pedestrians, and motorcyclists have to negotiate a slalom of potholes on battered roads.

The sorry state of the city is portrayed in a video that has gone viral online, in which wild boar root through overflowing sacks of rubbish and a large plastic skip gently floats away on floodwaters during a rainstorm.
The nationalist Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has been plunged into renewed controversy after it emerged one of its members posed for photographs on a "pilgrimage" of sites associated with Adolf Hitler

The nationalist Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has been plunged into renewed controversy after it emerged one of its members posed for photographs on a "pilgrimage" of sites associated with Adolf Hitler.

The politician in question, who has not been named under German privacy laws, posed with a candle outside Hitler's birthplace in the Austrian town of Braunau am Inn.

He also posed with a picture of the Fuhrer close to his mountain retreat at Berchtesgaden in the Alps, and with a banner bearing a swastika and SS runes.

Details of the pictures, which were taken on a tour of Nazi sites the politician made with colleagues in 2015, emerged this week.

The AfD admitted the existence of the photographs and said the politician concerned had resigned from the party.

Although he has not been publicly named, he is understood to be a senior figure in the party's regional association in Thuringia, and an associate of Bjorn Hocke, one of the most controversial figures in the AfD.

There were calls for Mr Hocke to be expelled from the party last year after he called for a "180-degree turn" in German attitudes to World War II. The politician involved in the latest controversy is understood to have served on the panel that found in Mr Hocke's favour.

The AfD has known about the existence of the photographs since September and took immediate action, the party said in a statement.
The London Stock Exchange sign in the City of London (PA)

The London Stock Exchange is set to shell out 438 million euro (384 million) to up its stake in British clearing house LCH despite uncertainty over the regulation of euro clearing contracts post-Brexit.

The group said on Friday that it plans to acquire an additional stake of up to 15.1% in the business, bringing its total holding to over 80%.

Chief executive David Schwimmer said the move reflects the groups continued confidence in LCHs opportunities for further growth as it develops its business in partnership with its customers.

The investment comes amid uncertainty surrounding EU regulations around post-Brexit euro clearing  a multibillion-pound market which settles business and trade conducted in EU currency.

The European Commission last year put forward proposals which would impose stricter supervision of clearing houses by EU central banks and the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), and in some cases force bigger operations to move business within EU borders.

It would mean fragmenting the concentration of euro clearing in London.

A London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) spokesman confirmed that LCH Limited is tentatively planning to apply for third party recognition in order to continue to participate in euro clearing but remain in the UK capital.

The LSEG also released third quarter earnings on Friday which showed a 5% rise in third-quarter reported revenue to 464 million and an 8% jump in total income to 522 million.

LCH itself saw income rise 15% thanks to growth in revenues from over the counter (OTC) clearing.

The groups information services business also bolstered overall income, with division revenues rising 17%.

Mr Schwimmer said: The Q3 results show continued momentum across the group, reflecting another period of operational execution and investment in the business.

Information Services and LCH both delivered good year-on-year growth.

He added: Since I joined LSEG in August my initial impressions of the Groups strengths have been reinforced as I have spent time with our businesses and met with key stakeholders.

The Group has world-class assets, a strong financial position and a proven strategic approach.

As todays results show, we have a great platform from which to grow and develop further opportunities as we navigate the evolving economic and regulatory landscape ahead.

Mr Schwimmer  a Goldman Sachs veteran  was appointed as LSEGs boss earlier this year following the controversial exit of his predecessor Xavier Rolet.

Mr Rolet held the LSEs top job for more than eight years, during which time the LSE has seen its stock market value soar from 800 million to nearly 14 billion amid a string of acquisitions.

However, his tenure was marred by a failed 21 billion merger with German rival Deutsche Borse after it was blocked by the European Commission in March  marking the third attempt at a tie up between the two companies after setbacks in 2000 and 2005.

Chairman Donald Brydon was later the subject of a shareholder attempt to oust him in December over the decision to remove Mr Rolet.

While Mr Brydon survived, he said he will not seek re-election in 2019.
A missing Wisconsin girl's parents were shot to death in their house while the girl was home, authorities said as they urged the public to keep phoning in tips about her whereabouts.

Investigators have been searching for 13-year-old Jayme Closs since deputies responding to a 911 call early Monday found her parents dead in their home in Barron. The girl, who was ruled out as a suspect on the first day, was gone when deputies arrived.

Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said during a news conference that post-mortems confirmed that James and Denise Closs had been fatally shot and that their deaths have been ruled homicides.

He said no gun was found at the scene and that evidence from the house and the 911 call indicate Jayme Closs was in the home when her parents were killed.
US President Donald Trump threatened to summon the military to close the US-Mexico border and upend a trade deal, expressing mounting frustration with a large caravan of migrants from Honduras that has been making its way toward the United States.

In tweets early yesterday, Mr Trump repeated vows to halt US aid to Central American countries that do not disband the caravan and issued a fresh threat to the Mexican government, which said on Wednesday that it would treat those in the caravan no differently than it does other migrants.

"In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught - and if unable to do so I will call up the US Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!" Mr Trump said in one tweet.

In another, he suggested that the "onslaught" of immigrants could threaten a recently announced reworked trade deal with Mexico and Canada, writing that immigration is "far more important to me, as President, than Trade".

His comments come as Mr Trump has been urging fellow Republicans to make immigration a central issue in the closing weeks of their midterm election campaigns and blaming Democrats for his failure to pass immigration legislation in the GOP-controlled Congress.

"All Democrats fault for weak laws!" Mr Trump said in one tweet yesterday.

Mr Trump's frustration appears to stem in part from record levels of migrant parents entering the US with children in the three months since his administration ended family separations at the border.

The 'Post' reported this week that Border Patrol agents arrested 16,658 family members in September, the highest one-month total on record and an 80pc increase from July, according to unpublished Department of Homeland Security statistics.

Mr Trump has made migrant caravans a symbol of all that is wrong with US immigration policies. In his tweets, he warned that the latest group includes "MANY CRIMINALS".
Pointing the finger: US President Donald Trump and wife Melania speak to the media at the White House this week. Photo: Bloomberg

US President Donald Trump is facing increased pressure from Congress over his handling of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance, exposing a widening rift between the White House and Capitol Hill over the US relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Republicans, including Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham, are openly voicing their discontent and threatening to sanction the Saudi government over the objections of the president, who has sought to build a closer relationship with Riyadh.

Former vice president Joe Biden said in an interview broadcast yesterday that Mr Trump "seems to have a love affair with autocrats", criticising his posture toward Saudi leaders following the disappearance of 'Washington Post' columnist Mr Khashoggi.

"He's already making excuses before the facts are known," Mr Biden said of Mr Trump during an interview with 'CBS This Morning'.

"It hurts us internationally. I just don't know why this administration seems to feel the need to coddle autocrats and dictators from Putin to Kim Jong-un to ... Duterte," Biden said, referring to the leaders of Russia, North Korea and the Philippines. "I don't understand it."

Asked by co-host Norah O'Donnell to explain Mr Trump's behaviour, Mr Biden said: "I don't want to speculate on my worst fears. But either he doesn't know what he is doing or he has an absolutely convoluted notion of what allows America to lead the world."

The stark differences underscore that Saudi Arabia enjoys far greater respect in the Oval Office than in the Capitol. Many lawmakers harbour a distrust of the kingdom dating back to its connection to the September 11 attacks. Its bloody involvement in Yemen's civil war and interference in Lebanese politics have cost it further US support.

The Trump administration, meanwhile - led by the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner - has drawn ever closer to the Saudis as it fashions a Middle East strategy that revolves around the kingdom.

"There are a number of constituencies in Congress that are hostile to Saudi Arabia," said Jon Alterman, a senior vice president at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. US lawmakers have complained about the kingdom's egregious human rights record, its suppression of religious freedom and civilian deaths in the Yemen war.

"The Khashoggi case provides a central rallying point for all of these people to criticise the Saudis and the president's relationship with them," he said.

Should Congress act against Saudi Arabia despite Mr Trump's reservations, it would mark yet another defeat in Washington for the kingdom.

Just two years ago, Congress passed legislation allowing Saudi Arabia to be sued for its involvement in the September 11 attacks. Though the Saudi government wasn't found to have had a formal role in the attacks, 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens, a fact not forgotten by lawmakers or the American public.

Turkish officials have said that Mr Khashoggi was tortured, murdered and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul shortly after he arrived on October 2 to retrieve a document related to his wedding. A team of 15 Saudi agents arrived in Istanbul and left the same day of Mr Khashoggi's visit, according to reports by the 'New York Times' and 'Washington Post'.

The US can condemn Saudi Arabia's conduct "without blowing up the Middle East and without destroying our ability to talk with them," Senator John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, said on Wednesday. "Our foreign policy has to be anchored in values."

US options include expelling Saudi diplomats, securing a United Nations resolution criticising the kingdom's behaviour, curtailing arms sales or enacting sanctions on Saudi officials, Mr Kennedy said.

Mr Trump opposes cancelling a $110bn arms deal with the kingdom that he said on Wednesday would create 500,000 US jobs.

Mr Trump said yesterday he presumes journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and that the US response to Saudi Arabia will likely be "very severe" but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Mr Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One for a political trip. Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Mr Trump said: "Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens."

The Trump administration has made Saudi Arabia a linchpin of its Middle East policy, which seeks to isolate Iran financially and diplomatically.
The Vatican ambassador who accused Pope Francis of rehabilitating a disgraced ex-American cardinal is repeating his criticisms, saying the scourge of homosexuality in the priesthood is responsible for sex abuse and that the Vatican is being hypocritical in refusing to acknowledge it.

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano issued a third instalment on Friday in the war of words over the cover-up of ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

He was responding to a Vatican cardinal who had rebuked him and accused him of mounting a blasphemous political hit job against Francis with his claims.

Mr Vigano has accused Francis of effectively rehabilitating Mr McCarrick, 88, from restrictions imposed during Pope Benedict XVIs papacy because of allegations he pressured seminarians to sleep with him.

It's hypocrisy to refuse to admit that this scourge (homosexuality) is due to a grave crisis in the spiritual life of clergy, and to not take measures to remedy itArchbishop Carlo Maria Vigano

He has called for Francis to resign over the McCarrick scandal, which has sparked a crisis of confidence in the US and Vatican hierarchy.

Francis has responded to the McCarrick allegations by removing him as a cardinal, over an allegation he molested a minor, and by ordering a Vatican investigation into its archives to determine how Mr McCarrick rose through the ranks despite allegations he also molested adults.

Pre-empting the outcome, Cardinal Marc Oullet, who heads the Vaticans bishops office, penned a letter on October 4 saying he had gone through his archives and found no evidence of any formal canonical sanctions signed by any pope.

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In his new missive, Mr Vigano accurately noted that Mr Ouellet actually confirmed the core of his allegations: that Mr McCarrick was placed under some form of restriction, not necessarily formal sanctions, because of alleged sexual misconduct.

Rejecting Mr Ouellets claim that the Vatican only had heard rumours about Mr McCarrick, Mr Vigano listed all the letters that had reached the Vatican starting in 2000, when a priest from a New Jersey seminary first wrote relaying concerns from seminarians invited to Mr McCarricks beach house and into his bed.

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Mr Vigano said he was shocked that Mr Ouellet omitted any reference in his letter to Mr McCarricks victims, or to what he said was the principal cause of so many sexual abuses: homosexuality.

Its hypocrisy to refuse to admit that this scourge is due to a grave crisis in the spiritual life of clergy, and to not take measures to remedy it, he wrote.

While the McCarrick scandal has exposed how seminarians can be vulnerable to sexual abuses by their gay superiors, studies have shown that homosexuals in general are no more likely to abuse than heterosexuals.

Mr Vigano, who was Vatican ambassador to the US from 2011-2016, was allied with the conservative culture warriors among US bishops, particularly in articulating the Catholic Churchs opposition to gay marriage.
Turkish investigators were trying to pinpoint where missing journalist Jamal Khashoggis remains may be as members of staff at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul were interrogated.

Investigators are pursuing the possibility the remains were taken to a forest outside Istanbul or to another city after his suspected killing at the consulate earlier this month.

Ankaras top diplomat, meanwhile, denied sharing any audio from the Saudi Consulate with US officials.

The official told The Associated Press that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the consulate left the building on October 2, the day Mr Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

One of the vehicles travelled to the nearby Belgrade Forest while the other went to the city of Yalova, across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the secrecy of the ongoing investigation.

It was not immediately clear if police had already searched the areas.

Turkish prosecutors meanwhile, questioned 15 Turkish employees of the consulate, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

They include the consuls driver, technicians, accountants and telephone operators, according to the report.

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Earlier, a group of people left the building, got into a van belonging to the Saudi mission and were driven away.

Turkish reports say Mr Khashoggi was brutally murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to Mr Khashoggi, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Prince Mohammeds rise to power.

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President Donald Trump, who first came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but had since backed off, said it certainly looks as though Mr Khashoggi is dead, and that the consequences for the Saudis will have to be very severe if they are found to have killed him.

Saudi Arabia has not responded to repeated requests for comment from the AP over recent days over Mr Khashoggis disappearance.

The pro-government Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak on Wednesday reported that an audio recording of Mr Khashoggis slaying suggests a Saudi team accosted him after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who visited Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week, told reporters on a plane to Mexico that he has neither seen nor heard such a recording.

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Citing an anonymous senior Turkish official, ABC News reported on Thursday that Mr Pompeo heard the alleged recording during meetings in Turkey and received a transcript of it.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also denied sharing any audio recordings with US officials.

It is out of the question for Turkey to give Pompeo or any other US official any audio recording, Mr Cavusoglu told reporters during a visit to Tirana, Albania.

It is out of the question for us to share with any country this or that information.

Of course, as a result of the investigation so far, Turkey does have some information and evidence, he said.

We will share them with the world when they become fully clear because the whole world, understandably, wants to know what happened to Khashoggi and how it happened.

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Also Friday, Turkeys pro-government Sabah newspaper printed more surveillance camera photographs showing members of a Saudi team that was allegedly brought in to Turkey to dispose of Khashoggi.

A leaked surveillance photo published by the same paper on Thursday showed that a member of Prince Mohammeds entourage during several trips abroad had walked into the Saudi consulate, just before the writer disappeared there.

The man, identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, has been photographed in the background of Prince Mohammeds trips to the United States, France and Spain this year.

This week, Turkish crime scene investigators searched the Saudi consul generals residence in Istanbul and carried out a second search of the consulate itself.

Authorities have not said specifically what they found, although technicians carried out bags and boxes from the consul generals home. He left Turkey on Tuesday.

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In related developments, senior government officials from the United States, France, Britain and the Netherlands withdrew from an investment conference in Saudi Arabia amid questions over the kingdoms involvement in Mr Khashoggis disappearance.

The kingdom had hoped to use the event, due to be held in Riyadh on October 23-25, to boost its global image.

Several top business executives have also cancelled their plans to attend, as has the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde.

On Friday, Pakistans foreign ministry said prime minister Imran Khan would travel to Saudi Arabia next week to attend the conference. It said Mr Khan would also meet King Salman.

Mr Khan has been trying to secure bailout loans from IMF to avoid an economic meltdown and is also seeking loans from Riyadh.
People hold signs during a protest at the Embassy of Saudi Arabia (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

Saudi state-run media is reporting that prosecutors in the kingdom believe Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in a fight.

State media also quotes prosecutors as saying 18 Saudi nationals are being held on suspicion of being involved in the Washington Post columnists death.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump says he could consider sanctions against Saudi Arabia over Mr Khashoggi.

President Trump told reporters after signing a presidential memo in Arizona on Friday that he will involve Congress in any decision. But he says he will be making certain recommendations.

He says that it is still too early to determine potential consequences but that he expects to know more by Monday.

He says: Were going to find out who knew what when and where and well figure it out.
US president Donald Trump acknowledged that it certainly looks as though missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened very severe consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him.

His warning came as the administration toughened its response to a disappearance that has sparked global outrage.

Before Mr Trump spoke, the administration announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had pulled out of a major upcoming Saudi investment conference and a US official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader was at stake.

Mr Pompeo said the Saudis should be given a few more days to finish and make public a credible investigation before the US decides how or if to respond.

Mr Trumps comments, however, signalled an urgency in completing the probe into the disappearance of the journalist, last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish reports say Mr Khashoggi, who had written columns critical of the Saudi government for The Washington Post over the past year while he lived in self-imposed exile in the US, was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to the writer.

Leading human rights and journalists organisations have urged Turkey to ask the United Nations to launch an investigation into the disappearance and possible extrajudicial execution of Mr Khashoggi.

Mr Trump, who has insisted that more facts must be known before making assumptions, did not say on what he based his latest statement about the writers likely demise.

Asked if Mr Khashoggi was dead, he said, It certainly looks that way.  Very sad.

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Asked what consequence Saudi leaders would face if they are found to be responsible, he replied: It will have to be very severe. Its bad, bad stuff. But well see what happens.

Vice-president Mike Pence said earlier in Colorado that the world deserves answers about what happened to Mr Khashoggi, and those who are responsible need to be held to account.

In Istanbul, a leaked surveillance photo showed a man who has been a member of the crown princes entourage during trips abroad walking into the Saudi Consulate just before Mr Khashoggi vanished there  timing that drew the kingdoms heir-apparent closer to the columnists apparent demise.

Turkish officials say Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb flew into Istanbul on a private jet along with an autopsy expert on October 2 and left that night.

In Washington, Mr Pompeo, who was just back from talks with Saudi and Turkish leaders, said of the investigations in Istanbul: I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how, or if, the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr Khashoggi.

Today, I was in #SaudiArabia where I met with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Foreign Minister al-Jubeir. We had direct and candid conversations. Wednesday, I fly to Ankara to meet with Turkish officials. Read my full statement here: https://t.co/99fU8gxPEw  Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) October 16, 2018

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said secretary-general Antonio Guterres remained very concerned about Mr Khashoggis fate and has repeatedly called for the truth to come out in this situation.

As a matter of principle, the secretary-general can initiate an investigation if all the parties involved request it, or if theres a legislative mandate from a UN body, Dujarric said. Were a little removed right now.  I think we need to let the initial investigation play out.
Turkish police are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for remains of a Saudi dissident journalist who disappeared two weeks ago after entering the Saudi consulate, two Turkish officials said.

Investigators have also recovered "many samples" from their searches of the consulate and the consul's residence, the senior officials told Reuters, and will now attempt to analyse those for traces of the DNA of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia has denied allegations by Turkish officials who have said Khashoggi was killed inside the building and his body removed.

US president Donald Trump acknowledged that it "certainly looks" as though Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened "very severe" consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him.

His warning came as the administration toughened its response to a disappearance that has sparked global outrage.

Before Mr Trump spoke, the administration announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had pulled out of a major upcoming Saudi investment conference and a US official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader was at stake.

Mr Pompeo said the Saudis should be given a few more days to finish and make public a credible investigation before the US decides "how or if" to respond.

Mr Trump's comments, however, signalled an urgency in completing the probe into the disappearance of the journalist, last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2.

Turkish reports say Mr Khashoggi, who had written columns critical of the Saudi government for The Washington Post over the past year while he lived in self-imposed exile in the US, was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to the writer.
Investigators in Turkey are looking into the possibility that the remains of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been taken to a forest in the outskirts of Istanbul or to another city.

Mr Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi crown prince, is thought to have been killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

An official said police have established that two vehicles belonging to the consulate, left the building on October 2, the day Mr Khashoggi had walked into the consulate and vanished.

One of the vehicles travelled to the nearby Belgrade Forest while the other travelled to the city of Yalova, across the Sea of Marmara from Istanbul, the official said.

It was not immediately clear if police had already searched the areas.

Turkish reports say Mr Khashoggi was brutally murdered and dismembered inside the consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to Mr Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Prince Mohammeds rise to power.

President Donald Trump, who first came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but had since has backed off, said on Thursday that it certainly looks as though Mr Khashoggi is dead.

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He said the consequences for the Saudis will have to be very severe if they are found to have killed him.

The pro-government Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak on Wednesday reported that an audio recording of Mr Khashoggis death suggests a Saudi team accosted him after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who visited Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week, told reporters on a plane to Mexico that he has neither seen nor heard such a recording.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also denied sharing any audio recordings with US officials, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

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During a visit to Albania, Mr Cavusoglu said Turkey would share with the world the results of its investigation into Mr Khashoggis disappearance.

Also Friday, Turkeys pro-government Sabah newspaper printed more surveillance camera photographs allegedly showing members of a Saudi team that was brought in to Turkey to dispose of Mr Khashoggi.

A leaked surveillance photo published by the same paper on Thursday showed that a member of Prince Mohammeds entourage during several trips abroad had walked into the Saudi consulate, just before the writer disappeared there on October 2.

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The man, identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, has been photographed in the background of Prince Mohammeds trips to the United States, France and Spain this year.

This week, Turkish crime scene investigators searched the Saudi consul generals residence in Istanbul and carried out a second search of the consulate itself.

Authorities have not said specifically what they found, although technicians carried out bags and boxes from the consul generals home.

He left Turkey on Tuesday.
He might be just about a dozen films old but in less than a decade, Ayushmann Khurrana has proved himself as an actor. He made his debut with Shoojit Sircar's Vicky Donor in 2012 and went on to do some memorable and hit films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Shubh Mangal Savdhan.

This year, he tried a new genre and his first thriller Andhadhun, directed by Sriram Raghavan, is the best-reviewed film of the year. And now, Khurrana has managed to strike gold with another hit film, Badhaai Ho, which is garnering a positive response.

Talking to PTI, Ayushmann said, "I approach all my films as my first. If you carry that innocence, it reflects in the camera. I know I have become a star but I don't want to believe it. I want to be that simple, no fuss guy who approaches a film as if it is my first movie."

For 34-year old Ayushmann, choosing films is entirely dependent on his intuition. He says,

"My acting career has been quite a ride. After Vicky Donor, I gave two-three unsuccessful films and that was a great learning curve. But Dum Laga Ke Haisha onwards it was cool. I learned so much from all my films, successful or unsuccessful. You start believing in your intuition, your gut feeling. It ultimately depends on the choices you're taking. Everyone is talented today. Your career graph depends on the choice of scripts, nothing else."

For Ayushmann, the best of being grounded is to surround oneself with people who keep things real. He adds,

"To maintain the innocence depends on the kind of people you hang out with. I have made friends from the industry but I still hang out with my Chandigarh friends. Your family can keep you grounded, make you keep things real."

He adds how as an actor, he is always on a hunt to look out for different subjects. He adds,

"My first aspiration is to be consistent. Atul Kasbekar (producer) once said I'm like Rahul Dravid of Bollywood, I pick up the right deliveries and hit the sweet spot, but otherwise, I am chill and never try too hard. That's a great analogy, I love it. The running thread of my career has been different scripts. There isn't any reference point for any of the films -- Vicky Donor, Andhadhun or Badhaai Ho -- so people find it exciting because they haven't seen anything like this. I'm quite proud of it."

On Thursday, his film Bahdaai Ho released that has him as the son of an elderly couple who finds out they would be turning parents for the third time. Talking about the project, he adds,

"It wasn't just that one quirky line 'what to expect when your mother is expecting' but the whole script won me over. Everyone is a hero in the film from Gajraj Rao, Neena Gupta to everyone. It's such a balanced film which focuses on everyone."
On Friday, Fox Star Studios made an announcement, where they mentioned the suspension of Mukesh Chhabra, Bollywood's popular casting agent, from his directorial debut Kizie Aur Manny. Chhabra has been accused of sexual harassment by two aspiring model-actresses.

In their note, the official Fox Star Hindi wrote,

Fox Star India

"As a responsible organization, Star India takes any allegation of sexual harassment of women at workplace very seriously. Hence, Fox Star Studios has suspended the services of Mukesh Chhabra, director of our film Kizie Aur Manny, which is under production, till the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of M/s Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company concludes its inquiry into the allegations against him."





After casting for films like Gangs Of Wasseypur, Kai Po Che!, D-Day and Highway, this was going to be Chhabra's big break as a film director. The allegations made on Chhabra were published in a leading daily but he dismissed the claims by calling them "unsubstantiated wild anonymous allegations".

The film Kizie Aur Manny was going to be the official Hindi remake of Hollywood movie Fault In Our Stars. The film stars Sushant Singh Rajput and newcomer Sanjana Sanghi.

Fox Star Studios

Mukesh Chhabra had tweeted in support of his actor Sushant Singh Rajput, who too was under the scanner for behaving inappropriately with Sanjana Sanghi and for making her "feel uncomfortable."
They might be the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but when it comes to giving us some of the most aww-dorable moments to gush over, they definitely are the best. Their pictures that start floating on the internet make us gush and swoon and it's difficult to get over their chemistry and love.

Agencies

The couple was recently in New South Wales, Australia at an event where Prince Harry gave an inspiring speech. In his speech, he said,

"'You are the salt of the earth  honest, hardworking and as tough as they come. And that resilience, sense of humor and commitment to the land are the qualities that make you unique. You are the backbone of this country.'  Thank you to everyone that came out in the rain in Dubbo to meet The Duke and Duchess of Sussex!"

But the speech wasn't the highlight of this event but it was how Meghan held an umbrella in the cold windy rain for Prince Harry that made everyone gush. The pictures that are floating on the internet are breaking all records of cuteness.

Agencies

Agencies

The internet is not being to handle these cute PDA moments and everyone had a collective meltdown.

Agencies

Here is how people reacted to this 'filmy' scene.

This photo of Meghan Markle holding an umbrella for Prince Harry as he gives a speech in the rain is going to be the cutest thing youll see all day. pic.twitter.com/bbA3SU2Jpe  Mike Sington (@MikeSington) October 17, 2018

She carries her own coat, she bakes banana bread, she holds the umbrella for her man... Meghan Markle we are not worthy #australiaroyaltour #dubbo pic.twitter.com/z6KTH6Zwt9  Julia Naughton (@JuliaNaughton) October 17, 2018

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry sharing an umbrella and looking at each other like this is too much for my hormones to handle  pic.twitter.com/rai3MuywqU  The Beauty Kingdom (@BeautyKingdomUK) October 17, 2018

How can Meghan Markle make such a mundane task of holding an umbrella look so effortlessly glorious and inspiring? I can't #RoyalVisitAustralia pic.twitter.com/RnrRYiDaMO  Denise Evans (@DeniseKEvans) October 17, 2018

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle = I love everything about these two. The way shes holding the umbrella for him. Yep, thats love!  pic.twitter.com/b4QU5FLilo  Nefertiti Jaquez (@NefertitiWSB) October 18, 2018 How sweetMeghan is holding the umbrella for HarryMy heart pic.twitter.com/knDapTKLfF  look_of_love (@E190518) October 17, 2018 Just to jog your memory, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry married this year in May and the couple is expecting their first baby. The news was announced in an official statement that read, Agencies

"Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019. Their Royal Highnesses have appreciated all of the support they have received from people around the world since their wedding in May and are delighted to be able to share this happy news with the public. "
Tanushree Dutta kick-started the #MeToo movement in India and many people are thankful for this as it gave them the courage to share their heartbreaking stories of being harassed.

While #MeToo India's chapter has come like a reckoning for many but actor Renuka Shahane thinks that there are still uncountable, unknown stories of women who have faced sexual harassment and abuse that are waiting to be heard.

The actor says she also has a story but she was not wronged by someone famous. Talking to PTI, Renuka said,

Agencies

I dont think theres a single woman who does not have a #MeToo story. My story does not involve anyone famous. It happened a long time ago but it impacted me for the longest time. It has colored how I view things. I have spent my entire life traveling in local trains and buses. You are constantly aware that you will get pinched, your breast will be pressed and so on. It doesnt matter if youre underage, married or pregnant. Its a never-ending list."

The actor, who unfailingly voices her opinions on important issues on social media, was recently announced as a member of an advisory committee by CINTAA (Cine And TV Artistes Association) to tackle sexual harassment in the industry, where the movement first began with Tanushree Dutta reiterating her decade-old harassment story against Nana Patekar.

Agencies

After Nana Patekar, there have been several people who have been called out for their sexual misconduct and this long list includes Alok Nath, Sajid Khan, Subhash Ghai, Kailash Kher and Rajat Kapoor being accused of sexual harassment and in some cases of rape.

Shahane, 53, says she did not face any sexual harassment in the industry but its just a matter of luck.

There have been propositions but when I refused the people respected my decision, so theres that.

Naths misbehavior was one of industrys worst-kept secret, Shahane says, corroborating accounts of Sandhya Mridul, Himani Shivpuri and Deepika Amin. She adds it was years after she worked with the actor in Rajshri Productions Hum Aapke Hain Koun! and DD show Imtihaan that she got to know about Naths alleged behavior when magazines splashed the news of Tara star Navneet Nishan slapping him.

Tara writer-producer Vinta Nanda has accused Nath of sexual harassment and rape from almost two decades ago.

Agencies

Everyone knew that once he downed a drink, he would become another person. When I read Sandhya Mriduls account, I thought at least he admitted it to her. But we see over the years, the behavior just went on and on. I was not a party person, perhaps thats why I never experienced anything with him, she says, adding Rajshri always maintained strict discipline on its film sets.

Everybody behaves in a very different way on a Rajshri set, she says.

Some sections of the society have branded #MeToo as a witch-hunt or public lynching with even innocent mens reputation being torched on social media. Shahane strongly disagrees, saying nobody wants an innocent person behind the bars but the movement has come into existence because the legal route is long and tedious. She adds,

The burden to prove the truth is heavy. Thats why the movement has been important because at least they are being named and shamed. Yes, there will be some posts that will be shared out of revenge but most of the people who have been named and shamed like MJ Akbar and Alok Nath have been known to be serial offenders for years. These people have made life miserable for women for years altogether. I dont see it as lynching. They are moving court for defamation cases. Women are standing up. If they were not sure of such accusations, they would not be standing up."

Shahane is happy that industry bodies such as CINTAA, Indian Film & Television Directors Association, and Screen Writers Association and Producers Guild of India are taking steps to ensure a safe working environment for women in showbiz. The actor says now the people who have faced sexual harassment in the industry will have a place to go to where they can be heard.

All these associations have taken a very positive and strong reaction on the issue. CINTAA has taken it seriously from day one. Im really happy that men like Sushant Singh and Amit Behl have stood up and decided that enough is enough. It is important to understand that it is not a womens movement, its a human movement. Irrespective of the gender, we all have to work together. Sexual harassment has no place in the workplace and it has to be done away with. It cant be a rule rather than being an exception. That so many people knew about it and did nothing, now that cannot be acceptable, she says.
While researchers are still struggling to find a concrete cure to prevent/stop the spread of HIV, a recent research has found that an antiviral blue pill taken by several men across Sydney and other parts of Australia has led to the reduction in the emergence of new cases of HIV.

The antiviral, which is a preventative approach, could help the process of ending the AIDS epidemic.

adamsmith.org

The use of this pill has already led to a reduction of new cases of HIV among gay and bisexual men by a third, as reported by Bloomberg. The discovery could lead to the prevention of the spread and transmission of viruses to other countries.

The speed of the decline weve seen in new HIV infections in gay and bisexual men is a world first, said study leader Andrew Grulich, head of HIV epidemiology and prevention at the Kirby Institute of the University of New South Wales. These numbers are the lowest on record since HIV surveillance began in 1985.

The blue, oval-shaped pill is a combination of the drugs tenofovir, disoproxil and emtricitabine.

mannschaft.com

The Truvada pill, manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc., is set to become an affordable and cheaply available medicine for people. Truvada (TVD) would be used in the treatment called pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP to stop/prevent the transmission and risk of acquiring HIV.

PrEP works very effectively when people at a very high risk for HIV undergo the treatment on a regular basis to reduce their risk of getting infected, as shown in the study published the Lancet HIV medical journal.

Although the study has been primarily tested on non-heterosexual populations, it does demonstrate a highly cost-effective treatment in a certain population, at least for now.

alternativeeconomics.co

While we've known for at least three or four years now of individual-level efficacy of PrEP, there has been some reticence around the world by policymakers to properly fund the roll-out of PrEP because the population impact hasn't been shownand that's what we set out to do, Grulich added.

There are already about 180,000 people in the U.S. taking Truvada for PrEP by the end of June.
Toxic smog has once again threatened to engulf the National Capital Region (NCR) as farmers in parts of Haryana and Punjab have begun to burn their crop residue.

And the zika virus, spread by Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, has mysteriously raised its head in Rajasthan, having already infected about 90 people and worrying health officials.

Now a team led by Sabyasachi Sarkar, visiting professor and nano-technologist at the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST) in Shibpur, West Bengal, has proposed a single solution to solve these twin problems.

reuters/representational image

The novel method (for simultaneous mosquito and smog control) has been reported in a recent issue of the Journal of Vector Borne Diseases.

The female Aedes mosquitoes that spread dengue, chikungunya, and zika viruses, lay eggs in water bodies along the roadside and in decorative flower pots and vases in homes or offices.

In laboratory studies, the researchers have now shown that water-soluble nano-carbon particles (wsNCP) dissolved in water prevent respiration of mosquito larvae, causing anoxia (lack of oxygen) and ultimately their death. In fact, the larvae exposed to these nano-particles fail to reach even the pupae stageone step before becoming an adult mosquito.

reuters/representational image

"And interestingly, these nano-carbon particles, that are a potent new weapon against the Aedes mosquitoes, can be obtained from 'controlled burning' of crop residue," Sarkar, formerly a chemistry professor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, told this correspondent.

The odorless nano-carbon thus produced is environment friendly and is non-toxic to humans. It has also been shown to be harmless to fish and other living species in water, the report says.

For their study, the researchers collected a few Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae from a shallow pool near their institute and reared them in an aquarium containing "fluorescent" wsCNP at a concentration of three micro-grams per millilitre (3ig/ml).

reuters/representational image

According to the report, "fluorescent imaging" of the entire life cycle of mosquitoes revealed that larvae exposed to the carbon nano-particles died even before attaining the pupae stage.

The nano-particles displayed a unique property by getting deposited over the air tube of the larvae choking their respiration causing anoxia and death.

"Based on these observations it can be concluded that the use of non-toxic, wsCNP is safe to prevent growth of mosquitoes in water pots and other hot-spots around house-hold premises," says the report.

reuters/representational image

"These nano-particles could be economically produced and preserved in the solid form for a long time and can be used as and when required by people without any need to spray chemical insecticides or fogging," Sarkar said. "Once added to water, being non-destructive, it may not require much replenishment."

Sarkar said their study has incidentally shown a solution to the air pollution over the nation's capital due to uncontrolled crop residue burning in neighbouring states.

"Under controlled burning of the crop residue, one can get tonnes of such nano products with little chemical modification," Sarkar said. "This carbon based nano-powder so obtained can be distributed to the people for application on any suspected waterbody near homes, offices and schools."

reuters/representational image

However some experts are sceptical about nano-carbon emerging as a weapon against mosquitoes.

"This will work only in a petri-dish," Payyalore Rajagopalan, former director of the health ministry's Vector Control Research Centre in Puducherry told this correspondent in an email, adding: "But not in nature."
Dussehra is an important festival not just because of the celebrations associated with it but also because it's our yearly reminder that good always and always wins over evil.

Most of us are acquainted with the story of Ramayana. However, there are various characters who dont find enough appreciation because we have a habit of looking at the world in black and white while it operates in the shade of grey.

One such character is Trijata who was a demoness in the service of Ravana. When Ravana brought the abducted Sita to his palace, he told Trijata and other demonesses to convince Sita to marry him.

inyaa/deviantart

Maa Sita refused to stay inside Ravanas palace and hence, it was decided that her place of captivity will be Ashoka Vatika. Ravana appointed rakshasis or demonesses as her guards and gave them a strict instruction: they had to convince her to forget Lord Rama and marry him.

All the rakshasis took Ravanas orders very seriously and started harassing a distraught Sita. They were exceptionally rude to her and their manner of speaking wasnt just disrespectful but also heartbreaking. They taunted her about Lord Ramas exile while telling her that Ravana possessed immense wealth. They spoke at length about how she was a lucky woman that their king wanted to marry her.

hindu blog

For Sita, who had been through the trauma of being tricked by Ravana dressed up as a brahmin, eventually being abducted by him and brought to a land far away from her husband with no means of communicating with him, their taunts and crass behaviour only made her feel even more lonely.

It was at this point that Trijata stepped in. She gave a good earful to her fellow rakshasis for their behaviour towards Sita. According to the original Ramayana written by Valmiki, this is the instance where Trijata narrates to them her prophetic dream where she saw Lanka getting burnt down by a vanara (monkey) and Lord Rama coming to rescue Sita. Trijata tells the rakshasis to apologize to Sita instead of harassing her. Since Trijata is the oldest one, they do obey her.

This becomes an important point not just because of the prophetic dream but also because Trijatas words comfort Sita who is extremely scared about her fate. One can only understand how relieved Sita would have felt by Trijata's presence. To have someone save you from the rude behaviour of strangers while youre held captive away from your loved one is obviously the only silver lining you can see and Trijata came as exactly that for Maa Sita.

youtube

Over time, Trijata becomes Sitas confidant and the only warm relationship she develops in her captivity. As a result, Ravana asks Trijata to accompany Sita to the battlefield when Lord Rama comes with his vanar sena to rescue her. There is a point where Sita thinks Rama has died and becomes distraught with grief. Her whole world falls apart but even at this point, it is Trijata who reassures her that he is very much alive and would come to rescue her from the clutches of the evil king.

Trijata does admit that it's because Sitas nature, which is so gentle and her morals so strong, that it was absolutely impossible to not love her.

Even though Trijata was a rakshasi, her heart was pure. She went against her master and stood up for Sita during her most difficult time. Trijata's story is an example that even on the darkest days, there's always a glimmer of hope, given you never leave the side of righteousness.
The Pune Police detained Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Shirdi.

The police action came after Desai threatened to block the PM convoy after she was denied permission to meet him.

ANI

She had earlier sought a meeting with the PM Modi to discuss the Supreme Courts recent verdict on women entry in Sabarimala temple in Kerala.

The police was already here this morning as we were about to leave for Shirdi. It is wrong. It is our Constitutional right to protest. We are being stopped at home only. It is an attempt to suppress our voice, she said.

ANI

Desai's detention comes amid rumours on social media in Kerala that she will soon visit the famed hill shrine, after the SC order allowed entry of women from all age groups there.

Since the past couple of days, a number of false messages have been circulating on social media in Kerala with photos and number of the car which Desai is supposedly travelling in disguise to visit the Sabarimala temple.

Desai who was one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court demanding women entry in Sabarimala had earlier successfully led the agitation for the entry of women into the inner sanctum of Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra.
Dozens of people were killed and many others injured when a train ran into a crowd celebrating Dussehra in Punjabs Joda Phatak, close to Amritsar.

The incident happened when the crowd was watching a Ravana effigy burn nearby around 7 pm.

#Punjab: An eyewitness says, a train travelling at a fast speed ran over several people during Dussehra celebrations, in Choura Bazar near Amritsar pic.twitter.com/JziMF03JyS  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

According to initial reports, a large number of people had entered the railway track after the effigies were set on fire and the crackers began busting.

It was not immediately clear how such a large crowd managed to enter the track.

#Punjab: Eyewitness say, "The administration and the Dussehra committee are at fault, they should have raised an alarm when the train was approaching, they should have made sure that the train halts or slows down." #Amritsar pic.twitter.com/xdwXpr0L1H  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Witnesses said the train came out of nowhere and the crowd was unaware of it due to the loud noise of the crackers.

There were reportedly around 700 people at the accident spot, according to news agency IANS.

"The administration and the Dussehra committee are at fault, they should have raised an alarm when the train was approaching, they should have made sure that the train halts or slows down," an eyewitness told news agency ANI.

Police said they are still assessing the number of fatalities, however, eyewitnesses say the figure could be more than 50.
Amid the prevailing tensions over the entry of women from all age groups in Kerala's Sabarimala temple, the custodians of the temple, the erstwhile royal family of Pandalam and the high priests have hardened their stands.

Pandalam Palace Trust has written a letter to the functionaries of the Sabarimala temple asking them to shut down the temple if any ritual was broken.

AFP

The letter addressed to the executive and the administrative officers of the Sabarimala Devaswom, said that if anything happens at the temple against the rituals, it must be shut down.

Following this the temple's chief priest Kandararu Rajeevaru said he will shut the shrine and hand over the keys to management if women in the menstruating age climbed up the 18 steps to the temple.

ANI

While appealing to women of menstrual age not to come to Sabarimala, Rajeevaru said he stands with the protesting devotees and cannot let the rituals be broken.

Rajeevaru made the comment earlier in the day while two women, a Telangana based journalist and an activist from Kerala were on their way to the shrine.

REUTERS

Following the priest's statement to shut the temple, the police which had accompanied the two women convinced them to climb down the hill.

Earlier the government had tried reaching out to the royal family and the priests to reach a consensus on allowing women in the temple but failed to reach an agreement.

AFP

Sasikumar Varma, president of the Pandalam Palace Coordination Committee, had said that royal family should not be blamed if devotees block the way of women pilgrims who come to Sabarimala.

Both the royal family and the high priests have been from the beginning opposing women entry in the temple, which they say are against the rituals.
Some of the very famous schools in Dehradun have denied admission to a class X girl who was allegedly gang-raped by four other students at a boarding school in the state capital last month, claimed the survivors advocate.

Advocate Aruna Negi Chauhan, the survivors lawyer, said, The CBSE itself had given us the list of schools to be approached to seek admission. However, when we went to the schools, all of them said that they cannot admit students in the middle of the semester.

The biggest shock came when the family approached one of the prestigious schools in the city, which turned them away citing the girls "past".

representational image

Her parents had completed all the formalities and were having lunch at the school itself when an official suddenly informed them that the girl cannot be admitted since she was a rape victim, Chauhan said.

The girls parents have lodged a complaint with the local police.

Chauhan said she has sent written complaints against the school to Dehradun SSP Nivedita Kukreti, CBSE, education department as well as the chief minister and education minister, but is yet to hear from them. I sent formal complaints against the school on Tuesday seeking the cancellation of the schools affiliation, but I am yet to hear from the authorities, she said.

bccl/representational image

When contacted, Dehradun SSP Nivedita Kukreti told TOI, Though we have not received any formal complaint yet, but we found out by speaking to the relatives of the survivor that a private school has denied her admission. We are taking legal opinion in the matter and our team will visit the school in question to investigate the charges levelled by the girls family.

An official from the CBSE said that they had helped the family of the survivor in every way. We had proposed a number of schools to them where the girl could get admission and facilitated some of the meeting as well, said the official.

bccl/representational image

The 16-year-old was allegedly raped in a residential school in Doon in August. The matter was reported in September when the girl got pregnant. Police investigation revealed how brazenly the school management, including the principal and the school director, tried to cover up the matter.

The principal and the school director were among five school officials arrested for trying to destroy evidence. Four of the students who were accused of raping the girl were also detained and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, which sent them to a juvenile home in Haridwar.
In a heartwarming incident, a pizza outlet in Michigan US went out of its way to deliver the restaurant's special pizza to a man battling cancer. According to Fox News, when Julie and Rich Morgan lived in Michigan 25 years ago, their one biggest love was Steve's Pizza.

After they moved to Indianapolis, their love for pizza from Steve's Pizza remained strong, so much so, they planned trip to Michigan just to get a bite. Unfortunately, Rich, who has been battling cancer was rushed to a hospital just after they made that plan.

Doctors told Julie that Rich didn't have much time.

Devastated by the news, Julie's father decided to do something special for him. He called the pizzeria and asked if they could send Rich a card to cheer them up. However, the manager there, named Dalton, went a step further and drove all the way just give Rich his favourite Pizza!

"Without hesitation Dalton asked what kind of pizza we wanted, and told my father he would bring it to us (by the way, Steve's doesn't deliver). My dad clarified that we were in Indianapolis, at least three and a half hours away from Battle Creek. Dalton said he understood that, and would leave after he closed the store," said Julie in her Facebook post.

"And so, while Rich and I slept, at 2:30 AM, Dalton rolled into our driveway, left the car running and delivered two extra special pizzas to my waiting family."

"I had to, I was super tired, but I made it and that's what counts. It was worth it. I'm glad I did that," said Dalton to Battle Creek Enquirer. "I just wanted to do that for them. I just wanted to make them happy."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 19)  The French literary classic "The Little Prince" now has not one, but two translations in Chavacano -- the Spanish creole language based primarily in Zamboanga City.

"El Principe Nino" is translated by Robin Atilano De Los Reyes, who chairs the Languages Department at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University. This edition comes from the Germany-based publisher Edition Tintenfass, and is the 94th translation from the company.

De Los Reyes, who noted that the orthography of Chabacano had "yet to be standardized," took five months to translate the book. He drew from dictionaries by Bernardino Camins and Rolando Santos, and when spellings differed, he turned to their origin. He used Spanish, Tagalog and Cebuano spellings for words that came from those languages.

"It was challenging, but it was my desire to contribute to the preservation of Chabacano that sustained my energy to finish it," said De Los Reyes.

The professor said he wants to contribute to a larger archive of the language for scholars, and help preserve Chabacano for future generations.

"This is important because Chabacano is taught in schools... yet teachers do not have adequate resources to go by their teaching," he added.

"For Chabacano readers, [my hope is they will] appreciate the beauty of the language and... encourage them to use the language in other projects."

The second translation of the literary classic, "El Diutay Principe," was self-published by Chabacano enthusiast Jerome Herrera. Hailing from Zamboanga, Herrera is a former bilingual customer service representative, working in Spanish for a multi-national company in Metro Manila. He founded the blog Bien Chabacano, which chronicles Herrera's journey of discovering the language of his hometown.

Herrera used the Chabacano orthography recommended by the Zamboanga City government. He took a more traditional approach to translation when the text was figurative, but tried to sound natural for the rest of the text.

"I hope that the book will serve as a preeminent piece of Chabacano literature and will help Chabacano evolve into a standardized written language in the future," said Herrera.

He said he also invested in the production of the book, because he wanted to show Chabacano readers that it was "not a third class language."

"Often, Chabacano speakers themselves feel that their language is inferior to Filipino or to English and I think that this is primarily because most works in those languages are generally of better quality compared to the ones in Chabacano," he said.

Originally titled "Le Petit Prince," the 1943 novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is one of the most popular literary works in the world. It chronicles the adventures of a boy known only as the Little Prince, as told to an aviator who crashed in the Sahara Desert. It also has a translation in Filipino, "Ang Munting Prinsipe."

Floraime Pantaleta, an instructor at the Western Mindanao State University, has not yet read the two renditions of "The Little Prince" -- but she says the efforts are a big step towards making the language more visible. Pantaleta is a budding Chabacano translator herself, most prominently having translated "Amina y el Ciudad del Maga Flores (Amina and the City of Flowers" by Christina Newhard, a children's book about a young Yakan weaver.

Pantaleta stressed that translation is more about evoking culture and experience, not just words. She said translations must work within "the realities of these languages, and not just to work in remembrance of [them]."

"These two editions of [The Little Prince] is indication that we all think of Chabacano, no matter how far away from Zamboanga we go," said Pantaleta.

"I would like to think that these regional efforts in translating English into our native tongues all contribute slowly but productively to the revitalization of our mother tongues-coming home, as I would think of it, to our languages," she added.
Just a few days ago we heard of Panna Singh Pakorewale from Ludhiana had surrendered Rs 60 lakh to the Income Tax department. But there's another guy who has surpassed his income and it's insane. The famous chaatwala in Patiala had an undisclosed income of Rs 1.20 crore which baffled the tax officials.

According to TOI, after his disclosure, the owner of the chaat business will have to pay income tax of approximately Rs 52 lakh.

A discreet survey was conducted and Income Tax people were secretly monitoring the footfall at the shop.

The income-tax officials found that not only had this chaatwala amassed unaccounted income but he'd made huge investments in immovable property. That's not all, he also built two party halls and claimed nothing less than 2-3 lakhs for serving chaat during occasions.

He also has booking offices on Sirhind road where he takes bulk orders for marriages and other functions. Talk about being ambitious!
A Hindu devotee walk to the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in the southern state of Kerala Oct. 18. - Hindu hardliners blocked intersections, threatened drivers, threw stones at buses and ordered a 12-hour strike Oct. 18 as they stepped up their campaign to bar women of menstruating age from the Sabarimala temple. (Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images)
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MongoDBs shift away from the Affero GPL to its homegrown Server-Side Public License (SSPL) can be cast as a way to clarify what open source means in the cloud or, rather, what it should mean. But its also very clearly an attempt to push Chinese cloud providers into paying up in cash or code if they want to strip-mine an open source project for cash while giving nothing back, as a recent interview with MongoDB CEO Dev Ittycheria makes clear.

It is one thing to square up with Chinas Alibaba or Tencent, however, and quite another to actually get satisfaction. Or, as Gartner analyst Nick Heudecker has stated, Its one thing to have a license. Defending it in court is another thing entirely.

The open source money problem

Popularity is the blessing and curse of commercial open source projects. For community-driven projects, its perhaps aggravating to have an Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure embrace your project (Postgres is an example), turn it into a cloud service, and contribute little to nothing backbut no money is lost by the community in consequence. Sure, some community members may struggle, but arguably such behavior doesnt threaten the projects very existence.

Commercial open source is different.

For example, in its press release announcing the license change, MongoDB repeatedly stressed how much it directly invests in R&D for the database: We have invested approximately $300 million in R&D over the past decade to offer a modern, general-purpose, open source database for everyone. With the added protection of the SSPL, we can continue to invest in R&D and further drive innovation and value for the community.

This is great, but it calls out the Achilles heel of commercial open source projects: Theyre heavily reliant on a single vendor. A community can likely withstand a cloud provider taking without giving. A company? Not so much.

For example, while MySQL had a great exit as a company, selling to Sun for $1 billion (on roughly $100 million in revenue), AWS has made orders of magnitude more money than either company (or new owner Oracle) ever has. Google and others have contributed back to MySQL, but to this day most investment comes from Oracle, its owner. MySQL is a great database, but think of how much better it would be if the web giants gave back even 10 percent of the value they derive from it.

And so its understandable that MongoDB and others would seek to prevent the megaclouds from strip-mining their projects, particularly in China, where loose interpretations of open source licensing have already opened the door to Alibaba, Tencent, and Yandex offering MongoDB as a service without contributing any code back.

Not that this new license will stop them.

Big in China, bit by China

As recent court cases in China suggest, Chinese companies tend to equate open source with free. That free means something different in China, as Markus Deck and Phillipe Heinzke wrote: In recent court cases litigating open source licenses, the defendants believed that when software contains code licensed as open source, the software automatically becomes open source and can be freely used. This represents the most common misunderstanding about open-source licenses, particularly the GPL and copyleft concept, in China. While Chinese courts havent necessarily enforced this laissez-faire view, its not hard to imagine the cloud providers feeling justified in using MongoDB or other AGPL-licensed softwarein fact, feeling entitled to do sowithout in turn open-sourcing derivative works.

Its also not surprising they feel somewhat insulated from New York-based MongoDB. I would imagine their response to MongoDBs outreach over potential license violations would go something like this: . Loosely translated: Go ahead and sue me. Ill see you in court ... in Beijing.

Or as database developer Paul Ramsey notes, MongoDBs going to drag Alibaba into court in China and get satisfaction when they violate this new license? You know, we just got a new bridge in Victoria, and Im willing to sell you the old one for a song. Loosely translated: Good luck with that.

Having the open source license on your side doesnt mean its going to help much in China, which hasnt traditionally cared much for Western conceptions of intellectual property (though this has been changing).

Any upside is limited

MongoDB attempts to curtail Chinese siphoning of its code for cloud services without giving back code may prove futile. In North America and Western Europe, however, its likely to have a more chilling effect on the clouds attempts to use its software. But even that may not result in additional code.

Which may, of course, be the point. As much I want to see more infrastructure code shared as a result, I imagine the public clouds in the West will keep building their alternatives and eschew MongoDB. That works fine for MongoDBs revenue modeland it is fine for the cloud providers, too.

The real loser in the licensing kerfuffle is the industry that could get better infrastructure for running popular open source projects at scale. Thats a miss. Its not MongoDBs fault, as it didnt invent the problem, but its still a miss.

Cloud Native Computing Foundation executive Chris Aniszczyk believes you solve open source sustainability in the long term by having companies give back by hiring maintainers, not tip jars.

While open source has never been stronger, its likely that well see less commercial open source, even if we do get the exhaust of the Microsofts, Facebooks, etc. of the world that can afford to give code away without need for cash in return. This is a great source of code, but it will be a miss if we dont also find ways to ensure commercial open source can thrive, too, without worrying about the big cloud providers sucking out all value without any R&D contribution back.
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The award was an acknowledgment of Godriks outstanding contribution in managing or assisting people with an injury or disability to achieve sustainable return-to-work or return-to-community outcomes.

At GB, we take pride in providing an important service to the community, said John McNamara, GB Australias CEO. Samantha has absolutely demonstrated this through the work she has done with her customers in helping them return to work and return to community. Were incredibly proud that Samantha has been recognised by PIEF for the work she does, [and] she is a very deserving winner."

GB also congratulated Danielle Birchmore, who was a finalist in the category of Excellence in Customer Service.
We are proud to be working with Steve Redel and his team, said Marshal Seeman, president of Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty. To bring a 75-year-old agency, with tremendous client relationships, into our family is a great feeling.

Steve Redel and his crew will be working with Steve Phillips and our First Choice team out of Poplar Bluff to enhance our Midwestern client base, said Brett Williams, vice president of Seeman Holtz Property & Casualty.
I think its a very exciting time in the E&S market and there are lots of opportunities for growth, DiBattista told Insurance Business. Traditionally, we used to see exposure in the big major states of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, but with the economy growing, it has been fantastic for the E&S market because there has been diversification into other states like Washington and Utah. Since last year, there has been a 6% increase to date in the E&S space and thats really attributable to the economy being good.

Expansion into new territories like North Carolina and Washington are particularly exciting to DiBattista because theyve never historically had strong E&S segments. He said he sees good opportunities for growth in construction verticals, real estate, and hospitality - especially in some of the newer E&S markets.

I think the challenge is still going to be with rates and a lot of capacity in the marketplace  its tougher for the market to harden. Those are really the negatives, DiBattista commented. And, its all about differentiating yourself from the competitors - such as developing specialized expertise in specific industry segments and working more closely with your internal colleagues in admitted lines to offer integrated solutions.

Extra capacity in the E&S marketplace is helping to spread out risk and stabilize rates. After the catastrophe losses in 2017, projections were cast suggesting rates would sky-rocket with double digit increases in property lines, as well as some hardening in casualty lines. However, DiBattista says the E&S market hasnt seen dramatic rate swings, and this is because of the extra capacity.

I do see rates hardening, but I think its going to be more by state and also by class of business  so I think its going to be pockets, DiBattista noted. For example, transportation was one line that recently hardened up really quickly because a lot of the losses caught up  so I think its going to be state specific as well as class of business.
Catastrophe risk modeling firm AIR Worldwide had also pegged insured losses resulting from Michael at around the same range, between $6 billion and $10 billion.

Although the estimated insured losses are in the billions, Hartwig believes the damages could have been much worse had the hurricane hit more populous areas.

If there is a silver lining here, its the fact that where Michael came ashore and where it went inland, these areas are not particularly densely populated relative to most of the coast of Florida," Hartwig explained. "If it had hit Miami or Tampa, wed be talking something quite different here.

Hartwig also noted that insurance companies altogether held a record $761 billion in capital for paying claims.

So, they entered the 2018 hurricane season with financial strength that was unparalleled in history, he noted.

That financial strength is more than enough to handle the potential $11 billion in claims from Michael, as well as $2.5 billion worth of losses from Florence.

In contrast, when Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria caused $55 billion in property losses, insurers had to tap into reinsurance to cover the high costs.
This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic.

First on the Market

Ten years ago, CoreLogic (at the time, EQECAT) introduced the use of global Atmosphere-Ocean-General-Circulation Models (AOGCM) for insurance-oriented assessments of windstorms in Europe. They were used for long, continuous simulations of past, present and future storm activity affecting properties around the world. Performed in collaboration with renowned universities, these simulations helped to reduce and better quantify the uncertainty associated with the modeling of insurance losses for this peril.

Flowing into the generation of more advanced stochastic event sets for the Eurowind model, these physically-based findings supplanted previous forms of assessment, for example, the classic expert opinion regarding probable maximum storm scenarios.

The advantage of climate model simulations lies in its length. The models are typically run for centuries. During this time all the components of the coupled Earth System, such as the atmosphere, ocean, ice, vegetation and atmospheric chemistry have enough time to interact with each other to produce physically sound results. They can simulate all types of oscillations and modes observed in our real climate and give indication of extreme, not yet observed storm scenarios.

As it continues to be refined and improved, AOGCMs are and will remain the most valuable and foundational tool we have at our disposal to better understand and manage scenarios leading to large socioeconomic and property losses.

Hybrid Hazard & Tail Risk

Long climate model simulations produce a very large amount of data which is not directly actionable for the insurance industry. In Europe the raw AOGCM output is typically not available to commercial entities.

This situation highlighted the importance of collaboration between academic experts, the insurance industry and commercial developers of risk models. Such a collaboration was initiated by CoreLogic 10 years ago in response to this need, at first with the Free University of Berlin and later also the University of Birmingham. Both universities are renowned for their expertise in the area of applied European windstorm research, producing results directly applicable to insurance-oriented problems.

To supplant the expert opinion on storm scenarios beyond the historical 50-year mark to, say, the two hundred year level, CoreLogic created their first Hybrid Hazard in 2008. This was in response to the need for less uncertainty by companies trying to better understand their tail risk and manage the allocation of their reserves.

In this first Hybrid Hazard, the accuracy of measured gust wind speeds was complemented by the length and temporal homogeneity of an AOGCM simulation of the 1860-2000 European storm climate. The gust wind speed measurements were used for the compilation of high-resolution footprints of damaging historical storms of the last 50 years, the AOGCM simulations, performed with the ECHAM5* model, for the generation of the corresponding stochastic event set of Eurowind.

Analyzed and recalculated by the Free University of Berlin, the ECHAM5 output was converted to dozen storm variables directly useable by CoreLogic in their stochastic modelling of windstorms. The analysis allowed a substantially better portrayal of storms larger than those observed in the last 50 years. Furthermore, it also helped to identify the physical thresholds of extreme storms, provided information on clustering patterns, and narrowed the range of their frequency.

Near Term & Diversification of Risk

The storm climate goes through various oscillations and longer-term trends, and so do the related insurance losses. Lower mode, quasi-decadal oscillations are becoming increasingly apparent in European windstorm loss records of the past decades. Higher in the 1990s, lower in the past 10 years, these oscillations in losses are a prime discussion topic within the insurance industry nowadays.

These fluctuations are assumed to be partially driven by slow oceanic processes. CoreLogic dedicated a further collaborative phase with the universities to this topic with the ultimate goal of an improved multi-year predictability of storm activity impacting multi-year industry transactions such as the insurance-linked securities market.

Their initial findings based on a coupled ECHAM5-MPIOM** model indicated that the European storm season tends to be preceded and furthered by a more active overturning in the Atlantic Ocean. Further advances in this area are expected to come from the evaluation of near-term European storm climate simulations using very high-resolution climate models. This was part of a CoreLogic-supported application for a project at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center.

Better allocation of capital resources is important from both near-term, as well as longer term perspective. CoreLogic investigations aimed at a longer time horizon gave further insights into potential future activity of severe European storms at the end of the 21st century. Converted to a What-If Eurowind loss scenario, they have indicated that the projected doubling of the frequency of Daria-like storms could entail an approximate ten percent increase in European market losses at the end of the century.

All these investigations are performed with the aim of providing CoreLogic clients with better and most-up-to-date risk management guidance. In this sense, the Europe basin based investigations are currently being extended to include correlations with Atlantic Hurricanes. This to provide a real potential benefit for insurance companies seeking to diversify their risk pertaining to both tropical and extratropical storms.

Millennium Simulation & Extreme Scenarios

Better understanding of the variability of storm activity is one of the most cited topics of interest in European insurance circles dealing with property losses due to this peril. To be able to provide their clients with a guidance on this issue in their second version of the Hybrid Hazard (incorporated in the most recent Eurowind model) CoreLogic replaced the 140-year long AOGCM run with the so-called Millennium simulation. In addition to that have they enhanced Eurowind stochastic events set with additional storms physically downscaled from the same source.

The Millennium simulation is a 1200-year long global run of an Earth System Model. It continuously covers the historical period 800-2000 and is driven by real historical forcing, as best known. Besides contributing to a statistically more robust stochastic event set and being a basis for regional downscaling, it has the advantage of containing hundreds of low-frequency climatic cycles.

Some of these cycles, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), a seesaw between the subtropical High and polar Low-pressure systems over the North Atlantic Ocean and Europe, are known to have significant influence on the activity of extra-tropical storms over Europe.***

CoreLogic has used characteristics of this millennium-long simulation to extract all the positive phases of the NAO and to compile them into one composite. This composite has then been used for the generation of a loss scenario characteristic of the positive phase of the NAO.

With the release of RQE v.18, this option is an integral part of the Eurowind model and at direct disposal to clients. It gives the users the opportunity to test the performance of their portfolios under specific phases of storm activity and thus help with allocation of reserves at regional level.

In Short

Since the introduction to the area of insurance-oriented catastrophe risk modelling 10 years ago, AOGCMs have become an integral part of many probabilistic windstorm risk models. CoreLogic was and continues to be a pioneer of this approach. By collaborating extensively with the academic sector, CoreLogic persists in seeking to provide the most up-to-date, applied catastrophe modelling solutions for the insurance sector.

* The name ECHAM5 fuses the EC (from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast model) with the HAM, for Hamburg, namely the Max Planck Institute of Meteorology, where the former model has been substantially extended.

** Max Planck Institute Ocean Model

*** The strength of the NAO is expressed in the form of the NAO Index, which is based on the pressure anomaly differences between the northern and southern parts of the North Atlantic Ocean. When the index is positive (positive phase of the NAO) the storms activity over Europe tends to strengthen and the storm tracks tend to be shifted towards the north. The circulation tends to weaken and storms tracks tend to be located further south during the negative phase of the NAO.

Components of a climate model (Source: UCAR)

https://eo.ucar.edu/staff/rrussell/climate/modeling/climate_model_components_evolution.html

Topics Catastrophe Trends Europe Market Education Universities Risk Management
Armslist, an online peer-to-peer firearms dealer, was sued on Thursday by a Boston police officer allegedly shot by a convicted felon with a gun purchased on the platform. The officer, Kurt Stokinger, argued in the complaint that the website acted negligently.

Grant Headley, who allegedly shot him, and Sara Johnson, who sold Headley the firearm on Armslist, were also named as defendants in the lawsuit, filed Oct. 18 in Massachusetts Superior Court. The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a gun control organization, is suing on behalf of the officer and his wife, Janella, with the help of New York-based law firm Blank Rome LLP and the Massachusetts-based law firm Crowe & Mulvey LLP.

During a drug-focused police investigation in January 2016, Headley allegedly shot Stokinger in the leg using a .40 caliber Glock he purchased from Johnson, according to a copy of the complaint. Headley had a prior felony conviction, according to prosecutors, which should have barred him from owning a firearm.

Armslist chose to establish an online firearms marketplace when it was well aware of the grave, foreseeable risk that it would arm criminals and facilitate illegal acts, according to the complaint. While other online gun companies have instituted safeguards to make it more likely that guns are sold legally and responsibility, Armslist has done the opposite.

Counts against Armslist include negligence, aiding and abetting tortious conduct, and public nuisance. The complaint didnt specify the damages being sought. Private gun sales such as those completed on Armslist, however, dont require background checks. The platform facilitates sales that dont require these checks, the complaint states.

A request for comment sent through the Armslist website was not returned.

Jon Gibbon was inspired to found Armslist in 2007 after Craigslist banned firearms advertisements, according to a 2010 interview with the website Bearing Arms. The company doesnt require gun seekers to create an account, unlike some competitors, which can demand photo identification. The websites terms and conditions note that users are prohibited from using the platform for illegal purposes, however. The terms also include a claim that Armslist is indemnified from the actions of its users.

Johnson, the original gun owner, was sentenced on Sept. 24 to 18 months in federal court in Concord, N.H. Headley was indicted on a variety of charges in Massachusetts Superior Court, including armed assault with intent to murder, according to the Suffolk County District Attorneys office. He pleaded not guilty. An attorney who represented Headley when he was indicted did not return a request for comment.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.

Topics Lawsuits Massachusetts
Copenhagen-based Qudos Insurance will cease underwriting new business with immediate effect, pending a restructuring of the business, announced parent company New Nordic Advisors.

New Nordic said it aims to re-launch the underwriting platform following a comprehensive audit. The restructuring project will continue in conjunction with leading legacy specialists, the company said.

No time frame for the restructuring was revealed in the announcement.

The insurance market, particularly in Scandinavia, is rife with opportunity for entrepreneurial and well-structured insurance businesses, said Nicolai Borcher Hansen, deputy chairman for Qudos and CEO and founder of New Nordic, which is the adviser to New Nordic Holding Ltd., the financial services-focused investment management company.

Our ambition to create innovative, interconnected insurance products remains core to our strategy, said Hansen in a prepared statement. With a restructured insurance platform, combined with a prudent solution to Qudos current liabilities, we will be able to deliver both on our long-term return target and goal of creating a customer-centric and technologically advanced insurance offering that provides value to policyholders and investors alike.

Qudos Insurance A/S was established in 2011 to serve the European broker community, said the companys website. Through active ownership, New Nordic seeks to be a transformational and relevant participant in the insurance industry, it added on the site.

Qudos said it is one of the key players in Europe for agent and broker derived niche insurance business. Utilizing insurance agents across a range of countries, Qudos targets niche business, providing solutions for lines that include: motor; property; casualty; latent defects; legal expense; guaranteed asset protection (GAP); accident, sickness and unemployment (ASU) insurance, and extended warranty insurance.

Topics Carriers Underwriting
Chubb has appointed Judy Gonsalves vice president of Chubb Group and division president of Bermuda. In this capacity, she has executive operating responsibility for the Bermuda-based commercial property and casualty (P/C) insurance business that writes high-limit excess liability, property, directors and officers, and political risk coverage worldwide.

In addition, she will lead all strategies around production, product development and management, and profit and loss performance for Chubb Bermuda.

Currently, Gonsalves serves as executive vice president and chief underwriting officer of Chubb Bermuda, where she partners with Joseph Clabby in leading the operation and is responsible for enhancing the profitability of the excess liability, property and financial lines books of business of Chubb Bermuda and Chubb Bermuda International.

Effective immediately, and subject to regulatory review, Gonsalves will succeed Clabby as Chubbs division president of Bermuda. Clabby in turn will be named chairman of Chubb Bermuda. In this new role, Clabby will serve in an advisory role to Gonsalves and the Chubb Bermuda team.

In addition to Clabbys Chubb Bermuda responsibilities, he will also join Chubbs North America Field Management leadership team, with a focus on product expansion, distribution and cross sell initiatives in Chubb regions and branches. He will be based in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and will report to Christopher Maleno, Chubbs division president of its North American Field Operations.

Gonsalves will remain in Bermuda and will report to John Lupica, vice chairman, Chubb Group and president, North America Major Accounts and Specialty Insurance.

With more than 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Gonsalves joined Chubb Bermuda (formerly ACE Bermuda) in 1992 as an assistant underwriter in the Excess Liability department. In 2004, she was appointed senior vice president, assuming product line management responsibility for ACE Bermuda and ACE Bermuda Internationals catastrophe excess liability portfolio, and was promoted to executive vice president in April 2010, before assuming her current role.

Clabby has more than three decades of industry experience, with 17 years being spent at Chubb. Most recently, he was Chubbs division president of Bermuda and its Global Accounts Division. Prior to ACEs acquisition of Chubb in January 2016, he served in a number of leadership positions, including president, ACE Continental Europe, president of Regional Operations for ACE USA and president of ACE USA West.

Source: Chubb

Topics Excess Surplus Chubb Bermuda
Nikolaus von Bomhard, who retired as CEO of Munich Re in April 2017, is likely to return to the German reinsurer as chairman of the supervisory board.

This week, Munich Res nomination committee recommended to the full supervisory board that von Bomhard, 62, be nominated for election at the annual general meeting in 2019.

If elected, von Bomhard would succeed Bernd Pischetsrieder as chairman. Von Bomhard was a member of the board of management of Munich Re from January 2000 to April 2017, and took over as its chairman in January 2004.

As an acknowledged expert and industry professional, he has the comprehensive knowledge of the business that is so important for the work of the supervisory board, said the company in a statement.

Since April 2018, von Bomhard has been the chairman of the supervisory board of Deutsche Post DHL Group.

Related:
Businesses in Indiana can expect to pay less for workers compensation insurance coverage next year, continuing a trend that has been ongoing for several years.

Insurance Commissioner Stephen W. Robertson has approved an average 7.6 percent reduction for workers comp rates, effective Jan. 1, 2019, the Indiana Department of Insurance announced. The approved rate decrease will result in savings of approximately $62.7 million dollars for Indiana businesses.

The Indiana DOI reports that workers comp rates in the state have been on a downward trend for several years, largely due to a decrease in frequency of worker injuries. The agency said the robust job market also plays a key role as payrolls increase and the economy grows, creating a larger base for collecting premiums.

The DOI noted that workers compensation rates in Indiana consistently rank as some of the lowest in the United States, according to the Oregon Workers Compensation Premium Rate Ranking report. The Information Technology and Research Section in the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services has examined state rates on a biennial basis since 1986.

Source: Indiana Department of Insurance

Topics Workers' Compensation Indiana
Google is eager to invest in other insurance technology companies well beyond its newly announced minority stake in Applied Systems, a principal investor with the global search engine giant said on Oct. 17.

We really like the market, said Jesse Wedler, a principal with CapitalG, the growth equity investment fund of Googles parent Alphabet. We will definitely be looking for additional investments in the insurance technology space.

Wedler, speaking during a second conference call held to discuss CapitalGs new investment in Applied, said he didnt want to define the scope of CapitalGs insurance technology investment search too narrowly. However, he said the search would be for other businesses like Applied, ones that add insurance technology to the market.

Broadly speaking, the software businesses addressing the insurance market are interesting to us, Wedler said.

He emphasized, however, that potential investment targets wont be rivals of Applied, an Illinois-based provider of insurance technology and cloud-based software to independent agencies.

We will never invest in anything that is competitive with Applied, Wedler said.

On Oct. 16, Applied announced that CapitalG had purchased a minority stake in the company. While financial terms arent being disclosed, Applied CEO Reid French said that the investment is not small. The deal allows for Applied to gain access to Google technology in areas including artificial intelligence, machine learning and digital marketing. Affiliates of Hellman & Friedman will keep majority ownership.

French insisted on Oct. 16 that Google wont tap into any of Applied Systems insurance data residing in the cloud or within various customer applications.

During the Oct. 17 conference call, Wedler echoed comments French made the day before asserting that the deal reinforces the merits of insurance agencies, many of which are Applieds customers.

Our investment is only going to do well if the agency channel goes well, Wedler said. I am not a spokesperson for Googles insurance strategy overall, but that is 100 percent the casewe are believers in the agency channel.

Wedler and French said that discussions between the two companies are in their early stages about where specifically to collaborate, with a preliminary focus on how to free up insurance agents time to make their lives easier.

It is too early to say the specifics, but there are a lot of ideas  Were really excited, Wedler said.

This article was originally published by CarrierManagement.com.

Topics InsurTech Tech
A motorists use of marijuana and a sedative led to a collision with a church bus that killed 13 people on the bus, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report released on Oct. 16.

According to the report, toxicology tests on Jack Dillon Young, who survived the March 2017 crash, found the drugs in his blood stream. Young told NTSB officials that he had taken twice the prescribed dosage of the sedative before the wreck.

The crash happened on U.S. 83 near the Concan community, about 80 miles west of San Antonio. The minibus from First Baptist Church of New Braunfels was returning from a senior retreat when the crash happened.

According to the NTSB findings, Dillon was driving his truck erratically on the two-lane highway for more than 15 minutes, even driving on the wrong side of the road for extended periods, culminating in the head-on crash. Dillon also may have been glancing at or manipulating his cellphone at the time of the crash, but that wouldnt have caused such prolonged erratic driving, the NTSB found.

The bus lap-and-shoulder seatbelts that might have averted some fatalities, the report noted. Only lap belts were provided for passengers at the rear of the bus, which the NTSB said was insufficient.

In May, Young pleaded no contest to intoxication assault and 13 counts of intoxication manslaughter. He could be sentenced to up to 270 years in prison at sentencing set for next month.

The NTSB report recommended that law enforcement officers undergo advanced training to better spot drug-impaired drivers and provide better additional tools, such as roadside drug-screening devices.

But it also said the state of Texas needs increased safety-focused leadership at the governor and state legislature level, additional resources, and data-driven strategies to prevent tragedies such as the Concan crash and to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries caused by alcohol- and other drug-impaired drivers.

Related:

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Texas Personal Auto Drugs
A Louisiana company is recalling 15 tons of packaged ready-to-eat chicken and pork products produced since January 2017 for five restaurants or chains in Louisiana and Texas.

A La Carte Foods of Belle Rose made the six products with sausage that hadnt been federally inspected, according to a recall notice late Monday from the US Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA says it has not had any confirmed reports of illness from the products, which were made from Jan. 3, 2017, through Oct. 2, 2018.

They include jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans with sausage, all sent frozen in 12-pound packages, and totaled 30,438 pounds, according to the FDA.

A La Carte sells more than 100 items to restaurants under its own brands, A La Carte and Southern Casual, according to its website.

Each of those in the recall was made specifically for one restaurant and carried that restaurants name, FDA spokesman Buck McKay said Tuesday. One restaurant had bought both gumbo and red beans with sausage; the others bought one product each, according to the recall notice.

McKay would not identify the company that supplied the sausage.

A La Carte did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

According to the notice, the restaurants in question were Ponchatoulas, Crazy Cajun, Phils Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant, Steamboat Bills and Southern Spoon.

The FDA did not say where in Louisiana or Texas the restaurants are located.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana Restaurant
Washington state has agreed to pay a $28 million settlement to woman who was left quadriplegic in wreck on Interstate 5 in DuPont.

The News Tribune reported 20-year-old Skylar Seward filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Transportation after the car she was riding in crashed into an overpass pillar in October 2013.

The lawsuit claimed a guardrail or barrier should have been installed to stop a car from hitting the pillar, but instead there was an earthen berm.

Sewards attorneys say the berms were proven ineffective, and the state Legislature in 2006 had funded a six-year plan to replace them. They claim the department failed to do so.

The department says the 26 remaining earthen berms will be fixed between 2019 and 2021.

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Topics Washington
Some Vanguard fixed-income funds have consistently outperformed their benchmarks and provide multiple benefits to investors with their low fees and other characteristics: the Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWAHX), the Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund Investor Shares (VWEHX), and the Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWITX).

Key Takeaways Vanguard offers a wealth of funds for any investor's appetite. The three funds in this article are some of the best in the fixed-income sector.

When considering fixed-income funds, the underlying index determines yield and risk exposure.

These funds only represent those offered by Vanguard and while there are funds offered by competitors with the same underlying index, they will most likely have higher expense ratios and possibly less liquidity,

Past Performance

Although historical performance is not indicative of future performance, investors should still take past performance against key benchmarks into consideration. Vanguard fixed-income fund outperformers provide exposure to various bonds, such as long-term tax-exempt municipal bonds and high-yield tax-exempt bonds.

These three Vanguard fixed-income funds have low to moderate riskreward potential and both tax-exempt funds have outperformed their benchmarks over the past 10 years.

Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWAHX)

The Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares is a municipal bond fund that seeks to provide a high, yet sustainable, level of income that is tax-exempt at the federal level. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests the lion's share of its total net assets in investment-grade municipal bonds determined by nationally recognized rating agencies.

The Vanguard High-Yield Tax-Exempt Fund's benchmark is the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index, which includes most investment-grade tax-exempt bonds issued by municipalities.

There is a minimum initial investment of $3,000. Thereafter, investors are charged an annual net expense ratio of 0.17%, which is significantly lower than the average ratio of municipal bond funds with similar holdings at 0.60%, according to Vanguard.

Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund Investor Shares (VWEHX)

The Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund Investor Shares is a bond fund that seeks to provide a high level of income. The Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund is managed by the Wellington Management Company and requires a minimum investment of $3,000. The fund charges a low annual expense ratio of 0.23%, which is far lower than similar corporate bond funds, according to Vanguard.

Contrary to the tax-exempt fund above, the Vanguard High-Yield Corporate Fund invests the vast majority of its total net assets in corporate bonds that are rated below Baa by Moody's or have equivalent ratings by any independent bond rating agency. These are primarily high-risk, high-yield corporate bonds, also known as "junk bonds." The fund's approach seeks to provide consistent income while minimizing the loss of principal and defaults.

The fund's benchmark is the High-Yield Corporate Composite Index.

Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares (VWITX)

The Vanguard Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund Investor Shares is a municipal bond fund that seeks to provide investors with a moderate but sustainable level of federally tax-exempt income. The fund is managed by the Vanguard Fixed Income Group and charges an annual expense ratio of 0.17%, which is lower than the average expense ratio of similar municipal bond funds, according to Vanguard. To invest in this fund, a minimum investment of $3,000 is required.

Under normal circumstances, the fund is expected to maintain a dollar-weighted average maturity between six and 12 years. However, the fund typically invests in investment-grade municipal bonds with a predictable duration profile between four and five years. Additionally, the fund is expected to invest at least 75% of its holdings in municipal bonds in the top three credit rating categories determined by nationally recognized rating organizations, such as Moody's or Standard and Poor's.

The fund's benchmark is the Bloomberg 1-15 Year Municipal Index.
The concept behind the value investing philosophy is simple: Investors can realize tremendous gains by purchasing securities that trade well below their intrinsic value. In his books Security Analysis (1934) and The Intelligent Investor (1949), Benjamin Grahamthe godfather of value investingexplained to investors that, "a stock is not just a ticker symbol or an electronic blip; it is an ownership interest in an actual business, with an underlying value that does not depend on its share price."

Graham's investment philosophy has helped many of his disciples get rich. As of 2021, his most well-known follower, Warren Buffett, is the world's sixth-wealthiest man with a net worth of more than $101.3 billion. But Buffett is not the only investor who has benefited tremendously from adopting Graham's approach to investing. Below are five value investors that aren't very well-known, despite having an impeccable track record for beating the market year after year.

Key Takeaways Michael Lee-Chin is president and chair of Portland Holdings, a Canadian holdings company.

David Abrams runs Boston-based hedge fund Abrams Capital Management.

Mohnish Pabrai runs the Pabrai Investment Funds.

Allan Mecham used to manage Arlington Value Capital Management in Salt Lake City.

Tom Gayner, as co-chief executive officer of Markel Corp., manages the insurer's portfolio.

1. Michael Lee-Chin

Born in 1951 in Jamaica, Michael Lee-Chin is one of Canadas most benevolent billionaires. After finishing high school, Lee-Chin migrated to Canada to further his education in engineering. He entered the financial sector at the age of 26 with a job as a mutual fund salesperson. As Lee-Chin went door-to-door trying to convince households to purchase mutual funds, he developed an obsession with discovering an invariable formula that he could use to make clients wealthyand himself, too.

Years later he found that formula and codified it into five characteristics shared among wealthy investors:

They own a concentrated portfolio of high-quality businesses. They understand the businesses in their portfolio. They use other peoples money prudently to create their wealth. They ensure that their businesses are in industries with strong, long-term growth. They hold their businesses for the long term.

Armed with these five laws, Lee-Chin borrowed half a million dollars and invested it in only one company. Four years later, the value of his shares increased sevenfold. He sold those shares and used the profit to acquire a small mutual fund company that he grew from $800,000 in assets under management (AUM) to more than $15 billion before he sold the company to Manulife Financial (MFC).

Today Lee-Chin is the chair of Portland Holdings, a company that owns a diverse collection of businesses throughout the Caribbean and North America. His mantra is buy, hold, and prosper. As of July 2021, his net worth is $1.5 billion.

2. David Abrams

With very little in marketing and fundraising campaigns, David Abrams has built a hedge fund with over $10 billion worth of assets under management. As the head of Boston-based Abrams Capital Management, founded in 1999, Abrams has been able to perform better than most fund managers by realizing an annualized net return of 15% for investors in the funds first 15 years. Abrams fund is unleveredit doesn't invest with borrowed (leveraged) fundsand it maintains a lot of cash on hand.

A look into Abrams Capital's December 2020 SEC Form 13-F filing reveals that the firm held a very concentrated portfolio of $3.55 billion with large stakes in each of its holdings. Abramss large holdings in terms of value, comprising 37% of the portfolio, were Lithia Motors (LAD) (19% of the portfolio), Transdigm Group (TDG) (9%), and Facebook (FB) (9%).

3. Mohnish Pabrai

Well-known for spending more than $650,000 for the opportunity to have lunch with Warren Buffett, Mohnish Pabrai follows the value investing dogma to a T. According to Forbes, Pabrai has no interest in a company that looks 10% undervalued. He is angling to make five times his money in a few years. If he doesnt think the opportunity is blindingly obvious, he passes.

After selling his IT business for $6 million in 2000, Pabrai launched Pabrai Investment Funds, an investment firm that was modeled after Buffetts investment partnerships. His heads I win, tails I dont lose much approach to investing is obviously working. His portfolio concentrates on India and emerging nations, as he doesn't find many mispriced or undervalued stocks in the U.S. market. If someone invested $100,000 in July 1999 with Pabrai, that investment would have grown to $1.8 million by March 2018.

As of April 2021, Pabrai Investment Funds managed $636.8 million in assets.

4. Allan Mecham

Allan Mecham is not your typical hedge fund manager. He is a college dropout and lives near Salt Lake City, Utah, far from Wall Street, where he founded Arlington Value Capital Management. In March 2017, Mecham reported the AVM Ranger fund ended 2016 with a 29.1% gain (before fees) versus 12% for the S&P 500. Over 8.5 years, the fund had compounded at 30.7% per year.

With over $1.2 billion in assets under management in March 2020, Mecham executed a value investing strategy for his clients. Making about one or two trades a year, he held anywhere from six to 12 stocks in his portfolio and spent most of his time reading annual reports of companies. His major positions were in Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B)Buffett's company occupied 33% of the portfolioand Cimpress PLC (CMPR) (11%).

In April 2020, it was reported Allan Mecham was closing Arlington Value Capital Management due to health issues. According to the company's SEC Form 13F-NT for 2020, Brave Warrior Advisors, LLC managed Arlington Value Capital's holdings.

5. Tom Gayner

As co-chief executive officer of the Markel Corporation (MKL), a reinsurance business that has a similar business model to Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A), Tom Gayner is in charge of investing activities for Markel, including managing its float. The float is the funds provided by policyholders that are held prior to Markels insurance subsidies making claim payments.

After 56 years as a private company, Markel went public in 1986. Gayner joined the company in 1990 after working as a certified public accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Before becoming co-chief executive officer in 2016, Gayner served as president and chief investment officer from May 2010 to December 2015.

In 1986, Markel's total operating revenues were just $33.3 million and total assets were $57 million. By 2020, those numbers had jumped to $9.7 billion in operating revenues and $42 billion in total assets. At year-end 2020, the company's 20-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for book value was 11%.

Gayner's strategy is to allocate funds into a large portfolio of businesses that are undervalued by the market. He values companies with good management first and foremost, favoring large-cap, global ventures.

The Bottom Line

Warren Buffett is not the only value investor that the market has rewarded. There have been many investors who have benefited greatly from faithfully executing Benjamin Grahams strategy of selecting stocks that trade for less than their intrinsic values.
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The Labor Market Conditions Index (LMCI) was a measurement tool produced by the Federal Reserve to gauge the momentum of the labor market in the United States. The tool relied on 19 indicatorssuch as the unemployment rate, payrolls, hourly wages, job vacancies and confidence surveysto produce a single number that was meant to reflect the overall direction of the labor economy.

The index once played a role in helping the Fed pursue its mandate of maximum sustainable employment. However, economists saw little value in the index, noting it largely provided the same information as the unemployment rate. The Federal Reserve introduced the LMCI in March 2014 and stopped updating the index in August 2017. 

Below we look at the history of the LMCI.

Why LMCI?

The thinking behind the LMCI was to consolidate 19 measures of labor market activity into a single, cohesive picture. Janet Yellen, then chair of the Federal Reserve, said its purpose was to better reflect the complicated nature of the labor market than what traditional unemployment numbers could provide. For example, she noted that while wages appeared to be rising by 2 percent annually, in real terms wages had been flat and growing less than labor productivity.

In essence, the LMCI was meant to smooth out conflicting signals in labor market activity. The unemployment rate might be say one thing about labor conditions, while high job vacancies might say another. The index was meant to weigh these conflicting signals and produce a single number to describe overall labor conditions.

Fed researchers back-tested the index by 35 years. The index generally fell during economic contractions, and rose as the economy recovered. For example, during the Great Recession, the back-tested data showed the index falling beginning in the second quarter of 2007 and deteriorating sharply in 2008 and 2009. The LMCI then improved from 2010 onward.

Problems With the LMCI

A number of economists questioned the LMCI's utility. Carola Binder, assistant economics professor at Haverford College, noted the LMCI had a -0.96 correlation coefficient with the unemployment rate. In other words, as unemployment rose, the LMCI fell by nearly the same amount. 

"The LMCI doesn't tell you anything that the unemployment rate wouldn't already tell you," Binder wrote. "Given the choice, I'd rather just use the unemployment rate since it is simpler, intuitive and already widely used."

Binder said there was no need for a single statistic to encapsulate conditions in the labor market, because this reduced the complexity of various actual figuressuch as the numbers of underemployed or long-term unemployedin the market.

Tim Duy, economics professor at the University of Oregon, wrote the LMCI should be approached with "extreme caution" because the Fed had not explained its policy relevance. Duy said it was difficult to treat the LMCI as important because the Fed hadn't made available the raw data in its calculations. 

In addition, Fed researchers had cautioned that "a single model is...no substitute for judicious consideration of the various indicators."

The End of LMCI Updates

The Federal Reserve announced on August 3, 2017, that it would discontinue updating the LMCI. The Fed said it believed the index no longer provided a good summary of changes in U.S. labor market conditions. It noted the measurement of some indicators had changed in the years since the index was introduced. In addition, it said including hourly wages in the index did not provide a meaningful link between labor market conditions and wage growth.
Theres a reason your parents were able to work their way through college and graduate without debt  since 1978, the cost of a college degree has risen 1,120%. Yes, 1,120%. Total student debt has risen to more than $1.5 trillion. Because of this, one might wonder if college is really worth it.

If you have a degree in computer science, Silicon Valley will pay up to six figures per year. Surgeons rake in an average of $358,000. Compare those two professions with the average American salary, and it's clear that the right higher education pays off big time. However, there are low-paying, stressful professions, in many cases endangered by advancements in technology. Here are some examples.

Key Takeaways Student debt continues to spike, with many recent and not-so-recent college graduates struggling to advance in careers as they pay off debt.

For graduates working in higher-paying professions like finance and technology, paying off student debt is a reasonable goal.

But for people in low-paying fields, paying off student debt can seem insurmountable, particularly as interest and fees increase over time.

Of jobs that typically require a four-year college degree, people who educate or work in social services are the lowest-paid around; the list includes ministers, journalists, social workers, and teachers.

1. Minister

Aside from writing and presenting the weekly sermon, ministers are considered the final word on morality, and theyre called on constantly to provide counseling on spiritual health, marriage, and religious issues, and to give comfort in times of disaster. All that comes with stress, according to 75% of those polled. To get into the business, you need a bachelors or better, and prior experience. The median salary is $48,490, though mega-church pastors rake in considerably more.

2. Journalist

The Internet is killing the printing press. The Great Recession didnt help. Some magazines and newspapers are surviving online, and the lucky few journalists with jobs make around $43,640 a year. The unlucky ones are being pushed out by bloggers willing to report for the byline. Some 13% are freelancers, who receive few if any benefits. Combine the deadlines with job insecurity, and 62% say the job is stressful. And still, the gateway is a bachelors in journalism or communications, with a master's preferred.

$1.5 trillion The amount of outstanding total student debt, as of 2020.

3. Social Work and Counseling

Social workers are the unappreciated heroes of society. Name the lower rung of society  think of your tired, your poor, your hungry, your physically and emotionally abused and disabled  and social workers are there trying to help them keep their grip on the ladder. The median income for a rehab counselor is $34,490. And most states require that rehabilitation counselors have a masters degree and a state license, pass an annual written exam, and take continuing education courses. Social workers must have advanced degrees and pass licensing requirements, all to earn a median salary of $45,900  median meaning, you'll recall, that 50% earn below this figure. Why do 72% of them say the occupation is stressful?

4. Teacher

High school teachers  talk about a professional disappearing act: Since 2010, education programs in California, New York, and Texas have seen an enrollment decline of around 50%. Why would anyone want to give up the chance to inspire young minds? Could it be bills that would allow money from low-income schools to be directed away to wealthier schools? How about the teachers' union-busting in certain states? Or the fact that states like Kansas have cut $44.5 million from the education budget and have proposed reducing contributions to teacher pensions to make up for shortfalls due to tax cuts? Maybe it's the frustration of trying to teach unruly teenage students sick of algebra and history while dealing with helicopter parents wondering why their kids arent learning algebra and history. All this for a median salary of $58,030. But it beats social work  only 65% of teachers polled said the job is stressful.

Honorable Mention: Legislator

In our democracy, elected officials work long hours for low pay to ensure that the system is fair for everyone, rich and poor alike, no matter their race, creed, or color. Legislators  also called politicians  tend to be charismatic. And you cant teach charisma. Thats why a college education isnt required  not even courses in economics, history, and science. Still, many on the national level have a bachelors, some even have a JD. On average, the salary isnt great: $25,630, but the spread is broad: In New Hampshire, for instance, legislators take in just $100 per annum, which means working a second job they can live on, while U.S. Congress members pull in $174,000.

The Bottom Line

Yes, some jobs have it all: tension, frustration, poor pay and years of additional education. Why take on debt to prepare yourself for fields with such prospects? Simply put, its not all about the money. Ministers, journalists, social workers, teachers  most of them are answering a higher calling and get psychic rewards from their work. Even politicians, maybe. Those who argue against using public funds to enable more kids to go to college  like some conservative politicians  will rarely have a problem sending their kids to college. Despite the high cost, not going costs more  about $500,000 more, over a working lifetime. Looked at from that perspective: college is cheaper than free.
Retirement planning is a multistep process that evolves over time. To have a comfortable, secureand funretirement, you need to build the financial cushion that will fund it all. The fun part is why it makes sense to pay attention to the serious and perhaps boring part: planning how youll get there.

Planning for retirement starts with thinking about your retirement goals and how long you have to meet them. Then you need to look at the types of retirement accounts that can help you raise the money to fund your future. As you save that money, you have to invest it to enable it to grow. The surprise last part is taxes: If youve received tax deductions over the years for the money youve contributed to your retirement accounts, a significant tax bill awaits when you start withdrawing those savings. There are ways to minimize the retirement tax hit while you save for the futureand to continue the process when that day arrives and you actually do retire.

Well get into all of these issues here. But first, start by learning the five steps everyone should take, no matter what their age, to build a solid retirement plan.

Key Takeaways Retirement planning should include determining time horizons, estimating expenses, calculating required after-tax returns, assessing risk tolerance, and doing estate planning.

Start planning for retirement as soon as you can to take advantage of the power of compounding.

Younger investors can take more risk with their investments, while investors closer to retirement should be more conservative.

Retirement plans evolve through the years, which means portfolios should be rebalanced and estate plans updated as needed.

1. Understand Your Time Horizon

Your current age and expected retirement age create the initial groundwork of an effective retirement strategy. The longer the time between today and retirement, the higher the level of risk your portfolio can withstand. If youre young and have 30-plus years until retirement, you should have the majority of your assets in riskier investments, such as stocks. Though there will be volatility, stocks have historically outperformed other securities, such as bonds, over long time periods. The main word here is long, meaning at least more than 10 years.

Additionally, you need returns that outpace inflation so you can maintain your purchasing power during retirement. Inflation is like an acorn. It starts out small, but given enough time, can turn into a mighty oak tree. Weve all heardand wantcompound growth on our money. Well, inflation is like compound anti-growth, as it erodes the value of your money. A seemingly small inflation rate of 3% will erode the value of your savings by 50% over approximately 24 years. Doesnt seem like much each year, but given enough time, it has a huge impact, says Chris Hammond, a Savannah, Tenn., financial advisor and founder of RetirementPlanningMadeEasy.com.

You might not think saving a few bucks here and there in your 20s means much, but the power of compounding will make it worth much more by the time you need it.

In general, the older you are, the more your portfolio should be focused on income and the preservation of capital. This means a higher allocation in securities, such as bonds, that wont give you the returns of stocks but will be less volatile and provide income you can use to live on. You will also have less concern about inflation. A 64-year-old who is planning on retiring next year does not have the same issues about a rise in the cost of living as a much younger professional who has just entered the workforce.

You should break up your retirement plan into multiple components. Lets say a parent wants to retire in two years, pay for a childs education at age 18, and move to Florida. From the perspective of forming a retirement plan, the investment strategy would be broken up into three periods: two years until retirement (contributions are still made into the plan), saving and paying for college, and living in Florida (regular withdrawals to cover living expenses). A multi-stage retirement plan must integrate various time horizons, along with the corresponding liquidity needs, to determine the optimal allocation strategy. You should also be rebalancing your portfolio over time as your time horizon changes.

2. Determine Retirement Spending Needs

Having realistic expectations about post-retirement spending habits will help you define the required size of a retirement portfolio. Most people believe that after retirement, their annual spending will amount to only 70% to 80% of what they spent previously. Such an assumption is often proved to be unrealistic, especially if the mortgage has not been paid off or if unforeseen medical expenses occur. Retirees also sometimes spend their first years splurging on travel or other bucket-list goals.

In order for retirees to have enough savings for retirement, I believe that the ratio should be closer to 100%, says David G. Niggel, CFP, ChFC, AIF, founder, president, and CEO of Key Wealth Partners, LLC, in Litiz, Pa. The cost of living is increasing every yearespecially health care expenses. People are living longer and want to thrive in retirement. Retirees need more income for a longer time, so they will need to save and invest accordingly.

As, by definition, retirees are no longer at work for eight or more hours a day, they have more time to travel, go sightseeing, shop, and engage in other expensive activities. Accurate retirement spending goals help in the planning process as more spending in the future requires additional savings today. One of the factorsif not the largestin the longevity of your retirement portfolio is your withdrawal rate. Having an accurate estimate of what your expenses will be in retirement is so important because it will affect how much you withdraw each year and how you invest your account. If you understate your expenses, you easily outlive your portfolio, or if you overstate your expenses, you can risk not living the type of lifestyle you want in retirement, says Kevin Michels, CFP, EA, financial planner, and president of Medicus Wealth Planning in Draper, Utah. Your longevity also needs to be considered when planning for retirement, so you dont outlast your savings. The average life span of individuals is increasing.

Actuarial life tables are available to estimate the longevity rates of individuals and couples (this is referred to as longevity risk).

Additionally, you might need more money than you think if you want to purchase a home or fund your childrens education post-retirement. Those outlays have to be factored into the overall retirement plan. Remember to update your plan once a year to make sure you are keeping on track with your savings. Retirement-planning accuracy can be improved by specifying and estimating early retirement activities, accounting for unexpected expenses in middle retirement, and forecasting what-if late-retirement medical costs, explains Alex Whitehouse, AIF, CRPC, CWS, president and CEO, Whitehouse Wealth Management, in Vancouver, Wash.

3. Calculate After-Tax Rate of Investment Returns

Once the expected time horizons and spending requirements are determined, the after-tax real rate of return must be calculated to assess the feasibility of the portfolio producing the needed income. A required rate of return in excess of 10% (before taxes) is normally an unrealistic expectation, even for long-term investing. As you age, this return threshold goes down, as low-risk retirement portfolios are largely composed of low-yielding fixed-income securities.

If, for example, an individual has a retirement portfolio worth $400,000 and income needs of $50,000, assuming no taxes and the preservation of the portfolio balance, they are relying on an excessive 12.5% return to get by. A primary advantage of planning for retirement at an early age is that the portfolio can be grown to safeguard a realistic rate of return. Using a gross retirement investment account of $1 million, the expected return would be a much more reasonable 5%.

Depending on the type of retirement account you hold, investment returns are typically taxed. Therefore, the actual rate of return must be calculated on an after-tax basis. However, determining your tax status when you begin to withdraw funds is a crucial component of the retirement-planning process.

4. Assess Risk Tolerance vs. Investment Goals

Whether its you or a professional money manager who is in charge of the investment decisions, a proper portfolio allocation that balances the concerns of risk aversion and return objectives is arguably the most important step in retirement planning. How much risk are you willing to take to meet your objectives? Should some income be set aside in risk-free Treasury bonds for required expenditures?

You need to make sure that you are comfortable with the risks being taken in your portfolio and know what is necessary and what is a luxury. This is something that should be seriously talked about not only with your financial advisor but also with your family members. Dont be a micro-manager who reacts to daily market noise, advises Craig L. Israelsen, Ph.D., designer of 7Twelve Portfolio in Springville, Utah. Helicopter investors tend to over-manage their portfolios. When the various mutual funds in your portfolio have a bad year, add more money to them. Its kind of like parenting: The child that needs your love the most often deserves it the least. Portfolios are similar. The mutual fund you are unhappy with this year may be next years best performerso dont bail out on it.

Markets will go through long cycles of up and down and, if you are investing money you wont need to touch for 40 years, you can afford to see your portfolio value rise and fall with those cycles, says John R. Frye, CFA, chief investment officer and co-founder, Crane Asset Management, LLC, in Beverly Hills, Calif. When the market declines, buydont sell. Refuse to give in to panic. If shirts went on sale, 20% off, youd want to buy, right? Why not stocks if they went on sale 20% off?

5. Stay on Top of Estate Planning

Estate planning is another key step in a well-rounded retirement plan, and each aspect requires the expertise of different professionals, such as lawyers and accountants, in that specific field. Life insurance is also an important part of an estate plan and the retirement-planning process. Having both a proper estate plan and life insurance coverage ensures that your assets are distributed in a manner of your choosing and that your loved ones will not experience financial hardship following your death. A carefully outlined plan also aids in avoiding an expensive and often lengthy probate process.

Tax planning is another crucial part of the estate-planning process. If an individual wishes to leave assets to family members or a charity, the tax implications of either gifting the benefits or passing them through the estate process must be compared.

A common retirement-plan investment approach is based on producing returns that meet yearly inflation-adjusted living expenses while preserving the value of the portfolio. The portfolio is then transferred to the beneficiaries of the deceased. You should consult a tax advisor to determine the correct plan for the individual.

Estate planning will vary over an investors lifetime. Early on, matters such as powers of attorney and wills are necessary. Once you start a family, a trust may be something that becomes an important component of your financial plan. Later on in life, how you would like your money disbursed will be of the utmost importance in terms of cost and taxes, says Mark T. Hebner, founder and president, Index Fund Advisors, Inc., in Irvine, Calif., and author of Index Funds: The 12-Step Recovery Program for Active Investors. Working with a fee-only estate planning attorney can assist in preparing and maintaining this aspect of your overall financial plan.

The Bottom Line

The burden of retirement planning is falling on individuals now more than ever. Few employees can count on an employer-provided defined-benefit pension, especially in the private sector. The switch to defined-contribution plans, such as 401(k)s, also means that managing the investments becomes your responsibility, not your employers.

One of the most challenging aspects of creating a comprehensive retirement plan is striking a balance between realistic return expectations and a desired standard of living. The best solution is to focus on creating a flexible portfolio that can be updated regularly to reflect changing market conditions and retirement objectives.
The Enron scandal didn't just hurt investors and the overall economy, it also affected the value of employee investment portfolios. Executives of the ill-fated energy company cooked the books, hiding losses and debt using a variety of accounting techniques. As all this was going on, many employees were encouraged to invest their entire portfolios in the company's stock. When the company fell in 2002, their savings were eradicated overnight.

This is one example of why diversification is widely considered an investing basic. Personal finance courses teach it as gospel, deriding individual stocks as tantamount to casino gambling. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett famously stated that "diversification is protection against ignorance. It makes little sense if you know what you are doing." In his view, studying one or two industries in great depth, learning their ins and outs, and using that knowledge to profit on those industries is more lucrative than spreading a portfolio across a broad array of sectors so that gains from certain sectors offset losses from others. In this article, we look at the concept of diversification and explore what Buffett meant by his quote.

Key Takeaways Diversification is an investment strategy that prescribes investing in a series of asset classes, companies, and sectors.

An investor who diversifies their holdings can minimize their losses and risk.

Diversification doesn't work if you don't understand the basics of investing, so it's important to do your homework before you invest.

What Is Diversification?

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. That's the basic premise behind diversification. It is a popular investment strategy that tries to mitigate losses by spreading an investor's risk across multiple investments and different vehicles.

Here's how it works. Investors and financial professionals diversify their holdings by investing money in a variety of different investments. This gives them a cushion against risk. The idea behind this is that the positive gains generated by one investment effectively balance out any losses generated by another investment. You can do this by diversifying your stock holdings to companies in different sectors. You can further diversify your investment holdingsand neutralize stock market riskby investing in fixed income securities, real estate, and cash.

Traders further diversify by selecting investments such as mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from different sectors that follow different trends. Another way they expand their holdings is to look beyond their borders. This means investing in foreign as well as domestic markets. Some investors follow the ups and downs of the broader market, while others remain relatively flat. Still, others move inversely with the broader market, experiencing ups when most sectors are down and vice versa. The idea behind this strategy is that no matter what the market is doing, a portion of the investor's portfolio is likely to do well.

Don't just invest in one asset class, but if you do invest only in stocks, consider companies that give you exposure to multiple sectors.

So the lesson is simple. The need for diversification is a portfolio theory rooted in the idea that an investor who puts all his or her money in one company or one industry flirts with disaster if that company or industry takes a nosedive.

Knowledge Is Power

The problem with diversification, in Buffett's view and investors just like him, is although the risk is managed and mitigated by sector gains offsetting sector losses, the opposite is also true. Sector losses offset sector gains and reduce returns.

Here's where the second part of that quote comes into playthat part about just how important it is to know what you're doing. This is something he can speak to with very good authority. That's because Buffett amassed a fortune by acquiring incalculable knowledge about all things finance and about specific companies and industries. He took that knowledge and hand-picked his investments. Just take a look at Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B). The company is invested in many industries including railways, banks and financial companies, consumer goods, retail, food and beverages, and technology.

Few investors have been better at picking stocks and timing both entry and exit points than Buffett. An ignorant investorsomeone with little to no financial or industry knowledgeis bound to make blunder after blunder if they try to play the market the same way Buffett does.

An investor who studies trends and has a keen understanding of how different companies and industries react to various market trends profits much more by using that knowledge to their advantage rather than passively investing across a wide range of companies and sectors. This kind of investor can go long on a company or sector when market conditions support a price increase and exit their long position by going short when indicators project a fall. By doing so, the investor can profit in either scenario. These profits, therefore, are not offset by losses in unrelated industries.

The Bottom Line

There's no doubt that it pays to be diversified. Doing so helps manage risk and mitigate losses. As one sector or investment class goes down, these losses should be neutralized by the gains in another. But, as Warren Buffett points out in his famous quote, you won't benefit from this strategyor any other one, for that matterif you don't know what you're doing. Knowledge is power, after all. Doing your homework before you begin actively investing will help you realize the returns you seek.
Gibraltar - October 19, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) The strong wave of momentum within Gibraltar's rapidly expanding blockchain ecosystem continued today with the awarding of a full Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) licence by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC) to COVESTING, the cryptocurrency exchange and copy-trading platform. Following an intricate application process, COVESTING is now authorised to store or transmit value belonging to others using blockchain technology.

Gibraltar's Minister for Commerce, The Hon Albert Isola MP, said, "New technologies like blockchain will play a significant role in directing the future of innovation and we believe that we are well positioned to see the sector go from strength to strength here in Gibraltar. Our goal is to create an environment that is conducive to further development in this area, the foundations of which were laid when we introduced robust DLT legislation earlier this year. This licence highlights the groundbreaking work of leading blockchain projects in collaborating with regulators here to help us realise that vision together."

The granting of the licence recognises COVESTING's full compliance with Gibraltar's DLT legislation, which is a purpose-built legislative framework for businesses that use blockchain or DLT, introduced in January of this year. Gibraltar's principles-led approach facilitates thorough and regular engagement between businesses and regulators while also allowing flexibility for guidelines to evolve alongside developments in the blockchain sector.

Businesses interested in obtaining the DLT licence have been engaging in discussions with the GFSC since the introduction of Gibraltar's DLT legislation in January. Once the GFSC were satisfied that the proposed business activities would require a licence, the companies were then subject to a risk assessment by the regulator. A vital component of the application process involved an in-person presentation made by applicant representatives to the GFSC where a comprehensive plan for meeting the nine regulatory principles was outlined.

"The COVESTING team have displayed a deep appreciation for the need to develop a sustainable blockchain ecosystem, built on the principles of transparency and efficiency. I have been impressed by the team's drive and ambition to meet such a high standard in secure trading. Today's announcement is vindication of their tireless efforts to date, and I look forward to seeing the platform push forward in the months and years ahead," concluded Minister Isola.

Minister Albert Isola is available for interview

About Gibraltar

A British Overseas Territory, Gibraltar is a self-governing and self-financing democracy that has established itself globally as a reliable centre for the blockchain and digital assets industry. In January 2018, Gibraltar became the very first jurisdiction globally to introduce legislation around Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), and has since asserted its position as a leading blockchain and cryptocurrency hub. With Gibraltar's core values of regulation, reputation and speed to market at the foundation of its efforts within the blockchain industry, Gibraltar is now globally renowned for its commitment to creating a sustainable and secure regulatory framework for blockchain, as well as being one of the leading proponents in the advancement of the technology.

For more information please visit http://www.gibraltarfinance.gi/en/home

About Albert Isola

The Honourable Albert Isola MP is Gibraltar's Minister for Commerce with the primary responsibility of raising Gibraltar's profile as an established onshore, mainstream, well-regulated financial services centre. Working closely with the financial services regulator, the Financial Services Commission, he is responsible for financial services policy, product development, and responding to international initiatives such as international tax compliance. Minister Isola played a leading role in the establishment of the Gibraltar International Bank, a first for Gibraltar as a home-grown full-service credit institution.

More Info:

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VANCOUVER, BC - October 19, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Weekend Unlimited Inc. ("Weekend" or the "Company") (CSE:YOLO) (FWB: 0OS1) is pleased to announce the details of its acquisition of Northern Lights Organics in Fort St. James, British Columbia.

"Northern Lights Organics farm spans over 600 acres of organic soils to grow organic hemp for CBD and outdoor organic cannabis," said Mr. Cody Corrubia, of Weekend Unlimited Inc. President and CEO. "Organic cannabis generally commands a 24% premium and is preferred by consumers. There are only three licensed producers currently that are organic, which puts this acquisition in a prime position to lead the industry in the hemp, CBD offerings," added Mr. Corrubia.

As indicated in the Company's listing statement, Weekend Unlimited has acquired 100 % of Northern Lights Organics Ltd. through a wholly owned subsidiary. This acquisition closed on or by October 10th, 2018.

Northern Lights Organics Acquisition Details:

Weekend Unlimited Inc., through Northern Lights Organics Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary, has an option to approximately one section (640 acres) of organic farm lands located at Fort St. James, BC; together with a three-year option to purchase the land;

Weekend Unlimited Inc. paid 18 million post consolidation shares for the acquisition of Northern Lights Organics Ltd, all which are subject to a 3-year escrow release period;

Weekend Unlimited has agreed to issue an additional 3 million post consolidation performance shares in relation to the acquisition of Northern Lights Organics Ltd. Upon the achievement of various milestones, such as the issuance of a cultivation license and completion of a 100,000 square foot expansion greenhouse as part of a phase two expansion, Weekend will issue up to $1,700,000 worth of Weekend's common shares, priced at the prevailing market prices, if and when, such milestones are reached.

Phase one construction of a 68,000 square foot greenhouse and processing building, with an approximate cost of $11,000,000, is scheduled to commence during the Spring of 2019 with a planned completion in late 2019 "the Northern Lights Organics Campus"

Weekend Unlimited anticipates financing the construction of the Northern Lights Organics Campus in part through a combination of equity or debt offerings

The lease of the farm will commence upon the attainment of certain milestones, and once in effect will be 5-years in term. During the term of the lease, Weekend anticipates exercising the option to purchase the lands. The base monthly lease payments are $4,000, subject to increases based on milestones

The above is an arm's length transaction and no finder's fees were involved Northern Lights Organics Highlights:

With the agricultural rich land and certified organic farming expertise, Northern Lights strives to become one of Canada's first CBD focused hemp & cannabis farm, grown from certified organic soils with final products certified organic

Up to 120 acres of land is anticipated to be used for outdoor organic hemp cultivation during the 2019 growing season

Indoor cannabis cultivation is planned to be housed in the Northern Lights Organics Campus, a 68,000 sq. ft. of purpose-built hybrid greenhouse facility with craft style grow rooms and rolling table automation

The Northern Lights Organics Campus will include veg, clone and genetics rooms and an extraction facility for Cannabis and CBD hemp oils and concentrates

As of early October, a license application has been submitted to Health Canada by Northern Lights Organics Ltd relating to the Northern Lights Organics Campus.

Northern Lights Organics expects to receive its cultivation license prior to the end of 2019, although there is no guarantee that the license will be obtained.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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A Dundalk company which employs 169 people is to close.

The UK-based Authentic Food Group Ltd was granted permission by the High Court today to appoint joint provisional liquidators to Dundalk-based TAFC Manufacturing Ireland Ltd.

Ms Justice Caroline Costello was told the liquidators had not sought any power to continue trading and the order sought was to ensure an orderly wind down.

"Unfortunately, there does not appear to be any alternative", Rossa Fanning SC, for the company, told the judge.

The company produces frozen ready meals and since it was set up in 2014 has had just one profit making year in 2016/17 when it made 400,000.

Projected losses for year end 2019 are 2.6m and the parent company is no longer prepared to support it, the company's petition to the court states.

Shortly after incorporation in 2014, TAFC acquired the business and assets of the Kraft Heinz facility in Dundalk.

This happened because other companies within the group, in the UK and Germany, had reached capacity and there was a need to increase production and outsource to another facility. Dundalk fulfilled overflow orders placed with the UK company.

As of this month (Oct 2018), the company owes 3.2m to its UK sister and 4.6m to the parent.

Among the difficulties it faced were those associated with a new project with the retailer Iceland in 2015 which highlighted the inflexibility and limitations of the Dundalk facility.

This required a 1.8m investment to enhance Dundalk. By 2017 there was also a 500,000 increase in the cost of raw materials along with further difficulties as a result of the Sterling/Euro exchange rate fluctuation. Overall there was an increase of 4.5m in costs, the petition states.

In 2017, a project to develop a new premium range of frozen ready meals for a key customer ran into technical difficulties leading to further unbudgeted costs, including extra shifts for employees to achieve targeted output.

Despite efforts to rectify the situation, very serious issues remained with the existing facility and the only option was to buy new bespoke equipment costing around 1m.

Then last February, the UK sister company was told a co-packing agreement with Kraft Heiz was to be terminated in February 2019. This placed increased reliance on the need for the parent to continue funding the loss making operations.

In addition to all this, the TAFC owed nearly half a million in water rates and despite regular payments to help pay off those arrears, on October 15 last, it was threatened with water disconnection. It also owed 500,000 in gas and electricity charges and was also threatened with the cutting off of those supplies.

On October 19, the parent told TAFC it could no longer continue to fund its ongoing losses and the board decided to seek a wind up.

Ms Justice Costello appointed Ken Fennell and James Anderson of Deloitte as joint provisional liquidators. The case comes back on November 12.

Contempt

Responding to the news local Senator and Labour Employment Affairs spokesperson Ged Nash suggested the news was a serious blow to the workers at the plant and to their families.

"The company is required to notify the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation of their intention to seek collective redundancies and is obliged under the law to engage with Unite Trade Union under the terms of the relevant legislation.

I will be keeping a close eye on this situation in the coming weeks to ensure that the companys engagement with the staff and the union is meaningful and fruitful.

I have discussed this issue with Unite and I am available to assist the workers and the union in every way I can I this regard.
Gordon Deegan

Profits at the company behind the annual Electric Picnic music festival fell 9% last year.

Newly-filed accounts show EP Republic Ltd generated a profit of over 1.48m in 2017, compared to a profit of 1.63m in 2016. The companys cash pile last year fell sharply from 3.93m to 227,374.

Its accumulated profits stood at just under 1.86m as of the end of last December.

The accounts for the company  which is jointly owned by promoter Denis Desmond and live music giant Live Nation  said that it has net assets, and a considerable cash balance which were expected to improve.

Numbers employed by the company last year increased from seven to 10 with staff costs going up from 217,566 to 307,883.

Last years festival saw 55,000 people attend the three-day event at Stradbally Hall in Co Laois.

Such is the appeal of the festival that early bird tickets, family camping and camper van tickets for Electric Picnic 2019 sold out within four hours when they want on sale in September.

Next years staging of the event will also see an increase in capacity of 2,500 bringing the capacity to 57,500.

Since its inception in 2007, the Electric Picnic has picked up a number of high-profile testimonials; Billboard magazine calling it a magnificent rock n roll circus; a textbook example of everything a festival should be, and Rolling Stone magazine describing it as one of the best festivals.
Ryanair will press ahead with plans to move Polish staff on to self-employed contracts, the airlines chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs said.

Ryanair is already trying to cope with an industrial relations revolt across the region, with pilots and cabin crew staging strikes in several countries over employment conditions.

In Poland, a union representing Polish cabin crew has refused to sign the new contracts which the companys local subsidiary wants to introduce.

But Mr Jacobs said the new contract reflected the local market. Its the local type of contract, the same as [national Polish carrier] LOT and other airlines.

Many Polish Ryanair staff are currently on contracts provided by the parent company, but are being asked to transfer to the new contracts as Ryanairs main operation in Poland is handed to Ryanair Sun, a local subsidiary.

Paulo Conceicao, secretary of the Polish cabin crew union, CWR, who works as cabin crew at Ryanair, said that the self-employed contract would mean staff would lose important rights such as sick pay and maternity leave.

All the rights embedded into your labour contract are liquidated, he said.

Analysts have said that the transfer to self-employed contracts gives airlines more flexibility and will save them money.

Mr Jacobs said staff would get higher salaries as a result of the shift and could also be relocated elsewhere in Europe if they are not satisfied with the contracts.

Ryanairs shares were up marginally, by just under 1%, yesterday.

Reuters
Padraig Hoare

Some 1.5bn worth of so-called warehoused mortgages  where some regular payments are agreed and the rest of the sum is parked to the end of the term  will become the next controversy involving Irish customers.

That is according to one of the main players who exposed the tracker mortgage scandal, financial advisor Padraic Kissane, who told TDs and Senators at the Oireachtas Finance Committee that split mortgages were another potential crisis kicked down the road for thousands of homeowners.

Split mortgages became popular in the years following the financial crash to alleviate pressure on homeowners struggling to make repayments.

A homeowner agrees to make repayments on part of the loan, with the other chunk of the loan sum then warehoused until the end of an agreed term or when their financial position improves.

Mr Kissane said the full circle had not been drawn on warehoused mortgages.

As night follows day, the next area that will be looked at is warehoused loans because they are now the next non-performing loans. Nobody is asking what is going to happen with all these warehoused loans at the end -- are you going to have all these 70-year-olds out of their homes because they are going to have to sell?

Some will absolutely take the view that they will have to trade down and move to a smaller home and so forth, but nobody is asking the question...I do not know as a financial advisor today what is going to happen with warehousing, Mr Kissane said in response to Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael McGrath.

Mr McGrath said it was a concern as to what would happen with warehoused loans: There is 1.5bn of warehoused mortgaged debt in split-mortgages, in the average of 50,000. They pay the active part of the mortgage and 15 years down the line, when the mortgage comes to an end, the debt is sitting there. This is untested because these agreements have not come to an end yet. Its about 1.5bn debt parked, he said.

Mr Kissane said there was now an added pressure on homeowners who warehoused part of their mortgage with the arrival of vulture funds.

What is even more serious is that most of these (warehoused) arrangements have three-year reviews on them, which are now currently in play to the vulture fund. (Homeowners) are back in with their contracts in three years after being told it was going to be reviewed with a pillar bank, but it is now in the hands of a vulture, he said.

Mr Kissane said vulture funds buying distressed loans in the Republic in recent years had also contributed to the rental crisis throughout the country, leaving many properties vacant.

The contributory effect to the rental market because of vulture funds is the amount of properties that are empty because receivers are appointed. I am at meetings with clients and the bank cannot tell me who has the keys, nobody knows who has the keys, and the property is empty. It is astonishing, he said.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and SME lobby group Isme told the Finance Committee that vulture funds had put untold pressure on farms and businesses.

IFA president Joe Healy accused vulture funds of preying on families, and killing off farm businesses.
By Joe Leogue

Almost 200,000 in Arts Council funding has been lost, with no realistic prospect of recovery, after a third party that was to issue grants on its behalf went into liquidation.

The situation has been described as extraordinary by TDs, who queried how the Arts Council allowed the payments to go to the third party.

Filmbase, a Dublin-based resource for filmmakers, went into liquidation last March, following an Arts Council audit.

However, it has now emerged that 196,000 of the funding the Arts Council paid Filmbase, to administer an arts programme on its behalf, never reached their intended beneficiaries.

The issue has been detailed in the Arts Councils 2017 annual report, which was submitted to the Oireachtas this week.

In March, 2018, the Arts Council became aware that the organisation had not, in fact, paid the 2017 grants to the intended beneficiaries, the report states.

The organisation went into liquidation shortly afterwards. Following legal advice, the Arts Council has undertaken to honour all payments due.

The Arts Council has estimated that a total of 196,000 is due to intended beneficiaries, including some amounts in relation to previous years.

The Arts Council has no realistic prospect of recovering these amounts from the grant-funded entity, now in liquidation.

In the report, the Arts Council said its in-house control process is designed to ensure that advanced funding only goes to organisations after the council has verified that the conditions attached to previous allocations have been met.

However, the full amount of funding for the arts programme was advanced to this organisation in one tranche in January, 2017, and before the 2016 financial statements were received, it said.

The Arts Council plans to review its controls over funding to outside organisations, in particular where funding is provided in one tranche.

It also plans to review its processes for assessing the financial viability of grant-funded organisations, the report said.

The matter came before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee yesterday, and while Filmbase was not named in the report or during the committee proceedings, the Arts Council yesterday confirmed to the Irish Examiner that it is the organisation at the centre of the issue.

The Arts Council told this newspaper that there are six artists or arts organisations affected, which were due to receive grants towards full production funding, balance-of-production funding, or balance-of-exhibition funding.

Speaking at the committee meeting, Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane described the situation as extraordinary, and said he does not accept that the monies were lost because of what the Arts Council has called a weakness in its control measures.

Weaknesses suggest that theyre not there  of course theyre there, they werent adhered to, he said.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly said it is difficult to sit here and listen to this, when so many arts groups are struggling on the ground.

Alarm bells ring here for me, when I hear this. How does an administrative body go into liquidation? she asked.

The 2017 annual report also revealed cases where the Arts Council did not comply with procurement rules.

During 2017, the Arts Council incurred expenditure of 120,916, where the procedures employed did not comply with procurement rules, the report said.

In the main, this related to the rollover of existing contracts for a number of services. The Arts Council is undertaking, or has now completed, tender processes in relation to all contracts that had been rolled-over.
Irish and British businesses, banks and airlines will bite back and make Brexit decisions for themselves that could have dire consequences for both economies if a deal is not struck by Christmas, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has warned.

Mr Varadkar made the claim as he admitted that a realistic Brexit deal deadline date is anyones guess and could be as late as January. He refused to rule out an extension to the March 29, 2019 cutoff point for the UK to formally leave the EU.

After a European Council summit undermined by fresh Brexit delays and fears that a no-deal scenario is now inevitable, Mr Varadkar said decisions must be made soon.

And, noting businesses work on a quarterly basis and cannot wait for politicians to make a last-minute March breakthrough, he said if no progress is made within weeks firms may take action themselves regardless of the wider economic consequences.

Politicians may be able to make late, late-night decisions in rooms in the new year or in December, but businesses are going to make plans long before that because the business sector operates on a quarter by quarter basis.

Business ... banks, employers, airlines ... will start making decisions and they will start making decisions that bite back particularly in the UK but also in Ireland and other places. I think its in the interests of all of our citizens that the politicians and officials get on with this and get it done as soon as possible, he said.

Mr Varadkar was speaking as he admitted a realistic Brexit agreement deadline date could be in January, despite repeated warnings in recent months about June, September and now October as cutoff points.

Asked when he believes a deal can now be agreed days after European Council president Donald Tusk said an agreement is further away than ever, Mr Varadkar said the date is now anyones guess.

The Taoiseach said a now seemingly off-the-cards special November summit will only take place if there is a deal to sign off on or if talks break down, and said while a scheduled December EU summit could see a deal struck he can not rule out the crisis dragging on into January.

I dont know. Ive always said October was the deadline, I know there are suggestions it could have been done earlier, but October is the deadline and it looks like we are going to miss that deadline now. There is another summit in December, I really hope we can have it done in November, and if we dont then we will do it in December. But to be honest, I just dont know, he said.

While emphasising that he is not calling for an extension to the March 29, 2019, date for the UK to formally leave the EU amid fresh speculation over the potential move, Mr Varadkar also twice noted that it is legally possible if London requests a delay.

The Taoiseach said while some may view Brexit as a short-term storm, the reality is it is the political equivalent of climate change that could ravage Ireland and the UK if not tackled properly, warning: Its a permanent change.
National Bravery Award recipient, Martin Cullinane, says saving two young brothers from drowning last April changed his life for the better.

The Cork man did not hesitate when he saw the boys, aged five and six, struggling to keep their heads above water: I can swim but when you see two young fellows drowning you do your best to get to them. I could have beaten the American Olympian swimmer, Michael Phelps, on the day.

Martin was in his apartment in Mariners Quay, Passage West, Co Cork, on April 14 when he heard shouts for help coming from the sea. He looked out of the window and saw the two boys in the water.

One was struggling and the other was face down in the water.

The sea was rough and it was getting dark. By the time he got to the quayside and got into the water, they had moved further away.

Martin left the apartment in his pyjamas, ran downstairs, and dived into the water rescuing the boy who was struggling in the water.

He then swam out for the other boy who was going under the water and got him out: I knew he was in a bad way because there was foam coming out of his mouth.

Martin stuck his two fingers into the boys mouth: The amount of water that came out of him was unbelievable. But then I knew he was alive and it was fantastic. It was a brilliant feeling.

He thinks of the two boys every day and is glad they have the rest of their lives to look forward to because of him.

After the rescue, Martin became the face of a new Irish Water Safety campaign  the video on YouTube has been watched almost 300,000 times.

He will also receive a bravery award from the Irish Water Safety Association next month in Dublin Castle.

Martin, who used to drive a van, said the video helped him get a dream job  he will start work next month as area manager of Schools4Peace, a project to connect schools in Ireland with schools in war-torn countries.

He also got engaged to his girlfriend, Vanessa Dawson, and they are getting married in August next year.

Martin met the father of the boys two weeks after rescuing them.

He was a huge man and he nearly broke my back when he gave me a hug. He asked me what I wanted and I said I did not want anything. It was very emotional.

Martin will be among 21 people honoured today at Farleigh House in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.

The annual awards are administered by Comhairle na Mire Gaile, the Deeds of Bravery Council, chaired by the Ceann Comhairle of the Dail, Sean O Fearghail.

Martin is one of three people from Cork who saved drowning children who will receive bravery awards.

Teenager Clodagh Hayes from Glanmire, Co Cork, saved a young boy from drowning in the River Lee on May 8.

Michelle Cremin, from Ballinacurra, Midleton, saved the life of a young girl swept out to sea off Inch Beach, Co Cork, on June 24 last year.

Peter and Rory OConnor, two young brothers from Mallow, Co Cork, will also be honoured for saving their grandmother from a house fire.

On October 14, 2016, a small fire broke out when the boys were at home with their older sister and grandmother.

Rory and Peter, who were just nine years old at the time, contacted their parents and got everyone out of the house safely.
By Ann O'Loughlin

A young girl who sustained a severe brain injury after she fell off the side of a Luas tram when she was "tram surfing" has settled her High Court action for 550,000.

Rebecca Kelly was only 13 years of age when she and a friend jumped on the outside of Luas tram gripping on to the edge of the doors as it departed the Fatima station on the Red Line eight years ago.

The young girl fell back on to the tracks striking her head and had to be rescued by her friend. The friend along with the help of others pulled Rebecca out of the way of an oncoming Luas tram en route to the city centre.

Rebecca's Counsel, Bruce Antoniotti SC today told the High Court the young woman who became a mother just two weeks ago accepted the accident was her fault and she acknowledged she should not have been tram surfing and she knew at the time it was a dangerous activity.

Counsel said Rebecca did not want to blame the driver .

Rebecca Kelly (20) of Pearse House, Pearse Street, Dublin had though her mother Elizabeth Kelly sued the Luas operators Veolia Transport Dublin Light Rail Ltd and Veolia Transport Ireland Ltd of St John Rogerson's Quay, Dublin as a result of the accident on September 3, 2010.

She claimed there was an alleged failure to have any or any adequate visual systems employed and activated on the tram and that the driver was unable in the circumstances to see the non platform side of the tram before leaving the station.It was claimed the tram pulled off from the station without first observing the non platform side of the tram.

All the claims were denied and Veolia contended there was contributory negligence on the part of the young girl as she had she had allegedly exposed herself to the risk of injury by tram surfing with a total diregard for her own safety.

A Luas tram in operation

Mr Antoniotti SC told the court it was a tragic case. He said Rebecca was with a group of friends at the Fatima Luas stop on the Red Line on the inbound platform at 9.15pm.

He said at that time young people engaged in "tram surfing". Mr Justice Cross commented it was what boys used to do in the past by hanging on to the back of lorries.

Counsel said tram surfing was where young people jumped on to the side door where here was a small ledge and they put their fingers between the door and the body of the tram and " held on for dear life."

There were, he said 54 incidents of tram surfing recorded on the Luas trams between 2005 and 2010, but the placing of metal strips to prevent gripping between the door and the body of the train had helped deter the practice.

Rebecca, he said jumped on to the side of the Tallaght bound tram but fell off very quickly and hit her head. Counsel said she had never tram surfed before.

Counsel said there had been a problem in the UK and Ireland with young people tram surfing and and initially a grease was applied to the bodywork and cameras have been installed as well.

He said in this case the tram pulled in to the Tallaght bound platform and the driver had to watch the platform where passengers were getting on and off.

To view the other side of the tram where Rebecca jumped on would have required him to switch cameras. Counsel said the driver also had to be looking straight ahead when the tram moving off as people often try to cross in front.

He said that after this accident a metal strip was put in the space between the doors and the body of the trams.

Approving the settlement Mr Justice Cross said it was not necessary for the court to tell Rebecca Kelly she did a silly thing as she knew that. However, he commended her for her honesty.
Niall Murray, Education Correspondent

A legal review of the Higher Education Authoritys (HEA) powers to undertake investigations and reviews in third-level colleges has held up a report on spinout companies at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) that was due out a year ago.

The issues behind the delay emerged as outgoing HEA chief executive Graham Love explained to TDs how uncertainty over the organisations regulatory powers was a key factor in his decision in August to resign.

He told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that over 70% of his time, since taking up the job 18 months ago, has been on the regulatory and oversight aspect of the HEAs work rather than the sectoral development of the third-level sector which attracted him to the role.

Mr Love was responding to questions by Waterford Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane about the status of a report commissioned by the HEA into spin-out and sale of companies from the Telecommunications Software and Systems Group at WIT. It began in June 2017 and was due to be completed at the end of last October.

However, the PAC heard that the authority has received a draft report, but after circulating it for feedback had to modify it due to concerns about potential litigation and damages if it were published. Subsequent legal advice raised questions about the HEAs powers to conduct the investigation in the first place and this was referred to the Department of Education.

William Beausang, the departments assistant secretary general responsible for higher education policy, said the Attorney Generals office has been asked to consider more broadly the question of the HEAs powers to conduct reviews or investigations.

The question of compliance and regulatory issues emerged as one of four factors in Mr Loves letter of resignation, sent by email to HEA chairman Michael Horgan on August 18.

In the letter, released to the committee, Mr Love said he had reached a decision to resign after much consideration.

I have formed a view that the role has not matched my expectations and the actual nature of the job militates against any realistic opportunity to deliver much-needed strategic development in the sector, he wrote.

A number of serious concerns have led me to this conclusion, including the lack of role clarity between the HEA and the Dept [sic] of Education and Skills, the level of risk posed to the higher education system by the failure to resolve the overall funding issue, the nature of the Board/Executive relationship in the HEA and the dominance of the compliance/regulatory agenda, his resignation letter stated.

Department of Education secretary general Sean O Foghlu said he did not fully agree about the level of challenges as raised by Mr Love. Work is underway in the department to design new powers for the HEA, he said, under laws whose draft outline Mr Beausang said should be ready to go to Government in the first quarter of 2019.

Mr Cullinane raised concerns that if the Attorney General review determines the HEA did not have legal authority to have the review at WIT carried out, staff who came forward with information would be let down by the entire process.

Mr Love earlier told him that the 50-plus people who responded to independent investigator Michael McLoones invitation for submissions or contact was much more than had been expected. However, he and Mr Horgan assured Mr Cullinane and the PAC that a report on the matters being probed will be published.
David Raleigh

Nearly 5,000 people were supported last year by homeless organisation Novas, which is headquartered in Limerick.

In its annual report, published this morning, Novas CEO Michael Goulding said: In 2017 we supported 4,572 people who were homeless, at risk of homelessness or recovering from addiction. This was the highest number of people ever supported by our organisation.

Since it was set up eight years ago Novas, which has services across the mid-west region and in Dublin, has seen an increase of nearly 400% in people seeking its help.

Despite the evident economic recovery, the scourge of homelessness continues unabated, said Mr Goulding.

Since 2010 Novas has seen a rise of 375% of people seeking its help.

Mr Goulding said an over-reliance on the private rented market has resulted in unfettered and unsustainable rent increases that have forced many households into homelessness.

Another reason for the rise in people seeking help included more people than ever seeking support for addiction and recovery.

Novass Chairperson, Greg Maxwell, said an extremely hostile housing market was another reason for the homelessness crisis.

Rent control efforts by government failed and evictions continued to increase. Rent levels reached those at the time of the super crash 10 years ago, Mr Maxwell said.

Families became homeless, and house prices surged making it impossible for most families to afford buying a house.

To cope with demand, Novas has expanded services significantly Maxwell said.

There was an almost 50% increase in the number of clients using our Limerick city out-of-hours service to 1900.

He said there was great concern over families being caught in the net of homelessness.

A total of 146 families had sought emergency accommodation in Limerick.

To cope with demand a second night shelter was opened in Limerick, as well as a new family hub service in Dublin.

An outreach support service in Tipperary and Housing First service in Kerry, fast-tracking people into long-term accommodation were also opened in 2017.

However, it has emerged that Limerick City and County Council is to close down the Temporary Emergency Provision (TEP) hostel ON Edward Street after complaints from local residents about anti-social behaviour.

During 2017, there were almost 7,000 presentations to TEP.

A date for the closure has not been given and the Council said it would arrange for alternative accommodation for the hostel users prior to the closure.

Novas' Annual Report Launch today highlights the significant demand for services and an increase of those supported by the organisation of 375% since 2010. @Limerick_Leader @LimerickToday @rtenews @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/q2y0IEkOfa  Novas (@novasireland) October 19, 2018

The number of families requiring support in its Intensive Family Support Service remained high throughout the year, however, due to significant restructuring in 2016, waiting lists for IFS support were eliminated in 2017.

In this twelve-month period, 176 families were referred, with all but one successfully accessing support.

Last Christmas the Novas IFS Annual Toy Appeal supported 895 children, the largest campaign to date.

During the year Novas acquired 23 long-term family homes in Limerick and Dublin to support families experiencing homelessness and living in emergency B&B accommodation.

A rise of 5% of people aged between 18-21 have sought support, and almost 40% of all clients accessing accommodation services were under 30 years of age, while 65% were less than 40 years old.

However, some services continue to suffer legacy cuts in funding despite the huge increase in demand, said Mr Maxwell.

The future outlook was not good, he added: Regrettably it looks like more of the same. Indeed even that may be optimistic.
Presidential candidate Peter Casey has insisted he is not basing his campaign on Donald Trump.

Mr Casey, who has come under increased scrutiny and had some of his comments labelled "populist" and "racist" by other candidates, said there are stark differences between what he has said and statements made by the US president on different ethnic groups.

Some critics have compared the businessman's political campaign, and in particular his recent comments on the Traveller community, to Mr Trump's bid for the Oval Office.

"It disappointed me when he got elected, but I did predict it because when you live there, America is a racist society," he said of Mr Trump.

"I think his behaviour is indefensible, and you can't defend the indefensible and I would certainly not want to."

Mr Casey came under fire earlier this week after saying Travellers should not be recognised as an ethnic minority because they are "basically people camping in someone else's land", and the group are "not paying their fair share of taxes in society".

Amid pointed exchanges in an interview this morning, during which Mr Casey's staff moved to shut down some lines of questioning, the candidate told the Press Association he stands by his comments.

He said: "If Travellers think that I slighted their community in any way, they're wrong, I did not."

After a series of questions on the controversy in the on-camera interview, Mr Casey announced he was considering withdrawing from the race.

On Thursday, Mr Casey visited Thurles with a large contingent of media to see the site of a housing dispute between the local Traveller community and the county council.

New houses were built for Travellers at an area in Cabragh Bridge, but they currently lie empty as the community says the development does not include the land they were promised to graze their horses on.

When asked about the visit, which he said was a fact-finding expedition, Mr Casey insisted the Travelling community was wrong on the matter.

It was reported that Traveller children had been left frightened after hearing about his comments, broadcast on a podcast, from other children at school.

Asked if he thought that was fair, Mr Casey replied: "Children don't listen to podcasts.

"The councillors (in Tipperary) are being bullied by the Traveller community down there and I think it's a disgrace.

"The reason his children are being subjected (to negative comments) is because they didn't move into the house."

In a later statement on whether he would consider staying in the race, Mr Casey said: "I do not want the people of Ireland to elect me as president of Ireland just based on one statement I made."
By Padraig Hoare

Farming families are being preyed upon by so-called vulture funds who are killing off farm businesses, while small businesses are being intimidated into silence, according to bodies representing the sectors.

Irish Farmers Association (IFA) president Joe Healy said farmers trust in banks was lost as more and more of them abdicated responsibility by selling their loans to vulture funds.

Speaking alongside Mr Healy at the Oireachtas finance committee, the chief executive of Isme, Neil McDonnell, said a company currently going through a debt restructuring was intimidated into not appearing before TDs and senators.

I was to have been accompanied here today by a member company which is going through a debt restructuring, but it was made very clear to them that the offer being negotiated currently would not be honoured if the company appeared before you, said Mr McDonnell.

Both organisations accused Irish lenders of taking the easy way out by selling loans to vulture funds, which they said had no incentive to assist the customer.

The financial adviser credited with helping expose the tracker mortgage crisis, Padraic Kissane, told the committee that vulture funds were motivated purely for profit.

It is an enormous industry benefiting from banks selling on loans at dramatically reduced prices, because the banks have little interest in engaging in solutions for customers, preferring to hide behind European Central Bank rules of reducing non-performing loans.

Mr Kissane said: What is paid by these funds for the loans is the great mystery that no one seems to know. However, if you review the websites of the main players in the Irish market, the answers are clear. They are queuing up to come here.

Vulture funds linked to Goldman Sachs made 456m in distressed Irish loans last year alone, Mr Kissane said.

The facts are there, he said. They are not here for any benefit of the customer.

IFA farm business chairman Martin Stapleton said vulture funds had to be made accountable.

There must be enforcement by the Financial Regulator, including information on loan owners, the number of loans they own, and the profile of borrowers  while there had to be options to engage with the vulture fund and not through intermediaries, Mr Stapleton said.

Borrowers must have the option to engage directly with the loan owners, and not only through third-party agencies, he said. The current system of employing asset managers as intermediaries is a failure, as funds are instructing the asset managers to recover par debt plus costs as a sole option. There must be accountability to the Minister for Finance and to the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Ireland is too dependent on Britain to take our hazardous waste, with concerns growing about what will happen after Brexit.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned that Irish exports of hazardous waste are growing, with half of it  almost 95,000 tonnes a year  going to Britain for incineration and disposal.

There remains some uncertainty surrounding what impacts there will be post-Brexit and any future trade agreements, it warns.

It says there must be greater focus and increased effort on increasing Irelands level of capacity for self-sufficiency with regard to the treatment and management of hazardous waste.

Ireland produces less hazardous waste per capita than the European average but that still amounted to 371,000 tonnes in 2016, of which 186,000 tonnes were exported, with Germany, Belgium, and Britain taking 90% between them.

The total exported increased by 11% in 2016 on top of a 6% increase in 2015.

Solvents made up 37% of what was sent abroad but exports also included large amounts of electronics, batteries, cement kiln dust and healthcare waste.

Publishing the latest progress report on the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan 2014-2020, EPA senior manager, Patrick Geoghegan, pointed out that the plan is meant to tackle the issue.

Striving for more self-sufficiency nationally in the management of Irelands hazardous waste is a guiding principle behind many of the plans recommendations, he said. The plan includes an ambition to minimise exports where it is environmentally preferable and feasible from a technical and economic point of view.

It is not the only unfulfilled ambition. The EPA notes there has been little movement on plans to encourage people to take their unused paints, medicines, inks and oils back to a point of purchase in order to remove hazardous waste from household bins.

The progress report says the idea of developing new producer responsibility obligations (PRI)  requiring producers to accept returns of unused or expired goods  is at risk.

Human medicines were to have been the first products considered for a PRI scheme along the lines of those in place for electronics waste, used batteries and end of life tyres. While many pharmacists are happy to take back unused or expired medications, a formal scheme would require mandatory involvement, regulation and reporting.

The EPA said the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment is awaiting further research into the idea before progressing it or the PRIs for other products. The EPA said it will carry out its own research to help get the idea off the ground.

The report also shows that action has stalled on plans for a network of collection points for small quantities of hazardous waste, such as asbestos, from DIY and small contracting jobs.

Plans to create a system of regulating the management and disposal of used sheep dip by farmers has not commenced at all, the EPA found.

Progress has been made in other areas. A pilot scheme saw 9,000 farmers bring 1,000 tonnes of hazardous waste to 46 collection points, and coordinated one-day collections for household hazardous waste around the country resulted in substantial amounts of waste, in particular paint, being brought for proper disposal.
By Ken Foxe

Staff in Met Eireann have been told to be non-committal when asked if specific extreme weather events in Ireland are linked to global warming.

The advice is contained in a guidance document for staff on what to do when hurricanes, droughts, heatwaves, and snow storms are being blamed directly on climate change.

In their climate attribution statement Met Eireann said questions linking these specific events to global warming were to be expected.

There is no simple yes or no answer to the question, says the guide. It is a fact that a current weather event is occurring in a climate that is approximately one degree Celsius warmer than pre-industrial times.

But that alone does not mean that the event would not have occurred if the climate were colder by one degree (pre-industrial).

The guide says extreme weather events are more likely to occur because of global warming, but that linking it to specific events was a problem.

It explains: A comment along the lines of we cant say if the event is a result of climate change, but it is the type of event that is projected to occur more frequently in a change climate can be used if the question arises.

The guide is much clearer on what to say when asked about the link between human activity and climate change. It said the fifth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had concluded that human influence on the climate system is clear.

It also explains that new climate modelling technology might give clearer answers on whether events like the Beast from the East snow storm or the summer heatwave could be linked to climate change.

The document was obtained by transparency group Right to Know using EU environmental information regulations.

Seamus Walsh, head of the Climate and Observations Department in Met Eireann, said: There is no simple yes or no answer and often when were explaining this, were losing.

Our forecasters deal essentially with the weather, which is the day to day variation. Everybody thinks because we all work in Met Eireann, we are all experts on climate change. But they are quite different skills so we like forecasters to talk on weather and our climate experts to talk on climate.

He said that while the science is more or less settled on climate change, linking specific events to it is nowhere near as simple.

Mans influence is written all over that one degree rise, and that does have a knock-on effect on events. However, if you start commenting on individual events, you kind of get caught.

And while these events will become a lot more frequent in the future, its just not that straightforward to link day to day weather events to climate change.
By Dan Danaher

Minister of State Pat Breen has rejected calls for his resignation, insisting he has nothing to resign for, after criticism of an invitation he issued for a private dinner between a national broadband bidder and former communications minister Denis Naughten.

Mr Breen said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is happy with his explanation about the dinner and has full confidence in him.

Asked if he could have volunteered information about the controversial dinner much earlier to the Taoiseach, Mr Breen said he was away on a trade mission the previous week and was not tuned into what was happening and felt this dinner was of such little significance.

I didnt know the Taoiseach had met Denis Naughten on Wednesday night until Thursday afternoon, and I immediately outlined to the Taoiseach the series of events.

The Taoiseach was happy with the explanation, because there was nothing discussed about the National Broadband Plan, he said.

I have nothing to resign for. We are living in a very funny world, where people are looking for heads. I have nothing to account for, because I wasnt involved in the broadband process and I am not the communications minister.

I was never asked to become involved in the broadband process by either party.

In an interview with the Clare Champion, Mr Breen recalled he was asked to invite Mr Naughten to this dinner sometime during the preceding week.

Asked if he was aware there were a number of bidders in the broadband process at that stage, Mr Breen said he could not comment, as he did not know and he wasnt involved or following the bidding process.

David McCourt and his wife were over from New York at their house, which they do on a regular basis. He had an informal dinner and, during the course of the conversation, asked me to pass on an invitation to the then communications minister, Denis Naughten, for dinner.

I passed on the invitation to Minister Naughten. It was up to Minister Naughten if he wanted to accept or reject it. I dont arrange dinners in anyones houses for other people. I didnt decide who the guest list was or who Mr and Mrs McCourt should invite. If Denis Naughten had rejected the invitation, I would have passed this on to Mr McCourt.

As far as I am aware, nothing was discussed in relation to the National Broadband Plan at this dinner. It was a very informal conversation.

Mr Breen described David McCourt as an entrepeneur who is very interested in global affairs.

Any time he met Mr McCourt, Mr Breen said the conversations were about world affairs and small businesses, which come under his portfolio as minister of state.

I have no role in the National Broadband Plan or who should be awarded it. I dont sit at the Cabinet table. I meet business people every week, which is very important to do, in view of Brexit.

David McCourt is very proud of his holiday home in Clare and that is why he wanted to set up a business there. If I can get employment into the area, that is part of my role, particularly in relation to Brexit, where the United Kingdom could bow out without a deal.
Whether you think hes bad or just plain mad, theres no denying that Peter Casey fresh from his Travellers are trespassers controversy rouses passions.

Love was mainly on display in the English Market yesterday, with one woman, going only by the name of Marie, declaring: I love him, I love him.

She fell in love belatedly, on Wednesday, not because Peters the head off the mayor in Jaws, but because he had the cojones to say what we are all thinking.

Hes only reflecting what 80% of the population thinks, she said  a claim which is open to challenge, in the absence of any scientific data.

For her, his remarks  that Travellers are basically people that are camping on someone elses land and that they are not paying their fair share of taxes in society  were the turning point.

Theyve no right to tell him what his opinion should be. Its a democratic society. There is too much tolerance, she said, tongue-not-firmly-in-cheek.

Martha Hogan, from Nenagh, Co Tipperary, was only thrilled to shake hands on camera.

I feel hes the only one being truthful. Hes only saying what everyone else is thinking. You cant have an opinion anymore, she said.

Besides, people on housing waiting lists would give their right arm for any one of the six four-bedroom houses Travellers have refused to move into in Thurles, Co Tipperary, until their horses are catered for.

Dinny Ryan, former Tipperary hurler, also from Nenagh, agrees with Peter 100%.

Hell get a lot more votes now. People in Tipperary will back him. Hes my man now, Dinny said.

Don McGinley, a visitor from Co Donegal, said Peter is a straight-up, honest kind of guy, although not necessarily one he would vote for. I dont agree with his views, Don said.

Four young ladies who posed for the cameras were largely unaware of who Mr Casey is. Michael D is likely to be their choice, they said. Or Liadh Ni Riada.

Peters wife Helen, who stopped off for a sausage at OFlynns gourmet sausage stall, said when she married him, she signed on for not being bored and laughed that he over-delivers.

Hes a big kid, I describe him as my sixth child, she said.

Does she agree with his big kid views? We have heated debates, we chat about things. Peter has got himself to this point in his campaign because he is who he is. Hes just saying what other people are thinking.

One stall owner was having none of it. Vourneen Fayer said her experience of Dragons Den candidates, in general, is negative. Casey, she said, is trying to do a Trump on it.

Bottom line? Michael D for president. And no more photo ops in the English Market.
Olivia Kelleher

Five protests will be held in Ireland and across the world tomorrow to show solidarity with volunteer worker, Sean Binder, who is being held in a jail in Greece amid allegations of helping illegal migrants enter the country.

The 24-year-old Trinity College Dublin graduate was in Lesbos to help assist refugees on a humanitarian basis as part of work with Emergency Response Centre International.

He met with police in a voluntary capacity in August after being informed that was a person of interest in relation to the charity's alleged activities. He is currently in a jail in Chios awaiting trial.

His mother Fanny Binder says they are working on preparing a case for Sean and his co-accused who are two of his colleagues from the charity.

Fanny, who is from Germany but lives in Cork, says that conditions are good in the prison and that Sean is being treated as well as possible under the circumstances. She says her son is trying to keep mentally strong in spite of his difficult circumstances.

He is very focused and strong. He continues to try and help people crossing his path. He has days where he is not so good. He is innocent. It is hard to understand. I am glad that I am there (in Greece) and I can build his spirits up.

Ms Binder says Irish MEP's have endeavoured to help her but they are hampered by the fact that whilst Sean has lived here since he was a young child he is not an Irish national.

She is very proud of her son whom she says worked hard at the London School of Economics after he finished his undergraduate degree. She says he is transparent and honest and that the arrest is not consistent with the values he has espoused his whole life.

Ms Binder told Cork's 96FM that supporters will gather outside the Greek embassy in Dublin at 1pm tomorrow. She is grateful for a number of other protests which are being held around the world by friends of Sean who want to support him.

She hopes Sean will be released from prison pending his trial and says he is willing to abide by all the conditions of bail.

"Protests will be held at the same time in Berlin, London, Stockholm and Boston. It is just a solidarity demonstration to make more people aware of the situation.

It is still our prime goal to get them out until trial so that they are free. It is possible under Greek law. With a geographic restriction, it would be no problem. That is normal practice. What is happening now is very unusual.

Ms Binder says that the more pressure that is put on the Greek public and the Greek authorities the better.

Sean, who is from Togher in Cork, is one of three people who have been arrested in relation to the police investigation in Greece. He has been living on Lesbos and volunteering for the Emergency Response Centre International NGO since last year.

Mr Binder was arrested on suspicion of money laundering, espionage and being a member of a criminal organisation. He denies the allegations. A petition set up at freehumanitarians.com regarding his detention has received over six thousand signatures.
By Conor Kane

Traveller representatives have dismissed as a stunt the visit by would-be president Peter Casey to a group of new houses which were built for an extended family of Travellers who have lived on a nearby unauthorised site for more than 40 years.

Independent candidate and former Dragons Den panellist Mr Casey travelled by train from Cork to Thurles yesterday afternoon and arrived at the location of the six new houses, at Cabragh Bridge outside Thurles, just before 4pm.

However, he did not speak to any of the Traveller family members living opposite the development, saying he would be invading their privacy if he approached them. He was later criticised for leaving the area without meeting them.

Tipperary County Council has built the six detached houses at Cabragh West at a cost of more than 1.7m following an agreement reached several years ago with representatives of the extended McCarthy family who have lived on Cabragh Bridge for decades.

The Travellers now say there was an agreement with the council that they would move from the unauthorised encampment to the new houses if land was provided for their horses.

One of the family members, Philip McCarthy, said two weeks ago that they [the houses] were to be built with a half-acre behind each house, with two stables.

About 20 protesters, including supporters from the Tipperary Rural Traveller Project and the Irish Traveller Movement, were in the area during and after Mr Caseys visit, with the scene policed by up to 20 gardai and covered by up to 30 members of the media.

One of the local residents, Barry McCarthy, said they were very happy with the houses, but they promised to build land with it. We have a bit of land and our stables here where we are at the minute. We have horses, dogs, and a couple of chickens as well.

He said we cant move across without accommodation for the horses.

Mr McCarthy criticised Mr Casey for his comments this week, saying theres no reason for him to talk down about the Travellers, what would he know about the Travellers anyway.

He said it was very frightening for the kids to hear what he said about them and asked what was the reason for him coming this far and then moving off just as fast.

TJ Hogan, accommodation officer with the Irish Traveller Movement, said the visit by Mr Casey was just a media stunt. We all see how Donald Trump in America got his presidency and I think hes taking a page out of that.

He said Mr Casey didnt come here to speak to Travellers.

Before he left, Mr Casey said the fact that the new houses are not occupied is just wrong and said he visited the area to draw attention to the issue.

People need to stand up and say when something is wrong, they need to turn around and say, this is wrong.
Ask Audrey has been sorting out Cork people for ages like ...

Hello old stock. Im pretending to be a poet to impress a stunning pseudo-intellectual from Clonakilty, so this weeks issue is in the form of a limerick. I once knew a bird from Ardmore, We got up to all sorts down by the shore, She phoned me last night, and gave me a fright, Ive a son and hes aged 24. She wants me to meet the lad this Saturday which is a nightmare because Ive Hoggy pencilled in for a jacuzzi with two very open-minded travel agents from Kenmare. Do you think shes looking for money?

 Reggie, Blackrock, he has my hair apparently.

So thats where it went. Id be the last person to mock someone for scoring in Ardmore. The way the locals go around on their hind feet and almost speak English, its easy to forget they are actually from Waterford. As for your question, one bad limerick deserves another. There once was a fella called Reg, In Cork Con he has known as a ledge, He went to Ardmore, Where he did more than score and thats going to cost him some wedge.

How about ye? I entered our annual raffle Orange Order raffle, where the booby prize was a weekend break anywhere in the Irish Republic. (And they said Unionists dont have a sense of humour!) I won said booby prize so myself and my good wife just spent a weekend in Cork. I have to say youre much nicer than Dublin people and we very impressed by the way ye integrate people from north and south of the River Lee, even though your northsiders dont appear to have any English, so they dont. Make Cork your capital and well gladly join up. Yon for it?

 Sammy, Ballymena, we surrender.

You sound like you had a couple of goes at the distillery tour. Your letter was going really well for about ten seconds, a bit like sex with My Conor. And then you said you think that southsiders are at one with the Norries. Thats as daft as a shower of red-faced men marching down the road wearing orange. (Its just not a great colour for you.)

Weve decided to buy our dream house in Bishopstown, so Ive my cute kids doing modelling jobs around the clock to bring in some extra cash. (Nightmare, theyre super-annoying when theyre tired.) The problem is the woman dealing with our mortgage was in my class at school, and Iets just say I over-egged what we bring in annually, at our Mount Mercy reunion last year. Do you think shell tell everyone?

 Fiona, Wilton, not for much longer

I passed on your story to my Posh Cousin. She said thats the most embarrassing thing Ive ever heard. I said, inflating their salary? She said no, dreaming of owning a house in Bishopstown. I said why? She said, because Bishopstown is just a punishment camp for people who cant afford the Model Farm Road.

Now listen up Paddy. I am a member of the British establishment, which is to say I am one of eight chaps who were in the same class at Eton. (Hurrah!) I have been instructed to pass a message to your man, Simon Coveney. The messages goes as follows: Now listen up Coveney, when we promised a backstop in the Brexit negotiations, what we were really doing there, as such, was lying through our teeth. This should hardly come as a surprise given we allowed you 800 years to learn the way we operate, but I suppose quick on the uptake has never been a core competency for you Irish. Would you be so kind as to pass that on?

 Lord Horseface Von Cousin-Marry, quite a lot of Sussex

Sorry, Im not allowed to approach a member of the Leeside Merchant Prince Class after a misunderstanding at Cork Week last year. (I misunderstood what happens to my brain after four gins. Hilaire, as long as youre not standing next to me.)

Im back on the dating game after discovering that when my Ken said he had something that needed seeing to at work, he meant the new HR manager from Portugal. I put out a find-me-a-man klaxon on the WhatsApp group, Monkstown Moms Whove Had A Bit of Work Done. One of them introduced me to her plumber as a stop-gap until I find someone with a degree. Hes amazeballs in the sack, in fairness, but hes also from a very rough part of Dublin. (Were talking Outer Skangolia.) Is there any safe way to introduce him to my friends?

 Katie, Monkstown, hes like Conor McGregor with manners.

Isnt it great the way they can train them. Its a minefield, bringing your bit of rough from the lower orders into contact with people who feel vom in the mouth when they pass a Dealz. My friend Monica spent six grand getting her mechanic gentrified, only to bring him into Electric one night without remembering to change his white socks. Its the small things that will catch you, said I hopefully when I was being chased around Kinsale Yacht Club by a tiny millionaire. #StoryForAnotherDay
By Roz Crowley

ITS that time of year when ghoulish figures tempt us with oversweet treats, and black jeans and hats get an airing for the Cork Jazz Festival. This week I am taking you on a journey of discovery of black foods to serve for Halloween parties or quick bites between house or music visits  that take little effort to use.

I scoured Cork for black ingredients, ignoring the obvious soya, oyster sauce, grapes, and wine, and found quite a lot to tempt in the English Market. To jazz up any dish, a sprinkling here and there, a side dish of something black with orange from delicious roasted cubes of butternut squash sprinkled with olive oil and cinnamon is a treat (Yotam Ottolenghis idea).

Black foods often have commendable health properties. The obvious being the anthocyanins packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.

Black seeds are on trend and on my August visit to Takashi Miyazaki in the newly Michelin-starred Ichigo Ichie I saw black sesame in a superb dish of taro potato, with buckwheat seeds and a dressing of yuzu (citrus fruit) and miso (soya-based seasoning). Add squid ink to risotto for drama (and saltiness) or with scallops and cauliflower as another new Michelin-starred chef, Rob Krawczyk, does in the Chestnut in Ballydehob.

Get in a stock of our Top 8 this week and have ghoulish and jazzy fun

Mulato chilli 3.50

These four peppers from Mexico will liven up any stew and give it depth and richness to show the best of South American cooking. Quite mild, the flavour is deeper than simply hot and one chilli goes a long way. Put on some Latin jazz to accompany. I bought in Mr Bells, English Market, Cork.

Hanabi Yaki Nori for Sushi 10 sheets 3

Not many people have the courage to make sushi, but its as simple as cooking short grain rice (ideally sushi rice, but rice for risotto is good too). Just add rice vinegar, salt and sugar. Spread out on a sheet of this seaweed and sprinkle with a little smoked salmon and/or avocado (for Halloween colours). There are plenty of instructions on line. An impressive, light, interesting starter with lots of protein and minerals. I bought in Mr Bells, English Market, Cork.

Wild Irish Seaweed Sea Salad 3.95

This mix of dillisk, wakame, sugar kelp, Nori and sea lettuce can be chopped into soups and stews for the benefits of immune-boosting vitamins A and C and calcium for bone health and even weight loss. Seaweed spaghetti from the same range adds great substance and a ghoulish look to salads, especially with peas and chopped roasted butternut squash. Stylish too. From: wildirishseaweeds.com and fish and speciality food shops.

Tubis bio-organic salt liquorice 2.99

Liquorice is rich in glycyrrhizic acid which is naturally 50 times sweeter than sugar, and contains a decent amount of iron. As sweets go, it has some benefits, including as an anti-inflammatory. Made from the root of the plant, black strap molasses provides a relatively pure form of 42% sugars, but avoid higher sugar content in other brands. I bought in The Good Food Shop, English Market, Cork.

Black sesame seeds Japan 1.40

Seeds should be dry fried (tossed in a frying pan with no oil) or soaked (like beans) to get rid of toxins and this version is ready toasted. Rich in calcium and B vitamins, I like these sprinkled on seasonal, hot, roasted vegetables. Add protein and flavour to breads as you warm them with a generous teaspoon pressed in. You could even smear the top of a glass with a little agave or pomegranate syrup and dip in these for a ghoulish aperitif.

Black turtle beans 150g 45c

Black beans are treated in the same way as any other beans, and need to be soaked for eight hours before being boiled for at least an hour. Mix with roasted or steamed vegetables for a ghoulish stir fry, and top with more black in the form of black sesame or poppy seeds. Good as a filling for pancakes. Drizzle with red, bloodlike pomegranate molasses. I bought in Mr Bells, English Market, Cork.

Black beluga lentils 500g 3.89

So small, they resemble beluga caviar, the name is good for a stylish, jazzy, vegetarian dinner party. As with Puy lentils, you can go Italian/ Spanish with tomatoes, onions, garlic, or Eastern by adding fried, warm spices such as turmeric, cinnamon and cumin to cooked lentils. Fresh turmeric is delicious grated into them. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or on the side with fish.

Himalayan black salt 6.99

Himalayan salt is fashionable these days, and its only a matter of time before the black version is even more so. Rich in iron and trace minerals from its volcanic source in the mountains, it can be mixed with herbs and seeds for seasoning. An aid to digestion, it is lower in sodium than table salt, but it is still best to keep consumption of salt under a teaspoon a day, including what we find in processed foods. Jazz up your weekend breakfast eggs with a sprinkle.
The second series of the true crime documentary about Steven Avery is released on Netflix today, writes Georgia Humphreys.

Its been almost three years since the world became obsessed with the stories of Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey.

Yep, were talking about the subjects of Netflixs Making A Murderer, which became an instant hit after its launch in December 2015.

Filmed over a 10-year period, Part One of the US thriller-documentary showed how Avery, a DNA exoneree, was in the midst of exposing police corruption when he became a prime suspect in the murder of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach.

At the end of the first 10 episodes, Avery was sentenced to life in prison, along with his nephew Dassey, who has learning difficulties and, at the age of just 16, confessed to helping his uncle kill Halbach. But both remained hopeful about the possibility of their eventual release.

So, what can we expect from Making A Murderer Part Two? Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi, the American filmmakers behind the show, have all the details.

POIGNANT RETURN

This time round, the twists and turns follow the post-conviction process of both Avery and Dassey.

Were documenting and showing the experience of someone whos convicted, serving life, and challenging their sentence, as Demos puts it.

Its also clear from the first episode, she adds, that Manitowoc is not the same world it was in Part One, because of the shows enormous global success.

WE MEET KATHLEEN ZELLNER

There are major new characters involved  including Chicago-based lawyer Kathleen Zellner, who specialises in wrongful convictions, and took on Averys case shortly after Part One aired, vowing to prove his innocence.

Weve never witnessed anybody working in the way that she does: her strategy, her methodology, her confidence, her vision

says Ricciardi

Its ultimately Stevens decision whether or not his attorney can let people like us in, so were really grateful that they chose to let us in, and we understand part of the reason why.

They value transparency, and as you watch some of the episodes it becomes clear that Kathleen, at the post-conviction stage, whats paramount to her is that shes representing someone that she believes to be innocent.

She doesnt want to use her abilities, her experience, to free someone who she believes actually committed the crime, or knows committed the crime.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

We see Zellner assemble a host of experts who employ the latest scientific methods to raise questions about the forensic evidence used to convict Avery in the 2007 case  including the discovery of his sweat DNA on the hood latch of Halbachs car.

What I understood Kathleens DNA consultant to be saying is that there is no such thing as sweat DNA, says Ricciardi.

I think the closest thing there would be is DNA thats left behind from someone touching an object.

An experiment Zellner and her team carry out involves trying to quantify the amount of DNA left behind when three people touch the same bonnet latch five times each, and comparing it to the amount of DNA found on Halbachs car.

Explaining the experiment further, Ricciardi continues: The argument of Kathleen and her experts is that theres a great disparity - they said at one point in the filing that Steven wouldve had to have touched the hood latch like 90 times in order to yield the amount of DNA that the states expert claimed to have retrieved from the hood latch.

WE SEE NEW PERSPECTIVES

A huge number of people have been involved in Making A Murderer, as Ricciardi and Demos wanted to include a variety of those connected to and affected by the story.

But it was notable the family of victim Halbach were absent from the first series.

We asked the Halbachs if they wanted to directly participate, if they wanted to sit down with us, and they declined both for Part One and Part Two, says Ricciardi.

She reasons we still heard their point of view though through Mike Halbach, Halbachs brother who was a self-appointed spokesman for the family and gave a number of press conferences.

And this series, theyve tried to find creative ways to include the Halbachs.

We had licensed footage from a local media outlet and they had some archival footage where they filmed with Mrs [Karen] Halbach in her kitchen, where it was at a point were Teresa was missing and [she] was very upset, adds Ricciardi.

ITS BOUND TO BE EMOTIONAL

Anyone whos seen Part One will know this is a hard-hitting show; though one thats very easy to binge-watch.

The question is, whats it been like spending time with the defendants families throughout the filming process?

Brendans lawyer, Laura Nirider, talks about it quite profoundly  how youre so used to not having hope when youre fighting in this system, and how its sort of a double-edged system when you finally do have hope, and how painful that can be if those get dashed again, suggests Demos.

I think it was a really difficult time for the family. But again, were so grateful that the Avery and the Dassey family let us in on some of their darkest times, which are some of the hardest moments to share.

The rest of us can learn a lot from those experiences.

Making A Murderer Part Two is on Netflix from today
Robert Ballaghs many connections with Cork go all the way back to his showband days, writes Ellie OByrne.

Robert Ballagh has been visiting with his paintings in the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork. Two of Ballaghs intimate nude portraits of him and his wife, Betty, are included in the Naked Truth: Nudes in Irish Art, the gallerys current exhibition.

Inside No 3 depicts Betty descending a spiral staircase into the confines of their small living room, her face averted. Upstairs No 3 inverts the trope of the female nude with generosity and humour: Ballagh, clad only in a t-shirt and socks, ascends to his wife, waiting on the bed with a book of ancient Japanese erotica. The paintings are on loan from the Ulster Museum and a private collection.

I havent seen them often at all in all these years, so I went in today and had a look at them and thought, Jesus, did I paint them? Ballagh says, now ensconced in the Crawfords cafe. He chuckles, recounting a tale from the first exhibition of the paintings in the Hendricks gallery in Dublin in the 1980s.

I had a friend, a very flamboyant Dublin Jew who delighted in dressing up as Leopold Bloom every Bloomsday. At the opening, he looked at the paintings and came running over and embraced me and said, Bobby! I never knew you were Jewish too!

Conversation with the painter is peppered with anecdotes: the time he was allowed to handle one of Joyces manuscripts, the sale of his Fender Bass guitar to a young Phil Lynott after he quit his band, a scandal over a kite in the shape of a flasher that he exhibited in Kilkenny.

Ballagh and his work have hovered close to the centre of Irish life for decades. As the designer of the last Irish punt banknotes, as well as many of our stamps, hes an artist whose work was once seen daily, albeit unconsciously, by virtually everyone in the country. He designed the backdrops for one of Irelands most famous cultural exports, Riverdance. He even designed the masthead for this very newspaper.

Simultaneously, hes managed to skirt full establishment acceptability with his tradesman-like approach to art: emerging as a pop artist following his time playing with popular showband The Chessmen, educated not in art college but as an architectural draughtsman, his rise to commercial success, he freely admits, is out of line with some thinking in the world of fine art.

Some artists are very precious about not accepting commissions because they think they dilute your talent or something. he says.

But before modern art, artists worked for Popes and princes and magnates: all artists did work they were paid to do. Somewhere along the line, people started believing that artists were prostituting themselves by working for capitalists, or the Church, or whatever

Ive found commissions can lead to some of the most exciting projects and places. Over the years, Ive done loads of things that turned out to be really important for me that were commissions.

More than a few of Ballaghs tales involve Cork, where he has a holiday home in Ballycotton, and where his daughter, the artist Rachel Ballagh, lives. He held an exhibition in the Crawford to mark his 70th birthday and the county holds many memories for him, not least of wild nights in his youth when The Chessmen used to play The Arcadia dance hall.

Another anecdote: commissioned to paint Fastnet lighthouse for the Commissioners of Irish Lights, he recalls, he was flown by helicopter from Cork airport to photograph the West Cork landmark for his painting, his first ever helicopter ride.

Following the thrilling spin, Ballagh expected to be dropped at the airport but discovered his pilot had other plans and was Galway-bound. But my car is in Cork, he pleaded, upon which the helicopter pilot agreed to fly under the radar and make a highly irregular stop in a playing field on the outskirts of Schull.

All the children from the school nearby ran out, shouting, Who is it, who is it? I dont know who they thought it was going to be, but when I took off the flight suit they said, Whos he? and went wandering back to school, bitterly disappointed.

I was very happy with the painting, with the lighthouse looking so lonely out in the Atlantic, he concludes, but I couldnt resist painting in a little helicopter.

For all his Cork connections, hes still a straight-talking Dub through and through, and its a simplicity and directness thats evident in his writing, for, at 75, hes written an autobiography, A Reluctant Memoir.

The directness in his style makes his words all the more poignant when he writes of coming to terms with losing his wife, Betty, and the details of her shocking death in 2011, which gave rise to a medical negligence case in the High Court. She died of heart failure in a bathroom in St Josephs hospital, following a two-month delay in surgical treatment for diverticulitis.

She was, in a way, my moral compass. I am adrift without her, he writes in his memoir.

She was also his greatest art critic and grounding force; if Ballagh ever made a radio or television appearance, on returning home and asking her how it went, shed say, It wasnt bad, but less of the me business.

So what would she make of the book? Its a reluctant memoir in part, he writes, due to the spectre of this reticence she induced in his life. Shed hate it, he says. She hated spoofers, and people boasting about their achievements. But so many people asked me to do it.

Betty had battled with alcoholism following a brain injury, and this too is addressed with candour in the book. I just decided theres no point in writing it if Im not going to be honest, Ballagh says. I had to talk about it with the kids and tell them that Id have to deal with Betty dying, and her drinking problems. I didnt want to write about it, but on the other hand it wouldnt be honest not to. Its an obligation, really, to be as truthful as you can be.

It hasnt been plain sailing for Ballagh in recent years, starting before Bettys illness with his own health issues, firstly with chemotherapy to successfully treat chronic lympatic leukaemia (CLL) and then a diagnosis with type 2 diabetes.

Hes also relived the nightmare of losing his wife when his daughter Rachel was admitted to Cork University Hospital with the same condition and ended up battling for her life in intensive care following surgery.

Its still raw, because it was only two years ago, he says. She was booked in, and I returned to Dublin. Then my son called me and said I needed to come back to Cork. She was in a coma: they told us in the hospital to book into a hotel nearby because they werent sure if she was going to make the night. He shudders at the memory, although she has made a full recovery since.

His most recent and growing collection of self-portraits, then, first exhibited as a collection entitled Ego, is his response to these brushes with death, his growing awareness of his mortality; hes charting his own aging process, and hes not planning on stopping until he has to.

People asked me how I was going to end the book, and I told them I was going to die in the end; everybody does, he says.

Spoiler alert: true to his word, Ballagh ends his book describing how he wants to go out, making his last self-portrait.

Hes hoping to be able to make some rudimentary marks on a sheet of paper as that moment approaches; perhaps a faint, primordial swirl containing a frail scratch and two smudges, readable even to infants as a primitive face, indicating that this was an artist-once.

A Reluctant Memoir is out now. Naked Truth is at the Crawford in Cork until October 28
A new Sligo food trail offers a new take on the city  and a taste of the unexpected, says Caroline Hennessy.

Every city has a food story. There are other stories too. Ones about literature and art and history for visitors to dip into. But its the food story that everyone has to encounter, whether its a cup of coffee on the go or a riverside lunch. That Sligos food story has been developing and getting more exciting in recent years has been brought into focus with the establishment of a Sligo Food Trail (sligofoodtrail.ie), which covers city and county, producers, restaurants and experiences. This self-guided trail is not just about the great food on offer but about the unexpected: a thriving cafe with a focus on delicious plant-based food, foraged seaweed in your salad, a taste of oyster heaven tucked into the back of a cafe.

Sligo has a lot of surprises in store, and its closer than you might think. Back in the 1990s, it was a day-long journey on the bus from Corks Parnell Place, involving several novels, magazines, a walkman and a stack of tapes. Now, its motorways and podcasts all the way to Tuam, with a welcome change of pace when the road turns back into the old N17 to meander through a rosarys worth of small towns like Milltown, Ballindine and Tubbercurry before emerging right into Sligo.

Ditch the car as soon as you arrive  Sligo is a city made for strolling. Head straight to the Tourist Information Office on OConnell Street and pick up an illustrated copy of A Signposted Walking Tour of Sligo City. This excellent guide takes you through and tells you about some of the most interesting parts of the city and its easy to incorporate some food stops into this 4.5km tour.

Plan your campaign over brunch at the quirky Hooked. Its owned by Sligo native Anthony Gray, who also has the nearby award-winning Eala Bhan bistro, and features an abundance of locally sourced food. The menu is put together as creatively as the interior of this bright, all-day restaurant  theres something everywhere you look: a boat hanging from the ceiling, a Sharpie mural, an intriguing use of light shades. Their twist on avocado toast has sourdough slathered with almond butter, topped with avocado and finished with a pair of veg-flecked skinny egg white muffins. It tastes so good that it seems a crime to leave it purely for the gym bunnies. So dont. Theres a walking work-out to come.

Before you embark on the tour, stop at Sweet Beat Cafe for some caffeine. In 2015, it took a certain kind of nerve to open a cafe focused entirely on plant-based food  but thats just what Carolanne Rushe did. She initially started producing her Green Warrior products for the weekly farmers market in Strandhill; there was such a demand for her fresh nut milks, vegan salads, raw brownies and treats that she opened this buzzing cafe in Sligo just 10 months later. Youre here for coffee  they use 3fe beans  and you can stick with regular milk or choose from soy or nut options. Grab a bottle of their house-made kombucha while youre there, for later hydration, and no one will judge if you pick up a treat from the delicious array on the counter. When the gluten-free double chocolate brownies look this good, it would be a sin not to.

The first part of the walking tour leads you around the south of the town, taking in historical spots like Summerhill College, St Johns Church (burial place of Bram Stokers mother) and a medieval Abbey (March to October, 10am to 6pm, entry: 5) with a tumultuous history. After all that history, its time for refreshments and Osta Cafe & Wine Bar at the Garavogue Weir offers a warm welcome, including blankets if you wish to sit outside by the river. Osta is owned by local food hero, the indefatigable Brid Torrades, and the cafe prides itself on fresh, seasonal and local food, avoiding waste by pickling and fermenting, and includes foraged ingredients, like seaweed, on the menu. Its time for a light lunch  theres always an interesting salad of the day (think beetroot, carrot and apple with turmeric beans) and dont miss a chance to add on some local Zing cheese, made by Dozios of Mayo.

Time for a proper introduction to Sligos most famous family at the next stop, contemporary arts centre The Model (TueSat, 10am-5pm. Sun, 10.30am-3.30pm). Yeats; Portrait of a Family  on until October 28  draws together intimate portraits and personal items relating to painter John Butler Yeats and four of his children: writer William; Susan and Elizabeth, founders of the Dun Emer Guild/Cuala Press; and painter Jack. Jack and John Yeats also feature in the centres permanent Niland Art Collection, alongside a whos who of 20th century Irish artists. The Model is also the base for Sligo Global Kitchen, a collaborative project that enables people living in direct provision to cook and share food from their different cultures at a monthly meal that is open to all. Rock up on the right evening (check Sligo Global Kitchen on social media for dates) for a chance to taste food from Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. No charge for the meal but donations for the next event are accepted.

En route back into town, take a detour into WB Coffee House. Head straight through the bustling cafe, down to an enclosed room space in the back, home of the Sligo Oyster Experience. Owner Aisling Kelly serves a superb oyster menu (Thurs-Sat, 3pm-6pm, oysters start at 2) featuring the delicate and sweet Sligo Bay oysters any way you want: naked, dressed or baked (the four cheese version is an unexpected delight) with a glass of wine or local craft beer.

Cross the Hyde Bridge, over the Garavogue River, which flows out to feed the oyster beds in Sligo Bay, to the nineteenth century red brick Yeats Memorial Building. This is the home of the prestigious Yeats Summer School, which gathers scholars from around the world every year to discuss all things Yeatsian. For those of us who prefer to dabble, the permanent Yeats in the West exhibition (Mon-Fri 10am5pm, Entry: 3) will cover most bases.

With all that food and culture and literature and art and walking under the belt, its time for a pint. While Sligo is blessed with no end of decent bars to while away an evening, both Hargadon Bros and Thomas Connolly have the ideal combination of dark, cosy snugs and a choice of Irish gins and local beers from breweries like Lough Gill, White Hag and Mescan. Sit back and raise a glass to Sligo, full of food stories.

Where to stay

The stylish Glasshouse Hotel (www.theglasshouse.ie) is right in the city centre so perfect if you want to abandon the car and walk everywhere. They also do elegant afternoon tea upstairs in the View Bar, overlooking the Garavogue River. Just 20 minutes out the road, Temple House (www.templehouse.ie) is a gloriously historic country manor on a private estate. Evening meals are served to residents and drop in guests on Fridays and Saturdays.

What to bring home

Voya Spearmint & Rosemary seaweed soap: if you dont get as far as the seaweed baths in Strandhill, pick up a bar of this soap and make believe that youre at the beach. Youll find it, and lots of other gorgeous Voya products, at Kates Kitchen, a one-stop shop for beauty/ coffee / lunch / artisan food products.

Clos Chocolates: French chocolatier and patissier Clothilde Rambaud at Le Fournil makes all her chocolates on site, stocks superb sourdough and  just an FYI  Fridays are doughnut days.

Sea spaghetti foraged seaweed from SeaShoreVeg: cook some with regular spaghetti, toss with sauce and dont tell the children.

Sweet Beats Faux Gras: a umami-rich mushroom and lentil pate that works as a dip, spread or even mixed through into that sea spaghetti dish.
OUR house reminds me of our children, it has a constant desire to part us from our money. I dont mind when its nice things like a new couch or television, but who wants to spend money on gutters or broken decking, not to mention a new boiler? Of course, they are all necessary, but theyre not the most glamorous of goods to go shopping for.

What with college fees and boilers, not to mention food and clothes, a few things wed like to spend our money on have had to wait. Things like a bathroom makeover.

Over the past few years, Ive been living in hope of renovating ours. Unfortunately, theres nothing wrong with the two we have, the shower works perfectly, as do the toilets and sink. Its just they are not new and sparkly like our friends bathrooms. So, every now and then I moan about them, until finally, a few months ago yer man said: Why dont you just go price it and get it done?

How did we get on?

Well, since that day Ive done nothing about it. The thought of shopping around for tiles and showers, not to mention the hassle of workmen has silenced me. Perhaps yer man knows me too well.

With the bathrooms remaining as they are, my focus, or some may say my whining, switched to our bedroom. Our youngest daughter was born there (in a planned homebirth) and recently when looking at old photographs we realised it has not been painted since. Shes now 16 years old.

It was a rather neutral beige colour, possibly called Meh, so we thought wed go for a change. But, what colour would we like?

Yer man was all for something loud and different, but I was more conservative, reminding him that if it was on as long as the last colour, we might still be looking at it when we were collecting free bus passes! With no idea what we liked, I decided to seek the help of that font of all knowledge, Google. Little did I know its almost impossible to buy paint without a university degree in interior design.

Having typed in painting our bedroom I was prompted to ask yer man some important questions.

What do you want your bedroom to tell you?

Yer man was a little stumped by that one. As indeed was I.

We consulted Google again,

Do you want it to be a calm, relaxing room?

Well, that sounded like a ridiculous question. Of course we did.

Delighted to be making progress, I clicked the link to discover wed narrowed it down to blue, green, pink, white, violet, grey and lemon.

Or would you prefer warm and cosy, prompted the next question.

Who wouldnt like a warm, cosy bedroom?

I decided Google was way too complicated so set off for our local paint shop and returned with enough colour cards to wallpaper the room.

Are we definitely happy with this Virgin Mary blue, I asked yer man weeks later, although, I suspected hed lost all interest in painting and was possibly suffering from some sort of visual disturbance, blinded by the variety of tester blues on our wall.

Mumbling what I presume was agreement, he said, Ill paint it this weekend.

I spluttered and choked as I tried, as politely as possible, to say, Thanks but no thanks.

Despite insisting he was an excellent painter, he agreed to call in the professionals. Two days later our bedroom was finished, with not a sniff of wayward blue paint on the ceiling or skirting.

So, were we right? Is it calm and peaceful?

Indeed it is. Unfortunately, as I lie admiring it, I cant stop thinking, Id like to do the bathrooms.
By referring to Saudi Arabia as an innocent party, the US president has made clear that he is prioritising the nations economy, not its morality, says Zeke Miller.

If its an America First presidency, where does that rank human rights?

US president Donald Trumps refusal to put public pressure on Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is raising a question that has dogged his foreign policy.

In dealing with Russia, across Asia, and, this week, in the Middle East, Mr Trump has often appeared comfortable downplaying concerns about rights abuses and dismissing the importance of US moral leadership. The one-time real estate mogul is as likely to let US financial or security interests guide his choices and his words.

This week Mr Trump repeated the Saudi royals denials of any involvement in Mr Khashoggis apparent killing and suggested that he trusted them.

I spoke to the crown prince, so you have that, said Mr Trump. He said he and his father knew nothing about it. And that was very important.

He compared blame directed at the Saudis over Mr Khashoggi, who Turkish officials have said was killed in the Saudis Istanbul consulate, to the allegations of sexual assault levelled against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing. Both, he suggested, had been considered guilty until proven innocent.

Not many US leaders would cast Saudi Arabia as innocent. Saudi Arabia is engaged in a bloody civil war in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians and exacerbated a famine that has killed many more. Domestically, the absolute monarchy strictly regulates speech and dress, and its security services have been accused of torture.

Mr Trump has shown no interest in calling out the kingdom over Mr Khashoggi  or calling out Russian president Vladimir Putin on assassinations, North Koreas Kim Jong Un on political prisoners, or the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte over his anti-drug vigilante death squads. Where past presidents in both parties used their office to promote US values and ideals  even when their action didnt align  Mr Trump has rarely seized the chance. Instead, he says what others would not, openly embracing the compromises he justifies as best for the American bottom line.

Were not going to walk away from Saudi Arabia. I dont want to do that

- he told Fox Business News on Wednesday.

Mr Trump made clear that he was prioritising the nations economy, not its morality.

I dont like stopping massive amounts of money that is being poured into our country, said Mr Trump last week. I know they are talking about different kinds of sanctions, but [the Saudis] are spending $110bn on military equipment and on things that create jobs for this country. I dont like the concept of stopping an investment of $110bn into the United States.

White House aides have suggested that while Mr Trump is reluctant to criticise certain world leaders publicly  most notably when he did not upbraid Mr Putin at their Helsinki summit  he has been willing to deliver tough messages behind closed doors. They have pointed to his discipline with Mr Kim and Egypts Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, two authoritarian leaders who eventually released Americans held in their custody.

Still, Mr Trumps transactional approach isnt sitting well with some of his Republican allies in Congress. His party for years championed the idea that the US had a duty to promote US values and human rights and even to intervene when they are challenged. Some Republicans have urged Mr Trump not to abandon that view.

Im open to having Congress sit down with the president if this all turns out to be true  and it looks like it is  and saying: How can we express our condemnation without blowing up the Middle East? said Senator John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana. Our foreign policy has to be anchored in values.

Mr Trump dismisses the notion that he buddies up to dictators, but he does not express a sense that US leadership extends beyond the US border.

In an interview with CBS 60 Minutes, he brushed aside his own assessment that Mr Putin was probably involved in assassinations and poisonings.

But I rely on them, he said. Its not in our country.

Relations between the US and Saudi Arabia are complex.

The two nations 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 try to forge peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

One key for the US administration has been the bond between two young princes. Mr Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman are frequently in contact, and their relationship played a role in Riyadh being the unlikely first stop on the new US presidents maiden international trip in 2017. Mr Trump, despite endorsing a travel ban on many Muslim-majority countries, became the first US president to make his official first trip to an Islamic nation.

The over-the-top greeting Mr Trump received in Riyadh  complete with sword dances, gleaming palaces, and images of him on the sides of buildings and highway signs  set the template for how he would be received on future foreign trips, with hosts leaning on flattery and pageantry.

If you look at Saudi Arabia, theyre an ally, and theyre a tremendous purchaser of not only military equipment but other things, said Mr Trump. When I went there, they committed to purchase $450bn worth of things and $110bn worth of military. Those are the biggest orders in the history of this country, probably the history of the world... And you remember that day in Saudi Arabia where that commitment was made.
More than two years after the Brexit vote and with just six months before Britain is meant to put on its coat and get out, no one is any the wiser about how this will conceivably happen, writes Fiachra O'Cionnaith, Political Correspondent in Brussels.

You have to wonder what Samuel Beckett would have made of Brexit, and if he would have been inclined to take a copyright case due delay and foot-dragging that is increasingly defining the entire affair.

The Waiting for Godot playwright would certainly have found the underlying theme of this week's crunch Brussels meeting irritatingly familiar, as politicians waited for nothing to happen, nobody to come, while blaming on their boots what is the fault of their feet.

Samuel Beckett

A full 28 months after Britain voted by the narrowest of narrow margins to leave the EU and just six months until they are formally meant to do so, any clear plan on how exactly this is going to be achieved remains little more than a Brexiteer fantasy.

Instead of coherent plans or practical solutions, the debate is still transfixed on the seemingly insurmountable Irish backstop stand-off and the failure to make any real progress on the matter since last December.

And with time ticking on second-by-second closer to the March 29, 2019, deadline, the best breakthrough on offer is to... wait, delay, and look for more time on their journey towards a destination they seem incapable of ever really reaching.

Enough, in other words, to make Mr Beckett want to drag himself out of his grave and phone his lawyer to get advice on how to respond to copyright infringement.

Just like the June and September meetings before it, this week's crunch EU summit to agree a Brexit deal passed without any risk of a deal being struck, with the only agreement being that the warring factions will agree to try and agree again in December.

A transition period extension from 2018-2020 to 2018-2021 has been suggested by European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker, but it is unclear what purpose it will serve if the Irish backstop crisis - increasingly blamed on Ireland for our devious trick of doing exactly what we wrote down and agreed to do a year ago - is not resolved before then.

While British prime minister Theresa May has indicated she is open to extending the transition deal by "a number of months", Brexiteers have understandably lashed out at the plan as it will mean they will have to keep paying into the EU for longer than planned, potentially strangling the entire plan at birth.

And although several reports have suggested the EU is willing to be more "flexible" with London negotiators, the latest claimed solution of agreeing to "consider" extending the Northern Ireland backstop to the rest of the UK at a later stage if the initial deal is signed off on by March 29 is unlikely to sway the DUP, who want nothing short of a cast-iron guarantee Brussels cannot provide.

If it all sounds familiar it's because it is, with the same tired issues being batted back and forth for more than two years without any real progress being made.

And, like Beckett's Waiting for Godot characters Vladimir and Estragon, the UK is not the only one waiting for Brexit - or at least a solution - to arrive, with Ireland just as much at risk of damage due to the disaster unfolding before our eyes.

More than two years after the Brexit vote and with just six months before Britain is meant to put on its coat and get out, no one is any the wiser about how this will conceivably happen.

Instead, businesses, border communities and the wider public both in Ireland, the UK and the rest of Europe are left with fear, threats, empty promises and more than a little loathing from the main players central to the scene.

Waiting for Brexit right now is like Waiting for Godot, with delay and inaction the order of the day.

The only difference is that for Brexit it is the ending - not the start - that is difficult, because while you can start from anything, the problem is eventually you have to decide.
US sailors have been injured after a helicopter crashed on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.

The MH-60 Seahawk crashed shortly after take-off while the USS Ronald Reagan was off the coast of the Philippines.
In Person UK Wants Accountability for Crimes Committed in Rakhine State

UK ambassador to Myanmar, Daniel Chugg. / Dan Chugg, British Ambassador / Facebook

YANGONAfter a trip to the refugee camps along the Thailand-Myanmar border in the second week of October, the United Kingdoms ambassador to Myanmar Daniel Chugg spoke about his experiences there, Myanmar-UK relations, the UKs policy on Myanmar and his views on the ICC referral in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Here are excerpts from the interview.

As the new ambassador posted in here since May, how do you find Myanmar?

Myanmar has a lot of problems and is facing a lot of challenges. These are not easy challenges and lots of them have roots which are decades old, so quick solutions and quick fixes are not going to solve these problems. Its difficult.

The UK wants to be a friend of Myanmar and the Myanmar people and we want to be as helpful and supportive as we can. Part of my job is to try work out how we can do that while at the same time upholding our own principles.

Though I havent been to Kachin State yet, I plan to go there in a couple of weeks.

I have been to Rakhine State a couple of times. One trip with the UKs foreign secretary was very much a government-arranged trip and we did not get to see very much. But when I went there a couple of weeks before that trip to look at some of the DFID projects, which are both in Sittwe and northern Rakhine, it was a lot more interesting. I got to see Rakhine and Muslim villagers and to talk to people and see some of the projects that DFID is doing theremainly distributing food aid and seed bags to some of the poor villagers.

As the UK has been active in joining actions being taken against the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, regarding the Rakhine State issue, how does it affect your relationship with the military as well as the government?

We used to have some engagement with senior military people but that stopped at the end of last year as a result of what happened in Rakhine. As you know, it is difficult to separate the military from the government because the military is part of the government.

What we are keen to see happening is for those people who are guilty of terrible crimes to be brought to justice. It is also important for the rule of law and accountability in Myanmar as a whole because it sends a message that in the future you cannot just get away with doing anything you want with impunity. We are not targeting the whole of the system in our actions. What we want to see is those people who are guilty of the crimes brought to account.

The UN fact-finding mission report talked about crimes, not just in Rakhine State, but in Kachin and Shan states as well. While on this trip this week, I was talking to people from Karen groups and Karenni groups and they talked about how similar things happened to their communities in the past as well. What we see here is a culture within the Tatmadaw of terrible crimes being committed by some people, but those people not being held accountable.

So yes, the UK is keen, as part of the international community, to try and help the system here so it can stop those things happening because it will be very difficult for Myanmar, in our opinion, to have a democratic, sustainable and peaceful future if these kinds of crimes continue to be committed with impunity.

Was your trip focused on assessing the refugee situation at the Thai-Myanmar border only?

It has also been an opportunity to talk about the peace process with some of the parties and some of the signatories and non-signatories. It has been an opportunity for me to learn a lot about their issues and what is happening at the moment, both in terms of the IDPs and refugees but also some peoples thoughts on the peace process.

From your meeting with the commander-in-chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing do you think the Tatmadaw is genuine about trying to change and improve themselves from the previous decades as they claim they are doing?

I think the military is keen to become a more professional army. They had been doing some professional training to get experience and expertise from modern professional armies. I think that is one of their objectives.

But of course with whats happened in Rakhine, the Tatmadaw is going to find that much more difficult because the professional armies around the world will not want to train or engage with them. So if it was their objective to become a more professional army, I think they have undermined their own objective through what happened in Rakhine.

Isnt it best to work directly with the Tatmadaw if you want something to change in society? The UK stopped military-to-military engagement last year. Doesnt that affect the UKs efforts in helping the Tatmadaw to understand the processes of a good and professional army?

Undoubtedly, I think if they want to become a professional, modern military, they need to engage with other professional, modern militaries. They need to learn how other militaries do things; their techniques, tactics, strategies and equipment. If they dont have opportunities to learn from them, it will be much more difficult for them to modernize.

I think that conflict has been going on in Myanmar for so long and this is partly because the military tactics are not working. Yet they are still using the same tacticsthe idea of the four cutsthat they have been using for a very long time. I think most people recognize that if you do something over and over and it still doesnt work, you need to make changes to what youre doing. They do the same thing over again and what we saw in Rakhine is the same thing they have been doing elsewhere for a long time, using the same tactics of burning and murdering and raping and terrorizing entire villages. We know it doesnt work and they know it doesnt work, but they dont really know what else they can do.

Have any of the UK governments policy on Myanmar changed because of the Rakhine issue?

I wouldnt exactly say it has changed but it has made it more difficult and complicated. For 30 years our policy on Burma has been to support democracy and freedom of expression and to support the people who are the most vulnerable, really. That policy continues. But because of what happened in Rakhine, it has become more complicated and difficult to do that, because we cant be supporting the Tatmadaw in any way, any longer. Some parts of the [UK] government disagree with the policy which has been implemented and feel maybe not enough is being done. So we want to continue to support the government and the state counselor but it has just become a much more complex situation.

We continue to give a lot of aid to Myanmar. Last year we gave $200 million in development and humanitarian assistance. That makes us the second largest bilateral donor after Japan.

Does that money include funding the cross-border aid or is it only for peace and development projects in Myanmar?

That [money] would also include the money that is spent in the camps on the border and peace support [through the Joint Peace Fund]. That is everything we spend. We will use a similar amount this year as well. A lot of that money goes into big programs like LIFT (Livelihood and Food Trust) which we fund more than 50 percent of, and 3MDG, which is all about health, and we fund more than 50 percent of that.

A lot of this money is spent on working with the government to support their policies. Were not throwing money around, we are really trying to support Myanmars government. We want to continue doing that and we will but it does make it more complicated when there are things happening which we are feeling very unhappy about. If we are happy with whats happening here, we can easily continue supporting.

When the UK foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt visited last month, he was denied a meeting with the army chief Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing. What do you think was the reason for that?

We are not sure. There was a lot of confusion in advance about whether we would have the meeting or not. At the last moment, we were told the meeting was not going to happen. The commander-in-chief is under a lot of pressure. There are all sorts of damning reports written about his military and he is responsible for them so Im not surprised if he doesnt want to meet foreign visitors who are going to give him a hard time.

The foreign secretary made clear what he would have said to the commander-in-chief had they met. He would have said to the commander-in-chief that terrible things have been done by his soldiers. He was going to ask him what he is going to do to make sure his soldiers dont do terrible things in the future and to make sure those who have done terrible things are held properly accountable for those crimes so that justice can be brought about for the victims.

The UKs foreign secretary was at the UN general assembly a couple of weeks ago. He was certainly talking to his foreign colleagues in the UN asking about their views and opinions on the Security Councils [referring of Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing to the International Criminal Court (ICC)] and that there are other mechanisms that could be used to hold people to account.

I should emphasize that the ICC is a court of last resort. It only sits when [a country] doesnt have any kind of domestic accountability process. Actually, if the government in Myanmar were to set up an accountability process that people around the world thought was credible and going to bring justice to the victims, then the ICC would refuse to look at the [Myanmar] case anyway.

The government has repeatedly said Myanmar is taking responsibility to investigate the alleged crimes against humanity by the Tatmadaw. The government spokesman even said there is no need for the ICC to do that because the government does not deny anything, and is actually looking into it themselves. Myanmar is not an ICC signatory, so is it really effective to put pressure on the government through this ICC approach?

[Myanmars own investigation] process has to be credible. If the ICC thinks its credible, then it will say we cant [investigate] Myanmar as theyve got a credible process themselves. If the ICC finds an investigation process to be not really credible because the [investigators] are not independent and they are not using international standards for gathering evidence, the courts are not independent and there is no conceivable way that the Tatmadaw will be brought to justice because the constitution prevents members of the military from being tried in civilian court. Then they will investigate Myanmar. So the issue for the Myanmar government is not whether they have an investigation process, its whether the process is credible.

The government tries to include foreign experts in their advisory boards and investigation commission. Does that mean its still true that the commission and advisory board are not credible?

Part of the problem is we dont really know what the terms of reference are for the Commission of Enquiry. It was very unhelpful that the chairperson of the Commission of Enquiry said that there will be no finger pointing and no making people accountable because that rather undermines her own position. It is a little bit peculiar that they got Professor [Aung Tun Thet] on the Commission of Enquiry, given that hes got another role in the UEHRD (Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine).

Why does the UK play an active role in pressuring the Myanmar government and military over the Rohingya issue?

I would say there are a couple of reasons. One is that the UK is whats called, the pen-holder in the United Nations. That means when Myanmar is discussed in the UN, it is the UK which is responsible for drafting papers or resolutions, because different countries hold the pen for different portfolios. It is our international responsibility in the UN to be chairing these meetings and discussions on Myanmar. That is one thing.

Another aspect is that we are strongly in favor of people being held accountable for terrible crimes, because over the last many decades, our experience is that when terrible things happen, there needs to be a process to deal with those things. The accountability could come in different ways, it doesnt necessarily need to be a court case and putting people in prison.

In South Africa they had a truth and reconciliation process which didnt find a lot of people guilty or put lots of people in prison. But it is a way for the crimes to be recognized and justice to be brought about for the victims of these crimes and it created a culture and condition for people to move on. That is really important for the society. I think in Myanmar, where there is the first newly-elected democratic government in such a long time, its really important that you dont have democracy on one hand and crimes against humanity on the other. That really undermines the democratically elected government. It really makes life very difficult for the state counselor. Those are the two reasons why the UK supports pressuring the government.

There are concerns inside Myanmar that harsh international pressure on the Tatmadaw could be counter-productive, that it could encourage the military to stay in power and will be an obstacle in national reconciliation. What is your take?

These are very, very complicated issues and its certainly true that international actions and criticism could have unintended consequences. That is something that we are very aware of and why we think very hard about what we do and why we do it and the implications those actions might have. We dont want to do anything that undermines the peace process, the state counselor or democracy.

But at the same time, terrible crimes are being committed and they have been committed in Rakhine and they have been committed by the Tatmadaw. We know that not just the Tatmadaw, but other people have done terrible things as well.

But it is the Tatmadaws actions that have led 700,000 people to leave the country. The international community feels that we cant just sit back and let those things happen and not saying anything, because it is not fair on people who are being murdered and raped. It is not fair on the people who might be murdered and raped in the future if this culture of impunity continues.

Can you clarify who you mean by other people?

The events in Rakhine were sparked by the ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) attack and everybody knows that. They killed people on the security posts and that was a coordinated, planned murderous attack. There is no doubt that it was criminal and those people should also face justice. Nobody knows exactly what happened at the end of August and September last year but its undoubtedly the case that there were villagers who were involved in some of the attacks as well as soldiers. So it would be wrong to say this was 100 percent the Tatmadaw, but the evidence certainly shows that they are the most culpable.
Asia EU Cultivates Asian Leaders on Trade, Climate in Message to Trump

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk welcome China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang to the ASEM leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 18, 2018. / Reuters

BRUSSELS  The European Union sought Asian support for free trade, the Iran nuclear deal and fighting global warming at a regional summit on Thursday that included China, Japan and Russia as a counterbalance to a more protectionist United States.

Leaders from the EU, Switzerland and Norway welcomed 21 Asian counterparts including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang after an EU summit dominated by negotiations over Britains planned departure from the worlds biggest trading bloc.

The 51 gathered leaders were set to show strong support for the World Trade Organization that U.S. President Donald Trump had threatened to quit, and express profound alarm about climate change, according to a draft communique seen by Reuters.

When asked if the gathering was anti-Trump, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said we dont organize meetings against anyone, but Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah said the US presidents trade tariffs had united EU and Asia.

Of course theres more reason for why we should come closer together. We are working together to help each other for free and fair trade, she told reporters when asked about Trump.

The EU and Asia will also discuss the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, Mogherini said. Myanmars minister for international cooperation, Kyaw Tin, was attending the gathering.

On Friday, the EU and Asian leaders  who represent 55 percent of global trade  will underline their joint commitment to open, free and non-discriminatory trade and to fight all forms of protectionism, according to the draft communique.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg told an Asia-Europe business forum before the summit that trade had pulled millions of people out of absolute poverty, but that countries could not ignore the environmental impact of trade and development.

Trump says the United States is treated badly in global trade and has blamed the WTO for allowing that to happen. Separately, the United States and China have imposed billions of dollars of tariffs on each others goods while Trump has also complained about an unfair EU trade surplus with Washington.

Dispute Resolution

Norway and the EU asked the WTO on Thursday to set up a dispute resolution panel to address US tariffs on steel and aluminum, Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said.

We believe that additional US duty on steel and aluminum is contrary to WTO rules, she told Norwegian news agency NTB.

On Friday, the EU will also sign a free-trade deal with Singapore. The bloc has also reached a free-trade agreement with Vietnam. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told the business forum that he hoped the deal could be ready to enter into force next year.

However, the EU is trying not to side with China against the United States. On Tuesday, EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom held talks with US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in Brussels on improving trade relations, though Washington accused the bloc of moving too slowly in negotiations.

The EU-Asia summit meeting will also press Beijing to combat what Europe says is Chinas harmful overproduction of steel, and the final statement is set to say that leaders agreed to tackle excess capacity in industrial sectors, according to the draft, which could still be modified by diplomats.

China, which produces and consumes half the worlds steel, has cut some 220 million tons of capacity since January 2016. But the EU remains intent on pressuring China to cut more, as well as to remove subsidies  a policy that the West says is aimed at dominating global markets.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was due to discuss subsidies with Li at a lunch on Friday, diplomats said.

Bolstering the nuclear deal with Iran signed by global powers in 2015, and from which Trump withdrew the United States in May, is also another priority of the summit.

Leaders will call on North Korea to completely, verifiably and irreversibly dismantle all its nuclear and weapons of mass destruction, according to the draft final statement.

Leaders will re-commit to the 2015 Paris climate pact that also Trump pulled out of, pledging to develop more clean energy.
Turkeys top refiner, Tupras, is in talks with U.S. officials to obtain a waiver allowing it to keep buying Iranian oil after Washington reinstates sanctions on the Islamic Republics energy sector in November, industry sources said.

As Hurryiet Daily News writes in the article Turkeys top refinery in talks with US for Iran sanctions waiver: Sources, the United States is preparing to impose the new sanctions on Irans oil industry after Washington withdrew from a nuclear deal between Tehran and other global powers earlier this year, but is also considering offering waivers to some allies that rely on Iraniansupplies.

NATO member Turkey depends heavily on imports to meet its energy needs and neighboring Iran has been one of its main sources of oil because of its proximity, the quality of its crude, and favorable price differentials.

Turkey has already made efforts to cut its purchases ahead of the U.S. sanctions, but would prefer to keep up some level of Iranian oil imports past November, an industry source familiar with the matter said. They would like to be able to continue importing 3-4 cargoes a month, like they did during the previous sanctions round. But if the U.S. would tell them to stop, they will oblige and work towards achieving that, the source said.

Turkey imported around 97,000 barrels per day of Iranian oil in August and 133,000 bpd in September, compared with just over 240,000 bpd in April, tanker tracking and shipping data showed.

And in the first two weeks of October, Turkey has purchased three 1 million barrel-cargoes of Iranian oil - a level that would equate to about 97,000 bpd if it made no other purchases this month.



Asked if Washington was negotiating with Turkey for a waiver, a State Department official said the department was prepared to work with countries that are reducing their imports on a case-by-case basis.

On Oct. 15, Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative on Iran, did not comment directly about any talks on waivers with Turkey. But he told reporters countries seeking sanctionsrelief must explain their specific and unique circumstances.

Hook said those conversations were private, but he added the State Department was trying to advance our national security goals and also taking into account the needs of our allies and partners around the world. Refiners around the world are under pressure to avoid Iranian oil purchases because they want to maintain their access to the U.S. financial system - something they could lose if they flout the U.S. sanctions.

Indian refiners also cut imports of Iranian oil purchases last month in a sign they are preparing for November.

During 2017, Iran was Turkeys top crude oil source, accounting for 11.5 million tons of its total purchases nearing 26 million tons, followed by Iraq and Russia.
Burma 6 Rohingya Died in Fire at Sittwe IDP Camp

Firefighters extinguishing a fire at a Rohingya IDP camp in Sittwe Township. / Rakhine State Fire Services Department

SITTWE, Rakhine State  Six Rohingya were killed in a fire at a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Rakhine States Sittwe on Thursday.

The fire started around 11 p.m. after embers from a kitchen fire burned nearby bamboo matting at the IDP camp in Ohn Taw Che of Se Thama village tract in Sittwe, said the head of the Rakhine State Fire Services Department U Thaw Dar.

Fifteen buildings burned down and six people died, U Thaw Dar told The Irrawaddy, adding that the fire was put out around 1 a.m. on Friday.

Each of the one-story buildings measured about 4530 feet, had eight rooms, and were bamboo structures with corrugated iron roofs.

The fire displaced 882 people from 141 households, who have been temporarily accommodated at the houses of their relatives.

The Ohn Taw Che IDP camp shelters people who came from Kyaukphyu and Pauktaw after inter-communal violence broke out in 2012.

The Rakhine State government had to open IDP camps mainly for Rohingya in Sittwe, Kyauktaw, Pauktaw, Myebon, Ramree and Kyaukphyu townships after sectarian conflict arose in Rakhine in 2012. The state government has been attempting to close these camps since 2014.

So far, Set Yoe Kya and Set Yone Su IDP camps in Sittwe, an IDP camp in Kyaukphyu, an IDP camp in Ramree and an IDP camp in Kyauktaw have been closed. The state government is also preparing to close Myebon and Pauktaw IDP camps.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Bago Rice Millers Ask Govt to Clamp Down on Chinese Traders

Famers dry rice paddy in Zayyarthiri Township, Naypyitaw. / The Irrawaddy

Bago Region  Rice millers in Bago Region have filed a complaint with the regional government alleging that Chinese merchants are buying paddy illegally.

U Hla Oo, secretary of western Bagos rice millers association, told The Irrawaddy that Chinese merchants were buying up paddy from local farmers at prices above the local market rate.

We complained about it with the Bago government in mid-September, but they didnt take any action. So earlier this month we filed a complaint directly to the Bago Region Parliament speaker, he said.

In the local market 100 baskets of rice, equal to 4,091 kg, currently fetch about 580,000 kyats ($367). Chinese merchants are reportedly paying more than 600,000 kyats for the same amount.

It is not the first time Chinese merchants have paid above-market prices for local paddy, said U Hla Oo. But he said this time the practice was leaving supplies for domestic consumption dangerously depleted.

This year, western Bago has had the earliest harvest in the whole country, so [Chinese] buyers came to buy. The worst thing is that, since weve exported about 4 million tons of rice, stocks for domestic consumption are running low, he said.

Rice prices have increased because of Chinese buyers and the market prices are fluctuating, he added.

The Myanmar government bans the export of paddy rice and restricts its sale to the domestic market.

But rice millers say the government is losing out on tax revenue from an illegal rice trade and that rising rice prices also inflate prices for meat and fish. Business sources said the prices for paddy byproducts used to make snacks and animal feed, including broken kernels and husk, are much higher this year as well.

Chinese buyers dont come in person; they sent middlemen. Some farmers get good prices. The price they offer is not bad because labor is scarce and [renting] a harvester costs about 45,000 kyats per acre, U Khin Maung Zin, a farmer in Zigon Township, told The Irrawaddy.

On Oct. 12, the local legislature sent a letter to the regional planning and finance minister asking him to take the necessary action.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Hundreds of Myanmar Workers Arrested by Thai Police in Mahachai

Myanmar migrants await deportation in Mae Sot district, in the Thai border province of Tak, in 2017. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy

Thai authorities arrested hundreds of Myanmar migrants in Mahachai near Bangkok on Friday as part of a crackdown on people living and working in the country illegally, according to migrant sources.

Police and immigration officials conducted a door-to-door search, asking migrants to assemble at a location where their documents were checked. Those without the proper paperwork were detained pending deportation.

Police forcibly entered the residences of those who refused to open the door. They also took urine samples from men to test for the presence of methamphetamine and other illegal drugs.

U Aung Kyaw, chairman of the Mahachai-based Migrant Worker Rights Network, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that so far this week Thai authorities had conducted raids in Phuket, Samut Sakhon and Mahachai  three areas known to house many migrants.

They [the authorities] are working according to their procedures. They released those with legal documents and were set to deport those without legal documents, U Aung Kyaw said.

U Aung Kyaw said he did not have precise figures but believed hundreds of people had been arrested in Mahachai on Friday morning.

Authorities arrested illegal migrants, but also checked whether migrants with documents were working in fields appropriate to their visas.

Those migrants who had overstayed their visas by a few days were fined, but those whose visas had been expired for a long time were to be deported, U Aung Kyaw said.

Hong Rot, an ethnic Mon migrant from Mahachai, said that on Oct. 16, police knocked on the door of his apartment at 9 a.m. He said he managed to elude authorities, but some of his friends were detained.

He explained that the authorities checked legal documents. Those without legal documents were separated from those who had the correct paperwork.

The authorities also checked the urine of all the men. Those who tested positive were charged with drug offenses.

Some of my friends were arrested. They are detained at the police station at the moment, he said.

Thai authorities seized methamphetamine pills and other illegal drugs, along with some firearms, from a dozen ethnic Mon migrants when they raided their apartment on Oct. 16, he said.

U San Maung, an official at the Myanmar Embassy who works on migrant issues, confirmed to The Irrawaddy that Thai authorities had launched an operation targeting illegal migrants.

First they checked for 90-day migrant visas and work permits. Then, they checked to see who their employers were, U San Maung said.

He said some Myanmar migrants develop problems with their employers, and take other jobs, but this is not allowed under Thai immigration law.

Those whose visas had expired or who had switched employers [illegally] were arrested, he said.

From July to September, the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok reported that Thai authorities repatriated 34,926 Myanmar migrants from camps in Mae Sot, Mae Sai and Ranong.

Thailand changed its procedures for deporting Myanmar migrants after the two countries labor ministers met in Naypyitaw in August. Thai authorities used to detain illegal migrants in jail for more than a month before deporting them.
Burma Press Council Urges Govt to Withdraw Lawsuit Against Journalists

Journalists with the Eleven Media Group arrive at the Tamwe Township Court in Yangon on Wednesday. / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy
Business Govt Looks East to Revive Flagging Foreign Investment

Shipping containers are stacked at Yangons Asia World Port on Sept. 16, 2016. / The Irrawaddy

YANGONLooking to arrest a two-year decline in foreign investment, the government plans to hold a summit targeting investors from East Asia before the end of the year, a senior economic official said.

We are open to all countries are who eager to invest in Myanmar. But our main focus this time is East Asian countries, U Than Aung Kyaw, deputy director general of the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA), told The Irrawaddy.

The Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) and the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) expect to hold the summit in December, according to DICA.

Our investment policy has turned to the East, U Than Aung Kyaw said. Among the East Asian countries and regions Myanmar is wooing are China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan and South Koreasome of which are already among the largest investors in the country.

U Than Aung Kyaw said Myanmars ASEAN neighbors offer a model for the policy, as many of the blocs member countries now source most of their foreign investment from East Asia, rather than the West. Most ASEAN countries receive more investment from the East. Thats why we expect more from them, he said.

However, he added, We welcome Western [countries] if they want to come.

Recently, the EU Trade Commissioner threatened to withdraw trade preferences from Myanmar due to human rights violation in Rakhine State. Experts have warned that the move could leave more than 400,000 garment workers without jobs.

Under Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the government has launched several major efforts at economic reform, including the Myanmar Companies Law, which offers privileges to foreign investors and has made business regulations more efficient and effective. Despite these initiatives, however, the country has been mired in a chronic economic slowdown since 2016.

A UMFCCI survey for the second half of this year showed that all economic sectors are in a downturn. Foreign direct investment in Myanmar declined significantly to USD6.6 billion in fiscal 2016-17 from USD9.5 billion in 2015-16 as Western investors were turned off by damage done to the countrys image by the Rohingya crisis in Rakhine State.

Last week, the MIC launched the Myanmar Investment Promotion Plan (MIPP), a major initiative that aims to attract more than USD200 billion in investment from responsible and quality businesses over the next 20 years.

MIPP projects are expected to receive USD8.5 billion from fiscal 2021-22 to 2025-26; USD12.3 billion from 2026-27 to 2030-31; and USD17.6 billion from 2031-32 to 2035-36.

According to MIPP, the government aims to raise Myanmars ranking in the World Banks Ease of Doing Business Index to within the top 100 by 2020. Myanmar ranked 171st this year. Looking at some of the countrys ASEAN neighbors, Laos ranked 141st, the Philippines 113th, and Cambodia 135th.

The MIC has engaged numerous East Asian countries with its investment promotion activities, including Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea, according to DICA.

We are doing investment promotion activities [with East Asian countries] in a rapid sequence. We plan to go to China soon, U Than Aung Kyaw said.

In September, the MIC also held a meeting with the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Myanmar with the aim of attracting more investment from the country.

On Tuesday, an MIC team organized investment promotion activities in Hong Kong, at which MIC president U Thaung Tun explained Myanmars current economic reforms, the Companies Law and various investment opportunities to the Hong Kong business community.

U Thaung Tun met with Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam to seek investment in Myanmars tourism sector, and also to get support for infrastructure management, vocational training and capacity training from the Chinese Special Administrative Region.

Meanwhile, U Thaung Tun and DICA director general U Aung Naing Oo are attending the 23rd Macao International Trade and Investment Fair in the Chinese enclave.

According to DICA, China is the largest investor in Myanmar among East Asian countries, while Hong Kong is ranked at No. 4. In fiscal 2018-19 fiscal year (August-October) the Yangon Investment Commission approved 75 projects in the industrial, hotel and service sectors by investors from China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, India and Vietnam.
News Wests Call for Sanctions Is Utter Nonsense: Japanese Ambassador

Japanese Ambassador to Myanmar Ichiro Maruyama. / Soe Tun Thein / The Irrawaddy

YANGONJapan is completely opposed to efforts by some countries to impose trade sanctions against Myanmar over the Rohingya issue, believing such a move would seriously hurt ordinary people while doing nothing to resolve the crisis, the Japanese ambassador to Myanmar said.

Myanmar has come under mounting international criticism since last year, when nearly 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh to escape the militarys security clearance operation in northern Rakhine State. The clearance operation was triggered by a series of attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) on security outposts in the area. The government has denounced ARSA as terrorist group.

Since the exodus, Western countries have called for action against the Myanmar government and military, including trade sanctions and the referral of senior military leaders to the International Criminal Court (ICC). In the meantime, the European Union is considering withdrawal of the trade preferences it extends to Myanmar under the everything but arms (EBA) scheme. If that happens, rights groups point out, more than 400,000 Myanmar people, most of them female garment workers, would be in serious danger of losing their livelihoods.

Dismissing the campaign as utter nonsense, Ambassador Ichiro Maruyama told The Irrawaddy in an exclusive interview that imposing trade sanctions would destabilize Myanmar both economically and politically, with workers bearing the brunt of the impact.

Frankly speaking, Japan totally disagrees with other countries that are considering clamping a trade embargo against Myanmar, he said.

If the EUs trade preferences are ended, the ambassador feared it would be workers who will pay the price.

If imposing sanctions was the only way to solve the Rakhine issue, we would join the bandwagon, he said. However, Tokyos view is that such a drastic response will only fuel the situation.

Maruyama stressed that the international community, including Japan, has a common goal to help Myanmars democratic transition succeed. However, there are differing views about which policy will best achieve that goal.

With Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi struggling with international criticism over what many in the West see as her insufficient response to crimes committed against the Rohingya, Japan is playing a mediator role in the repatriation process and is working closely with Naypyitaw to solve the problems in Rakhine State.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono has visited Myanmar twice this year; his trips have focused on discussions of the resettlement of Rohingya and humanitarian aid to Rakhine State.

In January, Tokyo extended Emergency Grant Aid of 330 million yen (USD3 million) to Myanmar to assist displaced persons returning from Bangladesh.

Japanese investment in Myanmar peaked at USD1.48 billion in 2017. This year, it is the 10th-largest foreign investor in the country.

We believe its very important for Myanmar, which now has a democratically elected government after more than 50 years, to solve the issues it faces. We engage with Myanmar based on this belief, Maruyama said.

Apart from trade sanctions, Myanmars military has come under international pressure for its handling of the Rohingya situation. A UN Fact Finding Mission (FFM) recommended that military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his subordinates be referred to the ICC for ethnic cleansing and acting with genocidal intent against the Rohingya. Last month, the UN Human Rights Council voted to set up a body to prepare evidence for use in any future prosecution brought by the ICC.

The ambassador expressed concern about such calls for Myanmars military leadership to be referred to the ICC, saying they could derail efforts to resolve the Rakhine issue.

To settle the case, it could only be possible when there is a collaboration between the NLD-led government and the military, he said, referring to Myanmars ruling National League for Democracy.

The ambassador emphasized the complexity of the Rakhine issue, pointing out the sharp divide between international and local opinions on the issuea major departure from the past, when the local and international communities stood on same side against the military regime.

Given this complexity, Maruyama said, there was no quick fix for the issue. Therefore, if the Myanmar government attempts to patiently solve the problem, Japan will support it as best it can while listening to the peoples voices, he said.

We will try to help organizations like the UN and the international community understand the governments voice, because only doing so can [gradually] bring positive outcomes We believe so.
Friday, October 19th, 2018 (2:43 pm) - Score 4,278

An unusual case of overbuild has cropped up in Essex (England) after Openreach deployed a new superfast Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC) network into an area that had already gained superfast broadband (24Mbps+) speeds with the help of public investment and ultrafast FTTP. Both roll-outs are supported by the Superfast Essex project.

The Superfast Essex scheme is currently supported by Essex County Council (ECC), Openreach (BT), Gigaclear and the Governments 1.6bn+ Broadband Delivery UK programme, which are all working to extend superfast broadband coverage to around 97% of the county by December 2019 (currently 93%+). After that the project also hopes to get as close to 100% coverage as possible by 2021.

As a general rule public money (state aid) should only be used to support a deployment where its actually needed. In other words, urban areas and those that can already get superfast speeds are usually excluded (i.e. they may have been upgraded via commercial investment or another project). This also assumes the local authority is aware of existing coverage via their most recent Open Market Review (OMR) process.

Admittedly there are already various examples where the state aid rules have been tested (just ask B4RN) and some degree of natural overbuild may even be expected at the very edges of a network, but todays story is different to those and quite unusual.

In this case we have an area that was already upgraded to ultrafast FTTP broadband via Superfast Essex, but then Openreach returned to add superfast speeds via FTTC and seemingly with support from the same scheme. Thinkbroadband has spotted several such areas in Essex (e.g. Does Corner, on the B1019 between Hatfield Peverel and Maldon), which are worth examining in case anybody has a similar query in the future.

The FTTP deployment in these areas is arguably a bit too extensive and specific to be natural overbuild at the edges of a network. Likewise some readers may rightly point out that the goal of expanding superfast coverage via public investment may not be best served if theyre using it to support both technologies at superfast speeds in the same area.

Naturally we wanted to try and get the official view before writing about this and the Superfast Essex team have kindly obliged.

An Essex County Council Spokesperson told ISPreview.co.uk: Superfast Essex is legally bound by State Aid rules which prohibit any intentional overbuild where superfast broadband services already exist or are planned and this rule is strictly applied to all planned deployment. At Does Corner, Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) was the only expected solution to be deployed to a number of premises here. The cabinet, installed later to serve other addresses, was originally planned to be built elsewhere and would have been too far away to be able to achieve superfast speeds for Does Corner. However, engineering reasons discovered after work started meant the cabinet had to be relocated, moving it closer to Does Corner and subsequently intercepting additional cables including those already upgraded by the FTTP scheme. Openreach has stopped a number of planned FTTP schemes in Essex where this type of potential overlap is identified early enough.

Inevitably there will be situations like this and its important to stress that they do seem to be quite rare. On the upside we suspect that local residents will be happy to know that they now have a choice between both the older hybrid fibre FTTC network and FTTP, although theyre both on the same Openreach network. No doubt the latter will be the one that residents appreciate the most.

We should point out, just in case it wasnt already obvious, that Openreach doesnt really benefit from putting FTTC into an area where theyve already deployed FTTP. In other words, its in their interests to avoid such cases.
Communications Alliance chief John Stanton has questioned the Federal Government's claims about having consulted widely before drafting its encryption bill, pointing out during a parliamentary hearing that he had had just a single meeting with a representative of the attorney-general's office in the run-up to the release of the public draft of the bill.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security held the first day of hearings into what is officially known as the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Bill 2018 on Friday.

Stanton contrasted the degree of consultation he had been accorded over this bill with that which the CA had experienced during the drafting of the Telecommunications Sector Security Reforms bill; he said he had been consulted thrice during various stages of drafting to ensure that industry was satisfied with what was finally enshrined in legislation.

Also taking aim at the level of consultation, which Hamish Hansford of the Department of Home Affairs claimed earlier had been "wide-ranging", was Dr Suelette Dreyfus, who appeared at the hearing representing rights body Blueprint for Free Speech.

Dr Dreyfus, who is a well-known and respected technology researcher, said the consultation that had been gone through was not representative of a democracy, only a "faux democracy".

The hearing featured a packed agenda, making it impossible for those who appeared to have more than a small bite of the cherry: appearing on a day which ran to less than eight hours were representatives of

ASIO

the Department of Home Affairs

the AFP

the Australian Signals Directorate

the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission

the Australian Border Force

the Law Council of Australia

Telstra

Optus

Cisco

Communications Alliance

the Australian Industry Group

the Australian Information Industry Association

the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association

BSA | The Software Alliance

Electronic Frontiers Australia

Blueprint for Free Speech

Digital Rights Watch

Future Wise and

Access Now.

Cisco was well represented, with four staff, including Eric Wenger, director, Cyber Security and Privacy Policy, Global Government Affairs, and Tim Fawcett, head of Government Affairs, Cisco Systems Australia. Wenger appeared from Washington via a video hook-up, despite the late hour.

The company has good reason to be worried about the bill for it has seen what can happen when the fact that backdoors have been implemented in hardware becomes known.

In 2014, it was revealed by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden that the agency's Tailored Access Operations Unit had backdoored the firmware of Cisco equipment without the company's knowledge, while it was en route to organisations that had been targeted for surveillance.

According to the British newspaper The Independent at the time: "An analysis of financial filings from technology giants IBM and Cisco by The Independent on Sunday reveals the two businesses have seen sales slump by more than $1.7 billion (1.03 billion) year-on-year in the important Asia-Pacific region since [Edward] Snowden revealed in June [2013] that US companies had been compromised by the NSA's intelligence-gathering in the clandestine Prism programme."

Wenger suggested that companies be able to mount a court challenge to any decyrption notices they received under the bill.

The organisations and companies that appeared had already advanced their arguments for and against the bill in submissions either made directly to Home Affairs or else to the hearing.

The impact that the bill would have on Australian businesses was highlighted by the CA's Christiane Gillespie-Jones when she pointed out that the equivalent of what Australia had done to Chinese telecommunications firms Huawei and ZTE  banned them from having a role in the 5G rollout  could well happen to Australian IT firms who did business overseas if the bill were passed in its current form.

PJCIS chair Andrew Hastie made light of this assertion, by saying that Australia is not a Communist country.

Perhaps the person who felt most short-changed at the end of the day was Darryn Lim, who appeared for BSA | The Software Alliance, and had flown in from Singapore to appear at the hearing.

Lim, who gave a detailed interview to iTWire last month about the flaws in the bill, represents the views of Adobe, Amazon Web Services, ANSYS, Apple, Autodesk, AVEVA, Baseplan Software, Bentley Systems, Box, CA Technologies, Cad Pacific/Power Space, Cad Pacific, Cisco, CNC/Mastercam, DataStax, DocuSign, IBM, Informatica, Intel, Mathworks, Microsoft, Okta, Oracle, PTC, Salesforce, SAS Institute, Siemens PLM Software, Splunk, Symantec, Trend Micro, Trimble Solutions Corporation, and Workday.

Hastie said Apple, Amazon and Microsoft had informed the hearing that their views were not being presented by the BSA.

Lim was originally scheduled to have an hour and 15 minutes to present his views and answer questions. But on Friday, he had just 20-odd minutes to make his case and defend it.
ANALYSIS Is the iPhone that Optus is selling in any way different from the one that Telstra, or for that matter Vodafone, is putting on sale? One doubts there is any deviation in the models, all being designed in Cupertino and manufactured in China.

The question arises in the light of Optus deciding last week to highlight the fact that it had obtained the services of Hollywood actor and director Cuba Gooding Jr to direct an ad featuring the new iPhone models.

Gooding was involved in Optus' iPhone advertising in 2017 too.

Such advertising appears to be the equivalent of having the head of Toyota drive a particular model in order to demonstrate it to customers  in the hope that that would be more of a selling factor than having an ordinary mechanic drive the model for a demo.

Or it could be that Optus has decided to undertake what must be an expensive exercise  Gooding is not exactly a Hollywood unknown  because the company fears that the names Apple and iPhone alone are not enough to drive sales.

Two recent articles run by iTWire have pointed to the fact that iPhone sales could indeed be on the wane.

In one case, the mobile comparison site WhistleOut claimed that the higher prices set for iPhone models released this year may be stifling sales in Australia.

And in a second story, a Goldman Sachs analyst warned that iPhone sales were seen to be slowing in China, with a 15% decline year-on-year.

So does Optus have any fears about slowing iPhone sales? Is that why it chose to splash out on Gooding again, in order to try and differentiate its iPhones from the rest of the bunch? Did Gooding's involvement last year result in a big sales spike?

The best way to find out was to go to the source. iTWire asked Optus about this yesterday and gave the telco about eight hours to respond. Alas, the company has not responded.
Creation of Azerkosmos by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs decree in 2013 allowed the country to join small number of states known for their achievements in the field of space. Telecommunication satellite Azerspace 1 was put into orbit the same year, second satellite Azersky began opertating the following year, while the Azerspace 2 satellite began operating last month. Its operation will bring about $400 million to the Azerbaijani economy.

Yesterday the National Aviation Academy (NAA) hosted award ceremony for winners of competition in creation of the CanSat Azerbaijan 2018 satellite model. Speaking at the ceremony, the NAA Rector, chairman of the Space Affairs Council, academician, Arif Pashayev, said that the Ministry of Education and the Azerkosmos came up with idea to host this competition. Around 200 students from 11 universities of the country participated in the CanSat Azerbaijan competition. 66 students reached finals. There are no losers in this competition, since participants - both designers and programmers - got a great experience. This event will help to increase interest of young people in space technologies. According to Arif Pashayev, professor of the Maryland University, an outstanding scientist in the field of space research, academician, Roald Sagdeyev, really helped to organize this competition.

Sagdeyev proposed to hold the CanSat Azerbaijan competition among students of Azerbaijani schools and spoke about history of this competition. "NASA specialists came up with the idea to organize special competitions for students in the US, and students from other countries were invited to participate after a while. This competition was named CanSat. Teams from the National Aviation Academy of Azerbaijan managed to participate in the American competition several years ago. Students of the ADA University also took part in this competition, and teams from Baku performed really well. After that, it was decided to carry out similar competition Azerbaijan, Sagdeyev said.

Today the Azerkosmos is working on introducing innovations in the national space industry and trains local personnel.

According to the head of Azerkosmos, Rashad Nabiyev, the main goal of this competition is to increase students' interest in satellite projects. This will allow Azerbaijan to be represented in similar international competitions with numerous experienced teams and improve the national satellite industry, as well as acquire skills necessary for training of local specialists in various satellites.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook has taken the unusual step of asking Bloomberg to retract a story it published earlier this month, claiming that his firm was among companies that were exposed to spying through chips implanted on server mainboards made by US company Supermicro Computer.

Cook told Buzzfeed News in a phone interview: "There is no truth in their story about Apple. They need to do that right thing and retract it."

Apple issued a detailed denial when the story was published. Later, its former general counsel, Bruce Sewell, said that the FBI had told him it had told him it had no knowledge of any probe into such an incident, as claimed by Bloomberg.

And the company took the additional step of writing to the US Congress denying the story. Chief security officer George Stathakopoulos said in a letter that the company had found no evidence to justify the claims made in the Bloomberg report.

The Bloomberg MO appears to be take something which has a kernel of truth (eg ICS security concerns), find senior administration officials who dont have any idea what is happening, use them as sources, create a narrative, then ask experts to provide generic commentary to support  Kevin Beaumont (@GossiTheDog) October 19, 2018

In, Bloomberg claimed security testing by Amazon in 2015 had revealed the existence of tiny chips that were not part of the original mainboard design and that this led to an extensive investigation by US Government agencies which found servers built using these boards in data centres belonging to the Department of Defence, on warships, and for processing data being handled by CIA drones.

The news agency said that major banks were also using servers made by Supermicro and that the government investigation led to several companies getting rid of the Supermicro equipment.

A few years ago, the same Bloomberg journalists, Jordan Robertson and Michael Riley, wrote a story, claiming that the US Government had prior knowledge of the Heartbleed bug, a serious vulnerability in OpenSSL, before it was announced. Bloomberg did not issue a follow-up after the story was denied.

Cook said: I was involved in our response to this story from the beginning. I personally talked to the Bloomberg reporters along with Bruce Sewell, who was then our general counsel. We were very clear with them that this did not happen, and answered all their questions.

Each time they brought this up to us, the story changed, and each time we investigated we found nothing.

He said the likelihood of an incident like the one Bloomberg claimed could happen without him knowing about it, he said the odds of that were more or less zero.

We turned the company upside down. Email searches, data centre records, financial records, shipment records. We really forensically whipped through the company to dig very deep and each time we came back to the same conclusion: This did not happen. Theres no truth to this.

Bloomberg told Buzzfeed that it stood by its story.
The communications and telecommunications sector, including major telcos like Telstra, was under the glare of the spotlight of the competition watchdog, the ACCC, in the 2017-2018 financial year, when it secured nearly $170 million in penalties for breaches of competition and consumer laws.

Telstra was hit with a penalty of around $10 million  along with similar penalties imposed on Apple and Ford  over consumer protection issues.

The telecommunications sector also was hit hard with action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission against telcos over misleading broadband speeds advertising.

In addition, during the 12 months, the competition launched its Measuring Broadband Australia program.

In this last financial year, we took action on telcos misleading broadband speeds advertising and commenced our Measuring Broadband Australia program. Consumers are now getting much more accurate and transparent information about the speeds they can realistically expect from their Internet, and which providers are delivering the fastest speeds, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said.

In its report, the regulator says its work spanned a range of issues affecting consumers and small and large businesses across the economy, including product safety, infrastructure regulation, mergers, authorisations, agriculture, and inquiries into electricity affordability, the domestic gas market and competition in financial services.

And, the ACCC says it continued to advocate higher penalties for breaches of competition and consumer laws, recording its highest penalty of $46 million in the Yazaki cartel case.

We have been advocating hard for increased penalties for breaches of the Competition and Consumer Act to make boards and shareholders sit up and take notice, Sims said.

We will continue to seek higher penalties where we see consumer detriment or deliberate breaches of competition laws. This past year weve also welcomed the legislated increase to serious financial penalties available for breaching consumer law, bringing them in line to competition law penalties.

During the 12 months, the ACCC Infocentre received over 290,000 contacts, and visits to the Scamwatch website increased to 2.4 million, with consumers accessed online education resources more than 4 million times, and businesses 1.5 million times.

The ACCC also reported that some 281 mergers were assessed in 2017-18  with 90% pre-assessed without the need for a public review  and the remaining 10%, some 29 merger matters, underwent a public or confidential review, with 17 unconditionally unopposed.

Significant decisions included the ACCC opposing BP Australias proposed acquisition of Woolworths retail service station sites were taken during the year, as well as a decision not to oppose Saputos proposed acquisition of Murray Goulburns dairy assets following divestiture of its Koroit plant.

While we endeavour to complete these merger reviews as quickly as possible, the focus is on getting the right decision to ensure long-term competitive benefits, Sims said.

Sims says the ACCC will continue to work hard to make markets work for the benefit of all Australians.

The importance of a strong regulatory framework and resolute action by regulators to correct harmful conduct, protect consumers and provide confidence to the public is clear, he added.

To view the ACCCS annual report click here.

Graphic: courtesy ACCC
CIOs should hope for the best but prepare for the worst when transferring personal information across the Atlantic. Thats the advice of experts watching the European Commission conduct its second annual review of the Privacy Shield data-sharing agreement.

Privacy Shield allows businesses to export the personal information of their customers or employees to the U.S. while still complying with the EUs strict privacy laws, and replaced the Safe Harbor Agreement, which was invalidated by the EUs top court in October 2015.

The Commission made 10 recommendations for improvement in its first review last October, and if it is unhappy with the response of the U.S. administration to these, it could theoretically suspend or cancel the agreement.

That would be the worst-case scenario. There would be a lot of uncertainty regarding data transfers around the world, said Thomas Boue, director general of policy, EMEA, at BSA The Software Alliance. BSAs members include Adobe, Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce and Workday, all of which rely on the processing of personal data for part of their business.

That scenario is something Aaron Tantleff, a partner at law firm Foley & Lardner, is telling his clients to prepare for. I'm advising everyone that's relying on Privacy Shield to make alternate arrangements, to have a backup plan  not because I suspect Privacy Shield is going to be suspended in the next 30 days but because Privacy Shield will be, in the future, modified or suspended at some point.

The backup plan Tantleff has in mind is to adopt another legal basis for data transfers, such as binding corporate rules (BCRs) or model clauses. BCRs govern intra-company transfers, and so are ideal for businesses transferring data to or from subsidiaries for payroll processing or for other HR matters. Model clauses are standard contract terms covering personal data transfers that already have the approval of EU authorities. Some enterprises may already have these in place, or at least have studied them during the interregnum between Safe Harbor and Privacy Shield.

The U.S. has made progress on some of the recommendations contained in the first review, including the confirmation of a new chairman and additional members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), which ensures that the U.S. executive branch weighs privacy and civil liberties concerns when developing new anti-terrorism legislation.

The Senate has still not confirmed the appointment of an independent ombudsperson to respond to questions about access by U.S. law enforcement officers to the personal information of Europeans, although an acting ombudsperson, Manisha Singh, was designated in September. Boue is unconcerned by the lack of confirmation: as he notes, the ombudsperson is backed up by a team of 200 or so staff dealing with cases, and they will continue to do that, confirmation or no confirmation.

Another area may prove trickier to resolve: possible conflicts between EU and U.S. legislation, notably the Cloud Act. This extends U.S. jurisdiction to personal information stored outside the U.S. -- potentially the very same personal information that the EUs recent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is designed to protect. The fear is that, if a business hosting such data receives a request from U.S. law enforcers to turn it over, it could be damned if it does (by the GDPR), and damned if it doesnt (by the Cloud Act).

According to Tantleff, A number of clients are sitting there biting their nails. They dont believe theyre compatible with one another.

The Commission may be looking for clarity on this point, and also raising concerns that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, renewed since the last Privacy Shield review, erodes EU citizens fundamental privacy rights by allowing U.S. surveillance of their communications.

As for the other outstanding issues highlighted in the last review, the Commission is pragmatic. Despite a call from the European Parliament to suspend Privacy Shield if the U.S. did not address them all, it knows that EU businesses rely on the transatlantic flow of data as much as their counterparts in the U.S. do, and is likely to delay action or seek compromise rather than risk disrupting a trade relationship worth around $1.1 trillion.

The Commission said Friday that it will publish a report containing its findings on the functioning of the Privacy Shield before the end of the year.

Principles, not pragmatism, reign at another EU body, the Court of Justice. This is the court that so suddenly and unexpectedly put an end to Safe Harbor in 2015, on the grounds that the protections it provided were inadequate under EU privacy law. It has also been asked to rule on the adequacy of Privacy Shield, although its judgment will come much later than the Commissions, probably some time next year.

Once again, enterprises can hope for the best  but they should also prepare for the worst.

And it could get a lot worse, as the Court of Justice is also deliberating another case, challenging the use of model contract clauses to protect transatlantic data transfers. This was brought by Max Schrems, the same plaintiff who triggered the ruling overturning Safe Harbor.

Boue encouraged enterprises to prepare by ensuring that they have the most appropriate data transfer mechanisms in place for their purposes. Many companies are already counting on a combination of Privacy Shield, BCRs, model clauses and customer consent to cover all bases.

We live in this period of uncertainty about data transfers. Let's hope all goes well but if it doesn't, they should have a plan in place to shift and switch, he said.
18 October 2018 - Nashville, Tenn - It was announced today that Sidewalk Prophets will be the musical guest at the 46th Annual March For Life. Held in Washington D.C. on January 18, 2019, the annual event, which is put on by the March For Life Education & Defense Fund, is the worlds largest annual human rights demonstration. With the 2019 theme of Pro-Life is Pro-Science: Unique from Day One, joining Sidewalk Prophets will be speakers Ben Shapiro, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Wire and host of The Ben Shapiro Show, and Abby Johnson, Founder of And Then There Were None.

This is something that I am passionate and excited to be a part of," Dave Frey, Sidewalk Prophets' lead vocalist shares. "Life is a beautiful thing and to use my voice to celebrate and advocate for life is an honor. For more information about the event, please visit MarchForLife.org.

Earlier this month the band announced their inaugural "Great Big Family Christmas Tour" kicking off this holiday season. Running throughout December, this inaugural event is one the band hopes will offer many Christmas memories for all attendees, and will be a tradition for years to come.

Promising each evening on the tour to be joyful and interactive, the holiday fun-filled event will also offer the opportunity to collect an offering to give back to a local community in need.

Concertgoers will hear holiday classics along with a few of the band's originals from their 2013 release Merry Christmas To You, such as their No. 1 smash "What A Glorious Night" and the top 5 hit "Hey Moon." Also throughout the evening, the band will be sure to perform several of their notable radio hits.

For tickets and more information about "The Great Big Family Christmas Tour," please visit the tour page at greatbigfamilychristmas.com. For ticket information in a specific market, click on the city name listed below.

Great Big Family Christmas tour dates :

Dec. 06 - Danville, IL

Dec. 07 - Springfield, IL

Dec. 08 - Cincinnati, OH

Dec. 09 - Port Huron, MI

Dec. 12 - Perry Hall, MD

Dec. 13 - Mansfield, PA

Dec. 14 - Holland, OH

Dec. 15 - Bourbonnais, IL

Dec. 16 - St, Cloud, MN



*all dates subject to change; be sure to visit the band's tour page for the latest information

As Sidewalk Prophets prepare for the upcoming Christmas tour, they are currently on their 30-city "Something Different Tour in 3D Tour," which wraps in November. The band will then head into the studio to record their first album in three years, slated to release in spring of 2019.

2018 has been quite a year for Sidewalk Prophets. After a bus trailer fire earlier this year where the band lost all of their gear, they were able to get back on their feet thanks to their dedicated fanbase, which donated more than $100,000 so the band to obtain new equipment and continue touring. They are beyond grateful to their fans and for the unending support they've received these past few months, and are thrilled to be able to continue touring and bring their "Great Big Family Christmas Tour" to cities around the country.

For further information and tour dates, please visit SidewalkProphets.com

About Sidewalk Prophets : Dove Award-winning Sidewalk Prophets are a band who strive diligently for excellence in all things. Formed on the campus of Anderson University and built around vocal powerhouse and pop culture nerd Dave Frey, the band has sold over 500,000 albums, 1.5 million digital singles, played over 2,000 shows translating to being in front of 2.5 million fans, and garnered five number one singles and eight top five radio hits, such as their current hit, "Come To The Table." The band has received over 11 million YouTube views, and been nominated for a Billboard Music Award as well as four Dove Awards, winning one - all over the course of their three Fervent Records albums. Sidewalk Prophets are a band known for spending the majority of their time on the road where they are passionate about connecting with their audience on a personal level.

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Italy's deputy prime minister says his country will oppose a renewal of European Union sanctions against Russia, but he suggested Rome is not ready to break with the rest of the EU and veto a rollover of the sanctions. Radio Free Europe writes in the article Italian Minister Says Rome Will Oppose Extension Of EU Sanctions On Russia citing Salvini "I come here because I am convinced that sanctions are economic, social, and cultural madness," Matteo Salvini said on a visit to Moscow on October 17. Salvini leads Italy's far-right League party and is also Italy's interior minister.

He criticized the basis of the sanctions, which were imposed on Moscow after Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and backing for separatists in eastern Ukraine in a war against the government. The EU's dominant powers, Germany and France, and most other EU members have said the sanctions should stay in place until progress is made in ending that conflict. Salvini charged that the EU is sanctioning Russia for "alleged violations against Ukraine," while taking no action over Turkey's occupation of northern Cyprus -- "a European country" -- since 1974.

"It is folly," he said, vowing to "do his best" to bring an end to the Russian sanctions, or at least to resist attempts to make their renewal every six months automatic.

"If we are asked to confirm, we will say no. It's clear that it makes no sense that they are in place," he told a gathering of Italian businessmen in Moscow in a speech live-streamed on his Facebook account..

But he stopped short of saying Rome would veto a plan to roll over the sanctions, which is expected to come before a summit of EU leaders in December. The sanctions are due to expire in January.

"We can only play the veto joker once in Europe," Salvini said, noting that Italy is also battling Brussels on other fronts, including over the EU budget, immigration reform, and Italy's own, contested 2019 budget. "If they reject that, I don't know what card I will play," he said.

EU sources have told RFE/RL that Italy might agree to extend the sanctions if the EU agrees to Rome's proposal to soften them somewhat by reviving EU bank funding for small Russian businesses that were not targeted by the sanctions.

Both Salvini's League party and Italy's other governing party, the Five Star Movement, are opposed to Russian sanctions on the grounds that they hurt Italian businesses and the economy.

Salvini has openly expressed admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the League signed a cooperation deal in 2017 with United Russia, Russia's dominant political party.

"I feel at home here. In some European countries I don't. Here, I feel as safe as in my home," Salvini told the Moscow gathering. During his visit, Salvini was received by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is due in Moscow next week for talks with Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.
Uh-oh! It could be you, or it could be us, but there's no page here.
An official opening ceremony of the Azerbaijan's autumn gifts festival took place on Tverskaya Square in Moscow. On the sidelines of this event, the head of the Russian-Azerbaijani parliamentary group, State Duma Deputy Dmitry Savelyev told Vestnik Kavkaza about the current state and prospects for cultural cooperation between the two countries.

- Dmitry Ivanovich, first of all, how do you assess the organization and the very idea of the festival?

- It's a great exhibition. I'm glad that such major events take place in the center of Moscow - and we would like such beautiful and meaningful events to be held in the regions of Russia as well. Russia is a big country, Moscow is its center, but working with the regions is also important. Of course, such exhibitions should also be held in Moscow more often. Those Russians who visited Baku, bring home a piece of Azerbaijani culture with them, due to which their attitude towards Azerbaijan changes drastically. Those who once heard about Azerbaijan and visit it, return from there, having fallen in love with republic completely - but also there are those who have never been there, and they should be motivated to visit Baku. Such exhibitions, among other things, are designed to achieve this goal: when a person come here, he comes into contact with Azerbaijan culture, art and cuisine. There is a magnificent restaurant with Azerbaijani dishes at this exhibition, ranging from tandyr bread to delicious delicacies. It motivates people, so they leave this place in a great mood, interested in Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijanis.

- As a rule, such exhibitions have a bilateral format. Is a similar Russian exhibition in Baku being organised?

- When Sergey Sobyanin was in Azerbaijan, he discussed the issue of holding the Days of Moscow in Baku. I think such event will be organized in the medium term. Many Azerbaijanis have been in Russia, first of all, of course, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, many have received their education here. I served in Soviet Baku and remember those times with warmth. People served in the Soviet army regardless of nationality, Azerbaijanis served throughout the RSFSR, Ukraine, and there was a rotation, so conscripts served in several regions. I would like more Russians to visit Baku and the regions of Azerbaijan. It has great ski resorts, which I highly recommend Russians to visit.

- On October 18, Azerbaijan celebrates the restoration of the state independence. How do you assess the distance covered by the republic in 27 years?

- We see a breakthrough made by Azerbaijan since that time - both in the economic and political sense. Now Azerbaijan occupies a very serious position in the international arena, its authority is constantly being strengthened by efforts of President Ilham Aliyev. Therefore, I would like to wish Mr. President, his family, Mehriban Aliyeva, his daughters, grandchildren and the entire Azerbaijani people good health. May Azerbaijanis have a smile on their faces more often, and every family live in plenty!
Baku's organization of the 7th General Assembly of the Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) in 2012 was decent, a member of the ICAAP Standing Committee, Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Federation Council, chair of the Commission for Foreign Affairs of the Presidium of All-Russia Political Party Andrei Klimov said, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza on the sidelines of the presentation of the program of the 10th ICAAP General Assembly, which will be held in Moscow on October 25-26 for the first time.

"I testify that the General Assembly in Baku was held at a good level. I presided over one of the plenary sessions there and I remember that there was a very lively discussion. In general, the level of the event was very worthy, I think," he said.

Andrei Klimov said that Azerbaijan's ICAAP member parties received invitations to the General Assembly in Moscow from the organizations general secretariat as well as others. "Azerbaijan regularly participates in these events, all political parties-members of ICAAP have received appropriate invitations, and we will be glad to see all ICAAP members," the senator stressed.

He also spoke about the agenda of the 10th General Assembly. "We will have two extremely important topics: the role of political parties in ensuring international security and the expansion of mutually beneficial social and economic cooperation. The current trade wars cannot but worry us. We cannot ensure the stable development of humanity in the 21st century without ensuring security. After all, sustainable development is not possible in the context of wars, as well as in the absence of mutually beneficial active socio-economic relations and programs," Andrei Klimov said.

"On the sidelines of the main events, we agreed to hold a plenary session on the role of political parties in preventing interference in internal affairs. We plan to call on political parties, first, to refrain from it, and second, to do everything to prevent such a violation of international law," the Deputy Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Federation Council concluded.
The election of Armenia's prime minister by the republic's parliament is scheduled for October 24, the National Assemblys administration said.

In accordance with the Constitution, prime-ministerial candidates are nominated on the seventh day after a prime ministers resignation.

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan resigned as prime minister on October 16. This means that the deadline for nominating candidates is October 23, and a special session will be convened on October 24.

Pashinyan resigned for dismissing the National Assembly and conducting snap parliamentary elections. On the same day, the republic's President Armen Sarkisyan accepted Pashinyans resignation, ARKA recalled.

The early parliamentary elections are expected to take place in mid-December.
Participants in the Asia-Europe Meeting insist sanctions be lifted off Iran as it is implementing its liabilities under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on its nuclear program, according to the forums statement released on Friday, TASS reports.

"With regard to Iran, Leaders reiterated their collective support for diplomatic dialogue and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action endorsed by the UN Security Council in Resolution 2231 which is working and delivering on its goal, namely to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Irans nuclear programme," the document says. "Leaders recognised that, alongside full and effective implementation by Iran of its nuclear related commitments, the lifting of sanctions including the consequences arising from it constitutes an essential part of the JCPOA."

"Preserving the nuclear deal with Iran is a matter of respecting international agreements, and promoting international security, peace and stability," participants in the summit stressed.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Irving Resources Inc. (CSE:IRV) (Irving or the Company) is pleased to report it has sampled high-grade quartz vein float at its 100%-controlled Omu gold-silver project, Hokkaido, Japan (Figures 1, 2 and 3).

While following up stream sediment anomalies (please refer to Irvings news release dated January 3, 2018 for further details), Irving geologists identified banded quartz vein and other pieces of mineralized float along recently constructed logging roads in areas around the historic Hokuryu mine. Logging roads often provide the only geologic exposure in this heavily vegetated terrain. Inquiries made by Irving with the Hokkaido prefectural forestry agency and local logging road constructors confirm no exotic material was placed on these roads and all road base material is locally derived. Therefore, Irving believes quartz vein float material reported in this news release is derived from nearby bedrock.

Samples of quartz vein float collected along a one-kilometer long west-northwesterly trend beginning approximately 700 meters west of Hokuryu mine are particularly noteworthy. Results include:

Quartz vein float samples from Hokuryu West-

Sample ID Au (gpt) Ag (gpt) Au (opt) Ag (opt) OM-HT003 35.2 568 1.13 18.26 OM-HT004 3.5 102 0.11 3.28 OM-HT005 59.8 1245 1.92 40.03 OM-HT006 36.3 1000 1.17 32.15 OM-HT007 155 617 4.98 19.84 OM-HT009 138.5 500 4.45 16.08 OM-HT010 2.9 180 0.09 5.79 OM-HT011 8.5 53 0.27 1.7 OM-RH028 39.7 708 1.28 22.77 OM-RH030 20.3 342 0.65 11 OM-RH032 39.5 671 1.27 21.58 OM-RH044 8.2 47 0.26 1.51 OM-RH046 21.6 457 0.69 14.69 31.1 gpt = 1 opt Samples in this table are of select float and not necessarily representative of mineralization at Hokuryu West

In addition, Irving geologists collected seven samples of variably altered and silicified volcanic rock and breccia with gold values ranging from 0.14-0.53 gpt and silver values ranging from 3-19 gpt.

Irving believes the West Hokuryu area may host extensions of the Hokuryu vein system. Hokuryu mine, owned by Nihon Mining Company, Ltd., operated briefly beginning in around 1928 until it was shut in 1943 due to the Gold Mine Closure Act near the end of WWII. It produced approximately 2.8 tonnes Au and 11.5 tonnes Ag during its short life. (MMIJ. 1990. Japanese Gold Mines Vol. 2 Hokkaido. The Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan (MMIJ)).

In an area approximately 2.5 km southwest of Hokuryu mine, a sample of quartz vein float returned 20.8 gpt Au and 59 gpt Ag and two samples of silicified and quartz-veined volcanic rock returned 1.78 and 0.68 gpt Au and 19 and 24 gpt Ag. One sample of quartz vein float collected approximately one km northeast of Hokuryu mine returned 7.14 gpt Au and 41 gpt Ag. Six samples of variably silicified and quartz-veined volcanic rocks from areas north, northeast and east of Hokuryu mine returned 0.03-2.50 gpt Au and 0.5-57 gpt Ag. Samples discussed above are of select float and not necessarily representative of mineralization in this area.

Irving is currently conducting further prospecting in vicinities around Hokuryu mine and to the north where there are historic reports of high-grade veins. Follow-up soil sampling and geophysical work is currently being planned at Hokuryu West.

We are encouraged by results from select float samples collected around the historic Hokuryu mine, commented Akiko Levinson, President and Director of Irving Resources Inc. Right now, we are conducting further prospecting, sampling and baseline soil sampling at Hokuryu West. Next season, we plan to conduct more advanced exploration including soil sampling and geophysical work similar to that done at our Omui mine and Omu sinter target areas.

Drill contract signed

Irving recently signed a diamond drilling contract with Rodren Drilling Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba (Rodren), to undertake diamond drilling at its Omu project. A diamond drill is currently being mobilized to Hokkaido and is expected to reach Omu in approximately two weeks. Although necessary permits are still awaited, Irving, Mitsui Mineral Development Engineering Co., Ltd. (MINDECO) and Rodren are concurrently working on necessary staffing for a drill program. Further information about timing of commencement of drilling will be made available when more information is in hand.

All samples discussed in this news release were collected by Irving geologists from float, loose rock in soil, believed derived from subcropping bedrock and veins. They are not necessarily representative. Irving submitted rock samples to ALS Laboratory, Vancouver, BC, for analysis. Au and Ag were analyzed by fire assay with gravimetric finish. Multielements were analyzed by mass spectrometry following three acid digestion. Lab standard and blank samples were utilized for quality assurance and control.

Quinton Hennigh (Ph.D., P.Geo.) is the Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101 responsible for, and having reviewed and verified, the technical information contained in this news release. Dr. Hennigh is a technical advisor and director of Irving Resources Inc.

About Irving Resources Inc.:

Irving is a junior exploration company with a focus on gold in Japan. Irving also holds, through a subsidiary, Project Venture Agreements with Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) for joint regional exploration programs in the United Republic of Tanzania, the Republic of Malawi and the Republic of Madagascar. JOGMEC is a government organization established under the law of Japan, administrated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, and is responsible for stable supply of various resources to Japan through the discovery of sizable economic deposits of base, precious and rare metals.

Additional information can be found on the Companys website: www.IRVresources.com.

Akiko Levinson,

President & Director

For further information, please contact:

Tel: (604) 682-3234 Toll free: 1 (888) 242-3234 Fax: (604) 641-1214

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Forward-looking information

Some statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the mineral resource exploration industry as well as Irving having sufficient cash to fund any planned drilling and other exploration activities.

THE CSE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Hokuryu West





Hokuryu West

Hokuryu West
October 19, 2018 / TheNewswire / Vancouver, Canada - Guyana Goldstrike Inc. (the "Company" or "Guyana Goldstrike") (TSXV: GYA, OTC: GYNAF, FSE:1ZT) is pleased to report the completion of a helicopter-borne magnetic and radiometric geophysical survey and a site visit at its Marudi Gold Project ("Marudi" or the "Property") located in the Guiana Gold Belt, Guyana, South America.

Geophysical Survey Highlights

First-ever performed geophysical survey over the entire 13,500 acre Property

A total of 1201 kilometres of flight lines were flown over the entire Property with a very low terrain clearance of 40 metres

Maximum resolution: 50-metre line spacing improves on historic government magnetic surveys that were designed and flown on 250-metre line spacing and at higher altitude

Latest technology: Advancements in instrument sensitivity, data acquisition and processing are expected to provide high-quality results

Successful track record: Magnetic and radiometric surveys are recognized as an excellent tool for the exploration of iron-formation-hosted gold deposits

A report with deliverables from the contractor, Precision GeoSurveys, is expected in about four weeks' time

The Company will then commission a detailed interpretation of the raw data (deliverables) by an independent third-party geophysicist

Objective of survey results: To provide geophysical signatures from previously known mineralized zones, to identify extensions of known mineralization for further development, to locate new zones for exploration, and to generate priority drill targets

The Company has planned a drilling campaign for January 2019

Marudi Site Visit

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has hosted a Marudi site visit, which included representatives from Gold Mountains Asset Management Ltd (GMA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zijin Mining Group (see below under "Zijin Mining Group"). GMA through its managed funds, Zijin Global Fund and Zijin Midas Exploration Fund invested $3.2MM CDN earlier this year for the further exploration of hard-rock mineralization at Marudi.

The group visited the property and toured the various exploration and mineralized zones of interest and the mining camp facilities. Photos from the site visit can be viewed at the Company's website: Click Here.

Zijin Mining Group

Listed on the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges with a market capitalization of $18B, Zijin Mining Group ("Zijin") is a large Chinese mining group specializing in gold, copper, zinc and metalliferous resource exploration and development. It is the largest public gold producer, the second largest mined zinc producer and the third largest mined copper producer, in China. Its core asset Zijinshan Gold/Copper Mine was rated as China's largest Gold Mine by China Gold Association in March 2008.

Zijin has developed an extensive product portfolio of gold, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, iron ore and other base metals and has invested in 24 provinces across China and 9 foreign countries including Australia, Tajikistan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Papua New Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Peru, South Africa, and Serbia.

Current Zones and Mineral Resource Estimate at Marudi

The Toucan Ridge area is located approximately one kilometre east of the Marudi North zone and one kilometre north of the Mazoa Hill zone. The Mazoa Hill zone contains the project's current mineral resource estimate. Data analyzed suggests that the mineralized zone is open at depth and to the southeast. Mineral Resource Estimate:

259,100 indicated gold ounces within 4,428,000 tonnes grading 1.8 g/t; and,

86,200 inferred gold ounces within 1,653,000 tonnes grading 1.6 g/t

Current Trenching at Marudi

A total of 1112 metres of trenching has been completed in the Toucan Ridge area of the Marudi Property. 390 samples have been taken. The exploration team will continue along the ridge progressing in an eastward direction with each new trench site stepping out roughly 50-100 metre intervals, mainly perpendicular to the ridge. The area of interest continues for more than 1.75 kilometres to the east of the first trench - TTR-18-05. Trench sites are planned where quartzite-metachert is exposed or interpreted to occur beneath the transported overburden. The eastern part of Toucan Ridge is approximately 400 metres south of the Paunch area which was trenched in May and returned the Company's first significant gold discovery.

About Quartzite-metachert (Host Rock) at Marudi

At Marudi, all important gold mineralization discovered to date is associated with the medial quartzite-metachert (host rock) unit of the Marudi Mountain Formation. Gold occurs within the magnetite-hematite rich quartzite and in the magnetite-silicate iron formation. Mineralization of the host rock may be affected at surface by the erosion at different levels of the strata. Therefore, all discoveries of quartzite-metachert on the Property are considered important for the potential of containing mineralization at surface and/or at depth and should be explored through trenching and drilling. When discovered these areas are assigned high levels of priority for further exploration work, including drilling in the Company's planned drill program.

Marudi Geology

Gold mineralization at Marudi is regarded as being related to iron-formation-hosted gold ("IFG") deposits that occur in other cratonic greenstone belts around the world. These deposits can be remarkably long-lived with sizeable gold production. They have a strong association between gold and iron sulfide minerals, the presence of gold bearing quartz veins and structures, the occurrence of deposits in structurally complex terranes, and the absence of lead and zinc enrichment.

Examples of some existing IFG deposits are: the Homestake Mine, Lupin Mine, and Musselwhite Mine.

The Homestake Mine is located in South Dakota USA and was the largest and deepest gold mine in North America. It has reported production of 43.9 million ounces of gold and was in production from 1878-2001. (Source: Click Here

The Lupin Mine located in Nunavut, Canada, no longer in production, produced approximately 3 million ounces of gold. (Source: Click Here)

The Mussellwhite mine located in Ontario, Canada has estimated reserves of 2.29 million ounces of gold and is owned and operated by Goldcorp and will be in production until 2020. (Source: Click Here)

About the Marudi Gold Project

The Company is developing the Marudi Gold Project located in Guyana, South America. The project has 18-year mining license in good standing, all-season road access, infrastructure in place, with an established camp serviced by employees, service buildings, and a full-time camp manager. The Property has three known gold bearing areas: the alluvial areas, the saprolite, and the underlying hard-rock.

There has been 42,000 metres of historic diamond drilling (141 holes) completed on the project by prior operators that have delineated two zones of mineralization: Mazoa Hill and Marudi North zones. The Company has recently completed a mineral resource estimate on the Mazoa Hill zone containing 259,100 indicated gold ounces within 4,428,000 tonnes grading 1.8 g/t and 86,200 inferred gold ounces within 1,653,000 tonnes grading 1.6 g/t. There exists excellent exploration upside through the development of previously and newly identified mineralized bedrock targets on the project.

For information concerning the mineral resource estimate and the project, readers are encouraged to review "Technical Report: Marudi Property Mazoa Hill Mineral Resource Estimate", a technical report prepared for the Company by Global Mineral Resource Services and is available at (Click Here) and under the Company's profile on SEDAR www.sedar.com.

About Guyana Goldstrike Inc.

Guyana Goldstrike Inc. is a Canadian based junior gold company focused on the exploration, development, and operation of the Marudi Gold Project in Guyana, South America.

Please visit us at: www.guyanagoldstrike.com

About Guyana

The Republic of Guyana is located in South America adjacent to Suriname. The country is English speaking and under British Common Law with a democratically-elected government. It has an established mining act and a rich history of gold production. In 2016, 690,000 ounces of gold was produced by operators mining in the country. The Fraser Institute's 2016 Annual Survey of Mining listed Guyana as the third best mining jurisdiction with regards to investment attractiveness in the Latin America and Caribbean Basin sub-group. The Guiana Shield is the geographic gold-hosting region, and is world-recognized as a premier gold region that is highly prospective, under-explored and has geological continuity with West Africa.* In 2016, two mines in Guyana declared the commencement of commercial production: the Aurora deposit (Guyana Goldfields) and the Karouni deposit (Troy Resources).

* Independent Technical and Environmental Review Karouni Gold Project - Guyana, Behre Dolbear Australia Pty Ltd, April 29, 2016

Qualified Person

Locke Goldsmith, M.Sc., P. Eng, P. Geo, Chief Geologist and Exploration Manager for the Company, is a Qualified Person in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Goldsmith has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical content of this news release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

GUYANA GOLDSTRIKE INC.

Peter Berdusco

President and Chief Executive Officer

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and other similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to future prices of commodities, accuracy of mineral or resource exploration activity, reserves or resources, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third party information, continued access to mineral properties or infrastructure, fluctuations in the market for gold, changes in exploration costs and government regulation in Guyana, status of artisanal mining activities and associated rights, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affections such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.
COEUR D'ALENE, ID / ACCESSWIRE / October 19, 2018 / Timberline Resources Corporation (OTCQB: TLRS; TSX-V: TBR)("Timberline" or the "Company") today provided an update on drilling at the Elder Creek porphyry copper-gold project in the Battle Mountain Mining District of Nevada. The drilling program began in mid-September and is now complete.

Reverse circulation (RC) drill hole RCEC18-01 (Figure 1) was previously reported (see press release dated September 27, 2018 at http://timberlineresources.co/press-releases/) to have intersected 110 feet (34 meters) of 0.44% copper in the near-surface oxide zone. The hole averaged 0.21% copper over its 500 foot (152 meters) length, and was stopped at 500 feet due to depth limitations of the rig.

Reverse circulation drill hole RCEC18-02 , located 3,250 feet (1,000 m) southeast of RCEC18-01, was bottomed at 840 feet (256 meters) in abundant groundwater and highly siliceous rock. Based on favorable indications in drill cuttings, diamond core hole CCEC18-02 was mobilized to deepen RCEC18-02 to a target depth range of 1,250 to 1,500 feet (380 m to ~450 m).

Steven Osterberg, Timberline's President and CEO commented, "We are impressed with several hundred feet of drill core exhibiting extensive stock-work veining, intense mineral alteration, and visible iron, copper, and molybdenum sulfide mineralization. The drilling, combined with surface mapping and geophysical surveys, confirms that Elder Creek is a very large mineralized porphyry system. We look forward to the analytical results and additional drill testing."

Core Hole CCEC18-02 Results

Reverse circulation drill hole RCEC18-02 was collared within the non-magnetic circular core of the porphyry system. Drilling intercepted oxidized, hornfelsed Harmony Formation (arkosic sandstone), and a feldspar porphyritic intrusion with strong quartz-sericite alteration over its 840 foot (256 meters) length. Copper oxide minerals are visible in rock chips from above a redox boundary depth of approximately 250 feet (76 m) below which iron-, copper-, and molybdenum-sulfide mineralization is visible.

Diamond core hole CCEC18-02 deepened hole RCEC18-02 to a final depth of 1,497 feet (456 m) and targeted an un-tested flat-lying chargeability/resistivity (IP/Resistivity) anomaly identified in historic data. The hole intercepted altered hornfels (after Harmony Formation arkosic sandstones)(Figure 2), and feldspar porphyritic rocks reflecting multiple, overprinting intrusive events.Quartz stock-work veining is pervasive throughout as is intense silicification which is typically associated with sericite and pyrite alteration as is common in porphyry systems. Pyrite, chalcopyrite, and molybdenite occur distributed throughout the host rock (hornfels and intrusives) and in multiple variations ofquartz veins as fine irregular-shaped disseminations, <1 mm to 2 cm-thick veinlets and veins, irregular clots up to 1 cm across, and as coatings on fracture surfaces (Figure 3). Local semi-massive arsenopyrite veins up to two inches (5 cm) wide have also been recognized.

The core is being prepared for submission to ALS Global for assaying.

Figure 1. Geology, Alteration, and Copper Geochemistry of the Elder Creek Porphyry Copper-Gold Prospect

Figure 2. Drill core CCEC18-02 core photos showing altered hornfels (after Harmony Formation sandstone) and porphyritic intrusive at Elder Creek. Scale: HQ drill core diameter = 6.5 mm (2.6 inches).

Figure 3. Drill core CCEC18-02 core photos showing typical sulfide mineralization styles at Elder Creek. Scale: HQ drill core diameter = 6.5 mm (2.6 inches).

Figure 3.

Figure 3.

The Elder Creek copper/gold system lies approximately 11 miles (18 km) north of Newmont's Phoenix mining complex. Exploration data compiled from over 40-plus years of exploration on the property includes only limited shallow, historic drilling in the pronounced magnetic low, and only shallow drilling along the north and northeastern magnetic zone targeted primarily at gold. Geologic and geophysical characteristics, and rock geochemical sampling results evident at Elder Creek (see press release dated June 18, 2018 at http://timberlineresources.co/press-releases/) are common to major porphyry copper deposits.

Timberline has the right to acquire a 65% interest in the 16 square mile (41 km2) property by spending US$5.1 million over 6 years through an earn-in joint venture agreement with McEwen Mining Inc. (see new release dated May 24, 2018 at http://timberlineresources.co/press-releases/).

Further technical details of the Company's Elder Creek project may be viewed at: http://timberlineresources.co/projects/ElderCreek/.

Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Quality Assurance

Collection of drill samples was completed under the supervision of a Company representative. Quality control is monitored by the insertion of blind certified standard reference materials and blanks into each sample shipment. The samples were collected on-site by ALS USA Inc. (ALS) and were transported to Elko, Nevada for sample preparation. Drill samples were assayed by ALS in Reno, Nevada for gold by Fire Assay of a 30 gram (1 assay ton) charge with an AA finish (ALS code Au-AA23). Samples were also assayed for a 48 multi-element four acid ICP-MS (code ME-MS61) geochemical suite in Vancouver, B.C.

Steven Osterberg, Ph.D., P.G., Timberline's President and Chief Executive Officer, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this release. Mr. Osterberg is not considered independent of the Company as defined in Section 1.5 of NI 43-101. Drill intercepts are reported as drill thicknesses; true widths of intercepts are unknown.

About Timberline Resources

Timberline Resources Corporation is focused on advancing district-scale gold exploration and development projects in Nevada. These include its 23 square-mile Eureka property, comprising the Lookout Mountain, Windfall, and Oswego projects which lie along three separate structural stratigraphic trends defined by distinct geochemical gold anomalies, as well as being operator of both the Paiute joint venture project with a subsidiary of Barrick Gold, and the Elder Creek joint venture with McEwen Mining. All of these properties lie on the prolific Battle Mountain-Eureka gold trend. Timberline also owns the Seven Troughs property in Northern Nevada, which is one of the state's highest-grade former producers. Timberline has increased its owned and controlled mineral rights in Nevada to over 43 square miles (27,500 acres). Detailed maps and NI 43-101 estimated resource information for the Eureka property may be viewed at http://timberlineresources.co/.

Timberline is listed on the OTCQB where it trades under the symbol "TLRS" and on the TSX Venture Exchange where it trades under the symbol "TBR".

Forward-looking Statements

Statements contained herein that are not based upon current or historical fact are forward-looking in nature and constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements reflect the Company's expectations about its future operating results, performance and opportunities that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the advancement of projects, and exploration potential. When used herein, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," upcoming, "plan," target, "intend" and "expect" and similar expressions, as they relate to Timberline Resources Corporation, its subsidiaries, or its management, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to the Company and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance, prospects, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. There are no assurances that the Company will complete the earn-in on the Elder Creek project as contemplated or at all. Factors that could cause or contribute to risks involving forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, changes in the Company's business and other factors, including risk factors discussed in the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2018. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any obligationto release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
On 10 December 2018, Nadia Murad will step forward to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which she shares with the renowned Congolese doctor, Denis Mukwege. A young Yazidi woman, Ms. Murad grew up in Kocho village, in Sinjar, northern Iraq, where she dreamt of owning a beauty parlour. She is now the first UN Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, the founder of Nadias Initiative, and a Nobel Laureate. The journey between her two lives is one of horror, and of courage.

Ms. Murad was captured by the group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, when its fighters launched a coordinated attack on the Sinjar region in August 2014. The Yazidis, a pre-Judaic and historically persecuted religious group, were targeted by ISIS which believed them to be infidels and pagans. In Kocho, ISIS forced the residents into the village school. Men and adolescent boys, including Ms. Murads father and brothers, were executed; women who were past child-bearing age were killed later in a different location, Ms. Murads mother among them. Young women and girls were taken to holding sites, where they were registered and sold into sexual slavery and domestic servitude; young boys were forcibly recruited into ISIS training camps where they were trained to fight. Ms. Murad was sold into sexual slavery, where she was repeatedly and violently raped and beaten. When she escaped, she was one of the first survivors to speak publicly about what she had suffered and seen.

Ms. Murads advocacy, and the testimonies of other survivors, informed the wider world about ISISs crimes. The 2015 US Holocaust Memorial Museum and the 2016 Commission of Inquiry on Syria reports determined that ISIS was committing genocide, as well as crimes against humanity and war crimes, in its multi-pronged attack on the Yazidis. The reports  together with continued pressure from Ms. Murad, Yazidi rights groups such as Yazda and the Free Yezidi Foundation, and various international NGOs  catapulted the Yazidi genocide into public consciousness.

How empathy was built

International attention failed, however, to translate into meaningful action. Inside Iraq, the Yazidis fell victim to political disagreements between the Iraqi central and Kurdish regional governments. This included disputes over who controlled Sinjar, which caused a build-up of various armed groups in the region, delaying the clearing of explosive devices left behind by ISIS; the mapping of mass graves; the rebuilding of Sinjar; and the return of the Yazidis. There was no attempt to rescue captured Yazidis, though all took note of the international involvement in the 2016 rescue of a Swedish girl who travelled to Mosul to be with her boyfriend, an ISIS fighter.

Justice at an international level was blocked: neither Syria nor Iraq are parties to the Rome Statute; and it was (and is) unlikely that the UN Security Council will refer the situation in either country to the International Criminal Court due to the exercise of veto powers by its permanent members. With no easy way to assist Yazidis, and with the international communitys attention turning to other conflicts, natural disasters, and various political debacles, the plight of the Yazidis began to fade from view. Ms. Murads Nobel Prize, the first awarded to an Iraqi, comes at the right time to hopefully refocus attention on the Yazidis struggle for justice and security.

Nevertheless, the Yazidis, who number about one million people globally, have been particularly successful in educating the international community about who they are, why they were attacked, and the spectrum of genocidal violence that they suffered. This was helped immeasurably by Nadia Murads stepping forward, at great personal cost, to become the face and voice of the genocide. It also owes to other factors: the involvement of educated members of the Yazidi diaspora who gave up more comfortable lives to dedicate themselves to securing justice for their people; the willingness of the same diaspora to work behind the scenes, facilitating survivors voices being heard; the Yazidi communitys embrace  backed by their religious authorities  of Yazidi women and girls rescued from captivity; and the fact that ISIS sought to publicise rather than hide their atrocities.

There were also factors that were not immediately foreseeable: the testimonies of survivors of sexual slavery proved irresistible to western media, which focussed on acts of sexual violence in a manner which bordered on disturbing, and which failed almost entirely to place those acts within the continuum of genocidal violence. Moreover, the American Christian political lobby, seeing the Yazidis and the Iraqi Christian community as common victims of ISIS, came out in vocal support. The fact that the Yazidis had been attacked by ISIS  something that is firmly within the contemplation and experience of people in Europe and North America  arguably prompted greater empathy.

Who informs the narrative

In contrast, Myanmars Rohingya community  which has endured waves of large-scale systematic violence since at least 1978  has struggled to set forth their own narrative of the genocidal violence that they suffer. Rather, this narrative is borne out of the work of predominantly international journalists and documentation bodies, including that of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, which, in its August 2018 report, found that there was a reasonable inference of genocidal intent. In September 2018, the International Criminal Court ruled that the Court could exercise limited jurisdiction over crimes against the Rohingyas  specifically those crimes where one of the elements of the crime took place in Bangladesh, to which hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas had fled or been forcibly displaced.

As the situation of the Yazidis demonstrates, international attention  even on crimes as horrific as genocide  ebbs and flows. While international involvement, including the UNs establishment of an independent evidence-gathering Mechanism for Myanmar, may keep some focus, the Rohingya community would benefit from developing more robust advocacy, allowing it to more directly inform the narrative of its own suffering. The input and networks of the diaspora-run organisations can be significant, but they must be organised, able to coordinate with each other as needed, and committed to centring survivors. As women are more likely to survive genocide, it is particularly important to support them and to ensure their voices are heard.

The Rohingyas are a Muslim minority, attacked on the basis of their religion by their own government, which is steeped in Buddhist nationalism. This fits no narrative present in the wider international community. Unlike Rwandan Tutsis or the Armenians, and much like the Yazidis, the Rohingyas do not have their own nation to advocate for them. Consequently, it is all the more important that the Rohingyas appear as more than victims in NGO reports and news articles. Sympathy doesnt sustain international pressure; empathy may.

As the international communitys attention lurches from one crisis to another, the work to ensure a sustained focus falls, eventually, on survivors and their allies. This is a reality that the Yazidis understand, and for which the Rohingyas must ready themselves.
Deputy prime minister of Crimeas government Vitaly Nakhlupin was detained for two months by the Moscow court decision for alleged bribe-taking.

Crimea's deputy prime minister, Igor Mikhailichenko, said in a statement earlier that he had informed the peninsulas head Sergei Aksyonov about the detainment.

Mikhailichenko said the details of the case cannot be disclosed as an investigation is under way, RFE/RL reported.

Aksyonov said in a statement on Facebook that Nakhlupins detention was linked to investigations against unspecified regional officials and state "structures."

Nakhlupin, 52, has served as Crimea's deputy prime minister since January 2016. He previously led the Crimean parliament's committee for economic, financial, and tax policies.
Bloomberg, citing its sources, reported that Russia has started discussions with Exxon Mobil Corp. over possible new oil and gas projects.

According to the agency, several options were prepared for Exxon, including in natural gas, refining or chemicals. Two officials said that none of options are currently subject to American sanctions.

The consultations could expand existing cooperation between the U.S. giant and Rosneft, Russian government officials said. Exxon and Rosneft declined to comment.

Exxon abandoned most of its joint ventures with Rosneft earlier this year due to a previous round of U.S. sanctions.
The victims of a gun and bomb attack at the Kerch Polytechnic College in Crimea on Wednesday will be buried in Crimea and in the southern Krasnodar region on Friday. One of the victims will be airlifted to Chelyabink, the Urals, Kerch citys deputy mayor said on Thursday, TASS reported.

"Public viewing for practically all of those killed, and maybe for all of them, will be tomorrow," said Dilyaver Melgaziyev, adding that the funerals will be held also on October 19.

Three days of mourning have been declared in Crimea as of Thursday.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has arrived in the Republic of Turkey for a working visit to attend the inauguration of Star Oil Refinery in Izmir.

At the Adnan Menderes Airport, decorated with the national flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Ilham Aliyev was met by high-ranking state and government officials of Turkey.

A guard of honor was arranged for the Azerbaijani head of state at the airport. Ilham Aliyev saluted the guard of honor.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump dont have special relations as there was no possibility for that, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"Is there any chemistry in [relations] with Trump? Are there any special relations with Trump? I dont think so. There has been no possibility so far," Peskov told the Big Game program on Russias Channel One.

The two presidents have been unable so far to "feel each other," he said, noting that during those rare moments of contacts between the Russian and US leaders the issues they discussed were not translated into real actions, which is disappointing.

According to Peskov, during his contacts with Putin, Trump showed that he seeks to discuss vital and challenging issues in various formats and via different channels. "In fact, the awful lack of this dialogue is felt now and unfortunately, this wish was not formalized and really implemented," TASS cited the spokesman as saying,

"What does this mean? Does this mean that there are "wings" with a different stance in the Washington establishment or that President [Trump] cannot fully share his stance in favor of dialogue with Russia? This is not our problem," Peskov added.
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. -- Oregonians have the opportunity to amend the state constitution on their voting ballot. Measure 103 would prohibit the state from taxing groceries. The issue, however, is more complicated than it at first appears.

Measure103 would amend the constitution to prohibit the state or any local government from taxing the sale, purchase, distribution or transfer of groceries. Groceries are defined as any raw or processed food or beverage intended for human consumption. It does not include "alcoholic beverages," "marijuana products," or "tobacco products."

Victoria Flowers and her husband Jason are farmers in Klamath Falls. Victoria works for the "Yes" on 103 campaign. They grow hay, oats, barley, and field peas on nearly 3000 acres of land. Their farm is spotted with juniper forests, with views that look at the Cascades on one side and into the Basin on the other.

Victoria has strong feelings about Measure 103. "As a farmer, you know I'm very passionate about measure 103, voting yes on measure 103," explains Victoria. "I think everybody should look at the fact that a basic necessity should not be taxed."

Her argument is bolstered by her husband. "To me, taxing groceries would be like taxing the oxygen that we need to breathe," he remarks. "And so I don't believe that's fair for anybody."

Some who oppose the measure say grocery stores will benefit the most. Jason disagrees. "They're saying that it's going to help with corporations, you know, not paying taxes. And the large grocery stores and stuff like that," he says. "And you know, from what I read, that's just not true."

Others question the need to amend the constitution. They say it goes too far. Victoria, though, says that Oregon's Constitution has been amended 240 times  so this is nothing that hasn't been done before.
Preparations for the possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton during the latters trip to Moscow are underway, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russias Channel One broadcaster.

According to him, the Russian side is waiting for Bolton to visit Moscow, the meetings are being prepared. Peskov recalled that Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev is Bolton's direct partner, so the Russian Security Council is also preparing for this dialogue.

The Kremlin spokesman noted that other meetings are also planned, including with Putins aide on external politics Yury Ushakov.

"I cannot rule out contacts in the Foreign Ministry, but we are also preparing a possible meeting with President Putin and we hope that this meeting will take place," Sputnik cited Peskov as saying.

Earlier, Ushakov said that Bolton will visit Moscow on October 22-23 to meet for talks with Patrushev, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ushakov himself. The Kremlin aide noted there had been no agreements on the US officials meeting with Putin yet.
MEDFORD, Ore. -- Country cookin' is on its way to Medford! Today, Cracker Barrel representatives welcomed the Chamber of Medford, city representatives and community members to celebrate the opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Part of the ceremony included Cracker Barrel staff presenting a check to the Rogue Valley Veterans Community Outreach.

"As part of our efforts in the community, we are proud to donate $5,000 to Rouge Valley Veterans Community Outreach to support the veterans and their families in southern Oregon," said Medford Cracker Barrel General Manager Sarah Slizoski.

Slizoski says part of Cracker Barrel's mission is to provide community outreach. It has plans to work with the Rogue Valley Airport and local hotels.

Slizoski says staff has been training for weeks to get ready for the opening and that nearly 200 jobs were created with the opening. The new space is 10 thousand square feet with memorabilia specific to Medford's agricultural roots.

Not only are they providing the historic memorabilia of Medford inside their store and telling that story to travelers down the I-5 corridor, but theyre also contributing to our community, said Medford City Council President Michael Zarosinki.

When guests walk in, they'll be met with a country goods store that feels like you're taking a step into a rustic antique shop. It's full of everything from candy, decorations, to jewelry, sweaters, accessories for man's best friend and much more.

Its a great experience. You cant get this anywhere else," said Slizoski. "Youre really treated like its a home away from home. Like youre a friend or family walking through the door."

Cracker Barrel will open its doors to patrons on Monday, October 22 at 6 a.m.
REDMOND, Ore. (AP)  A Redmond man who was awaiting trial on several sex abuse charges has removed his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet and is missing.

The Bulletin reports Friday that Michael Tallman, the former director of a Redmond charter school, was supposed to go to trial Tuesday but police found his ankle bracelet in the Bend area and believe he is planning to flee the state.

The 45-year-old Tallman changed his name from Michael Bremont last year.

He has already served prison time for sexually abusing two female students under the age of 18 at Redmond Proficiency Academy and at Central Linn High School in Halsey, where he worked as a principal until 2006.

Another academy student came forward after his release in 2014 and he was awaiting trial in that case.
GRANTS PASS, Ore.  On Thursday, the Josephine County Board of Commissioners met for their first reading of an ordinance intended to appease those who have resisted Pacific Power's transition to smart meters. By Friday, the utility company had responded  indicating that no such thing was possible.

"As a member of the local community, we always seek to earn our customers business and uphold their trust. That responsibility includes providing clear and helpful information around Josephine Countys proposed ordinance," Pacific Power said in a statement.

The utility company said that they had sent a letter directly to the County, laying out their response. Pacific Power also said that they had requested that the proposed ordinance be "removed from consideration."

"We were compelled to send this letter because the rates and regulations that govern our business are determined exclusively by the Public Utility Commission of Oregon. This ensures fairness for all of our Oregon customers. We are committed to addressing all stakeholders concerns within the framework established by the Oregon legislature and the Public Utility Commission of Oregon," Pacific Power said.

The company claims that a county ordinance cannot scrap or change Pacific Power's meter reading or exchange fees, which have been approved by the Public Utility Commission. Those fees are non-negotiable, the company says, as all Oregonians are supposed to be subject to the same rates.

"Customers who have opted out but do not pay the applicable fees would fall behind on their account and could be subject to disconnection for non-payment and additional fees to reconnect," Pacific Power said.

Smart meters have met with stiff resistance from several local groups. Notably, the community of Mt. Shasta requested a stop to smart meter installation due to public outcry. In Jackson and Josephine counties, protesters have picketed informational meetings held by Pacific Power, which the company has held to help dispel concerns over the change.

According to Pacific Power, the flames of this distress may be fanned by outside influences:

"Pacific Power has identified several out-of-state groups that are providing, and in some cases actively charging for, white papers, videos, and speaking engagements that perpetuate incorrect or misleading information. Pacific Power provides information on smart meters that can help customers navigate misinformation being promoted on websites, social media, and through word-of-mouth."

The company says that more than 70 million smart meters have already been installed at homes and businesses across the nation  half of all households in the U.S.

"Pacific Power smart meters are a key component to updating the energy grid initially built for technology from 100 years ago," the utility said. "They also help us hold down operating costs, improve customer service and reliability while maintaining the highest standards of security and customer privacy."
By GORDON FRIEDMAN , The Oregonian/OregonLive

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  How severely brain cancer is affecting Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson remains unclear, as a curtailment of his public schedule and delegation of some duties to a deputy raise questions about his future in the state's second-highest office.

Richardson, 69, was elected secretary of state in 2016 and is the only Republican holding statewide office in Oregon. He disclosed his cancer diagnosis in June and said he has been aware of the brain tumor since May.

Richardson and his aides have declined to give specifics about his diagnosis or treatment regimen. Asked for details Wednesday, Deb Royal, his chief of staff, said only, "It's as serious as brain cancer is."

Since Richardson revealed his diagnosis, his office has continued its usual work of releasing audit reports, registering corporations and preparing for the Nov. 6 election.

Richardson has continued posting occasional videos to his official Facebook page, such as ones in which he encourages residents to vote or asks fifth-graders to apply for his Kid Governor program. The latter was posted just this week.

Yet there have been signs that the cancer or the treatment of it may be taking a toll.

Richardson's physical appearance has changed as a side effect, giving the normally trim statesman a puffy face and eyes. In September, he attended the national conference of ombudsmen, but Deputy Secretary of State Leslie Cummings gave his scheduled opening remarks.

And a senior state official who recently had a meeting with Richardson described his cognitive abilities as "severely diminished." The official said it is unclear if that is due to cancer treatments or the disease itself. "He was such an energetic person," the official said. "It just makes the contrast stronger."

Richardson, who as secretary of state is second in line to the governorship, has declared he does not intend to resign. Royal signaled Wednesday that he hopes to be re-elected in 2020.

But Richardson has delegated away one key duty, even if temporarily. This week he informed Brown and Reed that Cummings will sit in his place with them on the State Land Board, after he struggled to communicate at the board's previous meeting. Royal said that struggle was because cancer treatments have rendered Richardson exhausted.

"These treatments, they knock your socks off sometimes," Royal said.

Cummings, the deputy, is already charged with overseeing day-to-day operations of Richardson's agency. Cummings was previously a state technology manager, and briefly embroiled in a controversy involving an expensive IT project, before being named deputy secretary of state by Richardson.

If Richardson were to leave office, Brown would appoint an interim secretary of state. She has already done that once, when she appointed longtime Democratic legislative aide Jeanne Atkins in 2015 after she became governor upon John Kitzhaber's resignation.

Royal said Richardson's aides have not discussed his leaving office and remain positive.

"We're planning for him to pull through this," she said.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 19)  Following Boracay's six-month closure for rehabilitation, the Department of Tourism issued a warning to other major destinations that they could be the next target.

Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat on Friday revealed she had sent "love letters" to at least five major destinations: El Nido in Palawan, Panglao in Bohol, Oslob in Cebu, La Union, and Baguio City.

Puyat said the letters should serve as a gentle reminder to local government units and business establishments to strictly follow environmental laws.

Most of the warnings have to do with the failure to comply with the easement space for beachfront shorelines, Puyat said.

"Without us telling them, they're following the easement. So that's nice to know that a lot of them have already (done it) on their own voluntarily," Puyat told foreign correspondents in a forum.

Some establishments within the 30-meter shoreline easement were demolished on Boracay during the island's closure.

The world-famous tourist destination reopens on October 26 after a six-month clean-up and rehabilitation ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Puyat said other tourist destinations should comply with laws to avoid any shutdown.

"Actually, wherever I go, they always ask me, who's next? And I always say, why wait?" Puyat said.

CNN Philippines' David Santos contributed to this report.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said that the global economic situation has become worse now than it was in 2008, when the financial crisis jolted the world.

"Ten years ago we were much wiser and were ready to withstand the negative consequences of the economic crisis together," Medevedev said, speaking at plenary session of the ASEM summit in Brussels.

When speaking about the worsening of the situation since 2008, the Russian Prime Minister said that the joint global debt had grown several times. He also noted vulnerability of the emerging markets and overall toughening of state monetary policies.

He also pointed at real signs of trade wars in the world. "What is most important that protectionist sentiments have materialized. There are heads of the states at this table, who fully experienced the signs of trade wars. That is the saddest of what is going on now," TASS cited the PM as saying.

"Economic sanctions encroached on the context of international economic cooperation, became a common instrument of political pressure and unfair competition. This is dangerous. Rather than cooperating we are actually weakening our relations," he said.

The PM called the current state of economic relations between Russia and the EU "time of missed opportunities." "The past years have been a time of missed opportunities for economic ties between Russia and the EU," Medevedev said, adding that in recent years Russia has managed to do much more in the eastern direction.

According to him, Russian and European businesses have always been closely linked and stressed that Russia and the EU are long-term partners in such areas as energy, trade, industries, space, and security.

Medvedev noted that Russia has proposed some improvement ideas to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and hopes they will be accepted.

The advisor on macroeconomics to the CEO of the 'Opening-Broker' brokerage house, economist Sergey Hestanov, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza, noted that the state of the world economy may not be as bad as it seems because of the outbreak of trade wars. "Although the growth of the world economy is accompanied by certain problems, the overall situation is not that bad. Trade wars have not yet caused significant problems due to the inertia in large deliveries of goods. Goods at high prices have not yet reached consumers, therefore, the main indicators have not felt any negative. So we are rather talking about expectations from the future," he said.

As for debt, a high debt load in developing countries often served as a trigger for a crisis, like in Russia in 1998, but developing countries are not a big part of the economy. In developed countries, the situation with debt is quite normal. The debt load of the U.S. is 105%, Germany - 160%, Japan - 260%, Luxembourg - about 330%. And it doesnt bother anyone. This is a significant difference between developing countries," Sergey Hestanov noted.

Another thing is that there is a certain consensus, that another cyclical crisis is on the way, which will affect everyone in one way or another. At the same time, the aggregate world debt may be a reason, but not the true cause of the crisis, the advisor on macroeconomics to the CEO of the 'Opening-Broker' brokerage house concluded.
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To paraphrase Bill Gates: The purpose of humanity is not just to sit behind a counter and do things. More free time is not a terrible thing.

I have innovated. I developed a mutation assay. I discovered that vacuum ultraviolet light from excimer lasers is safe to use on human tissue. I invented an imaging device to detect burn wound depth and discovered the best laser to debride burn wounds. I invented a laser-based treatment for acne. I developed and patented an online gamified collective intelligence solution to identify dermatology images. I have participated and published as a clinician in numerous population health studies. Ive got a few more things that I want to build and do based on my four years of medical school education, eight years of post-medical school residency and fellowship training in internal medicine, dermatology and cutaneous surgical oncology and two decades of clinical practice. Ideas for innovation arise from experience as a clinician-physician. We physician-clinicians care for patients, use all our senses, and our minds to recognize problems and apply solutions to improve the value (outcomes/costs) of preventive, medical, surgical or palliative outcomes. One needs to spend only a few hours in the basement stacks of Harvards Countway Medical Library to recognize the speed of physician-clinician led medical innovation which has in many ways dwarfed Moores Law.

For physician-clinician innovation to occur, doctors need extra-hours to work on innovative projects. Clinician-physicians working alone or with others often sacrifice family and friends to accomplish meaningful innovation, but the pay-off intrinsically for the physician and extrinsically for society and patients has been worth it. Impediments to physician-clinician led innovation has devolved during the last five years that are robbing continued progress against diseases and optimized preventive, medical, surgical and palliative care outcomes. The gift of giving clinicians time to gaze, dream and work together to apply the art and sciences of medicine towards the advancement of health care innovation has been stolen by electronic health records (EHR) and insurance company prior authorization (PA) rationing industries.

When EHRs were first introduced, health information technology seemed like a sound idea. Patient personal medical health information, labs, photos as well as physicians assessments and plans would be inputted into interoperable EHRs by physicians around the nation. The EHR in return would tabulate and reveal individual and aggregated data from interoperable EHRs according to all medical chart variables resulting in optimized preventive, medical, surgical and palliative outcomes and costs as well as improved clinical safety for patients and clinical efficiency for their physicians. We now know, despite federal law forcing American physicians to lease EHRs plus an additional $35 billion in taxpayer subsidies poured into the EHR industry  none of the assumed clinical advantages of EHRs have reached fruition. Blockchain or FHIR type decentralized interoperable encoded population health benefiting patients and physicians isnt happening because optimizing data value equals outcomes/cost solutions are proprietary to industry and may diminish the earnings of the health insurance, pharmaceutical, medical malpractice, hospital, and EHR industries.

Another major unintended consequence of the government forcing physicians to use EHRs has been the shift of physician-clinician work, financial resources and time away from direct patient care and innovation into manual data entry. A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine revealed that for every hour a physician spends in direct patient care the physician must perform two hours of EHR data entry. A similar study by the AMA reveal that the physicians EHR data entry tasks often follow the physician home into the late evening hours (pajama time) leaving little time for extra-clinical activities such as family, friends and continuing medical education or innovation. Yet, not one EHR company in America will be transparent and reveal its physician time-motion EHR use data to refute the damning published research. Most patient personal health information, lab data and images entered by physicians (who pay the EHR companies for the privilege of entering data) are sold by the EHR companies to ancillary health care companies but not tabulated, aggregated and returned to physicians or patients to improve outcomes/costs.

With little or no extra time for extracurricular activities beyond their practices and inputting data for sale by the EHR companies, there can be little physician-clinician innovation on any kind of translatable scale.

In addition to the EHR industry, another time drain has devolved to interfere with the ability of the physician-clinicians to innovate. Until recently, physicians would use their clinical intelligence based on years of training, continuing medical education and clinical experience to optimize preventive, medical, surgical and palliative outcomes and costs for their patients and their families. Physicians perform histories and physical examinations often resulting in prescriptions for medications, diagnostic orders, specialist referrals or recommended treatments to optimize prevention, medical, surgical and palliative outcomes for patients and their families. This science of the physician-patient interaction combined with the art of empathy is the essence of what doctors do.

Today, most private health insurance corporations ration and interfere with physicians diagnostics and treatment decisions via a health insurance industry solution termed, prior authorization (PA) to enhance insurance company profits. Prior authorization forces millions of patients and their physicians daily to spend hours daily manually completing multiple pages of paper or internet forms for re-submission to a non-physician insurance industry bureaucrat who  after days, weeks or months of delay  decides if the physicians recommended diagnostics or treatments for his or her patient will be reimbursed or allowed by the health insurance company.

Most often, health insurance corporate PA decisions against the patients and against medical advice are not made by a board-certified physician who performs a history or physical exam or discussion with the targeted patient. There is not a patient or physician in America with private health insurance who hasnt experienced the demeaning and potentially dangerous task of manual PA health care rationing of medications, diagnostics or treatments. Whats good for the patient based on the physicians assessment may be harmful to the earnings of the insurance or pharmaceutical benefits company, and thus PA rationing was spawned.

Spending tens of hours each week on the clinically valueless and inefficient tasks of data entry into EHRs and attempting to override insurance company prior authorization rationing leaves no time for the physician-clinician to innovate or iterate advances in medicine. The future of health care and the value equals outcomes/costs of health care in America will continue to be damaged by the EHR and health insurance industries by inhibiting clinicians-physicians from participating in medical innovation and clinical translation in America.

Howard Green is an internal medicine physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Armenias Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that he will not speak only about the mayoral elections at the rally to be held in Kapan this evening.

"I intend to speak about all the national matters accumulated during this period," the acting PM wrote on Facebook, adding that here will be an open, full and detailed conversation.

"My speech tonight will be addressed not solely to Kapan, not solely to Syunik, but also to all cities and villages of Armenia. So if you will not come to Kapan, I wait for you at 18:00, on the livestream of this Facebook page of mine," News.am cited Pashinyan as saying.
EUGENE, Ore. -- In the 70s when one Eugene man with ties to KEZI 9 News left for Israel to make a change for himself, he ended up caught in the middle of a war. Decades later, his collection of photographs has been accepted into the National Library of Israel.

Nathan Fendrich initially went to Israel in 1973 to work as a junior archeologist, and he received a KEZI press pass from his friend to gain access to different places in country.

Five days after he arrived, the Yom Kippur War broke out on one of Israels holiest days. Fendrich wanted to be a part of the war, no matter what role he played.

He managed to get himself to the front lines, which was not common for journalists in those days. He said he wanted to be involved in the war because he felt for the first time in his life that he was a part of something.

When he returned to Eugene after the war ended, he said the pictures were headed for the garbage can.

I pulled them out in 45 years maybe 15 times --12 or 15 times -- thats all. I mean, whos really interested? There was nobody interested," Fendrich said.

That all changed when he met Avi Naiman, who produced a documentary about the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War. Once Naiman saw Fendrichs pictures he knew they must be shared.

Then, Avi got in contact with someone he knows who works at the National Library of Israel, and they immediately wanted the collection.

The library said Fendrich's perspective -- a foreigner trapped in the war -- was different from anything they had seen, and it intrigued them.

Historians and researchers are now going to use his collection to try and fill in pieces that are missing about what happened in the Yom Kippur War. They also will now be able to identify the soldiers in the pictures.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- Emergency responders are constantly preparing for the unexpected, and on Thursday several agencies were on the McKenzie River putting their skills to the test in an oil spill training.

Since 2005, EWEB has organized an annual training to help first responders develop skills they need to effectively and efficiently deal with hazardous material spilling into rivers.

Organizers said Thursdays hypothetical scenario involved a fuel tanker crashing near Hendricks Bridge, releasing an estimated five-thousand gallons of diesel into the McKenzie River.

First responders who participated in the Spill Drill then set up fast-water containment booms, deployed fuel recovery equipment and performed other tasks to minimize the spread of the diesel.

Back in March crews had to use these skills in a real situation, involving an oil spill from International Paper that affected parts of the McKenzie River.

RELATED: McKenzie River reopens following oil spill

Since that encounter, they have modified the tactics they use when trying to handle a spill.

"By the time we heard about the International Paper spill, the majority of it was already downstream, said Kart Morgenstern, Water Quality Supervisor with EWEB. And so we were just setting up a system in case additional burps came out of the pipe. Then we learned our initial strategies upstream of here wasn't as effective as it could have been. So then from that spill, we learned we should go downstream a little bit, which seems like a better spot to collect oil."

Thursdays training included a handful of local agencies: Lane County Sheriff's Office, Springfield Utility Board, and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - The owner of a former marijuana testing lab in Oregon has filed a defamation lawsuit against anonymous activists after an anti-fascist website exposed her ties to local white nationalists.

READ MORE: Eugene cannabis company CEO resigns after neo-Nazi claims

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports court documents filed in San Francisco Superior Court show Bethany Sherman claims her Eugene business, OG Analytics, was ruined and she was forced to leave Oregon after Eugene Antifa publicized her writings in an online message board and social media posts "out of context."

Neither Sherman nor her attorney, William Johnson, a self-described white nationalist who chairs the far-right American Freedom Party, responded to a request for comment.

RELATED: Eugene pot dispensary mistaken for other business after neo-Nazi claims

Records show Sherman also has subpoenaed the company, Weebly, that hosted the Eugene Antifa website, a move lawyers for the unnamed defendants say is an attempt to identify their clients.

The suit doesn't seek a specified sum in damages.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. -- The residents impacted by Wednesday mornings fire on Oakdale Avenue in Springfield are asking the public for help.

Nathan Hopkins and Seth Fallenstein have set up GoFundMe pages to help them recover after the houses they were renting burned down. Hopkins and Fallenstein said they dont have insurance.

RELATED: UPDATE: Police identify subject in early morning shooting, fire

Hopkins, an Iraq war veteran, said he and a roommate lived right next to where the fire broke out. The home was destroyed, and Hopkins said nothing was salvageable.

Hopkins said he is staying at a friends house and plans to find a new place.

"Everyone has been super supportive and super helpful, so I feel -- really loved is honestly how I feel," Hopkins said. "As much as I don't have all my things, I have all my people."

To donate to Hopkins GoFundMe, click here.

MORE: Neighbor reflects on Oakdale chaos during Neighborhood Watch meeting

Fallenstein said he lived with a roommate who owned the house next door to Hopkins. That home was badly damaged and is unlivable.

Fallenstein said he salvaged some items Friday, but most of his things were destroyed. He said hes sleeping in a hotel right now but plans to move into an apartment.

"I got my health, a place to stay, a job and food, so I got to start from zero, but I'll make it through from here," Fallenstien said.

To donate to Fallensteins GoFundMe, click here.

KEZI 9 News also spoke to another neighbor who lost their home in the fire. While we have not heard about any GoFundMe campaign for them, they tell us their church congregation is helping them.
An inauguration ceremony of the Star Oil Refinery has been held in the city of Izmir, Turkey.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the ceremony, Trend reports.

The Azerbaijani and Turkish presidents first viewed the refinerys area from the terrace.

The heads of state viewed the management office.

The presidents were informed of the work carried out at the Star Oil Refinery.

They then posed for photographs.
Kilcumney Players will stage the Goresbridge One-Act Drama Festival 2018 in Ionad Dara, Goresbridge on Friday, October 26, Saturday, October 27 and Sunday, October 28.

This is a Drama League of Ireland festival, one of 24 that are held across the 32 counties of Ireland over five weekends from late October to the end of November 2018.

Over three nights, nine visiting groups will participate, with three on each night with the winners competing in the All Ireland finals in early December in Kilmuckridge, Co. Wexford.

The festival kicks off on Friday, October 26 at 8pm with Conna Drama Group and The Problem, a comedy by AR Gurney. The second production on Friday is Camross Drama Group with Lucy In The Sky by Tony Layton. , Model Box Productions from Co. Wicklow will perform A Frank Exchange by Nicholas Marsh, a drama set in Nazi occupied Amsterdam in 1944.

On the Saturday, there is a 7pm start with New Ross Drama Workshops production of Specter , a thought provoking retelling of an old ghost story by American playwright Don Nigro.

Appearing in Goresbridge for the first time are Palace Players from Kilworth/Fermoy, Co. Cork, with Where Is This Malabar, written by Liam Howard.

Malabar is set in 2004 and explores the plight of rural people in isolated farming communities in Ireland with great insight. Friday nights programme will finish with Bridge Drama, Castlebridge (Co. Wexford) who will perform After The Picnic by David Foxton, a play that questions what happened after the ending of the film Picnic at Hanging Rock.

On Sunday at 7pm, Moat Club from Naas will perform Whats Left Of The Flag, a play by Jimmy Murphy.

Competing in Goresbridge for the first time are The Venue Players from Rathoath, Co. Meath who will present Keeping Abreast by one of their members Eileen Kavanagh. To conclude, Blue Hat Productions from Whitechurch, Co. Cork will present Wandas Visit an American comedy by Christopher Durang.

Red Mills is again the main sponsor.

The festival receives great support particularly from the sponsors without whose generosity the festival simply would not be possible.

Donohoes Horse Sales and Goresbridge Credit Union have been festival sponsors since its outset.

Tickets for each of the nights cost 10 for adults, 8 for concessions and 5 for children. Tickets will be available at the door.
On a glorious autumn day, over 100 female entrepreneurs came together for a networking event in Mount Juliet Estate, Thomastown to celebrate National Womens Enterprise Day.

Organised by the Local Enterprise Offices in Carlow and Kilkenny, it was one of sixteen events organised around the country with over 1,200 entrepreneurs participating.

From local to global was the theme for National Womens Enterprise Day (NWED), and this years female ambassador for the region Catherine Roycroft Chief Operations Officer with Cartoon Saloon outlined how this is achievable.

She explained how the award winning animation company started from humble beginnings in 1999 to become an international acclaimed 3 times Oscar nominated studio. She stressed the importance of networking for success Attend every networking event going. Pitch to everyone at every opportunity.

Networking was the key element at this event as the attendees participated in break out activities that involved unlocking challenges and team participation. Fiona Deegan, Head of Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office Kilkenny said: Studies show that networking provides positive support for female entrepreneurs. Events such as the National Womens Enterprise Day offer female entrepreneurs the opportunity to showcase their successes and it provides an opportunity to share viewpoints and find out more about the supports of offer.

Special guests include Dr. Sinead Kane, acclaimed double Guinness world record holder, visually impaired athlete, & qualified lawyer and also actress/comedian and TV presenter Deirdre OKane. Sinead had an inspirational story to tell and her focus on her abilities rather than disabilities has helped her to achieve much success. The MC for the afternoon session Eimear OBhraonain, KCLR96Fm hosted an interview with the talented actress/comedian Deirdre OKane who outlined a number of opportunities and challenges she faced along her career path to date. Other guest speakers included the Chief Executives of both Carlow County Council, Kathleen Holohan and Kilkenny County Council, Colette Byrne.

National Womens Enterprise Day is an annual initiative of the Local Enterprise Offices for in its 12th year and is supported by Enterprise Ireland and the Local Authorities Network. Further information on the supports available to small businesses and start-ups is available through www.localenterprise.ie.
The latest on the Bridge House is that it is subject to the National Monuments legislative framework and the National Monuments Service, at their discretion, may see fit to issue notices in respect of the rehabilitation and conservation of the property.

Meanwhile, business is back to normal on John Street and surrounds following the fire at the Bridge House on Wednesday morning of last week.

Attempts to salvage part of the building and stabilise it were affected by Storm Callum on Friday morning and a Status Yellow Weather alert because of fears over a crane on site and wind speeds.

There was also serious concern over the exposed chimneys on the property but luckily the city missed the worst of the gales and the workers were able to secure the exposed building fabric.

Despite the weather, teams worked all through Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to bring it under control, check for damage and finally cleanup.

Loose slates were a particular problem and it is amazing that the walls of such an old building, dating back to the middle of the 19th century remained intact after the inferno on Wednesday.

Hoarding has been placed all around the site to ensure no one can get in following the events of Tuesday night and early Wednesday which culminated in a member of the public ringing 999 after seeing smoke coming from the building and after a member of the gardai had to rescue two people from the building after it went on fire.

Senior City Engineer, Simon Walton was quick to thank the local community; John Street traders and in particular, the residents, for their patience and perseverance.
Goresbridge One-Act Drama Festival 2018 will take place in Ionad Dara, Goresbridge on Friday 26th, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th October.



This is a Drama League of Ireland Festival.



The adjudicator this year is Ailbhe Garvey-Hughes, ADA from Co. Galway. Altogether 9 visiting will participate in Goresbridge One Act Festival-3 on each night.



The winners will then have the opportunity to compete in the All Ireland finals in early December in Kilmuckridge, Co. Wexford.



Goresbridge Drama Festival kicks off on Friday 261h October starting at 8:00pm.

First up will be Conna Drama Group (Co. Cork) with THE PROBLEM, a quirky comedy by AR Gurney.



The second production on Friday night is Camross Drama Group with LUCY IN THE SKY by Tony Layton that is set in a homeless shelter.



Finally, come first time visitors to Goresbridge, Model Box Productions from Co. Wicklow who will perform A FRANK EXCHANGE by Nicholas Marsh, a drama set in Nazi occupied Amsterdam in 1944.



Saturday 27th Octobers offerings start at 7:00pm with New Ross Drama Workshops production of SPECTER, a thought provoking retelling of an old ghost story by American playwright Don Nigro.

Then come Palace Players from Co. Cork, the 2017 All Ireland Winners with WHERE IS THIS MALABAR, written by the groups founder Liam Howard. Malabar is set in 2004 and explores the lives of isolated farming communities in Ireland with great insight.



Friday nights programme will finish with Bridge Drama, Castlebridge(Co. Wexford) who will perform AFTER THE PICNIC by David Foxton, a play that questions what happened after the ending of the film Picnic at Hanging Rock.



Saturday 28th October will begin at 7pm with last years winners of the Open Section-Moat Club from Naas who will perform WHATS LEFT OF THE FLAG, a play by Dublin playwright Jimmy Murphy.

Then The Venue Players from Rathoath, Co. Meath will present KEEPING ABREAST by one of their members Eileen Kavanagh. To conclude, Blue Hat Productions from Whitechurch, Co. Cork will present WANDAS VISIT, an American comedy by Christopher Durang.



Red Mills is once again the Main Sponsor of Goresbridge One-Act Drama Festival 2018.

This festival receives great support in the area particularly from the sponsors without whose generosity the festival simply would not be possible. Donohoes Horse Sales and Goresbridge Credit Union have been festival sponsors since its outset. Goresbridge Drama Festival Committee is most grateful to all its sponsors over the past nine years and to the Friends of the Festival for their ongoing support.



The Friends of the Festival list is now open. To become a festival friend, the cost is 30 for which you receive a season ticket (all three nights) for two people and your name will be included in the list of friends in the festival programme.



If you would like to be a friend of the festival, please contact 0872459949.

Tickets for each of the nights cost 10 for adults, 8 for concessions and 5 for children. Tickets will be available at the door each night. Kilcumney Players are really looking forward to hosting the festival and to seeing the wide range of plays on offer this year.



This is a great opportunity to see the best of amateur drama in Ireland across drama, comedy and mystery.
The Central Bank has not yet received an invitation to join the European counterpart of SWIFT, Chairperson of the Bank of Russia Elvira Nabiullina said on Friday on the air with Rossiya 24 TV Channel, TASS reports.

"We believe such concept [of counterpart of SWIFT payment system - TASS] is feasible. As far as the European [initiative] is concerned, this is their project. We have not yet received invitations to participate in it but if they are suddenly received, we will certainly consider them," Nabiullina said.

Russia has already implemented the initiative of creating a payment system being an alternative to SWIFT and a technical opportunity has been prepared to connect foreign counterparties, she said.

"We have a complete analog of SWIFT and this is not a merely theoretical model or some tests - this is a functioning model. We have now more than 10% of all financial messages passing through the system. Banks are connected to it; corporations and treasuries have an opportunity to connect. Solutions are ready in technical terms, if foreign participants want to connect," Nabiullina noted.
This Friday, October 19, Irelands leading bridge historian Rob Goodbody will give an insight into the stone bridges of Kilkenny.

There are two fascinating bridges in the vicinity; one in Kells itself and one in Ennisnag which is potentially the oldest bridge in Ireland.



Robs recent publication Bridges of Ireland includes both bridges and Rob will outline why he thinks Kells bridge is actually far older than previously thought.

The final lecture for 2018 promises to be something quite special. Historian and author Dr Breda Lynch who works for the OPW gives a lecture entitled Kells Priory - A Monastic Experience.



Breda will tell attendees what it was like to live in Kells Priory itself and what attracted people to a spiritual monastic life within a Priory. Kells Priory was founded by the Canons Regular of St Augustine in 1193 at the request of Norman Lord Geoffrey Fitz Roberts.



Four monks left a Priory in Cornwall and travelled to Kells to found what was later to became Irelands largest monastic enclosure.

Author Eoin Swithin Walsh, who recently published a top selling book Kilkenny in Times of Revolution gave a talk in the the village heritage centre, last Friday night.



His main focus in particular was on a local patriot from Dunnamaggin, Captain Pat Walsh who died from his wounds which were inflicted during an encounter with crown forces at Knocknagress in 1921.
Managing retirement money often includes managing health care costs. If youre on Medicare, we suggest you take a look at those costs: from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7 you can enroll* or make changes to your plans.

Its important to be aware of the time limitation so that you dont miss your opportunity and have to wait until next year to make any changes. Its also important to consider your plans carefully. This Medicare open enrollment checklist can help you to do just that.

1. Review your plan notices.

Read all notices from your Medicare plan about changes for next year, especially the annual notice of change letter. At a minimum, we suggest you make sure your current or anticipated prescription drugs are covered, and your current or anticipated doctors are still in the network. Don't take for granted that they are. Otherwise you could be in a position of having to pay these bills out of pocket.

2. Think about what matters most to you right now.

Medicare health and drug plans change each year, and so can your health needs. Do you need a primary care doctor? Does your network include the specialist you want for an upcoming surgery? Does your current plan cover your medications? Does another plan offer the same value at lower costs? We suggest you consider these and similar needs in detail before making decisions.

3. Find out if you qualify for help paying for Medicare.

Medicare Parts A and B have deductibles, coinsurance, co-payments and Medicare prescription drug coverage costs. Luckily, there are some government programs that can assist with costs. You can go to medicare.gov to learn if you qualify for help with Medicare or to find information about your State Health Insurance Assistance Program.

4. Shop for plans that meet your needs and fit your budget.

Medicare.gov has a useful tool called the Medicare Plan Finder that lists plans offered in your area. You can use it to help compare plans.

5. Check your plan's rating before you enroll.

The Medicare Plan Finder also lists star ratings for Medicare health and prescription drug plans. You can use these ratings to help compare the quality of any health care drug plans that you are considering.

A few more things to know: If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, you can switch back to original Medicare if that better suits your needs. You can also decide to do nothing if you believe your current coverage is still the best choice, but remember to consider any changes to your plan. Most of all, make sure to review your plan in order to help make the best choice for your health, and your money.

*If youre not on Medicare yet and plan to enroll soon, theres a seven-month Initial Enrollment Period that begins three months before the month you turn 65, includes the month of your 65th birthday, and ends three months after the month you turn 65.
(Adds comment from Chinese commerce ministry)

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Nerijus Adomaitis

WASHINGTON/OSLO, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The United States is requesting that a World Trade Organization dispute resolution panel get involved in a clash over international retaliation over U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

The requests, filed on Thursday, cover tariffs by China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico, which followed the United States imposing a 25 percent duty on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminium imports, which it justified on national security grounds.

Canada, Mexico and China had also planned to ask for a WTO panel examining those tariffs, according to another government official familiar with the matter. Earlier on Thursday, Norway said that it, the EU and other countries would seek the WTO dispute group's help. China has filed a request with the WTO to establish an expert group to determine the legality of the tariffs, its commerce ministry said late on Thursday. In a statement posted on its website, the ministry said the U.S. decision to adjust the tariffs was an act of protectionism that seriously undermined multinational trade rules.

It said consultations with the United States under the WTO dispute settlement mechanism had failed to resolve China's concerns, prompting it to ask for the expert group to be established.

Officials representing the other countries' trade delegations could not immediately be reached after normal business hours. The WTO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The dispute marks a new dimension to the ongoing skirmish between the United States and a number of its trading partners as well as the WTO itself, where it has blocked appointments of new judges. The WTO is presiding over a record number of disputes, many of them triggered by Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminium and his trade war with China. Norway earlier said initial consultations with the United States had not led to an agreeable solution, and therefore the Nordic country had joined others in asking the WTO to set up the panel to obtain an independent assessment of the matter.

"We believe that additional U.S. duty on steel and aluminium is contrary to WTO rules," Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement.

"Therefore, together with the EU and several others, we asked today the WTO to establish a dispute resolution panel on the U.S. additional duty," she said.

In Brussels, meanwhile, the EU, Norway and Switzerland sought Asian support for free trade, the Iran nuclear deal and fighting global warming at a regional summit that included China, Japan and Russia as a counterbalance to a more protectionist United States. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC on Wednesday that trade negotiations with China appear to have taken a brief pause, and he tamped down expectations that the countries would make substantial progress toward an agreement at an upcoming G20 meeting. Despite striking a deal with Washington to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexico and Canada remain subject to the metals tariffs. On Tuesday, EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom held talks with Ross in Brussels on improving trade relations, though Washington accused the bloc of moving too slowly in negotiations. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Washington and Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo

Additional reporting by David Stanway in SHANGHAI Editing by Mark Heinrich and Tomasz Janowski)
(Kitco News) - Gold prices are modestly up in early U.S. trading Friday, supported on some safe-haven buying interest in a nervous trading environment heading into the weekend. December gold futures were last up $1.80 an ounce at $1,231.90. December Comex silver was last up $0.121 at $14.725 an ounce.

Dont be surprised if trader and investor anxiety upticks as the trading session progresses Friday, heading into a very uncertain weekend. This is mainly due to pending results of an investigation into the disappearance of a Saudi journalist that could be a murder and could involve the Saudi Arabian government. The markets were jolted on Thursday when U.S. Secretary Mnuchin backed out of a high-level business conference being held in Saudi Arabia.

Also, the Euro currency has been rattled again this week by recurring trader concerns regarding Italy falling into line with European Union rules on countrys budgets. There is talk major credit rating agencies could downgrade Italys credit rating.

Global stock markets were mostly firmer overnight. Chinas stock market rallied after the Chinese government pledged to keep its economy on track and expressed confidence in future growth. This comes after the Chinese stock market dropped to a multi-year low Thursday and the Chinese yuan dropped to a 21-month low against the U.S. dollar. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward firmer openings when the New York day session begins, on modest corrective bounces after solid losses suffered on Thursday.

In overnight news, Chinas gross domestic product grew by 6.5% in the third quarter, year-on-year. That was down from the 6.7% growth rate in the second quarter. A rate of 6.6% was expected for the third quarter. The third-quarter figure was the slowest economic growth pace for China in several years.

The key outside markets today find the U.S. dollar index slightly higher. Meantime, November Nymex crude oil prices are modestly up and are trading below $69.00 a barrel. Still, oil prices hit a four-week low on Thursday amid concerns about worldwide economic growth that could crimp demand for crude.

U.S. economic data due for release Friday is light and includes existing home sales.

Technically, gold bulls have the near-term technical advantage. This weeks pause is not bearish. Bulls next upside price objective is to produce a close in December futures above solid resistance at $1,250.00. Bears' next near-term downside price breakout objective is pushing prices below solid technical support at $1,200.00. First resistance is seen at this weeks high of $1,236.90 and then at $1,240.00. First support is seen at this weeks low of $1,220.40 and then at $1,215.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0

December silver futures bears still have the overall near-term technical advantage. Silver bulls' next upside price breakout objective is closing prices above solid technical resistance at $15.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the September low of $13.965. First resistance is seen at this weeks high of $14.88 and then at the October high of $14.95. Next support is seen at the overnight low of $14.58 and then at this weeks low of $14.47. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 3.0.
Phil Flynn, senior market analyst with at Price Futures Group, looks for gold to build on its recent gains over the next week. Geopolitical turmoil and shaky global stock markets will keep gold shiny, he says. The murder mystery in Saudi Arabia, as well as EU [European Union] concerns over Italys budget, will keep gold buying strong. By murder mystery, Flynn was referring to growing tensions between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia after news reports that journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after going into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. As of 8:41 a.m. EDT, Comex December gold was $3 higher to $1,233.10 an ounce.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Commerzbank: Gold Finding Support From Increased Risk Aversion





Gold has drawn support as investors shy away from so-called risk assets, with the metal showing signs of maintaining a break above the 100-day moving average, which in turn could prompt more buying, says Commerzbank. If it succeeds, technical follow-up buying should push the gold price further up, the bank says. At the same time, gold is resisting the firm U.S. dollar. It is finding support from increased risk aversion among market participants, as reflected in falling stock markets, and from additional ETF [exchange-traded-fund] inflows. As of an early-morning research note, gold in euro terms was trading at a three-month high near 1,070 per troy ounce. The conflict between Italy and the EU [European Union] over the Italian draft budget for 2019 is escalating, Commerzbank says. The question is already being raised of how sustainable Italian debts are, especially if yields continue to climb. The yield spread between 10-year Italian and German government bonds surged to nearly 330 basis points yesterday. Concerns that the euro-zone crisis could flare up again should support demand for gold as a safe haven.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

SP Angel: Gold Headed For Third Straight Up Week

Gold is heading for a third straight week of gains, which would be the longest since January, amid renewed interest in the precious metal as a safe haven, says commodities brokerage SP Angel. Volatility in equity markets and tensions in the Middle East have spurred demand for bullion, with holdings in exchange-traded funds backed by the metal expanding to the highest level in more six weeks, SP Angel continues. Concerns about the economy were further fueled by a JP Morgan Chase model indicating that the chance of the U.S. tipping into a recession in the next two years is now greater than 60%. SP Angel cites Bloomberg data showing that exchange-traded-fund holdings of gold rose to 2,113.5 tonnes on Thursday, the highest since Sept. 3. As of 8:37 a.m. EDT, spot gold was $3.50 higher to $1,229.30 an ounce.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Commerzbank: Swiss Gold Exports To India Decline

Swiss gold exports to India declined sharply last month, with demand apparently hurt by high gold prices in lndian rupees, says Commerzbank. Analysts cite Swiss customs data showing that the country exported only 16.5 tonnes of gold to India in September, which was nearly 60% less than in August. The sharp rise in the gold price in Indian rupees is likely to have played its part in this, Commerzbank says. It has been picking up ever since mid-August as the currency has depreciated, and recently reached its highest level in over two years. The All India Gems & Jewelry Trade Federation therefore envisages very weak gold demand around this years Hindu festivals of Dhanteras and Diwali, which will be taking place in early November.
* China quarterly GDP data slowest since financial crisis* Zinc stocks on SfHE jump 23 percent over the last week* 2018 asset returns: (Adds closing prices) By Zandi Shabalala LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Copper rose on Friday and nickel prices rebounded from a one-month low after regulators in China pledged support for firms with liquidity issues brought on by months of slowing growth. Both metals ended the week down, however, under pressure from a firmer dollar and the negative effects of a lingering trade dispute between the United States and China. "Whatever words of support the Chinese officials are providing to non-state banks or struggling firms should also help support for other cyclical assets including base metals," ETF Securities commodity strategist Nitesh Shah said.

"This would reduce the threat of demand falling away in the Chinese economy," he said.

China is the world's top consumer of metals. The benchmark copper contract on the London Metal Exchange (LME) closed 1 percent higher at $6,220 per tonne, but still ended the week more than 1 percent lower.

LME nickel ended 0.8 percent higher at $12,445 after slumping to its lowest since Sept. 18 on Thursday.

CHINA STEEL: Production cuts ordered for this winter by China's top steelmaking city Tangshan look less restrictive than last year, analysts said, potentially keeping output high even as the city seeks to fight pollution by cutting smokestack smog. CHINA ECONOMY: China's economic growth in the third quarter slowed to its weakest pace since the global financial crisis, and missed expectations, as a years-long campaign to tackle debt risks and the trade war with the United States began to bite. "Beijing has announced a number of stimulus measures to offset the impact of trade tensions with the U.S., however this could take some time to feed through," ING said in a note.

TARIFFS: Disputes over U.S. tariffs and retaliatory moves by other countries have sparked 12 requests for adjudication at the World Trade Organization, signalling an escalation in global trade tensions. ALUMINIUM OUTPUT: China's primary aluminium production fell for a second straight month in September, sliding to its lowest level since May as weaker aluminium prices and higher input costs led smelters to cut back output. STOCKS: LME nickel stocks have slumped 43 percent since this time last year to about 220,000 tonnes. In warehouses monitored by the Shanghai Futures Exchange, zinc stocks jumped 23.3 percent to 53,479 tonnes from a week ago while copper stocks rose 12 percent to 140,789 tonnes. CHINA STEEL: China's daily steel output hit a record high of 2.7 million tonnes in September, as mills in the world's top producer cashed in on strong profit margins before the start of winter production curbs aimed at tackling smog. PRICES: Aluminium rose 0.5 percent to $2,023 per tonne, zinc finished 2.1 percent to $2,653, lead fell 0.5 percent to $1,991.50 and tin gained 0.7 percent to $19,170. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Top base and precious metals analysis - GFMS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Additional reporting by Melanie Burton Editing by Louise Ireland and David Evans)

zandi.shabalala.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))LME price overview COMEX copper futures Base metals news All metals news All commodities news Metals diary Foreign exchange rates SPEED GUIDES ))
(Kitco News) - The mining sector is seeing some renewed excitement as gold prices post their third week of gains, but one mining executive said that the sector still needs more to attract fresh investment capital.

Mathieu Savard, president of the Quebec Mineral Exploration Association and vice-president of exploration for Osisko Mining

In an interview with Kitco New on the sidelines of Xplor, the annual Quebec Mining Exploration Conference, Mathieu Savard, president of the Quebec Mineral Exploration Association and vice-president of exploration for Osisko Mining, said that what the mining sector really needs is a major discovery to spark some excitement in the sector.

The last time we had a really difficult market was in the early 2000s. A major discovery is what helped create the new rally, he said. Its difficult now because to find a significant discovery you need the capital for exploration. Its like the chicken and the egg.

However, he also noted that he thinks it should only be a matter of time before investors come back to the mining sector.

There are still lots of opportunities to find a significant discovery but its going to take some outside-the-box thinking, he said. Its a difficult market, but its in times like these that can you can find value.

One of the jurisdictions he said that investors should keep their eyes on is Quebec. The Abitibi region is one of the worlds largest mining districts and has produced 180 million ounces of gold. However, Savard said that companies have only scratched the surface when it comes to gold.

There is so much land in Quebec and while there is a lot of historical data there are also a lot of blind spots that still need to be explored, he said.

Along with embracing new technology and new ideas, Savard said that the mining association is hoping to have strong backing from the provinces new government. He added that Quebec needs to build its infrastructure to support the resource sector.

Most discoveries have been made close to infrastructure, he said. Having infrastructure close by can reduce a companys costs by 50%.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. regulatory council announced on Wednesday it had removed the systemically risky label from Prudential Financial (PRU.N), freeing the insurance company from more rigorous oversight by the Federal Reserve.

The decision by the Financial Stability Oversight Council could cut regulatory costs at Prudential, which no longer will have to meet enhanced capital and liquidity standards and comply with Fed regulators. It also means regulators no longer consider any nonbanks to pose a threat to the entire financial system.

We are pleased with this decision, which affirms our longstanding belief that Prudential never met the standard for designation, the company said in a statement.

The move by the FSOC, a regulatory panel composed of top Trump administration regulators charged with monitoring the financial system for looming threats, had been widely expected.

Prudential was the only remaining nonbank to be considered a systemically important financial institution meriting tougher oversight. The FSOC discussed the companys status at a closed meeting Tuesday.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who chairs the FSOC, said the decision was based on a detailed analysis showing that there is not a significant risk that the company could pose a threat to financial stability.

Regulators were given the power to identify single firms as potential threats to the entire financial system under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform law. The Obama administration identified a handful of nonbanks as systemic, but Wednesdays announcement means no nonbanks will be subjected to that sort of oversight going forward.

In November, the Treasury Department recommended regulators monitor types of financial activity, rather than specific companies, when monitoring market-wide risks.
* Acacia seeks direct talks with Tanzania* Spat deepens with charges in Tanzania this week* Shares slump the most since July 2017 (Updates with shares, analyst) By Zandi Shabalala LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Acacia Mining threatened to use a bilateral investment treaty to force face-to-face talks with Tanzania over a long-running tax dispute that has seen the gold miner hit with a huge tax bill.

Acacia's parent Barrick Gold has been negotiating with the Tanzanian government over the issue for 19 months but no final settlement has been reached and Acacia's management stresses that it wants direct involvement in any talks. An investment treaty between Tanzania and Britain could compel the east African country to have dialogue with Acacia over a period of six months, interim chief executive Peter Geleta told Reuters. "It's a further right that we have under the bilateral agreements between the countries," he said. "But our first intention is to get parties to the table and to come up with a negotiated resolution, you dont want to fight these fights in court, its not what we want to do." Shares in Acacia sank as much as 16 percent on concerns that the dispute was escalating before making up some ground to trade down 9.8 percent by 1235 GMT. Acacia's has lost over three-quarters of its market value since a ban on the export of unprocessed minerals was instituted last year. Tanzania's President John Magufuli has sent shockwaves through the mining industry with a series of actions since his election in 2015 that he says are intended to distribute revenue to the Tanzanian people. Acacia in July 2017 began international arbitration for two of its mines against Tanzania after the government tore up mineral rights agreements, forcing a re-negotiation of those contracts.

$190 BILLION DEMAND Tanzania banned the export of raw minerals in March 2017, introduced tough laws and hit Acacia with a $190 billion tax charge. Acacia maintains it has not been given the full document from a framework agreement struck by Barrick and the government a year ago that was meant to remedy these issues. "We didn't give them (Barrick) any mandate to negotiate, they are negotiating on behalf of themselves as a major shareholder," said Geleta, who took on his role last November.

"We are now trying to use this to get direct dialogue and I absolutely believe it will be advantageous. And not through a third party which has been happening with Barrick."

The dispute ratcheted higher this week when Tanzanian authorities charged three of Acacia's local subsidiaries, an employee and a former staffer with money laundering and tax evasion. The two accused individuals were still in custody as the alleged offences were not eligible for bail. Acacia said all the accused had pleaded not guilty.

Barrick said it would merge with African miner Randgold Resources in September, sparking hopes that its new chief executive could help resolve issues at Acacia.

RBC Capital Markets analyst James Bell said there was "clear value opportunity," in Acacia, "but we continue to expect that investor focus will remain on the outcome of the Tanzanian government negotiations with Barrick as well as any implications from the Barrick Randgold merger."

(Reporting by Zandi Shabalala Editing by Kirsten Donovan/Keith Weir)

zandi.shabalala.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
A guest post by David Garrett:

Simon Bridges vs. JLR  how does this compare with past messy political divorces?

As the Simon Bridges  Jami-Lee Ross affair continues, with fresh developments happening daily if not hourly, I thought it would be interesting to compare this evolving political tempest  and God knows where it will end  with similar political fallings out between political friends in the past. In short, there has been nothing remotely close to this in living memory. On the political richter scale, is a 10/10.

The most recent faintly similar case was former Labour MP Chris Carter leaking to the media that then leader Phil Goff was a nice guy, but he just cant win. Goff you will remember took over from Helen Clark, and whatever he did he just couldnt raise his prospects in the polls. He bought a motorbike, starting dying his hair, he even changed his manner of walking for Gods sake, all to no avail.

No-one outside the Labour caucus of the time knows what really went on behind the scenes, but Carter apparently decided someone else was more likely to return to him the Ministerial perks he had enjoyed. Carters discontent began from the moment Labour lost, and he could no longer take junkets around the world on the guise of ministerial business. The first signs of stress emerged when news of Carters lavish travel spending as a minister  in particular expenses incurred on a trip to Tibet  was about to become public, and threatened to embarrass the embattled Labour party still further.

Carters first shot was the nice guy but just cant win leak, and when that didnt do the trick, he sent an anonymous letter to members of the Press Gallery claiming there was a leadership challenge against Goff. Carter was quickly identified as the author of the letter, and suspended from the caucus on 30 July 2010. Carter apparently threatened to dish the dirt on his colleagues if he was kicked out of the party, and either because of those threats or for other reasons, he was not actually expelled from the party until 12 October 2010, after a last ditch attempt at a lengthy Labour Party Council meeting to avert his expulsion.

In another echo of current events, when Carter was first suspended from the caucus then political colleague and current Speaker Trevor Mallard publicly suggested that Carter was unbalanced and that hes always been an eccentric. On the richter scale of internecine party conflict and messy partings of the ways, the Carter Affair  covering a messy four months in 2010  scores perhaps a 3.

To find something more dramatic we need to go back thirty years to the split between Roger Douglas and David Lange. In one of his memorable turns of phrase, Lange had said, during the early days of the turbulent economic reforms that followed the Labour win in 1984, there isnt so much as a cigarette paper between me and Roger Douglas. By 1988 that happy comity was all over; Lange declared that the government needed to stop for a cup of tea, while Douglas argued  and still does  that the best way to get over the pain which naturally flowed from the necessary radical economic reforms was to increase the pace, and get the economy on a new footing as quickly as possible.

Crucially, the barbs that flew between Lange and Douglas are as nothing compared with those JLR has levelled at his leader over the past few days. Douglas revealed that Lange had told him the pressure was killing him, and Lange in turn made unflattering remarks about Rogers lack of sensitivity and compassion. The worst Roger said about Lange  and at the time that was bad enough  was that he, Lange, had lied to Roger.

Roger confirms that in early 1988 he was heading overseas, with a full economic reform package  including the flat tax and guaranteed minimum family income proposal  still firmly on the agenda. Roger says Lange shook his hand before he departed for an economic forum in Switzerland, and said they would talk about it some more on Rogers return. While on a stopover in London, in the earlier hours of the morning London time, Roger learned that Lange had unilaterally cancelled the package. The relationship between the two former close political allies was irrevocably destroyed, and they did not see each other again for 16 years.

Crucially, at the time all this went down, both Roger and the rest of the Lange cabinet knew Lange was in the midst of a passionate affair with his speechwriter and later wife Margaret Pope. Roger tells me that he would never have dreamed of putting that into the public arena, despite his deep sense of betrayal by Lange, something he never forgave him for. On the latest drama, what appals Roger most is JLR taping conversations with his boss. But back to Lange-Douglas. Perhaps that fallout rates a four or five on the richter scale.

John A Lee was a former soldier seriously wounded and decorated for gallantry in World War I, and later a member of the first Labour government of Michael Joseph Savage, the latter still today a saintly figure to some Labour politicians. On his return from the War, Lee was elected to parliament, but failed to gain a cabinet place after the first Labour government was elected in 1935 because of suspicions about him held by Savage and his successor Peter Fraser.

In 1938, while a parliamentary undersecretary, Lee published Socialism in New Zealand, which advocated pure socialism as New Zealands only way forward. In a sense, he was the Roger Douglas of the late 1930s, albeit with diametrically opposite views from Sir Roger. Lee became increasingly critical of Savage and Frasers more cautious and measured approach to reform, and in 1940 he was expelled from the Labour Party for attacking the terminally ill Michael J Savage, who died shortly thereafter. In one of those delicious quirks thrown up by a small society, one Norm Douglas, Rogers father, left the caucus in sympathy with Lee. He never regained a place in cabinet as a result.

In the time honoured fashion, Lee founded his own party, the Democratic Labour Party, but he was never re-elected  a fate which surely awaits JLR if he is foolish enough to contest the by-election in his Botany electorate. Lee never forgave his old enemies, including the dead Savage  so much so that he apparently used to take his dog for walks to the Savage memorial on Bastion Point so the said dog could piss on the old fraud. The Lee-Savage-Fraser parting of the ways was by modern standards at least as dramatic as Lange-Douglas, so lets give it a five on the political richter scale.

So, back to Mr Jami-Lee Ross. I am writing this on Thursday 18 October, on a day when it is claimed that Ross conducted what can only be called abusive and manipulative sexual relationships with at least two women, with two others alleging that he mistreated and abused them, albeit not sexually. Ross denies the allegations, but they have been made by a well respected senior journalist who claims she has been investigating Rosss personal relationships for a year. There is certainly more to come on this aspect of the story.

So where are we? Ross and Simon Bridges, formerly close political allies if not personal friends, are now bitter enemies, with Ross alleging serious criminal conduct on the part of Bridges, and Bridges claiming  correctly  that Ross has made highly damaging defamatory claims about him, claims which Bridges vehemently denies. I am informed that Ross is now utterly without friends in the National caucus, which would seem to be supported by the fact that no-one has literally stood behind him, either at the unprecedented almost hour long stand up in parliament on Tuesday, or when he lead a group of journalists down to the Wellington Central Police Station to lay his complaint about Bridges.

The thing which elevates the current debacle way above anything which has ever gone before is SEX. Savage was almost certainly a closet homosexual, something which his colleagues must have strongly suspected, if not known for sure in those less open times. Despite his hatred of him, Lee never even hinted at Savages sexual orientation, even after his death.

David Lange was bonking his speechwriter at a time when Roger Douglas feels he was utterly betrayed by Lange, and all of Langes cabinet colleagues knew what was happening. Back then however, a members private life was just that, and whether because of the possibility of mutually assured destruction or otherwise, members sex lives remained off the agenda. Admittedly, Lange-Douglas took place in a very different time, pre internet, and with a much more compliant media.

Taking everything into account, I believe what is unfolding as I write is a political cataclysm the likes of which has never been seen in New Zealand before, and may never be seen again. And we are only four days into the scandal: JLR is still, until 5pm tomorrow, an MP with the ability to say anything he likes with impunity  so long as he says it in the House. The by election which he may or may not contest is at least weeks away. God knows what else will emerge between now and then. Who ever said that politics was boring?
The Georgian Chief Prosecutors Office has charged four ex-Interior Ministry officials, who held high posts during Mikheil Saakashvili's presidency, with plotting the death of businessman Badri Patarkatsishvili. Giorgi Merabashvili, Levan Kardava, Revaz Shiukashvili and Giorgi Dgebuadze are suspected of planning the "liquidation" of billionaire Patarkatsishvili by order of the president. The plan was not implemented for "technical reasons": a businessman who sponsored the Georgian opposition left for London in the autumn of 2007. In February 2008, he died in his Surrey mansion from a heart attack after the Georgian Prosecutor Generals Office opened a criminal case against him on coup plotting charges.

The Prosecutor Generals Office issued a statement which noted that the Interior Ministry officials could not carry out their plans, but it would not help them: an assassination and an assassination attempt are treated with almost the same gravity in the Criminal Code, up to life imprisonment. Judging by the prosecution files, it's about a civil servants conspiracy with the participation of the president. Two audio recordings, made in February 2007, were handed over to journalists, in which high-ranking Interior Ministry officials speak about scenarios of how to kill Patarkatsishvili, who was considered the main political enemy of the president and openly financed opposition parties.

First of all, the "conspirators" were considering the possibility of recruiting Patarkatsishvili's personal security staff member to use him to find out the parameters of the security system, the layout of the house, the location of security cameras, and then poison food with the help of a chef or bartender; or with the participation of cleaners "smear a deadly poison on the door handle," after touching which the billionaire would "die immediately." Another option was to pump poisonous gas in Patarkatsishvilis bedroom. Judging by the second recording, the liquidators managed to recruit one of Patarkatsishvilis bodyguards. The guard was convinced that he would get a high post or a huge amount of money for the murder of his chief, and he is not in any trouble, since the murder was ordered by the president.

Saakashvili, who lives in the Netherlands after being expelled from Ukraine, learned about the preparation of the fifth criminal case against him on Tuesday. Speaking live on opposition TV channel Rustavi 2 in the evening, he called the accusations "nonsense," stressing that the "sensation" was being inflated by the Georgian authorities several days before the presidential election scheduled for October 28. According to the polls, opposition candidate Grigol Vashadze is still ahead of the presidential candidate from the Georgian Dream ruling party Salome Zurabishvili.

Suspicions about the 'dump' on the eve of the election in order to discredit the current opposition led by Saakashvili are aggravated by the fact that, according to the admission of the General Prosecutors Office, the recordings were seized in 2016, but were published only now.

However, if the authorities try to influence the voters in this way, it does not mean that the charges are artificial and groundless. Much will become clear after the defendants will testify at the trial.

Saakashvili has already been sentenced in absentia by the Tbilisi court to three and six years in prison for brutal beating of businessman Valery Gelashvili, who insulted his wife in an interview, and for "unlawfully pardoning" high-ranking police officers convicted of kidnapping and killing banker Sandro Girgvliani. Two more criminal cases are in litigation: the dispersal of the opposition rally on November 7, 2007 and embezzlement of state funds. Apparently, in the near future Mikhail Saakashvili will be charged in absentia in the fifth case, which provides a punishment of life imprisonment.
Iran's deputy ambassador to the UN says the United States should stop supporting terrorism in Syria and end its illegal military presence there as regional efforts are underway to find a political solution to over seven years of militancy gripping the Arab country.

Addressing the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Eshaq Al-e Habib said Washington must end its occupation of Syrian territory  where it has thousands of boots on the ground -- and its support for terrorist groups, Press TV reported.

The Iranian official also denounced the destructive role that Washingtons close ally Saudi Arabia is playing in the Middle region, including its support for Takfiri terror groups in Syria.

Regarding the armed opposition groups fighting the Syrian government, he said all states with influence over such groups must encourage them to lay down arms and join the political process.

The Iranian official said that all foreign-backed terrorists must return to their countries of origin, while terrorists of Syrian origin must be handled according to Syrias law.
by Moreno Aguiari, photos by Jay Bess

Aviation Heritage Parks are a familiar sight all over America, often created to recognize achievements by local aviators and to educate future generations about the stories and importance of aviation history. However, too often these parks end up uncared for, with the exhibits left to slowly rot in place. Its sad but true.

Thankfully, this is not the case for the Aviation Heritage Park right off Interstate 65, just south of Bowling Green, Kentucky. This small, but extremely well kept Heritage Park is maintained by a group of dedicated and passionate volunteers. Slightly off the typical tourists path, most wouldnt visit deliberately unless, like me, they were an airplane nut!



This Aviation Heritage Park arose as a memorial to all of the distinguished aviators who have called South Central Kentucky their home. Located at Basil Griffin Park on the corner of Three Springs Rd. and Smallhouse Rd. the post grew from the arrival of a retired combat veteran warplane.

During a visit to the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Brigadier General Dan Cherry (USAF Retd) learned that one of the F-4D Phantom II jets which he had flown with the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron from Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base during the Vietnam War was now on display at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) hall in Enon, Ohio. Filled with a heavy sense of nostalgia, Gen. Day just had to go and have a look at his old steed. He found that this was indeed F-4D Phantom II 66-7550, the aircraft that he and then-Captain Jeff Feinstein had flown on April 16th, 1972 when they shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-21. (Phantom II 66-7750 rolled off the production line in St.Louis in 1967, and racked up more than 6,000 flying hours before her retirement in 1989.) After speaking to the local VFW, he was able to convince them to part with their exhibit in 2005. Gen. Cherry then arranged to have the plane disassembled and moved to Bowling Green where she was then reassembled and restored into her original Vietnam War markings for display in October, 2008, serving as a tribute to local military aviators.

General Cherry is not the only local military aviator now commemorated at the Aviation Heritage Park. The site also honors Bert Hall, one of the first American combat-veteran aviators, and another WWI Kentuckian aviator, Victor Strahm, who became the states first fighter ace. Lt.Cdr. Johnny Magda, who flew from the USS Hornet during the Battle of Midway in WWII has a Grumman F9F-2 Panther painted in his honor at the Park to represent his time as the boss of the U.S. Navys Blue Angels aerial display team. Sadly, Magda was shot down and killed during the Korean War on March 8th, 1951. He received the Navy Cross for that final action.

USAF Brigadier Kenneth Fleenor, who spent nearly six years as a POW during the Vietnam War, is also commemorated here, as are the former commander of Strategic Air Command, Gen.Russ Daugherty, NASA Astronaut Terry Willcott, and Col.Arnie Franklin, who commanded the USAF contingent during the 1986 raid on Libya, Operation El Dorado Canyon.

As the Aviation Heritage Park website describes The park is an ongoing project. It is designed and constructed to include a landscaped area that accommodates up to a total of seven planes. Currently there are five aircraft displayed in the park. Joining Phantom 550 is an F-9F Panther in honor of Johnny Magda, and a T-33 Shooting Star in honor of General Dougherty, an F-111A Ardvaark honoring Colonel Arnie Franklin and the 2014 addition, a NASA T-38.

The most recent aircraft to the park is a Northrup T-38 Talon. This plane was specifically selected to add to the parks collection because of its fantastic history. This Talon has been flown by every Mercury astronaut, every Gemini astronaut, and every man that has ever walked on the moon. All the planes at the park tell the story of a regional aviator, and this one is no different.

The new addition honors astronaut and U.S. Marine Col. Terry Wilcutt, a Russellville native and Western Kentucky University graduate. Wilcutt has more than 1,000 hours in space including four shuttle flights, two as pilot and two as mission commander. After a long and distinguished career with the Marines, he joined NASA and currently serves as the Director of the Safety and Mission Assurance Directive at Johnson Space Center. Additionally, the T-38 honors David H. Finney, from Auburn, who was the Chief of the Johnson Space Center Aircraft Operations Division in the Flight Crew Operations Directorate until his retirement from NASA in July 2008.

The Future is Bright Ahead

On October 10th, 2018, Aviation Heritage Park in Bowing Green broke ground on their capital campaign to fund the project that has been in the works all year. Board members at Aviation Heritage Park are one step closer to opening a 12,000-square foot museum on the parks property. The funding campaign is already off to a hot start. In fact one anonymous donor pledged $500,000 dollars Wednesday afternoon, with one caveat; it has to be matched by other donors. To date, the park has raised $400,000 dollars toward the museum. To support this little aviation gem, please click HERE.

Here is a little clip we filmed in July. For more information visit www.aviationheritagepark.com
By The Associated Press Oct. 16, 2018 | 10:39 AM | FRANKFORT

The Kentucky Democratic Party has filed an ethics complaint against Republican Gov. Matt Bevin for using his official Twitter account to support a GOP congressman's re-election campaign.

Bevin's official Twitter account posted a message on Saturday saying he was at the rally with a packed house of people who love President Donald Trump and are supporting U.S. Rep. Andy Barr on Nov. 6. The tweet has since been deleted. An identical tweet was posted to Bevin's campaign Twitter account.

Tuesday, Democrats announced they filed a complaint with the Executive Branch Ethics Commission. Kentucky Democratic Party chairman Ben Self noted state law bans elected officials from using state time, resources and equipment for political campaign purposes.

Representatives from Bevin's office did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 19)  Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday said he is looking forward to having a "close personal friendship" with Philippine counterpart Teddyboy Locsin.

"I am willing to establish a good working relationship and a close personal friendship with you to further deepen strategic mutual trust and pragmatic cooperation between the two countries, keep close contacts and coordination on regional and international issues, jointly promote healthy and stable development of the bilateral ties and maintain regional peace and stability," Wang said in a state-run news report of Xinhua from the Chinese embassy in Manila.

Wang congratulated Locsin, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday.

Locsin replaced former Senator Alan Peter Cayetano who is gunning for a Congress seat as Taguig representative in the 2019 polls.

On Twitter, Locsin said the Philippines will host Wang's visit "two weeks from now," with a photo of them shaking hands.

Wang's visit will occur in the same month as Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit in November, although no date has been specified as to when the visits will happen.

Beijing's ties with Manila have improved amid President Rodrigo Duterte's stance on the ongoing West Philippine Sea dispute. Duterte, despite Chinese build-up of artificial islands in the contested area, said we cannot go to war with the Western giant.
Shenzhen Yukan Technology Co., Ltd brought its brand-new product IUOC2.0 attending the International Trade Fair for Tobacco Products and Smoking Accessories, known as InterTabac and made a very big success.

From September 21st to September 23rd, Shenzhen Yukan Technology Co., Ltd brought its brand-new product IUOC2.0 attending the International Trade Fair for Tobacco Products and Smoking Accessories, known as InterTabac and made a very big success.

A total of 625 exhibitors from 54 countries showcased their products and services at the Dortmund Exhibition Centre from 21 to 23 September. Trade visitors came from, for example, the USA, Canada, Brazil, Chile and Colombia and Africa, including Morocco, Egypt and Nigeria, to Dortmund. Asian visitors came from countries like China, Korea, Japan, India, and Indonesia. The Middle East was represented by visitors from Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. There were also visitors from Australia and New Zealand. European guests came from, for example, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Poland and the Benelux countries.

One of the German local visitors was attracted to IUOC2.0s technology and spent the whole two hours standing at the booth testing and consulting the device and gave a very positive feedback.

A Romanian distributor knew IUOC before the exhibition and made an appointment of meeting with our sales in the exhibition, who visited IUOCs booth for the very first day of the exhibition. And after testing the device, he showed a very big interest and gave the invitation of going to Romania to check the local market to our sales.

Distributors from Spain, shocked by IUOCs heating technology and the harm reduction it can achieve, brought his friends to visit IUOCs booth again and again during the three days exhibition.

IUOC is a regular cigarettes heating device researched and developed and launched by Shenzhen Yukan Technology Co., Ltd. The IUOC is neither a filter cigarette holder nor a E-cigarette. It is used to smoke regular cigarettes. It does not require any additives, and it heats the cigarette at the temperature 350 and make sure it wont burn,(the fire point of tobacco is 175) which can reduce the harmful components in tobacco greatly. And it can also guarantee the taste. Since the IUOC1.0 was launched by Shenzhen Yukan Technology Co., Ltd, it has attracted attentions at home and abroad.

IUOC2.0 was launched in the InterTabac exhibition and gained many good reputations. The new version gets a better looking appearance, much easier operation, much more taste options (from 0-6 7 working level in total) and so on.

Among the whole tobacco field, IUOC is the unique one.IUOC2.0 made its first appearance in Europe which made it become the most heated topic in the tobacco field. It has made a very big success in the exhibition. Many wholesalers, distributors and even many tobacco companies have showed the interest of cooperating with IUOC in the exhibition. No need for additives and special tobacco, support regular cigarettes, no ashes, no fire, no unpleasant second-hand smokes, harm reduction, thats IUOC.

As the worlds only well-patented regular cigarettes heating device, we have every reasons to believe that it can make a big difference in the tobacco filed. And to achieve that, we need more people to cooperate with us, so if youre interested, please contact us!

Media Contact

Company Name: Shenzhen Yukan Technology Co., Limited

Contact Person: Cindy Huang

Email: Send Email

Phone: +86 13728721201

Address:Room 1110, West Tower, Nanshan Software Park, No.10128, Shennan Road, Nantou Street, Nanshan District

City: Shenzhen

State: Guangdong

Country: China

Website: http://www.iuoctech.com/en


Share Purchase Plan

Sydney, Oct 19, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of Australian communications specialist MNF Group ( ASX:MNF ) is delighted to offer shareholders the opportunity to purchase up to $15,000 in MNF shares under a Share Purchase Plan (SPP).The SPP is available to shareholders who are on the MNF share register at close of business on 18 October 2018 and who have a registered address in Australia or New Zealand (Eligible Shareholders).Eligible Shareholders will have the opportunity to purchase shares in MNF at $4.40 per share, representing a 3.3% discount on the prior 5 day volume weighted average price (VWAP) which is $4.55.Funds raised from the Share Purchase Plan will be used to reduce debt and for the company's working capital.The SPP offer will open on Thursday, the 25th of October 2018 and will close on Thursday, the 8th of November 2018.The SPP Offer Booklet and application form will be lodged with the ASX and sent to all Eligible Shareholders on 25 October 2018.This SPP is not underwritten and there will be no further placement of shares at this time.About MNF Group Ltd

MNF Group Limited (ASX:MNF) is one of Asia-Pacific's fastest growing technology companies. Listed on the ASX since 2006, it is now capitalised at around $380m, and twice winner of the Forbes Asia-Pacific "Best under a Billion" award. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the company has over 500 people located across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America. MNF develops and operates a global communications network and software suite enabling some of the world's leading innovators to deliver new-generation communications solutions.



As the world moves to IP, MNF Group is building the brands, services, network and technology to lead the way. For further information about MNF Group Limited please visit: http://mnfgroup.limited/


JV with Leading Israeli Medicinal Cannabis Company Pharmocann

Sydney, Oct 19, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of Queensland Bauxite Limited ( ASX:QBL ) (the 'Company') is very pleased to announce a materially strategic transaction, that its soon to be wholly owned subsidiary Medcan Australia, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with top Israeli medicinal cannabis company Pharmocann. Pharmocann is recognised as being amongst the world's foremost and experienced cannabis growers, with their own proprietary products, intellectual property (IP) and expertise that will be of significant benefit to the Australian and global markets.This MOU follows on from Medcan securing its Medical Cannabis Manufacturing License and Export License from the Office of Drug Control (ODC). Israel does not allow export of medical cannabis products. As a result of Medcan securing Manufacturing and Export Licenses from the ODC, Pharmocann have agreed to enter into a 50/50 joint venture (JV) with Medcan under which Medcan will manufacture Pharmocann's proprietary medical cannabis products in Australia for distribution throughout Australia and globally.Highlights- Medcan will manufacture Pharmocann's range of products under a 50/50 JV for Australian and International distribution- Medcan and Pharmocann will collaborate on clinical trials in both Israel and Australia- Pharmocann will provide IP, standard operating procedures, recipes and manufacturing techniques including existing Israeli clinical trial data in respect of its products- Medcan will be responsible for the manufacturing facility, required Australian licences and the raw cannabis material required for product manufacture and international exportBackground - PharmocannPharmocann Ltd is a company registered in Israel which develops and grows medicinal cannabis in GAP standard greenhouses, and supplies, under license, medical cannabis products throughout Israel. For over 10 years Pharmocann has supplied more than 4500 registered patients medicinal cannabis dried flower, oils and ointments.Pharmocann has developed a range of medicinal cannabis products and is in the process of conducting human clinical trials in Israel on a number of these products.Medcan Australia's CEO, Craig Cochran, commented "We are excited to have finally entered into this MOU with Pharmocann after being in detailed discussions with them since early 2017. Pharmocann are one of the top Israeli medicinal cannabis companies and have developed a unique range of products which are showing extraordinary results in clinical trials. Their expertise in the medicinal cannabis field is well recognised globally, and we are excited to have access to a skillset and product range of this calibre".As at the date of this announcement, the costs of the JV have not yet been assessed, and as the parties have not yet agreed any specific commitments as to costs (which will simply be allocated among the parties equally), the partnership will initially proceed on a best efforts basis to make the joint venture succeed in good faith. The JV is not currently expected to have a material effect on QBL's expected budget (which is set out in its recently lodged Prospectus). It is intended that any initial funds required under the JV will form part of Medcan's operational costs relating to its manufacturing facility, and the parties are also considering a separate IPO of the Pharmocann JV to rapidly expand the Pharmocann JV business.Comment from Pnina Feldman, Chairperson of QBL"We are delighted that we have finalised this MOU with one of Israel's top medicinal cannabis companies, Pharmocann. The addition of Pharmocann's skillset and product range further builds on the expertise and product offering of the QBL group. With a huge international market for medicinal cannabis products we believe this JV will be of a major benefit to QBL's shareholders as we continue to focus on building shareholder wealth."About Queensland Bauxite Ltd

Queensland Bauxite Limited (ASX:QBL) is an Australian listed company focused on the exploration and development of its bauxite tenements in Queensland and New South Wales. The Company's lead project is the South Johnstone Bauxite Deposit in northern Queensland which has rail running through the project area and is approximately 15-24 kilometres from the nearest deep water port. The Company intends to become a bauxite producer with a focus on commencing production at South Johnstone as early as possible. The Company also pursues additional investment opportunities, and has agreed to acquire a 100% shareholding in Medical Cannabis Limited, an Australian leader in the hemp and Cannabis industries, and a 100% shareholding in Medcan Australia Pty Ltd, a company with an ODC cultivation and production License and a DA approved Cannabis production and manufacturing facility.
New Delhi [India], Oct 19 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday approved ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those killed in Amritsar train tragedy. He has also announced a compensation of Rs 50,000 for the injured.

More than 50 people were killed and over 30 injured after a local passenger train ran into people watching Dussehra celebrations near a train track in Amritsar's Choura Bazar on Friday.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragic incident and directed officials to provide immediate assistance.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," Prime Minister Modi tweeted.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh ordered probe into the incident and announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs. 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased. He also directed senior officials to rush to the accident site for rescue operation. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Caracas, Oct 19 (AFP) Venezuela on Thursday ordered Ecuador's top diplomat in Caracas to leave the country, hours after Quito expelled Venezuela's ambassador over "offensive" comments about its president.

Venezuela said it was "forced to take reciprocal action against the Charge d'Affaires of Ecuador in Venezuela, Elizabeth Mendez, who is declared a persona non-grata and has 72 hours to leave the country."

The move follows Ecuador's expulsion of Venezuelan ambassador Carol Delgado earlier Thursday for "offensive" comments against President Lenin Moreno by a Venezuelan government minister.

Communication and information minister Jorge Rodriguez had accused Moreno of lying about the number of Venezuelans that have arrived in Ecuador after fleeing the economic meltdown in their homeland.

"I listened stupefied to a president on this continent because I couldn't believe he could be such a liar," Rodriguez said on Wednesday, referring to the claim that "6,000 unwell Venezuelans a day are entering Ecuador."

Ecuador said it "will not tolerate any demonstration of disrespect towards our authorities," adding however that it would continue to offer help to Venezuelans entering the country. (AFP) CPS

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, October 19: Bombay High Court has directed the Maharashtra government to not to arrest Dalit civil rights activist Anand Teltumbde till October 26, in connection with Bhima Koregaon case registered against him by Pune police for alleged Maoist links. This comes after Teltumbde moved the High Court to dismiss criminal proceedings against him.

The proceeding was initiated after the police claimed that they have found documents during a raid at his house after the Bhima Koregaon violence which established his links with the violence. The FIR against Gautam Navlakha accuses him of instigating violence with his speech on December 31 at Elgar Parishad. Bhima Koregaon Case: Supreme Court Extends House Arrest of Five Accused Till September 19.

Teltumbde sought to squash all the criminal proceedings against him saying that he has no role to instigate violence in the Elgar Parishad and there is no evidence against him. He also added that illegal raids were carried out at his residence with out any warrant on August 28, 2018.

Going back to the case, Bhima Koregaon case refers to the violence that broke out during the gathering in Bhima Koregaon to celebrate the 200th battle of Bhima Koregaon. The interference of the upper case Maratha on the Dalit gathering resulted in the violence. In the protest, one person died and over 30 people injured. Police have detained more than 300 people, after this, a Maharashtra bandh was called by Dalits on January 3, 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2018 05:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
New Delhi, October 18: Officers from Interpol, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) held a meeting with Gautam Budh Nagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) over the increasing number of crime related to call centres frauds on foreign nationals. The meeting was held at SSP Ajay Sharma's office during which all officials discussed the rising complaints against the call centres that dupe foreign citizen especially Americans and Canadians, a report by Hindustan Times informed.

"In the last six months, we have raided five illegal call centres and currently working on one more such case. In all cases, the action was taken after the tipoff. However, he said that we were not having any direct contact with the victims as they were mostly foreigners. In the meeting, they have decided to work together and track down the victims to help police make their case stronger," Sharma said. US Call Center Scam: 21 Indian-origin Persons Sentenced Up to 20 years.

This comes after the fake call centres are duping people in the name of loans, shares and online products. It must be noted that the fake call representatives act as an employee of the multinational company and ask people to deposit money or make the payment for the product or service. The number of this scam centres are on a rise in metro cities- Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. The number of cases is rising because the people targeted are foreign nationals so the most cases go unreported. 15 People Indicted in Massive Call Centre Scam in US.

Earlier this year, Maharashtra police had busted a call centre scam, in which the mastermind was a person named Sagar Thakkar alias Shaggy. Reports inform that Shaggy defrauded American taxpayers of USD 300 million. This scam was operated since 2013 and targeted at least 15,000 Americans. Police have arrested the directors of the firm. But till that time, Sagar the kingpin of the fraud fled from the country, before the police could catch him.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 18, 2018 10:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Srinagar, October 19: Security forces gunned down four militants near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, according to reports. Although Jammu and Kashmir police have not confirmed the killings, the Army sources confirmed it to news agency IANS saying that the encounter took place in the Boniyar forests of Uri sector on Thursday evening.

"Four unidentified militants have been killed in this operation. Searches are now going on in the area," sources told the agency. Alert troops noticed some suspicious movement along the LoC near Tourna in Boniyar area and challenged the infiltrators, officials told PTI. The infiltrators opened firing at the security forces which was retaliated by the soldiers.

A search operation was underway. On Wednesday, three terrorists were gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Srinagar's Fateh Kadal area. A policeman was also martyred in the operation. Three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were also injured as the holed up militants fired upon approaching personnel triggering the encounter.

On Tuesday, Union Home Minister Rajanth Singh told security forces in Jammu and Kashmir not to fire first, but to retaliate without counting the bullets, if provoked. "It (Pakistan) is our neighbour, so don't fire first. But if even one bullet comes from that side, then don't take count of the bullets (fired in retaliation)," he said in his directive to the Armed forces.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2018 10:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
It seems income tax officials have smelled that something unlawful is cooking at many leading eateries places. Just a few days before the Pakorawala at Ludhiana declared an undisclosed income of Rs 60 lakh, the CBI sleuth reached at the doors of Patiala's chaatwala. The famous chaatwala had an undisclosed income of Rs 1.20 crore which baffled the tax officials.

An Income Tax Official was quoted by the English daily Hindustan Times saying that the owner of the chaat shop had not filed IT returns for the past couple of years. A discreet survey was conducted and Income Tax people were secretly monitoring the footfall at the shop and found that the chaat shop person had made investments in real estate business as well.

The chaat wala is so highly in demand that he has booking offices on Sirhind road, for taking bulk orders for marriages and big functions. How Much Money Can a Pakode Wala Make? Ludhiana's Panna Singh Pakorewale Surrenders Rs 60 Lakh to Income Tax Department.

Earlier, Panna Singh Pakorewale from Ludhiana had surrendered Rs 60 lakh to the Income Tax department. According to a report published in The Times of India, the IT department had conducted a day-long survey at the two outlets of Panna Singh Pakorewale on Thursday. The outlets are located at Gill Road, and another at Model Town. The department took action after getting an input that the shop owner was not revealing its real income.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2018 11:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
In a chilling incident in Uttar Pradesh's Banda district, a Sadhu, disturbed by the allegations levelled on him of having romantic affairs with the women in the village, reportedly cut off his private part. The information was made public by Raghvendra Singh, CO Banda (City) on Friday. Muzaffarnagar: UP Woman Chops Off Husband's Penis For Spending More Time With His Second Wife.

The person who chopped off his private part has been identified as Sadhu Maidani baba. He is 45 years old and has been living on a government land which was lying vacant near Kamasin locality. He was living in a hutment that he had built on the land, said reports. Tamil Nadu Wife Bites Off Husband's Penis After Getting Caught in a Compromising Position With Lover Inside Toilet.

The police officer stated that the person was very disturbed with the allegations that some people in the village were levelling against him. The police added that the villagers found the Sadhu covered with blood when they reached his ashram. The police reached the incident and took the man to the clinic and was later referred to city hospital.

The police have said that the man is serious. Doctors informed that 80 per cent of the man's private part has been cut off from his body. The person has reportedly said in his statement to police that a particular group spread rumours about him on purpose and that he was emotionally hurt with the allegations.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2018 03:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Bhutan  Indias neighbouring country voted in the final phase of the general elections on Thursday.

This is Bhutans third national election since the countrys ruling monarchy initiated a transition to democracy in 2008. A total of 438,663 registered voters chose candidates on Thursday for the 47-member National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, Election Commission secretary Dawa Tenzin said.

Results of the voting are expected to be announced Friday and could see a government formed by Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT). The DPT had won Bhutan's first-ever election when the kingdom transitioned to democracy in 2008. Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) narrowly led the first round of voting on September 15 with 92,722 votes, just ahead of the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT).

Harvard-educated prime minister Tshering Tobgay conceded defeat after his ruling party slumped to third place in the first round of elections.

Economic issues rank high in the campaign manifestos of both parties. Despite posting an impressive growth rate of 7.5 percent in 2017, Bhutan faces high unemployment and rising external debts, mainly owed to India. Corruption, rural poverty, youth unemployment and criminal gangs are all problems for the "Land of the Thunder Dragon."

Bhutan has tried to shield itself from the downsides of globalisation, striving for "Gross National Happiness" over GDP growth, maintaining a carbon-negative economy and keeping tourist numbers down with a daily fee of $250 per visitor.

While Bhutan is proud of its cultural and political independence and has diplomatic relations with barely 50 countries, it knows it will have to open up -- a process which will likely stoke an existing tussle for influence between its neighbours  India and China.

Even though Bhutan does not have diplomatic ties with China, its giant neighbour is the third biggest source of imported goods and wealthy Chinese tourists are a valuable new source of income.

Many in Bhutan feel the country should rely less on India and give China and others a chance to help boost the economy and create new jobs. (With inputs from PTI and AFP)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2018 07:26 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Oct 19, 2018, 1:39am ET

Ford not currently planning U.S.-spec Ranger Raptor

Never say never, though.

The Ford Ranger Raptor sold in many global markets might not join the F-150 Raptor in American showrooms after all, according to a new report.

Hermann Salenbauch, the head of Ford Performance, downplayed rumors of an American-spec Ranger Raptor during a media event. Motor1 learned that's because the model was developed primarily as a way to spread Raptor performance in markets where the F-150 is far too large, like southeast Asia.

Size is just one piece of the equation; fuel efficiency is another. While the F-150 Raptor gets a twin-turbocharged V6 fed by a tank that would cost a fortune to fill up in some countries, the Ranger boasts a more fuel-efficient twin-turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine good for 211 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque.

The decision isn't set in stone, and Motor1 notes Ford's product plan could change in the coming years, especially if the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison set to go on sale in January 2019 does well. Trademark applications hint at an American-spec Ranger Raptor, though it's worth noting that companies routinely protect nameplates without having concrete plans of ever using them.

At least one top Ford Performance official is rooting for an American-spec Ranger Raptor. Jamal Hameedi, the sub-division's chief engineer, previously voiced his support for the model because "Raptors are a slam dunk for the U.S." He noted that Americans would prefer a gasoline engine, however.
Oct 19, 2018, 12:05am ET

Tesla begins building midrange $45,000 Model 3 with 260-mile range

The company started with the most expensive configurations before moving downmarket toward the $35,000 floor.

Elon Musk has announced that Tesla is now building a more affordable Model 3, bringing the entry price down to $45,000 for now.

The sedan has been billed as Tesla's first mass-market vehicle, but initial production has focused on the more expensive Performance and dual-motor variants that tend to fetch luxury-segment money.

The more affordable Model 3 entering production is equipped with a mid-range battery for 260 miles of EPA-rated range. It rear-wheel drive with a single motor that can propel the car to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds and eventually hit 125 mph.

Buyers can still order a long-range battery with a dual-motor powertrain, which sells for $54,000, while the Performance edition commands $64,000.

The company has not yet hit its target of $35,000 for the bear-bones Model 3, though Musk suggests the current price is already down to $35k after federal and state rebates in California and "closer to $31k after gas savings."
Walter Reiss claims he's a roller coaster expert and a humanitarian who was duped by his wife, a Russian spy.

But in the eyes of a Northampton County judge he's an arsonist and a criminal.

Judge Stephen Baratta sent the Bethlehem man to state prison on Friday for 33 months to six years.

Reiss was convicted at trial of setting his home on fire at 942 E. Macada Road to collect the insurance money. Baratta ordered Reiss to pay $172,000 to the insurance company and $14,000 to the Bethlehem Fire Department to cover the cost of subduing the May 28, 2015, blaze.

Reiss claims the fire was an accident. His lawyer noted that the 48-year-old reported it immediately and tried to put it out.

In court Friday, Reiss said he disagreed with his lawyer's trial strategy. He refused to discuss the case with a probation officer prior to sentencing, although he did testify in his own defense at trial.

Instead, he told the probation officer about his wife, the woman he once thought of as his "soulmate." He claims she was a Russian spy. He said he needed to receive a brain scan in Virginia because she tried to poison his food.

The probation officer's pre-sentence report says Reiss told him his wife had to abandon her spy "exit strategy" because she gave birth to their son, who is now 4.

"The whole story is just bizarre," Baratta said.

Baratta scolded Reiss for deflecting blame for his crime onto his attorney and his wife rather than accept responsibility himself.

"I just think that Mr. Reiss doesn't get it," said Assistant District Attorney Abraham Kassis. "He thinks he's smarter than everybody else."

Reiss admitted that given the evidence, he can't blame the jury for convicting him. He called two friends before the judge to vouch for his work ethic, his willingness to help others and his sanity. But even Reiss had to admit his statements were odd.

"Everyone thinks I'm nuts. Maybe I am," Reiss said.

Reiss claims to be an expert on roller coaster assembly and safety. He's been quoted as a roller coaster expert in news stories published by ABC News, The Dallas Morning News and CNN.

He was hired to manage the struggling Bushkill Park in Forks Township but left the job on bad terms, accused by the owner of failing to pay rent and allowing the park to fall into disrepair.

Walter Reiss in Bushkill Park in 2006. (Lehighvalleylive.com file photo)

Kassis said Reiss' crime put firefighters' lives at risk. Holes in the second and third floor ceilings of Reiss' home allowed the fire to spread rapidly, Kassis said.

"The fact that nobody in this case was injured ... is in my opinion a miracle," Kassis said. He called Reiss a "danger."

While Reiss didn't admit wrongdoing, he was contrite.

"I've tried to do the right thing by everyone around me, including my wife. I don't hold any animosity toward anyone," Reiss said. "I regret everything about this whole situation."

He said he volunteered in New York City after 9/11 and would be in the Florida panhandle helping Hurricane Michael victims were it not for his court obligations.

He bickered with the judge, who scolded Reiss for refusing to offer any legitimate justification for his behavior. Then Reiss said he was sorry.

"Judge I apologize. I didn't get any sleep last night. That's why I'm a little loose today," he said.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
The Bethlehem Area School District is creating a school safety coordinator job, and the choice to fill the position brings lots of experience to the table.

On Monday night, the school board is expected to hire Bethlehem Deputy Police Chief Todd Repsher as the district's new coordinator of school safety and emergency preparedness, Superintendent Joseph Roy said.

Repsher plans to retire from the department and begin his new role effective Nov. 5. The new position pays $68,500 and will be funded via grants, Roy said.

"I am really excited to have someone with this high-end experience coming on board," Roy said.

Currently, school safety and emergency management duties are shared across several administrators.

The Parkland, Florida, school shooting that left 17 dead last February forced districts across the country to revisit their safety protocols and take a hard look at their plans, Roy said.

"In a district of our size, with the number of facilities and the number of kids, we need one person who coordinates all of that," Roy said.

The district has seen its federal Title 4 funding grow to about $300,000 and Bethlehem has recently applied for a large pot of state grant dollars dedicated for school safety.

Depending on the state grant awards, Repsher's position will be either funded via the federal or state money, Roy said.

Any additional money will likely be funneled into upgrading district security cameras and providing more behavioral health supports for students. This school year, Bethlehem increased the number of social workers to identify and support struggling students.

"Most of the real experts aren't telling you to go buy door stoppers," Roy said, adding behavioral health is a major focus.

Repsher was promoted to deputy chief in August of 2013. He has been with the department for almost 28 years.

Sara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A man accused of selling cellphones stolen during a series of robberies around the Lehigh Valley is now accused of being a lookout in another robbery.

Tiheem Holloman (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Tiheem Holloman, of the 800 block of Berwick Street in Easton, was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $1 million bail, at his arraignment Thursday afternoon on the new charges.

Holloman had been free on $100,000 unsecured bail after being charged earlier this month with selling the proceeds of a Jan. 5, 2017, armed robbery of the AT&T store, 3859 Nazareth Pike, Bethlehem Township.

Gregory Lewis Jr. and Vaughn Felix are charged in that case and a series of other robberies in the Lehigh Valley region that left two people dead.

The pair allegedly stole 90 devices from the Bethlehem Township store, and Holloman allegedly arranged to sell some of them and used one of the stolen phones.

On Thursday, the 28-year-old Holloman was charged in a second incident -- the Jan. 16 robbery of Cellular Connection at 3075 Tilghman St. in South Whitehall Township.

Northampton County is prosecuting the Lehigh County case.

investigators say in the South Whitehall incident, two armed men came into the store before closing time and loaded up black trash bags with electronics and money.

One of the stolen items had a GPS tracking device, that showed it moving on Route 22 to Easton, according to court records.

Police said they found a stolen car in the 1000 block of Spruce Street in Easton, and inside were multiple black trash bags with the items stolen from South Whitehall.

Investigators said they learned Holloman's phone was near the South Whitehall store around the time of the armed robbery.

Records state Holloman and Felix were in contact that day, and Felix told investigators Holloman served as a "lookout" in another car while the pair robbed the store.

Holloman is accused of robbery, theft, conspiracy and receiving stolen property.

Lewis and Felix are awaiting trial in two counties, on charges stemming from several store robberies, and the killings of 25-year-old Michael Davis on Nov. 21, 2016, in Palmer Township, and 21-year-old Dominic Colona on Dec. 2, 2016, in Reading.

Lewis is scheduled to go to trial in Northampton County in December, and Felix will be tried separately at a later date.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahCassi. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Dozens of beagles rescued from a home in rural Pennsylvania are finding new owners and new homes.

The Lehigh County Humane Society received thousands of inquiries and began accepting adoption applications Thursday.

In a separate investigation linked to another animal-hoarding situation in Lehigh County, more than 250 exotic animals were removed this week from a house in Montgomery County.

Humane Society Police Officer Tracie Graham, left, and Clair Mullins, of the Montgomery County SPCA, take out two large tortoises Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018 from a home in Upper Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. Authorities rescued over 250 animals from the home including more than 100 snakes, as well as several alligators, ferrets, skunks, turtles and at least half a dozen guinea pigs. (Rick Kintzel/The Morning Call via AP | For lehighvalleylive.com)

The Humane Society of Montgomery County tells The Reading Eagle that the animals found in the house in Upper Hanover Township including more than 100 snakes, several alligators, five tortoises, two skunks, at least a dozen ferrets and some guinea pigs.

Some of the animals were dead. Humane Society personnel say others were kept in plastic bins stacked on top of each other and were in poor health. No charges had been filed as of Thursday night.

Robin Royer, a code enforcement officer for Upper Hanover Township, tells The Morning Call in Allentown the Montgomery County home's condition was "deplorable."

Tracie Graham, an officer with the Montgomery County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told the Eagle the residents of the home also own the home in Macungie that was raided earlier this week.

In Macungie, the Lehigh County Humane Society removed about 100 animals ranging from pigs to bearded dragons.

The beagles came from a home in Upper Saucon Township, where a woman had been breeding them without a license before she died last month.

Adoptions were to continue Friday at the Lehigh County Humane Society.

The Morning Call reports the man who owned the house where the dogs were kept has received three citations for animal neglect.

It also reports he was cited Tuesday by the state agriculture department for operating an unlicensed kennel and failing to show proof the dogs were immunized against rabies.

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After an 11th-hour committee vote, Pennsylvania's 2017-18 legislative session appears to have ended without a vote on a bill that would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Passage of House Bill 928 could have ironed out any conflict with the new laws adopted this year in Allentown and Bethlehem making minor marijuana crimes a summary offense punishable by fine, rather than a misdemeanor carrying potential prison time.

The final scheduled voting day of the session on Thursday concluded with a showdown over legislation responding to the grand jury report on child sex abuse cases involving Roman Catholic priests.

No vote was taken on the House bill, sponsored by state Rep. Barry Jozwiak, R-Berks. It would have created summary offenses for possessing less than 30 grams of marijuana or eight grams of hashish.

Currently, possession is treated as a misdemeanor, which carries as much as 30 days in prison and a $500 fine. Jozwiak's bill would have turned the first and second offenses into summary offenses, carrying a maximum fine of $300 and no jail time. A third offense would constitute a misdemeanor.

If the person found with the drug was under 18, in a vehicle, in or around a school or on any school transportation, the bill would provide for an immediate misdemeanor. That person's license could also be suspended after a third offense.

The bill made it out of the House Judiciary Committee on Oct. 9, by a margin of 20-4 with three members not voting. A video of that session was posted to Facebook by the Lehigh Valley chapter of NORML, a group advocating for marijuana legalization and decriminalization.

Andy Hoover, spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, said he didn't expect the proposal to make to Gov. Tom Wolf for his signature this legislative session.

"The fact that it was certainly brought up for consideration is a positive," he said.

The committee vote came eight days before Canada on Oct. 17 became the second country to legalize recreational marijuana use, after Uruguay. Nine states -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington -- plus the District of Columbia have also legalized marijuana use by adults.

New Jersey lawmakers and Gov. Phil Murphy are working to follow suit.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey are also among 31 states with medical marijuana programs, plus D.C.

Jozwiak's bill was similar to two so-called decriminalization ordinances passed this year in the Lehigh Valley.

In Allentown, a city ordinance signed in May made possession of a small amount of marijuana, possession of marijuana paraphernalia or marijuana use a summary offense with a fine as low as $25. A similar measure passed in June in Bethlehem calls for $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second in one calendar year, $100 for a third offense in a year and $150 or up to eight hours' community service for a fourth offense.

Those ordinances resulted in varied approaches because of the differing views of the district attorneys in Lehigh and Northampton counties.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin opposes the local law, calling it unconstitutional and unenforceable because of the existing state law. Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli has maintained support for local laws on possession of a small amount of marijuana.

Allentown police pledged to follow Martin's directive to enforce the stricter state law. Officers in Bethlehem, which is split between Northampton and Lehigh counties, will "use their discretion" on the Northampton side while following Martin's directive on the Lehigh side.

"If this would pass, basically it would bring uniformity again across Pennsylvania," Morganelli said this week, after he was asked about the state bill. "In jurisdictions like Bethlehem, there would be no conflict with state law."

He said his position in the last several years has been to avoid treating marijuana possession "with fingerprints and a mugshot."

Most cases, he said, result in probation or ARD -- a probationary program for people with no prior criminal record, offering a chance to have the charge expunged. Had the Jozwiak bill gone through, "there's no question it would result in less cases in the system, less paperwork," Morganelli said.

Martin said in an interview that his point has always been that "you can't have a local municipality passing ordinances conflicting with state law."

"State law pre-empts any municipal ordinance," he said.

Personally, he was concerned about consequences that looser rules could have for impaired driving. In Lehigh County, "about 24 percent of our impaired drivers are under the influence of marijuana," Martin said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Joe Brandt can be reached at jbrandt@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JBrandt_NJ. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.



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A man injured while cutting down trees Thursday in Warren County was transported by ATV to an ambulance, then flown for treatment, authorities said.

The 52-year-old from Phillipsburg was hurt as he was logging about 2 p.m. at a private residence in the first block of Mill Pond Road in Washington Township, township police Lt. John Kaufmann said.

The victim was conscious while being rushed for treatment at St. Luke's University Hospital, Fountain Hill, according to police.

One of the cut trees fell onto the victim, who was pinned until another person working at the site was able to free him, Kaufmann said.

Atlantic Air One flew the man from the old A&P shopping center off Route 31 North, police said.

Authorities did not immediately release the victim's name.

Assisting Washington Township police were the Washington Township Fire Department, Washington Borough Fire Department, Washington Rescue Squad, Franklin Township Fire Department and paramedics from Hunterdon Medical Center in Raritan Township, according to Kaufmann.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Gardai in Portlaoise are appealing for witnesses following a serious road traffic collision on the M7 Dublin / Cork / Limerick motorway at junction 17 known locally as the Togher roundabout.

The collision occurred on Monday, October 15 at approximately 6pm and involved a male pedestrian and a vehicle. The incident happened on the northbound lane (Dublin/Kildare direction) of the motorway.

The pedestrian (15 years) was seriously injured and taken to Tallaght Hospital where he remains in a critical condition. The male driver of the truck was uninjured.



Investigating Gardai are appealing for witnesses or any drivers/taxi drivers who may have Dash Cam footage who were in the area of M7 motorway at junction 17 at 6pm and also any persons travelling on the Abbeyleix Road, Portlaoise between 5pm and 6pm on Monday evening.

The busy Midway motorway stop is used by many who use the M7 is located just off junction 17.

Anyone who can help is asked to contact Portlaoise Garda Station at 057 - 8674100, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

Pictured below - slipway to the northbound lane of M7.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 19)  Detained Senator Leila de Lima asked the Senate to investigate the alleged appointment of Chinese businessman Michael Yang as President Rodrigo Duterte's economic adviser.

The senator filed Senate Resolution No. 922 on Friday, quoting news reports that the Chinese businessman from Davao City was using the Malacanang seal on his business cards, where he allegedly identified himself as "Presidential Economic Adviser."

"In conformity with the requirement exacted from public officers to at all times maintain allegiance and loyalty to the Philippines, there is a need to inquire into the citizenship of presidential appointees as public office held by a foreign national is inimical to the public interest and welfare," de Lima wrote in a media statement.

Duterte denied he has appointed Yang, citing he is not even a Filipino citizen.

"Cannot be because he's a Chinese," Duterte said on October 9.

De Lima said if Yang is using the name of the President without his consent, he should be held liable.

When asked about the possible Senate probe, Malacanang said it would not intervene.

"The President does not interfere with a co-equal branch of government. Neither does he interfere with the functions and duties of its members," Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in text message to reporters.

"The Senate has its own protocol of inviting resource persons. The President has nothing to with that," he added.

Duterte earlier cleared the businessman who was tagged as an alleged drug pusher. He said Yang's links to Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jinhua and Chinese Premier Le Keqiang is proof he is not into the drug trade.
Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) has confirmed a serious arson attack occurred at the home of Mr Dara OReilly its Chief Financial Officer at around 11pm on Wednesday, October 17.

The attack occurred shortly after the family had retired for the night at the family home in Butlersbridge, Co. Cavan.

The incident involved a petrol-torching of the family car which was parked within feet of the rear of family home, below the bedroom windows where Mr OReilly and his wife and two young children had retired for the night.

The rear of the home sustained some damage from the intense heat of the burning vehicle but further damage was contained by the prompt action of the Fire Service. Gardai were in attendance and a criminal investigation is now underway.

The incident follows a campaign of threats and intimidation against senior management of QIH by persons who had sought the return of Sean Quinn to the company. Recent intimidation includes an arson attack on a tyre factory owned by a senior manager at QIH.

Commenting Mr OReilly said, "My family and I are still in shock, but our overriding emotion is one of relief that we all managed to get out safely and of appreciation to the emergency services whose speed of response saved our home."

QIH chairman, Mr Adrian Barden described the incident as, "Beyond the pale and a shocking attack on Mr OReillys family and on a peaceful and hardworking community. We have previously warned that a continuation of these attacks will result in injuries or fatalities and we call on those with influence or knowledge of those engaged in these criminal actions to speak out.

"Notwithstanding this intimidation QIH reaffirms our commitment to continuing investment and growth in the region, assisted by the incredible support and commitment of our 830 locally based staff."

Given the ongoing criminal investigation neither QIH nor Mr OReilly have any further comment.
David ODwyer was instructed to return to Court with 300 for the Saint Vincent de Paul when he appeared before last weeks sitting of Manorhamilton District Court.

Gda Conor McDonagh gave evidence of arrest, charge and caution with Insp Denis Harrington giving summary evidence against the defendant.

Insp Harrington said on the weekend of March 24, 2018 building work was ongoing at the Abbey Manor Hotel, Dromahair and when workers returned the following Monday it was noticed that a wacker plate and a generator were missing.

From investigations a suspicious vehicle was identified and the defendant was subsequently located and it was arranged for the property to be returned.

Defending solicitor Kieran Ryan said the defendant has an unblemished record.

Mr Ryan added, He was doing work on the premises and took the items as collateral. He made a full and frank admission that he took them. I dont believe hell ever appear in Court again. It is one of those things he acted foolishly and is extremely remorseful.

Addressing the court, Mr ODwyer Cornashamogue, Drumshanbo said that he wasnt being paid for the work he had carried out.

I didnt have any use for a wacker plate. I took it as collateral.

Judge Kevin P Kilrane adjourned matters until November 14 for the payment of 300 to the local branch of St Vincent de Paul.

It was indicated if the money is paid charges against Mr ODwyer will be struck out.
North West Hospice today open a new Charity Shop at Quay Street, Sligo specialising in furniture and also retailing clothing, household and much more.

The large unit is situated near to Garys Cycles and next door to the Polish shop on Quay Street and from 10am  5pm Monday to Saturday.

Donations of good quality furniture, clothing, household items, toys and brick-a-brack are all welcome but no electrical items please. The shop is the first venture of its kind for North West Hospice in Sligo and follows on from the opening of their first Charity Shop in Carrick-on-Shannon in July 2017.

Speaking about the opening of the new Charity Shop, Nuala Ginnelly, North West Hospice Manager said, "We are thrilled to open our first charity shop in Sligo Town. A huge amount of work has gone into preparing the shop and it is thanks to our wonderful volunteers and donations from the generous people of Sligo we are able to do this.

"The demand for North West Hospice Services is increasing annually as is the cost to grow our services to meet this demand. The aim of this new Charity Shop venture is to help us raise the vital funds needed to fund our growing services. We know that the people of the North West will support this shop and that the funds raised will help us ensure our services are there into the future for all who may need them."

North West Hospice is still appealing for donations for their new shop, particularly furniture, which can be dropped between 10am and 5pm Monday to Saturday. Please contact North West Hospice on (087) 0639659 or fundraise@northwesthospice.ie for more information.

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The Rooskey access roundabout is "in a terrible state" and has to be addressed by the TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland).

Cllr Finola Armstrong-McGuire highlighted the "very poor state" of the roundabout accessing Rooskey from the N4.

"As a Leitrim person I am not proud to see that (the Rooskey roundabout) as an introduction to our county, she said at the Carrick-on-Shannon Municipal District meeting.

"The issue could be addressed by applying some very simply landscaping to the roundabout. At the moment it looks awful."

A spokesperson for the Council noted the roundabout is actually in Co Longford adding that Cllr Armstrong-McGuire's concerns will be passed on to Longford County Council.

Cllr Des Guckian agreed the roundabout was in a bad state asking what response the Council has received from Longford County Council on this matter.

We haven't received a reply. We will pass on the concerns raised and we will pass on the reply to that when we get it, Senior Engineer for Roads, Shay O'Connor, told Cllr Guckian.

I have raised this before. (This) has to be faced up by to by somebody. We have to keep the boot down on some people to get this done, observed Cllr Guckian, who also pointed out that a car had recently crashed through the middle of the Dromod roundabout.

District Engineer, Darragh O'Boyle said he had been in contact with Longford about the Rooskey roundabout and said they were hoping to apply for funds from the TII.

Perhaps we can do a joint application and include the Dromod roundabout in that as well? he suggested.

Speaking to the Leitrim Observer following the meeting, Cathaoirleach Cllr Sean McGowan said he fully supported Cllr Armstrong-McGuires motion and was calling for funding to provided for both the Rooskey and Dromod roundabouts.

Cllr McGowan said that he has been raising this on a regular basis since the bypass was opened, stating that both roundabouts were too high, they were impossible to maintain and that it was extremely dangerous to carry out any maintenance on them.

He said works are needed to remove a lot of the material on the roundabouts in order to leave a much lower, low- maintenance roundabout.

"If funding is secured the Tidy Towns groups in both Rooskey and Dromod should be consulted to get their views on what type of finish they would like to see on each of the roundabouts," he said.

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SUPERINTENDENT John Deasy has this week taken over as head of the Newcastle West garda district.

Supt Deasy, who has most recently worked in Cork city, replaces Supt Eamon ONeill who has been transferred to Roxboro Road garda station in the city after Supt Fearghal Pattwell moved to Listowel.

Supt Deasy will be based at Newcastle West garda station, which is due to close early next year ahead of a major refurbishment project.

The appointment of Supt Deasy is one of a number of changes across the Limerick garda division following a recent spate of promotions, transfers and retirements.

I am very pleased to be assigned the role and responsibilities of district officer in Newcastle West. I look forward to leading a proactive and efficient policing response that serves the needs of the community, Supt Deasy told the Limerick Leader.

I am also looking forward to meeting and engaging with the local community, various groups and stakeholders that we serve. I believe my experience to date has given me a broad knowledge of policing which I will endeavour to bring to my new role in the Newcastle West garda district. he added.

The newly-appointed superintendent joined An Garda Siochana in 1989 and having initially served in Dublin and Waterford he was transferred to Cork City Division in 1991.

He served in Cork City and its environs as a garda and sergeant in various roles before being promoted to the rank of Inspector in 2009.

He has been assigned to both the Cork North Division and Cork City Division since his promotion to inspector where he has filled operational, administrative and court prosecution roles.

Following the recent promotion of 19 Limerick-based gardai, there have been major changes across the Limerick garda division this week.

Those who were promoted have taken up their new roles while a number of gardai and sergeants have transferred from other parts of the country to garda stations in Limerick.

Seamus Nolan has been appointed as Detective Superintendent for the Limerick Division following the recent retirement of Det Supt Jim Ryan.

Inspector Padraig Byrnes, who has responsibility for the divisional Roads Policing Unit, has transferred to Roxboro Road garda station following his appointment as detective inspector.

Three new detective sergeants have also been appointed by Chief Superintendent Gerard Roche.

Sgt Ted Riordan will be based in the Bruff garda district while the other detective sergeant roles are in the city.

The Newcastle West garda district, which runs from Abbeyfeale to Croom incorporates towns and villages such as Newcastle West, Glin, Rathkeale, Adare, Ballingarry, Askeaton, Foynes and Pallaskenry.

Several national roads pass through the vast garda district such as the N69, the N21 and part of the N20.
THE LATE Joe Taylor was a man who stood out from the crowd said friend, Eamonn Gleeson.

Joe, from Monemore, Knocklong, passed away after an illness in June. He was only 52. His family and friends have joined together to organise a memorial cross country ride for the gifted horseman.

It takes place in Knockcarron, Knocklong this Sunday, October 21 at noon. Some are even travelling from England. All funds raised will go to Milford Hospice.

Joe was very well known in hunting and farming circles as he was involved with the Scarteen Hunt for 17 years, as well as running a very successful suckler herd on his home farm.

He was just a real down to earth man. He loved hunting and doing the thing right. He just stood out from the crowd, any time anyone ever came here he did his very best for them. He was very welcoming, said Eamonn, from Dromkeen.

On Sunday there will be a jumping course and non-jumping ride in the scenic countryside for all ages.

If you have a horse come along on the day and bring your money. People are coming from all over Ireland and England as well to take part.

A lot of people are just coming to support it as well. There will be a bucket collection, a raffle and refreshments on the day, said Eamonn. It is 100 to take part in the jumping ride and 50 in the non jumping ride.

Months of hard work have been put in by the organising committee to ensure its success and to celebrate the life of Joe. Married to Maria, they had one son, Mark.

Eamonn thanked local landowners for kind permission to use their land.

Only for them we wouldnt be doing it. We are very fortunate to have such good and loyal land owners to allow us run this event in Joe's memory and to help give something back to management and staff off Milford Hospice for what they have done for so many people. We all know the top class care they give to people in need of it in our area, said Eamonn.

For more information log onto the Joe Taylor memorial cross country ride in aid of Milford Hospice Facebook page. All welcome in Knockarron, Knocklong this Sunday.
TWO whistleblowers from the University of Limericks finance department have urged the Minister for Education to intervene in their ongoing dispute with the university.

Almost a year after UL first lifted the suspensions of two staff members who raised concerns about financial practices, the employees known as Persons B and C have yet to return to work.

Persons B and C, who will be put on half-pay next month by UL unless there is a resolution to their situation, have called on new Minister for Education Joe McHugh to familiarise himself with their case and take action.

Id like for the Minister to really hear us and to see us on a human level, Person B told the Limerick Leader this week.

I would really like to be heard and listened to. To sit down and actually have a proper conversation, Person C said.

To hear me, my voice, and look at how this has impacted on me and look to see how he can resolve this.

The whistleblowers say that the process to facilitate their return to work in different roles was abruptly terminated in July by UL, when they were instructed to return to their previous department. Both women say they are too fearful to return to the old jobs. UL has long since replaced them in the finance department.

In response to enquiries from the Leader, a UL spokesperson said the university continues to work through the procedures and processes laid down for resolving HR issues in the public sector.

The staff who were previously suspended from the workplace have been encouraged to return to the workplace. This process of mediation and due process began last November, 2017, when UL lifted a suspension on two employees.

The Leader contacted UL about Persons B and C this Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning, Person C received a letter by email from the office of the UL president, informing her that the university had identified a redeployment opportunity for her in a different department from November 1. Person C said the letter made no reference to the numerous issues that remain unresolved.

I dont think they have any understanding of what me and Person B have been through for more than three years, or the effect this has had on our mental health.

I dont feel like I will be supported and unfortunately I dont feel welcome after everything that has gone on. I find this situation extremely difficult and I have a child to look after. For that reason I am still calling on the Minister for Education to help sort this out once and for all.
A GENEROUS mum has donated fantastic prizes to Patrickswell GAA Clubs annual parish league in memory of her son.

Jacob Fitzgerald was born on September 12, 2000, but tragically died a day later from a heart condition. His mum, Peggy, from Corbally has since raised over 50,000 for Crumlin Childrens Hospital in baby Jacobs name.

Now Peggy is supporting Patrickswell GAA Club because her grandchildren Andrew and Sophie OBrien play with the club. Peggy has donated a 32 inch smart TV, a 7 inch tablet and 100 voucher for Patrickswell club gear as prizes for their raffle in memory of Jacob. Peggy also plans to give equipment to the club. The parish league is on this Sunday, October 21 from 11.30am.

Jacob sadly passed away on his sisters Denises 14th birthday.

The reason mum is doing it for Patrickswell is because my son and my daughter play for Patrickswell, said Denise. She wanted to do it for a club and what better one to do it for than one her family are using.

The family approached Louse ODonnell in the club and she suggested the parish league because is involves children.

What better day than the parish league where all the kids are going to enjoy it and all the adults as well, said Denise. She says her mum would have been organising an 18th birthday party for Jacob last month, so instead decided to spend the money by making other people happy.

Raffle tickets, 5, are available from from Tony O'Briens Pharmacy, McDermotts Gala store and Klassy Cuts or from any club members. Jeannette Ferguson thanked the Fitzgerald family for their incredible generosity.

The parish league is an annual event in Patrickswell and is kindly sponsored by O'Briens Pharmacy. The league is set up each year for players 11 and under  boys and girls - and is done on a round robin format, said Jeannette.
AS part of a European-wide celebration of the Erasmus+ programme, the Ambassador of France to Ireland visited Limericks third level institutes for a diverse showcase of Limericks third level institutes.

French Ambassador Stephane Crouzat visited the University of Limerick (UL), Mary Immaculate College (MIC), the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) and the LIT Limerick School of Art and Design on Friday October 12 as part of Erasmus Days 2018.

The two-day annual event aims to promote the importance of youth mobility and European Union citizenship throughout EU member states.

Limerick is a fantastic place, very vibrant, Mr Crouzat said of this first official visit to the city.

I was struck to see how many French students are here, doing all sorts of different programmes. We met a student in law, there was a dancer, an economics student; there is quite a variety, he added.

I was lucky to visit the University of Limerick as well as Limerick Institute of Technology. I visited Mary Immaculate College as well, where I saw a wonderful little Franco-German house which welcomes graduate PhD students from both France and Germany.

We went to the Irish World Academy (at UL) where there was an event to celebrate Erasmus and its vibrancy and diversity. Lots of students presented their music, which they shared with the public.

At the Limerick School of Art and Design, the ambassador viewed an art exhibition, showcasing 22 binational families who met through an Erasmus exchange.

We visited the Limerick School of Art and Design to see a wonderful exhibition, which is called European Unions, Mr Crouzat explained.

It is all about Franco or Irish or Norwegian or German couples, who met thanks to Erasmus.

We reckon about a million babies have been born thanks to the Erasmus programme, so we have what we call the Erasmus babies throughout Europe! It's a really lovely idea to showcase these.

What is great about Erasmus is that it joins Europeans together in a concrete way, he added.

Students share this incredible experience, sometimes it's the first time they go away for a long time and a lot of them have found their life long partners.
UP to 60 investors who were given personal guarantees by property developer and former Irish rugby team manager Pat Whelan over a failed multi million euro property investment scheme are to receive a tiny fraction of their money back as part of a insolvency arrangement.

It is estimated that each of the investors, including former Ireland and Munster captain Paul OConnell, will receive an average of just 76 despite having invested a combined 1.5 million.

The group had been asked to invest in a 13.4 million mezzanine finance scheme to fund a property development at Londons Earls Court ahead of the London Olympics in 2012.

Mezzanine financing is a hybrid of debt and equity financing that gives the lender the right to convert to an equity interest in the company in case of default.

Pat Whelan, who lives at OConnell Avenue in the city, agreed a personal insolvency arrangement (PIA) with his creditors earlier this year, under which they will be paid dividends of just under 390,000.

According to the PIA, the 67-year-old, who wishes to return to solvency, owed more than 133m when he sought protection.

The largest creditor was the National Assets Management Agency (Nama) , which was owed about 120m.

The PIA, which was approved by creditors in June and by the High Court in July states that Whelan got into financial difficulties due to the economic downturn and recession.

The value of his assets were dramatically reduced during this time and the banks withdrew all of their financial support to his respective companies, it states.

Debts began to mount and Patrick was in a position whereby his income had suffered as a direct result and his companies could not discharge the debts as and when they fell due. As a result, his creditors were left with no position but to secure judgements against his properties and since have repossessed all of his assets since to recoup monies owed to them, it adds.

Secured creditors have taken possession of his assets and the arrangement lists lands at Ardhu, Ennis Road and Clonmacken in Limerick and at Ashford, Co Wicklow, that are in receivership and likely to be sold. The lands are valued at 16.5m.

According to the PIA documents seen by the Limerick Leader, Pat Whelans car  an An Audi A4  was not included as it is required for work and personal usage.

His executive pension policy which is valued at 1.286 million was also excluded from the PIA as Mr Whelan does not have access to this pension for the term of the Personal Insolvency Arrangement.

The PIA also indicated Pat Whelan was to receive a 400,000 loan from a well-known Limerick businessman.

However, its not known if that loan actually materialised as proposed in the document.

According to the PIA, Pat Whelan is a director of 15 different companies.

He has no beneficial interest in 14 of the companies and while he owns a 50% share in John Whelan Project Management Limited, the market value of his shareholding was listed as 1 as the company has made consecutive losses for two years running.

A letter sent to the 60 investors by Sweeney McGann Solicitors in recent days confirms that the Personal Insolvency Proposal was approved earlier this year.

It states the total amount payable is 4,851.48 and that the money will be distributed once received.

We have not received this sum yet and when we do I will divide it out, the amounts are likely to be small, states the letter.

I know the final settlement is disappointing but unfortunately there are no more recovery options available in this case, it adds.

According to the PIA documentation, Pat Whelans monthly income in April was 4,814.21.

A figure of 1,073.05 was proposed, in the PIA, to cover reasonable living expenses with the remainder going towards the settlement.

Patrick has a good salary but he would never be in a position to pay down the amassed debt and he would like to offer a once off lump sum settlement to his creditors in full and final settlement, states the PIA document.
A LIMERICK mother-of-six says she and her children have nowhere to go this weekend after being forced to leave the hotel they call home, as it is booked out for a big rugby match.

Aisling Bond, 32, Garryowen, says she fears her children have been institutionalised due to the jail like conditions of emergency accommodation.

Ms Bond, 32 told the Limerick Leader she feels hopeless after she was told she would have to leave the room she shares with her five daughters for the next three Saturdays in a row as all rooms are fully booked.

I need someone to speak for me, Ms Bond said. I need this to be highlighted.

We have to move out on Friday so they can get the rooms ready for Saturday. It's the same four days before Christmas and the week after Christmas as well.

Ms Bond and her five daughters, who are between the age of 10 and one, share a hotel room which includes a double-bed, a single-bed and a mattress on the floor.

Her 16-year old son lives with relatives.

As of this Thursday, Ms Bond had not sourced alternative accommodation but has been in contact with homelessness services. She told the Limerick Leader she hopes a room can be sourced.

Living in a hotel room with her five daughters has put a lot of pressure on her, she added.

Youre not sleeping at night time, youre waking up. You have no facilities, nowhere to cook. You cant bring children out at certain times. Youre storing your milk in sinks. Youre washing your clothes in a bath. Thats not living at all.

Theres nowhere for the children to play. Its like jail. Thats what it's like. My children are institutionalised because they come home from school and they are just stuck in the room.

I try to make things happy for my children. Everything is a mess, everything is a joke and they are doing grand in school. I dont let them see me upset.

After she drops her children to school in the city, Ms Bond says she attends Mass in St Johns daily.

Its the only place that wont throw you out.

Families living in emergency accommodation in Limerick often face this issue when hotels are fully booked, according to Limerick homelessness charity Novas.

We work a lot with people who are affected by having to move from hotel to hotel, Una Burns, Novas' head of policy and communications, said.

It often happens, it's not an unusual event sadly.

A spokesperson for Limerick City and County Council said that the Limerick Homeless Action Team has not been informed that anyone living in emergency accommodation must move this weekend.

This has happened in the past, unfortunately due to demand in hotels, but supports were provided to assist those who needed to move in order to ensure accommodation.

Emergency accommodation is available for families and we continue to work with families on a daily basis to ensure transitions are successful.

It has been recognised that the country is dealing with a housing crisis at present, the spokesperson added.

Limerick City and County Council endeavours to house individuals as soon as practicably possible.

More than 100 new social houses were recently approved by councillors, the spokesperson added.

A number of private developments, which will include elements of social housing, which are being constructed around Limerick.

These projects include elements of social housing, the spokesperson added.
A REFORMED heroin addict has been hailed a leader for our city by the Metropolitan Mayor of Limerick for his extensive efforts in tackling his own addiction and advocating for victims of homelessness and drug misuse.

Mayor Daniel Butler made the comments about OMalley Park man Ger Lynch at the launch of Novas new headquarters on OConnell Street and its annual report on Friday morning.

As youth homelessness increases Novas presents a passionate and caring approach to supporting people through housing, health and recovery. Their annual report, launched today, should be mandatory reading for every member of government. #Limerick pic.twitter.com/0q58u4Rbkd October 19, 2018

The 32-year-old father-of-seven, who spoke to the Limerick Leader about his addiction struggles in September, delivered a strong speech in front politicians, outreach workers and Novas management.

Novas CEO launching the annual report this morning, highlighting the expansion of Housing First by Novas in Limerick and Kerry with @countykerry and @LimerickCouncil pic.twitter.com/x37AAS2zMm  Novas (@novasireland) October 19, 2018

Its very easy to run away, but its a lot more gratifying to stand and say: I am not doing this anymore. I dont have to do this anymore. [Novas] really energised me. It took me from a place of darkness where there was no light--not even a pin prick. There was no light. To all of a sudden being surrounded by light, by nothing but hope. You enter into a building so hopeless that you think that this is where I am going to end up being carried out of a box, to exiting with a new, energised life.

He thanked his partner Serena for being the foundation of his recovery.

I was a vessel for drugs. I wasnt a person. And just the lads having confidence in me, it really made me see me as somebody who can give back. Somebody that can help, Ger concluded.

McGarry House was the place I thought I was going to die...but it was a stepping stone to recovery pic.twitter.com/pEQxumpkTX  Novas (@novasireland) October 19, 2018

As @DanielButlerFG said you are now a leader in our community Ger. We NEED leaders with lived experience to ensure we eradicate stigma, discrimination & above all complacency.  https://t.co/A40lC5qncO  Anne Cronin (@AnneCronin5) October 19, 2018

Mayor Butler commended the staff and service users of Novas, which was established in 2002, and praised Mr Lynch for his recovery.

You have become a voice for people who have no voice. You have become a leader for our city. Not just for the citizens who are affected by homelessness, but every citizen in this city, he said on Friday.
MORE scandals like the CervicalCheck controversy will continue to occur if legislation is not put in place, Vicky Phelan warned politicians at a civic reception on Thursday evening.

Dr Phelan, the woman responsible for exposing the CervicalCheck scandal, was honoured for campaign and advocacy efforts for hundreds of women at a civic reception at Limerick County Hall in Dooradoyle.

Ahhh thanks @LorcallWalsh A fabulous evening was had. Still in my PJs this morning https://t.co/HtywtAJCQV  Vicky Phelan (@PhelanVicky) October 19, 2018

Before she took to the podium to address more than 60 family and friends from all walks of her Limerick life, Mayor James Collins described Vicky as our greatest hero.

Speaking on her campaign activity, Vicky said: My heart takes over.

When you are so passionate about something, it never really clicked with me before. My sister always wanted to be a hairdresser, and I envied her because she knew since she was seven that she wanted to be a hairdresser. I never knew what I wanted to be. I dont think I ever found my niche. But I have now. If someone told me that this is what I was going to be doing, I never would have believed you. But I certainly feel that this is what I was put on this Earth for.

Dr Vicky Phelan: This is what I feel I have been put on this Earth for.



As usual, Vicky delivering another powerful, inspirational speech, during her civic reception at Limerick County Hall @Limerick_Leader pic.twitter.com/iUyLwPlWLW  Fintan Walsh (@FintanYTWalsh) October 18, 2018

She described to the audience, carrying out her own research into trial drugs, while being too ill to leave the bed.

She said after she was informed that she had just months to live, she was told to go home and get my affairs in order.

It is an awful indictment on our country that I had to research all the information. Nobody gave me any help. I did it all myself at a time when I was very, very ill. I was sitting at home on a laptop, very sick, not able to get out of bed. But I had no choice.

She said she is now using her 2.5m High Court settlement and the moneys raised by her community to help fund a position who will research trial drugs for people who are given a terminal diagnosis.

What I do want to ask, because I have all of the elected representatives here in one place, is that as the Mayor said earlier onand I am delighted to hear that you support my callthat we need accountability in this country.

She said that she has not backed a commission of inquiry because she said no one is going to be held accountable for the garda disclosures tribunal.

Until we actually have legislation in this country to make people accountable, across the public service, not just in health, but in the civil service, the gardai, anywhere where people are working for the public service, there should be accountability.

In order for that to happen, there needs to be legislation, which we dont have. That is something I would really like to see happen, and I would really ask all the elected representatives here today to help me to push for that to happen. Because, otherwise, we are going to have scandal after scandal after scandal and nothing will change, she said firmly, which was met with applause from the audience.

It was my privilege. Thank you for honouring me with a civic reception and for welcoming me and my family and friends to your beautiful chambers. It is a day that I will cherish Xxx https://t.co/CFx9UzyY2Z  Vicky Phelan (@PhelanVicky) October 19, 2018

Mayor Collins said: You faced death and lived with bravery, belief, and a selfless determination to espouse the rights and improve the lives of others. In so doing, you have honoured every citizen of Limerick. I am honoured and humbled as Mayor to be able to afford you this civic reception.
Oct 18, 2018, 12 PM

This 50th anniversary stamp club souvenir was produced by the Springfield Stamp Club in 1945, using a block of nine  Prexie stamps. Which Springfield had a stamp club that was established in 1895?

The Newfoundland stamp showing a Newfoundland dog seems to be the model for the Springfield Stamp Clubs seal. Why was that dog adopted for the seal?

This cover solves the mystery of the location of the Springfield Stamp Club.

U.S. Stamp Notes  By John M. Hotchner

In this column in the March 12 issue of Linns, I illustrated a 50th anniversary souvenir released in 1945 by the Springfield Stamp Club. But the souvenir card does not say where Springfield is.

There are a lot of towns named Springfield in the United States  according, to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names there are 33. So, I asked Linns readers if they could identify the Springfield club that was celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1945.

The image above shows the souvenir card with the Springfield Stamp Clubs seal handstamped in the center of the  Benjamin Franklin stamp (Scott 803) of the 1938 Presidential, or Prexie, issue.

The clubs seal includes the year the club was founded, 1895, and an image of a dog.

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Shortly after the column appeared, a Linns reader pointed me to the cover with the clubs seal on it that was being offered on eBay (second image above). Canceled on May 12, 1951, in Springfield, Mass., it solves the riddle.

Now there is a new mystery. Why is there a dog in the center of the club seal? Part of the answer undoubtedly tracks to the appearance of the same dog on Newfoundlands 1887-96  definitives, one of which is depicted in the third image above. But why was it chosen, and does the Newfoundland stamp have a connection to the club?

Robert W. Clark of Longmeadow, Mass., provided some background information on the Springfield, Mass., club. He reported that it is the second oldest stamp club in continuous operation in the United States today, second only to the Garfield-Perry Stamp Club in Cleveland, Ohio, formed in 1890.

In addition to Clark, I want to acknowledge and thank Linns readers Jim Drummond and E.J. Guerrant who also wrote in with useful information.
It appears that a high school student in Davis, California, baked her grandfather's ashes into sugar cookies and gave them out at school on Oct. 4. Yes, people ate them. And, yes, this is a real news story. It was reported in the Los Angeles Times. Apparently, some of the sugar-cookie-eaters knew about the ashes in the sugar cookies before they ate the sugar cookies. Again, this is a real news story.

Sit with that for a moment.

It's probably a pretty good guess that most folks would agree that baking a dead person's ashes into sugar cookies and then feeding those crematory confections to teenagers is a bad thing to do. [9 Disgusting Things That the FDA Allows in Your Food]

But how bad is it really, at least from a health perspective?

Live Science reached out to microbiologist Rolf Halden, director of the Center for Environmental Health Engineering at Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute and an expert in environmental contamination, for an answer to that question.

Halden said he didn't want to comment on this case in particular  Davis police are investigating the incident  but shared his views on the practice of baking cremated human remains (or "cremains") into sugar cookies and feeding those sugar cookies to other human beings.

It turns out that in some circumstances, this might not be much of a problem  at least in terms of making the cookie-eaters sick. (Whether it's an ethical problem is another issue.)

"Cremation essentially mineralizes the human body and produces ashes that are rich in carbon and not much of a health concern," Halden said.

So, the ash isn't toxic, and it's not like it would carry any diseases.

"Proper cremation will remove all infectious properties of the remains, thus allowing people to take the ashes home and store them in living spaces," he added.

That doesn't mean there are no possible dangers.

"The one potential concern worthy of consideration would be heavy metals, as can be found particularly in tooth fillings," he said.

But even that probably wouldn't pose a problem, Halden added, because those materials are often removed from the ashes after cremation, and also because you'd need to consume a lot of them for them to pose a significant danger.

So, the verdict on eating sugar cookies with someone's grandfather's ashes in them from a purely health and safety perspective? It's probably no big deal.

But one of the teenagers who ate one of the cookies told the Los Angeles Times that the ashes looked like "tiny gray flecks" and had a texture of sand "crunching in between your teeth."

So, you know, maybe avoid that.

Originally published on Live Science.
A recently hatched "flapling" <i>Pterodactylus</i> (skull at top, wing to right) died, perhaps on its maiden flight, and was buried in muds at the bottom of a lagoon 150 million years ago in what is now Bavaria, Germany. The specimen is now housed at the Natural History Museum in London.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  In a scientific ode to pterosaurs  the extraordinary, flying reptiles that lived during the dinosaur age  paleontologists have pieced together a biopic of sorts. It details what would happen to a pterosaur from the moment its egg was laid to its last dying breath.

This research is the culmination of decades of findings about these ancient flyers.

"Some amazing new finds, in China and Argentina, of eggs and embryos over the last 14 years have provided incredible insights into pterosaur reproduction and growth  something that we could never have predicted back in the 20th century," study lead researcher David Unwin, a reader in paleobiology at the University of Leicester in England, told Live Science. [Photos: Ancient Pterosaur Eggs & Fossils Uncovered in China]

Unwin presented the research, which has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, here at the 78th annual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting yesterday (Oct. 17).

Each pterosaurs' story began with its parents; its mother had paired oviducts (just like crocodilians, turtles, lizards and snakes), the tube the egg passes through, which allowed mama pterosaur to lay soft-shelled, oval-shaped, relatively small eggs. These eggs were then likely buried in the moist ground, where they wouldn't dry out.

"They incubated for probably a long time," Unwin told Live Science. Once the babies hatched, they had well-developed skeletons and flight membranes, as well as skeletal proportions that were similar to those of adult pterosaurs, indicating that the newborns could likely fly right away, he said.

This point, however, is contentious among scientists who study pterosaurs. Some researchers think that the hatchlings needed time to develop their flight muscles before taking to the skies.

It was likely difficult for pterosaur infants to walk on land, because all four of their limbs were connected to the wing membrane, said Edina Prondvai, a postdoctoral student of biology at Ghent University in Belgium, who wasn't involved with the research. "So, it must have been very important for them to fly off as soon as possible after hatching, because they had to find food [and] they had to avoid predators," she told Live Science.

Even so, some species of pterosaurs likely needed time to develop before flapping away, although some species may have completed this development sooner than others, Prondvai said.

As for whether mom and pop pterosaurs took care of their young, the jury is still out. "We have no evidence of parental care, which means they might have received parental care," but it's just not preserved in the fossil record, Unwin said.

Dinnertime

Regarding pterosaur dinnertime, a new analysis of pterosaur teeth by Jordan Bestwick, a doctoral student of paleontology at the University of Leicester, shows that these beasts ate a medley of snacks. He looked at tooth wear from 13 pterosaur species and compared the wear marks to the chips and scratches on the teeth of modern reptiles. Bestwick found that different species chomped down on different meals, including both vertebrates, such as fish, and invertebrates, such as insects.

One pterosaur in particular, the Jurassic-age, 150-million-year-old Rhamphorhynchus, seems to have preferred invertebrates, such as beetles, in its youth and vertebrates, such as fish, in adulthood, Bestwick found. He presented his research, which is not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, today (Oct. 18) at the conference. [Photos of Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs]

Unwin has also investigated pterosaur growth rates by looking at the growth rings in the animals' bones (which were laid down like tree rings as the creatures grew up). He also looked at Rhamphorhynchus and Pterodaustro pterosaur fossils from across the creatures' life spans, from when they were hatchlings to when they were adults. He found that these animals grew slowly; pterosaurs weighing just 4 lbs. to 5.5 lbs. (2 to 2.5 kilograms) put on just 0.03 ounces (1 gram) a day, and it took these winged creatures several years to reach full size.

It's likely that most of the energy pterosaurs consumed went to flying and hunting, rather than growing, Unwin said. Pterosaurs like Rhamphorhynchus likely lived about 7 to 10 years, but a giant pterosaur, such as Quetzalcoatlus, may have lived a whopping 100 years. However, more research is needed to say for sure, Unwin noted.

To double-check his work, Unwin compared his calculated pterosaur growth rates with those of living reptiles. Pterosaurs fit right in with those animals, he found, as other reptile babies also take their time to reach full size. In contrast, baby birds, which are heavily cared for by their parents, grow much faster, reaching adult size in months, if not weeks, rather than years, Unwin said.

"Pterosaurs reproduced and grew in the same way as living reptiles, such as lizards and crocodiles, not like birds or bats as has long been thought," he said.

These findings "throw up a paradox," Unwin said, because pterosaurs' reproductive biology and growth rates "are quite unlike those of modern flyers, birds and bats, which have relatively high and constant body temperatures. By contrast, it seems that the physiology of pterosaurs was more like that of modern reptiles than birds or bats."

So, how did pterosaurs power their highly energetic flight? That remains a mystery, Unwin said.

"Pterosaurs were unique and had unique solutions to the energetic demands of flight," he said. "What they [the solutions] were, we have yet to discover."

Originally published on Live Science.
While the ice shelf's "music" is played at a frequency that isn't audible to human ears, the researchers were able to eavesdrop using seismic sensors, they wrote in a new study.

When they listened to recordings gathered over two years on the ice shelf, they found that the ice was almost constantly "singing" at a frequency of 5 hertz  five cycles per second  its doleful hum generated by the blowing of regional and local winds. They also learned that features of its song changed in response to events that affected the surface snow and ice, such as storms that shifted snow dunes' positions, or excessive melting. [Photos: Diving Beneath Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf]

Scientists detected the vibration unexpectedly; they had installed 34 seismic sensors, on the Ross Ice Shelf from 2014 to 2017, to monitor other aspects of ice shelf behavior. But when they reviewed the readings, they noticed that the topmost snow layer was vibrating practically all the time from the active winds that whipped over its uneven surface, causing a seismic hum.

On the Ross Ice Shelf, the largest ice shelf in Antarctica, scientists are eavesdropping on the ice as it "sings." (Image credit: Michael Van Woert, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) NESDIS, ORA)

"Its kind of like you're blowing a flute, constantly, on the ice shelf," lead study author Julien Chaput, a geophysicist and mathematician at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, said in a statement.

The pitch of the hum also changed subtly under certain conditions; after powerful storms altered the shape of the snow dunes, and when a warming event in January 2016 led to surface melt, they reported in the study.

Researchers lay the conduit that connects the seismometer to the solar power system (background) and recording components at a Ross Ice Shelf seismic station. (Image credit: Rick Aster)

Monitoring the "song" of the ice shelf could allow scientists to track shifts in surface ice remotely, and practically in real time. This could help them piece together a more complete picture of ice shelf stability, and it could raise an early red flag if the shelf becomes vulnerable to collapse, the study authors concluded.

"Basically, what we have on our hands is a tool to monitor the environment, really  and its impact on the ice shelf," Chaput said in the statement.

The findings were published online Oct. 16 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Originally publishedon Live Science.
Look at that iceberg. It's beautiful. Perfectly rectangular. An object of near geometric perfection jutting into a polar sea of the usual squiggly, chaotic randomness of the natural world. It calls to mind the monolith from "2001: A Space Odyssey."

But, unlike the monolith from that very weird movie, this iceberg was not deposited on this world by space aliens. Instead, as Kelly Brunt, an ice scientist with NASA and at the University of Maryland, explained, it was likely formed by a process that's fairly common along the edges of icebergs.

"So, here's the deal," Brunt told Live Science. "We get two types of icebergs: We get the type that everyone can envision in their head that sank the Titanic, and they look like prisms or triangles at the surface and you know they have a crazy subsurface. And then you have what are called 'tabular icebergs.'" [In Photos: Huge Icebergs Break Off Antarctica]

Tabular icebergs are wide and flat, and long, like sheet cake, Brunt said. They split from the edges of ice shelves  large blocks of ice, connected to land but floating in the water surrounding iced-over places like Antarctica. This one came from the crumbling Larsen C ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Tabular icebergs form, she said, through a process that's a bit like a fingernail growing too long and cracking off at the end. They're often rectangular and geometric as a result, she added.

"What makes this one a bit unusual is that it looks almost like a square," Brunt said.

It's difficult to tell the size of the iceberg in this photo, she said, but it's likely more than a mile across. And, as with all icebergs, the part visible above the surface is just the top 10 percent of its mass. The rest, Brunt said, is hidden underwater.

In the case of tabular icebergs, she said, that subsurface mass is usually regular-looking and geometric, similar to what's visible above. This iceberg looks pretty fresh, she said  its sharp corners indicate that wind and waves haven't had much time to break it down.

But despite the berg's large mass, Brunt said, she wouldn't advise going on a walk on its surface.

"It probably wouldn't flip over," she said.

The thing is still much wider than it is deep, after all. But it's small enough to be unstable and crack up at any moment.

So, it's probably best to marvel at the thing from a distance.

Originally published on Live Science.
What would you do if you saw this thing in your walnut orchard?

A walnut farmer in central California found a strange metal object in his orchard on Oct. 13.

He called the local sheriff's office, according to a KGET report. The sheriffs reached out to Vandenberg Air Force Base, and experts there reportedly said the burnt husk was likely a fuel tank from an Iridium communications satellite. Specifically, it came from Iridium 70, which according to the satellite tracking site n2yo.com fell out of its orbit three days earlier, on Oct. 10.

Iridium 70 was part of a constellation of communications satellites first launched in the late 1990s. This one, according to Astronautix.com, rode a Delta 7920-10C rocket into space on May 17, 1998 along with Iridiums 72, 73, 74 and 75. (Coincidentally, the launch site was Vandenberg Air Force Base.) Of those satellites, only Iridium 73 is still in orbit.

Iridium 70 hung in low-Earth orbit for 20 years, 4 months and 23 days; and for its operational lifetime, it supported satellite phone calls on the global Iridium network. According to KGET, this is the first piece recovered from an Iridium satellite after re-entry. As Live Science has previously reported, it's wildly unlikely that any given de-orbiting object will drop significant debris on land, let alone anywhere where the debris might be recognized.

Originally published on Live Science.
For the first time, researchers have directly created mice with two dads.

The mice weren't able to survive for more than a day or so after birth, but coaxing an embryo made from the DNA of two dads all the way through fetal development was no small feat. It was much harder, the researchers found, than making mice with two moms.

The findings help explain why mammals can't reproduce with only a single parent. They also may help explain why those animals that can reproduce alone, such as some amphibians, are almost always female. [10 Amazing Things Scientists Just Did with CRISPR]

The barrier to single-sex reproduction, said senior study author Wei Li, a stem-cell researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is something called genomic imprinting, or the molecular tagging of DNA that regulates how the instructions in the genome are carried out. But the new study, published online Oct. 11 in the journal Cell Stem Cell, reveals that the barrier can be crossed.

Parental imprints

Genomic imprinting is known to be important for embryonic development, but exactly how it works and what controls it is a "black box," said Mellissa Mann, a researcher in reproductive science at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Magee-Women's Research Institute who was not involved in the new study.

In sexual reproduction, every offspring inherits half its DNA from its mom, and half from its dad. But the DNA from each parent has unique molecular tags that are added during the formation of the original sperm and egg. These tags are the instructions that dictate whether a gene is expressed or stays dormant.

"You could inherit a copy of a specific gene from mom, and that gene with these molecular 'marks' would enable it to be transcribed to do its function," Mann said. "But the same gene from dad would have different tags, preventing it from being expressed."

These tags have a lot of real-world consequences. They're crucial in early embryonic development, Mann said. Previous studies have found that when scientists try to engineer offspring from two sperm, the embryo fails to develop, while the cells that grow the placenta flourish; offspring from two eggs result in a developing embryo and a placenta that fails to grow. [5 Reasons the Placenta Is Amazing]

There are also genetic disorders that depend on genomic imprinting. Angelman syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes intellectual disability and seizures, is caused by a mutation of the UBE3A gene on the mother's chromosome. When that same gene mutation is passed down by dad instead of mom, the result is a completely different neurological disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome.

It takes two

Some animals are capable of reproducing solo. Most of these cases are when a female reproduces without a male, a process called parthenogenesis. Various fish, reptiles and amphibians can reproduce this way. Only one fish (Danio rerio) is known to reproduce with males alone, and only in certain laboratory conditions, said Baoyang Hu of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, another senior author of the new paper.

The researchers behind the new study wanted to understand why mammals can't reproduce alone. So to start, they set out to see what it takes to create parthenogenesis in mammals. They used mouse stem cells engineered to have only one set of maternal chromosomes, like an egg, and injected them into a normal egg cell to create an embryo with two sets of maternal DNA. They then transferred the resulting embryo into a surrogate mother.

To create a viable embryo, the researchers had to delete three imprinted segments of the genome from the engineered stem cells. The resulting mice appeared normal, though Li told Live Science that the mice were tested for only a limited time under experimental conditions, and so they may not have been as healthy as mice produced the old-fashioned way.

But mice with two moms are nothing new; similar mice with two moms were first produced in 2004, the authors wrote. [How Do Ancestry DNA Tests Really Work?]

So, they turned to a harder problem: Making mice with two dads. That's been done only once, by researchers at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Texas. In that case, researchers created male stem cells with X but no Y chromosomes, injected them into female blastocysts, the early stage of development in which some cells have differentiated into specific types. They then let those females develop into adults. They then mated the females carrying only male X-DNA with males, creating offspring that carried only genes from two dads.

Dads alone

This time, the researchers wanted to see if they could make mice with two dads without the intermediary step of a genetically engineered female, Hu told Live Science. To do so, they injected a sperm cell and stem cells with only paternal DNA into an egg cell that had its nucleus (and thus all its maternal DNA) removed. They then extracted stem cells, which are capable of becoming any cell in the body, that developed in the resulting embryo. Those stem cells were then put into a separate blastocyst. The blastocyst was necessary to develop a placenta, Hu said. Finally, this stem-cell-injected blastocyst was put into the uterus of a surrogate mother.

"To our knowledge, it is the first time that bi-paternal mice with two direct fathers have been produced," Hu told Live Science.

But the mice didn't fare well. Indeed, successful births were in the minority. Of 1,023 attempts, only 12 live pups were born. And the pups weren't normal. They were swollen with fluids and more than twice as big as regular mice pups. All of them struggled to nurse and breathe and died soon after birth.

"People are getting ahead of the science with this to say there's a potential that two males could potentially have a child," Mann told Live Science. "This is a very long ways off."

What the study does do, however, is hint at why parthenogenesis is more common in nature than male-only reproduction. The researchers had to delete seven imprinted regions of the genome to make male-only reproduction work, four more than they had to delete for females. (The additional loss of genetic material could explain why the mice with two fathers were so abnormal, Mann said.)

In the future, the method can be used to more closely study the effects of imprinting on various developmental disorders, said study senior author Qi Zhou, also of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The mice could be used to test genetic modifications that might correct inherited disorders, Zhou said.

Originally published on Live Science.
The amazingly detailed Archaeorhynchus spathula, which has preserved feathers and what may be the oldest fossil lung ever seen in a bird.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Ancient organs rarely fossilize, so paleontologists were stunned to find the incredibly well-preserved remains of a lung that belonged to bird from the dinosaur age.

Initially, scientists were excited to describe the specimen of Archaeorhynchus spathula, a bird that lived about 120 million years ago, because its fossil had exquisitely preserved feathers, including a unique pintail that isn't seen in any other Cretaceous bird, but is common in birds nowadays.

A closer inspection, however, revealed that the bird's lungs had also fossilized, meaning the paleontologists had discovered the oldest "informative" fossilized lung on record (more on that later) and the oldest fossilized lung ever seen in a bird fossil, said study co-lead researcher Jingmai O'Connor, a professor with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. [Tiny Dino: Reconstructing Microraptor's Black Feathers]

The fossil itself is from the early Cretaceous Jehol Lagerstatte formation in northeastern China, but O'Connor and her colleagues found it at the Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature, in Pingyi, where an avid fossil collector houses the thousands of bird fossils he's purchased over the decades.

This is the fifth described A. spathula specimen  a toothless, pigeon-size bird  but it's by far the best preserved, O'Connor said. That's especially because of the speckled, white material in its chest cavity that appears to be a fossilized lung.

An artist's interpretation of the dinosaur-era bird Archaeorhynchus spathula, which was a bit larger than a modern pigeon. (Image credit: Brian Choo)

The finding reveals that the lung structures in early birds are similar to the lungs of modern birds, the researchers said. This means that A. spathula likely had unidirectional airflow in its lungs  the air that flowed in was largely fresh and full of oxygen, unlike the air in mammals' lungs, which is mixed with both new and previously breathed air, meaning it has a lower oxygen content.

"Lungs of birds are very different from our lungs and [had] much more complex structures," P. Martin Sander, a paleontologist at the University of Bonn in Germany who was not involved in the research, told Live Science in an email. "They are kind of like a bag pipe, with an air management system (the air sacs) separated from the gas exchanger (the lung proper) which is preserved here."

Living crocodilians also have lungs with unidirectional airflow, and paleontologists considered it to be ancestral in early feathered dinosaurs. But evidence for such a lung structure in an early bird has been elusive, until now.

Deep dive

To get a better look at the supposed lung remains, "we went and extracted some samples, put them in the SEM [scanning electron microscope] and  boom  lung tissue," O'Connor told Live Science. Because O'Connor specializes in skeletal (not organ) anatomy, she roped in John Maina, a professor of zoology at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, who is an expert on the lungs of living birds.

"I was like, 'Look, do you think this is lung tissue? If you do think it is, then none of us digging-in-the-dirt paleontologists can argue with you,'" O'Connor said. Maina's contribution was so critical, that he became a co-researcher on the study.

An analysis of the tissue showed that it contained structures that resemble blood capillaries, which absorb oxygen to help power the highly energetic flight of birds. "Avian flight is the most physically demanding form of locomotion, so you need a lot of oxygen for it," O'Connor said. [Photos: Dinosaur-Era Bird Sported Ribbon-Like Feathers]

It's possible that this unique structure was unique to Ornithuromorpha, a clade (group) of ancient birds that survived the mass extinction about 66 million years ago and includes today's living birds. "Maybe this specialization was only in that clade and was one of the many factors that allowed [their] survival," O'Connor said.

What's more, it appears that the fossilized lung was embedded in the bird's ribs, just as bird lungs are today. Unlike human lungs, which expand with every breath, bird lungs are rigid, so they can easily inhale and exhale at the same time, O'Connor said.

The tissue doesn't appear to be leftover stomach contents, as those usually preserve as black, carbonized organic matter, she noted. Moreover, the preserved tissue is paired, just like a modern lung. There are no other paired organs that it could be, and it's likely not the liver (which is lobed) because that organ has a high iron content and usually preserves as red, O'Connor said.

However, this specimen isn't the oldest lung on record. That honor goes to Spinolestes, an early Cretaceous mammal that has fossilized lungs about 5 million years older than the newly analyzed bird. But those lung fossils didn't preserve any microstructure and don't provide much information about Spinolestes, other than that it likely had a muscular diaphragm. So, O'Connor is calling the A. spathula fossil "the first informative lung remains," because they shed light on bird evolution.

The lung findings are "cool stuff," because it shows"what the lung of an early bird looked like," Sander said. However, because it's so rare to see a fossilized organ, more work is needed to verify that this is a lung, he said.

"We should apply various other analytical techniques to confirm that the area in the fossil really is lung," he said. "But I would not be surprised if lung can fossilize because of its high iron content because the lung is rich in blood."

The research was presented here at the 78th annual Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting yesterday (Oct. 18). It will be published in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday (Oct. 22).

Originally published on Live Science.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn on Friday called the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement a good deal during a visit to San Antonio, though he said it needs some tweaks to avoid pain for Texas manufacturers.

During a visit to Toyotas San Antonio plant, Cornyn discussed the new USMCA, which will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, and its effect on the automaker.

One of the concerns was the increased requirement of content from NAFTA countries that has to go in the vehicles, but Im told by Toyota officials that that will not have a negative impact, he told reporters. What they are concerned about is some of the steel and aluminum tariffs that have been issued and the cost that that will increase to the consumer and the impact on jobs.

Thats something I think they have a very good point on, he added. I intend to go back to Washington and continue my advocacy to drop those steel and aluminum tariffs, which I think will have a negative impact on Toyota, on Texas and on jobs.

Cornyn, a Republican, was there for a celebration of the plants 15th anniversary. Toyota employs more than 3,000 people at the plant and another 4,000 work at the 23 suppliers on the campus. More than 2.2 million Tacoma and Tundra trucks have been built at the plant, known as Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas, since its opening in 2003.

USMCA is a good deal that will support at least 14 million jobs and hopefully many more in the future, Cornyn said. Asked about the November midterm elections, he acknowledged that much could change.

My hope is that it will give us the time to work with the administration to tweak problematic areas in the agreement, he said. There needs to be time for us to be able to educate members of Congress and then to sell it so that we can get it passed.

Having a successor treaty to the North American Free Trade Agreement was critically important, said Chris Nielsen, Toyota Motor North America executive vice president, chief quality officer and executive general manager. NAFTA was extremely effective in increasing the number of U.S. jobs, he said.

The automaker plans to support ratification of the USMCA, and having an agreement with Canada and Mexico is crucial to all U.S. industries, Nielsen said. Still, there are some challenges, he said.

The previous NAFTA had the highest rules of origin standard of really any global trade agreement, and that has been actually taken up even further, as well as some other provisions in rule of origin I think will create some challenges for automakers, he said.

We are working now, studying our supply chain, which has been in place based on the previous NAFTA for a couple decades now and understanding what adjustments we need to make to that, he said. Those adjustments may come at a cost. We could see some increased operational cost, which will affect the competitiveness of the products we produce here, but I think we view that as something we will work through positively.

Its too soon to tell whether any increased costs might be passed down to consumers through pricing, he said. Its important to understand the agreements requirements and how it will affect the automakers supply base, Nielsen added.

We are committed our San Antonio plant, to continue production of our great Tundra (and) Tacoma vehicles here, he said. Well study the impacts that it may have, but were absolutely here for the long haul.

At the anniversary event TMMTX announced donations to four local organizations, including Palo Alto Colleges STEM Center, EPIcenter, University Health Systems Buckle Up for Life initiative and Evas Heroes. The donations bring the plants total philanthropic investment in the city to $45 million, officials said.

San Antonio embraced Toyota Texas as a member of the community when we broke ground here, said Yoshi Nagatani, TMMTX plant president. We have since enjoyed a strong partnership and look forward to continuing to support the needs of our neighbors right here in the South Side of San Antonio.

madison.iszler@express-news.net | @madisoniszler
NEW YORK - Charles White was one of the great American artists of the last century, yet his legacy remains caught up in repeating cycles of discovery and rediscovery. His achievement is qualified, subtly, with the label "African-American artist" in the same way that African-American writers, poets and composers are somehow delimited into a subset of America by the fact of their race.

One always encounters his work in relationship to something else: He was socially conscious and politically active, so his art is caught up in the history of left-wing struggle; he was a teacher and inspirational figure, so his name is often attached to that of his prominent students and those who cite him as an influence; he worked as a figure artist and made portraits, so his art is seen in service to promoting ideals of African-American power, dignity and beauty.

All of that is true, yet the impression left by a retrospective of his career at the Museum of Modern Art transcends those individual accounts of his importance to the history of American art. Given his talent, his creativity, his vision, his range and his inventiveness, White should be a household name, even among people who don't closely follow the art world. Among his works are images, including the 1964 drawing "Birmingham Totem" and the 1972 etching "Cat's Cradle," that should be as instantly recognizable as Grant Wood's "American Gothic" or Andrew Wyeth's "Christina's World." It shouldn't be possible to tell the history of American art without White figuring squarely in the middle of it.

But he remains, if not marginal, a respectable figure on the sidelines of 20th-century American culture. Race was a major factor in the egregious failure to calibrate the real worth of his work, not just because he was black, but because he took up black life as his subject. He also worked counter to the prevailing artistic trends of the time, making drawings and paintings, working meticulously with charcoal and ink, limning faces and bodies, capturing the intensity of pain and anguish, and fitting his human subjects into backgrounds that were at turns abstract, minimal or teeming with the social strife of mural art.

Black bodies become monumental in some of his best-known works, including the 1972 "Mississippi," which shows a black woman shrouded in a pyramid of fabric, with a bloody handprint just above her head, and in the 1969 "Seed of Love," which depicts a pregnant woman from the side, solitary and statuesque against a shaded background. Images he made of workers in the 1940s and 1950s have both muscularity and soulfulness, a sense of the full human being that surpasses similar images by Thomas Hart Benton or John Steuart Curry 20 years earlier.

His lifelong interest in the human figure, and his commitment to social causes including civil rights, the rights of workers and the equality of women, were connected. He might have addressed his political topics through a conceptual or abstract process, but he found greater freedom and clarity in representational art. It connected him both to the people for whom he struggled and to other artists, including the Mexican muralists, who worked along similar lines. It also allowed him to take up history in a direct way, making images of Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Tubman.

One of the earliest paintings in the exhibition, a 1939 watercolor called "Kitchenette Debutantes," shows two women framed at an angle in a window, their clothes loose and disheveled. They might be sex workers, although the painting's title refers to the substandard kitchenette apartments in which many African-Americans were forced to live in the 1940s, when racism drove poverty, forcing those who had fled the murderous South to live in Chicago's overcrowded neighborhoods and overcrowded subdivided apartments.

"Kitchenette Debutantes" sets up a sequence of glances that speaks to the humanism at the core of White's work: One woman holds up a mirror as if to observe herself but looks away from it to the other woman, who looks out the window. The narcissism of self-observation has been turned into observation of another human being, and that, in turn, has been directed outward to observation of the world.

White's art takes black life as a universal subject, while America has resolutely insisted that the Venn diagram of black life overlaps only in places with the larger trajectory of American culture. The human figure allowed White to challenge racism at the instinctual level, disrupting viewers at the precognitive moment of how we identify ourselves and others. When he paints children, his images stir the viewer's sense of wanting to protect and nurture them; when he paints workers, we are inclined to admire their strength and competence, rather than their use-value to capitalism; when he paints women, they are not only beautiful, but project a powerful sense of intelligence.

A 1956 drawing, "I've been 'Buked and I've Been Scorned," shows a woman standing in a doorway, with a view through a narrow shack to an open window beyond. She is, perhaps, a grandmother: Her hair is gray, and her clothes hang on her loosely. The title seems to refer to her personal history of suffering, while with one hand she is gesturing as if to explain something. She is, perhaps, telling us her history, and by extension the larger history she has lived. She is both intimidating and maternal, and she clearly doesn't suffer fools gladly.

But there is an extraordinary nuance in the image, in the form of the window seen behind her. The promise implicit in the image seems to be the hope that drove White as an artist, and it's something we might cling to today: that if we listen carefully to this fellow human being, we might get through to the other side.

---

"Charles White: A Retrospective" is on view at the Museum of Modern Art in New York through Jan. 13. For information, visit moma.org.
There was no shortage of comic book riches at the disposal of Erik Oleson as he began his first-ever stint as a showrunner, on the third season of "Daredevil."

During Oleson's initial conversations about the plot of Season 3 (which began streaming Friday on Netflix), Marvel television producer Jeph Loeb laid out all the Daredevil tales he could lean on for influence. Before Oleson was a who's who of the Man Without Fear's greatest comic stories, told by the likes of industry giants Brian Michael Bendis, Kevin Smith and Joe Quesada, not to mention the holy grail of Daredevil, Frank Miller's "Born Again" storyline.

Even Loeb himself had something to offer, having written his classic collaboration with artist Tim Sale, "Daredevil: Yellow," a look at one of the hero's deepest romantic wounds.

Oleson knew his job was to piece together the comics that had come to define his hero and try to make something unforgettable, both for "Daredevil" newcomers and those who had read every comic book page.

"Fans of the comic books, they know what happened in the comic books and I don't necessarily want them to predict on the show," Oleson, a native of Clifton, Virginia, told The Washington Post. "We were all working very hard to make sure that it was an unpredictable turn of events and that comic fans would be able to get everything that they want, but not feel like they knew what was going to happen next."

Oleson's first major decision for Season 3 was to begin it with no superhero suit.

"(Matt Murdock) is damaged, physically, spiritually, mentally after events in "The Defenders," and he's incapable of being the Daredevil that he was in Season 2 with his ninja moves and wire stunts and all of that," Oleson said. "I wanted to get back to the core idea of Matt as the boxer's son and the (moments) where his fighting style was more brutal and kind of close in combat kind of stuff."

There was also strategic production value to Daredevil not being ready to raise his horns in the New York night. Oleson knew that one of those big Daredevil comic book moments he could play with was when an impostor goes around in a Daredevil suit smearing the hero's name. The false devil? Bullseye, perhaps "Daredevil's" most formidable foe in the comics and a villain fans have been clamoring to see.

"That was another way that we could kind of really deliver for fans a moment that would blow their minds, but that they were not expecting," Oleson said.

Wilson Bethel plays Bullseye, who starts out as FBI agent Benjamin Poindexter, a sharpshooter who falls under the influence of Daredevil big bad the Kingpin (who is under house arrest on the FBI's watch). Bethel was thrilled that when Daredevil is first "seen" in Season 3, he's the man under the mask, which announces the arrival of an anticipated foe.

"Any time you step into a superhero suit, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up a little bit," Bethel said. "Actually putting the (suit) on and then getting to square off against Daredevil in his own costume and get to see that scene, which we got to see for the first time at (New York) Comic Con, that was among the most exhilarating experiences of my career."

In Season 3, the Daredevil suit proved just as valuable when it wasn't around as when it was in front of the camera. That was never more evident than when Olsen and his production team plotted a jailhouse riot with lead actor Charlie Cox in the middle of it, but as Matt Murdock, not Daredevil, as his fighting abilities risked giving away his identity.

Oleson and episode director Alex Garcia Lopez wanted to film a single-shot, eleven-minute-long scene of Cox literally fighting for his life to escape the prison after the Kingpin orders a hit on Murdock.

The scene would require top notch performances from everyone, including the production crew, who had to position themselves to not get in the way of a scene that would have no cuts. Oleson asked for a television rarity from higher ups at Marvel and Netflix: He wanted to rehearse the scene fully for a day with no cameras. He was granted that request.

The result was a scene that should go down as Marvel and Netflix's greatest "hallway fight," a trope that has come to be expected in these superhero streaming shows.

"It was, as you can probably imagine, just terrific jolt of adrenaline to everybody in the cast and the crew that they were able to pull off this epic sequence early on in our production schedule," Oleson said. "It set a bar ... the morale of the crew continued to be insanely high all the way through the finale, in no small part because of what we managed to pull off with this sequence."

Oleson's only regret was that he was in L.A. writing while the scene was being filmed in New York.

Cox, who Oleson said did phenomenal work with his stunt-double to pull off the scene, recalls not being confident they'd be able to make it happen.

"It was unbelievable. It's probably our greatest achievement," Cox said. "I thought it was asking to much. It was such a cool achievement for all of us."

Riding high on the filming of a scene that might come to define his Season 3 tenure, Oleson says his overall goal of making his "Daredevil" a mix of Season 1 and "The Sopranos" seemed within reach.

"I think ... ," Oleson said with a pause. "We may have just pulled it off."
Texas punk musicians and fans will gather in San Antonio for an inclusive showcase of local and statewide talent on Saturday.

Daisy Salinas just moved to town a year ago, but is leading the charge in creating the Black and Brown Punk Fest happening at La Botanica on the St. Mary's Strip. The event is the third installment of Xingonas in the Pit, a San Antonio group Salinas founded to celebrate "mujer and nonbinary artists of culture."

Salinas told mySA.com she wanted to "go big" with the upcoming event. Inspired by similar fests in cities like Chicago and New York City, she noticed a lack of opportunities in South Texas where the punk rock community could fully express themselves and network. Following the "do-it-yourself" mentality and with help from Jazzmin Readeaux, Salinas made the idea a reality in San Antonio.

Her goal is to create a "safe space for punks of color," which she described as a place where people can reclaim their identities and art without fear of discrimination, sexism, homophobia. If anyone attending the festival behaves contrary to the community guidelines, he or she will be asked to leave, Salinas said.

RELATED: San Antonio-grown band Girl In A Coma 'no longer' after 18 years

In addition to fostering an inclusive community under the love of punk music, Salinas also views the new event as a way to break the stigma that the genre is a "white" and to recognize the contributions made by black and brown musicians that she feels are often overlooked.

The lineup includes artists from San Antonio and across Texas. Fea, the offshoot of recently disbanded Girl in a Coma, is scheduled to perform as well as Salinas' group, Frijolera Riot. Winter Wolf, a "2 piece" band, is traveling to San Antonio from Harlem.

While the punk fest will take place from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., two events earlier in the day  the San Antonio Zine Fest and Warrior Roots Training Camp  will kick off the festivities. Zine Fest, hosted at the San Antonio Central Library from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will showcase self-published works of comics, poetry, nonfiction, photography and more. Those interested in getting involved with Warrior Roots, an activist training camp, are asked to register online.

Salinas said she is working to expand Xingonas in the Pit to a collective, which organizes screenings, art shows and self-defense classes. Anyone interested in joining are invited to email Salinas at xingonasinthepit@gmail.com.

Earlier this year, Xingonas in the Pit hosted a record release to support Puerto Rico hurricane relief and a July gathering of local artist to dissect the city's Tricentennial celebration and what it means to indigenous residents.

There will be a $10 cover at the fest to ensure artists of color are paid for their talents. All proceeds will cover the travel and fees for the night's performers. The fest is all-ages until midnight  at that point it will become a 21-and-up event.

Madalyn Mendoza is a breaking news and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mmendoza@mysa.com |@MaddySkye
LAREDO, TX  The Federal Bureau of Investigation San Antonio Division and the Laredo Resident Agency Office is seeking information from the public about a missing Laredo teenager and two individuals who may have information about the teenager's disappearance.

Jose De Luna, 17, was last seen on Sept. 22 leaving Laredo crossing into Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico on foot. He was wearing red shorts and a black shirt. Family members became concerned about De Luna after he failed to return home and did not answer his cell phone.
Japan and China oon plan to sign an Agreement on Search and Rescue Regions, or SAR, aiming to implement the agreement by the end of this year, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

The SAR agreement provides the way for cooperation concerning maritime search and rescue operations. By clearly stipulating the cooperation system for search and rescue activities in maritime accidents in surrounding ocean areas, the Japanese and Chinese governments aim to build mutual trust.

According to informed sources, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping will agree on the signing of the SAR agreement at a bilateral meeting to be held in Beijing on Oct. 26.

The SAR agreement stipulates that both Japan and China will take emergency measures such as search and rescue operations in case of maritime accidents in surrounding ocean areas of both countries and that relevant authorities will share information and have consultations, the sources said. With the confrontation over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture in mind, ocean areas of responsibility for both countries will not be determined, according to the sources.

At present, when a maritime accident occurs in an ocean area straddling territorial waters of Japan and China, the Japan Coast Guard and the China maritime search and rescue center handle such accidents by contacting each other. The two governments plan to include a provision that both authorities will engage in maritime search and rescue operations in the same way as before, so that operational areas of the two countries will not expand in the future. Japan also aims to prevent a situation of the Chinese side landing on the Senkaku Islands under the pretense of rescue operations.

Japan and China began talks on the agreement in May 2010, and reached a broad agreement in December 2011. However, since the Japanese government put the Senkaku Islands under state control in September 2012, the talks have been stalled.

At a meeting between Abe and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during Li's visit to Japan in May, the two leaders agreed on the recognition that the peace and stability of the East China Sea is the foundation of improvement in Japan-China relations, and reaffirmed that they would make the East China Sea a "Sea of Peace, Cooperation and Friendship." The Japan-China SAR agreement is aimed at translating that idea into a reality.

In May, Japan and China formally agreed to start the operation of the Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism between the defense authorities of Japan and China, which is aimed at avoiding accidental clashes between the Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese military in the East China Sea. However, the installment of a hotline between defense officials of both countries has not been realized due to China's delay in handling the issue. If the two countries manage to sign the SAR agreement, it is also expected to give a boost to the effective operation of the mechanism.

Intrusions of Chinese government vessels into Japan's territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands have declined recently, according to a source close to the Japanese government. The Japanese government hopes to urge the Chinese side to exercise more restraint by deepening the relationship of trust with China in maritime affairs.

In addition, there is growing momentum toward strengthening defense cooperation between Japan and China. Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya and his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe held a defense ministers' meeting in Singapore on Friday, the first in about three years. The resumption of defense exchanges between Japan and China, which have halted, will be up for discussion at the Japan-China summit meeting scheduled on Oct. 26.

Japan has concluded the SAR agreement separately with the United States, Russia and South Korea.
Federal authorities arrested a 74-year-old New York man Friday for allegedly threatening two U.S. senators over their votes for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Ronald DeRisi of Smithtown, New York, is accused of making phone calls to the offices of the unnamed senators between Sept. 27 and Oct. 8, and delivering vulgar death threats.

"He's a dead man," one September call said, according to an investigator's affidavit. "Nine millimeter, side of the [expletive] head. If [expletive] Kavanaugh gets in, he's dead [expletive] meat. Actually, even if Kavanaugh doesn't get in, he's dead [expletive] meat."

On Oct. 6, the day of Kavanaugh's confirmation, DeRisi is alleged to have told another senator, "You better pray this guy don't get in." Calling again less than an hour and a half later, he allegedly said, "I'm gonna get you."

U.S. Capitol Police used phone and bank records to trace the calls back to DeRisi, according to the affidavit. DeRisi previously pleaded guilty in 2015 to making threatening phone calls to a person in Long Island.

DeRisi has not yet retained or been assigned a lawyer, according to court records. He is set to appear Friday in federal court on Long Island.

"Representative democracy cannot work if elected officials are threatened with death for simply doing their job," said Richard Donoghue, the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of New York. "The First Amendment - the pinnacle of American achievement - protects debate, disagreement and dissent, not death threats."

The charges against DeRisi highlight a spate of illegal political threats that have emerged from opponents of Kavanaugh's contentious confirmation. A 27-year-old former Senate staffer was arrested earlier this month for allegedly posting the phone numbers and personal addresses of three Republican senators who supported Kavanaugh. An unknown person mailed a threatening letter mentioning Kavanaugh to the Bangor, Maine, home of GOP Sen. Susan Collins, falsely claiming that the letter contained poison.

Those incidents, as well as the legal but aggressive tactics of activists opposed to Kavanaugh, have led Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and other Republicans to accuse Democrats of "mob" behavior. But the activity has not been confined to one side.

A Florida man was charged on Oct. 3 after allegedly threatening to shoot members of Congress and their families if Kavanaugh was not confirmed.

According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, James Royal Patrick Jr. posted on social media that if Kavanaugh were not confirmed, "whoever I think is to blame may God have mercy on their soul."

Speaking Thursday in Montana, President Donald Trump praised a Republican congressman's assault last year of a news reporter who sought to ask him a question about a pending health-care bill. "Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of - he's my guy," Trump said of Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to the May 2017 assault, which took place days before a hotly contested special election.
Tanya Holland closed her acclaimed West Oakland restaurant Brown Sugar Kitchen several weeks ago, without much fanfare. The nationally known chef had been mulling over the idea for a while, she said, but needed to find the right moment.

After temporarily shutting the 10-year-old space in May, then turning it into a test kitchen open a few days each week, Holland decided it was time.

I spent 10 years there. Ten years of my life. Thats a long time, she said. Its just time to move on as a chef. Theres a lot of reasons, but I felt like the restaurant was no longer challenging me. At this point in my career, I want to do something thats going to be new and challenging for me.

Holland said there is a potential pair of new owners waiting in the wings for the Brown Sugar Kitchen space. She said the buyers are chefs of color, but did not provide other details, as the sale is not final.

Holland, one of the Bay Area culinary scenes most recognizable faces, is also among the countrys most celebrated black chefs. Her elevated soul food, based around chicken and waffles, made her a household name during the past 10 years. In that time, shes become a cookbook author, had her name as an answer on the long-running Jeopardy game show, and recently was a contestant on Top Chef.

The accolades, the attention, successes and the failures in her career all can be traced to the little shop on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland, Holland said. It gave her a platform on which she could grow.

Now she wants to offer other chefs of color a chance to create their own legacies in the East Bay.

Im working with them now as a mentor. I know this area, the good and the bad. I know the concepts that can work here and what might not work, Holland said of the would-be owners. I want to pass this knowledge on to someone who might be like I was, just looking for an opportunity.

Holland is also turning her attention to several forthcoming projects across the Bay Area. Among them are outposts of her fast-casual Brown Sugar Kitchen Counter at San Franciscos Ferry Building and the Warriors Chase Center Arena in Mission Bay.

Holland has another Brown Sugar Kitchen Counter in the works in Uptown Oakland. The restaurant is located in the 13,600-square-foot space left vacant by Pican and Ozumo on Broadway.

The Broadway location will be open before the Ferry Building. Im thinking like mid-November, as long as everything goes according to plan, she said. Construction is still going on there and were at the point where were going to be putting in fixtures and things like that.

As to her former flagship, Holland said she hasnt really taken time to mourn its closure, nor does she plan to.

In the last days it was open, realizing she had inventory to dispose of, Holland said she called friends to come pick up macaroni and cheese and containers of fried chicken so the food wouldnt go to waste. In a way, that was her goodbye, feeding those closest to her in the simplest, easiest terms.

Im moving forward, Holland said. This is a new chapter for me. Im excited to see where it goes.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JustMrPhillips
Donald Trump offered a revealing, if not totally surprising, window into his priorities on Thursday. Immigration, he tweeted, is "far more important to me, as President, than Trade."

Protectionism and nativism have historically gone hand in hand. Both were centerpieces of Trump's 2016 message and attracted nontraditional GOP voters who never would have considered backing Mitt Romney four years earlier, especially across the industrial Midwest. But this president doesn't seem to hesitate when the two come into conflict.

He threatened this week to scuttle the revised NAFTA deal he just inked if Mexico does not stop the "onslaught" of migrants coming into the United States. He suggested he would cut off all foreign aid to other counties in Latin America, as well. And he said he's considering calling up the U.S. military to "close" the border, which would surely damage the economy.

-- Trump is like an old rock band that struggles to introduce new material because the crowds at concerts want to hear the classics they love. In this case, that song is "Build the wall." That's not to be confused with "Tear down this wall," a popular hit by a previous Republican president who sang to a very different tune.

-- His unexpected victory two years ago only added to his preternatural confidence to follow his own instincts, regardless of what establishmentarians and pundits tell him he should do. In June 2015, Trump launched his campaign by ignoring a speech that advisers had written for him. He riffed instead about how Mexico was sending "rapists" and drug dealers to the United States. It prompted howls of outrage from many, but it also catapulted him to the top of the crowded GOP field.

In 2018, the so-called pros have advised him to focus on the booming economy, his tax cuts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh. But Trump believes strongly in his gut that espousing hardline positions related to undocumented immigrants will galvanize his core supporters to turn out for GOP candidates when his name won't be on the ballot. At a rally in Montana Thursday night, Trump referred to immigration as "our issue."

The president has told party pooh-bahs that he believes the midterms will primarily be a base election. His adopted party is likely to hold the Senate because this year's best pickup opportunities are in states he carried by double digits that are overwhelmingly white and heavily rural, where his immigration positions most resonate. GOP candidates, especially in red states, have followed Trump's lead and made immigration a major theme of their advertising in the home stretch. The strategy might work.

-- For a variety of reasons, there's also evidence that Latinos are not super activated about voting this year. Many white voters in a border state like Arizona or an immigrant-heavy state like Nevada support securing the border. Strategists from both parties agree that Arizona governor's race was close, but they say Gov. Doug Ducey, R, has now opened a lead that appears insurmountable by relentlessly attacking challenger David Garcia for being soft on border security. Strategists from both parties say Nevada GOP Sen. Dean Heller, who last year was presumed to be perhaps the most vulnerable senator up for reelection in 2018, is in a much stronger position than he was because Hispanic voters are not fully activated. Heller is now seen as more likely to survive than Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D.

-- An increase in illegal border crossings this year, after a drop during the first six months of his presidency, has angered Trump, who has been demanding that aides enact more extreme policies to deter new arrivals. "As pressure mounts, nerves have begun to fray inside the White House, with national security adviser John Bolton and Chief of Staff John F. Kelly engaging in a shouting match over immigration just outside the Oval Office on Thursday, according to White House aides," per The Post's David Nakamura, Josh Partlow and John Wagner. "Bolton had accused Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen of not doing enough to stem the surge in border crossings, and Kelly, who preceded Nielsen in the homeland security job and handpicked her as his successor, came to her defense, aides said. They described the argument as profane and loud enough to draw stares from others in the West Wing. . . .

"The White House is also considering a new policy, known as 'binary choice,' which would detain migrant families together and give parents a choice - stay in immigration jail with their child for months or years as their asylum case proceeds, or allow their child to be assigned to a government shelter while a relative or guardian can apply to gain custody."

-- The ACLU tabulates that 245 migrant children who were taken from their parents earlier this year remain in government custody Friday. "The parents of 175 of the children have been deported . . . and 125 of them so far have decided to remain in the United States and pursue asylum on their own," The Post'sArelis R. Hernandez reports.

-- Trump Thursday night also spread a false conspiracy theory being batted around on far-right sites that Democrats are funding the current caravan of about 4,000 people moving from Honduras toward the Southern border. "Now we're starting to find out, and I won't say it 100 percent, I'll put it a little tiny question mark on the end . . . a lot of money has been passing through people to try to get to the border by Election Day, because they think that is a negative for us," the president said in Missoula, Montana. "Number one, they are being stopped. Number two, regardless, that's our issue."

"Trump appeared to be referring to a video that Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a frequent ally, posted on Twitter on Wednesday that supposedly depicted migrants in Honduras 'giving cash' to migrants in the Central American country as they set off for the U.S.," explain Politico's Christopher Cadelago and Brent Griffiths. "Going even further, Gaetz called for an investigation to examine whether 'US-backed NGOs' or the financier George Soros, a frequent subject of conservative conspiracy theories, were behind the alleged payments. Trump himself tweeted out the video on Thursday. Regardless of what was actually being passed out in the video, where men are shown handing something to women waiting in line, there was evidence that the video was actually shot in Guatemala, not Honduras.

"At the rally, the president added that Democrats figured 'everybody coming in' was going to vote for their candidates - though he did not mention that only legal citizens can participate in elections, and that attaining nationality and registering to vote is a process that can't be completed before Nov. 6. . . . On Trump's way to the Montana rally, scenes of the caravan played on a loop on Fox News, to which TVs aboard Air Force One were tuned."

The issue is not going away. GOP congressional leaders persuaded Trump to reluctantly punt a potential federal government shutdown over wall funding from Sept. 30 until December. That means immigration will probably dominate the lame-duck session. And Trump said in Montana that he's planning to keep talking about the "caravan" through Nov. 6. Distilling his closing argument into one sentence, he told the crowd: "This will be an election of Kavanaugh, the caravan, law and order and common sense."

---

With Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve
Russia has handed over airfield equipment to Mongolia worth 13 million U.S. dollars as part of an effort to render military-technical assistance to the Mongolian side. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has described the hand-over as a milestone event in the bilateral relations.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his Mongolian counterpart

(Credit: Mongolian Defense Ministry)

"I am convinced that the airfield service equipment of general use will expand the opportunities of the Mongolian Armed Forces, including the national Air Forces," Shoigu said.



According to the Russian defense minister, the Russian side is ready to continue developing bilateral ties and strengthening a trustful dialogue between Russia and Mongolia.



Mongolian Defense Minister Nyamaagiyn Enkhbold noted, in turn, that during his official visit to Mongolia Shoigu was handing over common ground airfield service and airfield flight control equipment, which the Russian Defense Ministry was supplying to the Mongolian Armed Forces on a non-repayment basis. He expressed his gratitude to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on behalf of the Mongolian Defense Ministry and the Mongolian army.



Nyamaagiyn Enkhbold said that the Russian equipment would enable the Mongolian army to receive new types of aircraft at the Nalaykh military airfield and carry out their ground servicing. "Let me assure you, Mr. Minister, that our airmen will learn to handle this equipment appropriately and that the equipment which we have received will be long-used," Enkhbold told Shoigu.The Mongolian defense minister also said that many Mongolian servicemen were studying at the Russian Defense Ministry academies and institutions of high learning in various professions.

 Copyright 2018 TASS. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Texas Supreme Court, as its website explains, is the court of last resort for civil matters in the state. The exception is that it also hears criminal cases involving juveniles because this is somehow considered civil because the defendants are minors.

These are elected positions, its members standing for election in staggered six-year terms. There are three races for Supreme Court seats this election.

In Place 2, Republican Justice Jimmy Blacklock is being challenged by Democrat Steven Kirkland. In Place 4, Republican Justice John Devine is challenged by Democrat R.K. Sandill. In Place 6, Republican Justice Jeff Brown is challenged by Democrat Kathy Cheng.

In Place 2, we recommend Judge Steven Kirkland, who now sits on the 334th District Court in Harris County. We make this recommendation for a couple of reasons. He simply has far more judicial experience than Blacklock, who was appointed to the court earlier this year by Gov. Gregg Abbott, who he served as general counsel.

You dont have to have been a judge to sit on the state Supreme Court  in fact, Blacklock lists a few heavyweights who werent when they joined the court. And he says appellate lawyers, as he was, are equally qualified. We continue to believe bench experience is an asset and voters should consider it valuable. Kirkland was also a judge on the 215th District Court, also in Harris County, and a municipal judge in Houston, beginning his judicial career in 2001.

In Place 4, we see little reason to replace Justice John Devine with Sandill, now a judge in the 127th District in Houston. Devine has experience  he has been on the court since 2013, and has also been a special judge and a district judge.

In Place 6, we recommend Jeff Brown over Cheng, a Houston-based attorney. Its comes down to experience. Brown has been on the court for five years, was on the 14th Court of Appeals for six and spent another six on the 55th District.

The challengers generally say this court is too corporate-friendly. Both Blacklock and Brown note that the Legislature is pro-business Republican and laws from that body are what the court reviews, while recognizing its not the courts job to legislate.

We come down on the side of experience, in any case. Kirkland, Devine and Brown for the Supreme Court.
photo courtesy of the candidate /photo courtesy of the candidate

Voters in Texas House District 118 will have a new representative this legislative session. We recommend Leo Pacheco, a former Bexar County Democratic Party chairman in the 1990s.

Pacheco, who works in human resources for Palo Alto College, is facing Republican John Lujan, a retired San Antonio firefighter who briefly held this seat in 2016 after winning a special election. Lujan ultimately lost the seat to state Rep. Tomas Uresti, who served for one term before losing to Pacheco in this years primary.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 19)  The children of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles have asked the Sandiganbayan to allow them to leave for the United States next month and stay there indefinitely.

In a motion filed on October 17, Jo Christine Napoles and James Christopher Napoles said they needed to be in the U.S. to attend hearings on their criminal and civil cases. They indicated that they want to leave the country by November 15.

They did not specify a return date, explaining that they needed to stay in the U.S. until the cases are terminated.

Their lawyer estimated this would take at least a year.

"Just like the case pending before this Honorable Court, accused-movants are required to personally appear in the arraignment, hearings on motions, and trial; otherwise the rights and privileges available to the accsused will be waived," the motion read.

The Napoles children said they would be staying in Orange County, California, and gave the court a telephone number where they could be contacted.

The two are facing money laundering and other charges before the California Central District Court.

Their motion included a letter from their lawyers explaining the cases they face.

"The civil forfeiture action is based upon allegations that the money used to purchase various assets in the United States was derived from fraudulent activities by Ms. Janet Napoles, with assistance of Jo Christine and James Christopher, among others," the letter read.

In the Philippines, the Napoles kids are also facing multiple graft charges before the Sandiganbayan Third Division over their alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam.
Leading global men's health charity, the Movember Foundation, today marked ten years of fundraising for men's health issues in Ireland as it launched its 2018 Movember campaign. Movember is calling on men and women in Longford to grow a moustache, host an event or move to raise much needed funds and awareness for men's health issues.

In the past ten years, over 100,000 men and women in Ireland have loaned their upper lip or helped to raise funds for what has become the most effective men's health initiative of a generation; making a real difference to the lives of thousands of people affected by prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health issues in Ireland each year.

Movember has funded over 30 prostate cancer initiatives, in partnership with the Irish Cancer Society, ranging from financial grants for parents and their families to ground-breaking research that has united the prostate cancer research community in an effort to improve outcomes and quality of life for the 1 in 7 Irish men who will get prostate cancer in their lifetime.

Neil Rooney, Movember County Director, said: "What Irish men and women have done of the past 10 years to raise funds and awareness for men's health issues has been phenomenal. However, serious issues still remain and we are fully committed to continue our work over the next 10 years and beyond to help close the four year gap in life expectancy between men and women in Ireland, and we need ongoing support to continue our work. If you haven't grown a moustache before, now is the time. If you have, ditch that razor, put your lip to work again and help men live happier, healthier, longer lives!"

"Ten years ago, awareness and funding of male cancer and mental health was critically low and the issues were often ignored in Ireland. As a result, men suffered and died in silence. It simply wasn't acceptable. Movember gave a platform for change to men who wanted to challenge outdated, toxic attitudes to masculinity and women who wanted a better, brighter future for the men in their lives. We became a diverse movement of rugby players, students, farmers, firemen and friends challenging the status quo and redefining the way men's health issues are addressed and we thank them all sincerely for their ongoing support."

Head of Services at the Irish Cancer Society, Donal Buggy said: "We are very proud of our partnership with Movember in Ireland. Through their fundraising efforts over the past ten years, Movember has become the largest non-governmental funder of prostate cancer initiatives in Ireland. The Irish Cancer Society has worked with Movember to fund over 30 research and patient programmes improving the lives of men across the country. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Movember Ireland and building on our vital work in supporting men affected by prostate cancer in Ireland."

Speaking at today's launch, bestselling author and mental health advocate John Connell said: "I am delighted to have partnered with Movember this year on their 10th anniversary. Movember has played an important role over the past ten years in destigmatising mental health issues in Irish society and I look forward to working with them to let men know its good to talk when they face these challenges."

Movember are taking the opportunity to announce the inclusion of Ireland in their global prostate registry, The International Registry for Men with Advanced Prostate Cancer (known as IRONMAN). Funded by Movember Ireland and managed by the Irish Cancer Society, the Irish contribution to the project will be led by researchers in 7 hospitals across Dublin, Cork and Sligo. The IRONMAN registry collects information about a patient's type of prostate cancer, their treatment and what side effects they may be experiencing to help inform cause, prevention and treatment.

To help Movember continue their ongoing work, you can sign up and get involved or make a donation on movember.com
School & Education, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases, Seasonal & Current Events

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 19 2018

Residents and community leaders gathered on the front steps of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building to make Anti-Bullying Month official.

Mineola, NY - October 19, 2018 - Nassau County Legislator Joshua A. Lafazan ( Nassau County Legislator Joshua A. Lafazan ( Woodbury ) joined Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, Nassau County Police Department Deputy Inspector Mark Vitelli, Long Island Coalition Against Bullying Founder and Executive Director Joe Salamone, Pride for YouthLGBT Youth Services Manager Aiden Kaplanand, and anti-bullying advocate Shayna Sakhai celebrated Nassau Countys Anti-Bullying Month on Thursday, Oct. 18th.

Residents, community leaders, advocates, parents, students and children gathered on the front steps of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building to make Anti-Bullying Month official by lighting the buildings dome blue. This proclamation and dedication comes just a few months after Legislator Lafazans sponsored and secured ratification of legislation that establishedwww.NassauStopBullying.org, a county-operated bullying prevention resource website.
Local News, Crime, Community, Charity & Cause, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: October 19 2018

Curran: We will continue to do all we can to provide assistance and education to those who are victims of domestic or family abuse.

Mineola, NY - October 19, 2018 - Nassau County Executive Laura Curran was joined by Assemblyman Dave McDonough, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, Kevin P. Smith, First Deputy Commissioner, Nassau County Police Department, John E. Imhof, PhD, LCSW-R Commissioner, Nassau County Department of Social Services, Cynthia Scott, Executive Director, The Safe Center LI, and Patricia Kontonis, mother and voice of victim, Maria Kontonis, in her call for greater awareness of domestic and family abuse.

Addressing domestic violence requires the continuing joint commitment and dedication of our partners in law enforcement, clergy members, not-for-profit community agencies and government to combat this most serious of public safety and health crises, said County Executive Curran. We will continue to do all we can to provide assistance and education to those who are victims of domestic or family abuse.

In 2017 alone, there were:

Over 6,000 calls to the Domestic Violence Hotline.

14,600 reports of Domestic Violence to the Nassau County Police Department.

1,700 arrests for Domestic Violence

More than 6,000 calls a year to Nassau County Child Protective Services.

And nearly 5,000 victims of domestic violence are receiving services at our domestic violence agencies; the Safe Center LI, Circulo de la Hispanidad, and our newest partner in combatting family and domestic violence in the South Asian and Muslim communities, Domestic Harmony.
Two weeks ago, British Prime Minister Theresa May embarked on a three-day jaunt across Africa, visiting South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. The purpose of Mays whistle stop tour (aside from showcasing her inimitable dance moves) was to strike up post-Brexit trade relations with Africas emerging economies. The visit was a cringe worthy affair that saw May shuffle awkwardly from one public relations blunder to the next, and it highlighted the decline of British imperialism and the crisis facing the capitalist class as the Brexit cliffedge looms.

With the deadline in March 2019 approaching, a no-deal scenario is a real possibility. While May has assured voters that this would not be the end of the world, Chancellor Philip Hammond was less sanguine, predicting the result of a car crash exit would be a 7.7 percent hit to GDP over the next 15 years: worse than after the 2008 financial crash. Conversely, leading Brexiteer, Boris Johnson compared Mays current Brexit strategy to wrapping a suicide vest around the British constitution and giving the detonator to Brussels.

This all represents a continuation of the crisis that has engulfed the Tories over Europe, with May caught between the warring pro-EU and Brexiteer wings of her party.

May needs to fill the vacuum that Brexit will leave in Britains trade portfolio. This problem is made all the more acute by the fact that Donald Trump shows no sign of cutting May a decent trade deal. Despite her sycophancy during the presidents UK visit in July, Trump lambasted the soft Brexit proposal that May is currently trying to pass through parliament in an interview with the UK Sun newspaper. He stated that if the so-called Chequers deal goes through then [Britains] trade deal with the US will probably not be made.

Unable to count on the old special relationship, the Prime Minister  and British capitalism  urgently need to forge new trade and geopolitical alliances with just about anyone, even very small economies that British imperialism once dominated.

Collateral damage

The African ruling classes also have reason to seek common cause with May. Trumps trade tariffs on aluminium and steel, despite being targeted at major competitors like China, will inflict second-hand damage on smaller economies. As the Kenyan proverb goes, "When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers".

Trumps tariff war means South African President Cyril Ramaphosa needs support from UK and countries in Europe in order to create new markets for South African goods / Image: Flickr, Government ZA

In South Africa, for example, steel imports to the US totaled $950m in 2017. Though this represented only about 1.4 percent of total US imports that year, it was a quarter of all South African-US exports. South African steel is set to be hit with heavy duties in the States, while the country is already running a significant production surplus; this despite the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) arguing its relatively limited steel exports pose no national security concerns to America. The DTI correctly described this impact on South Africa as collateral damage in the trade war of key global economies. Losing the US market could put 300,000 tons of steel production at risk, along with 7,500 South African jobs in the steel and manufacturing supply chain. As ever, protectionism is the export of unemployment.

The fallout from Trumps tariff war means South African President Cyril Ramaphosa needs support from the UK and countries in Europe in order to create new markets in which to sell South African goods. As such, all past enmity between the Tories and ANC was forgotten as the two leaders agreed to forge a closer relationship in the future. In a striking reflection of the enfeebled state of British capitalism (and the opportunism of the post-Apartheid, South African ruling class), the bourgeoisie of a former colony welcomed May warmly, while the PM was forced into the humbling position of literally dancing for a favourable trade agreement.

Dancing around Apartheid

In her Cape Town address, May immediately put her foot in her mouth when she spoke of an Africa that was very different to the stereotypes  presumably, this was supposed to be a compliment. She also played to the Tories Brexiteer base by pointing out that, as commercial partners, African countries are less likely to export terrorists or illegal immigrants than European or Middle-Eastern nations.

In spite of these backhanded compliments, the UK Prime Minister was embraced by some sections of the African bourgeoisie. Aly-Khan Satchu, financial analyst in Nairobi, described the mood music around the trip as quite sweet. Incredibly, he suggested that Britains colonial history gave it strong brand equity on the continent. This brand equity came up again in an agonising interview with Channel Four News, in which May was forced once more to dance awkwardly  this time around the issue of Tory policy during the Apartheid era.

Asked by Michael Crick what she personally did to help end the Apartheid regime, May was forced to concede: I think you know full well that I didnt go on protests, Michael. This stands in stark contrast to Jeremy Corbyn, who  despite enduring endless accusations of racism from his parliamentary colleagues  was arrested for protesting against Apartheid in the 1980s.

Following the interview, May was due to visit Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years. May was asked whether, as a loyal member of the Conservatives, she agreed with Thatchers description of the ANC and Mandela as terrorists. This was not even the most extreme view in the Tory party at the time: the Federation of Conservative Students wanted Mandela hanged, and then-Tory MP Teddy Taylor called for him to be shot.

In response, the Prime Minister could only bleat platitudes about Mandelas immense statesmanship. The grilling was painful to watch, and represented May being placed in a position of extreme weakness out of sheer necessity. Were it not for her desperate need to strike up new trade arrangements, there is no way she would have ever set foot on Robben Island and be forced to answer for the Thatcher governments support for Apartheid.

Scramble for Africa

May stated that she wants the UK to be the G7s number one investor in Africa by 2022. She was accompanied on her trip by a cabal of 29 business figures representing the interests of British capitalism, including the Chief Executive of the Standard Chartered Bank, Bill Winters.

The Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), a UK government-owned private equity group  backed by Bob Geldof  will also invest up to 3.5bn in African projects in the next four years as part of the pledge. Far from being a philanthropic organisation, the CDC is a brute capitalist enterprise. In 2010, it emerged that it was soaking up massive profits from schemes such as the construction of hotels and shopping centers that enriched its managers, while bringing no benefit to the poor. These pirates are eager to carve chunks out of the African market, and Ramaphosa is only too happy to let them size his country up as long as he and the rest of the South African ruling class receive their own compensation.

Mays visit reflects a collapse of the old order in a period of world economic crisis. The ruling classes are clamouring for new markets and alliances as world relations shift / Image: public domain

Fundamentally, Mays visit reflects a collapse of the old order in a period of world economic crisis. Under the present conditions, where global economic demand is squeezed, the ruling classes of all nations are clamouring for new markets and new alliances as the old ones enter into crises and world relations shift.

China remains the biggest foreign player in Africa, and is developing its nascent imperialist interests through infrastructural investment in Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and various countries in central Africa. But the bourgeoisie of many other nations are now tripping over themselves to get a piece of the continent. In addition to May: Modi, Macron, Erdogan and Merkel have all visited Africa since June.

Finding new markets and geopolitical allies is especially pressing for Britain, due to Brexit. France is currently the most important actor amongst the G7 (Macron has made nine visits since taking office), but French influence in Africa is declining, creating space for countries like the UK. South Africa and Nigeria alone represent 50 percent of GDP for the entire continent. If May can establish a foothold in these countries, the African market would be wide open.

Whiff of desperation

The problem is, its not enough. Its not merely a case of the capitalists securing new markets, but profitable markets. While May described South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya as key partners for the UK on the continent after Brexit, their combined GDP  about $770bn  is barely equal to that of the Netherlands. Moreover, half of Nigerias 180m people live on less than $1.90 a day, meaning few could afford British goods and services.

Dipo Salimonu, the chief executive of a Nigerian fuels storage company, was quoted in the Financial Times as saying its futile to look for consumers to replace [the EU] in this part of the world. Indeed, British capitalism has 45 percent of its markets in Europe. The entire African continent currently accounts for just 3 percent of all UK goods and services exports. It is no serious alternative to the European market  nor will be any patchwork of similar, trifling trade deals.

The fact that May is courting such small fry as trading partners is evidence of the depth of the crisis she faces. Brexit has brought to the surface a deep rot at the heart of British capitalism, which has manifested in the disorientation and internal divisions of its political representatives, as seen in the civil war that has gripped the Tory Party.

May's courting African nations is evidence of the depth of the crisis she faces / Image: public domain

Furthermore, it is not as though dozens of countries are lining up to make trade deals with Britain: on the contrary, it appears increasingly isolated and friendless. Meanwhile, Trump has no intention of paying Britain any special favours, and indeed is exploiting the divisions in the Tory Party, playing the country off against the EU (and especially Germany), to the advantage of American capitalism.

Any hope on the part of the British ruling class of striking new trade deals equal to the EU is completely utopian. In fact, Brexit has meant that Britain will even struggle to obtain the best deals from African nations, next to EU member states that have Brussels economic and political clout behind them. Once again, May risks being forced to the back of the queue.

In an attempt to sweeten the deal, May tried bribing the Nigerian ruling class with chickenfeed  specifically a 10.5m donation to help fight terrorism and trafficking. But she endured open mockery in Kenya, where Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta said he was happy a British head of government had found time to visit after 30 years. To rub salt in the wound, he claimed not to remember former-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnsons name, calling him the bicycle guy.

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Salimonu aptly noted that Mays attempts to court African states carried the whiff of desperation. It is undeniably satisfying to watch the wretched and degenerate British ruling class going cap-in-hand to a continent it once dominated and pillaged. This reversal of fortunes reflects a general downward trajectory for Britain since the Second World War, accelerated by the 2008 crisis and brought to a head by the Brexit referendum. Any new trade deals struck in Africa will be a drop in the ocean that will do nothing to cushion the economic impact of Brexit. No matter how many countries she visits, or how enthusiastically she dances, May is powerless to improve Britains standing on the world stage.

Meanwhile, the current economic turmoil can only spell further misery for African workers and peasants, who are caught between the effects of Trumps protectionism, the opportunism of their own bourgeoisie, and the interests of second-rate imperialist powers like Britain.
HAMPDEN - One of the conference rooms at Rediker Software is called "The Bridge."

The other - a more relaxed space that's got comfy couches and is around the corner from the shuffleboard table - is "Ten Forward," a reference to the lounge on the Starship Enterprise in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

It's an indication of how Rediker's new office space here in the center of Hampden has a lot in common with the trendy work spaces of Silicon Valley and Boston's tech hubs.

The narwhal - a sort of unofficial mascot - is everywhere as a cartoon, a photograph or a toy stuffed animal decorating desks.

"Agile software development is all about collaboration," said Andrew Anderlonis, president of the family-owned company. "That's why I wanted the work spaces set up so people can communicate."

Agile software development is a method of writing computer code that better accommodates adjustments as the process moves forward.

In Rediker's new space, teams are clustered together in pods with low cubical walls. All the desks are along the wall, leaving the middle of the room as unobstructed as possible. Anderlonis said he stations interns where they can collaborate with all the teams.

The company hosted an open house Wednesday at the new 33,000-square-foot office space. The offices are in what was an unfinished second floor of an office building expansion from 2005. Rediker used the downstairs office space while waiting for the opportunity to expand upstairs.

Guests included state Sen. Eric. Lesser and state Rep. Brian Ash, both Longmeadow Democrats whose districts include Hampden.

Rediker Software was founded in 1978 by CEO Rich Rediker, Anderlonis' father-in-law. The company provides software tools for teachers and school districts that do everything from tracking discipline and grades to managing admissions at private schools to communicating with parents and running school district websites.

Until about two years ago, Rediker outsourced its software development to a contractor in India. But Anderlonis said the company had concerns about the quality of the work and he wanted more control and better responsiveness to customers.

Five years ago he started bringing in interns form local high schools and giving them little software development projects. Eighteen months ago, he started hiring development engineers and building his team, even though their desks were scattered about Rediker's offices.

Today the 30-member development and operations (DevOps) team has 18 software developers working in teams of six. Others in the new work space are technical writers who do the instruction manuals and FAQs for users and "product owners" with oversight of specific software titles.

There are about 120 Rediker employees in total in Hampden, including software developers, technical writers, salespeople, people who train users on the software and a call center for users with problems. At night, call center duties are switched over to a team in India to maintain 24-hour service worldwide.

One of Rediker's motivations in hosting the open house, Anderlonis said, was to get its name out there and help it recruit additional staff.

Anderlonis said it was hard to hire the people he needed for software development.

"The talent pool is a little thin here for what we need," he said. "But we smoked them out. For a lot of people, they were living here and commuting into Boston. We're happy to be able to provide that opportunity here."

He's also hired people from his high school and college internship programs.

Rich Rediker was a chemistry teacher at Longmeadow High School when he started working with early personal computers in the late 1970s. He came up with a way to use a computer -- a 45-pound Commodore PET that stored data on a cassette tape -- to help him keep track of students who'd been warned about being late to class.

His work grew from there and he made his first software sale in 1980 to St. Mary's schools in Westfield. Anderlonis said St. Mary's is still a customer.

Rich Rediker is still involved with the company, as his is wife, Gayle, and their daughter and Andrew's wife, Amy Rediker Anderlonis. Amy's sisters are not in the business.

Rediker Software said it helps schools in more than 120 countries manage administrative tasks, maximize school-to-home communication and inspire students. Products include AdminPlus, TeacherPlus Gradebook, Admissions Plus Pro and Teacher Evaluator.
Massachusetts lost 6,200 jobs in September, according to figures released Friday by the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

However, the Bay State's unemployment rate remained steady at 3.6 percent in September because more people entered the work force.

From September 2017 to September 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates Massachusetts has added 63,400 jobs and has gained 48,000 jobs year-to-date.

Over the month, the private sector lost 6,000 jobs. However, gains occurred in trade, transportation, and utilities; education and health services; professional, scientific, and business services; construction; and financial activities. The jobs level for Other Services remained unchanged over the month.

The September unemployment rate was one-tenth of a percentage point lower than the national rate of 3.7 percent reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Local numbers won't be available until later this month. But in October, Greater Springfield had an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent.

Statewide, the unemployment rate is higher at 7.3 percent when those working part-time who would rather work full-time and those who have stopped looking for work are counted.

"Last month, preliminary data indicates that there were 17,500 more employed residents and 1,500 fewer unemployed in the Commonwealth. The continued labor force gains and an estimated addition of 48,800 jobs year-to-date, are signs that our economy is attracting more residents to enter and gain employment in Massachusetts." Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Rosalin Acosta said in a news release.

The Massachusetts labor force increased by 16,100 from 3,806,000 in August, as 17,500 more residents were employed and 1,500 fewer residents were unemployed over the month, according to the release.

The state's labor force participation rate - the total number of residents age 16 or older who worked or were unemployed and actively sought work in the last four weeks - is up two-tenths of a percentage point over the month at 67.8 percent. Compared to September 2017, the labor force participation rate is up 2.4 percentage points.

Jobs by sector of the economy

The largest private sector percentage job gains over the year were in Construction; Professional, Scientific, and Business Services; Other Services; and Manufacturing.
SPRINGFIELD -- Uber, MGM Resorts' corporate partner in the ride-hailing market, reported this week that riders have made an average of about 2,000 Uber trips a week to and from MGM Springfield since the casino opened in August.

Most of these trips are at night, with hundreds happening between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m. The most popular destinations are to hotels in Springfield, to Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and to Springfield's Union Station, Uber said in a news release.

According to Uber's website and trip estimator utility, the trek from MGM Springfield to Bradley, a 20-mile drive, costs $22.45. A ride from MGM Springfield to Union Station, just a few blocks north of the casino, is $6.90.

Uber spokeswoman Alix Anfang said Union Station and Bradley showing up as destinations indicate that folks are using public transportation - planes and trains - to visit Springfield.

"In just a short amount of time it looks like people are really flocking to the area," Anfang said.

MGM Springfield is also funding The Loop bus service downtown linking hotels, attractions and Union Station with MGM. Riding The Loop is free.

The timing of most trips coincides with Uber's work with MADD, Mothers Against Drunken Driving.

"As visitors flock to the brand-new MGM Springfield, making ridesharing services as convenient as possible is helping to keep Springfield streets safer for everyone. We encourage all visitors to take advantage of safe options like Uber when enjoying a night out at MGM," said Mary Kate Depamphilis, of MADD Massachusetts.

Uber and its ride-hailing app launched in Springfield in spring 2015.

The app and the computer algorithm behind it draw Uber drivers to areas were demand for rides is highest, she said.

MGM offers a promotional code on its website for new Uber users up to $20 off their first trip if they have never used Uber before. The casino also built a ride-hailing pickup and drop-off zone on Level 1 of the parking garage.

Competitor Lyft, which also provides ride-hailing in Greater Springfield, offers rides from MGM Springfield to Union Station for $6 to $8 and from the casino to Bradley for $24 to $28.
HOLYOKE -- The Ad Club of Western Massachusetts inducted four community leaders into The Order of William Pynchon Thursday, continuing the club's 103 year tradition of honoring distinguished service to the Pioneer Valley community.

This year's class consists of Craig Carr, one of the founders of the Ronald McDonald House of Springfield; Sally Fuller, an advocate for early childhood literacy; Robert S. McCarroll, a historic preservationist; and Ronald P. Weiss, who the ad club says was instrumental in the creation of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.

The club and its predecessor organization has been awarding Pynchon medals since 1915. Named in honor of Springfield's founder, the order of William Pynchon honors community service with the slogan, "They honor us whom we honor."

The recipients were chosen from a pool of nominations received earlier this year. All Pynchon medalists are chosen by unanimous decision of the Pynchon Trustees and five past presidents of the Advertising Club. Pynchon Trustees for 2018 are Barbara Perry, Jillian Gould, Teresa Utt, David Cecchi, Mary Shea, and current Advertising Club president Scott Whitney.

Craig Carr of Longmeadow was nominated by Jack Dill for her work helping to found the Ronald McDonald House in Springfield.

Since 1991, the Springfield house has hosted more than 12,500 families from around the globe.

In his letter nominating Carr for the Pynchon medal, Jack Dill, himself a 2016 Pynchon medalist, wrote "there is little doubt that, without Craig's formative and ongoing commitment, this facility (of such great importance to so many families) would neither exist nor have prospered over the past thirty years."

Carr served one term as president of the board, has been involved in every fundraising activity, the club said.

Sally C. Fuller of Wilbraham is described as a "literacy rock star," having spent more than a decade working with the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation on childhood literacy projects such as Cherish Every Child and the Read! Reading Success by 4th Grade Initiative.

Robert S. McCarroll was nominated by James Boone for his work to preserve historic buildings in Springfield.

As a member of the Springfield Planning Department, McCarroll was instrumental in the creation of five of Springfield's local historic districts, protecting more than one thousand buildings. Later, as a member of the Springfield Historical Commission, he spearheaded the creation of four additional districts. He also successfully fought to preserve several historic buildings at the site of the MGM Springfield casino, according to the club.

In recent years, he created the website ChooseSpringfieldMass.com to encourage people to move to the city.

Ronald P. Weiss was nominated by Paul Friedman for his philanthropy and his work with the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.

According to the nomination materials, in the 1980s Weiss noticed a "charitable giving drain" in the Pioneer Valley because large, locally owned businesses were being sold and owners who were major donors to community causes were moving.

He helped found the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts in November of 1990 to develop new donors. Since then, the foundation has grown to include total assets of more than $150 million, with nearly 2,000 contributions totaling $10.7 million in 2017. Foundation distributions in 2017 included $2.1 million in scholarships and loans to 800 students, and nearly 1,500 grants totaling $6.9 million.
SPRINGFIELD -- The city's decision this week to stop work at SilverBrick Square, 122 Chestnut St., after building inspectors found unlicensed plumbers installing substandard materials is not the first time regulators have fined a subcontractor and stopped work at the project.

The Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents cited a different subcontractor on the site, JLRN Home Framing of New Haven, Connecticut, on Aug. 8, for not having a valid workers' compensation policy, said Charles Pearce, a spokesman for the agency. The state fined JLRN $300. The contractor got the required coverage and the stop-work order was lifted three days later.

Citing state records, Pearce said JLRN has just two employees, including the owner of the business, Jose Luis Romero Nava. A call to the business phone number Thursday was not returned.

Organized labor picketed the site in September complaining that out-of-state contractors had been hired to work on a project benefiting from a city tax break.

This week's stop-work order came after city inspectors found plumbers had sanded color-coded markings from pipes. The markings indicate the grade of pipe.

The plumbing contractor, Mikhail K. Shtefan, of West Springfield, also has not returned calls from The Republican.

The city sent notice to the state, which might now conduct hearings to revoke Shtefan's license.

In May, the City Council approved up to $150,000 over 10 years in tax incentives for SilverBrick's 122 Chestnut St. project. The incentives are tax savings on the value SilverBrick plans to add to the property, not the assessed value when it bought the building.

SilverBrick already owns 280 apartments downtown at SilverBrick Lofts -- the former Morgan Square Apartments. SilverBrick bought Morgan Square for $9 million in 2014, and the company has done approximately $6 million in renovations.

SilverBrick also has plans to renovate the largely vacant Cabotville Mill in Chicopee Center into a mixed-use complex including apartments. Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos said the city will now place the Cabotville project under greater scrutiny.
SPRINGFIELD - The SilverBrick Group Thursday promised to correct any substandard work found at its 122 Chestnust St. apartment redevelopment project.

"We are extremely disappointed to hear that any renovations done at 122 Chestnut could possibly be substandard, although we know the vast majority, if not all, is to standard," wrote Aaron Papowitz, founder and managing principal of SilverBrick Group.

On Tuesday, city inspectors stopped plumbing work at the site, which was once the YMCA building, after finding unlicensed plumbers using substandard materials. According to the city, the workers sanded off colors identifying the grade of pipe being used.

The city is also notifying state license authorities and there might be a hearing regarding plumbing subcontractor Mikhail K. Shtefan, of West Springfield.

"We have worked diligently since the article was released yesterday gathering facts and are hereby guarantying if any work is substandard it will be corrected immediately," Papowitz wrote in an email to The Republican. "We thank the City of Springfield and neighboring cities, and the State of Massachusetts for its support."

Papowitz said he would provide more details Monday at a meeting of the City Council's subcommittee on economic development.

In August, the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents cited a different subcontractor on the site, JLRN Home Framing of New Haven, Connecticut, for not having a valid workers' compensation policy. The state fined JLRN $300. The contractor got the required coverage and the stop-work order was lifted three days later.

SilverBrick said its agreement with general contractor A&G Contracting Inc., of New Haven, requires it to hire only licensed subcontractors, file permits with the city of Springfield and the state, and ensure that work has been inspected.

Papowitz said the city has requested a drawing of the venting system and that the plumber has hired a local engineer. No plumbing work will go forward until the drawing is approved, he said.

Papowitz said the project has never been shut down by any government agency. But when reminded of the plumber and of the framing contractor, he said there might have been delays regarding individual subcontractors.

In May, the City Council approved up to $150,000 over 10 years in tax incentives for SilverBrick's 122 Chestnut St. project. The incentives are tax savings on the value SilverBrick plans to add to the property, not the assessed value when it bought the building.

But the incentive package didn't pass on the fist vote. And after news of the code enforcement went public, City Councilors Orlando Ramos, Jesse Lederman and Adam Gomez asked that SilverBrick voluntarily abide by new city regulations requiring developers who get tax breaks to hire responsible local contractors, with an emphasis on local.

SilverBrick bought the building in February for $4.8 million. It plans a $6.2 million, 99-apartment project.

SilverBrick also has a deal in place to renovate the Cabotville property in Chicopee Center using another tax incentive program. Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos said Thursday that project now deserves more scrutiny.
Alicia Restrepo

By Jacqueline Tempera | MassLive

Boston police are asking anyone who was near the Dorchester neighborhood where a 24-year-old woman was shot and killed on Monday to call detectives.

Alicia Restrepo, of Boston, was shot and killed while sitting in her car in the Fields Corner area Monday night, police said.

While her death is under investigation, police have not made any arrests, police said Friday morning.

A person familiar with the investigation said Restrepo does not appear to be the intended victim of the 9:36 p.m. shooting on Charles Street in Dorchester.

Restrepo was sitting in her car near Charles and Ditson Streets in Dorchester when she was shot multiple times, police said in a news release. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Anyone who was in the areas of Leroy Street, Ditson Street, Charles Street and Geneva Avenue at the time of the shooting Monday is asked to reach homicide detectives at 617-343-4470.

"Anyone with information, regardless of how minor or small it may appear, is strongly encouraged to contact homicide detectives," police wrote in the statement.

Community members wishing leave anonymous information can call the CrimeStoppers at tip line at 1-800-494-TIPS or by texting the world 'TIP' to CRIME (27463).

Restrepo's death marks the city's 47th homicide in 2018, compared with 43 at the same time in 2017, according to police. The 10-year average for homicides is 54, police said.

With eight people killed in eight separate shootings since Oct. 5., Respreto's shooting also comes during a rash of violence in Boston that has alarmed community leaders.

Respreto was a former student at UMass Lowell, who friends have described as a "smart, good sister," to media.

In a GoFundMe page set up to raise money to cover Restrepo's funeral costs, Jonathan Hernandez, a close family friend, called the young woman a "beautiful soul."

Friends grappled with the loss of Respreto in an outpouring of social media posts.

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8 people have been killed in 8 separate shootings in Boston over the last 2 weeks. Lives lost, families torn apart, trauma reinforced in community. A spike in violence anywhere in our city is an emergency for all the city. Must focus support & resources https://t.co/tvKjThr8Pb  Michelle Wu  (@wutrain) October 17, 2018

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The city's 47th homicide is a 24-year-old woman shot multiple times in Dorchester. No killer found. Are you outraged yet?

https://t.co/kb6o12GsfV via @BostonGlobe  Meghan E. Irons (@MeghanIrons) October 19, 2018

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I went to bed late last night, and before I did, I read this article. I searched high and low to find a name, to see if... Posted by Laticia Tolentino on Tuesday, October 16, 2018

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Today makes 99 days since Mayor @marty_walsh called my cell phone agreeing to meet with me. Last night Boston's 47th Homicide a 24 y.o Black woman died. He loves press conferences to give the perception he's doing something but he's not. #mapoli #BlackInBoston #ViolenceInBoston pic.twitter.com/2Kwq1eq4Yt  Monica Cannon-Grant  Accomplice (@ProRockThrower) October 16, 2018

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RIP Alicia Restrepo. So young and gone too soon #Dorchester  Maria Isabel (@chipsandguaccc) October 16, 2018

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Alicia you was so beautiful, so smart and had a very warm heart its unbelievable how this happened to you.. Im... Posted by Merkie Merk on Wednesday, October 17, 2018

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OMG RIP ALICIA !!!!! MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES TO THE RESTREPO FAMILY OMG I CANT BELIEVE IT MAY YOU SLEEP IN GLORY  Geni (@Bellageni_) October 16, 2018

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This one hurt. Rest peacefully Alicia Restrepo   Amazing A (@SooFarrGone) October 16, 2018

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In Loving Memory Of Alicia Restrepo, 24 10,15,18 You Will Be Deeply & Truly Missed, Love Your Family & Friends  #StpTheVilence #SpreadLoveNotWar #PayingHomage Posted by Paying Homage on Wednesday, October 17, 2018

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Smh why it had to be you. Love you baby girl R.I.P Alicia Restrepo. I know your vieja and nick are hurting right now. You were one of my first friends in college and your mother embrace me like another son. This one truly hurts. Rest easy mama  BasedJosh (@Names_BasedJosh) October 17, 2018

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Alicia Restrepo, the 24-year-old shot to death in a car in Dorchester, was a UMass Lowell student a few years ago.



Statement from UMass Lowell: "UMass Lowell was saddened to learn of the passing of former student Alicia Restrepo. Our deepest condolences go out to her loved ones" pic.twitter.com/NxMfTUqA0n  Rick Sobey  (@Rick_Sobey) October 19, 2018

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*SOME MEMBERS of the community @marty_walsh you have disrespected SOME organizers & activists that have attempted to help / calling your admin into accountability isnt well liked, therefore, were subject to the typical #bospoli #blacklist @ElysiaBoston25 @ProRockThrower https://t.co/YfNxMXh20P  James W. Hills (@James4Boston) October 15, 2018

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Lots to reflect on after a community mtg at @liz4staterep HQ to address violence & trauma response in the city. There's much to be done but lots of hope after hearing the stories & experiences shared tonight. TY to all who came out. The work continues... @AyannaPressley #bospoli pic.twitter.com/fFacmg3TkK  Lynese Wallace (@Ms_Wallace4) October 9, 2018

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: Alicia Restrepo, its not goodbye its see you later. Im replaying memories of basketball games in my head. You... Posted by Claudette Duran on Tuesday, October 16, 2018

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Rest In Peace Alicia Restrepo i cant believe it was you damn this world  is small and youre were just asking for help... Posted by Isiah Brown on Wednesday, October 17, 2018

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: Can not believe what I read a few hours ago  I pray Justice is served for you and that our citys police figure out... Posted by Jarelis Mary Fonseca on Wednesday, October 17, 2018

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Read more about gun violence in Boston

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Worcester - Debra Baumgartner, RN, an evening nurse supervisor, is the 2018 recipient of AdCare Hospital's Excellence in Patient Care Award. Ms. Baumgartner, joined AdCare as a nurse in 2006.

The recipient of the Excellence in Customer Service award, Kristina Cunningham, is an insurance specialist and supervisor in First Contact Services.

Experience matters. For nearly forty-five years, AdCare has helped individuals and families recover from substance use. In addition to AdCare Hospital, New England's only alcohol and drug specialty hospital, AdCare has a residential treatment program in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, and outpatient services throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island. For more information about AdCare programs and services, call 800-ALCOHOL or visit adcare.com.
Massachusetts National Grid workers who have been locked out by the company since July can now lend their expertise to the Merrimack Valley, where a massive effort to restore gas lines is underway.

This week, United Steelworkers Unions Local 12012 and Local 12003 announced individual workers locked out by National Grid were cleared to coordinate with the Department of Public Utilities to assist in gas restoration efforts in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover following the utility disaster tied to Columbia Gas on Sept. 13.

The unionized gas workers asked National Grid to release their operator qualifications in order to allow for workers to get on the ground in the impacted areas. The company responded and provided the materials this week.

In a joint statement union presidents Joe Kirylo and John Buonopane, said locked-out workers offering help were initially refused by National Grid, Columbia Gas, Eversource and Gov. Charlie Baker's administration.

"It's troubling that this step is necessary - particularly because the quickest and most effective way for our members to help restore gas service in the Merrimack Valley is for National Grid to end the lockout," Buonopane and Kirylo said in a statement Monday.

In the Greater Lawrence area, Columbia Gas has pledged to restore gas to the more than 10,000 dwellings impacted by the gas fires and explosions last month by Nov. 19.

As crews begin to scale up to address 350 to 400 units per week, gas workers will need to reach, at minimum, 250 gas meters per day.

The standoff between National Grid and its workers over failed contract negotiations will reach its fifth month in November. The lock-out has impacted more than 1,200 gas workers from roughly 85 cities and towns across the state.

Locked-out workers have accused Massachusetts' natural gas industry as being "in disarray" following the Merrimack Valley disaster and news of over-pressurized gas lines in Woburn this month. The DPU issued a moratorium on all non-emergency gas work by National Grid following the Woburn incident.

Read more:
An alleged carjacking in New Hampshire led to a multi-state incident that ended with a Massachusetts State Trooper stabbed multiple times in New Salem, officials said.

An 18-year-old Manchester, New Hampshire, man was reported as an erratic driver in Hillsborough, New Hampshire earlier Friday, according to Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio.

Police were not able to stop that driver, Procopio said. Then, the driver allegedly crashed into a silver Toyota Camry in Walpole, New Hampshire.

The 18-year-old got out of his car, allegedly pushed the driver of the Camry to the ground, got into the car and drove off, Procopio said.

The man then cut through Vermont on Interstate 91 south and drove into Massachusetts.

State Police chased the car on Interstate 91 and the stopped the pursuit when the car exited onto Route 2 east. The chase was picked up by local law enforcement and terminated at the intersection of Fay Road and Route 202 in New Salem somewhere between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne of the Northwestern District Attorney's office said.

The 18-year-old apparently smashed into a concrete barrier pole and the car came to a stop. Then the suspect got out of the car with a knife, Gagne said.

"He proceeded to attack a state trooper who had become engaged in the pursuit moments before," Gagne said.

The 47-year-old trooper suffered multiple stab wounds to his head, shoulder and arm. He was flown to the University Campus of UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he is currently undergoing surgery. The trooper was alert and conscious when he got to the hospital and is expected to survive.

Authorities did not name the trooper, but said he has been with the State Police for 10 or 12 years and is married with children.

The suspect was shot in the torso and was also flown to UMass Memorial Medical Center and is undergoing treatment. He is also expected to survive, said Gagne. The suspect was not identified by name.

It is not yet clear who fired a shot at the suspect, Gagne said, but the shot was in response to the trooper being stabbed.

Gagne said the suspect will be facing multiple charges, including but not limited to armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene.
WALES - A coal stove with a blocked flue pipe was the cause of a carbon monoxide poisoning Wednesday afternoon that took the life of a man and sent his wife to the hospital.

The man was working on the stove while it was running as the incident unfolded, according to a release by the state Fire Marshal's office.

The wife called 911 around 2:30 p.m. and stated people were feeling sick at the home at 4 Brows Beach Drive. Before the dispatcher could advise her to get out of the house to fresh air, she appears to have lost consciousness.

Responding firefighters found her and a pet unconscious and her husband overcome in the basement.

Investigators determined that the coal stove in the basement was the source of the carbon monoxide in the home, according to the release. The man was repairing the stove with the door open, while it was in full operation.

The flue pipe was full of coal ash which prevented the stove from venting properly to the outside.

A carbon monoxide alarm was found on the kitchen counter without batteries. There were four smoke alarms in the home, one with no battery, and three that had expired as they were more than ten years old.

"On behalf of the Wales Fire Department I offer heartfelt condolences to the family," Wales Fire Chief John Croke said. "I want to ask everyone who lives in Wales to make sure they have working carbon monoxide and smoke alarms before going to sleep tonight."

James Leydon, spokesman for the Hampden District Attorney's office, said the 57-year-old male victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where he was pronounced dead.

Leydon said due to a lack of criminal investigation into the matter, the district attorney's office declines to publicly identify the victim.

Records on file at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds list the owners of the home as Robert W. and Jaelyn M. Bacon.

The incident remains under investigation by the Wales police and fire departments, the state fire marshal's office, the state police detective unit assigned to district attorney's office and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Heating is the number one cause of carbon monoxide, also known as CO, in homes, according to the fire marshal's office

"It is important to have furnaces and chimneys cleaned and inspected by a licensed professional at the start of the heating season," state Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey said.

A working carbon monoxide alarm is the only way to protect people and pets from what is often referred to as the "invisible killer" because it cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, Ostroskey said.

Exposure to carbon monoxide includes such flu-like symptoms as headache, nausea, dizziness, confusion and fainting.

"If you have any of these symptoms or your CO alarm is sounding, move immediately to fresh air, call 9-1-1 and seek medical treatment," said Ostroskey. In 2017, Massachusetts Fire Departments reported responded to 15,755 CO calls and that they detected elevated levels of carbon monoxide in 4,688 of those calls.

For more information on carbon monoxide safety or the requirements for CO alarms in Massachusetts homes, go to: www.mass.gov/dfs and search on Carbon Monoxide Safety.
NORTHAMPTON -- A proposal by the Board of Health to ban smoking in downtown Northampton and Florence drew strong support from residents who attended a public forum Thursday night.

"I'm completely for it," said James Winston, an attorney with offices on Main Street. "If people don't care about their own lungs, they're not going to care about second-hand smoke. I see no negatives."

"I have a really severe reaction to nicotine," said Florence resident Elaine Kersten. "You can't walk down the street in Northampton without confronting a tremendous amount of smoking."

City Councilor Marianne LaBarge described groups of smokers who congregate outside Thornes Marketplace, Starbucks, and the Happy Valley gift shop on Main Street.

"It's so bad that I myself could not handle it," said LaBarge, a smoker who said she has gone from "a pack a day to a pack a month."

Listening were members of the Board of Health; city health director Merridith O'Leary; Mayor David Narkewicz; Police Chief Jody Kasper; and Cheryl Sbarra, an attorney with the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards.

"This is not meant to be punitive," said Sbarra. "It's about education and public health."

O'Leary said she has received numerous emails and phone calls from residents and business owners, the vast majority of whom expressed support for the ban.

The Board of Health has been discussing the matter for about a year. O'Leary said public input is necessary to identify any "unintended consequences" from enacting new regulations.

The city already bans smoking or vaping within 25 feet of a municipal building, at city-owned parks and playgrounds, inside private clubs, at nursing homes, bus stops, and outdoor areas where food or beverages are sold, served, or consumed.

If enacted, the new language would prevent the use of tobacco in the entire Northampton central business district, and in Florence's general business district, as delineated on the city's zoning map.

Questions were raised about whether the city should identify "designated smoking areas," away from city sidewalks, for those who need to light up.



"You do not need to have alternative areas," said Florence resident Larry Cadorette. "You are in the business of promoting public health, not finding places for people to smoke."

Dr. Suzanne Smith, a physician and health board member, said she supports the ban, but that areas for smokers should be allowed.

"If you do not have designated areas, people will still light up," she said. "That's addiction speaking. If you provide an area, people will make the effort. If there is no area, they will smoke anyway."

She said in her work as a doctor, she has seen people have a harder time quitting cigarettes than quitting heroin.

Smith said there are many types of smokers -- including restaurant workers, recovering alcoholics, the mentally ill, and students. Nonetheless, public health data shows that enacting bans helps reduce smoking, she said.

Some who spoke said that smokers already ignore Northampton's rules, and that many puff away at bus stops and in Pulaski Park.

Language on enforcement has not yet been crafted. Currently, the city's health agent has power to enforce smoking regulations. Police could become enforcers if they are defined as "designees," said O'Leary.

Kasper said the Northampton Police Department would be willing to take on an enforcement role, but would emphasize education instead of punishment.

"Our officers don't want to be writing people tickets," she said. Kasper said police would inform people about the ordinance and direct them to areas where they may smoke legally.

Narkewicz said that Northampton would be the first city in Massachusetts to enact a downtown smoking ban, but that such regulations exist in other states.

O'Leary said that a public hearing on the proposed rules will be held this winter or spring.
The Springfield police officer fired last year for social media posts mocking the car crash that killed an anti-racism demonstrator in Charlottesville, Va. has lost a bid to regain his job.

An arbitrator has upheld Police Commissioner John Barbieri's decision to fire former officer Conrad Lariviere, city and police officials confirmed.

Lariviere's comments in the wake of the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville drew national attention and sparked outrage both from local leaders and members of the public, who flooded the police department with angry calls and emails.

"This is a very disturbing incident. The correct decision was upheld which reaffirms Commissioner Barbieri's decision," Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said in a statement. "This officer's behavior is not reflective of the vast majority of our brave and dedicated men and women in blue."

Lariviere's attorney Jeremy Powers did not return a request for comment prior to publication.

Lariviere's Facebook comments about the crash that killed anti-racist demonstrator Heather Heyer in August of last year came as the Springfield police department was already facing scrutiny for other misconduct allegations, including a 2015 beating and an abusive, off-books interrogation of a teenage suspect.

"Hahahaha love this, maybe people shouldn't block road ways," Lariviere wrote in a Facebook comment on a news article about the crash.

When other commenters expressed shock at his comment, Laraviere initially doubled down.

"How do you know [the driver] was a nazi scumbag? Stop being part of the problem," he wrote.

Screenshots of the comments spread on social media, and complaints poured in to the department's leadership. Sarno quickly condemned the remarks and Barbieri opened an internal investigation.

As the controversy grew, Lariviere expressed regret in Facebook messages to a MassLive reporter.

"Never would I want someone to get murdered. I am not a racist and don't believe in what any of those protesters are doing," Lariviere told MassLive at the time. "I'm a good man who made a stupid comment and would just like to be left alone."

And he later told internal investigators he had no political sympathies for the right-wing demonstrators who flooded the streets of Charlottesville, and that he did not know the identity of the driver when he made his comments.

"My comments were not intended to support either group, the alt-right or counter protesters," Lariviere wrote. "The object of my comment was to condemn whichever group engaged in disorderly or disruptive conduct which blocked public streets from the use of ordinary citizens."

James Alex Fields Jr., an alleged white supremacist, is accused of driving the car and has been charged with second degree murder. His Nazi sympathies had not been widely reported at the time Lariviere made his Facebook posts.

The Springfield Police Department did not have a formal social media policy at the time, though one was created after the uproar. In December of last year, Barbieri fired Lariviere after the city's Community Police Hearing Board reviewed the case and found the officer had violated departmental rules and regulations.

"It was determined that Officer Lariviere impaired the operation of the Springfield Police Department or its employees and discredited the department," Barbieri said in a statement at the time.

The department's patrolman's union quickly condemned the firing, saying it was based on "political considerations." Union president Joseph Gentile declined to comment on the arbitration ruling Friday morning.

Lariviere filed a grievance and asked an arbitrator to overturn his termination. Earlier this month, on October 2, the arbitrator reached a decision and sided with the city.
It all happened so fast.

Hannah Hunting, 32, was cleaning out her van parked outside her home at the corner of Fay and Orange roads in New Salem with her sons, ages 8 and 5, when she heard a screech.

She thought it was just a car crash.

But then Hunting saw a Massachusetts State Police trooper chasing a suspect. The chase landed right in front of her home.

The suspect jumped out out the silver Toyota Camry he was driving and went toward the trooper and his cruiser, Hunting recalled Friday afternoon.

Then she saw the suspect put his hand in his pocket.

"Immediately I yelled at my kids to get in the van and put their heads down," Hunting said.

Then she saw a chaotic scene unfold as the suspect opened the cruiser door to get to the trooper, she said.

"I was watching from the van and I thought they were just punching," she said. "But then I realized after that he was actually stabbing the police officer."

Authorities say the incident started earlier Friday when an 18-year-old Manchester, New Hampshire, man was reported as an erratic driver in Hillsborough, New Hampshire

Police were not able to stop the driver, according to Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio. Then, the driver allegedly crashed into a silver Toyota Camry in Walpole, New Hampshire.

The 18-year-old got out of his car, allegedly pushed the driver of the Camry to the ground, got into the Camry and drove off, Procopio said.

The man then cut through Vermont on Interstate 91 south and drove into Massachusetts, eventually crashing in New Salem and getting into the altercation with a 47-year-old State Police trooper right in front of Hunting and her sons.

"Somehow the suspect got into the police car, shut the door, shots were fired at the door," Hunting said.

More police arrived in front of her home.

The suspect did not listen to police commands, Hunting said, but he was shot on her front lawn and eventually apprehended.

"I was traumatized. I was scared just thinking of my kids and just thinking, OK, he could have had a gun, he could have just opened fire," she said.

The 47-year-old trooper suffered multiple stab wounds to his head, shoulder and arm. He was flown to the University Campus of UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he is currently undergoing surgery, authorities said. The trooper was alert and conscious when he got to the hospital and is expected to survive.

Authorities did not name the trooper, but said he has been with the State Police for 10 or 12 years and is married with children.

The suspect was shot in the torso and was also flown to UMass Memorial Medical Center and is undergoing treatment. He is also expected to survive, said First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne of the Northwestern District Attorney's office. The suspect was not identified by name.

It is not yet clear who fired a shot at the suspect, Gagne said, but the shot was in response to the trooper being stabbed.

Hunting said she heard about five shots fired.

Hunting said she did not hear the suspect say anything. She heard police yelling "knife."

"It just looked like punching to me, it just looked like over and over again," she said. "It happened super fast."

Once the suspect was handcuffed Hunting and her sons ran inside.

Hunting said her 5-year-old son is horrified by what he saw.

"We went inside and he said, 'Mama, I don't want to be a police officer when I grow up,'" Hunting recalled. "Cause he's always wanted to be."

Hunting said she told her son police are there to help.

"We have people praying and I'm thankful that we stayed safe," she said.
SPRINGFIELD - Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito met with local law enforcement and municipal leaders Thursday to lobby on behalf of a Baker administration-backed bill that would allow police and prosecutors to go after repeat-violent offenders who commit new crimes while out on bail.

At the meeting at the YWCA of Western Massachusetts, Polito spoke in favor of the bill, titled "An Act to Protect the Commonwealth from Dangerous Persons," which was proposed in August by Gov. Charlie Baker in response to the recent killing of two police officers in Weymouth and Yarmouth.

"Recent tragedies have demonstrated that tremendous damage that can occur when our criminal justice system fails to identify and detain dangerous people charged with serious crimes," Polito said.

Present at the meeting were Massachusetts Executive Director of Public Safety and Security Daniel Bennett, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, and police officials from Springfield, Chicopee and surrounding communities.

The bill, H.4903, is currently before the House Committee on Rules. To become law, it would need to be approved by the House and Senate and then ratified by the governor.

Polito said the bill would, among other things, allowed police to immediately detain people who are seen violating the terms of their pretrial release, rather than ask the courts to issue a warrant, and allow judges to order the arrest of any defendant who violates a court order to keep away from a victim. At present, judges need to go through a process of determining dangerousness.

Polito said the Baker administration has worked with police departments, district attorneys and victim advocacy groups to pass legislation that would keep dangerous offenders off the streets before trial.

"We want to provide police officers with the tools they need to protect their communities and hold trial defendants who pose a continuing danger to our community," Polito said.

The bill was introduced in part because of the shooting death of Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna, who was shot in July by a 20-year-old man who was due back in court for violating prerelease conditions and failing to appear for a mandatory drug test. The suspect, Emanuel Lopes, is now charged with killing Chesna and a bystander, 77-year-old Vera Adams.

Bennett spoke in favor of the bill, saying it would affect suspects who are identified as dangerous, or who openly flout the terms of their pretrial release should remain in custody until they are tried.

"A person who is so dangerous that his or her release threatens the safety of a specific victim or of the community at large does not become safe to release merely because three or four months have passed since the time of their arrest," Bennett said.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, who for the last few years has been openly critical of violent, repeat offenders being released on bail only to be arrested for new offenses, spoke in favor of efforts to pass the legislation.

"A hard line has to be taken on these repeat violent offenders, the gangbangers, gun offenders, and drug dealers that continue to victimize our Springfield and Commonwealth residents," Sarno said. "It has to stop."

Among other provisions of the bill would be to create a felony offense for anyone out on pretrial release who cuts off or tampers with a court-ordered GPS monitoring device, and allow district attorneys to have the same right as defense attorneys to appeal bail amounts set by judges.

Full text of House Bill 4903: an Act to Protect the Commonwealth from Dangerous Persons uploaded by Patrick Johnson on Scribd
A Massachusetts State Police trooper and a suspect have both been left "seriously injured" in New Salem Friday following a police pursuit.

MassLive has learned the trooper was sliced in the head area and had a puncture wound to an arm.



The suspect was shot by law enforcement on scene.

A trooper, who has not been identified, and the suspect both suffered "serious injuries" after troopers followed a person in Central Massachusetts. The injuries occurred while the person was being arrested, police said.

State police tweeted on Friday afternoon: "Pursuit of suspect in Central Mass. has ended in New Salem where, during apprehension, Trooper and suspect suffered serious injuries. Response and investigation ongoing. More info will be released when appropriate."

Dave Procopio, a spokesman for the state police, declined to comment further.

According to police scanner reports, Massachusetts State Police received reports from Vermont State Police early Friday afternoon of a stolen vehicle with driver heading toward Massachusetts down Interstate 91. The driver reportedly pushed a female out of the car in Vermont and drove off.

A Mass. State Police trooper first encountered the vehicle driving erratically, according to the scanner reports. Multiple police vehicles then began a pursuit, which at one point was ordered terminated as the suspect sped to 80 mph down Route 2. The vehicle was located shortly afterward.

According to police scanner reports, police reported "Shots fired, shots fired. Suspect came at him with a knife."

Police on scanner reported the trooper was taken by ambulance to Athol Hospital where he was sent by LifeFlight to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.

MassLive reporter Scott J. Croteau contributed to this report.
WESTFIELD - Old Dominion Freight Thursday night withdrew its application for a special permit for a truck terminal on Medeiros Way.

The withdrawal was accepted without prejudice by the Westfield City Council.

Councilor Brent B. Bean II addressed speculation made by a resident during public comment at the Oct. 4 meeting when the council voted to table Old Dominion's special permit application. The resident said by tabling the item, the council would "run the clock" on the application for 90 days and it would then automatically be granted.

Bean said this was not the case.

"I've been on this council for 16 years and we don't do that," he said. "That wasn't the intent of that."

Bean said tabling the application allowed time for Old Dominion to find out whether or not it could withdraw without prejudice.

"There were conflicting legal opinions on whether or not they could withdraw," said Bean.

The company was able to withdraw, which means it could resubmit an application at another time. Old Dominion planned to have a 24-hour truck terminal that would add 26 daily truck trips to the Southampton Road area. Several residents spoke out against the approval, citing traffic concerns as well as some concerns about the nearby water aquifer.

Ward 1 Councilor Mary Ann Babinski said Thursday that while Old Dominion was a good company, residents on the north side of the city have spoken and do not want additional trucks.

"We have an overabundance of planes, trains, automobiles and trucks," she said.

Babinski said it's time to seek options to alleviate the traffic.

Councilor Ralph J. Figy said her ward was not the only one plagued by traffic woes.

"Ward 2 has its share of traffic," Figy said. "Traffic is everywhere - it's not just on the north side."

Councilor Andrew Surprise, Ward 3, echoed figy's remarks.

"In Ward 3 we have a ton of traffic," he said, noting there are 6,000 vehicles per day on Western Avenue alone.

Babinski said Southampton Road has 13,000 vehicles per day.

Bean said Old Dominion ultimately withdrew because it could not adhere to one of the several conditions placed on the special permit at this time.
PALMER - A Palmer High School student is facing charges for reportedly threatening to bring a gun to the school's planned active-shooter evacuation drill on Thursday, police said.

The student, who was not identified, was arrested at his home Wednesday night and charged with making threats to use deadly force, according to Palmer police.

The threat was apparently made in the hallway of the school and was overheard by several students. The threat had to do with the school's planned active-shoot evacuation drill that was scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

The drill, which went off as planned, involved the school responding to a report of an active shooter by evacuating to a safe location nearby.

The drill is part of the school's A.L.I.C.E training, which is an acronym for "Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate."

According to police, the student was talking to a friend in the hallway Wednesday afternoon when he made a comment about guns and a school shooting. The hallway was crowded at the time and the remark apparently made "for the purpose of public consumption with the intention of causing harm."

One of the students who over heard it told a parent, who reported it to the school administration, which reported it to police.

The student was arrested Wednesday night at 10 p.m.

Police went to the house and found no weapons in the house. They also found neither the student nor his family members had "any realistic means of obtaining firearm," either legally or otherwise, police said.

The student was held overnight and arraigned in Palmer District Court on Thursday. He is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing planned for next week.

If convicted the punishment for threatening deadly force can be up to 20 years in prison, police said.
BOSTON - The state's highest court on Thursday declined to grant a new trial to Edwin Goitia, a Chicopee man sentenced to life in prison for the 2009 murder of his 6-month old son.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled that it could find no grounds to grant a new trial nor any errors in the original prosecution that would necessitate one.

In the ruling issued Thursday, the court declined to grant a new trial, saying "Considering the case as a whole, we conclude the conviction was amply supported by the evidence."

Goitia, then 28, was convicted on March 13, 2013 of first-degree murder for killing his 6-month-old son, Naiden Goitia, on July 29 in a Chicopee apartment.

Naiden Goitia died of two distinct fractures on the side and the base of the skull, and prosecutors argued the injuries with the result of the child being hit with something or slammed into something hard.

A Hampden County Superior Court jury deliberated for about 4 hours before finding guilty. The sentence for first-degree murder is life in prison.

Goitia did not live with his son or the mother, Amanda Arsenault, at the time of Naiden's murder, but he had been allowed to visit by her.

The child's mother in July 2013 pleaded guilty to a single count of reckless endangerment of a child, after she admitted to allowing him to be with the baby without supervision.

One month before to the murder, the state Department of Children and Families had placed Naiden in the custody of Arsenault's father and stepmother while the agency after bruising on the baby aroused suspicions of abuse.

Arsenault had also been charged with murder, but the charge was dismissed when the investigation ruled her out as a suspect. She would testify against Goitia at his trial.

In his request to have his conviction overturned, Goitia argued that his lawyer offered an ineffective defense by failing to adequately challenge Arsenault's credibility during the trial.

He also argued that his right to due process was violated with the prosecution failing to consider charges against Arsenault's parents in exchange for her testimony against him, and that prosecutors had handled evidence improperly.

The ruling, issued by Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants and Judges Frank M. Graziano, David F. Lowy, and Scott L. Kafker, notes the court found no grounds for overturning the original jury verdict.

"We discern no reversible error, and decline to exercise our authority ... to reduce the degree of guilt or order a new trial," the ruling states.

Mass SJC ruling on Commonwealth v. Edwin Goitia uploaded by Patrick Johnson on Scribd
SPRINGFIELD - Police arrested a 38-year-old man Wednesday night in Pine Point in connection with a shooting an hour earlier in the city's Upper Hill neighborhood.

Ronald Kelly, 38, was arrested in front of his home on Wilton Street at around 9 p.m., said police spokesman Ryan Walsh.

Officers spotted a car parked in front of the house that matched the description of a vehicle reportedly involved in a shooting on Eastern Avenue, he said.

As officers stopped to look at the house, Kelly walked outside. He was stopped by officers and arrested, Walsh said.

He is charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Police responded to the area of 300 Eastern Avenue just before 8 p.m. for an alert for gunfire on the city's Shotspotter gunshot detection system. They would find a man on Alden Street, around the corner from Eastern Avenue, suffering from gunshot injury.

Walsh said the man's injuries were not life-threatening.
EAST LONGMEADOW - State Rep. Brian Ashe, D-Longmeadow, and his Republican challenger Allison Werder talked with members of the public at a forum in East Longmeadow Thursday night.

The event took place at the Pleasant View Senior Center and was hosted by the East Longmeadow Council on Aging, as well as East Longmeadow Cable Access Television. The event was moderated by Beth Ward of Western Mass News.

While decidedly "not a debate" as Ward reiterated several times throughout the evening, the discussion did sometimes resemble one, with various pockets of the forum straying into heated territory.

Both candidates came at issues from distinctly different perspectives.

Ashe, the five term incumbent, stressed the need for good, effective government, proper funding of public services and touted his long record and ties to the region.

"My roots are here," Ashe said, describing his modest middle class upbringing and his intimate knowledge of the region. "My family was born and bred here."

Ashe said his interest in politics was about people.

"I got into office because I care about people," he said. "I didn't do it for the money, I didn't do it for the fame. I did it because I appreciate what I have in life and I want to make sure that everyone else has a fair share."

Werder, who is a political newcomer and the former president of MassLive.com, said she was looking to translate her private sector experience into public service.

"Having run organizations, balanced budgets, hired and fired, opened offices, all of that helps qualify me for this position," she said.

Werder, who moved to the region from New York some years ago to head the large media company, said she and her family stayed because they felt it was a good place to raise a family.

Contrasting Ashe, Werder consistently stressed the need to cut and downsize government and increase "transparency" in bureaucracy.

"We deserve better from our elected officials," she said. "Better accountability, better action, better results."

Werder stressed that she saw the opening of the MGM Springfield casino as an opportunity to make sure revenue generated by the new business made its way back to Western Massachusetts residents. "Right now that money is going into general funding formulas, education, transportation, economic development," Werder said. "That money is being spent here, it's being generated here, it should come back here."

Ashe countered that he had already partially done what Werder was suggesting. "Part of the MGM contract is legislation I filed to make sure that a portion of that money is used for opioid and substance abuse treatment," he said.

"I do take action, I am visible, I'm out here for you," Ashe said to the audience. "I'm proud of my record in the state house. Extremely proud."

Ashe also compared his lengthy public career to Werder's lack of experience. "You need people with experience," he said. "Not just longevity, but experience--and I have the real life experience." Ashe cited the fact that he had been a selectman in Longmeadow for eight years before he ran for his current seat. "I'm an integral part of my community and I try to focus on every community that we represent."

Werder later criticized Ashe's vote attendance, claiming the representative had the fifth worst roll call record.

Ashe again defended his record. "Ten years in the House of Representatives and I've missed three days," he said. "Two of those days were when my father passed away. His funeral and his wake. So I apologize for missing that but to me that was more important."

One place where the two candidates could find common ground was the idea of supporting an East-West rail that would connect the two parts of the state. Both also said they felt money needed to be better allocated to fund roads and infrastructure in the western part of the state.

The two candidates have received a number of prominent endorsements in the past few weeks.

Ashe has received endorsements from a number of state and local officials--including Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi and Governor's Councilor Mary Hurley.

Werder meanwhile recently announced that she had received the endorsement of Governor Charlie Baker.
The head of Environmental Police, Col. James McGinn, was fired Friday.

A spokesman for Gov. Charlie Baker's energy and environmental affairs secretariat said in an emailed statement that an investigation into alleged timesheet irregularities is now open, and an unauthorized contract for surveillance has ended.

The report accuses McGinn of using hidden cameras and hiring a private investigation firm to spy on officers.

"The Colonel exercised poor judgment and acted irresponsibly in engaging in covert surveillance activity without proper justification or notice to employees, thereby undermining employee morale and the integrity of his own leadership of the environmental police force," the report says.

McGinn's firing comes after the former State Police sergeant, who worked as Gov. Baker's driver during the 2014 gubernatorial campaign, was suspended without pay amid an internal review in early October.

A spokesman for the governor's executive office of energy and environmental affairs, said at the time that the suspension occurred during an ongoing "internal review of operational issues" within the law enforcement agency.

Baker told reporters the next day that ticket-fixing for friends was "certainly one of the elements of the review."

The ticket-fixing matter has been referred to the state ethics commission for potential further steps.

In a statement Friday, Baker said he backed the "careful review of the matter and [I] believe that Colonel McGinn's actions were inappropriate for any state employee, especially the head of the Environmental Police."

McGinn, a retired State Police sergeant who has also worked for FEMA as a disaster recovery specialist, was suspended after preliminary results of the internal review. McGinn's 2017 pay came to $132,215, state records show.

An internal report, released Friday alongside the news of McGinn's termination, noted the secretariat's legal office "has concluded its investigation into certain operational and management issues at the Office of Law Enforcement (OLE / Massachusetts Environmental Police). The investigators were unable to obtain a statement from Colonel James McGinn, who declined to be interviewed."

The agency enforces fish and gaming laws, as well as handles "protection of natural resources, homeland security and law enforcement, safety education, and accident investigation."

The agency has seen payroll issues, drawing media scrutiny of a practice known as "split-shifts."

Lt. Col. Anthony Abdal-Khabir took over the Environmental Police after McGinn's suspension.

"Protecting Massachusetts' natural resources is an important job and our Administration will now begin the process of installing new leadership at the agency to implement stronger internal controls across the Environmental Police force," Baker said in the statement after McGinn's firing.

This post has been updated.
Scituate police are telling residents to stay alert after two women were attacked by a fox in the town within 12 hours.

Police issued a warning Thursday after the two attacks that left the women with animal bites. The fox was spotted on Tack Factory Pond Road and Old Oaken Bucket Road, police said in a statement.

One of the women spoke to NBC Boston from her hospital bed. She said she had just gotten her children off the bus when she was bitten by a fox.

"The animal latched onto my foot, my ankle, and I ended up in the house with the animal on me. I was screaming," she told the television station. "...I had blood everywhere."

The other woman was scratched by a fox on her way to work, her husband told NBC Boston.

Neither of the women was identified.

Scituate police are searching for the fox. Anyone who sees the animal is asked to contact 781-545-1212.
Eric Chin and Paul Cesan, both Massachusetts State Police troopers ensnared in the alleged overtime abuse scandal, are the latest to plead guilty.

US Attorney Andrew Lelling's office announced that Chin, a 46-year-old Hanover resident, and Cesan, a 50-year-old Southwick man, are agreeing to plead guilty to one count of embezzlement.

Chin is a suspended trooper, while Cesan retired amid the scandal. Both were assigned to Troop E, which patrolled the Turnpike.

According to Lelling's office, Chin earned $302,400 in 2016, making $131,653 in overtime. He is pleading guilty to picking up $7,125 in overtime that he put in for but did not work.

Cesan earned $163,533 in 2016, and that included $50,866 in overtime. He is pleading guilty to taking $29,287 for overtime hours he didn't show up for.

Under the plea agreements, prosecutors are recommending a sentence of 6 to 12 months of incarceration for Chin and between 10 to 16 months for Cesan.

The federal investigation, involving dozens of current and retired troopers, is ongoing, according to Lelling's office.

Attorney General Maura Healey's office is conducting its own investigation that has led to the indictment of three former lieutenants.

Gov. Charlie Baker and Col. Kerry Gilpin, tapped by the governor to clean up the State Police, disbanded Troop E as the internal probe sent names of troopers to state and federal prosecutors.

Cesan and Chin join three others who have pleaded guilty: Retired trooper Gregory Raftery of Westwood, suspended Trooper Gary Herman of Chester, and suspended Trooper Kevin Sweeney of Braintree.

Out of the 46 troopers under investigation, eight have been hit with federal or state charges. One retired trooper, 57-year-old David Wilson of Charlton, is facing both federal and state charges.

This post has been updated with additional information.
SPRINGFIELD -- A Hampden Superior Court judge on Friday sentenced two Connecticut women to state prison in connection with a Springfield home invasion.

Judge Karen Goodwin sentenced Melissa Mimitz, 36, and Lily B. Bodenlos, 29, both of Naugatuck, to four to eight years in state prison followed by two years probation.

Assistant District Attorney Mary A. Sandstrom, saying the 71-year-old victim was tortured, asked for a sentence of 20 to 21 years while defense lawyers asked for much less.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said the sentence given by Goodwin is "a sadly low and sadly inadequate sentence."

He said the victim was terrorized in her own home.

Mimitz and Bodenlos each pleaded guilty last month to eight charges including home invasion, armed robbery while masked, and assault and battery on a person over 60 causing injury.

Goodwin said the crime committed by the women was "horrific" and "heinous."

But, she said, "I don't think that the defendants are beyond rehabilitation."

Daniel D. Kelly, Mimitz's lawyer, and Marissa Elkins, lawyer for Bodenlos, said drug addiction was the reason for the crime.

The home invasion happened Aug. 30, 2017.

Although the two women did not know the victim, Mimitz knew the victim's adult daughter through a mutual acquaintance and expected there would be money in the home, Sandstrom said.

Bodenlos and Mimitz, after seeing the victim walk her dog, knocked on the door wearing Xfinity T-shirts and saying they were there to offer a cable upgrade. The woman said she was not interested. Bodenlos asked to use the bathroom, where she ended up leaving her resume.

Bodenlos came out in a mask and put a firearm against the woman's head. Both women wore gloves. They demanded the location of a safe but the woman said she had no safe.

Mimitz zip-tied the woman's hands and tied her to a chair, and the woman was pepper sprayed in the eyes. Mimitz tipped the chair over with the woman tied to it, and kicked her in the torso with a construction boot.

Bodenlos had a valid license to carry a firearm, Sandstrom said. The gun was found to be a BB gun, but the victim did not know that during the attack.

Gulluni said Goodwin should have given the women the 20 year mandatory minimum sentence for home invasion set by the legislature. The law does allow judges to give a defendant probation on home invasion instead of a sentence, and that is what Goodwin did in this case.

"When we give low sentences for these kinds of crimes what are we saying to society?" Gulluni said.
WEST SPRINGFIELD - Narcotics investigators arrested a Springfield man and seized 150 packages of "Fire" heroin and more than $900 in cash Thursday afternoon following a month-long investigation.

Detectives, after receiving information regarding a pending drug transaction at a location on Memorial Avenue, saw the suspect conduct a transaction there, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

Santiago Vazquez, seeing detectives move in on him, fled on foot. While fleeing, he threw 100 packages of heroin, stamped "Fire," onto the roof of a nearby business.

Those drugs were recovered. While fleeing, Vasquez lost his flip-flop shoes and he was soon apprehended by pursuing detective. He was found to be in possession of 50 additional bags of "Fire" heroin and $903 in cash.

Vazquez, of Tyler Street in Springfield, was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute.

The investigation was conducted by members of the West Springfield Police Department's narcotics unit and members of the FBI Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force.

The investigation was conducted by members of the West Springfield Police Department's narcotics unit and members of the FBI Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force.
A Department of Defense agency says the remains of Worcester sailor Lionel W. Lescault, who was assigned to a battleship in Pearl Harbor, have been identified.

The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said this week that Lescault, who was killed in the Japanese attack on the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor, was identified on Sept. 24. He was 28 years old.

The USS Oklahoma in December 1941 "sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize," the agency said in a release this week. "The attack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Lescault."

The remains were disinterred from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu in 2015. Internment service details are set to be released at a later date.

According to the Worcester Telegram, Lescault may have been "the first person in the city to die in World War II."

The Telegram reported, "When Mr. Lescault enlisted, he was listed as a resident of Worcester. He was the son of Alfred S. Lescault of 194 Cohasset St. in Worcester."

Lescault's name was at the National Memorial Cemetery's Courts of the Missing, and now a "rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for," the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said.
Remember Bob Mueller, the special counsel charged with investigating Russian interference in our nation's 2016 presidential election?

You will. And perhaps sooner rather than later, too.

Mueller has been awfully quiet of late. So quiet, in fact, that it can be easy to forget about how much he's already accomplished. Try this on for size: So far, he's brought charges against 32 individuals and three companies. And that list is only likely to grow.

News that the special counsel has had fully eight visits from Paul Manafort and his lawyers in just the past four weeks alone demonstrates clearly that Mueller has been keeping himself busy, if not in the public eye.

Manafort, of course, was found guilty of eight counts of bank and tax fraud charges in a trial that had stemmed from Mueller's probe. The longtime political operative with links to the Kremlin had served as Donald Trump's campaign chairman during the summer of 2016.

Though no one knows what exactly Mueller may have up his sleeve, there's every reason to believe that the special counsel has been assembling a case, or several cases, that will be detailed in a report that he'll be delivering to the deputy attorney general at some point after the midterm elections are in the books.

Will it show a clear, unequivocal connection between Donald Trump's campaign for the White House and Kremlin operatives who were working to help put him there? Will it make the case that the president sought to obstruct justice, perhaps with his firing of then-FBI Director James Comey in May 2017? If not that, could there perhaps be other obstruction cases made against the former reality TV star? Is there a very real chance that the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., could find himself in legal peril once Mueller's report has been delivered to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein?

These are just a few of the questions that one might reasonably ask in advance of the special counsel's report. Though little is certain, one thing appears likely: Mueller will complete his work and let his report speak for itself. Those who have worked with him over the years have described him as someone who shuns the spotlight. He completes the job before him, and then packs up and heads home.

Though Mueller's likeliest course remains unknown, it's easy to predict what will be coming from the president and his cronies, both in and outside of Congress: It'll be more of the same, no matter what the special counsel finds. And no matter how damning is his accounting of events.

They'll say that Mueller found a whole lot of nothing. They'll argue that our nation's chief executive has an absolute right to fire anyone he wants to -- for any reason at all. Or even for no reason. And they'll assert that Trump Jr. is obviously too clueless to have orchestrated anything of substance. OK, so they probably won't push that argument too hard, at least not publicly, though it's likely to be something that many whisper, behind the scenes, hoping it becomes a part of the story should the president's namesake find himself in hot water.

With so many focused on the Nov. 6 midterms, it's entirely possible that Mueller's next moves, though long anticipated, will nonetheless come as a great surprise.

Something is coming, but no one knows what it will be, when exactly it will be revealed, how big it will be once it is unveiled, what it will all mean in the end.

Robert S. Mueller III holds a lot of cards. The wise money says that when he lays them down, he plays them well.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker wavered, and Democrats backing his opponent Jay Gonzalez immediately saw an opening.

A day after Baker and Gonzalez faced off in the second of three televised debates, Democrats hoped to capitalize on the governor's gaffe, in which he said several times he hadn't decided whether to vote for the fellow Republican he had endorsed, Geoff Diehl, or Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

Minutes after the debate ended, Baker said he misspoke and he would be voting for Diehl on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Diehl, a Whitman Republican, is running against Warren, a Cambridge Democrat seeking a second term and considering a run for president in 2020.

Diehl is struggling with the same issue as Gonzalez: Low name recognition and an incumbent with a hefty campaign war chest.

Democrats have repeatedly sought to tie Baker to Diehl, who co-chaired Donald Trump's campaign in a state that has continued to provide low approval ratings for the president. Baker, a moderate Republican who has maintained high approval ratings while in the Corner Office, blanked the 2016 presidential ballot rather than vote for Trump or Hillary Clinton.

"He doesn't take stands based on his core values," Gonzalez said at a press conference the morning after the debate, joined at the offices of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts by Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu and state Senate candidate Katie McBrine.

"These are political calculations for him where he does everything he can to walk the tightrope, up high where he hopes nobody notices him, and tries to balance in the wind without falling down," Gonzalez added. "I am standing firmly on the ground and yelling as loud as I can for the values that I stand for."

Baker noted that he has the support of a number of local officials and Democratic lawmakers.

"I think it's interesting that my opponent continues to want to talk about the Senate race instead of what's going on here in Massachusetts," Baker told reporters Thursday. "And I think that's in large part because things in Massachusetts are actually going quite well for the vast majority of people."

Baker added that his support for abortion rights and concerns about President Trump's temperament are "long-standing and clear."

Baker earlier this year signed a bill repealing archaic anti-abortion laws. And the political arm of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts is staying neutral in the governor's race.

"Look, I've supported candidates over the years that I didn't agree with on everything. Democrats and Republicans," Baker said Thursday, defending his plan to vote for Diehl. "And as I said last night, I'm supporting the [GOP] ticket."

Gonzalez and Baker face off in their third and final debate on Thursday, Nov. 1 at WCVB studios.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday it "certainly looks" as though Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened "very severe" consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him.

As the U.S. toughened its response to Khashoggi's disappearance, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pulled out of a major Saudi investment conference Thursday amid global pressure. However, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said the kingdom should be given more time to investigate before the U.S. lays any blame or considers action.

Trump, who has insisted that more facts must be known before making assumptions about Khashoggi, did not say on what he based his statement on the writer's demise two weeks ago. He commented as he left Joint Base Andrews for a political trip to Montana.

Asked if Khashoggi was dead, he said, "It certainly looks that way. ... Very sad."

While Turkish officials have accused Saudi Arabia of the murder in Istanbul of Khashoggi, a U.S.-based writer who has been critical of Saudi leaders, Trump has cautioned against a rush to judgment against an important Mideast ally. And Pompeo, just back from talks with Saudi and Turkish leaders, said earlier Thursday that the U.S. needed more facts before deciding "how, or if" to respond.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announced, "We have decided I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia." The Saudis had hoped to use the forum, billed as "Davos in the Desert" to boost their global image, but a number of European finance ministers and many top business executives have pulled out as international pressure on Riyadh has intensified over Khashoggi.

Turkish reports say Khashoggi was brutally murdered and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to Khashoggi, who was seen on video entering the consulate but has not been seen since.

Trump has rejected talk that his reluctance to act is providing cover for the Saudis. And a senior U.S. official said Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader was at stake, reflecting the administration's concern about how the case could affect relations.

Pompeo, who returned late Wednesday from an emergency visit to Riyadh and Ankara to impress on senior officials in both nations the need for a credible investigation, said:

"I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how, or if, the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

Pompeo declined to comment on what the U.S. believes might have happened to Khashoggi but made clear Washington takes the situation "very seriously." He said that Saudi leaders, including the crown prince, "assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr. Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion, and that this report itself will be transparent for everyone to see, to ask questions about, and to inquire with respect to its thoroughness."

He cautioned, however, that whatever response the administration might decide on would take into account the importance of the long-standing U.S.-Saudi partnership. "They're an important strategic ally of the United States, and we need to be mindful of that," he said.

Although Pompeo suggested the U.S. could wait another several days for results of the Saudi investigation an official familiar with his meetings in Riyadh and Ankara said he had been blunt about the need to wrap the probe up quickly. U.S. lawmakers from both parties have expressed outrage over Khashoggi's disappearance and reports of his murder and have been calling for consequences, including possible sanctions against Saudi Arabia.

The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the private meetings and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Pompeo had told the crown prince that "time is short."

The official also said the Pompeo had warned Prince Mohammed that given the allegations it would be "very difficult for you to be a credible king" without a credible investigation into the case. The crown prince is next in line for the throne, which is held by his ailing, aged father King Salman.
BOSTON -- U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and Congresswoman-elect Ayanna Pressley, both Massachusetts Democrats, on Friday rallied in support of a state ballot question that would create a commission to advocate for overturning the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.

Citizens United was a 2010 decision that allowed corporations and labor unions to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on political activity as long as they do not coordinate directly with a candidate's campaign. Overturning the court ruling, and letting Congress limit corporate contributions, would require a constitutional amendment.

"We want the green grassroots to determine who wins elections, not the amount of green-backed dollars which you can bring into the process," Markey said at a press conference outside Boston City Hall.

Pressley said the goal is to give everyone an equal voice in politics. "Everyone deserves to be heard and to have a seat at the table of democracy, and this is how we ensure that we do not create a hierarchy of voice," Pressley said.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, has also endorsed the ballot question.

The ballot question, Question 2 in the Nov. 6 election, would create a Citizens Commission in Massachusetts to research, report and make recommendations to assist in drafting and promoting a constitutional amendment. If the effort is successful, the group pushing the ballot question -- American Promise -- hopes to conduct similar initiatives nationwide.

Pressley, who defeated U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano in the Democratic primary and is unopposed in November, pledged that she will not accept campaign contributions from corporate PACs.

Pressley said she "cannot in good conscience" take money from pharmaceutical companies during an epidemic of opioid addiction or from the gun lobby given ongoing gun violence.

Markey, asked after the event, would not make a similar pledge. "I'm focused now on this issue of getting all of the big undisclosed money out," he said.

Asked if he would distinguish between corporate and union money, Markey said his ultimate goal is full public financing of all campaigns.

Pressley left the event before the question about union money was asked, but said in a statement afterward, "Labor unions have a long history of fighting for the rights of workers; corporations do not. I am proud of the union support we have received and look forward to continuing to work with them on issues like health care, immigration, and education."

Supporters of the ballot question say overturning Citizens United is a way to stop special interests from having a larger voice in politics than working class citizens. "Campaign finance reform is the core issue of our time," said Ian Kea of MassVote. "The root of the problem is special interests being able to influence and buy our elected representatives."

Markey said, "Yes on 2 begins the process of taking the power away from those huge corporate barons and giving it back to the people in our country."

Markey pointed to federal tax reform as one example where he said special interests led to the passage of corporate tax breaks.

Paul Craney, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, which is opposing the ballot question, said he believes the efforts of the commission would be unconstitutional. "It's acknowledging that individuals have rights but stripping everyone else of rights, which includes corporations and unions," Craney said. "To put in the U.S. Constitution that only individual people have rights and every other entity doesn't is laughable."

Craney said the ballot question would empower political officials - who would appoint the commission members - to "come up with ways to regulate public speech."

"That's why you have the Constitution's First Amendment, we don't believe government is the best judge," he said.

The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance has not formed a ballot committee to oppose the question. Craney said that it is because the group is not raising or spending money, just doing public interviews.
HOUSTON -- Red Sox lefty Chris Sale is feeling better and will start Boston's next game, according to manager Alex Cora. That start would come either in Game 6 of the ALCS (on Friday) or Game 1 of the World Series (on Tuesday), depending on if the Red Sox win Thursday night.

"He's doing well," Cora said. "He played catch today. He went through everything. He's feeling better in terms of eating solids and all that. He'll be ready for his next start."

Sale spent Sunday night in the hospital with a stomach illness and met the team in Houston a couple days later. Originally slated to start Game 5, he was too weak to pitch Thursday and was pushed back to Game 6.

Sale threw off flat ground Thursday and is unlikely to throw a bullpen before Game 6 start if the series is extended. Cora spoke with Sale twice Thursday and said the lefty is doing "much better."

"He doesn't look as skinny as yesterday," Cora said. "Yesterday you could see it in his face. He's in good spirits, he feels better and he's eating better, which is great."
3D Cell Culture Market  Synopsis

Cell culture is a technique in which biological cells are permitted to grow or interact with their surroundings in all three dimensions. Besides, the ability of 3D cell culture to provide more physiologically relevant information and more accurate data in vivo tests has led 3D cell culture systems to become acceptable in comparison to 2D Cell culture. The Global 3D Cell Culture Market Is Expected To Grow At A CAGR Of 25.50% During The Forecast Period 20182023. 3D

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Many factors drive the market of 3D cell culture across the world such as an advanced technique in organ and tissue regeneration, provide drug toxicology screening and many more.

The global 3D cell culture market has been identified as one of the fastest growing industries, owing to the varying applications of 3D cell culture in biotech and pharmaceutical industry and rising prevalence of cancer worldwide, rising approval from government bodies, and growing awareness Increasing incidence of cancer and rising demand for organs transplantation due to increasing prevalence of organ failures has majorly influenced the growth of the market.

Key Vendors:

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Lonza

Corning Incorporated

Kuraray

Becton

Dickinson and Company

Merck KGaA

And others.

Segmentation:

The Global 3D Cell Culture Market is segmented on the basis of technique, product, application, and end-user. On the basis technique, it is segmented into Scaffolds Based 3D Cell Culture and Scaffold-Free 3D Cell Culture. On the basis of the product, it is segmented into Consumables and Instruments.

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On the basis of the application, it is segmented into cancer research, stem cell research, drug discovery, Tissue Screening & Engineering, Regenerative Medicine and others. On the basis of the end users, it is segmented into Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies, Contract Research Organizations, Research & Academic Laboratories and others.

3D Cell Culture Market  Regional Overview

Global 3D cell culture, on the basis of region, the market is divided into the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East & Africa. The Americas accounted for the largest market share of for global 3D cell culture market. This large share is majorly attributed due to the presence of major manufacturers, high rate of cancer among the population, rising need for organ donation, and various others.

Europe accounts for the second largest market share, whereas Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest rate with 26.17% CAGR for the forecast period. With lots of opportunity and continuously growing economies, the region is expected to be the fastest growing segment.

Factors such as recent healthcare developments, improving economies, high aging population, and increased healthcare spending are influencing the growth of the market. The Middle East & Africa with less economic developments and extremely low income accounted for the least market share in 2016 but is expected to grow in coming future.

Major TOC of 3D Cell Culture Market Research Report  Forecast to 2023:

1 REPORT PROLOGUE

2 MARKET INTRODUCTION

3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4 MARKET DYNAMICS

5 MARKET FACTOR ANALYSIS

6 GLOBAL 3D CELL CULTURE MARKET, BY TECHNIQUE

7 GLOBAL 3D CELL CULTURE MARKET, BY PRODUCT

8 GLOBAL 3D CELL CULTURE MARKET, BY APPLICATION

9 GLOBAL 3D CELL CULTURE MARKET, BY END USER

10 GLOBAL 3D CELL CULTURE MARKET, BY REGION

11 COMPANY LANDSCAPE

12 COMPANY PROFILES

13 CONCLUSION

14 APENDIX

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Cancer Diagnostics Market Highlights

There are several methods of diagnosing cancer today such as biopsy based, endoscopy based, imaging procedure, tumor cancer diagnostics and many more. Population affected with cancer are showing a tremendous growth during last few years, which create the requirement of advanced technology for diagnosis cancer on early stage. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2017, it is estimate that around 161,360 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and around 26,730 deaths occur owing to prostate cancer in the United States. Thus, many companies are involve in collaboration in order to provide better technology for diagnosis the cancer. In this regards, in January, 2015, Roche and Qualcomm Incorporated entered into a strategic collaboration to improve remote monitoring and management of patients with chronic disease.

Rising demand for better technology, increasing investment in biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries for R&D are driving the market for cancer diagnostics. Moreover, increasing government support for research & development, changing lifestyle, and rapidly developing technology are also expected to fuel the market during the forecast period. However, the high cost of the treatment may slow the market growth during the period 2017-2023.

The Global Cancer Diagnostics Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period 2017-2023.

Key Players for Global Cancer Diagnostics Market

Some of key the players in the market are Armune BioScience, Inc. (U.S.), Arquer Diagnostics Ltd (U.K), BioMark Diagnostics Inc. (Canada), Biotheranostics, Inc. (U.S.), Cancer Diagnostics, Inc. (U.S.), Agilent Technologies, Inc. (U.S.), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S.), Illumina, Inc. (Denmark), Becton, Dickinson and Company (U.S.), GE Healthcare (U.K), QIAGEN N.V. (Netherlands), Abbott Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Roche Diagnostics (Switzerland), Siemens Healthcare (Germany), Philips Healthcare (U.K), C.R. Bard, Inc. (U.S.).

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Segments for Global Cancer Diagnostics Market

The global cancer diagnostics market is segmented on the basis of types, application, and end user. On the basis of the type, it is segmented into biopsy based, endoscopy based, imaging procedure, tumor cancer diagnostics, and others. On the basis of the application, it is segmented into lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer, blood cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, and others. On the basis of the end user, it is segmented into diagnostic center, clinic, hospital, research institutes, and others.

Regional Analysis for Global Cancer Diagnostics Market

The Americas dominate the global cancer diagnostics market owing to the presence of huge patient population with cancer, high healthcare spending, and increasing government support for research & development. According to a report published by the breast cancer information and awareness, in 2017, around 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in women, along with 63,410 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer.

Europe holds the second largest share of the global cancer diagnostics market as result of increasing focus of various government agencies on the treatment of diseases. Moreover, the growing public awareness is also likely to boost the European market.

Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market across the globe. Moreover, rapidly developing economy, increasing healthcare expenditure, and the government initiatives for research & development are projected to drive the market in China and India.

The Middle East and Africa holds the least share of the global market due to limited availability of medical facilities. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait are expected to drive the Middle East & African market. Whereas, the African region is expected to witness a moderate growth.

Some Brief Table of Contents of Report

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope Of The Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

TOC Continued

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The L-Cysteine Market Analysis  Global Industry Size, Share, Trends and Forecast, 2018  2026 Industry Report 2018 is an in depth study analyzing the current state of the L-Cysteine Market Analysis  Global Industry Size, Share, Trends and Forecast, 2018  2026. It provides brief overview of the market focusing on definitions, market segmentation, end-use applications and industry chain analysis. The study on L-Cysteine Market Analysis  Global Industry Size, Share, Trends and Forecast, 2018  2026 provides analysis of China market covering the industry trends, recent developments in the market and competitive landscape. Competitive analysis includes competitive information of leading players in China market, their company profiles, product portfolio, capacity, production, and company financials. In addition, report also provides upstream raw material analysis and downstream demand analysis along with the key development trends and sales channel analysis. Research study on L-Cysteine Market Analysis  Global Industry Size, Share, Trends and Forecast, 2018  2026 also discusses the opportunity areas for investors.

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Market L-Cysteine Market Analysis Period 2015  2026 Historic Data 2015  2016 Base Year 2017 Forecast Data 2018  2026 Market Stratification Grade, Industrial Use, Application, Geography Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa (MEA) Report Coverage Market Trends, Drivers, Restraints, Porters Five Forces Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Player Profiling, Value Chain Analysis

Market Players

Some of the major players involved in L-Cysteine market include Merck and Co., Inc., Wacker Chemie AG, Ajinomoto Pte. Ltd, Nippon Rika Co. Ltd, Donboo Amino Acid Co. Ltd and Wuxi Bikang Bioengineering Co., Ltd., among others.

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Pharmaceuticals

Cosmetics

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U.S.

Canada

Mexico

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UK

France

Germany

Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

China

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Chile

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The Utilization of Robots Mitigates the Production Cost and Human Labor, which is likely to accelerate its Adoption in the Forthcoming Years. Market Research Future (MRFR)s Latest Report Projects that the Global is set to exhibit Substantial Growth over the Next Couple of Years. The Growth is Attributable to the Strong Value Maintained by the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Global Pharmaceutical Robots Market  Overview

The growth of the pharmaceutical industry directly reflects on the rapid expansion of the pharmaceutical robots market. The factors that have led to the acceleration of revenue creation for key vendors include reduction of drugs price, optimum utilization of floor space, increased flexibility, and enhanced efficiency. The trend is forecasted to perpetuate in the foreseeable future.

Laboratory automation is one of the most significant drivers of the global pharmaceutical robots market. It aids easy and timely accomplishments of the tasks such as transferring, capping, uncapping, packaging, etc. as well as eliminates human errors. Furthermore, pharmaceuticals robotics are extensively used for scientific researches, drug discoveries, blood testing, etc. This, in turn, is projected to have a favorable impact on the expansion of the market in the coming years.

The endeavors of the key players are directed towards technological advancements and innovations. It has opened new avenues of growth and expansion of the market by increasing demand for high-tech pharmaceutical robots. Additionally, these robots are designed to work efficiently in perilous conditions and close proximity to radioactive elements. Therefore, the technology has penetrated areas that exceed human capabilities. It is prognosticated to catalyze the proliferation of the market over the next few years.

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Global Market for Pharmaceutical Robots  Segmental Analysis

MRFRs report offers a comprehensive analysis of the market based on type, application, and end-user. By type, the market has been segmented into traditional robots and collaborative robots. The traditional robots segment is further sub-segmented into articulated robot, SCARA robots, delta/parallel robots, cartesian robots, dual-arm robots, and others.

By application, the market is segmented into laboratory applications, picking and packaging, and pharmaceutical drugs inspection.

By end-user, the pharmaceutical robots market has been segmented into pharmaceutical companies and research laboratories.

Global Pharmaceutical Robots Market  Competitive Dashboard

Yaskawa Electric Corporation (Japan),

FANUC Corporation (Japan),

KUKA AG (Germany),

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. (Japan),

Universal Robots A/S (Denmark),

ABB Ltd. (Switzerland),

Denso Corporation (Japan),

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan),

Seiko Epson Corporation (Japan),

Marchesini Group S.p.A (Italy)

and Shibuya Corporation (Japan).

Global Pharmaceutical Robots Market  Regional Outlook

The global pharmaceutical robots market, by region, has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. Asia Pacific is likely to exhibit a steep rise in the growth of the market. Investments are anticipated to flow towards the technology in the upcoming years. The presence of an established pharmaceutical industry coupled with huge market for industrial robots has paved the way for the expansion of the global pharmaceutical robots market in the region.

Europe is expected to accrue a significant amount of revenue in the coming years. The factors responsible for catalyzing the growth of the regional market are the presence of developed industrial robots market and the initiatives undertaken by the European Union for promoting automation of pharmaceutical industry. Germany is projected to contribute significantly towards the proliferation of the regional market.

North America is a vital growth pocket of the global market and is likely to remain highly lucrative over the next couple of years. The consolidation of key players in the region is prognosticated to aid the expansion of the market. Additionally, the pharmaceutical manufacturers are expected to accelerate the adoption of the technology for achieving enhanced operational efficiency.

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The Global Sepsis Diagnostics Market has been segmented on the basis of end users, product type, technology, and lastly, region. On the basis of end users, this market has been segmented into diagnostic centers, hospitals, pathology laboratories, specialty clinics, and others. Based on technology, the market segmentation comprises of biomarkers, immunoassays, molecular diagnostics, and others. Biomarkers are defined as naturally occurring characteristics, genes, or molecules that can help identify a particular pathological or physiological process, disease, etc. Immunoassay is a biochemical test that can measure the concentration or presence of a macromolecule or a small molecule in a solution via the use of an antibody (usually) or an antigen (sometimes). Molecular diagnostics is defined as a collection of techniques that are used for analyzing biological markers in the genome and proteome. The analysis is done by applying molecular biology to medical testing. Based on product types, the market has been segmented into kits, instruments, blood culture media and others. In blood culture, media blood tests are conducted to detect infections that are spreading through the bloodstream.

The global market for sepsis diagnostics is expected to reach USD 710 million by the end of the forecasted period and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8%.

Key Players for Global Sepsis Diagnostics Market

The key players in the global sepsis diagnostics market include Axis-Shield Diagnostics Ltd. (Scotland), Becton  Dickinson and Company (USA), bioMerieux, Inc. (the USA), Cube Dx GmbH (Austria), EKF Diagnostics (UK), Immunexpress (USA), Sandstone Diagnostics, Inc. (the USA), and T2 Biosystems, Inc. (USA).

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Latest Industry News

An international group of researchers that includes Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (D-H) is claiming to have identified a simple blood test that might be capable of identifying patients at greatest risk of dying from sepsis. 31 JUL 2018

Australian molecular diagnostics startup AusDiagnostics is planning to enter the US infectious disease detection market. They are specialist in diagnosing various kinds of ailments like sepsis, genetic disorders, and sexually transmitted diseases. 20 JUL 2018

Regional Analysis for Global Sepsis Diagnostics Market

The regional segmentation of the global sepsis diagnostics market covers The Americas (North America & South America), Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Currently, North America is the largest market for medical tourism in the world. The North American market for sepsis diagnostics is expected to reach the US $ 320 mn by the end of the forecast period. Due to technological advancement, high disposable income, and the availability of better medical facilities, North America is the bigger market than South America. Increasing healthcare expenditure, government aid to researches in the field of medical sciences and the presence of the key players in North America boosts the growth of the market in North America. Majority key players in this region are based in the United States of America (USA). In terms of cash, the North American market is expected to achieve magnificent growth by the end of the forecast period, and it is expected to be worth the US $ 320 mn.

Europe is the second largest market for sepsis diagnostics which is expected to grow significantly by the end of the forecast period. Due to reasons same as The Americas, Western Europe market is bigger than Eastern Europe. Maximum revenue for European market comes from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK), followed by rest of Europe.

According to the report, the Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region in sepsis diagnostics market by the end of the forecast period. In this region, the technological advancement is picking up the pace, but it is yet to reach the level of North America and Europe. In this region, the biggest markets are China, India, Japan, and South Korea, followed by the rest of Asia Pacific. MEA region is a small market due to political instability in most countries. Lack of technology and less investment in healthcare due to healthcare not being considered a priority by governments in this region are the reasons for limited facilities.

Some Brief Table of Contents of Report

Chapter 1. Report Prologue

Chapter 2. Market Introduction

2.1 Definition

2.2 Scope Of The Study

2.2.1 Research Objective

2.2.2 Assumptions

2.2.3 Limitations

Chapter 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Primary Research

3.3 Secondary Research

3.4 Market Size Estimation

Chapter 4. Market Dynamics

4.1 Drivers

TOC Continued

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Namely Vein illuminator Market Report has Been Published by Market Research Future Which Covers All the Geographical Locations with Demand, Trend Analysis with near about Forecasted results and Also Covers the Market Expectations.

Key Players:

VueTek Scientific LLC, Infrared Imaging Systems Inc., Venoscope LLC, Near Infrared Imaging Inc., Christie Medical Holdings Inc., Sharn Anesthesia, TransLite LLC, Aimvein Ltd., and AccuVein Inc. are some of the prominent players profiled in MRFR Analysis and are at the forefront of competition in the global vein illuminator market.

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A Vein illuminator or Vein Viewer aids in finding the Intravenous access during paramedical procedures and therefore, addresses accidental needlestick injuries. Most of the time finding the vein becomes challenging depending upon the objective difficulty occurred due to the particular physical characteristics of the patient such as fatty tissue, skin color, age, etc. further creating a more painful experience for the patient.

To ease such situations, many novel devices have been invented to help paramedical personnel and nurses finding the veins in real-time and determine the best point of insertion of the needle. Creating a digital image by means of an infrared detection and light projection technology a vein illuminator thus makes it possible to locate veins, valves, and deep bifurcations up to 15 mm., thereby decreasing pain and anxiety and a minimally invasive experience for the patient.

Intravenous access may be necessary for different purposes and in multiple environments including hospitals, outpatient care facilities, homes, schools within a hospital and ambulatory surgery centers. Also, the peripheral IV catheter therapy is gaining popularity among physicians and patients alike. Hospitals have recognized the benefit of increased success in obtaining peripheral IV access, reduced use of central lines and increased cost savings. These factors commutatively define the growing popularity and the increasing market size of vein illuminators.

Market Research Future (MRFR), in its recently published market forecast, asserts that the global vein illuminator market will grow exponentially by 2023, registering a fabulous CAGR throughout the forecast period (2017  2023). Augmenting uptake of Intravenous (IV) therapy and the inclusion of peripheral IV catheter as part of the treatment plan in hospitals worldwide is one of the key driving forces behind market growth.

Undoubtedly, improving economic conditions account for the key growth driver, enabling access to the quality of life and improved healthcare. Additional factors substantiating the market growth include the greater patient satisfaction owing to reduced pain, trauma and invasive treatment footprint.

Similarly, the growing numbers of the geriatric population, blood donation camps, assisted living centers and others are some of the dominant drivers of the market. Besides, the technological and product advances such as developments achieved in optics, like greater contrast and resolution, increasing coherence and miniaturization of devices along with the falling prices of these devices are providing impetus to the market growth to an extent.

However, lack of availability of funds for treatment coupled with the lack of knowledge about vein illuminator benefits inhibits the market growth. Nevertheless, government initiatives and funding programs, widening rapidly are educating people about the advantages of these procedures and are availing funds for the treatments.

Vein illuminator Market  Segments

Global vein illuminator market is segmented into three key dynamics for enhanced understanding.

By Technologies : Trans-Illumination, Infrared Illumination, and Ultrasound among others.

By End-Users : Hospitals, Blood Donation Camps, Research and Academics, among others.

By Regions : North America, Europe, APAC and the Rest-of-the-World.

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Industry/Innovations/Related News:

May 20, 2018  B. Braun Medical Inc. (US), a leader in infusion therapy and pain management, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative medical products and services to the healthcare industry, showcased its portfolio of innovative products that support successful peripheral intravenous (PIV) access at the Infusion Nurses Society (INS) Annual Meeting and Exhibition, held during May 19-22, Ohio (US).

Along with some novel products such as Introcan Safety, Family of PIV Catheters, VeinViewer, by Christie Medical Holdings, Inc. was a promising product displayed on the show. VeinViewer, a near-infrared vein visualization product designed to provide clinicians with an accurate image of patient veins.

Since B. Braun is committed to the exchange of information and knowledge with nurses and other clinicians to help achieve success in PIV placement and stabilization, the inclusion of VeinViewer was the cherry on the cake.

The alliance between Christie Medical Holdings, Inc. (US), a leading global provider for vein finder technology and B. Braun Medical Inc. was formed on April 27, 2017. The combination of VeinViewer and B. Braun Medicals line of IV products such as the Introcan Safety IV catheter, STEADYCare extension set with Wedge catheter stabilizer aims to provide an innovative solution to enhance peripheral IV catheter access success.

Vein illuminator Market  Regional Analysis

Globally North America market dominates the vein illuminator market with the largest share owing to the faster uptake of new technology and the well-developed hospital infrastructure present in the US and Canada.

Also, increasing adoption of Intravenous (IV) therapy and new technologies that integrate into the process for the assessment, planning, intervention, and evaluation of inserting PIV catheters, are some of the key driving forces behind the market growth. Simultaneously, substantial investments transpired in healthcare to encourage research and development activities are supporting the market growth.

The Europe region accounts for the second-largest market for vein illuminator, globally, attributing to the recent advancements and the augmenting uptake of the technology in the region. Additionally, the presence of a huge patient population and rising healthcare expenditure facilitates the regional market growth. Also, factors such as government support and funding from the public & private sectors for research & development are expected to fuel the market growth in the region over the assessment period.

Additional factors such as increased uptake of advanced technologies and high healthcare expenditures are substantiating the market growth. Owing to the rising demands for less invasive treatment procedures, the Europe market is expected to create a larger revenue pocket in the global market by 2023. The UK and Germany, backed by the high healthcare coupled budgets, account for the major contributor to the market growth.

The Asia-Pacific region is another lucrative market for vein illuminator which is growing rapidly due to the huge patient population and large unmet clinical needs.

Countries such as India, China, and Japan, backed by the rising demand for minimally invasive paramedical procedures and the increasing adoption of new techniques drives the market growth in the region.

Vein illuminator Market Table of Contents

1 Introduction

1.1 Definition

1.2 Scope of Study

1.2.1 Research Objective

1.2.2 Assumptions & Limitations

1.2.2.1 Assumptions

1.2.2.2 Limitations

1.3 Market Structure

2 Research Methodology

2.1 Research Process:

2.2 Primary Research

2.3 Secondary Research

3 Market Dynamics

3.1 Drivers

3.2 Restraints

3.3 Opportunities

3.4 Macroeconomic Indicators

4 Market Factor Analysis

4.1 Porters Five Forces Model

4.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.3 Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.4 Threat of New Entrants

4.5 Threat of Substitutes

4.6 Intensity of Rivalry

Continued!

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by Larissa Faw , October 17, 2018

Atlantis, Paradise Island resort is hiring Saatchi New York as the Bahamas resort's new AOR responsible for advertising and communications efforts.

This partnership follows the summer launch of a print and digital campaign for the resorts luxury property, The Cove. The campaign attempted to convey the island's culture, including the Bahamian spirit and key personalities found at the Paradise Island resort.

The selection occurred without a review. Previously these duties were handled internally. However the award follows an unusual backstory where the resort named enso as its AOR in March 2017 to reimagine the resort's brand purpose and platform, including positioning, partnerships, and real-world impact initiatives. That partnership was led by Atlantis' president and managing director Howard C. Karawan who had recently returned to the company after 10 years. His arrival sparked a reunion with enso's Kirk Souder who he originally partnered with when they first developed the upscale destination's inaugural campaign twenty years ago. However, it appears once Karawan left in September 2017, this AOR partnership also dissolved.

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Now, Atlantis, Paradise Island seeks to capture authenticity with Saatchi. Our resort has evolved and we look to Saatchi & Saatchi to continue to tell our story in creative and impactful ways that connects consumers to the heart of what Atlantis, in The Bahamas, represents as a travel destination, stated Audrey Oswell, president & managing director, Atlantis, Paradise Island.
by Ray Schultz , October 19, 2018

A Halloween email using the word spook in the subject line has resulted in an apology by the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

The episode stands as an object lesson for email marketers revving up their Halloween campaigns.

The term, seen by many as a racial slur against African-Americans, was included in the subject line: Party with Spooks, according to The Houston Chronicle. Museum employees apparently spotted it after the fact.

Museum president Joel Bartsch told the Chronicle that the intent was to promote the institutions annual Halloween party. The email newsletter was sent on Thursday went to museum members and individuals in the community.

Bartsch said the word was meant to be a riff on the word spooky, the Chronicle reports. The word is synonymous with "ghost."

It was not clear at deadline whether recipients had complained.

The apology reads as follows:

"HMNS is committed to diversity and inclusion. We deeply regret that the subject line in this newsletter included a word with an offensive connotation, and sincerely apologize to everyone who received it. We are revisiting our internal policies and editorial review procedures to ensure this does not happen again."
With major elections looming in the United States and Brazil, Facebook is praising its own efforts to curb fake news and political misinformation.

To that end, the tech titan invited members of the news media into its war room, this week.

Opened in September, the physical room is located in Facebooks Menlo Park headquarters and brings together about 24 experts from the companys threat intelligence, data science, software engineering, research, community operations and legal teams.

Tasked with tackling various safety and security issues, the team oversees a broader staff of roughly 20,000, according to Samidh Chakrabarti, director of product management and civic engagement, Facebook.

To prep for likely threats from foreign interference in voter suppression campaigns, the team has engaged in mock scenario-planning since September.

The team was recently tested during the first round of Brazils presidential elections, during which it detected a false post claiming that Brazils Election Day had been moved from October 7 to October 8, due to national protests.

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When the false claim began to trend, Facebooks team took notice and removed it within an hour of its original posting.

To track such abuses, Facebook also relies heavily on its machine learning and artificial intelligence technology, which is getting better at blocking and disabling fake accounts.

Beyond Facebooks flagship property, that technology has helped WhatsApp remove hundreds of thousands of spam accounts leading up the final round of Brazils presidential elections.

The Facebook unit is also working with fact-checkers in Brazil, such as Projeto Comprova, a consortium of over 24 news organizations, as well as large publishers like Globo, Folha, Estadao, and Aos Fatos.

More than 100,000 messages have been received, collectively, by fact-checkers during the election period, according to internal figures. In addition, Facebook launched a public education campaign -- Share Facts. Not Rumors -- to reach millions of Brazilians with tips on how to spot fake news and prevent its spread.

Facebook is also increasingly aligning with law enforcement in countries where platform abuse is rampant.

In Brazil, the company estimates it has engaged in roughly 1,400 police, prosecutors and judicial authorities across 10 cities and 600 authorities at electoral courts on the right procedures for requesting information during their investigations.

Because WhatsApp is end-to-end encrypted, this information is limited and does not include messages, Chris Danials, vice president, WhatsApp, is careful to point out.
Cells in the body have specific purposes, but stem cells are cells that do not yet have a specific role and can become almost any cell that is required. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can turn into specific cells, as the body needs them. Scientists and doctors are interested in stem cells as they help to explain how some functions of the body work, and how they sometimes go wrong. Stem cells also show promise for treating some diseases that currently have no cure.

Sources of stem cells Stem cells originate from two main sources: adult body tissues and embryos. Scientists are also working on ways to develop stem cells from other cells, using genetic reprogramming techniques. Adult stem cells Share on Pinterest Stem cells can turn into any type of cell before they become differentiated. A persons body contains stem cells throughout their life. The body can use these stem cells whenever it needs them. Also called tissue-specific or somatic stem cells, adult stem cells exist throughout the body from the time an embryo develops. The cells are in a non-specific state, but they are more specialized than embryonic stem cells. They remain in this state until the body needs them for a specific purpose, say, as skin or muscle cells. Day-to-day living means the body is constantly renewing its tissues. In some parts of the body, such as the gut and bone marrow, stem cells regularly divide to produce new body tissues for maintenance and repair. Stem cells are present inside different types of tissue. Scientists have found stem cells in tissues, including: the brain

bone marrow

blood and blood vessels

skeletal muscles

skin

the liver However, stem cells can be difficult to find. They can stay non-dividing and non-specific for years until the body summons them to repair or grow new tissue. Adult stem cells can divide or self-renew indefinitely. This means they can generate various cell types from the originating organ or even regenerate the original organ, entirely. This division and regeneration are how a skin wound heals, or how an organ such as the liver, for example, can repair itself after damage. In the past, scientists believed adult stem cells could only differentiate based on their tissue of origin. However, some evidence now suggests that they can differentiate to become other cell types, as well. Embryonic stem cells From the very earliest stage of pregnancy, after the sperm fertilizes the egg, an embryo forms. Around 35 days after a sperm fertilizes an egg, the embryo takes the form of a blastocyst or ball of cells. The blastocyst contains stem cells and will later implant in the womb. Embryonic stem cells come from a blastocyst that is 45 days old. When scientists take stem cells from embryos, these are usually extra embryos that result from in vitro fertilization (IVF). In IVF clinics, the doctors fertilize several eggs in a test tube, to ensure that at least one survives. They will then implant a limited number of eggs to start a pregnancy. When a sperm fertilizes an egg, these cells combine to form a single cell called a zygote. This single-celled zygote then starts to divide, forming 2, 4, 8, 16 cells, and so on. Now it is an embryo. Soon, and before the embryo implants in the uterus, this mass of around 150200 cells is the blastocyst. The blastocyst consists of two parts: an outer cell mass that becomes part of the placenta

an inner cell mass that will develop into the human body The inner cell mass is where embryonic stem cells are found. Scientists call these totipotent cells. The term totipotent refer to the fact that they have total potential to develop into any cell in the body. With the right stimulation, the cells can become blood cells, skin cells, and all the other cell types that a body needs. In early pregnancy, the blastocyst stage continues for about 5 days before the embryo implants in the uterus, or womb. At this stage, stem cells begin to differentiate. Embryonic stem cells can differentiate into more cell types than adult stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) MSCs come from the connective tissue or stroma that surrounds the bodys organs and other tissues. Scientists have used MSCs to create new body tissues, such as bone, cartilage, and fat cells. They may one day play a role in solving a wide range of health problems. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) Scientists create these in a lab, using skin cells and other tissue-specific cells. These cells behave in a similar way to embryonic stem cells, so they could be useful for developing a range of therapies. However, more research and development is necessary. To grow stem cells, scientists first extract samples from adult tissue or an embryo. They then place these cells in a controlled culture where they will divide and reproduce but not specialize further. Stem cells that are dividing and reproducing in a controlled culture are called a stem-cell line. Researchers manage and share stem-cell lines for different purposes. They can stimulate the stem cells to specialize in a particular way. This process is known as directed differentiation. Until now, it has been easier to grow large numbers of embryonic stem cells than adult stem cells. However, scientists are making progress with both cell types.

Types of stem cells Researchers categorize stem cells, according to their potential to differentiate into other types of cells. Embryonic stem cells are the most potent, as their job is to become every type of cell in the body. The full classification includes: Totipotent: These stem cells can differentiate into all possible cell types. The first few cells that appear as the zygote starts to divide are totipotent. Pluripotent: These cells can turn into almost any cell. Cells from the early embryo are pluripotent. Multipotent: These cells can differentiate into a closely related family of cells. Adult hematopoietic stem cells, for example, can become red and white blood cells or platelets. Oligopotent: These can differentiate into a few different cell types. Adult lymphoid or myeloid stem cells can do this. Unipotent: These can only produce cells of one kind, which is their own type. However, they are still stem cells because they can renew themselves. Examples include adult muscle stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are considered pluripotent instead of totipotent because they cannot become part of the extra-embryonic membranes or the placenta.

Uses Share on Pinterest Transplants with stem cells are already helping people with diseases such as lymphoma. Stem cells themselves do not serve any single purpose but are important for several reasons. First, with the right stimulation, many stem cells can take on the role of any type of cell, and they can regenerate damaged tissue, under the right conditions. This potential could save lives or repair wounds and tissue damage in people after an illness or injury. Scientists see many possible uses for stem cells. Tissue regeneration Tissue regeneration is probably the most important use of stem cells. Until now, a person who needed a new kidney, for example, had to wait for a donor and then undergo a transplant. There is a shortage of donor organs but, by instructing stem cells to differentiate in a certain way, scientists could use them to grow a specific tissue type or organ. As an example, doctors have already used stem cells from just beneath the skins surface to make new skin tissue. They can then repair a severe burn or another injury by grafting this tissue onto the damaged skin, and new skin will grow back. Cardiovascular disease treatment In 2013, a team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital reported in PNAS Early Edition that they had created blood vessels in laboratory mice, using human stem cells. Within 2 weeks of implanting the stem cells, networks of blood-perfused vessels had formed. The quality of these new blood vessels was as good as the nearby natural ones. The authors hoped that this type of technique could eventually help to treat people with cardiovascular and vascular diseases. Brain disease treatment Doctors may one day be able to use replacement cells and tissues to treat brain diseases, such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers. In Parkinsons, for example, damage to brain cells leads to uncontrolled muscle movements. Scientists could use stem cells to replenish the damaged brain tissue. This could bring back the specialized brain cells that stop the uncontrolled muscle movements. Researchers have already tried differentiating embryonic stem cells into these types of cells, so treatments are promising. Cell deficiency therapy Scientists hope one day to be able to develop healthy heart cells in a laboratory that they can transplant into people with heart disease. These new cells could repair heart damage by repopulating the heart with healthy tissue. Similarly, people with type I diabetes could receive pancreatic cells to replace the insulin-producing cells that their own immune systems have lost or destroyed. The only current therapy is a pancreatic transplant, and very few pancreases are available for transplant. Blood disease treatments Doctors now routinely use adult hematopoietic stem cells to treat diseases, such as leukemia, sickle cell anemia, and other immunodeficiency problems. Hematopoietic stem cells occur in blood and bone marrow and can produce all blood cell types, including red blood cells that carry oxygen and white blood cells that fight disease.

Donating or harvesting stem cells People can donate stem cells to help a loved one, or possibly for their own use in the future. Donations can come from the following sources: Bone marrow: These cells are taken under a general anesthetic, usually from the hip or pelvic bone. Technicians then isolate the stem cells from the bone marrow for storage or donation. Peripheral stem cells: A person receives several injections that cause their bone marrow to release stem cells into the blood. Next, blood is removed from the body, a machine separates out the stem cells, and doctors return the blood to the body. Umbilical cord blood: Stem cells can be harvested from the umbilical cord after delivery, with no harm to the baby. Some people donate the cord blood, and others store it. This harvesting of stem cells can be expensive, but the advantages for future needs include: the stem cells are easily accessible

less chance of transplanted tissue being rejected if it comes from the recipients own body

Research and scientific discovery Share on Pinterest Through stem-cell research, scientists hope to discover cures for diseases that are currently incurable. Stem cells are useful not only as potential therapies but also for research purposes. For example, scientists have found that switching a particular gene on or off can cause it to differentiate. Knowing this is helping them to investigate which genes and mutations cause which effects. Armed with this knowledge, they may be able to discover what causes a wide range of illnesses and conditions, some of which do not yet have a cure. Abnormal cell division and differentiation are responsible for conditions that include cancer and congenital disabilities that stem from birth. Knowing what causes the cells to divide in the wrong way could lead to a cure. Stem cells can also help in the development of new drugs. Instead of testing drugs on human volunteers, scientists can assess how a drug affects normal, healthy tissue by testing it on tissue grown from stem cells.

Video: What are stem cells? Watch the video to find out more about stem cells.
In this article, learn more about what health insurance is, why it is important, types of plan, and legislation details.

The insured is the owner of the health insurance policy or the person with the health insurance coverage.

Insurers use the term provider to describe a clinic, hospital, doctor, laboratory, healthcare practitioner, or pharmacy that provides treatment for an individuals condition.

Health insurance is a type of insurance that helps cover the cost of an insured persons medical and surgical expenses.

The level of treatment a person receives in emergency departments varies significantly depending on what type of health insurance they have.

The KFF adds that Black people and those with low incomes are more likely to have no insurance than other groups.

A 2012 report from the Commonwealth Fund states that one-quarter of all U.S. citizens of working age have experienced a gap in health insurance coverage. Many people in the survey lost their health insurance when they became unemployed or changed jobs.

However, from 2017, the number of adults without insurance rose again by 2.2 million, from 26.7 million in 2016 to 28.9 million in 2019. Between 2016 and 2019, the percentage of people without insurance rose from 10% to 10.9%. However, the rate of people with health insurance is still higher than it was before the introduction of the Affordable Care Act.

Following the introduction of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the number of people without insurance fell by over 20 million to reach the lowest ever level in 2016, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

In countries without universal healthcare coverage, such as the United States, health insurance is commonly included in employer benefit packages.

Depending on the type of health insurance coverage a person has, either the insured pays costs out of pocket and receives reimbursement, or the insurer makes payments directly to the provider.

There are two main types of health insurance: private and public, or government. There are also a few other, more specific types. The following sections will look at each of these in more detail.

Private health insurance

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that the U.S. healthcare system relies heavily on private health insurance. In the National Health Interview Survey, researchers found that 63.7% of people under the age of 65 years in the U.S. have a type of private health insurance coverage.

Public, or government, health insurance

With this type of insurance, the state subsidizes healthcare in exchange for a premium. Medicare, Medicaid, the Veterans Health Administration, and the Indian Health Service are examples of public health insurance in the U.S.

Other types

Some people may also define an insurer by the way it administers its plans and connects with providers. Here are some examples of the types of plan available.

Managed care plans

With this type of plan, the insurer will have contracts with a network of providers to provide lower cost medical care to its policyholders. There will be penalties and additional costs added to out-of-network hospitals and clinics, but they will provide some treatment.

The more expensive the policy, the more flexible it is likely to be with the network of hospitals.

Indemnity, or Fee-for-Service, plans

A Fee-for-Service plan covers treatment equally among all providers, allowing the insured to choose their preferred place of treatment. The insurer will typically pay 80% of costs on an indemnity plan, while the individual pays the remaining costs as a coinsurance.

Health Maintenance Organization plans

These are organizations that provide medical care directly to the insured. The policy will usually have a dedicated primary care physician who will coordinate all necessary care.

Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) plans will usually only fund treatment referred by a family doctor and will have negotiated fees for each medical service to minimize costs. This is usually the cheapest type of plan.

Preferred Provider Organization plans

A Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan is similar to an indemnity plan in that it allows the insured to visit any doctor they prefer. The PPO plan also has a network of approved providers with which it has negotiated costs.

The insurer will pay less for treatment with out-of-network providers. However, people with a PPO plan can self-refer to specialists without having to visit a primary care physician.

Point-of-Service plans

A Point-of-Service plan functions as a combination of an HMO plan and a PPO plan. The insured can choose between coordinating all treatment through a primary care physician, receiving treatment within the insurers provider network, and using non-network providers. The type of plan they have will dictate the progress of treatment.

Why is the type of insurance plan important?

The type of plan a person has dictates how they will approach getting the treatment they need and how much money they will need to pay on the day they receive it.

In 2003, the U.S. Congress introduced a new option: the Health Savings Account (HSA). It is a combination of an HMO plan, a PPO plan, an indemnity plan, and a savings account with tax benefits. However, in plan year 2020, a policyholder must pair this type with an existing health plan that has a deductible of over $1,400 for individuals or $2,800 for families.

HSAs can top up coverage, extending existing plans to cover a wider range of treatments. If an employer pays for an HSA on behalf of their employees, the payments are tax-free. An individual can build up funds in the HSA while they are healthy and save for instances of poor health later in life.

However, people with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, might not be able to save a large amount in their HSA, as they regularly have to pay high medical costs for the management of their health concern.

These plans often carry very high deductibles, meaning that although premiums can be lower, people often end up paying the full expenses of any required medical treatment.

There is more overlap as plan types evolve. The distinctions between policy types are becoming more and more blurred.

The majority of indemnity plans use managed care techniques to control costs and ensure that there are enough resources to pay for appropriate care. Similarly, many managed care plans have adopted some characteristics of Fee-for-Service plans.


The herpes virus could account for at least half of Alzheimers cases, according to a new review of the findings of three recent studies examining links between Alzheimers and herpes.

Share on Pinterest Infection with the herpes simplex virus may boost the likelihood of developing Alzheimers, researchers suggest.

The new paper, published in the Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience journal, also suggests that antiviral drugs may reduce the risk of senile dementia  which is mostly caused by Alzheimers disease  among people who have severe cases of herpes.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) is the type of herpes that results in cold sores.

HSV1 is a common virus, and the majority of people will have contracted it by the time they reach old age.

However, the virus remains permanently in the body and cannot be decisively removed either by the bodys natural defense mechanisms or by drugs.

The virus is inactive most of the time, but when a person has HSV1, they may find that flare-ups occur when they are stressed or sick, resulting in characteristic blisters.

Medical News Today have reported on several studies this year alone that have provided evidence of a connection between Alzheimers and herpes.

In June, we looked at a study in which postmortem tests on brain tissue support a mechanistic link between Alzheimers and the herpes viruses HHV-6A and HHV-7.

And in July, we brought you news on a study that found the use of antiherpetic medication may dramatically reduce dementia risk.
Researchers developed a generic test for cancer and partnered with a tech company to bring it to market. They believe that this test could be the first screening tool to detect cancer. Share on Pinterest Researchers are working hard to develop an effective universal blood test that would improve cancer detection. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, there were about 18 million cancer cases diagnosed around the world in 2018. The number of new cancer cases per year is expected to reach more than 23 million by 2030. The most common cancers globally are lung cancer, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. Lung and breast cancers contributed to 12.3 percent of the 18 million cases diagnosed in 2018, with more than 2 million cases, respectively. Colorectal cancer is in third place with almost 2 million new cases diagnosed in 2018. Doctors can diagnose cancers in a variety of ways. The most common methods include laboratory tests (blood, urine, and others), biopsy, endoscopy, genetic tests, and imaging tests, such as X-ray, MRI, and ultrasound. Cancer data are alarming, and it is imperative to find new methods to detect cancer in the early stages.

Developing a universal blood test In the past years, researchers at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom, have focused on a new universal blood test for earlier diagnosis of cancer. They believe that this new test could help detect cancer in people who doctors think may have the disease. The research team partnered with a tech company to bring this revolutionary blood test to market. This test is different from other universal cancer tests being developed because it is not looking for a specific biomarker or mutation. This is a generic test for cancer in an individual, regardless of the underlying mechanism thats causing their cancer. Lead researcher, Prof. Diana Anderson The test measures the damage to the DNA of white blood cells after exposure to ultraviolet light. This process reveals the cells susceptibility to damage and the presence of cancer. The damage takes the form of a comet tail of DNA pieces. If the tail is long, it means that cancer may be present. In other words, the DNA of people who have cancer is more easily damaged by ultraviolet light. In 2014, the Bradford team showed that they were able to identify samples from patients with three different types of cancer and they were successful in the identification of 93 percent of the cases. The researchers published their results in the FASEB BioAdvances journal.

Overcoming complex obstacles The problem came later when they tested 700 blood samples from people with colorectal and prostate cancer. They were unable to separate the samples with cancer from healthy samples in 60 cases. Professor Diana Anderson asked IMSTAR, a Paris-based tech company, to analyze the results to find out why the team had failed to detect cancer in these 60 cases. The researchers discovered that the system used in the inconclusive study was responsible for the failure. The IMSTAR Pathfinder system successfully separated all the samples with cancer from the healthy control group. Im now convinced that if we used the powerful IMSTAR system to look at thousands of cells on all the slide samples in the trials, we would see a significant increase in the overall predictability beyond the 93 percent of the original 2014 study, declares Prof. Anderson.
(ANSA) - Brussels, October 19 - Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Friday the European Union cannot afford to run risks linked to Italian debt.

Arriving for an EU-Asia summit in Brussels, the EU duty chief said "as "European Union, we are not disposed towards accepting the risk of taking on this debt for Italy".

Kurz said "the EU is an economy and a community of values, and it works because there are common rules everyone must adhere to.

"If these rules are broken, and Italy moves far away from Maastricht (budget parameters), then it means that Italy puts itself in danger, but obviously it alos puts at risk the others".


(ANSA) - Rome, October 19 - The Italian economy is slowing, the Bank of Italy said on Friday, reporting that GDP rose by 0.1% in the third quarter of 2018 with respect to the previous three months. In spring, Italy's GDP rose 0.2% in quarter-on-quarter terms, which in turn was down slightly on the growth registered in the winter months, the central bank said.


(ANSA) - Rome, October 19 - The Italian economy is slowing, the Bank of Italy said on Friday, reporting that GDP rose by 0.1% in the third quarter of 2018 with respect to the previous three months. In spring, Italy's GDP rose 0.2% in quarter-on-quarter terms, which in turn was down slightly on the growth registered in the winter months, the central bank said. The effects of the government's 2019 budget are linked to "the confidence of savers and investors towards the process of righting the public finances," the Bank of Italy added.

The government has said it will let Italy's deficit rise to 2.4% of GDP next year in an expansive budget designed to boost growth.

The European Commission has warned Italy that the plan would breach the Stability and Growth Pact and Italy's bond spread has come under heavy pressure. Foreign banks have reduced their exposure in Italian BTP Treasury bonds by 42.8 billion euros in the first eight months of the year, the Bank of Italy said. In July and August they sold sovereign bonds to the tune of 8.7 billion euros, the central bank said.

Italian financial market have been racked by strong tensions linked to investors' uncertainty on the direction of economic and financial policies" and this has boosted the German-Italian bond spread, the Bank of Italy said Friday.


(ANSA) - Brussels, October 19 - A row rumbled on Friday between the two parties supporting the government, the League and the 5-Star Movement (M5S), over the executive's fiscal decree linked to the 2019 budget.

League leader, Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he was "starting to get angry".

"I'll hear them all but I'm starting to get angry because at that cabinet meeting (Premier Giuseppe) Conte was reading and (M5S leader Luigi) Di Maio was writing". Salvini said Friday he "didn't give a damn" about tax amnesties amid the row over the decree, into which the M5S has accused the League of inserting an amnesty.

"The League was born to create jobs and cut taxes, not to let tax dodgers off," he said, adding that "the M5S should get over it and we'll restart." The German-Italian 10-year bond-yield spread's rise close to 350 because of the row with the M5S is "a problem," Salvini said.

"If the spread arrives at 350 because these people are quarrelling it's a problem," he said. "Tomorrow I'm going to Rome, serene, we'll rewrite and re-read everything, but I repeat that in that cabinet meeting Conte was reading and Di Maio was writing".

Salvini also slammed the high number of amendments presented to his security decree by the M5S.

"Why have the M5S presented 81 amendments as if they were in opposition," he asked.

"Boys, this isn't the way to work, this isn't the way to be, between allies. But I'm really happy if there's something to be improved".

Salvini stressed, however, that he would hopefully travel to Rome Saturday to settle the row with the other deputy premier, M5S leader Di Maio, over the government's 'fiscal peace' tax-amnesty decree.

"Today I'm in Trentino but tomorrow I'll fly to Rome to solve the problems, enough of quarrels", he said.

Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, an M5S bigwig, said "Salvini and Di Maio will meet tomorrow and settle things".

But another M5S heavyweight, House Speaker Roberto Fico, said "there's going to be a problem if the amnesty stays in the decree, we're not the same as the League".

Fico went on: "if Salvini wants to talk to me, we'll have to talk about the contents of the decree" He also stressed that it was up to Premier Giuseppe Conte to call cabinet meetings.

Salvini said that if M5S had changed their minds on the amnesty, all they had to do was say so.

"We are reasonable people. If the Five Stars have changed their minds, just let them say so. If Fico and Di Maio have changed their minds, just say so, we are here," he said on the provincial election trail in Trentino.

"Let them say so and we'll sit down and go forward. Better on the phone than on TV", he said.

Salvini said it would be possible to "strip out" the parts of a fiscal peace decree that the M5S don't like.

"Anything can be done," he said on Italian TV.

"But people, when they read and approve something, should be convinced about what they read and approve.

"I'm here to solve problems, not create them".

He voiced "confidence" that a meeting with Di Maio Saturday would end the row.

Justice Minister and M5S bigwig Alfonso Bonafede said the M5S would not give in on its core values in the dispute.

"The M5S position on this is clear," he said.

"Without going into detail because I respect the cabinet which will meet tomorrow at which we will be able to talk (with ruling partner the League), there are issues in the history and values of the M5S that we cannot give ground on".

Centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Maurizio Martina said the government, with its "squabbles over the amnesty is jeopardising Italians bank accounts." The government has repeatedly denied that the fiscal peace measure, which allows people with tax arrears up to 100,000 euros to clear their debt with the taxman, is an amnesty.

Salvini Thursday night said he would after all consider going to a cabinet meeting Saturday to ease tensions and clear up a case of last-minute "manipulation" alleged by the other deputy premier, Labour and Industry Minister Di Maio.

Salvini dismissed all talk of a crisis but insisted that "Di Maio knew everything about the amnesty. We don't lay traps, the decree is what it is".

On Thursday night Salvini had said "the decree won't change, everyone should assume their responsibilities", and had said he would not attend a cabinet meeting Saturday.

Di Maio said Wednesday that the decree had been sent to President Sergio Mattarella with a change to the part regarding the government's so-called 'fiscal peace' to help people terminate disputes, without the consent of the M5S.

Di Maio said he was going to present a petition to criminal prosecutors over "manipulation" of the legislation, expanding the scope of the disputes that could benefit from the fiscal peace - and reportedly in particular benefitting alleged money launderers, according to the Italian media.

Another source of contention was a measure on car insurance, which the League said had not been discussed but the M5S said contained "measures that were read and discussed".

As tensions subsequently mounted, the M5S leader said late Thursday "a political clarification is needed, either in a cabinet meeting or at a summit".

He said the spread had shot up to 327 points because "the markets think we are not united".

Salvini said there would not be another cabinet meeting on the measure.

Asked if he would attend a cabinet meeting on Saturday, Salvini said "I have other commitments".

Denying speculation there might be a crisis, Salvini said "this government will go on for five years".

Premier Conte said "its up to me to call a cabinet meeting".

"I'm the premier and I call cabinet meetings and I don't know if Salvini will come, he's on an election campaign".

The president's office had said earlier that the decree had not been delivered to it.

Premier Conte said that there was "no rift" between the two ruling parties.

Conte's office then said the passage of the decree to the president had been halted after the premier had been alerted to the problem.

"I'll be in Rome on Friday," said Conte, who was attending the European summit in Brussels. "I'l check it article by article and it will go to the president".


Bill Schuette, 64, of Midland, is Michigan's Attorney General. The Republican faces Democrat Gretchen Whitmer in the race for Governor of Michigan.

1. As governor, what would be your top priorities?

My top priority can be summed up in one word: Growth. There isn't a problem facing Michigan today that couldn't be made better if we had more people living and working here. Yet, 55 of our counties lost population this decade, and we still have 300,000 fewer workers than before the Great Recession.

We need a growing population and growing paychecks to become a leading economic state. More growth means our kids don't have to leave Michigan to find jobs and we can invest in better roads and infrastructure. Airplane loads of people arrive daily in places like Austin and Nashville, and it isn't because of the weather. It is because those states have better economic environments and more opportunity.

2. How would you address those priorities?

We must make Michigan a more attractive place to live, work, start a business and raise a family. As governor, I will implement growth-friendly policies that help us compete nationally and rebuild our population.

I will:

1.) Cut taxes. Michigan incomes are still below pre-recession levels, and more than $5,000 below the national average, leaving families with less in their wallets than most Americans. I want to cut taxes at the state level, as President Donald Trump has done at the federal level, to help workers keep more of their hard-earned money. As governor, I will eliminate the Granholm income tax hike that has cost Michigan taxpayers $8 billion.

2.) Lower auto insurance rates, which are the highest in the country.

3.) Improve our third grade reading scores and restore vocational education and apprenticeships in our schools, so that Michigan children have the bright future they deserve.

3. In what areas should the state increase spending?

In a $57 billion state budget like Michigan has, we should be able to find enough money for better roads, and roads will be one of my top spending priorities as governor. Few people travel our two peninsulas and 83 counties more than I. We've got too many potholes, and it hits drivers right in the wallet for car repairs. Yet nothing has been done for 15 years.

More than anything, we need to grow our economy to increase state revenue, but additionally my plan to rebuild Michigan's infrastructure includes:

 Top-to-bottom audit of the transportation department (MDOT) to make sure we get more "miles paved per gallon."

 Stronger, enforced guarantees and warranties on roads and bridges.

 Making sure Michigan gets its fair share of funds from Washington D.C.

 Using savings from the repealed prevailing wage law to fund roads.

4. In what areas should the state cut spending?

As governor, I will conduct a review of all areas of state government to find potential reforms and efficiencies.

Bureaucratic programs that are not working will be ended, and the money redirected to essential services like roads and public safety.

State government must constantly strive to wisely ensure the best possible return on investment for Michigan taxpayers.
Daniel T. Armbruster, 37, of Elkton, is the vice president of agronomy at Cooperative Elevator Co. He is one of five people seeking one seat on the Elkton Village Council.

1.Why are you running for office?

I am running for office because I love the town I live in. Elkton is a great place to live with my family. I would like to help serve our community and hope to help make it a great place to live for the future. I believe that residents from the community need to volunteer so that this future is able to be achieved.

2.What do you wish to accomplish?

I hope to bring a different perspective to the village council. I believe that I can bring a new set of eyes to budgeting and to all the different things that the council would be responsible for. Our council has done a great job of making Elkton a great place to live. I hope to help continue our forward thinking so that our community may continue to thrive!

3.What background and skills do you have that would help you in this position?

I am an active member of the Oliver Township Fire Department and serve as an officer in that organization. At my occupation, I am heavily involved in leadership as well as the financial aspects of the organization. All of these are skills that I believe are vital to a successful village council.
Debbie Bourgois is a substitute teacher form St. Clair County. She is the Democratic candidate for Michigan Senate District 25, and faces State Rep. Dan Lauwers, a Republican.

1. What are the top three issues you feel the Michigan Senate should address?

a. Support public education

b. Support Michigan workers

c. Protect and preserve our water

2. Specifically, how would you address those issues?

a. Michigan has underfunded and diverted funding from public education for years. Per student funding can be increased. Limiting appropriation maneuvers and diverting public education funds to charter schools would be an important first step in supporting public education.

b. Uphold the minimum wage increase. Repeal Right to Work. Reinstate Prevailing Wage. All of these measure support working people in Michigan.

c. The Michigan Legislature frequently holds environmental standards to the National standards. As a state, we can require stronger protections than those afforded by the federal government.

3. What are the biggest issues facing our farmers, and how would you address those issues at the state level?

Some of the biggest threats facing Michigan's farmers are in the form of federal legislation. Careful examination must be conducted to employ creative workarounds. Fortunately, we have resources to facilitate adjustments, such as Michigan State University and Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who have been champions of Michigan agriculture for a very long time.

4. What are the biggest issues facing our schools, and how would you address those issues at the state level?

Michigan schools are underfunded and unsupported. We can limit or eliminate diverting public funding to charter and for profit schools. Increasing the per student funding will help, as many of the school districts have only recently returned to the funding levels they had 10 years ago. Interestingly, the Huron Intermediate School District has not returned to 2008 funding levels.

5. In what areas should the state increase spending?

In what areas should it cut? Michigan must increase spending on public education. Michigan can and should cut some of its corporate subsidies, giveaways and tax benefits, particularly those that have not yielded an overall benefit to the state.
Debbie Stabenow is a Democratic U.S. Senator for Michigan. She is running for reelection.

1. What are the top three things you wish to accomplish and how will you accomplish them if elected?

My top priority is to create jobs. I am laser-focused on growing a diverse economy that includes manufacturing, small business, agriculture and tourism.

As chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, I authored our current Farm Bill that reflects Michigan on every page and provides critical support to our farmers and small towns across the Thumb. For example, rural development funds made possible by the Farm Bill funded a new police vehicle in Caseville. I am now leading efforts to pass our nation's next Farm Bill.

One out of five jobs in Michigan is connected to our water, which is why I authored the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2010 that protects our water, including Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay. I helped secure funding to dredge the Caseville Harbor. I am strongly opposed to Canada's proposed nuclear waste dump on the shores of Lake Huron.

2. How do you feel the government should respond to the Social Security deficit projected by the Social Security Administration's June 5 annual report?

Millions of seniors in Michigan have worked hard over the course of their lifetime to earn their Social Security benefits. This funding should not be subject to the political whims of the annual budget process. I have repeatedly voted against efforts to raid the Social Security trust fund and will continue to oppose proposal that could jeopardize the long-term solvency of Social Security.

3. What can be done at the federal level to increase wages for the middle class?

If we make things here in Michigan and grow things here in Michigan, then our families can stay here and succeed in Michigan. That's why I am laser-focused on growing a diverse economy that includes good-paying jobs in manufacturing, technology, small business, and agriculture.

Whether you're headed to college or not, there are great opportunities to get the training and professional skills for good-paying jobs in demand right here in Michigan. My New Skills for New Jobs agenda is focused on helping every person get the skills they need through apprenticeships and other job training.

We need to keep good-paying jobs here and crack down on countries like China that cheat on our trade laws. I created a new U.S. trade enforcement center, wrote the Bring Jobs Home Act to eliminate the tax loophole for companies that ship jobs overseas, and authored the Make it in America Act.

4. Michigan residents, like those in other U.S. states have already done, are poised to vote on whether to legalize recreational marijuana use, and have already legalized medical marijuana. Should the federal government decriminalize marijuana? Why or why not?

It's time to decriminalize marijuana. However, it's also important to move forward thoughtfully and work closely with law enforcement, public health officials, business leaders and communities to ensure we get this right and avoid unintended consequences.

5. How would you overcome the partisanship in Washington D.C., and get business accomplished for your district?

I work every day with Republicans and Democrats to get things done for Michigan on issues like protecting our Great Lakes, addressing the opioid crisis, supporting Michigan's defense industry, and funding our roads and infrastructure. I've led the passage of a bipartisan Farm Bill that supports our farmers in Huron County, from our sugar beet growers to our soybean, dry bean, corn, and dairy farmers as well as our small towns.

I also recently passed my bipartisan legislation that gets rid of gag clauses prohibiting pharmacists from telling patients when they can pay less for their medications and legislation to improve veterans health care and the GI Bill. I have partnered with Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt to pass the Excellence in Mental Health Act, which has recently brought over $27 million in funding for seven new Community Behavioral Health Clinics to Michigan.
Gretchen Whitmer, 46, is a former Democratic member of the Michigan Senate and county prosecutor. She is running for Governor of Michigan.

1. As governor, what would your top priorities be?

Our roads cost the average Michigan driver $540 a year in vehicle repairs. I've got a plan to fix Michigan's crumbling infrastructure  with high quality material and mix, so we get the job done right.

We're also going to expedite the replacement of lead pipes across the state so every community has clean, safe drinking water. Right now, there are dozens of communities in Michigan that have higher lead levels than Flint. There's no reason the state that's home to 21 percent of the earth's fresh water should have communities full of people who can't bathe their kids or give them a glass of water at the dinner table.

We're going to invest in skills and job training. I will make the first two years of college debt-free and fund more trade schools and skills training programs so all Michiganders can get a good-paying job and take care of their families.

2. How would you address those priorities?

I have a real plan to fix our roads with a $3 billion annual investment in a rebuild Michigan infrastructure bank so we can fix our roads. When we dig up a road, we will lay conduit so we get every Michigander connected to broadband and we expedite the replacement of lead pipes across the state.

I have a plan to create the MI Opportunity Scholarship, a two-year debt-free plan that may be used at skilled training programs, community colleges and four-year universities.

Participants would be required to complete eight hours of community service per marking period and enroll full-time while maintaining a strong attendance record and a good grade point average (GPA).

Students must have graduated from and maintained a good GPA and a high attendance record for the past three years at a Michigan high school, and need to participate in a MI Opportunity career-mentoring program.

3. In what areas should the state increase spending?

We've got to focus on getting things done that will actually make a difference in people's lives right now. As soon as I enter office, I'll write a budget that prioritizes fixing our crumbling infrastructure, making health care more affordable, and improving education and skills training.

4. In what areas should the state cut spending?

We've got to stop allowing tax breaks for companies that send Michigan jobs overseas. If we're going to grow our economy so household incomes grow with it, we've got to support Michigan businesses that employ Michiganders.

I also have a plan to cut unconstitutional spending of taxpayer dollars by charter and cyber schools so we can focus on making sure that every child, no matter their zip code, can get a great public education that gets them on a path to a high-wage job. This ensures Michigan taxpayers are getting the best value for our money, and helps our students get the skills and experience they need to build a life for themselves here in Michigan.
(ANSA) - Brussels, October 19 - A row rumbled on Friday between the two parties supporting the government, the League and the 5-Star Movement (M5S), over the executive's fiscal decree linked to the 2019 budget.

League leader, Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he was "starting to get angry".

"I'll hear them all but I'm starting to get angry because at that cabinet meeting (Premier Giuseppe) Conte was reading and (M5S leader Luigi) Di Maio was writing". Salvini said Friday he "didn't give a damn" about tax amnesties amid the row over the decree, into which the M5S has accused the League of inserting an amnesty.

"The League was born to create jobs and cut taxes, not to let tax dodgers off," he said, adding that "the M5S should get over it and we'll restart." The German-Italian 10-year bond-yield spread's rise close to 350 because of the row with the M5S is "a problem," Salvini said.

"If the spread arrives at 350 because these people are quarrelling it's a problem," he said. "Tomorrow I'm going to Rome, serene, we'll rewrite and re-read everything, but I repeat that in that cabinet meeting Conte was reading and Di Maio was writing".

Salvini stressed, however, that he would travel to Rome Saturday to settle the row with the other deputy premier, M5S leader Di Maio, over the government's 'fiscal peace' tax-amnesty decree.

"Today I'm in Trentino but tomorrow I'll fly to Rome to solve the problems, enough of quarrels", he said.

Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, an M5S bigwig, said "Salvini and Di Maio will meet tomorrow and settle things".

But another M5S heavyweight, House Speaker Roberto Fico, said "there's going to be a problem if the amnesty stays in the decree, we're not the same as the League".

Fico went on: "if Salvini wants to talk to me, we'll have to talk about the contents of the decree" He also stressed that it was up to Premier Giuseppe Conte to call cabinet meetings.

Salvini said that if M5S had changed their minds on the amnesty, all they had to do was say so.

"We are reasonable people. If the Five Stars have changed their minds, just let them say so. If Fico and Di Maio have changed their minds, just say so, we are here," he said on the provincial election trail in Trentino.

"Let them say so and we'll sit down and go forward. Better on the phone than on TV", he said.

Salvini said it would be possible to "strip out" the parts of a fiscal peace decree that the M5S don't like.

"Anything can be done," he said on Italian TV.

"But people, when they read and approve something, should be convinced about what they read and approve.

"I'm here to solve problems, not create them".

He voiced "confidence" that a meeting with Di Maio Saturday would end the row.

Justice Minister and M5S bigwig Alfonso Bonafede said the M5S would not give in on its core values in the dispute.

"The M5S position on this is clear," he said.

"Without going into detail because I respect the cabinet which will meet tomorrow at which we will be able to talk (with ruling partner the League), there are issues in the history and values of the M5S that we cannot give ground on".

Centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Maurizio Martina said the government, with its "squabbles over the amnesty is jeopardising Italians bank accounts." The government has repeatedly denied that the fiscal peace measure, which allows people with tax arrears up to 100,000 euros to clear their debt with the taxman, is an amnesty.

Salvini Thursday night said he would after all consider going to a cabinet meeting Saturday to ease tensions and clear up a case of last-minute "manipulation" alleged by the other deputy premier, Labour and Industry Minister Di Maio.

Salvini dismissed all talk of a crisis but insisted that "Di Maio knew everything about the amnesty. We don't lay traps, the decree is what it is".

On Thursday night Salvini had said "the decree won't change, everyone should assume their responsibilities", and had said he would not attend a cabinet meeting Saturday.

Di Maio said Wednesday that the decree had been sent to President Sergio Mattarella with a change to the part regarding the government's so-called 'fiscal peace' to help people terminate disputes, without the consent of the M5S.

Di Maio said he was going to present a petition to criminal prosecutors over "manipulation" of the legislation, expanding the scope of the disputes that could benefit from the fiscal peace - and reportedly in particular benefitting alleged money launderers, according to the Italian media.

Another source of contention was a measure on car insurance, which the League said had not been discussed but the M5S said contained "measures that were read and discussed".

As tensions subsequently mounted, the M5S leader said late Thursday "a political clarification is needed, either in a cabinet meeting or at a summit".

He said the spread had shot up to 327 points because "the markets think we are not united".

Salvini said there would not be another cabinet meeting on the measure.

Asked if he would attend a cabinet meeting on Saturday, Salvini said "I have other commitments".

Denying speculation there might be a crisis, Salvini said "this government will go on for five years".

Premier Conte said "its up to me to call a cabinet meeting".

"I'm the premier and I call cabinet meetings and I don't know if Salvini will come, he's on an election campaign".

The president's office had said earlier that the decree had not been delivered to it.

Premier Conte said that there was "no rift" between the two ruling parties.

Conte's office then said the passage of the decree to the president had been halted after the premier had been alerted to the problem.

"I'll be in Rome on Friday," said Conte, who was attending the European summit in Brussels. "I'l check it article by article and it will go to the president".


Jamie C. Murphy, 54, lives in Elkton and works for the Sate of Michigan. He is one of five people seeking one seat on the Elkton Village Council.

1. Why are you running for office?

I have lived in the community of Elkton for almost 24 years, and I feel like certain entities have embarrassed the community and taken away from the spirit this village used to be. I feel that I can restore Elkton's sense of community and become a longstanding pillar that the residents will turn to for fair and just decision making.

2. What do you wish to accomplish?

I have two main goals. My first goal is to provide as many resources as I can into the police and ambulance services for our community. The town of Elkton can only be as safe as we choose to make it, and I want to make sure the resources are never spread so thin that our community suffers. My second goal is that I want to be approachable to our community and establish a stronger bridge between the residents and the council.

3. What background and skills do you have that would help you in this position?

I have 24 years experience as an employee of the State of Michigan. I was also on the Oliver Township Fire Department for more than two years. I know our town. I know my neighbors and I know their needs. Due to the nature of my work, I know what it's like being responsible for large amounts of people, and I understand the delicate alliances that need to be built to keep meeting everyone's needs, and keeping everything working properly, and keeping everyone safe in the process.
John James, 37, of Farmington Hills, is president of James Group International. He is the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and faces incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

1. What are the top three things you wish to accomplish and how will you accomplish them if elected?

The Constitution states clearly that the top priority of the federal government is to provide for our common defense, so national security must always be the forefront of the thinking of every federal representative. I believe that my education at West Point, my experience as an Army officer, and leading soldiers in combat has prepared me well for the challenges we face in securing our nation against an enemy that are not representatives of nation states and very often do not wear uniforms. I would also focus on issues important to our state: Protecting the Great Lakes, supporting Michigan manufacturing and agriculture, which are so vital to our economy, and helping to bring back our fair share of transportation dollars so that we can finally fix our crumbling roads. Accomplishing all of this means keeping taxes low, reducing regulation, and getting government out of the way of job creators and workers.

2. How do you feel the government should respond to the Social Security deficit projected by the Social Security Administration's June 5 annual report?

I believe strongly that Social Security is a sacred promise between the federal government and American seniors and it must be protected. We need to stop any raid on Social Security funds for other purposes and we need to eliminate the fraud that exists in the Social Security disability side that siphons funds away from the money American workers paid into the system. I will fight to protect Social Security.

3. What can be done at the federal level to increase wages for the middle class?

I supported the tax package, which put more money into the pockets of hardworking Michigan families. I believe strongly that in round two of tax reform, we need to look closer at the individual side of the tax code to provide families with additional simplification of the code and tax relief to provide for their needs.

The tax relief also provided small businesses with additional resources to invest back into their employees. I am very proud that following the passage of tax reform that my company provided bonus payments to each of our employees helping them better meet the needs of their families.

4. Michigan residents, like those in other U.S. states have already done, are poised to vote on whether to legalize recreational marijuana use, and have already legalized medical marijuana. Should the federal government decriminalize marijuana? Why or why not?

I personally do not support full legal recreational use, but I will respect the decision of the voters.

5. How would you overcome the partisanship in Washington D.C., and get business accomplished for your district?

I am very proud of my service to the nation in the United States Army. All of my training, beginning at West Point and continuing through service in combat, taught me to collaborate, cooperate and unify with my colleagues toward a common goal. Whether that goal is the defeat of a terrorist enemy on the battlefield, or the reduction of our debt and deficit in Washington, we will never succeed by fighting with each other. The best thing I bring to the table to achieve cooperation is that I am not a career politician like Sen. Stabenow and I don't have 44 years of feckless partisan political fights keeping others from wanting to work with me. My goal will always be what is best for Michigan and America and I am willing to work with anyone toward those goals.
Paul Mitchell, 61, of Dryden, is a member of Congress. A Republican, he is running for reelection to the 10th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

1. What are the top three things you wish to accomplish and how will you accomplish them if elected?

As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am supporting our servicemen and women around the world who defend our freedom by providing them with the training and resources they need to fulfill their mission. We must also secure our borders and support local law enforcement and first responders who secure our communities. Second, we must continue growing our economy through additional tax and regulatory reforms that support American families and businesses and allows them to grow and thrive. At the same time, we must keep a focus on fiscal responsibility in order to reduce our deficit and national debt. Third, we must protect Michigan's greatest natural resource  the Great Lakes  through legislation like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI)  which I have strongly supported. I will also keep the pressure on the Canadian government to keep nuclear waste off the shores of Lake Huron.

2. How do you feel the government should respond to the Social Security deficit projected by the Social Security Administration's June 5 annual report?

Social Security and Medicare are vital programs for millions of Americans and are critical for retirement planning. Anyone currently receiving benefits should never have to worry that their benefits are in jeopardy, and all decisions that are made going forward must keep current and near-term recipients in mind. I have not, and will not, support any plan that reduces benefits for individuals currently receiving them. However, we must address the factors leading to insolvency for Social Security and Medicare. As Congress evaluates the financial trajectory of Social Security and Medicare, and discusses solutions to keep them solvent for future generations, it must ensure benefits promised are available to individuals when they reach retirement.

3. What can be done at the federal level to increase wages for the middle class?

The best way to increase wages for the middle class, and all Americans, is to continue to improve our nation's economy. Due to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and regulatory reform, our economy is booming and our country is seeing record low unemployment rates, rising wages, soaring small business optimism, and increased new opportunities. Middle class incomes are rising finally after a decade of stagnation. I introduced legislation and voted to make the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's tax cuts permanent so families and small businesses can have certainty that they can keep more of what they earn to meet their needs. I'll also continue working to advance career and technical education programs so American workers have the skills to fill well-paying, in-demand positions nationwide.

4. Michigan residents, like those in other U.S. states have already done, are poised to vote on whether to legalize recreational marijuana use, and have already legalized medical marijuana. Should the federal government decriminalize marijuana? Why or why not?

I believe that marijuana should be a state issue and the federal government should respect states' decisions. The current comprehensive system of both federal and state laws is not working, and is putting our law enforcement officers in difficult situations. If the voters of Michigan make a decision to legalize recreational marijuana, as they have already legalized medical marijuana, the federal government should respect that decision.

5. How would you overcome the partisanship in Washington D.C., and get business accomplished for your district?

I have, and will continue to work with my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat to make our nation better for all Americans. For example, when funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) was threatened, I worked with all of my Michigan colleagues and other members from Great Lakes states to ensure the GLRI was fully funded. Despite what the media would have you believe, the 115th Congress was actually the most bipartisan Congress in the last 20 years. Nearly 70 percent of the bills enacted into law in the 115th Congress were bipartisan, bearing both a Republican and Democrat cosponsor.
Phil Green, 41, of Millington, is a school administrator and assistant pastor. He is the Republican candidate for Michigan's 84th House District.

1. What are the top three issues you feel the Michigan House should address?

First and foremost, the Michigan House should address the automobile insurance rates. Currently, Michigan has the highest rates in the nation. Secondly, Michiganders need to take home more of their paychecks. The cost of living in the Thumb is outrageous. We pay the highest utility rates in our region. Likewise, we were promised that our income tax rate would be returned to the pre-Granholm rate. Also, our retirees should not be taxed on their investments that they invested their tax-sheltered dollars in. Lastly, our infrastructure, including not only roads and utilities, but also cell phone service and Internet, need to be upgraded.

2. Specifically, how would you address those issues?

For the Automobile Insurance Reform: Immediately upon arrival in Lansing, I would sit down with both sides (opposing and for) automobile insurance reform. I would work to find the best solution to a guarantee in lowering our insurance rates while keeping our medical coverage. For allowing Michiganders to keep more of their paycheck: For utility costs, I would work with legislators to find sensible ways to efficiently produce energy, and would welcome ideas to help drive the cost of utilities down. Secondly, I will sponsor legislation to lower our state income tax to the Pre-Granholm era rate. This would hold our elected officials accountable to the promises they made. Lastly, I would work to build a coalition to reform the tax on our senior citizens' retirement.

3. What are the biggest issues facing our farmers, and how would you address those issues at the state level?

One of the major issues facing our farms and the agriculture businesses is the high cost of utilities in Michigan. A second issue is the high cost of transporting our commodities. As fuel prices rise, the cost of transporting these commodities increases which decreases the already slim profits. As well, having qualified employees is becoming more difficult. I will work to improve our infrastructure and reduce the cost of electricity and other utilities specifically to our agricultural businesses and the citizens of the Thumb. Secondly, The infrastructure of roads and rail needs to be addressed. Our infrastructure and cost of fuel must be addressed. Lastly, educating our students and inspiring them to work hard is vital to the success of the agri-business in the Thumb. It is important not only that our best and brightest return to the Thumb to work, but that they can be hired. Their personal standards to pass a drug test for employment are also vital.

4. What are the biggest issues facing our schools, and how would you address those issues at the state level?

There are several issues facing our schools. First and foremost is the decline of students. In 1995, there were 16,000 students in the Tuscola Intermediate School Districts. Today, there are 8,000 students. Because of our failure in our society, not only have our jobs been outsourced, our most precious commodity, and our children, have also been outsourced. We must build communities that are job friendly, family friendly and education friendly. Secondly, our schools must do what is best for each student. The concept of a common core that forces every student into a STEM or college prep course of study is not conducive to what is best for every student. We need to bring back an emphasis on skilled trades. The Tuscola and Huron tech centers are shining examples of accomplishments in our educational system. More students need to be able to take part in those programs.

5. In what areas should the state increase spending?

In what areas should it cut? Ronald Reagan once stated that the most terrifying statement ever heard was: "Hello, I am from the government and I am here to help." I believe that by reducing large, detached entities such as the federal and state governments and returning the decision making to local level, the government can once again work for the people instead of the people working for the government. I have always believed that the government that is closest to the people, works best for the people. I do not believe we should be looking for ways to increase the government spending. I do not believe it will be very difficult to find waste, over-run and over-staffing in the government either.
Steve Vaughan, 57, of Filion is a county commissioner, business owner, welding instructor and auctioneer. An incumbent, he is the Republican candidate for Huron County Commissioner.

1.What are the three biggest issues county commissioners need to tackle and why?

a.Be fiscally responsible in order to maintain a balanced budget for all county agencies.

b.Reach out to all of the county's constituents to make sure that the diversity of needs are being met.

c.Keep in tune with all aspects of business that operate and provide service to county residents.

2.Specifically, how would you address those three issues?

a.Huron County receives its financial support from its residents, landowners and business owners. All funds taken in must be spent with discretion, assuring all of the county residents that have a vested interest in this county are treated equitably and are provided necessary services.

b.Keep in touch with the public. Look for ways to improve manufacturing, education, agribusiness, emergency service and all other people that make up this puzzle that we call Huron County.

c.Make yourself available to look, listen and learn about how we can impact positive solutions by using the knowledge and resources available to a county commissioner.

3.What experience do you have that makes you a good fit for the office of Huron County Commissioner?

I was a township supervisor for 12 years before I became a county commissioner. I have spent 20 years representing my fellow county residents. I believe in giving back to my community by offering a hand up to anyone that needs me.
Editor's note: This feature was in the Senior Scope in Saturday's Huron Daily Tribune.

KINDE  Ronald (Ron) Szymarek wasnt born in Kinde, but he came from a community very similar to the Kinde/Port Austin area.

I came from Manistee which, ethnically, is almost exactly like here, said Szymarek. When I got here, I knew how to pronounce the names.

Szymarek will never forget the date when he first arrived in the Upper Thumb: Aug. 15, 1967. He had recently graduated from college and the Kinde school system was his first teaching job. He didnt know if he would like the area, much less how long he would last in this small community as a teacher.

But Kinde seemed to be the perfect fit. He taught Spanish and English for 35 years at Kinde/North Huron, and he drove a school bus for 45 years. Even after retirement, he continued to teach part time at the Port Hope School and at St. John Lutheran School in Port Hope.

In the early days in his teaching career, all of the students were from the local area. In those days, the school district ran from Stoddard Road to Filion Road and from Pinnebog to the Verona area. If you lived outside that area, you didnt come to Kinde.

Although he wasnt employed at the school when it burned, he learned a lot about the big fire and the schools reconstruction. After the fire, the school was rebuilt in stages. North Huron school is now several times larger than the building that was built after the fire.

During the rebuilding, classes were held at various churches in the community. The Kinde Presbyterian Church had the largest gymnasium in town. It was used as a community gym and then the school gym after the fire.

One of the biggest changes during his teaching career was the annexation of Port Austin School in the late 1970s.

The biggest problem was the rivalries between students, he said. I felt more like a bouncer than a school teacher.

Fortunately, the rivalries declined dramatically after the older high school students graduated and the younger classmates acclimated to North Huron School.

Other things have changed over the years. In his early years, students could take time off school to do seasonal farm chores.

Back then, kids could take time off to burn bean straw, he said. I didnt understand that back then, but I learned.

There were other differences. There are fewer children in each family today than when he first arrived in Kinde. He estimates 80 percent were farming families then. There are much fewer farm families today.

The Polish heritage was much stronger back in the 1960s and 70s than today. In addition, dividing lines were drawn between churches.

At that time, there were two Catholic Churches in Kinde.

The Catholic churches didnt have much to do with one another. he said. The churches were based on ethnic heritage. Plus, the Catholics and Protestants didnt interact much.

Fortunately, many of these feelings have changed over the years.

While talking about differences, Szymarek brought up the subject of school curriculum. In his early teaching years, the school boards controlled the curriculum. Now, curriculums are controlled by the state and federal governments. He thinks this is less suited to this area.

Classes have change over the years. For example, in his early years of teaching political science, students were taught the preamble to the U.S. Constitution and learned how the Supreme Court worked.

"Thats all changed," he said. "I saw a lot of changes just as I was leaving (retiring).

Some changes have really helped students and the parents of students who plan to go to college. They can now take college courses while in high school. One major advantage is the cost. These classes have little or no cost to the students. They can actually accumulate several college credits before ever graduating from North Huron.

Although Szymarek was an instructor for three and a half decades, teaching was not the only thing he did to generate an income. His business ventures included a gas station in downtown Kinde and a tire sales and service. The company is called Old Guy Tire Service, and many of the locals know him as the Old Guy.

I got into it by accident," he said. "I couldnt afford tires when I first came here, so I got tires at the junk yard.

Soon, friends started asking him to change their tires. The business, which has grown over the years, is on Szymarek's property at 1190 Cross Road, just outside Kinde. As he looked back in time, he remembered the business used to be hard work. He now looks at the tire business in a whole new light.

Its not really work anymore, he said.

He claims he does more talking to the customers than he works.

Im always happy when Im doing this, and (the customers), they like it," he said. "I had students in high school who were my customers. Now, I have their kids coming here. I think they like the prices and the personal service.

Szymarek explained his customers come from far and near to purchase tires from the Old Man. He said he has customers coming from Farmington Hills, Sterling Heights, Essexville, Bay City and Saginaw.

While living in the Kinde area for the past 50 years, Szymarek has seen many changes  some in his own life.

He has been married to the love of his life, Martha, for the past 51 years. In fact, they were married before he arrived in Huron County. The couple have one child, Penny Schmidt, and two adopted children, Linda and Ernie. They also have three grandkids.

Local residents may be surprised to learn the couple has had 72 foster kids over a period of several years. They wanted to adopt, and they felt dealing with the foster system could give them an advantage.

That helped facilitate us adopting our first kid, he said.

Other than his family, Szymarek has seen many physical changes to the area.

I saw a decline and a rise, he said.

Part of the decline was a major recession in the 1970s. In addition to the recession, offspring of local business owners were not taking over the family businesses as they had for generations.

Szymarek says the old general store is gone, and the Kinde elevators parking lot has taken its place. The Hubbard State Bank is gone and has been replaced by the Pasta House. At least one party store closed. He thinks there were five gas stations in town, one of which was a gas station owned by he and his wife.

The tractor store is gone, and the skating rink no longer exists. Other businesses that closed included the Wagon Wheel Bar, the movie theater, a barber shop, and the dance hall. He noted Meagher Ford Dealership also no longer exists. At one time, it had the largest sales in the state of Michigan.

It's not all sad news.

While the elevator in town burned, it was resurrected better and larger than ever.

Its considerably larger in size, Szymarek said. I think theyve tripled in size.

A couple lumber yards failed in the past, but the elevator started one at their location in downtown Kinde and it has had good success.

Ive heard Kinde beans are used at the White House to make bean soup, he said.

Szymarek feels Kevin and Helen Wiley may have been one of the best things to have happened to this small town. The couple is extremely active in the community and was instrumental in starting the Kinde Polka Fest and creating new Kinde Palace.

The couple owns the Pasta House. According to Szymarek, the restaurant is known state-wide. During their ownership, they expanded the operation to include a ballroom. The facility now sits where the bank, a Ford dealership and a pharmacy formerly were located.

In addition, North Huron School has grown tremendously in physical size. The schools population may not be as large as it was at its peak, but it still houses students from Port Austin, Kinde and Port Hope. Over the past years, it has benefited greatly from the profits of the Kinde Polka Fest.

Szymarek is very involved in the local community. One of his important duties is acting as clerk and billing agent for the Kinde Area Fire Department. He also has very strong ties to his church, Kinde Presbyterian.

Im very active in my church, he said. Im in the choir. I take care of much of the maintenance.

He is also on the church board. One of his crowning achievements was the creation of a vocal group he founded more than two decades ago.

I founded All for Hymn, a multi-church choir in 1995, he said. Its a musical ministry that goes wherever its needed. Weve been together for 22-and a half years.

He went on to say its members range in age from 12 to 72 years. The group has performed in Midland, Saginaw, at the Pigeon Farmers Festival, and at the Huron Community Fairgrounds. He estimates they have sung at between 15 and 20 churches in the Upper Thumb.

Several want us to come back each year, he said.

Szymarek seems to have a bright outlook on life. He enjoys his tire business and sees no need or desire to close up shop.

Im 72 years old and have no plans to retire," he said. "My friends say Ill probably die at my tire machine.

He plans to stay as active as he can.

I plan to stay as active as possible in my church," Szymarek said. "My biggest fear is Ill get to a point where I cant sing anymore. But Im still doing pretty darn good for being 72. I thank the good lord for everything I have.
(ANSA) - Brussels, October 19 - The two parties supporting the government, the League and the 5-Star Movement (M5S), on Friday averted a crisis over the executive's fiscal decree linked to the 2019 budget.

League leader, Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he would after all consider going to a cabinet meeting Saturday to ease tensions and clear up a case of last-minute "manipulation" alleged by the other deputy premier, M5S leader and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio.

Salvini dismissed all talk of a crisis but insisted that "Di Maio knew everything about the amnesty. We don't lay traps, the decree is what it is".

On Thursday night Salvini had said "the decree won't change, everyone should assume their responsibilities", and had said he would not attend a cabinet meeting Saturday.

Di Maio said Wednesday that the decree had been sent to President Sergio Mattarella with a change to the part regarding the government's so-called 'fiscal peace' to help people terminate disputes, without the consent of the M5S.

Di Maio said he was going to present a petition to criminal prosecutors over "manipulation" of the legislation, expanding the scope of the disputes that could benefit from the fiscal peace - and reportedly in particular benefitting alleged money launderers, according to the Italian media.

Another source of contention was a measure on car insurance, which the League said had not been discussed but the M5S said contained "measures that were read and discussed".

As tensions subsequently mounted, the M5S leader said late Thursday "a political clarification is needed, either in a cabinet meeting or at a summit".

He said the spread had shot up to 327 points because "the markets think we are not united".

Salvini said there would not be another cabinet meeting on the measure.

Asked if he would attend a cabinet meeting on Saturday, Salvini said "I have other commitments".

Denying speculation there might be a crisis, Salvini said "this government will go on for five years".

Premier Giuseppe Conte said "its up to me to call a cabinet meeting".

"I'm the premier and I call cabinet meetings and I don't know if Salvini will come, he's on an election campaign".

The president's office had said earlier that the decree had not been delivered to it.

Premier Conte said that there was "no rift" between the two ruling parties.

Conte's office then said the passage of the decree to the president had been halted after the premier had been alerted to the problem.

"I'll be in Rome on Friday," said Conte, who was attending the European summit in Brussels. "I'l check it article by article and it will go to the president".


WALLINGFORD  The future is now for Dunkin Donuts, the iconic 68-year-old food and beverage purveyor, or at least at two Connecticut locations.

The Canton, Mass.-based company debuted its stores of the future at 1101 N. Colony Road in Wallingford and at one of its locations in Simsbury. The new stores are part of a massive overhaul of the brand that includes shortening the stores name to Dunkin.

More than 50 Dunkin locations chain-wide will undergo the renovations that closed the North Colony Road location for three weeks while the changes were made. Neither a spokesman working for the company nor Manny Rocha, the local franchisee that owns the store, where willing to comment on how much the renovations to the store cost.

Its designed for the individual on the go, Erica Rocha, one of Manny Rochas daughters, said of the changes to the North Colony location. She and her sister, Erin, work with their father overseeing the familys 13-store empire as well as the centralized bakery in Cheshire that produces doughnuts for all of the locations.

Manny Rocha said one of the goals of the new store design is to boost to-go orders made through Dunkins smartphone application. With a few taps on the app, customers can place their order and pay for it, as well as notifying Dunkin employees when they are arriving at the location to pick up their food.

The North Colony location has added a second drive-thru lane, one for consumers placing their order the old-fashioned way and the other for those picking up orders already placed and paid for via the app. The mobile-order customers go to the head of the line, which cuts down on customer wait times, Erica Rocha said.

The other changes put in place for the store-of-the-future concept are far more subtle.

Baked goods no longer are located behind Dunkin staffers. Instead, they are displayed in clear glass display cases similar to the kind bakeries use.

It shows how extremely focused we are on quality, Manny Rocha said.

The other highly visible change is how the stores cold drinks are dispensed. A row of taps, similar to those that dispense beer at bars, are right at the front counter.

Its a cool and different way to display the drinks that we have, Erica Rocha said. Its very eye-catching.

At some point in the future, the North Colony location will add self-service ordering kiosks, Erica Rocha said.

Its all about making sure we get the order right every time, she said. .

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
MIDDLETOWN  Authorities are still hunting for a man they say shot a man he knew in the face on Long Lane Road, then took off on foot, and local parents are voicing concerns about delays in being notified of what happened.

Kyshone M. Jackson Jr., 22, allegedly fired a gun at the victim Thursday at about noon, half a mile from Snow Elementary School, which was immediately placed on lockdown. The victim is doing well, and was still being treated at St. Francis Hospital for his injuries Friday morning, department spokeswoman Lt. Heather Desmond said.

The suspect, who is known to police, according to Desmond, is described as a black man who is 6 feet tall and weighs 140 pounds. His address is unknown, although he has family in Middletown, police said.

The incident took place shortly after noon in the backyard of a house just north of Kieft Road, near a housing project on Santangelo Circle.

Police Chief William McKenna said Thursday the men knew one another.

The suspect, identified through witness accounts, fled the scene prior to police arriving, Desmond said. The victim collapsed in the middle of the road.

Schools initially on lockdown or under secure-the-perimeter status were Wesley, Snow and Farm Hill elementary schools, as well as three high schools, Mercy, Xavier and Vinal Tech  all within a two-mile radius of the shooting.

Some parents  many whose children attend Snow  took to Facebook later Thursday and Friday to complain they hadnt been informed about the situation until several hours afterward.

Technology issues delayed the sending of alerts, said Middletown Public Schools Director of Operations and Fine Arts Marco Gaylord. The initial message went out at 2:52 p.m. to all parents  almost three hours after the shooting  and another followed right afterward to clarify information, because some people thought their kids were being dismissed at that time, he said.

Kristin Rae Souza of Middletown described herself as fuming mad at not being notified right away about the situation at her daughters school.

I didnt know it was secured right away. I thought my 5-year-old had been in true lockdown for almost two hours, hiding in a bathroom cabinet, and I started crying at work, she said.

She sent her husband to the school to pick up her daughter. However, due to the security perimeter, no one was being admitted inside.

The communication from the school was absolutely horrific in my opinion, she said.

Gaylord admitted that the notification should have gone out sooner.

We have messages ready to go out, he said. Were learning from it.

He said school officials need to make sure any emergency protocol that happens in the building is put into effect immediately.

Alerts should be issued to parents as soon as a threat is perceived so theyre not hearing about it second hand or being surprised by news coverage, Gaylord said.

Were continuing to assess and improve on our procedures, and were going to continue to learn from the situation, he said.

Students at recess were brought inside the school as soon as the district learned of the situation at 12:40 p.m. Thursday.

You cant plan for every emergency, every situation, and all we can do is learn and improve on it, Gaylord said, while drafting a letter to parents. In the end, were happy that everyone was safe and none of our kids were hurt.

The educational process was not interrupted, he said.

The teachers continued to instruct as if it was any other day. The only difference was the kids werent allowed to go out at recess, said Gaylord, who remained on hand at Snow for student dismissal at the usual hour. Im glad I was there. We need a public information officer there, communicating with parents when we have this sort of situation.

This is a first. I cant remember having a situation like this, he said.

School staff were debriefed Friday morning, he said.

I was pretty scared, but as far as [my daughter] was concerned, the worst thing that happened today was the bagel box at lunch was different, Souza said.

Mike Marino is director of security at Mercy, just over a mile away from where the shooting took place. Central dispatch alerted him police had ordered a lockdown, which was put in place for about 25 minutes. It was then changed to a secure the perimeter.

The difference between the two safety measures, Marino said, is whether a threat is inside or outside the school.

A all-call alert, consisting of phone messages, texts and/or emails, was issued immediately when the lockdown occurred, and a second followed. The latter provided information to parents, such as when sanctions were lifted, and that the children would be going home on the bus at the normal time.

As always, we ran very fluidly here, Marino said. We practice these things at Mercy all the time, and, because we practice, were very good at them.

Generally, students go into their classrooms, which are locked from the inside. School officials wait until the order is lifted by the police department and/or security officers. Before anyone is allowed in or out of the facility, each room is searched, he said.

We dont want to let a bad guy know exactly what we do, he said.

Desmond said police tell the schools to go into lockdown or to employ other emergency measures.

There is a scenario that we have gone over with the schools, and depending on the situation, central office will contact the schools. Its on them to start the procedures and contact the parents, she said.

Others criticized the city for not employing the Reverse 911 system immediately.

The scenario was pretty isolated, and he did what he did specifically, Desmond said of the shooter. Theres nothing for us to believe that he would act out violently again. Based on information we have now, we dont think there will be additional issues.

She said police were dealing with a man with a serious injury, then securing the scene and the schools.

Our first job is to get the scene safe and secure, and then move out from there, she said. Once we knew what we had, we knew we didnt need to do that Reverse 911.

Meanwhile, the public is asked to use caution and not approach anyone matching the suspects description. Those with information should call Middletown police at 860-638-4000.
BOSTON - Nearly everyone seeking to get into Harvard University craves to know what kind of test scores they need to be a serious contender. An internal Harvard document, disclosed this week in federal court, provides an answer: mid-to-high 700s, out of a possible 800 on each part of the SAT. Or at least 33 out of a maximum 36 on the ACT.

Those were benchmarks Harvard suggested in 2014 for admission officers to rate an applicant with superb grades as having "Magna" academic potential - a 2 on a scale of 1 to 4. The highest rating, reserved for special cases with near-perfect scores and grades, was 1 or "Summa." Applicants rated a 3 or 4 have much lower chances of admission.

But the man who has been Harvard's chief gatekeeper for more than three decades sought to play down the import of the revelation in the document presented as evidence in a trial that scrutinizes his team's work.

William R. Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions and financial aid, testified in federal court here that "it's a bit of an oversimplification" to focus on standardized tests.

"We're actually asking our readers to go through everything on that application and to try also to think about growth and the future potential," Fitzsimmons said Tuesday. He added: "We're looking at people not simply by a rigid, formulaic kind of thing such as a test score."

As the trial's first witness, and one of the most influential voices in college admissions, Fitzsimmons underscored that more is at stake for Harvard than defending itself against allegations that it discriminates against Asian Americans. The university, historically a bastion of exclusivity and privilege, wants to be seen as an institution that gives everyone a fair shot. The trial is challenging that image.

Because of a lawsuit filed in 2014 by opponents of affirmative action, the private university's admissions process is undergoing a rare and exhaustive public examination. In the trial that started Monday, Fitzsimmons and other officials are being forced to answer under oath detailed questions about how the university recruits and admits a class and how it takes race and other factors into account.

Students for Fair Admissions, the plaintiff on behalf of rejected Asian American applicants, obtained raw data on more than 160,000 applications in a recent six-year span. It also reviewed 480 application files and a trove of emails and other records.

Revelations from the suit this year have fueled skepticism of Harvard. A crowd of Asian Americans gathered here in Copley Square over the weekend to protest what they believe is unequal treatment. They held up signs that read "No more racial stereotyping" and "Harvard: Stop Asian Quota." Such criticism takes a toll, even though many Asian Americans support Harvard's race-conscious admissions policy.

College officials across the nation are tracking the case, mindful of its potential impact on their own work. Charles Deacon, dean of admissions at Georgetown University, said Harvard and Fitzsimmons are "carrying the weight of the profession on their shoulders." "There's nobody better to do this defense than him."

The University of Virginia's dean of admission, Greg W. Roberts, called Fitzsimmons "the dean of deans." On campus in nearby Cambridge, he is known as Dean Fitz.

Harvard is famously selective, turning down 19 out of every 20 applicants to the nation's oldest undergraduate college. But it is also more diverse than in generations past. Seventeen percent of nearly 2,000 admitted this year are among the first in their families to go to college, and 20 percent come from families with enough need to qualify for federal Pell Grants. More than half of students receive financial aid.

Those are the statistics Fitzsimmons hopes to highlight.

But the lawsuit has revealed less rosy data.

As a rule, Harvard does not disclose how many children of alumni apply and what share get in. But court documents reveal that 4,644 of these "legacy" applicants from the United States applied from 2009 through 2015, and 34 percent were admitted. That was far higher than the 6 percent admission rate for non-legacy applicants.

In addition, 2,501 applicants were singled out in that time for "interest lists" kept by Fitzsimmons and the director of admissions. These cases deemed worthy of special handling included children of donors. Their admission rate was 42 percent.

More for you Students suing Harvard for admission bias unlikely to stop there

The data also showed admission rates by race and ethnicity, which Harvard does not typically disclose. An economist the plaintiff hired found that for the class entering in fall 2015 - excluding international students - those rates were 8.2 percent for African Americans, 6.8 percent for white applicants, 6.4 percent for Hispanic applicants and 5.7 percent for Asian Americans.

The plaintiff says Harvard discriminates against Asian Americans in multiple ways. The university denies those claims, saying it considers race as one factor among many, following Supreme Court guidance.

A Harvard-retained expert found that if race were subtracted from admission decisions, the African American share of an admitted class would fall eight percentage points, to 6 percent. The Hispanic share would fall five points, to 9 percent.

Plaintiff's attorney John M. Hughes said those numbers appeared to show a racial divide. "As a group, African Americans receive more of a benefit based on race in the Harvard admissions process than Hispanics, correct?" he asked Fitzsimmons.

"Yes," the dean replied.

At another point, Hughes asked Fitzsimmons about a federal civil rights investigation that found evidence in 1990 that some Harvard admission officers described Asian American applicants as being "quiet, shy, science/math oriented, and hard workers."

"Are those comments consistent with the way Harvard wants race used in its admissions process?" Hughes asked.

"We do not endorse - we abhor stereotypical comments," Fitzsimmons said. "This is not part of our process. This is not who I am, and it's not who our admissions committee members are."

Throughout his testimony, Fitzsimmons sought to push back against the plaintiff's claims of bias while acknowledging the flurry of numbers presented to him. "You were probably a math major," he teased Hughes.

Fitzsimmons, who graduated from Harvard in 1967, started working in the admissions office in 1972 and was named dean in 1986. In his position, he has promoted expansion of need-based financial aid and of recruiting more students who, like himself, were first in their families to go to college.

Fitzsimmons portrays himself as just one of 40 members of the committee that votes on who gets in. Of course, everyone knows he is the most senior member.
(ANSA) - Brussels, October 19 - The two parties supporting the government, the League and the 5-Star Movement (M5S), on Friday averted a crisis over the executive's fiscal decree linked to the 2019 budget.

League leader, Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he would travel to Rome Saturday to settle a row with ruling partner and M5S leader Luigi Di Maio over the government's 'fiscal peace' amnesty decree.

"Today I'm in Trentino but tomorrow I'll fly to Rome to solve the problems, Enough of quarrels", he said.

Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, an M5S bigwig, said "Salvini and Di Maio will meet tomorrow and settle things".

But another M5S heavyweight, House Speaker Roberto Fico, said "there's going to be a problem if the amnesty stays in the decree, were' not the same as the League".

Fico went on: "if Salvini wants to talk to me, we'll have to talk about the contents of the decree" He also stressed that it was up to Premier Giuseppe Conte to call cabinet meetings.

Salvini said that if M5S had changed their minds on the amnesty, all they had to do was say so.

"We are reasonable people. If the Five Stars have changed their minds, just let them say so. If Fico and Di Maio have changed their minds, just say so, we are here," he said on the provincial election trail in Trentino.

"Let them say so and we'll sit down and go forward. Better on the phone than on TV", he said.

Salvini said it would be possible to "strip out" the parts of a fiscal peace decree that the M5S don't like.

"Anything can be done," he said on Italian TV.

"But people, when they read and approve something, should be convinced about what they read and approve.

"I'm here to solve problems, not create them".

He voiced "confidence" that a meeting with Di Maio Saturday would end the row.

Justice Minister and M5S bigwig Alfonso Bonafede said the M5S would not give in on its core values in the dispute.

"The M5S position on this is clear," he said.

"Without going into detail because I respect the cabinet which will meet tomorrow at which we will be able to talk (with ruling partner the League), there are issues in the history and values of the M5S that we cannot give ground on".

Centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Maurizio Martina said the government, with its "squabbles over the amnesty is jeopardising Italians bank accounts." The government has repeatedly denied that the fiscal peace measure, which allows people with tax arrears up to 100,000 euros to clear their debt with the taxman, is an amnesty.

Salvini Thursday night said he would after all consider going to a cabinet meeting Saturday to ease tensions and clear up a case of last-minute "manipulation" alleged by the other deputy premier, Labour and Industry Minister Di Maio.

Salvini dismissed all talk of a crisis but insisted that "Di Maio knew everything about the amnesty. We don't lay traps, the decree is what it is".

On Thursday night Salvini had said "the decree won't change, everyone should assume their responsibilities", and had said he would not attend a cabinet meeting Saturday.

Di Maio said Wednesday that the decree had been sent to President Sergio Mattarella with a change to the part regarding the government's so-called 'fiscal peace' to help people terminate disputes, without the consent of the M5S.

Di Maio said he was going to present a petition to criminal prosecutors over "manipulation" of the legislation, expanding the scope of the disputes that could benefit from the fiscal peace - and reportedly in particular benefitting alleged money launderers, according to the Italian media.

Another source of contention was a measure on car insurance, which the League said had not been discussed but the M5S said contained "measures that were read and discussed".

As tensions subsequently mounted, the M5S leader said late Thursday "a political clarification is needed, either in a cabinet meeting or at a summit".

He said the spread had shot up to 327 points because "the markets think we are not united".

Salvini said there would not be another cabinet meeting on the measure.

Asked if he would attend a cabinet meeting on Saturday, Salvini said "I have other commitments".

Denying speculation there might be a crisis, Salvini said "this government will go on for five years".

Premier Conte said "its up to me to call a cabinet meeting".

"I'm the premier and I call cabinet meetings and I don't know if Salvini will come, he's on an election campaign".

The president's office had said earlier that the decree had not been delivered to it.

Premier Conte said that there was "no rift" between the two ruling parties.

Conte's office then said the passage of the decree to the president had been halted after the premier had been alerted to the problem.

"I'll be in Rome on Friday," said Conte, who was attending the European summit in Brussels. "I'l check it article by article and it will go to the president".


China's Sub Force Is Growing More Powerful. This Is What the US Navy Needs to Do to Stay Ahead
Flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan are back in full swing Friday following a helicopter crash on the ship's flight deck.

All flights have resumed, Navy officials announced within 12 hours of the crash, after an unspecified number of sailors were hurt when their MH-60R Sea Hawk made an emergency landing shortly after takeoff.

The mishap occurred in the Philippine Sea at about 9 a.m. local time. The Sea Hawk is assigned to the "Saberhawks" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 77.

While all are in stable condition with no life-threatening injuries, some personnel were medically evacuated to a hospital in the Philippines, according to a Navy news release. The Reagan was conducting routine operations at the time of the crash.

The sailors' injuries ranged from minor cuts and abrasions to fractures. Those who were not sent to the Filipino hospital are being evaluated by medical staff aboard the carrier.

Families of the injured personnel have been notified, Navy officials said.

The cause of the incident remains under investigation. No additional information about the extent of the damage to the aircraft was immediately available.

The carrier remains "fully mission capable," according to the news release. The Ronald Reagan Strike Group is conducting security and stability operations in the Indo-Pacific region.

This is at least the third naval aviation mishap of fiscal 2019, which started Oct. 1.

On Oct. 9, two HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopters collided on a runway in Japan. No injuries were reported in either aircraft.

Five days prior, a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet made an emergency landing in California after a fire broke out in its right engine during a training flight. A pilot and a weapons-systems officer were aboard the aircraft at the time. Neither was injured.

Both incidents remain under investigation.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ginaaharkins.
SEATTLE -- Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star arrived home Wednesday to Seattle following a six-month maintenance period at Mare Island Dry Dock in Vallejo, California.

The 42-year-old icebreaker received extensive repairs and upgrades to engineering and electronic systems while completing the dry dock availability at Mare Island for the second time in as many years.

"We successfully accomplished an annual dry dock availability valued at over $7.6 million," stated Lt. Cmdr. Chris Pelar, Polar Star's engineering officer. "More than 50 work items were completed while in dry dock. We will complete remaining maintenance requirements in Seattle before departing for our upcoming Antarctic deployment."

Polar Star received extensive overhauls to equipment, most notably in auxiliary systems, generator upgrades and replacing propellers in preparation of supporting Operation Deep Freeze (ODF) 2019, the U.S. military's contribution to the National Science Foundation managed U.S. Antarctic Program.

Polar Star, the nation's only operational heavy icebreaker, deploys annually to Antarctica in support of ODF. The 399-foot, 13,000-ton cutter and crew transit through the Ross Sea and forcibly break through ice up to 21-feet thick clearing a path through frozen waters for supply ships to reach Antarctica's logistics hub, McMurdo Station, Scott-Amundsen South Pole Station and other international bases. The critical supply deliveries allow the stations to stay operational year-round, including during the dark and tumultuous winter.

The Coast Guard has been the sole provider of the nation's polar icebreaking capability since 1965, and is essential to ensuring national presence and access to the Polar Regions.
(ANSA) - Brussels, October 19 - A row rumbled on Friday between the two parties supporting the government, the League and the 5-Star Movement (M5S), over the executive's fiscal decree linked to the 2019 budget.

League leader, Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he was "starting to get angry".

"I'll hear them all but I'm starting to get angry because at that cabinet meeting (Premier Giuseppe) Conte was reading and (M5S leader Luigi) Di Maio was writing". Salvini said, however, that he would travel to Rome Saturday to settle the row with the other deputy premier, M5S leader Di Maio, over the government's 'fiscal peace' tax-amnesty decree.

"Today I'm in Trentino but tomorrow I'll fly to Rome to solve the problems, enough of quarrels", he said.

Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, an M5S bigwig, said "Salvini and Di Maio will meet tomorrow and settle things".

But another M5S heavyweight, House Speaker Roberto Fico, said "there's going to be a problem if the amnesty stays in the decree, we're not the same as the League".

Fico went on: "if Salvini wants to talk to me, we'll have to talk about the contents of the decree" He also stressed that it was up to Premier Giuseppe Conte to call cabinet meetings.

Salvini said that if M5S had changed their minds on the amnesty, all they had to do was say so.

"We are reasonable people. If the Five Stars have changed their minds, just let them say so. If Fico and Di Maio have changed their minds, just say so, we are here," he said on the provincial election trail in Trentino.

"Let them say so and we'll sit down and go forward. Better on the phone than on TV", he said.

Salvini said it would be possible to "strip out" the parts of a fiscal peace decree that the M5S don't like.

"Anything can be done," he said on Italian TV.

"But people, when they read and approve something, should be convinced about what they read and approve.

"I'm here to solve problems, not create them".

He voiced "confidence" that a meeting with Di Maio Saturday would end the row.

Justice Minister and M5S bigwig Alfonso Bonafede said the M5S would not give in on its core values in the dispute.

"The M5S position on this is clear," he said.

"Without going into detail because I respect the cabinet which will meet tomorrow at which we will be able to talk (with ruling partner the League), there are issues in the history and values of the M5S that we cannot give ground on".

Centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Maurizio Martina said the government, with its "squabbles over the amnesty is jeopardising Italians bank accounts." The government has repeatedly denied that the fiscal peace measure, which allows people with tax arrears up to 100,000 euros to clear their debt with the taxman, is an amnesty.

Salvini Thursday night said he would after all consider going to a cabinet meeting Saturday to ease tensions and clear up a case of last-minute "manipulation" alleged by the other deputy premier, Labour and Industry Minister Di Maio.

Salvini dismissed all talk of a crisis but insisted that "Di Maio knew everything about the amnesty. We don't lay traps, the decree is what it is".

On Thursday night Salvini had said "the decree won't change, everyone should assume their responsibilities", and had said he would not attend a cabinet meeting Saturday.

Di Maio said Wednesday that the decree had been sent to President Sergio Mattarella with a change to the part regarding the government's so-called 'fiscal peace' to help people terminate disputes, without the consent of the M5S.

Di Maio said he was going to present a petition to criminal prosecutors over "manipulation" of the legislation, expanding the scope of the disputes that could benefit from the fiscal peace - and reportedly in particular benefitting alleged money launderers, according to the Italian media.

Another source of contention was a measure on car insurance, which the League said had not been discussed but the M5S said contained "measures that were read and discussed".

As tensions subsequently mounted, the M5S leader said late Thursday "a political clarification is needed, either in a cabinet meeting or at a summit".

He said the spread had shot up to 327 points because "the markets think we are not united".

Salvini said there would not be another cabinet meeting on the measure.

Asked if he would attend a cabinet meeting on Saturday, Salvini said "I have other commitments".

Denying speculation there might be a crisis, Salvini said "this government will go on for five years".

Premier Conte said "its up to me to call a cabinet meeting".

"I'm the premier and I call cabinet meetings and I don't know if Salvini will come, he's on an election campaign".

The president's office had said earlier that the decree had not been delivered to it.

Premier Conte said that there was "no rift" between the two ruling parties.

Conte's office then said the passage of the decree to the president had been halted after the premier had been alerted to the problem.

"I'll be in Rome on Friday," said Conte, who was attending the European summit in Brussels. "I'l check it article by article and it will go to the president".


An on-base housing crisis for active-duty military families at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence has forced the private property manager to terminate leases for other families, including veterans, who had been living in off-base housing.

In response to questions from Military.com, LendLease Corp., the parent firm of Atlantic Marine Corps Communities (AMCC), said it sent 30-day notices of lease termination to non-military AMCC residents "in efforts to mitigate the housing crisis caused by Hurricane Florence" while repairs are made.

"Our first priority remains to the active-duty military families that live with AMCC," a spokeswoman for Australia-based LendLease Group LLC said in a statement. As a subsidiary of LendLease, AMCC manages housing at the Marine bases at Lejeune, New River and Cherry Point through a partnership with the U.S. Navy.

"Due to the effects of Hurricane Florence, a large volume of homes were impacted across the AMCC North Carolina locations, leaving 70 percent of our housing inventory having received some level of damage," the LendLease statement said.

Related: Marines OK Hurricane Reimbursements After Commander Declined to Evacuate

"As of today, we have more than 800 military families who have either relocated to a home within the AMCC housing community, are scheduled to relocate to a home, have been placed in temporary lodging or will be placed in temporary lodging while repairs are performed on their home," the statement said.

"We are working with each military family individually to address the damages to their home and provide them with lodging or permanent reassignment to a new address" if their home was significantly damaged, it continued. "AMCC has a recovery plan, supported by our Navy Partner, and is working diligently to rebuild our community."

One of the housing complexes where 30-day notices were given is Slocum Neighborhood Village in Havelock, North Carolina, near Marine Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.

Local ABC-TV News channel WCTI-12 reported Wednesday that Slocum residents included active-duty and reserve military members, veterans, contractors, Defense Department civilians and surviving military spouses.

In response to a posting by a Slocum resident who charged earlier this week that "you are wrongfully kicking people out and making them become homeless," AMCC said in a Facebook posting that it had the right to terminate leases for residents who had been tenants for more than a year upon 30 days' notice.

"While this decision was incredibly difficult, our mission has always been to ensure that we can prioritize housing for our active-duty military families stationed at Camp Lejeune, New River and Cherry Point," AMCC said.

In a separate statement Oct. 10, AMCC said the storm that hovered over North Carolina for several days in mid-September "damaged a large part of our housing inventory, resulting in a housing crisis where we are now faced with a lack of habitable homes."

Nat Fahy, a spokesman for Lejeune, the largest Marine installation on the East Coast, said AMCC manages 4,644 units of on-base housing at Lejeune and another 1,538 at Cherry Point.

He said the base has held several information sessions for families who evacuated before Florence hit, returned to find their homes damaged, and are seeking other accommodations. The most recent information session was held Wednesday, he said.

"At every step, we've tried to ensure that people had as much access to information as possible," Fahy said.

He did not immediately have a figure on the number of Lejeune families who have been unable to return to their homes.

On its website, AMCC said moves to base housing at Lejeune by newly reporting personnel had been halted "to enable active-duty military families to relocate from severely damaged homes to vacant homes within our housing areas. Even with these efforts, the housing shortage for active-duty military families affected by the storm remains."

During Florence, Lejeune allowed anyone with DoD identification to shelter on the base. At the height of the storm on Sept. 13, about 148 people were at four shelters on the base, Fahy said. The number went down to 125 on Sept. 14 and to 34 on Sept. 28, he added.

By Oct. 2, there were 13 families -- a total of 31 people -- being housed at French Creek Barracks 65 on base, Fahy said. On Oct. 16, the shelter closed, but not before Lejeune staff received assurances from those leaving that they had a follow-on housing plan, he said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The body of a 19-year-old Iowa Army National Guard member deployed to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay was found after a massive search-and-rescue operation Wednesday -- one day after he was seen being overpowered by a strong current in the waters off Cuba's southern tip.

Pfc. Matthew Cox had been swimming with four friends at Cable Beach on Tuesday when the water overwhelmed him, The Army Times reported. The four other service members were not injured, according to The Gazette, which cited a news release from the Iowa National Guard.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Joint Task Force-Guantanamo joined with other military elements in a frantic search for the soldier. Divers and aircraft were also utilized as part of the operation before Cox's body was recovered Wednesday afternoon. The soldier's death was announced the next day.

Cox was a member of the Iowa Army National Guard's 186th Military Police Company of Camp Dodge, Iowa, The Army Times reported. He had been deployed to Cuba in support of Joint Task-Force Guantanamo.

"This is indeed a sad day for the Iowa National Guard. The loss of a Soldier under any circumstances is difficult. My heart aches for Matthew's family as well as the Soldiers he served with in the 186th MP Company," Iowa National Guard Maj. Gen. Tim Orr said in a news release. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cox family and his fellow soldiers. We will do everything in our power to assist them during this difficult time."

Cox, was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and later lived in Leon, about 70 miles away. He was homeschooled before enlisting in the Iowa Army National Guard in 2017. Cox's awards included the Army Service Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal.

Authorities continue to investigate the incident.

Fox News' Kathleen Joyce contributed to this report.
This article by James Clark originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues.

The nation's highest award for valor is getting the "Wham," "Bam," and "Kapow" treatment.

The Association of the United States Army is teaming up with professional comic book writers and creators whose work spans the DC and Marvel universes to launch Medal of Honor, a new graphic novel series focusing on those soldiers who have been awarded for battlefield bravery.

"We're going to go through time and do different battles, so you'll see World War II, Vietnam, and some from Afghanistan, among others," Joseph Craig, the director of AUSA's book program, told Task & Purpose. "We want to show the scope of heroism and bravery across the decades in the US Army."

The first installment was published online on Oct. 10 and follows the exploits of Sgt. Alvin York during World War I, just days after the 100-year anniversary of the events that earned York his enduring fame.

On Oct. 8, 1918, while serving on the Western Front during the Meuse-Argonne campaign, then a corporal, York led a charge against a German machine-gun position. The ensuing battle resulted in as many as 20 enemy casualties attributed to York alone, and the capture of 132 German soldiers.

And he did it with just seven men, or so the story goes, though it hasn't gone uncontested  over the years, reports have challenged the official version of events.

The AUSA comic sticks with the official narrative and is supported by York's account of what happened: That York, along with a handful of men, took over a German position, killed scores, captured the rest, then on their way back to friendly lines rounded out their party of prisoners with even more bewildered Germans.

The script was written by Chuck Dixon (The Punisher, Batman, G.I. Joe, The 'Nam), with pencils, inks and cover by Rick Magyar (Avengers, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy), colors by Peter Pantazis (Justice League, Superman, Wolverine) and lettering from Troy Peteri (Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men).

The non-profit, which is sharing the series for free online, was inspired after the Naval Institute launched a similar effort, Craig told Task & Purpose.

The move shouldn't be all that surprising  comics have provided generations of readers with stories of daring heroes, and occasionally service members have assumed the leading role on those glossy pages from those in spangly outfits to black tees with a skull logo, among others.

New issues for AUSA's series will come out quarterly starting in 2019, though at this time it's unclear which of the Army's Medal of Honor recipients will have their stories of hardship, heroism and sacrifice illustrated and inked in glossy panels.

James Clark is a staff writer for Task & Purpose. He is a former Marine combat correspondent and a veteran of the War in Afghanistan. You can reach him via email at James@taskandpurpose.com. Follow James Clark on Twitter @JamesWClark

More articles from Task & Purpose:

11 Glorious Photos of Marines Getting Pepper-Sprayed Right in the Face

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The Heartwarming Story Behind This Life-Sized Body Pillow of an Airman
It was June of 1938 when the world first got their hands on Action Comics #1. This new, featured character, Superman, embodied all that was good about the United States. He fought for truth, justice, and the American way. For a whole ten cents, kids could get their own issue, read fantastic stories, and escape from the harsh realities of the Great Depression. But comics found a secondary audience  young adults who were also looking for an fantastical escape from the bleak world around them.

Comic sales suffered alongside the economy at large. Kids simply couldn't fork over ten cents every week and the entire industry was almost kneecapped before it could became the multi-billion dollar business it is today.

Everything changed on December 20, 1940 (cover-dated for March, 1941)  an entire year before the attack on Pearl Harbor  when another superhero, named Captain America, hit the shelves. He donned star-spangled colors, and the very first public-facing image of Cap featured him delivering a swift punch directly to Hitler's jaw.

Sales rose into the millions  but not because of kiddies with spare dimes. The audience that bought en masse was, unsurprisingly, the very demographic that wanted to knock Hitler out themselves: the 24-year-old men being shipped off to war.

Despite comic books' reputation of being pulpy kids' fiction, troops, at the time, became the primary consumers. Comics were the perfect rucksack stuffer. They were small, easy to fold or roll, and could be fit into anything. You could read it once, share it around, and then enjoy it again when it circled back around. If they got damaged or destroyed, it was fine because it only cost ten cents.

The heroic stories within took troops' minds temporarily off of the war in front of them. Comic books had mastered escapist fantasy during the Great Depression  and that came in handy among troops fighting in WWII.

Lucky troops could find the newest issues of their favorite series around Europe  most often when in England, before heading back into the fray. But troops would also often request comics in care packages from back home.

The creators knew their audience, and they found ways to show their support for the troops in nearly every issue. (DC Comics)

It wasn't just the stories of Superman and Batman fighting the good fight back home that connected with the troops. In fact, Captain America was a super-soldier fighting in the same war as the audience for the same reasons against the same enemy.

But the superheroes we love today didn't steal the show. Non-fiction series stood above them during that era.

In these comics, the characters had no superhuman powers. They weren't fighting some devious, otherworldly villain. These comics featured real stories told by the troops who were fighting. It wasn't uncommon for GIs in Europe to enjoy the comics about actions in the Pacific Theater, like Guadalcanal Diary, or for island-hopping Marines to read about the U.S. soldiers in France, in comics like USA Is Ready.

The troops' love of comic books continued well after many made the transition back into civilian life. From then on, the lion's share of the comic book marketplace featured more mature themes, like crime, supernatural horror, and war  things that returning veterans would enjoy.

This came into direct conflict with a narrative that insisted comic books were for kids.

The Comics Code Authority went into effect in 1954, censoring all the "foul" stuff veterans came to love. Comic sales plummeted. This should have been the final nail in the coffin for the medium  but it wasn't, not by a long shot.

World War II veterans who had read and loved all the stories during wartime elbowed their way into the industry, giving rise to the Silver Age of comic books. Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Syd Shore, Alice Marble, Curt Swan, and Bob Kanigher all served their country in the second World War. Together, they brought comic books back into the spotlight, steering them to the bright future they enjoy today.

One man in particular, Bob Kanigher, used his first-hand experience on the front lines to give the veteran comic book readers arguably one of the finest stories in the medium: Sgt. Rock of Easy Company. (DC Comics)

MORE POSTS FROM WE ARE THE MIGHTY:

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We Are The Mighty (WATM) celebrates service with stories that inspire. WATM is made in Hollywood by veterans. It's military life presented like never before. Check it out at We Are the Mighty.
How to use the mindat.org media viewer

Click/touch this help panel to close it.

Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image)

Controls - all media types

Zoom in and out of media using your mousewheel or with a two-finger 'resize' action on a touch device.

Use the mouse or your finger to drag the image or the view area of the image around the screen.

< and > at the left and right hand side of the screen move forwards and backwards for the other images associated with the media you selected. Usually this is used for previous/next photo in a gallery, in an article or in search results. Keyboard shortcuts: use shift + the left and right arrow keys.

< and > in the bottom center are used for switching between the photos of the same specimen. Keyboard shortcuts: use the left and right arrow keys.

> in the bottom center, raises the information box giving details and further options for the media, < at the top of this box then hides it. Keyboard shortcuts: use the up and down arrow keys.

? opens this help window. Keyboard shortcuts: use the H key or the ? key.

Other keyboard shortcuts:

1 Fit image to screen 2 Fill screen with image 5 Display at full resolution < Make background darker > Make background lighter space Hide/dim titles and buttons

Scalebar

If the field of view (FOV) is specified for the photo, the scalebar appears in the left bottom corner of the viewer. The scalebar is draggable and resizeable. Drag the right edge to resize it. Double click will reset the scalebar to it's default size and position. If the scalebar is in default position, double click will make it circular.

Controls - Video

Video files have a standard set of video controls: - Reset to start, - Skip back, - Play, - Pause, - Skip forwards. Keyboard shortcuts: You can stop/start video play with the P key.

Controls - Animation (Spin Rotation)

Animation (usually 360 degree spin rotations) have their own controls: - enable spin mode. Note that while images are loading this option will not be available but will be automatically activated when the animation has loaded. Once active you can spin the image/change the animation by moving your mouse or finger on the image left/right or by pressing the [ or ] keys.

The button switches to move mode so that you can use your mouse/fingers to move the image around the screen as with other media types.

The button, or the P key will start playing the animation directly, you can interrupt this by using the mouse or finger on the image to regain manual movement control.

Controls - 3D Stereoscopic images

If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways:

- without any special equipment using cross-eyed or parallel-eyed method

- with stereoscope

- with anaglyph glasses.

- on a suitable 3D TV or monitor (passive 3D system)

For details about 3D refer to: Mindat manuals: Mindat Media Viewer: 3D

To enable/disable 3D stereo display of a compatible stereo pair image press the 3 key. If the left/right images are reversed on your display (this often happens in full-screen mode) press the 4 key to reverse them.

Controls - photo comparison mode

If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu.

Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder.

Summary of all keyboard shortcuts
ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor is moving forward with designing a new UV disinfection system for its water treatment plant to remove a microscopic parasite from the city's drinking water supply.

The City Council voted this week to approve a $145,060 design contract with engineering consultant LG Design Inc., formerly known as CH2M, plus a $14,500 contingency budget.

Construction of the system, which the city must put in place by June 2020, is expected to cost another $2 million.

The city has estimated the total project will cost about $2.4 million counting staff time and other costs.

Brian Steglitz, the city's water plant manger, recently explained the need for the new system, saying it needs to be installed to meet state requirements for removing cryptosporidium from the contaminated water the city draws from the Huron River.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality notified the city in June 2017 that its drinking water supply contained levels of cryptosporidium exceeding an annual average limit.

Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that can live in the intestines of humans and animals and cause a diarrheal disease called cryptosporidiosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both the disease and the parasite are commonly known as "crypto," and it's in Huron River water.

"The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants," the CDC website states.

"During the past 2 decades, Crypto has become recognized as one of the most common causes of waterborne disease (recreational water and drinking water) in humans in the United States."

According to the CDC, the parasite is found in every region of the U.S. and throughout the world, and water can be contaminated through sewage overflows, sewage systems that are not working properly, polluted stormwater runoff, and agricultural runoff.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted a rule in 2006 to further protect drinking water sources from microbial contaminants such as cryptosporidium.

The EPA rule requires the city to sample its source water for cryptosporidium and treat according to the levels found.

After receiving a notice from the DEQ last year, the city hired CH2M to study options for coming into compliance.

"The study concluded that the city is able to meet the new disinfection requirements some of the time, but not all of the time," Steglitz wrote in a recent memo to council.

"When the city is performing annual maintenance on some of its treatment basins, which can take 4 to 8 weeks each year, the city is unable to meet the new disinfection requirements. CH2M's study recommended adding an interim ultraviolet light (UV) disinfection process that will enable the city to comply with the new disinfection requirements during this 4 to 8 week maintenance window."

In the long term, the study recommended adding a permanent UV disinfection facility as part of a larger plant improvement project.

"The interim UV system will have hydraulic limitations, therefore it would not meet the requirements of a long-term permanent UV disinfection system," Steglitz wrote. "However, interim UV system will allow the city to meet the MDEQ deadline, and provide additional time for the city to implement a long-term solution that best fits into the future planned Pre-treatment Basin Renovation Project."

Steglitz said the city already had its consultant draft a conceptual design for the interim UV system and the DEQ OK'd it last month, and now the consultant will be doing a more detailed design.

The city is still eyeing tens of millions of dollars worth of additional improvements to the water treatment plant and is taking steps to better filter out harmful PFAS chemicals in the city's drinking water.

Replacing 1938 treatment basins that are in disrepair and not meeting current performance standards is still listed in the city's capital improvement plan as the top priority for the water system.

The plan shows an estimated $7.2 million for design costs between 2019 and 2021 and an estimated $75.2 million for construction between 2021 and 2025 for that project, which is a replacement of the part of the water treatment complex known as "Plant 1."
ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor has been planning for a new Amtrak train station for more than a decade now, and the costs are adding up as the city continues to try to clear federal hurdles.

In the coming months, the city expects to reach the $3 million mark in terms of the amount spent on train station studies and plans, about half of which is local money and half federal grant funds.

As the City Council voted 7-3 to approve another $110,000 for the project this week to do additional work requested by the Federal Railroad Administration, council members aired their frustrations about the long, drawn-out and costly planning process.

"Clearly we are all frustrated by the process the FRA has put us through," said Council Member Chuck Warpehoski, D-5th Ward, who voted to approve the additional spending.

"This is the kind of thing that makes people -- even those of us in government -- hate government."

Council Member Jane Lumm, an independent from the 2nd Ward, was joined by 1st Ward reps Sumi Kailasapathy and Anne Bannister in voting against the additional expenses.

"It's time to stop throwing good money after bad, time to cut our losses and time to apologize to Ann Arbor taxpayers for this colossal, monumental waste of taxpayer money," Lumm argued.

Council Member Jack Eaton, D-4th Ward, cast a reluctant vote in support of the additional expenses and shared Lumm's concerns about what he called runaway costs.

"This just continues like a water torture," he said. "Every few months, we add tens of thousands of dollars to the money that we've already thrown down into this rabbit hole."

Eli Cooper, the city's transportation program manager, answers questions about Ann Arbor Station project during a City Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 15, 2018. (Nikos Frazier | MLive.com)

Counting roughly $640,000 in local dollars spent on planning efforts prior to 2013 when the city was focused on building an intermodal station in Fuller Park in collaboration with the University of Michigan, and another $924,000-plus in local dollars committed to the ongoing Ann Arbor Station project since then, as the city has been required by the FRA to explore various station options in more detail, the city's local tab for the ongoing planning is now north of $1.5 million.

The city additionally spent nearly $1.5 million using part of a $2.8 million federal rail planning grant that expired in September 2017 before the city could use the full amount.

The city and its consultants are still trying to get through the federally required environmental assessment and preliminary engineering phases, seeking the FRA's official blessing to move forward with Fuller Park as the preferred site for a new station.

The city expects the total costs for the environmental assessment and preliminary engineering to be about $2.4 million, nearly $1.5 million of which has been covered by the federal grant funds.

That $2.4 million total includes nearly $2.2 million in consultant pay, roughly $188,000 worth of city staff time, and other costs.

Estimated to cost about $86 million to construct, the new Amtrak station the city envisions -- along with a large parking garage -- would take shape in front of the University of Michigan Hospital off Fuller Road, replacing the 1983 Amtrak station on Depot Street.

There's still some community debate about which site makes more sense, Fuller or Depot, and some question whether a new station is needed versus just renovating the existing station.

The $110,000 approved this week for additional planning work includes a roughly $99,000 increase to a contract with consultant URS Corp., bringing the total contract up to nearly $1.2 million, plus nearly $11,000 for other staff costs.

Eli Cooper, the city's transportation program manager, told council members the FRA has asked the city to do additional work beyond the scope of the original contract and failure to comply could result in the FRA determining the city is in default of the grant agreement and responsible to return the nearly $1.5 million.

Lumm, who has for years questioned the train station project, said the idea that the city must spend more money or the FRA is going to demand its money back is ridiculous.

"The FRA stopped paying any of the costs about a year ago. All the costs are now being absorbed by the city," she noted.

A majority of council members, though frustrated by the continued delays in getting through the federal review process, believe it's important to finish the work to the FRA's satisfaction.

"Ann Arbor demands better rail service and we can't have better rail service without a better station," said Mayor Christopher Taylor. "And this is the path to it, and so I'm committed to moving forward."

Lumm noted this is the fourth time the city has increased its local budget for the environmental assessment and preliminary engineering work, starting with an original budget of $550,000 in 2012 and now $924,000-plus -- a nearly 70 percent increase.

"The city is now paying 38 percent of the environmental assessment and preliminary engineering cost, which is almost twice the 20 percent share we were promised," Lumm said.

For the previous Fuller Road Station project, which was abandoned in early 2012, there were no federal funds used, only local dollars.

Considering the city's experience with the FRA so far, Lumm said, there's no guarantee that the work won't continue beyond next summer and that costs won't continue to balloon.

Lumm said $1.5 million-plus in local dollars is a huge amount of taxpayer money for "studies that in my view were fundamentally flawed from the beginning because they were based on absurd ridership assumptions."

There were 155,632 boardings and deboardings at the Amtrak station in Ann Arbor this past fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, up 8 percent from the year before and up 22 percent from two years ago.

Projections the city has been citing suggest that could climb to 969,000 by 2035, assuming Amtrak daily roundtrips along the Detroit-Chicago line increase from three to 10, with potentially 516,000 additional boardings/deboardings in Ann Arbor from regional commuter rail between Ann Arbor and Detroit.

Some city leaders believe the current station on Depot Street is outdated and inadequate for even today's needs, let alone the future projections, but Lumm argues the projections are overly optimistic and don't pass the "sanity check."

"With reasonable volume assumptions, I believe the alternative of a much-smaller renovation of the existing site could make sense and the price tag would be a small fraction," she said.

Cooper said the city has provided a number of "deliverables" to the FRA already as part of the ongoing federal review process.

"They have formally accepted our purpose and need statement, our alternatives analysis," he said. "There was a conditional acceptance of the environmental review, but it did not meet their 'final standing' and that's part of why we need the amendment in order to revise the environmental documentation."

Cooper said the city's preliminary engineering work also has been submitted and is under review by the FRA.

He said the city believes all of the required technical material has been compiled, and the city now needs to incorporate public input from the last round of public comments into a new report.

"So there's not additional technical work, but there's additional report writing," he said.

Council Member Zachary Ackerman, D-3rd Ward, asked about the "shelf life" of the train station studies the city is working to complete, meaning how long they'll be considered valid after completion and usable as the basis for constructing a new station.

Cooper said a "finding of no significant impact" or FONSI from the FRA, essentially giving the OK for a chosen site, would be valid for three years without needing to be refreshed. If it goes beyond that, he said, a new review of the FONSI may be needed.

Council Member Sumi Kailasapathy, D-1st Ward, asked about the potential for grant funding to build a station, as city leaders pushing the project have hoped for 80 percent of it to be federally funded.

Cooper suggested an 80/20 funding split may still be possible. He said there are two federal funding programs for projects of this nature, including Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants through the U.S. Department of Transportation, which earlier this year announced the availability of $1.5 billion in discretionary grant funding. Those grants, previously known as TIGER grants, can be used for up to 80 percent of project costs.

The other program is the FRA's Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program, through which there's now $318 million in grant funding available.

According to the FRA, preference for the CRISI grant funds is given to projects with a 50 percent non-federal funding match from any combination of private, state or local funds.

For both the BUILD and CRISI programs, the grant application deadlines for the current funding rounds are now passed. If the programs continue, the city could apply in the future.

Cooper said Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation, which subsidizes Amtrak service in the state, could cover the operations and management of a new station.

"No one can predict what the federal government is going to do in the future," City Administrator Howard Lazarus added. "It changes based upon the administration, the economy and a lot of other factors. The best that we can do is be prepared to take advantage in a competitive world for future funding. That means we have an environmental assessment that's been completed and a finding of no significant impact, along with some preliminary engineering."

Lazarus agreed it's been frustrating getting to this point, but he said the goal is to maintain momentum and finish the work.

"I do think we're close to the end," he said. "And over the next year or so, we'll be able to get through the remaining process."

Lazarus said tens of thousands of people per day are commuting into the city for work and a lot of that is driven by the UM medical system. He suggested a new train station by the hospital, along with the launch of Ann Arbor-Detroit commuter rail service, could reduce the number of single-occupant vehicles coming into the city and help the city push back against climate change.

The question of building a new train station is expected to eventually go before city voters before construction happens.

Eaton suggested the new City Council members taking office next month following the November election may not support building a new train station and parking garage in Fuller Park.

"We may be surprised at the lack of support for that in the coming council," he said.

Council Member Jack Eaton, D-4th Ward, speaks during an Ann Arbor City Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 15, 2018. (Nikos Frazier | MLive.com)

Eaton said he would prefer the city start new discussions with DTE Energy about partnering to use the current Amtrak site and have a station there integrate with a redevelopment of the adjacent DTE property along the riverfront. DTE had hoped to make such a partnership happen as part of a mixed-use development that's in the works, but with the city's sights set on Fuller Park, DTE and its developer partner recently unveiled other plans for the DTE site.

Eaton said he doesn't believe there will be an 80 percent federal financing option for a station in Fuller Park in the next three years. He thinks the city would have better luck landing federal grant funds if it was working with DTE as a private partner.

He ultimately supported the additional $110,000 this week because he was concerned about the risk of having to pay back federal funds.

"But I want to raise the issue that I think we need to stop throwing money down this hole," he said. "We really need to take a look at whether or not the community wants the train station at that site (in Fuller Park) or at its current site (on Depot Street) and whether we shouldn't actually engage in discussions with a private partner so we can free up some federal funding."

Council Member Kirk Westphal, D-2nd Ward, said rail has always been a good investment for communities.

"So, I support moving forward with this," he said, noting the city is having ongoing discussions about parking needs and the city has spent a lot of money on parking structures.

He said the FRA process for the train station project is frustrating, but it's a symptom of Ann Arbor being a growing city "and we have needs and investments to make in the future."

Ackerman said it was an easier decision to invest in planning for a new station under the Obama administration, but now things are up in the air under the Trump administration.

But he argued it was ultimately worth it to have a "shovel-ready" plan in case federal funding becomes available to build a new station.

Ackerman said rail is "both the past and the future of how people get from Point A to Point B."

Kailasapathy emphasized that she and others against the expenditures are not anti-rail or anti-transit. She said they're for rail and transit, but just not an $86 million new station in a city park.

She suggested the city should instead make modest renovations to the current station on Depot Street.
(CNN)  The Washington Post has published what the newspaper describes as the "last piece" written by missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was allegedly killed and dismembered in his country's consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

In a note at the top of the column, published late Wednesday, Post Global Opinions editor Karen Attiah wrote that she "held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us."

"Now I have to accept: That is not going to happen," she said. "This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for."

In the piece, Khashoggi bemoaned the lack of free expression in the Arab world, leaving the majority of its population "unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives."

He contrasted the current situation with the sentiment felt by many during the Arab Spring, when they hoped to be "emancipated from the hegemony of their governments and the consistent interventions and censorship of information," only to have those expectations dashed as revolutions -- both peaceful and violent -- failed or were crushed by outside intervention.

One of the biggest players in pushing back against the tide or Arab populist revolt was the Saudi regime itself, which sent tanks into Bahrain, embraced tottering dictators, and stamped down on any signs of dissent at home.

Some observers had seen in Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (known as MBS) an alternative avenue to reform in the kingdom. New York Times writer Tom Friedman, who this week was forced to defend his previous cheerleading of MBS, wrote in November last year that the kingdom was "going through its own Arab Spring, Saudi style."

Khashoggi, who was allegedly killed by members of the crown prince's inner circle, had a more measured view of his country's de facto ruler. In a column from September last year -- one of several that allegedly angered Riyadh and made it impossible for Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia -- he wrote that MBS had "promised an embrace of social and economic reform," but instead pursued a crackdown on dissent.

"He spoke of making our country more open and tolerant and promised that he would address the things that hold back our progress, such as the ban on women driving," Khashoggi said. "But all I see now is the recent wave of arrests."

In that column, he also criticized the tightening space for free speech in the kingdom, and recounted how he was fired from a newspaper and forced off Twitter for being too critical of government policies.

According to CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen, MBS has moved Saudi from a consensus based absolute monarchy -- where criticism was limited but not unheard of -- "toward a totalitarian dictatorship in which all aspects of society are controlled by him and all forms of dissent are stifled."

This was a topic Khashoggi had written about as well. As a member of the Saudi elite and former adviser to the royal family who was still influential inside the Kingdom, Khashoggi was becoming more and more of a rarity under MBS, and his criticisms may have stung more than those of a regular, unconnected dissident, and sparked a more extreme reaction.

In his final column for the Post, he warned that the "Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power."

Khashoggi's answer to the paucity of adversarial media in Arab countries is to fund and promote a transnational media organization.

"We suffer from poverty, mismanagement and poor education," Khashoggi said. "Through the creation of an independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda, ordinary people in the Arab world would be able to address the structural problems their societies face."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Washington Post publishes 'last piece' by missing Saudi journalist Khashoggi."
(ANSA) - Brussels, October 19 - The two parties supporting the government, the League and the 5-Star Movement (M5S), on Friday averted a crisis over the executive's fiscal decree linked to the 2019 budget.

League leader, Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he would travel to Rome Saturday to settle a row with ruling partner and M5S leader Luigi Di Maio over the government's 'fiscal peace' amnesty decree.

"Today I'm in Trentino but tomorrow I'll fly to Rome to solve the problems, Enough of quarrels", he said.

Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli, an M5S bigwig, said "Salvini and Di Maio will meet tomorrow and settle things".

But another M5S heavyweight, House Speaker Roberto Fico, said "there's going to be a problem if the amnesty stays in the decree, were' not the same as the League".

Fico went on: "if Salvini wants to talk to me, we'll have to talk about the contents of the decree" He also stressed that it was up to Premier Giuseppe Conte to call cabinet meetings.

Centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Maurizio Martina said the government, with its "squabbles over the amnesty is jeopardising Italians bank accounts." The government has repeatedly denied that the fiscal peace measure, which allows people with tax arrears up to 100,000 euros to clear their debt with the taxman, is an amnesty.

Salvini Thursday night said he would after all consider going to a cabinet meeting Saturday to ease tensions and clear up a case of last-minute "manipulation" alleged by the other deputy premier, Labour and Industry Minister Di Maio.

Salvini dismissed all talk of a crisis but insisted that "Di Maio knew everything about the amnesty. We don't lay traps, the decree is what it is".

On Thursday night Salvini had said "the decree won't change, everyone should assume their responsibilities", and had said he would not attend a cabinet meeting Saturday.

Di Maio said Wednesday that the decree had been sent to President Sergio Mattarella with a change to the part regarding the government's so-called 'fiscal peace' to help people terminate disputes, without the consent of the M5S.

Di Maio said he was going to present a petition to criminal prosecutors over "manipulation" of the legislation, expanding the scope of the disputes that could benefit from the fiscal peace - and reportedly in particular benefitting alleged money launderers, according to the Italian media.

Another source of contention was a measure on car insurance, which the League said had not been discussed but the M5S said contained "measures that were read and discussed".

As tensions subsequently mounted, the M5S leader said late Thursday "a political clarification is needed, either in a cabinet meeting or at a summit".

He said the spread had shot up to 327 points because "the markets think we are not united".

Salvini said there would not be another cabinet meeting on the measure.

Asked if he would attend a cabinet meeting on Saturday, Salvini said "I have other commitments".

Denying speculation there might be a crisis, Salvini said "this government will go on for five years".

Premier Conte said "its up to me to call a cabinet meeting".

"I'm the premier and I call cabinet meetings and I don't know if Salvini will come, he's on an election campaign".

The president's office had said earlier that the decree had not been delivered to it.

Premier Conte said that there was "no rift" between the two ruling parties.

Conte's office then said the passage of the decree to the president had been halted after the premier had been alerted to the problem.

"I'll be in Rome on Friday," said Conte, who was attending the European summit in Brussels. "I'l check it article by article and it will go to the president".


FLINT, MI - The value of the University of Michigan's endowment climbed $1 billion dollars in the past fiscal year to $11.9 billion, Chief Investment Officer Erik Lundberg reported during the Thursday, Oct. 18 Board of Regents meeting.

During his presentation, Lundberg told the Board of Regents the return on the university's long-term investment portfolio, which is mostly made up of the endowment, was 10.7 percent in the 2018 fiscal year that ended June 30.

Endowment distributions - the money university units and affiliated organizations get to spend - totaled $346 million in fiscal year 2018, up from $325 million the previous year, according to UM.

With a 20-year annualized return of 9.6 percent, UM ranks in the top 10 percent for long-term investment performance among university endowments. Lundberg noted the return is greater than the median college and university endowment of 6.5 percent. As a result, UM's Investment Office has added an additional $3.1 billion of value since it was established in fiscal year 2000.

During the meeting, the Board of Regents approved a "model portfolio," for the university's long-term portfolio, which provides investment allocation ranges for each individual asset class.

The approval of the portfolio was part of the university's efforts to to strengthen the board's strategic oversight and public transparency for investments by modifying its current practices, following an audit of its investment office by the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The approved model portfolio for the year ahead would be composed of 28 percent equities, 18 percent absolute return, 12 percent fixed income, 12 percent private equity, 10 percent venture capital, 10 percent real estate, 8 percent natural resources and 2 percent cash.

Earlier this month, President Mark Schlissel announced UM became the first public university to raise $5 billion in the most successful fundraising campaign in its history.

Regent Andrew Richner said UM's endowment distributions have helped the university make up for stagnant state state for higher education in recent years. The State of Michigan will allocate $320.8 million - up 2 percent - for UM in the 2019 fiscal year.

"It looks like we're approaching what we're getting in state appropriations," Richner said. We have to rely more and more on investment funds. I think it's vital to what we do at the University of Michigan."

Regent Ron Weiser credited Lundberg for the performance of the endowment, which will allow UM to continue to

"What that does for our students and educational excellence can't be measured - it's really made an enormous difference," Weiser said.
BAY CITY, MI -- Plans for a $2.68 million road-improvement project are in the works for Bay City's Trumbull Street.

The Bay City Commission during its regular meeting Monday, Oct. 15, passed a resolution recommending a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The city's estimated portion of the project, affecting the stretch of Trumbull between Center and Woodside avenues near the foot of Independence Bridge, is nearly $1.8 million. About $1.2 million will come from the city's major streets fund and about $600,000 from water distribution funds.

The project, which is being managed by MDOT and was originally estimated to cost $2.8 million, includes pavement reconstruction and minor widening, the addition of a third lane, storm-sewer replacement, water main improvements, concrete curb and gutter work and sidewalks, according to the city.

MDOT is providing federal participation up to $1.2 million.

"It's a go-project, it's moving along," City Manager Dana Muscott said, noting the work will begin in late-November and "April is when the big construction will start."

Utilities are to be relocated from Dec. 15 through April 14, 2019. Construction is expected to wrap up by Nov. 1, 2019.

Muscott said this project is a long time coming.

"This project has been on our books to do for years and years because there is some major issues with the sewer and obviously the road, as well. That road is very highly traveled and needed some repair work," she said.

Bay City wants public input on future of bridges

Muscott said the uncertain future of Independence Bridge, also in need of millions of dollars of repair work, has no bearing on the project.

"That portion of the road will never be covered...regardless of what happens to the bridge," she said.
BAY CITY, MI -- Just in time for everyone's favorite holiday of the macabre and Celtic culture this side of St. Patrick's Day, the seminal classic slasher film "Halloween" is screening at the State Theatre in downtown Bay City.

The 1978 John Carpenter original, which introduced the iconic and paradigm-setting silent killer Michael Myers and featured Jamie Lee Curtis in her first movie role as the target of his relentless stalking, is playing at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27, at the theater at 913 Washington Ave.

Mike Bacigalupo, the State Theatre's executive director, said the film is co-sponsored by Wheelz 104.5. It's the first time the film has played at the venue since at least 2006, Bacigalupo said.

Admission is free with a canned food item, which is going to benefit the Safe Harbor Kitchen, a nonprofit which serves meals every Monday and Tuesday evening at 706 Joseph St. in Bay City's Banks District.

For the unfamiliar, "Halloween" tells the story of the enigmatic Myers, who for no known reason, kills his older sister on Halloween night 1963. Fifteen years later, he escapes from a mental health facility to don a bleached William Shatner mask and terrorize babysitters in his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois. All the while, he's pursued by psychiatrist/oracle of dread, Dr. Sam Loomis, portrayed by Donald Pleasence.

Regarded as one of the most successful independent movies ever made, its legacy is woven into the fabric of American pop culture.

Its iconic elements are myriad -- the source of Myers' bloodlust remaining enigmatic and his borderline supernatural drive; Loomis' haunting speeches; Carpenter's unsettling score, Curtis' performance as teenager Laurie Strode whose will to survive is all that matches her assailant's determination. Having veritably invented the slasher subgenre (along with "Psycho," "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," and "Black Christmas"), it established genre mainstays that would become cliches in its trail of increasingly abysmal impersonators, sequels, and reboots.

Not only is it timely to screen the film due to its namesake holiday creeping around the corner, but the sequel reuniting Curtis with original Myers-portrayer Nick Castle is coming out Friday, Oct. 19. This new film ignores the original's seven direct sequels (including the one that came out 20 years ago which was also highlighted for bringing Curtis back to the franchise and also ignored four of the five sequels before it) and directly follows the first film, including exorcising any reference to Curtis' Strode character as being Myers' younger sister (that wasn't established until the first sequel).

Yeah, the franchise's continuity is a mess; I recommend checking out this Cracked article to get a sense of how chaotic it is.

RSVP to the event here.
Police are investigating a second Detroit funeral home accused of mishandling fetuses and the bodies of miscarried children.

Responding to an anonymous tip last week, Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs employees on Oct. 12 discovered 10 "mummified" fetuses and the body of a still-born child in the ceiling of the shuttered Cantrell Funeral Home.

Police on Friday, Oct. 19 served a search warrant at a second Cantrell location that is still operating in the Detroit suburb of Eastpointe, Craig confirmed.

And another investigation is focused on Perry Funeral Home, which is accused of improperly storing bodies of fetuses and babies.

The Perry investigation stems from what began as a civil lawsuit filed by the parents of a baby who died shortly after birth.

The parents, according to a lawsuit reviewed by Detroit News reporter George Hunter, say they intended to donate their child's remains to Wayne State University (WSU) for the benefit science, but later learned the child was transferred to Perry Funeral Home and stored in a WSU mortuary freezer for multiple years.

Chief Craig provides and update on the Cantrell Funeral Home Investigation. Posted by Detroit Police Department on Friday, October 19, 2018

The lawsuit was filed as a class-action lawsuit, because it's suspected there are hundreds of similar cases, the Detroit News reports.

The lawsuit accuses Perry Funeral Home of fraudulently billing Medicaid, the Detroit Medical Center/Harper-Hutzel Hospital and the state for undelivered funeral services and burials.

The FBI and state police are involved in the investigation that Craig says will be a "wide probe."

"I would like to be able to look at you and tell you ... I hope that this is isolated to these two,' Craig said. "I can't say that with certainty. This (could be) much larger than we might know."

Craig said while the allegations against the funeral homes are "similar," there is no direct connection between the operations.

"We want to understand the reason" they did this, the police chief said. "If they did it for a financial gain, for who and how."

Craig said state law requires a body to be buried or cremated within 180 days of arrival at a funeral home. Failure to do so is a felony.
FLINT, MI - Voters will choose three new Genesee Circuit Court judges in the Nov. 6 election.

There are four candidates vying for two open seats on the 7th Judicial Circuit Court bench.

Chris Christenson, Elizabeth Kelly, Richard F. McNally and Brian S. Pickell were the top vote-getters in the primary and face off in the General Election.

A third seat is currently filled by Genesee Circuit Judge Celeste Bell after she was appointed to the bench by Gov. Rick Snyder in February. Tabitha Marsh seeks to unseat Bell.

Judges run for office with no political party affiliation.

Chris Christensen

Chris Christensen, 46, has been a Flint-area attorney for 18 years. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan-Flint and received his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.

"I believe I am well suited to do the job of judge, seasoned and mature in my judgement and can serve my community well," Christensen said. "I will build on my history of hard work - including working my way through school as a union carpenter - to enhance my contribution to circuit court for the citizens of Genesee County."

Christensen said his 18 years of legal expertise and his election as chair of the Genesee County Bar Association, service to the child abuse and neglect panel and Crim Fitness Foundation set him apart from the other candidates.

He said the biggest issue facing Genesee Circuit Court is fairness.

"Circuit court cases are often very lengthy. People who can afford an attorney to represent them in these matters are automatically at an advantage against those with little or no resources to hire an attorney," Christensen said. "There needs to be a better system in place that allows everyone an equal opportunity to be heard, regardless of their financial ability to obtain counsel."

Elizabeth Kelly

Elizabeth Kelly, 49, is a sole practitioner in her downtown Flint law firm after attending Mott Community College, UM-Flint and Michigan State University.

She said she hopes to be the first woman elected to the bench here since Judge Judith Fullerton was elected in 1982. Fullerton is retiring and creating one of the vacancies Kelly is running to fill.

"It is important that we maintain the integrity and balance of the court," Kelly said. "I am the only candidate that regularly appears in court and tries cases. I am the only candidate that has experience in family law and one of the new judges will be assigned to the family court."

Addiction is the biggest issue facing the Genesee Circuit Court, Kelly said.

"As a judge, I would be committed to more widespread access to services and expanding on the great programs that we have in Genesee County," she said. "Having empathy and listening is part of who I am. Too many times, I have seen cases herded through the court system and people fall through the cracks because no one notices the details. This is not the answer. Everyone deserves respect, hope and compassion."

Richard McNally

Richard F. McNally, 65, is a trial attorney with a private practice and over 40 years of experience. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Detroit College of Law.

He also said his experience as an assistant prosecuting attorney and his four decades of experience in the courtroom sets him apart from the other candidates.

"My law practice is based on representing everyday people against the powerful," McNally said. "My practice is based on representing everyday people against the powerful. I learned at an early age that you have to stand up to bullies. In my courtroom, all litigants will be entitled to equal justice under law and no one will be bullied."

McNally said he wants to finish his career serving the public as a judge and the biggest challenge facing Genesee Circuit Court is the disinvestment in Genesee County over the last 30 years.

"I have a reputation for fairness, objectivity and temperament as shown by recognition from the Genesee County Bar Association," he said.

Brian Pickell

Brian Pickell, 49, is an intellectual property law attorney in a private practice. He graduated from the University of Michigan and earned his law degree from Michigan State.

He said he wants to be a circuit court judge to "transform one life."

"I want to give back to this community by making reasoned, sound, timely decisions in a consistent manner from the bench often at a very difficult time in the lives of people who come before the court," Pickell said. "No matter how many regrets people carry, a judge is in a unique position to gently guide them out of their mess and toward hope and triumph."

Pickell said he is qualified to serve as judge because ability to "strike the right balance of justice and mercy."

"I have a strong ability and desire to work together with others for a common goal," he said. "Today, we see broken families in a damaged Genesee County. All of us have something to do. I seek to do something from the bench so I can work with others side by side and do our respective parts, whether big or small, to create a better community."

Voters will choose between Bell and Marsh for the third seat.

Celeste Bell

Bell, 65, graduated from the University of Michigan and earned a law degree from Golden Gate University.

She said she is running because she is the best person for the job, is a good judge and should be elected to retain the position.

"In my eight months on the bench, I have proven that I have the proper judicial temperament and the skills required to run an efficient court," Bell said. "I am patient and empathetic. I know how to listen and treat people - litigants, attorneys and court employees - with respect. Most importantly, I am fair and impartial to all parties."

The biggest issue facing Genesee Circuit Court, Bell said, is jail overcrowding.

"It affects all aspects of the court system - from trial schedules, sentencings, funding allocations, judicial resources and the community resources," she said.

Tabitha Marsh

Marsh, 39, is a graduate of Kellogg Community College, University of Michigan and Michigan State University School of Law.

Her 12 years as a public defender in Genesee County and work as a guardian ad-litem for minors in neglect and abuse cases qualifies Marsh to the next judge, she said.

"I decided to run against Gov. Snyder's recent appointee, Celeste Bell, because I believe the Genesee County residents have a right to choose their judge," Marsh said. "Decisions made by previous Snyder appointees have resulted in several lawsuits, some of which are criminal cases instituted by a prosecutor. Accordingly, I believe the residents of Genesee County should have a choice as to who they want to be their judge."

Marsh said residents want a judge they can relate to.

"I believe the greatest challenge to justice is having people on the bench who cannot identify with the residents they serve and who are disconnected," she said. "It is difficult to fairly oversee matters in which one has no experience or expertise."
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Relatives of victims in a string of 1987 killings at Alpine Manor Nursing Home are asking a judge to intervene in the upcoming parole of one of two women convicted in the case.

The relatives on Thursday, Oct. 18 filed paperwork in Kent County Circuit Court that asks a judge to hear an appeal on the expected Oct. 24 release of Catherine May Wood.

Wood served 29 years of a 20- to 40-year prison sentence for second-degree murder and a parole board last month approved her release.

Kent County Prosecutor Christopher Becker on Wednesday said he would not challenge the parole board's decision because of no valid basis for it.

"She has had an appropriate record while in prison; no other charges, she has done nothing inappropriately while incarcerated, so there is no basis in her prison record to argue against her release. We have to show the parole board abused the discretion given to it by the legislature for some reason, I cannot find a reason here," Becker wrote in an explanatory note.

In the application for appeal filed Thursday, the relatives argued that they didn't have sufficient notice of the parole board's earlier review of Wood's case.

They also argued that Wood "was the principal in the murder of five victims, making her a serial murderer. It is known that serial murderers will kill again."

Wood's partner in 1987, nursing aide Gwendolyn Gail Graham, is serving life in prison without parole. She was convicted of five first-degree murder charges in the deaths of the incapacitated patients at Walker nursing home.

Wood admitted that she sometimes acted as a lookout, or diverted other workers' attention, while Graham, a co-worker and lover, smothered the patients. It was a pact intended to bind their love.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - When Quinn James goes on trial next week in the sexual assault of East Kentwood High student Mujey Dumbuya, jurors will not hear evidence that James allegedly killed her.

They will be told only that she is unavailable to testify because she has died.

At a recent hearing before Kent County Circuit Judge George Quist, defense attorney Jonathan Schildgen asked that any reference to Dumbuya's death, or his client's alleged involvement in her killing, be excluded.

He said that testimony about the killing would unfairly prejudice James in his sex-assault trial, set for Monday, Oct. 22.

James, 43, a former Kentwood Public Schools grounds and maintenance worker, is accused of killing Dumbuya, 16, in January to prevent her from testifying that he had sexually assaulted her. She was last seen Jan. 24 at the bus stop for school. Her body turned up four days later in a wooded area near North Prairie Avenue in Kalamazoo.

The alleged sexual assaults happened in Kentwood during summer 2017.

"(Dumbuya's death) is relevant because it was done to silence her," Chief Assistant Kent County Prosecutor Monica Janiskee said. "That is why she's unavailable to sit in the (witness stand)."

After listening to both sides, Quist said at the hearing, "At a minimum, we have to explain to the jury why the victim is not here to testify. How can we not say something about? We have to say something about it."

The judge already ruled that certain statements by Dumbuya will be allowed at trial.

Her boyfriend, Daquarius Daymont Bibbs, 17, is the nephew of James' fiancee, Tiara Burnett, and lived with the couple. He has testified that he would hold Dumbuya's hand while James raped her.

He said he feared James.

In a recent opinion, Quist said it is reasonable to tell the jury that Dumbuya is deceased. It "prevents Defendant from arguing that Dumbuya is unavailable for some other reason and puts Dumbuya's statements in context. ... The Court shall instruct the jury that Dumbuya is unavailable to testify because she is deceased and inform the jury of the date of her death."

The judge determined that telling jurors that Dumbuya was a homicide victim would create unfair prejudice against the defendant, and could cause the jury to give it undue weight in determining a verdict in the sex-assault case.

"The People argue, and the Court agrees, that whether Defendant was involved in Dumbuya's murder is relevant to his consciousness of guilt. Long-standing Michigan case law supports the doctrine that evidence of a defendant's subsequent efforts to influence or coerce the witnesses against him is admissible where such activity demonstrates the defendant's consciousness of guilt," Quist wrote.

"Nevertheless, the Court finds that evidence of Defendant's alleged involvement in Dumbuya's murder should be excluded."

Quist noted that James has been accused, not convicted in the killing.

"Presenting evidence of the murder is likely to lead to confusion of the issues at trial," he wrote.

Jury selection is to begin Monday morning.
CASCADE TOWNSHIP, MI -- The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is testing residential drinking water wells for PFAS contamination near a former Lacks Enterprises plating shop site in Cascade Township.

Homes southeast of the Cascade Road and Spaulding Avenue intersection are being contacted as part of the investigation, the DEQ announced Friday, Oct. 19. (map here).

A public meeting about the auto supplier site investigation is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the Cascade Township library.

Lacks, the fourth-largest privately-held employer in West Michigan, previously operated a zinc die casting and plating plant at 1601 Galbraith Ave SE. The site is presently a health and fitness complex next to the Watermark Country Club, where Lacks has already been cleaning up a groundwater plume for two decades.

The DEQ says Lacks Industries applied copper, nickel, and chromium plating to auto parts on site between 1963 and 1984, after which the plating equipment was removed from the plant. The site remained in use for plastic production or assembly until 1997.

In plating, PFAS compounds have long been used as a fume suppressant for the chromium baths.

The DEQ found PFOS and PFOA found in monitoring and purge wells above 270 parts-per-trillion (ppt), almost four times above Michigan's 70-ppt cleanup criteria for those two chemicals in groundwater, a benchmark based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's health advisory level.

Groundwater contaminated above 70-ppt was found nearly a mile downgradient of the site. The DEQ's investigation stretches southeast toward the Thornapple River.

The Grand Rapids water department provides service to most of the investigation area, although some homes remain on private wells. Grand Rapids gets its water from Lake Michigan. It has a low, 2-3-ppt PFAS detection.

The DEQ says Lacks will give bottled water to homes if PFOS and PFOA -- two of numerous PFAS compounds which are commonly associated with such plumes -- are above 70-ppt in the well.

The state is also sampling fish from Walden Lake and Wood Lake within the plume area.

Attempts to reach Lacks representatives on Friday afternoon were not successful.

The southeast end of the DEQ investigation area reaches close to a neighborhood of homes along the Thornapple River where Gerald R. Ford Airport was testing a small number of residential wells for PFAS.

The airport says the water in that are is safe, although some homeowners in the area say private tests show PFAS in their wells.

The DEQ has also confirmed PFAS foam in the Thornapple River at the Cascade Dam, prompting a do-not-ingest advisory from the Kent County Health Department.

Lacks was among several sites added to Michigan's PFAS contamination list this week. Also added Friday were a former plating shop at 259 Sixth Avenue in Manistee and the Wash King Laundry Superfund site near Baldwin.
ALLENDALE TOWNSHIP, MI -- Police are investigating a sexual assault that involved a man who slapped a young woman's buttocks near the Grand Valley State University campus.

Ottawa County sheriff's deputies said they responded at 6:23 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18 to the area of Pierce Street at 48th Avenue. GVSU campus police also responded.

Police said a 23-year-old woman said she was crossing Pierce Street just west of 48th Avenue when a man approached her and slapped her buttocks. The person then ran north into the nearby TRIO Townhomes & Apartments.

He ran first into the south section of the apartment complex and then into the center portion before she lost sight of him.

The person was wearing gray pants and some type of gray hood over his head. He did not say anything to the woman during or after the alleged assault.

Police say anyone with information about the man or the incident can call police ata 616-738-4000 or Silent Observer at 1-877-88-SILENT.
OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - Four-term Republican incumbent Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, is running against Dr. Rob Davidson, a Democrat, in the race to represent Michigan's 2nd Congressional District.

The district covers Ottawa, Muskegon, Oceana, Lake and Newaygo counties as well as parts of Mason, Allegan and Kent counties. Politically, the district has been reliably Republican for decades.

But Davidson, 47, an emergency room doctor and member of the Spring Lake Board of Education, is unfazed by the challenge. He said he is aggressively reaching out to voters on the issues impacting their lives.

"People don't feel listened to," said Davidson, who said Huizenga's positions are contrary to the needs of constituents in the district. "I will always listen to constituents, including those with a different point of view."

Huizenga, 49, says he is "in tune with the district" and has been responsive to constituents.

"I think that I understand the underpinnings and underlying elements that make West Michigan so special," said Huizenga, who won by 30 percentage points in 2016.

"I am trying to figure out real solutions for what's going on. Whether I was in the state House or here in Congress, I talked to people, including people I don't agree with, because if we are not communicating how are we supposed to figure out if we agree on 5, 15 or 50 percent of the issue."

Campaign finance reports show Huizenga has raised more cash with about $1.9 million in total receipts compared to Davidson's $966,232.

However, reports covering the last full quarter before the Nov. 6 general election show that Davidson had $467,824 in total receipts compared to Huizenga's $309,721.

The candidates answered questions about their legislative priorities and policy stances, including on health care and immigration.

MLive Media Group partnered with the League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund to provide candidate information for readers. Davidson and Robert Graeser, a physician running for the U.S. Taxpayers Party, completed the online voter guide. Huizenga did not complete the guide but was interviewed.

What are your concerns and plans regarding U.S. health care policies and programs?

Davidson

"We have a completely broken health care system that needs to be fixed," said Davidson, who said he is in the race because he was concerned about Huizenga's willingness to cut health care.

"Too many Americans are underinsured and uninsured. Americans with insurance are struggling with increasingly high healthcare costs. Our infant and maternal mortality rate remains unacceptably high."

To address these issues, Davidson said he supports:

Providing a Medicare-style program for all. No co-pays or deductibles. Protecting people with pre-existing conditions. Covering general healthcare, maternal and child health, nutrition support for underinsured populations, mental health, addictions and substance abuse prevention/treatment. Ending lifetime coverage cap. Ensuring low-cost prescription medication.

"Elderly patients have trouble keeping up with costs," he said. "Prescription drug costs are going up double digits every year."

Davidson said he supports the Medicare for All legislation (H.R. 676) to expand and improve Medicare for all. He said it could be funded with existing federal revenues for health care along with some other measures such as a payroll tax.

He said Huizenga thinks you can take away public funding and leave it all private, but he is against privatization.

Huizenga

Huizenga said he doesn't know of anybody who wants to return to the health care system before the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare.

"That to me is not a definition of success, but nor do I believe the ACA was the right answer to a very real problem," he said. "Some of the effects are that people had greater costs, less choice and poorer care.''

"This notion that Medicare for all is realistic I think is the furthest thing from reality."

He said it is going to break the bank because we would be approaching $7 trillion in spending at that point.

"The notion that people don't need to be or shouldn't have to be engaged and involved and part of their health care decisions and the cost associated with that I think aren't realistic," he said.

Huizenga said he thinks that more should be done with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and tort reform can have an impact on health care costs. He said lawmakers must look at drug pricing which fits in with tort reform.

"There are number of those kinds of things that aren't part of particular aha magic sentence in a bill," he said. "It is a series of things that need to happen."

He said he supports pre-existing conditions being covered, even though he has voted to get rid of the Affordable Care Act because it is a bad system.

This summer, he said he introduced legislation he crafted in consultation with officials with Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services.

He said the legislation would modernize treatment available for Medicare and Medicaid patients to help individuals with urgent mental health care needs, opioid and substance addiction, and high-risk individuals who are often the most difficult to reach.

What are your concerns and plans regarding immigration policy?

Davidson

"I support a path to legal status," Davidson said about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA which defers deportation proceedings for individuals who were brought to the United States illegally when they were children.

Davidson said the cost of immigrating legally is prohibitive and he wants to work on curbing that expense.

He also said the Trump administration is implementing changes that make it more difficult for people to immigrate to the United States, and slowing down the process.

He outlined his four immigration points on the voter guide:

A fair, humane and responsible pathway for law-abiding immigrants -- documented and undocumented -- to receive legal status. Keeping immigrant families together. Protecting children who come to America as undocumented minors. Continued robust screening of refugees, in coordination with U.S. domestic and international law enforcement agencies as well as international organizations to protect national security and public safety while allowing legitimate victims of war, persecution and terror to find safe haven.

Huizenga

"Immigration reform is never going to be in one big giant bill," said Huizenga, who said you could probably group like things together.

"I think it is going to have to be done in chunks. We have to deal with this."

Huizenga said the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is something that could potentially be revisited. He said it got politicized the last time.

"These kids came here through no choice of their own. That's very different then someone who more recently made the decision 'I've been turned down for my paperwork, but I am coming anyway,'" he said.

"We have to view those as different situations."

What are your top three legislative priorities?

Davidson

Healthcare: "I support healthcare for all."

Economy and jobs: "I will work to create an economy that provides access to opportunities for middle-income and working families, including a progressive tax. I support paid parental leave, paid family/sick leave, childcare support, pay equity, and a $15-an-hour minimum wage, providing incentives for companies that provide these and other family-friendly benefits such as 401(k)/retirement."

Education: "I support quality universal early childhood education; low-interest loans/scholarships for education beyond high school; strong gun reforms to keep schools safe."

Huizenga

Farm Bill: "Passing the Farm Bill is a top priority. We are trying to make sure our constituent voices are being heard with that legislation."

Huizenga said a big sticking point or barrier is imposing work requirements on recipients of food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. He said the House bill would require SNAP recipients ages 18 through 59 who are not disabled to work or participate in a training program.

"In my mind, we should want to better the lives of folks so that they don't need to depend on this assistance."

Tax Reform 2.0/JOBS Act 3.0: "Tax Reform 2.0 makes permanent the individual tax rates set to expire in 10 years," Huizenga said about the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act, one of three bills package. "That's real tax relief for working families."

He said The JOBS Act is a package of regulatory reforms. For example, easing regulatory barriers on small companies going public.

Tariffs/Trade: "We have got to get this figured out for agriculture and manufacturers," Huizenga said.

"I give the administration great credit for moving this along far quicker than people ever thought NAFTA would be addressed. It is significant."

Huizenga also talked about the the fallout from the tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration.

Often, he said manufacturers take the first hit with their products being affected by the steel and aluminum tariffs. He said the retaliatory measures are often directed at agriculture.

"It has some very nervous folks, who say they don't disagree that this had to be addressed, it just needs to get addressed fast. That's something I've been talking to the (Trump) administration about."

Information on all state and federal races and many of Michigan's county and local races will be available at Vote411.org, an online voter guide created by the League of Women Voters of Michigan Education Fund.

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. 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.
TEL AVIV - Tension is high at the border between Israel and Gaza for the 'narch of return', backed by Hamas, scheduled on Friday in front of the border fence.

Local sources in Gaza reported that on Friday morning mosques were urging residents to take part in the 'march' and that trucks full of tires, which demonstrators are intended to burn to blur the vision of Israeli soldiers on the other side of the fence, could be seen on many roads. Israel - after rockets were fired from Gaza last night, including one that fell on a home in Beer Sheba - has warned Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. The government's defense council has therefore decided to ''change rules'' for the army in dealing with border violence, deploying more tanks, artillery and troops.

On Thursday, the Israeli airport authority changed flight routes for planes arriving at Ben Gurion airport, which was targeted by rockets fired from Gaza during the 2014 war.
Candidates in Michigan's 8th Congressional District race - one of the most closely watched federal races in the state this year - met in front of a live audience Thursday evening, weighing in on their campaign bank accounts, policy priorities and accessibility to voters.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, Democrat Elissa Slotkin and Libertarian Brian Ellison took the stage at a Hartland forum hosted by the local League of Women Voters chapter and several other regional media and business organizations, with the conversation occasionally getting heated as Slotkin and Bishop sought to discredit attacks against them.

Bishop, who was first elected to the seat in 2014, presented himself as the hometown candidate, noting that he's lived in the district in his entire life. He also highlighted his work on the House Ways and Means Committee and his support of legislation to reform the country's tax structure, invest in infrastructure and combat the opioid crisis.

"I do this job because I love my country," Bishop said. "In my opinion, there are two different kinds of people in Congress - you either love your country and are there for that reason, or you have a lust for power, and there's too much of that going on in this country."

Slotkin, who previously served in Iraq while in the CIA before holding several positions with the U.S. State Department and the Department of Defense, said she went into national service after 9/11, but learned her values of integrity and decency while growing up in Oakland County.

The 2018 8th Congressional election gives voters a clear choice, she said: "It is about someone who understands public service who believes in their country over party and who believes, actually, our system works best when people of integrity of both parties work together."

Millions and millions of dollars have been raised and spent on the 8th Congressional race, with negative campaign advertisements flying back and forth between the Bishop and Slotkin campaigns.

Slotkin has advocated for campaign finance reform on the campaign trail and said on stage Thursday she's pledged along with other Democrats that her first bill would deal with curbing the influence of money in politics if elected.

She worked to differentiate her own fundraising from Bishop's: "I made the decision in January that I would not accept corporate PAC dollars...he has taken a million dollars in corporate special interests over a career in politics, and I have taken zero," she said.

Bishop countered that Slotkin has raised millions in this quarter alone, and "she's used all of it to push lies and distortions about me and about our campaign."

"I've never seen so much money in this district ever, and I've been here for a long time," he said.

Ellison, the Libertarian candidate in the race, noted that he was his campaign's biggest contributor and therefore had no special interests to worry about: "I'm not beholden to anybody and I refuse to be beholden to anybody," he said.

Several issues highlighted in the attack ads voters in the 8th District are seeing played out onstage, particularly when it came to health care.

Bishop told the audience that Slotkin was falsely claiming he doesn't support people with pre-existing conditions, and said he doesn't apologize for supporting legislation to address issues in the country's existing health care system.

"Not only do I believe in protecting people with pre-existing conditions, I voted for it five times," he said, alluding to votes on health care he took in both the state legislature and Congress. "I will admit I have done everything in my power to fix health care in this country - it is a mess."

Slotkin said Bishop was being disingenuous about claiming in campaign advertisements that she supported a single payer health care system: "It is just false."

"I do not believe in Medicare for All," she said. "Mr. Bishop has ads to the contrary, the Detroit Free Press and lots of other sources have called those claims false."

The Hartland auditorium housing the candidate forum was nearly at capacity. Although the audience generally respected the moderator's rules of silence during candidate speeches, reactions occasionally flared up, including when the discussion turned to whether the candidates would host public town hall meetings with constituents.

Some of Bishop's constituents have criticized him for what they see as a lack of accessibility to voters, occasionally protesting his office hours and asking for more in-person time to ask him questions.

Bishop says he takes great pride in his job, and said he continues to be elected because he is open and accessible, meeting with various groups of constituents every day.

He said he doesn't have "Coliseum-style" town halls where "you completely break down civility and people scream to the point where it becomes completely counterproductive."

"That is not democracy, and in my opinion, it's uncivil and it's not the way I would like to operate," he said. "I certainly will not do that in the future."

Slotkin said she would commit to at least one large town hall event open to the public every three months if elected, accusing Bishop of not hosting a truly public, unscripted event in more than two years.

"You can't call it a town hall if you don't invite the town to the hall," she said. "He fears the public and doesn't believe in coming out, and I just don't believe that's how a representative was meant to be as our founding fathers established."

Ellison said if elected, he would host town hall meetings every two months and would stay as long as he needed to be there to listen to constituents: "I think that it's cowardly for a representative to hide."

The candidates also went over their positions on issues like the environment, infrastructure, costs of college education and immigration.

Bishop and Slotkin previously debated on Dave Akerly's WILS radio show and on WDIV's Flashpoint television program. The Hartland appearance is their last scheduled debate ahead of the general election.

The League of Women Voters of Ann Arbor and Brighton/Howell Area was livestreaming the full forum Thursday. The Congressional portion of the forum starts at about 1 hour, 23 minutes:
It took a court battle for Chris Graveline to get on the ballot in the attorney general race.

"One thing the parties agree on is how to preclude anyone else from getting in," he said.

Now the independent candidate's number one goal if elected is ridding the office of politics and partisanship and focusing on the big cases.

"Having been a prosecutor now for 18 years, every time I've seen politics get involved with any decision making on the law enforcement end of things, it's usually been a poor decision," he said. "What I've witnessed over the last several years are the political parties have very much identified this office of attorney general as a way to advance their political agendas."

Graveline is running for attorney general against Democrat Dana Nessel, Republican Tom Leonard and Libertarian Lisa Lane Gioia. The election takes place Nov. 6.

MLive has partnered with the League of Women Voters Education Fund to provide information and resources in the 2018 election. More information can be found at Vote411.org.

Beginnings

Graveline (rhymes with javelin), 45, was born in Bay County and graduated from Bay City Western High School. College and then law school in New Hampshire followed.

Graveline ran for his first and only public office while still in law school and living in the town of Warner, New Hampshire: two years on the town's parks and recreation board. The position was non-partisan, he said.

After law school, Graveline joined the Army where he worked as a lawyer. Graveline was a U.S. Army officer for seven years. During his time in service, he helped prosecute the officers accused of torture and abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, a high-profile case that made headlines for years.

After the Army, Graveline returned to Michigan where he worked as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Wayne County for one year before being summoned back to federal service in Washington D.C.

Graveline became a human rights prosecutor for the Department of Justice in the nation's capital. While serving in that capacity, he helped prosecute the son of former Liberian president Charles Taylor for torture.

Graveline came back to Detroit in 2009 to work at the U.S. Attorney's Office as a federal prosecutor. For the past five years, he's been on a special organized crime unit working to prosecute gangs and other entities under the RICO Act.

He stepped down from his position in June to run for office.

Independent

Besides his term on the parks and rec board back in law school, Graveline has never run for office. Part of what prompted his run for attorney general is that he's seen a shift in both political parties to the extremes. The right has gone farther right and the left has gone farther left, he said.

"I'm right in the middle and they've left me party-less," he said. "I can't go as far as they want me to go."

Graveline's only association with a political party was back in 2010 when he was briefly a member of the Berkley Democratic Club. Graveline lives in the Oakland County suburb with his wife and five children ranging in ages from five to 15.

His participation with the Democratic club was short-lived and Graveline said he hasn't participated with the party since 2010. He now considers himself very much independent from both parties.

But it became clear that getting on the ballot as an independent wasn't going to be easy. He steeled himself for a legal battle.

In Michigan, an independent statewide candidate needs 30,000 signatures to get on the ballot. Graveline said no independent candidate has ever gotten that many signatures and other states have signature requirements as low as 2,000 signatures.

Graveline collected 14,000 signatures in a six-week period then sued the state, arguing Michigan's election scheme violated his constitutional rights and the rights of voters who signed to get him on the ballot.

A federal court judge in Detroit ruled in his favor and it was upheld on appeal by a panel of judges in Cincinnati's Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The courts have granted a preliminary injunction dropping the requirement in Graveline's case to 5,000 signatures.

"We're also hoping to change that into a permanent injunction and to change Michigan law for all independents going forward," he said.

Doing the job

Graveline's first priority as attorney general comes as no surprise then: He says he would end the politicization of the office. Unlike most Democratic and Republican attorney generals in America, he would not join any lawsuits against the federal government in the way current AG Bill Schuette has sued over the Affordable Care Act, for instance.

His second priority would be to make sure local law enforcement and prosecutors have the resources to fight violent crime, identity theft and the opioid crisis.

"I would also beef up our consumer protection, which has definitely atrophied under the last several attorney generals," he said.

As for the ongoing investigations into Michigan State University and the Flint water crisis, Graveline says he would have to look at the cases more in-depth before determining how he'd handle them.

Graveline said voters should look at the resumes of the people running for the office. He touts his experience having worked on sprawling, high-profile cases like Abu Grahib. Some of the racketeering cases he's worked on in Detroit involve dozens of defendants with tens of thousands of pages of documents.

"I've been involved with these types of investigations," he said. "I know how to do them in a professional and even-handed way."
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - A Michigan man has received prison time after he admitted to ordering drugs online and shipping them to a friend, who later died.

Jay Rickert, 28, of Grand Rapids was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison by U.S. District Court Judge Linda R. Reade in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Oct. 11. He pleaded guilty to willfully causing the distribution of a controlled substance on June 14.

"Opioid abuse remains at an all-time high and these dangerous drugs wreak havoc on lives and communities," said United States Attorney Pete Deegan in a statement.

"Street drugs - including those sold over the internet - routinely contain powerful opioids. These drugs have never been deadlier and anyone caught distributing them will be held accountable."

According to information disclosed at sentencing and in sentencing documents, Rickert admitted to ordering DMT, an illegal hallucinogenic drug, from the dark web. Rickert then had the drugs shipped directly to his friend, a 22-year-old woman who lived in Dubuque, Iowa.

He also shipped a precise digital scale to the woman, and provided her detailed instructions on the quantity of DMT she could safely use, according to court documents.



Unbeknownst to either Rickert or the woman in Dubuque, the dark web supplier shipped fentanyl instead of DMT. DMT and Fentanyl are nearly identical in appearance.

The woman, believing the substance to be DMT, used the fentanyl and died. Rickert was talking to the woman over Skype while she used the fentanyl. After seeing her fall over, Rickert called 911. An autopsy later concluded that the cause of death was a fentanyl overdose.



Rickert had no criminal history prior to this conviction, according to a news release.
OSCODA, MI -- The state of Michigan has issued a "Do Not Eat" advisory for deer meat taken within a five-mile radius of a wetland area contaminated by some of the highest levels of toxic PFAS chemicals found in Michigan's environment.

The advisory -- a first of its kind related to PFAS in Michigan land animals -- was issued in conjunction with a violation letter to the U.S. Air Force, which state regulators say is polluting Michigan surface waters with PFAS levels above enforceable limits.

The violation notice is the second one sent to the Air Force this year related to PFAS contamination caused by past use of AFFF firefighting foam at Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda. It occurs amid an ongoing dispute between the Air Force and the state about the pace and adequacy of cleanup efforts in the area.

"The slow response by the Air Force to the Wurtsmith contamination is having an increasingly negative impact on the people, wildlife, and environment in Oscoda," said Carol Isaacs, director of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART).

According to the state, a deer shot near Clark's Marsh had 547 parts-per-billion (ppb) of the individual compound PFOS in its blood. The state health department and natural resources department say "action" is recommended at a 300-ppb level.

The state says PFAS was either not found or at low levels in muscle samples from 19 other local deer tested. The state released little specific data about the deer testing, nor dit it say whether different parts of the animals tested at higher concentration levels. PFAS are known to accumulate in certain organs like kidneys.

The state plans to test more deer in the area.

The DNR says deer sampled from PFAS investigation sites in Alpena, Rockford and Grayling showed low to no levels of contamination.

High blood levels in Oscoda deer indicate that underground PFAS plumes are impacting surface waters, which the state has enforceable rules relating to. The state's enforceable standard for PFOS in rivers, lakes or streams is 12 parts-per-trillion (ppt).

A five-mile "Do Not Eat" deer advisory radius encircles the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base property in Oscoda and covers what the DNR has estimated to be the expected travel range of deer living in or near Clark's Marsh which may have high blood levels of PFAS.

The Michigan DEQ says that monitoring well and surface water samples from Clark's Marsh show high PFOS levels. Groundwater beneath the marsh test as high as 42,000-ppt for PFOS, and surface water contamination as a high as 1,410-ppt.

The state says it's requiring the Air Force to increase its pumping and treatment of contaminated groundwater at the former base grounds from 250 gallons-per-minute (gpm) to 1,040-gpm, and increase the plume capture zones.

In January, the DEQ issued the Air Force a violation notice for failing to meet a 2017 deadline to start-up a second groundwater filtration system at the base. The new system only became operational this summer.

Isaacs said that Michigan has "sought to work cooperatively with the Air Force," but that "slow response to PFAS contamination is not acceptable and the state is prepared to use every regulatory and legal means necessary to force the Air Force to address this contamination."

Clark's Marsh and the Au Sable River south of the base is already under a "Do Not Eat" advisory for fish species due to the contamination.

Karla Wellman, co-owner of Wellman's Sport Center in Oscoda, was upset to learn about the additional wildlife consumption advisory for the area. The PFAS contamination has already cast a shadow over a beautiful area.

A whitetail deer in Michigan.

"People hunt there all the time," she said.

Wellman's processes deer meat in addition to operating as a local bait shop near the Au Sable River mouth at Lake Huron. She said the shop hasn't been cleaning as much fish as it once did, and thinks it's due to the advisories and large amounts of unsightly PFAS foam showing up on the surface and beaches of Van Etten Lake, adjacent to the base.

Photos of the foam "look like snow on the river," she said.

"I'm not happy about it," she said. "It's a good thing we wear all these hats in northern Michigan. Otherwise, we'd never survive. We'd be a damn ghost town."

Despite the advisories, there's still some who eat fish from contaminated waters and will continue to do so, she said.

"I've got a 76-year-old guy who catches all kinds of fish and eats them on a regular basis," she said. "He doesn't care. He's going to live his life the way he wants."

Whether that attitude will translate to deer hunters, she couldn't say.

"I don't know," Wellman said. "We haven't crossed that bridge yet."
PARADISE, MI -- Can you see the light?

The light pillars, that is.

Michigan-based photographer Vincent Brady certainly did when he captured this awesome photo of the phenomenon in which vertical bands of light appear to extend above a light source due to it reflecting from numerous tiny ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere or clouds.

This photo was taken on Tuesday north of Paradise looking east over Whitefish Bay. The red lights are around the Canadian island Ile Parisienne.

Brady said he was hoping to capture some photos of Northern Lights when he posted up by the water during his first visit to the region in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

But after noticing some unusual light pollution while taking photos, he eventually switched to his 100mm lens which revealed the breathtaking phenomenon.

"It is quite joyful to see them and appreciate them as a unique atmospheric phenomenon as light reflects and refracts off of ice crystals glistening in the sky," he said.

"It's very similar if not better than capturing the northern lights. It was definitely unexpected to see them and sure am glad other people are enjoying the photo as well."

Brady said he's photographed light pillars a few times around Charlotte, Michigan where he's based. You can see more of his work on his Facebook page.
(Update: the highway was reopened shortly after 9 a.m.)

LESLIE, MI - Northbound U.S.127 south of Leslie is closed due to a crash that sparked a vehicle fire.

Police closed off the northbound entrance ramp at Berry Road at about 7:55 a.m., Oct. 19, for fire and rescue crews to work the scene, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Photos taken by a passing motorist showed a dark colored SUV in the left lane engulfed in flames.

The SUV appears to be the only vehicle involved in the crash.

It is unclear at this time if anyone was injured in the crash and it is unknown when the highway will be reopened.
BLACKMAN TWP., MI - A Northwest High School student accused of threatening on his Facebook page to "shoot up the school" is claiming his account was hacked, police said.

Police investigating the threat posted on social media on Thursday, Oct. 18, determined it was made using the 16-year-old student's inactive Facebook account, Blackman-Leoni Township Public Safety Director Mike Jester said.

Prior to this threat being made, the student had not used the account since 2016, Jester said.

The student told police he didn't make the threat, Jester said. He and his parents are cooperating in the investigation, he said.

The teen's cellphone and computer were turned over to the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Division, which will conduct a forensic analysis to determine if either of the devices were used in the commission of this crime, Jester said.

Once the investigation is completed, it will be forwarded to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office for review, Jester said.

Making terroristic threats is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

All Northwest Community Schools buildings, including preschool and childcare, were closed on Friday, Oct. 19, as a precaution while police investigated the threat, Superintendent Geoff Bontrager said.

"Northwest Schools took the appropriate action in this case, as I know that student safety is their No. 1 priority," Jester said.

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office assisted in the investigation.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- The newest trustees at Western Michigan University were appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder.

David Behen of Saline and Shelly Edgerton of Plainwell will join the team of leaders at the university. Current trustee Lynn Chen-Zhang was reappointed to a eight-year term with the board, according to a press release from the university.

Behen is the vice president and chief information officer of LA-Z-BOY. Edgerton works as the director and chief data systems officer for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Chen-Zhang is a chief operating officer with Zhang Financial, the release said.

"Trustees Behen and Edgerton are joining the board at an energizing time in the life of WMU," President Edward Montgomery said in the release. "I am so pleased that we will continue to benefit from Trustee Chen-Zhang's expertise and passion for this great university. I look forward to a strong partnership with these strong leaders as we work together to establish WMU as Michigan's destination for bright students who want to thrive in a changing world."

Behen filled the vacancy of former trustee William Pickard, who resigned in September from his position for an undisclosed reason. Behen will serve the remainder of the term, ending in 2020.

Edgerton will replace Trustee Kenneth Miller, and will serve an eight-year term ending in 2026.

Miller served 16 years on the board, the release said.

"Mr. Miller has been especially generous with his time, completing 16 years of service as a trustee," Montgomery said. "His steadfast leadership has ensured that WMU's footprint and impact on the world flourished over many years."
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Only two weeks away from taking its first emergency call, the consolidated 911 dispatch center in Kalamazoo County was unveiled Thursday to a crowd of emergency personnel and community leaders.

Four years after it was created and nearly 30 years after the idea was first considered, the Kalamazoo County Consolidated Dispatch Authority (KCCDA) will go live on Oct. 30.

The 911 dispatch consolidation includes the City of Kalamazoo, the City of Portage, the County of Kalamazoo, the Charter Township of Kalamazoo, and Western Michigan University.

Jeff Troyer, the dispatch authority's first executive director, welcomed community members and city leaders Thursday, Oct. 18, among a sea of badges and uniforms representing emergency personnel from area townships, Kalamazoo, Portage and Michigan State Police.

"This is the greatest governmental collaboration in Kalamazoo County's history," Troyer said.

Officials have worked for nearly 30 years to bring the vision to a reality. Voters rejected a 450 percent surcharge increase in May 2017, and officials were sent back to the drawing board to find funding.

Representatives from each of the five municipalities signed a funding amendment in December to establish a five-year funding solution, totaling $21.5 million to be paid over a period from 2018 to 2023.

The Kalamazoo City Commission was the last body to agree on that model that raises $4.3 million each year.

Kalamazoo Mayor Bobby Hopewell shared memories of working as a paramedic in Battle Creek in the 1980s standing in front of the new call center Thursday. He said officials were talking then about "opportunities to serve our citizens better, opportunities to deliver effective and efficient service."

"Look where we are today," Hopewell said. "The bumps, hurdles and challenges we went through to get here were worth it."

Portage Mayor Patricia Randall echoed Hopewell's sentiments of a job well done.

"This is truly a win, win, win," she said. "People back then knew we would work better if we worked together."

Portage's Mayor Pro-Term Nasim Ansari expressed concern about the consolidation at the time of the decision. He said the current set-up worked well and was concerned for dispatchers who would have to reapply for their jobs.

The 19,000-square-foot building in Oshtemo Township, a former Consumers Credit Union, was purchased for $1.35 million dollars in March 2017.

The basement includes 19 stations for dispatchers and call takers, the authority's Training Supervisor Ryan Enderich said.

The ground floor includes a conference room for the authority's board of directors which was dedicated to former Comstock Fire Chief Ed Switalski who was killed while responding to a car crash on I-94 in 2017.

A strategic business plan estimated the cost at $4.5 million to renovate the building into a public safety answering point.

Though a final price tag for renovations wasn't yet available, Troyer said the project is coming in under budget. A $1.9 million grant from the state received in May helped offset the cost for taxpayers, he said.

A 42-cent surcharge to phones funds approximately $1.1 million, supplemented by $468,000 from a statewide surcharge. Each of the five entities will pay a portion of the remaining $4.3 million based on its population and existing general fund money expenditures.

Dispatch will be cheaper for everyone except Kalamazoo County, which will put in 18 percent more than it did previously.

Meanwhile, the KCCDA will work toward a different long-term funding model to keep dispatch operations sustainable past 2022.

As soon as the beginning of January, the authority's financial team will begin working to find an alternative source of funding, which could come earlier than the five-year timeline, Troyer said. Though the plan isn't outlined yet, a different source of funding will be in place come 2023, he said.

Currently, Portage and WMU operate emergency dispatch operations out of separate public safety answering points. Kalamazoo County, the city of Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo Township share an integrated dispatch center on 150 E. Crosstown Parkway.

Each of the dispatch operations except for WMU Public Safety will transfer over on Oct. 30. WMU will join the other four the following day, and residents will notice no interruptions in calls for emergency help or service, Troyer said.

Employees will work as one unit, Troyer said. Dispatchers and call takers from the five original dispatch centers were given a window in February to apply for positions with the consolidated authority, he said. Dispatch centers were typically understaffed due to budget restraints, so the authority allows the county to hire more employees, he said. No employees from the separate call centers were laid off, he said.

A public hearing will be held to review the authority's final plan 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 18 at the Kalamazoo County Administration Building.
MUSKEGON, MI - The intermediate school district has offered $1 to buy a vacant Muskegon school building where it wants to house adult special education.

The offer to purchase the former Craig School wasn't accepted. Muskegon Public Schools countered with $25,000, said Muskegon Superintendent Justin Jennings.

The Muskegon Area Intermediate School District (MAISD) would move its special education programs for adults into the vacant school, located at 1556 Park St.

"They found some lead and asbestos there, which we knew, I mean, it's an old building, so we're probably going to be going back and forth," Jennings told MLive.

The MAISD would like to use the building for adult transition education, a spokeswoman for the district confirmed. The program, which serves special education students ages 18-26, currently is split between Wesley School, 915 E. Wesley Ave. in Muskegon, and MAISD South, 684 Harvey St. in Muskegon.

Neither Wesley nor MAISD South has enough space for the growing program, according to the MAISD. Enrollment increased from 53 to 70 between the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years. Another increase is expected in 2019-20.

"A new location is needed to address the identified problems and improve our overall student growth," said MAISD Superintendent John Severson. "A new building for the Transition Campus will provide the very best learning environment and programming opportunities for all of our transition adults with special needs."

Muskegon schools closed Craig in 2012. The 18,000-square-foot building was last used for emotionally impaired special education students.

The MAISD previously showed interest in the former Angell/MCEC school building for the program, but opted for Craig, Jennings said.

The Angell/MCEC building at 571 E. Apple Ave. was vacated this year when the district moved its alternative education programs to Muskegon High School. Previously Angell Elementary School, the building more recently was known as Muskegon Community Education Center (MCEC).

In September, Jennings reported to the Muskegon school board that there was a different potential buyer interested in the former Angell/MCEC building. He didn't name that possible buyer.

A $200,000 purchase offer for the Hackley Administration Building, 349 W. Webster Ave., recently was withdrawn by Muskegon businessman John Essex, who cited "negative feedback" from the community.

Essex's intent was to preserve the building. He would still be interested in purchasing it if a public process doesn't garner a better offer, he told MLive on Monday, Oct. 15.

To this point, none of three buildings have been listed for sale but that could change.

"We didn't have them listed before because we had people interested in them and we would lose money to get a Realtor, but I'm working with Jonathon Wilson to list them commercially," Jennings told MLive/Muskegon Chronicle.

Wilson is the economic development manager for Muskegon County.

The district has shuttered and sold several buildings in recent years, including those that housed Nims, Bluffton, McLaughlin, Phillips and Froebel schools. Those buildings were closed between 2004-2012.

Nims, vacant since 2012, recently was overhauled by a medical company, Avasure. The district sold the building to Avasure for $25,000 during May 2017.

In preparation for future development of The Docks housing development, Sand Products purchased the 7 acres that made up the Bluffton School property for $490,000 in 2014. The school, closed in 2012, had already been demolished.

McLaughlin, closed in 2012, was sold for $100,000 in 2014 to Covenant Academy, a charter school serving 16- to 22-year-olds.

The district sold Phillips and Froebel to Blue Creek Holdings in 2014. Phillips, 1442 E. Broadway Ave., sold for $500 after being vacant for a decade. Froebel, 417 Jackson Ave., was sold for $1,000. Both have since reverted to the Muskegon County Treasurer's Office in tax foreclosure.
POZZUOLI (NAPLES) - The statue of 'Zeus Enthroned' will return on October 27 to Baia, near Naples, after being exhibited at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles from 1992 until 2017.

It had previously been smuggled by traffickers. The 75-cm-high statue, which dates back to the 1st century BC, represents the Greek god Zeus. It comes from the waters of the sea off Campania, as established in 2012 through the analysis of a marble fragment found in Bacoli and part of the throne on which Zeus sits.

The statue returned to Italy in June 2017 at the National Archeological Museum in Naples thanks to the work of investigators, magistrates and the cultural ministry.

It will be returning home Saturday and for the occasion the Archaeological park of Campi Flegrei is hosting the exhibit 'Il visibile, l'invisibile e il mare' (the visible, invisible and the sea) with previously unseen sculptures from the archaeological park and from the rich villas that are part of Baia's ancient heritage. Overall, 11 statues will surround the Greek god.

Visitors will have multimedia support to understand the characteristics of the area. Also, the volcanic phenomenon of the local land, marked by slow movement of the soil known as 'bradisismo', will be explained as it has rendered the local sites and monuments unique.
Andrew Jay Geldersma

MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI - A suspect has been arrested and charged with robbing the same Roosevelt Park credit union twice.

Andrew Jay Geldersma, 32, has been charged with two counts of armed robbery in connection with the holdups of the Shaw Box (SB) Community Federal Credit Union, 991 W. Broadway Ave.

The credit union was robbed on July 2, and again on Oct. 15. Geldersma was arrested the day after the second robbery.

The credit union is located about a block from the Roosevelt Police Department. It's also on the corner of Maple Grove Road, which is the road on which Geldersma lives, according to a court document.

Police said earlier that the robber had presented notes to the tellers.

During the first robbery, the suspect got away with more than $11,000, said Muskegon County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Timothy Maat. During the second one, the robber took more than $7,000, Maat said. The suspect implied he had a gun during both robberies, he said.

Bank surveillance cameras caught fairly clear images of the robber, who had a close-cropped beard and was wearing a black hat and glasses.

Police received "numerous" tips following the first robbery, and Geldersma was among "numerous" suspects who were interviewed, said Roosevelt Park Police Chief David Boone.

"Everyone between 25 and 35 looks like this guy," Boone said.

But he had an alibi, though not iron-clad, and had no registered cars matching the description of the getaway car, Boone said.

After the second robbery, police looked back at the tips from the first robbery and received information from four people pointing to Geldersma, the chief said. They also were able to connect him to a vehicle matching the getaway car, he said.

He eventually also was identified in a lineup, Boone said.

The FBI assisted in the investigation, which continues, the chief said.

Geldersma was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 16, a day after the second robbery. He was arraigned in Muskegon County Circuit Court on the two separate cases on Thursday, Aug. 18, and Friday, Aug. 19. Total bond in both cases is $550,000 and his preliminary exam is scheduled for 10 a.m. Nov. 5 in front of Muskegon County District Judge Geoffrey Nolan.

Geldersma is being charged as a second-time habitual offender due to a 2013 home invasion conviction, Maat said.
Micheaiszsha M. King

SAGINAW, MI -- When a 19-year-old woman stabbed the father of her children to death in a Saginaw parking lot, was it murder? Or did she act in self-defense, motivated by a desperate fear that resulted from years of emotional and physical abuse?

Those are the questions a jury has the task of answering.

Attorneys in the trial of Micheaiszha M. King delivered impassioned closing arguments for their divergent theories the morning of Friday, Oct. 19.

Addressing the six-woman, eight-man jury first, Saginaw County Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Albosta said there is no dispute that King killed Ty A. Johnson, 24, the evening of April 11 at the Sheridan Avenue plaza. The two had arrived in separate vehicles.

"Ty Johnson was not a model citizen," Albosta said. "He had been seated at the table as a defendant. He has been convicted of a terrible act of domestic violence."

Moments before his death, Johnson spit on King as they argued, what Albosta described as "a despicable act."

"No one should suffer that indignity, but the punishment is not death," Albosta said, adding such an act did not give King the right to take Johnson's life.

Albosta reminded the jurors of a witness who testified Johnson had been trying to get away from, or brush away, King just before he had been stabbed. When this witness called 911, a dispatcher asked her if King stabbed Johnson because he was attacking her.

"'That's what she says, but that's not what I saw,'" the witness replied, as quoted by Albosta.

King, not Johnson, was the aggressor in the dispute, Albosta said. Surveillance camera footage showed King approaching a vehicle Johnson was in, yelling in his face. At one point, King returned to her own vehicle and retrieved a folding knife she had there.

"The defendant was engaged in an ongoing altercation with Johnson, an altercation that she started," Albosta said. "She could have left, but instead, she chose to arm herself with a knife. She gets her knife, she opens it, exposing its sharp, single-edged blade, gets out of the car, goes toward Johnson, swings it side arm and strikes him in the neck. This is a fierce, deliberate strike designed to kill Johnson."

Ty A. Johnson

The blade severed Johnson's larynx and struck his vertebrae, Albosta said.

Defense attorney Alan A. Crawford offered a far different take on the matter. Rather than the aggressor, his client was a battered woman who had spent years of abuse by Johnson, he said. As he spoke, he displayed a photo of King taken in May 2017, showing her with a bloody nose and bloody lips, injuries she suffered at Johnson's hands.

"After everything she's been through with Ty ... and now she's here being charged with open murder," Crawford said. "C'mon. When is enough enough? This case should have been dismissed a long time ago. Has there ever been a more clear case of self-defense?"

King, now 20, is charged with open murder, which contains both first- and second-degree murder. The jury could also find her guilty of manslaughter. Crawford asserted all of those possibilities are unacceptable.

"This was done out of fear," he said. "It's in the heat of moment. He was stabbed in the neck while in the actual act of attacking Micheaiszha. How can we talk about manslaughter when she's being chased around a car, trying to get away?"

When King fetched the knife, she was using it as a ploy without intending to actually use it, Crawford said.

"It was her only hope of getting a grown man off of her," he said. "It didn't scare him. It just further enraged him. He was on a mission and she has every right in the world to defend herself."

Addressing the jurors with more vigor, Crawford said he found the case personally appalling.

"This isn't the Roaring '20s when women don't have the same rights as men," he said. "She can stand her ground. She honestly and reasonably believed her life was in imminent danger at that time."

As he spoke, King rocked in her seat at the defense table.

Crawford reminded the jurors that Johnson on Jan. 26 was sentenced to 93 days in jail on a domestic violence conviction involving King. With 53 days credit, he was out on March 7. A little more than a month later, Johnson again struck King, Crawford said.

"A battered woman lives in a constant state of fear," he said. "This is justified, and the prosecution hasn't even come close in meeting their burden. The prosecution hasn't presented anything to show she was not justified. She has every right in the world to protect herself from her abuser."

Concluding his statement, Crawford began choking up.

"This a young woman who has experienced more than you can imagine," he said. "She's been through too much. It's time for this to end. There's only one verdict, and that's not guilty."

Given a final chance to speak, Albosta reiterated his position that King had premeditation in killing Johnson.

"Micheaiszha King went to the store because she was looking for Ty Johnson," he said. "She had called him 20 to 30 times. She said she looked through every aisle in the store, came out, saw him in a car, and walked over to him.

"If this fear is constant and ongoing with her," he continued, "why is she tracking him down? Why is she blowing up his phone? Why is she walking over to the car in an aggressive manner?"

Immediately after the killing, King did not request medical attention, an ice pack, or Tylenol for any injuries Johnson may have inflicted, Albosta said.

"She gets the knife when she's been spit on," he said. "It wasn't that she was being hit any more or afraid for her life. It's that Ty Johnson did a despicable act, spitting on another person, and insulted her."

When Albosta finished, Saginaw County Circuit Judge Andre R. Borrello read the jury instructions.

If the jurors find King guilty of first-degree murder, she'll face a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
SAGINAW, MI - The Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra will perform a musical score honoring veterans along with actor and veteran Wilford Brimley.

Brimley and the orchestra will perform "Quiet Heroes: A Symphonic Salute to the Flagraisers at Iwo Jima" at the Temple Theatre at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20.

"It's such an honor for me, by the way, to come to this city in this part of America and do this with my friend and this wonderful orchestra," Brimley said.

Brimley is famous for roles in movies such as "The Thing," "The China Syndrome" and "Cocoon," as well as being the longtime face for Quaker Oats and Liberty Medical commercials.

On stage there will be 75 musicians performing the piece along with Brimley, who will be right next to the Fouad Fakhouri, the symphony conductor.

"Wilfred will be sitting right next to me and he will be narrating on top of the music we are performing," he said, "We have rehearsal Friday and Saturday before the show."

Tickets for the event range from $15 to $45 with veterans getting half off on tickets.

Fakhouri said the musical score is important because of the message it sends and how it highlights the achievements of a young group of people who that raised the flag at Iwo Jima, and how that moment is powerful in representing all veterans.

In that iconic war photo, there is a soldier from Detroit who helped to raise the flag on the island in 1945.

When Fakhouri was looking to do the piece and find someone to narrate it, he got in touch with the original composer of the score, Chris Brubeck -- son of famous composer Dave Brubeck -- and Brubeck said that Brimely was the person to do it.

"The story takes us from the beginning of their lives, meaning before they entered the military, through the war and what happens in the end," Fakhouri said, "It focuses on the achievements but also the sacrifices."

Brimley added that the "beautiful" musical piece is still important today for the soldiers who are still making sacrifices overseas, and important to him, his children and grandchildren.

"(The soldiers) still are making sacrifices, we have tens of thousands of kids stationed in Korea," he said. "I think the music is beautiful and with or without narration the music stands on its own merit."

Brimley is a veteran himself, serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was born in 1934 and grew up during World War II where he said he saw the sacrifices men made going over to fight while people back home worked to help fund the war through war bonds or other methods.

"See, I remember those days, I was a kid," he said. "The neighborhood we lived in was on guard, everything was rationed sugar, salt, flour, gasoline, tires."

During the musical event, Republican state Sen. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, will present pins to veterans during an intermission ceremony and thank veterans for their service.

Brimley said that recognition is important because they are getting something many other veterans during the Vietnam War didn't get -- which was a welcome home acknowledgement.

"When Vietnam veterans (came home) there was not much respect, sadly...some serious mistakes in judgement were made," he said.

Near the end of the event, when they play the songs of the military -- the Navy, Army, Marines -- veterans will be asked to stand up and be recognized, which Brimley said is the most emotional part.

"That's the most dramatic part of the whole thing for me," he said. "They play the songs of each service and as they do the ladies and gentlemen in the audience that served stand up... once you see it happen it's very, very powerful, it's really a moving experience.

To learn more about the event or purchase tickets visit the Temple Theatre's website.
The Orionid meteor shower is set to peak overnight Sunday, Oct. 21 as Earth passes through the part of space littered with debris from Halley's Comet.

NASA says that at its peak, these showers can produce about 20 visible meteors per hour based on weather and sky conditions. This year's Orionids are expected to peak overnight between Sunday and Monday.

The U.S. space agency touts the Orionids as "one of the most beautiful showers of the year" and that they are known for their brightness and speed as they move at about 148,000 mph through our atmosphere. They even create a fireball-like appearance as they leave "glowing incandescent bits of debris."

"Look for prolonged explosions of light when viewing the Orionid meteor shower. The Orionids are also framed by some of the brightest stars in the night sky, which lend a spectacular backdrop for theses showy meteors," NASA says on its website.

"The Orionids are viewable in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres during the hours after midnight. Find an area well away from city or street lights. Come prepared with a sleeping bag, blanket or lawn chair. Lie flat on your back with your feet facing southeast if you are in the Northern Hemisphere or northeast if you are in the Southern Hemisphere, and look up, taking in as much of the sky as possible."

After about 30 minutes of looking up at the dark sky, people's eyes should start to adapt which would allow them to see the meteors. NASA touts patience as being a key factor in taking in this beautiful sight as they typically last until dawn once they start.

Bill Cooke, a meteor expert with NASA, told Space.com that "the moon is going to mess with you" with these showers. This weekend in Michigan, the moon is expected to rise about 5:41 p.m. and set about 5:28 a.m. according to AccuWeather.

On the bad news front, most of Michigan is labeled in the weather service's "poor" or "fair" stargazing grade which is disappointing considering Saturday night and Monday night have favorable stargazing forecasts.

"So ... in which direction do you look? No particular direction. It's best to find a wide-open viewing area," EarthSky reports.

"Try watching in the days before the peak when there will be less moonlight in the sky. Or plan to watch in the hours before dawn on October 21."

PASS IT ON: Orionid meteor shower peaks on the night of October 20th through the predawn hours of October 21st. Around 10-20 meteors will be possible per hour! #MeteorShower #Space pic.twitter.com/wCeYmo5BvV  Mark Tarello (@mark_tarello) October 7, 2018

Looking like clear skies for many tonight.



Keep an eye out for Red Planet Mars near the Moon and also keep a lookout for Orionid Meteors! They peak this weekend. https://t.co/spUTxLWwPx



(Please Retweet) pic.twitter.com/m6pMd9QTub  VirtualAstro (@VirtualAstro) October 19, 2018

The Orionid meteor shower will reach a dazzling peak early in the morning on 22 October. The shower takes place as Earth passes through the trail of Halley's Comet  which was once thought to be a harbinger of doom.  https://t.co/ah3qChKscP  Natural History Museum (@NHM_London) October 19, 2018
TUNIS - Italian companies successfully took part in the 13th edition of the International investments fair of agriculture and technology (Siat), Tunisia's main event for the agrifood business.

In particular, Umbria demonstrated once again that it is a strong and qualified presence in Tunisia, said Umbria Export, the agency promoting the internationalization and cooperation for development of local business association Confindustria Umbria. The association attended Siat 2018 together with Agriumbria, the fair currently taking place in Italy with six companies: Basalti Orvieto, Cimas, ETA Engineering, La Romana Farine, Lucy Plast, Master & Co. Activities included a congress promoted by Apia, Basalti Orvieto and the school Scuola Superiore di Agricoltura of Mateur on techniques to improve agriculture and the results of experimental work carried out in Tunisia concerning the implementation of basalt in agriculture, a conference promoted by Apia, Elis and Umbria Export as part of the project ''Agricolture Competitive'' co-funded by Italian cooperation on milk and dairy products to promote good practices and techniques to improve the quality of production.

The presence of the project ''Agriculture Competitive'', which had a stand at the fair, also saw the participation of the regional chapter in Tunis of the Italian agency for cooperation in development (Aics). An agreement for a Tunisian-Italian partnership was also signed to build an agricultural, organic, touristic village with educational purposes in Tunisia. Also as part of Agriculture Competitive, funding was awarded to five young entrepreneurs from Kebili and Le Kef, who were selected by the project co-funded by Italian Cooperation.
TUNIS - The Algerian government has imposed a ban on the niqab - the full-face veil worn by some Muslim women - for civil servants at their workplaces, so that they can be easily identified, according to local Algerian media sources.

The sources said the general directorate of the civil service issued a circular to the relevant ministries and regional councils to enact the ban.

"Civil servants must respect the rules and requisites for security and communication within their own departments, which call for systematic and permanent physical identification, in particular at their workplaces," the measure reads.

Local media said the reasons for the ban are "not ideological, but based on security and professionalism".
ANSAmed - Weekly diary from October 22 to October 28

(ANSAmed) - ROME, OCTOBER 19 - Weekly diary of the main events scheduled in the Euro-Mediterranean area from October 22 to October 28: MONDAY OCTOBER 22 ROME - Geographic Society, Palazzetto Mattei, 16:30. Conference titled 'Italy and Albania: Walking Towards Europe'.



NAPLES - 2nd edition of Nazra, the short film festival on Palestine, continues (until 24/10).



GENEVA - World Investment Forum begins (until 26/10).



STRASBOURG - European Parliament, Plenary Session (until 25/10).



TUESDAY OCTOBER 23 BIZERTE (TUNISIA) - 'Forum de la Mer - Bizerte 2018, Euromediterranean Meetings on the Sustainable Blue Economy'.



VAN (TURKEY) - Anniversary of the earthquake that killed over 600 people and wounded over 4,000.



TRIPOLI - Anniversary of Libya's declaration of freedom.



WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 24 ROME - MAXXI Museum, 18:30. Opening event of the 2nd Italy-Africa conference with Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi.



ROME - Foreign ministry, 9:00. Signing of the letter of intent 'Renewable Energy Capacity Building program' between Res4Med&Africa, the African Union and Italian Foreign Ministry, for five training courses on renewable energy that will take place in five African countries.



THURSDAY OCTOBER 25 TUNIS - EU, visit of European Commission President Jean-Claude Jucker, who will meet with Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi and Prime Minister Yousef Chahed (also 26/10).



ROME - Foreign ministry, 10:00. Italy-Africa ministerial conference, which will gather more than 40 delegations from African countries.



BRUSSELS - Awarding of the Sakharov Prize 2018. Finalists include NGOs in migrant rescue and Moroccan activist Nasser Zefzafi.



ROME - Teatro Orione, 10:30. Presentation of immigration statistics dossier 2018.



FRIDAY OCTOBER 26 No major events scheduled SATURDAY OCTOBER 27 No major events scheduled SUNDAY OCTOBER 28 No major events scheduled (ANSAmed).




US giant Amway has dragged Flipkart to the Delhi High Court accusing the Bengaluru-based e-commerce firm of 'unauthorised' selling of its products on its platform, The Economics Times reported.

The company has alleged that the Walmart-backed e-commerce firm 'contradicts' Indias guidelines that mandate e-commerce companies to seek prior permission from direct-selling companies such as Amway before listing their products online, a source told the paper.

"This core concept of direct selling is reflected in the Direct Selling Guidelines issued by the Centre in 2016 which prohibits the sale of products of a direct selling company through e-commerce platforms, without the written consent of the direct selling company," an Amway spokesperson told the paper.

Amway's code of ethics bar representatives from selling the products through other platforms, another source told the paper.

"Amway direct sellers are not allowed to sell through third-party shops or online," another person familiar with the case told the paper, adding that some sellers sell it cheaper online but they are not supposed to do so.

The company has also accused sellers on Flipkart of tampering with the unique code imprinted on lids and silver foil seals to make it impossible to trace the source, the report said.

The Michigan-based direct-selling giant said it had sent notices to Flipkart asking it to bar such sellers from the platform, but the latter failed to do so. As a result, the company had to approach the Delhi High Court.
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Dr Reddy's, which is betting big on biosimilars to drive future revenue growth is seeing some momentum in highly regulated markets -- US and Europe.

The drug maker's partner, Fresenius Kabi, has completed clinical trials for Pegfilgrastim and announced that the drug has met primary end point in two pivotal studies.

The Germany-based drug maker said both the studies are designed to enable the application for marketing authorisation in the US and EU.

Fresenius is expected to file biological licence application later this year. Any meaningful contribution from the drug is not expected before FY21.

Both the companies are planning to start clinical trial for the second biosimilar Rituximab in the US shortly.

Pegfilgrastim is a biosimilar version of Amgens Neulasta used to boost neutrophils, a type of white blood cells that get damaged in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, while Rituximab is used in treatment of certain autoimmune diseases and cancers.

Neulasta is a blockbuster drug for US biotech firm Amgen with global sale of around $4.53 billion in 2017, of which US alone contributes 87 percent, while Roche's Rituximab had global sales of $7.9 billion during the same period.

Biosimilars are identical copies of branded biologic drugs that require clinical trials on patients to establish safety and efficacy before approval by regulatory agencies. Analysts estimate the cost of developing biosimilars for global markets to range between $75 and $150 million.

Crowded market

To be sure Dr Reddy's will have to enter a crowded market.

For pegfilgrastim alone it may have to compete with five biosimilars in Europe of which two are already approved and three have been filed for approval. In the US a biosimilar of Mylan-Biocon already exists and another of Coherus Biosciences is expecting USFDA nod in November. Sandoz and Apotex are also in line for approval. Rituximab is seeing biosimilar entrants in the US and Europe.

Dr Reddy's was an early entrant in biosimilars. It became the first drug maker in India to launch biosimilar filgrastim in 2006, followed by back-to-back launches of monoclonal antibody Rituximab in 2007 and darbepoetin alfa, 2010 in India. Rituximab and darbepoetin were first biosimilars to hit global markets.

The company has invested around $200 million over the past 10 years on development of biosimilars for both emerging and developed markets.

It markets four biosimilars in emerging markets. The company expects the biosimilar portfolio to contribute about $150-200 million by the end of FY20, for which it will have to almost double sales. The company is developing other biosimilars like cancer drugs Trastuzumab and Adalimumab.

For the developed markets, Dr Reddy's has adopted a lowrisk model and partnered with Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, for clinical trials, regulatory filings and commercialisation of two biosimilars for US and EU markets. Dr Reddy's in return will get royalties.

Merck KGaA in September last year sold its biosimilar business to Fresenius for 656 million euros, for three biosimilars, two of which are partnered with Dr Reddy's.

Fresenius expects the portfolio to start generating revenues from end of 2019 and reach triple digits from 2023.

Analysts said that Dr Reddy's somewhere missed the bus, despite having a head start over rivals.

"For company built on chemistry skills, diversifying into biology was never easy, Dr Reddy's somehow managed to build those capabilities in-house," said an executive who heads the biologics division of a rival drug company in India.

"They should have hit the developed market with a biosimilar by this time, but looks like they have lost some time, could be due to change of partner or understanding the regulatory expectations," the executive added.

"We will see biosimilars contributing more meaningfully for Dr Reddy's from FY21 onwards," Amey Chalke, Pharma Analyst of HDFC Securities said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has rejected a government panels recommendation that a separate regulator for payment systems independent of the central bank be set up on the grounds that it would lead to dual regulation.

A representative of the RBI put forward the central banks dissent in a note before an Inter-Ministerial Committee, which is looking to finalise amendments to the Payment & Settlement Systems (PSS) Act, 2007.

The committee in a draft report put out in September suggested setting up an independent Payments Regulatory Board (PRB), saying that the role of an infrastructure institution providing settlement function, currently carried out by the RBI, should be distinguished from the role of a payment sector regulator.

The central bank said that the proposed board must remain with the Reserve Bank and headed by the Governor, RBI.

It may comprise 3 members nominated by the Government and RBI respectively, with a casting vote for the Governor to ensure smooth operations of the Board, the central bank added.

The central banks rationale

The RBI made five key points in its dissent note.

1) There is an underlying bank account for payment systems, which is under the purview of banking system regulation, which is vested with the RBI.

2) Settlement systems are finally posted in the books of account of banks with the RBI to attain settlement finality. Regulating these entities goes hand in hand with the settlement function.

3) There are certain payment systems like cards which are issued by banks globally. Dual regulation over such instruments will not be desirable.

4) In India, the payment system is bank-dominated. Regulation of the banking systems and payment system by the same regulator provides synergy and inspires public confidence in the payment instruments.

5) Regulation of the Payment System by the Central Bank is the dominant international model for stability consideration.

The central bank also pointed to the Watal Committee, which suggested the PRB be established within the overall structure of the RBI.

The Committee on Digital Payments' headed by former finance secretary Ratan P Watal pushed for a comprehensive overhaul of the regulation of digital payments in India.

The RBI added that it welcomes changes and is not even against a new PSS Bill, if required.

It has to be, however, recognised that changes should not result in existing foundations being shaken and the potential creation of disturbances in an otherwise well-functioning and internationally acclaimed structure as far as India is concerned, it added.
Air India

In fresh trouble for embattled state-run carrier Air India, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered multiple criminal cases to probe allegations of irregularities and money laundering in at least four deals signed during the UPA rule including the controversial merger of Air India and Indian Airlines.

The agency has filed at least four Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs), the ED equivalent of a police FIR, officials told PTI on Friday.

The ECIRs have been registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The ED, they said, has obtained relevant documents from the airlines and other departments in connection with the cases that have been termed "politically sensitive".

The officials said the agency will probe a specific angle to ascertain if the alleged irregularities led to the generation of black money and if it was laundered to create illegal assets by the accused.

These ED cases are based on four CBI FIRs.

Two cases are related to the controversial merger of Air India and Indian Airlines and alleged irregularities in purchase and leasing of aircraft by the two state-run carriers under the UPA government which caused "huge" losses to the exchequer, according to the CBI.

The other two cases relate to surrender of profitable routes and timings of Air India to favour national and international private players which allegedly caused a "huge" loss to the state-run carrier and alleged wrongdoing in the purchase of software for the airline.

It is expected that the ED will soon issue summons to a few officials and others involved, asking them to appear before it.

The CBI had registered cases against unidentified officials of Air India, Ministry of Civil Aviation and others on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption.

While registering the cases, the CBI had last year said that these instances "relate to decisions taken by the the ministry during the UPA tenure which caused losses of tens of thousands of crore of rupees to the exchequer."

The allegations relate to purchase of 111 aircraft, costing about Rs 70,000 crore, for national airlines to benefit foreign aircraft manufacturers.

"Such a purchase caused an alleged financial loss to the already stressed national carriers," the CBI had alleged.

The CAG had in 2011 questioned the rationale behind the government's decision to order 111 airplanes -- 48 from Airbus and 68 from Boeing -- for AI and Indian Airlines for about Rs 70,000 crore in 2006.

Calling the decision a "recipe for disaster", the government auditor had said it should have raised "alarm" in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Public Investment Board and the Planning Commission.

The other case pertains to leasing of a large number of aircraft without due consideration, proper route study and marketing or price strategy, the CBI had said.

"It was also alleged that the aircraft were leased even while aircraft acquisition programme was going on," it said.

Another case involves allegations of surrender of profitable routes and timings of Air India to favour national and international private players which allegedly caused a "huge" loss to the state-run carrier.

The last CBI case was filed against unknown officials of Air India, German firm SAP AG and global computer major IBM in connection with alleged irregularities in procurement of software worth Rs 225 crore by the national carrier in 2011.
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Endurance Tech is one of the best plays in the two-wheeler auto ancillary space in India on the robust clientele, strong product portfolio, a very strong focus on research and development (R&D) to develop technologically advanced products, and focus on electric and hybrid vehicles. This coupled with strong financial performance and reasonable valuation make it a long-term buy for investors.

The business

Endurance Tech is one of the leading auto component manufacturers in India catering to two- and three-wheeler markets. It has a diversified product portfolio which includes aluminium die castings, suspension components, transmission components and braking systems. It also has a significant presence in European markets through overseas subsidiaries that are trusted manufacturers of auto components used in passenger vehicles (PV). It has presence in aftermarket both in India and abroad.

Endurance provides end-to-end solutions to its customers from the stage of product conception to design, development, testing, validation and to end-user delivery.

The company has 16 manufacturing facilities in India and eight in Europe through its subsidiaries.

Leadership position

It is the largest company in aluminium die casting in India in terms of the output and installed capacity. It is also among the top two companies in suspensions, transmissions and braking systems for two-wheeler.

Robust client base

On the back of technological superiority, proven execution track-record of new projects and quality products, the company has been able to partner with strong clients both in India and abroad. In domestic market, it caters to five out of the top six 2W original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). It also supplies to marquee clients in Europe as well.

Technological prowess  a moat

Endurance Tech has a very strong focus on research and development (R&D) as is evident from it four dedicated R&D centres, of which three are located in Aurangabad and one in Pune. It also has one technical engineering centre for aluminium die castings in Chivasso, Italy.

The company manufactures highly technology-intensive products such as rear disc brake assemblies, upside-down front forks, fully machined castings, paper clutch assemblies and rear mono shock absorbers.

As of FY18, the company has a portfolio of six granted patents, seven registered designs, and 52 patent applications, indicating its R&D prowess.

Making inroads in EV and HV segments

In light of electric mobility which is the future of mobility, the company has been focusing and investing in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid vehicles (HVs). The efforts are yielding results as it has received orders in Europe to supply castings in new shapes as required for such vehicles. It is also in talks regarding various opportunities with German customers  Volkswagen and Daimler  on the EV side. In domestic market, the company has been engaging well with OEMs that are developing EVs and HVs.

Focus on scooter and premium segment  key growth driver

The company has aggressively been focusing on fast growing scooter segment. Currently, this segment contributes 8 percent to sales and Endurance is working on increasing the contribution from the segment by launching products like CVT, front forks and disc brakes which are relevant to scooters. Further, these products have higher realisation than other products.

Customers preference changing towards premium products and is leading to strong growth in demand and Endurance Tech is well placed to capture the growth from this segment. In fact, the company has large share of business from the premium product manufacturers (Bajaj, Royal Enfield, and Yamaha) in India.

Replacement market  huge potential

Another key growth driver for Endurance Tech is the aftermarket segment. It has aggressively been targeting huge potential of aftermarket and catering to it through its direct network of distributors across India and abroad.

Capacity expansion

Endurance Tech has been witnessing a strong demand for its products and in order to cater to it, the company is expanding its capacity. Its two-wheeler suspension plant at Halol, Gujarat will start supplies from September 2018. Sanand, Gujarat plant expansion to supply aluminium castings to Hero MotoCorps Halol plants requirement has started in April 2018 and will reach its full sales of Rs.120 crore per annum by January 2019. And Kolar, Karnataka plant for supplying front fork and shock absorbers to Honda 2-wheelers will start supplies from January 2019.

Strong financial performance

Endurance Tech has strong financial performance to back. Its net revenue from operations has witnessed a compounded annual growth rate of 12 percent over FY14-18. Its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, however, witnessed higher growth of 14 percent over the same period. This was on the back of higher operating leverage. And, its EBITDA margin averaged around 14 percent over the same period, much higher than most of the auto ancillary companies. Profit-after-tax (PAT) also witnessed a strong growth of 17 percent over the same period driven by lower interest cost outlay.

On the back of strong operating performance, the company has been able to generate a lot of free cash flow over the years.

In terms of return ratios, the company has given average RoNW and RoCE of 22.4 percent and 22 percent, respectively, over FY14-18.

Valuation deserves premium

Given the unique position of Endurance Tech in auto component segment and its track record, it deserves premium valuations. And amid overall market volatility, the share price has witnessed 26 percent correction making the valuation attractive. It currently trades at 33.2 and 28.2 times FY19 and FY20 projected earnings.

Peer analysis

Follow @NitinAgrawal65

For more research articles, visit our Moneycontrol Research page
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It was a disappointing Wednesday for the Indian equity market. The Sensex reversed gains and fell nearly 900 points from its intraday high of 35,605. It finally closed 382 points down at 34,779 while the Nifty50 saw a fall of 131 points to close at 10,453.

Liquidity concerns hit NBFCs stocks again as financials led the fall in the index. Also, the rise in oil price and volatility in rupee influenced investors to book profits.

Minutes of the Federal Reserves latest meeting showed broad agreement among Board members on the need to raise borrowing costs further. The US dollar index and Treasury yields rose to its highest levels in a week on Wednesday, said a Reuters report.

On the technical front, if the bulls fail to push the index above its immediate hurdle at 10,550-10,600 zones then profit booking may take it towards next support of 10,350 zones.

India VIX moved up by 3.51 percent at 17.98. The spurt in volatility after the dips of the last four sessions suggests that upside could be restricted again in the market.

Big News:

RIL will be in focus after the oil & gas major reported 17 percent YoY jump in net profit to Rs 9,516 crore, helped by retail business as well as telecom arm Jio, which reported 4th straight quarter of profit.

If you remember, RIL recently hit a market capitalization of Rs 8 lakh crore. On Wednesday, the company said it would also invest in cable television and digital cable distribution companies to widen its sphere of business.

RIL acquired a majority interest in Indias two largest cable TV and broadband companies  Hathway Cable and DEN Networks for a total sum of Rs 5,230 crore.

Today is a relatively light day for D-Street as around eight companies will report their results for September quarter. These include names such as ICICI Securities, SBI Life Insurance, and UltraTech Cement etc. among others.

UltraTech Cement is likely to report 21 percent YoY growth in net profit to Rs 521 crore

Technical View:

Nifty forms a Bearish Engulfing Pattern on daily charts

Three levels: 10390, 10550, 10780

Max Call OI: 11000, 10700

Max Put OI: 10,000, 10400

Technical Recommendations:

We spoke to Bonanza Portfolio Ltd and heres what they have to recommend:

MOIL: Buy | CMP: Rs.173.15 | Target Rs 187.50| Stop Loss Rs.165| Return 8.50 percent

Wipro: Buy | CMP: Rs 323.15 | Target Rs 349 | Stop Loss Rs.308| Return 8 percent

GE Power India : Buy | CMP: Rs. 794.80| Target Rs 866| Stop Loss Rs.752| Return 9 percent

The views and investment tips expressed by investment expert on moneycontrol.com are his own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
The market extended losses on Friday with the Sensex shedding more than 600 points intraday, dragged by index heavyweights Reliance Industries, HDFC and Infosys. Reliance mixed Q2 earnings, likely change in H1-B visa norms by Trump Administration, liquidity concerns in NBFCs and weak global cues dented investors sentiment.

The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 463.95 points or 1.33 percent to close at 34,315.63 and the 50-share NSE Nifty slipped 149.50 points or 1.43 percent to 10,303.50. For the week, frontline indices dropped 1.2 percent and 1.6 percent respectively.

"The ongoing turmoil led by financial crunch in the domestic economy, global risk-off and worries over upcoming elections is likely to maintain its burden in the equity market," Vinod Nair, Head Of Research at Geojit Financial Services told Moneycontrol.

He said at the same time, it is possible that a good portion of the above mentioned risk factors have been digested by the market and the upcoming impacts will depend on developments like stability in global bond yield & trade war.

Hence, he advised it will be wise to start with a mix of high quality sectors and stock ideas available at cheaper valuation compared to the averages of last 3 years.

The India Volatility index moved near 20 levels again. Spurt in volatility after the dips of last few sessions suggests that upside could be restricted again in the market, experts said. India VIX jumped 10.05 percent to 19.78.

The market breadth was in favour of bears as about two shares declined for every share rising on the BSE.

All sectoral indices closed in the red barring FMCG that gained 0.8 percent.

Nifty IT index hit hard, falling more than 3 percent after the Trump administration on Wednesday said it is planning to "revise" the definition of employment and specialty occupations under the H-1B visas by January.

Analysts believe this move will have an adverse impact on Indian IT companies in the US and small and medium-sized contractual firms mostly owned by Indian-Americans. HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, Infosys lost 3-6 percent.

Mindtree was the biggest loser among technology stocks, down 16 percent as brokerage houses slashed target prices after weak September quarter earnings. Citi downgraded the stock to neutral from buy and cut target price to Rs 1,090 from Rs 1,240 earlier.

Reliance Industries was the leading contributor to Sensex' losses, falling more than 4 percent after mixed July-September quarter earnings.

NBFCs including housing finance companies saw heavy selling pressure as Nifty Financial Service was down 1.3 percent. Indiabulls Housing Finance shares crashed 17 percent to hit fresh 21-month low despite management clarification on developer loan portfolio and RBI easing liquidity concerns.

Repco Home Finance, PNB Housing Finance, Gruh Finance, Dewan Housing etc were also down 7-18 percent. HDFC, the largest housing finance company, fell 4 percent.

Yes Bank shed 6 percent after the RBI turned down lender's request to extend its chief executive Rana Kapoor's term up to April 2019. The regulator has asked the bank to appoint a new CEO by February 1, 2019.

Among largecaps, ITC, HUL, Kotak Mahindra Bank, HPCL, Wipro and Sun Pharma were top gainers, rising 1-2 percent.

Cable television service operator Hathway Cable gained 3 percent but Den Networks lost nearly 6 percent after Reliance Industries announced to take controlling stake in both companies. Dish TV plunged 7 percent on competition fears.

Meanwhile, the rupee gained strength, rising 28 paise to close at 73.32 against the US dollar while Brent crude futures gained a percent to trade around $80 a barrel, at the time of writing this article.

On the global front, Asian markets ended mixed with Japan's Nikkei losing 0.6 percent. China's Shanghai Composite rebounded in afternoon to close 2.6 percent higher following a series of measures by China's securities regulator to support the struggling stock market.

European markets traded lower at the time of writing this article. France's CAC was down 0.9 percent and Germany's DAX slipped 0.33 percent amid weak third-quarter corporate results.

Disclaimer: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.
October 19, 2018 / 02:07 PM IST

SREI Infrastructure Sinks 20%

SREI Infrastructure Finance shares plunged 20 percent intraday to hit fresh 52-week low of Rs 25.40 after a media report suggested that the company is asking staff to go.

SREI Infrastructure asked its large number of employees to leave the company, reports CNBC-TV18 quoting unnamed sources.

The company said it has 200 employees on its rolls. SREI Group had total workforce of 2,631 employees at the end financial year 2017-18.

Sources further told business channel that SREI Infra has not replaced its infra division's CEO after CEO had resigned in September 2018.

SREI Infra told CNBC-TV18 that the company does not need CEO for its infra division as it is not looking to increase book. "Rumour of layoff is absurd and there is no liquidity problem/slowdown in business.
The fee hike is set to be implemented from October 2, 2020

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Technology stocks were under selling pressure on Friday after US President Donald Trump administration said it is planning major changes in the H-1B visas.

HCL Technologies, Infosys, Tech Mahindra and TCS shares declined 2-5 percent followed by Tata Elxsi and Wipro with a percent loss. Mindtree (down 9.7 percent) was the biggest loser amongst them, also because of brokerages slashed target price on the stock after Q2 earnings.

The Nifty IT index itself fell nearly 3 percent.

The Trump administration has said it is planning to "revise" the definition of employment and specialty occupations under the H-1B visas by January, a move which will have an adverse impact on Indian IT companies in the US and small and medium-sized contractual firms mostly owned by Indian-Americans.

The H-1B visa, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said On Wednesday that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to come out with its new proposal by January, 2019.

It will "propose to revise the definition of specialty occupation" to increase focus on obtaining the best and the brightest foreign nationals via the H-1B programme.

It will also "revise the definition" of employment and employer-employee relationship to "better protect" US workers and wages, the DHS said.

Such a move, which is part of the Unified Fall Agenda of the Trump administration, will have a detrimental impact on the functioning of Indian IT companies in the US and also small and medium-sized contractual companies in the IT sector, which are mostly owned by Indian-Americans.

In addition, the DHS will propose additional requirements designed to ensure employers pay appropriate wages to H-1B visa holders, the administration said.

The DHS reiterated that it was proposing to remove from its regulations certain H-4 spouses of H-1B non-immigrants as a class of aliens eligible for employment authorisation.

Th H-4 visas are issued by the USCIS to immediate family members (spouse and children under 21 years of age) of the holders of H-1B visa.

Meanwhile, India, on Thursday said it was "closely engaged" with the Trump administration as well as the US Congress on the matter.

"It is a very important topic for us and that is the reason why time and again, at different levels, we have taken up the matter with the US side. Most recently, it was discussed and mentioned during the two-plus-two talks," MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.

He said India is closely engaged with the Trump administration as well as the US Congress on the matter.

(With inputs from agencies)
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The S&P BSE Sensex might have taken a knock of over 4,000 points since August when it touched its lifetime high, but there are over 200 stocks that are now trading at attractive valuations as they have slipped below their 5-years Average PE.

The price-earning, or PE ratio or PE multiple, is widely used as a valuation tool that helps in screening a stock on a relative basis.

Generally, when a stock is trading below its 5-year PE average, it is perceived to be undervalued against its intrinsic value, and hence, expected to deliver higher returns in a subsequent period.

As many as 219 stocks in the BSE500 index are now trading below their 5-year average PEs. 25 of them have slipped over 50 percent which include names like Kwality, PC Jeweller, Eveready Industries, Bharat Electronics, Force Motors, Can Fin Homes, Motilal Oswal, Reliance Capital.

Well, it does look like most of the stocks in the list are now available at attractive valuations but at the same time, we have to also see that they have witnessed an erosion in the market value as well in absence of a meaningful pick up in earnings.

Hence, not every stock(s) which has gone below its/their respective 5-year average should be considered as attractive buys, suggest experts. Investors should do their own research before putting their money to work.

Although this makes it perfect buy when a stock trades at a lower valuation but it is not applicable to every stock in the universe. This is because PE is derivation of multiple factors like earnings growth, operating margin, the fundamental condition of company prevailing in the market which decides the future prospectus of the company, Dinesh Rohira, Founder & CEO, 5nance.com told Moneycontrol.

These PE alone should not be a sole deciding factor for a buy, but it should be analysed in collaboration with other fundamental parameters, he said.

The real winners are the stocks which have managed to hold on to gains. As many as 178 stocks in the BSE 500 index are trading above their 5-Year Average.

Out of 178 stocks, we have collated a list of 20 stocks which have risen 20-80 percent so far in the year 2018 including NIIT Technologies, HEG, MindTree, Indiabulls Ventures, Firstsource Solutions, Mphasis, TCS, RIL, Bata India, VIP Industries.

The general rule of thumb is that when a stock is trading above their average PE it usually indicates a willingness of investors to pay a premium over current earnings in anticipation of high growth expectation.

Also read: On Dussehra, Anand Rathi is betting on 5 stocks with a 1-year view

However, a decision to hold or book-profit on such stock will depend on relative comparison backed on fundamental quantitative and qualitative factors, suggest experts.

Our preference is to judge valuation of a stock versus its fundamentals, there may be good reasons why a particular stock may be trading at a premium, or this may just reflect the stock being overvalued, Vivek Ranjan Misra- Head of Fundamental Research at Karvy Stock Broking told Moneycontrol.

If a stock is trading expensive, relative to fundamentals, investors should sell the stock and hold on to a stock that is cheap relative to its fundamentals, he said.

Rohira of 5nance.com said that if the stock is fundamentally facing challenges in terms earnings growth despite a premium valuation then it will be prudent to book-profit at the current level.

The above report is for information only and not buy or sell recommendations. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
The price of benchmark Brent crude has slipped below $80 a barrel. It could not have come at a better time for India which is struggling with high crude prices, a weakening rupee and a rising import bill. However, the key question is whether this fall in prices will sustain, stabilise at these levels or bounceback.

This is an important consideration because US sanctions on Iran get triggered on November 4. Iran is the third largest supplier to India. Iranian oil is more lucrative for India as the payment could either be settled in rupees or bartered for rice, pharmaceuticals and other products. Further, Iranian oil comes with a 60-day credit.

Now, it is not clear whether India will be able to import all the 25 million tonne of crude it had contracted for this year. India has asked the US for a waiver on sanctions. It is not yet clear on how the US government would respond to Indias demand. China and Turkey have openly defied US ban and continue to do business with Iran.

That will provide no succour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pitched for a 'review of payment terms' to cushion the impact of a falling rupee and rising oil prices. Unfortunately, the options are limited and the window to address the problem is small. Currently, the oil market seems to be in delicate balance with a number of factors at play in the oil market now.

For one, demand projections have been revised downwards. The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has cut its demand forecast by 100,000 barrels a day (bpd) for both 2018 and 2019. It now expects demand to sustain at 1.5 bpd in 2018 and 1.4 bpd at 2019. This view was supported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which pared its global economic growth forecast by 0.2 percentage point to 3.7 percent for both 2018 and 2019. The Washington DC-based institute also raised concerns that demand for oil may slump over the coming months.

US sanctions on Iran will get triggered from November 4. That could leave global markets stretched. OPEC and Russia have committed to raising output, but there are questions over their spare capacity.

Saudi Arabia has barely been able to increase its production. Its oil production in June was 10.4 million barrels per day, which fell to 10.3 million barrels per day in July and crept up to 10.5 in September. Saudi Arabias oil minister had said the kingdom can pump out 10.7 million barrel per day by October-end.

On the other hand, Irans exports have plummeted by 1.1 million barrel per day as compared to 2.6 million per day in April.

Oil production increase from the US will also be small. Output from the seven major US shale basins is expected to rise by 98,000 barrels per day in November to a record of 7.71 million barrels per day. While Saudi Arabia has the wherewithal to plug this shortfall, it is playing hardball with the US over disappearance of journalist Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi.

The alleged abduction and killing of Khashoggi and subsequent outburst by US President Donald Trump against the USs long-time ally prompted Saudi Arabia to warn that it will retaliate. Turki al-Dakhil, an ally of the Royal Court and director of the Saudi Arabian-owned Al Arabiya news network commented: If President Trump was angered by $80 a barrel oil, nobody should rule out the price jumping to $100 and $200 a barrel or maybe double that figure. Though the Saudi Arabian government distanced itself from the comment, the message was delivered to the US which rushed Secretary of State Michael Pompeo to cool tempers.

The lack of proven spare capacity may be telling even if demand projections are accurate. Any supply disruption will not be met with adequate increase in supply. In a sensitive oil market, thats enough for prices to increase.

For all these projections, the ground reality is that oil is still trading at $80 a barrel and the current account deficit is projected close to 3 percent of GDP. At a time when global financial conditions are tightening, financing the deficit will be a tough task which in turn will put pressure on the rupee as well. For the Modi government, which recently cut duties on petrol and diesel, this does not sound like good news.
Yes Bank

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Yes Bank stock fell 6 percent Friday after the RBI turned down lender's request to extend its chief executive Rana Kapoor's term up to April 2019.

The stock plunged 46 percent in last two months.

The regulator has asked the bank to appoint a new CEO by February 1, 2019.

"The Reserve Bank of India has reaffirmed that a successor to Rana Kapoor, MD & CEO, Yes Bank should be appointed by February 1, 2019," Yes Bank said in an exchange filing.

After the September 25 board meeting, the bank said it would seek an extension for Kapoor till April 30 for finalisation of financial statements for the year ending March 2018. And thereafter, a further extension till September 30 for completing the annual general meeting process.

Kapoor, who has been the founder and CEO of the mid-sized private bank since 2004, was asked to step down from January 31, 2019, by the RBI. This was against the board and shareholders' proposal to extend his term by three years after his term ended on August 31 this year.

After the RBI's reaffirmed directive, Yes Bank said its 'Search & Selection Committee' is targeting to complete this recruitment process latest by mid-December 2018.

On October 11, Yes Bank announced the appointment of global firm Korn Ferry mandated by the 'Search & Selection Committee' to assist in evaluating both internal and external candidates and make suitable recommendations to the Board of Directors within stipulated timelines for RBI' s final approval.
Crude oil prices have been rising since the beginning of the year, even managing to reach record highs that were last seen in November 2014. What is surprising is that the rise continues despite the International Monetary Funds (IMF) recent downgrade in the global growth forecasts for 2018 and 2019. Read on to know more about this counter-intuitive trend. (Image: Reuters)

Supply | While most of the world runs on the energy released from burning the black gold, not every country is privileged enough to find a steady supply under its crust. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is responsible for about 40 percent of the worlds oil supply and 60 percent of the oil traded globally. (Image: Reuters)

Geopolitical Disruptions | The imbalance in the distribution of oil means that geopolitical events play a big role in its supply and the market sentiment. Iran, the third largest supplier of oil in the OPEC countries, is set to face a new round of economic sanctions from November 4 after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord in May earlier this year. (Image: Reuters)

Speculation and Market sentiment | Speculation, and the use of market instruments such as hedging, lead to a spike or dip in prices. Brent crude is the benchmark for global oil prices, whereas Western Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude is another benchmark for oil futures that is focused on North America. A difference between the spot prices and the future prices reflects the sentiment of investors. It is for this reason that oil prices hit a four-year high of $86.74 a barrel earlier in October, as the market grapples with the expected loss of Iranian exports due to the US sanctions. (Image: Reuters)

The ripple effects on India | India imports close to 80 percent of its crude oil demand, and is the largest importer of oil from Iran, followed by China and Turkey. If India secures a waiver from the sanctions imposed by the US, it would continue purchasing crude oil from Iran. This would likely reflect as a dip in the oil prices. (Image: Reuters)

Throwing ones weight around  International relations | The recent disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi from a Saudi consulate in Istanbul has had far-reaching consequences. Allegations from the Turkish government of a planned murder of Khashoggi (a fierce critic of Saudi Arabias policies and administration) by the Saudi establishment surfaced that led to a support in oil market prices amid growing US tensions with Saudi Arabia. It has stoked fears that Saudi Arabia may reduce its output to raise oil prices further. Saudi Arabia accounts for close to 10 percent of the worlds oil supply. Thus, state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco can throw around its weight if need be, with its public statements on the supply of oil having the power to alter prices. (Image: Reuters)

The trend of oil prices and the stock market | Above is a graph plotting the monthly spot prices of Brent crude with the BSE Sensex over a ten year period. It can be clearly seen that the stock markets and crude oil prices generally run in tandem, aside from a sharp drop in oil prices towards the end of 2014. A rise in crude oil prices motivates the more affluent of the OPEC nations to use the rise in oil revenues to spur further growth, and commission industries to take on new projects. This sort of spending has a ripple effect on industries across borders, which reflects as gains in the market.(Source: Reuters and ACE Equity)
Chavvii Prabhakar

Global Indians are significant contributors to Indian forex reserves through remittances and investments in various Indian asset classes, of which real estate investments form a major chunk. NRIs, too, have always found investing in real estate to be a rewarding experience.

This, in addition to the depreciating rupee exchange value is benefitting NRI buyers significantly. The overall impact is that Indian real estate market is seeing green shoots of revival in 2018. The positive impact of the reformatory changes is already visible with the industry moving towards greater transparency, efficiency and accountability.

Below are some key points an NRI needs to keep in mind while making a real estate investment in India.

Power of Attorney

Power of Attorney (PoA) is required by NRIs if he/she cannot be physically present in India for execution of property transactions. It empowers a person to act on behalf of another. Responsibility is delegated and, therefore, it helps NRIs manage their assets in India efficiently.

POA could be used for purposes mainly related to mortgage, lease, sell, collect rent and borrow, manage and sell disputes, perform acts required by banks and enter into contracts. The government is planning to amend the laws to make registration mandatory for such deals which will help curb frauds, disputes and stamp duty evasion.

Tax Benefits

India has double taxation avoidance agreements with more than 90 countries. An NRI can claim tax credit on taxes paid by him in India on income from immovable property in his country of residence. The NRI is liable to pay tax on the amount of capital gains arising in India. An immovable property held for more than 24 months is treated as long-term capital asset and gets the indexation benefit with taxation at 20%. Income-Tax Act too allows certain tax deductions under Section 80C to 80TTA and NRIs can use this to reduce their tax burden.

Right way to make a transaction

Investing in real estate in India is no longer as challenging as it used to be. In fact most NRIs today believe that the recent regulatory changes in India have made the sector more efficient and transparent, rendering the environment conducive enough for investment in property.

An NRI investing in India needs to have a checklist of things which should include property verification, list of all documents, KYC, payment plan, tax implication legalities and other local formalities and someone trustworthy to help facilitate the entire process so that it is smooth and efficient.

Regulations to consider

Real estate transactions in India for NRIs fall under the purview of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Reserve Bank of India has simplified the rules as NRIs holding an Indian passport needs no approval while investing in Indian real estate. Under general permission category, persons of Indian origin require no approval unless they are citizens of neighboring countries.

They can make payment through inward remittance, non-resident rupee (NRE) accounts, non-resident ordinary rupee (NRO) accounts or foreign currency non-resident (FCNR) deposit accounts. Any property investment includes stamp duty, registration charges and service tax to be paid according to Indian laws.

NRIs are eligible to apply for loans in India but should pay back the loan in Indian rupees only.

Type of property to invest

NRIs can purchase any number of properties, both residential and commercial. But they are not allowed to buy any form of agricultural land, farm house and plantation property unless it has been gifted or inherited by them. The depreciating rupee value and regulatory environment after the implementation of reforms is prompting a large number of NRIs to invest in the Indian realty market.
Have you thought of taking home insurance? Just like insuring other valuables, one should also not neglect insuring ones home. However, it is often not in the priority list for most people. But if one buys the cover, it acts as an important backup in case things go wrong in future.

"Home Insurance is not mandatory to have; however, it is always good to insure your assets to avoid major losses in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Having your house insured can protect you from financial losses caused by fire or natural calamities like flood, earthquake. Home insurance also offers you cover for personal property upto a certain limit in case of theft. It is better to be safe than sorry," Naval Goel, CEO Founder, PolicyX.com told Moneycontrol.

A home insurance policy can also cover household items like television, refrigerator, air conditioning unit, furniture, fixtures, kitchen items, clothing and personal belongings. Some policies also include jewellery and valuables under the same base plan itself or as an add-on. An additional premium payment can also extend coverage towards items like works of art and paintings, Mahavir Chopra, Director, Health, Life & Strategic Initiatives, Coverfox, said.

However, before buying a home insurance cover you should know these five major categories of risk that can be covered and under the policy:

Earthquake

Almost every insurer provides complete coverage against natural calamities like earthquake. Tarun Mathur, Chief Business Officer- General Insurance, Policybazaar.com told Moneycontrol that the feature is generally pre-included in all insurance policies and it gives the policyholders the choice of insuring their both, structure and the contents. The premium for a standard cover, which includes coverage against natural and man-made calamities, can be purchased for as low as Rs 60 per Rs 1 lakh, he said.

Fire

A fire accident of any type of property can cause severe damage to the structure and its contents. Home insurance policies available in the market offer adequate coverage for two major constituents of a home. First is the structure that makes the building and second is the contents of the house. As a home insurance seeker, you can select a cover for the structure or the content or both the components. The policy provides cover against fire and allied perils for all fittings and fixtures. Coverage is also provided for household appliances, home contents, jewellery etc.

Flood, Storm, Lightning

Cover against natural calamities like flood, storm, and lightning are not always covered under a home insurance policy. As an insurance seeker, you can always buy add-ons to protect your home and its contents from any of the mentioned natural calamities. These add-ons increase the premium of your home insurance but at the same time provides complete coverage against flood, storm, and lightning, said Mathur.

Explosion (Terrorism)

Most insurers in India cover acts of terrorism just for the first 10 years of the insurance. However, the cover is only offered when you buy an add-on policy along with the comprehensive home insurance policy. Sri ram secure plan, Bajaj standard fire insurance policy or HDFC Ergos Home Insurance-Long Term is one such policy that provides adequate cover against acts of terrorism like an explosion, told Mathur.

Riot, Strikes, Burglary, Theft and Larceny

If a policyholder goes for a comprehensive policy (structure + content) then generally events like burglary and theft are covered under the policy as an inbuilt feature. Some insurers might provide it as an add-on protection also. Same goes for events like riots and strikes.

The content cover is generally a short-term cover ranging from 3 years to 5 years depending upon the company.

There are companies with separate plans for burglary like Reliance General Insurance- Burglary and House-Breaking which covers business premises against these events. The policy also provides extension cover for risks like a riot, strike, malicious damage and theft, told Mathur.

Here is a sample of some home insurance policies on offer and how much they cost

Source: www.policybazaar.com

*Premiums are for sum insured of Rs 50 Lakhs for structure and Rs 10 Lakhs for contentClaim paid in home insurance are as per the damage caused upto the sum insured*The premium mentioned above has to be paid annually.
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The second quarter results of Reliance Industries are out and the response to the earnings has been mixed to say the least. Despite registering its highest-ever quarter profit, Reliance was one of the major drags on the Sensex today. What else is also out is the news that RIL has been making a few new deals.

Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), acquired 12.7 percent shareholding in SkyTran Inc. A US-based technology company, SkyTran aims to solve traffic congestion by introducing personal rapid transit systems. The news of this Reliance alliance with SkyTran comes close on the heels of two strategic investments that RIL made in Den Networks and Hathway Cable and Datacom. RIL made an investment of Rs 2,290 crore for 66 percent stake in Den and Rs 2,940 crore for 51.3 percent stake in Hathway. What these alliances mean for Reliance will be the major talking point on this edition of our Pick of the Day. My name is Rakesh Sharma, and you are listening to Moneycontrol.

Nitin Agrawal, writing for Moneycontrol, goes on to note, In recent times, Reliance Industries (RIL) has shifted its focus from traditional to futuristic businesses driven by advanced technology that could improve quality of life and make the business relevant for the future.

Jio, launched last year and quite possibly the biggest disruptor in the mobile technology space we have seen in recent times, is driven by VoLTE technology, an advanced technology to transfer calls over data networks. It is in the same vein of future-forwardness that this acquisition of 12.7 percent shareholding (on fully diluted basis) in SkyTran can be seen. RIL also has the option to further invest up to $25 million in convertible notes, subject to approval from SkyTrans board.

Anyone stuck in Bangalore traffic, or for that matter, LA traffic, knows only too well what a menace intense road traffic can be to a good quality of life, and indeed economic development across the globe. SkyTran is a company that aims to address this all too familiar, all too global, problem by creating a transport option that is high-speed, scalable, and low-cost. Commenting on the investment, Akash Ambani, Director, Reliance Jio, said, Our partnership with SkyTran reflects our commitment to invest in futuristic technologies. Reliance is well-poised to capitalize on its existing business portfolio and capabilities to accelerate the development of SkyTran across the world and especially in India.

John Cole, Founder and CEO at SkyTran, said, We are excited to be working with Reliance. Reliance brings tremendous infrastructure and technical expertise and the ability to execute at the largest scale. We believe our partnership with Reliance has the potential to improve the lives of people in India and across the globe.

SkyTran, which has partnered with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the US and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) in Israel, has developed magnetic levitation (MagLev) technology for implementing personal transportation systems aimed at solving the problem of traffic congestion globally. MagLev is a technology some of us are familiar with  the fastest speeds achieved for a train  603 kmph  was in Japan by JR Central's L0 superconducting Maglev on 21 April 2015.

SkyTran has 8 approved patents and 40 plus patents are pending approval, globally, including in India. The proposed SkyTran network would consist of computer-controlled passenger pods running on its patented Passive Magnetic Levitation technology and would use IT, Telecom, IoT and Advanced Materials technologies to transport passengers in a fast, safe, green, and economical manner. Following this investment, Reliance said it will work closely with SkyTran to develop pilot implementations followed by implementation of its network in India at scale. Reliance would also play an active role in further advancing the SkyTran solution, especially in Telecom (4G/5G/IoT/Giga Fiber), Digital Platforms and Services, Advanced Materials & Electric Batteries areas. Reliance would also nominate a director on the Board of SkyTran.

Reliance is not the first big name to be interested and investing in SkyTran. The company has received funding from well-known names like Google Chairman Eric Schmidt. Even the US Department of Transportation has provided funding to SkyTran.

The SkyTran partnership with RIL in India aims to address the burgeoning personal and economic problem of road congestion by building a rapid transit system. Run on non-polluting technology, this partnership also aims to address the increasing levels of pollution in modern India. From the perspective of Reliance, the partnership with SkyTran is an indication of a growing willingness to participate in the technology of tomorrow, and position the petrol-to-telecom giant as a leading figure in adapting to the ways of a fast-changing world. Considering the alarming report from the UN IPCC, it is about time that behemoth corporate houses that rely on non-renewable sources not just for their own profits but also as the fuel for nation-building, start thinking of ways to race towards zero emission, and this may well be seen as a token step in that direction. How practical it will be, and if it will ever take off, or levitate shall we say, is anyones guess.

Recent acquisition spree by alliance

Reliance, being Reliance, does not need the excuse of Diwali and Dussehra to go on a shopping spree. It has been on one for the past year or so. As of July this year, the company had struck at least 12 deals over 12 months with an estimated tab of about Rs 28,900 crore ($4.21 billion), according to calculations by Jefferies Group LLC and Bloomberg. Ten of these are related to Mukesh Ambanis consumer business. Ambani has also capitalized on Indias ongoing bad-debt issues with purchases of distressed or insolvent companies including a local textile-maker, a carbon-fiber firm and the wireless assets of an indebted telecom company, reported Mint earlier in July this year.

The acquisitions also point to a certain pattern, according to industry-watchers. To build an integrated digital offering around the emerging crown jewel of the Reliance family, Jio. If pre-2017 was the era of petrochemicals and building massive refinery complexes, it seems post-2017 is going to be a new big chapter in the Reliance saga with Jio as its protagonist with all these other acquisitions and deals in one way or other lending a supporting role to the hero, Jio Ambani. Jio Ambani also hopes to be the leader of the new tech space. Last month, RIL invested $8 million in San Diego-headquartered NetraDyne Inc., an artificial intelligence (AI) start-up. In June, RIIHL had invested $16 million in the start-up that focuses on fleet management, automotive, security and surveillance. The companys latest investment translates into a 37.4 percent equity stake in the firm, RIL said in an exchange filing.

In the past year alone, RIL and its subsidiaries, have been acquiring stakes in various ventures that can one way or other be linked to the bouquet offerings that Jio hopes to be  in terms of boosting digital content for Jio, there are partnerships with The Indian Film Combine, Eros International, and Saavn.

In order to enhance the artificial intelligence arm of Jio, in addition it to its venture with NetraDyne, Reliance has pumped in $180 million in Bangalore-based Embibe, which uses data analytics to deliver personalised learning outcomes to students. KareXpert, another venture that RIL has invested in, is developing a one-stop digital health platform. Earlier in June, Reliance acquired Oregon-headquartered Radisys Corporation, which it said would help accelerate Jios global innovation and technology in areas of 5G, IoT and open-source architecture adoption.

Considering its Navratri, I am tempted to think of Durga with her ten arms, each wielding a different weapon. Jio seems to be morphing into a similar entity  godly or not  with each of these ventures arming it with new qualities. The businesses that established RIL as a gargantuan force will, no doubt, continue to play a role in the companys evolution into the 21st century, but the lead will be taken over by the new digital kids on the block  Jio and JioGigaFiber  currently in prep school, acquiring all that they need to be the new (and hopefully green) leaders of the Reliance family, and therefore by extension, 21st century India.
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Power trading solutions provider PTC India will sign medium-term power purchase agreements (PPA) for 1,900 MW coal-based power capacities with seven companies and five states by month-end under a pilot scheme, an official said.

After this tender, the company plans another round of 3,000 MW of medium term PPAs to give some relief to stressed power projects as PPAs are required for getting fuel supplies, a Power Ministry official told PTI.

"PTC India had finalised bids of 1,900 MW capacities last month at a tariff of Rs 4.24 per unit including the nominal fixed cost of one paise per unit for supply of power for the medium term of three years," the official said.

The seven companies which would ink PPAs are IL&FS Energy for 550 MW, RKM Powergen for 550 MW, SKS Power for 300 MW, MB Power (Madhya Pradesh) Ltd for 175 MW, Jindal India Thermal Power for 175 MW, Jhabua Power Ltd for 100 MW and JP Nilgiri Project for 100 MW.

Five states which would buy power from these plants are Telangana (550 MW), Tamil Nadu (550 MW), Haryana (400MW), Bihar (200MW) and West Bengal (200MW).

IL&FS Energy will supply 550 MW to Tamil Nadu while RKM Powergen will supply 550 MW to Telangana.

Jhabua Power Ltd and JP Nilgiri Project would supply 100 MW each to West Bengal. MB Power (Madhya Pradesh) Ltd will supply will supply 175 MW to Haryana while the SKS Power will supply 300 MW to Haryana as well as Bihar. Jindal India Thermal Power will supply 175 MW to Bihar.

The government had launched a pilot scheme to procure 2,500 MW electricity for three years under medium-term arrangement from commissioned power plants without power purchase agreements earlier this year in April.

Under the scheme there would be no escalation of tariff during the three-year period on any account. The discoms can reduce load up to 55 per cent of agreed capacity.

The scheme provides that if the supply capacity goes down beyond 55 per cent then the differential power would sold in open market and any under-recovery would be charged to the discom. But if that power is sold at a premium, the profit would be divided equally between the discom and the generating firm.

Under this auction, 2,500 MW capacities were put on the block but later imported coal-based capacities of 600 MW backed out. The imported coal-based generators had expressed their inability to match the Rs 4.24 per unit tariff as it was not viable for them in view of higher coal prices in the international market.

The government has been targeting around 17GW coal-based thermal power generation capacity including 5 GW based on imported coal under this initiative.

The official said that PTC India has planned to auction 5GW under the medium term PPAs during this fiscal and thus it would bring another tender of 3GW by March 2019.

The PPAs are required for getting fuel supplies. Some power plants have coal linkages but their fuel supply agreements are not effective in the absence of PPAs. The other which do not have coal linkage can get fuel supplies under SHAKTI scheme after getting PPAs.
Yes Bank Managing Director and CEO Rana Kapoor is said to have approached his rival promoter Madhu Kapur with a proposal to combine their stakes and form a joint promoter group, Mint reported.

Kapoor met Madhu Kapur and her daughter Shagun Gogia on October 11 with a written proposal to combine the stakes and voting rights of the two co-promoters and their affiliates to become a single promoter group, the report said. He also met Gaurav Kapur, late co-founder Ashok Kapurs son, with the same proposal on October 12.

Read | Avoid the temptation, wait for RBI roadmap before investing in Yes Bank

The CEO hopes that the move will help both sides recommend directors on Yes Bank board without violating its knotty and contentious Articles of Association (AoA).

"All we can confirm is that two meetings were held on Sunday between Madhu Kapur, Shagun Gogia, Bindu Kapoor (wife of Rana Kapoor) and Neeru Puri (sister of Madhu Kapur and Bindu Kapoor from Delhi). Joint promoter group agreement is one of the many possible solutions which could possibly be considered," a Yes Bank spokesperson told the paper.

On October 17, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had turned down Yes Bank's request to extend its Chief Executive Rana Kapoor's term up to April next year and asked the bank to appoint a new CEO by February 1, 2019.

Kapoor, who has been the founding CEO of the mid-sized private bank since 2004, was asked to step down from January 31, 2019, by RBI. This was against the board and shareholders' proposal to extend his term by three years after his same ended on August 31.

Read: Macquarie, JPMorgan stay positive on Yes Bank post board meet

"In order to discuss the settlement terms, Madhu Kapur, Bindoo Kapoor, Shagun Gogia and another sister of Madhu Kapur met in Mumbai on Sunday (October 14) twice," a source told the paper.

In a separate development, Yes Banks Senior Group President Rajat Monga too reached out to the Kapurs on October 10, the source added.

If Kapur accepts this proposal, it could end nearly a decade of disaffection and litigation among promoters of the private lender. This will pave the way for promoters to exercise their rights as per sections 110 and 127 of Yes Banks AoA at any time, another source told the paper.

It would also allow Kapoor to nominate himself or one of his affiliates on the board of the bank even after his exit without opposition from other co-founders.

Read: Yes Bank may take back Rana Kapoor's FY15, FY16 bonuses; new CEO likely to be named by Dec 15

Currently, Kapur and her associates hold around 9.23 percent in Yes Bank, while Kapoor, along with his associates, holds about 10.7 percent in the bank. After the proposed agreement, the combined holding of the promoter group will be around 20 percent. Individually, Kapur and Kapoor own 7.59 percent and 4.33 percent in Yes Bank, respectively.
Mehul Choksi

The request for extradition of fugitive diamantaire Mehul Choksi is being "examined" by Antigua and Barbuda, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Answering a question on Choksi, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar at a briefing said, "According to the information that I have, the extradition request by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and the ED (Enforcement Directorate), is being examined by them (Antigua and Barbuda authorities) and after they have examined it, they have said they will convey their response to India."

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had met Foreign Minister of Antigua and Barbuda E P Chet Greene last month on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and raised the issue of extradition of Choksi, who is currently in the Caribbean island.

Greene had conveyed to Swaraj the assurances of his Prime Minister for fullest cooperation of their government in the matter of extradition of Choksi to India, Kumar had said after the meeting.

Choksi is one of the alleged masterminds of the $2 billion scam in state-run Punjab National Bank and is an uncle of fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi. He is wanted in India by the CBI and ED probing the fraud.

On a question on absconding businessman Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi, Kumar said that in the case of Nirav Modi, extradition requests from the CBI and ED are pending with the UK authorities.

"The requests are under consideration," he said.

"We are committed to take this matter forward and to bring back the economic offenders," he said.

On Mallya, he said the Westminster Magistrates' Court has fixed December 10 as the date for a verdict in the case.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the city would soon turn into a "gas chamber" as the central, Punjab and Haryana governments were doing "absolutely nothing" for the farmers burning paddy straw.

The national capital's air quality has deteriorated over the last week. Stubble burning in neighbouring states is one of the major reasons behind increasing air pollution levels in Delhi.

"V sad that Central, Punjab and Haryana Govts did absolutely nothing for the farmers. As a result, the farmers will suffer on one hand and Delhi will become a gas chamber soon (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on October 18 appealed to the Centre and the governments of Haryana and Punjab to initiate measures in the wake of the deteriorating air quality in North India, including Delhi.

"The Centre should intervene. Farmers have not been given subsidy. This is the failure on the part of the central and the state governments. As December and January is nearing, the entire north India, including Delhi, is close to becoming a gas chamber," Sisodia had said.
Representative image

The Centre has asked the Kerala government to ensure peace across the state following protests against the Supreme Court order allowing women of all age groups to enter Sabarimala temple, officials said.

In an advisory, the Home Ministry said the maintenance of law and order, including providing security to women wishing to visit the temple, was the responsibility of the state government.

The Kerala government must ensure law and order and full compliance of the Supreme Court order allowing women of the menstrual age group to visit Sabarimala Temple of Lord Ayyappa, a Home Ministry official said.

The state government has been impressed upon the fact that it would be in direct contempt of the Supreme Court order if female devotees of any age are stopped from entering the temple, he said, quoting the advisory sent on October 15.

Another official said the Kerala government, in its communication, has assured the Centre that the apex court order would be implemented and the law and order situation at the pilgrimage site was under control.

On October 17, the iron gates of Sabarimala temple were opened for the first time since the Supreme Court allowed women of menstrual age to enter the shrine but none from the "banned" age group could make it to its hallowed precincts amid a welter of protests and violent clashes.

Women journalists were heckled, their vehicles smashed and young female Ayyappa devotees turned back as hordes of Hindu right activists besieged the road leading to the hill-top temple, abode to Lord Ayyappa, its eternally celibate deity.
With a toxic smog beginning to envelop New Delhi as winter approaches, residents of the Indian capital are set to make matters a lot worse by burning hundreds of thousands of firecrackers to celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali early next month.

India, which has the world's 14 most polluted cities, has made little effort this year to curb the sale of ear-splitting, firecrackers that explode through Diwali night. The smoke from them shrouds New Delhi and its satellite cities in a haze that can linger for days as wind speeds drop in the cooler weather, adding to pollution caused by the burning of crop residue, vehicle emissions and industrial gases.

Authorities, reluctant to step in to curb the rampant use of firecrackers on Diwali, one of the most important festivals for millions of Hindus across the country, are passing the buck to the Supreme Court to restrict the sale and use of fireworks.

"It's not always easy for the government to step into sensitive issues like banning fireworks on Diwali but it works for us and others if the court decides to step in on this," said a senior official in the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who declined to be identified in line with government policy.

A spokesman for the federal environment ministry declined comment. A spokesman for the Delhi city government was not available for comment.

Last year, the Supreme Court temporarily banned the sale of firecrackers in and around the capital city, an area with a population of about 20 million. That reduced the use of fireworks - cutting resulting emissions by about 30 percent - government officials said.

This year, the court, which has heard submissions from the city government, the environment ministry and the firecracker industry, has so far refrained from giving an order to ban the sale of firecrackers

The court hasn't indicated whether it will make a ruling before Diwali, that falls this year on November 7.

"The situation is going to be grim," Ritwick Dutta, an environment lawyer associated with the not-for-profit Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, told Reuters.

"You cannot have something monitored solely by the Supreme Court whose ruling last year can be seen only as a stop-gap arrangement."

BIG EMPLOYER

While Diwali is celebrated throughout the country, New Delhi accounts for nearly half of India's demand for firecrackers. Last year, the smog a few weeks after Diwali was so bad that Delhi resorted to emergency measures such as shutting schools and banning construction.

Despite rising pollution levels, the Delhi government and the federal environment ministry have shied away from asking the Supreme Court for a complete ban on the sale of firecrackers, according to the petitions reviewed by Reuters.

In its affidavit to the Supreme Court, the environment ministry has rather asked for the introduction of firecrackers that emit less harmful chemicals.

With the use of the new firecrackers, toxic emissions would go down by 30-40 percent, said Rakesh Kumar, director of the state-run National Environmental Engineering Research Institute.

"But the firecracker industry needs to come forward to take the samples of the prototype and the new chemical formulations that we've developed," Kumar said in an interview.

Large-scale production of such fireworks would take time and require heavy investment, K. Mariappan, general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association, told Reuters by telephone from Sivakasi in southern India.

Sivakasi accounts for nearly 90 percent of India's total firecracker output which is worth 60 billion rupees ($816 million) a year. After last year's Delhi ban, production fell by nearly 40 percent, resulting in lower revenues and job losses at nearly 80 firecracker plants that dot the town and employ about 300,000 people.

HYPOCRISY CLAIM

Shopkeepers in the trade say setting off firecrackers on Diwali is part of an ancient Hindu tradition and the Supreme Court must respect the sentiments of Hindus.

Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, a spokesman for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party said he would personally distribute firecrackers if the Supreme Court decides to ban the sale of fireworks on Diwali.

"There should be a blanket ban on the sale of firecrackers, and not only on Diwali. I think it's hypocrisy to target Hindu festivals like Diwali," Bagga said.

Sitting outside his shop Delhi's old city area, Maheshwar Dayal Sharma, the fifth generation of his family to sell firecrackers, lamented that in 2017 he sold only 10 percent of his inventory because of the court ban.

Diwali is celebrated only once a year and the impact of firecrackers lasts only for a couple of days, he said.

"Please don't blame us for the mess that is a result of a combination of factors like industrial and vehicular exhaust," he said.
Sujata Anandan

In the days immediately following demonetisation, income tax authorities quietly raided a cabal of 13 priests at the Trimbakeshwar temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, near Nashik. The government had made an exception for hundis at temples but those with black money were using the priests, on payment of hefty commissions, to convert their old currency to new.

The priests then made a beeline to Matoshree to meet Uddhav and complain about despite being men of God, they were being badly treated by the state and central governments. They had more faith in the Shiv Sena as a protector of Hindus than in either the Narendra Modi government or the Devendra Fadnavis administration in Mumbai, they said.

That appeal was a godsend to Uddhav Thackeray just ahead of municipal elections in Mumbai then, which the Sena was contesting bitterly against the BJP. The Shiv Sena had lost much ground on Hindutva, given the positioning of Modi as the Hindu Hriday Samrat, a title which Bal Thackeray had fondly accorded to himself. He lost much of that sheen after calling for a secular monument like a school or hospital to be built on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. It earned him many minority votes but also the mockery of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which labelled Bal Thackeray a vivekheen (brainless) Hindu.

But now Uddhav, taking a cue from the Trimbakeshwar priests, is clearly attempting to reposition his party as the true protector of Hindutva. The Shiv Sena has been opposing the government on almost every issue, including demonetisation, fuel hikes, minimum support prices for farmers and, of course, the Rafale deal  all pet issues of the secular opposition. Uddhav now says he is with the BJP only on Hindutva. He will go to Ayodhya on November 25  when elections to four state assemblies will be underway  and demand to know when the Ram temple will be built or if this promise too will prove to be a jumla.

It costs Uddhav nothing to raise the rhetoric on the Ram Mandir. But for the Modi government, the stakes are very high. People are already beginning to question why, after such a huge majority, the government could not lay a single stone for the temple in Ayodhya. The Supreme Court could have been urged to speed up its hearings  the government should not have left it so late in the day to accomplish the task.

It is this sentiment that Uddhav has jumped upon and is labelling the Ram Mandir promise as another hollow assurance by the government. He knows there will be enough people who might buy into the accusation of an empty promise and this could seriously affect another of the core bases of the BJP (after having lost traders to demonetisation and GST) both in the assembly elections next month as well as Lok Sabha elections early next year.

At the Senas annual Dussehra rally on October 18, Uddhav also reiterated that his party would go it alone at the next elections. With both the Ram temple rhetoric and the threat to break off ties, Uddhav is also positioning himself into a hard bargaining stance. With the BJP losing many allies and gaining no significant friends, Uddhav is hoping to force the ruling party to give it the numbers the Shiv Sena wants.

Fadnavis recently mocked the Shiv Sena over its desire to fight the election on its own. They have no choice. The emerging circumstances (of opposition alliances) will force them towards us. I am sure they will soon come around.

Uddhav is now making sure the BJP does not take him for granted or the alliance as a done deal, as Fadnavis seems to think. His Dussehra stances are aimed at making the BJP eat humble pie for treating its oldest ally -- the only saffron ideologue in the NDA  with contempt over the past four years. He is also playing to regain his partys position as the Big Brother in the alliance.

While the BJP is fighting for growth outside the Hindi belt  and not succeeding in the way it had hoped in both the South and eastern states of India - Maharashtra, with the second largest number of seats in the Lok Sabha after Uttar Pradesh, is crucial to the BJP retaining power at the coming elections.

Uddhav thus finally seems to have the BJP where he wanted it all along  ceding space to the Sena and queueing up at Matoshree as the older leaders would do with Bal Thackeray. For if they dont, they risk losing more than just their pride. They could lose a government.
October 20, 2018 / 02:50 PM IST

Protests erupt over rumours of Tamil Nadu woman climbing Sabarimala hill

A massive protest by devotees of Lord Ayyappa broke out near the Sabarimala Sannidhanam on October 20 following rumours that a woman from Tamil Nadu below 50 years of age climbed the hills to offer prayers to the presiding deity.

The situation turned tense in the area, where section 144 was clamped, as devotees gathered in large numbers at 'Valiya Nadapandhal' to protest against the woman's entry into the temple.

However, the tension was defused after the woman, who had come with her family members, convinced the protesters that she was above 50 years, and proceeded to the shrine. (PTI)

Read the full story here.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat - January 2018

Amid ongoing protests at Sabarimala, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday said the Supreme Court verdict has not taken into consideration the nature and premise of the tradition that has been accepted by society and has given rise to "divisiveness" in society.

He said questions such as why only the Hindu society experiences such repeated and brazen onslaughts on its symbols of faith, obviously arise in the public's mind and lead to unrest.

"This situation is not at all conducive for the peace and healthiness of the society," the Sarsanghchalak said in his annual Vijayadashmi address, the last before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, at the RSS headquarters here.

Decisions taken without considering all aspects and patiently creating mindset of the society will neither be adopted in actual practice nor will they help in creating a new social order, in tune with changing times and positions, he said.

"The situation arising out of the recent verdict on Sabrimala temple shows a similar predicament. The nature and premise of the tradition that has been accepted by society and continuously followed for years together were not taken into consideration," Bhagwat said.

"The version of heads of religious denominations and faith of crores of devotees was not taken into account. The plea by a large section of women, who follow this tradition, was not heard too," he noted.

The verdict has given rise to unrest, turmoil and divisiveness in the society in place of peace, stability and equality, the RSS chief said.

Bhagwat said, "Nowhere in the world, healthy and peaceful social life has ever thrived and can thrive merely based on laws and fear of punishment."

On September 28, a five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court, headed by then chief justice Dipak Misra, lifted the centuries-old ban on the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine located in Kerala.

The iron gates of the temple opened Wednesday for the first time since the court order, but none from the "banned" age group could make it to its hallowed precincts amid a welter of protests and violent clashes.

Women journalists were heckled, their vehicles smashed and young female devotees turned back as hordes of Hindu right activists besieged the road leading to the hill- top temple, abode to Lord Ayyappa.
The VHP on Friday hailed the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to adopt a proposal to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj and demanded that the name of Faizabad be changed to "Sri Ayodhya".

VHP spokesman Sharad Sharma said the renaming of Allahabad aimed to free the mindset of slavery and added all sections of people had hailed this step of the state government.

"The Uttar Pradesh government is taking steps in the interest of the people and their sentiments and its decision to change the name of Allahabad is praiseworthy... Now they need to change the name of Faizabad to Sri Ayodhya," Sharma said.

He said there were still a number of streets, buildings and districts which reminded them of the days of slavery.

"We have got freedom from the British rule but their symbols still hurt the self respect of every Hindustani," he said.

The present government needed to understand their feelings and free the coming generations from these symbols of slavery, he claimed.

Sharma said the Adityantha Yogi-led government could make an announcement about it on Diwali and please the seers of the temple town of Ayodhya.

Earlier this week, the state Cabinet approved a proposal to rename the historic city of Allahabad as Prayagraj.

Senior minister Siddhartnath Singh had said the move would help highlight Indian culture at international level.

BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla had praised the government for rectifying a historical mistake but Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had criticised the move.
The opposition Congress and BJP on Friday hit out at the Left government in Kerala for allegedly extending support to bring women activists to Sabarimala temple, hurting the sentiments of devotees.

They also alleged the police gave one of the women, who climbed to the hill shrine amid heavy security, their official uniform and helmet.

The two women, identified as a journalist from Hyderabad and a Kochi-based activist, trekked Sabarimala and reached a few metres away from the holy 18 steps with police escort but had to return due to massive protest by devotees.

Attacking the CPI(M)-led LDF government on the issue, Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala asked whether the police gave security to the real devotees.

"Has the government taken to the shrine the real devotees? Is the entry of women into the shrine a commando operation? Is this the supreme court order?" he asked.

"The government has extended support to bring activists to Sabarimala, hurting the sentiments of Lord Ayyappa devotees," Chennithala said.

Earlier in the day, Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran admitted that one of the women who trekked to the shrine was an activist and made it clear that holy Sabarimala was not a place to show their strength and activism.

Referring to the massive protest at the temple complex by the devotees and the 'parikarmies', the assistants of the priests, Chennithala said the "illogical" steps taken by the government on the Sabarimala women entry issue had led to this situation.

He also reiterated the UDF stand that the Pinarayi Vijayan government showed "over-enthusiasm" and "hurry" to implement the apex court order permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple.

The government unilaterally moved forward on the matter without trying for a consensus among stakeholders, he said.

Chennithala also alleged that the BJP-RSS combine was trying to inflame communal passion over the matter.

Hitting out at the LDF government, BJP state president P S Sreedharan Pillai said the state authorities were trying to make Sabarimala a "clash zone".

The police escorted two women to the shrine by making one of them wear police uniform and a helmet, without considering the sentiments of the devotees, he alleged.

A large number of devotees blocked the young women and police team escorting them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy 'pathinettam padi' (the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum.

Tension was defused after the women agreed to return as the state government made it clear it did not want to take them to the Sannidhanam, the temple complex, by using force against the protesting devotees.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the previous Congress-led government of not being serious about poverty alleviation and working only to promote the "name of a particular family".

Addressing an event at the famous temple town of Shirdi in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district after offering prayers at the Saibaba temple, Modi said there was a need to defeat divisive forces for all inclusive development.

He sought to highlight the difference between his and the previous governments, saying the current dispensation was working "faster" for providing shelter to the poor.

"The previous (UPA) government built only 25 lakh houses for the poor in the last four years of its rule, while the present NDA government has created 1.25 crore houses in its four-year tenure," Modi said.

He reiterated his government's aim to ensure that all the homeless get shelter by 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of Independence.

Modi interacted with some beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) from different parts of Maharashtra through video-conferencing and also symbolically handed over keys of houses to some.

"In the last four years, the government has made serious efforts to provide proper houses to the poor living in shanties," Modi said.

"Efforts were made in the past too. But unfortunately, their sole objective was to promote the name of a particular family, instead of empowering the poor by providing shelter to them. Their aim was to create a vote-bank," he alleged, without naming anyone.

Modi said the previous government would take 18 months to build a house, while the NDA government was doing it in less than 12 months.

"Had the same (UPA) government been in power now, it would have taken 20 years to build these (1.25 crore) houses and you would have to wait 20 years to get the houses," he said attacking the previous Manmohan Singh-led government.

Besides reducing the time taken for constructing a house, the government has also increased its size as well as the monetary assistance from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.20 lakh (for each house), the prime minister said.

"The beneficiaries are chosen in a transparent manner and the subsidy is directly transferred to the bank account of the beneficiaries," he said.

"People and resources are the same, but since our government has a clean intention of welfare of the poor, the results are also faster," he said.

Modi also talked about the Centre's 'Ayushman Bharat' healthcare scheme (also known as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana), saying that one lakh people were benefited within a month of its launch. The average claim made by each beneficiary was Rs 20,000, he added.

He said under Ayushman Bharat, 50 crore poor people would get free medical treatment up to Rs five lakh per year for serious ailments.

"Modern medical infrastructure is coming up in tier two and tier three cities and it is also an employment opportunity for the youth," he noted.

Observing that Maharashtra has reported deficient rainfall this year, Modi assured that the Centre would provide assistance to the state through the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme.

The Prime Minister also lauded the state government's 'Jalyukt Shivar Yojana'- a water conservation scheme, saying that it helped 16,000 villages.

Modi said his government was focusing on development of tourism in places like Shirdi, Ajanta and Ellora (in Aurangabad district).

Noting that Maharashtra had produced social reformers who propagated social harmony, Modi called for the need to defeat divisive forces for all inclusive development.

Interacting with the PMAY beneficiaries from Nandurbar, Amravati, Solapur, Nagpur, Latur, Thane and Satara, Modi said the happiness on their faces gave him "immense joy" and energy to work harder.

Speaking to the beneficiaries mostly in Marathi, Modi said the PMAY was an effort to fight poverty and urged them to empower themselves and the next generation through education. The 'e-griha pravesh' of 40,000 PMAY beneficiaries was held.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that like in 2015, this year too the Centre will support the state's scarcity relief measures. "This year, the state has received only 77 per cent rainfall of the average rain," he said.

Before the event, Modi offered prayers at the Saibaba temple and took part in an event marking conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Mahasamadhi centenary programme organised by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust. According to devotees, Sai Baba took Mahasamadhi or left the mortal form on the day of Dussehra or Vijayadashami in 1918.

On the occasion, the PM also released a silver coin to commemorate Saibaba Mahasamadhi centenary year celebrations.

He also performed the ground breaking ceremony (bhumi pujan) for various projects worth Rs 485.54 crore. They include a 10 MW solar power system, anew "darshan" queue shelter worth Rs 112.41 crore and Sai Knowledge (Sai Srushti, planetarium and wax museum over 8.20 hectare costing Rs 166.39 crore).

In his message written in the visitors' book after offering prayers at the temple, Modi said, "I felt immense peace after 'darshan' of Saibaba. His message of faith and patience is one which inspires the entire humanity."

The PM said that in Shirdi, one gets to witness the spirit of equality of all religions and people from all faiths bow before Saibaba.

"I bow before Saibaba's feet with the wish that all devotees of Saibaba get his blessings and achieve happiness and peace," Modi wrote in Hindi.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi in Madhya Pradesh

Congress President Rahul Gandhi will address two public meetings in Telangana on Saturday in the run-up to the December 7 assembly elections, party sources said Friday.

According to Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee official spokesperson Shravan Dasoju, Rahul Gandhi would address a public meeting at Bhainsa town of Adilabad district and another one in Kamareddy.

"He will be coming to Bhainsa from from Nanded in Maharashtra. After the public meetings, he will be reaching Hyderabad and hoist the Congress flag near Charminar here and address the gathering on the occasion of Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Yatra commemoration day," he said.

Former Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh K Rosaiah will be conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Yatra commemoration award, the party had earlier announced.

This is the Congress president's first visit after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the Assembly polls in the state.

The Election Commission (EC) had on October 6 announced the election schedule for five states, including Telangana, which will go to the polls on December 7.

The Telangana Assembly was dissolved on September 6.

The Congress party is currently holding discussions with Telugu Desam Party, CPI and Telangana Jana Samithi on seat sharing.

The trio in principle agreed to forge alliance with the Congress to counter the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samiti.

Seat-sharing issues are expected to be resolved and the list of candidates is expected to be announced after Rahul Gandhi's visit, party sources said.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh met visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 20 and discussed with him issues related to security and anti-terror cooperation between India and the island nation. (Image: PTI)

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said technological solutions in border security, which were being implemented by India, would eliminate the need for a soldier to stand guard round-the-clock to protect the borders.

He said a comprehensive integrated border management system was being implemented by the government to strengthen border security and a pilot project under the system was launched in Jammu.

"We want that such technological solutions be used where there is fencing because it gets damaged after some time. This will ensure a complete border security," Singh said while addressing BSF jawans here.

"We are going to implement this too this will take time but our jawans will not have the need to stand guard constantly round-the-clock on the border for protection," he said.

Singh said there would a command and control centre where the soldiers would monitor activities on the border.

"They will get to know if any intruder is entering into India and the nearest border outpost will be alerted by the command and control centre and security will be ensured," he said.

Singh said the people of the nation had faith in the BSF jawans and it had increased rapidly recently. He also claimed the Pakistani rangers were jittery due to the BSF.

Singh said he had seen their hard work when they guarded borders and also in Naxal and terrorism-affected areas.

"You have a feeling of national respect which inspires you. It was the feeling which had inspired Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh and Khudiram Bose to fight for the freedom of the country," he said.

He was speaking after the worship of weapons or 'Shastra Pujan'.

He said there would be no need to use weapons if the neighbouring country stopped using them.

Highlighting the significance of Dussehra, he said Rama was worshipped on the occasion instead of Ravana, who was rich, powerful, intelligent, because it was "character" which made a difference.

Senior BSF officers were also present on the occasion. The minister is also scheduled to visit the Indo-Pak border during his visit to the border district.
Mobile service customers who want to get their Aadhaar details removed from the records of telecom operators would need to provide alternative verification documents, industry body COAI said.

The Cellular Operators Association of India, as also directed by the Department of Telecom, said that the services will not be disconnected during the change in the documentation process.

"Telecom players had a meeting with the Department of Telecom and they have been clarified that customers willing to get their Aadhaar details deleted from telecom operator database should be allowed to do so against valid identity and address proof," COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews said.

COAI, whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea etc, said Aadhaar remains a valid document for customer verification like other government authorised documents including passport, PAN card, Driving License, Voter ID etc, however, while getting a new connection, no authentication of subscriber details by UIDAI will be done now.

"Telecom operators always comply with instructions and regulations passed by DoT and we will adhere to the Hon'ble Supreme Court's verdict. We shall await further orders and instructions from DoT," Mathews said.

He said that Aadhaar is a robust and convenient method of subscriber authentication.

"The industry is prepared to work closely with DoT to find viable and legal solutions of using Aadhaar based identification process which also fits with the Government's Digital India mission. Currently, we are closely working with DoT to build a completely hassle-free alternate digital verification process. Customers' convenience tops the priority for our member operators and the industry is committed to ensure that subscribers face no disturbances whatsoever," Mathews said.

He said customers who want to get their Aadhaar erased from operators database will need to call their operators to check about point of sales or service where they need to go with request for deletion of Aadhaar records.

The government said there is no threat of discontinuation of mobile numbers issued using Aadhaar, following the Supreme Court ruling that barred use of the national biometric ID by private companies.

Debunking reports that over 50 crore, or half of the mobile SIMs in the country, face deactivation, the Department of Telecommunication and the 12-digit unique identity number-issuing authority UIDAI in a joint statement said, mobile phone users at their choice can seek a change of their Aadhaar-based authentication done in the past with alternate proof of identity without any disconnection of the number.

An alternative form for buying new SIMs through a mobile app that will time capture photograph of persons along with ID proof such as Aadhaar card, voter ID or passport is in the works.

"The Supreme Court in its judgement in Aadhaar case has nowhere directed that the mobile number which has been issued through Aadhaar e-KYC has to be disconnected," it said.

Terming the report as "completely untrue and imaginary", the government said there is no reason for panic or fear at all.

"People should not believe in such rumours," it said.
Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), gestures as he prays during a conclave on the outskirts of Pune, India, January 3, 2016. Thousands of volunteers attended the gathering which was held to promote the organisation and reach out to the society, according to local media reports. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui - RTX20VO6

Shekhar Iyer

Sometimes what is not explicitly stated may be more important than what is said upfront. Nothing best illustrates this than Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwats customary Vijayadashmi address on October 18.

Being his last speech before the next round of polls  for Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana  in November and December and for the Lok Sabha early next year, Bhagwat outlined key issues including what he described as the much-delayed resolution of the Ram temple issue.

There were several pointers in his speech to current controversies hogging the limelight, including the Rafale deal and the #MeToo movement, by allusion and not by direct reference.

His push for the temple caught headlines as it coincided with Hindutva groups mounting pressure on the Centre for early construction of the temple in Ayodhya.

On September 27, a three-judge bench led by the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra refused to refer to a five-judge bench a 24-year-old judgment, which held that the offering prayers in a mosque is not an essential feature of Islam. This is supposed to have cleared all hurdles for a regular hearing on the title suit to decide on the ownership of the disputed 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya.

Bhagwats suggestion to the government to expedite the building of the temple through appropriate and requisite law is bound to be seen as putting pressure on the Centre for an ordinance (and later a legislation).

Bhagwats reasoning on the temple issue is a summary of arguments always held by the hardcore Hindutva groups. They believe  as put forth by the RSS chief himself  that "there is an obvious game-plan of a few elements to stall the judgment by presenting various newer interventions in the judicial process".

However, an ordinance route, as stated earlier, is not Prime Minister Narendra Modis preferred approach when the matter is before the apex court. Yet, an adverse outcome for the BJP in the state polls in November-December could tempt the party leadership to think of this option to salvage the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls.

However, the thrust of Bhagwats address is more than cheers for Modi and his government though the results so far have been less than satisfactory for the RSS.

Unlike last year when the RSS chiefs speech was seen as veiled criticism of the governments economic policies, this time Bhagwat appears to share the anguish of many BJP leaders that the bureaucracy has not be an enthusiastic partner in the prime ministers plans for India.

As he put it, "the administrative sensitivity, alacrity, transparency and totality in the implementation of good policies of the government are still not up to the expectations. Resultantly, the outcome of those policies is not percolating down to the last man standing in the society."

Be as it may seem, Bhagwat has underlined solid support for the right people (read the BJP) in coming days. Whether the Lok Sabha polls in 2019 or the state polls this year, the Sangh cadre will do more than their bit. They will fan across the country to impress upon on the people to vote in larger numbers. In doing so, they would also emphasise on "the decision we make on that single day of the election makes us bear the brunt of good and bad effects in the short term as well as the long-lasting gains and losses for many years".

Modi and other BJP leaders should be happy that Bhagwat will get his men and women to remind all voters that they "will have to ponder over dispassionately upon the sincerity and capability of the candidate, commitment of the party on the issues of national interest and for the integrity of the nation and experiences of past and present actions of both candidates and parties".

This should be read as highlighting the failures of the previous governments, particularly the Congress. A defeat for the BJP is not in the best interest of the RSS or the nation. Nothing can be more heartening for a BJP worker than to hear it straight this from his partys political mentor.

(Shekhar Iyer is former senior associate editor of Hindustan Times and political editor of Deccan Herald. Views are personal)
HIV/AIDS | Period: 1980 | Symptoms: Rapid weight loss, fever, pneumonia, diarrhea, sore throat | This transmitted disease had an estimate of 70 million infected people since then and around 35 million people have died. (Image: PTI)

A blue antiviral pill has reportedly led to an unprecedented reduction in new HIV cases among men across Sydney and other parts of Australia, Bloomberg reported quoting a Lancet HIV medical journal.

New HIV cases among gay and bisexual men in these regions fell by almost a third, the lowest on record, according to the worlds first study to measure the impact of Gilead Sciences Truvada pill on reducing the AIDS-causing virus in a large population.

The number of new HIV infections in gay and bisexual men in the state of New South Wales stood at 102 in the first year after the study began, compared with 149 infections in the 12 months prior, the report said.

"The speed of the decline weve seen in new HIV infections in gay and bisexual men is a world first," study leader Andrew Grulich, Head of HIV Epidemiology and Prevention at the Kirby Institute of the University of New South Wales said, adding that these numbers are the lowest on record since HIV surveillance began in 1985.

Read  Health ministry rolls out HIV AIDS Act. Here is all you need to know

This result may pave the way for other states and countries to stop transmission of the virus with the use of a treatment called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, the report said. This has also shown that a targeted, preventative approach may accelerate progress on ending the AIDS epidemic.

The progress made against the spread of AIDs over the past 15 years has pushed the UN member states to end the epidemic by 2030. The number of people newly infected with HIV fell to 1.8 million worldwide in 2017, from more than 3 million a year through most of the 1990s.

According to a UN report, new HIV infections in India fell from 1.2 lakh in 2010 to 88,000 in 2017. AIDS-related deaths fell from 1.6 lakh to 69,000 in the same period. Even the number of people living with HIV in the country came down to 21 lakh at the end of 2017, from 23 lakh at the end of 2010.

Read  AIDS-related deaths in India declined 56.8% between 2010 and 2017: UN

While the results of this study can not be generalized to indicate similar efficacy in heterosexual populations, they do demonstrate that PrEP is 'highly cost-effective' in certain high-risk groups, Grulich told the news agency.

"While weve known for at least three or four years now of individual-level efficacy of PrEP, there has been some reticence around the world by policymakers to properly fund the rollout of PrEP because the population impact hasnt been shown  and thats what we set out to do," Grulich said.

About 1.8 million people in the US were taking Truvada for PrEP as of June end, Robin L Washington, Gileads Chief Financial Officer, had said in a conference call in July.

After a positive effect on HIV infections, Truvada's use is likely to go up.

Read  Insurers cannot deny insurance to HIV-positive individuals: IRDAI

"We see the nice steady growth of Truvada for the use of PrEP," Gileads Chief Executive Officer John F Milligan told the Morgan Stanley Global Health Care Conference last month, adding that areas of the US with the highest uptake of PrEP had achieved some of the best reductions in HIV infections.

The blue, oval-shaped pill is a fixed-dose combination of the drugs tenofovir, disoproxil and emtricitabine. Generic versions of Truvada made by Mylan NV, Cipla and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries have made the medication available more cheaply.

Milligan added that they will be working on a number of things in the coming year that could really increase the number of patients on PrEP.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for the German Unification Day celebrations at the Berlin Cathedral in Berlin, Germany. Photo: Reuters

German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a rallying call for free trade as EU and Asian leaders met to unite in defiance of US President Donald Trump's "America first" approach.

As disputes fester with Washington, the EU wants to use the 12th summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to build support for the global trading system, as well as the fight against climate change.

More than 50 senior figures from Asia and Europe gathered in Brussels for the two-day meet, including the prime ministers of China, Japan and Russia.

The leaders are expected to voice their backing for the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which Trump has accused of treating the US unfairly.

The mercurial US president has relentlessly pursued a confrontational trade policy, including imposing harsh tariffs on steel and aluminium, and on $250 billion in annual imports from China.

Merkel, the head of Europe's biggest economy which Trump has targeted for criticism, rejected the idea that trade deals must be about winners and losers.

"The summit shows that countries from Europe and Asia, which all want a rule-based world trade, are gathering here to commit themselves to multilateralism and this is an important signal," Merkel told reporters.

"I believe that we can make it clear that the world is about creating win-win situations, making it clear that what benefits one can also benefit the other."

The EU will ink a landmark trade deal with Singapore on the margins of the summit on October 19 in what Brussels hopes will be a clear rebuttal of rising US protectionism.

Korean detente will also be on the agenda, with senior EU officials to hold talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Earlier this week Moon said world powers needed to reassure the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he had taken the right decision in committing to scrap his nuclear weapons programme.

The EU will also seek to shore up support for the beleaguered Iran nuclear deal, which suffered a hammer blow when the US pulled out earlier this year and reimposed sanctions on Iran -- despite the desperate pleas of European allies.

But Europe's desire to build a united front with Asian powers will be tempered by grave concerns about numerous human rights issues in countries across the continent.

The EU has warned Cambodia and Myanmar that they could face losing preferential trading privileges with the bloc over election irregularities and the Rohingya crisis, respectively.

A brutal military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in northern Myanmar which began last year has forced more than 700,000 to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.

A group of Rohingya organisations demanded the EU use the summit to press Myanmar over the crisis.

"We are appalled that European and Asian leaders have left off their agenda the most urgent refugee crisis in the world -- the plight of the Rohingya," the group said in a statement.
A SWAT poice team takes part in a military and police drill in preparation for the temporary closure of the holiday island Boracay in Philippines.(Reuters)

China and Southeast Asian states will hold their first joint maritime exercises next week, officials said on Friday, in a move aimed at easing tensions but which may spark US alarm.

Beijing's expansive claims to the South China Sea have long been a source of friction with rival claimants in Southeast Asia, as well as Washington which has traditionally been the dominant naval power in the area.

Despite disagreements over Beijing's territorial ambitions, China and Southeast Asia are trying to strike a more conciliatory tone in an effort to stop tensions from spiralling dangerously out of control.

As part of this, the navies of China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are set to hold their first joint drills, which will take place in the South China Sea.

"As we speak, the navies of ASEAN are en route to Zhanjiang in China for the ASEAN-China Maritime Exercise," Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said.

Making the announcement at a gathering of ASEAN defence ministers in Singapore, also attended by US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart, Ng said the drills would help to "build trust, confidence".

The city of Zhanjiang in southern China is home to the South Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army.

Tabletop exercises between ASEAN and China were held in Singapore in August to prepare for next week's drills.

US officials may be alarmed that traditional allies and partners in Southeast Asia appear to be drawing closer to China, at a time when concern is already growing in Asia about American commitment to the region under US President Donald Trump.

In an apparent effort to lessen any such fears, Ng also said ASEAN was planning to hold maritime exercises with the US for the first time next year.

Hoang Thi Ha, a political analyst with the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said next week's exercises were aimed at "demonstrating that China and ASEAN are managing well their maritime problems".

But she added its significance should not be overstated as it was a one-off drill in waters that were not disputed.

"The US is not losing ground exactly because ASEAN chooses to be open and inclusive," she told AFP.

The Southeast Asian defence ministers also agreed on guidelines to prevent unplanned encounters between their military aircraft, and will propose them to other countries, including the US and China, at a meeting on Saturday, Ng said.

They are aimed at reducing the likelihood that a chance encounter could spiral into conflict in the case of a miscalculation.

Four ASEAN members -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- have conflicting claims in the South China Sea with Beijing.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire area, including waters near the shores of smaller countries.

Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand are ASEAN's other members.

Concerns have escalated dramatically in recent years as China started building artificial islands on reefs in disputed waters, and it has also constructed military facilities and airstrips.

Washington has expressed alarm over the island-building, saying it could affect freedom of navigation in the sea, which hosts some of the world's most vital commercial shipping lanes.

At Friday's meeting, Mattis reiterated Washington's concern "about the militarisation of the features in the South China Sea".

"No single nation can rewrite the international rules of the road, and we expect all nations -- large and small -- to respect those rules," he added.

The Pentagon chief met Thursday with his Chinese counterpart, General Wei Fenghe, on the sidelines of the gathering as they sought to normalise military relations that have dramatically soured over trade and sanctions tensions.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz attend the ceremony for signing a Free Trade Agreement with Singapore during the EU-ASEM summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 19, 2018. Francisco Seco/Pool via REUTERS - RC11F7F62CB0

The European Union and Singapore signed a landmark trade deal on October 19 on the sidelines of a Europe-Asia summit that Brussels hopes can be a rebuke to protectionism in Washington.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong signed the accord in Brussels with European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, whose country currently holds the EU Presidency.

Hailing the Singapore agreement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "we can make it clear that the world is about creating win-win situations."

These deals "make it clear that what benefits one, can also benefit the other," she added as she arrived for an EU-Asia summit where the deal was signed, in a tacit criticism of US President Donald Trump.

The text still needs to be validated by the European Parliament before it enters into force in 2019.

The leaders also signed of the EU-Singapore Investment Protection Agreement, the more controversial aspect of the package as it sets up a special court to decide business conflicts.

After a successful battle spearheaded by environmental activists in Europe, this aspect of the deal must now face ratification by the EU's 28 member states, a process that could take months or years.

"It is a very important stepping stone, this is the most ambitious agreement we have ever made with a developing country so it sets the standard ... for whatever we do in the region," EU Trade Commission Cecilia Malmstrom said on October 17.

"What we have with Singapore is ... paving the way for a future region-to-region agreement," Malmstrom added.

The deal with Singapore came after the EU suspended effort to strike a bloc deal with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2009 amid widespread disagreements, including European concerns over Myanmar's human rights record.

The EU has instead pursued deals with individual ASEAN countries and concluded talks in 2015 with Vietnam.
Nirmala Sitharaman

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on October 19 held a series of bilateral meetings with her counterparts from ASEAN nations and US Defence Secretary James Mattis on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meet.

Defence Ministers from ASEAN countries and that of Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia, and the US have gathered for the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the 5th ADMM-Plus, which is being hosted by Singapore.

The ADMM and ADMM-Plus serves as key Ministerial-level platforms in the regional security architecture, promoting strategic dialogue and practical cooperation between ASEAN and its partners.

"Smt @nsitharaman in a bilateral meeting with #SecDef James Mattis, United States Secretary of Defense on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meet (Plus) in Singapore," the defence minister tweeted.

Sitharaman also met her Malaysian counterpart Mohamad bin Sabu, Australian Defence Minister Christopher Pyne, Philippines' Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana and Vietnam Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich during her fast-paced day-long meetings.

She will also hold a bilateral meeting with her Singapore counterpart Dr Ng Eng Hen.

According to sources, India and Singapore will extend their already comprehensive bilateral defence collaboration.

A new agreement is likely to be signed for the Army-to-Army collaboration as well as bilateral hosting of logistics and furthering supports for exchange visits by of naval vessels of the two countries, the sources said.

Both the countries conduct regular exercises involving the armed forces, navies and air forces.

India and Singapore will also be celebrating 25 years of SINBEX, an annual exercise with a two-week naval exercise programme in the Bay of Bengal in the coming weeks.

Sitharaman arrived on October 18 and will return home on October 21.
Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan wished all Hindu citizens on the occasion of Diwali. Prime Minister Imran Khan wishes a happy Diwali to all Hindu citizens, tweeted Prime Ministers Office in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will attend a high-profile investment conference in Saudi Arabia next week, Pakistan Foreign Office announced Friday, amid a string of cancellations from top global business leaders over the mysterious disappearance of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The Foreign Office said Prime Minister Khan will visit Riyadh on October 23 on the special invitation of Saudi King Salman to participate in the three-day 'Future Investment Initiative' conference touted as 'Davos in the desert'.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan's participation on the first day of the conference is aimed at projecting Pakistan's economic and investment potential and the Prime Minister's vision of the country in the five years to come," it said.

The Prime Minister's participation in the conference signifies our solidarity with the Kingdom in its efforts to become emerging hub of international business and investment, the statement said.

The announcement comes a day after US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he had decided against attending the conference.

"Just met with Donald Trump and Secretary Pompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia," he tweeted.

Mnuchin joined a long list of top US and global leaders, corporate executives and International Monetary Fund and World Bank officials in opting out of the conference following the disappearance of 60-year-old Khashoggi that has sparked global outrage.

Saudi Journalist Khashoggi, a well known critic of the Saudi Crown Prince has not been seen since October 2 when he entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul. He is feared to have been killed inside the mission.

Britain's Trade Minister Liam Fox, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra have also pulled out of the conference.

The conference is part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan to transform the oil-dependent economy.

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon and the heads of America's top investment firms  Blackrock and Blackstone  are among the leading figures who have decided to stay away.

Top executives at Ford, MasterCard (MA) and Google have also pulled out, besides the CEOs of Europe's top banks  HSBC, Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered.

The conference aims to host leading businesspersons, investors, corporate giants, representatives of hi-tech industry and major media outlets at one platform.

Prime Minister Khan will also call on King Salman and meet the Crown Prince Muhammad and discuss matters of mutual interest, the Foreign Office said.

Khan, who assumed office in August, last toured Saudi Arabia on September 18 and met King Salman.
Donald Trump

President Donald Trump said on Thursday he presumes missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and that the US response to Saudi Arabia will likely be "very severe" but that he still wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened.

Turkish police are searching a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul and a city near the Sea of Marmara for the remains of Khashoggi more than two weeks after he vanished after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters.

Trump, who has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and the 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that Khashoggi, a US resident and Washington Post columnist, had likely been killed.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad," Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One on a political trip. In an interview with the New York Times on Thursday, Trump based his acknowledgment that Khashoggi was dead on intelligence reports.

Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate and his body chopped up and removed. Riyadh strongly denies the allegations and said it is investigating the disappearance of the journalist, who was critical of Saudi rulers, calling for reforms.

Trump spoke hours after receiving an update from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the results of Pompeo's emergency talks in Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week.

In the New York Times interview, Trump also expressed confidence in intelligence reports that suggest a high-level Saudi role in the suspected killing of Khashoggi. Trump said, however, it was still "a little bit early" to draw definitive conclusions about who may have been behind it.

Pompeo told reporters that he advised Trump that Saudi Arabia should be given a few more days to complete its investigation into the disappearance of Khashoggi, which has caused an international outcry and strained Saudi relations with western countries and corporations.

Trump said he was waiting for the results so that "we can get to the bottom of this very soon" and that he would be making a statement about it at some point.

Asked what would be the consequences for Saudi Arabia, Trump said: "Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens."

The United States considers Riyadh a linchpin in efforts to contain Iran's regional influence and a key global oil source, and Trump has shown no inclination to mete out harsh punishment to the Saudis. The United States and other Western nations are in a dilemma of how to respond because of lucrative business ties, including weapons sales to Riyadh.

Referring to the Saudis, Pompeo said he told Trump that when the Saudi investigation was completed "we can make decisions about how - or if - the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

By casting doubt on whether the United States will respond at all, Pompeo reflected the internal struggle among Trump and his national security advisers on what to do should the Saudi leadership be blamed for what happened to Khashoggi.

"I think it's important for us all to remember, too - we have a long, since 1932, a long strategic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Pompeo told reporters, also calling Saudi Arabia "an important counterterrorism partner."

A US government source said that US intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced of the crown prince's culpability in the operation against Khashoggi, which they believe resulted in his death.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin abandoned plans to attend an October 23-25 investor conference in Riyadh as did executives from Goldman Sachs Group Inc., putting the high-profile event in question.

"This incident is unacceptable and clearly they have to answer questions specifically regarding this incident," Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told CNBC.

Earlier on Thursday, senior government ministers from France, Britain and the Netherlands also withdrew from the Riyadh conference, joining a list of international officials and business executives.

How Western allies deal with Riyadh will hinge on the extent to which they believe responsibility for Khashoggi's disappearance lies with Prince Mohammed and the Saudi authorities.

Trump previously speculated without providing evidence that "rogue killers" could be responsible.

POLICE SEARCH FOREST, RURAL LOCATION

After investigations at the Saudi consulate and the consul's residence, Turkish authorities have widened the geographic focus of the search, the senior Turkish officials said. Investigators tracked the routes and stops of cars that left those two places on Oct. 2, the officials said.

Khashoggi's killers may have dumped his remains in Belgrad Forest adjacent to Istanbul, and at a rural location near the city of Yalova, a 90-kilometre (55 mile) drive south of Istanbul, the officials said.

"The investigations led to some suspicion that his remains may be in the city of Yalova and the Belgrad forest, police have been searching these areas," one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. A "farm house or villa" may have been used for the disposal of remains, the official said.

The pro-government Sabah newspaper published a series of photos of a man it identified as someone who travels with the Saudi crown prince. The time-stamped photos showed the man outside the Saudi consulate building in Istanbul on the morning Khashoggi disappeared, Sabah said.

Khashoggi went to the consulate seeking documents for his planned marriage to his Turkish fiancee, who was waiting outside, and was never seen again.
The United States is requesting that a World Trade Organization dispute resolution panel get involved in a clash over international retaliation over US tariffs on steel and aluminium, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

The requests, filed on Thursday, cover tariffs by China, the European Union, Canada and Mexico, which followed the United States imposing a 25 percent duty on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminium imports, which it justified on national security grounds.

Canada, Mexico and China had also planned to ask for a WTO panel examining those tariffs, according to another government official familiar with the matter. Earlier on Thursday, Norway said that it, the EU and other countries would seek the WTO dispute group's help.

Officials representing the countries' trade delegations could not immediately be reached after normal business hours. The WTO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The dispute marks a new dimension to the ongoing skirmish between the United States and a number of its trading partners as well as the WTO itself, where it has blocked appointments of new judges. The WTO is presiding over a record number of disputes, many of them triggered by Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminium and his trade war with China.

Norway earlier said initial consultations with the United States had not led to an agreeable solution, and therefore the Nordic country had joined others in asking the WTO to set up the panel to obtain an independent assessment of the matter.

"We believe that additional U.S. duty on steel and aluminium is contrary to WTO rules," Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide said in a statement.

"Therefore, together with the EU and several others, we asked today the WTO to establish a dispute resolution panel on the U.S. additional duty," she said.

In Brussels, meanwhile, the EU, Norway and Switzerland sought Asian support for free trade, the Iran nuclear deal and fighting global warming at a regional summit that included China, Japan and Russia as a counterbalance to a more protectionist United States.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC on Wednesday that trade negotiations with China appear to have taken a brief pause, and he tamped down expectations that the countries would make substantial progress toward an agreement at an upcoming G20 meeting.

Despite striking a deal with Washington to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexico and Canada remain subject to the metals tariffs.

On Tuesday, EU trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom held talks with Ross in Brussels on improving trade relations, though Washington accused the bloc of moving too slowly in negotiations.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu termed terror as a major threat to peace and stability and called for an early conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the ASEM Summit.

Naidu was addressing the plenary and retreat session at the summit.

The vice president had inaugurated the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit with the theme "Global Partners for Global Challenges" on October 18.

Naidu stated that India valued ASEM as a platform that brings together the leadership of Asia and Europe to exchange views and address global challenges.

Terming terrorism as a major threat to peace and stability, he called for an early conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism while stressing that peace is the prerequisite for progress and it cannot be achieved without combatting terrorism.

He said criminal misappropriation of public assets by economic offenders was posing a threat to the integrity of financial systems. He also expressed the need for international cooperation to deny shelter to economic offenders including by enhancing mechanisms for automatic exchange of information.

He elaborated on the various initiatives undertaken by the Indian government to promote inclusive governance, women's welfare, sustainable development and digitalisation.

He pointed out that the biggest driver to prevent climate change was the elimination of poverty through sustainable use of resources. He called on ASEM partners to join the International Solar Alliance, which symbolises Asia-Europe cooperation, an initiative launched by India and France.

Citing India's international connectivity projects, Naidu emphasised "connectivity initiatives must meet universally recognised international norms such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity".

"Connecting nations, connecting the hearts and minds and connecting economic development with environmental protection is at the heart of our shared commitment", he said.

Naidu asserted that "India's development architecture is underpinned by collective efforts for inclusive development" as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly emphasised.
On 17th October, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) came out with its financial results for the second quarter (Q2) of FY18-19 results. However, more than the numbers, the buzz was created by its announcement of plan to acquire 66% stake in Den Networks and 51.30% stake in Hathway Cable, which will lead to consolidation in wired broadband space just like the telecom space.

But what is interesting is some people may have known about this information and acted on it and pocketed huge gains. The price action of these two stocks before the announcement points to a clear-cut case of insider trading.

From the end of August, the scrips of Hathway Cable and Den Networks have risen a whopping 57% and 53%, respectively. That too when the Nifty is down 11% and the Small Cap index is down 21%.

There have been no developments on these stocks whatsoever, to warrant such dramatic rise. And how is it that these two completely different stocks rose at the same time in a market hit by bear hammering? The only common element is what came out later, which is RIL buying a controlling stake in both these companies.

It is clear that a small group had the inside information of these deals that has led to these stocks rising in so much in a market going through a huge turmoil, where almost all stocks are down.

Insider trading is rampant in India. This is not the first time, we have pointed out in insider trading in listed companies. However, in almost all cases, the response from market regulator, SEBI, was not up to the mark. In fact, in many cases, entities behind insider trading got away either with miniscule fine or through consent.

We wrote about insider trading in Infosys Ltd in 2013 before the return of NR Narayan Murthy at the helm, then in Ranbaxy Lab in 2014 before it was acquired by Sun Pharma and many more.

In case of Infosys, when the BSE Sensex was down 455 points on 31 May 2013, the company scrip was up 3.32%. That too when its peers like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and HCL Technologies were flat. Next day, i.e. on 1 June 2013, Infosys announced that its main founder Mr Murthy, who was on a retirement, would be returning to the company as executive chairman of the board and as an additional director for five years.

As a matter of perspective, this was the highest percentage decline in the Sensex in 14 months and the highest rise for Infosys in one and half months, both happening on the same day! Clearly, someone knew that Mr Murthy was coming back and that many investors will see this as a positive development. There is a prima facie suspicion of insider trading. ( Read: Someone knew Narayana Murthy is coming back and traded on it

In 2014, Sudhir Valia, executive director of Sun Pharma bet big in the scrips of Ranbaxy Laboratories it was bought for $4 billion by Sun. Over six trading days, prior to the announcement of its acquisition by Sun Pharma, shares of Ranbaxy had rallied 34%.

Read: Was Sun Pharma's Valia betting big on Ranbaxy? & Insider trading in Ranbaxy? ) According to information available on the BSE, Silverstreet Developers, a firm in which Mr Valia was one of the partners, were found buying stake in Ranbaxy since December quarter of 2013. Silverstreet Developers LLP's stake in Ranbaxy was 1.41% as on December 2013 end. The stake increased to 1.64% at the end of March 2014. And days after this, Sun Pharma announced the big takeover. (

During the same year, there were massive volumes and a hefty price rise in ING Vysya scrip one month before the Kotak Mahindra Bank merger deal. At the beginning of October 2014, the 1,000 ING Vysya shares were worth just 586 shares of Kotak Mahindra. This value went up marginally, but soon dropped to 573 shares of Kotak Mahindra for 1,000 shares of ING Vysya. From then on, it started gaining momentum, and reached up to 704 shares of Kotak Mahindra, as per the closing price on 20 November 2014, the date of the announcement. And what was the merger ratio? 725! ( Read: Insider trading in ING Vysya stock?)

In July 2018, Moneylife wrote how directors and promoters of BK Birla group company Kesoram Industries may have allegedly indulged in large-scale insider trading in the process short-changing minority shareholders hundreds of crores.

As of 31 March 2015, Kesoram held 27.46 lakh shares of Century Textiles. On 22 March 2016, Kesoram sold all these shares to Camden Industries for Rs141 crore in a bulk deal. In FY17-18, Kesoram invested another Rs400 crore in Cygnet Industries, its wholly owned subsidiary. Cygnet Industries used this amount to buyback 27.46 lakh shares of Century Textiles from Camden Industries in three transactions on 5th, 11th and 12 December 2017; for Rs355 crore. Thus, it is alleged that Camden Industries made a clean profit of Rs214 crore.

Then Cygnet Industries sold these 27.46 lakh shares of Century Textiles to Pilani Investments, a promoter entity of Kesoram, in two transactions on 7th and 14 June 2018, for Rs255 crore and in the process realised an allegedly loss of Rs100 crore.

In this entire round tripping, Camden Industries allegedly made a profit of Rs214 crore but Kesoram shareholders lost Rs100 crore through Cygnet Industries. Also during FY15-16, Kesoram had through a slump sale, sold its spun pipes and chemical business to Camden Industries for Rs400 crore. These businesses were again bought back by Kesoram in FY17-18 for Rs422 crore.
Shares of Hydroponics Company Ltd [ASX:THC] are down almost 5% after a number of assertions and allegations from Agri Fibre industries and Pegasus Agriculture.

The companies are seeking the immediate conversion of a number of performance shares issued by Hydroponics at the time of the companys IPO in May 2017 into fully paid ordinary shares.

Hydroponics maintains that the claims are without merit, but its share price today hasnt reflected this.

How allegations are hurting Hydroponics share price

In the best interest of the company and its shares, Hydroponics is adamantly denying the assertions and defending any action taken.

AFI and Pegasus are claiming the following performance shares:

AFI  converting on a basis 1:1, with 2,000,000 Class A performance shares, and 12,000,000 Class B performance shares.

Pegasus  converting on a basis 1:1, with 2,500,000 Class C performance shares, and 6,000,000 Class D shares.

In other news, Hydroponics is welcoming Canadas legalisation of recreational cannabis, as its main market being to them, where its fully-owned subsidiary, Crystal Mountain, manufactures as well as distributes hydroponic products.

In order to take advantage of Canadas recreational legalisation of cannabis, hydroponics is expanding its warehouse to meet the expected increase in demand.

However just because there is this new found excitement in cannabis stocks, doesnt mean you dont have to do your research, in fact, its more important now for investors do so.

Its imperative that you know all you can about cannabis before investing in it. Sam Volkerings free guide tells you three things he believes you must do before youve invested in pot stocks. Find out more here.

Hydroponics Globals CEO, Ken Charteris, commented on its operations:

whilst our focus remains on revenue generation from our global medicinal cannabis operations, our expanding presence in the Candian Market through Crystal Mountain and our partners will enable us to take advantage of the broadening of the Canadian market. THC Global has vertically integrated strategy, providing both the means to grow cannabis to miro-cultivators and home-growers from Crystal Mountain with a view towards selling cannabis products into the Canadian market

Whats to come for Hydroponics in the future?

Hydroponics has briefed a legal counsel in regards to the allegations. In the meantime, the company is looking to expand their future operations in order to take advantage of the new prospects in Canada.

Hydroponics is expecting to see good results in the coming quarter, after the combined extra focus on its miro-cultivator and domestic markets, and the launch of its new website with a corporate target rebranding.

Regards,

Ryan Clarkson-Ledward,

For Money Morning

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Australian Economic News Updates Enjoy a contrarian outlook on the Australian economy  and how movements beyond our borders could affect your stocks, retirement fund or the value of your home. Go here for more.

Daily Chinese Economy News Chinas economy has been a powerhouse in recent years. But times are a changing and China, for better or worse, is a subject of heated debate. Are there investment opportunities to be still had from China, and how will they affect your wealth at home? Find out here.

US Economy News The US economy is drowning under the weight of its public and private debt. But is it too soon to call the end of this financial, military and political empire? Only time will tell. Either way, you need to make sure your investments are on the right side of the trade.

Eurozone Economy The Eurozone is in a huge mess right now. Can it hold it together or will, one-by-one, member states leave the Euro and go at it on their own? More importantly, what consequences will this have for Australia and your investments? More on that here.

Global Economy News Dont just follow the news on the global economy  get an inside peek into whats happening in developed and emerging economies around the world  and what it could mean for your investments. Go here for more.
February 21, 2007 Understanding AFRICOM - Part I Understanding AFRICOM:

A Contextual Reading of Empire's New Combatant Command (This is part one of Understanding AFRICOM. Published now are also part II and part III. A PDF version of the complete series is available. Your comments on this are welcome here.) by b real AFRICOM In early February 2007 the White House finally announced a presidential directive to establish by September 2008 a new unified combatant command with an area of responsibility (AOR) solely dedicated to the African continent. While there had been chatter and debate over a period of years about the form that such a military command should take, the announcement to proceed with centralizing military resources in Africa should not have surprised anyone paying attention for the past seven years. The U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) will replace the AOR for each of three other geographic combatant commands (there are now a total of six) currently tasked with portions of the second-largest continent, with the small exception of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) retaining AOR for Egypt. Further details on operations have not been made public apart from the usual basic press briefings and the formation of a transition team, though it not a mystery to identify what role AFRICOM will play in both the U.S. and Africa's future. In many ways, a context for the pending strategic role of AFRICOM can be gained from an understanding of the origins of CENTCOM and the role that it continues to provide in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the many "stans" popping up after the implosion of the former U.S.S.R. That context is centered on strategic energy supplies and, explicitly, that of oil. In the petroleum age, these energy stores - along with the territories concealing them -- have taken on great significance in the foreign policies of the industrialized nations, fueled by an insatiable fever for black gold and the seemingly instant wealth and power it delivers to its possessor. The record-breaking quarterly profits reported by the major oil "producers" over the past few years are only one symbol of the power that oil can bring. Oil is money. But it is also much more, a crucial ingredient in the continuation of modern living as people in the major power centers have come to know it. Oil is the lifeblood of contemporary, militarized western civilization, and at least that much reality has been apparent to its planners for many decades now, especially as the natural deposits in the so-called developed nations dwindle away from over-exploitation and the centers' dependence on the periphery becomes everything. Since the end of the Second World War and the intensified expansion of the modern industrial superpower, the ruling classes of the United States have strategized to guarantee themselves access to and delivery of hydrocarbons from the Persian Gulf region. Having experienced their own domestic production peak in the early 1970s, and perceiving themselves in battle with an international communist conspiracy determined to cast the western capitalist ideology into the dustbin of history, the increasingly powerful rulers of the U.S. pondered their dependency upon the Middle Eastern reserves -- containing perhaps 60% of all known accessible oil on the planet -- and adjusted their foreign policy programs accordingly. Not only was it imperative to secure the spigots, but in line with the trajectory of their long-worn practice of enforcing the Monroe Doctrine in their own hemisphere, by the beginning of the following decade a new doctrine would be in place to extend the U.S. military directly into the Persian Gulf. Michael Klare describes the importance of President Jimmy Carter's decision "in response to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and the Islamic revolution in Iran" [1] as ...the transformation of the U.S. military into a global oil-protection service whose primary function is the guarding of overseas energy supplies as well as their global delivery systems (pipelines, tanker ships, and supply routes). This overarching mission was first articulated by President Jimmy Carter in January 1980, when he described the oil flow from the Persian Gulf as a "vital interest" of the United States, and affirmed that this country would employ "any means necessary, including military force" to overcome an attempt by a hostile power to block that flow.

When President Carter issued this edict, quickly dubbed the Carter Doctrine, the United States did not actually possess any forces capable of performing this role in the Gulf. To fill this gap, Carter created a new entity, the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF), an ad hoc assortment of U.S-based forces designated for possible employment in the Middle East. In 1983, President Reagan transformed the RDJTF into the Central Command (CENTCOM), the name it bears today. CENTCOM exercises command authority over all U.S. combat forces deployed in the greater Persian Gulf area including Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. At present, CENTCOM is largely preoccupied with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it has never given up its original role of guarding the oil flow from the Persian Gulf in accordance with the Carter Doctrine. [2] Indeed, as one only need recall the priority assigned to protecting the oil infrastructure in the 2003 invasion of Iraq (reportedly the campaign was to initially be named Operation Iraqi Liberation, or OIL) and the positioning of military bases along oil routes to see how central these energy supplies are to CENTCOM's missions. In fact, as Klare pointed out in an article from 2004, "[i]n the first U.S. combat operation of the war in Iraq, Navy commandos stormed an offshore oil-loading platform." [3] Originally covering the Gulf states and the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan) CENTCOM's AOR expanded in the 1990s to include the newly independent Central Asian republics after President William Clinton extended the Carter Doctrine to qualify the Caspian Sea basin as another "vital interest" for securing oil and natural gas redistribution. Paradoxically, as the military reach grew, so too did the need for more oil. The Pentagon is currently "the single largest oil consumer in the world." [4] The modern combatant command is an integral component of U.S. national security strategies regarding energy resources, plain and simple. And that is the role which AFRICOM will take up on the resource-rich continent of Africa as the amount of petroleum available globally continues to diminish. This was made clear through the Bush administration's May 2001 National Energy Policy and ensuing governmental objectives. In May 2001 the Cheney report warned that the U.S. would grow increasingly dependent upon foreign oil in the years to come and recommended that as a matter of policy the Bush Administration work to increase production and export of oil from regions other than the Middle East, noting that Latin America and West Africa were likely to be the fastest growing sources of future U.S. oil imports. ... Three months later, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner declared that African oil "has become a national strategic interest." This statement is particularly noteworthy in that it uses the language of the Carter Doctrine in the Middle East, in which President Carter went on to declare that the U.S. would intervene by any means necessary to protect its national interest in Middle Eastern oil. In April 2002, Donald Norland, former U.S. Ambassador to Chad told a Congressional subcommittee: "It's been reliably reported that, for the first time, the two concepts -- 'Africa' and 'U.S. national security' -- have been used in the same sentence in Pentagon documents." [5] The 2002 National Security Strategy> (NSS) outlined a blueprint for military cover enabling increased activity on the continent, positioning the global war on terror (GWOT) as both a key task for military forces and as an amorphous talking point, necessary to justify the stepped up interest in the area. The image of Africa portrayed as a haven of "terrorist cells," "porous borders," "civil wars," "poverty" and "disease", all of which not only makes humanitarian efforts more difficult, but also "threatens .. a core value of the United States -- preserving human dignity." The document also identified "South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ethiopia" as "anchors for regional engagement." One of the only allusions to the role that the National Energy Policy played in this new NSS was the proclamation that "We will strengthen our own energy security and the shared prosperity of the global economy by working with our allies, trading partners, and energy producers to expand the sources and types of global energy supplied, especially in the Western Hemisphere, Africa, Central Asia, and the Caspian region." [6] Nigerians' ears perked up especially. To the military, the goose chase was on. All branches set their main focus on 'winning the war on terror,' and before long, as one former Bush administration official told reporter Raffi Khatchadourian, "Rumsfeld had his goons running all over the continent." [7] The Horn of Africa In 2002, CENTCOM's Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) began establishing a permanent forward operating base at Camp Lemonier, an old French Foreign Legion base in Djibouti, using the pretext of the GWOT. CJTF-HOA, staffed by about 1500 troops, has the mission of "detecting, disrupting and ultimately defeating transnational terrorist groups operating in the region -- denying safe havens, external support and material assistance for transnational terrorism in the region." Initially, it was driven by concerns that terrorists fleeing from Afghanistan would be attracted to the 'vast ungoverned spaces' of the Horn of Africa. When such a mass influx failed to materialize, and the local terrorist threat proved to be relatively limited, CJTF-HOA began giving greater emphasis to its role in preventing terrorism by providing humanitarian assistance and waging a hearts and minds campaign. [8] And a foot in the door... Similar to the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF) that preceded USCENTCOM, these operations have initiated much ground work to gain better insight into the region and increase engagement in Africa. In the majority of cases, interaction within the region meets with less resistance than that experienced by the RDJTF. Specifically with other agencies within the U.S. government, this is best evidenced by the fact that TSCTI and CJTF-HOA have significant interaction with agencies such as the Department of State or USAID. [9] A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report in 2004 informed members of Congress that "SOF units operating with Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) are involved in training selected regional armies in counterterror and counterinsurgency tactics as well as assisting in the apprehension of terrorists operating in the region."[10] Another CRS report for Congress, this time in 2006, stated that Originally, the reported mission of CJTF-HOA was to conduct raids on Al Qaeda targets in the region -- particularly Somalia -- but due to a lack of targets, the mission has instead evolved into gathering intelligence, military training for some of the region's military forces, and building infrastructure and goodwill to create an environment hostile to terrorist organizations.[11] William Arkin's directory, Code Names, summarizes the role of CJTF-HOA as: "The 1,800 personnel at Camp Lemonier coordinate military operations in Kenya, Somali, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Yemen." [12] And a report to the members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) ascribes to it a more enlightened Good Samaritan mission: Such an expansion of military-provided humanitarian and civic assistance is nowhere more evident than in the Horn of Africa. U.S. Central Command oversees some 1800 troops stationed at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, who are tasked with building health clinics, wells and schools in remote areas where government influence is weak and terrorists are known to be recruiting. In an effort to provide evidence of alternatives to religious extremism, small military teams train local forces, gain access and gather information, and provide practical assistance in an attempt to improve the lives of local residents in areas that terrorists may be targeting. [13] Hearts, minds, and souls aside, there is more going on here, as should be expected when placing CJTF-HOA's role into the global energy protection context. As John Foster Bellamy wrote in June 2006, At present the main, permanent U.S. military base in Africa is the one established in 2002 in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, giving the United States strategic control of the maritime zone through which a quarter of the world's oil production passes. The Djibouti base is also close in proximity to the Sudanese oil pipeline. ... The Djibouti base allows the United States to dominate the eastern end of the broad oil swath cutting across Africa that it now considers vital to its strategic interests -- a vast strip running southwest from the 994-mile Higleig-Port Sudan oil pipeline in the east to the 640-mile Chad-Cameroon pipeline and the Gulf of Guinea in the West. [14] In addition to Djibouti, there are prominent forward-operating bases located in Kenya, Ethiopia (two of the nations identified as regional anchors in the NSS), and Uganda, geographically situated near both the southern edge of Sudan (the part where most of the oil is) and the resource-rich, highly-prized Great Lakes region. The first country to conclude a formal agreement with Washington for the use of local military facilities was Kenya, which signed an agreement in February 1980. The Kenyan agreement allows U.S. troops to use the port of Mombassa, as well as airfields at Embakasi and Nanyuki. These facilities were used to support the American military intervention in Somalia 1992-1994 and have been used in the past year [written in 2005] to support forces from the United States and other coalition forces involved in counter-terrorism operations in the region. The United States has signed agreements with Ghana, Senegal, Gabon, Namibia, Uganda, and Zambia to allow American aircraft to refuel at local air bases. In its efforts to secure other basing options, the United States has negotiated agreements granting it access to airfields and other facilities in several African nations. These facilities are often referred to as "lily pad" facilities, because American forces can hop in and out of them in times of crisis while avoiding the impression of establishing a permanent - and potentially provocative - presence. They include Entebbe Airport in Uganda, where the United States has built two "K-Span" steel buildings to house troops and equipment; an airfield near Bamako, the capital of Mali; an airfield at Dakar, Senegal; an airfield in Gabon; and airfields and port facilities in Morocco and Tunisia. [15] Investigative reporter Keith Harmon Snow, in an article from 2004, wrote of training camps in Ethiopia: In 2003, the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division (Special Operations Forces) completed a three-month program to train an Ethiopian army division in counter-terrorism tactics. Operations are coordinated through the Combined Joint Task Forces-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) base in Djibouti. In January 2004, Special Operations soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment replaced the 10th Mountain Division forces at a new Hurso Training Camp, northwest of Dire Dawa near the border with Somalia, to be used for launching local joint missions in "counter-terrorism" with the Ethiopian military. Soldiers will continue to operate missions out of Hurso for several months from a new forward base names "Camp United." From April 12-25, 2003, under the U.S. State Department-sponsored Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance Program, CJTF-HOA provided instruction to nearly 900 Ethiopian soldiers at a base in Legedadi. CJTF-HOA forces from the U.S. Army's 478th Civil Affairs Battalion also operated in Ethiopia in 2003 in and around Dire Dawa, Galadi, and Dolo Odo, among other areas. [16] The December 2006 invasion of Somalia was coordinated using these and other bases throughout the region. While efforts to replace the popular Islamic Courts Union in Somalia with the warlord-led Transitional Federal Government (TFG) appear to be failing, the arrival of AFRICOM may bring more boots on the ground into that unstable, geostrategic nation. Especially now that TFG spokesman Abdirahman Dinari has dangled a carrot before foreign investors: "Somalia has a lot of oil, and our ministers have just approved a key exploration law to regulate how concessions are given out.... But what we need now is international support to restore security and build our nation, and we will be noting who helps us and who doesn't when these decisions are taken." [17] The persistent Western calls for "humanitarian intervention" into the Darfur region of Sudan also sets up another possibility for military engagement to deliver regime change in another Islamic state in the Horn. However, since the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are grinding down available U.S. resources, for now, any increased involvement in these two areas will likely consist primarily of U.S.-organized and directed regional militaries, private contractors and mercenaries, or potentially African Union and United Nations forces. The training and arming of national militaries is taking place throughout the continent already, although the most visible efforts have been taking place in the European Command's AOR. ---

Go to Part II.

A PDF version of the complete series is available.

Your comments on this are welcome here.

--- Notes: 1. Michael Klare, "Oil Wars: Transforming the American Military into a Global Oil-Protection Service," TomDispatch, October 7, 2004, [link]

2. Michael Klare, "The Global Energy Race and Its Consequences," TomDispatch, January 14, 2007, [link]

3. Klare, "Oil Wars"

4. Sohbet Karbuz, "US Military Oil Pains," Energy Bulletin, February 17, 2007, [link]

5. Letitia Lawson, "U.S. Africa Policy Since the Cold War", Strategic Insights, Volume VI, Issue 1 (January 2007), [link]

6. The National Security Strategy of the United States, September 2002, [link]

7. Raffi Khatchadourian, "War in the Greatest Desert: The U.S. Military's $500 Million Gamble to Prevent the Next Afghanistan," International Reporting Project, Spring 2005, [part one] [part two]

8. Lawson

9. CDR Otto Sieber, "Africa Command: Forecast for the Future", Strategic Insights, Volume VI, Issue 1 (January 2007), [link]

10. U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF): Background and Issues for Congress, CRS Report for Congress, Sept 28, 2004, [link]

11. CRS Report for Congress, "U.S. Military Operations in the Global War on Terrorism: Afghanistan, Africa, the Philippines, and Colombia," January 20, 2006, available at [link]

12. William M. Arkin, "Code Names: Deciphering U.S. Military Plans, Programs, and Operations in the 9/11 World," (Steerforth Press, 2005), p.45

13. "Embassies As Command Posts in the Anti-Terror Campaign," A Report to Members of the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, December 15, 2006, p.9, [link]

14. John Bellamy Foster, "A Warning to Africa: The New U.S. Imperial Grand Strategy," Monthly Review, June 2006, [link]

15. Daniel Volman, "U.S. Military Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2005-2007," African Security Research Project, [link]

16. Keith Harmon Snow, "State Terror in Ethiopia: Another secret war for oil?," Z Magazine Online, May 2004, [link]

17. Daniel Wallis, "Oil profits boost east Africa exploration," Reuters, [link] Posted by b on February 21, 2007 at 13:50 UTC | Permalink Comments
January 21, 2008

Coup In Kenya: Part II

[You may want to read Coup in Kenya - Part I and the comments to that piece first]

---

Exploring U.S. influence in the Kenyan Elections



by b real

The U.S. contribution to the crisis:

Seeing it as a key ally in the war on terror, the Bush Administration has built a close military relationship with the Kibaki government; The U.S. has played a central role in building up Kenyas weaponry and internal security apparatus, now being deployed in the crisis. Current U.S.-Kenyan relations are a product of 24 years of U.S. support to the Daniel arap Moi dictatorship that jailed, exiled or disappeared those opposed to the regime. The legacy of these politics remains institutionalized within the political process itself and creates huge barriers to democratic freedom and political participation. Overall, the current turmoil in Kenya is the clear result of colonial rule, external intervention, and detrimental foreign aid policies.

-- Association of Concerned Africa Scholars,

Press Statement on the Crisis in Kenya, January 5, 2008

It was a quick mention that was almost swallowed in a larger, more pressing narrative, but -- for those who did pick up on it -- has since proved to be an omnious foreshadowing of how the elections have played out in Kenya over the past weeks. Last April, in an interview with the independent syndicated news program Democracy Now discussing the events taking place to Kenya's north in Somalia, of which the former nation was very much involved, Kenyan Daily Nation columnist Salim Lone stated that "one leading opposition ... candidate in Kenya, said that the US has promised to support the government in the elections at the end of this year in exchange for the terrible things it has been doing" as a favored partner nation in the so-called global war on terror (GWOT).

Considering the holiday wrath the U.S., along with its proxy partners, brought down upon the citizens of Somalia in December of 2006, ringing in a new year that saw thousands dead, one-and-a-half million displaced, and more than a year of continuing military occupation by a hostile neighbor, the citizens of Kenya, by and large, could regard themselves as lucky. That's small consolation though, for those suffering in Kenya. Conservative figures put the current deaths there between 600 to 700 people, with roughly 500,000 uprooted by violence throughout the country following the presidential coup by the incumbents.

While the role of the United States in destabilizing the Horn of Africa (HOA) has been documented widely over the last year, little has been written on its role in the 2007 presidential election controversy. It certainly merits closer scutiny and investigation.

A Regional Anchor for Maintaining Order

Interestingly enough, Kenya is not even in the HOA -- it's an East African nation -- though that doesn't stop the U.S., and especially the Department of Defense (DOD), from quite often grouping it as such.

In his December 7th remarks to the conference Working Toward A Lasting Peace in the Ogaden, the director of the Office for East Africa, Bureau of African Affairs, James Knight offered the following points on U.S. policy in the HOA specifically regarding Kenya:

Kenyas Northeast Province is home to ethnic Somalis with ties to clans in Somalia. Kenya's Somali community is a magnet for Somali refugees fleeing violence in Somalia and Ethiopia's Ogaden. Kenya closed its border with Somalia in January, but more than 1,000 refugees still arrive each month. A significant number of Oromos reside in northern Kenya as well. Oromos are the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia, which further ties northern Kenya to Ethiopia. Kenyas 2002 elections were an important step on Kenyas path to full democracy. This year's national elections on December 27 should consolidate those gains. The U.S. is providing elections training to civil society organizations, political parties, and youth and women candidates, as well as supporting the Electoral Commission of Kenya [to] ensure that these elections are smooth, free, fair, and transparent.

Viewing a stable Kenya as a frontline bulwark against the Somali communities, which are universally Muslim, the U.S. has made Kenya a key partner in the GWOT.

From a Washington Times article dated January 7, entitled Kenya 'critical' to U.S. military:

"For the eastern portion of Africa, Kenya is critical," said retired Marine Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong, a former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations on the Horn of Africa. "They are strategically located in the area bordering Somalia," he said. "They were critical for us in Somalia in the early 1990s. Without them, we could not have operated. They allowed us to use their bases while we were conducting operations in and out of Somalia, and they still allow us to use those bases today."

Not surprisingly the Washington Times article omits the role of Kenya in the current U.S. actions in Somalia, though plenty of other sources are available.

For instance, on Kenya's role in sealing off their borders to all Somali's fleeing the ruthless invasion (done in violation of all international laws), according to Thomas Barnett's largely unbalanced Esquire feature, The Americans Have Landed, from June:

When the invading Ethiopians quickly enjoyed unexpected success, Centcom's plan became elegantly simple: Let the blitzkrieging Ethiopian army drive the CIC, along with its foreign fighters and Al Qaeda operatives, south out of Mogadishu and toward the Kenyan border, where Kenyan troops would help trap them on the coast. "We begged the Kenyans to get to the border as fast as possible," the Centcom source says, "because the targets were so confused, they were running around like chickens with their heads cut off." Once boxed in by the sea and the Kenyans, the killing zone was set and America's first AC-130 gunship went wheels-up on January 7 from that secret Ethiopian airstrip. After each strike, anybody left alive was to be wiped out by successive waves of Ethiopian commandos and Task Force 88, operating out of Manda Bay. The plan was to rinse and repeat "until no more bad guys," as one officer put it.

As Human Rights Watch, among many others, later drew attention to in a March 2007 press release People Fleeing Somalia War Secretly Detained:

(New York, March 30, 2007) - Kenya, Ethiopia, the United States and the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia cooperated in a secret detention program for people who had fled the recent conflict in Somalia, Human Rights Watch said today. In a March 22 letter to the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Human Rights Watch detailed the arbitrary detention, expulsion and apparent enforced disappearance of dozens of individuals who fled the fighting between the Union of Islamic Courts and the joint forces of the Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopia from December 2006 through January 2007. Each of these governments has played a shameful role in mistreating people fleeing a war zone, said Georgette Gagnon, deputy Africa director of Human Rights Watch. Kenya has secretly expelled people, the Ethiopians have caused dozens to disappear, and US security agents have routinely interrogated people held incommunicado. Human Rights Watchs recent research in Kenya indicates that since late December 2006, Kenyan security forces arrested at least 150 individuals from some 18 different nationalities at the Liboi and Kiunga border crossing points with Somalia. The Kenyan authorities then transferred these individuals to Nairobi where they were detained incommunicado and without charge for weeks in violation of Kenyan law. Human Rights Watch recognizes that Kenya may have valid security concerns regarding people seeking refuge within its borders. Nonetheless these concerns must be addressed through a fair process in accordance with international law, not arbitrarily at the expense of fundamental human rights. US and other national intelligence services interrogated several foreign nationals in detention in Nairobi, who were denied access to legal counsel and their consular representatives. At least 85 people were then secretly deported from Kenya to Somalia in what appears to be a joint rendition operation of those individuals of interest to the Somali, Ethiopian, or US governments.

And quoting Salim Lone, who now serves as spokesperson for Kenya's opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), from that same Democracy Now interview:

... this whole enterprise-the kidnappings on Kenyan streets, the grabbing refugees coming across the border-has a Made in America stamp on it, because youve seen it all happen before. And these secret prisons, the US denies any responsibility in this whole operation. And yet, we know that CIA and FBI officials are in those prisons interviewing the inmates. We also know, by the way, that many of the people who have disappeared are not in those secret prisons. Where are those people? Have they be killed? Are they being tortured somewhere else? This is, you know, utter lawlessness.

So Kenya has been intricately involved in the ongoing destabilization of the HOA, allowing external, rogue powers to operate freely inside its borders. ODM, in the runup to the December elections, was able to utilize much of the opposition to the Kenyan government's actions in uniting various factions on these issues. Several Muslim communities in Somalia, very well-aware of the context and victims of the GWOT, endorsed ODM's platform for change. Obviously, though, it was not in everyone's interest to see a popular regime change threaten existing relationships with the risk of instability - "stability" implying an established order & accountability.

The U.S. has a lot of interests on the line in Kenya, which is listed in the 2002 National Security Strategy (NSS), along with Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia, as one of four "anchors for regional engagement." According to a study, U.S. Arms Exports and Military Assistance in the Global War on Terror, compiled by the Center for Defense Information at the World Security Institute last September:

Kenya is considered a vital U.S. ally in the war on terror and has supported U.S. counterterrorism efforts by sharing intelligence, providing overflight rights and granting access to airfields and bases. The State Department considers Kenya to be a front-line state in the war on terror and this counterterrorism cooperation has yielded an increase in U.S. military assistance for Kenya since Sept. 11, 2001. In the five years after Sept. 11, Kenya received nearly eight times the amount of military assistance it received in the five years prior to Sept. 11.

In addition to the figures listed in that study, Daniel Volman, Director of the African Security Research Project in Washington, DC, while pointing out that "the US is heavily invested in stability in Kenya", has summarized some of this assistance in his January 5 article, U.S. Military Activities in Kenya, posted on the website of the Association of Concerned African Scholars.

Indeed, Kenya is "a major African recipient of U.S. miltary assistance."

Democracy Promotion and the ECK

Returning to the remarks of James Knight outlining U.S. policy in the HOA, he mentioned that:

"The U.S. is providing elections training to civil society organizations, political parties, and youth and women candidates, as well as supporting the Electoral Commission of Kenya ensure that these elections are smooth, free, fair, and transparent."

This is almost exactly the same message delivered by Deputy Assistant Secretary for African Affairs James Swan four months earlier to the 4th International Conference on Ethiopian Development Studies on August 4, 2007:

The U.S. is providing election-related training to civil society organizations, political parties, and youth and women candidates, as well as supporting the work of the Electoral Commission of Kenya to ensure that these elections are free, fair, and transparent.

From public records, it is clear that, overtly, the State Department works most closely with the International Republican Institute (IRI), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in thier "democracy promotion" programs throughout the world.

A RightWeb profile of IRI explains, its reach is vast:

The IRI is the indirect product of a democratic globalism effort spearheaded in the late 1970s by neoconservatives and their allies in the AFL-CIO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and in the two main U.S. political parties. This project, which aimed to create a quasi-governmental instrument for U.S. political aid that could replace the CIA's controversial efforts to do the same, came to fruition in 1982 when President Ronald Reagan proposed a new organization to promote free-market democracies around the world, the NED. In 1983 Congress approved the creation of NED, which was funded primarily through the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) and secondarily through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Designed as a bipartisan institution, NED channels U.S. government funding through four core grantees: IRI, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDIIA), Center for International Private Enterprise, and the Free Trade Union Institute-the AFL-CIO's international operations institute that is currently known as the American Center for International Labor Solidarity.

...

Like NED and the other core grantees, the early focus of IRI was Central America and the Caribbean-a region that in the 1980s was the cutting edge of the Reagan administration's revival of counterinsurgency and counter-revolutionary operations. After the Soviet bloc began to disintegrate in 1989, according to IRI's website, the institute "broadened its reach to support democracy around the globe." The IRI has channeled U.S. political aid to partners-which like itself are often creations of U.S. funding-in some 75 countries, and it currently has operations in 50 countries. Most recently, it has expanded its operations into Central Asia, having opened offices in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. In Latin America, IRI has offices in Guatemala, Peru, and Haiti. In Africa, IRI has offices in Kenya, Nigeria, and Angola. IRI's offices in Asia are found in Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, and Mongolia. In Central and Eastern Europe, IRI has offices in Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Turkey. There is also an IRI office in Moscow. IRI's leadership spans the center right, far right, and neoconservative factions of the Republican Party.

Both USAID and IRI have been actively involved in preparations surrounding the 2007 Kenyan elections, however a general search does not uncover much information linking NED.

From a A Report to Members of the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate titled Nongovernmental Organizations and Democracy Promotion: "Giving Voice To The People"' from December 2006, the U.S. agencies are openly listed as:

KENYA U.S. Embassy: Ambassador Michael Ranneberger

Deputy Political Counselor Craig White

USAID Stephen Haykin, Mission Director

USAID Jaidev "Jay'' Singh, Sr. Regional Conflict, Democracy and Governance Advisor

...

U.S. NGOs:

Peter Meechem, Director, IRI

Sioghan Guiney, Resident Program Officer, IRI, Parliamentary Strengthening and Reform

Moses Owuor, IFES, Program Officer--Capacity building programs with the Electoral Commission

Fred Matiangi, Country Director, State University of New York, Parliamentary Strengthening and Reform

...

Democracy NGOs are prevalent and are not hampered significantly by government regulation or restrictions.

...

The majority of U.S.-funded democracy efforts are coordinated through the USAID office in Nairobi.

...

U.S. democracy promotion programs work to a great degree in building political party capacity.

An idea of the funding involved is available from USAID's Congressional Budget Justification FY07: Kenya [pdf]:

Program Title: Democracy and Governance FY 2006 Program: Promote and Support Credible Elections Processes ($448,200 DA; $2,425,000 ESF). USAID provides technical assistance, commodities, and training to the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK). USAID anticipates supporting domestic and international observations, including training for both party agents and domestic observers, allowing them to assess whether the presidential and parliamentary elections are non-violent, transparent, and competitive. USAID further anticipates monitoring media bias in the run up to the 2007 elections. Principal contractors and grantees: ECK, the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), local CSOs (primes). FY 2007 Program: Promote and Support Credible Elections Processes ($460,200 DA; $1,455,000 ESF). USAID will continue to support local election observers, political party agents, and strengthening the ECK. Principal contractors and grantees: Same as FY 2006.

The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) is another name that is closely associated with U.S. democracy promotion electioneering. The IFES profile at RightWeb is from 1989 but details its early rightwing & CIA connections. A Kenya project webpage on their site informs the reader that:

The communications network has assisted the Commission in its general operations and in results reporting. In May 2003, the ECK used the equipment successfully in the collation and transmission of results in three by-elections in the Naivasha, Wajir West and Yatta constituencies. The by-elections served as an opportunity for IFES and the ECK to improve the performance of the communication network used during the December 2002 presidential elections. The use of satellite phones improved communication between poll workers and the computerized tabulation of votes enabled election results to be announced the same day. Overall, the equipment has greatly improved communication and efficiency between the ECK headquarters and its district offices. Current activities focus around the implementation of the ECKs Strategic Plan and Organizational Development, computerization of the Commissions operations, review of the Commissions structure and policies, assistance with the polling station infrastructure study, and support to the improvement and implementation of the Communications Protocol.

IFES and IRI both began working in Kenya in 1992, the first year of multiparty elections, and appear to have been involved in some capacity in each 5-year election since then. In 2002, IRI was credited with accurately predicting the presidential elections results from polling "3,000 Kenyan registered voters in the eight provinces". (see IRI Poll Correctly Predicts New Kenyan President.) It was also the first year that IRI conducted exit polls in a presidential election.

On the U.S. role in nurturing the ECK, from USAID's webpage on the 2002 elections:

In 2000, the ECK was widely perceived as lacking credibility and independence and no bilateral donors were willing to take a risk and provide any substantial direct funding. However, the U.S. decided that this risk was worth taking and embarked on a substantial program that not only included technical assistance and commodities, but intensive diplomatic efforts to ensure that certain safeguards were in place to level the electoral playing field. Through the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES), USAID began implementing this program in March 2001. One significant element was the design and provision of a communication system that enhanced the ECKs ability to ensure public security and provide secure transit of ballots and electoral results. As the perception of the independence and credibility of the ECK increased, other bilateral donors became willing to provide some support, leveraging USAIDs funding.

Current partners, domestic and foreign, are listed on the ECK's Partner-Relationship web page:

Foreign Partners/International NGOs ECK collaborates with various national and international organizations especially those that lay emphasis on matters of governance and democracy in her various activities such as voter education, training of election officials, funding of voter education programmes e.t.c. These organizations include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), USAID, IFES, the Royal Netherlands Embassy (RNE), DFID, CIDA, National Democratic Institute (NDI), the European Union (EU), the Carter Centre, International Republican Institute (IRI), African Union (AU), and other Foreign based missions, and donor agencies in Kenya.

A controversy recently arose when it was revealed that IRI had conducted exit polls during the 2007 election which showed that Raila Odinga won the presidency by an 8 percent margin.

Kenyan president lost election, according to U.S. exit poll:

An exit poll carried out on behalf of a U.S. government-backed foundation indicates that Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki was defeated in last month's disputed election rather than being re-elected as he claims, according to officials with knowledge of the document. The poll by the Washington-based International Republican Institute - which hasn't been publicly released - further undermines an election result that many international observers have described as flawed.

...

Opposition leader Raila Odinga led Kibaki by roughly 8 percentage points in the poll, which surveyed voters as they left polling places during the election Dec. 27, according to one senior Western official who's seen the data and requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. That's a sharp departure from the results that Kenyan election officials certified, which gave Kibaki a margin of 231,728 votes over Odinga, about 3 percentage points.

...

The head of the International Republican Institute - a nonpartisan democracy-building organization whose work in Kenya was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development - said the data weren't released because of concerns about their validity. The institute contracted an experienced Kenyan polling firm, Strategic Public Relations and Research, which had done two previous national-opinion polls for the institute last year. But on election day the institute's staff found that pollsters weren't gathering information in some areas.

...

The senior Western official, who reviewed partial results, described them as credible. The survey included a sufficient sample of voters from around the country, and Odinga's lead was comfortably outside the expected margin of error for a poll of that size, the official said.

Strategic Public Relations & Research Limited is the same firm commissioned by IRI in 2002 when they took credit for successfully predicting that year's presidential elections by polling 3000 voters. The IRI issued a press release on January 15th stating that "For IRI to rush to release a poll that was incomplete and very likely inaccurate would have been irresponsible and dangerous given the situation in Kenya." What may have changed between 2002 and 2005 was not addressed.

At a minimum, the role of all of these organizations need to be included in any investigation of the "voting irregularities" in the 2007 presidential elections. Were the sponsored polls used at all in adjusting the outcome? Do they contain data that paints a picture no longer helpful to certain interests? Which was more rigged - the final totals or the entire system? And how do all of these pieces fit together? These questions, among many others, need to be raised and addressed.

"The US confidence in Kenya as a regional strategic partner has not been threatened by the crisis and will not be"

Finally, there are the machinations of the diplomatic front - the public face put on by state officials. By now everyone is familiar with the U.S. State Department's rush to congratulate Mr. Kibaki on Sunday after it looked like he was able to pull off the coup:

We obviously congratulate the president on his election," department spokesman Rob McInturff told AFP. "Again we would call on the people of Kenya to accept the results of the election and to move forward with the democratic process," he said.

-- AFP, US congratulates Kenyan president on re-election, December 30, 2007 "The United States congratulates the winners and is calling for calm, and for Kenyans to abide by the results declared by the election commission. We support the commission's decision."

-- Reuters, Kibaki wins Kenya's presidential election, December 30, 2008

This was followed by the about-face on Monday morning:

"We do have serious concerns, as I know others do, about irregularities in the vote count, and we think it's important that those concerns... be resolved through constitutional and legal means," department spokesperson Tom Casey said. "I'm not offering congratulations to anybody, because we have serious concerns about the vote count," he added after another State Department spokesperson on Sunday had congratulated Kibaki.

...

"What's clear to us is that there are some real problems here and that those need to be resolved in the Kenyan system, in accordance with their constitution, in accordance with their legal system"

-- AFP, US withdraws congratulations, December 31, 2007

In these seemingly contradictory messages one can observe two themes that now, more than two weeks later, have become easily recognizable as orchestrated talking points -- moving on, and, in an incomplete interpretation of the legal standings on the matter, the election results have been announced, so the law says if you want to challenge them, take it to court.

Both of these fit into the U.S. efforts to prevent a recount or rerun.

As the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ratteberger told the audience at a CSIS forum [transcript and audio available] on January 16th, "our position so far is to say that Kibaki was named winner by the ECK regardless of how flawed the election was, and so hes the president." It should be pointed out that when Kibaki was declared the winner and then immediately sworn in, there was a precedent for it -- two actually -- in 1992 and 1997, the last two terms of Daniel arap Moi's "re-election". As mentioned earlier, not only was 1992 the first year that multiparty elections were held in Kenya, but it was the first year that both IRI and IFES became involved in that country. For obvious reasons, neither of these two items gets mentioned in the "free" press.

On the talking point that Kibaki was sworn in by the ECK and thus any challenges must go through the courts - it is patently false. As explained in an article on the Mars Group Kenya Blog:

On receiving [the counts] the ECK gives all parliamentary and presidential candidates 24 hours to lodge complaints, if any, including demanding a recount or retallying. The ECK is obliged to, within 48 hours, allow the recount or retallying. All candidates and the ECK therefore have 72 hours to resolve any disputes. It is only after the period that the ECK can announce the winners of each of the 210 parliamentary seats and issue a certificate known as Form 17 to each elected MP and Form 18 to the elected president. The results are then gazetted. With due respect to Mr Kivuitu, it was irregular, unlawful and void in law to announce the results on December 30 and swear in the President on the same day. The ECK boss announced the results when he did not have the original Forms 16, 16A and 17A from each constituency, refused to allow the 24-hour period for candidates to lodge complaints and declined to allow retallying. He told the world that his returning officers had gone underground, and that he did not have powers to order retallying. On the day the results were being announced, Special Gazette Notice No. 12612 was issued declaring Mr Kibaki the president. Mr Kivuitu deliberately misled the world and subverted the law. Section 5 of the Constitution states that the president shall be elected in accordance with the Constitution and the National Assembly and Presidential Elections Act, Cap 7. Non-compliance with the mandatory provisions vitiates the process. In law, the fundamental principle is that a void process does not confer legitimacy. A public officer acting in compliance with the law must comply with the substantive, formal and procedural conditions laid down and at all times act in good faith and for the public good.

The Law Society of Kenya, "the premier bar association and legal development agency in Kenya," is only one organization among many that makes up the coalition Kenyans for Peace with Truth and Justice which has just released documentation, titled Count Down to Deception: 30 Hours that Destroyed Kenya, detailing many of the issues which made the election results null and void:

We provide a table of these anomalies, malpractices and illegalities committed in at least 49 constituencies across the country. Instructively, in the constituencies these electoral offences occurred, the presidential election results announced by the ECK do not tally with those released at the constituency tallying centres as reported on Kenya Television Network (KTN) and/or observed by the Kenyan Election Domestic Observers Forum (KEDOF). Again, we reiterate that the electoral anomalies, malpractices and illegalities noted were sufficient to alter the outcomes of the Presidential election. To this extent, the counting and tallying process for the Presidential election cannot be called free and fair. And the incumbent cannot be said to be in office legitimately or legally. An independent investigation into this process is necessary to bring the country to closure on this issue. Such an investigation must be a priority for the mediation process.

However, the talking point about taking any complaints to court began almost immediately following the swearing in and consecutive ban on live media coverage in the country -- which just happend to cut off a live broadcast of an ODM press conference -- and continues to get parroted in certain circles. On January 15th, an article in the East African Standard, on the nonsense that the hardliner John Michuki spit out last week, couldn't help but stating the obvious:

Michukis tune fell in line with what appears to be a well-choreographed tune in Government that goes thus: "Kibaki won the elections fairly; any aggrieved party should go to court". Others who have adopted this line in the past include Justice minister Ms Martha Karua and Government Spokesman Dr Alfred Mutua, who went to the extent of saying Kufuor jetted in "to have tea" with his longtime friend, President Kibaki.

Of course, the list is longer than that. For instance, there's the Foreign Affairs Minister on the 14th -- "President Kibaki was voted for by Kenyans, declared a winner by a competent Electoral Commission, sworn in and has formed Government. Any challenge to that has to be made by a court of law. The claims are untenable and illegal" -- or, better still, in an article on January 8 from the same paper, on statements by the U.S. Assistant Secretary of African Affairs Jendayi Frazer during her extended stay in Nairobi:

Asked about the options during negotiations and whether a presidential run off was expected, Frazer responded that it was up to the two leaders to hammer out a compromise. However, she noted that the law stipulated that once the ECK had announced results, any party contesting the outcome should seek remedy in the courts.

Further inquiry into where this talking point originating would be illuminating. However, the fact that the PNU and the US are using the very same language suggests more than just a harmonious coincidence.

Publicly, the U.S. has insisted that it is a neutral mediator in this crisis yet its positions show otherwise and, in fact, display solid backing for Kibaki.

Both are firmly against any recounting or re-running of the elections. In an interview with the Daily Nation that ran on the same day Ambassador Ranneberger told the CSIS forum that it is the U.S. position that Kibaki is legitimately the President, he also explained that "[t]he idea of a recount is not feasible because documents have gone missing or been altered. A fresh election is not feasible either. Its not the best thing to put this country through this kind of trauma so soon again." At the CSIS event he opined: "Neither side has the money for it"

Rather than allowing a re-run, the U.S. agenda is to promote the idea of a power-sharing arrangement. A January 9 article in the East African Standard, Frazer opposes fresh polls, describes Asst. Secretary Frazer's press briefing immediately following her meeting with the Catholic Kisumu Archdiocese wherein the Archbishop advanced the position that "Kibaki has no authority to govern and he should immediately step aside for fresh presidential elections."

US Assistant Secretary of State in charge of Africa, Ms Jendayi Frazer, said she believes a re-run of the elections was not the way forward.

...

"I dont support calls for a re-run of the elections as the way forward. It is not my responsibility to decide for Kenyans on the matter. It is up to political leaders," she said.

...

She said the way forward was for the politicians to accommodate each other in a power-sharing strategy. She said the proposed power-sharing plan should also be constitutionalised.

On the very same day, another article ran with the headline, "We oppose poll re-run, says PNU"

The Party Of National Unity (PNU) is against a re-run of the disputed General Elections. Finance Minister, Mr Amos Kimunya, said the PNU was against the use of the ballot box to sort out the political crisis. "A re-run is not practical because it would not enable the country to achieve its social and economic designs," he said.

This view, however, appears to be in the minority. In the strongest international pressure yet, the European Parliament resolution of 17 January 2008 on Kenya declares the EU position as follows:

3. Regrets that, despite the broadly successful parliamentary elections, the results of the presidential elections cannot be considered credible owing to widespread reports of electoral irregularities; 4. Deplores the fact that Mwai Kibaki, appointed his cabinet unilaterally, which severely undermined mediation efforts; 5. Calls on Mwai Kibaki, to respect his countrys democratic commitments as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya, the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and to agree to an independent examination of the presidential vote; urges the Kenyan authorities, in addition, to facilitate such an investigation in order to redress the situation and make the perpetrators of the electoral irregularities accountable for their actions;

...

8. ... calls on the Commission to offer to the Kenyan authorities all necessary technical and financial assistance in the process of an independent examination of the presidential elections, as well as in the steps deemed necessary to redress the situation;

...

12. Calls for fresh presidential elections should it prove impossible to organise a credible and fair recount of the votes cast in the presidential election by an independent body;

This is similar to the ODM position, which has requested international assistance to obtain mediation that results in a coalition government for three months until the elections can be conducted again. The mass protests that took place last week were part of that effort, acknowledged by ODM Party Secretary-General, Prof Anyang Nyongo as reported by the East African Standard, "The aim of the rallies to is to make a point to the public and the world that the presidential vote was stolen and we are ready for a re-run."

The U.S. explanations for why a re-run is not possible do not hold water and therefore appear calculated to protect Kibaki and the PNU.

In an article, Kufuors whistle-stop diplomacy was only to pave way for Annan, in the East African on January 14, one can find more confirmation of this:

What is emerging ... is that the United States and European countries appear to be pulling in different directions in the conflict.

...

Washingtons overriding concern in Kenya is stability. Indeed, ODM stalwarts say US top diplomat Jendayi Frazer, who was last Friday still in the country, has been pushing them to accept Cabinet positions in Kibakis government and ignore the genesis of the conflict. In contrast, the Europeans, through the European Union, are pushing for a re-tallying of the presidential vote and, finally, a re-run of the presidential election.

In Ambassador Ranneberger's remarks during last week's CSIS event, he quickly gave his take on both parties positions:

on Kibakis side, his people have told him, of course, that time is on their side, that if they simply proceed unilaterally, in essence, all this is going to go away; the country will calm down and theyll muddle along. On Odingas side, hes counting on international pressure and the threat to make the country ungovernable to force Kibaki to step down or make major concessions. We told both of them that those kinds of assumptions are dead wrong. The countrys not just going to return to normal and on Odingas side weve told him that the international community is not going to ride to the rescue and at some point, you know, people will get tired of sort of mass action.

Realising that it's going to be difficult to get Kibaki and Odinga to agree on a power-sharing structure -- as Ranneberger admits, "to be frank about it, I dont think ... its inconceivable that [Odinga] would simply want to stay in the opposition and continue to make things difficult for the government" since he's been burned by Kibaki previously and has little to gain from any permanent power-sharing arrangement -- the Ambassador continued on:

So our efforts are sort of directed at trying to corral them or trap them, if you will, into a face-to-face meeting to launch a  (audio break)  and the idea would be that the process would be launched  that by getting a process launched you have to stop the immediate violence and then provide the space thats needed to address these fundamental institutional issues which, of course, will take time.

Evidently, one of those schemes to "trap them" involved the World Bank and its Kenyan official Colin Bruce in behind-the-scenes attempts to get a power-sharing agreement signed during the visit from Ghana's John Kufuor. From the January 14 East African article cited earlier:

It was during discussion of the Harambee House meeting that the controversial agreement on power-sharing that eventually caused the talks to collapse came up. The meeting agreed that the controversial document would form the basis of the truce and consequently the face-to-face meeting between Raila and Kibaki. Where did this controversial document come from and did President Kibaki know about its contents? Did the president commit to implementing the controversial agreement at any point during the negotiations? What we have been able to establish is that at the height of the ethnic violence that gripped Rift Valley Province, a group of Mombasa-based businessmen and allies of Pentagon member Musalia Mudavadi joined hands with World Bank country director Colin Bruce apparently to offer freelance secret mediation between Mwai Kibaki and Raila. We have also confirmed from the diplomatic community that all major diplomatic missions in Nairobi were aware of the parallel mediation process that had begun long before Kufuor came into town.

...

One senior Western diplomat, speaking to The EastAfrican under conditions of anonymity, admitted having been shown the document by Mr Bruce as early as Saturday last week. It has also emerged that the document was widely circulated to Western diplomatic missions. Did Colin Bruce have the mandate from Kibaki to work on the agreement? Who were the other shadowy characters working with the World Bank representative? Is it conceivable that a senior World Bank official should have involved himself in the negotiations so intimately without the knowledge of his hosts? These questions still lack answers.

...

Apparently, Colin Bruce intimated to many Western diplomats that everything was to be done secretly to prevent the hardliners in Kibakis Cabinet knowing what was going on.

From the Daily Nation interview with Ranneberger:

Q: One of the reasons leading to the meeting planned for last Thursday between President Kibaki and Mr Odinga being cancelled is said to have been President Kibakis refusal to sign the controversial agreement negotiated by representatives of both sides. You were listed alongside your British and French counterparts as witness to the agreement. What exactly was your role? Ranneberger: We had no role whatsoever in negotiation of that document. I understand what happened is that representatives of PNU and ODM approached the World Bank and asked them to facilitate negotiation of a document that could set agenda for the way forward. That document was negotiated between PNU and ODM representatives. They said they were in direct touch with President Kibaki and Mr Odinga. At a certain point, ODM asked President Kufuor to present to document to President Kibaki to confirm that he was in agreement with it. It was at that point that it became apparent that President Kibaki had never seen the document. So I dont know exactly what happened but there was a huge misunderstanding in regard to that document. We had indicated to President Kufuor that we were prepared to witness the signing of it if the two sides wanted us to. That is how our names appeared on the document.

And from Ranneberger's remarks at the CSIS forum on the 16th:

The U.S. has been very much at the center of trying to promote dialogue, both by supporting the African Union but also directly, of course. We are uniquely positioned, I think, with credibility on both sides.

...

[On ODM objections to a power-sharing structure]

I certainly dont think hes going to be signing any documents without an international witness but, you know, its absolutely true that the level of mistrust is tremendous. Thats where I think we, particularly the U.S., comes in, in indicating a willingness to witness. And weve sort of avoided the term guaranteed, but I think were willing to go pretty far to some sort of an agreement between them.

So that's where things stand now. The U.S. has sided with the PNU in rejecting calls for a recount -- which in all likelihood is no longer possible given the time elapsed since the election, the lax security measures that allowed the inflated counts, and the general mistrust of the ECK's impartiality -- and using its influence to prevent a re-run.

Kibaki so far remains an international pariah, having received official recognition from only a handful of governments (Uganda, Swaziland, Somalia and Morocco), after such a blatant auto-coup literally following in the footsteps of the corrupt and brutal regime of Moi. (The message that will be understood from this has yet to be determined. Autocrats like Yoweri Museveni, Paul Kagame, and Meles Zenawi would probably rather not see a popular democracy movement succeed in Kenya and encourage similar ideas in their own nations.) Odinga, who was imprisoned and tortured under the Moi, knows all too well what is at stake. As do many other.

As the ACAS press release quoted at the outset of this report states:

The U.S. has played a central role in building up Kenyas weaponry and internal security apparatus, now being deployed in the crisis. Current U.S.-Kenyan relations are a product of 24 years of U.S. support to the Daniel arap Moi dictatorship that jailed, exiled or disappeared those opposed to the regime.

During last week's mass protests, the world became increasingly aware of the brutality of that internal security apparatus as reports poured in of the regular police, the GSU, and paramilitaries, operating under an informal "shoot to kill" policy, firing live ammunition indiscriminately and killing scores of civilians, including those not even involved in demonstrations.

Under the larger context of the GWOT, Kenya is slipping into a national security state, which, from a historical perspective, fits in with the ideological rationale of the old cold warriors behind the U.S. institutions heavily involved in "democracy promotion" and electioneering in Kenya.

The current U.S. push for a "stable" Kenya involves (1) protecting the imperial presidency of Kibaki, first and foremost, and then (2) calling for internal reforms. Ranneberger described these reforms to the audience at CSIS -- "a package that needs to include a commitment to an agenda for institutional reform, meaning constitutional, electoral commission, land reform, the three key areas..."

In her thesis laid out in "Dictatorships and Double Standards", the neconservative academic Jeane Kirpatrick distinguished between left-wing and right-wing dictatorships, arguing that "right-wing 'authoritarian' governments are more amenable to democratic reform than left-wing 'totalitarian' states," thus providing the "intellectual" justification for continued U.S. support for authoritarian regimes, however brutal they may be. The idea, still accepted in the neoconservative worldview, is that their dictators are more open to external influence than the other guy's.

How seriously one wants to consider the notion that ODM represents a "left-wing" government, let alone one having totalitarian designs, is of lesser importance than the reality that it does pose a threat to "business as usual." ODM campaigned on the slogan of bringing change, accountability, and a more equitable distribution of the benefits that Kenya's economical advances have been reaping over the past years. It managed to unite many of the underrepresented and unrepresented populations of a very diverse nation. And therein lay the real threat - maintaining the established order of things. In terms of U.S. interests, which override all other considerations wherever the United States is involved, ODM represents instability.

The current Kenyan government and its foreign partners have much to answer for. Much blood has been shed needlessly. The chaos in the HOA has now spread into East Africa. Obscene amounts of money and efforts will be required just to provide a modicum of humanitarian assistance & subsistance for those displaced and affected by this latest, entirely avoidable, tragedy. Undelivered promises of "free and fair" elections are not to be taken lightly. Blame must be placed accordingly.

Perhaps more light will be shed on the Kenyan government's roles earlier last year in the secret detentions and other violations of international law and human rights. And perhaps, as more information comes out on the connections of the Kibaki regime in the U.S. GWOT, a fuller understanding and awareness of the U.S. role in the unfolding tragedies that have betrayed all meaningful definitions of the words democracy and sovereignty will develop and attempts at true accountability can begin.

But for the meantime, as Jendayi Frazer confidently announced to the press during her recent trip to Nairobi:

"The US confidence in Kenya as a regional strategic partner has not been threatened by the crisis and will not be.

[You may also want to read Coup in Kenya - Part I and the comments to that piece]

Posted by b on January 21, 2008 at 16:30 UTC | Permalink

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September 14, 2013 A Short History Of The War On Syria - 2006-2014 In 2006 the U.S. was at war in Iraq. Some of the enemy forces it very much struggled to fight against were coming in through Syria. The same year Israel lost a war against Hizbullah. Its armored forces were ambushed whenever they tried to push deeper into Lebanon while Hizbullah managed to continuously fire rockets against Israeli army position and cities. Hizbullah receives supply for its missile force from Syria and from Iran through Syria. Its long-term plans to attack Iran and to thereby keep supremacy in the Middle East depend on severing Hizbullah's supply routes. The sectarian Sunni Gulf countries, mainly Saudi Arabia, saw their Sunni brethren defeat in Iraq and a Shia government, supported by Iran, taking over the country. All these countries had reason to fight Syria. There were also economic reasons to subvert an independent Syria. A gas pipeline from Qatar to Turkey was competing with one from Iran to Syria. Large finds of natural gas in the coastal waters of Israel and Lebanon make such finds in Syrian waters quite plausible. In 2006 the U.S. was at war in Iraq. Some of the enemy forces it very much struggled to fight against were coming in through Syria. The same year Israel lost a war against Hizbullah. Its armored forces were ambushed whenever they tried to push deeper into Lebanon while Hizbullah managed to continuously fire rockets against Israeli army position and cities. Hizbullah receives supply for its missile force from Syria and from Iran through Syria. Its long-term plans to attack Iran and to thereby keep supremacy in the Middle East depend on severing Hizbullah's supply routes. The sectarian Sunni Gulf countries, mainly Saudi Arabia, saw their Sunni brethren defeat in Iraq and a Shia government, supported by Iran, taking over the country. All these countries had reason to fight Syria. There were also economic reasons to subvert an independent Syria. A gas pipeline from Qatar to Turkey was competing with one from Iran to Syria. Large finds of natural gas in the coastal waters of Israel and Lebanon make such finds in Syrian waters quite plausible. In late 2006 the United States started to finance an external opposition to Syria's ruling Baath party. Those exiles were largely members of the Muslim Brotherhood which had been evicted from Syria after their bloody uprising against the Syrian state between 1976 and 1982 had failed. In 2007 a plan for regime change in Syria was agreed upon between the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia. The aim was to destroy the "resistance" alliance of Hizbullah, Syria and Iran: To undermine Iran, which is predominantly Shiite, the Bush Administration has decided, in effect, to reconfigure its priorities in the Middle East. In Lebanon, the Administration has cooperated with Saudi Arabias government, which is Sunni, in clandestine operations that are intended to weaken Hezbollah, the Shiite organization that is backed by Iran. The U.S. has also taken part in clandestine operations aimed at Iran and its ally Syria. A by-product of these activities has been the bolstering of Sunni extremist groups that espouse a militant vision of Islam and are hostile to America and sympathetic to Al Qaeda. By 2011 three years of drought, caused by global warming and Turkey's upstream dams and irrigation projects, had weakened the Syrian economy. Large parts of the poor rural population lost their means of living and moved into the cities. They provided the fertile ground needed to launch an uprising against the Syrian state. By 2011 three years of drought, caused by global warming and Turkey's upstream dams and irrigation projects, had weakened the Syrian economy. Large parts of the poor rural population lost their means of living and moved into the cities. They provided the fertile ground needed to launch an uprising against the Syrian state. The U.S. part in the plan was to provide the media and "global opinion" cover for the insurgency. To that purpose it used the tool from its "color revolution" tool box. "Citizen journalists" were recruited, trained and provided with the video and communication equipment needed for media propagandizing. Others were trained in organizing "peaceful civil demonstrations". The Saudis took care of the darker part of the plan. They financed and armed rebel groups, often related to the exiled Muslim Brotherhood, which had the task to instigate a wider insurgency by taking on government forces as well as the peaceful demonstrators.A main part of the scheme was the introduction of a sectarian view that would split the largely secular Syria into several constituencies. A local disturbance in Deraa near the Jordanian border was used to launch the uprising. Peaceful demonstration were held but soon shots were fired towards the police as well as towards the demonstrators. Inevitably both sides escalated. Groups armed by the Saudis target the government forces. Having colleagues killed and wounded the government forces retaliated against the demonstrators. Some of those took up arms themselves and fought the government. "Citizen journalist" propagandized the victims on the "peaceful demonstrators" side but never mentioned those on the government side. "Western" media agencies followed that scheme. Cells in other Syrian cities were activated. Again "peaceful demonstrations" were cover for "a third force", as the Arab League investigation commission named it, which fought against government forces and also instigated the demonstrators to take up arms. The U.S. government helped by issuing its own propaganda for example by lying about Syrian artillery deployment against demonstrators when, at that point, none had yet happened. U.S. para-government organizations, Avaaz, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, joined the campaign against the Syrian government. Cyber attacks against the Syrian government news agency helped to suppress the other side of the story. Up to today the website of the official Syrian Arab News Agency, sana.sy, is purged from Google search results. It was soon visible that the planned for "color revolution" strategy did not work. The Syrian state was more resilient than had been perceived. The Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was more beloved and respected than the insurgency instigators ever expected. He also fulfilled many of the demands the serious protesters had. The constitution was rewritten, new parties were allowed, elections held and the most abusive security forces came under stricter control. The big cities, even though predominantly Sunni, did not support or join the increasing violent and sectarian fighters. Defections from the Syrian army and from political cadres were few and unimportant. For some time the Syrian economy held up quite well. The general population as well as the government rejected the scheme of a sectarian divide. The enemies of Syria had to increase their commitment. Saudi Arabia and Qatar used all their capabilities to recruit foreign Jihadis willing to fight in Syria. The CIA, using Saudi money, brought in weapons and thousands of tons of ammunition from all over the world. Insurgency groups were provided with training and battlefield intelligence. A group of exiles was build up as external future government. The Syrian government had to retreat to conserve its forces. Major parts of rural Syria were taken over by the insurgency. The population there fled over the boarders or into the cities. Where the insurgency foraged into parts of cities it was difficult to dislodge without creating immense damage to the infrastructure and buildings. But the Syrian government learned its lessons. With the help of its friends from Iran and Hizbullah its army units were retrained to fight against insurgency forces. Paramilitary units of locals were build up to take over those parts the army had cleaned of insurgents. Russia kept the supplies coming. On the side of the insurgent instigators some things started to go wrong. The Jihadis Saudi Arabia provided were good fighters but ideologues that did not fit into the Syrian social context. They started to clash with the population as well as with local fighters. Just today a large fight is taking place in north-east Syria between Jihadi groups and local bandits. Arguments with al-Qaeda inspired forces over weapon supplies from Libya killed the U.S. ambassador in Benghazi. Despite being revamped at least three times the planned for government in exile group proved ineffective due to bickering and infighting between its sponsors. The "peaceful protesters" media campaign broke down as more and more stories and pictures from the massacres committed by the insurgency came to light. The population in those countries that supported the insurgency turned against any involvement in the conflict. When it became likely that the insurgency might not be able to overcome the Syrian army U.S. president Obama introduced his "red line" over chemical weapon use. This was an invitation to the insurgency side to introduce chemical weapons to the battlefield, to then blame the Syrian government and to thereby create a U.S. intervention on their side. They tried to do so for a few times but Obama was then not yet willing to commit outright force. To prevent the upcoming Jihadis from taking over Syria should the Assad government fall, the U.S. planed to have U.S. trained "moderate" fighters take the lead in the fight especially in the capital Damascus. In mid August 2013 a group of 300 CIA trained fighters entered Syria from Jordan. A second group followed soon after. (The Obama administration is now trying to change that date.) Their task was to go to Damascus and to take the fight to the Syrian government itself. They were obliterated on their way to Damascus' suburbs. Without U.S.air support, like it provided in Libya, further use of U.S. trained forces would have been useless. The "red-line" plan was activated. On August 21 some chemical stuff was released in some Damascus suburbs. Immediately an immense number of videos showing rows of alleged dead were uploaded to Youtube. But those videos did not show the right symptoms for a Sarin attack nor did they show the medical attention one would expect in the hours immediately following a real chemical weapon attack. It was clearly a false flag incident. But Obama tried to convince the world that the Syrian government had indeed used chemical weapons and released some flimsy claims of evidence but no evidence at all. He called on allies to join him for a military intervention. The British parliament voted down a request from its government to join the war. The British population, like in the U.S., had no stomach for another lengthy war. Obama was in a catch 22 situation. He could go to war without asking Congress and would then face a possible impeachment from a very hostile House, or he could ask Congress for a vote for war. He soon climbed down from his "I'll wage this war" position and decided to go to Congress. The U.S. population was widely against another Middle East war as was the U.S. military. Pressured by their constituents and in view of unconvincing claims of evidence about the "massacre" Congress denied Obama its vote for war. In this Congress even defied AIPAC and the Israel lobby lost its first fight in over 22 years. Obama has an urgent domestic agenda to implement. There is Obama-care, the budget and an upcoming fight over on the debt ceiling. Having lost in Congress Obama could not, solely on his assumed presidential powers, go to war. He would have risked an immediate impeachment process and a lame duck status for the rest of his presidency. What was he to do? There the white Russian knight, Vladimir Putin, rode to Obama's rescue. Putin offered a deal: Syria would agree to give up its unconventional weapons and the U.S. would agree for the Syrian government and president Assad to stay in power. The idea goes back to August 2012 when former Sen. Richard Lugar had proposed such a deal in Moscow. Syria's chemical weapon are pretty useless on the tactical battlefield. But their potential use against Israeli population centers had proven to be a quite useful strategic deterrence. But now those weapons had become a liability. Instead of preventing an external war owning them was now threatening to invite one. At the same time Hizbullah's conventional missile force had already proven to be a good deterrent without the problems unconventional weapons carry with them. Syria can give away its current strategic deterrence and trust its allies in Iran and Russia to provide an equally effective replacement. Obama took the rescue line Putin threw to him. He knew that openly entering the Syrian war against a well prepared opponent and its allies would mean a long and uncertain war. He was in a lose-lose situation but could now come out of it and look like a winner. He rescues Israel from the threat of a gas attack and cashes in on a win from his peace-prized hobby horse - WMD-disarmament. Today the foreign ministers of the Russian Federation and the United States agreed on a Framework for Elimination of Syrian Chemical Weapons. It will require, if possible, the elimination of all of Syria's chemical weapons by mid 2014. The agreement does not say anything about the future of the Assad government. But Russia will have made sure that guarantees were given and received. Syria would not give up these weapons without such a deal. Russia as well as Syria know that Obama must keep face and they will not talk about the silent backroom deal that was made earlier today in Geneva. They behave like Nikita Khrushchev who kept silent over his agreement with Kennedy about the removal of U.S. nuclear missiles from Turkey after the Cuba missile crisis. Besides those guarantees any fulfillment of the disarmament, which may take a bit longer than today agreed upon, depends on the survival of the Syrian government. Taking down Assad is for now out of question. Obama will now, slowly, reduce support for the Syrian insurgency. He will press Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to do likewise. As faster Syria agrees and moves to eliminate its chemical weapons as faster will Obama retreat from the war. U.S. media will soon turn to the budget fight and the NSA spying affair as the major news themes and the U.S. public will forget about Syria. The Syrian opposition does not like the deal and does not want it to succeed. The Syrian Military Council will do its best to derail it. But it will soon be out of political support and out of money. Meanwhile the local SMC forces are fighting al-Qaeda aligned groups. It could well be that some of the local Syrian insurgency groups will soon join government forces in attacking the Jihadis. General Selim Idris may find some low level bureaucratic job in Dubai or Qatar. The Saudi king hates al-Qaeda ideologues just as much as he hates the Muslim Brotherhood and the Sasanids. He will agree to stop the war and will crack down on its financiers. Prince Bandar, who's responsibility was the recruiting the insurgent fighters, has (again) screwed up his job by not keeping them under control. He may be sent back into the desert. The Gulf states will (have to) follow the Saudi example. In Israel Netanyahoo knows that he lost this fight. AIPAC's defeat in Congress tells him that. While this round against the resistance was indecisive, a lot of Syria has been destroyed and its strategic arms have for now been dismantled. Netanyahoo will agree to the U.S. plan of winding down the war but will demand some undeserved "compensation". He always does and Obama always gives to him. The Turkish premier Erdogan will try to continue to support the insurgency in Syria. He is the only statesman who does so for ideological reasons. A true believer. But he also has lots of problems with his other neighbors and the external credit driven Turkish economy is on the verge of falling into a deep hole. Some hints from Russia and Iran that this winter might bring some technical difficulties with Turkey's gas supplies may be enough to make him finally throw in the towel. There are also some people within his own party, especially the Anatolian businessmen, who no longer agree with his rule. They may use his political weakness to bring some one else to the fore. Out of support and out of any chance to ever win the fight the Syrian part of the insurgency will likely stop fighting and try to come to some clemency agreement with the government. The foreign al-Qaeda parts will continue the fight. But they have little ideological base in the Syrian population and have no chance against a full fledged mechanized army. There will be a clamp down against their financial backers. For some time their terrorism will continue though. The U.S. may soon help Syria with intelligence or drones to fight them down. Russia is the clear strategic winner of the war on Syria. It is back as a power in the Middle East and has laid the base to stay there for quite some time. It has won major points in the global public opinion. Gazprom will be happy to help Syria with exploring and retrieving its coastal gas reserves. That will pay for Syria's reconstruction and rearmament. Gazprom may also buy gas from the Iran-Syria pipeline, sell it to Europe and strengthen its monopoly there. Iran has reinforced its strategic role and is now well positioned for negotiations of a deal with the United States that could end the 30 years of hot and cold hostilities. It has spent quite a bit on Syria and will spend more to help rebuilding it but the strategic result, a win for the "axis of resistance", is well worth that price. Syria and Syrians have won the war and lost a lot. It will take years to reintegrate the refugees, to rebuild and to let the wounds and deep rifts heal. Syria has also regained its independence. In 2014 Bashar al-Assad will likely be reelected as president of the Syrian Arab Republic and Syria's history will remember him as a gracious ruler and as a hero. The people of the United States have, for the first time in decades, stopped a war that their president wanted to pursue. That is a huge victory and a precedence. They should remember it well when the next manufactured war on this or that small country comes up. They have the power to stop it. Posted by b on September 14, 2013 at 17:15 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
July 07, 2016

Libya - Part III - The Return Of The King Saif Gaddafi

by Richard Galustian

In an article in early May, I wrote "Keep in the back off your mind the potential future importance of Saif Gaddafi."

The news of the release from a Libyan prison in Zintan of Saif Al Islam Gaddafi, heir apparent to his late father, is surprising to many outsiders but it nothing to what may come next - a return in some form to power.

In Libyas 2011 Arab Spring uprising, Saif joined his father and sons on the barricades, castigating NATO-backed rebels in a bitter revolutionary war. While those rebels later cornered and killed his father Muammar and brother Moatasim in Sirte, Saif was captured alive trying to flee through the Sahara desert to Niger.

It may be his good fortune that the units capturing him were from Zintan, a mountain town south of Tripoli, who later went to war with Islamist led Libya Dawn which captured the capital in 2014. When a mass trial was held of former regime figures there, Zintan refused to hand Saif over, sparing him the brutalities inflicted on other prisoners including former intelligence chief Abdullah al Senussi and his younger brother Saadi, who was filmed being beaten in a Tripoli prison cell.

Zintanis were no friends of the former regime, fighting against Gaddafis forces as one of the most effective rebel outfits during the uprising that was won by NATO bombing.

But from the few accounts of those allowed to visit him in a closely guarded compound somewhere in the town, he has been treated well, living under what amounts to house arrest, until now.

A year ago a Tripoli court operating under Libya Dawn auspices sentenced him, and either others including Al Senussi, to death. Up in Zintan, not much changed for Saif, with Zintan still digging in its heels and refusing to hand him over to Tripolis grim Al Hadba prison.

The shambolic UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) under a puppet PM who operates out of Tripoli naval base, the only part of the city they control, however appears to be responsible for the amnesty order given in April to Saif and other prisoners removing their death sentences and ordering them to be freed.

Since then, Saifs location is a mystery, but Zintans attitude to him is tempered by their alliance with former Gaddafi-supporting tribes, including those from Beni Walid and Warshefani, in their brutal battle with Libya Dawns Islamists. The Gaddafi tribe itself has a base south of Zintan around Sebha, making common cause with the Zintanis against Libya Dawn militias who control the capital and lord it over the GNA.

Before the Libya uprising, Saif criss-crossed the globe pushing an agenda for democratization he hoped would reform the country. Whether the drive was not serious, or whether it was frustrated by his hardline siblings Moatsem and Khamis, is impossible to know, but he emerges from captivity to find Libya a changed place something he predicted.

Saif al-Islam in February 2011 gave a speech foretelling of what was to come. And he was right There will be civil war in Libya  we will kill one another in the streets and all of Libya will be destroyed. We will need 40 years to reach an agreement on how to run the country, because today, everyone will want to be president, or emir, and everybody will want to run the country.

Saif knew his country would be torn apart if his father regime was forced out by the West.

The brutalities of his fathers regime have since been matched by those of some of the militias that overthrew him, most visibly the grim beating of his brother Saadi in a Tripoli jail which his captors filmed in gruesome detail.

Many of the tribes that once supported Gaddafi are now battling Islamists and their opportunistic Misratan allies of Libya Dawn, and will see in Saif a figure who can unify their demands not to be squeezed out of Libyan political life.

Opposition to him taking a political role it can be argued is softening because he was never part of the muscle of the Gaddafi regime, spending much of his time in London moving around the gilded circle of rich tycoons, academics and Tony Blairs political elite.

There is, in other words, an opening for a man who was castigated by rebels for dismissing their rebellion on Gaddafis green TV during the uprising, but who never fired a shot in anger. With his release, he might get a shot at the plan he always said he wanted; to reform his country and unite key tribes who feel marginalized by Libyas power brokers.

Pieces are falling into place for him to possibly take part in some kind of grand council. With the GNA unable to persuade either of Libyas other two governments to join it, there are calls for a wider mediation effort, with Saudi Arabia and importantly Oman, offering mediation, to be discussed in Brussels on 18th July with US Secretary of State John Kerry.

In this battered, chaotic country, with governments fighting each other and IS, Saif Gadaffi may find a new role as part of the solution rather than the problem.

In the past 24 hours since the news broke he had been freed, Libyans across the country from different towns and cities have held pictures of Saif shouting his name. To my knowledge it's the first time any pro-Gaddafi demonstrations have been evident in so many parts of the country since 2011.

It's time Saif played a role with other libertarians in and outside Libya promoting the old constitution and particularly banishing members of the former AQ affiliate, LIFG.

Rumors are abound that Saif will give a press conference very soon. That's going to be very interesting indeed if it happens.

Posted by b on July 7, 2016 at 16:32 UTC | Permalink

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January 16, 2017

Libya - How U.S.-Russian Cooperation May (Re-)Unite The Country

By Richard Galustian

On January 20th Trump will be sworn in as President. US Foreign Policy will crystallize when the full cabinet is approved by the U.S. Congress. The Russians will try and make their moves on the world chess board during this transition period to further their interests.

As far as Libya is concerned will Russias now overt support for the LNA (Libyan National Army) and 74 years old General Khalifa Haftar, a former(?) CIA asset, cause a problem? The U.S. has up to now supported the UN installed GNA (Government of National Accord) which has little following in the country. Could Russia's LNA support put it at odds with the incoming Trump administration or will this be a welcome and calculated play from Trump's perspective?

Haftar and the LNA are also supported by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Last week Blackwater founder Erik Prince allegedly provided private mercenary pilots in armed agricultural aircraft to bomb Western Libya's Islamist extremists. Prince's mercenary air force is paid by the UAE. He is a brother Betsy DeVos, the U.S. president-elect Donald Trumps nominee to be secretary of education.

What will change as a result in the complicated ground war in Libya between the various warring factions in south, east and west Libya?

What of ISIS relatively small presence in the Sirte and Sabratha regions?

What of the tentative potential thawing of US/Russia relations put on edge by last week's inevitably doubtful allegations of Trump's being blackmailed by Russia.

The first three months following the inauguration will be the most telling.

Until then, let us hazard a guess as to what will unfold:

One indication is certain. Washington interests now favor a military solution to the quagmire in Libya that involves Khalifa Hafter who would become part of some sort of leadership coalition or council. But that does not mean that it would favor the mercurial Haftar. He is not pliable enough to be a reliable (U.S. proxy-)leader. Serious Libyan commentators agree that talks now must include all ground players, even former Gaddafi officials, if the country is to be united.

However, the eradication of ISIS in Libya is still paramount. That joint desire could put America and Russia on the same side in Libya.

Russia has shown her strong willingness to support Hafter on two recent occasions; at the Moscow foreign ministry in mid December, and again, last week when Hafter was helicoptered to the neutral waters of the Mediterranean Sea, outside Libyan territorial boundaries, by Russian military, for a video conference call with Moscow's senior officials on board a Russian Warship. This behavior indicates a clear willingness to support Hafter's Libyan National Army, as the legitimate military force of the elected Parliament, the House of Representatives (HOR) in Tobruk. For some it's even indicative of Russian support to Hafter with or without the HOR's backing.

Signs now seem to indicate an imminent military attempt by the LNA and Hafter to move West and take Tripoli.

Russias rationale for involvement was summarized by Foreign Minister Lavrovs categorical statement on December 2 that it does not want Libya to end up like Syria, as a failed state.

But the motivation undoubtedly is one of self-interest. As with Syria, Russia sees an opportunity to gain new increased and important influence in an Arab state and I judge that this is better achieved before President Trump takes the full reigns of power; out trumping Trump so to speak. That's why I think internal fighting in Libya will escalate very soon.

Obamas self professed greatest foreign policy mistake in office was the failure to quell the post-revolution chaos in Libya. What better way for Trump to truly legitimize his position and silence the naysayers than strategically achieving peace in Libya and an end to ISIS's influence in Libya via a Russian alliance?

It is no secret Trump has announced his desire to cooperate with Putin, and he actually may view Russias very public support of Hafter as an asset rather than a liability, securing the region, making an unlikely ally and increasing the popularity of his administration in one stroke.

This position assumes that the West will abandon its failed attempt to shore up the UNs puppet government (GNA). It and its leader Serraj are viewed as wholly illegitimate and inept by the country's populace. It is time for EU/UN diplomats and politicians to recognize this as so and adapt to change and quickly.

Russian made helicopters and arms were delivered to LNA indirectly and covertly via Russia's ally's the UAE and Egypt and they proved crucial in repelling attacks by militias at the key central oil ports, seized by LNA in September 2016.

Earlier this month, Russia publicly supported lifting the UN arms embargo. The West up until recently only wanted the embargo lifted for GNA militias. Presumably, if Western Powers attempted to lift sanctions for only the GNA, Russias UNSC vote would be "Njet."

Therefore the LNA would appear to be the only entity that will be supported by the international community including Russia.

On the other hand another critical factor is Oil. Russia has an option of buying directly from Cyrenaica, (the historic entity of what is now east Libya), challenging western powers to intercept its tankers. A potential superpower flashpoint.

Cyrenica also wants its own flag as well as a new national anthem. This would in my opinion certainly lead to Libya becoming two (or three) separate countries, east and west (and south) Libya. This would follow historic precedence back to the former Greek and Roman provinces.

Structural and mismanagement issues remain and heighten internal tensions. For example GECOL (General Electricity Company of Libya) has all but collapsed as has electricity to the entire country, Combined with water distribution shortages and an unusually intense cold spell, the people's patience is at an end. The country could now completed dissolve and fall into even deeper chaos.

A wild card remains - the US to drop support for the GNA in its current form and shift it to the LNA making it the undoubtedly strongest force in the country.

US good relations with Putin and Moscow could well see Russia gaining a chunk of influence in Libya at presumably the expense of the Italians and British with the French seemingly solely interested in southern Libya.

All will be clear very soon as, I believe, internal fighting will escalate considerably. A peaceful negotiated settlement between the warring Libyan parties seems now very remote.

Posted by b on January 16, 2017 at 10:27 UTC | Permalink

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April 19, 2017

Libya - More War And Reconciliation

By Richard Galustian

The West retains it's out of touch Libyan policies when in Luca, Italy last week the G7 'warned and commanded' that the fractious warring Libyan parties 'must' work with the dying UN appointed and recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), situated only in a small naval base in Tripoli and its so called Presidency Council (PC). And further ordered Libyans to work together to fix the economic crisis by recognising that the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) need to only collaborate with the GNA/PC, so out of touch with the real issues on the ground in Libya are the G7 Countries. Their language almost expressed in colonial terms!

Other global interference in Libya continues. Most recently also the GNA and Presidency Council (PC) leader Fayez Serraj was seeing the head, at his HQ in Stuttgart, of the United Stated Africa Command (AFRICOM) General Thomas Waldhauser. I didn't know Stuttgart was in Africa?

Other pronouncements of one kind or another backing the phantom GNA appear almost weekly.

All a waste of time, as UN and EU efforts have proven these past years. As far as Serraj is concerned he is unelected by Libyans but chosen by the foreigners. Thats never going to achieve forward progress for Libyas future.

The one year anniversary of the General National Accord (GNA) created by the UN and headed by Serraj was on the 30th March just two weeks ago. But the GNA doesnt function. To compound the GNAs inability to govern, an acute emergency has emerged in the last 7 days revolving around further direct sales by Cyrenaica (East Libya) of oil bypassing Tripoli and the West. If this issue remains unresolved the country may split into two or three pieces. There is now tremendous in-fighting between National Oil Company (NOC) and a variety of diverse interests. The West's reactions to these realities remain puzzling and totally unrealistic to say the least.

A Libyan military solution to the civil war is fast becoming the only option however a Mandela type Truth and Reconciliation Commission following straight after such military victory is also a top priority.

These developments are part of a new dynamic that is entering the Libyan Civil War that is another trend that may satisfy weary Libyans themselves. The re-entry of two of Gaddafis children who are seeking a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, similar to South Africas, in order to bring unity to the country. Specific Libyan tribes are starting to back the Gaddafi clan a new and hopefully peaceful attempt at country unification may appear that ousts the GNA and other Tripoli militias and extremists for good from the political scene. This is becoming a realistic proposition.

It is to this point that national reconciliation must be addressed. South Africas process helped to unify the country after decades of apartheid.

The LNA's Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar is close to Elders of Warfalla tribe that give him their support in the war against terrorism. Warfalla tribe is the biggest tribe in Libya located in Bani Walid and Sirte area, the Warshfana tribe is second located to the South West of Tripoli. Both tribes are from the west of Libya and both are against extremists and very sympathetic to the Gaddafis. Importantly, the tribes believe that the Gaddafis can reach an accommodation with Libyan parties to one another forgive crimes committed before and after the revolt of 2011. Already, evidence can be seen of this trend: In the past week, Libyan authorities have released some Gaddafi era nobles from prison. The involvement of the former AQ-LIFG fighters to take credit for these releases is a vain attempt to try to align themselves with Gaddifites which will never succeed.

While the limelight is on Saif, who still is believed to suffer from physical and mental injuries sustained during his capture, his sister Aisha Gaddafi is fast becoming the most important member of the family. She is generating a good deal of attention and she may well be very influential in future. Aisha is a pragmatic and sensible Libyan with acute political acumen and a sharp wit and intellect. She has a dynamic personality and is the most well educated of the Colonel's siblings. There is an argument that she needs to return to the political scene. Whether she wants to, no one knows due to her low profile so far.

However with Aisha's victory last week in the European Court of Justice against the UN Security Council-sponsored sanctions this may very well be the first indicator. She has also had her travel ban lifted. A major achievement. Together with her brother, when he achieves 100 percent fitness, both Gaddafis can begin to work together with all Libyans to rescue the country from its dreadful plight as part of a team never a return to dictatorship.

This tandem approach Gaddafi siblings and the Tribes is the possible solution to Libyas civil war. Haftar recognizes the values of tribes and the Libyan Field Marshall is now using all his might to solidify and unify all Libyans whilst continuing to fight terrorists. As stated earlier, South Africas dismantling of decades of apartheid serves as the example, the model for Libya.

The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up to help deal with what awful things happened under apartheid, much worse than Gaddafi's crimes ever were. The remnants of conflict during this post-apartheid period resulted in still some limited violence and human rights abuses from all sides but no section of society escaped exposure or punishment.

Libya is suffering under a system of constant outside international interference in a Libyan decision about their own future. Self-reflection is an important part of reconciliation and it is thought that if the Gaddafis assistance in such an effort will help in a cleansing to build a new Libyan future, this would be a good thing. Of course, Libya is not South Africa, and the issues completely different, yet it is the process of reconciliation and forgiveness itself which has its primordial roots in todays modern Libyan tribes.

Russia involvement with Egypt is essential. Also African countries must unite to help Libya through this process, not US's AFRICOM, UN or even the EU. The only other country that appears to be a true friend to Libya is the UAE who also have the advantage of being anti-Muslim Brotherhood, a dangerous sect that has influence in the West of Libya.

If body language is anything to go by, this picture (of Mohamed bin Zayed, the powerful Crown Prince of the UAE with Haftar) taken last week in Abu Dhabi speaks volumes!



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Let us hope finally for a peaceful conclusion to the tragedy that has been Libya for these past six years.

Posted by b on April 19, 2017 at 8:23 UTC | Permalink

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May 23, 2017

Libya - Massacre At Brak al-Shatti May Trigger Larger Civil War

Egypt, the UN and Arab governments try to mediated between the two governments in Libya. A massacre at an air base interrupted the process and threatens to intensify the civil war.

by Richard Galustian

(Cairo) Nobody has their eye on Libya with all "western" media preoccupied with DC machinations, Russiaphobia and the first overseas trip of President Trump.

What about the implosion we are on the brink of seeing in Libya following the murder of all LNA Air Force personnel at the Brak al-Shati AFB?

The death toll in the attack of a Libyan National Army airbase, in south Libya, rose to over 140, a spokesman for Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar said on Sunday.

Remarkably it was militia (called 'the third force') of the UN unelected Government of National Accord (GNA) under Faez Serraj that attacked and executed the unarmed men in the Brak al-Shati Air base. There were allegedly foreigners among the attackers possibly aligned with al-Qaeda.

LNA spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari said on Friday most of the fatalities were maintenance and support Air Force personnel including some pilots. He added the victims included many civilians such as cooks and cleaners who worked at the airbase or were in the nearby area, adding that barbaric summary executions were carried out one by one, all head shots. "Many of the young airmen were returning from a military parade. They weren't armed but still were executed," the spokesman said.



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Aerial view and map of Brak al-Shati air base

The LNA Air Force has been in control of the airbase since last December.

The GNA's 'third force' militia spokesman, most of whom are from Misrata said they had "liberated the base and destroyed all the forces inside."

Prime Minister Faez Serraj the UN appointed prime minister has denied ordering the attack.

The attack broke an informal truce reached in Abu Dhabi brokered by one of the most powerful GCC personalities, HH the Crown Prince of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamad bin Zayed Al Nahayan earlier this month when the LNA's commander, Field Marshall Khalifa Haftar, met the U.N.backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj. Also in attendance was President Sisi of Egypt as well as a senior civil servant from the Russian Federation.

Last week Hafter and Serraj were due to meet again but in Cairo this time under the mediation of President Sisi. Both were supposed to be Cairo on May 11 but Serraj did not shown up. It was said that his own militia had threatened him and told him to stay away.

Serraj went on to Guinea to meet the head of the African Union and to Riyadh to take part in Trump's Arab Islamic American party on Sunday. He shortly met with President Trump who, it seems, had not been briefed on the atrocities committed by Serraj's militias at the time they briefly spoke with each other.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is particularly disturbed by the high number of fatalities in the Air Base attack as well as reports of their barbaric summary execution including civilians which, if confirmed, should constitute a war crime perpetrated by the UN recognised and chosen government itself. It was not elected by the Libyan people. An astonishing development.

Martin Kobler, the head of the U.N. Support Mission known as UNSMIL, strongly condemned the deadly incident as a "vicious attack undermines political efforts."

"I am outraged by reports of significant numbers of fatalities, including civilians and by reports that summary executions may have taken place. Summary executions and targeting civilians constitute a war crime, which may be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court," Kobler said.

To back track a little, the first meeting started in Rome. Italy is leading the 'fantasy' campaign to convince the outside world that somehow the two year civil war is about to end, trumpeting breakthrough when describing the April 21st meeting in Rome between Agelah Saleh, the president of the elected parliament in Tobruk, and Abdurrahman Swehli, head of Tripolis High Council of State (HCS).

The hard reality is that the Tobruk parliament, and Haftar, now command the strongest army, control two thirds of the country and hold the Oil Crescent, home to most of the oil. And their objective is to get control of the remaining third, crucially west and south of Tripoli.

Haftar needs also to stop the Italian-Libyan-EU criminal mafia network controlling human trafficking of migrants from Libya to Europe.

Trumps declaration weeks ago that the US has no role in LIbya left the field clear for Russia in Libya. The Kremlin showed its hand in January, inviting Haftar aboard an aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean.

Russia is to send more diplomats to Libya next week and near the end of May a large naval exercise is expected off the coast of Libya. One might question the reasoning behind the timing of this exercise.

Moscow is well aware that Haftar is now the key player. This is now clearly a Russian led game with Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov playing an important role. He recently successfully negotiated the release of kidnapped Russian sailors.

This new found relationship is in many ways extraordinary and is but one illustration of Russias growing clout in Libya.

As for the UK, Britains foreign secretary Boris Johnson paid day visits to Libya last week. He went first to Tripoli to see poor beleaguered Serraj, with a separate meeting with Swehli as Serraj and Swelhi won't meet each other. But two days later when Boris journeyed to Tobruk for an hour's visit, he only met Saleh because Haftar could find no time to meet Johnson. Enough said.

The French will always have their own agenda in the South of Libya based on their interests in Central Africa, not only Libya.

To sum up, its a catch 22. Haftar will accept nothing less than to become commander of all Libyan armed forces, and that means Serraj must dissolve and disarm the militias which he has no ability or power to do.

This barbaric act at the Air Base will, I think, be the trigger for a massive escalation of the Libyan civil war.

The intensity and complexity of these issues will come to a head shortly particularly after the massacre at Brak and turn into a very dangerous violent phase due in part also to disgruntled Tripoli and Misratan militias and in my opinion culminating soon in the inevitable siege of both Misrata and Tripoli by Khalifa's LNA.

LNA Special Forces Commander, the legendary Col. Wanis Boukhamada commented " Our response to these treacherous crimes will be harsh on the battlefield"

Terrorist sleeper cells and snipers are allegedly already in place in and around Tripoli to conduct a long guerrilla war fare campaign should Tripoli be overtaken by Hafter. Its going to be something like Sarajevo.

The Libyan people have had enough and Europe will suffer considerably from these negative violent changes that are about to inevitably intensify between the warring parties within Libya after this massacre.

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Posted by b on May 23, 2017 at 6:01 UTC | Permalink

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November 24, 2017 And Then The Clown Prince Told Friedman: 'Suck On This.' The Moustache of Understanding, Thomas Friedman, has written the probably most embarrassing fanfiction ever: The most significant reform process underway anywhere in the Middle East today is in Saudi Arabia. Yes, you read that right. Though I came here at the start of Saudi winter, I found the country going through its own Arab Spring, Saudi style. Unlike the other Arab Springs  all of which emerged bottom up and failed miserably, except in Tunisia  this one is led from the top down by the countrys 32-year-old crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and, if it succeeds, it will not only change the character of Saudi Arabia but the tone and tenor of Islam across the globe. Friedman once said that U.S. soldiers must shove their guns into the face of random Arabs and tell them to "suck on this". How things change. Friedman now went to Riyadh to suck on whatever side of his abdomen Mohammed bin Salman shoved into his mustached mouth: We met at night at his familys ornate adobe-walled palace in Ouja, north of Riyadh. M.B.S. spoke in English, while his brother, Prince Khalid, the new Saudi ambassador to the U.S., and several senior ministers shared different lamb dishes and spiced the conversation. After nearly four hours together, I surrendered at 1:15 a.m. to M.B.S.s youth, pointing out that I was exactly twice his age. Its been a long, long time, though, since any Arab leader wore me out with a fire hose of new ideas about transforming his country. "Look here! MbS SPEAKS ENGLISH (and pays in dollars)! This must be OUR GUY." ("And don't ya all love those (homo-)sexual allusions I enwombed in those words?")

Tom Friedman (left) being "instructed" of his next fellacious duty (artist conception) It hasn't been such a "long, long time" since Friedman used that "wore me out" cliche. Only two years exactly, or four Friedman units, have passed since he last fellatiated MbS like this: I spent an evening with Mohammed bin Salman at his office, and he wore me out. Friedman's Love Letter to a War Criminal largely ignores the famine in Yemen caused by the U.S.-Saudi blockade of that country. The Saudi tyrant promised to lift the blockade two days ago only to keep it up and to even tighten it since. "A humanitarian nightmare" is all Friedman has to say about it. But "it blew [his] mind" to learn that "men-only" concerts in Riyadh are now a thing. Friedman falsely claims that MbS is a "lawyer by training,..". Since when is a Bachelor degree in Islamic law - the only academic training MbS claims to have - sufficient to join a legal bar? Friedman goes on to repeat the ridiculous claim that the tyrant's brutal shakedown of his local competition is following some rule of law: When all the data was ready, the public prosecutor, Saud al-Mojib, took action, M.B.S. said, ... "Under Saudi law, the public prosecutor is independent. We cannot interfere with his job ..." Those are of course outright lies which Friedman makes no attempt to refute. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy. What part of "absolute" is so difficult to understand? King Salman's decree gave his son's shakedown committee absolute authority to maim whoever it wants to and to take whatever it likes - literary: It may take whatever measures deemed necessary to deal with those involved in public corruption cases and take what it considers to be the right of persons, entities, funds, fixed and movable assets, at home and abroad, ..." There is no "public prosecutor" or "rule of law" involved in that mass rape. Moreover, the kings decree immunizes MbS of any consequences. It exempts his committee "from laws, regulations, instructions, orders and decisions" as long as it claims to perform its tasks. All is well, Friedman says, because the few people he was allowed to talk to, knew their script well: Not a single Saudi I spoke to here over three days expressed anything other than effusive support for this anticorruption drive. No Saudi speaks out against that drive because doing so might get him killed. Anything less than "effusive support" for the clown prince constitutes "terrorism" and gets one jailed or killed in no time: The law, introduced earlier this month, includes penalties of up to 10 years in jail for insulting the king and crown prince, as well as the death penalty for other acts of "terrorism", according to Saudi Gazette and other local news media. Friedman. won't go to jail. He pens down whatever the Saudi ruler and his entourage tell him to - or not to write. He says as much: Indeed, M.B.S. instructed me: "Do not write ..." Thus, Saudi Arabia, which is funding thousands of extremist Wahhabi mosques all around the world, will now become the beacon of liberal Islam. Or so he claims. The whole piece is a terrible embarrassment for its author, but even more so for the editors at the NY Times, who let it pass. They should demand the pay for a full spread advertisement from the Saudis to compensate for the loss of readership Friedman's column is likely to cause. One wonders why the mustache felt the need to suck up all the crap MbS offered to him. He is married to a billionaire and does not need the extra income. Then again - some "youth" to "surrender to" and a "fire hose" to "wore him out" for "a long, long time" might have been an enticing compensation. Posted by b on November 24, 2017 at 17:32 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
July 08, 2018 Pyongyang Talks - How Pompeo Put The Cart Before The Horse U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo just visited North Korea to further the agenda President Trump and Chairmen Kim had agreed upon in Singapore. The visit did not go well: The specifics of what happened behind closed doors remain unclear. Whether Pompeo somehow annoyed his counterpart, or pressed too hard, or whether the North Koreans are simply reverting to their hot-and-cold tactics, is hard to say. But the regime made sure to have the final word, and it was not pleasant. As he was leaving, Pompeo told reporters the conversations were productive and in good faith. Hours later North Korean state media issued a statement that did not mention him by name but called the demands he presented gangster-like. The Trump administration has long set out its goal as CVID, the "Complete, Verifiable and Irreversible Dismantlement" of North Korea nuclear weapons program. After applying "maximum pressure" on North Korea through international sanctions, the U.S. believed that long planned steps North Korea took to start talks with its adversaries were already the total surrender it was hoping for. Somehow the people became convinced that North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons. From a Washington Post story: Amid increasing scrutiny of North Korea's commitment to giving up its weapons, Pompeo came to Pyongyang in a bid to hammer out the details of a denuclearization plan. While the secretary told reporters that progress was made "on almost all of the central issues and involved good-faith negotiations, North Korea said the U.S. attitude, demanding denuclearization, was regrettable. "North Korea's commitment to giving up its weapons" is presented as a matter of fact in the U.S. media. However, North Korea never made such a commitment. The declarations it agreed to set out denuclearization as an aspiration goal that will be worked on only after the normalization of economic and military relations and after a peace treaty has been agreed on or signed. The record on that is clear. In April President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and Chairman Kim Jong-un of North Korea met in Panmunjom and signed a common Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula . The declaration had three numbered main points, each with a list of subitems. The first main point covers inner-Korean relations including economic relations, the second point is about the lowering of military tension, the third is about a peace agreement. The second subitem of the third main point sets out a step by step process of disarmament: South and North Korea agreed to carry out disarmament in a phased manner, as military tension is alleviated and substantial progress is made in military confidence-building. The third subitem is about a peace treaty that includes the U.S. and China. It is only the fourth subitem of the third mainpoint and the last of the whole declaration that mentions a goal of denuclearization within a bigger context: South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realizing, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. South and North Korea shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities in this regard. South and North Korea agreed to actively seek the support and cooperation of the international community for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Denuclearization of the north AND south is the last point of a long agenda that will be fulfilled in a "phased manner" or step by step. The whole paper describes a chronologic order in which the set of tasks will be worked on. In June Kim Jong-un met U.S. President Trump in Singapore. A "freeze for freeze" - the stop of nuclear and missile testing in exchange for a stop of military maneuvers - was agreed upon. A Joint Statement was signed with a list of future tasks in similar chronological order as in the Panmunjeom Declaration (numbering added): President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un conducted a comprehensive, in-depth and sincere exchange of opinions on the issues related to [1] the establishment of new US-DPRK relations and [2] the building of a lasting and robust peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. President Trump committed [3a] to provide security guarantees to the DPRK, and Chairman Kim Jong Un [3b] reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The program detailed in that paragraph is repeated in an itemized and numbered list: President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong Un state the following: The United States and the DPRK commit to establish new US-DPRK relations in accordance with the desire of the peoples of the two countries for peace and prosperity. The United States and DPRK will join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. Reaffirming the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the DPRK commits to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula Denuclearization of the north AND south is again described as an aspirational goal and as the last item of the longer list. The Panmunjeom Declaration and the Singapore Statement are the only public commitments North Korea agreed to. Both describe numbered steps that are to be taken by both parties one after the other. Denuclearization is the last step. Now Pompeo came to Pyongyang and asked for details about North Korea's nuclear program and how it plans to abandon it. As far as we know he did not talk about point 1, the "establishment of new US-DPRK relations" which would include the opening of embassies and economic engagement. He did not talk about point 2, "a lasting and stable peace regime" i.e. a peace treaty. He did not talk about 3a, the "security guarantees to the DPRK". The only item he talked about was 3b, the last item on the list. The Trump administration put the cart before the horse and now wonders why that did not work. After Pompeo left Pyongyang North Korea published a statement that condemns Pompeo for getting the sequence wrong: [T]he U.S. side came up only with its unilateral and gangster-like demand for denuclearization just calling for CVID, declaration and verification, all of which run counter to the spirit of the Singapore summit meeting and talks. The U.S. side never mentioned the issue of establishing a peace regime on the Korean peninsula which is essential for defusing tension and preventing a war. It took the position that it would even backtrack on the issue it had agreed on to end the status of war under certain conditions and excuses. As for the issue of announcing the declaration of the end of war at an early date, it is the first process of defusing tension and establishing a lasting peace regime on the Korean peninsula, and at the same time, it constitutes a first factor in creating trust between the DPRK and the U.S. This issue was also stipulated in Panmunjom Declaration as a historical task to terminate the war status on the Korean peninsula which continues for nearly 70 years. President Trump, too, was more enthusiastic about this issue at the DPRK-U.S. summit talks. First peace, then denuclearization. The statement goes on to laud Trump while condemning his minions: Valuable agreement was reached in such a short time at the Singapore summit talks first ever in the history of the DPRK-U.S. relations. This is attributable to the fact that President Trump himself said he would move towards resolving the DPRK-U.S. relations and the issue of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in a new way. If both sides at the working level reneged on the new way agreed at the summit and returned to the old way, the epoch-making Singapore summit would be meaningless ...

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We still cherish our good faith in President Trump. The U.S. should make a serious consideration of whether the toleration of the headwind against the wills of the two top leaders would meet the aspirations and expectations of the world people as well as the interests of its country. This is a quite interesting play. North Korea tells Trump that his staff is sabotaging the "valuable agreement" he made. There is little doubt that this is the case. As chinahand aka Peter Lee explains (recommended video), "sabotaging Korean peace is as American as apple pie." Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton has a long history of destroying talks with North Korea. It was likely John Bolton who organized the recent intelligence leaks about North Korea's continuing work on its missile programs. In March, before joining the Trump administration, Bolton went on Foxnews and talked about the already agreed upon Trump-Kim summit. He opined (@4:10m) that the purpose of the meeting was, in his view, to .. ".. foreshorten the amount of time that were going to waste in negotiations that will never produce the result we want, which is Kim giving up his nuclear program. If such hawk engagement was the purpose of the Trump-Kim meeting then the end point is nearly reached. Trump could now twitter the lie that Kim "betrayed" him and "failed to fulfill his commitment", the one he never made. The U.S. establishment, the Korea specialists and the mainstream media all argued against these talks. They want full denuclearization of North Korea without giving it much - if anything - in return. They would applaud Trump if he stops the talks and again ramps up tensions. But Trump might really want to get that Nobel Peace Prize. He will not get one for nuking Pyongyang. He will (first) have to make peace. He will have to order Pompeo to go back to Pyongyang and to talk about the opening embassies and the peace process before raising the issue of 'denuclearization'. He will have to tell Bolton to stop his games. Trump may also have a another aim in mind. China is the main competitor of the United States, in Asia as well as globally. North Korea is China's T/trump card, a proxy state that can be used to dial up tensions and to keep the U.S. busy whenever it wants. If Trump really wants to go after China, neutralizing North Korea (and Russia?) first is a desirable step. It is not discernible what Trump really wants. It might well be that he has not made up his mind, or that he changes his position as the days go by. Posted by b on July 8, 2018 at 18:02 UTC | Permalink Comments
August 28, 2018 How Media Failures Complicate The Nuclear Talks With North Korea North Korea recently again asked the Trump administration to stick to the three steps agreed upon in the Singapore Statement. The Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin characterizes the North Korean request as "belligerent": Pompeo received the letter from Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of North Koreas ruling Workers Party Central Committee, on Friday morning, and showed it to Trump in the White House, two senior administration officials confirmed. The exact contents of the message are unclear, but it was sufficiently belligerent that Trump and Pompeo decided to call off Pompeos journey ... Reuters amplified the alleged "belligerence" when it headlined: Trump called off Pompeo's North Korea visit after belligerent letter: report WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump called off a visit to North Korea by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the latter received a belligerent letter from a senior North Korean official just hours after the trip was announced last week, the Washington Post reported on Monday. Reuters must know that Josh Rogin does not do "reporting". He is not a journalist but a neocon shill with a direct line to John Bolton. He publishes his effusions in the Opinion section of the paper, not in its news parts. CNN then entered the frail and reported the real content of the letter: North Korea warns Pompeo denuclearization talks are 'at stake,' sources say: Top North Korean officials warned the United States in a letter that denuclearization talks are "again at stake and may fall apart," sources familiar with the process told CNN. The letter was delivered to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whose fourth trip to Pyongyang was abruptly canceled, hours before he was scheduled to depart with his new special envoy Stephen Biegun on Friday, sources said. Three sources with direct knowledge of the North Korean position on denuclearization said the letter stated that Kim's regime felt that the process couldn't move forward because "the US is still not ready to meet (North Korean) expectations in terms of taking a step forward to sign a peace treaty." The described demand by North Korea to follow the agreed upon steps is certainly not 'belligerent'. After the CNN reported the real content of the letter Reuters changed its 'belligerent' headline to: North Korea tells U.S. denuclearisation talks may fall apart - CNN but the URL to the piece on the Reuters website still reflects the original headline: https://in.reuters.com/article/northkorea-usa/trump-called-off-pompeos-north-korea-visit-after-belligerent-letter-report-idINKCN1LC2HA. The text though is now heavily modified: WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean officials have warned in a letter to the United States that denuclearisation talks were again at stake and may fall apart, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

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The Washington Post reported on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump called off a visit to North Korea by Pompeo after the latter received a belligerent letter from a senior North Korean official just hours after the trip was announced last week. The "belligerent" Washington Post nonsense was moved down from the headline and first graph to the seventh of nine paragraphs. It should have been deleted or further modified. This incident demonstrates two problems: News agencies like Associated Press, Reuters, AFP or DPA have increased their distribution of opinions and vague reports picked from other media without confirming the content themselves. Reuters first picked the item from an Opinion piece in the Washington Post and then corrected it with the bits it gleaned from a CNN piece. Where are its own reporters? Has Reuters given up on those? This is an abrogation of the original task and purpose of a general news agency.

Websites which more or less automatically re-publish news agency reports do not have an automatic update process which replaces news-agency report with updates or corrections should the agency release any. A search for the "belligerent" Reuters headline finds more than 30 such entries hours after the original was updated and the headline changed. The lack of an automatic update procedure for agency news leaves a large amount of 'official' fakenews alive on the web even when the original piece has been retracted or modified. Back to the North Korea issue. It is obvious that the Trump administration is not willing to follow the agreed upon sequence in the Singapore Statement and Panmunjom Declaration. It wants to proceed with step three, an aspirational North Korean promise to "work towards" denuclearization, before taking step one and two which prescribe the move towards better relations and a peace treaty. Instead of criticizing the unwillingness of the Trump administration to stick to its commitment, U.S. media push the administration further down its belligerent path. A Washington Post editorial today laments that the Singapore negotiations have given North Korea too much. It urges Trump further into the blind alley he already finds himself in: The administrations best hope of rescuing the situation is to return to talking with North Korea about an equitable tradeoff. To start the process of denuclearization, U.S. officials say the Kim regime must provide a complete inventory of its assets  warheads, production facilities and other nuclear infrastructure  and agree to inspections to verify it. Previous negotiations have broken down because of Pyongyangs refusal to take this step, so a full disclosure would provide the first clear signal that Mr. Kim was serious about denuclearization. That, along with a freeze in the production of missiles and fissile materials, could justify U.S. participation in the end-of-conflict declaration the two Koreas are seeking. This is exactly what Trump and his water carrier Pompeo are doing. They demand that North Korea bows to whatever the U.S. wishes without assuring it of a significant quid pro quo. If the U.S. can not even stick to simple agreements, like the Singapore Statement, why should North Korea believe any verbal assurance of vague steps the U.S. might take after it disarms? The only way out of this is for the U.S. to offer and sign a peace treaty that finally brings the Korea War to an official end. There is only one alternatives to that. A return of U.S. strategic maneuvers, which Defense Secretary Mattis just now announced, followed by North Korea with new nuclear and missile tests, possibly combined in a launch towards Guam. The 2020 commission report explains what we can expect to follow from these steps. Posted by b on August 28, 2018 at 15:53 UTC | Permalink Comments
September 27, 2018

British Intelligence Throws More Novi-Fog To Hide The Holes In Its Skripal File

The UK/NATO propaganda group Bellingcat asserts that the man in the left picture is the same man as the person in the other two pictures.

The man in the middle and right picture is supposed to be Ruslan Boshirov, one of the two Russians who say (vid) that they went to visit Stonehenge via Salisbury on March 3 and March 4 2018, but could not reach it because the roads were closed after recent snowstorms. (Stonehenge was indeed closed during those two days.)

The British government asserts that the two visiting men are agents of the Russian military intelligence service GRU. It says that they applied 'Novichok' to the doorknob of Sergej Skripal's house with the intent to kill the former British spy. The 'highly deadly' poison is said to have affected Sergej Skripal, his daughter Yulia and a policeman. All are said to be well by now but all three have been vanished from the public by the British intelligence services.

The alleged GRU men went on, says the British government, to dispose the rest of the 'Novichok' in a perfume bottle, the packing sealed in cellophane, which was months later found by some bloke in Salisbury while rummaging through charity boxes. That 'perfume' is claimed to have killed the blokes drug addicted girlfriend.

Today's release of these pictures adds another layer of disinformation to divert the public from the many contradictions in the case the British government presented. It is Novi-Fog.

Bellingcat, which claims to work with open source material, does not really say how it found the picture at the left. It claims to have had access to "leaked Russian databases" and to have "obtained" Russian passport files without further explanation. It then asserts that the man in the left picture is one Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, who, it says, is a highly decorated officer of the Russian GRU.

Bellingcat concludes that the man known as Ruslan Boshirov in the middle and right picture is indeed the supposed GRU officer in the left picture.

The former British ambassador Craig Murray does not believe that man on the left is the same one as the man in the other pictures. Other people have pointed out various inconsistencies with the pictures, seemingly faked papers, and the whole story presented by Bellingcat.

Elena Evdokimova @elenaevdokimov7 - 1:52 UTC- 27 Sep 2018 @Belligcat's new opus on #Skripal's alleged poisoning This is becoming hilarious Person who filled the alleged passport form also forged the .. on the other form- its the SAME handwriting!

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Charles Wood @Mare_Indicum - 3:52 UTC- 27 Sep 2018 Bzzzt! #Bellingcrap two images, one of Anatoly Vladimirovich Chepiga, one of Ruslan Boshirov, only get a 75% match using facial recognition software and are classified 'from different persons', not even 'quite look-alike'. Keep up the futile search guys!

(Follow the links in the above tweets to see the presented evidence and conclusions.)

Moon of Alabama commentator Debs is Dead is likewise unconvinced of the stroy. The following is his (edited for readability):

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I flicked on the beeb news channel as I dragged myself outta the pit this AM and caught the 'news' of the Bellingcat claim that Ruslan Boshirov = Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga.

Now I'm fully cognisant of the fact that neither Russia nor Chepiga should feel obliged to prove this claim is untrue, but since whichever way you slice it Chepiga is now 'blown', they (Russia/Chepiga) may as well prove the claim is nonsense. The thing being that the boof heads at MI6/CIA would also have worked that out, unless it was a particularly boofed boofhead who put this latest snippet together.

IMO in all likelihood Ruslan Boshirov = Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga is correct. Towards the end of one of the supporting articles that sets out the 'proof' Bellingcat mutters something rather odd which seems like it actually detracts from the story - if the ultimate target of this revelation is Colonel Chepiga.

But who really cares about some obscure military intelligence mid-level bloke? [...] No one cares about Chepiga, this entire saga is about getting the masses to accept without any deep consideration, that "Putin" the figurehead who (according to western media) micromanages everything evil about Russia, only cares about destroying the life of Jo/Joe Shitkicker where ever in the world Jo/Joe may be.

So the last two paras of the burble runs thusly:

Bellingcat has contacted confidentially a former Russian military officer of similar rank as Colonel Chepiga, in order to receive a reaction to what we found. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed surprise that at least one of the operatives engaged in the operation in Salisbury had the rank of colonel. Even more surprising was the suspects prior award of the highest military recognition. In our sources words, an operation of this sort would have typically required a lower-ranked, field operative with a military rank of no higher than captain. The source further surmised that to send a highly decorated colonel back to a field job would be highly extraordinary, and would imply that the job was ordered at the highest level.



The logical flaw is obvious of course. If 'the job' had been ordered at the highest level surely sending some bloke who had been riding a desk for the last six years is not how it would be handled, the most recently capable operative would be send - either a relatively junior officer or a young but experienced NCO.

However assuming Boshirov = Colonel Chepiga is correct, while he would never be sent to supervise a hit on the ground much less carry it out; it doesn't take a great stretch to ruminate on the possible tasks a military intelligence colonel would be sent to England for.

There is one obvious task which would explain most credibly what he was in Salisbury for - to give Sergey Skripal confidence that his repatriation was a genuine offer, not some half arsed wish fulfillment plan dreamed up by Yulia and a low level intelligence operator eager to climb into Yulia's pants.

Two colonels of the GRU, one a highly decorated hero and the other a dodgy turncoat who had come to realise after the nonsense his immediate MI6 superior Pablo Miller, plus his big boss "Mr Steele" had put out about Moscow golden showers, whilst insinuating he, Skirpal was party to the fiction, that rapprochement between Russia and England/America was never gonna happen. He was never going to be able to know any of his grandchildren or see his motherland again because US/UK needed 'evil Russia' to distract their citizens away from the real evildoing 'at home'.

Someone used a chess metaphor elsewhere in a thread, well I would say that if the Bellingcat revelation that Ruslan Boshirov = Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, if true, sails close to a checkmate.

If Russia confesses that Ruslan Boshirov = Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, citizens in the west would be denied any explanation as the fishwraps and talking heads would be too busy celebrating Russia's alleged 'defeat' to include any other portion of what Russia had said, especially not an exposition which dealt with everything from the fact that Chepiga & Co arrived too late on Sunday for their poisoned doorknob to have tainted the Skirpals who had left the house for the last time hours before and that of all the English towns some idiot chose to squirt this muck around Salisbury was the one where assassination by chemical weapon was the town the least likely to give success since the proximity of Porton Downs guaranteed that some if not all staff at Salisbury Hospital would have been trained in chemical weapon detection and antidote.

On the other side of the coin - panic stations at MI6, on a quiet Sunday it has just been uncovered that an asset was 'going over'. So some duty officer sent the thug on call for the day over to Porton Downs to grab 'a little something' guaranteed to prevent any such nonsense.

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End of Debs is Dead's comment.



Previous Moon of Alabama coverage of the Skripal case:

Posted by b on September 27, 2018 at 17:18 UTC | Permalink

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September 26, 2018 U.S. Scaremongers About Iranian Missiles But Reduces Mideast Missile Defense he propaganda of the Trump administration says that all must fear those ghastly Iranian missiles: Trumps Iran envoy blasts Tehran missile work .. - Sep 19 Brian Hook, the US special envoy on Iran, cited Irans continuing development, testing and transfer of ballistic missile technology as a key flaw of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from in May. John Bolton warns Iran 'there will be hell to pay' if aggression continues: 'We will come after you' - Sep 24 The Iran nuclear deal, Bolton said Tuesday, "did nothing to address the regimes destabilizing activities or its ballistic missile development and proliferation. Trumps speech to the UN General Assembly - Sep 25 The Iran deal was a windfall for Irans leaders. In the years since the deal was reached, Irans military budget grew nearly 40 percent. The dictatorship used the funds to build nuclear-capable missiles, increase internal repression, finance terrorism, and fund havoc and slaughter in Syria and Yemen. As with any government one must look at what the Trump administration actually does, not what it says. U.S. Pulling Some Missile-Defense Systems Out of Mideast - Sep 26 Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is pulling four Patriot missile systems out of Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain next month in a realignment of forces and capabilities ..

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Two Patriot missile systems will be redeployed from Kuwait, and one each from Jordan and Bahrain, officials said. Patriots are mobile missile systems capable of shooting down missiles and planes. The four systems have been taken offline and will be redeployed by next month, officials said. There are no plans for any of them to be replaced, .. The Patriot missile defenses the U.S. kept in those countries were protecting U.S. bases in the region. If these were really threatened by Iranian missiles this reduction of defensive capabilities would be irresponsible. But the simple truth is that Iran's meager capabilities are no threat at all: Patriot systems in the Gulf may not serve the purpose they once did, said Anthony Cordesman, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington, D.C. That is in part because Iran lacks the kind of missile capability required to level precision attacks. In addition, if the Patriot deployments to the Gulf region were intended mainly for air defenses, that threat simply doesnt exist as it once did, he said. Iran now is no match for U.S. allies in the Gulf region, which have superior air forces. The Trump administration knows well that Iran's missile capabilities are no threat at all. Iran's best defense capabilities are its location next to a major hydrocarbon transport route, the Strait of Hormuz, and its ability to respond asymmetrically through proxy-forces. The hype about "Iran's missiles" is just for show. It is a cheap way to convince the Saudis and the Zionist that Trump is doing something they like. Posted by b on September 26, 2018 at 13:51 UTC | Permalink Comments
September 29, 2018 Note To Iran - Debunking Netanyahu Requires Some Care On Thursday September 27 the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahoo held a speech in front of the UN General Assembly. As usual he brought some props to continue his 30 years of false claims about a 'nuclear Iran'. Netanyahoo's claim in front of this year's UNGA was not entirely false but highly misleading. Unfortunately he is helped by some rather hapless Iranian responses to it.

bigger Netanyahoo said: In May we exposed the site of Irans secret atomic archive. Its right here in the Shuabad Distrcit of Tehran. Today Im revealing the site of a second facility: Irans secret atomic warehouse. Its right here, in the Turkuzahbad Distrcit of Tehran. Just three miles away. Let me show you exactly what the secret atomic warehouse looks like. Here it is. You see, like the atomic archive its another innocent-looking compound. Now for those of you at home using Google Earth, this no longer secret atomic warehouse. You have the coordinates, you can try to get there. And for those of you who try to get there: Its 100 meters from the rug-cleaning operation. By the way, i hear they do a fantastic job of cleaning rugs there. But by now they may be radioactive rags. This is the second secret site. Now countries with satellite capabilities may notice some increased activity on the alley in the days and weeks ahead. Netanyahoo added the obviously false claim that Iran removed radioactive material from the warehouse and spread it over Tehran. But just like back in May, when Netanyahoo presented old material that was long known to the IAEA and relevant governments, no one came out in support of his exaggerated claims. Yes, the 'atomic warehouse' in Tehran exists. But it is neither secret, nor does it hold anything radioactive or of current relevance: A US intelligence official has said that the speech delivered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday at the UN General Assembly about the existence of a second secret atomic facility in Iran was somewhat misleading.

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According to the US intelligence official, knowledge of the facility is nothing new to the Americans. First, we have known about this facility for some time, and its full of file cabinets and paper, not aluminum tubes for centrifuges, and second, so far as anyone knows, there is nothing in it that would allow Iran to break out of the JCPOA any faster than it otherwise could, the official said. Another US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States is aware of the facility Netanyahu announced and described it as a warehouse used to store records and archives from Irans nuclear program. I am told that the IAEA also knows of the archive and its harmless content. The old material Netanyahoo presented back in May was most likely copied from the IAEA in Vienna. The IAEA is also the most likely source from where Israeli spies gained knowledge about the 'secret atomic warehouse'. Netanyahoo again made misleading claims about Iran. That's nothing new. The case is closed. But unfortunately some some Iranian people put the foot in their mouth by trying to debunk even those parts of Netanyahoo's claims that are correct:

bigger The first picture in Meysam Yaghoubi's tweet is indeed the gate to the compound Netanyahoo showed. The other pictures though, which show a carpet cleaning facility, were taken inside a compound on the other side of the street of the archive compound. They were not taken inside the compound that Netanyahoo pointed out. This can be easily discerned by comparing the second picture in the tweet above with a satellite view of the place. 

The notable gate structure of the archive compound visible at the upper left is not the gate of the compound where the picture was taken, but on the other side of the road.

bigger ---

The archive compound is marked, the carpet cleaning compound where the interior pictures were taken is south of it.

bigger The Iranian Students News Agency ISNA provided the carpet cleaning pictures within a mocking piece (Persian, Machine translation) that tried to debunk Netanyahoo by visiting the marked building. The headline and intro of the report make it seem as if the compound Netanyahoo pointed out is a carpet cleaning facility. But the reporter and the photographer never entered that building. They only entered the compound opposite of it: Netanyahu confused a simple carpet with atomic storage! ...

At that place, Mr. Rezaei and his partner, who were the owners of the workshop opposite the atomic bomb of the prime minister of the Zionist regime, stood in front of their workshop, and at the very beginning of seeing the photographer, they were jokingly told us that you were late; before you, other reporter too come here to see the bombs! Mr. Rezaei and his partner are the owners of the "Yekta" carpet workshop, ...

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Mr. Rezaei counted the number of reporters who arrived in front of his workshop on Friday morning, whose partner invited us to the workshop to explore it. Together with the carpet owners and the photographer, we entered the workshop showing us the partner of Mr. Reza'i, and said jokingly that there is the secret storehouse there; we went ahead and saw that there was a number of rug and carpet in Anbar's unique workshop. This ISNA piece and the attached pictures unintentionally confirm exactly what Netanyahoo said about the location of the archive building: "Its 100 meters from the rug-cleaning operation." Iran's foreign ministry is also somewhat hapless when it describes Netanyahoo's speech as "false, meaningless and unnecessary". Why can't Tehran simply say: "Decades old administrative records of our legitimate nuclear energy program are archived in a warehouse that is well known to all relevant entities. There is nothing secret nor nefarious about it." Hapless attempts to debunk Netanyahoo even where he is right will be used by his propagandists to claim that "Iran lies". Tehran, and its news agencies, must up their game. Posted by b on September 29, 2018 at 14:33 UTC | Permalink Comments
September 28, 2018

Trump Administration Acknowledges Climate Change - Predicts Large Rise In Global Temperatures

The Trump administration admits that climate change will increase the global temperature more than anticipated:

Last month, deep in a 500-page environmental impact statement, the Trump administration made a startling assumption: On its current course, the planet will warm a disastrous 7 degrees [Fahrenheit] by the end of this century. A rise of 7 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 4 degrees Celsius, compared with preindustrial levels would be catastrophic, according to scientists.

That increase though, says the Trump administration, is no reason to stop emitting gases that, for a large part, cause such warming:

But the administration did not offer this dire forecast, premised on the idea that the world will fail to cut its greenhouse gas emissions, as part of an argument to combat climate change. Just the opposite: The analysis assumes the planets fate is already sealed.

"The child already fell into the well, there is no longer any need to cover it."

The administration uses such faulty reasoning to eliminate regulations that are supposed to limit 'greenhouse' gas emissions. It is set to allow higher emissions from cars and trucks.

For millions of years plants on earth used the energy from the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into hydrocarbons. Where those plants were later covert with volcanic ash or sunk into the sea, geologic pressure and time converted them into coal, oil and gas. Since the start of industrialization humans have used an enormous amount of these dead plants to generate energy. Coal, oil and natural gas - the hydrocarbons - oxidize in exothermic reaction. They burn and give off heat which humans transform into various kinds of usable energy. The emissions from such fires are basically the stuff from which the plants were created - carbon dioxide and water.

A large part of the energy from the sun that hits the earth is reflected back into space. Carbon dioxide and other gases (Methane) in the atmosphere lower the reflection rate of the earth, they trap the energy (heat) the sun shines onto earth within the atmosphere just like the glass of a greenhouse traps the heat inside. Spectroscopic measurements from space over several decades show a decrease of reflections from earth at the spectral range of carbon dioxide. Long term measurements on earth of carbon dioxide concentrations correlate strongly with the general temperature increase.

All this is well known and not controversial. But, as John Maynard Keynes said, in the long term we are all dead. Humans are not willing to give up on their personal comfort and profits for the benefits of far away future generations. The 2015 Paris agreement to limit carbon dioxide emissions was largely a scam. Hardly any country stuck to the endorsed targets. After the Fukushima disaster the Merkel government in Germany decided to shut down nuclear power plants but increased the use of brown coal for electricity production.

It was a 'populist' decision, sold as a "green" policy even as it was the opposite, and contradicted the commitment to decrease emissions. The Obama administration allowed a huge increase in fracking which, next to the hydrocarbons, releases a large amount of other greenhouse gases.

The decision by the Trump administration is wrong. Yes, we will likely not be able to stop a global temperature increase in next few decades. But future generations also deserve our compassion. We must still do our best to limit the long term increase by ending the use of hydrocarbons wherever possible.

It will not be easy to replace hydrocarbons as a source of energy. Large amounts of electric energy are difficult and expensive to store. We need a certain locally distributed base capacity in our electricity networks to provide energy when the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow. For now nuclear energy is still the most climate friendly way to generate this base capacity. It also creates highly toxic waste that is extremely difficult to get rid of.

The effects of climate change, higher temperatures, rising sea levels and generally more extreme weather, will hit the poorest people the most. This within the U.S. as well as in a global frame. The consequences will be mass migration on a never before seen scale, widespread lack of consumable water and large violent conflicts arising from both.

Two countries may hope to profit from the rise in global temperature as it will increase their access to natural resources that are currently covert by ice. The U.S. (with Canada) and Russia may be the winners of the trend. Most other countries will be losers.

While short term human greed will likely prevent a reduction in hydrocarbon use, and a slowing down of climate change, there may be other effects that could suddenly turn the trend. A large volcanic eruption or a big asteroid impact could cloud the earth and bring back (much) colder times. Some yet unknown effect in the atmosphere that is not anticipated in current climate models could stop or reverse the current trend.

The human race is able to adopt to extreme climates. Humans can live in deserts as well as in the arctic. But such extreme climate zones do not allow for high density populations. The current number of people on this planet may prove to be too high to sustain. Climate change itself, through large scale conflicts and famines, may well provide for its own natural regulation. Reduced to some 100 million individuals humanity may well survive. Nature will not be compassionate in effecting such.

Posted by b on September 28, 2018 at 18:15 UTC | Permalink

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September 23, 2018

The MoA Week In Review - Terror In Ahvaz - Modi's Huge Weapon Deal Scandal

Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama:

The strategic event of the week:

Netanyahoo will have to do some big favor for Russia to regain standing with it. Israel itself has little to give on its own that Russia wants or needs. But Israeli interests control the Trump administration. It could ask the U.S. to deliver something to Russia. What would be of sufficiently high value to compensate Russia for 15 killed airmen and a very expensive reconnaissance plane?

September 22 - The NYT's Rosenstein Story Is An Attempt To Bring Trump Down

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Yesterday terrorists attack an Iranian Memorial Day parade in the southwest Ahvaz region and killed some 30 unarmed conscripts, veterans and civilian bystanders. The United Arab Emirates, the Saudis, and behind them the U.S. are instigating such attacks. The U.S. military in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan is quite exposed and might well become the target of an asymmetrical response.

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The Hindu-fascist Modi government in India is crumbling. Its crazy monetary scheme put the economy, as MoA predicted, into shambles. A huge new scandal around a weapon deal with France implicates Modi directly. The always recommendable Caravan Magazine exposed the unbelievable deal in a long and detailed writeup (not paywalled): "On a Wing and a Prayer India gambles its defence interests on Reliance Group".

In short: The previous government signed a contract with France' Dassault to buy 126 Rafale jets for $10.6 billion. Thirty percent of the price would flow back from Dassault to the Indian state owned aviation manufacturer HAL, which would assemble most of the planes. Modi flew to Paris and changed the deal without the knowledge of his cabinet and the country's military. India will get only 36 Rafales but pay $8.7 billion for them. Thirty percent of the money would flow back to a private Indian company belonging to the largely bankrupt, privately held Reliance Group for unrelated projects and without any know-how transfer. How much Reliance, owned by the once very rich Ambani family, would hand over to Modi and his party is yet unknown. There are calls for Modi to step down which he is unlikely to do. The issue will escalate.

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Use as open thread ...

Posted by b on September 23, 2018 at 14:56 UTC | Permalink

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September 26, 2018

The Trap Failed - Rosenstein Neither Fired Nor Resigned

Last Friday the New York Times published a story that reflected negatively on the loyalty of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein towards President Trump. Rosenstein, the NYT claimed, suggested to wiretap Trump and to remove him by using the 25th amendment. Other news reports contradicted the claim and Rosenstein himself denied it.

The report was a trap to push Trump towards an impulsive firing of the number two in the Justice Department, a repeat of Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre. The Democrats would have profited from such an 'October surprise' in the November 6 midterm elections. A campaign to exploit such a scandal to get-out-the-votes was already well prepared.

The trap did not work. The only one who panicked was Rosenstein. He feared for his reputation should he get fired. To prevent such damage he offered to resign amicably. He tried this at least three times:

By Friday evening, concerned about testifying to Congress over the revelations that he discussed wearing a wire to the Oval Office and invoking the constitutional trigger to remove Mr. Trump from office, Mr. Rosenstein had become convinced that he should resign, according to people close to him. He offered during a late-day visit to the White House to quit, according to one person familiar with the encounter, but John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, demurred.

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Also over the weekend, Mr. Rosenstein again told Mr. Kelly that he was considering resigning. On Sunday, Mr. Rosenstein repeated the assertion in a call with Donald F. McGahn II, the White House counsel. Mr. McGahn  [...]  asked Mr. Rosenstein to postpone their discussion until Monday.

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By about 9 a.m. Monday, Mr. Rosenstein was in his office on the fourth floor of the Justice Department when reporters started calling. Was it true that Mr. Rosenstein was planning to resign, they asked.

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At the White House the deputy attorney general slipped into a side entrance to the West Wing and headed to the White House counsels office to meet with Mr. McGahn, who had by then been told by Mr. Kelly that Mr. Rosenstein was on his way and wanted to resign.

McGhan punted the issue back to Kelly and finally Rosenstein spoke with Trump. Trump did not fire him nor did he resign. It is now expected that he will stay until the end of the year or even longer:

President Trump told advisers he is open to keeping Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein on the job, and allies of the No. 2 Justice Department official said Tuesday he has given them the impression he doesnt plan to quit.

The trap did not work. Neither did Trump panic nor did the White House allow the panicking Rod Rosenstein to pull the trigger. The people who set this up, by leaking some dubious FBI memo to the NYT, did not achieve their aims.

There are only six weeks left until the midterm elections. What other October surprises might be planned by either side?

Posted by b on September 26, 2018 at 15:20 UTC | Permalink

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October 16, 2018

Coverup Deal Will Blame Khashoggi Death On Extreme Torture

The coverup of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, killed on behalf of the Saudi clown prince Mohammad bin Salman, proceeds apace. It is part of a deal between Turkey and Saudi Arabia under the aegis of the United States. The haggling over the details will take a while.

Several media report of a test ballon, floated to find out if an 'alternative' story will fly:

Saudi Arabia was preparing an alternative explanation of the fate of a dissident journalist on Monday, saying he died at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago in an interrogation gone wrong, according to a person familiar with the kingdoms plans. In Washington, President Trump echoed the possibility that Jamal Khashoggi was the victim of rogue killers.

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[O]n Monday, a person familiar with the Saudi governments plans said that Mr. Khashoggi was mistakenly killed during an interrogation ordered by a Saudi intelligence official who was a friend of the crown prince. The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Prince Mohammed had approved interrogating or even forcing Mr. Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia under duress. But, the person said, the Saudi intelligence official went too far in eagerly seeking to prove himself in secretive operations, then sought to cover up the botched job.

One might expand on that fairytale: "The Saudi general who allegedly botched the interrogation of Jamal Khashoggi mysteriously died in a Saudi air force plane crash on the same day the coverup story was floated." But that would probably take it too far.

The floated story will of course not be believed. A deadly interrogation - extreme torture - in the Saudi consulate is not plausible. One does not need to fly in 15 operators, including a specialist for autopsies, to twist someone's arms and ask a few questions. The intent was either to kidnap the guy or to outright kill him.

The trial ballon seems to come from U.S. sources, not from the Saudis. Trump yesterday spoke of "rogue killers" who may have caused the incident. No one near Mohammad bin Salman dares to go rogue. It's a deadly sin. U.S. intelligence services seem to believe that Khashoggi was indeed killed. The Wall Street Journal reports that Turkey provided its evidence:

The Turkish government has shared with U.S. officials what it describes as audio and video recordings purporting to show that Mr. Khashoggi was killed in the building, people familiar with the matter said.

The Trump administration will have to sell the story not only to the public, but also to the Turkish President Erdogan and to the Saudi King.

Both seem to prepare for a deal. After two weeks of denial that anything happened to Khashoggi the Saudis finally reacted:

King Salman ordered the Saudi public prosecutor to head a probe to determine responsibility for who was responsible for Mr. Khashoggis disappearance, people familiar with the matter said Monday. Probe results could be announced within days, and lead to some Saudi individuals being held accountable for Mr. Khashoggis death, one of the people said.

The Turkish side is also preparing to accept the coverup:

On Monday Turkish investigators  who had been willing to talk for much of the past nine days  were now more cautious. So too were Turkish journalists, one of whom said that his outlet had been instructed to focus less on the apparent crime and more on the political settlement.

The Turkish President Erdogan may agree to a 'political settlement' but the price the Saudis will have to pay for that will be very high. Erdogan again made clear that he aims at nothing less than neo-ottoman leadership in the Arab world:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday said that Turkey was the only country that could lead the Muslim world. Turkey, with its cultural wealth, accretion of history and geographical location, has hosted diverse faiths in peace for centuries, and is the only country that can lead the Muslim world, he said in a meeting with religious officials.

The "Custodian of the two Holy Mosques" (in Mecca and Medina) is the official title of the Saudi king. It implies leadership within the Muslim word. Since Saladin the title was used by many Islamic rulers, including the Ottoman Sultans. Erdogan wants it back. His aspirations pose an open challenge to the Saudi rulers.

But when a deal has to be made, a deal will happen. Even it it takes some time.

Whatever the deal might be Jamal Khashoggi's children will protest against it. They demand "an independent and impartial international commission to inquire into the circumstances of his death". The Washington Post, where Khashoggi worked, and some Congress members will likely support them. But there is little chance that Trump or the Saudis will agree to any independent inquiry.

An open question is the future of clown prince Mohammad bin Salman. The 'deep state' wants him to leave. The uncontrollable guy - only a heartbeat away from becoming king - proved to be too dangerous to be allowed in such a position.

This detail is therefore intriguing:

The Saudi ambassador to the United States, Prince Khalid bin Salman, left Washington last week, returned to Riyadh and will not be returning, a current and a former American official said on Monday. It was not clear when he might be replaced, or by whom. Prince Khalid is the crown princes younger brother.

Did clown prince Mohammad bin Salman recall his brother because he feared that he plotted against him? Or did King Salman order him back to replace MbS as crown prince?

Mohammad bin Salman is already damaged goods. I find it unlikely that he will be allowed to stay in his position. Several high level U.S. congress people, including top Republicans, want him to go. The CIA's darling, Prince Muhammad bin Nayef, will likely regain the crown prince position.

On Monday, while the cover up story was thought out, Turkish investigators were finally allowed to enter the Saudi consulate. Before they arrived a cleaning crew entered the building (vid) to prepare the presumed crime scene.

Trump sent Secretary of State Pompeo to facilitate negotiations between the Saudis and Turks. Ambassador James Jeffrey, the special representative for Syria engagement, is joining him in the endeavor. The Saudis finance the Kurdish proxy force the U.S. uses for its occupation of northeast Syria. One of Erdogan 's demands will be that any such support ends.

Trump is a businessman. The U.S. help for cleaning up the mess MbS caused will not come cheap. He will press the Saudis to sign more weapon deals. He will urge them to stick to random killing of Yemeni civilians.

In the view of the Washington establishment causing the famine of millions of dark skinned people is a lesser sin than touching a journalist and operative they perceive as one of their own.

Posted by b on October 16, 2018 at 10:28 UTC | Permalink

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October 05, 2018

How The U.S. Runs Public Relations Campaigns - Trump Style - Against Russia And China

Yesterday several NATO countries ran a concerted propaganda campaign against Russia. The context for it was a NATO summit in which the U.S. presses for an intensified cyberwar against NATO's preferred enemy.

On the same day another coordinated campaign targeted China. It is aimed against China's development of computer chip manufacturing further up the value chain. Related to this is U.S. pressure on Taiwan, a leading chip manufacturer, to cut its ties with its big motherland.

The anti-Russian campaign is about alleged Russian spying, hacking and influence operations. Britain and the Netherland took the lead. Britain accused Russia's military intelligence service (GRU) of spying attempts against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague and Switzerland, of spying attempts against the British Foreign Office, of influence campaigns related to European and the U.S. elections, and of hacking the international doping agency WADA. British media willingly helped to exaggerate the claims:

The Foreign Office attributed six specific attacks to GRU-backed hackers and identified 12 hacking group code names as fronts for the GRU  Fancy Bear, Voodoo Bear, APT28, Sofacy, Pawnstorm, Sednit, CyberCaliphate, Cyber Berku, BlackEnergy Actors, STRONTIUM, Tsar Team and Sandworm."

The "hacking group code names" the Guardian tries to sell to its readers do not refer to hacking groups but to certain cyberattack methods. Once such a method is known it can be used by any competent group and individual. Attributing such an attack is nearly impossible. Moreover Fancybear, ATP28, Pawn Storm, Sofacy Group, Sednit and Strontium are just different names for one and the same well known method. The other names listed refer to old groups and tools related to criminal hackers. Blackenergy has been used by cybercriminals since 2007. It is alleged that a pro-Russian group named Sandworm used it in Ukraine, but the evidence for that is dubious at best. To throw out such a list of code names without any differentiation reeks of a Fear-Uncertainty-Doubt (FUD) campaign designed to dis-inform and scare the public.

The Netherland for its part released a flurry of information about the alleged spying attempts against the OPCW in The Hague. It claims that four GRU agents traveled to The Hague on official Russian diplomatic passports to sniff out the WiFi network of the OPCW. (WiFi networks are notoriously easy to hack. If the OPCW is indeed using such it should not be trusted with any security relevant issues.) The Russian officials were allegedly very secretive, even cleaning out their own hotel trash, while they, at the same, time carried laptops with private data and even taxi receipts showing their travel from a GRU headquarter in Moscow to the airport. Like in the Skripal/Novichok saga the Russian spies are, at the same time, portrayed as supervillains and hapless amateurs. Real spies are neither.

The U.S. Justice Department added to the onslaught by issuing new indictments (pdf) against alleged GRU agents dubiously connected to several alleged hacking incidents. As none of those Russians will ever stand in front of a U.S. court the broad allegations will never be tested.

The anti-Russian campaign came just in time for yesterday's NATO Defense Minister meeting at which the U.S. 'offered' to use its malicious cyber tools under NATO disguise:

Katie Wheelbarger, the principal deputy assistant defense secretary for international security affairs, said the U.S. is committing to use offensive and defensive cyber operations for NATO allies, but America will maintain control over its own personnel and capabilities.

If the European NATO allies, under pressure of the propaganda onslaught, agree to that, the obvious results will be more U.S. control over its allies' networks and citizens as well as more threats against Russia:

NATO's chief vowed on Thursday to strengthen the alliance's defenses against attacks on computer networks that Britain said are directed by Russian military intelligence, also calling on Russia to stop its "reckless" behavior.

The allegations against Russia over nefarious spying operations and sockpuppet campaigns are highly hypocritical. The immense scale of U.S. and British spying revealed by Edward Snowden and through the Wikileaks Vault 7 leak of CIA hacking tools is well known. The Pentagon runs large social media manipulation campaigns. The British GHCQ hacked Belgium's largest telco network to spy on the data of the many international organizations in Brussels.

International organizations like the OPCW have long been the target of U.S. spies and operations. The U.S. National Security Service (NSA) regularly hacked the OPCW since at least September 2000:

According to last week's Shadow Brokers leak, the NSA compromised a DNS server of the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in September 2000, two years after the Iraq Liberation Act and Operation Desert Fox, but before the Bush election.

It was the U.S. which in 2002 forced out the head of the OPCW because he did not agree to propagandizing imaginary Iraqi chemical weapons:

Jose M. Bustani, a Brazilian diplomat who was unanimously re-elected last year as the director general of the 145-nation Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, was voted out of office today after refusing repeated demands by the United States that he step down because of his "management style." No successor has been selected.

The U.S. arranged the vote against Bustani by threatening to leave the OPCW. Day's earlier 'Yosemite Sam' John Bolton, now Trump's National Security Advisor, threatened to hurt Jose Bustani's children to press him to resign:

"I got a phone call from John Bolton  it was first time I had contact with him  and he said he had instructions to tell me that I have to resign from the organization, and I asked him why," Bustani told RT. "He said that [my] management style was not agreeable to Washington."

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Bustani said he "owed nothing" to the US, pointing out that he was appointed by all OPCW member states. Striking a more sinister tone, Bolton said: "OK, so there will be retaliation. Prepare to accept the consequences. We know where your kids are." According to Bustani, two of his children were in New York at the time, and his daughter was in London.

Russia's government will need decades of hard work to reach the scale of U.S./UK hypocrisy, hacking and lying.



The propaganda rush against Russia came on the same day as a similar campaign was launched against China. A well timed Bloomberg story, which had been in the works for over a year, claimed that Chinese companies manipulated hardware they manufactured for the U.S. company SuperMicro. The hardware was then sold to Apple, Amazon and others for their cloud server businesses.

The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies:

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.

Both Apple and Amazon denied the story with very strong statements. The Bloomberg tale has immense problems. It is for one completely based on anonymous sources, most of them U.S. government officials:

The companies denials are countered by six current and former senior national security officials, whoin conversations that began during the Obama administration and continued under the Trump administrationdetailed the discovery of the chips and the governments investigation.

The way the alleged manipulation is described to function is theoretical possible, but not plausible. In my learned opinion one would need multiple manipulations, not just one tiny chip, to achieve the described results. Even reliably U.S. friendly cyberhawks are unconvinced of the story's veracity. It is especially curious that such server boards are still in use in security relevant U.S. government operations:

Assuming the Bloomberg story is accurate, that means that the US intelligence community, during a period spanning two administrations, saw a foreign threat and allowed that threat to infiltrate the US military. If the story is untrue, or incorrect on its technical merits, then it would make sense that Supermicro gear is being used by the US military.

There might be financial motives behind the story:

Bloomberg reporters receive bonuses based indirectly on how much they shift markets with their reporting. This story undoubtedly did that.

When the story came out SuperMicro's stock price crashed from $21.40 to below $9.00 per share. It now trades at $12.60:

The story might be a cover-up for a NSA hack that was accidentally detected. Most likely it is exaggerated half truth, based on an old event, to deter the 'western' industry from sourcing anything from producers in China.

This would be consistent with other such U.S. moves against China which coincidentally (not) happened on the same day the Bloomberg story was launched.

One is a very hawkish speech U.S. Vice President Pence held yesterday:

Vice President Mike Pence accused China on Thursday of trying to undermine President Donald Trump as the administration deploys tough new rhetoric over Chinese trade, economic and foreign policies.

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Sounding the alarm, Pence warned other nations to be wary of doing business with China, condemning the Asian country's "debt diplomacy" that allows it to draw developing nations into its orbit. Pence also warned American businesses to be vigilant against Chinese efforts to leverage access to their markets to modify corporate behavior to their liking.

Another move is a new Pentagon report warning against the purchase of Chinese equipment and launched via Reuters in support of the campaign:

China represents a significant and growing risk to the supply of materials vital to the U.S. military, according to a new Pentagon-led report that seeks to mend weaknesses in core U.S. industries vital to national security. The nearly 150-page report, seen by Reuters on Thursday ahead of its formal release Friday, concluded there are nearly 300 vulnerabilities that could affect critical materials and components essential to the U.S. military.

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A key finding of this report is that China represents a significant and growing risk to the supply of materials and technologies deemed strategic and critical to U.S. national security, the report said.

The Bloomberg story, the Pence speech and the Pentagon report 'leak' on the same day seem designed to scare everyone away from using Chinese equipment or China manufactured parts within there supply chain.

The allegations of Chinese supply chain attacks are of course just as hypocritical as the allegations against Russia. The very first know case of computer related supply chain manipulation goes back to 1982:

A CIA operation to sabotage Soviet industry by duping Moscow into stealing booby-trapped software was spectacularly successful when it triggered a huge explosion in a Siberian gas pipeline, it emerged yesterday.

...

Mr Reed writes that the software "was programmed to reset pump speeds and valve settings to produce pressures far beyond those acceptable to pipeline joints and welds".

Wikileaks list 27 cases of U.S. supply chain manipulation of computer hardware and software. A search for "supply chain" in the Snowden archives shows 18 documents describing such 'projects'.



The U.S. government under Trump - and with John Bolton in a leading position - copied Trump's brutal campaign style and uses it as an instrument in its foreign policy. Trump's victory in the 2016 election proves that such campaigns are highly successful, even when the elements they are build of are dubious or untrue. In their scale and coordination the current campaigns are comparable to the 2002 run-up for the war on Iraq.

Then, as during the Trump election campaign and as now, the media are crucial to the public effect these campaigns have. Will they attempt to take the stories the campaigns are made of apart? Will they set them into the larger context of global U.S. spying and manipulation? Will they explain the real purpose of these campaigns?

Don't bet on it.

Posted by b on October 5, 2018 at 12:27 UTC | Permalink

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October 03, 2018

Iran Sanctions - U.S. Responds To Court Order By Canceling Treaty That Gave The Court Jurisdiction

Earlier today the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a provisional judgment (pdf, 29 pages) against some of the U.S. sanction against Iran. The ruling is a preliminary injunction over urgent humanitarian issues that will later be followed by a final judgment.

The U.S. responded by canceling the treaty the gave the court jurisdiction over the case.

The ICJ is the main judicial organ of the United Nations and settles legal disputes between member states. The rulings of the court, based in The Hague, are binding. But there is no global police force that can make the U.S. government follow the court's ruling.

Nevertheless the judgment sets a precedent that other courts will use when more specific cases against the U.S. sanctions against Iran come up. A company that loses business because of the sanctions may sue the U.S. over financial losses. An ICJ ruling on the illegality of the U.S. sanctions will then be used by a local court, even an American one, as reference.

The core of the ruling says:

THE COURT, Indicates the following provisional measures: (1) Unanimously, The United States of America, in accordance with its obligations under the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights, shall remove, by means of its choosing, any impediments arising from the measures announced on 8 May 2018 to the free exportation to the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran of (i) medicines and medical devices;

(ii) foodstuffs and agricultural commodities; and

(iii) spare parts, equipment and associated services (including warranty, maintenance, repair services and inspections) necessary for the safety of civil aviation; (2) Unanimously, The United States of America shall ensure that licences and necessary authorizations are granted and that payments and other transfers of funds are not subject to any restriction in so far as they relate to the goods and services referred to in point(1); (3) Unanimously, Both Parties shall refrain from any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute before the Court or make it more difficult to resolve.

The provisional judgment, comparable to an injunction, was issued because of the imminent humanitarian damage the U.S. sanctions cause to Iran. The final judgment may take a year and is likely to be much wider. After today's unanimous ruling the general direction of the outcome is not in question.

The U.S. had claimed that the the court has no jurisdiction over the issue of its sanctions against Iran.

Iran argued that U.S. sanctions are in violations of the Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights between Iran and the United States of America (pdf), which was signed at Tehran on 15 August 1955. That treaty gave the ICJ jurisdiction over disputes between the two countries in all issues related to it.

The court accepted Iran's view.

U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo just held a press conference in which he announced that the U.S. is now canceling the 1955 treaty. His statement was full of bluster and lies:

The United States on Wednesday called an international court ruling against its Iran sanctions a defeat for Tehran as it terminated a 1955 treaty on which the case was based.

...

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo noted that the UN court did not rule more broadly against US sanctions and he insisted that the United States already exempted humanitarian goods from the sanctions. "The court's ruling today was a defeat for Iran. It rightly rejected all of Iran's baseless requests," Pompeo told reporters.

The preliminary injunction is obviously a victory for Iran. The court has not yet judged on the wider issue of the U.S. sanctions. Having read the argument I am convinced that the final judgment will only confirm this win. The ruling is a big loss for the Trump administration. It shows the world that the U.S. is the one and only entity which is in breach of the 1955 treaty, the nuclear agreement with Iran (JCPOA) and the unanimous resolution of the UN Security Council endorsing the nuclear deal.

Pompeo's announcement of the canceling of the treaty is somewhat schizophrenic. It accepts the ruling and transgresses on it:

The U.S. would not have canceled the treaty without the court's judgment that is based on the treaty. With today's canceling, or the announcement thereof, the U.S. admits that the court intervention based on the treaty is legally correct. This contradicts its earlier argument.

The canceling of the treaty today transgresses on the courts judgment. Measure three of the court's ruling orders the parties to not make the issue more difficult to resolve. Canceling the treaty now makes the case more difficult and aggravates and extends the dispute in violation of the court order.

The U.S. is in fact mocking the court. It is unlikely that any court will accept the clearly upcoming U.S. claim that the treaty no longer exists, that the ICJ has lost jurisdiction over the case and that its orders can thus be ignored. One can not simply change a contract after being found guilty of violating it. The case will be going to a final judgment under the 1955 treaty because that set the legal status when the case was brought to the court.

Pompeo and other will undoubtedly argue that the ruling does not matter for the U.S. and that transgressing it will have no costs. That underestimates the effect of such a ruling on lower national courts. It will be them that will judge about the seizure of U.S. assets when claims of economic damage are brought up against the U.S. and its sanction regime.

The case will also weigh on the global opinion. It makes it more difficult for other governments to follow the U.S. sanction regime.

Posted by b on October 3, 2018 at 17:34 UTC | Permalink

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October 11, 2018

Saudis Must Cough Up Billions To Settle Khashoggi Case

The Khashoggi case, discussed here, will be moved off the news pages even faster than assumed.

A CNN correspondent just tweeted this:

Erdogan spox: "At the request of Saudi Arabia, a joint working group will be established to uncover the events surrounding Jamal Khashoggi."

Translation:

Erdogan spox: "Our Sultan received a sufficient down payment to start negotiating about the burial of the case."

Prediction:

Erdogan will use the 'joint working group' to squeeze as much as he can out of the Saudis. (A deal may even include a political settlement of the Saudi blockade of Erdogan's sponsor Qatar.)



Yesterday 22 Senators signed a request to Trump to investigate the Khashoggi case under the Global Magnitsky Act. The Trump administration has 120 days to finish the investigation and to report back to the Senate. Any person or organization found to be involved in the kidnapping and possible murder of Khashoggi could then come under U.S. sanctions.

Those 120 days are the time-frame for Erdogan to use the thumbscrews the Saudi fuckup in its consulate in Istanbul handed him. The Saudi clown prince Mohammad bin Salman will get squeezed like never before. It will cost him billions to purchase the video of the Khashoggi killing the Turkish government claims to have.

Erdogan will not be the only one to profit from the issue. The Senate move gives Trump enormous leverage over the Saudis. He will use it.

Trump loudly claimed that he personally closed a $110 billion deal in which the Saudis purchase more useless weapons. There never was a 'deal', only some non-binding letters of intent.

The Saudis have been reluctant to follow through. They did not pony up the $15 billion for the U.S. made THAAD missile defense systems Trump 'sold' them and even talked with Russia about buying the much cheaper and better S-400:

According to The Washington Post, among the agreements still up in the air is the $15 billion purchase of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System [THAAD], made by US defense contractor Lockheed Martin. In a sign of Trump's continued emphasis on arms sales as a component of US foreign policy, White House senior adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner personally intervened with Lockheed to secure a 20% discount for the air-defense system. Yet Riyadh let a September 30 deadline to wrap up that purchase come and go, according to The Post.

The new sales-pitch is easy to see. Either MbS buys the THAAD and other useless systems (without discount), or the investigation Trump has to pursue will reluctantly find MbS involved in the Khashoggi case. That would put MbS and his assets within the U.S. under sanctions. The Saudi King would have to replace MbS as clown king and successor.

Others will also try to gain political profit from the case. Netanyahoo will request that the investigation under the Global Magnitsky Act finds that Iran is guilty of the murder. Others will want to blame Russia. Was it a GRU cyberattack that hindered the Saudi consulates CCTV from recording the events while Qasem Soleimani slipped into the Saudi consulate and novichoked Khashoggi?

That might sound far fetched or even crazy but we have been here before. When in December 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie it was quite obvious that it was a revenge act for the July 1988 murder of 290 people on board of Iran Air flight 655 by the U.S. navy. But the investigation was fudged and in the end it was politically most convenient to blame Libya's Ghaddafi for the Pan Am disaster even while he had nothing to do with either incident.

But whatever.

Deals will be made and the case will be buried. If the deals are good enough, several dozen billions will be required, the U.S. might even allow Mohammad bin Salman to stay in his position.

But King Salman, or some Saudi citizens, may well find that the various crazy endeavors MbS tends to launch - the war on Yemen, the Qatar blockade, the Khashoggi assassination - are becoming way too costly for the country. A simple unlucky home accident could solve that problem.

Posted by b on October 11, 2018 at 19:03 UTC | Permalink

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October 02, 2018

Note To NATO - You Don't "Take Out" Missiles Without Having A War

Earlier today the U.S. ambassador to NATO threatened to "take out" a new kind of Russian missiles:

The U.S. envoy to NATO on Tuesday said that Russia must halt development of new missiles that could carry nuclear warheads and warned that the United States could take out the system if it becomes operational.

The U.S. and Russia have for some time disagreed about the INF treaty. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed in 1987 between the Soviet General Secretary Gorbachov and U.S. President Reagan. It prohibits land based (not sea based) nuclear capable systems with a range of more than 500 kilometers and less than 5,500 kilometers. The agreement came to pass after the Soviets stationed SS-20 missiles in East Europe. NATO responded with the Pershing II deployment. The problem with these missiles was warning time. Fired at a relative short range they threatened to overwhelm one side before it could respond. The missiles thus destroyed the equilibrium of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). The INF treaty banned these missiles.

Russia said for years that the U.S. broke the INF agreement when it stationed missile defense systems in Europe to allegedly take out North Korean and Iranian intercontinental missiles. The missile defense missiles could be armed with nuclear warheads and could probably be used in a surface-to-surface mode. Previously deployed U.S. Nike-Hercules 'air defense' missiles had such capabilities. The National Defense Authorization Act for the year 2018 calls for (pdf, pg 240):

... evaluating existing U.S. missile systems for modification to intermediate range and ground-launch, including Tomahawk, Standard Missile-3, Standard Missile-6, Long-Range Stand-Off Cruise Missile, and Army Tactical Missile System.

Any such modification would be undetectable from the outside, especially when the missiles are stored in launch canisters or silos. It would also clearly be in breach of the INF treaty.

The U.S. denies that its current missile defense systems break the INF and accuses Russia of breaking the treaty by testing a land launched version of its sea launched Kalibr cruse missiles. Russia denies that it is testing anything that is not compatible with the INF treaty. If there is a land launched version it is likely confined to a range below 500 kilometers and thus in compliance with the INF. The sea launched version has a reach of up to 2,500 kilometer, but its export variant is limited to 300 kilometer. The possibly land launched version, which is said to be shorter than the original Kalibr missile (see comments), might well have a much shorter range than the sea launched system. The missiles have, as far as is publicly know, non-nuclear warheads.

The U.S. ambassador to NATO is Kay Baily Hutchinson, a long-term Republican politician with no military experience. Her choice of words in today's press briefing was clearly unprofessional:

Question: [...] Maam, can you be more specific what kind of new information that you are bringing to the table regarding the breach of the INF Treaty? And more explicitly also, what kind of countermeasures that you are considering. Ambassador Hutchison: The countermeasures would be to take out the missiles that are in development by Russia in violation of the treaty. So that would be the countermeasure eventually. We are trying not to do anything that would violate the treaty on our side, which allows research, but not going forward into development, and we are carefully keeping the INF Treaty requirements on our side, while Russia is violating. ...

The reporters in the room were in disbelieve over such aggressive wording and followed up:

Question: Thanks, Ambassador. Lorne [Inaudible], Associated Press. Just to clarify a little bit when you said to take out the missiles that are in development, we are a little excited here. Do you mean to get those withdrawn? You dont mean to actually take them out in a more [inaudible]? Ambassador Hutchison: Well, withdrawing, yes. Getting them to withdraw would be our choice, of course. But I think the question was what would you do if this continues to a point where we know that they are capable of delivering. And at that point we would then be looking at a capability to take out a missile that could hit any of our countries in Europe and hit America in Alaska. So it is in all of our interests, and Canada as well, I suppose. So we have our North Atlantic risk as well as the European risk.

So what is the ambassador going to do? Bomb Russia over a disagreement about the technical specification of a potential new missile that is not even deployed yet?

This nonsense comes just days after the U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke suggested that the U.S. Navy might blockade Russia's energy trade.

When the INF treaty was signed NATO was far from Russia's border. Now it is directly at it. The Russian government takes such threats seriously. Its spokesperson was not amused (Ru, machine translation):

The North Atlantic Alliance does not realize the degree of its responsibility and the dangers of aggressive rhetoric, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Tuesday when commenting on the words of US Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison about the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles.

...

"It seems that people making such statements do not realize the degree of their responsibility and the dangers of aggressive rhetoric. Who authorized this woman to make such statements? The American people? Are the people in the US aware of the fact that so-called diplomats are paid aggressively and destructive? It is very easy to break and destroy everything. It is difficult to repair and repair. American diplomacy has a lot to do to recover from the consequences of its inherent errors, "Zakharova told reporters.

One hopes that the ambassador erred in her "take out" response. Otherwise Russia will probably consider to "take out" the ABM assets the U.S. deploys over Europe. That would surely produce a lot of frightening content for the Express' "World War3" category.

Posted by b on October 2, 2018 at 18:15 UTC | Permalink

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October 04, 2018

Saudi Embassy Video Claims Al-Qaeda Likes Iran But Proves The Opposite

The embassy of Saudi Arabia in the United States posted a video which claims that Iran "tacitly supported al-Qaeda".

However, the video, posted on October 3 at 19:44 UTC, provides only one thing. Al-Qaeda shunned contacts with Iran because al-Qaeda receives its support from Arab states.

The Saudi embassy video includes an interview segment with "Abu Hafs, the mufti of al-Qaeda". It has Arabic and English captions. In the Saudi video Abu Hafs says:

Iran has tried for several times to establish relations with Al-Qaeda

But Al-Qaeda was refusing because of the sensitivity of forging a relationship with Iran in the Arab Peninsula

which is the most important source of support to Al-Qaeda members

a fact that Osama was taking into account

And I have discussed this matter in my own memos

Here are screenshots of the interview segment:

A recent study by New America, based on more than 300 original al-Qaeda documents, again provided that there is no evidence for any cooperation between Iran and al-Qaeda. The top key findings are:

Al-Qaida views Iran as a hostile entity , a hostility that is evident throughout the documents examined for this study.

, a hostility that is evident throughout the documents examined for this study. The examined documents provide no evidence of cooperation between Al-Qaida and Iran on planning or carrying out terrorist attacks.

on planning or carrying out terrorist attacks. The presence of jihadis in Iran was out of necessity, not a result of strategic planning. Jihadis, including Al-Qaida members, and their families as well as members of bin Ladins family fled Afghanistan to Iran following the 9/11 attacks and the resultant fall of the Taliban regime.

Al-Qaeda perceived the Iranian policy as "as one of detention/imprisonment". Its members and their families were in effect taken hostage by the Iranian government to prevent al-Qaeda attacks on its country.

The Saudi embassy video goes on to claim that neither al-Qaeda nor the Islamic State ever attacked Iran. But in fact the Islamic State (ISIS), attacked the Iranian parliament building and the mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini on June 7 2017. At least 17 civilians died and 43 were wounded. On September 22 2018 and ISIS attack killed 25 participants and bystanders of a memorial day parade in Ahvaz, Iran. ISIS claimed responsibility for both attacks.

---

h/t Derek Davison

Posted by b on October 4, 2018 at 9:15 UTC | Permalink

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October 06, 2018 Scientists Raise Alarm Over U.S. Bio-Weapon Programs Recent evidence about deadly tests of biological substances in Tbilisi, Georgia raised alarm about U.S. biological weapon research in foreign countries. European scientist are extremely concerned about a dubious research program, financed by the Pentagon, that seems designed to spread diseases to crops, animals and people abroad. The creation of such weapons and of special ways to distribute them is prohibited under national and international law. The U.S. is running biological weapon research across the globe: Bio warfare scientists using diplomatic cover test man-made viruses at Pentagon bio laboratories in 25 countries across the world. These US bio-laboratories are funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) under a $ 2.1 billion military program Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP), and are located in former Soviet Union countries such as Georgia and Ukraine, the Middle East, South East Asia and Africa. Until the mid nineteen-seventies the U.S. military tested biological warfare weapons on U.S. people, sometimes over large areas and on specific races. After a Congress investigation revealed the wide ranging program such testing was moved abroad. Private companies use U.S. government controlled laboratories in foreign countries for secret biological research under contract of the U.S. military, the CIA and the Department of Homeland Security. Last month the Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva reported of one of these U.S. controlled bio-laboratories: The US Embassy to Tbilisi transports frozen human blood and pathogens as diplomatic cargo for a secret US military program. Internal documents, implicating US diplomats in the transportation of and experimenting on pathogens under diplomatic cover were leaked to me by Georgian insiders. According to these documents, Pentagon scientists have been deployed to the Republic of Georgia and have been given diplomatic immunity to research deadly diseases and biting insects at the Lugar Center  the Pentagon biolaboratory in Georgias capital Tbilisi. Al Mayadeen TV broadcasted a video reportage about the laboratory and its deadly effects on Georgian 'patients'. Last week the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of illegal biological weapon research in the Tbilisi laboratory: The question of what really might have taken place at the secretive US-sponsored research facility hosted by Russias southern neighbor was raised by the Russian military on Thursday after they studied files published online by a former Georgian minister. The documents record the deaths of 73 people over a short period of time, indicating a test of a highly toxic chemical or biological agents with high lethality rate, said Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian military branch responsible for defending troops from radiological, chemical and biological weapons. The U.S. rejects the claims but it does not explain the documents, what kind of research is done near Tbilisi, and the unusual secrecy and security around the laboratory. It is not only the Russians and Georgians who are concerned about secret U.S. biological warfare research. German and French scientists recently raised alarm over another dubious Pentagon research project.

by MPG/D.Duneka - bigger In October 2016 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a new project called Insect Allies: A new DARPA program is poised to provide an alternative to traditional agricultural threat response, using targeted gene therapy to protect mature plants within a single growing season. DARPA proposes to leverage a natural and very efficient two-step delivery system to transfer modified genes to plants: insect vectors and the plant viruses they transmit. In the process, DARPA aims to transform certain insect pests into Insect Allies, the name of the new effort. The scenario DARPA describes is quite complicate. If a crop, for example maize, were widely infected with some illness, a virus would be manipulated and applied to the crop. The itself genetically modified virus would genetically modify the crop to 'cure' the illness. Infected insects would be used to distribute the viruses across the fields. The program is run by the Biological Technologies Office (BTO) of DARPA. It does not come cheap. At least $27 million have been committed to it. If the discussed program were for purely agricultural purposes why would the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is part of the Pentagon, propose and finance such research? Scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plon, Germany, and the Institut des Sciences de lEvolution de Montpellier, France, along with legal scholars from the University of Freiburg point out that the method DARPA wants to apply makes little sense for the stated agricultural purposes. The eminent U.S. magazine Science published their work. The scientists ask if the project is Agricultural research, or a new bioweapon system? [A]n ongoing research program funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) aims to disperse infectious genetically modified viruses that have been engineered to edit crop chromosomes directly in fields.

...

In the context of the stated aims of the DARPA program, it is our opinion that the knowledge to be gained from this program appears very limited in its capacity to enhance U.S. agriculture or respond to national emergencies (in either the short or long term). Furthermore, there has been an absence of adequate discussion regarding the major practical and regulatory impediments toward realizing the projected agricultural benefits. As a result, the program may be widely perceived as an effort to develop biological agents for hostile purposes and their means of delivery, whichif truewould constitute a breach of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). It its response to the Science paper DARPA again insists that the program is for purely agricultural purpose. But the response does not answer the questions the scientists put up. The mechanism of spreading infectious genetically modified viruses to genetically modify and 'heal' plants in the fields is itself full of problems and dangers. To use insects for distributing such viruses borders on insane. If one has access to the targeted crop fields and if one has a genetically modified virus to influence the plants why would one use insects to distribute it? Why not use the well known targeted process of spraying the affected fields, just like it is widely done today? Only when one does not have access to the fields, when these are situated in a foreign country the U.S. has no access to, does it make sense to use insects for such purposes. The idea that the real (and illegal) purpose of such U.S. research is biological warfare is not far fetched at all. During the Korea War the U.S. dropped infected insects and rodents over north Korea and China to infect people with deadly diseases. Various pathogens, including anthrax, were used against the civilian population. During the Vietnam war the U.S. sprayed thousand of square miles with poisonous defoliants. It tested biological weapons on the people of Hawaii, Alaska, Maryland, Florida, Canada and Britain. In 2002 weaponized anthrax spores from the U.S. biological warfare laboratory in Fort Derrick were used to scare U.S. politicians into agreeing to the Patriot Act. At least five people were killed. And why is the U.S. Air Force looking for synovial tissue and RNA samples collected specifically from Caucasian people in Russia? Biological warfare programs are extremely dangerous. Not only to 'the enemy' but to ones own population. Infectious diseases and pathogens can spread around the globe within a few days. Genetic modifications can have unpredictable secondary effects. Viruses can jump over the species barrier. These are the sound reasons why such weapons, and research into using them, are prohibited. The U.S. government should follow the law and stop all such programs. Even if only in the self interest of protecting its very own people. Posted by b on October 6, 2018 at 14:02 UTC | Permalink Comments
October 09, 2018

Syria Sitrep - The Turkish-Russian Agreement Holds - S-300 Air Defense Arrives

The situation in Syria is relatively calm. The government (red) has consolidated the areas it retook during the year. The Syrian army received new air defense (see below) and other materials and is busy integrating it. Some Syrian army units are currently moving east to Al Bukamal on the border with Iraq. Others have been sent to their home bases.

The only place where the Syrian army is still actively engaged is in the southern desert near As-Suwayda where some 1-2,000 ISIS fighters (grey) hold on to a small enclave in the mid of a large area of volcanic rock. The terrain is difficult to cross with tanks and the infantry fight there is bloody.

The Turkish Russian agreement over a demilitarized zone in the 'rebel' controlled Idleb government seems to hold.

The 'rebels' controlled by Turkey have moved their heavy equipment (tanks and artillery) out of the demilitarized area (ocher). The jihadi factions, Tahrir al Sham and the Turkmens around Jisr al Shugur, are not following the agreement. The Syrian Observatory reports that they dug ditches to hide their weapons in place. It is Turkey's responsibility to remove them. The assassination campaign in Idleb governorate continues with now more than 380 casualties. Some mid-level commander of this or that group gets killed each day. It is not know who - ISIS sleeper cells, the Turkish MIT or Russian spetsnaz - is behind the campaign.

A similar troubled area is the Kurdish canton Afrin in the northwest which Turkish troops and associated 'rebel' gangs occupied. There is an immense amount of looting going on and the various groups fight each other.

In the eastern Deir Ezzor governorate the U.S. military and its Kurdish proxy force (yellow) is still fighting against entrenched ISIS forces (grey).

Those forces had been left alone for nearly a year and used the time to dig in. The attackers take casualties from IED's and ISIS sleeper cells. U.S. and British forces bomb the area several times per day and French and U.S. artillery is adding to the carnage. Still, the progress seems to be extremely slow. There are unconfirmed reports that U.S. marines came in to reinforce the unwilling Kurdish proxy force. Some of the ISIS fighters crossed the Euphrates to attack government controlled (red) areas but were defeated.

While the overview map shows triangle south of Deir Ezzor city as ISIS held (grey) there have been no reports of any recent activities in that desert area.

The U.S. controlled al-Tanf zone in the south east (marked green) is relatively quiet. The U.S. soldiers there still train some local goons but there is no reasonable future for that position. The ten thousands of family members of 'rebel' and ISIS fighters in the nearby Rukban refugee camp on the border to Jordan are desperate. Jordan does not allow any supply for them. Food is smuggled in from government controlled areas but the people ran out of money and can not pay for it:

When the US cut funding for FSA-affiliated factions operating in the eastern Badia desert last year, hundreds of fighters lost their primary source of income, which had often been used to support family members living in Rukban, Ahmad al-Abdo Brigade spokesperson Seif says.

There have been negotiations with the Syrian government to move some 'rebels' and their families from Rukban to the north into the Turkish controlled zone but several announcements of such a move passed without any transfer happening.



Russia donated three battalion sets of S-300PM air defense systems to Syria. Each battalion headquarter has an acquisition radar and a command post. There are two companies (batteries) to a battalion. Typically each company has a fire direction radar and a fire control vehicle. There are four missile launchers in a company with four missile canisters each. Two additional vehicles carry spare ammunition and have cranes to reload the launchers. Each battalion will receive 100 missiles, enough to fight off several waves of attacks. The spares can be transported on normal truck trailers. The system is very flexible. Additional launchers can be added to a company and radar information can be shared.

The systems are relatively modern and still widely used within Russia's own air defense. The systems Syria received are used ones from Russian battalions which recently upgraded to the new S-400 systems. They were refurbished before being delivered to Syria. The S-300PM systems are mounted on wheel based vehicles. They arrived by air transport (vid) from Russia. To protect the long-range S-300 air defenses each company will likely be accompanied by a Pantsyr-S1 short range air defense systems. In addition to the air defense systems Syria also received Karsukha-4 electronic warfare systems which allow to detect and jam enemy radio traffic and radar.

One of the battalions will likely stay in Latakia governorate and reinforce the Russian air defense already stationed there. Another battalion will protect Damascus. The third battalion is a bit of a wild card. It could either stay in west Syria near Homs to reinforce the other units or move east to Palmyra or even to Deir Ezzor to give the U.S. contingent there some thought.

The newly positioned 96 ready-to-launch S-300 missiles will make it difficult for Israel to continue its attacks on Syria. Israel would love to to do so but the only way it might be able to continue its attacks is by flying its jets very low over Lebanon to be covered by the mountain range towards Syria. They would then have to 'pop-up' to fire their missiles into Syria but there is no guarantee that the firing jets would survive. Flying low over Lebanon also entails the risk of a surprise meeting with one of Hezbullah's short range air defense missiles.



The Syrian president Bashar al Assad just issued a decree that grants amnesty to those who deserted the army or ran away from serving their conscription time. If the deserters and draft dodgers turn themselves in within the next six month to fulfill their service they will escape all punishment.

The Gulf Arabs, except Qatar which is allied with Turkey, have given up on removing President Assad and are making nice:

In one of the more surprising developments amid a flurry of diplomatic meetings surrounding the U.N. General Assembly, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmad al-Khalifa was seen greeting Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem with hugs and kisses at a pan-Arab meeting last week. Bahrain, a close ally of Saudi Arabia, has been a vocal critic of Assad and other regional allies of Iran, but the top diplomat said: "the Syrian government is the ruler in Syria and we work with countries even if we disagree with them." Days later, Assad conducted his first interview with an Arabian Peninsula newspaper since 2011, telling Kuwait's Al-Shahed that he had reached a "major understanding" with a number of Arab states and that "Western and Arab delegations have already begun to come to Syria to arrange their return, whether diplomatic, economic or industrial."

This change in the Arab rulers sentiment might well influence the U.S. position in Syria.

Posted by b on October 9, 2018 at 16:42 UTC | Permalink

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October 19, 2018

Syria - U.S. (Again) Only Pretends To Fight ISIS

The U.S. occupation force and its Kurdish proxy SDF in northeastern Syria are supposed to fight the Islamic State in its last hold out northeast of Euphrates. But the operations against the handful of towns ISIS (grey) still holds - launched only after long and unexplained delays - shows little progress. Last week it received a serious setback.

Red = Syrian Arab Army; Yellow = U.S./SDF; Grey = ISIS

After several days of sandstorms (vid) hindered U.S. air support, ISIS counterattacked on October 11 against the U.S. led SDF. Suicide bombers blew up SDF checkpoints as ISIS broke through the lines. It retook several villages and on October 12 raided a refugee camp for local civilians that the U.S. coalition had set up near Al Bahrah (on the upper left of the map). Some 130 refugee families with about 700 persons were taken prisoners and brought to Hajin, a small city at the northern end of the ISIS held area.

Through local tribal elders ISIS requested to negotiate with the U.S. coalition about an exchange of prisoners. It also demanded medical and food supplies in exchange for 90 captured women it had isolated from their families. The request was rejected. ISIS now threatens to kill ten of the abductees per day unless its demands are fulfilled.

In his talk at the Valdai event yesterday, the Russian president Putin mentioned the situation east of the Euphrates:

Now we see what is happening on the left bank of the Euphrates. Probably, our colleagues know: this territory is under the patronage of our American partners. They rely on the Kurdish armed forces. But they have obviously left a loose end: ISIS remains in several locations and has begun to expand its area of influence recently. They took 130 families hostage  almost 700 people. I think few of those present here know that they have made ultimatums, extended demands and warned that if these ultimatums are not met, they would shoot 10 people every day. The day before yesterday, 10 people were shot. Executed. They have begun to fulfill their threats. This is just horrifying. It is a tragedy I think. We need to do something about it. Why do our colleagues keep silent? According to our information, several US and European citizens are among the hostages. Everyone is quiet, there is silence as if nothing is happening.

Three days ago there was also a blue on green incident followed by defections from the ranks of the local proxy forces:

Two US-led coalitions F-15 fighter jets have mistakenly targeted Kurdish units amid their offensive on the remaining forces of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in Syria, RIA reported, citing a military and diplomatic source. It said six people were killed and 15 injured on the Kurdish side. The incident, which took place near the town of Hajin in the Syrian eastern Deir ez-Zor province, did not just disrupt the operation but also reportedly led to numerous defections in the ranks of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Even worse, the terrorists managed to seize some territories in the area, the source added.

Today ISIS published photos of an execution of five local men accused of being spies for the SDF.

U.S. and French troops provide artillery support to the SDF and the U.S. and British air forces fly bombing attacks against ISIS positions. But SDF ground troops seem to be unable or unwilling to proceed against ISIS lines. The borders of the ISIS held area as provided by liveuamap have hardly moved.

During five and half month ISIS only lost some five miles of territory at the northern and southern ends of the small area it holds. How come that the well supplied Kurdish forces under the direction of U.S. Special Forces and with strong artillery and air support are not able to achieve more against some 1-2,000 jihadis who lack heavy weapons and have no way to resupply?

Russian sources accuse the U.S. of not seriously fighting its opponent:

"The imitation of the fight against terrorists in this region of Syria has been going on for more than six months and has been used by Washington to justify its illegal presence in this country," the source stressed.

The Syrian Observatory also reports of a constant stream of targeted assassinations and small attacks against SDF forces including by ISIS sleeper cells within the SDF held area. Many IED's are buried in the wider area and hinder troop movements as well as reconstruction.

ISIS seems in general not confined to the neat frontlines shown on the map but has small units and sleeper cells moving far beyond that area. This points to a lack of willing troops to hold the line and to confine the ISIS forces.

The U.S. Weekly Strike Summary note lots of aerial attacks but the results are thin:

Between Oct. 7 and Oct. 13, CJTF-OIR coalition military forces conducted 137 strikes consisting of 225 engagements in Iraq and Syria.

After a drop on October 7, 8 and 9 due to the sandstorms U.S. flight numbers in the area are again up to some two dozen per day.

Nearly all these attacks are on the small ISIS held area northeast of the Euphrates. The report mentions hits on "staging areas" and "assembly area sites". But what does that actually mean? Isn't any empty space a potential staging or assembly area site? And what is the engagement of a "tactical unit" supposed to mean? A bomb drop near some lone dude on a motorcycle?

The last four weekly summaries list a total of 349 strikes and 546 "engagements" but none of these seem to have had any effect on ISIS numbers or capabilities. Despite the high strike number there is no progress on the ground.

The current bombing campaign reminds one of the fake U.S. air campaign against ISIS in 2014 and 2015 (see table at bottom). Back then "ISIS excavators" were the most serious targets the U.S. reports mentioned. Back then it was also Russia that exposed the fake fighting and demonstrated how to really clobber ISIS.

That the SDF now claims that eliminating ISIS from the area will take even longer increases the suspicion that there is no real intent to fight it:

"The military operations in Hajin will take much longer than expected," said Redur Khalil, a top SDF commander. "Daesh is benefiting a lot from weather factors, including sandstorms. They've helped it take cover from reconnaissance aircraft and other monitoring mechanisms," he told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

For the record - the recent series of sandstorms in the area ended several days ago.

Like in 2014/2015 the U.S. seems again most interested in keeping ISIS alive as long as possible and to use its presence as a pretext for other purposes.

Posted by b on October 19, 2018 at 17:04 UTC | Permalink

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October 07, 2018

The MoA Week In Review - OT 2018-51

Last week's posts on Moon of Alabama:

October 4 - Saudi Embassy Video Claims Al-Qaeda Likes Iran But Proves The Opposite

The Saudi video tweet is still up. The U.S. media position towards the clown prince MbS and Saudi Arabia is likely to change over the fate of their beloved propagandist Jamal Khashoggi. The servile adoration by the whole 'elite' towards the fake 'reformer' will end. Hey Washington Post, time to pick up on the piece above to fill that empty space.

Should it be confirmed that Saudi goons indeed killed Khashoggi the State Department will - in the harshest terms - condemn Iran and sanction Russia.

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Also this week:

The anti-Kavanaugh strategy by the Democratic Party leadership was an utter failure. They could have emphasized his role in the Patriot Act, the Bush torture regime and his earlier lies to Congress to disqualify him. Instead they used the fake grievance culture against him which allowed Trump to do what he does best - wield victimhood (vid, recommended).

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Use as open thread ...

Posted by b on October 7, 2018 at 15:22 UTC | Permalink

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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
October 10, 2018 U.S. Intelligence Had A 'Duty To Warn' Khashoggi - Why Didn't That Happen? It is beyond doubt that the Saudi government abducted, or killed, the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But what did the Trump administration knew about the threat to Khashoggi? Did U.S. intelligence services warn him as their regulations require? Was such a warning blocked by the White House? And what will Trump do about the case? The Turkish government published pictures of 15 men who had come from Saudi Arabia and were in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul shortly before Khashoggi visited it to get his divorce papers. They moved Khashoggi to the residence of the consul and later that day flew back on the same two private Saudi jets that had brought them to Istanbul. At least 8 of the 15 men have been identified as Saudi royal military. At least three are bodyguards of the Saudi clown prince Mohammad bin Salman. It is thereby obvious that the clown prince himself gave the order for the operation. One of the 15 is Dr. Salah Muhammed Al-Tubaigy, the head of forensic evidence at the Saudi General Security Department. Anonymous Turkish sources assert that Khashoggi was killed, his body cut to pieces and taken away. They even claim that there is video of the murder: The official described a quick and complex operation in which Mr. Khashoggi was killed within two hours of his arrival at the consulate by a team of Saudi agents, who dismembered his body with a bone saw they brought for the purpose. It is like Pulp Fiction, the official said.

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Mr. Erdogan was informed of the conclusions on Saturday, according to several people with knowledge of the briefings, and he has since dispatched officials to anonymously tell myriad news outlets, including The New York Times, that Mr. Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate.

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Another person briefed on the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to disclose confidential details, told The Times on Saturday that Turkish intelligence had obtained a video of the killing, made by the Saudis to prove that it had occurred. A commentator close to Mr. Erdogans government said so publicly on Tuesday. There is a video of the moment of him being killed, Kemal Ozturk, a columnist in a pro-government newspaper and the former head of a semiofficial news agency, said in an interview on a pro-government television network, citing unnamed security officials. That Erdogan pushes this 'Pulp Fiction' story is not astonishing. His troops protect Qatar from a Saudi attack and Qatar props up the Turkish economy with multi-billion investments. There is also the old Ottoman versus Arab fight over leadership in the Middle East. But why would the Saudis kill Khashoggi? Why not drug him, haul him to the airport and fly him back to Riyadh as a "medial emergency"? Why not put him into a big box and transported him as privileged diplomatic baggage? If the Saudis intended to kill Khashoggi they could have hire some guy to shoot him in the streets. It would have been a much simpler operation and way less suspicious. Killing Khashoggi in the official Consulate makes no sense - unless MbS wanted this current public outrage. Is it a warning to all his enemies? Is it to demonstrate that he can get away with anything? The Washington Post reports that the U.S. government knew that Khashoggi was in danger: Before Khashoggis disappearance, U.S. intelligence intercepted communications of Saudi officials discussing a plan to capture him, according to a person familiar with the information. The Saudis wanted to lure Khashoggi back to Saudi Arabia and lay hands on him there, this person said. It was not clear whether the Saudis intended to arrest and interrogate Khashoggi or to kill him, or if the United States warned Khashoggi that he was a target, this person said. If U.S. intelligence knew of the danger to Khashoggi Intelligence Community Directive 191 - Duty to Warn (pdf) would have applied: An IC element that collects or acquires credible and specific information indicating an impending threat of intentional killing, serious bodily injury, or kidnapping directed at a person or group of people (hereafter referred to as intended victim) shall have a duty to warn the intended victim or those responsible for protecting the intended victim, as appropriate. This includes threats where the target is an institution, place of business, structure, or location. The term intended victim includes both U.S. persons, as defined in EO 12333, Section 3.5(k), and non-U.S. persons. Read plainly ICD 191 provides that the U.S. intelligence services had to warn Khashoggi of the Saudi threat. Did they do so or not? There are a few exceptions in the directive that allow to withhold a warning. If the information came through a friendly intelligence service the protection of sources and methods has priority over a warning (point E.3.e. in the regulation.) If U.S. intelligence acquired the information through the British GHCQ, a warning to Khashoggi might have revealed that the GHCQ has bugged all those Cisco telephones the Saudi royals so proudly display. But there was little danger that a warning to Khashoggi would have revealed anything. The Saudis will surely expect that the U.S., British and other intelligence services listen to even their private communications. There may have been other reasons to withhold a warning. Trump's son in law and senior aid Jared Kushner has good personal relations with MbS. In March The Intercept reported that, according to MbS, Kushner revealed U.S. intelligence about MbS' enemies to him. [A]fter the meeting, Crown Prince Mohammed told confidants that Kushner had discussed the names of Saudis disloyal to the crown prince, according to three sources who have been in contact with members of the Saudi and Emirati royal families since the crackdown. The meeting took place in late October 2017. About a week later the Saudi clown prince incarcerated hundreds of his rich relatives and other Saudi billionaires in the Ritz hotel in Riyadh and pressured them to hand over their assets. Kushner had obviously no qualms to rat out the people who privately criticized MbS. (In February 2018 Kushner lost access to top level security briefings because his interim security clearance was revoked. This may have been the deep state's revenge for his indiscretion. Kushner finally passed full clearance and regained access in May.) Not to warn Khashoggi might well have been a White House decision. It is the Trump's administration policy to not challenge its allies over human rights issues. The State Department even produced a memo explaining that human rights criticism only applies to U.S. 'enemies'. If the Saudis want to nab Khashoggi, the White House might have thought, why no let them have him? Trump's foreign policy depends on good relations with the Saudis: The Trump administration, from the president on down, is heavily invested in the Saudi relationship. Robin Wright, a scholar at the Wilson Center think tank and close friend of the missing writer, said thats unlikely to change. The administrations Middle East agenda heavily depends on the Saudis, including efforts to counter Iranian influence in the region, fight extremism and build support for its yet-to-be-released plan for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The Turkish and Qatari rulers and their media do their best to propagandize the case and to rage against the Saudi regime. The Washington Post, for which Khashoggi wrote, will surely not let go of the issue. Other 'western' media and journalists are also enraged about the case. Khashoggi was one of them, aristocratic elite as they see themselves, who do not deserve such fate. Can MbS and the Trump regime really sit back and not reply to demands of serious consequences over the case? That may well be. After all, no one is challenging the U.S.-Saudis alliance over the daily murder it commits in Yemen and elsewhere. If the Saudis kidnapped Khashoggi, and provide evidence that he is alive, the media outrage will soon die down. If the Turkish government publishes the video of the murder that it claims to have, it will only take a bit longer until other news moves the case from the front pages. There is no real reason for MbS, or Trump, to care. Posted by b on October 10, 2018 at 17:02 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
Israel Defense Forces troops killed a Palestinian on the border with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Thursday, an Israeli army spokesman said. The death was the first since an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect on June 19. The army spokesman said soldiers in the area saw the man approaching and fired at him after he refused their calls to stop. They later saw that the man was unarmed, the spokesman said.

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On Wednesday, Border Police troops operating undercover in the West Bank onopened fire and killed a wanted Hamas man attempting to flee arrest.

IDF kills unarmed Gazan at border, shaking fragile truce , Haaretz, July 10, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces shot and killed a Palestinian teenager during a night patrol in a West Bank village early Sunday, Palestinian medical officials and witnesses said. Troops opened fire on the 17-year-old after midnight on Sunday, a witness said, adding that village youths often throw stones at army patrols at around that time but that the victim was unarmed.

Palestinians: Israeli troops kill teenager in West Bank, Haaretz, June 29, 2008

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Palestinian medics and local residents said the Israel Defense Forces killed a Palestinian teenager during a raid in the West Bank on Friday. < The residents said the 17-year-old was killed while confronting Israeli soldiers who raided the village of Beit Umar, near Hebron.

Haniyeh: Stop firing at Israel for sake of Palestinians, Haaretz, June 28, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops operating in the West Bank city of Nablus killed two Palestinian militants early Tuesday morning.

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The IDF West Bank raid took place near the student dormitory of An-Najah University. Neighbors say they found them riddled with bullets and shrapnel after the raid. The militants were named as 24-year-old Iad Hanfar, of Hamas, and the second as Taker Abu Rali, a senior Islamic Jihad militant.

IDF forces kill two Palestinian militants in the West Bank, Haaretz, June 24, 2008

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Moments before the truce took hold, the Israel Air Force killed a member of a Qassam rocket squad preparing to launch near the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza.

Israel-Hamas truce takes hold in Gaza, Haaretz, June 19, 2008

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At least six Palestinian militants were killed on Tuesday in a series of Israel Air Force attacks on the Gaza Strip, just as Israel and Hamas were in the final stages of an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire deal.

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Five militants were killed when the IAF attacked a blue Subaru in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis. The strike destroyed the car and the Palestinian Health Ministry said all of its occupants were killed. Another militant was killed in an attack on the central Gaza town of Deir el-Balah. The dead man was identified as a member of the Army of Islam, a Palestinian group which shares ideology with al-Qaida. Two others were wounded in a strike just minutes before in the same town.

IAF Gaza strikes kill 6 including gunmen linked to Shalit kidnap, Haaretz, June 18, 2008

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Later, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian in an attack on a rocket squad in Gaza, Palestinian hospital officials said. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the strike. Earlier Monday, IDF troops killed three Palestinian gunmen near the Gaza-Israel border, close to the coastal strip's southern town of Khan Yunis.

Israeli hurt as Grad-type rockets hit Ashkelon, Haaretz, June 17, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops on Monday morning killed three Palestinian gunmen near the Gaza-Israel border, close to the coastal strip's southern town of Khan Yunis. The fighting also included an air strike in which three Hamas militants were injured, one critically, Hamas said

IDF kills three gunmen near Gaza border fence, Haaretz, June 16, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops on Thursday killed two Palestinian militants who were rigging explosive devices near the security fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

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IDF troops killed four Palestinians - one militant and three civilians - in three separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

IDF kills two militants rigging explosives near Gaza fence, Haaretz, June 12, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces tank fire on Wednesday killed a 9-year-old Palestinian girl and wounded two other people in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical workers said.

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According to the Palestinian medics, the girl's head was decapitated from the tank shell, and her remains had been recovered from a house in the village of Qarara, east of Khan Yunis, that had been struck by the tank fire.

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As the IDF operation continued, soldiers shot and killed a Hamas gunman, the medics and Hamas officials said.

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On Tuesday, an Israel Air Force strike killed at least three members of a Hamas mortar crew on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Islamic group said.

Palestinians: IDF fire kills girl, gunman in Gaza, Haaretz, June 11, 2008

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Shells fired from an Israel Defense Forces tank killed a Palestinian gunman and wounded another east of Gaza City on Saturday, Hamas Islamists and local medical workers said.

Hamas militant killed, another wounded by IDF fire in Gaza, Haaretz, June 8, 2008

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Earlier on Friday, an Israel Defense Forces soldier was wounded and a Palestinian gunman killed on Friday, in clashes near the Gaza Strip border fence.

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A young Palestinian girl was killed in an IAF strike not longer after the mortar attack.

IDF soldier wounded, militant killed in Gaza border fire, Haaretz, June 6, 2008

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Palestinian officials said the Israel Defense Forces struck a Hamas cell near Khan Yunis early Saturday morning. No injuries were reported in the incident, and IDF spokesperson has yet to confirm the attack. In a separate incident on Saturday, Gaza officials said an explosion in the house of a Hamas militant has killed the man and wounded 16 relatives and neighbors.

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IDF troops used gunfire and tear gas on Friday to keep more than 3,000 Hamas supporters from approaching one of the Gaza Strip's main border crossings with Israel, wounding at least six Palestinians, witnesses said. Palestinian medical workers said at least two of the wounded were in a critical condition.

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In a separate incident Friday, Palestinian medical workers said a 65-year-old woman had died of wounds suffered a day earlier during an IDF raid near her home in the southern Gaza Strip.

Palestinians: IDF strikes Hamas cell near Khan Yunis, Haaretz, May 31, 2008

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The Israel Defense Forces arrested 60 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday over suspicions they were involved in terrorist activity. The detainees were taken to Israel for questioning.

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On Wednesday, two Palestinian militants were killed in an Israel Air Force strike in the southern Gaza Strip. The two were Hamas activist Osama al-Outi and Islamic Jihad man Abed a-Razek Abu Moammar.

IDF arrests 60 Gazans; mortar hits Negev home, but doesn't explode, Haaretz, May 30, 2008

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The Israel Air Force on Wednesday killed two Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical workers said. An Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman said the two aerial attacks targeted "terror threats" in the Hamas-controlled territory.

IDF soldier lightly hurt in Gaza; IAF kills two Hamas militants, Haaretz, May 28, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed three Hamas gunmen on Friday in clashes with militants in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical workers said. Heavy clashes erupted before dawn east of the southern city of Rafah when Israeli troops entered an area known as Sufa in the Hamas-controlled territory. Medical workers said soldiers arrested about 30 Palestinians during the raid.

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Thursday, an IDF force killed a Palestinian demonstrator and wounded about another 10, after the demonstrators threw rocks at the Karni crossing and Palestinians opened fire. The demonstration was part of a march protesting the closing of the crossings into the Gaza Strip after the morning attack.

Palestinians: IDF kills 3 in Gaza; soldier hurt by anti-tank missile, Haaretz, May 23, 2008

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Meanwhile, Hamas on Wednesday claimed that IDF soldiers stationed on Israel's border with the Gaza Strip shot dead a Palestinian militant. Sources identified the dead man as Mohamed al-Bahaisa, 24, of the Iz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the radical Islamic Hamas movement ruling Gaza. Witnesses said they heard an intense exchange of gunfire in the area. An IDF spokeswoman said she was unaware of a firefight, but said she would check the report.

IDF soldier lightly hurt when mortar explodes on Negev base, Haaretz, May 22, 2008

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Three Israeli air strikes and a raid in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Tuesday killed three Hamas militants and two Palestinian civilians, local medical workers and the Islamist group said.

Five Palestinians killed in IAF strikes on Gaza, Haaretz, May 21, 2008

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Gaza doctors on Tuesday said an Israel Air Force strike killed a 13-year-old Palestinian, and wounded another youth, near the security fence with Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said aircraft fired at a group of militants in the area that had moments earlier launched a rocket toward Israel.

Gaza boy, 13, said killed in IAF strike; IDF: Aircraft fired at militants, Haaretz, May 20, 2008

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Israel Air Force aircraft struck twice in Gaza City late Wednesday, aiming for a group of Hamas militants, killing two and wounding four, witnesses and Hamas officials said.

IAF air strikes in Gaza leave two militants dead, four wounded, Haaretz, May 15, 2008

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The Israel Defense Forces killed two Hamas militants and two Palestinian civilians on Wednesday in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, medical workers said. On Wednesday morning, a gunman was killed in an Israel Air Force strike during a ground raid near Khan Yunis, in the southern part of the territory, the medical workers said. An IDF spokeswoman confirmed the strike.

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Separately, IDF soldiers shot dead an 18-year-old Palestinian during an incursion near Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, the medical workers said. Another IAF strike in northern Gaza killed a Hamas gunman and a civilian, medical workers said.

Palestinians: IDF kills two militants, two civilians in Gaza, Haaretz, May 14, 2008

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Palestinian doctors said Tuesday that one Palestinian was killed in an Israeli Air Force airstrike on a Palestinian mortar-launching squad in the Gaza Strip. The Israel Defence Forces has confirmed the attack, which took place in Gaza, not far from Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha.

Gazan killed in IAF air strike; Qassams fall near Ashkelon, Haaretz, May 12, 2008

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On Sunday morning, the militant group Hamas said that one of its members had been killed in an explosion along Gaza's fence with Israel.

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Fighting has escalated since an Israeli civilian was killed in a mortar shell attack on southern Israel on Friday. In retaliation, Israeli forces fired missiles that killed five Hamas militants.

3 Qassams hit Negev, one explodes near schoolbus, Haaretz, May 11, 2008

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Earlier, Hamas and Gaza health officials said five of the group's members were killed and four others were wounded in two seperate Israel Air Force strikes on police stations in southern Gaza late Friday.

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The IDF spokesperson also confirmed an additional strike early Saturday morning, in which the IAF attacked a group of gunmen near the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. They confirmed the group was hit, but there was no word yet on casualties.

Sderot home takes direct hit as 9 Qassams strike Negev, Haaretz, May 10, 2008

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Palestinian medics say they found the body of a Palestinian woman in an area of heavy Israeli-Palestinian fighting along Gaza's border with Israel. The woman was discovered late Wednesday in her home in the Abassan village in southern Gaza. Palestinian health officials say she was 35 years old and had seven children.

Palestinian woman, 35, found dead in southern Gaza, Haaretz, May 7, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces tanks and bulldozers rumbled into the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday, and Israeli aircraft struck a series of targets. One militant was killed and at least 14 Palestinians, including one civilian, were wounded in the fighting, according to witnesses and medical officials.

Palestinians: IAF strikes in Gaza kill 1 militant, wound 13 others, Haaretz, May 7, 2008

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An Israel Air Force strike on a mortar launching squad early Tuesday killed a Hamas gunman and wounded three others in northern Gaza, according Palestinian officials.

IAF airstrike kills Hamas man in Gaza mortar squad, Haaretz, May 6, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces soldiers on Saturday shot dead a Palestinian man who arrived at an army checkpoint south of the West Bank city of Hebron carrying a knife, Palestinian officials and Israeli medics said.

IDF troops at checkpoint shoot dead knife-carrying Palestinian, Haaretz, May 3, 2008

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The Israel Air Force on Thursday killed in an airstrike a Hamas commander in the southern Gaza Strip who was involved in the 2006 abduction of Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit. Nafez Mansour was killed when an IAF missile struck a car he was traveling in with two other Hamas members in the Rafah refugee camp. Palestinian health officials said a female passerby was also lightly wounded in the strike as well as Mansour's 13-year-old son.

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On Wednesday, an IAF aircraft attacked a metal workshop in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday, killing an Islamic Jihad top militant and wounding three other people, Palestinian officials said.

IAF missile strike in Gaza kills Hamas commander involved in Shalit abduction, Haaretz, May 1, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops shelled a house in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun on Monday, killing seven Palestinians including four young siblings and their mother, medical officials and resident said. Residents said an Israeli projectile smashed through the ceiling of a one-story house where the family was having breakfast. Palestinian medics identified the dead children as sisters Rudina and Hana Abu Meatik, ages 6 and 3; and their brothers, Saleh, 4 and Mousab, 15 months. The children's mother was critically wounded in the explosion and succumbed to her wounds shortly after. A 17-year-old Palestinian civilian who was passing by the home was also killed in the explosion, medical workers said. Separately, IDF soldiers killed a Palestinian gunman from Islamic Jihad during fighting in the area, the faction said.

7 killed in Gaza, including mother and four siblings, Haaretz, April 27, 2008

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A 14-year-old Palestinian girl was killed on Saturday during clashes between Israel Defense Forces troops and Palestinian militants in the town of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, medical workers said. Local residents said Israeli tanks entered the town and clashed with the Palestinians.

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Medics say the aircraft have launched five missile strikes since before dawn. One Palestinian was killed and seven wounded in the strikes. Three of the wounded are in critical condition.

Palestinians: 14-year-old girl killed in Gaza clashes, Haaretz, April 26, 2008

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The Israel Defense Forces on Monday evening killed three Palestinian gunmen a few hundred meters away from the security fence between Gaza and Israel, close to the northern Gaza town of Jebaliya.

IDF strikes kill three gunmen in northern Gaza, Haaretz, April 22, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops on Monday killed two Palestinians in two separate air strikes across the Gaza Strip. One of the Palestinians was killed in a strike that targeted a vehicle in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. A second strike on Beit Hanoun, in the northern Strip, killed a Hamas militant.

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IDF forces shot two gunmen who tried to attack them and detained more than 30 Palestinians for interrogation before withdrawing, the military spokeswoman said.

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Six Hamas militants were killed over the weekend in a series of IAF strikes on Gaza following the Islamist group's attack on the Kerem Shalom crossing which left more than a dozen IDF soldiers wounded. Hamas' initial plan, to abduct soldiers, was thwarted by the army. Also over the weekend, two of the Palestinian teenagers wounded in an IAF attack last Wednesday succumbed to their wounds.

Two Palestinians killed in IAF strikes on Gaza Strip, Haaretz, April 21, 2008

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A series of Israel Air Force strikes killed at least seven Hamas gunmen and injured eight others northern Gaza Strip on Saturday and early Sunday, hours after militants of the Islamist group drove bomb-laden vehicles into an Israeli border crossing. Early Sunday, Palestinian medics said two Hamas militants were killed and six wounded in two separate Israeli air strikes, one east of Gaza City and the other in northern Gaza.

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On Saturday, An Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman said an IAF aircraft fired a missile at a group of militants spotted approaching Israel's border fence with the coastal territory.

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Also on Saturday, Palestinian security and health officials said a mechanic with the Hamas police was killed and four people were wounded in an Israel Air Force strike in southern Gaza. Earlier Saturday, a Hamas militant was killed in a separate incident when IDF troops raided a neighborhood of Gaza City.

At least 7 Gaza militants killed in IDF airstrikes, Haaretz, April 20, 2008

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Four militants were killed - one in each of the explosions and two militants in the armored vehicle. At roughly the same time, an IDF missile struck an armored vehicle approaching the Gaza border south of Kissufim. The vehicle was hit, resulting in a large explosion, suggesting a substantial quantity of explosives in the vehicle. It was not immediately clear how many Palestinian casualties were caused.

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Earlier Saturday, a Hamas militant was killed in a separate incident when IDF troops raided a neighborhood of Gaza City.

IDF: Attack on crossing is Hamas' most ambitious since Gaza pullout, Haaretz, April 19, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops operating in the West Bank killed a senior member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade accused of devising a recent plot to poison diners at a Ramat Gan restaurant.

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Al Aqsa denied that Kabi was involved in the poisoning plot.

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On Thursday, troops fended off Palestinian gunmen who attacked the vital Kerem Shalom crossing on, killing one.

IDF kills militant leader wanted in plot to poison Ramat Gan restaurant, Haaretz, April 18, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces paratroopers killed two Islamic Jihad militants during a raid near the West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday. Palestinian medical and security officials said one of the dead was an Islamic Jihad militant and the other was a 16-year-old boy.

IDF paratroopers kill two Jihad militants in raid near Jenin, Haaretz, April 17, 2008

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Twenty Palestinians were killed Wednesday, including a Reuters cameraman, in Israel Defense Forces operations in the Gaza Strip, making Wednesday one of the bloodiest days in recent times in Gaza.

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The fierce day of fighting started at around midnight on Tuesday, when a patrol from the Givati infantry brigade, accompanied by armored and artillery forces, entered the Sajawiya neighborhood on the east side of Gaza City. The soldiers exchanged fire with armed Palestinians, mostly from Hamas. One Givati soldier was moderately wounded in the thigh by a sniper. The soldiers killed four Hamas gunmen. According to military sources, the Palestinians even fired from the minaret of a mosque, and the IDF returned fire at the mosque and later blew up explosive devices found inside the mosque. The mosque suffered heavy damage, and the resulting pictures caused furious responses in the Muslim world. A Palestinian farmer, Hani Al-Zuarub, was killed at 3:00 P.M near Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, when a missile hit the car he was in. Another man was wounded. Three others were injured by shots fired at a school in the town. Twelve Palestinians were killed, including five children under the age of 16, Wednesday afternoon when IDF helicopters fired missiles at houses in the Juhad Al-Dik area. Three more Palestinians were killed near the Wadi Gaza Bridge, including Reuters cameraman Fadel Shana, 23. He died when the car he was riding in was hit by a missile. Two other journalists were wounded. Pictures showed the car had the letters "TV" on it, as is usual for vehicles used by journalists in the region. Footage from Shana's camera showed an Israeli tank firing a shell in his direction from several hundred metres away.

20 Palestinians killed in string of IDF operations in Gaza Strip, Haaretz, April 17, 2008

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Palestinian medical workers and Hamas reported that IDF troops killed four Hamas gunmen in a separate battle in Gaza near a terminal used to supply fuel to the coastal territory.

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At least five Palestinians were injured in the clashes at several points in the Gaza Strip, Hamas and medics said.

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In one of the areas east of Gaza City, IDF armored vehicles hit and damaged a mosque, local residents said. Orange and olive trees were also uprooted, the witnesses said.

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Earlier Tuesday evening, the Israel Air Force attacked two Palestinian militants as they rode a motorcycle through the northern Gaza Strip, killing one and wounding the other, Hamas police officials said.

Three Israeli soldiers killed in clashes near Gaza border, Haaretz, April 16, 2008

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Seven Palestinians were wounded Sunday evening in an Israel Air Force strike that partially destroyed the house of a senior militant in the Gaza Strip, local militant group said.

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Earlier Sunday, at least three Hamas militants were killed and four wounded in an explosion in the Gaza Strip, the militant group and Palestinian medical workers said.

7 hurt as IAF hits Gaza home of militant behind Nahal Oz attack, Haaretz, April 14, 2008

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An Israel Air Force air strike on Friday evening killed a Hamas militant in central Gaza only hours after five people, including two boys, aged 12 and 13, were killed in an Israel Defense Forces ground raid in the same area. Also on Friday, IAF missiles killed two Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip. The deaths brought the Palestinian death toll to 14 in IDF strikes that followed a terror attack Wednesday, in which two Israeli civilians were killed at a vital Gaza fuel terminal.

IDF kills 8 Palestinians, including 2 children, in Gaza, Haaretz, April 13, 2008

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Israel Air Forces strike killed at least two Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip early Friday, Hamas and medical workers said.

Palestinians: IAF kills 2 Hamas men in Gaza; IDF ground troops enter Strip, Haaretz, April 11, 2008

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Following the infiltration, IDF tanks and soldiers rushed to the scene, and killed two of the terrorists with tank fire.

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An IAF missile strike on Wednesday evening hit a car in the Sajaia neighborhood in Gaza, in which one of the terrorists who carried out the shooting attack was traveling, IDF sources said. According to the sources, the terrorist and another man who was with him in the vehicle were killed in the strike. Earlier Wednesday, during the IDF forces' attempt to target the terrorists who carried out the attack and fled the scene, the Israel Air Force fired one missile at a Palestinian car in Gaza City's Zeitun neighborhood and another at a house in the area. Four Palestinians were killed as a result of the missile strike.

2 Israeli civilians killed in attack by Gaza infiltrators, Haaretz, April 10, 2008

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IDF troops shot and killed two militants during the exchange of gunfire.

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On Tuesday, soldiers from the Givati Infantry Brigade and the Armored Corps killed three Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip, ...

IDF soldier killed, two wounded in Gaza Strip, Haaretz, April 9, 2008

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A 5-year-old Palestinian boy was killed on Sunday when an Israel Defense Forces shell exploded near his home in the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.

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On Saturday, a Palestinian farmer was killed in the northern Gaza Strip in a similar incident.

Palestinians: IDF shell kills 5-year-old in Gaza, Haaretz, April 7, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed three Palestinians Thursday morning during a military operation near the central Gaza town of Khan Yunis. According to the IDF, Givati Brigade infantry troops came across local militants and opened fire. Palestinian sources reported that three of the gunmen were killed in the exchange, and that the dead had belonged to the militant group Islamic Jihad.

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On Tuesday, two Hamas militants were killed in a predawn IDF raid near the Kissufim border crossing in central Gaza. The two were named as Abdullah a-Luh and Yehieh al-Burak.

IDF kills three Islamic Jihad militants in central Gaza, Haaretz, April 4, 2008

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Two Palestinian militants were killed on Tuesday by Israeli special forces during a predawn raid in the central Gaza Strip, Hamas and medical officials said.

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An Israeli army spokeswoman said troops shot the two Palestinian militants as the army conducted a ground assault against what she called "terror infrastructure" in the Hamas-controlled territory. The violence could challenge Egyptian-mediated efforts to broker a truce between Israel and militant groups. Hamas has not claimed any cross-border rocket fire into Israeli towns since the beginning of March.

Hamas: IDF special forces kill two militants in Gaza raid, Haaretz, April 1, 2008

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The Israel Defense Forces killed two Palestinians who tried to plant a bomb on the Gaza Strip's northern border fence on Saturday, Palestinian hospital officials and a militant faction said.

Palestinians: IDF kills 2 Gazans; 4 others wounded in IAF strike, Haaretz, March 30, 2008

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Earlier Friday, Hamas and Palestinian medical staff said that Israel Defense Forces troops killed a Hamas militant and wounded two others during clashes in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. An IDF spokesman said troops opened fire on a group of gunmen during an incursion into the Gaza Strip.

Qassam explodes between Negev pre-school, children's house, Haaretz, March 28, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed a Palestinian civilian near the border fence with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medical officials said. The officials said the 60-year-old farmer was shot dead riding on his donkey near the frontier fence east of Khan Younis in the central part of the Hamas-controlled territory.

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In a separate incident, the Islamist group Hamas said two members of its armed wing were killed by an Israel Air Force strike on a training camp in Gaza City.

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Meanwhile, a smuggling tunnel under the Egypt-Gaza border collapsed, killing one man, doctors said. Residents said they believed another man was buried in the rubble. Palestinian smugglers use tunnels to bring everything from cigarettes to weapons into Gaza.

Medics: IDF kills Gaza civilian; rocket damages Negev building, Haaretz, March 20, 2008

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At least 12 Palestinians were wounded Tuesday evening in an Israel Air Force strike on the northern Gaza Strip, Israeli and Palestinian sources said. Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Hamza said the four members of his militant group were near a mosque when they were targeted by an IAF aircraft. The militants were wounded in the strike, one of them seriously.

At least 12 Palestinians wounded in IAF strike in Gaza, Haaretz, March 19, 2008

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Three Palestinian militants were killed early Saturday night in an Israel Air Force strike east of Gaza City. According to the Israel Defense Forces Spokesman's Office, the men were Islamic Jihad members on their way to launch Qassam rockets at Israel.

IAF strike kills three Islamic Jihad militants in northern Gaza, Haaretz, March 16, 2008

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The fragile, indirect agreement the Egyptians brokered between Israel and Hamas over Gaza will meet its first test Thursday. The killings Wednesday of five wanted militants by the Israel Police's anti-terrorism unit, in two incidents on the West Bank, is likely to spur Islamic Jihad into attempting retaliatory rocket attacks from Gaza into the Negev. It seems we've been here many times before.

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The urgency of Wednesday's Bethlehem incident must be questioned. (The Islamic Jihad man killed in the second incident was planning imminent terror attacks.) The four militants killed in Bethlehem were on the IDF's wanted list for around eight years, and the operation where they were eliminated was a settling of scores by the police anti-terror squad and the Shin Bet security service. Was it also urgent? Apparently not. The four were not associated with any specific terror alerts. The decision to launch the operation was probably more a matter of opportunity than immediate need.

Targeted assassination / Little room for mistakes, Haaretz, March 13, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops shot dead a Palestinian farmer on Friday in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officials said.

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Six members of the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad were killed Thursday in three separate IDF strikes in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian medics: IDF troops kill farmer in northern Gaza, Haaretz, March 7, 2008

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An Israel Defense Forces soldier was killed and another seriously injured when Palestinian militants ambushed an IDF jeep on the Gaza Strip border early Thursday.

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Also on Thursday, the Israel Air Force killed one militant in an on attack on a rocket-launching site in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical officials said.

Soldier killed in ambush on IDF jeep at Gaza border, Haaretz, March 6, 2008

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A senior Islamic Jihad operative and a two-week-old Palestinian infant were killed after nightfall on Tuesday in a brief Israel Defense Forces ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said, just a day after Israel ended a 48-hour ground incursion in northern Gaza against Palestinian rocket squads.

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Witnesses said IDF tanks fired shells and fighter helicopters fired missiles. A two-week-old baby girl, Amira Abu-Assar, was killed by a ricocheting bullet, medical officials said. Also, eight militants and three civilians were wounded, none of them seriously, the officials said.

Palestinians: Top Jihad man, infant killed in IDF raid in southern Gaza, Haaretz, March 5, 2008

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Two Palestinian militants were killed Tuesday in two separate Israel Air Force strikes on the Gaza Strip, shortly after a Qassam rocket scored a direct hit on a house in the western Negev town of Sderot.

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Late Monday, the IAF fired a missile at a group of Palestinian militants firing rockets from the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun, killing one man, Palestinian officials said.

IAF strike kills two Gaza militants; Qassam rocket damages Sderot home, Haaretz, March 4, 2008

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A 14-year-old Palestinian was killed by Israel Defense Forces in Hebron as the violence spilled over into the West Bank on Sunday in the wake of the escalating clashes between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The clashes began when several hundred Palestinian youths threw stones and bottles at an Israeli checkpoint in Hebron's city center. IDF troops responded with rubber bullets and gas, slightly wounding two people.

Hebron teen killed by IDF as violence spreads to W. Bank, Haaretz, March 2, 2008

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One civilian was lightly wounded Sunday in a barrage of 10 Qassam rockets on southern Israel, as at least three Palestinians were killed in ongoing fighting with Israel Defense Forces troops in the Gaza Strip. A 21-month-old baby girl was among the dead in Gaza. Several other Palestinians succumbed to wounds suffered in Saturday's fighting, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed since before dawn Saturday to approximately 70.

Three Gazans killed, Israeli hurt in ongoing violence, Haaretz, March 2, 2008

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At least 14 Palestinians were killed, among them four civilians - a father and his son, as well as two children - during an Israel Defense Forces ground incursion near the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabaliya before dawn Saturday.

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Two of the dead Palestinian children have been identified as Jaqueline Abu-Shbak, 12, and her brother Iyad Abu-Shbak. The name of the third child has yet to be released.

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At least 49 Palestinians have been killed in four days of IDF raids and air strikes in the coastal territory, launched in the wake of a massive Qassam rocket barrage on the western Negev that killed an Israeli civilian.

Clashes in Gaza leave at least 14 Palestinians dead, Haaretz, March 1, 2008

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The Israel Defense Forces killed six militants early Thursday during operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, after the government vowed it would respond harshly to the rocket barrage which killed an Israeli civilian the day before in Sderot.

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Israeli security forces killed at least 12 Palestinians over the course of Wednesday in a number of air strikes in the Gaza Strip against terrorist activity. According to Palestinian sources, three of the casualties are children.

IDF kills six militants during operations in W. Bank and Gaza, Haaretz, February 28, 2008

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An Israel Air Force aircraft blew up a minivan carrying Hamas gunmen in southern Gaza on Wednesday, killing five militants, including a senior rocket engineer and a regional rocket squad commander, the group said.

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The body of another Palestinian militant killed in central Gaza overnight was brought to the hospital in Gaza on Wednesday morning. The Islamic Jihad group said the man was one of its gunmen who had been killed in a clash with IDF troops.

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On Tuesday, IDF troops killed a Palestinian farmer near the Gaza Strip's border, his relatives and hospital officials said. The IDF said the man was an armed militant.

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Also on Wednesday, IDF commandos operating in central Nablus kill one Palestinians and wounded three others during a raid in the West Bank city.

IDF kills at least seven in raids in Gaza Strip, West Bank, Haaretz, February 27, 2008

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Three Hamas militants were killed and at least four others wounded early Monday in two separate Israel Air Force strikes in the Gaza Strip. Two militants were killed when the IAF attacked the Sajiyeh neighborhood in southeast Gaza City. Palestinian officials identified the dead as Hani Abu Salah and Tair Masah. Another strike in the southern Gaza Strip, east of Khan Yunis, killed Hamas militant Hassam Abu Hain.

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Another Palestinian militant was found dead on Monday morning in the southern Gaza border town of Rafah. A small Palestinian militant organization, the Popular Resistance Committees, said the man belonged to their group and was killed while firing his weapon at nearby IDF soldiers.

Three Hamas militants killed in two separate IAF strikes in Gaza, Haaretz, February 25, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces ground troops targeted a group of Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip overnight Saturday. The IDF said the target was hit, but it was not clear how many militants had been hurt and what their condition was.

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IDF actions in Gaza left five Palestinians dead over the weekend. Three Palestinians were killed Saturday afternoon in an Israel Air Force air strike in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials said.

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The air strike came a day after an Israeli missile killed two Palestinian militants and wounded a third in central Gaza, according to Palestinian medical staff and Hamas security officials.

Five Palestinians killed in IDF Gaza actions over the weekend, Haaretz, February 24, 2008

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An Israeli missile killed two Palestinian militants and wounded a third in the central Gaza Strip, close to the border fence with Israel on Friday, Palestinian medical staff and Hamas security officials said.

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An Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman confirmed an air strike had been carried out against "terror elements" in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian officials: Israeli missile kills two Gaza militants, Haaretz, February 22, 2008

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A 7-year-old boy was killed and two other children were wounded Tuesday in an exchange of fire between Hamas militants and Israel Defense Forces troops in the central Gaza town of Deir el-Balah, Palestinian medics said. Palestinian security officials said IDF troops seized control over a house in town and came under heavy fire from Hamas. The troops shot back and the children were apparently caught in the crossfire, the officials said.

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Earlier Tuesday, IDF troops killed an armed Palestinian militant along the security fence on the border with the central Gaza Strip in the early morning hours.

Palestinians: 7-year-old Gaza boy killed in Hamas-IDF crossfire, Haaretz, February 20, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops backed by aircraft and tanks clashed with militants in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing three gunmen and a civilian, Palestinian officials said. More than 20 people were wounded, including several gunmen and a 45-year-old civilian who lives near the airport and was shot in the head, said Health Ministry official Dr. Moaiya Hassanain.

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The bulldozers were razing farmlands in an effort to deny rocket squads cover, and the army was carrying out arrest sweeps of men under 45, Hamas security and residents said. According to Hamas, at least 25 men were arrested. Earlier Sunday, a militant from Gaza's ruling Hamas movement died of wounds sustained in an Israel Air Force strike last week.

Four Palestinians killed in IDF arrest raid in southern Gaza, Haaretz, February 17, 2008

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A Palestinian woman who was refused access to an ambulance at an Israel Defense Forces checkpoint died in her village in the West Bank on Thursday, a Palestinian doctor and relatives said. Local witnesses said the husband of Fawziya Qabb pleaded with soldiers at the Jarushiya checkpoint near the town of Tul Karm to let his wife get to an ambulance waiting to take her to a Palestinian hospital but they ignored him.

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Human rights groups say they have recorded several cases of Palestinian patients who have died because of delays at IDF checkpoints since the start of the Palestinian uprising in 2000.

Palestinians: Ailing woman dies after IDF denies her ambulance, Haaretz, February 15, 2008

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The Israel Air Force fired a missile aimed at two armed Palestinians in the northern Gaza town of Jabalya late Sunday night. An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson confirmed that the IAF scored a direct hit on the target, but there was no word of injuries. In an exchange of gunfire at the Gaza Strip border on Sunday evening, IDF troops killed a Palestinian militant after he opened fire on them.

..

Earlier Sunday, the IAF killed a Hamas militant in Gaza, hours after two brothers, aged 8 and 19, were seriously wounded when a Qassam rocket struck the backyard of a house in the southern town of Sderot. The IAF carried out four strikes in the Gaza Strip before dawn on Sunday, wounding three militants and killing Mohammed Matir, a commander in Hamas' military wing.

IAF fires missile at two armed Palestinians in north Gaza, Haaretz, February 11, 2008

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The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet internal security service are preparing to step up assassinations against key Hamas figures in the Gaza Strip in response to the continued Qassam rocket attacks against Sderot.

Report: Haniyeh goes into hiding as IDF plans targeted killing, Haaretz, February 11, 2008

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"IDF operations are continuing day and night and will even be expanded," he told committee members. The defense minister said that in recent days, the IDF has killed 61 Palestinian militants. He added that over the last four months, 200 militants have been killed by Israeli fire.

Barak orders IDF to gird for wide Gaza offensive, Haaretz, February 11, 2008

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The Israel Air Force killed a Hamas militant in the Gaza Strip early Sunday, hours after two brothers, aged 8 and 19, were seriously wounded when a Qassam rocket struck the backyard of a house in the southern town of Sderot. The IAF carried out four strikes in the Gaza Strip overnight, wounding three militants and killing Mohammed Matir, a commander in Hamas' military wing. The IAF targeted, among other sites, an arms storage facility in a refugee camp in Rafah. Defense officials said that the Israel Defense Forces were planning to step up its Gaza operations as well as targeted killings of specific militants in response to the ongoing Qassam rocket fire.

IAF kills Hamas man; 2 brothers hurt in Sderot Qassam strike, Haaretz, February 10, 2008

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Seven Palestinians were killed Thursday, including six militants, in an Israel Defense Forces operation in the northern Gaza Strip, as Gaza militants fired at least seven Qassam rockets at southern Israel.

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The fighting in the Strip erupted earlier in the day after IDF tanks drove several hundred meters into northern Gaza. Hamas militants and IDF troops traded automatic fire, as Israel Air Force aircraft fired missiles and Hamas lobbed mortar shells. Five Hamas men were killed, three by missiles and two by gunfire, said Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas' military wing. Two were field commanders, he said. The Islamic Jihad faction said one of its militants also died in the clash.

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The teacher died and two other staffers were hurt when an IDF surface-to-surface missile struck an agricultural school in the northern town of Beit Hanun, Hamas said.

Seven Palestinians killed in IDF raid in Gaza; 7 Qassams hit Negev, Haaretz, February 7, 2008

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Israel killed nine Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip, while Palestinians fired heavy barrages of rockets at southern Israel that moderately wounded a 14-year-old girl and lightly wounded several other civilians.

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Later Tuesday evening, air force helicopters raked areas in northern Gaza from which rockets are often launched with "deterrent fire," and Palestinian sources said that three civilians were wounded. The army said it had been targeting rocket-launching squads.

IDF kills nine Hamas men in Gaza, Qassams rain on Sderot, Haaretz, February 6, 2008

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Earlier Tuesday, Israel Defense Forces troops killed two Palestinian gunmen from the Hamas movement on Tuesday near the town of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

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On Monday, just following the suicide bombing, an Israel Air Force strike killed two people, including the leader of the Popular Resistance Committees in northern Gaza, Abu Said Qarmout.

Qassams hit 2 Sderot factories; IDF kills Hamas militants in Gaza, Haaretz, February 5, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces commandos early Monday killed two Islamic Jihad gunmen and seriously wounded a third during a raid on the West Bank town of Qabatiya, south of Jenin.

IDF commandos kill two Islamic Jihad gunmen in raid near Jenin, Haaretz, February 4, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops on Thursday shot and killed a Palestinian militant who approached the border with Israel in the southern Gaza Strip, east of Rafah.

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Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction, said the militant slain earlier by IDF troops was a 21-year-old member of the group. The group said the IDF had prevented ambulances from reaching the scene of the incident.

Palestinian approaching Israel border killed by IDF in southern Gaza, Haaretz, January 31, 2008

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A Palestinian teenager was killed and another was wounded by Israel Defense Forces troops during a raid into the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Monday, Palestinian medical officials said. The officials said the teenager was shot in his stomach by the troops who were surrounding a building in the city during a search for militants. Palestinian sources identified the killed teenager as 17-year-old Kusai al-Afandi.

IDF troops kill Palestinian teen, hurt another in Bethlehem raid, Haaretz, January 29, 2008

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A Palestinian teenager was killed Friday by Israel Defense Forces troops during a raid in a village near the West Bank city of Hebron, hospital officials said. Witnesses said troops opened fire at local residents who hurled rocks at troops in the village, killing the teenager.

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At least four Hamas militants were killed by two Israel Air Force strikes in the Rafah area of southern Gaza late Thursday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said Friday.

Palestinians: IDF troops kill stone-throwing teenager near Hebron, Haaretz, January 25, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed a Hamas militant during a military operation in the southern Gaza Strip early Wednesday, Hamas sources said. The IDF confirmed that infantry and special forces had entered the southern Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday, conducting an arrest operation in the area between Khan Yunis and the Sufa Checkpoint.

Hamas militant killed in IDF arrest raid in southern Gaza Strip, Haaretz, January 22, 2008

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An Israel Defense Forces officer was lightly wounded and a Palestinian gunman killed on Monday during an exchange of fire in an IDF operation in the West Bank City of Tul Karm targeting wanted militants.

IDF officer lightly wounded, militant killed in Tul Karm raid, Haaretz, January 21, 2008

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Four hours after the blackout, Hamas said that five patients died because of the cutoff of electricity in hospitals.

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The Israel Air Force fired a missile Sunday night that struck a wagon loaded with Qassam rockets. The army said the wagon, which was near the Jabalya refugee camp, was transporting rockets to launch sites in northern Gaza. The Palestinians reported that the strike killed one person and wounded several.

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The IAF attempted to assassinate an Al Aqsa Bridage senior official late Sunday night in an air strike in northern Gaza. The official was injured in the strike and one of his men was killed.

PM: Israel won't let humanitarian crisis erupt in Gaza, Haaretz, January 21, 2008

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An Israel Air Force strike on the northern Gaza Strip killed two Hamas fighters early Saturday, hospital officials said. The strike came as Israel Defense Forces troops backed by several tanks and bulldozers entered Gaza and searched homes in the Jabalya refugee camp. After a prolonged gunfight with Hamas militants, IDF troops captured four of them and took them to Israel for interrogation.

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Earlier Friday, IAF warplanes destroyed the former Interior Ministry building in Gaza City on Friday, killing one woman and wounding at least 45 others nearby. Five of the wounded remained in critical condition on Saturday.

...

Another IAF missile strike, also on Friday, killed a militant and a teenage boy, and wounded two others in northern Gaza, medical officials said.

IDF kills two militants in Gaza; Qassam rocket strikes Sderot, Haaretz, January 20, 2008

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Israel tightened its closure of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Friday in response to cross-border rocket fire, preventing even UN humanitarian supplies from getting in, officials said.

...

Earlier on Friday, an Israel Air Force missile strike in the northern Gaza Strip killed at least one militant and wounded two others, medical officials in the Hamas-controlled territory said.

...

Also on Friday, IDF troops killed a militant from the armed wing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement in the West Bank, medical officials and the group said.



Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades confirmed one of its members was killed by

undercover IDF troops who were operating in the Balata refugee camp near the city of Nablus.

Israel closes Gaza border, blocks aid shipments, Haaretz, January 18, 2008

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The Israel Air Force killed at least seven Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in three separate air strikes Thursday, as Gaza militants pounded southern Israel with Qassam rocket fire for a third straight day, lightly wounding four people.

IAF strikes kill seven in Gaza; 40 Qassams fired at Israel, Haaretz, January 18, 2008

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An Israel Air Force strike on Thursday tore through a car traveling in the northern Gaza Strip, killing a militant leader and his wife, Palestinian health and security officials said.

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A leader of the small, Hamas-allied Popular Resistance Committees, Raed Abu el-Foul, and his wife were killed when a missile fired from the air hit their white sedan, Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Gaza health ministry said.

IAF kills two in Gaza car blast; 15 Qassams hit southern Israel, Haaretz, January 17, 2008

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Three Palestinian civilians were killed Wednesday afternoon in an Israel Air Force strike that targeted a car east of Gaza City, as Qassam rocket fire continued to pound southern Israel.

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Palestinian sources identified the dead as members of the Yazji family - Amar, Mohammed, and 14-year-old Amir.

Three Gaza civilians killed in IAF strike as rockets pound southern Israel, Haaretz, January 16, 2008

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Islamic Jihad's top military commander in the West Bank was killed early Wednesday morning by the Israel Defense Forces during a raid in a village near Jenin.

IDF soldiers kill Islamic Jihad's top commander in West Bank, Haaretz, January 16, 2008

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Parts of southern Israel were subjected to a barrage of 25 Qassam rockets and dozens of mortars Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said, in the wake of IDF raids in Gaza that killed 19 Palestinians. Of the dead, 15 were confirmed as armed militants.

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One of of the fatalities in the IDF operations on Tuesday was the son of Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar, the last surviving founder of the Islamist group.

25 Qassams fired at Israel after deadly IDF Gaza raid, Haaretz, January 16, 2008

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A Palestinian sniper killed an Ecuadorian volunteer at Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha near the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday, hours after at least nine Palestinians died in an IDF ground and air raid on Gaza City. One of of the victims in the IDF operation was reported to be the son of Hamas leader and co-founder Mahmoud Zahar. The nine Palestinians were killed when IDF soldiers backed by tanks and helicopters entered the eastern Gaza City neighborhoods of Sejaiyeh and Zaitoun, trading fire with gunmen.

...

Zahar, who was serving as Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister when the Hamas-Fatah coalition government collapsed in chaos last year, is seen as one of the more militant leaders of the Hamas political wing.

IDF raid kills 9 Palestinians; Gaza sniper kills farm volunteer, Haaretz, January 15, 2008

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Israeli security forces killed 810 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in 2006 and 2007, Shin Bet security service chief Yuval Diskin reported Sunday at the weekly cabinet briefing in Jerusalem. He estimated that some 200 of those killed were not clearly linked to terrorist organizations. However, an examination by Haaretz reveals that the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces stands at 816 during those two years, and that of them, 360 were civilians who were not affiliated with any armed organizations. Data from B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights organization, show that 152 of the casualties were under age 18, and 48 were under the age of 14.

Haaretz probe: Shin Bet count of Gaza civilian deaths is too low, Haaretz, January 14, 2008

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Three Palestinians were killed and three were injured Sunday night in an Israel Air Force strike near Gaza City.

..

Security sources described the strike as a "targeted killing," which is designed to assassinate terror operatives, not thwart an imminent attack.

IAF strike kills three Palestinian militants near Gaza City, Haaretz, January 14, 2008

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Two Hamas militants were killed and one was injured when the Israel Air Force struck a Hamas post in the southern Gaza Strip Saturday, the Islamic group said.

IAF strike kills two Hamas militants in southern Gaza, Haaretz, January 12, 2008

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An Israel Defense Forces strike in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday killed two Palestinians, witnesses and medical officials said. The army is saying both casualties were firing at the troops, but Palestinian sources say at least on was a civilian.

2 killed in IDF air strikes in Gaza, Haaretz, January 10, 2008

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An Israel Defense Force strike near a residential building in the northern Gaza Strip on Wednesday killed a Palestinian man and woman, both of them civilians, witnesses and medical officials said.

Palestinians: IDF strike kills two civilians in northern Gaza Strip, Haaretz, January 9, 2008

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In the Gaza Strip on Monday, IDF soldiers killed a Palestinian man and woman near the Erez Crossing. The IDF said the two were planning to carry out a terror attack. The man was named as Bassam Abu Mostafa. Also on Monday, in the West Bank, an Islamic Jihad operative from the village of Yamun was killed by IDF fire in clashes with troops near Jenin.

Hamas says its forces traded fire with Israel Navy boats off Gaza, Haaretz, January 8, 2008

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Five Israel Defense Forces soldiers were wounded Sunday, one of them moderately, and five Palestinians killed in series of incidents in the Gaza Strip. The fighting, which ended when the IDF withdrew at nightfall, also wounded at least 34 Palestinians, including four women, seven children and 15 gunmen.

Five IDF soldiers wounded, five Palestinians killed in Gaza fighting, Haaretz, January 7, 2008

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The IDF killed three Palestinians in separate incidents early Sunday and late Saturday, shortly after seven Qassam rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip at the town of Sderot.

Two IDF soldiers lightly hurt in Gaza; troops kill 3 Palestinians, Haaretz, January 6, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces troops on Friday killed two Hamas militants in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, Palestinian sources said. The total number of Palestinians killed in the Strip since Thursday morning stands at 11, including four civilians.

IDF troops kill two Hamas militants in northern Gaza, Haaretz, January 4, 2008

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Meanwhile, Israel Defense Forces troops backed by the Israel Air Force killed at least five Palestinians, three of them militants, early Thursday in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF said. Hamas officials reported heavy clashes between its men and IDF troops east of Khan Younis and at least nine IAF air strikes overnight that wounded 10 people, at least three critically.

Katyusha strikes northern Ashkelon; IDF strikes kill five Gazans, Haaretz, January 3, 2008

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Israel Defense Forces killed six Hamas, Popular Resistance Committees and Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade militants early Wednesday morning in a joint operation that included both land and air forces.

...

At least one Hamas militant was killed and three others wounded Tuesday by Israel Defense Forces fire near the security fence along the central Gaza Strip.

IDF land and air strikes kill six armed Gaza Strip militants, Haaretz, January 2, 2008

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The number of Palestinians killed by the Israel Defense Forces in 2007 decreased by 43 percent since last year, to 373, but the total number of Palestinians killed this year reached a record high because of the 344 Palestinians killed in the internecine conflict, the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said in its year-end report. The report also found a significant drop in the proportion of civilians killed, which decreased from 54 percent of the 657 Palestinians killed by IDF fire in 2006 to 35 percent of the 373 Palestinians killed between January 1 and December 29 of this year. Fifty-three of the Palestinians were minors and the vast majority - 270 - were killed in the Gaza Strip. In addition, seven Israeli civilians were killed by Palestinian fire in 2007 - the lowest number since the second intifada began.

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The organization also found that the settler population grew by 4.5 percent this year, far exceeding population growth but showing a lower rate of growth than last year, when the settler population increased by 5.8 percent. There are 36 manned roadblocks in the West Bank that are along the Green Line, and another 66 that are not, B'Tselem found. It said the number of unmanned roadblocks, such as heaps of dirt or cement blocks blocking the entrance to villages, increased to 459 this year, compared to 445 in 2006 and 410 in 2005, but that the number of surprise IDF roadblocks decreased in the second half of 2007.

Study: Number of Palestinians killed by IDF dropped 43% in '07, Haaretz, December 31, 2007

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At least one Palestinian was killed and four others were wounded by gunfire while crossing from Israel into the Gaza Strip on Sunday after completing the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Palestinian medics said. The medical workers said the pilgrims had been hit by Israel Defense Forces gunfire at the Erez crossing on the northern Gaza border. Witnesses said soldiers first fired into the air and then at the crowd of pilgrims.

Palestinians: IDF kills Gazan woman, hurts 4 others en route from hajj, Haaretz, December 31, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops shot and killed two Palestinian militants Sunday as they tried to place a bomb on the security fence along the Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported.

Report: IDF kills 2 Gaza militants trying to place bomb near fence, Haaretz, December 30, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed one of Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia's bodyguards on Friday during an arrest operation in Ramallah.

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Meanwhile, IDF troops and the Shin Bet security service killed at least eight Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen in three separate incidents in the Gaza Strip Thursday.

IDF troops kill PA negotiator's guard during Ramallah arrest, Haaretz, December 28, 2007

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Three Palestinians militants were killed and six others wounded Thursday by Israel Defense Forces fire in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis, according Palestinian sources and the IDF.

Three Palestinian militants killed by IDF fire in southern Gaza Strip, Haaretz, December 27, 2007

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Two Islamic Jihad members were killed in an Israel Defense Force air strike in central Gaza early yesterday morning, near Dir al-Balah. An IDF spokesman said that a group of armed Palestinians was targetted.

IDF air strike in Gaza kills 2 Islamic Jihad men, Haaretz, December 25, 2007

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The IDF has said it would continue its attacks against militants in the Gaza Strip despite calls by the Hamas leadership for a possible temporary calm.

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Meanwhile, a Hamas militant was killed Friday morning in by Israel Defense Forces fire in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis on Friday, the Palestinian Islamist group and medical workers said.

...

In an IDF operation Thursday in the central Gaza Strip, one soldier was seriously injured and seven Palestinian gunmen were killed.

Two IDF troops lightly hurt as Israel mulls truce offer, Haaretz, December 21, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces tanks and troops raided the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least four Palestinian militants, as Qassam rockets continued to rain down upon the western Negev. Two rockets struck open fields Thursday morning and caused no injuries or damage. A third Qassam rocket hit the grounds of an elementary school in the western Negev city of Sderot. One school child was treated for shock. No property damage was caused.

Rocket hits Negev school; IDF kills 4 Gaza militants, Haaretz, December 20, 2007

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On Monday night, two IAF strikes killed seven Islamic Jihad militants, including a senior Gaza commander, prompting the group to threaten a wave of "martyrdom" attacks in response to the killings, a phrase used in the past to denote suicide bombings within Israel.

...

In one of the airstrikes Monday night, the IDF said it targeted a cell that was about to fire rockets at Israel. Undercover troops took part in the attack, the military said, and the leader of the cell was killed. Two other militants also died. The remains of a fourth militant killed in the same strike were discovered Tuesday morning, according to Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Gaza Health Ministry.

IDF kills at least 13 Islamic Jihad, Hamas militants, Haaretz, December 18, 2007

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Six Palestinians, all operatives of terrorist organizations, were killed during two separate operations in the Gaza Strip yesterday, while four Israel Defense Forces soldiers were wounded.

6 Palestinians killed during major IDF operation in Gaza, Haaretz, December 14, 2007

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Eight Palestinian militants were killed and four Israel Defense Forces soldiers were lightly wounded in separate IDF operations across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Dozens of IDF tanks and armored vehicles moved into Gaza on Tuesday morning, setting off clashes with Palestinian militants firing rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds. Israel Air Force planes providing cover killed three unidentified militants, soon after three Islamic Jihad militants were killed by an IDF tank shell.

...

Earlier Tuesday, two Palestinian militants were killed in two separate IAF strikes in northern Gaza.

IDF kills eight militants in raids in north, south Gaza, Haaretz, December 11, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops on Friday shot and killed a Palestinian farmer in his fields along the Gaza-Israel border, a Palestinian official said. The 30-year-old farmer was shot from an IDF position along the border fence, and another farmer, his cousin, was wounded, according to Dr. Moaiya Hassanain of the Gaza health ministry.

Palestinians: IDF soldiers kill Gaza farmer near Israel border, Haaretz, December 7, 2007

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An undercover Border Police unit accidentally killed a Palestinian police officer during an arrest raid in Bethlehem Wednesday. Mohammed Salah, 36, was killed after Border Police officers refused to stop at a Palestinian security forces roadblock near Al-Hadar, south of Bethlehem. The Palestinians began following the Israeli officers' vehicle, when the Border Police officers opened fire.

Undercover IDF unit accidentally kills PA policeman in Bethlehem, Haaretz, December 6, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed a Palestinian near the border fence between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip on Thursday.

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The man's family said he was attempting to catch birds in the area. Local medical officials said the man was unarmed. On Wednesday, two Hamas activists were killed in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahia by IDF fire in an attack on a Hamas position.

Palestinian killed by IDF fire near Gaza Strip security fence, Haaretz, December 6, 2007

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Two Hamas militants were killed Wednesday morning in an Israel Air Force strike on the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya. Two other Palestinians were wounded in the strike, although it was not immediately clear whether they were militants or civilians.

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Barak told Army Radio that IDF troops had killed 27 Gaza militants in the past 10 days and would continue to chase down those operating under Hamas rule.

Two Hamas militants killed in IAF strike on northern Gaza Strip, Haaretz, December 5, 2007

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An Israel Air Force air strike killed at least two Hamas militants and wounded two others in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian medical workers and Hamas said.

Palestinians: 3 Hamas militants killed in central Gaza air strike, Haaretz, December 4, 2007

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Four Hamas gunmen were killed in two seperate clashes with Israel Defense Forces troops on Monday in the northern Gaza Strip near the border fence with Israel, medical officials and Hamas said.

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Defense Minister Ehud Barak told ministers earlier Sunday that he had authorized military action in Gaza, including the targeting of "manned military Hamas targets". Barak said Israel had killed 22 militants in attacks during the past week.

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IDF troops over the weekend killed six Palestinian militants in the southern Gaza Strip, five of them members of the military wing of Hamas.

IDF kills four Hamas gunmen in clashes in northern Gaza, Haaretz, December 3, 2007

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An Israel Air Force strike killed five Hamas members early Saturday, prompting threats by Gaza militants to fire longer-range rockets at Israeli border towns. Eight people were wounded, including one critically, in the strike near the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, close to the border with Israel, according to Moaiya Hassanain of Gaza's Health Ministry.

IAF strike kills 5 Hamas gunmen, wounds 8 in southern Gaza Strip, Haaretz, November 30, 2007

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Four Hamas militants were killed overnight in two separate Israel Air Force strikes near the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis, Palestinian security officials said early Thursday morning. The Israel Defense Forces said the first attack was on a group of armed men in combat vests moving near the border with Israel and the second was against two men trying to plant a bomb near the border fence. On Wednesday an IAF air strike on a Hamas security position killed two of the group's naval officers after Palestinians fired 20 mortar shells and two rockets into Israel, Palestinian medics and the IDF said. At least 10 other people were wounded in that attack.

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Since the beginning of the week, 20 Palestinian militants have been killed in clashes with IDF forces in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians: Two IAF strikes kill 4 Hamas militants in south Gaza, Haaretz, November 29, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed two Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip overnight, the Hamas movement and the army said on Tuesday. Hamas, which seized control of the coastal territory in June, said the two were killed near the Jabalya refugee camp in northern Gaza. An IDF spokeswoman said troops shot two Palestinians trying to plant an explosive device near the border fence. In a separate incident, a civilian was killed by Israeli gunfire near the Sufa border crossing in southern Gaza, said Palestinian medical staff. The IDF said troops in the area shot at a person acting suspiciously and crawling toward them.

IDF troops kill 2 Hamas gunmen, one civilian in Gaza shootings, Haaretz, November 29, 2007

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The Israel Defense Forces killed at least three Hamas militants on Monday in two separate incidents in the northern Gaza Strip. In the first incident, an Israel Air Force aircraft opened a missile strike on militants at a mortar launching pad in the northern town of Beit Hanoun. One militant was wounded in the incident and at least one other was killed.

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In the second incident, which occurred near the Erez Crossing, two other militants were killed by IDF fire on the ground. The two were suspected of preparing an explosive device targeting IDF troops patrolling the area.

IDF airstrike kills at least three Hamas militants in Gaza Strip, Haaretz, November 26, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed two Palestinian militants during a raid in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, local medical workers said. IDF spokeswoman said troops had spotted two men, one armed and the other equipped with ammunition. The soldiers opened fire at the pair when they came close to the troops. A team of Israel Defense Forces killed Sunday a wanted Palestinian militant in the West Bank town of Tul Karm, both Palestinians and the army said. The troops wounded a second militant and took him to a hospital in Israel for treatment, the IDF said. Also on Sunday, IDF troops killed five Palestinian militants in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip. On Sunday afternoon, three armed Palestinians were killed while approaching the Israel-Gaza border fence in the northern section of the coastal territory. Earlier Sunday, IDF troops killed two Palestinian militants during a raid in the central Gaza Strip, local medical workers said.

IDF soldiers kill wanted Palestinian militant in Tul Karm, Haaretz, November 25, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed two Palestinian militants during a raid in the central Gaza Strip on Sunday morning, local medical workers said. IDF spokeswoman said troops had spotted two men, one armed and the other equipped with ammunition. The soldiers opened fire at the pair when they came close to the troops. Local residents said the two men were killed while the IDF operated close to the Mghazi refugee camp in the central part of the Gaza Strip.

IDF troops kill two Palestinian militants in central Gaza raid, Haaretz, November 25, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot dead two Palestinian men who approached the border fence separating Gaza from Israel overnight, Palestinian medical staff said. The two brothers, in their forties, had walked close to an Israel-Gaza border terminal late on Friday night. Local residents said the men often scoured the area for cement and other building materials to sell. On Saturday morning, Palestinian ambulances evacuated their bodies from the scene. An army statement said the two men appeared suspicious ...

IDF kills two Palestinians near Gaza security fence, Haaretz, November 24, 2007

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Meanwhile, IDF troops shot and killed an unarmed Palestinian who approached the security fence separating Israel from the Gaza Strip, the military said Thursday.

Near 20 mortar shells fired from Gaza over course of Thursday, Haaretz, November 23, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops opened fire Thursday on a car carrying militants in northern Gaza, killing two and injuring five, militants and a health official said.

Officials: Two militants killed, 5 hurt, in IDF strike on Gaza Strip, Haaretz, November 15, 2007

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Israeli forces on Saturday killed two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and wounded three others in three separate incidents, Palestinian sources and the Israel Defense Forces said. The first incident, which resulted in two deaths, occurred after troops noticed two Palestinian youths crawling toward the fence (to avoid detection, said the IDF) separating the Gaza Strip and Israel. The incident happened near Al-Bureij refugee camp in the Strip's central region. The two slain youths, Jihad and Bilal al Nabhin, 16- and 17-years old, were shot at night, and Gaza rescue forces reported they found their bodies in the morning. Palestinian sources said the two youths did not belong to any militant organization.

Qassam strikes cowshed in western Negev, killing 7 cattle, Haaretz, November 11, 2007

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Also Friday, IDF troops shot and killed two Palestinians who were crawling near the security fence separating the Gaza Strip from Israel on Friday night, apparently planting an explosive device, the military said. No further details were available on the shooting in central Gaza or the identity of the men.

IDF troops open fire, arrest suspected smugglers who infiltrated Israel, Haaretz, November 10, 2007

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Three Palestinians were killed when an Israel Air Force aircraft opened fire on them in northern Gaza early Sunday morning. Hospital officials said that all three were civilians.

[...]

Another Palestinian was killed by IDF troops later in the day during a ground incursion into Gaza. The identity of the fourth casualty was not immediately clear.

IDF strikes kill 4 Gazans as Qassam volleys hit Negev, Haaretz, November 4, 2007

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An Israel Air Force airstrike against a Hamas police position in the southern Gaza Strip killed one and injured three early Saturday, Palestinian officials and the Israel Defense Forces said. Hamas said one of its men was killed in the attack near the former settlement of Morag in southern Gaza. Palestinian medics said three others were injured.

IAF air strike in south Gaza kills Hamas militant, injures three, Haaretz, November 3, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed a Palestinian gunman during a gunbattle in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, hospital officials said. They identified the 23-year-old Mahmoud al-Hajj, who was killed in central Gaza near the border fence with Israel, as a member of the Islamic Jihad militant group. The IDF had no immediate comment.

IDF troops kill Islamic Jihad militant in central Gaza gunbattle, Haaretz, November 1, 2007

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Four Hamas policemen were killed when the Israel Air Force shelled a Hamas police position in the southern Gaza Strip, the militant group and Palestinian hospital officials said. The IDF confirmed the strike, saying the attack followed the firing of mortar shells by Hamas at Netiv Haasara, near the Gaza border.

[...]

Just before the strike in Abasan village, east of Khan Yunis, ground troops entered the Gaza Strip, fired a missile targeting a Qassam rocket cell and accidentally hit a home in Gaza City's Jabalya refugee camp. Three Palestinian civilians, including a very small girl, were wounded.

A military spokeswoman said IDF troops operating in the area fired at a Palestinian rocket crew but the missile flew off-target due to a "technical error."

IDF strikes kill four Hamas men, wound 3 civilians, Haaretz, October 30, 2007

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Sorry, missed to update ... don't wory, the killing continued without me documenting it ...

A Hamas militant was killed and another seriously wounded Friday in an Israel Air Force strike in the central Gaza Strip, the militant group said. The IDF confirmed the strike, saying aircraft targeted militants who were approaching troops operating just inside the central Gaza Strip to stop rocket attacks on Israel. Earlier Friday, three Palestinian militants were killed and two Israel Defense Forces soldiers lightly wounded during IDF operations in the Gaza Strip.

[...]

On Thursday, an Islamic Jihad militant and two members of Hamas' military wing were killed in separate clashed with IDF troops in the Gaza Strip.

Palestinians: Hamas militant killed, another wounded in IAF Gaza strike, Haaretz, October 26, 2007

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The Israel Defense Forces killed two militants of Hamas' armed wing before dawn Thursday, east of the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, Hamas officials said.

[...]

The IDF said it had fired on militants close to the Gaza security fence. On Wednesday two Palestinians were killed during an IDF strike in northern Gaza, Palestinian officials said.

IDF kills two Hamas militants, two Islamic Jihad rocket launchers, Haaretz, October 25, 2007

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Missile-firing Israel Air Force aircraft attacked a car carrying gunmen in the central Gaza refugee camp of Nuseirat on Tuesday, and Palestinian sources said a senior member of the militant Popular Resistance Committees, who is also an official of the Hamas-led government, was killed in the attack.

IAF kills senior militant in air strike in Gaza Strip, Haaretz, October 24, 2007

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Two Islamic Jihad militants were killed by Israel Defense Forces fire during a raid in the West Bank city of Jenin early Tuesday.

[...]

The Palestinian militants were killed in a Jenin gun battle that erupted when the two attempted to escape from a house that had been surrounded by troops from the elite Duvdevan undercover unit in the Sabah el-Kheir neighborhood.

Two Islamic Jihad militants killed, one IDF officer hurt in Jenin raid, Haaretz, October 23, 2007

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An Israel Air Force strike injured at least four Hamas gunmen in the northern Gaza Strip early Sunday, medical workers said. Hamas initially said one its members had been killed, but medical workers said he was still alive. An Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman confirmed an attack but gave no other details. IAF aircraft on Saturday killed two Islamic Jihad terrorists in a missile strike on a fishing boat off the coast of the Gaza Strip, the IDF said. The two men were apparently on their way to carry out a terror attack.

IAF strike injures at least four Hamas gunmen in north Gaza, Haaretz, October 22, 2007

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A Hamas militant was killed Wednesday morning by an Israel Defense Forces tank shell in the southern Gaza Strip. Three additional Palestinians were wounded by the fire, including two civilians. The Hamas militant was identified as 20-year-old Hazem Asfor. The IDF confirmed that ground troops were operating in Palestinian territory, near the Gaza security fence, and said troops fired on militants who had targeted them with an anti-tank rocket.

Hamas militant killed by IDF tank fire in southern Gaza Strip, Haaretz, October 17, 2007

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One Palestinian civilian and one militant were shot and killed before dawn on Tuesday during an Israel Defense Forces raid on the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian witnesses and doctors said.

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The civilian, 72-year-old Abd al-Wazir, was shot just as he left his house in the area and later died of his wounds, his family and doctors said.

Two Palestinians, including one militant, killed in IDF Nablus raid, Haaretz, October 16, 2007

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One Palestinian was killed yesterday and at least four others were injured during separate incidents in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. A member of Fatah's militant wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, was killed during an incident involving a patrol of undercover Border Police in Jenin yesterday. The dead man is Mohammed Abu Sarur, 20.

Second Al-Aqsa militant killed by IDF in as many days, Haaretz, October 14, 2007

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An Israel Air Force strike killed a Hamas militant and wounded five others in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanun Saturday, Hamas and local residents said. An Israel Defense Forces spokesman said the strike was aimed at a group of Gaza militants that had launched a Qassam rocket at Israel. The IDF frequently conducts raids and air strikes in the Gaza Strip to try to stop militants from firing rockets into southern Israel. On Thursday, Israel Defense Forces tanks and infantry units were operating in the central Gaza Strip.

Witnesses: IAF strike kills Hamas militant in Gaza, Haaretz, October 13, 2007

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Border Police troops killed a militant from the armed wing of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement in the West Bank on Thursday, Palestinian security and hospital officials said. Palestinian security officials said the man was killed by undercover forces operating near the West Bank city of Jenin. They said he was shot while driving a wanted Islamic Jihad militant.

Palestinians: Border Police troops kill Fatah militant near Jenin, Haaretz, October 11, 2007

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Undercover Israel Defense Forces troops killed one Fatah militant and wounded another during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus early Wednesday. Palestinian sources said the raid had targeted the wounded man, a leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade who recently signed a deal granting him amnesty from Israel but did not fulfill several of the document's conditions, group spokesman Mahdi Abu Ghazaleh said. Witnesses said that an IDF army commando force infiltrated the old city of Nablus disguised as Palestinian security forces, and spoke in Arabic to passersby. The unit then fired at the militants from rooftops, killing Amar Ein Abousi and injuring Sufian Kandeel, sources from within Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades reported. Members of the group had said earlier that the two men were armed, but Abu Ghazaleh, who was at the scene of the shooting, said after that they were not.

PA sources: IDF kills Fatah militant, wounds another in Nablus raid, Haaretz, October 10, 2007

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The Israel Defense Forces on Friday shot and killed an armed militant near the Israel-Gaza border fence in the central Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported.

IDF troops kill armed Palestinian near Israel-Gaza border fence, Haaretz, October 5, 2007

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Two Palestinians were killed in separate Israel Defense Forces strikes in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning. In the first incident, a Hamas militant was killed when the Israel Air Force struck a group of militants near the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Palestinians said. The militant was named as Mohammed Hassan. Soon thereafter, another Palestinian, Said al-Amur, was killed by IDF fire in Khan Yunis. Local residents said troops and tanks raided an area about 2 kilometers inside Gaza.

Two Palestinians, including Hamas militant, killed in IDF strikes on Gaza, Haaretz, October 3, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops killed two Hamas militants on Monday in an overnight gunbattle in the Gaza Strip, a Hamas official said. The IDF said troops shot two armed Palestinian militants who attacked them inside Gaza not far from the border fence.

IDF troops kill 2 Hamas militants in overnight gunbattle in Gaza, Haaretz, October 1, 2007

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It was a pretty quiet year, relatively speaking. Only 457 Palestinians and 10 Israelis were killed, according to the B'Tselem human rights organization, including the victims of Qassam rockets. Fewer casualties than in many previous years. However, it was still a terrible year: 92 Palestinian children were killed (fortunately, not a single Israeli child was killed by Palestinians, despite the Qassams). One-fifth of the Palestinians killed were children and teens - a disproportionate, almost unprecedented number. The Jewish year of 5767. Almost 100 children, who were alive and playing last New Year, didn't survive to see this one.

Twilight Zone / The children of 5767, Haaretz comment, September 28, 2007

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The Israel Air Force fired missiles at a Qassam rocket launching cell in the northern Gaza Strip Thursday evening, killing one militant, Palestinian sources reported. The incident occurred in Beit Hanun, after 11 additional Palestinians had been killed in separate strikes in the Gaza Strip.

One Palestinian killed in IAF strike on rocket launching cell in Gaza, Haaretz, September 28, 2007

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Eleven Palestinians, including at least seven militants, were killed Wednesday evening and Thursday morning in three separate Israel Defense Forces strikes on the Gaza Strip.

Eleven Palestinians killed in IDF strikes on Gaza Strip, Haaretz, September 27, 2007

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Israel killed nine Palestinians in military operations in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday and threatened a major ground sweep of the Hamas-run territory to stem cross-border rocket fire. Five members of the Army of Islam militant group died in an Israeli air strike on their car in Gaza City. In a separate incident, Palestinian witnesses said Israeli shelling killed a gunman and three bystanders in the northern town of Beit Hanoun.

Israel kills 9 in Gaza, warns of big sweep, Reuters, September 26, 2007

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It seems that there was a break in the killings during the Yom Kippur holidays.

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Medics said on Friday that the number of Palestinians killed during an Israeli operation in a Gaza Strip refugee camp rose to four after a Hamas fighter was shot dead during the incursion.

[...]

The latest death brings to 5,869 the number of people killed in Israeli-Palestinian violence since 2000, most of them Palestinians, according to an AFP toll.

Fourth Palestinian killed in Gaza raid, AFP, September 21, 2007

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Israel Defense Soldiers soldiers killed four Palestinians during an incursion in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, hospital officials said.

Four Palestinians killed in IDF raid in Gaza Strip, Haaretz, September 21, 2007

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A Palestinian was killed in the West Bank city of Nablus yesterday as Israeli forces continued searching for a Hamas cell that is thought to be attempting to dispatch a suicide bomber on a mission inside Israel. This was the second Palestinian killed in Nablus in 24 hours.

Palestinian killed as Nablus hunt for Hamas cell goes on, Haaretz, September 21, 2007

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Israel Defense Forces troops operating against rocket squads in the Gaza Strip on Thursday killed a Palestinian teenager who health officials and witnesses said was hit by shrapnel from a tank shell, then run over by an army bulldozer.

IDF troops kill 17-year-old Palestinian in central Gaza, Haaretz, September 20, 2007

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A Palestinian man was killed Wednesday morning in the West Bank city of Nablus, as Israeli forces continue their hunt for a local Hamas-led cell believed to be planning a suicide bombing in Israel. Palestinian eyewitnesses identified the man as 35-year-old Adib Salim, and added that he was disabled, unarmed, and not involved in the fighting.

Palestinian killed as IDF hunts for Hamas cell in Nablus raid, Haaretz, September 19, 2007

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Two Palestinian gunmen were killed yesterday in the West Bank in exchanges of fire with Israel Defense Forces patrols, while Qassam rocket attacks continued to target communities bordering the Gaza Strip.

IDF kills two in W. Bank; six Qassams hit Negev, Haaretz, September 18, 2007

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An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian militant were killed on Tuesday in fighting that erupted during an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank.

...

The PFLP militant was the fourth Palestinian killed by Israeli troops in the past three days in the West Bank. Israel said all were gunmen.

Israeli soldier, Palestinian gunman killed in W.Bank, Reuters, September 17, 2007

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HEBRON, West Bank, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Israeli troops killed an armed Palestinian on Sunday after shooting broke out between two feuding Palestinian families near a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank, local residents and medics said.

Israeli troops kill Palestinian in Hebron, Reuters, September 16, 2007

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A Texas man has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison after admitting to a mortgage fraud scheme, the US Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Texas announced.

James Temme had pleaded guilty to wire fraud in October 2017 before US District Judge Marcia Crone. Crone also ordered Temme to pay restitution in the amount of about $2.9 million.

Information presented in court showed that Temme engaged in wire fraud in 2011 by inducing people to invest in a package of mortgages. Temme falsely stated that he had the ability to sell the package to the investors and provided a forged signature to induce the investment. Eventually, Temme received more than $3 million from the investors. However, he never actually sold the package of mortgages to them.
ODESSA  While Permian Basin operators produce much of the crude and natural gas that provides power to homes, businesses and industries around the globe, they require that same power to produce their crude and natural gas.

Properly managing that power is key to not only controlling costs but saving wear and tear on expensive equipment, said exhibitors at the Permian Basin International Oil Show.

North American Electric of Hernando, Mississippi, sells electric motors and builds motor control panels, said Mike Merrigan, marketing manager. He said the company employs five engineers in-house who can pre-engineer the panels for various industries -- from agriculture to water to oil and gas and some industrial, such as factories.

OIL REPORT: Trafigura proposes port facility to move Permian crude

In the oil fields, the company's panels often control the pumping units that lift crude and natural gas to the service, and Merrigan said technology has impacted those controls.

"Now one person can operate 30 panels from the Cloud," he said.

"It's all about keeping costs lower for those extracting oil, helping them get maximum yield. An operator wants to be able to walk away from the well and not worry about" the unit pumping off or operating at the wrong speeds and pressures and damaging the equipment.

His company's panels give customers the technology to speed up or slow down the pumping unit, he said.

The expansion of the Permian Basin's unconventional shales further into regions with little or no power infrastructure is also a challenge, said Jeff Curtis, director, business development with Ameresco, which was displaying solar panels at the show.

"We use solar where there's no AC power," he said. "If you build a well in a cow pasture, you can use solar for communications and monitoring. You use the solar panels to charge the batteries" of the equipment that monitors flow rates, volumes and temperatures or that allows a pumper in the field to communicate with his office.

Analyst: Pipeline bottleneck could lead to sand oversupply

Another use is for pipelines when producers introduce their production into the pipeline, he said.

"If an independent is dropping his product into the pipeline, he and the pipeline want to verify and quantify what they're doing. There are multiple custodial sites and multiple systems," he said.

Ameresco's solar panels are typically used for low-power applications, said Curtis, who acknowledged that AC power is cheaper than solar. But, the cost of the panels, originally the most expensive component, has fallen 10-fold over the last 30 years from about $10 a watt to $1 a watt, he said.

"Now the high cost is the batteries and battery enclosures," he said.

The trend toward automation in the oil patch is boosting business at his company, Curtis said.

"We've seen a big increase in our business because of automation," he said.
Permian Playhouses The Giver, based on the Lois Lowry novel, featured a glimpse into a dystopian future where the population thrives on the lack of its own decision-making. Characters are assigned jobs for life and are required to control -- or not even show -- emotions. The story was gripping on its opening night last Friday but discombobulated as well.

The show centered on Jonas (Jeremiah Richards) who, at age 12, received the assignment of The Receiver, which perpetuates a history of knowledge. Hes to meet with The Giver (Adam Marshal) for a transfer of information while his father (Aaron Callaway), mother (Dianna Marshall) and sister (Cadence Marshall) adjust to taking in a new baby and Jonas assignment.
A Midland teenager was arrested Oct. 12 after he allegedly pointed a gun at a man, according to court documents.

Jose Luis Rodriguez, 17, was being held Thursday on a $25,000 bond for a second-degree felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently unveiled new improvements for the 2016 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for the oil and gas industry, which seek to align regulatory requirements in keeping with President Donald Trumps Energy Dominance Agenda.

Under the proposed regulatory package, announced by the EPA on Sept. 11, the agency would ease regulatory burdens on domestic energy producers by modifying the frequency for monitoring leaks at well sites and compressor stations and adopting other important technical corrections to the original NSPS rule. As projected by the agency, these regulatory changes are expected to save up to about $484 million in regulatory costs from 2019  2025 or $75 million annually.

The 2016 NSPS were among the most overreaching regulations targeting the U.S. oil and natural gas industry promulgated under the previous administration. Since the EPA updated its NSPS and permitting rules in 2016 for new, reconstructed and modified oil and gas sources, TIPRO has lobbied aggressively against the onerous regulations, including a consistent call for the exclusion of stripper wells, or low production well sites. Given the significant difference in production and reservoir pressure compared to higher volume wells, stripper wells should have never been subjected to the same requirements under the NSPS.

In addition, the 2016 NSPS required owners/operators at new and modified well sites to conduct an initial monitoring survey within 60 days of the startup of production, and semi-annual monitoring surveys afterward. Now, the EPA is proposing biennial monitoring for low production well sites. The EPA defines a low production well site as holding combined oil and natural gas production of less than 15 barrels of oil equivalent per day, averaged over the first 30 days of production. For well sites that are not considered low production, annual monitoring would be required. For all well sites, EPA is also proposing to allow monitoring to be stopped once all major production and processing equipment is removed so that the site contains only wellheads. However, separate tank batteries receiving oil or gas produced from wellhead-only sites are considered modified and would still be subject to fugitive emissions monitoring requirements.

The EPA is also co-proposing changing the monitoring schedule for compressor stations to require either semiannual or annual monitoring. Moreover, the agency has recommended extending the schedule to allow operators more time to repair leaks of fugitive emissions.

Other regulatory amendments would alter standards for pneumatic pumps at well sites, and ease requirements for certification by a professional engineer when meeting those requirements is technically infeasible. The federal agency also is looking to remove duplicative EPA and state requirements in an effort to streamline implementation, decrease unnecessary burdens for domestic energy producers and support state oversight of industry operations.

The Texas oil and natural gas industry is pleased to see the Trump Administration continue to address overbearing regulatory issues, adopt reasonable standards that protect the environment while also encouraging increased domestic energy production, as well as recognize the progress the industry has made without unnecessary regulations designed to hamper oil and gas production.

On its own initiative, the U.S. oil and gas industry continues to advance efforts to reduce energy emissions through innovation, best practices and voluntary industry programs. As an example, exploration and production companies have reduced methane emissions by more than 14 percent since 1990, while overall natural gas production has increased by over 50 percent during this timeframe. This decline is attributable to voluntary actions from operators, including investment of over $250 billion in greenhouse gas mitigating technologies by U.S. oil and natural gas companies over the past 20 years. Increasing use of natural gas for electricity generation has also resulted in reductions in the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and criteria air pollutants. In fact, in 2017, the U.S. led the world in carbon emission reductions for the third consecutive year and for the ninth time this century.

The rollback of unnecessary and overly burdensome regulations under President Trump has contributed to record U.S. oil production. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. became the largest global crude oil producer this year, officially surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia. U.S. crude oil production is expected to average 10.7 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2018, up from 9.4 million b/d in 2017.

Texas leads the U.S. in oil and natural gas production growth, with much of the increased output coming from West Texas. Permian Basin production is expected to average 3.4 million b/d in 2018, an 871,000 b/d increase from 2017, and average 3.9 million b/d in 2019, a 514,000 b/d increase from 2018. Pipeline capacity constraints in West Texas have lowered wellhead prices for the regions oil producers, however, which could slow projected growth of crude output next year. The longer term outlook for domestic production could also be impacted from an escalation in the China-U.S. trade war and rising costs for oil and gas operators and critical infrastructure projects due to steel and aluminum tariffs.

Regulatory improvements, including the proposed changes by the EPA to air quality standards for the oil and gas sector, and an expedited resolution to trade disputes, will help further advance American energy production, strengthen national security and drive economic growth for the state of Texas.

Ed Longanecker is the president of the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association.
The #MeToo movement gained momentum in India after Dutta came forward and took a stand against Nata Patekar.

Nana Patekar and Tanushree Dutta worked for the first and the last time on Horn OK Pleasss.

Bollywood veteran actor Nana Patekar's advocate Aniket U. Nikam has sent a detailed response to Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA) over the notice issued against his client based on the sexual misconduct allegations made by Tanushree Dutta.

The response stated that the allegations levelled against Patekar by Dutta are baseless, unsubstantial, false and far from the actual truth.

"My client denies to the baseless and unsubstantiated allegations, insinuation levelled by Dutta against my client and nothing contained therein shall be deemed to have been admitted and accepted unless specifically done so," Nikam stated.

"My client states that the entire allegations levelled against my client are not only unfounded and baseless but the same are false and far from the truth. My client has been unnecessarily subjected to mental harassment due to the motivated and malicious vilification campaign undertaken against my client," the statement from Patekar's advocate further read.

The advocate went on to defend Patekar in the statement by citing his contribution to the Indian cinema as well as his social work and charities.

"The false allegations levelled against my client have immensely affected his reputation beyond repair and your organization should not entertain such groundless and baseless accusations particularly when such allegations are levelled after almost a decade," he added.

According to the statement, the FIR lodged was based on the objection to one scene and not to any conduct of Patekar.

"My client further states that in the year 2008 father of Dutta had lodged an FIR with Goregaon Police Station wherein it was alleged that Dutta informed her father that she did not like one scene with Nana Patekar and she requested the choreographer to change that scene however the choreographer did not agree to the same. It is pertinent to note that in the said FIR the objection was to the scene and not to any conduct of my client."

The statement also claimed that Patekar is in the process to take appropriate legal measures against Tanushree Dutta for maligning his image in public.

CINTAA had earlier expressed regret for not paying adequate heed to the complaint filed by Tanushree Dutta against Nana Patekar and others in 2008.

Amit Behl, senior joint secretary of CINTAA, had claimed that the 34-year-old actor would now have to file a new complaint for them to act upon the matter.

Tanushree has alleged that Patekar misbehaved with her on the sets of 'Horn Ok Pleasss' in 2008 while shooting for a special dance number for the movie, and filed an FIR against the 'Welcome' star.

An FIR has also been lodged against director Rakesh Sarang, producer Sami Siddiqui and choreographer Ganesh Acharya under Sections 354 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The 'Me Too' movement gained momentum in India after Dutta came forward and took a stand against Nata Patekar.

Since then, scores of women have come out to speak about their ordeals on social media, including actors, musicians, journalists, and politicos.

Over the last week, women have leveled allegations of sexual misconduct against Subhash Ghai, Alok Nath, Kailash Kher, Chetan Bhagat, Sajid Khan, and Varun Grover, among various others.
Chopra, who showed immense promise in her first film, is equally painful to watch.

Rating:

Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Aditya Seal, Satish Kaushik, Alankrita Sahai

Director: Vipul Amrutlal Shah

Some films should never get made, at all. And I am only verbalising what you are compelled to feel after watching 135 minutes of sheer bilge that Vipul Shahs Namaste England has produced. Not because I have any grouse or grievance against the filmmakers or its cast. It seems that not just its basic premise, but even actors who play the lead, lose interest midway in this illogical drama that is promoted as a love story. There is a possibility that a film was promised to the lead cast, and to keep up his word, Shah put together a script. You often feel that the actors were left to themselves to enact, without much support, leaving them to deliver their lines perfunctorily.

It isnt just the insipid done-to-death storyline that makes this film unwatchable. Both story and scriptwriter Suresh Nair and director Shah are clueless about what crossing a border illegally entails; or what really is the pressing demand for Indians seeking an entry into any foreign land, or, even what is it that Indian audiences, growing up on Net series  both Indian and foreign  are looking for when they step out to watch a film!

Smothered with corniness, this one wears you down. Rest assured that if the backdrop of a Bollywood masala film travels all the way to the US or the UK, you will have to put up with liberal doses of uncalled for nationalism too. In one of the films scenes, which is predictably wedged in to what the filmmakers believe would cheer many Indians in the audience, is similar to what Akshay Kumar did in Namaste London, and possibly Manoj Kumar did in the original Purab Aur Paschim. Telling firangs how great India as a nation is, or what wonderful people all Indians as a race are, has become a staple ingredient in any Bollywood mainstream film that gets shot on foreign locations.

I also wonder if Punjabis see themselves as appropriately represented in Bollywood films, for beyond the stereotypical portrayals, there is little to admire in sarso ke khet and patriarchal mindset that one has seen for several decades now. Any film set in Punjab has to abound in platitudes with words like bauji and puttar thrown in in good measure and this film too has several such commonplace characters some of whom we all have seen many times before.

Param (Arjun Kapoor) meets Jasmeet (Parineeti Chopra) and decides to marry her. They get a go-ahead from their parents, but the approval comes with a rider: Jasmeet will not work after marriage. Her conservative grandfather knows little about her plans though. Obviously, such a pre-condition has to be counter-productive to Jasmeets dreams, whose sole ambition in life is to realise her lifelong desire to work in London.

The two tie the knot, and soon, a chance meeting with a friend triggers an idea into Jasmeet that it is London where she would be happiest following her wish. At this point, if you get confused about what or who her real love is  Param of London  so did I.

Not that waiting for reasoning to follow any scene would ease matters for you as a plot teeming with improbable ideas is deemed to let contrivances of the silliest kind take over. Jasmeet decides to go to London after visa agent Gurnaam Singh (Satish Kaushik) hatches a perfect scheme for her disappearance from India.

A Londoner named Sam (Aditya Seal) is looking for a typical desi bahu to please his 90-year-old dadaji (Vinod Nagpal). And guess what? Jasmeet, who is so desperate to fly off to the phoren land, packs her bags, decides to pose as a virgin Punjabi kudi, and even allows husband Param to offer his two-bit pieces of advice at the airport parting.

From there on things have to go as per her design. For Sam, her so-called marriage is only a contract under which she makes it clear to him: tum mujhe chhuoge bhi nahin (You will not come anywhere near me, or touch me).

Param, who trusts her, is getting impatient, and illegally gets into the city after an arduous journey through Bangladesh. His landing up unannounced is a huge surprise for Jasmeet, who too gets possessive of him, when Param, quite expectedly, gets to meet her husband Sams friend Alisha (Alankrita Sahai).

The rest of the film follows the most nonsensical drama that unfolds as you forget all that is juggled together in the beginning: love, greed, ambition and manipulation.

Kapoor sleep walks his role and looks like sauntering into the set without so much as any understanding of what he is supposed to be doing. There are times when you expect him to at least walk faster, if not react on time. His well-fed appearance getting passed off for a hottie is as ludicrous as Sams preference for Chopra to a sexy Sahai.

Chopra, who showed immense promise in her first film, is equally painful to watch.

How I wished that may be, the snooze fest would have a quirky twist in the climax, with lead characters parting ways, making me feel somewhat relieved at not having wasted my precious time entirely. Instead, when it ended, I was asking myself why such a film was made in the first place!

The writer is a film critic and has been reviewing films for over 15 years. He also writes on music, art and culture, and other human interest stories.
Schenectady

General Electric's struggling power unit may be in line for some positive news after Iraqi officials, swayed by lobbying from the Trump administration, are planning to buy up to $15 billion in equipment from the Schenectady-based operation, according to the Financial Times.

GE rival Siemens had been the front-runner, but an Iraqi official cited in the FT told the German company "to give up and go home because the German company's persistence was causing problems for Iraq given how intense the U.S. pressure had become."

The official reportedly added that "the U.S. government is holding a gun to our head."

Iraq and GE signed a memorandum of understanding last Monday, Bloomberg reported.

GE has long had a presence in Iraq. Equipment already installed is capable of producing up to 55 percent of Iraq's electricity needs, the company said.

"GE has a strong legacy of over 50 years of presence and contributions to Iraq, with nearly 300 people on the ground and more than half of the active power installed base," a spokesman said Friday. "Iraq has urgent electricity requirements for 2019 and beyond, and GE's world-class technology, deep domain expertise, and history in the market best positions us to help the Government of Iraq address these needs now and deliver fast, sustainable power to the Iraqi people."

The Trump administration is reportedly offering financing and insurance protection to companies working to rebuild Iraq's power grid.

Bloomberg on Friday reported that GE could build two to three gigawatts of power generation capacity to start, followed by additional work to add to generation equipment and erect transmission lines. In all, GE could supply 11 gigawatts of new power to the country. A gigawatt is enough power to supply up to 700,000 homes.

GE last month dismissed its CEO, John Flannery, after just 14 months on the job after the company posted results that were far weaker than expected. GE said it would write off $23 billion in intangible assets on its power unit. GE acquired the power generation business of French rival Alstom for $10 billion in late 2015, a deal that so far has not worked out.

General Electric shares (NYSE: GE) closed up 22 cents, or 1.45 percent, at $12.56 Friday.
Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

By Jose Antonio Vargas

Dey Street. 232 pp. $25.99

---

One of the few things Americans actually agree on these days is that immigrants who did not arrive here legally are a problem. Of the 11 million immigrants without legal status, more than 60 percent have lived here for at least 10 years, putting down deep roots. These immigrants are caught in a limbo where they live and work as Americans with no way to acquire legal status. Those who oppose them believe they make a mockery of our laws, living with impunity in a society that never agreed to let them in, using false documents and identities to hide from law enforcement.

On June 22, 2011, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas published an explosive article in the New York Times Magazine outing himself as an undocumented immigrant. His new book, "Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen," opens a window for readers into how living without papers is possible, both difficult and commonplace, and too often heartbreaking.

Vargas is far from the average undocumented immigrant: He has seen a lot of great fortune in his life. But he shares a lot with others lacking legal status. One stroke of very bad luck - his arrival in the United States without legal permission - created three conditions that characterize life for the undocumented: lying, passing and hiding. The undocumented lie to get jobs and identification papers, they pass as legal residents or citizens in everyday life, and they hide from any situation or person who could unmask them and turn them in for deportation. Lying proved particularly hard for Vargas because his chosen profession - journalism - is dedicated to uncovering the truth. Eventually the strain proved too great and he decided to share the truth, quite movingly, first in the newspaper and then in this autobiography.

Aside from his undocumented status, Vargas' story is an American dream of rags to riches. Born to poor parents in the rural Philippines, he was raised by his single mother. When he was 12, his family hired a "coyote" to take him to his grandparents in California. While his grandparents provided a loving home, he desperately missed his mother and tried to work hard to justify her great sacrifice in letting him go. He excelled in school, embraced American culture and spent hours imitating actors on TV to get rid of his accent.

At age 16, when Vargas applied for a learner's permit, he learned that his green card was fake and that he was in the country illegally. The clerk at the DMV told him his papers were false and whispered that he should not come back. She did not report him to anyone. In today's harsh environment young people in a similar predicament might not be so lucky. Shocked and hurt, Vargas tried even harder to succeed, hoping to somehow earn his citizenship. He was a brilliant and active student, writing for the school paper and impressing the principal and the superintendent of the school district with his talent and drive. With these mentors in on his secret, he found a full scholarship to San Francisco State, where he won consecutive internships at the San Francisco Chronicle and the Philadelphia Daily News. He lost the offer of an internship at the Seattle Times because he told the truth about his legal status, so when the opportunity of a job at The Washington Post arrived, he lied and checked the citizen box on his application, successfully passing with false papers.

A few years later, when Vargas shared the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for his work on the Post team that covered the Virginia Tech shooting, he went to the bathroom and cried, convinced that this new attention would lead to his being found out. But his luck held, and he remained hiding in plain sight. Later, Vargas left The Post and began writing for the Huffington Post and the New Yorker. But the lying was taking a huge emotional toll, and the more successful he was, the more isolated and awful he felt. Finally, he decided in 2011 to "come out" as undocumented, hoping his fame and powerful pen might protect him against deportation.

After publishing his Times story, Vargas became an advocate and activist for the undocumented, founding an organization called Define American. In 2014 the Border Patrol detained him after he traveled to Texas to protest the Obama administration's detention of unaccompanied children. However, being well-connected, he was released following interventions by the Filipino government and high-ranking Americans.

Under the Trump administration, Vargas and other noncriminal undocumented people face a vastly increased risk of detention and deportation. The administration has made it clear that anyone living in the country illegally, even for a very long time, and no matter how upstanding, is fair game for removal, releasing immigration agents from Obama-era rules instructing them to focus on criminals.

Despite these changes, Vargas continues to speak out around the country and write for national publications. He testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, and in February 2017, Rep. Nancy Pelosi invited Vargas as her guest to President Trump's first address to a joint session of Congress, a risky move in the eyes of many of his supporters. The publication of this book is yet another possible provocation.

While Vargas tells his story with great emotion and feeling, he also carefully illustrates how our immigration policy works and how undocumented people live. His book explains that there is no way for people in his position to change their legal status. Even after his hard work, his accomplishments and his many contributions to American life, he cannot "get in line" to get legal. There is no line. An immigration violation, unlike almost all other crimes except murder, has no statute of limitation. The crime of an innocent child crossing the border illegally remains actionable in Vargas' case, some 25 years after the act.

Toward the end of the book Vargas addresses readers directly, asking, "Dear America, is this what you really want?" He knows what most Americans don't: The number of undocumented people in the United States has been declining for the past decade. Mexicans are no longer coming into the country illegally in great numbers. And the United States spends more on immigration enforcement than on all other federal enforcement efforts combined (including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives). However, the answer to Vargas' question is that the current situation is not what Americans want. In a September 2017 Fox News poll, 83 percent of voters wanted legalization for undocumented immigrants working in the United States, and only 14 percent wanted them deported. Americans may disagree about abortion, taxes or heath care, but one issue actually unites us: support for Americans like Vargas. Our citizens, the vast majority of whom descend from immigrants, are pragmatic and generally kind, and don't want the equivalent of the population of Ohio put in prisons and sent out of the country. Eleven million of our neighbors, co-workers, church members and schoolmates are living with the terror and loneliness that Vargas describes so vividly. Isn't it time our elected officials reflected and acted upon the will and wisdom of the American people?

---

Waters is the PVK professor of arts and sciences and the John L. Loeb professor of sociology at Harvard University. She was the chair of the 2015 National Academy of Sciences panel on the integration of immigrants into American society.
Morgan County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Luke T. Adams, 26, homeless, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 7:55 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of violating probation on a conviction of resisting a peace officer.

Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Tarus J. Johnson, 43, of 754 W. Railroad St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 11:43 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of driving while license is revoked or suspended.



Calhoun County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 John J. Oldani, 39, of Maryland Heights, Maryland, was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11 p.m. Oct. 12 on an unspecified Missouri arrest warrant.



Cass County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Edward L. Walters, 55, of 551 S. Cass St., Virginia, was booked into the Morgan County jail at 9:52 p.m. Wednesday on a domestic battery charge.



Greene County

Sheriff

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Alex K. Huff, 30, of Carrollton turned himself in to authorities at 12:05 p.m. Monday on a Greene County arrest warrant accusing him of violating an order of protection.

 Travis A. Jones, 36, of Eldred was booked into the Greene County Jail at 6:40 p.m. Saturday on an aggravated assault charge.

Roodhouse Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Yazamine A. Ball, 22, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:45 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of having no valid drivers license.

 Jeffrey A. Blevins, 47, of Atlanta was booked into the Greene County Jail at 10:29 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of driving while license is suspended.

 Brandon K. Edwards, 27, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:39 a.m. Oct. 10 on charges of theft and burglary to a school.

 Deborah A. Jackson, 51, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 11:02 a.m. Oct. 10 on charges of obstructing justice and possession of stolen property.

White Hall Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Nicholas Bridgewater, 34, of Perdin, Missouri, was booked into the Greene County Jail at 1:50 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of criminal trespass to a residence.

 Terry L. Miller, 42, of Roodhouse was booked into the Greene County Jail at 4:53 p.m. Oct. 10 on a charge of unlawful use of a debit or credit card.

Compiled by Greg Olson and David C.L. Bauer
Rehana Fatima's house in Kochi was vandalised by unidentified miscreants on Friday morning.

'Police have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back,' Rehana Fatima told the media. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Kochi: Activist and devotee Rehana Fatima who is one of the two under-50 women who tried and failed to enter Sabarimala shrine on Friday after being stopped meters from the holy steps to the shrine said, My life is also in danger.

When Rehana along with Hyderabad based journalist Kavitha Jakkal was trekking to the shrine on Friday morning, her house in Kochi was vandalised by unidentified miscreants.

I don't know what happened to my children. My life is also in danger. But they (police) have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back, Rehana Fatima told the media.

Forced to return meters away from the renowned Lord Ayyappa shrine in Kerala, Fatima said, People, not the devotees, who want to disrupt peace didn't allow us to enter (the Sabarimala temple). I want to know what was the reason. Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee. You tell me that first and then I will tell you if I'm a devotee or not.

Rehana Fatima and Kavitha Jakkal had to stop 500 metres away from the shrine after the head priest told the police that if the women enter the temple, he will close the gates and stop puja.

The Sabarimala temple opened its doors for women for the first time on Wednesday after the historic verdict of the Supreme Court on September 28 that lifted the centuries-old ban that prohibited women of menstruating age (10 to 50 years) from entering the shrine.
Political class must sacrifice in the ...
Later in the day, the PM will unveil plaque to mark laying of foundation stone for various development works of Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust.

Prime Minister Modi will also visit the Shri Saibaba Samadhi Temple Complex during his day-long visit. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Shirdi (Maharashtra): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday arrived in Shirdi and visited the renowned Sai Baba shrine. He also handed over keys to beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural) in Shirdi.

PM Modi paid his obeisance at the Samadhi temple before taking part in rituals at sanctum sanctorum of the Saibaba Samadhi Temple Complex.

The Prime Minister will unveil the plaque to mark the laying of a foundation stone for various development works of the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust. He will also release a silver coin to commemorate the centenary year of Shri Saibaba Samadhi.

Prime Minister Modi addressed a public gathering in Shirdi where he handed over keys to the beneficiaries of the housing scheme Prime Minister Awas Yojana- Grameen (PMAY-G). Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was also present at the event.

Speaking at the occasion, the PM said that the government was committed to a goal of providing a permanent house to every family by 2022.

"A permanent house makes life easy and provides enthusiasm to fight against poverty. Keeping this in mind, the govt has set the goal of providing a permanent house to every family by 2022. I am happy that we have completed half the journey".

Comparing the present government against its predecessor, PM Modi said, "In its last 4 years of governance, the previous government built only 25 Lakh houses. In last 4 years, the BJP-led central government has built 1.25 Crore houses".
'While we were waiting, tantri informed that if we attempt to take women ahead they would close temple,' IG Sreejith said.

'I am also an Ayyappa devotee,' IG S Sreejith said while negotiating for the two women. (Photo: Twitter | ANI)

Kochi: History remains to be made after the two women, just minutes away from the last 18 steps to the Sabarimala temple, had to turn back as scores of protesters stood before policemen determined to stop them from entering the shrine.

Around 300 policemen had escorted the women on a 5-km trek to the renowned hilltop shrine of Lord Ayyappa. The temple opened its doors for the first time since the Supreme Court lifted ban on entry of women of menstruating age (between 10 and 50 years) on October 17.

The police team that escorted the two women was headed by Inspector General (IG) S Sreejith. "I am not going back on the stance. I am doing everything that the law says," NDTV quoted IG S Sreejith as saying.

"Those women have the right to be here. I am not going back without taking them to the shrine. It is a temple, kindly stay calm," IG Sreejith appealed to the devotees, requesting them to follow the Supreme Court's verdict and allow him to complete his duty.

"I am also an Ayyappa devotee," the IG added, while negotiating for the women.

After the women were turned back meters ahead from the shrine, IG Sreejith said, We had brought them (2 women) till temple premises but tantri and priest refused to open temple for them. While we were waiting, tantri informed me that if we attempt to take the women ahead they would close the temple, IG Sreejith said.

He further said, It's a ritualistic disaster. We took them up to temple and gave them protection but 'darshan' is something which can be done with consent of priest.

The two women, journalist Kavitha Jakkal of Hyderabad based MoJo TV and devotee, women activist Rehana Fatema, were about 500 metres from the holy steps, surrounded by a sea of security with policemen in riot gear, as the standoff refused to end.

As devotees blocked them women from heading towards the shrine, a group of temple priests sat on the steps of the temple in protest, chanting and clapping.

The top police officer was unable to take the women to the shrine. The women agreed to return, as the protests escalated and Sabarimala priests threatened to stop prayers and shut down the temple.

"If the women enter the temple then we will be forced to shut the temple. I will walkout with the keys," Sabarimala temple head priest Kandararu Rajeevaru told media.
Amid chaos on Thursday, Ashish Pandey had surrendered before Patiala House courts.

The court not only rejected his bail but also sent him to judicial custody till Monday. (Representational image)

New Delhi: Delhi's Patiala House courts on Friday dismissed the bail application of former BSP MP's son Ashish Pandey, arrested for brandishing a gun outside a five-star hotel here.

The court not only rejected his bail but also sent him to judicial custody till Monday.

Metropolitan magistrate Sumit Anand also rejected Delhi police's plea seeking Pandey's custody for two more days after he was produced in the court on Friday following his one-day custodial interrogation.

Amid chaos on Thursday, Ashish Pandey had surrendered before Patiala House courts.

During the hearing, the counsel appearing for the police stated the weapon needs to be recovered to verify the licence and the custody of Ashish is required to ascertain the whereabouts of other people seen in the video along with him.

The court granted 20 minutes to police for interrogating him in connection with the case. The police have seized his BMW car. Meanwhile, in a video message, Ashish Pandey stated he was being made a victim of media trial.
The Laredo Border Patrol agent accused of killing four Laredo women in September appeared in court for the first time Wednesday for a bond reduction hearing.

Juan David Ortiz, 35, walked into the 111th District Court in an orange jumpsuit with his hands and feet shackled. Just 10 minutes into the hearing, Ortiz's attorney, Joey Tellez, told Judge Monica Notzon that he needed more time to prepare. Notzon will reset the hearing after Tellez amends his application seeking the bail reduction.

Tellez told the court that he had asked the prosecution for copies of all mitigating evidence against his client, specifically the video of Ortiz's alleged confession to authorities on the day of his arrest.

READ ALSO: Attorney seeks bail reduction for alleged serial killer who claims cruel and unusual punishment

Notzon denied Tellez's request for the evidence, saying that the purpose of the hearing was to determine if Ortiz was illegally confined and restrained of his liberty. She also told Tellez she will not order the state to turn over any evidence.

Prosecutors said they would not provide Tellez with any evidence until his client is indicted.

Tellez did not return multiple requests for comment after the hearing.

Ortiz remains behind bars at the Webb County Jail, held on a $2.5 million bond. He is charged with four counts of murder, unlawful restraint and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On Friday, Tellez filed a request seeking bail reduction. According to the court record, Ortiz is "illegally confined and restrained of liberty" without probable cause and his bond is excessive, oppressive and beyond his financial means.

Tellez claims his client has been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment during his incarceration. In an affidavit, he states that Ortiz is not allowed basic necessities, has to eat with his bare hands and is forced to be nude while in a cell that gets "extremely cold." Following his arrest Sept. 15, Ortiz was placed on suicide watch.

In order to prepare for the bond hearing, Tellez also requested the court to ask the prosecution to "produce any and all documents, evidence and witness lists," according to court records.

The prosecution's response states that Tellez's request is "improper because (the evidence has) no bearing whatsoever on the issue of the adequacy of bail and (Ortiz's) ability to make bail."

Webb County District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said his office would turn over the entire evidence packet once Ortiz is formally indicted. The case is expected to be presented to a grand jury on Dec. 5.

"The only thing we are willing to provide right now is what's on file," Alaniz said. "The defense has the copies of the affidavits and the complaints that have been released. They are detailed and outlined and it is what we used in order to charge Mr. Ortiz.

"It is very premature to be turning over evidence that we, ourselves, have just received or are preparing. For defense to request right now that they want our evidence is too early, and the judge agreed with us, until he can bring up legal reasons."

He added, "There is other evidence also with the victim who escaped, but the state will maintain that the bond at this time is sufficient to detain him for the protection of the community."

Authorities said Erika Pena helped them find Ortiz after she escaped from his vehicle on Sept. 14.

The prosecution has not decided yet whether they will seek the death penalty.

RELATED: Sister of victim in Border Patrol double homicide speaks out to spread awareness of domestic violence

"I ask the families to be patient," Alaniz said. "I ask them to feel safe and secure knowing that we will do everything within our power to make sure that he's held in custody until the formal charges are filed.

"We will fight to aggressively keep Ortiz in custody because we consider him a flight risk and we consider him a danger to the community. We want to make sure that justice is served and we will do everything within our power to hold him accountable."

Ortiz is accused of fatally shooting Melissa Ramirez, 29, Claudine Luera, 42, Griselda Alicia Hernandez, 35, and Nikki Enriquez, 28, over a 12-day period. Authorities said the four victims were sex workers. Ortiz would pick them up off San Bernardo Avenue, drive them outside city limits and shoot them in the head, according to arrest affidavits.

Authorities said he was off-duty when he killed the women but that he may have used his service weapon in the homicides.
Farheen Rahman and Priti Jain, founder of Toile talk fashion sustainability, travellers market Versatile Vasudha and future plans.

Founders Farheen Rahman and Priti Jain say eco fashion is a lifestyle not only limited to clothing.

Toile, a concept store in Mumbai that houses all eco fashion brands under one roof is all set to host the second edition of Versatile Vasudha: The festive edit.

The unique property by Toile is a travellers market which brings over 30 designers from India and international to showcase their latest collection over a span of 2 days.

Versatile Vasudha is slated to be held from October 26th-28th at the Toile, Ground Floor Samyakth Bliss Plot Mumbai 52, 764, 5th Rd, Ram Krishna Nagar, Khar West, Mumbai, Maharashtra from noon to 8pm.

In conversation with this correspondent, founders Farheen Rahman and Priti Jain speak about how they started with Toile and what eco-friendly fashion is all about.

What led you to start Toile?

Priti: We as a team have always believed in the ecological ideology. Coming from a fashion and garment background, we have witnessed how the designers work in this field internationally. We lack that kind of a commitment in India. Mostly, sustainability in India restricts to working with handloom fabrics and weavers. But there is so much more than just this. Thats when we decided to start a multi-design brand which houses designers working in the field of sustainability. Its a small market compared to fast fashion but there is a visible growth and awareness thats coming up.

What do Eco fashion and sustainability mean to you?

Farheen: Eco fashion according to me is a lifestyle. Its not only limited to clothing. You should inculcate sustainable living in your everyday life. As responsible citizens of the world, it is our duty to look after and to give back to Mother Nature as best we can, in our own small ways. For example, instead of using plastic, we can use bio degradable cartons for packaging. We can switch to organic food and clothing.

Priti: Organic agriculture preserves the earths eco system and prevents pollution. Reduce carbon foot prints by purchasing home grown products. In clothing we should try to recycle, up cycle worn clothes. We should promote zero waste in manufacturing.

Why Eco fashion? How is it different?

Farheen: Eco fashion is the opposite of fast fashion. In eco fashion the emphasis is not only on the wearer but even the manufacturer. The aim is to decrease the harmful effects caused by the fashion industry on the environment like growing organic cottons which uses no pesticides and energy.

Why did you guys decide to come together for the venture?

Priti: We were friends having the same sensibilities. It made easier for us to come together.

What has the response been like? What is the USP of Eco fashion?

Priti: The response has been overwhelming. We understand that it will take time to educate the advantages of sustainable lifestyle but this is the future.

What next for you?

Farheen: We decided to have three stores by 2019.

We launched Toile in October 2017 in Mumbai and our second store in Kolkata in February 2018 and the third is coming up in London in March 2019.

Priti: We are launching e commerce platform in October 2018.

We have even come up with a travellers market called the Versatile Vasudha. We showcase brands apart from brands stocking with us. Our first edition was launched in Kolkata which was a super success for the brand. Our second edition is happening on the October 25 in Mumbai followed by Delhi, Hyderabad, Dhaka, Sri Lanka, Kuwait, Behrain, London and Washington. We would like people to shop and celebrate sustainability wherever we go.
A rodent sighting, live roaches and 2-year-old food are just some of the violations San Antonio inspectors found during a round of health code check-ups at restaurants this week.

A total of 21 establishments had a score of 89 or lower, including Lee's El Taco Garage. At the location off Broadway, inspectors found cheese that was 20 degrees above the recommended temperature. They also spotted roaches and flies in the restaurant as well as indications that rodents had been in the establishment, according to the report.
The Cyprus-based German couple figured they had no chance of recovering the coins and it was not even clear who might take up their case.

Various estimates show cryptocurrency crime is on the rise, keeping pace with the markets rapid growth.

When Peggy and Marco Lachmann-Anke learned in January that hackers cracked a 40-character password and cleaned out their cryptocurrency wallet, they did not go to the police or alert the tokens issuer, the Berlin-based technology group IOTA.

They bought more coins.

The Cyprus-based German couple, who describe themselves as financial educators, figured they had no chance of recovering the coins and it was not even clear who might take up their case. Yet they took the roughly USD 14,000 loss in stride - something that comes with the territory when one bet on a new, exciting technology in a yet unregulated market.

We really believe in cryptocurrencies. We have studied this for about a year before investing, so we are aware of the risks, Peggy Lachmann-Anke said. There was nothing we could do.

Far from unusual, the episode is emblematic for a market where few rules apply and where investors faith in the blockchain technology goes hand in hand with the belief that it also helps criminals cover their tracks so well that trying to catch them is a fools errand.

Patrick Wyman, FBI supervisory special agent at the financial crimes section of the agencys anti-money laundering unit acknowledges cryptocurrencies pose some unique challenges.

A decentralized currency system like bitcoin or another form of virtual currency is not governed by any entity, suspicious reporting activity, and any anti-money laundering compliance, Wyman told Reuters.

Various estimates show cryptocurrency crime is on the rise, keeping pace with the markets rapid growth. That forces investigators to focus on high-profile cases, security professionals and officials say, effectively leaving small investors to their own devices.

We do not pretend that every law enforcement agency is devoting resources to every single crime. That would not be possible, said Jaroslav Jakubcek, an analyst at Europol, which serves as a centre for the European Unions law enforcement cooperation, expertise and intelligence.

Officials still encourage people to report cryptocurrency theft to local police like any other crime, saying failing to do so only emboldens criminals.

Yet because many victims simply do not see the point, cryptocurrency theft is far more common than any published estimates suggest, security professionals say.

According to financial research firm Autonomous NEXT and Crypto Aware, which works with investors affected by crypto scams, about 15 per cent of cryptocurrencies have been stolen between 2012 and the first half of 2018, representing a cumulative USD 1.7 billion in value at the time of the theft and with a rising tendency. In the first half of this year alone, more than USD 800 million has already been stolen, according to the data.

Yet Lex Sokolin, a partner and global director of fintech strategy at the firm, estimates that as much as 85 per cent of crimes go unreported and says the published statistics only represent publicly reported heists.

Reuters interviews with half a dozen victims paint a similar picture. Out of that group, only two reported their losses to the authorities and one soured on cryptocurrency investments.

Armin Fischer, a Vienna-based IT specialist said he lost about USD 5,300 in ether coins in a phishing scam in the summer of 2017 and immediately alerted the local police just to find out that the duty officer had no idea what he was talking about.

He said it took many months of knocking on doors to get his case ultimately taken up by Vienna prosecutors office, but it is still pending. Fisher says by now he has had enough.

I have seen firsthand how big the security leaks are.

Others are more philosophical.

Dave Appleton, a blockchain developer for HelloGold, a gold trading app company in Kuala Lumpur, said he lost about USD 3,000 of ether coins when scammed by a fake site touting a startups token pre-sale. He said he just moved on, glad he did not lose more.

The point is theres no one to report the crime to, Appleton said. I am not sure what country or jurisdiction it would come under.

According to ICO tracker Coinschedule a record USD 21.3 billion flowed into new tokens so far this year as investors keep snapping up initial coin offerings, undeterred by high-profile heists, bitcoins and other currencies slide from late 2017 peaks, and government warnings of widespread fraud and theft.

David Jevans, chief executive of cybersecurity firm CipherTrace in Menlo Park, California, estimates that even when exchanges or trading platforms get hacked, perhaps only a fifth of stolen coins is recovered because of the ease with which digital tokens can move across several borders.

You have to get law enforcement in five countries interested enough, have time enough, and have evidence enough to open a case, he said. By the time they agree, get the information, do all the paperwork, the money has been moved.

Security experts say in most cases millions need to be at stake to justify such an effort.

US entrepreneur and long-time cryptocurrency investor Michael Terpin, who says he got robbed twice, learned firsthand that not all hacks are created equal.

He said the first time when criminals accessed his cellphone with stolen SIM card credentials, emptied a wallet connected to it, and tricked his friends into sending money by impersonating him on Skype, he contacted a friend at the FBI.

But once she learned that only USD 60,000 got stolen, she advised him to file a report via the FBIs internet crime centre website. Terpin said he did but never heard back.

Then, when last January he lost almost USD 24 million in tokens from his mobile account, he went straight after the service provider AT&T, filing a USD 224 million lawsuit accusing it of negligence that allowed digital identity theft, a claim AT&T denies.

Undeterred, Terpin says he remains committed to blockchain comparing it to the early days of Amazon.com Inc when the online retailer faced much scepticism and even derision.

Thats similar to todays narrative that all ICOs (initial coin offerings) are scams and nothing will ever be developed of value because theyre not already fully deployed, he said.

A steadfast commitment to the new technology and believe that it gives sophisticated criminals the upper hand mean that even some multimillion heists go unreported.

For example, when hackers stole about USD 9 million worth of ether tokens from a Zug, Switzerland-based company Swarm City in July 2017, the peer-to-peer digital platform did not report the theft to the police, business leader Bernd Lapp said.

Its impossible to track and return the funds. We live and die with this technology.

(Source)
Seth Wenig

NEW YORK  Another Manhattan building has stripped the big, brassy Trump name from its entrance.

Workers removed the letters spelling "Trump Place" Thursday from the 46-story condominium on the Upper West Side.
MISSOULA, Mont. - President Donald Trump on Thursday openly praised Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., for assaulting a reporter in his bid for Congress last year, as the United States faced an unfolding crisis over missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi who is believed to have been killed by Saudi Arabian agents.

The remarks from Trump at a campaign rally - staged at an airport hangar here with a mountainous backdrop - drew boisterous cheers from the conservative crowd, who applauded as Trump noted of Gianforte: "By the way, never wrestle him."

"Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of - he's my guy," Trump said.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to assaulting Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, an altercation that occurred in the final days of Gianforte's special election race in May 2017 when Jacobs tried to interview him about the GOP health-care plan. The then-candidate grabbed Jacobs, threw him to the ground and punched him. Gianforte subsequently won the special election, and later pleaded guilty, receiving a six-month deferred sentence.

Trump had referenced the assault during a campaign swing in Billings in September, noting in almost a winking manner to the crowd that Gianforte "has fought - in more ways than one - for your state."

But in Missoula on Thursday - a liberal enclave in the state surrounded by conservative territory - Trump went much further in his praise.

Trump recalled that as he was traveling in Rome last May, he heard Gianforte had body-slammed a journalist shortly before voters went to the polls in his closely contested election race - and initially thought the altercation would damage Gianforte's prospects.

"Then I said, 'well wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well. I think it might help him,' " Trump told the crowd in Missoula. "And it did."

In a statement, the Guardian's U.S. editor denounced Trump's remarks as "an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it."

"The President of the United States tonight applauded the assault on an American journalist who works for the Guardian," editor John Mulholland said, adding that in the wake of Khashoggi's death, Trump's statement "runs the risk of inviting other assaults on journalists both here and across the world where they often face far greater threats."

"We hope decent people will denounce these comments and that the President will see fit to apologize for them," he said.

Gianforte is running against Democrat Kathleen Williams for reelection in Montana's sole House district. The Gianforte praise came as Trump continued to decry the "angry mob" of Democrats, singling out Sen. Jon Tester, the Democratic senator running for reelection in this state, which favored Trump by more than 20 points in 2016. Trump called Tester "disgraceful."

"The choice could not be more clear," Trump said. "Democrats produce mobs. Republicans produce jobs."

Trump also revived his attacks on Tester over Trump's failed nomination of White House physician Ronny Jackson to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs earlier this year. Jackson withdrew his nomination less than 24 hours after Tester had authorized the release of allegations that he had drunk on the job, improperly prescribed medications and contributed to a toxic work environment.

"I announced that he was going to be my choice," Trump said of Jackson. "And he was attacked so viciously, so violently, by Jon Tester, like I've never seen before. All lies, all made-up stuff."

Allies of Trump and Tester's Republican challenger, Matt Rosendale, say Tester's role in the Jackson controversy could tarnish the Democrats' reputation in a state that has one of the highest per capita rate of veterans in the United States. But Tester and Democrats have argued that the fracas wouldn't hurt the senator politically because he was standing up against a nominee who on paper did not have the qualifications to lead a sprawling agency like VA.

Veterans "were upset with the remarks made about Ronny Jackson. They sensed that wasn't fair, it wasn't accurate," Montana's other senator, Sen. Steve Daines, R, said in an interview here before the rally. Still, he added: "It remains to be seen whether that will affect the outcome."

Trump also took aim at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a potential 2020 White House contender, who earlier this week released the results of a DNA test showing that she has links to a distant Native American ancestor. Warren's release of the test came after Trump repeatedly mocked her as "Pocahontas" on the campaign trail. But Warren's move appeared to backfire as Trump and his supporters seized on the results to argue that Warren could be as little as 1/1024th Native American.

"The one good thing about her test was that there was so little, she had less than the average American," Trump said Thursday night. "I used to say, 'I have more Indian blood in me than she does, and I have none.' . . . And I was right."

He added that he was going to continue using his favorite nickname for the Massachusetts Democrat because "it'll show everybody what a phony she is."

- - -

Sonmez reported from Washington.
Former U.S. Rep. Cornelius Gallagher, a New Jersey Democrat who used his clout to protest the erosion of privacy for Americans, ruefully calling the United States a "nation of snoopers," before losing his seat amid redistricting and allegations of tax fraud and other scandals, died Oct. 17 at his home in Monroe Township, New Jersey. He was 97.

The cause was glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, said his daughter Patrice Maillet.

Gallagher served in the House from 1959 to 1973, representing the cities of Elizabeth, Linden and Rahway in Union County and Bayonne in Hudson County, and was what the Almanac of American Politics described as "one of the finest products" of the Hudson County political machine.

An Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he received two awards of the Bronze Star Medal and three awards of the Purple Heart. In Congress he held seats on the Appropriations and Foreign Affairs committees and accumulated a solidly liberal voting record. He was an early supporter of then-U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy, D-Mass., in his bid for the presidency in 1960 and was mentioned as a possible vice-presidential running mate for President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

Gallagher "represented the best of New Jersey Democratic politics" in the late 1960s and early 1970s, helping to make "the New Jersey delegation one of the most formidable in the House," Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University, wrote in an email.

Some members of the delegation "went on to greater things; others to ignominy. Sadly, Neil Gallagher was one of the latter," Baker continued. "At his noblest, Gallagher was a champion of the rights of American citizens to privacy. He served his country gallantly in World War II but succumbed to the corrosiveness of New Jersey's environment of official corruption."

U.S. citizens, Gallagher contended, were being slowly stripped of their civil liberties by invasive federal agencies, "big computers" that collected personal data and businesses that used such tools as cameras and two-way mirrors to guard against shoplifting and bank robbery.

On the Committee on Government Operations, he chaired a subcommittee on the invasion of privacy. He introduced legislation to severely curtail government use of polygraph tests, which he considered unreliable.

Gallagher's political career turned rocky in 1968, when an article in Life magazine depicted him as a "tool and collaborator of a Cosa Nostra ganglord." According to the report, which cited wiretapped phone conversations, Gallagher had used his authority to shield the gambling operations of New Jersey mafioso Joseph "Bayonne Joe" Zicarelli from police investigation and had called on the Mafia to dispose of the body of a loan shark who died in Gallagher's house.

Gallagher fiercely denied those allegations and others printed in the magazine account, insisting that the loan shark had never been in his home "dead or alive" and telling the New York Times that the reported wiretap transcripts were "totally manufactured." He was reelected easily that year and again in 1970.

His final term in Congress proved more tumultuous.

In April 1972, Gallagher was indicted on charges of attempting to evade $102,000 in income taxes, perjury stemming from grand jury testimony and a conspiracy with local New Jersey officials to obscure kickbacks. He insisted on his innocence and said that the charges should alarm "anyone who disagrees with the new Caesars in America."

Later that year, after redistricting combined his district with another, Gallagher lost his seat to U.S. Rep. Dominick Daniels in the primary, who went on to win reelection in November.

After his charges were announced, Gallagher gave an address on the House floor in which he charged that the FBI was corrupt "at the highest level" and decried a "secret police society" that had outlaid "$11 million to destroy me" because of his work on civil liberties, according to the Times.

In late 1972, after an initial not-guilty plea, Gallagher pleaded guilty to tax evasion. He served 17 months in prison.

"Mr. Gallagher's personal tragedy is heightened by his generally excellent record in Washington," the Times wrote in an editorial after his guilty plea. "Always articulate, often enlightened and politically courageous in his positions on public issues, he was respected by his colleagues and seemed qualified for even higher elective office. All of this is ashes now."

Cornelius Edward Gallagher was born in Bayonne on March 2, 1921. His father was a detective and died when Gallagher was 8.

The younger Gallagher interrupted his studies at John Marshall College, now part of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, to serve in the Army during World War II, commanding an infantry rifle company. He received a bachelor's degree in 1946 and a law degree in 1948, later rejoining the Army to serve in the Korean War. He attained the rank of captain.

Gallagher began his legal career in private practice in Bayonne. He served on the Hudson County Board of Freeholders in the early 1950s, stepping down to serve on the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. After leaving Congress, he pursued a career in business.

His wife of six decades, the former Claire "Rick" Richter, died in 2004. Their daughter Diane Brennan died in 2013. Survivors include three daughters, Christine Forte of Monroe Township, Patrice Maillet of Freehold, New Jersey, and Bridget Davis of Rye, New York; 11 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

In 1995, Gallagher again found himself in legal jeopardy. He pleaded guilty to charges of tax fraud, stemming from his failure to report $90,000 in profits on the sale of a villa in the Dominican Republic, and bank fraud, related to his efforts to help his then-son-in-law secure a $200,000 loan.

When he was sentenced to 10 months in prison on those charges, he denounced "the undying enmity" of agencies including the FBI for his woes.
NORWALK  Everywhere you look, theres talk of bipartisan logjam.

On the national stage, increasingly, legislators are blaming their counterparts for their alleged unwillingness to work across party lines.

But, to hear Democrat Chris Perone, 52, who is seeking his 8th term as representative of Connecticuts 137th District, Democrats and Republicans are actually communicating better now than when he came into the House.

Were talking a lot more, and to me thats a positive. One side doesnt have so much leverage that they can just steamroll a policy through, Perone said from his East Rocks Road home on Friday, recalling his early years in the House, when the Democrats had a significant majority. Because when you do that, my concern is youre not checking what kind of impact its going to have.

Perone, a former advertiser with Westchester Couny roots, was part of the Democratic sweep of Norwalks Common Council in 2001, served a term and then was elected to his first term on the state legislature in 2004 to represent House District 137, which encompasses the eastern part of the city.

He grew up in Bedford, N.Y., where he first became politically involved in middle school assisting on a friends campaign for class president. He went on to Syracuse University, where he met his wife and again assisted on a friends campaign, that time for state legislature.

A self-described history and news buff, Perone said he has always felt drawn toward public service.

The point is just giving people a voice in their own community. I think that as a representative at whatever level, if youre active and engaged and youre taking their point of view back, its important, Perone said. Thats why I still knock on doors. Because I see that really as a performance review.

He takes an interdisciplinary approach to the governing.

Perone focuses primarily on transportation  in 2017, he was named transportation czar by House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, D-Berlin  and the way its shortcomings bleed into other policy areas. For example, Perone said hes taken a harder turn toward public health and Ozone levels that are unacceptably high in Fairfield County, partly because of idling cars. Hes also concerned with Connecticuts aging population, the scourge of Alzheimers disease, and how a lack of good transportation options could hinder seniors.

He hears Republican complaints on taxing and its possible negative effects on business, and said he is proud of the role he played in the wake of the 2008 Recession as chair of the House Commerce Committee to aid small business.

Using tax policy for strategic growth I think is important, he acknowledged.

But more important, he said, is investing in transit-oriented development and affordable housing to make Connecticut communities more attractive to young professionals. He believes business will follow.

When you create talent, thats what companies want. Tax incentives have their place, but if you have the talent, thats so much more effective for everybody, Perone said.

He wants to protect and stabilize the states ravaged special transportation fund  a lockbox on transportation fund spending will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot  before it becomes insolvent, to fix the more than 300 bridges statewide identified as deficient and to develop a long-term transportation strategy for the state.

According to him, he and his Republican colleagues actually agree on many issues.

The acrimony, and the fighting and everything else, the name calling, the bomb throwing  I dont see it in Hartford, Perone said. When you have this give and take, better questions are asked and I think thats what makes for better policy when it rolls out.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1; 203-842-2586
SALISBURY  A house fire Wednesday at 7 Orchard St. caused extensive damage to the two-story structure, said Lakeville Fire Chief Robert A. Smith.

The fire began at around 5 p.m., and no one was home at the time, the chief said. There were no injuries. However, the owners came home to find the fire.

They will probably have to go live somewhere else until the home is repaired, Smith noted. Property records show the house was built circa 1925.

When firefighters arrived at the house, Smith said the fire was burning in the living room and kitchen. The department responded with all five of its engines, he said.

Fire departments from Canaan, Falls Village, Sharon and Millerton, N.Y., also responded, said Smith.

Route 44 was closed for several hours, the fire chief said, because engines were lined up, up and down the road. He said a firehose was stretched across the road to a hydrant, so cars had to be detoured onto local roads.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Smith said.
Gemalto has withdrawn the alleged AADHAAR data error from the Breach Level Index.

Gemalto profusely regrets on its Breach Level Index Report 2018 and the subsequent press release issued in India on 15th October where it has by mistake taken into account an unverified news article about alleged Aadhaar data breach.

Gemalto released the latest findings of the Breach Level Index, a global database of public data breaches, revealing 944 data breaches led to 3.2 billion data records being compromised worldwide in the first half of 2018. Compared to the same period in 2017, the number of lost, stolen or compromised records increased by a staggering 72 per cent, though the total number of breaches slightly decreased over the same period, signaling an increase in the severity of each incident.

Gemalto profusely regrets on its Breach Level Index Report 2018 and the subsequent press release issued in India on 15th October where it has by mistake taken into account an unverified news article about alleged Aadhaar data breach. Gemalto has updated its Breach Level Index Report 2018 and wants to make it clear that it was an error in the above said report which has been corrected and all concerned should take note of it that we have not been able to track any verified or substantiated data breach of Aadhaar database of UIDAI. As a result, Gemalto has withdrawn this alleged data from the Breach Level Index. Any inconvenience caused to UIDAI is deeply regretted.

A total of six social media breaches, including the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook incident, accounted for over 56per cent of total records compromised. Of the 944 data breaches, 189 (20 per cent of all breaches) had an unknown or unaccounted number of compromised data records.

The Breach Level Index is a global database that tracks data breaches and measures their severity based on multiple dimensions, including the number of records compromised, the type of data, the source of the breach, how the data was used, and whether or not the data was encrypted. By assigning a severity score to each breach, the Breach Level Index provides a comparative list of breaches, distinguishing data breaches that are not serious versus those that are truly impactful.

"Obviously, this year social media has been the top industry and threat vector for the compromise of personal data, a trend we can expect to continue with more and more sectors leveraging these platforms to reach key audiences, especially political teams gearing up for major elections," said Jason Hart, vice president and chief technology officer for data protection at Gemalto. "We also expect to see more data breaches reported by European Union countries bound by the new General Data Protection Regulation and in Australia with the new Notifiable Data Breaches law. We should be careful not to misconstrue this as an increase in overall incidents in these areas but rather as a more accurate reflection of what is actually going on."

Primary Sources of Data Breaches

Malicious insiders caused the largest per centage of data breaches and accounted for almost 80 per cent above of all stolen, compromised or lost records in 2018 while malicious outsiders accounted for 20 per cent in India.

Leading Types of Data Breaches

Identity theft continues to be the leading type of data breach, as it has been since Gemalto first started tracking in 2013. While the number of identity theft breaches decreased by 60 per cent over the second half of 2017, the number of records stolen through these incidents represent over 42 per cent of all records stolen.

Financial access incidents show a disturbing trend in the escalation of severity. Though overall incident numbers are on the decline H1 2017 vs. H1 2018(4 for H1 2017 and 3 for H1 2018), the number of records breached increased H1 2017 vs. H1 2018(1.5 million, 50 and 2.6 million) respectively.

Industries Most Affected by Data Breaches

Most sectors saw decreasein the number of incidents compared to first half of 2017 including education, financial services and government.

Geographic Distribution of Data Breaches

North America still makes up the majority of all breaches and the number of compromised records, 59 and 97 per cent respectively. The United States is still by far and away the most popular target for attacks, representing more than 57 per cent of global breaches and accounting for 97 per cent of all records stolen, though overall incidents are down 17 per cent over the prior half. India accounts for less than one per cent of the global breaches in terms of records compromised or stolen or revealed.

With the implementation of the Notifiable Data Breaches law, the number of incidents in Australia increased dramatically from 18 to 308 as could be expected.

Europe saw 36 per cent fewer incidents but a 28 per cent increase in the number of records breached indicating growing severity of attacks. The United Kingdom remains the most breached country in the region. With the General Data Protection Regulation in full effect for the second half of 2018, the number of reported incidents could begin to rise.

For a full summary of data breach incidents by industry, source, type and geographic region, download the First Half 2018 Breach Level Index Report.

Visit the BLI website here.
The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday reversed a ruling that had stopped construction of a massive power line through eastern Illinois and, separately, ruled that a police canines detection of drugs outside an apartment door in an unlocked building amounted to an unlawful search.

The courts 7-0 ruling in the power-line case affects 35 Edgar County eminent domain actions by Ameren Transmission Co. to obtain land for the remaining section of a 375-mile cross-state power line.
Leaders from Russia, Turkey, Germany and France will meet in Istanbul next week in an effort to shore up a truce preventing further violence in Syria's last rebel-held region and bolster the political process toward ending the seven-year civil war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron in Istanbul on Oct. 27, the governments confirmed on Friday.

The idea of a summit first emerged in talks between Merkel and Erdogan last month, although France in particular was reluctant to commit to a meeting while Russia refused to consider a transition away from Bashar al-Assad's rule. Russia has instead stressed the need for Europe to help pay for reconstruction once the war ends in Syria.

Macron agreed to the half-day summit on the condition that there be no military offensive in the northwestern Syria province of Idlib, the country's last major rebel outpost, a French official said on condition of anonymity.

"The hope is that there will be gradual progress toward stabilization in Syria, in the knowledge that it will likely be a very difficult and lengthy process," German government spokeswoman Martina Fietz told reporters in Berlin.

Russia and Turkey last month locked in a truce to hold off an offensive by Assad's forces on Idlib by setting up a demilitarized zone between rebels and pro-government forces. An assault threatened to trigger a fresh wave of refugees across Syria's border, directly impacting Turkey and Europe.

The Istanbul summit should be focused on stabilizing the Russian-Turkish agreement in Idlib and starting a political process despite resistance from the Assad regime, the French official said. Putin's government has displayed sufficient interest in a political process for Macron to come to the meeting, the official said.

One of the key topics to be addressed will be the rebuilding of the Syrian economy, a task that will require at least $100 billion, according to Moscow-based Middle East analyst Elena Suponina. She added that some experts estimate the cost to be as high as $500 billion.

"Russia understands that its joint efforts with Turkey and Europe are very much in need for rebuilding Syria," Suponina said. "It is impossible to solve the problem of the return of refugees without restoration of the Syrian economy."

Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's spokesman, said that "all aspects of the Syrian conflict" will be tackled, including the situation on the ground, the Idlib agreement and the political process. He added that "joint efforts to find a permanent resolution will be aligned."
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was released after 50 days in jail on Monday, made up for lost time in his feud with the head of Russia's National Guard.

In response to a bizarre call for a duel made by Gen. Viktor Zolotov while Navalny was behind bars last month, the 42-year-old anti-corruption crusader answered using his favored weapon, YouTube, where he has an army of 2.2 million followers.

In the sarcastic, 16-minute video published Thursday, Navalny compared Zolotov to a Sacha Baron Cohen parody of a tinpot dictator and alleged Zolotov's immediate family has amassed a real estate portfolio worth 3.5 billion rubles ($53 million) using corrupt schemes.

"As for the challenge to a duel, thank you for that more than anything else," Navalny said, addressing Zolotov directly. "It's a gift not just to me, but to the entire country, because now you can't wriggle away" from a live debate on national television.

Navalny uses social media like YouTube and Twitter to reach his audience because he says it's impossible to get on the state-backed channels that dominate Russia's airwaves. His latest act of bravado comes as he seeks to take advantage of President Vladimir Putin's falling ratings in the wake of an unpopular decision to raise the retirement age. Trust in the president fell to 39 percent in September, from 48 percent in June, according to a survey by the Levada Center.

Zolotov, who once headed Putin's personal bodyguard detail, is a daunting opponent. The general heads a sprawling domestic army of more than 300,000 and threatened to beat the opposition leader to a pulp in a matter of minutes. The challenge, Zolotov said, was the result of Navalny's previous allegations against him and his family, which he denied.

Zolotov said he won't participate in a debate and wants a court to decide if Navalny's allegations are true, Tass reported Friday. "I invited him to something different," Zolotov told reporters in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, according to the Russian news service.

Opposition members are frequently subject to violence and intimidation. President Donald Trump said in an interview with 60 Minutes last weekend that Putin "probably" is responsible for assassinations and poisonings. Boris Nemtsov, a former deputy premier who helped lead anti-Putin protests, was gunned down within sight of the Kremlin in 2015.

A severed goat's head and a funeral wreath were sent this week to the newsroom of Novaya Gazeta, along with threats against its journalist Denis Korotkov, who has reported extensively on Russia's use of mercenaries. Two investigative reporters who worked for Novaya Gazeta, Anna Politkovskaya and Natalia Estemirova, were shot dead in 2006 and 2009.
WASHINGTON - Intent on becoming House speaker, Nancy Pelosi is playing to a potentially historic class of newly elected Democratic women while Republican Kevin McCarthy is tacking right to win over the one man who could settle any GOP leadership fight - President Trump.

Both lawmakers are assuming the role of speaker-in-waiting as candidates nationwide battle for the House majority, moving aggressively to consolidate power and plot their first steps if their party wins control in next month's midterm elections.

The two Californians are not only raising millions of dollars and campaigning for candidates as they work to claim Congress's ultimate gavel next year. They are also quietly working to overcome internal challenges amid an uncertain political landscape that won't be settled until Election Day - or weeks afterward if key races remain unresolved.

For Pelosi, extending a 16-year stretch as the top House Democratic leader - and retaking the speaker's gavel after eight years in the minority - would mean underscoring her groundbreaking status as the first female speaker and casting herself as the lone woman in Washington leadership ready to battle Trump.

"You can't let the opposite party choose the leader of your party," Pelosi said at a Harvard University event this week, dismissing the relentless GOP attacks on her that have prompted dozens of Democrats to keep their distance.

"And I say it especially to women, because they think women are going to run away from a fight," she said, suggesting the criticism smacks of sexism. "But you can't do that," she added. "You believe in what you have to offer," she added. "Know your power."

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Friday, Pelosi hinted that if she became speaker, her tenure wouldn't last for years and years, though she stopped short of providing a time limit. "I see myself as a transitional figure," she said.

McCarthy, the Republican House majority leader, has tried to beef up his right flank by focusing on an issue crucial to Trump - immigration, and in particular his proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall. McCarthy, 53, faces an open challenge from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a founder of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, in his bid to succeed Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who is leaving office.

Earlier this month, McCarthy introduced a bill to fully fund the wall at a cost of $23.4 billion and promised to bring it up for a vote after the election. "I believe we can get this done," McCarthy recently said on Fox News. "That's why we will fight for it."

Outwardly, Pelosi and McCarthy are expressing confidence ahead of the Nov. 6 elections after a campaign where Democrats have long seen an enthusiasm and financial advantage but there are recent signs of a GOP rebound.

Behind the scenes, both leaders feel increasingly confident that they will maintain the reins of power should their respective party comfortably prevail in the midterms. But a razor-thin majority on either side could upend their well-laid plans.

If the GOP manages to hold the majority, it will almost certainly be severely diminished from the current 23-seat margin, according to strategists from both parties. That could give leverage to Jordan, or another spoiler with a small bloc of support, who could deny McCarthy a majority in a floor vote for speaker. Trump could avert that outcome by making clear he prefers the man he calls "my Kevin."

Marc Short, Trump's former legislative affairs director, said he did not expect Trump to take any overt role in the leadership fight.

"The president has expressed his fondness for Jordan and the way that Jordan defends him," Short said. "But it's hard to find any member of any leadership that has been more loyal to the president than Kevin."

Trump has been following the leadership race. While visiting North Carolina for a late August fundraiser for Rep. Ted Budd, R, Trump brought up the duel between Jordan and McCarthy in a discussion with a group of lawmakers.

"What do you think of Jim?" Trump asked Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., according to people with knowledge of the conversation. McHenry - a top GOP vote-counter - told Trump that Jordan could not get 60 votes, and Trump seemed surprised. Trump has since repeated the figure to others, the people said.

Jordan has not undertaken the typical route to House leadership of traveling widely to raise money and building backslapping relationships with colleagues. Instead, he has spent much of October in Washington, questioning FBI and Justice Department officials behind closed doors and making almost daily appearances on Fox News to discuss those agencies' alleged abuses.

Even if Jordan fails to garner enough support, as most Republicans expect, he could sideline McCarthy and allow another Republican - such as Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., who has undertaken a grueling fundraising and travel schedule of his own - to emerge as top leader.

The numbers are as big a threat to Pelosi, 78, with nearly a dozen sitting Democratic lawmakers expressing opposition. The larger question, aides say, is how the Democratic candidates who have distanced themselves from Pelosi will proceed if elected.

Traditionally, members of a party are expected to unite on the House floor behind whomever prevails in an internal caucus vote. In 2017, for instance, only four Democrats opposed Pelosi on the floor after 63 voted against her in the caucus's secret ballot. Her critics say things could be different this time given how Republicans have made Pelosi a central figure in scores of races.

But while dozens of Democratic candidates have called for new leadership, only about a dozen have said categorically that they will not vote for her on the floor or aired TV ads opposing her. Most of those candidates are running in long-shot races, meaning if they win, Democrats could have a big enough majority that she might not need their votes.

"Any time you make a campaign promise on an issue of significance then go back on it, that would be perilous territory to be in - especially right out of the gate," said Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who unsuccessfully challenged Pelosi after the 2016 elections.

No Democrat has openly challenged Pelosi for the top spot this time, and her opposition within the Democratic caucus is only loosely organized. But even some of her allies have pushed for a shake-up.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, for instance, want an African-American Democrat closer to the pinnacle of power. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., a former CBC chairman who holds the No. 3 Democratic leadership post, said he has "made myself available" for speaker if Pelosi falters but did not anticipate that coming to pass.

"Cooler heads will prevail," he said.

Still,Pelosi has left little to chance - moving quickly last month, for instance, to quash a proposed rules change that could weaken her grip on power. Meanwhile, she has asserted herself on the national stage in recent weeks, openly discussing what initiatives Democrats would pursue in the majority, including campaign finance legislation, expanded background checks for gun buyers, infrastructure funding, lower prescription drug prices and increased oversight of the Trump administration.

More quietly, she has met or spoken privately over the past months with nearly every Democratic primary winner - heartland moderates and left-wing insurgents alike. She huddled in late July in San Francisco with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the hard-left candidate who unseated No. 4 Democratic leader Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., the No. 4 Democratic leader and a Pelosi ally, in a June primary.

Since then, she has campaigned with Democratic candidates from California to Minnesota to Florida and left no doubt that she intends to remain as the top party leader.

"That sends a message of strength. That sends a message of unity. That sends a message that we have to get this thing done," said Nadeam Elshami, a former top aide to Pelosi. "That's one. But, two, never underestimate what two, three, four, five steps [ahead] she has in her head."

In her conversations with Democrats, Pelosi has typically not asked for their votes or even mentioned the next leadership race, according to several candidates and aides familiar with the conversations. She has, they said, encouraged them to do whatever it takes to return Democrats to the majority. As Pelosi has put it in recent appearances, "Just win, baby."

Some of Pelosi's allies have been more aggressive. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said she has lobbied female candidates on her behalf, emphasizing Pelosi's role as a political pathbreaker.

For both Pelosi and McCarthy, the case for the speaker's gavel starts with dollars. Pelosi announced a record fundraising haul, including $30 million for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Already this month, McCarthy has campaigned for nearly two dozen Republican candidates in tight races and sent more than $7 million to party committees and individual campaigns.

A dinner McCarthy co-hosted last month with Vice President Mike Pence at Trump's downtown Washington hotel raised $15 million for the National Republican Congressional Committee and Protect the House, a McCarthy-sponsored joint committee that injects national donors' dollars straight into the campaigns of embattled GOP incumbents.

Some of those incumbents are conservatives who balked at McCarthy's last run for the speakership, in 2015. Now McCarthy is wooing them with not only campaign checks but floor votes on hard-line policy measures.

Before the House left Washington in late September, McCarthy scheduled a vote on a resolution disapproving of efforts such as those some local jurisdictions have pursued to allow undocumented immigrants the right to vote. This month, McCarthy announced - in an exclusive delivered to the conservative Breitbart media outlet - that he would set a vote to fully fund the border wall after the election.

- The Post's Josh Dawsey, Gabriel Pogrund and Cat Zakrzewski contributed to this report.

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Video: Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi plans to run for speaker if Democrats retake the House in 2019, even as many non-incumbent Democrats oppose her candidacy.(JM Rieger/The Washington Post)

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RICHMOND, Va. - Vice President Mike Pence will talk up tax reform in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday and try to give a boost to Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., and distillery owner Denver Riggleman, two Republicans running in close congressional races.

The event is separate from an afternoon campaign rally and fund-raising reception that Pence will hold in downtown Richmond that day for Ryan McAdams, a Republican minister challenging Rep. Donald McEachin, D-Va., for a Richmond-area seat. McAdams announced that event earlier this week.

Pence's plans with Brat and Riggleman will be announced Friday, but two people familiar the plans confirmed them Thursday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the plans.

Pence endorsed Brat and headlined a fundraiser for him earlier this month. President Trump endorsed Brat Thursday.

Brat and Riggleman will meet Pence at Richmond International Airport. Pence's arrival there will not be open to the public, but it will be open to the media.

Pence will then head to the SunTrust Center for the afternoon rally with McAdams, which is free and open to the public. Tickets for a VIP reception range from $2,700 to $5,400 per couple.

Brat and Riggleman will not attend the McAdams events, but they will meet up with the vice president afterward for roundtable discussion with local business people. The topic of that meeting will be tax reform. The meeting will not be open to the public or media.

Brat, seeking his third term, is in a tight race with Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA operative and first-time candidate. They are vying for a seat in Virginia's 7th Congressional District, which covers the Richmond suburbs and rural areas stretching from Culpeper to Nottoway County.

Riggleman, a former Air Force intelligence officer, faces Democrat Leslie Cockburn in the 5th District. The largely rural central Virginia district extends from the Washington exurbs to the North Carolina line.

Political newcomers, Riggleman and Cockburn are competing for the seat being vacated by Rep. Tom Garrett, R, who announced in the spring that he was struggling with alcoholism and would not seek re-election so he could focus on recovery.
WASHINGTON - Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's approach to his wife's travel and activities sparked concerns among the department's ethics officials, according to a report issued Thursday by Interior's inspector general office.

The report determined that staff in the department's solicitor office "approved Lolita Zinke and other individuals to ride in Government vehicles with Secretary Zinke" although Interior policy prohibited this practice. The employee who authorized the move told investigators that "she routinely advised" Zinke's aides "that it would be 'cleanest' and 'lowest risk' if she did not ride with him" but could find a way to justify it. This summer, Zinke changed Interior's policy so that family members could ride with him.

Zinke confirmed to investigators that he had directed his staff to research the possibility of giving his wife a volunteer job at Interior, a move that one ethics official objected to on the grounds that it was designed so that Zinke wouldn't "have to pay" for his wife's travel. Zinke subsequently "denied that it was an effort to circumvent the requirement to reimburse the DOI for her travel," the report states.

The new findings came after a chaotic week at the Department of Interior. Hours before the report was released, Interior Department officials said that they did not approve the hiring of a political appointee as their agency's acting watchdog, calling the announcement of her move by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson "100 percent false information."

The backtracking on Suzanne Israel Tufts' move drew widespread scrutiny, raising questions about how and why she was supposedly chosen to lead Interior's inspector general's office, which is conducting at least four investigations into Zinke's activities. Last week, investigators issued two subpoenas for documents to entities tied to the probes, according to two individuals familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift said the new IG report shows that Zinke had run his travel decisions by the relevant authorities at the department.

"The Inspector General report proves what we have known all along: the secretary follows all relevant laws and regulations and that all of his travel was reviewed and approved by career ethics officials and solicitors prior to travel," she said in an email.

Swift added that previous secretaries had received "the same exact legal advice" from the solicitor's office and that the department's motor vehicle policy "has been updated to reflect the reality of the long standing situation."

But critics of the administration said the report, which also found that taxpayers paid $25,000 to send an unarmed security detail with the Zinkes on their vacation to Turkey and Greece last summer, documents a breach of the public trust.

"This report shows Secretary Zinke's dogged determination to use his office for personal gain, even going so far as to tell Interior's top lawyer to lie to the public to justify his wife's travel," said Jen Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, an advocacy group. "Secretary Zinke owes the American people an apology - and a refund."

Rep. Raul Grijalva, Ariz., the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement: "Republicans have known about Secretary Zinke's scandals for eighteen months and done nothing. Putting Democrats in charge of Congress is the only way to stop these abuses."

The IG inquiry also found that the secretary had invited two individuals who had hosted a fundraiser for him when he served as a congressman to go on an official trip to California's Channel Islands, at government expense, and had not notified Interior lawyers about the fact that they were former political contributors.

Top White House officials said Thursday that they had not been made aware of the plan to move Tufts to serve as acting inspector general at Interior. She is a lawyer from Queens who worked on President Donald Trump's campaign and has served as HUD's assistant secretary for administration since December.

"Ms. Tufts is not employed by the Department and no decision was ever made to move her to Interior," Swift said in a statement Thursday.

And in a striking public rebuke of another Cabinet agency led by a close friend of Zinke's, Swift wrote that HUD "sent out an email that had 100 percent false information in it." She affirmed that Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall, who has led the office for nine years, is still in the job.

In an email Friday with the subject line "A Fond Farewell," Carson wrote to HUD staffers: "It is with mixed emotions that I announce that Suzanne Israel Tufts, our Assistant Secretary for Administration, has decided to leave HUD to become Acting Inspector General at the Department of Interior."

"I am extremely grateful to Suzanne for her service to HUD and am confident that she will thrive in her new role," Carson added.

Swift said Tufts was referred to Interior officials by the White House "as a potential candidate" for a position in the inspector general's office. Swift did not say what position. "At the end of the day, she was not offered a job at Interior."

HUD officials did not respond to a request for comment. Tufts could not be reached.

The about-face came after mounting criticism by lawmakers on Capitol Hill and watchdog groups of what appeared to be an unorthodox arrangement between the agencies to bring in a political appointee to oversee Kendall. President Barack Obama nominated Kendall for the position of inspector general, but the Senate never voted on it. Tufts, meanwhile, is a former consultant who has no experience as an investigator and would have been leading one of the government's most active inspector general offices.

Kendall is conducting at least four investigations of Zinke's conduct, including his involvement in a Montana land deal and his activities in connection with two Connecticut tribes' application to open a casino.

In an interview Thursday, Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said that he had developed a good working relationship with Kendall but that department leaders were scouting for someone the president could nominate to serve on a permanent basis.

"Mary would agree that it would be good for the inspector general to be a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed individual," Bernhardt said. "I think she would agree with us that the job has been vacant since [former Inspector General Earl] Devaney left, for almost a decade. That's not good, because that's not the way we run the country."

Tufts' appointment, which Carson announced to HUD staff last Friday, came to light this week through reports in The Washington Post and other outlets. White House officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said the move was a surprise to them.

Interior officials declined until Thursday to answer questions on Tufts' hiring, saying instead that the post has been vacant for almost a decade and that any announcement on a Senate nomination would come from the White House.

While presidents have the right to hire and fire inspectors general, the Inspector General Act of 1978 specifies that candidates should be chosen "without regard to political affiliation and solely on the basis of integrity and demonstrated ability in accounting, auditing, financial analysis, law, management analysis, public administration, or investigations."

Michael Bromwich, who served as inspector general at the Justice Department from 1994 to 1999 as well as head of Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management from 2010 to 2011, called the move to hire Tufts "highly unusual."

"The statute says that alone among political appointees, this is a nonpartisan position to be staffed on a permanent basis by those with appropriate backgrounds," Bromwich said. "It's a real breach of protocol to put someone who's only qualification is political allegiance to the Trump administration."

- - -

The Washington Post's Tracy Jan and Robert O'Harrow contributed to this report.
Washington

President Donald Trump said he'd mobilize the U.S. military to close the border with Mexico to stop an "assault" on the nation by a caravan of migrants from Central America.

Trump, who ran in 2016 promising to tighten U.S. immigration laws and stanch the inflow of undocumented migrants, has called for cutting off foreign aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador if they don't stop the migrants.

"In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught  and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!" Trump said on Twitter.

Trump also attempted to politicize the issue Thursday by claiming  without providing evidence  that Democrats are backing the human movement to bolster what he said was the party's preference for "open borders and existing weak laws."

Democrats in Congress generally have supported a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants  but only for those who meet certain criteria  and have never proposed doing away with border rules. Democrats in 2013 led the charge to overhaul the nation's immigration laws, an effort that stalled because of opposition from Republicans who controlled the House.

The issue has gained new urgency under Trump, whose "zero tolerance" policy of enforcing border laws came under fire earlier this year after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a plan that included separating migrant families. Though the administration abandoned that policy, Trump has said he's considering bringing it back as a deterrent.

Currently more than 2,000 people  including many who left home so quickly they brought only backpacks  are making their way from Honduras, traveling through Guatemala and heading toward the U.S., The Associated Press reports.

The use of military to help secure the U.S. border is not unprecedented. Trump in April authorized the National Guard to protect the border as a similar group of migrants headed up from Central America. He later credited authorities in Mexico for breaking up that assembly.

The Defense Department has in the past helped the Department of Homeland Security with border security. And former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama both deployed National Guard troops to the border during their administrations to bolster security. But American law may also restrict how much the military can do to carry out Trump's wishes; the 19th-century Posse Comitatus Act is viewed as prohibiting the use of the military to execute domestic laws, according to a 2013 report by the Congressional Research Service.

In other Twitter posts, Trump claimed  without substantiation  that many in the caravan are criminals.

"I am watching the Democrat Party led (because they want Open Borders and existing weak laws) assault on our country by Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, whose leaders are doing little to stop this large flow of people, INCLUDING MANY CRIMINALS, from entering Mexico to U.S," he tweeted.
WESTPORT  When Nathalie Jacob entered brain surgery to remove a benign tumor in 2015, she and her doctor thought everything would be fine, but instead Nathalie came out a different person.

After surgery, doctors walked Jacobs, then 35, around the hospital hallways to test her functioning and when asked to read the door numbers, Jacob said each one was room eight.

I saw everything as an eight. They asked me what year I was born, and I said 1800s, and they asked me what year it was and I said 1980, Jacob said.

Jacobs impaired brain functioning was a surprise to her neurosurgeon in Miami, where Jacob then lived, who said Jacob likely would not have any negative effects from the surgery and only a small chance of losing her peripheral eyesight.

He was so relaxed when he explained it all and said dont worry, this is a two-hour surgery, you can go back to work in three works, Jacob said.

Jacob was first alerted to a bodily complication on a ski trip to Whistler with friends after she fell and her finger turned black. Upon return, Jacob contracted the flu and, after the sickness passed, still had headaches. A brain scan revealed Jacob did not have residual damage from the fall but did show an intraventricular meningioma, a rare breed that accounts for less than two percent of meningioma brain tumors.

To remove the tumor, surgeons would need to cut open Jacobs skull, but des pite the severity of the surgery, Jacob and her husband believed the doctor's optimistic predictions. In the lead-up to the surgery, Jacobs parents visited from Columbia, where Jacobs grew up, although her father is French and her mother Puerto Rican.

My dad came over, we partied, we had Champagne. I was not stressed, Jacob said.

After surgery, not only did Jacobs interpret every number as an eight, but she had a speech impairment, lost her peripheral vision, and could not read, write, or add numbers. I was so dumb. I couldnt process it. I could not stop laughing. I was genuinely, innocently, having a lot of fun. I became a toddler in my mind, Jacob said.

Despite the shock of her post-op condition, Jacob said she wasnt concerned. I found it fascinating. I was having an amazing time at the beginning, Jacob said. Whenever she saw a bird, Jacob yelled out birdy excitedly. I was like a newborn, Jacob said.

At first, doctors said Jacobs new behavior and loss of eyesight may be temporary, but as the weeks and months went on Jacobs engaged in cognitive therapy and her speech and mental functioning improved, but it became clear she would never return her preoperative mental capacity.

I couldnt watch TV because it was too advanced, I wouldnt understand what was happening. What I would do for two months is color like a two-year-old, Jacob said.

Walking around the house, Jacob would hit herself and fall down stairs because she could, and still can, see only half of the picture in front of her. When looking at a computer, Jacob sees only half the screen, at the theater, she sees only half the movie, and during our interview, only half my face.

After the operation, Jacob only enjoyed natural foods and hated bread and anything processed or fried. The brain just became very ancestral in a way, Jacob said.

Jacobs behaviors indicated she suffered from Gertsmann syndrome her doctor said. If the brain tumor was rare, and the intraventricular tumor was rare, this was even more rare, Jacob s aid, adding her doctors surprise shows how little we know about the brain.

Brain surgery is a relatively new science. They know how to get you in and out alive, but they dont really know the side-effects youre going to have, Jacob said.

While Jacob said she enjoyed the surgerys immediate aftermath, she was devastated when the permanence of her condition and new reality set in. After a few months, Jacobs lost her job as a high-level marketing executive in Miami and she and her husband struggled financially without two incomes.

That was really hard because Ive always been super smart. That was my thing, being smart and a workaholic and really good at my job, Jacobs said. In the years before her surgery, Jacob worked across the globe for Fortune 500 companies, such as Frito-Lay, Diageo, and Johnson & Johnson and always supported herself but now can no longer work and endures frequent brain fatigue.

Not long after her surgery, Jacobs husband was relocated to Connecticut for his job and the couple moved to Norwalk, and then bought a house in Westport a year ago. Almost two years ago, in the midst of the darkness surrounding Jacobs illness, the pair gave birth to a daughter.

Before her daughters birth, Jacob said she began writing her story as a way to practice her cognitive functioning and share her journey with other brain tumor survivors, but the ending for the book she wrote was full of sadness. At that time, I was still not accepting this. I was grieving the death of my brain, Jacob said.

Her daughter brought a light into her world, Jacobs said, adding that she was encouraged to finish the book so her daughter would one day be able to read about who Jacob was before the surgery. Self-published through Amazon, Jacobs book, 8: Rediscovering Life After a Brain Tumor, is available online now.

Despite the ongoing challenges, Jacob said shes in a better place now than she was before her daughter was born. I am a very strong and happy, smiley person, so I have to accept it and move on. Im not going to be depressed about this all my life. I have too much to do, Jacob said.

svuaghan@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2638; @SophieCVaughan1
by Lam Ngoc

Some 22 million people depend on local water supplies. With a surface of 1.377 hectares, the farm will raise 2,500 sows and tens of thousands of pigs for slaughter. The farm was built before assessing its environmental impact.

Hanoi (AsiaNews)  A huge pig farm threatens the communities who live on the shores of Tri An Lake and downstream along the ong Nai River, which flows through the lake.

The ong Nai is the second most important river in southern Vietnam after the Mekong and supplies water to more than 22 million people: 2.8 million in ong Nai province, 14 million people in Ho Chi Minh City and 6 million inhabitants in other nearby regions.

On Monday, Ms Phan Thi Tram, owner of MTV Limited Company, completed the construction of the farm, which covers 1.377 hectares. At full capacity, it will be able to raise 2,500 sows (heo nai) and tens of thousands of pigs for slaughter (heo thit).

People who live near the farm have complained about the "illegal structure" which, by dumping waste into the water, risks causing serious health problems to people living near the lake and downstream along the ong Nai River.

Locals remember seeing a lot of strange people' coming here to build the big farm. Until a few months ago, the area was dedicated forestry. However, the People's Committee in inh Quan District and ong Nai province allowed Ms Phan Thi Tram to build the huge secret farm, just upstream of the ong Nai River."

Some seniors living in the remote area also point out "the farm is at a high risk of flooding, if it started operating. If the waters flooded the farm, all the dirt and pig waste would spill into the lake and river, putting the health of millions of people at risk.

A senior official with the Environment Ministry, asking that his name not be cited, noted that "the farm was built without the necessary environmental impact assessment (EIA)."

"Only shortly before the end of the works, did the MTV Limited Company allow inspectors to visit the farm. That is wrong and dangerous."

For Dr Pham Viet Thuan, director of the Economic Institute and Environmental Resources in Ho Chi Minh City, the behaviour of district and provincial authorities is "unacceptable".

"This pig farm will not only cause a lot of water pollution, but it will also be a source of extremely dangerous epidemics. When the plant releases waste into the water, bacteria and germs will make scores of residents ill.
During the presentation of this year's Missionary Day, the focus was on bearing witness and proclaiming Christ guided by love for the Lord and people. In 2019, the Extraordinary Missionary Month that Pope Francis announced will be held October to mark the 100th anniversary of the Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XV, "Maximum Illud", which changed the missionary attitude of the Church.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  The theme of the Missionary Month Pope Francis announced for October 2019 will be Baptised and sent: The Church of Christ on a mission in the world to mark the centennial of the Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud issued by Pope Benedict XV, which changed the missionary attitude of the Church.

PIMES Fr Fabrizio Meroni spoke about it during this mornings presentation of this year's Mission Day. He also underlined the link between the Synod for the Amazon and the Extraordinary Month of October 2019. The Pope in fact wants both to represent the Church's unique passion for evangelisation.

Pope Francis issued on 20 May a message titled Together with the young, let us bring the Gospel to all in conjunction with the Synod on Young People, Card Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, said.

Card Filoni noted that with the first words  "Dear young people, I would like to reflect with you on the mission that we have received from Christ  Francis emphasised to young people that everyone is tasked with the mission and a vocation, and that everyone is player in the Church's mission, which is to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the world.

This means overcoming borders, which are not only geographical, Filoni stressed. In fact, many peoples have not heard the first proclamation  two-thirds of the world's population in fact  and many communities who have need a second evangelisation. Thus, the Church's task is not finished.

It is important, said Card Filoni answering a reporters question, to understand how the concept of mission has matured over time within the Church. From an almost 'colonialist' attitude it has become a proposal that respects the culture and identity of each people.

It is not about proselytising but about bearing witness and proclaiming Christ guided by love for the Lord and people. Citing Saint Peter, he said that an explanation must be given to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.

The prefect also noted that the Gospel, through the Church, is a great asset for the places where it finds social expression in schools, hospitals, outreach, dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

In many parts of the world, Churches were created recently or are growing, aware that they act as missionaries for their territories through the support of the universal Church as well as the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

This Day, said Mgr Giampietro Dal Toso, president of the Pontifical Mission Societies, marks the high point of support by two means: first of all, prayer, because faith is always, however, a gift from God; and secondly the offerings collected during Eucharistic celebrations on the Sunday in which the Day is celebrated. In fact, the missionary work needs such concrete support to go forward.

Regarding fundraising, Mgr Dal Toso explained how young local Churches are encouraged to be administratively transparent putting to good use the financial contributions they receive.

To a question about the results of such collection, the president of the Pontifical Mission Societies said that it corresponds to the development of a people's sense of affiliation with the Church and the faith.

At the same time, in many societies that have experienced secularisation, offerings have been on the decline. Yet, even in some European countries there has been some growth recently. And offerings during Mass are not the only way to raise money. Plans are underway to vet other paths such as the Internet.
A Southwest Side home invasion that left one man dead early Wednesday was motivated by images of guns, money and narcotics found on social media, court records state.

David Escobedo, 51, was shot to death after three men forced their way into an apartment in the 6200 block of Old Pearsall, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

Two suspects, Jose Sanchez, 30 and Fidencio Badillo, 57, were arrested Thursday and charged with murder.

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a third suspect, identified as 29-year-old Henry Lozano, police said.

The series of events that led to the fatal shooting began with the alleged abduction of a 23-year-old man at gunpoint by six people.

RELATED: Police arrest 2nd suspect in deadly San Antonio home invasion

The man told police that he was taken to a house on the West Side where his captors took away his cell phone and began looking through his social media profiles, Sanchez's arrest warrant affidavit said.

When the group found pictures of guns, money and drugs, they demanded that the man take them to the objects, the affidavit states.

The man told police three suspects took him to the apartment complex. One suspect had an assault rifle, another had a snub-nosed revolver and the third had a handgun, the warrant states.

When they arrived at the apartment on Pearsall, the man rang the doorbell. Another man inside looked through the peephole and immediately recognized the man at the door as someone his family had known since childhood.

As soon as the man in the apartment opened the door, investigators said the three suspects forced their way inside. Their faces were covered, witnesses said in the affidavit.

The man who answered the door was pushed behind it as two of the suspects began fighting with Escobedo.

Another witness, who was asleep in a bedroom, awoke to a gunshot and grabbed his handgun. He told police he walked out of the bedroom where he saw a man in a black hoodie.

RELATED: SAPD: Suspected drug dealer arrested on 7 criminal charges

The suspect's face was half covered, and he had a gun in his hand, the affidavit states.

The two took shots at one another, the affidavit states. The witness missed and was instead hit in the neck.

As the gunshots were going off, the man who led police there was pulled inside by one of the suspects, investigators said.

The man then ran to a balcony and jumped, landing on a grassy area, he told police.

Before the three suspects walked out, a witness said that one suspect returned and fired a shot into Escobedo's back as he lay on the ground inside the apartment.

Escobedo died at the scene, police said. His body was found outside the apartment in the breezeway, the affidavit said.

The witness who was hit in the neck was taken to University Hospital where he underwent surgery.

Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | | Twitter: @JBfromSA
The trial of a former dancer for Ballet San Antonio who has been accused of sexual assault has been pushed back to Oct. 29.

State District Judge Catherine Torres-Stahl made the decision after another discovery issue was raised in the trial of Hugo Ihosvany Rodriguez, 27.

Rodriguez is accused of raping another former dancer as she slept after they went out with a group of co-workers in March 2017.

RELATED: Details emerge in case of abandoned child, mystery woman

The trial had been scheduled to begin Tuesday morning, but it was delayed to allow defense time to review five hours of body camera footage they hadnt known about. On Wednesday, the defense sought more time because the prosecution had provided an additional 22 hours of footage from a second body camera.

On Thursday, defense attorney James Tocci told Torres-Stahl they had received more footage they hadnt known was coming.

Prosecutor Anna Scott said she had gone back through her email because she realized the officer they have been dealing with might have sent her more footage. She found the additional video during that search and handed it over.

Im not happy these things came up at the last minute, Torres-Stahl told the attorneys as she announced the delay.
San Antonio police on Thursday identified the officer whose shot during a confrontation killed an 18-year-old bystander.

Officer Steve Casanova, who has been with SAPD for five years, and at least one other officer responded to a home in the 200 block of Roberts at about 1:20 a.m. Wednesday for reports that a person was punched in the face, police said.

When they arrived, Charles Chop Chop Roundtree was sitting on a couch along with a 24-year-old man, investigators said.

RELATED: Unarmed 18-year-old killed when San Antonio police shoot, graze suspect

The man stood up as officers entered the home and was alleged to have reached for a gun in his waistband, prompting Casanova to fire a shot at the man, police said.

Investigators said that the shot went through the man and hit Roundtree as he sat on the couch, killing him.

Police said Wednesday that the man would be facing charges for the incident, but he was not charged or identified as of Thursday.

jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA
A man who was fatally struck by two vehicles while crossing a South Side street Wednesday night was identified by the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office.

Clay Ferguson, 45, died of massive cranial-cerebral injuries as a result of the collision.
by Kamran Chaudhry

Kinza Roma is a 27-year-old educator. In school she was forced to clean bathrooms and was treated like a beggar. Today she lectures against bullying and takes part in meetings to improve knowledge among religious communities.

Lahore (AsiaNews)  Kinza Roma is a 27-year-old educator from Lahore (picture 2, the first on the left). When she was at school she was harassed by fellow students because she was Catholic. Now she has regained confidence in herself and found many Muslim friends.

She spoke to AsiaNews about the persecution she endured in school, when she lived in a hostel as the only Christian because of her father's work. After so many years, she still bears the physical scars of the mistreatment.

In order to prevent other young people from suffering like her, she decided to become an educator and hold seminars on bullying prevention in Pakistan.

Usually school years are remembered as the most carefree time in a teenagers life. But for Kinza this was not the case. In 2008 her father, an official with the Punjab Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority, was sent out of province.

She was studying computer engineering and was the only Christian student at her hostel. Without knowing my family background, my classmates branded me a sanitary worker and a beggar. The girls spit on my face and made me clean the toilets. Nobody wanted to share a room with me. They used to lock me in a dark room where I cried for hours, alone and afraid,"

Kinza was pressured by the school not to tell her family about the abuse. There were no cellphones at the time. We were only permitted to call home once or twice a month, she explained.

Eventually, her health started to suffer and she began experiencing severe chest pain. After she was sent home, her father found out about her treatment and complained to the principal.

The experience of harassment left a deep mark. Today Kinza suffers from asthma and anxiety attacks and is followed by a psychiatrist. She gets nervous when she has to speak in public or deal with Muslims. "I could not even think of standing in front of them without shaking from fear, she said.

The educator blames the countrys textbooks, full of hatred and intolerance towards religious minorities, especially Christians and Hindus.

Recently she was selected by the Youth Development Foundation (YDF) to take part in a "diversity camp", which brings together university students from every religious background, to improve mutual knowledge and respect. The camp was held in a hilly area and altitude made her asthma attacks worse.

However, this time, my Muslim roommate took care of me during those four days. Socialisation and group training at the camp helped me gain more confidence. My perspective about the Muslim community has changed. I have many Muslim friends now. But the fear still haunts me in large gatherings.

YDF executive director Shahid Rehmat explains that the camps serve as a training academy for peace activists and conflict resolution.

Groups are broken up once they reach the site and people of different religions are deliberately accommodated in same rooms. Sometimes the discussion on peace and religion turns into a debate about theology and the role of religion in violence and peace building, he said.

Many misconceptions are born out of disconnect between religious communities," he added. At the same time, The authorities view organisations working on peace activism as if we were following a foreign agenda. In south Punjab, bureaucratic procedures make it very hard for organisers to get permission for school activities. The struggle for the soul of our country has never been so difficult."
The former San Antonio sex crimes detective who was fired after mishandling more than 130 cases was arrested Wednesday in connection to the botched investigations.

Kenneth Valdez, who was employed by the San Antonio Police Department for 17 years, is charged with eight counts of tampering with evidence, according to his indictment.

Valdez was fired in November after police discovered his alleged misconduct during an internal audit.

RELATED: Records: Fired SAPD detective failed to disclose DNA evidence in sex crimes

Investigators discovered Valdez did not act on information he received from the Bexar County Crime Lab in at least two cases and ignored DNA evidence in at least one case.

Investigators also found that evidence in 27 sex crime cases was not submitted for testing.

Termination documents also noted that Valdez's desk was unorganized. Detectives found seven unlabeled cell phones, five buccal swabs in random envelopes and unlabeled DVDs and CDs.

Valdez's tampering charges ranged over the span of more than a year, from January 2016 to November 2017.

Four of the eight counts allege Valdez knowingly concealed evidence, including buccal swabs, a phone and two video recordings.

The other counts accuse Valdez of knowingly making false entries in the police department's record management system.

Valdez posted his $15,000 bail Wednesday shortly after his magistration hearing, jail records showed. His arraignment was initially scheduled for Friday, but the hearing did not take place.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County. Read him on our breaking news site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | fsabawi@mysa.com|@FaresInSA
A 24-year veteran with the San Antonio Police Department was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated Thursday night, according to a news release.

Officer Charlie McInvale was arrested by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers in Wilson County.
Earlier this year, the Farmers Almanac excited San Antonio by announcing that Texas and several other states could expect stinging cold and normal precipitation. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just predicted the opposite: warmer-than-average temperatures and above-average precipitation in Texas this winter.

Maps released by the administration show between 33 and 40 percent chances that temperatures across most of Texas will be warmer than usual, and 40 to 50 percent chances that South Texas will see more rain than usual between December and February.
If, as appears increasingly likely, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, then he has joined Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un among the ranks of rogue leaders who assassinate their critics on foreign soil. The only difference is that the Russian president and North Korean leader werent reckless and stupid enough to kill their opponents inside their own consulates.

The disappearance of Khashoggi, a Post contributing columnist, is a horrific crime. His loss will be felt deeply for those who cherish freedom of expression and believe that all people, including those in the Arab world, deserve to be free.

Khashoggis disappearance is also a betrayal of President Trump. Upon taking office, Trump made Saudi Arabia his first foreign trip and put his new administrations reputation and prestige behind the crown prince and his reforms. The crown prince, or MBS, as he is widely known, has possibly repaid those efforts by brutally killing a permanent U.S. resident. His betrayal has now put Trump in an impossible bind. The president must now find a way to reconcile three sets of irreconcilable facts:

Fact No. 1: The United States cant simply ignore or sweep Khashoggis death under the table. Even if Trump wants to do so, Congress wont let him  nor should it. There must be consequences.

Fact No. 2: MBS is not going anywhere. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy. He is the son of the king. He has spent the past few years systematically eliminating his rivals and consolidating power. The idea that a new leader is going to emerge to replace him is not realistic. And if, by chance, such a leader did emerge, it would likely be someone who wants to roll back the crown princes efforts to rein in the religious establishment, clean up corruption and open up Saudi society. Be careful what you wish for.

Fact No. 3: We need Saudi Arabia, less as a source of oil  the fracking revolution has dramatically expanded our energy independence  than as a counterweight to Iran, which is the main strategic menace to U.S. interests in the region. Saudi Arabia is our most important ally in countering that threat. No other country in the Middle East can play that role. A permanent breach with Saudi Arabia is not an acceptable outcome.

How does Trump reconcile these three irreconcilable realities? The answer is: He cant. The result is going to be unpleasant and unsatisfying.

Many Democrats taking shots at the president as he tries to figure out a path forward need to check their hypocrisy. As my American Enterprise Institute colleague Danielle Pletka pointed out, if you cant restrain yourself from blaming Trump, spare a moment to blame (President Barack) Obama for the war in Syria, where more than 470,000 men, women and children have died while the United States has stood by and done nothing. If you had a role in Middle East policy in the past eight years, that finger you are pointing at the Trump administration has blood dripping off it.

So, what is going to happen? While we do need Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia also needs us. Trump said that he has told King Salman that Saudi Arabia would not last two weeks without U.S. military support. Hes right. We saved the Saudis from Saddam Husseins aggression and now protect them from Irans.

Moreover, the United States has other leverage. Trump should make clear that Saudi Arabias actions have squandered the once bipartisan support in Congress for the kingdom  and that, unlike Saudi Arabia, the United States is not a monarchy. Congress has a say in our Middle East policy. It can impose costs on Saudi Arabia, by blocking military aid and arms sales. A bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to Trump calling for an investigation under the Magnitsky Act  a U.S. law that mandates sanctions, including travel restrictions and freezing assets, of foreign individuals who have committed gross violations of human rights.

Magnitsky sanctions would have real teeth, because members of the royal family love to travel outside the Arabian Peninsula, where they can do things they cannot do at home. If MBS wants to avoid a rupture in relations, then he must accept responsibility and make restitution. He must acknowledge that he understands the gravity of this mistake  that he has made Saudi Arabia an international pariah, and is willing to do what is necessary to dig himself out of that hole through steps such as the release of political prisoners. And he must commit to stopping this kind of brutal behavior. Because his professed desire to modernize Saudi Arabia is incompatible with the medieval horrors that apparently took place in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
It is a sign of the times  the kind involving the seven-horned beast, and the rain of fire, and the end of days  that recent news has been dominated by Kanye, Stormy and the misogynist boor who is president of these United States.

It would be a circus if it were not a crime scene, complete with credible accusations of financial corruption, obstruction of justice and campaign collusion with a hostile foreign power.

But in the dark, scary basement of our politics, more basic questions lurk concerning what Donald Trumps ascendance means about America. Is Trump ultimately an aberration or the forerunner of a new, degraded politics involving a racially divisive, ethno-nationalist populism? And is it alarmist to go all the way and call Trump a fascist?

With due respect to my leftist friends, the charge goes too far at this point. In an email exchange, one conservative leader told me: I do think its basically mere alarmism, yes. We have a president whose shallow malevolence is matched only by his bottomless incompetence. But thats not fascism. Its more weakness than strength.

In day-to-day policy matters  tax cuts and court appointments  Trump has generally hewn to Republican orthodoxy. (The exception is immigration policy, in which Trump has normalized great abuses.)

The president has not changed the libel laws to cripple the news business  which he has repeatedly promised.

He has not directly defied court orders  though he has publicly attacked judges.

He has not destroyed the independence of federal law enforcement  though he has tried to undermine its credibility.

This represents the minimal political achievement  like using a jump rope as a hurdle. But the accusation of fascism must clear a high hurdle, so that the term has content when it is necessary to employ.

And yet. It is impossible to listen closely to Trump without hearing echoes of fascist language and arguments. He describes a form of national unity based on deference to a single leader. He claims to lead a movement that speaks exclusively for American values. He defines this movement primarily through exclusion, by directing bigotry and contempt toward outsiders. He paints the picture of an idealized past, involving pride, ethnic solidarity and national greatness.

Fascism may not describe what Trump has done, as opposed to what he says. But what he says matters and can create its own dangerous dynamic. It is possible for a leader to be incompetent and still profoundly corrupt the people who follow him, undermining the virtues  tolerance, civility and compromise  that make democratic self-government work.

It is possible for a foolish leader to leave the imprint of fascism on a portion of his followers. And the language used by Trump  particularly a certain racially tinged nostalgia and a tribal resentment for the other  strikes me as at a higher level of prominence and acceptance than at any time I can remember.

So maybe, rather than fearing a fascist dictator, we should fear the legitimacy of fascist modes of thought in the Republican Party.

This is a more complex danger than most talk of fascism generally suggests. But it is a danger nonetheless.

And one event in particular could quickly heighten that danger. Consider what American politics would look like if Republicans  against all odds and expectations  were to keep the Senate and House. There might be many explanations for such a result  exceptional economic conditions, bad Democratic strategy, the rallying effect of Brett Kavanaugh among Republicans  but we know how the president would interpret it. He would regard such a victory as the complete vindication  the stamp of national approval  on his entire approach to politics.

All the last remaining opposition in the GOP would melt, and many of his supporters would be calling for retribution against enemies and traitors.

The whole leadership of the FBI and Justice Department  anyone who ever displeased him  would be at immediate risk of replacement.

Trump would take his victory as permission for even more brutal treatment of migrants.

More generally, a leader with no commitment to the separation of powers, with no respect for the traditional self-restraints of the presidency, with savage disdain for the free press, with an admiration for authoritarians, with a history of menacing individuals and companies by name and with a talent for division and dehumanization would feel unbound.

The boor, the bluffer, the bully would be a political colossus. Then the language of fascism might become less theoretical. Then alarmism would be realism.

michaelgerson@washpost.com
Most voters have little knowledge about the judges on states highest court for criminal appeals or know much about the courts operation. All death penalty convictions are appealed directly to the nine-member Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. In 2017, the court stopped seven executions. This year it has stopped two.

It is also the court of last resort for most other criminal appeals, but they first must go through an intermediate appellate process before this court decides if it will review a case. The Court of Criminal Appeals does not handle criminal matters involving underage defendants. Those go to the Texas Supreme Court because they are considered civil issues.

Three Republican incumbents are facing challengers in the November primary; only two are facing Democratic opponents.

In the race for presiding judge of the Court of Criminal Appeals, we recommend Democrat Maria T. Terri Jackson, who has served as judge of the 339th District Court in Harris County since 2008. She is well-respected. During her 10-year tenure in the trial court, Jackson has only had two cases reversed. This appellate court has earned a reputation as being tough on crime, Jackson wants it to be known for being fair.

The incumbent in this race is Sharon Keller, who has been on the court since 1994 and served as presiding judge since 2001. Keller gained national notoriety in 2007 when she refused to keep open the court clerks office beyond 5 p.m. to allow a last-minute appeal on behalf of an inmate on death row. The man was executed hours later.

In another case in 1998, she refused to grant a new trial in a rape case despite DNA suggesting a wrongful conviction. The man was only freed after a pardon from then-Gov. George W. Bush. In 2013 she was fined by the Texas Ethics Commission for failing to disclose nearly $3.8 million in personal real estate in financial statements.

In the race for Place 7 on the Court of Criminal Appeals, we recommend Republican Barbara Parker Hervey of San Antonio to a fourth term. Hervey has a proven track record as a hard worker who gives freely of her time outside court to improve the Texas criminal justice system.

She is currently co-chair of the Judicial Commission on Mental Health, which is working to address the mental health needs of those who end up in the criminal justice system. She is also chair of the committee that oversees judicial and court personnel training, and has helped the program develop a national reputation.

The challenger in this race is Democrat Ramona Franklin, a former assistant district attorney elected in 2016 as judge of the 338th District Court in Harris County. There is no need for change on this bench.
A Fairfield Democrat is appealing the State Elections Enforcement Commissions decision not to allow her to use campaign funds to pay for child care.

Caitlin Clarkson Pereira, who is running for state representative with a three-year-old daughter, filed a petition for a declaratory ruling with the SEEC Friday morning. Responding to a query from Pereira, the SEEC issued an informal opinion in August stating Pereira could not use campaign money to pay for a babysitter.

The main reason I wanted to continue fighting was the reason that I made the request in the first place: which was to make sure that all of us can run for office, regardless of being a parent or not having access to a lot of superfluous funds, Clarkson Pereira said Friday. If the decision had been a yes, then it would have possibly opened the door for more women and possibly parents in general to run for office.

Josh Foley, an attorney for the SEEC, confirmed the Commission received Clarkson Pereiras petition Friday. According to state statute, the Commission must take action on the petition within 60 days by issuing a ruling, setting a hearing, specify a date by which they will issue a ruling or declare that they will not rule for a particular reason.

In Connecticut, campaign funds may only be spent on the promoting of the nomination or election of the candidate, according to state law enforced by the State Elections Enforcement Commission. Candidates receiving grants through the Citizens Election Program, like Clarkson Pereira, have a further restriction: funds may be spent only for campaign-related expenditures made to directly further their election.

This bars candidates from spending their campaign funds on personal uses, which in their informal opinion, the SEEC decided child care was.

In contrast, when New York Congressional candidate Liuba Grechen Shirley filed a nearly identical request to the Federal Election Commission in May, the agency ruled she could use campaign funds to pay for child care. State commissions in Wisconsin, Texas, Alabama and Arkansas granted permission to candidates this summer, but an Iowa board ruled against it. Candidates in Minnesota already had permission.

Clarkson Pereiras petition alleges that Connecticuts rule has a discriminatory impact on women because research finds women typically bear more child care responsibilities than men. The petition also suggests the rule runs contrary to one of the five goals of the Citizens Election Program, which is increasing meaningful citizenship participation.

She waited until October to file the petition because she was seeking pro-bono legal aid on her petition.

Its not just about me and not just about parents running for office this session or in this election cycle, but all the future election cycles, and about supporting all working families in the fight for affordable child care, said Clarkson Pereira, who is challenging state Rep. Brenda Kupchick.

Clarkson Pereira estimates she has spent $1,000 of her personal money on babysitting while campaigning this summer and fall, even though she limited her child care expenses as much as possible, not knowing if they would ever be reimbursed, she said. A frequently traveling partner and many campaign events after working hours necessitated babysitting for her young daughter.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
AILING vice president Constantino Chiwenga must keep away from the office for a while as he continues his recovery from a health scare officials described as very bad, a senior government official has revealed.

Chiwenga returned to Zimbabwe this week after about a week in South Africa undergoing treatment together with wife, Mary.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa visited the couple at their Harare home on Wednesday.

According to a spokesperson for the presidency, Mnangagwa was advised in very clear terms that his deputy needs time to recover.

This was the view of deputy health minister Dr John Mangwiro who travelled with the couple to South Africa.

There was also an extensive discussion with the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care on (the) vision (of) the President and the Vice President in respect of the health sector, said presidential spokesman George Charamba.

Dr Mangwiro told the President in very clear terms that the Vice President must be given sufficient time to rest and that he must keep away from the Office for a while.

Chiwengas condition had been very bad, Charamba added.

The VP had developed acids in his stomach that were reaching the small intestines. It was very bad. I think his system was producing too much of hyaluronic acid in the stomach, he said.

Ordinarily, you would need it as the first line of defence against bacteria, but in his case I think secretion of acid was just too excessive to the extent that it was starting to attack stomach linings.

He added; Apparently, you have to give it time to allow internal body tissues to heal both large and small intestines were attacked.

But he must also remain calm and rested to make sure that there is no relapsing into excessive secretion of the acids in the body.

The vice president and his wife were reportedly in good spirits during Mnangagwas visit.

According to Charamba, Mary Chiwengas health problems are related to injuries sustained when a suspected bomb exploded at a Bulawayo campaign rally ahead of the July 30 elections.

After the Bulawayo bombing incident, apparently she had some deep lesions right to the bone and they were beginning to gather pus leading to swelling of hands, said Charamba.

Literally, they (doctors) were cleaning lesion-by-lesion. She is still swollen but the swelling is beginning to subside now.

 NewZimbabwe

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After a near-farcical start, temperatures rose a notch up yesterday at the governments commission of inquiry into the August 1 post-election violence  which ended up with the army killing at least six civilians  when the probe team was challenged to name the person who deployed soldiers onto the streets on that fateful day.

This came as a Harare man  whose wife was killed in the ugly disturbances  also separately upped the ante by demanding compensation from the military for causing the death of his spouse.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa appointed the inquiry in September, to probe the August 1 deaths which sullied the relatively peaceful July 30 national elections which had, until the killings, been widely hailed.

Mnangagwas seven-member commission is led by former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe.

The other members of the team are academics Lovemore Madhuku and Charity Manyeruke, Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) ex-president Vimbai Nyemba, Rodney Dixon of the United Kingdom, former Tanzanian chief of the defence forces General Davis Mwamunyange and ex-Commonwealth secretary-general Chief Emeka Anyaoku of Nigeria.

MDC youth assembly secretary-general Lovemore Chinoputsa  who said he was giving testimony in his individual capacity  challenged the Motlanthe-led commission to ensure that the nation would be told who had deployed the military to quell the August 1 disturbances.

Chinoputsa also fired salvos at the commission, which he claimed was wrongly constituted as some of its commissioners were sympathetic to the government and were likely to protect its interests.

I have fought against the (ousted former president Robert) Mugabe regime ever since I was a teenager and he would always use the police.

It is evident how powerful the military has become in this country. It played a critical role in the removal of Mugabe. It has since taken an active role in government.

For any deployment of the military, the commander-in-chief should know  I say lets go to  Mnangagwa today and find out who gave the instructions. If he is not in control, let it be known today, Chinoputsa challenged the commissioners.

This mentality of wanting to chlorinate ourselves by putting the mud on the opposition is not ideal for the new relationship in the new dispensation, he said further.

Chinoputsa also claimed that there was a third force behind the August 1 violence which has been blamed on the MDC by some of the witnesses who have so far given testimonies to the commission.

There are filmed videos of the violence, but so far, no one has been arrested. All who died that day had no link to the MDC.

People had no  command from the MDC leadership to demonstrate, he added, absolving the countrys largest opposition party from the violence.

Chinoputsa also threw barbs at some of the commissioners whom he accused of serving government interests on the panel  and insisted that their presence was likely to cast doubts on the independence of the commissions findings.

He said the secretary of the commission Virginia Mabiza  who is also the Justice permanent secretary  had once served directly under Mnangagwa when he was still vice president, making her unlikely to perform her task impartially.

The youthful political activist also questioned the involvement of Nyemba  whom he claimed had suddenly become an ever-present on so many government projects.

She is on every other new board. One gets to wonder, is she the only one so intelligent to deal with these issues? Chinoputsa said  adding that Manyeruke should not have been on the commission because she held a position in Zanu PF.

Meanwhile, another Harare man  Tokozani Robert Maposa  through his lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, has given the military a 30-day ultimatum to accept liability and pay him compensation for the death of his wife Sylvia, who was shot dead during the August 1 demonstrations.

In a letter dated October 15, 2018, which was written to Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Maposa blamed the army for the death of his wife who worked at the State-owned entity, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa).

As you are aware, the actions of the army in opening fire using live ammunition against an unarmed civilian who was facing away from the line of fire was not only unlawful, but constituted a gross violation of the armys constitutional obligation to protect citizens.

It was a result of the armys gross deliberate actions that the deceased lost her life which resulted in the dependents family members losing their means of support, in addition to suffering the unimaginable trauma of seeing a loved one being the subject of social media exchanges with visible bullet wounds on the back, Maposa said in his letter of demand.

We therefore give you notice of the intended legal suit and would be grateful to hear from you regarding your attitude on the issue of liability.

If we have not heard from you within 30 calendar days of this letter, we shall assume that you are denying liability, in which event we shall thereafter proceed in the best interests of our client without further notice to you, he said.

Maposa also said his wife was the familys breadwinner as he was not employed.

Muchinguri-Kashiri is yet to respond to the letter.

The August 1 killings came after Mnangagwa had been credited with presiding over the most peaceful election process in post-independent Zimbabwe  where, for the first time, the opposition was able to campaign freely in rural areas which are traditional strongholds of the ruling Zanu PF.

Following the deaths, the opposition also asserted that suspected security agents had targeted senior MDC Alliance officials and polling agents in a violent programme following the insistence by opposition leader Nelson Chamisa that he had won the July 30 presidential election.

All this was seen by observers as harming Mnangagwas quest to mend years of Zimbabwes political and economic isolation by Western governments.

Prior to this, analysts had said the 76-year-old Zanu PF leader had done enough to project himself and his administration as being significantly different from Mugabe  who was universally accused of despotism and running Zimbabwe into the ground.

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The Electoral Court has dismissed with costs the electoral petition lodged by MDC Alliance candidate, Gift Konjana, for the Chegutu West constituency national assembly seat in the 2018 harmonised polls.

Konjana was seeking the invalidation of Dexter Ndunas victory in the 2018 polls.

Zec had initially announced Nduna as the winner with 10 932 votes, and Konjana with 10 828 votes, before the latter challenged the result, claiming Zec mixed up the figures. But while Zec reportedly admitted to have made an error, the electoral body advised Konjana that the results could only be overturned by the Electoral Court.

According to a V23 form  the basis upon which the declaration was made  Nduna won the seat by 10 932 votes ahead of Konjana who garnered 10 828.

But the MDC Alliance candidate has alleged a tabulation error occurred and prejudiced him of 120 votes erroneously awarded to one Simon Kache of UCADPGPZ. Information at hand suggests that Kache got a single vote at a polling station while Konjana polled 121, but the data was mixed up. Had the mix-up not occurred, Nduna could have lost the race by four votes, but he won by a margin of 116 votes.

In the ruling of the Electoral Court handed down by Justice Mary Zimba Dube, the petition lodged by Konjana did not meet the rules governing election petitions.

The petitioner sought an order setting aside the declaration by the Constituency Elections Officer of Dexter Nduna as the duly elected member of the national assembly for Chegutu West constituency in the harmonised elections held on 30 July 2018.

Additionally, the petitioner sought an order of the court declaring him the duly elected member of the national assembly for Chegutu West constituency.

Konjana also sought the Registrar of the Electoral Court to be directed to serve a copy of the order nullifying Ndunas victory to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Clerk of Parliament of Zimbabwe and finally he sought for the respondents to bear the costs of the suit.

In her order, Justice Dube found the petition fatally defective in that it did not comply with the requirements of Rule 21.

She registered her misgivings at the failure by the applicants lawyers to follow the rules of practice.

She added that the arrangement of the petition failed to meet the strict rules of procedure and therefore the court was left with no option but to dismiss the matter before delving into its merits as the courts residual power to condone infractions in electoral matters is curtailed.

The court dismissed the petition with costs and ordered the Registrar of the Electoral Court to serve a copy of the court order on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and Clerk of the Parliament of Zimbabwe.

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This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1204 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, increasing our staffing, also known as burnout prevention

Theresa May has finally managed to unite the Tories. Sadly, its against her latest Brexit fudge-making idea, to extend the transition period to 2021 allow more time to negotiate a trade pact. Another year wouldnt be enough additional time to achieve a trade agreement unless the UK capitulated to EU terms. And a big motivation for this idea seemed to be to try to kick the Irish border can down the road.

As well get to later in this post, the press has filed more detailed reports on the EUs reactions to Mays nothing new speech at the European Council summit on Wednesday. The reactions seem to be more sober; recall the first takes were relief that nothing bad happened and at least everyone was trying to put their best foot forward. Nerkel also pressed Ireland and the EU to be more flexible over the Irish border question but Marcon took issue with her position. However, they both then went to a outdoor cafe and had beers for two hours.

Mays longer transition scheme vehemently criticized across Tory factions and by the DUP. Even pro-Remain Tories are opposed. The press had a field day. From the Telegraph:

Theresa May was on Thursday evening increasingly isolated over her plan to keep Britain tied to the EU for longer as she was savaged by both wings of her party and left in the cold by EU leaders The move enraged Brexiteers who said it would cost billions, and angered members of the Cabinet who said they had not formally agreed the plan before she offered it up as a bargaining chip. Mrs May also faced a potential mutiny from Tory MPs north of the border, including David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, who said the proposal was unacceptable because it would delay the UKs exit from the hated Common Fisheries Policy.

From The Times, Revolt grows over Theresa Mays handling of Brexit talks:

Theresa May is facing the most perilous week of her premiership after infuriating all sections of her party by making further concessions to Brussels. Her offer to extend the transition period after Brexit  made without cabinet approval  enraged Remain and Leave Tory MPs alike.

And Politics Home, DUP reject moves to extend Brexit transition period in fresh blow for Theresa May Politics Home:

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds has rejected calls for the post-Brexit transition period to be extended, claiming it would cost the UK billions and not break the Irish border deadlock. His comments came after Tory MPs on all wings of the party also rejected extending the transition period. Former minister Nick Boles, who campaigned for Remain in the 2016 referendum, told the Today programme: Im afraid shes losing the confidence now of colleagues of all shades of opinion  people whove been supportive of her throughout this process  they are close to despair at the state of this negotiation. Brexiteer MP Andrea Jenkyns tweeted: Back in July, myself and 36 colleagues signed a letter to the Prime Minister setting out our red lines  and that was one of them. Its completely ridiculous. Scottish Tories say they would veto an extension to the Brexit transition period in support of their fisherman.

And apparently the European Council didnt take the extension idea seriously. City AM reported that European Council president Donald Tusk said it wasnt discussed after May left.

And members of the hard-core Brexit faction are also up in arms about May conceding that an Irish border backstop cant be time limited. From The Sun:

Theresa May has conceded the Irish backstop cannot have an end date, risking the threat of fresh Cabinet resignations. The PM told Leo Varadkar she accepted Brussels demands that any fallback border solution cannot be time-limited.  But a fudge could cost Mrs May two eurosceptic Cabinet ministers, with Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom threatening to resign if theres not a set end date.

Merkel pushes for more Brussels-Ireland flexibility while Macron disagrees. I am at risk of seeming unduly wedded to my priors, but Merkels effort at an intervention came off like a clueless CEO telling subordinates who have been handed a nearly-impossible task that they need to get more creative. While Merkel is correct to point out that no-deal = hard Irish border, an outcome no one wants, she does not appear to comprehend that the sea border, which is politically fraught for the UK, is the only alternative that does not create ginormous problems for the EU. Merkels seeming lack of comprehension may reflect the fact that EU nations dont handle trade negotiations. From the Financial Times:

At an EU summit dinner and in later public remarks, the German chancellor expressed concerns about the blocs stand-off with the UK over the Irish backstop, a fallback measure intended to ensure no hard border divides Ireland if other solutions fail. This has become the biggest outstanding issue in the talks. Three diplomats said that at the Wednesday night dinner Ms Merkel indicated that the EU and the Republic of Ireland should rethink their approach on Northern Ireland to avoid a fundamental clash with London. Ms Merkel also signalled her concerns in a press conference on Thursday, highlighting that if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal a hard border for Northern Ireland could be inevitable. If you dont have an agreement you dont have a satisfactory answer [to the border issue] either, she said, noting that on Northern Ireland we all need an answer. Diplomats said the German chancellor was more forceful about the issue at the Brexit dinner, although some other leaders remained puzzled about the chancellors intentions.

The Financial Times also said that the UK and Germany would meet Thursday to discuss a way out of the Brexit impasse. Given that Barnier has offered a lot of new ideas in last month, it is hard to see how anything new could be cooked up, unless the UK hopes to sell Germany on its already-rejected techno vaporware idea.

Macron made clear he was not on the same page. Again from the Financial Times:

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, struck a more uncompromising tone. Its not for the EU to make some concessions to deal with a British political issue. I cant be more clear on this, he said. Now the key element for a final deal is on the British side, because the key element is a British political compromise.

Vardakar also made a statement after the dinner that reaffirmed the importance of the EU affirming the principles of the single market. From The Times:

The European Union would have huge difficulties in agreeing to extend the Northern Irish backstop to the rest of the UK, the taoiseach has warned. Leo Varadkar said he did not think any country or union would be asked to sign up to an agreement that would give the UK access to the single market while also allowing it to undercut the EU across a range of areas including state aid competition, labour laws and environmental standards. I would feel very strongly about this, as a European as well as an Irishman: you couldnt have a situation whereby the UK had access to the single market  which is our market  and at the same time was able to undercut us in terms of standards, whether they were environmental standards, labour laws, or state aid competition. I dont think any country or any union would be asked to accept that, Mr Varadkar said in Brussels.

Robert Peston deems odds of crash out high; sees only escape route as customs union Brexit. Robert Peston, who is one of the UKs best connected political reporters, described in a new piece at ITV how May has at best a narrow path to avoiding a disorderly Brexit, and that is what he calls a customs union Brexit. I am sure if Richard North saw that, hed be tearing his hair, since he has been describing for months why a customs union does not solve the problem that virtually everyone who talks in up in UK thinks it solves, namely, conferring frictionless trade.

One key point in his analysis is that the UK will also have to accept a blind Brexit, meaning a very fuzzy statement of what the future relationship will be. The EU had offered that in the last month or so, presumably as a fudge to allow May to get the various wings of her coalition to agree to something. But Peston says its too late to do anything else. From ITV:

Hello from Brussels and the EU Council that promised a Brexit breakthrough and delivered nothing. So on the basis of conversations with well-placed sources, this is how I think the Brexit talks are placed (WARNING: if you are fearful of a no-deal Brexit, or are of a nervous disposition, stop reading now): 1) Forget about having any clue when we leave about the nature and structure of the UKs future trading relationship with the EU. The government heads of the EU27 have rejected Chequers. Wholesale. And they regard it as far too late to put in place the building blocks of that future relationship before we leave on 29 March 2019. So any Political Declaration on the future relationship will be waffly, vague and general. It will be what so many MPs detest: a blind Brexit. The PM may say that wont happen. No one here (except perhaps her own Downing St team) believes her.

Erm, that alone may be a deal killer. We quoted this section of a Politico article on October 10:

5. Future relationship  Blind Brexit Opposed: Brexiteers, Tory Remainers, the Labour Party, Theresa May

Ill let our astute readers give their reactions to Pestons recommendation to May:

3) There is no chance of the EU abandoning its insistence that there should be a backstop  with no expiry date  of Northern Ireland, but not Great Britain, remaining in the Customs Union and the single market. That would involve the introduction of the commercial border in the Irish Sea that May says must never be drawn. 4) All efforts therefore from the UK are aimed at putting in place other arrangements to make it impossible for that backstop to be introduced. 5) Her ruse for doing this is the creation of another backstop that would involve the whole of the UK staying in something that looks like the customs union. 6) But she feels cannot commit to keeping the UK in the customs union forever, because her Brexiter MPs wont let her. So it does not work as a backstop. And anyway the Article 50 rules say that the Withdrawal Agreement must not contain provisions for a permanent trading relationship between the whole of the UK and the EU. Which is a hideous Catch 22. 7) There is a solution. She could ignore her Brexiter critics and announce the UK wanted written into the Political Declaration  not the Withdrawal Agreement  that we would be staying permanently in the customs union. This is one bit of specificity the rest of the EU would allow into the Political Declaration. And it could be nodded at in the Withdrawal Agreement. 8) But if she announces we are staying in the Customs Union she would be crossing her reddest of red lines because she would have to abandon her ambition of negotiating free trade deals with non-EU countries. Liam Fox would be made redundant. 9) She knows, because her Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins has told her, that her best chance  probably her only chance of securing a Brexit deal  is to sign up for the customs union. 10) In its absence, no-deal Brexit is massively in play. 11) But a customs-union Brexit deal would see her Brexiter MPs become incandescent with fury. 12) Labour of course would be on the spot, since its one practical Brexit policy is to stay in the Customs Union. 13) This therefore is Mays Robert Peel moment. She could agree a Customs Union Brexit and get it through Parliament with Labour support  while simultaneously cleaving her own party in two.

Finally, in an elegiac piece, Richard North contends that the UK didnt need to wind up where it is:

A reader takes me to task for making comparisons between the Brexit negotiations and the Allied invasion of Normandy Yet it is precisely because Mrs May seems to have chosen an adversarial route rather than a consensual process that I have projected her failings in militaristic terms.. In reality, it would have been best to approach the Brexit process not so much as the end of a relationship as a redefinition, where the need to continue close cooperation continues, even if it is to be structured on a different basis Here, though, lies the essential problem. The EU, as a treaty-based organisation, does not have the flexibility to change its own rules just to suit the needs of one member, and especially one which is seeking to leave the Union. Yet, on the other hand, the UK government has political constraints which prevent it making concessions which would allow the EU to define a new relationship But, having put herself in a position where she is demanding something that the EU cannot give, she herself has no alternative but to adopt an adversarial stance  if for no other reason than to show her own political allies and critics that she is doing her best to resolve an impossible situation.

If there is a light at the end of this tunnel, it sure looks like the headlight of an oncoming train, the Brexit end date bearing down on the principals.
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1202 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, increasing our staffing, also known as burnout prevention.

By Gaius Publius, a professional writer living on the West Coast of the United States and frequent contributor to DownWithTyranny, digby, Truthout, and Naked Capitalism. Follow him on Twitter @Gaius_Publius, Tumblr and Facebook. GP article archive here. Originally published at DownWithTyranny

Donald Trump on NAFTA. That was then; this is now.

NAFTA 2.0 is on the horizon, and I wanted to offer an update courtesy of Public Citizens Trade Watch, the best go-to source on trade agreement issues. Their infographic is here. Click here for their full analysis. Im excerpting the relevant details below.

Bottom line: The NAFTA 2.0 draft is a mixed bag and will need fixing. It does improve the original agreement, but not by much.

Public Citizen begins this way (emphasis mine):

NAFTA 2.0 Text Analysis How does NAFTA 2.0 text measure up against the essential changes we have demanded to stop NAFTAs ongoing damage? After a year of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations, the September 30 publication of a revised text revealed some improvements that progressives have long demanded, damaging terms we have long opposed and important unfinished business. This NAFTA 2.0 text is not the transformational replacement of the corporate-rigged trade-pact model that we have demanded. But if we fight to get swift and certain enforcement of the pacts new labor standards  and achieve some other key improvements  then the final package Congress will vote on early next year could stop some of NAFTAs continuing, serious damage to people across North America. Phase II of the battle to replace NAFTA and stop its ongoing job-killing, wage-crushing, environment-trashing destruction starts now!

Congress will vote on this agreement next year, providing Democrats with one more opportunity to show millennials that the Democratic Party is worth supporting in 2020. (Nancy Pelosi, take note: youll want to oppose this deal.)

Investor-State Dispute Settlement Clauses

Ive written quite a bit about investor-state dispute settlement clausesin trade agreements. These provisions give investors (corporations) the right to sue states (sovereign nations) for lost future profits in special trade tribunals, whose decisions cannot be appealed in any nations court system. In effect, thanks to ISDS clauses, NAFTA court decisions trump the U.S. Supreme Court  a clear and obvious corporate attack on national sovereignty itself. ISDS clauses must be eliminated in their entirety.

Where does the current NAFTA draft agreement stand with respect to ISDS tribunals?

Corporate Powers and Privileges We demanded an end to NAFTAs Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) regime that grants corporations rights to attack our laws and demand unlimited taxpayer compensation.

So, some good, some bad. This is a critical issue; again, whats at stake is national sovereignty versus corporate control. (Full Public Citizen analysis of this issue here.)

Job Outsourcing

Public Citizen wants an agreement that completely eliminates incentives to send jobs to other countries  in NAFTAs case, to low-wage Mexico. How does the revised draft agreement measure up?

All those question marks above relate to provisions that are good but not enforceable. Id make them Xs if I were doing the chart, but Public Citizen may be more hopeful than I am of getting them changed for the better. (More analysis of these items here.)

Climate Change and the Environment

The current NAFTA agreement was as terrible for the environment as it was for jobs. Using NAFTA tribunals, corporations could punish (or threaten to punish) nations, states, counties and municipalities for passing and enforcing environmental regulations that cut into corporate profits.

In the new agreement, some of that has changed  but only some:



As you may have noticed, theres nothing here about climate change.

Access to Affordable Medicine, Food Safety, Consumer Protection

On the issues of access to affordable medicine and food safety, the new agreement is terrible. About medicine, the new agreement:

Grants Big Pharma new monopolies that lock in bad U.S. policies keep prescription drug prices high and imposes those policies on Mexico and Canada.

Adds a new 10-year monopoly period for biologic medicines that could deny consumers affordable access to live-saving medicines.

Grants additional Big Pharma handouts that block access to cheaper generic drugs.

Includes rules for pharmaceutical firms to participate in government healthcare programs drug pricing and listing decision processes  but these terms are not enforceable.

A gift to Big Pharma, or a big wet kiss, depending on your degree of frustration. (More on the medicine clauses here.)

About food safety, same thing. The draft agreement:

Maintains NAFTA terms that undermine domestic food safety and inspection policies and adds new limits.

Maintains NAFTA rules that require the U.S. to accept food imports that do not meet U.S. safety or inspection standards.

Maintains NAFTAs limits on border food inspection and adds new rules limiting audits of NAFTA countries food safety programs.

Fails to fix roll backs of U.S. food labeling policies that previously were trade-challenged by Canada and Mexico, including country-of-origin labels for meat and dolphin-safe labels for tuna. New terms could threaten GMO labeling.

Another wet kiss. (More on the food safety clauses here.)

About consumer protection from imported goods  in other words, can you trust imported products to meet the same standards for safety as domestic ones  theres very little good to report. The draft agreement:

Maintains old NAFTA rules that undermine consumer safeguards and adds more.

Fixes a longstanding problem related to environmental and safety concerns with Mexico-domiciled trucks.

Fails to include a new exception protecting public interest policies that are challenged as illegal trade barriers.

The second item above is a plus, but its minor compared to the rest. (More on the consumer protection clauses here.)

And of course, this agreement has no meaningful sunset clause.

All in all this is a very bad deal, though slightly better than the truly horrible deal the previous agreement represented. Anyone who thought that for all his flaws, Trump would at least come through on trade  was mistaken.
Thanks to your speedy and generous response, particularly today to the Sarah Henry challenge, weve met our first four targets: funding for essential IT support and improvements; travel and site coverage expenses for meetups and conferences; and bonuses to site writers like Lambert, Jerri-Lynn Scofield, and Outis, support for the comments section, and expanding our reach. And we just passed our original target of contributors 1100 contributor for this fundraiser (were now at 1121), were raising the donor target to 1250.

We are grateful to have gotten not only some big contributions but also a large number of smaller donations. Those are often particularly meaningful, since those donors often tell us they are on limited budgets but want to do what they can to support this community. Please give now at our Tip Jar if you havent had a chance to do so yet, by check, credit or debit card, or PayPal.

And remember, if you arent in a position to chip in financially, you can help by sharing what youve learned here with the people you know.

We are on our way to meeting our sixth target, support for extra manpower so we can keep the make our 365 day a year, just about 24/7 coverage more sustainable. If Yves the publisher and Yves the employee were two different people, Yves the employee would have gone on strike a long time ago.

You may have heard of karoshi, a Japanese word that translates roughly into death by overwork. The Guardian reported on this phenomenon last week:

Japan has again been forced to confront its work culture after labour inspectors ruled that the death of a 31-year-old journalist at the countrys public broadcaster, NHK, had been caused by overwork. Miwa Sado, who worked at the broadcasters headquarters in Tokyo, logged 159 hours of overtime and took only two days off in the month leading up to her death from heart failure in July 2013. Sados death is expected to increase pressure on Japanese authorities to address the large number of deaths attributed to the punishingly long hours expected of many employees.

We dont want to get you overly worried, but Yves cant remember the last day she had off. The last social outing she had was over the July 4 weekend.in 2016. She was able to go to Maine for a week this year and eat lobsters (she actually prefers the dry scallops) and see the beautiful scenery, but she was helping to mind her feisty 89 year old mother and still managing her torrential flow of daily e-mails. So this was a break but still short of real downtime.

Even though your generous support of the site have allowed her to have a day off from posting every week, plus another half day every other week, and shift more of daily Links duty to Lambert, this hasnt translated into more personal time for Yves. Even on her days off from posting, Yves is catching up on site admin, catching up on e-mails, sometimes catching up on research, and often vetting story ideas or articles pitched to her.

One of the reasons that the site consumes more writing/production time than in the past is that weve kept improving our output and expanding our beats. Our Links section used to be 25-30 links. It is now 45 to 50. That translates into an extra hour to two of work every day. Similarly, in the runup to the crisis, when anyone who knew about finance was a one-eyed man in the land of the blind, many of our posts had only a few hundred words of commentary on an extract or extracts from news articles. Now, a significant portion of what Naked Capitalism does is quick turn-around political economy analysis of a very high caliber. We often produce think tank level work but with the aim of stripping away obfuscation and holding people accountable. That means more writer time on average per post.

Put it another way: a typical working year for a full time person is assumed to be 225-250 work days. That is still very stingy by world standards, since 250 days amounts to every weekend off plus two weeks of vacation, with no allowance for national holidays. Even with the very helpful support youve provided in the past to help make the site less dependent on Yves alone, Yves has been working at a burnout-inducing level for far too many years.

And its not just Yves. Outis, who is much younger and came on board this year to help with comments, has also shown showing stress-related overwork symptoms.

And sick days? Fuggedaboudit. Even when she had a bad cornea scratch and then edema in her cornea which made it hard to read. Yves was fortunate that Lambert and Jerri-Lynn were able to run in on an emergency basis at the worst times, but Yves still had to find a way to do a lot of the work even though her vision wasnt up to par during the recovery period.

We joke that we run the site with 1.6 people, which is a less pointed way of flagging that we provide a remarkable level of output and the consistency of coverage with very thin resources. The amount we are seeking for this target, $21,000, is the same meager level for weekend, holiday, and shit happens support that we asked for last year. We hope youll recognize how essential this is and donate generously to keep Yves in fighting fettle and have other talented writers like Lambert and Jerri-Lynn Scofield contribute more regularly. We are already $8450 towards meeting this target.

There are multiple ways to give. The first is here on the blog, the Tip Jar, which takes you to PayPal. There you can use a debit card, a credit card or a PayPal account (the charge will be in the name of Aurora Advisors).

You can also send a check (or multiple post dated checks, if you want to spread out payments) in the name of Aurora Advisors Incorporated to

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Our sick days, weekend and vacation coverage target is $21,000, and we are already over $8450 towards that goal. Thanks SO much for your generous support!
By Marshall Auerback, a market analyst and commentator

Ill readily admit this is a personal post. One of the few, if not the only, good things to come out of the 2008 financial crisis was my introduction to Naked Capitalism and its proprietor, Yves Smith. In contrast to virtually all of the Pollyannish commentary out there (remember when Ben Bernanke estimated that losses from the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the United States would be around $100bn?), NC gave a much better read of the extent of the problems well before the MSM, as well as identifying and excoriating all sorts of perps, by name (like Robert Khuzami, who was the SECs head of enforcement under Obama, now making news as the prosecutor who nailed Michael Cohen). Naked Capitalism also documented multiple legal theories that were eminently well-suited to prosecuting TBTF executives. The more I came to read her blog, the more impressed I came to be with the scope of breadth of the coverage of the mounting crisis, as well forming a friendship with a person, whose integrity and scholarship is second to none. So I hope you will give generously to Naked Capitalism; the Tip Jar tells you how.

Its wrong to say that Naked Capitalisms coverage ultimately made a difference, if one is to judge by the state of affairs today. But history will treat Yvess accounts much more kindly, especially when the next crisis comes, as it most assuredly will.

Why do I express unhappy confidence that a new crisis will soon be upon us? Because if one is to read the voluminous commentaries that have emerged in the last few weeks, as the aftermath of Lehmans demise has been recounted. Most disturbing has been the reticence of policy makers at the time, with the benefit of hindsight, to recognize that there was a better approach than simply restoring the status quo ante via bank bailouts which demanded nothing of private creditors, but punished private debtors  socialism for the rich, capitalism for the rest of us.

As George Soros and the President of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET), Rob Johnson have argued: a critical opportunity was missed when the balance of the burden of adjustment was tilted heavily in favor of creditors relative to debtors in the response to the crisis and that this contributed to the prolonged stagnation that followed the crisis. The long-term social and political ramifications of this missed opportunity have been profound. Unlike the Savings & Loan crisis, there was no private sector loss recognition. Then Treasury Secretary Geithner falsely claimed that there were only 2 options: bailouts or letting the system collapse.

That was a false choice. As Soros & Johnson point out, much more effective and fair use of taxpayers money would have been to reduce the value of mortgages held by ordinary Americans to reflect the decline in home prices and to inject capital into the financial institutions that would become undercapitalized. Yes, this might have exposed the full extent of the banks liabilities and might well have forced FDIC style restructurings, which ultimately would have resulted in changed management, and a break-up of Too Big To Fail Banks (and likely no To Big to Jail bank executives). Tim Geithner, Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke and Larry Summers to this day resist the idea that adopting FDIC style reforms, which would have provided a rational resolution to the foreclosure crisis (albeit, at a cost of destroying the capital base of the big Wall Street banks). Summers dismissed these ideas as something akin to socialism

Faced with the choice of preserving the financial industry as it was or embracing far-reaching reforms that would have served the interests of those who voted for him, Barack Obama, the change you can believe in President, chose the former. Not only did that taint every government initiative undertaken in the aftermath of the bailouts (such as healthcare), but it created an undercurrent of cynicism, political disillusionment and anger that ultimately paved the way for Donald Trump. Of course, Trumps cabinet of corrupt billionaires has done no better. But even as #TheResistance has risen to protest the rise of his profoundly corrupt presidency, we should not pretend it is replacing something that was popular or effective. The old normal was not working. The nostalgia for the Obamas in the White House is not a yearning for Obamas policies.

In todays highly tribalised environment, it is hard to get many in the mainstream media to recognize this fundamental truth. Criticism of any financial reforms undertaken by the Obama Administration is now seen as de facto endorsement of Trump or #MAGA. Its nothing of the sort and Naked Capitalism is one of the few publications that has managed to maintain its moral bearings and speak truth to power, even when it is unpopular to do so. In this day of fake news, not only does NC remain worthy of your support, but essential to provide ongoing financial support so that Yves and her colleagues can continue their important mission.

Theres no question that articulating a view that diverges widely from a prevailing consensus can be painful. Heaven knows, as an ardent and vocal supporter of Modern Monetary Theory in the blogosphere, it was often personally painful, exhausting and dispiriting for me (and others, such as Randy Wray, Warren Mosler, Rob Parenteau, Scott Fullwiler, and many more) taking on anonymous trolls, who substituted debate for mendacity and vicious personal attacks of the worst kind. But it was always good to know that I had a supportive editor like Yves, who always had my back as well as the intellectual self-confidence (and, indeed, brilliance) to help me and others take on the onslaught.

Later she was joined by some great people like Matt Stoller, Dave Dayen, Lambert Strether, and others, all of them helped to make Naked Capitalism a intelligent platform which encouraged free but fair-minded debate, a venue where new ideas could be debated honestly and intelligently. And in many respects helped move the debate forward in a very positive direction. Yves Smith deserves a huge amount of credit for making NC that kind of venue and for that reason, she shall always have my loyalty, friendship, and support for this blog going forward. Its been 10 years since weve collaborated together and become good friends as an additional bonus. Long may it continue! Please do your part to make sure it does. Share articles and what you learn here with people you know. And give generously to this fundraiser. Whatever you can contribute, $5, $50, or $5000, all helps keep Naked Capitalism an important voice for all of us.
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1203 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, increasing our staffing, also known as burnout prevention

By run75441. Originally published at Angry Bear

A Federal Courtcleared the way for students who have been defrauded by for-profit institutions (I hesitate to call them schools).

This court ruling is a major victory for thousands of students across the country who were defrauded by predatory for-profit colleges taking advantage of our broken student loan system. We commend Attorney General Maura Healey for her leadership fighting for students who were left with thousands of dollars in debt after their for-profit colleges collapsed. The federal student loan system creates perverse incentives that enable bad actors to prey on students. Without adequate protections for students, these predatory corporations will continue to base their business models on the availability of these loans, with little commitment to providing quality education.

These Obama-era protections and remedies were being blocked by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. U.S. District Judge Randolph Mossrejected a request by for-profit college representatives to halt the regulations. Even with the win, the answer from the Department of Education is arrogant in response. Student loan servicers do not hesitate a moment to penalize a borrower with penalties and fees if the are late.

DeVos and conservatives have said the Obama-era policies are unfair to colleges and too costly for taxpayers. She has proposed creating a stricter standard for fraud claims and eliminating the ban on mandatory arbitration agreements. But DeVos push to finalize those revised regulations has hit an unexpected snag that will delay having a replacement policy on the books by another year. The Education Department said it wont meet a key Nov. 1 regulatory deadline, meaning that the replacement regulations arent likely to take effect until July 2020 at the earliest.

Hopefully the State Attorneys and others can convince the Judge to hold Betsy DeVos in contempt for not activating the courts requirements in a reasonable amount of time less than 2 years.
The Book of Kells Creative Competition 2017 winner Saoirse Edmond from Tipperary has called on Tipperary creatives to enter a unique cultural competition.

The Book of Kells Creative Competition 2018 is open to budding artists and writers of all ages and last year attracted a phenomenal 1,500 entries from every county in Ireland, as well as the US and UK.

Now in its second year, the Book of Kells Creative Competition is open to all age groups under two categories.

The first category is an art competition which invites participants to share a modern and innovative drawing, sketch or painting inspired by the scribes use of images of animals depicted in the manuscript.

The second category is a writing competition which invites participants to write a poem or short story also centred on the animals in the manuscript. The Book of Kells contains beautiful representations of animals ranging from the everyday such as cats, calves and goats to the majestic and menacing such as lions, lizards, serpents, stags and wolves and judges will be looking for modern interpretations of these images.

The competition is open to primary school, secondary school and adult entries and can be entered through schools or as an individual. There is a range of fantastic prizes to be won in each category for individuals, schools and clubs & societies including cash prizes, VIP trips, certificates of merit and a special invitation to the awards ceremony in Trinity College Dublin.

The Book of Kells is Irelands greatest unique cultural treasure and Saoirse Edmond who placed 2nd in last years writing category has issued a call to fellow Tipperary writers and artists to enter this unique competition.

Last year I entered the Book of Kells Creative Competition with my piece of writing entitled Breath of a Book. I really enjoyed the experience and I would encourage anyone to enter. In fact, I plan to enter the competition again this year and Ive been working on my entry! Ive been to see the Book of Kells several times and its incredible.

If you are thinking of entering the competition, I would recommend a visit to the Book of Kells exhibition for inspiration. The competition gave me the opportunity to pursue my passion for writing, and it was great fun.

Commenting on the call for entries, Sharon Ni Bheolain, RTE Newsreader and Presenter, who will judge all competition entries says: The Book of Kells is the jewel in our cultural crown and Im so excited to see it interpreted through the eyes of all the students and adults who take part in this competition.

Adding to the commentary, Trinitys Professor Darryl Jones, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Scienceswho will judge the written competition said; This competition reflects the enduring inspiration of the Book of Kells for people of all ages. The symbolism inherent to the animals throughout the manuscript gives huge creative scope to participants. Whether those who enter choose to story tell in the form of poetry or a short story the key for judges is a modern interpretation without losing your own individual style and vision in the piece.
NATO Headquarters, Wednesday 24 October 2018  9:00 (local time)

The Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will hold a press conference to brief the media ahead of the upcoming NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2018. The exercise will unfold from 25 October to 7 November in central and eastern Norway; the surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden. More information is available at https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_158620.htm.

Location  NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Main Press Theatre

Coverage and distribution

The press briefing will be available in original sound and as well as English and French interpretation live on NATOs website. Original sound, as well as an English, French and Russian version will be available on the NATO website after the event.

Accreditation and access

Media representatives in possession of a new 2018 NATO media pass can access to the NATO HQ directly by tapping their badge at the turnstiles (NATO HQ Guard House South, media entrance, full address below).

Media representatives not in possession of a new 2018 NATO media pass can replace their old 2018 permanent badge by following the instructions in Annex 1.

Media representatives not permanently accredited and wishing to attend the event are invited to request ad-hoc accreditation directly at the main entrance of NATO HQ on 24 October, starting from 08:00. They will have to present an ID and a valid press card (provided by a recognised national professional body of a NATO country  i.e. Government, Professional association, Union of journalists).

Media representatives not in possession of a valid press card are invited to send a signed letter from their editor to the NATO Accreditation Office, no later than Tuesday 23 October  15:00 (Brussels time) to NATOaccreditations@hq.nato.int

Media representatives should be aware that a security check will take place, and security personnel will examine equipment and personal effects carried onto the site.

Points of contact

Accreditation Office: NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int

Press arrangements: Mr. Jean-Philippe Juneau - Tel: +32 (0)2 707 17 64

General Queries: Front Office - Tel: +32 (0)2 707 50 41

Video on demand: content@natochannel.tv - +32 (0)2 707 12 27

Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress

*****

Annex 1

Replacement of old 2018 permanent NATO media passes

When: You can collect your new 2018 badge at the new NATO HQ Guard House South (GHS) until Wednesday 31 October.

Where: The GHS Pass Office opening hours are 06:00 until 19:00 (Monday to Friday, least busy times usually in the afternoon). The GHS is at the main entrance of the new NATO HQ (full address below).

How:

Please bring your old 2018 badge (if applicable) with you to exchange for the new one

Please bring a copy of the confirmation email from NATO Accreditation Office and a valid ID

A new photograph will be taken on site

Points of contact

If you have any technical questions about access and pass procedures, please contact Mr. David Demeulemeester NATO Pass Office (NPO) +32 (0) 2 707 3777, or his Deputy Ms. Sandy Deneys +32 (0) 2 707 4878, or the NATO Press Team on +32 (0)2 707 8346.

Address of the New NATO HQ:

NATO/OTAN

Boulevard Leopold III

B-1110 Brussels  Belgium
On Monday, 22 October 2018, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will hold a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, H.E. Professor Jacek Czaputowicz.

There will be no media opportunity.

Photos of the meeting will be available on the NATO website after the event.

Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg)
Researchers reporting in Current Biology have described a remarkable new species of fish that lived in the sea about 150 million years ago in the time of the dinosaurs. The new species of bony fish had teeth like a piranha, which the researchers suggest they used as piranhas do: to bite off chunks of flesh from other fish.

As further support for that notion, the researchers also found the victims: other fish that had apparently been nibbled on in the same limestone deposits in South Germany (the quarry of Ettling in the Solnhofen region) where this piranha-like fish was found.

"We have other fish from the same locality with chunks missing from their fins," says David Bellwood of James Cook University, Australia "This is an amazing parallel with modern piranhas, which feed predominantly not on flesh but the fins of other fishes. It's a remarkably smart move as fins regrow, a neat renewable resource. Feed on a fish and it is dead; nibble its fins and you have food for the future."

The newly described fish is part of the world-famous collections in the Jura-Museum in Eichstatt. It comes from the same limestone deposits that contained Archaeopteryx.

Careful study of the fossilized specimen's well-preserved jaws revealed long, pointed teeth on the exterior of the vomer, a bone forming the roof of the mouth, and at the front of both upper and lower jaws. Additionally, there are triangular teeth with serrated cutting edges on the prearticular bones that lie along the side of the lower jaw.

The tooth pattern and shape, jaw morphology, and mechanics suggest a mouth equipped to slice flesh or fins, the international team of researchers reports. The evidence points to the possibility that the early piranha-like fish may have exploited aggressive mimicry in a striking parallel to the feeding patterns of modern piranha.

"We were stunned that this fish had piranha-like teeth," says Martina Kolbl-Ebert of Jura-Museum Eichstatt (JME-SNSB). "It comes from a group of fishes (the pycnodontids) that are famous for their crushing teeth. It is like finding a sheep with a snarl like a wolf. But what was even more remarkable is that it was from the Jurassic. Fish as we know them, bony fishes, just did not bite flesh of other fishes at that time. Sharks have been able to bite out chunks of flesh but throughout history bony fishes have either fed on invertebrates or largely swallowed their prey whole. Biting chunks of flesh or fins was something that came much later."

Or, so it had seemed.

"The new finding represents the earliest record of a bony fish that bit bits off other fishes, and what's more it was doing it in the sea," Bellwood says, noting that today's piranhas all live in freshwater. "So when dinosaurs were walking the earth and small dinosaurs were trying to fly with the pterosaurs, fish were swimming around their feet tearing the fins or flesh off each other."

The researchers call the new find a "staggering example of evolutionary versatility and opportunism." With one of the world's best known and studied fossil deposits continuing to throw up such surprises, they intend to keep up the search for even more fascinating finds.
(Natural News) Ethiopian ethnomedicine treats malaria with concoctions derived from the medicinal herb Kleinia abyssinica. Researchers conducted a test on a mouse model to determine the antimalarial activity of various extracts and fractions from the root powder of this plant.

The Addis Ababa University supported their study. They published their paper in the Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Journal.

The powdered root of K. abyssinica plants was collected and processed to get an 80 percent crude methanol extract. Different solvent and alkaloid fractions were also obtained from the powder for testing.

Mice infected with Plasmodium berghei parasites were treated with the methanol extract, solvent fraction, and alkaloid fraction. The doses were 100, 200, 400, and 800 milligrams per kilogram per day. The treatment period lasted for four days, after which samples were taken from the mice for evaluation.

The crude methanol extract was able to greatly inhibit the demonstrable presence of parasites of P. berghei in the mice. Among the solvent fractions, the methanol and petroleum ether fractions suppressed the parasites more effectively than their acetone and chloroform fraction counterparts.

The alkaloid extract from the methanol fraction was the one that achieved maximum activity. All four doses significantly inhibited the growth of P. berghei when compared to the untreated mice.

Further testing determined that the effective dose (ED50) of alkaloid extract required to achieve 50 percent effect is 60.77 milligrams per kilogram per day.

The researchers stated that their results supported the therapeutic use of the root of Kleinia abyssinica in Ethiopian ethnomedicine. Furthermore, they believed that the alkaloids in the root contributed to the overall antimalarial activity of the plant extracts.

You can get more articles about other African medicinal plants and their therapeutic uses at AlternativeMedicine.news.

Journal Reference:

Wondimu K, Animut A, Asres K. ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY OF SOLVENT AND ALKALOID FRACTIONS OF KLEINIA ABYSSINICA. Ethiopian Pharmaceutical Journal. 11 July 2017;32(1):1. DOI: 10.4314/epj.v32i1.1
(Natural News) The pharmaceutical industry is fighting back against efforts by the Trump administration to make prescription medications more affordable for Americans.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) has reportedly issued a statement in opposition to calls for drug prices to be more clearly disclosed to the public, claiming that doing so would be misleading.

Just including list prices is not sufficient, is the argument being made by PhRMA CEO Stephen Ubl.

Since drug list prices rarely reflect what consumers actually pay through insurance, explains Breitbart.com, publishing honest drug price information could discourage patients from seeking needed medical attention.

PhRMA is proposing an alternative method of price disclosure that involves embedding drug advertising links that redirect potential customers to pages explaining a drugs list price, an expected range of possible patient out-of-pocket costs and financial support that is available to help consumers pay for their drugs.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar chastises Big Pharma, says real transparency is needed

But is this enough? Not according to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar, who called PhRMAs alternative proposition an attempt to avoid real transparency.

The drug industry remains resistant to honestly disclosing actual drug prices, he stated, including the sky-high list of prices that many patients pay.

So while the pharmaceutical industrys action today is a small step in the right direction, we will go further and continue to implement the presidents blueprint to deliver new transparency and put American patients first, Azar added.

PhRMA says price disclosure requirements violate First Amendment

PhRMA is none too happy with Azars agenda, and is now claiming personhood for the entire pharmaceutical industry in order to allege that the White House is trying to violate Big Pharmas First Amendment rights.

The concern is that if the government is compelling companies to speak, then that violates the First Amendment, PhRMA General Counsel James Stansel said in a public statement.

But not everyone is buying this free speech argument by Big Pharma, which has long maintained a government-sanctioned monopoly over medicine that allows the industry to rake in tens of billions of dollars in profits annually.

According to Harvard Medical School lawyer Ameet Sarpatwari, PhRMAs First Amendment argument is invalid, and would more than likely be rejected by any judge before which it might be presented.

Industry could challenge the proposal as unconstitutional compelled commercial speech, but it is doubtful that such a challenge would be successful, Sarpatwari is quoted as saying to Breitbart.com.

A strong argument exists that list prices are factual, uncontroversial information, in which case HHS would need only to show that the disclosure requirement is rationally related to legitimate government interest.

President Trumps pharmaceutical drug reform plans most comprehensive in presidential history

As we reported back in the summer, President Trump fully intends to fulfill the promise he made while campaigning to reign in out-of-control prescription drug prices.

At the time, Azar had announced that the Trump White Houses endeavors represent the most comprehensive effort to offer cheap medicines to the public in presidential history.

Look, the president is not interested in any kind of cheap political theatrics, Azar told Laura Ingraham during an interview on her show.

He wants results that really will deliver at the end of the day. You know, as appealing as some concepts might be on day one, you gotta play it out to, you know, to day 300 and see if its actually gonna save money.

For more news about what President Trump is doing for Americans that you wont hear about from the mainstream media, check out Trump.news.

You can also keep up with the latest Big Pharma news by visiting BigPharmaNews.com.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Researchers have a determined that a plant from India may have potent antibacterial properties. Their findings revealed that a large climbing shrub called piluki (Combretum album) can be used to fight pathogenic bacteria.

Due to the rampant misuse of prescription drugs, antibiotic immunity is quickly becoming a widespread public health concern. Pathogenic bacteria are now more resistant to antibiotics sold to treat bacterial infections. Aside from the careless use of antibiotics, other factors that affect their effectiveness include low potency and poor solubility, among others.

In response to this issue, scientists have turned to plant-based remedies as an alternative to commercially available antibiotics. Plants produce various potent secondary metabolites, the active ingredients of herbal medicines. Several studies have shown that there are plant extracts with antibacterial activity, and these substances have often been used to address diabetes, fungal infection, vector-borne diseases, and other life-threatening conditions.

Herbal medicines made from medicinal plants may be used to help cure diseases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These natural remedies can also be used to provide primary health care for at least three-quarters of individuals living in developing countries.

From 1983 to 1994, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved various plant-based herbal drugs and semi-synthetically produced drugs. These natural remedies made up about 78 percent of the new drugs approved by the FDA, highlighting the fact that some herbs with proven antimicrobial properties are key to addressing illnesses caused by microbes. (Related: Spearmints antibacterial properties prove useful against food-borne pathogens.)

Piluki has antibacterial properties

The piluki plant is a tiny climbing shrub that belongs to the plant family Combretaceae. Piluki, like other species of Combretum, is used to treat conditions such as diarrhea, digestive disorder, and inflammation. Piluki grows in East Asian countries and in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Southern China, and Sri Lanka.

Piluki leaves are used to treat bilious hematuric malarial fever, which is caused by the unicellular protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The bark and leaves of the plant have antioxidant and cytotoxic properties.

Effects of piluki on bacterial strains

For the study, researchers analyzed piluki leaves to determine their antimicrobial properties against several pathogenic bacteria. The research team posited that if plant extracts from piluki can fight the bacterial strains, it can be used to develop a herbal drug that will prevent diseases caused by bacteria.

The researchers gathered fresh and mature piluki leaves from the Joypur forest area in Bankura, West Bengal, from February to March 2017. Professor Dr. Ambarish Mukherjee, from the Department of Botany, at The University of Burdwan, identified the plant. The fresh leaves were rinsed in distilled water, with excess water soaked on a paper towel. The clean piluki leaves were then ground using an electrical blender and filtered using Whatmans number-1 filter paper. The piluki leaves were to produce hot aqueous extract, cold aqueous extract, and ethanol extract for testing.

The researchers tested three human pathogenic bacterial strains: Bacillus subtilis (MTCC 441), Escherichia coli (MTCC 739), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MTCC 2453). The team also used four fish pathogenic bacterial strains: B. licheniformis (MTCC 530), B. mycoides (MTCC 7343), P. putida (MTCC 1654), and P. fluorescens (MTCC 103).

The bacterial strains were tested to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), which showed antimicrobial activity against the test isolates via broth dilution method with slight modifications. Each culture was diluted in a Mueller-Hinton broth. MIC values were taken as the lowest concentration of the extracts revealed no growth in the tube and the experiment was repeated thrice to authenticate the data.

For the antibiotic susceptibility test, the researchers used the disc diffusion method. Standard antimicrobial sensitivity analyzed the effects of antibiotics from HiMedia Laboratories Limited. What followed was the measurement of the zone of inhibition formed by the test bacteria around the standard antibiotic discs.

The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR), the most accurate tool for determining the types of chemical bonds/functional groups in plant extracts, was used on the dried powder form of the ethanol extract of piluki leaves.

FTIR analysis revealed the presence of aromatics, C-N stretching amine, NH stretching secondary amine, and R-CH2-OH groups (alcohols) in the piluki leaves. The researchers believe that these compounds may be credited for pilukis antibacterial activity when used on both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria.

The team of scientists posited that based on data from the study, piluki leaves can be one day be used to develop herbal remedies to fight pathogenic bacteria.

The study was published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

You can read more articles about the health benefits of other plants like C. album at Healing.news.

Sources include:

Science.news

BMCComplementAlternMed.BioMedCentral.com

Medical-Dictionary.TheFreeDictionary.com
(Natural News) Is your cellphone damaging your eyes? New research has highlighted yet another pitfall of modern technology: Its slowly making you blind. A study just published in Scientific Reports has uncovered a sordid truth: Constant exposure to blue light from beloved cellphones and other devices leads to age-related macular degeneration, one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. Experts agree that blue light can be bad for your eyes, but how this happens has just been uncovered.

Researchers from the University of Toledo have just discovered how blue light wreaks havoc on eye health. Lead study author Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, commented, Its no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eyes retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop.

According to Dr. Karunarathne, the cornea and lens of the eye are not able to block or reflect blue light. This inability, combined with unprecedented levels of exposure, is surely a recipe for yet another major health disaster.

Blue light and bad eyes

Blue light is emitted from the sun, as well as many of our favorite modern devices and gadgets  laptops, cellphones and tablets, to name a few. With our ever-increasing screen time, it comes as no surprise that blue light is slowly but surely affecting peoples vision. Macular degeneration is on the rise, and blue light could be playing a major role in whats happening. Right now, some 11 million people in the U.S. have macular degeneration  but that number is expected to double by 2050.

Macular degeneration is caused by the death of photoreceptor cells in the eye, but how blue light affects this process was unknown  until Dr. Karunarathne and his team stepped in. The scientists found that blue light exposure causes retinal to trigger reactions that generate poisonous chemical molecules in photoreceptor cells. Retinal is a molecule photoreceptors need to sense light and send signals to the brain.

You need a continuous supply of retinal molecules if you want to see. Photoreceptors are useless without retinal, which is produced in the eye, Dr. Karunarathne says.

Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher from Karunarathnes lab, explains that when blue light and retinal meet, a toxic reaction occurs. [I]f you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves, Ranayake says.

Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When theyre dead, theyre dead for good, he added.

The team discovered further that the toxicity of retinal and blue light can kill virtually any cell in the body. But there is hope  vitamin E can actually help protect eyes against the ill effects of blue light.

The benefits of vitamin E

As the scientists explain, they did discover something positive: Alpha tocoferol, a form of vitamin E, is a natural antioxidant in the body, and it actually prevents photoreceptor cells from dying  even when theyre exposed to blue light. The American Optometric Association (AOA) confirms this, noting that multiple studies have shown vitamin E can help prevent macular degeneration, and even cataract formation.

As AOA reports:

The landmark Age-Related Eye Disease Study (or AREDS), sponsored by the National Eye Institute, established that AMD is linked to nutrition. The study showed that a 400 IU/day intake of vitamin E, taken with beta-carotene, vitamin C and zinc supplementation, slows the progression of AMD by about 25 percent in individuals at high risk for the disease. Seven smaller studies have confirmed these results.

You can learn more about staying healthy as you age at Longevity.news.

Sources for this article include:

ScienceDaily.com

Healthline.com
(Natural News) As part of its admirable efforts to be known for highly desirable products that arent illegal drugs, Colombia is investing more effort into improving the eco-friendliness of its cocoa industry. An article in Mongabay reported that the Colombian government has recently promised to put a stop to deforestation linked to cacao plantations.

Colombia indicated this desire by signing up with the Cocoa and Forests Initiative. It is the third country and the first Latin American country to join this movement.

Its eco-friendly move was supported by two major players in the local cocoa industry. One is the National Cocoa Federation, an association made up of thousands of small cocoa farmers in the country. The other partner is Casa Luker, one of the leading chocolate producers in the domestic market.

In a market characterized by a growing interest in zero-deforestation cocoa, with a positive story to tell about forests and peace, we hope Colombias signing up to the Cocoa and Forests Initiative will encourage greater interest and investment in the Colombian cocoa supply chain, explained Juan Guillermo Zuluaga, the countrys minister of agriculture. (Related: Dark chocolate is good for your brain; it makes you happy AND smarter.)

Colombia promises to produce more cocoa without cutting down trees

The Cocoa and Forests Initiative is a campaign to encourage the sustainable production of cocoa without the need for deforestation. It is the brainchild of an American non-profit organization whose membership includes several global chocolate companies, a Dutch sustainable trade movement, and an international charity run by the Prince of Wales.

The initiative is also getting support from other organizations like the World Resources Institute (WRI), which is monitoring the health of forest cover throughout the world.

As signatories of the Cocoa and Forests Initiative, the Colombian government and its local partners will work to prevent the further loss of forest cover to new cocoa plantations. They will follow a number of commitments, including:

Stopping deforestation and forest degradation

Encouraging the conservation of existing and future nature preserves

Protecting the rights of cocoa farmers, which includes cushioning the effects of cocoa on the economy and society

Keeping an eye on overall progress and regularly reporting their accomplishments

Making sure the industry is transparent and accountable

Supporting sustainable markets for cocoa products

Preserving Colombias forests and bringing peace

About one percent of the cocoa produced worldwide comes from Colombia. The national government and the private sector have combined their efforts to bolster production. Their goal is to make Colombia more competitive in the international market. They also want to take advantage of the global demand.

Furthermore, the government is offering cocoa as an alternative to planting illicit crops that are turned into illegal drugs. Cocoa could possibly help foster peace in the country, where police and military forces are fighting against the private armies financed by wealthy drug lords.

Even as Colombia is trying to increase its cocoa production, it is losing a large percentage of its forests and jungles. The WRI reported that Colombia has lost almost 1,640 square miles of tree cover in 2017.

This is a sharp increase when compared to the previous years already significant loss of 1,123 square kilometers. It has led the WRI to warn that Colombia is suffering from one of the most serious cases of deforestation in the world.

We are delighted that Colombia has joined the Cocoa and Forests Initiative, said Andrew Steer, the head of the WRI. This is precisely the kind of public-private partnership that will help deliver on Colombias peace process and the sustainable development goals, said Andrew Steer, the CE.

If you are now curious about what makes cocoa so good, visit Cacao.news.

Sources include:

Mongabay.com

MinAgricultura.gov.co
(Natural News) In progressive America today, youre no longer allowed to mention the scientific facts about the spread of STDs among gay men. Twitter has just banned LifeSiteNews for daring to report the scientific facts about gay sex spreading many blood-borne diseases. Because the LGBT thought police now run all the tech giants, any fact-based reports that dont worship anal sex as an ultra-clean lifestyle of purity and godliness are quickly banned by the tech giants.

With this bowing down to the anti-science lunacy of the LGBT propagandists, Twitter now underscores why it is a danger to the public health of all Americans. Articles that discuss infectious diseases among heterosexual couples are openly allowed, of course, because according to the LGBT cultists, straight heterosexual intercourse is strange and weird. But articles that discuss the health risks associated with anal penetrative sexual intercourse are verboten.

Science, in other words, is now deemed hate speech by the clueless, scientifically illiterate LGBT crusaders who spent their college years learning how to be social justice warriors rather than informed biologists. Fact-based reality has been overthrown by LGBT-protective tech monopolists who control all online conversations by asserting authoritarian control over thoughts and speech. Theyve unanimously decided that protecting their false narratives of safe anal sex are far more important than educating the public about how anal cancer is actually spread. (Hint: Primarily through anal sex, in case you havent figured that out yet)

The community anus must be protected by everyone at Twitter, insists @Jack, or the Bunghole Brigade will silence you

The full story from LifeSiteNews:

October 18, 2018 (LifeSiteNews)  Twitter has just locked LifeSiteNews out of our Twitter account over an article we posted four years ago that provided expert analysis on the rise in sexually-transmitted diseases among homosexuals.

The 2014 piece by Dr. Gerard M. Nadal, a molecular biologist and microbiologist who is also president and CEO of the Coalition on Abortion/Breast Cancer, responds to media coverage of what was at the time the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions new annual report on STDs.

Contrary to the consensus that the reason for the documented continued rise in syphilis (primarily affecting homosexuals) has more to do with homophobia than anything else, Dr. Nadal attributes the rise to factor such as an upward trend in unprotected sex and 60% of homosexual men failing to disclose their symptoms or status to sex partners.

He cited data from mainstream sources such as the CDC, a then-recent New York Times report, and a 2006 study in the journal AIDS Behavior.

On October 18, 2018, however, LifeSiteNews received the following message, notifying staff that Twitter was locking the account because the 2014 tweet sharing the storys neutral, factual headline violated our rules against hateful conduct, and somehow promote[d] violence against, threaten[ed], or harass[ed] other people on the basis of [] sexual orientation [], or serious disease.

No further elaboration was given. A length of time for the lockout was not specified. The only recourse offered was for LifeSite to remove the tweet or start an appeal process. For the moment, LifeSite staff cannot post to or otherwise operate @LifeSitein any way.

This total intolerance for even reporting government health dept statistics that reveal the health dangers of homosexual activity betrays what Peter Thiel, himself a homosexual, previously called a totalitarian mindset in Silicon Valley, said Steve Jalsevac, co-founder and president of LifeSiteNews.

Twitter is now trying to force news agencies to report only what is acceptable to their personal, biased views and shutting down balanced, factual reporting on the homosexual issue.

This is getting dangerous for our democracy since a free press is one of the basic and necessary foundations for a genuinely democratic society, Jalsevac warned. This is getting scary. It is in everyones interest to fight this type of action and even demand government intervention to protect our rights.

Just the day before, former LifeSiteNews reporter and Americans For Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH.org) president Peter LaBarbera revealed at LifeSiteNewsthat Twitter had recently banned him on the same grounds, over a 2016 tweet describing homosexual acts as a sin that spreads disease.

If Twitter no longer allows its users to advocate for healthy behaviors on its platform, and to defend their sincere moral and religious beliefsshared by billions worldwidethen it will devolve into a bland, politically correct echo-chamber, LaBarbera warned.

LifeSiteNews has created a petition here urging Twitter to un-block LifeSites account.
(Natural News) If you mention feeling depressed to your doctor, theres a pretty good chance youll walk out of the office with a prescription for antidepressants. These days, many people are looking for a quick fix to their problems, and doctors are all too happy to dispense these profitable pills. Dangerous and not particularly effective, they ensure a steady stream of future business, whether its in the form of prescription refills when youre not feeling any better and think you need more or through the need for other medications to deal with the side effects they cause.

One far better solution that is rarely mentioned to patients is vitamins. They might not sound like they would be powerful enough to address depression on the surface, but when you consider the fact that vitamin deficiencies can contribute to depression or even cause it in the first place, it only makes sense that correcting such imbalances would have a positive effect on mood.

The truth is that your brain cannot function optimally when it lacks essential nutrients. As Be Brain Fit points out, a healthy brain can be thought of as your first line of defense against mood disorders like depression. Which vitamins should you focus on if youre dealing with depression?

Vitamin B complex takes top honors

You might have already heard that the B vitamins are great for dealing with the effects of stress. Thats because the neurotransmitters the B vitamins help create can help you maintain a positive mood. In fact, studies have shown that people with depression have low blood levels of some B vitamins. In addition, these vitamins can help slow mental decline and brain aging.

Vitamin B complex is a great start because it covers all the B vitamins in general, but there are a few in particular that really stand out. For example, Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is needed by your body to create serotonin. If this neurotransmitter sounds familiar to you, its because the most popular antidepressants on the market today help increase serotonin levels in the brain  albeit far less naturally.

Studies have also shown that low vitamin B6 levels are linked to depression and chronic inflammation, including the brain inflammation that some experts believe is a root cause of depression. To get this vitamin from food, turn to choices like chickpeas, spinach, sweet potatoes, avocados, fish and poultry.

If you opt for a vitamin B complex supplement, youll also benefit from other depression-busting B vitamins. For example, vitamin B9, or folic acid, can affect the brains serotonin receptors in a positive way, and it also enhances the effects of some antidepressants.

Meanwhile, vitamin B12 is useful as deficiencies can cause not only depression but also brain fog, anxiety, mental confusion, and memory loss.

Honorable mentions for vitamins C and D

If you thought vitamin Cs benefits were limited to staving off colds, think again: Studies have shown that the vitamin stops the release of cortisol, a stress hormone that increases your vulnerability to depression. In studies, people who took this vitamin reported greater happiness within as little as a week.

Get this vitamin from foods like citrus fruits, kiwis, pineapple, berries, mangoes and papayas. It can also be found in cruciferous vegetables, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes and peppers.

Vitamin D is another standout vitamin when it comes to depression, with studies involving more than 30,000 participants showing a clear link between a vitamin D deficiency and depression. Unfortunately, deficiency in this vitamin is all too common, which could help explain the rising rates of depression.

The best way to get this vitamin isnt actually from food; some time outdoors in the sun without sunscreen is all you need to trigger its production in your body. The amount of time required varies depending on the time of day, your skin tone, your geographical location, and other factors, but for many people, 15 minutes in the sun three times a week can be enough.

If youre dealing with depression, you really cant afford to overlook the connection between vitamins and mood. Theres no way to be certain that taking the right vitamins will be enough on its own to keep your depression in check, but deficiencies could well block you from making any progress regardless of the treatment approach you choose.

Sources for this article include:

BeBrainFit.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Television personality and celebrity chef Rachael Ray is the subject of a new lawsuit alleging that her designer dog food brand, Nutrish, is loaded with glyphosate, the main chemical ingredient in Monsantos Roundup herbicide thats been linked to cancer and other serious chronic diseases.

In a recent CounterThink video available at Brighteon.com, Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, unpacks the allegations being made against Ray, offering up opinions that you might not expect  mainly that there are some serious problems with the lawsuit.

One of the biggest issues has to do with the Nutrish brands use of the word natural. While one would expect that natural means that a product contains nothing unnatural such as glyphosate, this technically isnt the case. Thats because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to definitively establish what the word natural means as it pertains to food products, meaning that pretty much any company can freely use the word regardless of what their products actually contain.

Shes a coward, shes an exhibitionist. She sells products that arent very clean, as probably evidenced by this lawsuit, by the way. So Im not impressed with Rachael Ray, Adams makes clear before delving into the problems with the lawsuit against her.

But with all that said, there are major problems, in my view as a scientist, with this lawsuit.

Glyphosate is so prolific in the modern food supply that its even found in certified organic foods

Another problem that Adams points out with the lawsuit against Nutrish is that it doesnt specify the concentration of glyphosate thats allegedly being detected in this dog food product. Tests have shown that a shocking number of food products, including those labeled as certified organic, now contain trace levels of glyphosate, which suggests that almost any food brand could be sued using similar claims.

This isnt to say that Nutrish should get a free pass for selling supposedly natural dog food that more than likely contains some level of a deadly chemical herbicide. Its simply to point out the fact that the modern food supply is already prolifically contaminated with glyphosate, and that Nutrish, is just one purveyor of itamong many.

Glyphosate is now so ubiquitous in the food supply that youre going to find traces of glyphosate in even organic foods, many of them, says Adams.

And I dont see anywhere in the news reports on this lawsuit anything about the concentration of glyphosate in these products. Is it one part per billion? Because, if so, I dont know about you, Im not concerned about one part per billion of an herbicide in a food. Im concerned about, you know, 100 parts per billion, or depending on the herbicide, maybe 10 parts per billion, but not one part per billion.

According to Adams, pretty much everything on the grocery store shelf probably contains at least one part per billion of glyphosate, not to mention a whole slew of other deadly pesticides and herbicides. If this lawsuit against Nutrish is valid, in other words, then its also valid against practically all other food producers out there that are selling the exact same glyphosate-contaminated products.

Adams also takes issue with the lawsuits claims against Nutrishs use of the word natural, which until it has an official legal definition, is really just a marketing ploy of an empty word. There are reasonable, common sense assumptions about what natural actually means, but theyre not categorically defined as they should be.

To hear the rest of Mike Adams analysis of the Nutrish lawsuit, watch his video at Brighteon.com.

Sources for this article include:

Brighteon.com

NaturalNewsBlogs.com
(Natural News) Whole Foods has just filed a restraining order against a vegan activist group that advocates for animal welfare. The animal rights group, Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is known for going to extreme lengths to send their message  and this time, a Berkeley, CA storefront says, they took things too far.

A representative from Whole Foods told The Guardian, DxE members have repeatedly entered our stores and property to conduct demonstrations that disrupt customers and team members by blocking access to our aisles, departments and cash registers, interfering with our business and putting the safety of both customers and team members at risk.

DxE is known for their heavy-handed protesting: Some of their in-store tactics include chanting, covering eggs with fake blood, acting out animal slaughters and displaying graphic photos of butchered animals in the aisles.

Protesters banned from Whole Foods

The group also strung up a banner which read, OCCUPY WHOLE FOODS outside of the Berkeley location, though the restraining order did prevent DxE from entering the store to further harass employees. Whole Foods filed the restraining order in the days leading up to a week-long planned protest. DxE says they had hoped to call attention to the animal welfare rights violations they allege the grocery chains suppliers are committing.

Cassie King, a DxE organizer, commented,We are not allowed to even step foot in the parking lot right now. We cant go inside the store and ask our questions.

It is important to note that DxE is not protesting at the companys headquarters; they are protesting outside of regular shopping centers  and they are known for their disruptive protests at grocery stores. Fox News reports that in early 2018, a DxE activist covered herself in animal feces in front of a Trader Joes in San Francisco. Apparently, she was protesting living conditions at farms that supply eggs.

According to reports, Whole Foods is looking to get DxE barred from entering any of their locations in the state of California. In late October, a judge will review their request, but for the time being, DxE is only banned from Whole Foods stores in Berkeley.

The companys complaint, which was filed at the Alameda County Superior Court, is that DxE protests prevent customers from being able to shop safely, and they are a danger to everyone in the store, including themselves.

Where do we draw the line?

Factory farming is a major concern for many people; the conditions under which animals are raised can be downright atrocious and there are many issues within the industry, including its effect on the environment. However, this does not give any group the right to do whatever they please when it comes to protesting and drawing attention to these problems. Harassing storefront employees is not going to change the way the livestock industry does business, nor will it help increase transparency in the food industry.

As is typical of the Left, it seems the new generation of vegans want to bully their way into getting what they want; some protesters have even said theyd like to see the sale of meat banned within the city of Berkeley. As The Guardian reports:

Its not the first time the groups approach in the liberal city has drawn attention. In 2017 it faced criticism for forcing a family-owned Berkeley butcher to hang an animal rights sign in its window; in exchange, the group agreed to cease gruesome demonstrations outside. DxE had declared it wanted to make Berkeley the first city to ban the sale of meat; the butchers called it ethical extortion.

DxE has said that they want to increase transparency in the food industry and want answers from Whole Foods, but claims that it is the company which is escalating the situation.

You can see more coverage of stories of outrageous behavior at Stupid.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheGuardian.com

FoxNews.com
(Natural News) Cachexia, the muscle wasting syndrome thats seen in chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes, is typically associated with the rapid progression of the disease, especially in patients with cancer. However, research from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and Stellenbosch Universty in South Africa, together with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (formerly Manipal University) in India, have suggested that gotu kola, a herb used in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine, could be used to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokine, which is a biomarker for cancer cachexia.

Cachexia is a factor in rapid decline in health for cancer patients

Multiple factors play a role in the progression of cancer; however, none have been as heavily documented as the role of inflammation in the onset of the disease. In particular, the condition works both ways: It helps with tissue repair and pathogen elimination, but chronic inflammation dramatically increases the likelihood of tumor development, including the development and spread of cancer.

Its also a factor in the onset of cancer cachexia, a condition characterized by a depletion of adipose tissue and skeletal muscle which results in extreme and abnormal weight loss. In particular, inflammatory cytokines in the immune system, together with oxidative stress and programmed cell death (apoptosis), work in concert to decrease fat production in the adipose tissue, causing the hallmark muscle wasting syndrome.

As cachexia progresses, it adversely impacts a cancer patients survival rate. A study in the American Journal of Medicine indicated that a weight reduction of more than five percent is associated to poor response to therapy and shortened survival.

In the study, the team highlighted the need for an inexpensive treatment for cancer cachexia. They turned to gotu kola (Centella asiatica L.), a plant native to India, China, and South Africa, which has been used in traditional medicine because of its ability to protect the heart and the liver, as well as its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Earlier studies have revealed that gotu kola inhibited that growth in many cancerous cell lines.

There is a need for the discovery of an inexpensive cancer cachectic treatment, they wrote in their report. The ability of a plant extract to regulate inflammatory cytokines and cell death may elevate cancerous cell death, and diminish tissue wasting.

To test their theory, the team created an extract using powdered gotu kola leaves and ethanol. The resulting compound, which they called C. asiatica ethanolic leaf extract (CLE), was used in multiple assays. The extract was tested against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), a stable free radical commonly used to evaluate antioxidant activity. To determine its viability, CLE extract was tested against immune cell types called peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and leukemic THP-1, a cell present in acute monocytic leukemia.

The researchers also measured CLEs cytotoxic properties for both PBMC and THP-1, as well as cytokine and glutathione levels. Cytokine levels  in particular, interleukin (IL)  were recorded as these were linked to inflammation that contributes to cachexia. Glutathione, an antioxidant present in CLE, was measured for its activity using a 24- and 72-hour cycle.

CLEs ability to regulate apoptosis was measured by its ability to activate caspase, while cell viability after treatment was measured using adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which stores energy in the cell.

How gotu kola helps the body deal with cachexia

Overall, the results were positive. Researchers found that gotu kola could be used in treating cancer cachexia, thanks to its anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities.

For one, the DPPH assay revealed that CLE possessed high antioxidant activity, which could help decrease inflammatory cytokine levels and oxidation-induced cell death, which are associated with cachexia. Further tests also showed that CLE inhibited the spread of cancer cells from the breast and liver.

CLE exhibited a wide range of effects on inflammatory cytokines, which are linked to the development of tumors and cachexia. In THP-1 cells, the extract reduced IL-6 and IL-1? concentrations, indicating its ability to prevent the progression of tumors and cancer progression, as a whole. It also boosted glutathione levels in PBMCs, giving it a higher defense than that of THP-1 cells even after 72 hours.

Increased caspase activity in THP-1 cells meant that CLE was able to regulate apoptosis in cancer cells after 24 hours. While this effect was not seen after 72 hours, researchers still found a significant decrease in cell viability in THP-1 cells, indicating a different action for impairing its function.

The results not only mean that gotu kola can be used to manage and treat cancer cachexia, but it can also increase a patients quality of life.

The ability of CLE to decrease pro-inflammatory cytokine levels may increase food intake, decrease energy expenditure and possibly combat the negative energy balance associated with cancer cachexia, they concluded.

Of course, the benefits of gotu kola dont stop there. In Ayurvedic medicine, its known to treat everything from skin conditions to wounds and burns.

Learn how this wonder herb can for you by following Herbs.news today.

Sources include:

Science.news

BMCComplementAlternMed.BioMedCentral.com

CancerCachexia.com

MedicalNewsToday.com
By Sarah Keenihan







Kurt Lambecks work has been vital for developing GPS systems we all rely on for navigation.

Prime Ministers Prizes for Science/WildBear





Professor Kurt Lambeck has won the 2018 Prime Ministers Prize for Science.

The award recognises Lambecks 50-year contribution to Australian and global science through his research watching planet Earth  its a specialist field known as geodesy.

His work enables more accurate guidance of satellites and space missions, helps track changes in sea levels over time, and facilitates detailed understanding of the deep structure of Earth.

Lambecks research also underpins the GPS technology on which we rely for accurate navigation.









The Earth is remarkable. It has this wonderful record of its history going back to almost its very beginning. Almost everywhere you look, you learn something new about whats been going on in our planet, Lambeck said.

Location tracking to the centimetre

Structural geologist and University of Melbourne Research Fellow Tim Rawling says the award confirms the importance of Lambecks work for Australia and the world.

Lambeck is very highly regarded internationally, said Rawling.

He has held leadership roles at Universities in France and the US and has won a number of international awards from Sweden, Japan, France, Norway, the US and the Netherlands.

Lambeck, an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University, guided the development of a comprehensive geodetic monitoring system called the AuScope network. The network consists of about 100 GPS stations, radio telescopes, and laser tracking systems, and enables location tracking with centimetre accuracy across Australia.

Lambeck is considered to be one of the fathers of this initiative and was instrumental in bringing groups such as Geoscience Australia, the University of Tasmania, Australian National University and the various state government departments together to design and build this program, said Rawling.

The value of this infrastructure to Australia was confirmed this year when the federal government invested A$225 million in the National Positioning Infrastructure, which is built on this collaboration that Lambeck helped to establish.

Not a simple sphere

Seen from a distance and by average measurement, Earth is a sphere. But in reality our planet is quite lumpy, and its form changes over time. Lambecks work has been vital in monitoring Earths contours, and seeing how they influence human activities.

Geodesy as a field of expertise includes understanding the state of the crust, the movement of tectonic plates and also the study of the Earths gravity field, said Rawling.

This can help scientists understand where stress may be building up in Earths crust due to deformation  which can help identify regions at higher risk of earthquakes and natural hazards.

It also factors in how melting and freezing of water changes the appearance and physical behaviours of Earth.

Geodesy is very important for navigation, as the data sets that form the basis of maps and navigational systems require highly accurate understanding of the shape of the earth, said Rawling.

Innovation, life sciences, physics and teaching

Other scientists and teachers also received awards at the Prime Ministers Prize event at Canberras Parliament House on October 17.

The winner of the Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year is Lee Berger. Her research identified the cause of mysterious and devastating mass frog extinctions that spread across the world starting in the 1970s: it was a skin fungus.













Read more:

Fighting frog fungus: Lee Berger wins PM's Life Scientist 2018 award





Jack Clegg from the University of Queensland won the Malcolm McIntosh Prize for Physical Scientist of the Year for his work designing new kinds of crystals that are so flexible you can tie them in a knot, and molecules that can be customised to act as sieves for manufacturing in the oil industry, water filtration and pharmaceuticals.













Read more:

Crystals So Flexible They Can Be Tied in a Knot





A group of five researchers based in Sydney  The Finisar team, consisting of Simon Poole, Andrew Bartos, Glenn Baxter and Steven Frisken  won the Prime Ministers Prize for Innovation. Their work splitting light has led to faster and more efficient internet connections.

Biomedical engineer Geoff Rogers won the Prime Ministers Prize for New Innovators. He invented a robotic guide wire that cardiologists can steer with a joystick through the body to reach a damaged artery.

The Prime Ministers Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Primary Schools was won by Brett Crawford of Warrigal Road State School in Brisbane.

The Prime Ministers Prize for Excellence in Science Teaching in Secondary Schools was awarded to Scott Sleap, the Deputy Principal, STEM, for the Cessnock Learning Community in NSW.

Call to support STEM

On the day of the awards ceremony, Professor Emma Johnston - President of Science and Technology Australia, and Dean of Science at UNSW  said award-winning science needs investment.

The government speaks very highly of the STEM sector and understands the value of research and its potential to change the world for the better  its vital that this is backed up with the public investment and policy levers necessary to make this a reality, she said.

Australia continues to fall behind in the OECD nations when it comes to investment in research and development and who knows what award-winning science could be lost in the future without strong investment.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
(Natural News) Hatred against white people in America today has reached shocking proportions. Headlines like White People Have No Culture and Dear White People, followed by some derogatory sub-headline, litter the mainstream media these days  and liberals, many of them with white-looking skin themselves, dont even bat an eye, and even see it as completely acceptable.

Its a radicalized, institutionalized version of anti-white racism that Will Johnson, a black man and founder of UniteAmericaFirst.com, says is rampant because a large percentage of white people simply take the abuse without standing up for themselves.

During a recent episode of Alex Jones InfoWars show, which aired at Brighteon.com, Johnson offered his take on the growing wave of anti-white racism in America today, paralleling it to Nazi Germany and its efforts to eradicate Jews and other minority groups.

They find that white people are soft targets, and thats the reason why they go after white people, Johnson is heard explaining to Jones. They know for a fact that white people, for the most people, dont say anything, they dont speak out.

Jones, on the other hand, does speak out. And its precisely for this reason that Johnson says the anti-white deep state is aggressively trying to censor him, and others like him, from social media and the internet at large.

Them attacking you the way that theyre attacking you absolutely proves that theres an attack on white people in America, and a lot of people dont even want to acknowledge it, but its actually happening in the year 2018, says Johnson.

Be sure to watch the full segment at Brighteon.com below:

Leftists hate the president because hes a white male  and they hate you, too

What it all comes back to for many of these extreme left lunatics is that they just didnt get their way in the 2016 presidential election. We went from a partially-white, darker-skinned minority named Barack Obama to a red-blooded, white male named Donald Trump  and this was enough to trigger the deeply held anti-white sentiments of the racist left.

You see, we were apparently supposed to get a white female named Hillary Clinton with an extensive legacy of high crimes and misdemeanors as our president. This was the progressive choice, after all, for no other reason than the fact that Hillary Clinton isnt a male. And since the only people leftists hate more than whites are white males, the fact that Hillary Clinton failed to ascend the throne she so desperately coveted was enough to trigger her followers into total insanity.

This is the new norm from the left: they want to harm people who respect the president and love this country. What kind of world do we live in? This is America, says Johnson, taking a stand for all of the marginalized whites who continue to face persecution and abuse at the hands of the rabid liberal mob.

As long as God keeps putting breath in me, Im going to keep fighting for the truth, and fighting for whats right, Johnson adds.

A lot of people are afraid  because of what Antifa or BLM (Black Lives Matter) might do, but if you dont do anything, then you end up in the situation that were in right now. For over the past 20 years, we should have had Americans step up, especially when Obama was in office, in greater numbers than ever before, to stop what is taking place.

Be sure to watch the full segment of InfoWars with Will Johnson of UniteAmericaFirst.com at Brighteon.com.

You can also keep up with the latest news about leftist lunacy by visiting LiberalMob.com.

Sources for this article include:

Brighteon.com

NaturalNews.com
Accusations of racism and defamation are coming out of the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto. It all stems from a letter sent to the district naming several employees who the letter-writer claims are undocumented.

Brothers Roberto and Antonio Cuellar both serve as maintenance workers for the Ravenswood City School District. The brothers were shocked when they found out they were named in the letter sent to the district's human resources department, claiming the Cuellars are among several district employees who are undocumented.

The letter is signed by someone claiming to be named Karen Smith and post marked from San Francisco with no return address. The writer also said the letter is being sent to immigration agents.

As it turns out, Roberto and Antonio are both American citizens.

Ravenswood District Superintendent Dr. Gloria Hernandez-Goff said she knows no one named Karen Smith in the district, and believes the letter is the latest move in an effort to oust her and several school board members who support her. All are minorities.

Hernandez-Goff said there is a faction of residents who tried unsuccessfully to secede from the district, where property values are low and are now attempting to stack the board.

Roberto said it is more than an insult, it's defamation. The brothers also find it deplorable that they now have to defend their name and their honor.

"This kind of communication is intentionally mean spirited," Hernandez-Goff said. "Makes me very angry."

The superintendent said all her employees pass extensive background checks, including finger printing, just like any other government worker with annual audits.

"This letter is harassment and intimidation," Hernandez-Goff said.

NBC Bay Area was unable to reach anyone from the group attempting to replace the superintendent, but there have been some anti-district protests throughout the school year at Ravenswood. There are more protests scheduled for Election Day.
A Livermore man was sentenced Friday to a maximum 30 years to life in prison for a drunk driving crash that killed a mother and her 14-month-old daughter in 2015.

Brian Jones, who appeared in Department 713 of Alameda County Superior Court in Dublin, apologized to his victims' family before being sentenced.

"Sorry for the choice I made that day," Jones said. "I hate myself being the cause of that."

Prosecutors and police said Jones lost control of his car while driving under the influence of alcohol and crashed into an apartment complex in the 900 block of Murrieta Boulevard in Livermore just before 6:50 p.m. on May 2, 2015.

The collision killed 46-year-old Esperanza Morales-Rodriguez of Seaside and her daughter, Ulidia Perez-Morales, both of whom were declared dead at the scene.

Police said Jones had attended the Livermore Wine Country Festival before the collision. The Alameda County District Attorney said Jones' blood alcohol content was determined to be 0.14 percent, well above the legal limit for drinking and driving.

Bay City News contributed to this report.
What to Know San Francisco banned scooter sharing networks in June after three of them launched without permission

The city got thousands of complaints about scooters littering the streets and sidewalks

City leaders believe scooters could reduce traffic congestion if done right, so they're doing a limited trial

One day in March, they just showed up: Thousands of electric kick scooters, scattered about San Francisco's downtown sidewalks, with labels proclaiming, "$1 to start!"

To some, it was the latest step in a transportation revolution. To others, it was merely a new form of high-tech blight on the city's crowded streets.

"We certainly saw a lot of people enjoying themselves on the scooters, but we also saw a lot of problems around safety and blocking sidewalks," said SFMTA Sustainable Streets Director Tom Maguire.

NBC Bay Area

A law banning scooter networks without a city permit took effect in June, and faced with tens of thousands of dollars in fines, the three scooter companies  Bird, Lime and Spin  packed up their scooters and left.

The city wasn't done with scooters, though.

"We see a quiet, small vehicle like this as something that can really help us solve the problem of traffic congestion in the city," Maguire said.

Bird, Lime and Spin were among the 12 applicants for a limited pilot program to bring scooters back to San Francisco  but they weren't awarded permits. Instead, the SFMTA gave them to Scoot  which already operates a network of larger electric motor scooters in the city  and Skip, also based in San Francisco, which runs a network of kick scooters it designed in-house in Portland and Washington, D.C.

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

The city received applications from Bird, HOPR, Jump, Lime, Lyft, OFO, Razor, Ridecell, Scoot, Skip, Spin and UScooters. Their applications, now part of the public record, are posted on the SFMTA website.

Maguire said the two winning proposals satisfied the city's request to solve safety concerns for both pedestrians and riders  offering free helmets and detailed parking instructions, and warning users not to ride on the sidewalks.

Though their scooters look similar, the two companies take very different approaches to managing their fleets. Scoot chose a scooter with a removable battery, and plans to let the vehicles ebb and flow about the city organically  merely sending staff out to swap batteries and repark them when necessary.

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

"We don't have to employ trucks every night to pick up every single scooter and bring them back, and then throw them in trucks every morning and put them back on the sidewalk," said Bob Walsh, Scoot's San Francisco general manager.

Skip built a scooter with a larger, fixed battery  a range of 20 miles, the company claims  and plans to have ordinary users called "rangers" take home scooters to charge them at night in exchange for a $5-per-scooter reward. Skip is also relying on users to ensure safe parking: the Skip app requires you to take a picture of your properly-parked scooter at the end of the ride.

"Riders who consistently park incorrectly can be penalized, and riders who park really well can be rewarded," said Skip CEO Sanjay Dastoor.

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

For the pilot program, each company is allowed 625 scooters on the streets, with the possibility of another 625 in six months if all goes well. Both companies will serve the downtown, Tenderloin and Bayview districts in their initial rollout. Scoot will cover some additional densely-packed areas to the south including parts of the Dogpatch and Mission districts. Skip has opted to extend its coverage map to the north, including some of the city's hilliest neighborhoods and parts of Golden Gate Park.

Watch the video above to learn the rules of the road and find out how to ride!
A political action committee said Friday that it won't pull radio ads in hotly contested races in Arkansas and Missouri that suggest African American men will face rape accusations if Democrats win midterm elections.

An ad from Black Americans for the President's Agenda in an Arkansas congressional race features a woman saying "white Democrats will be lynching black folk again." Both the Republican incumbent and his Democratic challenger have condemned it, and the Arkansas GOP filed a state ethics complaint over it.

In Missouri, the radio ad favoring Republican challenger Josh Hawley and attacking Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, does not mention lynching. Instead, the woman says that if Democrats prevail in mid-term elections, "black folk will be catching hell again" and that black men could face allegations of rape.

Hawley spokeswoman Kelli Ford said in an email, "Of course we don't support this."

The ads in both states were scheduled to run through Friday.

"We have a plan, we're executing the plan," Vernon Robinson, the PAC's co-founder and treasurer, told The Associated Press. Robinson has said the ad is part of a $50,000 buy.

Robinson said the reference to lynching was removed from the Missouri ad because the attorney for a St. Louis radio station demanded it be left out before the station would run it.

instead of mentioning "race verdicts, life sentences and lynchings when a white girl screams rape," the Missouri ad talks about "race verdicts, life sentences or worse."

But Robinson said, "The reality is, every black person in St. Louis knows what 'or worse' means."

Both ads invoke the accusation that Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted a woman when he was a teenager. The ad implies that Democrats' support for Kavanaugh's accuser means black men wouldn't be protected from unfounded rape claims.

In both ads, a woman says that she is voting for the Republican candidate to protect "our men and boys."

In the Arkansas ad, for Republican U.S. Rep. French Hill against Democratic challenger Clarke Tucker, the woman says, "We can't afford to let white Democrats take us back to bad old days."

Arkansas Republicans on Friday filed a complaint with the state Ethics Commission against the PAC, saying it had not registered to campaign in Arkansas and that the ads were running illegally. Robinson said he planned to talk with the Ethics Commission staff to determine the next step.

Tucker and Democrats are relying in part on heavy turnout from African-Americans to flip the 2nd District seat, which covers Little Rock and seven central Arkansas counties.

The North Carolina-based PAC was formed earlier this year and this week reported having about $52,507 cash on hand and $62,769 in debt. Robinson is a former city councilman from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who has run unsuccessfully for Congress in the state and led a super PAC aimed at drafting Ben Carson into the 2016 presidential race.

The ad isn't the first time racially-charged issues have come into play in the race. Tucker last month denounced immigration attack mailers sent out by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton's PAC as "racist." Tucker earlier this month said a statue of his great-great-grandfather should be removed from the U.S. Capitol, condemning his ancestor's statement that the South looked to the Democratic Party to preserve "white standards."

Hill and Tucker are both white. The 2nd District is about 23 percent black, according to U.S. Census estimates.

About 12 percent of Missouri's residents are black. While African-Americans are a core constituency for Democrats, McCaskill has struggled to overcome perceptions that she's ignored black constituents.

Her campaign did not respond immediately to email messages seeking comment about the radio ad.
Twitter suspended a network of suspected Twitter bots on Thursday that pushed pro-Saudi Arabia talking points about the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the past week.

Twitter became aware of some of the bots on Thursday when NBC News presented the company with a spreadsheet of hundreds of accounts that tweeted and retweeted the same pro-Saudi government tweets at the same time.

The list was compiled by Josh Russell, an Indiana-based information technology professional who has previously identified foreign influence campaigns on Twitter and Reddit.

A Twitter employee, who asked not to be identified because the employee was not authorized to speak publicly, said the company was aware of the influence operation and had already suspended even more pro-Saudi government accounts before they were caught by researchers. The employee said the accounts are being pulled down for violating rules about spam, and referred to it as a routine spam operation takedown.
What to Know Bryce Finn, 18, was killed in June 2017 after he was shot at his front door.

Three suspects, ages 18 to 21, were arrested July 11, 2018 in connection to the fatal shooting.

The suspects are all from Delaware.

Three Delaware men have been indicted on murder charges in the death of a Haverhill, Massachusetts, teen who was shot at his front door in June 2017, according to the Essex County District Attorney's office.

Nicholas Mandato, 20, Thomas Warner, 21, and Kenneth Pitts, 19, are charged with murder in connection with the death of 18-year-old Bryce Finn on June 6. Additionally, Mandato and Warner face charges of armed assault with intent to rob.

The suspects were indicted Thursday by an Essex County grand jury. All three defendants are held without bail, and their arraignments have yet to be scheduled.

Mandato, Warner and Pitts were arrested on July 11.

Finn's life was cut short when he answered a knock on the door and was shot in the chest just days after graduating from Haverhill High School.

"He was just planning his future and then his future was just taken from him," Christina Mazzone, Finn's neighbor, said.

A motive for the fatal shooting remains unclear.

In a statement, Finn's mother told NBC10 Boston that her family was grateful to law enforcement officials following the arrest of the suspects.

"What our family has gone through in the past year no family should ever be faced with," Meagan Finn said. "Our son Bryce brought happiness and love to so many lives and expected little in return. There are no words to accurately convey the amount of joy that was wrenched from our lives beginning that horrible night more than a year ago."
What to Know The Department of Public Utilities ordered Columbia to review its policies and procedures, but never levied any fines against the utility.

In the weeks before the explosions, there were just two state inspectors checking utilities work in the field, with another in the office.

Federal regulators recommend 10 inspectors total and warned the DPU that if it didnt staff up, public safety could suffer.

Matt Hubeny was standing on a corner on Worthington Street in Springfield six years ago, chatting with a photographer, when the strip club suddenly exploded.

It shook everything, he said.

Scores Gentlemans Club was destroyed after a Columbia Gas technician accidentally punctured a natural gas service line leading into the club on Nov. 23, 2012. Gas filled the building, which was evacuated. But it was not vented in time.

You see it in the movies, but youre trying to figure out what just happened here, said Hubeny, a manager at the club.

Eighteen people were hurt, and the neighborhood is still scarred from the blast.

Investigators found Columbia Gas at fault, pointing to the technician failing to properly check the line before piercing it.

The state Department of Public Utilities ordered Columbia to review its policies and procedures, but never levied any fines against the utility.

To Hubeny and some others, the Springfield blast, the explosions that rocked the Merrimack Valley last month, and others suggest a pattern of oversight from the state agency in charge of ensuring the safety of the states 22,000 miles of natural gas pipelines that seems to allow utilities to police themselves.

Hubeny hopes there will be more accountability for the people in the Merrimack Valley who were displaced by the fires.

Columbia Gas has very serious things to answer for here, but so does the state of Massachusetts, said state Sen. Michael Barrett, D-Lexington, a chairman of the Legislatures Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.

He is skeptical of the states move last week to ban Columbia and National Grid from doing all but emergency and compliance work.

Were deflecting criticism from ourselves, Barrett said. The state agencies involved here didnt do their job. The DPU was never staffed up to adequately oversee Columbia Gass behavior.

In the weeks before the explosions, there were just two state inspectors checking utilities work in the field, with another in the office.

Federal regulators recommend 10 inspectors total and warned the DPU that if it didnt staff up, public safety could suffer.

But how long was the state short staffed? How many inspectors were assigned to Columbia Gas before the explosions? Did the inspectors miss deadlines on any of their inspections?

The NBC10 Boston Investigators put those questions to the DPU and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. But they have refused to answer them.

The state, which still received very high marks on a federal audit released just days before the explosions in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, did insist oversight was never compromised.

Really? Two human beings? What sort of inspections do you get out of two people covering 22,000 miles? Barrett said.

He criticized the states oversight structure, describing it as a sort of fox-guarding-the-henhouse situation.

We trust the industry to police itself and avoid doing a job ourselves. That kind of arrangement has to stop, he said.

When asked whether he was satisfied with the level of state oversight before the blasts, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday pointed to an increase in inspections DPU conducted last year.

We did more inspections in 2017 than at any time in the past five or six years, he said. And obviously we are cooperating with the NTSB to make sure everybody knows and understands exactly what happened.

In the month since the explosions, the NBC10 Boston Investigators have pored over reports and submitted public records requests.

NBC10 Boston also repeatedly asked to speak directly to DPU leaders, wanting to know for how long the state had just two field inspectors in service.

But a DPU spokeswoman claimed disclosing that information somehow would jeopardize employee privacy.

DPU also refused to reveal how many inspectors were assigned to Columbia Gas or the Merrimack Valley, and whether they missed any federal safety deadlines.

But DPU did tell us, while not admitting any shortcomings, that it is looking to boost its inspection staff by more than 60 percent, and hire an independent evaluator to review their system and policies, and make adjustments if necessary.

But Barrett says that review should have been done two years ago when a new law ordered gas companies to replace thousands of miles of aging pipeline by 2020work Columbia Gas was doing in Lawrence, sparking the tragedy.

State government blew it, Barrett said. In the interest of understaffing and saving a buck, we exposed people to harm and failed to do our job.

Congress will hold an oversight hearing on the Merrimack Valley explosions next month, and Barrett said a state hearing should come soon after.
The bitter cold snap that kept much of New England in the deep freeze during the Christmas and New Year's holidays last winter had people who supply the region with electricity worried they might have to impose rolling blackouts, the head of the company that manages the electric grid said Thursday.

And as a result of lessons learned from that cold snap, ISO New England, which manages the regional power grid, has changed its procedures and is looking for long-term solutions, ISO New England President Gordon van Welie said.

During the unexpected cold snap, much of the natural gas that powers generating plants was diverted to heating homes and electricity providers had to turn to old, coal and oil-fired power plants, which were burning fuel at rates that led officials to fear the fuel tanks could run dry,

And if during the cold spell the region had lost one of its major sources of power, such as the New Hampshire's Seabrook nuclear power plant or a major transmission line from Quebec, there would have been no way to ensure that everyone could keep their power on, he said.

"We were one large contingency away from rolling blackouts," van Welie said Thursday in an interview with The Associated Press during a break at the Renewable Energy Vermont conference being held Thursday and Friday in South Burlington. "And for us we said 'that's a little too close to the edge.'"

The winter contingency planning is separate from ISO New England's growing reliance on renewable energy that is changing the way New England gets its electricity by growing sources of renewable power such as solar and wind.

In Vermont, the National Weather Service said the cold snap began Dec. 26 and lasted through Jan. 7 with temperatures about 20 degrees colder than normal, meteorologist Robert Haynes said.

During cold spells, the natural gas supplies that are piped into the region are first used to heat peoples' homes and businesses. During those times electricity providers turn to the aging fossil fuel plants, mostly oil.

During a regular year, New England providers use about 1 million barrels of oil to make electricity. During the two-week cold snap they burned 2 million barrels, he said. In addition, for a time New England was paying the highest natural gas prices in the world

ISO New England has determined that it's not practical to build more natural gas pipelines so the industry is being forced to innovate.

As a result of the lessons learned from the unexpected two-week cold snap, ISO New England has changed its operating procedures, he said. Officials are working to be better prepared for extreme weather conditions by looking further ahead and ensuring the system has enough energy available. That would include ensuring there is enough fuel for the power plants or additional available sources of power such as hydro-electricity or, looking further ahead, electricity stored in batteries.

They will also do more to communicate the situation with the region's governors and the public.

While last winter's cold snap was unusual, in an age of climate change and unusual weather patterns, scientists say it's likely such extremes will become more common than in the past and the Northeast is more vulnerable than other areas, he said.

"There kinds of swings, like 50-degree temperatures in February and two-week cold snaps at the end of December is going to be more the norm than the exception going forward because the climate is changing," he said.
A man accused of threatening to kidnap and kill a United States senator and his family has been indicted on federal charges in Arizona.

The indictment filed Oct. 9 against James Dean Blevins doesnt fully identify the victim and instead refers to him as United States Senator J.F. A U.S. magistrate judge in Chicago signed an order Thursday to transfer Blevins from Illinois to Arizona.

In late September, Arizona U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake said his family received death threats after he asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to hear testimony from a woman who accused then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

Officials would not confirm Thursday that J.F. in the indictment refers to Flake.

The indictment says the threat was made on Sept. 17 in Arizona and was done with the intent to retaliate against such official on account of the performance of his official duties.

Cosme Lopez, a spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office in Phoenix, declined to say whether the victim is Flake and wouldnt offer any details about what the alleged threat involved.

Flakes office didnt immediately respond to a phone call and email Thursday seeking comment on the indictment.

Flake said in September that a caller told him to quit getting in the way of President Donald Trumps court choice. Flake says the caller warned he would take Flake and his family out.

Flake ultimately voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the nations highest court.

Court records dont identify where Blevins lives and dont show that he has been assigned an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Alex Pancoe has two passions: summiting mountains and finding out why brain tumors develop in young children.

Each time Pancoe, an expert-level climber who beat brain cancer 14 years ago, scales one of seven summits, he raises money for brain tumor research and kids at Lurie Childrens Hospital.



This time the Chicagoan aims to climb the highest peak in Indonesia for Zayvian, a 2-year-old from Champaign who has been battling an aggressive cancerous brain tumor discovered earlier this year. Zayvian's oncologist believes the boy has a 40 percent chance of survival.

Pancoe has embarked on a journey to climb the seven summits, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, and fly a Chicago Cubs W flag at each peak, all to help children battling cancer.



If he completes his full mission, Pancoe will become the first Chicagoan and 15th American to climb them all. His charity, Peaks of Mind, also will have raised $1 million for Lurie Childrens Hospital, where Pancoe was treated for a benign tumor in college.

Pancoe met Zayvian and his parents Friday at Lurie, bearing gifts of stuffed animals and Shedd Aquarium passes, since the 2-year-old is going through a dolphins phase right now.



Doctors spotted an orange-size tumor in Zayvian's brain this year after his parents brought him in suspecting a concussion from falling while rough-housing with his siblings.



"I find them to be inspirational," he said of kids. "I mean Im choosing to do this challenge, but theyre fighting for their lives. These massive battles to be able to come do something I love and bring attention to them is an honor and a privilege."

Pancoe is all set for his jungle climb for Zayvian, very different from the Arctic summits he has achieved for other patients.

Pancoe leaves for Indonesia on Friday night for the 16,000-foot, one-day trek, while Zayvian embarks on major surgery Tuesday to remove grape-size tumors.



Everyone [at Lurie Childrens Hospital] is climbing their own metaphorical Everest, Pancoe has said. I dont consider myself a very special guy, Im just a hard worker. So, if I can climb Everest, Id like to think it inspires people.

Donations for Pancoe's efforts can be made here.
What to Know The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a mild season for the majority of the United States.

The Climate Prediction Center notes that even during a warmer-than-average winter, periods of cold temperatures and snowfall are likely.

NOAA also expects that El Nino will have a 70 to 75 percent chance of developing, bringing precipitation to southern states.

There's some good news for Chicago in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Winter Outlook.

Above-average temperatures will likely be paired with drier-than-average conditions for the area, making way for a warmer and drier winter, according to the outlook for December through February released Thursday.

PSPCA

The Climate Prediction Center notes that even during a warmer-than-average winter, periods of cold temperatures and snowfall are likely to occur. Its seasonal outlooks do not project snowfall accumulations, though; those typically are not predictable more than a week in advance.



Seasonal forecasts can be particularly challenging to predict, meteorologists say.

The Farmer's Almanac and Old Farmer's Almanac have also released differing winter predictions. The Farmer's Almanac called for "biting cold" and snowy conditions in Chicago while the Old Farmer's Almanac predicted above-normal temperatures and above-normal levels of precipitation.

NOAA also expects that El Nino will have a 70 to 75 percent chance of developing.

El Nino is an oceanic climate interaction linked to periodic warming in sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific.

During the winter, typical El Nino conditions in the United States can include above-average precipitation in the South and drier conditions in the North.

Because El Nino is foreseen as developing, NOAA predicts that northern Florida and southern Georgia have the greatest odds for above-average precipitation this winter, while wetter-than-average conditions are also predicted for the southern United States up into the Mid-Atlantic.

While some locations will see much precipitation, others will experience drought conditions, according to researchers, who foresee this to be the case across portions of the Southwest, Southern California, the central Great Basin, central Rockies, Northern Plains and parts of the Pacific Northwest.

[NATL] Extreme Weather Photos: Record Heat Threatens Europe

Drought conditions are anticipated to improve in areas throughout Arizona and New Mexico, parts of Utah and Colorado, as well as the coastal Pacific Northwest and Central Plains.

The Climate Prediction Center updates its three-month outlook each month, with the next expected update scheduled for Nov. 15.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice is sending therapists and comfort dogs to help students at the school attended by a girl missing since her parents were fatally shot in their home.

The state DOJ said in an announcement Thursday it is also sending school resource officers to the Barron School District.

Authorities have been searching for 13-year-old Jayme Closs since deputies responding to a 911 call early Monday found her parents dead in their home in Barron. They were identified as James and Denise Closs.

Jayme Closs has been ruled out a suspect and investigators believe she's in danger.

Barron is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Minneapolis.
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a "fistfight" in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, the kingdom claimed early Saturday, admitting that the writer had been slain at its diplomatic post for the first time. Authorities said 18 Saudi suspects were in custody for his slaying and intelligence officials had been fired.

The overnight announcements in Saudi state media came more than two weeks after Khashoggi, 59, entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul for paperwork required to marry his Turkish fiancee, and never came out. Since his disappearance, the kingdom had rejected Turkish fears he was killed and dismembered there as "baseless," but growing international pressure and comments by U.S. officials up to President Donald Trump appears to have forced the kingdom to acknowledge the slaying.

While it fired officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom stopped short of implicating the heir-apparent of the world's largest oil exporter. King Salman, his father, appointed him to lead a committee that will restructure the kingdom's intelligence services after Khashoggi's slaying. No major decisions in Saudi Arabia are made outside of the ultraconservative kingdom's ruling Al Saud family.

It also offered a far different version of events than those given by Turkish officials, who have said an "assassination squad" from the kingdom including an official from Prince Mohammed's entourage and an "autopsy expert" flew in ahead of time and laid in wait for Khashoggi at the consulate. Beyond its statements attributed to anonymous officials, Saudi Arabia offered no evidence to support its claims.

In a statement Friday night, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the U.S. will closely follow international investigations into Khashoggi's death and will advocate for justice that is "timely, transparent and in accordance with all due process."

Trump meanwhile called the Saudi announcement a "good first step," but said what happened Khashoggi was "unacceptable."

The announcements came in a flurry of statements carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency early Saturday morning.

"Preliminary investigations conducted by the Public Prosecution showed that the suspects had traveled to Istanbul to meet with the citizen Jamal Khashoggi as there were indications of the possibility of his returning back to the country," the statement read, though there's been no indication Khashoggi had immediate plans to return to the kingdom. "Discussions took place with the citizen Jamal Khashoggi during his presence in the consulate of the kingdom in Istanbul by the suspects (that) did not go as required and developed in a negative way, leading to a fistfight. . The brawl led to his death and their attempt to conceal and hide what happened."

The Saudi statements did not identify the 18 Saudis being held by authorities and gave no explanation how 18 people could be involved in one "fistfight." Nor did the statements explain what happened to Khashoggi's body after his death.

"The kingdom expresses its deep regret at the painful developments that have taken place and stresses the commitment of the authorities in the kingdom to bring the facts to the public opinion, to hold all those involved accountable and bring them to justice," the statement said.

The kingdom at the same time announced the firing of four top intelligence officials, including Maj. Gen. Ahmed bin Hassan Assiri, a one-time spokesman for the Saudi military's campaign in Yemen who later became a confidant of Prince Mohammed. Separately fired was Saud Qahtani, a powerful adviser to Prince Mohammed who led Saudi efforts to isolate Qatar amid a boycott of the country by the kingdom and three other Arab nations as part of a political dispute.

On Twitter, where Qahtani had launched vitriolic attacks against those he saw as the kingdom's enemies, he thanked the Saudi government for the "great opportunity they gave me to serve my country all those years"

"I will remain a loyal servant to my country for all times," he wrote.

Assiri had no immediate comment.

On Wednesday, the Turkish pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggi's slaying, said the squad immediately accosted the journalist after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him. On Thursday, a leaked surveillance photo put Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, a member of Prince Mohammed's entourage on trips to the U.S., France and Spain this year, at the consulate just ahead of Khashoggi's arrival.

Turkish crime scene investigators this week searched the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul and the nearby residence of the Saudi consul general, and came out carrying bags and boxes. On Friday, investigators questioned staff and explored whether his remains could have been dumped outside Istanbul after his suspected killing, Turkish media and a security official said.

Khashoggi, a prominent journalist and royal court insider for decades in Saudi Arabia, had written columns critical of Prince Mohammed and the kingdom's direction while living in self-imposed exile in the U.S.

Trump has said that the consequences for the Saudis "will have to be very severe" if they are found to have killed him, but has insisted that more facts must be known before making any judgements. He had dispatched U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this week to both Saudi Arabia and Turkey to speak to officials on the case.

The president has made close ties to the kingdom a priority since taking office. Trump made his first overseas trip as president to Saudi Arabia and has touted his arms sales to the kingdom. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, responsible for a coming peace proposal for Israel and the Palestinians, also has forged a close relationship with Prince Mohammed.

Trump's previous warnings over the case drew an angry response Sunday from Saudi Arabia and its state-linked media, including a suggestion that Riyadh could wield its oil production as a weapon. The U.S. president wants King Salman and OPEC to boost production to drive down high oil prices, caused in part by the coming re-imposition of oil sanctions on Iran in November.

It's unclear whether the Saudi announcement will be enough to staunch the criticism the kingdom faces from lawmakers in the U.S., its most-crucial ally. California Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, called the Saudi Arabia's claim that Khashoggi was "killed while brawling with a team of more than a dozen dispatched from Saudi Arabia is not credible."

He he was "fighting for his life with people sent to capture or kill him," Schiff said.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who earlier this week said in a televised interview that Prince Mohammed "has got to go," added: "To say that I am skeptical of the new Saudi narrative about Mr. Khashoggi is an understatement."

Human rights groups like Amnesty International separately have been calling for a United Nations investigation into Khashoggi's killing.

"All along we were concerned about a whitewash, or an investigation by the entity suspected of involvement itself," Amnesty's Rawya Rageh said Saturday. "The impartiality of a Saudi investigation would remain in question."
Missouri Republican candidate Josh Hawley used a Thursday debate to try to paint Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill as too liberal for the increasingly red state of Missouri, while McCaskill continued to hammer her challenger over his positions on health care.

The candidates' messaging during the St. Louis debate hosted by St. Louis Public Radio, Nine Network and KSDK Channel 5 reflects broader themes in their campaigns in the final weeks before the Nov. 6 election.

Hawley so far has tied himself to President Donald Trump, who won Missouri by nearly 19 percentage points in 2016 and has returned to the state multiple times to drive up support for Hawley, the state's attorney general.

Hawley said McCaskill has not accepted "what the people said in 2016" and no longer reflects the views of voters on policies including the recent federal tax overhaul, which she voted against, and a wall on the southern border, which she says is unnecessary.

"She has simply not voted with this state anymore," Hawley said. "She's become a party-line liberal."

McCaskill has been laser-focused on health care, particularly on saying that Hawley's actions could mean the loss of insurance protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

The stakes are high, and Republicans' slim 51-49 control of the U.S. Senate is on the line.

Republicans view McCaskill's seat as a top opportunity to flip a U.S. Senate seat. She's among 10 Senate Democrats up for re-election in states Trump won.

McCaskill used the debate to slam Hawley as unwilling to split from Trump and sought to cast herself as independent, offering both compliments and criticism of the president.

On tariffs, she praised the latest trade deal with Canada and Mexico as having "great promise for continuity and stability for farmers in Missouri."

"That's terrific," she said. "I'm not afraid to compliment the president, but what's going on with this trade war with China hurts, and it's going to hurt for a long time for Missouri ag," citing in particular the fall in prices of soybeans.

McCaskill also repeated criticism of Hawley's role as one of 20-state attorneys general who joined a lawsuit that seeks to overturn former President Barack Obama's health care law, including popular insurance protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Hawley has been on the defensive on the issue. In an ad that features his two young sons, Hawley says his oldest has a pre-existing condition  a rare bone disease: "We know what that's like."

McCaskill apologized during the debate after retweeting a blog that said Hawley used his son's medical condition "as a prop." She then pivoted to make a thinly-veiled jab at Hawley, who has been critical of federal subsidies awarded to low-income housing projects affiliated with McCaskill's husband.

"I'm not running my campaign on attacking somebody's family," McCaskill said. "Somebody is, but it's not me."

Hawley supports repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, and says Congress should force insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions.

On Thursday he took a more aggressive stance, reviving longstanding Republican complaints that the Affordable Care Act raised premiums and limited options.

"We can protect people and we must with pre-existing conditions," Hawley said. "But they shouldn't be forced to pay the prices they are paying now. They shouldn't have the narrowing of networks that we are seeing all over this state because of Obamacare."

When pressed for details on a possible replacement, Hawley suggested reinsurance, federal exchanges and direct subsidies.

McCaskill countered that his plans are unworkable in practice.

"You don't go to court and get rid of important protections when there is no backup, when people will be in a freefall," McCaskill said. "You work with people and try to fix it and change it."

Both candidates offered fewer details when asked about possible federal legislation that could help the relationship between communities and police. The issue is particularly salient in Missouri, which received national attention after sometimes violent protests in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson in response to the fatal police shooting of unarmed, black 18-year-old Michael Brown.

McCaskill cited her work on community policing as a former county prosecutor, and proposed more resources for community policing.

Hawley pitched promoting dialogue and quickly added that police "are doing a great job."
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared Thursday that his people's rights "are not up for bargaining" and he accused the U.S. of undermining the two-state solution, a day after President Donald Trump suggested for the first time in office that he "liked" the long-discussed idea as the most effective way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Abbas halted ties with Trump's administration in December after the U.S. recognized contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and Palestinians have said a pending U.S. peace plan will be dead on arrival because of that and other recent U.S. moves that Palestinians see as favoring Israel.

"Jerusalem is not for sale," Abbas said to applause as he began his speech at the annual U.N. General Assembly. "The Palestinian people's rights are not up for bargaining."

He said Palestinians would never reject negotiation, but that "it's really ironic that the American administration still talks about what they call the 'deal of the century.'"

"What is left for this administration to give to the Palestinian people?" he asked. "What is left as a political solution?"

Added Abbas: "We are not redundant. Why are we treated as redundant people who should be gotten rid of?"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to address the world leaders later Thursday. The speeches fell on the same day that members of a vast U.N. developing-countries group formalized their decision to give the Palestinians the chairmanship in 2019. Although known as the Group of 77, it promotes the interests of 135 developing nations.

The Palestinians' upcoming chairmanship stands to boost their aspirations for official statehood but angers Israel.

Trump made his comment about the two-state solution while meeting with Netanyahu on Wednesday. The U.S. president told reporters he believes that two states  Israel and one for the Palestinians  "works best." He has been vague on the topic, suggesting he would support whatever the parties might agree to, a message he also recapped Wednesday.

"If the Israelis and Palestinians want one state, that's OK with me. If they want two states, that's OK with me. I'm happy if they're happy," he said.

Hours before Netanyahu's scheduled speech, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman expressed indifference to Trump's remarks, saying that the Israeli interest is "a safe Jewish state."

A Palestinian state "simply doesn't interest me," Lieberman said.

Netanyahu had reluctantly accepted the concept of Palestinian statehood but has since backtracked. A top coalition partner is threatening to topple his government if it returns to the agenda.

The two sides in one of the world's most high-profile and volatile conflicts are always forceful voices at the U.N. and its annual General Assembly, but their leaders are speaking after a particularly eventful year in their relations.

The Islamic militant group Hamas that rules Gaza has led protests for months along the border with Israel, aiming partly to draw attention to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed after Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007.

At least 137 Palestinians, mostly unarmed, have been killed by Israeli fire since the border protests began on March 30. During that time, a Gaza sniper killed an Israeli soldier.

Hamas and Israel came close to serious conflict earlier this summer as violence soared along the border. Gaza militants bombarded southern Israel with mortars and rockets, and Israel struck Hamas targets in Gaza.

Israel says it is defending its border against attempts by Hamas, a militant group sworn to its destruction, to infiltrate and carry out attacks. But Israel has faced heavy international criticism over the large number of unarmed protesters who have been killed or wounded.

Israel has also been struggling to deal with near-daily fires caused by kites and balloons rigged with incendiary devices launched by Palestinians in Gaza. The blazes have destroyed forests, burned crops and killed wildlife.

Egyptian mediated cease-fire talks have hit a deadlock, and Hamas is now intensifying its campaign with more protests.

Palestinians were infuriated, and many Israelis were thrilled, by a series of decisions Trump has made within the last year, starting with his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Palestinians also claim the holy city as the capital of an eventual state. Earlier this year, Trump followed up on the recognition by moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a step that was widely protested by Palestinians and others in the Arab world.

His administration has also slashed aid to the Palestinians by hundreds of millions of dollars and ended U.S. support for the U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees.

Trump and his national security team have defended their position, saying that decades of attempts to forge Israeli-Palestinian peace have failed.

The World Bank warned Tuesday that Gaza's economy is in "free fall," with a 6 percent contraction in the first quarter of this year and unemployment standing at over 50 percent. A report from the bank urged Israel and the international community to take action to avoid "immediate collapse."

It attributed the downturn to a combination of factors, including Israel's decade-long blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory, budget cuts by the rival Palestinian Authority and a reduction in international aid, particularly from the U.S.

Other leaders who spoke at the General Assembly Thursday included Haiti's President Jovenel Moise, who told the gathered leaders he had "spared no effort to ensure that institutions are stable and to make sure we are creating a safe and stable enviro conducive to investment and to relaunching growth" in his country since the U.N. peacekeeping mission there wrapped up in October 2017.

The mission had helped the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere through 13 years of political turmoil and natural catastrophe. It has been followed by a new "stabilization" mission made up of about 1,300 international civilian police officers, along with 350 civilians tasked with helping Haiti reform its justice system.

The Caribbean island country continues to face economic and environmental challenges, including its vulnerability to natural disasters. It suffered heavy blows from a devastating 2010 earthquake and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

Earlier, Lithuania's president assailed world leaders for being "too quiet, too passive, too ignorant" in the face of abuses, corruption and inequality, and took a dig at Trump's America-first vision.

"We cannot let the voice of nationalism and division win over dialogue and cooperation," said Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.

Much of the attention at the international community's most prominent gathering has been focused on Trump, whose brash behavior and boastful address on Tuesday provoked laughter and headshakes from other leaders. On Wednesday, he chaired a Security Council meeting on nonproliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and fired off more tough words at Iran.

Trump also made waves by accusing China of meddling in November's U.S. elections. China denies any interference.
Three Meriden police officers shot a man who state police said fired a gun from a car, then got out of the car with a gun in his hand.

State police said five Meriden police officers in an unmarked vehicle were following a Buick Century on West Main Street around 10:23 p.m.

The driver took Interstate 691 East to Route 15 South and started shooting from inside the car, according to state police.

Officers had followed the car into the CVS parking lot when the driver, identified as 41-year-old Ryan Holley, of Meriden, got out with a gun in his hand, according to state police.

Officers got out of the car and three officers shot when Holley turned toward them, according to state police.

Holley was taken to Hartford Hospital and his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, state police said.

No officers were injured.

State police are now investigating. They said the New Haven States Attorneys Office contacted them at 12:22 a.m. to help in the investigation.

The CVS store near the scene of the shooting is open.
A Connecticut restaurant accused of serving alcohol to the wife of ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman before she was killed in a car crash has settled a lawsuit filed by the family of an 87-year-old man who also died in the wreck.

The settlement involving The Market Place Kitchen and Bar in Woodbury and the family of Edward Bertulis was disclosed Wednesday in a filing in Torrington Superior Court. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

A lawsuit alleges that Katherine Berman, wife of ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman, was served alcohol even though she was already intoxicated shortly before a 2017 car crash that killed her and a Waterbury man.

Police said Katherine Berman's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit to drive when she rear-ended Bertulis' car in Woodbury in May 2017. Bertulis was on his way home after visiting his wife's grave.

NBC Bay Area

A lawyer for the restaurant's owner said there is a confidentiality agreement and declined to comment Thursday.
A man who was serving a life sentence for the slayings of two teenage girls in the 1980s has died.

Officials from the state Department of Correction said 61-year-old Pedro Miranda died Wednesday in the hospice unit at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield.

Miranda had been convicted in the May 29, 1998, sexual assault of a 24-year-old woman in West Hartford and was required to register on the State of Connecticut Sex Offender Registry.

Ten and a half years later, in December 2008, an Innocence Project investigation and DNA evidence led to him being arrested and charged in the deaths of Rosa Valentin, 16, Mayra Cruz, 13, and 17-year-old Carmen Lopez.

Valentin, 16, was last seen alive in Mirandas car on July 26, 1986. Her body has never been found and she is presumed dead, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice.

Cruz, 13, was reported missing when she did not return home from school in Hartford on Oct. 8, 1987. Her body was found in a wooded area in East Windsor on Nov. 8, 1987.

Lopez was found strangled in an apartment on Nelton Court in Hartford on Jan. 5, 1988.

Miguel Roman, who was wrongly convicted for the slaying of Lopez, spent 20 years in prison until the Cold Case Unit investigation that led to Mirandas arrest. Roman was released from prison in 2008 and the state awarded him $6 million.

Miranda was serving a life sentence for the murder of Lopez when he was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Cruz.

Valentins case was nollied because there was not enough evidence to prove Miranda guilty.
What began as a trip to Dick Dunmire's hometown of Pittsburgh has turned into an 11-day evacuation. And counting.

Its been that long since Dunmire and his wife, Linda, have set foot in their home in Boiling Spring Lakes, North Carolina, which is not far from the Cape Fear River and the North Carolina coast.

They've been staying with family in North Wildwood, New Jersey for the past week and a half. But the couple are anxiously awaiting their trip home in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.

Im anxious to get back home," Dunmire said. "Its been too long.

Sept. 9, Dunmire left for his 50th class reunion in Pittsburgh. It was good timing to take a trip north.

Florence was boiling in the Atlantic Ocean, aiming right at his North Carolina home.

Still, preparing for the then-Category 4 storm felt familiar. They've lived in North Carolina for 10 years, so the Dunmires have had experience in hunkering down. They did it most recently for Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

And Dunmire had served in the Coast Guard about two hours north in Morehead City. Hed evacuated that area on several occasions.

Florence, though, was different.

[NATL]Florence in Photos: Long Recovery Ahead for Carolinas From Record Flooding

"The rainfall was unimaginable, Dunmire said. At one point, his area received 20 inches of rain in two hours.

Luckily, the Dunmires have received no reports of damage to their home. The town of Boiling Spring Lake has running water, but no electricity and many roads leading to their community have been washed away.

He does not expect the power to come on until at least Sunday night.

Still, he doesn't mind returning to the dark. He's planning to leave as soon as he can, perhaps even Friday.
What to Know Many migrants walk illegal roads into Colombia because they lack proper documents, but many also can't pay the criminals guarding the roads

Migrants travel through extreme temperature changes as they cross frigid mountaintops to scorching valleys

Peru's capital  some 2,700 miles from where migrants start out on foot  is the final destination for growing numbers of migrants

About 1.9 million Venezuelans have fled their collapsing nation since 2015 in one of the largest migrations in the world in recent years. The most desperate cannot afford a bus or plane ticket, and so they risk their lives to escape on foot.

Every day, more than 650 migrants start on the walk out of Venezuela. They rush illegally across the border with Colombia, frequently encountering armed criminals. They walk for miles along roads, carrying their belongings. They wrap themselves in blankets, bracing against the cold of frigid mountains.

For nine days, a team of Associated Press journalists followed a Venezuelan mother and daughter as they crossed three borders and nearly 2,700 miles (3,460 kilometers)  about the distance from Los Angeles to New York City.

This is an account of the people, places and dangers migrants encounter along the way.

A PERILOUS CROSSING

VILLA DEL ROSARIO, Colombia  Most Venezuelans buy a bus ticket to the border with Colombia but cannot cross through an official checkpoint because they lack the proper documents, such as a passport.

Instead they traverse one of hundreds of illegal dirt road crossings that are ruled by armed criminals dressed in green fatigues. These illegal groups frequently rob and assault migrants who can't pay the equivalent of $10 in Colombian pesos or Venezuelan bolivars, or about half what a Venezuelan earning the minimum wage might make in a month.

Aurelix Lira, 20, and her boyfriend were robbed of their cellphone after being unable to hand over any cash.

"You'll have to pay!" said an armed man who rummaged through their belongings.

Authorities have struggled to wrestle control of the no-man's land between both nations. In the meantime, Venezuelans are being recruited into illegal activities such as drug trafficking.

"They are very much in the wind," said Jeremy McDermott, executive director of InSight Crime, a group that studies organized crime in Latin America, "which makes them extremely vulnerable to exploitation and recruitment by organized crime."

THE WAILING WALL

LOS PATIOS, Colombia  The small stand where Martha Elena Alarcon, 54, sells soda, chips and sugarcane juice is where many migrants fleeing by foot stop for a moment's rest. When Venezuelans began arriving at her doorstep about a year ago, she'd give them water and bread.

As the numbers skyrocketed, she asked them to write a message.

The walls of the tin roof building are now covered in hundreds of messages written on nearly worthless Venezuelan bolivars and bright colored sheets of paper.

Five travelers writing in black ink said they were "walking to a better life thanks to our president, who is either blind or a brute and making everyone in Venezuela flee." One pregnant woman traveling with her 3-year-old old daughter, Sofia, said the journey had been trying and wrote, "God please protect us."

The list of names in each note is one of the only written records documenting who is walking and where. Alarcon recalled how one woman came across the name of a cousin she had not heard from in one of the messages.

"She's OK!" the migrant told her in relief.

A FRIGID PARAMO

TONA, Colombia  The road leading to the city of Bucaramanga passes through a frigid paramo known as "the icebox" that has struck fear into the hearts of migrants unprepared for temperatures down to 10 degrees below freezing.

Marta Duque, 55, welcomes upward of 300 migrants a day into her home in Pamplona, where she gives them food and warm clothes and warns against sleeping outside.

"They are risking their lives and those of their children," she said.

Carlos Valdes, the head of Colombia's forensic medicine office, said he believes walkers have died from the cold but was unable to provide a number. One migrant told the AP he saw a family burying someone on the side of the road. Others have described seeing crosses and stones bearing names and death dates.

Jonathan Suarez, 23, sat with tears streaming down his cheeks as he tried to get a ride. The previous day he had walked 25 hours and slept on the side of the roadway. The thought of his two girls back home - ages 3 and 8 months - kept him going.

"I must press on, for them," he said.

PARQUE DEL AGUA

BUCARAMANGA, Colombia  Public parks across Colombia have turned into makeshift shelters for migrants with nowhere else to go.

On any given day, about 400 Venezuelans convene in the Parque del Agua in Bucaramanga, many fresh from long walks and eager to rest. Pastors deliver sermons and hand out Bibles. Charity groups come with hot meals in Styrofoam containers. And Venezuelans who are complete strangers sleep side by side on top of flattened cardboard boxes.

In some parts of the country, authorities have forcibly removed migrants who convene in public spaces. But many Venezuelans say they are unable to afford even the simplest lodging.

Geraldine Aguilera, 22, a former architecture student, arrived at the park after walking and hitching rides from the border with her sister.

"It's hard sleeping next to people you don't know," she said. "You don't know if they're going to hurt you. But necessity forces you."

ISLANDS OF REFUGE

PEROLES, Colombia  Migrants traverse through extreme temperature changes as they travel through frigid mountaintops and scorching, flat valleys.

As they walk through remote country roads, freighter trucks barrel by, coming within a few feet of Venezuelans trekking along the narrow shoulder.

Much of the journey through Colombia takes them through isolated farmland where gas stations have turned into small islands of refuge for hot, exhausted migrants.

Gas station attendant Manuel Velasquez has seen the migration crisis up close from where he fills up trucks in rural Peroles. Many of the migrants he sees come with their feet blistered and knees swollen, on the verge of collapse from hunger and dehydration. The woman who stands out to him the most was being pushed in a wheelchair to Ecuador for cancer treatment.

"I'm terrified by what is happening," he said.

GETTING A RIDE

LA DORADA, Colombia  When they get lucky, migrants hitch rides or collect enough money to buy bus tickets to reach their next destination.

One of the first rides for migrant Sandra Cadiz and her daughter came on the back of a caravan-style truck, where they clung to the side wooden panels every time the vehicle braked and swerved.

On another long, hot day, a Venezuelan man took them on the back of his motorcycle to a gas station. And about halfway through Colombia, generous bikers, drivers and others who spotted Cadiz and her daughter on the side of the road had given them enough money to purchase bus tickets.

But the vast majority of trucks and cars don't stop for the Venezuelans they see walking. Many have heard stories about migrants committing crimes. Truckers say they'd be fired if bosses found out they were carrying migrants and that their every move is tracked by GPS devices. Others fear incurring heavy fines from police.

DESPERATE MESSAGES

CALI, Colombia  A cellphone is a luxury most poor migrant walkers don't have, so those interviewed by the AP often asked to use their phones to send messages to relatives.

One woman cried into a reporter's cellphone as she sent a message to her mother and toddler son back in Caracas after two days of walking.

"All of this is for you both, mami," she sobbed. "I love you so much."

Another young man arriving by bus in Cali sold his phone to get money for the journey. He used an AP phone to contact the only person he knew in the crime-ridden city  his friend's sister.

"It's Jesus," he wrote her.

"Jesus who?" she responded.

She eventually recognized his name and gave him her address. In a few subsequent messages with his friend, he said his stomach was in knots.

"I've gone about two days without eating," he said.

HOPING TO CROSS

RUMICHACA INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE. Colombia/Ecuador border  The bus ride from Cali to Ipiales was full of Venezuelan families with young children crossing into Ecuador.

When they reached the Rumichaca International Bridge, the migrants filed into long lines and stood at least four hours in the cold. Some wore socks for mittens and used bath towels as blankets.

Many women with kids were turned back because they did not have written authorization from their children's father.

Those who did make it across found refugee-style Red Cross tents on the other side. Women and children were quickly escorted onto buses paid for by the Ecuadorean government that would take them all the way to the border with Peru.

Many men would have to wait several days longer.

A LONG WAIT

AGUAS VERDES, Peru  At the crowded Peru-Ecuador border, many young migrants who had walked for weeks complained they'd been waiting days for authorities to process their entry request  and in the meantime weren't given any food or water.

As 21-year-old Jean Paul Flores spoke of his shared frustration to the AP, dozens cheered and applauded in agreement. Flores worked at an international call center in Venezuela and left behind his five-months-pregnant wife. He knew if he stayed, he wouldn't be able to buy diapers for his baby.

"Staying and accompanying her during nine months of pregnancy would mean sacrificing the childhood of my baby," he said. "It's not worth it."

He urged Peruvian officials to let them through swiftly.

"We just want to obtain our objective: To save our families from what is happening there," he said.

SEARCHING FOR A NEW HOME

LIMA, Peru  The capital city of Peru  some 2,700 miles from where migrants start out on foot  is the final destination for growing numbers of migrants.

Over 400,000 Venezuelans now live in the Andean nation, most arriving over the last year. Many are drawn by Peru's economy, which is expected to grow nearly 4 percent this year, faster than other countries in the region.

While some migrants hope they'll return to Venezuela, most interviewed by the AP believed their move would be permanent. Their only hope was to earn enough money so they could bring the rest of their family, too.

Migrant Sandra Cadiz and her daughter initially stayed with her older son and his family, but the landlord of the tiny room didn't want so many people living there. In the week since they've lived in two different shelters.

"I have a home in Venezuela," Cadiz says. "But I don't have one here."
What to Know Note sent home from teacher explained that the student ran away from the teacher.

Surveillance video from the playground later showed the teacher dragging the student across the ground.

The teacher is no longer working in Wylie ISD.

A Collin County mother is outraged over video showing a teacher dragging her 4-year-old son across a school playground.

The teacher has resigned but the child's family still has questions they want answered.

Lanetta Moore says parenting a child with special needs takes patience.

Her son, 4-year-old Jonathan, has autism and struggles communicating.

She says she learned what happened at Jonathans school last Thursday through a note sent home from his teacher.

The day of the incident the teacher had sent me a note home. The note had basically said that Jonathan had ran away from her on the playground. That was it, Moore explained.

Surveillance video at Hartman Elementary tells a different story.

A former Wylie teacher is off the job after surveillance video caught her dragging a student with autism off a playground. This is the raw surveillance video from Wylie ISD that was given to NBC 5 by the parent of the student Lanetta Moore.

You can see his teacher kneel down by the playset, trying to get Jonathan to come out.

I guess she wasn't successful. Then you see her drag him, Moore said, holding back tears.

Jonathan is dragged by his feet across the ground.

Moore showed us photos of scratches on his side.

The worst part, she says, is what happened next on the video.

You see him drop the ground and he doesn't move. Then you see a bunch of teachers crowd around him and you don't know whats happening. All you see is him just lying there, Moore said, crying.

Two minutes go by. Then you see Jonathan being pulled off the playground, all while other staff was there.

I think that's the biggest setback to me as a parent. You see this happen as an adult, no body stepped in to say Hey don't do this. You're hurting him, Moore said.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Wylie ISD said:

The district does not condone discipline or physical contact that may result in injury to a child. Wylie ISD took immediate action as soon as we were made aware of the incident. We notified the proper authorities and conducted our own investigation. The teacher is no longer working in Wylie ISD.

Moore says she took Jonathan out of school after seeing the video which she feels raises more questions than it answers.

I don't want this to happen to someone elses child. That's a big thing and my huge question is did it happen before? Moore asked.

The principal of Hartman Elementary sent an email to parents Thursday afternoon letting them know the teacher no longer works at the school.

The District has been in contact with the family and says it notified Wylie police, CPS, the TEA and conducted its own investigation.

As for the other staff in the video, the district says all teachers who work with children with disabilities undergo annual crisis prevention intervention.

The spokesperson points out it was a teacher who notified them about what happened.
The city of Fort Worth may soon be looking for a new chief of police.

Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price told NBC 5 Friday morning that Chief Joel Fitzgerald was leaving, saying "It appears he has taken the police chief spot in Baltimore. He's done a good job in Fort Worth and I wish him the best in this new position."

A spokesperson for the Fort Worth Police Department later contradicted that statement, saying, "At this time Chief Fitzgerald has not accepted any job offer."

Following the department's statement, Price's office clarified that she has not received a letter of resignation from the chief but that she gave an "appropriate response" to NBC 5's question about his future.

Whether the announcement of Fitzgerald's departure was premature or simply incorrect is unclear.

Meanwhile, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, according to The Baltimore Sun, said Friday she was still vetting candidates and had not made a decision on the city's next commissioner.

Fitzgerald joined the Fort Worth Police Department as chief in October 2015. He is a member of the Major Cities Chief's Association and International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Before arriving in Fort Worth, Fitzgerald was chief in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 2013 and chief in Missouri City, Texas in 2009. He started at the Philadelphia Police Department.

Last month, Fitzgerald led the department while they dealt with the loss of fallen officer Garrett Hull. Hull was the only officer to die in the line of duty during Fitzgerald's time with the department.

Check back for updates on this developing story. NBC 5's Tim Ciesco and Deborah Ferguson contributed to this report.


A suspect in a Kansas shooting that left a woman in critical condition has been arrested in an area south of Dallas.

The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports that the Hill County, Texas, Sheriff's Department arrested 34-year-old Eric James Cravey, of Pittsburg, Kansas, around 3 a.m. Wednesday. He's being held on an attempted murder warrant for allegedly shooting Vanessa Rae McWhirt Martin after an argument. She was found Saturday lying in the driveway of a vacant residence in Pittsburg suffering from an abdominal wound.

She was rushed to a Pittsburg hospital in critical condition and then transferred to the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas.

Police in Pittsburg expressed thanks in a news release for the tips that led to Cravey's capture. He'll face extradition proceedings in coming days.
What to Know The red flag warning went into effect at 3 a.m. Friday and was scheduled to expire at 10 p.m.

Wind gusts up to 45 mph are possible in mountain areas

Humidity levels will increase during the weekend

Firefighters extinguished a brush fire near Elysian Park ahead of a day of high fire danger in parts of Southern California.

Firefighters were called at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday to 1340 N. Stadium Way and located the blaze, which burned about an acre of vegetation, according to Amy Bastman of the Los Angeles Fire Department. A knockdown was declared at 12:35 a.m, she said.

No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire was under investigation.

A red flag warning signifying a high risk of wildfire was in effect in Los Angeles and Orange counties Friday because of strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity. Wind gusts of between 30 and 45 miles per hour are expected in Los Angeles and Ventura counties at the height of the wind amid humidity levels of 10-15 percent at lower elevations.

The humidity will increase Saturday and Sunday.

The red flag warning went into effect at 3 a.m. Friday and was scheduled to expire at 10 p.m. It was issued for the San Gabriel Mountains, the Angeles National Forest, the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area and forest and mountain areas of Ventura County. Northeast-to-east winds of 15 to 30 miles per hour with 45-mile-per-hour gusts are expected in mountain areas.

"We have that picking up right around the lunch-time hour," said NBC4 forecaster Shanna Mendiola.

The red flag warning was also in effect in the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and San Gabriel valleys, Los Angeles County beach cities, metropolitan Los Angeles, Downtown L.A. and the Hollywood Hills, with winds of 10-25 mph forecast in those areas, along with 35-mph gusts and humidity levels of 10-15 percent.

Temperatures will remain warm through Saturday.

"We'll start to cool down Sunday and stay that way through the first part of the week," Mendiola said.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti Thursday proposed that Metro provide free rides on election day.

Garcetti, along with co-authors Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas and Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia, introduced a motion at the Metro Executive Management Committee meeting which would direct the transit agency to lift fares for all riders on Nov. 6.

"A lack of transportation should never stand between a voter and the polls," Garcetti said. "Every vote counts in this democracy, and we have to do everything we can to help Americans exercise our most fundamental right."

Garcetti's office noted that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's 2016 Survey of the Performance of American Elections found that 51 percent of California voters cited a lack of transportation as a factor for not voting, and that other studies have shown that lack of access to transportation to get to polls disproportionately affects minority voters, people with low incomes, persons with disabilities, and young people, which are also the populations most reliant on Metro for mobility.

"On election day, our priority must be making sure voters in all corners of the county are undeterred from getting to the ballot box and exercising their right to vote," Ridley-Thomas said. "Free rides are a great way to help make that happen."

The motion will go to the Metro Board of Directors for consideration at its regular meeting on Oct. 25.
Attorneys representing women who claim they were sexually abused by USC campus gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall announced Thursday they have filed dozens more lawsuits accusing the university of ignoring complaints about the now-former campus doctor for years.

The attorneys, joined by more than a dozen alleged victims of Tyndall, also called on the California attorney general's office to conduct an investigation into the university's handling of complaints about the doctor's conduct. The lawsuits claim the university had received complaints as far back as 1988, but Tyndall continued practicing at the student health center until 2016.

"We call on Attorney General Xavier Becerra to commence a serious investigation of USC -- not George Tyndall, because the [Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office] is handling that -- but USC,'' attorney John Manly said at a downtown Los Angeles news conference.

"The University of Southern California, my alma mater, is the recipient of hundreds of millions of dollars of state of California aid, and it is clear they miserably failed these women,'' he said.

Manley and attorney Andy Rubenstein said they filed 93 additional lawsuits this week against the university alleging wrongdoing in the handling of the cases.

USC officials issued a statement in response to the latest legal actions, saying, "We are aware of the lawsuits. We will be seeking a prompt and fair resolution that is respectful of our former students. We are committed to providing the women of USC with the best, most thorough and respectful health care services of any university.''

Tyndall and USC have been sued by hundreds of alleged victims, many of whom claim they were inappropriately fondled or photographed by Tyndall under the guise of gynecological exams. Many have also accused him of making sexually charged comments during the exams.

Alleged victims have contended that the university received numerous complaints of Tyndall's alleged sexually abusive behavior, dating back to at least 1988, and actively and deliberately concealed Tyndall's actions.

Attorneys for some victims have argued that following an internal investigation of complaints against Tyndall in 2016, the university paid Tyndall a substantial financial settlement so he would quietly resign.

USC officials have denied any coverup and Tyndall has denied any wrongdoing.

In an open letter to faculty and staff in May, USC Provost Michael Quick said top administrators did not know about the complaints until 2016.

"It is true that our system failed, but it is important that you know that this claim of a cover-up is patently false,'' Quick wrote. "We would never knowingly put students in harm's way.''

USC established a hotline for complaints about Tyndall and has offered free counseling to his former patients.

At Thursday's news conference announcing the latest lawsuits and calling for a state investigation, nearly 20 alleged victims of Tyndall told their stories and called for more changes in university administration.

"If USC had done its job and investigated the complaints against George Tyndall before I was at his office, I would not be standing before you today,'' said Dana Loewy, who claims she was molested by Tyndall in 1993. "I am part of an accidental sisterhood of hundreds of women because the university we love betrayed our trust. It is inconceivable to know that USC first because aware of Dr. Tyndall's crimes as early as 1989 and I was able to walk into the student health center with him as my doctor years later."

Manly said he believes Becerra, who is "in charge of nonprofits in the state of California," should investigate.

"We hope and pray and we think he will look into this, and if there was wrongdoing by the administration at (USC), and we believe there was, that they be held accountable,'' he said.
What to Know The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a mild season for the majority of the United States.

NBC10 Boston's Early Warning Weather team plans to unveil its Winter Forecast in November.

NOAA also expects that El Nino will have a 70 to 75 percent chance of developing, bringing precipitation to southern states.

It looks like this winter could be a bit warmer than usual, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Winter Outlook unveiled Thursday.

Above-average temperatures are likely across the northern and western parts of the United States, as well as Alaska and Hawaii, according to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center's Winter Outlook for December through February.

PSPCA

The Climate Prediction Center notes that even during a warmer-than-average winter, periods of cold temperatures and snowfall are likely to occur. Its seasonal outlooks do not project snowfall accumulations, though; those typically are not predictable more than a week in advance.



Seasonal forecasts can be particularly challenging to predict, meteorologists say. NBC10 Boston's Early Warning Weather team plans to release its own Winter Forecast in November.

NOAA also expects that El Nino will have a 70 to 75 percent chance of developing.

El Nino is an oceanic climate interaction linked to periodic warming in sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific.

During the winter, typical El Nino conditions in the United States can include above-average precipitation in the South and drier conditions in the North.

Because El Nino is foreseen as developing, NOAA predicts that northern Florida and southern Georgia have the greatest odds for above-average precipitation this winter, while wetter-than-average conditions are also predicted for the southern United States up into the Mid-Atlantic.

While some locations will see much precipitation, others will experience drought conditions, according to researchers, who foresee this to be the case across portions of the Southwest, Southern California, the central Great Basin, central Rockies, Northern Plains and parts of the Pacific Northwest.

[NATL] Extreme Weather Photos: Record Heat Threatens Europe

Drought conditions are anticipated to improve in areas throughout Arizona and New Mexico, parts of Utah and Colorado, as well as the coastal Pacific Northwest and Central Plains.

The Climate Prediction Center updates its three-month outlook each month, with the next expected update scheduled for Nov. 15.
What to Know The plan to keep the FBI building in Washington would scrap a long held plan to move the FBI to the Maryland or Virginia suburbs.

The Trump International Hotel is essentially across the street from the FBI headquarters.

The report says Trump participated in 2 meetings this year about the FBI HQ, but others present were instructed not to talk about it.

Administration emails show that President Donald Trump intervened personally to keep FBI headquarters in downtown Washington rather than relocate it to the suburbs as had long been planned, congressional Democrats said Thursday.

The letter from Democratic lawmakers on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform says Trump's direct involvement presents a brazen conflict of interest.

Near FBI headquarters, Trump owns the Trump International Hotel, which could face competition if the FBI's current location is opened to private redevelopment, which could include another hotel.

Before running for office, Trump expressed interest in redeveloping the property himself.

Trump "was directly involved with the decision to abandon the long-term relocation plan and instead move ahead with the more expensive proposal to construct a new building on the same site, and thereby prevent Trump Hotel competitors from acquiring the land," wrote Democratic Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, Gerry Connolly of Virginia, Dina Titus of Nevada, Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Mike Quigley of Illinois.

Connolly said in an interview Thursday that the president's actions boosted himself, not Americans.

"It tells me that the president is still willing to put his own economic interest ahead of the country's," he said.

The White House said the decision to keep FBI headquarters in D.C. was motivated by saving taxpayer money: "Once again House Democrats have it all wrong. The President wanted to save the government money and also the FBI leadership did not want to move its headquarters."

Thursday's letter cites correspondence from a senior official at the General Services Administration, which manages real estate for the federal government, outlining a Jan. 2018 Oval Office meeting and describing the headquarters decision as "what POTUS directed everyone to do."

Another email describes steps that will be "necessary to deliver the project the president wants on the timetable he wants it done."

The General Services Administration responded in a written statement, saying that "suggestions that those emails indicate presidential involvement in the location decision are inaccurate."

"As previously testified by GSA and the FBI, the leadership team at the FBI made the decision to keep its headquarters at the current Pennsylvania Avenue location. A number of emails referenced in today's congressional letter are taken out of context and refer to the project's funding approach, not the location decision," GSA said.

The Democrats' letter follows up on an inspector general's report issued earlier this year that disclosed Trump was participating in meetings in which the FBI headquarters project was discussed.

The IG report, though, offered no conclusions about whether Trump actively pushed for the downtown location in those meetings. The inspector general concluded that determining Trump's specific involvement was difficult, in large part because the inspector general said GSA employees were instructed not to discuss any statements Trump made at those meetings.

The correspondence cited by Democrats was also available to the inspector general, but Democrats are attaching more significance to the letters than the IG did.

Connolly said the letters represent significant circumstantial evidence, given the overall context of the project. For more than a decade, Connolly said, the plan to move FBI headquarters to the suburbs was widely accepted as the most logical alternative. The current J. Edgar Hoover building, built in 1974, is crumbling badly. The space is not big enough to consolidate all FBI personnel, and modern security requirements impose building restrictions that would be extremely difficult to meet at the existing location, Connolly said. Advocates of a suburban location say it would be less expensive and more efficient.

Given Trump's financial conflict of interest with his hotel, and his ongoing feud with the FBI, Connolly said Trump's involvement in the decision is all the more suspicious. He also said GSA has been less than forthcoming about Trump's involvement in the decision in congressional testimony.

"This is an issue we will continue to pursue in the next Congress," Connolly said.

Officials in Maryland and Virginia competed for years to land the project, which could bring more than 10,000 jobs.
Weeks before the 2016 election, federal officials started making mysterious calls to the head of elections in Inyo County, California. They asked her to contact them if she noticed anything unusual. But they wouldn't elaborate.

"I asked them: 'How am I going to be able to protect against it if I don't know what it is?'" said the official, Kammi Foote.

Now, Foote communicates regularly with federal officials. They came to her small county of about 10,000 registered voters to analyze the security of her ballot system. She participates in state and federal information-sharing groups that didn't exist two years ago and is getting a sensor that can help detect unwanted intrusions.

"I'm feeling optimistic," Foote said about the Nov. 6 election. "I feel like the entire field of election administration has grown and matured in their ability to understand the cyber component and cyberthreats."

Election officials and federal cybersecurity agents alike tout improved collaboration aimed at confronting and deterring election tampering. Granted, the only way to go was up: In 2016, amid Russian meddling, federal officials were accused first of being too tight-lipped on intelligence about possible hacking into state systems and later for trying to seize control from the states.

Officials from Homeland Security, the department tasked with helping states secure elections, say the midterms will be the most secure vote in the modern era. They said they haven't yet seen the type of infiltrations that happened in 2016.

Still, cybersecurity experts aren't so sure the improved security and local-federal cooperation will be enough, given the breadth of threats that electoral systems may face.

States run elections, a decentralized process that makes it harder for anyone to conduct a nationwide attack on the electoral system. The downside is there is no national playbook. The 10,000 or so election jurisdictions use a combination of paper ballots scanned into computers, entirely computerized ballots stored online and old-school paper ballots, marked and hand-counted by humans.

With the realization that Russian-backed agents were interfering with the 2016 vote, then-Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson designated election systems as "critical infrastructure," a change that allowed the federal government more leeway to help states. There is no evidence that votes were altered in 2016, but intelligence officials say all 50 states had some type of intrusion, though only a few were compromised, like in Illinois, where records on 90,000 voters had been downloaded.

Johnson's decision irked some local officials concerned about the federal government meddling in their elections.

"We don't like to be told what to do without any say," said John Merrill, Alabama's secretary of state.

Federal officials concede the beginning was rocky. "Communication was not a key element of the initial rollout," Christopher Krebs, Homeland Security's cybersecurity chief, said at a recent election security conference. "When I look at where we are right now, the single most important factor that has been established ... with our state and local partners is trust."

States are managing antiquated machinery, built by a few unregulated and secretive vendors. The outdated software is highly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Online voter registration databases are frequent targets.

Election systems are constantly under fire  efforts to steal sensitive data, disrupt services and undermine voter confidence.

"We experience thousands of attempts every day," Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos said. In one example, he said his state recently reported that it had blocked two intrusion attempts into its online voter registration database. The federal government, using data from the sensors, traced the attempts to addresses that originated in Russia.

State election officials aren't cyber experts and government jobs don't pay enough to attract high-level private-sector information technology workers.

To assist states, Homeland Security offered them vulnerability assessments and help responding to incidents  so far, 37 states have signed up. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has urged states to make their systems auditable. Her department has funded "Albert sensors," systems that can detect attempts to hack into networks. So far, 31 states and 61 counties have installed sensors.

"They are valuable because they give visibility to us, to DHS about what's going on," said John Gilligan, executive chairman of the Center for Internet Security, a cybersecurity venture funded by government, academia and the private sector.

State officials say the sensors, while limited, work to paint a picture of what's happening across the country.

"It doesn't offer a specific defense," said Noah Praetz, elections director for Cook County, Illinois. "But it does offer the potential for information."

Cybersecurity experts warn, however, that the Albert sensors won't detect all forms of intrusion.

"If something more sophisticated gets in ... it's going to be very, very difficult to detect them," said Bob Stasio, a former National Security Agency supervisor.

The department this year created the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center to help state and local election jurisdictions share information on cyberthreats and security. The Center for Internet Security runs it, and more than 1,100 counties in 50 states are signed up.

Foote, of Inyo County, said her partnerships with other states have increased her trust of federal officials. She reached out to colleagues in Colorado when she invited federal agents into her county.

"I was still nervous about it," she said. "But when they got here, what really set my mind at ease was these were not partisan, ideologue people. These are the rank-and-file. They're experts in cybersecurity."

Federal officials are handing out security clearances to state and local officials so some can read in on classified briefings, but so far, fewer than 100 have been given. And local officials still know very little about what happened in 2016.

"I never received any information and still  to this day  I have no inside access to anything more than what's reported in the media and the general public on what those threats are," Foote said.

Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann, Christina A. Cassidy and Wilson Ring contributed to this report.
The dozens of Miami Beach police officers returned home Thursday night after helping hurricane victims in the Panhandle with a deeper sense of appreciation for life and their jobs.

Over 40 officers spent the last five days at ground zero, helping residents repair after Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 4, the strongest storm on record to hit the Florida Panhandle and the fourth strongest to hit the continental United States.

"There's extensive damage," officer Eyra Cordoba said. "Theres kids sleeping in tents, kids sleeping outside of their cars, their babies in their vehicles trying to keep cool because it was 90 degrees throughout the day."

After returning home with a police escort and some fanfare, the Miami Beach Police Department reflected on how the experience in the Panhandle changed their lives.

"It was very humbling for me as a mother as a police officer to be able to help and assist," Cordoba said.

"Ive been a police officer 29 years, and this is one of the best feelings Ive ever had helping this community," said officer Elio Olivia.

Their initial objective changed as soon as they arrived and met the residents.

"We went up there originally with a law enforcement objective, if you will, to maintain order and peace and help with recovery," said deputy chief Rick Clements. "It changed into humanitarian almost immediately; by that I mean I had guys more concerned about giving out water, ice, clothing."

According to Cordoba, the true heroes were the law enforcement officers in the Panhandle.

"Officers from the Panama City police department completely lost their homes, and they're constantly getting up and going to work," she said.

There are many ways you can help out victims of Hurricane Michael. You can start here.
The top lawmakers on two House committees will interview Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein next week about reports that he had discussed secretly recording President Donald Trump.

The announcement on Thursday that Rosenstein will sit for a transcribed interview Oct. 24 comes after weeks of negotiations over the meeting. The two Republican chairmen and top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees will interview him. Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus had originally pushed for Rosenstein to appear but will be left out of the meeting, according to the terms laid out by the panels.

Judiciary Chairman Robert Goodlatte, R-Va., and Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., said in a statement that the interview will be held in a secure room and that a transcript will be released after the intelligence community reviews it for classified information.

There was speculation weeks ago that Rosenstein would be fired or would resign following a September New York Times report that he had discussed secretly recording the president last year to expose chaos at the White House. The report said Rosenstein also discussed invoking constitutional provisions to remove Trump from office.

Rosenstein went to the White House days after the report, expecting to be fired, but his job was spared, and he later flew with Trump on Air Force One to an international police chiefs' conference in Florida. The president declared his job safe, saying he was "not making any changes."

"We just had a very nice talk," Trump told reporters. "We actually get along."

Trump and Rosenstein have had an up-and-down relationship, though the deputy has been spared the brunt of the anger directed at his boss, Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump's relationship with Sessions deteriorated after the attorney general recused himself from the Russia investigation.

Goodlatte said last month that "there are many questions we have for Mr. Rosenstein, including questions about allegations made against him in a recent news article. We need to get to the bottom of these very serious claims."

North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, the head of the House Freedom Caucus, initially led the push to bring Rosenstein to Capitol Hill. On Thursday, he tweeted that Rosenstein "should resign immediately."

"He has not cooperated with Congress, failed to be transparent about his actions, and shown a lack of candor in the way he's characterized a number of events," Meadows tweeted. He did not elaborate or provide evidence for those claims.

Democrats have called the meeting with Rosenstein part of a Republican effort to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election. Because of Sessions' recusal, Rosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel and oversees that investigation.
The owner of a Dunkin' franchise in Portland, Maine, has apologized to a woman who said she was banned from the store for speaking Somali with her family this week, NBC News reported.

Hamdia Ahmed, a 20-year-old refugee from Somalia and local college student, said she and her family were speaking in Somali while waiting in the drive-thru at the Dunkin' on Monday when the employee asked them to stop yelling, which she said they weren't doing.

"You're going to disrespect me cause I speak a different language than you. Is that what it is?" Ahmed said in a video she posted to Twitter.

The employee threatened to call the police, which she did after Ahmed went inside to resolve the issue. Officers gave her a notice barring her from the premises for a year.

But Ahmed said it was rescinded after the store's owner apologized.
What to Know One of the largest for-profit colleges in the state of New York has been sued for alleged deceptive and predatory practices

Berkeley College is accused of violating consumer and local debt collection rules, the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) says

In a statement to NBC 4 New York, Berkeley College denies the allegations

One of the largest for-profit colleges in the state of New York has been sued for alleged deceptive and predatory practices that violate consumer and local debt collection rules, the NYC Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) announced Friday.

DCAs lawsuit, filed in New York County Supreme Court, alleges a number of violations and wide-ranging consumer harm. It also seeks to end Berkeleys unlawful practices and restore any illegal profits back to consumers.

A DCA investigation allegedly revealed, among other things, that the colleges recruiters said whatever the prospective student wanted to hear, especially when it comes to academic programs, employment, transfer credits, and federal student loans  regardless of the truth  to convince them to enroll, DCA Commissioner Lorelei Salas said.

For-profit colleges are businesses, and like most businesses, their top priority is generating profits, Salas said, adding that the colleges alleged aggressive recruiting tactics are designed to prey on the hopes and dreams of consumers seeking improved career prospects and greater financial security to better care for themselves and their families.

The lawsuit accuses Berkeley College of: misleading students about financial aid, including federal financial aid; tricking students into taking out payment plan loans directly from the institution even if the student wants to pay tuition balances up front; and deceiving students about institutional grants that require students to borrow the maximum amount of loans available to students through the federal government before Berkeley will award the grant, which does not need to be repaid.

Additionally, the lawsuit accuses the college of deceiving students about transfer credits, majors, and careers, as well as violating local debt collection laws by concealing its identity from former students when collecting debt, including debt that is not owed.

For-profit colleges are primarily concerned with their bottom line, not the welfare of their students, Council Member Rafael Espinal said in a statement. At a time when student debt is soaring, it is unacceptable that schools like Berkeley are preying on people  many of them from low-income backgrounds  seeking to better their lives.

DCA encourages any consumer who believes they may have experienced any wrongdoing by Berkeley College to contact the agency by calling 311 or by filing a complaint at nyc.gov/dca.

In a statement to NBC 4 New York, Berkeley College denies the allegations and says it will "vigourously defend the College aganst the DCA's accusations."

"We repeatedly sought the opportunity to review any allegations with the DCA. However, DCA officials denied our requests to discuss the claims before they pursued this action. Berkeley College has provided more than 52,000 pages of documentation in accordance with the DCAs requests," the college's statement says, adding that the institution has an 87-year history of serving students "under the highest principles."
A new law that requires officers all across New York City to identify themselves went into effect Friday, obligating all cops to ID themselves, explain the purpose of the interaction, explain the consent to search rights and offer a business card.



The purpose of the new Right to Know Act is to help put an end to unconstitutional searches. The business cards give civilians information on where they can comment about an interaction with an officer and get body camera footage.

While backers of the new law say they grew out of concern that controversy over stop-and-frisk practices had eroded trust in the police department, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association is critical of the new obligation.

The 'Right to Know laws will discourage police officers from proactively addressing crime and disorder and will lead to more frivolous complaints, a statement said in part.

Although the police union feels one way, advocates for police reform say the change has been long needed.

The measures also require that officers be trained to obtain voluntary, knowing and intelligent consent before conducting searches without a warrant.
What to Know A school bus rammed into parked cars in Brooklyn Thursday afternoon

Vehicles with doors, hoods and bumpers smashed in were a common sight after the accident that occurred in Williamsburg

Only the driver and a school aide were on the bus at the time of the accident; No injuries were reported

A school bus plowed into a row of parked cars in Brooklyn just after the driver dropped off kids Thursday afternoon.

Vehicles with smashed-in doors, hoods and bumpers were a common sight after the accident on Wilson Street in Williamsburg at around 4:45 p.m.

The driver and aide were the only ones on the bus during the time of the accident, fire officials said.

The bus driver, Joseph Quam, told News 4 New York that he'd just dropped students off and was attempting to make a turn when he lost control and his brakes stopped working. He was going about 10 to 20 mph approaching Wilson Street when he lost control.

"It could be a mechanical problem," said Quam. "I tried the brake and it wouldn't stop. It just wouldn't stop."

The pileup totaled as many as nine cars on the street, according to witnesses.

No injuries were reported.

Car owners arrived on the scene to find the shocking mess.

"I don't have a trunk," Sam Smith remarked of his car.

The school bus was registered to Empire State Bus Corp. Messages left with the company were not immediately returned.
What to Know The serial killings between 1986 and 1995 began with the stabbing death of a college student

The case went cold for years, during which the bodies of several women were found in Riverside and San Diego counties

Andrew Urdiales, 54, was arrested in three Illinois killings in 1996, then connected to the Southern California killings

A former Marine who killed five women in Southern California was sentenced to death Friday in a case that spanned more than three decades and went cold for years until a traffic stop in Indiana provided investigators with a break.

Andrew Urdiales, 54, is already serving a life prison term in Illinois for three murders in Chicago. He was convicted of the Southern California killings May 23 by the same jury that deliberated for about a day before recommending in June that he be put to death for each of the five murders.

Judge Gregg Pickett agreed Friday, sentencing Urdiales, discharged from the military in 1991, to death on all five counts of murder. Speaking in the courtroom, Urdiales said he respects the jury's decision and probably would have done the same thing.

"I understand how they voted," he said. "If I were a juror on my case I would probably have done the same thing. There's no hard feelings."

He went on to speak to victims' families.

"I'm a little shaken actually, a little nervous," Urdiales said as he offered "sincere apologies" to jurors, the judge, prosecutors, victims' families and his own family for having to hear the "gory" details of his crimes.

Three people delivered victim impact statement in court Friday, including the father of Tammie Erwin. His daughter was killed in Palm Springs in April 1989.

"I know that I miss her every day of my life," he said.

Urdiales "not only killed my daughter, but he killed me inside," Erwin said. "This has ruined my life. It has turned my physical being into pieces, my mental being into pieces."

Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in a statement that the death penalty was the only just punishment for Urdiales.

"When you think about the serial killings and terrible things he did, it's hard to think of Urdiales as a person  he's a human monster," Rackauckas said. "He doesn't deserve to be in the planet with the rest of us."

Urdiales killed five women in Orange, San Diego and Riverside counties between 1986 and 1995, but it was an Illinois triple-murder case that brought him to the attention of investigators looking into the Southern California killings.

The California serial killings began with an attack on a 23-year-old Saddleback College student, according to investigators. The body of Robbin Brandley was found in a school parking lot, stabbed 41 times. She had been working earlier than night as an usher at a campus event.

Over that past three decades, her father's memories of the day Brandley left for college and never came home have mingled with frustration and anger. Her mother died in 2011.

"It just takes a terrible toll, 32 years of anger and mistrust, anxiety and pain," said Jack Reilly, the victim's father, after the June hearing. "I think that's what finally did my wife in  couldn't take it anymore."

The case went cold for years, during which the bodies of several women with ties to prostitution were found in remote and secluded parts of Riverside and San Diego counties. A break came in 1996 when Chicago police investigating the deaths of three women in Illinois learned that a man later identified as Urdiales had been pulled over with a revolver in his car in Indiana.

That revolver was matched to bullets found in the bodies of the three victims in Illinois.

Urdiales told Chicago detectives that they also might want to ask him about people in California, Orange County prosecutors said in opening statements at his trial. He subsequently spoke with Orange County investigators, and he was arrested in 1997 on suspicion of killing an Orange County woman when he was a Marine at Camp Pendleton. He killed the four other women, in Riverside and San Diego counties, when he was stationed at Twenty-Nine Palms.

Urdiales had been sentenced to death in Chicago for the Illinois murders, but when the death penalty was abolished in Illinois he was re-sentenced to life without parole. He was brought to Orange County in 2011 to be tried for the five murders in Southern California.

Urdiales' attorney, Denise Gragg, argued in court that brain scans and psychological tests showed her client had symptoms of someone afflicted with partial fetal alcohol syndrome. The killer's mother was a steady drinker and imbibed when she was pregnant with Urdiales, she said.

That brain damage combined with a childhood of traumatic events left him with trouble managing his anger and emotions. The U.S. Marine Corps veteran performed well in the structured environment of the military, she argued, but did poorly in less-stable conditions.

Urdiales told investigators that he got into spats with many of the women before he snapped and killed them. Gragg said he would dissociate at times so that he wouldn't even be present consciously during the murders.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy argued there was little evidence to prove Urdiales' childhood was as unhappy as his defense attorneys claimed. There also wasn't as much childhood bullying as the defense alleged, he said.

Urdiales was convicted of killing:

23-year-old Robbin Brandley, who was attacked as she walked to her car following a concert on Jan. 18, 1986, at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo

29-year-old Julie McGhee on July 17, 1988, in Cathedral City

31-year-old Maryann Wells on Sept. 25, 1988, in San Diego

20-year-old Tammie Erwin on April 16, 1989, in Palm Springs

32-year-old Denise Maney on March 11, 1995, in Palm Springs

Urdiales was previously convicted of killing Laura Uylaki, Cassandra Corum and Lynn Huber, who worked as prostitutes in Illinois in the mid-1990s.
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp opened her debate Thursday against Republican challenger Kevin Cramer with a renewed apology for a newspaper ad attacking her opponent that improperly identified some survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, calling it a "grave and horrible error."

"I am praying for guidance and forgiveness," the Democrat told the nearly 200 people at Bismarck State College during her and Cramer's first debate before the Nov. 6 election.

The race has drawn national attention because Heitkamp is viewed as one of the most vulnerable candidates among red-state Democrats in the Senate, and Republicans are hoping to cling to a razor-thin majority.

Cramer, who is North Dakota's incumbent congressman, has been one of President Donald Trump's fiercest allies in Trump-loving North Dakota.

Heitkamp has been walking the conservative tightrope while trying to convince voters that she'll side with Trump when it's right for the state.

Here are the takeaways:

KAVANAUGH  AND THE AD

Cramer did not pounce on Heitkamp for her ad, which he earlier said was "revictimization of victims." He did criticize Heitkamp's decision to vote against Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. In announcing her decision, Heitkamp cited Kavanaugh's temperament during testy Senate Judiciary Committee hearings that included confrontations with some senators and emotional testimony.

Her decision was seen as a politically risky gamble that went against the grain of her conservative-dominated state. Heitkamp sought to cast it as further evidence of her independence.

"Being an independent isn't an excuse for being wrong," Cramer told her.

Before her ad, Heitkamp had seized on remarks from Cramer, who referred to the #MeToo movement as "this movement toward victimization." The ad ran in several North Dakota newspapers and was an open letter to Cramer that took issue with his remarks. Several women named in the ad either hadn't authorized it or are not survivors of abuse, which led to backlash and Heitkamp's initial apology.

TRADE

Heitkamp put Cramer on the defensive regarding trade and tariffs in a state where agriculture is the No. 1 industry with about 25 percent of the workforce. Heitkamp has run several ads showing farmers in their soybean fields and complaining that Cramer has done nothing about the drop in crop prices.

Heitkamp said the trade war is having a "very dramatic and negative effect" on North Dakota's economy and its farmers.

"We spent 30 years building markets and we're going to lose it in a year," she said.

Cramer has argued that Trump's approach must be given time to work. He pointed to Trump's deal with Canada and Mexico and elsewhere as evidence that the president's approach is working.

HEALTH CARE

Heitkamp, like Democrats elsewhere, has hit Cramer hard with the assertion that repealing the Affordable Care Act would strip health care from thousands of people with pre-existing conditions. And she's criticized Cramer for backing North Dakota's involvement in a multistate lawsuit over whether or not the federal law is constitutional.

Heitkamp said during the debate that the health care law is not perfect but the pre-existing conditions component is "critical to the lives of so many North Dakotans."

Cramer has argued the current health care system is broken. On Thursday he said he "has not and would not" support any legislation that cuts guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions.

BEING BIPARTISAN

Heitkamp was a strong, vocal supporter of Hilary Clinton for president, in a state Trump won by 36 percentage points. But she is considered a moderate and one of the least reliably partisan Democratic votes in the Senate. She largely backed North Dakota's corporate interests on energy and voted to confirm most of Trump's Cabinet and judicial nominees, including Supreme Court pick Neil Gorsuch.

Heitkamp played up that support, while casting her opponent as a rubber stamp for the party that she says is ineffective in Washington.

"I've done everything I can to change the culture and work across the aisle," she said.

Cramer argued that Heitkamp's record belied her claims of having bipartisan instincts. He said Heitkamp has "created this delusion that she is somehow bipartisan."

She has been bipartisan "except when things really matter," he said.

He pointed to Heitkamp's vote against the tax cuts that Trump championed and her support of sanctuary cities.

The president looms large in the race. Cramer has aligned himself closely with Trump and played up the story that the president personally recruited him into the race.
What to Know Police found the body of a 1-year-old girl in Philadelphia's Kemble Park Tuesday morning. The baby was later identified as Alina Diggs.

The girlfriend of the baby's father, 33-year-old Nyishia Corbitt, was charged with her murder Thursday. Police say the child was suffocated.

The girl's grandmother said a custody hearing was scheduled for next week. She was trying to take over care of the girl.

A 33-year-old woman was charged Thursday in the death of a toddler whose body was found partially buried in an Olney park earlier this week, police said.

Nyishia Corbitt is charged with murder, possessing an instrument of crime, falsifying reports, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice and abuse of a corpse.

The baby, identified as 1-year-old Alina Diggs, was found buried in a shallow grave in Kemble Park. The park sits across from Central and Girl's high schools.

Diggs died from suffocation, according to Capt. John Ryan, head of the Philadelphia police homicide unit.

Surveillance video from Oct. 9 showed Corbitt exiting an apartment building near 16th Street and Olney Avenue with Diggs. Police think the baby was already dead at the time, Ryan said. She took the young girl to a park across the street and then returned sometime later without her.

Corbitt is the girlfriend of Diggs' father, police said. They have two other children together. Corbitt's mother is caring for those kids, Ryan said.

Diggs' father has not been charged.

Diggs' mother, Brooke Barnes, is currently jailed in a Montgomery County on retail theft charges, police said.

The girl's grandmother, Pamela Butler, said Thursday that she was working become the baby's legal guardian and had a court hearing scheduled for next week.

"My only grandbaby has been taken," Butler told NBC10's Drew Smith. "It's a hard pill to swallow."

Philadelphia police said Corbitt told her own mother that Barnes was missing. The older woman then told officers, who used cadaver dogs to find the child's body earlier Oct. 16.

Officers found the baby's head partially above ground when they searched the park, police said. She was also fully clothed, wearing a bright pink shirt.

"It's terrible to see a child meet this kind of end," Ryan said.

Police sources said evidence was recovered in an Olney apartment and in another location several blocks away from the crime scene.

Butler said she asked to see Diggs this weekend, but that the girl's father was evasive saying that the baby was in New York with his parents. Police believe the girl was already dead when that conversation took place.

"Theres no way you dont see your daughter for an entire week and you dont ask any questions," Butler said.

The family's pastor visited the Brooks, the baby's mother, in jail and told her about the murder, Butler said.

"I miss walking through the front door and shes sliding down the steps at the speed of lightning and these are things that you cant get back, but I do have the memories to hold onto," the grandmother said.

CORRECTION (Oct. 18, 2018, 8:47 p.m. ET): Philadelphia police initially said the toddler's name was Alicia Barnes. This story has been updated to correct her name to Alina Diggs.
The state attorney general's office is investigating the fatal shooting of a man in southern New Jersey by law enforcement.

The shooting occurred at a truck rental center in Vineland on Thursday.

Authorities say detectives from the Cape May County prosecutor's office and Lower Township police were conducting a law enforcement operation when one of the detectives shot the man, who was identified Friday as Jacob Servais of Millville, New Jersey.

Servais was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

None of the detectives was injured.

The investigation is being conducted by the attorney general's shooting response team. Under state law, the matter will be sent to a grand jury for review unless the undisputed facts indicate the shooting was justified.
What to Know U.S. officials consider CJNG to be one of the most powerful cartels in Mexico

The cartel is responsible for trafficking many tons of cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl-laced heroin into the US, officials say

The cartel is global with business in the US, Mexico, Europe, Asia and Australia

The U.S. government is offering an unprecedented $10 million reward to capture the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, 52, is known as El Mencho. He is a fugitive and was designated as a Kingpin under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act by the Department of the Treasury in April 2015.

The reward for Oseguera Cervantess arrest is the highest the government offers for narcotics fugitives.

His son, known as Menchito, is in custody in Mexico and awaiting extradition to the U.S.

Another high ranking CJNG member, Erick Valencia Salazar, aka, El 85, is wanted with a reward offered in the amount of $5 million.

CJNG is believed to be influential in 75 percent of the states in Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The cartel once shot down a Mexican military helicopter with a rocket launcher.

The group's primary product is methamphetamine, with main U.S. distribution hubs in Los Angeles, New York and Atlanta.

"El Mencho" is considered one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the world, who experts say is partly responsible for the violence that exists in Tijuana.

"Tijuana is the cherry on the cake, it's a very coveted place," said Victor Clark, an anthropologist.

In August, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials unveiled additional strategies in combating Mexican drug cartels with the Mexican government, military and federal police.

The new plans include putting greater emphasis on attacking cartels' financial infrastructure and calling for a new enforcement group based in Chicago that will concentrate on international investigations of cartels.

A 2018 report by the University of San Diego's Justice in Mexico said Guzman's takedown "dramatically reshaped the landscape of Mexican organized crime," including by clearing the way for the rise of CJNG. It added the cartel's 52-year-old leader "has a reputation as a ruthless killer." He migrated to the U.S. in the 1980s and was deported back to Mexico after a trafficking conviction.
Winning re-election while indicted is a rare feat in U.S. history.

But San Diego Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter is attempting to do just that in November's midterm election.

After pleading not guilty in August to federal charges, Hunter is entering the final weeks of the campaign doing what they can to lay low. He has largely avoided the media and refused to debate their opponents.

Instead, Ducan has mostly appeared at Republican-friendly events, and run attack ads against his Democratic challenger that some say seek to exploit racial prejudice and xenophobia.

It was the same for Rep. Chris Collins of New York, who was indicted on a separate charge.

Both declined repeated requests to comment for this story.

Indictments and even jail time have not always ended political careers. A few have won re-election while facing criminal charges and some ended up exonerated. Others were convicted and later resigned.

But the Collins and Hunter contests are emerging as a fresh test of partisanship in the Trump era. Some voters may look past such a blemish this year to ensure that their preferred party remains in power.

"If you look at the question of partisanship, it sort of makes sense to me why Republican voters would prefer a Republican under indictment to a Democrat," said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato's Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan analytical newsletter at the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "Two decades ago, partisanship was not as strong, and (they) would have been in more trouble."

Collins, 68, initially suspended his campaign after being charged with insider trading that prosecutors say helped his son and others avert nearly $800,000 in stock losses. But he reversed course over the difficulty in removing his name from the ballot, saying the stakes "are too high" to allow a Democrat to take the congressional seat he has held for three terms.

Democrats are trying to pick up 23 seats nationwide to win control of the House.

Don Lloyd, a 70-year-old retired engineer who lives in Eden, New York, said he'll vote for Collins even though he believes he should not be running.

"But what am I really voting for? I'm voting for a Republican," Lloyd said. "And let's face it, the election isn't about Chris Collins. It's about Trump. ... I'm supporting the Republican Party."

Collins came under fire for a TV ad that showed his Democratic opponent, Nate McMurray, speaking Korean, over a backdrop of ominous music, a portrait of the North Korean dictator and captions falsely implying he was talking about sending American jobs to Asia. McMurray has studied and taught law in South Korea and is married to a woman from South Korea.

In California, Hunter and his wife face a 60-count indictment accusing them of using more than $250,000 in campaign funds for everything from a family trip to Italy to Costco shopping sprees and then trying to hide the illegal spending in government records as donations to charities, including for wounded warriors.

After his last court appearance in San Diego, Hunter was swarmed by protesters, including one wearing a bunny suit in reference to claims that he used campaign funds on airfare for a pet rabbit.

"We're still running, and we're going to win," Hunter told reporters over the chants of "lock him up!"

Polls suggest the race has tightened between the 41-year-old former combat Marine and his opponent, Ammar Campa-Najjar, a 29-year-old first-time candidate who worked in the Obama administration.

Hunter, who is seeking his sixth term, has struck back with a YouTube ad alleging Campa-Najjar, a Latino Arab-American, is working to "infiltrate Congress." It falsely asserts he is supported by the Muslim Brotherhood. It also mentions his Palestinian background. His father served in the Palestine Liberation Organization and his grandfather was a leader of the group that orchestrated the terror attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics that killed 11 Israeli athletes.

Dozens of national security experts have assailed the attacks as racist. Campa-Najjar, who was raised in San Diego by his Mexican-American mother, had little to do with his Palestinian father and his Palestinian grandfather was killed before he was born. The FBI vetted his family before giving him security clearances to work in the Obama administration.

Maria Patton, an independent, said she is still undecided about whom to vote for, but the attacks have turned her off.

"I don't support that kind of mentality," said the 60-year-old retired educator, who lives in La Mesa, east of San Diego. "I find it unfair."

Hunter has stepped up the attacks as donations have poured in for his opponent, who raised $1.4 million in the third quarter compared with $132,000 by the incumbent.

"There's a high premium on truth this election year," Campa-Najjar told The Associated Press.

McMurray, town supervisor of Grand Island, also saw donations triple in the third quarter, when he raised $520,000 compared with $33,000 for Collins.

"Both Democrats and Republicans are starting to support me and there's a reason: Because people want something better," McMurray said.

Like Collins and Hunter, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey refused to resign after being indicted in 2015 on corruption charges. The case was dismissed after a hung jury. He is now in a tight race with his Republican opponent.

In 2014, Republican Rep. Michael Grimm of New York was re-elected while under indictment but later resigned after pleading guilty to tax evasion. After serving more than seven months in prison, he ran again in the June primary but lost.

_____

Watson reported from San Diego. Thompson reported from Buffalo, New York.
In Stephen Hawking's final book "Brief Answers to Big Questions," published Tuesday by Bantam Books, the Cambridge professor begins a series of 10 intergalactic essays by addressing life's oldest and most religiously fraught question of all: Is there a God?

Hawking's answer  compiled from decades of prior interviews, essays and speeches with the help of his family, colleagues and the Steven Hawking Estate  should come as no surprise to readers who have followed his work, er, religiously, NBC News' MACH reported.

"I think the universe was spontaneously created out of nothing, according to the laws of science," Hawking, who died in March, wrote. "If you accept, as I do, that the laws of nature are fixed, then it doesn't take long to ask: What role is there for God?"

In life, Hawking was a vocal champion of the Big Bang theory  the idea that the universe began by exploding suddenly out of an ultradense singularity smaller than an atom. From this speck emerged all the matter, energy and empty space that the universe would ever contain, and all that raw material evolved into the cosmos we perceive today by following a strict set of scientific laws. To Hawking and many like-minded scientists, the combined laws of gravity, relativity, quantum physics and a few other rules could explain everything that ever happened or ever will happen in our known universe.
One person was killed and three others were injured in a crash involving four vehicles in Southwest Washington early Friday morning, police say.

The crash scene spans several blocks in the area of South Capitol and Galveston streets. Police believe the striking vehicle was traveling along South Capitol Street around 3:15 a.m. when the driver began hitting cars along the roadway.

One person was killed in the crash. It's not clear whether the person who was killed was in the striking vehicle. Police say three other people were taken to the hospital, but they are expected to be OK.

South Capitol Street is closed between Livingston Road and Forrester Street.
A Latina woman was with family visiting from Guatemala when she says they were verbally harassed by a white woman for conversing in Spanish at a Virginia restaurant.

The family was confronted inside Andys restaurant in Lovettsville.

"She asked for passports; she said that she knew everybody in Loudoun County to get us out of here, and she started saying that we were supposed to speak English, but I'm like 'were not talking to you,'" said the victim, who asked to remain anonymous. "They're here visiting and they dont know English, so how do you want them to speak English when theyre here just visiting?"

Part of the incident was caught on video.

You dont freeload in this f------ country, the woman is heard saying on the video. You get the f--- out, back to your f------ country.

Police were called but no charges were filed.

The owner of the restaurant said the woman who harassed the family is not welcome back.

The Spanish-speaking victim said her 7-year-old daughter was present during the profanity-laced attack. She told Telemundo 44 that she is sharing her story because of her daughter and hopes that other victims of bias-motivated harassment also speak out.

"It's not fair that they do this to us, and even less acceptable if there are children present. It's not fair for any child to have to go through that. You just don't do that," the woman added.
A woman who told police that a Maryland officer pulled her over and sexually assaulted her told others that the officer left his driver's license in her car after the attack, according to a representative of a legal organization working on her behalf.

Prince George's County Officer 1st Class Ryan Macklin was jailed on charges of rape and assault after the woman reported that he pulled her over in a traffic stop and then attacked her early the morning of Thursday, Oct. 11.

The woman said Macklin forced her to perform a sex act and then left behind his license, according to Sara Ramirez of the immigration advocacy and assistance organization CASA de Maryland. Ramirez said she spoke with the woman hours after she reported the alleged crime.

"She has hope because [his] driver's license was in the car. She has the complete information about him," Ramirez said Thursday.

A lawyer for Macklin declined to comment on the allegation. The officer pleaded not guilty.

The woman reported the alleged crime because she was angry, even though she lives in the United States illegally, Ramirez said.

"It's very hard, immigrants' life in this country," she said.

According to Ramirez, the woman was heading to a job site about 1 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 11 in Langley Park when she was pulled over.

"What is the reason that you stop me? I don't know why," Ramirez recounted the woman telling her.

"Oh, what do you need to do if you don't want ticket? What do you have to do?" Ramirez recalled hearing that the officer responded.

Then, he forced her into oral sex in a nearby parking lot, the woman said.

County Police Chief Hank Stawinski said Monday, after he announced the charges, that police do not believe Macklin targeted the woman because of her immigration status.

But the victim believes Macklin attacked her after after seeing she had a federally non-compliant driver's license, which indicated her status, Lizette Olmos, a spokeswoman for CASA de Maryland, said Wednesday.

Macklin is due in court next week.

Anyone with information on the attack or other attacks is asked to call police at 301-772-4795. Help in English and Spanish is available. Casa de Maryland also has resources available. They are available at 866-765-2272.
In a video advertisement for his Florida gubernatorial campaign, Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis urged his toddler-aged daughter to "build the wall" with colorful toy blocks. DeSantis, who faced off against an establishment Republican, had already gotten President Donald Trump's endorsement the month before. DeSantis would go on to win his primary in a landslide, the race called within minutes of polls closing.

His path hasn't been so easy since. A late September NBC News/Marist poll has him trailing Democrat Andrew Gillum by 5 points.

Many Republicans pursuing the governor's mansion this cycle face a predicament in the general election: a tie to President Trump may have swayed a primary in their favor, but in closer races, it could impede chances of winning the seat.

The recipe for a possible blue wave in November, a surge in Democratic wins, includes state specific issues but Trump is another main ingredient. This fall's gubernatorial races could be an indicator of sentiment on the president himself, though incumbency and other factors will also play a role, according to political academics.

"In any midterm election, the presidents party tends to pay a price," said Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the 2018 election, Trump has an especially low approval rating, he said. "I think that puts Republicans in particular jeopardy this year."

Of the nine governor's seats Democrats hold, the Cook Political Report predicts one race is a tossup and one leans Republican. The rest are rated as leaning or likely blue. But of the 26 seats Republicans hold, nine are tossup races, two lean Democrat and one is likely going Democratic. The upshot: many Republican seats are up for grabs this November.

Nonpartisan Michigan pollster Richard Czuba told The Associated Press that many independents lean Democrat in large part due to "distaste" for the president.

"The national tide towards Democrats is tilting states like Colorado and Minnesota in the Democratic direction," said Stephen Ansolabehere, professor of government at Harvard University. "Those are pretty competitive states, maybe slightly leaning Democratic, but there are national conditions pushing in that direction."

"A lot of Republican candidates in other places couldnt necessarily [distance themselves from Trump] because that's a good way to lose a primary," said Geoffrey Skelley, who worked at Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball when NBC spoke to him and is now an analyst at FiveThirtyEight. "President Trump remains popular among Republicans nationally."

In Minnesota, GOP nominee Jeff Johnson beat former Gov. Tim Pawlenty in the primary, slamming him for being "anti-Trump" in 2016. He later won Trumps endorsement even though Pawlenty pointed out Johnson had once called Trump a "jackass." Heading into the general election, Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party challenger Tim Walz has been leading in the polls.

Similarly, in Florida and Kansas, Ansolabehere noted, Trump-backed candidates are underperforming. DeSantis was behind in September, and Kris Kobach is leading but not by as large a margin as expected for a Republican in Kansas.

And in Georgia, a tossup race in a state that went for Trump in 2016, the Democrat, Stacey Abrams, faces Trump-endorsed state Attorney General Brian Kemp, who has been sued for putting 53,000 voter registrations on hold. Governors and allies in the Republican Governors Association were frustrated by Trumps decision to endorse Kemp, The New York Times reported in July.

Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee told the Times: "Our focus at the R.G.A. has always been on making certain we can win the general election."

The governors association has since backed Kemp, funding TV ads targeting Abrams.

The majority of the governor's races seen as close contests lean Democrat, according to polls, and are in places where incumbents are not running, such as Florida, Nevada, and Ohio.

Open seats present the most promising opportunity for Democrats, even when Republicans are the majority in the state, if the outgoing incumbent is unpopular.

"Governors races can be separated from the federal election environment to some extent," Skelley said. "But at the end of the day, there is still a pretty strong connection there, and a Republican president with a mediocre approval rating [has] also helped."

A comfortable distance from Trump is easier to establish for certain popular incumbent governors. With Congress in Washington and governors more associated with state management issues like infrastructure and education, their races are less bound to presidential approval than federal elections. Moderate first term Republican incumbents Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan could win reelection in their blue states.

"If federal context is the only thing that mattered, Republican governors in Massachusetts, Maryland and Vermont would be done for," Skelley said. "They would have no way of surviving. Yet, they are all heavily favored to win reelection."

Ansolabehere noted that a "great" economy also balances the effect of Trump's low popularity. Many Democrats have run on, in part, critiques of Republicans' tax bill and efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, measures they say will exacerbate disparities in wealth.

Beyond Trump's influence, 2018 is expected to result in what many midterm elections have seen in the past  a reaction to the party in power.

"This year were seeing a corrective," Ansolabehere said.

Americans voted out the majority party in 2014, as they did in 2010, and in 2006. This round of midterm elections might not be too different, he and others predict.

"Whereas, for the last several election cycles, the Republicans have been particularly strong, picking up governors mansions, this time around they have a lot of territory to defend and they have to defend it in a political environment that is amid a Democratic wave," said Jennifer Lawless, professor of government at American University. She said that the majority of competitive races "are competitive in a way that would allow Democrats to pick up a seat.

Democrats have been arguing in campaigns that if Trump can nominate another Supreme Court justice, tipping the balance of the court further, some issues might revert to the states to sort out. State legislatures become increasingly important when that occurs. Lawless cited Roe v. Wade as an example  if it is overturned, the party controlling the state legislature "becomes far more important than they have been in the past."

It remains unclear what role Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation fight will have this November in governor's races.

For Republican gubernatorial incumbents, separating their campaigns from their party's national reputation this election cycle can be difficult, Lawless said.

"If this is a change election, and if this is an election cycle where voters want to move in a new direction, that disproportionately benefits Democrats," she said.

Even incumbents who have been vocal opponents of Trump "are in some ways wearing the national Republican albatross around their neck."
An U.S. Navy helicopter crashed on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on Friday, causing non-fatal injuries to sailors, the Navy said.

The Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement that the MH-60 Seahawk crashed shortly after takeoff Friday morning while the carrier was off the Philippine coast.

All affected sailors were in stable condition and their injuries were non-life threatening, the Navy said. It didn't say how many sailors were hurt. It said some of them would be examined and treated after they reach the shore, though officials did not specify the destination.

The Navy did not give details on any damage to the helicopter or the aircraft carrier. But it said the ship was fully capable to conduct its mission for security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The aircraft carrier also has since resumed flight training.

The Navy said the crash occurred while Ronald Reagan Strike Group was conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea, which spreads north and northeast of the Philippines. The cause was under investigation.

USS Ronald Reagan participated in the international naval review hosted off the South Korean island of Jeju last week.
Firefighters battles a structure fire in Avon, Massachusetts.

The Friday morning blaze was reported on West High Street, according to Avon Fire Department Chief Robert Spurr.

"From what I understand from the pictures and videos, it was roaring very well when I got here," Spurr said. "There was no way this house was saveable based on what it looked like. It was already gone when they got here."

Due to the collapsed walls and unstable chimney, prompting an investigation immediately was a difficult task for officials.

"We understand from the neighbors its been foreclosed but there may have been people that were still occupying the house and we simply dont know at this time," he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.
What to Know A trooper sustained stab wounds to the head, neck, shoulders and arm while trying to apprehend an 18-year-old man who fled a traffic stop.

The trooper then shot the teenage suspect in the torso. Both men are expected to live.

Officials said the multi-agency chase spanned 3 states, including New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts State Police trooper sustained stab wounds to the head, neck, shoulders and arm while trying to apprehend an 18-year-old man who had fled an earlier traffic stop.

Authorities say the teenage suspect from Manchester, New Hampshire, was then shot in the torso by the trooper, and both were taken to UMass Medical Center in Worcester with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities spoke Friday afternoon after a Massachusetts State Police trooper was stabbed in New Salem. The suspect was shot by police.

"We heard a screech and we heard a crash," said Hannah Hunting who lives where the crime spree ended. "The suspect jumped out of his car, and I saw him with his hand in his pocket so I immediately yelled at my kids to get into the van and get their heads down."

Officials say the multi-agency police chase began when the suspect crashed into another vehicle in Walpole, New Hampshire, around noon on Friday, carjacked that vehicle and then fled into Vermont and then down Interstate 91 into Massachusetts.

The suspect ran Jami Bartlett off the road.

"My oldest daughter quickly prayed that everyone would be safe because we knew he was out to hurt somebody," Bartlett said.

State and local police located him driving the stolen vehicle and pursued him, with the chase ending at the intersection of Route 202 and Fay Road in New Salem when the suspect crashed. The teenage driver then exited his vehicle and proceeded to attack the state trooper who had been chasing him.

Hunting watched in disbelief as the teen attacked the trooper.

"The suspect ran to the police car and opened the door, I was watching from the van and I thought they were just punching, but I realized after that he was stabbing the police officer."

Hunting says the teen somehow got into the trooper's SUV as she watched the badly injured trooper shoot into the door of the SUV.

The trooper, a 47-year-old who is married and has children, suffered stab wounds to his shoulder and neck area and his arm. He was alert and responsive when he arrived at the hospital where he was rushed into surgery.

The name of the trooper is not being released at this time, but police say he is assigned to the Athol barracks and has been with the department since 2006.

"We're certainly hopeful and optimistic about his condition," First Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Steven Gagne said. "It appears as though he will survive the attack."

A Massachusetts State Police trooper and a suspect were both seriously injured Friday after a pursuit that ended near the border of Orange and New Salem.

As investigators processed the crime scene into the night Friday, Hunting could only reflect at the violent struggle that played out right in front of her and her two young children.

"We had people praying and I'm just thankful, thankful that we stayed safe," she said.

The 18-year-old suspect who sustained a gunshot wound to the torso is also expected to live. His name has not been released.

Gagne said multiple charges are anticipated, including armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident.

Officials say they are also trying to confirm reports that the suspect might have been wanted in connection with a carjacking and might have had an outstanding warrant for his arrest.

Aerial footage from NBC10 Boston's Sky Ranger helicopter showed numerous police and fire vehicles at the scene.

A MedFlight helicopter was also seen landing nearby.

The incident remains under investigation by local and state police and the Northwestern District Attorney's Office.
Researchers developed a novel DNA influenza vaccine based on four micro-consensus antigenic regions selected to represent the diversity of seasonal H3N2 viruses across decades. The DNA vaccine protected mice against a lethal challenge with more than one influenza-A H3N2 virus and protected them from severe H3N2-related illness despite the lack of an exact sequence match between the vaccine immunogen and H3 immunogen. The findings are reported in a new Special Issue on DNA Vaccines in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

David Weiner, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy & Biology, Philadelphia, PA, and coauthors from Wistar and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Plymouth Meeting, PA conducted the study entitled "A Synthetic Micro-Consensus DNA Vaccine Generates Comprehensive Influenza-A H3N2 Immunity and Protects Mice Against Lethal Challenge by Multiple H3N2 Viruses." This new DNA vaccine strategy was intended to elicit a comprehensive immune response and to represent a step forward in eliminating the need to reformulate a seasonal vaccine each year to protect against influenza-A H3N2.

The researchers designed a vaccine designed to elicit broad immune responses against diverse influenza-A H3N2 viruses by engineering four synthetic hemagglutinin H3 immunogens. The H3 sequences used were chosen by aligning sequences from 233 influenza-A H3N2 strains representing viruses from across multiple decades. The researchers identified four micro-consensus sequences with sufficient sequence similarity to predict cross-reactive immune responses against diverse H3N2 strains.

"Influenza continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, as the virus continuously changes to evade the human immune system," says Editor-in-Chief Terence R. Flotte, MD, Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor of Medical Education and Dean, Provost, and Executive Deputy Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA. "The approach developed by the Wistar Institute team holds great promise as a means to elicit an immune response that the virus will not evade."
Ensuring that people with preexisting health conditions can get and keep health insurance has become one of the leading issues around the country ahead of this fall's midterm elections. And it has put Republicans in something of a bind  many either voted to repeal these coverage protections as part of the 2017 effort in Congress or have signed onto a lawsuit that would invalidate them.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration, eager to show progress regarding high prescription drug costs  another issue important to voters  has issued a regulation that would require prices to be posted as part of television drug advertisements.

Also this week: an interview with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a former member of Congress who is using his current post to pursue a long list of health initiatives.

This week's panelists for KHN's "What the Health?" are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Street Journal and Joanne Kenen of Politico.

Among the takeaways from this week's podcast:

Congress passed a package of bills addressing the nation's opioid epidemic on a rare note of bipartisanship. Many of the measures are designed to help prevent opioid addiction but are short on treatment options.

Democrats have made health care  especially the protections for people with preexisting conditions  their central strategy in midterm campaigns. It's an issue that the GOP did not want to be campaigning on.

Republicans say that despite their moves to destroy the federal health law, they would work to preserve coverage options for people with preexisting conditions. But they don't lay out what those options would be and earlier efforts have major loopholes, Democrats point out.

The announcement by federal health officials this week that they want drug prices added to advertisements about the products is expected to have marginal effects because pricing is so complicated. If the federal government requires drugmakers to post their prices on ads, the manufacturers are widely expected to sue based on First Amendment issues.

Open enrollment for Medicare began this week and runs until Dec. 7. Medicare Advantage, the private-plan option for enrollees, is becoming increasingly popular and now covers more than a third of Medicare beneficiaries.

But while Medicare Advantage offers many benefits the traditional program does not  frequently including dental and foot care  a recent report from the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services finds that some of these plans may be wrongly denying care to Medicare patients. At the same time, Medicare beneficiaries who choose to use Medicare Advantage plans may be in for a shock if they later decide to switch back to the traditional form of Medicare. They may not be eligible at that point to buy a Medigap plan to help cover their cost sharing.

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: The New York Times "Is Medicare for All the Answer to Sky-High Administrative Costs?" by Austin Frakt

Stephanie Armour: The Associated Press "Study: Without Medicaid Expansion, Poor Forgo Medical Care," by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar

Rebecca Adams: The New Yorkers "Rural Georgians Want Medicaid, But They're Divided on Stacey Abrams, the Candidate Who Wants to Expand It," by Charles Bethea

Joanne Kenen: Seven Days Vermonts "Obituary: Madelyn Linsenmeir, 1988-2018."

To hear all our podcasts, click here.

And subscribe to What the Health? on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play.
An exciting new review paper by Professor Ruth Frances Itzhaki suggests that over half of all cases of Alzheimers disease could be traced back to Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1) ; the virus responsible for cold sores and genital herpes.

Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock

Importantly, the research suggests that the use of antivirals to treat severe herpes virus infection could reduce the risk of senile dementia.

The review, which traces Dr. Itzhakis lifetime of work on the causation of Alzheimers disease, was recently published in the journal, Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience.

If confirmed, this groundbreaking work points to an inexpensive and effective means of preventing Alzheimers disease, which is one of the most costly medical conditions in the world.

HSV1 underlies Alzheimers disease

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) is notorious for its tendency to remain dormant in a patients neurons and immune system.

The infection is reactivated under conditions of weakened immunity or stress. This results in the reappearance of cold sores. Most older adults show the presence of antibodies against HSV1.

In older studies, Itzhaki had shown that cold sores are more common in patients who carry the gene variant APOE-4, which is also associated with a higher risk of Alzheimers disease.

She theorizes that Apolipoprotein E-4 (ApoE-4), which has been strongly linked to Alzheimers disease, predisposes the patient to more frequent or damaging reactivations of HSV1 in the neurons of the brain. This causes harmful changes within the neurons to accumulate, resulting in Alzheimers disease.

Proving the link

In most countries there simply isnt enough population data to put the HSV1 theory to the test, since information on the reduction of dementia risk in individuals treated with antivirals, for instance, is not typically collected.

Taiwanese scientists have succeeded in accumulating this type of data, however.

The National Health Insurance Research Database has over 99.9% of the population on its rolls, and data mining of this vast repository is underway in multiple areas to explore contagious diseases and other conditions.

As a result, 2017-18 witnessed the publication of three separate reports on the Taiwanese data relating to the occurrence of senile dementia, caused mainly by Alzheimers disease, as well as on the treatment of patients who have frank HSV or VZV (varicella-zoster virus, chickenpox virus) infection.

The striking results include evidence that the risk of senile dementia is much greater in those who are infected with HSV, and that anti-herpes antiviral treatment causes a dramatic decrease in the number of those subjects severely affected by HSV1 who later develop dementia."

How does this work? Itzhaki and her colleagues already demonstrated that HSV1 infection led to the characteristic neuronal plaques and neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimers disease, which supports the epidemiological findings.

This was proven by the presence of viral DNA within amyloid plaques in brains of patients with Alzheimers disease at postmortem.

In addition, in cell cultures infected with HSV1, both amyloid plaques and tau tangles accumulate, but this can be inhibited by the use of antivirals.

Preventing Alzheimers disease

Dr. Itzhaki stresses that the Taiwanese data apply only to severe infections with HSV1 or VZV, which are atypical.

To strengthen their findings, detailed epidemiological data on dementia would need to be drawn from people with mild HSV1 infection (both cold sores and genital herpes). This data is difficult to find, however, with barely any records.

The focus of future research will be to verify the observation that HSV1 infection is causally related to Alzheimers disease and to define the nature of this link.

However, Itzhaki is already looking forward to the exciting prospect of being able to treat this widespread and often disabling condition with antiviral drugs directed against HSV1.

Taking inspiration from the global use of human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization to protect against cervical cancer, the research team is hopeful that uncovering this virus-disease link will lead to the effective treatment and prevention of Alzheimers disease, by a vaccine against HSV1, for instance.
Reading, one of the most difficult activities for children with dyslexia, can be improved by the use of green filters.

A study described in an article by Brazilian and French researchers reports increased reading speed for nine- and ten-year-old volunteers with dyslexia who used green filters. The filters had no effect on age-matched children without dyslexia.

Colored filters for the treatment of learning disabilities were first patented in 1983. They were also designed for use by children with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"However, studies of their efficacy were methodologically flawed. We used a highly rigorous methodology for the first time," said Milena Razuk, first author of the article, published in the journal Research in Developmental Disabilities.

The filters are not widely used in Brazil owing to a lack of research, although they have been adopted in some countries, such as France.

Razuk, who completed her PhD in April at Cruzeiro do Sul University (Sao Paulo, Brazil), performed the experiment while in France on a research internship at Paris Diderot University (Paris 7), with support from the Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP.

Eighteen children with dyslexia and 18 without dyslexia were selected for the study at Robert Debre Hospital in Paris. The researchers decided to use yellow and green filters in the experiment.

"Twelve colors are available, but we chose two because a very long test would be too demanding for the volunteers," said Jose Angelo Barela, a professor at Sao Paulo State University's Rio Claro Bioscience Institute (IBRC-UNESP) in Brazil and principal investigator for the project.

Faster Reading

All 36 children were asked to read passages from children's books suited to their reading age. The texts were displayed on a computer screen with a yellow filter, a green filter, and no filter.

Their eye movements were recorded with the Mobile EyeBrain Tracker, a French eye-tracking device certified for medical purposes, consisting of goggles fitted with cameras that record the movements of each eye independently via infrared light signals.

"A child with dyslexia has to fix his or her gaze on the words for a longer time to understand a text. Reading speed is slower as a result," Barela told.

While the filters did not affect reading speed for the children without dyslexia, the eye-tracking device detected a statistically significant difference for children with dyslexia, who read fastest with the green filter, fixing their gaze on groups of words for 500 thousandths of a second, compared with 600 thousandths of a second using the yellow filter or no filter. The fixation period with or without filters was 400 thousandths of a second for children without dyslexia.

The authors of the study stress that they did not evaluate whether the use of a green filter improved comprehension of what was read and that further research is needed to explore this dimension.

Dyslexia is poorly understood

The causes of dyslexia are unknown. In addition to reading difficulties, other deficits have been found to be associated with the disorder, including impaired sensorimotor integration. "It's as if some source of noise disturbs the brain's communication with the rest of the body," Razuk said.

Extensive testing has shown that neither impaired eyesight nor intellectual deficiency is part of the condition. "IQ must be normal or above average for dyslexia to be diagnosed," noted the FAPESP-supported researcher.

In the article, the authors of the study say the improvement in reading time with the green filter might be due to changes in the visual stimuli available for central nervous system processing.

Other studies have suggested that colored filters may reduce cortical hyperexcitability in the brain, which may be greater in dyslexic people, thereby attenuating contrasts in visual stimuli and hence improving reading performance.

This suggestion was reinforced by a 2015 study in which functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed significant activation of the cerebral cortex during reading with colored filters (mostly blue in this case) compared with reading without filters. The authors hypothesized that the filters reduced visual stress and distortion, enhancing visual processing and reading performance.

The next step for the group at IBRC-UNESP will be to use fMRI scans to analyze the brain activity of dyslexic children while reading. Barela has purchased an MRI machine with funding from Brazil's National Council for Scientific & Technological Development (CNPq).
A team of researchers from the UCH CEU's Biomedical Sciences Institute has tested the efficiency of Bevacizumab, medicine used against cancer and in ophtalmology, to treat uveitis, thus stopping the inflammation from spreading.

Uveitis is an inflammation of the uvula - the ocular tissue located between the sclera and the retina -, due to infections or autoimmune diseases. The uvula provides a majority of the blood supply to the retina, so early treatment of its inflammation could be key to prevent consequences in other ocular tissues, because, if it is not treated on time, the inflammation can spread to the vitreous and the retina. Researchers of the Biomedicine Sciences Institute of the Universidad Cardenal Herrera CEU university (UCH CEU) in Valencia have tested for the first time on an experimental model the efficiency of Bevacizumab in treating uveitis. The results, which provide a new strategy for treating uveitis and preventing its effects, have been published in the international scientific journal Frontiers in Pharmacology.

According to professor Francisco Bosch, head of the UCH CEU's Biomedical Sciences Institute, "Bevacizumab is a medicine used in combined immunotherapy for treating tumours, which also has several ophthalmologic uses for treating ocular diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, macular oedema or glaucoma." The research team of the UCH CEU, headed by doctor Bosch, has studied the medicine's anti-inflammatory capacity for the first time, compared to its potential risks regarding toxicity, in induced uveitis on an experimental model.

Anti-inflammatory effect

As professor Bosch highlights, "the cellular and histopathological count results obtained by our team proves the capabilities of the medicine to prevent inflammation, not only of the uvula, but also the retina and the vitreous chamber. And it also makes it possible to rule out the risk of retinal degradation that could be associated to the use of the medicine."

These results also provide relevant data regarding the controversy surrounding the use of injectable medicines with vascular endothelium anti-growth factor, the anti-VEGF. "Even though bevacizumab, commercialized as Avastin, was initially developed to treat several types of cancer, it is commonly used in ophthalmology despite this use not being recommended. Our results verify that in this field it is as effective and safe as other anti-VEGF medicines such as Lucentis, which was designed specifically for ophthalmologic purposes, but is more expensive," stresses doctor Bosch.

Source: http://ruvid.org/ri-world/immunotherapy-medicine-proves-effective-against-ocular-inflammation/
Kessler Foundation scientists Denise Fyffe, PhD, Anthony Lequerica, PhD, and John ONeill, PhD, have won a $75,000 sub-award from Langston University (LU), a historically Black college/university (HBCU). The title of the grant is "A Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) that empowers minority entities to participate in Research and Development through research and capacity building. The new LU-RRTC is funded through a $4.375 million five-year grant from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

The RRTC will provide leadership for a countrywide line of research examining experiences and outcomes of people from traditionally underserved racial and ethnic populations and communities, and spearhead capacity-building efforts. The RRTC will conduct activities in partnership with Drs. Fyffe, Lequerica, and O'Neill who will integrate faculty members and researchers from minority-serving institutions into selected Kessler Foundation research projects. They will also serve as mock peer reviewers for these individuals as they develop manuscripts for publication.

"We're looking forward to working with the professionals at Langston University," remarked Dr. O'Neill, director of disability and employment research at Kessler Foundation. "This type of research and training is critical to improving rehabilitation methods and services for people with disabilities. This grant will empower minority-serving institutions to increase their output of disability and health research. This will encourage the development of rehabilitation strategies that foster maximum social and economic independence for individuals with disabilities."

The LU-RRTC aims to improve minority entities, such as HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, and American Indian tribal colleges/universities, capacity and infrastructure to engage in disability and rehabilitation research by conducting a programmatic line of research examining experiences and outcomes of persons from traditionally underserved racial and ethnic populations and communities and capacity-building efforts.

Dr. Corey L. Moore, CRC, research director at LU, is principal investigator of the project. This national RRTC also conducts activities in partnership with the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston (an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution), South Carolina State University (a HBCU), Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, Delaware Nation Vocational Rehabilitation Program, Cherokee Nation Vocational Rehabilitation Program, Association of University Centers on Disabilities, and the Southwest Addictions Technology Transfer Center.
Researchers from City of Hope, a world-renowned comprehensive cancer center and independent biomedical research institution, have developed a synthetic DNA molecule that is programmed to jump-start the immune system to eradicate genetically distinct types of prostate cancer.

Their novel two-step strategy eliminates STAT3, a master key that enables tumors to become resistant to existing therapies, and toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), a danger sensor present but not effectively active in immune system cells such as dendritic cells. The short DNA programmed by City of Hope researchers temporarily lifted the defense shield of tumors and awakened the immune system in human cell and mouse models to eradicate difficult-to-treat prostate cancers.

"We desperately need new strategies for late-stage prostate cancers, which thus far have resisted emerging immunotherapies," said

The preclinical study, published on Oct. 18 in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, created a blueprint of a new type of DNA or "oligonucleotide" drug - CpG-STAT3ASO. It is programmed with two functions to more effectively and safely treat metastatic cancers that are resistant to pharmacological therapies. Notably, using a synthetic molecule with just STAT3 or TLR9 was not as effective in killing prostate cancer as using the two in unison, the study found.

"While existing immunotherapy options can improve outcomes for selected prostate cancer patients, it is clear that these patients are in the minority," said

It is too early to know, Kortylewski said, but it's possible that this DNA molecule could be used in the future for therapeutic vaccination against metastatic prostate cancer. Such an agnostic and off-the-shelf approach could work regardless of the genetics of an individual's prostate cancer. But more preclinical research on the pharmacologic properties of these new drugs is needed to get there, he said.

Dayson Moreira, Ph.D., a staff scientist in the Department of Immuno-Oncology at City of Hope, is the first author of the study. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center also contributed to the study.

Some of the authors have ownership interests, including patents, or have a role as a consultant or advisory board member at pharmaceutical companies. Kortylewski has a patent on STAT3 inhibitors and their uses.
Scientists at the UCLA Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and the Stein Eye Institute have been awarded a $5.1 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to advance the development of a novel therapy for blinding retinal conditions.

The award by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM, will support the development of a treatment that will use patients' own skin cells to generate autologous induced pluripotent stem cells to derive retinal pigment epithelium cells, which are lost in many blinding eye conditions. The team, led by Dr. Steven Schwartz, will use the grant to drive the promising therapy to the next critical step toward a clinical trial in humans, submitting an investigational new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration.

"We're grateful to CIRM and the people of California for this grant, which will allow our team to translate our research into a treatment for major causes of untreatable blindness such as macular degeneration," said Schwartz, Ahmanson professor of ophthalmology and chief of the retina division at the UCLA Stein Eye Institute. "This pivotal investment brings hope to countless patients and families suffering with blinding eye disease."

Retinal diseases affecting the center of vision, also called maculopathies, are the leading cause of blindness in the developed world and affect more than 10 percent of the U.S. population over 65. The number of people affected by this untreatable group of disorders, such as age related and myopic macular degeneration, and Stargardt's macular dystrophy, is expected to increase to nearly 20 million in the nation by 2020.

Although disorders in this group can have varied underlying causes, they are all linked to the deterioration of the layer of retinal pigment epithelium cells beneath the retina, which lines the inner surface of the back of the eye. These cells are critical to vision; they maintain function of light-sensitive cells called photoreceptors, or rods and cones. Without the retinal pigment epithelium cells, the rods and cones cannot survive. Ultimately, the deterioration of these cells leads to the loss of photoreceptors and eventually to blindness.

The induced pluripotent stem cells maintain the genetic code of the individual from whom they originated. The cells also bear none of the hallmarks of age and instead appear much like very young cells. In the research, these induced pluripotent stem cells will be differentiated into a large volume of the patient's own retinal pigment epithelium cells -- between 50,000 and 500,000 -- which will then be surgically transplanted into their own retinas. Pre-clinical research suggests these new cells will integrate with the patients' remaining retinal pigment epithelium cells, rescue related eye tissue and spur regeneration of the surrounding tissue. Thus, these transplants may preserve or restore vision.

Replacing retinal pigment epithelium cells lost to disease with the stem cell-based cells has already been tested in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial led by Schwartz. That trial showed that retinal pigment epithelium cell replacement strategies are safe and possibly effective in addressing retinal blindness. However, these earlier trials used cells created from human embryonic stem cells, which require that patients take drugs that suppress the immune system longer term so that their bodies do not reject the foreign cells. These immunosuppressive drugs carry substantial health risks, particularly for the elderly.

By creating retinal pigment epithelium cells from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, the new method developed by Schwartz and his team should not pose a risk that the cell therapy will be rejected by the patient's immune system, thus likely eliminating the need for immune suppression. Because many maculopathies are age-related, this key improvement may make Schwartz's novel treatment more accessible to the individuals who need it most.

Another difference between Schwartz's method and previously studied treatments is that the new retinal pigment epithelium cells will be delivered to patients suspended in liquid rather than on a scaffold. This makes it possible for the treatment to be administered in a minimally invasive transplant surgery, which reduces risks and provides faster recovery time.

These two advantages open up the possibility of administering the cell therapy earlier in the course of macular diseases, when some functional tissue remains. Early intervention could be critical to the success of treatments for maculopathies because when diseased retinal pigment epithelium cells are lost, neighboring and essential tissues such as photoreceptors are compromised or disappear completely.

"We hope this research will improve upon the methods studied in previous trials, which showed promise but came with drawbacks and risks," Schwartz said. "The project holds the possibility of developing a treatment that will preserve vision in patients with an early diagnosis, restore vision in patients with end-stage loss of vision, and carry fewer risks."

Schwartz is developing this treatment in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team comprised of stem cell biologists, ophthalmologists, retinal biologists, immunologists, transplant surgeons, bioengineers and regulatory experts. This group includes co-investigators Dr. Donald Kohn, professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, pediatrics and molecular and medical pharmacology; William Lowry, professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology; Jerome Zack, professor and chair of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics; David Williams, professor of ophthalmology and neurobiology; Saravanan Karumbayaram, adjunct professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics; and Zoran Galic, an associate professor of medicine, all members of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center; as well as Xiaoyang Wang, assistant professor of medicine and health services research.

This research is supported by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine-funded UCLA-UCI Alpha Stem Cell Clinic and the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center. This includes previous support from the Esther B. O'Keeffe Foundation, the Jean Perkins Foundation and the UCLA department of ophthalmology, which has support from Research to Prevent Blindness Inc., Louis & Harold Price Foundation, Lavery Foundation, and the Smidt Family Foundation.

The potential cell-based treatment for blinding retinal conditions is used in pre-clinical tests only and has not been tested in humans or approved by the Food and Drug Administration as safe and effective for use in humans.
Pregnant women in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are more likely to express preference for cesarean section (CS) as their mode of delivery later in pregnancy and postpartum, as compared to early in pregnancy, according to a study published this week in PLOS Medicine. The study, conducted by Qian Long of Duke Kunshan University in China, and collaborators, found that fear of pain, antagonistic relations with providers, and beliefs of deteriorating quality of care during labor and vaginal birth contributed to perceptions of planned CS as preferable.

Credit: SantaRosa OLD SKOOL, Flickr

The CS rates in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are roughly or over 30% according to recent studies, though WHO research has shown that population-level CS rates higher than 10% are not associated with reduced maternal or newborn mortality. To understand why, Long and colleagues conducted a mixed-methods systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies that investigated preferences for CS among women in these settings. The researchers found that in longitudinal studies, the pooled proportions of preference for CS reported by women were 14% in early or middle pregnancy (95% CI 12-17%) and 21% in late pregnancy (95% CI 15-26%). In cross-sectional studies, the proportions were 17% in early or middle pregnancy (95% CI 14-20%), 22% in late pregnancy (95% CI 18-25%) and 30% at postpartum (95% CI 19-40%). Womens preferences for CS in longitudinal studies were found to rise as pregnancy progressed (mean difference 7%, 95% CI 1%-13%). Qualitative data indicated that women who prefer CS in China are informed by healthcare system interactions, unsatisfactory relationships with providers, concerns about quality of care during labor and vaginal birth, and social support for the right to choose CS.

Study limitations include heterogeneity and potential biases among the reports reviewed, which were not population-representative. However, results across 66 longitudinal, cross-sectional, and qualitative studies were concordant. The authors state:

Both quantitative and qualitative findings in this review suggest that womens request for CS on the basis of genuine preference for this mode of delivery is unlikely to be the major driver of high CS rates and that womens preference may underscore health systems deficiencies and sub-optimal relationships with health professionals.

In an accompanying Perspective, Mairead Black and Sohinee Bhattacharya of the University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom, discuss possible benefits of planned CS where only one child is planned, emphasize the importance of Chinese data to clarify the outcomes of planned CS, and argue for a woman-centric approach to facilitating birth choices in China following the end of the one-child policy.
Providing nurse-led care for people suffering with the painful, long-term condition gout could lead to an increase in the number of patients sticking to a beneficial treatment plan, a clinical trial has revealed.

The research, led by academics at the University of Nottingham and published in The Lancet, has shown that keeping patients fully informed and involving them in decisions about their care can be more successful in managing gout.

And the study, which was funded by the charity Versus Arthritis, highlights the importance of individualized patient education and engagement to treat the condition.

Professor Michael Doherty, in the University's Division of Rheumatology, said: "The nurses delivered recommended best practice that includes full patient information and engagement and a treat-to-target strategy for urate-lowering treatment. Once fully informed almost all patients want urate-lowering treatment and continue to take it regularly. This results in gradual elimination of the urate crystals that cause gout and subsequent clinical improvements.

"Although nurses delivered this care, the principles of patient education, treat-to-target urate-lowering strategy, and regular follow-up and monitoring are applicable to any health professional who treats people with gout. Although this takes more time with the patient to start with, long-term this becomes very cost effective."

Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis, which affects around 2.5 per cent of adults in the UK and which causes episodes ("attacks") of severe joint inflammation and pain. It is sparked by a persistent high level of uric acid (urate) in the body, causing sodium urate crystals to slowly but continuously form in and around the joints.

Attacks are usually treated with anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen but doctors may prescribe drugs such as allopurinol or febuxostat over the long term for patients who are prone to frequent flare ups.

Gout is the only form of arthritis that can be 'cured' in effect through the use of urate-lowering therapies (ULT). The ULT dose needs to be adjusted against the blood urate level until a target low level is achieved, this then prevents new crystals from forming and slowly dissolves away the crystals that are there. Patients can also make lifestyle changes if appropriate, such as losing weight if overweight, which can help to bring down urate levels and have other general health benefits.

However, currently only 40 per cent of gout patients ever receive ULT, usually at a fixed dose rather than gradually increasing the dose until a target level of urate is reached in the blood. And getting patients to stick to their medication is tricky.

A previous 'proof of concept' study suggested that when people with gout are fully-informed and involved in the decisions around managing their illness, more than nine out of ten wished to have ULT treatment and subsequent adherence to their medication over one year was excellent.

This led to the latest two-year randomised controlled clinical trial in the community to directly compare nurse-led care to the usual GP-led care.

More than 500 gout patients were recruited and randomly split between the two methods of management through more than 50 general practices in the East Midlands. They were followed up at one and two years and assessed for a series of outcomes including the level of urate in their blood, the frequency of gout flare ups and the presence of tophi - firm, white lumps below the surface of the skin caused by a mass of urate crystals.

The research nurses had received training about gout and its management, which reflected current recommendations, and delivered an individualised package of care. This included a holistic assessment, a discussion of perceptions about the illness, full information about gout e.g its causes, consequences and treatment options, and patient involvement in shared decision-making.

The study found that nurse-led care was associated with a much higher take up of ULT, with patients subsequently being more likely to stick to their treatment. At two years, 96 per cent of the nurse-led group were on ULT, compared to 56 per cent in the usual care group.

And 95 per cent of patients had urate levels in the blood below the required target level, compared to just 30 per cent in the GP-led group.

In addition, it revealed that around 400-500mg of allopurinol per day was the dose needed to achieve the right level of urate in the blood, which is more than the top dose of 300mg per day prescribed by most UK doctors.

The nurse-led care significantly reduced flare-up frequency, reduced tophi and improved quality of life and was more cost effective too, saving the NHS money after five years.

Stephen Simpson, Director of Research at Versus Arthritis, said: "Despite national guidelines on how to manage gout effectively, we know that many patients fail to receive any clear explanation of the condition or lifestyle advice to prevent recurring attacks, with few even receiving the appropriate drug treatment. As the most common inflammatory form of arthritis, affecting one in every 100 people, this is not good enough.

"Currently, constraints on GP's time mean patients are not fully aware of the benefits that come with taking their treatments. The patient-centred approach led by nurses in this study offers a convincing alternative that will not only help to alleviate problems in the long term but will also improve that person's quality of life.

We are optimistic that if the methods of treatment used in this study are incorporated into national guidelines for GPs we will see a much more effective long-term management of gout, an improvement in the quality of life a person has after an attack, as well reducing healthcare costs over time."

The Nottingham team worked in collaboration with academics in Health Economics and Decision Science at the University of Sheffield and received invaluable advice from the Nottingham Rheumatology Patient and Public Involvement group during the development of the study. The Nottingham team now plan to examine the feasibility of training existing Practice nurses to see if this results in equally good results. NICE is currently planning to develop UK Guidelines for Management of Gout and it is hoped that the principles used in this study will be incorporated into their guideline to GPs and other health practitioners who manage people with gout.
Those pesky bees that come buzzing around on a muggy summer day are helping researchers reveal the genes responsible for social behaviors. A new study published this week found that the social lives of sweat bees -- named for their attraction to perspiration -- are linked to patterns of activity in specific genes, including ones linked to autism.

"Bees have complex social behaviors, and with this species of bee, we can directly compare individuals that live in social groups to those that don't live in social groups," said Sarah Kocher, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, who led the research. "We can ask: 'What are the fundamental differences between a social and nonsocial animal?'"

The researchers found that one of these differences involves the gene syntaxin 1a, which governs the release of chemical messengers in the brain. In all, the study found nearly 200 gene variations that were linked to social behavior, with 21 clustered in or nearby six genes implicated in human autism. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Sweat bees are ideal for studying the genes underlying social behavior, Kocher said, because some are naturally social while others are solitary, even though both types belong to the Halictidae family. Both types nest in the ground, but the social bees live in a hierarchal society consisting of a queen and workers, like their honey bee relatives, while nonsocial sweat bees live alone.

Until Kocher began studying sweat bees, not many scientists had looked at the mechanisms underlying their behavior. One of the few scientists to have studied the bees was Cecile Plateaux-Quenu, an entomologist who in the 1960s documented sweat bee populations -- and their social habits -- in sites around France.

In 2010, Kocher located the retired scientist and eventually traveled to France to meet her. Plateaux-Quenu helped the younger scientist learn to identify the bees, find their nests, and net the insects as they traveled among the dandelions, asters and daisies.

Kocher, who was then a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University, brought the bees back to the laboratory to analyze their genes. She sequenced the genomes of hundreds of bees of the species Lasioglossum albipes, known from locations that Plateaux-Quenu had classified decades earlier as home to either social or solitary bees. Next, the researchers looked through the genetic data to detect correlations between patterns of gene activity and social behavior.

The findings suggest that variations in several genes play a role in causing or contributing to the social behavior of these bees. Many of the variations detected were found in sections of the genetic code that are not genes themselves but rather regulate other genes by enhancing their activity.

Social behavior is complex and is determined by multiple genes rather than a single gene. Genes are important for brain development -- they orchestrate connections between neurons and pruning of those connections during development and childhood.

Another study conducted last year on honey bees also found a link between bee genes and autism genes. One of the differences between that study and this new one, Kocher said, is that honey bees are by nature social, whereas sweat bees can be either social or nonsocial.

"It came as a surprise that we came across the same results independently," Kocher said. "It suggests the existence of a core set of genes that play an important role in shaping social behavior across different species," she said.
The National Science Foundation awarded $1,182,305 to the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering to support research into using machine learning and Big Data to analyze electronic anesthesia records and prevent postoperative complications and death.

Heng Huang, John A. Jurenko Professor in Computer Engineering at Pitt, is principal investigator on the study titled "SCH: INT: New Machine Learning Framework to Conduct Anesthesia Risk Stratification and Decision Support for Precision Health" (Award No. 1838627). Dr. Huang will analyze more than two million cases of anesthesia data taken from 303 UPMC clinics and treatment centers.

"A human doctor uses guidelines from manuals in combination with subjective experience to determine patients' risk factors and needs," says Dr. Huang. "We are using artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop an objective way to predict surgical outcomes based on historical patient data."

Dr. Huang is collaborating with University of Pittsburgh co-principal investigators Dan Li, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, and Fei Zhang, certified registered nurse anesthetist in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine.

The research team will design new deep learning algorithms and software to mine patient data and identify common risk factors in patients about to receive anesthesia. They will then develop a "decision support system" to better inform doctors when patients are at high risk for post-operative complications and in-hospital mortality.

Dr. Huang explains, "Many patients come in to the hospital with so much information about them on file that doctors don't have a comprehensive way to consider all the variables and their interactions. With a computer, you really can do a better job than a human of determining how all that data is going to predict patient outcomes."

To create a large-scale, machine learning framework capable of predicting patient outcomes, Dr. Huang will employ several emerging computational technologies including deep learning, semi-supervised learning, and large-scale optimization.

Dr. Huang has been creating new machine learning techniques to address biomedical applications throughout his career. Some of his past projects involved analyzing big imaging genomic data to help identify Alzheimer's disease at earlier stages, data mining electronic medical records to personalize patient treatment, integrating histopathological images and cancer genomics for personalized medicine and building interactive gene expression databases.

"I've focused on applying computational techniques to biomedical applications for about the past 15 years because you can really make a big impact on improving people's quality of life and benefiting humanity with A.I. in ways humans cannot achieve alone," says Dr. Huang.

Source: https://www.engineering.pitt.edu/News/2018/Heng-Huang-Anesthesia-Grant/
UT Southwestern biochemist Dr. Zhijian "James" Chen today was named winner of the prestigious 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for his discovery of the cGAS enzyme that launches the body's immune defense against infections and cancers. That enzyme patrols the cell's interior and triggers the immune system in response to DNA.

The four 2019 Breakthrough Prizes in Life Sciences, plus prizes in physics and mathematics, will be presented during a live, globally televised awards ceremony in Silicon Valley on Nov. 4. The international award program, founded in 2013, is sponsored by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Ma Huateng, Yuri and Julia Milner, and Anne Wojcicki. Winners receive $3 million each.

Dr. Chen's 2012 discovery of the enzyme cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) solved a century-old medical mystery. DNA was known to activate the immune system long before its role as a genetic material was understood. In 1908, a Nobel Laureate noted in his acceptance speech that surgeons in Europe treated patients with DNA to boost their patients' defense against infections. Dr. Chen's biochemical investigations revealed the pathway underlying that response.

The innate immunity sensor cGAS discovered in the Chen laboratory sounds the alarm when it encounters DNA - either from pathogens or from the body's own cells in the case of autoimmune disease - in areas of the cell where that genetic material should not be. Dr. Chen also identified the small molecule cGAMP, which is produced by the enzyme cGAS and acts as a secondary messenger in the innate immune system.

The body has two immune systems: an inborn, or innate, immune system that is activated when cells in the body initially encounter an invading pathogen and an adaptive immune system that deploys specialized cells that execute a long-term response.

"This award recognizes Dr. Chen's outstanding research that elucidates the fundamental mechanisms of innate immunity, the body's first, generalized response to infection," said Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky, President of UT Southwestern, who holds the Philip O'Bryan Montgomery, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Presidential Chair in Academic Administration, and the Doris and Bryan Wildenthal Distinguished Chair in Medical Science. "His work has advanced our understanding of the relationship between the body's immune defense system and autoimmune disease as well as how this immunity pathway is linked to the development of cancer, cellular aging, and Parkinson's disease."

Dr. Chen's other important contributions include the discovery of MAVS (mitochondrial antiviral signaling) protein, which plays a pivotal role in immune defense against RNA viruses such as those that cause influenza, hepatitis C, and Zika. He also discovered the key functions of a small protein called ubiquitin in regulating immune and inflammatory responses.

Dr. Chen, Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of the Center for Inflammation Research at UT Southwestern as well as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, said he was "totally shocked and thrilled" when informed he would receive the prize.

"This is a wonderful recognition and endorsement of the discoveries made by the talented and dedicated students and research scientists in my lab here at UT Southwestern," he said. "The highly supportive and nurturing environment at UT Southwestern has made it possible for us to focus on making original discoveries that are impactful. I am very grateful to the strong leadership at UT Southwestern that truly values science and scientists. It's my privilege to work in this exceptional institution and to be constantly inspired by my scientific mentors and heroes on our campus."

Dr. Chen, who holds the George L. MacGregor Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science, is the second UT Southwestern faculty member to win the Breakthrough Prize.

Raised in Anxi County, China, Dr. Chen received his B.S. degree in biology at Fujian Normal University and then earned a scholarship to study in the United States, which led to a Ph.D. in biochemistry from State University of New York at Buffalo.

Dr. Chen is also a member of the Center for the Genetics of Host Defense led by Dr. Bruce Beutler, who shared the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on innate immunity. Dr. Beutler holds the Raymond and Ellen Willie Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research, in Honor of Laverne and Raymond Willie, Sr.

Dr. Chen's honors have multiplied since his arrival at UT Southwestern in 1997 and include the Searle Scholar Award (1998), The Welch Foundation Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research (2005), the Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award in Science by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (2007), the National Academy of Sciences Award in Molecular Biology (2012), the Merck Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2015), and the Lurie Prize in Biomedical Sciences (2018). Dr. Chen was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2014. Dr. Chen's work includes more than $5 million in support from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

UT Southwestern's first Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences recipient was geneticist Dr. Helen Hobbs (2016). She received the award in recognition of transformative genetics research techniques she developed and used to identify key genes involved in lipid metabolism and fatty liver disease.

Dr. Hobbs is Director of the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, Professor of Internal Medicine and Molecular Genetics at UT Southwestern, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. She holds the Eugene McDermott Distinguished Chair for the Study of Human Growth and Development; the Philip O'Bryan Montgomery, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Chair in Developmental Biology; and the 1995 Dallas Heart Ball Chair in Cardiology Research.
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Mumbai:

The Reserve Bank on Friday made public its strongly-worded dissent note on certain recommendations of a government panel on changes to payment and settlement laws and said the regulation of payments system should remain with the central bank.

The inter-ministerial committee set up by the government under the chairmanship of economic affairs secretary to finalise amendments to the Payment and Settlement Systems (PSS) Act, 2007 in its draft report suggested creation of an independent regulator Payments Regulatory Board (RRB) to deal with payments related issues.

There is no case of having a regulator for payment systems outside the RBI, said the dissent note submitted by an RBI representative to the committee.

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Observing that the RBI was not totally against a new PSS Bill, the note stressed, Changes should not result in existing foundations being shaken and the potential creation of disturbances in an otherwise well functioning and internationally acclaimed structure as far as India is concerned.

The RBI said it is reproducing a copy of the dissent note for public information on certain recommendations of the committee, in which it had a representation, adding that the payment systems are a sub-set of currency, which is regulated by the Reserve Bank.

The overarching impact of monetary policy on payment and settlement systems and vice versa provides support for regulation of payment systems to be with the monetary authority, the dissent note said.

The regulator said that it is vested within its purview to regulate the bank account for payment systems and the settlement systems are finally posted in the books of account of banks with the RBI to attain settlement finality.

Regulating these entities goes hand in hand with the settlement function, the RBI added.

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On payments systems like cards which are issued by banks globally, dual regulation systems is not desirable, it said, adding that the payment system is bank dominated in India and the regulation of the banking systems and payment system by the same regulator provides synergy and inspires public confidence in the payment instruments.

Regulation of the payment system by the central bank is the dominant international model for stability consideration.

Thus, having the regulation and supervision over Payment and Settlement systems with the central bank will ensure holistic benefits. There has been no evidence of any inefficiency in payment systems of India. The digital payments have made good and steady progress. India is gaining international recognition as a leader in payment systems. Given this, there need not be any change in a well-functioning system, as per the note.

The Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) must remain with the Reserve Bank and headed by the RBI governor, it said further.

The apex bank said that PRB may comprise three members nominated by the government and RBI, respectively, with a casting vote for the RBI Governor to ensure smooth operations of the board.

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The compensation of the PRB is also not in conformity with the announcements made in the Finance Bill by the Finance Minister, it said.

Among others, RBI said that competition, innovation and customer protection have been hall marks of the initiatives under the PSS Act and if there are specific concerns which need to be provided for, then making amendments to a relatively new law (PSS Act of 2007) is much more easier than framing a new Act.

If further said that the Watal Committee on PRB to be an independent regulator has recommended the establishment of PRB within the overall structure of the RBI, which would deliver the outcomes which is now changed and there is no need for any deviation and the PRB can be with the RBI.

On September 19, the inter-ministerial panel headed by Economic Affairs Secretary S C Garg had suggested setting up an independent Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) to foster competition, consumer protection, systemic stability and resilience in payment sector after submitting its report to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

In the Finance Act of 2017, the government amended the Payment and Settlement System Act, 2007 (PSSA) and provide for a PRB to be headed by the RBI Governor as ex-offico chairperson.

The committee had suggested that the chairperson of the Board should be appointed by the government in consultation with the RBI and also put forwarded a draft of the Payment and Settlement System Bill 2018 for consideration by the Cabinet.

The draft bill seeks to promote consumer protection; systemic stability and resilience; and competition and innovation, with regards to the payment system.

In the report, RBI had suggested that the regulation and supervision over the payment systems be retained with the RBI in the proposed bill, and also the chairperson of the PRB should be from the central bank with a casting vote.

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New Delhi:

In an effort to prevent the poor from committing suicide and save their lives, Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan has announced that he will be paying off loans of over 850 farmers from Uttar Pradesh. Earlier too, Big B said he helped cleared loans of over 350 farmers from Maharashtra

It has been a most satisfying experience to give some to them our countrymen that sacrificed their lives for us... 44 families diversified into 112 entities were given out in my small way from Maharashtra, the brave hearts, the SHAHEED. More needs to be done from other parts of the country too. It shall be done.

Read | Onions may get cheaper in Delhi as Nafed told to boost supply, Mother Dairy to cut price

The 76-year-old actor said that he helped the farmers pay off loans in an effort to prevent them from committing suicide.

Over 350 farmers loans that were difficult to pay off, and to prevent them from committing suicide, was paid off some days back too... Earlier farmer loans from Andhra and Vidarbha had been done... Now a list of over 850 farmers from Uttar Pradesh have been identified and their loans amounting to over Rs 5.5 crore shall be taken care of .. the assistance from the bank in question assists in its execution and its benevolence, Bachchan wrote on his blog.

Also Read | Reliance Jio festive bonanza: Free calling, unlimited data and 100% cashback

Amitabh also revealed his decision to help Ajeet Singh, who appeared on the reality show KBC Karmveer.

Tomorrow a contribution to Ajeet Singh, who was on KBC Karmveer, and who works towards forced prostitution and the protection of young girls being kidnapped and forced into this dastardly crime, is being sent to him to help in his most valiant endeavour.

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New Delhi:

The Amritsar train accident on Friday evening has left over 50 people dead, several others injured and many are fear trapped. As the search for the dead and the missing begins with the rescue operations underway, here are the helpline numbers:

Indian Railways issues helpline numbers for #Amritsar accident: Helpline telephone numbers at #Manawala station- Rly -73325, BSNL - 0183-2440024; Power Cabin ASR-Rly - 72820, BSNL - 0183-2402927; Vijay Sahota,SSE: 7986897301 and Vijay Patel, SSE: 7973657316  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Telephone numbers at Manawala station

# Rly - 73325

# BSNL - 0183-2440024

Telephone Nos at Power Cabin ASR

# Rly - 72820

# BSNL - 0183-2402927

Two FCT nos at gate

# 9779232880

# 9779232558

# 7986897301

Vijay Sahota,SSE /Tele

# 7973657316

Vijay Patel, SSE/ Tele at site.

Also Read | LIVE | Amritsar train accident: Over 50 people feared dead; rescue operations underway

Meanwhile, according to a release, some trains have been cancelled following the mishap:

Block on Mehsana-Palanpur-Abu Road section

1. 19411, Ahmedabad-Ajmer Express cancelled on 20.10.18 & 21.10.18

2. 19412, Ajmer-Ahmedabad Express cancelled on 21.10.18 & 22.10.18

3. 79437, Mehsana-Abu Road partially cancelled between Palanpur-Abu Road on 20.10.18 & 21.10.18

4. 79438, Abu Road-Mehsana partially cancelled between Abu Road-Palanpur on 21.10.18 & 22.10.18

5. 54803, Jodhpur-Ahmedabad partially cancelled between Abu Road-Ahmedabad on 20.10.18 & 21.10.18

6. 54805, Ahmedabad-Jaipur partially cancelled between Ahmedabad-Abu Road on 20.10.18 & 21.10.18.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar on Friday evening that left over 50 people dead and several others injured, expressed his deepest condolence to the bereaved victims' families. He also announced Rs 2 lakhs each to victims' families.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones&I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required," Modi tweeted.

Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required. a Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 19, 2018

Home Minister Rajnath Singh also took to Twitter and expressed his condolence.

"Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in #Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured," Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.A

Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured. a aaaaaa aaaa (@rajnathsingh) October 19, 2018

Among other political leaders, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed shock and sadness over the incident. She said she was left with no words to express her shock and agony.

"Very very sad to learn about the unfortunate rail incident in Amritsar during Dussehra festivities," Banerjee wrote on Twitter.

"My heart goes out to the family members of the victims. Pray that the injured persons recover very quickly," she added.

Very very sad to learn about the unfortunate rail incident in Amritsar during Dussehra festivities.

I have no words to describe my shock and agony. My heart goes out to the family members of the victims. Pray that the injured persons recover very quickly. a Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 19, 2018

At least 50 people were killed when a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks while watching burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train - DMU train 74943 - near Amritsar.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarindar Singh has directed Home Secretary, Health Secretary and ADGP Law and Order to immediately rush to Amritsar. Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Sarkaria have been deputed to immediately reach Amritsar to oversee rescue operations, official sources said. The CM will visit Amritsar tomorrow to access the situation, an ANI report said.

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New Delhi:

Firelights flew and the flames of good over evil rose high on Friday evening as the people in the capital celebrated Dussehra. The Parade Ground too was lit up as the festival lights sparkled and the effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakarna were set ablaze in the presence of President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi among a host of other dignitaries. Speaking at the event, Kovind said the festival gives "inspiration to lead a honest life".

The burning of the giant effigies at the Parade Ground in Delhi for the 51st time was organised by the Luv Kush Ram Leela Committee. And the colour theme this year was black.

Amid the great celebration, Modi and Kovind applied tilak on the forehead of those playing the role of Ram, Sita and Lakshman at the event amid chants of Jai Shree Ram by the priests and a huge gathering.

I want to congratulate the people of the country on the occasion of Vijaydashmi. Vijaydashmi marks the victory of good over evil. The festival encourages good practices in their lives One should take care that during celebrations we should be careful that it does not cause inconvenience to others and cause pollution, Kovind said.

Vijayadashami, also known as Dasahara or Dussehra, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin, the seventh month of the Hindu Luni-Solar Calendar, which falls in September and October.

18:07 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Luv-Kush Ramlila, at Delhi's Lal Qila Maidan.



President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Luv-Kush Ramlila, at Delhi's Lal Qila Maidan. pic.twitter.com/ybxRekeLBi

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



18:01 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi take part in #Dusshera celebrations at Delhi's Lal Qila maidan.



President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi take part in #Dusshera celebrations at Delhi's Lal Qila maidan. pic.twitter.com/HAOPh8GCIg

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



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New Delhi:

aaaaaAt least 60 people were feared dead and over 50 injured Friday evening as a train coming from Jalandhar ran over a crowd of Dussehra revellers near the Amritsar railway station, reports said.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar at great speed when around 300 people were watching 'Ravan dahan' at a Dussehra event near Chaura Bazaar in Amritsar. Railway police forces and locals have been rushed to the accident spot and rescue operations are underway, sources said, adding that the injured have been taken to hospitals in the vicinity.

22:59 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Approximately more than 60 injured people including children have received medical treatment till now. Most people have suffered orthopedic injuries, abrasions, head trauma and eye injuries: Dr Sandeep, Emergency Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, #Amritsar



Approximately more than 60 injured people including children have received medical treatment till now. Most people have suffered orthopedic injuries, abrasions, head trauma and eye injuries: Dr Sandeep, Emergency Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, #Amritsar pic.twitter.com/VV6DGiJwwe

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:55 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Amritsar: MP from Amritsar, Gurjeet Singh Aujla who is present at Civil Hospital, says, "probe will be conducted into the incident, action will be taken against those found guilty, even if it is Navjot Kaur Sidhu."



#Amritsar: MP from Amritsar, Gurjeet Singh Aujla who is present at Civil Hospital, says, "probe will be conducted into the incident, action will be taken against those found guilty, even if it is Navjot Kaur Sidhu." pic.twitter.com/did5IJmFrG

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:43 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The train accident in Punjab in which over 50 people have died is shocking. I urge the state government & Congress workers to provide immediate relief at the accident site. My condolences to the families of those who have died. I pray that the injured make a speedy recovery.



The train accident in Punjab in which over 50 people have died is shocking. I urge the state government & Congress workers to provide immediate relief at the accident site. My condolences to the families of those who have died. I pray that the injured make a speedy recovery.

 Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 19, 2018



22:43 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Punjab: State mourning has been declared in Punjab tomorrow, and all offices and educational institutions will remain closed, in the view of #Amritsar train accident.



#Punjab: State mourning has been declared in Punjab tomorrow, and all offices and educational institutions will remain closed, in the view of #Amritsar train accident.

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:42 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In There are not enough words to mourn the #Amritsar train tragedy that claims so many innocent lives. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. The incident needs to be probed as it casts serious question on administration:Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal.



There are not enough words to mourn the #Amritsar train tragedy that claims so many innocent lives. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. The incident needs to be probed as it casts serious question on administration:Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal pic.twitter.com/mdC6gWT8YY

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:42 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Amritsar: Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Punjab police personnel present at the site of the accident; Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered an inquiry into accident.



#Amritsar: Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Punjab police personnel present at the site of the accident; Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered an inquiry into accident. pic.twitter.com/oFgMRKnLLc

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:28 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Rs 2 lakhs for the family of those deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured in #Amritsar train accident. (file pic)



Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Rs 2 lakhs for the family of those deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured in #Amritsar train accident. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/11UriuAdsm

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:26 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Punjab CM has set up a Crisis Management Group to monitor the relief and rehabilitation efforts. The Group is led by Health Min Brahm Mohindra, with Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria&Technical Edu Min Charanjit S Channi as members.The team has rushed to the accident site.



Punjab CM has set up a Crisis Management Group to monitor the relief and rehabilitation efforts. The Group is led by Health Min Brahm Mohindra, with Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria&Technical Edu Min Charanjit S Channi as members.The team has rushed to the accident site

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:26 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Medical teams are rushing to the spot. I am also leaving for the site of the accident. As per initial information, people present near the railway track couldn't hear the sound of the approaching train due bursting crackers: MoS Railways Manoj Sinha on #Amritsar train accident.



Medical teams are rushing to the spot. I am also leaving for the site of the accident. As per initial information, people present near the railway track couldn't hear the sound of the approaching train due bursting crackers: MoS Railways Manoj Sinha on #Amritsar train accident pic.twitter.com/5R3cZiL22N

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered an inquiry into the train accident in #Amritsar which has claimed 50 lives and has left 30-35 people injured.



Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered an inquiry into the train accident in #Amritsar which has claimed 50 lives and has left 30-35 people injured.

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Punjab: People who want to donate blood should arrive at the Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Hospital in #Amritsar: Public Relations department, Punjab Government



#Punjab: People who want to donate blood should arrive at the Civil Hospital and Guru Nanak Hospital in #Amritsar: Public Relations department, Punjab Government

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



22:01 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Indian Railways issues helpline numbers for #Amritsar accident: Helpline telephone numbers at #Manawala station- Rly -73325, BSNL - 0183-2440024; Power Cabin ASR-Rly - 72820, BSNL - 0183-2402927; Vijay Sahota,SSE: 7986897301 and Vijay Patel, SSE: 7973657316



Indian Railways issues helpline numbers for #Amritsar accident: Helpline telephone numbers at #Manawala station- Rly -73325, BSNL - 0183-2440024; Power Cabin ASR-Rly - 72820, BSNL - 0183-2402927; Vijay Sahota,SSE: 7986897301 and Vijay Patel, SSE: 7973657316

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



21:58 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In My govt will give Rs 5 lakh to kin of each deceased & free treatment to injured in govt & pvt hospitals. District authorities have been mobilised on war footing: Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh #Amritsar



My govt will give Rs 5 lakh to kin of each deceased & free treatment to injured in govt & pvt hospitals. District authorities have been mobilised on war footing: Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh #Amritsar pic.twitter.com/ScXIH2qrpW

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



21:53 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Saddened and distressed by death of innocent people celebrating Dussehra festival in Amritsar. The accident is tragic. May God give strength to all. My heart goes out to the victims and the bereaved families. My condolences to those who lost their dear ones.



Saddened and distressed by death of innocent people celebrating Dussehra festival in Amritsar. The accident is tragic. May God give strength to all. My heart goes out to the victims and the bereaved families. My condolences to those who lost their dear ones.

 Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) October 19, 2018



21:44 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Operations Incharge at the accident site in #Amritsar has told me that only one train was passing from the area. We have issued helpline numbers: CPRO, Northern Railways on #Amritsar train accident.



Operations Incharge at the accident site in #Amritsar has told me that only one train was passing from the area. We have issued helpline numbers: CPRO, Northern Railways on #Amritsar train accident pic.twitter.com/zkhwr4Qd1k

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018







21:43 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Ravan effigy was being burnt 70-80 m from the gate,when the effigy fell, people present there ran towards the railway track, at the time a train was passing&level crossing there was shut. As per initial info 30-35 ppl injured: CPRO, Northern Railways on #Amritsar train accident.



Ravan effigy was being burnt 70-80 m from the gate,when the effigy fell, people present there ran towards the railway track, at the time a train was passing&level crossing there was shut. As per initial info 30-35 ppl injured: CPRO, Northern Railways on #Amritsar train accident pic.twitter.com/s0sgR3dwEJ

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



21:26 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In The effigy of Ravan was burnt&I had just left the site when the incident happened. Priority is to get the injured treated. Dussehra celebrations are held there every year. People who are doing politics over this incident should be ashamed : Navjot Kaur Sidhu,on #Amritsar accident.



The effigy of Ravan was burnt&I had just left the site when the incident happened. Priority is to get the injured treated. Dussehra celebrations are held there every year. People who are doing politics over this incident should be ashamed : Navjot Kaur Sidhu,on #Amritsar accident pic.twitter.com/QEsjoEdzS3

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



21:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Shocked to know of the #trainaccident resulting in deaths of people at Dussehra celebrations in #Amritsar. Strength to families whove lost their dear ones. Hope those injured recover soon.



Shocked to know of the #trainaccident resulting in deaths of people at Dussehra celebrations in #Amritsar. Strength to families whove lost their dear ones. Hope those injured recover soon.

 Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) October 19, 2018



21:17 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #WATCH Punjab CM Amarinder Singh says " today's incident has been absolutely tragic. I am going to Amritsar tomorrow. The state is on full alert."



#WATCH Punjab CM Amarinder Singh says " today's incident has been absolutely tragic. I am going to Amritsar tomorrow. The state is on full alert." pic.twitter.com/RHLO2LxAoa

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



21:03 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident that occurred in Amritsar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly. Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations.



Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident that occurred in Amritsar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly. Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations.

 Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 19, 2018



20:49 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #WATCH Amritsar accident: Police Commissioner SS Srivastava says, "Exact death toll is not known but it is definitely more than 50-60. We are still evacuating people."



#WATCH Amritsar accident: Police Commissioner SS Srivastava says, "Exact death toll is not known but it is definitely more than 50-60. We are still evacuating people." pic.twitter.com/5l9Gjw90VB

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



20:51 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.



Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.

 Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 19, 2018







20:43 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #WATCH Eyewitness at #Amritsar accident site says, "Congress had organised Dussehra celebrations here without permission. Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife was the chief guest at the celebrations and she continued to give a speech as people were struck down by the train."



#WATCH Eyewitness at #Amritsar accident site says, "Congress had organised Dussehra celebrations here without permission. Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife was the chief guest at the celebrations and she continued to give a speech as people were struck down by the train." pic.twitter.com/rcsxbVxiB9

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



20:36 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Punjab CM has directed Home Secretary, Health Secretary and ADGP Law and Order to immediately rush to Amritsar. Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Sarkaria deputed to immediately reach Amritsar to oversee rescue operations. CM to visit Amritsar tomorrow to access the situation.



#Punjab CM has directed Home Secretary, Health Secretary and ADGP Law and Order to immediately rush to Amritsar. Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Sarkaria deputed to immediately reach Amritsar to oversee rescue operations. CM to visit Amritsar tomorrow to access the situation.

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



20:30 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in #Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured, tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh (File pic)



Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in #Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured, tweets Home Minister Rajnath Singh (File pic) pic.twitter.com/u9TFbLSqPL

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



20:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Shocked to hear of tragic rail accident in Amritsar. Have asked all govt & pvt hospitals to stay open to help in this hour of grief. District authorities have been directed to take up relief and rescue operations on a war footing, tweets Punjab CM (file pic)



Shocked to hear of tragic rail accident in Amritsar. Have asked all govt & pvt hospitals to stay open to help in this hour of grief. District authorities have been directed to take up relief and rescue operations on a war footing, tweets Punjab CM (file pic) pic.twitter.com/sT6mgTDaIl

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



20:24 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Punjab: At gate no. 27 b/w Amritsar & Manawala. As Dussehra celebration was taking place some incident had occurred& people started rushing towards closed gate number 27 while a DMU train number 74943 was passing the closed gate: CPRO Northern Railway; Visuals from accident site.



#Punjab: At gate no. 27 b/w Amritsar & Manawala. As Dussehra celebration was taking place some incident had occurred& people started rushing towards closed gate number 27 while a DMU train number 74943 was passing the closed gate: CPRO Northern Railway; Visuals from accident site pic.twitter.com/TMJILYC6Or

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



20:23 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Punjab: Eyewitness say, "The administration and the Dussehra committee are at fault, they should have raised an alarm when the train was approaching, they should have made sure that the train halts or slows down." #Amritsar



#Punjab: Eyewitness say, "The administration and the Dussehra committee are at fault, they should have raised an alarm when the train was approaching, they should have made sure that the train halts or slows down." #Amritsar pic.twitter.com/xdwXpr0L1H

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



20:22 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Punjab: Police says, "There are more than 50 casualties. We are evacuating people, injured taken to the hospital", on accident in which several are feared dead in Choura Bazar near Amritsar



#Punjab: Police says, "There are more than 50 casualties. We are evacuating people, injured taken to the hospital", on accident in which several are feared dead in Choura Bazar near Amritsar pic.twitter.com/ITMeckyIN4

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



20:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In #Punjab: An eyewitness says, a train travelling at a fast speed ran over several people during Dussehra celebrations, in Choura Bazar near Amritsar



#Punjab: An eyewitness says, a train travelling at a fast speed ran over several people during Dussehra celebrations, in Choura Bazar near Amritsar pic.twitter.com/JziMF03JyS

 ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018



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New Delhi:

To empower rural women and promote organic farming and entrepreneurs, the Women and Child Development Ministry is organising an organic culture festival, Union minister Maneka Gandhi said.

The fifth edition of the Women of India Organic Festival will be held from October 26 to November 4 at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.

"The move aims to empower women to boost organic culture and promote women organic farmers and entrepreneurs," Maneka told reporters.

Also Read | Amitabh Bachchan reaches out to the poor, to pay off loans of over 850 farmers in Uttar Pradesh



The WCD minister said over 500 women entrepreneurs from across the country would be participating in the 10-day-long festival. They will have the opportunity to exhibit and sell their organic products such as cereals, rice, pulses, skin-care products, fabric and jewellery.

Read More | Onions may get cheaper in Delhi as Nafed told to boost supply, Mother Dairy to cut price



"It is a matter of great satisfaction for me that the ministry's efforts ultimately boost these illustrious rural women's local communities and economy by creating jobs and keeping farmers thriving in addition to spreading awareness about the benefits of organic products," Maneka said.



The first of its kind Vegan Project will also have food court with cooked-on-site delicacies.

The festival aims to make women self-reliant and set in a revolution of organic culture, a senior WCD official said.

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Washington:

US President Donald Trump has said it looks like Saudi Arabia's missing dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead and warned of "very severe" consequences if the kingdom is responsible.

Trump's remarks came after he was briefed on the investigation by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Khashoggi, 60, who has not been seen since entering Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul earlier this month, is feared to have been killed inside the mission. The incident has resulted in a global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for 'The Washington Post'.

Read More | Sabarimala Temple: Women rights activist Trupti Desai detained in Pune on her way to Shirdi to meet PM Modi

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad. Certainly, looks that way,? Trump told reporters at Joint Air Force base Andrews before boarding Air Force One on his way to Montana for a campaign rally.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned last night from Saudi Arabia and Turkey. I met with him this morning wherein the Saudi situation was discussed in great detail, including his meeting with...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2018

...the Crown Prince. He is waiting for the results of the investigations being done by the Saudis and Turkey, and just gave a news conference to that effect.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2018

This is the first time that the US has officially acknowledged about Khashoggi's death, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Turkish investigators have told local media and also to the US media that Khashoggi was brutally killed inside the consulate on October 2.

"Well, it'll have to be very severe. I mean, it's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens," Trump told reporters when asked what would be the consequences of such an unfortunate incident.

The President's remarks came hours after he had a detailed meeting with Pompeo, who a night earlier arrived from his trip to Saudi Arabia and Turkey, where he talked to them about the missing journalist.

"We are waiting for some investigations, and waiting for the results. We will have them very soon, and I think we'll be making a statement, a very strong statement. But we're waiting for the results of about three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon," Trump said.

Also Read | Vikas Bahl files Rs 10 crore defamation suit against Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane

Trump so far has resisted the call for strong action against Saudi Arabia.

During his meeting with Trump, Pompeo advised that Saudi Arabia be given some more time to complete investigation.

"We've made clear to them that we take this matter with respect to Mr Khashoggi very seriously. They've made clear to me they, too, understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Khashoggi," Pompeo said.

"They also assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion, and that this report itself will be transparent for everyone to see, to ask questions about, and to inquire with respect to its thoroughness," he said.

"And I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that. At which point we can make decisions about how or if the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr Khashoggi," said the top American diplomat.

Meanwhile several lawmakers led by Congressman Jim McGovern introduced a legislation in the House to prohibit all US arms sales to Saudi Arabia until Secretary of State determines that the Saudi regime is not responsible for the disappearance or death of Khashoggi.

Also Read | Dussehra cheer as prices of petrol, diesel slashed again

If the Saudi government is found to be culpable in Khashoggi's disappearance, the legislation prohibits all US military aid and sales to Saudi Arabia until Congress passes a resolution approving such sales.

House Democratic Whip Steny H Hoyer said the reported death of Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi officials is appalling, as is the Trump Administration's failure to hold the government of Saudi Arabia accountable for its actions.

"Given the reports surrounding Khashoggi's disappearance, America's relationship with Saudi Arabia ought to be carefully scrutinised, as should any possible sale of US weapons to Saudi Arabia," he said.

"If the President refuses to stand up to Saudi Arabia, it is incumbent upon Congress to take a stand to not only defend US values, but to send a strong signal of support to journalists and democracy activists everywhere," Hoyer added.

In a related development, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders on Thursday urged Turkey to urgently ask UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a UN investigation into the possible extrajudicial execution of Khashoggi.

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This past week, pastors and delegates of the American churches in Berlin, Paris, and Vienna flew to the United States for the annual meeting of The American & Foreign Christian Union held for the first time in Ridgefield, Conn. European representatives assembled with U.S. board members who traveled from 12 states to do the work of the ecumenical and global American churches in Europe.

From Oct. 11 through Oct. 14, 41 lay leaders and ministers from around the world put their shoulders to the wheel to support and offer encouragement to these exceptional faith communities. The First Congregational Church Ridgefield hosted the meetings, and generous volunteers offered hospitality to their international guests in the newly renovated church by the fountain, which was gathered as a congregation in 1712.

Ridgefield congregants and volunteers observed how the AFCU and its member congregations possess hard-won wisdom to share in a pluralistic society too often marked by fear, hostility, and a climate of alienation. Delegates attested to the ways that these international congregations are able to bear witness to Gods love for the entire world, because the entire world worships in these churches, and participants ultimately take what they have lived and learned back to every continent.

Imagine worshiping with members from more than 50 countries and twice as many denominations, and then sharing a cup of coffee following services with Sri Lankan evangelicals, Swedish Lutherans, Filipino Catholics, Hong Kong Presbyterians, Brazilian Pentecostals, Ghanaian Anglicans, Greek Orthodox, Nigerian Methodists, and so many more who all call the same church home.

These vibrant and diverse European partner churches demonstrate what it means to live their faith in unified and reconciled ways. At a time when many increasingly secular European countries are often said to be post-Christian, strengthening these international and interdenominational faith connections makes a real difference. These spirited houses of prayer for all people serve as beacons of hope for a world that is troubled by rapid globalization and mass migrations.

Eruptions of gun violence, terrorist actions, and political tensions among nations have resulted in distrust of otherness. This new wariness is experienced more acutely as events such as the Paris Bataclan terrorist attacks in 2015 have sharply threatened already eroding assumptions of safety. AFCU member church budgets must now include provisions for security that were previously unnecessary.

All Abrahamic faiths - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - call believers to hospitality rather than suspicion. All three faiths share sacred texts that unequivocally require followers to welcome and care for the stranger. I believe these practices of hospitality are expressions of Gods love for all people, and I understand them as essential elements of Christian discipleship.

AFCU member churches live this scriptural vision, as they honor the often divergent beliefs in their midst. Visitors to these unique churches are always astonished to discover joyous worshiping communities with congregants whose faces more greatly resemble the General Assembly of the United Nations than any church they have ever attended.

Discovering how best to honor the particularity of each members specific denominational and doctrinal histories, beliefs, and hopes is challenging. Balancing diverse points of view without allowing any of them to override the particular claims of others is even more complex, rendering these communities living laboratories of peacemaking, mercy, and justice. Members of these churches almost always arrive with preconceived points of view, and then gradually learn to embody the humility to disagree agreeably, ultimately affirming that what unites is far more precious than whatever divides.

On Sunday, Oct. 14, AFCU board president Theodore Ziemann addressed The First Congregational Church Ridgefield, expressing gratitude for their warm Connecticut welcome and bringing them greetings from the European churches. The Ridgefield congregation gained a deeper appreciation of their greater connection to the church universal and extended church family.

The hospitality and reconciliation practiced in the global churches of Berlin, Paris, and Vienna demonstrate how diverse fellowships can be harmonious, and serve as unifying exemplars in a world where religion is so often maligned as the cause of power struggles and violence. These unique communities of faith offer uncommon expressions of diplomacy and international understanding for our time, which is very good news indeed.

The Reverend Karen Anne Halac is associate minister at The First Congregational Church Ridgefield, 103 Main St. She can be reached at 203-438-8077 or karenh@firstcongregational.com.
BRIDGEPORT - Twelve jurors wrestled with the Oscar Ziggy Hernandez case on Friday unable yet to reach a verdict.

The jurors, grim-faced as they left the Fairfield County Courthouse, will continue their deliberations on Monday morning.

The 41-year-old Hernandez, a cook in Stamford, is accused of stabbing his girlfriend, 26-year-old Nidia Yubi Gonzalez, and her friend Brenda Castellanos in his Greenwood Street home in the early morning of Feb. 24, 2017and then fleeing with his 6-year-old daughter Aylin. He was captured following a high-speed chase in central Pennsylvania.

Hernandez is charged with murder, attempted murder, first-degree assault and risk of injury to a child.

Hernandez testified during the week and a half trial that his girlfriend and her best friend stabbed each other following a drunken argument over a cell phone as he tried to intercede.

Shortly after convening their deliberations Friday morning, the jury sent out a note to Superior Court Judge Kevin Russo asking to hear the recorded testimony of five of the states trial witness.

When the judge told them the replay would take four and a half hours, the foreman exclaimed, wow.

The jury then went back into the deliberation room, sending out a second note asking to just rehear Hernandezs testimony. Unlike the first time jurors actively took notes as they listened to the testimony.

As the jury was being dismissed for the day on Friday the foreman handed out another note. This note requested that they hear the recorded testimony of the medical examiner and a DNA expert.
Republican Rep. Steve King is coming under criticism for his endorsement this week of a white-nationalist mayoral candidate in Canada, with a major conservative news outlet publishing a piece describing King as "America's most deplorable congressman."

But the top three House Republicans - Speaker Paul Ryan, Wis., Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Calif., and Majority Whip Steve Scalise, La., - did not respond to requests for comment on King's endorsement.

The Iowa lawmaker, who has long been known for his inflammatory rhetoric on immigration and race, tweeted on Tuesday in support of Faith Goldy, a former reporter for the Canadian alt-right news site The Rebel who is running in Toronto's Oct. 22 mayoral election.

"Faith Goldy, an excellent candidate for Toronto mayor, pro Rule of Law, pro Make Canada Safe Again, pro balanced budget, &...BEST of all, Pro Western Civilization and a fighter for our values. @FaithGoldy will not be silenced," King tweeted.

Goldy was fired from her job at The Rebel after she appeared on a podcast produced by the neo-Nazi website the Daily Stormer during last year's white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. She has also questioned whether immigration is contributing to a "white genocide" in Canada and earlier this year promoted a 1936 book by a Romanian fascist that denounced "the Jewish menace" and "the parasitism of the Jews." Goldy later walked back her recommendation, claiming that she had endorsed the book before she was aware of its entire contents.

Goldy also recently posted photos of herself with former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is currently President Donald Trump's personal attorney.

In a post for The Weekly Standard published Wednesday, the magazine's assistant opinion editor, Adam Rubenstein, called King "an embarrassment to the GOP and to America" and said that his endorsement of Goldy was "unsurprising."

"King and Goldy are both animated by the same brand of race-based identity-politics that consumes the alt-right," Rubenstein wrote. "King's focus on race and ethnicity is so consuming that it has become the core of his politics." He concluded by questioning why King still has a seat in Congress.

King's Democratic opponent, J.D. Scholten, responded to King's endorsement by blasting the lawmaker in a tweet.

"Once again, Steve King spends more time supporting far-right leaders in other countries than he does focusing on the needs of the people of our district," Scholten said.

The episode is far from the first time that King has come under scrutiny for his embrace of extremist figures.

King earlier this year stirred controversy when he refused to delete a retweet of a message by British white nationalist Mark Collett, a self-described "Nazi sympathizer" and admirer of Hitler's Germany. In a CNN appearance in June, King spent five minutes explaining why he would not delete his retweet of Collett.

House Republican leaders initially did not respond to King's retweet. The lawmaker's actions eventually prompted a rebuke from Ryan's spokeswoman, who told the Daily Beast that the speaker "has said many times that Nazis have no place in our politics, and clearly members should not engage with anyone promoting hate."

Scalise also weighed in, urging lawmakers "to be vocal in speaking out" against neo-Nazism and Holocaust denial.

King also last year was widely repudiated after he declared in a tweet that far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders was correct that "our civilization" cannot be restored "with somebody else's babies" - a statement that earned him a scathing reproach from the Des Moines Register.

King, who was first elected to the House in 2002, cruised to reelection in 2016. His seat is ranked by the Cook Political Report as likely to stay in Republican hands in next month's midterm elections.

King's congressional office did not respond to a request for comment on his endorsement of Goldy.
Leaders around the world have called for quick action in response to allegations that Saudi Arabia ordered and carried out the torture and killing of Washington Post writer and permanent U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. And yet the president of the United States has defended the Saudi royal family, stressed the need for caution and process, and refused to consider curbing arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

President Donald Trump's subdued reaction raises the question of why he has, so far, handled the news so differently compared with other world leaders. We cannot help but consider one particular answer: that his approach to Saudi Arabia is influenced by his significant business dealings with that country.

Apparently aware of the growing concerns that conflicts of interest may be affecting his thinking on this crisis, the president tweeted this week that he has "no financial interests in Saudi Arabia." That may be technically true. While he previously had significant interests in companies set up to potentially develop properties in Saudi Arabia, those companies were shut down when he assumed the presidency.

Crucially, though, he and his businesses have continued to benefit substantially from Saudi customers, including the government of Saudi Arabia. Press reports have indicated that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently paid for rooms and meals at the Trump hotels in Washington and in Chicago. In 2017, Saudi lobbyists spent $270,000 to reserve rooms at Trump's hotel in Washington. The kingdom itself paid $4.5 million in 2001 to purchase a floor of Trump World Tower and continues to pay tens of thousands in annual common charges to Trump businesses for that property (the total of which could be up to $5.7 million since 2001, according to one estimate). In the past year, as bookings fell overall, Trump's hotels in New York and Chicago reported a significant uptick in bookings from Saudi Arabia. And a major factor in a recent increase in revenue for the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Manhattan was that Saudis accompanying the crown prince during a recent visit stayed there, as The Washington Post has reported.

Trump said at a campaign rally in 2015 about Saudi Arabia: "I get along great with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much. "

What's notable about that statement is not just the president's description of his significant business ties to Saudi Arabia, but his stark admission that he is inclined to look favorably on those who give him business.

Now it appears that the government of Saudi Arabia was listening - it has brought significant business to the president these past two years, and its investment may well be paying off. Instead of condemning Saudi Arabia's apparent involvement in Khashoggi's death, Trump has been previewing potential defenses for the Saudi government. "It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers," he said Monday, after a phone call with Saudi King Salman. "I mean, who knows? We're going to try getting to the bottom of it very soon, but his was a flat denial. "

Trump's decisions about how to handle this delicate and crucial situation should never be influenced by his business interests. Sadly, we have every reason to believe they may be.

When the president decided to retain his business interests, my watchdog organization was deeply concerned that his personal financial interests and business ties could affect his decision-making on taxes, environmental regulations, foreign policy and a slew of other issues. That is why we have been deeply involved in two major lawsuits against Trump for violating the emoluments clauses of the constitution, which prohibit any president from receiving gifts and payments from foreign and domestic governments. This past week has supplied the strongest evidence yet that our concerns were well founded.

At a time of global crisis like the one we find ourselves in currently, we need to know the president is looking out for our interests. Right now, we don't.

---

Bookbinder is executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and a former federal corruption prosecutor.
Israelis within missile range of the Gaza Strip went to bed with trepidation Wednesday night, unsure whether a full-scale war in Gaza was imminent. Israel's Security Cabinet had convened for a midnight emergency session Wednesday, following Tuesday's attack on Beersheba, Israel's largest southern city.

By Thursday, though, it was business as usual. The government's decision not to respond with a major military campaign shows both the limited options available on Gaza and the nature of Israel's defense priorities.

The attack might have been seen as a casus belli. A missile had landed on the home of a single mother and her three children, destroying it; the family escaped with their lives only by using their bomb shelter.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman had publicly called for a powerful military response. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, cut short his visit to the U.S. and arrived with operative plans.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad took the unusual step of distancing themselves from the rocket launches, but the denials aren't credible; nobody else in Gaza has the longer-range Grad missiles.

Leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad went into hiding, fully expecting a major response. The IDF instead announced that it was safe to reopen schools and resume normal activity. The security cabinet instructed the army to increase its range of fire at border demonstrations and take stronger measures against balloon attacks, but these are tweaks of existing policy, rather than a major escalation.

The decision was a surprise, but it shouldn't have been. It was made by one man, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And he has been signaling for some time that he is not interested in a war in Gaza.

Israel and Hamas have been in a state of low-grade military conflict on the Gaza border for more than a decade. Israel has invaded three times to put a stop to missile attacks. Those campaigns ended in cease-fires and a period of relative calm -- before another round of fighting began.

Since last May, when Hamas began launching mass demonstrations along the border with Israel, things appeared to be moving toward a fourth round; the attack on Beersheba could very well have been taken as a casus belli.

But even hawks like Lieberman understand that Gaza is a chronic problem, not one that can be solved permanently through military action. His stated war aim was, tellingly, "four or five years of quiet." The IDF can easily defeat Hamas in an all-out war, but total victory would mean occupying Gaza, putting Israel in charge of two million impoverished, hostile Arabs; it would also likely mean significant civilian loss of life. Israel is a prisoner of that paradox.

Prime Minister Netanyahu came to this realization during the 2014 invasion of Gaza. Seventy-one Israelis died in that operation, 66 of them soldiers. When the fighting ended, Israel found itself back where it started. People may want a glorious victory in Gaza, but managing the situation is the best they can hope for.

Over the years, Israel has spent a lot of time and money on tools for doing just that. The IDF has an Iron Dome missile system capable of bringing down most incoming rockets (although the Dome was unaccountably absent in Beersheba). It has techniques to detect and destroy the infiltration tunnels that Hamas once considered strategic weapons. And, under Netanyahu, it is now constructing a barrier -- one that is both high and deep to prevent tunneling -- along its entire Gaza land and sea border.

Hamas has shown ingenuity in the face of these obstacles. The IDF has no answer yet for its incendiary balloons, which have burned down large swaths of Israel's southwestern agricultural fields and forests. Nor has it been able to end the increasingly violent Hamas-led demonstrations on the border. But these are tactics, not strategic threats. Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas commander in Gaza, is under no illusions. As he recently told an interviewer, "no one wants to fight a nuclear power with four slingshots."

The truth is, Hamas is too weak to be anything but a military annoyance. Netanyahu understands this, even if it is a hard message to convey to the Israeli public, especially those who live near the border and find themselves living with burning fields, stray rockets and frequent interruptions of daily life. In an election year, quick-fix prescriptions by hawks like the defense minister may have voter appeal.

But if the polls are any guide, Bibi will coast to another term. He doesn't need a dazzling victory or bellicose rhetoric. Nor is this primarily a political calculation. Netanyahu is focused on the threat posed by Iran and its proxies in Lebanon and Syria. He does not want the IDF tied down in Gaza, even for a brief period. He needs the military budgets and personnel for the northern war.

Yes, the prime minister would like to reach a deal with Sinwar: Israeli economic cooperation in return for a long-term ceasefire. But if Hamas wants to keep fighting, it is a problem that can be dealt with by technology, targeted killings and an occasional airstrike. Bibi is determined to keep himself, and his army, out of the Gaza briar patch.

---

Chafets is a journalist and author of 14 books. He was a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and the founding managing editor of the Jerusalem Report Magazine.
HARTFORD  Republican Bob Stefanowskis bold promise to eliminate Connecticuts income tax over eight years came under withering attack Thursday by Democrat Ned Lamont and Oz Griebel, a petitioning candidate struggling to be taken seriously in the waning weeks of the race for governor.

At the midpoint of a one-hour debate sponsored by the Connecticut Broadcasters Association, Griebel boiled over with what he later called frustration at the failure of anyone to specifically address how the state can close a projected budget shortfall of $2 billion and improve an aging transportation infrastructure.

You have no solutions, Bob! Griebel yelled.

Trust me, ladies and gentlemen, Stefanowski said.

Oh yeah, trust me, Griebel said.

Griebel said later he is equally frustrated with Lamont, but Stefanowski was the common target at times of Griebel and Lamont over what is the boldest promise of the campaign: Eliminating the states single largest source of revenue without raising the sales tax or finding other new sources of revenue.

Of the five gubernatorial candidates on the ballot, Lamont and Stefanowski are the only ones with a major presence on television. In a recent Quinnipiac University poll, Lamont was favored by 47 percent of likely voters, compared to 39 percent for Stefanowski and 11 percent for Griebel. The other candidates are Libertarian Rod Hanscomb and Mark Stewart Greenstein.

The two major-party candidates opened the debate Thursday at Infinity Music Hall in downtown Hartford by trying to reinforce themes from their recent advertising  each man claims he is a true agent of change who can stabilize the states finances and grow what has been one of the weakest state economies in the U.S.

You want somebody who is going be absolutely fearless when it comes to taking on the entrenched interests and shaking up the old ways of doing business. Thats what Ive done my entire life, Lamont said.

His campaign has been stressing a personal biography that includes founding a small cable-television company that competed with national giants on college campuses and small communities, and his challenge of U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman in 2006 over the war in Iraq.

Stefanowski for the first time treated Griebel as an opponent worth undermining, saying in his opening statement that Griebel and Lamont were running the same campaign.

You have three candidates on stage, but you really have two choices, Stefanowski said. Youve got Oz and Ned, who are more of the same. They want to raise taxes. They want to make bigger government, and they want to drive this economy into another term of (Gov.) Dan Malloy.

Stefanowski, a former corporate executive whose last private-sector job was chief executive officer of DFC Global, a payday lender, said he is Connecticuts only chance for real change.

Griebel, who recently retired as the leader of the MetroHartford Alliance, said Connecticut needs to break with the status quo and a governor not beholden to parties, not beholden to dogma.

Stefanowski was careful during the hour to keep his distance from endorsing public policies established by Malloy.

Lamont and Griebel said they would have welcomed a Syrian refugee family that had been vetted by U.S. officials and relief workers, only to be told by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, now the vice president, they were not welcome in the Hoosier state.

Stefanowski said he was unfamiliar with the episode, the source of national news coverage, but he would try to be humane. He said he opposed sanctuary cities, which was part of the controversy over the Syrian family whose members entered the country legally.

Id err on the side of being generous, Lamont said.

Everybody in this country is entitled to protection under the rule of law, Griebel said.

Stefanowski broke with Lamont and Griebel over some of the criminal justice reforms promoted by Malloy, mostly to national acclaim. And he questioned statistics showing Connecticuts crime rate has plunged. Stefanowski attributed the fall, in part, to a population that declined by .2 percent in 2016.

This early release program is out of control, Stefanowski said.

He mentioned the defendant in a triple homicide in Griswold who was paroled after serving the Connecticut minimum of 85 percent of a sentence for violent crime. The parole board is separate from the Risk Reduction Earned Credit Program, which allows inmates to gain early release through education and other programs.

Stefanowski and Lamont clashed sharply over the arrival of Infosys, an India-based company that has chosen Hartford for one of its regional technology hubs. Under fire for outsourcing jobs, the company has made a commitment to hiring in the U.S.

Lamont, who made some introductions that played a role in the companys explorations of Hartford, told Stefanowski it was unconscionable to insult a new employer. One of the companys top U.S. executives sat in the audience.

To diss these guys the way he did is one way to roll up the welcome mat and send businesses in the opposite direction, Lamont said after the debate. He was dead wrong on that, dead wrong.

Stefanowski said he was simply reciting some of the less attractive parts of the companys history. He said he would love to meet its officials.
China Daily provided more details about the artificial full moon mirror satellite over Chengdu.

This article is referring to Chinese statements about their mirror moonlight system and referencing a presentation Mirrors in Dawn Dusk Orbit for Low-Cost Terrestrial Solar Electric Power in the Evening at the AIAA tech conference on 2013. The work in China has to obey the physics and orbital mechanics of such light reflecting systems. Lewis M. Fraas JX Crystals and

Billy Derbes and Arthur Palisoc of LGarde Tustin, CA wrote the AIAA paper.

China plans to put an artificial moon in orbit above Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan by 2020. If the launch proves successful, three more such objects will be launched in 2022, Wu Chunfeng, head of Tian Fu New Area Science Society in Chengdu.

Astronomers complain that the artificial moon mirrors would make light pollution 50 times worse.

The brightest possible Full Moon under ideal conditions has an illuminance of about 0.3 lux, but its often just 0.15-0.2 lux. The mirror moons would have 1.6 lux.

The sky brightness over central Chengdu due to skyglow in is predicted to be 5.43 mcd/m2, or about 18.25 magnitudes per square arcsecond, using satellite data obtained in 2015.

The city currently has 0.034 lux. The new mirror satellites will increase it by 47 times.

Full daylight is 10752 lux. 1 lux equals 1 Lumen per square meter. One candle is 12.57 lumens. A street light has 10 lux.

The Harbin Institute of Technology and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp are also involved in developing Chengdus illumination satellites.

The man-made moon is essentially an illumination satellite designed to complement the moon at night, though it is predicted to be eight times brighter, the scientist added.

This is due to the objects planned orbit about 500km above Earthmuch closer than the 380,000km distance to the moon, Mr Wu said.

Nextbigfuture notes that a 500-kilometer orbit would not be that good for lighting a city. This is likely only the orbit for the test satellite.

I do not think the 2020 test system will reach the 1.6 lux lighting level. I think the 2020 system will be smaller. The three satellite system for 2022 will bigger in order to reach the desired lighting levels. If the systems are at 500-kilometer orbits then they will not be lighting the city throughout much of the night.

Almost doubling the solar power from ground sites and halving the cost

A Dawn-Dusk Orbit at 1000 kilometers would be better. Dawn-Dusk orbits were proposed by JX Crystals. JX is a US company.

18 mirror satellites in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 1000 km. The Chengdu plan is to have 3 mirror satellites follow up in 2022.

In 1979, Dr. Krafft Ehricke proposed the Power Soletta constellation of satellites in an orbit 4200 km in altitude to a 1200 sq km site in Western Europe. The mirrors in orbit at an altitude of 4200 km gives a sunspot diameter on earth of 42 km with a corresponding area of 1385 sq km. This explains the 1200 sq km solar field size for the Power Soletta concept. This also means that in order to produce an intensity of sunlight on earth equivalent to the normal daylight sun intensity, the area of the 3 mirrors shown beaming power down would have to be 1385 sq km and the area of the 10 mirror satellites in the constellation would have to be 4617 sq km. The Power Soletta mirror satellites were also in the Van Allen radiation belt.

The Chengdu nighttime lighting is 6000 times less than normal daylight. 4200-kilometer altitude would still require about 600-800 meter diameter mirrors.

The 1000 kilometer mirror would only need about 150 to 200-meter diameter mirrors. It would likely need to be some kind of boom deployment of thin film with reflective material.

The physics determine it needs to be big.

Orbital mechanics indicate that you would have to place them at certain altitudes depending upon the times you want coverage.

Solar energy available to these ground sites can be increased from an average of 7 kWh per sq meters per day without the space mirrors to 12 kWh per sq meters per day with the space mirrors. The additional 5 kWh per square meters per day will be provided in the early morning and evening hours.

The illuminated sunlight spot size on the earth from a 1000 kilometer altitude mirror satellite is about 10 km in diameter instead of the 42 km spot size associated with the Power Soletta configuration. The 10-kilometer diameter was mentioned in the press releases.

Scaling up 6000 times from the megacity moonlighting to nighttime lighting level of large ground solar power plants. Either the mirrors get bigger or you get a lot more of them or both.

Test satellite will be one-fifth normal street lights

But this is not enough to light up the entire night sky, he said. Its expected brightness, in the eyes of humans, is around one-fifth of normal street lights.

The location and brightness of the light beam can be changed, and its coverage accuracy can fall within a few dozen meters, he said.

The artificial moon might replace some street lights in the urban area, thus conserving energy.

Mr Wu estimated Chengdu could save around 1.2 billion yuan (US$170 million) in electricity annually if the artificial moon illuminated 50 sq km of the city.

The extra light can shine into disaster zones during blackouts, thus aiding relief and rescue efforts.

The mirrors can be adjusted for luminosity, and can be completely turned off when needed. However, less light from the satellite will reach the ground if the sky is overcast.

The first moon will be mostly experimental, but the three moons in 2022 will be the real deal with great civic and commercial potential, Mr Wu said.

The three new man-made moons can take turns reflecting sunlight, as they will not always be in the best position relative to the sun, and together they can illuminate an area of around 3,600 to 6,400 sq km on Earth for 24 hours if desired.

This statement suggests that the full-time systems would be at higher altitude orbits. The higher the altitude then the larger the systems have to be.
Space could represent a new frontier for cloud infrastructure. Amazon, Microsoft, Google, IBM and Oracle battle for business from companies that are offloading their data center computing and storage needs.

Marty Puranik, CEO and Founder of Atlantic.Net, a leading cloud hosting solutions provider interviewed with NextBigFuture.

Marty indicated that Amazons venture to expand cloud operations into space is valid.

Iridium Communications announced Sept 27, 2018, it joined the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network (APN) and has been collaborating with AWS on the development of Iridium CloudConnect, the first and only satellite cloud-based solution that offers truly global coverage for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Enabled by the Iridium network, and planned for launch in 2019, this new Iridium service will make Iridium IoT services available with AWS IoT, extending the reach of AWSs powerful suite of services to the more than 80 percent of the Earth that lacks cellular coverage. Iridium customers will be able to take advantage of AWS IoT, while existing AWS customers will have a cost-effective way to expand their geographic IoT footprint to anywhere on the globe.

A first for the satellite industry, AWS IoT will create a simplified process for companies to integrate Iridiums satellite reach with AWS, increasing speed to market. Through this arrangement, customers will be able to reduce engineering efforts, lower fixed operating costs, and reduce time to develop new products and services, through the power and capabilities of AWS IoT.

SpaceX is launching the $3 billion satellite network for Iridium, with the eighth and final launch happening later this year.

Blue Origin is Jeff Bezos rocket company and it should be launching rockets into space in the next few years.

What are the potential opportunities storing cloud data in space could provide the industry?

Marty indicated that companies could want to have cloud operations and data that are free from jurisdictional regulations and concerns. This could be especially applicable for certain blockchain and cryptocurrency situations.

There are also situations where companies want to leverage the global reach and communication from satellite-based data.

Established in 1994, Atlantic.Net is a market-leading hosting provider, with state-of-the-art data centers in New York, London, Toronto, San Francisco, Dallas, Ashburn, and Orlando.
Dr. Seth Lloyd, an MIT professor and self-described quantum mechanic, describes the quantum mechanics behind time travel during a guest lecture at the Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo. Recorded on Nov. 4, 2010, this is the entire lecture entitled Sending a Photon Backwards in Time.

Wheeler has the physics theory that positrons are electrons going backwards in time.

The early part of the talk is a lot about the many time travel stories.

Lloyd indicates that all the stories fall into either the many worlds version or the consistent history version. The consistent history version is that you cannot alter the past in ways that you know are not true.

Here is where he starts talking about his theory and the theoretical basis in more detail.

Quantum teleportation experiments had 80% fidelity but this was post selected for success. Overall fidelity was 11%.

Here is where he talks about their particle quantum experiments.

In a post selected sense this is time travel.

They create a singlet and then make measurements.

The photon never manages to kill itself in the past.

y Seth Lloyd approach to time travel is based upon post-selection and path integrals. In particular, the path integral is over single-valued fields, leading to self-consistent histories. He assumed it is ill-defined to speak of the actual density state of the CTC itself, and we should only focus upon the density state outside the CTC.

No solution exists due to destructive interference in the path integral. For instance, the grandfather paradox has no solution, and leads to an inconsistent state. If a solution exists, it is clearly unique. Now, quantum computers using time machines can only solve PP-complete problems.

Arxiv  The quantum mechanics of time travel through post-selected teleportation (2010)

The paper discusses the quantum mechanics of closed timelike curves (CTCs) and of other potential methods for time travel. We analyze a specific proposal for such quantum time travel, the quantum description of CTCs based on post-selected teleportation (P-CTCs). We compare the theory of P-CTCs to previously proposed quantum theories of time travel: the theory is physically inequivalent to Deutschs theory of CTCs, but it is consistent with path-integral approaches (which are the best suited for analyzing quantum field theory in curved spacetime). We derive the dynamical equations that a chronology-respecting system interacting with a CTC will experience. We discuss the possibility of time travel in the absence of general relativistic closed timelike curves, and investigate the implications of P-CTCs for enhancing the power of computation.

Here is a different video reviewing time travel theory and a later quantum mechanical paper on time travel
Terrestrial Energys Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) has entered the second phase of a vendor design review by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The design was the first advanced reactor to complete the first phase of the CNSCs regulatory pre-licensing review.

Walk away safe  no meltdown reactor

Terrestrial Energy aims to commercialize its walkaway safe molten salt modular reactor design in the late 2020s.

The use of a molten salt is at the heart of many virtues of the IMSR and directly leads to IMSRs key commercial advantages  a cost-competitive and walk-away safe nuclear power plant.

The IMSR uses a fundamentally different reactor technology  a liquid fuel, a molten salt, rather than the solid fuel used exclusively in conventional reactors. This provides a fluid medium to carry a nuclear fuel, a uranium fluoride salt. Molten salts are thermally stable and are excellent heat-transfer fluids, ideal for capturing and dissipating heat from the fission process.

An IMSR power plant generates 400 megawatts of thermal energy (190 MW electric) with a thermal-spectrum, graphite-moderated, molten-fluoride-salt reactor system. It uses standard-assay low-enriched uranium (less than 5 percent 235U) fuel. It incorporates many aspects of Molten Salt Reactor operation researched, demonstrated and proven by test reactors at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Swappable Core

The IMSR improves upon earlier Molten Salt Reactor designs by incorporating key innovations that create an industrial reactor ready for commercial deployment.

The key challenge to MSR commercialization was graphites limited lifetime in a reactor core. Commercial power reactors require high energy densities in the reactor core to be economical, but such high-power densities significantly reduce the graphite moderators lifespan. Replacing the graphite moderator is difficult to do safely and economically.

The distinct IMSR innovation is an elegant solution to this problem  integrating the primary reactor components, including the graphite moderator, into a sealed and replaceable reactor core. The IMSR Core-unit, which has an operating lifetime of seven years, is simple and safe to replace. It supports high capacity factors of IMSR power plants and hence high capital efficiency. It also ensures that the materials lifetime requirements of other reactor core components are met, a challenge often cited as an impediment to immediate commercialization of MSRs.

The result is a small modular reactor that delivers a combination of high energy output, simplicity of operation and cost-competitiveness necessary to drive broad commercial deployment.

Pre-licensing of Terrestrial Energy

The three-phase pre-licensing process will verify the acceptability of a design with respect to Canadian nuclear regulatory requirements and expectations.

Phase 1. a pre-licensing assessment of compliance with regulatory requirements

This was completed November 2017. CNSC said the company had demonstrated an understanding of the regulators requirements applicable to the design and safety analysis of the 400 MWt IMSR, known as IMSR400.

Phase 2. an assessment of any potential fundamental barriers to licensing

This is happening now. This involves a detailed follow-up of phase 1 activities, and an assessment of the IMSR designs ability to meet all 19 focus areas of power plant licensing. It is expected to complete late in 2019.

Phase 3. a follow-up phase allowing the vendor to respond to findings from the second phase.

In June 2017, Terrestrial Energy began a feasibility study for the siting of the first commercial IMSR at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Chalk River site.

In March 2018, Terrestrial and US utility Energy Northwest agreed a memorandum of understanding on the terms of the possible siting, construction and operation of an IMSR at a site at the Idaho National Laboratory in southeastern Idaho.

In September 2018, Terrestrial Energy USA partnered with the big utility Southern Company ($46 billion market value) and several US DOE national laboratories to investigate the production of hydrogen using its IMSR. The two-year research and development project will examine the efficiency, design and economics of using the IMSR to produce carbon-free, industrial-scale hydrogen using the hybrid sulfur process.
Connecticuts head insurance regulator approved the sale of Hartford-based Aetna to CVS, contingent upon the pharmacy giant providing confirmation it had complied with a requirement to divest a Medicare drug plan and other terms.

The move had been expected after a Connecticut Insurance Department official had recommended approval of the $69 billion deal, and coming on the heels of the U.S. Department of Justice giving its OK provided Aetna sell its standalone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans to WellCare Health Plans, with Aetna having about 2.2 million members in the program.

Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS aims to complete the deal imminently as it completes state regulatory reviews. In Aetna, the company picks up the third-largest health insurance carrier in the United States with more than 22 million members entering this year.

With nearly 400,000 members in Connecticut, Aetna ranks just ahead of Cigna as the second largest carrier in the home state of the two health giants. Anthem is the market leader with more than 1 million members.

The companies hope to add $750 million to their combined bottom line by their second year of operation as one, without specifying any impact on jobs. Under the order signed by Katharine Wade, commissioner of insurance in Connecticut, Aetna must divulge its employment numbers in the state on a quarterly basis, which totaled nearly 5,300 people entering October.

Speaking in mid-September at a New York City investment conference sponsored by Morgan Stanley, CVS CEO Larry Merlo said the merger is intended to put patients at the center of their own care.

This challenge around (health) cost, quality and access continues to evolve for many  and its a challenge, Merlo said in September. The need for change is clear. We envision the combination of CVS and Aetna to be a leader in that change.

More Business Girls invited to STEM Experience in Hartford

Aetna incorporated in 1853, taking its name from Italys Mt. Etna and nearly liquidating within four years of its launch. Focused initially on life insurance, Aetna began selling health coverage in 1899 while adding other kinds of insurance, including issuing a policy in 1944 on the Manhattan Project to build the worlds first nuclear bomb.

Aetna would sell its property and casualty business to The Travelers in 1996 for $4 billion, and its financial services division to ING, now known as Voya, in 2000 for $7.7 billion, with both companies continuing to maintain major operations in the Hartford area to this day.

CVS executives scotched Aetna CEO Mark Bertolinis plan to move the insurers headquarters to New York City with incentives. As the company readies to integrate Aetna fully into its operations, it is already looking ahead at other ways to reshape itself with the times  particularly as Amazon readies to add an online pharmacy counter to its dominant website.

We see the front of our store evolving from not just selling thousands of products, Merlo said. Certainly there will be a product component, but there will also be a service component. The products will have a focus on health, beauty, personal care and elements of convenience, and the service component will be an element hard to replicate online.

Includes prior reporting by Dan Haar.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
ANSONIA  The ongoing budgetary battle between the city and the school district pending in court has created unmanageable classrooms, required teachers to learn new grade curriculums and stressed several people out.

And the stress has already claimed two victims.

Matt Hough, president of the Ansonia Federation of Teachers, said a newly hired Middle School teacher quit for medical reasons just weeks after her first day on the job and a second teacher from the same school is out on medical leave.

Both he and other teachers said they fear that number will increase as the year wears on.

For more than 90 minutes, nearly 80 teachers, parents, students and Democratic candidates braved the chilly wind and dropping temperatures Thursday afternoon to hold an education rally in front of Ansonia High School.

Their key complaint was a Board of Aldermen vote in January to withhold $600,000 in education funding  money they say was illegally withdrawn from their budget.

The Aldermen provided an extra $600,000 to the school board to help get it through the 2017 state budget crisis. Eventually the school board received $1.8 million in state grant money while the city claims it was cut about $1 million in its state funding.

The Aldermen withdrew the $600,000, which the school said has meant eliminating eight teaching and one and a half administrative positions for the 2018-19 school year. The Board of Education sued the city; a summary judgment hearing is set for Nov. 13.

The Aldermens move also resulted in a State Board of Education investigation thats still pending.

Mayor David Cassetti said the two sides could have resolved their differences before school started.

I offered them a compromise, he said. Id give them $300,000 this year and $300,000 next year. They refused, so lets let the court decide.

Cassetti said the Board of Educations budget has increased nearly $3 million in his three terms, from $28.9 million in 2014-15 to $31.8 million in 2018-19.

Our residents just cant afford to pay more taxes, he said.

Educators said theres more to a budget than the bottom line.

Like Bridgeport, New Haven, Naugatuck and many other school districts, Ansonia has been burdened with unfunded state educational mandates and soaring special education costs.

Hough told the crowd that Connecticut is one of four states that doesnt figure the full special education costs into municipal educational funding.

Currently the Board of Education is spending $4.8 million sending special education students out-of-district because of the lack of programs here. Add that cost to the in-district special education students and the total costs of educating special education students is 30 percent of the current $31,860,483 budget, he said.

He said the increased class size because of fewer positions leads to teachers entering unfamiliar positions with not enough training to deal with unexpected behavioral problems.

Teachers even at the elementary level have students swear at them, hit them, bite, kick and even punch them, all while trying to teach a lesson, said Nicole Dlugas, who was switched to teaching sixth grade this year after spending 12 years as a third grade teacher.

She said she is so fearful that I am not going to teach my students everything they require because I am so unfamiliar with my current position.

She said there is a lack of text books so everything we teach requires us to make copies, yet we are told on a daily basis to limit the number of copies we make. How are we supposed to educate the students without the necessary tools to do so?

LIsa Delgrego, who teaches second grade at Mead School, is in her 21st year as a teacher.

For the first month of the school year, I went home every day and I looked at my husband and I said: What am I doing? Why am I doing this?

She said she has 26 second-graders whom she loves but need shoes tied, dont have a snack, not wearing a coat, getting into a fight with a friend, cant get their parents on the phone ... 26 little kids who look at me everyday ... Im not just a teacher. Im a nurse, a therapist, a negotiator, I provide snacks... because if they cant eat, they are not going to learn.

Fighting back tears, she said conditions at the school are not fair to them ... its not fair to my own kids when I go home and Im stressed and Im miserable..
MILFORD  After being fined close to $10,000 for blight, the owners of an Asian marketplace under construction at the site of the former M & M Farm Market have brought the property into compliance, city health department officials said.

The notice of violation was abated Wednesday, Milford Health Director Deepa Joseph said.

The out-of-state owner of the highly visible property at 804 Boston Post Road was fined $100 per day since July 4 under the citys blight ordinance.

The owners were ordered to clean the site of overgrown vegetation, repair or replace construction fencing and plywood that was falling down or in disrepair and to get rid of inorganic building materials, appliances and household furnishings on the site. Storage containers were left in a state of disrepair or abandonment as well, inspection records state.

The owners are listed as Long and Lily Deng of Long Island and the company as iFresh, a Chinese supermarket chain. Kevin Li, iFresh official, said last month that the company had been working steadily on clean-up, but having a hard time satisfying the health department.

More News Owners of Asian marketplace project in Milford fined $100 per day for blight

Health Department records show that on June 14, Li told a health department official he was not aware of the anti-blight order and asked for an extension, as the company was changing contractors. The health department declined to grant the extension.

On June 27, an inspector noted 90 percent of vegetation was cut down and trash was cleaned up, but all of it was not completed and the construction fencing remained.

The citys Planning and Zoning Board approved the Asian supermarket and food court in March 2016. It took a while for construction to begin, but once it did, a new building with Asian-style storefront spaces quickly took shape.

Then the project came to a standstill, but will resume, although the time frame is uncertain, Li said recently.

Architect Ray Oliver, who represented the developer before the PZB said at the time that his client, New York Mart, had 17 stores between New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The building, Oliver said, would be faced with clay and tile for an Asian look and include six storefronts.

The plan for the inside include a grocery store expected to carry produce, fish and Asian specialty items, a food court and market area with vendors.
NEW HAVEN  The executive director of Common Ground High School will be leaving her post at the end of November.

In her near-decade at the schools helm, Melissa Spear has overseen the ecological and agricultural-focused charter schools growth by about 65 students and 27 staff members, and a budget that more than doubled from $2.7 million in 2010 to $5.5 million for 2019, she said in a letter to the school community Wednesday.

While there is always more to be done, I am proud of what has been accomplished in the time I have been here, she wrote in the letter. Common Ground has grown in a sustainable fashion and I am confident it has a secure future.

Speaking by phone Friday, Spear said the response to her letter has been pretty amazing.

I really think if theres ever a time for Common Ground to go through a transition, you want to do it when the organization is healthy, with strong management in place, which is where the organization is right now, she said.

Joel Tolman, the school's director of development and community engagement, said Spears position has not yet been posted for applicants, but the New Haven Ecology Project  the nonprofit that operates the school  has a board prepared to step in on an interim basis.

I anticipate a local search and a national search for folks to take the lead at Common Ground, and were going to take our time, he said. Its very possible we wont have someone on board until the spring.

Tolman said he believes Spears tenure is marked by growth, from enrolling more students and growing the faculty and budget to also increasing partnerships and participation in afterschool and summer programs and dedicating a new $7.5 million building.

He said the school was also founded with an anti-oppression framework at the roots, but Spear brought a lot of energy and focus to that work and raised it to the top of the priority list.

Spear, who moved to Connecticut from the West Coast 30 years ago, will be joining a daughter in Seattle to work at the Tilth Alliance, which Spear describes as similar to Common Ground for its focus on urban agriculture and youth education.

Common Ground High School has operated in Westville since opening in 1997.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com








NEW HAVEN  Mayor Toni Harp and state Senate Republican President Len Fasano continued trading barbs Friday afternoon: the latest in a series of attacks that began in August after more than 100 overdoses were reported on the New Haven Green in a 48-hour period, when the senator said New Havens downtown is a place of despair.

Earlier this week, Fasano called for a financial audit of New Havens spending practices amid news stories that the Harp administration was overspending on travel and on seemingly superfluous things like employee uniforms. On Friday, Harp fired back in a letter mocking Fasano, of North Haven, for decid(ing) to take an active interest in New Havens affairs, implying that his request for an audit was a bad faith attack on the city.

I welcome what Id like to think is your intention to serve as an honorary state Senator representing New Haven, she wrote. Earlier this week, city spokesman Laurence Grotheer said Harp considered Fasanos audit request to be an attempt to rally his base one month before an election.

In her letter, Harp invited Fasano to call or visit her office and said he deserves all the facts instead of relying on supposition and a couple news articles.

In lieu of an audit, she suggested several things Fasano could do if he were truly concerned about New Havens finances, such as a 2 percent commuter tax to compensate New Haven for covering the costs to provide assorted regional services to North Haven residents, to request that North Havens leadership implement more affordable housing projects than the required 10 percent minimum with applicable penalties moving forward if it is not accomplished, to make budget allocations to New Haven for social and human services and to charge tuition to North Haven students enrolled at the arts magnet program in New Haven.

Once youve completed these items, I trust you to find the money among state funds to pay for the forensic audit you requested, she added as a postscript.

Fasano said in a phone conversation that Harps letter is very snarky.

Im saying she doesnt know where the money is going and her response in the snarky letter is, Give me more money. That is such a dissociation from the problem Im raising, he said. Her answer is to ignore the problem, but ask for more money.

Fasano repeated that he loves New Haven and realizes many of its resources are economic drivers. However, suburban money, he argued, is not being used in an appropriate manner.

Mayor Harp looks at it as animosity, which is sad, but its not animosity. I think she should take a hard look, because Im sure New Haven is going through tough financial times, he said. Im sure theyre going to come to the state and say they want more money, but my response is going to be to tell me what you can do with what youve got.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
WEST HAVEN  The city honored veterinarian Dr. Ralph Padilla, the New York-born son of a Puerto Rican family, with its first-ever Hispanic American of the Year award Friday in West Havens inaugural Hispanic Heritage Celebration.

The celebration outside City Halls Main Street entrance, originally planned for last Friday, came four days after the official end of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The City of West Haven hearby offers its sincerest congratulations to Dr. Ralph L. Padilla, 2018 Hispanic American of the Year, in recognition of your dedication to enriching the proud legacy and vibrant culture of our Hispanic-American community, said Mayor Nancy Rossi.

As a Puerto Rican business owner and resident of West Haven, your remarkable story is treasured by our city, Rossi said before presenting Padilla, 65, with a Puerto Rican flag and a black embroidered West Haven Hispanic American of the Year jacket.

Padilla has owned and operated the West Haven Animal Clinic at 959 Campbell Ave. for the past 33 years.

Padilla was joined by dozens of family, friends and supporters, including his sister, Margarit, and his wife of 34 years, the former Yvette Solomon.

He thanked his wife and his late parents, as well as his siblings, clinic staff and the residents who have brought their pets to be treated by him over the years. He pointed out that he was being honored as West Havens first Hispanic American of the Year by the citys first woman mayor, so we have something in common.

I also want to thank the Hispanic community, Padilla said, adding. I am deeply honored for the award.

Padilla pointed out that in my yearbook in high school, I wrote down a quote from a Beatles song, I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends, and I found out all through the stages of my life that its been true. You dont get where you are without a little help along the way from the people who love you.

Thirty-five years ago, the city of West Haven took us in and allowed me to take care of their furry friends, and entrusted me with their care, and Ive tried over the years to live up to that and not betray anybodys trust, he said.

Padilla was born in Inwood, N.Y. and graduated from Archbishop Sepinac High School, an all-boys Catholic school in White Plains, N.Y.

He earned an associate degree from State University of New York at Farmingdale, a bachelors degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

After the ceremony, attendees were invited over to the Fellowship Hall at the First Congregational Church of West Haven, opposite City Hall on the Green, for a Latin-flavored lunch catered by students and faculty of the culinary arts program at Gateway Community College.

mark.zaretsky@hearstmediact.com
The second victim of massive fire that destroyed a Pemberton Township home Tuesday has been identified as a 92-year-old man.

George Pikunis was pronounced dead after being pulled from the Willow Boulevard home. Lore Smith, 92, died at Lourdes Emergency Room at Deborah Hospital after being airlifted from the scene, officials said Thursday.

Pikunis and Smith were friends, Burlington County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Joel Bewley said Thursday.

Smith's 59-year-old son, who reportedly lived with the two, was brought to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he was in stable condition with complications from smoke inhalation. There was no update on his condition Thursday.

The house was fully engulfed in flames when police arrived at 8:45 p.m., the prosecutor's office said.

The Burlington County Fire Marshal and other local agencies were investigating the cause of the fire, which was brought under control with the help of multiple departments around 10 p.m.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrisrsheldon Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Authorities have charged a Burlington County man with arson and manslaughter for starting a ferocious house fire in Pemberton Township that killed his elderly mother and her companion Tuesday night.

Kurt Smith, 59, was in the garage of the Browns Mills home with two other people around 8:30 p.m. when he "acted in a reckless manner and ignited flammable material with a cigarette lighter," according to a statement from the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

Kurt Smith (Burlington County Prosecutor's Office)

Smith, who lived in the home with his mother on the 500 block of Willow Boulevard, tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the blaze, which spread quickly once the garage door was opened, authorities said.

The two people with Smith in the garage were not injured.

Lore Smith, 92, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, while her companion, George Pikunis, also 92, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of death for both was smoke and soot inhalation, along with thermal burns, officials said.

Kurt Smith was flown to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia and treated for smoke inhalation. He was served at the hospital with charges including two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, and one count of arson.

Once he is released from the hospital, Philadelphia Police will take him into custody and extradition procedures will begin to return him to New Jersey, prosecutors said.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.
Q. Must the value of a 529 plan be reported on the New Jersey inheritance tax filing? My brother-in-law died in Eatontown in April. He had two 529 plans for two grandnephews who live in another state.

-- Figuring it out

A. Here's what you need to know.

A 529 plan is an investment account established thanks to Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code and state law.

Initially, 529 plans were a popular way for a family to save for college or other post secondary education. The recent 2017 Tax Act expanded such plans to include saving for elementary and high school education.

The 529 plan earnings are exempt from income tax provided they are used for qualified education expenses, said Catherine Romania, an estate planning attorney with Witman Stadtmauer in Florham Park.

Qualified education expenses include tuition, fees, books, supplies, equipment, room and board at eligible institutions.

Generally, distributions for other than qualified education expenses will result in the earnings being taxed to the recipient plus a 10 percent penalty.

A contribution to a 529 plan is considered a gift by the contributor to the beneficiary, Romania said, even though the custodian on the account has the ability to withdraw the funds in the account subject to tax consequences.

Additionally, she said, the custodian may transfer all or a portion of an account to another beneficiary without tax consequences, provided the subsequent designated beneficiary is a member of the prior beneficiary's extended family as defined in the Internal Revenue Code.

"Generally an interest in a 529 plan is not included in a decedent's gross estate for federal estate tax purposes, although there are a few specific exceptions to this rule," Romania said.

But still, it may be subject to New Jersey inheritance tax.

"Pursuant to the New Jersey Division of Taxation, the general rule is that the plan is subject to New Jersey inheritance tax unless the relationship between the owner/custodian and the beneficiary is Class A, which includes grandparents, parents, spouses, descendants or stepchildren," she said.

In this case, as a great uncle to a grandnephew, the relationship is considered Class D, which is taxed at 15 to 16 percent, Romania said.

The executor would need to get an inheritance tax waiver from the New Jersey Division of Taxation before the financial institution should release the entire account, she said.

"With respect to the payment of the tax, if nothing is stated in the will, the New Jersey inheritance tax will be allocated to and paid by the beneficiary of the 529 account," Romania said. "However, it is possible that the will directs the executor to pay any inheritance tax from the estate before distributing the residuary, and not from the individual beneficiary's account."

Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com.

Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter.
The man shot and killed by police in Cumberland County Thursday afternoon was identified Friday morning as 19-year-old Jacob Servais of Millville.

The details surrounding the deadly encounter remained murky Friday afternoon.

The shooting occurred at about 3:30 p.m. in the Just for Wheels Car, Truck and Van Rental parking lot on South Delsea Drive in Vineland.

Jacob L. Servais (Salem County Correctional Facility)

The police involved were detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office and Lower Township police, also in Cape May County.

"The subject was shot by one of the detectives," a statement from the state Attorney General's Office said. It does not specify which law enforcement agency the detective was from.

The attorney general's Shooting Response Team is handling the investigation, which is typical when the incident involves officers of county agencies.

Servais was taken to Inspira Medical Center in Vineland, where he was pronounced dead. None of the detectives were injured.

The statement did not offer any further details surrounding the encounter, and it's unclear why detectives from Cape May County were in Vineland. It says that these authorities "were conducting a law enforcement operation at the scene."

The statement also did not say if Servais was armed. NJ Advance Media has reached out to the Attorney General's Office seeking that information.

Tony Lee, an employee at Joshua Motors, which is adjacent to where the shooting occurred on South Delsea Drive, was sitting in a vehicle at the business when he heard gunfire.

"I heard a couple of bangs ... four or five," he recalled. "And I heard when they said 'Get down, get down.'

"Then when I took a look on my left side. There were about four or five policemen going around the car. That's when I got out, went inside the building, because there was still some shots."

In June, Servais was charged with death by auto and related offenses in Gloucester County following a deadly crash in which he was the driver - and being chased by police.



Servais' pickup truck crashed into a tree off Route 55 in Elk Township and caught fire. His 17-year-old passenger died a short time later at a local hospital, the Daily Journal reported.



The site also reported Franklin Township police had been chasing Servais' vehicle shortly before the crash, but had halted the pursuit due to his erratic driving.



Records show he did not appear in court last month in that case and a warrant was issued for his arrest.



It's unclear if the Gloucester case has anything to do with his interaction with police Thursday night.

NJ Advance Media reporters Matt Gray and Rebecca Everett contributed to this report.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Kyle Palmieri, Will Butcher, Keith Kinkaid, Marcus Johansson and the New Jersey Devils will aim to win their fifth straight game to open the 2018-19 season when they host Nathan MacKinnon and the Colorado Avalanche at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Prudential Center in Newark.

Butcher will play after leaving with an injury during Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars. Despite some soreness, Butcher is healthy enough to stay in a defensive lineup that has allowed four total goals all season.

Join NJ.com's live chat in the comment section, and follow along with live updates in the box below.

Here is the AP recap of the game:

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Gabriel Landeskog broke a tie with 3:22 left with his third goal of the game, helping Colorado beat New Jersey.

Landeskog one-timed Mikko Rantanen's pass from behind the net to complete his third career hat trick. He scored earlier in the third period on a deflection of a shot by Ian Cole.

Philipp Grubauer stopped 27 shots for his first victory of the season.

Rantanen scored on an empty-netter with 12 seconds left and added three assists, giving him an NHL-leading 11 this season. Sven Andrighetto also scored for Colorado.

The Devils lost for the first time after opening the season with four straight victories. Taylor Hall had a goal and two assists, and Nico Hischier and Brian Boyle also scored.

Here is everything you need to know about the home game:

What: New Jersey Devils (4-0-0) vs. Colorado Avalanche (3-1-2)

When: 7 p.m. EST, Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018

Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey

TV: MSG+

Live stream: MSG Go

More to know: Drew Stafford will play in place of John Quenneville on the second line, making it the first lineup change for the Devils through five games.

"He's a big, strong guy. He's real strong on the puck. He's real good in the offensive zone," Hynes said. "He has the ability to score. He's had some really good practices and a good training camp. He's playing with more pace that we'd like to see him be able to play with."

As for Quenneville, Hynes didn't make the move for any negative play on the rookie forward's part. It came down to a decision to reward Stafford's work while looking for more production.

"Johnny's done a good job, and he's in one of these situations where he's a young guy trying to earn a consistent spot in the lineup," Hynes said. "We gave him four games and he's done a good job. He hasn't done anything great, he hasn't done anything bad. But when you're looking at it, you want a little bit more impact."

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.
Judy Blume finally said yes.

One of her classic novels is being made into a movie. In the time since "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" was published 48 years ago, she had declined to offer up the film rights for the story.

Now, Deadline reports that Blume, 80, has granted film rights for the iconic young adult novel to writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig ("The Edge of Seventeen") and James L. Brooks' production company, Gracie Films.

Blume, an Elizabeth native, currently lives in New York. Her novel, published in 1970, follows a girl named Margaret who moves to Farbrook, New Jersey from New York City in the sixth grade.

The true-to-life book, which addressed subjects considered taboo, proved to be a sensation with tweens (though no one called them that yet) and made quite the splash when it debuted, with some critics even calling for library bans. The story touches on topics including puberty, faith, friendship and relationships with boys. Generations of girls have embraced the book, making it as much a rite of passage as the subjects tackled in the story.

Fremon Craig, 37, made her directorial debut with "The Edge of Seventeen" in 2016, for which she collaborated with Brooks. She will both adapt Blume's story for the screen and direct the film.

Brooks ("Terms of Endearment"), 78, who grew up in North Bergen, told Deadline that the film has yet to connect with a distributor, though there is already interest.

Fremon Craig said Blume was the author who made her fall in love with books "and by extension, film." She called reading the book "a right of passage for women and girls."

"It's rare for me to run into a woman or girl who hasn't read it and every time I've mentioned it to a woman, they clutch their heart and let out this joyful gasp," she told Deadline. "There's something so timely and full of truth and I remember for me that at that age, it felt like a life raft at a time when you're lost and searching and unsure. This book comes along and tells you you're not alone. Women remember where they were when they read it. I can't think of another book you can say that about."

Fremon Craig, who first read the book in the late '80s, had just finished rereading the book in August -- after Amy Brooks, James' daughter, told her that her 10-year-old daughter had just finished reading it -- when Blume posted a significant tweet. In it, she said that she was letting down her guard and had decided that more of her books should be made into films.

(Blume's 1981 novel, "Tiger Eyes," hit the big screen in 2012 with the help of her filmmaker son, Lawrence, who directed the movie.)

From there, Fremon Craig and Brooks met with Blume in Key West to talk about a deal. The meeting ended in hugs for all. Blume told Fremon Craig that she hoped the film would have the kind of tone that "The Edge of Seventeen" did.

Blume's most recent novel, "In the Unlikely Event," published in 2015 and geared toward an adult audience, is based on three plane crashes that happened in 1951 and 1952 in Elizabeth.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.
A nerd-out for journalism junkies, the new Broadway play "The Lifespan of a Fact," starring "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe, considers the question of whether the facts of a story can ever justifiably be fudged or compromised in pursuit of a larger truth.

Anyone who lived through the scandals involving Janet Cooke, Jayson Blair or Stephen Glass would of course say no -- without fidelity to the facts, journalism is worthless. And that's the position the play's main character, an eager young fact checker named Jim Fingal (Radcliffe), steadfastly maintains.

But John D'Agata (Bobby Cannavale), the author of the piece Fingal is fact checking, argues otherwise: Small details don't matter, he says, especially if by slightly altering them you can create a more artful piece of non-fiction with greater potential reach. (Who cares if the wall described in the piece is actually brown brick, for instance, when red brick clearly creates a more evocative image in the reader's mind?)

Refereeing this debate is the editor of the piece (Cherry Jones), who on the one hand desperately wants to publish this essay that she considers a masterpiece, and on the other doesn't want to see her career go down in flames if it's ultimately exposed as a fraud.

Fingal and D'Agata are real people, and the story here is based on an actual incident, first recounted in Fingal and D'Agata's 2012 non-fiction book, also called "The Lifespan of a Fact." Fingal was assigned to fact-check a piece D'Agata had submitted to "The Believer"; D'Agata argued that many of Fingal's objections to the piece were off-base. (The magazine in the play remains unnamed; also left out is the detail that D'Agata's essay had previously been rejected by Harper's because of concerns about its accuracy.)

What's most impressive about this stage version, written by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell and directed by Leigh Silverman ("Violet"), is that it transforms something potentially insider-ish and wonky into a surprisingly funny and urgent drama. Radcliffe and Cannavale are perfectly cast foils, the one earnest to a fault, the other all swagger and self-importance. The terrific Jones functions as the audience stand-in, her allegiances shifting each time the persnickety Fingal finds another point of complaint in D'Agata's essay.

If the mostly entertaining "The Lifespan of a Fact" eventually runs out of steam, it has less to do with the cast or Silverman's fleet direction than one's sinking feeling that the stakes here aren't very high. We're asked to invest in the fate of a single magazine article, about a young man's suicide in Las Vegas -- but unless you've read D'Agata's original piece, you'll have to take it on faith that it's every bit as important as the characters here insist.

The authors are clearly trying to inspire a timely, Trump-era debate about fact versus truth, and that's laudable. But this is a modest show that finally feels more suited to an intimate off-Broadway space than a large Broadway house.

The Lifespan of a Fact

Studio 54

254 West 54 Street, New York

Tickets: $79-$169; available on www.telecharge.com. Through Jan. 19, 2019.

Christopher Kelly may be reached at ckelly@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @chriskelly74. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.
More elected officials are calling on the nation's immigration enforcement arm to dismiss a government spokesman with ties to anti-Muslim hate groups.

The Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders on Wednesday passed a resolution supporting Democratic lawmakers' demand to oust Emilio Karim Dabul, the New Jersey spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Dabul previously worked as an editor for an anti-Muslim hate group and published a piece for another anti-Muslim hate group, praising an Islamophobe. The ties were first reported in an editorial by The Star-Ledger and later reported by other media outlets.

When reached on Thursday, Dabul referred comment to ICE's headquarters.

"These continued personal attacks against a dedicated public servant are unacceptable and undermine the credibility of local officials who are engaging in reckless, false smear campaigns," ICE spokesperson Elizabeth Johnson said in a statement to NJ Advance Media.

Several immigrant rights groups and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in New Jersey have pushed for Dabul's ouster.

Activists protest outside before the Board of Chosen Freeholders meeting Wednesday night. (Courtesy: Whitney Strub)

"We had quite a few residents who have been attending our meetings and brought this to the board's attention," Freeholder President Brendan Gill said. He said Wednesday's resolution passed unanimously.

"We felt that it was the will of the board to issue a resolution to support our federal delegation and to make sure that it was clear that the board did not agree with the rhetoric that Mr. Dabul has used," Gill said.

"Hate speech should not be tolerated and has no place in government."

In August, New Jersey Reps. Bill Pascrell Jr., Frank Pallone Jr., Donald Payne, Jr., Albio Sires, Donald Norcross and Bonnie Watson Coleman sent a letter to ICE, calling for Dabul's immediate dismissal.

The lawmakers wrote that they would "consider his continued employment as tacit acceptance of his bigoted beliefs," according to the letter.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- A 35-year-old Jersey City man with 23 prior arrests was sentenced to seven years in state prison Friday for shooting his cousin in the head at a family gathering in June.

"The epidemic of gun violence came alive again that day," Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Najma Rana said as Tavon Rush received his sentence for manslaughter from Hudson County Superior Court Judge Paul Depascale.

The fatal shooting was captured on security video, which showed Tavon Rush firing the gun that took the life of Darrell Rush. The 31-year-old was shot just before midnight on June 26 at Martin Luther King Drive and Bidwell Avenue and pronounced dead at the scene.

Rana said Rush family members "were enjoying each other's company, laughing, dancing and momentary anger and recklessness is why they are here." She said Tavon Rush can be seen in the video "casually and recklessly" firing the shot.

Rana added that the victim's mother and other members of the Rush family met with her and said: "We need to resolve the case. The defendant is like a brother to us and we have already suffered such a loss that we don't want suffer another loss."

Before being sentenced to seven years for manslaughter and five years for possession of a weapon by a felon, Rush apologized and took responsibility for his actions. The judge noted that Rush had run-ins with the law as a juvenile and they continued relatively unabated until the homicide.

The judge noted that Rush's 11 convictions include two for aggravated assault and four for selling drugs on school property.

Rush was arrested without incident on Grant Avenue two days after the shooting. He was a shooting victim himself in May 2016, one month after he failed to return to a halfway house where he was serving the remainder of a prison sentence for drug offenses.

After he was shot, Tavon Rush was returned to prison and released in April 9, according to state corrections records.

Rush must serve six years of the manslaughter term before becoming eligible for a three-year period of parole. He must serve the five-year sentenced for the drug offense. The terms will be served concurrently He pleaded guilty in September.

Depascale noted that Rush "was barred by law from possessing a firearm based on prior convictions and any reasonable exercise of common sense would have prevented this from occurring." The judge said he is certain that Rush is remorseful based on his statement in court Friday and by what was captured in the video.

"He will live with the consequences of what he did far longer that his prison term," Depascale said.

A Rush family member spoke tearfully at the sentencing but her voice was drowned out by the courtroom's air-conditioner. She chose not to comment after Rush was led away from court.

Rush was represented by defense attorney Katie Kronic at the sentencing, which took place in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City.
Jersey City school officials have finally taken the last step to transition the 30,000-student school district out of state control after 30 years of oversight.

At Thursday's school board meeting, Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles and Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas signed the final transition report that will give the local district full control as of Oct. 25.

"This is, I think, symbolic of the unfinished journey ahead of us. It has been one that is long in the making," Lyles said. "There are of course consequences if we do not live up to our part, but I'm not going to discuss that because we are going to live up to our part."

Thomas said, "This journey begins today with renewed hope and renewed promise of a greater future."

The state took control of the district in 1989 after it said the district's "total educational failure" had deprived its students of a thorough and efficient education.

The district still has 274 employees who were working for the district when the state took it over, Lyles said.

Jersey City's school district was the site of the first state takeover. Paterson followed in 1991 and Newark in 1995. Control returned to Newark earlier this year and will soon return to Paterson.

Sue Mack is a former Jersey City school board president and the board's longest serving elected member, with a tenure from 1996 to 2016. Mack called the latest development "30 years too late," adding that when the state took over, it "didn't really have a cohesive plan for the benchmarks that needed to be met" for local control to be returned.

Jersey City residents will be able to hold school officials more accountable for management of the district now that state education officials are relinquishing control, Mack said.

"You always want people in control who are answerable to the citizens and right now how people are answerable to the citizens is at the ballot box," she said.

Local school officials won back control of governance and finance in 2007, personnel and operations in 2015 and curriculum and instruction last year. The final report signed Thursday makes the transition to local control official.

During Thursday's meeting, board member Vidya Gangadin said the "success of this story" took place before 2017, a veiled shot at Thomas, who joined the board that year and became its president in January 2018.

"The composition of the board that brought these successes did not micromanage the administration, everyone worked within their roles and responsibilities toward this success," Gangadin said.

Asked to respond, Thomas declined.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY  A Hudson County Superior Court judge on Friday rejected a bid by three Jersey City police officers and one ex-cop to dismiss the charges they face over a June 2017 high-speed pursuit that ended in a fiery crash on Tonnelle Avenue.

Judge Mitzy Galis-Menendez ruled that prosecutors did not present a faulty presentation to the grand jury that indicted the four men, MD Khan, Eric Kosinski, Keith Ludwig and Francisco Rodriguez. Lawyers for the men argued that prosecutors gave grand jurors incomplete evidence, offered bad instructions and hid exculpatory evidence.

The issues raised by the defendants' attorneys are relevant for a trial jury, but not a grand jury, Galis-Menendez said. She rejected a defense argument that prosecutors attempted to "game" the grand jury system to win an indictment.

"The point is to present your case, see if you've got a case," the judge said. "It's present what you got, at that moment ... the state didn't do anything wrong."

Brian Neary, Rodriguez's attorney, called the grand jury presentation "an effort by the prosecutor's office to shape, to cajole and to force a grand jury to come up with an indictment against these individuals."

The men, who are each represented by different attorneys, also filed motions seeking separate trials. Galis-Menendez ruled against those motions as well.

Friday's ruling sets the stage for a trial next year.

The men were indicted in November after outcry over the events following the pursuit, which began in Greenville on the night of June 4, 2017 when Leo Pinkston would not stop his car for police officers. Cops chased him north until they all ended up on Tonnelle Avenue, where Khan, Kosinski and Rodriguez shot at Pinkston's car as it sped toward them.

The pursuit ended when Pinkston crashed into a car driven by Miguel Feliz Rodriguez and the two cars ignited, leading Feliz Rodriguez to crawl out of his car while on fire. In a moment captured on eyewitness video, officers appeared to kick Feliz Rodriguez as he attempted to extinguish the flames.

Khan and Kosinski face attempted murder charges for firing at Pinkston's car. Rodriguez faces assault and official misconduct charges. Khan and Ludwig face assault charges for the alleged beating of Feliz Rodriguez. All four men have pleaded not guilty.

Pinkston was sentenced to five years behind bars for eluding police and aggravated assault related to the episode.

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
The late Jersey City police Lt. Christopher Robateau is among four law enforcement officers who will be honored at the Archdiocese of Newark's annual Mass for Law Enforcement Officers next month.

Robateau, 49, a decorated veteran on the city's police force, was struck and killed by a vehicle on Jan. 5 after being involved in a minor crash on the New Jersey Turnpike on his way to work. Officials considered his death to be in the line of duty because he was checking on the other driver involved in the collision.

The Mass, which is scheduled for Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, honors the men and women in law enforcement who lost their lives in the line of duty in the past year.

This year's service will also honor New Jersey State Trooper Brian McNally, who died in an off-duty crash on May 20; Westfield police Det. Eric Lieberman, who died May 22; and Essex County Undersheriff Kevin Ryan, who died June 20.

This year's Mass will also honor officers from the Port Authority Police Department who died in and following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack.

A hot and cold luncheon buffet at the Rink in Branch Brook Park will follow the liturgy. Tickets to the luncheon are $20.
JERSEY CITY  A Jersey City police officer accused of leaving the scene of a Hoboken crash while responding to a call will be in Union City Municipal Court on Monday for a second hearing on the matter.

When Officer Pedro Clavero appeared in court on Aug. 13, it was revealed that he had filed a cross complaint against the other driver, Carmen Compres, 62, of Hoboken, alleging she failed to yield to an emergency vehicle at the time of the June 14 crash.

Compres told police that just after 2:30 p.m. she was driving her Subaru Forester north on Jackson Street toward Paterson Avenue. She said she heard an emergency vehicle siren but did not see one, according to the crash report.

That's when Clavero's Ford Explorer slammed into the front driver side of her vehicle, according to the crash report.

Compres said she made eye contact with the driver in the marked police SUV but he did not get out. She said the Ford backed up and drove away. Repairs to her vehicle cost about $1,500, she said.

Hoboken investigators found a license plate at the scene that connected Clavero to the crash, a source said. Compres said she was then called back to the police station to sign a summons citing Clavero with the motor vehicle offense of leaving the scene of an accident.

A Jersey City spokeswoman said Clavero was responding to a call at the time. She also said the crash and its aftermath remain under investigation within the police department.

The matter was moved to Union City because Compres is employed by Hoboken as a crossing guard.

Clavero remained on regular duty after being issued the summons.
HOBOKEN -- Much has changed in the Mile Square City over the last half century, but one thing that's remained the same is the pizza at Benny Tudino's.

"Time has changed and everything changes, but you know what, everyone still comes back for the good pizza," said Arbend Drishti, 47, a local police sergeant whose father and mother started the business in 1968.

Known for its massive slices, the old school Washington Street joint that Mayor Ravi Bhalla called "a Hoboken institution" and "an immigrant success story" held a special 50th anniversary celebration on Sunday, where dozens of locals got free pizza.

When his father Bahri (Benny) and mother Zylfije (Sophia) -- who immigrated to the United States from Albania -- first opened for business, Hoboken was a much different town.

"They had an opportunity to purchase the place (and) they took a chance," Arbend said.

They started out small, with Benny making the pies and Sophia delivering them herself. But through perseverance, they eventually cultivated a reputation for good pizza.

If it weren't for the locals, the business "wouldn't have been able to stay open this long," Arbend Drishti said.

"We love seeing the people come in," he added. "You may not see them for years but they come back and have a Benny's slice."

Part of the experience is the aesthetic. The pizzeria remains a nostalgic stop on Washington Street, with dozens of photos hanging on the walls commemorating the memories made over the years. There have been plenty of people to order one of Benny Tudino's famous slices over the years -- from Hoboken regulars to former Vice President Joe Biden, who paid the pizzeria a visit while touring Hurricane Sandy damage in 2012.

"That picture was on the wall the very next day," Arbend Drishti said of the photo of Biden with his arm wrapped around his father.

Sophia died in 2004 and Benny died three years ago in 2015. The business is now run by Arbend's wife Artemis and sister-in-law Eriola, but it shows no signs of slowing down.

"To be here 50 years is almost unheard of, especially under one family," said Agron Dushaj, Arbend's cousin and the day-to-day manager of the business.

"McDonalds could be here 50 years with 20 different owners. This has been one family. That's very impressive."

Much more may change in the city but one thing that isn't changing anytime soon is the famous slices at Benny Tudino's.

"No matter what changes, you use the same ingredients. My wife and my sister-in-law are the owners and they know they can't change what's been working for us for 50 years," Arbend said. "If you do anything different, (the customers) will know. They're the best judge of how thing are run."
EDITOR'S NOTE: Interested in the marijuana business industry? NJ Cannabis Insider is a premium intelligence briefing that features exclusive weekly content geared toward entrepreneurs, lawyers and realtors. View a sample issue.

In the years since marijuana was legalized in four states out west, car crashes in those states rose faster than those in neighboring states that haven't legalized weed.

Two new studies released Thursday show that both police-reported car crashes and accident-related insurance claims jumped in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington after marijuana legalization. Those four states were compared with their neighbors Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming, which all still prohibit marijuana.

The studies were done by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute, and found that police-reported car crashes rose 5.2 percent and insurance claims for car accidents rose 6 percent in those four legal states, respectively.

The studies raise as many questions as they answer as New Jersey moves closer to a vote on legalization, experts say.

Many people in New Jersey have questioned whether legal weed would make the state's dense network of roads less safe, as lawmakers continue debating legalization.

Despite showing an increase in crashes after legalization, the studies were unable to show that the presence of legal marijuana was a factor in the jump in accidents.

"We can't directly conclude cause and effect here," said Russ Rader, spokesman for the IIHS and HLDI, which conducted the studies. "We don't know how many drivers in crashes in these states actually consumed (marijuana)."

Jolene Forman, a staff attorney at the Drug Policy Alliance, said, "this report doesn't really tell us anything about marijuana."

But the president of the IIHS and HLDI said that states legalizing marijuana appears to make roads more dangerous.

"The new IIHS-HLDI research on marijuana and crashes indicates that legalizing marijuana for all uses is having a negative impact on the safety of our roads," said David Harkey. "States exploring legalizing marijuana should consider this effect on highway safety."

NJ Advance Media reported earlier this year that there is currently no legal limit for driving under the influence of marijuana, and there is also no widely accepted roadside test to detect marijuana usage. These two factors that make detecting people driving under the influence of marijuana more difficult than with alcohol.

Several companies in the U.S. are working to develop a breathalyzer to measure marijuana, but there isn't one that's been widely adopted by law enforcement. Without a reliable test, New Jersey would have to expand its force of drug recognition experts should the state legalize weed.

Drug recognition experts are police officers specially trained to spot impaired drivers. New Jersey already has a stable of these officers, with only California having more.

But, should marijuana become legal, Christopher Didzik, president of the New Jersey Association of Drug Recognition Experts, earlier this year said the state will need more of the officers.



"Our main concern is what we're going to do to prevent impaired driving," Didzik said.

Are you interested in the N.J. cannabis industry? Subscribe here for exclusive insider information from NJ Cannabis Insider.

Payton Guion may be reached at PGuion@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaytonGuion. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A 15-year-old Hopewell Valley High School student assaulted multiple school employees Thursday and then fought with responding police officers, Hopewell Township police said.

The teen will face multiple counts of felony aggravated assault for the incidents, police said later Thursday. The boy was in police custody Thursday evening.

The police department said they were called to the school at about 1:45 p.m. for a report that a student had assaulted employees.

While inside the school, officers confirmed they had victims of an assault, and went to arrest the teen, police said in a statement.

As officers attempted to arrest him, the teen resisted and punched Officer Brian Dendis in the face and spit at Sgt. James Rosso. The boy spit at school staffers too.

Dendis had a minor injury following the altercation, police said.

Police Chief Lance Maloney said later Thursday that the department is still investigating what led the teen to allegedly attack employees.

During the incident, the high school went into a temporary building "freeze," police said.

Lesser than a lockdown, a building freeze allows classes to continue as usual, but movement in school hallways is restricted.

Editor's Note: This story was updated Friday Oct. 19, 2018 with information from the township police chief.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A 37-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in state prison for peddling half a pound of cocaine in Trenton.

Marcus Covington (OAG)

Marcus Covington faces 15 years behind bars without being eligible for parole after a Mercer County jury convicted him on various drug crimes, including first-degree distribution of cocaine, according to the state Attorney General's Office.

"While the opioid epidemic has rightly focused law enforcement attention on heroin, fentanyl and opioid pain pills, we have not lost sight of the fact that cocaine is involved in hundreds of overdose deaths in New Jersey each year and fuels the gun violence that surrounds street-level drug dealing," state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said in a statement.

At trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing Covington conducted 10 cocaine transactions in the state's capital city between Feb. 10 and June 15, 2016, officials said. Those sales involved about 224 grams of the drug.

Covington was also convicted of selling cocaine near a public housing project and school.

"By selling cocaine near schools and residential homes, Covington put law-abiding citizens and their children in danger of the gun violence that goes hand-in-hand with drug dealing," said Col. Patrick Callahan, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, which investigated the case.

A co-conspirator, Wayne Meyers, 36, of Trenton, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree cocaine distribution in the case. He was sentenced in June to a seven years and two month state prison term.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Three juries haven't been able to make up their mind about Shaheed Brown, the alleged killer of 20-year-old Enrico Smalley Jr. in 2014.

His third trial ended last Thursday, with another hung jury -- and now the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office is deciding how to proceed.

Shaheed Brown

Prosecutors allege that Brown, 34, from Trenton, shot Smalley to death outside an East Trenton bar in July 2014 and absconded to Newark.

Authorities found him there a month later, and he's been jailed ever since.

He's now been through three trials, one in October 2015, one in May 2016 and the one ending last week.

Prosecutor's office spokesperson Casey DeBlasio said that the office is unsure of what its next step will be.

"The office is evaluating the options," she said.

But his lawyer, Edward Harrington Heyburn, told NJ Advance Media this week that Brown's been in jail for far too long.

Heyburn has represented Brown in all three trials and has since filed a motion to dismiss Brown's indictment, which would essentially end his case.

"For four years he's been incarcerated," Heyburn said. "His kids, who were a few months old when he went in, they've grown up without him."

Heyburn said there's no legal justification for trying someone a fourth time, and in his research, he had a hard time finding many cases where someone was even tried a third.

"The (Mercer County Prosecutor's Office) has a significant history of prosecuting people again and again," he said. "And our complaint has been that they never put the work in to see who committed the crime, and ignore the exculpatory process."

The prosecutor's office has 10 days to respond to Heyburn's motion, which he filed on Oct. 11.

Brown will remain in Mercer County jail until a decision is made.

Paige Gross may be reached at pgross@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @By_paigegross.
Middlesex County authorities have made an arrest in a crash on Route 1 last month that killed an 80-year-old man in North Brunswick, prosecutors said Thursday.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office charged Elizabeth Gomez, 42, of Paterson, with second-degree vehicular homicide and fourth-degree assault by auto in the Sept. 22 death of East Brunswick resident Wen-Fu Lin, authorities said in a statement.

Investigators from the North Brunswick Police Department and the prosecutor's office eventually determined Gomez had been intoxicated when she crashed her BMW into Lin's Chevrolet Malibu near Fashion Plaza Drive, authorities said.

Police at the time said Gomez had just run a red light when she collided with Lin, who was pulling out of the Walmart shopping center just after midnight.

Lin was pronounced dead at the scene, while his 47-year-old son was taken to an area hospital for treatment of non life-threatening injuries. It was unclear Thursday whether Gomez had sustained any injuries herself.

The prosecutor's office said Gomez has been lodged in the county jail pending a video court appearance scheduled for Friday.

In addition to the felony offenses, Gomez faces municipal charges of DWI, reckless driving and failing to observe a red light, the prosecutor's office said.

It was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney who could comment on the charges.

Authorities said the investigation was still active as of Thursday, and asked anyone with information to call North Brunswick Officer Jason Zier at 732-247-0922, ext. 316, or prosecutor's office Detective David Abromaitis at 732-745-4436.

Note: Authorities initially provided an incorrect phone number for North Brunswick Officer Jason Zier. This story has been updated with the correct contact information.

Thomas Moriarty may be reached at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The co-owner of a Long Beach Island bar where a bouncer was charged with aggravated assault says a belligerent customer hit his head on a potted plant after being thrown out of the bar and was not beaten by the employee.

Toby Sweeney, who owns the Terrace Tavern with her husband Michael Sweeney, said the bouncer, Kenneth Widmer, had to remove the "incredibly belligerent" man around closing time on Sept. 29.

The patron lost his footing before hitting his head, according to Toby Sweeney, who made it clear that Widmer didn't punch the man or rough him up in any way.

"My husband and I are very sorry this man was hurt as a result of having to be ejected," Sweeney said in a phone interview Friday morning. "It was a terrible accident.

"It's a misunderstanding," Sweeney said. "We're not criminals - we're good people. This has just been an incredibly unfortunate turn of events."

The victim suffered a serious head injury around 2 a.m. on Sept. 29, according to police. A nurse who was at the bar on her wedding day helped treat the man, giving him chest compressions and other aid. An off-duty member of the Beach Haven first aid squad who was also at the tavern assisted the nurse, police said.

Toby Sweeney said the man was treated and released from a local hospital within hours. She added that the man apologized for harassing a bartender.

The Sweeneys, who live in Barnegat, were charged by Long Beach Township police on Wednesday with hindering and released with summonses. Michael Sweeney provided false statements to authorities while Toby Sweeney withheld evidence, police said.

Widmer, meanwhile was arrested last week and charged with aggravated assault, unsworn falsification to authorities and two counts of criminal mischief.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
While the 2018 midterm elections have not yet occurred, many politicians and strategists are already beginning to gear up for presidential runs in 2020. The names at the top of the lists for potential Democratic candidates -- Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, possibly even Hillary Clinton -- are causing concern that the Democratic Party is intent on re-running the 2016 campaign, making little to no changes to its losing strategy. Is the second time the charm for Democrats or do they need to completely remake themselves?

PERSPECTIVES

With a vast, still-active network of motivated supporters, Bernie Sanders is near the top of most lists of potential Democratic candidates. Per The Atlantic:

There are many who argue Sanders lost the 2016 primary when he moved toward more centrist policies, vying for a chunk of Hillary Clinton's base. That move backfired, turning some of his historically stalwart supporters against him. According to Vanity Fair writer T.A. Frank, Sanders would have a shot at the presidency if he moved back to his historical roots.

Some are even calling for Hillary Clinton to attempt a third presidential run. Matthew Walther argues in The Nation that Clinton softened many of her more controversial views -- hawkish on foreign policy, calling children "super predators" -- in 2016. If she ran on those principals, she would have a chance at stripping Trump of some of his contingency.

On the other hand, even some within these politicians' camps, some say its time for new candidates. Per Politico:



Jason Zengerle, GQ's political correspondent, broke down the odds that each rumored candidate has of defeating Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Zengerle determined that while both Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are well-liked within the party, they are not the right candidates to go up against Trump in 2020.

Steve Phillips writes for The Nation that the Democratic Party has a chance to dramatically change the course of the nation, tackling huge issues like racism and sexism, and by going with more older, white, predominantly centrist candidates, they are missing this opportunity.



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BERLIN, Germany -- Former Gov. Chris Christie said time and again around the time he left office, he didn't plan to opine on Jersey politics.

But that only lasted nine months.

Christie, a Republican, had some stuff to say about his successor, Gov. Phil Murphy, as his Democratic successor is out of the country for a nine-day business mission to Germany and Israel.

Christie let loose on a variety of topics at a Thursday night event in Glassboro. Among his public critiques of Murphy included a jab at how Murphy implored people to stay off the beaches in September as Hurricane Florence approached the state.

Christie, of course, was famous for telling people to "get the hell off the beach" when a hurricane approached. Murphy, meanwhile, said ahead of Hurricane Florence: "I won't repeat the words precisely, but please may I ask you to get off the beach? Pretty please?"

Christie was unimpressed.

"Do they want a governor who says get the hell off the beach or do they want one who says pretty please, pretty please get off the beach?" the former governor quipped.

When told about what Christie had said after an event in Berlin's town hall on Friday, Murphy threw is head back with a laugh and responded: "My late mother and father up in heaven -- I'm looking up, I want to make sure everyone knows that I'm looking up -- I would hope that they would be proud that they raised a polite son, so I'm proud of that and I'm proud of their parenting."

But Christie had more to say about Murphy.

The former governor has taken issue with how often Murphy has blamed Christie for the state's current woes.

New Jersey's transit system, for example, is a "national disgrace," in Murphy's own words. Without calling Christie out by name, Murphy has done plenty of finger pointing to his predecessor for being the root of that problem.

With that and other Murphy criticisms, Christie apparently had enough.

"My successor can't stop talking about me," Christie said at the event, then referencing the first lady, he added, "other than Tammy, I'm the second most popular name that comes out of his mouth."

Murphy in response: "But I do want the governor to know this, he may be in second place in terms of how often his name is mentioned behind Tammy. But he has no chance of getting into second place behind Tammy on bed night kisses."

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.
UPDATE: The story has been updated to include comments from Joe Kelley and Gov. Phil Murphy.

In the early days of Phil Murphy's campaign for governor, a senior official was so enraged that he threw a chair against a wall, prompting a staffer to file a complaint over "toxic workplace issues," according to two sources with direct knowledge of the incident.

Julia Fahl, the former in-state finance director for Murphy's primary campaign, was in the room at campaign headquarters in Newark in October 2016 when her boss, Joseph Kelley, the deputy campaign manager, threw the chair, according to the sources.

It was the first of three times between October 2016 and February 2017 that Fahl notified top officials about his temper and unreasonable work demands, the sources said.

Kelley was hired as deputy chief of staff for Economic Growth and is on trade mission with Murphy in Germany.

Fahl, who is running unopposed for Lambertville mayor, declined to answer questions, but released a statement that mentioned "toxic workplace issues" and her belief the governor would address any lingering issues.

"I admire Governor Murphy and am inspired by his vision for our state," according to Fahl's statement shared with NJ Advance Media late Thursday. "I shared this enthusiasm as a member of his campaign team and I'm looking forward to working with him as Mayor of Lambertville.

"But I take very seriously the issues raised by former members of his campaign team," Fahl's statement said. "I am confident that the toxic workplace issues I experienced firsthand on the campaign will be addressed. I know that, given the seriousness of these issues and the current political climate, Governor Murphy will put into action the values and principles that we both campaigned on."

Murphy's campaign responded to Fahl's concerns as she reported them, campaign counsel Jonathan Berkon said.

"Ms. Fahl's concerns were promptly reviewed and addressed by senior management and counsel. Mr. Kelley was counseled in appropriate conduct and Ms. Fahl acknowledged his conduct improved afterwards," Berkon said.

In a statement issued Friday morning, Kelley acknowledged the incident, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday evening, but said he had a "decent relationship" with Fahl.

"Overall, I would say I had a decent relationship with Julia," he said in the statement. "For instance, after the meeting where I tossed a chair in the opposite direction of her, Julia and her partner joined my wife and me and another couple for dinner. Julia thanked us for what she called a "great" night and, unprompted, invited us to spend a weekend with her and her partner at their house."

In Germany, Murphy on Friday said his campaign took the work environment seriously.

"If that's how she felt, those are her feelings and I respect her," the governor said. "I did not see it that way. Every campaign is an intense experience. You never have enough space. You're on top of each other."

"I think we took the environment very, very seriously at every step in the campaign and in transition."

Murphy spokesman Dan Bryan declined to comment for this report. He told the Journal that the governor is proud of Kelley.

"Joe is an integral member of our state's economic development team, and his contributions to the governor's office have been invaluable," Bryan told The Journal.

The Journal report, citing senior campaign officials, said a campaign attorney's inquiry found Kelley had thrown the chair, but did not find evidence he treated women unequally.

"I have always treated women and men equally, including during the Murphy for Governor campaign," Kelley told the Journal.

Fahl's statement comes on the heels of another controversy involving a campaign staffer, Albert Alvarez, who was accused of sexually assaulting a campaign supporter in April 2017. The supporter, Katie Brennan, revealed her story after law enforcement declined to prosecute the case, and he was appointed to chief of staff of the Schools Redevelopment Authority.

Brennan said she brought the matter to the Murphy transition team in December and the administration in March and June, although Alvarez remained employed. he resigned Oct. 2, after the Journal contacted him seeking comment about Brennan's allegations. Murphy and lawmakers have announced separate investigations -- Murphy's into how and why Alvarez was hired, and the Legislature's into how law enforcement and the administration handled the matter.

Murphy launched his campaign to to succeed then-Gov. Chris Christie in May 2016, 18 months before the general election.

He was expected to face a crowded and competitive primary with state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, among others. But after Fulop announced in September that he would not run, Murphy consolidated support in the dense, northern part of the state.

NJ Advance Media staff writers Matt Arco and Samantha Marcus contributed to this report.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
FRANKFURT, Germany -- Gov. Phil Murphy is here to talk about New Jersey.

But more often than not people want him to talk about another subject: President Donald Trump.

The governor has been in Germany since Tuesday as part of a nine-day business mission here and later in Israel.

There has been plenty of talk of New Jersey. But Trump looms large.

"Keep the faith," Murphy told an audience of millennials at a tech startup workspace in Frankfurt.

"There are very important elections in the United States in 19 days," he said. "In America, there's a chance to rebalance our political reality."

Murphy's comments for the event were off script.

He was there to heap praise on the work being done at the office space and pitch New Jersey as a place for budding businesses to move to and grow.

But the conversation shifted to Trump, which has been the subject in some fashion of many of the questions the governor has fielded at his forums, roundtable discussions or the question-and-answer sessions he's attended.

At the first event Murphy attended after he landed in Berlin the mere mention of former President Barack Obama, whom Murphy served under as U.S. ambassador to Germany, drew applause from the crowd.

The very mention of Trump's name causes some people in his audiences to roll their eyes.

"It bothers me," Murphy told NJ Advance Media when asked about how many people's views of the U.S. have shifted since he served as ambassador.

"It's not good," he said, adding, it made him a "little sad."

Asked if he was surprised about the number of questions he received about Trump, Murphy responded without hesitation, "No. I was expecting it."

"Germans really intently study and care about the United States, so this is as sharp a non-U.S. audience as probably you would find outside of either Canada or Mexico," he said.

In fact, he's a little surprised he's not getting more questions about the president.

"The balance of Jersey and non-Jersey is better than I thought it would be," Murphy said.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.
When Montgomery Township High School teacher Michelina Aichele was suspended with pay for allegedly sending nude photos of herself to a 17-year-old student, she offered a possible explanation, authorities said.

Michelina Aichele

"While collecting her belongings, (Aichele) made statements about students possibly gaining access to her cellphone and sending nude photos of herself previously saved onto her phone to themselves," police wrote in a criminal complaint obtained by NJ Advance Media.

Aichele, 29, of Hillsborough, was arrested Oct. 5 and charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She was released after two days in jail pending court hearings.

Aichele has not responded to several requests for comment.

An English teacher at the school for six years, Aichele is accused of sending the teen - who had been her student since last year - nude photos of herself and of having sexually explicit conversations with him online, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

A fellow student "reported to school administration that she was aware of an inappropriate sexual relationship that took place between" Aichele and a male student, according to the criminal complaint.

School officials immediately questioned Aichele and the student, who both denied a relationship. But then the school called local police and the student started talking, according to the complaint.

In a taped statement, the male student told investigators Aichele sent him four photos of "her exposed bare breasts and buttocks" between February and April.

"He further stated that she sent him text messages through Snapchat, stating that she thought about him while masturbating," the complaint states.

Aichele used her school email address to send sexually explicit messages and asked him to take the "Rice Purity Test," which is designed to measure a person's sexual promiscuity, the complaint states.

"She took the test as well and shared her score with the victim through these same communications," according to the complaint. "In those emails (Aichele) also tells the victim she mapped out how to drive to his residence."

On the day of her arrest, school officials turned over to Montgomery Township Police incriminating emails between the student and teacher that were sent from the teacher's email account, according to the complaint.

At the time of her arrest, Aichele was making $72,500 as a teacher at the high school, according to state records.

Her LinkedIn profile, which was taken down after her arrest became public, stated she is a Rutgers University graduate who started teaching at the high school in April 2012.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The Times-Picayune is marking the tricentennial of New Orleans with its ongoing 300 for 300 project, running through 2018 and highlighting 300 people who have made New Orleans New Orleans, featuring original artwork commissioned by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune with Where Y'Art gallery. Today: music journalist and entrepreneur Jan Ramsey.

The icon: Jan Ramsey.

The legacy: As OffBeat magazine's founder, publisher and editor in chief, Jan Ramsey has been determined to make the world aware of the diversity and economic impact of New Orleans' music. It started with the Republican National Convention in 1988, when Ramsey set out to create a publication that would raise awareness of the city's music among the thousands of delegates and media representatives who would be descending upon her hometown. Relying on her marketing smarts and her music-industry contacts, Ramsey promised 15,000 copies, and she delivered, even though she had neither investors nor capital. That was the genesis of OffBeat, which has been publishing ever since. In discussing OffBeat's impact in an interview with the University of New Orleans, Ramsey said, "I don't think that we did it, that OffBeat did it, but we were sort of a starting point to help continually draw attention to (New Orleans') music and culture."

The artist: Alexandra Kilburn.

The quote: "It became an avocation for me to help develop the music business. It occurred to me that the best way for me to make an impact on music was through media. I wasn't thinking about it as a business. I was thinking that this was just something that I could do by force of will. I didn't understand the scope of the project." -- Jan Ramsey, discussing the motivation for founding OffBeat Magazine, in a University of New Orleans interview

Explore more of Kilburn's work online at WhereYart.net and in person at the Where Y'Art gallery, 1901 Royal St.

For the issue celebrating OffBeat's 25

By John Pope, contributing writer

Sources: The Times-Picayune archive; OffBeat Magazine; staff research

More on 300 for 300:
A piece penned for The Atlantic by a Loyola University professor has a gloomy take on the new $1 billion airport terminal being built in New Orleans, calling the project a bland and doomed facility planned for a landscape on the brink amid rising sea levels and climate change.

The piece, authored by Christopher Schaberg, an English professor at Loyola, questions the reasoning behind building a new, state-of-the-art airport in a sinking city, noting the project has already faced issues with sinking lands. The future is even more precarious, he writes, as Louisianas coast vanishes into open water and hurricanes grow more intense and damaging. (Schaberg gives a nod to Our Drowning Coast, a coastal reporting series completed by The New York Times in partnership with NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.)

Indeed, the hard realities of building a massive new terminal in coastal Louisiana have been apparent throughout the project. More than 7,000 piles were driven into the soil at the Kenner site to ready it for construction. Still, problems with sinking have surfaced, first with the airports concrete apron, also known as the tarmac, and, more recently, with the facilitys 12-inch sewer line.

Officials say the apron sagging has been fixed, but it will take $7.5 million to correct the sinking sewer line and transition it from a gravity-based system to a mechanical system with custom pumps. The new terminals opening date was pushed back to May 2019 as a result.

The piece notes New Orleans airport isnt the only coastal airport undergoing upgrades, but its one of the most at risk of climate change. Schaberg said officials had an opportunity to show what an airport could look like in a world where environmental crisis looms.

Instead, functionalism has become no-frills, done on the cheap, good enough to get the job done  for the time being, he wrote. Its world-class in the most blase, accommodating sense of the term: Inside, keep passengers satisfied, but moving. Outside, offer structure without fanfare, meeting a civic and economic need for a landscape on the brink.

Read Schabergs full piece for The Atlantic.
Trader Joes has recalled three types of packaged salads because they may be contaminated with listeria and/or salmonella. The salads were sold in several states, including Louisiana.

The retailer on Wednesday (Oct. 17) said its supplier said the corn in the salads could be contaminated. No contamination has been confirmed, Trader Joes said, and no illnesses have been reported.

The recall is for:

Trader Joses Mexicali Inspired Salad

The recalled salads have best buy dates of 10/15/18 through 10/20/18. They were sold in Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Colorado, Idaho, Oklahoma, Oregon, New Mexico and Washington.

Consumers should throw away the salads or return them to the store for a full refund. Read the full press release from Trader Joes.

Trader Joes has two stores in Louisiana - one in Metairie and one in Baton Rouge.

Whole Foods and 7-Eleven also recalled several salads with corn over the same contamination concerns. However, Whole Foods said its items were only sold in California. Read more about the Whole Foods recall. And 7-Elevens salads were only sold in Texas, according to The Associated Press.
The second suspect wanted in the shooting death of 17-year-old Chalmette boy has been arrested, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs Office announced Friday (Oct. 19).

Dwestley Rodriguez Ratcliff, 19, of Violet, will be booked with second-degree murder, said Kim Gritter, spokeswoman for the department.

Former Terrytown man booked with 45 counts of making child pornography

Ratcliff and his alleged accomplice, Jeff Shields, 27, of Violet, are accused of killing Deshaun Singleton, 17, on Monday night.

Deputies patrolling in Violet around 9 p.m. overheard gunshots and discovered a vehicle that had crashed into a power pole in the 3000 block of Daniel Drive, authorities said. Singleton was slumped across the drivers seat with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives recovered a pistol on Singleton. The car had also been reported stolen from Jefferson Parish, Gritter said.

Shields was arrested the next day and booked with second-degree murder. The department also identified Ratcliff as a wanted suspect.

Singleton, Ratcliff and Shields were involved in some sort of altercation a few days before the shooting, the Sheriffs Office said. No bond information was available Friday for Ratcliff.
An Orleans Parish grand jury on Thursday (Oct. 18) indicted three people for their roles in a 2015 shooting in New Orleans East that left 21-year-old Brandon Soraparu dead.

Torrel Knox, 25, and Robert Rob Mitchell, 22, each were indicted on obstruction of justice and second-degree murder charges, according to District Attorney Leon Cannizzaros office.

Shantrell Knox, 45, was charged with accessory after the fact to second-degree murder. She is accused of harboring Torrel Knox, her son, at her Francis Drive home for the nearly three years he was wanted in connection with the shooting.

Soraparu was gunned down near Francis Drive and Ransom Street in the Pines Village neighborhood of New Orleans East on June 3, 2015. He died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the chest.

A warrant for Torrel Knoxs arrest in connection with the shooting said Soraparu was shot during an altercation, but said Soraparu was not a participant in that altercation.

A witness identified Knox as a main participant in the altercation that led to the shooting, according to the warrant. Knox also was seen fleeing the scene with the gun used in the shooting, according to the warrant.

From back of police car, man arrested on 2015 murder warrant says he'll kill officers: NOPD

Additionally, Knox was charged in the indictment with two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and with three counts of resisting arrest with force or violence.

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When he was arrested Sept. 27, Knox allegedly told detectives they were going to be in a body bag had they not arrested him at his moms house, according to an arrest warrant.

Orleans Parish court records show Knox has convictions from 2014 for aggravated battery, illegal carrying of weapons and simple criminal damage to property.

Orleans Magistrate Commissioner Jonathan Friedman appointed the Orleans Public Defenders office to represent Knox and his mother at their first appearances in September. An attorney was not listed for Mitchell in court records.

Torrel Knox and Shantrell Knox are being held in the Orleans Parish Justice Center on $515,000 and $5,000 bonds, respectively.

Mitchell has not yet been arrested in the shooting. After the indictment, ad hoc Criminal District Judge Dennis Waldron issued a warrant for Mitchells arrest, according to the district attorneys office.

Assistant District Attorney Abigail MacDonald presented the case to the grand jury.

Emily Lane contributed to this report.
A man accused of rape and human trafficking told two females he met in Texas in January that he was taking them to New Orleans so they could make some money for Mardi Gras, according to a warrant for the mans arrest.

The warrant said once in New Orleans, Juan Branch, 32, forced the females -- whose ages were not specified -- to smoke marijuana, drink alcohol, have sex with him and have sex with other men.

Branch faces one count of human trafficking and one count of second-degree rape. The warrant, sworn by NOPD Detective Brandon McDonald, cited an interview with one of the females who identified Branch from a photo line-up. The document said the second female had previously reported similar allegations about Branch in a similar timeline but could not provide specific locations.

Branch was arrested on the charges Tuesday during a traffic stop by a Southern University New Orleans Police Department officer. The officer pulled over a Mercedes-Benz E-350 with no license plate, and a warrant check on Branch, the driver, revealed the warrants for the trafficking and rape charges. A female was with Branch at the time of the traffic stop, according to booking documents, though no information was given about her age or identity.

The female who police interviewed in connection to the allegations of trafficking and rape told police she was with the second female, walking sometime in late January to a store in Pasadena, Texas, when Branch pulled up next to them in a black Mercedes-Benz. He told them to get inside, and they did, the warrant said. He took them to an unknown hotel in downtown Houston where he forced them to use drugs and engage in sexual intercourse with him, the document said.

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He told the females he was taking them to New Orleans to make some money during Mardi Gras, the warrant alleged. The next day, he drove them to New Orleans, where they went to a hotel. There, the female told police, Branch made them smoke marijuana and drink alcohol, and told them repeatedly he wanted them to work for him and that he would take care of them.

The next day, Branch bought clothes for the females, the warrant said. They went to the Oakmont Apartments in Algiers, the warrant stated, where he made them have sex with about four different men. After a few days Branch took the females to a Motel 6 on Old Gentilly Road, the warrant said, where he forced them to have sex with him and then with an unknown man.

Video footage from that Motel 6, obtained by police with a search warrant, showed a black Mercedes coming and going Feb. 5 and Feb. 6, and showed Branch entering and leaving the motel with the two females, according to the arrest warrant. The warrant indicated the female interviewed by police only gave them Branchs first name, Juan. The motel had a record that Juan Branch was the registered guest in the room where the female told police she stayed, the warrant said. Branch paid for the room with cash, the warrant said  $68.83.

The warrant stated the female told police none of the sex was consensual and she complied with Branchs demands, she said, because she was afraid.

Orleans Parish Magistrate Commissioner Albert Thibodeaux set Branchs bond at $250,000 during his first appearance hearing on Tuesday (Oct. 16). The commissioner appointed the Orleans Public Defenders Office to represent Branch while he is incarcerated and issued a nondomestic stay-away order barring him from contacting the female witness.
Fraternities at LSU have continued to receive discipline over misconduct allegations following the fatal hazing of a university freshman Phi Delta Theta pledge last year.

Last week LSU placed the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity on interim suspension as a result of incidents that have occurred during Fall 2018, according to letter sent to the fraternitys president Oct. 9. The university is investigating the chapter over the potential violations of LSUs Code of Student Conduct.

LSU wouldnt provide specific details about the nature of the allegations that spurred the suspension. In a released statement from LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard Friday (Oct. 19), the university said appropriate action will be taken if the claims are substantiated after the full investigation.

"We do not take violations of our Student Code of Conduct lightly, and the allegations against the Pi Kappa Phi are very serious. As a start to our investigation, we are implementing an interim suspension of activities while we get to the bottom of the issues that were brought to our attention, reads Ballards statement.

The fraternitys temporary suspension means new members may not have any contact direct, virtual, or through third parties with initiated members, according to the suspension notice signed by Jonathan Sanders, associate dean of students & director of Student Advocacy & Accountability. The chapter also cannot host or participate in social activities, including parties on or off campus. The chapter is also banned from participation in intramural activities, and it cannot hold any meetings unless directed by LSU to assist in the investigation.

Those restrictions were also placed upon Delta Chi Fraternity this year, according to an Aug. 27 letter from Sanders. Sanders stated Delta Chi was placed on interim suspension for incidents that occurred the week of Aug. 9. Delta Chis chapter president and advisor must notify the LSU in writing, at least 24 hours in advance, to request permission to hold a chapter function or meeting, Sanders stated.

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The universitys fraternity suspensions come after the Sept. 14, 2017 death of Maxwell Gruver, 18, of Roswell, Georgia. Last year, the District Attorneys office in East Baton Rouge Parish said Gruver was targeted in a Phi Delta Theta Fraternity ritual called Bible study, where members are forced to drink if they gave wrong answers to questions testing their fraternity knowledge. A coroners report stated Gruver died from acute alcohol intoxication with aspiration. His body had a blood alcohol level of .495, which is more than six times the legal limit for those 21 and older to drive.

Four students have faced criminal charges in connection with Gruvers death. Two of them in September pleaded no contest to misdemeanor hazing. A third former student is charged with felony negligent homicide, while the fourth is charged with hazing.

Gruver's death led the Louisiana Legislature this year to toughen anti-hazing laws. LSU banned Phi Delta Theta from campus until 2033 after Gruver's death. His family is suing the university and the fraternity, as well as the four former students and others, for $25 million in damages.

2 plead no contest to hazing in 2017 death of LSU student: report

Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.
More New Orleans students will be able to get seats at one of the states highest-performing high schools.

Last week, the Orleans Parish School Board approved an amendment to its operating agreement with Advocates for Academic Excellence in Education to increase the allotted enrollment maximum at Benjamin Franklin High School to 1,000 students from its previous limit of 800. Ben Franklin is an A-rated school located at 2001 Leon C. Simon Drive in Gentilly.

The approval comes after the Gentilly campus experienced its largest enrollment increase in the schools 61-year-history. In August, the school stated Franklins total student body now stands at 1,002 students, prompting it to hold some classes on the nearby University of New Orleans campus to accommodate the schools growth. Franklins contract with the OPSB states the school has the ability to enroll up to 20 percent over its authorized maximum, meaning the school can now enroll up to 1,200 students in total.

Franklin is among the few selective-admissions schools in a city thats gained national attention for turning most schools over to charter operators. In 2006, Franklin reopened as a Type 3 charter school authorized by the OPSB and managed by Advocates for Academic Excellence, which is the group that requested an enrollment cap increase at the districts Oct. 11 meeting in Algiers.

Education experts have stressed test scores are connected to family income, and state data shows Franklin is among the handful of high-performing schools with some of the lowest enrollment numbers of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Franklins first admissions test is scheduled for Nov. 10. More details on the schools admissions process can be found on the schools website at bfhsla.org/admissions.

How 3 top New Orleans public schools keep students out

Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $17 million contract to a St. Rose company to remove temporary closure structures at three outfall canals along the New Orleans lakefront.

Starting in December, M.R. Pittman Group will demolish the structures at 17th Street and London and Orleans avenues and remove all related above-ground equipment, machinery and buildings. The work will be completed during the summer of 2020.

Price of now-completed pump stations at New Orleans outfall canals rises by $33.2 million

The temporary closure structures were installed in 2006 to protect the canals from Lake Ponchartrain storm surges while permanent canal closures and pumps were designed and built. Army Corps officials said the temporary structures performed well, preventing surge from entering canals during six large storms, including hurricanes Gustav, Ike, Isaac and Nate.

The permanent closures and pumps were completed in May and are now operating. They were designed to defend against a 100-year storm surge or a storm that has a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year, according to the corps. Operations and maintenance of the closure and pump system is handled by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East.
According to a story on the Essence magazine website, Essence Festival added $280 million to the New Orleans and Louisiana economy in 2018. The annual summertime music, fashion and empowerment extravaganza took place in the Morial Convention Center and Mercedes-Benz Superdome from July 5-8.

The festival, produced by the magazines parent company Essence Communications, has been held in New Orleans since its founding in 1995, except for a one-year detour to Houston in 2006 after Hurricane Katrina damaged the Superdome the year before.

The $280 million figure marks a substantial increase over recent years, which were estimated to bring $200 million to the city annually.

Essence Fest 2018 attracts more than half-million attendees

As previously reported on NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, the 2018 Essence Festival attracted more than 510,0000 attendees, making it one of the largest gatherings in the events 24-year history. Essence Fest 2014 holds the record with a reported 550,000 fans. Essence reported that in 2018, for the first time ever, all three nights of the Essence Festival concert series at the Superdome sold out.

Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, the Roots and Erykah Badu performed on Friday night. Saturday night, Queen Latifah and pioneering women in rap, plus movie star heartthrob Idris Elba and Mary J. Blige took turns in the spotlight. On Sunday night Janet Jackson, Fantasia and Big Freedia closed out the festival.

The next Essence Festival takes place July 4-7, 2019.

Janet Jackson caps Essence Festival 2018 with a knockout show in the Dome

Doug MacCash has the best job in the world, covering art, music and culture in New Orleans. Contact him via email at dmaccash@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter at Doug MacCash and on Facebook at Douglas James MacCash. As always, please add your point of view to the comment stream.
This months bills for Louisianas two million or so electricity customers are $11.67 higher, on average, than they were in October 2020, according to the reports compiled by the Public Service Commission, which regulates the privately owned for-p
Learn how the Georgia workers' comp system determines the type, amount, and duration of benefits you may receive for a workplace injury or occupational diseaseand whether you can get workers' comp benefits if you contract COVID-19 on the job.

A work injury or occupational illness can cause major disruptions to your lifenot only your health, but also to your career, finances, and overall well-being. Fortunately, the Georgia workers' compensation system is designed to compensate you for some of those losses and get you back to work as soon as possible. However, it also limits the amount of money you can receive from your employer. This article explains the types and amounts of benefits that are available through workers' comp. (To get these benefits, you will need to report your injury as soon as possible, file a workers' comp claim on timeusually within a yearand prove that your injury or illness is work related.)

Can You Get Workers' Comp Benefits in Georgia for COVID-19? In some states, it may be possible to get workers' comp coverage for COVID-19 if you work in a particularly high-risk job like health care or emergency response, especially when in states with special (often temporary) rules making it easier for certain employees to qualify. Not so in Georgia, where workers' comp won't cover "ordinary diseases of life to which the general public is exposed," or any disease to which you could have had substantial exposure away from work. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, those standards basically rule out getting benefits for COVID-19, even if you could prove that you were exposed to the virus at work.

Income Benefits in Georgia for Temporary Disability

If you're unable to work because of a work-related injury or illnessor you can't work at the same level as beforeGeorgia workers' comp will pay you temporary total or partial disability benefits to replace part of your lost income.

Temporary Total Disability Benefits and Limits

You're entitled to receive temporary total disability benefits if you can't work because of your injury for at least seven days. The benefits usually don't start until you've been out of work for that amount of time, but you can receive payment for the first seven days if you're incapacitated for 21 straight days following the injury.

The amount of temporary total disability benefits will be equal to two-thirds of your average weekly wage before the injury, up to a maximum ($675 per week, as of July 2019). There's also a minimum payment of $50 per week unless you earned less than that.

These benefits will generally continue until you've reached what's known as "maximum medical improvement"meaning that your condition has improved as much it's going to with treatment. However, you can't receive temporary disability payments for more than 400 weeks from the date of your injury, unless you've had a catastrophic injury like a severe head injury, severe burns, amputation of a limb, or paralysis from a spinal cord injury. (The maximum amount and duration of benefits do change periodically; you can check the current numbers on the "Benefits Information" section of the Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation website.)

Temporary Partial Disability Benefits and Limits

If you're able to work but are earning less than before because of your injury, you can receive temporary partial disability benefits. The benefit amount is two-thirds of the difference between your average weekly earnings before and after your injury. For example, if you previously earned $1,100 per week but are now earning $500 for light-duty work, you can receive two-thirds of the difference ($600), or $400. There's also a cap on these benefits$450 per week for no more than 350 weeks from the injury date.

Permanent Disability Benefits

Once you've reached maximum medical improvement, your doctor will evaluate you to determine if you have any permanent disability and, if so, how much (expressed in a percentage of disability for each affected body part or for the whole body).

If you have a permanent and total disability, you could continue to receive weekly payments for life at the temporary total disability rateor you might be able to receive a lump sum for the amount of your future payments (reduced to the present value of those benefits). Some severe injuries, such as blindness in both eyes or the loss of two limbs, are presumed to be permanent total disability.

Scheduled and Unscheduled Awards for Permanent Partial Disability

If your permanent disability is partial, the amount of your income benefits will be the same as for temporary total disabilitybut only for a limited time. The duration of benefits is determined by the percentage of disability for each affected part of the body multiplied by the maximum number of weeks listed in a state schedule for body parts such as eyes, ears, and various extremities. For example, the schedule lists a total loss of use of a hand at 160 weeks. If you've only lost 50% of the use of a hand, you would receive benefits for 80 weeks.

If you have a permanent disability to part of your body that's not listedsuch as your head, spine, or organsthe duration of your permanent disability benefits will be based on the percentage of disability multiplied by 300 weeks, the maximum for disability "to the body as a whole." (Although this is listed in Georgia's schedule for permanent disability benefits, awards for the whole body are usually referred to as "unscheduled awards.") For example, if your doctor gives you a 50% disability rating for a back injury, you will receive 150 weeks' worth of benefits.

The same rules apply for permanent partial disability related to an occupational disease, except that there won't be any compensation for partial loss of use of a listed body part or partial vision loss.

Medical Benefits

Workers' comp pays for all reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to a work-related injury or illness, as long as it's prescribed by your authorized treating physician. However, there's a 400-week limit on most medical benefits unless your injury happened before July 2013 or is considered catastrophic under Georgia law. Other exceptions to the time limit include replacing prosthetic devices or durable medical equipment that was originally provided within the 400 weeks.

Other Workers' Comp Benefits in Georgia

Georgia workers' compensation also provides additional benefits, including:

Mileage reimbursement. Mileage for travel to and from doctors' appointments is also covered through workers' comp.

Mileage for travel to and from doctors' appointments is also covered through workers' comp. Death Benefits. When an employee dies as a direct result of an on-the-job injury or occupational illness, the employee's surviving dependents will be entitled to death benefits. If the survivors were totally dependent on the employee, the benefit amount will be the same as for total temporary disability, and the payments will last as long as the recipient is dependent. However, death benefits for a surviving spouse are capped at $270,000 if there are no other dependents.

When an employee dies as a direct result of an on-the-job injury or occupational illness, the employee's surviving dependents will be entitled to death benefits. If the survivors were totally dependent on the employee, the benefit amount will be the same as for total temporary disability, and the payments will last as long as the recipient is dependent. However, death benefits for a surviving spouse are capped at $270,000 if there are no other dependents. Funeral expenses. Survivors may also receive up to $7,500 in reasonable expenses for the deceased employee's burial.

Limitations of Workers' Comp Benefits

As you can see, workers' compensation only pays of a portion of your lost wages, and it doesn't pay anything for the pain and suffering caused by your injury. While this may seem unfair, it is part of the trade-off that's inherent in the workers' comp system. The advantage of workers' comp is that you can get benefits relatively quickly without needing to file a lawsuit or prove that your employer was at fault for causing your injury. The downside is that you can't get the full value of your losses. (However, in some limited situations, you may be able to sue outside of the workers' comp system to recover pain and suffering and other losses from a workplace injury.)
Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 38F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 38F. Winds light and variable.
Many Beaches in Quintana Roo are Now Sargassum Free

Puerto Morelos, Mexico - Beaches in two Quintana Roo municipalities are free of sargassum, local authorities have declared.

Massive clean-up operations in Puerto Morelos, located between the resort cities of Cancun and Playa del Carmen, and Isla Mujeres have cleared the beaches of the smelly, brown seaweed that arrived en masse on the state's coastline this year.

"Sargassum is a nightmare for the whole state but in Puerto Morelos we fought it with the support of all municipal employees. Everybody... from general managers to secretaries, police and firefighters joined the efforts to pick up the seaweed. We've also had the support of the hotel sector..." Puerto Morelos Mayor Laura Fernandez Pina said.

"We allocated more than 80,000 man-hours to cleaning up our beaches," she explained, adding that up to 200 tonnes of sargassum were removed on some days.

Students, taxi drivers and fishermen also contributed to the efforts.

Fernandez said that Puerto Morelos authorities in conjunction with the business sector and environmental experts have established protocols to respond to future sargassum invasions to ensure that beaches - and the tourism industry - are protected.

Kerem Pinto Aguilar, an Isla Mujeres official, said that Hurricane Michael caused more sargassum to wash up on local beaches last week but it was quickly removed.

She told a press conference that government authorities, the private sector and citizens all did their bit to ensure that the visitors could enjoy the white sands and clear turquoise waters for which Isla Mujeres is famous.

"Throughout the week we didn't drop our guard in cleaning up Playa Centro and Playa Norte and today they look beautiful," Pinto said.

Hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of sargassum have arrived on Quintana Roo beaches over the past five months, causing a significant drop in tourism and triggering warnings of a serious environmental disaster.

State authorities said last week that the quantity of the seaweed washing up on beaches is on the decline but it won't disappear completely until the end of the year.
Calavera Decorating Contest at Los Mangos Library

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - In Mexico, Dia de Los Muertos festivities begin on the night of October 31 and continue through November 1st. These are the days when art, religion, life, death, sadness and humor all come together - and there's no better place to experience it than the Puerto Vallarta Public Library.

To keep one of Mexico's oldest traditions alive, every year, Los Mangos Library and Cultural Center hosts a Dia de Los Muertos festival, where Puerto Vallarta residents and visitors can enjoy a variety of free family-friendly activities that range from singing, dancing, music and storytelling, to an altar display, art exhibits, a Catrin and Catrina contest, and more.





This year's Day of the Dead festival, set to take place on Friday, November 2 from 7:00-11:00 pm, will also include a Calavera decorating contest to raise money for the library. Here's how it works:

 Stop by Los Mangos, where you will receive one plaster skull for each $150 peso donation.

 Give it Life! - Paint it, decorate it, turn it into your favorite character!

 Bring it back to the library on or before October 25th and fill out a contest entry form.

 Your decorated Calavera will be exhibited in the library, where visitors will be able to buy votes for their favorites until November 2.

 Ballots can be purchased at the library reception desk for two pesos per vote. To be counted, the votes must be deposited in the urn next to your favorite skull.

 Visitors can vote for their favorite skulls as many times as they wish.

 Voting will close at 8:00 pm on November 2. The votes will be counted and the winner will be announced during the library's traditional Day of the Dead Festival.

 Calavera Contest participants must be present to be declared a winner.

 Any controversy will be resolved by the festival organizing committee.

For more information, visit the Facebook event page.

Every peso received from the Calavera contest will support Biblioteca Los Mangos, which is not "just a library," but a true cultural and community center that also serves as a venue for entertaining and educational workshops, art exhibits, concerts, and cultural events.
The Brooklyn-based artist Simone Leigh, whose sculpture has been the subject of increasing attention, on Thursday evening was awarded the Guggenheim Museums prestigious Hugo Boss Prize, which recognizes achievement in contemporary art.

Leigh has consistently expanded the possibilities of ceramics, which is her principal medium and one that has long been undervalued within the mainstream art world, the jury said in its statement. We are particularly compelled by Leighs longstanding and unwavering commitment to addressing black women as both the subject of and audience for her work.

Ms. Leigh, 50, has for more than 25 years explored the experiences and social histories of black women through the ceramic tradition. She currently has a solo show at the New York gallery Luhring Augustine. And she has been selected as the inaugural winner of the High Lines new series of large-scale commissions, which will be unveiled in April.

[See a slide show of work by past winners of the Hugo Boss prize.]

The 12th artist to receive the biennial Hugo Boss prize  which is named after its fashion company sponsor  Ms. Leigh will receive an award of $100,000 as well as a solo exhibition at the Guggenheim in April 2019.
Sputtering growth, soaring debt and an escalating trade war with the United States are increasingly weighing on Chinas economy.

Chinas government on Friday reported that the economy grew by 6.5 percent over the three months that ended in September compared with a year ago. While fast by global standards, the pace is Chinas slowest since early 2009, during the depths of the global financial crisis.

China has reported growth figures over the past two years that painted a picture of an economy that is gamely chugging along, despite the countrys lingering problems and widespread doubts over the reliability of official numbers. A different narrative is emerging this year, one of a slowing economy that is forcing Beijing to make some difficult choices.

Chinese shoppers have said they are spending less and downgrading their purchases, like staying home instead of going out, or drinking beer instead of cocktails. Business confidence is ebbing. Investment in splashy infrastructure projects has dropped sharply.
StarKist agreed to plead guilty on Thursday to one felony charge of price fixing for its role in a broad conspiracy to rig the price of canned and ready-to-eat tuna, the Justice Department said.

The company faces a fine of up to $100 million for forcing shoppers to pay inflated prices from at least November 2011 through December 2013, the Justice Department said.

The amount is to be determined in a hearing by the United States District Court in San Francisco, which must also approve the terms of StarKists plea agreement. StarKist, an American subsidiary of Dongwon Industries of South Korea, has also agreed to cooperate with the federal investigation, which began in 2015.

The conspiracy to fix prices on these household staples had direct effects on the pocketbooks of American consumers, said Makan Delrahim, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Departments antitrust division. We will continue to hold companies and individuals who cheat consumers accountable.
President Trump finally acknowledged on Thursday what had been evident for some time: that Jamal Khashoggi had been killed, that senior Saudi officials had played a central role in his death and that the White House faced one of its most serious foreign policy crises yet. This is bad, bad stuff, and the consequences should be severe, Mr. Trump said.

That much is right, and the president should be commended for abandoning his credulous repetitions of the denials of Saudi Arabia and its leaders. His next job must be to ensure that the consequences are, indeed, appropriate to the brutal murder of a self-exiled Saudi journalist living in Virginia whose only fault was to criticize the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Evidence leaked by senior Turkish officials, and presumably shared with American intelligence agencies, overwhelmingly indicates that Mr. Khashoggi was the victim of an elaborate assassination. A team of 15 Saudi agents, including the head of forensic evidence at the Saudi General Security Department wielding a bone saw and members of Prince Mohammed's personal guard, was flown to Istanbul to deal with him. As soon as Mr. Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate on Oct. 2, they subjected him to torture and dismembered him. Turkish sources said the forensic expert put on earphones, saying he listened to music when he worked, and urged others to do likewise. Its hard to imagine that so fraught a mission would be approved by anyone less than Prince Mohammed.

Yet Mr. Trump still seemed unprepared to point a finger at the de facto Saudi ruler who had become a close ally of the president and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Its a little bit early to draw such conclusions, Mr. Trump told reporters from The Times on Thursday, suggesting that the time would most likely come.
FRONT PAGE

An article on Saturday about landlords in booming housing markets turning away tenants with Section 8 vouchers included an incorrect explanation of the subsidy formula for the Section 8 program. A voucher from the housing program provides tenants a guaranteed subsidy limiting their rent payments to 30 percent of their income. It is not a guaranteed subsidy paying 70 percent of the rent.

NATIONAL

An article on Wednesday about a provision in the tax code that allows Congress to retrieve tax returns referred imprecisely to the disclosure of two pages of President Trumps 2005 federal tax return. While the pages were discussed on The Rachel Maddow Show, they were obtained and initially disclosed by David Cay Johnston at DCReport.org.



An article on Thursday about coastal military bases vulnerability to climate change misstated in one instance the surname of the retired Air Force lieutenant general who discussed the political sensitivities that military leaders may face in addressing the threat posed by climate change. He is General Jameson, not General Arlen.

SPORTS

An article on Saturday about Brandon Woodruffs performance in the first game of the National League Championship Series misstated the order in which Woodruff appeared in the game. He pitched first, then batted.
I wanted a baby; I didnt want to lose a baby, Ms. Peterson said. I felt ashamed, and I didnt have to tell him that information but I thought, for my safety, to be able to have children again, this was an important step to take. And he denied that to me.

Mr. Kalkman could not be reached for comment.

Christina Fecher, a spokeswoman for Meijer, said in a statement that Mr. Kalkman has not been employed by Meijer since early July 2018. The statement continued, While we cannot comment on any pharmacy customer matter, we apologize for any customer experience that does not align with our core values.

Ms. Fecher said that pharmacists at Meijer who decline to fill a prescription for religious reasons must either arrange for the prescription to be filled by another pharmacist in the store or transfer the prescription to another convenient pharmacy, and any failure to do so is in violation of our process.

It is also a violation of the guidelines set forth by the Michigan Pharmacists Association, a professional organization of which Mr. Kalkman was not a member. But Michigan law does not bar pharmacists from engaging in conscientious objection, said Larry Wagenknecht, the chief executive of the organization.

Dr. Sarah Horvath, a family planning fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, described miscarriage as a painful and messy process.

Oftentimes, she said, women choose to use misoprostol because it is more autonomous, discreet and self-directed than other methods.

Some women derive empowerment from a situation where they might otherwise feel helpless, she said.
Its something else  its feeling, emotion, preference, loyalty, convenience of the moment, Mr. Hayden said. He quoted a former speechwriter for Mr. Bush, Michael Gerson, about Mr. Trump: He lives in the eternal now  no history, no consequences.

Mr. Trumps refusal to accept some established facts is hardly new. From his belief in the guilt of five young men of color in connection with a savage attack on a white woman in Central Park in the 1980s, to his conviction that Mr. Obama was born in Kenya, he has carried on what amount to personal crusades in the face of established facts for much of his career.

The most noticeable new variation of that tendency that Mr. Trump has adopted as president is his penchant for giving the benefit of the doubt to authoritarian leaders with whom he has tried to develop personal or political relationships. That was most recently on display this week, when he said that King Salman of Saudi Arabia had assured him that the royal family had no role in the disappearance of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The king, he noted, had given a very strong denial.

Here we go again with, you know, youre guilty until proven innocent, Mr. Trump told The Associated Press on Tuesday. I dont like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh, and he was innocent all the way as far as Im concerned.

By Thursday, as the weight of the evidence of Saudi government complicity became hard to disagree with, Mr. Trump said that he believed that Mr. Khashoggi was dead, and that there could be severe consequences for Saudi Arabia.
WASHINGTON  The White House chief of staff and the national security adviser got into a profanity-laced argument about immigration outside the Oval Office early Thursday morning, two people briefed on the altercation said, prompting the chief of staff to leave the White House complex and not return for the rest of the day.

The blowup between John F. Kelly, Mr. Trumps chief of staff, and John R. Bolton, his national security adviser, was loud enough to be overheard by several officials in the West Wing. It erupted as the president  disappointed by new government data showing that his restrictive immigration policies have failed to discourage migrants from seeking entry into the United States  is grasping to resolve a problem that has bedeviled his administration.

A third person described the episode as little more than a typical airing of differences between Mr. Bolton and Mr. Kelly, who has a temper. All three spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe an internal conversation.

The three people said Mr. Kelly and Mr. Bolton were sparring over an issue that has frequently angered the president and has often prompted him to lash out at Kirstjen Nielsen, who succeeded Mr. Kelly as the secretary of homeland security after serving as his deputy chief of staff in the White House. Mr. Bolton was siding with the president, who has angrily blamed Ms. Nielsen for failing to stanch the flow of migrants across the border, while Mr. Kelly, who is fiercely protective of his protege, defended her, the people said.
The Judson Dance Theater exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art honors a generation of genre-changing dance-makers who first came into their element in the 1960s. When you look at the objects, pictures and photographs on the walls, you can understand that yes, they were once radical.

Then, when you watch the performances that accompany the exhibition, you recognize that yes, theyre radical still. The choreography weve seen by Yvonne Rainer, Deborah Hay and David Gordon would seem arresting, provocative, important, witty, disquieting if it were offered today by choreographers in their 20s.

The exhibitions subtitle, The Work Is Never Done, is especially appropriate to Deborah Hays ten, a 1969 piece named after its number of performers. The stage space often resembles a building site: Some dancers join one another in striking poses, while others consult and supervise. One tableau after another builds, like coral formations, until several performers had master the same position, as if becoming part of a frieze. Every grouping is a work in progress.

And the eye feasts on these poses, which are not of virtuoso training but of memorably sculptural detail. One of the most striking is a complex kneeling gesture adopted, first by Miguel Angel Guzman: balanced on one knee, while leaning against a horizontal rail, he rested the opposite  straight  leg at a complex diagonal while holding one raised forearm upward in a pointing gesture. Thats tricky to describe but gorgeous to observe; it proved entertainingly tricky for others to execute  then spectacular to see as, slowly multiplied, it turned into motionless group choreography.
If art isnt about life and death, and the emotions and ethics that surround them, what is it about? Style? Taste? Auction results? Some artists focus on those, but the most interesting head for the uncool existential bottom line, which is what Bruce Nauman does. Hes approached this line by many paths: history, humor, shock, politics and formal variety. And hes merged those paths into a bumpy superhighway of a career, which were invited to travel in Bruce Nauman: Disappearing Acts, a half-century retrospective that fills the sixth floor of the Museum of Modern Art and nearly the entire premises of MoMA PS1 in Long Island City, Queens.

Its a transfixing trip. Now 76, and still on the job (theres work from this year in the survey), Mr. Nauman has done much to change the way we define what art is, and what is art. Without being overtly topical, he has consistently viewed the world through a critical eye, with the result that art he made decades ago is pertinent to our present morally wrenching American moment. And even his loudest, most outsized art feels personal, sourced from extreme emotions we all feel  panic, despair, disgust, hilarity  one by one.

The retrospective is Mr. Naumans second at MoMA  the first, which originated elsewhere, arrived in 1995  though its far from being a repeat. The earlier survey was, among other things, a punishing aural assault. The noise level made you want to hustle through it. The new one feels, if only by contrast, subdued. You still get high-decibel discomfort. The gallery guards at MoMA should be awarded combat pay. But at PS1, the soundscape is actually mellow. You hear someone pick out a spare piano tune. A guitar plays a mournful country song. And in a 1966 video, in the entrance lobby, a youthful Mr. Nauman scrapes away, not unmelodically, on a violin.
PARIS  October is the month when London and Paris go head-to-head, vying with each other to attract collectors to their prestigious contemporary art fairs.

In recent years, London has had the edge, at least in terms of hype. The Frieze and Frieze Masters fairs have generated far more noise than Pariss rival, the Foire Internationale dArt Contemporain, or FIAC. In addition, the French capital suffered as a visitor destination following the 2015 terror attacks. With a two-week gap between Frieze and FIAC, most art collectors traveling long distances have to choose between one or the other.

But Paris visitor numbers have bounced back. And with Britains economy and its art market facing an uncertain future outside the European Union after March, is than an opportunity for FIAC and its week of associated events?
But as suspended networks, spider webs are also metaphors for Mr. Saracenos broader body of work, which includes floating sculptures, interactive installations, community projects and even experiments with solar-powered human flight. The artworks and the research behind them combine and connect disciplines far beyond the usual art-world fare: astrophysics, engineering, environmentalism, thermodynamics, biology, arachnology and musical composition  often several at the same time.

Hes a great artist, comparable to Marcel Duchamp or even Leonardo da Vinci, who always thought outside and combined disciplines, said Rebecca Lamarche-Vadel, the curator of the exhibition.

Art was not Mr. Saracenos first calling. He first trained as an architect in his native Argentina before moving to Germany in 2001 and attending the Stadelschule in Frankfurt, where he began working with the art department as well.

Mr. Saracenos early exhibitions reflected visions of floating above the earth. Cloud Cities, at Berlins Hamburger Bahnhof museum in 2011, saw visitors giddily jumping around in transparent bubbled suspended in the main exhibition hall. (Another interactive Cloud City, this time in rigid mirrored Plexiglas, was installed on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in summer 2012.) A permanent installation in the K21 museum in Dusseldorf, Germany, called In Orbit is a web of carefully engineered nets and bubbles installed near the ceiling, from which brave museumgoers can observe visitors 80 feet below.
A century separates the clarinet quintets of Mozart and Brahms, but at the emotional heart of each sits a slow movement of rapt, bucolic calm. In both, the strings play with mutes, creating a sound like a summer-morning haze, over which the clarinet drifts in unhurried legato lines. Brahms wrote his in 1891, after he had heard the Mozart quintet performed and grown infatuated with the clarinets sound.

Listen closely to Brahmss Adagio, and you may notice a destabilizing irregularity that is built into the rhythmic texture and lends it buoyancy and unease. Though the sound of the strings in the opening is misty, it is swirling with syncopations, overlapping cross-rhythms and hemiolas, rhythmic devices that dissolve a listeners grounding sense of a first beat to the bar.

You dont have to be musically literate to know the bumpy feel of a cross-rhythm. Two-against-three can be a parent strolling hand in hand with a skipping child. Triplets on top of eighth notes are like a slow canter next to a trot: The two horses might move at the same speed, but you wouldnt want them pulling a carriage together.

Polyrhythms run through Brahmss music like an obsessive-compulsive streak. In a bucolic moment such as the one in the Clarinet Quintet, which the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center performs on Nov. 15, they seem to subtly mirror the organic irregularity of nature.
The band is one of the liveliest groups to emerge from Londons jazz renaissance, made up of Jones on trumpet, the brothers T.J. and Femi Koleoso on bass guitar and drums, the pianist Joe Armon-Jones, and James Mollison, who plays saxophone. In an interview, Femi Koleoso joked that having two black players, two white players and a mixed-race one in the group made it look as if they were a box-checking boy band dreamed up in a record execs boardroom.

But Ezra Collective is anything but calculated. Since forming in 2012, the band has grown an enthusiastic fan base without a major record label. Next month it will play its biggest headline show yet, to more than 1,000 people at Koko, a venue in London.

In an interview at Femi Koleosos South London apartment, he and his brother explained that, at first, a career in jazz seemed unthinkable to them. I saw jazz music as an elite art form that I didnt have access to, Femi said, like playing the violin or riding a horse.

The brothers were playing in a church band when they heard about a jazz development program called Tomorrows Warriors. It was a youth club for jazz music, Femi said. Tomorrows Warriors, which was founded in 1991, offered training to musicians who could not afford private tuition, with a special focus on those from the African diaspora and girls, according to the organizations website.
The third season of Daredevil debuts on Netflix. And John Carpenters horror classic airs on AMC.

Whats Streaming

DAREDEVIL on Netflix. The ongoing commercial success of Venom in theaters seems to have telegraphed a signal from audiences: more superhero tales, please. That hunger bodes well for the success of the third season of this Netflix series, a somewhat conventional take on the blind Marvel vigilante named in its title (played by Charlie Cox). The last season added two lead characters in Jon Bernthals Punisher and Elodie Yungs Elektra, and retained the first seasons pulverizing martial-arts-inspired violence. But in a review of the second season for The New York Times, Mike Hale wrote that, on the whole, the narrative wasnt brought to life by its action set pieces, no matter how well they were done. (He wasnt crazy about the first season, either.) This season, fans can look forward to the addition of the actor Wilson Bethel, who will be playing Benjamin Poindexter, the alter-ego of the Marvel villain Bullseye (whether he formally appears as the villain remains to be seen). Expect bones to crunch.
He took a writing workshop with the novelist Lynne Tillman, who urged him to read works by George Saunders, James Baldwin and Grace Paley, among others.

In this very ferocious period were living in, in a period of great binaries, hes able to find another way to talk about these issues were facing, Ms. Tillman said.

Some of his early stories were about working in retail, something he knew a fair bit about from the years he spent working at a clothing store in the Palisades mall and later at the Crossgates Mall outside Albany. In some ways, being a salesman was good preparation for being a writer. He became a keen observer of peoples moods and mannerisms. He learned how to intuit both what they wanted and what they could afford, and how to read into the details of how people dressed and where their eyes lingered.

I can upsell, I can downsell, he said. A lot of it is noticing what people are noticing.

One Black Friday weekend, he sold about $17,000 worth of North Face jackets, he said. As a reward, he got a free North Face jacket for his mother, a detail he slipped into the story How to Sell a Jacket as Told by IceKing, which is narrated by an adept salesman who gets a free PoleFace jacket for his mom after selling almost $18,000 worth of merchandise.

There were grim moments at the mall that shaped his fiction too. About a decade ago, when Mr. Adjei-Brenyah was working at the mall, someone fell from one of the malls upper floors and died, in a likely suicide  an event that he alludes to in his short story, In Retail. The hum of shoppers shopping halted briefly, but resumed after the body was taken away.
We wouldnt know where to begin recreating something like todays system of international order because we have a flawed understanding of its history. That is Derek Leebaerts thesis in Grand Improvisation, a dense reconstruction of events and leaders from 1945 to 1957 that draws impressively on many original sources.

Explore the New York Times Book Review Want to keep up with the latest and greatest in books? This is a good place to start. Learn what you should be reading this fall: Our collection of reviews on books coming out this season includes biographies, novels, memoirs and more. See whats new in October: Among this months new titles are novels by Jonathan Franzen, a history of Black cinema and a biography by Katie Couric. Nominate a book: The New York Times Book Review has just turned 125. That got us wondering: What is the best book that was published during that time? Listen to our podcast: Featuring conversations with leading figures in the literary world, from Colson Whitehead to Leila Slimani, the Book Review Podcast helps you delve deeper into your favorite books.



One might quarrel with the belligerence in the subtitle, America Confronts the British Superpower. Leebaert, the author of several books on foreign affairs, suggests more like the reverse, with British world experience over centuries confronting an untutored Washington. He has fun with an incident in the Persian Gulf, long regarded as a British lake. In 1948 the American admiral Richard Conolly and his fleet made a grand port call on Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, the ruler of the British protectorate of Bahrain. The sheikhs personal adviser for 22 years was the Foreign Offices Charles Dalrymple Belgrave, fluent in the gulfs dialects and customs. He introduced Conolly to Sheikh Salman, who proudly presented his young son standing nearby. The admiral and his retinue didnt understand the introduction or know what to do with their hats. They assumed the son was a slave, treated him like a cloakroom attendant and quickly buried him under their headgear. It was one of a series of gaffes that Belgrave reported back to London. Maybe the empire would not be taking second place to the Americans after all.

Leebaerts emphasis is necessary to demolish the common notion that after 1945 a bankrupt Britain and its empire faded from the scene, leaving the United States to become the worlds policeman. The idea that a Washington-led world order snapped into place immediately after the war is accepted by any number of renowned historians. Leebaerts thesis should send everyone back to the original sources. His arguments are buttressed by a scholars scoop, the text of a National Security Council document (NSC 75) he had declassified through the Freedom of Information Act. Historians, he proclaims, have never seen this 40-page document. It was nothing less than an audit of the far-flung British Empire. Nobody before had estimated what the presumed liquidation of the empire would mean for American security. The resounding finding of NSC 75 was that America alone could not take on the uncountable expense of Britains globe-girdling commitments.

Britain was not the 97-pound weakling of the Charles Atlas muscle-building craze of the time. Leebaert is no jingoist like the flag-waving Brexiteers ignorant of history as they lead Britain over a cliff. He recognizes that paying for World War II had drained the United Kingdom of gold and dollar reserves and that devaluation of the pound was inevitable. But he stresses the countervailing points that made Britain an effective international partner, stiffening a jittery America in looming collisions with the Soviet Union. He offers some persuasive bullet points:

 British military and related scientific industries produced higher proportions of wartime output into the 1950s than similar American sectors.

Image

 Britain was ahead in life sciences, civil nuclear energy and jet aviation. The Gloster Meteor was the first jet warplane to enter the war, and the English Electric Canberra high speed jet bomber was adapted by the American Air Force as the B-57.
JEAN HARLEY WAS HERE

By Heather Taylor-Johnson

242 pp. Arcade Books. $24.99.

Whether Orion ought to be feet- or head-up in the night sky depends on the hemisphere. When Stan, a 23-year-old student from South Australia, rides his bike through the Rocky Mountains, he marvels that the constellation is upside down. So does Jean, arriving in the Antipodes 16 months later from the States to cycle around Tasmania. In such celestial allusions lies the DNA of Heather Taylor-Johnsons quirky debut, Jean Harley Was Here, a novel about stars and oceans and destiny, but also about bicycles and point of view.

This is a love story about loss, a sweet romantic comedy that is not meant to be funny but still skews to conventions about overcoming obstacles and finding true love. Jean and Stan first meet after he sideswipes a deer and falls off his bike. Hes banged up, hungry and in need of a few pints, which leads him to the Corner House Grill in Telluride, where Jean works. After dinner, silhouetted against the moon, Stan wants to kiss her, but their timing isnt right. They will meet again, despite the nearly 10,000 miles between their hometowns. The union has been preordained by the universe, or at least by the omniscient voice that periodically pops up to tell us whats what: Stan and Jean were destined to be lovers. It was painted on the walls of prehistoric mountains and sung by the fish in the southern seas; Stan and Jean were written in the stars.

Image

Fast-forward 17 years. The couple are married, living in Adelaide, and the galaxy grew larger with the birth of their son, Orion. Unfortunately for this family, the galaxy will soon contract. It is no spoiler to say that shortly before Orions fifth birthday, Jean is thrown from her bicycle as she rides through the city in the rain; her loss is in the title, Jean Harley Was Here, and the story that unfolds has less to do with her life than with the impact of her death.
The Democracy Issue

To the Editor:

It is unacceptable that your Sept. 16 issue, with a headline that declares Democracy at Risk, contains not a single review by an African-American or any writer of color. The only adult book in the issue written by a writer of color is David Levering Lewiss The Improbable Wendell Willkie. Hooray for Paul O. Zelinskys four reviews of childrens books, all written/illustrated by people of color.

The message conveyed is that the erasure and contempt displayed by the current white supremacist occupants of the White House and at least half of Congress is too often mirrored by the so-called intelligentsia, willingly or not.

JILL NELSON

NEW YORK

The writer is the author of Volunteer Slavery: My Authentic Negro Experience and Finding Marthas Vineyard: African Americans at Home on an Island.



To the Editor:

In reference to Pete Buttigiegs review of Eric Klinenbergs Palaces for the People (Sept. 16): Am I a hopeless reactionary if I think that, rather than becoming a shared space where everyone from schoolchildren doing homework to the video-gaming elderly can get to know one another better, a public library should be a quiet place where people can sit and read without distraction?
JEROME ROBBINS

A Life in Dance

By Wendy Lesser

200 pp. Yale University. $25.

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This brisk biography of Jerry  the groundbreaking choreographer/director of Broadway megahits like West Side Story (1957) and ballet classics like Dances at a Gathering (1969)  neither offers new scholarship nor breaks new ground. Yet it is light and bright, utterly persuaded by its subject and intoxicatingly in love with movement.

Explore the New York Times Book Review Want to keep up with the latest and greatest in books? This is a good place to start. Learn what you should be reading this fall: Our collection of reviews on books coming out this season includes biographies, novels, memoirs and more. See whats new in October: Among this months new titles are novels by Jonathan Franzen, a history of Black cinema and a biography by Katie Couric. Nominate a book: The New York Times Book Review has just turned 125. That got us wondering: What is the best book that was published during that time? Listen to our podcast: Featuring conversations with leading figures in the literary world, from Colson Whitehead to Leila Slimani, the Book Review Podcast helps you delve deeper into your favorite books.



Having conducted only a handful of new interviews, Lesser (founder of The Threepenny Review) leans heavily on biographies by Amanda Vaill and Deborah Jowitt, then seasons the facts with her own accounts of dances  watched, she says, mainly on video in the Jerome Robbins Dance Division at the New York Public Library. (His bequest founded and still helps fund the collection.) And while there are richer and more expert books on Robbins, some readers will want this digest version  part of Yales Jewish Lives series  specifically for its brevity: Its a swift journey through the outrageous stories (Robbinss ice-queen mama stalking out of his 1951 women-as-wasps work The Cage; browbeaten dancers letting him walk backward into an orchestra pit) and a more leisurely one through his masterpieces.

The books weakest moments lie in its armchair assumptions about Robbinss various inner demons. As his diaries tell us, Robbins (ne Rabinowitz) spent a lot of time in therapy, and Lesser tries to insert herself, willy-nilly, into that psychoanalysis. Describing Robbinss process with Leonard Bernstein for the Russian Jewish folklore dance The Dybbuk, for instance, Lesser says, This project felt somehow obligatory: a belated payment due to the partially rejected heritage, a gesture of familial or tribal appeasement. Thats some wild guesswork to make about a mans motivations  particularly one who had made a little show called Fiddler on the Roof just a decade before. Where she oversteps, she stumbles. But Lesser is on surer footing when dealing with a concrete bit of evidence, like the artworks themselves. There you see her indulging in her own bit of micro-choreography. Confidently and sweetly, her admiration leaps off the page.

PLAYING TO THE GODS

Sarah Bernhardt, Eleonora Duse, and the Rivalry That Changed Acting Forever

By Peter Rader

277 pp. Simon & Schuster. $26.
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On April 29, 1986, Los Angeless Central Library caught fire and burned for nearly eight hours. When the flames were finally extinguished, 400,000 books had been completely destroyed. Another 700,000 were damaged. Susan Orlean tells the story of that fire, and writes a homage to libraries in general, in her latest work, The Library Book.

This is the only book Ive ever written where the title we began with is the one we ended with, Ms. Orlean says on this weeks podcast. There was no question along the way of using anything else. (On this episode, Ms. Orlean also shares the original title of her best seller The Orchid Thief.)

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Also on this weeks episode, Reid Hoffman discusses Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies; Alexandra Alter has news from the publishing world; and Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Gregory Cowles and John Williams talk about what people are reading. Pamela Paul is the host.
Sara Paretskys prickly private eye, V. I. Warshawski, could make a good living if shed stick to her specialty, corporate fraud. But the Chicago P.I. has a fierce social conscience, perhaps the fiercest in her field. In todays America, weve been brainwashed into thinking we dont owe each other any help or support, she fumes in SHELL GAME (Morrow, $27.99). The richer we are, the more inclined we are to leave our neighbors and indigent nieces to die on the side of the road.

V. I.s conscience is clear on that count, but her ex-husband, Richard, isnt as scrupulous. After helping his niece Reno find a job, he feels no need to become further involved when she goes missing. Renos sister, Harmony, flies in from Portland expecting Auntie Vic to find her sister, but V. I. already has her hands full working on the murder of an archaeology student who fancied himself a latter-day Lawrence of Arabia. Although its a bit of a stretch, Paretsky manages to integrate the two plotlines by introducing a network of thieves who traffic in stolen antiquities. As one archaeologist notes, Between the U.S. destabilization of Iraq, the wholesale collapse of Syria and the way ISIS helps themselves to artifacts to fund their terror operations, important pieces are being destroyed or scattered around the globe.

V. I. observes the conventions of a private investigation, but only up to a point. To get into an office building after hours, she poses as a maid. (Anyone whos cleaning up after you is part of your furniture, not a person.) Needing a foreign language to hide behind, she improvises with the lyrics to Vissi darte. She wriggles out of another tight spot by throwing up. We may be living in a cool, cool world, but as long as Paretskys hotheaded, quick-witted sleuth is on the job, imperiled young women and the artistic riches of vulnerable nations will always have a champion.

Explore the New York Times Book Review Want to keep up with the latest and greatest in books? This is a good place to start. Learn what you should be reading this fall: Our collection of reviews on books coming out this season includes biographies, novels, memoirs and more. See whats new in October: Among this months new titles are novels by Jonathan Franzen, a history of Black cinema and a biography by Katie Couric. Nominate a book: The New York Times Book Review has just turned 125. That got us wondering: What is the best book that was published during that time? Listen to our podcast: Featuring conversations with leading figures in the literary world, from Colson Whitehead to Leila Slimani, the Book Review Podcast helps you delve deeper into your favorite books.





Is there anything creepier than being stalked on social media? In THE STRANGER GAME (Hanover Square, $25.99), Peter Gadol makes a convincing case that the real-world experience is much creepier and far more dangerous. The narrator of this story, a 40-year-old architect named Rebecca, doesnt think of herself as a stalker. Shes just so full of longing for human contact after her ex-boyfriend, Ezra, disappears that she commits herself to a game she discovered in an online travel journal. There are only three rules: Choose your subjects at random. No contact. Never follow the same stranger twice.
The news came as Saudi Arabia was considering blaming a top intelligence official, Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, for the killing, according to three people with knowledge of the plans. General Assiri is an adviser to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and blaming him could be a bid to deflect scrutiny from the crown prince.

Turkish officials released one of their most striking pieces of evidence yet: a photograph of a frequent companion of the crown princes entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul the day Mr. Khashoggi disappeared.

In the U.S., Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin withdrew from the investor conference in Riyadh next week.

And we spoke to Mr. Khashoggis editor at The Washington Post, Karen Attiah, who has emerged as a leading voice of protest and grief. Its been exhausting, she said.
Unfortunately, Chinas banking system has a big transmission issue when it comes to offering credit to smaller borrowers. At the same time the countrys correcting stock markets make it harder for private companies to raise funds via equity, or borrow using pledge shares. Bond issuance is difficult, too.

Lending data for September showed that total social financing, a homegrown measure of total credit flow, increased to $320 billion, up almost 20 percent year-on-year. But when methodological changes are stripped out, aggregate lending grew only 10.6 percent  mostly from conventional loans.

The problem is the weakness of so-called shadow banking  where money is provided by unregulated lenders  in China. The practice has been heavily constricted by new regulations: Two of the most important categories, new entrusted and trust loans, shrank by a combined 234 billion renminbi, or about $34 billion, in September, having contracted by 190 billion renminbi in August, according to calculations by the economist Ting Lu of Nomura.

It is only a matter of time before policymakers are forced to loosen up. There is no question that Chinas shadow banking industry had become a place to hide a lot of poor quality loans, and officials will need to keep cleaning it up. But they cannot afford to turn it off. The shadow banking industry also functions as an efficient allocator of credit, and reviving instruments like short-term commercial paper  in particular bankers acceptance notes  could help with quick liquidity.

If economic performance continues to wobble, shadow bankers will through necessity become part of the solution  not the problem.
New York courts have long recognized that showing what is in a defendants mind is difficult. There is rarely evidence establishing what a person was thinking at the exact moment of a transaction. In People v. Sala, the New York appeals court explained that fraudulent intent is usually not susceptible of proof by direct evidence and must ordinarily be inferred from circumstantial evidence such as the defendants knowledge of the misleading or deceptive nature of the particular business practices employed.

The use of a fake accountant could go a long way toward proving that there was a scheme to mislead the banks. Under the federal bank fraud statute, the Supreme Court held in 2014 in Loughrin v. the United States that the crime is perpetrating the scheme, not the completion of the fraud that might cause damage to the bank.

But the absence of any loss to the banks raises a potential defense: So what if we fudged the financials a little? Banks often require a statement from a borrower about how the funds will be used, but their primary concern is whether the money will be repaid with interest.

Mr. Vances office has encountered problems in high profile white-collar cases in recent years. In 2015, Abacus Federal Savings Bank, a small lender in New Yorks Chinatown, was acquitted of fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records charges for mortgage loans involving false information. A column in The New York Times described the banks encounter with prosecutors as a surreal trip that began with a 184-count indictment and ended with its exoneration by a jury.

The New York district attorney filed a 106-count indictment in 2014 against three executives of Dewey & LeBoeuf, once a leading Manhattan law firm until it collapsed in 2012, accusing them of fraud. After two trials that each lasted months, only one executive was convicted, receiving a sentence of a $1 million fine and 750 hours of community service.

The result in these cases does not mean the prosecution of IBT Media, Christian Media and their executives is doomed. Unlike the proceedings against Abacus and the Dewey executives, this indictment only lists 10 charges, so it will be a much more streamlined case. That will make it easier to present the case to a jury, which may not have to grapple with a mountain of evidence in trying to discern whether there was an intent to defraud the banks.

But the absence of any loss is sure to be a key point raised by the defendants. If no one was hurt, then can there be a crime? The answer is yes, but the government will need to be persuasive.
But now the A.I. engineers are designing machines they say will think, sense, feel, cogitate, and reflect, and even have a sense of self. Bioengineers are contending that bacteria, plants, animals, and even humans can be radically remade and modified. This means that the traditional distinctions between man and machine, as between humans and nature  distinctions that have underpinned Western philosophy, religion, and even political institutions  no longer hold. In sum, A.I. and gene editing promise (or is it threaten?) to redefine what counts as human and what it means to be human, philosophically as well as poetically and politically.

The questions posed by these experiments are the most profound possible. Will we use these technologies to better ourselves or to divide or even destroy humanity? These technologies should allow us to live longer and healthier lives, but will we deploy them in ways that also allow us to live more harmoniously with each other? Will these technologies encourage the play of our better angels or exacerbate our all-too-human tendencies toward greed, jealousy, and social hierarchy? Who should be included in conversations about how these technologies will be developed? Who will have decision rights over how these technologies are distributed and deployed? Just a few people? Just a few countries?

To address these questions, the Berggruen Institute is building transnational networks of philosophers + technologists + policy-makers + artists who are thinking about how A.I. and gene-editing are transfiguring what it means to be human. We seek to develop tools for navigating the most fundamental questions: not just about what sort of world we can build, but what sort of world we should build  and also avoid building. If A.I. and biotechnology deliver even half of what the visionaries believe is in store, then we can no longer defer the question of what sort of human beings we want to be, both as individuals, and as a collective.

Image Credit... L. Kasimu Harris/Open Society Foundations

STEPHANIE DINKINS

Artist & associate professor of art, Stony Brook University; fellow, Data & Society Research Institute; Soros Equality Fellow; 2018 Resident Artist, Eyebeam

My journey into the world of artificial intelligence began when I befriended Bina48  an advanced social robot that is black and female, like me. The videotaped results of our meetings form an ongoing project called Conversations with Bina48. Our interactions raised many questions about the algorithmically negotiated world now being constructed. They also pushed my art practice into focused thought and advocacy around A.I. as it relates to black people  and other non-dominant cultures  in a world already governed by systems that often offer us both too little and overly focused attention.

Because A.I. is no single thing, its difficult to speak to its overarching promise; but questions abound. What happens when an insular subset of society encodes governing systems intended for use by the majority of the planet? What happens when those writing the rules  in this case, we will call it code  might not know, care about, or deliberately consider the needs, desires, or traditions of people their work impacts? What happens if the codemaking decisions are disproportionately informed by biased data, systemic injustice, and misdeeds committed to preserving wealth for the good of the people?
These days, a trip to the grocery store to pick up milk can be a daunting task. Not only are there new spins on traditional cows milk  ultra-filtered? grass-fed?  but there are also a dizzying array of alternatives made from soy, rice, coconuts, almonds, cashews, hemp and even peas.

Now, Quaker Oats is muscling its way into the aisle with a version based on the grain that made it famous.

In January, the company plans to bring Quaker Oat Beverage  not milk, perhaps because of the debate over whether the word is appropriate for nondairy drinks  to the mass market. It will use the distribution might of its parent company, PepsiCo, in hopes of claiming a big piece of a fast-growing sector.
Good morning. Its not looking good for the Chicago Bears this weekend, going up against New England on Sunday at home, with the Patriots on a three-win streak. But whatever, its football, you could watch a different game if you like, bet a different spread, ignore the whole thing and do some work in the yard, take a walk on the beach, ride somewhere on a bike, read your Susan Orlean.

Above all, you could cook.

You should cook! In these complicated, divisive times, making food for others is a way to make things better for both those at the stove and those at the table. Like, for instance, tomorrow? You could bake an apple and pear galette with apple-cider caramel (above). Its completion (and smell!) offers the possibility that somehow things really are going to be all right.

I might make a salmon pie myself, either to eat right away or to freeze for use on Thanksgiving eve or on some other evening when the house is crowded and theres no time to cook a big meal. Maybe a cassoulet? I could set up some duck prosciutto. Ill absolutely feed my sourdough starter. Thatll deliver waffles on Sunday morning.

Would eating some sweet-potato hash browns with the waffles be over the top? Not for fat bears getting ready for winter. (And heres your bucket list of fall recipes now!)
Someone said to me, Everybody now in Italy, they all want to be a chef, because of the popularity of television programs like MasterChef, said Serge Brunschwig, the chief executive of Fendi.

That was frustrating until he realized: O.K. Were not far from that. So while the rest of the visitors in the room might have seen the boy as a skate kid, Mr. Brunschwig looked at him and saw a potential future employee.

Hence the initiative for Italian high schools hosted by Fendi as part of its Journees Particulieres, the event organized by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (its parent company) to showcase the inner workings of its many brands, which took place last weekend in 76 sites on four continents. For Fendi, it wasnt just about letting people in, however: It was about convincing young people that they should think about job applications.

And its not entirely selfless. If Italys luxury goods sector continues to prosper, there wont be enough highly skilled craftspeople to satisfy demand for their products.
4. What kind of criticism did Ms. Warren get from the right? What about from the left?

5. Why did the Cherokee Nation criticize Ms. Warren?

6. How else has Ms. Warren been preparing for a 2020 presidential bid?

7. Do you think Ms. Warren made the right decision in releasing the results of her DNA test? Was it a politically smart decision? Why or why not?



Finally, tell us more about what you think:

What can this sort of DNA analysis tell us, if anything, about identity?

Alondra Nelson writes in this Op-Ed, The truth is that sets of DNA markers cannot tell us who we really are because genetic data is technical and identity is social. Do you agree that identity is social? Why or why not?

Many Native Americans were angry at Ms. Warren for suggesting that a DNA test can substantiate claims of Cherokee and Delaware heritage. The secretary of state of the Cherokee Nation, Chuck Hoskin Jr., said in a statement:

Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation. Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong. It makes a mockery out of DNA tests and its legitimate uses while also dishonoring legitimate tribal governments and their citizens, whose ancestors are well documented and whose heritage is proven.

Maggie Astor writes in this article how Ms. Warren responds to that criticism:

Ms. Warren defended herself by saying she was not claiming to be eligible for membership in the Cherokee Nation  and she isnt, given that her ancestors do not appear on the Dawes Rolls, early-20th-century government documents that form the basis of the Cherokee citizenship process. She said she was simply corroborating the family stories of Native American lineage that she has often recounted.

The article continues:

But that distinction actually cuts to the heart of why Native Americans are so upset with her. Fundamentally, their anger is about what it means to be Native American  and who gets to decide.

So, what do you think? Who gets to decide an individuals identity? What role does someones own self-concept play? What role does a communitys own definition of identity play? And what role, if any, does the government get to play?

These questions have important implications, since communities are constantly defining who belongs and who doesnt. Who gets to be an American? Who gets to be Jewish or Muslim? Who gets to be white, Hispanic or African-American? And in Ms. Warrens case, who gets to be Native American  or at least, who gets to claim Native American heritage as part of their identity?
Regions of sub-Saharan Africa have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world. Geographical obstacles, scarce financial resources and the terrors of political insurrection can transform what should be one of the happiest times of a womans life into a race for survival. While this issue has been covered extensively from a geopolitical vantage, photographer Valeria Scrilatti traveled to three African nations to explore its effects on individual woman and those who are fighting to help them.

Teaming up with journalist Emanuela Zuccala and with a grant from the European Journalism Center, and carried out in collaboration with Doctors with Africa-Cuamm and Intersos, Ms. Scrilatti visited Sierra Leone, Uganda and Nigeria where she covered a group of medical professionals and health advocates who are significantly improving the outcomes of pregnant woman in those countries. Her project is called Crossing the River and was curated by Zona.

Ms. Scrilatti spent 10 days in each country working in rural communities and found that the factors affecting maternal mortality are different in each country. In Sierra Leone, where the maternal death rate is the highest in the world, Ms. Scrilatti met with and photographed Flaviour Nhawu, a public health advocate who is working with women living in the district of Bonthe to create better transportation options. Roads there are mostly unpaved. In one community, pregnant women who are sometimes already in labor must a cross a river to get to a medical facility that is on an island.
The following reports compile all significant security incidents confirmed by New York Times reporters and stringers throughout Afghanistan. It is necessarily incomplete as many local officials refuse to confirm casualty information.

Based on New York Times reporting, clashes between security forces and Taliban fighters spread to 14 provinces. Suicide attacks and bombings were reported in six additional provinces. One of those provinces, Daikundi, is an anti-Taliban stronghold where insurgent activity had been very rare. On Wednesday, a suicide bomber attacked a NATO military convoy near the main American military base at Bagram, killing civilian bystanders only. And on Thursday, an apparent insider attack at the governors compound in Kandahar left two important Afghan leaders dead. The top American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Austin Scott Miller, was on the compound during the attack, but escaped without injury. The Times confirmed reports of 140 security force members and 56 civilians killed in the past week.



[Read the Afghan War casualty report for Oct. 4-11]

Oct. 18 Kandahar Province: two high-ranking government officials killed

Gen. Abdul Raziq, the powerful police chief of Kandahar, and Gen. Abdul Momin, the provincial chief of National Directorate of Security, were killed in an attack at the governors compound. Gov. Zalmai Wesa, the provincial governor, and the police commander for the southern zone were wounded in the attack. One American service member, one American civilian and one coalition contractor were also wounded.
This canine-themed weeper is based on a novel by the author of A Dogs Purpose and it tells a similarly shaggy tale. This ones about a pooch named Bella whos separated from her med-student owner (Jonah Hauer-King) and journeys hundreds of miles to be reunited. The manipulative trailer leads you by the nose through every beat of the story, as Bryce Dallas Howard narrates Bellas cloying internal monologue and Avicii sings on the soundtrack, Wake me up when its all over. That goes for me as well.
Mr. Cuomo is not exactly known as an eager debater. In 2014  also while being pressed on his reluctance to debate  he said he had participated in debates that were a disservice to democracy. Before Septembers primary election, his Democratic opponent, Cynthia Nixon, also taunted him for his nonresponse to debate invitations, until he ultimately agreed to one televised meeting. Like Mr. Molinaro, Ms. Nixon accused the governor of rigging the debates terms to benefit himself. (She still accepted the invitation.)

To be sure, there is little incentive for Mr. Cuomo to accept a debate. He holds a 23-point lead over Mr. Molinaro in the most recent public poll and has more than 43 times as much money on hand. Several of Mr. Cuomos predecessors did not debate their challenger: not former Republican Gov. George Pataki in 1998, as Mr. Cuomo pointed out on Friday, nor Mr. Cuomos father, former Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, in 1994. (The younger Mr. Cuomo did not mention that one.)

The latest wrangling inspired more ridicule of and from both candidates. Mr. Molinaro accused the governor of ruling by fiat and suggested that Mr. Cuomo was disrespecting Jewish voters by offering to hold the debate during the Sabbath.

The governors supporters pointed out that Mr. Molinaro had once declared that he would debate Mr. Cuomo standing up, sitting down, in a chair, at the fair  with a fox, in a box, in a plane, on a train, suggesting that he was being hypocritical by refusing a proffered opportunity.
When did you become politically active?

I was 12. My party was the Peace and Freedom Party. And when I was 14, turning 15, Im telling adults you got to register in this party so people can vote against the war.

But you served in the military, right?

I was drafted in June 1972. I was 19. When my number came up, I enlisted in the Marine Corps, but they never ordered me to active duty. They knew about my antiwar activity before I went in the Marine Corps, they had a little file and they had little pictures of me at demonstrations. They said, Why do you want to be a Marine? I said, My draft number came up and youre the best. That was my story and I stuck to it.

So how and when did you go Green?

I had been involved in Clamshell Alliance. We occupied the Seabrook nuclear power plant site. We got 1,414 people arrested. That kind of put the antinuclear movement on the map. We had people come from all over the country and its right after the Vietnam War movement  a lot of activists looking for something to do. A woman named Charlene Spretnak and a physicist named Fritjof Capra wrote a book called Green Politics, which really didnt capture the German Greens  it was kind of her new-age take on it  but then people said youve got to start a party. So they invited people and I was one of the people who got invited. That was in St. Paul, Minn., in August 1984.

You first ran for office in 1993, for Syracuse Common Council. Why did you run?

The Syracuse Green Party chapter already existed when I got to Syracuse in 1991. In 1993, it decided it was time to run in local elections. They figured their work on the issues they were concerned about in the city was being taken for granted by the elected officials, who gave them lip service but no action.

So they asked me to run for councilor-at-large. Then every year, the local Greens would ask me to run again. Running every year was never a plan, it just evolved.
Former Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly later described the departments conduct as one of its finest hours.

In 2012, a federal judge ruled that the departments mass arrests of demonstrators were illegal. Two years later, the city wound up paying nearly $18 million in damages to settle related civil rights claims. And earlier, during the Iraq War protests in 2003, mounted police charged into groups of protesters unprovoked; civil liberties groups took notice.

According to the police, groups like the Proud Boys  of which the department is aware, according to a spokesman  and others espousing far-right ideologies are tracked by the Major Investigations Unit of its Intelligence Bureau, but it is unclear how prepared the department is to deal with virulent fanaticism. Last year, a white supremacist from Baltimore traveled to New York specifically for the purpose of killing black men; he turned himself in after fatally stabbing Timothy Caughman, 66, with a sword in Midtown Manhattan.

In the second quarter of this year, felony assault complaints categorized as hate crimes nearly tripled over the first quarter, to 14. And during the summer, a white supremacist group known as Identify Evropa unfurled a banner in Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan, calling for an end to immigration. Congressman Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat who represents the largely Dominican district, held a vigil a few days later after that rally.

He told me that he could recall no police presence at the original event.

Incursions from groups like Identity Evropa or the Proud Boys are a relatively new phenomenon in New York. But Portland, Ore., for example, has been trying to quiet the frequent and violent clashes between these groups and anti-fascist protesters for some time.

There, too, the question of police bias has been intensely debated. On Monday, Portlands mayor, Ted Wheeler, told local reporters that during a political demonstration in August, the police found members of an extreme-right group known as Patriot Prayer on a rooftop parking lot before a protest downtown. They were armed with rifles, the police said, but no arrests were made.

The police argued that permits were held for all the firearms they found and that the members of the group complied with their directives.
A man the police believe is a member of the Proud Boys, a far-right group that clashed with protesters in a brawl last week in Manhattan, was arrested Thursday, the police said.

The man, Geoffrey Young, 38, of New City, N.Y., was arrested at his home and charged with rioting and attempted assault. The police are still investigating the fight, which happened as people associated with the Proud Boys were leaving an event at the Metropolitan Republican Club last Friday.

Videos show a heavy police presence as the groups founder, Gavin McInnes, left the event, with dozens of protesters gathered behind a police barricade across the street.

Image Geoffrey Young, 38, of New City, N.Y. Credit... New York Police Department

Deborah Coughlin, the president of the Metropolitan Republican Club, said she had received hostile phone calls from people demanding the events cancellation last week, and she contacted the police the day before the event. Early on the morning of the event, vandals spray-painted anti-fascist graffiti on the clubs doors, glued the locks with caulk and threw bricks through the windows, the police said.
The Right to Know law seeks to make certain that officers ask explicitly for consent for searches that require it. Crucially, the police must tell people that they can refuse a search, and that a search cannot happen without their permission. Officers must affirm that people understand what is happening.

Police officers have to record a person giving or refusing consent on body cameras if they wear them, and by hand if they do not. (All uniformed patrol officers will be required to wear body cameras by the end of the year.) Officers also must provide interpretation if a person speaks limited English.

The consent requirements do not apply to searches conducted with a warrant or under other exceptions to the Fourth Amendments protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. Those include when an officer sees evidence of a crime in plain view and when an emergency requires an officer to take immediate action to save lives.

When will people receive a business card from an officer?

Police officers were already required to give business cards to people who requested them after a stop. Officers must now hand out the cards  which list the officers name, rank and command, and the reason for the encounter  whenever they stop or search people they suspect are involved in a criminal activity who are ultimately not arrested or given a summons.

The police do not have to offer the cards during traffic stops, which make up a large portion of their encounters with civilians.

The card rule applies to stops at roadblocks and checkpoints, except for security at special events or locations that might be targets of crime . So, officers conducting bag checks at a subway station entrance do not need to hand out cards to people they stop. But if the police stop subway passengers after they have entered the station and release them, officers must offer the cards.

Officers assigned to cases must also offer business cards to crime victims and witnesses they interview.
The founder of the far-right group the Proud Boys said on Friday that he was arranging the surrender of several members whom the police are seeking in connection with a violent brawl outside a Republican club in Manhattan last weekend.

At the same time, a senior official said the police had opened a broad criminal inquiry into the groups activities.

Gavin McInnes, 48, a polemical far-right speaker who started the Proud Boys in 2016, said several suspects would turn themselves in. By late Friday afternoon, two of the nine men sought by the police had been arrested. A police official said a lawyer representing at least four of the suspects had called the 19th Precinct on Friday to work out the details of their surrender.

Though it was unclear how many might face charges, Mr. McInnes said the rest would soon be in custody. They are going to be in the Tombs, he said.
LONDON  Anthea Bell, the rare translator who, despite her best efforts to stay hidden, became a name herself in bringing works by Franz Kafka, Sigmund Freud and other major writers to English audiences, died on Thursday in Cambridge, England. She was 82.

Her death, in a hospital, was confirmed by her son Oliver Kamm, who said her health had been in decline since she was left frail by a stroke in 2016.

All my professional life, I have felt that translators are in the business of spinning an illusion: the illusion that the reader is reading not a translation, but the real thing, Ms. Bell told a conference in 2004. She added that she liked simple translations that could seduce readers into loving the translated books.

For all her mastery of great literature, however, Ms. Bell was most celebrated in her native Britain for her translations of the French-language Asterix comic-book series, about a village of Gauls resisting Roman occupation.
Evelyn Anthony, a best-selling British novelist who transitioned from historical fiction to espionage thrillers, becoming one of the first female writers to explore the spy genre, died on Sept. 25 at her home in Essex, northeast of London. She was 92.

Her son Barley Ward Thomas said the cause was heart failure.

As her writing career began in the early 1950s, Evelyn Ward Thomas took on the pseudonym Evelyn Anthony (for St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost items). The name stuck, first on the short stories she wrote for magazines and then on novels that reimagined the lives of monarchs, most of them British.

She wrote a trilogy about Catherine the Great, starting with Rebel Princess (1953), and books about Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert; Queen Elizabeth I; and Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII.

A reviewer for The Los Angeles Times wrote that in Anne Boleyn: A Novel (1957), Ms. Anthony realizes a full-blooded, engaging and tragic character in Anne and makes the most of the intrigue and momentous events of the period.
Lisbeth Palme, a crucial witness in one of the biggest unsolved crimes in modern European history, the 1986 murder of her husband, Prime Minister Olof Palme of Sweden, has died at 87.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven noted her death on Thursday in a Facebook post, calling Ms. Palme, a child psychologist, a committed champion of the childs right, a reference to her work on childrens issues for the United Nations and others. The date and location of her death were not immediately reported.

Ms. Palme had just left a movie theater in Stockholm with her husband on the night of Feb. 28, 1986, when someone stepped out of the shadows and fired several shots. Mr. Palme, who was not accompanied by security guards, collapsed on the sidewalk; once the police arrived, it took them a while to realize who he was, although Ms. Palme is said to have shouted: Dont you see who it is? Theyve shot my Olof!
Russias effort to keep Ukraine under its thumb prompted a revolution in 2014 and a war that has claimed more than 10,000 lives. It also prompted, on Monday, what may be one of the most serious splits in Christendom since the Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople in 1054 and the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago. This new crisis has deep historical roots, and could shape religious and secular ties among many countries for years to come.

Heres what happened: The Church of Russia announced this week that it was breaking ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has primacy in Orthodoxy and which has decided to give autonomy to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This decision stems directly from Moscows annexation of Crimea and its support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, although Ukrainians had long been unhappy about their church remaining subordinate to Russias, as it had been since 1686. This year, their president, Parliament and religious leaders petitioned the leader of the Constantinople Patriarchate, Bartholomew, to grant their church independence  or autocephaly, as it is known in the church.

These developments will have serious implications within Ukraine. Its mostly Orthodox population is divided among three main churches; the newly independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate would gain influence and most likely seek to take over houses of worship and other property from the church under Moscows jurisdiction, which, until now, was the largest in Ukraine and the only one recognized by other churches.

This will further strain relations between Ukraine and Russia. Also, the break in relations between Moscow and the Ecumenical Patriarchate could weaken the latter if other Orthodox churches follow Russia in rejecting Constantinoples primacy. The shock waves would affect relations between churches that find themselves on either side of the divide, forcing them, too, to sever ties. The churches of Poland, Serbia and Antioch (Syria) have already come out on Russias side.
To the Editor:

Re Taliban Assassinate Afghan Police Chief Ahead of Elections (news article, Oct. 19):

Our relationship with Afghanistan has all the earmarks of a bad marriage. After every effort toward making it work, something happens to drive home the futility of it all.

What happened this time? The Taliban audaciously launched an insider attack in the compound of the governor of Kandahar. Among the dead were a senior Afghan police chief and the provincial head of intelligence. Three Americans were wounded .

Our government is invested in pressing ahead with this dangerous and nonsensical adventure because the alternative is to admit that our strategy has been misguided.

Its time to face reality, and that means not a trial separation, but a real divorce. No more squandered American lives. No more $45 billion a year down the drain. Saving Afghanistan, something beyond our ability in any case, will not make America safer because terrorists can, and do, train anywhere. Even defeating the Taliban (thats not happening, either) would bring only ephemeral benefit and set up the arrival of the next generation of Taliban, or other groups with other names.
To the Editor:

Re Heitkamp Rebukes Senate Challenger for #MeToo Remarks That Hit Home (news article, Oct. 9):

Kevin Cramer, the Republican challenger to Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, has called #MeToo a movement to victimization . He says North Dakotans appreciate the value of his saying what a lot of other people dont dare say  but think. Let s consider that statement for a minute.

If you are thinking something but are embarrassed or afraid to say it out loud, that is probably a clue that what you are thinking is not good. Its quite possible what you are thinking is not supported by sound moral values.

Instead of doubling down on those questionable thoughts (voting for someone who says that stuff out loud), maybe you should pause and really contemplate what youre thinking, asking why you yourself dont dare say those things.

Alan Caldwell

Dearborn, Mich.
This year, Democrats in Michigan  which Trump won  are running women for every statewide office: governor, senator, attorney general and secretary of state. A poll last month shows that Michigan women favor Democrats by over 20 percentage points. Campaigning for the Democratic nomination for attorney general, Dana Nessel ran an ad asking, Who can you trust most not to show you their penis in a professional setting?

Whitmer doesnt lean in to gender to quite this degree. But she first came to national prominence in 2013 when, as the State Senate minority leader, she gave a wrenching speech imploring her colleagues to reject a bill that would force women to buy special insurance riders if they wanted coverage for abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, things no one plans for. Setting aside her prepared remarks, she revealed that shed been raped in college. Its something Ive hidden for a long time, but I think you need to see the face of the women that you are impacting by this vote today, she said.

Baring her soul didnt work; the bill passed. In this, she prefigured Christine Blasey Ford, who blew up her life to testify that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school, only to see him confirmed anyway. Whitmer described how depressing and demoralizing it was to watch Blasey come forward and subject herself to the worlds hostile scrutiny, and then it not making a difference.

But the demoralization didnt last. On the Sunday after Kavanaugh was confirmed, Whitmer held a packed rally with New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in Birmingham, Mich. It felt just like I was back at the Womens March, she said. The previous day had been terrible for a lot of women, but they were showing up, and seeing one another, and saying weve got work to do.

I showed Whitmer my friends text and asked her if she was really confident that Democrats would make the midterms a turning point. I am, she said. I see it every day. I talk to people every day.

Now, part of the job of a good politician is projecting optimism. But again and again over the horrible months of Trumps reign, Ive found that spending time with the women who are working their hearts out against him is at least a temporary cure for despair. So if you, too, are scared, or furious, or despondent, find a Democrat close to you and go canvass for her (or him). Its the best way to feel good about the world and connect with people, Whitmer said.
One of the plaintiffs in the case, Lucille Vivier, said the police department, the paramedics and Federal Express each had a different address for her on file. And none of those addresses appeared on her tribal ID, which Ms. Vivier presented when she tried to vote in 2014. She was turned away by the poll worker, a woman she had known since she was 5 years old. Another voter was turned away by her own niece.

I wasnt surprised to learn that addresses were being used as a tool for disenfranchisement. Governments have, intentionally or not, long excluded their most marginalized citizens from this crucial aspect of legal identity. There are still at least tens of millions of city dwellers around the world who dont have an address.

Street names and house numbers werent inevitable; they were invented. Almost 250 years ago, for example, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria began to number the homes across her vast realm to enable mass conscription of men to fight her wars. As Anton Tantner of the University of Vienna has chronicled, more than a thousand officers fanned out across her empire, painting on each house a number in black paint made from oil and boiled bones, while recording who lived there on preprinted forms.

Violent protests broke out occasionally across Europe as subjects realized house numbers were yet another way governments could exercise control over their money, time and bodies. A Swiss visitor to Austria was horrified to see numbers on the houses which appear to us a symbol of the hand of the rule determinedly taking possession of the private individual.

But with the burdens of street addresses came privileges. House numbering was one of the most important innovations of the era of Enlightenment, Mr. Tantner said. Assigning each house a number simultaneously advanced two bedrock principles of Enlightenment thought: rationality and equality. Cities were now easy to navigate, and people easy to find. A peasants home was numbered in the same way as an aristocrats. And residents soon noticed the advantages in mail delivery and advertising rewards for lost pets, like the Bolognese puppy, a male white all over and having blue eyes but with one lighter blue than the other and a small muzzle and a black nose whose lonely owner was waiting for him at No. 222 Bognergasse in the winter of 1771.
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In May of 2017, Greg Gianforte  then a Republican businessman running for Montanas lone seat in the House of Representatives  got angry at a journalist who was asking him questions about health-care policy. Gianforte then picked up the journalist, Ben Jacobs of The Guardian, and slammed him to the ground.

Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him, said Alicia Acuna, a Fox News reporter who witnessed the attack. Gianforte then began punching the man, as he moved on top the reporter and began yelling something to the effect of Im sick and tired of this! (You can listen to an audio tape of the incident.)

Police later charged Gianforte with assault, and he pleaded guilty. A judge ordered him to report to the Gallatin County jail to have his mugshot and fingerprints taken, as Whitney Bermes of the Bozeman Daily Chronicle explains. Gianfortes punishment included a six-month deferred sentence, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger-management counseling, $385 in payment to the court and $4,464.97 in restitution to Jacobs.
Let there be light. Please.

In the matter of the ideal New York City apartment, many seekers are hot for the sun. Alas, the sun is not always hot for them.

Its an amenity that many people cant afford (particularly if, as is sometimes the case, it is tied in with a view and thus commands a premium) or one that expresses itself briefly and rarely, a small square of light in a corner of the living room for seven minutes during the summer months. And sometimes the sun is utterly faithless, here today and gone tomorrow  blotted out by the behemoth going up next door, down the block or across the street. Welcome to New York.

Its true that plenty of apartment hunters dont put light anywhere near the top of their must-have lists (more about this in a minute), but unless they are descended from a long line of vampires, most people are going to want at least a dappling of sun, if for no other reason than ease of resale.

Then there are those who view light as an elemental need, one that trumps everything else, including location, closets, level floors, an elevator, a doorman and proximity to Trader Joes.
Flying toward the sun is like running down a steep hill. Near the bottom of the hill, it is hard to slow down, which is essentially what BepiColombo needs to do before it can swing into orbit around Mercury, instead of just whizzing by.

The first spacecraft to go to Mercury, NASAs Mariner 10 in 1974, made the trip in less than five months. But that was only a short flyby, passing within 450 miles of the surface. It made two additional flybys but never entered orbit.

A rocket engine could act as a brake, but that would require far more fuel than BepiColombo would be able to carry.
As the weeks wore on, I sought solace from friends and therapy while Eric turned inward, comforted only by the thought of having another child. I wanted another baby, too, but I also wanted to travel, sell our house, start over  all things Eric resisted.

If we stayed together, it was mostly in proximity, necessitated by our shared goal of becoming parents again. We spent a year having sad, purposeful sex. Then, as I approached my 36th birthday, we sought help from a fertility specialist, who pronounced us infertile, refusing to treat us unless we used an egg donor. Then a second doctor agreed to a Hail Mary round of in vitro fertilization for $18,000.

When we learned I was pregnant with twins, our community  most of whom knew nothing of our struggle to become pregnant  celebrated with us, using words like miracle. Meanwhile, I surveyed the damage.

Having more children did not reduce the sadness that had become the identifying feature of our marriage, but it did force our hearts to expand to accommodate other, happier emotions.

My life acquired a richness that did not exist before Seamus died, as if it had switched from black-and-white television to high definition color. I was surprised by the way ordinary pleasures  birds on our feeder, the sticky grasp of toddler fingers or a sip of water after a run  counterweighed the sorrow.

If Deirdres daughter didnt make it, this is what I would want to tell her: that grief is exactly as painful as you think it will be, but with time you will learn to love your sadness because of the tiny shoots of joy and gratitude that sprout around it, like new growth on scorched earth.
You cannot dictate the rules of engagement, Mr. Maple said. If the enemy is going to do something, then you have to do something as well. No matter what rules you put in place, in a conflict situation the rules will go out the window.

Defense contractors, identifying a new source of revenue, are eager to build the next-generation machinery. Last year, Boeing reorganized its defense business to include a division focused on drones and other unmanned weaponry. The company also bought Aurora Flight Sciences, a maker of autonomous aircrafts. Other defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems and Raytheon are making similar shifts.

Mr. Maple, who has worked in the field for over four decades, estimates military spending on unmanned military vehicles such as drones and ships will top $120 billion over the next decade.

No completely autonomous weapons are known to be currently deployed on the battlefield, but militaries have been using technology to automate for years. Israels Iron Dome air-defense system automatically detects and destroys incoming rockets. South Korea uses autonomous equipment to detect movements along the North Korean border.

Mr. Maple expects more collaboration between humans and machines before there is an outright transfer of responsibility to robots. Researchers, for example, are studying how aircrafts and tanks can be backed by artificially intelligent fleets of drones.

In 2016, the Pentagon highlighted its capabilities during a test in the Mojave Desert. More than 100 drones were dropped from a fighter jet in a disorganized heap, before quickly coming together to race toward and encircle a target. From a radar video shared by the Pentagon, the drones look like a flock of migrating starlings.

There were no humans at the controls of the drones as they flew overhead, and the machines didnt look much different from those any person can buy from a consumer-electronics store. The drones were programmed to communicate with each other independently to collectively organize and reach the target.
LONDON  Prime Minister Theresa May has struggled to build support for her plan for Britains exit from the European Union. Now, it turns out, some of the opposition has come from an unknown organization posting ads to millions of people on Facebook.

In the past 10 months, the organization spent more than 250,000 pounds on ads pushing for a more severe break from the European Union than Mrs. May has planned. The ads reached 10 million to 11 million people, according to a report published on Saturday by a House of Commons committee investigating the manipulation of social media in elections.

The ads, which disappeared suddenly this week, linked to websites for people to send prewritten emails to their local member of Parliament outlining their opposition to Mrs. Mays negotiations with the European Union.

We voted to leave the E.U., to take back control of our money and borders, one ad said.

Who was behind the campaign remains a mystery. The name attached to it was Mainstream Network, a group that does not appear to exist in Britain, beyond the ads and a website. There is no information on Facebook or on Mainstream Networks site about who is behind the organization.
This is Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right candidate that may become Brazils next president. Hes been compared to President Trump and Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte for his highly controversial statements, including his embrace of the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil for 20 years. Bolsonaro is a retired military captain who has been in Congress since 1991. Hes been in the fringe far right for most of his political career, making headlines more for his outrageous statements than for any political achievements. In one infamous episode in 2003, he had an argument with a fellow congresswoman who accused him of promoting violence. Over the years, hes had a long list of other divisive remarks. Last year, as he was toying with a presidential run, he managed to take aim at several groups in one statement alone. Despite the incendiary comments, Bolsonaros popularity has grown in recent years. Hes vowed to crack down on crime, a message that is resonating with many Brazilians. Bolsonaro wants to make it easier to own guns and has said hed give police permission to kill suspects. But most of all, he represents extreme opposition to the leftist Workers Party, of former President Lula, whos now in jail serving a 12-year sentence on corruption charges. Bolsonaros Workers Party rival in the election is Fernando Haddad, a former mayor of Sao Paulo and minister under Lula. Bolsonaro uses voters distrust in the Workers Party to his favor and relies heavily on social media to spread his message. In September, he was stabbed during a rally and spent three weeks in a hospital. He continued to campaign through live videos on Facebook. But his past statements continue to spark anger. Women across the country have rallied against Bolsonaro using the hashtag #EleNao, or Not Him. Despite the critics, Bolsonaro continued rising in polls. In the first round of the election, he won 46% of the vote. Hes going to a runoff on Oct. 28 against Haddad, who now faces an uphill battle.
The playwright herself grew up in the suburbs of Phoenix, the product of an interracial marriage. Bhira is from Yuba City in Northern California and Ms. Backhauss father, Andrew, is a German-Catholic from New Jersey.

My first reaction when I read it was, Wow, youve been listening,  Bhira said in a phone interview.

Ms. Backhauss parents never urged her to marry a Punjabi man. In fact, it was Bhira (now a novelist and English professor) who was ostracized for marrying outside the community, to a man she met in college. (Andrew works at a Tempe-based company that specializes in high-altitude training.)

Bhiras father was among the earliest Punjabi immigrants to the United States. Neither parent met her husband until Bhiras mother was dying of breast cancer. Her father died 11 months later, never having explicitly forgiven her.

Bhira wanted a different experience for her own daughter.

She always said, You can do whatever you want to do. You can believe whatever you want to do. Well support you in that, Ms. Backhaus said of her mother.

Her parents encouraged her to pursue theater at New York University and never pressured her to attend engineering or medical school, a story many first generation South Asian children know well  and is winked at in the play.
Reaching the summit of Mount Everest is a triumph for any climber, but for Erik Weihenmayer, the accomplishment is even more impressive. Thats because he is blind. Born with a rare eye disease, Mr. Weihenmayer lost his sight at age 13 and later discovered a sense of freedom through climbing. Over the years, the 50-year-old has reached the highest peaks on seven continents and also kayaked the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

A former schoolteacher, Mr. Weihenmayer co-founded No Barriers, a nonprofit organization that teaches outdoor skills to those with physical challenges. Earlier this month, No Barriers staged its annual summit in New York, with many of the workshops taking place on the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

The following are edited excerpts from a conversation with Mr. Weihenmayer.

How did you develop an interest in climbing?

Growing up in Connecticut, my Dad would drive me three hours to Massachusetts once a month to this adventure program for the blind. They took us to New Hampshire and we rock climbed on these beautiful granite rock faces. It was very tactile. Thats what I really loved about it. You can feel all these little knobs and cracks and fissures and little dishes in the rock. So youre problem-solving with your hands and feet as your eyes. You had to put your body in all these cool, acrobatic positions to get yourself from point A to point B and youre trying to solve this puzzle thats embedded in the rock. I loved the great adventure and mystery and full engagement. I got to the top and I could hear the valley below me. I could hear the wind blowing through the trees. And I thought this is so stunning. This is what I want out of my life.
On a moody August morning in British Columbia, two humpback whales swam beside the floating Great Bear Lodge, exciting guests who watched them feeding and lunging out of the water for fish. Posted to Instagram, the video of the exuberant wildlife encounter went viral and the lodges following grew from 600 to nearly 50,000. Booking inquiries jumped 1,350 percent that week.

Such is the power of Instagram, the popular photo-driven social media platform, now with over one billion users. Harnessing it has become a quest in the travel industry, where pretty pictures are staple sales tools. It may be impossible to assemble whales on demand, but travel businesses are otherwise reconfiguring their look and the experiences they offer with visual posts in mind.

Instagram is figuratively and literally reshaping travel, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and the president of Atmosphere Research Group. Now you see airports, airlines, cruise ships, hotels and points of interest designing or redesigning their interiors to be Instagram-friendly.

Instagram still lags behind Facebook in terms of users and demographic diversity, according to Phocuswright, a travel industry research group. Among travelers who shop online, it found 71 percent of those 55 and older use Facebook while 71 percent of those 18 to 34 use Instagram.
A wide range of evidence indicates that Democratic voters are poised to vote in numbers unseen in a midterm election in at least a decade.

Democrats have largely erased the turnout deficit that hobbled them during the Obama presidency, according to results from more than 50 New York Times Upshot/Siena College polls of the most competitive House battleground districts.

Democrats may even be poised to post higher turnout than Republicans, a rarity, in many relatively white suburban districts on Nov. 6.

But its not clear if this blue turnout surge will extend much further, particularly among young and nonwhite voters. Whether Democrats turn out broadly could make the difference between a fairly close fight for control of the House and sweeping Democratic gains of 40 or more seats.
Good morning.

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The turnout was thin in Berkeley on Thursday for ShakeOut, an earthquake drill that has expanded to seismic-prone areas across the globe. Its the 10th anniversary of the drill, which was conceived as a way to remind California residents of the dangers of earthquakes  and to remind them to drop to the floor, cover their head and neck, and crawl under a desk when they feel the shaking start.

Forrest Lanning, the earthquake program manager in California for FEMA, warned the handful of reporters in attendance at the Berkeley event that many Californians will be on their own after an earthquake hits.

FEMA is not going to be able to come in and save everybody, he said.

Mr. Lanning, an engineer who lived for four years in New Zealand when that country was rebuilding after the series of earthquakes in Christchurch, said one of the biggest problems California will face after an earthquake is housing. In a state already suffering a homeless and housing crisis, a large earthquake could force hundreds of thousands of people out of their dwellings.

Mr. Lanning said there were no good answers about how California will handle earthquake homelessness.
As Catholic bishops try to reassure the flock that the church is finally confronting the scourge of sexual abuse by priests, it has fallen to Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, the president of the American bishops conference, to lead the effort.

I have no illusions about the degree to which trust in the bishops has been damaged by these past sins and failures, said Cardinal DiNardo, in one of the many statements he has issued on sexual abuse in recent weeks. It will take work to rebuild that trust.

Yet Cardinal DiNardo himself has recently been criticized for allowing a priest accused of abuse to serve in a parish in his archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, disregarding the warnings by a young woman who said she told the cardinal in person seven years ago that this priest had molested her when she was 16.

The priest, who also served as the vicar for Hispanics for the archdiocese, was not removed from ministry until August, when a second victim stepped forward and the priest was arrested and charged with four counts of indecency with a child.
This is the most severe weather anyone here has ever seen, Ms. Cox said. We have got to find a way to talk to people about whats happening. Im not sure how to do that. The best I can come up with is to call it climate variability. Thats an expression people seem to accept.

Farmers and state officials in Georgia, Florida and Alabama are still trying to assess the damage done by Michael, which had the strongest sustained winds of any storm to hit the Southeast since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. But the destruction is already believed to be on a scale not previously seen in Georgia, a $65 billion-a-year agricultural powerhouse.

The states total losses, clustered in the southwest, could top $2.5 billion, according to Gary W. Black, the state agriculture commissioner. The cotton crop this year could be a near total loss, with damage estimated at between $300 million and $800 million.

Crop insurance will cover a fraction of that damage, in part because payouts are calculated on a 10-year average yield kept low by the damage done by Hurricane Irma last year, said Plenn Hunnicutt, an executive with South Georgia Crop Insurance. That was nothing by comparison, Mr. Hunnicutt said. Everything south of Mitchell County, thats basically gone now.

In many parts of Georgia, climate change is infrequently discussed. A half-dozen conversations with farmers, academics and agricultural officials were cut short, politely, when the words global warming were uttered.

Thats politics, and I dont want to get into it, said Raynor Churchwell, a programs specialist with the Georgia Farm Bureau. Weather is going to happen, its not something we think too much about.
What was your initial reaction to the James Craig Anderson case?

James Craig Anderson should not have died. Unfortunately, he simply was the victim of a society which as yet has not healed itself. He had a family, and by all accounts was an employed, law-abiding citizen. His flaw: Being an African-American, being an innocent victim enveloped in the clutches of robotic, mechanical racial hatred, the seeds of which were planted and nurtured by racist literature, demagoguery, and ignorance.

In the documentary, you say, I could have been out there walking. What did you mean by that?

I was trying to make a point. Racism, which is blind, is immune to positions of wealth, learning, intelligence, or even Christian principles. When I take off my robe and walk the streets, to unfamiliar observers I am simply an African-American, naked and unclothed with the armor of my office. Over my years on the bench here in Mississippi, I have presided over numerous matters involving race. I have recognized race hatred, by both African-Americans and whites. The race of the perpetrator does not matter.

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After the trial, some relatives of the defendants and one of their lawyers accused you of reverse racism. What did you think of this accusation?

This notion of reverse discrimination is one that has plagued racial progress. The term usually signifies apathy for the rights bestowed upon African-Americans, rights already enjoyed by most whites. But I said usually signifies. In situations where reverse discrimination actually does exist, it should not be tolerated. We should not tolerate reverse discrimination anymore than we should tolerate racism.

During the sentencing phase of the trial, you called Sarah Gravess mother to the stand. And after the trial, you sat down with her and asked her to reflect on her prejudices. Why?
Gender Letter helps you keep up with the world, and the women shaping it. Tell me what you think at dearmaya@nytimes.com.

Ive spent the past weeks combing through the details of the allegations against hundreds of powerful men whose professional lives were upended as a result of #MeToo: chronicling exactly what they were accused of; fact-checking those accusations; uncovering who, if anyone, stepped into their vacated roles; and what theyve done since.

Its been a painstaking task, and a sobering one (you can scroll through the results here). S everal of the men we assumed had lost their jobs and their reputations in the last year actually received huge payouts, have since attracted investors or, in some cases, quietly returned to their industries without much notice. (Certainly without Louis C.K.-levels of attention, or debate.)

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Who are these men? They are:

Garrison Keillor, the Minnesota Public Radio host who lost his job following allegations of inappropriate behavior in November. And yet in April, M.P.R. quietly returned archived episodes of Mr. Keillors flagship programs, A Prairie Home Companion and The Writers Almanac, to their websites, and paid him $275,000 for the deal. Mr. Keillor said that the agreement means that we move on to more interesting things. He recently restarted The Writers Almanac as a podcast.

The filmmaker James Toback, accused by nearly 400 women of sexual misconduct, whose new film, The Private Life of a Modern Woman premiered at the Oldenburg Film Fest in Germany last month. (At the time, the actress Chantal Cousineau tweeted: THIS is #rapeculture in the flesh. To which the films distributor, Paul Thiltges, replied: We love the movie and will continue to defend it against all odds .)

Mike Cagney, who stepped down as chief executive of Social Finance the month before the Weinstein investigation was published amid allegations that not only had he behaved badly, but that hed encouraged a company culture of sexual harassment. He has since secured about $50 million in funding for a new venture.

As for the men who received, or may receive, a financial windfall to cushion the blow:

Michael Ferro, chairman of the newspaper publisher Tronc, who stepped down hours before Fortune magazine published an article about accusations of sexual misconduct; Jerry Richardson, the founder and former owner of Carolina Panthers, who was revealed to have paid women to keep mum about sexual harassment; and Les Moonves, the former chief executive of CBS.



Mr. Ferro is expected to be paid $5 million per year by Tronc to serve as a consultant . Mr. Richardson sold his team for at least $2.2 billion, a record amount. And Mr. Moonves could get a severance package of more than $100 million, depending on what the networks investigation turns up.

It all raises the questions of how long is long is enough for someone to be exiled from their respective fields, and who gets to make that decision.
Looking past the apparent faults of Trump, and including the support of the evangelical movement, what do they see in him to vest their hopes in him? Do they believe he can deliver something to them no one else can, or is it just that people are so sick of politics and politicians that this is a black eye to try and change the system?  Brent Smith, Ireland, originally from New Zealand

A number of readers have sent similar comments and questions, reflecting a shared perception from liberals abroad who have been mystified and at times dismayed by recent events in the United States. This is particularly true in Canada and in countries in the European Union, both staunch allies that have been treated with unexpected scorn by the president.

These questions are so fundamental and so profound  they speak so directly to what many Americans hear when we speak to non-Americans  that I dont feel I can address them without help. So Im going to turn this over to another reader, Barry Alexander, who is from Jackson, Tenn., and wrote in with this to say about Mr. Trump and his appeal:

The president is very different than any other in the modern age. Everyone should try very hard to keep his style and personality separate from his policies and proposals. I would not tweet as he does, nor campaign around the country, and many other style attributes.

The president also has a style of politics that today is working. You or I might not like it, but he beat a large field of Republicans, and of course Hillary Clinton as well. He is quite predictable, he will almost always keep his policy promises, or  if he needs Congress  try to keep them. He puts our country first and, I feel, does not really care if we are popular around the world. In fact, if we are popular that means to me that they are taking advantage of us.

Theres a lot to discuss here. Please keep the questions and comments coming in to dearsarah@nytimes.com.

The Media and the Missing Saudi Dissident

It is quite clear that something uniquely horrifying happened to Jamal Khashoggi, the dissident Saudi journalist who walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul a couple of weeks ago and never walked out again.

But whether he was in fact drugged, tortured, killed and then dismembered with a bone saw, as widespread reports are saying, Mr. Khashoggis non-reappearance has created a very unpleasant problem for the United States. Saudi Arabia is the countrys biggest ally, trading partner and arms recipient in the Middle East, and a key player in the campaign against Iran, an object of the presidents particular ire.
GREENVILLE, S.C.  Three prominent female Democrats all but openly began running for president this week, taking their most active steps yet to challenge President Trump and claim leadership of a movement of moderate and liberal women that has come to define their party during the 2018 elections.

Senator Kamala Harris of California on Friday took the stage in a church in the early primary state of South Carolina, as an audience chanted: Madam president! A day earlier, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York visited similarly crucial New Hampshire, calling the November election a pivotal moment for women. And Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts left little doubt about her intentions when she released a genetic test indicating she has Native American ancestry  a move to blunt Mr. Trumps taunts alleging she had mischaracterized her heritage.

These women are beginning to offer themselves as potential presidents at a time when stark divides around gender are shaping the midterm campaigns: A record number of women are running for Congress, mainly on the Democratic side, and polls show women favoring Democrats by a huge margin. Yet Mr. Trump has begun sharply assailing the #MeToo movement and making increasingly explicit appeals to male identity.

Ms. Gillibrand, who promoted a paid family leave proposal beside Molly Kelly, New Hampshire Democrats nominee for governor, in a Concord candy shop on Thursday, predicted multiple women would run against Mr. Trump in 2020. She said she had made no decisions about her future, but cast the political moment as one of women mobilizing against a credibly accused sexual harasser and sexual assaulter  Mr. Trump.
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It seems incredible, but this is the daily realities in these counties, Mr. Albright said. These are the connections and the circles of influence that a lot of people who dont live in these counties understand. They dont understand the levels of intimidation.

This fear  that state officials are intentionally attempting to undermine voting rights of minorities  echoes a darker period in Americas past when states codified voter disenfranchisement along racial lines. The Georgia scenes have also reignited debate about the Supreme Courts 2013 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, which eliminated the need for states with a history of voter disenfranchisement to obtain federal pre-clearance before changing its voting laws, as was previously required under a section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Weve lost that pre-emptive mechanism, so now were left with case-by-case litigation to fight, and that can be slow, said Kristen Clarke, the president of national Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Were in a moment that requires a tremendous amount of vigilance to be on top of the potential voter suppression efforts that are emanating around the country.

This is especially true in Georgia, which has long been watched by voting rights advocates. One prominent group, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, reported recently that the state had removed 1.5 million voters from its rolls between 2012 and 2016, twice the number of the preceding four years, and that elections also had seen a rise in provisional ballots that are submitted by voters whose registrations are somehow missing or defective. The group said that data suggests, but does not prove, that the customary process of purging voters who have moved or died from the rolls is also removing legitimate voters.

Mr. Kemp was a key proponent of the 2017 state law that requires an exact match between a voters registration form and his or her government documents, meaning a missing hyphen, or a difference between a married and a maiden name, can cause a registration to be suspended.

Mr. Kemp resisted calls to resign from his post as secretary of state during his gubernatorial run. He has also repeatedly leveled the charge that Ms. Abrams wants noncitizens votes to count, based on a recent campaign speech where Ms. Abrams said the blue wave should be comprised of those who are documented and undocumented. Ms. Abrams has denied she meant that noncitizens should have their votes counted; she said she was referring to who Democrats are pledging to protect, if elected.
WASHINGTON  During his 20 months in office, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has swept in perhaps the most dramatic political shift in memory at the Justice Department, from the civil rights-centered agenda of the Obama era to one that favors his hard-line conservative views on immigration, civil rights and social issues.

Now, discontent and infighting have taken hold at the Justice Department, in part because Mr. Sessions was so determined to carry out that transformation that he ignored dissent, at times putting the Trump administration on track to lose in court and prompting high-level departures, according to interviews over several months with two dozen current and former career department lawyers who worked under Mr. Sessions. Most asked not to be named for fear of retribution.

President Trump has exacerbated the dynamic, they said, by repeatedly attacking Mr. Sessions and the Justice Department in baldly political and personal terms. And he has castigated rank-and-file employees, which career lawyers said further chilled dissent and debate within the department.

The people interviewed  many yearslong department veterans, and a third of whom worked under both the Bush and Obama administrations  said that their concerns extended beyond any political differences they might have had with Mr. Sessions, who is widely expected to leave his post after Novembers midterm elections.
While it is unclear if the Supreme Court will throw out 45 years of precedent and overturn Roe, the court is more starkly divided along ideological lines than it was in previous years when Roes protections were challenged and ultimately upheld. If the court avoids the far-reaching step of actually overturning Roe, it could chip away at the ruling by upholding a series of state restrictions.

Instead of having the constitutional fight be over if Roe is overturned, youre actually going to see constitutional fights continue and multiply in different states, said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University and the author of Beyond Abortion: Roe v. Wade and the Battle for Privacy. Advocates are looking to codify protections in state constitutions by pushing ballot initiatives, urging legislatures to pass constitutional amendments, and asking state supreme courts to reinterpret constitutional provisions.

For decades, supporters of abortion rights could look to a bulwark at the federal level to preserve the core of Roe at key moments: Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, the Supreme Courts swing vote, whom Justice Kavanaugh replaced this month. While Justice Kennedy could be an unpredictable vote on abortion rights, in crucial cases he frequently joined the courts liberals in reaffirming the principles underpinning Roe.

As long as Kennedy was on the court, I think its fair to say that the tendency was to rely on federal courts to protect those rights, said Maya Manian, a professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law.

Now that the writing is on the wall, she said, youve got to turn to other avenues, which in our federal system would be the states.

That state-by-state approach has long been employed by opponents of abortion rights, particularly in the aftermath of the 2010 elections, when Tea Party insurgents swept into office, said David S. Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University. This year alone, state legislatures have passed a series of restrictive measures, including one in Kentucky that would curb an abortion procedure as early as 11 weeks into a pregnancy. Most of the measures have been challenged in court.

Abortion opponents have also sought to enact new limits through ballot initiatives. Next month, voters in three states will vote on restrictive measures, including a proposed constitutional amendment in Alabama that would recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children.
North Dakota is home to one of the most important Senate races of 2018, and less than three weeks before Election Day, its embroiled in a fierce battle over who will be able to participate.

On Oct. 9, the Supreme Court allowed a new state voter identification requirement to take effect, meaning North Dakotans will be voting under different rules than in the primaries just a few months ago. The change disproportionately affects Native Americans, and tribal leaders and advocacy groups have spent the past week and a half scrambling. In a recent letter to the North Dakota secretary of state, one group called the states current process unworkable and proposed a solution, but the secretary of state would not endorse it.

It is an extraordinary situation: the electoral process thrown into chaos at the last minute in a state that will help decide which party controls the Senate. Heres a look at where things stand.

Why is everyone talking about this?

The stakes couldnt be much higher. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, is in an extremely tough re-election race in a state that President Trump won by 36 percentage points. If she loses, Democrats chances of taking the Senate, already pretty small, become minuscule. Shes behind in the polls, and if turnout is low among Native Americans  who helped elect her in 2012  it will be all but impossible for her to come back.
We talked to a whole bunch of Democratic women  everyone from voters to activists to politicians  and found that they believe the influence female voters have on the direction of the party will continue into 2020. Privately, some told us that a Democratic presidential ticket that doesnt feature a woman would be a major tactical mistake.

[Read the story here: In 2020, Democrats Expect a Female Front-Runner. Or Three.]

A trio of female senators  Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren  arent waiting for the midterms to pass. All three made presidential moves this week, with Ms. Warren releasing her DNA test, Ms. Gillibrand campaigning in New Hampshire and Ms. Harris stumping in South Carolina.

Female leaders work harder, work together more often, and support each other. Thats the kind of leadership we need to fix our broken political system in 2018 and beyond, said Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, a more moderate Midwesterner whose name is occasionally mentioned as a potential presidential candidate.

Of course, if female candidates dont do as well as expected this year, it could strengthen the hand of those in the party who fear the fierce and deeply personal attacks a woman nominee would likely face from President Trump.

The results of the midterms will chart a course for 2020 in other ways, too. Alex has written previously of the two broad paths forward the party could find coming out of the midterms.
Good Friday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

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 President Trump said he believed that the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was dead, and expressed confidence in intelligence reports that suggested a Saudi role. But he stopped short of saying the crown prince was responsible. Read the story.

 Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has withdrawn from a Saudi investment conference after bipartisan backlash over his plans to attend despite the Khashoggi disappearance. Read more about his cancellation.

 Mr. Trump has taken an interest in the F.B.I. headquarters in Washington, which had been set for redevelopment. Democrats wonder if he is trying to protect his hotel.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has publicly brought the subject up several times in recent weeks, saying that Russias violations were untenable and signaling that the administration was reviewing its options. The preparations to leave the treaty were described by foreign diplomats who have been briefed on the matter and by American officials with knowledge of the plans.

In a lengthy nuclear strategy document published early this year, the administration detailed the Russian violations and concluded that the countrys decision to violate the I.N.F. treaty and other commitments all clearly indicate that Russia has rebuffed repeated U.S. efforts to reduce the salience, role and number of nuclear weapons.

The Pentagon has already been developing nuclear weapons to match, and counter, what the Chinese have deployed. But that effort would take years, so, in the interim, the United States is preparing to modify existing weapons, including its non-nuclear Tomahawk missiles, and is likely to deploy them first in Asia, according to officials who have been briefed on the issue. Those may be based in Japan, or perhaps in Guam, where the United States maintains a large base and would face little political opposition.

The last time the United States withdrew from a major nuclear arms control treaty was in 2002, when President George W. Bush fulfilled a campaign promise and scrapped the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. While Mr. Trump withdrew from the Obama-era deal with Iran this year, that agreement was not a treaty, and it governed only Irans production of nuclear materials. Tehran has no nuclear weapons.

Mr. Bushs pullout from the ballistic missile treaty led to a buildup of antimissile defenses  still an irritant in relations with Russia. But it also led to a modest arms control agreement with Russia, reducing the overall number of weapons possessed by each country.

But such an agreement seems unlikely to emerge from the demise of the I.N.F. treaty. For cash-constrained Russia, tactical nuclear weapons, along with cyberweapons, are cheap offensive options. Just last week, Mr. Putin, in an annual speech, reported that Russia was preparing to deploy a new hypersonic missile, reinforcing the sense that the long hiatus in the nuclear arms race is over. Such missiles step around current arms control limits.

Mr. Trump himself has not publicly criticized the Russian arms buildup, in line with his generally deferential approach toward Mr. Putin. But he is surrounded in the administration by hawks on the nuclear issue, none more outspoken than Mr. Bolton, and the administrations decision to brief allies this week on the issue was viewed by key NATO partners as a sign that the decision had been made, even if it had not been formally acknowledged.
MISSOULA, Mont.  President Trump praised a Republican candidates assault last year on a reporter and fumed over his Democratic opponents here on Thursday night in a freewheeling rally meant to mobilize his bases support in the coming midterm elections.

In urging the crowd to vote for Representative Greg Gianforte, who is running for re-election and who was sentenced to anger management classes and community service for assaulting a reporter last spring, Mr. Trump jokingly warned the crowd to never wrestle him.

I had heard he body-slammed a reporter, Mr. Trump said, noting that he was initially concerned that Mr. Gianforte would lose in a special election last May. I said, Wait a minute. I know Montana pretty well; I think it might help him. And it did.

Anybody that can do a body-slam, the president added, thats my kind of guy.

Mr. Trump made no mention at the rally of Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident Saudi journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, who disappeared this month after visiting the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. United States intelligence officials say Mr. Khashoggi was most likely killed by Saudi officials.
CIUDAD TECUN UMAN, Guatemala  Members of a caravan of migrants that have been traveling from Honduras toward the United States, infuriating President Trump, overran a border gate in northern Guatemala on Friday and broke through another gate leading to Mexico before coming to a halt in the face of a large phalanx of Mexican riot police.

After a tense hourlong standoff, during which migrants hurled objects at the police, including rocks and shoes, the police fired canisters of tear gas, forcing the migrants into a retreat.

At least six police officers were wounded in the confrontation, officials said.

After the violence had subsided, however, leaders of the caravan organized the migrants into orderly lines for processing by Mexican migration officials. By midafternoon, the migrants were gradually being allowed into Mexico, where they boarded buses, some to a migration center in the city of Tapachula for processing and others to a government shelter, said Manelich Castilla Craviotto, general commissioner of the Federal Police. It remained unclear how long it would take the authorities to register all the new arrivals.
Julian Assange announced on Friday that he was suing the Ecuadorean government for violating his fundamental rights, claiming that his longtime hosts at the countrys embassy in London are limiting his contact with the outside world and censoring his speech.

His legal team in the matter, led by the former Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, revealed the suit at a news conference in Quito, where the lawsuit was filed. The action aims to prevent strict new rules governing Mr. Assanges visitors and online activity from taking effect.

The policies were laid out in a nine-page memo that was published by a news site this month. (They include directives to clean his bathroom and look after his cat.)

Mr. Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, has lived at the embassy since 2012, when he sought asylum to avoid extradition to Sweden in connection with rape accusations. That case was dropped last year, but he remained there, fearing prosecution in the United States over WikiLeakss publishing of leaked government documents.
In July 2018, in true Africanacity style, Absa gave a new emoji life on our Twitter screens - #AfricaEmoji.

A clever media buy on Twitter, its lifespan was limited to only three months. Within just a few hours, it was trending, with Africans using it to express their hopes for the continent, pride in where they come from and unity with those that they admire.But why should something as tiny as 72 by 72 pixels be such a big deal?Absa believes its because Africa is so much more than a beautifully shaped continent, a trendy tattoo or a travel dream. Africa still has an untold story  the story of our inimitable spirit, our true sense of belonging and born-with-it tenacity.It claims #AfricaEmoji is the start of a new narrative - the one told by us as Africans.Its a tiny symbol with massive clout  an emoji that lets us share our version of this continent with the rest of the world.But, on 28 October, #AfricaEmoji will no longer be available on Twitter. We should not let it go gently into that good night. That would be so un-African.So, Absa is inviting everyone on this continent to a Virtual March on the Unicode offices.Unicode is a global body that has the power to make #AfricaEmoji a permanent feature on phone keyboards across the globe.To join the Virtual March, all you have to do is tweetThis is not just for our unborn children or for the history books  it is for us, for our time. Let us have our Africa, in our hands, in our pockets, in everyones conversations, in our minds... and in all our hearts.
PANAMA CITY, Panama  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that he had warned President Juan Carlos Varela of Panama about doing business with China, criticizing Chinese state-owned enterprises that engage in predatory economic activity.

As his plane left Panama City, Mr. Pompeo recounted his talks with Mr. Varela and local journalists. Clearly concerned that Panama could become a beachhead for growing Chinese economic influence in the Western Hemisphere, he emphasized that Panamanians should be cautious when considering business ties with China.

Mr. Pompeo said he intended to tell the entire region that when China comes calling, its not always to the good of your citizens, and that countries had to watch out for Chinese companies that show up with deals that seem too good to be true.

His warning came more than a year after Panama cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan  which China views as a part of its territory  in favor of establishing ties with Beijing. Two other nations in the region followed suit this year.
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan  As mourners carried a slain anti-Taliban police chief through the streets of this Afghan city gripped with grief and fear on Friday, the immediate consequences of the attack that killed him were becoming clearer.

The Afghan government announced that the nationwide parliamentary elections scheduled for Saturday would be delayed by a week in the key southern province of Kandahar, where Gen. Abdul Raziq, the police chief, had been a towering figure.

Besides the general, officials said, the provinces entire senior leadership was either killed or wounded on Thursday when a gunman  believed to be a member of the security forces who had joined the insurgents  opened fire as they were leaving a meeting at the governors office with the top American commander in the country.

The American general, Austin S. Miller, was unhurt and returned to his command in Kabul. Three other Americans, including a brigadier general, were wounded, according to officials, who said their injuries were not life-threatening.
NEW DELHI  They were watching the bad guy go down.

On a cool Friday night in October, in an annual ritual on the Hindu calendar, an effigy of a 10-headed demon was set on fire. Firecrackers exploded brightly in the night sky. Ordinary folks were out late, some sitting on the railroad tracks, some lounging along them, trying to catch a glimpse of the spectacle. Some people were taking pictures on their phones.

No one heard the train barreling through the darkness.

At least 50 people were mowed down and killed, the police said. Emergency workers rushed to the scene, and at least 60 people were taken to area hospitals, according to Reuters.

People present near the railway track couldnt hear the sound of the approaching train due to the bursting crackers, the junior railways minister, Manoj Sinha, said on local television.
TOKYO  When Shinzo Abe sat down for a three-hour dinner with President Trump at Trump Tower in New York in September, the pair celebrated the Japanese prime ministers 64th birthday.

By the end of that week, it looked as if Mr. Abe was the one who had given Mr. Trump a gift.

Japan acquiesced to direct, two-way trade talks with the United States, dropping its two-year insistence on trying instead to hammer out a pact that included multiple countries. It gave crucial momentum to Mr. Trumps campaign to redraw trade pacts with longstanding allies like Japan, Canada, Mexico and the European Union, even as he widens a trade war with China.

Japan won some prizes with the move, like forestalling threatened American auto tariffs. Still, holding on to those gains could be tough. The Trump administration has already indicated it may want more from Japan on autos and agriculture. And it has shown it wont hesitate to turn up the heat when dealing with traditional allies, as it did when it demanded that Canada open its market to American dairy products.

The negotiations will be particularly delicate for Mr. Abe, who has spent a considerable amount of energy developing a personal relationship with Mr. Trump.
In June, without consulting the Pentagon, the president suspended major military exercises with South Korea after meeting with the Norths leader, Kim Jong-un. Two months later, Mr. Trump delivered a rebuke to his defense secretary when Mr. Mattis opened the door to resuming the exercises.

Mr. Trump rejected that and said in a tweet that he saw no reason at this time to be spending large amounts of money on joint U.S.-South Korea war games. He added that he could resume them instantly if he chose, and that if he did, the exercises would be far bigger than ever before.

Vigilant Ace largely involves air maneuvers. Last years exercises had more than 200 warplanes from the United States and South Korea. American military officials do not like suspending the exercises because, they say, delaying them can affect military readiness.

Mr. Mattis is in Singapore for a meeting of Southeast Asian defense ministers. While here, his meetings with Asian defense ministers have been shadowed by the continued fallout and speculation ignited by Mr. Trump on Sunday, when he questioned whether the defense chief would remain on the job and said that Mr. Mattis was sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth, during an interview with CBSs 60 Minutes.

Mr. Mattis later told reporters that Mr. Trump had called him to reassure him that he was 100 percent behind the defense secretary, but in Asia there has been speculation about how long Mr. Mattis will stick around.
YALANGBARRA, Australia  As the sun dropped below the horizon and darkness spread across the vast Northern Territory sky, the men and women scanned the terrain one last time for potential prey.

It was dinnertime for the Dhimurru Rangers, a group of mostly Indigenous Australians who had spent a long day cleaning up the polluted beaches of the continents northern coast. Soon they would be eating freshly caught fish and seafood cooked under the stars on an open fire, as their ancestors did.

For thousands of years, the Yolngu Aboriginal people have lived in this part of Australia, hunting in its forests and fishing in its waters.
Mr. Backman denied playing any role in the most damaging attack on Ms. Aro  a false report in 2016 on MV-Lehti that she was a convicted drug dealer. But police investigators found that he had been directly involved in preparing the report. She had been fined while a student for possessing drugs but had never been convicted of dealing.

Mr. Backman, who served until 2014 as the representative in Northern Europe for the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, a state-funded research group led by the former head of Russias foreign intelligence service, denounced the trial as politically motivated farce orchestrated by NATO.

Finland, which shares an 830-mile border with Russia, is not a member of NATO but, unnerved by Russian military actions in Ukraine and its saber-rattling in the Baltic Sea, has in recent years expanded cooperation with the United States-led military alliance and has debated whether to join.

Dismissing the evidence against him and Mr. Janitskin as fabricated, Mr. Backman said on Friday that the Finnish court has become an instrument for NATO propagandists seeking to silence criticism of the alliance.

Mr. Backman, who insists his support for Russia and hostility toward NATO is motivated by personal conviction and not by financial or other inducements from Moscow, appears regularly in state-controlled Russian news outlets as a commentator on European affairs. He also acts as the representative in Finland of the Donetsk Peoples Republic, the breakaway state set up with Russian support in eastern Ukraine.

In its 176-page judgment, the Helsinki court said that Mr. Janitskin and Mr. Backman had worked together to slander Ms. Aro and had committed an exceptionally aggravated set of crimes because their primary motive was to undermine her work investigating Russian information threats by destroying her professional credibility and reputation as a journalist specializing in Russian affairs.

Rejecting arguments made by Mr. Janitskin and Mr. Backman during the trial that they had merely exercised their right to freedom of speech, the court said their attacks on Ms. Aro, often demonstrably false, were systematic and continued for an exceptionally long period.
The government of Macedonia secured just enough support from Parliament late Friday to keep alive a deal to change the countrys name, a move that could end a bitter, decades-old dispute with Greece and set the Balkan nation on a path to joining NATO.

Parliament voted by the slimmest of margins to alter the Constitution to rename the country as the Republic of North Macedonia, giving a tenuous victory to the government of Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and his Western allies.

Eighty members of Parliament voted in favor of the measure  barely meeting the two-thirds majority needed for constitutional changes  after a week of contentious talks that culminated in 12 hours of intense negotiations on Friday.

The move by Parliament came even though a referendum last month failed to attract sufficient turnout to endorse the name change.
WARSAW  In one of Warsaws most run-down neighborhoods, where glittering new towers across the Vistula River shimmer in the distance but many people live in graffiti-clad buildings largely left to crumble since World War II, the Polish rapper Piotr Szot had a message for the crowd.

The citys elite may deride supporters of the countrys governing party, Law and Justice, and its candidate for mayor of Warsaw, Patryk Jaki, as a low-class hoodlum from the block.

Good, he said. That means Mr. Jaki is one of them.

People from the town hall keep humiliating and spitting on us, Mr. Jaki, a 33-year-old firebrand, told the crowd recently when he took the stage later in the evening. They dont want us to take over the town hall, because theyre afraid of what well find there.

The emotional appeal to historical grievance and the targeting of voters who feel left behind despite Polands booming economy are strategies that worked well for the right-wing and populist Law and Justice party when it swept to power in 2015 on the strength of the rural vote. It is hoping to use a similar strategy to make inroads in the nations largest urban centers and powerful provincial councils.
WARSAW, Poland  The top court in Europe on Friday sided with critics who have accused Poland of undermining judicial independence, ordering the countrys leaders to suspend a law that cleared the way for a sweeping purge of the nations Supreme Court and demanding the reinstatement of more than two dozen judges.

The stinging rebuke from the Court of Justice of the European Union was the latest salvo in an escalating confrontation over the drive by Polands ruling party to take control of the countrys judiciary, one of many ongoing battles between Warsaw and Brussels.

Polands government had placed reshaping the courts at the center of its agenda and had vowed to defy any efforts by the European court to interfere. But on Friday, the government took a measured approach in responding to the ruling.

In issuing an interim judgment, the court sided with the European Commission, the blocs executive arm, which argued that the changes to the judicial system in Poland represented a fundamental threat to the rule of law. Although it has yet to issue a final ruling, the court said it was stepping in now to avoid serious and irreparable damage to the interests of the E.U.
Former CNN producer Jennifer Thomas joins SA's Media Freedom Week

Jennifer Thomas, a former CNN journalist and news producer, will participate in Media Monitoring Africa's Media Freedom Week from 22-26 October 2018. The US Mission to South Africa is sponsoring her visit, which includes workshops in Johannesburg and Cape Town as well as a tete-a-tete with the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef).



Thomas will share the experiences of her 25-year career as an American journalist, during which she played a vital role in CNN's coverage of major news stories - including September 11 and Hurricane Katrina. She currently works as a media entrepreneur and an assistant professor at Howard University.
ISTANBUL  Turkish investigators have extended their inquiry into the suspected assassination of a dissident journalist by Saudi Arabian officials to three areas in or near Istanbul, a Turkish official said on Friday, while police officers and prosecutors questioned Turkish employees of the Saudi Consulate in the city.

Looking for evidence of the fate of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, who was last seen more than two weeks ago entering the consulate, investigators were searching the Belgrad forest, a wooded area just north of Istanbul; Pendik, a district on the Asian side of the city; and a rural residence in Yalova, a town 60 miles south of the city, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told The New York Times. Turkish officials have alleged that Mr. Kashoggi was tortured, killed and dismembered inside the consulate, accusations the Saudi government has denied.

Fifteen Turkish employees of the consulate, including the consuls driver, testified in a court in downtown Istanbul on Friday, the state-run news agency Anadolu reported. Earlier this week, investigators searched the consulate and the consuls nearby residence, though officials noted that there had been plenty of time to eliminate evidence, and that the consul had left the country, returning to Saudi Arabia.

Using surveillance television recordings and GPS signals, the authorities have tracked the movement of consular vehicles on Oct. 2, the day Mr. Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist living in the United States, disappeared, looking for his remains or other evidence of what happened to him. The police retrieved video recordings from the Belgrad forest area, and Turkish investigators were looking into the possibility that one of the Saudi officials whom the Turks have accused of killing Mr. Khashoggi and of disposing of his body owned a property in Yalova, the news agency Ihlas said.
Political analysts noted that Mr. Erdogan seemed to increase the pressure by releasing descriptions of audio recordings after it appeared that President Trump would offer cover to Saudi Arabias crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, known as M.B.S., by promoting the Saudi line that the death had been the work of rogue killers.

Erdogan had hoped that Trump and the Saudis would take the exit path of throwing someone senior under the bus, said Soner Cagaptay, the director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. But when Trump starting trending toward defending M.B.S., Erdogan released more details to build pressure on them.

Even on Friday, still more details of the investigation emerged, as the police extended their search to three locations in and around Istanbul where, according to a Turkish official, vehicles from the Saudi Consulate were seen driving in the hours after Mr. Khashoggis disappearance. The official spoke on the condition that he not be named because of diplomatic proprieties.

Yet no newspaper has actually obtained the audio or even listened to it, allowing the government not only to safeguard their provenance but also to maintain control over how much it reveals  and when.

The abiding irony of Mr. Khashoggis case is that, while pushing out details of the case to chosen outlets, Mr. Erdogans government has itself been openly hostile to independent journalists. So has Mr. Trump, if not nearly to the same degree.
He added: Our very weakness  as a result of Brexit, as a result of fraying trans-Atlantic ties  was an attraction for Russia. The weaker a country, the more attractive a target it is for bullies.

Mr. Sawers, who headed the Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, from 2009 to 2014, also warned that by leaving the European Union, Britain would lose access to information-sharing mechanisms like passenger records and the Schengen Information System, slowing its ability to solve crimes and extradite suspects.

The sort of thing Britain might lose access to is the ability to track terrorists around the E.U., he said in an interview. It also loses the capacity to extradite suspects, including ordinary criminals and pedophiles. It takes days under the E.U. arrest warrant. It used to take months or years.

He said that there was real concern in intelligence circles about losing access to these tools, but that it is not often aired publicly because intelligence and security issues tend to be dealt with behind closed doors.

Noting that Prime Minister Theresa May proposed a new treaty to preserve these arrangements, he asked, Why are we leaving in the first place?
LONDON  A radical Islamist preacher convicted in 2016 of inspiring support for the Islamic State and described by a British prison official as genuinely dangerous to public safety has been released from jail under strict controls on his travels and use of the internet.

The preacher, Anjem Choudary, 51, was released on Friday from the Belmarsh high-security jail in London and moved to a probation hostel, also in the capital, where he will spend at least six months.

Earlier in the week, he was moved to the jail after being freed from the maximum-security Frankland Prison in the northeast on automatic parole. He had served half of his five-and-a-half year sentence for inspiring Britons to join the Islamic State terrorist group, a former counterterrorism detective familiar with the arrangement told The New York Times.

No other British citizen has had so much influence over so many terrorists as Choudary  weve tracked over 120 Islamist terrorists linked to him  and his release is likely to turbocharge an already-energized far right, Nick Lowles, the chief executive of the British anti-racist watchdog group Hope Not Hate, said in a statement.
Outright denials. Botched interrogations. Fistfights. Ever since Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, the Kingdom has given all kinds of explanations about what happened and who is responsible. And then, in an early Saturday morning announcement, Saudi Arabia confirmed for the first time that Khashoggi is dead. They say he died after an argument and fistfight with unidentified men in the consulate. Its the latest in a series of changing narratives from Saudi authorities. First, Saudi Arabia said Khashoggi left the consulate and expressed concern about his well-being. Government-aligned Turkish media said he was brutally murdered by 15 Saudi hitmen. They even released their names and images. Saudi Arabia then started pushing back. In two statements, it denounced baseless allegations and called them lies. As the accusations and evidence mounted, the Saudis started getting more forceful in their denials. And their messages took on a threatening tone. Like in this tweet from the Foreign Ministry, saying, Demise is the outcome of these weak endeavors. The tweet was mysteriously deleted the next day. As of this moment, they deny it. When Trump said there would be  And there will be severe punishment. Saudi Arabia lashed out, saying it rejected threats. More reports continued to come out. Some of them were grisly. On the recordings, you can hear Khashoggi was detained when he entered, killed and dismembered. One official saying, You can hear how he was interrogated, tortured and murdered. Thats when the Saudis seemed to be testing out an eyebrow-raising theory, and using President Trump to help sell it. It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers  who knows? Then, yet another twist. Sources close to Saudi Arabia started teasing the idea that, yes, Khashoggi was dead, but it was because of an interrogation gone wrong. But they also continued to maintain the king and crown prince had no knowledge of it. The Saudis say theyre investigating. And when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia, there were smiles and pleasantries. It looked like business as usual. But after the head-spinning stories about a suspected gory murder by a key U.S. ally, it was anything but.
The Saudis initially claimed that Mr. Khashoggi had left the consulate alive and professed to be worried about his fate, later hinting that the killing might have been the act of rogue agents.

But international outrage mounted as Turkish officials leaked lurid details from their own investigation suggesting that he was murdered inside the consulate and dismembered by a team of Saudi agents who flew in specifically to kill him.

The case has battered the international reputation of the kingdom and the 33-year-old Prince Mohammed, who has sought to sell himself to the world as a young reformer shaking off his countrys conservative past. But suspicions that such a complicated foreign operation could not have been launched without at least his tacit approval have driven away many of his staunchest foreign supporters.

For the first time on Saturday, a Saudi official familiar with the governments handling of the situation put forward the kingdoms narrative of the events that led to Mr. Khashoggis death.

The kingdom had a general order to return dissidents living abroad, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing. When the consulate in Istanbul reported that Mr. Khashoggi would be coming on Oct. 2 to pick up a document needed for his coming marriage, General Assiri dispatched a 15-man team to confront him.

The team included Maher Abdulaziz Mutrib, a security officer identified by The New York Times this week as a frequent member of the crown princes security detail during foreign trips, the official said. Mr. Mutrib had been chosen because he had worked with Mr. Khashoggi a decade ago in the Saudi Embassy in London and knew him personally.

But the order to return Mr. Khashoggi to the kingdom was misinterpreted as it made its way down the chain of command, the Saudi official said, and a confrontation ensued when Mr. Khashoggi saw the men. He tried to flee, the men stopped him, punches were thrown, Mr. Khashoggi screamed and one of the men put him in a chokehold, strangling him to death, the official said.
Living in the wrong ZIP code  even a short distance from a boundary  may mean a difference of hundreds of dollars in your automobile insurance rates, a new analysis finds.

The Consumer Federation of America, a nonprofit advocacy group, tested annual auto premiums from six big insurers in 10 cities. The tests found that good drivers from homes that are near each other  in some cases less than 100 yards apart or even right next door  yet in different ZIP codes are often quoted disparate rates.

With other factors being equal, addresses in less affluent ZIP codes with higher minority populations were quoted annual premiums that were $410 higher, on average, than those in neighboring ZIP codes with wealthier, more heavily white populations, according to the analysis.

The report included photographs of the homes tested, like two in Buffalo, where the average cost was $1,697 a year on one side of the line and $2,315 on the other.
Angulas, the Spanish word for baby eels is one of Spains most expensive foods, but no one seems to understand why. They hardly have any taste at all, their texture is best described as slimy and they look like limp worms on a plate. So why are people paying hundreds of euros to eat angulas at expensive restaurants?

Legend has it that in the past angulas were used as fodder for chickens and pigs, and there is historical evidence that they were once a staple food of the working class in northern Spain. But today they sell for astronomical prices of up to 1,000 euros ($1,150) per kilo, so only the richest of the rich can afford them. So what happened? Well, scarcity definitely played a big part in their surprising transformation. River dams, the general degradation of the environment and overfishing have seriously affected the baby eel population, and the rarer they got the more expensive they became. They may not taste like anything, but apparently many people like to act like snobs every once in a while, so they pay a premium to enjoy a food that most people cant afford.

Photo: Tamorlan/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

I would not pay so much for them, they have no flavor or color, nothing, they do not even smell, a lettuce has more aroma, but we had two men here who ordered half a kilo, five hundred euros at a time, some people with money like to spend it. Who does not like to be a snob once in a while? Rodrigo Garcia Fonseca, the head chef of a well-known Basque restaurant in Madrid, told the BBC.

But if you thought 1,000 euro per kilo was expensive for a bunch of slimy eels, wait until you hear what the first batch of the year goes for. In 2016, the first batch of eels sold for a whopping 5,500 euros ($6,300) per kilogram, while the second batch went for only 1,030 euros. Interestingly, they were both bought by the same person, the owner of a restaurant, who said paying a much higher price for the first lot was worth it as promotion for his business.

Photo: Zarateman/Wikimedia Commons

It was a bit of marketing for my restaurant, as well as a tribute to the fisherman, Jose Gonzalo Hevia said. The atmosphere at the auction is very exciting, its a big media event,and the next day, the name of my restaurant was in all the newspapers and on all the television channels. Some of my clients came back 20 or 30 times in a season to eat eels.

To get an idea of how bland angulas taste, the most popular recipe involves frying garlic and hot peppers in lots of olive oil and then adding the baby eel to give them some flavor. And yet rich people cant get enough of them. They are so popular that there is even a thriving black market for angulas in Spain.

When I was young, in the 1950s and 60s, we ate a lot of angulas. At that time, they were still considered too low class for a restaurant to serve, but in the 70s, the great Basque restaurants like Arzak started to cook with them, and all of a sudden, angulas were high class, award-winning food writer and historian Manolo Gonzalez told the BBC.

Exclusivity has always played a role in gastronomy, Gonzalez added.


Nick Clegg

Embattled Facebook has hired Nick Clegg, a former UK deputy prime minister, to head its global affairs operation.

The 51-year-old ex-leader of Britain's Liberal Democrat party will succeed Elliot Schrage.

Clegg, who lost his seat in parliament in 2017, will move to Facebook's Silicon Valley headquarters next year. He'll join Facebook in London during the next few weeks.

A one-time European Commission trade negotiator, Clegg has close ties with officials in Brussels, where Facebook faces regulatory challenges on the data protection front.

The Financial Times reported that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally recruited Clegg for the PA position with the promise that he will play a major role in shaping policy.


Cathy Wolfe

At some point in your communications career, you may experience the challenges and opportunities that arise from an acquisition or merger. With 2017 setting a record for the most mergers and acquisitions in a calendar year, according to Thomson Reuters, and 30 hospital and health system mergers and acquisitions occurring in the first quarter of 2018 alone, its evident that frequent consolidation is redefining the business landscape.

Given my experience with Canon Inc.s acquisition of Toshiba Medical, Id like to share the communications and marketing lessons I learned through this process as two iconic brands became one. It was fascinating to see an iconic company such as Canon  known for pioneering imaging technology  acquire an established diagnostic imaging brand that came with not only name recognition, but strong customer loyalty as well.

The acquisition was completed in 2016, followed by the formal name change to Canon Medical Systems in 2018. Our challenge throughout this time was developing a strategic and effective communications plan that resonated with employees, partners, existing and potential customers, and was centered around common understanding and trust.

While the opportunity to spearhead a communications and marketing strategy for an acquisition like this may seem daunting, in the end my team and I were able to add valuable tools and experiences to our skill sets. There are four key takeaways from the process that enabled us to successfully integrate the stories and cultures of both companies to find a new brand voice.

Look for common ground

We began the story-mining process by going back to the origin stories of each brand. Although Canon was not as big a player in medical devices as Toshiba Medical, we learned that its first President  Takeshi Mitarai  was a doctor. And, in 1940 Canon introduced Japans first indirect X-ray camera which was used for the early detection of pulmonary tuberculosis. These findings, among others, unearthed stories and a new narrative around Canons longstanding passion for healthcare.

From there, we tapped both companies origin stories  each rooted in health care  to fuel Canon Medical Systems new brand identity and vision for delivering world-class health care solutions. Our integrated communications strategy elevated our shared values through employee, stakeholder and market communications to introduce our new voice.

Bring the brand philosophies together

Next, we focused our efforts on the corporate philosophies and values of each company, in an effort to better understand how our cultures could potentially fuse. Toshiba Medical Systems built a legacy centered on its Made for Life philosophy, a longstanding commitment to our partners, patients, and you focus which calls for understanding that relationships rely on trust, respect, and transparency.

Canons heritage stems from its kyosei philosophy which conveys its dedication to seeing all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together in happiness. These two points of view, both rooted in innovation and customer-centric solutions, are naturally complimentary, relatable and connected.

The innate synergies between our brand philosophies created natural synergies not only for our storytelling and communication/marketing initiatives, but for our teams as well.

Dont go it alone

The third takeaway is to ensure that both internal and external audiences are engaged throughout the process, right alongside you. From customers and partners to every employee, we communicated frequently and made sure that the process was transparent. As a result, we achieved 84 percent awareness of the acquisition in the U.S. among physicians and imaging directors within months of announcing the name change.

Acquisitions inevitably breed uncertainty and during this crucial time we found that proactively communicating to all of our key stakeholders ensured that any seeds of doubt never took root. By engaging with employees, customers and partners, we found and leveraged new optimism and excitement for the future, as the newly minted Canon Medical brand emerged.

In fact, immediately after the acquisition, employees ranked the brand a stable partner (4.4) and technology leader (4.3) (out of 5.0 scale).

Content is key

The final piece of our communications strategy was tapping into visual storytelling during the transition. This enabled us to fully capture the excitement and to highlight the benefits of the two brands coming together as one.

The tactics we used to accomplish this were advertising, paid search, proactive media relations and storytelling, social tiles and web and video content, all of which was focused on humanizing the story and bringing the new brand to life. And whether it was earned, shared or owned content, we made sure that the messaging was consistent and that it spoke to our key audiences.

As I look back, I can see that the keys to our success were not only finding common ground and synergies between the two brands, but being transparent by communicating frequently and proactively with all of our key stake holders.

It was a great experience for my team and me, and a great way to remind ourselves that we can always learn and grow, which in the end better prepares us for communications opportunities in the future.

***

Cathy Wolfe is senior director of global strategic communication and market intelligence at Canon Medical Systems USA, Inc.
An Offaly family struggling to get planning permission in their native Ballycumber for over three years have penned a letter to Housing Minister, Eoghan Murphy.

In the letter seen by the Offaly Express, Aoife Phelan, says, "I am writing to you as a concerned citizen of Ireland. I have never composed a letter to a politician in the past, but in utter frustration of the lengths myself and my husband are going to to secure planning permission for our family home, I feel compelled to write to you."

Aoife and Trevor who have two young children, say they decided to send the letter to Eoghan Murphy because he has the power to "make a difference," adding, "change is needed to our current ineffective system." They also say they face homelessness with their rental agreement coming to an end and no prospect of beginning work on their 'dream home' on the land they were reared on.

Aoife outlined her family's experience of the planning process with Offaly County Council, saying they initially lodged plans to build a house in Ballycumber in March 2015. The couple, who were newly married couple at the time, say this application was refused by the council in June 2015 because "the proposed site is on a restricted Regional route R436 where under the provisions of Policy SSP19 of the Offaly County Development Plan 2014-2020 the applicants must have a functional need to reside in this particular rural area."

Disappointed with this outcome, the couple engaged in pre-planning consultations in August and December 2015 before submitting a second application on the same site on February 9. Aoife claims, "we provided documentation proving our

functional need to reside in the area but we subsequently withdrew this application in December 2016 under advice from the council that they believed we had an alternative site on the family landholdings."

PICTURED: The couple put together their laborious timeline of the planning process

Aoife and Trevor say they then decided to cut their financial losses on the initial site, saying they accepted the council's position and "returned to the drawing board."

Keen to live in their native county, the couple again submitted an entire new set of plans and particulars in November 2017 - on the site that the council recommended, their third planning application to the council.

Aoife says since then, "the process has been dragged out to the maximum, in our experience when dealing with our local council."

"The council would correspond with us on the day before a decision was due to be made and seek further information. We submitted the further information requested. Once again on the day before a decision was due to be made, clarification of further information was requested. We responded to all requests and alas on the very last day that our case was to be decided, 6 months after the council received our application, on May 23, a decision was finally made and we received notification of a decision to grant permission," Aoife explained.

The family were overjoyed but yet more delays were in the pipeline. Applicants must wait one month for the final grant to be issued after planning is granted, but Aoife explains in her letter to the Minister that, "unfortunately, the day before our month was up, we received notification that An Bord Plenanla had received a 3rd party appeal to our planning application."

"We were utterly devastated, as we had hoped to commence construction during the summer months when the weather is more suitable to building," Aoife said.

"An Bord Pleanala's statutory objective is to decide or dispose of appeals within 18 weeks. However, where the Board does not consider it possible or appropriate to reach a decision within 18 weeks it shall inform the parties of the reasons for this and shall state when it intends to make the decision," Aoife wrote to Minister Murphy.

Aoife and Trevor's case was due for decision by the board on October 15 but they received correspondence from An Bord Pleanala with a new target date of December 10, over a year since they applied for their third planning permission with Offaly County Council.

In her letter to Eoghan Murphy, Aoife writes, "I ask you, as Minister for Housing, Planning & Local Government do you consider this acceptable?"

She also vented at the lack of updates on An Bord Pleanala's online resource. "When I use the search facility on An Bord Pleanals website www.pleanala.ie our case number returns no results. I telephoned the offices of An Bord Pleanal on 27th September, inquiring about this and I was told that their software system does not integrate very well with the website and they are having difficulty with it."

"I understand that technological issues may arise temporarily, however, this leaves people like us in the dark as to the status of our case," the Offaly woman added.



"During that telephone call I learned the process a case must go through before its decided on. The 18 weeks are made up approximately of 6 weeks administration work, 6 weeks inspectoral work and final 6 weeks for the board to review the case and make a decision on it. I was informed that our case was currently with the inspector since mid-August, and that realistically we should expect at least one delay on our decision, as apparently, most cases are experiencing at least one delay."

"I ask you, as Minister for Housing, Planning & Local Government during a housing crisis in the country, do you consider this acceptable?" Aoife queried.

"I inquired if there was anything I can do to speed up the process, I was told I could write a letter seeking the case to be prioritised and it would be added to my file. On 1st October, I wrote to the board, asking them kindly to prioritise our case. I explained in my letter that we are a family with 2 young children, both under the age of 2 and desperately need a decision as our rental agreement is set to expire shortly," Aoife writes.

"I also explained that there is no houses available to rent in the townland or in any of the surrounding hinterlands. In essence, we could be made homeless," Aoife said.

"The reports in the media are blaming the reduction in board members in 2017 as a cause for the backlog of cases to be decided on. However, I was advised by the offices of An Bord Pleanala on 16th October, that after 18 weeks, our case has not yet been submitted to the board, it is still at the inspectoral stage of the process."

"I ask you, Minister for Housing, Planning & Local Government can you please investigate what is causing such delays with An Board Pleanala?"

"We have invested heavily financially into our planning applications over the last four years, we cannot afford and we are not ready to just give up on building our dream house in the country, where we were reared and lived all our lives. We cannot move on in any shape or form until a decision is made by An Bord Pleanala."

"As a working couple with two babies and mortgage approved we are desperate to move on with our lives and have a house we can call home. The unforeseen delays and possibility that we could be made homeless is, simply, unthinkable."

"Do you believe it is acceptable that no indication can be given to anxious applicants awaiting a decision. That our lives could be put on pause, for an unknown length of time. At a time when mental health is so important, there must be accountability. Myself and my husband and many more like us are having to cope with the stress and worry of not knowing where our family home will be," Aoife says.

"Let us be very clear, we are not looking for a political intervention to an independent investigation. We respect the integrity of the process. We are however looking for change. We are in a housing crisis, we desperately need to change from a system that is failing the hard working people of this country."

"If An Board Pleanala requires additional staff or resources to enable them to make decisions within their statuary objective of 18 weeks, then we urge you Minister to make provision immediately for this. We also believe the statuary objective should be amended to become a statuary right as 18 weeks is a very sizeable amount of time to deliberate on any given case. We

also believe that change is needed at local authority level, the maximum amount of time for the council to deliberate on a case should be significantly reduced, and resources and procedures should be put in place to make this possible," the letter continues.

"We welcome the fast track planning application initiative. But we are asking you why is the fast track system limited to large-scale housing developments of 100 units or more? Why is our housing need, for a once off house in rural Ireland deemed less important? Surely we are all entitled to enjoy the same rules, where decisions are aimed to be made within six months of the initial consultation."

She asks the Minister if staffing levels in An Board Pleanala have been raised sufficiently to deal with these fast track cases or "are they just skipping the queue on pre-existing backlog of cases submitted to the board?"

"Having been immersed in the planning system for so long, we are so disheartened. We have become entangled in a system that is not fit for purpose. The experience which started in 2014 as excitement and enthusiasm has become a haze of documentation, bills, anxiety and sleepless nights. I dont think any person should have to go to such lengths to build a house on their family farm."

"Once again, we pick ourselves up, dust off the negativity and we nervously count the days to our new target date, 10th December 10, remembering, yet again that we have no guarantee that a decision will be made by this date. If it's not, we will be left with no indication of when a decision will be made. What are we, as a family of four, with two young children expected to do?"

"Where are we going to live? As I ask these questions, it terrifies me with the realisation that we do not have the answers. Do you?" Aoife letter concludes.
Laois-Offaly gardai conduct more drink and drug driving tests than all but one other Garda Division in the country, new figures reveal.

The figures were revealed through a parliamentary question from Dublin TD Tommy Broughan who asked the Minister for Justice and Equality Charlie Flanagan to provide the number of mandatory intoxicant tests per county in 2017 and to date in 2018, as well as the number of positive tests and the types of drugs detected.

The figures provided are 'operational,' according to gardai and therefore liable to change, and are valid for the period from April 13, 2017 to October 12, 2018. The types of drugs detected in each test were not provided because "such an exercise would necessitate a manual trawl of all relevant incidents recorded on PULSE to collate same, which would require a disproportionate expenditure of Garda time and resources," according to Minister Charlie Flanagan.

Gardai have the technology to test for cannabis, cocaine, opiates, heroin, morphine and benzodiazepines such as valium at the roadside.

The figures show that the Laois-Offaly Garda Division has set up 3,332 mandatory intoxicant checkpoints in that period. At those checkpoints, they have conducted 29,355 drink-driving breath tests, 111 of which were positive, and 120 oral fluid tests to check for the presence of the above drugs. 16 of those tests were positive in that timeframe.

The Laois-Offaly Division is second only to Kildare in the combined number of drink and drug tests carried out. The Kildare Division conducted almost 4,000 checkpoints, 44,364 drink-driving breath tests and 268 roadside drugs tests. 272 of the breath tests were positive while 32 drug tests showed a positive reading.

In terms of the relatively new drug testing, Laois-Offaly gardai have carried out the sixth highest number of roadside tests. Kildare carried out the highest at 268, while Clare have conducted 177 such tests since April 2017. Laois-Offaly have uncovered more drug drivers than any of the Dublin or other city Garda Divisions. 16 positive tests were registered between both counties, while the highest in Dublin came in the DMR North Central Division. Limerick gardai detected just seven drug drivers in that time.

An Garda Siochana has conducted a total of 101,965 MIT checkpoints nationally since April 2017, but a number of Dail deputies recently questioned Minister Flanagan on the strength of resources. Deputy Broughan said he had been asking for a checkpoint breakdown since 2017 and said that despite a decrease, 2018 has still seen "a significant number of road deaths."

In response, Minister Flanagan acknowledged Deputy Broughan's ongoing commitment to road safety, while also welcoming an increased Garda budget for next year.

"I was particularly pleased last week in the context of the budget and the Financial Statement of the Minister for Finance, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, that he had acknowledged the need for further resources and indicated that the Garda Vote for next year would be of the order of 1.7 billion, an increase on this year's allocation of 110 million. That will allow for some of the resource-based improvements sought by the Deputy [Broughan]," the Minister remarked.

Minister Flanagan went on to say that the recently published Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland report "recommends that policing must be information led and that data should be seen as a strategic asset and a key factor in determining policing decisions."

"My Department is currently analysing the report and my officials are currently engaging in consultations with An Garda Siochana, the policing oversight bodies and the relevant Departments in order to inform my substantive response and the high-level implementation plan and project structure that I intend to bring to Government by December," he said.
Cazenovia, N.Y.  With the Nov. 6 General Election weeks away, local candidates for state office faced off to answer the publics questions and push for increased voter participation.

The League of Women Voters held the candidate forum at the Cazenovia High School auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 18. In attendance were New York State Assembly incumbent William Magee, D-121, and his conservative opponent, Brookfield Town Supervisor John Salka, as well as candidates for the 53rd Senate District, Democrat Rachel May and Republican Janet Berl Burman.

Voters asked a number of questions, from ethics reforms and the Economic Development Purposes grants, to gun control and the Oneida Indian Nation.

The ethics reform in place right now in our state capital is not working. You have people getting away with everything, Salka said. The culture of corruption in Albany is rampant, its insidious. This current legislature has done little or none to try to keep that to a minimum.

Ethics reform is a major concern of many people in Albany today, Magee said. We have been trying to address it and eliminate the LLC companies contributing to candidates. Theres been two or three ethics reform bills and I supported them all. Theres no question, we hear it all too often. But I do think, in some way, were making a step in the right direction.

Salka said he disagreed with Magee and didnt think the New York State legislature was doing enough.

The corruption going on at the higher levels is inexcusable, he said. We need to tighten up legislation that will stop that corruption. This is costing us real money. You cannot grow in a corrupt environment.

Burman said the first thing she would do to affect ethics reform in New York is sponsor legislation that prohibits campaign donations from any entity or individual that does business with New York state.

That is the ultimate conflict of interest that occurs, Burman said. Thats going to reduce campaign budgets by at least 75 percent, but you know what? Thats enough money. We need to get rid of special interest involvement in political campaigns. Thats the first step. And for the second step, we need term limits. So many things develop out of the power of incumbency.

Burman said she didnt have a specific number for term limits, but would seek a consensus with her fellow lawmakers to find something that everyone could agree on.

New York has the highest limits of individual contributions for statewide office than any state in the country. And some of the highest for legislative positions as well, May said. We can reduce those, but Im also in favor of public financing of campaigns. I believe New York City, Seattle and a number of other places do it well and they are great models. The thing about public financing, I believe, is that it pays for itself. You pay upfront, but the politicians are beholden to the tax payers, not to the big, deep pocketed special interests.

On top of that, May said it should be easier for normal people to run and that theres something of a incumbent protection plan in New York state.

It is so easy to keep your job, May said.

Burman said she agreed with a number of points May made, but not the means and disagreed with public financing.

Public financing for campaigns is another expense that we dont need to place in the state government, Burman said. By strictly adhering to contribution bans for do contract with the state and adhering to term limits, we can address all these issues and not raise taxpayer expenses.

A number of people wanted to know what the candidates thought of the Economic Development Purposes grants by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and whether or not it is successful. Funding from the program is for economic development initiatives and projects that create or retain jobs, generate increased economic activity and improve the economic and social viability and vitality of local communities in New York state.

Magee said there needs to be more done in the economic development projects and that it is too lax.

It isnt monitored enough. Money is passed out in large sums and not followed up on to make sure if its being used the way it should be used, Magee said. We need to do something about that.

Salka said the economic development initiatives by Cuomo are more of a scheme and should be called the Hunger Games.

It pits community versus community, and not just on merit but on politics. Its who the governor wants to reward in different factions through the state, Salka said. Its all up to the governor and its a very small select group of people, no matter what your qualifications are or how well you presented your case. We need to reform that and make sure we have an impartial panel that decides on merit, not politics on where billions and billions of dollars go to.

Salka said his 24-year-old son is currently looking for work and its very difficult in the current New York climate.

We have created an environment in New York state that drives businesses away, Salka said.

May agreed and said money for those projects should not be decided by Albany and that it should go to infrastructure, not things like a marquee project. For instance, In 2014, Cuomo announced the intention to build a $15 million film studio in DeWitt; however, in 2018, a non-profit corporation owned by Onondaga County took over the studio and re-branded it to the Greater Syracuse Soundstage.

We need to create the groundwork for everyone who has a business or idea the ability to succeed, May said. We need roads and the water infrastructure to gird everything we are trying to build here. We also need to make sure when we have developmental projects going on, theyre hiring local people. Those projects should not be hiring from far away, but actually returning those dollars to the district in employment of local people.

May said she is also in favor of green energy as a way of not just creating jobs, but reducing costs for people operating homes or businesses in the 53rd District.

Burman said her perspective on economic development should be organic.

It should allow for businesses to grow, be created and relocate based on the marketplace, Burman said. We need to provide the best environment to which they can grow organically. And that includes adequate spending on infrastructure, lowering our taxes and reducing regulations. Thats my focus on economic development.

Burman said the philosophy of If you build, they will come was used to justify the Greater Syracuse Soundstage; however, it did not succeed. Instead, Burman said New York state should look to attract business owners, such as filmmaker Jeremy Garelick, who purchased the Liverpool High School and built a film studio.

He is developing a sound stage and building a training program so he can employ local people. And that grew organically. And thats what we need more of in our state, Burman.

In terms of gun control, Burman, Salka and Magee said they were supporters of the Second Amendment and wanted to see the laws already on the books enforced. But Magee also agreed with May, who said legislation like the SAFE Act is a step in the right direction.

I dont believe in gun control. Im an advocate of the Second Amendment and Im concerned about the Red Flag proposal, Burman said.

The proposal, aimed at stopping troubled children from mass shootings, would authorize teachers, school administrators and parents to ask a judge to evaluate a child they believe is a threat to themselves or others. The judge could then order the confiscation of firearms in the childs home.

Someones guns could be taken away from them in a hearing without them being present, Burman said. I think thats an egregious violation of someones constitutional rights. But I do think we are woefully under-funding mental health programs in our state.

I do support gun control and I believe the SAFE Act has done a pretty good job, but we also need universal background checks, May said. In the city of Syracuse, we have a gun violence problem thats very severe. We have 12-year-olds killing 13-year-olds. There are too many guns. We can do gun buy back programs and reduce gun trafficking with grants to district attorneys. We need to do something.

Im a lifetime member of the NRA, I belong to the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association, I possess a concealed weapons permit, Im a collector, very sane and theres never been any violence around my house that has to do with guns, Salka said. Lets take care of gun violence by getting to the root of the issue. Its not guns. Its poor people, living in oppression. People who dont have a way out. People who look at options like selling drugs as a way to support themselves. Put a gun in their hand, illegally, and theres going to be violence.

I believe that mental health is one of the big issues. People with mental health problems get their hands on guns they shouldnt, said Magee, who voted against the SAFE Act. We need to make sure the laws are enforced so they dont get those guns and cause some of these terrible things, like in Syracuse.

Madison County and its relationship with the Oneida Indian Nation is another topic on a lot of minds. Attendees at the candidate forum wanted to know what the candidates would do to make sure Madison County receives its fair share of revenue from the state.

Magee said casino gaming revenue is a big issue. In 2016, he sponsored a bill to ensure Madison County receives a share of revenue from gaming facilities within the county, specifically Yellow Brick Road Casino that opened in Chittenango in 2013. Cuomo vetoed Magees original bill, but legislation sponsored by Magee was passed for the state budget in 2017 that included a designation as a host community, securing Madison County $2.25 million for 2017.

We are getting our fair share of gaming revenue from Yellow Brick Road. The town of Brookfield was the recipient of more than $22,000, Salka said. In a town like Brookfield, a poor town like ours, it really does something happy. And hopefully, we see more revenue from the casino the Oneida Indian Nation is building in Bridgeport. We are asking for it to become permanent. This could be a dependable source of income, but the state legislature refuses to make it permanent. Were going to make that permanent.

May admitted she did not know a lot about the issue and said as far as she understood, the negotiations are done on an ad-hoc basis, meaning there is no standard way to ensure revenue sharing year to year. May said shed recommend against this and wants to see them permanent.

Burman said she agreed with everything Salka said and the arrangements need to be made permanent.

The 2018 midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Polls will be open in Madison County from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Assembly tickets in MP may get delayed as BJP conducting internal voting on candidates

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Oct 19: Though the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is meeting on October 20 but declaration of names for Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections are likely to be delayed the reason being that the BJP has started conducting an internal poll that who will be the best suitable candidate for a particular constituency. So this exercise may take some time and the candidate getting the maximum number of vote has the maximum chances of getting ticket. Name of some sure shot candidates might be declared early but otherwise it will be delayed. Last date of filing nomination in Madhya Pradesh is November 9, 2018.

Sources said that senior leaders of the party like 5-6 term MPs, ministers, senior leaders of the organisations are being sent in the group of two in different regions to get this internal poll conducted. They are getting secret voting done by party workers up to block level. Party is providing certain name for a particular constituency and asking to vote for them through their secret votes. They are saying that even a minister's name is not yet finalised so the party is seeking voters of its workers on names of cndidates.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh polls: What is the SAPAKS effect that has the BJP worried

Sources said that this exercise is being done as telling someone on face is difficult that the person ight not win and it might also antagonize him so this exercise is being done. Like in the Gwalior region former national vice president of BJP Vikram Verma and state organising secretary Krishna Murari Moghe have been sent to get this exercise done. For example like if a senior leader like Jaibhan Singh Pawaiya or Maya Singh have better chance of winning from their constituencies or any other worker. So this is the situation and candidates might be changes as per results.

This is happening for the first time in the history of any political party that once elections is announced and such exercise in happening at ground level. Generally one team will be covering four to five districts like Gwalior and Chambal are being considered as one region and the team will be doing the exercise in 34 Assembly seats of this particular region. Even the candidate can also vote from where he is seeking ticket.

Sources said that the candidate securing maximum votes will be the strongest contender for ticket and the report will be sent to top leadership. This exercise is being done to read the anger of the workers of the party and to understate their resentment. It is better to do this exercise right now instead of doing it after the elections. The party also wants to do this to ward off anti-incumbency of candidates as Madhya Pradesh is not only facing 15-year's anti-incumbency of state but the Centre as well. This exercise is done at big places like marriage hall or ground where enough space is provided.

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Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 11:30 [IST]
BrahMos spy case: Why India must not ignore the US role in it as well

BrahMos spy case gets bigger: To stem leak to Pakistan, several places raided

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Oct 19: A soldier was earlier this week arrested on charges of spying. Investigators say that this case is related to the BrahMos spy case.

The alleged actions by the soldier came to light when the agencies were probing the BrahMos spy case in which an engineer was arrested for allegedly leaking crucial information to the Pakistan's ISI.

Following the questioning of the soldier, the agencies have put several more persons under the scanner.

Also Read | Brahmos spy case: Lured with a job, how Agrawal set a trap for himself

It may be recalled that earlier this week a soldier originally hailing from Uttarakhand and working at the Indian Army's Signal Regiment was arrested on charges of espionage.

The arrest came just days after Nishant Agrawal an engineer at the BrahMos was arrested on charges of passing on crucial information allegedly to the ISI.

The soldier was under the radar of the Intelligence Bureau for the past three months. He has served in the Army for the past 10 years.

Sources say it was during the probe into the BrahMos case that led them up to Singh.

Also Read | Indian soldier arrested at Meerut allegedly leaked info regarding Western Command

The investigators are questioning the soldier about the possible leak of information to a foreign spy agency. The agencies suspect that he had shared information relating to the Western Command with the ISI.

The agencies are also ascertaining if more persons were involved in this racket. The decision to arrest the soldier was taken after it was found that some sensitive information had been leaked.

Sources also said that during the course of the probe into the BrahMos case, several names had cropped up. Raids were conducted in several places in Uttar Pradesh and two persons were questioned in Agra and Kanpur.

Sources said the possibility of the soldier being a Pakistani spy sent across the border by the higher authorities in the neighbouring country could not be ruled out. He is suspected to have shared classified and sensitive information about the Western Command base and its corps and divisions in and around Meerut cantonment with Pakistani intelligence operatives.

Big breach at BrahMos missile unit: Agent passing on information to Pak-US arrested

The Army authorities have not revealed the name of the jawan, who is from Uttarakhand and has allegedly been spying for Pakistan for 10 months. As per the sources, the Army's intelligence unit became suspicious about his activities when they found he was in telephonic contact with people in Pakistan. An internal military investigation was initiated against the jawan after he shared information with his Pakistani handlers around three months ago. Since then his activities were being watched by the Army intelligence unit.

Sources in Meerut confirmed that during interrogation the man had disclosed many names and related information. The suspect used to share information with his Pakistani contacts with end-to-end encryption, mostly through messaging application WhatsApp.

The jawan has been associated with the Indian Army for the last 10 years and posted in Meerut for the last two years.The Army's intelligence unit alerted higher defence authorities after getting incriminating clues about his engagement with people across the border.

As per a senior Army official, investigations are on in different wings of Signals and a few other jawans at different places are also being questioned by the military police on the basis of clues given by the suspect.

The Indian Army Corps of Signals is a corp and an arm of the Indian Army which handles its military communications. The corps work closely with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop command and control software.

Also Read | China says it has a better missile than BrahMos and Pakistan would buy it

In the Agrawal case, the police had found that he had been in touch with Pakistani agents through Facebook. It was found that he had leaked technical information.

The police had said that despite him undertaking such sensitive work, his approach on the Internet was casual. Agrawal during his interrogation is said to confessed to downloading sensitive information relating to the supersonic missile from a senior's computer.
Justice BV Nagarathna in line to become Indias first woman Chief Justice of India in 2027

CJI okays suspension of RCT judge accused in Rs 50 crore scam

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Oct 19: The Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi has given his nod to suspend a Railway Claims Tribunal judge who was under the scanner for a Rs 50 crore scam relating to compensation claims in Patna, Bihar.

The file against the judge, R K Mittal was pending in the office of the CJI for several months. However Justice Gogoi took up the matter and sent to the Railway Board for approval.

Also Read | CJI unimpressed with demand to lift ban on lawyers' strike

It was alleged during the probe conducted by Justice U U Lalit that Mittal had allegedly indulged in financial irregularities in connivance with a few lawyers appearing for the victims of railways accidents.

The Chairman of the RCT, Justice K Kannan had written to the Railway Board seeking Mittal's suspension a few months back. This led to the transfer of Mittal to the Trivandrum branch of the RCT from Ranchi.

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Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 10:47 [IST]
Congress set to get weaker in Goa, three more likely to quit

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Panaji, Oct 19: There is more trouble on the cards for the Congress in Goa. The Congress which lost two of its MLAs to the BJP recently is expected to see more exodus in the days to come.

The latest on the list of those likely to join the BJP is Pratapsingh Rane. He is likely to join the BJP if the party appoints his son, Vishwajit Rane as the next Chief Minister of Goa in place of Manohar Parrikar, who is undergoing treatment at his Dona Paula home after being discharged from AIIMS.

In addition to this the Congress is also likely to lose two more leaders to the Goa Forward Party, which is an ally of the BJP in Goa.

Also Read | Goa: More trouble for Congress as two more MLAs set to resign

The source said that talks have been on for a couple of weeks now. The two Congress leaders were waiting for their party to strike a deal with the GFP and form the government. However talks between the Congress and GFP constantly failed.

The two leaders felt disappointed about the talks failing as they had hoped to be part of the government after being out of power for a long time, the source also added. A major development in this regard could be expected in a couple of day and if this does happen, the Congress would see its number reducing further.

On Tuesday two MLAs of the Congress party, Dayanand Sopte and Subhash Shirodkar joined the BJP on Tuesday. With this the strength of the Congress in the 40 member house has been reduced to 14, bringing it on par with the BJP. The resignation of the two MLAs has also brought the house strength down to 38 now.

The BJP has 14 MLAs while its alliance partners Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and Goa Forward Party (GFP) have three MLAs each. There are three independents who are also supporting the BJP led government.

Replacement:

Meanwhile there is talk regarding a replacement for Goa Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, who has been unwell for sometime now. The BJP has however not taken any call on the issue relating to the replacement.

Also Read | Goa: Have majority, Parrikar must step down says Congress

A BJP source said that Parrikar could continue as the CM for as long as he wants to. As of now there is no plan to replace Parrikar. Amidst this there was talk that Goa minister, Vishwajit Rane was in the running to become the next Chief Minister of Goa. Rane, the minister for health and women and child development was credited with bringing the two Congress MLAs to the BJP. The son of four time chief minister, Pratap Singh Rane, he was called to New Delhi for discussions.

Goa assembly in numbers:

Total house strength: 38

BJP- 14

Congress-14

MGP-3

GFP- 3

Independents- 3

Speaker- 1

Half way mark- 19

BJP and allies: 23

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Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 8:23 [IST]
Dussehra: Ravan effigies in high demand

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Jaipur, Oct 19: Demon king Ravana's effigies from small to giant sizes which would go up in flames on Dussehra on Friday have been lined up for sale in different parts of the city where people specially children could be seen purchasing them.

The number of Ravana effigies is increasing manifold every year, making the Pink city a hub of all sized colourful effigies of the antagonist character of the Ramayana.

"The sale is picking up today. Effigies of 5-15 feet height are high in demand as they are easy to carry and install at the site and are cheaper too, Ganesh Kothari, an effigy trader at 'Guarjar ki Thadi' said on Thursday.

Also Read | Will Ravana effigies be made after Dusshera, annoyed Delhi HC asks

Nearly two thousands effigies are lined up for sale at 5-6 locations along the Gopalpura bypass, which used to have only one location popularly called as 'Ravana Mandi' a few years ago.

Since the demand of effigies is increasing year by year, many families which otherwise earn livelihood by some other works rest of the year have engaged themselves in effigy making which is a two-months affair, he said while decorating one of the effigies with the help of his 13-year old son and wife.

Effigies of different sizes from 1 to 40-50 feet made by pieces of bamboos and coloured papers are available in the price range of Rs 100 to 15,000 which does not include firecrackers cost.

Also Read | Dussehra 2018: History of Wadiyar dynasty

Another effigy maker Harjiram said, Most of the buyers are youngsters who collect money and purchase mid-sized Ravana effigies. Giant sized effigies are less in demand and are purchased only by them who organise some fair or such event in a ground. Most of the effigies are erected in colonies where there is limited space, he said.

Besides Ravana mandi and Gurjar ki Thadi, effigies are on sale in areas like Mansarover, Tonk Road, Sanganer among others.

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Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 8:50 [IST]
How do i prove my devotion, asks activist who was not allowed to enter Sabarimala temple

India

oi-Vikas SV

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 19: Activist Rehana Fatima, one of the two women who had to return after reaching withing 500 meters of the Sabarimala Temple, said on Friday that her life is in danger.

Two women, Fatima and journalist Kavitha Jakkal, had to turn back and return after the head priest of the shrine threatened to shut down the shrine and stop prayers.

"People, not the devotees, who want to disrupt peace didn't allow us to enter. I want to know what was the reason. Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee. You tell me that first and then I will tell you if I'm a devotee or not," Fatima told the media.

Also Read | Sabarimala protests Live: Third women who was enroute shrine also returns

Fatima's house in Kochi was also ransacked after it came on news that she was enroute Sabarimala Temple where the entry of women is banned.

"I don't know what happened to my children. My life is also in danger. But they (police) have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back," she added.

Sabarimala protests: Reasons behind hue and cry over entry of women

Over a hundered cops led by Inspector General S Sreejith had given two women, an activist and a journalist, a security cover and escorted them along the trek to the shrine. But when head priest issued a threat, Sreejith reportedly spoke to these women and convinced them to return.

Kavitha Jakkal said: "Thank you so much for supporting us. We are feeling proud to come here. You have seen what dangerous situation we faced."

Also Read | Sabarimala:SC's verdict to be implemented, anyone who wants to go will be protected, says Kerala CM

Devotees have been aggressively protesting a Supreme Court order that allows women of menstrual age to enter the temple, a ban that was followed for decades as a religious practice. With the Kerela government saying it will follow the court order and ensure women are allowed in the temple, protests have swept across the state leading to a state-wide shutdown.

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Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 14:25 [IST]
'Alpine girl' from Bengaluru treks to 50 high-altitude lakes in Kashmir

With 2 more arrests NIA steps up heat on terrorists targeting civilians in J&K

Cleaning up the inside rot: The importance of gunning down Kashmirs white collared terrorists

J&K: Infiltration bid foiled, three terrorists killed in Baramulla

India

oi-Vikas SV

Srinagar, Oct 19: The security forces on Friday gunned down three terrorists and foiled an infiltration bid in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla area. The operation was carried out in Boniyar sector which is close to the Line of Control LoC).

According to reports, four AK-47 Rifles and four haversacks were also seized.

An Army personnel reportedly said alert troops noticed some suspicious movement along the LoC near Tourna in Boniyar area in the early hours of Thursday and challenged the infiltrators.

Also Read | TuM terrorist killed in encounter with security forces in Pulwama

In a seperate incident, two terrorists were killed after they attacked a police patrol. A rifle and a pistol were recovered, said reports.

Two terrorists were neutralised in exchange of fire with police party in Kralhaar, Baramulla. AK-201 assault rifle, 2 Chinese pistols and other weapons were recovered, said an ANI report.

Also Read | J&K: Terrorists attack police, two personnel injured

A Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TuM) terrorist was killed in Pulwama in the encounter with security forces on Thursday.

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Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 14:41 [IST]
Mystery in IT department as several records go missing

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Oct 19: Several records have gone missing from Income Tax department because of a restructuring drive in 2001 and 2013, the Central Information Commission has been informed.

Information Commissioner Bimal Julka noted it in one of the cases heard by him when the tax department could not furnish information about pension fund in NTPC to an RTI applicant.

Under the RTI Act, Sunil Kumar Johar had demanded copies of approval issued by office of the Commissioner of Income Tax, Delhi-II, to the superannuation fund under Part 'B' of the fourth schedule of the Income Tax Act, 1961, in NTPC Limited Self Contributory Superannuation Benefit (Pension) Trust among others.

Also Read | Government to honour honest, consistent taxpayers

The tax department stated that since the record was not received in their office after restructuring of the department in November, 2014 therefore the information sought could not be furnished.

Not getting suitable response, Johar approached the Commission where he stated that a suitable reply had not been furnished to him by the Income Tax department.

In its reply, the tax department expressed his inability to furnish the records not in their possession and stated that an exercise had been initiated in the Department to digitise its records, Julka noted.

Also Read | SC comes down hard on IT dept, says apex court is not a "picnic place"

"It was explained (by I-T department official) that their Department had undergone restructuring in 2001 and 2013 and therefore a number of records went missing. It was neither handed over by the concerned authority nor shown as transferred to their office. Therefore, he was helpless in providing any information sought by the appellant," he said.

Julka said there was an "urgent need" to develop a robust system of record keeping in the office and to review its efficaciousness periodically.

"...no further intervention of the Commission is required in the matter. However, the Commission advises the Respondent Public Authority (I-T) to initiate immediate measures to improve its record keeping management using latest technological tools," he said.
India's first canine training centre comes up at Attari; Dogs to be trained on narcotics detection

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Amritsar, Oct 19: Tragedy struck at a Dussehra celebration in Amritsar on Friday when a speeding train ran over a festive crowd that spilled on to the tracks while watching the customary burning of a giant Ravana effigy. At least 61 people were killed and 74 injured in the accident, according to a senior government official. Railway authorities took pictures of the train and also questioned the driver regarding the incident that has killed over 50 people. It is learnt that the driver has told the authorities that he was not able to see the crowd on the rail tracks from a distance.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar. At least 300 people were at the spot watching 'Ravana dahan', sources told PTI. The rescue operation is getting hampered as the authorities have not arranged any floodlights to search the bodies and injured who were thrown by the speeding trains. Video camera lights and mobile phones are being used to search for bodies.

Amritsar sub-divisional magistrate (I) Rajesh Sharma said 61 people were killed and at least 74 admitted to Amritsar hospital. Raveen Thukral, media advisor to chief minister Amarinder Singh, put the number of dead at 40, adding the toll could rise. The chief medical officer at Amritsar Civil hospital said doctors had treated at least 80 injured after the accident.

Leaders across the political spectrum put out condolence messages and a state of mourning was declared in Punjab, where all government institutions will be shut on Saturday.

Approximately more than 60 injured people including children have received medical treatment till now. Most people have suffered orthopedic injuries, abrasions, head trauma and eye injuries: Dr Sandeep, Emergency Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, #Amritsar pic.twitter.com/VV6DGiJwwe  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

The state government also announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the families of the dead, while the Centre announced an addition Rs 2 lakh for grieving families.

CPRO Northern Railways said,''13 trains shortly terminated, 5 trains short originated, 6 trains cancelled & 2 trains diverted following #Amritsar train accident.''

Congress MP from Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla is at Civil Hospital, where the injured have been admitted. He said that a probe will be conducted into the incident. "Action will be taken against those found guilty, even if it is Navjot Kaur Sidhu," he said.

#Amritsar: MP from Amritsar, Gurjeet Singh Aujla who is present at Civil Hospital, says, "probe will be conducted into the incident, action will be taken against those found guilty, even if it is Navjot Kaur Sidhu." pic.twitter.com/did5IJmFrG  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a financial relief of Rs 2 lakh for the family of each deceased in the Amritsar train accident and Rs 50,000 for the injured, a spokesperson told PTI.

Indian Railways issus helpline numbers for Amritsar accident: Helpline telephone numbers at #Manawala station- Rly -73325, BSNL - 0183-2440024; Power Cabin ASR-Rly - 72820, BSNL - 0183-2402927; Vijay Sahota,SSE: 7986897301 and Vijay Patel, SSE: 7973657316.

Minister Of State Railways Manoj Sinha rushes to Amritsar.

Union minister Harsimran Kaur Badal said, "There are not enough words to mourn the Amritsar train tragedy that claims so many innocent lives. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. The incident needs to be probed as it casts serious question on administration."

Speaking about the incident, Navjot Kaur Sidhu said,''The effigy of Ravan was burnt&I had just left the site when the incident happened. Priority is to get the injured treated. Dussehra celebrations are held there every year. People who are doing politics over this incident should be ashamed.''

Former cabinet minister and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia has demanded dismissal of Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu. He further sought the registeration of a case against those who allowed organising a Dussehra function along side a busy railway line.

Piyush Goyal says Railways conducting immediate relief operations. "Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident that occurred in Amritsar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly. Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations," Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said in a tweet.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that he spoke to the Punjab home secretary and the DGP over the train accident. "Centre is ready to provide all possible assistance to the state at this hour of grief," he said.

A number of disturbing images are surfacing.

Amritsar train accident video pic.twitter.com/hb9Q3f9qL6  Satinder pal singh (@SATINDER_13) October 19, 2018

Locals alleged that Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the wife of Punjab Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, was the chief guest at the event. They further claimed that Navjot Kaur Sidhu left the venue as soon as the incident took place.

Another Eyewitness at Amritsar accident site said,"Congress had organised Dussehra celebrations here without permission. Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife was the chief guest at the celebrations and she continued to give a speech as people were struck down by the train."

Reacting to the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet, "Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required."

Police Commissioner SS Srivastava said, "Exact death toll is not known but it is definitely more than 50-60. We are still evacuating people."

Punjab minister OP Soni said that death toll could be between 100-150. But no confirmed figure was given as the bodies are still scattered in the area.

An eyewitness said, a train travelling at a fast speed ran over several people during Dussehra celebrations, in Choura Bazar near Amritsar.

#Punjab: An eyewitness says, a train travelling at a fast speed ran over several people during Dussehra celebrations, in Choura Bazar near Amritsar pic.twitter.com/JziMF03JyS  ANI (@ANI) October 19, 2018

Police said, "There are more than 50 casualties. We are evacuating people, injured taken to the hospital", on accident in which several are feared dead in Choura Bazar near Amritsar

Another Eyewitness said, "The administration and the Dussehra committee are at fault, they should have raised an alarm when the train was approaching, they should have made sure that the train halts or slows down."

Meanwhile, Northern Railway spokesperson said that the railway gates were closed at the time of incident.

''At gate no. 27 b/w Amritsar & Manawala. As Dussehra celebration was taking place some incident had occurred& people started rushing towards closed gate number 27 while a DMU train number 74943 was passing the closed gate,'' said CPRO Northern Railway.

In a statement, Deepak Kumar, CPRO, Northern Railways, said that as per initial information, at gate number 27 between Amritsar and Mananwala, "as Dusshera celebration and Ravan Dahan were taking place, some incident had occurred and people started rushing towards closed gate number 27 while a DMU train number 74943 was passing the closed gate. The incidental information is being collected."

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweets: "Extremely sad news coming about a major train accident near Amritsar I appeal to all our volunteers in the area to help authorities in the relief work and provide whatever help we can in this moment of crisis".

The toll is expected to rise over 100. There were around 500-700 people at the spot. The moment the effigy of Ravan caught fire, crackers started flying around.
Rajnath Singh celebrates Dussehra with BSF jawans; performs 'shastra puja'

India

pti-PTI

Bikaner (Rajasthan), Oct 19: Home Minister Rajnath Singh Friday celebrated Dussehra with BSF jawans and performed 'shastra puja' in this forward post along the highly sensitive Indo-Pak border, officials said. This was for the first time that a senior Union minister conducted the 'shastra puja' or worship of weapons on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami along India's border with Pakistan.

The home minister, who arrived at the frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) here last evening, celebrated Dussehra festival with the jawans, an official said. 'Shastra puja' is part of the Dussehra festival which is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Ram over demon king Ravana.

Addressing the BSF personnel, the home minister praised the multi-dimensional role of the BSF in guarding the Indo-Pak and Indo-Bangladesh borders, maintaining law and order in internal disturbances and tackling the Left Wing Extremism. Referring to the regular firing from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said Pakistan, despite being a neighbour, never exercised good neighbourly behaviour and instead sponsoring terrorism. He said that the terrorists infiltrating into Indian territory are coming from Pakistan only.

There is proper coordination among our Army, police and paramilitary forces to fight against them, Singh said. The home minister said that recently launched 'smart fence' pilot project, which entails deploying laser-activated fences and technology-enabled barriers to plug vulnerable gaps along borders, will help the border guarding forces in maintaining peace in forward areas.

The project was launched along Indo-Pak border in Jammu and Kashmir while it will be implemented along the Indo-Bangla border in Dhubri, Assam, next month, Singh said. During the two-day visit, the home minister interacted with the family members of the BSF personnel and attended a feast with the jawans, another official said. Singh also visited the family of a BSF jawan, who is currently posted in Jammu and Kashmir, and enquired about their wellbeing.

Later, the home minister reviewed the situation on the border and assessed the progress in various infrastructure projects. The 3,323-km-long Indo-Pak border is considered to be highly sensitive. Even though the border in Rajasthan is peaceful, the border guarding forces of the two countries often engaged in massive firing in Jammu and Kashmir, leading to loss of human lives and properties. Last year, the home minister had celebrated Dussehra at Joshimath in Uttarakhand along the Sino-Indian border.

PTI
Road accident victims get Rs 75 compensation thanks to MACT

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Oct 19: A Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT) has awarded over Rs 75 lakh as compensation to the victims of a road accident which resulted in the death of a woman and injured six others.

MACT presiding officer Pawan Kumar Jain asked New India Assurance Company Limited, insurer of the offending vehicle, to pay a total of Rs 75,96,482, including the interest to the victims and the next of kin of the deceased woman.

The tribunal clubbed together seven pleas on behalf of the victims and awarded varying compensation amounts to the affected persons based on the injuries suffered by them.

Also Read | 3 bike borne men killed in road accident

"Since the offending vehicle was insured with respondent no. 2 (The New India Assurance Company Ltd.) it is directed to deposit the award amount of Rs 18,67,000, Rs 5,48,000, Rs 40,41,000, Rs 3,29,000, Rs 77,000, Rs 46,000 and Rs 92,000 with interest @ 9 per cent per annum from the date of filing of claim petitions i.e. 30.10.2017 till realisation of the amount, within 30 days," the tribunal said.

It also said that the owner of the bus, Yog Dutt Sharma, "shall be jointly and severally liable" to pay compensation, along with the insurance company, to the petitioners.

The tribunal awarded Rs 20,26,091, including interest to Dinesh Kumar Verma and Manish Verma, the husband and son of Delhi resident Renu Verma, who was killed in the accident on June 11 last year while travelling to Khatushyam, Rajasthan after sustaining fatal injuries.

Manish, who was also injured in the accident leading to amputation of his right leg below the knee, was awarded Rs 43,85,342 (with interest) towards cost of an artificial limb implantation and his father, Dinesh, was granted a compensation of Rs 5,94,696 for the injuries he suffered.

The court also awarded the other petitioners -- Manju Rani, Yogesh Sharma and minors Nevaidh Sharma and Nayasa Sharma -- amounts ranging between Rs 46,000 and Rs 3.29 lakh based on the injuries suffered by them in the accident.

Also Read | Amethi: 2 killed in road accidents

The victims were travelling in a bus to Rajasthan, when it collided with a truck, injuring all the petitioners. Renu Verma died by the time she was taken to the hospital.

The complainant alleged that the bus was being driven at fast speed.

The tribunal noted that though the accident in question had not taken place within its jurisdiction, yet the claims have been filed before it as all the petitioners and the respondent (bus owner) are residing in Delhi and the insurance company is also based in the national capital.
RSS-BJP likely to deliberate upon Ram Temple and Kumbh Mela in Lucknow on October 24

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Oct 19: To discuss the strategy further on for the construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya and asses preparations of Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, senior leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will be meeting in Lucknow on October 24, 2018. This will be a big meeting of the RSS office bearer in which two joint general secretaries - Dattatreya Hosabale and Krishna Gopal - will be participating along with other RSS leaders.

The meeting is being called as a coordination meeting so it will also have representatives from the state government and the state BJP as well. Besides Hosabale and Krishna Gopal, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and party president Mahendra Nath Pandey will also be participating in the meet. Some of the issues that the meeting is likely to discuss included devising new strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, assessment of the work done by the Uttar Pradesh government, Preparation of Kumbh Mela in Allahabad so far and also to discuss the strategy for the construction of Ram Temple after RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat talked about exploring legislative rout for it.

Also Read | Right wing players intensify pressure on the govt for construction of Ram temple

As usual every secrecy is has been maintained about the meeting but sources said that around 500 senior workers from the RSS and its affiliate organisations will be participating in this meeting as the time ahead is very crucial for the BJP in view of the Lok Sabha elections and Ram Mandir issue being raised. The Ram Mandir issue is also has to be dealt with legally for which hearing will start on October 29, 2018 in the Supreme Court.

A big number of the RSS workers will be coming from outside Lucknow so arrangement has already made for them. RSS joint general secretary Krishna Gopal has been looking after both the issue - Ramjanmabhoomi and Kumbh Mela from the Sangh however for the political matter the entire team of the RSS deliberate upon under the guidance of general secretary Suresh (Bhaiya ji) Joshi.

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Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 13:05 [IST]
Sabarimala temple in Kerala to open for monthly rituals from July 16; Conditions apply for devotees

How to Book Sabarimala Virtual Q Tickets Online 2021? Know Date, Price and Other Details

Sabarimala protests updates: Congress says TDB's should file review plea instead of detailed report

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Oct 17: In the three days that Sabarimala has been open for the first time since the landmark Supreme Court order, no woman in the age group of 10-50 has made it to the shrine.

Two women, one activist and another a journalist, on Friday (October 19) began their ascent towards the Sabarimala Temple where the entry of women between the ages of 10-50 is prohibited. The women of the said age group have not been allowed for centuries but last month the Supreme Court scrapped the traditional practice.

Massive protests are being held at the base of the hill from where devotees begin their trek to the temple opposing the Supreme Court order. The locals are hell bent to stop women from entering the shrine saying that it is an age old practice.

Amid violent protests, the doors of Sabarimala temple in Kerala opened on Wednesday for the first time since the Supreme Court lifted the centuries-old ban on entry of women of menstrual age but by available indications, none from this age group made it to the famed hilltop shrine.

[Sabarimala verdict: No consensus on filing review petition]

The verdict had however received mixed responses with several thousand protesters flocking the streets of Kerala demanding an overturn in the ruling citing that it is against their traditional beliefs.

[Sabarimala: SC's verdict to be implemented, anyone who wants to go will be protected, says Kerala CM]

A meeting by The Travancore Devaswom Board, a temple body yesterday with various stakeholders including the Pandalam royal family and Ayyappa devotees failed to come to a conclusion on the matter.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Police has said that no attempts to threaten law and order, or to stop women devotees from entering the shrine will not be tolerated.

Congress President Mulapally Ramachandran on Tuesday declared that the party won't object to any woman coming to the temple but wished that this does not happen.

State BJP president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai expressed full support to the protesting believers.

On Tuesday, hundreds of devotees, including a large number of women, protesting against the Supreme Court ruling, gathered at Nilakal and started checking all vehicles bound to the temple town.
Two big leaders of Chhattisgarh meet Amit Shah before CEC takes a call on tickets

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Oct 19: To ensure the victory of the party in the state, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah has held a meeting with the two strongest leaders of the party in the state before any call on ticket is taken by the party. Shah met Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh and party general secretary Saroj Pandey at his residence in New Delhi to discuss the matter.

Sources said that the party leadership is well aware that it is going to face a tough electoral battle in the state this time round as it is seeking mandate for the fourth consecutive terms and any laxity or intra-party rivalry might harm the chances of the party. Party is well aware about the rivalry of Raman Singh and Saroj Pandey. So the party wants to annihilate any chance of wrong message sent to the voters even before tickets and other things are decided.

The party wants to give a message that it is united for the cause as it is also well aware about the victory margin always being very slender in the state. So it wants 100 per cent from everyone. During the 2013 elections victory margin was 0.7 percentage point.

The BJP leaders have to discuss names of candidates and some other issues with party president Amit Shah before final call is taken in Central Election Committee (CEC) of the BJP which will meet on October 20 to decide names of Assembly candidates. It is said that names of candidate for 18 Assembly seats are likely to be declared first because the last date for the filing nomination in the state is October 23.

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Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 19:02 [IST]
UP CM and ministers to stay in villages at night to consolidate base before 2019 LS polls

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Oct 19: Knowing very well that the real India lives in the villages, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked its ministers and MLAs to visit rural areas of the state for at least 10 days in a month and try to remain in touch with people of the constituency they are representing. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath too will chalk out a detailed plan and will increase his visit to rural areas and even stay at night in villages to asses development works.

After the announcement of Assembly elections in five states, the BJP is now fully geared up for the Lok Sabha elections where the party has maximum stake so much so that chief minister has not only asked his ministers to avoid visiting foreign countries in the next six months but to focus on the constituency and especially the rural areas. This is a established fact that the BJP is strong among the urban populace but in the rural areas have always been the weakness of the party. Though it has been able to win some seats from the rural area in 2014 Lok Sabha election and 2017 Assembly elections but they need to be consolidated.

Also Read | Booth related work of the BJP still remains incomplete despite extension given to it

It was decided in the Meerut executive of the Uttar Pradesh BJP that party would organise chaupal (meetings) in villages and dialogue with the beneficiaries of the government schemes both Central and state. So the chief minister has instructed them to have dialogue with them. Uttar Pradesh BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey have already communicated this to every MLA of the party to make their plans for the rural areas at least 10 days in a month. Responsibility and accountability of ministers will also be fixed later on.

Yogi Adityanath has entrusted with the responsibility to some minister and they have been made in-charge of districts but the feed back about some of these ministers is not good for them not being serious about districts they have been made responsible for on which the CM was very categorical that all minister in-charge must asses the development work in their districts and make better coordination with the worker in the area.

Also Read | Is BJP scared of Congress' 'soft-Hindutva' strategy?

The Yogi government is also talking about austerity measure and instructed minister to avoid splurging so the money can be used for development works. This is to remind that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers are already working in the rural areas and so is the case with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to expand the rural base. Now in their plan to reach out for the cause of temple it will be further intensified. But the focus is rural area for sure to make dent in Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Congress' base.

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Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 9:49 [IST]
Yechury likens Sabarimala protests to Babri demolition, blames RSS for it

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Oct 19: CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday likened the protests at the Sabarimala Temple over the entry of women to Babri Masjid demolition in 1992 and blamed the RSS for the chaos.

Devotees have been aggressively protesting a Supreme Court order that allows women of menstrual age to enter the temple, a ban that was followed for decades as a religious practice. Today, two women were stopped a short distance away from the Sabarimala temple. The government had earlier insisted that it would do all that is needed to ensure that women are allowed to offer prayers in line with a Supreme Court order.

"All the TV crews who went there which had women were roughed up, the pattern is very similar to the time of the Babri Masjid demolition. You have the heads of the volunteers wearing saffron bands, the same dress you found there then," Yechury told media.

Also Read | "How do i prove my devotion", asks activist who was not allowed to enter Sabarimala temple

"Similar thing is being done here (Sabarimala) so it is an organised thing that the RSS is doing. RSS has lost the battle of not letting the gates of Sabarimala open, they even lost the battle that the temple shouldn't open on time," he added.

CPI (M)'s Kodiyeri Balakrishnan blamed the BJP for "causing hindrance" to the arrangements that were made by the state government following the SC verdict allowing the entry of women from all age groups into the Sabarimala temple.

Also Read | Sabarimala: Head priest's threat to shut down temple made cops to convince women to return

Two women, who on Friday came within 500 meters of entering the Sabarimala Temple, had to turn back and return after the head priest of the shrine threatened to shut down the shrine and stop prayers.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Friday, October 19, 2018, 16:57 [IST]
Saudis still lack credible account of Khashoggi murder: US

Rift deepening in Saudi royal family? Crown prince stripped of some powers

US bars entry to 16 Saudis over Jamal Khashoggi killing

Five sentenced to death in Jamal Khashoggi murder case

Khashoggi' disappearance: Britain official pulls out of Saudi conference

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Istanbul, Oct 19: Britain's Trade minister has pulled out of a Saudi investment conference over the kingdom's involvement in the disappearance and alleged slaying of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is the latest high-level Western official to drop out of attending next week's summit in Riyadh.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra have also cancelled, along with several senior business executives.

Also Read | Khashoggi disappearance: More journalists evade Saudi event

Britain's Department for International Trade says Fox "has decided the time is not right for him to attend the Future Investment Initiative."

Britain says it is "very concerned" about the disappearance of Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

Turkish officials say he was killed and dismembered there.
Ahead of Xi-Biden summit, China asks the US to stop supporting 'Taiwan independence'

As new envoy to China, Pradeep Rawat has his hands full

China overtakes US as the richest country in the world

China has never taken one inch of land from other countries: Xi tells Biden

US designates Pakistan, China as countries of particular concern for religious freedom violation

To replace streetlights, China will launch 3 artificial moons!

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Beijing, Oct 19: China is preparing to launch three artificial moons in space in 2022, the state-run Science and Technology Daily reported. The project will get completed by 2020.

The artificial or man-made moon is a satellite carrying a huge space mirror, which can reflect the sun light to the Earth.

The verification of launch, orbit injection, unfolding, illumination, adjust and control of the man-made moon will be completed by 2020, the daily reported, quoting Wu Chunfeng, head of Tianfu New District System Science Research Institute in Chengdu in China's southwest Sichuan province. The brightness of the artificial moon would be bright enough to replace streetlights, another state-run media outlet, Xinhua, quoted Wu as saying.

Also Read | When Chandrayaan-1 confirmed presence of ice on Moon

These man-made moons will be launched in 2022, it said. "By then, the three huge mirrors will divide the 360-degree orbital plane, realising illuminating an area for 24 hours continuously," Wu said.

The reflected sun light can cover an area of 3,600 sq km to 6,400 sq km, and the illumination intensity is expected to be eight times of the moon light, he said.

The moon orbits the Earth about 380,000 km from the Earth, while the man-made moon is expected to be put on an orbit within 500 km from the Earth, the state-run China Daily reported.

About concerns that the man-made moonlight will interrupt the normal day-night cycle of animals and plants, Wu said the light intensity and illumination time can be adjusted and the accuracy of illumination can be controlled within scores of meters. When a man-made moon is orbiting, people can only see a bright star in the sky.

Also Read | Space tourist Maezawa says moon training should not be too tricky

Man-made moon is especially useful in civil area.

"Using man-made moon to illuminate an area 50 sq km can save 1.2 billion yuan of electric charge," Wu said. "It can also illuminate blackout areas when natural disasters such as earthquake happen."

The US and Russia have explored man-made moon, hoping it can bring convenience to night-time activities.

In the 1990s, Russia carried out an experiment called Banner, testing the idea of using a mirror to reflect the sun light to Earth. The mirror failed to unfold in space and the experiment was halted.

"China, Russia, the US, Japan and the EU are all striving to make technological breakthroughs on space energy application," Wu said.
US sees relations with China stabilising

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Singapore, Oct 19: After a rocky few months, Pentagon officials say they sense that relations with the Chinese military may be stabilizing.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis was meeting Thursday with his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, on the sidelines of an Asian defence ministers' conference.

Just weeks ago, Mattis had planned to travel to Beijing for talks with Wei, but that fell through when the Chinese made it known that Wei would be unavailable -- one of several signs that tension in the overall US-China relationship was spilling over into the military arena.

Also Read | US officials hopeful that US-China military ties may stabilize

Wei and Mattis were in Singapore this week for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations conference where China's increasing assertiveness on the world stage was an expected topic.

The Pentagon's top policy official for Asia and the Pacific, Randall G. Schriver, told reporters on Wednesday that the Chinese had requested the Singapore meeting with Mattis. He said U.S. officials took this as a sign that the Chinese are interested in stabilizing the military relationship.

Speaking to reporters traveling with him earlier this week, Mattis acknowledged that the relationship has been difficult in recent times.

"We're two large powers, or two Pacific powers, two economic powers. There's going to be times we step on each other's toes, so we're going to have to find a way to productively manage our relationship," he said.

Also Read | Withdraw military sanctions or 'bear consequences': China warns US

"And the military relationship is to be a stabilizing force in the relations between the two countries."

As recently as June, when Mattis was in Beijing for his first visit to China as Pentagon chief, President Xi Jinping called the US-China military relationship the "model component of our overall bilateral relations." Since then, however, a series of irritants have shaken military-to-military ties.

Schriver said the trigger for recent tensions was the Trump administration's decision in September to sanction the Chinese military for buying Russian fighter planes and missiles. That action was taken under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act passed by Congress in 2017.

Beijing also strongly criticized a U.S. announcement of further arms sales to Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing insists is part of China.

China responded to these events with strong criticism, followed by a decision to cancel a planned visit to the Pentagon by the head of the Chinese navy and a confrontation in the South China Sea between a Chinese warship and a US Navy destroyer, the USS Decatur. The Chinese also denied a request for a US Navy ship to visit Hong Kong.

Also Read | It's tough for China to strike a trade deal with US: Trump

"That may turn out to be a relatively short bump in the road," Schriver said Wednesday, suggesting that the Singapore meeting between Wei and Mattis could nudge things back in the right direction, although the US administration remains concerned that the Chinese have achieved a key goal by militarizing disputed land features in the South China Sea that Washington warned against.

"The Chinese have changed some facts on the ground. That's clear," Shriver said, referring to the placement of military infrastructure and weapons on some of their land reclamation projects in the South China Sea.

"That's a change that they were able to successfully pull off. The question is: To what end, and how effective is that in terms of enforcing a very expansive, illegitimate sovereignty claim?" China views Washington's criticism of its activities in the South China Sea as unnecessary meddling in internal Chinese affairs.

Earlier this year, Mattis cited China's military presence on some land features in the South China Sea as his reason for disinviting the Chinese military from an international naval exercise in the Pacific.

As part of a U.S. effort to enlist support for countering and limiting China's militarization of the South China Sea, Mattis earlier this week visited Vietnam, which has its own disputed territorial claims there. Schriver noted that smaller nations like Vietnam, with limited naval and economic power, have reasons to express their concerns about China privately rather than in public.

"Countries choosing to be more public and vocal, there is a level of risk with China, but I think confidence is growing that our presence is going to be consistent," Schriver said. "They do face potential risk angering China.
Visit Minnesota Republican Attorney General candidate Doug Wardlow's campaign website or read his twitter feed, and you'll discover there's no dearth of attacks on DFL Attorney General rontest opponent Keith Ellison.

Ellison is attacked for alleged extremism related to law enforcement, environmental regulation and immigration policy. One area where Ellison isn't criticized, however, is his Muslim faith.

But if you're unfortunate enough to receive a "Dear Fellow Republican" fundraising letter--one going on and on about how Wardlow perceives Ellison as "one of the most dangerous men in America"--there's plenty of heated rhetoric including the bold-face sentence in one letter, "As a Muslim, Ellison has hung around radical Islamic groups and defends known terrorists."

A post-script in the other letter reads:

P.S. Keith Eliison doesn't share the American values you and I do. He's in bed with in bed with radicals and terrorists, hangs out with racists and anti-Semites, hates President Trump, and wants to use the Attorney General's office to force far-left policies on us. Keith Ellison is a very dangerous man and he must be kept far away from power. I promise to adhere to the rule of law as Attorney General. But first I must defeat Keith Ellison. Please rush back a donation of at least $35 or $50 today. Thank you so much!

Bluestem suggests that he might adhere to the rule of law starting with his own fund-raising letters. Here's a screenshot of the letter's close:

Under Minnesota campaign finance rules, campaigns must include an address in the disclaimer required to be on most campaign materials. Here's the explanation in the handbook for candidates that's online at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board:

Here are images of the letters and the front of one envelope, which carries a zipcode from Virginia:

Wardlow Fundraising Letters upload by Sally Jo Sorensen on Scribd

How these letters came to Bluestem Prairie

A reader contacted Bluestem about the presence of the letters, which were mailed to a voter in Anoka County who is a Muslim. The recipient, who worships at the MAS Blaine Community Center (BCC), brought them to MAS MN Executive DirectorAsad Zaman, concerned about the accusations in the letters that the Moslem Society of America is "an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, a radical Islamic group that for years worked to overthrow the government of Egypt and spread its message of hate and death throughout the world."

Aside:While this assertion is an article of faith in American anti-Muslim thought, MAS states in What is MAS relationship with the intellectual legacies of other Islamic movements, especially the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan)?:

MAS is an independent American organization that aims to move people to strive for God-consciousness, liberty and justice and to contribute to a virtuous and just American society. MAS has no affiliation with the Ikhwan al Muslimoon (Muslim Brotherhood or the Ikhwan) or with any other international organization. . . .

As for the Muslim Brotherhood itself, YMMV. A good recent explainer is found at the Brookings Institute's Is the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization?.

Zaman, readers may remember, was cited in the MPR story, Muslim voters say they want to participate, not 'infiltrate'

Warnings from GOP legislators that Muslim voters plan to "infiltrate" Republican caucuses appear to have galvanized Muslim efforts to get out and caucus. But Muslim leaders say the rhetoric has extended well beyond the content that the two Republican representatives have shared. It started with a Facebook post that said a "Macalester professor from Bangladesh" led a recent caucus training at a mosque. Dave Sina, chairman of the 4th Congressional District GOP, wrote that the training "encourages them to infiltrate them all, Republican, Democratic as well as Green and independent." The post went on to say that "the easiest is the Republican, because they don't show up."

[Bluestem note: Kathy Lohmer didn't share the Sina post; rather, she shared an earlier post (January 26) put up by "Alley Waterbury" as we reported in Pro-Trump activist concerned about MN precinct caucus training has inspirational backstory.

We believe that the activist was part of the Wardlow campaign in February and March. As "Alison Heruth-Woodbury", the anti-Muslim and pro-Trump activist was paid $4990.67 in February and March by the Wardlow campaign. From the September 2018 report:

The MPR story continues:

Republican Reps. Cindy Pugh of Chanhassen and Kathy Lohmer of Stillwater shared the post. Since then, the Facebook page of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota has been flooded with comments. Executive Director Asad Zaman characterized the comments as hateful and in some cases inciting violence. "They are the responsibility of those who promoted this in this negative way, including two elected officials," Zaman said. "These are designed to provoke fear, and they have done what they were designed to do. There are people who are afraid, and so they are posting hateful comments."

Zaman passed the Wardlow letters on to a reader, along with a story that Republican Muslims asked Wardlow campaign manager Billy Grant about the documents. We spoke with Zaman about the backstory, though none of his sources were willing to go on the record.

A call yesterday to Grant by Bluestem Prairie was not returned.

Perhaps the letters indicate an affirmative answer to MinnPost's Sam Brodey's question, Has fear of Muslims gone mainstream for Minnesota Republicans?

A final note: the rhetoric in the two letters closely resembles that used by the Action4Liberty's anti-Ellison tour that we examined yesterday in Is Radical Agenda of Keith Ellison Tour another cog in MN's anti-Muslim propaganda mill?

CAIR-MN and ISAIAH, with the support of a number of organizations, including our friends at Clean Up the River Environment in Montevideo, released Minnesota's Anti-Muslim Propaganda Mill yesterday.

UPDATE 10/19: Just about the time we were polishing this post, the DFL held a press conference was held about the fundraising letters. Bluestem Prairie was not informed about this press conference, although the PDF of the letters is the same file we received Tuesday evening.

Here are tweets of news coverage of that event:

Faith leaders denounce Wardlow mailers attacking Keith Ellison https://t.co/CpATC97xOu pic.twitter.com/DQEbSCg6To  Star Tribune (@StarTribune) October 18, 2018

In the KARE report, there's this fact checking:

The mailers correctly state that the Muslim American Society paid for Ellison's pilgrimage to Mecca, but then take a leap by falsely claiming that the Muslim American Society is "an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood." Zaman said that's a claim based on a list circulated by the United Arab Emirates, a list that the US State Department has denounced as false. "The Muslim American Society has church status with the IRS. We do food shelves. We do childrens faith formation classes. Children come and play soccer and basketball at our gyms," Zaman said. "We do just about everything you would encounter in the normal church except were Muslims."

Screengrabs: From the letters, Facebook and Wardlow's September 2018 campaign finance report.

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Italy Regulation Applications Underwhelm

Published October 19, 2018 by Lee R

Free-acting operators need to maintain decorum as the Italian licencing process plays out.

Italian regulation has fallen short in the licensing period.

One Third Down

Italy gaming regulator Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM) reported applications for 80 iGaming licences, a figure which falls a full 40 short of the governments expectations for this years application process, with issued licenses to be valid through December 31, 2022.

Ad Ban Discourages

Initially launched in January, new decrees against gambling-related advertising and promotion slowed the application process down.

The Dignity Decree

The so-called Dignity Decree called operators to pay a one-time application fee of 200,000 (175,000, $231,000) to process their by a March 20 deadline, ultimately resulting in 70 companies applying for 80 licences.

Prognostication of Disenchantment

A spokesman for local gambling affiliate Casino2k prognosticated to iGamingBusiness.com that he believes the application totals would not even have topped 10 had all operators been aware of the impending advertising ban, which is set to take effect on January 1st.

No one would spend money for a product that cannot be promoted to potential customers, the spokesman added.

Source of Concern

The source of concern regarding the move as expressed by the spokesman was that these types of dramatic and sudden changes to regulation would discourage individual companies investing larger amounts into a market that could be seen as fragile, millions of Euros in a fragile market, predicting that the status quo could lead to shut downs in operations, a disappearance of legal online gambling and reversion to the non-regulated market of the early 2000s.

The spokesman summarized his comments by saying:

The Italian government is underestimating the economic and social impact of this advertising ban; operators are just a small percentage of people and money involved in the Italian gambling industry.

Further Opposition

Other critics of the ban included online gaming trade association LOGiCO and the European Gaming and Betting Association. Leading private operator LeoVegas encouraged the government to reverse the ruling as well.

Sides of the Argument

The stakeholders as critics makes sense in this case, because they are the ones who want to market in the country and benefit from their promotions.

The Italian government is imposing it's own brand of morality on the process out of concern for its citizens and youth, as a measure which most governments are trying to take in some form as regulated gambling spreads through jurisdictions particularly in Europe.

Outlook

It seems operators and trade associations would do well to temper their criticism so that they do not appear too eager to promote an activity that is fun for some but dangerous for others.
Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York:

Cordillera Investment Partners has closed its second fund Cordillera Investment Fund II, L.P. on $362 million. The fund was oversubscribed.

Cordillera was founded by Agustin "Gus" Araya, Chris Heller, and Ashley Marks, who have spent their careers investing in alternative assets while at Makena Capital Management, the Stanford University endowment, and The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The firm has completed investm......................

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LEMONSHARK POKE CONTINUES EXPANSION IN GOLDEN STATE

LemonShark Poke

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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (October 18, 2018)  LemonShark Poke, a fine-casual premium poke concept known for serving top-quality locally-sourced ingredients is growing its footprint in its home state with its seventh California store location the town of Yucaipa. The store opened its doors on October 12 and is set to make waves in the Yucaipa restaurant society.The LemonShark Poke in Yucaipa is a family affair. Owners Michelle Mueller, Jeff and Sue Stanley will operate the new California store. Mueller, who has 20 years of restaurant experience will be leading the day-to-day operations. Originally from Chicago, Mueller worked with a number of concepts including the Outback Steakhouse and Cracker Barrel in the mid-west. With her vast restaurant experience and the Stanley's desire to expand their portfolios, all hoped to connect with a franchise they could get behind. After moving to California in 2017, Mueller started working at the Redlands LemonShark Poke restaurant and was immediately hooked by its top-notch service, modern decor, and corporate support team.Named after the Lemon Shark who only consumes the very best fish possible, LemonShark Poke prides itself on serving the finest quality ingredients to its guests. In addition to traditional poke offerings, the menu includes shareable appetizers such as tempura shrimp and egg rolls, and its signature Hawaii Katsu menu that features cooked-to-order, delectable entrees including chicken, Alaskan cod and more. LemonShark Pokes new location provides Yucaipa locals with an elevated dining experience  featuring Japanese-inspired upscale, chic decor and seating for more than 35 people.We are delighted that Michelle and her family are opening their first LemonShark Poke location, said Tobi Miller, president and co-founder of LemonShark Poke. With Michelle having been a long-time team member of LemonShark Poke, she has a deep-rooted understanding of our unparalleled customer service and premium menu offerings, and we look forward to their success in Yucaipa!LemonShark Poke is located at 33562 Yucaipa Blvd., Yucaipa, CA 92399. Hours of operation are Monday-Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. For more information, please call 909-918-0120 or visitAbout LemonShark Poke:LemonShark Poke is a fast casual, premium poke franchise that serves locally-crafted poke. LemonSharks mission is for sushi lovers and health-conscious consumers who seek a premium product, LemonShark Poke serves only the finest-quality ingredients in refined environments for a great value. Unlike other poke concepts, LemonShark Poke provides a combination of extraordinary service, a comprehensive food selection and a tight family community. LemonShark Poke is named after the Lemon Shark, a social species that hunts only on the finest quality of fish. The Lemon Shark looks for healthy, mature fish to prey on. Inspired by the discerning Lemon Shark, LemonShark Poke creates poke with only the finest line-caught fish available that is certified dolphin, sea turtle and sea mammal safe. LemonShark differs from other poke restaurants in that it offers a premium product and environment. Each location is spacious, inviting customers to sit and enjoy their meal, rather than grab and go.LemonShark Poke439 N Bedford Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210Press Contact: Courtney Heimbuck, Konnect Agencycheimbuck@konnectagency.com | 213-225-4428
Global High Purity Gas Market Analysis & Forecast 2018-2025 By Praxair Inc., Linde Group, Air Liquide S.A., Messer Group, Advanced Specialty Gases Inc., Matheson Tri-Gas Inc., Air Products and Chemicals Inc.

High Purity Gas Market Report

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UpMarketResearch published an exclusive report on High Purity Gas Market Analysis & Forecast 2018-2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains 114 pages which highly exhibits on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability. This report focuses on the Glycidyl Methacrylate market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type, segments and application.Get Free Exclusive PDF Sample Copy of This Report@The report categorizes the market into segments by companies, end-use, type and potential regions. As an enterprise owner or a market entrant, the report offers you a comprehensive analysis beneficial for you to take a positive traction as and when needed. It offers a complete study of analytics necessary to decide on trending segments and potential market areas to operate.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.High Purity Gas Production Breakdown Data by Region United States Europe China Japan Other RegionsFor more information on this report, please visit:High Purity Gas Breakdown Data by Type Carbon Gases Noble Gases High Atmospheric Gases OthersHigh Purity Gas Breakdown Data by Application Electronics Automotive Pharmaceutical OthersKey Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the High Purity Gas 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 High Purity Gas market analysis and forecast 2018-2025.To buy this report directly and get it in PDF format within 24 hours, please visit: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.About UpMarketResearch: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
Global Case Management Software Market 2018 - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Strategies and Forecast to 2025

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Global Case Management Software IndustryNew Study On 2018-2025 Case Management Software Market Global Key Player, Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Forecast Added to Wise Guy Reports DatabaseThis report focuses on the global Case Management Software status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Case Management Software development in United States, Europe and China.Try Sample Report @The key players covered in this studyIBMAthena SoftwareNeedlesKANASocial SolutionsThemis Solutions (Clio)AbacusLawMyCaseSmokeballSmartAdvocateJarvis LegalAnaquaLegalEdgeHoudiniEsqCosmoLexRocket MatterActionstepFirm CentralPrevailCoCounselorCoyote AnalyticsLegalTrekMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoWeb-Based Case Management SoftwareCloud Based Case Management SoftwareOn-Premise Case Management SoftwareMarket segment by Application, split intoLaw FirmsHospitalsOthersMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaCentral & South AmericaThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze global Case Management Software status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players.To present the Case Management Software development in United States, Europe and China.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies.To define, describe and forecast the market by product type, market and key regions.For Detailed Reading Please visit WiseGuy Reports @Some Major Points from Table of content:1 Report Overview1.1 Study Scope1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Players Covered1.4 Market Analysis by Type1.4.1 Global Case Management Software Market Size Growth Rate by Type (2013-2025)1.4.2 Web-Based Case Management Software1.4.3 Cloud Based Case Management Software1.4.4 On-Premise Case Management Software1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Case Management Software Market Share by Application (2013-2025)1.5.2 Law Firms1.5.3 Hospitals1.5.4 Others1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Global Growth Trends2.1 Case Management Software Market Size2.2 Case Management Software Growth Trends by Regions2.2.1 Case Management Software Market Size by Regions (2013-2025)2.2.2 Case Management Software Market Share by Regions (2013-2018)2.3 Industry Trends2.3.1 Market Top Trends2.3.2 Market Drivers2.3.3 Market Opportunities3 Market Share by Key Players3.1 Case Management Software Market Size by Manufacturers3.1.1 Global Case Management Software Revenue by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.1.2 Global Case Management Software Revenue Market Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)3.1.3 Global Case Management Software Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)3.2 Case Management Software Key Players Head office and Area Served3.3 Key Players Case Management Software Product/Solution/Service3.4 Date of Enter into Case Management Software Market3.5 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Breakdown Data by Type and Application4.1 Global Case Management Software Market Size by Type (2013-2018)4.2 Global Case Management Software Market Size by Application (2013-2018)5 United States5.1 United States Case Management Software Market Size (2013-2018)5.2 Case Management Software Key Players in United States5.3 United States Case Management Software Market Size by Type5.4 United States Case Management Software Market Size by Application6 Europe6.1 Europe Case Management Software Market Size (2013-2018)6.2 Case Management Software Key Players in Europe6.3 Europe Case Management Software Market Size by Type6.4 Europe Case Management Software Market Size by Application7 China7.1 China Case Management Software Market Size (2013-2018)7.2 Case Management Software Key Players in China7.3 China Case Management Software Market Size by Type7.4 China Case Management Software Market Size by Application8 Japan8.1 Japan Case Management Software Market Size (2013-2018)8.2 Case Management Software Key Players in Japan8.3 Japan Case Management Software Market Size by Type8.4 Japan Case Management Software Market Size by Application9 Southeast Asia9.1 Southeast Asia Case Management Software Market Size (2013-2018)9.2 Case Management Software Key Players in Southeast Asia9.3 Southeast Asia Case Management Software Market Size by Type9.4 Southeast Asia Case Management Software Market Size by Application10 India10.1 India Case Management Software Market Size (2013-2018)10.2 Case Management Software Key Players in India10.3 India Case Management Software Market Size by Type10.4 India Case Management Software Market Size by Application11 Central & South America11.1 Central & South America Case Management Software Market Size (2013-2018)11.2 Case Management Software Key Players in Central & South America11.3 Central & South America Case Management Software Market Size by Type11.4 Central & South America Case Management Software Market Size by Application12 International Players Profiles12.1 IBM12.1.1 IBM Company Details12.1.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.1.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.1.4 IBM Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.1.5 IBM Recent Development12.2 Athena Software12.2.1 Athena Software Company Details12.2.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.2.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.2.4 Athena Software Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.2.5 Athena Software Recent Development12.3 Needles12.3.1 Needles Company Details12.3.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.3.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.3.4 Needles Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.3.5 Needles Recent Development12.4 KANA12.4.1 KANA Company Details12.4.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.4.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.4.4 KANA Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.4.5 KANA Recent Development12.5 Social Solutions12.5.1 Social Solutions Company Details12.5.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.5.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.5.4 Social Solutions Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.5.5 Social Solutions Recent Development12.6 Themis Solutions (Clio)12.6.1 Themis Solutions (Clio) Company Details12.6.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.6.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.6.4 Themis Solutions (Clio) Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.6.5 Themis Solutions (Clio) Recent Development12.7 AbacusLaw12.7.1 AbacusLaw Company Details12.7.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.7.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.7.4 AbacusLaw Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.7.5 AbacusLaw Recent Development12.8 MyCase12.8.1 MyCase Company Details12.8.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.8.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.8.4 MyCase Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.8.5 MyCase Recent Development12.9 Smokeball12.9.1 Smokeball Company Details12.9.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.9.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.9.4 Smokeball Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.9.5 Smokeball Recent Development12.10 SmartAdvocate12.10.1 SmartAdvocate Company Details12.10.2 Company Description and Business Overview12.10.3 Case Management Software Introduction12.10.4 SmartAdvocate Revenue in Case Management Software Business (2013-2018)12.10.5 SmartAdvocate Recent Development12.11 Jarvis Legal12.12 Anaqua12.13 LegalEdge12.14 HoudiniEsq12.15 CosmoLex12.16 Rocket Matter12.17 Actionstep12.18 Firm Central12.19 Prevail12.20 CoCounselor12.21 Coyote Analytics12.22 LegalTrekContinued..For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt LtdPune  411028Maharashtra,Ph: +91 841 198 5042
Translucent Concrete 2018 Global Industry Key Companies  LiCrete , Italcementi , Blaupunkt GmbH Market Analysis And Forecast To 2025

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Global Translucent Concrete MarketThis report researches the worldwide Translucent Concrete market size (value, capacity, production and consumption) in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (China, Japan) and other regions.This study categorizes the global Translucent Concrete breakdown data by manufacturers, region, type and application, also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Request a Sample Report @Global Translucent Concrete market size will increase to Million US$ by 2025, from Million US$ in 2017, at a CAGR of during the forecast period. In this study, 2017 has been considered as the base year and 2018 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Translucent Concrete.This report focuses on the top manufacturers' Translucent Concrete capacity, production, value, price and market share of Translucent Concrete in global market. The following manufacturers are covered in this report:Florak Bauunternehmung GmbHLBM EFOLiTraCon BtLUCEM GmbHLuccon Lichtbeton GmbHLiCreteItalcementiBlaupunkt GmbHTranslucent Concrete Breakdown Data by TypeTransparent or translucent alternativesCombination of optical fibers and fine concreteTranslucent Concrete Breakdown Data by ApplicationInterior claddingVentilated facade systemsOthersTranslucent Concrete Production Breakdown Data by RegionUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanOther RegionsTranslucent Concrete Consumption Breakdown Data by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalyRussiaRest of EuropeCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth AfricaRest of Middle East & AfricaThe study objectives are:To analyze and research the global Translucent Concrete capacity, production, value, consumption, status and forecast;To focus on the key Translucent Concrete manufacturers and study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in next few years.To focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market.To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Table of Contents-Key Points CoveredGlobal Translucent Concrete Market Research Report 2018-2025, by Manufacturers, Regions, Types and Applications1 Study Coverage1.1 Translucent Concrete Product1.2 Key Market Segments in This Study1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Translucent Concrete Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Transparent or translucent alternatives1.4.3 Combination of optical fibers and fine concrete1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Translucent Concrete Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Interior cladding1.5.3 Ventilated facade systems1.5.4 Others1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered..8 Manufacturers Profiles8.1 Florak Bauunternehmung GmbH8.1.1 Florak Bauunternehmung GmbH Company Details8.1.2 Company Description8.1.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Translucent Concrete8.1.4 Translucent Concrete Product Description8.1.5 SWOT Analysis8.2 LBM EFO8.2.1 LBM EFO Company Details8.2.2 Company Description8.2.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Translucent Concrete8.2.4 Translucent Concrete Product Description8.2.5 SWOT Analysis8.3 LiTraCon Bt8.3.1 LiTraCon Bt Company Details8.3.2 Company Description8.3.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Translucent Concrete8.3.4 Translucent Concrete Product Description8.3.5 SWOT Analysis8.4 LUCEM GmbH8.4.1 LUCEM GmbH Company Details8.4.2 Company Description8.4.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Translucent Concrete8.4.4 Translucent Concrete Product Description8.4.5 SWOT Analysis8.5 Luccon Lichtbeton GmbH8.5.1 Luccon Lichtbeton GmbH Company Details8.5.2 Company Description8.5.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Translucent Concrete8.5.4 Translucent Concrete Product Description8.5.5 SWOT Analysis8.6 LiCrete8.6.1 LiCrete Company Details8.6.2 Company Description8.6.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Translucent Concrete8.6.4 Translucent Concrete Product Description8.6.5 SWOT Analysis8.7 Italcementi8.7.1 Italcementi Company Details8.7.2 Company Description8.7.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Translucent Concrete8.7.4 Translucent Concrete Product Description8.7.5 SWOT Analysis8.8 Blaupunkt GmbH8.8.1 Blaupunkt GmbH Company Details8.8.2 Company Description8.8.3 Capacity, Production and Value of Translucent Concrete8.8.4 Translucent Concrete Product Description8.8.5 SWOT AnalysisContinued.For Detailed Reading Please Visit@Wise Guy Reports Is Part Of The Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. And Offers Premium Progressive Statistical Surveying, Market Research Reports, Analysis & Forecast Data For Industries And Governments Around The Globe. Wise Guy Reports Features An Exhaustive List Of Market Research Reports From Hundreds Of Publishers Worldwide. We Boast A Database Spanning Virtually Every Market Category And An Even More Comprehensive Collection Of Market Research Reports Under These Categories And Sub-Categories.Wise Guy Research Consultants Pvt LtdOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Maltol Global Market Analysis 2012-2017 and Forecast 2018-2023

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GET SAMPLE REPORT @The global Maltol market will reach xxx Million USD in 2017 and CAGR xx% 2018-2023. The report begins from overview of Industry Chain structure, and describes industry environment, then analyses market size and forecast of Maltol by product, region and application, in addition, this report introduces market competition situation among the vendors and company profile, besides, market price analysis and value chain features are covered in this report.Product Type Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Major Company of Product Type etc.):Natural MaltolChemical Synthesis Of MaltolCompany Coverage (Sales Revenue, Price, Gross Margin, Main Products etc.):Anhui Jinhe Industrial(CN)Beijing Tianlihai Chemicals(CN)Zhaoqing Perfumery(CN)Xiamen Bestally Biotechnology(CN)Application Coverage (Market Size & Forecast, Different Demand Market by Region, Main Consumer Profile etc.):Food and BeverageCosmeticsPharmaceuticalsRegion Coverage (Regional Output, Demand & Forecast by Countries etc.):North AmericaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East & AfricaACCESS REPORTTable of Contents1 Industry Overview1.1 Maltol Industry1.1.1 Overview1.1.2 Development of Maltol1.2 Market Segment1.2.1 Upstream1.2.2 Downstream1.3 Cost Analysis2 Industry Environment2.1 Policy2.2 Economics2.3 Sociology2.4 Technology3 Maltol Market by Type3.1 By Type3.1.1 Natural Maltol3.1.2 Chemical Synthesis Of Maltol3.2 Market Size3.3 Market Forecast. CONTINUEDFOR ANY QUERY, REACHContact Us:Office No. 212/213, B Block 2nd Floor,Parmar Chambers,Sadhu Vaswani Road, Pune  411001Phone Number: 020 - 2612 6969Email: info@research2reports.comResearch 2 Reports offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe.Office No. 212/213, B Block 2nd Floor,Parmar Chambers,Sadhu Vaswani Road, Pune  411001
Mobility on Demand Market Regions Outlook, Trends, Segments and Leading Players: Al-Futtaim, Avis Budget Group, Cabify, Didi, asy Tax, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Europcar, Grab, Lyft, Uber

Mobility on Demand Market

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According to latest study by Global Market Insights, Inc, Mobility on Demand Market is projected to surpass USD 200 billion by 2024. The development of travel & tourism industry is expected to be one of the major drivers of the industry. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, in 2016, the direct contribution of this sector to GDP was USD 2,306.0 billion, that is approximately 3.1% of the total GDP.Transport forms a vital component of the travel industry for the sustainable growth of the sector. Using mobile technologies, travelers are seeking more freedom of movement, demanding advanced mobility solutions such as car rental services and positively impacting the mobility on demand market. Furthermore, several tourism & hospitality companies are offering services such as car rental and ride-hailing.Request for a sample of this research report @Growing trend of adoption of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in shared transportation services is dominating the mobility on demand market. Increasing stringency of regulations regarding the emissions of hazardous greenhouse gases from the vehicles is compelling the drivers and fleet owners to opt for these environment-friendly alternatives. Various automobile manufacturers are forming strategic partnerships with mobility on demand vendors to promote the use of electric or plug-in hybrid cars.The legalization of ride-hailing services, such as Uber and Grab, by the government of Malaysia will drive the mobility on demand market growth in the region. The government of Malaysia has made amendments to the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB) Act and Land Public Transport Act to allow the ride-hailing operators to work as an intermediary. The intermediary business license will allow these operators to facilitate transactions and booking of these services.Technological advancements and the emerging IoT trend are further propelling the mobility on demand market growth. Rise in the number of connected vehicles and the increasing penetration of smartphones are anticipated to drive the industry. Various government organizations are focusing on encouraging digitalization for the overall economic growth. Technological developments, such as autonomous and AI-enabled vehicles, are expected to revolutionize the industry. Innovations, such as electric vehicles and GPS-based navigation systems, are anticipated to fuel the mobility on demand market growth.Make an inquiry for buying this report @The mobility on demand market in business applications is poised to grow at a significant pace as these services help the corporate organizations to reduce the dependency on private fleets. Also, these services allow the organizations to significantly reduce fleet-related costs and optimize the fleet management. Companies such as Omoove and Ubeeqo provide these services to the corporations that are tailored according to their specific requirements.The Germany mobility on demand market is expected to grow over the next six years due to the stringent regulations imposed on taxi drivers such as the obligation to operate taxi service and obligation to set rates. Increasing environmental consciousness and openness to innovations among the consumers are expected to drive industry growth. Several automobile companies in the country are entering the mobility on demand market to regain the declining positions due to the reduction in car ownership.Key players operating in the mobility on demand market include Al-Futtaim, Autolib, Avis Budget Group, Cabify, Car2Go, Cambio CarSharing, CityHop, Communauto Inc., Didi Chuxing, DriveNow GmbH & Co. KG, Drivy, Easy Tax, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Europcar, Getaround, Inc., Gett, Grab, Hertz Corporation, Localiza, Lyft, Inc, Orix Corporation, SideCar, Sixt, Uber Technologies, and Zipcar, Inc.Browse Full Details @About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact UsArun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Global Market 2018 Top Key Players  Fitbit , Samsung , XiaoMi , Garmin , Jabra , Atlas Wearables, Moov and Forecast to 2023

Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Market

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Global Gym/Club Fitness Trackers MarketWiseGuyRerports.com Presents Global Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Market 2018 by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023 New Document to its Studies Database. The Report Contain 118 Pages With Detailed Analysis.DescriptionFitness trackers are a type of electronic wearable device that monitors and tracks health-related metrics such as distance walked or run, heart rate, calorie consumption, and quality of sleep. Fitness trackers mostly come in the form of wristbands; they can also appear as clip-on devices, earbuds or clothing made of smart fabric. Many fitness & activity trackers can transmit data directly to a smartphone or personal computer.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Gym/Club Fitness Trackers in global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Get sample Report @The worldwide market for Gym/Club Fitness Trackers is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 13.4% over the next five years, will reach 1820 million US$ in 2023, from 860 million US$ in 2017, according to a new GIR (Global Info Research) study.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversFitbitSamsungXiaoMiGarminJabraAtlas WearablesMoovMyZoneWahooGymwatchHyksoLumo Bodytech IncTomTomNadiXMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversWrist WearLeg WearOthersMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoSpecialist RetailersFactory OutletsInternet SalesOtherComplete Report Details @Table of Contents -Major Key Points1 Market Overview1.1 Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Wrist Wear1.2.2 Leg Wear1.2.3 Others1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Specialist Retailers1.3.2 Factory Outlets1.3.3 Internet Sales1.3.4 Other1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 United States Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Fitbit2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Product A2.1.2.2 Product B2.1.3 Fitbit Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Samsung2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Product A2.2.2.2 Product B2.2.3 Samsung Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 XiaoMi2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Product A2.3.2.2 Product B2.3.3 XiaoMi Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Garmin2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Product A2.4.2.2 Product B2.4.3 Garmin Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 Jabra2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Product A2.5.2.2 Product B2.5.3 Jabra Gym/Club Fitness Trackers Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)..CONTINUEDAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, Industry research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)
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

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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

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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:
Boswellia Market 2018 SWOT Analysis by Major Eminent Players: NOW Foods, Jayshree Nath Herbals, S.A. HERBAL BIOACTIVES LLP, Sanat, S.A, Venkatesh Naturals Extract Pvt Ltd

Boswellia Market

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Boswellia Market By Form (Powder, Liquid) and Application (Food & Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Aromatherapy and Others) - Global Industry Analysis & Forecast to 2025Boswellia Market: Industry OutlookThe Boswellia Market has encountered significant development over the recent years and is anticipated to grow tremendously over the forecast period. Boswellia is an Indian home grown item accessible liberally in the nation, primarily around the forests of Central and Western India. This particular organic plant is recognized as Indian Olibanum. Different sorts of Boswellia trees incorporate Boswellia carteri and Boswellia Sacra, which develop in locales of the Middle East such as North Africa and Oman. Astoundingly, Boswellia gives off an impression of being non-lethal and has a past filled with use in the pharmaceutical business. The extract of Boswellia, otherwise called Shalaki extract, is obtained from the Boswellia tree and made into a fine powder and changed into a fluid.Access sample copy of this report @Boswellia Market: Drivers and RestraintsOwing to its anti-inflammatory components and a few different properties of Boswellia is expanding the use of its items in the market, because of which it is seeing high development sought after in the cosmetics business. Boswellia likewise has anti-cancer components, which will help the interest for its cosmetic items since individuals like to take medications that don't require utilization of meds. Beauty care products produced using Boswellia concentrate can observe significant demand because of their highlights and wide utilization in beautifiers, herbal treatment, and spa.Boswellia Market: Competitive AnalysisThe major players in the market are profiled in detail in view of qualities, for example, company portfolio, business strategies, financial overview, recent developments, and share of the overall industry. NOW Foods Jayshree Nath Herbals S.A. HERBAL BIOACTIVES LLP Sanat, S.A Venkatesh Naturals Extract Pvt Ltd Arjuna Natural Extracts Ltd. Herbal Creations AMBE NS AGRO PRODUCTS PVT. LTD. Alpspure Lifesciences Private Limited Alchem InternationalBoswellia Market: Regional InsightsAsia Pacific is the leading region of the Boswellia Market as the product is majorly found in the region, primarily in India boosting the exposure and awareness towards the benefits of the product.By RegionNorth America U.S. Canada MexicoEurope Germany UK France Russia Italy Rest of Europe...Detailed TOC and Charts & Tables of Boswellia Market Research Report available @Some points from TOC:-Chapter1. Introduction1.1. Report DescriptionChapter2. Executive Summary2.1. Key HighlightsChapter3. Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Market Definition3.1.2. Market Segmentation3.2. Market Dynamics3.2.1. Drivers3.2.2. Restraints3.2.3. Opportunities3.3. SWOT AnalysisChapter4. Market Analysis by RegionsChapter5. Boswellia Market, By FormChapter6. Boswellia Market, By ApplicationChapter7. Boswellia Market, By Region...CONTINUED FOR TOCTo avail discount, please click on the link @Data MiningData is extensively collected through various secondary sources such as annual reports, investor presentations, SEC filings, and other corporate publications. We also refer trade magazines, technical journals, paid databases such as Factiva and Bloomberg, industry trade journals, scientific journals, and social media data to understand market dynamics and industry trends. Further, we also conduct primary research to understand market drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, and competitive scenario to build our analysis.About Crystal Market Research:Crystal Market Research is a U.S. based market research and business intelligence company. Crystal offers one stop solution for market research, business intelligence, and consulting services to help clients make more informed decisions. It provides both syndicated as well as customized research studies for its customers spread across the globe. The company offers market intelligence reports across a broad range of industries including healthcare, chemicals & materials, technology, automotive, and energy.Contact:Crystal Market ResearchJudy304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,Las Vegas NV 89107,United StatesToll Free: +1-888-213-4282Email: sales@crystalmarketresearch.com
High Strength Aluminum Alloy 2018 Global Market Key Players  Rio Tinto PLC, Aluminum Bahrain B.S.C, Alcoa, Inc, Hindalco Aluminum Limited, UC Rusal  Analysis and Forecast to 2025

High Strength Aluminum Alloy Market

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WiseGuyRerports.com Presents Global High Strength Aluminum Alloy Market Insights, Forecast to 2025 New Document to its Studies DatabaseGlobal High Strength Aluminum Alloy market size will increase to Million US$ by 2025, from Million US$ in 2017, at a CAGR of during the forecast period. In this study, 2017 has been considered as the base year and 2018 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for High Strength Aluminum Alloy.This report researches the worldwide High Strength Aluminum Alloy market size (value, capacity, production and consumption) in key regions like United States, Europe, China, Japan and other regions.This study categorizes the global High Strength Aluminum Alloy breakdown data by manufacturers, region, type and application, also analyzes the market status, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.This report focuses on the top manufacturers' High Strength Aluminum Alloy capacity, production, value, price and market share of High Strength Aluminum Alloy in global market. The following manufacturers are covered in this report:Rio Tinto PLCAluminum Bahrain B.S.C.Alcoa, Inc.Hindalco Aluminum LimitedUC RusalNorsk Hydro ASAAluminum Corporation of China LimitedCentury Aluminum CompanyChina Hongqiao Group LimitedAlerisKaiser AluminumEGAConstellium N.V.Advanced Metallurgical GroupUacj CorporationFederal-Mogul Holding CorporationDana Holding CorporationAutoneum Holding AgElringklinger AgProgress-Werk Oberkirch AgRequest For Sample Report @High Strength Aluminum Alloy Breakdown Data by TypeWroughtCastHigh Strength Aluminum Alloy Breakdown Data by ApplicationAerospace & DefenseAutomotive & TransportationAutomotiveMarineOthersHigh Strength Aluminum Alloy Production Breakdown Data by RegionUnited StatesEuropeChinaJapanOther RegionsThe study objectives are:To analyze and research the global High Strength Aluminum Alloy capacity, production, value, consumption, status and forecast;To focus on the key High Strength Aluminum Alloy manufacturers and study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in next few years.To focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application and region.To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting the market growth.To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.To strategically analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trend and their contribution to the market.To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Complete Report Details @Table Of Contents:1 Study Coverage1.1 High Strength Aluminum Alloy Product1.2 Key Market Segments in This Study1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global High Strength Aluminum Alloy Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Wrought1.4.3 Cast1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global High Strength Aluminum Alloy Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Aerospace & Defense1.5.3 Automotive & Transportation1.5.4 Automotive1.5.5 Marine1.5.6 Others1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 Global High Strength Aluminum Alloy Production2.1.1 Global High Strength Aluminum Alloy Revenue 2013-20252.1.2 Global High Strength Aluminum Alloy Production 2013-20252.1.3 Global High Strength Aluminum Alloy Capacity 2013-20252.1.4 Global High Strength Aluminum Alloy Marketing Pricing and Trends2.2 High Strength Aluminum Alloy Growth Rate (CAGR) 2018-20252.3 Analysis of Competitive Landscape2.3.1 Manufacturers Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)2.3.2 Key High Strength Aluminum Alloy Manufacturers2.4 Market Drivers, Trends and Issues2.5 Macroscopic Indicator2.5.1 GDP for Major Regions2.5.2 Price of Raw Materials in Dollars: Evolution..8 Manufacturers Profiles8.1 Rio Tinto PLC8.1.1 Rio Tinto PLC Company Details8.1.2 Company Description8.1.3 Capacity, Production and Value of High Strength Aluminum Alloy8.1.4 High Strength Aluminum Alloy Product Description8.1.5 SWOT Analysis8.2 Aluminum Bahrain B.S.C.8.2.1 Aluminum Bahrain B.S.C. Company Details8.2.2 Company Description8.2.3 Capacity, Production and Value of High Strength Aluminum Alloy8.2.4 High Strength Aluminum Alloy Product Description8.2.5 SWOT Analysis8.3 Alcoa, Inc.8.3.1 Alcoa, Inc. Company Details8.3.2 Company Description8.3.3 Capacity, Production and Value of High Strength Aluminum Alloy8.3.4 High Strength Aluminum Alloy Product Description8.3.5 SWOT Analysis8.4 Hindalco Aluminum Limited8.4.1 Hindalco Aluminum Limited Company Details8.4.2 Company Description8.4.3 Capacity, Production and Value of High Strength Aluminum Alloy8.4.4 High Strength Aluminum Alloy Product Description8.4.5 SWOT Analysis8.5 UC Rusal8.5.1 UC Rusal Company Details8.5.2 Company Description8.5.3 Capacity, Production and Value of High Strength Aluminum Alloy8.5.4 High Strength Aluminum Alloy Product Description8.5.5 SWOT AnalysisContinued.CONTACT US:NORAH TRENTPartner Relations & Marketing Managersales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US)Ph: +44 208 133 9349 (UK)ABOUT US:Wise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports features an exhaustive list of market research reports from hundreds of publishers worldwide. We boast a database spanning virtually every market category and an even more comprehensive collection of market research reports under these categories and sub-categories.ABOUT US:Address:WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Global Candy Market 2018 - Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Strategies and Forecast to 2025

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Global Candy IndustryNew Study On 2018-2025 Candy Market Global Key Player, Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Forecast Added to Wise Guy Reports DatabaseThis report studies the global market size of Candy in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa, focuses on the consumption of Candy in these regions.This research report categorizes the global Candy market by players/brands, region, type and application. This report also studies the global market status, competition landscape, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Candy is a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient.The prime facets influencing the growth of the global candy market are the incessantly increasing expenditure capacity of consumers and growing urbanization. The growing target consumer base and product innovation is further expected to drive the growth of the global candy market. The majority of candies are made for children and the young population. The demand is basically driven by population growth, disposable income, and consumer tastes and preferences. Large multinational companies have a significant advantage over small and medium scale companies in terms of economies of scale in purchasing and manufacturing.Try Sample Report @The various contributors involved in the value chain of Candy include manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, intermediaries, and customers. The key manufacturers in the Candy includeNestleDeMets CandyMondelezMarsFerrara CandyArcorAugust StorckYildizGrupo BimboHersheyFerreroMeijiPerfetti Van MelleHariboLindt & SprungliStorckYildizOrionGeneral MillsUnited ConfectionersLOTTE ConfectioneryMorinagaGlicoCrown ConfectioneryCloettaMarket Size Split by TypeChocolateSugarGumMarket Size Split by ApplicationSnakesCookingMarket size split by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of Central & South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth AfricaThe study objectives of this report are:To study and analyze the global Candy market size (value & volume) by company, key regions/countries, products and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2025.To understand the structure of Candy market by identifying its various subsegments.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).Focuses on the key global Candy manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.To analyze the Candy with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To project the value and volume of Candy submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.For Detailed Reading Please visit WiseGuy Reports @Some Major Points from Table of content:1 Study Coverage1.1 Candy Product1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Candy Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Chocolate1.4.3 Sugar1.4.4 Gum1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Candy Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Snakes1.5.3 Cooking1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Candy Market Size2.1.1 Global Candy Revenue 2016-20252.1.2 Global Candy Sales 2016-20252.2 Candy Growth Rate by Regions2.2.1 Global Candy Sales by Regions2.2.2 Global Candy Revenue by Regions3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers3.1 Candy Sales by Manufacturers3.1.1 Candy Sales by Manufacturers3.1.2 Candy Sales Market Share by Manufacturers3.1.3 Global Candy Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)3.2 Candy Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 Candy Revenue by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.2.2 Candy Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.3 Candy Price by Manufacturers3.4 Candy Manufacturing Base Distribution, Product Types3.4.1 Candy Manufacturers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters3.4.2 Manufacturers Candy Product Category3.4.3 Date of International Manufacturers Enter into Candy Market3.5 Manufacturers Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Breakdown Data by Type4.1 Global Candy Sales by Type4.2 Global Candy Revenue by Type4.3 Candy Price by Type5 Breakdown Data by Application5.1 Overview5.2 Global Candy Breakdown Data by Application6 North America6.1 North America Candy by Countries6.1.1 North America Candy Sales by Countries6.1.2 North America Candy Revenue by Countries6.1.3 United States6.1.4 Canada6.1.5 Mexico6.2 North America Candy by Type6.3 North America Candy by Application6.4 North America Candy by Company7 Europe7.1 Europe Candy by Countries7.1.1 Europe Candy Sales by Countries7.1.2 Europe Candy Revenue by Countries7.1.3 Germany7.1.4 France7.1.5 UK7.1.6 Italy7.1.7 Russia7.2 Europe Candy by Type7.3 Europe Candy by Application7.4 Europe Candy by Company8 Asia Pacific8.1 Asia Pacific Candy by Countries8.1.1 Asia Pacific Candy Sales by Countries8.1.2 Asia Pacific Candy Revenue by Countries8.1.3 China8.1.4 Japan8.1.5 Korea8.1.6 India8.1.7 Australia8.1.8 Indonesia8.1.9 Malaysia8.1.10 Philippines8.1.11 Thailand8.1.12 Vietnam8.1.13 Singapore8.2 Asia Pacific Candy by Type8.3 Asia Pacific Candy by Application8.4 Asia Pacific Candy by Company9 Central & South America9.1 Central & South America Candy by Countries9.1.1 Central & South America Candy Sales by Countries9.1.2 Central & South America Candy Revenue by Countries9.1.3 Brazil9.2 Central & South America Candy by Type9.3 Central & South America Candy by Application9.4 Central & South America Candy by Company10 Middle East and Africa10.1 Middle East and Africa Candy by Countries10.1.1 Middle East and Africa Candy Sales by Countries10.1.2 Middle East and Africa Candy Revenue by Countries10.1.3 GCC Countries10.1.4 Turkey10.1.5 Egypt10.1.6 South Africa10.2 Middle East and Africa Candy by Type10.3 Middle East and Africa Candy by Application10.4 Middle East and Africa Candy by Company11 Company Profiles11.1 Nestle11.1.1 Nestle Company Details11.1.2 Company Description11.1.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.1.4 Candy Product Description11.1.5 Recent Development11.2 DeMets Candy11.2.1 DeMets Candy Company Details11.2.2 Company Description11.2.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.2.4 Candy Product Description11.2.5 Recent Development11.3 Mondelez11.3.1 Mondelez Company Details11.3.2 Company Description11.3.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.3.4 Candy Product Description11.3.5 Recent Development11.4 Mars11.4.1 Mars Company Details11.4.2 Company Description11.4.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.4.4 Candy Product Description11.4.5 Recent Development11.5 Ferrara Candy11.5.1 Ferrara Candy Company Details11.5.2 Company Description11.5.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.5.4 Candy Product Description11.5.5 Recent Development11.6 Arcor11.6.1 Arcor Company Details11.6.2 Company Description11.6.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.6.4 Candy Product Description11.6.5 Recent Development11.7 August Storck11.7.1 August Storck Company Details11.7.2 Company Description11.7.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.7.4 Candy Product Description11.7.5 Recent Development11.8 Yildiz11.8.1 Yildiz Company Details11.8.2 Company Description11.8.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.8.4 Candy Product Description11.8.5 Recent Development11.9 Grupo Bimbo11.9.1 Grupo Bimbo Company Details11.9.2 Company Description11.9.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.9.4 Candy Product Description11.9.5 Recent Development11.10 Hershey11.10.1 Hershey Company Details11.10.2 Company Description11.10.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Candy11.10.4 Candy Product Description11.10.5 Recent Development11.11 Ferrero11.12 Meiji11.13 Perfetti Van Melle11.14 Haribo11.15 Lindt & Sprungli11.16 Storck11.17 Yildiz11.18 Orion11.19 General Mills11.20 United Confectioners11.21 LOTTE Confectionery11.22 Morinaga11.23 Glico11.24 Crown Confectionery11.25 CloettaContinued..For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Norah Trent+91 841 198 5042Office No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Smart Speaker Market Key Player Growth Analysis On Amazon.com, Inc., Bose Corporation, Altec Lansing, Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics, Logitech International SA

Smart Speaker

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The Global Market for Smart Speaker to 2024 offers detailed coverage of Smart Speaker industry and presents main market trends. The market research gives historical and forecast market size, demand and production forecasts, end-use demand details, price trends, and company shares of the leading Smart Speaker producers to provide exhaustive coverage of the Smart Speaker.Smart Speaker Market is set to exceed USD 30 billion by 2024 owing to the several benefits of these devices such as the ability to communicate with other devices and keeping users connected to the internet. For instance, these devices can perform a range of tasks such as giving information, sharing audio files, and provide on-command to other connected devices.The increasing penetration of IoT technology and the adoption of connected devices will boost the smart speaker market growth in the next six years. The increasing popularity of connected devices to perform domestic tasks, such as controlling lights and security doors, through single devices is fueling the industry demand. The integration of these devices with connected households will propel the industry growth.This report focuses on the top Manufacturers and players in global market are given bellow:-Amazon.com, Inc., Bose Corporation, Altec Lansing, Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics, Logitech International SA, Sonos Inc., and Sony Corporation.Request a Sample of this premium Research Report@The smart speaker market is expected to grow at a significant pace over the forecast timeframe owing to the growing proliferation of smart homes across the globe. Factors such as high network connectivity and growing need to increase consumer convenience are anticipated to drive the market. Several device manufacturers are investing in improving the functionality of legacy systems beyond playing music. This, coupled with increasing demand for wireless devices will escalate the industry size.Smart Speaker Market Size By Technology (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC), By Product (Single Room, Double-Room, Multi-Room)Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis covers(U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, South Korea, China, India, Japan, Brazil, GCC, Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017  2024Request a Discount on standard prices of this premium Smart Speaker Market Research Report@The study objectives of this report are:Rise in demand for Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to fuel the smart speaker market growth. The manufacturers are increasingly investing to develop devices that work with the devices such as Wink Hub, Logitech Harmony Elite, and Philips Hue Bulbs. For instance, Amazon Alexa works directly with several smart home devices using If This Then That (IFTTT) methodology.Implementation of virtual personal assistants are expected to positively impact the smart speaker market growth. This technology can stream music and audio books with a single voice commands. The launch of Amazon Echo has caused disruption in the market, with several other companies such as Google and Apple following suit. For instance, Apple has announced the launch of HomePod in December 2017.Factors such as connectivity range, compatibility, and power are expected to restrain the smart speaker market growth. The market faces growing security concern, owing to the connection of these devices to the internet. The voice assistant-enabled speakers inadvertently store consumers' private data into Amazon servers. The threats of hacking and data leaks persist, though the company claims that the data is secured. This is expected to hamper the market growth during the forecast timeframe.More Report At:Related Report:Global Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS) Market by Manufacturers, Countries, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023Real-time locating systems (RTLS, also known as real-time location systems) are local systems for the identification and tracking of the location of assets and/or persons in real or near-real-time. Scope of the ReporAbout Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email:sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:
Smart Electric Meter Market Analysis & Technological Innovation by Top Key Players Kamstrup, Aclara, Neptune, Sensus, Circutor, Apator, Badger Meter, Honeywell International, Osaki, Schneider, Itron, Siemens & More

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Market Study Report adds a new remarkable transformation from the conventional products to technologically advanced meters has assured a lucrative growth graph for the overall smart electric meter market, which is recently witnessing huge smart meter rollouts & deployment trends across the globe for the period of 2018-2024 that shows the growth of the market is rising at a Steady CAGR to 2024.Smart Electric Meter Market is set to surpass USD 10 Billion by 2024. Robust implementation of fiscal incentives and government mandates toward the adoption of sustainable technologies will fuel the business growth. Rising concern toward energy conservation along with rapid technological advancements to offer complete integrated metering portfolio with automated data management systems will strengthen the business outlook.Request a sample of this premium Research Report at:U.S. smart electric meter market is set to witness robust growth owing to the rising energy prices coupled with shifting focus toward billing accuracy. Significant encouragement by the policymakers and regulators toward the adoption of smart electrical technologies will augment the industry growth. As per the EIA?s Residential Energy Consumption Survey in 2015, the adoption of residential smart meters in the U.S. was estimated to be around 40%. Further, it has been analyzed that the electric utilities had installations of more than 70 million AMI units across the country till 2016.Growing measures toward energy efficient products adoption coupled with shifting trends toward digital economy will drive the UK smart electric meter market. Introduction of stringent emission norms have created competitive business scenario for the leading manufacturers to develop sustainable technologies. The UK Energy Efficiency Directive?s Article 9-11 offers rules on devices related to billing information and metering that is required to be provided to the end users.Increasing acceptance of renewables across the decentralized and centralized grid infrastructure will propel the AMI smart electric meter market share. Several countries have passed distinct legislations mandating the installation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure meters as a part of their energy conservation initiatives. In 2011, the Government of UK designed a policy framework and initiated a rollout strategy toward the adoption of smart meters. The Smart Metering Implementation Programme involves the upgrade and replacement of over 50 million gas and electricity meters by the end of 2020.Shifting trends toward effective monitoring, utilization, and measurement of resources to limit the overall challenges of energy will fuel the smart electric meter market growth. Monitoring and Metering have been an essential tool for the efficient energy management and measurement. Further, these provide building operators & owners with the information to improve the building energy performance.In 2017, China accounted for over 70% of the smart electric meter market share across the Asia Pacific region. Shifting focus toward energy efficient technologies coupled with increasing penetration of smart technologies will complement the industry landscape. In the 13th five-year plan of China, introduced several smart city projects that involves the adoption of smart meters across the electric and water networks.Major players across the industry include Iskraemco, Circutor, Apator, Kamstrup, Aclara, Neptune, Sensus, Badger Meter, Honeywell International, Osaki, Schneider, Itron, Siemens, and Landis+Gyr.Request a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Table of Content:Chapter 1 Methodology & Scope1.1 Methodology1.2 Market definitions1.3 Market estimation & forecast parameters1.4 Data Sources1.4.1 Primary1.4.2 Secondary1.4.2.1 Paid Source1.4.2.2 Public SourcesChapter 2 Executive Summary2.1 Smart electric meter market 360 degree synopsis, 2013 - 20242.1.1 Business trends2.1.2 Application trends2.1.3 Technology trends2.1.4 Phase trends2.1.5 Regional trendsChapter 3 Smart Electric Meter Industry Insights3.1 Industry segmentation3.2 Industry landscape, 2013 - 2024 (USD Million)3.3 Industry ecosystem analysis3.3.1 Vendor matrix3.4 Innovation & technology landscape3.5 Regulatory landscape3.5.1 U.S.3.5.1.1 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)3.5.2 UK3.5.2.1 The Smart Metering Implementation Programme3.5.2.2 The Smart Energy Code3.5.2.3 The Energy Efficiency Directive3.5.3 Sweden3.5.4 Germany3.5.5 France3.5.6 Ireland3.5.6.1 The National Smart Metering ProgrammeFor More Details about this report:Related ReportNorth America and Europe Electronic Packaging Materials Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2023North America and Europe Electronic Packaging Materials Market report of 2018 provides a detailed market overview as well as industry analysis for of companies, manufacturers and distributors covering data on gross margin, cost structure, consumption value, sale price and more.About Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email:sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:
Waste-derived Biogas Market Top Companies Success Strategies (ADI Systems, BDI-BioEnergy International, CH4 Biogas LLC, Ebara, Kruger USA, Republic Services, Turning Earth), Forecast 2018-2022

Waste-derived Biogas Market Top Companies Success Strategies (ADI Systems, BDI-BioEnergy International, CH4 Biogas LLC, Ebara, Kru

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Waste-derived Biogas: Global Markets for Anaerobic Digestion Equipment 2018-2022:Browse 61 Market Data Tables and 65 Figures spread through 255 Pages and in-depth TOC on Waste-derived Biogas Market by Technology (Passive Anaerobic Digestion Systems, Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion Systems, Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion Systems, Dry Anaerobic Digestion Systems, Landfill Gas Systems), by Application (Wastewater and Wastewater Sludge, Food and Organic Waste, Agricultural, Industrial, Landfill Gas Applications); & by Region  Global Forecast to 2022.Get a PDF Sample of this Waste-derived Biogas: Global Markets for Anaerobic Digestion Equipment Report @The global market for biogas is undergoing several transitions, both globally and regionally. Many years of incremental advances in biogas production technologies are now coalescing to enable new and renewed growth in global and regional biogas production markets, supporting more favorable projectlevel economics. While the industry still substantially relies on government incentives and regulations to bolster market development, the economics of biogas production systems are becoming more and more cost-effective and favorable. At the same time, changes in regulatory structures in Europe, select states in the U.S., China and other Asian countries are driving new trends in regional and national markets. Sunsetting tariffs and market-driving structures in Germany, for example, are providing opportunities for nimble companies to pivot focus to other countries where market potential remains strong and regulatory and incentive structures are still available.An increasing number of companies headquartered in Europewhich has long led the world in the development of anaerobic digesters and biogas production technologyare continuing to expand overseas partnerships and market development opportunities. Partnerships between European firms and their Asian and North American counterparts are supporting technology exports to these areas, where increasingly favorable markets and regulatory structures promise to support near- to mid-term growth in biogas deployment. Finally, many biogas applications are also in transition. Increasingly stringent requirements for the management of organic wastes, including food waste and organic fractions of municipal solid waste, are beginning to drive anaerobic digestion markets, with concurrent declines in competing technologies. Additionally, ongoing increases in the stringency of municipal wastewater and sludge treatment requirements, both in developed and emerging/transition economies, have the potential to support growth in wastewater and sludge management applications.The scope of this report includes the market for biogas to energy for five different feedstock sources: municipal and domestic sewage and sewage sludge, industrial wastewater, food waste and landfill-derived or other municipal derived organics (green waste, yard waste, etc.), landfill gas and agricultural (including animal manures and crop residues as well as dedicated energy crops). The biogas market also is broken down by technology category: passive systems, mesophilic digesters, thermophilic digesters, dry digesters and landfill gas.Enquiry before buying report @A discussion of the market by world region includes overviews of North America, Europe and Asia and individual profiles for countries most active in each region. Present market status, biogas production potential, and policies and incentives that support the industry are given for each country. All market valuations and projections cover the years from 2016 to 2022. Market figures are based on the revenues derived from equipment sales and are projected in 2017 constant dollars (i.e., inflation is not computed into the projection figures). Estimated values used are based on manufacturers total revenues. Projected and forecasted revenue values are in constant U.S. dollars, unadjusted for inflation.A technology overview, presentation on the structure of the industry and brief profiles for major participating companies also are included.For the purposes of the report, biogas equipment will be limited to anaerobic digesters and the gas collection equipment needed in landfill gas recovery projects. The machinery used to transform the gas into electricityreciprocating and other types of gas engines, turbine and microturbines, and fuel cellsare not included in the analysis. Similarly, systems for biogas upgrading to renewable natural gas (RNG) also are not included in the study.Access the complete report with TOC & List of Tables @Report Includes: 58 data tables An overview of the global market for anaerobic digestion equipment used to transform waste materials into sustainable energy Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2016 to 2017, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2022 Information on the best strategies used by governments responsible for sustainable waste handling and energy supply solutions An examination of current as well as future trends in the market for industry players and technology developers to understand and strategize their investments Company profiles of major players in the market, including ADI Systems, BDI-BioEnergy International, CH4 Biogas LLC, Ebara Corp., Kruger USA, Republic Services, Inc. and Turning Earth LLCCompanies Mentioned: AAT GMBH & CO. ADI SYSTEMS, INC. AGRIVERT AMERESCO, INC. AQSEPTENCE GROUP GMBH AREVA RENEWABLES ARROW ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING OVERSEAS LTD ASIABIOGAS CO. LTD. (ABC) AUSTEP AXPO KOMPOGAS AG B9 ORGANIC ENERGY LTD. BDI-BIOENERGY INTERNATIONAL BEKON BERLIE FALCO BIO-EN POWER INC. BIO-TERRE SYSTEMS INC BIOGAS ENERGY, INC. BIOGAS HOCHREITER GMBH BIOGAS PRODUCTS LTD. BIOGAS TECHNOLOGY LTD. BIOGEN BIOPLEX BIOTHANE BLUE ELECTRON BMF HAASE ENERGIETECHNIK GMBH BTA INTERNATIONAL BURNS & MCDONNELL BWSC BURNMEISTER & WAIN SCANDINAVIAN CONTRACTORS A/S Cargill, Inc. CCI BIOENERGY, INC. CH FOUR CH4 BIOGAS LLC CHEVRON ENERGY SOLUTIONS CITEC INTERNATIONAL LTD. OY CLARO ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES CLEANWORLD CLEAR HORIZONS CLEARFLEAU LTD. COLSEN INTERNATIONAL B.V. DOOSAN ENPURE LTD. DVO INC. EA ENGINEERING, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY EBARA CORP. ECOCORP, INC. ECOLAB EGGERSMANN EISENMANN CORP. EMISPEC ENSPAR BIOGAS ENTEC BIOPOWER GMBH ENVIRONMENTAL ENERGY & ENGINEERING CO. (E3) ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY CORP. (EPT) ENVITEC BIOGAS FARMATIC ANLAGENBAU GMBH GAIARECYCLE GASUM GE WATER AND PROCESS TECHNOLOGIES GLOBAL WATER ENGINEERING (GWE) GOODTECH ASA GUASCOR ENGINES HARVEST POWER INC. HITACHI ZOSEN INOVA KRIEG & FISCHER INGENIEURE GMBH KRUGER USA MWH Global MWK BIOGASANLAGEN ROSENHEIM GMBH NAHTEC NIJHUIS INDUSTRIES NIRAS ORGANIC POWERDiscount Available!!! Enquire Here:Table of ContentChapter 1 IntroductionChapter 2 Summary and HighlightsChapter 3 Market and Technology BackgroundChapter 4 Market Breakdown by Technology TypeChapter 5 Market Breakdown by ApplicationChapter 6 Market Breakdown by RegionChapter 7 Patent Review/ New DevelopmentsChapter 8 Industry Trends and Analysis of Market OpportunitiesChapter 9 Company ProfilesChapter 10 Appendix: Relevant PatentsChapter 11 EndnotesAbout Us:Orbis Research (orbisresearch.com) is a single point aid for all your market research requirements. We have vast database of reports from the leading publishers and authors across the globe. We specialize in delivering customized reports as per the requirements of our clients. We have complete information about our publishers and hence are sure about the accuracy of the industries and verticals of their specialization. This helps our clients to map their needs and we produce the perfect required market research study for our clients.Contact Information:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas  75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +9164101019Email: sales@orbisresearch.com
Condom Market | Global Top Key Players are Ansell, Reckitt Benckiser, Sagami Rubber Industries, Reckitt Benckiser, Karex Industries, Graphic Armor, Thai Nippon rubber

Condom

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Condom is a sheath shaped barrier used during sexual intercourse to reduce the chances of pregnancy and protect against sexually transmitted diseases. World Health Organization listed condoms as essential for health systems. Use of condoms reduces the risk of diseases such as chlamydia, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, hepatitis B and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).Increasing awareness regarding sexually transmitted diseases and public health and promotional campaigns creating regarding advantages of condoms against unwanted pregnancy are boosting growth of the condom market. Increasing concerns regarding family planning pose as a major factor driving demand for condoms. Innovation in female and male condoms such as anti-ejaculation chemicals are increasing customer interest. According to Centre for Young Womens Health (CYWH), female condoms offer around 95% accuracy for contraception effectiveness and barrier to various sexually transmitted diseases. This has increased the demand for female condoms, which in turn is propelling growth of the condom market. Several myths regarding the use of condoms, alternative methods of contraception, and social stigmas in emerging economies are some of the major factors restraining growth of the condom market.Download PDF Brochure at :Global Condom Market Outlook:Asia Pacific is the dominant region in the global condom market. Asia Pacific comprises of economies with largest population such as China, India, and Indonesia, which in turn contributes to growth of the global condom market in the region. China has a large market for condom manufacturing and brand enterprising. According to China National Centre for STD/AIDS Prevention and Control, in 2014, around 501,000 people suffered from HIV, from which around 21000 people die of the disease. The government of China has supported efforts to prevent the spread of AIDs and sexually transmitted diseases. This boosts growth of the market in China. Increasing awareness about sexually transmitted diseases, family planning campaigns, and brand advertisements are some of the major drivers expected to fuel growth of the condom market in Asia Pacific over the forecast period.North America accounts for a major share in the condom market. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico are major economies in manufacturing condom. According to study conducted by Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between the year 2012 to 2014, the most popular form of contraception in the U.S. is condom, with its use recorded to be higher among the age group of 15 years -19 year, than 33 years - 44 years age group. Despite the increased use of condoms, the STIs rate is rapidly increasing. Over 4.5 hundred million condoms are sold annually in the U.S. Governments and high schools are playing an important role in educating students and creating awareness about STIs and contraception.The U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), has centrally financed female and male condoms as per the U.S. Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). This enables several economies to make condoms available to vulnerable and poor individuals for highly subsidized prices. Over 770 million female and male condoms are provided to 37 economies in USAIDs Asia, Latin America, and Africa.In February 2017, Reckitt Benckiser acquire Mead Johnson Nutrition manufacturers Enfa food. Reckitt Benckiser is a leading brand for Durex condom, Dettol, Lysol cleaner, and Mucinex cough remedy, while Mead Johnson is the worlds third largest baby food company. By acquisition with Mead Johnson, Reckitt Benckiser raises its standing among many multinationals such as Nestle, Unilever, and Procter & Gamble, by adding Enfant food to its large portfolio in household products.Key Market Players in the Global Condom Market:Some of the major key market players operating the global condom market include Ansell Ltd (Richmond, Australia), Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc (England), Sagami Rubber Industries, Reckitt Benckiser Group, Karex Industries Sdn. Bhd (Johor, Malaysia), Graphic Armor LLC, Thai Nippon rubber Industru Co. Ltd (Sathon, Bangkok), Church & Dwight, Okamoto Industries, HLL Lifecare, and Guilin Latex.Request for Sample Copy of this Report :Global Condom Market Taxonomy:On the basis of gender, the global condom market is segmented into:-Male-FemaleOn the basis of material type, the global condom market is segmented into:-Latex-Non-Latex-Polyurethane-NitrileOn the basis of product type, the global condom market is segmented into:-Flavored Condom-Studded or Textured Condom-Warming Condom-Pleasured Condom-Colored CondomAbout Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave,#3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +1-206-701-6702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Dental Suture - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecast 2018  2025

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Global Dental Suture IndustryNew Study On 2018-2025 Dental Suture Market Global Key Player, Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Forecast Added to Wise Guy Reports DatabaseThis report studies the global market size of Dental Suture in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa, focuses on the consumption of Dental Suture in these regions.This research report categorizes the global Dental Suture market by players/brands, region, type and application. This report also studies the global market status, competition landscape, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Suturing postsurgically is a common technique in the field of dental medicine, particularly after surgical incisions and dental extractions, as the sutures act to secure tissue edges to promote healing.Globally the market for dental suture is increasing rapidly. The major factors that derives the growth of dental suture are rising number of dental procedures, growing ageing population, rising disposable income of emerging economies, increasing incidences of dental caries and other periodontal diseases, growth in dental industry and others.Try Sample Report @The various contributors involved in the value chain of Dental Suture include manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, intermediaries, and customers. The key manufacturers in the Dental Suture includeOsteogenics BiomedicalErgon SutramedAssut EuropeEthiconSurgical SpecialtiesShandong SinorgmedB. BraunDemetech CorporationHygitech SASMarket Size Split by TypeInterrupted SuturesContinuous SuturesMattress SuturesMarket Size Split by ApplicationHospitalsClinicsMarket size split by RegionNorth AmericaUnited StatesCanadaMexicoAsia-PacificChinaIndiaJapanSouth KoreaAustraliaIndonesiaSingaporeMalaysiaPhilippinesThailandVietnamEuropeGermanyFranceUKItalySpainRussiaCentral & South AmericaBrazilRest of Central & South AmericaMiddle East & AfricaGCC CountriesTurkeyEgyptSouth AfricaThe study objectives of this report are:To study and analyze the global Dental Suture market size (value & volume) by company, key regions/countries, products and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2025.To understand the structure of Dental Suture market by identifying its various subsegments.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).Focuses on the key global Dental Suture manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.To analyze the Dental Suture with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To project the value and volume of Dental Suture submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.For Detailed Reading Please visit WiseGuy Reports @Some Major Points from Table of content:1 Study Coverage1.1 Dental Suture Product1.2 Key Market Segments1.3 Key Manufacturers Covered1.4 Market by Type1.4.1 Global Dental Suture Market Size Growth Rate by Type1.4.2 Interrupted Sutures1.4.3 Continuous Sutures1.4.4 Mattress Sutures1.5 Market by Application1.5.1 Global Dental Suture Market Size Growth Rate by Application1.5.2 Hospitals1.5.3 Clinics1.6 Study Objectives1.7 Years Considered2 Executive Summary2.1 Global Dental Suture Market Size2.1.1 Global Dental Suture Revenue 2016-20252.1.2 Global Dental Suture Sales 2016-20252.2 Dental Suture Growth Rate by Regions2.2.1 Global Dental Suture Sales by Regions2.2.2 Global Dental Suture Revenue by Regions3 Breakdown Data by Manufacturers3.1 Dental Suture Sales by Manufacturers3.1.1 Dental Suture Sales by Manufacturers3.1.2 Dental Suture Sales Market Share by Manufacturers3.1.3 Global Dental Suture Market Concentration Ratio (CR5 and HHI)3.2 Dental Suture Revenue by Manufacturers3.2.1 Dental Suture Revenue by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.2.2 Dental Suture Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2016-2018)3.3 Dental Suture Price by Manufacturers3.4 Dental Suture Manufacturing Base Distribution, Product Types3.4.1 Dental Suture Manufacturers Manufacturing Base Distribution, Headquarters3.4.2 Manufacturers Dental Suture Product Category3.4.3 Date of International Manufacturers Enter into Dental Suture Market3.5 Manufacturers Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion Plans4 Breakdown Data by Type4.1 Global Dental Suture Sales by Type4.2 Global Dental Suture Revenue by Type4.3 Dental Suture Price by Type5 Breakdown Data by Application5.1 Overview5.2 Global Dental Suture Breakdown Data by Application6 North America6.1 North America Dental Suture by Countries6.1.1 North America Dental Suture Sales by Countries6.1.2 North America Dental Suture Revenue by Countries6.1.3 United States6.1.4 Canada6.1.5 Mexico6.2 North America Dental Suture by Type6.3 North America Dental Suture by Application6.4 North America Dental Suture by Company7 Europe7.1 Europe Dental Suture by Countries7.1.1 Europe Dental Suture Sales by Countries7.1.2 Europe Dental Suture Revenue by Countries7.1.3 Germany7.1.4 France7.1.5 UK7.1.6 Italy7.1.7 Russia7.2 Europe Dental Suture by Type7.3 Europe Dental Suture by Application7.4 Europe Dental Suture by Company8 Asia Pacific8.1 Asia Pacific Dental Suture by Countries8.1.1 Asia Pacific Dental Suture Sales by Countries8.1.2 Asia Pacific Dental Suture Revenue by Countries8.1.3 China8.1.4 Japan8.1.5 Korea8.1.6 India8.1.7 Australia8.1.8 Indonesia8.1.9 Malaysia8.1.10 Philippines8.1.11 Thailand8.1.12 Vietnam8.1.13 Singapore8.2 Asia Pacific Dental Suture by Type8.3 Asia Pacific Dental Suture by Application8.4 Asia Pacific Dental Suture by Company9 Central & South America9.1 Central & South America Dental Suture by Countries9.1.1 Central & South America Dental Suture Sales by Countries9.1.2 Central & South America Dental Suture Revenue by Countries9.1.3 Brazil9.2 Central & South America Dental Suture by Type9.3 Central & South America Dental Suture by Application9.4 Central & South America Dental Suture by Company10 Middle East and Africa10.1 Middle East and Africa Dental Suture by Countries10.1.1 Middle East and Africa Dental Suture Sales by Countries10.1.2 Middle East and Africa Dental Suture Revenue by Countries10.1.3 GCC Countries10.1.4 Turkey10.1.5 Egypt10.1.6 South Africa10.2 Middle East and Africa Dental Suture by Type10.3 Middle East and Africa Dental Suture by Application10.4 Middle East and Africa Dental Suture by Company11 Company Profiles11.1 Osteogenics Biomedical11.1.1 Osteogenics Biomedical Company Details11.1.2 Company Description11.1.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Dental Suture11.1.4 Dental Suture Product Description11.1.5 Recent Development11.2 Ergon Sutramed11.2.1 Ergon Sutramed Company Details11.2.2 Company Description11.2.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Dental Suture11.2.4 Dental Suture Product Description11.2.5 Recent Development11.3 Assut Europe11.3.1 Assut Europe Company Details11.3.2 Company Description11.3.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Dental Suture11.3.4 Dental Suture Product Description11.3.5 Recent Development11.4 Ethicon11.4.1 Ethicon Company Details11.4.2 Company Description11.4.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Dental Suture11.4.4 Dental Suture Product Description11.4.5 Recent Development11.5 Surgical Specialties11.5.1 Surgical Specialties Company Details11.5.2 Company Description11.5.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Dental Suture11.5.4 Dental Suture Product Description11.5.5 Recent Development11.6 Shandong Sinorgmed11.6.1 Shandong Sinorgmed Company Details11.6.2 Company Description11.6.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Dental Suture11.6.4 Dental Suture Product Description11.6.5 Recent Development11.7 B. Braun11.7.1 B. Braun Company Details11.7.2 Company Description11.7.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Dental Suture11.7.4 Dental Suture Product Description11.7.5 Recent Development11.8 Demetech Corporation11.8.1 Demetech Corporation Company Details11.8.2 Company Description11.8.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Dental Suture11.8.4 Dental Suture Product Description11.8.5 Recent Development11.9 Hygitech SAS11.9.1 Hygitech SAS Company Details11.9.2 Company Description11.9.3 Sales, Revenue and Gross Margin of Dental Suture11.9.4 Dental Suture Product Description11.9.5 Recent DevelopmentContinued..For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comAbout UsWise Guy Reports is part of the Wise Guy Consultants Pvt. Ltd. and offers premium progressive statistical surveying, market research reports, analysis & forecast data for industries and governments around the globe. Wise Guy Reports understand how essential statistical surveying information is for your organization or association. Therefore, we have associated with the top publishers and research firms all specialized in specific domains, ensuring you will receive the most reliable and up to date research data available.Contact Us:Norah Trent+91 841 198 5042Office No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Dental Surgical Instruments Market Overviewed by Restorative Dentistry and Orthodontics to 2023 - Projected to Reach US$ 5.96 Billion

Dental Surgical Instruments Market

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Report analyzes dental surgical instruments market & aims at estimating market size & future growth potential of this market based on various segments like product, therapeutic area, patient care setting, and region. Report also includes competitive analysis of key players in this market along with their company profiles, product offerings, recent developments, and key market strategies. Get Free Market Updates Now atDental surgical instruments market projected to reach to USD 5.96 billion by 2023 from estimated USD 4.48 billion in 2018 at a CAGR of 5.9%. Factors like rising incidence of dental diseases, increasing demand for cosmetic dentistry, increasing number of dental practitioners & dental clinics, and growing dental expenditure are expected to drive market growth. Growing dental tourism in emerging markets are expected to present growth opportunities for players in this market.Target Audience: Dental surgical instrument manufacturers Distributors and suppliers of dental surgical instruments Raw material suppliers for dental surgical instruments Dental clinics Dental Hospitals Dental practitioners Dental associations Research and consulting firmsDental surgical instruments & consumables market is segmented on basis of product, therapeutic area, patient care setting, and region. Dental surgical instruments are further segmented into handled instruments, handpieces, ultrasonic instruments, lasers, & electrosurgical instruments. Consumables include impression trays, intraoral tips, aspiration tips & accessories, retractors, mouth props and gags, syringes, sutures, needles, elastics, and bite blocks.More Information on Dental Surgical Instruments Market spread across 243 Pages, Profiling 16 Companies and Supported with 212 Tables and 37 Figures is now available atThe dental surgical instruments market is segmented into restorative dentistry, orthodontics, endodontics, and other therapeutic areas. The restorative dentistry segment is expected to account for the largest share of the market in 2018. The large share of this segment is attributed to the increasing geriatric population, increasing prevalence of dental diseases, and increasing adoption of adoption of implants and prosthetic treatments in developed countries such as the US, Germany, and Japan.Break of primary participants from supply side was as mentioned below: By Company Type  Tier 145%, Tier 240% and Tier 315% By Designation  C Level41%, Director Level30%, Others29% By Region  Europe32%, North America27%, Asia Pacific19%, Latin America- 12%, Middle East and Africa10%Geographically, dental surgical instruments market is segmented into Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, Latin America, & Middle East and Africa. Europe accounted for largest share of this market in 2017. This is primarily due to increase in aging population, increasing government expenditure on oral healthcare across Europe, rising adoption of dental cosmetic treatments, & high reimbursement rate as compared to regions.Get Discount Dental Surgical Instruments Market by Product (Handheld Instruments, Laser, Dental Handpiece, Ultrasonic Instruments, Consumables), Therapeutic Area (Restorative Dentistry, Orthodontics), Patient Care Setting (Clinic, Hospital) - Global Forecast to 2023 report @Major players in dental surgical instruments market are DENTSPLY Sirona Inc. (US), Danaher Corporation (US), 3M Company (US), COLTENE Holding AG (Switzerland), Brasseler USA, A-dec, Inc. (US), Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company, LLC (US), Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation (US), NAKANISHI Inc. (Japan), BIOLASE, Inc. (US), The Yoshida Dental Mfg. Co., Ltd. (Japan), Helmut Zepf Medizintechnik GmbH (Germany), Prima Dental Manufacturing Ltd. (UK), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), AMD Lasers (US), and CAO Group, Inc. (US).Premium Insights1 Dental Surgical Instruments and Consumables: Market Overview2 Asia Pacific: Dental Surgical Instruments and Consumables Market, By Therapeutic Area, 20173 Dental Surgical Instruments and Consumables Market: Geographic Analysis4 Dental Surgical Instruments and Consumables Market: Geographic Mix5 Dental Surgical Instruments and Consumables Market: Developing vs Developed Countries/RegionsContact:sales@rnrmarketresearch.com / Call +1 888 391 5441RnRMarketResearch Provides you the further information and more details with intelligence needs for your business. Access to in-depth market trends helps companies to assess the market effectiveness.Mr. HrishikeshTower B5, Office 101,Magarpatta City SEZ,Pune-411013, India
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Diagnosis Market to Escalate by Types, Applications, Regions and Key Players

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Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are infections that are passed from one person to another through sexual contact. The causes of STDs are bacteria, parasites, yeast, and viruses.Sexually Transmitted Disease is growing at a faster pace owing to the rising incidences of unprotected sex, lack of awareness and so forth. The rising number of patients suffering from STD includes people from age group of 15 years to 24 years.This report at InForGrowth focuses on the global Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Diagnosis status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players. The study objectives are to present the Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Diagnosis development in United States, Europe and China.Get Sample PDF atThe following manufacturers are covered in this report: Abbott, Roche, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Aposcience, BCR Diagnostics, BD Medical, Biocartis, BioMerieux, Bio-Rad, Cepheid, Danaher, DiaSorin, Quidel, GenMark Diagnostics, Hologic, OraSure Technologies, Qualigen.Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Diagnosis Breakdown Data by Type: Chlamydia testing, Syphilis testing, Gonorrhoea testing, Herpes simplex virus testing, Human papilloma virus testing, Human immunodeficiency virus testing.Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Diagnosis Breakdown Data by Application: Government organizations, Hospitals, Diagnostic clinics.Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Diagnosis Breakdown by Region: United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, Central & South America.Find more information on this report atThe study objectives of this report are:To analyze global Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Diagnosis status, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market and key players.To present the Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Diagnosis development in United States, Europe and China.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their development plan and strategies.To define, describe and forecast the market by product type, market and key regions.Major Topics covered in Table of Contents:1. Report Overview2. Global Growth Trends3. Market Share by Key Players4. Breakdown Data by Type and Application5. United States6. Europe7. China8. Japan9. Southeast Asia10. India11. Central & South America12. International Players Profiles13. Market Forecast 2018-202514. Analyst's Viewpoints/Conclusions15. AppendixEnquire more about this report atAbout InForGrowth:Reports directory:Contact for enquiries:We are a market-intelligence company formed with the objective of providing clients access to the most relevant and accurate research content for their growth needs. At InForGrowth, we understand Research requirements and help a client in taking informed business critical decisions. Given the complexities and interdependencies of market-intelligence, there is always more than one source to explore and arrive at the right answer. Through our smart search feature and our reliable & trusted publishing partners, we are paving way for a more simplified and relevant research.For all your Research needs, reach out to us at:Address: 6400 Village Pkwy suite # 104, Dublin, CA 94568, USAEmail: info@inforgrowth.comPhone: +1-909-329-2808
Asia-Pacific Flow Cytometry Industry: Key Vendors, Trends, Challenges, and Drivers to 2022

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RnRMarketResearch adds Flow Cytometry Market to its store. This is a professional and depth research report on Flow Cytometry industry that would help to know the world's major regional market conditions of Flow Cytometry industry, the main region including North American, Europe and Asia etc., and the main country including United States ,Germany ,etc.Introduction1 Objectives of the Study2 Definition3 Study Scope4 Markets Covered5 Geographic Scope6 Years Considered for the Study7 Currency8 Limitations9 StakeholdersGlobal Flow Cytometry Market, By Application1 Introduction2 Research Applications3 Clinical Applications4 Industrial ApplicationsSample copy @The global flow cytometry market is projected to reach USD 4.79 billion by 2022 from USD 3.29 billion in 2017, growing at a CAGR of 7.8% from 2017 to 2022. The key factors driving the growth of this market include the continuous technological advancements in the field of flow cytometry, increasing incidence and prevalence of target diseases (such as HIV/AIDS and cancer), and growing adoption of flow cytometry in advanced research activities and clinical trials.Premium Insights1 Flow Cytometry Market: Overview2 Flow Cytometry Products & Services Market, 2017 vs 20223 Global Market, By Technology (USD Million)4 Flow Cytometry Market, By Products & Services, 2017-2022 (USD Million)5 Global Market, By Application (USD Million)6 Flow Cytometry Market, By End User, 2017 vs 20227 Geographical Snapshot of the Global MarketMake an Inquiry on Report atThe global market is divided into research, clinical, and industrial applications. The clinical applications segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of this segment can be attributed to the growing usage of flow cytometry in organ transplantation, cancer diagnosis, and hematological disorder treatment.Stakeholders Flow cytometry equipment manufacturers, vendors, and distributors Flow cytometry services companies Research and development (R&D) companies Academia, research institutes, and government organizations Venture capitalists and other government funding organizations Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies Healthcare service providers (including hospitals and diagnostic centers) Clinical research organizations (CROs) Market research and consulting firms Government and independent regulatory authoritiesPurchase This Report @Geographically, this flow cytometry market is classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. In 2017, the global market is expected to be dominated by North America, followed by Europe. However, the Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period owing to the increasing participation of China, India, Japan, and South Korea in flow cytometry-based research; expansion of research infrastructure; and increasing public-private initiative aimed towards boosting advance research practices in this region.List of Tables1 Flow Cytometry Market, By Technology, 20152022 (USD Million)2 Global Market, By Region, 20152022 (USD Million)3 Cell-Based Flow Cytometry Market, By Region, 20152022 (USD Million)4 Bead-Based Flow Cytometry Market, By Region, 20152022 (USD Million)5 Global Market, By Product & Service, 20152022 (USD Million)About Us:-RnRMarketResearch Provides you the further information and more details with intelligence needs for your business. Access to in-depth market trends helps companies to assess the market effectiveness.With comprehensive information about the publishers and the industries for which they publish market research reports, we help you in your purchase decision by mapping your information needs with our huge collection of reports.Contact:sales@rnrmarketresearch.com / Call +1 888 391 5441Tower B5, Office 101,Magarpatta City SEZ,Pune-411013, India
Aftercoolers Market Estimation with Key Players like Ingersoll Rand, Caterpillar, Cummins during the Forecast Period 2018-2025.

Aftercoolers

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Aftercoolers 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 Aftercoolers 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.Aftercoolers 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 Aftercoolers 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.For More Information, Please VisitThe 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 Aftercoolers market analysis & forecast 2018-2023 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region-wise Analysis Global Aftercoolers 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: Ingersoll Rand Fs Elliott Federal Mogul Gardner Denver Versatile International Corporation Caterpillar CumminsGlobal Aftercoolers Market: Product Segment Analysis: Air Compressor Gas CompressorBuy Aftercoolers Market analysis & forecast 2018-2023 Report along with complete TOC @Global Aftercoolers Market: Application Segment Analysis: Turbine Coolers Filter Pre-coolers Portable Aftercoolers Turbine Pro-filtersThe Report covers in-depth analysis as follows: Chapter 1 Industry Overview of Aftercoolers Chapter 2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Aftercoolers Chapter 3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Aftercoolers Chapter 4 Global Aftercoolers Overall Market Overview Chapter 5 Aftercoolers Regional Market Analysis Chapter 6 Global 2013-2018E Aftercoolers Segment Market Analysis (by Type) Chapter 7 Global 2013-2018E Aftercoolers Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Chapter 8 Major Manufacturers Analysis of Aftercoolers Chapter 9 Development Trend of Analysis of Aftercoolers Market Chapter 10 Aftercoolers Marketing Type Analysis Chapter 11 Consumers Analysis of Aftercoolers Chapter 12 Conclusion of the Global Aftercoolers Market Professional Survey Report 2017Guaranteed Discount On This Report@Aftercoolers 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 Aftercoolers 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 Aftercoolers 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.About 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.
Doxazosin Mesylate Market to Escalate by Types, Applications, Regions and Key Players

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This report at InForGrowth studies the global market size of Doxazosin Mesylate in key regions like North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Central & South America and Middle East & Africa, focuses on the consumption of Doxazosin Mesylate in these regions.This research report categorizes the global Doxazosin Mesylate market by players/brands, region, type and application. This report also studies the global market status, competition landscape, market share, growth rate, future trends, market drivers, opportunities and challenges, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Ask for Exclusive Sample PDF atThe following manufacturers are covered in this report: Pfizer, Hefei Lifeon Pharmaceutical, Shandong ShanChuan Pharmaceutical, Kangmei Pharmaceutical, Zhejiang CONBA Pharmaceutica.Doxazosin Mesylate Breakdown Data by Type: Oral Immediate-release Tablet (1 mg, 2 mg, 4 mg, and 8 mg), Oral Extended-release Tablet (4 mg and 8 mg).Doxazosin Mesylate Breakdown Data by Application: Hospital, Retail Pharmacy, Others.Doxazosin Mesylate Breakdown by Region: North America, United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia-Pacific, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Europe, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Russia, Central & South America, Brazil, Rest of Central & South America, Middle East & Africa, GCC Countries, Turkey, Egypt, South Africa.Find more information on this report atThe study objectives of this report are:To study and analyze the global Doxazosin Mesylate market size (value & volume) by company, key regions/countries, products and application, history data from 2013 to 2017, and forecast to 2025.To understand the structure of Doxazosin Mesylate market by identifying its various subsegments.To share detailed information about the key factors influencing the growth of the market (growth potential, opportunities, drivers, industry-specific challenges and risks).Focuses on the key global Doxazosin Mesylate manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the sales volume, value, market share, market competition landscape, SWOT analysis and development plans in next few years.To analyze the Doxazosin Mesylate with respect to individual growth trends, future prospects, and their contribution to the total market.To project the value and volume of Doxazosin Mesylate submarkets, with respect to key regions (along with their respective key countries).To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market.To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.Major Topics covered in Table of Contents:1. Study Coverage2. Executive Summary3. Breakdown Data by Manufacturers4. Breakdown Data by Type5. Breakdown Data by Application6. North America7. Europe8. Asia Pacific9. Central & South America10. Middle East and Africa11. Company Profiles13. Value Chain and Sales Channels Analysis14. Research Findings and Conclusion15. AppendixEnquire more about this report atAbout InForGrowth:Reports directory:Contact for enquiries:We are a market-intelligence company formed with the objective of providing clients access to the most relevant and accurate research content for their growth needs. At InForGrowth, we understand Research requirements and help a client in taking informed business critical decisions. Given the complexities and interdependencies of market-intelligence, there is always more than one source to explore and arrive at the right answer. Through our smart search feature and our reliable & trusted publishing partners, we are paving way for a more simplified and relevant research.For all your Research needs, reach out to us at:Address: 6400 Village Pkwy suite # 104, Dublin, CA 94568, USAEmail: info@inforgrowth.comPhone: +1-909-329-2808
Warehouse Robotics Market Competitive Situation among the Top Manufacturers are ABB Robotics, Eaton, YRG, Inc., Kawasaki Robotics, Vigilant Robots, Hitach, Scape Technologies, and KUKA Robotics

global warehouse robotics market

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The Global Warehouse Robotics Market was valued at USD 1,950.1 million in 2017 and is expected to reach USD 2,450.0 million in 2025, growing at a healthy CAGR of 12.0% for the forecast period of 2018 to 2025.Global Warehouse Robotics market report delivers a detailed study with present and upcoming Opportunities to clarify the future investment and business plans of the market. The report contains complete analysis regarding type and applications, featuring the key business resources and provides an in-depth survey of top key vendors.This analysis gives an examination of various segments that are relied upon to witness the quickest development amid the estimate forecast frame. This information is mandatory for making purposeful decisions and progress in strategies. The Warehouse Robotics market study also analyzes the market status, share, growth rate, future trends, drivers, opportunities, challenges, risks and entry barriers, sales channels, distributors and Porter's Five Forces Analysis.Some of the Key Players Profiled In the Warehouse Robotics Market Include: ABB Robotics, Eaton, YRG, Inc., Kawasaki Robotics, Vigilant Robots, Hitach, Scape Technologies, KUKA Robotics, Daifuku America, ATS Automation, Dematic, Amazon Robotics, EK Automation, FANUC America Corporation, Hitachi Solutions Canada, mobile Industrial Robots ApS, Kiva Systems, Rockwell Automation, Adept Technologies Inc., JBT Corporation, BlueBotics SA, Intelligrated, Toshiba, PARI Robotics Inc., FANUC UK, FANUC Europe, Fanuc Robot,Click to Get Report Sample Copy @By Product Fixed Robots Cylindrical Robots Mobile Robots Gantry Robots Stationery Articulated RobotsBy Function Pick & Place Assembling and Dissembling Transportation PackagingBy Software Warehouse Management System Warehouse Execution System Warehouse Control SystemBy Industry Vertical E-commerce Automotive Pharmaceuticals Electronics & Electrical Metal and Machinery Food and Beverages Chemical OthersRequest for Table of Content @In June 2018, Mobile Industrial Robots ApS (Denmark) launched a new warehouse robot for heavy lifting named MiR 500. This warehouse robot is able to carry 500 kg of weight. This product has laser-scanning technology that offers optimal safety solution with 3D cameras. The advancement of technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence has added the importance of warehouse robotics.EK Automation Systems Ltd, KUKA AG, Kawasaki Robotics GmbH, Kawasaki Robotics (USA), Inc., Kawasaki Robotics (UK) Ltd, Yamaha Robotics Partner UK,Eaton Industrial Corporation, ABB, Dematic China, Fanuc Robotics North America and othersImportant attributes of the report: The 360-degree Warehouse Robotics overview based on a global and regional level Market share, value, volume, and production capacity is analyzed on global, regional and country level A complete and useful guide for new market aspirants Forecast information will drive strategic, innovative and profitable business plans and SWOT analysis of players will pave the way for growth opportunities, risk analysis, investment feasibility and recommendations Production Analysis  Production of the Warehouse Robotics is analyzed with respect to different regions, types and applications. Here, price analysis of various Warehouse Robotics Market key players is also covered. Sales and Revenue Analysis  Both, sales and revenue are studied for the different regions of the Warehouse Robotics Market. Another major aspect, price, which plays an important part in the revenue generation, is also assessed in this section for the various regions. Supply and Consumption  In continuation of sales, this section studies supply and consumption for the Warehouse Robotics Market. This part also sheds light on the gap between supply and consumption. Import and export figures are also given in this part. Competitors  In this section, various Warehouse Robotics industry leading players are studied with respect to their company profile, product portfolio, capacity, price, cost, and revenue. Other analyses  Apart from the information, trade and distribution analysis for the Warehouse Robotics Market.Look For More Information on This Report @Market Segmentation of Warehouse Robotics MarketBy Geography Asia Pacific (China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific). North America (US, Canada, Mexico). Europe (Russia, Turkey, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Rest of Europe. South America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of South America). Middle East and Africa (South Africa, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa).Customization of the Report:This report can be customized to meet the clients requirements. Please connect with our sales team (sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com), who will ensure that you get a report that suits your needs.Market Drivers: Increased demand of automation, time saving and reduction in cost Increasing number of stock keeping units Increasing demand and awareness towards quality and safety production Advancement in automation technologies Increased use in various verticals such as defence, food and beverage, electronics, pharmaceuticals, electronics, construction, and automotiveMarket Restraint: Initial high adoption cost related to training and deployment Lack of awareness and difficulty in interacting with robots Threat of job displacementGet The Best Offer of This Report, Mail us at Sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.comAbout Data Bridge Market Research:Data Bridge Market Research set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Contact:Data Bridge Market ResearchTel: +1-888-387-2818Email: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com
Digital Signage Market By 2025 With Global Players: Cisco, Panasonic, LG Display, 3M, ADFLOW Networks, Broadsign, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, BrightSign LLC, NEC Display Solutions of America, Inc. , Keywest Technology, Inc

Digital Signage Market

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The report focuses to provide all the insights of the digital signage market along with all CAGR values and the market shares analysis of all the players in the market. The report is a vital piece of information on the market which explains all the competitive landscape and all the segments in the market while analyzing and forecasting the digital signage market for the coming years. The report also provides all details in terms of recent developments in the market and all the manufacturers.Digital signage market accounted to USD XX.XX million in 2017 growing at a CAGR of XX.XX% during the forecast period of 2018 to 2025. Digital signage market report contains data for historic years 2016, the base year of calculation is 2017 and the forecast period is 2018 to 2025.Get Sample Analysis of This Market Information:Report Forecasting Regional and Global Analysis on digital signage market By Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Europe, South America, Middle East and Africa), By Product (Kiosks, Menu Boards, Billboards, Sign Boards), Offering (Hardware (Displays, Media Players, Projectors, Mounts & Other Accessories), Software, and Services), End-User (Commercial (Retail, Corporate, Healthcare, Hospitality, Government) and Infrastructural (Transportation, Entertainment), Institutional (Banking, Education), Industrial).Digital signage is an electronic billboard system used to present dynamic information electronically, on flat panel displays such as LCD, Plasma or Projectors. This technology is used widely across multiple industries for advertising, display merchandising and information signage. Some of the major players of the global digital signage market are Cisco Systems Inc. Adflow Networks Hewlett-Packard Company Keywest Technology NEC Display Solutions Ltd. Brightsign Llc. Omnivex Corporation Broadsign International Inc. 3M Co. LG Display Co. Ltd. Panasonic CorporationOthers: AU Optronics, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Ucview Media Inc., Winmate Communication Inc., Onelan Ltd., among others. The report for digital signage market include detailed vendor level analysis for market shares for Global, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America specifically. Digital Signage Market Data collection and base year analysis is done using data collection modules with large sample sizes. The market data is analyzed and forecasted using market statistical and coherent models. Also market share analysis and key trend analysis are the major success factors in the market report.Get TOC of Full Report:Major market drivers: High adoption of digital signage in the commercial sector High cost-effectiveness of digital signage Technological advancements in display technologies Rising infrastructure demandGlobal Digital Signage Market Segmentation: The digital signage market is segmented on the basis of product into Kiosks Menu boards Billboards Sign boards The global digital signage market is also segmented on the basis of offering into Hardware Software Services The hardware segment is further sub-segmented into displays, media players, projectors, mounts & other accessories. On the basis of end-user the global digital signage market is further segmented into Commercial Infrastructural Institutional Industrial The commercial segment is further sub-segmented into Retail Corporate Healthcare Hospitality Government The infrastructural segment is further sub-segmented into Transportation Entertainment The institutional segment is further sub-segmented into Banking Education On the basis of geography, global digital signage market report covers data points for 28 countries across multiple geographies such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Some of the major countries covered in this report are U.S., Canada, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Turkey, Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Brazil among others. North America is expected to dominate the market.Key points to focus in the report1. Key trends in the digital signage market place2. Major players and brands3. Drivers and restrains of the market4. Major players and brands5. Historical and current digital signage market size and projection up to 2025.Want Full Report? Enquire Here:About UsData Bridge set forth itself as an unconventional and neoteric Market research and consulting firm with an unparalleled level of resilience and integrated approaches. We are determined to unearth the best market opportunities and foster efficient information for your business to thrive in the market. Data Bridge endeavors to provide appropriate solutions to the complex business challenges and initiates an effortless decision-making process.Data Bridge adepts in creating satisfied clients who reckon upon our services and rely on our hard work with certitude. For Customization or Getting Discount on Report by emailing sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com . We are content with our glorious 99.9 % client satisfying rate.Contact UsData Bridge Market ResearchToll Free: +1-888-387-2818Mail: sopan.gedam@databridgemarketresearch.com
Glycolic Acid Market is Poised to Exhibit A Moderate 5.01% CAGR by 2023 | Worldwide Key players ( Water Chemical Co., Ltd, The Chemours Company )

Glycolic Acid Market

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Global Glycolic Acid Market report explores future trends for supply, demand and market growth rate, market size, prices, trading, competition and value chain as well as Key Players of the industrys information with forecast from 2018 to 2023.Global Glycolic Acid Market Overview:According to Market Analyst, Global glycolic acid (CAS 79-14-1) market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 5.01% by 2023.Request Report Sample@Acid is a part of a group of compounds. This enables it to be more efficient in promoting younger appearance. Beauty enthusiasts will rave about its benefits about it helps if you inquire. The colorless, odorless and water substance's name is credited to chemist Auguste Laurent. He called it acide glycolique, implying that glycine could be its amine. Sources - A chemical acid can be found particularly foods. These are foods of plant origin, particularly sugar crops. Examples include cantaloupe, sugar beets, sugar cane, and pineapple. Nikolai Nikolaevich Sokolov and the chemists Adolph Strecker was the first to produce the compound.These include: Psoriasis - Hyperkeratosis - Actinic keratosis - Melasma - Seborrheic keratosis - Glycolic acid is able to penetrate deep into your skin because of its very small structure. This enables it to work efficiently in dealing with fine lines and wrinkles as well as oily and dull skin. This substance is a strong exfoliant. A reaction with the upper layer of the epidermis occurs whenever you apply glycolic acid on the skin. This dissolves this binding properties of lipids holding together this old skin debris. The loss of the structural protein is a factor in this appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as individuals get older. Collagen plumps up this skin for a firmer, younger skin.On the Basis of Application, Glycolic Acid Used in cosmetics, industrial cleaners, water treatment and medical sutures.Regionally, North American region accounted for the largest market share. The growth is driven by the increasing demand for acne & wrinkle removal creams among the middle aged woman with in the region, and also increase focus in skin nourishment helps the compound gaining attention within the region.Purchase this premium research report with 114 Pages and No. of Table of contents, List of table atMarket Players of Global Glycolic Acid Market:1 Water Chemical Co., Ltd2 The Chemours Company3 DuPont Corporation4 CrossChem LPThe Market is segmented and projected on the basis of major Region Segmentation1 North America2 Europe3 Asia Pacific4 Middle East and Africa5 South AmericaGrab Your Report at an Impressive Discount @Key Questions Answered in this Report:1 What will the market size be in 2023?2 What are the key factors driving the Glycolic Acid Market?3 What are the challenges to market growth?4 Who are the key players in the Glycolic Acid Market?5 What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key players?TABLE OF CONTENTS1 Summary2 Report Methodology3 Market Overview4 Industry Value Chain5 Competitive Landscape6 Segmentation by Type7 Segmentation by Application8 Regional Perspectives9 Company Profiles10 Market Forecast11 Market DriversAbout usBusinessindustryReports.com is digital database of comprehensive market reports for global industries. 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.Media ContactBusiness Industry ReportsPune  Indiasales@businessindustryreports.com+19376349940
Bioelectric Medicine Market Growth In Revenue Opportunity With Key Players Medtronic PLC, Sonava, Boston Scientific Corporation, St Jude Medical, Liva Nova PLC, Biotronic, Second Sight Medical Products

Bioelectric Medicine

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Mergers and acquisitions, advancements in technology, and innovations such as non-invasive devices in the field of bioelectric medicines are the major factors driving growth of the bioelectric medicine market. Synapse Electroceutical Technology has a product for venous leg ulcer management in the pipeline, which is expected to fuel growth of the bioelectric medicine market over the forecast period. Other factors that boost growth of the bioelectric medicine market include increasing number of diseases in geriatric population such as cardiac arrhythmias, Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease, epilepsy, and depression, and rise in chronic diseases such as neurological and cardiac disorders. According to a study conducted by Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care in 2017, four major chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases were the major cause for 82% deaths in India. According to a study conducted by World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017, non-communicable diseases are expected to contribute to death of 52 million people by 2030 globally.Get PDF Brochure of Research Report:Bioelectric Medicine Market Regional Analysis:Europe is expected to witness significant growth in the global bioelectric medicine market due to mergers and acquisitions and advancements in R&D. For instance, in 2015, GSK had over 50 research collaborations in the field of bioelectric medicine. In 2013, GSK invested in a start-up company called Set Point, who is involved in the development of implantable devices that would stimulate the vagus nerve in the neck with electrical impulses. North America is also expected to witness significant growth in the bioelectric medicine market due to advancements in research and development. For instance, Electro Core, a U.S.-based company is working on a device to treat headaches related to migraines by stimulating vagus nerve on the neck with electrical impulses.In 2017, Reshape Lifesciences launched minimally invasive medical devices ReShape Balloon, ReShape VBloc, and ReShape Vest to treat obesity and metabolic diseases. In 2014, the U.S. FDA approved Inspire Medical Systems Sleep Apnea Treatment to treat sleep apnea by implanting a device that stimulates air way muscles. Asia Pacific is also expected to exhibit significant growth in the bioelectric medicine market, owing to the rising number of people diagnosed with chronic diseases. According to a survey conducted by the National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) in 2017, prevalence of hypertension in adults in China was 25.2% and diabetes was 9.7%.Bioelectric Medicine Market Key Players:Key players operating in the global bioelectric medicine market include Medtronic PLC, Sonava, Boston Scientific Corporation, St Jude Medical, Liva Nova PLC, Biotronic, Second Sight Medical Products, Nevro Corp, and Electrocare among others.Request For Customization Of This Report :Bioelectric medicine is a new and innovative approach to diagnose and treat injuries and diseases. All major organs of the body are connected to the nerves, which allows the brain to monitor and regulate the functions of the organs. Bioelectric medicine refers to the usage of a device to modulate and read the electrical activity within the bodys nervous systems. Nerve blocking devices or nerve stimulating devices that are held against the skin or implanted on a nerve have the potential to regulate specific nerve activity, make specific changes in organ function, and also restore health, without much complicated side effects of pharmaceutical agents. Bioelectric medicine technology is used to record, block, and stimulate neural signals to change the way diseases and injuries are treated. It is also used for the treatment of conditions such as cancer, paralysis, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes. Electroceuticals are alternatives to drug based remedies.Bioelectric Medicine Market Taxonomy:The Global Bioelectric Medicine Market Is Segmented On The Basis Of Products, Product Type, Application, And Region.By ProductsCardiac PacemakersCochlear ImplantsImplantable Cardioverter DefibrillatorsSpinal cord StimulatorsRetinal ImplantsVagus Nerve StimulatorsSacral Nerve StimulatorsDeep brain StimulatorsTranscutaneous Electrical Nerve StimulatorsOthersBy Product TypeImplantable Electroceutical DevicesNon-Invasive Electroceutical DevicesBy ApplicationPain ManagementDepressionEpilepsyArrhythmiaTremorParkinsons DiseaseSensorineural Hearing LossOthersAbout Coherent Market Insights:Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity.Contact Us:Mr. ShahCoherent Market Insights1001 4th Ave, #3200Seattle, WA 98154Tel: +12067016702Email: sales@coherentmarketinsights.com
Connected Car Devices Market 2018 | New Report Predicts CAGR of 16% By 2025 | Study On Major Companies Like Continental AG, Delphi Automotive PLC, Denso Corp., Robert Bosch GmbH, Etc.

Connected Car Devices Market 2018

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Connected Car Devices Market 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 Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Connected Car Devices Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Connected Car Devices Market 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 Connected Car Devices Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2018  2025.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.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe 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 Connected Car Devices market analysis & forecast 2018- 2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region- wise Analysis Global Connected Car Devices 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: Continental AG Delphi Automotive PLC Denso Corporation Robert Bosch GmbH ZF Friedrichshafen AG Autoliv, Inc. Valeo S.A. Visteon Corporation Magna International, Inc. Infineon Technologies AG Harman International Industries, Incorporated Panasonic CorporationGlobal Connected Car Devices Market: Product Segment Analysis: By Communicationo Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V)o Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I)o Vehicle-to-Pedestrian(V2P)o Others (V2C, V2D, V2G) By Technologyo Driver Assistance Systemso Telematicso OthersGlobal Connected Car Devices Market: Application Segment Analysis: Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) AftermarketThe Report covers in- depth analysis as follows: Chapter 1 Overview of Connected Car Devices Chapter 2 Global Market Status and Forecast by Regions Chapter 3 Global Market Status and Forecast by Types Chapter 4 Global Market Status and Forecast by Downstream Industry Chapter 5 Market Driving Factor Analysis of Connected Car Devices Chapter 6 Connected Car Devices Market Competition Status by Major Manufacturers Chapter 7 Connected Car Devices Major Manufacturers Introduction and Market Data Chapter 8 Upstream and Downstream Market Analysis of Connected Car Devices Chapter 9 Cost and Gross Margin Analysis of Connected Car Devices Chapter 10 Marketing Status Analysis of Connected Car Devices Chapter 11 Report Conclusion Chapter 12 Research Methodology and ReferenceTo Buy This Report and Get It Delivered In Your Inbox Within 24 Hours @Connected Car Devices Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 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.Global Connected Car Devices Market: Key Stakeholders: Connected Car Devices Manufacturers Connected Car Devices Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Connected Car Devices Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Connected Car Devices are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year 2018 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Connected Car Devices Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 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 Connected Car Devices market analysis and forecast 2018- 2025.Avail Discount On this Report @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: Connected Car Devices - Global Market Status & Trend Report 2013- 2025 Top 20 Countries Data Connected Car Devices - North America Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Connected Car Devices - South America Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Connected Car Devices - Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Connected Car Devices - EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Connected Car Devices - Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Connected Car Devices - China Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Connected Car Devices - India Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Connected Car Devices - United States Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025About 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
Global Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Industry Business Analysis and Forecast by 2018-2023 | Key Players - Amgen, Roche, Mylan, Array BioPharma, Biocad, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb

Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Market, Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Market Trends, Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies

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Global Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Market Report provides complete industry analysis, market outlook, size, growth, opportunities and forecast 2023. This report will assist in analyzing the current and future business trends, sales and revenue forecast. It provides top manufacturers information along with Manufacturing Cost Analysis, Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and growth.This report studies the Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies market status and outlook of Global and major regions, from angles of players, countries, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global market, and splits the Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies market by product type and applications/end industries.Breast cancer is characterized by the malignancy of cells in the tissues of the breast. HER-2 breast cancer is the most common type of breast cancer. The HER-2 protein, present on the surface of normal breast cells, affects the growth of the malignant cells. The uncontrolled synthesis of this protein stimulates the growth and division of malignant cells.Request a sample of this premium report at:Scope of the Report:The global Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies market is valued at xx million USD in 2017 and is expected to reach xx million USD by the end of 2023, growing at a CAGR of xx% between 2017 and 2023.The breast cancer monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) market is one of the fastest-growing segments of theglobal mAbs marketand has gained major research significance among biotech and pharmaceutical companies due to the presence of high unmet needs in this area.Antibodiesare increasingly becoming the best choice to treatcancers, includingbreast cancer. The use ofantibody-drug conjugates (ADCs),including radioimmunotherapy and antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy, is increasing rapidly.ADCsare highly effective cytotoxic drugs linked to mAbs. These drugs have shown to be potent and efficient in treating breast cancer. This has propelled vendors to focus on novel technologies such as Seattle Genetics (SGEN), ImmunoGen (IMGN), and Immunomedics (IMMU). The rising use of these antibodies in drug development increases revenue generation in the breast cancer mAbs market, contributing to market growth.Market Segment by Companies, this report coversAmgen, Roche, Mylan, Array BioPharma, Biocad, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celldex Therapeutics, Celltrion, Daiichi Sankyo, GlaxoSmithKline, Immunomedics, MacroGenics, Merck, Novartis, Oncothyreon, Pfizer, Puma Biotechnology, Seattle Genetics, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Synta Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals.The breast cancer mAbs market in APAC will witness a high growth rate during the forecast period due to the better market penetration of breast cancer mAbs andbiosimilarsin emerging economies, especially in Japan, Australia, India, South Korea, and China. The rising number of initiatives undertaken by major vendors to assist patients in these countries is a significant contributor to the rise in sales of breast cancer mAbs in these countries. Moreover, the growing awareness about breast cancer and the available treatment alternatives will also propel growth prospects for the market growth in APAC.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies.Europe also play important roles in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2017 and will be xx million USD in 2023, with a CAGR of xx%.Market Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (United States, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversNaked MAbsConjugated MAbsMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoHospitalsRetail PharmaciesOthersRequest a discount on standard prices of this premium report at:Table of Contents1 Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Market Overview2 Manufacturers Profiles3 Global Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Market Competition, by Players4 Global Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Market Size by Regions5 North America Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Revenue by Countries6 Europe Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Revenue by Countries7 Asia-Pacific Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Revenue by Countries8 South America Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Revenue by Countries9 Middle East and Africa Revenue Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies by Countries10 Global Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Market Segment by Type11 Global Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Market Segment by Application12 Global Breast Cancer Monoclonal Antibodies Market Size Forecast (2018-2023)13 Research Findings and Conclusion14 AppendixMore Details on this Report:About Us:Marketstudyreport.com allows you to manage and control all corporate research purchases to consolidate billing and vendor management. You can eliminate duplicate purchases and customize your content and license management.Contact Us:Market Study Report4 North Main Street,Selbyville, Delaware 19975USAPhone: 1-302-273-0910US Toll Free: 1-866-764-2150Email: sales@marketstudyreport.comWebsite:Blog:
In Depth Analysis on Embolic Protection Devices Market with Key Players: Abbott Laboratories, Boston Scientific, Cardinal Health, Medtronic, Gore Medical, Claret Medical, Allium Medical, Keystone Heart Ltd.

Embolic Protection Devices Market

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Global Embolic Protection Devices Market size is set to exceed USD 1.8 billion by 2024; according to a new research study published by Global Market Insights, Inc.Key Industry players in this Market:Prominent industry players include Abbott Laboratories, Cardinal Health, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Gore Medical, Claret Medical, Allium Medical, Innovative Cardiovascular Solutions, Edward Lifesciences, and Transverse Medical among others. In order to further strengthen its competitive advantage, the market players are investing into research and development of embolic protection devices for expanded clinical applications such as cerebral emboli protection and lower extremities procedures.Request Sample Copy of this Report:Market Overview:Rising prevalence of cardiac diseases along with shift towards minimally invasive procedures is likely to stimulate embolic protection devices market growth. According to American Heart Association, cardiovascular diseases are identified to be the most common cause of death globally, claiming more than 17 million deaths in 2013. Citing this, various companies strive to enter the market by developing devices to protect brain injuries during various cardiac procedures.The demand for embolic protection devices is predominantly driven by the increasing adoption of minimally invasive heart procedures such as carotid artery stenting and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). Moreover, growing awareness among physicians regarding risks of brain injuries during cardiovascular interventions should drive the market penetration of embolic protection devices.Increasing aging population has further contributed to rise in number of cardiovascular disease deaths globally. According to estimates, the percentage of population aged 60 and above is likely to reach to 1.6 billion by 2050. Since, aging is one of the significant factors responsible for cardiovascular diseases, the potential patient pool serves as a huge market opportunity for embolic protection devices in the coming years.Growing patient awareness regarding peripheral vascular diseases and coronary artery diseases stands to be another significant factor driving the embolic protection devices market. Various government bodies, educational and non-government institutes are engaged spreading awareness about diseases and its treatment by launching awareness programs.However, strict regulatory framework, and lack of notable reimbursement in certain countries may restrain embolic protection devices industry during the forecast timeframe. Moreover, increasing competition from new device manufacturers has created price competition, which may decrease the average selling prices in the years to come.Carotid artery diseases segment contributed largest share to the overall embolic protection devices market, mainly due to increase in the number of carotid artery stenting procedures. The adoption of minimally invasive procedures has led to popularity of carotid artery stenting over carotid endarterectomy. Further, increasing prevalence of carotid artery diseases should drive the segment growth during forecast period.Peripheral artery diseases segment represents a significant market opportunity, since this segment is less penetrated. Embolic protection is required to prevent blood clots travelling into blood stream during peripheral artery interventions.Distal filters are the largest revenue generators in embolic protection devices market owing to the advantages offered such as easy deployment, maintenance of antegrade blood flow, and non-interference with lesion visualization. Most of the manufacturers operating in this industry provide distal filter embolic protection devices.Inquiry before buying:U.S. dominated the embolic protection devices market in 2016. The largest share of the region should be attributed to increasing aging population. People aged 65 and above are set to increase to 20% of U.S. population in 2030 from 13% in 2000. In addition, increased adoption of new technologies to reap immediate benefits and favorable reimbursement scenario should further propel embolic protection devices market.Japan was the largest embolic protection devices market in Asia Pacific region, followed by China and India in 2016. India and China are likely to witness lucrative growth during forecast period owing to rapid developments in healthcare infrastructure, increasing income levels, and presence of large patient pool of cardiovascular diseases.Global Market Insights Inc. is a global market research and management consulting company catering to leading corporations, non-profit organizations, universities and government institutions. Our main goal is to assist and partner organizations to make lasting strategic improvements and realize growth targets. Our industry research reports are designed to provide granular quantitative information, combined with key industry insights, aimed at assisting sustainable organizational development.Global Market Insights, Inc.4 North Main StreetSelbyville, Delaware 19975 USAPhone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email:sales@gminsights.com
Vista, CA  August 9, 2017 - The Vista Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce that they will be hosting their second annual Women Who Will event. Titled Women Who Will: The Power & Purpose of Phenomenal Women: Stories that Inspire, Educate & Elevate! the one-day conference is to inspire, educate, and elevate our community of women. Women Who Will will be held at California State University San Marcos on 
Global Low-fat Dairy Beverages market research report provides company profile for Danone, Nestle, Organic Valley, The Coca-Cola, Arla Foods, Dean Foods and Others. This market study includes data about consumer perspective, comprehensive analysis, statistics, market share, company performances (Stocks), historical analysis 2012 to 2017, market forecast 2018 to 2025 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2018 to 2025, etc. The report also provides 
Clark College in Vancouver will close Monday in response to a planned campus demonstration by right-wing group Patriot Prayer, the school's president announced Thursday.

Citing past violence associated with the group and concerns from the school community, President Bob Knight in a letter encouraged students, staff and faculty to avoid the campus for the day if possible. The school values free speech and open debate, but also wants a safe environment for students and employees, Knight said.

He said he realizes the closure "is not a permanent solution to protecting our community from an increasingly violent political climate."

"Given the history of violence associated with this group, as well as with the groups that often appear in reaction to it, and given that the group has not taken the steps we normally expect organizations to complete in advance of First Amendment activities on our property, we feel that suspending operations is our most prudent course of action," the letter said.

The Clark College event is one of two Vancouver college campus demonstrations planned by Patriot Prayer next week in protest of Initiative 1639, a Washington state bill that would require more background checks for people buying semi-automatic rifles, an increased age limit for those gun buyers to 21, completion of a firearm safety training course before purchase and a 10-day waiting period after the gun is bought, and establish standards for secure storage of all firearms in the state.

The bill will be decided on by Washington voters on Nov. 6.

Patriot Prayer previously announced plans to hold a noon demonstration at Clark College on Monday and a second event Tuesday at the Vancouver branch of Washington State University also at 12 p.m.

School Chancellor Mel Netzhammer said in a message Wednesday that the First Amendment prevents Washington State University Vancouver from banning the group from demonstrating on campus, and told students, faculty and staff to give advance notice if they plan not to be at the school next Tuesday and if they plan to be on campus, to refrain from engaging with Patriot Prayer members.

In a Facebook Live video Thursday, Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson said the group still plans to be on both campuses next week and may have other rallies later that week.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
Oregon wants to dramatically increase the number of passenger trains running between Portland and Eugene during the next 17 years, a proposal that could cost upwards of $1 billion to implement but officials say would give commuters a more reliable and convenient option other than driving.

The state released its draft plan Friday to beef up Amtrak service on the route through the heart of the Willamette Valley, an area projected to grow to 3.6 million residents by 2035, a 27 percent increase from today.

The draft environmental impact statement comes after six years of study, and it lands as Oregon, Washington and Canada are simultaneously ramping up long-discussed plans to create a so-called bullet train between Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia. That plan would cost anywhere from $25 billion to more than $40 billion to build.

Gov. Kate Brown believes Amtrak passenger rail service in the Willamette Valley is "one of the most underutilized assets in Oregon's transportation system," Nikki Fisher, the governor's press secretary, said in an email. "It has the potential to reduce congestion on I-5 and assist in meeting Oregon's carbon reduction goals. The Governor's expectation is to have an improved level of service and a plan that will result in housing opportunities adjacent to stations."

Oregon has two round-trip trains running daily between Eugene and Portland. If the preferred plan were approved, the route would have six daily round-trip trains by 2035. According to the draft plan, the added service is estimated to draw 646,000 annual riders, more than triple the amount if Oregon were to do nothing by 2035.

The state analyzed three options: doing nothing, making some improvements to speed up existing service, or a more ambitious plan that would've called for a dramatically different route and carving through farmland.

The preferred option would keep much of the existing 125-mile route but build some new sections of track to eliminate conflicts with freight trains. Trains would continue to travel at a maximum of 79 miles per hour.

The state doesn't have the money to make the plan a reality, but it hopes to secure federal financing, and transportation officials say the state is eyeing an incremental approach that could win smaller chunks of financing over time to make improvements to rail service.

Specific improvements include widening 64 railroad crossings, adding track in some places and redesigning stations. The route includes stops in Portland, Oregon City, Salem, Albany and Eugene.

Aside from doing nothing, the option state officials don't prefer would plot a new route from Springfield to Oregon City and shifting passenger rail to run along Interstates 5 and 205.

That plan, described as Alternative 2, would have boosted train speeds to a maximum of 120 miles per hour along a new section of track. It would also cost an estimated $3.62 billion to $4.44 billion compared with the preferred plan, which would cost an estimated $870 million to $1.03 billion.

Alternative 2 would have required significant right of way acquisition through valuable farmland in the valley.

The option earmarked as the preferred plan by state officials would shave 15 minutes off the travel time between Portland and Eugene by 2035. The expected travel time if nothing is built would be 2:35, similar to the average travel time today. The third option would have cut travel times to 2:02.

The public now has a 90-day period to weigh in on the 336-page draft environmental impact statement. Oregon Department of Transportation officials say a final plan is expected to be approved in 2019, and the state would continue working with the Federal Railroad Administration on next steps.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board offers endorsements each election cycle to provide valuable information to voters about candidates we believe will best move Oregon forward.

We offer opinions on races we think are most important to Oregonians, and in which we believe our endorsement could make a difference. This election cycle, our endorsements in the Oregon Legislature are not exhaustive. We chose races in the tri-county area that were competitive or in which new candidates are vying for an open seat.

Today we're publishing our endorsements in the Oregon Senate. Click here to read the full list of endorsements we've issued so far in the Nov. 6 general election.

Senate District 20

When asked about his proudest achievements, Sen. Alan Olsen (R-Canby) lists a number of laser-focused bills aiming at solving individual constituents' problems. Land-use legislation that allowed a guy to park heavy equipment on his property. A bill that allowed another man to keep his pet Siberian lynx, which he said helped ease his post-traumatic stress disorder.

Of the nearly 40 bills the U.S. Army veteran sponsored to help other vets, he succeeded with 26.

"I work for Oregon," he says, "not for the party." And voters should support Olsen for more of that work.

To be sure, we have had concerns about Olsen through the years. Most notably, his record on the environment and his consistent climate change denials. We also disagree with his stance on Measure 105, seeking to toss Oregon's sanctuary status, and his positions on other ballot measures.

Despite those issues, we felt Olsen has solid grasp on the many crisis Oregon faces, unlike his Democratic opponent, Charles Gallia.

A retired Oregon Health Authority policy adviser, Gallia serves on the Clackamas County Parks Advisory Board and Economic Development Commission. He laid out an interesting plan to transform the state's budgeting process by linking general fund dollars to agencies' measurable outcomes, yet struggled to answer basic questions about state government operations. For instance, when discussing potential PERS reforms, he argued that plans for newer employees take 30 years to vest. It's actually just five.

Olsen supports limiting future PERS payouts to $100,000, requiring public employees to contribute to the underwater pension fund and making changes to prevent a practice called "spiking," which has increased payouts in the past.

Olsen has also done solid bipartisan work in the past, teaming with Democratic Sen. Lee Beyer on a committee to look into whether the scandal-ridden Energy Department should be restructured or scrapped. The lawmakers pushed a smart bill to rein in the department's duties and create a board to oversee its operations. The bill didn't go anywhere, but hopefully we'll see more of such solid work from Olsen in the future.

-- Laura Gunderson for The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Therese Bottomly and John Maher.

Members of the board meet regularly to determine our institutional stance on issues of the day. We publish editorials when we believe our unique perspective can lend clarity and influence an upcoming decision of great public interest. Editorials are opinion pieces and therefore different from news articles. However, editorials are reported and written by either Laura Gunderson or Helen Jung.

To respond to this editorial, post your comment below,

or a

.

If you have questions about the opinion section,

, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.
The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board offers endorsements each election cycle to provide valuable information to voters about candidates we believe will best move Oregon forward.

We offer opinions on races we think are most important to Oregonians, and in which we believe our endorsement could make a difference. This election cycle, our endorsements in the Oregon Legislature are not exhaustive. We chose races in the tri-county area that were competitive or in which new candidates are vying for an open seat.

Today we're publishing our endorsements in the Oregon Senate. Click here to read the full list of endorsements we've issued so far in the Nov. 6 general election.

Wagner for Senate District 19

Perhaps one of the brighter spots in this brutal general election has been the amiable campaign between Democratic Sen. Rob Wagner and Republican David Poulson.

The two Lake Oswego residents are running for the seat vacated last January by the venerable Sen. Richard Devlin, a Democrat best known for his encyclopedic knowledge of Oregon's budget. Devlin resigned his seat after being appointed to serve on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Wagner, the incumbent, was appointed to serve the remainder of Devlin's term in the district that spans parts of Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties. Voters should send him back to Salem for a full term.

Wagner and Poulson debated the issues deeply and with passion, yet without bickering or nastiness. That stood out this campaign season. Poulson, a civil engineer, credits the difficult and untraditional path he took to education for his passion to build a better system for Oregon's students. He says his understanding of infrastructure could also help in Salem.

Yet Wagner stands out for his breadth of experience, commitment to bipartisanship and the independent and principled stances he presented. The Lake Oswego native seems uniquely qualified to fill the large shoes of his predecessor.

Wagner, 45, brings a deep background in education to Salem. He served as the political and legislative affairs director for the American Federation of Teachers of Oregon, managed community outreach for Portland Community College's nonprofit foundation and was elected to the Lake Oswego School Board last year.

In recent years, Wagner has worked to eliminate barriers keeping foster children from attending community college. He also created a legislative intern program for community college students after noticing the opportunities seemed to exist only for university and college kids. He pushed inside the Capitol and at PCC to build the credit-based program that aims to provide opportunities to students of color.

In the coming session, Wagner said he believes that conversations around meaningful revenue reform must also feature plans for cost containment, including within the state's failing Public Employees Retirement System. He said he support a bill to fund the Quality Education Model, a deflated program that was originally designed to help tax payers understand how their education dollars were being spent. He also supports building a more diverse teaching corps that better reflects Oregon's students and requiring students to take tests so districts have solid data to make better spending decisions.

-- Laura Gunderson for The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Therese Bottomly and John Maher.

Members of the board meet regularly to determine our institutional stance on issues of the day. We publish editorials when we believe our unique perspective can lend clarity and influence an upcoming decision of great public interest. Editorials are opinion pieces and therefore different from news articles. However, editorials are reported and written by either Laura Gunderson or Helen Jung.

To respond to this editorial, post your comment below,

or a

.

If you have questions about the opinion section,

, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.
Updated: 9:52 a.m.

Near closing time at Lay Low Tavern early Friday morning, three masked robbers entered the popular dive bar on Southeast Powell Boulevard and 60th Avenue and, brandishing guns and a taser, ordered patrons to the floor and demanded money, according to police.

The thieves left with an undisclosed amount of cash and no one was injured in the incident, Portland Police Bureau said in a release.

Lay Low Tavern opened in 2017 and is a tribute to Portland's beloved and gone dive bars, featuring a cheeseburger ode to Club 21 and signs from places like The Matador.

Officers responded to a call at 2:35 a.m. and searched the neighborhood but were unable to locate the suspects.

"There were only three people in the bar, including the bartender," police spokesperson Sgt. Pete Simpson said Friday morning.

Simpson said in a general sense, armed robbery of a bar near closing time "is not particularly unusual."

"Not that there is a lot of them," he added, "but the style is not unique. Closing time is when less patrons are there, usually one or two employees, and cash from the night's sales."

"We encourage businesses that operate late at night to employ quality surveillance video, good exterior lighting, and to do regular cash drops into a safe so as not to keep money in the till," Simpson said.

Police are asking anyone with information about the robbery to contact Robbery Detail at 503-823-0412 or leave a tip at https://www.p3tips.com/823.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker
Pauls Toutonghi had no idea that the story of the deadly 1986 Oregon Episcopal School expedition on Mount Hood was off limits.

Students at the private K-12 school in Southwest Portland, including Toutonghi's two children, are told the story starting in first grade. The names of the nine people who died during the climb  the school chaplain, a dean and seven students  are read aloud during the school's yearly Mount Hood Climb Service Day. "They talked about it in the classroom and in the chapel and in a public ceremony," says Toutonghi, a room parent who considers himself highly involved in the school's daily life. "It didn't strike me as something that nobody talked about." The student newspaper even published an 1,800-word story about the disaster on its 30th anniversary.

More coverage of the OES tragedy

Yet when the school learned that Toutonghi, a Pushcart Prize-winning author and associate professor of English at Lewis & Clark College, was writing about the climb for Outside magazine's November issue, head of school Mo Copeland tried to stop publication of the article.

"We asked Mr. Toutonghi and Outside's editors to consider the negative impact of revisiting this tragedy on the families and friends of those who died, as well as on those who survived," says a school statement. "We are disheartened that the editors chose to publish the article despite requests from OES and several survivors not to do so."

"We appreciate that an historic event such as this cannot be minimized or forgotten," the statement says, adding: "Because of our respect for the Climb families and survivors, we choose to lead with efforts that may help with healing, rather than actions that could compound their ongoing grief." The school declined further comment.

Chris Keyes, editor of Outside, and Toutonghi say they respect the school's position. But they stand by their decision to publish because they fear the opposite of what the school says: That we are at risk of forgetting about the climb and what can be learned from it  not only practical lessons about climbing safety and emergency treatment but also larger takeaways about how to make amends and talk about "healing, grieving, death, forgiveness, growth, and change," as Toutonghi puts it in his cover story, "House of Mourning."

Late on the night of Sunday, May 11, 1986, a group of 20 people, 15 of them students, set off to summit Mount Hood as part of the school's Basecamp program, required for sophomores. Some turned back before a group of 13 made it past 11,000 feet  Mount Hood stands 11,240 feet. Strong winds and decreasing visibility forced them to dig and shelter in a snow cave, which rescuers didn't find until the following Thursday. Nine died on the mountain or at hospitals. The Basecamp program was shut down. One family who lost a son won a wrongful-death lawsuit against the school.

Keyes remembers reading Toutonghi's pitch to write about the climb and thinking, "Oh, this story's been told, everyone knows about this disaster." But he was closer to the story than most people: At the time, he was a middle schooler at Catlin Gabel, another private school in Southwest Portland that following the disaster formed a tight bond with its onetime rival. Keyes took an impromptu survey of his staffers and found that hardly any knew about what he calls "one of the major mountaineering disasters in American history."

"The story doesn't belong to one institution," Keyes says. "I can't believe the world is well served if journalists don't report on tragedy. ... Reporting on such events is part of the healing process, the learning process, one of the ways we make sure things like this don't happen again."

Toutonghi says he came to the story from a personal loss, his father's 2017 death. The OES tradition of telling the Mount Hood story made it easier for him to discuss his loss with his children. Then he took another step, one perhaps inevitable for an author: He started writing about grief, which led him to writing about Oregon Episcopal's grief.

Toutonghi interviewed survivors, relatives and rescuers; he read the lawsuit documents and the reports from two investigations of the disaster. Seeking a written first-person account, he went to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, whose jurisdiction includes Mount Hood. He was just in time. He says the staff told him, "We're converting our files over to digital from microfiche and we hadn't flagged this one to save."

That threat to the historical record tipped the balance in favor of publishing a story, Toutonghi says. "I was just stunned. This is a historically important event."

It was also at that point, he says, that he learned of "this very explicit decision to not tell the story" outside OES  and decided that it needed to be told.

"I completely understand that there is a kind of value in forgetting," Toutonghi says. But "I don't know that it's ever over."
A 52-year-old Portland woman has been identified as the person killed Monday after a collision with an SUV while riding her bike in Southeast Portland.

Pamela Seidel was riding east on Southeast Henderson Street in the 7300 block of Southeast 82nd Avenue a little before 11 a.m. when she collided with a southbound Honda Pilot at the Southeast 82nd Avenue intersection.

The driver remained at the scene. Seidel later died at a hospital in the area. No citations or arrests have been announced by police as of Thursday.

Portland police ask anyone with more information on the crash to contact Officer Garrett Dow at 503-823-5070 or garrett.dow@portlandoregon.gov.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
A 31-year-old man has been identified by police as the person found dead Tuesday on a Northeast Portland bike path, but how he died remained unclear Thursday.

Someone called 911 a little before 7:25 p.m. and reported a man was lying on the bike path near Northeast 122nd Avenue and Siskiyou Street and appeared to be hurt, according to Portland police. Paramedics later arrived and pronounced him dead. Police have identified him as Denorris L. McClendon of Portland.

McClendon's death appears suspicious and is being investigated by Portland police homicide investigators. Portland police have not revealed any information on how McClendon is believed to have died or if anyone else was involved. A police spokesman said Thursday that the agency is not releasing any more information on McClendon's death.

Portland police ask anyone with more information on this case to contact Detective Brad Clifton at 503-823-0696, brad.clifton@portlandoregon.gov or Detective Todd Gradwahl at 503-823-0991, todd.gradwahl@portlandoregon.gov.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
A Portland man has been charged with attempted murder after a May shooting in Southeast Portland.

Samuel D. Mason, 40, is accused of shooting a man with a .38 revolver in what police say was a gang-related incident.

Mason is also charged with two accounts of attempted assault with a firearm, two counts of unlawful use of a weapon with a firearm enhancement, and being a felon in possession of a firearm with a firearm enhancement.

He was arraigned Friday in Multnomah County Circuit Court and a not guilty plea was entered for him. His next hearing is Nov. 30.

Portland police say they saw Mason shoot a man on video from Rachel's Bar and Grill, 12510 S.E. Division St., after an argument. The injured man eventually showed up at Portland Adventist Medical Center with a single gunshot wound.

The man said that he and Mason were in rival gangs, according to police documents.

Mason then fled to Arkansas, according to a Multnomah County affidavit.

Mason was accused of attempted murder, along with several other felonies in in 2009. All of the charges were dismissed except for attempt to commit a class A felony, to which he pleaded guilty.

-- Molly Harbarger

mharbarger@oregonian.com

503-294-5923

@MollyHarbarger
WARRINGTON >> A male juvenile has been arrested for allegedly making threats against Central Bucks High School South on Tuesday. "We are pleased to announce that the high school campus and surrounding neighborhoods are safe from this threat. Now we have identified a suspect and charged them in connection with the threat," said Warrington Police in a statement. Warrington Police...
The Oregon Ducks have the nation's No. 3 recruiting class, according to Rivals, bolstered by an elite collection of defensive back talent.

Oregon has earned commitments from top-10 positional talents in cornerback MyKael Wright and safety Jeremiah Criddell, heavily recruited safety Trikweze Bridges and junior college defensive back Elijah Blades, the No. 1 cornerback in the country.

This week, however, the Ducks received some hope that the group might get even better.

On Monday, consensus four-star cornerback Chris Steele, the nation's No. 6 player at his position, announced his decommitment from the USC Trojans.

The 6-foot-1, 187-pound defensive back, out of St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower, California), made the move public on Twitter.

"After a lot of prayer, I have decided that it would be best for me to decommit from USC and open up my recruitment so that I can find a place that will help me reach all the goals that I wish to accomplish," Steele wrote, in part. "There is no love lost for USC, it's my hometown school and they will always hold a special place in my heart. This is a decision that I have lost a lot of sleep over and put myself through a lot for, but I'm now ready to use this little time that I have to find the school that will fit me best as a player, student, and most importantly, as (a) young man."

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. pic.twitter.com/mloKbtMfVJ   (@KinggChris7) October 18, 2018

Prior to his July commitment to USC, Steele was strongly considering the Ducks, and has several ties to their current recruiting class.

"I have a lot of love for Oregon and whole staff - even the players on the team, like Cyrus (Habibi-Likio), Thomas Graham Jr., Deommodore (Lenoir), Nick Pickett," Steele told The Oregonian in the spring. "They've all been treating me like family, like a little brother. I've been getting love from not only the whole staff, but the players as well. When I went down there I loved it. It's safe to say they are one of my top schools. I don't have a leader right now, but they are definitely in my top schools and are competing for my commitment with a few other schools."

Upon seeing the news, Oregon four-star wide receiver commit Mycah Pittman not-so-cryptically responded to the news:

Consider Oregon a contender to land Steele going forward.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec
TECUN UMAN, Guatemala -- Central Americans traveling in a mass caravan broke through a Guatemalan border fence and streamed by the thousands toward Mexican territory Friday, defying Mexican authorities' entreaties for an orderly migration and U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of retaliation.

Arriving on the Mexican side of a border bridge, they were met by a phalanx of police with riot shields. About 50 managed to push their way through before officers unleashed pepper spray and the rest retreated.

The gates were closed again, and a federal police officer used a loudspeaker to address the masses, saying, "We need you to stop the aggression."

Waving Honduran flags and carrying umbrellas to protect against the sun, the migrants arrived earlier at the Guatemalan side of the muddy Suchiate River that divides the country from Mexico, noisily demanding they be let in.

"One way or another, we will pass," they changed, clambering atop to U.S.-donated military jeeps parked at the scene as Guatemalan police looked on.

Young men began tugging on the fencing and finally succeeded in tearing it down, and men, women and children rushed through and toward the border bridge just up the road.

Edwin Santos of San Pedro Sula was one of the first to race past helpless Guatemalan police, clutching the hands of his father and wife.

"We are going to the United States!" he shouted euphorically. "Nobody is going to stop us!"

Earlier Friday, Mexico's ambassador to Guatemala said his country intended to enforce what he called a policy of orderly entry in the face of the thousands trying to cross.

Ambassador Luis Manuel Lopez Moreno added that more than 100 migrants had been allowed to cross the bridge to apply for refugee status, including some who were from the caravan and others who were not.

Meanwhile, the rafts that normally ferry throngs of people across the river were carrying mostly merchandise and the raft operators said they had been warned by Mexican authorities not to carry people.

Jose Porfirio Orellana, a 47-year-old acorn and bean farmer from Yoro province in Honduras, said he hopes to reach the United States due to woeful economic conditions in his country.

"There is nothing there," Orellana said.

The first members of the 3,000-strong caravan began arriving in the Guatemalan border town of Tecun Uman on buses and trucks early Thursday, but the bulk of the group sloshed into town on foot in a downpour late in the afternoon and into the evening.

As the sun rose, a military helicopter flew along the Mexican side of the river foreshadowing the difficulties they could face. At the same time, several busloads of Mexican federal police in riot gear deployed at the border crossing in Ciudad Hidalgo.

Jonathan Guzman, who joined the mass procession caravan en route, said he dreams of finding a construction job in Los Angeles. "It's the third time that I'm trying to cross," the 22-year-old Salvadoran said.

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray said those with passports and valid visas would be let in immediately, though he acknowledged that "we anticipate those are the minority."

Those who want to apply for refuge in Mexico will be welcome to do so "if they have a vulnerable situation in their country of origin," Videgaray said in an interview with the Televisa network.

Any who decide to cross illegally and are caught will be detained and deported, the Mexican government has said.

Trump has made it clear to Mexico that he is monitoring its response. Early Thursday, he threatened to close the U.S. border if Mexico let the migrants advance. Later, he retweeted a video of Mexican federal police arriving at the Guatemalan border and wrote: "Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!"

In April, Mexican immigration officials had some success in dispersing a smaller caravan by processing many who decided to seek refugee status in Mexico, but some did continue on to the U.S. border.

Asked in the Televisa interview whether Mexico was doing Trump's "dirty work," Videgaray said Mexico "defines its migration policy in a sovereign manner" and the country's priority is to protect the migrants and ensure their human rights.

He did not seem concerned about Trump's threat to close the U.S.-Mexico border, saying the threat should be viewed in light of the hotly contested midterm elections in the United States, in which Trump has made border security a major campaign issue.

The foreign secretary noted that 1 million people transit the border legally every day, and about $1 million in commerce crosses every minute.

"Before taking decisions of that kind," Videgaray said, "there would be many people in the United States ... who would consider the consequences."

--The Associated Press
In a land of specialty beers, where breweries collaborate on one concoction after another, this Halloween mashup may be a first.

Widmer Brothers Brewery partnered with Lyft, the ride-hailing giant, to produce a limited-edition 16-ounce can of beer emblazoned with a unique promo code to give drinkers up to 50 percent off a ride home.

The Closing Time Session IPA will start appearing at various Portland bars and taverns next week, including Widmer's tap house in North Portland. Closing Time is an experimental brew made with "cold-pressed hops and hibiscus flowers, meaning the drink will have a pink cue like the Lyft corporation's logo.

It'll cost anywhere from $3 to $6, depending on the bar. The brewery produced 75 cases of the stuff, which has an ABV of 4.7 percent.

"We are thrilled about this partnership to create a unique product that also promotes drinking beer responsibly," Thomas Bleigh, Widmer Brothers Innovation Brewmaster, said in a statement. "Session IPAs are among the most popular craft beer styles in the Pacific Northwest, so we thought it would be great to put one in a package that comes with a safe ride home.

Lyft and Widmer will host a party Oct. 25 at Loyal Legion in Southeast Portland starting at 6 p.m. to celebrate the beer. That party will include discounts on the beer.

One dollar from each can sold will go to Mothers Against Drunk Driving's Oregon chapter, the companies said.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
A woman filed a $13,000 lawsuit this week against Bank of America, claiming her local Hillsboro branch transferred money out of her account and into the pockets of scammers.

Rebekah "Becky" Adams' lawsuit says a teller failed to tell her that the money she wanted transferred to "American Title Company" was actually going to a Bank of America account with a different name.

What's more, the teller transferred the money despite a flag the bank had placed on the account, warning of past suspicious or fraudulent activity, the suit states.

Adams told The Oregonian/OregonLive that she's wrangled with the bank for a year now and has been passed off from employee to employee with no resolution.

"I'm just really frustrated to know that they're not trying to get to the bottom of this," Adams said. "I would like some answers, and my money."

In a response to a request for comment, a Bank of America representative, Christopher Feeney, said only that the company is investigating the complaint.

Adams says her troubles began in October 2017, when she apparently fell victim to a relatively new and sophisticated scam: Crooks manage to hack into information exchanges between brokers and homebuyers, then impersonate brokers or title companies by emailing the buyers with instructions where to wire their money.

Adams had offered to help her adult son with $13,000 for a down payment on a new home, the suit states. When he passed along instructions emailed to him by someone impersonating his real estate agent and the agent's email address, Adams promptly went to her Bank of America branch on Tualatin Valley Highway to wire the money, Adams says.

The teller told her she didn't need to wire the money because the recipient already had an account with Bank of America, the suit says. Then the teller transferred the money, according to the lawsuit.

Adams' son learned of the fraud only after he spoke to his real estate agent a short while later and the agent hadn't emailed any instructions to transfer money, the suit says. Adams rushed to the bank, which said it was able to "delete" the transfer and her money was back in her account, according to the suit.

It was only the next day that Adams learned the $13,000 somehow had gotten transferred after all -- and she was out the money.

John Gear, a Salem attorney representing Adams, said he doesn't know how the scammers identified Adams' son as someone who was about to buy a house. Gear said he also doesn't yet know how the scammers knew to impersonate her son's real estate agent.

A July story by The Oregonian/OregonLive described how a North Albany couple almost lost $379,000 through a similar scam after they wired money from their Umpqua account to a Bank of America account based on an email they thought was from their broker.

In that case, Bank of America was able to freeze the fraudulent account and give that couple back all but $17,000 of their money.

Adams' lawsuit was filed Monday. Read her lawsuit here.

-- Aimee Green
The incident report stated police then viewed surveillance video of the alleged assault. The officer said the teacher is seen dragging the child out of class and then kicking his feet out of the door.
Union leaders representing thousands of workers employed at DowDuPont locations across the United States and around the globe met last week in Pittsburgh to discuss common issues and pledge unity.

"The workers of DowDuPont are facing many changes and challenges in the coming months, and the unionized sites of DowDuPont around the globe will be working together to ensure the members' best interests are represented," said Kent Holsing, chairperson of the DowDuPont North American Labor Council and president of USW Local 12075 in Midland.
Mediation began with Gladwin County Commissioners, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Gladwin County Drain Commissioner Bob Evans this week.

The DEQ reportedly offered a settlement of $360,000 if the county stopped fighting the issue -- as opposed to paying $11 million in fines as first suggested. County officials reportedly denied the deal. They are expected to meet again with mediators soon.
There were many positive comments and compliments to go around at this week's Bullock Creek School Board meeting.

Bullock Creek's Pine River Elementary School was one of 13 Michigan schools to be awarded the National Blue-Ribbon Award for closing an achievement gap.
On Tuesday Patently Apple posted a report titled "Five Days after Alipay Notified Apple of a Security Breach, Apple officially Apologizes to their Chinese Customers." The report had noted that although Apple publicly apologized to their Chinese customers over the phishing scams that caused a security breach, they didn't say how much money was stolen and whether users would have their funds replenished. In fact, it appeared that Apple was blaming their customers for the problem by not adopting two-factor authentication. That has now triggered a backlash in China.

According to a Reuters report this morning, "A Chinese consumer body has criticized iPhone maker Apple Inc over a recent data security issue which impacted a number of consumers in China who said they had suffered financial losses after having their Apple IDs stolen.

The China Consumer Association said in a statement on its website that Apple should not shirk its responsibility and should compensate consumers in full.

The case was trending in the top 10 most-read topics on China's Twitter-like social media platform Weibo on Friday. The association stated that "Apple should not shift the blame, play down its own safety issues and divert consumers' attention."

The issue is a potential headache for Apple in the world's second-largest economy, with the U.S. firm already facing a potentially tough balancing act in the country amid a whipsawing trade war between the United States and China.

Chinese mobile payment platform Alipay said last week that hackers had taken an unknown amount of money from user accounts using stolen Apple IDs and the issue remained unresolved despite reaching out to the U.S. firm.

Apple declined to comment further on Friday, referring back to its earlier statement on the matter."

You have to wonder why Reuters didn't bother to at least mention the "association" by name. Is it because it's a nobody-unknown group? You expect more from Reuters in this new era of Fake News. Hopefully they'll publish an update to clarify this point. For more on this, read the full Reuters report here.




On Monday Goldman Sachs pointed to 'rapidly slowing' iPhone demand in China and warned that earnings could fall short. Despite a top Apple analyst predicting that Apple's iPhone XR would be a smash hit in China, news directly from TSMC's earnings forecast has rattled some into believing Apple's iPhone sales are slower than expected. But is that true?



While speculation will run rampant that TSMC's forecast is a reflection of iPhone demand, Apple only represents 20% of TSMC's total revenue. While 80% is from other smartphone makers and industry players including Huawei, Qualcomm, Broadcom, NVIDIA and more. Qualcomm is TSMC's second largest customers.

Are Android smartphone OEM's cutting back on orders? While that is a real possibility, it's Apple that always gets the bad news headlines if TSMC forecasts a lower earning picture, even in light of currency issues and beyond.

Bloomberg wasted no time jumping on TSMC's latest financial forecast to point to Apple having problems.

Bloomberg reports that "Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. forecast revenue below analysts' estimates, as the sole supplier of Apple Inc.'s iPhone processors grapples with a stalling global smartphone market." Wow, Bloomberg's opening statement points to Apple being TSMC's main problem. But is that so?



After that bombastic statement, reality begins to surface with Bloomberg looking to other possible problems in the market such as currency issues, demand for semiconductors use to mine Bitcoin and building trade tensions between China and the U.S.

Mark Li, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein stated for the Bloomberg report that "TSMC may by offering a conservative forecast intentionally due to macroeconomic uncertainties." He didn't point to Apple as the sole company behind TSMC's new forecast.

The report further noted that "TSMC's mobile phone business should grow in the mid-single digits over the coming five years, Wei told reporters Thursday.

TSMC executives said that revenue from its most advanced chipmaking processes will account for less than $1 billion of the company's total in 2019. Bloomberg decided to interpret that as "That's a sign that high-end customers, which include the likes of Apple, crypto-mining giant Bitmain and Huawei Technologies Co., may not be adopting the technology as quickly as expected after TSMC spent billions rolling it out." Say what? Apple and Huawei are the only customers that have adopted 7nm as soon as it was available. So what is Bloomberg talking about? Read the full Bloomberg report here for more.

The real numbers that were announced today reflect Q3 results. That means orders for chips were made in Q3. So if Q3 was positive for TSMC, it doesn't mean Apple is hurt TSMC. In fact the data below shows nothing but positives.

As noted earlier, the forecast has many variables that are contributing to TSMC being cautious going forward. It doesn't directly prove that Apple, who is 20% of TSMC's business, is behind the conservative forecast.

Digitimes reported this morning that "The third-quarter revenues increased 3.3% on year while net income and diluted EPS both decreased 0.9%, according to the pure-play foundry.

Compared to second-quarter 2018, the third-quarter results represent an 11.6% increase in revenues and a 23.2% increase in net income.

In US dollars, third-quarter revenues came to US$8.49 billion, which increased 8.1% from the previous quarter and 1.9% year-over-year.

TSMC expects its fourth-quarter sales to reach US$9.35-9.45 billion, up from US$9.21 billion recorded in the same period of 2017.

In the end, if Bloomberg isn't giving Apple credit for TSMC's positive quarter in any way shape or form, why are they so quick to blame TSMC's conservative forecast on an imaginary iPhone sales slowdown? Until Apple's Q1 (calendar Q4) financials are out, no one knows what Apple's iPhone sales will end up looking like.

Pre-orders of Apple's iPhone XR begin tomorrow.




UPDATE 10:30 am PST: Our report has expanded to cover the BBC and CNBC debunking the Apple Watch report from Turkey.

While the new Apple Watch has some great new technology built-in, it's not in the 007 super spy watch category just yet. On Sunday CNN reported that "Experts have dismissed claims that a recording of the alleged killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi may have been transmitted using his Apple Watch."

Turkish newspaper Sabah originally suggested that Jamal Khashoggi's Apple Watch recorded everything that happened inside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Istanbul on October 2. The newspaper also suggests that Turkish investigators have gotten their hands on an audio recording which was done via the Apple Watch, which indicates that a team of hit men sent by Saudi Arabia killed the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The report has also been published by The Washington Post, a newspaper that Khashoggi also wrote for. It all seems very plausible at first, but now let us get into the specifics.





A CNN source stated that "claims the journalist's smartwatch was able to transmit audio of his alleged murder inside the consulate to his iPhone, which his fiancee was carrying outside the building, are unlikely."

Check out the CNN report that provides a video with an overview of why the Apple Watch story is technically unlikely.

The BBC also posted a report yesterday on this subject matter titled "Why Apple Watch Link to Jamal Khashoggi 'Killing' is unlikely." The BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones walked through the Turkish report debunking it like the CNN report did.

The BBC reporter was skeptical from the start when the report began to describe Khashoggi's attackers trying to access Apple Watch and then realized that they required Khashoggi's fingerprint to unlock it. Of course that is a complete falsehood as Apple Watch doesn't support Touch ID.



CNBC is the third high profile report that finds the Apple Watch account being highly unlikely. Hours ago CNBC posted a report titled "It would've been nearly impossible for journalist Khashoggi to record inside the Saudi consulate using his Apple Watch."

In the present, President Trump said Monday he is 'immediately' sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Saudi Arabia to meet with King Salman to discuss the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The President stated that he "Just spoke to the King of Saudi Arabia who denies any knowledge of whatever may have happened 'to our Saudi Arabian citizen.' He said that they are working closely with Turkey to find answer. I am immediately sending our Secretary of State to meet with King!" Trump tweeted Monday morning." Other developments were reported on by CNBC as noted in the video report below.




Campus News

UB Engineers Without Borders works to bring clean water to Nicaraguan community

By JANE STOYLE WELCH and EMILY SUGARMAN

I believe what is special about EWB (Engineers Without Borders) is that even though we work on a project utilizing our skills like other engineering clubs, we are not just working on this project for a competition; we are actually going to impact the lives of over 250 people by providing them with clean drinking water. 

It was the most beautiful place I have ever been to. From the top of the hills, we could see miles and miles of mountains, trees and coffee bushes, says Aaron Chaney, secretary of UB Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and a student in the Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering (CSEE).

Chaney is referring to La Laguna, a community in the central highlands of the Department of Matagalpa in Nicaragua. Located 22 miles from the nearest infrastructural municipalities, the community formed a five-year partnership with UBs chapter of Engineers Without Borders  USA to work together to provide clean drinking water to La Laguna.

In January, five of the clubs members  Chaney and fellow CSEE students Carlos Abreu and Evan Supple, mechanical engineering students Gavin Amos and Scott Scheers  and UB alumna Rosaleen Nogle (MS 07, BS 05, Civil Engineering, and BA Anthropology 05), an assistant principal engineer with the Buffalo Sewer Authority, traveled to La Laguna to visit their partner community for the first time and evaluate the situation.

Once there, they discovered they would face some unexpected challenges.

The team observed that there were about 50 homes. They were not clustered together in a typical village, but rather spread over almost nine square miles of rainforest, mountains and quick sand connected only by dirt walking paths. The village had over 250 residents and over two-thirds of the children were sickened annually by contaminated drinking water, Nogle says.

The team conducted an initial assessment to better understand how to design an effective and sustainable solution to La Lagunas water issue. Team members tested the water source for bacteria and heavy metals to determine the type of filter to use, measured elevation changes so they could design a distribution system and determined the type of piping to use.

Another constraint was that they had to use materials that were readily available so the villagers could maintain the system and fix any future damage themselves.

The biggest thing that caught my attention was that the people lived without all the technology and advancements that we have here in the U.S., Abreu says. Ive learned how much Ive taken for granted. The atmosphere is much more relaxed, which probably contributes to a healthier mind and soul.

None of the community members were proficient in English, and Abreu was the only EWB member fluent in Spanish, so in addition to cultural differences, miscommunication was a potential issue. But the team overcame communication challenges with creativity and patience.

By the end of the week, the participants had learned some of each others languages and we all learned valuable lessons regarding non-verbal communication and the necessity of observation in order to design, construct and maintain an engineering project, Nogle says.

She was inspired to participate in the project by an interest in serving disadvantaged communities and in helping develop future engineers. She has worked to address issues of inadequate access to proper sanitation and drinking water in the most rural parts of Erie County and in the city of Buffalo through her work for the Erie County Division of Sewerage Management, Erie County Health Department, and now the Buffalo Sewer Authority.

Over and over again, I have heard criticism directed toward engineers that they dont respect the expertise of end users; that engineers design infrastructure that is not constructible or that once constructed is not usable. In being offered the opportunity to work with these engineering students, I saw a way to help remedy this situation moving forward, Nogle says.

Back in Buffalo, the team is continuing to work on the design of the system. The project is multi-dimensional, and requires a variety of skillsets and specialized knowledge.

I am a biomedical engineering major, says past EWB president Erin Maloney, whereas other members of the club are environmental, civil and mechanical engineers, and computer science majors. Each person brings a different perspective to the venture. This kind of collaboration is more similar to the workplace than a typical academic project.

The club plans to return to La Laguna next spring to work on the project. They plan to install a pipeline and basin system that provides filtration, chlorination and central distribution  sourced from a year-round flowing mountain stream that is dammed approximately half a mile from the center of La Laguna.

I believe what is special about EWB is that even though we work on a project utilizing our skills like other engineering clubs, we are not just working on this project for a competition; we are actually going to impact the lives of over 250 people by providing them with clean drinking water, Maloney says.
The ongoing, never ending delays of Intel's 10nm processors have disappointed their customers like Apple and consumers in general. AMD was frustrated with their supplier Globalfoundries inability to give them the lead over Intel at a time that they were stumbling and so they dumped their supplier and decided to work with TSMC. In January 2019 AMD will be announcing at CES their breakthrough 7nm chips for server and desktops that finally leaps ahead of Intel. Desktop enthusiasts are really excited over the news and Intel is likely to lose consumers fed up with Intel's inability to deliver.

The frustration has come to a head and The Oregonian is now reporting that Intel has decided to split up their manufacturing group into three pieces: 1) Technology development; 2) Manufacturing and operations; and 3) Supply chain.

The report stated that "Intel will split its vaunted manufacturing unit into three pieces, the company told employees Monday. The shakeup comes amid a crisis in Intel manufacturing, which is years behind schedule in delivering the company's next-generation, 10-nanometer chip technology. Intel says the chips, originally due in 2015, won't be in mass production until late next year.







The delay reflects the difficulty of shrinking feature sizes on computer chips as those features approach the atomic level. Intel used to introduce a new class of processors on a dependable, two-year cycle, fueling a broad advance in computing power. But its timetable has been slipping amid increasing complexity in the manufacturing process." You could the full story here. If you're curious as to what Intel's delays are about in general, you could check out this report here



In May Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple has Setup a Hardware Engineering Lab in Oregon, Hiring Several Former Senior Intel Engineers." The news supported a report by Bloomberg in April that Apple would end Intel based Macs in favor of their own processors.

Just as the news about Intel hit the wire yesterday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who works for TF International Securities, seized the opportunity to speculate that Apple would work with TSMC to deliver a custom ARM processor that would one day power future Macs.




In January 2017 Patently Apple posted a report titled "The U.S. Fair Trade Commission Sues Qualcomm for Forcing Apple to use its Chips in iDevices." The ruling for that case was close at hand when Qualcomm and the FTC asked the judge to delay his ruling as the two parties try to find a settlement.

Patently Apple has covered the recent Qualcomm-Apple battles in Germany via FOSS Patent reports. Last week we posted a report titled "A Huge win: Munich Court Throws out Qualcomm Patent Infringement Lawsuit against Apple." Not much of late has been going Qualcomm's way and so a settlement with the FTC may be sought to avoid another outright loss.

Today Reuters is reporting that in a joint filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose, Qualcomm and the FTC asked a judge to delay ruling on the FTC's motion for partial summary judgment for 30 days.

Settling with U.S. regulators would be a turning point for the San Diego company, which has been defending its business model amid a barrage of lawsuits from large customers such as Apple Inc and Huawei Technologies Inc, as well as dealing with regulatory challenges to its practices around the world.

At issue in the civil litigation and regulatory disputes is whether Qualcomm's patent licensing practices, when combined with its chip business, constitute anticompetitive behavior. Regulators in South Korea and Taiwan initially ruled against Qualcomm, but it has appealed the rulings and settled some of them." For more on this, read the full Reuters report here.



A back door deal with the FTC wouldn't be good for Apple or Intel. A ruling finding that Qualcomm abused their monopoly position is the verdict that would help major industry players. Will the FTC stand their ground or buckle with the allure of Qualcomm's money? Here's to hoping that the FTC will stand by their moto of "Protecting America's Consumers." A ruling against Qualcomm would be a bullet in Qualcomm's legal battle with Apple.




While the U.S. media is looking for any sign of weak sales of Apple's iPhone, the fact is that Samsung is experiencing a major slowdown with little coverage of that news in the U.S. A new Korean report today states that "Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics have decided to buy back used smartphones and implement other promotion programs to boost the sluggish sales of their latest communications devices.

Despite the much hype surrounding the Galaxy Note 9 and the V40 ThinQ, Samsung and LG largely failed to ignite interest in their latest premium smartphones.

Samsung said it took 53 days to reach the 1 million mark. This is about a week late compared to its predecessor Note 8 which took 48 days to do so last year.

Given the firm had sold 11 million Note 8 smartphones last year, Samsung is reportedly known to set its sales goal of the Note 9 at 12 million. The firm said the promotion will help boost the sales of the Note 9, but it remains to be seen whether the latest premium phone can exceed the number due to its slow sales.

On Tuesday, Samsung began a trade-in promotion allowing consumers to trade in their smartphones and receive cash rewards when purchasing the Galaxy Note 9 smartphone. Samsung added it doubled the trade-in values of specific smartphones such as the Galaxy S7, S8, Note Fan Edition and even Apple's iPhone 6 and 7 smartphones.

Samsung already provided a fruitful sales promotion before launching the Note 9 phone in Korea in August. For those who preordered the Note 9 with 512GB storage, Samsung bundled its Gear IconX wireless earphone, which is worth 220,000 won (US$199)."

Imagine the mayhem that would produce in the U.S. if Apple had to super discount new iPhones weeks after launch to move inventory. The U.S. media would have a field day.





It's even worse with Korean smartphone maker LG. The Korean report noted that "LG is also intensifying its promotion programs. The firm unveiled its preorder deals for the V40 ThinQ smartphone Sunday, and customers who preordered the smartphone can replace their smartphone screen and back cover for free within a year of purchase.





V40 ThinQ users can also participate in a sweepstake event. Those who buy the smartphone by the end of next month can join the prize lottery for LG's popular home appliances such as TROMM Styler electronic steam closet and Code Zero cordless vacuum cleaner." Even With LG copying Apple's iPhone X face design with a display notch, it's still not enough to stimulate sales.

With such deep discounts and ridiculous promotions, both Samsung and LG should get out of the premium market trying to compete with Apple. "Pretend sales volume" based on giveaways is a joke. They should exit the premium space and refocus on marketing their smartphones to the mid-tier market where they could better compete with Chinese OEMs like Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo who are eating their lunch.

At the end of the day, will the U.S. media shine a light on Samsung's true struggle to sell their new Note 9 or continue to stir up negative stories about Apple's new iPhones with little to no proof?

Oh, by the way, it's being reported this morning that the iPhone XR presales that began at 12:01 are already beginning to experience certain models selling out. And imagine that, they didn't have to give away a cordless vacuum cleaner to get the job done.




Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., has apologized for an attack advertisement that took Republican opponent Lou Barletta to task on his his Obamacare repeal votes after one of those ads struck a little too close to home.

Speaking to home state reporters earlier this week, Casey, of Scranton, acknowledged that he personally approved the ad, which featured a Lancaster County woman whose twin daughters were stricken with cancer.

In the 60-second spot, The woman, Stacie Ritter, says Barletta's votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act would have denied her children the coverage they needed for treatment.

In an angry statement posted to Twitter, Barletta demanded that Casey take down the ad, revealing that he'd recently told the Scranton Democrat that his own grandson, a twin, was undergoing treatment for cancer.

"When I was reviewing that ad - because we have to approve the ads - I was not thinking about his grandson," Casey said, according to The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat.

While Barletta may protest Casey's hardball tactics, the ad's underlying assertions about his voting record are correct.

Barletta has previously voted in favor of Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which barred insurance carriers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions.

The two-term Hazleton congressman voted in favor of the House GOP's Obamacare replacement, the American Healthcare Act. While that bill continued coverage for pre-existing conditions, it dropped the Affordable Care Act's rules "capping how much extra those people can be charged," for such coverage.

In fact, the Republican alternative would have allowed people with pre-existing conditions to be charged "thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars more per year, some studies have found," PolitiFact concluded.

Earlier this week, Casey's campaign pulled the ad from the airwaves in their mutual home turf of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre market. But the spot, one of three that hits Barletta for his healthcare votes, continues to air elsewhere in the state. Barletta's campaign has said that's not good enough.

In a statement, Barletta's campaign reiterated its demand that the ad be pulled statewide: "If the ad was too cruel for the Scranton media market, then it is too cruel for Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia," the statement reads.

Speaking to Pennsylvania political reporters, Casey said he was "really focused on the issue of pre-existing conditions generally and specifically about what is now 5.3 million people in the state that have it. I wanted to make sure that we got a message out about pre-existing conditions and his voting record. That's also a time when I should have kept that in mind. That was a failing on my part not to think about his grandson," The Tribune-Democrat reported.

"It just didn't occur to me at the time. It was not anything intentional to put an ad on that caused that kind of pain. But if that's what happened then I'm certainly sorry that it happened, and I certainly would want to apologize to his family," Casey said, according to the newspaper.

The rest of the day's news starts now.

PennLive's Jan Murphy runs down all the stuff that got pushed through the General Assembly in its closing days.

You may be pleased to know that Republican guv candidate Scott Wagner doesn't think he has 'anger management issues' despite a raft of evidence suggesting the inverse is true (via The York Daily Record).

A new PAC called 'With Honor,' which promotes encouraging veterans to run for Congress, is out with an ad touting Democratic 10th Congressional District candidate George Scott. The $250,000 ad buy starts today.

"With Honor was formed because we believe Congress would function better if there were more veterans in Congress who are willing to work across political party lines to get things done," Ellen Zeng, a spokeswoman, said in an email "We are a cross-partisan organization that targets equal amount of spending on Republicans and Democrats this year. We are proud to support George Scott because not only is he a 20-year Army veteran and led 1800 soldiers, but also because George is passionately committed to finding common ground, working with leaders in both political parties, and putting country first."

The feds have opened their own investigation into clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania, PennLive's Ivey DeJesus reports.

Despite a goal of $250k, outgoing Philly Democratic Chairman Bob Brady has coughed up ... nada ... for Democrats this campaign cycle, The Inquirer reports.

Veep Mike Pence will stump for GOP 8th CD candidate John Chrin, The Citizens-Voice reports.

The PA. Post takes a look at the debate over gun-control in some key Pa. congressional races.

There's a new sheriff in town at the Pa. Fish & Boat Commission, The Post-Gazette reports.

BillyPenn profiles long-shot Philly GOP candidate Bryan Leib, who's trying to defeat U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans.

Howzabout an action photo for your #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day

WHYY-FM manages to find the one thing that Pa's gubernatorial candidates actually agree about.

The Morning Call looks at GOP 7th District candidate Marty Nothstein's'bumpy' record as boss of the Velodrome.

Utah has a tough new DUI law - and that's sparked some debate, Stateline.org reports.

Politico explains how Republicans can (barely) hang onto the House.

President Donald Trump has praised that numbskull in Montana for physically assaulting a journalist (via Roll Call).

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).

10:30 a.m.: Golf outing for Sen. Mike Folmer

7 p.m: Reception for state Rep. Tony DeLuca.

Hit the links in the morning, and party at night, and give at the max, and you'll be out a mere $2,650 today.

WolfWatch.

Gov. Tom Wolf signs tough new anti-hazing legislation today. He'll be joined by the family of the late Penn State student Timothy Piazza, whose hazing-related death inspired the bill. The ceremony takes place at 2 p.m. in The Governor's Reception Room.

Heavy Rotation.

Here's one from

Crowded House

that popped up on the way to work this morning.

And now you're up to date.
A high school psychology teacher in western Pennsylvania who admitted having sex with a female student four times in a month in the back of his classroom has learned his punishment in the case.

As TribLive.com and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report, the teacher, James Horgan, 46, of West Mifflin Area High School, was sentenced Thursday to five years of sex offender court probation with 25 years of Megan's Law registration.

This, after Horgan, of Upper St. Clair, Allegheny County, pleaded to a single count of institutional sex assault after admitting to having sexual contact with one of his students.

TribLive.com reported the girl's age was not released. Police interviewed her in April, and she told a detective she and the teacher had sex in the back of his classroom four times in March.

When police went to Horgan's home on April 6, they say he admitted to having sex with the girl in the back of his classroom after school on three or four occasions, TribLive.com writes, adding:

He is not allowed to have any further contact with the girl.

However, Horgan was still listed Thursday afternoon as an employee in the directory on the school district's website.

A school administrator could not be reached to confirm the now-convicted and sentenced teacher's employment status.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) scored a double success in the prestigious Association Excellence Awards 2018, winning the top honour of Overall Best Association as well as the prize for Best Association Website.

The Association Excellence Awards, which are judged by a panel of over 20 CEOs and senior managers, recognise and reward the achievements of UK trade bodies, professional membership organisations and associations. Awarding the BMF the prize for Overall Best Association  under 1000 members, the judges said that the Federation demonstrated strength in policy, membership events, communications, training and had genuine sector leadership.

BMF CEO, John Newcomb said:

We are honoured and delighted to see the BMFs work on behalf of our members independently recognised in this way. To win two Association of Excellence Awards in one year is an incredible achievement, and for one of those to be the best trade association of our size is a fantastic tribute to the professionalism of the whole BMF team.

Mr Newcomb added:

Our mission is to help merchant and supplier members to build excellence into every aspect of their business. We will continue to develop the policies and programmes that helped us achieve recognition in the Association Excellence Awards to support our members with services that help them to succeed in their markets.
Nothing says "Hey, we're open!" like a food giveaway.

Steve's Prince of Steaks, ICE NY and The Creamery Cafe are opening their doors at the new Hamilton Court complex in University City in Philadelphia on Oct. 19. To celebrate, they're giving away some free deliciousness.

You can score a free cheesesteak, fries and soda from Steve's University City location from noon to 2 p.m. and then from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 19. Got a college ID? You can enjoy that same deal all day long.

ICE NY and The Creamery Cafe are offering free rolled ice cream, soft serve or a milkshake during those same times. The restaurants are also doing buy one get one free on their goods all weekend.

The latest location of Steve's Prince of Steaks can be found at 3836 Chestnut St. It's the largest of all the Steve's, with a dining room and extended menu. In addition to the signature cheesesteaks you can also order pizza, wings and beer (cocktails are also set to come soon, including a signature one that may or may not be themed after the nearby colleges). Learn more about Steve's at stevesprinceofsteaks.com.

ICE NY and The Creamery Cafe share a space at 3818 Chestnut St. ICE NY is a chain specializing in Thai rolled ice cream, where customers can watch their custom ice cream be made right in front of them. It also sells ice cream sandwiches, which have their ice cream stuffed between two pieces of cookies or brownies. The Creamery Cafe specializes in soft serve ice cream and elaborate milkshakes. For more information on the two shops visit icenyphilly.com and creamerycafepa.com.

Want more news and entertainment on Philadelphia? Click here for all our coverage on the City of Brotherly Love.


Local speaker and publisher Vera Cornish has published her own book in the hopes of spreading her message of empowerment through stories about her own life.

Cornish, the publisher of The Urban Connection of the Capitol Region, has a career background in teaching children with autism and schizophrenia, as well as student services in higher education. Her current career as a "life empowerment strategist" led to her publishing "Dare To Dream," which follows up on her lectures and speaking engagements with prompts for readers to pursue their own dreams.

"What inspired me to write the book were the younger women who had participated in my workshops," Cornish said. "They would share with me that every time we would come together for a workshop, that it was peppered with stories that significantly impacted their lives."

According to Cornish -- who is often called "Miss Vera" by those who attend her speaking engagements and workshops -- the book builds on her workshops by sharing "messages of hope" she found from her own life. Cornish is the first in her family to graduate from college, and went on to earn a degree from Penn State and a graduate degree from Misericordia University.

"It's amazing how fear will take residence," Cornish said. "I didn't know I was living in fear. And sometimes you're held back by a deep-seated fear that's stopping you from living the life you want to live."

Cornish said that she expected the book to appeal mostly to a female audience, but that she's been surprised by responses from male readers. In her words, the book is for anyone who wants to ask themselves, "what do I want out of life?"

"It's inspirational," she said. "It's motivational, and it's a catalyst for transformation.

An excerpt from the book can be read below. For more information on Vera Cornish or details on ordering her book, visit VeraCornish.com.

Dare To Dream excerpt by PennLive on Scribd
PENNSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- At least 240 animals, including more than 100 snakes, several alligators, five tortoises, two skunks, at least a dozen ferrets and some guinea pigs, have been rescued from a Pennsylvania home.

Robin Royer, a code enforcement officer for Upper Hanover Township, tells the Allentown Morning Call the home's condition was "deplorable."

A tortoise moves in a cage along with four others Thursday, Oct. 18, 2018, from an Upper Hanover, Pa., home.





Tracie Graham, an officer with the Montgomery County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, tells the Reading Eagle the residents of the home also own a home in Macungie Township that was raided earlier this week.

In that case, the Lehigh County Humane Society removed about 100 animals ranging from pigs to bearded dragons.

The couple has not been named.

Barbara Morgan, the Humane Society's police officer, tells the Morning Call the smell inside was so sickening that authorities used fire department air tanks to enter the home.

The Lehigh County Humane Society rescued 65 beagles from a home in Upper Saucon Township earlier this month.
WILLIAMSPORT - An accused murderer says he fatally stabbed an admitted gay man because "he was reaching for my groin."

Rashawn Williams

Rashawn David Williams Thursday gave his version of what happened shortly after 1 a.m. on June 22, 2017, that resulted in the death of Scott Cole, 37.

Testimony earlier in the homicide trial in Lycoming County court was that Cole was stabbed 37 times outside Williams' apartment.

Williams' testimony differed from the police version. He explained under cross-examination he had lied to investigators because he has issues with authority.

Williams, 36, gave the following account of what he claims led to the stabbing:

He was asleep on a couch in the living room when he heard the front door open and someone touched him on the thigh and rear end.

"I jumped up. I was stunned." He recognized Cole, who reeked of alcohol. Williams told him to leave.

Cole replied he was not leaving until he got what he wanted and touched Williams' groin area. "I thought he was going to rape me in my house," Williams said.

Cole sprayed him twice with pepper spray when Williams swatted his arm away from his groin.

Cole started to go upstairs where two young children were sleeping, but Williams pulled him down. They struggled and Cole again touched his groin, according to the testimony.

As Williams went into the kitchen, Cole threw a chair at him. "At this point "I'm scared," Williams said, again asking him to leave.

Willliams picked up a knife from the sink to scare Cole, who came forward. Williams tried to force Cole to the front door, but Cole sprayed him in the face.

"All I wanted to do was get him outside my house," he said. As the struggle continued, Williams was grabbed in the groin again.

"I just stabbed him. I don't know how many times," Williams said.

Williams testified he does not know the number because he "was just swinging" and he "completely blacked out." He later clarified it as "I lost it."

The initial stabbing was in the house, he said, but the struggle continued onto the porch and ground.

Witnesses earlier in the four-day trial had testified they saw a man swinging at another man on the ground. They said they saw the assailant run into a house and they discovered the other man lying in a pool of blood.

Williams acknowledged not calling 911 but contacting other people when he went back into his apartment.

He explained that he lacks respect for authority because his claims of sexual molestation as a youngster were not believed.

He testified he was sexually molested in 30 to 40 foster homes beginning when he was about 6 in Philadelphia until he was adopted.

Williams said after the stabbing he went back into his apartment and got dressed because "I knew I was going to jail that night." He does not recall washing blood off the knife, he said.

He testified he did not want to hurt Cole but wanted to avoid him. However, under cross -xamination he said he had mixed feelings for Cole.

First Assistant District Attorney Martin Wade cited records that show the two men in about a month had 263 interactions by phone. Williams said he was introduced to Cole in May 2016.

Williams denied having a sexual relationship with Cole and searching the Internet for gay sites, saying he is "straight."

Donna Cole had testified Monday her son was openly gay and carried pepper spray.

Neighbors had testified hearing Cole scream "he's killing me" as he was being stabbed while on the ground. Williams said he did not hear them.

To many of Wade's questions under cross-examination, Williams responded that he could not recall.

Besides homicide, Williams is on trial on charges of aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime, tampering with evidence and obstruction of the administration of law. He is jailed without bail.

It was thought the jury might get the case Friday, but it appears the trial will continue into Monday.
Police have filed homicide charges against a Pennsylvania man for a double-murder that occurred in April in Lebanon County.

Court filings show Cornwall police lodged the two homicide counts against 37-year-old Gilberto Torres Reyes of Collegeville with District Judge Anthony J. Verna on Thursday.

Torres also is accused of possessing a firearm illegally, reckless endangerment and fleeing to avoid prosecution.

The charges stem from the investigation of the slayings of two men who were found dead on a Route 322 exit ramp to Route 72 on April 9.

Police said they discovered the bodies of Jelson Ortiz, 34, of Reading, and Alexis Garcia, 27, after responding to a traffic accident. Both men had been shot, investigators said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday signed the Timothy J. Piazza anti-hazing measure into law, elevating hazing activities that result in serious injury or death to a felony-level charge.

When Piazza, 19, died last year after a pledge party at Penn State as he sought to join the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, the laws in effect at the time were unclear.

Centre County prosecutors repeatedly tried to file felony charges against Piazza's fraternity brothers for encouraging him and serving him 18 drinks within 82 minutes before he fell down the basement stairs, but the felony charges got dismissed.

The new law that will go into effect in 30 days provides flexibility and will make it "very simple" for prosecutors to take proper action after a hazing incident, according to Sen. Jake Corman (R-Centre County.)

The law defines hazing, as causing, coercing or forcing someone to drink or perform other actions that subject them to a risk of emotional or physical harm, which addresses a sticking point under the old law, when the term "force" was debated as to whether it covered initiation-based drinking events like the alcohol-chugging obstacle course at the Beta house.

Piazza's father, Jim Piazza, said he hoped Pennsylvania's law would serve as a model for other states to beef up their laws and further protect students. He and his wife Evelyn have become anti-hazing advocates who tour the country speaking to students and leaders at universities.

Jim Piazza said the the unanimous support for the law delivered a powerful statement. Not a single legislator voted against the measure.

"The unwavering support by every member of the Legislature and Governor clearly shows the inadequacy and misinterpretations of the laws that were in place and their desire to ensure that other young men or women are not harmed or killed as the result of hazing," Piazza said. "They have done their job. Now it is up to law enforcement and the Pennsylvania justice system to do theirs."

With proper enforcement and stiff penalties, Piazza said he believed the law would act as a deterrent to protect other students from this "rampant criminal behavior."

Penn State President Eric Barron attended the law-signing ceremony and the Piazzas thanked him for his immediate support of this legislation.

The new law comes as higher education leaders work to create a national database led by Penn State, according to a statement by the university, where universities share new approaches to managing Greek life; legislative actions on a state-by-state basis; federal anti-hazing legislation efforts; and other vital reports that could help advance student safety. Penn State is also leading in the development of a national scorecard for Greek houses that could help identify national organizations that may not share a commitment to stop hazing.

The anti-hazing law, for the first time in Pennsylvania, will give prosecutors a range of penalties from a summary offense for incidents that may not be that serious all the way to a felony if hazing results in bodily injury or death.

The law also holds institutions and organizations accountable by requiring schools to publish a report of campus organizations' track record of hazing incidents, requiring schools to have policies and reporting procedures in place to stop hazing, and providing safe harbor provisions so students know they can call for help for someone in distress without fear of prosecution against them or the person in distress.

As the bill went through the House, the definition of hazing was expanded to include enduring brutality of a sexual nature and enduring any other activity that creates a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury.

It also added to the definition of what constitutes aggravated hazing acting with reckless indifference to the health and safety of a student or minor or coercing them to consume alcohol or drugs. And it extended the forfeiture of assets as a penalty for those convicted of aggravated hazing as well as organizations convicted of organizational hazing.

The grandparents of a Louisiana State University student who also died in 2017 from alcohol-related hazing attended Friday's signing ceremony in Harrisburg. Eugene Gruver, grandfather of Max Gruver, lives in York County and attended with his sister and said he supported the stronger law.

The National Study of Student Hazing reports that 55 percent of college students involved in clubs, teams, and organizations experience hazing.
Petoskey to have second leaf pickup later this week
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In what could be the most abhorrent political advertisement of this election cycle, a pro-Republican group is now targeting the African American community with a racist ad that claims Democrats are trying to bring back lynching.

The ad cited the fight over Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court nomination as evidence that Democrats are doing away with the presumption of innocence.

If the Democrats can do that to a white justice on the Supreme Court with no evidence  what will happen to our husbands, our fathers or our sons when a white girl lies on them? one woman says.

Girl, white Democrats will be lynching black men again, another voice in the ad responds.

The full ad:

This is a real radio ad currently running in Arkansas in support of Republican Congressman French Hill on radio stations targeted to the African American community. I dont even have words to describe it. pic.twitter.com/vpzt1nGPlc  (((Ben Tribbett))) (@notlarrysabato) October 18, 2018

Republicans are running racist attack ads all over the place

While GOP Congressman French Hill was pressured to denounce this ad on Thursday, it is only one in a growing number of Republican attack ads with obvious racial undertones.

As the New York Times reported this week, the GOPs newest tactic is to tie some of the more diverse Democratic candidates to terrorism.

In Californias 50th district where Democratic candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar is running, his Republican opponent has tried to paint him as a dangerous foreigner. In one ad, Campa-Najjar is referred to as a Palestinian, Mexican, millennial Democrat and a security risk who is working to infiltrate Congress.

In Ohio, as the Times reports, GOP Rep. Steve Chabot is tying his challenger, Aftab Pureval, to terrorism because Mr. Pureval once worked at a law firm that settled terrorism-related lawsuits against Libya; he was not directly involved in the settlements, which were approved by Congress.

In Virginia, the report continues, Abigail Spanberger is being attacked for ties to a Muslim high school where she briefly taught English as a substitute teacher.

All of these claims are ludicrous, of course, but they are being funded by some extremist organization. Many of them are connected to GOP leadership.

As The New York Times reported, the racist advertisements have been largely produced by the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Super PAC associated with Speaker Paul D. Ryan.

Ultimately, the kind of rhetoric spewed in these negative ads may have become acceptable to Republican voters in the age of Donald Trump, but its likely a major turn off to the majority of Americans.

At the end of the day, these desperate Republican tactics show just how terrified the party is of the looming blue wave that threatens to wipe them out of power next month.

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By Tom Hals

(Reuters)  A federal judge ordered the U.S. government on Thursday to begin processing asylum claims for dozens of migrant parents and children that had been separated at the southern border under the Trump Administrations zero tolerance immigration policy.

The order directs the government to begin the process of reviewing asylum claims for about 60 detained parents and children, even if their claims had previously been denied.

Civil rights attorneys argued in court papers that the government was violating a September settlement agreement that had cleared the way for more than 1,000 immigrants separated by U.S. officials to have their asylum claims reconsidered. Department of Justice attorneys at the time promised the court the government would get moving on the agreement.

U.S. Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego rejected the governments argument that it did not have to begin reconsidering asylum until the settlement was approved by the court. A hearing on the fairness of the settlement is scheduled for Nov. 15.

The settlement applied to about 2,500 children and their parents who were picked up after crossing the border and detained separately under the crackdown on illegal immigration under U.S. President Donald Trump, one of his signature policies. The administration abandoned family separations in June in the face of widespread condemnation.

On Thursday, Trump threatened to send the military to the border with Mexico to prevent thousands of migrants from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala from crossing into the United States from Mexico.

(Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; editing by Bill Berkrot)
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In the Donald Trump era, it can hard to zero in on just one lie. After all, the president and his Republican allies in Congress  with the aid of right-wing media  constantly flood the airwaves with whoppers.

But on Thursday, Ari Melber pulled back the curtain on what is perhaps the biggest lie of 2018: that Republicans care about your health care.

As the MSNBC host pointed out, GOP candidates all across the country are now campaigning on health coverage for Americans with pre-existing conditions. The only problem, of course, is that every last one of them voted to repeal those protections.

Video:

Ari Melber tells Republican candidates they cant run from their votes to take health care away from millions of Americans. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/DEaNDaHWZw  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) October 18, 2018

Melber said:

Everyone knows Republicans have spent years railing against Obamacare. Theyve tried to repeal it dozens of times in the House. The politics, though, are changing. This is a story you may have missed but, look, with the midterms approaching right now Republican candidates in the Trump era changing their tune.  Heres your fact check. Every single one of the lawmakers you just heard from voted to repeal Obamacare and gut those kind of protections. It appears theyre trying to pretend that just didnt happen. Now maybe thats because Obamacare now has record support among voters.

Sorry, Republicans, you dont get to own healthcare

From Martha McSally in Arizona to Ted Cruz in Texas to Dana Rohrabacher in California  all Republicans in competitive races this year  the GOP is trying to rewrite history by claiming to be the champions of healthcare.

But the American people know better.

When the Affordable Care Act was working its way through Congress, Republicans were fighting tooth and nail to ensure that it never reached President Obamas desk. They spewed lie after lie about how it was a government takeover that would lead to literal death panels.

Once Democrats in Congress finally approved the legislation and Obama signed it into law, the GOP worked to undermine it wherever they could. Throughout the Trump presidency, they have repeatedly tried  and failed  to repeal the ACA, including protections for those with pre-existing conditions.

Just this week, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said that Republicans might actually revisit Obamacare repeal if they can expand their majority in the Senate.

Every step of the way, Republicans have been fighting to take away health insurance coverage and protections for millions of Americans. Now they want you to forget it ever happened.

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Some Republicans running in competitive congressional races have shied away from taking any bold positions against Donald Trump  Im talking to you, Sens. Joe Manchin and Joe Donnelly  but Beto ORourke is not one of them.

During a CNN town hall on Thursday night, the Texas congressman running to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz made a brilliant case for why Democrats should move forward with impeachment proceedings against the president.

There is enough there to proceed, ORourke said before ticking off examples of how Trump has committed impeachable offenses.

Video:

When asked by CNNs Dana Bash if hes changed his mind after saying hed vote to impeach President Trump this summer, ORourke replied: I havent #TexasTownHall https://t.co/29rQpKYtsa pic.twitter.com/ULowpM65KX  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 18, 2018

When asked if he changed his mind on voting to impeach Trump, ORourke said:

I havent. Let me put it this way: There may be an open question as to whether the president, then the candidate, sought to collude with the Russian government in 2016, but to quote George Will, very conservative columnist, when we saw him on that stage in Helsinki defending Vladimir Putin, the head of the country that attacked our democracy in 2016 instead of this country and its citizens and this amazing democracy, that was collusion in action. You may have wondered when he fired James Comey, the principal investigator into what happened in that election, whether that was an attempt to obstruct justice. But when by broad daylight, on Twitter, he asked his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, to end the Russia investigation, I would say thats obstruction in action.  The best course to get there so that every member has all the facts and that they are compelling enough to do the right thing is to allow the full Independence and integrity of the Bob Mueller investigation.  I would liken impeachment to an indictment. There is enough there to proceed with the trial for a full vetting of the facts and to make the best-informed decision in the interests of this country and our future.

Beto ORourke isnt afraid to speak the truth  even in deep-red Texas

As the rising Democratic star said on Thursday, we dont need Robert Muellers findings to be published to know that Trump has already crossed multiple red lines.

Time and again, he has tried to obstruct the ongoing investigation into whether his campaign colluded with Russia to defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016. Just because Trump so brazenly does it on live television or in social media posts, doesnt make it any less damning.

But its not just about Russia. In August, Trumps former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty that he committed a felony at the direction of the president to influence the 2016 election.

As I wrote in August, Not only should Democrats spend each day between now and the Nov. 6 elections reminding the country that the president conspired to commit a crime during the 2016 election, but they absolutely need to make impeachment part of their campaigns.

Too many have been afraid to make this case, but Beto ORourke  a Democrat running in a competitive Senate race in deep-red Texas  hasnt been afraid to speak the truth, as he did once again on Thursday night.

The Democratic Party would be better off if they followed his lead.

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Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp purged 107,000 voters in a single day in 2017 under the states use it or lose it law.

An AMP Report analysis found:

Even by Georgia standards, the voter purge of late July 2017 was remarkable. In a single day, more than half a million people  8 percent of Georgias registered voters  were cut from the voter rolls. Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp, an avid supporter of President Donald Trump who has described himself as a politically incorrect conservative, oversaw the removals eight months after hed declared himself a candidate for governor.

The purge was noteworthy for another reason: For an estimated 107,000 of those people, their removal from the voter rolls was triggered not because they moved or died or went to prison, but rather because they had decided not to vote in prior elections, according to an APM Reports analysis. Many of those previously registered voters may not even realize theyve been dropped from the rolls. If they show up at the polls on Nov. 6 to vote in the heated Georgia governors race, they wont be allowed to cast a ballot.

Nine mostly Republican states have use it or lose it laws. In Georgia, if you go three years without voting, a voter is removed from the rolls. These voters arent removed because they moved, died, or lost their right to vote by committing a crime. Voters are not allowed to vote because they havent voted recently.

The three-year provision is intentional and vital. Democratic voters have traditionally had much lower turnout in midterm and off off year elections. A use it or lose it law is a great tool for suppressing the vote of Democrats who only vote in presidential elections. Even though use it or lose it laws are legal, they seem un-American. Americans should have the freedom to decide which elections they want to vote in.

The efforts to suppress the vote in Georgia go even deeper and are worse than already reported. If Democrats can win in Georgia, it will be the most significant victory of the midterm election. Everything is stacked against Democrats in Georgia, so if they prevail, it will be a victory for democracy and voting rights everywhere.

For the latest election news, join our Blue Wave 2018 group.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Voter suppression has been a flash point in the Georgia governors race, where Democrat Stacey Abrams would become the first African American woman governor of any state if she beats Republican secretary of state Brian Kemp.

Unfortunately Kemp has used his position as secretary of state to try to stop tens of thousands of African Americans from voting, and his efforts seem to have backfired in a huge way.

Local news outlets in Georgia are now reporting that the early voting turnout for Democrats has been historic. Rather than sit back and let Kemp and fellow Republicans succeed in their efforts to stop black people from voting, Abrams supporters have mobilized people to get out to vote in record numbers.

WSB-TV in Atlanta reported that turnout on the first day of Georgia early voting more than tripled from the last midterm elections four years ago. The people turning out appear to be mostly minorities, suggesting that the massive turnout is a direct result of Brian Kemps attempt at taking away the voting rights of minorities.

Whats telling is that all over Georgia early voters have faced incredibly long lines, and this has only served to make them more determined to vote.

People told reporters they waited three hours in line on Thursday even though early voting started on Monday, and it has been that way all week in all of the heavily populated areas in and around Atlanta.

Cobb County elections director Janice Eveler told reporters that in the next election they will start with two early voting locations instead of one because of the long lines theyve seen so far this year.

For us, this is historic number of people coming out for early voting and voting by mail, Eveler said.

Eveler said she has never seen lines like this for early voting.

Voter Paul Mock told reporters that he went to vote Wednesday, but never got to vote.

The entire parking lot was full and the McDonalds parking lot was full and the bank was full and then the line was too long. I didnt want to stand in line, Thomas said.

It was same situation when Thomas arrived Thursday. Parking was scarce, and the line was long. Thomas said he had more time on Thursday and not voting wasnt even an option.

Its the No. 1 important thing we have to do for our country. Its the only way your voice gets heard in our country and our community to let people know what you want matters, Thomas said.

Eveler said that another early-voting location will open on Saturday. Even more will open the following week.

We open a total of 11 locations, so that is basically because as people make up their minds more people want to vote in the advanced voting period, Eveler said.

Reports from all over Georgia show that voters have come out in massive numbers to cast ballots during the first few days of early voting.

On Thursday morning, the Georgia elections office released updated numbers which showed that 300,000 people had early voted so far.

Expanding the total further were the mailed-in ballots which added nearly another 100,000 voters to the early voting totals so far. This is about twice as many as there were four years ago.

Since in-person early voting is available in all of Georgias 159 counties this has become an increasingly large part of the total vote in Georgia. During the 2016 presidential election 58 percent of voters cast early ballots while just 37 percent voted in advance in 2014.

By all accounts, a large majority of Georgians will have voted by the time November 6th rolls around. It appears that the actions of Kemp and his Republican colleagues to try to suppress Democratic voters in Georgia have not only backfired in a big way, they seem to have created a blue monster.

Democrats in Georgia have gotten the message. Due to gerrymandering and voter suppression efforts there is not a level playing field in America. The ONLY solution to this (until Democrats get back in power) is to overcome the obstacles by turning out to vote in huge numbers. This is what happened in Alabama to get Doug Jones elected.

Lawsuits are also underway to get the voter registrations reinstated that were thrown out by Brian Kemp. The outcome of these lawsuits may play a role in deciding the outcome of the Georgia governors election. But one thing for sure is that the massive numbers of people standing in line to vote for Stacey Abrams are going to play a significant role in deciding the outcome. And thanks to Kemps attempts at cheating, this may be enough to carry her to victory in an historic election.
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WASHINGTON (Reuters)  The U.S. government on Friday charged a Russian national with playing a key financial role in a Kremlin-backed plan to conduct information warfare against the United States, including to influence next months congressional elections.

The criminal complaint unsealed on Friday makes Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, 44, the first individual to be indicted for attempting to interfere in the 2018 U.S. elections, according to a government official with knowledge of the matter.

The complaint said Khusyaynova was the chief accountant for Project Lakhta, which it said was funded by Russian oligarch Evgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin and two companies he controls, Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering.

Concord Management and Concord Catering were among the three entities and 13 Russian individuals who were indicted by Special Counsel Robert Muellers office in February in an alleged criminal and espionage conspiracy to tamper with the 2016 U.S. presidential race, boost Trump and disparage his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The case against Khusyaynova was unsealed in Alexandria, Virginia, and is not being handled by Mueller because it includes activities related to the 2018 elections, which are not part of his remit, the official familiar with the matter said.

Using social media and other avenues, the conspiracy participants waged information warfare against the United States, attempting to sow distrust of candidates for U.S. political office and the U.S. political system, according to the complaint.

Prigozhin, who was among those personally charged by Mueller, has been dubbed Putins cook by Russian media because his catering business has organized banquets for Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior political figures. He has been hit with sanctions by the U.S. government.

U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies said on Friday they remain concerned about attempts by Russia, China, Iran and other foreign groups to interfere with the Nov. 6 congressional elections, as well as the presidential election in 2020.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Justice Department, FBI and Department of Homeland Security said they do not have any evidence that anyone went far enough to prevent voting or change vote counts. Some state and local governments, which run polling sites, have reported attempts to access their networks, but officials were able to prevent access or quickly mitigate these attempts, the agencies said in a joint statement.

In July, Muellers office also indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers who were accused of hacking Democratic computer networks as part of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

(Reporting by Lisa Lambert and Makini Brice in Washington, and Nathan Layne in New York; Editing by Tim Ahmann and Bill Trott)
By Jeff Mason

MISSOULA, Mont. (Reuters)  President Donald Trump on Thursday heaped praise on a U.S. congressman from Montana who body-slammed a reporter during a campaign for a special election in 2017.

Trump, who has called the media the enemy of the American people and regularly derides journalists as fake news, made his latest remarks during a campaign rally in Montana.

Representative Greg Gianforte, who made brief remarks at the rally with Trump, was ordered to perform community service as part of his sentence for attacking Ben Jacobs, a correspondent for Britains Guardian newspaper, on May 24, 2017, the day before a special election to fill Montanas sole congressional seat.

Any guy that can do a body-slam  is my guy, Trump told supporters at the rally, adding that he was concerned at first that the incident would jeopardize Gianfortes campaign.

I said: Oh, this is terrible, hes going to lose the election. Then I said: Well, wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him, and it did, Trump said.

Gianforte, who won the election, pleaded guilty to assaulting a reporter.

Trump is on a three-state tour in the western part of the United States advocating for Republican candidates who are running for election in November with the hope of keeping control of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives in Republican hands.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason in Missoula, Montana; additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham in Washington; Editing by Mary Milliken and Leslie Adler)
WASHINGTON (Reuters)  Sending a security detail to protect Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his wife on a vacation to Turkey and Greece cost taxpayers more than $25,000, the U.S. Interior Departments watchdog agency has said, according to the Washington Post.

The departments report, published by the Post on Thursday, also said Zinke allowed his wife to travel with him in government vehicles, in violation of department policy.

The report follows ethics investigations into several Trump administration officials, including Scott Pruitt, who stepped down as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency in July, and Tom Price, who resigned as health and human services secretary in September 2017.

Zinke said he did not ask his security detail to travel with him during the August 2017 vacation to Turkey and Greece, and the decision was made by the U.S. Park Police supervisor, the Interior Departments Office of Inspector General said in the report.

The report said other officials in the department approved Zinkes wife, Lolita, riding with him in government vehicles. It said that when Zinke was asked whether he knew the practice violated department policy, the secretary said it was consistent with government travel regulations.

The departments vehicle policy was not set by law and the secretary has the authority to depart from, create exceptions to, or change the policy at his discretion, Deputy Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said in a letter to Deputy Inspector General Mary Kendall on Thursday.

The department had modified the policy in July, he added.

The Inspector General report listed several instances of official travel in which Zinke was accompanied by her wife and he reimbursed the government for her expenses.

The report said Zinke had asked department employees to research whether his wife could be made an official Interior Department volunteer. He denied his intention in making the request was to enable his wife to travel with him in an official capacity.

Ultimately, the employees advised him that making her a volunteer could be perceived negatively, and she did not become one, the report said.

The departments Office of Inspector General has also said it was probing Zinke over the use of chartered flights and a Montana real estate deal.

(Reporting by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Peter Cooney and Clarence Fernandez)
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The 2018 elections could see the highest turnout for a midterm since the mid-1960s, according to an elections expert who has been studying voting patterns. In fact, based on evidence to date, it could be the highest midterm election turnout ever.

Its probably going to be a turnout rate that most people have never experienced in their lives for a midterm election, said Michael McDonald, a professor at the University of Florida who studies turnout and maintains a turnout database, told National Public Radio (NPR).

McDonald is now predicting that nearly 50 percent of eligible voters will cast a ballot. And although that may not seem extremely high, it would be a level of voting not seen 1966 when a record 49 percent of eligible voters turned out in a midterm election.

In 1966 Democrats faced a backlash after a massive landslide in their favor in 1964. President Lyndon Johnson was president, the Vietnam war was raging, and Congress had just passed Johnsons Great Society programs including Medicare, voting rights and civil rights.

In 1966, however, Democrats lost 47 House seats and three Senate seats. As writer T.A. Frail at the Smithsonian put it, this election brought, the end of the New Deal coalition and the realignment of voters that will put Richard M. Nixon in the White House in 1968.

Historically, since World War II, turnout in midterm elections has been only about 40 percent on average. For some reasons Americans who are eligible to vote usually decide its not worth it to cast a ballot in midterms. In fact, midterm voter turnout is usually about 30 percent lower than in presidential elections.

In 2014, a record low number  just 36 percent  of eligible American voters cast a ballot. This was the lowest in 70 years. The only year when it was lower was 1942 when many Americans were involved in wars overseas.

Obviously Donald Trumps chaotic and controversial presidency has generated a high level of interest in the 2018 midterms. Democrats (especially women Democrats) are angry and frustrated, eager for change and looking for political revenge.

The 2018 midterms offer Democrats their first chance to express their views about Trump and his presidency and about Republican policies in general.

Professor McDonald said he bases his forecast of record midterm election turnout on the following four indicators:

Record turnout in special elections held since Trump was elected. High turnout throughout the country in all 2018 primaries. A high degree of reported interest in the election, based on public opinion surveys, and High levels of early voting so far.

On that last point, McDonald said he is seeing early voting patterns that are not only very high but higher than ever before seen in history. In Georgia, for example, compared to 2014, early votes turnout is three times higher so far.

It just seems like all four indicators, theyre all pointing in the same direction, McDonald said.

On top of that, McDonald said that 2018 has shown a record number of candidates filing to run for office, including large numbers of women candidates.

High turnout favors Democrats, and this analysis from Professor McDonald is just one more piece of evidence that 2018 will be a Blue Wave election which will start the political pendulum swinging back in favor of the Democratic Party.
In his wide-ranging comments at the annual Valdai Discussion Club meeting in Sochi  Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Russians are going to heaven as martyrs in the event of a nuclear holocaust and claims that Wednesdays Kerch college shooting was the result of globalization. But those remarkable assertions are not what we are fact checking here.

Putin also returned to a perennially contentious topic: the status of Crimea. Crimea is ours, Putin said. And why ours? Not because we came and grabbed something. He stated that people in Crimea voted for a referendum that resulted in the peninsula becoming a part of the Russian Federation - - the will of the people, he said.

Putin further said Russia didnt need to take anything as we have an enormous territory, and we dont need anything from anyone. He added: Of course, we value our sovereignty, our independence. Its always been that way, for the entire history of our state. Thats in the blood of our people, as Ive repeatedly said.

In an article on Putins comments on Crimea, Russias TASS state news agency cited the results of the March 16, 2014 referendum, in which 96.77% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation.

But Putins claims that Crimea was not snatched, and that Russia does doesnt need to take territory from anyone have repeatedly been proven false.

As Polygraph.info previously reported, the Russian takeover of Crimea in February 2014 began when Russian special forces, operating without national insignia, seized the Crimea parliament building and raised the Russian flag. The bloodless invasion by little green men resulted in unmarked Russian soldiers taking control of the Republic.

Igor Strelkov Girkin, a leading self-defense commander in Crimea and later commander of separatist forces in eastern Ukrainian, admitted in a 2015 interview that members of the Crimean parliament were herded into a chamber at gunpoint and forced to support the annexation.

The referendum, hastily carried out under military occupation, did not allow for public debate or for political leaders from greater Ukraine to visit the Crimean peninsula. And, in accordance with Ukraines constitution, all Ukraines citizens should have been given a vote on Crimeas succession, not only residents of the peninsula.

Further undermining the referendums validity were the two options on the ballot, each of which made it impossible for Crimea to maintain the status quo. As reported by Reuters at the time, those options were:

Are you in favor of the reunification of Crimea with Russia as a part of the Russian Federation?

Are you in favor of restoring the 1992 Constitution and the status of Crimea as a part of Ukraine?

The second option, while on the surface different, entailed giving Crimea all the qualities of an independent entity within Ukraine  but with the broad right to determine its own path and choose relations with whom it wants  including Russia.

But even with parliamentarians voting at gunpoint and the public being presented with a referendum shortly after being invaded, the putative results -- with 96.77% voting yes in Crimea and 95.6% voting yes in Sevastopol -- have been called into question.

TSN.ua, a Ukrainian news site, reported in May 2014 that Putins own Human Rights Council accidently posted (reportedly before taking down) the actual referendum results, which allegedly showed that only 30 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in the referendum. Only half of those  15 percent of eligible voters  voted for annexation.

That report cannot be independently verified.

But, as Paul Gregory reported in Forbes, a Human Rights Council report that is still accessible online, entitled Problems of Crimean Residents, stated: In Crimea, according to various indicators, 50-60% voted for unification with Russia with a voter turnout (yavka) of 30-50%. As Gregory noted: This leads to a range of between 15 percent (50% x 30%) and 30 percent (60% x 50%) voting for annexation. The turnout in the Crimean district of Sevastopol, according to the Council, was higher: 50-80%.

So even the overinflated turnout figures have been contradicted by one of Putins own consultative bodies.

In any case, On March 27, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 68/262, stating that the referendum, having no validity, cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or of the city of Sevastopol. The resolution urged all countries not to recognize any alteration of the status of Crimea.

As for Putins claim that Russia was an enormous country that didnt need to take territory from others? Following the de facto secession of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the wake of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, the German broadcaster ARD asked Putin if Crimea was the next target for Russian aggression.

The Crimea is not a disputed territory. There is no ethnic conflict there in contrast to the conflict between South Ossetia and Georgia, Putin replied angrily, demonstrating at the time his own recognition of internationally accepted borders.

Russia recognized the current borders of todays Ukraine a long time ago  The question of targets for Russia only serve as provocation, he added.

Then, as now, Putins statements have proven to be false.
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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.
Democratic state Rep. James Smith and Republican Gov. Henry McMaster meet in the first South Carolina governor debate on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 at Francis Marion University Performing Arts Center in Florence. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
Andrew Knapp is editor of the Quick Response Team, which covers crime, courts and breaking news. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor at Florida Today, Newsday and Bangor (Maine) Daily News. He enjoys golf, weather and fatherhood.
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.
Abigail Darlington is a local government reporter focusing primarily on the City of Charleston. She previously covered local arts & entertainment, technology, innovation, tourism and retail for the Post and Courier.
Paul Bowers is an education reporter and father of three living in North Charleston. He previously worked at the Charleston City Paper, where he was twice named South Carolina Journalist of the Year in the weekly category.
Robert Behre works as an editorial writer with a focus on local government, transportation and the built environment.
The son of a man accused of shooting seven officers at his Florence County home had allegedly collected "mementos" of sexual assaults involving a minor, according to documents.

On Oct. 3, three sheriff's deputies went to a large home on Ashton Drive, a cul-de-sac in a suburban neighborhood west of Florence, to interview 28-year-old Seth David Hopkins. A girl had told investigators that he had sexually assaulted her.

Authorities planned to search Hopkins' bedroom for the girl's undergarments and any other female clothing.

The deputies, and four other officers who later responded to the scene, were met by gunfire from a second-story window. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, whose agency is leading the shooting investigation, said officers were ambushed and had "no chance whatsoever."

Hopkins' father, 74-year-old disabled Vietnam War marksman Frederick Hopkins, is accused of killing one city policeman and wounding six others. Investigators recovered 129 guns from the home.

The younger Hopkins is charged with a count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 11 years old and a count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor between 11 and 14 years.

On Oct. 1, deputies met with a minor and an adult who said Hopkins was their family member and had been assaulting them for years, according to search warrants released by the Florence County Sheriff's Office. The child told investigators she had been assaulted over three years, most recently on Sept. 29.

A source also reported that the minor victim's undergarments were in Hopkins' bedroom.

"During the course of an active investigation, it is evident that Hopkins is collecting mementos from the past assaults," a deputy wrote in a search warrant affidavit.

Sheriff's officials have told WIS-TV that foster children were living at the home, but state child welfare authorities said no foster children were in the house at the time of the shooting. Seth Hopkins was adopted by Frederick Hopkins.

Frederick Hopkins faces a count of murder in the death of Sgt. Terrence Carraway of the Florence Police Department and six counts of attempted murder. He and his son are being held without bail at the Richland County jail.
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Veteran homelessness is on the rise across the US. In SC, it's falling.
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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.
Since becoming first lady, Melania Trumps style selections have been questioned on several occasions, most recently after she wore a white pith helmet in Kenya  viewed by some as a symbol of colonialism.

Past criticism for style choices include a Zara jacket that read, "I really dont care, do u," worn in June while visiting immigrant children at the border of Mexico, and stilettos while boarding a plane last year before visiting Hurricane Harvey victims. (When she arrived, she disembarked wearing sneakers.)

Following the stir about the "I really dont care" jacket, the first ladys spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said, "Its a jacket. There was no hidden message. After her important visit to Texas, I hope the media isnt going to choose to focus on her wardrobe."

Similarly, after criticism over the pith helmet, Trump aimed to minimize fashion and instead focus on her trip, saying, "I wish people would focus on what I do, not what I wear." She said her message for the continent was "that we care and we want to show the world we care."

First ladies have long been under scrutiny for various reasons. But why does it matter what they wear? Why do people analyze a choice to grab one item from a closet instead of another?

We talked to Abigail Glaum-Lathbury, an assistant professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicagos Department of Fashion Design, about what clothes symbolize and whether Trump can escape scrutiny.

This interview has been edited for space and clarity.

What do you think about Melania Trumps choosing to wear a pith helmet on her recent trip to Kenya?

I think that she cant have her cake and eat it too. There is a context to clothing. There are items of clothing and accessories that invoke a sense of history. Im not really sure why people arent doing their homework a little bit better. I think what clothes signify for people in power is extremely important, and I dont think we should give anybody a pass.

I think it shows in a similar way with her jacket, "I really dont care." It speaks to me of a cavalier attitude to her position of power.

What about those who believe her intentions were not disingenuous  its just a hat, or jacket?

I think that fails to recognize the difference in reach and also position. She represents the United States of America. And so there seems to be a dramatic difference in position versus if I just grab a hat from my closet. Im not the first lady, and I do not represent the American people.

It doesnt really matter what she feels at the end of the day. What matters is the actions that shes taking, and theres a very dramatic disparity between the things that shes saying shes doing and the appearance.

First ladies have long been under scrutiny about what they wear. How do you feel about her comment that she should be looked at for things other than her style choices?

First ladies have historically been scrutinized. It is definitely not a new thing.

To her comment, I should be looked at for the things that I do versus what I wear, thats true. Yes, sure. But I would also say that your clothes express something.

I think its inherent in the position that she as a public figure will need to take these things into consideration.

What impact does timing have? If shed worn this hat on a different day, that jacket on a different outing, would it make a difference?

That comes back to the point of history and context. If youre wearing a wedding dress on the subway, theres an incongruity there because of the context. Again, she is in a position of power. These are specific public events that she is going to that are relevant for current events, and so to pretend that theyre not seems like wishful thinking, to wish a lesser significance on something than it actually has.

Do you think she can ever escape this scrutiny?

No. Not really. Theyre public figures, and until theres a standard uniform for women like there is for men, no. Thats not a Republican or a Democrat or a socialist or a communist thing, thats just women being scrutinized for what they wear, which is not new.

Would we care this much or be having this conversation if she were a male politician?

No. The answer is no. Theres not much more to it. We have historically evaluated women on their appearance and dress, and this is not an exception.

Any advice for the advisers who might be helping her choose her wardrobe?

Listen rather than reject the criticism out of hand. Maybe give it a minute, and think about it. I guess my advice is stop pretending that the choices dont matter when they do.
That question lingered on the lips of Americans in October 1983 when news broke that President Ronald Reagan had sent U.S. troops to invade this tiny Caribbean nation. Grenada, population 110,000, didnt register on the radar of many folks, and certainly not as enemy territory.

By Christmas, the conflict had ended and peace was restored. Now, 35 years after Grenada grabbed headlines, more Americans are getting to know it. Overnight visits by U.S. residents increased 18 percent in the first half of 2018 over the same period last year, according to tourism officials, and the number of cruise passengers rose more than 26 percent.

Whether they come for day trips on cruise shore excursions or vacations at luxury resorts, visitors stroll some of the Caribbeans best beaches, tour plantations and explore tropical rainforests laced with lakes and waterfalls.

Twenty percent of the worlds nutmeg grows in Grenada, but this "black gold" isnt the only flavor found here. Long known as "The Spice Island," it also supplies home pantries with cinnamon, allspice, turmeric, mace and bay leaves. Spice plantations open their doors to visitors to show how its done.

At Dougaldston Estate, guides crack open nutmeg pods to reveal a seed inside laced in red, affectionately known as the "lady in the boat with the red petticoat." The red covering becomes processed as mace. The nutmeg seed is used for flavoring, in medicine and, in some parts of the world, as a natural aphrodisiac. Inside a wooden shed, benches hold an array of other bits of plant material  leaves, branches, seeds  scraped and pummeled into spices until the room fills with the fragrance of Christmas.

Outside, the hot sun shines down on cocoa beans filling shallow wooden platforms where women walk slowly back and forth, shuffling their feet through the beans to aerate and dry them so they can be shipped to a chocolate factory. Grenada chocolate earns high praise as some of the worlds best and, unlike in some developing countries, no child labor is involved in its production.

The Grenada Chocolate Co. welcomes tours, as does a nutmeg-processing cooperative in the fishing village of Gouyave. Bags of spices and bars of chocolate always can be found among the goods vendors sell at the outdoor market in the old town section of St. Georges, Grenadas capital city.

Explosive start

An underwater volcano created the main island of Grenada and its six smaller islands about 2 million years ago. It formed the rich volcanic soil responsible for the high quality of Grenadian nutmeg, and  perhaps more of interest to vacationers  nine black-sand beaches. These, along with more than 40 stretches of white sand, allow beachgoers to choose from simple, secluded hideaways to long seafront arcs lined with luxury resorts. Grand Anse Beach, lying along the southwest coast, often has appeared on lists of the best Caribbean beaches. For nearly 2 miles, its white sand fringes a cobalt sea.

Hills and mountains rising from these sandy coastlines lead into rainforests. A driving tour up the west coast on winding roads, often narrowing to one lane, passes bamboo forests and nutmeg trees. Cocoa pods hang heavy on their branches, and bunches of bananas dangle along the roadside. Farmers wielding machetes dodge vehicles as they walk to their fields, drivers raising their hands in greeting.

At Concord Falls, the three-tier waterfall cuts through black, volcanic rock dressed in the lush greenery of the rainforest. Children play in the pool at the base of the falls, and young men may offer to stage a spectacle by jumping from the top of the cataract in exchange for tips.

Another route through the rainforest travels up to 1,900 feet above sea level through Grand Etang National Park. Hiking paths lead around Lake Etang, formed from the crater of an extinct volcano. Seven Sisters Falls is nearby. Annandale Falls, the most easily accessible in Grenada, can be visited on the way to or from St. Georges.

Driving through the countryside and villages, visitors are sure to see the colors of the national flag  green, yellow, red  painted on rocks, curbs, bridges and old tires framing flower beds. The patriotic display is at its best in the weeks leading up to Grenadas Independence Day, Feb. 7.

France claimed Grenada as a colony in 1650, ceded it to the British in 1763, then took it back during the American Revolution. Britain ruled it again after the war until it granted islanders independence in 1974. Grenada remains a parliamentary democracy.

As Caribbean islands go, the crime rate is low. When Hurricane Ivan roared through in 2004, it damaged the prison, and the incarcerated left to check on their families. Once the emergency was over, a public service announcement ordered prisoners to return to serve out their sentences. All did.

The 83 operation

The U.S. got involved in Grenada politics a few years after a coup put a government in power with a Marxist philosophy and ties to Cuba and other communist countries. But some hard-liners thought the prime minister too moderate, so another coup in 1983 put him under house arrest. Grenadians protested, the prime minister was freed, then recaptured and executed. Thats when the U.S., along with a small military contingent from other Caribbean islands, invaded.

So-called Operation Urgent Fury meant to prevent communists from gaining another foothold in the region. The United Nations, along with the governments of Britain, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, protested. The U.S. rationalized it had an interest in rescuing roughly 600 U.S. medical students on the island to avoid another Iran hostage crisis.

Less than two months later, it was all over, and elections the following year restored democracy. The date of the invasion, Oct. 25, became a national holiday known as Thanksgiving Day.
| BY Ricki Green |

What is the collective noun for a group of drones? A flock? A watch? A sentinel? A guardian as it turns out. Today sees the launch of A Guardian  a glorious drone-shot film for charity Over&AboveAfrica, using collective nouns to romance the beauty of animal groups across Africa. But at the same time highlighting their vulnerability to poaching gangs.

The film is made by an international team of creatives led by former Wieden+Kennedy, 180 Amsterdam and DDB New Zealand veteran, Andy Fackrell, who has recently left R/GA LA to return to Amsterdam. The film is thoughtfully directed by another ex-180 Amsterdam creative, Sam Coleman at Giant Films in Cape Town.

The genre of animal collective nouns act as the narrative thread in this emotional rollercoaster of a film for Los Angeles-based OverAndAboveAfrica, a charity that raises funds to support people and organizations in Africa who are actively preventing extinction.

A 90-second, drone-shot film is leading the charitys initiative to supply drones to game reserves to help them win the war against poaching. Drone technology is proving to be a savior for Africas endangered animal groups. Drone surveillance increases the survival chances by up to 80%, according to a pioneering group of conservationists, entrepreneurs and researchers called Air Shepherd.

From dawn to dusk, the film presents a series of swooping aerial shots of animal groups, each titled with the respective collective nouns  a pride of lions, a wobble of ostrich, an implausibility of gnu, etc.  before tracking a gang of poachers on the drones night vision camera.

A recent report states that 83% of wild mammals have been lost to human civilization; yet we make up just 0.01% of the Earths biomass. With African elephant numbers dropping 9% per year, its a battle that has become a crisis, starkly evidenced by the slaughter of 90 elephants over the last two months in Botswana.

Says Kerry David, founder, OverAndAboveAfrica: Its a slaughter. Every day is a tech-war between heavily armed, well organized, skilled poachers and our courageous, but often ill-equipped rangers. Dropping our guard can mean the loss of whole herds.

Says Fackrell, on working with director Sam Coleman: This is such an issue  economic, as well as emotional  Sam had no problem convincing Cape Towns industry to get behind it, as my old colleague Shannon Worley did with RPS in LA.

Italian composer Ezio Bossos Under The Trees Voices perfectly underscores the films emotional message.

Adds Fackrell: Were also very appreciative for Sony Music Italy on their generosity with the track.

For now, drone technology has become the surprising guardian in the race to save animal lives across Africa.

Client: Over&AboveAfrica:

Title: A Guardian.

OAAA Founder: Kerry David

OAAA Executive Director: Jennifer Pfister

Creative: Andy Fackrell

Producer, Nice Kitty Films: Shannon Worley

Art Director: Mariya Munsey

Giant Films, Cape Town

Director: Sam Coleman

Executive Producer: Cindy Gabriel

DOP: Devin Tosselli,

Producer: Boris Vossgater

Production Manager: Nella Coetzer

Editor: Matthew Swanepoel

Wardrobe: Izolina de Vasconcelos

Drone Pilot: Carl Nicholl

RC Plane Pilot: Wayne van Rooyen

Production Assistant: Bobby Kamnga

Drone Camera Operator: Simeon Hamman

Grade: Nic Apostoli

Online: Charmaine Greyling

Location: Richard Brooker/Glen Afric

Rock,Paper. Scissors, Los Angeles.

Editor: Adam Pertofsky

Assistant Editor: Marjorie Sacks

Post Production: A52, Los Angeles

Music licensing: Aaron Mercer, Wool & Tusk
POTTSTOWN  Once the stomping ground of everything from horses and buggies, to streetcars to, cruisers, High Street will be given over to ghouls, goblins and all manner of colorful characters for a few hours Tuesday.

Thats when the Pottstown Community Halloween Parade, comprised of floats, fire engines, marching bands and about 350 children in their finest costumes, starting at 7 p.m.

The event is sponsored jointly by the Rotary Club of Pottstown, the American Business Club (AMBUCS), and the Pottstown Parks and Recreation Department.

The costumed kids (and a few adults who never grew up) will be accompanied by the Pottstown and Pottsgrove High School and Middle School Marching Bands as well as the Boyertown Alumni Band.

The Phillie Phanatic will also make an appearance.

The rain date of Thursday, Oct. 25.

There will be a variety of decorated floats from local community groups and many fire engines. Prizes will also be awarded to the best floats. Further information can be found at www.pottstown.org, the borough website.

Beginning at 6 p.m. children dressed in costume will be judged in the parking area behind the Goodwill Fire Company located at High and Bailey streets.

Prizes will be awarded in the following categories: Prettiest, Scariest, Most Original, Best Halloween Theme, and Best TV/Movie Character.

Financial support is provided by the Rotary and AMBUCS Clubs and their members, Pottstown Department of Parks & Recreation, Pottstown Hospital-Tower Health, Sanatoga Grange and Stichter Lodge.

Contributions have also been received from other members of the community. Additional donations may be sent to the Rotary Club of Pottstown, P.O. Box 227, Pottstown, PA 19464.

Checks should be made out to the Pottstown Rotary Community Endowment Fund (PRCEF) a 501(c)3 Foundation. Contributions are tax deductible.
Is the U.S. experiencing an epidemic of loneliness? George Will, citing a book by Sen. Ben Sasse argues that we are. Sasse contends, in Wills words, that Americans are richer, more informed and connected than ever  and unhappier, more isolated and less fulfilled.

I havent read Sasses book, but Wills summary of it leaves me skeptical. How do we measure loneliness? Will notes that in the last quarter of the 20th century, the average number of times Americans entertained at home declined almost 50 percent. But is this evidence of an increase in loneliness or a decrease? One can argue that a decrease in entertaining at home means that people feel less lonely  if they felt more lonely they would entertain at home more, there being few if any obstacles to doing so.

Will also notes the increase in deaths by drug overdoses. But increased loneliness is far from the only possible explanation. Increased stress and decreased spirituality are among the other possibilities.

Based on Wills presentation of Sasses thesis about loneliness, it seems the Senator is relying in part on his complaints about obsessive use of social media and the rise of tribalism in politics. These may be valid grievances, but I agree with Yuval Levin that its important to treat the question of whether loneliness is getting worse in America as an empirical one, to the extent possible.

Levin informs us that the Joint Economic Committee in Congress recently published a paper on the subject of loneliness that tries to do just that. It concluded that more evidence is necessary to answer the question of whether loneliness has increased, but the evidence that does exist should give us serious pause:

The discussion of loneliness has suggested to media consumers and policymakers that it is an epidemicthat loneliness has increased substantially in recent years and is a pressing problem in need of urgent attention. These claims, however, are based on a flawed interpretation of the research literature. In fact, there is little evidence that loneliness has increased.

Again, I agree with Levin who concludes:
The Babylon Bee bills itself as a Christian satire site. It is quite funny, and this tweet made me laugh out loud:

Mafia Requests To No Longer Be Called 'The Mob' Because Of Negative Association With Political Activistshttps://t.co/k5SIjvqCxi pic.twitter.com/vU1wao1d6V  The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) October 17, 2018

Heh. The Mafia has its faults, but lets not confuse it with the Democratic Party!
The Washington Post decries what it calls a whispering campaign to smear Jamal Khashoggi that is designed to protect President Trump. The whisperers are hard-line Republicans and conservative commentators. The latter are writing articles critical of Khashoggi (which means they are not whispering). The former are privately sharing the articles (which, I had thought, is how articles typically are shared).

The Posts Robert Costa and Karoun Demirjian provide no evidence that the criticism of Khashoggi it denounces is designed to protect Trump. More likely, the criticism is intended (1) to present a more balanced assessment of the man than that being peddled by biased outlets, especially the Post (see below) and (2) to discourage policymakers from doing a complete about-face in Middle East policy based on the murder of one man.

The killing of Khashoggi is horrific and worthy of a response. It should not be the defining element of U.S. policy in the region.

The Post also errs in claiming that resistance to the lionizing of Khashoggi comes exclusively from the hard right. My criticism (directed primarily at the Post for hiring Khashoggi) relied on reporting by the New York Times. Here is what that hard-line, Trump-protecting paper said about the Posts man in an article called For Khashoggi, a Tangled Mix of Royal Service and Islamist Sympathies:.

His attraction to political Islam helped him forge a personal bond with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. . . . Several of his friends say that early on Mr. Khashoggi also joined the Muslim Brotherhood. Although he later stopped attending meetings of the Brotherhood, he remained conversant in its conservative, Islamist and often anti-Western rhetoric, which he could deploy or hide depending on whom he was seeking to befriend. . . .

Khashoggi probably did a decent job of hiding his anti-Western rhetoric when he sought to befriend the Washington Post. How hard he had to work at this is another question.

The Times also reports that several Muslim Brothers said this week that they always felt he was with them but many of his secular friends would not have believed it. Thats a benefit of hiding ones Islamist and anti-Western rhetoric.

The Times characterizes Khashoggis espousal of democratic values as a reinvention of himself. I think thats a polite way of questioning Khashoggis sincerity.

Im not suggesting that Khashoggi didnt want democratization in Saudi Arabia at this time. The ruling family opposed Khashoggis anti-western, anti-Israel positions, and he was very much on the outs, politically. Democratization in this context could only have served his interests.

But this didnt make Khashoggi a genuine democrat, any more than his pal Erdogen is. I doubt an Islamist can be a genuine democrat.

Finally, lets emphasize that if anyones motives regarding Khashoggi should be questioned, its the Washington Posts. He wrote columns for that paper and, apparently, was a friend of some of its important players. This presents obvious difficulties when it comes to writing objectively about Khashoggi, his death, and what the U.S. should do about it.

The Post is also firmly anti-Trump. It attacks the president relentlessly.

Combine these two factors and its easy to see why Costa and Demirjian wrote a piece that simultaneously demonizes those who criticize Khashoggi and blames the whole thing on a desire to protect Trump.

UPDATE: Ben Weingarten, writing for The Federalist, asks: Why Is Khashoggi Being Made The Defining Issue Of U.S. Foreign Policy? He answers the question persuasively, I think.
 You may have heard that outgoing UN Ambassador Nikki Haley killed it at the Al Smith dinner this week, especially with her quip that I get it, you wanted an Indian woman, but Elizabeth Warren failed her DNA test. Boom! In any case, heres the whole 15 minute speech, which works pretty well I think. Nikki 2024!

 Not sure whether Ill be able to get this weeks Power Line podcast posted over the weekend as usual, because I have lost my voice! A nasty early season case of bronchitis will do that. Im working on a backup plan that involved hacking the HAL9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey, or maybe digging up voice tracks from Max Headroom, but stay tuned.

In the meantime, may I recommend a couple of good new podcasts from friends of ours that are worthy of a listen. First, as is well known, conservatives are weak on culture and film, but Titus Tichera has launched a terrific podcast on modern film that you can find on SoundCloud. He has great conversations with some of our favorite people (like John Marini on John Ford westerns, and last week Terry Teachout on some old Bogart movies).

And Im also delighted to see my pal Melanie Marlowe (featured once as our empowered feminist at the end of one of our Saturday Week in Pictures) has launched a new national security themed podcast called Net Assessment (hosted by the War on the Rocks folks), along with guest hosts Bryan McGrath of the Hudson Institute, and Chris Preeble of the Cato Institute. This episode covers the implications of Vice President Mike Pences important recent speech about China.

 Our readers should be familiar with American Greatness, but you now should add to your regular blogroll a new, high-quality essay-form web venture from our friends at the Claremont Institute, The American Mind. The title, of course, is meant to recall the phrase from Thomas Jeffersons 1825 letter to Richard Henry Lee about the Declaration of Independence, which Jefferson said was above all intended as an expression of the American mind.

Ryan Williams, the Claremont Institutes president, explains the new site here, and just in their first week theyve already published some essays getting wide notice, such as the exchange between some of the sites own editors on Why Conservatism Failed. Welcome to the cyber-pool, American Mindthe water (especially the fire water!) is just fine.

 Finally, today is Russell Kirks 100th birthday, and the Kirk Center has a rolling program of observances going on, as does The New Criterion, which is having a conference on Kirk today, whose papers will be published in the January 2019 issue. MeIm styling today with my new Russell Kirk coffee mug, which you can get by becoming a supporter of the Russell Kirk Center.

JOHN adds: Yikes! My only comment is, Ms. Haley looksgood.
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The New "FREEHOLD" Development in the District 28 Region of Singapore will Feature a Variety of Floor PlansSINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / October 19, 2018 / The founders of Belgravia Villas (Phase1- Fully-Sold out) are pleased to announce the upcoming Phase2 launch of a new condo development called Belgravia Green. This freehold condo will be located in Ang Mo Kio Ave 5 off Belgravia Drive which is in the District 28 area of Singapore.To learn more about Belgravia Green, which is expected to open soon in October 2018, please visit https://belgraviagreenvillas.com/.As a spokesperson for the new condos noted, the first phase of the Belgravia Villas was incredibly popular and completely sold out in a short period of time. The villas were so successful, the developers decided to build and launch a second development called Belgravia Green.The spacious development will come with a total number of 10 Semi-Detached and 71 Terraces or Strata Houses, with 32 Corner Terraces and 39 Intermediate Terraces, the spokesperson noted, adding that there will be 67 units with lifts and 14 units without lifts. Each house will have two parking spots. Click here: Belgravia Green Prices for information on affordable prices."Buyers or Future owners of Belgravia Green are promised top quality furnishes with the best designs, and a functional and practical layout of the units," the spokesperson noted, adding that the condos will be close to shopping, restaurants and major expressways.Belgravia Green will also offer condo owners a number of attractive amenities, including a beautiful swimming pool complex."Owners will be welcomed into a spacious foyer which leads to a courtyard and water feature, which adds a class of its own to the ambiance of the building," the spokesperson noted."The main swimming pool has two side by side sculptures which lead the way to the adjoining pool, coupled with cascading water features which are strategically positioned to soothe the tired resident's senses after office hours and to offer an experience back home."About ERA Real Estate Agency and Belgravia Green:ERA Real Estate Agency is the marketing agency for Belgravia Green, a new freehold condo being launched in District 28 off Belgravia Drive. Alfred Lee, (90992248), who has been in Real Estate business for almost 10 years, welcomes people to check out the website at https://belgraviagreenvillas.com/ or visit us in person at our Belgravia Green Showflat to learn more about the Belgravia Green Prices and Floor plan details. Contact:Alfred Leesales@ belgraviagreenvillas.com90992248SOURCE: ERA Real Estate Agency and Belgravia Green
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SALTILLO, MEXICO / ACCESSWIRE / October 19, 2018 / Grupo Industrial Saltillo, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: GISSA; BMV: GISSAA) ("the Company", "GIS", "GISSA") announced that it will hold its Third Quarter 2018 Conference Call in English on Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. Mexico City Time / 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, which will be presented by Mr. Jose Manuel Arana - Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Jorge Mercado - Chief Financial Officer and Mr. Saul Castaneda - Head of Investor Relations. GISSA will report its Third Quarter 2018 Earnings on Tuesday, October 23, 2018 after the market closes.The conference call can be accessed through the following numbers:001-800-514-6145 (Mexico Toll Free)1-877-830-2576 (U.S. participants) 1-785-424-1726 (International participants)Passcode: GISLink for presentation only (slides with no audio); participate in the conference call via telephone: https://webcasts.eqs.com/saltillo20181024/no-audioLink for conference call via webcast only (live stream of audio and slide presentation): https://webcasts.eqs.com/saltillo20181024Conference Replay:A replay will be available on October 24, 2018 at 2:30 p.m. MCT for 7 days or at GISSA's website.1-844-488-7474 (U.S. participants)1-862-902-0129 (International participants)Passcode: 10109212About Grupo Industrial SaltilloGrupo Industrial Saltillo manufactures and commercializes auto-parts (iron or aluminum foundry and machining), Construction (water heaters, pipe fittings, ceramic and porcelain coverings) and Houseware (tableware and kitchenware products) Sectors.Grupo Industrial Saltillo brings together the talent of 8,000 employees in 25 production units, with operations in Mexico, Spain, the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, and China; as well as market and distribution presence in the USA.For additional information visit www.gis.com.mx or contact:Jorge MercadoCFO Tel: +52 (55) 5279-9614 jorge.mercado@gis.com.mxSaul Castaneda Head of IRTel: +52 (55) 5279-9623 saul.castaneda@gis.com.mxMelanie Carpenter i-advize Corporate CommunicationsTel: +1 212-406-3692/94mcarpenter@ i-advize.comSOURCE: Grupo Industrial Saltillo, S.A.B. de C.V.
| BY Kim Shaw |

The One Club for Creativity, the foremost global nonprofit organization recognizing creative excellence in advertising and design, is now accepting applications for its next exclusive Executive Creative Summit, taking place on November 29-30, 2018 at the NewWerktheater in Amsterdam.

The Executive Creative Summit-Amsterdam brings together a select group of top-level industry leaders from around the globe to discuss the issues far beyond the scope of creativity that affect their businesses, providing a rare opportunity for the exchange of productive ideas in a confidential setting. Speakers focus on a particular topic, followed by Q&A and open discussion with all attendees.

Among the industry leaders scheduled to lead sessions are Sir Martin Sorrell, executive chair, S4Capital in conversation with Victor Knaap, Main Monk and CEO, MediaMonks; Susan Credle (pictured), global CCO, FCB and chair of The One Club; Anna Qvennerstedt, global executive chair, Forsman & Bodenfors; Stephane Xiberras, president/CCO, BETC; Glenn Cole, creative co-chair, 72andSunny; Ian Tait, ECD, Wieden+Kennedy London; Femke Bartels, global managing director/partner, THNK School of Creative Leadership; Philippe Meunier, CCO, Sid Lee; Dinesh Sonak, Managing Director, ADCN | Club for Creativity and Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity.

The summit, presented in partnership with ADCN | Club for Creativity, the Netherlands, and GWA, Germany, is limited to just 75 attendees to ensure productive two-way conversations. Due to the exclusive nature of the event, attendance is reserved for agency founders, CCOs and managing partners. Attendees will represent a diverse range of leaders from both independent agencies and global networks, including members of The One Club for Creativity Board of Directors.

Says Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club for Creativity: The Executive Creative Summit is designed to foster open dialogue between top creatives who started agencies, run creative departments and manage the business side of a creative agency. The summit is the industrys only forum for these leaders to discuss their greatest business challenges in a confidential setting, and serves as a support network for them to exchange ideas and help each other navigate through those challenges.

In order to generate frank discussion, a strict closed-door format will ensure the highest level of confidentiality. No live streaming, no recordings, no press, no pitches, no tweets or other social media posts are allowed. Our entire focus is to foster intimate and honest conversation with some of the most successful creative professionals in the industry.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-19 04:02:05

Heilind Asia Wins the Best Connectors & Electromechanical Products Distributor Awards

Heilind Asia Pacific

Sarah Luo

sarah.luo@heilind.com

Heilind Asia won the 4th edition EM Best of Industry 2018 - The Best Connectors & Electromechanical Products Distributor Awards from Electronics Maker in Bengaluru, India on September 26th.

EM Best of Industry Awards is organized by Indias leading electronics magazine  Electronics Maker well known in the industry for the last 20 years. The award honors leading performers in the industry Best Individual Contributors, Organizations that drive the industry forward, and provide them with a platform to showcase their achievements & product successes. The result of this selection is based on public voting and Electronics Maker experts evaluation.

As a well-known interconnect and electromechanical distributor in North America market, Heilind Asia bases on the domestic business and looks to the global market from 2012 when first entered APAC. Heilind Asia provides the operations on the ideals of deep inventory, flexible policies, responsive systems, knowledgeable technical support and unsurpassed customer service; it is these philosophies that have made Heilind Asia move forward fast.

We are very honored to receive the Best Connectors & Electromechanical Products Distributor Awards from Electronics Maker. With the worlds second largest population of more than 1.2billion, millions of internet users, our market potential in India is enormous. Heilind provides a high quality, flexible and responsive resource that can shorten lead times, consolidate SKUs, reduce manufacturing & handling costs, and improves inventory performance & response to manufacturing, which delivers multiple customer benefits. I believe more and more customers need our service on products and solutions, we will continue to carry forward our strengths and bring the core values of distributors to the industry. said Mr. Vinod Shekhar, Heilind Country Manager (India).

Heilind supports both original equipment and contract manufacturers in all market segments of the electronics industry, stocking products from the industrys leading manufacturers in 25 component categories, with a particular focus on interconnect, electromechanical, fastener/hardware and sensor products.

About Heilind Electronics:

Founded in 1974, Heilind Electronics, Inc. (www.heilind.com) is one of the world's leading distributors of connectors, relays, switches, thermal management & circuit protection products, terminal blocks, wire & cable, wiring accessories and insulation & identification products. Heilind has over 40 facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mainland China.

Heilind Asia Pacific (www.heilindasia.com) commenced operations in Dec 2012, and now has 20 locations throughout Asia. Its industry leading service offering to customers in Asia Pacific is the result of a commitment to the belief of Distribution As It Should Be. Learn more at www.heilindasia.com and on Facebook, WeChat, Weibo and Twitter.

About Electronics Maker:

Electronics Maker (EM) is a monthly magazine in the field of electronics published by EM Media Pvt. Ltd., Delhi, since 1996 under the license of RNI, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. It is one of the most dynamic and vibrant monthly electronics magazines of post liberalization era. At present it has readership in the range of over three lakhs per month, which is growing at a very rapid rate of 10%- 20% per annum. Nearly 50% of the readers are at decision-making levels more than 80% of the readers are qualified Electronics professionals.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181018005
PR-Inside.com: 2018-10-19 07:01:03

The Board of Telia Lietuva, AB (hereinafter Telia Lietuva or the Company) approved unaudited Telia Lietuva, AB Consolidated Interim Financial Statements, prepared according to International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union, for the nine months period ended 30 September 2018.

Third quarter of 2018*:

- Total revenue amounted to EUR 96.4 million, up by 6.7 per cent over restated revenue of EUR 90.4 million in the third quarter of 2017.

- EBITDA, excluding non-recurring items, was EUR 33.9 million, an increase of 3.2 per cent over restated EBITDA, excluding non-recurring items, of EUR 32.9 million in the third quarter of 2017.

- Profit for the period was EUR 16 million, up by 10.9 per cent over restated profit of EUR 14.4 million a year ago.

First nine months of 2018*:

- Total revenue amounted to EUR 279.7 million, up by 3.6 per cent over restated revenue of EUR 269.9 million for the nine months of 2017.

- EBITDA, excluding non-recurring items, was EUR 95.7 million, an increase of 5.9 per cent over restated EBITDA, excluding non-recurring items, of EUR 90.4 million for the nine months of 2017.

- Profit for the period was EUR 41.2 million, up by 14.8 per cent over profit of EUR 35.9 million a year ago.

- Free cash flow amounted to EUR 32 million (EUR 31.3 million a year ago).

Management comment:

During the third quarter we closed one chapter of pay-TV history in Lithuania  terminated provision of digital terrestrial (DVB-T) television to our customers, and lifted it up to another level by offering award winning HBO content on our IPTV platform. Successful launch of converged IPTV over LTE service in June of 2018 was a bridge for smooth transition from outdated terrestrial TV rebroadcasting to interactive and modern IPTV experience even in remote and rural areas.

Another change that occurred in August was a facelift of our pre-paid mobile communication service brand Ezys and simplification of pre-paid payment plans to suit the real needs of our customers  just services that are required. And as a result, we stopped the decline in number of pre-paid service users that we had experienced during the last years.

Cooperation of three major telecommunications operators in Lithuania is finally bearing fruit  the Beta version of the instant mobile payment platform MoQ created by Bite Lietuva, Tele2 and Telia Lietuva was successfully launched in August 2018. More than 30 thousand customers already downloaded the application and could use it for instant settlements at more than 700 locations (shops, cafes, gas stations, etc.) and at majority of the on-line shops in Lithuania.

Innovative converged solutions such as hybrid-type Internet and IPTV over LTE together with Super VDSL (S-VDSL) not only prevent the churn of customers of outdated technologies, but provide the customers with the modern experience and broader possibilities. Almost 25 thousand of our customers are already enjoying higher speed, more data and more TV content by taking an advantage of unique on the market converged offer Telia One.

In spite of tough competition, over the last twelve months we managed to increase the number of our customers:

- Number of IPTV users increased by 11.3 per cent up to 227 thousand,

- Number of post-paid service users grew by 5.9 per cent up to 1,120 thousand,

- Number of FTTH Internet customers rose by 5.4 per cent up to 273 thousand.

In general, the third quarter was the best in 2018 in terms of both revenue and profitability. Over the year:

- Revenue from equipment sales grew by 18 per cent,

- Revenue from mobile services was up by 12.3 per cent,

- Revenue from TV services increased by 10.1 per cent.

We continue to invest into expansion of fiber-optic and 4G networks to ensure connectivity and high speed of data transmission all over the country. During the nine months of 2018, in total EUR 33.1 million or 28.8 per cent more than a year ago was invested into mobile and fixed networks. The Company has already started preparations for the 5G era.

On 3 October 2018, Lithuania joined European Commission's initiative Diversity Charter. Following a sustainable development strategy, Telia Lietuva was one of almost 30 Lithuanian companies that signed the Charter. By signing the Charter Telia Lietuva commits to promote diversity and equal opportunities at the workplace.

* Note. Starting from 1 January 2018, the Company adopted International Financial Reporting Standard 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (IFRS 15) and to compare financial results for the year 2018 with financial results a year ago the Company restated financial data for the year 2017. An effect of restatement of financial data for the 9 months period of 2017 was as follows: total revenue was reduced by EUR 233 thousand, while total operating expenses were increased by EUR 598 thousand, having a total negative effect of EUR 831 thousand on EBITDA and EBIT.





ENCL.:

- Telia Lietuva, AB Consolidated Interim Financial Statements for the nine months period ended 30 September 2018.

- Presentation of Telia Lietuva, AB Group results for the 9 months of 2018.





Darius Dziaugys,Head of Investor Relations,tel. + 370 5 236 7878,





Attachments
The trial of officials of oil giants Eni and Shell over the controversial Malabu scandal will resume Wednesday at the Milan Palace of Justice in Italy, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

The Milan courts decision came after Simon Taylor, a founding director of anti-corruption group, Global Witness, appeared before it as witness on Wednesday.

Mr Taylors Global Witness, together with PREMIUM TIMES and its London partner, Finance Uncovered, have for years done extensive investigations into the long-running controversial oil deal.

The Malabu deal, struck in 2011 under former President Goodluck Jonathan, saw the Nigerian government as a negotiator in the sale of OPL 245 oil block in offshore Nigerian waters.

Two international oil and gas giants, Royal Dutch Shell and Italian Agip-Eni, paid out about $1.1 billion to Dan Etete, a former Nigerian petroleum minister who had previously been convicted of money laundering in France. The payout would later become a subject of cross-border investigation spanning over six countries.

Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi and four ex-Shell managers, including former Shell Foundation Chairman, Malcolm Brinded, are on trial in one of the largest cases in the history of the oil and gas industry. All the accused have denied wrongdoing.

Two men named in the case  Emeka Obi, a Nigerian consultant in England, and Gianluca Di Nardo, an Italian  stood as middlemen in connecting parties and ensured the transfer of the funds through international bank accounts in the oil deal, prosecutors alleged. They were convicted last month in Italy.

At the Milan court on Wednesday, Mr Taylor appeared to explain how his organisations investigations over the last 25 years have shown that corruption is the glue that binds the exploitation of natural resources to conflict, environmental abuses and human rights abuses.

He also explained how he first heard about Malabu and OPL 245 in 2002 when Africa Energy Intelligence reported on their connection to Dan Etete. At the time, he said, there was an interest in looking into case studies of possible corrupt oil deals.

According to him, it was discovered there was a very large sum of money being paid for a Nigerian state asset that didnt go to the government so some questions had to be asked.

Mr Taylor also narrated how Global Witness started asking Shell questions in 2008, concerned whether Shell understood that dealing with Mr Etete would be problematic but the companys answers to questions in conversations and letters asking about OPL 245 were very general and didnt answer the specifics.

In 2012, he said, Global Witness emailed Eni after seeing court documents where Ednan Agaev, an intermediary, sued in New York for a payment he wanted from Malabu out of the OPL 245 deal. He said Global Witness would later attend the Eni shareholders meeting to ask questions about the deal, specifically whether they knew Mr Etete had an interest in Malabu.

After one of Eni shareholders meetings, he said, Eni offered to meet Global Witness and partners but later walked out after their General Counsel was asked to explain some concerns.

But after seeing documents from the Nigerian House of Representatives investigation into the case, he said, a journalist visited addresses of the companies that received the OPL 245 money and discovered they didnt exist or people there hadnt heard of the companies.

Mr Taylor also explained how Global Witness investigated the beneficial ownership of Malabu where it was suspected Mr Etete had an ownership interest hidden under the fake name of Kweku Amafegha, adding that there were letters from Department for Petroleum Resources managers saying that the OPL 245 deal was not in the public interest.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that no cross examination questions were asked by the defence and after few technicalities, the Wednesday proceedings ended. Court will resume next Wednesday 24th, this newspaper gathered.

Since 2012 when it first denied all allegations to PREMIUM TIMES, Shell had insisted that it only paid the Nigerian government for the OPL 245 oil block and did not know Mr Etete was the recipient or that he was an ex-convict.

But for the first time in 2017, Shell told the New York Times it had dealt with Mr Etete who awarded the OPL 245 oil block to his own secretly owned company, Malabu, while serving as petroleum minister from 1995-1998. But the oil company denied wrongdoing.

Several Nigerian government officials are believed to have received several million dollars in bribes for the enabling roles they played. Mr Jonathan, under whose watch the deal was struck, has also denied wrongdoing. The former president is not on trial over the long-running case.

Last week, PREMIUM TIMES reported that in a leaked internal memo seen by Reuters, Shell denied any connection between its officials and Messrs Obi and Di Nardo, the two convicted men.

I would like to be clear that neither individual worked on behalf of Shell and Shell was not a party to their fast-track trial, said Shells Legal Director, Donny Ching. The oil giant also said it expects the trial of its officials to drag for months.
Constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, on Thursday called on the Federal Government to recover over $100 billion royalties multi-national oil companies failed to remit to the Federation Accounts since 2014.

Mr Falana who spoke at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) in Abuja also alleged that crude oil valued at over $12.7 billion was stolen from the country between 2011 and 2014.

The lawyer lamented the huge losses to the country and asked the oil workers union to prevail on the anti-graft agencies, especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to probe these allegations with a view to tracing the funds and bringing the culprits to book.

He said the information obtained from the data on crude oil theft by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), would soon be made available to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other interest groups.

The NIMASA report revealed the value of money Nigeria lost from stolen oil at the point of discharge in one port at about $12.7billion, Mr Falana said.

He said since 2014, despite identifying the multi-national oil and shipping companies involved in the theft, the federal government has refused to take steps to recover the stolen money.

Besides, Mr Falana urged PENGASSAN and its affiliates, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to launch an independent investigation into the allegations.

Such investigations, he noted, would help track the volume of crude oil stolen from the country and discharged at ports in the United States, India, China, France and Britain.

He recalled similar losses the country suffered through the Halliburton scandal, saying the oil workers have a big role to play in ensuring the speedy recovery of the funds, particularly at a time the country is looking for money to fund infrastructural development.

Meanwhile, at the consultative forum on the medium term expenditure framework (MTEF) and fiscal strategy paper (FSP) 2019-2021 on Thursday in Abuja, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma, said the leaner N8.6 trillion budget in 2019 was due to low revenue projections for the year.

Mr Udoma told members of the organised private sector, civil society groups and the media government was planning to cut down on the level of borrowing in the budget from N1.6trillion in 2018 to N1.5 trillion, while the deficit component would equally be reduced from N1.9 trillion in 2018 to N1.6 trillion.

The Group Managing Director, NNPC, Maikanti Baru, in his speech underlined the importance of the continued collaboration between PENGASSAN and the other oil workers unions with the corporation.

Mr Baru noted the consistent involvement of PENGASSAN and other oil workers in the formulation of industry policies, particularly their recent inputs to the draft Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as well as their advocacy for a robust local content development.

Your roles are not only complementary to the effort to grow a virile and productive economy for the country, but they go a long way to demonstrate the high interest you have exhibited in the service of the industry and the nation. I can only add that you keep up your good work, Mr Baru said.
When Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie burst onto the global literary stage at the age of 26 in 2003, with her award-winning debut novel Purple Hibiscus, the world rallied around her. Fifteen years on, she has kept faith with that mandate by churning out two more award-winning novels, a collection of short stories and two treatises on feminism. She has worked so hard to earn the fame and status of a rock star, that people mill around her everywhere she goes.

This is not coming as a surprise as her works have been translated into over thirty languages across the globe. She has also, over the years, become a strong voice for feminism, sometimes receiving flaks from men in her home country, who believe she is taking feminism too far. But she is undeterred. Back home in Nigeria, she pulls the same stunt, as her novels are sold in the corridors of the vehicular traffic of cities, big and small bookstores, and about every other space in between, and her readings always attract a mammoth crowd, jostling to catch a glimpse of her and buy her books, and also for her to append her autograph to the purchased books.

So when the opportunity came for Nigerians to hear her speak recently at a press conference held in Angels and Muse in Ikoyi, Lagos, where she rebooted the international creative writing workshop she has midwifed for eleven years, they all came in droves.

Adichie was radiant in a sparkling white gown, wore confident smiles and a stylish coiffure that has become her wont. She spoke eloquently about feminism, her relationship with Chinua Achebe, her passion for the writing workshop that has produced over two hundred writers who have become award winning writers, editors and have excelled in various fields. Still, the importance of the workshop notwithstanding, it was an opportunity for the multiple award-winning writer to clear the air about whether Achebe had any role to play in her writing, aside just being one of her influences, and, perhaps, put to rest the ghost of the father of the African novel that seems to haunt her works. the relationship between the two writers, aside from the near-similarity in terms of style, structure and use of Igbo proverbs and idioms, was one of mutual awe and respect. After all, they lived in the same house in Nsukka, communed with the same spirits, though at different times.

Adichie said the programme, which has been renamed Purple Hibiscus International Writing Workshop, will be sponsored by Trace Nigeria and will continue to provide her the opportunity to contribute to the growth of the writing community in Nigeria. It will also serve as a platform for writers to learn from one another and from established writers: I have been so happy and proud to see many of the alumni of this workshop who want to do so many wonderful things  What is happening here is that people are being validated, that people are being made to understand that this thing they want to do matters. Every society needs its storytellers. Because if we dont have them, we lose something. We lose something in our souls, she said.

Adichie also spoke effusively on feminism as she engaged journalists who took her on what they believe is her own brand of feminism. She was quick to say that feminism is not only universal but also about equal rights and justice and bemoaned the fact that people have inadequate knowledge of what feminism is about and are therefore not engaging when an issue as important as womens rights is being discussed. But the high point of the conference came when a journalist, like the biblical Nicodemus, asked Adichie whether it was true, as the rumour went the rounds, that Achebe wrote some part of Purple Hibiscus.

Adichie who grew up in the same house on the university campus at Nsukka, where Achebe had lived with his family, before he relocated to the United State, saw it as the opportunity to rest speculations about her relationship with Achebe. She then rose to her own defence, saying she only met Achebe twice before the accomplished writer died, and that was after she had published her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun.

I met Chinua Achebe only twice in my entire life. And we had a conversation for a total of seven minutes. Because I had adored Achebe and his works my entire life. And his novels have meant so much for me, especially Arrow of God, which is just a beautiful work of art. And so the point of meeting him was not something I wanted because I was too much in awe of him, Adichie said.

Adichie also recalled that when her first novel was published, Achebe read it and told his son that he wanted to meet her. I was terrified. I was like No, no, no. The son gave me his phone number and said, my dad said you should call him. I said, No. What am I going to tell Achebe?

That fearlessness and audacity, which Achebe pointed out, has defined Adichies work and activism. It has made the world to see her as a writer who not only knows what she is about but is also ready to stand for what she believes in.

Adichie said the first time she met Achebe was at a public event in New York, where he was being honoured. I drew up to him. I was shaking a little. And I said Good evening, Sir. And he looked at me and said (mimics him), I thought you were running away from me. I couldnt look his face. And I was happy that other people came and started talking with him. I just used that opportunity to move away.

The multiple award-winning writer and feminist said the second time she met Achebe was at a luncheon in the House of Lords in England. And they had seated him opposite me. Throughout that moment my eyes were down. I did not want to look up to see Achebe because I was too shy. And at the end of the event, I walked up to him and bent down and said, Good afternoon. And he said, How are you? I said I was fine. He said, You make us proud. I nearly started crying and I left. And that is for the people who say that he wrote my book. Maybe he did it in the spirit world, Adichie said. That did not only draw a round of applause from the audience but also put an end to the Chimamanda Adichie/Achebe controversy.

It would be recalled that when Half of a Yellow Sun was about to be published, Adichies editor in the United Kingdom sent the book to Achebe, who wrote the following testimonial on the front cover: We do not usually associate wisdom with beginners, but here is a new writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie knows what is at stake, and what to do about it. She is fearless, or she would not have taken on the intimidating horror of Nigerias civil war, Adichie came almost fully made.

That fearlessness and audacity, which Achebe pointed out, has defined Adichies work and activism. It has made the world to see her as a writer who not only knows what she is about but is also ready to stand for what she believes in. My editor did not tell me she had sent the book to Achebe because she knew how much I adored him. She also said in case Achebe didnt get back or respond to her, she didnt want me to be disappointed, Adichie reminisced.

So rather than ask whether Achebe wrote parts of Purple Hibiscus, which was rather too simplistic and naive, the journalist should have asked whether the Eagle on the Iroko influenced her writing. And of course Adichie has always spoken about her love for Achebes works, how they have shaped her writing. But there was never any instance where the late writer said he helped Adichie write some parts of her novel. Rather the relationship between the two writers, aside from the near-similarity in terms of style, structure and use of Igbo proverbs and idioms, was one of mutual awe and respect. After all, they lived in the same house in Nsukka, communed with the same spirits, though at different times. This is not also about whether Adichie is stepping into Achebes shoes. There are no shoes to step on. Achebe has trodden his path; Adichie is also treading her own path, a path she has constructed herself through hard work, perseverance and tenacity of purpose. And that is instructive.

Nehru Odeh, a journalist, is the author of The Patience Of An Embattled Storyteller
A spokesman for the Moroccan government and parliament, says the countrys interest in joining ECOWAS stems from its desire to build strong South-South partnership.

The official, Mustapha El Khalfi, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing participants of the maiden News Directors Forum of the Atlantic Federation of African Press Agencies (FAAPA) in Rabat.

Asked by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) participant why Morocco, located in North Africa, should apply to join ECOWAS, he said: It reflects the vision of His Majesty, the King, to build strong South-South partnership and to bring our efforts together to deal with economic and social challenges.

He described the move as a project still ongoing within the institutions, stressing that the vision behind the move was to enhance our capacities to deal with economic and social challenges of the 21st century.

Moroccos application to join ECOWAS came after it re-joined the African Union (AU) in January 2017.

The country had left the continental body in 1984 following AUs recognition of Western Sahara, a territory that Morocco regards as part of its historic region.

The West African leaders, at the 51st summit held in June 2017 in Monrovia, Liberias capital, had agreed in principle to Rabats request to join the sub-regional grouping.

They, however, requested the ECOWAS Commission to consider the implications of such a decision pursuant to the provisions of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty and submit their findings to the 52nd session.

Moroccos efforts to join ECOWAS included 23 royal visits to 11 countries in West Africa by King Mohammed VI, with the signing of hundreds of investment contracts.

Morocco said these efforts had given a strong impetus to its bilateral cooperation with the sub-region.

ECOWAS comprises 15 West African Nations but none shares a border with the North African country.

Rabat drew criticisms from diplomatic veterans, activists and lawyers, who argued that the economic implication of Moroccos admission would be enormous.

They believe that Moroccos admission into ECOWAS would erode Nigerias diplomatic influence not only in the sub-region, but also in the international community.

A study on the impact of Moroccos membership was carried out and the outcome was submitted to the West African leaders at the 52nd summit in Abuja during which they failed to reach a conclusion after a long closed door session.

In a communique adopted at the end of the summit, they instead asked a committee of presidents of Togo, Cote divoire, Ghana, Guinea and Nigeria to supervise the thorough study of the implications of Moroccos accession. (NAN)
Cameroon Constitutional Council on Friday overruled a petition by Joshua Osih, candidate of leading opposition party Social Democratic Front (SDF) demanding the total cancellation of the October 7 presidential poll.

The rule brought to an end four-day long hearings of 18 post-electoral petitions, all of which were rejected.

During the last hearing that began on Thursday and ended on Friday, Mr Osihs lawyers argued that the election did not take place in the Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest due to security concerns.

All the laws regarding elections were disrespected in these regions.

No one was able to vote freely. We, therefore, call on the council to cancel the election totally, Mr Osih told the council.

The President of the Council, Clement Atangana, said Mr Osihs petition was admissible in form but his arguments were not justified.

It is clear from documents and debates that the October 7, 2018 election took place in the Northwest and Southwest regions where 32,729 and 57,084 voters took part respectively.

It is, therefore, clear that the count is unfounded. For the other counts, the problems raised have no influence on the results of the election. The petition of Joshua Osih, is therefore, rejected, Mr Atangana said.

Mr Osihs petition was the last to be heard by the Constitutional Council, which had earlier dismissed 17 other petitions mostly for lack of evidence and legal backing.

The ruling on the petitions now pave the way for the Council to proclaim the final results of the election, Barrister Jean Nkemgu, who took part in the hearings said.

We are now at a crucial phase in the democracy of our country.

Now that everybody (petitioners) has had his day in court, it is expected that they will all respect the final results that will be declared by the Council. Mr Nkemgu said.

According to the Electoral Code, the final results of the election are expected to be declared by the council by October 22.

(Xinhua/NAN)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Circulating Vaccine-Derived Polio Virus Type 2 (cVDPV2) has been discovered in Bauchi State.

Adamu Ningi, the WHO Bauchi State Coordinator, disclosed this at a meeting with the Emir of Bauchi, Rilwanu Adamu, and the Chairman, Social Mobilisation on Immunisation and Emir of Dass, Usman Othman, in Bauchi on Friday.

He said samples were collected from various locations on a monthly basis and it has been discovered that the polio virus type 2 was found at Gwallaga mosque area linking three wards of Makama B, Hardo and Dankade.

Represented by Khalid Abubakar, the state coordinator attributed the new strain to non-compliance to immunisation schedules.

In Bauchi LGA, only 52 per cent of children are fully immunised, 29 per cent didnt complete while 19 per cent have never been immunised.

The latest strain of the virus are from isolated environmental samples collected from Gwallaga mosque area, Obonna Royal Hotel refuse site, Shafa bridge and FGGC drainage.

The circulating vaccine derived polio virus is linked to the one earlier discovered in Hadejia, Jigawa State, he said.

Also speaking, the state chairman, social mobilisation on immunisation, said the state has been without any reported case of polio for over five years.

Mr Othman however regretted that it was unfortunate to record a new case despite efforts to prevent its resurgence from reported cases in Yobe and Jigawa states.

He noted that immunisation teams failed to report non-compliance cases in the past while supervision was poor.

The first class traditional ruler said the meeting was designed to engage the traditional institution and seek ways to contain the virus.

According to him, since the detection, WHO, UNICEF, the state government and traditional leaders have intensified efforts to check its spread.

In his remarks, the Emir of Bauchi emphasised the need for ward heads to always accompany house-to-house teams during immunisation plus days to avoid non-compliance.

While promising to support to eradicate the virus in his domain, Mr Adamu however charged governments and the general public to intensify environmental sanitation and close supervision.

Speaking earlier, Shakhawar Hossain, the UNICEF State Lead Communication Officer, said intense campaigns must be mounted and traditional leaders should be on ground to answer key questions on polio immunisation.

(NAN)
The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) says there is urgent need for countries to prepare for emergencies to prevent economic, human and other losses, especially as the region lost 7 billion dollars in terms of cost during the 2014 Ebola epidemic.

Stanley Okolo, the Director-General of the organisation, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) during the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) sub-committee meeting in Lagos on Friday.

The sub-committee meeting started on October 15.

REDISSE project is a regional project funded by the World Bank, covering all the 15 ECOWAS countries and Mauritania in five-year phases from 2016 to 2023.

The first phase covers three countries, including Guinea, Senegal and Sierra Leone, the second phase covers four countries of Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia and Togo.

Its implementation is in the third phase, covering four countries  Benin, Mali, Niger and Mauritania.

Mr Okolo said, I am challenging the 15 countries in West Africa to be ahead of the curve because those involved in epidemic and emergencies know it has huge economic problems.

We were involved in the 2014 Ebola epidemic and had nearly 7 billion dollars in terms of lost productivity, lost income, lost tourism and aid that came.

This nearly 7 billion dollars is probably only in cost; we are not talking of the nearly 12,000 brothers, sisters, children and women that died, we must not have that again, he said.

So, a lot of work is going on but what I am really charging us to do is get ahead and challenge each other; and also to our leaders, that they imbibe and acquire the models and tools so as to be prepared and fight diseases.

Our responsibility in our region is to make sure that countries are brought together, challenge them, give them support and promote the right things that will give us that epidemic preparedness.

Mr Okolo, a professor, added that: It is important to say that the first 48 hours in outbreak of any epidemic is critical and what is done then is dependent on how prepared you are within that 48 hours.

Epidemic responsibility is dependent on the easiness of preparedness and the system in each country; in other words, the preparedness in response depends on preparedness of each and every country.

So, we are looking at how our countries, individually, are setting up their system, their people in terms of surveillance in getting information from all the districts, all the public health communities and how they are analysing those information.

Also, how they have set up laboratories that will support the surveillance so that we can do the test to know when to suspect an illness.

The director-general said that the structure of REDISSE is important because through it, the World Bank gives loan at zero or very low interest.

It is trying to support our region so we dont have the problem we had in 2014, for us to be prepared.

Therefore, it is an opportunity for our region to get that preparedness in place.

On the measures that have been put in place to checkmate future epidemic outbreaks in the region, Mr Okolo said: The global community, physicians and everybody have learned the lessons from 2014.

That is why in a lot of these projects, governments like that of Germany, are supporting us in terms of preparedness and finances.

Also, in the region, we have set up super regional laboratories; 12 of them in West Africa for human reference analysis and another two is for veterinary.

We have veterinary because we are looking at it that sometimes too some of these diseases and epidemics come through animals.

We are also looking at how to train people, epidemiologists, to support the countries; we have 3,000 to support across West Africa.

These are part of the things we are talking about in boosting capacity in terms of human resources.

Mr Okolo underscored the need to improve on the lessons learnt from the 2014 Ebola epidemic, including poor disease surveillance infrastructure as well as poor information sharing and collaboration.

According to him, poor emergency response, inadequate financing and leadership are also take outs to be learnt from the 2014 Ebola epidemic in the sub-region.

Also, John Paul Clark of the World Bank said: This is our opportunity to discuss the challenges we face openly.

From this meeting, we will map out strategies to utilise the resources that will help WAHO.

We also seek to provide the technical support and assistance in more timely manner that will help the bank overcome some of the bureaucratic obstacles presently being encountered as well as streamline the procedures.

(NAN)
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on Thursday restated its stance that the fire incident that happened on System 2E pipeline network in Umuaduru and Umuimo communities in Abia State was caused by suspected oil thieves.

The corporation disclosed this in a statement signed by its spokesman, Ndu Ughamadu, late on Thursday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the explosion last Friday which caused the death of dozens of people; although different officials have given varying casualty figures.

Hours after the explosion, the NNPC had already blamed oil thieves for the incident.

Mr Ughamadu was replying to the claim by a senator, Theodore Orji, who said at the Senate on Wednesday that the explosion was caused by negligence on the part of the NNPC and the police.

The NNPC spokesperson said the allegation that negligence on the part of the corporation caused the fire incident was false.

He said the incident was triggered by suspected oil thieves who had hacked into System 2E pipeline network with a view to intercepting the flow of petrol from Port Harcourt to Aba.

The NNPC spokesperson explained that the presence of items such as jerrycans, among others, at the scene of the incident as contained in the preliminary report on the matter indicated that the activities of vandals in the area ignited the flame.

He regretted that incessant vandalism of pipeline facilities along System 2Ex Pipeline Right of Way (PROW) has led to the underutilisation of the Enugu Depot, saying that the breaches have prevented the corporation from pumping fuel into it.

Theodore Orji

He called on relevant government agencies to collaborate with the corporation to appropriately criminalise vandalism of oil facilities across the country, adding that host communities should also partner the NNPC to tame the scourge.

Mr Ughamadu prayed that God reposes the souls of the innocent ones that perished in the incident and warned members of the public against tempering with oil facilities which he described as inflammable.
The federal government has urged the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to accept the new minimum wage proposal, considering the capacity and ability of the government and the private sector to pay.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, made the call when he received the new Director-General of Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Timothy Olawale, on a visit to his office on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Ngige had a few days ago, while labour leaders were threatening to call out workers on a full strike over the minimum wage issue, announced that the federal government had offered N24, 000 to the workers.

But, the workers leaders countered, saying that N30, 000 was the amount agreed on by the tripartite-partner committee saddled with the responsibility.

The minister told the NECA DG that it was imperative for the unions to accept the proposed figure instead of the N30, 000 in line with social dialogue and the overall interest of the nation.

He appealed to NECA to weigh its influence on the unions to accede to the new wage offer mutually agreeable to all the social partners.

According to him, Nigeria cannot afford rounds of labour crisis in this country, so it is imperative for the unions to accept the new national minimum wage figure.

We need to arrive at a figure which the employers can afford to pay as an employee cannot fix a figure for the employer.

Rather, it must be based on collective bargaining and mutual agreement by the tripartite partners.

It is not a function of moving motions or voting at the National Tripartite Negotiation Committee to insist that the figure must be as the organised labour appears to make it look.

There is, therefore, absolutely no need to heat up the polity, he said.

He noted that the governments proposed new wage was based on critical facts and indices incapable of causing disequilibrium in the economy or upturning the national social order.

The minister further charged the new NECA boss to exceed the impressive record of his predecessor, reminding him that he had enormous task ahead of you.

The need for the establishment of more NECA offices across the country cannot be over-emphasised so that more employers associations can register with you.

This is in line with the focus of our labour administration as well as in tandem with the economic policies of the present administration.

The numerous private sector employers who are informal need to be brought on board the formalised private sector employers body, he said.

Mr Ngige,a former senator, urged NECA to ensure that private sector employers who were its members and those not yet registered but were defaulting in payment of the existing national minimum wage of N18, 000 complied with the law.

He also commended the efforts of the immediate past D G of the association, Olusegun Oshinowo, for contributing immensely to industrial peace and harmony in the private sector.

He lauded him for ensuring that Nigeria was brought back to the Governing Board of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)s employer section.

Earlier, Mr Oshinowo had said that his successor was the best man to take over the mantle of the leadership of the association.

He noted that since the formation of the group, a DG was for the first time sourced from the organisation.

Mr Oshinowo commended the minister for his open-door policy in spite of opposing positions they had had on issues in the past.

On his part, Mr Olawale, also lauded Ngige for the privilege of the visit and promised to live up to expectation.

(NAN)
The vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi, on Friday gave reasons he believe Igbos should support their ticket.

Mr Obi was recently named the running mate to ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar, who is the PDP presidential candidate.

The former Anambra governor, spoke in Enugu when he was hosted by the state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi

Mr. Obi told the governor that he was at the Government House to consult him and seek the usual support of the state, stressing that his candidacy was not about him as Peter Obi but the people of the Igbo nation and Nigerians at large.

So for me this nomination is about our own area. We cant continue to say we are not getting this or that or that we are marginalised, he said.

His statement and that of Mr Ugwuanyi was sent to PREMIUM TIMES by the Enugu governors office.

Read the full statement from the Enugu governors office below.

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Friday played host to the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi, describing him as an iconic son of Igboland, who has distinguished himself creditably in private and public dealings as a successful businessman and two-term former Governor of Anambra State.

Governor Ugwuanyi, who described the PDP vice presidential candidate as a formidable and trusted party man, warmly welcomed him and his entourage to the Government House, Enugu.

The governor noted that Enugu is a PDP state and appreciated the people of the state for the massive support they gave the party in 2015, expressing confidence that with their endorsement, the 2019 election will also end in praise.

He therefore, used the opportunity to congratulate the entire PDP family on the partys very successful and peaceful convention in Port Harcourt.

Earlier in his speech, Mr. Obi told the governor that he was at the Government House to consult him and seek the usual support of the state, stressing that his candidacy was not about him as Peter Obi but the people of the Igbo nation and Nigerians at large.

The PDP vice presidential candidate, who was accorded a warm reception at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, by the state government delegation and other teeming supporters of the PDP led by the partys chairman, Augustine Nnamani and Chief of Staff to the Governor, Festus Uzor, expressed delight that this is the first time in my political life that I am welcomed at the airport.

While applauding Gov. Ugwuanyi for his giant development strides in Enugu State, Mr Obi pointed out that the success of his nomination depends on the leaders of the South East geo-political zone, pledging to bring meaningful development to the zone such as the Enugu  Onitsha expressway, when elected into office.

His words: So for me this nomination is about our own area. We cant continue to say we are not getting this or that or that we are marginalised. These are some of the opportunities to re-address whatever we think is not in our positions.

I have served as governor, so people know a bit of my record. I am here to say to you (Ugwuanyi), I remain one of you. Everybody knows that I believe in Enugu. I believe this is our capital and it remains so.

Your Excellency, that is why I am here. I need your support and that of all of you. I assure that it is all about us and Nigerians, not about Peter Obi.

The vice presidential candidate later visited the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo, who welcomed him and noted how extremely happy he was to have him in audience at his residence in Enugu.

Mr Nwodo said that as a party, the PDP has responded to our yearnings and aspirations by reacting to our feeling of marginalisation at the top echelon of our leadership of our great country by nominating you to vie for the position of the Vice President of Nigeria.

The President General disclosed that the Apex Igbo body will very soon convene a meeting of the highest organ of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Ime Obi when all the political parties are to bring out their candidates and we will take a decision on what direction Igbos will take in the next election.

He extolled the leadership qualities of Mr Obi saying that your nomination is enchanting, your public conduct while you were a governor exemplifies you as a man of outstanding humility, adding: Your incorruptibility in government speaks volume. I look forward to when Ohanaeze will take a decision on which party the Igbos will vote for and I wish it will be you.
The Kaduna State Police Command on Friday said 55 people were killed in Thursdays communal crisis at Kasuwan Magani in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.

The State Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdur-Rahman, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Kaduna, said that the police had arrested 22 suspects in connection with the mayhem.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the Kaduna State Government on Thursday declared a 24-hour curfew on the community following the violence.

Mr Abdur-Rahman said mobile and conventional policemen as well as a team of the state joint security Operation Yaki, dispatched to the town had restored normalcy in the area.

According to him, he has also visited the town and engaged youth leaders, traditional and religious leaders in the efforts to stop the crisis and prevent its spread

He noted that the timely imposition of curfew by the Kaduna State Government also helped to douse tension in the area.

The police chief assured that all perpetrators of the mayhem would be brought to book

Anybody that has a hand in this crisis must face the full wrath of law, we will not allow lawlessness; we remain committed to saving life and property of every citizens, he said.

He appealed to the public to continue to live in peace, and assist the command with useful information to track the perpetrators.

Also on Friday, residents of Kasuwan Magani were charged to shun violence and learn to live in peace.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai gave this admonition on Friday when he visited the community following violent clashes between rival youth groups there on Thursday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the state government reacted to the disturbances by imposing a 24-hour curfew on the community.

In a statement on Friday by his spokesperson, Samuel Aruwan, the governor called on the residents to live in harmony, despite the religious and ethnic diversity of their community.

Mr El-Rufai assured residents that the government will prosecute those responsible for the violence in their community.

According to the statement, the governor led a team of senior government officials to Kasuwan Magani around 4 p.m. and immediately received briefings from Mr Abdur-rahaman.

He thereafter moved around the town, accompanied by traditional and religious leaders.

Following the tour, Mr El-Rufai interacted with the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI) in the local government area.

We are here to see and to listen for ourselves. We must live in peace and never use violence to solve a problem. We are not happy with this and government will pursue and punish those responsible for this devilish act, he said.

We must value the sanctity of life. I want to beg you to cooperate with the security agencies because prosecution of conflict entrepreneurs is inevitable. I will come back in one week time to see how things are.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a similar crisis in February left more than 10 people dead in Kasuwan Magani.

A total of 65 people alleged to have been involved in the February crisis were arraigned in court but the case is still pending.
Nigerian healthcare professionals who lived and worked abroad but are back have urged their colleagues still in the diaspora to come back and develop the nations health sector.

The returnees made this call at a conference organised by Nigeria Health Watch in Abuja on Thursday.

The theme of the future conference was The diaspora as Nigerias brain gain.

The conference was aimed at changing the narrative in the health sector where health workers are migrating from the country in droves.

In recent times, the narration in the national health sector is the mass exodus of Nigerian health workers especially doctors in search of greener pastures outside the country.

This has also affected the ratio of health workers to patients in Nigeria. Many have left due to poor remuneration, poor facilities and working condition, and job dissatisfaction.

In spite of this negative news, the returnees say they have come back to help improve the nations health system.

The conference also provided an opportunity to get firsthand narration from the returnees of their experiences abroad.

Speaking on his experience since he came back to Nigeria after years of practicing abroad, Olujimi Coker, the Chief Medical Director, Lagoon Hospital, Lagos said getting to settle and establish in Nigeria though can be challenging but is very rewarding at the long run.

Mr Coker who had spent over ten years aboard said coming back to settle in Nigeria after working abroad is not for the fainthearted.

He said irrespective of the challenges facing the health sector, there are still opportunities for those coming back to thrive.

Mr Coker said for doctors in diaspora who come into the country to lend their expertise and then go back is not a sustainable way of development.

Prof Olujimi Coker, Dr Ukwuori-Gisela Kalu, Dr Chumy Nwogu, Dr Fatima Kyari and Dr Atinuke Uwajeh at the future of health conference, Abuja

He said though it is good that the nation is working towards achieving Universal Healthcare Coverage, it is also very important to emphasise on quality healthcare as well.

There is a word missing for us in UHC, it should be universal (quality) healthcare coverage. We need to develop standards for our hospitals for Nigeria by Nigerians. It should also be an internationally accepted standard.

He also spoke of his unique experiences coming back.

 there will be dearth of referrals from colleagues, it was not like that when I was coming home for five years and taught in almost all major teaching hospitals. I had interfaced with almost all of them, they (colleagues) knew my skills and I have done difficult cases with them, but when I decided to come back and the referrals stop coming. It was different then because I was not seen as a threat, he said.

He said though for almost six to nine months, he was not doing what he wanted but eventually he overcame the challenges.

Another returnee, Atinuke Uwajeh, a consultant pediatrician who also spent about 20 years abroad said it was good to go outside the country get trained but when your training ends please come back and use if to contribute to the health system.

She said the country should no longer be talking about brain drain but brain gain especially from people coming in from abroad.

She also said many older and mature health workers who have been working abroad are preparing to come back home.

The reoccurring phase (from friends and family) was that we wish you are here in Nigeria. Because of that I made a very cautious decision to relocate to Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora, at the event, said the government is also interested in getting Nigerians to come back to the country.

Prof Olujimi Coker, Dr Ukwuori-Gisela Kalu, Dr Chumy Nwogu, Dr Fatima Kyari and Dr Atinuke Uwajeh at the future of health conference, Abuja

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa, who was represented by Badewa Williams, an educational therapist, said the Nigerian government is targeting over 200 investors at a maiden diaspora investment summit to be held soon.

She said the government is targeting sectors such as the healthcare, agriculture, education, hospitality and tourism, infrastructure and real estate, environmental remediation among others.

Though the Nigerians in diaspora are remitting over N22 billion into the nation through formal channels, the effect is rarely seen. At the end of the summit, we hope to come up with feasible and realistic investment plans and avenues for all diasporans coming to Nigeria, she said.
With thousands of clients across the world waiting for the most recent news on stock prices, and other financial news, Bloomberg realises that its survival and to a large extent those of its customers demands on its ability to produce the most accurate and timely financial news.

But with the explosion of social media and the accompanying information overload -many of them false and deliberately shared to mislead investors  Bloombergs clients pay premium for the news organisation to sift through the deluge of information and sources to provide them the most useful and correct financial news as they break.

During a tour to the Bloombergs headquarters in New York this month, the organisation told a team of foreign journalists that its secret for remaining in business was marshalling a combination of the most up-to-date technology and human judgement/knowledge.

Here at Bloomberg we have a deadline every second because there is so many inputs, there is so many places where information can come from. We have to be constantly monitoring sources from around the world not only from the Internet but from social media. Bloomberg filters out the noise and just gives news. We have the saying that if it is not true, it is not news. We dont print rumours. We do publish facts when stocks move as a result of a rumour, but we would not perpetuate unconfirm rumours, said the Marty Schenker, Bloomberg News, Chief Content Officer.

I do think one of the biggest challenges is verifying information so that investors so that investors can make sound decisions about where to put their money. And ultimately that is what the value of Bloomberg news is, he said.

We have reorganised our newsroom to make sure that all the information we get is useful to us, he added.

The need to be first on the news was also reiterated by the news organisations senior executive editor for breaking new, Chris Collins.

I think it is uniquely important to a company like Bloomberg we have thousands of terminal customers whose livelihood demands on us being first that means not necessarily being first on a scoop by a day or five minutes, it also means being first on every breaking news headline that might be market moving, even it is a split second that really matters to us, he said.

Due to the myriad of news sources and the unending demand for updates and context, relying on the traditional method of newsgathering  where reporters either wait for a press release or chase after a news source before turning in a copy in the evening  has now become obsolete.

A press release might drop in. They (reporters) would read the press release very quickly and then decide on what is important and then capture the information in some kind of flash headline or alert and from there write a quick story and that was literally how we used to handle a lot of the breaking news. And to some extent, you still need some of that. But, given the speed of the news cycle, given the volume of stuff that comes on a day to day basis you need more than just that, Mr Collins said.

He explained that that Bloomberg News has invested in state-of-the-art technology, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, commonly known as AI, to help accelerate its newsgathering and dissemination processes.

Some of the thing we have put in place to help with that process are technology related. You can have algorithms and computer systems that are designed to filter out some of the noise and allow the editors to focus on things that are coming in that are very important. You can have machine learning that is very helpful that can feed off the decisions the editor is making in the newsroom and learn from them and filter out some of the noise and focus on some of the stories that coming out that are important.

One of the things you can do with technology and artificial intelligence is have the machine identify what are the key metrics from certain releases, remove them from a press release or extract them from a announcements and piece them together into some kind of initial story or initial alert. That allows us to be much quicker to our audience and enables us to publish the news much faster. Another thing that allows us to do is to allow the journalist more time to think of the takeaways from these stories and the immediate insights it can add to our audience.

Gathering News On Social Media

Mr Collins said artificial learning and AI have been particularly useful in sifting through the news gathered from social media. He, however, admits that social media has also resulted in the proliferation of fake news and misinformation.

He said Bloomberg relies on the combination of AI and human intelligence to spot misleading information that thrive on social media.

The advent of social media has really moved the goal post on how you stay competitive in terms of social media. One of the things we did early on is to strike a deal with Twitter where we actually have the data field of tweets from Twitter available on the Bloomberg terminal to our customers, so they can monitor tweets. The advantage of that for our newsroom is that we are able to build tools around it. What happens is that if you have a daily avalanche of social media posts coming in, you can use technology to filter out the noise, use machine learning to recognise which ones might be important and which ones might not be important and use it to narrow down the flow.

What we have is a number of very experienced editors who will be looking at tweets when they come in from handles that we trust, from handles that we recognise and deciding whether or not they have news value and how we would be handling them.

When it comes to misinformation and fake news, whatever you want to call it, the critical way to handle this is to use technology to a certain extent. You can use technology to filter some of the noise based on patterns. You can use technology in some cases geo-locate where the tweet was sent from. So you know if there is a photo on Twitter and the tweet says it comes from a certain place, there are certain way of identifying whether thats true or not.

You can also use metadata in photo to know when was the photo or video taken, was it one that was taken yesterday or a year ago and obviously helps with this whole misinformation and how to deal with it and figure out if it is accurate or not. But often, what you need are editors and reporters with terrific judgement, who can look at a tweet, look at an announcement and make a decision of whether it rings true and I think that is difficult to replicate with technology.

There is a lot of technological thing we can do to fight misinformation but there is really no replacement for that kind of experience and judgement and really kind of home work that allows you to be able to tackle that kind of situation, he said.
The Police Command in the FCT has arrested Abubakar Abdullahi, 42, for allegedly impersonating as a staff of the State House under the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

Anjuguri Manzah, spokesman of the command, made the disclosure in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

He said the suspect was arrested on October 4 following a compliant by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

Mr Manzah said that his accomplice, Salishu Abdulrasheed, 24, who assisted him to produce the forged document was also arrested in Kaduna State.

He said that items recovered from the suspects include seven forged State House documents written to some government agencies and departments and a fake ONSA which contains the suspects photograph.

He said that following the arrest, the Commissioner of Police Monitoring and Mentoring Unit, carried out a discreet investigation that led to the recovery of some forged letters.

Mr Manzah said that the suspects would soon be charged to court.

He advised government and private agencies to always do a thorough background check on documents, especially on those soliciting for any kind of favour.

( NAN)
The National Economic Council (NEC) is working towards declaring a state of emergency in the nations education sector.

The deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, disclosed this to state house correspondents at the end of the monthly meeting of the council presided over by vice-president, Yemi Osinbajo.

All the 36 state governors are members of the council.

Mr Shaibu said a final decision on the matter would be taken at the next council meeting holding in November.

He said the council, at its Thursday meeting, received interim report from its ad-hoc committee on the revival of education in Nigeria.

The deputy governor said the committee recommended that all state governors should declare a state of emergency on education.

He said the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had on June 28, 2018, made a presentation on the National Education Policy, Prospects, Challenges and Way Forward to the council.

Based on the presentation, he said the NEC set up an Ad-hoc Committee on the Revival of the Education Sector in Nigeria, to review and submit recommendations.

He said, The Ad-hoc committee submitted an interim report to the council. The Committee observed that a multi-frontal approach is required to tackle the various factors militating against the achievement of the nations educational objectives in view of the multi-dimensional nature of the crisis in the education sector.

The committee strongly recommends that the Federal Government, states and local governments collaborate to vigorously implement, and sustain action on the 10 pillars of the Ministerial Strategic Plan developed by the Ministry of Education.

Among the areas of attention are: the issue of out-of-school children, promoting adult literacy and special needs education, reviving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and Technical, Vocational Education and Training, strengthening basic education, prioritising teacher education, capacity building and professional development, ensuring quality and access in tertiary education, promoting ICT in education, boosting library services in education etc.

The report asked all governors to declare a state of emergency in the education sectors of their respective states and demonstrate their commitment to revamping education.

Mr Shaibu said the committee recommended that the Federal Government and states should allocate a minimum of 15 per cent of their budgets to education in order to revolutionise the sector.

He said the governments were also advised to constitute special task force to manage the funds and oversee the infrastructural overhaul of selected schools for intervention across the federation.

Council decided that while the interim report is being reviewed by members of the council, a more detailed report be prepared and presented at the next NEC meeting when decisions would be taken on the proposed recommendations, he said.

Declaring state of emergency is at the basic and we must look at the indices that make up our challenges especially at the area of technology so the ministerial plan is for all the states and local government to key in, so that all will be on the same page.

It is not going to be one of those documents that will be kept aside, and we are all unanimous in addressing it and all the states have agreed on this, he added.

According to a report on Punch Newspaper, the deputy governor also talked about a report on States Gross Domestic Product computation for 11 states between 2013 and 2017 as presented by the National Bureau of Statistics.

He said the essence of the SGDP computation was to ascertain the sizes of the economy in states, how much state contribute to the nations economy, the sector which is best to invest in a particular state, the key sectors that can drive growth, create employment and generate tax revenue for states, and the sectors that need government intervention or support .

Mr Shaibu said the computation started in 2012 with seven pilot states: Rivers, Lagos, Gombe, Cross River, Kano, Anambra and Niger, following the expressed interests of states to measure their economic competitiveness over time, understand the structure of their economies and assess contribution to national output.

Council was invited to note that the NBS has completed the first phase of the SGDP exercise involving 11 states for the five-year period covering 2013-2017 across the 46 economic activities, he said.

He said the selected states accounted for N33.3trn in nominal GDP or 29.3 per cent of national GDP in 2017.

Data on states GDP is generally useful to support evidence-based policy making. Efforts are ongoing to complete the next phase of compilation for the remaining 25 states and the FCT.

According to him, the remaining states who are yet to pay are Abia, Adamawa, Benue, Borno, Imo Katsina, Kebbi, Kwara, Nassarawa and Plateau, noting that they will be included in 2019.

Similarly, the Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abubakar, said the issue of the new minimum wage was not discussed at the meeting.

He said, That was not discussed at the National Economic Council meeting.

Secondly, governors are part and parcel of the negotiation, the governors have not taken a decision either way because it is a negotiating process and it is still ongoing.

We are represented by six governors in the committee. It is a work in progress and I am sure we will get to the Promised Land.

The governor also said the federal government was right in placing conditions for the release of the final tranche of Paris Club refund.

The Federal Government was right in placing those conditions.
Ahead of the 2019 general election, the International Press Centre (IPC) held a workshop for journalists on the best media practices in convering the electoral process.

The two-day workshop on October 17 and 18 at Tahir Guest Palace Hotel, Kano was organised by IPC in collaboration with EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) to build a professional media as catalysts of democratic accountability, credible elections and good governance.

According to IPC, over 500 persons expressed interest to participate in this workshop but only 40 from different media organisations across the North of Nigeria were selected on merit.

The workshop targeted sharpening skills of participants in the professional and ethical reportage of democratic processes and elections as well as building the capacity of journalists to commit to professional, conflict-sensitive, citizen-focused, gender-focused as well as digital reporting of the 2019 elections.

In his speech read by Stella Nwofia, the programme manager, the Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, welcomed participants and launched the revised edition of the Nigeria Media Code of Election Coverage.

He thanked media partners who contributed to the development of the code, the International Press Institute (IPI) for providing the platform for the launch of the code and the European Union for supporting the production and dissemination.

Six papers were presented; four on the first day and two on the second day, by different speakers on critical aspects of covering and reporting the electoral process.

Umar Pate from the Bayero University Kano presented two papers titled, Conflict Sensitiveness and Avoiding Hate Speech As Imperatives in Reporting Elections Ahead of 2019; and Reporting Post-election: Paying Attention to the Issue of Democratic Accountability.

In the first paper, he said because the political season is usually intense, sensitive reports should be treated with caution or avoided.

In the other paper, Mr Pate stressed the need to place national interest, which connotes economic safety, absence of fear, threats or any other form of attack on the dignity, freedom and safety of Nigeria and Nigerians, first.

Martins Oloja, an editorial board member of Guardian Newspaper, presented a paper titled, Legal and Regulatory Frameworks for Reporting Elections: The Pitfalls to Avoid .

In the paper, Mr Oloja emphasised the need for journalists to be abreast of the laws guiding their profession and the constitution of the country which regulates the operation of journalists; pointing out some pitfalls to be taken note of or avoided.

While it is persuasive that good journalism can bring about change in laws, journalists should also note that the law affect how well they can function.

Therefore, legal education has become necessary even in global context as politically-exposed leaders are becoming more intolerant of press freedom.

Mr Oloja in his second paper titled According Ethics and Professionalism Deserved Priority in Reporting Elections in Nigeria, argued that professional integrity and journalism ethics are stronger than local laws.

According to him, facts may not necessarily be truth, so in doing a story the two terms should be treated individually and with care.

He spoke extensively on professional integrity, journalism ethics and standards with emphasis on primary themes common to most codes of journalistic standards as well as journalism and international laws.

The fourth presentation was by Moji Makanjuola, the Executive Director, International Society of Media in Public Health and Development. Her paper was titled Factoring Development, Social Welfare and Public Interest Issues into Reporting Elections in Nigeria.

A cross section of journalists during the training

In the paper, Mrs Makanjuola spoke on public interest with emphasis on objective of reporting election, audience, reporting election results and establishing personal contacts.

The paper focused on social development issues as they relate to election campaign promises ,issues on grassroots politics, conflicts and violence, etc.

In her second paper on, Promoting Gender and Women Issues in Election Reporting Ahead 2019, Mrs Makanjuola lamented the dismal percentage of women in elective and legislative office and the need to change that.

While advocating for a paradigm shift, she called on the media to support the institutionalisation of the culture of gender mainstreaming and gender equality by implementing gender-sensitive programmes, and monitoring of gender-mainstreaming progress.

Some of the participants later expressed joy to be part of the training as they all said they learnt a lot.

John Femi of Daily Newstimes said The training was quite interactive, educative and thought provoking..

Similarly, Gwamkat Lisa of FRCN, Plateau, said it was knowledge filled and has broadened my horizon on what to do and how to go about it particularly in the 2019 general election.

Joseph Olaoluwa of Nigerian Standard said he was leaving the training challenged and better.

The training has been truly rewarding. I was challenged and I am leaving here a better journalist equipped with skills to cover the 2019 election, he said.
The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has rejected the proposed 15 per cent mandatory budgetary allocation to education sector for both the federal and state governments.

The proposal was reached at the just-concluded National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja.

NANS National Public Relations Officer, Bestman Okereafor, said this in a statement issued to NAN on Friday in Enugu.

Mr Okereafor noted that the students body is standing by the 26 per cent United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) budgetary allocation (recommendation) on education.

According to him, NANS is, however, suggesting to the federal government to declare a national education conference where all stakeholders will bring positive ideas with which the sector can be revived.

The national education conference will help at bringing about the academic excellence spirit we, Nigerians, are known for, he said.

Mr Okereafor, however, appealed to all state governors to as a matter of urgency consider implementing the federal government directive on declaring state-of-emergency on education in their respective states.

We have no doubt that this radical decision will go a long way in reviving our education system as well as drastically reduce crime rates in our society especially among young Nigerians believed to be school drop outs, he said.

NANS considers this federal governments decision through NEC as prompt and best at this moment, considering the persistent calls by NANS, civil societies as well as critical stakeholders in the nations education sector on the need for a state of emergency in the sector.

Also, considering the deplorable conditions of primary and secondary schools in some states of the federation as well as some higher institutions of learning.

In most schools in many states, medical facilities are nothing to write home about as we have lost many Nigerian students to this.

Over population of students in classes is not also to be ignored; caused as a result of shortage in man power (teachers), lack of adequate welfare package for teachers, lack of conducive learning environments among several others, he added.

(NAN)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Friday secured the conviction one Haytham Aldahrah , a Lebanese who was arrested at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport while trying to board an Egypt Air flight to Cairo for refusing to declare the sum $105,000 and 65,000 respectively to the Nigeria Customs Service.

Upon his arrest, Mr Aldahrah declared the sum of $95,000 (Ninety Five Thousand Dollars) but a search conducted on him, revealed that he was carrying a further sum of $105,000 (One Hundred and Five Thousand Dollars) which he concealed from the authorities.

When the convict was arraigned on October 16, he pleaded not guilty to the two count charge but, two days later changed his plea to guilty.

In view of his latest plea, prosecution counsel Mohammed Gambo urged the court to convict him accordingly.

Haytham Aldahrah

Justice Allagoa granted the prayer of the prosecution and convicted the defendant on the two counts charge. The judge sentenced the convict to forfeit 50% each of the undeclared sum he was found with, that is $52,550 and 32,250 to Treasury Single Account of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 8:44PM

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced that it is establishing another artificial intelligence (AI) centre in Montreal, the second biggest city in Canada and home to one of the worlds fastest growing AI communities.

Todays announcement compliments earlier news of multiple AI centres launched in North America and continues Samsungs efforts in AI that include the development of Samsungs virtual assistant, Bixby. The centre is the fourth Samsung AI Centre to be established in North America following the centres launched in Silicon Valley, New York and Toronto.

The opening of the AI centre in Montreal will allow Samsung to expand its outpost for industry collaboration and talent recruitment in a major AI hub in Canada, dedicated to research and development of core AI technologies that entail machine learning, language, vision and other multi-modal interactions.

At the opening event, there were about 100 guests in attendance including Marc Garneau, Canadas Minister of Transportation; Philippe Tomlinson, mayor of Outremont and member of Montreals Development Commission; Seunghwan Cho, Executive Vice President of Samsung Research; Geunbae Lee, Head of Samsung AI Centre in Seoul and Larry Heck, Head of AI Centres for Samsung Research America.

By leveraging the power of AI in Samsungs products and services, we must focus on creating new values, never seen nor experienced before, said Seunghwan Cho. To do this, seven Global AI Centres, including the Montreal AI Centre, will play a pivotal role.

During the event, Samsung presented its future vision for AI as it aims to develop a highly personalized multi-device platform that empowers people to accomplish more in their lives. By providing multiple touchpoints where a user can interact with AI, not only through voice, Samsungs multi-modal interaction platform (voice, vision, screen, touch) will make experiences more relevant and personal in the future.

One key element that will move AI to being more widely adopted is multi-device systemsi.e., a variety of AI-enabled devices that communicate seamlessly with each other, said Dr. Heck. Samsung is uniquely positioned to be a leader in this regard. Its not just how each device uses AI, its how they use it together.

Key contributing factors for the location include the availability of key AI talent, including leading AI researchers at McGill University and the University of Montreal who have had longstanding relationships with Samsung. Greater Montreal has emerged as a powerhouse in AI research, housing 250 researchers and 9000 university students in related programs. Establishing an AI Centre in Greater Montreal also enables Samsung to better collaborate with regional start-ups and expand the current ecosystem.
Nigerian rights activists and groups have demanded an independent probe into the bribery allegation involving the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

Mr Ganduje appeared in a series of videos, receiving money in dollars alleged to be bribe amounting to about $5million.

The money was given by persons believed to be contractors to the state government.

The first set of at least 15 clips in possession of online-based Nigerian Newspaper, Daily Nigerian was published on Sunday afternoon by the platform.

The two minutes video was recorded in 2017 in what Daily Nigerian described as a sting operation aimed at beaming a spotlight on the governors alleged penchant for contract racketeering.

The governor has debunked the video as cloned and threatened a sweeping lawsuit against its publisher.

But PREMIUM TIMES graphics experts who examined the video corroborated the position of Daily Nigerian, which earlier said its internal and independent graphics analysts have authenticated the clips.

Activists react

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and the National Contact for Transparency International (TI), in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES, demanded an independent probe into the $5 million bribery allegation.

While we commend the effort and ability of the Kano State House of Assembly at setting up an ad hoc committee to investigate the alleged bribery, we are worried that the outcome of such investigation would not command public trust and credibility except if handled by independent and competent ICT professionals with track record of integrity.

We are confident an independent inquiry outside the instrumentality of Kano State governance structure will, to a large extent, assure Nigerians of fearless fact-findings on the true nature of the video clip in fulfilment of the Federal Governments readiness to combat corruption within and outside the ruling party. We must, therefore, reiterate that anything short of an independent investigation would seem stage-managed before the public.

Also in the statement, the group highlighted the harassment of citizens who tried to protest against the governor.

We are also not unaware of the infringement of human rights, intimidation and harassment of the whistle-blowers and citizens who stepped out to peacefully protest this allegation against the Governor.

We find this disheartening and reiterates our persistent demand for the adoption of a Whistle-blower Protection Law. Citizens right to freedom of association and expression should in no way be muzzled in this issue.

We call on the President and the Inspector General of Police to guarantee the rights of the people for a peaceful protest and ensure lives are secured.

The group called on the governor to step aside and allow for investigation of the scandal.

We call for the governor to immediately step aside to allow high-level transparency, accountability and rule of law in the process of the investigation and prevent the possible influence of the fact-finding. This will guarantee fairness and discourage undue interference in the investigation.

We call on the National Assembly and anti-corruption agencies to live up to the expectations and trust placed in them by Nigerians in ensuring perpetrators of corrupt practice are brought to book while guaranteeing adequate protection for the whistle-blowing effort through enabling policies implementation and transition into legislation.

We also call on the Ruling Party to stay silent on the issue if the party is really going to be believed that it is fighting corruption.

CISLAC remains committed to monitoring the government at all levels to ensure that she fulfils her promises to the citizens of our great country.

The national coordinator of Education Rights Campaign (ERC), Hassan Taiwo, also weighed in on the allegation.

It does not come to me as a surprise. it just confirms, contrary to what the Buhari government would like us to believe, that corruption is going down under his administration. The Ganduje scandal confirms that there are as many crooks in the Buhari government at all levels.

It does not come to us  especially those of us that are very conversant with the issues  it does not come to us as a surprise. One thing that is sure is that you cannot beat corruption without ending convictions.

Mr Taiwo said Our fundamental argument about the anti-corruption war of Obasanjo government, Yaradua government, Jonathan government and as well as the pretences towards fighting corruption in this administration has always been that the system beats corruption.

And therefore, to fight corruption also requires sanctions to be taken to end the system of privatisation, the system whereby the commonwealth is utilised to enrich, the system whereby only a few people enjoy 80 per cent of the resources of the country while the rest of us continue to wallow in poverty.

When that system is fought and beaten, that is when structural corruption can seriously be fought.

And what is happening in Kano State only further confirms once again that there are many crooks in the Buhari administration. It is not new what Ganduje has done, we should not forget that in 2012 a member of the house of reps who was the chairman for the investigation on the oil subsidy was equally infringed.

In such, not much has changed. The more you look the less you see the fight on corruption. Nothing much has changed. The working people in the country need to call for a new Nigeria.

The co-founder of Connected Development (CODE) Hamzat Lawal, however, said Nigerians should allow the law to take its course.

We need to let the law take its course. If an executive governor who is entrusted with public resources is caught up with corruption, the state assembly who is saddled with the responsibility to investigate and start proceeding of impeachment should do that, as soon as possible.

And if they find out that truly he was involved in it, he should be impeached and the EFCC should arrest and prosecute him, Mr Lawal said.

Also if they find out the video was doctored then the EFCC and the police have to investigate the case, but we should let the law take its course. Let the issue be properly investigated.

It is important to keep the general public informed on all the development unfolding on the $5 million bribe by the governor from contractors.
The Commissioner of Police, Anti-Fraud Unit, Federal Criminal Investigation Intelligence Department (FCIID) Ikoyi- Lagos, Dan Okoro, on Thursday raised alarm over many cloned certificates and ATM cards in circulation.

Mr Okoro raised the alarm while briefing journalists in Lagos on the discovery of some cloned certificates by a syndicate, which specialised in printing fake documents of banks, government and corporate organisations.

He said that the syndicate had been using the cloned documents to defraud banks, government, corporate organisations and individuals, stressing that some bank officials were collaborating with the suspects for the crime.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that among documents cloned by the syndicate included CBN, presidential clearance certificates, IMF and court documents.

I advise members of the public against cloned certificates, ATM card and other important documents currently in circulation. I want members of the public to keep their pin numbers, passwords and ATM safe.

We have some documents recovered from one suspect arrested. We are investigating the documents and some bank staffers allegedly collaborating the syndicate.

It is only the bankers that have details of every deposit in the bank. Our investigation revealed that some bankers give information to the syndicate on how much customers have in every account.

The syndicate cloned documents and transferred such money to another account, particularly, accounts with ATM cards are their easiest target.

Many crimes are going on in different banks, unfortunately, the bank management will not allow the public to know about it because they want to keep their customers trust, he said.

Mr Okoro said the unit was able to detect some of the documents through the assistance of a foreign cyber security firm based in Lagos using forensic analysis equipment to unravel the identities of the syndicate members.

He noted that cyber crime was a global challenge, stressing that the unit was synergising with the foreign firm for capacity building for officers and men in the unit.

The commissioner said the suspect arrested was currently in the hospital after he collapsed during search of his house and many incriminating materials, including hard drugs were discovered.

The suspect is a web site designer. He designed many of the cloned documents. We are on the trail of other members of the syndicate, Mr Okoro said. (NAN)
Shuaibu Alfa, Member Ministerial Committee on the verification of payment of retired Nigeria Airways workers, on Friday revealed that 900 retirees have so far died nationwide from 2004 till date.

Alfa, a captain, who is the Supervisor, Kano Verification Centre, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano.

There are three centres where the ongoing verification exercise for the Nigeria Airways retirees are being conducted.

He said during the 15 years, no fewer than 900 of the retirees died, while the medical cases of some of them became worse, homes were broken and some were in situations beyond human imagination.

The verification exercise has been going on very well, we made sure retirees were former staff of Nigeria Airways and we have their records.

We ask questions and when they are certified, we clear them to start the verification process.

In the verification team, we have people from the Ministry of Aviation, Ministry of Finance, Accountant Generals Office, Head of Service, EFCC, ICPC, PITAD and we also have our representatives on each desk, Alfa said.

Mr Alfa, who was the Secretary, Nigeria Airways Pilots Association, commended President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Aviation and the Minister of Transportation, for approving the payment of their long awaited entitlement.

He also commended the support of the traditional rulers, religious leaders, political leaders and many other well-meaning Nigerians.

He appealed to the retirees to exercise patience during the exercise, as the committee was doing everything to ensure they were promptly screened.

(NAN)
0, has narrated how she spent two-days in the custody of her abductors.

PREMIUM TIMES reported on October 10 how Miss Gambo was kidnapped at Corner Soja, in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

A soldier, Abdullahi S., attached to Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), who attempted to rescue her from the abductors was killed in the incident.

The Plateau State police spokesperson, Tyopev Terna, had on October 10, confirmed the abduction of the girl.

When asked on Thursday whether the police is aware of the release, Mr Terna responded in the affirmative. Yes, we are of the release.

The police officer could not comment on how Ms Gambo was released.

However, according to the father of the girl, Idris Gambo, the mother of Hafsat was the only person that met the abductors at the point where they asked her to meet them.

On Thursday, Miss Gambo narrated her ordeal to PREMIUM TIMES.

I was at home around 7.30 p.m. on October 9 when suddenly I heard gunshots outside our house. Moment later, three people in military uniform came into my mothers room and asked us to lie down. They started asking Where is the money? Bring money.

I said there was no money.

They asked if I was Hajiya. I replied no. They then entered my fathers room and saw my mother. The slapped her and asked her to bring money. At last, they took away all the money that my mother had in the house.

They wanted to go with three of us but succeeded in going with me alone. We walked on foot for many hours in a bush before we finally stopped and spent the rest of the night behind Federal Government Girls College, Jos.

In the early hours of the following day, we moved to another bush along Jos  Bauchi road where we stopped and called my mother. They asked her to bring N10 million as ransom but she said she did not have such money.

She begged them and they later described to her where she would meet us. After she arrived the meeting point, I dont know what she gave them in exchange but she gave them something, even though I know she doesnt have that money requested. I then followed her home.

It was a terrible experience and I will not pray to witness such. I trekked for many kilometres in the bush. I never thought I could.
Residents of Kasuwan Magani in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have been charged to shun violence and learn to live in peace.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai gave this admonition on Friday when he visited the community following violent clashes between rival youth groups there on Thursday.

The state government reacted to the disturbances by imposing a 24-hour curfew on the community.

In a statement on Friday by his spokesperson, Samuel Aruwan, the governor called on the residents to live in harmony, despite the religious and ethnic diversity of their community.

Mr El-Rufai assured residents that the government will prosecute those responsible for the violence in their community.

The governor led a team of senior government officials to Kasuwan Magani around 4 p.m. and immediately received briefings from the Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Abdurahaman.

He thereafter moved around the town, accompanied by traditional and religious leaders.

Following the tour, Mr El-Rufai interacted with the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI) in the local government area.

We are here to see and to listen for ourselves. We must live in peace and never use violence to solve a problem. We are not happy with this and government will pursue and punish those responsible for this devilish act, he said.

We must value the sanctity of life. I want to beg you to cooperate with the security agencies because prosecution of conflict entrepreneurs is inevitable. I will come back in one week time to see how things are.
The squabble over campaign billboards in Akwa Ibom state is getting messier by the day, as the two main political parties in the state  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC)  engage each other in a battle of wits ahead of the 2019 general elections.

After the reported polices arrest two days ago of theCommissioner for Environment in the state, Iniobong Essien, for allegedly preventing President Muhammadu Buharis campaign billboard to be hoisted at a location within the state capital, Governor Udom Emmanuel came out on Thursday refuting report that he was summoned to Abuja by Mr Buhari.

Mr Emmanuel met with Mr Buhari at the presidential villa on Thursday.

The rebuttal was in response to an attempt by the APC to link the meeting to a recent fight in Uyo between the APC supporters and some state officials and supporters of the PDP over the right to put up a billboard at a popular market in the city.

The APC, through its state chairman, Ini Okopido, said they had paid for and gotten approval for the spot where a billboard for President Buhari was to be hoisted, only for the PDP-controlled state government to prevent them, and then wanted to hastily erect a billboard for their partys presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on the exact spot.

The approved location of the billboard was several meters away from the main thoroughfare of the market. Instead of restricting themselves to the point approved for them, they erected the billboard at a place most unfit for such and in flagrant contravention of environmental regulations, the PDP spokesperson in the state, Ini Ememobong, had said of the controversy.

Governor Emmanuel, in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ekerete Udoh, said the report that he was summoned by the president was very petty and pedestrian.

In fact that the news is peddled by members of the APC shows their disrespect for the office of the President and its occupant.

The presidency of any country is the nations top job, with an attendant very busy schedule. It is therefore very infantile to allege that the President of a country like Nigeria will summon a Governor, for the purpose of discussing billboard locations in a state, the statement said.

Continuing, the statement said, The fact of the matter, is that His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, Governor, Akwa Ibom State had requested an audience with the President to discuss important issues of the State, and the President had graciously granted the request. The purpose of the visit was strictly based on the above predicate, and had nothing to do with billboards or other such claptraps.

Its our earnest advice that members of the opposition party in Akwa Ibom should try to separate politics from governance and not bring the exalted office of the President of the Republic into disrepute by pushing ludicrous and vile propaganda.

The Nation newspaper on Friday quoted Governor Emmanuel as telling reporters after his meeting with the president that he would not allow the opposition in the state to distract him from his work.

At times, some of these things are to distract you but we refuse to be distracted. We play politics of development and our people are seeing that. So, whatever would have tried in anyway to distract us we dont want to be distracted. So, dont be bothered about that. It is only God who determines what happens the next minute, not man. And no man is God, the governor is quoted as saying.
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday struck out two suits seeking to prevent the Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke, from declaring vacant, two seats belonging to lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The court was presided by Justice F. O. G Ogunbanjo.

The court decision followed the withdrawal of the suits by the plaintiffs.

The two lawmakers  Gabriel Toby and Nse Ntuen, representing Ika/Etim Ekpo State Constituency and Essien Udim State Constituency respectively  had joined Godswill Akpabio, a senator and former governor of the state, to defect from the PDP to APC in August.

They hurriedly filed the suit on August 14 asking the court to restrain the speaker from declaring their seats in assembly vacant following their defection.

Apart from the speaker of the assembly, other defendants in the suits were the PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the Inspector general of police.

The plaintiffs lawyer, Uyo-Obong Jumbo of Juris Advocates, Uyo, told PREMIUM TIMES, Friday morning, that they withdrew the suits in the federal high court, Abuja, to enable them re-file it in Uyo for convenience.

Mr Jumbo said the cases were filed in the Abuja court because the courts in Akwa Ibom were on vacation as at the time.

Now that the courts in Akwa Ibom are no longer on vacation, it is very convenient for us that we file the case back here in Uyo, he said.

Ekemini Udim of Justice Chambers, Uyo, represented the Akwa Ibom speaker, Mr Luke, in the cases.
A new commissioner of police has assumed duty in Akwa Ibom State.

He is John Bassey Abang.

Mr Bassey replaces Adeyemi Ogungemilusi who, according to a statement by the police spokesperson in the state, Odiko MacDon, has been promoted to the rank of assistant inspector general of police.

Mr Abang was working as a commissioner of police at the force headquarters in Abuja before his posting to Akwa Ibom.

The new police chief holds a B.Sc degree in International Studies from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

He was enlisted into police as a cadet assistant superintendent of police in 1988 and has worked in various positions before, including the National Defence College.

He is the 24th commissioner of police in the state.
The National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), Ekiti State Chapter has rejected the appointments made by the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, saying it excluded Muslims from the administration.

Mr Fayemi had, on Tuesday, appointed Abiodun Oyebanji as Secretary to the State Government; Biodun Omoleye as Chief of Staff and Yinka Oyebode as the Chief Press Secretary to the governor.

The group, however, noted that no Muslim was included in the three appointments made so far, by the governor.

It said the appointment of the secretary to the state government, the chief of staff and the chief press secretary was against Muslims in terms of balance and fairness.

The Ekiti State coordinator of NACOMYO, Tajudeen Olutope Ahmed, who addressed journalists during a protest in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, said the exclusion of Muslims from the entire membership of the core principal officers of the new administration was worrisome, unjust, condemnable and unacceptable.

He said the Ekiti Muslim community saw the appointments as a calculated attempt to exclude Muslims from the fundamental aspect of decision making process in Ekiti State.

While further faulting the appointments, Mr Ahmed said excluding Muslims from the first three appointments announced by the governor were shocking and highly disturbing to all Muslim(s) in the state.

The group said Muslims in the state constituted about 40 per cent of the Ekiti State population, noting that they voted massively for Mr Fayemi during the July 14 governorship election.

The exclusion of the Muslims in this regard is a violation of the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), said Mr Ahmed.

The exclusion of Muslims from the core principal appointments of Dr. John Kayode Fayemi is a derogation of the motto of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as provided in Section 15 (1) of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

Rather than projecting Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress, the recent appointments made by the government will breed disunity, commotion and backwardness.

The group called on Mr Fayemi to breathe life into Section 14(4) of the constitution which provided that the composition of the government of a state, a local government council, or any of the agencies of such government or council, and the conduct of the affairs of the government or council or such agencies shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among all people of the federation.

NACOMYO also called on the governor to urgently review the composition of members of the core principal officers of the present government of Ekiti State so as to include Muslims.

We also call on the governor to ensure inclusion of Muslims in all appointments to be made in future at both state and local government levels. This will certainly pave way for the reign of justice, equity and peace in our dear state, the group added.

But the governors chief press secretary, in his response, said the protest by the Muslim youth group was too early in the day, as more appointments were underway.

This is just the third day of the administration and only three appointments have been done so far, Mr Oyebode said.

Definitely, no group would be sidelined in the area of appointments.

We urge them to exercise patience.
The Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo State, has been shut indefinitely following the strike of College of Education Academic Staff Union (COESU) strike.

The lecturers joined the warning strike of Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in September but refused to go back to class after the strike was called off.

Speaking on why the indefinite strike continues, Nuhu Ogirima, the President of COEASU in an interview with Daily Trust on Monday accused government of underfunding the school.

He said since 2006, when federal governments policy to outsource some services came into effect, the colleges have reeling in the agony due to zero funding by government.

It engendered porous campus security and unhealthy environment. This is because the exploitative salary the service providers pay does not influence the hapless Nigerians in their employment to be dedicated to the work.

In view of this, the Dean of Students Affairs in Adeyemi College, Olaniyi Olaluwoye in a circular on Monday ordered students to vacate the campus hostels on Tuesday.

The college shares the pains of our dear students. Management is hopeful that the strike will not be prolonged unduly. In order not to keep students idle on campus, students are instructed to vacate the campus on Tuesday, October 16, 2018.

The school however said it will give a new date for examinations as soon as the strike is called off.

Students who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES expressed their displeasure over the shutdown.

One of the students who simply identified herself as Tanwa said: it would have been better if the strike time frame is stipulated. But indefinite can be next year.
The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has revealed his new wife. She is Naomi Oluwaseyi.

The monarch who is quite active on social media made the surprise announcement on Instagram on Thursday night.

I waited patiently upon the Almighty the King of kings, he eventually did it in the midst of many trials, the 43-year-old monarch wrote.

Shilekunola, Moronke, Naomi; the greatest Arsenal you can apply on this highly revered throne with many rules and regulations in the midst of undiluted tradition, heritage and culture is the Fear Of God In You, which is the beginning of your wisdom on this throne of Oduduwa. You are welcome home my beautiful and adorable queen.

The development comes 14 months after his ex-wife , Zaynab Otiti-Obanor, confirmed that her 17-month-old marriage to the monarch, had indeed ended.

She made the disclosure via an official statement on her official Instagram page on August 30,2017.

The Ooni got married to his now estranged Edo bride at an elaborate traditional marriage held in Benin, the Edo State capital on March 16, 2016.

That wedding rites were performed in the traditional Benin culture at the residence of the bride on Ewere Street, Etete, in Oredo Local Government Area of the state.

Although the monarch was not physically present, his father, Oluropo Ogunwusi, represented him.

The Ooni has an only child, a daughter Adeola Aanuoluwapo Ogunwusi whom he fathered when he was 19.

Heres all we know about the new Queen of Ife

The new bride, 23, is popularly known as prophetess Naomi Oluwaseyi. Not a stranger to the limelight, she runs an interdenominational ministry based in Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria.

According to her website which crashed on Friday morning, the new Olori is the Founder/President of EN-HERALDS, a prophetic mandate.
The Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, has ordered immediate dissolution of the boards of government agencies, parastatals and corporations in the state.

The chairpersons of the boards of these agencies are directed to hand over to the most senior officer in their respective agencies, the new Secretary to the State Government, Biodun Oyebanji, said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES.

The dissolution, however, does not affect the statutory boards.

Government appreciates members of these boards for the services they have rendered to the state.

Composition of new boards will be announced at a later date.

Signed

Hon Biodun Oyebanji

Secretary to the State Government.
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.




TSX-V: NDR

VANCOUVER, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - New Dimension Resources Ltd. (TSXV: NDR) (the "Company" or "New Dimension") is pleased to announce the appointment of Sharon Cooper (CA, BA) to the position of Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"). Sharon is a Chartered Accountant with over 10 years of experience in accounting and auditing roles for mining and mining-related companies. Ms. Cooper began her career as an auditor at Ernst & Young, working on both internal and external audits, and gaining experience on larger audits for major mining companies as well as junior explorers and mining-related companies. Since leaving Ernst & Young, Sharon has held senior accounting and financial reporting roles for a number of junior exploration companies and a mining services company. Most recently, Sharon was CFO of Mariana Resources Ltd until its acquisition by Sandstorm Gold Ltd (TSX: SSL, NYSE American: SAND) in July, 2017.

Sharon takes over the CFO role from Wayne Johnstone, who retires from the position with immediate effect. The Company would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to Wayne for his significant contributions, thanking him for his many years of dedicated service to the Company. New Dimension is also pleased to advise that Wayne will remain engaged with the Company going forward on a consulting basis.

President and Chief Executive Officer, Eric Roth, commented: "I am very pleased to be able to welcome Sharon today to the role of CFO. Sharon is a highly-respected individual who has had an outstanding career in accounting and auditing, and was a key member of Mariana Resources' successful executive team until its acquisition by Sandstorm Gold in 2017. Separately, I would also like to sincerely thank Wayne for his professionalism and dedication in contributing to the Company's successes to date. I am also pleased to add that we will be able to retain Wayne's services in a consulting capacity".

Incentive Stock Option Grant

The Company also reports that the Board of Directors has granted, subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, an aggregate of 250,000 incentive stock options to one director and one officer of the Company. The stock options are exercisable at a price of $0.15 per share and will have a term of 5 years, expiring on October 18, 2023. Each stock option will allow the holder to purchase one common share of the Company. All stock options granted are subject to staged vesting periods.

On Behalf of the Board of New Dimension Resources Ltd.

"Eric Roth"

___________________________

Eric Roth, Ph.D., FAusIMM

President & CEO

About New Dimension Resources

New Dimension is engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of quality mineral resource properties throughout the Americas, with a focus on precious metals. The Company's current focus is on the discovery through drilling of new high-grade gold-silver resources at its 100%-owned Las Calandrias, Los Cisnes and Sierra Blanca projects, all located in the highly prospective Deseado Massif of Santa Cruz Province, southern Argentina. The Company also holds an option on the Savant Lake gold project in Ontario, together with an active JV interest (with Yamana Gold) in the Domain gold project in Manitoba.

Cautionary Notes and Forward-looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Such statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the future results of operations, performance and achievements of New Dimension, including the timing, completion of and results from the drill programs described in this release. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurances that such expectations will prove to be correct. All such forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and analyses made by New Dimension in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. This information, however, is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from this forward-looking information include those described under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in New Dimension's most recently filed MD&A. New Dimension does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE New Dimension Resources Ltd.

Related Links

www.newdimensionresources.com


BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BERG LLC, a Boston-based biopharmaceutical company that merges biology with technology to map the nature of diseases, today announced the presentation of three posters on the progression of its oncology and artificial intelligence (AI)/Biomarker portfolio at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2018 Annual Congress being held October 19-23, 2018 in Munich, Germany.

Key presentation highlights include:

Final study data from a phase 1 clinical trial of BPM 31543 for prevention of chemotherapy-induced-alopecia (CIA)

Interim data on BPM 31510-IV for advanced pancreatic cancer from a phase 2 clinical trial

AI driven pipeline using multi-omic analysis for precision oncology

"The data accepted for presentation further reinforce the power and value of our proprietary Interrogative Biology platform and promising early stage pipeline for the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer and chemotherapy-induced alopecia, among other oncologic conditions," said Niven R. Narain, Ph.D., BERG Co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer. "By taking a Back to Biology approach in combination with artificial intelligence, we are armed with greater understanding of disease biomarkers to guide our discovery and development efforts to effectively achieve therapeutic response and patient benefit through novel treatment options."

Details of the poster presentations are as follows and are available via the ESMO 2018 Annual Congress website:

Title: Streamlining Multi-Omic and Artificial Intelligence Analysis Through Interrogative Biology and bAIcis for Translational Precision Medicine Applications in Clinical Oncology

Presentation Number: 1886P

Date and Time: October 20, 2018, 12:30  1:30 p.m. CEST

Location: Hall A3 - Poster Area Networking Hub

Title: A Phase 2 Clinical Investigation of BPM 31510-IV (Ubidecarenone) in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Presentation Number: 790TiP

Date and Time: October 21, 2018, 12:45  1:45 p.m. CEST

Location: Hall A3 - Poster Area Networking Hub

Title: A Phase I Safety Study of Topical Calcitriol (BPM 31543) for the Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia (CIA): Final Study Results

Presentation Number: 1694P

Date and Time: October 22, 2018, 12:45  1:45 p.m. CEST

Location: Hall A3 - Poster Area Networking Hub

About BPM 31510

Cancer cells alter metabolism to generate energy from non-mitochondrial pathways to support uncontrolled growth. This allows the cancer cells to escape molecular mechanisms controlling cell death. BPM 31510 is a first-in-class molecule that specifically targets the dysregulated metabolism observed in cancer. BPM 31510, by targeting metabolism in cancer cells, re-engages the mitochondria to generate energy, shifting metabolism to that observed in the normal cell. The effect of BPM 31510 on metabolism results in the reactivation of pathways that detect cell damage, triggering apoptosis or programmed cell death.

About BPM 31543

Chemotherapy-induced-alopecia (CIA) is a side effect of cytotoxic chemotherapy agents for which there are currently no available therapeutic interventions. BPM 31543 (calcitriol) is a first-in-class topical compound in clinical development for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced hair loss (alopecia). BPM 31543 influences gene expression in hair follicles, keeping cells in the growth phase and making them resistant to chemotoxic agents. The safety and tolerability of BPM 31543 has been established in a Phase 1 clinical trial and efforts are underway for next steps in clinical development.

About BERG

BERG LLC is a clinical-stage, artificial intelligence-powered biotech leveraging its proprietary platform, Interrogative Biology, to map disease and revolutionize treatments across oncology, neurology and rare diseases. By taking a Back to Biology approach, BERG is able to identify critical biomarkers that can accelerate the discovery and development of treatments aimed at the most promising therapeutic targets and pathways. BERG has leveraged both Interrogative Biology and traditional R&D methods to develop a robust pipeline of first-in-class product candidates and diagnostics that advance bold innovations that have the potential to improve patient lives. To learn more about how we're enabling bold innovation, visit berghealth.com.

Media Contact:

Chris Dougherty

Ogilvy

917-515-9876

[email protected]

BERG Investor Contact:

Molly Cameron

BERG

617-588-1000

[email protected]

SOURCE BERG

Related Links

http://www.berghealth.com


Leading Scout is a team of industry veterans with over 35 years of combined beverage experience. Josh Landan, former CEO and Co-Founder of Saint Archer Brewing in San Diego will lead as CEO of the newly formed distribution company. Jeff Hansson, former Vice President of Saint Archer, will serve as COO and, Anthony Levas, a well-known name in the San Diego craft beer community having served as the San Diego and Orange County Market Manager for Saint Archer, will lead as Vice President. Longtime craft veteran Lisa Govenar, most recently the Key Account Manager at Stone Distribution in San Diego, will serve as Director of Key Accounts.

"Our goal is to create a distribution company that will redefine the way brands and distributors interact. Having owned a start-up brewery, we're extremely familiar with every aspect of a craft breweries business. We will assist our brands in all facets, whether it's traditional brand building, market planning or raising capital," said Josh Landan, CEO. "Owning a brewery is an extremely high risk, capital intensive business and we plan to truly partner with our brands to help them achieve their overarching goals and accelerate their growth."

Focusing San Diego County exclusively, Scout Distribution is assembling a strong portfolio of local and regional brands launching with San Diego favorite 32 North Brewing, Topa Topa Brewing from Ventura and up-and-coming local brands, JuneShine Hard Kombucha, Bivouac Cider and Abnormal Beer Company.

"We're not just another distribution company. We're doing business with these small breweries and wineries in mind. I have been building brands through the three-tiered distribution system for 18 years, and I am passionate about sharing the knowledge I have accumulated with the brands within our portfolio," says Jeff Hansson, COO.

Aiming for a Mid-October launch, Scout Distribution will initially focus on the San Diego market, with plans to expand their portfolio in early 2019 distributing for the newly formed Harland Brewing Company and Claxton Cellars.

About Scout Distribution

Created by a group of individuals who are committed to building brands in an unconventional way, Scout Distribution is leading with innovation and customer service. With the goal to work with each of their brands individually to achieve their goals; Scout Distribution, where brands come first. For more information, visit www.scoutdist.com.

SOURCE Scout Distribution

Related Links

http://scoutdist.com/


NEWARK, New Jersey, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT) today announced the 10th anniversary celebration of its flagship BOSS Revolution international long-distance calling service. For ten years, BOSS Revolution's popular calling, money transfer and mobile top-up services have kept loved ones connected across borders and around the world.

To join the celebration, BOSS Revolution customers can enter the 'Play & Win BOSS Revolution Roulette' contest and become eligible to win prizes including ten $50 money transfers and ten Samsung phones with four weeks of free service. Customers can visit BOSS Revolution on Facebook for instructions on how to enter. Winners will be chosen at random and notified through private message on Facebook. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest and purchases will not affect entrants' odds of winning.

"Over the past 10 years, more than 19 million customers worldwide have used BOSS Revolution to make more than five billion international long distance-calls," said Emilio del Rio, Vice President of BOSS Revolution. "We want to thank our customers for trusting us to make them feel a little closer to their family members and loved ones back home."

To further strengthen the communities that have helped BOSS Revolution grow over the years, IDT will be donating $10,000 to non-profits, that like BOSS Revolution, strive to enhance the lives of immigrants across the US.

BOSS Revolution services are available at over 40,000 neighborhood retailers, through the BOSS Revolution Calling and BOSS Revolution Money apps (available for free on iTunes and Google Play) and through the BOSS Revolution website, www.bossrevolution.com. To join the celebration consumers can follow BOSS Revolution's social media pages on Facebook and Twitter.

About IDT Corporation:

IDT Corporation (NYSE: IDT) provides communications and payment services to individuals and businesses primarily through its flagship BOSS Revolution and net2phone brands. IDT's wholesale Carrier Services business is a leading global carrier of international long-distance calls. For more information on IDT, visit www.idt.net.

SOURCE IDT Corporation

Related Links

http://www.idt.net


RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of Dominion Energy Midstream GP, LLC, the general partner of Dominion Energy Midstream Partners, LP (NYSE: DM), has declared a third-quarter 2018 cash distribution of $0.3690 per common unit  an increase of 5 percent above the second-quarter 2018 distribution  which corresponds to an annualized distribution rate of about $1.48 per unit.

Distributions are payable on Nov. 15, 2018, to unitholders of record at the close of business Nov. 5, 2018.

The partnership's last quarterly distribution was declared July 25, 2018.

This release is intended to be a qualified notice under Treasury Regulation Section 1.1446-4(b). All of Dominion Energy Midstream's distributions to foreign investors should be treated by brokers and nominees as being attributable to income that is effectively connected with a United States trade or business. Accordingly, the partnership's distributions to foreign investors are subject to federal income tax withholding at the highest effective tax rate.

Dominion Energy Midstream is a Delaware limited partnership formed by Dominion Energy, Inc., to grow a portfolio of natural gas terminaling, processing, storage, transportation and related assets. It is headquartered in Richmond, Va. For more information about Dominion Energy Midstream, visit its website at www.dominionenergymidstream.com.

SOURCE Dominion Energy Midstream Partners

Related Links

http://www.dominionenergymidstream.com


The liquid biopsy technology is a technology that Grail, Illumina Inc. spin-out, and others have raised about 1.8 billion dollars' funds to develop it. It is useful for preventing any recurrence in patients with cancer and early detection of cancer.

The liquid biopsy screening technology is known as the most advanced liquid biopsy technology that is able to early detect various cancers with a simple blood test from people without any signs or symptoms, and it is only capable through comprehensive analysis of samples, various biomarkers measurements and precise algorithms.

EDGC has been developing the liquid biopsy technology for lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer, interworking with domestic and overseas university hospitals and has decided to commercialize it as the recent clinical experiments have excellent achievements. The liquid biopsy screening service commercialized this time would be provided to the global market through CLIA certification in the United States. Also, it would predict risk of cancers statistically and detect even microscopic factors leading to cancers, analyzing both inherent risk of cancers and acquired biomarkers simultaneously.

In these regards, EDGC has presented 'NGS Analysis Methods and Examples for Liquid Biopsy' at the International Symposium of Korean Society of Integrative Oncology which was held in South Korea on October 14th. The symposium covered the topic of anti-cancer immunotherapy; the Nobel Prize-winning field. In the symposium, greatest scholars such as Dr. Gary Deng of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the United States and Prof. Ping-Ping Li of Peking University Cancer Hospital in China participated and discussed integrated cancer treatments. Therefore, it became a valuable opportunity for EDGC to show its liquid biopsy technology.

Ph.D. Sung Hoon Lee, a chief technology officer in charge of the development for the liquid biopsy screening technology, said that the multi-omics liquid biopsy method is an innovative method to overcome constraints and limitations of existing cancer diagnosis tests by combining protein and nucleotide sequencing analysis and performing quantitative and qualitative analysis simultaneously. He explained that it is able to provide the multi-faceted service by accumulated experiences of genomic data analysis algorithms and non-invasive prenatal diagnosis that EDGC has developed so far.

Meanwhile, Variable Signal-Amplifying Algorithm (VarSAMP), a core algorithm of the technology, and Multivariant Regression are patent-pending, and other quantitative and qualitative analysis methods and complex analysis are in preparations for patents.

Also, Lee said that the method could not only detect cancers with high accuracy but also allow accurate measurement with a little data since it maximizes sensitivity but does not lower specificity. Therefore, it has an advantage to perform accurate analysis with a much lower cost as compared to methods used by overseas competitors. He expressed high confidence about it.

After announcing the technological development, EDGC plans to perform global research and additional clinical cooperation in several countries. For this, it will recruit clinical participants from South Korea, the United States, China and so on.

With this clinical participation, EDGC will promote a campaign to prepare for a healthy 100-year-old age through early detection of cancers and apprehension of comprehensive risk.

*Multi-omics: a biological analysis approach in which the data sets are multiple omes such as genome, proteome, transcriptome, epigenome and microbiome

SOURCE EONE-DIAGNOMICS Genome Center
SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- During the third quarter of 2018 (3Q18), Embraer (NYSE: ERJ; BM&FBOVESPA: EMBR3) delivered 15 jets to the commercial aviation market and 24 business jets, being 17 light jets and 7 large jets. On September 30, Embraer's firm order backlog totaled USD13.6 billion.

See the details below:

Deliveries by Segment 3Q18 2018 (year to date)





Commercial Aviation 15 57 EMBRAER 170 (E170) - 1 EMBRAER 175 (E175) 13 44 EMBRAER 190 (E190) 2 7 EMBRAER 195 (E195) - 2 EMBRAER 190-E2 (E190-E2) - 3





Executive Aviation 24 55 Phenom 100 2 8 Phenom 300 15 32 Light Jets 17 40 Legacy 650 2 3 Legacy 450 3 9 Legacy 500 2 3 Large Jets 7 15





TOTAL 39 112

Regarding the commercial aviation market, Embraer forecasted in its Market Outlook a demand for 10,550 new aircraft with up to 150 seats worldwide over the next 20 years. The in-service fleet is set to increase to 16,000 aircraft, up from the 9,000 aircraft currently in operation. Market growth will drive 65% of this demand, while the remaining 35% of the projected demand will be to replace ageing aircraft.

Embraer and Helvetic Airways signed a contract for a firm order of 12 E190-E2 jets during 3Q18. The agreement was announced at the Farnborough Airshow in July as a Letter of Intent. The contract also includes purchase rights for another 12 E190-E2 aircraft, with the possibility of conversion to the E195-E2 model, raising the order potential for up to 24 aircraft. Deliveries should occur between the end of 2019 and 2021. Also in Farnborough, United Airlines made a firm order for 25 E175 jets in a 70-seat configuration. Deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2019.

In 3Q18, Embraer also signed a contract with an undisclosed customer for up to five E195-E2s, being three firm orders and two purchase rights. This agreement was previously announced as a Letter of Intent (LoI) during the Farnborough Airshow. In addition, the Company continues to work on finalizing its recent LoI signed at the Farnborough Airshow for 100 E175 aircraft for Republic Airways, with the expectation that a significant portion of these jets should enter the Company's backlog by the end of 2018.

A total of 134 jets were removed from Embraer's backlog in 3Q18. The majority of these planes belong to an order placed by Skywest for 100 E175-E2s, and were removed largely due to IFRS accounting changes. Given current timing uncertainty of the scope clause changes in the U.S. market to allow the heavier E175-E2 to be flown by regional airlines under capacity purchase agreements (CPAs) for mainline airlines, Embraer has proactively adopted best practices to align with the latest IFRS principles and remove the order from backlog given its conditionality terms. Skywest remains committed with the E175-E2 order and its terms are unchanged. The other 34 jets that were removed from the Company's backlog in 3Q18 are related to cancellations, including an order for 24 E190 jets that were cancelled by JetBlue following its recent fleet renewal decision.

In the business jets segment, Embraer first exhibited the Phenom 100EV, Phenom 300E and Legacy 650E aircraft with full interior at Labace, the largest Latin American executive aviation fair which took place in Sao Paulo in August. Embraer also delivered its first Phenom 300E in Asia Pacific.

Embraer Services & Support signed relevant agreements in Europe and Africa during the quarter. LOT Polish Airlines, the national carrier of Poland and leading airline in Central Europe, signed an extension of its pool agreement to support LOT's fleet of 34 Embraer E-Jets. Kenya Airways also joined a service program whereby Embraer will take over the planning and replenishment of a sizeable portion of Kenya Airways' spare parts stock covering the 15 Embraer E190 aircraft operated by the airline. Sahara Africa Aviation also signed a multi-year Pool Program Agreement for spare parts and support covering more than 500 components for their two recently acquired Embraer ERJ 145 jets.

Follow us on Twitter: @Embraer

PRESS OFFICES:



Headquarters (Brazil)



Corporate Communications

[email protected]

Cell: +55 11 98890 7777

Tel.: +55 11 4873 7984



North America



Alyssa Ten Eyck

[email protected]

Cell: +1 954 383 0460

Tel.: +1 954 359 3847



Europe, Middle East and Africa



Guy Douglas

[email protected]

Cell: +31 (0)657120121

Tell: +31 (0)202158109



China



Mirage Zhong

[email protected]

Cell: +86 185 1378 5180

Tel.: +86 10 6598 9988



Asia Pacific



Nilma Missir-Boissac

[email protected]

Cell: +65 9012 8428

Tel.: +65 6305 9955



SOURCE Embraer S.A.
DUBLIN, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Europe SUV Market By Length (SUV-C, SUV-D, SUV-E and SUV-F), By Engine Capacity, By Fuel Type (Diesel, Petrol and Hybrid & Others), By Country (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Poland and Others), Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2013-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Europe SUV market is forecast to grow to $ 302.7 billion by 2023

Growth in the market is anticipated to be driven by launch of new models, growing preference for compact SUVs, coupled with driving position, robustness and big wheels of SUVs that appeal to a large customer base across the region.

Few of the other factors that would have a positive impact on the Europe SUV market are huge investments by flagship auto manufacturers such as Jeep, Toyota and Honda in their SUV product lines, increasing adoption of hybrid and electric SUVs and rising demand for SUVs with high-end technologies.

Europe SUV Market 2013-2023 discusses the following aspects of SUV market in Europe:

SUV Market Size, Share & Forecast

Segmental Analysis - By Length (SUV-C, SUV-D, SUV-E and SUV-F), By Engine Capacity, By Fuel Type (Diesel, Petrol and Hybrid & Others), By Country ( China , India , Japan , Australia and Others)

, , , and Others) Competitive Analysis

Changing Market Trends & Emerging Opportunities



Some of the major players operating in the Europe SUV market are



Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N. V.

Honda Motor Co. Ltd.

Toyota Motor Corporation

Nissan Motor Corporation

Ford Motor Company

General Motors Company

Hyundai Motor Company

Daimler AG

Renault SA

Volkswagen AG

Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Analyst View



4. Europe SUV Market Outlook



5. Pricing Analysis



6. Market Dynamics



7. Market Trends & Developments



8. SWOT Analysis



9. Competitive Landscape



10. Strategic Recommendations



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/9cqq78/europe_suv?w=5



Did you know that we also offer Custom Research? Visit our Custom Research page to learn more and schedule a meeting with our Custom Research Manager.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

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DALLAS, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Generational Group, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce that Jon Hyman has joined the firm as Executive Managing Director.

Mr. Hyman is a highly experienced leader and senior level executive with more than 25 years of business experience across a broad spectrum of industries. He possesses a wealth of expertise in areas such as mergers and acquisitions, business start-ups and development, new product commercialization, manufacturing, and business strategy for long-term sustainable success.

In his role with Generational, Hyman will be responsible for developing strategies to build new revenue streams adjacent to Generational's traditional model, focusing on clients in the upper middle market. In addition, he will manage and build out the new Generational Professional Alliance Program.

Terry Johnson, Chief Revenue and Strategy Officer with Generational Group, said, "We are thrilled to have Jon joining our executive leadership team. Jon has a wealth of experience, is an accomplished leader, and we are blessed to have him as part of the team. I know he will be a great asset to the organization."

Johnson further commented, "Jon will play a key role as we expand into new markets, and we look forward to the expertise that he will bring to our firm."

Prior to joining Generational, Hyman served as the President of Greenfields Americas, a Division of Tencate USA. Hyman also co-founded Sport Holdings, Inc., a company composed of three independent operating companies focused on manufacturing and product sales in both consumer and business channels. He later orchestrated the sale of SHI to Bessemer Holdings.

Mr. Hyman began his career in the United States Army as a Commissioned Officer, serving for more than 20 years. His last active duty assignment was in the Pentagon working on General Colin Powell's Joint Staff. Jon is a combat veteran earning the Bronze Star Medal for service in Desert Storm.

Jon graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, and earned his Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Southern University.

About Generational Group

Generational Equity, DealForce, and Generational Capital Markets, member FINRA/SIPC, are part of the Generational Group, which is headquartered in Dallas and is one of the leading M&A advisory firms in North America. With over 250 professionals located throughout North America, the companies help business owners release the wealth of their business by providing merger, acquisition and strategic growth advisory services. Their four-step approach features exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, and M&A transactional services.

The M&A Advisor named the company the 2016 and 2017 Investment Banking Firm of the Year. For more, visit the https://www.genequityco.com/ or the Generational Equity press room.

For more information:

Carl Doerksen

972-232-1125

[email protected]

SOURCE Generational Group

Related Links

http://www.genequityco.com


BATTLE CREEK, Mich., Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Melissa Howell, Senior Vice President Human Resources, and Executive Sponsor, K Pride & Allies, shares her thoughts on Spirit Day and "All Together Cereal."

On Spirit Day, millions of people will join GLAAD and 'go purple'  either by wearing purple or changing their social media profiles  to show their support for LGBTQ youth and to take part in the largest, most visible anti-bullying campaign in the world.

In celebration of Spirit Day and for one day only, Oct. 18  limited edition All Together Spirit Day cereal boxes, will be available exclusively at Kelloggs New York City Cafe to mix favorite Kelloggs cereals together in celebration of belonging no matter how you look, where youre from, or who you love. All proceeds from Kelloggs All Together Cereal will be donated to GLAAD.

Kellogg is an official sponsor of Spirit Day 2018 and together with our brands and employees, we are taking a collective stand against bullying to send a message of solidarity and acceptance to LGBTQ youth, by proudly 'going purple'.

New this year  in celebration of Spirit Day and for one day only, Oct. 18  limited edition "All Together" Spirit Day cereal boxes, will be available exclusively at Kellogg's New York City Cafe to mix favorite Kellogg's cereals together in celebration of belonging no matter how you look, where you're from, or who you love. All proceeds from Kellogg's "All Together Cereal" will be donated to GLAAD.

As we developed "All Together Cereal", K Pride & Allies, our Business/Employee Resource Group (B/ERG) dedicated to LGBTQ acceptance and equity, provided insight and guidance to ensure we thoughtfully shared a message of inclusion, equity and belonging. We try to approach all of our work through a thoughtful lens that reflects our founder's commitment to operating with humility and respect. Our B/ERGs help support strategic business initiatives and are a resource for innovation and idea generation.

At Kellogg, employees share their valuable insights to strategically achieve our business objectives and meet the needs of our consumers.

We have long been allies and supporters of LGBTQ employees, their families and the community. For more than 100 years, Kellogg has nourished families so they can flourish and thrive and the company continues to welcome everyone to the table.

About Kellogg Company

At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we strive to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter. Our beloved brands include Pringles, Cheez-It, Keebler, Special K, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Pop-Tarts, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Eggo, Mini-Wheats, Kashi, RXBAR and more. Net sales in 2017 were approximately $13 billion, comprised principally of snacks and convenience foods like cereal and frozen foods. Kellogg brands are beloved in markets around the world. We are also a company with Heart & Soul, committed to creating three billion Better Days by 2025 through our Breakfasts for Better Days global purpose platform. Visit www.KelloggCompany.com or www.OpenforBreakfast.com .

SOURCE Kellogg Company

Related Links

http://www.kelloggcompany.com


DENVER, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Patrick Vo, the President and CEO of BioTrackTHC , a wholly-owned subsidiary of Helix TCS Inc. (OTCQB: HLIX), will present a traceability implementation case study at the fourth annual Denver Marijuana Management Symposium , a two-day conference that offers solutions and best practices for government regulators navigating the emerging medical and recreational cannabis industries.

Now in its fourth year, the conference is the first of its kind to focus on the challenges, solutions and sharing of best practices for regulating the newly legalized and commercialized cannabis space and takes place at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Downtown Convention Center from Oct. 31-Nov 2. With multiple US states and international markets preparing to launch their own cannabis programs, this event expects to draw regulators from key emerging markets including Florida, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Jamaica, who will have the opportunity to benefit from BioTrackTHC's presentation and Mr. Vo's first-hand experience with traceability implementation.

"As national and international cannabis markets prepare to launch, and as others with existing cannabis industries continue innovating, openly discussing our common ground and sharing our experiences will enable each program to be better than if designed in a silo. This case study highlights some of the challenges that we have faced, as well as how our team's experience and flexible traceability solution became key elements to mitigating and overcoming those challenges," Mr. Vo said.

Regulators from around the world attend the Denver Marijuana Management Symposium to learn more about successes, failures, unintended consequences, and lessons learned from existing cannabis programs. With an uptime track record of 99.9%, BioTrackTHC currently holds nine government tracking contracts, making it a leading provider of government traceability systems in cannabis. The Company has extensive experience implementing and maintaining both government and private-sector cannabis seed-to-sale traceability systems in medical and adult-use markets.

BioTrackTHC's goal is to help the industry thrive by demonstrating that cannabis programs can operate with transparency and accountability, providing peace of mind to stakeholders, and ensuring safety for cannabis consumers and patients. Helix TCS recently acquired a software development firm, nearly doubling BioTrackTHC's in-house development resources, and facilitating continued technology leadership for the firm.

The case study Mr. Vo will present explains how BioTrackTHC implemented granular customization and workflows for the Delaware traceability system, specifically to provide government oversight to the state's respective supply chain with two key goals in mind; eliminate diversion and ensure accountability to all parties involved. The study serves as an example of how regulators must thoroughly define their state's needs, work hand-in-hand with potential technology providers, understand go-live priorities, identify key metrics, define program goals and know exactly what to look for in the data.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Shawna McGregor, Grasslands, at 917-971-7852 or [email protected] .

About BioTrackTHC

Bio-Tech Medical Software, Inc., through its BioTrackTHC division, develops and provides effective, cutting-edge technology solutions for the emerging medical and recreational cannabis industry. BioTrackTHC currently holds nine government contracts and operates across 32 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Australia, Canada, Jamaica and New Zealand. Bio-Tech Medical Software, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Helix TCS Inc. (OTCQB: HLIX). For more information, visit www.biotrack.com . Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and LinkedIn for important updates and relevant industry news.

About Helix TCS Inc.

Helix TCS, Inc. (OTCQB: HLIX) is a leading provider of ancillary services for the legal cannabis industry, helping owners and operators of licensed cannabis businesses stay competitive and compliant while mitigating risk. Through its proprietary technology suite and security services, Helix TCS provides comprehensive supply chain management, compliance tools, and asset protection for any license type in any regulated cannabis market. Helix TCS's products reach over 2,000 customer locations in 32 states and 5 countries. For more information, visit us at www.helixtcs.com.

Media Contact:

Shawna McGregor

Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency

[email protected]

917-971-7852

SOURCE BioTrackTHC

Related Links

http://www.biotrack.com


MATRO GBJ has pioneered the Bonded Import Jewelry Trading Mode, under which overseas jewelries are imported into China by MATRO GBJ directly, and then distributed to the MATRO GBJ Boutiques for sale after customs supervision and bonded warehouse inspection. This unique mode integrates both online and offline, overseas and domestic shopping and aims to enable consumers to gain access to global top-notch jewelries at affordable prices.

Suzhou MATRO Mall has rich experience in high-end department stores for 25 years. MATRO GBJ was founded by Suzhou MATRO Mall based on the opportunities provided by fast growing jewelry consumption in the domestic market. President Zhang Chen and his team visited Europe and the US frequently to order jewelry directly from brand headquarters.

Perfect combination of luxury boutique and online store

MATRO GBJ collects more than 15 brands from 10 countries with various styles. Customers can find the essence of minimalism while experiencing global designs, cultures and philosophy all in one store. Various styles and colors are sparkling here. Both time and energy are saved by the One Stop Shopping mode, from which customers benefit greatly.

Cooperation with Leading Partner to Cast a New Era of Jewelry Retail

MATRO GBJ Boutique Beijing is located at the China National Gold Group Flagship Store. Mr. Chen Xiongwei, president of China National Gold Group Gold Jewelry Corporation Limited attended the opening ceremony of MATRO GBJ Boutique Beijing and stated that "MATRO GBJ is our exclusive choice."

MATRO GBJ efforts have won high recognition from the jewelry society. We will adhere to our initials on discovering fashionable, stylish and exquisite overseas jewelries. Innovative new businesses including custom-tailored design and virtual-reality try-on are under development, which will upgrade the layout of jewelry retail in China.

SOURCE MATRO GBJ
This gold nugget discovery, within a 300 meter by 300 meter area, is significant in that it represents the first gold discovery on the Golden Palms tenement and has greatly expanded the known nugget-bearing potential of the South Egina area. This new discovery is located approximately 2.5 km northwest of the recently announced Friendly Creek gold nugget discovery (Pacton News: Oct 15, 2018), and occurs across the regional structural and stratigraphic fabric of the underlying bedrock geology.

The gold nuggets, which show various morphological shapes and textures, and which appear to be eluvial remnants liberated from the underlying bedrock by weathering, were collected in an area that is underlain by mafic to ultramafic volcanoclastic rocks. The basaltic rocks are described as similar to the basalts underlying the recent nugget discovery at the adjacent Friendly Creek tenement, except that the Friendly Creek basalts are massive, thick units, while the basalts underlying the recent Golden Palms tenement nugget discovery are mapped as being stratigraphically thinner, and are sparsely interbedded within a massive chert and limestone sedimentary package. Within the sedimentary package, the basalts do outcrop, but are usually covered by a layer of weathered colluvium, as occurs at the sites where the Golden Palms nuggets were discovered.

The prospective geological gold nugget area covered by Pacton's South Egina project is large, poorly explored, and consists of an 8 km thick volcano-sedimentary system which extends for approximately 10 km along strike, in a NE-SW orientation, across the adjacent Golden Palms, Friendly Creek and Hong Kong tenements, (Figure 2).

The nuggets and/or mineralization shown in Figure 2 are selected samples and are not necessarily representative of mineralization hosted on the Property.

About Pacton Gold

Pacton Gold (PAC: TSXV; PACXF: US, FSE: 2NKN) is a well-financed Canadian junior with key strategic partners focused on the exploration and development of conglomerate-hosted gold properties located in the district-scale Pilbara gold rush in Western Australia.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Peter Caldbick, P.Geo., a director of the Company and a Qualified Person pursuant to National Instrument 43-101. The qualified person has not yet verified the data disclosed, including sampling, analytical, and test data underlying the information or opinions contained in the written disclosure.

On Behalf of the Board of Pacton Gold Inc.

Alec Pismiris

Interim President and CEO

This news release may contain or refer to forward-looking information based on current expectations, including, but not limited to the Company achieving success in exploring its properties and the impact on the Company of these events, including the effect on its share price. Forward-looking information is subject to significant risks and uncertainties, as actual results may differ materially from forecasted results. Forward-looking information is provided as of the date hereof and we assume no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances. References to other issuers with nearby projects is for information purposes only and there are no assurances the Company will achieve similar results.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange, the Toronto Stock Exchange nor their Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Pacton Gold Inc.
DUBLIN, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "South America Retail Analytics Market By Component (Software & Services), By Deployment Mode (Cloud & On-Premise), By Application, By End User Sector, By Country, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2013-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

South America retail analytics market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 21% by 2023, owing to continuing growth in internet and smart devices penetration across the region.



Increasing demand for advanced technology-based analytics solutions, growing number of digitization initiatives by governments across the region, and rising awareness of data analytics and marketing services are expected to positively influence the region's retail analytics market during the forecast period. Moreover, increasing demand for advanced automation techniques across retail sector would aid growth in the market.



South America Retail Analytics Market, 2013-2023 discusses the following aspects of retail analytics market in South America:

Retail Analytics Market Size, Share & Forecast

Segmental Analysis - By Component (Software & Services), By Deployment Mode (Cloud & On-Premise), By Application, By End User Sector, By Country

Competitive Analysis

Changing Market Trends & Emerging Opportunities

Some of the major players operating in the South America retail analytics market are



IBM Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

SAP SE

Oracle Corporation

SAS Institute Inc.

Qlik

Infor

Tibco Software Inc.

Tableau Software

Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Analyst View



4. South America Retail Analytics Market Landscape



5. South America Retail Analytics Market Outlook



6. Brazil Retail Analytics Market Outlook



7. Argentina Retail Analytics Market Outlook



8. Colombia Retail Analytics Market Outlook



9. Market Dynamics



10. Market Trends & Developments



11. Competitive Landscape



12. Strategic Recommendations



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/847w78/south_america?w=5



Did you know that we also offer Custom Research? Visit our Custom Research page to learn more and schedule a meeting with our Custom Research Manager.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Center for Discovery is today convening its 3rd annual Discovery Sessions at the prestigious Hearst Tower in New York City. This year's research conference  "Brain, Body and the Age of Complexity"  will engage leading researchers, stakeholders, government officials, and community leaders about a range of complex conditions related to brain and body health  including Autism Spectrum Disorders, Alzheimer's and dementia, and more.

The conference will be moderated by The Center for Discovery's President & CEO, Patrick H. Dollard, along with the cofounder of the Omega Institute, widely-recognized holistic physician, and author of Timeshifting, Dr. Stephan Rechtschaffen. Seven internationally known speakers  all focusing on the science that connects our brains and bodies to a comprehensive approach for better health  will address the role of complexity in understanding, diagnosing, and treating complex conditions. The renowned lineup of speakers includes:

Dr. Theresa Hamlin , Associate Executive Director at The Center for Discovery and author of Autism and the Stress Effect

, Associate Executive Director at The Center for Discovery and author of Dr. John Ratey , Associate Clinic Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain

, Associate Clinic Professor of Psychiatry at and author of Dr. Dale Bredesen , internationally recognized expert in the mechanisms of Alzheimer's and author of the bestselling book, The End of Alzheimer's

, internationally recognized expert in the mechanisms of Alzheimer's and author of the bestselling book, Dr. John Coles , Senior Research Scientist in Healthcare Informatics at CUBRC, Inc., and leading researcher for The Center for Discovery on using data to improve patient outcomes

, Senior Research Scientist in Healthcare Informatics at CUBRC, Inc., and leading researcher for The Center for Discovery on using data to improve patient outcomes Dr. Mark Hyman , eleven-time #1 New York Times' bestselling author and Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine

, eleven-time #1 bestselling author and Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine Dr. Michael Milham , world-renowned neuroscience researcher and Vice President of Research at the Child Mind Institute

, world-renowned neuroscience researcher and Vice President of Research at the Child Mind Institute Dr. Kara Margolis , Pediatric Gastroenterologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Columbia University , as well as lead researcher at The Center for Discovery studying gut microbiome abnormalities in complex conditions

Throughout the day, the conference will feature two charrette sessions where interactive discussions will be held on ways to collaborate with The Center for Discovery to change the way the world thinks about brain and body health and to help move its research agenda forward.

"Our research and the groundbreaking ideas about brain health that we will discuss today will have implications far beyond our community at The Center for Discovery. We are at the forefront of discovering life-changing knowledge that will lead to better understanding, more targeted treatments, and new technologies for a great number of chronic, complex conditions. Today's conference is a first step in propelling us even further to being able to help millions of individuals worldwide," said Dr. Theresa Hamlin, Associate Executive Director at The Center for Discovery.

About The Center for Discovery:

The Center for Discovery is a provider of healthcare and education services for more than 1,200 children and adults with complex conditions, medical frailties and Autism Spectrum Disorders, located 90 miles northwest of New York City. It has long been a leader in developing new models of care for individuals with complex conditions. On 1,500 acres of land in Sullivan County, The Center houses school campuses, residences, medical and research facilities, organic and biodynamic farmland, and leased private businesses. Deeply focused on an individual's personal potential and possibilities, rather than a disability, The Center strives to create better care and unique and challenging opportunities for the most vulnerable populations. For more information, please visit https://thecenterfordiscovery.org/.

For more information: Michael Rosen | [email protected]

SOURCE The Center for Discovery

Related Links

https://thecenterfordiscovery.org


LONDON, October 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

CAPEX & OPEX ($bn) & Production (bpd) Forecasts for Oil Sands, Heavy Oil, Steam Injection (Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS), Steam Flooding), Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) & Other Technologies Plus Detailed Project Tables & Analysis of Leading Companies

This independent 185-page report guarantees you will remain better informed than your competitors. With 130+ tables and figures examining the Thermal EOR market space, the report gives you a visual, one-stop breakdown of your market as well as analysis, from 2018-2028 keeping your knowledge that one step ahead allowing you to succeed. This report will ensure that you do. Visiongain's report will ensure that you keep informed and ahead of your competitors. Gain that competitive advantage.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/523989/Visiongain_Logo.jpg )



The Thermal EOR Market Forecast 2018-2028 responds to your need for definitive market data:

Read on to discover how you can exploit the future business opportunities emerging in this sector. Visiongain's new study tells you and tells you NOW.

In this updated report, you find 130+ in-depth tables, charts and graphs all unavailable elsewhere.

The 185-page report provides clear detailed insight into the global Thermal EOR market. Discover the key drivers and challenges affecting the market.

By ordering and reading our report today you stay better informed and ready to act.

Report Scope

The report delivers considerable added value by revealing:

 130+ tables, charts and graphs analysing and revealing the growth prospects and outlook for the Thermal EOR Market.

Reasons why you must order and read this report today:

1. The report provides SPENDING ($) and PRODUCTION (bbl/d) forecasts (2018-2028), plus analysis, for 11 regional and national markets, providing unique insight into thermal EOR Market development:

 China Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 Canada Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 Russia Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 Oman Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 Bahrain Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 Indonesia Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 Venezuela Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 Saudi Arabia Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 U.S. Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 Kuwait Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

 Rest of the World Thermal EOR Forecast 2018-2028

2. The report also offers PRODUCTION forecasts (2018-2028) for the two major thermal EOR extraction methods

 Steam Injection

 Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage

3. The report also offers Visiongain's oil price forecast for the period between 2018 and 2028

 Supply-side factors

 Demand-side factors

 Other Major Variables that Impact the Oil Price

 Visiongain's Oil Price Assumption and Forecast

 How the Oil Price Will Impact the Thermal EOR Market

4. Tables and analysis profiling the top companies in the thermal EOR business:

 Major thermal EOR Project Operators in oil sands

 Major thermal EOR operators in heavy oil

5. Companies Analysed in This Report

 Cenovus

 Suncor

 ConocoPhillips

 Imperial Oil

 CNOOC

 Chevron

 Husky Energy

 PDVSA

 Sinopec

 Occidental

 Conclusions and recommendations which will aid decision-making

How will you benefit from this report?

 Keep your knowledge base up to speed. Don't get left behind

 Reinforce your strategic decision-making with definitive and reliable market data

 Learn how to exploit new technological trends

 Realise your company's full potential within the market

 Understand the competitive landscape and identify potential new business opportunities & partnerships

 Details of top projects for each extraction method (Steam Injection, Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage, Other) as well as detailing over 40 projects around the world

Who should read this report?

 Anyone with involvement in oil/ gas production

 Energy price reporting companies

 Energy company managers

 Energy consultants

 Oil and gas company executives and analysts

 Heads of strategic development

 Business development managers

 Marketing managers

 Market analysts,

 Technologists

 Suppliers

 Investors

 Banks

 Government agencies

Visiongain's study is intended for anyone requiring commercial analyses for the thermal EOR market and leading companies. You find data, trends and predictions.

Buy our report today the Thermal Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Market Report 2018-2028: CAPEX & OPEX ($bn) & Production (bpd) Forecasts for Oil Sands, Heavy Oil, Steam Injection (Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS), Steam Flooding), Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) & Other Technologies Plus Detailed Project Tables & Analysis of Leading Companies. Avoid missing out by staying informed - get our report now.

To request a report overview of this report please contact Sara Peerun at [email protected] or refer to our website: https://www.visiongain.com/report/thermal-enhanced-oil-recovery-eor-market-report-2018-2028/

Aera Energy

Athabasca Oil

Bayou State

Bayshore Petroleum

Blackpearl Resources

BP Migas

Brion Energy

Cenovus

Chevron Corporation

Chrysalix Energy venture Capital

Citgo Petroleum Group

CNPC

CNRL

Connacher

ConocoPhillips

Continental Resources

Denbury Resources

Devon Energy

ENI

Equinor

E-T Energy

Excelsior Energy

Exxon Mobil

Gazprom

Glass Point

Harvest Operations

Hot-Tec Energy

Husky Energy

Imperial Oil

Japan Canada Oil Sands

KGOC

Laricina Energy

Linn Energy

Lukoil

Maha Energy

MEG Energy

Naftex

NAM

Nexen

NOC

Nth Power

Occidental

Osum Oil Sands

Pacific Exploration

Pacific Rubiales

PDO

Pengrowth Energy

Petro-Canada

Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. PDVSA

Reliance

RockPort Capital

Rosneft

Royal Dutch Shell

Salym Petroleum Development N.V.

Sinopec

SKSPMIGAS

SOE

Suncor

Sunshine Oil Sands

Surgutneftegaz

Tatweer Petroleum

Tipco

Total

Touchstone

Valero

Wintershall

Zarubezhneft



Organisations Mentioned in This Report

Algerian Energy Ministry

California Department of Oil, Gas & Geothermal Resources (DOGGR)

California Resources Corporation

China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC)

China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC)

International Energy Agency (IEA)

OPEC

Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts

United States Geological Survey (USGS)

To see a report overview please e-mail Sara Peerun on [email protected]

SOURCE Visiongain
BRUSSELS, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

- Oral presentation of results from C-AXSPAND, the first Phase 3 study to follow non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) patients for 52 weeks, demonstrated positive results for CIMZIA (certolizumab pegol) in this patient population when added to common background medications

- In the first presentation of long-term data for the investigational product bimekizumab, late-breaking results from the Phase 2b BE ACTIVE study in active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) over 48 weeks demonstrated maintenance of substantial improvements across both skin and joint outcomes, reinforcing the potential value of the molecule's unique dual neutralization of IL-17A and IL-17F

- Results from the run-in phase of the C-OPTIMISE study show that patients with nr-axSpA and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), achieved sustained remission with CIMZIA

- A disease state presentation on the treatment patterns of women of childbearing age shows the need for additional awareness and use of appropriate treatment options for family planning and throughout the patient treatment journey

UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company, is presenting data highlighting the potential value of CIMZIA (certolizumab pegol) and one of its key pipeline molecules, bimekizumab, across patient populations, including those living with conditions across the entire axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) spectrum, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Additional research is focused on women of childbearing age with chronic inflammatory disease. Findings will be presented at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (ACR/ARHP) Annual Meeting on October 19-24, in Chicago, Illinois.

Results from an investigational study, C-AXSPAND, the first Phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate non-radiographic axSpA (nr-axSpA) patients for 52 weeks, will be presented in an oral session. CIMZIA demonstrated clinically relevant and statistically significant improvements in patients with active disease and objective signs of inflammation, as measured by major improvement in Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS-MI), despite previous use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), providing clear evidence of the limitations of common background medications. The first 52 weeks of the study have been completed and an additional two years of safety follow-up are ongoing. CIMZIA is not approved for the treatment of nr-axSpA by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Interim results from the Phase 2b BE ACTIVE study, assessing the dose response, long-term efficacy and safety of the investigational molecule bimekizumab in the treatment of active PsA, will be presented as part of an oral session. Data suggest that bimekizumab substantially improved joint and skin measures through 48 weeks, providing further evidence to support that neutralizing IL-17F in addition to IL-17A is a promising therapeutic approach in patients with active PsA. Bimekizumab is an investigational molecule which has not been approved by any regulatory agency worldwide.

"The studies presented this week at ACR/ARHP 2018 represent the potential for CIMZIA to treat multiple patient populations and further demonstrate our commitment to providing optimal disease management solutions, particularly for patients living with psoriatic arthritis and conditions across the entire axSpA disease spectrum. We are also presenting research that contributes to improved understanding of the treatment needs for women of childbearing age with chronic inflammatory disease," said Emmanuel Caeymaex, Head of Immunology and Executive Vice President of UCB's Immunology Patient Value Unit. "UCB is committed to partnering with rheumatologists, patient advocacy groups, regulators and other healthcare professionals to advance and optimize clinical care to these underserved patient populations by objectively addressing patient needs through innovative solutions and therapies like the investigational molecule bimekizumab, an IL-17A and IL-17F inhibitor."

Additional presentations include results from the first 48 weeks of the 96-week C-OPTIMISE study investigating treatment outcomes in nr-axSpA and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Positive results from Part A of this study showed that when treated with CIMIZA, a substantial proportion of patients across the axSpA spectrum achieved sustained remission (ASDAS <1.3). The percentage of those who achieved sustained remission was similar between AS and nr-axSpA patients.

Additionally, ECLAIR, a prospective, observational, multicenter study of clinical outcomes in a routine clinical practice setting found that rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with CIMZIA experienced disease improvements at 12 months, which were sustained up to 36 months.

An additional disease state presentation using U.S. claims data will highlight trends of lower biologic utilization in women of childbearing age (18-44 years) living with RA, PsA and AS compared to men in the same age group, despite the importance of maintaining disease control during periods of reproductive potential.

Following is a guide to the UCB-sponsored data presentations:

Presentations on CIMZIA in Approved Indications:

(286) The Prevalence and Treatment Patterns of Women of Childbearing Age with Rheumatic Disease: Edward Lee, Robert Suruki, Brian Carpenter, Ty Harkness, Daniel Luk, and Mohamed Yassine

Date/Time: October 21, 2018 , 9:00AM CT

, Presentation Type: ePoster

Location: McCormick Place, Poster Hall F2

(2516) Long-Term Maintenance of Response in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Treated with Certolizumab Pegol: Alain Saraux, Rene-Marc Flipo, Francis Fagnani, Gabrielle Cukierman, Isabelle Bru, Jean-Michel Joubert, Jan-Christof Schuller, Jacque Massol and Bernard Combe

Date/Time: October 23, 2018 , 9:00AM CT

, Presentation Type: ePoster

Location: McCormick Place, Poster Hall F2

Investigational Presentations on CIMZIA:

(1868) Efficacy and Safety Outcomes in Patients with Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis Treated with Certolizumab Pegol: Results from the First 52-Week Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study (NCT02552212): Atul Deodhar, Lianne S. Gensler, Jonathan Kay, Walter P. Maksymowych, Nigil Haroon, Robert Landewe, Martin Rudwaleit, Stephen Hall, Lars Bauer, Bengt Hoepken, Natasha de Peyrecave, Brian Kilgallen, Desiree van der Heijde

Date/Time: October 22, 2018 , 3:30PM CT

, Presentation Type: Oral Session

Location: McCormick Place, W375a

(2558) Efficacy and Safety Outcomes in Patients with Axial Spondyloarthritis Treated with Certolizumab Pegol: Results from the 48-Week Run-In Part of a 96-Week Study (NCT02505542): Robert Landewe, Desiree van der Heijde, Maxime Dougados, Xenofon Baraliakos, Filip Van den Bosch, Bengt Hoepken, Karen Thomas, Lianne S. Gensler

Date/Time: October 23, 2018 , 9:00AM CT

, Presentation Type: ePoster

Location: McCormick Place, Poster Hall F2

Presentations on UCB's Investigational Pipeline:

Bimekizumab

(L17) Dual Neutralization of IL-17A and IL-17F With Bimekizumab in Patients with Active PsA: Results From A 48-Week Phase 2b, Randomized, DoubleBlind, Placebo-Controlled, Dose-Ranging Study: Christopher Ritchlin, Arthur Kavanaugh, Joseph F. Merola, Georg Schett, Jose U. Scher, Richard B. Warren, Deepak Assudani, Thomas Kumke, Barbara Ink, Ian McInnes

Date/Time: October 23, 2018 , 4:40 PM  4:55PM CT

,  Presentation Type: Oral

Location: McCormick Place, W375c

About Bimekizumab

Bimekizumab is an investigational novel humanized monoclonal IgG1 antibody that potently and selectively neutralizes both IL-17A and IL-17F, two key cytokines driving inflammatory processes. IL-17A and IL-17F have similar pro-inflammatory functions and independently cooperate with other inflammatory mediators to drive chronic inflammation and damage across multiple tissues.

Previous early Phase clinical studies in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis have suggested that bimekizumab's unique dual neutralization of both IL-17A and IL-17F may provide a new targeted approach for the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases.i,ii,iii Preclinical results in disease-relevant cells have shown that neutralizing IL-17F in addition to IL-17A reduces skin and joint inflammation, as well as pathological bone formation to an extent greater than inhibition of IL-17A alone. ii,iv,v

UCB is also studying bimekizumab in other disease areas, including psoriasis and ankylosing spondylitis. The safety and efficacy of bimekizumab have not been established, and it is not approved by any regulatory authority worldwide.

About CIMZIA in the US

CIMZIA is the only Fc-free, PEGylated anti-TNF (Tumor Necrosis Factor). CIMZIA has a high affinity for human TNF-alpha, selectively neutralizing the pathophysiological effects of TNF-alpha.

CIMZIA is indicated for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA), adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and adults with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS). CIMZIA is also indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

In addition, it is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease (CD) and maintaining clinical response in adult patients with moderately to severely active disease who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy. See important safety information, including risk of serious bacterial, viral and fungal infections and tuberculosis below.

Important Safety Information about CIMZIA in the US

CONTRAINDICATIONS

CIMZIA is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity reaction to certolizumab pegol or to any of the excipients. Reactions have included angioedema, anaphylactoid reaction, serum sickness, and urticaria.

SERIOUS INFECTIONS

Patients treated with CIMZIA are at increased risk for developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death. Most patients who developed these infections were taking concomitant immunosuppressants such as methotrexate or corticosteroids.

Discontinue CIMZIA if a patient develops a serious infection or sepsis.

Reported infections include:

Active tuberculosis (TB), including reactivation of latent TB. Patients with TB have frequently presented with disseminated or extrapulmonary disease. Test patients for latent TB before CIMZIA use and during therapy. Initiate treatment for latent TB prior to CIMZIA use.

Invasive fungal infections, including histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, candidiasis, aspergillosis, blastomycosis, and pneumocystosis. Patients with histoplasmosis or other invasive fungal infections may present with disseminated, rather than localized, disease. Antigen and antibody testing for histoplasmosis may be negative in some patients with active infection. Consider empiric anti-fungal therapy in patients at risk for invasive fungal infections who develop severe systemic illness.

Bacterial, viral, and other infections due to opportunistic pathogens, including Legionella and Listeria.

Carefully consider the risks and benefits of treatment with CIMZIA prior to initiating therapy in the following patients: with chronic or recurrent infection; who have been exposed to TB; with a history of opportunistic infection; who resided in or traveled in regions where mycoses are endemic; with underlying conditions that may predispose them to infection. Monitor patients closely for the development of signs and symptoms of infection during and after treatment with CIMZIA, including the possible development of TB in patients who tested negative for latent TB infection prior to initiating therapy.

Do not start CIMZIA during an active infection, including localized infections.

Patients older than 65 years, patients with co-morbid conditions, and/or patients taking concomitant immunosuppressants may be at greater risk of infection.

If an infection develops, monitor carefully and initiate appropriate therapy.

MALIGNANCY

Lymphoma and other malignancies, some fatal, have been reported in children and adolescent patients treated with TNF blockers, of which CIMZIA is a member. CIMZIA is not indicated for use in pediatric patients.

Consider the risks and benefits of CIMZIA treatment prior to initiating or continuing therapy in a patient with known malignancy.

In clinical trials, more cases of malignancies were observed among CIMZIA-treated patients compared to control patients.

In CIMZIA clinical trials, there was an approximately 2-fold higher rate of lymphoma than expected in the general U.S. population. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly those with highly active disease, are at a higher risk of lymphoma than the general population.

Malignancies, some fatal, have been reported among children, adolescents, and young adults being treated with TNF blockers. Approximately half of the cases were lymphoma, while the rest were other types of malignancies, including rare types associated with immunosuppression and malignancies not usually seen in this patient population.

Postmarketing cases of hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL), a rare type of T-cell lymphoma, have been reported in patients treated with TNF blockers, including CIMZIA. These cases have had a very aggressive disease course and have been fatal. The majority of reported TNF blocker cases have occurred in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, and the majority were in adolescent and young adult males. Almost all of these patients had received treatment with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine concomitantly with a TNF blocker at or prior to diagnosis. Carefully assess the risks and benefits of treating with CIMZIA in these patient types.

Cases of acute and chronic leukemia were reported with TNF blocker use.

HEART FAILURE

Worsening and new onset congestive heart failure (CHF) has been reported with TNF blockers. Exercise caution and monitor carefully.

HYPERSENSITIVITY

Angioedema, anaphylactoid reaction, dyspnea, hypotension, rash, serum sickness, and urticaria have been reported following CIMZIA administration. If a serious allergic reaction occurs, stop CIMZIA and institute appropriate therapy. The needle shield inside the removable cap of the CIMZIA prefilled syringe contains a plastic derivative of natural rubber latex which may cause an allergic reaction in individuals sensitive to latex.

HEPATITIS B VIRUS REACTIVATION

Use of TNF blockers, including CIMZIA, may increase the risk of reactivation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in patients who are chronic carriers. Some cases have been fatal.

Test patients for HBV infection before initiating treatment with CIMZIA.

Exercise caution in patients who are carriers of HBV and monitor them before and during CIMZIA treatment.

Discontinue CIMZIA and begin antiviral therapy in patients who develop HBV reactivation. Exercise caution when resuming CIMZIA after HBV treatment.

NEUROLOGIC REACTIONS

TNF blockers, including CIMZIA, have been associated with rare cases of new onset or exacerbation of central nervous system and peripheral demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis, seizure disorder, optic neuritis, peripheral neuropathy, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

HEMATOLOGIC REACTIONS

Rare reports of pancytopenia, including aplastic anemia, have been reported with TNF blockers. Medically significant cytopenia has been infrequently reported with CIMZIA.

Consider stopping CIMZIA if significant hematologic abnormalities occur.

DRUG INTERACTIONS

Do not use CIMZIA in combination with other biological DMARDS.

AUTOIMMUNITY

Treatment with CIMZIA may result in the formation of autoantibodies and, rarely, in development of a lupus-like syndrome. Discontinue treatment if symptoms of a lupus-like syndrome develop.

IMMUNIZATIONS

Patients on CIMZIA should not receive live or live-attenuated vaccines.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The most common adverse reactions in CIMZIA clinical trials (8%) were: upper respiratory infections (18%), rash (9%), and urinary tract infections (8%).

For full prescribing information, please visit www.ucb-usa.com.

For further information, UCB:

Corporate Communications France Nivelle,

Global Communications, UCB Investor Relations Antje Witte,

Investor Relations, UCB Brand Communications Andrea Levin Christopher, Immunology Communications, UCB

T +32.2.559.9178, [email protected] T +32.2.559.94.14,

[email protected] T +1.404.483.7329 [email protected]

Laurent Schots, Media Relations, UCB T+32.2.559.92.64,

[email protected]







About UCB

UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases in immunology or neurology. With more than 7 500 people in approximately 40 countries, the company generated revenue of  4.5 billion in 2017. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB). Follow us on Twitter: @UCB_news

Forward looking statements - UCB

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current plans, estimates and beliefs of management. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial information, expected legal, political, regulatory or clinical results and other such estimates and results. By their nature, such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions which could cause actual results to differ materially from those that may be implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Important factors that could result in such differences include: changes in general economic, business and competitive conditions, the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals or to obtain them on acceptable terms, costs associated with research and development, changes in the prospects for products in the pipeline or under development by UCB, effects of future judicial decisions or governmental investigations, product liability claims, challenges to patent protection for products or product candidates, changes in laws or regulations, exchange rate fluctuations, changes or uncertainties in tax laws or the administration of such laws and hiring and retention of its employees. UCB is providing this information as of the date of this press release and expressly disclaims any duty to update any information contained in this press release, either to confirm the actual results or to report a change in its expectations.

There is no guarantee that new product candidates in the pipeline will progress to product approval or that new indications for existing products will be developed and approved. Products or potential products which are the subject of partnerships, joint ventures or licensing collaborations may be subject to differences between the partners. Also, UCB or others could discover safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with its products after they are marketed. Moreover, sales may be impacted by international and domestic trends toward managed care and health care cost containment and the reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers as well as legislation affecting biopharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement.

i Glatt S, Helmer E, Haier B, et al. First-in-human randomized study of bimekizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody and selective dual inhibitor of IL-17A and IL-17F, in mild psoriasis. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2017 May;83(5):991-1001. doi: 10.1111/bcp.13185. Epub 2017 Jan 10.

ii Papp K, Merola J, Gottlieb A, Griffiths C, Cross N, Peterson L, Cioffi C, Blauvelt A. Dual neutralization of both interleukin 17A and interleukin 17F with bimekizumab in patients with psoriasis: Results from BE ABLE 1, a 12-week randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 2b trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2018 Aug;79(2):277-286.e10. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29609013

iii Glatt S, Baeten D, Baker T, et al. Dual IL-17A and IL-17F neutralisation by bimekizumab in psoriatic arthritis: evidence from preclinical experiments and a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial that IL-17F contributes to human chronic tissue inflammation. Ann Rheum Dis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29275332.

iv Shah M, Maroof A, Al-Hosni R, Gikas P, Gozzard N, Shaw S, Roberts S. Bimekizumab Blocks T Cell-Mediated Osteogenic Differentiation of Periosteal Stem Cells: Coupling Pathological Bone Formation to IL-17A and IL-17F Signaling [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017; 69 (suppl 10).

UCB Data on File. July 2017.

v Maroof A, Okoye R, Smallie T, et al. Bimekizumab dual inhibition of IL-17A and IL-17F provides evidence of IL-17F contribution to chronic inflammation in disease-relevant cells. Ann Rheum Dis. 201706;76 (suppl.2):213-213.

SOURCE UCB, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ucb.com


"This is a marvelous day for Bentley and for higher education," said inauguration keynote speaker Mary Sue Coleman , the president of the Association of American Universities, who worked closely with Davis-Blake as the president of the University of Michigan when Davis-Blake was business dean there. Coleman praised her as "a new leader perfect for the opportunities that await Bentley."

"To be an effective university president, you must look beyond the borders of the campus. Alison believes in building bridges," Coleman said. "This is so important, both for students and the communities and companies they will join after graduating. Universities that connect with their communities are more effective, more respected and better positioned to make a genuine difference in people's lives."

Read Mary Sue Coleman's Inauguration Keynote Address

At the inauguration ceremony, University Trustee Chairman Robert P. Badavas '74 bestowed upon Davis-Blake the presidential medallion that bears the seal of Bentley University and symbolizes the authority and responsibility vested in the president as leader of the university.

In her inaugural address, President Davis-Blake said now is a transformative time for colleges and universities across the country. "Higher education has never been more important," she said. "Here at Bentley, right here and right now, we have the exciting chance to imagine what the future of leadership in business and in society can be and to create business-focused education for the next generation of leaders."

She urged students, faculty and others to foster a positive environment that thrives on diversity, focuses on the university's strengths, and operates with integrity  and to carry that over to their careers. "We have choices about how we structure our organizations, how we motivate and sustain employees, how we inspire students to make a difference in their companies and their communities, and how we support businesses so they can do well and also serve the greater good."

"The world is not getting any simpler," she concluded. "But that's just fine. Bentley is up to it. We are up to it, as we work together to define the future of business leadership in this country and for the world."

Read President Davis-Blake's Inauguration Address

The inauguration ceremony on Friday, Oct. 19, concluded a week-long series of activities for the Bentley community, with events designed for students, faculty and staff, to celebrate the inauguration of President Davis-Blake.

Watch: Alison Davis-Blake, An Academic Life [video]

Read About the Faculty Symposium on the Future of Work

Read About the Symposium for Students on Positivity in the Workplace

Read About the Inauguration Tree Planting Ceremony

Read About the Workshops for Staff on Positive Leadership

About Mary Sue Coleman

Mary Sue Coleman has been president of the Association of American Universities since 2016. Prior to joining the AAU, Dr. Coleman was president of the University of Michigan from 2002 to July 2014 (where she is now president and professor emerita) and president of the University of Iowa from 1995 to 2002. Long involved with the AAU, Coleman served as chair in 2011-2012.

Dr. Coleman has during her career as a faculty member and administrator been a national leader in higher education. The American Council on Education honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

At the University of Michigan, Dr. Coleman oversaw the groundbreaking partnership with Google to digitize the University's 7 million volume library, launched enduring institutional partnerships with universities in China, Ghana, South Africa, Brazil, and India, revitalized student living and learning experiences through a residential life initiative, and worked tirelessly to promote economic revitalization and innovation within the state of Michigan.

In recognition of these efforts, Dr. Coleman was named by President Obama in 2010 to help launch the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke named her as co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Throughout her career, she has promoted the educational value of diverse perspectives in the classroom and within the academic community, and she has worked in numerous venues to improve access to higher education for all.

About Alison Davis-Blake

Alison Davis-Blake, Bentley University's eighth president, is an accomplished academician and a leader in higher education. She served as dean of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota (2006-2011) and of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan (2011-2016). Dr. Davis-Blake holds an undergraduate degree in Economics and a master's degree in Organizational Behavior, both from Brigham Young University, and a PhD in Business Administration from Stanford University.

Dr. Davis-Blake is a talented scholar with expertise in strategic human resource management and organizational design for effective management of human capital. Her research interests include the effects of outsourcing on organizations and employees; the design of effective organizational recruitment, salary and promotion systems; and the organizational consequences of relying on large numbers of temporary, contract and leased workers. She has taught courses in organization theory, organizational behavior, fundamentals of management, and strategic human resource management for students at the undergraduate, MBA, doctoral and executive levels.

While at Ross, Dr. Davis-Blake positioned the school globally for its new mission to develop leaders who make a positive difference in the world. This included increasing global study opportunities for MBA and Bachelor of Business Administration students and forming new partnerships with universities around the world. Under her leadership, Ross expanded activities in India, Japan and South Korea. Helping the school expand domestically, Dr. Davis-Blake brought the Executive MBA program to Los Angeles and introduced the Master of Management and Minor in Business programs.

Dr. Davis-Blake was the first female dean at both Carlson and Ross and is Bentley's second woman president. Earlier in her career, she served in multiple positions at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business, including senior associate dean for academic affairs and chair of the Management Department, as well as at Carnegie Mellon University, where she taught in the Graduate School of Industrial Administration (now the Tepper School of Business).

Dr. Davis-Blake's husband, Michael, is a physicist who has spent most of his career developing scientific software that takes algorithms from university labs and makes them usable outside the lab. Alison and Michael have two sons: Kent, who graduated from Stanford University with a BS and MS and works at a technology firm in Silicon Valley, and Gordon, who is currently studying at Stanford.

SOURCE Bentley University

Related Links

http://www.bentley.edu


DUBLIN, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc, (NYSE: AGN) a leading global pharmaceutical company with a nearly 70-year heritage in ophthalmology, will present new data at the Annual Meeting of the American College of Ophthalmology (AAO) to be held in Chicago, Illinois. The Retina Subspecialty Day (October 26-27) will feature two late-breaker presentations on the company's ophthalmology pipeline, including new findings for abicipar in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and brimonidine drug delivery system (DDS) in patients with geographic atrophy secondary to AMD. Additional company-sponsored data will also be presented during the AAO poster sessions.

"The data demonstrate our continued dedication to research and innovation aimed at finding new solutions to a cross-section of eye diseases," said David Nicholson, Chief Research & Development Officer at Allergan. "At AAO, we look forward to presenting results from studies that have the potential to define new treatment approaches as well as continue to improve upon current patient care."

Allergan will present five abstracts, including two podium and three poster presentations (all noted in local Central Daylight Time):

Retina Subspecialty Day  Section XI: First-time Results of Clinical Trials (Friday, October 26, 5:08-5:36 PM):

Safety and Efficacy of Abicipar in Patients with Neovascular Agerelated Macular Degeneration

Author: Khurana R.



Time: 5:15-5:22 PM





Brimonidine DDS Safety and Efficacy in Patients with Geographic Atrophy Secondary to Age-related Macular Degeneration

Author: Freeman W et al



Time: 5:29-5:36 PM

AAO Poster Session One (Saturday, October 27 - Sunday, October 28)

* Authors present Sunday, Oct. 28th, 12:45-1:45 PM):

Symptom Relief in Dry Eye Subjects Following Intranasal Tear Neurostimulation

Authors: Jerkins G et al.





Real World Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration Treatment and Outcomes: Analyses of US Electronic Health Records

Authors: Kiss S et al.





Real-World Efficacy of Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty in the UK and Factors Predicting Success

*Additional presentation in the Poster Theater, Sunday, Oct. 28 th , 3:30-4:30 PM

*Additional presentation in the Poster Theater, , Authors: Khawaja A et al.

ALLERGAN ANALYST CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST

Allergan will host an Analyst Event at the 2018 AAO Annual Meeting including a conference call and webcast on Friday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time (7:30 p.m. Eastern Time). The dial-in number to access the call is U.S./Canada (877) 251-7980, International (706) 643-1573, and the conference ID is 1974409.

A replay of the conference call will also be available beginning approximately two hours after the call's conclusion and will remain available through 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time on November 26, 2018. The replay may be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 or (404) 537-3406 and entering the conference ID 1974409.

To access the webcast, please visit Allergan's Investor Relations website at https://www.allergan.com/investors/events-presentations. A replay of the webcast will also be available on Allergan's Investor Relations website.

About Allergan Eye Care

As a leader in eye care, Allergan has discovered, developed, and delivered some of the most innovative products in the industry over the last 70 years. Allergan has launched over 125 eye care products and invested billions of dollars in new treatments for the most prevalent eye conditions including glaucoma, ocular surface disease, and retinal diseases such as diabetic macular edema and retinal vein occlusion. Our eye care pipeline includes 13 additional agents for multiple ocular conditions.

Our commitment to the well-being of patients is also reflected in philanthropy. Allergan and The Allergan Foundation support more than 150 organizations around the world working to improve lives and communities. We remain steadfast in helping eye care providers deliver the best in patient care through innovative products and outreach programs.

About Allergan plc

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical leader. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical and regenerative medicine products for patients around the world.

Allergan markets a portfolio of leading brands and best-in-class products for the central nervous system, eye care, medical aesthetics and dermatology, gastroenterology, women's health, urology and anti-infective therapeutic categories.

Allergan is an industry leader in Open Science, a model of research and development, which defines our approach to identifying and developing game-changing ideas and innovation for better patient care. With this approach, Allergan has built one of the broadest development pipelines in the pharmaceutical industry.

Allergan's success is powered by our global colleagues' commitment to being Bold for Life. Together, we build bridges, power ideas, act fast and drive results for our customers and patients around the world by always doing what is right.

With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives every day.

For more information, visit Allergan's website at www.Allergan.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan's current perspective on existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; the impact of uncertainty around timing of generic entry related to key products, including RESTASIS, on our financial results; risks associated with divestitures, acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures; uncertainty associated with financial projections, projected cost reductions, projected debt reduction, projected synergies, restructurings, increased costs, and adverse tax consequences; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and Allergan's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2018. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS:

Allergan:

Investors:

Daphne Karydas

(862) 261-8006

Karina Calzadilla

(862) 261-7328

Media:

Amy Rose

(862) 261-7001

Fran DeSena

(862) 261-8820

SOURCE Allergan plc

Related Links

www.allergan.com


BALTIMORE, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association (AUA) applauds the 103 members of the U.S. House of Representatives who signed a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma supporting improvements to prior authorization requirements under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Reps. Phil Roe, MD (R-TN-1) and Ami Bera, MD (D-CA-7) spearheaded the bipartisan letter, was supported by 101 members of the House, including 55 Republicans and 48 Democrats.

The letter urges CMS to:

Issue guidance to Medicare Advantage plans to dissuade the widespread use of prior authorization and to provide direction to the health plans to increase transparency, streamline prior authorization, and minimize the impact on patients;

Ensure that these requirements do not create inappropriate barriers to care for Medicare patients;

Collect data on the scope of prior authorization practices  including denial, delay and approval rates; and

Submit a report describing CMS oversight of prior authorization policies in MA plans, including the use of prior authorization for Part A and Part B services as well as audit protocols.

As part of its work with the Regulatory Relief Coalition (RRC), the AUA has actively engaged members of Congress on this issue, urging lawmakers to address the impact that prior authorization has on MA plans. During the multi-month campaign, the AUA directly communicated with more than 80 different Congressional offices either by a face-to-face meeting or through a separate, individual AUA correspondence.

"Overly burdensome prior authorization requirements can cause significant barriers to patients receiving the care they need in a timely manner and this can have dramatic impacts on vulnerable patient populations like the elderly," said AUA Public Policy Council Chair Chris Gonzalez, MD, MBA. "We applaud lawmakers for supporting further review of prior authorization and how it is being implemented by Medicare Advantage plans."

Prior authorization is a process used by insurance companies or third-party payers before they agree to cover prescribed medications or medical procedures. Insurance providers require prior authorization for reasons such as age, medical necessity, the availability of a generic alternative, or checking for drug interactions. A failed authorization can result in a requested service being denied, or an insurance company requiring the patient to go additional steps. The process can require a patient to try medication or a service preferred by the insurance provider, typically considered either more cost effective or safer, before the insurance company will cover a different service.

NOTE TO REPORTERS: Expert spokespeople are available to discuss this story. Please contact the Communications Office at 410-689-3932 for more information or to arrange an interview.

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 21,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

Contact:

Wendy Isett, AUA

410-689-3789

[email protected]

SOURCE American Urological Association

Related Links

http://www.AUAnet.org


MIAMI, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of Destination Immersion, Azamara Club Cruises has launched the City Stays program  in collaboration with Cox & Kings, the world's leading luxury tour operator. City Stays programs are available before and after sailings and offer curated travel experiences with emphasis on local connections, allowing Azamara guests additional time to explore the iconic arrival or departure ports.

"As a leader in delivering authentic cultural experiences across the globe, the expansion of Azamara's land offerings to include City Stays programs in key markets enhances our guests' connection with the destination by providing opportunities to explore a city from a local's perspective," said Larry Pimentel, President & CEO of Azamara Club Cruises. "Now that we have the opportunity to visit more destinations with our new ship, Azamara Pursuit, we will continue to expand our City Stays program across most if not all of our turnaround ports, reinforcing Azamara's commitment to Destination Immersion experiences."

Cox & Kings' President Patrick Richards adds, "we're thrilled to partner with Azamara on the new City Stays program. We've customized some truly special experiences in some of the world's greatest cities and look forward to showcasing these to Azamara guests."

The City Stays program includes accommodations for three or more nights, select meals, and transportation services from the port to the hotel, as well as a prearranged transfer from the airport. Highlights from the new City Stays, available before and after select Azamara Club Cruises' voyages, include:

Singapore  Dive into Singapore's renowned culinary culture with a local food critic as a guide. Travelers will set off on a scavenger hunt through the city's cultural sites and enjoy private visits with local artisans, including a fifth-generation baker, a master of making paper houses, and a coffee connoisseur.





 Dive into renowned culinary culture with a local food critic as a guide. Travelers will set off on a scavenger hunt through the city's cultural sites and enjoy private visits with local artisans, including a fifth-generation baker, a master of making paper houses, and a coffee connoisseur. Barcelona, Spain  Travelers go beyond the traditional sights of one of Europe's most dynamic cities. Guests can expect to visit a fourth-generation candy artisan, stroll through the unique district of Born  an artistic neighborhood with luxury shopping and museums - and experience a flamenco performance at night. On a food exploration of the city, guests will enjoy a meal with a local family while learning about their history, they will have a gourmet picnic lunch in the park with a Spanish family and join a local wine connoisseur in the evening to try a selection of Spain's best wines, some of which are more than 30 years old.





 Travelers go beyond the traditional sights of one of most dynamic cities. Guests can expect to visit a fourth-generation candy artisan, stroll through the unique district of Born  an artistic neighborhood with luxury shopping and museums - and experience a flamenco performance at night. On a food exploration of the city, guests will enjoy a meal with a local family while learning about their history, they will have a gourmet picnic lunch in the park with a Spanish family and join a local wine connoisseur in the evening to try a selection of best wines, some of which are more than 30 years old. Rome, Italy  During this tour of Rome , travelers will explore beyond the traditional sights of this historic city. Journey to an organic farm on the outskirts of Rome , where travelers will learn how to make bread and gnocchi, forage for wild herbs, enjoy a lakefront lunch, visit a milk and cheese laboratory, and go on a horseback ride. Following the excursion, participants will receive an exclusive tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel  before public opening hours  and have dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Learn more about Azamara Club Cruises' City Stays itineraries by visiting https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/destinations/land-sea-packages/city-stays.

About Azamara Club Cruises

Azamara Club Cruises is a boutique upmarket cruise line. Azamara's wide selection of Destination Immersion signature programming that delivers authentic cultural experiences across the globe. In 2018, as part of its Explore Further offerings, Azamara will take guests to more than 200 ports, in 70 countries, including 170 late night stays and 114 overnights. Azamara's commitment to Destination Immersion cruise experiences coupled with exceptional authentic service offers and inclusive amenities make for a unique cruise vacation experience. Additional information can be found on www.azamara.com .

About Cox & Kings, The Americas

With a history spanning more than 260 years, Cox & Kings is the world's oldest travel company. Born in 1758 as a custom travel outfitter, the company's U.S. operations today remains unwavering in its commitment to providing travelers with exquisite aspirational cultural and wildlife journeys. Specialized destination teams comprised of industry experts share their extensive local product knowledge and offer extraordinary insider access. Together, they create exclusive individual bespoke and tailored group luxury experiences to the world's most exotic destinations. For more information, please visit coxandkingsusa.com.

About Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise company that owns and operates three global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. We are a 50% joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises, a 49% shareholder in the Spanish brand Pullmantur. They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on approximately 540 destinations on all seven continents. Additional information can be found on: www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com, www.azamaraclubcruises.com, www.tuicruises.com, www.pullmantur.es, or www.rclinvestor.com

SOURCE Azamara Club Cruises

Related Links

http://www.azamara.com


LAKE CHARLES, La., Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Barbara Jeanne Belew is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in the field of Music Education in recognition of her role as Associate Professor of Music at McNeese State University.

Located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, McNeese State University is a learning institution that is dedicated to enhancing the educational development of those they serve.

With over sixty years of experience in the field of Music Education, Barbara Jeanne Belew is commended for her outstanding contributions to the field. Throughout her career, Belew has attained extensive expertise in playing the piano and harp and educating aspiring young musicians.

In addition to teaching piano and harp, Belew has taught several courses in keyboard and harp literature and pedagogy of both instruments, and directs the university harp ensemble. A freelance harp soloist and chamber musician, Belew is the Founder and current Vice President of the Louisiana Chapter of the American Harp Society, and a former National Board of Directors member. Founder of the MSU Harp Camp, Belew created the camp in hopes to inspire young children of all ages from second grade up to learn more about the harp.

Early in her career, Belew attained her Bachelor's degree in Music from Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas where she graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors in 1951. Thereafter, Belew then went on to obtain her Master's degree in Music from Indiana University  Bloomington in 1953. A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music through the Music Teachers National Association, Belew truly loves what she does.

In an effort to further enhance her professional development, Belew presently serves as Recording Secretary of the Lake Charles Piano Teachers Association (an affiliate of Louisiana Music Teachers Association and MTNA), Harp Camp and is an elite member of the National Board of Directors for the American Harp Society. She also is a charter member and chapter advisor of the Delta Chi Chapter of Mu Phi Epsilon, International Professional Music Society.

In recognition of her professional accolades in the field of music and education, Belew has been named a member of the Delta Kappa Society International, and has been featured in the Who's Who of American Women through the Marquis Who's Who company.

Belew credits her excellent teachers for much of her success. They included: Mattilene Belew (her mother), Dr. E. Edwin Young and concert pianist Sidney Foster, plus Dr. T. W. Dean (in music theory), and harpist Margaret White.

When not working, Belew continues to serve as a Sunday School officer in her church, Trinity Baptist of Lake Charles, LA.

For more information, visit www.mcneese.edu and www.barbarajbelew.com.

Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Following several devastating fires in recent years in Bergen County, New Jersey, local leaders are taking a step in the right direction towards building a safer community. On Wednesday, the Bergen County Board of Freeholders voted in support of a resolution to endorse statewide legislation to amend the state's construction code for fire safety reasons, working to protect firefighters and residents alike. The county's endorsement follows similarly adopted measures across New Jersey, including in Union, Gloucester, Camden, Hudson and Essex Counties. Bergen County's endorsement means that over half of New Jerseyans' representation supports a state-wide resolution.

The adopted resolution supports Assembly Bill 135 and Senate Bill 1261, legislation that calls for the installation of an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with NFPA 13, measuring the number of stories from the grade plane, using noncombustible materials for construction, and installing a fire barrier with a fire resistance rating of at least two hours that extends from the foundation to the roof.

"Bergen County has already seen enough tragedy at the hand of preventable building fires, and we haven't forgotten," said Jim Tedesco, the Bergen County Executive. "Prevention is always the best strategy, and pressing for stronger, safer building codes and non-combustible materials is the easiest way to protect our community. We're confident that state lawmakers understand the severity of our concern and will act quickly."

This resolution follows several shocking building fires across the county. In January 2015, a massive five-alarm fire in Edgewater destroyed over half of a 408-unit apartment building, leaving over 500 residents homeless or displaced. One fire chief cited lightweight wood construction as a primary reason for the spread of the blaze. In 2017, a six-alarm fire at a complex in Maplewood using the same construction method destroyed more than two-thirds of the units under construction. Nearby Lakewood, NJ Firefighters battled intense flames that engulfed a senior living community. Nine people were injured, including eight police officers and first responders.

"The resolution passed in Bergen County is part of a statewide push for stronger building regulations and a more resilient New Jersey," said Ed Donnelly, president of the New Jersey State Firefighters' Mutual Benevolent Association (FMBA). "More robust building codes are the first step to keeping our families and our first responders safe from harm."

Build with Strength works with communities, lawmakers, and industry employees to advocate for safer, sustainable building materials. Strengthening local and national building codes is among the organization's top priorities.

Learn more at www. http://buildwithstrength.com/

SOURCE Build with Strength

Related Links

http://www.buildwithstrength.com


Brookstone, the iconic American brand founded over 50 years ago in New Hampshire, is known for innovative and solution-oriented products, most notably in the Entertainment, Wellness, Home & Travel categories. The acquisition by Bluestar, a leader in the brand licensing and management business, opens the way for expanding the wholesale distribution of Brookstone products to some of the largest retailers in America, as well as to international retailers across the world. It also keeps open 30 Brookstone airport stores, serving as showcases for the Brookstone brand and products, and retaining 350 jobs.

"We are excited to begin renewing Brookstone's innovation and its flow of new products to the market," stated Joseph Gabbay, CEO of Bluestar Alliance LLC. "London Luxury is the brand's first new licensee, known for its expertise in the bedding, home textile and memory foam categories. We are thrilled to have London Luxury as our licensee partner as they exemplify the standard consumers will expect from the Brookstone brand. We are also seeing strong interest from a myriad of prospective licensees as well as enthusiastic retail partners. Contracts with best-in-class manufacturers in key categories including massage products, home environment, audio and travel products are already expected to close this week."

"Apex Digital is a great partner to run the Brookstone website and airport stores," said Ralph Gindi, COO of Bluestar Alliance LLC. "Apex is a major player in the consumer electronics market, developing advanced products and distributing them to the largest U.S. retailers, including Microsoft retail, Costco and Staples. They will operate the Brookstone.com website and e-commerce business, as well as the airport stores. Their great experience in e-commerce will bring tremendous synergies to the partnership and dramatically improve the performance and productivity of Brookstone's e-commerce business to state-of-the-art. Apex is the perfect partner to build on and extend Brookstone's heritage of innovation into the next decade."

"With Bluestar Alliance's tremendous domestic and global presence across multiple brands and categories, our new licensing partnership will yield significant results for all of our constituents," said Apex Chairman David Ji. "We are proud to announce this partnership and look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with Bluestar."

"This marks our first step out of the traditional history of Apex as an importer and manufacturer into multi-channel retailing," said Tasso Koken, Apex Chief Executive. "Our goal is to expand our store portfolio across the US at the most significant airport locations, building off the heritage of the Brookstone brand while creating a value proposition for our customers that reflects best-in-class brands and products curated for their specific needs. David and I have a long history together and real-world experience in retailing, product development and manufacturing. At this stage of our careers we want to create a great experience for our customers and an equally great opportunity for all of our employees and associates," he continued. "This is a tremendously positive outcome for fans of the Brookstone brand," said Apex Executive Jason Liu. "Moving forward, we're going to be very actively expanding the assortment of Brookstone products both online and in our airport stores, as well as adding new innovations from up-and-coming makers and global tech brands. New is what customers expect from Brookstone, and new, high-quality innovative product is what we're going to deliver."

"Bluestar and Apex are extremely talented and capable teams," said outgoing Brookstone CEO Piau Phang Foo, "and they're well positioned to grow the iconic Brookstone brand in airport, online and ever-expanding retail channels."

"Brookstone is a unique brand with strong growth potential," stated Manny Mashouf, CEO of bebe stores. "We are pleased to expand our already-successful relationship with Bluestar Alliance and can see the potential synergies with other brands in their portfolio. This investment, a direct result of our partnership with B. Riley Financial, will create a strong platform for future growth and enhance our ability to generate free cash flow to maximize our dividends to shareholders."

"We are pleased to continue to work closely with Bluestar, and this investment represents our combined efforts to build out bebe stores as an investment vehicle," said Nick Capuano, Chairman of bebe stores. "We will continue to look for opportunities that leverage our tax assets and create value for our shareholders."

About Bluestar Alliance LLC



Founded by Joseph Gabbay and Ralph Gindi in 2006, Bluestar owns, manages, and markets a portfolio of consumer brands that span across many tiers of distribution from luxury to mass market. This portfolio consists of major department store retail brands including Tahari, Bebe, Kensie, Catherine Malandrino, Nanette Lepore, Joan Vass, Michael Bastian, English Laundry and Limited Too.

The firm's investment mandate is to identify and purchase consumer brand companies where it can leverage the brand equity and expand its current categories to a broader consumer base. To facilitate the overall strategy Bluestar relies on its branding/marketing knowledge, extensive relationships with retail management, strategic partnerships and brand licensing manufacturing entities.

Each brand is uniquely positioned maintaining the brand heritage and equity, considering new categories and current tiers of distribution. Bluestar's current network of international and domestic partners offers the opportunity to take a niche brand to a visible worldwide lifestyle brand. Since its inception, Bluestar has acquired select brands with current retail sales exceeding $2.5 billion. The company manages a current portfolio of over 250 licensees and a growing branded retail platform of over 100 stores worldwide throughout North America, Europe, Australia, South America, Asia, United Arab Emirates, Middle East, India and Russia.

SOURCE Bluestar Alliance, LLC
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) announced today the return of Boorito, its annual Halloween celebration. On Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 3 p.m. to closing, customers who are in costume at all Chipotle locations in the U.S. and Canada can order a burrito, bowl, salad or tacos for only $4. Customers can also receive the same deal through the Chipotle app or online (for both pickup and delivery) by using the code "BOORITO."

"Boorito is a longstanding Chipotle tradition that's beloved by our fans," said Chris Brandt, chief marketing officer at Chipotle. "We love contributing to the Halloween spirit and seeing our customers show off their fun, creative costumes to celebrate Halloween and enjoy some of their favorite food."

Chipotle will also be taking the celebration to social media, holding an Instagram costume contest on Halloween. To enter, Chipotle fans must post a photo of themselves in costume, at a Chipotle restaurant, on their Instagram profile or Instagram Story and tag @Chipotle. Chipotle will then select eight finalists and post the contestants' photos on the brand's Instagram Story. Fans will have the chance to vote for the "Boorito Champion" by 'liking' their favorite costume from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 1. One lucky winner will enjoy the sweetest treat of all  a year of free burritos. The winner will be announced at approximately 6 p.m. Eastern time on Nov. 1 via Chipotle's Instagram account.

Beyond the costume contest, Chipotle will sell new stickers with two exclusive Boorito designs in every pack, as well as a limited run of Tabasco scorpion sauce, on its online shop at Store.Chipotle.com, while supplies last.

For more information about this year's Boorito celebration, and the Burritos for a Year contest, please visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM/BOORITO. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States (and the District of Columbia) and Canada (excluding Quebec), who are at least 13 years old at the time of entry. Void where prohibited. Contest begins at 3 p.m. local time on Oct. 31 and ends at 1 a.m. Eastern time on Nov. 1. Free burritos for a year prize consists of a pre-loaded card redeemable for one free entree per week for 52 weeks at participating Canada and U.S. Chipotle restaurants. Instagram is not a sponsor of and is not affiliated with the Boorito Burritos for a Year contest.

ABOUT CHIPOTLE

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without added colors, flavors or other additives. Chipotle had more than 2,450 restaurants as of June 30, 2018 in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. With more than 70,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. Steve Ells, founder and executive chairman, first opened Chipotle starting with a single restaurant in Denver, Colorado in 1993. For more information or to place an order online, visit WWW.CHIPOTLE.COM.

SOURCE Chipotle Mexican Grill

Related Links

http://www.chipotle.com


COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP is pleased to welcome Bryan M. Pritikin as an Associate Attorney in our Litigation Practice Group. He will concentrate his law practice on representing businesses and individuals in complex civil and commercial litigation, including: contract, fraud, business tort, regulatory and administrative matters. He has routinely appeared before trial and appellate courts at both federal and state levels as well as various regulatory and administrative boards and commissions.

Bryan received his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and his law degree from Capital University Law School where he received the CALI award for advanced trial advocacy.

While at Capital, Bryan founded and served as President of the Military Law Society and served on the International Criminal Law Moot Court team, which was awarded best defense brief at competition. Bryan successfully drafted and lobbied for the implementation of the Civil and Criminal litigation concentrations to Capital University Law School's curriculum and served as the Regional Lt. Governor of Central Ohio for the ABA/LSD 6th Circuit (2007-2008).

Mr. Pritikin has contributed to his field by authoring insightful articles and participating in panel presentations at industry conferences. In 2009, as a young practitioner, he wrote an article for the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, entitled, "A Young Lawyer's View on Persuasive Writing", http://apps.americanbar.org/litigation/committees/trialpractice/articles/fall2011-importance-persuasive-writing.html. Bryan also wrote and presented "Under the Lens: Overt and Covert Surveillance in Skilled Nursing Home Facilities" at the Academy of Senior Health Sciences' 2016 Annual Conference. The presentation focused on the legal and ethical implications and repercussions of a skilled nursing facility's use of overt surveillance as well as the legality of law enforcement's use of covert surveillance.

Bryan is active in several organizations within his profession. He is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association (OSBA) in the litigation section as well as a member of the Columbus Bar Association (CBA). He has been recognized as a "Rising Star" by Super Lawyers magazine.

Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP has been providing legal excellence to businesses, families and individuals for over 50 years. We value building long-lasting relationships with our clients and are dedicated to protecting and preserving what is important to them. At CPM, we foster collaborative, innovative problem solving and are structured to leverage the expertise of all our staff in order to provide the individual attention our clients have come to expect. CPM is a respected regional law firm with unrivaled expertise in Business Law, Litigation, Employment, Family Wealth & Estate Planning, Real Estate, Banking, Taxation, Securities, and Insurance law.

For More Information:

Contact: Brenda Jump

614-228-6135, [email protected]

Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP  366 East Broad Street  Columbus, OH 43215

535 Metro Place South  Dublin, OH 43017, www.cpmlaw.com



SOURCE Carlile Patchen & Murphy LLP

Related Links

http://cpmlaw.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 17th, 2018, Carolinas AGC (CAGC) launched its Build Your Career (BYC) Ambassadors Workforce Program to begin deploying dozens of construction industry leaders and supporters throughout the Carolinas to promote construction as an excellent career choice.

More than 50 CAGC "Ambassadors" from across the Carolinas  including building, highway-heavy, utility, specialty contractor, subcontractor, supplier, service company representatives, and educators  met at Central Piedmont Community College to ramp up CAGC's Build Your Career Workforce Development Initiative .

"The biggest challenge we have in the construction industry is getting the word out on hundreds of well-paying careers that are available now, and in coming years, in the construction industry in the Carolinas," said Dave Simpson, CAGC President & CEO. "Our BYC Ambassadors are getting the tools and resources they need to go out into the elementary, middle and high schools, as well as community and technical colleges, to adopt schools and spread the word about how construction is a great career that can enhance the quality of life of everybody in the Carolinas. We also are trying to recruit folks now for these careers."

The BYC program, overseen by CAGC's Education Foundation Board of Trustees, is gaining traction fast. "Construction is a fantastic career," Sidney Rex, Chair of the BOT, told the Ambassadors at the CAGC meeting. "You can just feel the enthusiasm in this room."

The purpose of the BYC Ambassador's Workforce Development Initiative is to:

Narrow the skills gap in the construction industry, elevate the industry image and facilitate the advancement and education of America's youth and various displaced workers by promoting a lifelong career in construction and craft trades via clearly defined career pathways.

Please contact Tammy Ford, Director of the Carolinas AGC Build Your Career program, at [email protected] or call (704) 372-1450 for additional information.

Carolinas AGC is the construction industry association in the Carolinas, bringing value to our thousands of members through networking, government relations, job leads, meetings with owners/designers, education and training involving such issues as safety and open shop, and community development. Visit us at www.cagc.org, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Carolinas Associated General Contractors

Related Links

http://www.cagc.org


LOS ANGELES, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to provide veterans a chance at leveraging their military experience into a small business, The California Contracting/Acquisition/Procurement (CCAP) Industry Days Expo will provide a two-day long deep dive into the contracting process and provide insight into how to compete for over $3 billion dollars in contract opportunities in 2019.

The event, produced by RACVB, will be held at the Kerr McGee Center in Ridgecrest, California on November 7-8, 2018.

Veterans Small Business Week being observed by U.S. Small Business Administration as part of their national effort to engage veterans during these events. Keynote Speaker Shannon C. Jackson of the U.S. Department of Defense OSBP

The highlight of the event is the U.S. Navy's Long Range Acquisition Forecast (LRAF) for 2019, presented by the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) operating out of China Lake, California. NAWCWD participation includes a networking session with many of the departments involved, to share information on contracting opportunities with small businesses and prime contractors. The expo will also feature high-profile speakers from NAWCWD, including Executive Director Joan Johnson and Derrick Hu of the Office of Small Business Programs. The event Keynote Address will be delivered by Shannon C. Jackson, Acting Director of the Department of Defense OSBP.

This year the event will coincide with the U.S. Small Business Administration's Veterans Small Business Week. The week of November 5-9, 2018, the SBA is turning focus toward businesses owned by veterans across the United States. As a National Veterans Small Business Week event, veteran-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to attend or exhibit. There will be panel discussions and speakers specifically focused on veteran experiences and interests as business owners. Those interested should visit the event website at www.ccapexpo.com or call 760-375-8202.

The agenda for the event is as follows:

November 7, 2018



1100 Open Registration

1200 Welcome



Emcee Chris Balish of ABC's On the Red Carpet



Introduction of Honored Guests



Host Welcome - RACVB, City of Ridgecrest

1215 Open Plenary Session



Elizabeth M. Perez, Deputy Secretary for Minority Veterans, California Department of Veterans Affairs

1300 Leveraging Veteran Experience into Entrepreneurship



Ms. Rachel Dearmore, She Marine Team



Mr. Peter Estrada, U.S. Small Business Administration



Mr. Wayne Gross, State of CA Department of General Services



Mr. Cameron Langner, Monterey Bay PTAC

1400 Exhibits/Networking







November 8, 2018



0730 Open Registration



Coffee and Continental Breakfast

0830 Welcome



Emcee Chris Balish of ABC's On the Red Carpet



Introduction of Honored Guests



Presenting of the Colors - Color Guard



Invocation - NAWCWD Chaplain



What to Expect Today - Derrick Hu, Deputy Director, NAVAIR OSBP



Host Welcome - RACVB

0900 Plenary Speaker



Shannon C. Jackson, Acting Director, Department of Defense OSBP

1000 Morning Networking Break

1030 NAVAIR Leadership Panel



Ms. Joan Johnson, NAWCWD Executive Director



Mr. Harlan Kooima, Director, Software & Mission Systems Integration



Mr. Collin Kyte, Director for Contracts

1130 Hosted Lunch/Exhibits Open

1300 Long Range Acquisition Forecast (LRAF)

Networking



Vendor Exhibits



Panel  I Won A Contract! Now What Do I Do? Tips for Successful Contract Performance



Diane Foucher, NAWCWD Senior Analyst



Henry Frohlich, NAWCWD Contracting Officer



Sandy Scharn-Stevens, NAWCWD Deputy Director for Contracts

1600 Event Adjournment



Exhibitors participating in the expo come from a variety of agencies and disciplines which include the U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. General Services Administration, CALTRANS, California Department of General Services, NASA, U.S. Navy China Lake and Pt. Hueneme, California Department of Veterans Affairs, Monterey PTAC, and the Department of Defense OSBP.

The CCAP Expo hopes to bring together voices from a variety of backgrounds such as Veteran, female, and minority business owners to promote greater diversity in the businesses involved in our government.

The event is sponsored by Trowbridge & Trowbridge, Saalex Solutions, Inc, and is produced by the Ridgecrest Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. The event also provides funding for scholarships for students in Entrepreneur and STEM career paths. For registration and information, visit www.ccapexpo.com or call 760-375-8202.



Media contact:

Matt Thomas

Telephone: 760-375-8202

E-mail: [email protected]

Event website: www.ccapexpo.com

SOURCE RACVB
CRESTED BUTTE, Colo., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthcare costs are rising at unprecedented and unsustainable rates for U.S businesses. For most companies, it is the 2nd highest expense on their P&L, next to wages. And it's increasing at a rate significantly higher than the average wage increase of 0-3%.

Consumers purchase healthcare unlike any other product or service in this Country. It's the only service provided and purchased without a known and stated price before the service is rendered. For everything else, prices are stated or negotiated in advance of the purchase.

Insurance companies and PPOs negotiate artificial discounts with providers and, while businesses think a bigger discount is good, what they don't know is that the base price continues to increase and makes the discounts diluted, irrelevant, and meaningless.

CFO Summit

Frank M. Stichter, MHP will address all the issues surrounding increasing Healthcare Costs and the dysfunctional healthcare system in this country, at the CFO Summit XXXV in Pasadena, CA from November 8th to the 10th. This is an elite event for CFOs of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies to better understand what they can do to significantly reduce their healthcare spend and return those savings back to employees in the manner of higher wages or bonuses, without changing benefits to employees.

Additionally, Dr. Ray Bowman Ph.D will be a featured speaker and present a case study of MarineMax, a NYSE publicly traded, Florida based yacht and boat dealer who has done just that  lowered costs and returned savings back to employees.

About Strategic Healthplan Consulting

Strategic Healthplan Consulting LLC was founded in 2015 by Frank M. Stichter as an alternative approach to employers regarding their health insurance programs.

Strategic Healthplan Consulting LLC enables employers to operate their health plan like any other division in their company which allows them to lower healthcare costs, which can translate to increased wages for employees.

With offices in Ohio and Colorado, Strategic Healthplan Consulting LLC has served dozens of employers throughout the U.S. Learn more at http://strategichpc.com/

SOURCE Strategic Healthplan Consulting LLC

Related Links

http://www.strategichpc.com


Those works were once exhibited during the 28th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in 2012. They didn't receive much attention until viewers found they were not HD photos taken by space telescopes, but embroidery containing numerous different stitches.

Chinese embroidery is a traditional craft dating back two or even three millennia. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), a custom prevailed of embellishing clothes with embroidery. The craft grew steadily and flourished during the Tang and Song dynasties (7th to 13th centuries).

Today, artists are able to use dozens of stitches to make beautiful embroidery. With threads in various colors, a single piece of embroidery may be crafted utilizing hundreds of shades. The embroidery works with the theme of "Starry Sky & Universe" were woven using over a hundred types of threads in different thickness. It took the embroiderer more than 700 days to depict the three-dimensional nebulae with a harmonious color dynamic.

It is said NASA officials marveled at their exquisiteness, so that they offered to buy the works several times.

Actually, this is not the first time Chinese embroidery has amazed a foreign audience. Early in the Qing Dynasty, "The Portrait of Italian Empress Elena," an embroidery created by famous Chinese embroiderer Shen Shou was presented as a gift to Italy, impressing both the Italian rulers and people. Later, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, former French President Georges Pompidou, the King of Cambodia Norodom Sihanouk and other foreign celebrities all received delicate Chinese embroidery gifts.

Thanks to increasing exchanges between China and other countries and the development of skills, patterns of Western oil paintings and sketches as well as the images of scientific experiments can also now be seen in the embroidery being produced in modern China.

Embroidery epitomizes Chinese people's craftmanship and artistic sensitivity. Its development is partly based on silk production, which started quite early in ancient China. Chinese painting, which values delicacy and subtlety, also offers many fine patterns to the embroiderer, such as mountains, rivers, pavilions, Buddhas, human figures, flowers and birds. This embodies the interconnection of various aspects of Chinese culture.

More importantly, as China opens wider to the outside world, the collision and integration of Chinese and Western cultures grows rapidly. This has opened up more opportunities and prospects for the inheritance of traditional Chinese crafts, and helped China's intangible cultural heritage maintain long-lasting vitality.

China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm

Chinese embroidery: depicting the world through stitches

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2018-10/19/content_66968169.htm

About China.org.cn

Founded in 2000, China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn/China.com.cn) is a key state news website under the auspices of the State Council Information Office, and is managed by China International Publishing Group. We provide round-the-clock news service in ten languages. With users from more than 200 countries and regions, we have become China's leading multi-lingual news outlet introducing the country to the outside world.



We are one of the country's authoritative outlets for government press releases and are authorized to cover various major events. "Live Webcast" is our online webcasting service to present State Council Information Office press conferences in both Chinese and English languages. We are reputed for timely and accurate delivery of news and information, and wide interactions with audiences. In addition, we are authorized to publish and live broadcast major events and press conferences of ministries, local government agencies and institutions as well as enterprises.



In the era of mobile internet, we endeavor to create an array of products for mobile devices headed by the multilingual WAP platform and the mobile APP. We also use Chinese and international social media to publish information for different user groups.



In the future, CIIC will continue to offer authoritative information about China, tell China's stories, voice China's opinions, and introduce a vivid, panoramic and multicultural China to the world through multi-language, multi-media and multi-platforms.

SOURCE china.org.cn
Colombia reaches the summit with a strong footprint. It is emerging as the world's largest food pantry by 2030. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, by that date, food consumption will increase by 50% and Colombia will be one of the countries with the greatest agricultural potential in the world.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture of Colombia, the South American country has 114 million hectares, of which 44.8 million are especially suitable for the agricultural, livestock and reforestation sectors. The agricultural production of Colombia presented an annual growth of 6.8% between 2010 and 2015, reaching 4.5 million hectares sown.

Soils of volcanic origin, expert human capital that lives in the countryside and that takes care of natural resources or that is in an area where there are no stations facilitating harvesting 365 days a year, are some of the main characteristics that make Colombia unique. These are some aspects that are highlighted in the new agroindustry promotional campaign called 'Colombian food, origin that excites', led by ProColombia.

The Hass avocado is presented for the first time in the PMA Fresh Summit, as a Colombian export product to the United States. It also highlights the enormous export potential of the exotic fruits of the South American country. The company Frutireyes, for example, exports 80% of the cape gooseberry that enters the United States. And this fruit is the main exotic crop that Colombia exports to that country.

According to Flavia Santoro, president of ProColombia, "From ProColombia, we work with our exporters to improve production processes and advance the positioning of products such as the Colombian avocado. Likewise, we continue promoting our cape gooseberry and facilitating our export methods, to be able to present Colombia in a short term, as the country of exotic fruits."



More than 1,000 exhibitors from 60 countries and nearly 22,500 attendees will participate in the largest global meeting of fruits, vegetables and flowers sector of the Americas.

SOURCE ProColombia
Military and industrial customers' rapidly increasing demand for Crystal Group rugged computers spurred the expansion and gave cause to plan for a phase two addition to the building within the next five years. The building was designed to accommodate a 30,000 square foot addition. Over 50 new jobs were also created to support customer demand. Crystal Group currently employs over two hundred and twenty people, and rising, to meet the new headquarters' current capacity of two hundred eighty-five.

"This marks a significant milestone in the twenty-seven-year history of our employee-owned company," said Crystal Group president, Scott Kongable. "Our success is based on our employees' relentless commitment to serve our customers. Some of the best talent out there is right here in Hiawatha working at Crystal Group to deliver the highest quality rugged computer solutions for our military and industrial customers in over thirty-five countries. Our new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility will fuel greater innovation and transform the level of customer service we deliver."

All three of Crystal Group's buildings and network are NIST compliant (National Institute of Standards and Technology, nist.gov), offering the highest level of security. The new facility offers added in-house engineering services and compliance testing technologies to speed the production process and better serve customer requirements.

Crystal Group celebrated the opening of its new facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours. Over three hundred people were in attendance including Iowa's Senator Liz Mathis, Representatives Ashley Hinson and Art Staed, as well as other local, state and federal dignitaries; Crystal Group employees; customers; media; and partners for the ceremonial event.

About Crystal Group, Inc.

Crystal Group, Inc., a technology leader in rugged computer hardware, specializes in the design and manufacture of custom and commercial rugged servers, embedded computing, networking devices, displays, power supplies, and data storage for high reliability in harsh environments. An employee-owned small business founded in 1987, Crystal Group provides the defense, government and industrial markets with in-house customization, engineering, integration, configuration management, product lifecycle planning, warranty, and support services.

Crystal Group products meet or exceed IEEE, IEC, and military standards, including MIL-STD-810, 1671, 461, and MIL-S-901; are backed by an industry-leading, 5-plus-year warranty with in-house support; and are manufactured in the company's Hiawatha, Iowa, USA, facility certified to ISO 9001:2015/AS9100D quality management standards.

 2018 Crystal Group, Inc. All rights reserved. All marks are property of their respective owners. Design and specifications are subject to change.

SOURCE Crystal Group, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.crystalrugged.com


Selecting "Reimagining Our Higher Education Community: From Inclusion to Justice" as the inauguration theme, President Nair highlighted the challenges facing liberal arts education. Calling for the end to an exceptionalist mentality, he declared how a "war on humanity" has created a mistrust of colleges and universities. However, President Nair also called for lasting solutions: challenging students to be better; meeting educational needs of all students, not just a select few; and redefining what higher education means within American societies.

"In the role of president, I am privileged to serve my community by working to transform the higher education landscape through truth, justice, and liberation," said President Nair. "We need leaders that are committed to justice; leaders that can problem solve and think critically; leaders that are thoughtful and imaginative in their approach; and leaders that seek the truth. We are about to embark on a journey that will pave the way for others and change the landscape of higher education and the world around us."

The University community, along with representatives from more than 50 institutions of higher education and governing bodies across the nation, came together to celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in Arcadia's 165-year historyone that President Nair envisions as a model for other institutions hoping to merge justice and education.

Alison (Aaron) Madsen, Esq. chair of the Board of Trustees at Arcadia, led the transferal of office with President Emerita Dr. Bette E. Landman (president, 1985-2004) and former president Dr. Jerry Greiner (president, 2004-2011), who presented to Dr. Nair the University's Chain of Office and Charter, respectively. In addition, while closing the ceremony, Madsen announced that a group of Arcadia Trustees has pledged $600,000 in support of Dr. Nair's presidential initiatives.

Also speaking at the ceremony were government and higher education officials from around the region and country, including Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood (D-4), Philadelphia Councilmember At-Large Helen Gym, and Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Dr. Valerie Arkoosh.

Krishna and Rani Nair, children of President Nair and his wife, Paayal Nair, shared loving tributes to their father. An original rap song by Krishna, "Utopia," played before Rani spoke, highlighted his father's journey to becoming president of Arcadia. Rani had many of the event's most memorable lines, detailing humorous moments President Nair has used as lessons for her and Krishna, and about what it means to minority children to have a role model like him.

"If you talked to my dad about his aspirations as a young person, he will tell you he was convinced that he could grow up to be a superhero," said Rani. "Well, dad, you did it you're my superhero and a superhero to so many others."

The weeklong Inauguration celebration began on Oct. 8 and including LGBTQ allies training, a community service day, a lecture by Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, and a presidential panel on Friday with Dr. Parham; Dr. Karen Stout, president of nonprofit Achieving the Dream, Inc., and former president of Montgomery County Community College; and Dr. Nair.

SOURCE Arcadia University

Related Links

http://www.arcadia.edu


Out of the universities in attendance, over 20 institutions were from continental Europe. The rise has been attributed to an increase in the popularity of European universities as a destination for Chinese students coupled with a growing number of continental European schools offering degree programs taught in English.

"The variety of majors are always growing. We still have the traditional courses such as Law and Medicine, although business degrees are probably the most popular," said Paul Rispin, Director of 6th Form and Careers at Harrow School Beijing.

"Many of our students still choose the traditional destinations of the US or the UK, but the trend for students to head to other countries is growing particularly owing to an increase in degree programs being taught in English. Today we have 14 countries represented at the fair, including many from continental European universities. We have nine universities from the Netherlands alone." He continued, "One of our seminar topics was on Studying in the Netherlands. This session lead by a representative of Leiden University was new this year and proved to be very insightful."

The number of Chinese students enrolling on international university courses has been growing steadily year-on-year, hitting a record high of 608,400 students in 2017 according to the Ministry of Education for the People's Republic of China. With a majority heading to European and North American Universities.

China remains the world's largest supplier of international students. This year all of the students graduating from Harrow Beijing and taking up degree programs have done so outside of China. The UK and US are still popular but others are catching up fast. This year the breadth of university destinations is expected to continue to grow.

About Harrow Beijing

Harrow Beijing, founded in 2005, enjoys a strong link with Harrow School London and with other Harrow International Schools in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Unifying the link is the educational expertise forged at Harrow School London over hundreds of years, and in the core mission -- Leadership for a better world.

For more information, please visit: www.harrowbeijing.cn

SOURCE Harrow Beijing

Related Links

http://www.harrowbeijing.cn


BROOKFIELD, Wis., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Think back to a time before there were drones, genetically modified crops and black soils turned over by plows. Fast-forward to today and no-till (farming without disturbing the soil) represents 100 million acres in the U.S. alone, conserving soil while reducing costs and labor. The history of no-till has been a long time coming.

A History Of No-Till Farming: From Maverick to Mainstream

From Maverick to Mainstream is a chronicling of the personal history that Frank Lessiter saw from the near-beginnings, as the first and only editor of No-Till Farmer since 1972. The concept of no-till farming was still in its infancy at that time, just 10 years after one "crazy" farmer in Kentucky, Harry M. Young, tried it out on less than 1 acre.

Harry's son, John Young, remembers, "I was 11 years old then, and didn't recognize the huge changes that were about to take place in farming. Back in the early days, Frank flew down to our western Kentucky farm on more than one occasion to visit with my late father. He was a keen enthusiast for no-till from the beginning, and remains so today."

From Maverick to Mainstream: A History of No-Till Farming contains numerous short items "from the archives" of No-Till Farmer issues and 56 chapters including:

Notching the No-Till Milestones Through the Years

Meeting the No-Till Legends

Plowing is a Practice from the Past

More Earthworms Liven Up No-Till Fields

Lessiter's life work is much more than just a history book. "It covers the people and their trials and successes," says his son, Mike, president of Lessiter Media Inc. "It will interest everyone in agriculture, but also anyone who enjoys celebrating the early adopters and underdogs who changed the world. The book serves as a lasting reminder of how innovations, and their determined personal champions like those profiled in the book, can still make a difference  through grit, learning and sharing, and the encouragement and support of others."

With 45-plus years of archival articles, photos, comic strips, ads and infographics, this stunning collection is the perfect gift for any admirer of American innovation. Details on From Maverick to Mainstream: A History of No-Till Farming can be found at No-TillFarmer.com/Maverick.

About the Author

Frank Lessiter is also the chairman and editorial director of the 40-employee Lessiter Media, Inc., an agricultural based media company he and his wife, Pam, founded in Brookfield, Wis., in 1981. Spending his career as an ag journalist, Frank is an award-winning writer, photographer and has been the editor of No-Till Farmer since the very first issue in 1972. Lessiter Media has been hosting the National No-Tillage Conference since 1993 along with four other events associated with its six major publications.

SOURCE Lessiter Publications Inc.

Related Links

http://www.lessitermedia.com


NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Flat Rock Capital Corp. announced today that it has entered into a $20 million financing facility with AloStar Capital Finance, a division of State Bank and Trust Company.

We are excited to complete another milestone transaction in the growth of Flat Rock Capital that increases our ability to finance the growth of middle market businesses throughout the U.S. said Robert Grunewald, CEO of Flat Rock Global. We are pleased that AloStar has chosen to partner with us in our mission to deliver an attractive dividend yield to investors through investments in first lien, floating rate, middle market loans.

Richard Petrocelli, Chief Operating Officer of Flat Rock Capital Corp. added, We believe Flat Rock Capital Corp.s ability to raise debt financing from an independent financial institution further demonstrates our position as a leading originator and underwriter of middle market debt and is a reflection of the quality of our loan portfolio and our management team.

About Flat Rock Capital Corp.

Flat Rock Capital is a specialty finance company that provides financing solutions to U.S. middle-market businesses. The Company invests in first liens loans to U.S. middle market businesses to provide financing for change of ownership transactions, strategic acquisitions, recapitalizations and growth initiatives in partnership with business owners, management teams and financial sponsors. Flat Rock Capital's objective is to preserve capital while generating current income from its debt investments. Flat Rock Capital has elected to be regulated as a business development company ("BDC") under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is externally-managed by Flat Rock Global, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor focusing on credit-driven strategies.

About Flat Rock Global, LLC

Flat Rock Global is an alternative credit manager, delivering to RIAs, family offices and institutional investors, yield driven investment strategies, in less efficient sectors of the market, through an industry leading Investor First fee structure.

Flat Rock Global is also the investment advisor to Flat Rock Opportunity Fund, an interval fund investing predominantly in CLO equity.

To learn more about the firm, please visit www.flatrockglobal.com

About AloStar Capital Finance

AloStar Capital Finance provides capital and counsel to business leaders across America who are creating their own success stories. Through our Asset-Based and Lender Finance platforms, we create customized lending solutions for customers with capital requirements up to $60 million. To date, AloStar has closed more than 180 deals with commitments totaling more than $2.3 billion. At AloStar, you'll have direct access to decision makers with deep capital industry experience who are responsive, flexible and eager to help you write your success story.

AloStar Capital Finance is a division of State Bank and Trust Company, Member FDIC. For more information, visit www.AloStarBank.com

SOURCE Flat Rock Global, LLC

Flat Rock Capital Corp. announced today that it has entered into a $20 million financing facility with AloStar Capital Finance, a division of State Bank and Trust Company.

Related Links

http://www.flatrockglobal.com


AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Gardner-White Furniture announced today that they will continue to close all operations on Thanksgiving Day. Bucking a national trend of stores opening earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving Day, Gardner-White today announces that its Black Friday deals will become available on Friday, November 23rd.

"We at Gardner-White think that spending Thanksgiving Day with your family is one of those cherished and time-honored traditions that deserves to be upheld. I, along with all the other members of the Gardner-White team, will enjoy the day off and will spend it with loved ones," said Steve Tronstein, CEO. "As a family owned and operated business since 1912, we are choosing to remain closed on Thanksgiving so that not only members of the Gardner-White team can spend time with loved ones, but also so that our customers can spend more time with their families without feeling the pressure of great deals passing them by. Family time is more important than shopping on Thanksgiving Day."

Beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, November 23rd, all Gardner-White stores will re-open for Black Friday. Black Friday deals will be posted on our website at www.gardner-white.com for those who want to pre-shop the sale.

For a list of store hours and locations, including a new Novi store in West Oaks mall, please visit, www.gardner-white.com.

ABOUT GARDNER-WHITE

Gardner-White Furniture has been a Michigan owned-and-operated furniture company since 1912. Gardner-White's mission is to offer value-conscious consumers with excellent style and service. Gardner-White has expanded and innovated significantly over the past six years. In 2012, Gardner-White expanded operations and moved into a state-of-the-art 455,000 square foot distribution center in Auburn Hills. In 2013, Gardner-White became the first furniture company in the region to offer same-day delivery to its customers. More recently, Gardner-White has expanded, opening new retail locations in Auburn Hills, Brighton, and Novi to reach more of the Southeast Michigan community.

SOURCE Gardner-White Furniture

Related Links

https://www.gardner-white.com


DUBLIN, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Yacht Charter Market Size, Market Share, Application Analysis, Regional Outlook, Growth Trends, Key Players, Competitive Strategies and Forecasts, 2018 To 2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global yacht charter market is set to expand with a CAGR of 5.4% throughout the forecast period to reach US$ 15.86 Bn by 2026.



Market Insights



The yacht charter market growth is highly driven due to increasing interest in luxury cruising from high net worth and ultra-high net worth individuals (UHNWI) worldwide. With more than 200,000 households falling under ultra-high net worth category, yacht charter has been gaining immense popularity since the past few years. Similarly, according to 2017 World Health Report by Capgemini, the total number high net worth individuals (HNWI) worldwide increased by nearly 8% to a record-breaking 16.5 Mn. This has ensured a promising consumer base for yacht charter services worldwide.



Further, due to increasing interest of people towards marine tourism, yacht charter business is set to exhibit robust growth in the following years. Recreational boating has been witnessing immense popularity since the past few years, paving way for yacht charter services. Rising affluence and inclination towards luxurious lifestyle has significantly uplifted the demand for yacht chartering services across the world. Emergence of new tourist destinations (such as Southeast Asia) offering luxury cruising along with scenic beauty has been encouraging the HNWIs and UHNWIs across the world to explore such tourist destinations.



Increasing efforts from yacht builders and service providers focusing on providing more luxury features and memorable experience is another important factor encouraging yacht charter business. Yacht charter companies are now more focused on providing enhanced luxury cruising to their consumers. These companies have increased their focus towards improving their infrastructure including more sophisticated bars & restaurants, internet connectivity and other related IT tools. In addition, yacht charter companies emphasize on providing online booking and guides for yacht charter. This has further facilitated the service, thereby supporting the market growth.



On the basis of type, the yacht charter market is led by motor yachts segment accounting for more than 2/3rd of the total market value. Asia Pacific is set to register the highest growth rate of 6.0% throughout the forecast period. The market here expected to be mainly driven by the consistently growing number of millionaires in the region along with increasing popularity of Southeast Asia as the next-big destination for yacht charter.



Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1 Preface

1.1 Report Description

1.2 Research Scope

1.3 Market Segmentation

1.4 Research Methodology



Chapter 2 Executive Summary

2.1 Market Snapshot: Global Yacht Charter Market

2.2 Global Yacht Charter Market, By Yacht Type, 2017 (US$ Bn)

2.3 Global Yacht Charter Market, By Yacht Size, 2017 (US$ Bn)

2.4 Global Yacht Charter Market, By Contract Type, 2017 (US$ Bn)

2.5 Global Yacht Charter Market, By Geography, 2017 (US$ Bn)



Chapter 3 Market Dynamics

3.1 Introduction

3.1.1 Global Yacht Charter Market Value, 2016 - 2026, (US$ Bn)

3.2 Market Drivers

3.3 Market Growth Inhibitors

3.3.1 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints

3.4 Key Market Trends and Future Outlook

3.5 Attractive Investment Proposition, by Geography, 2017

3.6 Competitive Analysis

3.6.1 Market Positioning of Key Yacht Charter Companies, 2017

3.6.2 Key Strategies Adopted by the Leading Players



Chapter 4 Global Yacht Charter Market Analysis, by Yacht Type, 2016 - 2026 (US$ Bn)

4.1 Overview

4.2 Sailing Yachts

4.3 Motor Yachts



Chapter 5 Global Yacht Charter Market Analysis, by Yacht Size, 2016 - 2026 (US$ Bn)

5.1 Overview

5.2 Small (Upto 30m)

5.3 Medium (30 to 60m)

5.4 Large (Above 60m)



Chapter 6 Global Yacht Charter Market Analysis, by Contract Type, 2016 - 2026 (US$ Bn)

6.1 Overview

6.2 Bareboat Charter

6.3 Crewed Charter



Chapter 7 North America Yacht Charter Market Analysis, 2016 - 2026 (US$ Bn)



Chapter 8 Europe Yacht Charter Market Analysis, 2016 - 2026 (US$ Bn)



Chapter 9 Asia Pacific Yacht Charter Market Analysis, 2016 - 2026 (US$ Bn)



Chapter 10 Rest of the World (RoW) Yacht Charter Market Analysis, 2016 - 2026 (US$ Bn)



Chapter 11 Company Profiles



Companies Mentioned

Boat International Media Ltd.

Boatbookings.com

Camper & Nicholsons International Ltd.

Charterworld Ltd.

Collaborative Boating, Inc.

Cosmos Yachting Ltd.

Dream Yacht Charter SARL

Fairline Yachts Ltd.

Fraser Yachts

Kiriacoulis Mediterranean Cruises Shipping SA

Le Boat

Nigel Burgess Ltd.

Northrop & Johnson, Inc.

Sailogy SA

Sunsail, Inc.

The Moorings

Yachtico, Inc.

Zizooboats GmbH

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/jsltng/global_yacht?w=5

Did you know that we also offer Custom Research? Visit our Custom Research page to learn more and schedule a meeting with our Custom Research Manager.



Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716



SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


"The board of directors at GO SMILE is thrilled to have the wealth of experience and industry knowledge Rose brings as our new CEO," said Angela Koch, Chairman of the Board of GO SMILE. "She has been in the beauty industry for more than three decades and an outstanding leader within our company for the past four years, so it is a natural choice for us."

Wood joined GO SMILE in 2014 as the EVP of Sales and Marketing. She has managed all facets of GO SMILE's sales, marketing, product development, customer service and vendor relationships throughout the United States and across the world.

"I've been very fortunate to have worked as a top executive for many distinguished brands, but nothing compares to my experience with GO SMILE," said Wood. "I am honored to take on the role of CEO for a company I feel very passionate about. Knowing that we are helping everyone achieve a cleaner, healthier smile is very rewarding."

Wood has a distinguished career in the beauty industry, having most recently led and managed sales teams at Shiseido Cosmetics America as well as LVMH, Guerlain. For five years she served as Vice President of Sales for P&G prestige brands. Wood was an account executive for Puig USA and has managed markets for Ralph Lauren Cosmetics and Fragrances as well as Chanel. Wood also has retail experience on the buying side working for Scandia Down Shops in California.

Wood has managed hundreds of retail and online accounts including prestigious stores such as: Nordstrom, Ulta, Sephora, Macy's, Bon Marche, Saks, Bloomingdales, Lord and Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Dillard's and Bon Ton.

In her new role with GO SMILE, Wood will also be developing new beauty products while continuing to improve GO SMILE's current award-winning teeth whitening line. Wood's new position of CEO is another big step in carrying out the company's mission: Empowered by Women for Everyone.

GO SMILE's management team is now proudly comprised of outstanding female executives including:

Angela Koch, Chairman of the Board

Rose Wood, CEO

Elaine Haagen, Sales Manager

Michele Glassmaker, Logistics Manager

Norene Calamayan, Brand Marketing Manager

Cristin Coughlin, Creative Director

Megan Whitley, Social Media Manager

Natalie Mullins, Finance

Koch added, "This is an outstanding team of women to take us to the next level and make GO SMILE an even a bigger household name."

About GO SMILE

Based in the San Francisco, CA bay area with headquarters in Austin, TX, GO SMILE has been an industry leader in the at-home teeth whitening and oral care industry for the last 16 years. GO SMILE has the most innovative and effective products on the market by using cutting-edge formulas, patented delivery systems, and proven clinical trials. "Empowered by Women for Everyone," is the company mission, and GO SMILE products create and maintain brilliant white smiles with innovative products that are easy to use and highly effective. For more information visit www.gosmile.com.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Dean Leipsner

[email protected]

214-912-6526

SOURCE GO SMILE

Related Links

http://www.gosmile.com


BEIJING, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

China unveiled a detailed plan on Tuesday to establish the country's southern province Hainan as a free trade zone (FTZ), in its latest move to open up the economy.

The plan, issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, mapped out the target and scope for the FTZ development while identifying key industries that will see fewer foreign investment restrictions.

By 2020, the plan aims to build Hainan into a high-quality FTZ that promotes trade and investment facilitation, provides an excellent legal environment, thorough financial services, efficient regulation, a favorable ecological environment, and boosts the development of surrounding areas.

Foreign investors will have wider access in a number of key areas including tourism, education, and telecommunications, according to the plan. A negative list approach, which outlines economic areas restricted for foreign investment, will be adopted in the Hainan FTZ.

As part of its opening-up policies, China unveiled a new negative list in June for foreign investment in FTZs, with the number of items down to 45 from 95 in the previous version.

The plan also gives Hainan more autonomy in granting foreign investment access. International businesses providing value-added telecommunication services will no longer need to go through central authorities to enter the market, according to the plan.

To promote international trade, data-based systems will be put into use to improve customs efficiency while multinationals and trade companies are encouraged to treat Hainan as the center of their global or regional trade network.

One of the key features of the Hainan FTZ development plan was that it took into consideration Hainan's distinct characteristics, according to Vice Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen, at a press conference.

Domestic and foreign shipping companies will be encouraged to set up operational or regional centers in the FTZ, as part of the efforts to build the area into an international shipping hub, according to the plan.

The development plan also builds on Hainan's established strength in medical services.

The island is drawing a number of cutting-edge medical institutions and foreign doctors thanks to relaxed rules on importing foreign medical equipment and pharmaceuticals, as well as visa policies rolled out in recent years.

According to the plan, tariffs for some medical equipment will be cut in the pilot zone.

The plan is released on the official website of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (www.gov.cn).

SOURCE www.gov.cn
NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Harvest Partners, a leading middle-market private investment firm, today announced that Goldman Sachs Asset Management's Petershill program has made a strategic minority investment in Harvest Partners.

The passive investment, which represents 15 percent of the firm, will allow Harvest Partners to expand the ownership of the firm and further develop its platform, building on the firm's long history of investing in the middle-market in North America. As part of the transaction, Harvest Partners' senior leadership has made long-term commitments to the business. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Thomas Arenz, a Partner of Harvest Partners, said, "We are very pleased to be partnering with Goldman Sachs, a respected global institution that brings a broad range of capabilities and experience in supporting investment management firms. The investment by Petershill enables us to build on our 37-year history and execute our long term strategy to broaden our middle market franchise."

Christian von Schimmelmann, co-head of Goldman Sachs Asset Management's Petershill program, said, "Harvest Partners has been able to build a world-class private equity business, delivering strong returns to investors for almost four decades. We are excited to expand our relationship with Harvest Partners through this investment and look forward to providing the firm with strategic capital and support."

Evercore served as financial advisor to Harvest Partners and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel.

About Harvest Partners

Founded in 1981, Harvest Partners (www.harvestpartners.com) is a leading New York-based private equity investment firm pursuing management buyouts and recapitalizations of middle market companies in North America. Harvest focuses on acquiring profitable companies in the business services and consumer, healthcare services, industrial services, and manufacturing and distribution sectors. This strategy leverages Harvest Partners' more than 37 years of experience in financing organic and acquisition-oriented growth companies.

About Goldman Sachs Asset Management

Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) is one of the world's leading asset managers with over 2,000 professionals across 30 offices worldwide. Within GSAM, the Alternative Investments & Manager Selection (AIMS) Group, which manages over $200 billion in assets, provides investors with investment and advisory solutions across leading external private equity funds, hedge fund managers, real estate managers, public equity strategies and fixed income strategies. Institutional and individual investors access these opportunities in the form of new fund commitments, multi-manager programs, strategic partnerships, secondary-market investments, co-investments, and management company stakes through the Petershill program. With investments in over 20 asset management firms, the Petershill program provides strategic capital to mid-sized asset management firms and has raised over $5 billion of commitments since inception.

Contacts:

Harvest Partners

OWEN BLICKSILVER PUBLIC RELATIONS, INC.

Caroline Luz

+1 (203) 656 2829

Goldman Sachs

Patrick Scanlan

+1 (212) 902-5400

SOURCE Harvest Partners

Related Links

http://www.harvestpartners.com


Matisse is celebrated for his sensuous approach to color and composition. Largely unknown to the general public, however, are his striking black-and-white portraits of Inuit people that were inspired, in part, by a group of Yup'ik (Native Alaskan) masks collected by his son-in-law Georges Duthuit.

In the last decade of his life, while working on his masterpiece La Chapelle de Vence, Matisse became interested in both the physical forms and spiritual concerns of the Inuit which later inspired this series of 39 individual portraits depicting the faces of Inuit men and women. In addition to original works by Matisse, the exhibition, presented in the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Grand Gallery, will also feature Yup'ik masks, cultural objects, archival photographs, film and ephemera totaling more than 150 pieces.

"The Heard Museum is honored to show these rarely seen works by Matisse and to share this extraordinary story with our visitors," said David M. Roche, Heard Museum director and CEO. "Of particular significance to us is the effort this story inspired to reunite pairs of Yup'ik masks that, due to a variety of circumstances, have been separated by time and great distances. It's a thrilling and emotional experience to see them together again and advancing this type of scholarship is central to our mission."

Yua: Henri Matisse and the Inner Arctic Spirit is co-curated by Sean Mooney, curator of the Rock Foundation and Chuna McIntyre, a Yup'ik artist and elder, and is the first ever exhibition to restore the original cultural practice of mated pairs of Yup'ik masks.

"It's a privilege for us to show our masks," said Chuna McIntyre. "All of these masks were once used together in a ceremony, then dispersed all over the world. People will experience centuries of history and it is a rare opportunity to finally have them all together again thanks to the Heard Museum."

Yua is a Yup'ik word that represents the spiritual interconnectedness of all living things and is essential to maintaining balance and order in the Arctic way of life. The Yup'ik are Native Alaskans and their name translates to "the Real People." A critical objective of the exhibit is to underscore the important contributions of Native Alaskans to an expanding concept of American art, as well as its intersection with broader artistic movements.

National and International exhibition collaborators include the Matisse Museum (Le Cateau) in France, the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Fowler Museum of Cultural History at UCLA, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC-Berkeley and the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Major funding for the exhibit has been provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.

Educational programs are being designed to ensure many points of entry for families, educators and youth and includes the unveiling of the exhibition mascot, Henri the Husky. Animals play an important role in Arctic cultures and Henri the Husky will be the accessible "face" to help families, youth and students engage and learn about the art and themes in the exhibition. Henri will be incorporated into all collateral materials including a Matisse Family Guide as well as the companion family exhibition It's Your Turn: Arctic Spirit in the Sandra Day O'Connor Gallery and public events including First Fridays and Holidays at the Heard.

Yua: Henri Matisse and the Inner Arctic Spirit runs Oct. 29, 2018-Feb. 3, 2019 at the Heard Museum. For more information and to purchase tickets visit https://matisse.heard.org.

About the Heard Museum

Since its founding in 1929, the Heard Museum, a private non-profit organization, has grown in size and stature to become recognized internationally for the quality of its collections, world-class exhibitions, educational programming and its unmatched festivals. Dedicated to the advancement of American Indian art, the Heard successfully presents the stories of American Indian people from a first-person perspective, as well as exhibitions that showcase the beauty and vitality of traditional and contemporary art.

Exhibit, event and program funding are supported, in part, by the generosity of Heard Museum members and donors, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture, Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. In association with the Smithsonian, the Heard Museum is part of a select group of museums, cultural, educational and arts organizations that share the Smithsonian's resources with the nation. Yua: Henri Matisse and the Inner Arctic Spirit has received major support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.

About the Terra Foundation for American Art

The Terra Foundation for American Art is dedicated to fostering exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of the visual arts of the United States for national and international audiences. Recognizing the importance of experiencing original works of art, the foundation provides opportunities for interaction and study, beginning with the presentation and growth of its own art collection in Chicago. To further cross-cultural dialogue on American art, the foundation supports and collaborates on innovative exhibitions, research, and educational programs. Implicit in such activities is the belief that art has the potential both to distinguish cultures and to unite them.

SOURCE Heard Museum
EFFINGHAM, Ill., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Heartland Dental recently announced it will hold its annual Winter Conference event on December 7th and 8th in Orlando, Florida. The event will bring Heartland Dental supported dentists from around the country together to celebrate the year's achievements and learn from distinguished clinical, leadership and business speakers.

"Each year, it's an honor and pleasure to host our Winter Conference for supported dentists and celebrate our successes together, as well as offer them invaluable learning opportunities," said Patrick Bauer, President and CEO of Heartland Dental. "It's a true example of Heartland Dental's camaraderie. Hundreds of supported dentists, who all work together for the same cause, come together to share ideas and encouragement."

In addition to Bauer and Heartland Dental founder, Dr. Rick Workman, the 2018 Winter Conference event will feature other prominent keynote speakers such as best-selling author and strengths revolutionist, Marcus Buckingham, innovative improv group, Second City Works, and international speaker, educator, and endodontist, Dr. Diwakar Kinra.

Along with the keynote speakers, the event will also offer attending dentists a number of breakout sessions hosted by Heartland Dental leaders and supported clinicians, focusing on a variety of clinical, business and leadership topics.

About Heartland Dental

Heartland Dental was founded in 1997 by Rick Workman, DMD with two dental offices in Effingham, IL. Today, it is the nation's largest dental support organization with 11,000 employees providing non-clinical administrative support services to 1,300 supported dentists in more than 875 supported dental offices in 37 states. Its non-clinical administrative services include staffing, employee relations, procurement, administration, financial, marketing assistance, and information technology.

Heartland Dental is majority owned by KKR investments, a leading global investment firm that manages private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and more. Heartland Dental remains headquartered in Effingham and offers supported dentists and team members continuing professional education and leadership training.

For more information, visit www.Heartland.com. Follow Heartland Dental on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Adam Lueken, Corporate Communications

(217) 540-5664 or [email protected]

SOURCE Heartland Dental

Related Links

http://www.Heartland.com


As enterprises embrace the digital transformation revolution fueled by new ICT such as the IoT, Artificial Intelligence (AI), cloud computing and big data, they will be challenged to ensure seamless communication and connectivity across increasingly complex environments with different application scenarios in different industries.

Wangcheng Jiang, president of Huawei IoT solution, highlighted that, "To help our customers' overcome complexity, Huawei's innovative enterprise IoT solution delivers a new level of connectivity. It offers a modular approach to develop solutions for all scenarios from chipsets to platforms, enabling a full-stack, secure, and integrated cloud-pipe-device system for customers. The flexible solution has been fully deployed in many sectors including utilities, logistics, manufacturing, and smart cities. Huawei has tackled the challenges of large-scale commercialization in a wide range of projects to bring real business value to customers and drive the healthy development of their industries through diverse IoT applications. We are privileged to not only receive this award and recognition from the industry that we are enabling business agility, flexible operations, and a thriving open economy, we are also honored to gain the trust of customers. For example, our work with PSA indicates the company is highly recognized by the industry and Huawei's investment in the field of vehicle networking field. In the future, we look forward to working with more customers and partners to realize their IoT ambitions."

Business Transformation Award Winner: Huawei OceanConnect IoV Platform helped Groupe PSA achieve digital transformation and enhance user mobility experiences

The French-based Groupe PSA, also known as PSA Peugeot Citroen, is a world-famous manufacturer that sells vehicles under brands such as Peugeot, Citroen and DS. In November 2017, Groupe PSA and Huawei established a strategic partnership and jointly create the Connected Vehicle Modular Platform (CVMP).

In April of this year, DS7 became the first vehicle to use Group PSA's IoT CVMP platform. With the latest connected technology provided by Huawei, DS7 enables customers to access new services such as connected navigation, and natural language voice recognition.

The cloud service provided by Huawei will be applied to all the markets where PSA connected cars are placed. With Huawei's OceanConnect IoT platform, Groupe PSA can produce connected cars based on its own vehicle network modular platform. With strong support from Huawei cloud services, OceanConnect IoT platform has been deployed globally.

Innovation Technology Award Nomination: Huawei IoT Platform improves production quality and management transparency at Songshan Lake Facility

Huawei's large manufacturing facility in Songshan Lake, Shenzhen, supports timely and effective production and delivery of IT equipment to 170 countries around the world. Huawei built an intelligent operation management system with multiple IoT application systems, based on the eLTE enterprise-dedicated network to improve the transparency of factory management, including energy consumption management, device running status monitoring, closed-loop reverse optimization, production panorama visualization, and high-precision personnel asset real-time positioning systems.

The IoT platform provides extra technological monitoring measures to ensure and improve production quality. The ERP and SCM systems are streamlined to reduce energy consumption, delivering significant economic and managerial benefits.

Huawei is committed to creating a smart and connected IoT world by innovating IoT solutions, providing solutions to match enterprise user scenarios, building industry ecosystems, and accelerating digital transformation for customers in various fields. So far, 211 of the Fortune Global 500 companies (including 48 Fortune Global 100 companies) have selected Huawei as their digital transformation partner.

The fourth IoT Solutions World Congress 2018 is held in Barcelona, Spain, from October 1618. The world-leading industrial IoT conference is committed to promoting cooperation between IoT suppliers and industries. It focused on IoT solutions and actual cases in the following seven areas: connected transport, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and utilities, building and infrastructure, open industries, and IoT enablement. Huawei participated in the conference and shared innovative technologies and best practices with partners and customers for further cooperation. To learn more about Huawei's IoT solutions, visit https://e.huawei.com/cn/solutions/technical/iot.

SOURCE Huawei
DALLAS, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Simmons Bank, as Trustee of the Hugoton Royalty Trust (OTCQX:HGTXU) (the "Trust"), today declared there would not be a cash distribution to the holders of its units of beneficial interest for October 2018 due to the excess cost positions on all three of the Trust's conveyances of net profits interests. The following table shows underlying gas sales and average prices attributable to the net overriding royalty for both the current month and prior month. Underlying gas sales volumes attributable to the current month were primarily produced in August.





Underlying Gas Sales







Volumes (Mcf) (a)

Average Gas



Total

Daily

Price per Mcf













Current Month

1,082,000

35,000

$2.68 Prior Month

1,123,000

36,000

$2.88















(a) Sales volumes are recorded in the month the Trust receives the related net profits income. Because of this, sales volumes may fluctuate from month to month based on the timing of cash receipts.

XTO Energy has advised the trustee that it has deducted budgeted development costs of $2,188,000, production expense of $1,272,000 and overhead of $1,016,000 in determining the royalty calculation for the Trust for the current month.

Litigation and Arbitration Proceedings  Chieftain

As previously disclosed, XTO Energy advised the Trustee that it has reached a tentative settlement with the plaintiffs in the Chieftain class action royalty case. XTO Energy advised the Trustee that on March 27, 2018, the judge signed orders approving the settlement, including the plaintiffs' initial plan to allocate the net settlement fund among the wells covered by the Chieftain class. The portion of the settlement allocable to the Trust could not be finally determined until after the judge approved the plaintiffs' final plan of allocation. On July 27, 2018, plaintiffs submitted their final plan of allocation which was approved by the court on the same date. Based on the final plan of allocation XTO Energy has advised the Trustee that it believes approximately $24.3 million in additional production costs should be allocated to the Trust. On May 2, 2018, the Trustee submitted a demand for arbitration styled Simmons Bank (successor to Southwest Bank and Bank of America, N.A.) vs. XTO Energy Inc. (the "Arbitration") through the American Arbitration Association seeking a declaratory judgment that the Chieftain settlement is not a production cost and that XTO Energy is prohibited from charging the settlement as a production cost under the conveyance or otherwise reducing the Trust's payments now or in the future as a result of the Chieftain litigation. In the Arbitration, the Trustee also made claims for disputed amounts on the computation of the Trust's net proceeds for 2014 through 2016 in excess of $5 million. XTO Energy filed its answer denying the Trustee's claims. The Arbitration Panel has been selected. Claims related to the Chieftain settlement are currently scheduled for final hearing in March 2019. The remaining claims related to the computation of the Trust's net proceeds were bifurcated and will be heard at a later date, which is still to be determined.

Excess Costs

XTO Energy has advised the Trustee that decreased costs in the current month resulted in the partial recovery of excess costs of $9,000 on properties underlying the Kansas net profits interests. However, after the partial recovery there were no remaining proceeds from properties underlying the Kansas net profits interests to be included for the current month. Underlying cumulative excess costs remaining on the Kansas net profits interests totaled $1,097,000, including accrued interest of $152,000.

XTO Energy has advised the Trustee that increased budgeted development costs in the current month, primarily due to the projected drilling of four horizontal wells in Major County, Oklahoma during the second half of 2018, caused costs to exceed revenues by $1,420,000 on properties underlying the Oklahoma net profits interests. Underlying cumulative excess costs remaining on the Oklahoma net profits interests totaled $11,232,000, including accrued interest of $0. XTO has advised the Trustee that it has determined not to accrue interest on the Oklahoma excess costs balance at this time.

XTO Energy has advised the Trustee that lower costs in relation to revenues resulted in the partial recovery of excess costs of $38,000 on properties underlying the Wyoming net profits interests. However, after the partial recovery there were no remaining proceeds from properties underlying the Wyoming net profits interests to be included for the current month. Underlying cumulative excess costs remaining on the Wyoming net profits interests totaled $978,000, including accrued interest of $15,000.

For more information on the Trust, please visit our web site at www.hgt-hugoton.com.

Statements made in this press release regarding future events or conditions are forward looking statements. Actual future results, including development costs and future net profits, could differ materially due to changes in natural gas prices and other economic conditions affecting the gas industry and other factors described in Part I, Item 1A of the Trust's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017 and Part II, Item 1A of the Trust's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2018.

SOURCE Hugoton Royalty Trust

Related Links

http://www.hgt-hugoton.com


GAINESVILLE, Fla. and BOCA RATON, Fla., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute for Commercialization of Florida Technology (the Institute) announced today results of a new study conducted by The Washington Economics Group, Inc. (WEG), a boutique economic consulting firm led by nationally recognized business economist Dr. J. Antonio (Tony) Villamil. The study measured economic impacts of the Institute during FY 2017-18 to update prior years' studies, and concluded that the organization's impact increased significantly as more companies continued to raise investment capital, create jobs, and bring innovative products to market.

The Institute supports new companies that create clean jobs in knowledge-based industries that are driving the global economy. By providing seed and early-stage funding, the organization enables businesses to develop and launch products in key industries, including life sciences, information technology, homeland security and defense, logistics and distribution, and manufacturing. Highlights of the new study include:

overall economic impact for FY2017-18 of $408 million , a 20% increase over FY 2016-17;

, a 20% increase over FY 2016-17; 2,636 total jobs supported in FY2017-18; a total of 8,940 between 2011  2018;

average earnings per direct job created exceeded statewide average;

capital raised in excess of $255 million , a ratio of 10:1 of additional private investment to State funds;

, a ratio of 10:1 of additional private investment to State funds; GDP impacts of $214 million in FY17-18, a total of $725 million over the seven-year period;

in FY17-18, a total of over the seven-year period; annual return on investment (ROI) to the state of Florida of over 31x.

"The economic impacts of the Institute increased again in 2018, marking the seventh year of growth and positive results for Florida's economy," said Dr. Tony Villamil, founder and senior advisor of The Washington Economics Group, Inc. "The organization supports the creation of an innovation and technology-driven economy in Florida, which is a key goal of the State's Economic Development Strategy, with positive outcomes including increases in high-wage employment in 21st century knowledge industries, household income for Florida's residents, and fiscal revenues to the State, all resulting from economic activity created by the Institute."

"Institute-funded companies are delivering an excellent return on the State's investment in early-stage innovation companies, as they continue to raise private investment capital and create jobs in multiple industry sectors throughout Florida," said Renee Finley, Institute Board Chair. "The resources provided by the Institute and its subsidiary, the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund, have enabled many of Florida's most promising companies to gain the traction and visibility they need in order to reach critical milestones and bring new products to market, and we are proud of the profound impact they are having not only in Florida, but globally as well."

About the Institute

Formed by the Florida Legislature in 2007, the Institute for Commercialization of Florida Technology is a non-profit organization that works with research partners to leverage a $2.5B+ research base and form investable companies that create clean jobs in new industries that are driving the global economy. Through the generosity of mentors, advisors and donors, the Institute provides company building services, and seed funding through the Florida Technology Seed Capital Fund, to promising Florida startups. Seventy-two companies have been funded to date, and the Institute's overall economic impact through June 30, 2018 was nearly $1.4 billion.

About the Washington Economics Group, Inc.

Founded in 1993 in the City of Coral Gables, The Washington Economics Group is a boutique economic consulting firm specializing in comprehensive economic solutions for businesses. WEG engages a limited number of clients each year in order to ensure the best client experience within premiere areas of specialization, and possesses expertise in the economies of Florida, the U.S., Latin America as well as the global economy and emerging markets.

CONTACT:

Jane Teague

Chief Operating Officer

Institute for Commercialization of Florida Technology

(561) 368-8889

[email protected]

SOURCE Institute for Commercialization of Florida Technology
NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in Nevro Corporation ("Nevro" or the "Company") (NYSE:NVRO) of the October 22, 2018 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company.

If you invested in Nevro stock or options between January 8, 2018 and July 12, 2018 and would like to discuss your legal rights, click here : www.faruqilaw.com/NVRO. There is no cost or obligation to you.

You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to [email protected]

CONTACT:

FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP

685 Third Avenue, 26th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Attn: Richard Gonnello, Esq.

[email protected]

Telephone: (877) 247-4292 or (212) 983-9330

The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of all those who purchased Nevro securities between January 8, 2018 and July 12, 2018 (the "Class Period"). The case, Oklahoma Police Pension and Retirement System v. Nevro Corporation et al., No. 18-cv-05181 was filed on August 23, 2018, and has been assigned to Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers.

The lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by failing to disclose: (1) that Nevro had engaged in a fraudulent scheme by using protected confidential and proprietary trade secrets and stolen documents from its competitors to develop and enhance the Company's Senza I and Senza II systems; (2) that as a result, the Company's Senza I and Senza II systems were not "novel" or "proprietary;" (3) that these practices caused the Company to be vulnerable to increased litigation expenses and adverse legal and regulatory action; and (4) that, as a result, Nevro's U.S. sales growth was not sustainable.

Specifically, on April 27, 2018, Boston Scientific filed a complaint against Nevro, which alleged that the Company had engaged in patent infringement, theft of trade secrets, and tortious interference with contract.

On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $90.82 per share on April 27, 2018 to $89.36 per share on April 30, 2018a $1.46 or 1.61% drop.

Then, on May 7, 2018, the Company announced first quarter 2018 financial results that were negatively impacted from "legal expenses associated with the intellectual property litigation" with Boston Scientific.

On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $92.26 per share on May 7, 2018 to $77.59 per share on May 8, 2018a $14.67 or 15.9% drop.

Then, on July 2, 2018, Morgan Stanley downgraded the Company to "Equal Weight," explaining that the Company was facing a "key risk" with its patent litigation and questioning its ongoing claims of "superiority."

On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $79.85 per share on June 29, 2018 to $73.23 per share on July 2, 2018a $6.62 or 8.3% drop.

Then, on July 5, 2018, Judge Vincent Chhabria of the Northern District of California issued a tentative ruling on cross-motions for summary judgment in Nevro's own patent infringement action against Boston Scientific. Judge Chhabria's tentative ruling threatened to end Nevro's case by invalidating the lion's share of Nevro's patents.

On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $75.47 per share on July 9, 2018 to $64.04 per share on July 10, 2018a $11.43 or 15.15% drop.

Then, on July 13, 2018, Nevro filed a Form 8-K with the SEC announcing without explanation or warning, that the Company had "determined to terminate James Alecxih's, Vice President Worldwide Sales, employment with the Company."

On this news, the Company's stock price fell from $68.04 per share on July 12, 2018 to $57.77 per share on July 13, 2018a $10.27 or 15.09% drop.

The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not.

Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Nevro's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others.

Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner.

SOURCE Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP

Related Links

http://www.faruqilaw.com


Roc, which received a minority investment from the Business Growth fund in 2017, is a fast growing digital transformation services provider and headquartered in Newbury. Roc has clients in the public and private sector, and a technology platform portfolio that includes secure enterprise communications, mobility, cloud services and managed services.

The acquisition, which will create a combined group with revenues of c.80million and 350 employees, will have extended digital infrastructure and managed services capabilities, ultimately driving value for the newly combined and complementary customer group.

Lincoln acted as the exclusive financial adviser to the shareholders of Esteem. Lincoln worked closely with the management team and Primary to manage the transaction to a successful conclusion.

Rob Foreman, Chief Investment Officer of Primary Capital, said:

"We are very pleased with the outcome from this transaction. Chris and his team provided the shareholders and management with clear advice, guidance and hands-on support throughout. We believe Roc to be an excellent partner for the business going forward and wish the team every success."

Chris Brooks, UK Head of Lincoln's TMT team, commented:

"We are delighted to have supported Primary on this exit in what continues to be a very active IT managed services market. We very much enjoyed working with the shareholders and management team and look forward to watching the continued development and growth of the enlarged group."

Media Contact

Carrie Grapenthin

[email protected]

+1 (312) 628-1570

SOURCE Lincoln International LLC

Related Links

http://www.lincolninternational.com


Furthers strategy for future growth and value creation while executing key strategic initiatives

OTTAWA, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - MDA, a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), today announced the company's LaunchPad program, which will serve as an entry point for innovative small and medium-sized Canadian companies and academic research groups seeking to collaborate with MDA on technology or innovation projects. MDA LaunchPad will create partnerships that build and grow Canadian businesses in the fast-paced space and defence industries.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and academic research groups can contact the MDA LaunchPad team to:

Explore potential collaboration regarding the development of world-class technology

Bring new products or business opportunities together

Jointly enter a new market

Collaborate on research and development ideas that are of mutual interest

Collaboration on other types of projects

"A crucial aspect of creating growth is widening the arc of the very market you servecreating a larger, more collaborative economic sector with an array of industrial participants that enable one another," said Mike Greenley, group president of MDA. "As a market leader, MDA has the unique opportunity to provide a powerful engine to fuel economic growth. Partnering with other companies, particularly highly innovative SMEs, as well as academia, MDA provides essentially a "business incubator" to support the global environment of rapid technological advances that require flexible and innovative responses to emerging market opportunities. Allowing greater financial self-sufficiency, structure and services for SMEs within the new space economy and the associated technology spin-offs helps build a better world."

"I am also delighted to announce MDA's LaunchPad during Small Business Week. The Government of Canada and Small Business and Export Promotion Minister Mary Ng are committed to making it as easy as possible for Canadian small businesses to succeed, and we at MDA are proud to add our expertise and voice to that goal," added Greenley.

The Government of Canada expects MDA, as the country's anchor space company and one of the leading defence companies, to leadwhich means reaching out across the Canadian industrial base to enable all of Canada's industrial sector to both shape and enable each other. MDA plans to leverage the powerful combination of the four industry-leading companies that comprise Maxar Technologies to provide a platform of convergence and access to expanded networks to support MDA LaunchPad.

Learn more at www.mdacorporation.com/launchpad

About MDA



MDA is an internationally recognized leader in space robotics, space sensors, satellite payloads, antennas and subsystems, surveillance and intelligence systems, defence and maritime systems, and geospatial radar imagery. MDA's extensive space expertise and heritage translates into mission-critical defence and commercial applications that include multi-platform command, control and surveillance systems, aeronautical information systems, land administration systems and terrestrial robotics. MDA is also a leading supplier of actionable mission-critical information and insights derived from multiple data sources. Founded in 1969, MDA is recognized as one of Canada's most successful technology ventures with locations in Richmond, Ottawa, Brampton, Montreal, Halifax and the United Kingdom. MDA is a Maxar Technologies company (TSX: MAXR;NYSE: MAXR). For more information, visit www.mdacorporation.com.

About Maxar Technologies

As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar Technologies (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates) is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial and government markets. As a trusted partner, Maxar Technologies provides vertically integrated capabilities and expertise including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. With more than 6,500 employees in over 30 global locations, the Maxar Technologies portfolio of commercial space brands includes MDA, SSL, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions. Every day, billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and other information included in this release constitute "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under applicable securities laws. Statements including words such as "may", "will", "could", "should", "would", "plan", "potential", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate" or "expect" and other words, terms and phrases of similar meaning are often intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements involve estimates, expectations, projections, goals, forecasts, assumptions, risks and uncertainties, as well as other statements referring to or including forward-looking information included in this release.

Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this release. As a result, although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the risk factors and other disclosures about the Company and its business included in the Company's continuous disclosure materials filed from time to time with Canadian and U.S. securities regulatory authorities, which are available online under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, under the Company's EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov or on the Company's website at www.maxar.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such forward-looking statements are based upon data available as of the date of this release or other specified date and speak only as of such date. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this release as a result of new information or future events, except as may be required under applicable securities legislation.

Contact

Wendy Keyzer | MDA Media Contact | 1-604-231-2743 | [email protected]

Jason Gursky | Maxar Investor Relations | 1-303-684-2207 | [email protected]



SOURCE Maxar Technologies Ltd.

Related Links

www.maxar.com


DUBLIN, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Middle East & Africa Retail Analytics Market By Component (Software & Services), By Deployment Mode (Cloud & On-Premise), By Application, By End User Sector, By Country, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2013-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Middle East & Africa retail analytics market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 22% by 2023, owing to growing retail industry and increasing urbanization and commercialization across the region.



Anticipated double-digit growth in the market can also be attributed to rising demand for automated and mobile retail services, growing adoption of location analytics, and increasing deployment of public Wi-Fi systems across various retail stores.



Some of the other factors that would aid the market growth are increasing number of digitization initiatives and strategies, rising penetration of smartphones and internet connections, and growing adoption of data analytics and marketing services across the region.



Middle East & Africa Retail Analytics Market, 2013-2023 discusses the following aspects of retail analytics market in MEA:

Retail Analytics Market Size, Share & Forecast

Segmental Analysis - By Component (Software & Services), By Deployment Mode (Cloud & On-Premise), By Application, By End User Sector, By Country

Competitive Analysis

Changing Market Trends & Emerging Opportunities

Some of the major players operating in the Middle East & Africa retail analytics market include



IBM Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

SAP SE

Oracle Corporation

SAS Institute Inc.

Qlik

Infor

Tibco Software Inc.

Tableau Software

Key Topics Covered:



1. Product Overview



2. Research Methodology



3. Analyst View



4. Middle East & Africa Retail Analytics Market Landscape



5. Middle East & Africa Retail Analytics Market Outlook



6. UAE Retail Analytics Market Outlook



7. Saudi Arabia Retail Analytics Market Outlook



8. South Africa Retail Analytics Market Outlook



9. Qatar Retail Analytics Market Outlook



10. Market Dynamics



11. Market Trends & Developments



12. Competitive Landscape



13. Strategic Recommendations



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/43kgfs/middle_east_and?w=5



Did you know that we also offer Custom Research? Visit our Custom Research page to learn more and schedule a meeting with our Custom Research Manager.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

Related Links

http://www.researchandmarkets.com


WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study in JAMA Network Open underscores the risk to patients if the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield policy to deny emergency coverage based largely on a patient's diagnoses after a visit, is adopted nationwide. The study found that nearly one in six (15.7 percent) of emergency visits could qualify to be denied.

"It is unreasonable and dangerous to force patients to self-diagnose before going to the emergency room," said Vidor Friedman, MD, FACEP, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). "Insurers cannot expect a patient to know in advance whether a headache is a migraine or an aneurysm, or if abdominal pain is indigestion or something far worse. In addition to sticking patients with large medical bills, this policy could deter people from going to the emergency department in a situation where they need immediate medical attention."

The study, "Analysis of a Commercial Insurance Policy to Deny Coverage for Emergency Department Visits With Nonemergent Diagnoses," also found that, consistent with other JAMA research, emergency symptoms overlapped with nonurgent symptoms 87.9 percent of the time.

More than 65 percent of patients that could be denied coverage received emergency-level services, such as imaging or multiple blood tests, according to the study.

"Our results demonstrate the inaccuracy of such a policy in identifying unnecessary emergency department visits. This policy could place many patients who reasonably seek emergency care at risk of coverage denial," lead author Shih-Chuan (Andrew) Chou, MD, MPH, attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and senior author Jeremiah D. Schuur, MD, MHS, emergency physician and health policy researcher at Brigham and Women's Hospital, wrote.

Currently, Anthem's policy is active in six states, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire and Ohio and Georgia. ACEP and the Medical Association of Georgia filed a federal lawsuit in July asserting that Anthem BCBS of Georgia is violating the prudent layperson standard, which is a federal law requiring insurance companies to cover the costs of emergency care based on a patient's symptoms  not their final diagnosis.

Patient and consumer advocates, physician groups, elected officials and health experts continue to raise concerns about the insurer's misguided initiative. Visit www.faircoverage.org for more information.

Related Resources:

An ER visit, a $12,000 bill  and a health insurer that wouldn't pay

Anthem expands its policy of punishing patients for 'inappropriate' ER visits

Physician Groups Take Legal Action Against Anthem's Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia

Sen. Claire McCaskill letter to Anthem CEO

Cardin, McCaskill Call on HHS, DoL to Uphold Prudent Layperson Standard

McCaskill Report on Anthem ER Policy Shows Thousands of Denied Claims, Poorly Enacted Policy

ACEP is the national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies.

SOURCE American College of Emergency Physicians
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 200 of the Los Angeles region's top communications professionals gathered on Wednesday, October 17 for the 54th Annual PRSA Los Angeles PRism Awards to honor the best public relations campaigns and tactics introduced in the region during the last year. This year's PRism Awards dinner and show took place at the Taglyan Cultural Complex in Hollywood, where the chapter bestowed 64 PRism Awards and 32 Awards of Excellence on deserving individuals and companies, in addition to four special awards for exceptional accomplishments in PR. HLN's Michaela Pereira and KTLA's Sam Rubin co-hosted the evening program.

A number of special awards were announced during the show. The chapter named past PRSA-LA president Brian O'Connor of Princess Cruises its 2018 Public Relations Professional of the Year. The communications team from NETFLIX was recognized as the 2018 Public Relations Team of the Year. Former player Dennis Powell accepted the Joseph Roos Community Service Award on behalf of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The President's Award was bestowed on independent practitioner Victoria Lelash, celebrating 15 years of giving back to community nonprofits by organizing PRSA-LA's Quality Time with PR Minds program.

The night's most-honored companies and agencies included Fiona Hutton & Associates, which took home the Best in Show Award for its work on the Southern California Water Coalition's WaterNext Campaign. Rogers & Cowan and Princess Cruises tied for the most PRism wins of the night capturing five category-leading trophies each. Other prolific PRism winners included Idea Hall, Fiona Hutton & Associates, and Visit Anaheim, with four PRism wins apiece. Forty individuals and companies were honored in the campaigns and tactics categories.

"Most people have no idea what an ethical and effective PR pro really does, as much of our work takes place out of the public eye," observed 2018 PRSA-LA president Diane Rhodes Bergman, APR. "We help other people and organizations build their reputation, communications and relationships, sometimes neglecting ourselves in the process. The PRism Awards provide a way to recognize a behind-the-scenes job well done. We are all very proud of tonight's winners."

For the full list of 2018 PRism and Award of Excellence winners, please visit the PRSA-LA website:

https://prsala.org/awards-programs/prism-awards/

The PRism Awards are supported by PRSA-LA's platinum level sponsors Princess Cruises and Cision, its gold level sponsor Business Wire, and its silver level sponsors Cunard and PR Talent. Dinner sponsors for the evening included Princess Cruises, NETFLIX and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The chapter extends a special thanks to Vikki McDonald, creative director, and in-kind chapter sponsors Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP and KPMG.

About PRSA-LA

PRSA Los Angeles is one of the founding five chapters of the Public Relations Society of America. One of the largest and most active PRSA chapters in the United States, PRSA-LA's membership includes more than 400 public relations professionals. Members include independent practitioners and professionals from corporations, public relations agencies, trade associations, government, public utilities, and non-profit organizations. While their roles cover a broad spectrum, all PRSA-LA members are committed to professional development, ethical practices, and the advancement of the public relations profession.

Contact:

Kaity Van Amersfort, PRSA-LA Chapter Administrator

[email protected]

(626) 313-4343

SOURCE PRSA-LA

Related Links

http://www.prsala.org


NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Regal Medical Group and Lakeside Community Healthcare are working to enhance patient-doctor communication by offering members the chance to meet with their physicians outside of the office at a series of patient appreciation events. The events, which began in August and continue throughout October, are held at local restaurants near providers' offices to give members the opportunity to interact with the physicians and their staff in a non-clinical environment while enjoying a complimentary lunch.

The doctors featured at the patient appreciation events represent a number of exclusively contracted providers who have strategically partnered with Regal and Lakeside because of the medical groups' reputation of patient-centric care. The appreciation events are not only a way for Regal and Lakeside to say "thank you" to members, but to their physicians as well for their hard work and dedication to quality care.

Patients are invited to bring a friend to the festivities, ask health-related questions, and participate in a free raffle. Members can also speak with a licensed benefits specialist who will answer questions about health coverage and schedule free benefits reviews for those that want to evaluate their options during Open Enrollment Period.

About Regal Medical Group and Lakeside Community Healthcare

Regal Medical Group & Lakeside Community Healthcare are affiliates of Heritage Provider Network (HPN), which serves as a trusted healthcare network for more than 550,000 Southern California members. As the largest doctor-owned medical group in Southern California, HPN and its affiliates are dedicated to quality, affordable healthcare. For more information, please visit www.regalmed.com or www.lakesidemed.com

SOURCE Regal Medical Group

Related Links

http://www.regalmed.com


DALLAS, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryan, a leading global tax services and software provider, has been named the number three company on the Dallas Business Journal's 2018 Best Places to Work. The Firm's ranking in the "Large Company" category is its highest ever. Additionally, it is the eighth consecutive year Ryan has made the list.

Ryan was among only 100 companies recognized throughout North Texas, which is one of the hottest regions in the country for business, job growth, and economic development.

"Achieving this recognition for eight consecutive years is a testament to the culture created by our Ryan associates across North Texas," said Ginny Kissling, global president and COO. "An acknowledgement like this from the Dallas Business Journal further affirms the trust our employees place in our Firm, and their pursuit of excellence to serve our clients and each other."

This highly selective list of the "Best Places to Work" has honored the most employee-friendly workplaces in Dallas-Fort Worth for the past 16 years. All findings are based on an indexed score of anonymous employee surveys conducted by Quantum Workplace.

About Ryan

Ryan, an award-winning global tax services and software provider, is the largest Firm in the world dedicated exclusively to business taxes. With global headquarters in Dallas, Texas, the Firm provides an integrated suite of federal, state, local, and international tax services on a multi-jurisdictional basis, including tax recovery, consulting, advocacy, compliance, and technology services. Ryan is a six-time recipient of the International Service Excellence Award from the Customer Service Institute of America (CSIA) for its commitment to world-class client service. Empowered by the dynamic myRyan work environment, which is widely recognized as the most innovative in the tax services industry, Ryan's multi-disciplinary team of more than 2,200 professionals and associates serves over 14,000 clients in more than 50 countries, including many of the world's most prominent Global 5000 companies. More information about Ryan can be found at ryan.com. "Ryan" and "Firm" refer to the global organizational network and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ryan International, each of which is a separate legal entity.

MEDIA CONTACT

Patty Sullivan

Director, Communications

Ryan

469.399.4721

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SOURCE Ryan

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- Boston Consulting Group and Fortune examined 1,100 publicly traded companies in 12 months

- Alphabet, Netflix, Alibaba Group Holdings were also listed in 'Fortune Future 50'

- Continue to satisfy not only customers but also patients through innovation in health care

INCHEON, South Korea, Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsung BioLogics, a global leading biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) based in South Korea, announced today that it has been ranked on Fortune's Future 50 list of companies best positioned for strong future growth and breakout growth.

The Fortune, in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, crated 'Future 50' in 2017 and ranked 50 global companies with the best prospects for long-term growth.

The result is a composite of scores in four dimensions: Strategy, Technology and Investments, People, and Structure.

Alphabet, Netflix, Alibaba Group Holdings were also listed in 'Fortune Future 50' along with Samsung BioLogics.

Dr. T.H Kim, the president and CEO of Samsung BioLogics, said, "Positioned on 'Fortune Future 50' proves Samsung BioLogics' growth potential once again just in 7 years," and he added, "Samsung BioLogics will continue to make the full efforts to grow into a world leading biopharmaceutical drug development and manufacturing company that can help not only our customers but also our patients through continuous innovation and global market development."

On the other hand, Samsung BioLogics' Plant 3 became cGMP ready in October 1st, 2018. Although the company is only seven years old, it became the world's largest CMO with total bioreactor capacity of 362,000 liters in Plant 1, 2, and 3.

In addition, Samsung BioLogics has secured CDMO contracts with 24 companies for 33 products and received 19 global manufacturing approvals as of the end of September.

SOURCE Samsung BioLogics
PORTLAND, Oregon, October 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, "Urgent Care Apps Market by Product and Clinical Area: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018-2025", the post-hospital apps segment dominated the market 2017, and anticipated to maintain this trend throughout the forecast period.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg )



Urgent care app is a healthcare application available for android and iOS users. This app turns a smartphone into a virtual urgent care center, which can be accessed remotely. It enables users to search symptoms, peruse a medical dictionary, and basically be their own doctor. In addition, it connects users to a healthcare professional in real-time who can help in diagnosing the symptoms. Moreover, in case of intensive care, healthcare professionals can connect the app user to a certified doctor in their area who can call the user within a few minutes.

Request Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5058

The global urgent care apps market is expected to exhibit significant growth during the forecast period, due to increase in adoption of smartphones, surge in penetration of 3G & 4G networks, and rise in focus on patient-centric healthcare delivery across the globe. However, poor internet connectivity in developing countries is projected to impede the market growth. On the contrary, high growth potential in emerging markets offers significant growth opportunities for the market players.

Based on product, the global urgent care apps market is categorized into emergency care triage apps, in-hospital communication apps, and post-hospital apps. The post-hospital apps segment was the major revenue contributor in 2017 and is anticipated to continue this trend during the forecast period, owing to the increase in number of smartphone users; rise in awareness of mobile apps for medication management & rehabilitation among patients; and surge in number of patients suffering from trauma, stroke, and cardiac patients who need support during post-hospital care.

Based on clinical condition, the market is classified into trauma, stroke, cardiac conditions, and others. The stroke segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period, due to increase in the number of stroke patients and rise in number of stroke-specific apps.

For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5058

According to Onkar Sumant, Manager, Healthcare at Allied Market Research, "Increase in trend of cost containment in healthcare delivery acts as a key driver of the urgent care apps market. Furthermore, increase in awareness of healthcare apps among patients in developing countries is expected to boost the market growth in the coming years."

KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

Based on product, the emergency care triage apps segment is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Depending on clinical area, the cardiac condition segment was the major revenue contributor in 2017 and is anticipated to continue this trend during the forecast period.

U.S. generated the highest revenue in the global urgent care apps market in 2017.

Asia-Pacific is a lucrative segment that is estimated to grow at a highest CAGR during the forecast period.

North America accounted for the largest share of the market in the global urgent care apps market in 2017 and is expected to remain dominant throughout the forecast period. This is attributed to improvement in quality of care, increase in focus on patient-centric care management, and rise in internet speed, However, Asia-Pacific is expected to experience the highest growth rate during the forecast period, majorly due to surge in awareness of smartphone applications during emergency and post-hospital care.

Clients & Testimonials: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/testimonials

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of the key players operating in the global urgent care apps market, namely Allm Inc., Pulsara, Hospify, Pivot Design Group (Viatherapy), Medisafe, Smartpatient (Mytherapy), Johnson & Johnson (Johnson & Johnson Health & Wellness Solutions, Inc.), Patientsafe Solutions, Alayacare, and Siilo. The other players in the value chain include Vocera Communications, Tigerconnect, Voalte, Twiage, and others.

Access KNOWLEDGE TREE (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/knowledgetree

Knowledge tree is a cloud-based intelligence platform that offers more than 2,000 selective, off-the-shelf reports on niche markets to enable our clients gain deep insights on the latest trends, dynamic technologies, and emerging application areas.

Similar Reports:

Smart Hospitals Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2018 - 2025

mHealth Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014 - 2020

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.

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Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com

SOURCE Allied Market Research
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced the utility had achieved a new milestone with its innovative natural gas capture system, conserving a total of more than 2.5 million cubic feet of natural gas  the equivalent to what more than 12,500 homes use each day on average in the U.S.  since first deploying the technique in August 2016. When crews perform work on a pipeline, some natural gas inside the pipe must be released for safety. Instead of being released into the atmosphere, the natural gas is captured, compressed, and reinjected back into the utility's pipeline system for use by SoCalGas customers. The innovative process reduces emissions and eliminates noise and odor that typically occur in the traditional venting process during pipeline replacement or inspection work. The methane capture technique was one of the best practices included in the utility's Leak Abatement Compliance Plan approved on October 12 by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). Photos from one of the natural gas capture projects are available here.

Behind the generator (left, foreground), which uses natural gas to provide the electrical needs for the compressed natural gas (CNG) compressor and the control panel, is the 9-bottle storage trailer for the tanks of CNG captured by the system.

"For more than 25 years, SoCalGas has been working hard to reduce emissions from its operations, and because of many practices, like the gas capture system, we have one of the lowest methane emission rates of any natural gas distribution company in the country," said David Buczkowski, vice president of gas engineering and system integrity for SoCalGas. "We are pleased that the CPUC responded positively to the compliance plan and best practices we submitted earlier this year, and believe the approved plan will assist our efforts to further reduce emissions."

The methane capture technique was first trialed through SoCalGas' Pipeline Safety Enhancement Plan (PSEP), a multi-year program that identifies various high pressure pipeline sections throughout SoCalGas' system and schedules them to be pressure-tested or replaced.

SoCalGas is a leader in reducing emissions from its system, delivering more than 99.5 percent of the natural gas brought into its pipelines. The utility deploys a suite of advanced technologies to detect and mitigate potential leaks and damage to pipelines, including:

Real-time monitoring of transmission pipelines from state-of-the-art Gas Control Center;

Fiber optic cables that detect methane leaks and third-party damage to pipelines in real-time;

Infrared cameras to check for leaks in newly-installed pipelines;

Aerial leak surveys from both aircraft and drones;

Infrared "point" sensors that can detect leaks even before smell is detected;

In-line inspections tools, or "smart pigs";

External corrosion surveying; and

Algorithms that use Advanced Meter system to identify unusual levels of natural gas consumption.

In 1993, SoCalGas was one of the first local gas distribution companies to join Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Natural Gas STAR Program, an effort by the EPA to promote the development and adoption of technologies and best practices to reduce methane emissions. Since joining STAR, SoCalGas has voluntarily implemented dozens of cost-effective, methane reduction projects that have resulted in the reduction of more than 800,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).

Addressing California's Emissions with Renewable Natural Gas

Nationwide, emissions from natural gas pipeline systems, like SoCalGas', represent less than 1 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Most of California's methane emissionsabout 80 percentcome from the agriculture and waste industries. Because of this, SoCalGas has been working to rapidly expand the production and use of renewable natural gas (RNG) in California.

Earlier this year, SoCalGas announced that RNG derived from organic waste from sources like dairies, wastewater treatment plants, and landfills was being introduced into the utility's pipeline system. RNG is a carbon-negative fuel produced from waste found at landfills, wastewater treatment plants, and agriculture and dairy farms that can be used in trucks and buses, to generate electricity, fuel heating systems in home and businesses, and for cooking.

New research shows that RNG can play an important role in lowering carbon emissions in buildings. The analysis forecasts that replacing roughly 16 percent of the traditional natural gas supply with RNG can achieve greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to converting 100 percent of buildings to electric-only energy by 2030. By using a mix of both in and out of state resources, RNG strategy is three times more cost effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions than an electrification pathway.

SoCalGas recently joined a new international collaboration with Canadian natural gas utility Energir and French utilities GRDF and GRTgaz aimed at advancing the research and development of renewable natural gas and renewable energy storage technologies, such as power-to-gas.

To help educate the public on renewable natural gas and assist developers who may be interested in interconnecting to the SoCalGas pipeline network, the utility developed a downloadable toolkit. Watch this video to learn more about the environmental and cost-saving benefits of renewable natural gas: Digesting the Facts About Renewable Natural Gas.

About SoCalGas

Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas is the largest natural gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable natural gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Natural gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californiansabout 60 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.

SoCalGas is committed to investing in its natural gas system infrastructure, while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2013 through 2017, the company spent nearly $6 billion to upgrade and modernize its natural gas system to enhance safety and reliability. The company is also committed to being a leader in the region's clean energy future, and is working to accelerate the use of renewable natural gas from dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants and the development of renewable energy storage technologies. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.

SOURCE Southern California Gas Company

Related Links

http://www.socalgas.com


MADRID, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sylentis, PharmaMar Group (MCE: PHM), has announced today that it has reached its target of recruiting 300 patients for the Phase III trial "HELIX" [1] for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.

PharmaMar estimate that the results of the trial will be available in the first four months of 2019.

The primary endpoint of this study is to evaluate the effect of tivanisiran, administrated in ophthalmic drops, on the signs and symptoms of patients with this pathology, for which therapeutic options are currently limited. The HELIX trial enrolled 329 patients which have been recruited in 39 centers in six European countries: Spain, Germany, Estonia, Portugal, Slovakia and Italy.

"Completing recruitment for the HELIX trial is an important milestone in the development of tivanisiran for the treatment of dry eye disease. We have confidence in our technology, which is new in its field, and we hope that tivanisiran can become an alternative for treating the millions of people who suffer from dry eye in the world," says Ana Isabel Jimenez, COO of Sylentis.

Sylentis presented results from previous phase II study of tivanisiran during the Annual Congress of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), which was held from April 29 to May 3 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The poster presented, "Tivanisiran, a new treatment for Dry Eye Disease, that improved signs and symptoms in clinical trials," showed the drug's impact on inflammatory eye parameters, tear quality, and saw a reduction in eye pain associated with dry eye.

The mechanism of action of tivanisiran is based on RNA interference technology (RNAi), thus acting by blocking the synthesis of the transient receptor potential cation channel (TRPV1), involved in dry eye disease.

Tivanisiran, administered in the form of ophthalmic drops, is directed to the treatment of signs and symptoms of this pathology and its novel mechanism of action positions it as a potential treatment of dry eye disease.

About dry eye syndrome

This disease occurs when the eye does not produce tears correctly or when the tears do not have the necessary consistency and evaporate very quickly[2]. It especially affects populations in developed countries, where factors such as pollution, air conditioning, the use of contact lenses, refractive surgery operations or the continued use of computers are the main causes. The most noticeable symptoms of the pathology are burning, incessant itching, eye fatigue, dryness, blurred vision, sensation of a foreign body or pain[3], among others.

In Spain, one out of five visits to the ophthalmologist are motivated by this problem. In fact, more than five million people in Spain suffer from this condition, which represents between 10% and 20% of the population. The most common profile are mostly women over the age of 404 and practically 100% of the elderly. Globally, the number of people affected by dry eye is 344 million.

Learn more about the clinical trial: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03108664?term=SYL1001&rank=2

Explanatory videos:

What is RNA interference? https://youtu.be/T21N_dPM0_k

Dry Eye Syndrome: https://youtu.be/R-h_4_Yyq2g

Legal warning

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction.

About PharmaMar

Headquartered in Madrid, PharmaMar is a biopharmaceutical company, focused on oncology and committed to research and development which takes its inspiration from the sea to discover molecules with antitumor activity. It is a company that seeks innovative products to provide healthcare professionals with new tools to treat cancer. Its commitment to patients and to research has made it one of the world leaders in the discovery of antitumor drugs of marine origin.

PharmaMar has a pipeline of drug candidates and a robust R&D oncology program. It develops and commercializes Yondelis in Europe and has other clinical-stage programs under development for several types of solid cancers: lurbinectedin (PM1183), PM184 and PM14. With subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria and the United States. PharmaMar wholly owns other companies: GENOMICA, a molecular diagnostics company; Sylentis, dedicated to researching therapeutic applications of gene silencing (RNAi); and a chemical enterprise, Zelnova Zeltia. To learn more about PharmaMar, please visit us at www.pharmamar.com.

About Sylentis

Sylentis is a pharmaceutical company that develops innovative therapies using gene silencing or RNAi technologies. This technology allows the design of molecules capable of selectively inhibiting the synthesis of disease-causing proteins. Sylentis has developed numerous therapies based on this novel technology and currently has a solid program in ophthalmology with a candidate in a Phase III clinical trial: tivanisiran, for the treatment of dry eye1; and another in Phase II: bamosiran, for the treatment of glaucoma[4]. Sylentis also researches and develops other new products for the treatment of different ocular diseases such as ocular allergies and retinal diseases. For more information visit www.sylentis.com.

About tivanisiran (SYL1001)

SYL1001 is a drug based on RNAi that is administered as preservative-free eye drops; it selectively inhibits production of the transient receptor potential cation channel (TRPV1). These receptors are ion channels that mediate the transmission of ocular pain. SYL1001 is a small synthetic double-stranded RNA oligonucleotide (siRNA) with a novel and highly selective mechanism of action. Non-clinical studies conducted by Sylentis with SYL1001 have demonstrated it has high ability to inhibit this specific target and block the perception of ocular pain in animals6.

SYL1001 is a product undergoing development for the signs and symptoms related to with dry eye syndrome, and has potential to be developed for other pathologies that cause ocular pain (corneal lesions, refractive surgery, etc.) [5],[6],[7],[8]

About RNA interference (RNAi)

RNA interference (RNAi) is a natural cellular process that regulates the expression of certain genes, providing a role in innate defense and development in animal and plants. This process is used to specifically silence genetic transcripts that encode protein-causing diseases. The therapeutic application of targeted siRNAs is booming given the specificity of gene silencing for a particular protein in a given tissue and the lack of side effects. This new approach to drug discovery is a promising technology that is rapidly moving in the translational research space[9],[10].

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03108664?term=helix&rank=5 (Abril, 2018) https://nei.nih.gov/health/dryeye/dryeye The definition and classification of dry eye disease: report of the Definition and Classification Subcommittee of the International Dry Eye WorkShop (2007). Ocul Surf, 2007. 5(2): p. 75-92 Moreno-Montanes J, Sadaba B, Ruz V, Gemez-Guiu A, Zarranz J, Gonzelez MV et al. Phase I Clinical Trial of SYL040012, A Small Interfering RNA Targeting -Adrenergic Receptor 2, for Lowering Intraocular Pressure. Mol Ther. 2014, 22(1):226-32 Benitez-Del Castillo JM, Protocol No.: SYL1001_IV. EUDRACT No: 2016-003903-79. A double-masked study of SYL1001 in patients with moderate to severe dry eye disease (DED). HELIX Study (Phase III). Version 1.1: December 14th, 2016 . Sylentis SAU-Pharma Mar Group. Paneda C, Gonzalez V, Martinez T, Ruz V, Vargas B and Jimenez AI. RNAi based therapies for ocular conditions. In Proceedings of the 11th ISOPT,2014, 25-30, Medimond, Bologna, Italy Martinez-Garcia C, Martinez T, Paneda C, Gallego P, Jimenez AI, Merayo J. Differential expression and localization of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 in rabbit and human eyes. Histol Histopathol, 2013, 28(11):1507-16 Benitez-Del-Castillo JM, Moreno-Montanes J, Jimenez-Alfaro I, Munoz-Negrete FJ, Turman K, Palumaa Martinez T, Gonzalez MV, Vargas B, Jimenez AI, Paneda C. Preclinical Development of RNAi-Inducing Oligonucleotide Therapeutics for Eye Diseases. In RNA interference. ISBN: 978-953-51-4614-8. Ed. Intech. 2015et al. Safety and Efficacy Clinical Trials for SYL1001, a Novel Short Interfering for the treatment of Dry Eye Disease. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016 Nov 1 ;57(14):6447-6454 Elbashir SM1, Harborth J, Lendeckel W, Yalcin A, Weber K, Tuschl T. Duplexes of 21-nucleotide RNAs mediate RNA interference in cultured mammalian cells. Nature. 2001 May 24;411(6836):494-8 Soutschek J1, Akinc A, Bramlage B, Charisse K, Constien R, Donoghue M et al. Therapeutic silencing of an endogenous gene by systemic administration of modified siRNAs. Nature. 2004 Nov 11;432(7014):173-8

Media Contact:

Alfonso Ortin  Communications Director

[email protected]

Mobile: +34-609-493-127

Miguel Martinez-Cava  Digital Communication Manager

[email protected]

Mobile: +34-606-597-464, Phone: +34 918466000

Investor Relations:

Phone: +34 914444500 / +34 902 10 19 00

Email: [email protected]

Or please visit our website at www.pharmamar.com

SOURCE PharmaMar
NEW YORK, Oct. 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Report Scope:

This report analyzes the market for third-party commercialized IoT software platforms and discusses how the IoT technology market will evolve as well as the trends impacting its adoption. Platforms based on pure hardware solutions and chipsets are not included in this report.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p03944190



This BCC Research study was conducted with a global perspective in terms of the IoT platforms technology and their applications. Market projections have been conducted for five geographic regions (North America, South America, Europe, Middle East & Africa and Asia-Pacific) and all market revenues reported are in constant 2017 U.S. dollars.



The report contains:

- An in-depth analysis of the market for technologies used in IoT platforms.

- New developments and recent standards for IoT solutions that will impact the development of future IoT platforms.

- Current and potential applications for IoT platforms.

- Current and future market projections for IoT platforms.

- Profiles of current industry players including platform vendors.

- An overview of IoT standards consortiums, service provider partnerships, important acquisitions and venture capital funding.

- A review of market opportunities for current industry participants as well as new entrants.



Report Includes:

- 37 tables

- An overview of technology platforms for the internet of things (IoT)

- Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2016, 2017, 2018, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2023

- An overview of new developments and recent standards for IoT solutions that will impact the development of future IoT platforms

- A look at the current and potential applications for IoT platforms

- Coverage of application enablement platforms, device management platforms, connectivity management platforms, and sensor data management platforms in the IoT market

- Evaluations of trends, such as venture capital funding, key acquisitions, and partnerships

- Company profiles of industry players, including, General Electric, Huawei, Machine 2 Machine Intelligence Corp. (M2mi), Vodafone, and Oracle Kore Wireless



Summary

The market for third-party commercial "Internet of Things" (IoT) platforms is rapidly growing.Themarket for these software-based platforms, estimated to be $REDACTED million globally in 2017, is expected to grow at a healthy REDACTED% annualized growth rate and exceed $REDACTED billion globally by 2023.



Three different categories of IoT platforms have been designed to address diverse needs: device management and controls (Device Management Platforms), applications (Application Enablement Platforms) and network control centers for communication between devices and backend systems (Network Connectivity Management Platforms).



In their initial stages of development, most IoT platforms provided one of the above capabilities, but with technology advancement there has been a gradual pivoting of most vendors to horizontal, module based platforms which can be a complete integrated end-to-end solution. BCC Research predicts that this trend will continue to grow as demand for niche IoT paltforms that can address the unique needs of some of the larger IoT projects namely in the smart cities and digital healthcare segment will grow in the coming years.



The application of these platforms is widespread within the business and industrial IoT platform markets.Some of the key application segments that have grown their adoption of IoT platforms include healthcare, automotive, fleet management and smart city initiatives by local governments.



The enterprise and public sector segments are the largest customers of these platforms with each contributing to almost REDACTED% of the IoT platform market demand in 2017. These end use segments are largely driven by the need for ready-to-deploy solutions that can handle the complexity of multi-device,multi-location IoT projects.



The market for third party IoT device, data and application management platforms has evolved from its initial adoptor phase (2012-2016) and maturing in terms of their technology and capabilities. The market is now gradually moving from a 'new concept' phase towards a broader 'need fulfillment' stage.



Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p03944190



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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SOURCE Reportlinker

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NEW YORK, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS/The Aesthetic Society) is hosting its Experienced Insights: Breast and Body Contouring meeting in San Francisco this week from October 18 through October 20 at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins hotel in San Francisco. The Aesthetic Society partnered with the InterContinental Mark Hopkins to donate much-needed food in the form of boxed lunches to the substantial homeless population in the city with Food Runners, a non-profit organization devoted to alleviating hunger and preventing waste.

The current homeless population in San Francisco is estimated to be 7,500 individuals as of 2017, all located within an approximate 49-mile radius. San Francisco has a higher percentage of chronically homeless people than in comparable cities. Many of the homeless need mental healthcare and addiction treatment, which the city is working to address with expanded programs. Still, there is a daily and desperate need for food donations for the homeless population as well.

"It is a pleasure to work with the InterContinental Mark Hopkins to help the San Francisco community while our organization of board-certified plastic surgeons meet for an intimate conference regarding industry innovations and education. We enjoy opportunities to give back and a food donation allows us the chance to make an immediate impact on a city that continually welcomes us," states W. Grant Stevens, MD, President of The Aesthetic Society.

"We are always excited to see organizations doing business in San Francisco making a positive impact on our local community," says Food and Beverage Director Joe Ferragamo. "As longtime supporters of Food Runners and their dedication to feeding people in need, we are happy to partner with the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery for this significant donation."

About ASAPS

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS/The Aesthetic Society) is recognized as the world's leading organization devoted entirely to aesthetic plastic surgery and cosmetic medicine of the face and body. ASAPS is comprised of over 2,600 Plastic Surgeons; Active Members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (USA) or by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and have extensive training in the complete spectrum of surgical and non-surgical aesthetic procedures. International Active Members are certified by equivalent boards of their respective countries. All members worldwide adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and must meet stringent membership requirements.

Website: www.surgery.org

Follow ASAPS on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ASAPS

Become a fan of ASAPS on Facebook: www.facebook.com/AestheticSociety

Follow ASAPS on Instagram: www.instagram.com/TheAestheticSocietyASAPS

Locate an ASAPS plastic surgeon in your area: http://www.smartbeautyguide.com/select-surgeon

About the InterContinental Mark Hopkins:

Located on the top of prestigious Nob Hill at the intersection of California and Mason Streets, the InterContinental Mark Hopkins, a historic landmark, is a regular stop on the California Street cable car line. Just minutes away from the financial and theatre districts as well as Union Square and Chinatown, this four-star, four-diamond hotel is also home to the Top of the Mark, the world-renowned 19th floor sky lounge that offers panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information and to make reservations, contact the Mark Hopkins, Number One Nob Hill, San Francisco, Calif. 94108, at 415.392.3434 or 800.NOB HILL (662-4455), or by visiting http://www.intercontinentalmarkhopkins.com.

Media Contacts: Leigh Hope Fountain 562-799-2356

[email protected] or [email protected]

SOURCE American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Related Links

http://www.surgery.org


The album's instantly recognizable cover art, with the large looming gorilla and classic N.E.R.D font, was a return to form for the group after leaving their previous label. The duo of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugoalso otherwise known as The Neptunesexpanded their top-tier production by exploring atmospheric rock tangents with more added emotional appeal than previous, more straightforward efforts. The title is conceptually based on the neurological phenomenon of synesthesiathe mixing of sensory modalitiesfor instance, seeing colors when listening to music.

The rejuvenation worked to their advantage, with the album selling 80,000 units in its first week and charting at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 200. In addition to a positive critical response, the album sold more than 200,000 units within a few years after its release. It was also a huge success internationally, charting in the Top 20 in Australia, Switzerland, Canada, and the Netherlands. Despite being recorded sometime around 2007, the forward-thinking ethos of the Neptunes and their textured production, coupled with in-the-pocket musicianship, propelled the album to national and international acclaim. Seeing Sounds is a vital entry in N.E.R.D's celebrated catalog.

N.E.R.D: Seeing Sounds [2LP black vinyl; 2LP red marble vinyl]

LP 1

1. "Intro / Time For Some Action" (Side A)

2. "Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In Line For The Bathroom)" (Side A)

3. "Windows" (Side A)

4. "Anti Matter" (Side A)

5. "Spaz" (Side B)

6. "Yeah You" (Side B)

7. "Sooner or Later" (Side B)

8. "Seeing Sounds" (Side B)

LP 2

1. "Happy" (Side A)

2. "Kill Joy" (Side A)

3. "Love Bomb" (Side A)

4. "You Know What" (Side B)

5. "Laugh About It" (Side B)

6. "Lazer Gun" (Side B)

7. "Everyone Nose (All The Girls Standing In Line For The Bathroom)" (Remix) feat. Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, and Pusha T (Side B)

ABOUT UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP'S "URBAN LEGENDS"

Urban Legends is a multi-platform website that honors the past 30 years of Universal Music Group's (UMG) urban catalog. The label imprint and platform, which came to fruition in late 2017, celebrates the artists and music at the heart and soul of hip-hop, with commentary by noted music writers and the artists themselves.

Nobody forgets the album that changed their lifethat one song that defined the moment. Urban Legends remembers and reimagines what it means to be a fan, helping music lovers fall in love with their favorites all over again. We celebrate our icons, our culture, our style, our legacy, our musicand why it matters.

Visit http://www.urbanlegends.com/ or find them at:

https://www.facebook.com/UrbanLegends/

https://www.instagram.com/urbanxlegends/

https://twitter.com/urbanxlegends

SOURCE Urban Legends/UMe

Related Links

http://www.urbanlegends.com


BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Walker & Dunlop, Inc. announced today that it structured $25,000,000 in financing for Aloft Asheville, a specialty hotel property located in Asheville, North Carolina. The 115-key property is owned and developed by McKibbon Hospitality and is centrally located in the heart of the city.

Situated in downtown Asheville, the Aloft hotel is within walking distance to virtually every major tourist attraction in the city. Known for its vibrant arts scene and historic architecture, Asheville's famous attractions include the Basilica St. Lawrence, Grove Arcade, and the famous Orange Peel concert hall, all of which are within a half mile of the hotel. In addition to its prime location, Aloft Asheville has become one of the most popular hotels in the area, outpacing its competitors over the past several years with its consistently high occupancy and rates.

Part of the Marriott family, Aloft Hotels are most notable for their modern architecture and design, breaking away from the traditional hotel mold by offering purposeful environments to attract the next generation of travelers. The six-story property consists of 115 guestrooms in addition to two 3,000 square-foot retail spaces leased to the restaurant The Blackbird and the outdoor retail outfitter Diamond Brands. Other amenities include a 24-hour food bar, fitness center, three bars and lounges, free Wi-Fi, and keyless hotel access.

The Walker & Dunlop team was led by Doug Hart, Alison Williams, and Matt Baldwin, who specialize in the origination of debt and structured financing solutions for all commercial real estate asset classes, including hospitality properties. The team effectively structured the 10-year, non-recourse refinance loan at an attractive rate. The new loan was provided by a life company lender and will be used to retire existing debt and return equity to the sponsor.

"We were thrilled to facilitate such an exciting transaction with an industry leader such as McKibbon. They have set the standard in their management and development practices and we are happy to be a partner. By offering a fresh approach to the traditional hotel experience, Aloft Asheville is poised for continued success in the growing market of Asheville," Mr. Hart stated.

"The Walker & Dunlop team was very helpful in arranging McKibbon Hospitality's loan for the Aloft Asheville hotel. The financing structure provided us the term, pricing, and flexibility that we were looking for, and we are glad that we chose Walker & Dunlop as our financing partner," stated Greg Henderson, vice president of finance at McKibbon Hospitality.

Walker & Dunlop is a leader in the commercial real estate finance space and has been rankedA within the top 50 firms on Fortune Magazine's Fastest-Growing Companies List for two consecutive years.A The rapid growth of the company's Capital Markets group has contributed to this ranking; in 2017, the team closed a record $7.3 billion in total brokered volume with over 235 different capital providers, up 75 percent from 2016. For additional information on the company's financing solutions for hospitality properties, please view the following press releases:

About Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop (NYSE: WD), headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, is one of the largest commercial real estate services and finance companies in the United States providing financing and investment salesA to owners of multifamily and commercial properties. Walker & Dunlop, which is included in the S&P SmallCap 600 Index, has over 650 professionals in 29 offices across the nation with an unyielding commitment to client satisfaction.

SOURCE Walker & Dunlop, Inc.

Related Links

https://www.walkerdunlop.com


Geneva, Oct 19 : Amid a deteriorating security situation in Tripoli, the United Nations refugee agency successfully evacuated 135 migrants from Libya to Niger earlier this week - the first airlift since June, the UNHCR said on Thursday.

UNHCR staff endured "significant security challenges and restrictions" while completing the evacuation late on Tuesday as rising tensions between rival militias resulted in sporadic exchanges of fire and rockets falling on Tripoli airport, the agency said.

Many of the people evacuated late on Tuesday had been held in detention centres for several months and were suffering from the effects of malnutrition and poor health, UNHCR stated.

"These evacuations are a life-changing and life-saving escape for refugees trapped in detention in Libya," said UNHCR Chief of Mission in Libya Roberto Mignone. "Refugees and migrants in detention centres often suffer squalid conditions and are at risk of being sold to traffickers and smugglers. This shows what a lifeline resettlement can be."

The evacuees are currently being hosted in UNHCR's Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) until further solutions for them are found.

Also on Tuesday, 85 refugees from Syria, Sudan and Eritrea departed on two flights from Tripoli to Timisoara, Romania, with the assistance of IOM, the UN Migration Agency. They will spend a few days at UNHCR's Emergency Transit Facility before flying onwards to Norway.

UNHCR thanked resettlement countries for coming forward with offers of places for migrants trapped in Libya, but urged them to accelerate their procedures to enable further evacuations.

"People are being intercepted off the Libyan coast faster than we can evacuate them," said Mignone. "We are deeply grateful for all those who have come forward with resettlement places but the simple truth is we need more evacuations, more often."

Evacuations from Libya to Niger been paused since June amidst concerns that arrivals to Niger were outpacing the speed at which people were being resettled to other countries, UNHCR noted.

A total of 1,997 people have been evacuated from Libya by UNHCR since operations began in December last year, the agency said, thanking Libyan authorities and Niger's government for their cooperation.
Washington, Oct 19 : US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that it "certainly" seems that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared two weeks ago in Istanbul, is dead, adding that if this is confirmed there will be very serious consequences.

"It certainly looks that way... Very sad," said the President when asked by a reporter whether Khashoggi, who disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, was dead.

Trump also said in remarks to reporters before boarding Air Force One to fly to a campaign rally in Montana that the alleged crime "will have serious consequences", an Efe report said.

In previous comments to The New York Times, the President said on Thursday that it would be a miracle if the journalist is not dead.

"Unless the miracle of all miracles happens, I would acknowledge that he's dead," the President said. "That's based on everything - intelligence coming from every side," he added, noting that the case is not a positive development for US-Saudi relations.

Trump's words came after he was informed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of the latest aspects of the case - insofar as they have been related to the US officials by Saudi and Turkish authorities.

Pompeo had travelled to Riyadh and Ankara this week to speak with local authorities there regarding Khashoggi's disappearance, but returned and briefed the President personally at the White House on Thursday morning about what he had learned.

At their meeting, Pompeo asked Trump to give Saudi Arabia "a few more days" to investigate Khashoggi's disappearance, although he did not specify when he expected that investigation to be completed.

The Saudi journalist had been living in the US since 2017, periodically writing columns for The Washington Post, but he disappeared on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Many lawmakers, media outlets and other experts have said that there is virtually no doubt that Khashoggi is dead, murdered by specially dispatched Saudi agents inside the consulate.

"We made clear to them that we take this matter with respect to Mr. Khashoggi very seriously," Pompeo told reporters after his White House meeting with Trump, adding that the Saudis "assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all the facts surrounding Mr. Khashoggi and that they will do so in a timely fashion".

"I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how, or if, the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi," he added.

Trump had predicted on Wednesday that the truth about Khashoggi's disappearance probably would become known before the end of this week, adding that the most important thing as far as he's concerned is to determine if Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman knew anything about the journalist's possible murder.

Pompeo's new remarks point to the possibility that the Saudi investigation could take longer, despite the growing impatience of the international community.

The top US diplomat emphasized that the Saudi report will be "transparent" and that everyone will be able to ask questions about the matter.

The US administration then will also be able to judge whether the Saudi report was credible, accurate, fair and transparent, Pompeo said in response to a reporter's question.

Pompeo also mentioned the long strategic relationship between Washington and Riyadh, saying that "They are an important strategic alliance of the United States and we need to be mindful of that as well."

The Secretary of State noted that Turkey is also investigating the matter and predicted that the two separate probes, when considered together, will be able to provide a full picture of what actually occurred in Istanbul.
New Delhi : Cairo, Oct 19 (EFE) Grand muftis, Islamic religious leaders, from 73 countries on Thursday concluded here a three-day conference aimed at moderating how religious figures discuss Islam so as to counter the effects of extremism and increase the involvement of Muslim youth in peaceful displays of their faith.

During the fourth edition of the conference, held in Cairo and focused on the issuance of "fatwa" - religious guidelines promulgated by religious leaders, participants discussed a broad spectrum of topics, including organ transplants, divorce and stem cells.

"Our main concern in this summit is to redefine fatwa and reclaim fatwa from the radicals," Ibrahim Negm, adviser to Egyptian Grand Mufti Shawki Allam told Efe.

Touching on topics ranging from divorce and marriage practices to inheritance and scientific activities, a fatwa is released publically as a way for Muslims to live an involved and connected spiritual life in the modern world.

"Our purpose is to revisit the Muslim tradition and ... the heritage (writen in) books hundreds of years ago. We want to read them afresh in the light of contemporary issues. We are living in the 21st century, we are living in a global village and this has impacted how fatwas are issued," Negm added.

The conference also discussed women's rights and the use of the "niqab," the long Muslim women's gown and veil which completely covers the body and face.

"We emphasize the essence rather than the form ... the way people dress is different from one Muslim country to another, so you have in the Gulf a certain way of dressing while in Egypt the way Muslims dress is different ... (The same is the case) in Turkey. Meanwhile, in Europe Muslim (men and women dress in a different way), this is based on customs and traditions of Muslim community," Negm stressed.

Negm announced that religious leaders will "launch an online portal that reaches young people and speaks to them in different languages".
Srinagar, Oct 19 : Seven soldiers were injured when militants triggered an improvised explosive device (IED) in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said on Friday.

The explosion took place when an armoured Army vehicle was passing through the Tahab area at around 9.30 p.m., on Thursday.

"The IED explosion was followed by firing by the militants. Troops inside the Casper vehicle retaliated and a brief firing exchange took place," police sources said.

Of the seven soldiers, three with serious injuries were airlifted to an Army hospital in Srinagar.
Melbourne, Oct 19 : Taxi drivers here in Australia are planning to sue ridesharing company Uber for $355 million citing damages and "lost profits", media reports said on Friday.

They are seeking compensation claiming the ride-share company stole their business and ruined their livelihoods, Xinhua news agency reported.

The class action law suit claiming Uber operated illegally in the city would be filed in the coming weeks.

It is related to the profits allegedly lost during Uber's operation in Melbourne prior to being legalised, the Nine News channel reported.

About 1,000 people who held a taxi licence while Uber was "operating unlawfully" has joined the action, Senior Associate Elizabeth O'Shea said.

Commercial Passenger Vehicle Association President Rod Barton said Uber was being sued as they came into Victoria knowing full well that the law required the firm to have a taxi or hire car license to operate.

Uber first arrived in Australia in November 2012 but was not legal in Victoria until August 2017, the channel reported.

The company's Victoria state manager Lucas Groeneveld told the media that it has not yet been notified of any class action.
Kuala Lumpur, Oct 19 : The president of Malaysia's main opposition party, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, pleaded not guilty after facing 45 criminal charges in a Kuala Lumpur court on Friday.

The charges comprise 10 accusations of breach of confidence, eight of corruption and 27 of money laundering, reports Efe news.

Some of the charges concern the alleged appropriation of 800,000 ringgit ($192,424) from the Yayasan Akal Budi foundation that were used to pay the credit card bills of the politician, who blamed an error by the accountants.

The bribery charges relate to more than 42 million ringgit and the money laundering charges involve over 72 million ringgit.

The politician, the president of the United Malays National Organization, a party that ruled Malaysia from independence in 1957 until its defeat in the election in May, was granted bail of 2 million ringgit.

The 65-year-old former deputy prime minister was surrounded by several supporters in court, after spending the night in the Anti-Corruption Commission, where he testified on Thursday.
New Delhi, Oct 19 : Invoke the "Shakti" within you to transform your mind and transcend limits; get inspiration from the life of a female journalist who has exposed 20 lies and misconceptions so far; read an amalgamation of many old-school ideas that come from grandmothers which modern nutrition is trying to catch up with; flick through a book designed specially for women on how to present oneself to maximum effect, in person and online.

The IANS bookshelf this week has a bunch of books dedicated to women.

1. Book: Awaken the Durga Within; Author: Usha Narayanan; Publisher: Rupa; Price: Rs 195; Pages: 152 "Awaken the Durga Within" is a handy, easy-to-follow guide to help every woman assert herself at home and work, and reclaim her life. Women in a patriarchal country like India are often held back by family or society; and even education or employment does little to help improve their status.

Bringing in the lesser-known and exciting stories about goddesses from Hindu mythology, "Awaken the Durga Within" provides practical solutions that can be implemented immediately, without compromising on values and principles. These stories will help invoke the "Shakti" within every woman so as to transform their minds and transcend their limits. Identify the fears holding you back and discover a pithy, three-step process to help you take control of your life and garner respect. Make choices that are right for you and experience the rewards. Discover the true spirit of feminism wherein women are given the same rights, power, and opportunities as men.

2. Book: Girl, Wash Your Face; Author: Rachel Hollis; Publisher: Thomas Nelson; Price: Rs 499; Pages: 220 As the founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Rachel Hollis developed an immense online community by sharing tips for better living while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own life. Now, in this challenging and inspiring new book, Hollis exposes the 20 lies and misconceptions that too often hold us back from living joyfully and productively, lies we've told ourselves so often we don't even hear them anymore.

With painful honesty and fearless humour, Hollis unpacks and examines the falsehoods that once left her feeling overwhelmed and unworthy, and reveals the specific practical strategies that helped her move past them. In the process, she encourages, entertains, and even kicks a little butt, all to convince you to do whatever it takes to get real and become the joyous, confident woman you were meant to be.

With unflinching faith and rock-hard tenacity, "Girl, Wash Your Face" shows you how to live with passion and hustle -- and how to give yourself grace without giving up.

3. Book: Ultimate Grandmother Hacks; Author: Kavita Devgan; Publisher: Rupa; Price: Rs 295; Pages: 218 Traditional eating habits are a delicious roadmap to a happier, healthier, kinder you. Our ancestors have a lot to teach us about hearty eating habits that not only focus on health but also the pleasure that food can bring to our lives.

This book is an amalgamation of many of those old-school ideas that modern nutrition is now trying to catch up with. It is an enticing guide to inculcate time-tested food habits so we can develop a healthy lifestyle and, even more importantly, rediscover the enjoyment of food.

4. Book: The Skills; Author: Mishal Husain; Publisher: 4th Estate; Price: Rs 599; Pages: 294 Gathering together advice for women of all ages, whether they are new graduates, working mothers or simply seeking a career change, "The Skills" explains how to present yourself to maximum effect, in person and online; how to prepare for quick wins, big moments and plan for long-term goals; how to gain confidence and authority; and how to navigate the ups and downs of a long working life and build resilience.

Drawing on Mishal's own experience, interviews with experts and with inspirational figures from Martha Lane Fox to Malala Yousafzai, "The Skills" will guide women in honing the abilities they need to thrive in whatever field they choose.
Patna, Oct 19 : A trainee Bihar education officer posted here was shot dead on Friday by unidentified gunmen in Kaimur district, police said.

Sanjay Singh, who was selected in the Bihar Public Service Commission, was on his way home when two motorcycle borne criminals killed him, police officer Ajay Prasad said.

Angry over the killing, hundreds of people blocked roads demanding the immediate arrest of the killers.
Washington, Oct 19 : US President Donald Trump has praised Montana Republican Representative Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter during his campaign last May and called him "my guy".

"Any guy who can do a body slam ... he's my guy," Trump said at a Montana rally on Thursday night and made a gesture mimicking a body slam, according to CNN.

"I shouldn't say this," but "there's nothing to be embarrassed about," the President said amid laughter and applause from the crowd.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanour assault in June 2017 after he was convicted of "body slamming" The Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs. A judge sentenced him to a 180-day deferred sentence, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management and a $300 fine along with a $85 court fee.

Trump said he found out about Gianforte assaulting a reporter when he was travelling in Rome and said initially he was concerned it would hurt the Republican in the election.

"Then I said, well wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him. And it did." He called Gianforte, "one of the most respected people in Congress" and a "tough cookie".

Gianforte won the election the next day and apologized to Jacobs during his acceptance speech.

Guardian US editor John Mulholland slammed Trump's joke, saying: "To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it."
Istanbul, Oct 19 : The rulers of Saudi Arabia are considering blaming a top intelligence official close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post reported.

The plan to assign blame to Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, a high-ranking adviser to the crown prince, would be an extraordinary recognition of the magnitude of international backlash to hit the kingdom since the disappearance of Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi dissident, it said.

A resident of Virginia and contributor to The Washington Post, Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi Consulate here on October 2. The Post based its report after speaking to three people with knowledge of the Saudi plans.

Blaming Gen. Assiri could also provide a plausible explanation for the apparent killing and help deflect blame from the crown prince, who American intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced was behind Khashoggi's disappearance, the daily said.

Turkish officials have said they possess evidence showing that 15 Saudi agents assassinated and dismembered Khashoggi in the consulate.

After two weeks of blanket denials and mounting pressure from Turkey and Washington, Saudi Arabia said it would conduct its own investigation to determine who was responsible, the Post said.

But even with the investigation still ostensibly underway, the Saudis are already pointing to Gen. Assiri as the culprit, it said.

Whether that move will be enough to calm the international crisis and what it may mean for Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's day-to-day ruler, remain to be seen, the Post said.

Gen. Assiri, who previously served as the spokesman for the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen, is close enough to the crown prince to have easy access to his ear and has considerable authority to enlist lower-ranking personnel in a mission.

The Saudi rulers are expected to say that Gen. Assiri received oral authorization from Prince Mohammed to capture Khashoggi for an interrogation in Saudi Arabia, but either misunderstood his instructions or overstepped that authorization and took the dissident's life, according to two of the people familiar with the Saudi plans, the Post said.

"Even in this scenario, however, Prince Mohammed would still have ordered an operation to abduct a resident of the US, apparently only on the basis of his public criticism of Saudi leaders," it said.
Mumbai, Oct 19 : Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan says over 850 farmers from Uttar Pradesh have been identified, and their loans to the tune of Rs 5.5 crore will be taken care of.

"A list of over 850 farmers from Uttar Pradesh have been identified and their loans amounting to over 5.5 crore shall be taken care of... The assistance from the Bank in question assists in its execution and its benevolence," the 76-year-old actor posted on his blog.

He had recently, through the government agencies, identified 44 families who had lost their loved ones - martyrs who gave up their lives for the country - and distributed cash to them as a gesture.

Big B said on his blog that it was a "satisfying experience".

"44 families diversified into 112 entities were given out in my small way from Maharashtra. The bravehearts, the shaheed... More needs to be done from other parts of the country too... it shall be done," he added.

He said over 350 farmers' loans that were difficult to pay off, were paid off too to prevent them from committing suicide.

The 76-year-old also said he will contribute to 'Kaun Banega Crorepati Karmveer' Ajeet Singh, who works towards protection of girls forced into prostitution, in a gesture to help his endeavour. Apart from this, Big B said he will also contribute to Sarbani Das Roy, who has taken up the work to look after and protect those that are mentally ill.
London, Oct 19 : Radical preacher Anjem Choudary was released from prison on Friday after serving half of his sentence for urging support to the militant Islamic State group and pledging allegiance to it.

Choudary, 51, who was a key figure for a succession of extremist Islamist groups, emerged early morning from Belmarsh prison in southeast London.

The 51-year-old former lawyer of Pakistani descent was sentenced in 2016 to five-and-a-half years in prison. He has served less than half of his sentence and will complete the rest under strict supervision, the BBC reported.

Authorities have been making preparations to stop him from inciting support for terrorism and he will in effect be banned from making any public statements or speaking with the media.

Before the release, Prisons Minister Rory Stewart said that Choudary, from Ilford in east London, remained a "genuinely dangerous" figure and that the "completely pernicious" cleric would be watched "very, very carefully" by the police and security services, according to the Guardian.

Choudary once headed up the al-Muhajiroun network, a leading extremist group which was banned under terrorism laws.

The father-of-five did not organise terror attacks, but is considered one of the UK's most prominent radicalisers.

According to the BBC, when an offender is released at the midway point of their sentence, the rest is spent in the community "on licence". This means he will not be free but must comply with a list of conditions. If he breaches them, he risks being recalled to prison.

UK officials believe they have drafted conditions that will stop Choudary from repeating his method of encouraging support for extremism, which enabled him to escape prosecution for years even as his propaganda motivated at least 100 people to pursue terrorism.

Mark Rowley, the former UK head of counter-terror policing, said it was important "not to overstate his (Choudary's) significance".

"At the end of the day he's a pathetic groomer of others, that's what he has done in the past," said Rowley. "He's not some sort of evil genius we all need to be afraid of."
Washington, Oct 19 : Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have found that violent outbursts, or superflares, from red dwarf stars could affect the habitability of any planets orbiting it.

Young low-mass stars flare much more frequently and more energetically than old stars and middle-age stars like our Sun, the findings of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal showed.

The findings are based on observations of the flare frequency of 12 red dwarfs.

Hubble is observing such stars through a large programme called HAZMAT -- Habitable Zones and M dwarf Activity across Time.

"M dwarf" is the astronomical term for a red dwarf star -- the smallest, most abundant and longest-living type of star in our galaxy.

The HAZMAT programme is an ultraviolet survey of red dwarfs at three different ages -- young, intermediate, and old.

"The goal of the HAZMAT programme is to help understand the habitability of planets around low-mass stars," explained the programme's principal investigator, Evgenya Shkolnik from Arizona State University.

"These low-mass stars are critically important in understanding planetary atmospheres," Shkolnik added.

Stellar flares from red dwarfs are particularly bright in ultraviolet wavelengths, compared with Sun-like stars.

Hubble's ultraviolet sensitivity makes the telescope very valuable for observing these flares.

The flares are believed to be powered by intense magnetic fields that get tangled by the roiling motions of the stellar atmosphere.

When the tangling gets too intense, the fields break and reconnect, unleashing tremendous amounts of energy.

The team found that the flares from the youngest red dwarfs they surveyed -- just about 40 million years old -- are 100 to 1,000 times more energetic than when the stars are older.

This younger age is when terrestrial planets are forming around their stars.

About three-quarters of the stars in our Milky Way galaxy are red dwarfs. Most of the galaxy's "habitable-zone" planets -- planets orbiting their stars at a distance where temperatures are moderate enough for liquid water to exist on their surface -- orbit red dwarfs.

In fact, the nearest star to our Sun, a red dwarf named Proxima Centauri, has an Earth-size planet in its habitable zone.

However, red dwarfs -- especially young red dwarfs -- are active stars, producing flares that could blast out so much energy that it disrupts and possibly strips off the atmospheres of these fledgling planets.
Beijing, Oct 19 : China's economic growth slumped to its lowest since 2009 as it grew by 6.5 per cent in the third quarter from a year earlier.

The announcement by the Chinese government on Friday comes at a time when Beijing is locked in a bleeding trade war with Washington.

China's National Bureau of Statistics said the economy saw a growth of 6.5 per cent in the third quarter on a yearly basis, below the expected rate of 6.6 per cent and slower than 6.7 per cent in the second quarter of this year.

China is a $14 trillion-economy, second after the US. No country has risen economically as fast as China, which managed to clock double-digit growth for 30 years until 2013.

However, various factors have slowed down the Asian giant's economic growth.

China is engaged in a gruelling trade war started by the US, which has slapped tariffs worth $250 billion on Chinese goods in response to "unfair trade" practices by Beijing.

Beijing has hit back by imposing additional taxes on American goods worth $110 billion.

US President Donald Trump has shown no signs of talks with China and even threatened tariffs on the remaining Chinese goods worth $267 billion.
Raipur, Oct 19 : Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and leader of Janata Congress (J) Ajit Jogi will not be contesting in the forthcoming state Assembly elections, he said on Friday.

His decision came following Friday's meeting of the 'mahagathbandhan' (grand alliance) leaders belonging to Bahujan Samaj Party, Janata Congress (J) and and the CPI. Jogi said he endorsed the decison and was available for campaigning for the 'grand alliance.'

Abdul Hamid, general secretary of JC (J), said: "It was decided that Jogi will not contest and that he will be asked to campaign for all the 90 Assembly constituencies of the state on behalf of the mahagathbandhan."

"Had JC(J) gone it alone, then Jogi would have contested. The 'mahagathbandhan' programmes requires his presence in all meetings and interactions with the people at various places. So, Jogi's time should now be devoted to all the constituencies," said Hamid.

The two-phase Chhattisgarh polls are due on November 12 and 20.
Beijing, Oct 19 : A former head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, responsible for Internet censorship in the country, pleaded guilty on Friday to receiving $32 million yuan ($4.6 million) in bribes, the state-owned Global Times newspaper reported.

Lu Wei, appearing before the Intermediate People's Court of Ningbo in eastern China's Zhejiang province, admitted to receiving bribes from third parties, the report said.

Lu, 58, is awaiting the court's verdict, the date for which is yet to be known.

He accepted bribes not only during his four-year tenure as head of the Cyberspace Administration, but also when he held senior positions in the state-owned Xinhua agency, the municipality of Beijing and the propaganda department of the Communist party, according to the public prosecutor's office in July.

Lu exercised an important role as head of the Cyberspace Administration, involved in censorship of Internet content for its nearly 750 million users.

Webpages such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram have been blocked in China for years, along with several foreign media entities.
Copenhagen, Oct 19 : Lord Mayor of Copenhagen Frank Jensen on Friday announced to host the C40 Mayors Summit in October 2019.

Aiming to become world's first carbon neutral city by 2025, Copenhagen has been selected as the host city for the landmark climate event by the 17 Mayors that make up the C40 Steering Committee.

The C40 Mayors Summit takes place every three years, bringing together the Mayors and leaders of the 96 member cities of the C40 network from across the globe.

The Copenhagen Summit will celebrate and share the most effective climate solutions being delivered in cities worldwide.

Mayors, CEOs, philanthropists, investors, scientists and citizens will come together to shift global markets and create a sustainable, prosperous and healthy future for the world's great cities.

Previous C40 summits have been hosted by London, New York, Seoul, Sao Paulo, Johannesburg and Mexico City.

"Copenhagen aims to be a true global leader in climate action," said Copenhagen Mayor Jensen in a statement.

"We have a goal to be the world's first carbon neutral city by 2025 and believe Copenhagen provides a model for what a sustainable and liveable city looks like. We look forward to welcoming Mayors from across the globe in October 2019. The Summit will seek to inspire the world whilst remaining uniquely Danish."

Around the world, C40 Cities connects 96 of the world's greatest cities to take bold climate action, leading the way towards a healthier and more sustainable future.

The current chair of C40 is Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo; and three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the board.
Paris, Oct 19 : The EU's chief Brexit negotiator on Friday said a lack of consensus on how to maintain a soft border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland could torpedo any future deal between the entities.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Michel Barnier did not rule out the possibility of a hard Brexit, whereby the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal.

"In my opinion, there needs to be a deal. I'm not sure that we will reach one, it's difficult and possible," the French politician said.

Asked whether the deadlock on the Irish border could lead to the collapse of the Brexit negotiations, Barnier said: "My answer is yes."

The Irish border was not only a technical issue but also a political one, Barnier added.

The 499-kilometre border between the Irish Republic, an EU member state, and Northern Ireland, a UK territory, is currently soft, a status enshrined by a 1998 international peace deal that brought an end to the civil conflict in the region.

This means people and goods can cross back and forth across the frontier freely and thousands do so on a daily basis for work or to visit family.

Negotiators on both sides of the discussion table have agreed that the border must remain open but once the UK withdraws from the EU, products would default to tariff and customs checks.

The EU has asked the UK to provide a backstop -- a kind of insurance clause -- in its Brexit plan to ensure a soft border even in the event of no deal, but Brussels' suggestion that Northern Ireland maintains customs alignment with its southern neighbour have been rejected by London.

Both parties were analyzing a proposal to extend the planned two-year Brexit transition period to ensure a deal on the border.
Berlin, Oct 19 : A shootout in a German town on Friday left two people dead and two police officers injured, authorities said.

Sandra Giertsch, a spokesperson for the regional police in Rheinland-Palatinate state, said that a man and a woman were killed after a shootout with law enforcement agents in the town of Kirchheim an der WeinstraAYe, Efe news reported.

"The police intervened due to a dangerous situation in Kirchheim. This required the use of firearms," the police said in a statement.

It said a female and male police officers were seriously injured. An investigation into the case was ongoing.
New York, Oct 19 : To track level of alertness during work, a team of researchers has developed a tool that tracks alertness by measuring pupil size, captured through a burst of photographs taken every time users unlock their smartphones.

The findings, published in the journal ACM Digital Library, showed that the pupil-scanning reliably predicted alertness.

"Since our alertness fluctuates, if we can find a pattern it will be very useful to manage and schedule our day," said lead author Vincent W.S. Tseng from the Cornell University in New York.

Traditional methods of analysing alertness tend to be cumbersome, often including devices that must be worn. Researchers wanted to create a way to measure alertness unobtrusively and continuously.

"Since people use their phones very frequently during the day, we were thinking we could use phones as an instrument to understand and measure their alertness," Tseng said.

"And since people's eyes are affected by their alertness, we were thinking that when people are looking at their phones, we could use a moment to measure their alertness at that point," Tseng added.

When people are alert, the sympathetic nervous system causes the pupils to dilate to make it easier to take in information. When they're drowsy, the parasympathetic nervous system causes the pupils to contract, the team said.

For the study, the research team included two studies conducted over two years.

The new tool could be particularly useful in health care, since medical professionals often work long hours doing intricate and important work. For example, clinicians typically look at devices during surgery, and a front-facing camera on the devices could track their alertness throughout procedures, Tseng said.

But understanding alertness patterns could be helpful to people in many kinds of workplaces, Tseng added.
Paris, Oct 19 : The wife of former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, who vanished into police custody after returning to China in September, has said that she isn't sure her husband is still alive.

In an interview with the BBC conducted in France, Grace Meng said she has received threatening phone calls since the Chinese government announced her husband was in custody in early October.

"I think it is political persecution. I'm not sure he's alive. They are cruel. They are dirty ... They can do anything," she said.

Meng Hongwei, also a Chinese Vice Public Security Minister, went missing on a trip to China in late September. His wife said at the time that the last contact she received from him was a text message saying to wait for his call, followed minutes later by a knife emoji.

Later, she reported him missing to French authorities, who opened an investigation. Interpol sent an official inquiry to the Chinese government asking for the whereabouts of their missing chief.

On October 8, Beijing's Ministry of Public Security said it had detained Meng following his return to China, saying he was being investigated for corruption.

"(Meng) insisted on taking the wrong path and had only himself to blame (for his downfall)," the country's top law enforcement official, Zhao Kezhi, was quoted as saying in the statement.

No further information has been released by the Chinese government and Meng has not been seen in public since he left France for China in September.

Shortly after Beijing announced Meng's arrest, Interpol said it had received and accepted his resignation with "immediate effect".

Meng was the first Chinese official to lead the international policing body and his appointment just two years ago in 2016 was greeted enthusiastically by the country's state media.

As President, Meng oversaw the agency's executive committee, which sets overall strategy.
Chandigarh, Oct 19 : Dussehra was celebrated across Punjab and Haryana with 210-ft tall effigy of Ravana, said to be the tallest in the country, going up in flames in Panchkula city on Friday.

The festival symbolising the victory of good over evil saw many effigies of the mythological demon king being consigned to flames in many parts of Chandigarh and the adjoining towns of Panchkula and Mohali.

Organizers said the 210-ft tall effigy of Ravana weighed 6,200 kg and cost around Rs 30 lakh. It took eco-friendly crackers to torch the giant effigy prepared by a team of 40 workers in over five months.

The "tallest" Ravana did not accompany Kumbhakaran and Meghnad, organisers said.

Festive spirit prevailed across Punjab and Haryana, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, Moga, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur, Ambala, Hisar, Rohtak and Karnal, and in Chandigarh.
Islamabad, Oct 19 : The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body which combats money laundering and terror financing among other things, has demanded more action from Pakistan to put an end to money laundering and financial assistance to terrorists, the media reported on Friday.

Pakistan and FATF's Asia Pacific delegation held talks for a week and a half in the capital, Geo News reported.

Geo cited sources as saying that in the last meeting on Friday, the FATF delegation presented an initial report on the issue to the Pakistani officials.

The group will provide Pakistan the first report before November 19 and visit Pakistan in March or April 2019.

The Asia Pacific Group will make the report related to Pakistan public in July 2019.

Currently placed on the FATF's "grey list", Pakistan has been scrambling in recent months to avoid being added to a list of countries deemed non-compliant with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations by the Paris-based FATF, a measure that officials here fear could further hurt its economy.

On Thursday, Finance Minister Asad Umer said that the FATF had acknowledged Pakistan's measures to curb money laundering. He said that Pakistan was determined to adopt modern ways to stop money laundering.

Umer went on to say that the Pakistan government would continue to cooperate with the body and will take steps on the directions of the FATF.
Chandigarh, Oct 19 : Punjab Police on Friday arrested two members of a Khalistani module allegedly engaged in propagating the Khalistani Referendum 2020 campaign by affixing banners and posters at public places in Amritsar city.

Sukhraj Singh and Malik Singh were arrested and materials used in making the banners and posters were seized from their possession, the police said.

Initial investigations revealed that they were being funded from overseas as part of the campaign started by Gurpartap Singh Pannu of a New York-based organisation, Sikh for Justice.

They were booked under the Indian Penal Code for attempts to spread hatred by motivating youngsters and instigating the public through the campaign, according to a police spokesperson.

The spokesperson said information was received from reliable sources about the campaign being carried out to disseminate the message of Khalistan Referendum 2020.

Sukhraj, who had no job or business, informed the police that he was associated with Sikh for Justice for the past one year and had put up their posters at various places.

For this, he had so far received Rs 2 lakh. He usually got the money from money transfer and Hawala channels and occasionally through accounts of other persons.
Kolkata, Oct 19 : Teary-eyed devotees, scrambling to touch her feet one last time, bade goodbye to their beloved Mother goddess Durga as her idols were immersed in ponds, lakes and rivers across West Bengal on Vijaya Dashami on Friday.

The banks of the Ganges and other rivers wore a festive look despite the sultry weather as organisers came in colourful processions to the accompaniment of drums to immerse idols of the goddess and her four children - Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartik.

Women dressed in white and red saris indulged in 'sindoor khela' or the playful smearing of vermilion on each other's face inside the marquees, before the idols were taken away for immersion.

The selfie sticks were out and there was a beeline of onlookers as well.

Hundreds of devotees, including the young, joined hands in gently lowering the idols into the river.

An element of emptiness at the end of the biggest celebration in this part of the country overcame all and sundry, but they consoled themselves shouting "Asche bochor abar hobe" (See you next year).

As the day progressed, several prominent banks on river Hoogly in the city including central Kolkata's Babughat and north Kolkata's Bagbazar Ghat drew a large number of people who soaked in the festive spirit.

Most were clad in ethnic wear as they danced all the way to the ghat to the beats of drums.

Senior citizens played cymbals as the idols were lowered into the water while children splashed water on the submerging goddess.

The immersion ceremony symbolizes the end of the goddess's annual sojourn to her paternal home and she returns to her husband Lord Shiva at their heavenly abode in Mount Kailash.
Panaji, Oct 19 : Justifying his swift shift earlier this week from Congress to BJP, MLA Dayanand Sopte on Friday said that state legislators are known to switch parties and topple governments by "slipping out of washrooms at the slightest notice."

Sopte, who along with another Congress MLA Subhash Shirodkar, quit as Congress MLAs on Tuesday and joined the BJP, said under Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's leadership, as an opposition MLA, his constituents had been given 103 government jobs.

At a press conference at the state BJP headquarters in Panaji, Sopte said, "There are many stories in politics about government formation: in the afternoon, some (MLAs) have lunch together. Then an MLA enters the washroom, and quickly leaves to join a party and form government. Like that, there are many stories in Goa politics," Sopte said.

Earlier this week, hours before he formally joined BJP, he had left for Delhi for a meeting with BJP national president Amit Shah. When asked by reporters whether he was quitting Congress, he had said that he was heading to Delhi on a "business trip".

Before that he along with Shirodkar had attended a meeting over lunch with 14 other Congress MLAs, who are a part of the party's legislative unit.

On Friday, Sopte said even when he was an opposition MLA, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had ensured development of his Mandrem assembly constituency, which included giving 103 jobs for his constituents.

"Despite being in the opposition I got so many works sanctioned. Now that I am a part of the ruling party, my expectations are even higher," Sopte said.
Srinagar, Oct 19 : A woman was killed on Friday when militants attacked an Army camp in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Police said militants hurled a grenade at the Shadimarg camp in the evening. "This was followed by firing from the militants. Troops at the camp fired back," a police officer said.

"A woman sustained a bullet injury in the cross firing. She was shifted to a hospital and from there to the Pulwama district hospital where she was declared dead," he said.

The woman has been identified as Firdousa, wife of Khurshid Ahmad.
New Delhi, Oct 19 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mourned the death of several people in a train tragedy during a Dussehra celebration in Punjab.

"Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly," he tweeted.
New Delhi, Oct 19 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday spoke to the Punjab government over the mowing down of people watching the burning of Ravan effigy by a speeding train in Amritsar and assured him of Centres assistance.

"Spoke to Home Secretary of Punjab and Director General of Police of the state regarding the train accident in Amritsar. They are rushing to the spot. Centre is ready to provide all possible assistance to the state at this hour of grief.

"Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured," Singh tweeted.

The disaster happened when a large number of people were watching the Ravan effigy in flames while standing on the railway tracks near Jora Phatak when the train crushed them.
New Delhi, Oct 19 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday expressed condolences over the death of people who were crushed by a speeding train while watching a Ravan effigy in flames in Amritsar.

"Extremely sad news coming about a major train accident near Amritsar," he tweeted. "I appeal to all our volunteers in the area to help authorities in relief work and provide whatever help we can in this moment of crisis."
Mumbai, Oct 19 : The Maharashtra Congress on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misleading the country by "making false claims that the UPA government built only 25 lakh houses" against the NDA's 1.25 crore homes in a four-year period.

In a statement, state Congress President Ashok Chavan said that under the Indira Awas Yojana, between 2004 and 2013, the UPA government constructed 2.24 crore houses for poor.

Accordingly, during the UPA's tenure, nearly 25 lakh homes were completed every year, he pointed out.

According to the 2014 report of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the UPA government built nearly 1.29 crore homes during 2008-2013.

Besides, the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) launched in 2013 by the UPA government saw construction of 1.17 lakh houses in one year.

However, the statistics released by the government prove that the objectives of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) have not been fulfilled, Chavan said.

The Congress MP said that in 2015 the Prime Minister changed the name of RAY to Sardar Patel National Urban Housing Mission with the promise of building two crore homes by 2022. But till July 2017, only 1.33 lakh houses were constructed.

The Congress rebuttal came in response to Modi's statement in Shirdi where he said that during the UPA rule, only 25 lakh homes were built for poor while in the past four years, the BJP has constructed 1.25 crore homes with full amenities.
Amritsar, Oct 19 : Minutes after the DMU Jalandhar-Amritsar passenger train on Friday crushed over 50 people watching the burning of a Ravan eggify from a railway track, the loco pilot of the train had immediately informed the station master at the next station about the incident, officials said.

A senior railway official said that the loco pilot after sensing that the train crushed a number of people on tracks, he immediately informed the station master at Amritsar station.

The official said that the loco pilot's version would also be recorded to ascertain the cause of the accident.

He said the train movement on the Jalandhar-Amritsar section (including Pathankot) has been suspended following the accident.

At least 50 people watching the burning of a Ravan effigy from a railway track were mowed down by a speeding train.

A large number of some 700 people were watching the huge Ravan effigy in flames amid exploding crackers while on the tracks at Joda Phatak near Dhobi Ghat within the city when the train going to Amritsar from Jalandhar came hurtling down around 7 p.m.

It took just about 10-15 seconds for the train to pass -- and leave behind a heap of crushed and dismembered bodies.

Most people reportedly could not hear the hooting of the train due to the exploding crackers.

Video clips posted on the social media showed some people who had apparently seen the approaching train trying to run away from the site. A few of them were also mowed down.
Brussels, Oct 19 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, who is attending the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit here held bilateral meetings with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras respectively and called for strengthening Indias ties with both the countries.

Naidu met both the leaders on Thursday.

During his meeting with Costa, Naidu called for India-Portugal collaboration in new areas of cutting-edge technology. He said that defence, space, infrastructure and startups are areas that offer potential business opportunities.

Naidu briefed him about Modi government's developmental programmes and said that bilateral trade was on the rise and that Portuguese companies were encouraged by the potential of the Indian market.

During the meeting with Tsipras, Naidu expressed satisfaction over the regular high-level contacts between the two countries. Both the leaders agreed to further strengthen the bilateral ties through greater economic and people to people exchanges.

Briefing the Greek Prime Minister about India's economic situation Naidu called for greater tourism flows between the two countries.
Amritsar, Oct 19 : Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday blamed the Congress administration for the tragic train disaster here in Punjab which claimed over 50 lives.

The accident happened when a speeding train crushed Dusshera revellers who were watching the burning of a Ravan effigy from a railway track.

"The entire onus is on the local administration which gave permission for an event so close to the tracks. There was no sense for organising an event so close to active tracks where trains are passing every couple of minutes. The local and the state administration is entirely responsible for the accident ," said Union Minister and SAD Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Badal also targeted state Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur, who was the chief guest at the celebrations.

"What to say if a lawmaker is attending a function which she knows has been organised in gross violation of railways rules," said Badal.

Reacting to Kaur's charges that the SAD also had earlier organised the event near railway tracks, Badal said: "Even if such an event was organised earlier, such a disaster never happened because proper precautions and arrangements were made".

On accusations that the train driver did not sound the hooter or slowed down the train, Badal said that the driver was "not supposed to be aware" of people gathering in large numbers on a track in violation of rules.

Kaur on her part accused the SAD of trying to politicise a tragedy.

"Every year the Akalis held the event at the same place and now they are indulging in blame-game. It is absolutely shameful that they are trying to politicise such a big tragedy," said Kaur who held the railways responsible for the accident.
Amritsar, Oct 20 : In a terrible disaster, 58 people watching the burning of a Ravan effigy from a railway track were crushed to death by a speeding train here in Punjab on Friday, triggering anger in the area and nationwide outrage. Nearly 72 others were injured, many of them seriously.

A large number of some 700 people were watching the huge Ravan effigy in flames amid exploding crackers while on the tracks at Joda Phatak near Dhobi Ghat within the city when the Jalandhar-Amritsar DMU passenger train coming to Amritsar from Hoshiarpur came hurtling down around 7 p.m.

It took just about 10-15 seconds for the train to pass -- and leave behind a heap of crushed and dismembered bodies.

Amritsar Police Commissioner S.S. Srivastava told reporters that 58 people have died and 72 have been rushed to hospitals in the city. The toll could go up, Srivastava said.

The state government has declared state mourning on Saturday and all offices and educational institutions will remain closed in view of the tragedy, an official spokesperson said, adding a probe has also been ordered.

Video clips posted on the social media showed some people who had apparently seen the approaching train trying to run away from the site. A few of them were also mowed down.

Wails and cries filled the air as people frantically looked for their near and dear ones. Severed bodies, including those of children, were lying at the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing authorities to remove them.

"I have lost my child. I want him back," an inconsolable mother was wailing at the disaster spot.

Most people reportedly could not hear the hooting of the train due to the exploding crackers.

"Out of nowhere came the train," said a man, while speaking to journalists. "Before anyone could realise what was happening, it ran over scores of people."

"When the effigy started to burn in full flow, people began running away from it fearing it may fall over them," said another man. "They did not realise that a speeding train was coming and the train did not sound its hooter."

Another man felt that the tragedy would have claimed at least 100 lives. The dead included several children, another witness said.

Ironically, moments before the tragedy, another train passed the area but there were no casualties, a railway official said.

A local resident, Nirmal Jit Sindhu, alleged that the Dussehra celebrations were organised by forcing the local administration to grant permission near the railway tracks.

He said last year the administration had not granted permission for the use of this venue for Dussehra celebrations owing to its proximity to the tracks.

Some people blamed Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur, who was the Chief Guest at the celebrations, saying her late arrival delayed the burning of the effigy by more than half an hour.

Sidhu told a news channel on telephone from Bengaluru that the death toll was alarmingly high.

BJP leader and former local bodies minister Anil Joshi blamed Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur for running away from the Dussehra celebrations site soon after the train accident.

"The Dussehra celebrations were organised without the local administration permission. She (Navjot Kaur) disappeared midway during the ceremony when she was apprised about the disaster,a Joshi told reporters.

"The driver didn't slow down the train and was watching towards the burning Ravana," said one of the witnesseses.

Another woman was inconsolable as she said her son was missing.

"The administration and the Dussehra committee are at fault as they should have informed the railways authorities about the celebrations", said another eyewitness.

Eyewitnesses said there were no barricading near the railway tracks and the people were forced to see the Dussehra ceremony by standing on tracks.

The effigy of Ravana was being burnt around 200 feet away from the railway track.

A railway official said in New Delhi that the drop gates at the spot were down but people still massed on the tracks in violation of railway rules.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the kin of the deceased and cancelled his proposed Israel visit to rush to Amritsar.

"District authorities have been mobilized on war footing," he tweeted.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the horrific tragedy.

"Extremely saddened by the accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching... I pray that the injured recover quickly," Modi said.

The Prime Minister announced Rs 2 lakh compensation to the families of the dead and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

Similar messages came from the Chief Ministers of West Bengal and Delhi. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal cancelled all his engagements in the US and was flying back to India.

Several senior railway officials were set to fly by an Indian Air Force plane to Amritsar to help oversee the relief and rescue effort.
Brussels, Oct 20 : Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday called for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention of International Terrorism (CCIT) that it had introduced in the UN in 1996.

During his interventions at the 12th Asia-India Meeting (ASM) here, he said India valued ASM as a platform that brings together leadership of Asia and Europe, the Indian External Affairs Ministry said in a statement.

"Terming terrorism as a major threat to peace and stability, he called for an early conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, stressing peace is the prerequisite for progress, and peace cannot be achieved without combatting terrorism," it stated.

The CCIT intends to criminalise all forms of international terrorism and deny terrorists, their financiers' and supporters' access to funds, arms, and safe havens.

Naidu also cited India's international connectivity projects and emphasised "connectivity initiatives must meet universally recognised international norms such as respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity".

ASEM is an Asian-European political dialogue forum to enhance relations and various forms of cooperation among its partners.
We are continually enhancing our platform capabilities to extend well beyond traditional TEM services.

Calero, a leading global provider of Communications and Cloud Lifecycle Management (CLM) software and managed services, including Telecom Expense Management (TEM), Managed Mobility Services (MMS) and Usage Management, has been recognized as a Global TEM Provider in the 2018 AOTMP Telecom Expense Management Market Landscape for its robust platform capabilities. Caleros inclusion reinforces that its leading the charge when it comes to telecom, mobility and IT expense management.

One of the key themes identified in the report is that enterprises are increasingly understanding the crossover between the telecom ecosystem and the emerging, next-generation technologies fueling digital transformation efforts. Enterprises want greater efficiency, visibility and control at scale, but are being met with a new level of complexity that subscription-based software and cloud services introduce. As a result, they are turning to their TEM provider for expert guidance.

Keeping up with the fast pace of technology while meeting the demands of the business is a real challenge for enterprises today, said Joe Pajer, Caleros President and CEO. We are continually enhancing our platform capabilities to extend well beyond traditional TEM services by leveraging our communications and cloud lifecycle management solution to address the emerging needs of subscription-based software, IoT, cloud and other usage-based services like unified communications. Enterprises look to Calero as their trusted TEM partner to address these challenges and to scale with their business as their technology and needs evolve.

Caleros CLM solutions are designed to help enterprises simplify their full lifecycle approach to managing cloud and communication services. Additionally, Caleros proprietary approach to analytics provides a guided, multi-dimensional visualization for end users and scenario planning for visibility and control over expanding IT, cloud and communications usage and costs.

AOTMP Research & Advisory identified qualified vendors and invited them to take part in a two-stage data collection process  an oral discussion and visual presentation of their businesses, service models and technologies. During those briefings, AOTMP Research & Advisory looked for key, core capabilities with the realm of fixed/wireline telecom.

ABOUT CALERO

Calero is a leading global provider of Communications and Cloud Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions designed to turn communication data into actionable insight by simplifying the management of voice, mobile and other unified communications services and assets. With a deep commitment to innovation and customer service, Caleros CLM approach enables organizations to support the full communications lifecycle, from procurement to payment, including software and services that aid Telecom Expense Management (TEM), Managed Mobility Services (MMS) and Usage Management. Calero has thousands of customers in over 50 countries worldwide, including Fortune 2000 corporations, universities and government agencies. Calero is a portfolio company of Riverside Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm. Learn more at http://www.calero.com.


Whether youre heading to your closest hiking trail or traveling overseas, theres really no better option than a compact travel tripod. We designed the Benro Tripster to be the go-to travel tripod with usability in mind

Today, Benro announced the availability of Tripster, a reverse folding travel tripod that also converts to a monopod.Currently available in three sizes, three colors (Black, Blue and Titanium) in your choice of aluminum or carbon fiber, this travel friendly tripod is well suited for smaller mirrorless and action cameras up through full frame DSLRs.

Tripster easily converts from a tripod to a full size monopod by combining one of the legs with the center column. The Arca-Swiss style ballhead is attached via a 3/8"-16 stud which can easily be removed. A 1/4"-20 mount on the tripod shoulder is ideal for attaching additional accessories. A Carrying bag is included.

Features & Benefits:



Reverse folding legs  Allows for maximum compactness when traveling

Converts to Monopod - The center column connects to the tripod leg to form a full size monopod.

Removable Ballhead - The ballhead is attached via a 3/8"-16 stud and can easily be removed.

Telescoping 2-Section Center Column - The column can be extended for additional height.

Accessory Mount - A 1/4"-20 accessory mount is located on the shoulder for attaching additional accessories.

Arca-Swiss style camera plate - This camera plate will work with most other Arca-Swiss style heads.

Benro Tripster is currently available online and through camera stores nationwide from $99.00 up to $279.00

About Benro: Originally founded in 1996 as a cooperative tripod manufacturer, Benro developed and began marketing its own brand name - Benro Professional Tripods and Heads in 2002. Since that time Benro Precision Photography Industry Co. Ltd. has received numerous accolades and awards for product and design features. Benro continuously strives to develop lighter, stronger and more versatile products to meet the needs of the most demanding professional photographers and filmmakers. The Benro mission is simple: to design and build products that exceed the needs of demanding photographers and filmmakers worldwide. Benro (http://www.benrousa.com) products are exclusively distributed by MAC Group (http://www.MACgroupUS.com) in the USA.

About MAC Group: 31 years ago, MAC Group started as a boutique marketing, sales and distribution group focusing on professional photographers. As the industry has evolved, so has MAC Group with their expansion into filmmaking, video, mobile, content creation and audio.

Today, MAC Group is one of the leading companies of their kind with world-renowned brands offering products and education that enhances the lives of passionate content creators at every experience level. http://www.MACgroupUS.com
A.D. Cotton, a retiree and a dedicated author from Washington State, has completed his new book Lightning Riders: an exciting read about fraternal twins Nicki and Noah Colter and their quest to connect the dots between two ancient civilizations and stop a diabolical mans plot for domination as well as the raging war between gods.

Author Cotton shares with readers, Ancient alien conspiracy theorists have been correct all this time, while the rest of the world thought of them as a bunch of kooks running around wearing aluminum foil hats. Every civilization on earth has a history filled with drawings, statues, temples, pyramids, cave drawings, etc., showing ancient beings roaming the earth and skies. These beings come in all shapes and sizes. Egypt gives us the half-human, half-animal, whereas India is known for drawings showing flying gods battling one another. One thing is correct regarding the gods at war: presently, these immortals have a time out in place. This is the good news. The bad news is, an artifact was found on a sunken Liberty ship in the Bermuda Triangle. This artifact may be the key that will start the gods machines of war, thus placing the human race in the crossfire between the warring immortals.

Before any of the immortals get control of the artifact, it falls into the hands of one of the most self-centered humans the world has ever had to date. His goal of controlling his New World Order is within his reach if he ever learns how to control the artifact.

Nicki and Noah Colter are fraternal twins, and both have doctorate degrees in archeology. Nicki is an expert in Egyptian history, and Noah is as well-known in the Mayan circles. The conspiracy theorists have said there has been a connection between the two civilizations and it is more than just their pyramids. The twins are on the other side of the fence in this theory, with no connection in any way, shape, or form. Their world is turned upside down, however, with this connection, and to top it off, they have to find the artifact first then keep it from the warring gods.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, A.D. Cottons arresting tale will surely leave readers anticipating and excited with every page.

Readers who wish to experience this electrifying work can purchase Lightning Riders at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time-consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
In Oulu, the Finnish-based group PARAS BIOPHARMACEUTICALS FINLAND OY is currently enhancing its GMP, quality systems and production facilities for biopharmaceuticals  also known as biologics  with significant investments in new infrastructure and equipment. These facilities will offer a state of the art, automation production facility to customers with the latest automation in biologics production, with increased employment opportunities over the next 2-5 years.

In recent years, we have been continuously expanding our research & development and contract manufacturing capacity for biopharmaceuticals in Oulu. More recently, the company has invested over 6.0 million in new equipment upgrades and product development, which has enhanced Paras Biopharmaceuticals ability to develop and manufacture recombinant products in microbial systems. The new, modern production equipment is further enhancing the site, making our company meet stringent needs of regulatory compliance., explained Dr. Ashesh Kumar, CEO & Director: Biologics and Licensing.

The new equipment includes, among other things, automation systems for process control, upgradation of a speciality designed lyophilization and protein purification systems including AxiChrom & BPG columns. Furthermore, analytical capabilities were expanded with LC-MS-MS, GC-MS, HPLCs and new microbiology laboratory systems and equipment for process optimization and product characterization and validations. An automation system (LIMS) was installed in the analytical laboratory on efforts towards GLP/GMP compliance.

As a result, Paras Biopharmaceuticals Oulu site is fully equipped to supply the fast-growing market for biologics. Future-oriented therapeutic agents now make up 25 percent of the global pharmaceuticals market. Dr. Mark Jackson said, The improvements will help in creating better technologies, thereby resulting in more affordable healthcare.

About Paras Biopharmaceuticals Finland Oy

Paras Biopharmaceuticals Finland Oy is a Finnish biopharmaceuticals company started in 2012. Comprising of protein scientists, bioprocess engineers and technologists, Paras Biopharmaceuticals team has strong experience in developing biologics in a most efficient manner.

Company main activities & offerings are in 3 major areas:

1. Contract development & microbial biologics manufacturing (CDMO)  Company offers small scale (10L), medium scale (150L) & large scale (750L or more) production services.

2. Development & Licensing of Biosimilars  Paras Biopharmaceuticals has developed and is now offering the following Biosimilars: Recombinant Teriparatide (Forteo Biosimilar), Recombinant Anakinra (Kineret Biosimilar), Analog Insulin Aspart, Recombinant Rasburicase (Elitek / Fasturtec Biosimilar) and Recombinant Romiplostim (N-plate Biosimilar). Paras Biopharmaceuticals has achieved efficient and cost-effective technologies for production of biosimilars. These developments are based on Paras Biopharmaceuticals proprietary platform which includes Diabrid Technology, Noblecleav Technology and Biomultifold Technology.

3. Recombinant Bioprocess Enzymes  Paras Biopharmaceuticals has developed and is offering Recombinant Bioprocess enzymes. These include Recombinant Enterokinase (RapidEK) & Tev Protease (RapidTEV) which are used in the cleavage of fusion proteins.

The companys facility is for the production of recombinant products in microbial strains. The production set up has a total floor area of 25,000 ft2 and a classified cleanroom of 4,300 ft2. Other features include media and buffer preparation, live area (fermentation and harvest & extraction), purification suite (incl. +4C cold room), final filtration and freeze-drying.

For further details, visit the following website: http://www.parasbiopharma.com
UNC Kenan-Flagler Dean Doug Shackelford honored five alumni.

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School honored five alumni at its 20th annual Alumni Merit and Leadership Awards ceremony on Oct. 11, 2018.

The awards recognize members of the UNC Kenan-Flagler community who personify the Schools core values of excellence, leadership, integrity, community and teamwork.

These exceptional alumni live our core values in their careers and through their contributions to their communities and service to UNC Kenan-Flagler, said Douglas A. Shackelford (BSBA 80), dean and Meade H. Willis Distinguished Professor of Taxation. We congratulate them and celebrate them as role models for future generations.

Alumni Awards were presented to:



R. Steve Vetter (BSBA 78) of Greensboro, North Carolina, CEO and chairman of the board of Ennis-Flint, Inc., received the Business School Leadership Award for exceptional achievement in a career field, personal endeavor or service to UNC Kenan-Flagler.

Nick Black (MBA 13) of Charleston, South Carolina, founder and CEO of GoodUnited and vice chairman of Stop Soldier Suicide, received the Dwight W. Anderson Young Alumni Award for leadership in career accomplishments and exceptional commitment to the School.

Alumni Merit Awards from UNC Kenan-Flaglers degree programs were presented to alumni who personify the Schools tradition of excellence:

Joseph C. High (BSBA 76) of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, retired senior vice president and chief people officer of W.W. Grainger, Inc.

Meredith Hawley Garwood (BSBA 87, MAC 89) of Charlotte, North Carolina, group vice president of strategic tax for Charter Communications

Jason T. Liberty (MBA 15) of Weston, Florida, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

About the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School

Consistently ranked one of the world's best business schools, UNC Kenan-Flagler offers a broad range of programs  Undergraduate, MBA and Master of Accounting, PhD and Executive Development  and extraordinary, real-life learning experiences. Faculty demonstrate unparalleled dedication to students learning and a commitment to world-class research that addresses critical business challenges. Contributing to the Schools thought leadership is the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, which promotes innovative, market-based solutions to vital economic issues. UNC Kenan-Flaglers collaborative culture is rooted in core values that date back to its founding in 1919, and graduates are renowned as effective, principled leaders with the technical knowledge and leadership skills to deliver results in the global business environment.
Attorney Timothy S. Tomasik Our esteemed panel will explore how both sides of the aisle and judges can successfully resolve cases before verdict, and what causes settlement efforts to fail. - Attorney Timothy S. Tomasik,

Attorney Timothy S. Tomasik, a founding member of Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC, will be moderating a panel discussion on pre-trial settlement conferences at the 9th annual Symposium with the Judges, which will take place on Wednesday, November 14th at the Westin Chicago River North.

The panel will include Hon. Larry G. Axelrood, Hon. Jerry A. Esrig, and Hon. Edward S. Harmening, and the judges will provide advice to trial attorneys in attendance about settling prior to jury selection. The discussion will look at the processes and procedures followed in settlement conferences, the benefits provided by settling, and preparation and strategies for pre-trial conferences.

Over the past several years, there have been a number of new trends and dynamics which have had great impact on the ability to settle cases in the courthouse, Tomasik said. Our esteemed panel will explore how both sides of the aisle and judges can successfully resolve cases before verdict, and what causes settlement efforts to fail.

The annual Judges Symposium, which is hosted by the Chicago Law Bulletin Publishing Company, provides sitting judges with the opportunity to provide advice to trial lawyers, answer questions, share comments in a candid manner, and explain courtroom policies and procedures. In addition to Mr. Tomasiks panel, the event will include opening remarks from Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and discussions about case management, jury selection, and trial presentation.

About Tomasik Kotin Kasserman:

The law firm of Tomasik Kotin Kasserman represents clients in a wide variety of personal injury cases, including those involving car accidents, aviation accidents, medical negligence, defective drugs, and toxic chemical exposure. We work hard to ensure that our clients receive the full and fair compensation they deserve from the parties responsible for their damages. To schedule an appointment or learn more about our firm, call our office at 312-605-8800 or fill out our contact form.
Biblical and Non-Biblical Evidences for the Book of Mormon That Show Its Validity as Scripture: A Laymans Thesis is a scripture-based guide to discussing the Book of Mormon with the broader Christian community. Biblical and Non-Biblical Evidences for the Book of Mormon That Show Its Validity as Scripture: A Laymans Thesis is the creation of published author Joseph Dean DeBarthe, a US Navy veteran and fourth-generation member of the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints. He currently lives in Independence, Missouri, with his wife, Maria, who is a Registered Nurse of Mayan descent.

DeBarthe shares, What about the Book of Mormon? That it is a controversial book cannot be denied. Many do not accept it as scripture. They believe that Joseph Smith, Jr., wrote it. They also believe that the Bible is the only scripture ever written, but nowhere does the Bible make that claim. This belief is not biblical. In fact, just the opposite is true. The Bible testifies to the existence of other written scriptures and specifically a second scripture written about the tribe of Joseph (Ezekiel 37:19). This Joseph is the same Joseph of the coat of many colors, the same Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt and the same Joseph that saved Egypt and all of the tribes of Israel from the seven-year famine that occurred.

Due to his lack of knowledge and education, if Joseph Smith, Jr., had written The Book of Mormon, it would have been disproven years ago. Instead, as time passes, more and more of it is proven to be correct. Joseph Smith could not have written it for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he was a barely literate man. He knew very little of the scriptures and no Hebrew at all. Yet The Book of Mormon is clearly written by highly educated men with a strong background in Hebrew customs and writing techniques, none of which were known by any American in the 1800s. More information on this subject will be explored within this book.

This book was begun by direction of the Holy Spirit and written to the entire body of Christ. Some might ask why they should read it. Some will read it to try to refute it; others will read it to learn, and still others will use it to further their own agendas. However, you should read it and pray over it, asking God through His Holy Spirit to give you a witness as to its validity.

We need direction from the Holy Spirit because we are always vulnerable to error. Even prophets can be deceived (2 Chronicles, Chapter 18). Satan will do anything he can to prevent us from gaining unity in our fight against him. For years he has used the divide and conquer plan, and we have fallen prey to it. It is time we stop fighting over our petty differences and start working together for the salvation of all mankind. The harvest is plentiful; it is time to bring it in, and we can do it! With the help of God through His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit, we can accomplish what would otherwise be impossible on our own.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Joseph Dean DeBarthes new book is an accessible effort to help people understand what the Book of Mormon has to offer as a divinely inspired work, in contrast to the widely held belief that it was written by Joseph Smith.

View a synopsis of Biblical and Non-Biblical Evidences for the Book of Mormon That Show Its Validity as Scripture: A Laymans Thesis on YouTube.

Readers can purchase Biblical and Non-Biblical Evidences for the Book of Mormon That Show Its Validity as Scripture: A Laymans Thesis at traditional brick and mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about Biblical and Non-Biblical Evidences for the Book of Mormon That Show Its Validity as Scripture: A Laymans Thesis, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Luxury car shoppers in the Dallas area will find one-of-a-kind customer service at Autos of Dallas with free luxury car delivery in the state of Texas.

Autos of Dallas, located in Plano, Texas, strives to provide online luxury car shoppers with one-of-a-kind customer service in the state of Texas. To accomplish this feat, the dealership offers a service that many other pre-owned luxury car dealerships cannot match  free luxury car delivery in the state of Texas. In a state that is more than 260,000 square miles in area, free delivery is a convenient service for online luxury shoppers.

An extensive inventory of pre-owned luxury vehicles is another advantage that Autos of Dallas provides with more than 1,100 high-quality, used luxury cars, trucks and crossovers in stock. Luxury car shoppers will find many of their favorite luxury brands at the dealership  Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, Acura, Infiniti, Cadillac, Genesis, Porsche and more. With many used luxury models priced below $20,000, Autos of Dallas has something for everyone.

Budget-minded car shoppers will have no problem finding a used luxury vehicle at Autos of Dallas that will fit their budget with the Precise Price online price calculator. Precise Price is an innovative online tool available to consumers who choose Autos of Dallas. With this online feature, individuals who shop online will have the ability to input a down payment, a credit score and a term length to determine a monthly payment.

Luxury car shoppers in the state of Texas can learn more about how Autos of Dallas provides a one-of-a-kind experience with free luxury car delivery, an extensive selection of pre-owned luxury vehicles and affordable prices online at http://www.autosofdallas.com. Individuals who prefer a more personal interaction can contact a dealership representative directly by calling 972-484-9200.
In recognition of teachers who inspire students to achieve their greatest potential, National University System has launched the first annual Sanford Teacher Award, a half-million dollar award campaign to honor the nation's top inspiring PreK-12 teachers. The Sanford Teacher Award competition, which concludes Nov. 1, will award the top inspirational teacher in each state with $10,000, with the exception of one top teacher who will be named a national winner and receive a grand award of $50,000. As part of the outreach activities, eighth grade teacher Alvin Dizon, of Robert O. Gibson Middle School in the Clark County School District, was recognized for being one of five inaugural Sanford Teacher Award recipients identified for their commitment to creating inspirational and harmonious classrooms that support student development and achievement.

To celebrate the Sanford Teacher Award launch, Dizon was surprised with a $10,000 cash award after being recognized as representing the key characteristics of inspiring teaching that are central to the Sanford Teacher Award. Surprise celebrations were previously held in honor of the other inaugural award recipients in Los Angeles, Dallas and San Diego, and the final inaugural award recipient will be honored in New York City next week. As an inaugural Sanford Teacher Award recipient, Dizon was chosen for his dedication to creating a supportive classroom culture for students by emphasizing mutual respect and acceptance through engaging social emotional learning curriculum.

The five are supporting efforts in raising awareness of the national Sanford Teacher Awards competition, leading up to the announcement of the additional 50 winners in November. The Sanford Teacher Award also celebrates the commitment of philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, who is the visionary behind two research-based pre-college programs that are being expanded nationally through the leadership of the private, nonprofit National University System: Sanford Harmony is a PreK-6 social emotional learning program that helps children develop communication and collaboration skills, and the PreK-12 Sanford Inspire offers teachers research-based resources and lessons to create inspiring classroom experiences.

There is no higher calling than being a teacher, and as the teacher workforce is under heavy demands, it is important to provide educators ongoing professional development that supports and inspires them in their classrooms, said Dr. Michael R. Cunningham, Chancellor of the National University System, a network of nonprofit education institutions that serve lifelong learners from PreK to graduate level. Teachers are the driving force of innovation in education, so we are honored to collaborate with Denny Sanford on the national expansion of the Sanford Programs and we congratulate the inaugural five recipients for their commitment to creating meaningful learning experiences for their students.

The Sanford Teacher Awards are part of the national expansion efforts of the three Sanford Programs, which also includes a nationwide network of institutes anchored by the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy at National University that offers training programs for front-line nonprofit fundraisers. All three programs are based on the vision of Mr. Sanford, who has donated about $130 million toward their national expansion effort led by the San Diego-based National University System  an effort that involves the collaboration of universities around the country that share a similar focus and dedication to the professional support of educators and the nonprofit sector. To date, more than 3 million people have been impacted by the programs.

As a child, I was fortunate to have a few teachers who truly inspired me to learn and succeed. Educators have many similar opportunities to touch childrens lives and make meaningful impacts that can last a lifetime, said Mr. Sanford. As an entrepreneur and philanthropist, I can think of no better return on investment than inspiring students to embrace learning and find their path in life.

Sanford Harmony is a PreK-6 research-based social-emotional learning program that cultivates strong classroom relationships between all students. Sanford Harmony has been recognized by the Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as a quality program, and is reaching more than a million students nationwide, including in the largest school districts, through easy-to-integrate lessons, activity cards and story books that encourage students to develop empathy, communication skills, and positive peer relationships by learning how to collaborate and look beyond perceived differences.

As the nation faces an increasing teacher shortage exacerbated by teacher retention challenges, the PreK-12 Sanford Inspire offers a toolkit of research-based teaching methodologies, and on-demand, self-guided modules that are accessible online to help teachers create inspiring classroom environments that encourage students to succeed. The Sanford College of Education at National University, which has a campus in Henderson, is also a leader among a growing number of universities that have integrated Inspire principles into their teacher education curriculum. In conjunction with the Clark County School District, National University also supports inspiring teaching by offering an accelerated, affordable pathway toward a teaching degree through the APPLE program (an acronym for Accelerated Preparation Pathway to Licensure and Employment).

The criteria for selecting 50 Sanford Teacher Award winners, which will be announced by November 2018, is based on the following characteristics of inspiring teaching: Enthusiasm for teaching; empathy and warmth towards all students; fosters positive relationships with all students; creates a positive learning environment; and recognizes student strengths. The finalists nominations form will be reviewed by a selection committee based at National University in La Jolla, California.

To learn more about the Sanford Teacher Award and nominate an inspirational teacher, visit the Sanford Teacher Award page.

View Fox5 Las Vegas coverage of the award presentation

About the National University System

The National University System is a network of accredited nonprofit education institutions serving higher education and K-12 students that includes National University, John F. Kennedy University, City University of Seattle, and the Division of Pre-College Programs. Established in 2001 to meet the emerging challenges and demands of education in the 21st Century, the network's complementary universities offer pathways for students to attain professional and terminal degrees through quality and innovative programs delivered in a format that is flexible to the needs of adult learners. The anchor institution, National University, was founded in in 1971 and is among the largest private, nonprofit institutions of higher education in California with more than 150,000 alumni. For more information on the National University System: https://www.nusystem.org.

About the Sanford Education Center and Sanford College of Education at National University

The Sanford Education Center at National University was established in 2014 through the generous support of philanthropist T. Denny Sanford to provide innovative programs in the nonprofit and PreK-12 sectors. The Center, in coordination with universities around the country, is leading the national expansion of three initiatives: Sanford Harmony, Sanford Inspire and the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy. The Center's initiatives are supported by the National University System, National University, and the Universitys Sanford College of Education, which is named after Mr. Sanford in recognition of his role in developing and supporting programs that promote prosocial behavior among children. The College is among the Top Ten largest schools of education in the country and prepares more teachers than any other university in the state of California. Learn more: sanfordprograms.org
Gilbane Building Company Team Celebrates Topping Off Ceremony at Will County Courthouse

Officials from Will County, the city of Joliet, Gilbane Building Company, Wight & Company, trade contractors and the community gathered to celebrate the topping off ceremony for the new 10-story, $215 million Will County Courthouse. This major milestone signifies the completion of the steel structure for the 370,000 SF new courthouse facility in downtown Joliet. Attendees were treated to a steel beam signing ceremony and luncheon to celebrate this monumental project milestone.

The new Will County Courthouse will add 38 new courtrooms to allow the circuit court to function more efficiently for the countys growing population, said Tom Leonard, Gilbane Building Company Senior Project Executive. Gilbane is proud to continue our strong relationship with Will County in constructing this landmark project for the county and city of Joliet.

Gilbane is providing comprehensive construction management services for the construction of the new Will County Courthouse that is slated for late 2020 completion. The project includes a 10-story, 370,000 SF building consisting of 38 courtrooms, offices for the Will County Clerk of the Circuit Court, and standard judicial building features including enhanced security, operational efficiency and sustainability.

About Gilbane Building Company

Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services  from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build and facility management services  for clients across various markets. Founded in 1873 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has 46 office locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com.

Gilbane has two permanent offices located in Chicago, as well as an extensive knowledge of the Chicagoland market including construction processes, area subcontractors/suppliers, local M/WBE contractors, and familiarity with Chicago jurisdictional authorities. With 40 years of success in the highly competitive Chicagoland market, Gilbane is committed to continuing the strong tradition of excellence in the Chicago construction industry.
As part of its continued strategic growth objectives for 2018, Intelegencia today announced that it has formally entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 2nd Office LLC., one of the most reputed and leading BPO and Customer Care organizations in Manila, Philippines. 2nd Office started its operations in 2012 and in this short span of 6 years, the company has rapidly grown to over 230 employees and is supporting more than 65 active global customers in the US, Canada, UK, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. The firm has become globally renowned as a highly specialized Philippines-based Offshore & Outsourcing Company that offers a variety of solutions focused on supporting eCommerce, along with Front and Back Office Operations.

I am thrilled to welcome the 2nd Office group to the Intelegencia family. I am very excited about the new opportunities of expanded services that the combined teams will offer to our collective customers. With 2nd Offices proven track record in the BPO domain and Intelegencias expertise in Technology, Infrastructure and Data Engineering Managed services, our customers now have access to a much broader set of capabilities, all under one roof. The combined Intelegencia and 2nd Office group will now have over 550 highly skilled and committed team members across all our offices in the US, India, Philippines and Ireland," said Mr. Perry Chaturvedi, Intelegencias Founder and CEO.

I am excited that 2nd Office has found the perfect partner to join forces with. We are now able to offer our valued customers technology services as well, that will enable them to grow smarter and faster. Intelegencias culture and values are also aligned with ours, so we can be sure that our culture will remain intact and will just keep getting better, said Carlo Silva, 2nd Office Founder and CEO.

Intelegencia Philippines Business Unit will be led by Mr. Daniel Choi, VP of Client Services. Mr. Daniel is currently the co-founder, COO and VP of 2nd Office.Mr. Choi lives in Los Angeles, California and will support Intelegencias global customers.

To learn more about Intelegencia and 2nd Office, please visit online at http://www.intelegencia.com and http://www.2ndoffice.co
Activist, speaker and founder of the Mindful MizFitz, Slym has finally unveiled her much-anticipated debut book that takes you on a voyage to the basics of foundations, family, relationships and marriage!

From creating an online media platform that facilitates the principles of free speech and expression, to inspiring people to be more compassionate for each other- the upbeat activist can now add the title of author to her many talents!

Friendships, Relationships, and Companionships promises to take you to the different levels of friendships and aptly explains how each one of those is important to building and maintaining healthy relationships. In fact, Slyms voice is one of wisdom, experience, and love with a deep message that we are all bound together as friends and companions no matter our differences.

Slym writes, in her own sarcastic way, this is not your average book, and I am not your average chick, heres a book where we all fit.

Laying testimony to unconditional love being the panacea to heal all, the book gently reminds you what it feels like to experience romance and that you are not alone in your seemingly impossible quest to find love.

About Mindful Mizfitz:

The Mindful Mizfitz is an online media platform that focuses on promoting and providing avenues of free expression. Launched in 2016, the idea was born out of Slym's passion for wanting to give a voice to those who desire safe spaces, where their words are met without judgment or consequence. She wanted to create an avenue for the thoughts that we all are thinking, but afraid to talk about due to fear of backlash or retaliation. For more information or to purchase please visit, http://www.MindfulMizfitz.com.
JP & Associates REALTORS one of Americas fastest growing real estate broker firms opens its 3rd Austin location at Penn Field.

JP Piccinini, CEO and founder said, We are excited to expand our presence in Austin, providing more opportunity for our agents and consumers to achieve the dream of home ownership.

Penn Field was built originally in 1918 as an air base for the U.S. Army yet in recent years it has become a hub for innovative and creative Austin businesses.

Mark Johnson, COO said, Supporting our agents and the consumers they serve with a network of physical office spaces is a foundation of our offering. When I saw Penn Field, I immediately felt it had a lot of character that blended with our corporate personality of innovation, productivity and service.

The JPAR location is directly across from the Gibson Guitar Showroom, where you can regularly catch up with some of Austins many musicians. Agents have access to "We Work" style space, private offices and meeting rooms.

JP And Associates REALTORS (JPAR) is one of the top 100 real estate brokerages in the US. A full-service transaction fee based real estate brokerage, it has been recognized as one of the top 10 fastest growing brokerages in the country by REAL TRENDS as well as also being a back to back INC5000 nominee. It operates multiple offices across Texas and is expanding nationwide offering franchising opportunities for entrepreneurial real estate professionals. Read more about JP and Associates REALTORS: http://JPAR.net
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has selected Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP as the 2018 James C. Puffer, MD/American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) Fellow. Dr. Matthews currently serves as Acting Deputy Under Secretary of Health for Community Care at the Veterans Health Administration in Washington, DC. She is one of three outstanding health professionals selected for the class of 2018 NAM Fellows.

Dr. Matthews earned her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University and her law degree from the University of Chicago. She completed her residency in Family Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Matthews has focused her career on underserved patient populations, having worked as a staff physician at Cook County Jail and with Erie Family Health Center, a large community health center also in Chicago. She most recently served as Chief Medical Officer of Mile Square Health Center within the University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System. Dr. Matthews honors and awards include the National Medical Quality Forum's 2017 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health, 2015 National Medical Association Council for the Concerns of Women Physicians Emerging Trailblazer Award, the 2015 NACHC Health Professions Education and Training Award, and the 2015 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Health Braintrust Congressman Louis Stokes Public Health Advocate Award.

Dr. Matthews serves as a member of the advisory board of the National Medical Quality Forum, a founding board member of Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform, a member of the alumni council of National Medical Fellowships, and an analyst with PolicyPrescriptions.org. Her career interests focus on access to care, pipeline workforce development, and healthcare disparities. As a passion outside of work, she co-directs the Tour for Diversity in Medicine, an initiative seeking to bring premedical enrichment activities to minority high school and undergraduate students across the country.

As a Puffer/ABFM/NAM Anniversary Fellow, Dr. Matthews will receive a research stipend of $25,000. Named in honor of James C. Puffer, M.D., president and chief executive officer of the ABFM, the fellowship program enables talented, early career health policy and science scholars in family medicine to participate in the work of the Academies and further their careers as future leaders in the field. The James C. Puffer, MD/ABFM Fellowship was established under the NAM Fellowship program in 2011.

NAM Anniversary Fellows continue their main responsibilities while engaging part-time over a two-year period in the Academies health and science policy work. A committee appointed by the president of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) selects fellows based on their professional accomplishments, potential for leadership in health policy in the field of family medicine, reputation as scholars, and the relevance of their expertise to the work of NAM and the IOM.
HIPAA Privacy and Security Summit November 8, 2018 Attendees are eligible to receive 7.5 CLE credits (6.5 substantive, 1 ethics) in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

The HIPAA Privacy and Security Summit is a joint effort of Delaware Law School and First Healthcare Compliance to provide resources for professionals facing the challenges of HIPAA compliance. The full-day event will be held on November 8, 2018, in Ruby R. Vale Moot Courtroom at the Delaware Law School and will include continental breakfast, lunch, and a complimentary copy of a newly released book by First Healthcare Compliance. Registration will be available to the public until November 6, 2018.

A team of expert panelists will engage with attorneys and attendees to discuss timely questions and real-life scenarios related to HIPAA Privacy and Security. Speakers include a CEO and blockchain expert, several attorneys, a physician attorney, and a representative from HHS/OCR. Nicholas P. Heesters, Jr., MEng, JD, CIPP, Sr. Health Information Privacy Security Specialist, HIPAA Compliance & Enforcement, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights will cover Security Rule concepts in the context of recent OCR enforcement actions and prior HIPAA audit requirements. Additionally, Craig Weldon, Chief Special Investigator, Investor Protection Unit, Delaware Department of Justice will address attendees at the beginning of the day with a special announcement.

Meaningful discussions will be coupled with multiple opportunities for learning credits. Attendees are eligible to receive 7.5 CLE credits (6.5 substantive, 1 ethics) in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. This program has been approved for 7.5 continuing education unit(s) by Practice Management Institute and PAHCOM. The Compliance Certification Board (CCB) has approved this event for up to 9.0 CCB CEUs. Continuing Education Units are awarded based on individual attendance records. Granting of prior approval in no way constitutes endorsement by CCB of this event content or of the event sponsor.

The agenda for the day of learning and networking:

8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. Registration & Continental Breakfast

8:15 a.m. - 8:20 a.m. Opening Remarks - Rod Smolla, Dean of Delaware Law School

8:20 a.m.- 8:30 a.m. Special Announcement-Craig Weldon, Chief Special Investigator, Investor Protection Unit, Delaware Department of Justice

8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. HIPAA Privacy Rule, Notice of Privacy Practices, uses and disclosures, Business Associates - Jennifer Gimler Brady, Esq.

10:00 a.m. - 10:10 a.m. Break- breakfast extended

10:10 a.m. - 11:40 a.m. HIPAA Privacy continued - compliance plan, training, patient rights - Catherine Walters, Esq.

11:40 a.m. - 12:05 p.m. Boxed lunch/announcements

12:10 p.m. - 12:40 p.m. Distinguished Speaker/Blockchain - Vince Albanese, CEO, and Founder at Haven Health

12:40 p.m. - 2:10 p.m. HIPAA Security Rule, OCR enforcement actions, audit requirements- Nicholas P. Heesters, Jr., MEng, JD, CIPP

2:10 p.m. - 2:20 p.m. Break

2:20 p.m. - 3:50 p.m. HIPAA Security continued - breaches, enforcement, cybersecurity issues - Rachel V. Rose, JD, MBA

3:50 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Break

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Ethics CLE portion of the day- Kathleen W. McNicholas, MD, JD, CHC, CCEP

About Delaware Law School: Widener University is a metropolitan university that connects curricula to social issues through civic engagement. Dynamic teaching, active scholarship, personal attention, applied leadership, and experiential learning are key components of the Widener experience. Delaware Law School is the First States only law school, providing a Juris doctor, legal graduate and paralegal degree programs with an emphasis on developing legal professionals who reflect the Delaware Way and its traditions of civility, integrity and mutual respect. The school offers signature programs in corporate and business law, environmental law, family health law and policy, trial advocacy, and dignity rights.

About First Healthcare Compliance: Founded in 2012 by a nurse attorney, the First Healthcare Compliance software solution creates confidence among compliance professionals through education, resources, and support in the areas of HIPAA, OSHA, human resources compliance, and fraud waste and abuse laws. Serving clients across the United States, the companys evolving platform provides real-time insight for board reporting and across multiple locations. For more information please visit https://1sthcc.com/
Nor-Tech, a leading provider of technology for government, schools and enterprises, was officially recognized by Lenovo as a qualified Authorized Service Provider (ASP) to repair Lenovo productsincluding the entire family of desktops, laptops and tablets.

For 15 years, Nor-Tech has been providing technology to organizations across the U.S. and in particular Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa and Wisconsin. During that time, company has been working closely with Lenovo and achieved the Gold Partner level in 2009.

The new ASP status is a significant efficiency benefit for current and future clients, who can now service their technology with the provider and, for Minnesota organizations, take advantage of onsite service.

Nor-Tech Executive Vice President Jeff Olson said, Now instead of having to go through the additional red tape with an outside service provider, organizations can fully service their Lenovo products through Nor-Tech. This means we can care for our clients continuously; from sales, through the warranty period, through end of life, through sales, etc.

ASP certification requires intensive training for both management and the technical staff. Even though we recently became a Lenovo ASP, our engineers have been working with Lenovo products for 15 years, Olson said. Our sales reps are also experts on Lenovo technology and are able to recommend the best, most cost-effective Lenovo technology for the application. This tight coordination between sales and service is one of the many reasons organizations choose to go with us for Lenovo products.

Nor-Tech is on CRNs list of the top 40 Data Center Infrastructure Providers along with IBM, Oracle, Dell, and Supermicro; and is a high performance computer builder for 2015 and 2017 Nobel Physics Award-winning projects. Nor-Tech engineers average 20+ years of experience. This strong industry reputation and deep partner relationships also enable the company to be a leading supplier of cost-effective Lenovo desktops, laptops, tablets and Chromebooks to schools and enterprises. All of Nor-Techs high performance technology is developed by Nor-Tech in Minnesota and supported by Nor-Tech around the world. The company is headquartered in Burnsville, Minn. just outside of Minneapolis. Nor-Tech holds the following contracts: GSA, University of Wisconsin System, NASA SEWP V. To contact Nor-Tech call 952-808-1000/toll free: 877-808-1010 or visit http://www.nor-tech.com. Full release at: http://www.nor-tech.com/category/news/. Media Contact: Jeanna Van Rensselar, Smart PR Communications; jeanna@smartprcommunications.com.
Voice and chatbot interfaces have the potential to reshape health care delivery. Were seeing strong interest in voice among our internal researchers and innovators who work continuously to champion new uses of technology to improve care delivery.

Orbita and team members from Brigham and Womens Hospital Digital Innovation Hub will be working together to explore and advance the use of voice-enabled and conversational AI solutions in health care. The organizations will collaborate on innovation of digital health care applications that leverage voice assistants, chatbots, and other conversational user interfaces to improve patient engagement, remote care, clinical efficiency and business processes.

Orbita will provide its cloud-based platform, Orbita Voice, to enable Brigham to explore, prototype and test the feasibility of voice and chatbot capabilities across a range of inpatient, outpatient and in-home use cases. Orbita Voice is the most widely used enterprise-grade platform for designing, building and maintaining HIPAA-compliant voice and chatbot health care applications, where data security and integrating with existing systems and processes are mission critical.

Voice and chatbot interfaces have the potential to reshape health care delivery. Were seeing strong interest in voice among our internal researchers and innovators who work continuously to champion new uses of technology to improve care delivery, said Adam Landman, MD, chief information officer at Brigham and Womens Hospital. We look forward to exploring the applications of voice in health care, while also being thoughtful and measured about the unique privacy and security challenges these new technologies represent.

Brigham and Womens Health and Orbita began their collaboration through MassChallenge HealthTech, an accelerator based in Massachusetts that matches digital health companies with industry partners to address massive challenges in health. Nick Dougherty, managing director of MassChallenge HealthTech said of their collaboration Orbita and Brigham are two of the industry leaders in health innovation. Their collaboration was inevitable and it thrills us that we helped accelerate getting such an amazing relationship off the ground.

"The Brigham is an exceptional partner and has played a pivotal role in helping us understand where the Orbita Voice platform can solve real-world problems, said Nathan Treloar, president and co-founder of Orbita. This esteemed organization has had true success in advancing health care by adopting and scaling new technologies across their system. Were thrilled to collaborate with the Brigham to drive innovation in the use of voice in powerful new ways that we cannot yet even imagine.

About Orbita

Orbita, Inc. offers healthcares only enterprise-grade conversational platform powering HIPAA-compliant voice and chatbot applications in healthcare. Organizations the Orbita Voice platform to design, build, and deploy virtual assistants that dramatically improve user experience and engagement across consumer, business and clinical applications including care management, clinical trials, member wellness, customer service and more. This includes many of todays leading digital health innovators such as the American Red Cross, Amgen, Mayo Clinic, Merck and Pillo Health. http://www.orbita.ai

About MassChallenge HealthTech

MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Switzerland, Texas, and the UK, MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 1,500 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $3 billion in funding, generated over $2 billion in revenue, and created over 80,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at http://www.masschallenge.org
Insurers need to recognize emerging competitive threats and seize opportunities before others to minimize risk and jump start future growth.

David Kalinowski, President and competitive intelligence expert with Proactive Worldwide along with Jeffrey Jablonski, Market Intelligence Consultant with Erie Insurance, will speak to industry peers during the Society of Insurance Research (SIR) Annual conference, to be held October 21-23, 2018 at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, LA.

Kalinowski is a well-known thought leader in the competitive intelligence domain, and has several speaking engagements planned at industry events throughout 2018. For this conference, Kalinowski will speak on the topic of, Implementing a Strategic Early Warning Program to Mitigate Risk, among insurance industry professionals working in a variety of management and stakeholder roles. Kalinowski said, Insurers need to recognize emerging competitive threats and seize opportunities before others to minimize risk and jump start future growth.

Jablonski added that the participants will learn how a Strategic Early Warning System can complement Enterprise Risk Management to impact leadership decisions. He remarked, Were proud to again support SIR to help advance the knowledge and skill of research analysis professionals in various sectors of the insurance industry. The following Society of Insurance Research link provides more information and registration instructions for this event.

About Proactive Worldwide

Proactive Worldwide, Inc. is a global research and strategic intelligence consulting firm that provides evidence-based, constructive information within the competitive intelligence, market intelligence, and customer insights domains. Anchored by primary source research for over 22 years, Proactives multilingual professionals assist our clients with offerings that include but are not limited to competitive research services, competitor assessments, market entry and defense strategies, war gaming workshops and scenario planning events, and customer experience and user experience studies.

To learn more, visit http://www.proactiveworldwide.com.
Rita Nugent, an experienced minister, has completed her new book It's Not Religion - It's Life: an inspiring collection built on how the author has been blessed with original songs, poems, and anointed words (messages) from the Holy Spirit, which have healed and helped many.

According to Nugent, Sometimes its not how many words one uses, but whats in the content. Its Not ReligionIts Life is a real eye-opener in the manner in which it is shared. (I am) an experienced minister in serving the Lord for forty-plus years, speaking and singing at conferences, churches, banquets, meetings, and hosting on local TV for (my) pastor. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is on (my) life, and (I) move in the gifts as well. (I) cannot read music but sang original songs that the Holy Spirit entrusted to (me). Now times and seasons have changed, and the Holy Spirit is entrusting (me) with many anointed poems, which (I am) sharing in this book.

Published by New York City-based Page Publishing, Rita Nugents emotional work is built on her purpose to encourage those who read the true stories, poems, etc., on how to stay determined and to persevere in their lives walking with Jesus.

Be sure to read The Fork in the Road poem along with the others she is sharing as she takes the pen of a ready writer for the Lord (Psalm 45:1). The author not only believes strongly in perseverance and determination, but wants to encourage readers to discover what God has in store for them.

Readers who wish to experience this inspirational work can purchase It's Not Religion - It's Life at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional New York based full-service publishing house that handles all of the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not bogged down with complicated business issues like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes and the like. Its roster of authors can leave behind these tedious, complex and time consuming issues, and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.
Robins & Morton Sr. Superintendent Allen Sanders and Sr Project Manager Todd Watson celebrate alongside Brian Adams (President/CEO Florida Hospital Tampa) and Arash Kamanger (PM for Hunton Brady). The new patient and surgical tower will have the most highly specialized surgeons and the most innovative technology available, making it possible to treat the most complex cases and offer care that isnt available in our area today. -- Brian Adams, President and CEO of Florida Hospital Tampa

Florida Hospital Tampa, Robins & Morton, Hunton Brady Architects, TLC Engineering for Architecture and honored guests joined together to officially break ground on the Florida Hospital Tampa Patient and Surgical Tower located in Tampa, Florida.

The $256 million expansion project will include a new six-story surgical patient tower that will house 132 patient beds and 24 operating rooms and various other support services. This new tower is a complement to the highly specialized care delivered in the Pepin Heart Center, also on campus, and will allow patients with complex healthcare cases to receive care they cannot get anywhere else. The project will also include a new Central Energy Plant to serve the addition.

We are excited about what this expansion means to our community and how it will transform healthcare in Tampa Bay, Brian Adams, President and CEO of Florida Hospital Tampa said. The new patient and surgical tower will have the most highly specialized surgeons and the most innovative technology available, making it possible to treat the most complex cases and offer care that isnt available in our area today.

The new patient and surgical tower, to be named the Taneja Center for Innovative Surgery, is scheduled for completion in 2021.

About Robins & Morton

Robins & Morton is a privately-held, innovation-driven construction firm committed to Building with Purpose. Since 1946, the firm has built a reputation as a trusted advisor to clients nationwide by cultivating a high-performing team that values integrity, safety, and innovative thinking. Robins & Morton consistently ranks among the Top 100 U.S. Builders in Engineering News-Record an. Robins & Morton is based in Birmingham, Alabama, with additional offices in Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas, Texas; Huntsville, Alabama; Miami and Orlando, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee. Learn more at http://www.robinsmorton.com.
Slidell mother Clairica Lange is the 2019 Mrs. Louisiana Universal. Im extremely excited to be appointed the title of Mrs. Louisiana Universal 2019. During this full year as Mrs. Louisiana Universal, I plan to expand community service opportunities, along with promoting health and fitness.

On a whim, Clairica Lange asked her teenaged daughter if she would ever be interested in being in a beauty pageant. The younger Lange quickly said no, but instead of being discouraged, the married mother of three children said, Okay, Ill just do it myself.

Inspired by another New Orleans resident, Ms. Louisiana Universal 2018 Havilah Malone, the Memphis, Tennessee native who now lives in Slidell, La., began researching and applied for the Universal Pageant. Before she knew it, she had been appointed to represent Louisiana in the married division.

Im extremely excited to be appointed the title of Mrs. Louisiana Universal 2019, Lange said. During this full year as Mrs. Louisiana Universal, I plan to expand community service opportunities, along with promoting health and fitness.

As Mrs. Louisiana Universal, Lange has remained true to her platform, including participating in homeless relief and sending toiletry items to Hurricane Florence survivors. Her next order of business is promoting Standing Tall as Nurturing Dads, S.T.A.N.D., which was inspired by her husband, Stan Lange, and will celebrate fathers who have healthy relationships with not only their own children, but the children in their communities. She plans to kick off the foundation with a pancakes and pajamas breakfast, scheduled to take place later this fall.

My husband is a wonderful role model, she said. I love to watch him be a Dad, uncle, mentor, advisor, and friend to the youth. Every child should have a positive male role model in their life.

Lange, an actress and associate publicist at Meet the World Image Solutions, LLC, a publicity and literary services firm in New Orleans, will compete in the Mrs. Universal pageant Aug. 1-8, 2019 in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Voted one of the top four pageants for married women and one of the top eight pageants for mothers, the Universal Pageant prides itself as an organization with integrity, values, and resilience. In 2018, contestants served more than 7,500 hours of volunteer hours.

For more information on the Mrs. Louisiana Universal Pageant, visit http://www.mrsuniversal.org/, or contact Lange at mrslouisianauniversal2019(at)yahoo(dot)com.
Smart ERP Solutions Our Oracle solutions and services go beyond end users' expectations at an affordable cost and were excited to be showcasing our new and updated Powered-by-Oracle-Cloud solutions and services at OpenWorldDoris Wong, CEO, SmartERP

Smart ERP Solutions, Inc. (SmartERP), an Oracle Platinum Partner, announced that it will be exhibiting and presenting at Oracle OpenWorld (#OOW18) in San Francisco, California from October 22-24, to discuss their unique solutions and services for Oracle Cloud, including Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS), inclusive of HCM Cloud, ERP Cloud, and CX Cloud. SmartERP will also be showcasing new and updated cloud solutions from their suite of product offerings, such as Smart Talent Procurement, Smart Onboarding, Smart E-Verify and their Smart-UX User Interface. Attendees that visit SmartERPs booth #3108 (Moscone South) will automatically be entered to win an Amazon Echo.

SmartERP has recently migrated their Smart Talent Procurement and Smart Onboarding solutions to Oracle Cloud. On Oracle Cloud, the solutions are easier to use, 100% mobile device ready, provide for faster provisioning, compliance, automatic on-demand scalability, utilizes world-class global security and now more easily integrates with all other Oracle Cloud applications.

As an Oracle Platinum Partner and developer of solutions and services that enhance and support Oracle applications, the company is dedicated to delivering innovative and leading-edge solutions based on Oracle technology, including Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft and JD Edwards applications as well as Oracle Cloud platform and application offerings. With proven experience in Oracle, SmartERP aims to help organizations gain insights on ways to enhance business processes through the utilization of the companys technology and services combined with Oracle technology at the upcoming Oracle OpenWorld Conference.

SmartERP has Oracle Practices across multiple industries including Government, Education, Finance, Staffing, Technology, Manufacturing, Construction and many more. These industries are leveraging their expertise as well as software solutions for Oracle Cloud Applications, Oracle E-Business Suite, PeopleSoft, and JD Edwards including Employee Onboarding/Offboarding, I-9/E-Verify, Business Intelligence and Analytics, Security, Compliance and Segregation of Duties.

"As a unique organization in the Enterprise Business Applications space, providing software solutions as well as consulting services, SmartERP enables organizations to develop optimized business processes and a superior user experience enabling increased productivity, cost reductions and a maximized return on their investment, said Doris Wong, CEO, Smart ERP Solutions. Our Oracle solutions and services go beyond end users' expectations at an affordable cost and were excited to be showcasing our new and updated Powered-by-Oracle-Cloud solutions and services at OpenWorld.

Attendees can also attend SmartERP partner sessions at the Canon Information & Imaging Solutions, Inc. booth #3013 in Moscone South Exhibition Hall on Monday, 10/22 at 4:00PM (sessions are approximately 10 minutes). SmartERP will present AP Automation, Managing Financial Risks in applications, and the solutions available to assist with this process. On Thursday, 10/25 at 11AM in Moscone South, Room 156, SmartERP will present at the Governance, Risk, and Compliance (Special Interest Group).

About Smart ERP Solutions

Founded by Oracle/PeopleSoft veterans, Smart ERP Solutions is a unique organization in the Enterprise Business Applications space providing innovative, cost-effective, and configurable solutions that efficiently extend the capabilities of ERP systems to meet specific business process needs. SmartERP enables clients to seamlessly integrate their people, processes, applications, and data, across an enterprise, enabling the organization to streamline its operations and support business growth.

About OpenWorld

Oracle OpenWorld is one of the most prominent technology and business conferences for Oracle partners and customers. It is the perfect place where the top-notch industry experts discuss how technology can be utilized to resolve today's complex business challenges.

Trademarks

Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Hong Kong-based graphene pioneer, Surwon Technology has revealed that it has been invited to send representation to meet with engineers and architects at a real estate development company based in Osaka, Japans second largest city.

The company is reportedly interested in the potential of Surwon Technologys recently-announced breakthrough in the development of a graphene-infused concrete which offered significant improvements in torsional rigidity and resistance to water over conventional construction grade concrete.

Our development has piqued the interest of a luxury real estate developer who is keen to leverage the strength and impermeability of our concrete in a forthcoming development in Osaka, said Surwon Technologys Chief Technology Officer.

Despite having some of the worlds most stringent construction standards, such a deployment would make sense from an added safety point of view since Osaka is a large port city whose location makes it vulnerable to tsunamis arising from strong earthquakes.

Our concrete could be used as a unique selling point helping to reassure the companys clients of the safety aspect, said the CTO.

Surwon Technology says it is sending three representatives to a three-day meeting at which the finer points of what is possible will be discussed. The developer has requested anonymity because it has existing suppliers and because a deal with Surwon Technology has not yet been finalized.

At this early stage, we dont know much about the developments size or when the developer expects to break ground but we are in preliminary talks with a number of building materials companies with whom we would partner to deliver the product in the event all parties are able to reach consensus, concluded the Surwon Technology Chief Technology Officer.
Michigan Auto Law attorney Steve Gursten discusses how elimination of the Michigan Driver Responsibility Fee will affect drivers "One of the goals of the fee was to hold dangerous drivers accountable for hurting people, breaking traffic laws and making the roads unsafe for driving, but it also drastically increased the cost of driving in Michigan." - Steven Gursten

The car accident attorneys at Michigan Auto Law want people to know what their legal rights are now that the Michigan Driver Responsibility Fee was officially eliminated on October 1, 2018.

First and foremost, people dont have to any driver responsibility fee they were previously ordered to pay. They dont owe unpaid fees or any outstanding balance.

Second, drivers license reinstatement is open to drivers whose licenses were suspended for non-payment of a driver responsibility fee.

Third, reinstatement is FREE through December 31, 2018. In order words, if drivers apply for reinstatement before the end of the year, the normal $125 reinstatement fee is waived.

Michigan Auto Law attorney Steve Gursten said that getting rid of the Michigan Driver Responsibility Fee will provide significant financial relief to many people throughout the state.

Not only did it drastically increase the cost of driving in Michigan, as if through-the-roof car insurance prices werent already a big enough drain on the pocketbook, Gursten explained. But if a driver didnt pay his or her Driver Responsibility Fee, then his or her driving privileges would be suspended.

In 2017, there were approximately 317,000 Michigan drivers who were delinquent on paying their driver responsibility fees, according to a House Fiscal Agency analysis.

However, Gursten said elimination of the fee will also leave several of its goals up in the air.

One of the goals of the fee was to hold dangerous drivers accountable for hurting people, breaking traffic laws and making the roads unsafe for driving, Gursten said.

Among the drivers paying the highest fees - $1,000 per year for two consecutive years  were those who had committed manslaughter, drunk/drugged driving and/or fleeing and eluding the police.

Gursten also noted that, from a state government perspective, the repeal of the driver responsibility fee eliminates a source of revenue that was bringing in $100 million per year to the state.

To learn more, please check out Michigan Auto Laws blog post here.

Michigan Auto Law attorneys and legal experts have been featured in local, state and national publications. They are selected for their expertise in auto law matters. If you are in the media and would like to speak with an expert for your story, contact Todd Berg at (248) 353-7575 or TBerg@michiganautolaw.com.

About Michigan Auto Law

At Michigan Auto Law, our lawyers practice exclusively in helping people whove been hurt in car truck, and motorcycle accidents in the state of Michigan. More than 98 percent of our lawsuits resolve in substantial settlements, because our focus is combined with an excellent trial record that defense attorneys pay to avoid, including the top-reported auto accident jury verdicts and settlements in Michigan.

Michigan Auto Law has offices in Farmington Hills, Detroit, Sterling Heights, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. For more information, visit https://www.michiganautolaw.com or call (800) 968-1001.

Contact Information

Todd Berg

Michigan Auto Law

https://www.michiganautolaw.com/

+1 (800) 968-1001

Elizabeth Warner

Michigan Auto Law

https://www.michiganautolaw.com/

+1 (800) 968-1001
Inclusion on the list highlights the dedication of our team and the impact our work has on our clients ability to achieve their business goals by leveraging their brand and culture for competitive advantage. To be named to Fast 50 is truly a company-wide achievement.

TENFOLD, an award-winning strategy and creative firm that reveals and reflects the magic of brand and culture, was named to Columbus Business Firsts Fast 50, which honors the regions fastestgrowing private companies. To be eligible, organizations must be for-profit and privately held, averaging at least $1 million in revenue for the past three years. Ranked 21 and showing a growth rate of 48.7%, this is the first year that TENFOLD was eligible to be included on the list. The 2018 Fast 50 companies were honored at an awards luncheon on October 17 at the Hilton Columbus Downtown. This year marks the 23rd anniversary of Business First's Fast 50 Awards.

We are extremely honored to be recognized by Business First for the growth associated with the meaningful work we deliver to our clients on a consistent basis, said Rachel Friedman, Founder and CEO of TENFOLD. Inclusion on the list highlights the dedication of our team and the impact our work has on our clients ability to achieve their business goals by leveraging their brand and culture for competitive advantage. To be named to Fast 50 is truly a company-wide achievement.

TENFOLD also received a 2018 Gold, Best of Show ADDY award from the American Advertising Federation. These awards are the advertising industrys largest and most prestigious competitions, recognizing advertising firms that exhibit excellence in creativity and strategic impact. In addition, the company was included on the 2018 Inc. 500 list of the top 500 fastest-growing private companies in the nation.

TENFOLD engages with clients in the corporate, healthcare and higher education markets. Its clients include Huntington Bank, NBCUniversal, ESPN, Big Lots, OhioHealth, The Ohio State University, Ohio University, among many others.

Tweet This: @Tenfoldbrand lands on @columbusbiz1st #Fast50 list at #21 in first year of eligibility. #BelieveInThePowerofPlace

About TENFOLD

TENFOLD, a strategy and creative firm that reveals and reflects the magic of brand and culture, enables its clients to live their brand through the creation of an inspired culture narrative and branded space design. An award-wining organization, in 2018 TENFoLD received top honors for excellence in creativity and strategic impact from the American Advertising Federation. In addition, TENFOLD was included by Business First on its Fast 50 list of the fastest-growing companies in Central Ohio, and was named to the prestigious Inc. 500 as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the nation. CEO Rachel Friedman was recently recognized as a Business First C-Suite award winner, with honesty, integrity and excellence as the criteria for selection. http://www.tenfoldbrand.com
The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation has awarded a $150,000 grant to New Pathways for Youth (NPFY), a community center serving at-risk youth in the greater Phoenix area. The grant will aid NPFY in scaling its services to better meet the needs of its mentors, staff and youth through improved mentor recruitment programs, staff training and curriculum development.

Everyone should be encouraged to imagine their best possible future, and then provided the opportunity to make that future a reality, said businessman Bob Parsons. New Pathways and its dedicated team of mentors are offering the support Valley youth need to pursue their dreams and create a life that is not defined by their current circumstances.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, NPFY serves Valley youth experiencing poverty, making them more susceptible to adversities like physical abuse and neglect, substance abuse, parent incarceration and increased high-school dropout rates. The organization provides support through transformative mentorship programs based on each youths interests and skills, an intensive three-day retreat to identify and treat destructive behaviors, a college and career readiness program and parenting support for youth caregivers.

New Pathways for Youth is helping students who are facing extreme hardship break through societal barriers by supporting their emotional, mental and academic development, said businesswoman Renee Parsons. We are proud to partner with an organization that is working to create change and positively affect generations to come.

The grant will help NPFY expand its services to reach three key benchmarks:



Serve an additional 150 to 200 youth per year in targeted neighborhoods

Improve its mentor retention rate to 80 percent or greater for mentors remaining in the program until a youths 21st birthday

Increase college and career success of youth served

The need for committed and qualified mentors is crucial to NPFYs mission. The transformative mentorship program goes beyond basic assistance, companionship and academic guidance. Mentors are trained to engage their youth in conversations that will help them identify and stop their own problematic attitudes and behaviors, getting them on the path to declaring a new possibility for their future. This type of mentorship requires extended time and personal commitments that are difficult to find.

We are humbled that The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is invested in our mission as they have an established credibility in this community that reinforces the importance of our work, said NPFY CEO Christy McClendon. These funds are critical to organizations like ours, allowing us to work through organizational challenges and expand our services. Without this support, the cycle of poverty will continue to plague families in high-risk neighborhoods.

NPFY has grown to serve more than 500 youth each year, totaling 6,500 lives impacted since its founding in 1989. For more information, visit https://www.npfy.org/.

# # #

About New Pathways for Youth

For the past 30 years, New Pathways for Youth has served youth experiencing poverty and four times the adversity of other youthadversities such as parent incarceration, abuse and neglect, substance abuse, and high school dropout. Through 1:1 mentoring in community cohorts and evidence based personal development and life skills retreats and workshops, our youth create breakthroughs in self destructive thought patterns that lead to actions consistent with the future they want. In 1989, our first program served 40 youth. We have since grown to serve over 500 youth annually and more than 6,500 youth since our beginning.

About The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation

The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers support to nonprofit organizations successfully working to empower, educate, nurture and nourish people during what is often the darkest time of their lives. Founded in 2012 by philanthropists and business leaders Bob and Renee Parsons to provide hope and life-changing assistance to the countrys most vulnerable populations, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers critical funding at critical times to those in need. The Foundations giving is driven by the core belief that all people  regardless of race, religion, roots, economic status, sexual orientation or gender identity  deserve access to quality healthcare, education and a safe place to call home. Follow @WeDealInHope on social media or visit TBRPF.org, to learn more about partner organizations and the important work being done in the community.
Twenty-three companies and organizations were honored for building the most innovative homes in America, as recognized by the U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program.

A prerequisite to the awards is ZERH certification  meaning superior indoor air quality, durable material selection, water efficiency, and design that reduces energy demand.

From the 23-recipients, five were chosen as leaders and honored with the Grand Award for exceptional design, sales and marketing, and homebuyer education.

The Grand Award recipients are:

Thrive Home Builders, Denver Colorado

Kalamazoo Valley Habitat for Humanity, MI

High Performance Homes, Pennsylvania

Dwell Development, Seattle

Revive Properties and Philgreen Construction, Colorado

Thrive Home Builders received two Grand Awards.

The awards ceremony was hosted at the annual EEBA conference in San Diego.

About EEBA

For over 30 years, EEBA provides education to builders and designers for constructing better homes that are resource efficient, durable, and healthy. EEBA shares best practices for implementing water and energy efficiency, building science, and energy systems that improve single and multifamily housing. http://www.eeba.org

About GCOMM360

GCOMM360 is a marketing agency dedicated to helping home builders tell their stories of innovation, product differentiation, ZERH design, and improving communities. Services include web site design, content writing, LinkedIn consulting, newsletter campaigns, press releases, blog writing, social media setup, and improving online engagement.

http://www.gcomm360.com
MIAMI Chairman of the Board George C. Jalil Miami is one of the most resilient communities in the world and our real estate market embodied that resiliency by bouncing back as expected from stalled transactions in September 2017, said MIAMI Chairman of the Board George C. Jalil, a Miami broker.

Total Miami-Dade County home sales surged 35.7 percent last month a year after Hurricane Irma brought minimal damage and stalled hundreds of sales in September 2017, according to a new report by the MIAMI Association of REALTORS (MIAMI) and the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system.

Miami-Dade single-family home sales jumped 43 percent year-over-year, from 684 to 978, in September. The condo market continued trending upward with 29.5 percent more sales in September 2018 vs. September 2017. Miami condo sales have risen in seven of the last nine months.

Miami is one of the most resilient communities in the world and our real estate market embodied that resiliency by bouncing back as expected from stalled transactions in September 2017, said MIAMI Chairman of the Board George C. Jalil, a Miami broker. The sales growth continues a trend of increased Miami home sales, particularly in the existing condo market.

Miami Single-Family Home Sales Jump 43 percent

Miami-Dade County single-family home sales increased 43 percent year-over-year, from 684 to 978. The Miami market has registered 9,851 single-family home sales year to date, an increase of 0.7 percent from this time last year.

The largest segment of growth for single-family home sales is the $200,000 to $600,000 range. The segment recorded 757 single-family home sales, an increase of 49 percent from September 2017.

Miami Existing Condo Sales Have Increased in Seven of the last Nine Months

Miami existing condo sales increased 29.5 percent year-over-year in September, from 804 to 1,041. The Miami market has registered 10,531 existing condo sales year to date, an increase of 5.2 percent from this time last year.

The largest segment of growth for existing condo sales is the $150,000 to $300,000 range. The segment recorded 539 condo sales, an increase of 47.7 percent from September 2017.

Sales Dollar Volume Jumps 42.6 Percent to $900 Million

Total sales volume increased to $900 million from $631.1 million in September 2017. Existing condo sales volume increased from $304.7 million to $374.3 million (an increase of 22.8 percent). Single-family home total dollar volume rose 61.1 percent, from $326.4 million to $525.7 million.

Luxury sales played a significant role in the rise of the total sales volume. Miami single-family $1 million-and-up luxury sales jumped 62.2 percent, from 45 to 73 transactions. Existing luxury condo sales increased 25.6 percent, from 43 to 54 transactions.

Luxury single-family home sales have now increased for five consecutive months. Luxury existing condo sales have increased in five of the last six months.

Lack of access to mortgage loans continues to inhibit further growth of the existing condominium market. Of the 9,307 condominium buildings in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, only 12 are approved for Federal Housing Administration loans, down from 29 last year, according to Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and FHA.

Nearly Seven Consecutive Years of Price Appreciation in Miami

Miami-Dade County single-family home prices increased 7.5 percent in September 2018, increasing from $335,000 to $360,000. Miami single-family home prices have risen for 82 consecutive months, a streak of nearly seven years. Existing condo prices rose 1.3 percent, from $234,500 to $237,500 in September. Condo prices have increased in 85 of the last 88 months.

Low mortgage rates make purchasing a home more affordable. According to Freddie Mac, the average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage increased to 4.63 percent in September from 4.55 percent in August. The average commitment rate for all of 2017 was 3.99 percent.

Miami Distressed Sales Continue to Drop, Reflecting Healthy Market

Only 6.8 percent of all closed residential sales in Miami were distressed last month, including REO (bank-owned properties) and short sales, compared to 9.1 percent in September 2017. In 2009, distressed sales comprised 70 percent of Miami sales.

Total Miami distressed sales increased 1.5 percent year-over-year, from 135 in September 2017 to 137 last month.

Short sales and REOs accounted for 1.6 and 5.2 percent, respectively, of total Miami sales in September 2018. Short sale transactions increased 3.2 percent year-over-year while REOs increased 0.9 percent.

Nationally, distressed sales accounted for 3 percent of sales (lowest since NAR began tracking in October 2008), down from 4 percent a year ago.

Miami Real Estate Selling Close to List Price

The median number of days between listing and contract dates for Miami single-family home sales was 47 days, an 14.6 percent increase from 41 days last year. The median number of days between the listing date and closing date for single-family homes was 91 days, a 1.1percent decrease from 92 days.

The median time to contract for condos was 70 days, a 4.1 percent decrease from 73 days last year. The median number of days between listing date and closing date decreased 7.5 percent to 111 days.

The median percent of original list price received for single-family homes was 95.6 percent. The median percent of original list price received for existing condominiums was 94.7 percent.

National and State Statistics

Nationally, total existing-home sales fell 3.4 percent from August to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.15 million in September. Sales are now down 4.1 percent from a year ago (5.37 million in September 2017).

Statewide closed sales of existing single-family homes totaled 21,087 last month, up 17 percent compared to September 2017, according to Florida Realtors. Statewide closed condo sales totaled 8,492 last month, up 14.6 percent compared to a year ago.

The national median existing-home price for all housing types in September was $258,100, up 4.2 percent from September 2017 ($247,600). September's price increase marks the 79th straight month of year-over-year gains.

September was the 81st month-in-a-row (over six and a half years) that statewide median sales prices for both single-family homes and condo-townhouse properties increased year-over-year. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes was $251,610, up 4.9 percent from the previous year, according to Florida Realtors. The statewide median price for condo-townhouse units in September was $182,500, up 5.5 percent over the year-ago figure.

Miamis Cash Buyers Represent almost Double the National Figure

Miami cash transactions comprised 35.4 percent of September 2018 total closed sales, compared to 43.5 percent last year. Miami cash transactions are almost double the national figure (21 percent).

Miamis high percentage of cash sales reflects South Floridas ability to attract a diverse number of international home buyers, who tend to purchase properties in all cash. Miami has a higher percent of cash sales for condos due to lack of financing approvals for buildings.

Condominiums comprise a large portion of Miamis cash purchases as 48.9 percent of condo closings were made in cash in August compared to 21.1 percent of single-family home sales.

Balanced Market for Single-Family Homes, Buyers Market for Condos

Inventory of single-family homes increased 9.8 percent in September from 6,060 active listings last year to 6,652 last month. Condominium inventory increased 4.1 percent to 15,435 from 14,834 listings during the same period in 2017.

The increase in inventory is for properties above $300,000 for condos and for properties above $600,000 for single family homes.

Monthly supply of inventory for single-family homes increased 10.7 percent to 6.2 months, which indicates a balanced market. Existing condominiums have a 13.6-month supply, which indicates a buyers market. A balanced market between buyers and sellers offers between six and nine months supply of inventory.

Total active listings at the end of September increased 5.7 percent year-over-year, from 20,894 to 22,087. Active listings remain about 60 percent below 2008 levels when sales bottomed.

New listings of Miami single-family homes increased 73.9 percent to 1,682 from 967. New listings of condominiums increased 59.9 percent, from 1,429 to 2,285. The numbers are impacted from the stalled transactions after Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

Nationally, total housing inventory at the end of September decreased from 1.91 million in August to 1.88 million existing homes available for sale, and is up from 1.86 million a year ago. Unsold inventory is at a 4.4-month supply at the current sales pace, up from 4.3 last month and 4.2 months a year ago.

To access September 2018 Miami-Dade Statistical Reports, visit http://www.SFMarketIntel.com

Note: Statistics in this news release may vary depending on reporting dates. MIAMI reports exact statistics directly from its MLS system.

About the MIAMI Association of REALTORS

The MIAMI Association of REALTORS was chartered by the National Association of Realtors in 1920 and is celebrating 98 years of service to Realtors, the buying and selling public, and the communities in South Florida. Comprised of six organizations, the Residential Association, the Realtors Commercial Alliance, the Broward Council, the Jupiter Tequesta Hobe Sound (JTHS-MIAMI) Council, the Young Professionals Network (YPN) Council and the award-winning International Council, it represents more than 46,000 real estate professionals in all aspects of real estate sales, marketing, and brokerage. It is the largest local Realtor association in the U.S. and has official partnerships with 178 international organizations worldwide. MIAMIs official website is http://www.MiamiRealtors.com.
With a team of highly skilled physicians, and services that include primary care, cancer and hematology, and a comprehensive Womens Center, Mount Sinai Doctors Long Island celebrated the grand opening of a new state-of-the-art 80,000 square foot health complex at 5 Cuba Hill Road in Greenlawn, Suffolk County.

With highly-trained physicians, nurses, and medical staff and over 20 specialties ranging from allergy to urology, residents of Suffolk County and beyond have access to comprehensive health care from Mount Sinai Doctors Long Island.

Residents of Long Island deserve high-quality, convenient care close to home and Mount Sinai is meeting that need, said Kenneth L. Davis, President and CEO of Mount Sinai Health System. With an expanded primary and specialty care network and a Long Island footprint that includes 200 physicians and other experts at 11 multidisciplinary practices, Mount Sinai is transforming care in this community. Our goal is to keep patients and communities healthy by providing health care excellence close to home and work.

"Mount Sinai Doctors Long Island is expanded access to specialty care at a neighborhood hub, said Arthur A. Klein, MD, President of the Mount Sinai Health Network. Our physician partners who work collaboratively and tirelessly to provide personalized care for each patient. We're proud to bring the renowned services of Mount Sinai to serve the residents of Suffolk County and beyond.

The new modern, spacious offices in Greenlawn offer onsite radiology and laboratory services, all under one roof. With state-of-the-art equipment and a team of highly skilled physicians, Mount Sinai Doctors Long Island brings the medical excellence of Mount Sinai to the Suffolk County community. Offering convenient, same-day imaging services and lab test results, and conveniences such as same-day appointments, extended hours, easy scheduling, ample parking, greeters, and welcoming waiting areas, visitors can expect a unique patient experience.

Services offered include:



Preventive care and general medical exams, including yearly physicals

Chronic disease management including but not limited to COPD, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, allergy, asthma and bone and joint conditions

Infusion Center specializing in blood and solid tumor cancers

Acute medical care, including urinary tract, throat and ear infections

Womens health, including routine gynecologic exams and cervical cancer screenings, and 3D mammography

Vaccinations and immunizations

Advanced imaging center including state-of-the-art PET, CT, digital X-rays, and wide-bore MRI

Dedicated onsite laboratory with state-of-the-art instruments and multiple specimen collection stations.

Special services include a new immediate care program for all patients, a personalized health care program, and pain management services.

Visit http://www.mountsinaidoctors.org/long-island/ for more information or to make an appointment.

Simone Healthcare Development was responsible for the acquisition and development of the facility, transforming it into the new, state-of-the-art ambulatory care center that is Mount Sinai Doctors Long Island in Greenlawn.

Photos from the Mount Sinai Doctors Long Island ribbon cutting can be found here.

Photo Captions (from left to right):

Photo Credit: The Mount Sinai Health System

Photo 1: Chad Lupinacci, Huntington Town Supervisor; Jaime C. Chu, MD, Pediatric hepatologist, Mount Sinai Health System; Tracy Arabadjief; Elly Arabadjief, 8 year old Wilsons Disease patient; Abagail Arabadjief; Justin Arabadjief; Arthur C. Klein, President, Mount Sinai Health Network; Kenneth L. Davis, President and CEO, Mount Sinai Health System; Alicia Gresham, VP Operations, Mount Sinai Health System

Photo 2: The Arabadjief family was honored at Mount Sinai Doctors Long Island ribbon cutting celebration. Elly Arabadjief is an 8 year old patient with Wilsons Disease. Abigail, Justin, Elly, Tracy Arabadjief, and Ellys doctor, Jaime C. Chu, pediatric hepatologist at the Mount Sinai Health System

Photo 3: Arthur C. Klein, President, Mount Sinai Health Network; Kenneth L. Davis, President and CEO, Mount Sinai Health System; Elly Arabadjief; Tracy Arabadjief; Justin Arabadjief; Abigail Arabadjief; Alicia Gresham, VP Operations, Mount Sinai Health System

Photo 4: Jeffrey Vacirca, MD, CEO, New York Cancer & Blood Specialists; Kenneth L. Davis, MD, President and CEO Mount Sinai Health System; Arthur A. Klein, MD, President, Mount Sinai Health Network; Luis Isola, MD, Medical Director, Mount Sinai Cancer Network; Benjamin Kornitzer, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Vice President, Mount Sinai Health Network

Photo 5: Kenneth L. Davis, President and CEO, Mount Sinai Health System

About Mount Sinai Doctors Long Island

Mount Sinai Doctors Long Island is a respected practice that has offered comprehensive health care to the people of Long Island since 1946. Our practice began with just three doctors, the first board-certified physicians in Suffolk County. Today we feature more than 70 physicians in more than 20 specialties, who continue to uphold our tradition of quality care. Our practice remains dedicated to providing personalized care, with a focus on prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment. With years of experience, our physicians offer care for a wide variety of conditions including cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, kidney and many other disorders. Over the years we have expanded with new offices in Nesconset, Commack, and Bay Shore, and now in Greenlawn.

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York Citys largest integrated delivery system encompassing seven hospital campuses, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinais vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The System includes approximately 6,600 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Reports Best Medical Schools, aligned with a U.S. News & World Reports Honor Roll Hospital, it is ranked as a leading medical school for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Reports Honor Roll of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nations top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in six other specialties in the 2018-2019 Best Hospitals issue. Mount Sinais Kravis Childrens Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology and 44th for Ear, Nose, and Throat, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Lukes and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally. For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The Terrace, Hotel Valencia Santana Row "These rankings reinforce the appeal of our dedication to 'Timeless Hospitality' and support our commitment to creating hotels with a keen sense of place, thoughtful amenities, timeless design, and attentive service," says Doyle Graham, Jr. President & CEO of Valencia Group.

Conde Nast Traveler readers have named three of Valencia Groups full service hotels to the magazines 2018 Readers Choice Awards list. Hotel Valencia Santana Row was #1 in San Jose and #17 among top hotels in Northern California with a score of 96.43/100. With a score of 96.97/100 Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio and Hotel Sorella CITYCENTRE with a score of 95.62/100 in Houston placed at #7 and #14 in Texas. Both were in the top four of their respective cities.

More than 429,000 travelers took part in the 29th annual Readers' Choice Awards surveythe most in its historysubmitting millions of ratings and tens of thousands of comments to create a list of winning favorites. The poll questionnaire contained lists of candidates in various categories (Cities, Hotels, etc.), and a minimum number of responses was required to be eligible for a Readers' Choice Award. Individual candidates were judged on a set of criteria relevant to their category, based on a standard five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor.

We are thrilled that several of our full-service hotels in our award-winning collection were recognized by discerning travelers for this prestigious honor, said Doyle Graham, Jr., President and CEO of Valencia Group. These rankings reinforce the appeal of our dedication to Timeless Hospitality and support our commitment to creating hotels with a keen sense of place, thoughtful amenities, timeless design and attentive service.

Graham is the visionary and thought-leader behind building the Valencia Group hotel collection and attributes much of the companys success to its unique management approach and efficient cost structure which have made the Valencia Group a leading market performer with consistent customer satisfaction ratings above the 90th percentile.

About Valencia Group

Houston-based Valencia Group is a fully integrated hospitality company that provides management, development, branding and repositioning services for independent, full-service hotels owned by the company, in addition to third parties. Exceptional service, style and location have become brand trademarks. Earning both national and international recognition for their distinctive designs, amenities and settings, Valencia Group properties are destinations and gathering places within their respective communities, some further benefitting from and enriching their space within the cultural heart of a city. The company continues to forge a niche with hotels that anchor and add value to urban, mixed-use environments, which further support or enhance the guest experience with superior residential, restaurant, retail and office components. The Valencia Group portfolio currently includes the Valencia brands: Hotel Valencia Santana Row in San Jose, CA and Hotel Valencia Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX. The Sorella brand includes Hotel Sorella CITYCENTRE in Houston, TX by developer Midway. Other brands include Midway and Valencia Groups The George in College Station, TX and Midways Hotel Alessandra in Houston, TX. The Court concept brands include Lone Star Court in Austin, TX, Cavalry Court in College Station, TX and Texican Court, coming soon to Irving, TX. For more information, please visit http://www.valenciagroup.com
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Founded in 2003, Tor Teen publishes young adult books across a spectrum of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary fiction. This fall, the publisher is celebrating the imprints 15th anniversary with a marketing campaign whose handle, #NoBounds, reflects the wide reach of its list. In the past decade and a half, Tor Teen has released novels by many luminaries of the YA universe, among them Brandon Sanderson, Cory Doctorow, Kendare Blake, and Kristen Simmons.

The launch of Tor Teen was fueled by the burgeoning teenage readership of novels on Tors adult list in the early 2000s. We saw a great opportunity with the tremendous YA crossover authors we were publishing on the adult listOrson Scott Card, Jane Yolen, and Robert Jordan, recalled Kathleen Doherty, v-p and publisher of Tor Teen and Starscape. We knew that if we packaged these books for the teen reader and got YA placement in bookstores, we could build a multigenerational readership for these authors. We realized there was a thirsty YA market ready for a line of science fiction and fantasy dedicated specifically to them, and thats when we began building an original Tor Teen list.

Over the years, the publisher has broadened the scope of the imprints offerings, without losing sight of its original mission. It is important to us to stay true to our core strength, which is science fiction and fantasy, Doherty explained. However, subgenres of science fiction and fantasy allow for a much more broadly defined publishing platform. We look at SF/F as a what if genre allowing for horror, supernatural contemporary, historical thrillers, and mysteries to be a natural fit. We also publish contemporary fiction when we feel passionate about the author and the story, like Mark Oshiros Anger Is a Gift, Ginny Rorbys Hurt Go Happy, and Jessica Penningtons romance novel, Love Songs & Other Lies.

A glance at highlights of the fall list underscores Tor Teens broadened focus and commitment to what the publisher labels boundary-breaking fiction. September releases included Echo Room by Parker Peevyhouse, a psychological thriller starring two teens stuck in a time loop; and Dare You to Lie by Amber Lynn Natusch, in which a teen previously involved in a scandal is determined to clear the name of her FBI agent father, whos framed for murder. This month, Tor Teen issues Jennifer L. Armentrouts Darkest Star, the debut novel of a series set in the world of the authors bestselling Lux series; and the paperback edition of bestseller Windwitch, continuing the tale of Merik, the privateer and prince whom Susan Dennard introduced in Truthwitch.

Tor Teens anniversary celebration includes ongoing digital promotion across the imprints social media platforms; panel programming, giveaways, and signings at industry conferences and book festivals; outreach to key bloggers; librarian and educator promotion; and consumer promotional materials featuring #NoBounds. This is a way to brand ourselves as an imprint that embraces myriad interests within the YA readership, said Doherty of the campaigns hashtag. We know that we can publish a good story successfully, and there are a lot of good stories told outside of genre fiction. It also represents our understanding of the young adult readership, which is smart and sophisticated, and desires entertaining and thoughtful reads.

Looking ahead, the editor anticipates holding a steady course for Tor Teen, which now releases between 12 and 15 titles each season. We want to maintain a manageable list that ensures all of our authors are receiving the proper attention they deserve, Doherty noted. Of course, weve seen very nice growth over the yearsand weve come a long way from pulling two or three titles from our backlist to relaunch each season. We are now and have been for some time 100% original acquisition, and we love building and growing authors.

Editorially, she added, Tor Teen readers can expect a similarly eclectic and selective YA list in the future. We will continue to look for the best stories that not only entertain but truly challenge the reader. And when we find them, we will, as always, publish them and do the best possible job reaching the broadest audience for our authors.
The current YA landscape is something of a study in contrasts. What Jessica Regel, an agent with Foundry Literary + Media, has been hearing from a lot of editors is that they could really use a laugh. In light of recent global events, she says, I think editors and readers are looking for some escapism.

But given what is going on in the world today, editors are also looking for titles about... what is going on in the world today. Rena Rossner, an agent with the Deborah Harris Agency, is seeing a lot of books about anxietyI even represent some of them.

Regina Brooks, president of the Serendipity Literary Agency, notes an increase in demand for YA nonfiction about teen activism on a myriad of topicsenvironmentalism, entrepreneurism, politics, social justice, etc.

Brianne Johnson, an agent at Writers House, is getting manuscripts about all sorts of mental health issues, including depression, disordered eating, and narcissism. Books with strong social justice themes are in high demand, she says. We need empathy-building books that explore our world from as many different perspectives as possible. I feel like this has been reflected in a really exciting way in both what people want to write about and what editors want to publish.

We spoke with a dozen agents about YA trends, which seem to be a fairly accurate reflection of whats going on in wider society. Most noted, too, how the category has matured in the dozen years since Stephenie Meyers Twilight, the book many cite as kicking off the current YA boom.

The Han Effect

Many agents say the number-one thing theyre looking for at the moment is a sharply written rom-com. Credit Netflixs surprise summer hit To All the Boys Ive Loved Before, a movie based on Jenny Hans YA trilogy, with sparking the current hunt for read-alikes.

The success of Jennys beloved series has invigorated interest in teen rom-coms with upmarket writing and rich emotional layers, says Brent Taylor, an agent with Triada US. Ive heard from the co-agents that I work with around the world that they are seeing a hunger for similar titles in their countries, as well. From Triadas list, Taylor cites Nina Morenos forthcoming Dont Date Rosa Santos (Hyperion, May 2019), about the teen daughter of Cuban immigrants determined to defeat a family curse that dooms love, as a title with likely appeal to Hans fan base.

Laura Dail, who runs her own agency, thinks Debbie Rigauds Truly, Madly, Royally, which Dail sold to Scholastic and is due in August 2019, also has hit potential with rom-com readers. Inspired by the courtship of Prince Harry and American actress Meghan Markle, its the kind of high-concept, smart romantic comedy and epic love story that editors are asking for, she says. Bonus points for its ethnically diverse casta feature that is very much in demand, as well.

As Thao Le, an agent with Sandra Dijkstra & Associates, puts it, rom-coms with ethnically diverse characters make my heart super happy. She adds, I think marginalized readers should be able to see themselves in fun, lighthearted stories with happy endings.

The demand for romantic comedies is, of course, fueled in part by Hollywood producers looking to capture lightning in a bottle like Netflix did with To All the Boys. We have producers and studios combing through our backlists for stories in a similar style, says Kate Schafer Testerman of KT Literary. Publishers are calling, too, she notes. I had a call with an editor just yesterday, where she requested sweet, fluffy rom-coms. Amy Spaldings The Summer of Jordi Perez has done so well this year because it speaks to that need for rom-comsnot just for hetero couples, but for LGBTQ protagonists, whose stories dont always need to be about their coming out.

YA Takes on #MeToo

Agents report there is also demand for stories from the toxic end of the relationship spectrum: novels that tackle the issues raised by the #MeToo movement. Were seeing more and more books published about sexual assault, Regel says. Its no longer a taboo subject. Books help kids make sense of their world, and books that amplify the message of the #MeToo movement, with characters who are struggling to come to terms with sexual assault, show kids that they arent alone.

And thats not just true for kids: I think that so many people I interact withauthors, editors, and other agentsall seem to know someone or are someone who has been personally affected by the movement, and it relates to the stories we want to tell and help be told, Testerman says.

Jill Grinberg, president of Jill Grinberg Literary Management, says the #MeToo movement has already had a profound impact on her list. One of my agencys big submissions for the fall is a novel that deconstructs high school rape culture, told from multiplesometimes conflictingPOVs in the vein of One of Us Is Lying, that tackles the impulse of organizations to prioritize the reputations of abusers over the stories of victims.

Grinberg previously sold Deep Dark Blue (Feiwel and Friends), a YA memoir by Polo Tate, who entered the Air Force Academy at age 17 as a star student and athlete and was sexually assaulted twice within her first year. Tate was so traumatized, Grinberg says, that she almost didnt survive. I have a 13-year-old daughter, I talk with lots of teens, and Id like to do my part to put out books that honestly reflect their experiences and, crucially, raise awareness, she says. Girls are subtly encouraged to tolerate teasing, rude comments, and even unwanted touching, because it is just boys being boys, rather than speak out. Its time to speak out.

Seeking Diverse Content and Creators

The push to diversify YA literatureand childrens publishing in generalcontinues to make headway, though not as fast as some would hope. I try to be realistic about progress, Brooks says. The publishing landscape in the childrens/YA space seems to be shifting a bit faster than in adult. Im seeing new faces in editorial and have been really excited to work with an African-American marketing associate on one of my books, but Id love to see a few more people of color working as book designers, publicists, and digital marketing professionals.

Testerman agrees. I think there are steps being made, but we still have a long way to go, she says. Imprints like Kokila and Salaam Reads are fantastic, but we need to see diverse voices both in the workplace and on the creative side across the board, not just in specialized imprints. That being said, concrete action like the We Need Diverse Books insert from Scholastic Book Clubs, spearheaded by Preeti Chhibber, is very impactful, especially to librarians, teachers, and parents.

Joanna Volpe, president of New Leaf Literary & Media, is even more forceful about the need to make sure not just creators but editorial staff better reflect the worlds ethnic and racial composition. This is uncomfortable to say, but its true, she says. Theres no way we can support a creator from a marginalized background to the best of our abilities if all, or the majority, of the people on the team to bring a book to the shelves are white, cisgender, and able-bodied. Whether were well-intentioned or not, those of us that fall into that categorywhich is the vast majoritycome to our jobs from a place of privilege and different levels of ignorance. And, as a result, we just cant fulfill all of the needs of the creators. More importantly, we cant fulfill the needs of readers and the industry as a whole.

Many agents mentioned that the challenge now is to move beyond tokenism. I do think publishing is becoming more receptive to diverse storytelling, but I continue to feel like theres always that idea of one book to rule them all, when publishers should make room for multiple stories and perspectives from the same marginalized group, Le says. Until we stop seeing rejections that say things along the lines of, We already have a story about x, and start seeing books published that reflect multiplicities of experiences, we still have a long way to go, Rossner says.

Still, there are victories to celebrate even while acknowledging that more can be done. Dail points to a recent week on the New York Times bestseller list: The top five books on the YA hardcover bestseller list were written by people of color, she says.

Star Search

The real challenge, of course, is finding new voices from underrepresented groups. Brooks attends writers conferencesa few dozen each yearwith an emphasis on those that specifically seek to attract diverse audiences, such as the Color of Childrens Literature Conference. She actively looks for creators new to YA storytelling. Im finding writers outside of publishing, she says, i.e., television writers such as Doreen Spicer-Dannelly, author of Love Double Dutch!, and Afro-Punk filmmaker James Spooner, who has a manuscript in the works.

Regel attends a lot of conferences, too, and, like many other agents, pays careful attention to queries. I also represent the book packager In This Together Media, and their focus is working with brown and black writers and promoting their stories, she says. Its been a dream working with them and their writers.

Social media has been a boon. Le actively participates in Twitter contests such as #DVPit, a pitch event for agentless manuscripts from marginalized creators, and #PitMad, a Twitter pitch party. But, like Taylor, who says he absolutely loves Pitch Wars and looks forward to it every year, Le still relies heavily on what arrives in the mail. I continue to find about 90% of my clients from the slush pile, she notes. Querying may seem old school, but it works.

Comics for Teens

Agents are also hoping that YA sees a similar boom in comics to the one being experienced in middle grade. So far, however, theres been more promise than payoff.

This is a space Ive always read and worked in, but selling original comics and graphic novels has always been tough, Volpe says. Prior to 2017, I had sold only three graphic novel/comic book projects in my whole career, and not for lack of trying. Since 2017, I have sold fiveand counting: a mix of middle grade and YA. I am thrilled to see a cry for more books in this space.

Brooks is hard at work in this area, too, signing Shawn Martinbrough, a critically acclaimed creator-illustrator whose work has already been published by Marvel and DC Comics. Part of the challenge, Taylor says, is persuading publishers that YA readers want the same kind of escapist illustrated stories as younger readers. I think there is an attitude that middle grade graphic novels get to be goofy and commercial, and YA ones should be literary and smart. Id love to see YA graphic novels published for every single type of readerthe ones who want something commercial or fun, in addition to the ones who are looking for stories that are a little more quiet and emotional.

The audience for YA comics might have to be driven by creators who already have a following and can pave the way for newcomers or lesser-known authors and illustrators. I think the YA comics that are breaking out are from huge established voices with their own audiences, Testerman says. YA readers will go into the comics aisle to follow Rainbow Rowell or Cassandra Clare, for instance, but were not yet seeing the same ravenous appetite for comics as in middle grade, where it doesnt matter who the author is so long as the story is told well with pictures.

A Crowded Marketplace

In some ways, YA is a victim of its own success as a now-established hitmaker. Its hard for a new author to break out, and perhaps even harder for an entirely new subcategory, such as YA graphic novels, to break in.

Out of all the age categories I represent, I do personally feel that YA is the toughest, Taylor says. I am a young enough millennial that I was a teenager when YA was just starting to pick up steam with the publication of Twilight, so my biggest challenge has been finding YA novels that are completely unlike anything Ive seen over the last decade.

Is the YA marketplace overcrowded? Absolutely, Volpe says. But, she adds, Its overcrowded with some incredible books! Which makes it harder for books to rise to the top and be discovered. It remains an exciting space to be in, she says. Its a market that sets trends and one that is always challenging the status quo, at least compared to other traditional publishing spaces.

Manuscript Wish Lists

Agents say they are still eager to see manuscripts from distinctive storytellers. Pair a fantastic voice with a smart and sophisticated plot with a lot of depth, and Im smitten, Regel says. Im particularly interested in books that break stereotypes. And Ive been wanting a book written by a Native American writer for a while now.

Dail says theres unmet demand for more Latino stories: Id like to see Latinx voices not just in coming-of-age or realistic stories but in all genres.

Volpe says shed love to see some smart and witty contemporary fiction, as well as books that take place after high school, with slightly older protagonists. Many young adults I know continue to identify as YA through most of college, so why arent we telling their stories?

Taylor thinks the demand for issue-driven YA shows no sign of abating. I would love to see YA stories authentically capturing issues that are affecting teenagers today: the drug epidemic, harassment and abuse, gun violence, the failing American health-care system, he says. Publishers have a tendency to pigeonhole books on these topics as issue books, which is frustrating. These topics get a lot of coverage in the news today, and I would love to see writers thoughtfully and artistically interrogate these topics so that we can arm teen readers with the knowledge that they are not alone, that we see and hear them, and that there is a way for us to all pull each other through the darkness.

Likewise, Johnson is particularly interested in books that have a strong social justice angle, as well as stories that explore mental health in timely, relevant, fresh ways, she says. I want the books that I represent to either make people feel less alone, or to broaden their empathetic understanding of the world. Empathy-building stories are always on my manuscript wish list.

Le wants more contemporary fantasy thats rooted in our real world, magical realism, and contemporary stories with humor and compelling relationship dynamics, she says. But, she adds, Im definitely sensing high-fantasy fatigue all around. People are looking for more grounded stories.

Rossner, who is based in Israel, hopes for more stories that showcase the diverse world we live in. In particular for me, thats looking for Jewish stories from all walks of Jewish life, especially ones that tell stories of resistance, quiet or otherwise, she says. I am also always looking for diverse fantasy, with a special desire to see more Jewish and Israeli science fiction and fantasy in the marketplace. I also have a special place in my heart for novels in verse.

Which Way for YA?

Most agents agree that fantasy will take a backseat to realistic fiction in the immediate future, and that the fantasy that does get published is likely to address the social issues teens are grappling with today: sexism, feminism, racism, and violence.

Taylor hopes to continue to see publishers using technological innovation to deliver stories in new ways. He pointed to the recently published novel Sadie by Courtney Summers (Wednesday Books) as an example. The podcast within the story made listening to the audiobook a unique and incredible reading experience, he says. I have such admiration for the way Macmillan published that book in general, but specifically how they published the audiobook. I believe the exponential growth of audiobooks is an indication that people are still yearning to be told a powerful story, but that the way they experience that story may be different. Im excited to see how we can innovate the reading experience for teens, who are already at the cutting edge of technology.

Agents predict that YA authors will also continue to do what they have always done best: push the envelope. Johnson is excited about Unpregnant by screenwriters and debut novelists Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan, which she recently sold to HarperTeen and is due out in fall 2019. It manages to capture two of the most in-demand characteristics of the moment. It addresses a socially important topicaccess to abortionwithin a road trip story about a teen who must travel from Missouri to New Mexico to have a legal abortion without parental consent. Its also, Johnson says, hysterically funny: think a YA Thelma and Louise with a much happier ending. Foreign rights have already been sold in a dozen territories.

I cant imagine anyone reading this story walking away from it without an increased empathy and understanding for the plight of vulnerable young women in America today who simply need better access to reproductive health care, Johnson says. If a teen reader walks a mile in someone elses shoes, its going to give them a warmer, more nuanced, and hopefully less judgmental outlook on people different from themselves.
Leading the Pack

Brene Brown has the #1 book in the country with Dare to Lead. A research professor at University of Houston, Brown specializes in studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy, and her books routinely sell in the hundreds of thousands of print copies. Her latest is her strongest debut week to date.

(See all of this week's bestselling books.)

The French Connection

Tana Frenchs The Witch Elm has drawn attention for its plots real-life resonance; our starred review called it a chilling interrogation of privilege and the transformative effects of trauma. Her debut, In the Woods, received several first-novel awards and kicked off the Dublin Murder Squad series. The new book, her first standalone thriller, bested all previous first week print unit sales and debuts at #5 in hardcover fiction.

Stage to Page, Page to Screen

Dear Evan Hansen opened on Broadway in 2016 and has become a bona fide phenomenon, nabbing six Tony Awards including best musical and earning widespread fan affection. The show began a national tour October 5, just ahead of the release of a YA novelization by Val Emmerich with show creators Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, and Steven Levenson. It debuts at #2 in childrens frontlist fiction.

The film Beautiful Boy, adapted from David Sheffs 2007 chronicle of his teenage sons meth addiction, opened October 12 and stars Steve Carrell and Timothee Chalamet as father and son. The tie-in edition pubbed Sept. 4 and cracks our list for the first time at #20 in trade paper.

New & Notable

Bridge of Clay

Markus Zusak

#5 Childrens Frontlist Fiction

Our starred review called the authors first novel since 2006s The Book Thief an exquisitely written multigenerational family saga. Two editions of the book, signed and unsigned, debut at #5 and #16 in childrens fiction.

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven

Mitch Albom

#1 Hardcover Fiction, #8 overall

Newcomers to Albom might find his goodness cloying, our review said, but fans of 2003s The Five People You Meet in Heaven will have plenty to appreciate here.

Killing Commendatore

Haruki Murakami

#6 Hardcover Fiction

In Murakamis meticulous yet gripping latest, our review said, a painter embarks on a road trip after discovering his wifes affair and finds a magical realm that includes impish physical manifestations of ideas and metaphors.

Top 10 Overall

Rank Title Author Imprint Units 1 Dare to Lead Brene Brown Random House 63,823 2 Ship of Fools Tucker Carlson Free Press 57,941 3 The Wonky Donkey Craig Smith Scholastic 57,415 4 Killing the SS OReilly/Dugard Holt 54,714 5 Girl, Wash Your Face Rachel Hollis Nelson 41,488 6 Skinnytaste One and Done Gina Homolka Clarkson Potter 40,524 7 Presidents of War Michael Beschloss Crown 30,845 8 The Next Person You Meet in Heaven Mitch Albom Harper 30,761 9 Holy Ghost John Sandford Putnam 30,336 10 Ambush Patterson/Born Little, Brown 29,679

All unit sales per Nielsen BookScan except where noted.
Over the past five years, the North American graphic novel market has welcomed a wave of new readers and grown from about $805 million in sales in 2012 to more than $1 billion in 2017. At a panel titled Comics Readers: Who They Are and Where to Find Them, held during the recent New York Comic Con, a group of comics professionals focused on identifying some of the consumer and cultural trends driving this growth.

The panelists focused on a new generation of comics-loving librarians and comics shop owners, the bookstore market, and the ever-growing popularity of graphic novels for middle grade and young adult readers. Long dominated by the superhero genre, the North American comics market is now offering a wider variety of works thanks to growing numbers of women, girls, people of color, and LGBTQ fans. The panel also examined the growing popularity of translations from the European comics market and a wide range of nonsuperhero material that is now available.

Panelist Terry Nantier is the publisher of NBM, which publishes literary and genre graphic novels, and PaperCutz, a kids graphic novel imprint. He founded NBM with a focus on bringing English translations of European comics into the American market and is a pioneer in offering book-format comics in the U.S. Nantier said publishing nonsuperhero comics in the American market was tough in his early years but noted that the market has evolved in what it will accept. NBM has been able to grow its publishing list by making careful selections and focusing on attracting book readers rather than the traditional American superhero comics readers, he added. Weve always reached out to book readers, not comics readers alone.

Nazeli Kyuregyan-Baron, marketing director at Europe Comics, a coalition of 13 European Comics publishers that sells digital comics and brokers rights to foreign publishers, offered data on the growing sales of French comics in the U.S. and the impact of U.S. comics in France. In 2017, the total French comics market had about $575 million in sales (almost entirely in the book format). French publishers work in a variety of genres and styles, and these comics are being licensed for publication in the American market.

Last year, Europe Comics, Kyuregyan-Baron said, saw about a 26% increase in the number of titles licensed to U.S. publishers by it and the French Comics Association, a similar association of nine Franco-Belgian comics publishers, over 2016. She also noted that about 54% of French comics readers are women (They buy books as gifts for the whole family).

Although the American comics demographic has historically been dominated by men, everyone on the panel agreed that is changing. Using marketing data scrapped from Facebook, some pop culture analysts have claimed that American women represent 50% of comics fans. But Nantier was skeptical and disputed that figure. We still see more men comics readers, but female fans are growing quickly and eventually are likely to surpass men, he said. He noted that in the book market generally more women buy and read books than men and pointed out that weve always focused on marketing our comics to girls.

Other panelists pointed to a number of trends that show an increasing number of women impacting the American comics market. Karen Green, graphic novel librarian at Columbia University, cited the growth and popularity of indie comics festivals such as MoCCA Arts Fest in New York and the Small Press Expo outside Washington, D.C., which focus on nonsuperhero comics and attract far more women than men.

Jennifer King, a retailer who owns Space Cadets Collection, a comics shop in Houston, noted that comics shops used to be scary places for women, but that is changing.

Panelists also emphasized that self-publishing and crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter have been key in attracting more women creators to comics. Green also pointed out that webcomics, whose sales are not measured by BookScan, are very popular among female comics readers.

But for Nantier, the key factors transforming the American comics market have been the popularity of kids graphic novels and the embrace of the category by a new generation of librarians. Indeed, the panel cited the growing popularity of bestselling middle grade comics artist Raina Telgemeier, who will publish two books in 2019: Guts, a new graphic memoir with a first printing of a million copies, and Share Your Smile, a DIY book about comics storytelling that will have an initial printing of 500,000mammoth figures for any U.S. author, in comics or prose.

The growth in kids graphic novels has been tremendous over the last five years, as well as the growth in the number of new authors and new publishers, Nantier said. But whats heartwarming is that librarians love comics and have become the biggest champions of graphic novels. They love how comics help them get kids excited about reading.
The 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair wrapped up last Sunday, and as always, I learned a lot about whats going on in the global book business. But perhaps the most surprising thing I learned is that when it comes to library e-books, the world is watching events in the U.S.

This years CEO talk featured Macmillan CEO John Sargent, who addressed a wide range of issues in a 45-minute interview in front of a standing-room only audience. But it was a question from French journalist Antoine Oury in the audience Q&A period that caught my attentionhe asked Sargent to explain Tors controversial decision to test a four-month embargo on new e-book titles for libraries.

Here is Sargents full response to Oury:

We look at the reads of e-books as opposed to looking at unit sales. We look at who is reading them, where they are, how many units theyre reading. And, we have seen a correspondingalmost 1 for 1growth in library reads that goes along with the decrease in the sale of e-books. So it becomes a matter of concern for us. And were looking at it, were testing, to try to get some good numbers and figure out whats going on in the marketplace. And thats what were in the process of doing.

I think we were pretty clear we werent going to say anything until we got our testing done, until we analyzed our figures, and we werent going to make any new decisions on how we sell our books and where we were going to sell them until we were done with the analysis. And its about a three month testing period and then well make some decisions.

Indeed, until this point, Macmillan has said virtually nothing about the Tor embargo on library e-books, and Sargent didnt say much here either. But a few things do stand out in his response: First, Sargent alludes to a three month" testing period. If thats true, then the test should be concluding, given that it began on July 1, and assuming you can really test a four-month embargo period in just three months.

And of course, there's the claim that the publisher is seeing an almost 1-for-1 growth in library reads that goes along with the decrease in the sale of e-books. I'm not sure what means, exactly. But the data librarians and vendors have collected and shared with me about Tor e-books in libraries raises some questions about that claim.

And what I am still not at all clear on is, if print books and e-books function virtually the same way in the librarythat is, one reader/one copywhy should it matter what format a reader chooses? High e-book pricing and other barriers for libraries mean e-book readers must already endure long waits on holds lists for popular titles. What's the point of further punishing e-book readers (who make up a small, although growing, percentage of library readers) with an additional embargo period?

We've asked Macmillan for some clarification on Sargent's comments, and will report back when we get a response.

Reserve Reading

Meanwhile, on the subject of libraries and book sales, OCLC has posted an interesting item suggesting the data shows library users are publishers best customers. Not only are Amazon and libraries "complementary, not competitive," OCLCs analysis shows that library use supports commercial book sales, as well as other social and retail activities. In short: if you want to look for more customers for your online book business, look in libraries.

From Inside Higher Ed, a report on MIT and the University of Michigan presses selling e-book collections direct to libraries rather than through third party services. We determined that the MIT Press brand was prestigious enough, and that the collection was large enough, that we could go it on our own," said Amy Brand, director of MIT Press.

The U.S. Copyright Office is seeking input on modernizing the nation's copyright registration system. The announcement was made in the Federal Register this week. "The U.S. Copyright Office is building a new registration system to meet the demands of the digital age. As the Office develops a new technological infrastructure for this system, it is considering several legal and policy changes to improve user experience, increase Office efficiency, and decrease processing times."

Is it getting harder to find time to read? From The Guardian, a look at "the lost art of concentration." The report cites research from the U.K.s telecoms regulator, Ofcom, which found that "people check their smartphones on average every 12 minutes during their waking hours, with 71% saying they never turn their phone off and 40% saying they check them within five minutes of waking."

Over at InfoDocket, Gary Price shares a few links celebrating the 10th anniversary of the HathiTrust Digital Library. "Ten years ago, HathiTrust was launched jointly by the 12-university consortium known as the Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) and the 10 university libraries of University of California system," notes a post from the California Digital Library. "Today the HathiTrust corpus includes 16.7 million volumes of which over 6 million (or roughly 38%) are in the public domain."

From The New York Times, a collection of writers share their thoughts on libraries. Yeah, they love you, they really love you! "Those of us launched from bare-bones schools in uncelebrated places will always find particular grace in a library, where the temple doors are thrown wide to all believers, regardless of pedigree," writes the great Barbara Kingsolver.

Also from The New York Times, a piece that looks at how anti-tax fervor and a tough economy killed off the library in one Oregon county, and how residents are trying to bring the library back. "The tiny library in Drain, population 1,000, scheduled a grand reopening party this fall after more than 18 months of darkness, but party planners had a problem as the date loomed: The library didnt own any books."

From The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, a report on how a librarian and a bookseller created 'alibis' for missing Carnegie Library rare books in a massive book theft scheme.

From the Denver Post, a report on two parents in Colorado who have "filed a lawsuit claiming pornography was distributed to their children by a national scholastic network and the Colorado Library Consortium." The suit was filed with the support of a group called "Pornography is Not Education" on behalf parents Drew and Robin Paterson. A spokesman for the law firm representing the Patersons said in a statement: The real issue here is straightforward: Pornography is available on EBSCO databases and the library consortium brokers it to school children. The Colorado Association of Libraries has blasted the lawsuit as "a blatant attempt to erase all electronic material the group does not like from local and school libraries."

From GovTech: "New York City is holding its first library privacy week this month, which includes a series of more than 30 free public workshops aimed at teaching residents better data privacy practices.". Topics covered range from "how to use available digital privacy tools to what to expect from emerging issues of digital privacy in the future." Protecting your data while using public Wi-Fi networks is also a major point of emphasis.

From Wired, comes this fascinating look at how our free speech values are being used against us. "Particularly in the United States, an aversion to anything that resembles censorship has resulted in a sustained reluctance to reckon with the implications of mass manipulation on our public discourse."

We close with sad news this week: Todd Bol, who started the Little Free Library movement, has died at the age of 62. If I may be so bold, Im the most successful person I know, Bol told the Minnesota Star Tribune, because I stimulate 54 million books to be read and neighbors to talk to each other. As far as Im concerned, thats the very definition of success...I wouldnt switch my existence for Jeff Bezos or any of it.
The following is a transcript of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's full speech delivered on October 9, 2018, at the opening press conference of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Copyright  2018 by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, all rights reserved, and reprinted with permission of the Wylie Agency LLC.

A friend of mine who lives here in Frankfurt asked me to start my talk by saying that I like Frankfurt. Because she said that people in Frankfurt like to be liked. So: I like Frankfurt.

I was raised Roman Catholic. As a child, I loved going to church. My family went every Sunday to St Peters Chapel, which was a tall white building on the campus of the University of Nigeria, where I grew up.

The parish priest was a University lecturer. And as far as a Roman Catholic Church could go, it was an open, progressive, welcoming place. The Sunday sermons were benignly boring.

Years later, I heard that the church had changed hands and that the new parish priest was a man who was singularly focused on womens bodies. He appointed a religious police, a brigade of boys, whose job it was to stand at the door of the church, and examine each woman and decide who could enter and who could not. Grandmothers were turned away because their dresses were ostensibly low-cut.

After Id been away for years, I went home to visit my parents. And I went to church. I wore a long skirt and a short-sleeved blouse in traditional printan ordinary, commonly-worn outfit. At the entrance of the church, a young man stood in my way. His expression was a contrived mask of righteousness, which I would have found, in different circumstances, very funny. He asked me to turn back. My sleeves were too short, he said. I was showing too much arm. I could not go into the church unless I wrapped a shawl around my shoulders.

I was enraged. This church was part of my happy childhood, part of my memories of a time filled with joy. And now it had become a place that treated women not as human beings but as bodies that had to be controlled and harassed. And for what? To protect men from themselves.

So I decided to write an article about this incident in a widely read Nigerian newspaper. I thought that the article would trigger action, that the university community would finally rise up and say enough and petition the Bishop or the Pope or whoever made these decisions, and get this priest thrown out and restore the church to a welcoming place, free of misogyny.

But that did not happen. Instead, I was astonished by the hostile reception the article received. The summary of which was: SHUT UP. How dare you, a young woman, challenge a man of God?

I found it interesting that both the response to my article and the priests attitude toward women came from a similar impulsethe need to control women. And this impulse to deny women full autonomy over their own bodies, this inability to see women as full human beings, exists everywhere in the worldthe woman in the Middle East who does not want to but is forced to cover herself, the woman in the West who is slut-shamed for being a sexual being, the woman in Asia who is secretly videotaped in a public bathroom.

And this impulse also exists in the liberal literary world, where women writers are expected to make their female characters likeable, as though the full humanity of a female person must, in the end, fit the careful limitations of likeability.

And, to end the story of what happened in church that day, obviously my reaction was based on principlejust as men could decide what to wear in church, women, too, should be able to. But more practically, it was a hot day and the fans in the church were not working and the last thing I wanted to do was to wrap an itchy shawl around my shoulders.

And so I brushed aside the religious police and I walked in and sat down. The priest was informed of a stubborn person who had forced her way into the church, and was guilty of showing too much arm. The priest scolded me from the altar, and after mass, words were exchanged and to say that the words were unpleasant would be putting it very mildly indeed.

That experience made me let go of my own foolish, romanticized idea that speaking out comes with the certainty of widespread support. But it clarified for me the importance of speaking out about what mattersone must speak out not because you are sure you will get support but because you cannot afford silence. I knew what the church once was, and I saw what it had become, and I could not keep silent.

I am sometimes called an activist. And I often feel a tug of reluctance, a resistance in my spirit, because it is not a word I would ever use to describe myself. Perhaps because I grew up in Nigeria and I saw what I consider to be real activists, people who give their lives for causes, people who showed the kind of uncommon dedication that I can only aspire to.

I see myself as a writer, a storyteller, an artist. Writing is what gives my life meaning. Its what makes me happiest when it is going well. Its what makes me saddest when it is not.

But I am also a citizen. My responsibility as an artist is to my art. My responsibility as a citizen is to the truth and to justice.

This distinction between the artist and the citizen was recently made clear to me by an acquaintance who, in response to Nigerian hostility about something I had said about feminism, told me Nigerians dont have a problem with your books; they have a problem with your politics. They just want you to shut up and write.

A few years ago, the Nigerian government passed a law that makes homosexuality a crime, a law I find not only deeply immoral but also politically cynical. It was this same acquaintance who told me that he didnt understand why I would choose to speak out about my opposition to this law that many Nigerians actually happened to support. You have nothing to gain, he told me. And potentially a lot to lose.

He meant well. He was trying in his own way to protect me. But he was wrong about my not having anything to gain. Because to live in a society that treats every citizen in a just and equal manner is an advantage. If I can change one mind, if I can get one person to think critically and oppose the law, then I have gained plenty, because I have contributed to one small step in the long journey towards progress.

This is a Time for Courage

Art can illuminate politics. Art can humanize politics. But sometimes, that is not enough. Sometimes politics must be engaged with as politics. And this could not be more urgent today.

The world is shifting; its changing; its darkening. We can no longer play by the old rules of complacency. We must invent new ways of doing, new ways of thinking. The most powerful country in the world today feels like a feudal court full of intrigues, feeding on mendacity, drowning in its own hubris. We must know what is true. We must say what is true. And we must call a lie a lie.

This is a time for courage, and my understanding of courage is not the absence of fear. It is the resolve to act while also being afraid.

This is a time for more complex stories: it is not enough to know about how refugees suffer or how they do not fit into a new society; we must also know about what hurts their pride, what they aspire to, and who arms the wars that made them refugees in the first place, who bears responsibility.

This is a time to proclaim that economic superiority does not mean moral superiority.

This is a time to parse the subject of immigration, to be honest about it. To ask whether the question is about immigration or whether it is about immigration of specific kinds of peopleMuslims, black people, brown people.

This is a time for boldness in storytelling, a time for new storytellers. 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.

This is a time to revisit how we think about stories. The question of human rights is not just about the big stories of government repression. It is also about the intimate stories. Domestic violence is as much a question of human rights as refugee asylum. Eleanor Roosevelt said of human rights: Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we will look in vain for progress in the larger world.

A Time for Womens Voices

All over the world today, women are speaking up, but their stories are still not really heard. It is time for us to pay more than lip service to the fact that womens stories are for everyone, not just women. We know from studies that women read books by men and women, but men read books by men. It is time for men to read women. It is time to bring an end to that question what do women want, because it is time for all of us to know that women simply want to be full members of the human family.

There is a big gap in the imaginative space of so many people in the world today. There is an inability to feel empathy for women because the stories of women are not truly familiar; the stories of women are not yet seen as universal. 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.

 There is an inability to feel empathy for women because the stories of women are not truly familiar; the stories of women are not yet seen as universal. 

The American Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spoken of how she was once asked how many justices of the Supreme Court would need to be women for it to seem fair to you? And her response was all nine of them.

And she said people were often shocked, and people would say oh, but thats not fair. But of course, for many years all nine justices were men, and it seemed normal. Just as it seems normal today that most positions of real power in the world are occupied by men.

Women are still invisible. Womens experiences are still invisible. It is time for all of us to be unabashed in recognizing that, in the words of Pablo Neruda, we belong to this great humanity, not to the few but to the many.

Im sometimes known as a feminist icon. I have a hat that says feminist icon, but I didnt bring it with me today. But being a feminist icon means that people often turn to me to talk about feminism. I am bilingual; I speak both Igbo and English. And with my family and friends, we often speak two languages at the same time. And so a close friend of mine had told me that she had gone to see a consultant. And she said this in English. Igbo, I should say, does not have gender-specific pronouns, so the same word is the pronoun used for men and woman. And so my friend said I went to see a consultant, and I switched to English and said what did he say?

And my friend started laughing. She said: you lecture us all the time about not assuming things, but you just assumed the consultant was a man. In fact, the consultant was a woman. And so I hung my head in great shame. But it also made me realize how deeply embedded patriarchy is in our social DNA.

Why Literature Matters

Literature is my religion. I have learned from literature that we are all flawedall of us humans are flawed. But I have also learned that we are capable of goodness. That we do not need first to be perfect before we can do what is right and just.

I have two homes, in Nigeria and in the US. I used to roll my eyes at people who, when they were asked where they lived, would name two places. But I have become one of those peopleand sometimes I roll my eyes at myself.

But when I first came to the U.S. to attend college more than twenty years ago, I discovered that I had a new identity. In Nigeria I had thought of myself in terms of ethnicity and religionI was Igbo, and I was a Christian. But in America I became a new thing: I became black.

I dont often transplant scenes from my life into my fiction but I once did with a particular scene in which I first started to understand what it meant to be black. An editor told me that the scene was completely unbelievable. It had been staged so that I could say something about race. She said, It would never happen like that in real life.

I wanted to tell her, actually, it did happen like that. But I didnt tell her that. Because when I teach creative writing, I tell my students you cannot use real life to justify your fiction. If your fiction is unbelievable to the reader, then you, the writer, have failed at your art, which is to use language to achieve the suspension of disbelief.

I tell my students this because I used to believe this. But increasingly I find myself questioning it. Because what we believe or what we dont believe, what we find believable, or what we find unbelievable, is itself a framework of our own experiences.

How many black people did that editor know? How many honest experiences of black people had she heard? On what basis did she decide what to believe and what not to believe?

It is time to expand our boundaries, widen the framework, know that what already exists can sometimes be too narrow to fit the complex multiplicity of human experiences.

I think that we need more stories that are overtly political, more stories that look the world in the face. But I also think that we need stories that are not overtly political.

I teach a writing workshop in Lagos every year. And I make a conscious effort, when selecting the final participants, to have a diversity of voicesa diversity of class, of region, of religion.

Two years ago, a young man called Kelechi came to the workshop. He was working class, intelligent, a journalist. During the workshop, one of the participants wrote a storya story without a plot, a celebration of language, a meditation on growing up. I found the story beautiful. Kelechi was perplexed by it.

But nothing happens in this story. And it doesnt teach us anything, he said.

Well, I said, I am sorry the story does not teach you how to how to build a house and how to get a job.

Now that I think back on it, I am ashamed of my response to him. My response, in its shameful snobbery, was shaped by a fashionable idea among those who make literature, who teach it, and who promote it, that to question the usefulness of literature is philistinism in its purest form. Later, in thinking about it, what Kelechi was asking that day was a much bigger and much more important question: Does literature matter? Is literature useful?

We can continue to talk about literature as a cult that cannot be questioned, or we could soften the edges of our definitions. What does it mean to be useful? Does usefulness end in the concrete?

We humans are not a collection of logical bones and flesh. We are emotional beings as much as we are physical beings. Usefulness should relate to all the parts that make us human.

I wish I had told Kelechi that day what I now thinkwhich is that our definition of useful is too narrow.

Literature does teach us. Literature does matter. I read to be consoled, I read to be moved, I read to be reminded of grace and beauty and love but also of pain and sorrow. And all of these matterall of these are useful lessons.

Editor's note: You can watch a video of Adichie's speech here.
Norwegian Thriller Sells After 8-Way Auction in Germany

The Ice, a thriller by Norwegian screenwriter John Kare Raake, has sold to Goldmann in Germany after an eight-way auction. Norwegian agency Northern Stories controls all rights, and there are offers in Finland, as well. Gyldendal Norsk Forlag will publish in Norway this coming February, and the book is about a former Special Forces commando who finds a group of Chinese researchers murdered in their laboratory in the North Pole.

Dutch Book on Math Sells in Sweden and Other Territories

Pluses and Minuses: Mathematics and the World Around Us by Stefan Buijsman, about the role math has played throughout history and its significance in our lives today, has sold in Sweden to Natur och Kultur, in Hungary to Libri, C.H. Beck in Germany, and ZNAK in Poland. At press time, there were also offers in on the book from several other territories. Rights are being controlled by the originating publisher, De Bezige Bij, which released the book in earlier this month. The author was born in 1995 and earned a PhD at a very young age. Michael Carlisle of Inkwell is representing US/North American rights.

Italian Sale for True Crime Book

The true crime book Hitman: The Art of Evil by journalist Andrea Galli, sold at auction to Rizzoli in Italy, in a deal handled by originating agent Vicki Satlow. A sale has also closed with Vulkan in Serbia, and an auction is ongoing in Poland. The book examines Julian Sinanaj, the accused killer of perhaps as many as 20 people, who was arrested in 2014, and the culture of criminal activity in Albania.

French Novel Adds Six Publishers

Real Life by Adeline Dieudonne, published in France by Editions de l'Iconoclaste, has sold to six foreign publishers, including Dtv in Germany and Atlas Contact in the Netherlands. The novel was published in August and is about a young girl coming of age in a family dealing with a tragic accident.

Italian Mussolini Novel Draws Attention

M. The Son of the XX Century by Antonio Scurati, an 800-page historical novel published in Italy in October by Bompiani, just sold to Fourth Estate in the U.K, HarperCollins in the U.S., Intrinseca in Brazil. Previous deals for the book have closed with Fraktura in Croatia, Alfaguara in Spain and Klett-Cotta in Germany. Italian Literary controls rights to the book and said it is about the life of Benito Mussolini, focusing on his rise to power from 1919-1924. According to the literary agency, it is the first novel to feature Mussolini as the protagonist.
Government has no responsibility, legal or moral to pay citizens for losses incurred as a result of engaging in illegal activity. Emotional notion, based on nothing that if you end up in DKM government should come to your aid.

There is no such responsibility and in certain situations, I am aware certain people were paid some monies and one of these days someone should sue them for wasting our money. Why is that important? It is because you need to know that you really do not have any protection, Mr. Bentil added at a forum organized by Media General on Ponzi schemes.

Investors are often made to believe the profits are coming from product sales, or other means, and remain unaware that other investors are the source of profits.

Meanwhile, a private Legal Practitioner, Ace Ankomah, has said Ponzi schemes thrive because of the poor enforcement of laws in the country.

He is, therefore, demanding that the laws are applied to prevent people from deceiving unsuspecting members of the public.

They have simply and repeatedly refused, failed or neglected to implement the law and that is the summary of the tragedy we call Ghana. A Ponzi scheme is where fraud milks greed. If the investment sounds too good to be true, ask questions, read, go to companies registry and file a simple search on the company. Read the regulations, look for regulation 8 (c). Do not take deposits however you disguise it without a license. The law defines deposits. It defines deposit taking. It is comprehensive, Ace Ankomah said.

Their comments come in the wake of agitations by customers of Menzgold over the non-payment of their investment in their transactions with the company.

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.

READ ALSO: Govt outlines measures to get more women in mining sectorGovt outlines measures to get more women in mining sector

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.
It will be recalled that President Akufo-Addo was first appointed as Co-Chair of the Secretary-Generals Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Advocates, along with Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, in April 2017.

With the mandate of the current group of Advocates ending in December 2018, the President will continue to serve in this capacity, per the letter of invitation from the United Nations Secretary-General.

The letter from the UN Secretary General to President Akufo-Addo stated that "given your strong commitment to the 2030 Agenda, it gives me great pleasure to invite you to remain as co-chair of the SDGs Advocates for an additional two years, until 31 December 2020."

In response to a letter from the UN Secretary-General, dated 17th October, 2018, the President expressed appreciation for the trust and confidence that the Secretary General has reposed in him to continue working with his fellow Advocates towards the accelerated realization of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The SDG Advocates consists of 17 eminent persons assisting the UN Secretary-General in the campaign to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by world leaders in September 2015.
MTN Ghana has recorded a strong performance in its third-quarter revenue driven by its mobile money (MoMo) service, the South African mobile firm said on Friday.

MTN Group said the units Q3 revenue grew around 23% boosted, MoMo, a platform which allows money transfer and payments using a mobile phone in Ghana, Reuters quoted a statement from the company.

In its report scheduled for release on Monday, October 29, 2018, revenue for the nine months ended 30 September 2018 rose to 3.54 billion Ghanaian cedis ($731.90 million) from 2.49 billion Ghanaian cedis during the same period a year ago.

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During the quarter, MTN Ghanas service revenue grew 22.9%, its data revenue increased by 30.9% and digital revenue rose by 28%.

Ghana market contributed to MTN half-year strong performance

In its half-year financial statement released on Wednesday, August 8, 2018, the African phone firm recorded an improved financial report for led by growth in Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.

In the period, growth in EBITDA in Ghana went up by 13.6%, its strongest performance across Africa after the Nigerian unit.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is asking Paul Manafort, the former chairman of President Donald Trumps campaign, for information about the longtime GOP strategist Roger Stone, ABC News reported.

Manafort has been cooperating with the ongoing Russia investigation since September, when he pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

He is arguably the most significant cooperating witness to date, given his prominent role on the Trump campaign during a pivotal time in the 2016 election season.

Manafort was the chairman of President Donald Trump's campaign when he offered a Russian oligarch "private briefings" on Trump's bid. He was one of three top Trump campaign officials to attend a meeting with two Russian lobbyists offering dirt on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton at the height of the campaign.

And he was leading the campaign when the radical pro-transparency group WikiLeaks began dumping thousands of emails from the Democratic National Committee that had been stolen by Russian operatives.

Mueller has in recent months zeroed in on Stone's links to WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks published thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign at the height of the 2016 election. The US intelligence community believes the breaches and subsequent dissemination of emails were carried out on the Kremlin's orders.

When prosecutors indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers in July on conspiracy and hacking charges, they referenced WikiLeaks  though not by name  as the Russians' conduit to release stolen documents via the hacker Guccifer 2.0, who is believed to be a front for Russian military intelligence.

Manafort was the chairman of Trump's campaign amid the Russian hacking effort.

WikiLeaks dumped the first batch of hacked Democratic emails on July 22, 2016. Days later, on August 2, Manafort met with the Russian military intelligence operative Konstantin Kilimnik and later said they discussed the Trump campaign and the DNC hack. Kilimnik said they did not discuss the campaign but talked about "current events" and "unpaid bills," believed to be a reference to Manafort's financial debt to the Russian-Ukrainian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

On August 21, Stone blasted out a tweet that said, "Trust me, it will soon [be] Podesta's time in the barrel," an apparent reference to Clinton campaign manager John Podesta.

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WikiLeaks published a batch of hacked emails from Podesta's account days later.

Stone's tweet and several others raised questions about whether he had prior knowledge of WikiLeaks' plans.

Stone denies knowing about the document dump in advance.

"Mr. Mueller has no evidence whatsoever of Russian collusion, WikiLeaks collaboration, advance notice of the acquisition and publication of John Podesta's emails or any other illegal activity pertaining to the 2016 election, because none exists," he told Business Insider in an earlier statement.

The GOP strategist is known to have been in direct communication with WikiLeaks and Guccifer 2.0 during the election, and it's likely Mueller's questions to Manafort drill down on ties between Stone and WikiLeaks.

Stone said he has communicated indirectly with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in the past through the radio host Randy Credico. Credico denies the claim, and he said following a grand jury appearance in September that prosecutors had demonstrated interest in Stone's statement.

In addition to Credico, Mueller has questioned nearly a dozen of Stone's associates, and many of them later appeared before a federal grand jury.

Asked about his thoughts on what Mueller may be asking Manafort, Stone replied, "I am unconcerned," and referenced the statement he made when Manafort's cooperation deal was first announced.

"It has no bearing on me," he said at the time.
A notice released by the Director General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof Isa Hayatu Chiroma SAN, states that 5,846 students participated in the examination conducted in August, and 4,633 (79.25%) of them emerged successful.

ALSO READ: 5 tech skills you should have before 2019 as an undergraduate

The release says that 161 (2.75%) candidates graduated with a first class. This is reportedly the first time such result is recorded in the history of the Nigerian Law School.

Also, 218 (3.73%) candidates graduated with a conditional pass while 965 (16.51%) of the candidates failed the examination.

According to Punch, only 29 students bagged a first class in 2017.

In 2015, the institution produced only six first class graduates. Three of them from Lagos campus, one from Kano and two Abuja campus.

The Bayelsa, Yola and Enugu campuses did not produce any first class graduate that year.

Making first class at the Nigerian Law School is generally believed to very difficult. However, Oludare Subomi Onokoya who is one of the outstanding Law students, recently spoke to Pulse about his Law School experience and how he defied the odd to be among the best.

Onokoya believes having an outstanding performance at law schools is all about determination and discipline.

"It wasn't easy, but I won't say it was too difficult either. It has a lot to do with mindset and believing that all obstacles are surmountable if a person is determined enough."
The battle about supremacy among Nigerian Universities is not new on social media, but this time Twitter takes it to a whole new level with funny memes, hilarious tweets and video skits.

You'll probably have heard about how big the OAU campus is and about the smallness of its Lagos counterpart which someone on Twitter describes as a microscopic campus.

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You'll also have heard about how lively it is to combine academic and social life in UNILAG and how many think campus life in OAU is as boring as beans.

But the Twitter bants between OAU and UNILAG peeps is nothing you've heard before.

So, ladies and gentlemen here are some of the tweets that jokingly tell you what you probably don't know about the great Obafemi Awolowo University and the elites and prestigious University of Lagos.

ALSO READ: 10 pictures that prove OAU is the most beautiful campus in Nigeria

Let's have a break. Remember the supremacy battle has always been between Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Ibadan. And despite the fact that UI is the first university in Nigeria and OAU peeps believe the supremacy battle shouldn't be about the year the schools were establshed.

And that is why the UI community is enjoying this battle with a bowl of popcorn.

Back to the battle front
Whether it is a shame on Nigerian men or Nigerian women, nobody knows, but the depth of unfaithfulness adds an extra kick in the teeth for a country sunken as Nigeria. The rate of paternity fraud in Nigeria was 30 percent  which means 30% of Nigerian men are caring for children that are not theirs.

Recently, a Nigerian Twitter User, Chuka Chukwudile who tweets @MrAdeBond replied a Reno Omokri tweet that, I know a couple who went for same Visa processing and it came out that the 4 children the man thought he had, none were his. Plot twist all 4 children were from 4 different men. Real life stuff.

Omokri had earlier tweeted on his rollercoaster, never-ending #RenoNuggets that, The US Embassy in Nigeria now involves guards when reading results of DNA tests for families applying for visas, because of high instances that the father is not the biological dad of the kids. Our churches shouldnt teach more tithes, they should teach more morals 

It all brings some perspective into the Kanye West lyrics off his 2005 Grammy nominated hit song, Gold Digger featuring Jamie Foxx.

Talking from the angle of wealth seeking, desperate women, West discussed the philandering women, and the art of prenuptial agreements to women who give kids to wrong fathers due to wealth or security those men guarantee.

He rapped, Eighteen years, eighteen years. And on the 18th birthday he found out it wasnt his?! The song perfectly captures the infamy and shock paternity fraud on the unfortunate men who have to deal with the heartbreak of the realization.
Some excited residents of Gaduwa Estate, Gudu District, who came out to witness the falling of the hailstones, which they described as strange, told NAN that it was a blessing to witness the occurrence.

Miss Chidinma Okoro, said this was the first time she had ever seen hailstones  and was very excited.

I have only heard and read about it but this is my first time of experiencing it live.

We just started hearing something hitting the roof very hard and we all ran to the balcony just to see things like ice blocks falling down.

I am really excited.

Another resident, Mrs Theresa John, said she was awakened by the sound of the hailstones on the roof and was excited seeing them fall from the sky.

I have seen hailstones before but this is my first experience in Abuja. It was quite exciting.

 My childrens Nanny ran out to gather some because she has never seen them before and she was dumbfounded. 

The Nanny, Rejoice Gawan, who also spoke with NAN, , expressed excitement, saying she has never seen anything like this before.NAN reports that hail comprises of balls of irregular lumps of ice called hailstones. It usually falls in cold weather.

The Wikipedia online dictionary says, Hail is a form of solid precipitation distinct from ice pellets, though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstones.
The new name, Mr Dowells No.1 Whisky, was the overwhelming favourite of Nigerians who joined in a unique social media campaign, which lasted about two weeks.

Temitope Adenle, Brand Manager, Mr Dowells No.1 Whisky, remarks In addition to the fact that the name was the overwhelming choice of our consumers, we are particularly pleased that we have a new name that rolls off the tongue as smoothly as Nigerias no.1 whisky.

Mr. Dowells will continue to sit proudly at tables where friends gather, strengthening bonds of true friendship.

Our friends can be rest assured that Mr Dowells may be a new name but the spirit remains the same. It is the Spirit of True Friendship.

18+. Drink Responsibly.
She also alleged domestic violence by the spouse who reportedly took her children out in the cold.

Obaoye claims her trouble started when she "became aware about the Adidas game" meant to test her loyalty. She does not think the police can help in a post she shared on Facebook.

ALSO READ: Find out why a police woman stabbed husband now battling for his life

On Facebook Adenike Obaoye recorded a live video where she voiced out more about her problem.
According to LIB, Ojo called the DPO on the telephone on Thursday, October 11, 2018, to request for the release of a partner previously nabbed by the police.

ALSO READ: Suspected cult member killed while exchanging fire with the police

The suspect reportedly dialled Ifeanyi Owo from an anonymous number later confirmed by the police. This helped in ensuring that the cult member was arrested.

''Consequently, the squad went underground and deciphered the unknown number to be 07033719352 owned by Austine Oghieh, 38.

"He was traced to 15, Fakeye Street, off Jimoh Yusuf Street, Obawole, Fagba in Ikeja Local Government where he was apprehended. The suspect confessed to the crime.
The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr Don Adinuba, announced the ban in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha.

Adinuba said the ban became imperative because of the ongoing seeming ownership tussle of Bishop Crowder Memorial School, Onitsha, being contested between the state and the Diocese on the Niger, Anglican Communion.

NAN recalls that the Church, through its legal Secretary, Mr Tabugbo Anaeto, is laying ownership of the school.

NAN further reports that members of the Anglican Church recently staged a peaceful protest and subsequently released a statement, accusing the state government of its alleged refusal from allowing it to assume ownership of its property.

Anaeto, in a statement, alleged that the state government had refused to make public the report of the fact finding committee on the ownership of the school set up by former Gov. Peter Obi.

But the commissioner dismissed the allegation, saying that the school, established by government during the colonial era, had been operated since then by the state government till date.

The original name of the school began as Local Authority School under the colonial masters; it never belonged to any church.

If they really lay claim of ownership, they should come forward with documents to prove that, but we do not want to engage in a press war with any organisation or individual in the state.

This will not be in the interest of the people of the state to engage in any kind of press war, the commissioner told NAN.

Adinuba explained that the Deputy Governor had granted an oral plea by Anglican Church to allow it conduct mid-week services in the school on Wednesdays.

The commissioner said the church had been conducting mid week service within the school premises but expressed surprise that it suddenly started erecting structures within the school compound without authorization.

According to him, what you know is not your own, why take it by blackmail, the commissioner queried, saying that every property owned by churches were documented by the state government.

The Anambra Government has, therefore, banned religious services from being conducted in publicly owned secondary schools across the state based on our experience.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that late Adeoye, who was until recently chairman of the party in Moba Local Government, was allegedly trailed to his residence by the gunmen and shot dead in the presence of his family members.

The governor had upon hearing the sad news, after his return from a trip to Abuja, through his Chief Peress Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, directed all the security agencies in the state to ensure the killers are apprehended and made to face the wrath of the law.

He said his administration would work with security agencies to put an end to the spate of assassination and violence in the state.

Meanwhile, the governor commiserated with the family of the deceased, assuring them of justice in the matter.

NAN reports that Fayemi, who was out of the state on official duty when the incidence occurred, described the death of the APC chieftain as sad and devastating, pledging governments support for the family.

The Governors condolence message was delivered to the family by a high power delegation comprising the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Biodun Oyebanji; Chief of Staff, Mr Biodun Omoleye; and Chief Alaba Abejide.
The bank also ranked Kaduna State fifth in ease of doing business and 17th in dealing with construction permits.

According to the report, Doing Business measures aspects of regulations that enables or hinders entrepreneurs in starting, operating or expanding a business and provides recommendations and good practices for improving the business environment.

The 36 states and the FCT Abuja were measured on four indicators:

Starting a business, which measures procedures, time, cost and paid-in minimum capital to start a business and registering a property, which measures procedures, time and cost to transfer a property.

Others are dealing with construction permit, which measures the procedures, time and cost to complete all formalities to build a warehouse; and enforcing contracts, that measures the time and cost of resolving a commercial dispute.

These were in addition to quality of building regulation and its implementation, quality of land administration system and quality of judicial processes.

The document indicates that in registering a property, Kaduna State scored 45.72 in Distance to Frontier (DTF) of global best practices and number one in the country, followed by Zamfara with 37.39 and Jigawa with 36.79 DTF score.

In enforcing contracts, Kaduna State also top other states with 65.10 DTF score, closely followed by Bauchi State with a score of 63.99 and Jigawa with 63. 14.

The state, however occupied the fifth position in the ease of doing business ranking after FCT, Lagos, Enugu, and Ogun states that occupies the first, second, third and fourth position respectively.

The banks Country Director, Mr Rachid Benmessaoud, described Kaduna as the most improved state in the 2018 doing business report, having scored an average of 65.97 on the four indicators, the highest in the country.

The state adopted a four-year development plan in 2016 focusing on promoting economic development and boosting private investment through reforming its business environment.

From making its company incorporation process electronic to digitising its land registry to streamlining its construction permitting system and the results was impressive.

As the report indicates, Kaduna State has improved its average DTF score by 11.21 percentage points, from 54.76 in 2014 to 65.97 in 2018 and now the top-ranked state in registering property and enforcing contracts."

According to Benmessaoud, Kadunas effort is a good example that other states could follow.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Abdullahi, the states Commissioner for Planning and Budget Commission, attributed the successes recorded to the leadership style of Gov Nasir El-Rufai in ensuring economic growth and development.

I congratulate Governor El-Rufai and the people of Kaduna State on this fantastic achievement within a short period of reforms, Abdullahi said.
The group expressed their displeasure with the recent three appointments made, alleging lopsidedness from the governor.

In a press briefing on Thursday, October 18, after carrying out a protest to show their dissatisfaction, coordinator of the group, Tajudeen Ahmed, described the new appointments as a grand plan to marginalize the Muslim community in the state.

He said "The Ekiti Muslim community saw the appointments as a calculated attempt to exclude Muslims from the fundamental aspect of decision-making process in Ekiti state."

The group alleged that the 40% Muslim population in the state gave the governor full support during election adding that excluding them in his core principal appointments is a violation of Section 15 of the 1999 constitution (as Amended).

He said, "Rather than projecting 'unity and faith, peace and progress', the recent appointments made by the Government will breed disunity, commotion, and backwardness."

The group called on the Governor to review his appointments and accomodate Muslims in order for justice, peace and unity to prevail in the state.

Recall that barely 24-hours after he was sworn-in, Kayode Fayemi made his first set of appointments into his cabinet.
He also stated that Norway is considering increasing investments in Nigeria's oil and gas sector.

Kjemprud also spoke on prospects in the country's power sector.

"You need to have renewable energy take root in this country, you need to have the incentive not disincentives. The sector needs to be well regulated, organised and you have to attract investors. There is still a huge hydro power potential in Nigeria; we seem to have forgotten about that. We also have solar and wind power but the wind power cannot thrive because of insecurity.

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"You cannot have wind power in the Gulf of Guinea if pirates are threatening ships. So it is about incentives and providing security.

"This is why we brought some of the most important business actors from Norway, innovation Norway, Nigerian Norwegian Chambers of Commerce, our new Consul General and the embassy-to get together as strong as possible to show what can be done in trade between both countries", he said.

'Many Nigerians have proven themselves'

In his remarks, the new Norway Consul General to Nigeria and CEO of Marine Platforms, Mr. Taofik Adegbite, stated that the federal government needs to provide all the necessary support for the private sector players to unlock greater opportunities in the maritime sector; and strengthen the environment for businesses and bilateral relationships.

"Many Nigerians have proven themselves and demonstrated excellent capacity through the instrumentality of the local content law in the oil and gas industry. That is a valid example that with the necessary support and proper frameworks, the country can gain more from other sectors like the marine and its allied areas.

There is a lot for both Norway and Nigeria to benefit from each other as trade allies with long history of engagement. But more can be achieved within an environment that is very conducive for Nigeria's foreign partners and allies to operate", he said.

In a related development, the Chairman, Nigerian Norwegian Chambers of Commerce (NNCC), Mr. Chijioke Igwe, has called on Nigeria to learn from Norway which has been able to grow businesses in the face of a tough environment.

He said the chamber is trying its best to tap into Norway's resilience, discipline and find a way to have that reflect on Nigeria.
Kanu has not been seen in public since an alleged attack on his father's compound by soldiers on September 14, 2017, and has missed court appearances since then. His parents, HRH Eze Israel Kanu and Lolo Sally, have also been missing in the same period.

However, if pictures that have now surfaced on social media on Friday, October 19, 2018, are to be believed, the IPOB leader has simply been in hiding over the past one year.

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In a short video that has been published by several unreliable sources on Twitter and YouTube, Kanu was spotted praying at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

Many people have also posted pictures that the IPOB leader posed in with other people, with many already speculating the reasons for his reappearance.

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While many people see his reappearance as vindication of the government's position that Kanu was running from the law, others allege that he's likely making a reappearance to disrupt the 2019 general elections.

Kanu had previously been reported to have been spotted in Ghana with his wife, Uchechi, in February 2018, but she claimed weeks later to be unaware of his whereabouts and accused the government of illegally holding him hostage.

"Nigerian Army should tell the world what has happened to him because they were the last people who were in touch with him," she said.

Pulse cannot independently verify the authenticity of the pictures and video as of yet as efforts to reach IPOB spokesperson, Emma Powerful, have proved abortive.

However, according to a report by The Punch, Kanu's brother, Emmanuel, confirmed that it was him in the video that's making the rounds on social media.

Emmanuel also told The Punch that IPOB's deputy director, Uche Ejiofor, has also confirmed that it was Kanu in the video.

"I can confirm to you that the person in the video is Kanu. He was praying in the video that we saw. We are happy that he is still alive and we will try to establish communication with him," he said.

Kanu's lawyer confirms he's alive

Despite claiming for the past 13 months that Kanu was being held by the government, his lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, said the video is authentic and that the IPOB leader is indeed in Jerusalem.

He said, "I am very delighted therefore, to use this singular opportunity to announce to the world that my client is the very person seen in the pictures/video. That I can confirm authoritatively.

"Furthermore, the shocking tale of how he made it alive once again will be made public in his scheduled world press broadcast to be beamed live within the next 24 hours."
Bello spoke with State House correspondents shortly after a closed door meeting with Osinbajo on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the vice president also gave an assurance that the Federal Government would revive the complex.

As the Chairman of National Economic Council (NEC), we came to make some inquires from him, first of all on the purported sale of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex.

He has indicated that there is nothing like that; no plans by the Federal Government to sell the steel complex.

And that it is an asset of the Federal Government and that they are looking at how to make best use of that particular complex to the benefit of Nigerians.

Bello said that he also briefed the vice president on the coronation of the new Obaro of Kabba which would come up on Oct. 20.

He said that he notified Osinbajo of the event and sought his blessings.

On the conduct of primary elections of the All Progressives Party (APC), he said that every primary election could be rancorous but would be resolved.

According to him, APC has capable leadership in the person of President Muhammadu Buhari and able Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole working to ensure that the party remained strong.

As for the general elections, in Kogi State, we are 100 per cent ready and we are going to sweep all the seats; by the Grace of God.
Osinbajo who spoke at the Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) camp, Igbogene, on the outskirt of Yenagoa, said his visit was to assess the extent of damage caused by the flood.

He said that he undertook an over-fly on a helicopter from the Port Harcourt International Airport through the flooded communities in Rivers and those within Yenagoa metropolis.

The vice president observed that the exercise had made him realise the degree of suffering the flood had thrown many of the victims into.

Osinbajo commended the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and its state counterpart, (SEMA) for their efforts in assisting the flood victims.

He pledged the assistance of the Federal Government to resettle the victims and provide them means of livelihood to start life anew as soon as the flood was over.

He said his visit along with with the Director-General of NEMA and the Minister of Environment was to demonstrate the seriousness the federal government attached to the welfare of flood victims.

The vice president also assured the people that as soon as he returned to Abuja the federal government would restrategise and get back to the state.

Osinbajo further said that government was working on how to ensure that such emergency did not occur in future, by embarking on dredging of water channels and constructing canals.

He urged the people to avoid dumping solid wastes into water channels to aviod flooding.

The vice president pledged government would ensure that the babies delivered in the IDP camps were perfectly and well cared for.

Also speaking, Gov. Seriake Dickson, described Bayelsa as the most impacted state across the federation, saying the state is situated below sea level.

You saw personally the extent of the devastation. This is the state mostly affected whenever there is flooding. This state is below sea level, he said.

The governor said the state government was doing all it could to care for the displaced people.

According to him, apart from the 13 IDP camps already set up, additional three would be established to contain the increasing number of people displaced by flood.

He expressed readiness of the state government to collaborate with the federal government for long term solution to the problem of flooding in the state.
In a statement, CISLAC demanded an independent probe into the $5 million bribery allegation against Ganduje.

While we commend the effort and ability of the Kano State House of Assembly at setting up an ad hoc committee to investigate the alleged bribery, we are worried that the outcome of such investigation would not command public trust and credibility except if handled by independent and competent ICT professionals with track record of integrity, CISLAC said.

We are confident an independent inquiry outside the instrumentality of Kano State governance structure will, to a large extent, assure Nigerians of fearless fact-findings on the true nature of the video clip in fulfilment of the Federal Governments readiness to combat corruption within and outside the ruling party. We must, therefore, reiterate that anything short of an independent investigation would seem stage-managed before the public.

Ban on protests

The civil society group also highlighted the harassment of citizens who tried to protest against the governor.

We are also not unaware of the infringement of human rights, intimidation and harassment of the whistle-blowers and citizens who stepped out to peacefully protest this allegation against the Governor.

We find this disheartening and reiterates our persistent demand for the adoption of a Whistle-blower Protection Law. Citizens right to freedom of association and expression should in no way be muzzled in this issue.

We call on the President and the Inspector General of Police to guarantee the rights of the people for a peaceful protest and ensure lives are secured.

Anti-corruption war

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While advising the governor to step aside, CISLAC urged urged all anti-corruption agencies not to deter in their duty of bringing perpetrators to book.

We call for the governor to immediately step aside to allow high-level transparency, accountability and rule of law in the process of the investigation and prevent the possible influence of the fact-finding. This will guarantee fairness and discourage undue interference in the investigation.

We call on the National Assembly and anti-corruption agencies to live up to the expectations and trust placed in them by Nigerians in ensuring perpetrators of corrupt practice are brought to book while guaranteeing adequate protection for the whistle-blowing effort through enabling policies implementation and transition into legislation.

We also call on the Ruling Party not to stay silent on the issue if the party is really going to be believed that it is fighting corruption.
A letter by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), dated October 12, 2018, had alerted SON and other health agencies about the human-remains drugs, reporting that the South Korean Customs Service recently seized 2,751 Chinese drugs/capsules, containing human remains from fetuses, infants and flesh imported into the country by some Chinese nationals.

According to the letter, the manufacturers claimed that the drugs/capsules can boost stamina, cure cancer, diabetes and some other terminal diseases.

However, South Korean authorities expressed concern that 18.7 billion viruses, including hepatitis B virus, were found in the seized capsules which were reportedly smuggled in suitcases and through international mail.

"It stressed that the making of human-remain drugs and consuming them are crimes against humanity, which can also lead to serious health challenges," the letter read.

The authenticity of the letter had been in question because it was leaked, but SON's Technical Assistant/Head, Public Relations, Bola Fashina, has confirmed its receipt by the agency.

He said the agency is on the lookout for the products so as to protect Nigerians against consuming things that'll endanger their lives and general well-being.

Other agencies put on alert by the NIA are the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) who were directed to sensitise Nigerians of the development and warn them of the inherent dangers of patronising drugs imported from China.
Fielding questions from the editorial board of the best-selling Pan-African magazine, the minister said that the government had created millions of job through right policies and programme.

The opposition created the unemployment. As at the time when the nation was earning so much billions of dollars from oil, they left the infrastructure to decay and corruption was at the peak.

What we have done when we came in was to stop the pillage and bleeding and start massive investment in critical infrastructure which is key to generating jobs.

Our records are there for the people to see, he said.

The minister stressed that the Buharis administration had done a lot in fixing the economy through right policies and programmes as well as deployment of resources.

Specifically, Mohammed said the government was investing massively in infrastructure to revive the economy and the fund so far deployed in the area in three years was more than that of the PDPs 16 years.

He said the government had been funding all the projects abandoned by the PDP led government including the Mambilla power project, roads including Lagos-Ibadan dual carriage way, Abuja-Kano expressway, East-West road and the second Niger bridge among others.

He said the Buhari administration had diversified the economy and reduced the importation of rice staple from 480,000MT to 25,000MT, thereby, saving five billion dollars hitherto spent on its importation daily.

The minister noted that the official blocking of importation of rice and the support by government through the Anchor Borrower Programme had encouraged local production of the staple.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ejigbo Transmission Substation was commissioned in 1970 with an installed capacity 60MVA, comprising two number of 30MVA 132/33kv transformers.

In August 2017, the capacity of the station was increased to 120MVA with the addition of a 60MVA transformer.

Fashola said that the present administration inherited 800 containers for power equipment left in the port.

President gave us approval to use it and we have recovered 690.

This is part of the equipment you are seeing going into substations that Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN)s engineers are using to increase substations capacity.

With this expansion, the additional feeders will serve communities like Ejigbo, Idimu, Oke-Afa, Egbe, Shasha.

Also, Murtala Airport will also see improved power services, he said.

Fashola said that transmission expansion work was going on in 90 locations across the country.

Mr Usman Mohammed, Chief Executive Officer of TCN, said the project was funded by the World bank through TCN Project Management Unit.

According to Mohammed, the first power transformer was completely installed and energized on Feb. 2, 2018 while the second transformer was energized on Aug. 14, 2018 with three number of 33kv feeder.

He said that with the increase in the Ejigbo substations capacity, the company had substantially increased bulk electricity available in the substation in Ikeja Electric (IE) to its customers.

Consequently, electricity consumers in Ejigbo, Egbe, Oke Afa, Ikotun, Ijegun, Shasha and Idimu towns will now have improved power supply from IE.

Other benefits include relieve of some overloaded feeders in Egbe, Shasha and Oke-Afa.

Also, Lagos Airport will now have more load allocated to it.

Improved power in these areas, will positively impact the socio-economic development of the areas in particular and economy at large, he said.

The Chief Executive Officer, Ikeja Electric, Mr Anthony Youdeowei, said the company was the major beneficiary of the substation.

The IE boss said that communities around would benefit from the project.
This question has dominated social media chatter for days on end.

Recall that PDP presidential flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, recently named Peter Obi his running mate for the 2019 general elections. Soon after the announcement was made, a lot of folks on social media embarked on a digging spree of some sort and came up with the following allegations:

a) That Obi has been exaggerating a lot of his prudence and frugal stories (b) that Obi has a mansion in upscale London, contrary to his claim in this video below:

Peter Obi's sermon

Just in case you are having one of those frequent poor network connection days, here is a transcript of what Obi said at a forum called ThePlatform, a couple of months ago:

When I got to America to address Nigerians, it is Nigerians that will tell me when I was Governor, that this man has a house here, this man has a house here. We can lead you to buy here. And I would say, listen, I dont live in America. Why will I own a house in America?

Its pure madness. I dont need it. I go to South Africa to address Nigeriansthese are the same people who have run away from home because things are tough here. They will be telling me this man owns a flat here, this man owns a flat there.

In fact in one case in South Africa, somebody brought one man who told me that he knows every Nigerian that owns a flat, every politician, you know. And he says I can sell the same to you. Its just $2.5million and everything. And I said to him, why will anybody buy this type of place and keep? If I buy it, it will cost me at least another $25,000 a year to keep it. He said more than that. And I said, so why will I own it? I dont need it!

Id rather use that money in my country, buy a bond and I get 5 percent of it, which is $125,000 a year. I come to South Africa three times in a year. It costs me $200 a night in a hotel. So three times is $600,000. And you want me to buy this?!!

And I told the man, look, I dont own a house in Abuja. The house I will own in Abuja will cost me N400million. Why will I own it when I go to Abuja every week and sleep one night which costs me 35,000. If I multiply it by 52 weeks, its not up to 5 million and I buy a house for 400million? Then its not worth it.

However, there is a document attaching the property on N0 14 Oman Avenue, Cricklewood, London NW2 6BG to a certain Gregory Peter Onwubuasi Obi.

There are indications that there are a few other property in London bearing Obi's name.

There is another clip where Obi challenges anyone to confiscate any other house in his name outside of the one in Onitsha.

Obi has also told the world that he only owns two pair of shoes and a wristwatch; even though a few other watches of varying hues have been spotted on his wrist in the last couple of months.

Essentially, Obi has built for himself a reputation that borders on shunning the finer things of life. Has he been fibbing all along?

So, has Peter Obi been lying about his austere lifestyle all along?

His spokesperson, Valentine Obienyem, certainly doesnt think so.

During several media programmes, Mr. Peter Obi said Onitsha was the only place he owned a personal house in Nigeria, Obienyem said in a statement.

In an attempt to discredit him, some people are posting his London houses as the much-awaited evidence that he lied.

First, let it be noted that the issue of having a personal house only in Onitsha is a matter of choice. If his lifestyle supports love for houses, Obi can afford to have houses in the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Obienyem added that in any case, the London property was purchased long before Obi got anywhere near the corridors of power in Nigeria.

As for his London houses, it might interest the public to note that he bought his first house in London in 1987. All the houses he owned in London were purchased before he became governor of Anambra State and were all duly declared.

Obienyem advised Nigerians and the international community to disregard false stories being fabricated by detractors who are clutching at straws in their vain bid to demonise Mr. Obi, a proven performer and lover of the masses who is well known for his forthrightness and integrity.
The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Thursday in Abuja, said that further delay would jeopardise the course of justice in the matter.

Ologbondiyan frowned at the disbanding of the panel by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab Bulkachwa, saying it was a development which, if not quickly addressed, would send a very bad signal on the integrity of the judiciary.

He said that PDPs submission was predicated on reports that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had been mounting pressure on the judiciary to deny the PDP justice in the determination of the Osun governorship election dispute at the tribunal.

Ologbondiyan said that in the lawful effort of PDP to reclaim the mandate, the party duly filed its petition on Tuesday Oct. 15, 2018 in accordance with Section 285 (6) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which prescribed that judgement must be delivered on or before 180 days.

The PDP spokesman said that while the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was served, the APC and its candidate evaded service.

Consequently, the PDP on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018 applied for substituted service, which was slated for hearing Thursday, Oct. 18, only to be informed that the panel has been disbanded on Wednesday without any reason and without providing a new panel to hear our matter.

The President of the Court of Appeal should note that her disbanding of the panel without setting up a new one, goes to a deliberate attempt to prevent the PDP from serving the APC and its candidate and to meet the constitutional 180 days timeframe for the determination of the case at the tribunal.

Election petition matters are sui generis, with specific timeframe allotted to various stages up to the final determination.

The failure to set up a new panel to timeously hear our application for substituted service on APC and its candidate smacks of a shenanigan to deny our party full justice in the matter.

The PDP, therefore, urges the President of the Court of Appeal not to bend to the proclivities of the APC and its candidate to bring the vouched reputation of the judiciary into a shameful disrepute, in their desperation to hold onto a stolen mandate.

It is also imperative to state that the 2018 Osun Governorship election has become the interest of not only Nigerians but also the global community.
The lawmaker took to his Twitter account on Friday, October 19, 2018, to preach restructuring as being pushed by Atiku, the candidate of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 presidential election.

Senator Murray-Bruce said Nigeria is on life support due to all the borrowings being made by the Federal Government and urged Nigerians to make a wise decision at the polls next year.

He posted, "Nigeria needs restructuring. We cannot carry on like this. Something must give or the center may no longer hold. We are currently borrowing more than what we are making. Nigeria is on life support. We must be wise and avoid death by electing a man who will restructure in 2019."

Atiku was elected the PDP's presidential candidate at the party's national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on October 7, 2018, and has selected former Anambra governor, Peter Obi, as his running mate.
Barraged by questions at his weekly press conference on Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said only that Iran was monitoring events.

The Iranian press has been reprinting the gruesome claims from Turkish and other international sources that Khashoggi was tortured and dismembered inside the consulate, and on Wednesday alleged a cover-up by Riyadh and Washington.

"US, Turkey and Saudi colluding to close the murder case of Jamal Khashoggi," read the headline on Wednesday's Jomhuri Eslami, a conservative paper, as it reported on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit to Riyadh and Ankara.

"Pompeo's mission in travelling to Riyadh and then Turkey is to cover up Saudi brutality and scandal by making up stories, and this very project is an excuse to keep milking the Saudis (for weapons' contracts)," added the Javan newspaper, considered close to the Revolutionary Guards.

Reza Ghabishavi, in the reformist Arman newspaper, acknowledged the silence from Iran's leaders over the case.

"The whole world... has reacted, but after two weeks, Iran has made no remarks," he wrote.

"Of course, it's obvious the whole thing is in the interests of Iran because on the one hand it has caused serious differences between America and Saudi Arabia, and on the other hand, the young prince's reforms in Saudi Arabia have been destroyed in the public opinion of the world," he added.

'Terrorist Wahhabis'

Ghabishavi also pointed out that Khashoggi was no friend of Iran, having strongly criticised the country's foreign interventions in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

The case comes just a few weeks before full US sanctions are reimposed on Iran following Washington's decision to scrap the 2015 nuclear deal.

Although the sanctions have contributed to a sharp economic downturn in Iran, its leaders have relished a rare opportunity to hold the moral high ground on the international scene, as much of the world criticises the aggression of US moves against Iran.

"Everyone knows that America has lost legally and politically by giving up on its international obligations and that we have achieved victory," said President Hassan Rouhani in a speech on Sunday.

The Tehran Times emphasised that Khashoggi's alleged assassination was the inevitable result of the West's long-running support for Saudi monarchs.

"This is your own doing," wrote editor-in-chief Mohammad Ghaderi, addressing Western governments.
Guatemala also sent police reinforcements to its side of the border, after Trump threatened to cut aid to the region, deploy the military and close the US-Mexican border if the migrants were allowed to continue.

A first group of several hundred migrants arrived late Wednesday in the border town of Tecun Uman, Guatemala, where they overflowed a local shelter, leaving many to sleep in the town square or on the street, an AFP correspondent said.

Many were traveling with a single change of clothes and little money. Others were carrying young children in their arms.

The migrants planned to wait for the rest of the caravan to arrive, then cross the border en masse in hopes of overwhelming the Mexican authorities, who have vowed to detain anyone without a visa.

The caravan successfully used the same strategy Monday to cross from Honduras to Guatemala at the border town of Agua Caliente, despite efforts by some 100 police to stop them.

"We're going to rest here and wait for the others who are on their way so we can enter (Mexico) en masse, like we did at Agua Caliente," Edgar Elias, one of the leaders of the caravan, told AFP.

But nature may complicate that plan: the shallow Suchiate river, which forms the border, was swollen by rain overnight.
The 43-year-old Keiko Fujimori, the leader of Popular Force, the biggest party in Congress, was arrested on the orders of prosecutors investigating contributions to her campaign when she ran for president in 2011.

Prosecutors have since June been investigating allegations that three former presidents took bribes disguised as campaign funds from Odebrecht, which is at the center of political scandals across Latin America.
President Donald Trump's administration imposed sanctions targeting Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul and Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu in response to Turkey's arrest and prosecution of US pastor Andrew Brunson on terror charges.

Ankara then hit back with similar sanctions against members of the US administration.

In all, Brunson was held for two years and was convicted and sentenced Friday of espionage and aiding terror groups, only to be quickly released on the basis of good behaviour and time served.

Trump hailed the release, which has been seen as a opening for Ankara and Washington to restore frayed ties, including with Pompeo, who met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier Wednesday.

After his meeting with Pompeo in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that sanctions were "nonsense".

"We agree that in our relations, there should be no sanctions like this and other issues," he said. "As long as there are sanctions, relations can go nowhere."

The Turkish lira has rallied against the US dollar in the past week following Brunson's release.
"Uzbekistan is our loyal ally and our strategic partner... We will do all we can to strengthen our cooperation," Putin said while meeting Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the capital Tashkent.

"Dear Russian friends, welcome to Uzbekistan!" read billboards along the main roads of Tashkent where Russian and Uzbek flags flew side by side.

Bilateral trade between the two countries jumped by more than a third year-on-year to $3.7 billion in 2017 as Uzbekistan shakes off nearly three decades of economic isolation under Karimov's rule.

Karimov, who died in 2016, maintained generally good relations with Moscow but was wary of the Kremlin's influence over Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region.

Mirziyoyev, who served as Karimov's prime minister for 13 years, has kept the authoritarian regime intact while also reversing some of his predecessor's most controversial policies.

Putin paid tribute to reforms launched by Mirziyoyev that have whetted the appetites of foreign investors eying new markets in a commodity-rich country of around 33 million people.

The government has overhauled its foreign exchange policies, pledged to modernise its banking system and re-launched ties with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development that were effectively severed more than a decade ago.

"We see how quickly and how fundamentally the situation in Uzbekistan is changing, how reforms are being organised and carried out," Putin said.

This allows Russia and Uzbekistan to "develop relationships on a new level," he said.

Mirziyoyev in turn on Friday hailed "cooperation developing in all different directions."

Among the deals drawing Tashkent closer to Moscow is a $11 billion project to build a nuclear power plant -- the first of its kind in Central Asia -- that is expected to go online by 2028 and provide around 20 percent of the country's power.

Putin and Mirziyoyev were set to watch via video link a ceremony to mark the building of a power station by Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom in Uzbekistan's western Navoi region.

Putin suggested the plant could also help provide power to other countries in the region where energy deficits are common.

Among agreements signed at the business forum was a memorandum of understanding between Russia's Lukoil energy major and Uzbek state energy company Uzbekneftgaz.

Security was also high on the agenda during talks between the two heads of state.

Under Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan has declared its readiness to host talks between the Taliban and the government of Afghanistan, with whom Uzbekistan shares a border.
Ukraine's parliament voted 237 votes to 30 to allow the Ecumenical Patriarchate to use Kiev's landmark Saint Andrew's Church "for worship, religious rites (and) ceremonies."

Built in the 18th century on a picturesque hill in the centre of the Ukrainian capital, the church will be transferred to Constantinople for its permanent use free of charge, but will still be the property of Ukraine.

The church operates as a museum and has not been used for services since 2015. It was previously rented by one of the branches of Ukraine's split Orthodox Church.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who was the author of the bill, hailed the parliament's decision as bringing the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church closer.

"Saint Andrew?s Church is transferred to the Throne of Constantinople to use as a representative mission," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook, using the old name of Istanbul.

Last week, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, whose Patriarch Bartholomew is seen as the first among equals of Orthodox Church leaders, agreed to recognise the independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The decision was a huge blow to Moscow's spiritual authority in the Orthodox world.

The Russian Orthodox Church condemned the move and on Monday announced it is breaking ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate in protest.

The Orthodox church in Ukraine is split between three branches, one whose clerics pledge loyalty to Moscow, one loyal to Kiev that is overseen by Patriarch Filaret and the smaller Ukrainian Orthodox Autocephalous Church.

The Russian annexation of Crimea and the Kremlin-backed separatist uprising in Ukraine's east in 2014 triggered an increase in the number of believers in Ukraine loyal to Kiev Patriarch Filaret's church and seeking the establishment of an independent Ukrainian church.
The government sent in reinforcements to quell the unrest, which follows months of tension over Assoumani's attempts to extend term limits through planned constitutional changes that could see him rule for 11 more years.

Anjouan's main city Mutsamudu, which was at the centre of the clashes, began to return to normal on Friday with water supplies that had been abruptly cut during the violence, flowing again.

Soldiers manned checkpoints and watched the trickle of residents who ventured out for Friday prayers on the majority-Muslim island.

"(Assoumani) has done nothing in his three years in power, no jobs for young people, nothing. If they don't want to understand our challenges then we will turn against them. It was us who voted for them after all," said a middle-aged man who carried a can of water as he made his way along a dusty street in Mutsamudu.

AFP

The old medina quarter in the city, with its narrow, intersecting alleyways, was the epicentre of the fighting. Security forces surrounded the rebel stronghold and many civilians fled the area.

One source told AFP by phone that troops only permitted women and children under 14 to leave the medina. Another resident said they feared reprisals by security forces if they returned to their home in the flashpoint district.

At the height of the clashes which featured automatic gunfire, witnesses described water and power cuts in the medina and some surrounding areas.

"How can you deny people water for three days? What did they do to deserve such punishment?" said a teacher from the island, now working on the nearby French island of Mayotte.

She added that she was sure it was the political situation that "forced people to take up arms".

'Want the rebels to win'

Interior Minister Mohamed Daoudou said on Wednesday that the situation was back to normal in Anjouan after three people were killed in the violence. Witnesses claimed that many more people had been injured in the clashes.

"We want the rebels to win. People who have stolen millions are free while someone who steals a banana to survive gets months in prison," said a young man who was socialising with a group in the city's southern Shell district.

"If they want peace, they must give us jobs."

Another member of the group claimed to have been a victim of government security forces.

"In 2006 I was tortured, my arm still hurts. I received treatment in Mayotte for nine months," said Damir Mohamed Azihar.

AFP

The poor, coup-prone Comoros islands -- Anjouan, Grande Comore and Moheli -- are located between Mozambique and Madagascar. The fourth island, Mayotte, remains French.

Assoumani's government accuses the opposition Juwa party of former Anjouan leader and island native Abdallah Sambi of being behind the unrest.

The crisis was sparked on Monday when unidentified gangs erected barricades on the island, which were then cleared by heavily-armed troops.

As well as the human toll, the unrest hit businesses hard.

AFP

The manager of an upmarket hotel told AFP they were forced to send their 48 staff home for the duration of the violence.

"The situation is serious, it's a disaster. Commerce ceased, money stopped flowing and families are worried," said the manager.

Talks between the Juwa party and the national government are understood to be ongoing.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  What if the inherent weaknesses of a material actually made houses and buildings stronger during wildfires and earthquakes?

Purdue University researchers have 3D-printed cement paste, a key ingredient of the concrete and mortar used to build various elements of infrastructure, that gets tougher under pressure like the shells of arthropods such as lobsters and beetles. The technique could eventually contribute to more resilient structures during natural disasters.

"Nature has to deal with weaknesses to survive, so we are using the 'built-in' weaknesses of cement-based materials to increase their toughness," said Jan Olek, a professor in Purdue's Lyles School of Civil Engineering.

The idea would be to use designs inspired by arthropod shells to control how damage spreads between the printed layers of a material, like trying to break a bunch of uncooked spaghetti noodles as opposed to a single noodle.

"The exoskeletons of arthropods have crack propagation and toughening mechanisms that we can reproduce in 3D-printed cement paste," said Pablo Zavattieri, Purdue professor of civil engineering.

3D-printed cement-based materials  such as cement paste, mortar and concrete  would give engineers more control over design and performance, but technicalities have stood in the way of scaling them up.

Purdue engineers are the first to use 3D printing to create bioinspired structures using cement paste, as shown in a published paper and the frontispiece for an upcoming print issue of the journal Advanced Materials.

"3D printing has removed the need for creating a mold for each type of design, so that we can achieve these unique properties of cement-based materials that were not possible before," said Jeffrey Youngblood, Purdue professor of materials engineering.

The team is also using micro-CT scans to better understand the behavior of hardened 3D-printed cement-based materials and take advantage of their weak characteristics, such as pore regions found at the "interfaces" between the printed layers, which promote cracking. This finding was recently presented at the 1st RILEM International Conference on Concrete and Digital Fabrication.

"3D printing cement-based materials provides control over their structure, which can lead to the creation of more damage and flaw-tolerant structural elements like beams or columns," said Mohamadreza "Reza" Moini, a Purdue Ph.D. candidate of civil engineering. Watch a YouTube video at https://youtu.be/Q0MvUdZoejk.

The team was initially inspired by the mantis shrimp, which conquers its prey with a "dactyl club" appendage that grows tougher on impact through twisting cracks that dissipate energy and prevent the club from falling apart.

Some of the bioinspired cement paste elements designed and fabricated by the team using 3D printing techniques include the "honeycomb," "compliant" and "Bouligand" designs, called "architectures."

Each of these architectures allowed for new behaviors in a 3D-printed element once hardened. The Bouligand architecture, for example, takes advantage of weak interfaces to make a material more crack-resistant, whereas the compliant architecture makes cement-based elements act like a spring, even though they are made of brittle material.

The team plans to explore other ways that cement-based elements could be designed for building more resilient structures.

The work was funded by the National Science Foundation (Grant No. CMMI 1562927). The acquisition of the X-ray microscope was supported by the 2017 Major Multi-User Equipment Program, offered by the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research at Purdue University.

Writer: Kayla Wiles, 765-494-2432, wiles5@purdue.edu

Sources:

Reza Moini, 765-494-6634, mmoini@purdue.edu

Pablo Zavattieri, 765-496-9644, zavattie@purdue.edu

Jan Olek, 765-494-5015, olek@purdue.edu

Jeffrey Youngblood, 765-496-2294, jpyoungb@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: For full-text copies of the papers, please contact Kayla Wiles, Purdue News Service, at wiles5@purdue.edu. A YouTube video is available at https://youtu.be/Q0MvUdZoejk and other multimedia, including photos of each new 3D-printed cement paste design, can be found in a Google Drive folder at http://bit.ly/2O2c9Cd. The materials were prepared by Erin Easterling, digital producer for the Purdue College of Engineering, 765-496-3388, easterling@purdue.edu

ABSTRACTS

Additive manufacturing and performance of architectured cement-based materials

Mohamadreza Moini1, Jan Olek1, Jeffrey Youngblood1, Bryan Magee2, Pablo Zavattieri1

1Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

2Ulster University, Newtonabbey, UK

doi: 10.1002/adma.201802123

There is an increasing interest in hierarchical design and Additive Manufacturing (AM) of cement-based materials. However, the brittle behavior of these materials and the presence of interfaces from the additive manufacturing process represent the current major challenges. Contrary to the commonly adopted approach in AM of cement-based materials to eliminate the interfaces and to add reinforcements, our work focuses on harnessing the heterogeneous interfaces by employing clever designs from bio-inspired Bouligand architectured materials. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate some key mechanisms that can allow brittle hardened cement-based materials to gain flaw-tolerant properties. Mechanisms such as crack twisting at the interfaces have been previously observed in naturally-occurring or synthetic composite Bouligand architectures. In this paper, a heterogeneous interface with porous characteristics in 3D-printed solid hardened cement paste (hcp) architectures were characterized. We hypothesize that the presence of heterogeneous interface in 3D-printed hardened cement paste (hcp) elements, in conjunction with clever architectures, promote key damage mechanisms such as interfacial cracking and crack twisting that lead to damage delocalization. This delocalization can be energetically favorable and allow energy dissipation and promote toughening and flaw-tolerant properties. These mechanisms can be controlled through AM

and design of the architecture of hcp materials and can play a role in tuning, enhancing and diversifying the mechanisms that improve work of failure, strength, and inelastic deflection of the structure. The evidence is provided by multiaxial flexural tests comparing the architectured materials with cast specimens. We found that these architectures can enhance the properties from the typical strength-porosity relationship, classically known for brittle hcp materials. In turn, these architectures exhibit 1 interfacial damage mechanisms and demonstrate improvements of the work of failure by more than 50% exhibiting the controlled spread of damage without sacrificing strength.

Additive manufacturing and characterization of architecture cement-based materials via x-ray micro-computed tomography

Mohamadreza Moini1, Jan Olek1, Bryan Magee2, Pablo Zavattieri1, Jeffrey Youngblood1

1Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

2Ulster University, Newtonabbey, UK

doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-99519-9_16

There is an increasing interest in the fabrication of cement-based materials via additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. However, the processing-induced heterogeneities and interfaces represent a major challenge. The role of processing in creating interfaces and their characteristics requires understanding of the microstructure of 3D-printed hardened cement paste (hcp). This work investigates the microstructural features of architectured cement-based materials, including processing-induced heterogeneous patterns, interfacial regions (IRs), and pore network distributions with respect to the architectural pattern. A 3D printer was modified and merged with an extrusion system and specimens were 3D-printed using a layer-wise direct ink writing (DIW) process capable of fabrication of lamellar' architectures of materials. A lab-based X-ray microscope (XRM) was used to perform X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) evaluations to explore the microstructural characteristics of 3-day old intact (i.e. not tested) 3D-printed and cast specimens at two levels of magnification: 0.4X and 4X. CT scans of printed specimen revealed a patterned pore network and several microstructural features, including: a) macropores (visible during printing), b) micropores at interfacial regions (IRs), c) accumulation of anhydrous cement particles near macropores, and d) rearrangement of filaments away from their designed toolpath. In comparison, microstructural investigation of cast specimen at 4X scan revealed randomly distributed pores with no connectivity throughout the specimen. The aptitude of micro-CT as a non-destructive technique for microstructural characterization of architectured cement-based materials is discussed. The role of processing to induce and to pattern heterogeneities such as IRs in materials is demonstrated and the role of architecture in controlling such heterogeneities and their directionality through the interface is discussed.
Veteran helicopter pilot and founder of Taupos rescue helicopter service John Funnell, joins The Long Lunch to discuss the safety of helicopters.

Mr Funnell also the second death of a member of the same Wanaka family famous for flying from a helicopter crash in three months.
GERMANY: Siemens Mobility has started the construction of two prototype Vectron Dual Mode electro-diesel locomotives, filling a gap in its current product range. The first is expected to be ready for display at the Transport Logistic fair in Munchen next June. With authorisation for operation in Germany expected by the ...
In 1867, Russia sold the territory of Alaska to the U.S. for $7.2 million. A mere 50 years later, the Americans had earned that amount back 100 times over. How could the imperial officials have given up such a choice parcel? RBTH sorts out the muddled story of the sale of Alaska.

Many people still think that the Americans either stole Alaska from the Russians or leased it and did not return it. Despite the widespread myths, the deal was an honest one, and both sides had valid reasons to make it.

Alaska before the sale

In the 19th century, Russian Alaska was a center of international trade. In the capital, Novoarkhangelsk (now known as Sitka), merchants traded Chinese fabrics, tea and even ice, which the southern United States needed before the invention of the refrigerator. Ships and factories were built, and coal was mined. People already knew about the numerous gold deposits in the area. Selling this land seemed like madness.

Russian merchants were drawn to Alaska for the walrus ivory (it was as expensive as elephant ivory) and the valuable sea otter fur, which could be procured by trading with the indigenous peoples of the region. Trading was done by the Russian-American Company (RAC), which was started by adventurers  18th-century Russian businessmen, courageous travelers and entrepreneurs. The company controlled all of Alaskas mines and minerals, it could independently enter into trade agreements with other countries, and it had its own flag and currency  leather marks.

These privileges were granted to the company by the imperial government. The government not only collected massive taxes from the company, it also owned a large part of it  the tsars and their family members were among the RACs shareholders.

The Russian Pizarro

The main ruler of the Russian settlements in America was the talented merchant Alexander Baranov.

Alexander Baranov. Source:GettyImages/Fotobank

He built schools and factories, taught the native people to plant rutabaga and potatoes, built fortresses and shipyards, and expanded the sea otter trade. Baranov called himself the Russian Pizarro and took a liking to Alaska not only with his purse, but also with his heart  he married the daughter of an Aleut chief.

Under Baranov, the RAC brought in enormous revenue: more than 1,000 percent profit. When an ageing Baranov resigned his duties, he was replaced by the captain lieutenant Hagemeister, who brought with him new employees and shareholders from military circles. Statute now dictated that only naval officers could lead the company. The strongmen quickly appropriated the profitable business, but it was their actions that ruined the company.

Filthy lucre

The new masters set astronomical salaries for themselves  common officers earned 1,500 rubles per year (this was comparable to the salaries of ministers and senators), while the head of the company earned 150,000 rubles. They bought fur from the local population for half price. As a result, over the next 20 years, the Eskimos and Aleuts killed almost all the sea otters, depriving Alaska of its most profitable trade. The native people suffered and staged uprisings that the Russians quashed by firing on the coastal villages from military ships.

The officers began to look for other sources of revenue. Hence the trade in ice and tea began, but the ill-fortuned businessmen could not organize this sensibly either, and lowering their salaries was unthinkable. Consequently, the RAC was transferred to state subsidies  200,000 rubles per year. But even this did not save the company.

A check in the amount of $7.2 million, for the purchase of Alaska. Source: Getty Images

Then the Crimean War broke out, and Britain, France and Turkey stood against Russia. It became clear that Russia could neither supply nor defend Alaska  the sea routes were controlled by the allies ships. Even the prospect of mining gold dimmed. There was a fear that the British might block Alaska, and then Russia would be left with nothing.

Tensions between Moscow and London grew, while relations with the American authorities were warmer than ever. Both sides almost simultaneously came up with the idea of selling Alaska. So Baron Eduard de Stoeckl, Russias envoy in Washington, opened talks with U.S. secretary of state William Seward on behalf of the tsar.

The Russian flag refuses to come down

While the bureaucrats were negotiating, public opinion in both countries opposed the deal. How can we give away land that we have put so much effort and time into developing, land where the telegraph has arrived and where gold mines have been found? the Russian newspapers wrote. Why does America need this ice box and 50,000 wild Eskimos who drink fish oil for breakfast? the American press asked indignantly.

The press was not alone in this sentiment  Congress also disapproved of the purchase. But on March 30, 1867, in Washington, D.C., the parties signed the agreement to sell 1.5 million hectares of Russian property in America for $7.2 million, or about 2 cents per acre ($4.74/km2)  a purely symbolic sum. At that time, an unproductive plot of land in Siberia with the same surface area could have cost 1,395 times as much on the domestic market.But the situation was critical  the Russians risked not even receiving this.

The official handover of the land occurred in Novoarkhangelsk. The American and Russian soldiers lined up next to the flagpole, from which the Russian flag started its descent to the accompaniment of a canon salute. However, the flag got tangled at the top of the pole. The sailor who climbed up for it threw it down, and it accidentally landed on Russian bayonets. It was a bad omen! Afterward, the Americans started requisitioning the buildings of the town, which was renamed Sitka. Several hundred Russians who decided not to take American citizenship had to evacuate on merchant ships, and they did not reach home until the following year.

A short time passed, and gold started flowing from the ice box: The Klondike gold rush started in Alaska, bringing the States hundreds of millions of dollars. Of course it was insulting. But it is impossible to know how relations between the worlds largest powers would have developed if Russia had not escaped in time from the problematic and unprofitable region, which only talented and courageous merchants, but not navy bureaucrats, could extract revenue from.

All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
Early in his Marine Corps career, which he concluded as a four-star general, Walt Boomer was decorated for valor in Vietnam. He distilled into three words the lesson of that debacle: Tell the truth. Max Hastings, an eminent British journalist and historian, has done that in a book that is a painful but perhaps inoculating re-immersion in what Americans would prefer to forget.

Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975 is a product of Hastings's prodigious research and his aptitude for pungent judgments.
EDITORS NOTE: As part of our interview series, RealClear Authors, Yoram Hazony's recently discussed his his recent book, The Virtue of Nationalism.

RealClearBooks: What do you understand by nationalism?

Yoram Hazony: Nationalism is a principled standpoint that sees the world as governed best when nations are given their independence and freedom to chart their own course on the basis of their own unique national, religious, and constitutional traditions.

RCB: So, its less a sense of love of country akin to patriotism and more a sense of political order?

Hazony: The word is definitely used in both ways. Patriotism, as far as I know, is always referring to an individuals attachment to some kind of country or place or nation. Ive never heard patriotism used to describe a general political theory; its always used as a sentiment, either positive or negative.

Nationalism is broader. It certainly can be used as synonym for patriotism. Sometimes when you say Ghandi is an Indian nationalist or de Gaulle is a French nationalist, you may be referring to their love of their own people. But in the nationalist intellectual tradition the usage is broader: Nationalism is a political theory. Its opposed usually to imperialism on one side and to localism and tribalism on the other. So its a theory about the best political order. Although obviously that theory is built on the reality of patriotic sentiments, of emotional attachments to nations.

RCB: What are the factors that in history have made a national identity?

Hazony: National identity emerges it seems almost always as a result of external adversity. You can have all sorts of tribes that have similar cultural characteristics: Their language is similar or their religious rites are similar. And maybe they even recognize themselves as a nation. You can think of the example of the Greek city-states: internally divided, almost always at war with one another. Yet they did recognize themselves as being part of a larger ethnos, which means nation. They knew there was a larger Greek nation even though it was never united politically. But they did unite for certain purposes. They united in war, for example, against the Persians, and they had certain cultural institutions which were unifying, like famously the Olympics. They all knew they were Greeks even though they never had a unified Greek national state until modern times.

What causes the unification and the possibility of establishing a permanent national state is external threat which we see clearly in the case of biblical Israel, and we see it again with the Greek city-states, and we see it with the Dutch and the English, and with the Americans as well, who might very well never have unified into a single nation and remained thirteen independent countries if they hadnt been fighting a war against the British. So its usually an external threat which serves as a catalyst for creating a solid and permanent national state even if often the nation can be seen to exist before the state.

RCB: What are the negative consequences of our new, more globalized world?

Hazony: The most obvious negative consequence is a completely unrealistic view of the capacity of the United States and other Western countries to impose cultural uniformity on other countries, especially through military power. The examples are well known: Yugoslavia, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan. All of these interventions were, in one way or another, political failures if not disasters, and all of them were motivated in some significant part by a belief that other nations around the globe are simply waiting to adopt an American way of life and an American outlook and all you need to do is apply sufficient coercion and then theyll suddenly be transformed. I think this is delusional and therefore leads to all sorts of terrible consequences in foreign policy.

In addition, I think that domestically Americans and Europeans are suffering terribly from the hegemony of this utopian idea. If you look at American public life its really turned into a battle between two competing universalisms: a kind of neo-Marxist  Americans call it progressive  vision of whats right for the entire planet versus a liberal internationalist vision of whats right for the entire planet. More restrained, humble, realistic political views have really been suppressed for a long time.

This is a period where weve watched America go from possibly the most tolerant country in the world to a country whose public debates are clearly and constantly marked by fanaticism and intolerance, and thats a result of, I believe, the embrace of these universalist theories. You come to think that your ideas are so absolutely correct that not only do you personally believe that they are the best, but you believe that they really must be imposed on everybody else because theyre self-evidently correct, and that anybody in your country or anywhere else would simply  if pushed in the right way  come to see the light and accept them. This is just an awful way to run a polity, and Americans internally are careening at alarming speed towards ungovernability because of this belief that many ideas are so absolute that they simply have to be imposed.

RCB: Who are your critics? What dont they agree with in your analysis?

Hazony: There are plenty of critics. The book has only been out a month and theres already more than 50 reviews and so theres plenty of enthusiasm and plenty of critics. The critics are from all sides. Theres a neo-conservative kind of criticism which is hesitant to give up on the picture of Jefferson as the father of the country, Locke as the ideological software, and liberal universalism as the policy consequence of it. Theres a certain school of neo-conservatives who find my arguments to be an attack on what they see as the foundations of America. There are some Catholic critics who are defending a closely related liberal universalism which they see as represented by Pope Francis. They feel that my view of Scripture and its historical role in the West is undermining this liberal internationalist interpretation of Catholicism. Of course, there are critics on the left who just think that the move to try to understand nationalism as a potentially beneficial politically theory is itself akin to some kind of racism. Even if they dont directly accuse me of racism  that has not happened yet  still they think that Im empowering a kind of primitive tribalism which will lead in all sorts of terrible directions.

RCB: Do you think that national identity can easily be disentangled from racial identity?

Hazony: I do believe that the biblical tradition of nationalism, meaning nationalisms that are descended from the Hebrew Bible and enter the modern period with a biblical basis can easily be and should properly be non-racialist, and in fact anti-racialist. The biblical examples of what a nation is are not based on race. When the Israelites leave Egypt, Egyptians join them and go stand at Mt. Sinai and becomes Israelites. Ruth the Moabite can become an Israelite by saying, Your people are my people and your God is my God. Thats certainly not liberalism; its not based strictly on consent. But it does allow for the integration of racially diverse individuals. It allows them to join a given nation if they embrace both the existing people, joining them in a bond of loyalty, and their God, their central values.

RCB: Do you think that the Trump Presidency has forwarded your view of nationalism?

Hazony: Yes. Certainly Brexit and Trump have reopened the issue of national independence in Western countries in a way that hasnt been discussed really since World War II. This is long overdue. I dont know whether its going to save the West or lead in other directions which are ultimately undesirable. But I do know that this debate is long, long overdue and President Trump and the Brexiteers are the people who put this on the table, opened the issue, and allowed us to have an intelligent conversation about it for the first time in generations.

RCB: During his speech at the UN, President Trump supported what he called patriotism, but at the same time he was calling for a turn towards greater national sovereignty. Do you think that in calling for patriotism he was calling for nationalism as you understand it?

Hazony: He said, We reject the ideology of globalism and embrace the doctrine of patriotism. That is substantively the theoretical distinction that my book proposes and seeks to advance. The distinction that I draw between imperialist politics and a nationalist politics, you could call that a distinction between a globalist politics and patriotic politics. I think its basically the same idea.

RCB: Steve Bannon frequently talks about economic nationalism and a turn against globalism. Do you think there is a commonality in your two projects?

Hazony: I dont know Bannons views well enough to comment on him specifically. I would say that nationalism is not exactly the same thing as populism. Im not sure what populism means exactly, but Im worried its another form of class warfare. It seems like its basis is saying: The elites are wrong, the broad public is right. Now it happens to be the case that at this moment my views are much, much more aligned with the broad public than they are with the elites. But I dont see myself as being opposed to elites in principle. I think there could be cases where the elites are right and the broad public is wrong. Nationalism is about attempting to unite the elites and the broad public around a common heritage which is distinct from that of other nations. In proposing nationalism Im proposing that the kind of mutual loyalty and internal cohesion that unifies different classes in the nation rather than setting them at war one against the other. And thats what I hope to see in America and in Britain and in other countries: a greater nationalism which will allow for a greater unity between the elites and the broad public, rather than devastating class warfare between them.

RCB: What do you think the role of international organizations like the EU and the United Nations should be? Do you think they should exist at all?

Hazony: Any organization that sees itself as being a voluntary and collaborative forum for discussion among independent nations can possibly fulfill useful functions. I dont want to simply reject them. But both the UN and the EU have been repeatedly treated as though they have the power to legislate international law, which is then binding on nations and legitimately enforced by foreign military efforts. I reject that completely. If the point of the United Nations is to serve as some kind of world governing body, then I reject it. The European Union certainly since the Treaty of Maastricht has been intended as an international governing body with aspirations to dismantle the independence of its subject nations, and I think its a disaster. Its a disaster for the Europeans but its also a disaster for Americans because these European ideas get pumped back into the United States by way of the universities and then the media and they end up being part of the American debate, whereas a generation ago they were completely fringe and irrelevant.

RCB: In The Virtue of Nationalism you lay out many dangers of imperialisms, but you dont appear concerned about the dangers of a world in which nationals pursue their own self-interest. Do you see any concerns here?

Hazony: Im critiquing imperialism because that is the threat of the moment. The dangers of small nations I think are very well known. They can become, on the one hand, too provincial and bogged down in their own petty local quarrels to care about larger issues. On the other hand, the fragmentation of the world into competing national states may create, in some situations, insufficient deterrent strength to prevent empires from arising. Those criticisms are based on historical reality and theyre completely valid. I just think that at this point we are so deep into trumpeting universalism and that weve completely lost track of the importance of particularism as the basis for, for example, the Anglo-American tradition of limited government, which is rooted in particular English and American traditions; or as the basis for the concern for individual liberties which is deeply rooted in the English and American traditions going back to the Bible, and is not something that everybody around the world will just accept because it is self-evident.

RCB: Do you think there is ever a reason to violate national sovereignty other than pure national self-interest? When another country has committed human rights abused for example?

Hazony: Yes, in extreme cases: genocide in Rwanda, or in Cambodia, where there are hundreds of thousands, millions of lives at stake. Someone who has sufficient power to go in, put an end to it, and quickly get out, I would say has a moral obligation to intervene. The problem is that I see that moral obligation as being fundamentally distinct from a belief that any kind of violence, persecution, laws we dont like, or traditions we dont like, is automatically a justification for coercion and military action. I think people are very confused about this. It may be utterly wrong for the Serbs, lets say, to engage in atrocities in Bosnia, and at the same time be imprudent and mistaken to start bombing Serbian cities and killing Serbian civilians in order to try and get the enormities of Bosnia to stop. If you dont have some kind of clear understanding that youre going to make things better then its just as likely that youre going to make things worse. And I dont yet see how the American intervention in Yugoslavia ended up making things better. Military intervention is not a policy to be pursued every time warfare or abuses take place anywhere in the world, and its not identical to a clear case of intervention as an imperative where theres genocide or its equivalent taking place.

RCB: What do you think are the greatest challenges facing conservatism today in the United States?

Hazony: The greatest challenge facing conservatism is to recover the Anglo-American conservative tradition, including its biblical roots and its common law and English constitutional inheritance, which has been pushed aside in favor of liberalism. There are many people who have the two things confused. Im not saying liberalism doesnt have a place. It has a place and it can contribute all sorts of things that can be significant and good, but in the absence of a powerful conservative tradition I fear for the future of these nations. And so, the principal job of conservatives at the moment is to recover conservatism, which has largely been lost to liberalism.

Yoram Hazony is the author of Virtue of Nationalism.

Max Diamond is a reporter at RealClearInvestigations.
The Crimean War, fought between Russia on the one hand and an alliance of France, the United Kingdom, the Ottoman Empire, and Piedmont-Sardinia (a wealthy kingdom in what is now Italy) on the other, can help explain the world in 2018 better than just about any other war of the past two centuries. Here are 10 reasons why:

10. The alliance between anti-democratic regimes in Austria-Hungary and Russia was severed forever, when the Austro-Hungarians opted to stay neutral in the conflict. The war started when the Ottomans declared war on Russia after the latter decided to make land grab for some Ottoman territory. The dual monarchys decision to sit out the war instead of coming to Russias assistance (the two had been allies as part of an autocratic reaction to the democratic 1848 revolutions) destroyed the two empires relationship. The severance was viewed as a major diplomatic victory for the French, who not only beat Russia in a war but isolated their once-powerful neighbor on the diplomatic front. While Russia lost the war, Austria-Hungary lost the most. The dual monarchys neutrality weakened its influence, and paved the way for not only Italian and German unification but also strengthened Russian efforts at pan-Slavism in Austro-Hungarian Balkan territories.

9. Piedmont-Sardinia and the road to Italian unification. The Kingdom of Sardinia was the wealthiest and most influential kingdom on the Italian peninsula. Its leaders had been trying for some time to unify the peninsula into a single state, but Austria-Hungarys influence was too powerful. Piedmont-Sardinias decision to join the war effort on the side of the anti-Russian coalition strengthened its global position, and by 1861 Sardinia had managed to build one nation-state, Italy, out of many smaller polities. (Daniel Ziblatts book Structuring the State has much more information on Piedmonts nation-building efforts).

8. The rise and fall of a global media establishment. The Crimean War was a global affair, and transportation costs were such that foreign media correspondents could easily visit Crimea and send their reports back home. The war correspondent was born in Crimea, and the influence of the media on war efforts was forever changed.

7. Russian serfdom was weakened and abolished in 1861, just five years after the end of the Crimean War. Serfdom was viewed in Russia and abroad as a major sin, due to the fact that other European polities had long ago abolished serfdom. The conservative factions in Russia who still favored serfdom also favored aggressive territorial expansion, and Russias loss in the Crimean War also weakened these pro-serfdom factions. The Crimean War not only led to the abolishment of serfdom in the Russian Empire, but also emboldened more radical voices; ones that were calling for revolution.

6. The Crimean War was an aberration of the Long Peace which lasted from 1815-1914. The Congress of Vienna, hosted by conservative Austrian statesman Klaus von Metternich, was held after the Napoleonic Wars and was designed to maintain a balance of power between Europes major players. It worked fairly well until World War I began, but the Crimean War, along with the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, were violent hiccups in this system. The French, Dutch, and British were best able to take advantage of the long peace, and their respective overseas empires were expanded and their efforts at colonialism doubled in the name of civilization.

5. Russias alienation from Europe, culturally. Russia had long been the odd man out in European affairs. Was Russia European? Asiatic? Russian? For most Russians, the Crimean War answered this question, as Christian Europe sided with Muslim Turks against it in a war Russia lost decisively. Russian efforts at integrating culturally with Europe began under Peter the Great in the 17th and 18th centuries, largely ended officially, though, of course, informally ideas still spread throughout the empire.

4. About 750,000 died, mostly from disease. The number of dead should tell you all you need to know about the significance of the Crimean War. To put this number in context, during the bloodiest war in American history, the U.S. Civil War (incidentally fought just a few years after the Crimean War), 620,000 people perished. Warfare itself during the Crimean War was not the main cause of death, though. British and French strategists were content to pin Russia down and slaughter her poorly-trained serf-troops with long-range bombardments, which led to outbreaks of nasty diseases like cholera, typhus, dysentery, and typhoid.

3. The Ottomans still did poorly, despite being on the winning side of the war. There are a number of theories as to why this is. The Ottomans had technology that was on par with the other European powers, but not the manufacturing base nor an inclusive private property rights regime, which limited the spread of technological knowledge. In addition, Ottoman soldiers were poorly trained and mutiny-prone, which suggests that, like the Russians and their serfs, Ottoman soldiers did not really want to die for a regime they had no stake in. At the time of the war, the Ottomans were undergoing a series of cultural and economic reforms meant to build an Ottoman identity out of the disparate groups that composed the far-flung empire, so that the problems that plagued the empire during the Crimean War could be addressed. Unfortunately, the reforms were too little, too late.

2. The Great Game in Central Asia was a major cause of Britains entrance into the war. The British and Russians were vying for power and influence in Central Asia when the Russians made a land grab for Ottoman territory in Europe. British diplomats believed that Russia was aiming for India, and that the Ottoman Empire was a useful bulwark against Russian expansion into Asia. In a way, the Ottoman Empire was a proxy of the British Empire, so Russian incursion into Ottoman lands in Europe was viewed by London as an affront to its Indian territories in Asia. This paranoid thinking was wrong in hindsight, but the British, by pinning the Russians down in Europe, stumbled upon an ingenious way to assert their authority over Central Asia.

1. France was driven into the war by its Catholic interests, which might seem strange given that the Napoleonic Wars were secular crusades. By the time of the Crimean War, though, France was in the thralls of a second empire, run by Napoleon III (nephew of the original Napoleon), who built his empire with a coalition that involved the Catholic Church. The Catholics were competing with the Russian Orthodox Church in the Holy Lands, which were under the authority of the Ottomans, and Napoleon III, who took power in France in an 1851 coup, was all too happy to shore up support in his domestic coalition. The ongoing Ottoman reforms mentioned above began to favor the Catholics over the Russians after the Crimean War ended.

Further thoughts

Want to know more about Americas role in the Crimean War? Youre in luck because RealClearHistorys blog, the Historiat, has what you need. Check it out!

The Crimean War took place during a very pacifistic time in Europe, and the war was largely condemned by elites, but it also played a role in whipping up nationalist fervor amongst the masses. Studying the Crimean War can help us understand the decline of multi-ethnic empires in Europe, how nationalism and religion shape diplomacy, and why countries go to war for seemingly unconnected reasons.

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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 10/19/2018



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

2 star Jenelle Evans was taken to the hospital after an alleged assault occurred in her home.According to the Columbus County Sheriff's Office, Jenelle was transported to the hospital on Saturday after police were called to her house in North Carolina, Us Weekly reported A woman reportedly called 911 just before 10PM about an alleged assault at the home the 26-year-old reality TV star shares with her husband, David Eason.Although an ambulance was initially requested for Jenelle, according to the magazine, it was later canceled and she was taken to the hospital via private car instead.The Columbus County Sheriff's Office told Us responding officers "advised [Jenelle] of the legal action she could take" before she was brought to the hospital.No arrests were made and Jenelle reportedly chose not to file a police report.The Ashley's Reality Roundup reported MTV's filming crew was not at Jenelle and David's home during the alleged incident but Jenelle had cameras rolling the very next day when she met with her mother, Barbara Evans.Shortly after Jenelle was hospitalized on October 13, she deleted her Twitter account.Jenelle's Instagram page, however, remains intact. In fact, she posted a few photos recently of her children.Jenelle and David, 30, began dating in September 2015 and got married in September 2017. The couple welcomed a daughter Ensley together, who is now 20 months.Jenelle is also mom to nine-year-old Jace with her ex, Andrew Lewis, as well as a four-year-old son Kaiser, 4, with her ex Nathan Griffith.David made headlines earlier this year for bashing the LGBT community as being "abominations" on Twitter. MTV fired David in February for his homophobic tweets, but Jenelle stood by him during the public scandal.The Season 8 reunion special of 2 just aired in August 2018.
Survivors of sexual assault are amplifying their voices louder than ever. In the wake of this cultural movement, listen to the stories sexual assault survivor's are telling. It takes courage to do so.
Some UGA students have never left the USA or even the state of Georgia. To learn more about different cultures while also getting the daily dose of caffeine, go to the International Coffee Hour.
The news desk has compiled a list of events going on throughout the upcoming week that are open to Athenians and University of Georgia students.
Photo: Darren Berg

As British Columbia moves towards meeting aggressive greenhouse gas emission targets, turns out even if you want to go green you might have a hard time.

Clean Energy Canada has released a report indicating that less than half of B.C.'s car dealerships have electric cars available for purchase.

The study indicates that in spite of a growing number of British Columbians who want to own an electric vehicle, finding one on a dealers lot is a different story.

This summer, Clean Energy Canada called all 322 dealerships in B.C. that qualify for the provinces EV rebate program and found that only 40% of them have electric cars on their lots available to purchase.

Here in the Interior, just 27 per cent of car dealerships have electric cars.

In the Lower Mainland, 54 per cent of car dealership have electric cars, although buyers had to wait between a few months and a whole year in order to get their hands on one.

On Vancouver Island and along the Sunshine Coast, 43 per cent of dealerships have electric cars.

In the north that number drops to just seven per cent.

No one wants to wait a year to get an electric caroften without the option of even test-driving it first. Maybe that person waits, maybe they get a gas-fuelled car instead. At a time when we need to do more than ever to cut pollution and enhance affordability in this province, its an unacceptable situation for British Columbians who want to go electric.Dan Woynillowicz, Policy Director, Clean Energy Canada

The B.C. government is currently considering a policy that would require automakers to sell more electric cars in the provincelike they have in California and Quebec.

With gas prices in B.C. in record high territory more and more British Columbians are looking for alternatives like electric vehicles.

Merran Smith, Executive Director, Clean Energy Canada tells Castanet, British Columbians are excited about electric carsand so were many of the salespeople we spoke to. This is about choice. Its about cutting both fuel bills and carbon pollution. Fortunately, our provincial government can solve this with a proven solution.
TORRINGTON  The issues of mental health and addiction were key topics at a candidates forum Thursday, sponsored by Prime Time House, a nonprofit organization that works with adults with mental illness.

Janine Sullivan-Wiley, executive director of the North West Regional Mental Health Board, told the candidates that the forum would give them a chance to learn from the centers residents about difficulties in their lives.

For their opening remarks, Sullivan-Wiley asked the panel to discuss their role in supporting mental health services.

I helped secure funding for some of you folks, said state Sen. Craig Miner, R-New Milford. .

His opponent, Democrat David Lawson, also of New Milford, said the key is affordability and accessibility.

Im glad were having this conversation, said state Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington, the incumbent in the 65th district. We get to meet with a population that we dont always here from.

Her opponent, Republican Molly Spino, of Torrington, said she is a fifth generation resident of the city. Spino also noted that she is a Marine veteran who suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

State Rep. Brian Ohler, R-North Canaan, the incumbent in the 64th District, and is an Army veteran, said he also had post-traumatic stress syndrome and received support from the military. He said he will look at the return on investment (for services) to help residents become productive citizens.

Audience members, many of whom receive services from the center, asked the candidates questions on how they would support their community. I dont care if youre a Democrat or a Republican, said a member of Prime Time House. I just want to know if youll fight for us who have mental health issues.

This race is personal, said Candy Perez, of Winsted, the Democratic candidate for the legislatures 63rd District. She noted that a family member died about a year ago. It wasnt from a lack of support, for addiction services, but the stigma.

Maria Horn of Salisbury, the Democratic candidate for the legislatures 64th District, said, The big challenge is getting services. She added that transportation issues are a concern. If your medical care is 45 minutes away, that doesnt help.

We should look for abuses and fraud that take money away from those who need these services, said Rep. David Wilson, R-Litchfield, the incumbent in the 66th District.

An audience member asked what the candidates would do about racial profiling in Torrington.

Cook replied that she had received two calls this week about the issue. Weve lost our sense of civility, she said. She suggested residents be friendly with neighbors, dont go after people on social media.

As a former police officer, state Sen. Kevin Witkos, R-Canton, the incumbent in the 8th District, said he saw people in difficult times. He said the state budget for mental health services should be fully funded.

Witkos added that a legislative task force is forming to focus on how to fight against mental health, addiction, depression and suicide.

We need to help a person learn self-help, so they can get off state benefits, said state Rep. Jay Case, R-Winchester, the incumbent in the 63rd District. We should put people before problems.

The general election is Nov. 6. The deadline to register online, by mail, or in person is October 30. Certain special registration services are also available up to election day. For more information, contact your local Registrar of Voters or go online to the Secretary of States site or call at 860-509-6200
Colton Davies

While a new long-haul bus service will fill the gap between Kelowna, Kamloops and Vancouver when Greyhound leaves, many small communities in the southern Interior are still looking for their own solutions.

The Alberta-based Ebus will begin operating three major routes in B.C. on Nov. 1, the day after Greyhound pulls its service in the province.

But Greyhound already pulled the plug in parts of Southern B.C. earlier this year. In the Similkameen Valley, with a total population of about 10,000, there hasnt been a long-haul bus since May 31.

"If you can have a ride into the Okanagan and connect... from Kelowna into the Lower Mainland, that is unfortunately the only option right now," Keremeos Mayor Manfred Bauer said.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen is planning to increase BC Transit service to Kelowna, but that change wont come until 2019 and it still wont make it easy to get from the Similkameen to the coast.

"This is good to hear there is principle service between the major centres. [But] we have to look after our rural communities," Princeton Mayor Frank Armitage said. "We have people that have to get to Vancouver monthly for medical reasons, adults and children, and it's just not sufficient service."

Armitage, Bauer and RDOS board chair Karla Kozakevich had a near-hour-long meeting at last months UBCM with Minister of Transportation Claire Trevena.

Bauer said they created a working group with the province and said theyd ideally like to create a shuttle bus service that connects to Lower Mainland transit through the Similkameen.

"What we're looking for is... going from perhaps Keremeos to Princeton to Hope, and twice a day return. And then hookup in Hope to another transit system that perhaps hooks up to Abbotsford and from there, Vancouver."

Armitage said Minister Trevena is expected to reconvene with the mayors of Keremeos and Princeton sometime after the municipal election.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Canada is not about to agree to quotas or other limits on its exports in order to get the United States to lift punishing tariffs on steel and aluminum, says a source close to the ongoing talks to resolve the lingering tit-for-tat trade standoff.

Where the two sides ultimately end up remains to be seen, but the Canadian source  speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive negotiations  described the idea of a quota system as a non-starter and a concession that Canada is not prepared to make.

"They're trying to get us to agree to a quota system, which we're not going to do, because it's ridiculous," said the source. "They know what they need to do to get a deal. The ball is entirely in their court."

Other sources briefed on the talks, however, say quotas are indeed on the table as the two sides work towards getting the tariffs lifted before voters in the U.S. head to the polls for pivotal midterm elections Nov. 6 that could, depending on the outcome, have ramifications for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Donald Trump imposed the so-called Section 232 tariffs  25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum  back in June on national security grounds.

But the levies, which the U.S. president has acknowledged publicly helped to expedite the new North American trade deal known as USMCA, did not go away when the agreement was reached recently at the 11th hour.

Trump's now-infamous potshots at Canada, a fixture of his rally speeches and news conferences while the trade talks were ongoing, have largely been replaced by domestic political rhetoric as he ventures into the U.S. heartland, desperate to preserve Republican control of Congress.

But the anti-Canada commentary has not disappeared entirely.

In remarks to a dinner audience on Capitol Hill this week, Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow related a story in which an unidentified White House official described Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "that punk little kid running Canada."

And a CBC report quoted Zekelman Industries chairman and CEO Barry Zekelman  Canadian-born, but head of a U.S.-based steel pipe and tube conglomerate and unabashed champion of American steel interests  telling a Commons committee that Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is "way out of her league."

Carlo Dade, head of the Calgary-based Canada West Foundation, said it's clear that there's a degree of persistent cross-border animosity, particularly on the part of the office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

"The USTR really does not like Canada," Dade said. "They've got a hate on for us, and they've had a hate on for us for a long time."

Not so, said the source, who's convinced that it's all part of the Trump-fuelled U.S. negotiating playbook.

"It's all pretty transparent  they're doing exactly the same thing" they did during the NAFTA talks, the source said. "They've got their spokespeople out there calling us names, and their steel people out there attacking Chrystia.... I think a lot of this is just show business."
File photo

There are thousands of jobs open in Connecticut, but our students are not always qualified to get them. A garage in northwest Connecticut was not able to get a young automobile mechanic who would be able to work the computer. Without enough computer competence these days, it is impossible to work on cars. Some large companies in southern Connecticut have been importing computer technicians from India. Now UConn has enlarged its campus in Hartford to offer training in science, math and technology to help students prepare for these jobs.

That is why David Lawson feels so strongly, if elected as our state senator, that he would push for more support for community colleges and technical and vocational schools to train our students for the jobs now available. David was a teacher and when he was on the New Milford Board of Education they approved full day kindergarten for all children. That gives a chance to strengthen all childrens basic learning skills before starting the school experience.
Some 1,000 protesters descended on Brussels Friday demanding that the European Union push for a return of democracy to Cambodia, as Prime Minister Hun Sen gathered with heads of state and business leaders from Asia and Europe in the wake of his controversial election victory.



Friday marked the second day of the Oct. 18-19 Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM), where top stakeholders from the two continents gathered to provide a forum for political discussions among the 53-member group.



In a move aimed at countering European criticism of his rule, Hun Sen has worked to persuade leaders from the bloc to forgo threatened sanctions against his government following July 29 national elections widely regarded as rigged.



Cambodias Supreme Court ruled to dissolve the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in September for its role in an alleged plot to topple the government amid a months-long crackdown that also targeted NGOs and the independent mediavirtually ensuring that Hun Sens ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) emerged victorious from the July ballot.



On Friday, protesters urged the EU to sanction Hun Sens government as part of a bid to pressure him to restore democracy to Cambodiatwo weeks after the bloc informed Phnom Penh that it will lose preferential trade status unless it makes clear and demonstrable improvements to its rights record.



Yos Hut, a monk protester, told RFAs Khmer Service that the people of Cambodia are being held hostage by Hun Sens regime.



There is no peace when people are being pressured and intimidated, he said, adding that additional protests against Hun Sen are planned in Turkey and Switzerland, where the prime minister will meet with leaders following the conclusion of the ASEM gathering.



A protester named Thai Makara said organizers had appealed to members of the Cambodian diaspora to take part on Friday, and that the ranks of the rally had exceeded expectations.



We had a very good turnout by protestorsthe numbers were more than what we had expected, he said.



The protest happened close to the building where Hun Sen is attending the meetingits just across the street. I do hope Hun Sen has seen the gathering  [but I believe that] even if we protested right in front of him, he would still pretend not to have seen it.



Thai Makara said that scores of Hun Sen supporters had also gathered near the building on Friday, but that only four or five attempted to disturb the protest.



They either came to observe or investigate on us, but [in Brussels] they cant do anything to usnot like they could do in Cambodia, he said.



Another monk named Ros Bunthorn said that the protesters decided to gather on Friday because they love justice, peace, democracy and human rights, adding that the movement here is getting bigger and is really pushing the EU to help the people of Cambodia.



Meanwhile, Hun Sen posted a message to his Facebook account thanking who he said were his supporters that came from as far away as Germany, Switzerland, England and France to welcome him in Brussels.



This shows that Cambodians overseas support and respect the prime minister, who has led the country to its current prosperity, he wrote.



It also reflects the pride Cambodians have that their prime minister has joined an EU summit.



Courting China



According to a report by the Phnom Penh Post, Hun Sen was also set to hold separate bilateral meetings with leaders including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev during the ASEM meeting.



The Post quoted political analyst Hang Vitou as saying that the bilateral meeting with Li was likely to discuss how China could provide Cambodia with assistance on internal political, economic and diplomatic issues because the government seems to have issues with the liberal world."



Therefore, Cambodia, like it or not, has to further strengthen its relations with China at this bilateral meeting, he said.



Hun Sen has repeatedly stressed that his country does not need foreign governments to recognize the legitimacy of Cambodias elections, saying acceptance by Cambodians is sufficient.



He has also said that he will continue to welcome aid from China, which is poised to overtake the U.S. as the worlds top foreign donor, and which is currently Cambodias largest international aid provider.



China, which typically offers aid to countries without many of the prerequisites that the U.S. and EU place on donations, such as improvements to human rights, offered sincere congratulations to Hun Sens party for its showing in Julys polls.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Photo: Contributed

Politicians in the Oliver area have again raised concerns of unfair wages for physicians at the South Okanagan General Hospital, saying many are leaving for higher wages in Penticton.

Rural Oliver director Terry Schafer and Oliver councillor Petra Veintimilla both spoke up on the topic during a discussion Thursday at the Okanagan Similkameen Regional Hospital District meeting.

"Is it really fair that the Oliver hospital keeps losing ER physicians to Penticton for higher pay?" Schafer said.

"There isn't a problem with recruitment, (SOGH) has the highest numbers that we've had in 10 years. There's a problem with retention," Veintimilla said. "And it's almost 100 per cent due to pay difference between Oliver and Penticton. And that comes from doctors working in that department."

Penticton councillor Judy Sentes, vice-chair of the OSRHD, said conversations on the issue have taken place with Interior Health, noting the health authority is reluctant to address the issue.

"(IH) deflects that to the Ministry of Health, because the doctors are negotiating on an individual basis with them. So (IH) says they have no influence."

Peter Entwistle, former chief of staff at SOGH who resigned in protest in the spring of 2017, said the problem with physician wages at the hospital has existed for a long time and that "no one's looking to address it."

He said physicians in Oliver are being paid "significantly less" than those in Penticton and said they're working harder.

"There's only one physician at any one time, and there's less support staff [at SOGH]. So it tends to be harder work," Entwistle said. "We're forever losing physicians from Oliver to Penticton as quickly as we recruit people... and you can't blame the doctors for doing that."

"And then similarly, you get paid more for working in the office than you do working in emergency. So again it doesn't make sense."

He added the pay-scale issue also creates a staffing shortage which has led to regular overnight closures of the hospital's ER department.

Veintimilla proposed to the board that the OSRHD should include the wage discrepancy issue when it meets with Interior Health on Oct. 30, a bi-annual meeting between the two sides to discuss regional issues. It's not yet clear if the topic will be addressed.
A New Zealand lawmaker has accused the opposition National Party leader of corruption, claiming that he sought to hide the source of a donation from a Chinese businessmen who has been linked to Beijing's international influence strategy under the ruling Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department.



National Party MP Jami-Lee Ross said he had been told by his own party leader, Simon Bridges, to split the 100,000 New Zealand dollar (U.S.$66,000) donation from businessman Zhang Yikun, to hide the source of the funds.



Ross told reporters that he plans to provide evidence to police and to release a secretly recorded phone conversation with Bridges, who denied the accusation, and said that he'd done nothing wrong.



Zhang, who was awarded an "Order of Merit" by the New Zealand government in June for "services to New Zealand-China relations and the Chinese community," has been linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by Canterbury University expert Anne-Marie Brady, an expert on Chinese influence overseas.



"The most concerning aspect to the controversy over National's hidden donations is that the source of the funds is a leader in #CCP united front work activities," Brady said via her Twitter account earlier this week.



Last November, Zhang led a political and business delegation to Beijing, meeting with an official of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of China's cabinet, the State Council, Brady said in another tweet, linking to a report from TV33, a Chinese-language digital broadcaster owned by Chinese state broadcaster China Xinhua News Network TV.



Zhang told officials in Beijing that he would "unite the Chinese community in New Zealand and fully cherish this opportunity to tell the story of China," TV33 reported at the time.



He also expressed his gratitude for the "concern and support" given by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, it said.



Since arriving in the country in 2000, Zhang founded and still leads the New Zealand arm of the Chao Shan General Association.



The Australian branch of the organization, the Chao Shan Association of Commerce, was listed as a United Front affiliate in a submission on Chinese influence to the Australian parliament earlier this year.



Repeated calls to the Chao Shan General Association rang unanswered during office hours on Friday.



Not the first of its kind



Chen Weijian, the New Zealand-based editor-in-chief of the political magazine Beijing Spring, said the alleged donation revealed by Ross isn't the first of its kind.



"It looks like a donation from a businessman, but who is that businessman, actually?" Chen said. "The Chinese Communist Party has been gradually making donations to political parties here and there via their agents in Western political circles."



"This is a very serious problem ... and yet the government here in New Zealand doesn't seem to be taking much of a stand," Chen said. "The New Zealand's relationship with China is too cozy, with a lot of vested interests tied up with it."



On Friday, Brady also reported via her Twitter account that security cameras have now been installed at her office at Canterbury University after an unexplained "burglary" in which the laptop she used to write her research and articles on China's overseas influence went missing.



Brady this week also called on governments to carry out in-depth probes into the Chinese Communist Party's activities overseas.



"Governments need to conduct their own in-depth investigations into CCP united front work activities within their countries and then devise a strategy to counteract them," she wrote in an article published in the Party Watch annual report on Thursday.



"Governments must define Chinas meddling in their internal affairs as a national security issue and treat it accordingly," Brady said, suggesting updates to laws governing the funding of elections, protocols around conflicts of interest for serving and retired public servants and politicians, and sales of strategic infrastructure.



Overseas Chinese targeted



Commentators said ethnic Chinese populations overseas are also being targeted by United Front tactics, which often rely on affiliated organizations promoting "friendship and cooperation" between China and their home country, and need the support of their governments to resist Beijing's attempts to silence criticism of the CCP far beyond China's borders.



Writer and social researcher Tze Ming Mok said Chinese influence is already raising concerns in academic, business, civil society, and government circles in New Zealand.



"But they can't say much publicly or their own Chinese government-linked funding, or their access, or their negotiations  even in some cases, their families  could come under pressure," he wrote in an op-ed piece in the New Zealand Herald on Friday.



He said a lack of independent funding in New Zealand made it particularly vulnerable to "any state or lobby group with deep pockets."



Tze said there is "a wall of silence where there should be informed critique, transparency and debate" on the topic, and that the chilling effect is "harming Chinese people in New Zealand."



Brady meanwhile called on governments to establish better contacts with their ethnic Chinese populations.



"[Governments should] work with these communities to support them to become resilient and autonomous from CCP attempts to control them," Brady wrote.



Classified information exchanged



Earlier this month, the five nations in the worlds leading intelligence-sharing network confirmed they have been exchanging classified information on Chinas foreign activities with other like-minded countries since the start of the year, Reuters reported.



Officials told the agency that the enhanced cooperation amounted to an informal expansion of the Five Eyes group on the specific issue of foreign interference, with expanding Chinese influence as the main focus.



China has rejected accusations that it is seeking to influence overseas governments and that its investments are politically driven.



Australia last December tightened rules on foreign lobbying and political donations, while broadening the definition of treason and espionage, while the U.S. has legislated to make it easier for the government to block certain kinds of investment.



Earlier this month, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accused Beijing of interfering in the political and economic life of the U.S. by "rewarding or coercing American businesses, movie studios, universities, think tanks, scholars, journalists and local, state and federal officials."



Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Xi Wang for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
A former top internet censor for the ruling Chinese Communist Party stood trial for corruption behind closed doors in the eastern Chinese city of Ningbo on Friday, state media reported.



Lu Wei, once dubbed the "father" of the Great Firewall of government internet censorship, has admitted taking 32 million yuan (U.S. $4.6 million) in bribes, state news agency Xinhua reported.



A former journalist for the state-run news agency Xinhua, Lu rose to become the agency's vice president from 2004-2011, and vice mayor of Beijing from 2011-2013. He was last seen in public a year ago.



Several of Lu's associates and colleagues at the powerful Cyberspace Administration, which he headed until June 2016, were questioned in the probe.



Lu was greeted in Mandarin by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg during a December 2014 trip to the United States, during which he also told Apple's Tim Cook that Beijing would decide whether to allow products to enter the Chinese market.



But his fall to an ongoing anti-corruption campaign waged by President Xi Jinping is likely due to behind-the-scenes power struggles, analysts said.



Lu's former colleagues and associates in his home province of Anhui have been put on notice by the authorities, and are attending compulsory "education sessions" to discuss his case, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, citing an article on the website of Xi's hugely powerful State Supervisory Commission.



Since Lu's downfall, Xi has continued to expand the authorities' control over what its more than 730 million internet users can do, see, or say online.



Interpol chief



Meanwhile, the wife of former Interpol president Meng Hongwei, is under police protection in France after her husband was taken to a secret location "on the outskirts of Beijing" to be investigated for corruption.



The official website of China's Ministry of Public Security said Meng is being investigated by the State Supervisory Commission for "accepting bribes and suspected violation of laws."



His wife Grace Meng says she has been contacted by Chinese diplomats, who have told her they're holding a letter from him for her, but has only agreed to meet with lawyers and journalists present.



Exile sources in Paris said she likely fears she will be rendered back to China by agents of the ruling Chinese Communist Party against her will.



Paris-based democracy activist Zhang Jian told RFA that moves are already under way to extradite Grace Meng, who remains vulnerable due to an existing extradition treaty between France and China.



"The Chinese government wants to extradite Meng Hongwei's wife ... and the French government likely won't be able to protect her because the Chinese Communist Party says this is an economic crime of corruption,"

Zhang said.



"Grace Meng needs to demonstrate to the French government that this is actually a form of political persecution before they will protect her," he said.



Request rejected



Officials on the democratic island of Taiwan, which Beijing has blocked from participation in international bodies because it lays claim to its territory, said Interpol had rejected its request to attend next month's general assembly meeting in Dubai as an observer, blaming China for the snub.



Taiwan's premier William Lai said on Friday that the government had received official notification from Interpol that its request to attend the meeting as an observer had been denied.



"Interpol's rejection of Taiwan is unreasonable but we know the important reason behind it is China's suppression of Taiwan," Lai told reporters.



He described China's behavior towards Taiwan as "arrogant and high handed."



Reported by Ng Yik-tung and Yeung Kin for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Hsia Hsiao-hwa for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Local residents gather outside the home of People's Liberation Army veteran Wei Gang amid a forced demolition and eviction in Yangzhou, eastern China's Jiangsu province, Oct. 15, 2018.

At least two people have been detained in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu in clashes between local residents and forced eviction and demolition gangs, RFA has learned.

Local authorities have clamped down on any information emerging after the clashes in Hangji township near Jiangsu's Yangzhou city, and waged a campaign of intimidation against anyone trying to speak to the media, local residents said.

The clashes came after a forced demolition team and a team of government-hired thugs visited the home of Wei Gang in Hangji on Monday, a resident surnamed Chen told RFA.

"The government hired the demolition company which is definitely run by a criminal organization," Chen said. "[On Wednesday], an incident took place in which a crowd gathered outside a police station in the town to protest."

"There was no other option; the government was taking no action [on the forced evictions], and they were holding [Wei Gang's] wife in there," he said.

A second resident surnamed Yang said local people had rioted on Wednesday and Thursday, with local military officers involved in negotiating some kind of settlement with the government, according to unconfirmed reports.

The military involvement was possibly because Wei Gang is a People's Liberation Army (PLA) veteran, Yang said.

"On Wednesday, the police called Wei Gang's wife to ask her to bring clothes to him [in detention], but they held her there after she went into the police station," he said.

"There were probably more than 1,000 people creating havoc outside, calling on them to let her out," he said.

Yang said Wei's wife was eventually released, but riots continued on Thursday, prompting a visit from Yangzhou government officials and further clashes.

"[There were reports that] the army opened fire, but I don't think they are reliable; I think that they are rumors," Yang said. "However, they aren't completely without basis in fact. It is highly likely that there were PLA veterans present standing up for their rights, and that the other protest happened right then, and that they all joined in."

An officer who answered the phone at a police station in Yangzhou transferred the call to "the person in charge."

However, the supervisor declined to comment, saying that only official reports should be used.

Repeated calls to the cell phone of a Yangzhou municipal government propaganda official rang unanswered during office hours on Friday.



Veterans protests

PLA veterans have organized protests over demobilization benefits across China in recent months, converging earlier this month on Pingdu city in the eastern province of Shandong.

Pingdu authorities sealed off the city after thousands of People's Liberation Army (PLA) veterans converged there over a weekend of protests and clashes over police beatings of their former comrades-in-arms.

Video footage of the protests showed police in full riot gear backing off in the face of elderly men in camouflage gear wielding wooden sticks during the protests in Shandong's Pingdu city, as well as police beating up several protesters, sources told RFA, providing footage of several elderly veterans lying on gurneys at a hospital.

Reported by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Three Lao workers given long prison terms in April 2017 for criticizing their government while working in Thailand have been separated in prison, with one now sent to a separate facility in his hometown and the other two housed with other prisoners in the Lao capital, Lao sources say.

Somphone Phimmasone, Lod Thammavong, and Soukan Chaithad disappeared in March 2016 after returning to Laos to renew their passports.

Charged with criticizing the Lao government online while working abroad, the three were sentenced in a secret trial to terms ranging from 12 to 20 years in rulings described as harsh and unjust by rights groups worldwide.

Soukane Chaithad, aged 32 at the time of his arrest, has now been transferred to a prison called Keangkhane in Savannakhet province where his family lives, a relative of one of the detainees told RFAs Lao Service in a recent interview.

Somphone Phimmasone, 29 when arrested, and his girlfriend Lod Thammavong, 30 when arrested, are still being held in Xamke prison in the Lao capital Vientiane, the relative said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But they are being held with other prisoners, and their relatives can visit them each month, he said, adding, Now they are no longer locked in dark cells.

'Unacceptable'

Also speaking to RFA, a Lao civil society organization official slammed the sentences handed to the three, calling their prosecution and treatment at trial unacceptable.

Arresting these three Lao workers for criticizing the Lao government on Facebook is a restriction of their freedom of speech, which violates the basic rights of the people, he said.

It is unacceptable that they were prosecuted and sentenced to terms of over 10 years while they were denied lawyers and could not access legal services.

Speaking at a U.N. review in July of the countrys rights record, Lao director general of law and international treaties Phoukong Sisoulath said that the jailing of the three workers had nothing to do with the freedom of expression.

Instead of returning to Laos to renew their passports, the three had come back to set up a clandestine network to incite protests against the government, he said.

They committed criminal offenses under the law of the Lao [Peoples Democratic Republic].

Following its July 11-12 review in Geneva, Switzerland, of Laos rights record, the U.N. Human Rights Commission voiced strong concern over enforced disappearances, violations of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and prison conditions in the one-party communist state.

Reported and translated by Ounkeo Souksavanh for RFA's Lao Service. Written in English by Richard Finney.
Myanmar President Win Myint on Wednesday issued a directive to the Yangon regional government to cooperate with the country's press council to resolve a lawsuit an official filed against three Eleven Media Group journalists accusing them of committing offenses against the state, amid growing disapproval over attacks on freedom of expression.

A letter of instruction signed by Zaw Thin, permanent secretary of the union government, and sent to officials in the commercial city has been widely circulated on Facebook.

The directive said Yangon officials should file a complaint about the case with the Myanmar Press Council (MPC) in accordance with the countrys Media Law, cooperate with the MPC on the case, and then take the case to court if the MPC fails to address it.

Regional government director Aung Kyaw Khine filed the lawsuit on Oct. 9 at Tamwe township police station on incitement charges, and the trio was arrested the next day and immediately taken to court.

Aung Kyaw Khine has contacted the MPC about the case and about taking action against the three journalists because he says an article written by chief reporter Phyo Wai Win and published in the Weekly Eleven News Journal on Oct. 8 damaged the dignity of the Yangon regional government.

The article charged that Yangon government officials mismanaged public funds through business dealings by the regions Chief Minister Phyo Min Thein. The suspect transactions included a U.S. $100 million contract awarded without a tender to import buses from China and irregularities in a public-private partnership in which regional ministers are shareholders.

Yangon government officials have said that the report is false, while the reporters have said they stand behind the story.

Government spokesman Zaw Htay told RFA that Win Myint issued the directive after the Yangon regional government consulted the Union government on the matter, and union government officials asked the president for a recommendation as to how the case should be handled.

When RFAs Myanmar Service contacted the Union Government Office, an official there refused to comment on the case, though he confirmed that the president issued the instructions that have been circulating on social media.

Withdraw court case first

Kyaw Zwa Min, secretary of the Myanmar Press Council, told RFA that Aung Kyaw Khine has visited the council's office to discuss taking action against the three journalists for allegedly violating four articles of the Media Law.

We told him that, according to the Media Law, the Yangon regional government must withdraw the case from the court first if it wants the MPC to mediate or to take action against these three journalists, he said.

Yangon regional government officials will meet with MPC members on Friday to let them know whether they will drop the court case, Kyaw Zwa Min said.

Phyo Wai Win and managing editors Kyaw Zaw Lin and Nari Min are being held in Insein Prison on the citys outskirts as they await trial on charges of allegedly violating Section 505(b) of the Penal Code.

The vaguely-worded section prohibits the publication or circulation of any statement, rumor, or report with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offense against the state or against the public tranquility. It carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison, a fine, or both with no eligibility for bail.

Kyi Myint, a lawyer who is representing the three journalists, Myanmars Deputy Information Minister Aung Hla Tun, and journalist activists said last week that Yangon officials should pursue the case through the MPC under the Media Law, which carries fines for those determined to be guilty of offenses related to their responsibilities and media ethics.

The next court appearance for the three journalists is expected to be on Oct. 26, when Aung Kyaw Khine must produce the original government documents that Phyo Wai Win wrote about in the article, the Associated Press said.

Reported by Thiri Min Zin for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Six Rohingya died in a blaze early Friday caused by embers from a kitchen fire at the Ohn Daw Che camp in western Myanmars Rakhine state, highlighting the dangers of overpopulated camps housing the stateless Muslim minority group, Rakhine fire department officials said.

Among the dead at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, which houses about 4,000 Rohingya in Sittwe township, are two children, aged 11 and 12, they said. The others who perished are men aged 20, 30, 45, and 60.

Charges have been filed against a Rohingya man who caused the fire that resulted in about 37 million kyats (U.S. $23,150) in damage, fire department officials said.

The blaze burned down 15 buildings that housed more than 800 people from 141 households, forcing them to seek shelter with relatives or in makeshift tents, they said.

Two-thirds of the fire victims are staying in temporary tents because their relatives dont have any more room in their homes, a local resident who did not provide his name told RFAs Myanmar Service. They urgently need food and waterproof plastic sheets for their temporary tents.

The Rakhine government has paid 300,000 kyats (U.S. $188) to each family member of those who died in the fire, said state government spokesman Win Myint. It has also provided a week's worth of rice and other goods to the affected families and is building a temporary shelter for those who lost their homes.

Myanmar is in the process of closing down IDP camps in Rakhines Sittwe district and in Kyauktaw and Myebon townships, where mostly Rohingya were housed following waves of clashes in the ethnically and religiously divided state in 2012 that left more than 200 people dead and displaced about 140,000 Muslims.

More than 94,000 Rohingya live in the dozen IDP camps that remain in Sittwe township.

Colonel Phone Tint, Rakhine states security and border affairs minister, told RFA on Friday that the government has built 100 houses for Muslim IDPs in Myebon, and plans to build 642 additional houses so that the townships camps can be shut down.

We are also working to shut down IDP and refugee camps in Sittwe township, he said.

In August, authorities closed the Nidin IDP camp in Kyauktaw township and resettled the nearly 600 Rohingya who had been living there in new homes in Nidin village.

The camp closures are being overseen by a Myanmar government committee responsible for implementing recommendations by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, a group led by late former U.N. chief Kofi Annan that proposed ways to solve sectarian tensions between Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in the state.

The commissions report called for the closure of IDP camps, for reviews of Myanmars 1982 Citizenship Law, which prevents the Rohingya from becoming citizens, and for an end to restrictions on Rohingya to preclude further violence in the region.

We are living in a jail

Those still confined to the camps complain about restrictions on their movements and other limitations that are part of the systematic discrimination that the Rohingya face in Myanmar where they are denied citizenship because they are viewed as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

We face many hardships in the camp, said Thein Maung, an official at the Darpaing IDP camp in the rural area of Sittwe township.

We could travel freely before when we lived in Sittwe, [but] we now have to travel with security guards, even when we really need to travel for emergency health care, he said. It is like we are living in a jail.

Though the Muslims who live in the camp have rice, cooking oil, salt, and some medicine, they didnt have cooking oil for two months, but were given money instead, he said.

Thein Maung also said that he told U.N. agency officials about the difficulties the Muslims face when they visited the camp in early October.

"When the Muslims first moved into the camp, they only had coconuts to eat because they couldnt buy rice as none was available, even if they could pay for it," he said.

But then the World Food Programme stepped in and began providing rice, he added.

If they pay us money instead for rice and cooking oil, these items are very expensive, and we are not allowed to travel to buy them, he said.

Kyaw Sein, a resident of the Bawduba IDP camp in Sittwe, said that donor organizations that have provided food to the Rohingya, who have been living there since 2012, dont always provide enough for them to eat.

We have food if there are donors, but we have nothing to eat if there are no donors, he said. The donors havent given us enough rice this month, and they dont give us any more cooking oil.

We cant work outside the camp because we are not allowed to leave, he said. Its terrible.

Myanmar has also been building houses for Rohingya refugees who will return to Rakhine state from Bangladesh under a repatriation program that has yet to get fully underway.

About 720,000 Rohingya fled the region and headed across the border during a brutal military crackdown in northern Rakhine state in 2017, a campaign that amounted to genocide according to the U.N. Human Rights Council and other members of the international community.

A report issued by a U.N.-backed fact-finding mission in late August detailed violence by Myanmar security forces and called for the prosecution of top military commanders on genocide charges at the International Criminal Court or at another criminal tribunal.

Christine Schraner Burgener (2nd L), the UN's special envoy for Myanmar, accompanied by local officials meets with Muslims who live in the Thet Kel Pyin IDP camps in Sittwe, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Oct. 16, 2018. Credit: AFP Burgener in Kachin state

When Christine Schraner Burgener, the U.N.s special envoy to Myanmar, visited northern Rakhine state on Oct. 15, she met with representatives from Muslim, ethnic Rakhine Buddhist, and Hindu communities in the troubled multiethnic region.

Burgener is working with the Myanmar government on how the U.N. can help with the return and resettlement of Rohingya who fled the crackdown by security forces following deadly attacks on police outposts by a Muslim militant group.

On Wednesday and Thursday, she visited northern Myanmars Kachin state, where the Myanmar military has been engaged in hostilities with an ethnic armed group since 2011 and has come under fire by rights groups for committing abuses against ethnic minority civilians. The conflict has displaced more than 100,000 people, many of whom are living in IDP camps.

During a stop at an IDP camp in Kachins Waingmaw township, a youth civil society group gave Burgener an open letter about the current political situation there, and called on the U.N. to support a move by the ICC to investigate Myanmar military leaders.

Sut Sai Twel, a member of the Kachin Youth Movement, told RFA that the letter also urged the U.N. to put pressure on the local government to provide education to all and to allow international aid to be delivered to IDPs.

Rights groups accuse the Myanmar government of blocking humanitarian aid to the tens of thousands of Kachin civilians forcibly displaced by civil war.

The letter also called for help from international organizations to address a growing number of arrests and legal actions taken against youth activists who have called for peace.

The Myanmar army filed lawsuits earlier this year against some demonstrators who participated in peaceful protests in Kachin's capital Myitkyina, who demanded an end to hostilities in the state and called on the Myanmar government to rescue of thousands of civilians trapped by the fighting.

Reported by Khin Khin Ei, Thant Zin Oo, and Nandar Chann for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar and Nandar Chann. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Map of the area in Vietnam where the quarry clash took place, Sept. 27, 2018

Security guards employed by Indian-owned RK Viet Nam on September 27 attacked a group of protesters at the companys marble quarry in Lam Thuong commune, Yen Bai province, according to a statement by Amnesty International.

During the fracas, in which the guards used guns, batons and electric cattle prods, 11 of the several hundred protesters were injured, the statement said.

The protesters were mainly of the Tay indigenous community living in the villages near the quarry. They had gathered that day to protest pollution related to the operation of the quarry, which they say has poisoned their only source of clean water and killed large numbers of fish and poultry, the report said.

In addition, the mountain on which the quarry is situated is considered a spiritual guardian of the local communities by the Tay people.

Amnesty International said video and photo evidence taken by people on the scene during the attack was provided to them and local rights groups. One video shows that rapid-response police were there while the attack as going on, but did nothing to intervene.

The report also said that following the attack, local authorities ordered the company to temporarily cease operations to smooth things over with the community. Local activists told the NGO that police came to their homes and demanded they delete social media posts about the event.

On October 4 the local district president Bui Ban Thinh ordered that the police track down information about those who posted about the attack on Facebook.

Several people who were on the scene spoke to RFAs Vietnamese service and confirmed the veracity of these reports about the incident, but declined further comment, fearing reprisals.

Amnesty Internationals statement demanded that Vietnamese authorities immediately order a thorough investigation.

They also urged the authorities to look into the concerns of the protesters by assessing the environmental and human rights impacts of the quarry, and possibly compensating those affected.
The run-up to Afghanistans October 20 parliamentary elections is taking its toll on the field.



Ten candidates have been slain, two abducted, and four wounded -- both before and after the 20-day campaign period started on September 28, according to Afghanistans Independent Election Commission (IEC).



RFE/RL was able to verify the identities of eight of those killed.



The killings have been blamed on the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) extremist group, both of which have called for a boycott of the vote and threatened voters and candidates.



Abdul Jabar Qahraman



This outspoken lawmaker from the southern province of Helmand, a Taliban stronghold, was killed along with four others when a bomb went off inside his campaign office on October 17.



Qahraman was a general in the Soviet-backed Afghan army in the 1980s. He organized the creation of a secret militia trained by Afghan intelligence to infiltrate the Taliban. President Ashraf Ghani sent Qahraman to Helmand as his special envoy in 2016 to help defeat the militant group. Qahraman later resigned. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bomb blast that killed Qahraman, whom they labeled a "a renowned communist."





Saleh Mohammad Achakzai



Achakzai was killed when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside his home in Helmands provincial capital, Lashkargah. The 32-year-old was holding a meeting at the time of the attack, which also killed seven other people. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although officials blamed the Taliban. A local businessman and a first-time candidate, he was campaigning on a platform of "positive change."



Nasir Mubarez



Mubarez was shot by gunmen on September 25 in the southern province of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban. He was rushed to the hospital, where he died from his wounds. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Mubarez was running as a candidate for the Kuchis, a nomadic Pashtun people. Ten seats in the 249-seat lower house of parliament are reserved for Kuchis.



Anwar Niazi



Niazi was killed in Kabul on September 2 when an improvised bomb struck his vehicle. Two others were wounded. He was a candidate from Parwan Province, just north of the capital. Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack.



Jalal Salehi



Salehi was killed in Kabuls Shakar Dara district on August 25. It was reported that he was inadvertently killed during an antimilitant operation in the area.



Hayatullah Khan Rahmani



Rahmani was killed along with three members of his family when a suicide bomber targeted his vehicle in Nangarhar Province on July 30. Rahmani was a commander of a government-backed militia fighting the Taliban and IS militants in the province.



Sayed Obaidullah Sadat



Sadat was killed by gunmen on July 14 in the southeastern province of Ghazni, a Taliban stronghold near the Pakistani border. He was a former member of the provincial council in Ghazni and served as mayor of Paktika Province. Nobody has claimed responsibility for his killing.



Awtar Singh Khalsa



This longtime leader of the tiny Sikh community was killed on July 1 when a suicide bomber targeted a group of Hindus and Sikhs on their way to meet the countrys president in the eastern province of Nangarhar. The attack, claimed by IS militants, killed 16 others and wounded scores more. He was the only Sikh candidate who had voiced an intention to run in the elections. The preliminary list of all candidates had been announced on June 30. Now his son, Narinder Singh, is running as a candidate. One seat in parliament is reserved for the Sikh and Hindu communities.



Watch a video of Khalsa
The Azerbaijani coast guard says it has rescued several Iranian sailors who showed symptoms of chemical poisoning after receiving a distress signal on the Caspian Sea.

A spokesman for Azerbaijan's Health Ministry, Parviz Abubekirov, said on October 19 that after their rescue, three of the sailors died.

Abubekirov said that the coast guard had received an SOS signal from the Nazmehr cargo ship, which was carrying wheat from the Kazakh port city of Aqtau to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku.

The signal was received minutes after midnight on October 19 and the Iranian vessel was located not far from Pirallahi Island, several kilometers off the coast.

According to the preliminary diagnosis, the sailors were poisoned by a chemical used to preserve the wheat, Abubekirov said.

Seven Iranian sailors remain hospitalized. The captain of the ship refused hospitalization, Abubekirov said.

Based on reporting by Trend and Interfax
Clad in a bright yellow head scarf and sporting a pen and notebook, Zuhra Nawrozi is unlike many of the candidates competing for a seat in Afghanistan's parliament.

On the campaign trail, the 30-year-old is flanked not by security guards but a young team of campaigners. They walk, rather than ride in bulletproof cars. Nawrozi's modest rented house serves as her campaign headquarters.

"Politicians shouldn't be detached from voters," says the mother of two. She is running for a seat in the capital, Kabul, an overcrowded city of 5 million that is frequently the target of deadly militant attacks. "We go out on the streets to talk and listen to ordinary people. We make a note of all their problems and needs. The streets are where these conversations should begin."

Nawrozi is among hundreds of young first-time independent candidates competing for the 249 seats in the lower house of parliament in the October 20 poll being contested by some 2,500 hopefuls.

Afghanistan's demographics would seemingly favor younger candidates -- around 70 percent of the estimated population of 30 million is below the age of 30. But the political first-timers face a daunting challenge from the old guard, which has long dominated politics through ethnic and tribal networks and deep pockets.

The campaign has been marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud. The vote is more than three years overdue due to administrative and legal issues, and a last-minute decision for biometric verification of voters has threatened to derail the vote and hope of a credible result.

The vote in the province of Ghazni has been cancelled altogether, and district elections that were supposed to be held the same day have been postponed. And on October 19, the elections in Kandahar Province were delayed a week following the assassination of the powerful provincial police commander the day before.

Even with the odds stacked against them, the wave of young candidates -- many of them reporters, entrepreneurs, and educators -- are on a mission to bring change to the country, where poverty is endemic, government corruption is pervasive, and war has raged for decades. They hope their visibility in the media and promises of change will resonate with a young and deeply disgruntled electorate.

"We want a parliament that gives voice to the people," says Nawrozi, a teacher and news reporter who is campaigning on a platform of empowering women through education and jobs. "We have lawmakers that have been in their positions for years, but have not given even a minute of their time to the people they are meant to represent."

'Generational Transition Of Power'

Many of the young generation came of age after the U.S.-led invasion toppled the Taliban from power in 2001 and have reaped the benefits of greater education, opportunities, and freedoms.

That includes Bilal Sarwary, a 36-year-old who is running for a seat in the province of Kunar in eastern Afghanistan.

"What we need in Afghanistan is a generational transition of power in politics," he says. "I don't see why we can't step up to the plate and be part of the solution."

Sarwary's family left Afghanistan during the devastating civil war in the 1990s and became refugees in neighboring Pakistan, where he grew up selling water on the streets. He was studying English while working as a salesman at the time of the U.S. invasion. He became an "accidental journalist," he says, hired by the BBC first as a translator and then as a producer. Sarwary received a scholarship and studied in the United States before returning home to launch his political career.

"Many members of my family didn't support the idea of me entering politics," says Sarwary, who is campaigning to create jobs and improve infrastructure in Kunar. "Nobody wants to have a family member involved in a venture that is so lethal and unpopular. I know it's a big risk, but we need to bring about change in Afghanistan."

At least 10 candidates have been killed, two abducted, and four wounded both before and after the start of the 20-day campaign on September 28.

'Discontent With The Status Quo'

Ali Adili, a researcher at Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul, notes the presence of young candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, many of whom emerged from protest movements.

"One underlying reason for this might be prevalent discontent with the status quo and an opportunity to effect change through parliament," he says.

Sarwary says parliament is the heart of the Afghan political system and has stopped functioning. "Lawmakers have been too busy fighting amongst themselves and they have paralyzed key government institutions," he says. "Parliament has become a source of ethnic divisions, and many lawmakers see parliament solely as a money-making avenue."

Female candidates also face social and cultural obstacles in this conservative country, where women play a limited role in public affairs despite 25 percent of seats in parliament being reserved for them.

"Socially, culturally, politically, and in terms of security women have more obstacles than men," says Wajda Faisal Azizi, a 26-year-old candidate from the northern province of Baghlan. "Compared to male candidates I have less of an opportunity to campaign, especially in districts [outside the provincial capital]."

"The male candidates are against us," adds Azizi, an Islamic-law graduate who is campaigning to protect the rights of women and children. "They speak against us. They work against us. They even encourage Islamic clerics to tell people in the mosques not to vote for women."

WATCH: When Afghans vote for a new parliament on October 20, they will have an unprecedented number of women on the ballot.

President Ashraf Ghani has attempted to clean up corrupt institutions and has appointed dozens of young, Western-educated Afghans to positions of power in his administration, including in the Security and Finance ministries and as senior advisers. Afghan women are also playing a greater role in government than ever, with 11 female deputy ministers, three female ministers, and five female ambassadors.

Diwa Samad, at 23, became the country's youngest-ever deputy minister when she was appointed to her post in the Public Health Ministry on October 7.

Such changes have not gone over well with some Afghans, who claim Ghani's appointments are purely symbolic and his appointees are inexperienced and lacking the necessary skills.

But Muslim Shirzad, a 28-year-old TV presenter at Tolo TV, the country's largest private television network, says if anyone can bring real change in Afghanistan, it is young people.

"This election is a good opportunity to serve my generation and bring the changes my generation needs," says Shirzad, who is also the chancellor of the private Jahan-e Noor University in Kabul. "The young generation are educated and they want to be involved in bringing change in their communities."
Photo: Surveillance images

A former Vernon man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Japanese exchange student Natsumi Kogawa.

The jury found William Victor Schneider, 51, guilty of murder despite him entering a last-minute guilty plea to interfering with human remains.

The jury deliberated for three days before delivering the verdict Friday.

Police found Kogawa's naked body stuffed into a suitcase on the grounds of a vacant mansion on Sept. 28, 2016. She had been reported missing three weeks earlier.

When surveillance images of Schneider and Kogawa at a Vancouver mall were made public, he fled to Vernon.

He was camping in Polson Park when he told his brother where Kogawa's body could be found. He was arrested by RCMP the same day Vancouver police located her remains.

Coroners were unable to determine a cause of death, due to the level of decomposition.

Emiko Kogawa, Natsumi's mother, broke down in court and said through an interpreter the ordeal has been very difficult for the family.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Bulgaria prosecutors have charged a man in the brutal murder of television journalist Viktoria Marinova and ordered him held in custody.

Severin Krasimirov, 21, told reporters outside the courthouse in the northern city of Ruse that he attacked Marinova. However, he said he remembers little of the incident, which shocked Bulgaria and drew strong international condemnation.

"I do not know what happened. I cannot remember everything, Krasimirov was quoted by the media as saying October 19.

"Yes, I am guilty, I am very sorry. I cannot believe that I have done that," he said.

Marinova, 30, was found dead near a jogging path next to the Danube River in Ruse on October 6. Authorities said she died from blows to the head and suffocation, and that she had also been raped.

Before being extradited on October 17 from Germany, where he had fled after the attack, Krasimirov had said he had not known that Marinova had died and denied raping her.

If convicted, Krasimirov faces a possible life sentence for murder and 10-20 years in prison for rape.

Although many commentators have suggested a connection between the crime and Marinova's journalistic work, investigators said they have seen no evidence to support that theory.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
KERCH, Ukraine -- Authorities in the city of Kerch in Russia-annexed Crimea have beefed up security in the central square, where local residents bid farewell to the victims of a shooting rampage at a technical school that claimed 21 lives.

Members of the security services checked bags and belongings of people gathering at the site, where several central streets were blocked to make it possible for city residents to honor the victims on October 19.

Relatives, friends, and colleagues of the victims, along with regional and city authorities as well as thousands of local residents came to the square with flowers. Emergency Situations Ministry officers brought 17 coffins to the site.

The Russia-imposed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said at the ceremony that "Crimea's modern history will now be divided into two parts, the life before October 17 and the life after October 17," and called on the relatives and friends of the victims to move on.

He then put flowers on every coffin and talked to the relatives of the victims personally.

An Orthodox priest then officiated the burial mass, reading each victim's name aloud.

Local authorities said earlier that while the majority of the victims will be buried in Kerch, some will be buried in their native regions, namely four victims will be buried in Russia's Krasnodar region and one in the Chelyabinsk region.

One victim, a Muslim, was buried on October 18 in Kerch, in accordance with Islamic traditions.

Russian authorities said earlier that an 18-year-old student of the college, Vladislav Roslyakov, gunned down 20 people at the vocational school before killing himself on October 17.

The Investigative Committee said that the shooting spree started right after a handmade explosive device detonated inside the college, wounding dozens of people, mainly students.

Crimean authorities said that investigators are looking for possible accomplices.

The local Health Ministry said on October 19 that 43 wounded people remain hospitalized, of whom 23 are being treated in various Russian regions.

With reporting by TASS
General Abdul Raziq, known to sport traditional garb and a mischievous smile, was nominally the police chief of the southern Afghan province of Kandahar.

But the charismatic 39-year-old was also one of the most powerful security and political figures in Afghanistan, and a formidable adversary to the Taliban in the militant groups southern heartland.

His assassination on October 18 dealt a huge blow to the Western-backed government in Kabul, and highlighted how the country's security is often tied to controversial, powerful strongmen like Raziq.

Observers say his death is bound to have wide-ranging security and political ramifications as the Taliban and local strongmen vie to fill the vacuum he leaves behind.

Rebecca Zimmerman, an analyst at Rand Corporation, a U.S.-based think tank, says the international community has worked with various Afghan strongmen, former warlords, and ex-militia leaders to maintain order in volatile areas.

As a result, Zimmerman argues, when figures like Raziq are killed they leave behind "a profound gap" because there are not any "viable successors," she says.

"He wielded great power, but I think the question that people asked was, 'power for whom?'" add Zimmerman. "He stood against the Taliban, but that didnt necessarily correlate to standing for strong central government and rule of law in Afghanistan."

The larger-than-life Raziq had been dogged by claims of human rights abuses, including torture of detainees and extrajudicial killings. But he made himself indispensable to the U.S. military and to the Kabul government as one of the last remaining bulwarks against the Taliban.

High-profile regional actors like Raziq, whom Zimmerman says was seen as a "sheriff-like figure," often engage in standoffs with the central government and have "essentially declared themselves unfireable."

"If Kandahar now falls apart, it will tend to reinforce the idea that Afghanistans security depends upon these powerful regional actors, rather than upon the institutions of government, which could be damaging in the long run," adds Zimmerman.

Raziq was shot dead by a turncoat bodyguard after a high-level security meeting between senior Afghan and U.S. military officials in the governor's compound in the provincial capital, Kandahar city. The provincial intelligence chief was also shot dead, and the provincial governor was hospitalized and is reportedly fighting for his life.

In a sign of the sway he held, Raziq's funeral was held in Kandahar's holiest shrine, the Kherqa Mubarak, said to contain a cloak worn by the Prophet Muhammad.

But the impact of Raziqs death is expected to be felt well beyond Kandahar Province -- there are ramifications for security and politics across the country.

"Kabul is desperately seeking a modicum of security to enable elections to take place in a few days and to create the space to explore a peace process," says Michael Kugelman, South Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. "So the loss of Raziq and the destabilizing consequences of that loss will be quite a brutal blow to the government."

Raziqs death has already led to the government delaying by one week parliamentary elections in Kandahar that are slated nationwide for October 20. Besides disrupting security preparations for the vote, the Afghan Election Commission said Raziq's killing meant the people of Kandahar were "morally not ready to vote."

Analysts also note that Raziq was crucial to the effort to ensure the fight for southern Afghanistan, the Talibans stronghold, does not tilt in the militant groups favor before a peace settlement can be reached. Washington and Kabul have stepped up efforts to open negotiations over a political settlement with the Taliban in recent months.

Raziq was known for his military prowess and ruthlessness in fighting the Taliban, controversially telling his men not to take any Taliban prisoners.

Raziq was also expected to play an important role in next years presidential election in Afghanistan. He had met several contenders for the vote in recent months and his backing was seen as crucial to winning votes in southern Afghanistan.

Ali Adili, a researcher at Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul, said Raziq leaves behind a mixed legacy: he had widespread support among the Afghan public, but his vast power and rights record also made him a liability.

"There have been competing narratives surrounding Raziq," Adili says. "Was he an anchor of power who had to be removed versus an anchor of stability who had to be supported?"

Whether he was one or the other, his assassination will have a huge impact on power and stability in the south and beyond."
Parliamentary elections in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar will be delayed by one week following the assassination of the powerful provincial police commander, Afghan officials said.



Hafizullah Hashimi, spokesman of the Independent Election Commission, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan that the decision to postpone the October 20 vote does not affect voting in the rest of the country.



The decision was made following an attack earlier this week that killed General Abdul Raziq, the region's top police official. At least two others were killed and 13 were wounded in the October 17 shooting, which was committed by a bodyguard of another top official.



Raziq's killing was a major blow to the western-backed government in Kabul.



The Taliban claimed responsibility, saying, "The brutal police chief of Kandahar has been killed along with several other officials."



"Unfortunately, Afghanistan lost its sons...and it is possible that holding elections will create challenges in Kandahar. So, the Election Commission decided to propose the postponement of the election," Wasima Badghisi, a member of the commission, told Radio Free Afghanistan.



Haroon Chakhansori, a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, also announced the delay on his official Twitter account.



Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said police had detained three suspects in the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah but did not provide further details.



Afghan officials said the bodyguard opened fire after a high-level security meeting in the governor's compound. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Scott Miller, was present at the gathering but was unhurt.



Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a Twitter post that they had targeted Miller, along with Raziq, in the attack, but the U.S. general discounted the claim, and Afghan officials said the militants may have purposely avoided hitting him.



"My assessment is that I was not the target. It was a very close confined space. But I don't assess that I was the target," Miller told Tolo News TV.



"They didn't want repercussions from the U.S. and the international community. It was a pure warning for Miller that they can hit him if they want to," one Afghan official was quoted by Reuters as saying.



Raziq was one of Afghanistan's most powerful commanders, with a fearsome reputation as an enemy of the Taliban.



A close ally of the U.S. military, Raziq has been credited with pacifying large swaths of Kandahar. However, human rights groups have accused him of gross human rights violations, including forcible disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.



Also killed was the provincial intelligence head, Abdul Momin Hassankhail, along with an Afghan journalist.



Around 14,000 U.S. troops are currently in Afghanistan, and Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner told Reuters the attack in Kandahar "will not change U.S. resolve in our South Asia strategy, if anything it makes us more resolute."



Afghanistan remains on high alert ahead of the long-delayed parliamentary elections on October 20 after the Taliban pledged to block the vote.



The run-up to the elections has been marred by deadly militant attacks and targeted killings of candidates, 10 of whom have been killed so far.



More than 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats in the lower house of parliament.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has extended a decision made last month to prevent Ukrainian authorities from accessing data from RFE/RL investigative reporter Natalia Sedletska's mobile phone.

The ECHR on September 18 issued a one-month interim decision ordering Ukraine's government to ensure that the authorities there do not access any data from Sedletska's phone.

In a letter to the Ukrainian government on October 16, the ECHR announced said it "decided to prolong until further notice" the measure adopted last month.

The ECHR order gives Sedletska time to prepare a full complaint against a Ukrainian court ruling allowing investigators to review data from her phone.

On August 27, Kyiv's Pechersk district court approved a request from the Prosecutor-General's Office to allow investigators to review all data from Sedletska's phone from July 1, 2016, through November 30, 2017.

The ruling stemmed from a criminal investigation into the alleged disclosure of state secrets to journalists in 2017 by Artem Sytnyk, director of the National Anticorruption Bureau of Ukraine.

On September 18, a Ukrainian appeals court ruled to restrict the original request to geolocation data from around the offices of the National Anticorruption Bureau in Kyiv, but upheld the original time frame.

Sedletska is the host of Schemes, an award-winning anticorruption television program by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and Ukrainian Public Television.

The Schemes program reported on several investigations involving senior Ukrainian officials, including Prosecutor-General Yuriy Lutsenko, during the period in question.

The United States, the European Union, and international media watchdogs have expressed concern over the Ukrainian court ruling
BISHKEK -- An associate of former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev, Ikramjan Ilmiyanov, has been charged in absentia with corruption and added to a list of wanted persons.

Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said on October 19 that Ilmiyanov, a former presidential adviser and deputy chief of the presidential office, left the country in June and his current whereabouts is unknown.

Atambaev left office in November 2017, and has been at odds with current President Sooronbai Jeenbekov since then.

Jeenbekov is an ex-prime minister who was tapped by Atambaev as his favored successor in the October 2017 presidential election.

Two of Atambaev's close allies, former Prime Ministers Sapar Isakov and Jantoro Satybaldiev, who served during his presidency, were arrested in June also on corruption charges.

In April, Jeenbekov fired several other Atambaev allies, including Prosecutor-General Indira Joldubaeva and UKMK head Abdil Segizbaev, who had been criticized for a crackdown on opposition politicians and independent journalists.

Some politicians and lawmakers have called in recent months for investigation of some of Atambaev's decisions while in office.

In early October, the Central Asian state's Supreme Court ruled that the immunity enjoyed by the country's former presidents was unconstitutional
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The head of Russia's Orthodox Church has blamed Orthodox leaders in Istanbul for causing the biggest dispute to face the religion in hundreds of years.

Patriarch Kirill on October 19 blasted church authorities -- known as the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople -- as "schismatic" for a decision earlier this month moving to grant independence to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Russian Orthodox Church responded by breaking ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate, widely recognized as the spiritual authority of Orthodoxy.

"The Constantinople Patriarchate identified itself with schismatics," Patriarch Kirill told a conference in Moscow.

"Uncanonically, violating all rules, it invaded our jurisdiction and forgave schismatics," he added.

Ukraine has three Orthodox churches: the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

The Moscow Patriarchate, which has the most believers in Ukraine, remains loyal to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Kyiv Patriarchate declared independence from the Russian church in 1992, but that has never been recognized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

Earlier this month, however, Patriarch Bartholomew, who is considered the "first among equals" leader among Orthodox leaders, endorsed the Kyiv Patriarchate's request for independence from Moscow.The Kyiv Patriarchate has not yet received the formal, final blessing to be autocephalous, or independent.

The move from Bartholomew prompted angry words from not only Russian church leaders, but also government officials.

On October 15, the Russian church announced it had decided to end its relationship with the Constantinople Patriarchate.

Several Orthodox churches in former Soviet republics, many of which are under the direct jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, also cut ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate.

Bartholomew's move has added to tensions between Kyiv and Moscow, already high since Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine between government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

Reacting to the Russian Orthodox Church's announcement, the press secretary of the Kyiv Patriarchate said, Patriarch Kirill has personally been an architect of the schism in the Ukrainian church since 1991" and that his conduct has "pulled all of Orthodox Christianity into conflict."

There are an estimated 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide, with the Russian church claiming to have the largest number of believers.

In a statement issued October 19, the United States signaled support for the push for independence by the Kyiv Patriarchate.



"The United States reiterates its strong support for religious freedom and the freedom of members of religious groups, including Ukraines Orthodox community, to govern their religion according to their beliefs, free of outside interference," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.



"Tolerance, restraint, and understanding are key to ensuring that people with different religious affiliations can live and prosper together in peace. We urge Church and government officials to actively promote these values in connection with the move towards the establishment of an autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church," he said.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, AFP, AP, and The National Catholic Register
Norway is to release a Russian suspected of spying, the country's intelligence agency, the PST, has said, adding that it had withdrawn its appeal against his release.

Mikhail Bochkaryov was detained last month at Oslo airport after participating in an international seminar on digitalization in Norway's parliament, accused of having collected data on the building and its network.

Bochkaryov has denied any wrongdoing.

A Norwegian court ordered his release on October 18, after ruling that investigators had failed to substantiate their case. But Bochkaryov was kept in custody after the PST appealed the decision.

But on October 19 the agency tweeted: "The PST has decided to withdraw its appeal. He is released today."

PST prosecutor Kathrine Tonstad told Norwegian television: "We continue to investigate the case. No decision has been made on whether to file any charges. He is free to go home."

Reports had said Bochkaryov might be used as leverage in efforts to obtain the release of a Norwegian held in Russia on suspicion of spying, but the PST has denied any connection between the two cases.

Norwegian Frode Berg was arrested in April and is still awaiting trial after admitting to having helped Norwegian intelligence by acting as a courier on occasion.

Russia had demanded Oslo throw out "the absurd charges" and release Bochkaryov, whom it identified as a member of staff in the Russian parliament's upper house, the Federation Council.

Based on reporting by AFP, Reuters, and TASS
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has told his Iranian counterpart that security forces are searching for 14 Iranian border guards who Tehran says were abducted by militants this week.

Qureshi gave this assurance to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a phone call, the Pakistani ministry said on October 18.

"Qureshi expressed his serious concern over the incident," Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Faisal said at a weekly news briefing in Islamabad.

"Qureshi said that such incidents are the handiwork of our common enemies unhappy with the existing close friendly relations between Pakistan and Iran," Faisal said.

Iranian media reported that two of those abducted were members of an elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps intelligence unit. The rest reportedly included seven volunteers in the Basij militia, as well as regular Iranian border guards.

The two ministers also discussed an exchange of fire between Afghan and Pakistani security forces on the Chaman border, Faisal said.

Faisal said top army generals of Pakistan and Iran are in close contact to coordinate their search efforts for the missing guards. Those efforts include enhanced air surveillance and troop deployment in the border area where the incident took place.

Tehran says the 14 members of its border force were seized on October 16 near the border with Pakistan.

No one has claimed responsibility, but Iranian media has blamed the abduction on Jaish al-Adl, an Al-Qaeda-linked group.

With reporting by AP
Photo: Canadian Armed Forces

The Defence Department says Canadian fighter jets in Romania have intercepted a Russian military aircraft that was approaching NATO airspace over the Black Sea.

Two CF-18s were scrambled Thursday after NATO detected the Russian SU-27 Flanker operating near Romania, where Canada has had five fighter jets and 135 military personnel.

A department statement says the Canadians shadowed the Russian aircraft until it left the area.

The incident marks the first time Canadian fighter jets have been scrambled since arriving in Romania in August as part of a NATO-led effort to defend the alliance's airspace.

The Canadians will remain in the country until December.

NATO allies have stepped up their monitoring of Russia's military activity in Eastern Europe since Crimea was annexed in 2014, sparking fears of further Russian aggression in the region.
TASHKENT -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev have launched the construction of a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistan's western region of Navoiy, which Moscow estimates will cost $11 billion.

The two presidents pressed a symbolic button together at a ceremony in a conference hall in Tashkent on October 19 to mark the start of a geological survey to decide a location for what would be Uzbekistan's first nuclear power plant.

Putin said earlier in the day after holding talks with Mirziyoev that the construction of the facility, the first concrete of which Uzbekistan plans to pour by 2020, will create "a new industry in Uzbekistan."

"Two reactors with a capacity of 2.4-megawatts will produce cheap and clean electricity for customers in Uzbekistan and Central Asian countries, which will ensure energetic stability not only for Uzbekistan but for the whole region," Putin said.

The plant is the first of its kind in Central Asia, where attitudes toward nuclear power were influenced by the dramatic consequences of the Soviet-era Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in Kazakhstan's northeast and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear plant accident in Ukraine.

The trip is Putin's first state visit to Uzbekistan since Mirziyoev took power following the death of his predecessor, Islam Karimov, in 2016.

Mirziyoev said that he and Putin discussed bilateral military technical cooperation and regional security.

"A detailed exchange of opinions has taken place on countering terrorism, extremism, and especially the radicalization of youth," Mirziyoev said.

Putin said that Russia supports Uzbekistan's "active participation" in talks on Afghanistan.

"We consider it important [for Uzbekistan to take part in peace talks in Afghanistan] to curb threats posed by that country linked to the spread of terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime," Putin said.

Several documents, including a plan of Russian-Uzbek cooperation for 2019-2024, a memorandum on cooperation in oil and gas sectors, a program on cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and other agreements were signed during Putin's visit.

Mirziyoev has taken some steps to open Uzbekistan to the world since he took over the former Soviet republic in 2016. Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populous country with 32 million inhabitants

With reporting by Reuters, TASS, and Interfax
WASHINGTON -- U.S. intelligence and law-enforcement agencies issued another warning about foreign interference -- by Russia, China, Iran, and others -- in the upcoming congressional elections and other elections in the future.

The statement issued on October 19 came less than three weeks before voters cast ballots to choose members of Congress, as well as state governors, state lawmakers, and other elected officials.

The announcement, which was signed by the director of national intelligence, the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department, and the FBI, said that "ongoing campaigns" were aimed at undermining confidence in U.S. democracy.

"We are concerned about ongoing campaigns by Russia, China, and other foreign actors, including Iran, to undermine confidence in democratic institutions and influence public sentiment and government policies," the statement said.

"Elements of these campaigns can take many forms, including using social media to amplify divisive issues, sponsoring specific content in English-language media like RT and Sputnik, seeding disinformation through sympathetic spokespersons regarding political candidates, and disseminating foreign propaganda," it said.

The November 6 vote will determine whether the Republicans continue dominating both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or if Democrats will take control.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. prosecutors charged a Russian woman with conspiring to interfere in U.S. elections, in what appeared to be the first such charges related to next months key congressional elections.

In a filing in U.S. federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on October 19, prosecutors accused Elena Khusyaynova of running an operation called Project Lakhta that was funded by a St. Petersburg businessman with close Kremlin ties who was indicted earlier this year.

The project, according to the criminal complaint, intended to wage "information warfare against the United States" and sow distrust in U.S. political candidates and the U.S. political system overall.

The complaint said Khusyaynova had served as chief accountant for Project Lakhta since about April 2014.

The St. Petersburg businessman who allegedly funded the effort was Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller earlier this year on similar charges of trying to interfere with past U.S. elections.

He, two of his companies -- Concord Management and Concord Catering  and 12 other Russians were accused by Mueller of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential race in an effort aimed at bolstering Donald Trump and denigrating his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

Khusyaynova and Prigozhin are believed to be in Russia and are unlikely to face justice in the United States.

The November 6 election will, among other things, determine whether the Republicans continue dominating both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or if Democrats will take control.
The International Monetary Fund said it had reached a new agreement with Ukraine, paving the way for a fresh $4 billion loan.

The agreement followed an announcement earlier on October 19 by Prime Minister Volodymyr Hroysman that household gas rates would rise by nearly 25 percent.

Aid from the fund, known as the IMF, has been essentially frozen since April 2017 as Ukraine's government has slowed efforts at major economic reforms.

The IMF said the new 14-month deal would replace an existing financial-aid package that was first agreed to in March 2015, about a year after the country was plunged into turmoil amid the so-called Euromaidan mass protests.

Final approval, which must still come from the fund's board later this year, will be contingent on Ukrainian lawmakers approving a 2019 budget that is "consistent with IMF staff recommendations," the IMF said.

That must include increases in household gas and heating rates.

In televised comments earlier on October 19, Hroysman said gas prices would be raised by nearly 25 percent beginning November 1. He said Ukraine risked default if it failed to meet the IMF conditions.

"We have no other option to prevent extremely difficult events," Hroysman said.

The hike in gas rates is politically unpopular and comes just as the country is gearing up for presidential elections in March.

Gas rates have been kept artificially low since the Soviet era, which economists say has resulted in waste and inefficiency.

With reporting by Reuters
The U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, says he does not expect progress anytime soon toward ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine because Russia appears to be waiting for possible changes coming out of the Ukrainian elections.

"I think that Russia has essentially decided to wait out the Ukrainian election, see what happens. Maybe it will be a new opportunity that arises to get a more favorable position for Russia. So I think they intend to play it out," Volker told the Atlantic Council in Washington on October 18.

Volker's remarks came after Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Valdai Club in Sochi that he hoped a government more friendly to Russia emerges from the Ukrainian presidential election, which is due to take place on March 31.

"We need to wait until the internal political cycles are finished, and I really expect that we will be able to build at least some kind of relations and reach some kind of agreement with a new leadership of the country. We're ready for that, we want that," Putin told the gathering of Russian and Western foreign policy experts.

Putin claimed that the current leadership in Kyiv is also waiting for the elections before making any further progress in peace talks aimed at carrying out a road map for peace agreed to in the Belarusian capital in 2015.

"It's obvious to everyone that not only are the incumbent Ukrainian authorities failing to implement the Minsk agreements, but they are also not going to do that today, including because of domestic policy considerations -- I mean the upcoming presidential and then parliamentary elections," he said.

Putin charged that the current government in Kyiv led by President Petro Poroshenko has made its mark by "selling Russophobia and anti-Russian sentiments" to the West.

Volker said Russia appeared more determined than ever to continue backing separatists fighting the government in eastern Ukraine despite extensive efforts by the United States and Western Europe to pressure Russia over its aggression in Ukraine.

"We did not impact the decision-making from President Putin and others in Russia about whether to continue the war. They are determined to continue to do so. And my estimation is that the chances of their changing position now are lower then they were even a year ago," he said.

The best strategy for the West, Volker said, is to maintain pressure on Moscow through the economic sanctions, which were first imposed on Russia in 2014 over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

"I think we need to keep on track. I believe that sanctions do have an impact and we see evidence of that in Russia. I believe that having a strong position and some resilience and stamina over time is whats necessary to convince Russia that its not going to get better for them and potentially can get worse," he said.

"This is a shockingly big and important humanitarian catastrophe that no one talks about. We have over 10,000 people killed" so far during the Ukraine conflict, Volker said.

With reporting by Interfax
Top U.S. officials have decried the killing of a powerful police chief in southern Afghanistan just two days before national elections and urged the Afghan people not to let it deter them from going to the polls.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called the killing of General Abdul Raziq, the Kandahar police chief who reportedly was gunned down by a bodyguard, a "tragic loss of a patriot" as he visited Singapore on October 19.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo decried the loss of Raziq and another high-level Afghan official in the attack, and urged the Afghan people to remain true to their ideals despite the Taliban's efforts to intimidate voters through such violence.

"Recent attacks against parliamentary candidates in the final days of campaigning in Afghanistan stand in stark contrast to the aspirations of the Afghan people for peace, security, and economic stability," Pompeo said in a statement. "The right and desire of the Afghan people for their votes to be counted must be respected."

Mattis said it was too early to tell whether the high-profile attack will discourage voting in the parliamentary elections. The Taliban has warned people not to participate in what the militants consider foreign-imposed polls.

"Terrorism can have a short-term effect. I think it's too early to say if it will have any real effect on the election," Mattis said.

"I'm not willing to say that right now. And obviously [insurgents] are not good at ballots. They are good at bombs."

Mattis said the attack will not shake the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan.

"We remain absolutely committed to an Afghan-led Afghan reconciliation," he said. "Right now, we're going toward the election and we will continue to defend the Afghan people."

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters
Zagreb's longtime mayor has been acquitted on charges he defrauded the Croatian capital out of tens of thousands of dollars.

Prosecutors said they would appeal the October 19 ruling in favor of Milan Bandic and two former aides, who were also acquitted.

Bandic, who is considered one of Croatia's most influential politicians, had been accused of allowing a church-affiliated group to set up public stands to collect campaign signatures without paying required fees, thus costing the city 41,500 euros ($47,700).

But Judge Zdravko Majerovic ruled Bandic had acted in line within his authority as a mayor."

"Everything was completely transparent," Majerovic said as he delivered the verdict.

Bandic, who has been mayor of Zagreb almost continuously since 2000, is also on trial for separate corruption allegations.

He and 10 others, including his closest aides, are accused of actions costing the city and state budgets some 3.3 million euros ($3.8 million).

In that case, the charges include abuse of office, influence peddling, and tax evasion.

Bandic and the other defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Bandic was out of power briefly in 2002 after he was forced to resign in an alleged drunk-driving case in which he fled from police.

With reporting by AFP and Total Croatia News
CHILD abuse survivor Sammy Woodhouse said she was chuffed to be nominated for an award that recognises women who work against male violence.

Sammy (pictured) - now a child sexual exploitation campaigner - is one of nine women on the shortlist for this years Emma Humphreys Memorial Prize.

The award is in its 20th year and judges said they had received more nominations than ever. A spokeswoman added: The shortlisting process this year was particularly difficult.

Sammy (33) helped expose the Rotherham abuse scandal and saw her abuser Arshid Hussain jailed for 35 years in February 2016.

She first spoke about her abuse and carried out campaign work under the pseudonym Jessica. But in March 2017 she waived her right to anonymity to take her work further.

Reacting to the news of her nomination, Sammy said she was chuffed to bits.

Sammy said she was looking forward to meeting the other nominees at the November 1 awards ceremony in London and was only familiar with one fellow nominee, Jessica Eaton, a forensic psychologist focusing on victim blaming.

Emma Humphreys was a writer, campaigner and survivor of male violence who successfully overturned a murder conviction in 1995, supported by Justice for Women and other feminist campaigners. She died in 1998 from an accidental overdose of prescribed medication.

The annual prize of 1,000 is awarded to an individual woman who has, through writing or campaigning, raised awareness of violence against women and children.

Sammy is campaigning for CSE victims to be pardoned for crimes committed under the grasp of groomers, as well as being involved in a number of other campaigns around education, counselling services, sex venue licensing laws, and compensation for survivors.

Her campaign work has seen her appearing on national news channels and popular programmes such as Good Morning Britain and Loose Women in a bid to raise awareness of CSE.

The survivor estimated she had spoken at around 300 events since she waived her anonymity and - although now a more confident speaker - she said it could still be difficult and draining.

The mum said if she scooped the prize money, she would put it back into her self-funded work.

Its nice to be recognised for all the hard work and to feel appreciated, said Sammy.
A MAN and woman have been found guilty of child neglect offences.

Darren Crowther (21), of Greenland Court, Sheffield, and Victoria Bull (20), of Cawthorne Avenue, Swallownest, were each charged with neglecting a child aged under 16 and of causing or allowing a child to suffer serious physical harm.

Crowther and Bull were found guilty on Monday by a jury at Sheffield Crown Court following a nine-day trial.

The pair are due to be sentenced on October 30.
A HEALTH watchdog has ordered Rotherham Hospital to improve after inspectors criticised insufficient management of seriously ill children.

Staff from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) made an unannounced visit to the hospital in July and published their findings last week.

Their checks focused on urgent and emergency care, particularly of young patients.

They also inspected how the hospital managed those on ventilation machines and found that such people were not properly cared for.

The watchdogs findings included insufficient escalation and management of [a] deteriorating child and a lack of oversight and governance of the risks to child patients in the A&E unit.

During checks on emergency care, inspectors highlighted three serious incidents [highlighting] a lack of clinical oversight, poor medicines management and delayed diagnosis and treatment of children.

They noted that there was no paediatric-specific training for staff or competency assessment in place for sepsis or diabetes.

Staff did not routinely use paediatric early warning scores (PEWS) on all children attending the department, they added.

And, in some cases, patient records were not complete and contained errors and omissions.

Inspectors found that daily resuscitation equipment checklist records were not always completed by staff on the emergency unit.

But the watchdog noted that a paediatric task-and-finish group had been established to manage improvements in these areas, following their visit.

On the wards, the CQC staff reported, insufficient management, oversight and governance of risks to ventilation patients.

Ventilation was not always done in accordance with British Thoracic Society guidelines, the inspectors said.

Patients were not always cared for in specific areas, nurse staffing levels were not always sufficient to meet their needs and records contained errors and omissions and showed evidence of delayed escalation and delayed or missed observations.

The inspectorate used its powers to demand assurance that immediate risks to patients were being addressed.

These allow the CQC to take urgent enforcement action if it has reasonable cause to believe someone may be exposed to the risk of harm.

But hospital bosses provided a detailed response to concerned inspectors, who found that sufficient actions had been planned to address the immediate risks to patient safety within the service.

Angela Wood, interim chief nurse at The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust, said: We always aim to provide the best care possible for our patients.

We welcome the CQCs report which, in addition to informal feedback given at the time, has highlighted some areas of concern.

Immediate actions were taken and improvements continue to be made in the areas highlighted.

[These include] further staff training, improvements to staffing levels and the relocation of patients receiving non-invasive ventilation to our high dependency unit (HDU).

We are continuing to work closely with the CQC and are providing them with regular progress reports on the improvements we are making to ensure our patients get the care they need.
The young man and woman showed signs of having been intoxicated. Both tourists are in custody and have been charged with vandalizing registered ancient artifacts, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a million baht or $40,000 fine, Col. Teerasak Sriprasert, chief of the Chiang Mai police, said. Lee, who is from Liverpool, admitted that he wrote Scouser Lee on the wall while Brittney told police that she wrote the letter B underneath it. She never did a bad thing in her life, Brittneys mother declared. She said she is overwhelmed by the charges against her daughter.



Security camera image at the scene

The 13th century Tha Pae Gate is part of an ancient wall that forms a square around Chiang Mais inner city. Even if they will be released Monday, after paying the bail  149,000 Thai baht, which is $6,000 Canadian  the two people wont be able to leave the country. When people visit somewhere they should know not to (leave) graffiti, Police Major Anon Cherdchutrakulthong concluded tomedia.
It is targeted the possibility that priests and bishops violated federal law in cases that go back decades. Authorities have issued subpoenas to look into possible violations of the federal Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations statute, also known as RICO. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and the dioceses of Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton acknowledged on Thursday they had received federal subpoenas. Supporters of those who have been victimized by church leaders applauded federal prosecutors for initiating a criminal investigation.



Pope Francis accepted a Cardinal resignation

Several groups that represent abuse survivors said this appears to be the first federal probe of this size and scope into sexual abuse by Catholic clergy in the United States. The federal investigation follows a sweeping grand jury report released in August by the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office that found that more than 1,000 minors were abused by some 300 priests across Pennsylvania over a 70-year period. However, because some of the allegations are decades old, many of the accused are now deceased. If the inquiry of the Pennsylvania church results in criminal charges, it could be used as a road map for federal prosecutors hoping to pursue abusers in other states. Last week, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the archbishop of Washington, who was described in the Pennsylvania report as mishandling sex abuse allegations against priests when he was bishop of Pittsburgh. On Wednesday, a former priest in the Diocese of Erie, who was named in the report, pleaded guilty in state court to felonies for the repeated sexual assault of an altar boy and the attempted assault of another boy.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj

PTI, New Delhi (19th Oct'18): M J Akbar attended official meetings on Monday and Tuesday as the junior external affairs minister after returning from a trip abroad, the ministry said Thursday, in first comments on the issue. At a press conference, MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, replying to a question, said he was not aware of any specific meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Akbar on the allegations levelled against him. Akbar, a former journalist, stepped down Wednesday in the face of mounting pressure following a spate of allegations of sexual harassment against him by several women journalists.

MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar

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He was on a trip to Africa when the allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against him as part of the #MeToo movement in India. Hours after returning home on Sunday, he issued a statement trashing the allegations. However, he quit following increasing pressure on him as more women came out with accounts of alleged sexual harassment by him. Asked whether it was his own decision to quit or whether Swaraj or Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent any communication to him to resign, Kumar only said, "The minister has resigned. He has also issued a statement and I think beyond that I have nothing to add."

"As far as meeting is concerned, I can only share with you that since he has returned to India, there were certain officials meetings in the MEA on Monday and Tuesday. He was part of those meetings. But I am not aware of any specific meeting between the external affairs minister and the MoS on this matter," Kumar said. He did not reply when asked whether Akbar was asked to resign. Over the past 10 days, at least 20 women have have come forward to narrate their experiences of alleged sexual harassment at the hands of Akbar during his days as editor of several mainstream publications.

M J Akbar

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Following these allegations, opposition parties as well as many media organisations have been demanding his resignation. Akbar on Monday filed a criminal defamation complaint against journalist Priya Ramani, who accuse him of sexual misconduct. In his complaint, Akbar accused Ramani of "wilfully" and "maliciously" making imputations against him with the ulterior motive of maligning his reputation and political standing. A Delhi court Thursday took judicial note of Akbar's complaint and decided to record his statement on October 31 in the case.
Demon king Ravana's effigies

PTI, Jaipur (19th Oct'18): Demon king Ravana's effigies from small to giant sizes which would go up in flames on Dussehra on Friday have been lined up for sale in different parts of the city where people specially children could be seen purchasing them. The number of Ravana effigies is increasing manifold every year, making the Pink city a hub of all sized colourful effigies of the antagonist character of the Ramayana. "The sale is picking up today. Effigies of 5-15 feet height are high in demand as they are easy to carry and install at the site and are cheaper too, Ganesh Kothari, an effigy trader at 'Guarjar ki Thadi' said on Thursday.

Country's tallest Ravana effigy

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Nearly two thousands effigies are lined up for sale at 5-6 locations along the Gopalpura bypass, which used to have only one location popularly called as 'Ravana Mandi' a few years ago. Since the demand of effigies is increasing year by year, many families which otherwise earn livelihood by some other works rest of the year have engaged themselves in effigy making which is a two-months affair, he said while decorating one of the effigies with the help of his 13-year old son and wife.

Ravana Mandi

Effigies of different sizes from 1 to 40-50 feet made by pieces of bamboos and coloured papers are available in the price range of Rs 100 to 15,000 which does not include firecrackers cost. Another effigy maker Harjiram said, Most of the buyers are youngsters who collect money and purchase mid-sized Ravana effigies. Giant sized effigies are less in demand and are purchased only by them who organise some fair or such event in a ground. Most of the effigies are erected in colonies where there is limited space, he said. Besides Ravana mandi and Gurjar ki Thadi, effigies are on sale in areas like Mansarover, Tonk Road, Sanganer among others.
Giani Gurbachan Singh

PTI, Amritsar (19th Oct'18): Giani Gurbachan Singh Thursday night resigned as Jathedar of Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, citing ill health as reason. He forwarded his resignation letter to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Gobind Singh Langowal and the executive members of the SGPC, the release issued to the media said. "Because of age-related health issues, it has become tough for him to serve this spiritual and pious seat , the release said.

Sri Akal Takht Sahib

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"In the light of my ill health, I am unable to serve this religious position and request the SGPC president and SGPC executive to appoint some appropriate personality in my place while reliving me from this pious seat, the release quoted him as saying. Singh had created a controversy by pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh in September 2015 in a blasphemy case. However, he had to revoke the pardon after facing backlash from the Sikh community. On the pardoning issue, he said, "The decision to extend pardon to him (Dera head) during his tenure was objected to but later on pardon was withdrawn with the consent of five Sikh head priests.

Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa

Sikh community also expressed deep anguish over the pardon extended to him. He also cited couplets from Guru Granth Sahib and said, "to err is human. After the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report on sacrilege incidents was tabled in Punjab Vidhan Sabha, his act of pardoning Ram Rahim again gained limelight. The report had pointed towards alleged role of Badals in getting pardon for the Dera chief. Besides several Sikh organisations, senior Akali leader Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa had also demanded removal of Giani Gurbachan Singh from the post of Akal Takht Jathedar.
Most farmers in Punjab use combine harvesters for paddy harvesting

PTI, Ludhiana (19th Oct'18): Mid-afternoon, Upender is busy tossing paddy residue into the fire he started over an acre of land. Huge, thick clouds of smoke rise into the air and engulf the neighbouring fields before the wind blows them away. After about 15 minutes, the fire is out, leaving only the ash and a question - Have the efforts of the Punjab government to check stubble burning failed? The administration is making serious interventions to curb stubble burning, but the farmers in the state continue to defy the ban on the practice amid a lack of financial incentives.

The state government is providing 50 to 80 per cent subsidy to farmers and cooperative societies to buy modern farm equipment for in-situ management of paddy straw and running a massive awareness campaign against stubble burning. It made stubble burning a punishable offence in 2013 and continues to issue challans to erring farmers under the 2015 order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), says Karunesh Garg, member secretary, Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB). The Punjab government says around 25,000 machines of different kinds are being distributed to farmers and cooperative societies this year for the management of paddy straw in the fields itself.

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National Green Tribunal

The Centre has sanctioned Rs 669 crore to the Punjab government -- for 2018-19 and 2019-20 -- for providing subsidy on agri-implements like straw management system (S-SMS), happy seeder and straw chopper, according to the PPCB. However, farmers claim it is unimaginable for everyone to buy the expensive modern farm machinery to manage stubble. They say they cannot afford to rent it as the rising diesel prices have increased the input cost manifold. Sarabjeet Singh of Rola village in Ludhiana district has hired a daily wager to set fire to paddy straw in his fields for Rs 300 a day.

He says farmers generally do this in the evening to dodge NASA satellites and Punjab government officials tasked with reporting incidents of stubble burning. "This irresponsible government has imposed sophisticated machinery on small farmers who cannot afford such costly equipment," Sarabjeet Singh claims. Asked if stubble burning in Punjab affects Delhi's air quality, he says, "Delhi's air is already polluted. The city government should close down the factories that lead to air pollution." Nearly 23 million tonne of straw is produced in 30 lakh hectares under paddy cultivation in Punjab, says Manjeet Singh, the head of the department of farm machinery and power engineering at the Punjab Agriculture University.

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Punjab Pollution Control Board

Most farmers in Punjab use combine harvesters for paddy harvesting. The state government has made it mandatory for farmers to install the S-SMS on their combine harvesters to deal with the stubble. "After the harvester reaps paddy, thick bunches of plants with their roots deep in the soil and loose stubble remain. The S-SMS, which costs Rs 1-1.15 lakh, chops and evenly spreads the loose stubble in the field. Thereafter, the turbo happy seeder (THS), costing Rs 1.25 lakh, can be used to directly sow wheat in the soil, from above the straw," explains Subhash Sharma, an agricultural scientist.

Other option are the rotary drill and the mulcher that incorporate the stubble into the soil. "Small farmers, who own two to three acres of land, have to spend Rs 4,000-5,000 per acre if they use the machinery to prepare the field for wheat sowing, while it takes just a matchstick to burn the stubble. We will continue to burn our paddy straw. We are not bothered if the government registers cases against us," Sarabjeet Singh says. "There are around 50 brick kilns within a radius of four kilometres. Why are we being blamed for pollution?" he asks.

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Paddy Residue Burning

Karnal Singh (64), a resident of Jaspal Bangar village, says around 50-60 litres of diesel is needed to operate the combine harvester, the rotavator, and the mulcher in an acre. At Rs 75 per litre, that is an expenditure of around Rs 3,750-4,500. "It doesn't cost a penny if we set fire to stubble. Only Rs 1,000-1,200 is spent on around 15 litres of diesel used for ploughing the field and a lot of time is saved," he says. The Krishi Vikas Kendras are also impressing upon the farmers to adopt early-ripening rice varieties so that after its harvesting, they have enough time to prepare the field for wheat sowing.

However, Karnal Singh says the yield decreases if they use early-maturing rice varieties. An 80 per cent subsidy on the machinery for cooperative societies isn't helping either. Jitendra Pal Singh (48) says there are 800 members in the village's cooperative society, which recently purchased three S-SMS, three happy seeders, two rotavators and a mulcher. "Not everyone can use the machinery in the three-week window between rice harvesting and wheat sowing. The farmers will burn the stubble if they do not get the equipment," he says.

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Farmers will burn the stubble if they do not get the equipment

Karnal Singh says he didn't burn the stubble for two years and used the machinery to manage it, but he suffered losses. "I will restart burning stubble if I keep accruing losses," he says. Karam Singh (45) from Sahnewal Khurd village says, "Twenty-five to 30 quintal of rice is harvested in an acre of land. If the government gives us Rs 200 per quintal, it will take care of everything. The government can also give a subsidy on diesel. Ultimately, everything boils down to cost." Last year, 42,000 incidents of stubble burning were reported from Punjab and fines totalling Rs 65 lakh were imposed on the erring farmers.
Tragic train accident in Amritsar

Spokesman News Service, Amritsar (19th Oct'18): Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday night set up a Crisis Management Group to monitor the relief and rehabilitation efforts in the wake of the tragic train accident in Amritsar. The Group is led by Health Minister Brahm Mohindra, with Revenue Minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi as members. The team has rushed to the accident site to assess and tackle the situation.

A state mourning has been declared tomorrow, and all offices and educational institutions will remain closed in view of the tragedy, an official spokesperson said. Relief and rehabilitation efforts have been mounted by the state government on a war footing, with all the necessary administrative and police personnel ordered the Chief Minister to be mobilized. The injured are undergoing emergency treatment in various government and private hospitals across Amritsar.
Train Hits Crowd Watching Ravan-Burning in Amritsar

Spokesman News Service, Amritsar (19th Oct'18): A train ran over hundreds standing on a railway track while celebrating Dussehra in Amritsar this evening. The people who were hit could not see or hear the train due to the exploding crackers.

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A crowd of around 300 people was watching the effigies being burnt as part of the Dussehra celebrations at about 6.45 pm when the speeding train rolled down the tracks.

It appears from multiple accounts that people didnt hear the approaching train as the effigy of Ravana burnt and the area resonated with the sound of the crackers. According to a video of the tragic accident, many of the victims were shooting videos on their mobile phones or taking selfies.

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Punjab will remain in mourning tomorrow in view of the accident. All offices and educational institutions will remain closed", said Amarinder Singh. He also announced Rs 5 lakh for families of the dead and canceled his official visit to Israel in view of the tragedy.
JERUSALEM  Major media are now reporting that the Saudis are preparing to admit that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post, died in their consulate in Istanbul, as the result of an interrogation gone wrong. Odds are good that admittance will never come.

The Saudis response, whatever it is, will likely not satisfy the Trump administration, nor should it. Instead, appropriate action by the U.S. should be taken.

Jamal Khashoggis apparent death has rightly sparked outrage globally and united disparate political factions in the U.S. In the Middle East, however, Arab experts are not surprised. I recently spoke with Michael Widlanski, an authority on Arab and Israeli politics and media, who said Arabs have been killing each other for thousands of years.

Still, claims of modernization and reform by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is suspected of ordering a Mafia-style hit on one of his sharpest critics, should be treated with skepticism. Many have bought the notion which he has been peddling that he wants to bring his country and Islam out of the Middle Ages.

President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have promised severe repercussions should Salman be proved complicit in Khashoggis fate. Meanwhile, Western media, including The Washington Post, have cast Khashoggi as a moderate and a champion of reform.

John R. Bradley, a British author and journalist who has written on Middle East issues, spent three decades working closely with intelligence services in the West and in the Arab world. In an article for Spectator USA, he decries what appears to have been Khashoggis end, allegedly at the hands of Saudi agents, but then corrects the widely held belief in Western circles that Khashoggi is (or was) himself a reformer and a promoter of Western style democracy.

We are told he was a liberal, Saudi progressive voice fighting for freedom and democracy, writes Bradley, and a martyr who paid the ultimate price for telling the truth to power. This is not just wrong, but distracts us from understanding what the incident tells us about the internal power dynamics of a kingdom going through an unprecedented period of upheaval.

Bradley agrees with the comparison of the Saudi regime to the Mafia in that once youre in there is no way out.

In truth, says Bradley, Khashoggi never had much time for western-style pluralistic democracy. In the 1970s he joined the Muslim Brotherhood, which exists to rid the Islamic world of western influence. He was a political Islamist until the end, recently praising the Muslim Brotherhood in the Washington Post. He championed the moderate Islamist opposition in Syria, whose crimes against humanity are a matter of record. Khashoggi frequently sugarcoated his Islamist beliefs with constant references to freedom and democracy. But he never hid that he was in favour of a Muslim Brotherhood arc throughout the Middle East. His recurring plea to bin Salman in his columns was to embrace not western-style democracy, but the rise of political Islam, which the Arab Spring had inadvertently given rise to. For Khashoggi, secularism was the enemy.

Islamic extremists know the words Westerners want to hear and they often use them to fool us into a false sense of complacency and a belief that certain factions within Islam do not want to impose Sharia law on everyone and that Jihad is something other than what it looks like.

Anyone who says or writes such things is denounced as a bigot and an Islamophobe. How can one be a bigot when quoting from speeches, sermons and media reports in which Islamists openly state their intentions? That The Washington Post and other U.S. media treated Khashoggi as somehow different from his fellow Saudis proves that the Islamist strategy of deception is working.

It is right to denounce Khashoggis disappearance and possible murder. If it can be proved that leaders in the Saudi government ordered his death, it is also right for the U.S. and other nations to make Saudi Arabia pay a heavy price, as President Trump has threatened to do.

What Khashoggi really stood for, reportedly, is a separate issue.
[LORENGECHORA, UGANDA] Maria Nachap is already in labour, but still walked through the valley for an hour. Accompanied by her mother, she reaches the healthcare centre in Lorengechora, a village with red soil and huts made out of wood and straw.



At 19, she is about to give birth to her first child.



We are in Karamoja, an arid pastoral region in northeastern Uganda, 500 kilometers from the capital Kampala.



Moving slowly across the pink glow from sun-lit curtains in a small delivery room, Maria whispers to the midwife: can she help her sit on a birth cushion, which has been designed to help her deliver while seated.



The cushion is a low-tech, cheap innovation that was introduced to the region in 2013 by Unicef through Doctors with Africa-Cuamm, an Italian NGO.



Since then, childbirths assisted by Since then, childbirths assisted by health workers have risen from 18 to 52 per cent, according to the Ugandan national health system. In Karamoja the cushion is now being used in 81 out of 128 health centres. And last year it was one of the finalists in an international contest by USAID which recognises NGOs for sustainable approaches for maternal health.



The cushion is part of a rising trend in Africa of using culturally sensitive approaches to health care.



The idea is to help people, especially in rural areas, to feel more at ease in hospitals and welcomed by health personnel. In South Sudan, for example, access to maternal and child health improved when traditional birth attendants were integrated into the formal health system.



In Mozambique, and other areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, a method of caring for preterm infants known as kangaroo mother care  already used spontaneously by many women and involving infants being carried by the mother with skin-to-skin contact  appears to reduce mortality among newborn babies weighing less than 2 kilos. It replaces the use of incubators, which can be too expensive for countries with limited resources.



Its a simple solution to problems all too common for pregnant women in many rural parts of Africa, where countries face maternal mortality rates that are among the highest in the world.

Mortality

With its 1.5 million inhabitants, Karamoja has long been isolated due to violent feuds over livestock among family clans. Disarmament began in 2002, and in 2011 electricity finally arrived in the region  but the dirt roads that make it difficult to reach health facilities and scarce public funds for healthcare still affect peoples lives, especially womens health, says Denis Ogwang, who was born and raised here and is currently Cuamms regional coordinator.



Over the past five years, Ugandas maternal mortality has fallen below the Sub-Saharan African average: for every 100,000 live births, 343 women die here, compared to 546 in the continent (in Europe the rate is 16; in the UK, 9). But Karamoja still registers a more than double that figure, at 750, according to the Regional Health Authority.



There are five hospitals and 128 healthcare centres in the region. But only 55 per cent of the population lives within 5 kilometers from one of these centres, which is the minimum standard for accessibility that has been set by the WHO. Women should be allowed to choose their delivery position, including squatting or sitting, and be offered pain relief, Olufemi Oladapo There are five hospitals and 128 healthcare centres in the region. But only 55 per cent of the population lives within 5 kilometers from one of these centres, which is the minimum standard for accessibility that has been set by the WHO.

Karamoja counts less than one midwife for every 1,000 mothers, while the WHO recommends three. Ambulances are also in short supply.



Expectant mothers face social obstacles on top of the logistical ones. In this region, where elder men lead the social structure and women have no decision-making power, domestic duties  including cultivating fields and building huts  are usually delegated to the wives. Its therefore common that a woman has complications during pregnancy or premature birth due to her hard work, explains John Bosco Nsubuga, the director of St. Kizito Hospital in Matany, one of the only two hospitals in Karamoja.



But the main danger for womens pregnancies is a cultural resistance to trusting health workers, who are perceived as strangers even if theyre from the same area  when theyre not respectful of local customs including beliefs related to disposal of placenta, the ceremony of showing the baby to the family and naming him, and, mainly, the delivering position. For our women, opening their legs on a bed is considered improper explains Betty Agan, chief-midwife in Lorengechora health centre.



In 2017, Agan was honoured by the Ugandan Health Ministry as the best midwife in Karamoja. Shes very quick to identify mothers complications and refer them to the nearest hospital in Matany. But she is known mainly for her respect for local traditions.



When women deliver at home, they prefer to squat, says Agan. Thats why theyre wary of coming to us. But now, thanks to the birth cushion, here women can deliver seated: they feel at their ease, protected in their privacy. While the babies, instead of falling on the floor, rest on a soft pillow.



Women in other African countries, such as Benin have expressed similar concerns to those of women in Karamoja. The WHO and others see the free choice of delivery position as positive for how well labour progresses.



Women should be allowed to choose their delivery position, including squatting or sitting, and be offered pain relief, says Olufemi Oladapo, one of the authors of WHO recommendations on care for a positive childbirth experience that were published earlier this year.

Simplifies

While Nachap goes to rest in the adjacent room with her newborn baby girl, Agan and her colleague Fausta Abura describe how the different parts of the cushion work to make delivery easier.



It has been designed with a stool for the midwife, a cushion for the mother with two metallic handles on both sides for her to hold, and a small cushion for the newborn to lay on. Its comfortable also for us adds Agan, since its easy to view the perineum while the mother is seated, and it simplifies the expulsion of the placenta.



According to Unicef, the birth cushion can also speed up labour because it enables women to exert the right pressure on their abdomen.



Doctors with Africa-Cuamm say it is now planning to roll out its invention to the rest of Uganda.



The idea of the cushion was borrowed from Asia and piloted in Karamoja, says Rebecca Kwagala a Unicef programmer specialist in Moroto district, Karamoja. She added that the prototype was improved after feedback received from patients and midwives in local healthcare facilities.



Its popularity in Karamoja is a sign of a new trend in the African health sector: the re-evaluation of certain local traditions, along with traditional medicine, and how they can be integrated into health practices. WHO has recognized this by adopting, in 2000, a strategy on promoting traditional medicine in health systems, which also includes traditional midwifery. Lorengechora, Karamoja (Uganda). Young midwife Fausta Abura is cleaning the birth cushion. Like the majority of the local midwives, Fausta studied in Matany Hospital, which is run by the Comboni missionaries. Valeria Scrilatti / ZONA Lorengechora, Karamoja (Uganda). Rebecca Lokol, 35, is giving birth to her 6th child. She ended up in an obstructed labour and was transported by ambulance to Matany Hospital for a caesarean section. Everything went fine. Valeria Scrilatti / ZONA Lorengechora, Karamoja (Uganda). During an ante-natal visit, midwife Fausta Abura shows a woman how to use the birth cushion. Valeria Scrilatti / ZONA Lorengechora, Karamoja (Uganda). The field outside the health centre. Karimojong people are a Nilotic ethnicity of the plains, who emigrated from Ethiopia in the 18th century. Valeria Scrilatti / ZONA Matany Hospital, Karamoja (Uganda). Dr. Denis Ogwang, born and grew up in Karamoja, is the regional coordinator of Doctors with Africa-Cuamm, the NGO that has introduced the birth cushion in the region. Valeria Scrilatti / ZONA Lorengechora, Karamoja (Uganda). Women waiting for an ante-natal visit in the health centre. Valeria Scrilatti / ZONA Lorengechora, Karamoja (Uganda). The peer mothers are a group of local women who are committed to raise awareness in the community on maternal and child health issues. Valeria Scrilatti / ZONA Iriri, Karamoja (Uganda). A typical Karimojong village, called manyatta, under the Napak mountains. Valeria Scrilatti / ZONA Lorengechora, Karamoja (Uganda). Betty Agan, 38, is the chief-midwife in Lorengechora health centre. In December 2017, she was awarded by the State as the best midwife in Karamoja. Valeria Scrilatti / ZONA Its popularity in Karamoja is a sign of a new trend in the African health sector: the re-evaluation of certain local traditions, along with traditional medicine, and how they can be integrated into health practices. WHO has recognized this by adopting, in 2000, a strategy on promoting traditional medicine in health systems, which also includes traditional midwifery.



In August this year, on African Traditional Medicine Day, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, urged for stronger collaboration between governments, national medicine regulatory authorities, manufacturers and traditional health practitioners. This will contribute to quality health care.



In the past, health services offered by international donors were modeled only on Western standards. But people in rural areas will trust midwives and medical staff in general only through a smart mediation between modern tools and local customs, when these are not harmful, Ogwang points out. The birth cushion is a successful example of such a mediation.



In the last month adds midwife Agan, weve had 30 deliveries, and 15 of them were on the birth cushion. A very good result.
Aerial insectivores -- birds that hunt for insect prey on the wing -- are declining across North America. Conserving vulnerable species such as these requires a good understanding of the factors impacting them at every stage of life. Juveniles and adults, for example, may face different threats and die at different rates. Two new studies from The Condor: Ornithological Applications take a deep dive into the demographic factors behind declining populations of Tree Swallows and show that although specifics may vary between locations, action is needed to address environmental changes affecting these birds across their geographic range.

Queen's University's Amelia Cox and her colleagues used a dataset from a swallow population in southeastern Ontario that was monitored from 1975 to 2017, while Bowdoin College's Liam Taylor and his colleagues looked at data from a population from an island off the coast of New Brunswick that was monitored from 1987 to 2010. Having access to detailed long-term data allowed both sets of researchers to do demographic analysis and determine which life stages were having the largest impact on local population declines. In Ontario, overall declines were driven primarily by drops in overwinter survival and the rate at which swallow chicks successfully left the nest. On Kent Island, analysis showed that the population was dependent on immigration from the mainland, which dropped as mainland populations declined throughout the region. Over the course of the study, the Kent Island population plummeted from 202 adult birds to only 12.

Cox and her colleagues believe that increasingly unfavorable weather conditions and declines in insect availability may be behind the demographic shifts they found. "I hope that our results will spur more research into the environmental causes of Tree Swallow declines and declines of other similar species. Our research points the finger at poor survival overwinter and poor fledging as the probable demographic causes of population declines," says Cox. "The next step is to figure out exactly what has changed in their environment and why these birds are dying during these critical life stages. We have additional work in progress that is aimed at answering these questions. When we know that, I hope we will be able to start making changes to improve survival and fledging."

"It was an incredible opportunity to analyze a dataset that started before I was born," adds Taylor. "Working with these long-term data had an emotional connection for me as a researcher and birder. My own fieldwork on Kent Island took place during the summers of 2014 and 2015, by which time most of the swallow nest boxes on the island were empty. For me, it was sobering to look back through the data and envision those nest boxes full of activity and life."

"These studies are part of a growing number of studies addressing the causes of population declines among aerial insectivores," according to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Peter Dunn, a Tree Swallow expert who was not involved in either project. "In terms of understanding population declines in aerial insectivores, both studies point to adult survival during migration or on wintering areas as an important factor. Thus, these models identify areas where we can focus our future research efforts. Recent studies of Tree Swallow migration using geolocators suggest that populations breeding in eastern Canada are migrating along the east coast to winter primarily in Florida and Cuba, so these areas should probably be the next focus of study."

Two-minute video "The Sound of Extinction" by coauthor Nathaniel Wheelwright, depicting the decline of Kent Island's Tree Swallow population: https://youtu.be/OyzKDuS0PdA
Research carried out by the University of Kent sheds light on the infanticidal behaviour of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and demonstrates that females are highly sensitive to the relative risks posed to their babies by different males.

Researchers from the Living Primates Research Group in its School of Anthropology and Conservation (SAC), and the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews, examined the behaviour of female chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest, Uganda, where chimpanzees (at least in the study community) are particularly prone to committing and suffering infanticide.

The study by Adriana Lowe and Dr Newton-Fisher (SAC) and Dr Catherine Hobaiter (St Andrews) was carried out during a period in which a mid-ranking male rose rapidly in rank.

Males can benefit from infanticide when they can kill an unrelated infant and replace it with one they have fathered. Because rank is linked to mating access in chimpanzees, a male who rises quickly in rank is surrounded by babies he is unlikely to have fathered, compared to any babies conceived after his rise.

This means a male who rises in rank is suddenly a threat to mothers and their babies.

Mothers, specifically those with younger, more vulnerable infants, reduced their association with the rank?rising male during the period of instability. The research team also found evidence that females preferred to associate with a male of stable high rank on the basis that such males could offer protection against infanticide.

PhD student, Adriana Lowe said: 'Watching chimps killing infants is really shocking and although it's pretty well reported, it's not been entirely clear why they do it. The mothers' behaviour in our study supports the hypothesis that it's a strategy by the males to get more mating opportunities. Male chimps are often described as great politicians as they use complex alliances to compete for high rank but this shows that the females are just as tuned in to the social environment, watching the males from the side-lines, sensitive to any changes which might put their babies in danger.'

The research builds on pioneering observations of infanticide in this community by Dr Nicholas Newton-Fisher more than 20 years ago (Infant killers of Budongo, 1999).
For more than three decades, Lisa Hanson did her best to hide the unsightly fluid retention in her left leg that caused uncomfortable swelling and made her skin taut and thickened. At 17, when she was first diagnosed with lymphedema, she threw out her shorts and dresses and began a lifelong journey of wearing compression hose up to her thigh and using an electric sleevelike pump every night to control the swelling.

Now, with a new treatment in hand, she's actually excited to tell people about this chronic condition, which before, she said, left her feeling like "a freak."

"For a long time I couldn't talk to people about my lymphedema without crying because it's something weird and obscure," Hanson said. "Now there is hope for people like me with this disease."

Hanson took part in one of two small clinical trials led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine which showed that ketoprofen, an inflammation-reducing drug available by prescription and currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, can effectively treat symptoms of lymphedema and help ease the daily burden of care.

"Ketoprofen restores the health and elasticity of the skin," said Stanley Rockson, MD, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford. "I believe it will reduce recurrent infection. It can also reduce swelling."

A paper describing the findings of the two clinical trials will be published Oct. 18 in JCI Insight. Rockson is the lead author. Mark Nicolls, MD, professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Stanford, is his principal collaborator. They both served as corresponding authors for the manuscript.

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"So many patients have gone through decades being told there is no medical treatment," said Rockson, who holds the Allan and Tina Neill Professorship of Lymphatic Research and Medicine. "Now, they can go to a drugstore and get a pill with a doctor's prescription. This new treatment doesn't cure lymphedema, but our studies show it has the capacity to make the illness more livable, more workable."

Painful swelling

Lymphedema is a common but often ignored condition that stems from a damaged lymphatic system and results in swelling in one or more parts of the body, usually the legs. It can be hereditary or it can occur after a surgical procedure, infection, radiation or other physical trauma. The swelling, caused by a buildup of lymph fluid within the various layers of the skin, increases the risk of infections and can cause debilitating pain and a thickening of the skin that can restrict movement. There is no cure, and there has been no drug therapy available.

Ever since Hanson was diagnosed in her teens, the only available treatment has been to wear compression garments; use the electric pump, which moves the excess fluid from her leg back into the bloodstream; or get massage therapy to suppress the swelling, which can occur throughout the body. She has done all of this religiously for decades.

"It's been a lot of work and a lot of burden putting the compression socks on daily," Hanson said. "It's hard to get them on and off. They're tight and they're heavy. I've used the pump every night sometimes for up to four hours."

As many as 10 million Americans and hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer from the condition, many from the aftereffects of cancer treatments. Thirty percent of women treated for breast cancer get lymphedema, usually as a result of radiation treatment and lymph node removal, according to the American Cancer Society.

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Years ago, Rockson, a physician-scientist who has treated thousands of patients with lymphedema, began to suspect that inflammation was a root cause of the disease. To test his theory, he created a mouse model for lymphedema -- the disease would manifest in the animals' tails -- and treated it with ketoprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID.

"It reversed the lymphedema," Rockson said. "We saw tremendous improvement in the structural abnormalities in the skin."

To test ketoprofen in humans, Rockson conducted two pilot trials, which are both discussed in the paper. The first trial had 21 participants who knew they were getting the drug and took it orally for four months. Researchers performed skin biopsies at the beginning of the trial and then four months later at the end of the trial as a measurement of disease severity.

"That was an extremely positive trial," Rockson said. "We saw a tremendous reversal in the disease process in the skin and dramatic reductions in skin thickness." This led to the second double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 34 participants. Hanson, who participated in the second trial, didn't know at first whether she was taking ketoprofen or a placebo. But she felt fairly certain after two months that she was getting ketoprofen.

"After a couple of months, I remember going home one day and taking my compression stockings off and looking at my leg thinking, 'Wow my skin is wrinkly, that's so weird.' The skin wasn't so taut or thick. It was more like normal," Hanson said.

Thinner skin

The second trial further validated that the drug can reduce thickening of the skin. Researchers also examined the anatomy of the skin cells and confirmed that ketoprofen worked by unblocking the molecular pathway that was causing the inflammation and restricting the body's ability to repair its own lymphatic system.

"When you look at skin from lymphedema patients under the microscope, you see a dramatic increase in cell density and increase in connective tissues and fluid around the cells," he said. "What we saw in skin biopsies after the four months of ketoprofen was a reduction in that thickness. All that cell density went away."

Results showed that ketoprofen made the skin healthier and more elastic, Rockson said.

"Anecdotally, we also got the impression that the patients who were treated saw a dramatic decrease in infections, although this analysis wasn't part of the study," Rockson said.

After the four months, the patients in the second trial were "unblinded" and given the option to continue using the drug by prescription, Rockson said. All chose to continue taking the drug, including Hanson, who has now taken the ketoprofen for several years.

"Over time, the swelling has gone down," she said. "It's not a cure. It doesn't make it go away, but it has been easier to take care of my leg." She still wears the compression stockings, but they're much easier to tug on, and the nightly pumping now takes just a fraction of the time it used to.

Hanson, like other participants in the trial, was warned by researchers that past studies have shown gastrointestinal and cardiovascular side effects from long-term use of ketoprofen in some patients, but she still decided to keep taking the drug.

"For me, the choice of being comfortable and not having so much burden in terms of care is a much greater benefit and outweighs the risk," she said.

An inflammatory response

Just how ketoprofen was working at a molecular level, though, remained unclear early on. To further examine this while continuing his ketoprofen trials in humans, Rockson joined forces with Nicolls, whose lab had been studying the molecular pathways of inflammation in pulmonary hypertension.

"We were excited to finally figure out that the drug worked by blocking an inflammatory molecule called leukotriene B4," said Nicolls referring to a study published in May 2017.

The researchers found that the buildup of lymph fluid is actually an inflammatory response within the tissue of the skin, not merely a "plumbing" problem within the lymphatic system, as previously thought. They discovered that the naturally occurring inflammatory molecule LTB4 is elevated in both animal models of lymphedema and in humans with the disease, and that at elevated levels it causes tissue inflammation and impaired lymphatic function.

Further research in mice showed that using ketoprofen to target LTB4 induced lymphatic repair and reversed the disease processes. This indicated that perhaps other therapies could reverse the negative impact of inflammation on lymphatic repair by targeting LTB4.

Other Stanford authors are postdoctoral scholars Wen "Amy" Tian, PhD, and Xinguo Jiang, PhD, who are also affiliated with the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System; Francois Haddad, MD, clinical associate professor of cardiovascular medicine; Leslie Roche, RN, clinical research coordinator at the Stanford Center for Lymphatic and Venous Disorders; and Jinah Kim, MD, PhD, a dermatological pathologist.

Researchers at the University of Leuven in Belgium and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City also contributed to the study.

The study was funded by the Stanford endowment and startup funds.

Stanford's Department of Medicine also supported the work.
How to create nanocages, i.e., robust and stable objects with regular voids and tunable properties? Short segments of DNA molecules are perfect candidates for the controllable design of novel complex structures. Physicists from the University of Vienna, the Technical University of Vienna, the Julich Research Center in Germany and Cornell University in the U.S.A., investigated methodologies to synthesize DNA-based dendrimers in the lab and to predict their behavior using detailed computer simulations. Their results are published in the high-impact journal Nanoscale.

Nanocages are highly interesting molecular constructs, from the point of view of both fundamental science and possible applications. The cavities of these nanometer-sized objects can be employed as carriers of smaller molecules, which is of critical importance in medicine for drug or gene delivery in living organisms. This idea brought together researchers from various interdisciplinary fields who have been investigating dendrimers as promising candidates for creating such nano-carriers. Their tree-like architecture and step-wise growth with repeating self-similar units results in dendrimers containing cavities, hollow objects with controllable design. Nevertheless, decades of research have showed that vast number of different dendrimer types experience back-folding of outer branches with growing dendrimer generations, giving rise to a higher density of constituents in the molecule's interior. The effect of back-folding is enhanced upon addition of salt in the solution, whereby flexible dendrimers undergo significant shrinking, becoming compact objects with no hollow spaces in their interior.

The team of collaborators consisted of Natasa Adzic and Christos Likos (University of Vienna), Clemens Jochum and Gerhard Kahl (TU Vienna), Emmanuel Stiakakis (Julich) as well as Thomas Derrien and Dan Luo (Cornell). The researchers found a way to create dendrimers rigid enough to prevent back-folding of outer arms even in the case of high branching generations, preserving regular voids in their interior. Moreover, their novel macromolecules are characterized by remarkable resistance to added salt: they showed that the morphology and conformational characteristics of these systems stay unaffected even upon of addition of salt even at high concentration. The nanocages they created, in the lab and studied computationally are DNA-based dendrimers, or so-called, dendrimer-like DNAs (DL-DNA). The building block they are composed of is a Y-shaped double-stranded DNA unit, a three-armed structure consisting of double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA), formed via hybridization of three single-stranded DNA chains (ss-DNA), each of which has partially complementary sequences to the other two. Each arm is made up of 13 base pairs and a single-stranded sticky end with four nucleobases which acts as a glue. While a single Y-DNA corresponds to the first dendrimer generation, the attachment of further Y-DNA elements yields DL-DNA of higher generations. The resulting dendrimer is a charged and hollow-containing macromolecular assembly with tree-like architecture. Due to the rigidity of dsDNA, the branches of DL-DNA are stiff so that the whole molecule is rigid. Since DNA is charged, the electrostatic repulsion enhances the rigidity of the molecule.

DL-DNA molecules have been assembled in the laboratory by the Julich and Cornell partners with remarkable control and sub-nanometer precision through programmable sticky-end cohesions. Their step-wise growth is highly controllable, unidirectional and non-reversible. This property is of high importance, as it has been shown that DNA-based dendrimers have been envisioned to play a promising role in developing nanoscale-barcodes, DNA-based vaccine technologies, as well as a structural probes involving multiplexed molecular sensing processes. Sizes, shapes as well as additional conformational details invisible to the experimentalists, such as the size of voids and the degree of branches back-folding, have been analyzed by computer simulations in Vienna. To describe the complex structure of DNA units, the group used a simple monomer-resolved model with interactions carefully chosen to mimic the equilibrium properties of DNA in physiological solution. The excellent agreement obtained between experiments and simulations for the dendrimer characteristics validates the theoretical models employed and paves the way for further investigation of the nanocages' properties and their applications as functional and smart nanocarriers and as building blocks for engineering biocompatible artificial materials.
Ongoing FEMA has closed some of its Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC), established last month to assist residents and businesses whose property was damaged by Tropical Storm Ida. However, face-to-face assistance is still available. Residents can find their nearest DRC online at fema.gov/drc,...
On October 16, 2018, a judge in federal court in Boston, Massachusetts, sentenced Ross McLellan, a former State Street Corp. executive, to 18 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud customers of State Street's Transition Management line of business. McLellan was found guilty of applying hidden commissions to billions of dollars of securities trades for these customers.

The criminal conviction is based on substantially the same conduct alleged in a parallel enforcement action brought by the SEC. The SEC's complaint against McLellan, which was filed on May 13, 2016 in federal court in Boston, charges McLellan with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and aiding and abetting violations of the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder by others at State Street. The SEC's litigation is ongoing.

For further information, see Lit. Release No. 23540 (May 13, 2016) and Lit. Release No. 24200 (July 16, 2018).
A San Francisco judge dismissed criminal charges Thursday against three homeless people who were arrested for camping or sleeping on the streets, a decision that follows a federal appeals court ruling barring cities from prosecuting such cases when no shelters are available.

District Attorney George Gascon, who has announced a new policy of charging people with illegal camping only when they reject an offer of an available shelter, did not challenge the dismissals. But Gascon and Public Defender Jeff Adachis office appear to be at odds on what a city has to do to make shelters available.

In a Sept. 4 ruling, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco reinstated lawsuits by homeless people challenging ordinances in Boise, Idaho, that made it a crime to sleep on a sidewalk or to use any sidewalk or public property as a camping place. The court said the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment prohibits criminal penalties for sitting, sleeping, or lying outside on public property for homeless individuals who cannot obtain shelter.

A city might be able to prohibit sitting, lying, or sleeping outside at particular times or in particular places, the court said. But it said a city cannot prosecute homeless people for involuntarily doing such things so long as there is a greater number of homeless individuals in a jurisdiction than the number of available beds in shelters.

Assistant Public Defender Brian Pearlman, managing attorney of the misdemeanor unit in Adachis office, said Thursday that the Boise ruling would prohibit San Francisco from arresting anyone for sitting or lying on a sidewalk, because the city does not have enough shelter beds for all of its homeless population.

The court said that if a city doesnt have enough resources to house all of its homeless people, youre punishing people for their (homeless) status, Pearlman said. Otherwise, he said, you could have one bed available and 30 people being cited.

Superior Court Judge Samuel Feng did not address the issue of available beds directly Thursday when he dismissed the charges because police had not offered shelter space to the three homeless people before arresting them. Maxwell Szabo, a spokesman for Gascon, did not rule out arrests in future cases under a state law that makes it a crime to lodge in any place, public or private, without the owners permission.

Absent an offer of shelter, prosecuting (cases under that law) is not only unconstitutional, its inhumane and ineffective, Szabo said in a statement. But where an individual rejects the offer of an appropriate shelter bed and continues to block sidewalks and throughways, (anti-lodging) citations can continue to serve as a tool to maintain quality of life and intervene with community members being on our streets who may be unable to make decisions that are in their own self-interest.

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.

The San Francisco Police Department did not respond to a request for comment.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Jack Dorsey, the head of Square and Twitter, renewed his criticism Friday of a San Francisco ballot measure aimed at slashing homelessness. In a series of tweets, he voiced concern about Squares future in the city if the initiative passes.

Proposition C would tax the biggest businesses in San Francisco to raise as much as $300 million for homeless programs. It would roughly double what the city spends to assist homeless people and keep them housed.

Square has said that a quirk of the proposed tax could harm it and other San Francisco payments companies like Stripe. Gross receipts taxes are applied to a companys total revenue generated from business activities in the city. In Squares case, those include fees it splits with banks and Visa and MasterCard when it processes credit-card transactions.

Square, which is publicly traded, reports both net revenue, which includes those fees, and adjusted revenue, which excludes them. In the second quarter, those figures were $815 million and $385 million respectively. In Squares view, imposing a tax on the higher revenue measure hurts it disproportionately.

Were happy to pay our taxes. We just want to be treated fairly with respect to our peer companies that are larger, Dorsey tweeted. Otherwise we dont know how to practically grow in the city. Thats heartbreaking for us as we love S.F. and want to continue to help build it.

Dorsey has committed $75,000 to the No on Prop C campaign, joining other tech leaders. Stripe gave $400,000 in October, and Sequoia Capitals Michael Moritz pitched in $100,000, public records show. Lyft also plans to give $100,000 to the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, which is leading the campaign against the tax.

Prop. C was the subject of a heated exchange of tweets last week between Dorsey and Salesforce chief Marc Benioff. Benioff, who has donated millions of dollars to house homeless families and advocated vigorously for more street programs, is bankrolling the campaign to pass Prop. C. Benioff pledged at least $2 million of company money and his personal fortune.

Dorsey estimated that Square could pay an additional $20 million in taxes under Prop. C next year, while Benioff has said Salesforce would pay only $10 million more, despite its larger size.

Taxes would grow at rates multiple times our (adjusted) revenue, which no company can sustain, Dorsey said in a tweet. Not an issue for Salesforce/Twitter, but unfair to (Square) and (financial) startups.

Salesforce did not respond to a request for comment.

Dorsey sided last week with officials including Mayor London Breed, state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, who oppose the measure. Breed has said the well-intentioned measure lacks the controls to make sure new funds would be properly spent.

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Stripe CEO Patrick Collison, who opposes the measure, jumped into the debate with a blog post Friday. He said if ending homelessness was just a question of money, this issue would already be solved. Collison also seemed to criticize Benioff without naming him; the Salesforce co-CEO has said someone who stands for the homeless should support the measure.

Anyone who claims that Prop. C is a matter of being for the homeless or against them is selling a facile falsehood, Collison wrote.

Melia Russell is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: melia.russell@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meliarobin
Even as Juul Labs faces scrutiny from U.S. regulators, the electronic cigarette company is embarking on a worldwide hiring spree, seeking to fill hundreds of jobs.

But Juuls troubled image  public health experts fear its popular vaporizer and flavored nicotine pods are creating a new generation of addicted teens  doesnt sit well with some tech workers whove been contacted by recruiters about working there. Some Juul employees have quit over the same concern.

Executives at the San Francisco company, which has 70 percent of the electronic cigarette market, have said their intention is to help adult smokers transition from traditional tobacco cigarettes to less-toxic e-cigarettes. But Juuls products caught fire among teens with flavors such as mint, mango and creme. Public health researchers say the flavors are drawing young people who otherwise wouldnt have started smoking cigarettes to nicotine, which is highly addictive.

Juul says retention rates have stayed strong throughout the year. The company, which is private, employs 1,110 people, more than five times the roughly 200 workers it had at the beginning of the year, according to a Juul spokesman. An average of 100 to 120 new people join each month. Juul has more than 300 immediate openings in San Francisco, New York, Tel Aviv, Canada, Singapore, London, Brussels and elsewhere, according to listings posted over the last month on the jobs site LinkedIn.

Juul executives say they are trying to address the problem of teen addiction through age-verification protocols. But thats not enough for some potential recruits.

I would probably never work for them, said Emily Kager, an engineer at a major tech company in San Francisco. I think your work should reflect your morals, and I wouldnt want to work for a company that knowingly targets youth with their marketing of an addictive product of unknown safety thats been investigated by the FDA.

Kager was contacted in September by a recruiter through LinkedIn who was reaching out on behalf of several companies, including Juul. Kager says she did not respond.

Conversations among people who recently considered job opportunities at Juul reveal a debate over working for a company whose real-world impact has strayed from its stated mission. On the anonymous chat app Blind, one user cited no moral objections working for Juul because vaping helped the person quit smoking; another equated working for a vaping company to giving drugs to children.

Juuls aggressive expansion plans offer one window into a young company at a critical juncture. Juul is racing to remake its public image and negotiate with regulators over a potential crackdown on its most lucrative products  all while maintaining the day-to-day operations of a fast-growing business with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual sales.

The job listings include positions for engineers, accountants, brand managers, sales representatives and chemists. They also include public policy and government affairs specialists  who typically lobby officials and regulators at the local, state and federal levels  in San Francisco, London, Brussels and New York. Companies often make such hires in preparation for navigating regulatory hurdles or shaping legislation they anticipate will impact their business in local markets. Juul recently began selling vaporizers and pods in England and Israel; in Israel, it had to lower the nicotine content of the pods after the countrys high court banned high levels of the drug in e-cigarettes.

With Juul Labs tremendous growth, we are focused on building our teams across all functions both in the U.S. and overseas ... as we work to improve the lives of the worlds 1 billion smokers and to combat underage use so we keep Juul out of the hands of young people, a Juul spokesman said in a written statement.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Juul has already beefed up its presence in Washington, where its facing its most immediate threat. In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave Juul and several other e-cigarette companies a 60-day deadline to submit a plan to stop selling e-cigarettes to minors. An FDA spokesman declined to share details about the status of the investigation. In a written statement, Juul CEO Kevin Burns said the company has had a constructive and transparent dialogue with FDA officials about preventing underage use.

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One of Juuls job listings is for an FDA regulatory attorney, based in San Francisco.

Juul nearly tripled its lobbying spending over the past year from $120,000 to $330,000, according to federal lobbying records. The company, which is valued at $15 billion and raised $650 million as of July, has recruited several Washington insiders well versed in crisis communications and health policy. This month, Josh Raffel, a former White House communications official close to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, joined as a Juul spokesman. In April, Jim Esquea, a former assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President Barack Obama, became Juuls federal affairs director.

Juul, which is headquartered in the Dogpatch neighborhood, recently looked into a potential lease at Uptown Station, the largest vacant office building in Oakland. The space was previously owned by Uber, which planned to have 3,000 employees there before abandoning plans to create an East Bay office. Juul decided not to lease there but is continuing to look for additional office space in the Bay Area.

A Stanford University study released Friday found that high school seniors and recent graduates who use Juul are more addicted to the product than those who use other e-cigarettes. The finding raises concerns about higher rates of addiction among Juul users.

Chronicle staff writer Roland Li contributed to this report.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
A group that lobbies for tech companies, including Google, Facebook and Apple, has voiced its support for a little-known visa program that helps foreign students in the U.S. join the high-tech workforce and is facing a legal challenge.

The Information Technology Industry Council, a trade group based in Washington that represents dozens of hardware, software and service firms, filed a motion Thursday in federal court in support of the Optional Practical Training program, better known as OPT. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers also were part of the motion.

After student visas run out, international students are eligible to pursue work related to their degrees for a 12-month OPT period. That also allows them to remain in the country as they enter the lottery for an H-1B visa or pursue other avenues to keep working. Only 85,000 H-1B visas are granted to for-profit companies every year; the government received 236,000 applications in 2016, the recent peak.

Those who train in science, technology, engineering or mathematics  fields known as STEM  have an edge on their peers. In 2008, the Bush administration first began allowing students with STEM degrees on OPT to stay in the U.S. and work for another 17 months. In 2016, the Obama administration extended that to 24 months. The longer period effectively gives technical graduates two more shots at the H-1B lottery. The motion defends the extension period, which the Trump administration has signaled it wants to roll back.

Unlike the H-1B program, OPT has no limit on the number of students who can qualify and doesnt require an employers sponsorship. The San Francisco and San Jose metro areas are among the top landing spots for graduates in the OPT program, according to Pew Research.

Critics called the expansion a shadow guest worker program that attempts to get around caps on other visa types. Others say the two-year extension helps address what the tech industry characterizes as a shortage of workers with specific skills.

In its motion, the ITIC described the program as a crucial bridge between a graduates student visa and more durable immigration status.

Without the two-year extension, the great majority of these highly skilled, American-educated students would be unable to remain in the U.S. and would therefore leave the country, taking their know-how with them, the motion said.

Patrick Duffy, head of global relations and workforce policy at Intel, said in a statement that eliminating the extension would be devastating for the Santa Clara companys recruiting efforts. Intel currently has 1,100 employees on OPT who did not win this years H-1B lottery.

In 2016, the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers, a union representing tech workers, sued the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the program, to block the extension. Last year, a U.S. district court ruled against the union, which is also known as WashTech. WashTech appealed and the litigation is ongoing. Thursdays motion was filed as part of the appeal process.

WashTech believes international students working in the U.S. after graduation increase competition for jobs for its members. The complaint cited examples of members who had applied unsuccessfully for jobs at companies that also sought extensions for workers under OPT. One member applied to Microsoft for computer programming jobs three times, but the Seattle company still made at least 100 applications for OPT extensions, instead of hiring U.S. workers, WashTech said.

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The union also alleged that DHS exceeded its authority in awarding work-permit extensions to people in the country on student visas. After finishing their degrees, foreign students are no longer students, the union said. The district court concluded that argument was inadequate; an appellate court disagreed, reversing the ruling in June.

The government was expected to file a motion Thursday to dismiss WashTechs complaint, with ITIC filing a brief in support of the governments position.

The fight over OPT highlights an irony for the current administration: While President Trump is seeking to roll back immigration programs expanded under President Barack Obama, government agencies must defend themselves in ongoing litigation against those programs.

In December, the government released a new regulatory agenda that proposes undoing the STEM OPT extension. That change, too, could face legal challenges from supporters.

Melia Russell is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: melia.russell@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @meliarobin
A San Francisco jury found 65-year-old Michael Phillips guilty of murdering his 75-year-old acquaintance, James Sheahan, in August 2017 in the citys Nob Hill neighborhood, District Attorney George Gascon said this week.

In addition to the murder conviction, the jury found Phillips guilty on eight additional felony counts, including injury on an elderly person and first-degree robbery. The jury began deliberations on Tuesday.

Prosecutors argued that Phillips killed Sheahan after he rebuffed Phillips request for a loan.

I want to applaud the SFPD for a superb investigation; this was a devastating loss for the victims family and friends, Gascon said in a statement Thursday announcing the verdict.

A San Francisco police officer discovered Sheahans body in his apartment after performing a wellness check at the request of his brother, who had not heard from Sheahan in several days. Neighbors told the officer they had not seen Sheahan for a week.

After unsuccessfully trying to reach Sheahan inside his apartment, the officer smelled what he believed to be a decaying body. The building manager opened the door of Sheahans Bush Street apartment to find Sheahan dead, face down in his living room floor.

A medical examiner found injuries to the back of Sheahans head as well as defensive wounds, and ruled his death a homicide.

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Inside Sheahans apartment, investigators found evidence of blood spatter, a broken knife and personal belongings strewn about. According to Gascons release, Sheahans family and friends reported that Phillips had recently asked for a loan, which Sheahan refused.

During a search of Phillips apartment, car, and storage unit, officers discovered personal items belonging to Sheahan, including keys, journals, and a wallet containing Sheahans credit card. Phillips was taken into custody last November.

Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
MEXICO CITY - As thousands of Central American migrants inched closer to Mexico's southern border, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with top officials here, hoping to avert the caravan before it reaches the United States.

By Friday morning, at least a thousand migrants had arrived in the city of Tecun Uman, in northern Guatemala, and by early afternoon, they began walking across a bridge connecting the two countries, even as Mexico deployed additional police along the border. A huge group waited to be processed by Mexican authorities, punctuated by moments of disorder, as police fired tear gas into the crowd.

"We are quickly reaching a point which appears to be a moment of crisis" with the flow of Central American migrants, Pompeo said in a joint appearance with Mexico's foreign minister, Luis Videgaray.

Mexican authorities, in search of a way both to satisfy President Donald Trump's demand that they deter the migrants and to avoid violating international law, have asked the United Nations to set up a migrant processing center near their southern border. Pompeo said in a statement that he welcomed that plan.

During the joint appearance Friday, he added: "The way you will handle this is your sovereign decision."

But as Trump said at a rally on Thursday that the midterm elections would hinge in part on the caravan, it was clear that U.S. pressure on Mexico would continue.

The members of the caravan appeared unlikely to wait for the United Nations. On Friday, many migrants approached border crossings where Guatemalan police officers appeared prepared to block their passage, but by the early afternoon they broke through a fence on the Guatemalan side, forcing their way to the Mexican side of the bridge. Mexican authorities used riot gear to dispel some of the migrants, telling them to be prepared to wait for processing.

Before leaving by plane, Pompeo said four policemen had been injured, and he blamed the caravan for using women and children as shields. In response to the deployment of Mexican police, Trump tweeted, "Thank you Mexico," on Thursday, just hours after threatening to deploy the U.S. military and "close our southern border" - potentially upending a recent trade deal with Mexico and Canada.

His threats have kept pace with the migrants' journey. As they were passing though Guatemala, he threatened to withdraw aid from Central American nations if they did not stop the migrants. Paradoxically, much of that aid is used in programs aimed at deterring migration.

Speaking at the joint news conference, Videgaray said the Mexican government would enforce the country's immigration laws, "in a humanitarian form, thinking first of the interest of the migrant."

Videgaray also emphasized the need for the United States to promote anti-poverty programs in Central America, calling a lack of economic development among the "major reasons for migration."

Even with additional border security personnel, it is unlikely that Mexico could detain the thousands of migrants who appear likely to cross into the country in the coming days. Typically, migrants use rafts to float across informal border crossings.

Mexican officials will have to decide how to handle the migrants who continue traveling by foot and in vehicles toward the southern border, a journey that could take weeks. Earlier this year, during a previous migrant caravan, Mexico ultimately registered the migrants and gave them permits of up to 30 days to leave the country or apply for asylum.

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The migrant caravans have been occurring for years, offering a safe way for migrants to make their way north, while also intending to draw attention to the plight of the region's more desperate people. But before the Trump Administration, they attracted little attention. Although there might be as many as 3,000 or 4,000 people in the current caravan, that number is dwarfed by the more than 450,000 people who have been apprehended along the U.S.-Mexico border this year.

Immigration advocates and experts on international refugee law say that providing transit documents to those in search of protection would be the reasonable and humane response. But that would probably enrage Trump, who appears to see it as Mexico's responsibility to stop the migrants from reaching the U.S. border by any means.

Pompeo's trip to Mexico was planned before the caravan, but on Friday he referred to it as "the largest issue that we face today," now that the trade deal with Mexico has been hammered out.

Some immigrant advocates said they were pleased by Mexico's call to involve the United Nations in the processing of asylum seekers.

"It tells me that Mexico recognizes the protection dimension here as well as its own incapacity to process" members of the caravan, said Bill Frelick, director of the refugee rights program at Human Rights Watch.

But Mexican officials have not said what role they would like the United Nations to play.

"Specific information on the support provided by the UNHCR regarding the processing of refugee applications and support for the applicants during their stay in Mexico will be made public as soon as a formal response is received," Mexico's foreign ministry said in a Thursday statement.
For 40 years, Prop. 13 has loomed above California budget making by carving strict limits, creating a lopsided tax system, and scaring away talk of major changes. Now comes a do-or-die ballot measure that would alter a major feature that pits businesses against homeowners.

The proposition headed to the 2020 ballot would erase the tax savings reaped by commercial property owners while keeping limits for residential owners. Its the long-sought but never realized fix known as split roll.

Under the 1978 measure, property levies are set at 1 percent of sale price with a 2 percent increase allowed each year. For business properties, which tend to change hands less often, Prop. 13 has been a windfall, especially as companies became deft at transferring holdings without bringing on reassessments.

With the pending ballot measure, business properties wouldnt be protected by Prop. 13 and would face reassessments every three years or more often if the Legislature chooses. Homeowners would stay within the original rules, facing a reassessment only when a property is sold or substantially upgraded.

The changes should bring on a deserved showdown over a tax law thats contorted and confused public spending but also proved strangely resilient. Voters and lawmakers have approved changes allowing the pass through of inherited property and one-time transfer of low-tax assessments for older homeowners moving to smaller quarters. Prop. 5 on the ballot next month expands the one-time transfers more widely.

The 2020 ballot measure takes on just one aftereffect of Prop. 13. With local property taxes severely curbed, taxing power has swung to Sacramento, which has imposed a wildly volatile income tax on the wealthy as a mainstay revenue producer. There are other problems: Stay-put homeowners reap the benefits of low taxes while new buyers face sky high levies. Cities avoid housing, which brings in less tax money, and compete for malls and auto dealers, which generate local sales taxes.

But business groups have brandished the threat of a major opposition campaign should a split roll measure ever take shape. If they face a major tax hit, there will be an exit from the state, higher prices and loss of competitiveness, they warn. The promise of billions in new taxes is a mirage, critics say.

Let the debate begin. With a ballot measure two years hence, theres time for serious scrutiny and argument. There could even be a compromise that could call off a ballot box fix to a complicated issue. California has a chance to hear all sides on an important issue.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Robert Edward Bires, 92, of Chattanooga, died on Sunday, October 14, 2018 at Elmcroft of Gunbarrel.

Mr. Bires was born March 25, 1926, in Aliquippa, Pa., the son of the late Henry Bires and Marie Kerevac, and grew up in Midland, Pa., where he excelled as both a student and as an athlete. Drafted into the Army in 1944 out of high school, he served with the Army Air Corps in World War II as an airplane mechanic, primarily on Guam and New Guinea, attaining the rank of Master Sergeant.



After his discharge in 1946, he attended the University of Missouri and Ohio University on the G.I. Bill and began a long career as a financial officer in several corporations, including RCA, McKay, and Action Industries. In 1978, he left the corporate world to open a racquet club in Pittsburgh with his wife, Corrinne.



A lifelong Pittsburgh Steeler fan, Mr. Bires also enjoyed in his later years running an online pottery business, advising his sons careers, and traveling to support the myriad activities of his grandchildren, including softball, ballet, dance, and theater. He will be remembered as a man who loved his family more than anything.



In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Corrinne Eshelman, and his brother, William Bires.



He is survived by his sons, Mark Bires, of Chicago, and Robert Bires, of Chattanooga; their wives, Mindy Friedler, of Chicago, and Robin Miller, of Chattanooga; his grandchildren, Sean Bires and Cassidy Kraus (and husband, Sean Kraus), of Chicago, Kathleen Bires (and husband, Justin Stappler) and Emma Bires, of Nashville, and Molly Bires, of Tel Aviv, Israel.

A graveside service with military honors will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, in the Chattanooga National Cemetery.



In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Amedysis Hospice.



Visit www.heritagechattanooga.com to share condolences with the family.



Arrangements have been entrusted to Heritage Funeral Home of Chattanooga.


Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle

President Trump generates a lot of smoke when he talks about fire. While Californias summer wildfires burned, he perplexed people across the spectrum by accusing lefty environmentalists of withholding water from firefighters. Now hes charging lefty environmentalists with protecting the trees that fuel the blazes  and threatening to cut federal funds if state officials dont get their act together and clean up their forests.

Give the president credit for shifting to a slightly more believable story. Unlike his fantasy about water rationing for firefighters, Trumps latest contribution contains embers of truth. But its still fundamentally false.
Riveting testimony before Congress these past few weeks may impact America for years to come: Privacy advocates and tech companies have been presenting their conflicting visions for the future of privacy law in America. A noteworthy example of these types of laws is the new California cybersecurity law, a first-in-the-nation regulation for the information privacy of interconnected devices in the age of the internet of things.

Unfortunately, the California law fails to oblige manufacturers to ensure that the very devices that you own and physically possess can be easily and completely wiped of all data. It is imperative that any federal law include this emergent necessity.

Why is this so important to you? Selling, donating or trashing unwanted digital devices used to be carefree. You could even lose your device without worrying too much beyond simply the replacement costs and confirming that your backups were up to date. Now things have changed.

With the rise of the internet of things, we now all inadvertently leave some residual private and identifying information on a growing number of our belongings. Even when we attempt to wipe these devices clean of all our data, we likely leave a little data schmutz behind.

Considering selling your smartphone? Hopefully the manufacturer will provide you with coherent instructions to erase your device. Without a complete and total wipe, someone could access more than just your recipes and homework assignments. They could determine your passwords, find important and identifying personal information, and potentially health-related or financial data. Just from the metadata associated with your photographs, someone could easily infer where you live, work and vacation.

And those are the most obvious examples.

Selling your car could similarly result in divulging personal information, including past location history, contacts, garage door codes and other data saved on the cars myriad on-board systems. Some cars offer a factory reset to wipe your data; in other cars, you may not even know how many systems are actually recording your data, or how to erase them.

Here, like for many other internet of things devices, we are essentially at the mercy of the manufacturers. Unlike a computer, you cannot easily find and take out your cars hard drive and erase or destroy it. This involuntary data sharing between consecutive owners is actually a two-way street: in some instances, cars that were sold and supposedly delinked from the owners accounts can remain dangerously accessible to the original owners. Likewise, syncing a phone to a rental car or other temporary devices can leave data detritus that is accessible to strangers.

In some instances, manufacturers can even track the secondary lives of a product via a chain of custody linking successive owners to the devices unique serial numbers. That is, as one seller deletes their local account on an iPhone, another buyer appends theirs, effectively creating a connection between two people in Apples servers. In some instances, that connection is random. In others, its a relationship that should have the right to remain private.

Even more disconcerting, our data residue may be on other peoples devices as well: The leased photocopier at the bank or medical office probably has an internal hard drive that, unbeknown to most, dutifully retains thousands of scanned documents, including health records, bank statements or employment records. Those hard drives may not necessarily be erased when the copier is leased elsewhere, sold or junked.

As devices become ever smarter, we will leave additional private information on them as well. For example, the latest Apple watch is designed to be an intelligent guardian of your health that includes a built-in electrocardiogram. Moreover, Apple is far from the only consumer device company that aims to collect health-related data. This summer, Fitbit released research culled from 150 billion hours of ostensibly anonymous consumer heart data.

Wiping this increasingly private data from all of our devices before resale or disposal has become an imperative, albeit increasingly onerous, undertaking.

While business opportunities will abound for companies to purge data from old products, more fundamentally, consumers should be entitled to know what data is stored on each device and how it can be wiped. Similar in spirit to the new European privacy regulations, which mandate privacy by design, all devices should be designed to make this data cleaning stress-free.

Beyond the amorphous digital schmutz lurks an even more insidious data leak. In the near future, substantial data will be extractable from genetic material left on sold or discarded items  a sweater, some kitchen items, or even your now digitally clean internet of things device. Like the data on your phone, this genetic data can be used to characterize a person or even their ancestry, and link them with other genetic information publicly available in large repositories.

While the concerns regarding genetic data remain a couple of years away, digital data schmutz, however, is an immediate concern. And while market forces will hopefully push manufacturers to help consumers clean their devices, optimally, the next iteration of Europes right to be forgotten will include the right for the devices you own to forget you.

Dov Greenbaum is director of the Zvi Meitar Institute for Legal Implications of Emerging Technologies. Mark Gerstein directs the bioinformatics lab at Yale University.
Upcoming political events in the Bay Area.

TUESDAY

Ballot fun: Post March Salon (PMS) and Ampush host a voting party to break down the ballot while having some fun. Free. 6-8 p.m. Ampush, 450 Ninth St., San Francisco. More information is here.

Rick Wilson: Republican strategist and Daily Beast columnist discusses dark politics in the age of Trump. Sponsored by the Commonwealth Club. $30 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon-1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

Mark DeSaulnier: Town hall meeting hosted by Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord. 6:30-8 p.m., Lovonya DeJean Middle School multipurpose room, 3400 Macdonald Ave., Richmond. More information is here.

WEDNESDAY

Women and climate change: Informal resource fair and networking event for women involved in climate change work. Follows celebration hosted by San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women and the San Francisco Commission on the Environment. 4-7 p.m., Main Library, 100 Larkin St., San Francisco. More information is here.

THURSDAY

Max Boot: Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and Washington Post columnist discusses his book The Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left the Right at the Commonwealth Club. $25 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon-1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

Progressive foreign policy: International affairs experts Phyllis Bennis and Reese Erlich on what a progressive foreign policy would look like. 7-9 p.m., Unitarian-Universalist Center chapel, 1187 Franklin St., San Francisco. More information is here.

OCT. 26

Julian Castro: Former Housing and Urban Development secretary and former mayor of San Antonio, Texas, speaks at the Commonwealth Club. $30 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon-1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

State constitutions: San Francisco Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society sponsors a discussion of Judge Jeffrey Suttons new book, 51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law. $10 for nonmembers, free for students. 6-7:30 p.m., Sheppard Mullin, 4 Embarcadero Center . 17th Floor, San Francisco. More information is here.

Brazil and Venezuela: A socialist discussion on the right-wing offensive in Brazil and Venezuela. 7 p.m. at the S.F. Party for Socialism and Liberation, 2969 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here.

OCT. 27

Bernie Sanders-Barbara Lee: Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Barbara Lee appear hold a pre-election rally. 11 a.m.-noon, Berkeley Community Theater, 1930 Allston Way, Berkeley. Register and more information here.

OCT. 29

Soldiers stories: Author and journalist C.J. Chivers on the frustration and struggles of soldiers who fought for the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq. Sponsored by the World Affairs Council. $20 for nonmembers, $7 for students. 6:30-8 p.m., 312 Sutter Street, Suite 200, San Francisco. More information is here.

OCT. 30

Chronicle on the midterms: The propositions, the battles, the blue wave? Chronicle columnists Heather Knight and Phil Matier and senior political writer Joe Garofoli discuss the midterm elections. Moderated by Editor-in-Chief Audrey Cooper. $15, $5 for students. 6:30-8 p.m., Grand Theater, 2665 Mission St., San Francisco. More information is here.

OCT. 31

Effective progressive politics: Tom Temprano, a City College of San Francisco trustee and legislative aide to Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, on how to become an effective progressive politician. Free. 2-3:15 p.m., Room 304, Humanities Building, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. More information is here.

NOV. 1

Teaching about homelessness and gentrification: Poverty scholars Leroy Moore and Lisa Tiny Gray-Garcia of Poor Magazine present strategies for how to educate children, youth and adults about poverty, homelessness, racism, disability and displacement. Free. 7 p.m., Humanities Building Poetry Center, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. More information is here.

Latinx: Author and journalist Ed Morales discusses the political and cultural challenges for the growing Latinx population in the U.S. Free. Mechanics Institute, fourth-floor meeting room, 57 Post St., San Francisco. More information is here.

NOV. 5

Democracy in danger: Daniel Ziblatt, author of How Democracies Die, discusses dangers to democracy around the world at the World Affairs Council. $20 nonmembers, $7 students. Noon-1:30 p.m., World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200, San Francisco. More information is here.

NOV. 7

Jeffrey Rosen: Scholar and author examines constitutional questions and the post-Anthony Kennedy Supreme Court. Sponsored by Commonwealth Club. $25 for nonmembers, $10 for students. 6:30-7:30 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

NOV. 8

Susan Rice: Former President Barack Obamas national security adviser and U.N. ambassador discusses U.S. foreign policy priorities and national security interests. Sponsored by the World Affairs Council. $40 for nonmembers, $10 for students. 6:30-7:30 p.m., Marines Memorial Theater, 609 Sutter St., San Francisco. More information is here.

NOV. 13

Israel and U.S.: Avraham Burg, former interim president of Israel, speaks on Israels complexities and the growing tension between American Jewry and Israel at the Peninsula Jewish Community Center. $20. 7:30-9 p.m., 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City. More information is here.

NOV. 19

Case against Trump: Bill Press, radio-show host and former chair of California Democratic Party, discusses the case against Trump at the Commonwealth Club. $25 for nonmembers, $10 for students. Noon-1 p.m., 110 Embarcadero, San Francisco. More information is here.

To list an event, email Politics Editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com
Customers at La Taqueria will soon spy a new sign tacked onto the front window: For Sale.

Miguel Jara, 77, and his immediate family have owned the San Francisco taqueria, as well as the building that houses the business, since 1972, and lines continue to spill from the doorway all through the day and evening. But now a court-ordered sale, mediated by a receiver, has Jara bidding on his own building  and threatening to move La Taqueria from its iconic spot if he loses out to another buyer.

The building at Mission and 25th streets, in fact, has been listed online since March. In June, Jara told The Chronicle that it was due to an inheritance dispute that had ended up in court. The troubles that San Franciscos most famous taqueria faces is a reminder that many kinds of tensions threaten businesses that are assumed to have achieved permanence. Earlier this month, the Missions first panaderia, La Victoria, closed due to an intra-familial dispute, and last year Britex moved from its Union Square home of 65 years after the founders heirs collectively sold the building while one branch of the family continued to run the fabric store.

When I opened the taco place, I had no credit, no checking account. My father helped me and put it in my fathers name and my mothers name, Jara said. His father, Heminio, died in 1990 and his mother, Clodoalda, in 2000.

Jara said he never took the time to transfer ownership of the building, and his mother didnt leave a will. However, according to his lawyer Jim Quadra of Quadra Coll, Jara had paid the mortgage, property taxes and upkeep on the building since the 1970s.

Jara said that the sale was unrelated to the more than $500,000 in unpaid health care costs, lost wages and fines that La Taqueria has paid its workers during the past 12 months after four workers filed a series of complaints with the city and state.

According to Steven Hassing, who represents six of Miguel Jaras siblings, his brothers and sisters assumed for decades that he owned the building. They knew nothing about the fact that they had inherited an interest in that building, Hassing said. They only found out when Miguel wanted to do some estate planning and asked the siblings to sign quit-claim deeds.

Lea Suzuki / The Chronicle 2014

Two of Jaras siblings turned their shares over to him, giving him officially a third of the interest in the building. When some refused to sign the paperwork transferring their one-ninth shares to him, Hassing said Miguel Jara sued for ownership. The court decided against him. After a series of appeals, this spring the San Francisco Superior Court appointed a receiver, Susan Uecker, to handle the sale, and designated Cushman and Wakefield as the real estate agents. Uecker has not responded to requests for comment.

We had an appraisal on the building at $1.25 million, Miguel Jara said, so I sent them a letter, saying so I dont have to keep paying lawyers and you dont have to pay lawyers, Ill give you $127,000 each. We got a reply from the lawyer saying they wouldnt accept the deal. Hassings email, in fact, warned Jara that La Taqueria had no lease, and he should consider trying to trademark its name, intimating that a new buyer might take over the business.

Its a lot deeper than a family dispute, Miguels son Angel, who runs the business, said. I think my dads brothers and sisters are being malicious and trying to drive up the price.

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The receiver has not allowed Miguel Jara to submit a bid on his property until another bid was received. Quadra said that she notified the business last week that she had received a credible offer for $1.6 million, and La Taqueria was required to post the For Sale sign, which Angel Jara taped up on Thursday.

The Jaras will be allowed to offer a counter bid at a court-mandated auction on Nov. 13.

We anticipate hes going to bid higher and that the property will remain in the family, that will be the home of La Taqueria, hopefully forever, Quadra said. At the same time, the attorney is appealing the original court decision, arguing malpractice on the part of Jaras previous lawyer.

If Miguel Jara cannot submit a winning bid, court documents state that he will turn the property over to the new owner within 60 days.

Jara said that if that happens, he might look for a way to move the business. My thinking is that theres a building for sale around there I could buy right now if I could stay (in the current building) for a year while I remodel the place, but I dont know, he said. He worries about his employees, many of whom have been with the business for more than a decade.

Were in a pretty precarious situation, he said.

Jonathan Kauffman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jkauffman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jonkauffman
San Francisco wasnt working out for Claude Lambert. In 1965, hed fled to New York from the tiny town outside Orleans to which the French Ministry of Education had banished him, then fled New York as well (too cold) for San Francisco (warmer?). Here, though, he was working at a residence hotel, sleeping under the stairs, nowhere he could bring his wife and young daughter, who were still in France. Quebec, he thought, might be easier for a French speaker to settle in. Lambert changed his last travelers checks to buy a ticket, but when he was counting the bills outside the bank, a thief grabbed the money out of his hand.

That last indignity is the reason Lambert came to own, by the most circuitous route possible, the Cornell Hotel on Bush Street  and how a man escaping his home country in search of adventure ended up running the hotels Restaurant Jeanne dArc, the Frenchiest French bistro in San Francisco.

Have you been to the 46-year-old Restaurant Jeanne dArc? I know I hadnt before last month. Travel review site TripAdvisor ranks it as the fifth best restaurant in all of San Francisco, but The Chronicle has never reviewed it, and the dining room is hidden in the hotels basement behind a thick wooden door. What weve all been missing, I discovered, is a Gallic fantasy that grows more baroque with every year, and a 78-year-old chef cooking cuisine bourgeoise the likes of which has almost disappeared from the city. But Ill get to that in a second.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

Back to 1966: Claude Lambert found himself broke, managing a grotty residence hotel on Bush Street, when a local French businessman named Claude Reboul learned of his teaching degree. (Technically, in fact, Lambert was on leave of absence from his civil-servant job in France.) The next year, the two started their own bilingual school with the backing of the French Ministry of Education. Lambert quickly moved on to the Alliance Francaise, where he taught for another 20 years, but the school grew into the Lycee Francais de San Francisco.

Meanwhile, Lambert had moved his wife, Micheline, and young daughter into a bedroom in the hotel, which was then inhabited by older folks whose rent and meals were subsidized by the city. There were only 18 customers left, Lambert says now. Everything was black. There were mice, rats. When my wife was going into the kitchen, all the roaches were flying everywhere. Anything not chained to the wall was stolen.

The couple bought jugs of ammonia and began scrubbing, and didnt stop for decades. Micheline ran the hotel during the day, while Claude taught at the Alliance Francaise and then returned home to cook for the pensioners. He picked up a copy of La Cuisine de Tante Marie, the French Joy of Cooking, and prepared dishes like veal Marengo and coq au vin.

By 1972, the restaurant was clean enough, and Claudes cooking confident enough, that they opened the dining hall up to neighbors. The Lamberts named their restaurant after Joan of Arc, the patron saint of their hometown of Orleans. For the most part, Claude served no more than 15 non-residents a night a prix-fixe dinner cost $2.50  but in 1976 or 1977 KPIXs Phantom Diner, Sydney Walker, raved about the place in one of his television segments. The ensuing rush overwhelmed Lambert. He shut Jeanne dArc for six months until the public forgot about the place.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

By the early 2000s, all the original residents had moved out and, after 15 years worth of legal battles with the city, the Lamberts had transitioned Cornell into a proper tourist hotel. They bought the building in the late 1970s, and returned from their annual trips back to Orleans with French antiques as well as busts, paintings and stained glass windows depicting Joan of Arc. Claude had retired from the Alliance Francaise in 1986 with a French government pension. He gave up his cooking duties, too, in 1995, when he hired Pierre Titu Palomes. The Basque cook, who trained in Toulouse and Paris, had run the Restaurant de France in North Beach for a spell and then the kitchen of a private club.

With a professional chef came a new sense of Restaurant Jeanne dArc as a proper business. One other portentous change happened around that time: The Lamberts had long traded free rent with artists for painting work, but in 2004 they hired Bruce Henderson as a part-time staff member. For three days a week, he painted filigree onto the ceilings of all the bedrooms, then turned his brushes on the restaurants walls.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

He hasnt stopped yet.

A visitor to Restaurant Jeanne dArc on a Saturday night, 46 years into its run, may find there is almost too much to look at.

A bestiary copied from medieval illustrated manuscripts  boars, dragons, hose-and-tunic-clad humans  capers from the hotel lobby down the stairs. A natural response to ones first glimpse of the golden-hued dining room is to gape, and not stop gaping, until the second course arrives. Are those cracks painted on the brick walls? Wait, no, the bricks themselves are painted! The cornices on the ceiling frame skyscapes befitting a Loire Valley castle. Joan of Arc is everywhere.

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If you need to defend your Beef Bourguignon from marauding Anglo-Burgundians, you could grab one of the swords leaning against the corner near your seat and a helmet from the table near the entrance. Some may look longingly at the armory after the roving violinist plays Happy Birthday for the fifth time that night.

Jeanne dArc is one of the rare restaurants that makes a San Franciscan feel like he or she has left the 7x7 and, when it comes to the menu, the 21st century as well. For $54 per person, Chef Palomes, who keeps a vat of veal bones boiling on the stove at all times for his sauces, starts diners with a soup of the day, then a salad or a simple appetizer (he personally recommends the charcuterie, which he prepares himself). Palomess Lapin Chasseur (braised rabbit) and short ribs are favorite mains among regular customers, and Palomes is one of the rare cooks in San Francisco who still braises sweetbreads, mostly to make his boss happy. There may be other desserts on the menu, but every diner  or at least all the ones who post their photos online  ends with a tall, quivering souffle served with a cruet of Grande Marnier cream sauce to pour into its center.

The dishes fall in the spectrum between competent and excellent, but its hard not to finish the fourth course without a rush of admiration for the Lamberts loving, personal, extremely committed vision. I would say we are different because we did not want to know how the other (restaurants) were doing, Lambert says. We were ourselves.

Lambert wont say how old he is, though when I float the possibility that hes in his 70s, he laughs. Chef Palomes, at the age of 78, continues to work five 12-hour days a week. The kitchen assistant, Phuong Tran, has worked for the hotel for 38 years. The oldest waiter is 80. All the staff, and some of the returning hotel guests, refer to Lambert as Papa. They are not employees, he in turn says. Ill protect them to the last.

Although many of the restaurants regulars are locals, more and more tables are tourists drawn to Jeanne dArc because of its stellar online rankings. The TripAdvisor stars are due in part to hotel manager Franck Legrand, the newest employee, who is younger than Papa by a generation, maybe two. When Legrand started two and a half years ago, he connected the hotel to online reservation services, and for the past year, the visitors who have found Jeanne dArc through TripAdvisor have flooded the site with reviews.

Yelp, for all its flaws, captures locals sentiments. To peruse TripAdvisors 2018 list of San Franciscos top restaurants is to see a mirror view of the city, the one seen from the seats of cable cars and over sourdough bowls of crab chowder. The sites top 10 includes local favorites like Kokkari and Molinari Delicatessen but also tiny cafes on the Wharf, an oyster bar in the Castro that seemed like such a well-kept secret, and Restaurant Jeanne dArc  currently the top French restaurant in the city.

Legrand and Lambert have watched Jeanne dArcs rankings spike this year with perplexed amusement. Lambert pooh-poohs the top-10 spot, while Legrand reassures him: It doesnt matter if he dont think his restaurant is the best. Its what all those people are saying.

After five decades of Gallicizing one tiny nook of the city  not to mention founding bilingual schools, hosting Francophone groups, supporting Notre Dame de Victoires and other French organizations and teaching at the Alliance Francaise  the government of France rewarded him for his efforts with the National Order of Merit in September 2018. For the celebration last month, dozens of people flew in from France. The Lamberts shut down Jeanne dArc to throw a massive party.

In the aftermath of the lifetime honor, Claude and Micheline Lambert even took a vacation. Now hes back at the hotel, greeting customers and responding to every TripAdvisor review. The first 50 years, we spent our lives doing this place, he says. His wife is ready to step away. But me, no, I cant.
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Fall has always been relatively fallow for Hawaii tourism: The kids are in school, the holidays are coming. In response, rates fall too  and the travel industry tries to entice visitors with special multi-island events like the ongoing Hawaii Food and Wine Festival or the recent Aloha Festivals.

But this autumn has seen an unusual flurry of deals in airfare and lodgings  some valid through spring, excepting the winter holidays  along with empty places on tours and activities in the islands. The bargains and lack of crowds appear to result from the drop in bookings that began in summer, when tourism officials believe viral images of volcanic activity in a remote area unnecessarily frightened prospective travelers.

In Mauis tony Wailea resort, Fairmont Kea Lani hotel is advertising discounts of 30 percent off through Dec. 24, plus complimentary breakfast, via its #AlwaysKeaLani social media campaign. Destination Residences Hawaii condos and homes in Wailea offer advance-purchase discounts of up to 45 percent off, plus free rental cars with five-night bookings.

On Hawaii Island, where the lava stopped flowing weeks ago and most of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park reopened Sept. 22, Volcano Village is still eerily quiet. Kilauea Lodge, a restaurant and inn that also suffered a drastic drop in business during the eruption, now offers diners happy hour specials from 2 to 5 p.m. and travelers discounts of some $60 to $70 off nightly rates.

Gail Armand, co-owner of Mahinui Rainforest Weddings, operates a vacation-rental treehouse in Volcano that before the eruption  some 30-plus miles away  was booked 95 percent of the time. Now her Airbnb schedule shows scattered openings through December, and many more after that. All the lodgings up here are uncrowded, which makes it easy to plan last-minute travel, she notes.

Hawaiian, Alaska and United airlines are also making last-minute travel easier and cheaper than before, routinely offering round-trip fares from under $400 to $500 from the Bay Area (and even less from Los Angeles). Those booking spur-of- the-moment trips to Kona have found next-day fares as low as $536, while even some holiday travelers have reported notices that Alaska Airlines has lowered their fares.

The carriers have a special incentive to nail down spring reservations now: Southwest Airlines plans to begin flights to Honolulu from Oakland, San Jose, Sacramento and San Diego as soon as possible  perhaps even before the end of the year  and then from Los Angeles shortly after.

The budget airline is also preparing to compete with Hawaiian Airlines on interisland routes to Kauai, Maui and Hawaii Island (Kona), although no schedule has been set for either trans-Pacific or local flights.

Former Chronicle Travel editor Jeanne Cooper is co-author of Frommers Hawaii 2019 guidebook. Email: travel@sfchronicle.com
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Q: Im writing on behalf of Boy Scout Troop 130 in Morehead City, N.C. We postponed a trip to the Philmont Scout Ranch for 13 Boy Scouts and six adults because of wildfires in New Mexico. I have an executive order issued by the state of New Mexico declaring an official state of emergency due to the Ute Park fires. As it turns out, Philmont actually canceled all expeditions for summer 2018.

Our travel agent has made attempts to negotiate with American Airlines, and the airline is willing to waive only the cost of the change fee ($200 per person). We are very appreciative of this, but this will not help our situation, as the tickets must be used within one year from the date of being issued (May 29).

The Philmont Scout Ranch does not open until the month of June, and our newly assigned camp expedition for 2019 has been rescheduled for June 26.

It is important to note that all the funds for this trip were raised by Boy Scout fundraising. Each of these Scouts earned his way dollar by dollar, and it took over two years for them to accomplish their goal, via popcorn sales, parking cars at local events, spaghetti dinners, doughnut sales and barbecue dinner events. We are devastated at the thought of the possibility of having to cancel the trip due to not being able to afford a return trip.

We have single parents on limited incomes, and this was a trip of a lifetime for all travelers. This trip also was the planned capstone trip for several boys who have just earned Eagle Scout rank. We would be very appreciative for any help you can provide to us.

Kristen Richardson, Morehead City, N.C.

A: Im sorry about your canceled Boy Scout event in New Mexico. The tickets your travel agent booked for you were highly restricted, and American Airlines was absolutely within its rights to charge you a change fee and then expire your tickets a year from the initial date of your booking. Thats how it works for everyone else with these tickets.

To protect you from schedule changes, your travel agent could have recommended travel insurance or a more expensive but less restricted ticket.

Heres what you have going in your favor: You have a group reservation, and airlines often will bend rules for a group, particularly a group with a charitable purpose. The economic circumstances of the Scouts and their parents is probably a less-compelling argument, at least from Americans perspective.

As both a former Boy Scout and a single parent, Im sympathetic to your case. But, as I said at the beginning, Americans rules are clear. You can ask for an exception, but you should not expect anything.

To make your best argument, hone your message and make it brief and unemotional. Youre doing this for a good cause, and a natural disaster prevented you from reaching your destination. Your tickets will have zero value if you wait for the Philmont Scout Ranch to reopen. Plus, youre traveling as a group.

You can send a brief, polite email to one of the American Airlines executive contacts. I list their contact information on my consumer-advocacy site: www.elliott.org/company-contacts/american.

It turns out that another parent had already tried to contact American twice to see if you could get those vouchers extended, so I agreed to give it a try. American agreed to reissue 19 vouchers, valid for a year from the date of issue. Have fun in New Mexico.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Find travel tips at www.elliott.org. Email: chris@elliott.org Twitter: @elliottdotorg
A statue of former President William McKinley in Arcata that has been a flashpoint of conflict in the Humboldt County city of 18,000 was defaced with acid this week, Lost Coast Outpost reported.

Late Monday or early Tuesday morning, the statue was reportedly sprayed with a substance that ate at its patina, leaving it covered in pale blotches, police told the Outpost.

ALSO: SF removes Civic Center statue many consider racist

The contours of the debate around the McKinley statue parallel the debate around removing monuments to Confederate generals. Activists say the statue and its prominent place in the Arcata Plaza symbolize the rape and conquest of Native Americans because of McKinley's imperialist leanings; Its defenders say it's a part of their history, and recall the days of viewing McKinley as something of a mascot, occasionally dressing him in whimsical costumes.

"Is there a difference between honoring McKinley and Robert E. Lee?" mayor Sofia Pereira asked the LA Times.

Some said yes. But earlier this year at a contentious meeting, the Arcata City Council voted 4-1 to remove the statue from the plaza.

The matter did not end there. Feeling that the citizenry should be given a chance to more directly weigh in, Arcata resident David La Rue began collecting signatures of people in favor of letting voters decide the fate of the statue.

About 1,400 verified signatures were gathered, and now a measure asking whether the statue should stay or go will appear on the ballot in November as Measure M.

"Removing presidential statues is a dangerous path to start down. No president is safe," reads the text of Measure M.

The statue's history can be traced back to San Francisco, where it had just been forged when the Great 1906 Earthquake ripped through the city. It was brought to Humboldt County by steamship. You can read more about the statue and its history at Lost Coast Outpost.

Opponents of Measure M, who favor removing the statue from the plaza, have released a statement saying they played no part in the vandalism.

"Although we are working to get the statue removed," they wrote, "we are concerned that someone has defaced the statue in order to influence the election outcome."

Filipa Ioannou is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at fioannou@sfchronicle.com and follow her on Twitter
SEATTLE  Amazon wont say where it plans to put its much-hyped second headquarters. But that hasnt stopped investors, economic officials and developers from trying to reverse engineer the HQ2 search, to understand what a company seen as embodying the future wants and needs, and what local governments should do to be part of that future.

The growing consensus is that the place that checks the most boxes is Northern Virginia. In online betting forums, it has the best odds. Analysts at Citi recently said most investors they spoke with also expect HQ2 to end up in the Washington area, noting that Northern Virginia is home to Amazons cloud computing divisions largest and fastest-growing office outside of Seattle.

Many have gone a step further, suggesting that Crystal City, an older office area being revitalized just across the Potomac River from Washington, offers the best site. Its upsides: good transit, diverse residents, a friendly business climate and a single developer with a big chunk of land.

There are a lot of merits to a lot of these places, but at the end of the day, all of the signs are pointing to Crystal City, said Amy Liu, director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. Im just going to say it.

Amazon says it will announce its decision by the end of the year. Other areas that are regularly named as strong contenders include Chicago, Atlanta and Austin, Texas. Washington and the Maryland suburbs are also finalists. The potential prize is huge, with $5 billion in investment and up to 50,000 high-paying jobs, according to the company.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos already owns the biggest newspaper and the largest mansion in Washington, and his ties to the city have long been a reason that the region tops most prediction lists. It doesnt hurt, either, that choosing the area would put Amazon in the backyard of lawmakers just as talk about the companys labor practices and potential antitrust regulation is picking up.

The interest in the area rose a few weeks ago when Bezos headlined an event at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. More than 1,000 executives, ambassadors and politicians gathered in a ballroom and flocked around him, pressing in to take selfies and shake hands.

When the formal program began, Bezos was soon asked the obvious: Where would he be opening HQ2? The crowd cheered and whistled at the question, posed with more than a hint that the headquarters should be right there in the region, then playfully booed as Bezos demurred.

Be nice, Bezos, the worlds richest person, pleaded with a laugh.

Northern Virginia is widely considered to have a leg up on its neighbors for some practical reasons. Virginia is seen as more business-friendly, with low regulation and taxes, according to an annual ranking from Chief Executive magazine thats popular with site selectors. Maryland offered Amazon more $5 billion in taxpayer incentives, but Virginia has not disclosed its package. Washington also has a 13-story limit on most buildings.

And while Washington and Maryland are reliably Democratic, Virginia is more of a swing state, giving Amazon potential champions from both parties.

If you had your headquarters in a city and were responsible for tens of thousands of jobs, you could be seen as a good corporate citizen, said Richard Florida, a professor at the University of Toronto who has followed Amazons urban development for more than two decades.

The headquarters search centers on Amazons seemingly insatiable appetite to hire enough of the talent it needs. To do so, the company says, it needs to be somewhere with a strong talent pipeline and the urban attributes, like public transportation and culture, that attract other employees to move.

People want to be where there is vibrancy at the street level, said Jodie McLean, chief executive of Edens, a developer who has worked around the region and is involved with Washingtons bid.

The region is home to one of the most educated workforces in the country. Amazon already has a growing presence, with more than 2,500 employees in corporate and technical roles, like lobbyists in Washington and engineers at data centers in the Virginia suburbs serving government contracts.

Nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has strong domestic connections, while Dulles International Airport links up globally. And the Metro rail network is one of the busiest in the country. After Amazon announced the headquarters search, lawmakers in the region approved $500 million in annual maintenance spending for the interstate Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which oversees the subways.

Crystal City is about as close to Washington as possible while still being in Virginia. Its one Metro stop away from National Airport, and just a few stops across the Potomac River from Washington.

It is a dense, up-and-coming, mixed-used area that has a lot of opportunity for more development, Liu said.

Other locations in Northern Virginia fit many of Amazons requirements. But theyre more suburban, and being in the middle of Seattle has become a central part of Amazons identity.

Crystal City offers another parallel to Amazons Seattle headquarters: Much of the land is owned by a single developer, which makes it easier to plan and build in a quick and cohesive way. Until recently, Amazon relied heavily on the investment firm of the Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who died Monday, to build its Seattle campus.

JBG Smith, a publicly traded investment trust, owns large swaths of Crystal City, and its chief executive, Matt Kelly, spoke before Bezos at the Economic Club, fueling yet another round of speculation among HQ2 watchers.

Everybody is talking about Crystal City, said Stephen S. Fuller, a leading regional economist at George Mason University. The fit is good.

Karen Weise is a New York Times writer.
The film in the new perovskite, which contains only inorganic elements (caesium, lead, iodine and bromine), has been tested in a system for optical communication, which confirmed its ability to transfer both text and images, rapidly and reliably.

Researchers at the universities in Linkoping and Shenzhen have shown how an inorganic perovskite can be made into a cheap and efficient photodetector that transfers both text and music. "It's a promising material for future rapid optical communication", says Feng Gao, researcher at Linkoping University.

"Perovskites of inorganic materials have a huge potential to influence the development of optical communication. These materials have rapid response times, are simple to manufacture, and are extremely stable." So says Feng Gao, senior lecturer at LiU who, together with colleagues who include Chunxiong Bao, postdoc at LiU, and scientists at Shenzhen University, worked on this project.

All optical communication requires rapid and reliable photodetectors - materials that capture a light signal and convert it into an electrical signal. Current optical communication systems use photodetectors made from materials such as silicon and indium gallium arsenide. But these are expensive, partly because they are complicated to manufacture. Moreover, these materials cannot to be used in some new devices, such as mechanically flexible, light-weight or large-area devices.

Researcher have been seeking cheap replacement, or at least supplementary, materials for many years, and have looked at, for example, organic semi-conductors. However, the charge transport of these has proved to be too slow. A photodetector must be rapid.

The new perovskite materials have been extremely interesting in research since 2009, but the focus has been on their use in solar cells and efficient light-emitting diodes. Feng Gao, researcher in Biomolecular and Organic Electronics at LiU, was awarded a Starting Grant of EUR 1.5 million from the European Research Council (ERC) in the autumn of 2016, intended for research into using perovskites in light-emitting diodes.

Perovskites form a completely new family of semi-conducting materials that are defined by their crystal structures. They can consist of both organic and inorganic substances. They have good light-emitting properties and are easy to manufacture. For applications such as light-emitting diodes and efficient solar cells, most interest has been placed on perovskites that consist of an organic substance (containing carbon and hydrogen), metal, and halogen (fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine) ions. However, when this composition was used in photodetectors, it proved to be too unstable.

The results changed, however, when Chunxiong Bao used the right materials, and managed to optimise the manufacturing process and the structure of the film. The film in the new perovskite, which contains only inorganic elements (caesium, lead, iodine and bromine), has been tested in a system for optical communication, which confirmed its ability to transfer both text and images, rapidly and reliably. The quality didn't deteriorate, even after 2,000 hours at room temperature.

"It's very gratifying that we have already achieved results that are very close to application," says Feng Gao, who leads the research, together with Professor Wenjing Zhang at Shenzhen University.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration said Wednesday that Prudential Financial, the giant insurer, would no longer be subject to stricter federal oversight, bringing to zero the number of financial firms outside the banking system that face such scrutiny.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council said it was removing the systemically important financial institution label from Prudential after similar moves allowed American International Group, MetLife and GE Capital to escape the designation. The council applies the designation to financial firms whose collapse it believes can pose a serious threat to the financial system.

The decision extends a deregulatory push that is loosening rules for banks and financial firms of all sizes. It also signals a major retreat for the council, a body established by Congress after the 2008 financial crisis to help spot risks and ensure that large financial firms outside the regulated banking system did not fall through regulatory cracks.

On Wednesday, the council said Prudential no longer posed the type of threat that would warrant stricter oversight.

The councils decision today follows extensive engagement with the company and a detailed analysis showing that there is not a significant risk that the company could pose a threat to financial stability, said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the councils chairman. The council has continued to act decisively to remove any designation that is not warranted.

Prudential, which is bigger than all but six of the nations largest banks, will now have more freedom to grow and make payouts to its shareholders.

The decision effectively neuters the post-crisis system created to police risks at financial firms that are not banks. The oversight council was started largely as a response to the near-collapse of AIG, the giant insurer whose financial troubles in 2008 threatened to paralyze the financial system. The insurer, operating under lax federal scrutiny, had amassed huge, loss-making wagers that took the firm, and Wall Street more broadly, to the brink of failure, prompting a widely detested taxpayer bailout.

Under the Obama administration, the oversight council required AIG; GE Capital, the financial businesses of General Electric; and MetLife, an insurance company, to operate under the stricter regulations for nonbanks. AIG and GE Capital were released from the regime after slimming down significantly and in theory becoming less of a risk. MetLife successfully fought the systemic designation in federal court. The Obama administration appealed, but the Justice Department dropped the case this year.

Critics described the move to free Prudential from the stricter rules as another sign of the Trump administrations larger effort to relax financial regulations. They warned that it could allow a large swath of Wall Street to engage in risky behavior without adequate supervision.

Generically speaking, this is a message to the market that being a very large nonbank is not a problem, said Amias Gerety, a top Treasury official in the Obama administration who helped run the oversight council.

New Jerseys Department of Banking and Insurance will replace the Federal Reserve as the companys main regulator. The Fed has a large staff of supervisors who oversee many giant financial institutions and monitor the vast markets for complicated financial products that Prudential trades in. The big question now is whether a state department is up to the task of assessing the risks of Prudential, which not only is huge but operates in many countries.

Think about the budget and staff of the New Jersey insurance regulator, versus the far more substantial resources of the Federal Reserve, said Gregg Gelzinis, a research associate at the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Its mind boggling.

In its report on releasing Prudential, the Treasury said a change to New Jersey laws had expanded the powers of the states insurance regulator.

Prudential said in a statement that the councils decision reflects Prudentials sustainable business model, capital strength and comprehensive risk management, which have and continue to enable the company to fulfill its promises to customers, deliver consistent performance and meet regulatory obligations.

Insurance analysts say Prudential, unlike other firms, did not shrink or radically change its business mix to escape the more stringent regime. It has $830 billion in assets, up from $723 billion when it was deemed a potential risk to the system should it fail.

Critics of the councils actions under the Obama administration asserted that the bodys deliberations were opaque. They also contended that insurance companies were less risky than banks of a similar size because they did not rely on financing that could dry up quickly in a crisis, potentially causing a run on the institution.

I dont believe Prudential ever should have had the designation in the first place, said Jay Gelb, an insurance company analyst at Barclays. Under any plausible stress scenario, I cannot envision how Prudential would have any type of liquidity challenges.

The decision by the council, which is composed of regulators from across the government, was unanimous.

Alan Rappeport and Peter Eavis are New York Times writers.
For five years, Israeli author and historian Yuval Noah Harari has quietly emerged as a bona fide pop-intellectual. His 2014 book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind is a sprawling account of human history from the Stone Age to the 21st century; Ridley Scott, who directed Alien, is co-leading its screen adaptation. Hararis latest book, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, is an equally ambitious look at key issues shaping contemporary global conversations  from immigration to nationalism, climate change to artificial intelligence. Harari recently spoke about the benefits and dangers of AI and its potential to upend the ways we live, learn and work. The conversation has been edited and condensed.

Q: AI is still so new that it remains relatively unregulated. Does that worry you?

A: There is no lack of dystopian scenarios in which AI emerges as a hero, but it can actually go wrong in so many ways. And this is why the only really effective form of AI regulation is global regulation. If the world gets into an AI arms race, it will almost certainly guarantee the worst possible outcome.

Q: AI is still so new, is there a country already winning the AI race?

A: China was really the first country to tackle AI on a national level in terms of focused, governmental thinking; they were the first to say we need to win this thing and they certainly are ahead of the United States and Europeans by a few years.

Q: Have the Chinese been able to weaponize AI yet?

A: Everyone is weaponizing AI. Some countries are building autonomous weapons systems based on AI, while others are focused on disinformation or propaganda or bots. It takes different forms in different countries. In Israel, for instance, we have one of the largest laboratories for AI surveillances in the world  its called the Occupied Territories. In fact, one of the reasons Israel is such a leader in AI surveillance is because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Q: Explain this a bit further.

A: Part of why the occupation is so successful is because of AI surveillance technology and big data algorithms. You have major investment in AI (in Israel) because there are real-time stakes in the outcomes  its not just some future scenario.

Q: AI was supposed to make decision making a whole lot easier. Has this happened?

A: AI allows you to analyze more data more efficiently and far more quickly, so it should be able to help make better decisions. But it depends on the decision. If you want to get to a major bus station, AI can help you find the easiest route. But then you have cases where someone, perhaps a rival, is trying to undermine that decision-making. For instance, when the decision is about choosing a government, there may be players who want to disrupt this process and make it more complicated than ever before.

Q: Is there a limit to this shift?

A: Well, AI is only as powerful as the metrics behind it.

Q: And who controls the metrics?

A: Humans do; metrics come from people, not machines. You define the metrics  who to marry or what college to attend  and then you let AI make the best decision possible. This works because AI has a far more realistic understanding of the world than you do. It works because humans tend to make terrible decisions.

Q: But what if AI makes mistakes?

A: The goal of AI isnt to be perfect, because you can always adjust the metrics. AI simply needs to do better than humans can do  which is usually not very hard.

Q: What remains the biggest misconception about AI?

A: People confuse intelligence with consciousness; they expect AI to have consciousness, which is a total mistake. Intelligence is the ability to solve problems; consciousness is the ability to feel things  pain, hate, love, pleasure.

Q: Can machines develop consciousness?

A: Well, there are experts in science-fiction films who think you can, but no  theres no indication that computers are anywhere on the path to developing consciousness.

Q: Do we even want computers with feelings?

A: Generally, we dont want a computer to feel, we want the computer to understand what we feel. Take medicine. People like to think theyd always prefer a human doctor rather than an AI doctor. But an AI doctor could be perfectly tailored to your exact personality and understand your emotions, maybe even better than your own mother. All without consciousness. You dont need to have emotions to recognize the emotions of others.

Q: So whats left that AI hasnt touched?

A: In the short term, theres still quite a bit. For now, most of the skills that demand a combination between the cognitive and the manual are beyond AIs reach. Take medicine once again; if you compare a doctor with a nurse, its far easier for AI to replace a doctor  who basically just analyzes data for diagnoses and suggests treatments. But replacing a nurse, who injects medications and changes bandages, is far more difficult. But this will change; we are really at the beginning of AIs full potential.

Q: So is the AI revolution almost upon us?

A: Not exactly. We wont see this massive disruption in say, five or 10 years  it will be more of a cascade of ever-bigger disruptions.

Q: And how will this affect the workforce?

A: The economy is having to face ever-greater disruptions in the workforce because of AI. And in the long run, no element of the job market will be 100 percent safe from AI and automation. People will need to continually reinvent themselves. This may take 50 years, but ultimately nothing is safe.

David Kaufman is a New York Times writer.
TOKYO  Electric drones booked through smartphones pick people up from office rooftops, shortening travel time by hours, reducing the need for parking and clearing smog from the air.

This vision of the future is driving the Japanese governments flying car project. Major carrier All Nippon Airways, electronics company NEC Corp. and more than a dozen other companies and academic experts hope to have a road map ready by the years end.

This is such a totally new sector Japan has a good chance for not falling behind, said Fumiaki Ebihara, the government official in charge of the project.

Nobody believes people are going to be zipping around in flying cars any time soon. Many hurdles remain, such as battery life, the need for regulations and, of course, safety concerns. But dozens of similar projects are popping up around the world. The prototypes so far are less like traditional cars and more like drones big enough to hold people.

A flying car is defined as an aircraft thats electric, or hybrid electric, with driverless capabilities, that can land and takeoff vertically.

They are often called EVtol, which stands for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

The flying car concepts promise to be better than helicopters, which are expensive to maintain, noisy to fly and require trained pilots, Ebihara and other proponents say.

You may think of Back to the Future, Gundam, or Doraemon, Ebihara said, referring to vehicles of flight in a Hollywood film and in Japanese cartoons featuring robots. Up to now, it was just a dream, but with innovations in motors and batteries, its time for it to become real.

Google, drone company Ehang and car manufacturer Geely in China, and Volkswagen AG of Germany have invested in flying car technology.

Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co. said they had nothing to say about flying cars, but Toyota Motor Corp. recently invested $500 million in working with Uber on self-driving technology for the ride-hailing service. Toyota group companies have also invested 42.5 million yen ($375,000) in a Japanese startup, Cartivator, that is working on a flying car.

The hope is to fly up and light the torch at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but its unclear it will meet that goal: At a demonstration last year, the device crashed after it rose to slightly higher than eye level. A video of a more recent demonstration suggests its now flying more stably, though its being tested indoors, unmanned and chained so it wont fly away.

There are plenty of skeptics.

Elon Musk, chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Inc., says even toy drones are noisy and blow a lot of air, which means anything that would be 1,000 times heavier isnt practical.

If you want a flying car, just put wheels on a helicopter, he said in a recent interview with podcast host and comedian Joe Rogan on YouTube. Your neighbors are not going to be happy if you land a flying car in your backyard or on your rooftop.

Though the Japanese government has resisted Ubers efforts to offer ride-hailing services in Japan, limiting it to partnerships with taxi companies, it has eagerly embraced the U.S. companys work on EVtol machines.

Uber says it is considering Tokyo as its first launch city for affordable flights via its UberAir service. It says Los Angeles and Dallas, Texas, and locations in Australia, Brazil, France and India are other possible locations.

Unlike regular airplanes, with their aerodynamic design and two wings, Ubers Elevate structures look like small jets with several propellers on top. The company says it plans flight demonstrations as soon as 2020 and a commercial service by 2023.

Ubers vision calls for using heliports on rooftops, but new multi-floored construction similar to parking lots for cars will likely be needed to accommodate EVtol aircraft if the service takes off.

Unmanned drones are legal in Japan, the U.S. and other countries, but there are restrictions on where they can be flown and requirements for getting approval in advance. In Japan, drone flyers can be licensed if they take classes. There is no requirement like drivers licenses for cars.

Flying passengers over populated areas would take a quantum leap in technology, overhauling aviation regulations and air traffic safety controls, along with major efforts both to ensure safety and convince people its safe.

Uber said at a recent presentation in Tokyo that it envisions a route between the citys two international airports, among others.

This is not a rich persons toy. This is a mass market solution, said Adam Warmoth, product manager at Uber Elevate.

Concepts for flying cars vary greatly. Some resemble vehicles with several propellers on top while others look more like a boat with a seat over the propellers.

Ebihara, the flying-car chief at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, says Japan is on board for Blade Runner style travel  despite its plentiful, efficient and well developed public transportation.

Japans auto and electronics industries have the technology and ability to produce super-light materials that could give the nation an edge in the flying car business, he said.

Just as the automobile vanquished horse-drawn carriages, moving short-distance transport into the air could in theory bring a sea change in how people live, Ebihara said, pointing to the sky outside the ministry building to stress how empty it was compared to the streets below.

Flying also has the allure of a birds eye view, the stuff of drone videos increasingly used in filmmaking, tourism promotion and journalism.

Atsushi Taguchi, a drone grapher, as specialists in drone video are called, expects test flights can be carried out even if flying cars wont become a reality for years since the basic technology for stable flying already exists with recent advances in sensors, robotics and digital cameras.

A growing labor shortage in deliveries in Japan is adding to the pressures to realize such technology, though there are risks, said Taguchi, who teaches at the Tokyo film school Digital Hollywood.

The propellers on commercially sold drones today are dangerous, and some of his students have lost fingers with improper flying. The bigger propellers needed for vertical flight would increase the hazards and might need to be covered.

The devices might need parachutes to soften crash landings, or might have to explode into small bits to ensure pieces hitting the ground would be smaller.

I think one of the biggest hurdles is safety, said Taguchi. And anything that flies will by definition crash.
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Alaska Airlines is the latest carrier to raise its fees for checked bags, effective for tickets purchased starting December 5.

In August, JetBlue and United increased their checked bag fees from $25 to $30 for the first bag and from $35 to $40 for the second. Those higher fees were matched by Delta and American in September.

And now Alaska said on its website that it will change its fees as well, from the current levels of $25 each for the first and second checked bags and $75 for additional pieces to $30 for the first, $40 for the second, and $100 for each additional checked bag.

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Alaska's elite-level Mileage Plan members and Club 49 members as well as first class passengers and those flying only within the state of Alaska will continue to get two checked bags for no fee. Eligible Alaska credit card holders can check one bag for free but will have to pay $40 for the second.

In another baggage-related development, a United executive said this week that his company still has no plans to change its current carry-on bag policy for customers who purchase bare-bones Basic Economy fares  i.e., United's fares will allow only a small carry-on item that fits beneath the seat.

American Airlines recently said it would match Delta's policy of allowing Basic Economy travelers to carry on one bag that can be stowed in the overhead bin for no extra charge, and that announcement led to predictions that United would soon do the same in order to remain competitive.

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Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.
The flight deal gurus at Thrifty Traveler have teamed up with SFGate to provide a weekly roundup of the best domestic and international flight deals from the San Francisco Bay Area.

(This is our new weekly feature called Friday Fare Deals. If you are a Bay Area bargain hunter, be sure to tune in each Friday morning or sign up for our email alerts. All fares listed are round trip.)



TEXAS: Yee-haw! Alaska and American Airlines are going head to head for the cheapest flights out of the Bay Area to Texas, and consumers benefit. Flights to Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio are all under $200 roundtrip- that's cheap! And great news for those who'd like to go visit friends and family who have moved to Texas lately- or to bring them back to California!

Cheap flights are available from San Francisco to Dallas-Fort Worth on American and into Dallas Love Field on Alaska, both for $176 nonstop and roundtrip. Availability to Dallas for this price from January to March. American Airlines flights are Basic Economy, which include a free carry-on but not advanced seat assignment; Alaska includes both.

$176 - San Francisco (SFO) to Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)

$176 - San Francisco (SFO) to Dallas Love Field (DAL)

We love Austin, and if you havent been, take this opportunity to check the state capital out. Flights from San Jose to Austin are just $197, while typically these fares cost nearly $300. This nonstop and roundtrip flight on Alaska cant be beat, as Delta and American flights rarely have nonstop options this low. Availability through December: highly recommend a little trip to Austin if youve got a winter break and are looking for a sunny destination, great live music, BBQ and friendly locals.

$197 - San Jose (SJC) to Austin (AUS)

Looking for a cheap last-minute fare to San Antonio? Flights in October and November are as low as $183 from San Jose to San Antonio on American. One date is as low as $168. American is dominating United on cheap fares to San Antonio right now, so take advantage while it lasts. These flights include one quick stop each way.

This American fare is a basic economy fare, which includes a carry on but not advanced seat assignment. We recommend traveling with only a carry-on item and personal item to save on baggage costs.

$183 - San Jose (SJC) to San Antonio (SAT)

If you are a Southwest Airlines flier, you might want to head over to Southwest.com to see how this Texas-based carrier is reacting to these deals.

HAWAII: With Southwest's arrival imminent (more about that here), Hawaiian Airlines is joining American and Alaska in the ongoing fare wars for the cheapest fares to Hawaii. Flights from all three Bay Area airports are cheapest to Kona and Kauai, at under $285 roundtrip- but you have to take one short stop each way on these cheap fares. Typical pricing for these routes is around $450. The routes below are available from November through December- but don't include peak holiday flights.

$283 - San Francisco (SFO) to Kauai (LIH)

$284 - San Jose (SJC) to Kona (KOA)

$284 - Oakland (OAK) to Kona (KOA)

NASHVILLE: Alaska is treating the Bay Area to some great flight deals this week. Fares are under $200 to Nashville for flights in January and February Typical fares to Nashville are typically $275 and up, but Alaska brings it down to just $196.

Alaska fares include carry-on bag and advance seat assignment, which separates it from most other carriers offering "basic economy" fares. Great availability including weekend departures and returns.

$196 - San Francisco (SFO) to Nashville (BNA)

ORLANDO: Alaska slashes prices and competes with United for the cheapest nonstop fare to Orlando, Florida. This nonstop flight is usually well over $300 roundtrip, but for select dates December through March, the prices have decreased to just $216: perfect timing for a winter break vacation to Disney. Alaska flights include carry-on bag and advanced seat assignment.

$216: San Francisco (SFO) to Orlando (MCO)

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LONG BEACH: JetBlue is coming in hot and slashing prices from San Francisco to Long Beach, California. Competitors Alaska, Delta, and American cant come close to these sub-$100 nonstop flight deals. This price is available from November to March: perfect timing for a beach vacation or quick weekend getaway this winter.

Like Alaska, JetBlue a favorite because it provides the most legroom of all US airlines (32 inches!), and its fares include both a free carry-on and advanced seat assignment. Plus, its in-flight snacks are brand-name and so good.

$94 - San Francisco (SFO) to Long Beach (LGB)

ILVY NJIOKIKTJIEN/NYT

EUROPE: The three legacy US airlines (American, Delta, United) continue to aggressively price fares against their rival airlines in Europe. When the airlines compete, the consumer wins. These are some of the cheapest nonstop fares weve ever seen out of San Francisco to major European hubs. All fares include a free carry-on and meals. Advanced seat assignment available for a fee.

Best availability through next spring: through March to Paris and Amsterdam, and through May to London. These prices wont last long, so if youre looking to get to Europe this year, this is the sign youve been looking for.

For more international flight deal notifications, check out Thrifty Traveler Premium.

$375 - San Francisco (SFO) to Paris (CDG) - United *nonstop*

$445 - San Francisco (SFO) to London (LHR) - United *nonstop*

$483 - San Francisco (SFO) to Amsterdam (AMS) - KLM *nonstop*

CALGARY: Half-priced fares on the three legacy carriers from the Bay Area to Calgary, Alberta. If you have never been to Banff National Park or want to go back, this is a perfect excuse. The American and Delta fares are Basic Economy and include carry-on bag but not advanced seat assignment. Available this fall and winter through February. Normal pricing to Calgary is high--around $450, so these are great deals.

$231 - San Jose (SJC) to Calgary (YYC) - United

$236 - San Francisco (SFO) to Calgary (YYC) - American

$259 - Oakland (OAK) to Calgary (YYC) - Delta

COSTA RICA: Tropical paradise is closer than ever with cheap fares from San Francisco to Costa Rica. For $342, you can fly to San Jose on American through May. Just one stop each way. Carry-on bags are included; advanced seat assignment available for a fee. Prices are typically $550+ for this route, so book your vacation to Costa Rica ASAP.

$342 - San Francisco (SFO) to San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) - American

All flights are best found via the Google Flights links list here. New to Google Flights? Check out Thrifty Travelers guide. All fares are round-trip and valid at the time of posting, but as always, are subject to change.

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Chris McGinnis is the founder of TravelSkills.com. The author is solely responsible for the content above, and it is used here by permission. You can reach Chris at chris@travelskills.com or on Twitter @cjmcginnis.
Near the river and Lake Michigan downtown, Magellan Development Group gained the commissions sign-off for two new phases in its ongoing 28-acre Lakeshore East development, which would add four new towers with up to 2,340 residential units and 570 hotel rooms. The tallest skyscraper would rise up to 950 feet, or about 85 stories, as part of a three-tower construction phase with Australian developer Lendlease.
Adolescence subjects you to many forms of torture: hormones, high school, and standardized testing, to name a few.

More than 7 million students took the SAT or PSAT last year, according to the College Board. The test has been around since 1926 so chances are you once took it, too. And it may be harder than you remember.

Many high school students aiming to get into competitive colleges and universities opt to study for the SAT, sometimes with the help of prep courses or tutors. Berkeley-based test prep site Magoosh shared with SFGATE some of the questions that stump nearly all of their students. One of the math problems is so tough, 95 percent of people get it wrong.

Think you're smarter than an 11th grader? Take a stab at some of the hardest SAT prep questions in the slideshow above.

The questions were created by Magoosh to match real SAT prompts as closely as possible since the College Board doesn't allow prep companies to repurpose questions from real SAT tests. However, they do have a few old tests online for free.

"In my 15 plus years of helping students prep for standardized tests, the number one tip I have to get better at solving difficult questions like these is to learn how to learn from your mistakes," says Magoosh's in-house SAT expert, Chris Lele.

Lele suggests students pause to analyze why they get a questions wrong and create a strategy to apply that knowledge to future tests. He shares more tips on tackling the SAT on the website's blog.

By the way, the average SAT score of students admitted into Stanford University is 1520 out of 1600. The calculation of the score isn't super straightforward, but to earn that score you can only get about six questions wrong out of about 150.

Read Alix Martichoux's latest stories and send her news tips at amartichoux@sfchronicle.com.

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.
NEW ORLEANS  A white man who fired a shotgun at three African Americans amid the chaos that followed Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans more than 13 years ago pleaded guilty Wednesday to two federal criminal counts.

Roland Bourgeois, 55, was indicted in 2010 and originally pleaded not guilty. His case dragged on for years, with a series of delays and hearings related to his physical and mental health and his competency to stand trial. During court appearances, he appeared frail and used a cane. He was out on bond at times but was returned to custody last year after an unspecified bond violation.

Prosecutors said Bourgeois, who lived in Mississippi when he was first charged, fired a shotgun at three black men, wounding one seriously. Authorities said Bourgeois and others used racial epithets in discussing shooting black people and defending the Algiers Point neighborhood of New Orleans from outsiders after the storm.

The guilty plea Wednesday came after Bourgeois waived a grand jury hearing and prosecutors filed amended charges in a bill of information: interfering with the victims rights because of their race and using a firearm in a crime of violence.

U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon still must review the guilty plea. New Orleans news outlets say sentencing was tentatively set for Jan. 17.

Final resolution of the case will mark the end of one of a handful of violent post-Katrina incidents that added to the slow and painful recovery from the storm that, when levees failed, flooded 80 percent of New Orleans.

Two others involved police, including the deadly shooting of unarmed civilians at the Danziger bridge in the days after the storm  a case that led to eventual guilty pleas from several officers during a long and complicated court case.

In an unrelated post-Katrina case, five other officers were tried on charges related to the death of 31-year-old Henry Glover, who was fatally shot outside a strip mall before his body was burned. The officer who burned the body was the only one who stood convicted when the case was over. The officer who fatally shot Glover was convicted of manslaughter but was later acquitted by another jury after an appeals court awarded him a new trial.

Kevin McGill is an Associated Press writer.
GREENVILLE, S.C.  Kamala Harris came to South Carolina with the stated intent of boosting turnout for the midterm elections, but many voters here wanted to talk to the California senator about her role in the battle over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs confirmation, and her next political moves.

Perhaps thats no surprise for Harriss first trip as a potential presidential candidate to the state that hosts the Souths first presidential primary.

This is an inflection moment in the history of our country, she told Democratic Party volunteers at a phone bank Friday, adding that the November midterms are about fighting for the best of who we are.

At an afternoon rally, Harris bemoaned Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, blasted the GOPs tax overhaul for being tilted to the rich and cited unnamed forces trying to sow hatred and division in American society. But the former prosecutor invoked the language of the legal profession to reject the premise that the U.S. is as divided as it may appear.

We have so much more in common than what divides us ... lets speak that truth, she said to a crowd that would later serenade her with Happy Birthday. Harris turns 54 on Saturday.

Harris is among several potential Democratic presidential contenders who visited the state this week. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker on Friday finished a two-day swing in South Carolina. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who sought the Democratic nomination in 2016, is scheduled to be in the state Saturday. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was here Thursday. Former Vice President Joe Biden campaigned for South Carolina Democrats last weekend.

South Carolina has proven critical in Democratic politics, offering the first opportunity for a would-be president to face a significant number of black voters. The state helped propel both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to the 2008 and 2016 nominations, respectively.

Harris steered clear of White House campaign talk in her first stops, though shes expected to make a decision about 2020 soon after the Nov. 6 midterms.

Several women thanked Harris for how she handled Christine Blasey Fords allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh. Harris said from the outset that she believed Fords accusation that Kavanaugh assaulted her when they were in high school. Kavanaugh vehemently denied the accusation.

Bill Barrow and Meg Kinnard are Associated Press writers.
WASHINGTON  President Trump said hell mobilize the U.S. military to close the border with Mexico to stop an assault on the nation by a caravan of migrants from Central America.

Trump, who ran in 2016 promising to tighten U.S. immigration laws and stanch the inflow of undocumented migrants, has called for cutting off foreign aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador if they dont stop the migrants. He claimed Thursday  without providing evidence  that Democrats are backing the human movement to bolster their case for open borders and existing weak laws.

In addition to stopping all payments to these countries, which seem to have almost no control over their population, I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught  and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER! Trump said on Twitter.

In other posts, Trump claimed  without substantiation  that many in the caravan are criminals.

Meanwhile, environmental groups filed another lawsuit Thursday challenging the Trump administrations use of waivers to speed up construction of a border wall, this time in Texas.

Three groups sued the Department of Homeland Security, a week after the agency waived environmental laws along a roughly 25-mile stretch of border in the Rio Grande Valley, which is the southernmost point of Texas.

Lawsuits have been filed to try to stop construction in California and New Mexico. So far, no judges have stopped DHS from moving forward with construction, though a federal appeals court in California heard arguments in that states case in August.

In Texas, the government wants to connect existing sections of fencing on river levees in Hidalgo County and to close other gaps in fencing in neighboring Cameron County. It argues that more barriers are necessary to stop the flow of drugs and immigrants. Congress already funded construction in both areas, though it hasnt yet provided the larger amounts of money Trump has requested for his signature campaign priority to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Environmental groups say DHS is wrongly using authority that it received in 2005 for specific projects to waive reviews under more than two dozen laws, including the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.

Jean Su, a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity, argued that when the previous border fence was built, Congress directly gave DHS the authority to issue waivers. But that waiver authority was not meant to carry over automatically for future projects, she said.

It will be a longer process, but that process is a basic part of our democratic system and the protection of our environment, Su said.
A toddler abandoned Wednesday night on his neighbor's front porch in Spring is expected to be reunited tonight with his family and the woman who left the boy there could face criminal charges, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said.

The woman  a friend of the child's mother  was apparently supposed to drop the 2-year-old off at his father's house in the afternoon, said Lt. Scott Spencer of the sheriff's office. When that didn't happen, the father assumed plans had changed and left his residence.

AMBUSHED: Two arrested in armed robbery of pizza delivery man

What followed was a series of events that angered the boy's father and shocked many Houston-area residents and law enforcement. Surveillance video showed the friend bringing the boy to a neighbor's house instead of the father's -- and leaving the child alone there at night.

"If that was her child, she wouldn't have left him," said the boy's father, Willie Simmons, as he stood on his doorstop Thursday morning while he spoke with the media. "She ain't have no business leaving my son right there. I try to hold it in, I can't hold that in, man. I can't keep holding that in. Just imagine if my nice neighbors weren't there. My son would have wandered in the street and got hit. Just imagine nobody would have been there. He just would have been walking."

Deputies were called to the 30700 block of Legends Ridge Drive in Spring around 8:20 p.m. after the homeowner discovered the toddler on her doorstep without an adult.

Video surveillance showed the woman arriving at the home while she carried the boy by one arm. She knocked on the door and rang the doorbell before leaving the boy on the step, along with two bags she'd also been carrying, Spencer said.

The whole incident lasted 23 seconds.

The woman left the scene in a white passenger car. She hasn't spoken to authorities, but the sheriff's office now knows her identity, Spencer said at a news conference. She was originally described as being in her mid-20s to early 30s.

Officials don't believe that she is on the run from the law at this time.

Authorities found the father after a member of the news media saw him leaving his residence Thursday and asked if he knew anything about the boy, Spencer said. He watched the video and recognized the child as his son.

Law enforcement knocked on every door nearby, including the father's, after the child was found alone, Spencer said. The father wasn't home at the time.

Simmons said the woman's actions Wednesday night were upsetting. "They done that for excitement ... cause she's laughing. On the camera she's laughing, he he's a toy, like it's a joke."

"Every time I watch that video I'm upset. You don't do that.

The mother of the child was in the hospital during the incident and was discharged this morning. She believed she was handing the boy to a responsible adult, Spencer said.

Simmon's next-door neighbor said she thought the incident was a "miscommunication."

"I just thought maybe our dog had gotten out. It was late, and our neighbors have kids and I thought it was something neighborly," said the woman, who requested to be identified as Mary. When (the child) didn't have an adult, we knocked on the doors and nobody was home, so we reviewed the video and saw that he'd been left and then we called the police.

"But it was always, we think this is just a wrong-house situation," she said. "Nobody thought it was totally random. It was more like, he belongs to somebody close by. It was a miscommunication."

Child Protective Services took custody of the 2-year-old, who is doing well and doesn't seem to be aware of what happened, Spencer said.

He's currently in foster care and is waiting to be reunited with his family.

"I can confirm that CPS is investigating and the child is safe, healthy, no signs of abuse and is happy," said Tejal Patel, spokeswoman of the Department of Family and Protective Services for the Greater Houston area. She later stated that the child was expected to be at home with his mother Thursday night.

The woman in the video could face charges of child abandonment, a third-degree felony. She hadn't been interviewed by authorities at the time of the press conference.
WASHINGTON  The closed-door training academy was aimed at a select group: recent law school graduates who had secured prestigious clerkships with federal judges. It was organized by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative group that has played a leading role in moving the courts to the right, and it had some unusual requirements.

Generous donors, the application materials said, were making a significant financial investment in each and every attendee. In exchange, the future law clerks would be required to promise to keep the programs teaching materials secret and pledge not to use what they learned for any purpose contrary to the mission or interest of the Heritage Foundation.

The conservative legal movement has made bold moves before, and it has long cultivated law students and young lawyers, partly to ensure a deep bench of potential judicial nominees. The Heritage Foundation, along with the Federalist Society, helped compile the lists of potential Supreme Court nominees from which President Donald Trump chose his two appointees, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. The two groups also helped identify many of the scores of Trumps appointees to the lower federal courts.

But legal experts said the effort by Heritage to train and influence law clerks raised serious ethical questions and could undermine the duties the clerks have to the justice system and to the judges they will serve.

Law clerks are not supposed to be part of a cohort of secretly financed and trained partisans of an organization that describes itself on its own webpage as the bastion of the American conservative movement,' said Pamela S. Karlan, a law professor at Stanford. The idea that clerks will be trained to elevate the Heritage Foundations views, or the views of judges hand-picked by the foundation, perverts the very idea of a clerkship.

On Thursday afternoon, a few hours after The New York Times published an online article about the training, Heritage announced it was suspending the program.

Heritage is re-evaluating the Federal Clerkship Training Academy, Greg Scott, a spokesman for the group, said in a statement. As a result, the program will not go on as scheduled.

Before the article was published, Breanna Deutsch, a spokeswoman for the group, declined to answer detailed questions about the program, which had been scheduled for early February.

Its a private program, and thats the way wed like to keep it, she said in a brief interview Tuesday morning. Word did leak out a little bit about it, which is fine, but its going to remain a private program.

A few hours later on Tuesday, Heritage deleted the references to donors, secrecy and loyalty from the application materials it had posted on its website. Deutsch did not respond to a request for an explanation and to other questions about the program. Nor would she disclose the identities of the programs donors or its faculty, which was said to include several sitting federal appeals court judges and professors from various prominent law schools.

Jill Dash, vice president for strategic engagement at the American Constitution Society, which is often described as the Federalist Societys liberal counterpart, said there was no comparable program aimed at liberal law clerks.

I am not aware of anything like this on the progressive side, she said.

According to the application materials, Heritages unnamed donors were to pay for travel expenses to Washington, hotel rooms and meals during the three-day program. The curriculum would cover, the materials said, originalism, textualism, habeas corpus, the Bill of Rights and other substantive legal and practical subject matter. Originalism and textualism are modes of interpreting the Constitution and statutes that are generally but not exclusively associated with conservatives.

The application called for several short essays. One prompt said, Please describe your understanding of originalism. Another said, Please identify the United States Supreme Court justice (past or present) whose jurisprudential philosophy and approach to judging you agree with most, and explain why.

It was unclear whether an applicant hostile to originalism, which seeks to interpret the Constitution as it was understood by those who drafted and ratified it, or who named a liberal justice would have been admitted to the program.

Lawrence Baum, a political scientist at Ohio State University, said the program was an extension of other initiatives from the Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society.

One hallmark of the conservative legal community since the 1980s has been the efforts of its leaders to identify and nurture promising young lawyers with conservative views who may rise to important positions such as judgeships, he said. This academy is a good example of those efforts.

The people who are chosen to clerk for federal judges are a talented group, and the application form indicates an interest in identifying and training future clerks who are especially accomplished and who are committed to conceptions of the law that conservatives favor, he said. The willingness of conservative groups to invest in the future in this way is one reason that the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation could recommend potential Trump nominees to the Supreme Court with confidence that they were deeply rooted in their conservatism.

The aspects of the program described in the original materials and later deleted from Heritages website raised troubling issues, some legal experts said.

Carolyn Shapiro, a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, said she was particularly troubled by the requirement that attendees keep strictly confidential and not distribute to any other person the materials provided at the program.

It seems completely inconsistent with being a law clerk to agree to that kind of condition, she said. Does that suggest they cant even talk to their judges about what they learn?

I dont think theres anything intrinsically odd about an organization that has a point of view holding an event to which law clerks or future law clerks are invited, she said, but this reads like a kind of indoctrination.

Decades ago, ideology played at most a minor role in most federal judges selection of law clerks. But the emergence of the Federalist Society in the early 1980s helped change that, and these days many Republican appointees to the federal bench hire mostly conservative clerks and Democratic appointees mostly liberal ones.

The question of whether law clerks influence the judges they serve is a subject of long-standing debate, but it is no secret that law clerks routinely draft judicial opinions. A new study to be published in The Journal of Law, Economics & Organization found that law clerks do indeed play a role in judicial decision-making.

On average, a justice would cast around 4 percent more conservative votes in a term in which she hired her most conservative clerks versus a term in which she hired her most liberal clerks, said Maya Sen, a political scientist at Harvard and one of the authors of the study. So shifting the ideology of all Supreme Court clerks in any one direction would be significant, and it would make sense for ideological organizations to target not just Supreme Court law clerks, but also law clerks throughout the judicial hierarchy.

Sen said the demand for highly qualified conservative candidates for judicial appointments tends to outstrip supply, particularly as elite law schools and their graduates are becoming increasingly liberal.

This makes conservative networks such as the Federalist Society and now, it appears, the Heritage Foundation, very important in terms of nurturing and identifying young conservative legal talent, she said. These networks could nurture the next generation of Neil Gorsuches or Brett Kavanaughs.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China should implement more policies to protect retail stock investors to ensure the healthy development of the country's capital market, the head of the securities regulator said on Wednesday.

Retail investors with less than 500,000 yuan ($81,900) of investment account for about 60 percent of the total market transaction value, but they suffer from inadequate information disclosure by listed companies as well as illegal behavior by some of them, Xiao Gang, the chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), wrote in the official People's Daily.

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"Protecting the interest of small investors has been a key hurdle of the development of the capital markets," he said.

The government needs to protect investor rights to access information, improve the decision-making mechanism and shareholders' voting at listed companies, open various channels to solve disputes and improve the compensation mechanism for small investors, Xiao added.

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The CSRC has been stepping up efforts to restore investor confidence in the market. It has been clamping down on insider trading and has frozen initial public offerings for over a year to ensure the quality of companies listing on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges.

Xiao also said the government should work to quickly launch a planned pilot project allowing companies to issue preferred shares. Preferred stock is a class of equity that has preference over common stock when it comes to dividend payments and asset liquidation, but ordinarily does not trade, carries no voting rights and does not dilute net profits attributable to other shareholders.

(Reporting by Kazunori Takada; Editing by Chris Gallagher)
A Facebook post from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office that provided an update on a baby mountain lion that wandered into a bakery in Pollock Pines is being met with outrage.

On Monday, deputies helped remove a young mountain lion from a bakery, and waited for officials from the Department of Fish and Wildlife to arrive. The animal was then tranquilized it so it could be transported to a facility for treatment.

"Halloween may be the time for scares but not this kind... [El Dorado County Sheriff's Office] was able to assist Fish and Wildlife in safely removing this juvenile lion from a local business," a deputy wrote on Twitter at the time.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife estimates the mountain lion was about four to five months old, but was severely emaciated and dehydrated.

Jordan Traverso, a spokesperson for the Department of Fish and Wildlife, told SFGATE the baby weighed about 32 pounds, but given its age and frame, should have really weighed about 40-45 pounds.

In addition, the animal displayed particularly abnormal behavior, since most mountain lions of any age normally don't walk into buildings and allow humans to approach them.

Veterinarians determined the baby mountain lion could not survive on its own, and the decision was made to euthanize the animal.

"Euthanasia is never our go-to option, and it's always a very tough decision for our senior veterinarians to make," Traverso said.

After sharing this news on Facebook, the sheriff's office's post was met with a barrage of angry comments, many of which questioned the decision to euthanize the mountain lion, calling the cougar "sweet." There were over 250 comments on the Facebook post as of Friday morning.

"This is an OUTRAGE of abuse. We can ALL SEE THE PHOTOS are NOT of a cub that can barely keep its head up," one user wrote. "Some Hunter most likely killed his mother. There are LOTS of WILDLIFE RESCUES who would have helped this cub. HE WASNT TREATED. He was killed first.... SHAME on the killers. And the LIES to the public. Do they think we are stupid?"

"Lion cub doesn't look too lethargic in these pictures," wrote another. "F&W just didn't want to exercise the necessary effort to help the poor animal. Disgusting."

One commenter suggested the animal was euthanized for "political reasons."

"He was killed for political reasons," he wrote. "If there was any mountain lion attack, sheriff and maybe others would have lost their jobs. It doesn't make sense to kill a cat unless you know the cause first. You don't kill it first and find out later why it's sick. The vet who did this is a coward who capitulated to political pressure. They should come forward."

However, there were many commenters who came to the Department of Fish and Wildlife's defense.

"Come on people! Obviously the poor cat had medical issues to walk inside a building," one comment read. "Give Fish and Game a break! Just doing their jobs! I'm sorry they had to put it down, BUT it was for it and everyone else's safety!"

Others argued that mountain lions aren't "cute" or "sweet."

"As much as I appreciate the beauty of mountain lions and their role in the natural environment , they are NOT cuddly pets!" One user wrote. "They grow in to apex predators and I've experienced how they will kill helpless animals not only for food but for the thrill of killing as well."

Traverso noted that the department "take[s] criticism with every decision," and stands by the decision to euthanize the mountain lion.

Veterinarians did not believe rehabilitating the mountain lion was an option, since it was "too young and in need of too much intensive medical care (requiring extended captivity time and human interaction) to be a potential rehabilitation candidate."

In addition, veterinarians believe the cat may have been carrying rabies, and the department's "first consideration is always protection of public health."

"Given the behavior of this kitten we are testing for rabies, a neurologic disease that's fatal to mammals, including people," a senior veterinarian with the department said. "During the necropsy, we will test this cat for other diseases that could cause illness."

The only other option for the mountain lion would have been permanent captivity, but the department did not believe this particular kitten would have done well in a zoo.

"Some orphan kittens have been placed in zoos, but the kittens that do best in captivity are usually much younger when found and although may be thin and dehydrated, were still displaying normal fear and avoidance behaviors towards people," the senior veterinarian said.

Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eting@sfchronicle.com and follow him on Twitter

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Two adults and five teenagers from San Jose were arrested in connection with a robbery spree on Tuesday evening in Santa Clara, San Jose and Campbell that left multiple victims with minor to serious injuries, police said.



The robberies happened between 5:50 p.m. and 11:04 p.m., with the first four being just minutes apart. The suspects targeted a female victim in a parking lot at Target in Santa Clara, an elderly woman in a Safeway parking lot in Santa Clara, a woman in a Safeway parking lot in San Jose and a security guard at a Safeway in Campbell.



The first three victims suffered minor injuries, while the security guard was struck in the face with the muzzle of a rifle and suffered moderate injuries, according to police.



Police said the suspects drove away a light-blue Toyota Rav4 after stealing two purses and attempting to steal a third.



At 10:58 p.m., the suspects tried to rob a man at Salsbury and Toyon drives in Santa Clara after pointing a handgun at his face and demanding his wallet.



The victim grabbed the gun, according to police, and was assaulted by the suspects as he yelled for help. The man suffered major injuries and the suspects left the area in the car without taking his wallet.



The last robbery took place shortly after 11 p.m. in the area of Newhall and Maria streets in Santa Clara. The suspects pointed a gun at a man, demanded his property and fled the area with his cellphone.



Police apprehended the suspects after a car chase that began at 1:48 a.m. on southbound San Tomas Expressway at El Camino Real. The chase ended when a suspect crashed the Toyota into a guardrail while driving onto northbound U.S. Highway 101 from East Santa Clara Street, according to police. All seven suspects were inside the car.



Jonathan Barrigaramirez and Alejandro Mendoza, both 18, were arrested for allegedly committing three robberies, three attempted robberies and an assault with a deadly weapon.



Police spokesman Capt. Wahid Kazem said the juveniles involved in the robberies and attempted robberies were 14, 15, 16 and two of them were 17.



"We are seeing more and more violent crime committed by juveniles," Kazem said. "These crimes are very violent, they're intentional and I don't quite know what within our society has gotten to the point where we're seeing juveniles commit these types of crimes."



Anyone with information about the robberies and attempted robberies is asked to contact Sgt. Nick Richards at (408) 615-4814 or Detective Bill Lutz at (408) 615-4820.





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SAN JOSE (BCN)



The Catholic Diocese of San Jose this morning released a list of 15 priests, most of whom have died or been banned from the ministry, who they say were "credibly accused" of sexually abusing children.



The list does not go into detail about the nature of the crimes reported, which date back to 1961 in some cases, but it does list all known locations where that priest worked during his career with the Catholic Church.



It also contains the years in which crimes by specific priests were first reported, some of which were as late as 2006, and when that priest either died, was banned from ministry or placed on "restricted ministry," which means they were reassigned to administrative duties and only allowed to participate in mass with permission from the bishop and under supervision.



Several of the priests are still alive, and the list includes information of their current whereabouts.



Rev. Don Flickinger, who was first reported in 2002 and permanently banned from the ministry in 2006, is said to be in the vicinity of the Diocese of Fresno.



Robert Gray, who was reported and convicted in 1993, then permanently banned in 2002, is said to be in the Sunnyvale area.



Alexander Larkin, who was first reported in 2003 and permanently banned in 2009, is said to still reside in the San Jose area, as is Phil Sunseri, who was first reported in 1987 and permanently banned in 1988.



Hernan Toro, who was reported, convicted and forced to register as a sex offender in 1983, is said to currently reside in the San Leandro area.



The list, which only includes priests if the accusations against them were "determined to be credible" may be incomplete, however. That term only covers those who admitted to the offense, were convicted in criminal court, or deemed as such by the Independent Diocesan Review Board (or) Sensitive Incident Team.



The diocese says that additional names may be added to their list once the priest in question meets the criteria noted above.



Joey Piscitelli, Northern California leader for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, provided a list of six priests whose names do not appear on the diocese's list. He also suspects there may be additional priests who have yet to be named and may still be working in ministry.



"It sounds way short," Piscitelli said. "I'm sure there's a lot more."



"The dioceses never give a complete list," he added.



Piscitelli argued that the diocese may be offering up an abbreviated list of accused priests in an attempt to "beat the government investigators to the punch" if they launch a major criminal investigation.



He's also argued that this effort at transparency may be an effort to stem the loss of parishioners who may leave the church as a result of recent headlines.





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SANTA ROSA (BCN)



The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office and a Novato-based property management company have settled a civil price gouging case involving excess rents charged to tenants after the October 2017 wildfires.



The Admiral Callaghan Professional Center LLC increased the rents of 12 tenants who lived in condominiums in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park more than 10 percent in violation of price gouging restrictions applied during Gov. Jerry Brown's declaration of an emergency after the fires, the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office said.



The Governor's emergency declaration is in effect through Dec. 4 this year.



The rent increases between October and March 2018 ranged from 12 percent to 48 percent, Deputy District Attorney Caroline Fowler said this morning. The monthly rents ranged between $1,325 and $2,400, Fowler said.



The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office and Admiral Callaghan Professional Center LLC agreed to a stipulated judgment approved and ordered by Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Rene Chouteau.



Admiral Callaghan Professional Center, LLC and its corporations were ordered to pay $50,000 in civil penalties, $10,000 in investigative costs to the District Attorney's Office and restitution of the amount of excess rent collected to the dozen tenants.



The corporations and their counsel cooperated with the investigation and resolution of the case, the District Attorney's Office said.



The District Attorney's Office also is investigating or has filed several criminal fire-related price gouging cases against landlords in Sonoma County Superior Court.





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One person was killed this morning in a two-vehicle collision in Rohnert Park.



Officers with the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety, Police and Fire Services responded this morning at 1:10 a.m. to several calls about a vehicle collision at the intersection of Rohnert Park Expressway and Country Club Drive.



One of the vehicles was split into two pieces, and the driver of that vehicle was killed, police said.



Police have not released the identity of the person killed in the collision.



The cause of the collision is still under investigation.







A suspect remains at large after firing a shot at an Oakland police officer during a foot pursuit early this morning, police said.



Shortly after 3 a.m., a uniformed officer in a marked patrol car in the 2300 block of East 17th Street "attempted to detain a suspicious person," police said in an email this morning.



The male suspect fled and, during the foot pursuit, turned in the direction of the officer and discharged a firearm. The officer was not hit by the gunfire and did not discharge his own firearm, according to police.



More officers responded to search the area for the suspect. They recovered a firearm but the suspect remains at large.



Police did not provide any description of the suspect or what prompted the original attempt to detain him.







A man suspected of fatally shooting 38-year-old Jjuan Sanders last weekend in Pittsburg was arrested early this morning in Stockton, according to the Pittsburg police.



Sanders was found suffering from gunshot wounds in the 600 block of Cumberland Street around 2 a.m. Saturday and transported to a hospital, where he died.



Investigators identified Taurus Miller, 43, as a suspect. Early this morning they determined he was at a residence in Stockton and obtained a search warrant.



Miller was taken into custody by the Pittsburg Police Department's SWAT team, with assistance from Stockton police.



Police say they'll refer the case to the district attorney for prosecution next week.



Sanders' death marks Pittsburg's second homicide of 2018.







A Soledad man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after pleading no contest to three felony charges related to burning a dog alive, Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo announced Thursday.



Devonte Sirwet, 22, pleaded no contest in September to first-degree residential burglary, arson and felony animal abuse, prosecutors said.



He received a prison sentence of six years and eight months, the maximum allowed under the law for the charges.



In December of 2017, Sirwet was kicked out of his mother's home because of substance abuse and anger issues.



On March 27, he returned to the home, snuck inside and took Kato, the family dog, prosecutors said.



A short time later, a witness heard what he described as a terrible screaming sound and saw Sirwet pour bottles of lighter fluid on Kato and set the dog on fire.



Sirwet then fled in a vehicle, leaving the dog to burn alive.



Officers with the Soledad Police Department arrived at the scene and found Kato alive but suffering from severe burns over 90 percent of his body.



Kato was taken to veterinarian and was euthanized to end his suffering.







Event organizers for Oakland First Fridays, a popular festival held every month in Oakland, reported on Thursday the next scheduled event on Nov. 2 has been canceled.



Organizers said in a statement the driving reason for the cancellation was a shooting that injured five people in the early morning hours of Oct. 6.



The shooting occurred about three hours after an Oakland First Fridays event.



"Gun violence is an Oakland problem, it's an American problem, and it's a problem we all have a stake in fixing," organizers said in a statement.



The monthly event features art, performances and food and draws thousands of people to Telegraph Avenue and the surrounding areas.



Organizers said they plan on holding the event again in December and plan to conduct a "top-to-bottom" review of the event's security, policies and procedures in an effort to increase safety and address other issues.







The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office and a Novato-based property management company have settled a civil price gouging case involving excess rents charged to tenants after the October 2017 wildfires.



The Admiral Callaghan Professional Center LLC increased the rents of 12 tenants who lived in condominiums in Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park more than 10 percent in violation of price gouging restrictions applied during Gov. Jerry Brown's declaration of an emergency after the fires, the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office said.



The Governor's emergency declaration is in effect through Dec. 4 this year.



The rent increases between October and March 2018 ranged from 12 percent to 48 percent, Deputy District Attorney Caroline Fowler said this morning. The monthly rents ranged between $1,325 and $2,400, Fowler said.



The Sonoma County District Attorney's Office and Admiral Callaghan Professional Center LLC agreed to a stipulated judgment approved and ordered by Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Rene Chouteau.



Admiral Callaghan Professional Center, LLC and its corporations were ordered to pay $50,000 in civil penalties, $10,000 in investigative costs to the District Attorney's Office and restitution of the amount of excess rent collected to the dozen tenants.



The corporations and their counsel cooperated with the investigation and resolution of the case, the District Attorney's Office said.



The District Attorney's Office also is investigating or has filed several criminal fire-related price gouging cases against landlords in Sonoma County Superior Court.





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All evacuations caused by a fire threatening a natural gas pipeline in the Bay Point area of unincorporated Contra Costa County on Wednesday night were lifted, fire officials said.



The evacuations had been listed as of 2:30 p.m. Thursday.



The fire at a utility vault in the vicinity of Poinsettia and Suisun avenues was first reported at 8:41 p.m., Contra Costa County Fire Protection District spokesman Steve Hill said.



Crews initially responded to the area for a grass fire reported at 5:49 p.m. Wednesday and contained it at 6:17 p.m., Hill said.



PG&E shut down the power to the power line at 6 p.m.



Chevron officials said in a news conference Thursday morning that a small 0.375-inch transmitter line was ignited by a fire source -- possibly a fallen power line -- and threatened a bigger 12-inch natural gas pipeline.







The Catholic Diocese of San Jose released a list of 15 priests, most of whom have died or been banned from the ministry, who they say were "credibly accused" of sexually abusing children.



The list was released Thursday.



The list does not go into detail about the nature of the crimes reported, which date back to 1961 in some cases, but it does list all known locations where that priest worked during his career with the Catholic Church.



It also contains the years in which crimes by specific priests were first reported, some of which were as late as 2006, and when that priest either died, was banned from ministry or placed on "restricted ministry," which means they were reassigned to administrative duties and only allowed to participate in mass with permission from the bishop and under supervision.



Several of the priests are still alive, and the list includes information of their current whereabouts.







A San Francisco jury found a man guilty of murder for bludgeoning his cancer-stricken friend to death more than a year ago inside the victim's Nob Hill apartment.



The jury made its decision Thursday.



Following two days of deliberations, jurors also found Michael Phillips, 65, guilty of robbery, burglary, mayhem, possessing fraudulent financial documents, receiving stolen property, elder abuse and elder theft.



James Sheahan, 75, a former San Francisco Health and Human Services Department employee, was last seen alive at his apartment in the 900 block of Bush Street on Aug. 11, 2017, by a caretaker. Days later, on Aug. 14, 2017, the building's manager found Sheahan's body inside the apartment beaten and covered in blood.



During the trial, Assistant District Attorney O'Bryan Kenney showed jurors surveillance video from the Bush Street apartment building that showed Phillips entering and exiting the building five times on Saturday Aug. 12, 2017, the day after Sheahan was last seen alive. Jurors also saw surveillance images taken that same day from a Wells Fargo bank showing Phillips trying to access Sheahan's account using Sheahan's ATM card.



However, according to Phillips' attorney, Deputy Public Defender Kwixuan Maloof, because Sheahan was suffering from stage-four lung cancer, he often asked his good friend Phillips to help him with tasks like depositing and withdrawing money from the bank.







A business consultant from Vallejo will be sentenced in federal court in San Francisco on Jan. 23 for conspiring in a bid-rigging scheme concerning the renovation of a building at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.



Derf Butler, 54, the owner of Butler Enterprise Group in San Francisco, pleaded guilty Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer to a charge of conspiring to defraud the federal government through the bid-rigging scheme between July 2013 and January 2014, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Abraham Simmons.



Butler also pleaded guilty to a second count of lying to investigating FBI agents in March 2014 by denying he had received any money from the developer who was intended to submit the lowest bid.



Butler admitted he had in fact received $15,000 from that individual and had asked for $15,000 more, Simmons said.



The maximum sentence for the two counts is 15 years in prison.







The BART Plaza in downtown Berkeley reopened with a rousing celebration that included speeches by elected officials and music by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and other musicians.



The plaza reopened Thursday.



The $13 million, 15-month renovation replaced the square's brick rotunda with a sleek glass awning.



Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin told about 100 people who attended the celebration that, "Downtown is the heart of our city and this plaza is like our town square."



Arreguin said the plaza is now "a major regional transit hub" because it includes stops for Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District buses at the street level in addition to the BART stop below ground.



He said the plaza is "pedestrian-friendly and is a more welcoming environment" than the previous plaza.





















































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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A San Francisco jury today found a man guilty of murder for bludgeoning his cancer-stricken friend to death more than a year ago inside the victim's Nob Hill apartment.



Following two days of deliberations, jurors also found Michael Phillips, 65, guilty of robbery, burglary, mayhem, possessing fraudulent financial documents, receiving stolen property, elder abuse and elder theft.



James Sheahan, 75, a former San Francisco Health and Human Services Department employee, was last seen alive at his apartment in the 900 block of Bush Street on Aug. 11, 2017, by a caretaker. Days later, on Aug. 14, 2017, the building's manager found Sheahan's body inside the apartment beaten and covered in blood.



During the trial, Assistant District Attorney O'Bryan Kenney showed jurors surveillance video from the Bush Street apartment building that showed Phillips entering and exiting the building five times on Saturday Aug. 12, 2017, the day after Sheahan was last seen alive. Jurors also saw surveillance images taken that same day from a Wells Fargo bank showing Phillips trying to access Sheahan's account using Sheahan's ATM card.



However, according to Phillips' attorney, Deputy Public Defender Kwixuan Maloof, because Sheahan was suffering from stage-four lung cancer, he often asked his good friend Phillips to help him with tasks like depositing and withdrawing money from the bank.



Additionally, Maloof said that because of their friendship, Sheahan helped Phillips with his finances whenever he could.



The same day Sheahan's body was discovered, Phillips deposited a check from Sheahan for $7,500. On Aug. 30, 2017, he deposited another check for $3,500 and on Sept. 15, 2017, Phillips attempted to deposit a final check for $4,000, which did not go through.



Because none of Phillips' DNA was ever found at the crime scene, Maloof theorized that someone else entered the apartment, possibly through a kitchen window found ajar, and killed Sheahan.



"I'm quite shocked and surprised that the jury pretty much ignored the scientific evidence for circumstantial evidence," Maloof said today.



The city's medical examiner concluded that Sheahan was struck in his apartment with a blunt object at least 13 times. Investigators believe the weapon was most likely a landline telephone that had Sheahan's blood seeped into it and pieces of his flesh on it.



Sheahan also had cuts on both wrists, but it was unclear whether they were self-inflicted.



According to prosecutors, Phillips killed Sheahan on Aug. 12, 2017, in order to steal money so that he could help his boyfriend in the Philippines pay off loans and come to the U.S.



After Sheahan's death, Phillips brought his boyfriend from the Philippines to San Francisco and married him. In November 2017, however, investigators arrested Phillips and a search of his home found that he was in possession of Sheahan's wallet and credit card, another undeposited check from Sheahan for $2,000 and dated after Sheahan's death and artwork and journals belonging to Sheahan.



Phillips is set to be sentenced on a later date.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



An independent report, one of two released Thursday on the safety of the former Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, said no data exists to support the presumption the shipyard is safe.



One of the reports, by the Committee to Bridge the Gap, said, "The great majority of the site was never tested for radioactivity, and what measurements were made ignored the great majority of radionuclides."



The Committee to Bridge the Gap is made up of president Daniel Hirsch, the retired director for the Program on Environmental and Nuclear Policy at the University of California at Santa Cruz and students and former students of the university.



Hirsch met with residents of the former shipyard Thursday to present the results of the reports after a San Francisco citizens advisory committee declined to allow him to present the results at one of the committee meetings, he said.



Hirsch said residents who attended gave him the impression that for the first time they were getting some straight answers.



But, he said, "What I had to tell them wasn't particularly pleasant."



He said there was much more radioactivity at the shipyard than previously thought and it potentially spread throughout the shipyard.



Hirsch said 90 percent of the shipyard was not tested and the 10 percent that was, many of the test results were fabricated.



He said that more than 80 contaminated ships were present at the shipyard at some time and the ships were sandblasted, potentially spreading contamination widely.



Hirsch said the gamma scans done at the shipyard to detect radiation would not detect alpha or beta-emitting radionuclides. One of the reports said that when soil samples were taken, approximately 90 percent were not measured for two of the four radionuclides that the Navy declared to be of primary concern.



The Committee to Bridge the Gap plans to release three more reports on the shipyard cleanup, one of those in a couple of weeks.



The reports can be read at http://committeetobridgethegap.org/.



The U.S. Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.





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SANTA ROSA (BCN)



Testimony began this morning in Sonoma County Superior Court at the trial of a Napa man charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl on the Sonoma Coast last year.



Timothy Marble, 51, is charged with six counts that include forcible rape and oral copulation and committing a lewd act on a minor. The charges include enhancements of tying and binding the victim, aggravated kidnapping and furnishing a drug to a victim.



In her opening statement, Deputy District Attorney Laura Passaglia told the jury the teen snuck out of her father's house on March 30 and went to a gas station in Napa where she encountered Marble. They smoked marijuana and Marble invited her into his truck, Passaglia said.



Marble and the girl drove around listening to music and Marble pretended to be nice to gain control, Passaglia said. He also injected her with methamphetamine, and as the two lay on a blanket under the stars, Marble said he wanted sex, Passaglia said.



The girl was not willing and Marble bound her hands and forced oral copulation on his victim, Passaglia said. Marble told the girl to call him 'daddy,' raped her, punched her and carved the words 'Timothy' and 'die' in the girl's arm, Passaglia said.



When Marble stopped the truck at a Bodega Bay gas station, some patrons spoke with the girl, but Marble remained close by and drove away. Realizing that her chance to get help at the gas station was lost, the girl jumped out of Marble's truck as he drove about 45 mph on state Highway 1, Passaglia said.



Marble borrowed a cell phone and called 911 to report a missing girl. When a sheriff's deputy arrived, the girl emerged limping and crying from the bushes where she had been hiding, Passaglia said.



Marble was arrested and a sheriff's deputy collected evidence of the assaults from the truck, Passaglia said.



Marble's attorney Jeff Mitchell told the jury video of Marble and the girl is inconsistent with the charges and evidence, and he asked the jury to take note of what was not proven at the trial.



There are 11 women on the 16-member jury that includes four alternates.





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BERKELEY (BCN)



The BART Plaza in downtown Berkeley reopened today with a rousing celebration that included speeches by elected officials and music by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and other musicians.



The $13 million, 15-month renovation replaced the square's brick rotunda with a sleek glass awning.



Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin told about 100 people who attended the celebration that, "Downtown is the heart of our city and this plaza is like our town square."



Arreguin said the plaza is now "a major regional transit hub" because it includes stops for Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District buses at the street level in addition to the BART stop below ground.



He said the plaza is "pedestrian-friendly and is a more welcoming environment" than the previous plaza.



BART Director Rebecca Saltzman, whose district includes part of Berkeley, said the renovation was important because the former space "needed a little bit of love."



Berkeley City Councilwoman Kate Harrison said the plaza is "a huge step forward" for the city.



After Arreguin and other dignitaries cut the ribbon across the steel and glass canopy that forms the main entrance to BART at Shattuck Avenue and Center Street, the Berkeley Symphony emerged up the steps from the station and performed Joan Tower's "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman."



In addition, Michael Christian's 14-foot "Home" globe sculpture was unveiled in the plaza.



Later, Chris Brown's "Flow in Place" sound art installation, a combination of field recordings of nature, street sounds collected around the world, and music, was switched on.



Additional performances at the soundstage at the plaza are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A business consultant from Vallejo will be sentenced in federal court in San Francisco on Jan. 23 for conspiring in a bid-rigging scheme concerning the renovation of a building at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.



Derf Butler, 54, the owner of Butler Enterprise Group in San Francisco, pleaded guilty Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer to a charge of conspiring to defraud the federal government through the bid-rigging scheme between July 2013 and January 2014, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Abraham Simmons.



Butler also pleaded guilty to a second count of lying to investigating FBI agents in March 2014 by denying he had received any money from the developer who was intended to submit the lowest bid.



Butler admitted he had in fact received $15,000 from that individual and had asked for $15,000 more, Simmons said.



The maximum sentence for the two counts is 15 years in prison.



The individual who was supposed to submit the low bid of $5.2 million was in fact an undercover FBI agent who had also posed as a businessman in the investigation of Chinatown tong leader Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow and former state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco-San Mateo.



In that case, Chow was convicted of murder, racketeering and other charges and Yee and fundraiser Keith Jackson pleaded guilty to a corruption charge.



Three genuine developers were indicted along with Butler in 2017 on charges of participating in the bid-rigging conspiracy by purposely submitting higher bids ranging from $6.2 million to $7.1 million so that the agent posing as a developer could win the contract.



Anton Kalafati, 34, of San Francisco, President of B Side Inc. in San Francisco, pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in March. His sentencing date has not been set, Simmons said.



Conspiracy charges remain pending against Clifton Burch, 50, of San Lorenzo, president of Empire Engineering and Construction Inc.; and Peter McKean, 49, of San Mateo, vice president of Townsend Management Inc.





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Santa Cruz County sheriff's officials released a sketch of a man who allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in a restroom stall at Jose Avenue Park on Wednesday.



A woman in her early 20s was jogging through Jose Avenue Park at 10:40 a.m. when she stopped to use the restroom, according to sheriff's officials.



A man followed her into the restroom, pushed her into a stall and assaulted her, according to sheriff's officials. He is described as a thin, 6-feet-tall white man in his late 20s to 30s with dirty blonde hair and a scraggly beard, sheriff's officials said.



He is believed to be a transient and was barefoot and wearing a ragged black "Santa Cruz" hooded sweatshirt with rips, ripped and dirty blue jeans and a black backpack with red trim covered with reflective material at the time of the assault, sheriff's officials said. He may have been riding bicycle.



Deputies said they have increased patrols at the park and informed nearby residents and county park officials of the sexual assault.



Anyone with information is asked to contact Lt. Greg Lansdowne at (831) 212-1595.





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Yamada can recall the exact moment when he fell in love with Indian food. "I remember being 19 and traveling in India," says Yamada. "I ordered chicken masala with chapati. It was such a simple dish, but I still think about that dish all the time." From that moment, he became obsessed with learning all he could about Indian food. He eventually got a Fulbright grant to study the cuisine in Mumbai. "I went for a year, but ended up staying for about 18 months," says Yamada. "Mumbai is like New York, people come from everywhere, so it was a way to experience the vastness of Indian food in a short amount of time."
When you first walk into Brothers and Sisters, you will find the grab-and-go market and bottle shop, with 100 different wines and 50 beers or so. Any beverage bought in the store can be consumed on-site, with applicable corkage fee. On the opposite wall, the main counter will feature a meat and cheese case. Seating will include a six-seat counter under the front windows, an adjacent communal table, a back-corner banquette and a five-seat turquoise, red and beige Amazonite stone top bar.
Dashi: Unlock umami flavor with easy recipe Dashi stock, kombu seaweed and bonito flakes: Elizabeth Andoh, the Japanese food authority, offers some tips for buying and using kombu. (Glenn Koenig/Los Angeles Times)

Glutamates naturally found in food deliver a big punch of umami, a sense of savoriness often called the "fifth taste." Seaweed is loaded with glutamate  indeed it was from a seaweed, from kombu, that monosodium glutamate or MSG was created back in 1908.

As noted in my Good Eating story, "Unlocking umami: Foods high in glutamates offer sought-after flavor," you can find glutamates in tomatoes, mushrooms, fish, meat, hard cheese and, yes, seaweed.

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Kombu is used to make dashi, the ubiquitous stock of Japan. But you don't have to use dashi only in Japanese foods; dashi works to give a flavorful boost to most any type of cooking. Stir into sauces, use as a soup base, even deglaze the skillet with it.

American consumers encounter kombu in dried form at Asian markets and some supermarkets. Elizabeth Andoh, the Japanese food authority, offers these tips for buying and using kombu.

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-- Most kombu sold for stock making in the United States is either ma kombu or Hidaka kombu. Ma kombu is "broad, fairly thick, flat slices with a slightly grayish sometimes greenish tint,'' Andoh writes in an email. "Hidaka is narrower, usually appears scrunched up (not flat when dried in the package) and darker, almost black."

-- "All variety of dried kelp will have varying amounts of whitish, chalky powdery film on the surface, this is glutamic acid and should not be wipes or washed away," Andoh cautions.

-- Dashi is made by infusing water with kombu. "Room temperature is the best temperature to do an initial extraction of the flavor-enhancing substance in all kombu," Andoh writes. "Heat can be applied, to good purpose, after the initial extraction, but does not need to be in order to unlock the glutamic acid."

-- Too much heat, such as boiling, will bring on the tannins in kombu, making for harsher flavor, Andoh says. Too much heat will also turn the stock cloudy.

And here's Andoh's recipe for making a basic stock using kombu. The recipe makes about 4 cups.

"The master stock used in making traditional vegetarian Japanese cookery is made just from kombu, a sweet but sturdy kelp," Andoh writes in her cookbook, "Kansha: Celebrating Japan's Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions."

Basic kelp stock (kombu dashi)

1 piece kombu, about 1 1/2 by 4 inches if using Hidaka kombu or a 3-inch square ma kombu

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4 cups water

1. Place the kombu in a large glass jar. Pour in the water and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. To extract the most flavor, allow the kombu to sit submerged in the water at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours before using the stock. If you prefer to refrigerate the stock from the start, allow the kombu to soak for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours before using the stock. Remove the softened kombu from the jar after the flavor is extracted. The stock may be kept, refrigerated, for 4 to 5 days before using.

wdaley@tribune.com
But Cooper frames his leading woman as increasingly shallow as she strays from his guidance. Their relationship means nothing outside of the music he hears in his head  his narcissism disguised as the love they share. Through this, Ally is never fully Jackson Maines partner, in life or in music, instead secretly  and at times viciously  relegated to nothing more than a muse: She is a symbol he worships when it adds value to him or eases his pain, or exploits (in the most hideous case, when Jackson calls Ally a joke and ugly, insulting her lyrics and performance in the only, truly tense moment between the couple in which she asserts herself) when she doesnt fulfill the image he has in his mind.
The young man held the medication in his hand and considered using it to end his life.



But then he "put it down and said, 'No. I need help,'" before heading to a Laredo, Texas, emergency room, said Kimberly Gallegos, who at the time earlier this year was a mobile crisis worker for a local mental health center.



Gallegos was helping evaluate whether the patient, a Latino in his early 30s, should be immediately hospitalized or could go home safely until seeing an outpatient doctor.



He returned to the home he shares with his mother and a sibling. The family agreed to lock up the medication which belonged to a family member and watch out for any problematic behaviors and other warning signs of suicide, Gallegos recalled.



The man's experience illustrates a "suicide paradox," experts say. Even though Latinos face economic disadvantages and other stress in their lives, their suicide rate is about one-third that of non-Hispanic whites, both in Texas and nationally.



Experts attribute the relatively low suicide rate among Latinos to the culture's strong family and community support systems, which appear to provide some degree of protection.



"It definitely did make me feel a lot more comfortable knowing that now that the family was aware of what he was going through and experiencing, that they would be a lot more vigilant with him," Gallegos said.



In Texas, the suicide rate among non-Hispanic whites has been steadily increasing during the past 16 years, from 13.4 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2000 to 19.2 deaths per 100,000 in 2016. Meanwhile, the rate has remained largely unchanged among Hispanics, with 6.7 suicides per 100,000 residents in 2016 the same as the national rate.



Nationwide, suicides have increased nearly 30 percent since the turn of the century.



As a group, Latinos face obstacles that can affect their health and well-being: They earn less than non-Hispanic whites, and are more likely to lack health insurance coverage. In 2017, 16.1 percent of Hispanics were uninsured compared with 6.3 percent of non-Hispanic whites, hampering access to mental health care and other treatment. In addition, Latino immigrants contend with the challenges of moving to a new country, sometimes after leaving violence and other traumatic conditions at home.



But the practice of "colectivismo," the building of a latticework of relationships through extended family, work colleagues and friends, is prevalent in the Latino community and can help provide an emotional safety net, said Luis Garcia, who has developed suicide prevention programs for Latino youth in California. Even activities such as regular church picnics or salsa dancing can help, said Garcia, vice president of cultural diversity at Arcadia, Calif.-based Pacific Clinics.



"Latinos or Hispanics have a preference to work in groups," Garcia said. "It's something that, believe me, we practice on a daily basis."



To be sure, Latinos are a multifaceted population from numerous countries who shouldn't be viewed through a single lens or set of assumptions, Garcia and other researchers stressed. And not all family or community relationships are necessarily healthy.



Still, when immigrant families assimilate and ties to the Latino culture fray, so do the protective effects, according to a study published in 2014 in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. Researchers, who analyzed suicidal thoughts and attempts, found that those inclinations increased as Latinos spent more years in the U.S. and started losing their fluency in Spanish and connections to Latino social networks and identity.



In addition, Latino youth appear more vulnerable to suicide attempts than white teens. In 2017, 8.2 percent of Hispanic high school students attempted suicide in the prior year compared with 6.1 percent of whites and 9.8 percent of blacks, according to federal data.



Still, the higher rate of teen suicide attempts has not resulted in a corresponding increase in suicide deaths among Latinos, for reasons that are unclear, said Luis Zayas, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the book "Latinas Attempting Suicide: When Cultures, Families and Daughters Collide."



One possibility, Pacific Clinics' Garcia said, is that the attempt is a teen's cry for help and attention, and there may be an extended cultural support system to fall back on.



Sometimes, though, vulnerable individuals must be encouraged to lean on that support. Sarai, a 15-year-old Latina in Southern California who requested that her full name not be used, credits a mental health counselor at Pacific Clinics with helping her reach out to friends and family, rather than bottle up her feelings.



Sarai's problems manifested when she began cutting herself. Her family did not notice because she wore long sleeves to cover the marks on her forearms.



"I thought every time I did it, that it would let out some of the frustration and anger and sadness that I had," Sarai said.



One day, she found herself sitting on the kitchen floor, looking at the bleach in the sink cabinet and contemplating suicide. "I was just looking at the bottle of bleach and thinking, 'This is it. I'm just going to do it.' But then I heard my mom's footsteps, and it totally snapped me out."



Still, the experience scared Sarai enough that she told her family that she needed to talk to someone about her anxiety, and they sought professional help.



Sarai's counselor persuaded her to share her feelings rather than to inflict pain on herself, the Latina teen said.



Over time, Sarai opened up to her older sister about her history of cutting, calling her up late one night when she was tempted to start again. "We talked 'til probably 3 in the morning," Sarai recalled. The inclination to hurt herself "completely went away," she said.



Cynthia Rodriguez, who has counseled Sarai for about a year and a half, said she encouraged the teen to not hide her emotional struggles and "to take advantage" of the support of close friends.



Sarai eventually told a few friends that she used to cut herself. "They became like my little second family," she said.



While family and community support might partially explain the suicide paradox, it's likely not the only factor. It may also be that some Latino suicides are misclassified, in part due to the stigma associated with it, said Ian Rockett, a professor emeritus of epidemiology at West Virginia University School of Public Health, and a longtime researcher on suicide.



Federal suicide data, which is based on death records, relies on information compiled by local medical examiners or coroners, family and others, Rockett said. It can be more difficult to sort out what happened with an opioid overdose or when a car careens into a tree, he said.



One clue is a note. One of Rockett's studies, published earlier this year, found that nearly 33 percent of non-Hispanic whites committing suicide left a note compared with 26.5 percent of Hispanics and 19.6 percent of non-Hispanic blacks.



Back in Laredo, Gallegos learned that the young man who had contemplated suicide believed suicide was against his family's religion and that he had brought shame upon his family even by harboring suicidal thoughts.



Once he realized his mother didn't hold such beliefs, his tense posture began to ease, said Gallegos, who now works as a quality management adviser for the Laredo-based mental health center.



"He was a lot calmer," Gallegos said. "He was grateful that his mom was there."



The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: (1-800-273-8255) is open 24 hours a day, with an option for Spanish speakers (1-888-628-9454).



Online: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ and click on the "chat" button in the top right corner.



Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
In an essay on the subject, he once wrote: Most people dont want to rape, steal, and kill. What they really want is to live in a moral community where people treat each other well, and in which they can satisfy their needs for love, productive work, and a sense of belonging to groups of which they are proud.
Now 3 years old, Chase races his toy dump trucks through the familys Dyer, Ind., home, a stark difference from when the paralysis of his right arm caused him to lose his balance. His parents remember the agony of watching him fall as he tried to walk. But a nerve transfer  a procedure that restored movement to his shoulder and elbow  and continued physical therapy has enabled him to use his right arm again, though he continues to build up its strength. In therapy hes using a bat and knocking things down to strengthen his arm.
It's been languishing on the market for seven long years. At long last, the gorgeous Idaho ranch-style retreat of A-list actor Bruce Willis has sold ... for the drastically reduced price of $5.5 million.

Which is a sweet deal for a lakefront ranch property that features a 20-plus-acre aspen glade, a large lodge-style home, and a fabulous outdoor pool with waterfalls, a grotto, and several waterslides.

Idaho lodge realtor.com

Overhead view realtor.com

Agent Travis Jones of Engel & Volkers, who listed the home along with Grady and Heather Burnett of Keller Williams, told us the lodge ticked all the boxes for the buyers.

"The thing that really sold the home for these buyers was the combination of value and the fact that the property was a perfect fit for their needs," he says. "Plus, the fact that they are huge Bruce fans didn't hurt!"

Jones walked us through the property's history and explained why it had sat on the market for so long. The case of the languishing lodge came down to dollars.

"Bruce's estate was originally listed for $15 million way back in 2011, which was well above market value at the time," he says. "It was gradually reduced from there to the mid-$8 millions."

His team took over the listing in 2016 and took a different tack.

"We were able to negotiate a healthy price drop, and we listed for $6,495,000, and then dropped to $5,895,000. At that price, the home represented a very good value for the right buyer."

Bruce Willis' glade and gates realtor.com

Willis bought the 23-acre property in 2003 and proceeded to rebuild and add on to the main house, which now measures 8,400 square feet and has six bedrooms.

He added a detached guest house and gym, as well as several ponds and streams to the property. He also commissioned the incredible pool area, which is surrounded by heated pavers. The lodge's decks and driveway are outfitted with the same pavers, so there's no need to shovel snow during winter months.

Bruce Willis' cool pool realtor.com

The main home has a hunting lodge ambiance, with a cozy (yet spacious) sunken living room with wood pillars, built-in bookshelves, and a rock fireplace flanked by cathedral-style windows that provide views of the surrounding woods.

Lodge living room realtor.com

The home's kitchen has been totally updated and features dark wood cabinetry, steel-gray countertops, wrought-iron hardware, two glass-front Sub-Zero refrigerators, a Viking six-burner stove with double ovens, and two dishwashers.

Bruce Willis' Idaho lodge kitchen realtor.com

Upstairs, there's a luxurious 2,200-square-foot master suite with built-in bookshelves, a gas fireplace, and two heated balconies.

"The home is large and gracious, and offers room for several generations to come together and enjoy the Sun Valley area together. It's a true lodge-style home and offers a warm, welcoming vibe," Jones says.

Bruce Willis' Idaho lodge at night realtor.com

The property sits in a sweet spot between the towns of Ketchum and Hailey and is just a quick ride from Sun Valley, a popular mountain retreat for celebrities.

Willis also has been busy in the New York City real estate market. In January, he listed his spacious Upper West Side duplex for $17.75 million. One month later, he snagged an $8 million condo (also on the Upper West Side), where he's said to spend a lot of his time when he's not making movies.

The post Yippee Ki-Yay! After Seven Years, Bruce Willis Finally Sells His Idaho Lodge appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
BRUSSELS  British Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday she is considering a European Union proposal that would keep Britain bound to the blocs rules for more than two years after it leaves, and idea that angers her pro-Brexit critics.

At present the two sides say Britain will remain inside the EU single market, and subject to the blocs regulations, from the day it leaves on March 29 until December 2020, to give time for new trade relations to be set up.

But with divorce talks stuck, the bloc has suggested extending that period, to give more time to strike a trade deal that ensures the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland remains friction-free  the main sticking point to a Brexit deal.

May said Britain was considering extending the transition period by a matter of months. But she said she didnt believe the extension would be needed.

We are working to ensure that we have that future relationship in place by the end of December 2020, May said as she arrived at EU headquarters in Brussels on Thursday for meetings on migration, security and other issues.

The extension idea has angered pro-Brexit British politicians, who see it as an attempt to bind Britain to the bloc indefinitely.

In an open letter to May published on Thursday, leading Brexiteers accused the EU of bullying and said the border issue was being used as a trap by the bloc.

The letter signed by former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, ex-Brexit Secretary David Davis and other pro-Brexit Conservatives warned May not to engage in a show of resistance and a choreographed argument followed by surrender to the EU.

Divorce talks between Britain and the bloc have stalled on the issue of the Irish border, which will be Britains only land frontier with the EU after Brexit. Both sides agree there must be no hard border, which could disrupt businesses and residents on both sides and undermine Northern Irelands peace process. But each has rejected the other sides solution.

This weeks summit, which had been billed as a make-or-break moment, turned into a chance for both sides to give themselves more time to break the logjam.

May urged both parties to show courage, trust and leadership, but came to Brussels without the concrete new proposals the EU has asked for. Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier said that we need much time, much more time, and we continue to work in the next weeks.

Jill Lawless is an Associated Press writer.
TECUN UMAN, Guatemala  Migrants traveling in a mass caravan burst through a Guatemalan border fence and streamed by the thousands toward Mexican territory on Friday, defying Mexican authorities entreaties for an orderly crossing and President Trumps threats of retaliation.

On the Mexican side of a border bridge, they were met by a phalanx of police with riot shields. About 50 managed to push their way through before officers unleashed pepper spray and the rest retreated.

The gates were closed again, and police used a loudspeaker to address the masses, saying, We need you to stop the aggression.

Mexican federal police chief Manelich Castilla, speaking from the border town of Ciudad Hidalgo, told Foro TV that his forces achieved their main objective of preventing a violent breach by the 3,000-plus migrants. In a separate interview with Milenio television, he accused people not part of the caravan of attacking police with firecrackers and rocks.

The chaos calmed somewhat as migrants formed lines in a mass of humanity stretching across the bridge. Some returned to the Guatemalan side to buy water and food.

But others, tired of waiting, jumped off the bridge into the Suchiate River. Migrants organized a rope brigade to ford its muddy waters, and some floated across on rafts operated by local residents who charged a dollar or two to make the crossing.

Cristian, a 34-year-old cell phone repairman from San Pedro Sula, said he left Honduras because gang members had demanded protection payments of $83 a month, a fifth of his income. It was already hard enough to support his four daughters on the $450 he makes, so he closed his small business instead.

Cristian declined to give his last name because the gangsters had threatened him. He estimated that about 30 percent of the migrants want to apply for refugee status in Mexico, while the rest want to reach the United States.

I want to get to the States to contribute to that country, Cristian said, to do any kind of work, picking up garbage.

Migrants have banded together to travel en masse regularly in recent years, but this caravan was unusual for its huge size, said Victor Clark-Alfaro, a Latin American studies professor at San Diego State University.

Sonia Perez D. and Mark Stevenson are Associated Press writers.
PAMPLONA, Colombia  As night approached, Sandra Cadiz wrapped her shivering 10-year-old daughter in a blanket and prayed for a ride up the frigid Colombian mountaintop known as the icebox.

Two days before, the mother and daughter had fled Venezuela on foot for a 2,700-mile trek through four countries to Peru, joining more than 650 migrants who walk out each day because they cannot afford a plane or bus ticket. Cadiz knew that not everyone survived the dangerous trek, but she feared that staying in Venezuela would mean her already malnourished daughter would go hungry.

Now, after five hours of waiting, Cadiz braced herself for a long, cold night sleeping on the ground outside a gas station.

I am doing this for her, Cadiz, 51, said of her daughter Angelis.

In one of the biggest migrations in the world today, more than 1.9 million people have fled poverty, hunger and crime in Venezuela since 2015  rivaling the flow of Middle Eastern and African refugees to Europe. Although the toll of this migration is largely invisible, data collected from various agencies has found that deaths and disappearances may total a few thousand, depending on how they are counted.

At least 235 Venezuelans have been reported missing in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador over the last two years. Some 334 in Colombia were killed in homicides and accidents, and an unknown number drowned aboard shoddy boats in the Caribbean. An additional 2,841 died in Colombia from illnesses like malaria and malnutrition, though its difficult to know exactly what role migration played.

The daughter of a housewife and a cemetery worker, Cadiz got pregnant at 15 and dropped out of school. One husband was killed in a robbery, another in a motorcycle accident. Her oldest child died at 25 in a hail of 20 bullets by an unknown killer.

Eight days after fleeing Caracas, Cadiz and her daughter had reached their final border. The next day, she pulled her documents out of a crinkled Hello Kitty folder one last time. After reviewing them carefully, a migration agent asked Angelis to step in front of a camera. She grinned ear to ear.

Calm down, the agent told her coldly. Dont smile.

By the time they reached Lima, they didnt have a cent in their pockets. But they had made it.

I arrived by a miracle, Cadiz said.

Christine Armario is an Associated Press writer.
A 20-year-old mother shot in the head over the weekend on the South Side remained on life support Tuesday, her family fearing the worst as they gathered at her bedside.



'"My baby's fighting for her life,'' Michelle Pearson's mother Rochetta Tyler said through tears this afternoon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where her daughter was in the intensive care unit.



"They say she's not going to get any better,'' said her mother. "The doctors told me that she's a fighter. . .that she's really fighting.''



Pearson, the mother of a 4-year-old son, had been on her way home early Saturday when she saw two young men she knew from grade school, her family said.



They flagged her down and asked her for a lift to their apartment. As they approached the 4600 block of South Ellis Avenue, they drove around looking for a parking spot, according to the family. After parking, Pearson got out of the car with her friends and began heading to a home when there was gunfire.



"The boys hopped out of a car and started shooting,'' said Pearson's grandmother, Carol Tyler.



Pearson's mother said she wasn't sure if the attackers drove up to them or if they were already there. "They just got to shooting and my baby got shot in the head,'' said Rochetta Tyler.



Pearson was shot in the face, and a 21-year-old man with her was wounded in the chest and left leg. Pearson was taken in critical condition to Northwestern, while the man was listed in good condition there.



Every morning since the shooting, her son has woken up in the morning asking for his mother.



"He cries every day for his momma," Rochetta Tyler said. "He asks for her. He wakes up in the morning and asks, 'Where's momma?' Is she in the room?' "



Pearson works at a White Castle restaurant. Her relatives describe her as a kind and trustworthy young woman who received high marks at Chicago Vocational High School, where she graduated in 2012.



"She does everything she's supposed to,'' said her mother. "Whenever someone asks her to do something, she just does it.''



Rochetta Tyler said police told her no arrests have been made and Pearson was not the target. "But I already knew that,'' her mother said.



"They're her friends, so she's not thinking that someone's going to kill her,'' said her mother, who said she remained strict with her daughter and only allowed her out at certain times.



"She was an innocent. . .She probably didn't know what was going on," her grandmother added.



Rochetta Tyler pleaded for her daughter's assailants, or anyone who knows anything about the attack, to come forward.



"It'll be a miracle and a blessing if they turned themselves in,'' said Tyler. "If the streets don't turn them in, then they're just as guilty as them.''



rsobol@tribune.com | Twitter: @RosemarySobol1
BEIJING  An outspoken former detainee in Chinas internment camps for Muslims said Thursday his application for a visa to visit the United States was rejected despite an invitation to speak at Congress about his ordeal.

Kazakh national Omir Bekali was asked to travel to Washington in September by the chairs of the Congressional-Executive Committee on China. He said his application was rejected by the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 after he was questioned about his employment status.

Bekali was one of the first people to speak out publicly about his experience in a camp in Chinas Xinjiang region, where an estimated 1 million Muslims, mostly from the Uighur and Kazakh ethnicities, are being detained.

They kept going back and forth. Why did they invite me and then reject my visa? Bekali said by phone from Turkey. Ive received so many threats after speaking out, I feel like they should be able to do at least this simple request.

Commission spokesman Scott Flipse confirmed the invitation and said the co-chairs had written to Bekali offering to assist him in seeking a visa.

The department declined to comment on Bekalis case, saying U.S. immigration law prohibits it from discussing individual visa applications.

We continue to urge China to reverse its counterproductive policies that conflate terrorism with peaceful religious and political expression, and to release all those arbitrarily detained in these camps, the department said in a statement.

Bekali wants to take his family to Europe or the United States, where he feels they will be safe from Chinas reach. Last month, his wife and child were held up at a Turkish airport for more than three days and were nearly put on a flight back to Kazakhstan. He had fled Almaty earlier after he was interrogated by Kazakh police, who he said showed up at his home shortly after he spoke out about the camps.

Bekali said that even though hes been reunited with his family in Turkey, he wont feel safe until his family moves to a country that can stand up to Beijings influence, underscoring the deep anxiety that grips the diaspora of Muslims who once lived in Xinjiang under an intense security crackdown.

Im scared China will find some way to hurt me or threaten me, Bekali said. Every day I have nightmares, I cant sleep at night.

China has come under increasing pressure from Western governments about its mass internment of Muslims. The commission, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers, has proposed legislation that would urge Trump to condemn gross violations of human rights in Xinjiang.

Bekali is named in the proposed legislation as among those who have testified to the indoctrination, humiliation and indefinite detention of internees.

The Muslim world has remained largely silent, a likely reflection of Chinas growing economic and political clout.

Dake Kang is an Associated Press writer.
ISTANBUL  A member of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans entourage during several trips abroad walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul just before writer Jamal Khashoggi vanished there, a surveillance photo leaked Thursday shows, drawing the kingdoms heir-apparent closer to the columnists alleged slaying.

The man, identified by Turkish officials as Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, has been photographed in the background of Prince Mohammeds trips to the U.S., France and Spain this year.

Turkish officials say he flew into Istanbul on a private jet along with an autopsy expert Oct. 2 and left that night. That was the same day Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who wrote critically of Prince Mohammeds rise to power, entered the consulate and was not seen again.

Saudi Arabia, which initially called the allegations baseless, has not responded to repeated requests for comment over recent days, including on Thursday over Mutrebs identification.

But Mutrebs appearance at the consulate, as well as later at the consul generals residence, adds to the growing pressure on Saudi Arabia amid international outrage over the disappearance of the writer, whom Turkish officials say was killed and dismembered.

In a further sign of that pressure, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he will not attend an investment conference in Saudi Arabia, as did senior government officials from France, Britain and the Netherlands. Several top business executives have also canceled plans to attend, as has the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde.

President Trump, who first came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but had since has backed off, said Thursday that it certainly looks as though Khashoggi is dead, and that the consequences for the Saudis will have to be very severe if they are found to have killed him.

Analysts say that as long as the Saudis refuse to acknowledge what happened to Khashoggi, the leaks about the case will probably continue.

The pro-government Sabah newspaper on Thursday first published the images of Mutreb, showing him walking past police barricades at the consulate at 9:55 a.m. with several men trailing behind him. Khashoggi arrived at the consulate several hours later at 1:14 p.m., then disappeared while his fiancee waited outside for him.

Suzan Fraser, Sarah El Deeb and Jon Gambrell are Associated Press writers.
SINGAPORE  Defense Secretary Jim Mattis tried to lower the temperature on the array of hostilities between Washington and Beijing on Thursday, saying it is up to the militaries of the two competing global superpowers to act as a stabilizing force amid rising political tensions.

During an hour-and-a-half meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Mattis sanded down some of the sharp edges from Vice President Mike Pences pointed critique of China this month. Mattis urged the two militaries to talk through their many differences and even repeated an invitation for Wei Fenghe, Chinas defense minister, to visit the United States, according to a senior Defense Department official who was in the meeting.

But the cordial tone belied deep tensions that showed no signs of abating Thursday. China, as it usually does, brushed off Mattis complaints about Beijings continued militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Meanwhile, other countries present at a meeting in Singapore of Southeast Asian nations continued to resist U.S. entreaties to add their voices to the U.S. challenge of Chinas claims in the disputed area. And two of those countries  Malaysia and Thailand  even prepared for a joint naval exercise with China that U.S. officials worry is part of a larger effort by Beijing to peel away U.S. allies.

Mattis, for his part, was hampered by the continued fallout and speculation from President Trump having questioned Sunday whether the defense chief would remain on the job, calling Mattis sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth, during in interview with CBS 60 Minutes. Mattis later told reporters that Trump had called him to reassure him that he was 100 percent behind the defense secretary, but in Asia there has been speculation about how long Mattis will be around.

The biggest source of tension between the Pentagon and Beijing continues to be the South China Sea. China claims almost all the South China Sea, and strongly protests U.S. military patrols there. The United States considers the sea to be international waters.

During his talk with Wei, Mattis introduced a new dynamic into the standard talking points over the South China Sea issue, according to Randall Schriver, the Pentagons top official for Asia and the Pacific, who was in the meeting. Mattis sought to convey what he said were concerns of other Asia-Pacific countries over Chinese claims on the South China Sea.

He talked about the reactions that he hears from other countries and their concern and confusion over Chinas actions not necessarily matching their words, Schriver said.

U.S. officials have recently started complaining privately that the United States does the bulk of the naval work when it comes to overtly challenging China in the South China Sea, with numerous so-called Freedom of Navigation trips, during which U.S. warships sail within 12 miles of the disputed islands.

Helene Cooper is a New York Times writer.
CALEMAR, Peru  Martin Vizcarra stepped down from a military helicopter into a small Peruvian jungle village where no president had ventured before.

Wearing thick-soled boots, he walked across the banks of an Amazonian tributary to inaugurate a new bridge replacing a rope-and-basket system people had used for decades to cross the churning current below.

If youve always been forgotten, thats changed, Vizcarra said to applause. From now on, you have a president who cares.

The president is on a crusade to clean up Perus corrupt politics and become a voice for the poor and forgotten after his surprising ascension earlier this year with the resignation of President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski over corruption allegations.

Initially dismissed by critics as a weak leader who would struggle to mend a divided nation, Vizcarra has instead won the praise of a jaded public.

Hes now pushing forward a referendum on Dec. 9 aimed at preventing abuse of power following a series of corruption scandals that ended the careers of some of the nations highest-profile judges and politicians. The vote is expected to sail through as Vizcarra channels a growing wave of anger over misbehaving leaders.

Few thought the bespectacled substitute president, who had no political party and faced a hostile opposition majority in Congress, would last very long.

Then came the release of dozens of secretly recorded audio files capturing crooked judges, lawmakers and businessmen negotiating behind-the-scenes deals.

The recordings rocked an Andean nation already accustomed to revelations of graft, where five still-living presidents have either been convicted or are under investigation for corruption. Thousands of Peruvians poured onto the streets and even burned case files stolen from a local prosecutors office in protest.

Seizing the moment, Vizcarra vowed he would do everything in his power to put an end to bribery, nepotism and fraud.

Franklin Briceno is an Associated Press writer.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  Thousands of Palestinians massed Friday along Israels frontier, with dozens approaching and breaching the perimeter fence that separates Gaza from Israel, even as Egypt stepped up efforts reach a lasting cease-fire between the territorys Hamas rulers and Israel.

The militant Hamas group praised the turnout as a challenge to Israel, which was mulling a large-scale military response after a rocket was fired from Gaza on Wednesday and destroyed a house in southern Israel.

Gazas Health Ministry reported 77 Palestinians were wounded by Israeli fire and six of them were in serious condition.

The Israeli enemys threats have effectively motivated the crowds to participate powerfully in the protest, said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, which has staged the protests since March.

The large attendance was a test to Egypts efforts to push Hamas into scaling down the protests and rein in marchers who venture out to the fence and breach it, triggering deadly Israeli fire.

At least 156 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the protests began more than six months ago, and an Israeli soldier was killed by a Palestinian sniper.

Protesters Friday burned tires and threw rocks with slingshots toward the heavily guarded fence. Hamas al-Aqsa TV aired footage of Palestinians climbing over the fence and others breaching it and entering into Israeli territory. Others used cutters to tear down parts of the barrier.

Israeli forces showered the demonstrators with tear gas and occasionally live fire.

In southern Gaza Strip, an aircraft hit a group of Palestinians launching flaming kites and balloons toward Israel near one protest location, the Israeli military said.

Hamas has said the protests will continue until there is an easing of the Egyptian-Israeli blockade of the Palestinian enclave that was imposed after the Islamic group seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007 in an armed coup.

The protests have intensified in recent weeks as Egyptian and U.N. cease-fire negotiations have faltered.

Fares Akram is an Associated Press writer.
KABUL A high-level meeting to lay out security plans for Afghanistans upcoming parliamentary elections had just concluded when an elite Afghan guard turned his gun Thursday on the departing delegation in an attack that killed the powerful Kandahar police chief but missed the top U.S. commander in the country, Gen. Scott Miller.

The audacious assassination strike, which killed at least one other senior Afghan official and was claimed by the Taliban, underscored the harrowing lack of security in Afghanistan just two days before national elections and more than 17 years after the militant group was driven from power. A Taliban spokesman said Miller was the intended target.
Lefteris Pitarakis / Associated Press

ISTANBUL  Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, the kingdom claimed early Saturday, admitting that the writer had been slain at its diplomatic post for the first time. Authorities said 18 Saudi suspects were in custody for his slaying and intelligence officials had been fired.

The overnight announcements in Saudi state media came more than two weeks after Khashoggi, 59, entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul for paperwork required to marry his Turkish fiancee, and never came out. Since his disappearance, the kingdom had rejected Turkish fears he was killed and dismembered there as baseless, but growing international pressure and comments by U.S. officials up to President Trump appears to have forced the kingdom to acknowledge the slaying.
The report comes as transit agencies and advocates increase their pleas to Springfield lawmakers to pass a new capital infrastructure bill to support repairs and new equipment for CTA, Metra and Pace. The state has not passed a capital bill since 2009. A third of all the mass transit assets in northeastern Illinois are beyond their useful life, according to the Regional Transportation Authority, which funds and oversees the three public transit agencies.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island Democratic Party is challenging a Thursday ruling to kick the partys state Supreme Court judicial nominees off the Democratic ballot line because the party failed to file required paperwork in a timely manner with the Board of Elections.

The Staten Island Democrats are appealing the decision to the New York State Court of Appeals, the states highest court, according to Martin Connor, an attorney whos handling the appeal for the party.

The decision from the New York state Supreme Courts Appellate Division reverses an Oct. 11 order from Richmond County Supreme Court that wouldve kept the nominees -- Anthony Catalano, Staten Islands public administrator, and Orlando Marrazzo, Jr., a Civil Court judge currently serving as an acting state Supreme Court justice -- on the ballot.

According to the Appellate Division decision, the Democratic Party was required under state election law to file the minutes of their judicial nominating convention meeting, certified by the chair and the secretary of the convention, within seventy-two hours of the adjournment of the convention. The convention was held on Sept. 20, according to court papers.

The party failed to do so, the court found.

Marrazzo, Jr. will still appear on the Reform Partys ballot line, but Catalano -- who last month lost a Democratic Party primary for judge of the Surrogates Court to Assemblyman Matthew Titone (D-North Shore) -- has no other party nominations.

NOT ALWAYS A FATAL DEFECT

In its ruling, the Appellate Division said that while failing to file the minutes isnt always a fatal defect, the delay should be brief. The four-judge panel also noted that no attempt to explain the delay or file the minutes late was ever made by the borough Democratic Party.

Since no certified convention minutes have been filed, and no reason has been offered as a basis upon which such failure could be excused, we are left with no alternative but to hold that the failure to file certified convention minutes renders the attempt to nominate these candidates ineffectual, and their names must be removed from the ballot, the decision reads.

The Democrats failed to file formal minutes signed by the chair and secretary of the convention despite the conventions chair noting in the transcript provided to the Board of Elections that certified minutes are a requirement, according to the court decision.

The party filed a transcript of the convention proceedings, signed only by a stenographer, to the Board of Elections on Sept. 24. A certificate of party nomination was filed on Sept. 25.

The move to boot the candidates began with a challenge by Christian John Fuentes, Leon Moise, and Michael Golding in a proceeding to invalidate the certificate of party nomination.

VOTERS TO SELECT TWO JUSTICES

Marina Cora Mundy and Ralph J. Porzio -- nominated by the Islands Republican and Conservative parties -- will join Marrazzo Jr. on the ballot line for Staten Islands state Supreme Court seat, which will allow voters to select two candidates.

The Staten Island GOP chairman, Brendan Lantry, told the Advance that the court ruling wont alter the partys strategy heading into the final stretch of election season.

This unanimous decision by the Appellate Division doesnt affect the Republican Partys strategy heading towards November 6th, said Lantry. We will continue to devote all of our resources to re-electing Congressman Donovan, Surrogate Court candidate and Assemblyman Ron Castorina, our two outstanding judicial candidates, and our legislative candidates.

The general election is on Nov. 6.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Illegally parked cars outside the MTA bus depot on Yukon Avenue have some community members concerned about possible safety repercussions.

On Thursday, more than 20 vehicles could be seen illegally parked at a 90-degree angle across the street from the New Springville depot. Angled parking is only permissible in New York City when appropriate signage is present.

According to the Department of Transportation (DOT) parking rules, Except where angle parking is authorized, every vehicle stopped, standing, or parked partly upon a roadway shall be so stopped, standing or parked parallel to the curb or edge of the roadway ... No person shall place a vehicle at an angle to the curb, except when such angle placement is authorized by these rules or by signs or markings.

Residents said this isnt the first time the issue has arisen. However, they added that it laid dormant for years and only reappeared in recent days.

While the vehicles are parked across the street from the bus depot, it wasnt immediately clear if they are owned by employees there.

It seems that a decision was made this week, not sure by whom, that people can park their personal vehicles at a 90-degree angle instead of parallel parking, making it unsafe to walk, said nearby resident Sharyn Roseo.

Residents said the parking situation is potentially dangerous for both pedestrians and drivers, with the parked cars sticking out into the street and hundreds of buses running in and out of the depot throughout the day.

The backs of the cars block an already weed-covered sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to walk in the street where buses are double parked and cars are making right turns from Forest Hill Road, said Roseo. This is an accident waiting to happen.

The NYPD has not responded to a request for comment regarding parking enforcement in this area.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police are asking for the publics help locating a man sought for questioning in connection to a Port Richmond slashing that occurred in August.

A man brandished a knife after becoming involved in a verbal dispute with a man and woman, both 43, outside a laundromat on the 2000 block of Richmond Terrace on Aug. 21 at around 4:30 p.m., according to a written statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

He began to slash at the man and woman, causing lacerations to their hands, arms and torso, according to police. EMS transported the victims to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, where they were treated and released.

Police identified the suspect as 64-year-old Yves LaRouche, who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and 150 pounds. A police spokesman said an acquaintance identified LaRouche as the suspect, and that he appears to live in the same building as the victims.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577.

All calls are kept strictly confidential.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island man is accused of stealing several laptops from a Connecticut Apple store last year, according to media reports.

Lawrence Browning, 27, was arrested Tuesday in state Supreme Court, St. George, by Greenwich police for taking three laptops from the store in January 2017, according to the Bridgeport Daily Voice.

Browning is charged with third-degree larceny and is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail, said the report.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Richard Luthmanns court-ordered mental evaluation has been completed, but the reports findings wont be ready for a few more weeks, according to court records.

The controversial Staten Island lawyer facing federal fraud charges has been in a federal medical center in Massachusetts since Aug. 2, but has been ordered back to New York, said a recent court filing.

However, according to online prison records, Luthmann is still at the FMC Devens in Ayer, Mass.

The report is expected by Nov. 9, said the filing.

In June, a federal judge ordered the trial-by-combat lawyer to undergo a mental competency evaluation after allegedly writing a threatening Game of Thrones-inspired letter to a potential government witness, who sources identified as his wife.

Luthmann, Michael Beck and George Padula III are charged with various counts of wire fraud, money laundering, kidnapping and extortion conspiracy. The scam was launched in the summer of 2015, between Luthmann, Padula and an unidentified co-conspirator, who sold scrap metals to overseas clients, according to an indictment filed in Brooklyn federal court.

Beck and Padula have pleaded guilty, and their sentencings are still pending.

Meanwhile, Luthmann is also the subject of a state investigation into allegations he created fake Facebook pages using the names of local politicians, according to Advance records.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A police source said Thursday night that there were signs of trauma on a 26-year-old woman found dead in an apartment at the Todt Hill Houses.

Neighbors said Leayana Lewis kept to herself in her sixth floor apartment that she shared with a roommate in the 773 Manor Rd. building of the Castleton Corners NYCHA complex.

I would just see her in the elevator, one neighbor said.

The police source added that drugs were not suspected in relation to Lewis' death.

Cops found Lewis unconscious inside the apartment at around 8 a.m. and transported her to Richmond University Medical Center, according to a media release from the NYPD.

No arrests have been made and the investigation continues, the police statement said.

The medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
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Lennie Perry, 44, was sentenced to nine years in Illinois prison in December after being found guilty on bribery-related charges for Perry and his wife using his city-owned truck to extort money from motorists. Perry was indicted this week on charges of sex trafficking eight teenage girls, some of them between the years 2012 and 2014, and others in 2016 and 2017.
The corporate regulator has said people will go to jail in the future if banks fail to report breaches to the watchdog - such as charging fees-for-no service - in a timely fashion.

Speaking at a parliamentary hearing in Canberra on Friday, ASIC deputy chair Daniel Crennan said the regulator would pursue action for breaches of the self-reporting requirement for banks and other financial services companies.

ASIC deputy chair Daniel Crennan during a parliamentary hearing Friday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

ASIC has never prosecuted anyone for a breach of the requirement to tell the regulator of a significant breach within 10 days under Section 912(D) of the Corporations Act.

The Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank and AMP have all admitted to breaches of Section 912(D) for not reporting fees-for-no service breaches.
For Goldman Sachs's millionaire clients, it can take the firm five minutes to underwrite a loan to start a new business or pay down taxes. At Morgan Stanley, bankers are keen to give you bridge financing so you can bid for your mansion in cash.

Beyond the billions in trading gains and deal fees, the Wall Street firms' profit reports this week showed they're increasingly rushing into the booming market for lending to high-net-worth individuals. So far, it's paying off: Morgan Stanley has tripled those loans in the past five years, while Goldman Sachs is expanding overseas.

Need some change for a yacht? It seems no problem for the ultra rich. Credit:Alamy

Forced into becoming bank holding companies by the financial crisis, the firms have embraced the lending business in recent years. Morgan Stanley set a goal to double the percentage of clients that got loans from the bank. Goldman Sachs has pegged a key chunk of its revenue growth plan to increasing lending to wealth management customers.

'Relative to things like the securities trading markets that generally haven't grown post crisis, the wealth market continues to grow and the ultra-high-net worth market is even more attractive, it grows fast and has high margins,' said Christian Bolu, a bank analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. 'It tends to be very bespoke; you can't go to your regular, mainstream bank to get loans on your artwork."
National Australia Bank chief executive Andrew Thorburn has signalled support for tougher penalties for compliance breaches by banks, as part of a potential rationalisation of the legal obligations on lenders.

Appearing before the parliamentary inquiry into banking, Mr Thorburn also revealed more than 300 staff had been sacked or quit NAB this year after investigations into potential code of conduct breaches, and after it had slashed the size of its loan introducer program which was rocked by a fraud ring.

In the final CEO appearance in this round of hearings, Mr Thorburn was asked by House of Representatives economics committee chair Tim Wilson whether the current penalties for non-compliance were "sufficient" to drive cultural change.

Its up to the agency or the regulator to take that action, but I think theyre probably not significant enough, Mr Thorburn replied.
The overseer of New Yorks burgeoning parklands has a message for Australian urban planners in the context of the intensifying debate about population growth and urban density: dont treat property developers as the enemy.

They are partners  they build things. We have never seen them as the enemy but we have to make sure they are on the same page, said New York City Department of Parks commissioner Mitchell Silver.

They want to know what is predictable and what the rules are. In exchange you want to make sure they help us to build a quality city.

In New York  once renowned as one of the worlds densest urban jungles -- that has meant building and planning the parks first and then the developments and not the other way around.
Following paint maker Duluxs pioneering move to their site in 2015, the developers of the sprawling Merrifield Business Park in Melbournes outer north have signed their third key occupant for the 330 hectare complex.

The family-owned Steritech, which treats fresh produce bound for export markets, has acquired two hectares for an undisclosed price and plans to build a 3648 square metre screening facility to complement its existing Brisbane site.

Steritech CEO Murray Lynch said the site was located strategically, given its proximity to Melbourne Airport and the Hume Freeway which provides overnight access to Sydney Airport.

Food exporter Steritech will join Dulux in MAB's sprawling Merrifield Business Park. Credit:MAB Corporation

It is also near Melbournes new fruit and vegetable market at Epping.
It will be sold with vacant possession after staff move in December into a newly built office in West Australian developer Cedar Woods Williams Landing project in Point Cook.

The building, on a large 3.8 hectare site, has operated as the struggling retail brands head office for more than 40 years.

Retail conglomerate Wesfarmers has put the former headquarters of its Target chain, a 13,223 square metre office in Geelong, on the market with expectations above $10 million.

Mr Grant said the site, at 12-14 Thompson Road, and the surrounding area fell within an industrial 1 zone with office as right of use but had been earmarked by Geelong council for residential redevelopment.

Geelong is the fastest growing regional city in Victoria. People are moving down from Melbourne for the lifestyle and commuting, he said.

The property was likely to interest an owner occupier or developer intent on taking it through a rezoning process, he said.

Its not the only large site to hit the market recently. Last month Ford Australia announced it will sell its massive former manufacturing plant on the Princess Highway in Geelong and its site in Broadmeadows.

Worth an estimated $75 million, Fords plants cover 85 hectares and have more than 265,000 square metres of factory floor and warehousing, equivalent to about 13 times the size of the MCGs playing field.
Caydon Property Group has started construction of MYOBs new headquarters in Cremorne after settling a $100 million deal with fund manager AXA IM-Real Assets using an unusual fund-through arrangement that will see eventual ownership of the nine-level office end up with an Australian superannuation fund.

The office, under construction by Probuild, will anchor a key corner spot between Cremorne Street and the Monash Freeway on the former Nylex site overlooking the Yarra River, one of inner Melbournes largest urban regeneration projects.

Caydon has also engaged Probuild to start work on a 202 dwelling apartment tower opposite the MYOB office, on the corner of Gough and Cremorne streets, which will house a boutique grocer, offices and shops on the ground floors.

Caydon's new nine-level office tower. Credit:Artist's impression.

AXA announced the deal to buy the yet-to-be-built office last month with a $32.5 million downpayment to Caydon for the land.
Two weeks after I hit the streets of Chicago, he said. I remember that day and I remember the pain I felt as a new cop, so I cant imagine the unimaginable pain and grief that the family had to have felt that day and still feels. That hole will never be filled. But in some small way we hope that these things let you know that you will forever be part of the Chicago police family and we will, in fact, never forget.
Move over Davos. We might not feel it, but the typical Australian is richer than the typical person in any other country in the world, according to a survey.

Australia has seized from Switzerland the global title of having the highest "median wealth per adult", in Credit Suisse's 2018 Global Wealth Report released on Friday.

Not only are Australians relatively rich by global standards, our wealth is more evenly distributed across the population than many other countries. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Not only are Australians relatively rich by global standards, our wealth is more evenly distributed across the population than many other countries, it finds.

Wealth is defined in the report as the sum of all assets, including residential property, deposits, shares and super, minus all debts  a concept otherwise known as net worth.
Loznitsa gives us a series of 13 loosely connected snapshots set in the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, where the worst of it has been playing out since 2014.

If anything, it adds a few complexities of its own. But in its own absurdist way, it does shed some light on just what the war did to the lives  and sensibilities  of civilians caught up in the nightmare.

The film has a grainy, faux documentary style that successfully puts you right in the middle of the action.

Director Sergei Loznitsa is not aiming to explain the baffling complexities of the war in Ukraine with his feature, Donbass, which opened the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Festival this year.

There are no heroes. His characters have just one thing in common  their bitterness. Kindness is in short supply here. Every conversation is laced with vitriol and almost everybody is out for what they can get.

The only laughter you hear comes during a wedding scene where the middle-aged bride, in frothing white, is so drunk she can hardly stop giggling for long enough to complete her wedding vows. She signs off with the hope that her first child will be a boy born with a machine gun in his hand.

The film begins with a scene in a make-up trailer. A group of extras are being made up for film or television and one woman is loudly complaining about what she sees as a sour expression on the make-up artist's face. When they're finished, an assistant bursts in and hurries the extras into the street, pausing at a corner until the sound of gunfire dies down. The episode ends with a bombed bus burning in the middle of the road.

What does it mean? I could only guess until I heard Loznitsa talking about Russian news outlets resorting to stories that have been staged for their cameras.

Looting goes on on all sides and at all levels. A soldier boards a bus to demand food from its civilian passengers and hops off again, seemingly content with the chunk of ham that a woman has carved off from her own supply. And higher up the chain, a military officer calls in another civilian who has been led to believe that his stolen car has been recovered and he's about to get it back.
In 1947 Primo Levi asked "If this is a man". It remains the foundational question of our time. What defines us if not our determination to preserve our dignity and humanity?

Those of us with familial links to the Holocaust have reason enough to keep reflecting on the Holocaust. Whether future generations will feel the same demand to hear the exhortations of those murdered, is not so obvious. One can only hope that the Holocaust remains, if not vividly present as the last survivors die, at least as a powerful moral lesson. The question we now face is how best to represent that history.

"Who Will Write Our History" recounts the remarkable decision to chronicle daily life in the Warsaw ghetto.

Hollywood has exploited the dramatic potential, delivering more or less mythologised narratives of evil versus good. Documentary evidence exists courtesy of the meticulous Nazi record keeping and survivors' testimonies and has provided filmmakers with rich material. Their films individually chronicle the fate of European Jewry; collectively they are an act of remembrance.

Who Will Write Our History recounts the remarkable decision to chronicle daily life in the Warsaw ghetto, to provide an archive of eyewitness accounts for future generations. Prior to the Nazi invasion, Warsaw was home to more than 100 modern Jewish schools, the publication of six Yiddish daily newspapers, and a Yiddish Literary Union of 400 members. Anti-Semites would describe this flourishing community as "a state within a state".
ROPE (80 minutes) PG

In the Hollywood of 1948, who but Alfred Hitchcock could have got away with a film about a glamorous gay couple (John Dall and Farley Granger) celebrating their debut in the art of murder? This still underrated masterpiece is both a brilliant technical experiment and a perverse manifesto, with James Stewart in typically ambiguous form as the lads' intellectual mentor. Screens as part of a Hitchcock retrospective. Digitally projected. Lido, Classic and Cameo, Sun 21 Oct, 4pm.

The Cleaners goes behind the scenes of social media.

WRECK-IT RALPH (108 minutes) PG

Fizzy, colourful and intricately plotted, this 2012 pop meta-fiction from The Simpsons' Rich Moore does for vintage arcade games what Who Framed Roger Rabbit did for the Golden Age of Animation. John C. Reilly heads a terrific voice cast as a designated villain on a quest to prove that bad guys have feelings too. Palace Balwyn and Palace Dendy Brighton, Sat Oct 20 and Sun Oct 21, 10.30am. All tickets $8.
With 80 years of experience between them in the mental health space, Gavin Andrews and Janne McMahon have been privy to significant changes in both understanding and approach.

On Friday evening, at the University of New South Wales, they were announced as the dual winners of the 2018 Australian Mental Health Award.

Janne McMahon.

Two decades ago, having been admitted to Adelaides psychiatric clinic eight times and on a disability support pension for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Ms McMahon could barely get out of bed each day.

Asked to provide a patient voice as part of a trial to deinstitutionalise care in South Australia and provide more community support, Ms McMahon found her voice.
In the rooftop spa, where nude bathing is mandatory, a Scott Morrison doppelganger lolls among the bubbles, perving brazenly. We'll call him "Scummo". On the adjoining deck, another 60-ish male alternates poses as if controlled by an invisible director. (Full-frontal with hands on hips; side-on with a par-boiled buttock jauntily hitched; rear view with hand to eyes while gazing across mountains.) His partner, unmoved, reads a novel on her recliner.

Scummo slips beneath the water like a tiny U-boat and surfaces near another reclining woman: this one attractive but bald, perhaps as a consequence of cancer therapy. The man standing beside her  tall, heavily muscled, with the minuscule penis of an ancient Greek statue  spots Scummo's prying periscopes and gives him a hard look. "Dive! Dive! Dive!" whispers my partner, Leisa, and sure enough the busy perv descends and churns off towards the deep end.

For first-timers it can be a strange experience in which anxiety and prurient interest struggle for dominance. Credit:Alamy

We're at the historic Palais Thermal baths in the wonderfully named German town of Bad Wildbad. We've arrived pre-dinner, tuckered out by trail walking in the nearby Black Forest. Having read of the enforced nudity section in a brochure  and via an aggrieved web post from a family thrown out for boldly wearing bathers in the "garment-free" area  we're keen to see this Teutonic action before getting stuck into the fabled smoked trout soup at a local cafe.

In the mid-19th century, when the Palais Thermal was built, some of its smaller pools were private bathing alcoves known as "Prince Baths" because only those of royal blood could use them. As cosy as this sounds, men and women were at the time strictly segregated: blokes in Herrenbads, women in Frauenbads ("bad" being the German word for bath), suggesting a lot of blue bloods couldn't be as bad as they might have wished.
As October draws to a close, the quartet of Sun, Mercury, Venus and Jupiter in Scorpio digs deep towards core issues

ARIES: This week stresses the necessity for discretion, so think twice before sharing someone else's private info. There's powerful potential for healing a deep-rooted habit pattern and late week Taurus full moon in your money zone's packed with promise so long as you don't do anything rash. As control issues arise, aim for grace.

Sagittarius, the Archer.

TAURUS: If this week brings what seems like a stubborn standoff or un-budging stalemate, don't underestimate the power of the personal touch. A generous gesture, kind word or offer of help will go a long way to dissolving tension before late week annual full moon in Taurus shines its light on a sensible solution.

GEMINI: With this week astrally designed more for deep thought than small talk, normally chatty conversation turns to serious topics. Strong feelings can be triggered, so have stress-reducing strategies ready. Hint: regular routines are beneficial, especially healthy ones. Late week's indulgent full moon wants you fully enjoying life, fun, friendship and pleasure.
Mary Barton and Jean Reid were the only female, and only lay, teachers at the then boys-only Daramalan College when it opened on February 1, 1962, the rest of teaching staff priests and brothers.

Both returned to the school on Friday for its Feast Day, Mrs Reid, now 102 and living on the South Coast, and Mrs Barton, 77, coming from Adelaide.

The first female teachers at Daramalan College (Jean Reid, 102, and Mary Barton, 77, on Friday with Year 12 students Rosie Coleman, Josh Low-McMahon, Corey Goodberg, and Abby Thomas. They are outside the teaching wing named in Mrs Reid's honour. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

Mrs Barton (nee Donnelly) remembers on that first day 56 years ago, she and Mrs Reid were put into their own staffroom, not least because "poor old Brother Lysaught didn't like women's perfume", but the male-female segregation didn't last long.

"'Til morning tea," Mrs Barton said, with a laugh. "Jean said that was enough and picked up her coffee cup and walked across the hallway [to the male staffroom]."
Waiting times for cancer treatment in the ACT have risen sharply, according to figures just released in ACT Health's annual report.

According to the report, 58 per cent of patients with terminal cancer started their radiotherapy within two weeks of the doctor deciding they needed it (well short of the targeted 90 per cent of patients receiving treatment within that time).

A shortage of staff has been blamed for worsening treatment times for cancer patients. Credit:Jessica Shapiro.

Between 2014 and 2017, at least 80 per cent of cancer patients who needed palliative care each year were treated within two weeks of being diagnosed.

53 per cent of those who were not terminally ill but needed radiation therapy to stop their cancer from spreading were treated within four weeks (also short of a targeted 90 per cent).
When Caterina Fellows catches the tram from her home in Gungahlin to uni or the city next year, the voice she hears telling her Thank you for travelling with us on Canberra light rail might well be her own.

Caterina is one of five college students who will record public announcements for passengers on the trams.

They were among 100 who auditioned to be the "voice of light rail", and were chosen from 12 finalists after auditions at Dickson College on Friday.

Caterina, 18, is a year 12 student from Gungahlin College. She said she heard about the audition from her school drama teacher.
Stacker compiled a list of 25 billionaires who live in some of America's smallest towns, using data from Forbes and the U.S. Census Bureau. For similar lists visit Stacker
A Canberra high school student killed in a tragic accident on a nature reserve on the edge of the city this week was "a lovely young man" who had his whole life ahead of him. He had just got his P plate licence but never got to drive with it. He was due to have his braces removed on Monday.

Seventeen-year-old Adriaan Roodt was in year 10 at Campbell High School but lived in Yass, north-west of Canberra.

The teenager was in a school physical education class at Mount Ainslie, when the accident occurred in the late morning. No details have been released but it is thought to have involved a log. The boy was taken to hospital but died soon after.
Within days of a government minister repaying obscene amounts billed for internet use we learnt this week that one in five Australians regularly struggles to afford food.

The hunger relief organisation Foodbank categorised one in four of these people as having very low food security.

Its worst away from our cities, and when big bills arrive.

Schools respond with volunteer-run breakfast clubs. There are about a dozen across Canberra and Queanbeyan, feeding more than 500 children.
The shed was cooled by electric fans that were over every shoot /The tucker was simply grand/And every night by the billabong we danced to a German band.

It was a dream as wish-fulfillingly fanciful for an intense republican and bleeding-heart like me, as Henry Lawsons shearers dream (described in Lawsons refreshingly sexist verse The Shearers Dream) of a workplace paradise.

She is here in these colonies and is dominating the fluffy news, and so tis no wonder that she is on the troubled mind of your columnist.

Falling asleep while watching Tuesdays live telecast of Question Time in the House of Representatives (all that testosteroney party tribalism, the blokey monotony of Liberal benches bereft of women) I had a dream about the Duchess of Sussex.

In my similarly kaleidoscopic fancy I dreamed that here visiting us and to our region, the Duchess of Sussex, reported to have a social conscience and to be a humanitarian campaigner, spoke out about things. She fumed at our governments vicious treatment of our refugees and asylum-seekers on Nauru and Manus Island. Pregnantly charismatic, compassionate and cool, the government crumbled before her and brought the Nauru and Manus wretches to Australia in a trice.

Then I woke up.

What turbulent emotions are set seething in a sincerely republican Australians bosom by the spectacle of our nation slavering and gibbering at the news of the royal pregnancy! How quickly the royal pregnancy delirium set in, weaving its malignant magic. Even two of my favourite ABC Radio National news and current affairs presenters, women with sharp, sceptical, agnostic minds when it comes to politics and politicians, embarked on serial droolings about the magic of the duchesss pregnancy, at the spellbinding possibility of her sporting a visible regal bump.

Of course us commoners have always known that members of the royal family are a different species from the common herd of us. But even so it comes as a surprise to learn that the pregnant duchess is to have the gestation period not of the average common woman but the far longer one of the average common female rhinoceros or walrus.

The breathless Australian media has been telling us that the baby is due in the spring, which, with next spring not due until September 1, 2019, is a long way away. A human female commoner, only recently impregnated with mere working-class sperm, would expect to have her baby next winter.
Actor Shane Withington, 60, is best known for his roles as John Palmer in Home and Away and Brendan Jones in A Country Practice. He and mother of three Suzette Meade, 43, are fighting to save a heritage site from overdevelopment.

'We started knocking on ministers doors and doing the double act: Shane being the famous person, and me a mum. Credit:Joshua Morris

SHANE: Suzette and I believe passionately in conserving historic buildings, which is how we met in 2015. I was MC at a meeting at NSW Parliament House, which had been called in response to threats to Crown land. This redhead explained that the 30-hectare Cumberland Hospital site in western Sydney's Parramatta had been rezoned by the NSW Government for residential and commercial development.

Stretching from old Parramatta Gaol to the Roman Catholic Orphanage  later the Parramatta Girls Industrial Home  and including the Parramatta Female Factory [the country's first institution for convict women], it's one of Australia's most significant heritage sites. I wanted to help save it, so I gave Suzette my number. She rang me several times, but I was always busy. Then last year, I had a break in my schedule. That's when my involvement began in the campaign to protect this precinct, which also has 77 heritage-listed buildings and significant sites of the Indigenous Darug people.

Suzette is half-mum, half-supercomputer. She has an encyclopaedic memory and is incredibly intelligent. With her background in construction as a project manager, she knows how to read site maps and development applications which, being in the arts, I could never do. Suzette calls me "an old-fashioned activist" but she's very political.
Dont be fooled by its fruity flavours. Smoking shisha for one hour is equivalent to inhaling the volume of smoke from 100 to 200 cigarettes.

A new grassroots campaign will urge water pipe smokers to quit, dispelling the dangerous misconception that the centuries-old pastime is harmless and even purifying.

The Lebanese Muslim Association and South East Sydney Local Health District have joined forces to lead the project backed by a $386,000 NSW government grant to warn people off the water pipes also known as nargila, argileh, hubbly bubbly, hookah and goza.

Smoking shisha for one hour is equivalent to inhaling the volume of smoke from 100 to 200 cigarettes. Credit:Christopher Pearce

They will focus their efforts on areas around Bankstown, Canterbury and St George on Sydney and Bankstown where shisha has slowly grown in popularity at cafes, restaurants and bars.
If all 57 ultimately are accepted, that would leave just 13 on Nauru. And their prospects? "Since May, there's been a ramp-up in the tempo of medical advice" to remove children from Nauru to Australia for medical treatment, says a person involved in the process. "They no longer have to go through an official Australian doctor." The system of medical advice has become much more flexible. Medicos on Nauru can issue advice that they be transferred to Australia. Or, as is now happening more frequently, asylum seekers on Nauru can simply consult a GP in Australia by Skype. It's called telemedicine. Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit: There has been raging political controversy over the quality of medical advice provided to the asylum seekers on Nauru. The government says there are 65 medical staff available; the activists say there are only half as many at any one time.

The government says it has spent hundreds of millions of dollars building a hospital on the island; the activists fret that there is only one qualified psychologist, and it's a Cuban psychologist who only speaks Spanish and has no translator. But the uptake of telemedicine on an island where the internet is readily available makes this increasingly marginal. A Liberal backbencher who has been pressing the government for faster action is pleased: "Anyone with even a stubbed toe is getting approved" for treatment in Australia, he says. In fact, the most common recent diagnoisis is depression. The federal government has been accepting the medical advice in every case. Thirty children - and their families - have been transferred to Australia since May, according to Coleman's briefing to the crossbench MPs.

And while technically only one parent or family member is entitled to travel with a child, in fact the whole family is travelling. Illustration: Jim Pavlidis Credit: "The Commonwealth could take a more robust legal position, but the Federal Court has an unwavering line of decisions in this area," says a government source immersed in the policy. "We don't fight it, and people come here. So there's been no change in 'big P' policy, but there's been a change in 'small p' policy."

The government could appeal every Federal Court decision and delay cases indefinitely. But it's not attempting to. "It's a mutually convenient situation. People in Nauru are on 20-year visas. They get a diagnosis from a pro bono doctor, working with a pro bono lawyer. The diagnosis goes to the Department of Home Affairs or to the Federal Court." Either Home Affairs approves the transfer to Australia for treatment, or the court holds an urgent interlocutory hearing and orders the transfer. "It's government acquiesence in the interplay of the medical and legal systems rather than a structured change of policy through the National Security Committee" of the cabinet, says a government source. Prime Minister Scott Morrison blustered his way through a restatement of policy. Credit:John Veage This is the subtle reality, a reality that doesn't lend itself to the dramatic partisan claim and counter-claim that passes for political debate. It's in the grey zone between the absolutism of the slogans of "stopping the boats" on the one hand and and "bring them here" on the other.

The government does not want to advertise the progress in bringing families to Australia. Because it doesn't want to give the least hint that it's going soft. That, the government says, would be a signal to the people smugglers to "start your engines". And the activists and the Greens don't want to give the government any credit, naturally. Loading And it's true that it doesn't actually solve the problem of what to do with the residual aslyum seekers, the ones who are still on the islands or the ones in Australia for medical reasons. "At one level it's tactically savvy because it takes the heat out of the issue and it makes sense on the ground - if it helps people, that's fine and we all understand that," says a policy maker.

"But it's not a strategic solution. Because eventually the 400-plus people who've come here over the last four or five years will eventually have to go home to Nauru or Manus." Asylum seekers on Nauru are not in detention. They have been free to move and integrate into the community for two years now. They are classifed as temporary residents of Nauru with 20-year visas. Under the terms of their visas, they need to get exit visas from the Nauruan government before leaving for Australia. When they travel to Australia, they can't be issued Australian visas because of the law introduced by the Rudd government that is now accepted bipartisan policy. Refugee processing centre at Nauru. Credit:Clint Deidenang The law not only says that anyone attempting to arrive by boat can never be allowed to settle in Australia. It also says they may not be issued an Australian visa.

So they come to Australia for medical treatment as detainees. The patient will be treated and they and their families housed by a church or NGO under "communty detention". And although it's a pretty relaxed sort of detention as they come and go and live their lives in Australia, they are still detainees technically. This is a policy and political timebomb that will probably detonate under whoever is in government in the next term of parliament. On today's odds, that will likely be a Shorten Labor government. Loading So the situation of asylum seeker families on Nauru is changing faster than is commonly understood, but it's still not changing fast enough. Rebekha Sharkie says: "Even with the number of children down to 70, as we understand it there are still 40 with serious medical need." The policy of stopping the boats, harsh and effective, was an Australian achievement. It precluded the political crisis occuring in countries like Germany where unchecked refugee arrivals has given rise to the return of far-right parties in the Bundestag for the first time since the fall of Hitler.
Loading Superintendent Fleming said police suspected more than one person was involved in the fire. He said there were indications anyone involved may have fire-related injuries. "We know people talk, so if anyone knows anyone that has reason to suspect not only that type of injury but some sort of connection with that area around that time we would very much like to hear from them," he said.

Police are yet to reveal the reason why the fire started or if any kind of accelerant was used. Students displaced by the Morningside State School fire were welcomed at their temporary school on Wednesday, as words of support and donations flooded in from the community. Six classrooms - home to year 2, year 3 and year 4 students - as well as a music room were lost in Tuesday's early-morning fire, destroying almost 100 years of history. The school's 480 students and staff were relocated to Balmoral State High School on Wednesday, so they could resume classes for the rest of the week. Large demountable classrooms have been set up at the Balmoral school to accommodate the Morningside students.

Department of Education regional director Helen Kenworthy said half the high school campus had been cleared for the primary students. Loading "The little anxious ones have actually settled down now and theyre quite happy and ready to go off into the classrooms," she said. Emergency packs of school supplies were delivered to replace what was lost in the fire and computers had been brought in for the students. "Its a really enormous operation, not only with the relocation of the whole school and the resources they need," Ms Kenworthy said.

"Were also going to work through over the weekend to have a look at the site at Morningside with the Department of Environment and see what we can do there with the clearing of the site and getting more temporary buildings ... so the children can be back there next week." Morningside P&C spokeswoman Suzanne Newman said the school's "Fangtastic" fete would go ahead on the final Saturday of the month, October 27, and all money raised would go towards rebuilding the lost classrooms. "The first thing we thought after we got over the shock was, we will have this fete and it's going to be huge," she said. "We would love to say we are going to have the fete at Morningside State School, I think that is becoming increasingly unlikely. In the event we don't hold it at our school, Balmoral State High School has kindly offered for us to have the fete here." The P&C set up a fundraising page where tax-deductible donations can be made.

"Our students are so resilient, to see them all working up hand in hand with their parents and the greeting they received from the Balmoral State High School students who were waiting at the gate and the people who talked to them and reassured them as they entered the hall - it was gorgeous." The children will return to Morningside State School on Tuesday, with Monday a pupil-free day, and demountable buildings will be put on the grounds to replace the lost classrooms. A Department of Education spokesperson said they had been working with the the Department of of Housing and Public Works to undergo the clean-up process and rectification works. "Morningside State School students and staff have successfully completed the week at Balmoral State High School following Tuesday mornings devastating fire," they said.

"There has been tremendous support received from the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and many local business and community organisations." The spokesperson said departmental staff and DHPW would remain onsite over the weekend to continue works while students could prepare to return to Morningside State School next week. "The department is on track for students to be back at Morningside State School next week with the installation of new prefabricated buildings to accommodate students who will return following the student free day on Monday 22 October 2018." Education Minister Grace Grace, who visited Balmoral State High School on Friday, said it was a pleasure to see the Balmoral school welcome students with open arms. "...Its great to be here, great to have visited the site and to of course discuss already the opportunities that open up to for that school so we can rebuild the facilities that will see those students receive the best education in the future as well," she said.
A Queensland woman accused of using a fake terminal cancer diagnosis to get almost $55,000 in donations has been charged with fraud.

Lucy Wieland is accused of using a fake terminal cancer diagnosis to scam people into donating $54,910. Credit:GoFundMe

Lucy Wieland, 27, was arrested on Wednesday after members of the community called police and voiced suspicions about her claims she was suffering from stage five ovarian cancer.

In the backstory on a GoFundMe page which has since been deleted, Ms Wieland claimed she had a year to live after the "aggressive" ovarian cancer spread to her kidneys, liver, pancreas, bowel and stomach lining.

She also said three different specialists had not been able to give any hope of a positive outcome, so she was going to "move away from generic western medicine" and seek alternative treatments.
Chronically ill refugees and asylum seekers on Nauru have waited years for overseas medical transfers recommended by their doctors, a dossier of medical records shows.

An audit of 83 medical records for refugees and asylum seekers - including 17 children, four under the age of five - reveals doctors' recommendations and requests for patients to be transferred overseas for treatment is going unheeded.

A ward in the Republic of Nauru Hospital, 2018.

The deidentified data, seen by Fairfax Media, includes any recommendation for an overseas medical transfer that a doctor notes in a patient's medical records as well as official requests lodged with the governments of Nauru and Australia.

Medicos wanted overseas transfers for at least seven children diagnosed with multiple conditions including severe sepsis, meningoencephalitis, major depressive and anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the audit of the medical records collected by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC).
Millions of dollars are expected to be paid to victims of sexual harassment and predatory behaviour in Victoria Police after the government announced a long-awaited compensation scheme.

It comes as The Age can reveal 24 victims have shared about $600,000 in compensation in the three years since a landmark report was predicted to prompt a wave of complainants to seek restitution.

A Victoria Police redress scheme is to be set up. Credit:Leanne Pickett

The 2015 Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission report exposed a pervasive culture of sexism and harassment within the force and revealed abhorrent stories of rape and assault suffered mostly by female police.

A redress scheme, which included financial compensation for victims, was one of the key recommendations of the report accepted by Victoria Police but it depended on a government commitment.
He pushes this misinformation over and over in order to block much-needed reforms and to encourage unlawful strong-arm tactics, the statement said. Sessions creates the incorrect impression that the only answer to crime is unconstitutional practices by police. This attitude and the malicious repetition of false information demeans the office of Attorney General. Chicago should reject this harmful rhetoric.
A Melbourne doctor and sweet shop owner allegedly forced an Iranian refugee to work 14 hours a day for nothing by threatening to dissolve his body in acid or have him deported to face the death penalty, a tribunal has heard.

Seyyed Ali Farshchi, who came to Australia from Iran more than a decade ago, was charged by Australian Federal Police in January under Commonwealth slavery laws and released on $200,000 bail over the forced labour allegations, which took place between 2015 and 2017.

Details of the accusations were outlined during a recent Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearing in which Dr Farshchi challenged restrictions that were placed on his medical registration after his arrest earlier this year.

Dr Ali Farshchi, Melbourne doctor and sweet shop owner.

Dr Farshchi strenuously denied the forced labour allegations to the tribunal.
But the head of the tram restaurant company, Paul O'Brien, said Yarra Trams had given his company an "impossible" two-week deadline to fix the problem. The state's Bendigo-based tram maintenance workshops were unable to fit restaurant trams into their schedule until 2020, Mr O'Brien said in a statement to media.

In a memo sent to staff, the Colonial Tramcar Restaurant operator said its fleet of mobile, burgundy-coloured restaurants failed safety tests because the wooden structural elements of the vintage trams were badly weathered, "compromising their integrity in a collision.

A "bureaucratic deadlock" has been blamed for the grounding of the well-known Melbourne restaurant tram service, suspended from operating after failing a safety assessment.

"We reject suggestions from Yarra Trams that our iconic rolling restaurants are not safe," Mr O'Brien said. "Yarra Trams has inspected our trams weekly since 2010 and up until two weeks ago had given us the all clear to run. How we can go from safe one week to unsafe the next? It is perplexing to say the least."

The company wants Transport Minister Jacinta Allen to intervene and set a more reasonable deadline on the "bureaucratic deadlock", Mr O'Brien said, warning the current approach would see 60 employees immediately forced out of work.

After 35 years, and more than 3 million customers, the tram restaurants had not had any events that resulted in a serious injury to an employee or customer, he said.

Nicolas Gindt, CEO of Yarra Trams, said the operator would continue to support the tramcar restaurants, but that concerns for the safety of patrons and employees was its primary concern.

While we appreciate that this decision is difficult for the restaurant tram patrons and employees, we cannot allow trams to run on the network that do not meet safety standards, he said.
A Perth man has died in Bali after reportedly crashing his scooter into a church on Thursday.

Callan Jay Everts lost his life in a scooter accident in Bali. (Pictured with his sister Michelle Howard) Credit:Facebook

Callan Everts, 34, was riding back to the villa he was staying at with his friends in Canggu when he crashed into the wall of a church in Kuta.

His sister, Michelle Howard, said the family was beyond devastated.

"He was an absolute gentleman, a professional, and a real family man," she told the ABC.
When newly minted Prime Minister Scott Morrison selected his Cabinet, he gave all of his ministers an Australian flag lapel pin to remind them whose side they were on: "The side of the Australian people." The flag pin has proven to be woefully inadequate for the task.

The actions of the Morrison government over the past week can only be described as an omnishambles. There have been so many snafus that at least one senior press gallery journalist had to refer to written notes just to remember them all in a live interview. Such a series of missteps could not have been scripted without straining credulity, but lets look at a sample.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison gave all of his ministers an Australian flag lapel pin. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Just a day after Background Briefing revealed the NSW Young Nationals had been infiltrated by self-described fascists and neo-Nazis, the office of the premier law officer of Australia, the Attorney-General, instructed government senators to support a motion from Australias chief xenophobic party that its OK to be white  a white supremacist slogan. It was explained away as an "administrative error" and the government recommitted the vote, but the damage was done. At best, the government proved itself incompetent, filled with senators who vote blindly without knowing what they are voting on and, at worst, the government proved itself comfortable dancing to One Nations tune.

Next, the Liberal National Coalition government floated the idea of moving Australias embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in a naked appeal to Jewish voters in Wentworth. This move threatened a free trade agreement with Indonesia, whose Foreign Minister gave our Foreign Minister a bollocking in a series of messages, which then leaked to the media. It was then reported that ASIO had advised the government against moving the embassy, citing concerns that it could incite violence, advice that also leaked to the media. The electorate is resigned to a certain amount of pork barrelling at election time, but to ignore ASIO advice and float changes to bipartisan foreign policy that angers allies, that could incite violence and that puts trade at risk is cynical politics at its worst.
Its been the location of unwanted graffiti, firebugs, and of course a much needed distraction for thousands of kids on the winding drive from Canberra to the coast, and now Poohs Corner on the Clyde Mountain is the subject of a university study.

Pooh Bear's Corner has been a much-loved highlight of the Kings Highway for almost 50 years. Credit:Phill Sledge

The hazardous hairpin corner and its proliferation of soft toys is being studied by a group of researchers at the Research School of Management at the ANU who are investigating the practise of tourist marginalia, or put simply, the practices of tourists leaving stuff behind.

The ANUs Research Bear at Poohs Corner. Credit:Toni Eagar

What people leave to mark their presence in certain places can be viewed as either trash or treasure by different stakeholders, reports Dr Toni Eagar, lead investigator, adding a key part of our research involves interviewing peoples experiences with Poohs Corner.
'I want you to be Australias first female prime minister' Then prime minister Kevn Rudd with his deputy Julia Gillard in December 2008. Credit:Andrew Meares Alister, my chief of staff, maintained his practice of walking with Julia in the mornings of parliamentary sitting weeks. One morning in February, to his great surprise, she spoke to him openly of the need to kill both the CPRS and the idea of a double dissolution. She feared we would lose the next election unless we changed course and, she told Alister, Mark Arbib shared her view. Alister recommended I call her in for another chat. Loading

So in early February, I asked what was bugging her. She was not forthcoming. She kept returning to her simple message that the CPRS was now electoral poison and that she would die in the ditch over any attempt to hold a double D. I replied that we should continue to talk these things through with the colleagues. There was no particular urgency to make a decision. I then mentioned the unmentionable: Julia, you do realise that I dont intend to be prime minister for life? I have no intention of passing [John] Howards record. In fact, I have no intention of passing [Bob] Hawkes record. This is a killing job, which you yourself will discover one day, not too many years hence. She stared at me silently, intently. I continued: Not only do I want you to be Australias first female prime minister, I want to smooth the way for that. In fact, I want to be part of making it happen. At that point she became visibly uncomfortable and asked me to drop the subject. I ignored her and said what I was feeling. I want to win the 2010 election, win the 2013 election, and leave at some point during a third term.

Julia just looked at me. Silently. Impassively. Then, saying she had a meeting to go to, she rose and walked out. 'An atmosphere of crisis' The morning of Wednesday, 23 June, began with the familiar drive from the Lodge to Parliament House. When I arrived in the office, Alister greeted me with the front page of The Sydney Morning Herald. My chief of staff, always unflappable, was shaken. He had just got off the phone from Gillard. The subject of the conversation was an article by Peter Hartcher, the Heralds political and international editor, with the headline: Rudds secret polling on his leadership. It claimed Alister had been ringing around the parliamentary party the day before asking for pledges of support against a leadership challenge from Gillard. He told me that Gillard was beside herself at the idea that her loyalty had been called into question. The real problem, however, was that the story wasnt true. Nonetheless, the briefing of the story was a clever play by those who had done so, given that Hartcher had long been seen in the press gallery as close to me. Whatever the truth of my relationship with Peter Hartcher  and it was infinitely more complex than that  the impression had been given that someone close to me had deliberately leaked the story. Its effect was immediate. It created an atmosphere of crisis when before there was none. This suited Arbib, Feeney and those plotting the coup down to the ground. They needed a catalyst to act. Now they had one. Alister suggested I go and see Gillard, so I walked around to her office. There she sat, grim-faced, glasses on, showing not a flicker of human emotion, yellow highlighter pen in hand, forensically marking up the offending column, identifying clues as to its pedigree. I had seen Gillard do this many times before. However, this was the first time she had accused my own office of being the guilty party. I told her she was just plain wrong. I said that the whole purpose of the story had been to drive a wedge between the two of us. She remained unconvinced, though gave no reason as to why.

'In the face of absolute treachery' Then treasurer Wayne Swan and prime minister Kevin Rudd announce the economic stimulus package in 2008. Credit:Glen McCurtayne Late that afternoon, the factional chieftains of the national right  Arbib, Swan, Stephen Conroy, David Feeney and Don Farrell  decided, with Gillards concurrence, to finally let slip the dogs of war. They set about briefing caucus members with polling research that Arbib, Feeney and Karl Bitar had produced. Caucus members were told that the only way we could possibly survive the next election was to remove the prime minister and replace him with Gillard. The word soon came back to my office from caucus members. I called Swan on his office phone direct, something I rarely did. He answered, not knowing it was me. Whats happening? I asked.

I told them not to do it, he replied.

Do what?

Challenge, he said.

So what are you doing, Wayne?

There was a long silence before the fateful reply: Ill be voting for change.

So you told them not to challenge, but now you tell me youre voting for change. How does that stack up?

Another silence, then: Im with Julia.

So after all these years, Wayne  when you pleaded with me to be made shadow treasurer despite doing everything you could to oppose me before I became leader, and after pledging your loyalty here in this very office when I appointed you treasurer  youre doing this?

Silence. Goodbye, Wayne. I hung up. There was nothing else to be said in the face of absolute treachery.

'Why are you really doing this?' Then deputy prime minister Julia Gillard makes her way back to her Parliament House office after a meeting with then PM Kevin Rudd on June 23, 2010. Credit:Glen McCurtayne At around 9 pm, Gillard showed up. Her eyes were cold as she said was challenging for the leadership. I said Id already assumed that, though I had found out from the news reports, not from her. What was her reason for challenging? I asked. She said she didnt believe we could win the election due by years end under my leadership. I asked her for evidence. She referred to party research. I asked to see it. She declined.

I pointed to the two-party-preferred Newspoll from two days before which had us comfortably ahead, just as we had been for 84 of the previous 86 Newspolls. To this she had no answer. I then asked her straight out: Why are you really doing this? I warned her that she had been badly advised by her new supporters from the right faction. I also reminded her of the conversation Id had with her back in February, when we Id declared my intention of overseeing an orderly transition to her as the next leader. Gillard disputed none of this. She just sat there, saying nothing. I then asked if she would postpone her challenge for the leadership until November, just before the next election was due. I said that if John Faulkner concluded at that time that the party could not then win with me as its leader, based on the partys real research, then I would resign in her favour. Kevin Rudd during a June 23, 2010, press conference where he declared there would be a ballot for the Labor leadership. Credit:Andrew Meares

Suddenly she was interested. And nearly an hour and a quarter later she agreed: the coup would not proceed. We shook on it, with Faulkner present throughout the entire conversation. While I went to prepare a statement for the media confirming that our political disagreement had been resolved, Gillard left the room. Barely three minutes later she returned and reneged on the deal. She then said, again without the slightest emotion, Im now asking you for a ballot. Appalled, I said to her, Youve just repudiated an agreement we shook hands on only five minutes ago. She just nodded and then, reluctantly, said, Yes. It turned out that the whole deal had been nothing but a tactic. I had been distracted for two precious hours in honest search of a resolution, while Gillards supporters had run amok across the caucus and the media. By then it was too late to organise a counterattack. The die had been cast.
Kevin Rudd offered Julia Gillard a Kirribilli-style pact where he would resign as prime minister to contest the United Nations top job, according to a new account of the Labor leadership implosion that was a catalyst for a decade of political instability in Canberra.

Mr Rudd made the offer in February 2010 and claims he now realises Ms Gillard's refusal to engage in the conversation was a sign his deputy was plotting to oust him for many months.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd's new book will make for uncomfortable reading for the Labor Party. Credit:Alina Gozin'a

The revelation is contained in Mr Rudd's new book, The PM Years, where he recounts the full exchange with Ms Gillard in the prime minister's suite at Parliament House for the first time.

Mr Rudd writes: "'Julia, you do realise that I dont intend to be prime minister for life? I have no intention of passing Howards record. In fact, I have no intention of passing Hawkes record. This is a killing job, which you yourself will discover one day, not too many years hence.'
Barack Obamas chief negotiator on the Iran nuclear deal has questioned whether the Morrison governments review of its support for the agreement can find any better way to stop the country building an atomic bomb.

Another key former US official has gone even further, warning a withdrawal of support by Australia could help embolden Iranian hardliners to back out of their countrys own commitments and adding he would "hate to see Australia make the same error" as US President Donald Trump by ditching the deal.

US President Donald Trump shows a signed memorandum to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal. Credit:AP

Wendy Sherman, the US diplomat who led six rounds of talks with Iran over four years, urged Australia to assess its own security interests, talk to allies and partners and really look at the alternatives and see whether theres a concerted strategy that would work better.

Right now I see the absence of a strategy, not so much a strategy that will get to some better place, she told Fairfax Media.
When she was managing director, ABC staff used to wince over Michelle Guthries nervous media performances, doubting she had the mettle for the top job.

Since shes been sacked, though, she has more than demonstrated her capacity as a street fighter. Shes already toppled chairman Justin Milne and now shes going after the rest of the board.

The ABC board sacked managing director Michelle Guthrie last month. Credit:AAP

And its a safe bet that more revelations are coming about what she claims to be intolerable pressure from Milne to pander to the government of his friend, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.

So too, inevitably, will more details emerge about the ham-fisted manner in which the board got rid of her, which has to go down in history as one of the most inept sackings of a chief executive of any public corporation, let alone a cherished, publicly-owned national institution like the ABC.
The Liberal candidate Dave Sharma will be urged to contest Wentworth in next year's general election as the party concedes it faces a historic loss in the blue-ribbon Sydney seat.

High-profile independent Kerryn Phelps has emerged the favourite to win Saturday's byelection but senior Liberals are desperate to ensure Mr Sharma does not abandon his political ambitions.

A senior party source said Mr Sharma had run an "impeccable campaign" but forces outside his control "have made it close to impossible for him".

Dave Sharma is being urged to run in the election next year. Credit:Nick Moir

"We would certainly want him to run again, he is an incredible candidate and there would be no one better than him," the source said.
The two women then pulled their cars over, got out and continued to argue. When Garcia tried to leave, McGrath blocked her car, prosecutors said. Garcia grabbed McGrath by the hair and shoulders and shoved her, trying to get her to move her car, according to prosecutors.
A two-month-old baby boy missing with his parents for a month has been found safe and well.

Lauren Summers, Muhammad Durrani and their son Eesa Durrani were last seen in Yarraville, in Melbourne's inner-west on September 20.

Lauren Summers, and two month old baby Eesa Durrani had been missing for the last month.

Police had concerns about Eesa's welfare due to his age.
WA's opposition has questioned the independence of an inquiry into the North Metropolitan Health Service after it was revealed it will be conducted by the chief of staff to former Labor health minister Jim McGinty.

The inquiry was organised in the lead-up to the release of a damning report into corrupt practices in the NMHS by the Corruption and Crime Commission in August.

Former WA Labor staffer Danny Cloghan has picked up a $150,000 contract with the health service chaired by his former boss Jim McGinty.

It will be conducted by Danny Cloghan, who will be paid about $150,000 for the job, according to answers to parliamentary questions.

He was employed to "review to evaluate and identify any issues related to the governance and effectiveness of the workforce and integrity functions of North Metropolitan Health Service".
Environment Minister Stephen Dawson has voted in Parliament against a ban on fruit and vegetable plastic bags despite telling reporters this week he was "ready to act" and shoppers should just stick their apples in baskets instead.

After extensive public consultation and a comprehensive discussion paper, the government decided against including "barrier bags"  used by shoppers to carry loose fruit and vegetables  in its ban, possibly because the same bags are used for meat and fish, with complex related food safety regulations to consider.

Mr Dawson did not voice his strong feelings about the barrier bags at the time.

But he told Gareth Parker on 6PR's Morning Show on Monday he was "ready to act" on supermarket plastics.
Beijing: Chinese economic growth has slowed to its lowest level since the end of the global financial crisis in 2009.

China's economic heavy-hitters put out rare public statements to reassure investors of the country's financial stability on Friday, after releasing a slower than expected third-quarter gross domestic product figure of 6.5 per cent, and amid a falling stock market.

Most analysts had predicted 6.6 per cent GDP.

China's GDP is at the lowest for a decade. Credit:Bloomberg

US President Donald Trump, who has claimed China's economy is hurting because of his trade war tariffs, is likely to jump on the news.
Moscow: Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has said that Wednesday's mass school shooting in Crimea was the result of "globalisation" and the continuation of an American trend.

"It's a result of globalisation. On social media, on the internet, we see that there is a whole community that has been created. Everything started with the tragic events in schools in the US," he said at a forum in Sochi, adding that unstable young people were creating "fake heroes for themselves" and "reaching out for a surrogate for heroism in the absence of the real thing".

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He went on: "We're not creating healthy [internet] content for young people... which leads to tragedies of this kind."
Moscow: It was an unusual job advert. Wanted: Cat chief. Location: Zelenogradsk, Russia: Duties: Tending to the town's approximately 70 stray cats.

Zelenograd's monument to its cats. Credit:Alamy

Some 80 applicants applied for the new role with the municipality in the small town in the Kaliningrad region, which has also erected a cat statue and added a feline to its emblem in a bid to rebrand itself as Russia's foremost cat-loving community.

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In the end, local resident Svetlana Logunova was appointed guardian of the town's felines. To help her with the task, she was given a bicycle and uniform, including a bright green jacket, black bow tie and hat.
Washington: A note from Karen Attiah, Washington Post Global Opinions editor:

I received this column from Jamal Khashoggi's translator and assistant the day after Jamal was reported missing in Istanbul. The Post held off publishing it because we hoped Jamal would come back to us so that he and I could edit it together. Now I have to accept that is not going to happen. This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for. I will be forever grateful he chose The Post as his final journalistic home one year ago and gave us the chance to work together.

I was recently online looking at the 2018 Freedom in the World report published by Freedom House and came to a grave realisation. There is only one country in the Arab world that has been classified as "free". That nation is Tunisia. Jordan, Morocco and Kuwait come second, with a classification of "partly free". The rest of the countries in the Arab world are classified as "not free".

As a result, Arabs living in these countries are either uninformed or misinformed. They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative. Sadly, this situation is unlikely to change.
Ankara: Saudi Arabian prosecutors have said they believe Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in a quarrel. A royal court adviser close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been fired.

State media also quotes prosecutors as saying that 18 Saudi nationals are being held on suspicion of being involved in the Khashoggi's death.

A statement from the Saudi public prosecutor said a fight broke out between Khashoggi and people who met him in the consulate and led to his death.

"The investigations are still underway and 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested," the statement on state media said, adding that royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed Asiri have been fired from their positions.
The complaint also contained several still-frame images of some of the groups more disturbing propaganda campaigns. One taken from a video disseminated by the group online last December showed a present containing a ticking bomb placed under a Christmas tree and surrounded by children, according to the complaint. Another featured a headless Santa Claus sitting in a rocking chair under the slogan saying the presents are on their way.
A story in far-right FrontPage magazine casts Khashoggi as a "cynical and manipulative apologist for Islamic terrorism, not the mythical martyred dissident whose disappearance the media has spent the worst part of a week raving about," and features a garish cartoon of bin Laden and Khashoggi with their arms around each other. Trump wants to take a soft line so Trump supporters are finding excuses for him to take it. William Kristol, conservative Trump critic The conservative push comes as Saudi government supporters on Twitter have sought in a propaganda campaign to denigrate Khashoggi as a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement once tolerated but now outlawed in Saudi Arabia as a terrorist organisation. "Trump wants to take a soft line so Trump supporters are finding excuses for him to take it," said William Kristol, a conservative Trump critic. "One of those excuses is attacking the person who was murdered." Jamal Khashoggi walking into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Inset: Khashoggi and his fiancee Hatice Cengiz. Credit:AP

Several Trump administration aides are aware of the Khashoggi attacks circulating on Capitol Hill and in conservative media, the GOP officials said, adding that aides are being careful to not encourage the disparagement but are also doing little to contest it. The GOP officials declined to share the names of the lawmakers and others who are circulating information critical of Khashoggi because they said doing so would risk exposing them as sources. Loading Fred Hiatt, The Washington Post's editorial page editor who published Khashoggi's work, sharply criticised the false and distorted claims about Khashoggi, who is feared to have been killed and dismembered by Saudi operatives. "As anyone knows who knew Jamal - or read his columns - he was dedicated to the values of free speech and open debate. He went into exile to promote those values, and now he may even have lost his life for his dogged determination in their defense," Hiatt said in a statement. "It may not be surprising that some Saudi-inspired trolls are now trying to distract us from the crime by smearing Jamal. It may not even be surprising to see a few Americans joining in. But in both cases it is reprehensible."

Trump said on Thursday it appears Khashoggi was dead and warned that his administration could consider "very severe" measures against Saudi Arabia, which is conducting its own self-investigation. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also announced that he would not attend the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia next week, delivering the Trump administration's first formal rebuke of Saudi's royal family. Loading "The President is concerned. He believes the relationship is important, so do I, but he also understands he's a leader on the world stage and everybody is watching and he is very concerned," said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who met with Trump on Thursday. Trump, whose grip on his party remains strong less than three weeks before the midterm elections, has seen his cautious approach to Saudi Arabia bolstered not only by the maligning of Khashoggi, but also by a conservative media infrastructure that is generally wary of the media and establishment Republicans. As criticism of Trump grows, powerful players in that orbit have stood by the President. "Donald Trump is keeping his eye on the ball, keeping his eye on the geopolitical ball, the national security ball. He's not going to get sidetracked by what happened to a journalist, maybe, in the consulate there. He's not giving cover to anybody," syndicated talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh said Tuesday.

Loading "For those who are screaming blood for the Saudis - look, these people are key allies," evangelical leader Pat Robertson said this week. "We've got an arms deal that everybody wanted a piece of. . . . It'll be a lot of jobs, a lot of money come to our coffers. It's not something you want to blow up willy-nilly." Some Republicans on Capitol Hill, on the other hand, are discussing the possibility of legislative action against Saudi Arabia or other ways to lessen U.S. support. Intelligence community officials this week have been providing continuous briefings on the investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance to the intelligence committees, whose members enjoy special clearance to view and hear sensitive information. But in both the House and Senate, lawmakers without such clearance, including the leading Republicans on foreign policy matters, have grown frustrated with what many see as a deliberate attempt by the Trump administration to slow-walk responses to congressional requests for information about Khashoggi's disappearance, or in some cases ignore lawmakers' questions outright.

Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Democrat Senator Robert Menendez, have taken the step of invoking the Global Magnitsky Act to force Trump to report to Congress on whether people should be sanctioned over Khashoggi's alleged death, including Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Yet there has been little confidence among senators that Trump will suddenly feel pressure to sanction high-ranking Saudi officials or take other strong punitive measures. A man inspects the site of a deadly Saudi-led coalition airstrike that killed a bus load of school children in Saada, Yemen. Credit:AP In the House, a perceived lack of cooperation from the White House on Khashoggi has compelled some Republicans to take new interest in a bill to invoke the War Powers Resolution to curtail US military support for the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen's civil war. But the legislation has not secured the support of leading Republicans on foreign policy. Last year, the House voted 366 to 30 to approve a non-binding resolution stating that the United States' support for the Saudi-led coalition had not been congressionally authorised - an effort that did not rattle the administration, which continued to build its relationships with Saudi royalty.
A Russian woman, allegedly one of the masterminds behind a conspiracy to interfere in both the 2016 and 2018 elections, was charged in the US on Friday in relation to attempts to corrupt next month's congressional midterm vote.

The woman, identified as Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova of St. Petersburg, Russia, allegedly served as the chief accountant for an operation known as "Project Lakhta," the Justice Department said pn Friday in a statement. The department identified the operation as 'a Russian umbrella effort funded by Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin and two companies he controls, Concord Management and Consulting LLC, and Concord Catering.'

The charges come as top US law enforcement and intelligence agencies warn Americans about ongoing efforts by Russia, China and other foreign actors to interfere in the 2018 midterm and 2020 presidential elections.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping after their news conference at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Russia, Credit:Sergei Chirikov/Pool Photo via AP

The charges announced on Friday centred on a conspiracy that included the creation of thousands of social media and email accounts that appeared to be run by US persons as part of what the conspirators referred to as "information warfare against the United States."
Reno, Nevada: They were the toast of Reno in the 1950s, when the growing casino industry sparked a boom that for a time turned northern Nevada into the West's top gambling destination.

Dozens of downtown motor lodges provided spare but comfortable retreats for motorists who took to the nation's new highways to see the bright lights of the self-proclaimed "Biggest Little City in the World" and try their luck at the slot machines and blackjack tables.

Today, the lodges still standing are in disrepair and rent rooms by the week. But there is one similarity to their heyday: Reno is booming again and so are the lodges  just not with vacationers or fortune-seekers.

Reno's Fireside Inn motel, once filled with fortune seekers and holiday makers, now a last resort for the Nevada city's down and out. Credit:AP

They have become the housing of last resort for Reno's down-and-out, a population that has soared in recent years as a red-hot housing and rental market has priced out more and more people.
PHILIPSBURG:--- SHTA thanks the Netherlands for the generous support, primarily provided through the Trust Fund set up with the World Bank but also the funds spent on early help and recovery projects as well as the liquidity support provided to our Government. Without these efforts, St. Maarten would today be much worse off than it is at this moment.

The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) while not actually containing any form of planning does provide an overview of the total damage, losses and needs arising from the hurricane Irma disaster. SHTA commends our Government and civil servants for staying the course when prioritizing projects on which to spend the financial support funds provided through the World Bank. The training and education program executed by the St. Maarten Training Foundation is a good example of what can be achieved through understanding and cooperation.

Unfortunately, over the years, the relationship of trust between the Government (representatives) of the Netherlands and the Government (representatives) of St. Maarten deteriorated to such a low level that the successful and (relatively) efficient execution of similar efforts after the hurricanes Luis (1995) and Lenny (1999) could not be repeated. Instead, the Netherlands opted for interposing the World Bank for the disbursements and accountability of the available funds. While SHTA acknowledges the efforts and hard work provided by the people of the World Bank, the civil servants from both St. Maarten and the Netherlands, as well as other Government officials, it cannot be denied that the direly necessary projects are bogged down in procedures and red tape.

SHTA would like to echo the original request made by the Governor to the Formateur of our current Government Coalition, specially ensuring that among the many projects emphasis be given to the recovery of the tourism sector. So far, actions of the World Bank and the Economic Recovery Plan do not show this emphasis.

Today, more than 13 months after the storm, not 1 cent has been spent on real economic recovery in the form of support for the business sector recovery. From information received during several meetings and discussions with World Bank representatives it appears that developing the required regulatory infrastructure and going through the process will take at least until May  June 2019. This means that the business recovery funding will most likely not be provided to businesses effected by Irma who by that time have been (forced to decide to) closed indefinitely but to new businesses starting up.

Even though it would, in SHTAs view, still be economic recovery it is no longer business recovery in a literal sense. Even though it is unclear to SHTA whether such recovery is even allowed under the Trust Terms agreed upon between the Netherlands, St. Maarten and the World Bank, the business owners that were forced to close will call it covering the well after the calf has drowned.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Working in a visible spot has it perks for the Kidz at Sea. They have set up their workshop under the dinghy tent on the Budget Marine premises. The hardworking group of rotating youngsters has been busy reconstructing a Lighting for 3 months on the grounds of Budget Marine with their team leader Jon Westmoreland, a seasoned local sailor. They certainly have been noticed by the regular customers of Budget Marine.

Roger Smith from Maintec, a daily customer at Budget Marine, won an in-store raffle of an Ancor Toolbag containing brand new Ancor tools with a value of $250. As he has been making conversation with the boys outside, he knew their next project would involve electrical work. When claiming his prize he announced to Ellen van Holland Little that he will be donating this wonderful Ancor Toolbag and tools to the Kidz at Sea! This comes in very handy for our next project, especially the crimping tool. said Garth Steyn, the main driver of the Kidz At Sea initiative and the Build YourFuture Program.

The Kidz At Sea Foundation plays a vital role in getting local vocational school children and young adults interested in waterborne activities that will hopefully lead them into a career in the marine industry. Ellen van Holland-Little of Budget Marine St.Maarten added: Budget Marine could not be happier with the events that took place as these kids are the future of our industry. We invite our customers to encourage the team busy on the Budget Marine premises when coming to the store.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Following the workshops held in May and June 2018 for the Emergency Support Functions Evacuation, Shelters, Relief & Mass Care (ESF 7), Dutch Disaster Management experts Suzanne Robijn and Viola van Baardwijk of VNG International held a table-top exercise on Tuesday October 16th, 2018. The chosen scenario for the exercise was an earthquake followed by a tsunami. They were supported by professor Zoran Vojinovic of IHE Delft, an international research and education institute on water management.

The goal of the table-top exercise was to get the Disaster Plan for ESF7, developed by the Dutch experts of VNG International, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs of St Maarten, finalized. During the table-top exercise the plan, including the new Emergency Management Structure and the task charts, was tested.

Zoran Vojinovich showed with simulation models what impact the scenarios had on the island. A Tsunami Alert gave the participants the opportunity to prepare for Evacuation, Sheltering and Distribution of food and water. In the second phase of the exercise the Tsunami hit the island and devastated 50% of the infrastructure and multiple casualties. The participants dealt with many challenges and tried to help out as many people as possible.

All the participants showed involvement, commitment, strength and knowledge of their tasks.

Choosing a different kind of risk by working out a scenario of a tsunami made everyone realize that the current draft of the Disaster Plan should contain the possibilities of handling different kinds of scenarios, instead of mainly focussing on hurricanes.

The next step will be to finalize and formalize the Disaster Plan. In November, 2018 there will be an extended exercise with multiple ESFs. The Disaster Plan for ESF 7 should by then be ready to work with.
PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- Several departments within the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), will close at 12 noon on Friday, October 19.

The closure is in connection with an extended staff meeting.

The departments that will close at 12 noon are Inspectorate; Public Health, Social Development & Labour; Collective Prevention Service; Baby Clinic; Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs Department; Social Services & Labour Department.

Ministry VSA apologizes to the public for any inconvenience that this may cause.
PHILIPSBURG:--- SMILE (Sint Maarten Innovation, Initiatives & Industries Linkup Event) will take place on November 2 and 3 at the University of St. Martin (USM).

It is an event that is open to the private sector, Government and USM students.

The organizers behind SMILE are the Sint Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), the Chamber of Commerce & Industry, ORCO Bank, Global Resourcing, and 360 of Innovation.

There will be workshops by the World Bank about the tendering process for rebuilding projects; social media strategy; customer experience, SXM tendering law; tax compliance; digital business on Sint Maarten; CPR training; international and Caribbean business networking; hydroponic agriculture and applying for Qredits funding for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Certain business sectors will be providing updates such as ORCO (housing project for professionals), Port St. Maarten, the Maho Group and GreenBox.

The networking conference is a much-needed event at this juncture in building back better. All local businesses interested should have the opportunity to be part of the phase of rebuilding the country.

There will be a number of valuable presentations and workshops providing a wealth of information about doing business differently after Irma.

This is where local businesses can find a niche that they can develop which can only enhance the economic development and ingenuity that is needed to continue moving the country forward in these challenging times.

I encourage our business community to take part and learn about innovation and sustainable development that will be playing a key role in the post-Irma economy, Minister of Tourism & Economic Affairs Stuart Johnson said on Thursday.
Software AG Significantly Increases Revenue and Earnings in Q3

Posted by Publisher Internet

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Group licenses +29 percent, revenue +7 percent

Cloud?&?IoT revenue +144?percent, ARR +111percent

Digital Business Platform licenses +15?percent, product revenue +8?percent

Adabas & Natural licenses +48?percent, product revenue +11?percent

EBIT +8?percent, operating profit margin (non-IFRS) 30.5?percent, net income +13?percent

2018 outlook confirmed

[Unless otherwise stated, all percentages are rounded at constant currency to reflect year-on-year comparisons.]

Software?AG (Frankfurt MDAX: SOW) today released its financial results (IFRS, preliminary) for the third quarter of 2018. A growing number of large corporations worldwide chose Software AG\-\-s leading technology to implement their digitalization strategies. Demand for the Germany based company?s solutions is especially high in the rapidly growing, global Internet of Things (IoT) market. The company?s new Cloud?&?IoT business continued its dynamic growth in the third quarter with ?9.1 million in total revenue, an increase of 144 percent. Fueled by high demand for independent, open and cloud-based platforms, annual recurring revenue (ARR) in the Cloud?&?IoT business increased by 111 percent. Furthermore, license revenue from Software?AG?s Digital Business Platform (excl. Cloud?&?IoT) rose by 15 percent to total ?37.1 million. The Adabas & Natural (A&N) database business also continued on a positive course. Thanks to above-average license growth at 48 percent, total revenue in this business line rose 11 percent to ?52.3 million (2017:?48.9 million) in the quarter under review. In addition to revenue growth in all product business lines, Software?AG also increased its profitability. Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) improved to ?54.5 million (2017: ?50.4 million). Operating earnings (EBITA, non-IFRS) increased to ?63.8 million (2017: ?63.6 million). This resulted in an operating margin (EBITA, non-IFRS) of 30.5 percent (2017: 32.2 percent). At ?38.1 million (2017: ?33.8 million) income after taxes also increased by 13 percent year-on-year.

Sanjay Brahmawar, CEO of Software?AG, commented, ?I?m extremely proud of our team for delivering a solid Q3, with revenue growth in all product lines. Our customers tell me that our technology is integral and strategic to their business and these strong results demonstrate the continued trust they have in us. Combining innovative IoT solutions with a leading core integration platform gives us a unique position in the global software market; something on which we will continue to build.?

Software?AG?s CFO Arnd Zinnhardt added, ?The strong revenue performance in the Cloud?&?IoT business illustrates the dynamism of this rapidly growing market. Our acquisition of Built.io in the third quarter was a further step toward completing our cloud portfolio. ARR is the key indicator of successful development of our Cloud?&?IoT business alongside growing profitability.?

Business Line Performance

Up 144 percent year-on-year,?DBP Cloud?&?IoT?revenue demonstrated robust growth to total ?9.1?million (2017: ?3.7 million).?ARR?in the Cloud?&?IoT business grew more than 100?percent. The growth trend in the IoT business line was fueled by ever greater customer demand and strengthened by Software?AG?s extensive partner network. The company recently expanded its IoT partnership with Dell.?DBP (excl. Cloud?&?IoT)?license revenue climbed 15?percent to ?37.1?million (2017: ?32.5 million) in the third quarter. Maintenance revenue was ?67.7 million (2017: ?64.9 million), which reflects 5 percent growth over the previous year. Accordingly, DBP product revenue totaled ?104.7?million (2017: ?97.5 million) in the third quarter of 2018, an increase of about 8?percent. The?Digital Business Platform (DBP)?business line including Cloud?&?IoT generated ?113.8 million (2017: ?101.2 million) in total revenue in the third quarter of 2018, reflecting 13 percent growth.

The?Adabas & Natural (A&N)?business line continued to perform extremely well. Of particular note was the 48 percent increase in license revenue totaling ?16.1 million (2017: ?11.3 million) in the third quarter. Maintenance revenue was ?36.0?million (2017: ?37.4 million). A&N product revenue grew 11 percent to total ?52.1?million (2017: ?48.7 million). This overall positive performance underlines the stability of this segment and the high degree of loyalty of the A&N customer base. Software?AG?s Adabas?&?Natural?2050+ innovation program provides customers with long-term investment protection and plays a strategic role in modernizing their IT landscapes. Based on A&N?s highly stable pipeline and the associated predictability, the outlook for 2018 was confirmed.

Third-quarter revenue in the?Consulting?business line was ?42.7?million (2017: ?47.2?million).

Total Revenue and Earnings Performance

Despite negative currency translation effects totaling -?3.2million, Software?AG booked ?208.8 million (2017: ?197.3 million)?in?total revenue?in the period under review, a rise of 7?percent at constant currency. This growth is due primarily to the strong performance of?Group license revenue,which increased 30 percent to ?56.7?million (2017: ?44.5 million).?Group maintenance?revenuetotaled ?104.7?million (2017: ?103.0 million), that is 3?percent growth. Accordingly, Software?AG?s total third-quarter?product revenue?(licenses?+?maintenance) rose 13?percent to ?165.9?million (2017: ?149.9 million).

The company?s third-quarter?EBIT?was ?54.5?million (2017: ?50.4 million). This reflects an?EBIT margin?of 26.1 percent (2017: 25.5 percent). At ?63.8 million (2017: ?63.6 million),?operating earnings?(EBITA,?non-IFRS) also performed well in the quarter. Accordingly, the?operating profit margin?(non-IFRS) was 30.5?percent (2017: 32.2?percent).

2018 Outlook

Software?AG has confirmed its April 13 outlook for fiscal 2018. Based on the expectations of business performance in the next three months, Software?AG?s Management Board continues to anticipate an operating profit margin (EBITA, non-IFRS) between 30.0 and 32.0 percent for the 2018 fiscal year. Digital Business Platform revenue, excl. DBP Cloud?&?IoT, is expected to increase between 3 and 7 percent. DBP Cloud?&?IoT revenue is expected to increase between 100 and 135 percent. The revenue growth target for the Adabas?&?Natural database business line remains unchanged between -6 and -2?percent. Software?AG assumes earnings per share (EPS, non-IFRS) will increase between 5?and?15 percent.

Software AG (Frankfurt MDAX: SOW) helps companies with their digital transformation. With Software AG\-\-s Digital Business Platform, companies can better interact with their customers and bring them on new \-\-digital\-\- journeys, promote unique value propositions, and create new business opportunities. In the Internet of Things (IoT) market, Software AG enables enterprises to integrate, connect and manage IoT components as well as analyze data and predict future events based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Digital Business Platform is built on decades of uncompromising software development, IT experience and technological leadership. Software AG has more than 4,500 employees, is active in 70 countries and had revenues of ?879 million in 2017.

To learn more, visit www.softwareag.com.
83 percent of UK consumers unsure of fintech, according to wide-ranging survey

Posted by Publisher Telecommunication

19 October 2018, London, UK: More than eight out of ten people in Britain (83 percent) are \-\-unsure\-\- of fintech, according to a survey of 2,000 UK consumers commissioned by TopLine Comms.

Fintech companies leverage technology to offer financial services. Despite the fintech sector in the UK thriving, attracting more fintech investment than China and the US in H1 2018, the research shows UK consumers are still wary of new finance companies, and feel more comfortable using the services of traditional banks.

Just under two thirds (61 percent) said they would only feel comfortable depositing up to ?500 of their own money in a mobile only bank account. A further nine out of ten people in Britain (87 percent) said that they trust that their money is safe with their current bank  just five years after Mark Carney, now Bank of England Governor warned that lack of public confidence in banks was holding back economic recovery.

\So many fintech businesses exist to offer the consumer a simpler, more rewarding and more convenient financial services experience. But, the potential of these platforms isn\-\-t resonating with UK consumers. They simply don\-\-t view fintechs as a viable alternative to traditional banks  yet\, says Luke Budka, a director at TopLine Comms.

\Fintech needs to do more to promote itself and educate consumers on services and their advantages\, says Kimling Lam, SVP marketing at online payment service provider Checkout.com. \Undoubtedly it is a thriving industry, particularly in London, but it?s up to the industry as a whole to show people that technological innovation is the future of financial services and that associated companies are more than capable of gaining consumers\-\- trust. Fintech marketers must focus primarily on clearly communicating the benefits of their services to end-users, and less on jargon-filled promotion of their company as a whole.\

Distrust of fintech stems from a lack of understanding around how fintech companies work, and the services they provide. Just under a third (27 percent) cited this lack of understanding as the primary reason for trusting traditional banks more, followed by the absence of physical locations, in which they could seek out help (22 percent).

Eighty percent of those surveyed said they didn\-\-t use the services of any new digital banking and finance companies and almost half (46 percent) said they would not use their services  leaving fintechs with a lot of work to do. More than half (53 percent) stated that the ability of fintechs to guarantee the safety of their money would be key in influencing their trust.

Budka continues: \Fintech as a consumer facing industry is relatively new, so it\-\-s natural that consumers are less aware of new digital businesses. Stand-out fintechs, like Monzo, have done exceptionally well building their brands over the past few years, but evidently there is still a lot of work to be done to increase consumer confidence. There is huge potential for these companies, provided they get their messaging right and work at making themselves the new norm.\
Outside the courtroom, Tululs attorney, Jacob Meah, said the girl was not taken by force and Tulul insisted on meeting the girls parents. He loved her and wanted to ask her parents for permission to marry her. It was the girl who chose not to have them meet. She told friends about him coming to meet her and willingly drove off with him, Meah said.
Network operator fraud remains the biggest threat to the revenues of mobile operators

As anti-fraud company Revector marks 20 years of operating, CEO and Founder Andy Gent believes that telecommunications fraud is still not high enough on the corporate agenda for network operators  this should be a significant concern to shareholders. In 2001, Revector was launched to combat specific fraudulent activity against mobile network operators. The companys management expected the business to have a shelf life of no more than five years  such as the belief that mobile operators would quickly get a grip on network fraud and reduce it to zero. Twenty years later frauds continue to persist  costing shareholders, networks, and Governments billions in lost revenue annually. Revenue through mobile service According to Andy Gent, fraudsters are, at heart, business people, exploiting an opportunity for money. Gent explains how this relates to network fraud thus, Mobile service providers generate revenues in two ways - by having their subscribers that pay the company to access the networks they run and associated services such as voice calls, text messages, and data usage. The second  known as termination revenue  involves transporting calls from other networks. Revenues from termination are shared between all networks that help deliver the call Revenues from termination are shared between all networks that help deliver the call, as Gent outlines: Imagine a call from the UK to Australia. This will pass through several service providers that will each take a small percentage of the call revenues for passing on the call. Telecommunications companies establish relationships with others around predictable calling patterns. For example, BT may know that they need one million minutes of calls to South Africa per month. They, therefore, establish a relationship with a South African telecommunications company to provide this. Trading termination minutes The issue comes when the unexpected happens, for example, an earthquake in Cape Town. Now UK residents with relatives in Cape Town suddenly demand a lot more telephone time. BT needs more minutes than it has. It is unlikely that its partner in South Africa can provide these  they are facing the same issue due to the increased volume of calls in and out of the country  so it will look to the open market for the minutes it needs. Gent continues, Termination minutes are traded in the same way as other commodities. Exchanges combine minutes from multiple sources, bundle these together and sell them. The issue is where these minutes come from. The bundles may well include white routes  premium minutes provided by legitimate telecommunications companies. However, many will include so-called grey routes. A simple but effective fraud Grey routes are not provided by the telecommunications companies but by third parties or through fraudulent means. Typically, the grey routes come at a lower cost than the white routes, but some telecommunications service providers may not know this or care about it. The natural pressure on cost means some telecommunications companies end up using grey route minutes. The threats to network providers revenues come from these grey routes. A primary risk is SIM Box fraud. SIM Box fraud SIM Box fraud occurs where there is a differential price between the cost of routing a call in a country and the cost of terminating a call, as Gent outlines below: Imagine a network is offering a promotion with free calls to others on the same network. At the same time, the value of terminating a call to that networks customers is $0.05 per call. One single SIM card being used in this way can generate $3000 per month and there are hundreds of cards in each SIM box If someone can procure SIM cards with the promotion, these can be loaded into a SIM Box  a device that can house hundreds of SIM cards in racks and be connected to the internet - to terminate calls. The owner of the SIM box can then offer to terminate calls for $0.03 per call. The cost to the SIM box owner is close to zero  the local minutes they are using to terminate calls are bundled with the SIM deal. The $0.03 per call is pure profit after the SIM cards and SIM boxes have been purchased. While this sounds like a complicated scam it can be lucrative. One single SIM card being used in this way can generate $3000 per month and there are hundreds of cards in each SIM box. Loss of termination revenues Service providers can quickly find a large proportion of revenues lost to SIM boxes. Gent has seen up to 90 percent of termination revenues being lost. The nature of SIM box fraud is transitory: fraudsters will pick the countries with the strongest opportunity to generate revenues quickly, sweep in and terminate calls for a month or two before the operator notices the revenue drop and takes action. Is it illegal? If this practice sounds entrepreneurial rather than illegal, it is probably because it seems like a victimless crime. However, mobile network operators have paid millions if not billions for the ability to operate networks and generate termination revenues. A reduction in this revenue will mean less investment into next-generation networks or customer service. For the consumer, illegal termination often means poor quality calls with a lack of services such as caller line identification (CLI). But perhaps the most concerning issue is where the proceeds of crime go, as Gent outlines. Often these SIM box frauds are run by criminal gangs using the process to launder money or finance organised crime or people trafficking. With widespread restrictions on the number of SIM cards that can be sold to one person, the only way to procure enough SIM cards is via criminal activity. Gangs bribe or coerce network operation staff into supplying SIM cards by the thousand, generating millions in illicit revenues. Other telecommunications fraud Threat to operator termination revenues comes from OTT service providers that have an eye on termination revenues Another threat to operator termination revenues comes from Over-the-Top (OTT) service providers that have an eye on termination revenues as well as competing with telecommunications service providers for a share of the voice and messaging market. While most telecommunications companies see Voice over IP (or OTT) as fair competition, in recent years several new OTT service providers have grown extremely quickly. WhatsApp, for example, was incorporated in 2009 and acquired by Facebook just five years later for almost $20 billion. The business models of these companies vary. Some focus on the freemium approach where the initial service is free but add-ons become chargeable. OTT app fraud However, recently some OTT players are looking to terminate revenue to monetise their business models. These operators have been offering competitive termination rates by hijacking a traditional call made from one telephone number to another and terminating it within an OTT app, as Gent explains, We are seeing OTT apps intercepting traditional telephone calls and delivering them within a users app. The call starts as a dialled telephone call, but the user receives it within an OTT app. If OTT players can achieve this, they can generate termination revenues at zero cost  other than to the traditional operator. Using an app to make calls Of course, if the recipient of the call believes the caller has used an app to call them, they are more likely to use this method of communication in the future  and less likely to dial a number directly. For the OTT players, termination acts as a marketing tool as well as a revenue stream. According to Gent, one OTT service provider has gone as far as including a setting within their app that states receive regular incoming calls within the app when possible. This is defaulted to on when the app is downloaded. Only the most technologically savvy users would even know it was there. Combatting the fraud against networks Networks are less worried about losing revenue to fraud and more about grabbing as many subscribers as possible" Why do networks not do more to combat fraud? The reality, according to Gent, is a combination of priorities and ignorance. He comments, Most mobile network operators are large but still relatively young companies  typically built around customer acquisition. Networks are less worried about losing revenue to fraud and more about grabbing as many subscribers as possible. This has led to a mindset where whatever the questions the answer is always more marketing promotions. A small number of innovators around the world continue to fight these frauds directly, but the fraudsters simply move on to the next victim and, when the anti-fraud measures are relaxed, the fraudsters return. An opportunity for the future As mobile networks mature and become more commoditised, Gent believes the issues around combatting fraud will become a wider concern. If you had told me in 2001 that fraud would still be an issue in 2021, I would have been shocked. Yet operators are still losing significant revenues to criminals. Addressing this needs to remain a priority for the industry, not just to ensure networks have the revenues to build and maintain robust networks but also to ensure that criminal behaviour that this kind of illicit activity funds is reduced. This is not just an issue for network operators but also for wider society.
The atmosphere of Jupiter essentially makes up the entire planet. The gas giant has no firm surface to touch down on. Instead, it is composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium, with a few traces of other gases comprising a tiny percentage of its air.

Jupiter's atmosphere is one of the key science targets for NASA's Juno mission, which began orbiting the planet in 2016. The spacecraft is looking to measure the amount of water in the atmosphere, which should tell scientists whether their current ideas about how the solar system formed are correct.

Atmospheric makeup

Jupiter is made up predominantly of hydrogen. The simple, basic gas, a prime ingredient on the sun, accounts for 90 percent of the atmosphere. Nearly 10 percent is composed of helium. A very small fraction of the atmosphere is made up of compounds such as ammonia, sulfur, methane, and water vapor.

Traveling from the outermost edges of Jupiter toward its center, pressure and temperature goes up. These increases cause the gases to separate into layers. Deep down, the hydrogen changes from a gas to a liquid. It can even become metallic.

Jupiter boasts an enormous supply of hydrogen and helium that make it the most massive planet in the solar system.

Transit of Io across Jupiter. South is up in this view. Mosaic composite photograph. Cassini, January 1, 2001. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Michael Benson/Kinetikon Pictures.  All rights reserved.)

Layers of the atmosphere

Scientists use changes in the temperature and pressure of the atmosphere to determine the various atmospheric layers.

The surface of the planet, or the bottom of the atmosphere, is the point where scientists have calculated that the atmospheric pressure is equal to one bar, the same as found at the surface of Earth.

The layer resting on the "surface" of Jupiter is known as the troposphere, and extends to approximately 31 miles (50 kilometers) above the surface. The troposphere contains ammonia, ammonium hydrosulfide and water, which form the distinctive red and white bands seen from Earth. The colder white bands are known as zones, while the darker red ones are called belts. Gases within the zones rise, while within the belts they fall.

Winds generally keep the two regions separate, but sometimes the icy white clouds will overlay the red bands, causing them to disappear for a period of time. Scientists have only observed the southern band periodically vanishing; the northern band remains perversely stable. The troposphere also contains dense clouds of water that influence the atmospheric dynamics.

As you move higher in the troposphere, the temperature drops, ranging from minus 260 Fahrenheit (minus 160 Celsius) to minus 150 F (minus 100 C).

The next layer, the stratosphere, extends to almost 200 miles (320 km) above the surface, containing hazes of hydrocarbons. Here, temperatures start at minus 260 F and rise to approximately minus 150 F (minus 100 C) the higher you go. The stratosphere, like the troposphere, is warmed by the sun and the planet's interior. The stratosphere ends where the pressure is one one-thousandth that found at the surface of Earth.

The thermosphere lies on top of the stratosphere. Temperatures rise to approximately 1,340 F (725 C) at heights of over 600 miles (1,000 km). The aurora around the poles occurs within the thermosphere. The thermosphere can also emit a weak light known as airglow that keeps the night sky from ever being completely dark. The thermosphere is heated by particles from the magnetosphere, as well as by the sun, and has no defined top.

The outermost layer of Jupiter's atmosphere is the exosphere, where gas particles can escape into space. With no clear boundary, the exosphere bleeds into interstellar space.

(Image credit: NASA/ESA/A. Simon-Miller (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center))

The Great Red Spot

In addition to the red and white bands that make Jupiter visually stunning, the planet also boasts a prominent feature known as the Great Red Spot. First identified in the 1600s, the spot is actually a violent storm located just south of the planet's equator. The violent hurricane can be seen from telescopes on Earth.

The violent cyclone takes about six Earth-days to completely rotate, and is large enough to contain at least two Earths within it. Recent studies have indicated that the gigantic storm may be shrinking.

Colder than the bands around it, the Great Red Spot must lie higher in the atmosphere. The source of its reddish color has not yet been established, but it varies throughout the region.

Powering the magnetic field

A third of the way into the planet, the hydrogen in the atmosphere becomes metallic, allowing it to conduct electricity. This helps to drive Jupiter's powerful magnetic field. The planet rotates rapidly  once every 9.9 hours  and the rapid spinning causes electrical currents in the metallic hydrogen to generate electricity that powers the planet's magnetic field.

Jupiter's magnetic field is almost 20,000 times as powerful as Earth. The electromagnetic storms they generate can be heard by amateur radio operators on Earth, beamed toward us by the plasmas and magnetic field lines. At times, Jupiter can produce more powerful radio signals than the sun.

Further reading:

This article was updated on Oct. 18, 2018 by Space.com Senior Writer, Meghan Bartels.
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

For the second time this year, the five brightest planets can be seen at the same time. You can catch them by looking towards the western sky after sunset. The planets will form a line rising up from the horizon.

Mercury and Venus are low to the west, with bright Jupiter shining just above. Higher up in the northwestern sky is Saturn, and completing the set of five is the red planet Mars, high overhead.

On Friday October 12 a beautiful crescent Moon sits just to the right of Jupiter. Keep watching the planets night after night and you can track the progression of the Moon.

Read more: More 'bright' fast radio bursts revealed, but where do they all come from?

As the Moon zips around Earth each month, its apparent motion in the sky is much faster than the more leisurely motion of the planets in their orbits around the Sun.

After sunset around Australia, the five bright planets can be seen in the western sky this week. (Image credit: Museums Victoria/Stellarium)

By Monday October 15, the Moon will have moved higher in the sky to sit near Saturn, and a few days later, on October 18, the Moon will partner with Mars.

As Mercury and Venus are the inner planets, orbiting closer to the Sun than Earth does, we only ever see these two low to the west after sunset, or low to the east before sunrise. They are the planets either following or leading the Sun.

In contrast, the outer planets of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn can drift right across the sky, which is exactly what they have been doing since July. The trio has moved from east to west, and now they join Mercury and Venus to put on the five-planet show.

There's more in store

It may seem like a common occurrence, since the five planets have come together again in the space of just a few months. But it's only possible because Jupiter and Saturn are currently on the same side of the Sun and therefore near each other, relatively speaking.

The five planets have come together twice this year and twice in 2016, but before that there was a decade when it just wasn't possible. The two gas giants were too far apart.

Watch the planets come together.

As Jupiter and Saturn pair up in the sky, it's only a matter of time before the other planets fall into the right configuration to bring them all together.

The next time this occurs will be in July 2020, but it will be harder to see compared to this week. The planets will be stretched across the sky rather than all clustered together in the west as they are right now.

So it's still special to spot the five planets coming together. There's great satisfaction in being able to tick off all five planets in a single viewing.

Up for a challenge?

Not only are the five easy-to-see planets visible in the evening sky, but they are joined by Uranus and Neptune to complete the planetary set.

Voyager 2 flew by Uranus in 1986 and Neptune in 1989 capturing stunning close-up images. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech (Uranus) and NASA (Neptune))

These two ice giants that orbit beyond Saturn are modern-day planets. They were not known in ancient times because their discovery needed the aid of a telescope and an understanding of gravity to know how the Solar System works.

But while they may not be seen with the naked eye, Uranus is low in the east at sunset and Neptune is higher up, about midway to Mars.

Practised observers, viewing the sky from a dark country site, have been able to see Uranus with the naked eye by knowing exactly where to look. Through binoculars, Uranus appears like a faint star but a good telescope will show its slightly bluish disc.

Read more: Aboriginal traditions describe the complex motions of planets, the 'wandering stars' of the sky

It is best to wait until later in the evening, when Uranus has risen higher, to try to observe it. But now is an ideal time, as the planet is approaching opposition on October 24, when it will be at its best.

Neptune is about the same size as Uranus but much further away, making it harder to see. Even with a modest telescope it appears as a bluish star, while the right observing conditions and a high-quality telescope are needed to reveal Neptune's disc.

Lastly, and not to be left out, even the dwarf planet Pluto joins the crowd. It's much too small and distant to be seen but currently sits about midway between Saturn and Mars.

Even with a high-quality telescope Pluto only ever appears as a faint star-like object, and it will be a challenge for most (myself included) to find it in its current position among all the stars near the bright Milky Way.

If you are up for the challenge, a free astronomy program such as Stellarium is ideal to help locate the planets. But it's just as rewarding to enjoy

the five bright planets, observed since ancient times, briefly coming together in the western sky.

Tanya Hill, Honorary Fellow of the University of Melbourne and Senior Curator (Astronomy), Museums Victoria

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Follow all of the Expert Voices issues and debates  and become part of the discussion  on Facebook, Twitter and Google +. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. This version of the article was originally published on Space.com.
WASHINGTON  The status of proposals to create a separate branch of the U.S. military devoted to space will be the subject of the next meeting of the National Space Council on Oct. 23.

Vice President Mike Pence, in an Oct. 12 tweet, said that the interagency group will discuss "progress made and next steps" on the formation of a Space Force, a plan formally announced by President Trump at the council's last meeting in June.

The president "has rightly called for the creation of a 6th branch of the Armed Forces to advance US dominance in space," Pence wrote. "#SpaceForce is an idea whose time has come. On 10/23, the National Space Council will meet [at National Defense University] to discuss progress made & next steps to implement POTUS' vision." [What Is the U.S. Space Force Idea?]

See more

In an interview after a panel discussion Oct. 15 at the ScienceWriters 2018 conference here, Scott Pace, executive secretary of the National Space Council, confirmed that the status of planning for the Space Force will be the main focus of the meeting.

"It's mostly going to be about the Space Force," he said of the upcoming meeting. More details about the meeting will come soon, he added.

The meeting will be the fourth public meeting of the council since it was formally reestablished by President Trump in a June 2017 executive order. The council held its first public meeting in October 2017 at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington and the second in February at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

It was at the third public meeting, held June 18 at the White House, where President Trump announced his intent to create a Space Force. "We are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the Space Force. Separate but equal. It is going to be something," he said in remarks at the beginning of the meeting. "I'm hereby directing the department of Defense and the Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces." That process would ultimately require congressional approval.

That announcement, while not necessarily a surprise  Trump had mused about creating a separate military branch for space in some previous speeches  nonetheless upended the military space community, forcing the Pentagon to respond with its proposals for establishing a Space Force. One such plan, in a memo last month by Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, estimated it would cost $13 billion over five years to stand up the Space Force as a separate branch.

That estimate, which Wilson described as "conservative," led to criticism that Wilson was revisiting the formation of a Space Force. A report earlier this month in Foreign Policy claimed that President Trump was considering firing Wilson, which a Pentagon spokesperson dismissed as "nonsense."

That report said that Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the strategic forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee and a staunch proponent of the Space Force proposal, was being considered as a potential replacement for Wilson. In a recent interview with an Alabama newspaper, the Opelika-Auburn News, Rogers appeared to allude to that report while stating that Wilson had become more supportive of the Space Force.

"The White House found out she was working against it. It was a shot across the bow, and my name was part of the signal to her," he said, adding he prefers to stay in Congress and seek to become chairman of the full committee, a path that depends on Republicans maintaining their currently majority in the House.

On a separate issue, Pace said that last week's Soyuz MS-10 launch failure, and the impact it has on operations of the International Space Station, had not yet risen to the level of the council. "We're getting informed pretty good," he said, with NASA providing updates. "They seem pretty on top of it."

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
My opponents anti-Semitic, racist, and bigoted views are reprehensible. He has been running for office for four decades and has always lost badly. He is going to lose badly again. When asked, I have spoken out against him, but I have largely chosen to ignore him because talking about him only gives him another opportunity to spew his hatred, Lipinski said. Im disappointed that he has been given a megaphone for his vile ideas by numerous media outlets. These are the only victories he can hope for in this campaign.
Guelmim, (Southern Morocco), Oct 18, 2018 (SPS)  The Court of Appeal of the city of Guelmim, issued, on Monday, harsh and unjust sentences against media activists and Sahrawi human rights activists, according to the League for the protection of Saharawi prisoners in Moroccan prisons.

The convicted Saharawi activists are Abdullah Mouloud Al-Husain (Ferdous), who was sentenced to 30 months in prison and Abdel Karim Lemhmeden to 30 days in prison, suspended his execution.

The two Saharawi media activists were condemned by the Moroccan occupation in retaliation for their activities in favor of human rights, since they are members of the Saharawi Media Observatory for the Documentation of Human Rights violations.

It should be noted that the activist Abdullah Fardous, was imprisoned on September 9, 2018 by the Moroccan occupation forces in the city of Gulemim, in southern Morocco, where he was sentenced to an initial sentence of two months in a lightning trial, which confirms the policy of the sentences prepared in advance by the occupation against the Saharawi activists. SPS

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New York, Oct 18, 2018 (SPS) - The Republic of Zimbabwe on Tuesday expressed its support for the efforts of Secretary-General Kohler's Personal Envoy to allow the Saharawi people to exercise their right to self-determination to independence.

The Republic of Zimbabwe expressed its satisfaction with the resumption of the Western Sahara peace process through the preparation of the talks in Geneva and the initiative of the African Union to establish a mechanism to contribute to the solution of the Saharawi cause. SPS

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NEW HAVEN  The year 2016 wasnt a great earnings period for Ned Lamont. He made only $1.5 million.

It was the year after he sold the last piece of the Greenwich-based cable-TV-wiring company he founded more than 30 years earlier, to focus on venture-capital investments that are now his main source of income.

But in 2017, he was back in the money, with a total income of more than $5.3 million, mostly dividends and capital gains, according to the last five years of tax-filing summaries the Democratic candidate for governor made available to Connecticuts news media on Friday.

In a bid for openness and disclosure during this hotly contested governors race, Lamont let reporters with pens and paper copy down the vital statistics of his earnings and taxes from the last five years, filed with the Internal Revenue Service and the state Department of Revenue Services. They were not allowed to photograph or make photocopies of the top-two pages of his returns, which Lamont filed as an individual, although his wife, Ann H. Lamont, is highly successful private investor in her own right.

In an age when some politicians, such as President Donald J. Trump, ignore public and news media requests on the details of private wealth, taxes and charitable contributions, Lamont was making a statement. Through the majority of the campaign, Lamont has said he would show his tax returns when his opponent, Bob Stefanowski of Madison, would release his. So Lamonts release of the cover sheets on Friday could serve as a public challenge to his rival.

The returns, which were filed each year in the fall, under rules to allow for extensions, indicate Lamont made nearly $2.58 million in 2013; $3.2 million in 2014; $5.3 million in 2015; $1,505,605 in 2016; and $5,348,498 in 2017.

The release of my tax returns provides more information than anyone else in this race has shared with the people of Connecticut, Lamont said in a statement issued along with an overall summary of income and taxes that were handed to reporters who arrived at a New Havcen lawyers office at noon.

This is about transparency, and about being open and honest with voters, Lamont said. Donald Trump refused to release his tax returns, and so far Bob Stefanowski  who gave Trump an A grade for job performance  has followed in his footsteps.

In recent weeks Oz Griebel, the unaffiliated candidate for governor, released an abridged summary of his 2017 federal returns, but said hes willing to release other details.

On Thursday afternoon, following the hourlong debate for governor in Hartford sponsored by the Connecticut Broadcasters Association, Stefanowski, who first said on Sept. 17 that he would release his returns, said Were working on it, when asked by a Hearst Connecticut Media reporter.

Lamonts taxes in a nutshell, 2013-17 Total earnings: $17,998,557 Federal taxes paid: $3,492,752 State taxes paid: $1,343,968 Charitable contributions: $2,465,114 Source: Copies of summary sheets of state and federal returns See More Collapse

Lamont used the disclosure of his tax information to criticize Stefanowskis campaign proposals.

Bob has a Trump-like scheme to raise property taxes on the middle class in order to cut income taxes for Connecticuts wealthiest residents  all at the expense of good schools, better roads, and affordable health care, Lamont said. So its no surprise Bob is avoiding telling people the truth about where his income is from, how he stands to benefit from his own plan, and what he has contributed in taxes to our state.

After the release of the tax details Friday afternoon, a spokesman for Stefanowski, a consultant and former international corporate executive, said the Republican candidate will soon be releasing his taxes.

I don't begrudge Ned for inheriting his fortune, however, it seems to have put him out of touch with the needs of the hard-working people of Connecticut's middle class, Kendall Marr said in a statement. Perhaps that is why he believes single mothers who are working two jobs should be sending more of their money to the state in the form of higher income taxes, a new statewide car tax, and tolls on our roads.

Marr said Stefanowski realizes that our status as the 2nd highest taxed state per capita is unacceptable and has a bold plan to jumpstart our economy and allow our citizens to keep more of their hard-earned money. To Ned, our tax burden may just seem like a drop in the bucket, but to the middle-class families who will save thousands tax relief is a big deal.

Following Marrs statement, Marc Bradley, Lamonts campaign manager, said Stefanowski might be reluctant to reveal crucial details that voters should be aware of.

As usual, Bob is trying to distract from the fact that his own tax plan would help himself and other wealthy people in Connecticut at the expense of the middle class, Bradley said Friday night. Whats he hiding? He didnt bother to vote for 16 years, has he also avoided paying taxes? Has Bob made charitable contributions to help struggling students or communities in Connecticut, as Ned has?

kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT
STAMFORD  The citys public schools are considering purchasing portable air conditioning units to combat sweltering days that caused three early dismissals last month.

Clarence Zachery, the districts chief fiscal and operations support officer, told the Board of Representatives Education Committee this week that 81 air conditioning units would cost $63,000 a month to rent and $225,000 to purchase. He said they would not require any updates to the classrooms.

Zachery said funds from last years capital budget would be used for the air conditioners. He said the goal is to have them installed by the spring to create cooling centers.

However, the plan, still in the exploratory stage, would not eliminate the possibility for heat-related early dismissals.

We do have the opportunity to keep people comfortable, Superintendent Earl Kim said. Mornings are hot, too. If we have a heat spell, that first day we may be able to get away with a full day. But because we button up the buildings at night, we actually retain heat, so the next days starting point is warmer.

Only nine of the districts 21 school buildings have full air conditioning. However, Kim said the entire district would still need to be dismissed early for weather-related issues because of the busing system. Kim also said the additional units would still require students and staff to rotate rooms every two hours.

While we can rotate the students in the afternoon through the cooling spaces, the disruption to instruction is so significant while theyre in the hot spaces that its counterproductive to have them in the classroom, Kim said. Its really sort of like a punishment.

Kim said the district is also considering re-ducting buildings, creating sub panels and rewiring to add air conditioning, all of which would be a significant expense. Adding window units, he said, raise concerns about drawing outside moisture into the buildings, which have already been plagued this year with mold.

Its not clear what the long-term solution is, but we do have a short-term plan in place, Kim said. Whats holding us off in the long-term plan is rather than pouring good money after bad, we want to make sound business decisions for the city, minding our capital stream.

erin.kayata@stamfordadvocate.com; (203) 964-2265; @erin_kayata
It's often said that if Facebook were a country, it would be the largest on Earth, with a current population of 2.2 billion.

Now, the company is tapping an actual politician to help lead that digital nation - bringing on Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister of Britain, as its head of global policy and communications.

Clegg - who was Britain's second most-powerful political leader from 2010 to 2015 - will be moving to California to succeed Elliot Schrage, who had held the position for the past decade. Unlike Schrage, a Harvard-educated lawyer who had previously worked at Google, Clegg brings an outsider's eye as a non-American and an insider's perspective as a former member of the European Parliament.

Clegg's hiring comes as Facebook seeks to navigate increasingly delicate matters of diplomacy with governments around the world, with regulators bringing fresh scrutiny to Facebook over everything from its use of customer data to how it intends to safeguard the integrity of democratic elections.

"Our company is on a critical journey," said Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, in a Facebook post Friday announcing the move. "The challenges we face are serious and clear and now more than ever we need new perspectives to help us though this time of change."

Clegg had been speaking to Sandberg and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg for months about the role, he said in a Facebook post.

"Throughout my public life I have relished grappling with difficult and controversial issues and seeking to communicate them to others," he said. "I hope to use some of those skills in my new role."

This is not the first time Facebook has turned to those with a political background for help. But Clegg is perhaps the highest-profile politico to take a leadership position in the company's history, underscoring the gravity of Facebook's situation as it faces mounting criticism from European policymakers.

The company faces potential fines in Europe over its recently announced data breach that affected 30 million people and exposed personal information such as users' location and search histories, phone numbers and relationship statuses. Facebook has also faced penalties in the past year in Europe for allegedly misleading regulators about the details of its acquisition of WhatsApp and for missteps that led to Facebook's Cambridge Analytica scandal. Meanwhile, European regulators forced tech companies in May to begin complying with an unprecedented new set of privacy protections for consumers, known as GDPR.

In seeking to reverse Facebook's fortunes, particularly in Europe, Clegg's political instincts will be put to the test.

Once hailed as a rising star in British politics, Clegg brought his relatively small Liberal Democrat party to prominence in the country's 2010 elections when he sharply criticized the Conservative party's David Cameron. Cameron's party went on to win the most seats in the general election, but not enough to form a governing majority - giving the charismatic Clegg an opening to form a novel and unexpected political partnership with the Conservatives.

Despite generating optimism for a new future with that alliance, Clegg soon found himself on the wrong end of public opinion. He was forced to back away from a party pledge to reduce college costs, ultimately voting with Conservatives to raise the maximum amount students could be expected to pay for their education as Britons protested in the streets.

Clegg and his party were trounced in the next election, losing 86 percent of their seats in Parliament. Clegg conceded it was a "cruel and punishing night" for the Liberal Democrats.

But Clegg's defenders say his broader experience could be a boon to Facebook as the embattled company seeks to repair its ties to policymakers.

"There will be few Anglo-Saxon voices that have as much resonance in Europe as Nick's," said Tim Gordon, the former chief executive of the Liberal Democratic party who first began working with Clegg in 2012. "He's smart, speaks multiple languages and has built strong relationships with leaders across the continent."
NEW CANAAN  Town officials offered to pay $250,000  when the First Taxing District of Norwalk asked for $900,000  for the 1124 Valley Road house and the 0.83-acre parcel where it stands.

That figure, unsurprisingly, didnt cut it for the commissioners of the neighboring city.

At the First Districts board of commissioners meeting Oct. 10, the commissioners voted to deny New Canaans offer. First Selectman Kevin Moynihan attended the meeting.

New Canaans top elected official didnt give a definite answer if negotiations had reached a conclusion, as he still had to talk with preservation groups, mainly the New Canaan Land Trust. However, he said the house would remain standing.

(The First Taxing District) said they plan to have a caretaker live in the house for now and then possibly use it as an office when they use the adjacent reservoir property for work, in conjunction with rebuilding their dam and renovating their water treatment facility at 270 Valley Road, Moynihan said.

Dominick DiGangi, general manager of the First Taxing District, confirmed one of the districts employees would maintain the house. When asked if talks between Norwalk and New Canaan had reached a conclusion, DiGangi said he didnt know and referred to the commissions formal denial of New Canaans offer.

The back-and-forth saga between New Canaan and Norwalk officials has been going on for the past seven months. This included a Freedom of Information request filed by Moynihan with the neighboring municipality, as well as floating the threat of enacting eminent domain to seize the property.

The taxing district originally filed the demolition permit in mid-February; a 90-day demolition delay was enacted by New Canaans Historic Review Committee shortly thereafter.

During that time frame, preservationist groups in town reacted swiftly to halt the demolition.

Town officials and preservationists can claim a win on their original goal  pressuring Norwalk to withdraw the demolition permit for the house. Further efforts to purchase either the entire 4-acre property or the 0.83-acre parcel with the house, however, were in vain.

Chris Schipper, a member of the New Canaan Land Trust, said the preservation group was disappointed with Norwalks decision, but hoped the house would be preserved in its present state.

We are grateful for the First (Taxing) District for their decision to withdraw their demolition request, Schipper said. Pending final resolution, we respectfully request that the First District Water Department maintain the house and grounds to a standard befitting the neighborhood and its historic value.

humberto.juarez@

hearstmediact.com
If there was any doubt as to why the Saudis might think the leadership of this country would look the other way on the atrocity they are alleged to have committed against our colleague Jamal Khashoggi, President Donald Trump erased it Thursday night.

The president of the United States, who has long referred to journalists as enemies of the people, celebrated an act of violence against a reporter on U.S. soil - to cheers and laughter from his supporters.

At a rally in Missoula, Montana, he commended Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont., for assaulting a reporter last year during a special-election campaign. The congressman was sentenced to community service, anger-management classes and a small fine for attacking reporter Ben Jacobs of the Guardian, who had had the temerity to ask the candidate about the Republican health-care bill.

"Any guy that can do a body slam, he's my kind of - he's my guy," Trump told the crowd at the rally. This, mind you, is the same president who keeps howling that Democrats are turning into violent mobs.

As horrifying as Gianforte's behavior was, there is of course no comparison to torture and murder, which is what is now believed to have happened to Khashoggi. But Trump's point could hardly have been clearer: Journalists deserve no protection, much less respect for their role in protecting the functioning of democracy.

Meanwhile, something even more insidious is happening: As Robert Costa and Karoun Demirjian report, Trump supporters in the far-right reaches of the fever swamp - among them, his son Donald Trump Jr. - are mounting a quiet campaign to slander Khashoggi and the work for which he appears to have given his life:

"In recent days, a cadre of conservative House Republicans allied with Trump has been privately exchanging articles from right-wing outlets that fuel suspicion of Khashoggi, highlighting his association with the Muslim Brotherhood in his youth and raising conspiratorial questions about his work decades ago as an embedded reporter covering Osama bin Laden, according to four GOP officials involved in the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly.

"Those aspersions - which many lawmakers have been wary of stating publicly because of the political risks of doing so - have begun to flare into public view as conservative media outlets have amplified the claims, which are aimed in part at protecting Trump as he works to preserve the U.S.-Saudi relationship and avoid confronting the Saudis on human rights."

Costa and Demirjian note that this is a distortion of Khashoggi's actual record and his point of view:

"While Khashoggi was once sympathetic to Islamist movements, he moved toward a more liberal, secular point of view, according to experts on the Middle East who have tracked his career. Khashoggi knew bin Laden in the 1980s and 1990s during the civil war in Afghanistan, but his interactions with bin Laden were as a journalist with a point of view who was working with a prized source.

"Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen, left his home country last year and was granted residency in the United States by federal authorities. He lived in Virginia and wrote for The Washington Post.

"Nevertheless, the smears have escalated. Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son and key political booster, shared another person's tweet last week with his millions of followers that included a line that Khashoggi was "tooling around Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden" in the 1980s, even though the context was a feature story on bin Laden's activities."

So as Trump promises "very severe" measures against Saudi Arabia if there is confirmation of what appears to have been the case, which is that its government was behind the horrific death of a journalist, let us be clear-eyed about what is going on here. Trump and his supporters are not looking to punish it. They are looking for a way to excuse it. And if that means journalists everywhere feel they are less safe - well, to Trump and his supporters, that is something to celebrate.




1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
Polks management firm, which owned 74.5 percent of preferred interests, was to receive 100 percent of its balance due on preferred investments, and RED was to purchase Tulums common interests for $1 million, according to the RED documents. RED paid Tulum $46.35 million to buy out its interests. But while preferred interest investors would get their principal back with 15 percent annual interest, common interest holders would get little if any return on their investment, according to copies of internal letters sent to shareholders in July and September 2016, in the lead-up to the companys sale. We do not anticipate distributions to Common Interest holders at close, one of the letters stated, according to copies reviewed by the Tribune.
STAMFORD A high-powered telephone executive had an animal cruelty charge all but dropped on Friday, diffusing a legal showdown brewing over an Australian shepherd.

Vermont Telephone President Michael Guite, 73, won a nolle on the charge from the Stamford States Attorneys office, which gives prosecutors up to 13 months to refile the charge or it will be automatically dismissed.

The office declined comment on the disposition of Guites case, but one court watcher suggested it might be difficult to prove that Guite had deprived the animal of wholesome air, food or water, as the statute requires.

Guite said he had wanted the case to serve as a teaching moment for police, who arrested him for leaving his Australian shephard, Cody, in his SUV, which was parked in the Stamford Town Center parking garage next to Capital Grille, where he was having dinner on June 22.

Police at the time said Cody, who is three years old and stars in television commercials for Vermont Telephone, was in the SUV with no water for at least 90 minutes while the windows were rolled up during a humid night with an outside temperature of 75 degrees.

But Guite says Cody was not uncomfortable in the car that night and he knows because the two are nearly inseparable. Guite claims that he loves his dog and he and Cody travel about 40,000 miles per year in the car that has a super heavy duty air conditioning system that he keeps at a chilly 60 degrees wherever they go.

That was the situation that night, he said, when he went to the Capital Grille to celebrate the 18th birthday of his son, who lives in Greenwich.

Guite said that people rightfully understand that when a car sits in the sun it can get very hot, even on a cloudy day. But his car, which he said has great insulation, was not in the sun. It was in the covered parking garage.

By the time he got done with dinner he said there were about a dozen cops and several firefighters milling around his car.

And when he opened it up, he could feel a little cold air spill out.

When I came back and opened the door, cool air came out. It wasnt a blast, but you could feel it was colder, Guite said Friday morning, while driving back to Vermont with Cody riding along with him.

Guite said Cody then got out of the car and greeted all the first responders and took a couple licks of water and jumped back into the SUV.

Guite says the police should have known he was not being cruel to his dog. I believe animal rights are important enough and animal cruelty laws arent strong enough, he said.

But, he said, he felt that police and fire fighters are not being given the training to understand what makes a car hot and that does not show much respect for animals.

He was ready to hire an attorney to take the case to trial and because Cody has his own money from the commercials, he was going to get his own attorney too, Guite said.

But there was no need for Cody to hire his own representation because state law now requires any dog involved in an animal cruelty case have a pro-bono attorney to represent the interests of the animal.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com
B ook in to any beauty salon for a treatment and youll invariably first be tasked with completing a pre-treatment questionnaire.

For most its a perfunctory exercise in box ticking by which the salon can ascertain some basic information about your general health and your treatment preferences, from the desired pressure of your massage to the skin concerns youd like your facial to address.

For those with cancer, its often the moment a beauty salon will turn them away.

I think it takes a lot of balls to go to a spa when youre going through treatment, and if youre then turned away how much damage does that do? Its wrong on every level, says Jennifer Young, the brains behind a range of specialised oncology massages and beauty treatments recently launched in all Cowshed spas nationwide.

Women dont stop being women when theyre diagnosed with cancer. They still want access to beauty and they still want beautiful beauty products, says 48-year-old Young, whose journey into the world of oncology massage began with a call from her local hospital in Staffordshire in 2012, asking if she could create a skincare range for them that catered specifically to the needs of cancer patients.

Young is a trained scientist (she has a BSc (Hons) in Biology and two post-graduate qualifications in health related fields) who had, at that time, just left her job as an occupational health adviser (she worked with organisations like Caterpiller, Cadbury and HSBC) to retrain as a massage therapist, beauty therapist, nutritional therapist and aromatherapist, and was developing a skincare range based on aromatherapy oils at the time the hospital called.

Cowshed

I was working with women all the time who needed and wanted beauty in their lives, but as an entry level beauty therapist youre taught not to touch cancer patients, she recalls. Once I began learning about the way cancer patients were excluded from beauty I just felt outraged. Totally outraged that there was a need for specialist skincare but it didnt exist, and all of these gorgeous women couldnt access beauty. It was just wrong.

So Young took the hospital up on their challenge and set about creating the first ever skincare range designed specifically to cater to the needs of those undergoing (or who had undergone) courses of radiation and chemotherapy, the side effects of which are typically nail damage, hair loss, chapped lips and itchy, sore, dry, flaky and sensitive skin.

She spoke to patients and ex-patients when developing the range, all of whom were very clear that they wanted something natural, organic and preservative and fragrance-free - they feel they have exposure to enough chemicals thanks to the treatments they are going through, says Young. She then sought the council of the leading chemotherapy and radiation nurses in the country on what natural products to steer clear of. As many cancers are fed by oestrogen, they strictly forbade anything that was a plant oestrogen, such as Aloe Vera (a potent phytoestrogen), soy and Evening Primrose.

Defiant Beauty, Jennifer Young / Jennifer Young

It was controversial because a lot of hospitals will suggest Aloe because it reduces the soreness of radiation burns, which it definitely does, says Young. But the nurses I worked with were not only concerned about what it superficially does - which is a benefit, without doubt - but also the longer term biological impact.

The skincare range she developed, Defiant Beauty, initially consisted of six products and, thanks to an overwhelmingly positive response, now runs the gamut of skincare, makeup and haircare.

As she was launching the skincare range into the hospital, Young was also training as a massage therapist, and being taught never to touch or treat cancer patients. A curious scientist by nature, Young began quizzing doctors and scientists on why this was, and unearthed no satisfactory answers. The reason we are told not to touch cancer patients is driven with good intention, but based in fear, she explains. There is a fear in the beauty industry that if we massage somebody whos got cancer then those cancer cells will spread around the body. And that is not evidence based. In fact, she found evidence entirely to the contrary. There is a huge body of evidence to show that massage is enormously and measurably beneficial to those going through treatment for cancer, she says.

Why, therefore, were cancer patients being denied treatment? In a nutshell, oncology massage requires some special training. While touch itself wont spread cancer, there are risks of cross infection. "Youve got a really vulnerable client group, their immunity is low, you need to adopt a different standard of hygiene, explains Young. You also need to have an understanding of the kinds of medical devices they might present with and you need to know the potential impact of lymph nodes being removed.

Jennifer Young / Jennifer Young

So once again she set about to solve the problem, and designed a formula for oncology massage that could be widely trained and implemented. The Jennifer Young Oncology Therapies follow recommended parameters but are essentially bespoke; therapists are guided by the clients preferences and what their condition will allow. Our philosophy is never to turn anybody away, says Young. We will always find something to do.

And to that end, the client base is enormously varied, from the severely ill patients they serve on several chemo wards around the country; to those popping into beauty salons that are comparatively well with cancer. The image that you have in your head of a cancer patient isnt probably entirely accurate. We have some clients who present as being really quite well and are very active, as well as those who are very not well, says Young, describing one client who frequently bike rides from Manchester to Blackpool in aid of one of his treatment hospitals.

Cowshed Soho / Cowshed

The treatments are designed to make people feel safe and secure and are so relaxing that theyre also popular with non-sufferers. When I was designing the massage routines what I wanted to communicate was acceptance. People with cancer often tell me that they feel ostracised, that people arent touching them because theyre scared theyre contagious, she says. I wanted to communicate not only safety and security, but also acceptance.

For some, theyve also had an unprecedented emotional impact. During the trials, one woman sat up after her massage and began to sob uncontrollably. The team were understandably concerned, until the woman explained them to be happy tears. The massage was the first non-medical touch she had received in the seven years since she had been diagnosed. Nobody had given her a hug and no one had touched her other than to put needles into her, Young explains.

Youngs treatments are available at several beauty salons and hospitals around the UK, and have recently launched in all Cowshed spas. In an ideal world, she thinks all spa therapists should have specialist training so they dont discriminate against those suffering and recovering from cancer. And given the diagnosis rate for cancer is going up from one in three to one in two, it doesnt make sense for spas to be turning away half their client base.

Jennifer Young is on a mission to ensure cancer patients are not only not ignored or forgotten by the beauty industry, but that they are warmly and positively embraced.

People who get diagnosed with cancer leave the hospital with a big pile of papers saying 'dont do this, dont do that dont, dont, dont.' Ive really tried to turn that around.

Jennifers skincare tips for cancer patients

Having reviewed the advice given to cancer patients, by doctors and advisory bodies, she suggests the following:

Use only natural products formulated especially for use during cancer treatment

Be gentle with your skin

Use less soap

Moisturise your skin regularly avoiding products that contain alcohol as these can be drying

Use lip balm daily from the start of chemotherapy

Protect your skin from the sun

Look after your hands and feet, moisturising them often from the start of chemotherapy

Look after your fingernails and toenails, use a natural oil based product to moisturise

Jennifers tips for nails changed by chemotherapy

Fragile nails: Keep nails short. Use nail varnish and nail oil

Dry nails: Use nail oil

Flaking nails: Keep nails short. Use nail varnish and nail oil

Discoloured nail beds: Use a dark nail varnish to camouflage discolouration

Ridged nails: Use nail oil and a dark, glittery nail varnish to camouflage ridges.

The Jennifer Young Training School offers accredited qualifications for beauty therapists who want to train in oncology massage.
I f you were of TV-watching age in early noughties Britain, youre probably familiar with Trinny Woodall.

Alongside Suzannah Constantine she formed one half of Trinny and Suzannah, the straight talking double act who fronted the BBCs brilliant, and often brutal, makeover show What Not To Wear.

The show centred on Trinny and Suzannah stripping women naked, placing them in a 360-degree mirror and chucking most of their wardrobes in black bin liners, before giving them a fairly heavy handed  and often genuinely magical  makeover. It was TV gold.

The show, which at its peak attracted over 7 million viewers in an episode, ended in 2006 (yes, we feel old too), and, for a few years Trinny disappeared from our screens. Sob.

Now, Trinnys back, and shes even more fabulous than ever.

Shes migrated from fashion to makeup and from TV to Instagram, where she posts regular beauty tutorials, demos and reviews that have garnered her a following of over 370,000.

From Zara hauls and the truth of Vampire facials to body brushing and advice on how to get tone back in your knees, Trinnys frank  and often frankly hilarious  style hacks, often filmed selfie style from her bathroom mirror at home, are not to be missed.

In October 2017, Trinny decided to put her industry knowledge and following to good use and launched her own makeup brand, Trinny London. The cream based range comes in dinky little stackable pots, which customers can personalise using a clever online diagnosis tool called Match2Me which assesses skin, hair and eye colour combinations to recommend specifically tailored product.

To date its been sold exclusively online, but this month Trinny London has partnered with Selfridges to launch its first in-store concept, which is travelling from London to Manchester and Birmingham.

We caught up with the makeover maestro at her Selfridges London pop-up to find out which fashion and beauty items she loves and loathes.

Curious what she thinks of Botox? Or Brazilians? Or perfume for babies? Check out the video above

Trinnys Selfridges tour dates:

Selfridges Manchester Trafford Centre: 14th  20th October

Selfridges Birmingham: 25th  31st October

Trinny will be making appearances at each location throughout the pop-up tour, giving the opportunity for loyal fans to meet her in person to chat all things makeup during ten-minute one-to-one Trinny Time sessions. Customers who make a purchase from the Selfridges counter will receive a Trinny Time ticket, allowing them to return to meet with Trinny at the dedicated times.

Trinny will also be hosting several intimate masterclasses in Selfridges Manchester Trafford Centre with TRINNY London makeup artist Cha Cha. Tickets are 45 for the forty-five-minute makeup masterclass. The ticket price is redeemable against products purchased on the day.
D OORSTEP lender Provident Financial today admitted it was still feeling the hangover of the botched overhaul that plunged the company into crisis more than a year ago.

The firms attempts to replace its army of part-time collectors with a full-time workforce using a new IT system proved disastrous, sending collection rates plunging.

The Provvy, as it is affectionately known, also had to launch an emergency 300 million rights issue after a regulatory probe.

Provident said today that its recovery plan for the home credit business was substantially complete but collections remain some 10% below historic levels.

Chief executive Malcolm Le May: said: The home credit business is still experiencing the drag on collections performance from those customers who were active during the poorly executed migration to the new operating model in the third quarter of 2017.
W hen Xavier Rolet joined the London Stock Exchange, he quickly set about transforming the sickly old market with a series of canny acquisitions.

Today, his replacement David Schwimmer has arrived with a bang too, shelling out 384 million for a further 15% chunk in LCH. This is the business that dominates the infrastructure clearing the worlds trades in everything from bonds to foreign exchange.

You could argue the deal is risky for LSE shareholders, given that LCHs work has been eyed greedily by politicians in Berlin. They see Brexit as a juicy chance to snap up Londons euro-denominated trade.

Given that, surely its a huge risk for the LSE to be increasing its exposure. Also, why would shareholders be selling if they thought LCHs future was bright?

Dont get too carried away by the negative story here, though.

You can never be sure about the direction of European policy on financial services, but lately, it has been moving in LCHs favour.

Investors around the world, including European ones, have been telling Brussels with increasing urgency that only LCH has the clout to clear euro-denominated trades efficiently and safely. The politicians rhetoric has softened as a result.

Rather than fleeing a stricken business, it seems more likely that the selling shareholders today are leaving because they need the cash. After all, two are ailing German banks and another is the stock exchange of troubled Istanbul.

Bears also argue Deutsche Borse is taking market share from LCH, but that, and any residual Brexit worries, are reflected in the price Schwimmer is paying. Analysts at Berenberg note todays deal represents a price-to-earnings ratio for LCH of 15 times 2018 forecasts against the LSEs own valuation of 25 times. That sounds pretty cheap.

A decent start for Schwimmer.

It pays to listen to your shareholders

If Brent Cross operator Hammerson has taught us anything this year, its the importance of listening to your shareholders.

When it tried to buy Intu, it offered an outlandish 3.4 billion, which its shareholders refused to countenance. Today, the Brookfield consortium launched what looks like a winning bid at 2.9 billion.

Now, its all down to Intus South African shareholder Coronation to decide what happens next.

The fund manager owns 22%, making it second only to John Whittaker, the former Trafford Centre owner who is backing the bid.

Coronation may hope another bid miraculously arrives, but that seems unlikely, given that Intu has been for sale for ages.
P izza plots. Peoples marches. Parliamentary votes. When the day-to-day noise gets too loud in politics, it sometimes helps to tune out and remember the fundamentals.

There are still only three options facing Britain over Brexit: crash out without a deal, negotiate a withdrawal or remain in the EU.

A growing number of Brexiteers now favour the first option. That is because ideological purity is easy; compromise is hard. Some say openly that its worth the stockpiling of medical supplies, the lorry parks on the motorways and the chaos of the airports just to get out. Its better to be poorer but free is the new mantra from those who are rich enough to think that way.

Other Brexiteers claim they are pushing for a Canada Plus trade arrangement. But that amounts to advocating no deal, for the EU demands separate treatment of Northern Ireland in order to avoid the imposition of a hard border  and the same Brexiteer leaders who push for the Canadian approach also say we cannot possibly divide up the UK.

Brexiteers dont want to hear this, so they tell the Prime Minister: find your inner Boudicca  even though some of them had the privilege of leading these negotiations from around the Cabinet table and failed. Its all an excuse.

The contradictions in the hard Brexiteer position lead logically to no deal.

Transition

What about the second option facing Britain? Negotiate a withdrawal. That is what Theresa May says she has been trying to do.

But when the crunch comes, she is not prepared to confront the Tory party over the concessions required to deliver that deal. Thats because she made the disastrous mistake at the beginning of her premiership of making herself the Brexit leader of the 52 per cent rather than the national leader of the 100 per cent.

When she made the big climbdown on the Irish backstop last December, she didnt argue that the compromise was necessary but instead pretended to the Cabinet that nothing had changed.

And when she split her party at Chequers, she made the possibly fatal mistake of doing so over a proposal that she knew the EU would not accept. That forces her to make more concessions now, when her political capital is all but exhausted.

Her latest idea  extending the transition beyond 2020  merely delays the choices Britain has always faced: if you want the benefits of the single market that Margaret Thatcher created, you must accept the obligations she agreed to.

The latest Tory tail wagging the Tory dog is the claim that to win fishing constituencies in the 2021 Scottish elections well have to be out by then.

But what is the alternative to kicking the can down the road when the governing party, let alone Parliament, cannot muster a majority for any alternative?

Just imagine how different things would be if the Prime Minister had, right from the start of her tenure, used her goodwill to advocate a simple-to-negotiate, down-the-middle response to a referendum that so divided Britain  like membership of the European Economic Area or EFTA that satisfies proudly independent nations such as Norway and Switzerland.

The best that No 10 now, privately, hopes for is to get agreement to an extended transition whereby we leave the EU, still sign up to all its rules, pay its dues and have nothing other than a few warm words about a long-term relationship.

But does a parliamentary majority exist for this bridge to nowhere? Hard Brexiteers wont support it. The Labour leadership wont either  because it wants to bring down the Government. Moderate Tory MPs are beginning to peel off.

Downing Street seems to be counting on the votes of rebel Labour MPs. That is not a credible whipping strategy. If there isnt a majority for Mrs Mays permanent transition, Parliament will face a choice: crash out with no deal, or find a third way.

All this leads to another general election or a second referendum  and a vote, in effect, whatever the actual question, to stay in the EU.

TODO: define component type apester

Though reluctant to choose, most Tory MPs would prefer the latter to the former; and a majority of all MPs would accept that the national interest favours a new referendum over crashing out.
Blanchards report did not say whose candidacies the political materials advanced. But the Cook County sheriffs office, which responded to the scene, took photos showing the materials promoted the campaign of now-States Attorney Kim Foxx, among other candidates. Blanchards report concluded the SUV was improperly used to transport political materials but did not say who was driving when it was ditched or who placed the political materials in the vehicle. It did conclude that the SUV was driven primarily by Preckwinkles chief of security.
T he Humboldt Forum, the new museum in Berlin that hired Neil MacGregor to be a founding director after his time at the British Museum , has been an odd concept since the start. Why reconstruct an imperial palace, razed to the ground in 1945, so faithfully in the 21st century?

And why, then, have it house the ethnographic museum?

Some of the objects destined for its displays when it opens next year represent German scientific and exploratory endeavours, a nod to naturalist Alexander Humboldt, one of the brothers after which the museum is named. Others are disputed objects from colonial African territories. How much blood is dripping from a work of art? asked Benedicte Savoy, another of the founding directors who resigned last summer in disgust.

This question of appropriation and restitution dogs all museum directors. We have the Elgin Marbles, Berlin has the contested Egyptian bust of Nefertiti. Shipping everything back to its original home, though, creates another problem: our histories become singular, our view of the world narrows.

In the Art Newspaper this week, MacGregor was on the defensive, saying the intention was to tell the story of these objects from multiple viewpoints: The greatest threat to civil society is the attempt to reduce the citizen to a single identity.

This is a laudable aim, but visuals trump words and African bronzes and Eastern rowing boats placed in Western capitals  indeed, reconstructed baroque palaces  will always first convey an idea of comparative Western superiority.

Another way to balance this is for us to expose our own primitivism to others. Wouldnt it be surprising to go to a museum in, say, Lagos and find that its image of Britain was conveyed not by our royal family, our art collections or our modernity but by displaying cases of our early carved wooden chairs and armour, our flints and earthenware pots?

Even simple rules get too complicated

At a formal dinner recently I was asked to bring a favourite book to exchange with whoever I was seated next to. I took Train Dreams by Denis Johnson, a lean epic of pioneer America. I was pleased to be given an equally short book in return: John Maedas The Laws of Simplicity, a by-the-tills book with its mantra of how to simplify your life. The pages were turning easily, until Maeda started referring to integrated circuits, abbreviating it to ICs.

As this point I would have inserted the rule: Simplify your writing by not inserting apostrophes where they are not required.

Socialist Sacha deserves more respect

Sacha Romanovitch steps down from Grant Thornton , as the only female director of a top auditing firm, after being accused of being a socialist. This, we presume, was for daring to spread profits to all members of the firm, not just partners, and capping her own salary at 20 times that of the lowest paid. Dammit, was she trying to develop a pipeline of talent and make an equitable company?

Sacha Romanovitch / METRO

A group of reportedly 15 partners out of the 200 really didnt like that and wrote a letter, given to the press a couple of weeks ago, with a barrage of accusations against her.

And yet, despite their deeply held beliefs, none of them steps out from the shadows to reveal their name. This happens as the pile of letters to the 1922 Committee, which can force a vote of confidence in Theresa May once they reach 48 objections, grows. Who has written? Only a handful will declare. Who knew so many of these principled objectors were so cowardly in the face of female leaders?

Ill be marching for a Peoples Vote

Tomorrow I will be taking a Saturday stroll through London: Park Lane to Parliament. So will tens of thousands of others, marching for a Peoples Vote on the outcome of our Brexit negotiations. More than 100 buses are arriving from all over the country.

It continues to surprise me that those who advanced the argument that Brexit was the will of the people are grumbling about this idea.
A nother survey yesterday revealed the breadth of depression and anxiety felt by young people. Its a disquieting time  bouncing from teenage hormonal chaos to the double bind of terror and intoxication that sudden freedom from education and parental control brings. It is one of the least stable periods in our lives. And yet there is still so little education within schools on the onerous power of the mind. For when our emotions turn on us, they do so with surprising cunning.

Not that long ago I sought professional help from my local council. Id left my job, my beloved team and then suffered a brutal miscarriage. Coming all at once felt like a freight train. I faltered, my genuine excitement at new life and new horizons vanished as fast as that heartbeat. Id felt so lucky to be pregnant and had spent the summer developing a new company, delighted at the challenge of giving birth to two. Neither were to be.

In an attempt to swerve the loss that felt stunning in its voracity, anxiety took its place. Although to the outside world I deftly maintained a positive front, my imagination and natural ambitious ebullience deserted me, the ground felt cut from beneath. Maturity meant that I sought professional help; it wasnt my fault.

I did battle with my GP, who tried to foist antidepressants on me. But I persevered with adult confidence that it was my right to access human advice, not pills, and was eventually hooked up with the kindest mental health professional, who quickly guided my debilitating emotions back under control.

I dont repeat this episode to garner sympathy. More to demonstrate how quickly positivity can be lost, and grief turn much darker. Imagine a young person dealing with repeated job refusals, unemployment, money worries and the unstable relationships that come with growing up, and how easy it is to slide into the danger zone. And young women often have other challenges layered on top: abortions, miscarriages, their monthly hormones and the pressure of a beauty-orientated society.

What emerged during my conversations with my health practitioner was how passionate we both felt that the effective tools helping me could so easily be taught in schools. Not just a bit of mindfulness chucked in but seriously and cohesively. School is about preparing us for adult life, educating and flexing that valuable muscle in our head. It should also be about better understanding how this complex organ, which powers up humanity, can also confuse, misdirect and even devastate.

"Imagine a young person dealing with job refusals, money worries and unstable relationships"

Given that we are agreed there is a vast mental health crisis looming, why are we stubbornly refusing to take education and prevention seriously? Its just as important as knowing where Addis Ababa is. Detailed, empathetically taught knowledge from an early age about the rollercoaster ride of our cognitive function would remove the stigma and could arm teenagers with tools before they feel overwhelmed, while providing essential insight into how humans operate.

Knowledge is power. We need properly to power up the next generation before its too late.

When you cant even give your fortune away

It's tough being a member of the super-rich because no matter how hard you try, no matter how generously they want to spread their gains, some cant give it away.

Consider Paul Allen, the Microsoft founder. He was one of 40 signatories to sign the Giving Pledge in 2010, agreeing to donate half their fortunes to good causes. He was worth $13.5 billion (10.4 billion) at the time and, true to his word, he became one of the worlds most prolific philanthropists, donating $2 billion to a vast variety of worthy causes (as well as splashing out on essential boy toys and billionaire accoutrements).

The problem was, by the time of his death he was worth $20 billion.

Look at the scandals surrounding the UKs budget for overseas aid and its frequent misuse. The actor Chow Yun-fat, star of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, just announced he is to give his entire net worth of 542 million to charity. Well good luck with that. Richard Branson says people wont even let him pay for lunch.

*I recently watched A Star is Born, with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga . Can we please talk about how bad this film is? Lady Gaga electrifies, croons The Daily Telegraph. Gorgeously heart-breaking, paddles The New York Times. A double act to leave you starstruck, says The Guardian.

Lady Gaga / Getty Images

I walked out. Even Brads muscled torso couldnt save this film. I cant recall the last time I felt blown away by the magic cinema can induce.
T he witching hour is almost upon us. With Halloween on the horizon, it's time to make your art fix extra spooky.

The capitals art institutions are filled with things that go bump in the night, from witches to skeletons, along with gruesome fantasy deaths and some real-life horrors.

If you fancy a good fright, check out the spine-chillingly creepy paintings you can see in London.

The Ghost of a Flea, William Blake, 1819-20, Tate Britain

Courtesy of Tate

This fellow is both a ghost and a flea rolled into one. According to a friend of the artist, William Blake painted this picture after having a dream about the ghost of a flea  and that the ghost didnt actually look like an insect. Instead the flea is a bloodthirsty monster, carrying a cup ready for drinking blood. Blake had a habit of creating unnerving paintings and many of which can be found in Tate Britains dedicated Blake Room.

Witches at their Incantations, Salvator Rosa, about 1646, National Gallery

The National Gallery, London

Double, double, toil and trouble are occurring in this work by Italian painter Salvator Rosa. A coven of witches gather under a man hanging from a tree, casting spells and concocting potions. It sounds like an unusual subject choice but not for Rosa: the artist actually created a number of paintings of witches during his career.

Apollo and Marsyas, Jusepe de Ribera, 1637, Dulwich Picture Gallery

(Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte on kind concession from the Ministero dei beni e delle attivita culturali e del turismo) / Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte on kind concession from the "Ministero dei beni e delle attivita culturali e del turismo"

Jusepe de Ribera had quite the penchant for the gory. The Spanish painter is infamous for his depictions of torture and suffering. Marsyas screams in agony as Apollo proceeds to flay him alive  all with an absent look. This painting is currently on display as part of the five star Ribera: Art of Violence exhibition at the gallery, which makes for a perfect Halloween treat.

Taking up the body of John Wycliffe, Unknown artist, 1563 or after, National Portrait Gallery

National Portrait Gallery, Londoni

Philosopher John Wycliffes relationship with the Catholic Church was complicated to say the least. He was a priest who attacked the church for its luxurious tendencies  his dissidence caused so much consternation that his body was dug up 43 years after his death, and his bones were burnt. Youll find this grizzly interpretation of the scene of his exhumation at the National Portrait Gallery.

The execution of Lady Jane Grey, Paul Delaroche, 1833, National Gallery

( The National Gallery, London) / The National Gallery, London

Theres more true-life horror in this painting by Paul Delaroche. Lady Jane Grey was Queen of England  but only for nine days. She got the job after the death of her cousin Edward VI, skipping the queue ahead of his catholic half sister Mary. Mary overthrew Jane before she was even crowned and had the 16 year old girl beheaded. In this painting, Delaroche creates a chilling portrait of a young girl who is just moments from certain death.

A Scene from The Forcibly Bewitched, Francisco de Goya, 1798, National Gallery

( The National Gallery, London) / The National Gallery, London

This curious painting depicts a scene from a play, in which a man called Don Claudio comes to believe that he has been bewitched and that he will die if he allows a lamp - which is held here by a figure with a ram's skull - to go out. This is actually a relatively tame painting for Francisco de Goya, who is famous for his gruesome depictions of war.

Two Followers of Cadmus devoured by a Dragon, Cornelis van Haarlem, 1588, National Gallery

( The National Gallery, London) / The National Gallery, London

Things get a little more surreal for these two followers of Greek king Cadmus. While on a trip to get water from a well, they suffer a run in with the guardian of the well  who, unfortunately for them, is a dragon. The beast kills both unfortunate souls and eats their bodies; this painting shows one of the men struggling with the monster as it lunges to bite his face off. The other mans decapitated head lies on the ground next to him.

Saint Michael, Carlo Crivelli, 1476, National Gallery

Saint Michael is also engaged in a tussle with a monster, but seems to be having considerably more success. Here, he battles with the devil himself, as the leader of Gods holy army of angels, who took on Lucifer. Crivelli was a master at making his paintings extra creepy, and you can see more in a room filled with them at the National Gallery.

The Fall of Anarchy, JMW Turner, 1833-4, Tate Britain

Courtesy of Tate

When you think of Turner paintings you think of tempestuous, breathtaking landscapes  but not usually the physical embodiment of Death arriving on a horse. The skeletal figure is draped over the back of his steed, appearing through the mist. It is thought that this unusual work from Turner was the artists reaction to the death of his father.

The Ambassadors, Hans Holbein the Younger, 1533, National Gallery

( The National Gallery, London) / The National Gallery, London
T hree home cooks from rural Lebanon are travelling to London to create dishes in a Soho restaurant as part of a new culinary exchange.

Nada Nassar, Georgina El-Bayeh and Fadio Chaptini will be flying in to London next week to cook at Levantine venue Ceru in the project, which aims to promote home-style food that you wouldnt typically find in restaurants in both Lebanon and London.

They will be cooking their own traditional home-style dishes, which will be served alongside a selection of favourite Ceru dishes  such as crisp apple, mint and pomegranate salad and slow roast spiced lamb shoulder  which have been inspired by the flavours and spices of the region.

Cook Georgina El-Bayeh from Kfardlekous, Zgharta, in northern Lebanon, whose speciality is kibbeh  a dumpling-like dish made of bulgur wheat, finely ground meat and spices  said the exchange offered her a great opportunity.

She said: I am so excited to come to London and learn. I cannot wait to be in the kitchen, though I am nervous. It is a great challenge and opportunity for me.

The London event is part of a culinary exchange between Ceru and a number of restaurants in Lebanon. Husband and wife team Barry and Patricia Hilton, the owners of Ceru, travelled with group head chef Samir Zourdani and chef Rafael Pol to Beirut last week for a four-day trip to cook with several home chefs including Mrs El Bayeh at cult Beirut restaurant Tawlet.

The best Middle Eastern restaurants in London 1 /6 The best Middle Eastern restaurants in London Bala Baya Middle Eastern feasting: Bala Baya's pockets of semolina Honey & Co Delightful dips: Honey & Co's offering Patricia Niven Ottolenghi Salads galore: Ottolenghi's counter Issy Croker The Palomar Hot spot: Popular with city diners Helen Cathcart Le Bab Reinvented: Le Bab's gourmet kebab Berber Q Middle Eastern delights: Roasted Beetroot Tom Bowles

First opened in 2009, Tawlet Beirut is owned by Lebanese celebrity chef Kamal Mouzawak and hosts a different regional cook each day in its kitchen. French president Emmanuel Macron has once eaten at the restaurant, which is run by head chef Andrea Bouez.

As well as several other Tawlets across the country, Mr Mouzawak also runs a weekly market called Souk el Tayeb in the heart of Beirut where producers from across the country gather to sell their goods, including Mrs El Bayeh.

On October 11 the London chefs joined Ms Bouez and her team to cook a menu including dishes such as chicken and sumak rolls and roasted aubergine and tahini dip.

The London chefs then travelled to a restaurant in the northern town of Anfeh, Chez Fouad, to cook with local chefs Makarem Khoury and Ebrahim Ahmad. During the tip, the Ceru team also ventured to two boutique wine farms  Chateau Oumsiyat and Karam Wines  to see where some of the drinks featured on the Ceru menu were grown.

Chef swap: The cooks from Ceru and Tawlet

Founder Mr Hilton, who runs two Ceru restaurants  one in South Kensington and one in Soho  had the idea for the restaurant exchange last year when, during a research trip to Lebanon, he and his wife ate at Tawlet and met Mr Mouzawak.

He said the trip had been a huge learning curve for this team, adding: [The chefs] got to see the quality of produce being grown in the mountains of Lebanon and they learnt to improvise when certain ingredients do not behave as they do as the ones we normally buy from the London markets. They were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming positive feedback we received by the guests we served.

Speaking about the London trip, he added: It is a unique opportunity to taste authentic Lebanese food that does not come from a traditional Lebanese restaurant  they are three experienced female chefs from the mountain villages  this is not the kind of food that is usually available to Londoners.
I t's not every day that your attention is drawn to a car park. At first glance, the lot next to Dublins Tivoli Theatre seems as monotonous as any other. Above the entrance sign, windows are boarded up, the red bricks on the wall a little mismatched.

But one thing is sure to catch your eye. An abstract mural, painted in vibrant reds and blues, depicts a woman reclining alluringly on her side. Its a cool piece  one that makes you stop in your tracks and snap a quick pic for your Instagram.

But its only the beginning. Walk through the entrance, past the graffiti-tagged barrier and the walls dripping in peeling paint, and youll uncover a wonderland of street art. Theres a different piece at every turn, from basic tags to mammoth murals that beggar belief (one even requires 3D glasses).

Amble around the square (which is, oddly enough, devoid of cars most of the time) and youll find pieces shrouding every spare inch of space. There are abstract, Eighties-style geometric blocks creeping along a black concrete wall. A giant warthog, with angular snorts creeping out of his snout, stands tens of feet in the air, with coils of barbed wire topping the wall over his head.

Behind all of this, the striking spires of Johns Lane Church stand tall alongside the back of local houses and low apartment blocks.

Its not just at the Tivoli, either. Over the road, the exterior of the bar Drop Dead Twice is emblazoned with jagged, bumblebee-hued shards, and a little further down the street a Yoda-style figure urges us to Stop Wars. At the end of Francis Street, the hipster joint Two Pups Coffee is a beautiful muddle of pastels, the main door adorned with a Bowie-esque lightning bolt.

Nicola Brady

So why is this little corner of Dublin such a magnet for street art?

It began 11 years ago, when the All City Jam took over the space behind the Tivoli for an international graffiti event. The brainchild of the folks behind All City (a record label and graffiti paint store), this mini-festival has drawn top street artists from Ireland and all around the world, including Dublin artists Maser and James Earley.

Artists gather to paint (and party), with the resulting art left up for the remainder of the year. But if you want to see it for yourself, youll have to be quick. Plans have been approved for the Tivoli to be demolished to make room for a new aparthotel complex, complete with a new outdoor theatre space. That means the street art lining the current car park will cease to exist.

From our standpoint, itll be a great loss to the Irish graffiti scene, says Kev from All City. There have been so many great walls painted there, as well as international and Irish collaborations. There is so much history soaked into the bricks.

3D glasses are required for the huge face / Nicola Brady

That legacy hasnt been ignored. An Bord Pleanala, the Irish planning appeals board, decreed that the art must be preserved through professional photography before its all knocked to the ground.

I would never look at it as a bad thing but acknowledge and be grateful for what people got to use it for, says Finbar McHugh, an artist whose piece stands underneath the main entrance sign of the Tivoli car park.

If youve painted graffiti, its funny  you dont attach to the pieces too much, because your painting might be gone in 24 hours. Its a very good lesson in creativity, to be able to let go. I suppose everyone has to learn to let go in life. Space is more important than holding on to the past.

I crossed paths with Finbar back in June  he was working on his piece as I walked home. It was a few days before the All City Jam and, vapid as I am, I did what most would do  took a picture that went straight on my Instagram and walked on by. A few hours later, I saw that a friend of the artist had tagged him into my photo.

Nicola Brady

I felt oddly voyeuristic  Id put the picture up without his knowledge, after all. Luckily, when I admitted as such a few months later, he didnt mind.

You get tagged in some very interesting things, and have a good laugh sometimes! he says. Does he mind when people use his work on social media? When people take a snap and put something up, its giving them their chance to connect with something. Its really nice when you see that, and how people interact with it.

And interact they do. When I walked around, I spotted one girl doggedly making her way around the car park in order to get the perfect shot. Her friend trailed behind her, snapping away as she struck pose after nonchalant pose in front of various brightly coloured walls. In fairness, I was making my friend strike those very same poses so I could get some shots of my own.

A woman walked by, car keys in hand, muttering feckin eejits as she passed. You cant win them all.

Details: Dublin
T ravel is exciting. Whether its a solo trip or a group holiday, discovering the world should be a thrilling adventure but for people of colour, travelling abroad can often be difficult with some unforeseen stresses.

Whether you are travelling around Europe or backpacking around the world, the most important thing to consider is safety. From transport to food, globe trotters need to take everything into consideration to ensure their trip is as fun as possible. However, for people of colour there is another aspect to consider: is the country you want to explore going to treat you badly because of the colour of your skin?

Racism and prejudices around the world can make travelling as a black tourist incredibly upsetting. The treatment I receive is often more aggressive than my white counterparts. Gawking eyes that follow white travellers are usually that of adoration, especially in countries where Eurocentric features dominate beauty standards. In Europe, white privilege and postcolonial thinking has shaped the way some black people are treated while holidaying.

Many travel companies appreciate travelling as a woman has additional worries and therefore cater to that market, however there are very few options available to make sure that as a person of colour you feel comfortable.

This feeling of being unwelcome is not isolated to Europe. A recent Harvard University study found that guests with more traditionally African-American names are 16% less likely to be approved by Airbnb hosts than identical guests with stereotypically white names.

Personally Ive experienced travel racism in various degrees. I remember being asked to take pictures with small children in Paris as a teen. I just remember feeling confused and before I could object, families had already started posing around me. Awkwardly, I smiled and went on about my day unaware I was treated as a spectacle.

I know Im black. Ive been black for the past 25 years, I dont need to be reminded on holiday by locals and other tourists who take pictures, point and stroke me. In those moments, you feel like a zoo animal.

Over half a million Brits visit Morocco every year in search for sun, sea and new adventures. Known for the beautiful sandy beaches in Agadir, the rainbow spice markets in Marrakech and the rugged wilderness of the Atlas Mountains, its no wonder its a premier destination for couples, friends and families. I visited Morocco earlier this year and I was called the n-word by five men as I walked back to the hotel I was staying in. Although the trip wasnt ruined, it was tainted with currents of racist abuse. Abuse no-one should have to experience.

More recently, I was in Germany, when I noticed how many eyes were on me as I toured Dusseldorf. It was not the kind of stare that leads you to question if you have food on your face, but one that leaves you feeling small. A look that is examining the hijab on my head, wondering what my heritage is, coming to conclusions about my character based on the colour of my skin. These were looks of contempt.

In recent months Germany has seen a surge in refugees, mostly from Syria, flocking to its shores seeking asylum. The anti-migrant sentiment was evident to me as a British Muslim woman of colour.

From Europe to the Middle East and other places in between, racial discrimination became a norm for me.

Its in these moments that I realise how much Ive taken London for granted. The capital comes with its own set problems and hasnt eliminated racism but its diversity promotes cultural tolerance at the very least.

Although visibility of black travellers is growing, thanks to social media, in my opinion the travel industry fails to make an effort to authentically connect with the black community. According to a study by DigitasLBi, 70% of black millennial travellers are willing to pay more to travel with a brand that understands them.

Today, the internet is rife with travel bloggers writing tips on how to travel while black, places to avoid and what to expect. You can see the similarities in the reviews to a book written in 1936, by Victor Hugo Green, called The Negro Motorist Green Book, in which he reviewed hotels and restaurants that did business with African Americans during the era of Jim Crow laws. His book was a guide for black travellers on places to avoid discrimination.

While people of colour should be aware of places to actively avoid for fear of discrimination there is still a need to educate the world. And Black History Month reminds everyone we need to continue fighting inequality and encourage change.
N otorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who was jailed for inviting support for Islamic State, has been released from prison.

The cleric, who was jailed for five-and-half years in 2016, was driven away from Belmarsh prison under the cover of darkness at around 4am today.

The 51-year-old, from Ilford, east London, was released "for good behaviour" under strict conditions after serving half of his sentence.

Once a leading figure in the now banned group al-Muhajiroun, the former solicitor had previously stayed on the right side of the law for years.

Why are authorities hands tied?

Choudary was due for automatic release after reaching the halfway point of a five-and-a-half-year sentence, when time spent on remand is taken into account.

The system of serving half a sentence in prison and half on licence is normal practice and applies to prisoners who are given sentences of over two years.

It was introduced by Parliament, and is not something that judges or magistrates have any control over.

A custody photo of extremist preacher Anjem Choudary / Metropolitan Police

Remand refers to the period of time someone spends in custody while awaiting trial.

Barrister Jane Issacs told Good Morning Britain unless Britain introduces new laws for "certain people who have committed certain crimes there is nothing authorities can do to change this.

She said if this was not the case there are people that would say that we are becoming a regime or a society that is far too strict because we are imposing rules on people because of what theyve done rather than because of what we believe.

Its a difficult call, if someones abided by the rules we release them into the community, if we want to change the rules thats an entirely different debate around free speech, whether we have certain categories of crime that different rules apply to, she added.

How much is it costing to monitor him?

The huge security operation needed to keep tabs on Choudary will see taxpayers hit by a 2million-a-year bill.

The Sunday Telegraph revealed the figure this week, and described the conditions being imposed on the preacher as the most stringent living conditions ever placed on a British citizen.

A car understood to be carrying Anjem Choudary leaves Belmarsh prison in the early hours today / ITV

Ms Issacs told GMB: It costs money but in some ways you might say its money well spent because if it keeps an eye on him and it prevents him from committing further crimes in some respects thats what we all pay our taxes for.

What measures are in place?

For the rest of the sentence period, he will be subject to a strict supervision regime.

Police and MI5 are expected to be among a host of agencies involved in monitoring him in the community.

He will be supervised under a system known as multi-agency public protection arrangements (Mappa).

It is thought he will initially be placed in a probation hostel following his release, and will have to comply with more than 20 licence conditions.

There are a number of standard requirements, including maintaining good behaviour, receiving visits from and keeping in contact with his supervising probation officer, and not travelling outside the UK without prior permission.

In addition, Choudary will be subject to a bespoke package of further measures while on licence.

These include being banned from going outside the M25, or from travelling abroad; banned from contacting members of ISIS or al-Qaeda; banned from contacting fellow extremist Mohammed Mizanur Rahman; banned from speaking to children; banned from organising meetings, speaking to the press, or going to certain mosques.

Any breach of licence conditions can result in immediate return to custody.

In a separate measure, his name has been added to a UN sanctions list, which means he is subject to an assets freeze and travel ban.

What do the authorities say?

On Thursday, Theresa May said authorities are equipped to supervise Choudary after his release.

The Prime Minister said: "The police, the prison, the probation service, and other agencies have a range of powers available to them.

"They also have significant experience in dealing with such offenders."

Preacher of hate: Anjem Choudary speaks at a rally in 2006. He has been accused of influencing some of this countrys worst terrorists / PA

The plan for his release is seen as highly sensitive, and no official confirmation of the precise timing or location has been given.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "We do not comment on individuals."

Prisons minister Rory Stewart has previously said Choudary will be watched "very, very carefully".

Last week, security minister Ben Wallace said: "We are alert to the threat people like him pose and we will make sure we do what steps we need to mitigate it."

Who is Anjem Choudary?

Anjem Choudhary was born in London in 1967, the son of a Welling market trader.

He went to school in Woolwich and later enrolled as a medical student at the University of Southampton. There he was known as Andy and is understood to have been a notorious party animal who got stoned with his friends.

He later switched to law and, after completing his legal qualifications, became chairman of the Society of Muslim Lawyers.

Choudary headed the Al-Muhajiroun network founded by Islamist militant leader Omar Bakri Muhammed.

The group, which has been known by other names including Islam4UK and had influence across Europe, supported an extreme interpretation of Islam that advocated Sharia law and an ultimate conflict with the west.
T wo men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was found beaten to death in Battersea.

Former boxer Ian Tomlin, 46, was found slumped by the lifts outside his flat in south-west London on Wednesday night.

Scotland Yard said two suspects, in their 40s, were arrested from separate addresses by officers on Friday.

Police and Forensic Staff at the Crime Scene in Battersea / NIGEL HOWARD

The victim frequently confronted drug dealers on the estate, his father has said.

Peter Gardner, superintendent head of the CID for Wandsworth Police, said the arrests were made following information passed to the police by the public.

Mr Gardner did not say whether the men were residents of the estate or if they knew the victim.

He said: "This is a tragic incident and it's absolutely senseless.

"We will do everything within our power to investigate this fully, bring those responsible to justice and to support the family through this devastating time."

Mr Gardner denied that the police force had lost control of the capital's streets.

He said: "I certainly don't feel it's like that but I understand residents' frustration, we will do everything to bring this investigation to conclusion and justice to those involved and continue to do so, for all instances like this.

"I don't feel at all that we've lost control of the streets, I think that's not at all accurate."

Police were called to Cromwell House in Charlotte Despard Avenue at around 5.30pm yesterday to reports of a group of men fighting.

Mr Tomlin was found in a communal area with injuries after having been assaulted, police said.
A divisional director who drunkenly hurled racist slurs at a couple has been banned from all central London pubs.

Robert Tolley, 48, had spent more than six hours at a Liverpool Street pub for a colleagues leaving party before he headed to get the train home.

While on the escalator he bumped into Sheikh Ahmed and his partner Sayema Khanom, pushing them and abusing them.

Westminster magistrates heard he called Ms Khanom a Kumar prostitute and Mr Ahmed a brown dog, and was arrested after the incident on February 21.

Tolley is a divisional director at EC3 Brokers, which has its headquarters opposite the Gherkin.

District Judge Michael Snow sentenced the father of two to a year-long community order, which includes a ban from all pubs, bars, and clubs in central London and Wiltshire, where he lives.

Since you cannot control yourself while you are drinking we are going to try and curb your drinking, said the judge. He also imposed a night curfew for the next nine weeks, with exceptions for Tolley to go on work trips to Palma and Barcelona next month.

The defendant used an umbrella emblazoned with his employers brand outside court yesterday, when he pleaded guilty to two charges of racially aggravated common assault. He said he was deeply ashamed of himself.

The court heard the victims were heading for the Bishopsgate exit of Liverpool Street station when Tolley moved close to Ms Khanom. He goes down the escalator, he pushes Mr Ahmed and Ms Khanom tries to intervene in the centre of that dispute, said Ricky Yau, representing Tolley.

He has a decent job in the financial services. It was a lunchtime leaving do for a colleague that started at 1pm and ended at 7.30pm.

Judge Snow told him: The aggravating features of this offence are that there were two victims here, not one, and the incident took place at a very busy central London station. That would have caused extra distress for anybody who had to witness what you did.
T he Huddersfield grooming trials were allegedly put at risk by Tommy Robinson after he flouted reporting restrictions.

The former leader of the EDL claimed the activities of the gang - who were convicted of raping and abusing girls as young as 11 - were being covered up because the offenders were of Asian origin.

In reality, reporting of the case was only being postponed for well-established legal reasons designed to ensure a fair trial. The restriction was put in place because the defendants were being dealt with in separate trials.

In cases such as this one, reporting is sometimes postponed until the final case so jurors cannot be prejudiced by reading accounts of previous trials.

Robinson claimed instead that the cases were being covered up because the men were Muslims in video footage which also showed him approaching defendants in the second trial as they approached Leeds Crown Court.

The video was viewed on social media 250,000 times within hours.

Tommy Robinson supporters gather outside Old Bailey

Robinson was given a 13-month jail term by Judge Geoffrey Marson QC in May, who warned him his actions could have caused the trial to be re-run, costing "hundreds and hundreds of thousands of pounds".

He was released from HMP Onley in Rugby on August 1 after successfully challenging the contempt of court ruling.

However, he was warned by Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett that he could be sent back to jail if a ruling of contempt of court is made at a fresh hearing, due to take place at the Old Bailey on October 23.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, later said: "The law's supposed to be blind, but it's not supposed to be deaf and dumb. I'm being specifically targeted for who I am. I'm on trial for speaking into a microphone."

But the former BNP supporter from Luton, whose case was taken up by the so-called alt-right in the US when he was jailed, was aware of the potential consequences of his actions at Leeds Crown Court.

He had been given a suspended prison sentence for contempt of court in 2017 after trying to film three Asian men and a teenager who were on trial at Canterbury Crown Court accused of gang-raping a teenage girl.

That trial was also subject to temporary reporting restrictions, which were also later lifted and the men involved were given 14-year jail sentences.

Convicted: Ten of the men found guilty of a 'campaign of rape and abuse' / West Yorkshire Police

Giving Robinson the suspended sentence for contempt in that case, the judge said her decision on whether to jail him had been on a "knife-edge".

His lawyer Matthew Harding claimed Robinson had "deep regret" for what he had done in Leeds and had been "mindful, having spoken to others and taken advice, not to say things that he thought would actually prejudice these proceedings".

But Judge Marson said: "Not only was it a very long video, but I regard it as a serious aggravating feature that he was encouraging others to share it and it had been shared widely. That is the nature of the contempt."

Guilty: the men have been sentenced to 221 years in jail in total so far

The judge added: "Everyone understands the right to freedom of speech but there are responsibilities and obligations."

Robinson's link to the Huddersfield trials can be reported for the first time today after the judge lifted restrictions on the case.

Tommy Robinson compares prison to Guantanamo Bay and says he was spat on by inmates

A gang of men who embarked on a "campaign of rape and other sexual abuse" against vulnerable teenage girls in Huddersfield has been given lengthy jail sentences, it can now be reported.

Ringleader Amere Singh Dhaliwal, 35, was jailed for life earlier this year and told he must serve a minimum of 18 years in prison by a judge who said: "Your treatment of these girls was inhuman."

Ringleader: Amere Singh Dhaliwal was jailed for a minimum of 18 years / PA Archive/PA Images

Dhaliwal is one of 20 men who have been found guilty of scores of offences in a series of trials at Leeds Crown Court.

Fifteen women told juries what happened to them between 2004 and 2011 when they were aged between 11 and 17.
Appearing with the two at the Logan Square Blue Line station in the neighborhood thats increasingly a center of progressive politics, Preckwinkle didnt answer directly when asked whether the endorsements were meant to counter Chances call for his followers to vote for Enyia. She instead said she has been a progressive my whole life.
T his is the first picture of a former boxer and father found beaten to death in Battersea.

Ian Tomlin, 46, was found slumped by the lifts outside his flat in south-west London on Wednesday night.

Two men, in their 40s, were arrested on suspicion of murder following the incident, Scotland Yard said.

The father drove council buses for the elderly and disabled.

Police at the crime scene cordon / Nigel Howard

According to his father, Cecil Tomlin, the victim frequently confronted drug dealers on the estate where he lived.

Scotland Yard confirmed this was a line of inquiry the force was looking into.

The arrests were made following information passed to the police by the public, said Peter Gardner, superintendent head of the CID for Wandsworth Police.

He added that CCTV footage had also been "instrumental" in aiding officers but did not say whether the men were residents of the estate or if they knew the victim.

Mr Gardner said: "This is a tragic incident and it's absolutely senseless.

"We will do everything within our power to investigate this fully, bring those responsible to justice and to support the family through this devastating time."

Mr Gardner denied that the police force had lost control of the capital's streets.

He said: "I certainly don't feel it's like that but I understand residents' frustration, we will do everything to bring this investigation to conclusion and justice to those involved and continue to do so, for all instances like this.

"I don't feel at all that we've lost control of the streets, I think that's not at all accurate."

However, Mr Gardner said there had been previous drug-related problems on the estate.

The killing marked the 106th homicide investigation launched in London this year / Nigel Howard

He would not confirm or deny reports a gunshot was heard by local residents a few weeks previously.

An operation in the area last year saw 54 arrests of people for drugs and other related offences, including possession of an offensive weapon.

Earlier on Friday, Scotland Yard said two suspects, in their 40s, were arrested from separate addresses by officers on suspicion of Mr Tomlin's murder.

Police and Forensic Staff at the Crime Scene in Battersea / NIGEL HOWARD

Police were called to Cromwell House in Charlotte Despard Avenue at around 5.30pm yesterday to reports of a group of men fighting.

Mr Tomlin was found in a communal area with injuries after having been assaulted, police said.
A teenager has been rushed to hospital after being hit by a marked police car on an emergency call, police said.

The car struck the 18-year-old pedestrian in Clapham Road near Clapham Common, south-west London, at about 3.40pm on Friday, Scotland Yard said in a statement.

Witnesses said the Metropolitan Police officers were responding to a fight, according to the Independent.

The teenager was taken to a nearby hospital and officers are awaiting an update on his condition.

Road closures were in place as police and London Ambulance Service attended the scene following the incident.

Isabelle, the victims friend, told the newspaper: He ran over... He was coming across the road to say hi to me.

Another witness said there had been a "big fight" on the pavement of Clapham Road at the time.

The car was travelling with its blue lights on when it struck the 18-year-old pedestrian / Twitter/@speedlink75

A Met Police spokeswoman said the car was travelling with its blue lights on while responding to an emergency call not believed to be related in any way to the pedestrian.

The crash was beside a pedestrian refuge island near Lambeth College.

The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed.

Scotland Yard said: "Officers in a marked police vehicle were involved in a collision with a pedestrian in Lambeth.

"The 18-year-old pedestrian has been taken to a south London hospital. We await an update on his condition."
A man has been rushed to hospital after being stabbed repeatedly in east London.

Police and paramedics were scrambled to Zetland Street, in Poplar, on Thursday night.

The victim, believed to be in his 60s, was found suffering knife wounds shortly after 10.20pm.

He was rushed to an east London hospital. He condition was not immediately clear.

There have been no arrests.

A crime scene remained in place.
A Tube rage suspect has been cleared after she was accused of threatening to stab a baby.

Millicent Barnes, 22, rowed with the babys family on a packed Central line train after claiming she had been rammed with a pram.

Standing trial at City of London Magistrates Court on Friday, she denied threatening behaviour. Ms Barnes claimed the babys family threatened to do her in and that she was targeted because of her ethnicity.

The complainant, Geraldine Brannagan, told the court Ms Barnes had threatened to stab the baby after the child kicked her. She also claimed Ms Barnes had asked the baby, who was 15 months old at the time of the incident, to apologise.

But acquitting her, magistrate Ian Luder said: Its clear to us that whatever the cause, there was a nasty altercation. The result was fear by Ms Brannagan of violence. We have no doubt this is what Ms Brannagan felt, but we dont consider this was your intention.

Ms Barnes, of Peckham, wept with her family and a friend after the ruling was made.

Ms Brannagan had been celebrating her brothers graduation with seven family members on July 18. Afterwards, they got on a rush hour train at Bank station. Because it was busy, Ms Brannagan and her mother had boarded through separate doors. Her father got on with the baby and her pram further down the carriage.

Opening the case, prosecutor Trevor Green told the court: She heard her familys voices and realised there was an issue. Ms Brannagans baby had apparently kicked Ms Barnes.

Called to give evidence from behind a curtain, a tearful Ms Brannagan told the court: She [Ms Barnes] had a very aggressive manner. She was shouting she wanted an apology from it. I couldnt quite comprehend what was happening.

She said my baby had kicked her twice. She leant towards my daughter. My mother felt threatened and went to safeguard her. My mother said: Shut your mouth, youre scaring the child.

She was very aggressive, it felt intimidating. I thought she was under the influence of narcotics, or mentally unwell. She said to my mother: Dont tell me to shut my f****** mouth, youre a f****** old lady, youll have a heart attack, you dont know what Ive got in my bag.

She was cleared of threatening a baby on a Central line train

Ms Brannagan continued: I felt this was someone you couldnt rationalise with. She said she didnt give a f*** about the child and that shell stab it. I felt it was a life or death situation. Ive never heard something so vile in my life.

She leant into my face in a very aggressive manner. She said: What are you going to do? I felt scared, there was no escaping this person. I said: Do it. I just wanted it to end. I thought she was possibly going to hurt me, stab me.

I then toughened up for my daughter. I started recording her [Ms Barnes]. She was hitting my arm. She was saying: Record me, record me, I dont give a f*** about the police.

Ms Brannagan told the court Ms Barnes male companion had been goading another family member, saying the baby should apologise.

A Tube staff member saw the commotion when the train pulled into St Pauls, and the family got off the train.

She was trying to spit at us, Ms Brannagan told the court. For me, thats one of the lowest things you can do.

Mr Green, the prosecutor, also told the court the commotion continued once the family had got off the train.

One commuter, Chantala Wilson, had confronted Ms Barnes over her behaviour while Ms Brannagan and her family had been on the train.

Mr Green said: Ms Barnes told her: Why did you get involved? I wasnt talking to you. She was very close to Ms Wilson. Some words were exchanged between the two.

Ms Barnes was leaning on her and Ms Wilson said: Get your breasts off my left arm. Ms Barnes said: And what? I got some, youre just jealous.

Ms Wilson was also called to give evidence, also from behind the curtain.

She told the court: I was stuck on a train wrong a woman alleging to have a knife in her bag.

She was doing it [leaning her chest on her left arm] deliberately and trying to intimidate me - and was succeeding.

That bag was a cross-body bag and that was near me. At this point, I thought: Im not going home to my children.

On the day, Ms Barnes was travelling to a Big Narstie show in Shepherds Bush. Responding to questions from defence lawyer Emma Foubister, she said from the witness box: The train was pulling up and a man behind me with a pram ran into the back of my foot. I looked at him, he looked at me. I ignored it, he ignored it.

As I got on the train he rammed the pram into my leg and my knee gave way. I asked him to apologise and he said no. I didnt ask the baby to apologise.

I said: Youve hurt me, as a grown up you should know that when you hurt someone, the least you can do is apologise. I was very, very calm.

Ms Brannagans brother threatened me. He said: Stop talking to me like that or Im going to do you in. He had his fists held. I thought he was going to punch me in the face.

I have got to admit, I got angry. Why was I being threatened when I was hurt? I didnt say I had a knife in my bag. She came over and said she had a knife in her bag. I said: Make sure you use it then.

Under cross-examination from Mr Green, Ms Barnes said: I felt like it was a racist attack. They didnt say anything. I am just saying, if I was a white person and asked you to apologise, you would have apologised. Why are four people shouting at me and I am the one who is the culprit?

Barnes then claimed she had a hip condition, which was why she had got angry on the train. When Mr Green asked her to produce medical evidence, Ms Barnes said she didnt know she had to bring it into the court and burst into tears.

The case was adjourned as Ms Barnes was led out the court. Its not fair, she said. Whys he doing that?

When Ms Barnes returned she again accused Ms Brannigan or threatening her: Shes the one who said she had a knife in her bag.
L ondon schoolchildren came face to face with refugees living in the Central African Republic as part of the Standards Learn to Live campaign.

Students from Francis Barber Pupil Referral Unit in Wandsworth learned more about young people from Bangui, capital of the CAR, after the two schools swapped videos of themselves.

The pupils have been linked as part of a groundbreaking school twinning project, which is designed to promote understanding between children from different backgrounds.

Young people from Francis Barber kicked off the twinning by sending questions and videos to their counterparts in Africa, and this week they received a response.

Kira, 14, a pupil at Francis Barber, said: Seeing their faces made me feel like everything we have in the UK we take for granted. It made me look at things with a different perspective. Seeing the videos and letters makes me feel a personal connection to them. Next I would like to speak to them on FaceTime.

The London group watched as the children in Bangui performed a song for them and told them about their lives. One of them was Stephanie, whose story was featured in the Standard this week. She was just 12 when she had to flee from militia fighters, and she saw them chase a local tribal leader and shoot him dead in the street in front of her.

She found sanctuary in a church with her family and others, and slept there for months as priests and nuns negotiated with militia leaders to spare them. Now 18, Stephanie attends an education programme called VoiceMore, which is run by War Child, the partner charity of the Learn to Live campaign.

At the VoiceMore centre she gets an education, and help to address the mental scars left by what she and the other children there have been through. She and her friends are now learning more about their twins from Wandsworth.

The pupils from Bangui also sent the London students brightly coloured cloth from their country  and pupils here are using it in their art class to create a patchwork map of the Central African Republic.

Jay, 13, at Francis Barber, said: It is like being pen pals. Its good we have seen them now and they have written back. When we first wrote our questions to them it didnt feel real. It must be hard for them to express their feelings but it is good because they are telling people what they are going through.

I would like the children in CAR to learn our names and speak to us individually on FaceTime. We would feel even closer to them then.

I have learned about what music they like and their food, where they live, and what type of things they do while they are there, and the language that they speak. They are human, so they are going to be like us.

Join our campaign: how your school can help
A busker criticised for repeatedly playing the theme tune from Titanic refused to be silenced today, vowing: My harp will go on.

Peter Murphy is a familiar sight  and sound  at South Kensington Tube station, but was singled out during a consultation by Kensington and Chelsea council over irresponsible busking.

Strict new rules due to come into force early next year could include bans on busking in certain areas of the borough, with transgressors facing fines.

Hundreds of residents had called for tougher action and one said: Could you please ask the harp player in the South Kensington tunnel to introduce another song into his repertoire? The only one he can play (and he plays it incessantly) is the theme from Titanic.

But Mr Murphy, 62, who left his accountancy job and learned the harp at 45, claimed he was giving the people what they want. He said: People love film themes. I do covers because thats what people like. I have done my own arrangement for Titanic and people love it. Sometimes there are so many stopping to listen they block the tunnel.

Stars Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio in the 1997 epic (Reuters ) / Reuters

To be successful you have to play what is popular. He also does weddings and commercial events and said he had played at The Ritz, Leeds Castle, the Cafe de Paris  and Buckingham Palace. He added: Of course I know how to play other things. I have played at Buckingham Palace and had a four-year residency in a hotel. On the Tube its different, Im giving people what they want. This is my living.

He plans to record his unique arrangement of My Heart Will Go On, from the 1997 epic starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Celine Dions version has sold 18 million copies.

Mr Murphy has a Transport for London licence to play at South Kensington. On the councils plans to get tougher, he said: On the Underground it works well with licences. However, there are raucous buskers in the streets sometimes and that can be a problem. Fellow busker Terry Fox said: Peter is great. He does play Titanic a lot but his musics in keeping with the calm atmosphere.

Kensington and Chelsea announced the crackdown after getting 1,200 complaints a year. It will use Public Space Protection Orders. Will Pascall, the councils lead member for streets, said: Our goal is not to limit artistic creativity but to enhance quality of life.
C ars will be banned from roads around four south-east London schools in a trial scheme to curb pollution.

Greenwich council is testing the ban at four primaries that will become pedestrian and cycle-only between 8am-9.30am and 3pm and 4pm.

It means those living in the roads will not be able to use their vehicles during the peak times unless they ask school staff to lift metal barriers that will be installed.

The schools involved in the trial are De Lucy Primary in Abbey Wood, Gordon Primary and Haimo Primary in Eltham and St Josephs Catholic Primary in Greenwich.

The restrictions will come in after next weeks half-term for six to 12 months.

The council launched the trial after figures from Transport for London showed a quarter of week-day rush-hour morning traffic is school-run parents.

The ban is being enforced by an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order but would allow access to emergency vehicles and blue badge holders.

Residents in Pelton Road and Commerell Street  near St Josephs  today branded the idea a disaster.

One neighbour, who is using a wheelchair as she recovers from an illness, but does not have a blue badge, said she needed to attend hospital appointments at short notice. She said: They say emergency services can get access but what about days when Im in severe pain and my husband has to take me to A&E? He will have to negotiate with school staff.

Katy Ruskin, 44, who runs a childcare business from her home yards from the school, said: As a childminder its disastrous for me and puts a big strain on my business because theres no other option than to drive when I am working.

My eldest son is at a school the other end of Greenwich and to suddenly be told we cant use our car at certain times doesnt work.

Parents are divided on the plan, with some agreeing it will improve air quality while others complain they will have to walk when it is raining.

Gendij Reftij, 41, a father-of-two with a six-year-old son at the school, said: This is a good idea for childrens health but what about in winter?

Councillor Denise Scott-McDonald, cabinet member for air quality, said: Even though most children live within walking distance, the roads outside schools are still choked with cars, which is dangerous for everyone.
T he mother of a 14-year-old London schoolboy shot dead in a playground had repeatedly told authorities he was in danger from exploitation by drug gangs, according to a report released today.

Corey Junior Davis, known as CJ, was shot in the back of the head as he sat with friends in Forest Gate in September last year. His killers, thought to be from a rival gang, are still at large.

Today an independent report into his death found he was groomed by gangs from the age of 13, listing failures by Newham council and identifying missed opportunities to move Corey out of Newham, or away from gang influence.

Today his mother, Keisha McLeod, told the Standard: Corey was a beautiful, funny, bright young man. Im not going to pretend he was perfect. But he didnt deserve what happened.

"If my son hadnt been in Newham, this wouldnt have happened. The report made me angry. Its just the black and white of what happened but I had to live that.

"No one was listening to me or my son. Corey was treated as a criminal when he was alive. Now hes thought of as a victim, but its too late.

Keisha McLeod: 'No one was listening to me or my son' / Nigel Howard

His mother told social workers that the family had to be moved, and he told support workers he feared for his life.

But no comprehensive plan was put in place to stop the gang exploitation.

Corey had severe ADHD but achieved above average grades in primary school in Waltham Forest.

When he started secondary school in Forest Gate, provisions for his learning needs were not put in place, the report found.

Corey was treated as a criminal when he was alive. Now hes thought of as a victim, but its too late

He was excluded and put in a pupil referral unit where he fell into the clutches of gangs.

Once he told his mother he was being forced to sell drugs, and she found him with 600 worth, including heroin.

Taxis were used to take him to youth workers in an office in a rival gangs territory.

The report says the courage it took [Corey] to confide to adults cannot be underestimated, yet he wasnt seen through the lens of exploitation, but as an offender.

Social care workers became heavily involved when he went missing, returning a week later with costly clothes. Ms McLeod moved Corey to an uncles house in south London.

In an email to a social worker in February 2017, she wrote: To me this is a life-and-death situation. She never got a reply. After falling out with his uncle, Corey moved back to Newham.

Later Ms McLeod was offered a home in Barkingside, but a week later she was told the property had never been available.

Two months later Corey was dead. Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz said she had apologised to Ms McLeod and was deeply troubled the council didnt do the best it could.
T he Prime Minister told business leaders on Friday she is aware time is running out for a Brexit deal, the head of the Institute of Directors has said.

However, Theresa May also stated that she is confident it can be done in a 35-minute conference call with around 120 company bosses to update them on the progress in the exit talks.

The PM, who acknowledge the uncertaintys impact on industry, did not say if the possibility of extending the transition period was being seriously considered, according to Stephen Martin, IoD director general.

He told BBC Radio 4's PM programme: "She accepts fully that time is running out and a deal needs to be done certainly in the autumn, as she put it.

"We need time to get ready for that. She was very clear she accepts the uncertainty that it's causing at the minute and the impact that could be having.

"But she was making it clear to everybody that she does believe a deal can be done and she is confident.

"The only sticking point is the Northern Ireland border and the backstop arrangements."

Downing Street said Mrs May told the business leaders that "significant progress" has been made in the talks.

Dominic Raab, the chief Brexit negotiator for the UK, is continuing with talks / Peter Nicholls/Reuters

A No 10 spokesman said: "She acknowledged that there were a few significant issues that were still outstanding, but said that the very real sense she had from leaders around the table at the council was that they wanted to reach a deal as soon as possible this autumn.

"She emphasised that both sides wanted to have our future relationship in place by the end of December 2020 so that the backstop never needed to be used, but that the negotiating teams would work intensively on this to find a way forward."

Theresa May recently spoke to EU leaders at a Brussels summit / AP

This comes as Japanese car firms warned that failing to reach a Brexit deal must be "avoided at all costs".

Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, said: "If no withdrawal agreement is reached and the transition period through December 2020 is consequently not implemented, corporate activities and consumers will be adversely affected by the impacts of suspended production activities resulting from failed just-in-time logistics operations, declines in revenue, and revised vehicle sales prices caused by spiralling logistics and production costs.

"We hope that both the UK and EU governments will continue to make maximum efforts to reach a satisfactory settlement and that a withdrawal without agreement is avoided at all costs."

The controversy around Mrs May came as she signalled she is ready to delay the UK's final departure from the EU's hold until 2021 in a last ditch bid to end the deadlock over the Irish border issue.

Britain secured a 21-month transition period following the formal date of Brexit in March 2019.

This is to give authorities and companies time to prepare for new arrangements.
Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that a "backstop" to extend Brexit talks with a clear deadline is crucial to avoiding a physical between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and need to stay in place until "something better can be negotiated or agreed".

"Negotiating teams need to get back to the negotiating table to close the gaps that are still there," he told presenter John Humphrys. "There are a small number of remaining issues, significant issues... that need to be resolved.

"The prospect of "no-deal" on a managed, controlled Brexit really is very very concerning... From an Irish perspective and an EU perspective we do have to insist on the commitments that have already been made in this process being followed through."
President Donald Trump, who first came out hard on the Saudis over the disappearance but had since backed off, said Thursday that it "certainly looks" as though Khashoggi is dead, and that the consequences for the Saudis "will have to be very severe" if they are found to have killed him.
A fierce backlash over Theresa Mays handling of the Brexit negotiations is growing after she offered the idea of extending the transition phase.

The firestorm within her Tory party deepened further last night, with former leader Iain Duncan Smith saying an extension would mean falling into the next EU budget.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis is also reportedly "on manoeuvres," calling ministers yesterday to try to urge a change of course in the negotiations.

Mr Duncan Smith said this would mean the UK would pay tens of billions of pounds extra to the bloc, money he said has been promise for domestic programmes.

"I couldn't understand why we would offer to extend the transition period when we still haven't got anything back in return, he told BBC2's Newsnight.

Theresa May is welcomed by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker ahead of the summit / REUTERS

"By extending the backstop we are likely to fall straight into the next budget of the EU which will mean tens of billions of pounds extra to be paid across to the EU.

"It would be very hard to tell the British people that we are extending another year or more into the implementation phase, and we're then going to pay tens of billions of pounds over when we actually say we need it for other domestic programmes.

"We are in a negotiation but at the moment it begins to look more like a capitulation than a negotiation. We have got to get some steel in our backbone and do something about actually negotiating, rather than saying 'what would you like?"'

It comes after EU chiefs said they are prepared to extend the post-Brexit transition period if the UK asks. And shortly before the Prime Minster gave a news conference in Brussels, European Commission president Jean-Claude Junker said an extension to the transition period "probably will happen".

Tory MP Nick Boles, who backed Remain in the EU referendum, told Channel 4 News that he would oppose moves by Mrs May to extend the deadline.

Theresa May 'convinced' UK will secure good Brexit deal

He said: "I think that so many of the things that she has told us about what she was proposing have turned out either not to be true, or she hasn't stuck to them, so when the Prime Minister first suggested this transition, and remember what this transition is, we stay in the EU in effect, bound by all of its rules, in all of its institutions, paying our normal contribution for two years.

"We have no vote. It's actually worse than being a member of the EU. She said, we are going to be in there until December 2020, not to negotiate a deal, to implement a free trade deal that would already have been negotiated.

"Now, what we hear, is that, actually, no, that's not enough time, and, no, we are not going to be implementing.

TODO: define component type apester

"We are going to be negotiating that long term relationship, and now we might need a third year.

"That third year would not cost an additional ten billion euros, it might cost 18 billion euros because we'd be in the new budget cycle of the EU where all of the contributions go up.

Theresa May speaks to the media as she arrives in Brussels for the summit / AP

"That is just an absolute mile from what we were originally told was necessary."

Meanwhile, in a fresh blow to Mrs May's authority, prominent Tory MP Johnny Mercer, who has been seen as a rising star of the party, branded the Government a "shit show".

In response, Mr Duncan Smith said: "It's not the language I would use - but I can understand his frustration.

"I think what we've seen over the last 24 hours has really made people quite concerned - not only in the party, but in the country."
T ory MP Johnny Mercer has doubled down on controversial remarks he made branding Theresa Mays government a s*** show.

The high-profile backbencher, who was only elected in 2015, said he would not have run in Plymouth Moor View "if the situation was like it is now".

His comments, made in an interview with House magazine, have deepened the row within the Tory party and increased the pressure on the Prime Minister.

Mr Mercer, a former army officer, was challenged over his views at a literature festival on Friday evening and said he stood by them.

He told Sky News: "I believe in a Conservative party that shares the values and ethos of a modern Britain.

"I have no self interest in this  its about the country. I believe the Conservative party is clearly the party of government and its my job to speak out when I feel thats going awry."

But he added that he did not think Mrs May should resign as Prime Minister.

Theresa May is under increasing pressure from within her own party / AFP/Getty Images

It came after the 37-year-old father of two said that with hindsight his pre-MP self "wouldn't vote", adding: "There's no doubt about it that my set of values and ethos, I was comfortable that it was aligned with the Conservative Party.

"I'm not as comfortable that that's the case any more."

Mr Mercer is an Afghan veteran who served with 29 Commando, part of the Royal Artillery, before becoming an MP.

He took his Devon seat from Labour in 2015 and increased his majority to more than 5,000 last year, but warned the party was being led by "technocrats and managers" who were exposing it to "ridicule" over Brexit.

Since being elected he has joined the Defence Select Committee and campaigned for veterans, including those with mental health problems and others facing prosecution for alleged crimes during the Troubles.

He gained notoriety and column inches after being elected when it emerged he had appeared in a shower gel advertisement, in which he was shown soaping himself while half naked.

It is not the first time Mr Mercer has criticised the Conservatives from within.

In November he told the Telegraph the party "still seems punch-drunk" and was "in danger of losing credibility" after the snap general election in 2017 which saw the Tories lose their majority in Westminster.

The Remain supporter, who describes himself as being centre-right, told The House that Theresa May's Chequers deal was "your classic professional politician's answer" that pleases no one.

"People who pay our wages and vote for us expect us to make decisions and get on with government, not be fixated on us retaining our position," he added, warning that the party had "lost this ability to fight, to scrap for what we believe in".

He added: "The party will never really change until you have somebody who is leading the party who has won a seat and knows what it's like to go out every weekend and advocate for what you just voted for that week.

"I sat down with a colleague the other day and I was stunned when [she] told me she had never been canvassing.
M ore than 100,000 EU citizens stayed away from Britain last year fuelling fears of skills shortages caused by Brexit.

New figures reveal a massive 22 per cent fall in the number of people from the EU registering to work between 2017 and 2018 - with an even bigger 26 per cent drop in London.

Business leaders told the Standard that firms are already suffering because talented young people from European countries are choosing to work elsewhere, leading to skilled posts going unfilled.

The loss of EU talent is revealed in DWP statistics on new National Insurance numbers issued to people working for the first time in the UK.

UK-wide there were 628,238 EU workers registered in the year ending in June 2016, just before the referendum, making up the vast majority of all overseas workers. In the year to June 2017 that dropped to 573,555 and then a year later it plummeted to just 443,732, a fall in one year of 22.6 per cent.

In London, the figure was 234,069 before the referendum, down to 207,179 a year later and then plunging to 152,968 - a fall of 26.2 per cent in the past year alone.

Change: both Theresa May and Sadiq Khan have rowed back on ceasing stop and search (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) / Getty Images

Writing in tonights Standard, Mayor Sadiq Khan said: Talented people from across Europe are already deciding to take their skills and labour elsewhere ... We simply cant afford to go on like this.

Business organisations said the capital was being slowed down. Jasmine Whitbread, chief executive of London First, said: Our research shows over half of Londons employers are finding it tough to hire, with fewer applications from EU citizens cited as the number one cause.

Much of Londons success is built on the people who come to live and work here from around the world and the UK can ill afford to shut the door to global talent at a time when skills shortages are rife.

TODO: define component type apester

The Government should move quickly to reassure EU citizens they are welcome and ensure the new immigration system enables business to access the skills the economy needs.

Institute of Directors policy chief Edwin Morgan said: At a time when skills shortages persistently rank as a top concern for employers, its vital that the UK represents an attractive destination for talent from across the world.

People from the EU play an important role in workplaces across the country, and firms would be deeply concerned to see them leave, he said.

The UK should seek a reciprocal preferential deal on migration with the EU as we negotiate our post-Brexit relationship, reflecting the reality of our geographical proximity and integrated supply chains.
P olice have issued a warning amid reports a black panther is on the loose in Scotland.

The big cat is said to have been spotted at about 8.45am in fields popular with dog walkers in rural east Ayrshire. The public was warned not to approach it.

A police helicopter was used to try and locate the animal on Friday morning and an animal expert has been brought in attempt to confirm its identity.

The sighting was near the B730, close to the villages of Drongan and Coalhall.

Alan Green owns an upholstery business which overlooks the fields where the panther sighting was reported.

He said: "I've not seen it personally but where it's supposedly been sighted is just out the back of my workshop. I've seen the police helicopter up and roundabout."

An Ayrshire Police spokesman said: "Residents in Drongan and Coalhall are being advised by officers to be vigilant after a report has been received of a sighting of what is believed to be a black panther in the fields near to the B730 between the two villages.

"Officers are currently working to locate the animal which may be injured.

"The area is popular with dog walkers so care should be taken and if anyone sees the animal we would ask you not to approach it, but to contact Police via 101 quoting incident number 0780 of Friday 19 October 2018."

A spokeswoman added: "A thorough search of the area was carried out this morning with assistance from the police helicopter.

"However, officers have been unable to trace the animal.

"Officers are currently liaising with a expert in order to confirm the identity of the animal."

Scottish SPCA had been liasing with police but later said it was "unequipped" to deal with a black panther.

Officer Alistair Hill said: "We can confirm we have received reports regarding a possible panther sighting in Ayr.
H ate preacher Anjem Choudary was today branded a pathetic and sad individual as he was released from Londons highest security prison under cover of darkness.

The 51-year-old radicaliser was whisked out of Belmarsh jail at around 4am in a convoy of unmarked police vehicles to a bail hostel in north London, arriving at 6.29am.

Wearing blue Adidas trainers and Choudary was escorted by three police officers as he walked up the front steps to the six-storey bail hostel - which is close to shops and schools.

He was in a grey cardigan, over a long white robe, and had a long grey beard. Five other unmarked police cars were parked nearby.

Anjem Choudary seen after being released from jail / Jeremy Selwyn

A plain-clothed police officer later took three black bags containing Choudarys belongings from the boot of an unmarked car.

He came out of his bail hostel at 12.55pm and stood on the steps. Looking fit and healthy he stayed outside for under a minute before heading back inside.

He served half of his five-and-a-half year jail term / Jeremy Selwyn

He did not speak or answer reporters questions. He was flanked by community wardens.

Choudary 'pied piper of Islamist terrorism'

Today, however, Sir Mark Rowley, who was Britains most senior counter-terrorism police officer until earlier this year, poured scorn on Choudary as he backed Whitehall sources who have described the radicaliser as a shameless coward unwilling to fight himself.

Sir Mark said that although it had been good to put him in prison it was important to recognise his true nature.

He added: At the end of the day, hes a pathetic groomer of others, thats what hes done in the past. Hes not some sort of evil genius who we all need to be afraid of.

Released: Radical preacher Anjem Choudary / EPA/ANDY RAIN

We have to recognise that radicalisers look to generate a profile, they look to prey on the vulnerable, and we need to be thoughtful about how we report their activity.

Choudary, who police have blamed for radicalising many of Britains worst terrorists during a decades long career of extremist preaching, will now have to comply with 25 conditions designed to prevent him from inciting further violence.

A car understood to be carrying Anjem Choudary leaves Belmarsh prison in the early hours today / ITV

They include a ban on going beyond the M25 and a bar on using any internet-enabled device without permission. The one mobile phone that he will be allowed will be subject to examination by police whenever requested.

He was driven away from Belmarsh prison at around 4am / ITV

Choudary will also be banned from any preaching or radicalising activity and from meeting children unsupervised. He will not be allowed to organise meetings and barred from going to certain mosques.

Nor is he allowed to go to St Pancras or City Airport under a curb imposed to stop him fleeing abroad.

Other restrictions will ban him from contacting anyone he knows or believes to have been convicted of an extremist offence or anyone associated with a list of more than extremist organisations, including IS, al-Qaeda, and the al-Muhajiroun group that he founded.

Another condition will specifically bar him from any contact with Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, the London extremist previously jailed for soliciting murder with whom he was convicted in 2016.

Anjem Choudary released from prison

Any breach of the conditions, which will potentially last until July 2021, will allow him to be put back into prison to serve the remaining portion of his sentence.

Prime Minister Theresa May said last night that well-rehearsed plans are put in place to keep the public safe whenever an extremist prisoner such as Choudary was released and that those who failed to comply with the curbs imposed on them faced immediate recall to prison.

Terrorists who have been radicalised by Choudary and his associates include the London Bridge killer Khuram Butt, the murderers of Fusilier Lee Rigby, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, and the suspected IS executioner Siddhartha Dhar.

His conviction in 2016 followed ten previous unsuccessful attempts by police to have him prosecuted.

They failed because of limitations in the reach of law which new legislation now passing through Parliament is aiming to close.
D ozens of South East MPs today issued an unprecedented appeal to tens of thousands of people to join a march on Parliament for a second referendum on Brexit.

They urged people to take to the streets tomorrow for the Peoples Vote rally from Park Lane to Westminster.

Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs joined forces, with calls to stand up to the hard Brexiteers, march with us to protect jobs and the NHS, take back control and bin Brexit.

Former Cabinet minister Justine Greening (Putney) said: Parliament is gridlocked. Its now vital that people across our country and in communities like my own are given the final say on Brexit.

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve (Beaconsfield) appealed: If you think the future of our country matters and that we should prevent a very bad outcome...please participate in the Peoples Vote march.

PA

David Lammy (Tottenham) condemned lies and broken promises made to voters on quitting the EU.

The British people must now have the right to vote on the reality of Brexit for the first time, he added.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan warned Britain is hurtling towards the Brexit cliff-edge at breakneck speed and stressed: Its time for us to take back control.

Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Vince Cable (Twickenham) said: This march is a demonstration of the anger that young people in particular feel from having a Brexit they never wanted imposed on them.

In a sign of this, students from Orkney and the Highlands left early this morning to reach London for tomorrows march.

Rushanara Ali (Bethnal Green and Bow) urged people to march to show the Government cannot hold this country hostage due to internal Conservative Party divisions.

Tulip Siddiq (Hampstead and Kilburn) said the rally would let people who feel betrayed by this Government to shout loudly against the direction in which the country is heading.

With Britains Brexit bill already into the billions and forecast to spiral, Chuka Umunna (Streatham) added: If you want to protect jobs, make sure we have money to invest in our NHS and secure the best possible future for our young people, then march with us.

TODO: define component type apester

Catherine West (Hornsey and Wood Green) appealed to people to send Theresa May a clear message.

Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) said: Its time to stand up to the hard Brexiteers whose cavalier approach will damage the economy and put jobs at risk.

Wes Streeting (Ilford North) stressed: Its time to give power back to the people.

Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) said a Peoples Vote was the go-to solution for increasing numbers of voters despairing at the Governments failure to negotiate any acceptable deal.

Rupa Huq (Ealing Central and Acton) said: What is there more democratic than giving the public a chance to endorse any deal.

Peter Kyle (Hove) stressed: The biggest threat to stopping a damaging Brexit is the sense that people have that its inevitable.

Mike Gapes (Ilford South) is hoping for a massive turn-out for a new vote to heal the wounds in this country.

Former justice minister Phillip Lee (Bracknell) stressed: We need the informed consent of the public to proceed with Brexit.

Sir Ed Davey (Kingston & Surbiton) urged Londoners to march in large numbers so we can bin Brexit.

Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington) said: Nobody voted for the deal which could eventually emerge or even worse No Deal.

Amid deep Tory and Labour rifts on Brexit, Karen Buck (Westminster North) stressed: A deal has to be put back to the British people.

Joan Ryan (Enfield North) warned that a destructive no deal was looking ever more likely.

Ruth Cadbury (Brentford and Isleworth) said: Brexit is bad for London, while Neil Coyle (Bermondsey and Old Southwark) added: My constituents do not want or deserve all the damage Mays reckless approach will deliver.

Dame Margaret Hodge (Barking) stressed: For Londoners, having a sensible resolution to the European question is really important.

Janet Daby (Lewisham East) said: We must take every opportunity to secure a Peoples Vote.

Siobhain McDonagh (Mitcham and Morden) is encouraging everyone to join the march.
M uch of the UK is in line for glorious sunshine this weekend as more than 100,000 people are set to descend on London to demand a peoples vote on Brexit.

The capital will see long spells of bright sunshine with temperatures of 17C for the huge Peoples Vote march on Saturday afternoon.

Most of the country will enjoy similarly pleasant conditions, however rain is forecast in western parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Forecasters had earlier predicted possible highs of 19C on Saturday.

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge told the Standard after a chilly night Saturday will pick up where Friday leaves off.

It will be a pretty dry end to the day across much of the UK, he said.

It will be a chilly night, with rain in western Scotland and Northern Ireland and everywhere else dry.

Temperatures could get down to 4 or 5C overnight in the south and one or two places further north could get as low as freezing.

Saturday will be a very similar day to today, with rain in western Scotland and Northern Ireland which will gradually edge further south, possibly reaching Cumbria by the end of the day.

Wales and central and southern England will be dry and temperatures could reach 18 or 19C in London.

A change in weather is on the way on Sunday however, as a band of rain travels across Britain.

Mr Partridge said: Things will change on Sunday however. Rain will move south east although it will get patchier as it moves south.

Southern parts could see some rain by the end of the day, with temperatures around 17 or 18C.

It will be the reverse situation in Scotland, starting cloudy and getting drier and brighter by the end of the day.

Temperatures will peak at about 18C in the south and will be around 13 or 14C further north.
A t least 58 people have died after a high-speed train ran over crowds watching fireworks at a religious festival in northern India.

Hundreds of people were reportedly sat on the rail tracks on the outskirts of the city of Amritsar during the Hindu festival of Dusshera.

They did not see the train approach as they watched an effigy of the demon king Ravana burn, and did not hear it over the noise of the crowd.

Footage posted on social media appears to show the moment the commuter train suddenly swept through the crowd.

The crowd were watching the burning of Ravana effigy during Dusshera celebrations / EPA

More than 60 people were also rushed to hospital following the tragedy, which was described as a freak accident by police.

"The people were sitting on and near the tracks on the outskirts of Amritsar watching the burning of effigies as part of the Dussehra festival when a commuter train ran over them," a police officer told Reuters.

Amarinder Singh, Punjab chief minister, said he was rushing to Amritsar to supervise relief and rescue operations.

Local television stations showed images of angry and distraught locals including a weeping mother who had just lost a child in the tragedy.

Shoes of the victims lie near railway tracks in Amritsar / EPA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by the train accident.
B ritains biggest warship  HMS Queen Elizabeth  has sailed into New York for a week-long visit.

The 3.1 billion behemoth, which has more than 1,000 personnel on board, anchored about two miles from Manhattan in the Hudson River.

The ships commanding officer said Big Lizzie is the largest aircraft carrier to sail into the Big Apple for half a century.

Captain Jerry Kyd also revealed that where the aircraft carrier stopped is just yards from where Admiral Lord Nelson also used to anchor his ships.

"We are the biggest carrier to go in there (New York) for about 50 years," he said - highlighting how the larger nuclear-powered Nimitz Class American carriers are forbidden.

The warship is the largest aircraft carrier to sail into New York for half a century / Getty Images

There was much excitement on board the vast vessel ahead of the visit, with those in the officers mess the night before heartily singing along to Frank Sinatra's New York New York.

As HMS Queen Elizabeth began the sail into the city, with the Royal Marines band and a bagpiper playing the ship in, the crew lined the edges of the carrier and walkways, standing to attention and wearing their smartest uniforms.

Once dismissed by the captain, most of those on the four-acre flight deck gathered at the front of the ship and on the ski ramp to take in the views.

The ship anchored about two miles from Manhattan in the Hudson River / Getty Images

Due to hand over command of the ship on Wednesday to Captain Nick Cooke-Priest, Captain Kyd also revealed that the sail into New York holds extra poignancy for him.

It was in 1986 when he was serving on board HMS Ark Royal as a midshipman that he experienced his first foreign run ashore when that carrier also visited the city.

Captain Kyd, as he prepares to leave the ship for what will be his last run ashore, said the sight of the Statue of Liberty welcoming the aircraft carrier into the city would make him feel like an 18-year-old again.

The ship will stay in New York for a week / Getty Images

With both of the test F-35B Lightning jets having disembarked the ship for maintenance, he said his visit 32 years ago involved a touch of aviation flair in the form of two Sea Harriers flying off HMS Ark Royal, hovering in front of the Statue of Liberty and bowing to it.

Asked what message HMS Queen Elizabeth sailing into the metropolis sent, Captain Kyd said it was symbolic of the link between the Royal Navy, US Navy and America and Britain in a post-Brexit world.

This sentiment was echoed by Commodore Mike Utley, commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group, who said the visit to New York "shows our global intent as a country".

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is expected to visit HMS Queen Elizabeth on Saturday / Getty Images

"We are a global nation that seeks to further our western democratic values," he said.

"We care about what goes on in the world and that is certainly not going to change any time soon. This is a statement for the next 50 years - it is a statement of intent."

He said the visit was also a "massive statement of our close relationship with the United States" and between the Royal Navy and US Navy.

"That is an enduring partnership, and this is a statement of that enduring partnership, which will continue into the future as the Carrier Strike Group becomes operational," he added.

The Queen arrives on board HMS Queen Elizabeth

A floating military base from which the F-35B Lightning jets will launch, from 2021 US Marine Corps will also operate their warplanes from HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Cdre Utley said the partnership between the two countries is apparent and runs deep within the F-35 programme.

This includes a pooling of the jets at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina, and a replenishment at sea from a US Navy ship to HMS Queen Elizabeth during her Westlant 18 deployment off the east coast of America.

With no set figure on how many US F-35s may be embarked upon the UK carrier, he said the air wing will be a combined one featuring British jets and the US Marine Corps.

HMS Queen Elizabeth departs Portsmouth 1 /11 HMS Queen Elizabeth departs Portsmouth HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Harbour PA People gather to watch HMS Queen Elizabeth leaving Portsmouth PA Crowds gather to watch HMS Queen Elizabeth leave her home city for the US PA Crew onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth as she leaves Portsmouth Harbour PA HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Harbour in Hampshire for the US to undergo flight trials PA The ship is set to land two F-35 fighter jets on her deck for the first time during the 11-week trip PA HMS Queen Elizabeth leaves Portsmouth Harbour in Hampshire PA The vessel will undergo flight trials with fighter jets for the first time PA The aircraft carrier left Portsmouth on Saturday evening PA Huge crowds gathered on Saturday evening to watch the warship depart PA HMS Queen Elizabeth has been dubbed 'Big Lizzie' PA

Asked whether this was unprecedented, he said: "Historically you might not have seen combined air wings in aircraft carriers - but I think the future of defence is that we are going to have to co-operate more and more."

Cdre Utley said there was an economic, military, strategic, diplomatic and political benefit to the arrangement, adding: "You may well see, in the future, British F-35s operating off US carriers."

On Saturday Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is expected to visit HMS Queen Elizabeth, where he will make a speech during a special Trafalgar Day dinner held on board.
A backpacker from Liverpool could face 10 years in prison after being charged with drunkenly graffiti-ing his name on a sacred wall in Thailand.

Officials said Lee Furlong, 23, had admitted spray-painting the 13th century Tha Phae Gate in the resort of Chiang Mai.

The message appears to read Scousse Lee, but it is allegedly meant to say Scouser Lee in a reference to Liverpool. Underneath is the initial B  apparently belonging to Canadian tourist Brittney Schneider, who was also arrested along with Furlong.

Police major Anon Cherdchutrakulthong said Furlong and Schneider had admitted the crime.

He added: When people visit somewhere they should know not to leave graffiti. The pair were arrested at the Mad Monkey hostel in Chiang Mai after CCTV footage of people tagging the wall went viral.

The Scouser Lee graffiti on the wall in Chiang Mai

Police said Furlong and Schneider both showed signs of having been intoxicated and could face up to 10 years in jail if found guilty. They could also be fined up to 23,500.

Furlong and Schneider were paraded in front of journalists when they were taken on a re-enactment of the incident at the gate today. It is considered one of the most famous landmarks in Chiang Mai, in the north of the country, and is part of a crumbling wall that once protected the old city. The graffiti was scrubbed off by municipal workers.

Police said Lee Furlong, 23, had admitted spray painting the wall

Police said Furlong and Schneider, who have been charged with public mischief and damaging city property, told them they had been with friends at a nearby restaurant and got drunk.

They were walking back to their hostel when they allegedly found spray paint lying on the ground and decided to graffiti the wall as a prank. They only stopped when a passing tuk-tuk driver remonstrated with them.

Furlong is alleged to have told officers they did not realise it was illegal to paint the wall and claimed that it was an act of artistic expression.

The pair are accused of spray painting graffiti on a wall near Tha Phae Gate / REUTERS

Another local police spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Teerasak Sriprasert, said: The graffiti says Scousse Lee. This means Scouser Lee from Liverpool. The girl is called Brittney and she wrote the letter B on the wall. Officers investigated the vandalism after it was seen on CCTV cameras.

The incident was captured by a security camera at the nearby CoolMuang Coffee shop.
The U.S. president has made it clear to Mexico that he is monitoring its response. On Thursday he threatened to close the U.S. border if Mexico didn't stop the caravan. Later that day he tweeted a video of Mexican federal police deploying at the Guatemalan border and wrote: "Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!"
P olice in Turkey have widened their search for remains in the hunt for missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Officers have expanded their search for the Saudi journalist to a forest on the outskirts of Istanbul. Mr Khashoggi is alleged to have been killed and dismembered.

Mr Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, has been missing since October 2 after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and Turkish officials allege he has been murdered.

According to unnamed Turkish officials said his body may have been disposed of in the nearby Belgrad forest or on nearby farmland.

Saudi Arabia denies any knowledge of what happened to the journalist.

An Indonesian journalist holds a placard during a protest over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in front of the Saudi Arabia embassy / REUTERS

Floodlights and a drone have been also been deployed in the search of the Saudi consul generals residence, in Istanbul.

As well as the residence, local media in Istanbul also reported that two woodland areas have been included in the search  widening the investigation by some distance.

A forest has now been included in the search

US President Donald Trump said it certainly looks as though Mr Khashoggi is dead and that the consequences may be very severe.

Mr Trump had previously warned Saudi Arabia will face severe punishment from the US if it is found the kingdom was responsible for Mr Khashoggis death.

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Saudi and Turkish governments are conducting separate investigations into the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has also previously said he strongly denies listening to an audio recording which Turkey says is evidence of his murder.

He said: Ive heard no tape, Ive seen no transcript.

Turkish police officers prepare to enter the residence of the Saudi consul General Mohammed al-Otaibi to conduct a search / AP

Turkey had previously said it had audio and video evidence of Mr Khashoggis death, although neither has been made public.

Mr Trump earlier expressed confidence in intelligence reports that suggest a high-level Saudi role in the suspected killing.
J eremy Hunt today warned there would be consequences for ties between Britain and Saudi Arabia if as feared it turns out that exiled journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered.

He stressed that the suspected killing of Mr Khashoggi by a 15-man hit squad at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul would be completely unacceptable to the UK.

However, the Foreign Secretary also signalled that Britains response would be considered towards an ally in the battle against terrorism and with which it has multi-billion pound arms contracts.

CCTV appears to show the last sighting of Mr Khashoggi as he arrives at the consulate / REUTERS

Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Lets be absolutely clear, if the stories that we read about are true, and if you are asking me whether that will have consequences for the relationship with Saudi Arabia, then, yes, of course it will because what is alleged to have happened is totally inconsistent with our values...not just the brutality of it, if it happened, but also the fact that he was a journalist.

The Cabinet minister added: Part of our reaction will depend on the Saudi reaction, and whether we sense that they are taking it as seriously as we are taking it. But this is a very, very serious matter.

Turkish forensic police pack up after searching the Saudi Arabian consulate / Getty Images

Our relationship with the Saudis is a strategic relationship as well. Our response will be considered... (but) in the end, if these stories are true, we have to be absolutely clear, it would not be consistent with our values.

Mr Hunts comment came as police in Turkey investigating the alleged killing expanded their search.

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Officials say his body may have been disposed of in the nearby Belgrad Forest, next to Istanbul, and near the rural city of Yalova, or on farmland.

A source speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that police have established that two vehicles belonging to the Saudi consulate left the building on 2 October, the day Mr Khashoggi disappeared. He said one vehicle went to the Belgrade Forest outside Istanbul while the other travelled to Yalova.

A farmhouse or villa may have been used for the disposal of remains, the official said.

Samples taken from the Saudi consulate and the consuls residence during searches earlier this week are being tested for a match with Mr Khashoggis DNA.

Turkey has said it has audio and video evidence of Mr Khashoggis murder and believe his body was dismembered by a Saudi hit squad. Riyadh has denied the killing.

Overnight fresh claims allege that Saudi intelligence officer and former diplomat Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb played a pivotal role in the alleged killing.

A Turkish source told CNN said that Mutreb, who was the first secretary at the Saudi embassy in London and has been described as a colonel in Saudi intelligence, was fully aware of the plot and claims he was one of 15 Saudi men involved in an assassination operation.

Security camera images that purport to show the movements of Mutreb were published yesterday by Turkish newspaper Sabah. The four images apparently show Mutreb in Istanbul on 2 October, the day Mr Khashoggi entered the consulate to finalise his divorce so that he could marry his Turkish fiancee.

Mutreb is closely connected to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who Mr Khashoggi was a fierce critic of.

Last night Donald Trump acknowledged that it certainly looks as though Khashoggi, who lived in the US in self-imposed exile, is dead, and he threatened very severe consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him.
J ulian Assange is to launch legal action against the government of Ecuador, accusing it of violating his "fundamental rights and freedoms".

The Australian-born WikiLeaks founder has lived in the countrys embassy in Knightsbridge for the last six years after being granted political asylum there.

WikiLeaks lawyer Baltasar Garzon has travelled to Ecuador to launch the case.

It is set to be heard in a domestic court next week.

The move comes several months after Ecuador cut off communications for Mr Assange.

He had his internet access cut off in March due in part to messages he sent over social media.

WikiLeaks said Ecuador had threatened to remove the protection Mr Assange has had since being granted political asylum.

It added that his access to the outside world had been "summarily cut off."

Mr Assange first sought refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador seemingly to avoid extradition to Sweden where he was to be questioned after being accused of sex crimes  though these allegations were dropped by authorities.

If he exits the embassy it has been stated he would be able to be arrested, based on a long-standing warrant for skipping bail in the UK.

However, a post from WikiLeaks said: "Julian Assange entered the embassy on June 19, 2012 and applied for political asylum, seeking protection from US political persecution and attempts to imprison him over his work as the publisher of WikiLeaks.

"He was granted political asylum after the UK and Sweden refused to give an assurance that they would not extradite him to the US over WikiLeaks publications."

Mr Assange is said to fear that if he were to be arrested he could be extradited to the United States over his WikiLeaks activity.

Lawyers for him have argued against his potential arrest.

They pleaded for him to be able to leave the Ecuadorian embassy without fear.

Julian Assange's Cat - In pictures 1 /15 Julian Assange's Cat - In pictures AFP/Getty Images PA AFP/Getty Images PA PA EPA AP EPA EPA Julian Assange's cat sits at the window of Ecuador's embassy Reuters Reuters AFP/Getty Images Alex Lentati Jamie Wiseman for the Daily Mail PA

WikiLeaks said the government of Ecuador refused a visit by Human Rights Watch general counsel Dinah PoKempner, who has likened Ecuador's isolation to "solitary confinement", and had not allowed several meetings with his lawyers.

A statement said: "Ecuador's measures against Julian Assange have been widely condemned by the human rights community."

The protocol also requires journalists, his lawyers and anyone else seeking to see Julian Assange to disclose private or political details, such as their social media usernames, the serial numbers and codes of their phones and tablets, with Ecuador - which the protocol says the government may "share with other agencies".

The protocol claims the Embassy may seize the property of Mr Assange or his visitors and, without a warrant, hand it over to UK authorities, said the statement.

Mr Assange's lawyers said they were also challenging the legality of the Ecuador government's "special protocol", revealed earlier this week, which makes his political asylum contingent on "censoring" his freedom of opinion, speech and association.

WikiLeaks was founded by Mr Assange in 2006.

It has published more than 10 million documents.

Its releases are often from coordination with whistle blowers.

Amongst what it has publicised is footage from a 2007 airstrike, in which Iraqi journalists were amongst the fatalities, multiple US military logs, including many from the war in Afghanistan.

Mr Assange has recently stepped down as its editor-in-chief due to his lack of internet access.
T he Duchess of Sussex today admitted her pregnancy is rather like jet lag and that she had been doing yoga before sunrise to combat her tiredness.

Meghan, 37, talked about her experiences as an expectant mother in an anti bad vibes circle on iconic Bondi Beach as she and Prince Harry met surfers to discuss mental health issues.

The duchess was speaking to Charlotte Connell, 35, who is 23 weeks pregnant, after she and Prince Harry arrived at the famous Sydney beach on Friday morning.

Ms Connell said: Meghan told me that pregnancy was like having jet lag. She said she was up at 4.30am this morning doing yoga in her room as she couldnt sleep.

REUTERS

Its a bit of a double whammy for her, she said, as she has both the baby and the jet lag to contend with.

We both talked about how you feel jetlagged even though you have not travelled anywhere.

Even in her jet lag she got up to do yoga this morning at 4.30. Physical activity like yoga and surfing is so good for healing your mind.

The couple travelled to the beach, one of Australias most famous landmarks, to meet a local community surfing group known as One Wave.

Meghan meets a local surfing community group OneWave on Bondi Beach / AP

It was founded by Grant Trebilco who suffered from mental health issues for a decade but felt unable to talk about them.

He was eventually diagnosed as being bi-polar and hospitalised.

When he was discharged, he said surfing was his saviour and he finally felt able to open up to his closest friends, who were incredibly sympathetic to him and shared issues of their own.

He has now created Fluro Fridays where people dress up in fluorescent clothes and go to the beach, with the aim of fostering an atmosphere where others can open up about their own mental health issues.

Harry and Meghan, who was wearing a sleeveless Martin Grant dress with espadrille tie wedges, were both given brightly-coloured leis, garlands of flowers, to put round their necks.

Accompanied by Grant, they kicked off their shoes on the edge of the beach and walked barefoot to sit in a group with some of the brightly-dressed surfers.

Meghan Markle's royal tour wardrobe 1 /92 Meghan Markle's royal tour wardrobe Day 16: Rotorua For their final 76th engagement of the tour Meghan and Harry cut a casual figure as they visited Redwoods Treewalk Getty Images Day 16: Rotorua Meghan wore a puffer jacket by Norrona and black skinny jeans Getty Images Day 16: Rotorua Coupled with a pair of smoking slippers by US brand Birdies Slippers Getty Images Day 16: Rotorua Meghan's second outfit of the day was a Givenchy ensemble made up of a striking cobalt blue pleated skirt and matching top Getty Images Day 16: Rotorua She paired the dress with navy suede shoes by Manolo Blahnik Getty Images Day 16: Rotorua For the final day Meghan's hair was fashioned in her signature messy bun Getty Images Day 16: Rotorua For the first engagement on their last day Meghan wore a navy asymmetric dress by Stella McCartney Getty Images Day 16: Rotorua Meghan was also gifted a woven Korowai, a Maori cloak honouring her as a great leader Getty Images Day 16: Rotorua She also wore a Pounamu Kouma necklace made by leading Maori designer Kiri Nathan Getty Images Day 15: Auckland Meghan arrived at the Auckland War Memorial for the evening reception in a Antonio Berardi dress PA Wire/PA Images Day 15: Auckland She accessorised with a clutch bag and sported a bolder lipstick than usual PA Wire/PA Images Day 15: Auckland During the day Meghan wore J Crew jeans and a Karen Walker blazer PA Wire/PA Images Day 15: Auckland She kept things simple with her hair in a ponytail PA Wire/PA Images Day 15: Auckland For the wet weather Meghan also donned a pair of wellies by Muck Boots PA Wire/PA Images Day 15: Auckland Back in a trusty trench coat, Meghan opted for a design by British brand Burberry Getty Images Day 15: Auckland She paired the outerwear with a white dress by Brandon Maxwell Getty Images Day 15: Auckland And shoes by Stuart Weitzman PA Wire/PA Images Day 14: Wellington The Duchess of Sussex chose another tuxedo dress for a visit to Courtenay Creative, a film production company in Wellington Getty Images Day 14: Wellington The bespoke white blazer dress was by Maggie Marilyn, an ethical New Zealand designer Getty Images Day 14: Wellington She kept the look simple, opting for a plain pair of court shoes and her hair in the low bun Getty Images Day 14: Wellington For the afternoon visit to Abel Tasman National Park Meghan wrapped up in a waterproof jacket by Seasalt Cornwall, Outland Denim jeans and Stan Smith x Stella McCartney trainers Getty Images Day 14: Wellington Her hair was kept in a casual ponytail Getty Images Day 14: Wellington For the morning Meghan re-wore her Outland Denim jeans and a cosy black jumper by Australian brand Jac and Jack Getty Images Day 14: Wellington She covered up in a khaki trench coat by Club Monaco Getty Images Day 14: Wellington And sported a statement pair of heeled boots by Stuart Weitzman Getty Images Day 13: Wellington Meghan wore a custom deep blue Gabriela Hearst dress and Dior clutch bag to the evening reception at Government House Getty Day 13: Wellington The look was accessorised with a Maori design necklace Getty Images Day 13: Wellington And her hair was styled in loose waves Getty Day 13: Wellington Meghan departed the plane wearing an ASOS maternity black dress Getty Images Day 13: Wellington For the majority of the day Meghan covered up in a checked trench coat by New Zealand designer Karen Walker Getty Day 13: Wellington She also sported Birks earrings and a polished bun Getty Images Day 13: Sydney For her Sydney departure, the Duchess of Sussex wore nude heels and teamed them with the BOSS by Hugo Boss Slim-Fit Soft Jersey Dress in burgundy, the perfect comfy dress for a flight Getty Day 12: Sydney Meghan spoke at the 2018 Invictus Games Closing Ceremony wearing an Antonio Berardi tuxedo-style dress Getty Day 12: Sydney Meghan attended the Invictus Games wheelchair basketball finals wearing a Scanlan Theodore jacket Getty Day 12: Sydney She accessorised her look with a half up-half down hairstyle, Sarah Flint heels and Shaun Leane earrings Getty Day 11: Sydney Meghan had a princess-perfect moment in an Oscar de la Renta gown EPA Day 11: Sydney The dress was delicately adorned with laser cut birds and featured a billowing tulle skirt Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror Day 11: Sydney Her dark locks were fashioned into loose waves EPA Day 11: Tonga Meghan changed into a sky blue shirt dress by Veronica Beard for the couple's afternoon in Tonga Getty Images Day 11: Tonga Her hair and natural make-up stayed the same throughout their multiple engagements Getty Images Day 11: Tonga Meghan started the day in a cotton dress with khaki stripes by Martin Grant Getty Images Day 11: Tonga With her hair styled into a sleek ponytail Getty Images Day 11: Tonga She also carried a Prada clutch bag Getty Images Day 10: Tonga For her first evening in Tonga Meghan donned a elegant white evening gown by Theia PA Wire/PA Images Day 10: Tonga She accessorised the dress with a Givenchy clutch and aquamarine ring that once belonged to Princess Diana PA Wire/PA Images Day 10: Tonga The duchess also chose to wear her hair in a simple bun and sported a nude lip PA Wire/PA Images Day 10: Tonga Arriving in Tonga the duchess changed into a striking red dress from Self-Portrait Getty Images Day 10: Tonga The colour was a nod to Tongan red and featured delicate lace detail Getty Images Day 10: Fiji For the couple's final engagement in Fiji Meghan wore a forest green dress by Jason Wu Getty Images Day 10: Fiji She accessorised with gold leaf earrings and kept her makeup minimal Getty Images Day 9: Fiji For a visit to a market in Suva Meghan wore a bohemian floral dress by Figue Getty Images Day 9: Fiji During a welcome ceremony she was given a floral garland to wear around her shoulders Getty Images Day 9: Fiji Her bag was from the local Suva market Getty Images Day 9: Fiji She completed the look with a floral updo AFP/Getty Images Day 8: Fiji Meghan stunned in a regal blue dress with a sweeping cape by London-based brand Safiyaa for her first state dinner Getty Images Day 8: Fiji She paired the dress with statement earrings that are thought to have been borrowed from the Queen Getty Images Day 8: Fiji Meghan arrived in Fiji wearing a white dress by Australian brand Zimmerman Getty Images Day 8: Fiji She accessorised with a Stephen Jones hat, a bracelet given to her by Prince Charles and pearl earrings that had been gifted by the Queen Getty Images Day 7: Fraser Island For her second outfit of the day on Fraser Island Meghan wore a striped dress by Reformation PA Wire/PA Images Day 7: Fraser Island She paired the beach-ready number with Sarah Flint sandals and Karen Walker sunglasses PA Wire/PA Images Day 7: Fraser Island Meghan arrived on Fraser Island in a burgundy polka dot dress by high street store & Other Stories Media-Mode / SplashNews.com Day 6: Sydney To watch the sailing event at the Invictus Games Meghan dressed down in black jeans, a Superdry jacket and Veja trainers PA Wire/PA Images Day 6: Sydney For the Invictus Games reception Meghan smartened up the skinny jeans with a striped blazer by L'Agence and recycled her striped handbag by Australian designer Oroton PA Wire/PA Images Day 6: Sydney For the event she had her hair swept up in her signature messy bun and kept her make-up minimal PA Wire/PA Images Day 5: Sydney To the Invictus Games opening ceremony Meghan wore a Stella McCartney dress and Gillian Anderson x Winser London coat PA Wire/PA Images Day 5: Sydney She accessorised the look with sapphire drop earrings by Birks AFP/Getty Images Day 5: Sydney Meghan arrived at the JLR Drive Day at Cockatoo Island in a pair of black jeans by Mother Denim, an Invictus Games shirt and white Altuzarra blazer Getty Images Day 5: Sydney She kept her hair loose and accessorised with a pair of sunglasses by Illesteva Getty Images for the Invictus Ga Day 5: Sydney To the official opening of the refurbished ANZAC Memorial Meghan wore a chic all-black look AFP/Getty Images Day 5: Sydney She paired the Emelia Wickstead dress with a Philip Treacy headpiece AFP/Getty Images Day 5: Sydney And accessorised with her Givenchy satin clutch Getty Images Day 4: Sydney During a visit to Macarthur Girls High School Meghan changed into a A-line blue dress by British brand Roksanda Getty Images Day 4: Sydney She kept her look minimal, with her hair in a half-up half-down style Getty Images Day 4: Sydney The couple started their day with a trip to Bondi Beach where Meghan wore a striped maxi dress by Martin Grant Getty Images Day 4: Sydney She paired the dress with beach-ready espadrille wedges Getty Images Day 4: Sydney And once again wore her hair in a sleek ponytail Getty Images Day 4: Sydney As she talked to members of OneWave she also wore a pink flower garland Getty Images Day 3: Melbourne Meghan wore a dress by Australian designer Dion Lee to attend a reception at Government House Getty Images Day 3: Melbourne To greet members of the public she covered up in a Martin Grant trench coat Getty Images Day 3: Melbourne With her hair styled into relaxed waves Getty Images Day 3: Melbourne For a trip to the beach Meghan changed into a Club Monaco dress Getty Images Day 3: Melbourne And opted for sensible black pumps by sustainable brand Rothy's Getty Images Day 2: Dubbo Meghan arrived in Dubbo wearing a blazer by Serena Williams AFP/Getty Images Day 2: Dubbo And a pair of black jeans by ethical Australian brand Outland Denim Getty Images Day 2: Dubbo During a farm tour the duchess showed off an oversized white shirt by Kitsune Getty Images Day 1: Sydney Meghan changed into a Brandon Maxwell dress for an afternoon reception Getty Images Day 1: Sydney Her hair was worn in a messy up-do Getty Images Day 1: Sydney And accessorised with Princess Diana's jewellery Getty Images Day 1: Sydney During the Welcome Event at Admiralty House Meghan wore a white dress by Karen Gee Getty Images Day 1: Sydney Meghan then wrapped up in a trench coat by Martin Grant to greet the public outside Sydney Opera House AFP/Getty Images Day 1: Sydney She finished off the look with a pair of nude stilettos Getty Images Day 1: Sydney And accessorised with a gold bangle that used to belong to Princess Diana AFP/Getty Images

The couple spent around ten minutes listening to the experiences of other members of the group and sharing their own, laughing and putting their arms around each other.

Dabriella Quayle, 37, said afterwards: Oh my goodness, they were just so real, so relatable. They shared their own experiences, which was amazing.

Harry said seeking help was the best thing he had ever done. He was really open and honest. He said it doesnt matter who you open up to, they dont have to be professional.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet a local surfing group on Bondi Beach in Sydney / AP

Anyone can be there for you. It could be your best mate or a stranger. You just need to open up to them. 

She added: They talked about the strangeness of their own situation and the lives they lead but that at the end of the day they are just real people. They are just human beings.

They said they were just like us in that people say lots of positive things to you and then they say one negative thing, and thats what gets you down.

Meghan said how she did yoga at 4.30 this morning because of the jet lag. She says she is feeling ok, not too bad.

Prince Harry superfan lets emotions flood out after hug

They said they hadnt really had time to settle down and get their heads round thing, and they have another 70 odd engagements to go, she said.

After the circle the royals walked over to a group practising yoga.
P rince Harry took the royals' tour of Australia to dizzying new heights as he scaled the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Duke of Sussex climbed the iconic landmark along with Prime Minister Scott Morrison, to raise the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 flag.

They were joined by four competitors from the Australian Invictus Games team; Luke Hill, Ruth Hunt, Heidi Joosten and Michael Lyddiard.

Also along for the exhilarating experience was Gwen Cherne, whose late husband Peter Cafe served in Cambodia, Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Tourists and locals gathered below the famous arches to catch a long-distance glimpse of the royal some 130 metres above.

The Duke of Sussex climbs the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison / PA

"The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an Australian icon and I can think of no better place to raise the Invictus Games Sydney 2018 flag," Mr Morrison said earlier today.

"It will be especially wonderful for the Duke and me to share this moment with members of the Australian Team before they get ready to compete for Australia."

After climbing the bridge, Prince Harry met Australian opposition Leader Bill Shorten who has promised to scrap the monarchy if he ever gains power.

Harry and the VIP group atop the bridge / PA

Mr. Shorten has said he wants a national vote on Australia becoming a republic during the first term of a Labour Government.

Harry and Mr. Shorten shook hands and met for a photo call and a private catch up at Admiralty House, the residence of the Governor General, where the royal couple are staying.

A crowd gathered to watch Harry's efforts / PA

Afterwards Harry formally called on Prime Minister Scott Morrison next door at Kirribilli House, his residence for a formal meeting.

The Duchess of Sussex was with Harry earlier on a visit to a girls' school.

Meghan told how her upbringing at an all-girls school and her first job "taking out the trash" made her the person she is today.

She spoke out as Harry urged men to join the drive for female empowerment.

Harry was joined by four competitors from the Invictus Games / PA

The royal couple, who visited Macarthur Girls High School on the fourth day of their visit to Australia, spoke to teenagers about equality with the Duchess saying she felt emotional hearing their passionate views.

The Duke, who is now said to identify as a feminist, told the girls he wants men to add their voices to the fight for equality.

Men can help as well by getting involved, we have to, he said. We need to get mens voices involved as soon as possible.

The Duchess of Sussex on Bondai beach during the royals' trip / AP

His wife, who has been a long-term advocate for womens rights, told students that their projects, including making boxes of supplies for women in need, made her proud.

You guys all remind me so much of myself when I was growing up, she told 14-year-old girls. I went to an all girls school which was incredibly diverse as well.

Meghan meets a local surfing community group OneWave on Bondi Beach / AP

I think being around such empowered young women, it becomes something that you all just grasp onto to understand your world.

Its made you confident, well-spoken. You have an intention set to really do something to change the world, and you have to keep it up.

Harry and Meghan's Royal rain in Dubbo - In Pictures 1 /21 Harry and Meghan's Royal rain in Dubbo - In Pictures Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit students from Dubbo College Senior Campus Getty Images The Duke of Sussex talks to Luke Vincent, 5, after arriving at Dubbo airport, in Australi PA Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watch aboriginal dances at Victoria Park in Dubbo AFP/Getty Images The Duke of Sussex and Duchess of Sussex visit a local farming family, the Woodleys in Dubbo, on the second day of their visit to Australia PA The Duke and Duchess of Sussex meet children from Dubbo South Public School after arriving by plane at Dubbo PA The Duke of Sussex meets children from Dubbo South Public Schoo PA The Duke of Sussex meets children from Dubbo South Public Schoo PA The Duke of Sussex meets children from Dubbo South Public Schoo PA The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive at Dubbo airport PA The Duke of Sussex and Duchess of Sussex visit a local farming family PA The Duke and Duchess of Sussex talk to Luke Vincent, 5 PA Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (C) pours hand feed from a bucket with farmer Richard Woodley (R) and granddaughter Laura Woodley (L) during a visit to their drought-affected farm called Mountain View near Dubbo AFP/Getty Images Britain's Prince Harry (3/R) and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (3/L) chat with farmers Scott Woodley (2/R), daughter Laura Woodley (R) and Scott's father and mother Margaret (L) and Richard Woodley (2/L) during a visit to their drought-affected farm called Mountain View in Dubb AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry (R), the Duke of Sussex, and his wife Meghan (C), the Duchess of Sussex, meet with local school children after their arrival at Dubbo Regional Airport in Dubbo EPA Meghan, Duchess of Sussex pets a dog as she meets members of a local community at Victoria Park in Dubbo AFP/Getty Images Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet children from a local community at Victoria Park in Dubbo AFP/Getty Images The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a community picnic in Victoria Park in Dubbo PA Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex look at a medical training aid designed to simulate a baby in an incubator as they attend the naming and unveiling of a new Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft at Dubbo AP Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends a naming and unveiling ceremony for the new Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft at Dubbo Airport Getty Images Meghan, Duchess of Sussex poses for a photo with members of the public at the naming and unveiling of a new Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft at Dubbo AP Children from Dubbo South Public School wave signs while waiting for Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to arrive at Dubbo airpor Reuters

It makes me so emotional. Youre doing really, really good work and Im so happy that were here. We give you our full support.

Dont stop, the Duke reiterated. Get more people involved, guys as well.

Teachers explained that the girls have been taking an integrated course on top of their usual studies, to give them 21st century capabilities including creativity and critical thinking, with a core focus on making a change in local communities.

One project saw them make boxes of supplies to donate to vulnerable women via police stations and refuge centres, while another saw them create notebooks to pass forward for students to write about the women who have inspired them.

Coincidentally, one pupil had written about the Duchess long before the royal visit had been announced.

Tahlia Ohenhen, 15, told the Duke and Duchess how another group had created picture books to teach younger children about poverty and encourage them to treat those less fortunate with kindness and empathy.

Describing how they had written and illustrated it, she told the couple: We were able to put the book together, create it, get it finalised and get it published I mean printed, sorry.

That [getting it published] is the next step, the Duchess told her, as the girls laughed. Its very clever.

The couple nodded as Tahlia added: The younger you get your children educated on things like this, the easier it is for them to grow up and be aware of it and make a difference.

Kindness and empathy lacks big time in the world, Harry said. Its so great you are passionate about all of this.

You realise this is the generation thats going to make all the difference?

Later in the morning, the Duke and Duchess were introduced to teenage boys and girls from the In League In Harmony project from the NFL, which aims to unite young people from diverse communities to be advocates for positive change in their communities.

Sitting separately, with a mixed-sex group each, the couple listened to young peoples growing up in Australia, and day to day lives.

As one young man told the Duchess about his part-time job, she empathised: My first job when I was 14, I remember taking out the trash, all sorts. It give you a good work ethic, right?

She joined groups of students from across different schools in Sydney who have been introduced via the programme, which teaches them: Everybody belongs.

Its so important, said the Duchess. All these people you know of in your neighbourhood, now you know them and youre united.

Youre proud of where youre from, you can champion where youre from and make people see it for what it is.

The Duke, sitting with a second group of youngsters, joked that he was clinging onto my youth at the age of 34, saying he now looked to the younger generation for inspiration.

Were so lucky that wherever we go in the world, were finding young people like you guys. This sweeping wave of kindness and optimism and empathy thats seems to be lacking in some of the previous generation. You guys get a kick out of that, right?

The Royal couple arrived at Macarthur Girls School on Friday morning, where their surprise appearances turned out to be the worst-kept secret on campus.

As Gladys Berejiklian, the Premier of New South Wales, teased them about being overexcited to see her, the teenagers fizzed with anticipation until the Duke and Duchess were finally introduced.

Then, cheers and excited screams filled the air as they walked outside to meet the well-behaved girls, who had been sitting neatly for assembly.
A Russian woman has been charged with conspiracy to interfere with the US political system ahead of Novembers midterm elections.

A criminal complaint from the US government charging Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova, 44, was unsealed on Friday.

The document issued in Alexandria, Virginia, accused the Russian national of undertaking a key financial role in a Kremlin-backed plan to conduct "information warfare" against the United States

It said Khusyaynova was the chief accountant for Project Lakhta.

The charge said the plans were backed by the Kremlin / REUTERS

The complaint said by using social media and other avenues the participants waged "information warfare against the United States".

It said they attempted to create distrust of candidates for political office and the political system itself.

According to the filing, Project Lakhta said was funded by Russian oligarch Evgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin and two companies he controls, Concord Management and Consulting LLC and Concord Catering.

Both Concord Management and Concord Catering were among the three entities and 13 Russian individuals who were indicted in February in an alleged criminal and espionage conspiracy to tamper with the US presidential race.

Allegations have been made over interference with Donald Trump's election as president / REUTERS

The indictment by Special Counsel Robert Muellers office said they tried to boost Trump and disparage his opponent Hillary Clinton.

Prigozhin was among those personally charged by Mr Mueller and has been dubbed "Putin's cook" by Russian media.

This is because his catering business has organised banquets for Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior political figures.

He has been hit with sanctions by the US government.

Former Secretary of State for the US, Hillary Clinton ran against Donald Trump / PA Wire/PA Images

In July, Mr Mueller's office also indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers who were accused of hacking Democratic computer networks.

This was said to be part of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.

US law enforcement and intelligence agencies said on Friday they remain concerned about attempts by Russia, China, Iran and other foreign groups to interfere with congressional elections.

They also had fears for the presidential election in 2020.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Justice Department, FBI and Department of Homeland Security said they do not have any evidence that anyone went far enough to prevent voting or change vote counts. Some state and local governments, which run polling sites, have reported attempts to access their networks.
A man whose mother and sister were killed by his father made an emotional plea to support victims of domestic abuse.

Amber Heard and Jacqueline Fernandez were among many brought to tears as Luke Hart spoke at the annual One Young World summit in The Hague on Thursday.

Mr Harts mother Claire, 50, and his sister Charlotte, 19, were shot dead by his father Lance Hart, 57, at a swimming pool car park in his home town of Lincolnshire.

As he choked back tears, he recalled how five days before the incident, he and his younger brother Ryan, 27, had raised enough money to move their mother and sister away.

Speaking at the summit, he said: Cruelty is always a choice. My fathers abuse of my family was an act of choice that he made every single day.

He explained how both of them struggled after the killings because of how the media simplified and excused his fathers actions describing it as incredibly rare.

He recalled his attempts to help his mother and sister to move away from their father / PA

He claimed one media report had called the incident understandable.

He told delegates at the summit: Violence against women and children cannot be blamed on the mental health of the perpetrators or on victims actions.

It can only be understood by the perpetrators demand for control.

Only when we choose to understand victims perspectives that we truly stand in solidarity against the abuse of women and children.

He was comforted by Amber Heard as the audience rose to their feet following his speech.

Mr Hart and his brother have now become advocates for domestic abuse awareness, writing a book on their experiences.

Later that afternoon at the Young Leaders Against Sexual Violence Initiative launch he pledged to help create transformative change in the narrative around domestic abuse.

Luke Cage actress, Rosario Dawson, who also spoke at the launch called upon all delegates to stand together and take action against sexual violence.

She said: We are no longer in a moment of awareness, we are in a moment of action.

To join or for more information follow their hashtag #YLASV.

The summit will end this Saturday, where the baton will be handed to London who will host it next year for the first time since its launch in 2009.
T his is the moment a toddler was spotted riding a toy car along a motorway in China.

The four-year-old rode the electric car for around two kilometres as his father and mother rode alongside him on his scooter.

Video footage from the incident recorded in Yongkang, Zhejiang province on October 17 show the family travelling along the motorway.

Trucks and cars pass by as they continue along the road.

The boy and his parents were seen driving along the motorway / Weibo

They can be seen pulling up at a crossroads with the police car behind them.

Officers stopped them on the expressway and confiscated the bike, according to KanKan News.

According to reports, the couple chose to let the boy ride the bike on the motorway to make him more brave.

On Weibo, people criticised the parents of the child.

One user said: This is not training children, this is testing your luck.
T his is the moment a woman dumps a toddler on a strangers doorstep before running off.

Montgomery County Police in Texas are searching for the woman after she was seen ringing the doorbell and running away, leaving a two-year-old boy on the doorstep.

In the footage recorded on October 17 at around 8.20pm, the woman can be seen pulling the child along by the arm towards the front door.

The sherriff's office said the woman who answered the door found the child along with two bags.

(Montgomery County Sheriff's Office) / Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

They added: The child is uninjured and appears to be in good health.

Montgomery County Sheriffs Lieutenant Scott Spencer said that the two-year-old olds mother had asked a friend to drop the child at the boys father's house because the mother was in the hospital.

The two-year-old has been named as Royal Prince Simmons.

The boys father Willie Simmons lives next door and told authorities that he didnt realise what had happened until a news crew showed him footage from his neighbours video doorbell on Thursday morning.

Mr Simmons told Inside Edition: I am angry. I am upset. Every time I watch the video, I get more and more madder because if that was her child she would have not left him.

(Montgomery County Sheriff's Office) / Montgomery County Sheriff's Office

Just imagine if my nice neighbours werent there. My son would have wandered into the street and got hit. Just imagine nobody would have been around. He would have just been walking.

The woman in the video could face charges of felony child endangerment.
T rump: consequences of Saudi journalist's death must be severe

Donald Trump has said it certainly looks like journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, saying the consequences must be severe.

It comes as investigators in Turkey expanded their search, saying his body may have been disposed of in a forest.

The Washington Post columnist has not been seen since entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul more than two weeks ago.

Turkish officials allege he was murdered but Saudi Arabia denies any knowledge of what happened.

Accelerate plans to ban petrol cars, MPs say

A ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars should be brought forward by eight years to 2032, MPs have said.

In a report last night, Parliaments business select committee said the current plans are vague and unambitious.

The Government target as it stands aims for all new cars to be effectively zero emission by 2040.

Notorious hate preacher to be freed from jail

The notorious Islamist hate preacher Anjem Choudary is expected to be released from prison today.

He was jailed in 2016 after being convicted of inviting support for Islamic State.

It comes after it was revealed he will be banned from leaving London to stop him radicalising others in the UK after his release.

Choudary was once a leading figure in the now banned group al-Muhajiroun.

Revolt against PM grows over Brexit talks

Theresa May is facing a growing backlash after EU leaders said they are prepared to agree on extending the Brexit transition phase.

The current plan is for a transition period of 21 months, but Mrs May said it could be extended by another year  to almost 2022.

But Iain Duncan Smith, among other Tory MPs, say this will lead to a Brexit bill tens billions of pounds higher than planned.

Meghan compares pregnancy to jet lag

The Duchess of Sussex has compared her pregnancy to jet lag and said she has been doing yoga before sunrise to combat tiredness.

Meghan was speaking as she arrived alongside her husband Prince Harry on Bondi Beach for the fourth day of their Australia tour.

The pair spoke to a community surfing group on the famous beach before Harry set off to climb the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.

On this day...

1872: The Holtermann nugget, the largest gold-bearing nugget ever found, was mined at Hill End, New South Wales, Australia.

1987: Black Monday on Wall Street wiped out millions on stock markets around the world. Wall Street ended the day down 22 per cent, lower than the 1929 crash.
The preliminary investigation conducted by the prosecutor found that the "suspects" traveled to Istanbul to meet with Khashoggi as he had expressed an interest in returning to Saudi Arabia, the official news agency said. Discussions that took place "developed in a negative way" and "led to a fight and a quarrel between some of them and the citizen," it said. "The brawl aggravated to lead to his death and their attempt to conceal and cover what happened," it said.
Steel and Bird called time on their relationship on Thursday, weeks after they set up home together following their summer stint on Love Island.

Devastated Bird shut down reports Steel had cheated with her manager Steven West, instead suggesting her ex was involved.

Steel has since slammed the claim, accusing Bird of searching through her phone and mistaking banter for her being unfaithful.

Last night Sam told me he was going to the press so I just want to make clear ahead of any interviews that there was NO third party involved in the break up between him and I, she said in a statement on Instagram.

Sam thinks I cheated because he went through my phone, read and took screen shots of banter I had between me and my best mate which hes now threatening to sell to the press.

All over: Sam Bird and Georgia Steel / ITV

The banter was about my ex-boyfriend from which hes then put two and two together and come up with an imaginary scenario.

Bird announced they had split on Thursday, telling fans he was too upset to comment at the time.

Love Island's Georgia Steel and Sam Bird move in together

Posting a short statement on Twitter, he wrote: Im devastated to announce me and Georgia have split up for reasons I cant bring myself to comment on at the moment.

As always I wish her all the best.

Bird and Steel met on Love Island and stayed together despite fans questioning how loyal she was.

They had a tumultuous time in the villa with them opting to split and date other bombshells at one point in a bid to remain on the ITV2 show.
K arlie Kloss has revealed that she has married businessman Joshua Kushner after a three month engagement.

The model shared a stunning snap of her wedding day on her social media pages with the simple caption 10.18.2018.

Kloss and Kushner were laughing in the picture as the newlyweds held hands, showing off Kloss dress for the first time.

US publication PEOPLE report that the lovebirds married on Thursday evening in a Jewish ceremony attended by under 80 people. They claim the couple will hold a big celebration in spring.

Loved up: Karlie Kloss announced her engagement to Joshua Kushner in July / Instagram/ Karlie Kloss

Kloss, 26, announced her engagement to Kushner, 33, back in July revealing that she couldnt find the words to express her love for her partner.

Alongside an image of them, Kloss wrote: I love you more than I have words to express, she posted.

Josh, youre my best friend and my soulmate. I cant wait for forever together. Yes a million times over.

The couple have been dating since 2012 but opted to keep their relationship largely out of the spotlight, making only a handful of public appearances together.

Kloss opened up about Kushner, who is Ivanka Trumps brother-in-law, in an interview in 2013, saying she appreciates how the 33-year-old is so not in fashion.
S am Bird has claimed Georgia Steel's ex-boyfriend was the reason he split from the Love Island star.

The reality TV couple, who were inseparable since meeting in the villa, put on a united front at the ITV Palooza on Monday night, hours before a devastated Bird announced the news they had split.

But, it appears Bird has put an end to the claims, throwing her ex-boyfriend into the rin.

Awkward: Bird took shots at ex Steel on Instagram / Sam Bird Instagram

Taking to his Instagram story, the 25-year-old wrote: Claims that Georgia has cheated on me with our tour manager and friend Steve Lux is NOT true.

It involves her ex.

Standard Online has contacted representatives for Steel for comment.

The comments come after Steel hit back at reports hinting at an affair with West.

Love Island's Georgia Steel and Sam Bird move in together

Blasting reports on Thursday, she told fans: The story of myself being linked with Steven West. This is laughable.

"He is my tour manager who drives me to all my PAs. Nothing more.

Earlier this week, Bird took to social media to share news of the pairs split.

Posting a short statement on Twitter, he wrote: Im devastated to announce me and Georgia have split up for reasons I cant bring myself to comment on at the moment.

As always I wish her all the best, he added with a sad face emoji as fans and friends rushed to support him.
Review at a glance









C an reality have spoilers? In the battle of Google versus factual docudrama there is only one winner, especially when the docudrama in question has captured the public imagination and made implosive celebrities of its cast of characters.

So you could, if you wanted, catch up with the ins and outs of this famous legal saga without bothering to watch the 10 episodes of the second series.

But that would be to miss the point. Making a Murderer, which focuses on the case of Steven Avery  exonerated after spending 18 years in jail, then tried and convicted along with his nephew Brendan Dassey for the murder of Teresa Halbach  is about character and process as much as it is about outcomes.

The documentarists Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi profess to having no view as to the guilt or innocence of Avery or Dassey.

Having her Elvis moment: Lawyer Kathleen Zellner addresses the media outside the courthouse / Netflix

Like much of the evidence produced in the case, thats almost believable. What is uncontestable, though, is the shonkiness of the American legal system, whether it is the cops leading the impressionable teenager Dassey towards a confession that corroborates their story, or the way politics complicates justice.

There is a lot of talk about narratives. Youd expect that in a media studies course, but it applies to the legal process and the police investigations too. A trial, it turns out, is a form of storytelling. In the case of Avery, the story was about blood forensics. With his nephew Brendan there was no such evidence, so the story about him was, according to Laura Nirider from the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth, words, and words only.

Pictured: Allan Avery, Dolores Avery and Steven Avery / Netflix

The central narrative, of course, is the one prepared by the film-makers. These bits of film didnt arrange themselves in this order, these questions didnt ask themselves. This is an edited version of something approximating to reality. Which poses a question. After series one, which concluded with the two main protagonists in jail, what do you do? You need some new characters. But you also need to take account of the effect of your previous work. Series one was a hit. Steven Avery is almost famous, but he remains incarcerated and invisible, accessible only through his family or on the end of a phone.

Step forward the star of season two, Kathleen Zellner. Ms Zellner is a lawyer who specialises in getting cases overturned. She has a habit of winning unwinnable cases. Exonerations are her thing. And she looks like Kathleen Turner auditioning to play Vampira, with impossible teeth and an expression that falls naturally into a dismissive sneer.

Zellner, of course, understands the thing about narratives, and she is good at playing herself. Theres a lot of stuff to get through about blood spatter (and Netflixs true-crime masterpiece, The Staircase, made blood-spatter analysts of us all). She introduces brain fingerprinting, which, it says here, is better than your everyday polygraph because it measures specific electrical impulses in the brain that occur when a lie is told. (They call this, with all due respect to Alan Partridge, the aha of recognition.)
O ne of the major disappointments of Apples big September event was that the new iPad did not make an appearance.

Rumours about a new iPad Pro model, named iPad Pro 3, started circulating the internet in August, backed up by the well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

It turns out Apple may have been saving this release for 30 October when the company is going to be holding a special New York event to show off its new products.

Whilst the company is keeping quiet about what actually will be unveiled at the end of the month, its likely that it will be the new iPad Pro, a cheaper MacBook Air which has been due for release for a while, and a new Mac Mini.

A new iPad Pro  finally?

In terms of the new iPad, we could see a major departure from the traditional Apple design with the replacement of the Lightning cable and the introduction of a USB-C connection.

USB-C is the connection that Android devices, like Samsung, OnePlus and Huawei, mainly rely on. Its interesting to see if Apple will make this design break to bring its products more in line with other devices out there.

The new device could also be fitted with FaceID like the new iPhone ranges.

Apple is reportedly positioning this new iPad as a laptop killer  something its been trying to do for a while, but we should hear more about this strategy on 30 October.

The cheap(er) MacBook Air

Apple was rumoured to be releasing a cheaper MacBook Air earlier this year, the first design overhaul the laptop would be getting in seven years.

The new MacBook Air is expected to have thinner bezels around the screen with a 13-inch Retina display like the current MacBook and MacBook Pro ranges.

The new laptop is supposed to be aimed at people looking to buy a cheaper MacBook, sort of like the iPhone XR compared to the iPhone XS ranges.

The MacBook Air hasn't had a design upgrade in seven years / Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty images

What about the Mac Mini?

According to Bloomberg, the new Mac Mini would focus on Pro capabilities (like Apples MacBook Pro range).

This would be the first update the Mac Mini has had in four years and will come with new storage and processor options that would err on the expensive scale.
In June, the Congressional Budget Office reported: At 78 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), federal debt held by the public is now at its highest level since shortly after World War II. If current laws generally remained unchanged, CBO projects, growing budget deficits would boost that debt sharply over the next 30 years; it would approach 100 percent of GDP by the end of the next decade and 152 percent by 2048. That amount would be the highest in the nations history by far.
When she was too weak to walk or stand, we were barely able to talk her out of leaving her hospice bed to take her dying body, along with $100,000, to a clinic in a small town in Ohio. The people there told her they could likely heal her because her cancer was not as bad as her hospice doctor was telling her. She died nine days later. According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 60 million Americans spend over $30 billion on complementary medicine each year.
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But, the story of Sears failure is one of corporate hubris, failed financial engineering, an inability to respond to competitors  and even a waste of public money. Well before Sears filed for bankruptcy, it was clear Illinois taxpayers would not see a full return on the $250 million in tax breaks and incentives the company got for moving into the Prairie Stone complex in Hoffman Estates.
Romania has taken over on Friday the Presidency of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region from Bulgaria, a press release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) sent to AGERPRES informs.

According to the cited source, Minister-delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu participated on Friday in Sofia in the seventh edition of the Annual Forum of the EU strategy for the Danube Region.

The end of the event was marked by the ceremony of Romania's taking over the rotating presidency of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region, the Bulgarian deputy minister for Regional Development and Public Works, Denita Nikolova being the one who offered the Romanian official the symbol of the mandate that our country will exercise between 1 November 2018 and 31 October 2019.According to MAE, Romania intends to promote four topics while in office: improving connectivity and mobility in the Danube region by promoting transport, tourism, digitisation and networking; reviving the European Strategy for the Danube Region by creating synergy amongst all the actors involved and the European Commission, as well as operationalising the Secretariat of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region; experience exchanges in priority areas of the macro-strategy, namely the transnational cluster development through the exchange of good practices between the entities participating in the EU Strategy for the Danube Region.The Romanian presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region will take place under the motto "We strengthen cohesion for common prosperity in the Danube region", intended in synergy with the motto of Romania's Presidency of the Council of the European union as of next year's first semester, "Cohesion, a shared European value."The timetable of Romania's Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region features over 50 meetings and events. According to Victor Negrescu, Romania's major objective while exercising its mandate is to relaunch this cooperation mechanism, a successful initiative of our country at European level."Romania's Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region will also represent a chance to promote the added value of the macroregional strategies, given that four member states of the the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania and Croatia have exercised or will also exercise until 2020 the rotating Presidency of the EU Council. In this sense, we are already actively working with representatives of the European Commission and with those of the riparian states in order to create the premises of a consolidated cooperation platform that will contribute to the accomplishment of economic, social and territorial cohesion of the states in the region," Negrescu further affirmed.
Representatives of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) in Romania and those of the Belgian Federal Prosecutor's Office had, during 17-19 October, a series of consultations under the Cooperation Agreement between the two institutions, signed in Brussels on 9 September 2008 according to Agerpres.

According to DIICOT, both sides emphasized in Bucharest that the agreement is an example of bilateral cooperation and which later served as a model in concluding some similar agreements with other states.

"It was emphasized that, beyond the international cooperation instruments already implemented, the agreement between the two sides strengthened the cooperation between DIICOT and the Federal Prosecutor's Office in the 10 years since its conclusion in preventing and combating organized cross-border crime and terrorism, this fact being proven in joint cases or international legal assistance requests. Also, the two sides welcomed European funding for the "Snow White" project, coordinated by DIICOT in partnership with Belgium, Lithuania and Germany, and whose overall objective is to improve cooperation in combating drug trafficking," the DIICOT release mentions.The implementation period of the project is 24 months and will take place between January 2019 and January 2021.The Belgian delegation consisted of Christian De Valkeneer, President of Belgium's General Prosecutors' Office, Frederic Van Leeuw, Federal Prosecutor of Belgium, Eric Bisschop, Deputy Federal Prosecutor, and Thomas Lamiroy, Head of the International Cooperation Service.The Romanian side was represented by Felix Banila, the Chief Prosecutor of DIICOT, alongside Ioana Albani, Deputy Chief Prosecutor, as well as chief prosecutors of the departments and services within the Directorate.
Gianforte, in case you missed it, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault of Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs during Gianfortes special election campaign in May 2017. Reporter Jacobs tried to ask then-candidate Gianforte a question about the Grand Old Partys health care plan. On an audio recording of the episode, one can hear Gianforte tried to duck the question; he then grabbed Jacobs, throwing him to the ground and punching him.
The selection of an independent monitor will mark a significant step in the ongoing process of instituting court-mandated police reform in the coming years. The winning team is expected to have broad powers and access to the department, its officers and buildings as it helps supervise a sweeping revision of department policies and practices required by a forthcoming consent decree. That team will report on the forces compliance to the federal judge.
The current Old Farmer's Almanac winter forecast for the Chicago area calls for warmer and wetter conditions than normal, and with less snow than we would normally expect. This is based mainly on the expectation of a weak El Nino condition (warmer surface waters than normal in the tropical Pacific Ocean) to prevail during the winter. If this occurs, it should prevent cold-air incursions from lingering in the Midwest.
Thursday was a sunny day across the Chicago area, with 100 percent of possible sunshine. Following a great deal of cloudiness during the first two weeks of the month, Thursday's sunshine boosted the average sunshine for this October to 53 percent of the amount possible, closer to the normal of 57 percent at this time of the year. Chicago weather historian Frank Wachowski reported this information.
Mohammad bin Salman is fully aware of the Western elites understanding of its own values. While he may be given a pass to bomb Yemen and kill thousands of innocent civilians, he should know better than to dare touch a Washington Post columnist  one of ours, as one MSNBC host said. Did he not realize there would be consequences?

As more information came out, many analysts began to confront the most obvious question. Was it possible that Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) was so arrogant that he could not imagine the consequences of such a heinous crime? How could MBS betray Trump this way, not anticipating that the Democrats and the mainstream media would jump all over Trumps friendship with him? Could he be so foolish as to place in jeopardy foreign investments planned at the Davos in the Desert conference on October 23? The answer to that question is apparently: yes, he could.

The only rational explanation for this behavior is that MBS thought he could get away with it. Remember that we are talking about someone who had Saad Hariri, the prime minister of Lebanon, kidnapped and carried off to the Kingdom, with his whereabouts unknown for days but with very little reaction from the mainstream media or Western politicians. It is possible that in this instance, MBS simply misjudged the level of Khashoggi's popularity amongst neoliberals of the Washington establishment, provoking an unexpected response. Furthermore, the thesis that the Saudis understood that they had some kind of green light from Trump is not to be totally dismissed. Such a backlash is what you get from having a big mouth, praise your friends too much, and tweet all the time.

The rapidity with which the US media, and especially dozens of Republican and Democratic senators, attacked Saudi Arabia, blaming it for the atrocious crime, is rather unusual. After all, the Saudi elites have been inclined to behave in such a manner over the last 40 years. But it also highlights the ongoing inconsistency and double standards: nothing is said about Yemen, but the Kingdom is currently under the strongest censure for allegedly offing a journalist.

As I had already pointed out in my previous article, Khashoggi was clearly part of a faction opposed to the current ruling royal family in Saudi Arabia, headed by MBS. To understand this Saudi golden boy of the US mainstream media as well as military-industrial-spying complex, we have to go back to Mohammed bin Nayef. Bin Nayef has been under house arrest for almost two years, immediately purged by MBS as soon as he assumed power as crown prince. Bin Nayef has for decades been the CIAs go-to man in Riyadh, helping the CIA & Co. pretend to fight al Qaeda in the Kingdom while using al Qaeda as a tool to inflict damage on US geopolitical adversaries.

The removal of bin Nayef by MBS was greeted with anger by a part of the US establishment close to Washington think tanks and the CIA and was never fully digested. MBS and his father, King Salman, needed to consolidate power around the throne at the time, and bin Nayef was certainly part of the faction opposing MBS, as was Khashoggi.

Naturally, these antipathies were set aside by the CIA, think tanks and neoliberals in the media due to to the importance of the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the US, especially vis-a-vis the US Petrodollar. MBS even undertook a tour in the US to help smooth the relationship with the West, being hailed as a new reformer, if you can believe that.

Nowadays,the relationship between Riyadh, Tel Aviv and Washington is based on the strong friendship between Trump and MBS and Trump and Netanyahu. Furthermore, the strengthened link between Trump and MBS, facilitated by son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is close to Israel, served to create a new alliance, perhaps even hinting at the possibility of an Arab NATO. Israel is eager to see more Saudi and US engagement against Iran in the region, and the Saudis similarly praise Israel and the US for being engaged in a fight against Iranian influence in the region. In this way, Trump can please his Israeli friends and see Saudi money pour in as investments.

These agreements have led to a series of disasters in the Middle East that go against the interests of Israel, Saudi Arabia and the US. Israel's recklessness has led to the deployment of a wide range of Russian state-of-the-art weapons to Syria, preventing Israel and the US from acting as freely as before. The disastrous Saudi war in Yemen, the almost diplomatic break with Canada, the kidnapping of the prime minister of Lebanon, and now the Khashoggi affair, have further weakened and isolated Saudi Arabia, MBS, and therefore Trump. The US is no longer able to influence events on the ground in Syria, and so the initial plans of Israel and Saudi Arabia have foundered, after having devoted hundreds of millions of dollars to arm and train terrorists to overthrow Assad.

The Khashoggi affair plays into this situation, exacerbating the war between elites in the US as their strategies in the Middle East continue to fail. The neoliberal mainstream media immediately used the Khashoggi story to pressure Trump into taking a firm stance against one of his last friends and financiers, trying to further isolate him as the midterms approach. Many in the US deep state are convinced  as they were convinced that Clinton would win the presidency  that the House and Senate will end up in Democratic hands in the November elections, paving the way for Trump's impeachment and for Mike Pence to become president. Pence, a prominent figure of the evangelical right, would be the perfect president for Israel, placing Tel Aviv in the driving seat of US foreign policy as never before. In this scenario, it would certainly be preferable for certain parts of the elite to have a different figure at the helm in Saudi Arabia, seeing as MBS appears to be an unstable leader. Possibly they would prefer someone tied to the US secret services  someone like Mohammed bin Nayef. For these reasons, Democrats, some Republicans and the mainstream media have gone all out against MBS and Trump.

Turkey seems to be using the situation to further widen the fracture between Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world. Since Doha is paying the bills for Erdogan these days, with the Turkish lira at a low, it is essentially the Al Thani family running the PR show in the Turkish media. It looks like the Qatari media are paying back with interests all the negative media they received from the Saudis over the past year. Despite this, neither Ankara nor Riyadh is intent on any kind escalation, both knowing that any suffering on their part is a boon for their enemies.

An interesting aspect related to the Khashoggi affair concerns the sources of the news about the investigation, all anonymous and coming from Turkish police or from people linked to the top echelons of the Turkish state. Knowing the odd state of relations between Ankara and Riyadh, and especially between Turkish ally Qatar and Saudi Arabia, all this news coming from one source should at least be taken with a grain of salt. What is certain is that the Turks had immediate knowledge of the matter regarding who, what, where, when and why. This means that they must have bugged the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, allowing the MIT, Turkeys intelligence service, to know in real time what was happening to Khashoggi. The story concerning the Apple watch appears to be an attempt by the Turks to thrown off the scent Saudis who may be scratching their heads wondering how the Turks came to have such intimate knowledge of what transpired in their consulate.

For Turkey, the Khashoggi affair could be the occasion for a rapprochement with the US, following a deterioration in relations in the last two years. Turkey has few friends left, and after being cornered by Russia and Iran in Astana with regards to Syria, it also has to deal with the tensions between Riyadh and Qatar as well as balance its relations with Iran and Israel. Erdogan would like to exploit this event as much as possible, and the release of Pastor Brunson seems to indicate Ankaras willingness to extend an olive branch to Washington.

Russia, Syria and Iran have everything to benefit from this ongoing internal quarrel between elements within Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Qatar and the US. Whatever the outcome of the Khashoggi affair, Moscow, Tehran and Damascus can only benefit from any deterioration of relations between these countries.

Photo: Twitter
The epoch-making rupture this week in the Orthodox Christian Church has made some commentators refer to it as the biggest event since the Great Schism in the 11th century.

The latter historical watershed almost a millennium ago was when the unitary Christian Church split into Western and Eastern hemispheres, each subsequently centered on Rome and Constantinople, respectively.

That timescale suggests the magnitude and gravity of this weeks rupture, when the Russian Orthodox Church decreed that it could no longer be in communion with the Constantinople Patriarchate.

The Russian move was prompted by Constantinoples controversial recognition of breakaway Ukrainian Churches, which have been in schism with the Moscow Patriarchate for several years now.

To many people in the Western world these developments may seem rather obscure, or even inconsequential. But they are a direct result of geopolitics, which are further fueling international tensions.

In particular, the dynamic follows the US-led NATO military alliances relentless attempts to shift former Soviet countries into Washingtons geopolitical orbit.

The use of religion as a vehicle for imperial conquest is certainly nothing new. Centuries attest to that unseemly business.

More recently, when the Soviet Union broke up in the early 1990s, the Vatican (Rome) and Western political powers exploited the dismemberment of Yugoslavia to undermine the Serbian Orthodox Church, and to encroach on Russias sphere of influence, religiously, but primarily, politically.

The Ukrainian Churches schism since the early 1990s with Russia has been driven by NATO and Kievs partisan political agenda to repudiate Moscow. The Cold War didnt die. It was resurrected through religious means.

Since the CIA-backed coup in Kiev in 2014 by Neo-Nazi factions, the sectarian religious tensions have intensified, with the Ukrainian Churches expropriating properties and sanctities belonging traditionally to the Russian Church. Historically, the Moscow Patriarchate has included Kiev under its religious jurisdiction.

Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) is the titular head of the wider Orthodox Church. Its move earlier this month to grant recognition to the Ukrainian Churches as independent from Russia was reproached this week by the Moscow Patriarchate as unlawful and a breach of its clerical authority. That move has now led to the epoch-making rupture between Russia and Constantinople, which oversees the Greek Orthodox Church.

The present schism is an extremely regrettable fracturing of the entire Orthodox Church, which numbers some 300 million people among several countries. The Russian Patriarchate, while announcing the split with Constantinople this week, has expressed a desire for common sense to prevail in the future and for a reconciliation.

Nevertheless, there are serious implications from the latest schism. There is a real danger of an even sharper sectarian polarization in Ukrainian society and more broadly across Eastern Europe. Despite the breakaway Churches under Kiev, many Ukrainians still profess adherence to the Russian Orthodox faith and the Moscow Patriarchate.

It is ominous that the Kiev Patriarchate is now demanding Ukrainians to repudiate the Russian Church. That will further sharpen the West-East divide within that country. The sectarian tensions reflect the growing belligerence from the current Kiev political leadership towards the ethnic Russian people of Eastern Ukraine.

How deplorable that supposed religious aspirations are adding to the drumbeat of war.

Again, it must be stressed that Washington and NATOs agenda of enlisting Kiev into its ranks is a key factor in why the religious tensions have burst into a rupture. That, in turn, is leading to more divisiveness and conflict across Ukraine.

The irony here is that Washington and other Western capitals accuse Russia of interference in their countries, when in fact the much more extant interference is from the West in Russia and its region, as can be seen from the momentous schism unfolding in the Orthodox Church.

Another factor is that the Orthodox schism is consonant with Washington and NATOs agenda of trying to isolate Russia geopolitically. By fomenting a rupture in Orthodox unity, it is calculated that the Russian Church and the political leadership of President Vladimir Putin will be seen as more isolated internationally.

This NATO-inspired assault on Russias religious standing is without doubt connected to the war in Syria. Russias military intervention in Syria since late 2015 is viewed by Orthodox Christians in the region, as well as by other faiths, as saving that country from a covert, dirty war sponsored by NATO using barbaric Islamist proxies.

The latest intrigue to undermine and fracture the Orthodox Church, Russia in particular, is a very dangerous, not to say reprehensible, assault on the internal stability of countries, ranging from the Middle East, Africa to Asia.

By undermining religious institutions and forcing sectarian polarization, the fabric of societies is being tampered with. That potential instability is being propelled by Washington and NATOs agenda of trying to weaken Russia under Putin, who is viewed as a serious obstacle to US-desired global hegemony.

The unholy intrigues in the Orthodox Church are beckoned by completely areligious and profane political objectives. It is a shame that the Constantinople and Kiev Patriarchates are evidently willing to make an expedient, selfish pact with the devil of foreign imperialist ambitions.
The US is officially the largest donor in the world, but does it really care about those who suffer? Not so much. The administration believes nothing should be done unless it is in pursuit of political goals. International humanitarian aid has been cut recently. In August, the US pulled out of its role in Syria's short-term reconstruction, suspending $230 million of relief funds.

The American foreign-assistance policy is going through drastic changes. The United States is the worlds largest giver in the world, by far, of foreign aid. But few give anything to us, President Trump said, addressing the UN General Assembly to announce a major review process to reform the decision-making on the allocation of foreign-aid money. Moving forward, we are only going to give foreign aid to those who respect us and, frankly, are our friends, the president explained.

So, foreign aid is only going to friends, and friends are those who do what they are told. The No Assistance for Assad Act has passed the House and is currently before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. That legislation would ensure that no US money is spent on reconstruction in government-controlled Syrian territory, either directly or through the UN, IMF, or other international bodies.

And thats not all. The president did not provide all the details. The new policy anticipates the creation of obstacles that will impede the reconstruction efforts that are aimed at easing the suffering of people living in war-ravaged countries such as Syria. No good deed goes unpunished.

According to UN estimates, the war in Syria has cost $388 billion. Most Western companies are steering clear of that country. Any non-US company is taking a huge risk if its transaction involves Americans or an American company. Iran has been under sanctions for many years. Syrians are looking at Russia with hope while the US is doing its best to deprive them of much-needed assistance.

According to NBC News, the new administrations strategy for the war in Syria is focused more on pushing Iran and its allies out of the country. On October 16, the US Department of the Treasury took action against 20 Iranian businesses providing a financial lifeline to the Basij Resistance Force, a paramilitary force that answers to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The second wave of anti-Iranian sanctions will take effect on Nov.4 and will deal a blow to the countrys oil exports.

According to the new plan, the use of arms in self-defense against Iranians is permitted but priority is given to impeding reconstruction efforts in the areas of Syria where Iranian and Russian forces are present. Sanctions will be imposed on Russian and Iranian companies working on reconstruction projects. The US military will remain in Syria as long as the administration wants them to, under the pretext that, even if ISIS is completely eliminated, the danger of small pockets of resistance popping up will remain.

Actually, this means that the forces can stay forever. The imaginary threat of an ISIS that in reality has been routed is needed because the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) covers only the groups implicated in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, plus their associates. By no stretch of the imagination could Iran be included on this list, unlike ISIS, which grew out of al-Qaeda. However, National Security Adviser John Bolton explained last month that US troops would stay "as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders."

So, ordinary Syrians will suffer because the US does not like Iran. Refugees will not return home, thus aggravating the migration headaches for an EU that is already on the brink of dissolution. It will make Brussels more amenable to US demands, be those tariffs, gas deals, the policy on Russia, NATO expenditures, or whatever.

The announcement of a joint Russian-Turkish demilitarization zone in Idlib will push the issue of Syrias reconstruction front and center. If China tries to contribute, itll come under American sanctions as well for dealing with Assad-allied governments and financial institutions. Despite that, a Chinese container ship docked on October 9 at Lebanons Tripoli seaport, inaugurating a Chinese-developed shipping line between Beijing and a port less than 30 km (18.5 miles) from the Syrian-Lebanese border. On October 10, China held a ceremony in Latakia, a major Syrian port, announcing its donation of 800 electrical power generators. The reconstruction of Syrias oil facilities is underway with Russias help.

One might not like or support Assads government, but millions of Syrians cannot be left without outside aid, otherwise extremists will take advantage of the situation and well see ISIS or some other extremist group take root and grow strong enough to pose a global threat. The restoration of Syria is the best way to fight terrorists  the threat the US makes a show of being so concerned about. By impeding this process, it is shooting itself in the foot. The EUs hopes of seeing a letup in its migration problem will be dashed. Contributing to Syrias restoration means contributing to the solution of Europes most pressing problem. The reconstruction of Syria should be depoliticized. This is the time for all international partners to join together to assist in the Syrian recovery effort.
OK, you think to yourself when you see the mass of people swarming outside of the door. I knew there was going to be a wait. You head toward the caboose, but as you continue down the line and meet the eyes of the dozens of people in front of you, maybe you start to lose your cool. Forty-five minutes later, stomach grumbling, maybe you question your sanity.
This is something that all Kiwis want to hear before a long weekend - the weekend weather should be great for everyone.

MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes says with a long weekend ahead fine weather and warm temperatures are in store for most of the country, with many centres hitting temperatures in the low to mid-twenties.



The only small raincloud on an otherwise sunny horizon, hangs over regions in the far south and west of the South Island with windier and wetter conditions prevailing into Sunday. Elsewhere, the chance of isolated showers could threaten inland areas, but this is a worry for the few, not the many.



McInnes says the timing couldnt be better. Following a cold start to October, the weekends weather will allow Kiwis to get out and about, and enjoy the great outdoors.



MetService is also cautioning trampers to pay particular attention to the mountain forecast is they are planning a trip this long weekend.



Our partners at Mountain Safety Council tell us that Labour weekend has one of the highest incident rates of any of the major holidays with research showing on average three people involved in a search and rescue per day.



In many of these incidents, adverse weather is a key contributing factor, so you must make sure you are properly equipped and check the forecast before you set out, he says.

Tui says mountain conditions are completely different from what is experienced at lower levels.



For every 1000 meters you climb, the atmospheric temperature is around seven degrees colder, and that's before you factor in any wind chill."



Mountain Safety Council always advise trampers to take a rain jacket, warm layers, a head torch and emergency supplies, regardless of the length of your trip.



If you do happen to get caught out unexpectedly you've dramatically increased your ability to find shelter, to signal for help and to survive the night.
Tauranga City Council has voted to amend its governance structure, with changes to the membership of standing committees and a revised meeting frequency.



This follows a review instigated by elected members of the committee structure and their terms of reference.



In a media statement Tauranga City Council says the revised governance structure extends the membership of the main standing committees to all Council members  making them committees of the whole.

This means the mayor and all councillors will now have voting powers on the City Transformation, Transport, Community and Culture, Environment, Economic Development and Investment, and Audit, Finance, Risk and Monitoring Committees.



This will provide a better cross-portfolio overview for all members, facilitating their participation in decision-making processes and making it easier for all elected members to understand the implications of decisions across all portfolios.



This will not affect the position of external representatives appointed to certain committees as non-voting members.



The move to committees of the whole will increase the time commitment of elected members for meeting attendance. To reduce this impact, Council has agreed to move from monthly council and committee meetings to a six-weekly meeting cycle.

This is in line with other similar councils practice.



Council has also voted to appoint Cr. John Robson as Deputy Chairperson of the AFRM Committee.



This appointment and the change to committees of the whole take effect immediately, and the change to meeting frequency will be implemented as new meetings are scheduled.



Staff will come back to Council before the end of the year with further proposed changes to the Governance Structure Terms of Reference Manual 2016-19, including delegations.
A Bay of Plenty policing initiative centred on a model of evidence-based problem-oriented policing, has gained national accolades.

Kua hikina te kohu  raising the fog  was a programme of engagement with iwi in Kawerau prior to Operation Notus, a large-scale operation involving Mongrel Mob drug dealing in the Bay of Plenty town.

The initiative is one of six prevention initiatives  from 15 original entries from around the country  which has been recognised as the Supreme winner within the New Zealand Police EbPOP Awards.

The award ceremony focusses on initiatives which involve police partnering with iwi to support communities who have been affected by a large-scale methamphetamine operation.

This has involved police staff identifying an issue, forming partnerships with other agencies or individuals and putting into place measures based on evidence of what works.

Officers from the National Organised Crime Group and Bay of Plenty District partnered with Tuhoe and Tuwharetoa iwi before the termination of Operation Notus in Kawerau to ensure affected communities would be supported.

This included assisting families displaced during the operation and providing referrals to treatment providers for people with addiction problems.

The programme also won the award for Excellence in Achieving Collective Impact.

Commissioner Mike Bush says the Supreme Award winner demonstrated partnership, respect and trust.

We want Police to be trusted and respected, for people to have confidence in us, but we must trust others to get that trust.

He says the award entries underlined the pride he felt in being a member of New Zealand Police.

All of the entries were examples of the absolute passion and emotion that Police and their community partners bring to their jobs.

Criminal activity in the town was attacking the very fabric of the community, says National Manager Organised Crime Detective Superintendent Greg Williams.

The National Organised Crime Group worked hard with the Bay of Plenty Police district and local iwi to ensure we could support the community, both before and after the operation.

"At the presentation, iwi representatives strongly endorsed the work Police had done in partnership with the community.

Bay of Plenty District Commander Superintendent Andy McGregor says hes pleased with the award.

Im incredibly proud to see the hard work and dedication of Bay of Plenty Police staff and our partners recognised today.
Hard work, and the leading of a peaceful life alongside others, regardless of caste and colour, are among the fundamental beliefs of Sikhism.

These beliefs and more will be shared by the Te Puke Sikh community this Saturday (October 20) during their first-ever parade to be held in the town.

Around 800 Sikhs from throughout the North Island are expected to attend the parade, which leaves from the Gurudwara temple on No 3 Road at 11am before making its way along Jellicoe Street to Jubilee Park.

Traditional music and a display of kirpan (the sword or small dagger carried by Sikhs) will be on show for the public before the parade loops back around to the temple for a shared meal.

The parade will be similar to the one the Tauranga Sikh community enjoys each January, with participants wearing colourful traditional dress.

Blue and orange will feature prominently in the parade, with blue representing the colour of the warrior and of protection, and orange the colour of wisdom.

Spokesperson Lehmber Singh says the Te Puke Sikh community is very excited to be having its own parade.

Its a good chance for the community to see how Sikh people live, who we are and what we stand for, says Lehmber. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The parade is a celebration of the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib Ji, which contains the words and verses spoken by the Sikh Gurus.
Local residents met with Sidney Police Officers Thursday at the Coffee Corner. Residents were able to meet and interact with officers.
POTTER  Potter-Dix students got a taste of exotic meat in a meal last week. In a letter to parents Wednesday, School Superintendent Mike Williams said kangaroo meat was mixed in with the beef used to prepare students chili at the Potter site.

Upon discovering the addition of the exotic meat, Williams discusses the addition with head cook Kevin Frei, who said he added the kangaroo meat because of its nutritional value as a very lean meat. Frei also provided nutritional information on the meat.

School officials do not believe kangaroo meat is unhealthy or dangerous and it meets USDA standards in order for companies to sell it, but Williams says it will not be a part of the Potter-Dix meal program.

On behalf of Potter-Dix Public Schools, I apologize for the anxiety and any harm that this has caused individual students and/or families, Williams said. We will make sure that something like this never occurs again.

Williams gave parents three points in his thinking:

If a family wants to eat exotic foods, they can do so on their own time - not at school.

If we were to have food or ingredients that are out of the ordinary, they should be listed on the menu to that the students and families are aware what they would be served.

We will no way be serving food of this nature again. Period.

The release did not reveal the source of the meat.
NEBRASKA CITY  Nebraska may not be on everyones bucket list of places to visit, but if you like experiences that are unpretentious and uncomplicated or if you enjoy escaping the big city life for moments of solitude in the open plains, creating your own fun or exploring the quirkiness the state has to offer, chances are, you will like it here.

This is the premise of Nebraska Tourism Commissions new marketing campaign that was unveiled Wednesday, October 17 at the Nebraska Tourism Conference.

In 2017, before creating the campaign, the Nebraska Tourism Commission had Brand Lever,...
Nebraska Department of Insurance officials meet with local residents during a meeting in Sidney Tuesday. The meeting was scheduled to hear concerns from local residents, and to update consumers on changes in healthcare insurance, Medicare and the state insurance portal. Pictured from left are Martin Swanson, Laura Arp and Maggie Reinert talking to local residents during Tuesday's meeting in Sidney.

The cost of medical care continues to increase, as does the cost of insurance to help pay for services.

Likewise, the availability of health insurance providers is decreasing.

That is some of the news brought by representatives of the Nebraska Department of Insurance.

Health Policy Administrator Martin Swanson, Agency Counsel of the Insurance Fraud Prevention Division Laura Arp and Maggie Reinert met with an overflow crowd Tuesday in Sidney. The meeting was held as part of a tour of listening sessions. The listening sessions are held to hear concerns of residents, and to update communities...
The Chicago Bears are back from their bye week, and so is Brad Biggs weekly Bears mailbag. Despite a four-game losing streak, an encouraging performance the last time out in Pittsburgh has some readers wondering if Justin Fields and the offense are hitting their stride.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Upstate Medical University has selected seven winners of its 2018 Medical Device Innovation Challenge.

Among the winners are companies that have designed medical devices that increase mobility for individuals with bone abnormalities, cut the risk of medical errors, reduce energy costs for mobile medical refrigeration and store medications in a wearable bracelet for easy access.

The seven companies will receive free admittance to business-related workshops, including one on how to commercialize medical device concepts, at Upstate Medical University's Central New York Biotech Accelerator.

"We continue to be impressed by the innovative concepts and strategies for new medical devices and technologies," said Robert Corona, the university's associate dean for academic and industry relations and chief innovation officer. "Especially important is the underlying theme of these ideas, which is to improve the human condition, enhance patient safety and reduce costs."

The seven winners were chosen from 21 applications. They are:

Sea Legs, of Massachusetts, which aims to increase mobility for individuals with bone abnormalities by improving ankle-foot orthosis.

Avant Medical Systems Inc., of Alaska, which has designed a device that helps medical professionals reduce medical errors and thereby malpractice liability, while improving the quality of patient comfort and care.

Celltomics, of Buffalo, a pathology cell processing start-up that is designing ways to address the problem of diminutive specimens and the increasing amount of tests that are being required of them.

ANDRO Computational Services, of Rome and Syracuse, which is developing a spinal medical device.

Hive Refrigeration, of Rochester, which is creating technological solutions to decrease energy use and monitor mobile medical refrigeration capabilities.

In-Spire, of Syracuse, which is developing a bracelet integrated with a small inhaler. The device will enable those wearing it to take medications while on the go.

Inventase LLC, of Connecticut, is a start-up company developing a urinary catheter that reduces catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science students Kayla Simon, left, and Elizabeth Tarangelo (both class of 2019), co-founders of In-Spire, are among the winners of Upstate Medical University's 2018 Medical Device Innovation Challenge for their invention of a wearable medicine dispenser. They are pictured at the Central New York Biotech Accelerator's Concept to Commercialization Boot Camp in September 2018.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime:

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The jury in a Syracuse police brutality trial will hear final arguments before beginning deliberations tomorrow.

Alonzo Grant, 57, is suing the city and two police officers he says punched and kicked him in a violent arrest in June 2014.

Lawyers for Grant and the city have rested their cases and finished presenting evidence in the trial, which began last week.

The attorneys will make closing arguments tomorrow morning. Then U.S. District Court Judge David Hurd will instruct the jury on the law.

The six white jurors and one Asian juror are expected to begin deliberations around lunchtime.

The jurors today heard from witnesses for the city, who poked holes in Grant's account of his arrest and the aftermath. A doctor testified his injuries weren't as serious as he claimed. A police expert testified the officers were justified in their use of force arresting Grant.

Grant was left bloodied after officers Damon Lockett and Paul Montalto responded to his home June 28, 2014.

Grant had called 911 during a family argument in which his daughter was yelling in the front yard. By the time police arrived a couple minutes later, Grant's daughter was gone.

Grant and his wife tried to tell the officers they didn't need them, but the officers stayed to continue to investigate a possible domestic incident.

The officers say Grant was agitated and punched a screen door, leading them to try to place him in handcuffs. When Lockett attempted to detain Grant, the two men ended up going over a railing on the steps leading up to Grant's home.

Grant was eventually handcuffed after the officers struck him in the face several times.

Grant's attorneys have tried to show how the arrest was part of a pattern of discrimination and a lack of discipline in the Syracuse Police Department.

The city has maintained the officers were justified in their use of force. Witnesses testified today that Syracuse's training and policies for using force are consistent with state and federal law.

The attorneys will have one more shot tomorrow at convincing the jury.

The city is represented by John Powers of the Syracuse law firm Hancock Estabrook and assistant corporation counsel Todd Long. Grant is represented by Charles and Cabral Bonner of California and Jesse Ryder of Syracuse.

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992
This week two different authors with different backgrounds both find themselves publishing books after sending years in fields unrelated to writing.

The call of Science Fiction

While growing up near Niagara Falls, Rick Allen spent his time reading science fictions by Isaac Asimov, Larry Niven, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and Clifford Simak among others. These stories continued to have an impact on Allen's life well into adulthood so that when the opportunity arose to take an early retirement as an engineer from Lockheed Martin, the current Liverpool resident decided that he would do so with the intent of writing the book that the younger version of himself would want to read.

Allen summarizes his book "Star Riders," as "...a science fiction adventure in the space opera sub-genre. The hero, Bacary Swift, is an astrophysicist who arrives at Earth's first colony outside our solar system to find his brother is missing, and a massive alien structure may be threatening the colony. He begins to investigate, and stumbles onto a pathway to a distant community of alien worlds. They appear peaceful at first; the aliens can travel between their worlds, but without any technology (no weapons, no invading space fleets). But soon Bacary discovers violent factions threatening to tear this community apart, and his brother seems to be at the heart of it. To find him, our reluctant hero will journey across three planets and encounter five strange alien races, trying to determine who he can trust, who is an ally, and who is his enemy."

Allen writes about the process that went into the ultimate publication of this book on his blog, where he also shares behind-the-scenes details of being an author. "It's been a 4-year journey which included beta-readers, a professional editor, a proofreader, and a cover designer, all in an attempt to make this book the best I could. And now I'm continuing the work, writing the as-yet-unnamed sequel."

"Star Riders" is available on Amazon.

From memoir to mystery



After twenty-five years working as a photographer, David Grannis Moore was searching for a new creative outlet. "I no longer felt I had anything fresh to say. This left a void that needed to be filled. At around the same time, after struggling with a low-grade depression for many years, I discovered the power of nature to lift me out of that gray world. These two concurrent developments were the impetus behind the start of my writing career. I needed a new form of self-expression and had a strong desire to share my wilderness awakening with others who grappled with mood issues," Moore says. That writing project became "The Light at the End of the Trail" Parts One and Two. Moore says the two-part memoir is for readers interested in exploring the human psyche with a humorous perspective.

After tackling the memoir format Moore was interested in continuing to write, this time exploring a fictional universe. "Ends of the Earth" is the story of Paul Murphy, a man who along with his best friends decide to escape to the wilderness in order to try and take time away to save their respective marriages. While out in the mountains they discover greater challenges than they anticipated. "Ends of the Earth reflects my passion for wilderness adventure, as well as my interest in the realm of the paranormal, which sprung from an encounter I had with a UFO many years ago. Both wilderness and the paranormal embrace mystery, and I am strongly drawn to the unknown and the unknowable," Moore says about his inspiration for the story.

You can learn more about Moore's work and where to buy all three of his books by visiting his website.

Central New York Book Award announcement

The YMCA's Downtown Writers Center announced the finalists for the 2018 CNY Book Awards this week.The finalists in each category were selected by independent judges, who are also charged with naming the winning titles. Award winners will be announced live at the CNY Book Awards Reception on Thursday, November 8th, at the CNY Philanthropy Center. The Awards Reception is a fundraiser for the YMCA's Downtown Writers Center. Ticket information is available on the the DWC website.

Poetry Finalists:

Christine Kitano, for Sky Country

Sean Conrey, for The Book of Trees

Charles Martin, for Future Perfect

David Weiss, for Perfect Crime

2018 Poetry Judge: Gerry LaFemina, author of Little Heretic and Notes for the Novice Ventriloquist

Fiction Finalists:

Jonathan Dee, for The Locals

J. Robert Lennon, for Broken River

Cynthia Robinson, for Birds of Wonder

Vince Sgambati, for Most Precious Blood

2018 Fiction Judge: Stephanie Dickinson, author of Flashlight Girls Run

Non-Fiction Finalists:

Kathryn Allen Rabuzzi, for Elderfire

Paul Kocak, for Chasing Willie Mays

Stephen Kuusisto, for Have Dog, Will Travel

Peter McShane, for Save a Life, Take a Life

2018 Non-Fiction Judge: Cheryl Tan, author of Sarong Party Girls

Author event

The Wells College Visiting Writers Series is pleased to welcome poet Bret Shepard, winner of the 2018 Wells College Press Chapbook Contest, to campus for the launch of his new collection, "Negative Compass," at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 23. The reading will take place in the Art Exhibit Room on the third floor of Macmillan Hall. Admission is free and all are welcome. Shepard will also conduct a master class, "On Great Titles," on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 12:30 p.m. in Main Building's Faculty Parlors. This event is also free and open to the public.

This year also marks the inaugural Bennett Prize, given to a single outstanding poem from among the finalist manuscripts of the Chapbook Contest. The winner is "Praise the Bird" by Kim Lozano, and the broadside of that poem will be launched alongside Shepard's chapbook at the Oct. 23 reading. This prize is named in honor of Bruce Bennett, professor emeritus of English and former director of the Book Arts Center at Wells College.

Have a book to share?

Are you a local author or have you come across a book set in Central New York? Tell us about it. Send a brief description of the book and the author and we'll add it as a candidate for coverage. Write us at features@syracuse.com.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- More than 5,000 families in Syracuse are evicted from their homes and apartments every year.

That's an entire small village.

And it's not just a Syracuse problem. It's a national problem, born of an affordable housing crisis, said Matthew Desmond.

Desmond is the author of "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City." To write the book, Desmond lived in eight different struggling neighborhoods in and around Milwaukee, Wis., and chronicled the lives of the people he was living among. Families live in the thinnest of margins, spending as much as 80 percent of their income on rent, often for places that are not safe.

The book, which won a Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction in 2017, is the city's city-wide book club book. On Tuesday, Desmond is coming for a community wide discussion of the book. He'll be at Henninger High School at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to all.

Desmond, who recently won and MacArthur "Genius" grant and is building a database of nationwide eviction data, said he will be doing at least as much listening as talking.

"One of the privileges and honors about these kinds of trips is to receive feedback and listen to what's working and what's not," Desmond said.

Across the nation, housing quality has improved, he said. "But affordability hasn't," Desmond said in an interview.

So how can people get ahead if they're paying more than 80 percent of their income on rent? Often, they can't. One crisis pushes them onto the street, or a friend's couch.

At a community-wide discussion on homelessness in Syracuse Thursday night, advocates were asked what one thing they needed, aside from money.

The unanimous answer was more affordable housing. Advocates said they struggle to find places people living in the margins can afford. And new development of upscale apartments in Syracuse's downtown and other neighborhoods has pushed low-income people even further into the margins, advocates said.

Desmond said it's not an unsolvable problem.

"The solutions are totally within our collective reach," he said.

The best answer is increasing the number of housing vouchers available to low-income families in the country. In most places, including Syracuse, the wait is often so long it's not a real option for many.

"But there's a lot of reason to have hope," Desmond said. He said the tenants rights groups, legal services groups and others who are fighting to improve access to affordable housing are making progress.

Marnie Eisenstadt is an enterprise reporter who writes about people, life and culture in Central New York. Have an idea or question? Contact her anytime: email | twitter | Facebook | 315-470-2246
The woman was seriously injured and taken to a local hospital where she did not survive. The womans identity is not being released pending family notifications.
Anthony Brindisi said Friday he supports expanding background checks on gun sales, and he blamed the influence of the gun lobby for holding up legislation in Congress.

Brindisi, a Utica Democrat who supports gun rights, had received the top rating from the National Rifle Association during his career in the state Assembly. The NRA recently downgraded his rating to an F.

His comments Friday in a Q&A livestreamed on Syracuse.com and Facebook place him at odds with the NRA, which opposes an expansion of background checks.

"I think that there are a lot of things we can be doing to try to cut down on gun violence in our country," Brindisi said in response to a reader question. "One area that I think we should start is an area where nine out of 10 Americans agree: expanded background checks."

He added, "That's something most Americans support, but because of inaction in Congress nothing is happening with that...The House, because I think they are very beholden to the gun lobby, has not pushed any of those bills forward."

Brindisi, a member of the state Assembly, is trying to unseat Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, in the 22nd Congressional District election. Tenney has a top "A" rating from the NRA.

Live: Congressional candidate Anthony Brindisi answers reader questions ahead of the midterm elections. Ask him anything. Posted by syracuse.com on Friday, October 19, 2018

Brindisi received his NRA rating for his vote in the Assembly against the New York Safe Act, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's landmark gun control law. Brindisi said the law was hastily written and lawmakers had only hours to review it.

"I felt that was wrong," Brindisi said. "I also had concerns about how this particular legislation would affect folks who own firearms legally, law abiding gun owners. So ultimately I did not support the bill."

Brindisi was also asked Friday if he would support a federal law to ban assault weapons.

"I'm not in favor of that," Brindisi said. "I think we have to start somewhere where we can find the most compromise, and that's on expanding background checks."

Tenney also opposes an assault weapon ban. She is locked in a tight battle with Brindisi in the 22nd District that political analysts have rated as one of the most competitive House races in the nation.

The district covers all of Madison, Oneida, Cortland and Chenango counties and portions of Oswego, Broome, Herkimer, and Tioga counties.

Contact Mark Weiner: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A new attack ad accusing state Senate Democratic candidate John Mannion of being too liberal features a fake photo of Mannion and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The photo appears in a mailer supporting Bob Antonacci, Mannion's Republican opponent, under a headline that reads:

"John Mannion's campaign is being funded by NYC liberals because he shares their liberal values." The mailer is sponsored by the state Republican Senate Committee.

This mailer was sent out by the state Republican Senate Committee.

Ian Phillips, Mannion's campaign manager, says Mannion has never met, or even been in the same room with, de Blasio.

Phillips said the picture in the mailer is a doctored version of a photo taken during the summer of Phillips and Mannion at a restaurant in downtown Syracuse.

Phillips said his head was cut off and replaced with de Blasio's.

Scott Reif, a spokesman for the Republican Senate Committee, acknowledged the photo in the mailer is not real.

When producing campaign mailers "sometimes you take certain liberties," Reif said.

Mannion, a West Genesee high school teacher, and Antonacci, Onondaga County's comptroller, are running for the state Senate 50th district seat occupied by John DeFrancisco, who is retiring.

Antonacci recently criticized the state Democratic Committee for sending out a pro-Mannion campaign mailer that incorrectly put another candidate's words in Antonacci's mouth.

That mailer attributed to Antonacci a statement former Senate candidate Rick Guy made about a bill that would strengthen New York's abortion law.
TECUN UMAN, Guatemala (AP) -- Members of a 3,000-strong U.S.-bound migrant caravan massed in a Guatemalan border town and prepared to begin crossing the muddy Suchiate River to Mexico Friday, in spite of U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of retaliation.

The first members of the group began arriving in Tecun Uman on buses and trucks early Thursday, but the bulk of the caravan sloshed into town on foot in a downpour late in the afternoon and into the evening. Before dawn Friday, the migrants decided to wait a few more hours for stragglers to arrive before heading to the border crossing.

Some planned to walk toward Mexican territory in a formation that put the men along the edges and women and children in the center. Others prepared to cross the river in rafts, the traditional way migrants enter. As the sun rose, a military helicopter flew along the Mexican side of river foreshadowing the difficulties they could face.

Jonathan Guzman joined the caravan en route. "It's the third time that I'm trying to cross," said the 22-year-old Salvadoran who dreams of finding a construction job in Los Angeles.

On Thursday, hundreds had walked to the river's edge where they sang the national anthems of Honduras and Guatemala.

A smaller group walked to the border crossing but was blocked by Guatemalan police. They eventually retreated to await the rest of the caravan.

The exhausted travelers, the majority from Honduras, dispersed to the local migrant shelter and parks where volunteers offered them food.

Jonathan Perales, 22, arrived with his wife Heidy and their daughters ages 2 and 4. They'd been traveling since 4 a.m. and got to the border after dark. They paid for bus tickets they could ill afford.

"It was a great sacrifice, but it's all for a better life," he said. "It's not all good. We're wet and we still don't have a place to sleep."

On the Mexican side, the foreign ministry said its government was in constant communication with members of the caravan explaining the migrants' options. It said officials were already assisting some migrants who had crossed and requested refugee status.

Trump has made it clear to Mexico that he is monitoring its response. Early Thursday, he threatened to close the U.S. border if Mexico let the migrants advance. Later, he retweeted a video of Mexican federal police arriving at the Guatemalan border and wrote: "Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!"

Two busloads of those police were visible on the Mexican side of the bridge from Tecun Uman Thursday. Metal barricades were stored to one side, but not yet deployed.

Edgar Corzo of Mexico's National Human Rights Commission expressed concern about the police deployment in Ciudad Hidalgo.

"We hope that the immigration officials and federal police have a humanitarian understanding," Corzo said. He said they were "worried that things could escape rational margins."

Mexico's southern border is notoriously porous and it was unclear how many of the migrants would attempt to cross legally at the bridge.

"How they're going to cross is what we're anxious about," he said.

Tensions rose Thursday when an immigration activist who led a migrant caravan through Mexico last spring was arrested by federal police and immigration agents in Ciudad Hidalgo on the Mexican side of the border.

Irineo Mujica's organization, Pueblo sin Fronteras or People without Borders, said he was detained during a peaceful march. Video circulating on social media saw several police and immigration agents pushing Mujica into an immigration agency van in a crowd of people. Mujica appeared to be resisting.

Corzo said police accused Mujica of slashing the tires of an immigration vehicle. Immigration officials said later in a statement that Mujica, who has dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship, is accused of property damage. It said Mujica attacked immigration agents, as well as local and federal police, after he was asked for his identification.

Mexico has said the Hondurans would not be allowed to enter as a group and would either have to show a passport and visa -- something few have -- or apply individually for refugee status, a process that can mean waiting for up to 90 days for approval. They also said migrants caught without papers would be deported.

In April, Mexican immigration officials had some success in dispersing the smaller caravan by processing many who decided to seek refugee status in Mexico, but some did continue on to the U.S. border where they were processed over several days.

Three weeks before U.S. midterm elections, Trump has seized on the caravan as a political winner for Republicans.

Early Thursday he tweeted: "I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaught -- and if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!" Trump tweeted, adding that he blamed Democrats for what he called "weak laws!"

Marcelo Ebrard, who is set to become foreign relations secretary when President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes office Dec. 1, said Trump's tweets need to be understood in the context of the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.

"The electoral process is very near, so he is making a political calculation," Ebrard said in an interview with Radio Centro.

Trump's stance, he said, was "what he has always presented," adding he saw "nothing surprising in it."

Current Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray was also sanguine and viewed things through the lens of U.S. politics.

"Nobody likes them (Trump's comments). There's no reason to give them greater transcendence or importance," Videgaray said from the United Nations where he sought the world body's help processing asylum requests from the migrants. "What is important to us is the migrants, respect for human rights, their due protection, particularly the most vulnerable."

Like Guatemala and Honduras, Mexico is a country of many migrants, raising the question of whether the political will exists for a confrontation.

Lopez Obrador wants to avoid repression against migrants and also to avoid angering the United States. He said this week that Mexico would offer jobs to Central Americans.

"Anyone who wants to work in our country ... will have a work visa," he said.

Juan Escobar, 24, said he had heard about Trump's comments but said they would not dissuade the migrants from continuing their journey.

"Only God on high can stop us," Escobar said.
Ireland Implements New Exit Tax Regime

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

19 October 2018

Ireland's 2018 Finance Bill legislates for a new exit tax regime compliant with the EU's Anti-Tax Avoidance Directive.

The exit tax charge was introduced via financial resolution on Budget night, October 9, 2018, and applies to certain events occurring on or after October 10. Finance Bill 2018 formally legislates for its introduction.

Under the new rules, Ireland applies a charge to tax on unrealized capital gains where companies migrate or transfer assets offshore such that the assets leave the scope of Irish taxation. The tax operates by deeming a disposal of the assets to take place at the time of exit and applying the exit tax charge on any unrealized gain.

The charge applies at the standard corporate tax rate of 12.5 percent. However, an anti-avoidance provision will ensure that a rate of 33 percent (the standard capital gains tax rate) applies if the event forms part of a transaction to dispose of the asset and the purpose of the transaction is to ensure that the gain is charged at the lower rate.

The tax will apply on the occurrence of any of the following events:

where a company transfers assets from its permanent establishment in Ireland to its head office or permanent establishment in another territory;

where a company transfers assets to the business carried on by its permanent establishment in Ireland to another territory; or

where an Irish-resident company transfers its residence to another country.

The charge will not apply if the assets of an Irish-resident company continue to be used in Ireland by a permanent establishment of the company after the company migrated.

The new tax replaces a previous, more narrowly focused charge introduced in 1997 as a proportionate anti-avoidance measure to counter a number of identified tax avoidance transactions that moved chargeable outsets outside the charge to Irish tax prior to the disposal of these assets.

The EU's ATAD contains five legally binding anti-abuse measures that all EU member states are required to apply as of January 1, 2019. An exit tax regime is one of these measures.
Student politics these days is characterised by introspection. We are constantly invited to ask ourselves: what are the power structures at work? What is the nature of privilege? How should we respond to our history? The role of our own university in British society is a crucial element, and is attended by its own questions. What should we make of the fact that we attend one of the most elite institutions in the world? Access is widening  but how early does the problem really start? If you believe in social justice, should you sacrifice it for academic excellence?

These are the issues with which many Cambridge students grapple. At last Thursdays Union debate on the question This House Believes Oxbridge Has Failed Britain, speakers on both sides were quick to point out that more can be done on access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. While there was no mention of the fact that the debate was being held in the august halls of one of the citys more exclusive student societies, there was universal acknowledgement of a problem with the culture of the university. Indeed, Bobby Seagull  teacher, media personality, and University Challenge contestant  told TCS afterwards that Oxbridge gets a B-, but its not a failing pupil. He had been opposing the motion on the grounds that Oxbridge inspires aspiration and excellence, something not necessarily incompatible with the arguments of the proposition.

We sat down with Molly Bolding, a first year English student who won the opportunity to speak in favour of the motion through open audition. Its not a crime to want the best students, she tells us, but to have a policy that is so exclusive and so selective that you fundamentally miss out whole elements of society, you are not just disadvantaging students that dont get in, youre actually disadvantaging the students that do get in, by not allowing them to experience life with people who dont know where their next meal is coming from, or went to a state comprehensive school, or people whove had a variety of life experiences. The closeted nature of the Cambridge experience turned out to be a recurring theme. Oxbridge teaches you how to bullshit, claimed Jonn Elledge, editor of CityMetric magazine and co-proposer of the motion, condemning the lack of cognitive diversity that results in people with similar backgrounds bouncing off each other in an environment such as Cambridge.

Molly tells us that when you put so much pride and pressure on people who have an Oxbridge degree, and say that people who have an Oxbridge degree become the next CEOs and Prime Ministers, actually youre setting up an entire generation of tomorrows leaders who have no idea what life is like for the other 75% of the population. That is a tragedy. Bobby Seagull disputes the idea that the pressure on Oxbridge applicants is detrimental. He has friends, he told the packed chamber, who failed to get into Oxbridge, and they got over it. But Molly believes the problem runs deeper than that. You know, I went to school with people who are plenty clever enough to be [at Cambridge]. Significantly cleverer than me, more innovative, but they didnt want to apply because they were terrified, not just because they didnt feel they could get in, because even the ones who knew that they probably could make it didnt know whether they would feel welcome here. I do understand where that fear comes from.

Finally, I am interested to know why Molly chose to apply to Cambridge. At the end of the day I think it was one of my mums friends that put it best when she said that I had to come and I had to change it from the inside. Although she is not partisan, her deeply held opinions informed her choice to speak out at the Union. If I can bring these experiences that Ive had really into the heart of the elite itself, then I can start to feel that Im saying the right things to the right people

Incidentally, it was noticeable throughout the debate that whenever a figure was name-dropped as giving Oxbridge a bad name  Boris Johnson was on many peoples lips  they were invariably individuals from the other place. Seagull afterwards joked that maybe Oxford has failed Britain. Perhaps there is a deeper point here. Oxford and Cambridge laugh at each other, and for many any reservations they had about attending an elite institution transform into a fierce rivalry once they become acclimatised to the culture. Perhaps our experience teaches us that Cambridge is not so bad as people think. Or perhaps we have simply become part of the problem.
Facepalm: It seems bankruptcy and massive debt can't keep luxury smartphone maker Vertu down. The company, best-known for its several-thousand-dollar phones, has returned from a long hiatus to sell the world on its newest device: the Aster P. The smartphone is only available in China for now, but it's US-equivalent price tag would reportedly be around $5,200.

If you've never heard the name Vertu before, you probably aren't alone. The company has made waves in the tech community over the years for selling multi-thousand-dollar luxury smartphones, but it never get enough mainstream traction to remain financially viable in the long run.

Indeed, after reports of unpaid staff and mounting debts began to surface in June, 2017, it became clear that Vertu was on its way out. The following month, the phone maker folded entirely. However, its owner, Uzan, reportedly had plans to resurrect the company at a later date - and resurrect the company it has, because Vertu is back yet again with the "Aster P."

The Aster P is a $4,200 smartphone running on Android 8.1 Oreo, with a Snapdragon 660 chip, a 1920x1080p AMOLED display, a 3,200mAh battery, 6GB of memory, and 128GB of flash storage. The Aster P's high asking price may be cheaper than some of Vertu's most expensive smartphones, but it's still far from affordable for the mainstream consumer. Apple's iPhone XS Max is already pushing the limits of what users are willing to pay for a smartphone, and it has decidedly better specifications than the Aster P.

With that said, Vertu's target audience has obviously never been the average user. It's uniquely-designed luxury smartphones are more geared towards wealthier individuals. To that end, what makes the Aster P appealing? To start with, all Aster P devices will be handmade; these aren't mass-produced in a factory.

Furthermore, as reported by 9to5Google, the device's 4.9" display is made of 133-carat "sapphire crystal" glass, and it's covered in expensive-looking crocodile and lizard leather. It also has gold trim - it's not clear whether or not it's actually real gold, but given the Aster P's price tag and Vertu's track record, we wouldn't put it past the device's designers.

The Aster P is available in China now for 29,800, which is around $4295.

Image courtesy Vertu via 9to5Google
In context: The printer ink and toner industries are big  arguably bigger than even the printer business itself. Nearly every printer manufacturer makes more money from ink and toner refills than it makes from the printers it sells.

Since there is a market for printer ink refills, plenty of third-party suppliers have spring up to compete with the OEMs usually extremely high price point for inks. One way for printer manufacturers to combat this dip into their profits is to program their printers not to accept third-party cartridges.

Of course, the restriction of non-OEM ink alternatives has to be disclosed to the consumer before purchase. However, what is to prevent the manufacturer from issuing a firmware update down the line that does this? The answer to that is the law and consumer watchdog groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).

A week ago the EFF sent a letter to the Texas Attorney General Office urging it to investigate Epson for just such a practice. According to the EFF, it has received numerous complaints that a firmware update to some models of Epson printers has disabled the use of third-party print cartridges without notifying users of the change.

Around late 2016 or early 2017, Epson began issuing firmware updates to some printer models to prevent customers from using third-party ink options. It is not clear that customers were informed when buying an Epson printer that their ability to use third-party ink options could or would be later disabled. Moreover, it does not appear that Epson informed customers when it sent the firmware update that it would disable third-party alternatives to Epson cartridges.

The EFF believes Epsons conduct in this matter is a violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, sections 17.46(a), 17.46(b)(13), and 17.46(b)(24). These sections prohibit companies from knowingly making false or misleading statements of fact concerning the need for parts, replacement, or repair service. They also forbid OEMs from not disclosing information with the intent of inducing a purchase.

"Epsons reported practice of using firmware updates to prevent the use of third-party ink options is potentially misleading, anticompetitive, and dangerous."

Many of the printers affected worked fine with third-party ink or refilled OEM cartridges before the updates. The EFF insists that under Texas state law Epson should have informed consumers in its packaging that it may choose to restrict competing refill brands in the future. Failing that the company should have at least told existing owners of the change before rolling out the firmware.

The watchdog mentions that informing consumers after the purchase is also not ideal as it may persuade users to avoid firmware upgrades. Since many of these patches address security exploits, ignoring them could compromise computers and even entire networks connected to the vulnerable printer.

If customers come to believe that firmware updates, without warning, might also disable their ability to use third-party ink options, they might choose to forgo updates altogether, the letter reads. Left unpatched, printer vulnerabilities weaken security across computers and networks connected to affected printers. As such, Epsons reported practice of using firmware updates to prevent the use of third-party ink options is potentially misleading, anticompetitive, and dangerous.

Epson is not the only company to have done such a thing. HP used a firmware update in 2016 to block all but its own cartridges. After barking from the EFF, HP apologized and issued a patch to fix the problem. However, it turned around the next year and did the same thing under the guise of a "security feature." That time HP didn't apologize (because it wasn't intentional) but did issue a second version of the firmware without the security feature.

Epson could not be reached for comment.
Bottom line: At least 450 Amazon employees disagree with the company selling facial recognition technology to law enforcement and other government agencies. They feel it is irresponsible and dangerous. They have demanded Jeff Bezos put a stop it it in a co-signed letter.

An anonymous Amazon employee is speaking out about the companys decision to sell its Rekognition software to police departments. According to an op-ed the employee wrote for Medium, over 450 employees signed a letter to Jeff Bezos and other execs that demands the company stop providing this tool to law enforcement.

Rekognition is facial recognition software designed for use by law enforcement. We reported how back in July the ACLU tested the tool and found that it falsely identified 28 US lawmakers as criminals. Jokes about dirty politicians aside, Amazon claims the system it 80-percent accurate.

However, the employee goes on to explain that it is not about accuracy, but rather about enabling the government with tools of mass surveillance.

Amazon is designing, marketing, and selling a system for dangerous mass surveillance right now, the author wrote. Law enforcement has already started using facial recognition with virtually no public oversight or debate or restrictions on use from Amazon.

The employee cites Orlando, Florida and at least one county sheriff department in Oregon as already having and testing the facial recognition system. He (or she) calls Amazons actions dangerous and irresponsible.

Amazon has not yet responded to the letter.

So far its been radio silence, he told Medium in an interview. Theres been no official response to the letter and certainly no apparent change in how they market Rekognition.

The author, who was not afraid of revealing his biases behind the mask of anonymity, fears that the authoritarian Trump administration will use the technology to deport otherwise honest immigrants. Law enforcement body cams, which were intended to ensure police accountability, can now be used as weapons aimed at the public resulting in outsized impacts and over-policing of communities of color, immigrants, and people exercising their First Amendment rights.

What do you think? Should Amazon be supplying LEO with its Rekognition system, or is this the slippery slope the employee believes it to be?
Law enforcement authorities may soon be able to trace 3D printed guns to the machine it came from. A new study led by University of Buffalo (UB) has discovered a method, called 'PrinTracker' that could help forensic investigators trace 3D-printed guns and counterfeit goods to the 3D printer that made them.

3D printing has many uses. However, it's also a counterfeiter's dream, worries lead author Wenyao Xu, PhD, associate professor of computer science and engineering in UB's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

"Even more concerning, it has the potential to make firearms more readily available to people who are not allowed to possess them," Xu said. The study includes coauthors from Rutgers University and Northeastern University.

A Unique Pattern

A 3D printer works like a common inkjet printer i.e. the printer heads move while "printing" an object. And instead of discharging ink, the nozzle discharges a filament in layers, until the desired 3D object is formed.

Each of these layers contains tiny wrinkles, called in-fill patterns. Usually measured in submillimeters, these patterns are supposed to be uniform but are not. In fact, the printer's model type, nozzle size, and other factors cause slight imperfections in the patterns, which may make the actual object have patterns that vary 5 to 10 percent from the design plan.

These patterns, although imperfect, are unique to each 3D printer and repeatable. And that's how, like fingerprints, the 3D printed object can be traced back to the 3D printer that created it.

"3D printers are built to be the same. But there are slight variations in their hardware created during the manufacturing process that lead to unique, inevitable and unchangeable patterns in every object they print," Xu said.

As part of the study, the research team made 5 door keys from 14 common 3D printers - 10 fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers and four stereolithography (SLA) printers.

Using a common scanner, the researchers created digital images of each key. They, then, enhanced and filtered each image, identifying the elements of the in-fill pattern. Thereafter, the team developed an algorithm to align and calculate the differences in each key to verify the authenticity of the "fingerprint."

The researchers then created a "fingerprint" database - 'PrinTracker' - of the 14 3D printers, and found that they were able to match the key to the 3D printed that created it, 99.8 percent of the time. To determine whether additional use or wear-and-tear of the printers would affect the database, the researchers ran a separate series of tests 10 months later on the same printers and discovered that the PrinTracker's ability to match objects to their machine of origin were still 99.8 percent accurate.

The team also conducted experiments involving keys damaged in various ways to hide their identity but even then, the PrinTracker was 92 percent accurate in these tests.

The 'Printracker' technology or method is similar to the method of tracing a bullet to a specific firearm. When a gun is fired, as the bullet flies down the barrel of the gun, it encounters certain ridges and grooves that cause the bullet to spin and increases the accuracy of the bullet. These ridges and grooves leave unique markings on the bullet and such markings can be matched by the forensic investigators and law enforcement agencies to the firearm that the bullet was fired from.

The research team did not 3D print any guns or counterfeit objects but Xu is confident that PrinTracker can be used to any even those to the 3D printer that created them.

"We've demonstrated that PrinTracker is an effective, robust and reliable way that law enforcement agencies, as well as businesses concerned about intellectual property, can trace the origin of 3D-printed goods," Xu said.

The study was presented in Toronto at the Association for Computing Machinery's Conference on Computer and Communications Security, which runs from Oct. 15-19.

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Chileans vote in general elections on November 21. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two will face each other in a December 19 runoff. | Read More
We need fair maps to ensure voters are choosing their elected officials, not the other way around, Curran said. We also need to clean up the culture of sexual discrimination and harassment that plagues Springfield. I'm proud of the work our bipartisan, bicameral task force has done, but we have more work to do.
CONVENT  A crane accident that shuttered the Sunshine Bridge last week isn't just costing thousands of people time, it's costing them money, too, but recovering losses from those ultimately found responsible will likely be an uphill battle.

+2 Sunshine Bridge repairs could take 'months rather than days,' reopening ferry not an option GONZALES  Louisiana highway officials said Monday that the Sunshine Bridge over the Mississippi River won't reopen any time soon after it was

Lawyers say that, because the crane was mounted on a Mississippi River barge, maritime law will likely apply to lawsuits seeking damages and maritime law generally limits who can file a valid claim.

The nearby residents, the nearby businesses, they really dont have any recourse because they dont own the thing that got physically damaged, said Sean McLaughlin, a maritime law attorney with Kean Miller. He cited a nearly century-old law, the Robins Dry Dock rule, that often protects operators from liability for economic losses.

Its just tough. Its definitely an uphill battle, McLaughlin said.

The rule developed through the 1927 case Robins Dry Dock & Repair v. Flint and protects operators from being held liable for tertiary economic damages caused by accidents on the water. McLaughlin, who said he has not looked at any cases involving the Sunshine Bridge accident, said that, generally, only people or companies that suffer physical damage from a crash can recover damages, and sometimes damages are limited only to the cost of repairs.

A lawsuit filed Monday in St. James Parish alleges the companies involved in the Oct. 12 crash acted negligently and seeks damages for businesses and individuals impacted by the span's closure. The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has said a barge-mounted crane, in an extended position, ran into the southwest side of the bridge in the dead of night. The National Transportation Safety Board and the U.S. Coast Guard are investigating.

A crane barge was being pulled up the Mississippi River by a Marquette Transportation Co. towboat when it crunched metal trusses and beams more than 100 feet in the air, state and federal investigators have said. The Coast Guard, which remains the lead agency in the crash investigation, has refused to identify the pilot of the towboat and referred questions about that persons current status as a towboat pilot and what company owns the crane barge to Marquette. Marquette has not responded to list of questions.

State highway officials have not provided an actual timeline for the repairs, although an agency spokesman said Thursday workers were expected to start building a platform for the repair job as soon as this weekend. They have said it could be months before the span reopens.

+2 Ascension Parish schools adjust to new reality of broken Sunshine Bridge The Ascension Parish public school system is adjusting its operations to cope with the closing of Sunshine Bridge, starting the day later for 

In the meantime, the closure has upended life for the more than 20,000 people who use it daily, turning a 90-second drive across the bridge near Donaldsonville into, in many cases, a 90-minute ordeal roughly 50 miles out of the way either on the Plaquemine/Sunshine Ferry or the Veterans Memorial Bridge near Gramercy.

In the St. James Parish lawsuit, one of the central claims of negligence centers around the allegation that the crane was in the upright position when it hit the bridge, violating all safety rules of the river.

The plaintiffs in that suit are Kenneth Frederic, owner of Donaldsonville Glass & Body Works, and Nolan Billy Guillot, Jr, owner of First & Last Chance, a historic Donaldsonville restaurant, but plaintiffs attorneys Marvin Gros of Donaldsonville and Marty Maley of Baton Rouge are seeking class-action status hoping to represent potentially thousands of affected people.

The defendants are Marquette Transportation Co., Cooper T. Smith Corp., its Louisiana subsidiary and unnamed employees of the company listed as ABC EMPLOYEE(S).

Im getting calls from people daily now that are financially impacted by this, Maley said. The crane owner had the crane in the upright position. We dont think that is very prudent.

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Separately, Jean-Paul Robert, a Gonzales lawyer who is seeking to represent other clients, said the use of maritime law as explained by McLaughlin was "brutal."

How is loss of Sunshine Bridge and increased traffic being handled? Two key changes PLAQUEMINE  State highway officials have expanded the operating schedule of the Plaquemine ferry and adjusted traffic lights in St. James Par

The longstanding maritime precedent once precluded a railroad company, which had one of its bridges taken out by a vessel, from recouping on any additional losses beyond replacement of the bridge, even though trains had to be rerouted for two months.

Youre going to have to thread the needle, Robert said. Theyre going to have to have some kind of connection to the river to be able to recover (damages) under maritime law.

Robert said his potential clients have that connection, including dirt businesses that work along the river and haul material on both sides of the waterway.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, which led to a wave of litigation and billions in payouts to a wide range of people and businesses affected, fell under a different set of pollution laws that did not include the Robins Dry Dock rule. McLaughlin said the Fifth Circuit did apply the rule for some claims in that case, including some from the Mexican government. Also, the BP oil spill was resolved through a settlement, he noted, which allowed people who might not have been legally entitled to a recovery to take part.

The class-action lawsuit claims defendant Cooper/T. Smith Stevedoring Co., a Louisiana subsidiary of an international stevedoring corporation with operations in Ascension and St. James parishes, as the owner of the barge and crane involved in the crash. The suit claims the company was responsible for the cranes position at the time of the collision.

The lawsuit faults all the defendants for failing to train its employees properly and failing to operate the vessel safely.

The Coast Guard has not identified the owner of the crane. The NTSB did not have information on the owners identity either, only naming the barge as the Mr. Irvin.

+12 Critical problem with Sunshine Bridge closure: How will some access emergency care? As west bank residents grapple with the reality of a months-long closure of the Sunshine Bridge after a barge accident on the Mississippi Rive

Some of the lawsuits plaintiffs are people who use the bridge daily and others are businesses that have lost revenues, contracts or other forms of income because of the closure, the lawsuit says.

The suit seeks damages in an amount to be proven at trial, along with attorneys fees and court costs. Twenty-third Judicial District Judge Jessie LeBlanc has been assigned the case.

Eric Weiss, a spokesman for the NTSB, said the agency joined the investigation Saturday and that a preliminary report is expected in a couple of weeks.

A telephone message and email left with a spokesman for Cooper/T. Smith Thursday afternoon wasnt immediately returned.
Gov. John Bel Edwards waded into the bickering between higher education officials by reiterating that the Board of Regents have the authority to set and enforce admission standards for public four-year universities.

But, he also wants the officials to review those rules.

In defending LSUs unilateral change to admissions policies, President F. King Alexander said Monday the Board that governs state public colleges, universities and vocational schools had no authority to punish the university for admitting too many applicants who failed to meet the "minimum admissions standards for first-time students" set by the Board in 2001.

LSU President F. King Alexander disputes authority of state Board of Regents on ACT flap LSU President F. King Alexander said Monday the board that oversees all public colleges in Louisiana doesnt have the authority to punish the 

Speaking for the Regents, Commissioner for Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed responded that the 16-member board doesn't make rules they can't enforce.

But before any wrists are slapped, Reed said, the Regents want more information about how many students, unqualified under current rules, were admitted by the states 14 four-year universities and how those students are faring. Could be that the admissions criteria needs to be changed, she said.

Regents have set hard requirements but allow universities the flexibility of accepting 4 percent to 6 percent, depending on the institution, of an incoming freshman class who dont meet the standard. LSUs freshman class for this academic year included almost twice as many as allowed under the Regents exceptions.

LSU quietly started looking beyond set-in-stone test scores and grade point averages. Where once students without a 3.0 GPA and a 22 on the ACT college board test would have been summarily rejected, LSU now looks at other factors to make a decision.

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The move has caused much controversy in some quarters who claim the states flagship university is letting in unqualified students that could drag down the teaching of the rest.

Alexander, too, wants a conversation among higher ed leaders that would consider whether the admission rules had outlived their usefulness. LSUs holistic admissions policies rely more heavily on essays, recommendations and reviews of course work for students whose grades and college board test scores failed to meet the minimum requirements. Current rules keep out smart students with extenuating circumstances  like having a disability or having their school year disrupted by a flood or a death in the family, Alexander said.

"It was just a process change for us," Alexander said, adding that he doesn't know why LSU officials didn't talk with the Regents about the plans in any depth before implementing the changes.

Edwards said thats a discussion worth having now.

If you listen to the explanation for why we should have holistic admissions process, they seem rather genuine and sincere, the governor wrote The Advocate in an email late Thursday. Youve got highly qualified students who may come from a different state, but because their core curriculum is different than ours, they may require an exception. You also have individuals in certain parts of our state who may not have access to a foreign language because they come from a parish that doesnt offer it in all of their high schools.

Well, that shouldnt be a barrier if otherwise that kid is eligible to be at LSU. We also know that there are individuals that go to schools, or we should say come from families, that are going to take the ACT once because they do not have the financial wherewithal to take it multiple times and pay out of their own pocket, and so they may come up a little bit shy. But if their grade point average suggests that they will be successful, and you look at more information around the student, then I think that it would be appropriate to let that student in, he continued.

Edwards also said these conversations between higher education officials should take place directly and not through reporters.

"It would be much better for the state if you didn't have all this playing out in the media," Edwards said Wednesday on his monthly radio call-in show  his first comments on the brewing controversy. "These conversations need to be taking place between Regents and LSU, and I guess all of the systems. We need to be sitting down and doing this collaboratively and not playing it out in the press."
The East Baton Rouge School Board unanimously went along Thursday night with Superintendent Warren Drakes decision to promote longtime district administrator Gwynn Shamlin to replace Domoine Rutledge as the top attorney for the school system.

Also Thursday, the board approved providing its 5,000-plus full-time employees an extra $500 in their last paycheck before Thanksgiving, the district's first such payout in a decade. And the board voted, as a safety measure, to keep schools closed on election day, Nov. 6, a change to the the school calendar approved in February.

Shamlin takes over as the the districts new general counsel Tuesday. Thursdays boards action authorizes Drake to work out a contract with him, which Drake said he likely won't finalize until January after the new School Board takes office. General counsel serves as the school districts chief legal adviser.

Shamlin promoted to replace Rutledge as top attorney for Baton Rouge public schools East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent Warren Drake has tapped longtime district administrator Gwynn Shamlin to replace Domoine Rutledge as th

Rutledge spent 16 years in the job before recently accepting a position with CSRS Inc. as its general counsel and vice president. Shamlin said Thursday he was humbled by his selection as the new general counsel and that I didnt see this for myself.

I want to thank you guys for the faith you put in me, he said.

Drake convened a small committee, which included himself, board President David Tatman and Vice President Kenyetta Nelson-Smith, as well as Rutledge, to interview 12 of the initial 36 applicants and then second interviews with three finalists.

Board member Kenyetta Nelson-Smith said she and others asked Shamlin tough questions and he did well.

I was extremely shocked and impressed, she said, noting that Shamlin is often very quiet.

Shamlin has spent about six years as director of the districts I Care anti-drug and crisis counseling service. A year ago, Drake gave Shamlin a second job as director of communications to replace Adonica Duggan. Since January, Shamlin has handed off many of the communications duties to Taylor Gast, who was hired as public information officer.

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He said he's giving up both positions to focus on his new job.

A 1994 graduate of LSU law school, Shamlin has spent most of his career with the parish school system, the second largest in Louisiana. Both his parents are retired educators from the system.

Shamlin spent a few years in the classroom as a third-grade teacher at four schools in Baton Rouge before joining I Care as a counselor. He spent about 20 years with the I Care program. During that time, he worked on the side as an attorney in private practice.

$500 pay bump for school employees in Baton Rouge one step closer to final approval The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday gave unanimous but preliminary approval to providing its 5,000-plus full-time employees a

Paying school employees an extra $500, which they will see Nov. 21, has been under consideration for awhile. Superintendent Drake said he toyed a year with doing one a year ago in the wake of the sales tax windfall provoked by the rebuilding after the August 2016 floods but held off to make sure tax collections remained stable. When presented with the idea again this year, Drake said, he decided it was time.

The $500 one-time payout is estimated to cost $3.9 million. The extra pay would come from a $12.5 million surplus in a special fund that supports employee salaries and benefits with a portion of a 1-cent sales tax earmarked for education.

The school system has used this pot of money before to give employees one-time extra money, though the last time the district tapped the fund for that purpose was in 2008.

As to the decision to keep schools closed on Nov. 6, Drake described it as a safety measure, given that 50-plus schools will serve as polling places for the Tuesday elections with lots of adults there who are not normally on school campuses.

This is a departure from the past. Schools in Baton Rouge have closed during presidential elections, but not during midterm elections, Drake said.

Drake said he changed his mind after talking with school leaders in surrounding districts and learning they will be closed that day.
Louisiana and federal officials on Thursday held a town hall meeting to raise awareness of the dangers of financial exploitation of the elderly and new protections in state law that may make it easier to prevent.

"When people prey on the elderly, they are preying on our most vulnerable, when they should be enjoying that time in their life," Attorney General Jeff Landry said during the meeting in Baton Rouge, which hosted the acting leader of the nations consumer watchdog agency, Mick Mulvaney.

Financial exploitation against anyone 60 or older or adults with disabilities is a felony.

The Louisiana Legislature this year enhanced its laws regarding reporting suspected abuse. Under the new law that took effect Oct. 1, banks and other financial institutions have more authority to try to thwart abuse by delaying transactions or reporting suspicious activity to authorities without facing legal repercussions. It also encourages banks to train tellers and other employees signs to watch for, but doesn't require such training.

Robert Taylor, CEO of the Louisiana Bankers Association, said the new law will enhance the ability of financial institutions to act when they suspect a customer is being abused but is unable to speak up. "Often when an elderly person does have something happen to them, they are embarrassed," he said.

He said it will especially be helpful in rural communities that rely on community banks, where tellers are more familiar with customers.

"They are very aware of this," Taylor said. "This is a not uncommon thing."

Rep. Thomas Carmody, a Shreveport Republican who chairs the House Commerce Committee, sponsored the legislation. He said his mother is in her 80s and he would hate the thought of her falling prey to a scam.

Covington woman sues investment company after nephew who served as adviser drained account A Covington retiree is suing the New York investment company where her nephew once worked, claiming the company missed clear signs that he was

"You can see, just in our own individual worlds, we're all being targeted with spam and scams," he said. "The idea that our senior citizens would be exploited..."

Carmody said it was also important that the state walk a line between protecting individuals, while still protecting banking institutions from liability when they fail to prevent fraud.

"When we receive cases of exploitation, a lot of times they are family members," said Ebony Phillips, the manager of the Elderly Protective Services division in the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs. "It affects them emotionally, as well as their long-term ability to live in the community and thrive successfully."

People who have their savings taken often don't have an option to earn it back, Phillips noted.

"The exploitation can be almost detrimental," she said.

Anthony Welcher, the head of the federal bureau's external affairs division, said financial exploitation is a growing problem but often hard to quantify as it is believed to be widely under-reported.

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"It's really one that touches us or will touch our friends at some point in our lifetimes," he said. "Unfortunately, we don't know about it, many times, until it's too late."

Baton Rouge was the second stop on a tour that Mulvaney began shortly after President Donald Trump named him acting head of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau earlier this year.

Mulvaney, who also serves as Trump's budget director, has faced some pushback in the CFPB role, amid consumer advocates concerns that his priorities align more closely with business interests.

During Thursday's forum highlighting elder abuse, Mulvaney said his own family has been targeted by an apparent scam  one that is pretty commonly used against the seniors.

While Mulvaney and his wife and children were out of the country, Mulvaney's father received a call saying that one of his grandchildren had been in an accident and he needed to wire money immediately for the emergency. He called Mulvaney directly and discovered that there was no emergency and he had been targeted by scammers.

"Think about how sophisticated the scammers have got to be to do that," Mulvaney said of the details they knew of his family's whereabouts and how to contact the grandparents. "Very, very sophisticated, and, unfortunately, often very, very successful."

"The level of depravity of these folks knows no bounds," he added.

Jo-Ann Deal, supervisor of the Better Business Bureau's Monroe branch, said another common form of abuse happens when seniors give caretakers their debit cards and pin numbers to run errands. If that person takes advantage of the situation, it can be difficult for the senior to speak up about what is happening.

"It's a matter of educating and networking," she said. "Quite often seniors are reluctant to give out information when they know their own children or friends have taken advantage of them."

Deal said she heard of one local woman who had sent an "astronomical" amount of money to pay for someone she had been corresponding with to travel to Louisiana. Her case became known because a local law enforcement officer who was working part-time as airport security noticed that she had been sitting all day at the airport. The person she had given money to never arrived.

"She needed counseling after this was over," Deal said.

Harold Bartholomew, who prosecutes elder abuse cases in St. Tammany and Washington parishes, said he would encourage people who suspect exploitation is taking place to first reach out to the Office of Elderly Services. "The safest thing you can do is report," he said.

Most of the case workers in the Elderly Affairs office have a social work background, so may be more sensitive to vetting out potential cases, rather than law enforcement.

Phillips noted the office guarantees confidentiality and whistle blowers are shielded from lawsuits.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is followed by members of the media as she walks to the Capitol before a vote to advance Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Speaker of the House Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, gavels the House to order as the legislature convenes in special session to fix the budget deficit Monday Feb. 19, 2018, in Baton Rouge, La.
Many people have made strong arguments for eliminating Louisianas nearly unique law allowing criminal convictions by non-unanimous juries, but a judge in Sabine Parish has now offered the most powerful case yet: The law doesnt pass constitutional muster.

In truth, the concerns that Judge Stephen Beasley voiced in his ruling vacating an 11-1 conviction werent new.

Beasley ruled that the law, which was written with racist intent, perpetuates racial disparities in outcomes to this day. In the case before him, an African-American defendant was convicted of second-degree murder by a jury in which the only black member was a holdout. Prosecutors had previously struck three other African-American potential jurors, which the judge also found improper.

Beasleys framing of the problem as a violation of the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection for all under the law, certainly bolsters the case for approving a state constitutional amendment to require unanimous juries when voters go to the polls next month.

Of course, compliance with the U.S. Constitution isnt an argument that always works on Louisiana legislators, who have been known to keep unconstitutional measures on the books  including, most notoriously, a requirement that schools teach creationism.

Sabine Parish judge rules Louisiana's split-jury law unconstitutional, citing Advocate research; impact unclear Less than a month before Louisiana voters weigh in on the future of the states unusual split-jury law, a Sabine Parish judge has issued a swe

But the Amendment No. 2 vote is a chance for voters to prove themselves smarter than your average politician. Which, when you think of it, isnt that high a bar.
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To the cheers of supporters steps away from the New Orleans jail on Oct. 19, 60 bicyclists began a three-day ride to Louisiana State Penitentiary, port of call for an annual trek to benefit a program to keep families connected to their incarcerated loved ones.

Now in its eighth year, NOLA to Angola participants help raise money to support Cornerstone Builders bus program, which transports Orleans and Jefferson parish residents to incarcerated family members inside five state prisons, at no cost.

The three-day, 170-mile bike ride offers riders a chance to really internalize the distance not only separating families and their loved ones at Angola but to also underscore how far removed incarcerated people are from the communities they left, and how the criminal justice system impacts low-income people of color and their families, says NOLA to Angola organizer Katie Hunter-Lowrey.

If someone in Louisiana gets a life sentence, that doesnt mean they suddenly dont have parents and siblings and friends and children, she says. Its important for families to maintain that link even if they dont come home. Thats still family. Thats still community.

The route not only highlights the states lack of bike infrastructure but also underlines that theres only one way to get from New Orleans to Angola, where theres one way in and one way out, for some; the average sentence at the prison is 90 years.

You can really feel that after three days on a bike and going that last stretch of miles, Hunter-Lowrey says.

The ride offers a chance to see up close the lingering histories of slavery, Jim Crow and racism throughout the state, from the sites of slave rebellions to refineries in the shadow of the largest prison maximum security prison in the U.S. There also are guest speakers along the ride, speaking to the impacts of mass incarceration and its history in Louisiana.

Cornerstone director Leo Jackson organized the first bus ride in 2007. It makes monthly trips on charter buses, seating up to 60 people (theyre always full), with additional trips leading up to November and December holidays; NOLA to Angola riders sponsorships defray the cost of each trip. Last year the group raised $50,000, enough to cover roughly 50 rides. Cornerstone also is now operating a bus program in Shreveport and is planning to open a hub in Lafayette.

Roughly 8 percent of the states prison population is from the New Orleans area, according to the states Department of Corrections. That distance from home adds up. Family visits account for hundreds of round-trip miles, in addition to the costs of taking time off work, paying for gas, and organizing family members, all of which can add up to a significant cost burden to families.

Black men account for more than 68 percent of the states prison population; the average age at the point of their convictions is 33 years old. A 2016 report from the Annie E. Kasey Foundation found that family incomes can drop by roughly 22 percent when fathers are incarcerated, and without a parent at home, the financial (and emotional) burden falls on families, communities and government services to care for the children of incarcerated parents.

This loss of income creates ripples that grow into waves, the report says. It found that as many as 65 percent of families with a member in prison or jail could not meet basic needs, often perpetuating a cycle of poverty and incarceration: Thousands of dollars in court-related fines and fees, along with costly visits to maintain contact, landed nearly one-third in debt.

There also is a trend among jails to eliminate in-person visits all together, replacing them with off-site video calls. Hunter-Lowrey says incarcerated people are increasingly disconnected from their communities  physically by distance, financially with the costs of round-trip travel and phone and video calls  while the outside is more connected than ever via social media and the internet. Its obvious a whole section of the population is being left behind, she says.

Meanwhile, Louisianas recent criminal justice reforms aim to reduce the states prison population and ease re-entry for some offenders. New Orleans magistrate judges also are beginning to weigh the costs of cash bail for low-level offenders, and the New Orleans City Council voted to reduce barriers for formerly incarcerated people seeking jobs with the city and city contractors.

We as a state and a country are finally starting to realize the road bumps to re-entry  you cant just release someone and say, Heres a dollar for a bus ticket and the clothes you came in with, Hunter-Lowrey says. In addition to having a place to stay  and work afterwards, having a group of people who you stayed in contact with, and seen and hugged, creates a pretty obvious support structure when someone gets out.  We are all sharing the city streets. People should be supported when they get out and come home.

New Orleans City Council votes to 'ban the box' on job applications The New Orleans City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that prevents city contractors from asking about potential hires criminal histor
Jennifer Dewey is excited to be the new executive director of the St. Tammany Art Association.

Although, as she put it, It's like jumping from one speeding train to another.

Dewey, who served as development director for the Baton Rouge Art Gallery, said fall is the busiest time of year in the art world, and she is starting her new job right in the midst of the action.

At the same time, she said, the timing was fortuitous.

I moved to Mandeville this summer, but I didnt expect a job here, she said, explaining that she had been commuting from Mandeville to Baton Rouge for work, which was easier than her previous commute from Lafayette.

Getting a job in the art world is a challenge, especially in a small art community like Louisiana, she said.

But then fate, and artist friends, intervened.

Glass artist Paolo Dufour first mentioned the opening at the St. Tammany Art Association to Dewey.

And then Scott Finch, a week later told me, You have to apply, Dewey said.

She did, and got the job replacing Kim Bergeron, who left the STAA to become outreach director at the Youth Service Bureau.

Dewey said she is looking forward to the shorter commute, the vibrant art community and much more about this new "speeding train."

Although her position in Baton Rouge kept her very busy (she oversaw the gallerys membership program, major gifts grants, annual giving and more,) she doesnt expect a great change of pace moving to a smaller town.

In fact, she said, the art scene in Covington is in some ways more dynamic than in Baton Rouge.

Downtown Covington is very charming; artists seem drawn to the area, she said. In Baton Rouge its not like that, though downtown Baton Rouge is coming back. Covington has a cool, charming, artistic vibe.

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Dewey got a good taste of that vibe during Fall for Art in downtown Covington on Oct. 13.

It was ginormous, she said of the crowd. It made me really happy to see all of these people in the community come out for the arts.

Dewey said she did some undercover work before her interview with the STAA board of directors in September, visiting the Art House on Columbia Street.

Its a very welcoming space, she said, noting how much goes on within that building alone, including classes and parties, not to mention exhibits. The Art Association is hosting a New Orleans Museum of Art exhibit that features Louisiana artists.

Dewey pointed to a work by Clementine Hunter hanging on the Art House wall.

To think that she stood and looked at the same painting. Right there. Thats what I love about art, Dewey said.

Dewey, a graduate of University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said her love for art didnt blossom until she was in her 20s, but now she knows where she is meant to be.

These are my peeps," and they've been great to work with, she said.

(The STAA has) a hardworking board of directors, she said. Theyve been at this for 60 years  no small feat.

STAA Board President Roswell Pogue has been especially supportive, she said.

Changing jobs in the midst of a very busy season can be hectic, Dewey said, noting that she is still finishing up with her former gig in Baton Rouge, where there is a major gallery fundraiser at the beginning of November.

But shes comfortable with the challenge.

To work at a nonprofit is to accept the chaos, and to be comfortable with the busy," Dewey said.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards bounded into a room at the Orleans Parish Sheriffs Office headquarters on Thursday with a smile on his face and good tidings for criminal justice reformers.

Edwards was announcing that $3.4 million of the $12.2 million the state says it has saved from last years criminal justice reforms will go to government agencies and non-profits in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes to help smooth offenders transitions back to society.

Flanked by sheriffs, district attorneys and politicians from both major parties, the Democrat said the money is proof that the reforms passed in the Louisiana legislature last year are working.

What is driving this effort is not just reducing our incarceration rate, it isnt just saving money  although I think those things are important. Our efforts are going to improve public safety, he said.

Beginning last year, the package of bills known as the Justice Reinvestment Act allowed for thousands of inmates convicted of non-violent crimes to be released ahead of schedule, often by just a few days or weeks but in some cases by a year or more.

The legislation earmarks 70 percent of the money saved on incarceration costs toward new services to help victims, improve public safety and reduce recidivism. The remaining 30 percent, or about $3.7 million, will be directed back into the state budget.

The budget for the next year includes $2 million for Orleans, nearly $800,000 for Jefferson and $562,000 for St. Tammany Parish. That money will be renewable over the following two years, although future amounts may vary.

Edwards said the money from the first year of savings was directed towards the five parishes with the largest number of inmates sent to state Department of Public Safety & Corrections custody.

By focusing the funds on Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, East Baton Rouge and Caddo, he said they can make the largest impact on the states crime and incarceration rates.

Local recipients of the funds include Catholic Charities, which will have $320,000 to spend on wraparound re-entry services for substance abuse treatment, housing and employment in Orleans and St. Tammany.

Goodwill Industries will receive $448,000 to provide ex-offenders in Orleans legal services, such as securing a drivers license or negotiating child support payments. Another umbrella organization, the United Way of Southeast Louisiana, will receive $250,000 to provide services in Jefferson.

The state will also be spending almost $1.2 million in the three parishes to ensure that inmates in state custody spend their last two years of imprisonment closer to home, at places like the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center.

Meanwhile, re-entry courts will receive $200,000 in Orleans, $100,000 in St. Tammany and $100,000 in Jefferson Parish.

The general contours of the spending plan were announced at a Baton Rouge press conference Wednesday. By Thursday, local leaders and non-profit groups were already working through plans on how to best use the money to serve a population that has often been overlooked in Louisiana.

Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Laurie White, who started the states first re-entry court, said she was thrilled. In New Orleans, the money will go toward case management, service providers and treatment services.

Our approach and program is proving its success with reduced recidivism rates, which prevents victimization, she said.

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Sarah Omojola, the director of the Welcoming Project, said the $125,000 her group received would allow it to retain a licensed clinical social worker to help youths released from the Youth Study Center and Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans.

The money will also support stipends for youths who are receiving mentorship, job training and soft skills development, she said.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, the director of the office of justice and peace at Catholic Charities, said his agency is still ironing out the details of its contract with the state, but he hopes to begin providing services to about 100 formerly incarcerated people in January.

It makes a big difference for those 100, he said. Were working with a certain population that is likely to recidivate if we dont intervene. Its hard to put a measurement on it because its all new, but were hitting a critical chunk of the population.

The local officials joining Edwards at the press conference included New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman, Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, Northshore District Attorney Warren Montgomery and St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith.

State Sen. Danny Martiny, state Rep. Walt Leger III, and former state Rep. Helena Moreno, who all sponsored parts of last year's legislative package, were also present. Moreno is now a New Orleans City Council member.

The room in the Sheriffs Office headquarters erupted in applause when Edwards reminded the audience that Louisiana finally relinquished its status as the incarceration capital of the world earlier this year, handing the title to Oklahoma.

But there was a note of discord when Cannizzaro, while thanking the governor, spoke of his disappointment that none of the money so far has gone toward his offices services for victims and witnesses.

That stands in contrast to the Orleans Public Defenders, who received $377,000 for legal services and case management for defendants.

We must also ensure in the rush toward criminal justice reform, the most important demographic is not forgotten or neglected. I speak of the victims of these offenders, Cannizzaro said. I am hopeful that as Justice Reinvestment moves forward, the victims of violent crime, and those who advocate for them, will receive a more equitable share of the funds.

Edwards did announce $1.7 million for victims' services earlier in the week. None of that money will go to local prosecutors.

Cannizzaro and Montgomery, the prosecutors in the room, said they were taking a wait-and-see approach to the question of whether last years reforms have reduced recidivism rates, as Edwards predicted they would.

That is perhaps the most politically sensitive issue to arise out of last year's reforms. U.S. Senator John N. Kennedy, a potential gubernatorial candidate next year, has hammered the governor whenever an offender released early under last years reforms commits a new crime.

I think if I had to grade it, I would give an incomplete, Montgomery said. Were all hopeful that a year from now, two years from now, when we do have hard data, that we will be able to say that it is successful.
A wanted man has been accused of shooting a bounty hunter during a wild incident at a New Orleans coffee shop Thursday that the wanted man's attorney says was sparked by the lure of sex from a fake social media account.

Malik London, a 22-year-old who was wanted for failing to appear in court in a domestic violence case, arrived at a PJ's Coffee shop at 6600 Franklin Ave. for what he thought was a romantic afternoon rendezvous, according to his defense attorney.

Lawyer Jerry Settle said that London was lured to the cafe by promises of sex from a woman, whom he had never met but who London thought had been sending him erotic messages on social media. Instead, in a tactic known as catfishing, bail bond agents in several vehicles showed up and tried to corner him, Settle said.

In a warrant, New Orleans police said that London tried to back up when he noticed the bail bond agents. He then rolled down his drivers side window and started shooting at a bounty hunter who approached him, according to police.

The state-licensed bounty hunter was wearing a white badge with the words fugitive recovery agent on his polo shirt, police said.

London was booked on a count of attempted second-degree murder.

Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell set Londons bail at $200,000 after hearing from Assistant District Attorney Michael Henn  but London's attorney gave a wildly different account of the shooting.

Settle alleged that London never had a gun and the bondsman was hit in the crossfire of bullets from other agents.

Settle said agents in three vehicles converged on his client, who had no idea what was happening. He claimed that multiple witnesses will support his clients version of events.

The forensic evidence is not going to show that my client was shooting at them. Its just not going to show it. He never had a gun, Settle said.

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The incident has generated alarm in the local bail bond community.

Police said the agent was shot in the hand and shoulder and grazed twice in the head. His medical condition was unknown Friday.

Police said the agent worked for Jodys Bail Bonds. No one responded to multiple calls to that companys Gretna location on Friday.

London, who lives in the Upper 9th Ward, was facing trial on counts of battery upon a dating partner and battery on a dating partner involving strangulation. He also had a separate forgery case, although that did not involve a commercial surety bond.

He had posted his $7,500 bail through A-1 Unlimited, according to court records. Company owner Timothy Fangui said the recovery agent did not work directly for A-1, however.

London has missed seven court dates since he was charged in September 2017, leading to an open warrant for his arrest.

Although bounty hunting is legal in Louisiana, it has attracted controversy over the years.

A Gretna man sued celebrity bounty hunter Eugene Tat-2 Thacker in 2012, claiming that the recovery agent made up charges against him for a TV show called Big Easy Justice. The case is still open.

A civil rights lawsuit filed in 2017 by the Southern Poverty Law Center claims that bounty hunters for Blairs Bail Bonds engaged in kidnapping and extortion. That case likewise remains open.
Studying the impact of sugary drinks on health has piqued the interest of researcher Pia Varsamis.

While there is a lot of data on the number of sugary drinks Australians consume, less is known about their impact on metabolic health.

This is a major concern because it raises our risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, Varsamis says. Why not get the message out initially to show that these are the effects?

Pia Varsamis has already received numerous awards in her young research career.

Varsamis, a PhD candidate in the metabolic and vascular physiology laboratory at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and the department of physiology at Monash University, is in the late stages of a PhD that examines how soft drinks between meals affects the glucose and lipid metabolism of sedentary consumers. These are big factors in diabetes and heart problems.
Maths and science teacher Vanessa Shen decided to become a language teacher after working in Japan. Shen spent a year teaching in a little town called Maruseppu in Hokkaido as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme (JET) in 2012. It was an eye-opening opportunity for me to explore Japan, experience traditional practices and to know different teaching and learning styles in the classroom, she says. Teaching in Japan also made her aware of different curriculum design and assessment styles, and provided a deep understanding of traditional cultures. Language teacher Vanessa Shen. The experience had such a positive impact, Shen decided to change her education focus and retrain as a language teacher. Today she teaches Chinese and EAL (English as an Additional Language) at Balwyn High School in Victoria. Shen says she is glad she took the opportunity to upskill, and says other teachers can do the same by undertaking advance diploma courses provided by various state departments of education.

To be honest, I think the JET programme really inspired me to be a language teacher, she says. Compared to other subjects, learning a language is much easier to justify the meaning of the learning, since we can always use the learnt skills and knowledge in daily life. Teaching language courses is also more fun, she says. Using Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) and other new media technologies to make language courses more interesting and easier to access for students provides an engaging experience for teachers. Language learning isn't just writing and reading, it requires the student to interact as well, Shen says. Therefore, teachers get to know the students in different lights, which is also much easier to build positive and professional relationships. Benefits for students of studying languages are also richly rewarding, Shen says. From job opportunities to travelling to better exam results, students of languages learn to communicate with people from different backgrounds and to develop understanding of other cultures. Skills that are crucial to become a well-rounded world citizen, according to Shen. When asked which language is most difficult to learn - Chinese or Japanese - Shen is diplomatic. Learning a language is hard, she says, especially character-based languages. Personally, I think Chinese is hard to learn at the beginning, because of the pronunciation, she says. However, grammar is relatively simpler. If students don't give up and continue with their learning, they will find that Chinese gets easier and easier.
"That was the sometime uncomfortable irony, while I was writing this my two sons had a sort of full-blown fire-fighter obsession. You couldn't move around the house and not trip over a fire truck; you'd be driving in the car and there'd be these nee-na-nee-na sounds coming from the back." And if you can't look at Sokaluk with a degree of humanity, she says, you have missed an opportunity to understand something deeper about why this fire occurred. Hooper went to the Latrobe Valley soon after that terrible day. To her it seemed incomprehensible that someone could have lit the fires and she was intrigued by who becomes an arsonist and why. "I found it sort of horrifying and intriguing." The Tall Man, her nuanced account of the death of Indigenous man Cameron Doomadgee on Palm Island and the subsequent trial of Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley, had been published the previous year and was in the process of garnering accolades and awards across the country. And by then she had turned her focus onto her second novel, The Engagement. So she went to Churchill with a journalist's curiosity  Hooper won a Walkley Award for her initial reports into Doomadgee's death in The Monthly  but wasn't convinced she would write about the fires. When she did, it was after the whole business had been through the courts.

In The Tall Man she identifies the moment that she was hooked on the story as a dinner with Domadgee's family, at which they ate goat meat that he had hunted. In The Arsonist she identifies no such occasion, but in hindsight talks about going with the arson-squad detectives to the eucalypt plantation where Sokaluk lit two fires. "I do think it's extraordinary that 30,000 hectares can go up in flames and that these detectives and arson chemists can trace a fire back to three square metres. Seeing that and being there with them was a powerful moment." It took a long time for Hooper to get permission from Victoria Police for the detectives and chemists to speak to her officially. Finding an entry point to a story was rather like trying to enter a foreign country. She tried from different angles, and it was as a last resort that she rang detective senior constable Paul Bertoncello, who handled more than 600 witness statements during the investigation, to sound him out on the idea of cooperating. "He was quite receptive, but didn't speak to me until he had official permission. But at the end of that (initial) conversation I had to say to him I've got to tell you my last book was about police corruption, and he said, well, that's not a problem for me."

Legal Aid sought permission from Brendan Sokaluk and his family for his lawyers to speak to Hooper. And they sent an independent lawyer to see him in prison to ensure things were done correctly; that he understood. Without their input and thereby Sokaluk's point of view, Hooper was concerned she would simply be writing a police procedural. "It seemed ironic also after having written about police corruption, that was not a book I wanted to write." Hooper's initial question  why does someone commit arson  brought her into areas she didn't expect and issues she didn't bank on. "Crime stories in Australia are often actually about disadvantage and dysfunction and the Latrobe Valley is a place where both exist alongside the coalfields in quite stark ways," she says. "I have found it difficult. I have become close to a woman who lost two children in the fire and I think that balancing her loss and the losses of really hundreds of people due to this act and also holding onto his story and trying to look at that even with some sympathy has been complicated." The first time I sat down to talk with Hooper about her work was when her first novel, A Child's Book of True Crime, was published n 2002. It was something of a sensation as while studying at Columbia University in New York she had been signed up by the literary agent to the big names, Andrew Wylie, and he had flown into Sydney to conduct a weekend auction for the publishing rights. During the course of our chat about The Arsonist I referred to a comment she made back then about the care the writer of true crime has to take between showing moral outrage at whatever violent act has occurred without actually investigating why the writer is herself fascinated.

Today she says that the genre is problematic because of the fine balance required between prurience and sociology. Yet those stories can tell something deeper about the place we live in. "People are interested in human affairs, and human affairs involve general bastardry," she says. "There's very little in non-fiction or fiction that doesn't involve some crime. Is it more prurient to imagine a horror that occurred or to write about one that in fact occurred? Another area of confusion." However, she isn't convinced The Arsonist does fit into the true-crime category because there isn't the generic pleasure of a crime being solved, the social body being restored to order. "I don't know how many answers that I provide in this book, but it touches on issues connected to intellectual disability and the law. But also, we are living now in the pyrocene, this age of fire, and these fires aren't going to stop. We have a government with no climate policy and a PM who brings coal into parliament; this is a look at coal country from another perspective," Hooper says. And she points out that of the 173 people who died on that day, 161 of them died as a result of failings of the electrical infrastructure.


Qudos Bank Arena, October 18



With a list of achievements that stretch from '60s pop to '70s disco, and '80s rock to '90s dance; satisfactorily condensing the lot into a single concert is a big ask for Cher.

When in Rome: Cher struts her stuff on the Qudos stage. Credit:Anna Kucera

The solution to this conundrum, it turns out, is to throw it in a blender, add a small army of acrobatic dancers, elaborate sets, dazzling props and costumes, and mix it all on "high" until it comes out resembling a neon Las Vegas fever dream unified by what can only be described as "maximum Cher-ness".

Energetic dance opener Woman's World finds the 72-year-old icon dressed like a Greek goddess in a giant flame-orange wig, descending from the ceiling on a swing over tightly choreographed Roman soldiers busting moves in front of an ornate staircase and balcony.
Karlie Kloss has become Ivanka Trump's sister-in-law after marrying businessman Joshua Kushner.

The model, whose new venture capitalist husband is the brother of US President Donald Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, announced the news on Friday morning, Australian time, with a picture on her social media accounts.

She wore a custom Dior gown at the small, Jewish ceremony in upstate New York.

Kusher's family are Modern Orthodox Jews. Ivanka Trump was also required to convert before marrying into the family in 2009.
Fierce, indestructible love defined Judy Wardale: love of life, of family, of humanity  especially those who, in her words, were disenfranchised and marginalised. She was not only a tireless campaigner and fundraiser extraordinaire, but she gave by empowering others  those with disabilities, remote communities in India, the students she mentored.

Her legendary answering machine message spoke volumes about Judy: "You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give."

Judy Wardale: a fundraising leviathan.

Born in the Queensland sugar-cane farming town of Ayr, Judy was a gifted performer who went on to study and support herself at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. She was just 18 when she married in 1960, moving to Papua New Guinea where she soon had three children under three years of age.

Three years later, she endured the first of the significant challenges she had to face in her life  the loss of her beloved brother Lieutenant Harry Cook, killed in the HMAS Voyager naval disaster of 1964.
In a statement, he said the defence filed by Fairfax was "baseless" and relied on "unfounded hearsay and gossip" to "compound" the injury to his reputation and make "even more hurtful and untrue allegations ... that Fairfax Media clearly hope will be reported by other media without question". He said that while the defence "purports to imply" that a list of 17 people, whose names have been redacted in the document, "will be witnesses in support of the Fairfax claims against me", he was "confident that witnesses who will be called in this case will say that Fairfax Medias allegations are untrue". In support of its truth defence, Fairfax alleges Mr Roberts-Smith was involved in six unlawful killings in Afghanistan, including an alleged incident in 2012 in which he kicked Ali Jan, an unarmed and handcuffed Afghan man, off a cliff before directing a soldier under his command to shoot him. The defence says each of the killings contravened the Geneva Convention, which is intended to protect civilians and detainees in war zones, and therefore constitute murder. Fairfax also alleges Mr Roberts-Smith was involved in five assaults, three involving unarmed Afghan men and two involving colleagues, as well as bullying two colleagues and assaulting an unnamed woman with whom he was having an extra-marital affair.

Fairfax Media has previously reported Mr Roberts-Smith is one of a small group of soldiers subject to a secret inquiry into the actions of Australian special forces soldiers in Afghanistan. The inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Defence Force is being led by NSW Supreme Court Justice and Major-General Paul Brereton at the request of military chief Lieutenant General Angus Campbell, and has interviewed more than 200 people. Mr Roberts-Smith said he had "not been requested to provide an interview by any investigative authority, either Police or the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force" and he "welcome[d] the chance to clear my name in due course". In documents filed in court, lawyers for Mr Roberts-Smith say the articles in the Fairfax press convey a string of defamatory imputations about him, including that he killed Ali Jan, "an unarmed and defenceless Afghan civilian"; pressured an inexperienced SAS soldier to murder an elderly, unarmed Afghan to "blood the rookie"; and committed another murder himself by "machine gunning a man with a prosthetic leg". Ben Roberts-Smith speaks on Anzac Day, 2017 in Melbourne. Credit:AAP

The statement of claim goes on to allege Fairfax painted Mr Roberts-Smith as a man "so callous and inhumane" that he brought the prosthetic leg back to Australia to use as a novelty beer drinking vessel. The stories were written by journalists Nick McKenzie, Chris Masters and David Wroe, who are being pursued by Mr Roberts-Smith alongside Fairfax. In their written defence, Fairfax and all three journalists say those allegations are defensible on the basis they are substantially true, and offer a series of particulars in support of their defence. The defence also says Mr Roberts-Smith had an extra-marital affair with a woman, who is not named in the defence, between October 2017 and April this year and took her as his guest to an event at Parliament House in Canberra on March 28. Fairfax says the pair had a fight after the function at Hotel Realm in Canberra because Mr Roberts-Smith was annoyed at her behaviour, including tripping over while intoxicated, and feared she may have exposed the affair. During that argument, the defence alleges, Mr Roberts-Smith punched the woman "hard in her left eye with a clenched right fist", leaving her with a black eye.

While some media outlets have reported Mr Roberts-Smith was cleared of the alleged incident by ACT Policing, who said in a letter to his lawyers there was "insufficient evidence to support any prosecution", Fairfax says the unnamed woman decided in August this year "she did not wish to proceed with a formal complaint" to the Australian Federal Police. She did so "after seeking legal advice about the process of being involved in a criminal prosecution as a witness", the defence says. The defence also details a series of alleged murders committed by Mr Roberts-Smith directly or at his instruction, including an incident in late 2012 in which he allegedly shot at close range an unarmed Afghan man hiding among rocks in a village called Darwan, and a separate incident in which he allegedly shot an Afghan adolescent aged between 15 and 18 in the head with a 9mm handgun. The defence says that if Mr Roberts-Smith succeeds in any part of his case, the Federal Court should consider in mitigation of any damages payout his "general bad reputation" within the SAS and the Australian Defence Force. This included his alleged reputation within those organisations as a "bully" and a "hypocrite" who "held himself out publicly in a manner not consistent with how he conducted himself" within the SAS, and who was "not deserving of the good reputation he enjoyed publicly". Mr Roberts-Smith has strenuously denied the allegations and said the defence filed by Fairfax "goes well beyond what was actually written in its original stories" and "adds damaging new claims, clearly intended for media consumption, that are demonstrably different from what was originally alleged in its original publication".
Beach box owners are taking legal action to avoid paying a waste services levy, arguing the $241 fee should be binned because they aren't provided garbage collection.

The Mornington Peninsula Beach Box Association filed an application in the Supreme Court last week for a judicial review of the bin tax, which was included on their members' most recent rates bills.

The group believes they shouldn't have to stump up the same fee as other Mornington Peninsula Shire ratepayers when they have no council-issued wheely bins or any roads for a garbage truck to drive down to collect them.

Beach box owner Geoff Kennedy is annoyed about being charged the waste services levy. Credit:Eddie Jim

"It's essentially a fee for no service," said Mornington Peninsula Beach Box Association president Chris Maine.
Sochi: Russian President Vladimir Putin says Islamic State militants have seized nearly 700 hostages in part of Syria controlled by US-backed forces and had executed some of them and promised to kill more.

Speaking in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Putin said the hostages included several US and European nationals, adding that Islamic State was expanding its control in territory on the left bank of the River Euphrates controlled by US and US-backed forces.

Putin did not specify what the militants' demands were.

The US has cast doubt on Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim that US nationals are among some 700 hostages taken by Islamic State militants in Syria. Credit:AP

"They have issued ultimatums, specific demands and warned that if these ultimatums are not met they will execute 10 people every day. The day before yesterday they executed 10 people," Putin said.
Patti LuPone made her long-awaited return to London's West End this week with the opening of Marianne Elliott's new revival of Company, in which LuPone plays Joanne. This isn't LuPone's first encounter with the Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical; she previously played the same role in a concert staging with the New York Philharmonic. She's also sung one of Joanne's signature songs, "The Ladies Who Lunch," for many, many years in concerts. Like this one.
AUTO LAB RADIO Saturday October 20, 2018; WNYM Radio AM 970 7-9 AM Helping You Enjoy The Drive







Auto Lab Talk Radio on New York City's WNYM Radio AM 970 Is Streamed Worldwide On TheAutoChannel.Com

Car Question or Concern? Automotive Career Opportunity, Call Toll Free 888-692-7234 To Speak With An Auto Lab Expert











Auto Lab is a 28 year old interactive automotive-focused New York City radio call-in show hosted by Professor Harold Wolchok. Featuring an in-studio panel of experienced hands-on automotive experts sharing accurate, honest, practical and street-smart car repair, automotive career opportunities and vehicle and repair buying advice.

Auto Lab is also about the automotive industry, its history, and its culture, presenting the ideas and advice of leading college faculty, authors, and automotive practitioners in a relaxed, conversational interactive format.

Listeners can find audio recordings of the past 20 years of archived Auto Lab shows as simulcast on The Auto Channel; The Auto Lab Index Page includes; Audio-on-Demand Archives, Community College Auto Program Database, Guests Pictures

This Weeks Show: October 20, 2018

IN STUDIO PANEL: Real World Auto Experts, Educators, Technicians, Shop Owners, Insurance Experts, Lawyers Will Answer Your Automotive Questions: Repairs, Second Opinions, Regular Maintenance, How To's, Safety, Used and New Car Buying, Insurance, Ombudsmen Suggestions

Harold Bendell - Major Auto

David Goldsmith - Urban Classics

Jordan Weine Bay Diagnostics Auto Repairs

Jerry Pastore - D & J Diagnostics

Michael Porcelli - Automobile Services

Nicholas Prague - MTA

Auto Lab Interviews: Featuring Auto Safety News, New Car Reviews, Technology and Latest Auto World Information That Will Effect You!

Robert Erskine, Senior European Correspondent, Suffolk England

PLUG-IN HYBRIDS SET UNPLUGGED

Russ Rader,Senior Vice President Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

NEW HEADLIGHTS BRING KIA RIO INTO THE WINNERS CIRCLE

Robert Sinclair AAA Northeast

DANGERS TEEN DRIVERS WITH PASSENGERS POSE TO THEMSELVES AND OTHERS USING THE ROADS

Craig Van Baternburg, CEO & founder , Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC)

TRAINING SCHOOL FOR ELECTRIC/HYBRID TECHNICIANS
La Broquerie-based HyLife threw its corporate weight behind the idea of a community events centre in Steinbach on Friday morning, as the company pledged $5 million towards such a project. It was an endorsement of something else too: mayoral candidate Paul Neustaedter.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/10/2018 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

La Broquerie-based HyLife threw its corporate weight behind the idea of a community events centre in Steinbach on Friday morning, as the company pledged $5 million towards such a project. It was an endorsement of something else too: mayoral candidate Paul Neustaedter.

"We believe that a community event centre, serving a variety of user groups, is at the core of a strong community," said HyLife chairman Don Janzen, who made the announcement at the Steinbach Cultural Arts Centre.

He noted the company has for some time earmarked funds for such a project in Steinbach and spoke of how the company shares the same vision as the would-be mayor.

Voters will choose either Neustaedter, John Fehr or Earl Funk as the citys new head of council on Oct. 24.

"We support Paul Neustaedters vision of an affordable multiplex plan. Our shared vision includes a spectator arena, a fieldhouse and a space to develop the arts and cultural community all under one roof. HyLife wants to partner with the community to make this vision real and affordable," Janzen said.

He and other HyLife executives were on hand when Neustaedter first launched his election campaign in August.

Janzen, one of HyLifes founders, had to compose himself as he shared the companys plan to donate $5 million to the project.

"We want the taxpayers to know that the private sector is committed to making this affordable and a valuable facilityand a reality in this community," he said.

Janzen told The Carillon in an interview following the announcement the company likes Neustaedters vision and his clear focus on delivering a plan within eight months of the election.

"That aligned with what we wanted to dohopefully he can move that forward," he said.

"I believe Pauls a man of integrity. Hes a community person, good morals. I think hes got the ability to rally the troops, talk to different levels of government and get them on side, and get money as well from the private sector."

If a different mayor is elected with different vision, Janzen was non-committal as to whether the funds would still be available.

"I think wed need to understand what the other peoples vision is. Its hard to comment on it when you dont know it," he said.

"This is a community initiative, thats how we view. Hopefully we have somebody in leadership that has the same vision as we have."

Neustaedter led quiet efforts in the past to commission a multiplex feasibility report that was produced in 2012, which ultimately pegged capital costs for all-in-one facility at around $100 million.

That plan, which included new arena space, a fieldhouse, and space for conferences and the performing arts, advocated a phased construction approach, which Neustaedter has shared while campaigning.

"I think if you can have a one stop shop, youre not duplicating infrastructure and people can drop off their kids and go to the different events rather than go to two or three different places," said Janzen, who didnt indicate that one piece of a multiplex was a priority over any other.

"Hopefully we can move forward on the majority of these things. That will be up to the council and up to the mayor to decide when they get in and it will also depend on how much money gets raised," he said.

"This is not a HyLife initiative. Were one of the team players. We want to engage everyone, get this done and be part of the community in doing it."

Steinbach Arts Council board chairman Graham Pollock, who was on hand for the announcement, said HyLifes investment could be seen as a first step in a community movement towards a multiplex.

"I think anytime youve got a company like HyLife, thats such a huge community player, step forward to sort of lead the chargethen thats going to help in getting other businesses, other people, moving this along."

Pollock said the best case scenario would be to see a performing arts centre included in the plan, but noted that current SAC facilities need to be addressed too.

"Obviously weve outgrown the space we have now. Anything thats going to give us an opportunity to develop our programs in a better way and develop more programs to deliver to Steinbach and the Southeast is what were looking for," said Pollock.

"Whichever candidate is successful, if they are going give backif they are going to embrace the arts and culture community, allow us to grow and do what we do, then obviously were thrilled by that and we embrace anyone thats got that same vision as we do."
Candidates running to serve on the Hanover School Division board of trustees were given the opportunity this week to share what they would do to create an inclusive environment at HSD schools where discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity are welcomed.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 19/10/2018 (1125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Candidates running to serve on the Hanover School Division board of trustees were given the opportunity this week to share what they would do to create an inclusive environment at HSD schools where discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity are welcomed.

A written question sent to all HSD candidates, both those who are running and those who have been acclaimed, asked how committed each of them would, to allow for discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in HSD schools if elected. Trustees were also asked what they would do to ensure human rights complaints like the one filed against HSD in 2016 are avoided in the future.

Current board chair Ron Falk, who is running for re-election in Ward 3, sent a written response to the question, by first stating he did not believe the question served much purpose leading up to the election.

"Other than to create some type of controversy, your question serves very little purpose," Falk stated in an email. "As you are no doubt aware this Human Rights complaint is still before the courts and commenting is inappropriate.

"I believe that all students and families are welcome in Hanover School Division. Hanover has for more than 10 years been progressive in providing anti-bullying sessions for staff and students. Discussions have been held in every school and at all grade levels. Human Rights complaints can be filed for a myriad of reasons.

"Discussions on a particular topic do not preclude a human rights case from being filed regarding any of the human rights listed in the Charter."

Fellow Ward 3 candidate Brad Unger stated that although he is against bullying, he did not want to comment specifically on the current human rights complaint filed against HSD.

"Our school divisions values should be a strong reflection of the values of our community," Unger said in a statement.

"This community believes that every student is valuable and that bullying of any kind is wrong, and I stand with them.

"The Hanover School Division is going through the process of dealing with a human rights complaint. For this reason, I cannot discuss the complaint or anything pertaining to it."

Ward 3 candidate Danielle Funk said one of her main goals if elected to the board would be to do what she can to ensure safe and inclusive schools.

"Safe and inclusive environments is one of my main goals if I become elect as trustee," Funk said in a statement. "I would like to see every student feel safe and included when they enter a Hanover school."

"Our schools should be for all students, no matter what challenges, circumstances or differences they face. Schools should incite learning in students and inspire their minds to build on what they learn at home. When we create spaces students feel comfortable in, there is a greater desire to succeed," she added.

"Part of creating safe and comfortable spaces is understanding, and we cant begin to understand others by not talking about what makes us different. One of the challenges future boards of the Hanover School Division will face is how to create a dialogue between all of our students, staff and parents that addresses current issues in age appropriate ways, and is respectful of all human rights."

Ward 3 Candidate Rachelle Jost said she believes discussions and education surrounding LGBTQ issues should take place in the classroom when it is appropriate.

"I am of the persuasion that Canada is a democracy that has historically valued pluralism and should continue to do so," Jost said in a statement.

"For me, this means that we all get to co-exist regardless of if we agree on everything or not. In my opinion, pluralism only works if we respect and value the freedom of everyone," she said.

"I always want to choose information over ignorance and I think that in this day and age that includes education in our public schools regarding the LGBTQ community where it is academically appropriate."

Rick Peters, who is running in Ward 3, said he is committed to protecting "all human rights."

"I believe all people should be valued and must be treated fairly and respectfully," Peters said in a statement. "Individual trustees are accountable to the public and have a responsibility to bring forward the voice and views of the people within the communities they represent. I commit to listening to those voices and advocating for the values of the community," he said.

"Creating an environment, as you suggest in these two specific areas does not avoid future human rights complaints. In your question, you mention two out of 13 protected characteristics in the Human Rights Code, so dealing with two specific ones isn't going to protect an organization from complaints."

Ward 3 candidate Joseph Giesbrecht said he believes HSD should foster an environment that respects pluralism.

"I believe no student should feel unwelcomed, bullied or made to feel unworthy, regardless of who they are," Giesbrecht said in a statement. "All our students should feel included and safe. All our students are amazing, individual human beings worthy of respect and love.

"Canada is a pluralistic society. Pluralism believes in respecting and honouring one another while still retaining our differences, including our personal and moral convictions. That is what I believe our schools should be teaching and fostering."

Ward 1 candidate Shannon Friesen, who is running for re-election, said she is committed to safe and inclusive schools throughout the division.

"A priority of mine is to ensure that every student is in a safe and inclusive learning environment and that equal opportunities, services and facilities are available," Friesen said in astatement.

"It is the responsibility of HSD to adhere to the provisions of the Human Rights Code as we serve students from very diverse family situations," she said.

"Our classrooms should respect all."

Ward 1 candidate Jennifer Lavin said she believes that HSD has in the past not been doing all that it can to protect the rights of LGBTQ students.

"Up until now I feel that HSD has been burying its head in the sand in regards to LGBTQ students," Lavin said in a statement.

"Not allowing the discussion of sexual identity in the classroom is akin to pretending that gay, lesbian, and transgender people dont exist. But they do exist and many of them are suffering because their schools are not a safe place for them," she said.

"They are made to feel isolated and different and that leads to bullying. That bullying is bad enough, but LGBTQ kids and teens are killing themselves at an alarming rate because they have no place to go where they are made to feel equal. Not only is it our moral obligation to mandate inclusion in our schools it is also the law."

Ward 1 Candidate Mary Yoder said she believes all situations that arise in the school division need to be dealt with on an individual basis, but added more tools needs to be available at HSD schools for students who need support.

"I believe the only respectful way of doing this is on a case-by-case basis," Yoder said.

"Our kids are worth it, arent they? They deserve our full attention as they figure out who they are and what they want out of life, even if the decisions they are making arent what you would have chosen for them," she said.

"Is it not better to understand, even if you still hope for a different way, just so that your child knows that they are loved and bring value to this world?"

"If a student with same sex attraction explains this to their teacher and they come from one of the Christian families in the community, then we need to have some educational tools for them," she added.

Jonathon Driedger who has been acclaimed as the trustee for Ward 4 said he believes all students deserve respect and dignity, but did not want to comment specifically on the issue of any human rights complaints.

"Being new to the board, I cant speak to whatever issues the HSD trustees have been facing previously," Driedger said. "I also have more to learn in terms of what decisions get made at the HSD level and what falls under provincial jurisdiction, so its not my place at the moment to comment in detail on the specific issue that you raise."

"However, I truly believe that every student should be treated with respect, dignity and fairness in all circumstances. As elected officials we are also accountable to represent the people of the ward that have entrusted me with this special privilege. These are responsibilities that I will take very seriously in all issues."

Acclaimed Ward 2 trustees Lynn Barkman and Sue Doerksen did not respond to The Carillons question, nor did Ward 3 candidate Danielle Funk or Ward 1 candidate Carisa Klassen.

Ward 3 candidate Danielle Funks were omitted from the newspapers print edition on Oct. 18. The Carillon regrets the error.
Julian Assange and a cat. Photo: Getty Images, @embassycat/Instagram

WikiLeaks founder and (allegedly) sub-par pet-owner Julian Assange is planning to sue Ecuador for allegedly violating his fundamental rights and freedoms, all because the government rightly accused him of being both a neglectful pet owner and a shitty guest.

After fleeing Sweden in 2012, the accused rapist moved into Ecuadors embassy in London, which has graciously let him stay for about six years. According to the Embassy, though, Assange hasnt been very respectful to the Ecuadorian government or the cat  and the Embassy wants to take away his pet. Understandably so! Also, someone please extricate this innocent cat.

First of all, does Assange have a good history with the embassy?

According to a memo published on Ecuadorian website Codigo Vidrio and obtained by The Guardian, for Assange to stay at the embassy, he is prohibited from getting involved in an activity considered as political or interfering with the internal affairs of other states. He is also, per the memo, required to complete extremely basic housekeeping tasks, such as cleaning his bathroom and taking proper care of his cats well-being, food and hygiene.

According to the Verge, Assange has had trouble sticking to this agreement. In March, the embassy took away his internet after he meddled in other countries business. To this day, he still only has internet access on his personal computer and phone. And then theres his cat.

Whats up with the cat?

Assange has a cat named Michi, or @EmbassyCat on Instagram and Twitter. (Michi means cat in Ecuadorian.) It is unclear where exactly Assange got this cat; all we know is that it was not a gift from his children, as reported in his New Yorker profile.

While Assange clearly loves this cat, the Embassy staff says that he hasnt been feeding or cleaning up after Michi.

What does the embassy want?

The document states that starting in December, the Ecuadorian Embassy will not pay for Assanges food, laundry, or basically any part of his stay, the Verge reports. The memo also says that if he doesnt take better care of Michis well-being, food and hygiene, the embassy will give his cat to a better owner. (Though unrelated to Assanges irresponsibility, according to newly-released documents from the Ecuadorian government, The Guardian reports that Ecuador tried to move Assange to Russia in December 2017.)

What does Assange make of this?

Per SkyNews, Assange says the government as violated his fundamental rights and freedoms. Freedom to be an irresponsible slob?

WikiLeaks has announced founder Julian Assange is to launch legal action against the government of Ecuador accusing it of violating his "fundamental rights and freedoms"  Sky News Breaking (@SkyNewsBreak) October 19, 2018

What will happen to the cat?

The cat will hopefully stay at the embassy, regardless of what happens to Assange.

At the moment, though, its unclear if that will happen.

What does Pamela Anderson think of this?

We patiently await her response.
100 ISIS Members Caught in Guatemala as Caravan Heads Through Country: Report

Judicial Watch says the terrorists were caught in the country before the caravan left

Advocacy group Judicial Watch said that around 100 ISIS terrorists were apprehended in Guatemala as a Central American caravan that includes Guatemalan and Honduran migrants, makes its way north to the United States border.

The caravan of several thousand people made its way from Honduras to Guatemala on Oct. 15 before stopping near the border.

The Associated Press reported on Oct. 19 that the caravan turned back when it got to the Mexico-Guatemala border. Migrants in the mass caravan started chanting that one way or another, we will pass. The migrants also chanted: We are not smugglers, we are immigrants. They stopped about two blocks from the crossing before they went back and said they would wait another hour or so, AP reported.

Judicial Watch noted on Oct. 18 that Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales confirmed it during a recent security conference attended by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as the presidents of Honduras and El Salvador and other Latin American dignitaries. Morales said that his administration has captured close to 100 persons completely involved with terrorists, with ISIS and we have not only detained them within our territory, but they have been deported to their country of origin.

Judicial Watch did not say that ISIS members were among the people traveling north with the caravan.

Some of the terrorists were Syrians who were caught with false documents, Guatemalas head of intelligence said, according to the report.

According to Judicial Watch, in years past a terrorist could have easily slipped in considering the minors, coined Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC), were not properly vetted and some turned out to be violent gangbangers who went on to commit heinous crimes in their adopted land of opportunity.

It added that MS-13 gang members were energized by the large numbers of UACs coming through the border under the Obama administration. At the time more than 60,000 UACsmany with criminal historieshad stormed into the U.S. in a matter of months. Tens of thousands more eventually made it north, it said.

President Donald Trump has threatened to close down the U.S.-Mexico border if authorities in Mexico and Central American countries fail to stop the caravan, which has about 3,000 to 4,000 people.

The Presidents Response

I must, in the strongest of terms, ask Mexico to stop this onslaughtand if unable to do so I will call up the U.S. Military and CLOSE OUR SOUTHERN BORDER!, Trump tweeted this week. He added, The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA.

According to media reports, Mexico has dispatched extra police to its southern border with Guatemala. Mexican officials stated that Hondurans had already arrived there, CBS reported.

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The "Collectors and VIP Reception with Exhibiting Artists" at the 10th American Masters Exhibition and Sale at the Salmagundi Club in New York on Oct. 11, 2018. (Milene Fernandez/The Epoch Times)

American Masters Exhibition Revives a Historic Oasis for Art Lovers

10th anniversary exhibition at the Salmagundi Club

NEW YORKJust one glance across an airport waiting room set the course for putting a historical art organization back on the map.

This is the moment in my life when everything changed for me, art collector Tim Newton said, recalling that fateful instant he saw a man opening up an art catalog. That glance sparked his friendship with artist Del-Bourree Bach, who introduced him to the Salmagundi Club while chatting on a plane flying somewhere over the Midwest on their way back to New York in 2002.

That same year, Newton became a member of Salmagundi. Now, as the clubs chairman of the board, Newton spoke to a group of art collectors and club members at the first of a series of events commemorating the 10th Annual American Masters Fine Art Exhibition and Sale at Salmagundi, from Oct. 8 to 26.

With a huge smile on his face, Newton looked back to when he founded American Masters as a fundraiser for the club, and further back to when he bought his first work of art. Becoming a Salmagundian in 2002 catapulted him into fulfilling his purpose as a lover of beautiful and high-quality art. His sense of goodwill and generosity at Salmagundi is contagious.

When the project manager for American Masters, Allison Malafronte, asked him if he had accomplished everything that he had set out to do 10 years ago, by volunteering his time and effort, Newton said, I think so, and more. Then he paused, tearing up with joy. I had no idea. Its good.

Hallowed Salmagundi

Salmagundi started in 1871 as a sketch club in the studio of the sculptor Jonathan Scott Hartley, and in 1917 it found its permanent home in an elegant 19th-century Greenwich Village mansion. Couched between much taller buildings, a few blocks north of Washington Square Park, it is the only brownstone on Fifth Avenue south of 125th Street.

In its earlier years, Salmagundi was the gathering place for such important American artists as Thomas Moran, Childe Hassam, William Merritt Chase, Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Carl Rungius, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Ernest Blumenschein, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and many more. Its honorary members included Sir Winston Churchill and Buckminster Fuller.

Those glory days of the club, however, eventually dwindled with the waning of representational art, especially in the second half of the 20th century.

When Newton walked into the landmark building for the first time, with those hallowed galleries, the library, the restaurant and barso full of historyit worked its charm on him. He immediately wanted to rekindle the vitality the club once had, and he saw the need for much improvement.

The main gallery was completely worn out, with bad lighting, dirty walls, steam radiators, he said.

With regard to the art displayed, Salmagundi has always shown works by prominent fine artists. But especially in the later part of the 20th century and to some extent still today, the majority of the exhibitions have had a considerable number of works by unknown artists. Like a salad or stew, from which Salmagundi derived its name in Latin, the clubs exhibitions have generally been mixed.

Every year, Newton curates American Masters as an eclectic, yet increasingly refined gourmet salad or stew, if you will, that has gained national significance.

There are masters, and then there are masters, Newton said. Masters is a word that is overused. Ill be the first to say that, even though the show is called American Masters. The title of the annual exhibition reflects his intention.

Through his 25 years of collecting art and meeting artists, especially from Midwestern and Western states, Newtons idea was to hold an exhibition of works by renowned artists from across North America, who were not necessarily members of the club. The board members had given him the green light.

In 2008, a few months before the economic crisis hit, the first annual American Masters exhibition sold $412,000 in art. It catapulted further fundraising efforts, and every year continued to contribute to the total of $1.5 million for the new walls and floors, a new glass ceiling, state-of-the-art LED lighting, and a climate control system in the renovation of the Main Gallery.

When Newton first met with the historic preservation architect Lisa Easton of Easton Architects, he told her, I want the gallery to be about the lighting, the lighting, the lighting, and after that, I want it to be about the lighting, he recalled. And they really got that, he added. The same designer for The Met Cloisters, The Morgan Library and Museum in New York, and The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, designed the lighting for Salmagundi.

The Main Gallery was completed and unveiled on April 1, 2014.

That was the culmination of many years of dreaming and successful work, Newton said. It has put the club back on the map because now other outside organizations want to rent the gallery, Newton said.

Moreover, many of the nationally recognized participating artists in American Masterssuch as C.W. Mundy, Donald Demers, Sherrie McGraw, and Joseph McGurl, among otherssubsequently became Salmagundi members and set a precedent for their students and art-lover friends to become members as well. In the course of 10 years, Salmagundi has turned from a somewhat tired neighborhood art club with fewer than 500 members, to being back on track toward its renowned status. With more than 1,040 members, fewer than 300 are local New York City members, and the rest are national or international members.

This year is the biggest and most impressive American Masters exhibition so far, showing nearly 200 works of art by 68 top representational artists, many of whom are recognized internationally.

The exhibition included works by Newtons friend, Del-Bourree Bach, who introduced him to the club; D. Eleinne Basa, who won the Artists Choice award; Christopher Blossom, known for his historical marine paintings; Jacob Collins, a leading figure in the revival of classical painting and the founder of Grand Central Atelier; James Gurney, the illustrator of The New York Times best-selling Dinotopia book; Sherrie McGraw, one of Americas foremost artists and author of The Language of Drawing: From an Artists Viewpoint; Michael Klein and Joshua LaRock, both classically trained artists and founders of East Oaks Studio; Yuqi Wang, the classically trained and internationally recognized Chinese-American artist; C.W. Mundy, the plein air and portrait painter; and renowned landscape painters, such as Joseph McGurl, P.A. Nisbet, and Thomas Kegler.



Commemorating Living Legends

American Masters paid tribute to eight Salmagundians older than 80 years old, who have been torchbearers for representational and realist art for decades: Douglas Allen, Max Gingsburg, Daniel E. Green, Everett Raymond Kinstler, David A. Leffel, Richard Schmid, Burton Silverman, and John Stobart.

They were presented with Living Legend Lifetime Achievement awards. A panel discussion with four of the artists who could attend moved some of the audience members to tears.

Every year, about 15 to 20 percent of the artists are new to American Masters. Newton hopes to include more in the future, as the number of credible artists worthy of being in the show increases since the gradual revival of realist art in the past 20 years.

At the Gala and Sale event of American Masters, Newton teased his friend Bach, telling him, Its all your fault. If Bach hadnt been sitting across from Tim in the airport waiting room, if he hadnt opened that art catalog, Newton wouldnt have known about the Salmagundi Club.

The gallery would have been renovated someday anyhow, Newton said. Im not the only game in town, but 10 years ago I was an instigator. I still am, but its nice to look back.

American Masters has raised the bar for the quality of artwork shown at Salmagundi and continues to be instrumental in raising funds for one of the oldest, most lively, and beloved art organizations in the country.

The 10th Annual American Masters Fine Art Exhibition and Sale at Salmagundi runs from Oct. 8 to 26. Any remaining works after the exhibition are on sale online. American Masters will take a one-year hiatus in 2019 and will continue in 2020.

Milene Fernandez is on Instagram @milenejf
Facebook's founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in Paris on May 24, 2018. (Reuters/Charles Platiau)

At Facebook, Public Funds Join Push to Remove Zuckerberg as Chairman

Four major U.S. public funds that hold shares in Facebook Inc. on Oct. 17 proposed removing Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg as chairman following several high-profile scandals and said they hoped to gain backing from larger asset managers.

State treasurers from Illinois, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, and New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, co-filed the proposal. They oversee money including pension funds and joined activist and original filer Trillium Asset Management.

A similar shareholder proposal seeking an independent chair was defeated in 2017 at Facebook, where Zuckerbergs majority control makes outsider resolutions effectively symbolic.

Rhode Island State Treasurer Seth Magaziner said that the latest proposal was still worth filing as a way of drawing attention to Facebooks problems and how to solve them.

This will allow us to force a conversation at the annual meeting, and from now until then in the court of public opinion, Magaziner said in a telephone interview.

A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment.

At least three of the four public funds supported the 2017 resolution as well. The current proposal, meant for Facebooks annual shareholder meeting in May 2019, asks the board to create an independent board chair to improve oversight, a common practice at other companies.

It cites controversies that have hurt the reputation of the worlds largest social media network, including the unauthorized sharing of user information, the proliferation of fake news, and foreign meddling in U.S. elections.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs said in an interview that, while an independent chair might not have prevented all the issues, there might have been fewer of these problems and less of a drop in share price at the company.

Shares of Facebook have had a rocky year, under pressure from revelations about the privacy and operational issues as well as concerns over slowing revenue growth. They closed Oct. 17 at $159.42, 10 percent lower than at the start of the year and well off a closing high of $217.50 reached on July 25.

The 2017 resolution received the support of a slim majority of outside investors, according to the public fund leaders calculations. Magaziner and Frerichs said they planned to talk with larger Facebook investors in coming months to seek their support.

Among funds that are Facebooks largest investors, the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund and Fidelity Contrafund voted against the 2017 proposal, securities filings show, while the American Funds Growth Fund of America supported it.

American Funds representatives did not reply to requests for comment on Oct. 17. Spokespeople for Fidelity and Vanguard declined to comment. Contrafund manager Will Danoff was supportive of Facebooks response to problems in an investor note in August.

In opposing the 2017 proposal, Facebook said an independent chair could cause uncertainty, confusion, and inefficiency in board and management function and relations.

Zuckerberg has about 60 percent voting rights, according to a company filing in April.

The New York City Pension Funds owned about 4.5 million Facebook shares as of July 31, while Trillium held 53,000 shares.

The Pennsylvania Treasury held 38,737 shares and the Illinois Treasury owned 190,712 shares as of August. Rhode Island funds hold 168,230 Facebook shares, a spokesman said.

By Arjun Panchadar & Ross Kerber
Boy Found Guilty of Murder at Age 11 and Exonerated at 20 Speaks Out

Jordan Brown was found guilty of murder at the age of 11 for killing his fathers pregnant girlfriend.

Now aged 20, he has been exonerated by Pennsylvanias Supreme Court.

I had no idea what was going on. All I remember is waking up and the police taking me, and I was in jail, and that was it, Brown said during a recent interview with ABC 20/20.

I knew that my step-mom passed away, but I didnt know how or what was going on. I didnt know that I was there because of that.

You didnt know you were being accused of murder? said interviewer Juju Chang.

I didnt know until, I dont know, maybe I was like 13, 14, said Brown.

Brown was accused of shooting his fathers fiancee, 26-year-old Kenzie Marie Houk, who was nine months pregnant with the fathers baby in 2009. Houk was living with her two daughters, Brown, and his father Christopher at the time.

After Christopher had gone to work that day, Brown and the 7-year-old daughter went to school. A four-year-old daughter, who had stayed home, soon found her mother dead and walked outside to find help from some nearby workers. A shotgun was later located in the house by Pennsylvania State Police.

Eleven-year-old Brown was arrested less than a day after Houk was found dead, and placed in an adult jail. He was then adjudicated a delinquent, which means found guilty in a juvenile court, of first-degree murder and homicide of an unborn child in 2012, according to the Innocence Project.

Brown was set free in 2016 at the age of 18, but his case was not overturned until July 2018.

The state supreme court unanimously overturned Browns conviction, stating there was not enough evidence to link the boy with the crime. The young man stayed silent at a press conference announcing the news, with his father and defense attorneys by his side.

Its unfortunate that it took this long. Its unfortunate Jordan has had to endure what hes had to endure to get to this point, said attorney Stephen Colafella, according to WTAE.

Due to double jeopardy law, Brown can never be tried for the same crime again. He is now attending college in Ohio and hopes to regain a normal life.
The Brazilian national flag is seen next to Bayer's flag in front of Bayer headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Oct. 4, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker

Brazil Court Denies Monsanto Bid to Halt Seed Licensing to Bankrupt Firm

SAO PAULOA Brazilian appeals court denied a request this month by Monsantos local unit to suspend licensing of its popular Intacta soy seed technology to privately owned seed maker Sementes Talisma, according to a ruling seen by Reuters.

Monsanto sought to suspend the licensing of the genetically modified seed technology after Talisma filed for bankruptcy protection in January, one of the seed makers lawyers, Daniel Amaral of DASA Advogados in Sao Paulo, said.

Monsanto sought to end the licensing contract to try and negotiate better terms in Talismas ongoing financial restructuring, Amaral said.

Press representatives for Germanys Bayer AG, which bought Monsanto in a $66 billion deal, said like various other creditors in Talismas proceedings it is taking the applicable legal measures to secure its rights.

Amaral said remaining a licensee of Monsantos Intacta technology is crucial for Talisma as it seeks to reorganize the business and restructure about 180 million reais ($49 million) of debt.

Talisma said in a statement sent to Reuters on Oct. 18 that maintaining rights to use the Intacta technology is key to keep the business afloat.

The appeals court decision, handed down in the state of Goias on Oct. 11, sets a precedent for any Brazilian seed company in financial distress that chooses to repay overdue royalties under court supervision, Amaral said.

In July, a Brazilian judge ordered local units of Monsanto to deposit in an escrow account royalties related to its Intacta RR2 Pro technology pending the outcome of litigation over a patent dispute between the firm and Brazilian soy growers.

Talisma is still in the process of negotiating new terms for repaying all its debt obligations, Amaral said. Monsanto is Talismas single largest unsecured creditor and is owed 40 million reais, he said.

Amaral said Goias-based Talisma is up to date on royalty payments to Monsanto due after the bankruptcy filing and has yet to negotiate terms of pre-filing obligations.

So far this year Talisma has paid about 8 million reais in royalties to Monsanto.

By Ana Mano
Becky James from Bristol Against Forced Organ Harvesting speaks in the UK parliament in this file photo. (Justin Palmer)

Bristol Urged to Sever Links with China Over Organ Harvesting

LONDONA city in the United Kingdom is being urged to end its ties with a Chinese city over Chinas organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience.

Many British cities are twinned with overseas counterparts. Bristol, in the southwest of the country, is twinned with Guangzhou, southern China.

Campaigners from Bristol Against Forced Organ Harvesting (BAFOH) say China uses prisoners of conscience as a living bank of organs for on-demand transplants and that Bristol should sever links with Guangzhou.

China claims that organs used in transplants are sourced from natural deaths and public donations. Its transplant organisation says that it stopped using organs from executed prisoners in 2015. However, there is no way to independently verify whether those claims are true.

Guangzhou has one of the largest transplant hospitals in the world, according to BAFOH.

A Korean journalist was recently offered a liver for 100,000 from a hospital in Guangzhou, during an investigation into allegations of organ harvesting.

Investigators have estimated that Chinese hospitals perform between 60,000 and 100,000 organ transplants every year.

Groups like BAFOH and Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting have long said that there is overwhelming evidence that forced organ harvesting is the only way China could carry out so many transplants.

Additionally, it is widely believed in China that the body is sacred and should not have anything removed from it before burial.

In 2010, for example, only 37 people donated their organs voluntarily. Following a regime-led campaign, by 2016, that number had increased to 4,080. At any one time, there are about 300,000 people waiting for organ transplants in China, meaning the demand far outstrips the number of organs that are donating willingly.

Prisoners of Conscience

The only plausible sources of the organs, says BAFOH, are prisoners of conscience such as Falun Gong practitioners, Uighur Muslims, house Christians, and Tibetan Buddhists.

Of these groups, researchers believe that the main supply of harvested organs is from adherents of Falun Gong, a meditative practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese regime since 1999.

A 2006 report by investigators David Matas and David Kilgour says that vital organs were seized involuntarily for sale at high prices, sometimes to foreigners, who normally face long waits for voluntary donations of such organs in their home countries.

BAFOH submitted a petition to Bristol City Council calling for an end to the arrangement.

Becky James from BAFOH said that there is a level of complicity if a city is twinned with one in China.

If youve got a city thats twinned with one in the Chinese regime it will be receiving Chinese money in investment, she said. There are large areas of Bristol that are being redeveloped using Chinese money.

But Bristol mayor Marvin Rees said the city was not intending to break its links with Guangzhou and that it was working with British authorities on all these human rights issues, according to the BBC.

James said that the mayor was in a difficult position because of the UKs current stance on organ harvesting.

Sir Alan Duncan from the UKs Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in 2016 that the practice of organ harvesting is abhorrent, but was sceptical if it was being done systematically in China or at all, and said there was a lack of strong evidence.

He said he had received information from Chinese authorities on their organ donation policies, who claimed their donations are handled in a clear legal framework that meets international standards.

Other countries have passed written motions to condemn organ harvesting or ban citizens from travelling to China for a transplant.

The European Parliament passed a written declaration on stopping organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in 2016, and the U.S. Congress unanimously passed a resolution condemning state-sanctioned organ harvesting in China in the same year.

Most recently, in their 2018 report, the bipartisan U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China singled out organ harvesting from executed prisoners of conscience as an area of concern for the United States. They also urged the Chinese regime to ban explicitly in national legislation the harvesting of organs from executed prisoners.

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Briton, Canadian Arrested in Thailand for Graffiti on Wall

BANGKOKTwo tourists charged with vandalism for spray painting graffiti on a wall in northern Thailand face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty, police said on Oct. 19.

Briton Furlong Lee and Canadian Brittney Schneider, both 23, were arrested at a guest house in Chiang Mai on Thursday and are being held at the provincial court, police said.

CCTV video footage showed the pair spray-painting a red brick wall near Tha Phae Gate, the main entrance to the citys old town.

They admitted to the crime, Police Major Anon Cherdchutrakulthong told Reuters. When people visit somewhere they should know not to (leave) graffiti.

Reuters was unable to reach Schneider or Lee for comment.

Anon said they do not yet have a lawyer, adding that the young man and woman showed signs of having been intoxicated.

Video footage obtained by Reuters showed the words Scouser Lee painted on the wall in an apparent reference to the English city of Liverpool. Thai police did not confirm Lees hometown.

The pair face up to 10 years in jail, a fine of up to one million baht ($30,656) or both, if found guilty, police said.

by Panarat Thepgumpnat and Amy Sawitta Lefevre
Workers labour on a production line in a fruit distribution center on December 28, 2006 in the outskirts of Beijing, China. (China Photos/Getty Images)

Chinese Juice Company Uses Rotten Apples for Export Products, Local Reports Say

Juice made with bad apples exported to North America and Europe

A listed Chinese fruit-processing company has been using rotten apples to make its juice, 95 percent of which is destined for export to the United States, Canada, Europe, and other destinations, according to media reports in the province of Shandong.

The company named in the reports, Haisheng Fresh Fruit Juice, is listed on the Hong Kong stock market. It has seen its stock price fall in the past few days, as Chinese internet users sought to confirm the claims.

Reporters from the state-controlled Qingdao TV visited Haishengs factory and farm, and reported on Oct. 10 that rotten fruit is being used in apple juice for export.



In a video report, apple farmers told Qingdao TV that the price of rotten or unripe apples is 0.20 yuan (about 3 cents) per jin, a Chinese unit equal to half a kilogram (about 1.1 lb). The cited price is just a tenth of what good apples of the same weight would cost.

The farmers sold the inedible produce to the Haisheng factory, where reporters saw workers clearing out tree leaves and other refuse while keeping the bad apples. On a list of posted work standards, theres a warning against leaving rotten fruit in the supply chain.

Factory manager Zhan Shangwei told reporters that if more than a 20th of an apple is rotten, it isnt suitable for juicing.

But the workers dont follow that standard. The factory has used rotten apples for a long time, but workers dont think much of it because the practice is common in the industry, they said. Furthermore, the products from this factory are expensive and unlikely to be consumed by the workers themselves.

We dont have any chance to drink this juice. Its high-end, a worker said. Even for the Chinese New Year vacation, the factory doesnt sell this juice to us.

In the wholesale market, a 330-milliliter (11-ounce) bottle of Haisheng apple juice costs 18 yuan ($2.59), about five times the cost of apple juice from other brands.

In Hong Kong trading, shares of Haisheng have fallen since the news broke. As of Oct. 18, the price had slipped to 0.24 Hong Kong dollars. One Hong Kong dollar is current worth about $0.13.

Chinese netizens sharing the news said its common for juice producers to use rotten apples. In addition, they say many factories use saccharin, food coloring, artificial flavoring, and other synthetic chemical ingredients.

On Oct. 16, an article by the state-run Beijing News said that since 2012, there have been other reports about juice factories using rotten or unripe apples, including Huiyuan Juice, Chinas largest producer.

Haisheng was founded in 1996 in northwestern Chinas Shaanxi province. It has 10 apple juice factories in six provinces, as well as fruit farms, vegetable farms, and three other factories. According to its official website, Haisheng is the leading enterprise in Chinas juice industry, producing 380,000 metric tons of juice, while consuming 2.66 million metric tons of apples annually.

China is the worlds largest supplier of apple-juice concentrate. In 2017, it exported 654,000 metric tons of apple juice for a total revenue of $590 million.

The United States is the biggest apple-juice importer, buying 299,000 metric tons in 2017. That year, Haishengs revenue in the U.S. market was 378.6 million yuan ($54.57 million); in Canada, 133 million yuan ($19.2 million); and in South Africa, 97.95 million yuan ($14.1 million).
U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan anchors off Manila Bay for a goodwill visit in Manila, Philippines, on June 26, 2018. (Bullit Marquez/AP)

Copter Crashes on USS Ronald Reagan in Asia, Sailors Hurt

TOKYOAn U.S. Navy helicopter crashed on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan on Oct. 19, causing nonfatal injuries to sailors, the Navy said.

The Navys 7th Fleet said in a statement that the MH-60 Seahawk crashed shortly after takeoff Friday morning while the carrier was off the Philippine coast.

All affected sailors were in stable condition and their injuries were nonlife-threatening, the Navy said. It didnt say how many sailors were hurt. It said some of them would be examined and treated after they reach the shore, though officials did not specify the destination.

The Navy did not give details on any damage to the helicopter or the ship. But it said the ship was fully capable of conducting its mission for security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The aircraft carrier has also resumed flight training.

The Navy said the crash occurred while the Ronald Reagan Strike Group was conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea, which spreads north and northeast of the Philippines. The cause was under investigation.

The USS Ronald Reagan participated in the international naval review hosted off the South Korean island of Jeju last week.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Pakistan's Federal Minister for Inter Provincial Coordination Fehmida Mirza shake hands as they attend the ASEM leaders summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 19, 2018. (Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

Europe Urges China to Open up at Asia Summit

BRUSSELSEuropean governments pressed the Chinese regime on Oct. 19, to allow greater foreign investment in its economy, during a two-day summit with Asian leaders, but faced familiar resistance from them over state subsidies.

At a biennial Asia-Europe Meeting bringing together leaders representing 65 percent of global economic output, France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and the European Commission held private meetings with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, hoping for greater access for EU companies to the worlds No. 2 economy.

The Chinese regime has been promising for years to ease restrictions on foreign investment, but Western governments say little has changed.

The Chinese regime restricts foreign investment more than the EU in every sector except real estate, according to a report by the Rhodium Group consultancy.

French President Emmanuel Macron held talks with Li on Thursday evening, lobbying for better access to Chinas poultry, dairy, pharmaceuticals, services, and financial services sectors, a French official said.

But there was no sign of a breakthrough. Some gestures have been made, but it must go further now, the official said.

A final summit communique was set to omit a call for an end to government trade distortions, according to the latest draft and EU diplomats.

The earlier draft, seen by Reuters, had called for the elimination of unjustifiable market distorting measures by governments.

The European Union and the United States accuse the Chinese regime of directly funding state companies through Chinese banks to help them to dominate global markets, breaking rules set down by the World Trade Organization, of which China is a member.

The EU also wants China, which produces and consumes half the worlds steel and has cut some 220 million tonnes of manufacturing overcapacity since January 2016, to reduce its capacity further.

By Philip Blenkinsop and Robin Emmott
Mobile police surveillance cameras in front of the steeples of Cologne Cathedral in this file photo. (Reuters/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo)

European Politicians Seek Clampdown on Tax Trade Trick

FRANKFURTEuropean politicians have called for action to tackle dividend stripping, after media revealed how large banks were involved in trading schemes that cost taxpayers billions of euros.

In Germanys biggest post-war fraud investigation, prosecutors in Cologne are investigating banks involved in the trades, which secured illicit double tax rebates on dividend payouts.

Danish authorities are also seeking to recover hundreds of millions of euros in tax rebates they paid out after falling victim to a similar scheme and have filed dozens of lawsuits this year against individuals in the United States.

It is large-scale greed, and we will pursue the culprits, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.

That this is a problem across Europe makes me even more upset.  The answer  is closer international cooperation.

Reuters journalists spoke to bankers, officials, and people directly involved in the probe and reviewed thousands of pages of internal bank files, correspondence, and legal papers obtained as part of a European media investigation called the cum-ex files coordinated by non-profit newsroom Correctiv.

These documents showed that prosecutors in Cologne opened a tax investigation into Spanish bank Santander in June. They believe its role in the scheme was to carry out trades. Other banks are being investigated as part of the wider probe.

Santander said its fully cooperating with German authorities and is conducting an internal investigation.

Jeppe Kofod, a Dutch member of the European Parliaments committee on tax evasion and financial crime, called for a public hearing by lawmakers to quiz banks about the scheme.

Several of the biggest European banks are involved, Kofod said. It is a European issue.

Germany made three attempts to stamp out the practice by changing and clarifying the law in 2007 and 2009 before finally succeeding in 2012.

Tighter Checks

The discovery of the trades in Germany and Denmark has prompted other countries, including Austria and Belgium, to open their own investigations. They have discovered that they were also affected, albeit on a far smaller scale.

A spokeswoman for the Belgian finance ministry said it was investigating a similar fraud after it discovered illicit tax reclaims. It repaid 201 million euros ($230 million) before halting far larger reclaims, some as recent as 2017.

State prosecutors in Austria have also opened an investigation into similar trades, a spokeswoman said.

The culprits tried to replicate the fraudulent scheme used in Germany in Austria, she said, adding that a joint investigative team had been launched with prosecutors in Cologne. The investigation is very advanced, she said.

Norway also fell victim to the fraud in 2013 with a loss of 580,000 Norwegian krone ($71,270) according to the tax authorities. Norway was was able to stop 10 further attempts in 2015 in fraudulent claims of $4.3 million.

After discovering these fraud attempts we introduced much tighter checks before paying refunds, said Hans Christian Holte, director general of the Norwegian Tax Administration.

The circle of countries that theoretically could have fallen victim is even wider, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which has monitored the situation.

Responding to the investigation, French Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter: If the frauds are confirmed, we will be ruthless.

The scheme involved trading a company stock rapidly around a syndicate of banks, investors and hedge funds to create the impression of numerous ownerseach entitled to a tax rebate.

We need to look at our laws to make sure they can stop this kind of large-scale tax fraud, said Tove Maria Ryding of the European Network on Debt and Development, which campaigns on tax issues.

By John ODonnell and Tom Sims
Voters wait in line to cast their ballots in Riviera Beach, Florida on Nov. 2, 2004. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Floridas Voters Feel Brunt of Hurricane in Upcoming Election

PORT ST. JOE, Fla.Two days after Katherine Shimonis returned to her home in the Florida Panhandle to find it destroyed by Hurricane Michael, she went to her local post office, which was empty and without power, and shouldered her way through the front door.

To her shock, the 69-year-old retired teacher found her mail-in absentee ballot sitting in her post office box in the town of Port St. Joe.

It was like gold to me; it really was, said Shimonis, who like many in storm-ravaged northwest Florida worried she might miss out on a chance to vote in Novembers congressional and gubernatorial elections.

With much of the region still working to secure basic services like electricity, passable roads, and phone service after one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the United States, election officials in the Panhandle are scrambling to ensure tens of thousands of people are able to vote.

The concern is not just local. In Florida, the ballot includes one of the countrys most closely watched races for the U.S. Senate, pitting Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson against Republican Governor Rick Scott. Opinion polls show the contest is essentially tied.

The race to succeed Scott, who is prevented by law from seeking a third term as governor, is also drawing intense national interest. Republican former U.S. Representative Ron DeSantis is facing off against Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, a Democrat seeking to become the states first black governor, in another close contest.

While it has a relatively sparse population, the Panhandle is one of Floridas most reliably Republican areas, and lower voter turnout in the area could hurt both Scott and DeSantis.

There are nearly half a million registered voters in the 12 counties eligible for federal emergency aid after Michael. All but two of those counties were carried easily by Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

Its certainly going to impact the turnout a little bit, said Brad Coker, managing director of Jacksonville, Florida-based Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy. Who knows, it might be the difference.

In some affected Florida counties, regular polling sites housed in schools and community centers were severely damaged or destroyed after Michael smashed ashore on Oct. 10.

Residents who planned on voting by mail may have seen their ballots washed away by the storm; others have left the state and cannot receive absentee ballots by mail.

Many voters in the area said they were focused on recovery, not politics.

I havent even thought about it that much, said Kenneth Williams, 58, a retired U.S. Air Force mechanic, who was at a Red Cross shelter in Honeyville, Florida.

Williams, who said he would like to vote for DeSantis but had not made a decision in the Senate race, said he still had to register his changed residency after moving recently and was not sure whether he could do so in time for the election.

At stake in the Nov. 6 election is control of Congress. Democrats need a net gain of two seats to take control of the 100-seat Senate, but they are defending 26 seats, including 10 in states like Florida where Trump won in 2016. They have a better shot at winning the House of Representatives, where they need a net gain of 23 seats to take the majority.

Expanding Voting Access

Florida officials have taken steps to expand voting access to people hit by the storm but face difficulties in communicating changes, since many people have no power and no ability to receive mail.

Scott issued an executive order on Oct. 18 permitting election officials in affected counties to extend early voting days, designate additional voting locations and make it easier for displaced voters to obtain vote-by-mail ballots.

Early voting starts as soon as Oct. 22 in some counties.

In badly hit Gulf County, John Hanlon, the elections supervisor, said had set up two voting super centers that will open on Oct. 27 and remain open through Election Day, replacing polling sites too damaged to be used.

Every voter in my county is going to have an opportunity to vote if I have anything to say about it, he said.

In neighboring Bay County, with 120,000 registered voters, officials will open five mega-voting sites for 12 hours a day starting Oct. 27 through Election Day, in lieu of regular polling sites, said Mark Andersen, the countys supervisor of elections.

We wont fail, said Andersen during a phone interview, while his driver asked police to allow them through a blockade to deliver 400 vote-by-mail ballots to the countys only operating post office.

Karla McGhee, 55, a nurse from Panama City in Bay County, said the election was hardly a priority for her since the storm.

I think thats the last thing on our minds at the moment, said McGhee, who was at a site that was providing free hot food to storm victims in Blountstown. McGhee, who voted for Trump, said she had not yet decided how to vote in November.

By Terray Sylvester
Lu Wei, then China's Minister of Cyberspace Affairs Administration, speaks at the opening ceremony of the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, China on Nov. 19, 2014. (Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images)

Former Chinese Internet Chief Pleads Guilty in Bribery Trial

BEIJINGChinas former internet chief, Lu Wei, pleaded guilty in court on Oct. 19 of taking millions of dollars in bribes, after prosecutors accused him of abusing his power in various government posts over 15 years.

The ruling Communist Partys anti-corruption watchdog said in November that Lu, who once headed the powerful Cyberspace Administration of China, was under investigation for serious discipline breaches.

The agency, known as the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), called out Lu for a plethora of misdeeds, including outwardly agreeing with, but secretly opposing authority, anonymously framing people, forming cliques and factions, nasty behavior, having inflated sense of ambition, and using any means possible to boost himself.

The relentless criticism suggests Lu had committed something very wrong in the eyes of the Party leadership.

Lu had since been expelled from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), paving the way for his prosecution and making him one of a number of senior officials caught up in a sweeping anti-graft campaign under Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Prosecutors at an intermediate court in Ningbo city, Zhejiang Province said that between 2002 and 2017, Lu received illicit assets from government units or individuals worth more than 32 million yuan ($4.6 million), the official Xinhua news agency said.

Lu Wei also made a final statement to the court, and admitted guilt and expressed regret, Xinhua said.

The news agency said a verdict would be announced later, though Lu, 58, is almost certain to be found guilty, as courts are controlled by the party and will not challenge the accusations against him.

At the height of his influence, Lu, a colorful and often brash official by Chinese standards, was seen as emblematic of increasingly pervasive internet controls.

He had worked his way up through the Xinhua news agency before becoming head of propaganda in Beijing and then moving to internet work in 2013. He later became a deputy propaganda minister.

The accusations of forming cliques and factions hints at the possibility that Lu aligned with an opposition faction. Lu had connections with Ling Jihua, a former top political advisor and known member of the Jiang faction, those officials still loyal to former CCP dictator Jiang Zemin.

Xi Jinping has presided over a sweeping corruption crackdown since coming to power in 2012, mainly targeting officials who have ties to Jiang.

Lus political connections may be what cost him his post. Lu had spent most of his career working in the CCPs propaganda agencies under Liu Yunshan, the former propaganda chief who is also a key associate in the Jiang faction.

Xi had been cleaning house within the military (Peoples Liberation Army or PLA) to purge any remaining influences of Jiang and his faction. The campaign has seen the jailing or punishment of hundreds of thousands of officials and also brought down dozens of senior party and military officials.

The crackdown has not just been focused on issues like bribery and using public money to fund lavish lifestyles. It has also taken aim at those whose political loyalty is found lacking or who express doubt about party policies.

By Michael Martina. The Epoch Times contributed to this report.
ICEs Most Wanted Fugitive, Convicted Child Sex Offender, Captured in Louisiana

The most wanted fugitive, as listed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), was captured on Oct. 17 in Louisiana.

Jose Melchor Martinez, also known as Jose Luis Martinez-Sanchez, was arrested at a residence in Church Point by a team executing a federal arrest warrant, ICE said in a press release.

Martinez was convicted on a felony charge of taking indecent liberties with a child in North Carolina in 2002. The Mexican national was deported to Mexico the next year.

But Martinez came back to the United States, an illegal entry that becomes a felony if returning after a deportation under federal law.

Martinez was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Lousiana and convicted of the DUI in April and sentenced to probation.

Federal officials began looking for Martinez upon learning he had illegally re-entered the United States, prompting the arrest warrant.

Excellent Example

This case is an excellent example of ICEs ongoing focus to prioritize its enforcement efforts toward unlawfully present foreign nationals who pose the greatest threat to public safety, said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New Orleans Acting Field Office Director Trey Lund in a statement.

Despite attempts by some to confuse the public, ICE does not conduct random or indiscriminate enforcement and the agencys targeted enforcement efforts make communities safer for all persons, whatever their immigration status may be, by removing dangerous criminals from the streets, continued the statement.

After the arrest, Martinez, 48, was charged with re-entry of a removed alien, the Department of Justice announced.

He faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release if convicted.

The matter will proceed in United States District Court in Lafayette, where the complaint is currently pending. A complaint is a temporary charge alleging a violation of law, according to the Department of Justice.

Maryland Arrest

ICE also announced the arrest of a fugitive alien in North Carolina wanted on multiple Maryland rape charges.

Officials said Alfredo Carreon-Lopez fled Maryland after an arrest warrant was issued following charges of first-degree rape, second-degree rape, sexual abuse of a minor, first- and second-degree assault, and multiple additional sexual offense charges.

The Mexican national, who is illegally in the United States, was apprehended in Forsyth County at a business on Oct. 19.

ICE noted that approximately 90 percent of all persons arrested by ICE during the first three quarters of fiscal year 2018 either had a criminal conviction, a pending criminal charge, or were already subject to a removal order issued by a federal immigration judge.

From NTD.tv
The Justice Department (DOJ) has launched an investigation into at least six Roman Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania over child sex abuse claims allegedly covered up by the church for decades.

Its believed to be the first statewide probe opened by federal authorities on these cases, marking an unprecedented shift in the nations escalating scrutiny of the church. So far, at least thirteen states have announced their own investigation into such allegations.

According to the New York Times, seven of the eight dioceses in Pennsylvania communicated that they had received federal grand jury subpoenas from the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Roman Catholic dioceses in Philadelphia, Erie, Harrisburg, Scranton, Pittsburgh, Greensburg, and Allentown all received the subpoenas. The eighth, Altoona-Johnstown, did not respond to requests for comment.

A DOJ spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an email the department generally does not confirm, deny or otherwise comment on the existence or non-existence of an investigation. The Associated Press first reported the DOJ investigation on Oct. 18.

The federal probe comes just months after Pennsylvanias attorney generals office publicly released a bombshell grand jury report that accused more than 300 predator priests across Pennsylvania of sexual abuse. At least 1,000 child victims were identified in the report while revealing that Church officials were complicit in a decades-long cover-up.

This subpoena is no surprise considering the horrific misconduct detailed in the statewide grand jury report, said the Diocese of Greensburg in a statement. Survivors, parishioners and the public want to see proof that every diocese has taken sweeping, decisive and impactful action to make children safer.

Many of the cases mentioned in the report took place as far back as the 1970s, meaning their cases are too old to revisit due to the statute of limitations. It is one of the main legal impediments prosecutors face. The statute of limitations is different in each state.

Tim Lennon, president of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), said the investigation is long overdue. Four statewide grand juries in Pennsylvania since 2003 identified around 500 alleged sexual predators among acting or former Catholic clergy, he said.

In what other institution could you have 500 criminals and not be prosecuted? asked Lennon, who said he was raped by a Catholic priest when he was a child.

Lennon said SNAP had asked the federal government three times since 2002 for a nationwide investigation of 15,000 active or retired Catholic clergy accused of being sexual predators.

This is a first. Federal law enforcement has been awfully silent on the Catholic abuse problem, and its about time, said Anne Barrett-Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a U.S.-based resource center that tracks cases of clerical abuse worldwide.

She said the only other U.S. federal probe was of a bishop in Boston in the early 2000s.

In September, U.S. Catholic bishops said they would set up a hotline for accusations of sexual abuse against bishops and other church leaders, or allegations of cover-ups by such people.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Invited guests for the world premiere of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are reflected in the fuselage of the aircraft at the 787 assembly plant in Everett, Washington, on July 8, 2007. (Robert Sorbo/Reuters)

Korean Air Very Likely to Order More Boeing 787 Widebody Jets: President

JEJU, South KoreaKorean Air Lines Co Ltd is very likely to order more Boeing Co 787 widebody jets to mainly replace its existing aircraft, as it seeks to streamline its fleet and reduce costs, its president said on Oct. 19.

We have too many fleet types now. Consolidating in one large order will help reduce maintenance costs and pilot training, Walter Cho, president of the South Korean flagship carrier, told reporters.

There is a very high possibility we will expand our fleet on the 787. The 777X would be a good replacement for our current 777 generation and we are also keeping in mind the A350 as well, he said, in reference to an Airbus SE jet.

It is possible a decision on the widebody fleet would be made next year, Cho said, adding the airline held 10 options over 787s.

Korean Air, whose reputation has been tainted by scandals involving members of its owner-family, has seen business to Europe and the United States improve sharply from last year, but its China route traffic remained weak, Cho said.

Chos father, Korean Air Chairman Cho Yang-ho, was indicted this week on charges including embezzlement and breach of trust.

I believe the brand and reputation starts with our employees. Im trying to communicate more with them and make sure they are happy working with us, the president said in his first public remark since the indictment.

We are still struggling with China due to political issues. Japan is slowly but steadily regaining momentum at this time. We are doing much better than last year, he said.

Cho also said that, as tensions ease over North Koreas development of nuclear missiles, Korean Air is reviewing flight paths over the North.

Overflying, there is already talks about that. We are discussing internally about that. It will save a lot of costs for us but we will be very careful about when to start that given U.S. tensions with North Korea.

By Jamie Freed
Man Rescued Alive, with Broken Bones, After Falling Into Arizona Mine Shaft

A man was rescued alive after falling into a 100-foot-deep mine shaft in Arizona on Oct. 15.

John Waddell, 62, went 48 hours without food or water while stuck in the shaft as rescuers tried to locate him.

His friend Terry Shrader finally found him at the mine in Aguila.

The carabiner broke I guess, and he supposedly fell 40 to 50 feet, Shrader told ABC 15.

Shrader said that Waddell was trapped with several rattlesnakes around him, which he killed. He had a cell phone with him, but no service.

Shrader went to the area to check on his friend after getting a bad feeling.

He called me Monday and told me he was coming to the mine. And we always had a deal, if he is not back by Tuesday [to come check on him], said Shrader, who drove out on Wednesday. As I pulled out my truck I could hear him hollering, Help, help!'

Fortunate

He is a very fortunate individual, said Operations Commander Roger Yensen of the Maricopa County Sheriffs Mountain Rescue Posse, who Shrader alerted to the situation after driving away from the mine so he could get cell phone service.

Fifteen members of the posse responded.

One rescuer rappelled into the shaft and assessed Waddells injuries, determining that he had possible ankle and leg fractures as well as friction burns to his hands. He was alert, but dehydrated and was given IV fluids.

It took about three hours to lift Waddell the 100 feet to safety.

It took hours, but rescuers pulled a 62-year-old father out of a 100-foot gold mine shaft this evening.

He fell on Monday and was trapped for 48 hours before a friend checked on him.

Hear from that friend at 10AND how the man handled 3 rattlesnakes in the mine with him! pic.twitter.com/fmswVnCVur  Zach Crenshaw ABC15 (@ZachCrenshaw) October 18, 2018

MCSO rescue operations chief Roger Yensen says 15 person crew pulled off the rescue. He says the bottom of the 100 ft mine was rocky and had some debris #12News pic.twitter.com/vVWgorI44X  Bianca Buono (@BiancaBuono) October 18, 2018

He was then airlifted to the hospital in Phoenix, about 90 miles away. Waddell was in good condition Thursday at Banner University Medical Center Phoenix, said hospital spokeswoman Alexis Kramer-Ainza. She said Waddell was undergoing surgery for two broken legs.

The Maricopa County Sheriffs Office said that Waddells injuries were not life-threatening.

Great job by all MCSO staff and volunteers who assisted in the rescue, the office added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Police stand guard next to Severin Krasimirov, 21, who was arrested in Germany over the killing of TV journalist Viktoria Marinova, during his first appearance in court in Ruse, Bulgaria, on Oct. 19, 2018. (Stringer/Reuters)

Man Says He Attacked Murdered Bulgarian TV Host

SOFIAA Bulgarian man said on Oct. 19, he attacked Viktoria Marinova, a television journalist whose murder drew international condemnation partly because it initially appeared that it could have been politically motivated.

Severin Krasimirov, 21, is charged with rape and murder with extreme cruelty in the case of Marinova and on Friday he was remanded in custody.

Bulgarian National Radio reported that he spoke to reporters as he was brought to a district court in the northern city of Ruse on the Danube.

I do not know what happened. I cannot remember everything. I went there and I slapped her, she fell. I want to move on but she grabbed me, Krasimirov told reporters in the hallway of the court building.

Yes, I am guilty, I am very sorry. I cannot believe that I have done that, Krasimirov said in a wavering voice, when reporters asked whether he plans to tell the court he is guilty.

A prosecutor later told Reuters he was not asked to plead at the hearing. If convicted he faces life without parole.

Marinova, 30, hosted a current affairs show at a regional television channel in Ruse. Her body was found in a park on the Danube on Oct. 6. Police said she was beaten, raped and died of suffocation.

Prosecutors say there was no evidence her death was related to her work and pointed to a random sexual crime, though they said they are investigating all possibilities.

Investigators say DNA found on the victim matches Krasimirov. They have also collected additional evidence against him, Interior Minister Mladen Marinov said on Friday.

Krasimirov was extradited from Germany on Wednesday. He has told a German court he hit a woman he did not know but did not intend to kill her. German officials have said that based on his statement there was no political motive for the murder.
Man Tried to Throw Partner Overboard on Cruise, Charged With Attempted Murder

A man was charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to throw his girlfriend over the side of a cruise liner in Australia.

According to the Mercury, witnesses heard an emergency alarm and screaming on board the Radiance of the Seas in the early morning hours of Oct. 18.

A 46-year-old Queensland man has been charged with attempted murder after a family violence-related incident on board a cruise ship now docked in Hobart, said a Tasmania Police report.

The man was named as David James Fysh by the Daily Mail, which reported he had pleaded not guilty when he appeared before a Magistrates Court in Hobart, the city where he was arrested.

The father of three will face trial in February, according to the Mail.

Covered in Bruises

The incident occurred on the Radiance of the Seas at about 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 19, during a five-day cruise from Sydney to Tasmania.

On the Tasmania Police Facebook page, one woman, who lives in Hobart, commented that the woman had been tears after the incident.

That poor woman approached my sistershe was covered in bruises right down to her feet!

The Radiance of the Sea is operated by Royal Caribbean. The company confirmed in a statement via email that a domestic disturbance was reported between two guests.

Our security staff responded to the incident and Tasmania Police were notified and attended the ship on arrival in Hobart, said a spokesperson.

Royal Caribbean is co-operating fully with authorities. At Royal Caribbean, the safety and security of our guests and crew is our highest priority.

Only six murders are known to have been committed on Cruise ships since 1990all but one were domestic incidentsaccording to the Telegraph.

The Padded Room

Out at sea, the laws from the country of the ships flag apply. If ships are in port, or in another nations territorial waters, local laws apply.

With no law enforcement on hand, cruise ships have to be ready to handle potentially criminal and violent activity and to detain people if necessary, according to CruiseCritic.

While cruise lines dont advertise their onboard policies or facilities for housing criminals, rest assured that every ship has a plan in place, wrote Melinda Crow.

It may involve house arrest in the offenders cabin with posted guards or actual incarceration in a specific cell. Larger ships are likely to have a padded or otherwise safe lockup room called a brig.'

However, there have been suggestions in the past that not all incidents involving passengers assumed to have fallen overboard may have been thoroughly investigated.

Falling off a cruise ship is highly unlikely, but not unheard of. According to the website Cruise Junkie, 20 people have fallen off cruise ships just this year, while since 2000, 322 cruise and ferry passengers have gone overboard.
Migrant Caravan Tears Down Fence at Guatemala Border

A migrant caravan that started in Honduras and reached the southern border of Mexico appeared to turn back after Mexican federal police arrived at the border to block migrants without proper papers, but then rushed the border fence on the Guatemala side of the border and tore it down.

On Thursday, Oct. 18, the migrants were seen standing at the shore of the Suchiate River, which separates Guatemala and Mexico, raising fists and waving Honduran and Guatemalan flags.

The caravan, full of some 3,000 migrants, had planned to try to enter Mexico around 11 a.m. local time (CST) on Friday, with some trying to get through main border entrances and others crossing the river on rafts.

They appeared to turn back after seeing the hundreds of Mexican federal police officers but soon had rushed the border and tore down a tall, yellow metal fence on the Guatemalan side of the border.

The caravan then began streaming toward a bridge that would take them to Mexico. The caravan then began streaming toward a bridge that would take them to Mexico. However, video footage from local UniNoticias reporter Alejandro showed the Mexican side being blocked off about 30 minutes before the rush.

Policia Federal se prepara en el puente internacional Guatemala Mexico para evitar la #CaravanaDeMigrantes no pase de lado mexicano pic.twitter.com/1sYgRwESQn  Alejandro Madrigal (@melitonmadrigal) October 19, 2018

Cercan el puente internacional Mexico-Guatemala que cruza el rio Suchiate ante amenaza de #CaravanaDelMigrante #Caravanahondurena de pasar a la fuerza pic.twitter.com/shPo0H6ttZ  Alejandro Madrigal (@melitonmadrigal) October 19, 2018

On the Mexico side, the border post is guarded by a heavy security force and tall metal gates. Dozens of Mexican federal police officers were on the border bridge, with hundreds more behind them, after flying to the area this week on orders from Mexican officials, following a request by U.S. President Donald Trump to the presidents of Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras to stop the caravan.

Trump threatened to cut aid to the Central American countries while urging Mexico not to let people in, as the migrants have said they want to go to the United States.

Guatemala also had troops at the border. It wasnt clear if they were taking any action.

Mexico Acts

Mexico sent federal police officers to the border and had Mexicos ambassador to Guatemala meet with the migrants to tell them proper papers would be needed to cross into Mexico.

Luis Manuel Lopez Moreno, the ambassador, met with migrants in Guatemala City on Oct. 17, where they passed through on their way north.

In addition to making clear the current requirements for allowing migrants into Mexico, Moreno stressed that there is no such thing as a transit visa for those wishing to cross Mexico to reach its northern border, according to a press release from the Mexican government.

He also informed migrants of the serious risks posed by irregular entry into the country, including migrant smuggling and human trafficking networks.

If people enter Mexico illegally, theyll be caught and returned to their countries of origin, the government added.

But Moreno told the Wall Street Journal on Friday that the border was not closed and that Mexico would allow some 100 migrants a day into the country to review their humanitarian and asylum requests.

These people are in great need. The border is not closed, we are open to receive them with order and according to the law, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A stack of U.S. dollars together with stacks of 100 Chinese yuan notes at a bank in Hefei City in eastern China's Anhui Province on March 9, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

More Signs of China Private-Sector Distress as Scores of Company Executives Exit

Chinas private sector is showing signs of distress, if recent stock-market performance and the high number of exits by company executives are any guide.

On Oct. 10, more than 1,000 China A-share stocks fell to their daily limit, as the Shanghai Composite Index ended below 2,600, a level not even breached in the stock-market crash of 2015, according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, scores of chairmen and top executives at listed companies have recently resigned. The chairmen of 49 listed companies have announced their resignations since July, with more than a quarter of them since Sept. 20, according to data from East Money Information, a Chinese financial and stock information website.

The affected companies span many sectors. On the evening of Oct. 10, Jiangmen Sugarcane Chem, a sugar- and paper-trading company, said Chairman Hu Chengzhong resigned and left the company for personal reasons, less than a year after starting in the role.

A day earlier, four listed companies said their chairmen had stepped down: Fujian Cement; engineering-services company Shanghai Ya Tong; Guangdong Ke Du Property Development Co.; and Yueju Intelligent, a manufacturer of smart home devices.

So far this year, 385 chairmen at 376 listed companies have resigned, according to Chinese newspaper China Fund, citing data from Wind, a Chinese information service company. There are a total of 3,551 A-share listed companies in China; that means 1 out of 9 listed companies saw its chairman exit.

In addition, more than 8,000 senior executives at listed companies have resigned this year, according to statistics from Zhongtai Securities, a Chinese securities firm.

Reasons for Resignation

A chairmans resignation often hints at larger problems within the company. A survey of companies that had its chairman or other senior executive resign this year, conducted by the state-run Shanghai Securities News, found a correlation between the exits and lowered profits at the company.

The resignations come amid an already volatile environment for private firms, the SinoU.S. trade war notwithstanding. Recently, mergers with state-owned firms, the public downfall of several founders of major conglomerates, and veiled announcements from Beijing indicate an increased desire for state control over the private sector.

Beijing also recently announced a guideline that instructs city investment companies to file for bankruptcy if they dont have the funds to repay their debts. Such investment companies are set up by municipal governments, mostly focused on the construction and property-development sectors, and are ways for ordinary citizens and private companies to invest.

The decision to let them go bankrupt was made to ease the enormous amount of debt held by the local governments and to reduce systemic financial risks, Chinese state-owned media said.

But the guideline additionally stipulated the active promotion of mixed-ownership reformmeaning that after those investment firms default, the private firms that invested in them will lose their investments. And when those firms face financial instability, they will be forced to undergo mixed ownership and merge with state-owned entities.

Other financial observers suspect Beijing is cracking down on private firms with some company executives being accused of crimes, as with the high-profile case of insurance conglomerate Anbang and its former chairman, Wu Xiaohui, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison for fraud and embezzlement.

Luo Aihua of Shenzhen Kondarl Group, a real estate developer, was detained in August by local police on charges of misusing company funds. She was removed from the companys board.

In January, Sun Jiexiao, chairman of Suzhou Chunxing Precision, was investigated by Chinas securities regulator on suspicion of insider trading. He resigned in July.

Some company chairmen have simply vanished without a trace. At least 11 listed companies chairmen have disappeared in the past three years, Shanghai Securities News reported; four of them remain missing.

Annie Wu contributed to this report.
Newly confirmed and sworn-in U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh heads off to his first day of work as a justice at the Supreme Court as he leaves his house in Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S., October 9, 2018. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

New York Man Charged for Threatening to Kill Senators Over Kavanaugh Vote

A New York man has been arrested and charged with threatening to murder two U.S. Senators over the confirmation vote for new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Following a contentious confirmation process, Kavanaugh was confirmed to the court on Oct. 6.

A criminal complaint unsealed on Oct. 19 by the Department of Justice said that Ronald DeRisi, 74, of Smithtown on Long Island, threatened to murder and assault two Senators regarding the vote on Kavanaugh.

DeRisi left more than 10 threatening voicemails at the offices of the two Senators, who have not been identified, beginning on Sept. 27, according to the complaint.

The threats in the voice-messages were apparently made to discourage Senator-1 and Senator-2 from supporting Judge Kavanaughs nomination and/or as retaliation for having voted to confirm Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, according to the complaint.

In one voice message left for one of the Senators on Oct. 6, DeRisi stated in part: You better pray this guy dont get in Less than 90 minutes later, he called the same Senator and left a message that stated, in part, Im gonna get you.

To the other Senator, DeRisi said in a voice message sent on Sept. 27, that he had a present for the official, stating in part, Its a nine millimeter. Side of your  skull. The message ended with the defendant allegedly saying, Yeah, Kavanaugh. I dont think so.

DeRisi was identified through telephone records and voice tests. The United States Capitol Police executed a search warrant on his house after he was arrested and seized the cellular telephone officials said was the one used to leave the threatening voice messages.

Representative democracy cannot work if elected officials are threatened with death for simply doing their job, Richard Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

Collins Threatened

The First Amendment  the pinnacle of American achievement  protects debate, disagreement and dissent, not death threats. We and all those dedicated to the rule of law will not tolerate the use violence and threats of violence in attempts to prevail in political disputes.

A number of Senators who were on the fence about voting for Kavanaugh received threats, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). She received death threats after announcing shed vote for Kavanaugh, and a number of other threats while still undecided.

In one caseand we are going to turn this over to the police, but unfortunately, of course, the person didnt leave a name or numberbut they actually threatened to rape one of my young female staffers, Collins told The Wall Street Journal.

Also, a letter purportedly containing the poison ricin was sent to her home in mid-October, and the writer mentioned Collins voting for the judge.

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Drug paraphernalia is found on a man overdosing in the Drexel neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 3, 2017. (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times)

New York Parents Share Story of Daughter Who Died on Way to Drug Rehab to Help Others

Two New York parents have shared the story of their daughter, a young mother herself, to try and help others.

Saige Earley died at age 23 on Sept. 16 after using heroin.

She was in a bathroom at Syracuse Hancock International Airport when she used for the last time. Family members said she wanted to stop using the addictive, potent drug and had arranged to get treatment at a rehab facility in California.

But just before boarding the flight, she died from using heroin, with the boarding pass in her hand.

Earleys parents, Jason Earley and Ellen Ayer Earley, said they shared their daughters story in the hopes that it will help others, including youth struggling with drug addiction and their parents.

Opioids claim another life  this young woman was a child of my daughters dance teacher; she left behind a son.

Contributions: Julian Thyme Earley Education Fund c/o Mrs. Aubrey Panek, 109 Big Bend Way, Warners, NY 13164 Saige Earley Obituary https://t.co/j1Y1nGbj2j  Chris Morley, PhD (@morleycp) September 19, 2018

Obituary

In the long obituary, the parents wrote that Saige was a gifted student and artist with a lot of friends who loved to write, draw, dance, and do other creative endeavors.

This past Christmas while in treatment, she still took time to decorate by making snowflakes from paper and sparkles for her halfway house, they wrote. They also noted that she had recently been in treatment in Florida, and thanked the counselors and friends at the rehab facilities there.

While she loved to walk, she absolutely needed to run, to escape for just a moment every now and again. Whether she escaped in her insatiable appetite for books, dancing till exhausted, headphones blaring music, walks upon walks, or the drugs that cut her life so terribly short, she simply needed to run, the obituary continued.

But she always wanted to return, to make us laugh, to love her baby, to show us this cruel yet fascinating world through her eyes. She ran again last weekend and within 48 hours she was ready to return to us. On Sunday she was in the airport, on her way back to treatment, she never made her flight. She ran just a little too far this time. She left a tribe that loved her and that tribe will keep her memory and spirit alive as we care for her son.

Saige left behind a 2-year-old son among other family members.

Read More An Addicted County and a Sheriffs Cry for Help

Struggle With Addiction

Jason and Ellen Earley, who are divorced, told Syracuse.com that they struggled to get Saige help as she struggled with mental health, attempted suicide, and became addicted to heroin.

Ellen Earley said that becoming a mother focused Saige until she took a trip to the dentist in early 2017. After having surgery there, she was prescribed prescription painkillers.

Her parents believe the painkillers led to more, including heroin. She started dating a man who was addicted to heroin and disappeared from July to October that year.

Ellen Earleys advice to parents of addicts includes changing their expectations.

Your expectations change to just being grateful that she spent a day sober. Sometimes our expectations rob us of enjoying them and their company, she said. I included Saige in my life at every opportunity. I invited even when I knew she wouldnt come. And I am glad I did. That is one regret I wont have.

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Gerd Fleischer (L), one of the 154 Norwegian nationals who were born during the Second World War from a Norwegian mother and a German father, talks with Bjorn Lengfelder (R) the press secretary of the union of Norwegian "lebensborn" children in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, on March 8, 2007. (Frederick Florin/AFP/Getty Images)

Norway Apologizes for Treatment of German Girls During WWII

STOCKHOLMThe Norwegian government has apologized to Norwegian women who were mistreated after World War II for having relationships with German soldiers.

The treatment of the so-called German girls is a dark epilogue to the liberation from Nazi occupation in 1945. In addition to being publicly shamed, abused, and ostracized, thousands of girls and women who consorted or were rumored to have consorted with German soldiers during the occupation were also detained for months, and, in some cases, stripped of citizenship; many were expelled to Germany.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg said in a statement during an event in Oslo on Oct. 17 that the government had taken a fresh look at the states responsibility in the case of the German girls.

Our conclusion is that the Norwegian authorities violated the fundamental legal principle that no citizen should be punished without a conviction, nor convicted without a law, she said.

Along with the illegal detentions, Solberg spoke about Norways amendment of its citizenship laws in August 1945 to punish women who had married Germans after the invasion. The law was then applied retroactively to expel these women to Germany, an action that that violated the Norwegian constitution, Solberg said.

On this basis, I want to apologize, on behalf of the government, for the way the authorities acted and treated Norwegian girls and women who had a relationship with German soldiers during the Second World War, she said.

The law was amended again in 1950 to allow the women to regain their citizenship, but by then, many had formed a new life in Germany.

Shame and Trauma

Gerd Fleischer, who was born in 1942 to a Norwegian mother and a German father, was present at the event. She said that the shame and trauma haunted these women for the rest of their lives, Fjordabladet reported.

Our mothers never came forward. They took this to their graves, she said.

It wasnt just the women who were affected by Norways retaliation, but also their children. Some were placed in foster care or institutions.

Reidar Gabler, whose mother Else was a German girl, said the apology means a lot to him, NRK reported.

Although it comes late, its important both for history and the relatives that they are now apologizing, he said.

Gabler said that even his own children were called German kids and Nazis growing up.

The Norwegian government said it will fund further research into the issue, but will not pay any personal damages.

The apology comes after research by the Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities, carried out on behalf of the Norwegian government, to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to the study, its hard to tell how many women had relations with German men stationed in Norway from 1940 to 1945, but a common estimate is somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000.

The study indicated that some women were singled out for reprisals, based solely on rumors. Of the women who did have contact with German soldiers, it was rarely ideologically or politically motivated, the study said.
Persecuted Woman Survives 13 Years in Chinese Prison, Dies After Recent Arrest

A Chinese woman was hospitalized and fell into a coma while in police custody and diedafter surviving 13 years in forced labor camps and a hellish prison notorious for using torture methods against prisoners of conscience, according to Minghui.org.

Jin Shunnu died on Oct. 10, in police custody after she was detained for talking to people about Falun Gong, a type of spiritual practice based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, which has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. Minghui, a website dedicated to posting information about the persecution of Falun Gong, known as Falun Dafa, also said her body was cremated on the same day without an autopsy, and the death certificate issued by the hospital said she died from a stroke.

When her husband and daughter came to stay with her in the hospital, Jin never regained consciousness after reportedly slipping into a coma. It is not clear why she fell into a comatose state, according to Minghui.

Falun Gong practitioners, as detailed in a Freedom House report, are routinely subjected to beatings, torture, killings, and live organ harvesting for profit. According to a report last month, an elderly Falun Gong practitioner in another Chinese province was beaten in prison and injected with unknown drugs.

Minghui noted that Jins entire family was imprisoned for practicing Falun Gong. Jin was imprisoned between 2002 and 2015, her husband, Mr. Shen Shan, was serving an 11-year term for their shared faith. Their daughter, Ms. Shen Chunting, was also given three years of forced labor for practicing Falun Gong, the report stated. The family finally reunited in 2015, only to lose Ms. Jin three years later.

While in prison, she was savagely beaten by guards and other inmates, had water poured over her body and shocked with electric batons, and deprived of sleep and use of the bathroom.

In one instance, according to Minghui, Two inmates took off Ms. Jins underwear and stuffed it into her mouth. They then held her on the ground and stomped on her. Another inmate whipped her back with a clothing rack and a rubber club. Her back was covered in bruises, and she had difficulty breathing.

The guards rejected her request for medical treatment after sustaining the injuries, for fear their brutalities would be exposed.

Organ Harvesting of Falun Gong Practitioners

In a 2016 update on its report, the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China stated that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is performing a far greater amount of transplants than officially claimed.

The CCP is namely targeting Falun Gong practitioners, but Uyghurs, Tibetans, and Christians have also been targeted for organ harvesting.

If you do the arithmetic, that means that about 150 people daily in China are being killed for their organs. And there are no survivors in these operations, former Canadian MP and secretary of state for Asia-Pacific David Kilgour said in May 2018.
Red Tide Spreads Up Floridas Coast After Hurricane Michael

Florida is one of the prime summer vacation destinations for the entire Untied States. People come from across the country to enjoy Floridas miles of fine-sand beaches.

This year, tourists are seeing something less appealing than white sand and turquoise waves.

This summer the beaches have often been covered with dead fish.

For the past 10 months, Florida has been beset by red tidea type of toxic algae that occasionally occurs in warm, nutrient-rich water.

This latest outbreak has been one of the worst ever.

Back in 1994 we had an outbreak and it killed 196 manatee, said Bob Wasno, a marine biologist with Florida Gulf Coast University to CNN.

Everybody was just completely outraged. They yelled and jumped up and down and said This is not going to happen again. Here we are 24 years later and this is worse than ever, he said.

Fish by the thousands, both small and large, have been washing up on beaches. Manatees, dolphins, even a whale shark have all succumbed to the toxic algae and ended up on the states beaches.

Some of those beaches have been closed to swimmersa disaster for the tourist industry that plays an important role in the states economy.

Red tides neurotoxins kill fish but they can also harm humans. The toxin can irritate the skin and the linings of the lungs. People with asthma in particular should steer clear.

Its like being hit with a tear gas, was how University of Miami marine biology and ecology professor Larry Brand told CNN.

Hurricane Michael Didnt Help

Some people had hoped that Hurricane Michael might have broken up the algae blooms. Those people were disappointed.

Testing right now indicates that it looks the same now as before Michael, NOAA oceanographer Richard Stumpf told CNN. Michael didnt change the bloom. Didnt make it worse. Didnt make it better.

Kelly Richmond from Floridas Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spoke with CNN about the red tide blooms. She said the forecast is for more red tide along both of Floridas coasts.

State of Emergency

The latest outbreak is so bad that Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of Emergency on Aug. 13. The state of emergency currently covers Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Sarasota, Manatee, Hillsborough, Pinellas, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Brevard, and Indian River counties, CNN reported.

I am issuing an emergency declaration to provide significant funding and resources to the communities experiencing red tide so we can combat its terrible impacts, said Scott in a statement, ABC News reported.

Scotts executive order provides funding for more scientists to help with clean up and animal rescue.

Agriculture and Expansion Feed the Tides

Scientists believe that agricultural and residential run-off might be exacerbating the algae blooms. As Floridas population has swelled, more nutrient-rich runoff from septic tanks and lawn fertilizers ends up in the oceans, CNN reports.

Further, the Army Corps of Engineers has completely re-routed Floridas natural water flow to create a farming district north of the Everglades. Much of the reclaimed land is used for farming sugar caneand much of the nutrient-rich fertilizer runoff ends up in the ocean.

Florida has weakened water-quality regulations through the past eight years and cut about $400 million in funding for the water management districts largely responsible for ensuring that those regulations are enforced.

The real question is exactly what role (human) activity is playing on red tides, Dr. Mike Parsons, a red tide expert at Florida Gulf Coast University, told CNN.

Between water discharges, our use of agricultural nutrients, the development of Florida, and warming seasare we poking the bear? he asked.

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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks during a news conference on efforts to reduce transnational crime at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia on October 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. Jeff Sessions said he designated five groups, including Hezbollah and MS-13, as transnational criminal organizations to be targeted. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)

Rosenstein Agrees to Testify Before House Committee

House lawmakers leading the JudiciaryOversight task force scheduled an Oct. 24 interview with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, according to a press release from Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.)

Rosenstein, under oath, will answer questions from the committee, which expects to release a transcript of the proceeding once it is vetted by the Intelligence Community to protect classified information.

The interview will be conducted in a secure setting so all relevant questions can be asked and answered without regard to classification, Goodlattes office said in a statement.

The closed-door interview will be conducted by the chairmen and ranking members of the judiciary and government oversight committees: Reps. Goodlatte, Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), and Elijah Cummings (D-Md.).

Rosenstein oversees the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller. Since October of last year, Goodlatte and Gowdy have been leading an investigation into decisions made by the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2016, including those made as part of the FBIs investigation of the Trump campaign. Mueller took over the FBI probe in May last year.

Goodlatte said in September that he wants to question Rosenstein about a report in the New York Times that alleged the deputy attorney general suggested wearing a wire to record President Donald Trump. Rosenstein denied that account as inaccurate and factually incorrect.

We need to get to the bottom of these very serious claims, Goodlatte said in a statement on Sept. 28.

Lawmakers expected to interview Rosenstein on Oct. 11, but, according to three Republican committee members, the deputy attorney general didnt show up for questioning. The no-show language was disputed by staffers for other Republicans on the committee, who told The Epoch Times that no interview was officially scheduled.

News of Rosenstein having canceled the meeting reached lawmakers on the morning of Oct. 10. With Hurricane Michael barreling toward the Florida Panhandle, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) traveled to Washington for the hearing, only to learn it had been canceled.

On Oct. 9, one day prior to the cancellation, The Washington Post published an article that backed the allegations that Rosenstein discussed recording the president. The Post article is based on a leak from the same joint committee that Rosenstein was scheduled to testify before.

According to the leak, the source of which isnt named, former FBI general counsel James Baker told lawmakers in a closed-door interview that he learned of Rosensteins proposal to record the president second-hand and believed that Rosenstein was serious about the suggestion.

The joint committee limited the number of lawmakers who could attend the Baker interview. The Democrats notified only members of the judiciary committee, with members of the government oversight committee only learning of the interview after it took place. The Republicans limited attendance to three members of each committee. Gaetz learned of the interview only after it occurred.

Aside from questions about the alleged plan to record Trump, Goodlatte and Gowdy are expected to quiz Rosenstein on matters related to the investigation of the Trump campaign.

On Oct. 16, Glenn Simpson, co-founder of Fusion GPS, refused to testify and invoked his constitutional protections against self-incrimination.

Fusion GPS commissioned and disseminated the infamous Steele dossier, which consists of unverified claims about Trump. The Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid for the dossier, which was then used by the FBI as a pretext to spy on former Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page.

The committee has also conducted a follow-up with Baker and heard from former Fusion GPS contractor Nellie Ohr, the wife of senior DOJ official Bruce Ohr, in closed-door interviews.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said that new information that the joint committee reviewed over the past week implicates Rosenstein in wrongdoing.

Based on additional information weve learned over the last week, it is clear Rod Rosenstein should resign immediately, Meadows wrote on Twitter, noting, without being specific, that Rosenstein has not cooperated with Congress, failed to be transparent about his actions, and shown a lack of candor in the way hes characterized a number of events.

Before agreeing to an interview with the JudiciaryOversight task force, Rosenstein granted an interview to The Wall Street Journal, drawing ire from several committee members.

Rosenstein interviews with [the Journal] where he says Mueller investigation is appropriate and independent. Translationtheres time for media spin to justify Mueller probe but no time to answer questions from Congress about his statement on recording the President, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) wrote on Twitter.

Despite speculation that Rosenstein might resign on the heels of the NY Times article, he kept his job after a 45-minute conversation with the president aboard Air Force One. The attorney general has given several high profile speeches since then, including one at an awards ceremony for inspectors general.
Afghan National army soldiers search a car at a checkpoint ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for Oct. 20, at the Independent Election Commission compound in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Taliban Attack Kills Top Afghan Officials, US General Unhurt

KABUL, AfghanistanA high-level meeting to lay out security plans for Afghanistans upcoming parliamentary elections had just concluded when an elite Afghan guard turned his gun on Oct. 18 on the departing delegation in an attack that killed the powerful Kandahar police chief but missed the top U.S. commander in the country, Gen. Scott Miller.

The audacious assassination strike, which killed at least one other senior Afghan official and was claimed by the Taliban, underscored the harrowing lack of security in Afghanistan just two days before national elections and more than 17 years after the terrorist group was driven from power. A Taliban spokesman said Miller was the intended target.

However, Army Col. David Butler, who attended the Kandahar meeting with Miller, said the regions powerful police chief, Abdul Raziq, who was killed in the volley of gunfire, was clearly the target, not the U.S. general.

It was pretty clear he was shooting at Raziq, Butler told The Associated Press, adding that Miller was nearby but not in the line of fire.

The delegates had just gathered for a group photo when gunfire broke out inside the provincial governors compound in Kandahar City, according to an AP television cameraman who was present when the shooting began. Everyone scattered, and the U.S. participants scrambled toward their nearby helicopter. But a firefight broke out between the U.S. service members and Afghan police when they tried to stop the U.S. delegation from reaching their helicopter, said the cameraman.

Besides Raziq, Kandahars intelligence chief, Abdul Mohmin was killed in the attack, according to deputy provincial governor Agha Lala Dastageri. He said Kandahar Gov. Zalmay Wesa also died of his wounds after being taken to a local hospital, although security officials in the capital maintained Wesa was wounded but survived.

Three Americans  a U.S. service member, a coalition contractor and an American civilian  were injured and in stable condition, said NATO spokesman U.S. Col. Knut Peters.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said the terrorist group carried out the attack, and Gen. Miller was the target.

Butler disputed that, saying the assailant shot at Raziq and then appeared to spray the area with gunfire before he was killed.

He said Miller and the Afghan leaders had moved outside the palace after several hours of meetings and were standing in small groups in the compound. He said he heard several shots and we all took cover. It was over in seconds.

We stabilized and treated the wounded and secured the area, said Butler, adding that Miller made sure the scene was secure and the wounded were taken away by medivac before he left the area and returned to Kabul.

Razik was a particularly powerful figure in southern Kandahar and a close U.S. ally despite widespread allegations of corruption. He ruled in Kandahar, the former Taliban heartland, with an iron fist and had survived several attempts to kill him, including one last year that resulted in the death of five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates.

Raziqs killing may have major implications on the security situation in southern Afghanistan. As the chief of police in Kandahar, he has kept a lid on the Talibans insurgency, which has intensified over the past several years, analyst Bill Roggio wrote in the Long War Journal.

The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the parliamentary elections on Oct. 13, warning teachers and students not to allow schools to be used for polling and warning Afghans to stay away from the polls.

Within hours of the attack, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani addressed the nation to assure Kandahar residents it was safe to go to the polls. In an AP interview, his adviser, Ziaulhaq Amarkhil said the attack was meant to disrupt elections and urged voters to defy Taliban threats, saying casting their ballot would be a big slap on the face of the enemy.

At a news conference in the Afghan capital, Afghanistans Army Chief Gen. Mohammad Sharif Yaftali said additional troops had been moved from neighboring Helmand province to Kandahar.

Pakistans new prime minister, Imran Khan, and its military chief condemned the assault.

The people and the security forces of Afghanistan have been paying a heavy price due to continued instability and threats from the enemies of peace, Khan said in a statement. Pakistan stands by the government and the people of Afghanistan in their quest for lasting peace and stability.

Security has been steadily deteriorating in Afghanistan with increasingly brazen attacks being carried out by insurgents and Afghanistans security forces have been on high alert ahead of the Oct. 20 elections.

Late Oct. 17, a NATO convoy was attacked near the Afghan capital, killing two civilians and injuring five Czech troops, Afghan officials and the Czech military said on Oct. 18.

The attack in the Bagram district of Parwan province, also wounded three Afghan civilians, said Wahida Shakar, spokeswoman for the provincial governor.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in Bagram, which is the home of a sprawling U.S. military base.

In recent months, Afghan troops have come under near-daily attacks. NATO troops, which handed over security to Afghan forces at the end of 2014, mostly train and assist with air power. So far this year, eight U.S. soldiers and three other NATO service members have died in Afghanistan.

By Kathy Gannon and Amir Shah
Tennessee Restaurant Owner Faces Death Threats for Hosting GOP Breakfast

The owner of a restaurant in Tennessee said he received death threats after renting out one of his rooms for a Republican candidate.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) is running for Senate and held a campaign breakfast in a room at Courtneys Restaurant in Mount Juliet.

A picture published by a local newspaper, The Wilson Post, shows Blackburn behind a serving counter helping serve potential voters breakfast on Oct. 13.

Tom Courtney, the owner of Courtneys, said that after renting the room to Blackburn, he has been called a Nazi, an abuser, a racist, and even faced death threats. His staff has also been verbally attacked, including a 17-year-old who was left in tears after a caller verbally abused her.

People have posted they love our food, but will no longer come to the restaurant, Courtney told the Post. I have never in my life experienced such a thing. Its scary.

I cant begin to tell you how awful it was, Courtney added to the Todd Starnes Show. They called me a racist, bigot, called me an [expletive] plenty of times and [one guy] told me to watch my back.

Referring to how one caller left the teenage female employee in tears, Courtney said, If you are threatening a 17-year-old minor and threatening people to watch your backwhen does it stop being freedom of speech and become a threat?

Mt. Juliet restaurant receives backlash after Marsha Blackburn visit: https://t.co/CNt15S4uNb More on this on FOX 17 News at 9pm. pic.twitter.com/cirhgNAyhg  FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) October 15, 2018

I Run a Business

Courtney said he needs to make money with his business and will rent out a room to whatever person or group needs it. He rents it nearly every day to musicians, local clubs, and other groups.

He said hed rent it to the campaign of Phil Bredesen, the former Tennessee governor who is running on the Democrat ticket for senator against Blackburn.

In a social media post hitting back at his critics, Courtney wrote: This is a family restaurant. It sells food. When people come in and order food, we sell it to them. We book events for all sorts of things including charities and business alliances, social organizations, and such. We do NOT discriminate on race, religion, or political affiliation.

He noted that all kinds of people from the community enjoy his food and they enjoy the customers.

We have all manner of people eating in our establishment every day. They sit beside each other as neighbors and get along just fine. We are a family restaurant and we treat everyone as family with integrity and respect, he said. Our employees political affiliations are their own. We have both parties represented and we work shoulder to shoulder each day. We would appreciate you treating us with the same respect as we treat each of you.

The radical Left is out of control, and their angry mob is right here in Tennessee. Tom, we appreciate your opening your restaurant up to us, and we hope you are treated with the same respect as you treat your customers.https://t.co/DbJriASwZO  Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) October 17, 2018

Blackburn and Breseden Respond

Blackburn took to Twitter to slam the angry mob for threatening Courtney and his staff.

The radical Left is out of control, and their angry mob is right here in Tennessee, she wrote. Tom, we appreciate your opening your restaurant up to us, and we hope you are treated with the same respect as you treat your customers.

The Bredesen campaign said theyre not involved in the backlash against Courtneys.

Any protest was not connected to the Bredesen for Senate campaign or the Tennessee Democratic Party in any way. Tennessee Democratic Party spokesman Mark Brown told the Wilson Post.

In fact, the Bredesen campaign will probably take Tom Courtney up on his offer of renting the same space. Brown said.

Courtney said he appreciated the comments but said that because of the threats hes received, hes decided to vote for Blackburn.

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Letter to the Editor: The Epoch Times Breaks the Taboo of the Carbon Footprint

The reliable and seemingly most objective media, The Epoch Times, has been presenting a lot of significant information that the mainstream media ignore, in a comprehensive, easy to understand manner. I have been reading The Epoch Times almost daily on theepochtimes.com .

I was delighted to see the breaking of the taboo of the carbon footprint in the Sept. 12 article, Dishonest Language About Carbon Serves to Sully Climate Debate, by Jay Lehr and Tom Harris.

I encountered the fruits of the global warming ideology (recently changed to climate science) while working in the energy field, witnessing the Ontario multibillion-dollar windmill fiasco.

I briefly examined and discarded ideas of carbon footprint and decarbonization, realizing that changes in the earths emission of carbon dioxide i.e. CO 2 to the atmosphere come mostly from the oceans and definitely do not lead but follow, with delay, earth temperature changes, typically driven almost exclusively by hardly predictable sun activities!

NGO engineers kept warning the Ontario government that changing winds cause inherent intermittent energy delivery for windmills. An addition of quickly reacting gas plants, or even more expensive conversion and storage facilities, is needed to fill up the gaps. Ontario nuclear power has been already supplemented by some gas plants to cover daily electricity peaks, but Ontario windmill-usable winds blow predominantly at night!

I organized in 2012 a series of six conferences covering a wide range of energy challenges including those described in this text. The warnings as well as those conferences were ignored by both government and the mainstream media.

The Ontario Government kept erecting subsidized fleets of windmills. Then government started adding more gas plants seemingly to match contractually preferential windmill output with hope to sell unavoidable nightly power surplus. There were no takers for that surplus but finally Quebec would accept Ontario surplus energy  in exchange for hefty payments. Ontario paid Quebec $18 million in 2012, calling it the sale at negative price. Later, with more surplus Ontario paid much more.

In 2017 America woke up and abandoned all costly, bizarre environmental programs including reduction of CO 2 emissions. The new Ontario Government follows now in 2018, starting with abandoning subsidies for windmills and lowering the price of gasoline by 5 cents a liter off the provincial carbon tax.

Meanwhile, overpowering Climate Science ideology, via essentially all governments (the United States and Ontario excepted) and academia worldwide, has been promoting the urgent need to minimize the carbon footprint at the cost of $billions to decarbonize the planet. Minimizing the carbon footprint by decarbonization seems to be now a worldwide revered holy religion, a taboo, undisputable subject of faith.

Jay Lehr and Tom Harris argue that using the term carbon as a synonym for CO 2 conjures up visions of solid coal lumps, soot or coal dust, none of which is like the plant life-giving CO 2 , trace gas in air we breathe.

Jay and Tom: The atmospheres 410 parts per million of CO 2 today has already absorbed essentially all of the heats wavelength the Earth has to give. Therefore, further additions of carbon dioxide can have no measurable impact on the Earths temperature or the greenhouse effect.

In summary, the deceitful, deliberately false ideology of carbon footprint and decarbonization aims at abandoning inexpensive energy by eliminating life-giving fossil fuels and subject society to further government control, thereby reducing individual freedom, moving our country closer to socialism and away from capitalism.

Note that we still keep paying billions of dollars to subsidize senseless decarbonization schemes, e.g. by adding less effective (66 percent the effectiveness of gasoline), more expensive ethanol to gasoline. We also overpay for corn and soybean products; in 2001 American fuel ethanol was produced from 40 percent of the corn harvest and from 15 percent of soybeans respectively.

Dr. Jay Lehr, the science director of The Heartland Institute in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Tom Harris, executive director in Ottawa, Canada-based International Climate Science Coalition emphasize that using the term carbon instead of carbon dioxide or CO 2  is an intentional distortion aimed at provoking fear and those who would advance that distortion must be called out every time.

Jan Jekielek, Sr.

Toronto, Canada

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Chinese workers produce various components at the Mansfield Manufacturing plant in Dongguan, southern China's Guangdong province on October 20, 2008. At least 2.7 million factory workers in southern China could lose their jobs as the global economic crisis hits demand for electronics, toys and clothes, as the region has seen massive export-driven expansion in recent years by supplying the world with cheap consumer goods, but rising production costs and falling US and European demand have marked a swift end to the boom. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

The Global Manufacturing Industry Is Moving Out of China

Globalization has transformed China into the worlds factory. Eighteen years ago, developed and newly industrialized countries moved their labor-intensive and low-tech industries into the country. However, the onset of the Sino-U.S. trade war prompted a growing number of foreign companies to leave China and move to Southeast Asia, giving Australia new opportunities. China, the worlds factory, is losing its competitive edge.

Foreign businesses have started to leave China years ago because of soaring costs, but the Sino-U.S. trade war just greatly accelerated this process.

It has become less advantageous to set up factories in China. Over the past decade or so, Chinas average manufacturing wages have tripled. Taxes, including social security, energy prices and exchange rates have increased. The soaring costs have weakened Chinas competitive advantage as the worlds factory.

Chinas average direct production cost in 2004 was 6 percent lower than Mexicos, but by 2014, Mexicos production cost was 4 percent lower than Chinas, according to a report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), an American multinational management consulting firm. The current average manufacturing cost in China is only about 5 percent lower than in the United States, according to BCG.

These dynamic changes in the relative costs of manufacturing have prompted multinational companies to reassess their manufacturing locations, leading to a huge shift in global supply chains. According to a BCG report in 2014, India, Indonesia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom rose to prominence in the global manufacturing industry and were referred to as regional rising stars. China was not as competitive as it used to be. Mexico had regained its low-cost manufacturing advantage and could produce goods for U.S consumers. Even the United States was competitive at that time.

John Calverley, head of global research at Standard Chartered, pointed out that according to a survey by South China Manufacturing Center in 2015, 11 percent of factories in southern China planned to move to ASEAN countries, India and Bangladesh to avoid increasing costs.

Foreign companies can use industrial automation as a strategy to offset high labor costs. However, low-tech and labor-intensive industries, such as the clothing industry, rely heavily on skilled labor, which cannot be automated.

An alternative strategy in reducing labor costs is to move manufacturing from Chinas coastal areas into the mainland. But this would only work in the short-term. The increase in wages and the tariffs imposed by Washington (amid the Sino-U.S. trade war) do not offset the costs of relocating into the mainlandthey only add to the costs of operating in China. The only other option for a foreign company is to leave China.

Low-tech and labor intensive industries are not complicated to set-up and its workers are easy to train, making it feasible for a foreign company to move production to another country. These factors have pushed a large number of foreign enterprises to move out of China at an accelerating rate.

60 percent of Japanese companies operating in China have been transferred or in the process of transferring out of China to other countries, while the remaining 40 percent are planning how to withdraw their funds, according to a recent report by Kyodo News, a Japanese news agency based in Tokyo.

According to the American Chamber of Commerce in China, a nonprofit organization with membership of more than 3,300 individuals from 900 companies operating across China, 35 percent of the companies it surveyed have moved or considered moving their production bases out of China to other countries such as Southeast Asia.

Taiwan factories in China that manufacture shoes for Nike, Adidas, Under Armour and other brands have moved their production lines to Southeast Asia and India, according to a Sept.16 report by Japanese financial newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

To avoid the high tariffs imposed by the United States, Chinese manufacturing companies are also moving out of Chinatheir products range from bicycles, tires, plastics to textiles. Many Chinese factories are transferring their assembly lines abroad.

Kerry Logistics Network Ltd, Asias largest shipping and logistics company based in Hong Kong, is currently moving its production lines from China to Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar and even Laos.

An increasing number of manufacturing companies have been setting up their production lines in Indonesia (one of the four new stars in the global manufacturing industry) the Philippines and Malaysia. These three Southeast Asian countries have two things in common. First, they are close to Australia. Second, their industrial systems are incomplete. They will rely on Australia to complete their industrial systems with supplies such as various materials, manufacturing equipment, and regional design centers.

As a result, the worlds factory will move southward from China and form a new Asian Worlds Factory. Australia, with its geographic advantage, has the opportunity to become part of it.

Dr. Cheng Xiaonong is a scholar of Chinas politics and economy based in New Jersey. He is a graduate of Renmin University, where he obtained his Masters degree in economics, and Princeton University, where he obtained his doctorate in sociology. In China, Cheng was a policy researcher and aide to the former Party leader Zhao Ziyang, when Zhao was premier. Cheng has been a visiting scholar at the University of Gottingen and Princeton, and he served as chief editor of the journal Modern China Studies. His commentary and columns regularly appear in overseas Chinese media.
Trump Stumps in Montana 19 Days Before Midterms

MISSOULA, MontanaIn the Presidents first stop as part of a three-day Western swing campaign he arrived at Missoula, Montana, to speak at a signature MAGA style rally just 19 days away from the midterm elections.

Trumps jam-packed schedule this week includes stops at three important battleground states. Aside from the Oct. 18 Montana rally, Trump will stump in Mesa, Arizona, on Oct. 19 and Elko, Nevada, on Oct. 20.

Speaking outdoors to crowd of about 8,000 supporters at the Minuteman aviation hangar, which is just west of the Missoula International Airport terminal, Trump urged supporters to vote for state Auditor Matt Rosendale, who is running against incumbent Democrat Senator Jon Tester, and Rep. Greg Gianforte, who is being challenged by Democrat candidate Kathleen Williams.

Opening with a slew of positive economic wins such as the unemployment level falling to its lowest in 50 years, Trump also acknowledged Montanans for voting for him in the 2016 president election, where he beat candidate Hillary Clinton by about 20 percentage points, according to voting data.

He hopes to capture momentum from voters to get enough Republicans elected to maintain the majorities in the Senate and the Housecurrently Republicans have a slim advantage in both.

Here in Montana, household incomes have reached an all time high we watch Montana, we watch your miners, your loggers. And two years ago you watched over me because we won this state by a lot, Trump said.

Missoula is a blue stronghold in a red state. It has a population of around 73,340 as estimated by the United States Census Bureau in 2017the second largest city in Montana, after Billings. When looking at the bigger picture, the Missoula Metropolitan Area sits at around 117,400 in total.

Trump strayed away from the teleprompter, like he often does at his rallies, commenting on subjects such as the approaching Honduran migrant caravan, his 2020 election, and Democrat senator Elizabeth Warren.

I just want to thank the Mexican government because they are going to stop it before it ever gets to Mexico, Trump said, referring to the migrant caravan. I will send the military to defend the border if necessary, all because of the immigrant onslaught brought by the Democrats.

As he lamented about Democrat policies he said are increasingly shifting far-left, he touched upon his 2020 re-election run, Eight years, its going to be fine. Thats all the time we need to make America great again.

Trump described Warren, who recently released her DNA tests revealing she was between 1/64 to 1/1024or 0.09 percent Native American, as a phony.

She has so little Indian, he said. Cherokee Nationthe largest federally recognized tribal nation in the United States and one of two tribes Warren claims to be descended fromrejected the results.

He also described his own platform as not Republican or conservative but as common sense.

The Democratic party has come so far left its become radical resistance. But we fight like nobody ever fought before, he said.

When commenting on Rosendale, Trump said he has a lot of respect for him. As Rosendale spoke to the crowd, he urged Republicans that if they want to keep the country as it is now, they must get out and vote.

Rosendale commented on his conservative policy positions such as healthcare and support for the Second Amendment.

I will never give up on repealing and replacing Obamacare. We must have healthcare that we can actually afford, and I will make sure to always protect those with pre-existing conditions, Rosendale told the crowd.

Remember when Jon Tester talks about supporting the Second Amendment? He voted for liberal justices who will take your guns away, he said.

Tester has a D rating from the NRA, while Rosendale has an A rating, which the state auditor touted at the rally.

In the meantime, Trump described Gianforte as one of the most respected representatives in Congress and a tough cookie. In response, Gianforte thanked Trump for giving Montanas hope again after he was invited on stage briefly.

Trump also used the Democrats obstruction tactics during the confirmation hearings of Justice Brett Kavanaugh as a rallying cry for Republicans to get out and vote.

What they did to Kavanaugh and his family was a national disgrace, he said. Come election day the American people will remember Kavanaugh  because it was a shameful act.

According to a recent poll from RealClearPolitics, Tester was ahead in the race by 3 percentage points over Rosendale. Meanwhile, Gianforte was leading in the polls by 9 percentage points over Williams.
President Donald Trump holds a drone as George Mathew CEO & Chairman of Kespry explains how it works during the American Leadership in Emerging Technology Event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, June 22, 2017 (Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

Innovation Key to Sustaining Americas Competitiveness

After decades of globalization, the countrys innovation ecosystem faces serious challenges, experts say

WASHINGTONThe United States is back as the most competitive economy in the world, reclaiming the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2008 in the World Economic Forums (WEF) annual global survey. However, there is a real challenge in maintaining that position, as the United States keeps losing its capability for innovation in addition to its factories, experts warn.

The United States is at the pinnacle of global success, according to WEFs 2018 survey, which ranks countries according to 12 drivers of competitiveness. America tops the list of 140 countries in business dynamism, labor markets, and the financial system. In addition, it has near-perfect scores on innovation and market size.

All these factors contribute to the countrys vibrant innovation ecosystem, making it a super innovator, says the WEF report.

However, its innovation ecosystem faces challenges as more companies continue to offshore their research and development.

As more production of advanced technologies has moved abroad, more research and product development has moved with it due to the close ties between product and process technologies, according to a report by Alliance for Manufacturing Foresight (MForesight), a nonprofit consortium led by representatives from the U.S. manufacturing community.

Since 2000, more than 70,000 factories have closed or moved overseas, threatening the nations innovation ecosystem, according to the report. It has affected the ability of U.S. innovators to make new products.

The Lifeblood of the Country

Innovation has been the lifeblood of the country since its founding, according to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.

A milestone was achieved in June when Ross and President Donald Trump signed the 10-millionth U.S. patent issued by the Patent and Trademark Office. President George Washington signed the first U.S. patent 228 years ago.

The United States was once the worlds leader in manufacturing. After World War II, the country heavily invested in research and development and was significantly ahead of other countries in employing cutting-edge technologies. However, that picture started to change in the 1980s.

When a country loses the capability to manufacture, it loses the ability to innovate and compete as well, Harvard professors Gary Pisano and Willy Shih say in their book Producing Prosperity: Why America Needs a Manufacturing Renaissance.

For decades, many large U.S. manufacturers moved their operations to low-cost countries, primarily China. Such moves were expected to bring cost benefits and competitive advantage. It did bring benefit, but at the expense of harming the industrial commons in the United States, the authors said.

Industries form industrial commons that operate within an ecosystem and share know-how and capabilities. This know-how is used by the members of the ecosystem, including workers, companies, suppliers, and universities. The decline of one industry affects the whole ecosystem and leads to the erosion of the industrial commons in that region.

Business leaders and politicians are now seeing the fallout of offshoring decisions in some industries in which the United States has fallen behind in its ability to compete.

In solar power, for example, a significant amount of the required know-how and production infrastructure have shifted to Asia over time.

Although solar cells, also called photovoltaic (PV) cells, were first invented in the United States, today only 3.7 percent of PV production is based in North America (United States and Canada); 85 percent is in Asia, with China and Taiwan leading the market, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Invent There, Manufacture There

The case of solar PV isnt an isolated example. There is a long list of endangered species of American industries, from semiconductors to rechargeable batteries.

It all started with the globalization of supply chains, said Pisano in an interview. Companies thought they could move their manufacturing elsewhere and be cost-competitive. They could design here and manufacture there.

This assumption, however, failed to recognize the strong interaction between inventing a product and producing it.

And today, as many firms shift their innovation overseas, the new trend is invent there, manufacture there, according to the MForesight report.

Maintaining domestic manufacturing capabilities is key to retaining the know-how needed to produce next-generation technologies, states the report. Otherwise, the United States may lose its competitive advantage in emerging industries such as autonomous vehicles, robotics, bio-manufacturing, energy storage, and quantum computing.
US, Turkey Deny Anonymously-Sourced Fake News ABC Report on Khashoggi

The United States and Turkey have both denied an anonymously sourced ABC report on missing columnist Jamal Khashoggi, with President Donald Trump weighing in and calling it fake news.

Much of the reporting on Khashoggi, who was allegedly last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, has relied on anonymous officials, often Turkish ones, and Turkish state-run media. One source was revealed to be an al-Qaeda- and Hamas-linked operative who is serving a prison sentence in the United States.

In addition, the Turkish government has long been slammed by human rights groups for the dismal record of its treatment of Turkish citizens and journalists.

ABCs report on Oct. 18 claimed, citing an anonymous Turkish source, that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had been given a transcript of an audio recording that purportedly recorded Khashoggis slaying. The anonymous source also claimed that a Turkish official played the audio for Pompeo.

"Any of you work for ABC?" Pompeo takes a swipe at @ABC for reporting that he saw a transcript and heard a tape of Khashoggi in the consulate. (Via pool report en route to Mexico) pic.twitter.com/0p41ZS84jY  John Hudson (@John_Hudson) October 19, 2018

Ive heard no tape, Ive seen no transcript. And the network that reported that ought to pull down the headline that says I have, Pompeo told reporters as he traveled to Mexico.

This is wrong to the fiance of Khashoggi, we should be factual when we report things about that. This is a very serious matter that were working diligently on, and so to put out headlines that are factually false does no one any good. Its most constructive when the media tells the truth.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was never given or shown a Transcript or Video of the Saudi Consulate event. FAKE NEWS!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 19, 2018

Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkeys foreign minister, also said on Oct. 19 that his country hasnt shared any audio recordings with any United States officials, reported the state-run Anadolu Agency.

President Donald Trump added later on Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was never given or shown a Transcript or Video of the Saudi Consulate event. FAKE NEWS!

Waiting for Results

While a number of news agencies have tried advancing the story through anonymous sources and state-run media, American officials have urged reporters to exercise caution, saying they wont prejudge the result of the probe into Khashoggis presumed death, which is being investigated by both Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Pompeo flew to Saudi Arabia and met with officials there on Oct. 16 before traveling to Turkey the next day to meet with Turkish officials to discuss the ongoing probe.

Back in the United States, he spoke with President Donald Trump on Oct. 18 and told him the administration should give the two countries time to finish the investigation.

We made clear to them that we take this matter very seriously, Pompeo told reporters. They assured me that they will conduct a complete and thorough investigation.

I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so we can get a complete understanding [of] the facts surrounding that, he added.

From NTD.tv
As local restaurants are learning, delivery service can be difficult and expensive. But they might not be able to afford to go without it.

Outfits with national reach like UberEats and Grubhub continue to mark their territory in the industry, and giants like Milford-based Subway are getting involved, announcing last week it would be partnering with four providers in its latest initiative to drive up sales.

Its clear that consumers want delivery options, and brands, including Subway, are responding, said Michael Lang, senior director of global convenience for Subway. Todays guests are more connected than ever, and they are thinking about what they want to consume and order hours before they consider a brand or enter a Subway restaurant.

Food delivery is staking a greater claim in the of the $800 billion restaurant industry as customer channel their dining habits through apps. According to a survey provided by Subway from Technomic, the delivery service is expected to grow 12 percent in the next five years.

But while international chains can be well suited to reap the benefits of the shifting market, local business owners may find it harder.

Give and take

When Victor Mathieu and his team at Stamfords Fiesta on Main began using UberEats, he said they were able to increase to-go business, but there were other issues, including quality control.

The Uber drivers and delivery werent able to get into our location, he said. By the time they were able to deliver it to the customers, it was cold or wasnt fresh the way that we would want someone to have.

While the service offered exposure, Mathieu said the restaurant couldnt control how their customers were receiving their orders through a third-party delivery. The only way to ensure that would be to provide delivery themselves  something that would cost much more than partnering with a service.

Were kind of in this halfway space, of when its on Uber or GrubHub, we have enough business to support delivery, but when we are trying to do it ourselves business just isnt there to support having a sole delivery driver, he said.

With customers demand for delivery services growing, local owners face the need to meet that demand at the potential cost to their bottom line.

Along with monthly payments, delivery services take a cut of the profits of orders ranging anywhere between 10 and 30 percent of delivery service fees. For Sandra Williams at La Signature Cheesecake in Bridgeport, UberEats takes 30 percent.

Thats a lot, and thats why I am reconsidering, she said.

Unsustainable

Some industry observers said they dont view delivery services as a sustainable option in the long run.

The margin is really slim in the food industry to begin with, so for a small restaurant what its doing is slowly eating away at their profit margin, said professor Tuvana Rua of Sacred Heart University.

While the idea is that a local spot would draw in business by piquing interest from customers ordering from home, Rua said that interest most likely wouldnt transfer into a future trip to the restaurant, where real profits can be made.

That same can be said for large fast food chains. The decision to partner with food delivery services could be an effort to regain customers that have been choosing other restaurants featured online, Rua said.

Its helping with exposure, but at the same time, if I experience a place through delivery that doesnt meant I have that place in mind next time I want to go out and eat, she said.

Just another tool

As competition to attract customers grows, experts dont expect delivery services to overtake the in-house experience that restaurants still offer, but rather see it as a tool of the evolving landscape.

Its just nature of the world we live in today, said Scott Dolch, chairman of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, adding that accessibility remains a key component in most industries.

Many businesses including the food sector are looking to bolster convenience for their customers, and much of that is focused online.

Its just another new thing, technology, that people are looking for an opportunity to get something without having to spend the time to drive to even a Subway, but having it brought to them, he added.

Jordan.grice@hearstmediact.com
The specter of a recession and the poor economy it produces is, for now at least, not a concern in the United States. In August, Bloomberg reported that the booming economy had reached its highest point since the mid 2000s and that unemployment was -- still is -- at a historic low.

Related: These Bots Have Eyes: Why the Evolution of Visual Chatbots Is a Boon for Entrepreneurs

The unexpected side effect of this current economic boom: Companies are having trouble hiring. That's why, given the current highly competitive market, employers need to focus on improving the hiring process.

According to The Muse, the cost of a bad hire ranges between $25,000 and $50,000. Yet, lost capital is only one of the multiple detriments you'll experience from employing the wrong individual. If a business rushes the hiring process, its choice could negatively impact the business's image as well as its work environment. In response, some startups, such as Neurodata Lab, have actively tackled this work-environment issue by creating AI to analyze social behavior within the workplace.

Why AI? Existing hiring solutions are outdated, and with the constant concerns about conscious and unconscious bias in the talent acquisition sector, companies are looking to AI and machine-learning to find the best fit. Chatbots, for example, are no longer the monotonal and calculated repetitive-response tech that existed in the early 2000s, in the time of MSN Live Messenger's bot, SmarterChild.

Today's much more sophisticated chatbots have the potential to reduce the repetitive task workload for talent managers, provide a user-friendly application process and improve a companys image. Interested? Here's what you need to know.

Using chatbots to make the hiring process more efficient

On average, 60 percent of candidates drop out of the standard application process due to its complexity and length. Standard online applications, with their many multiple choice questions and long-answer questions, take roughly 40 minutes to complete. Even if the candidate manages to fill out the online form, 75 percent of applicants wont hear back from the company, apart from a confirmation letter thanking them for their time. That faux pas hardly adds to the popularity of the company advertising the position.

Related: The Definitive Guide to Chatbots: These Bots Are Here to Serve.

Indeed, Applicant Pro has called this problem the resume black hole phenomenon, and it is the reason for the emergence of a company like Hackajob -- an unbiased hiring platform that focuses on an applicant's strengths instead of his or her CV.

Employees and staffing agencies can reduce a company's workload further still by using chatbots. Some 50 percent to 60 percent of talent managers' working hours are devoted to repetitive tasks such as screening resumes, scheduling meetings and asking the same questions over and over again.

With chatbots, when the candidate is ready to apply for a job, the bot can answer this person's common questions, such as the benefits of working with the company and any options it might offer, like foreign visa support.

Furthermore, chatbots have their own supply of questions, which they are programmed to ask. For example, they can ask whether the candidate is legal to work in the country in question and how many years of experience someone has. The process moves forward from there, providing a straightforward and user-friendly experience that applicants will typically find more efficient than one in which they must answer multiple choice questions.

If the applicant fulfills the necessary requirements, the chatbot schedules a meeting with the recruiter within minutes. This gives recruiters the chance to focus their attention on more intellectually demanding tasks.

Ensure the right hire.

Chatbots and AI can also help with predictive analytics, by gathering data about each candidate. The collected data is analyzed, and provides a prediction on candidate engagement.

Chatbots engage with the right candidate, and predict how long he or she will stay on the job market based on the skill set and the candidate's fit for the open position, among other factors. This will help keep good candidates from going to competitors.

In the United States, where the Chicago Tribune has reported that the job market has hit its record high in terms of open positions and low unemployment, its more important than ever to ensure your competitors dont grab the ideal candidates first. This is especially true as candidates increasingly move to a platform like Talentify to find their ideal positions.

Employee lifetime value -- meaning how long the candidate will stay with the company and how likely the candidate is to be promoted -- is another factor that chatbots examine. Companies want to ensure that the people they hire fit the company culture, strive for growth and are happy with the work they do. Given media reports that employee turnover rates are at their highest point in 10 years, the focus is shifting toward retaining workers.

That's where chatbots come in. By gathering data on the applicants, bots can inform talent managers on who is most likely to stick around and be promoted. They do this by setting a score for an individual's relevance for a specific position, and his or her engagement level. Such data is important because losing employees costs three to six times more than it does to hire them in the first place, not even including the man hours for onboarding.

Improve your company's image.

Having a chatbot on the front end helps to increase a brand's impage, as a bot's automation component is friendly and fast and offers a self-service feel as the applicant messages the chatbot. The result is a positive candidate experience and the potential for positive word of mouth. So, building up a companys HR brand contributes to its getting the most productive candidate.

Once candidates have positive things to say about a company, they are more likely to head to websites such as Glassdoor and leave good reviews. As its facts page states, Glassdoor contains roughly 42 million reviews and features more than 800,000 businesses. Having a good review on a website with such high traffic (over 55 million monthly visitors on mobile devices) allows a business's reputation to grow.

A strong employer brand paves the way for other future benefits. These may include making the company stand out against its competitors, increased employee productivity due to satisfaction, more media exposure and a higher retention rate. SquarePeg, for example, focuses on the traits of candidates to match them with companies that have compatible vacancies. Whats more, a LinkedIn report concluded that 75 percent of the job seekers it surveyed considered a companys brand before even applying for a position.

In a survey conducted at XOR in partnership with IBS, the largest Eastern European RPO (recruitment processing outsourcing), 10,000 applicants were randomly picked and asked about their experience with chatbots. Of those interviewed, fully 93 percent called the chatbots an excellent experience, 6 percent said it was good and fewer than than 1 percent gave negative reports.

The classic argument against chatbots is that they are less efficient than real people. But the reality is chatbots have successfully interviewed over two million candidates in 15 different countries around the world, and major brands such as Ikea have already begun implementing them.

Related: How to Create a Facebook Messenger Chatbot For Free Without Coding

This statistic, together with satisfaction surveys, indicates that bots make the hiring process much smoother for both sides. Chatbots, then, ought to be viewed not with worry but as a tool to improve the fluidity of tedious and repetitive tasks to make businesses -- especially during the hiring process -- operate much more efficiently.

Related:

Chatbots: A New Tool for E-commerce Customer Satisfaction

Here's Why Your Company Should Start Using Chatbots for Talent Acquisition

Por que las empresas mas valiosas del mundo se suman al marketing conversacional?



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
When one plans to start their own business, no one will ask about their education. No one cares about the fact that Richard Branson dropped out of high school. He had intuition on how businesses work and he built a few successful ones through some trial and error.

Would Richard Branson make fewer mistakes if he'd gotten his business degree? Maybe. Would he become a safer player who makes fewer risks? Maybe. Its a hypothetical situation. What we know is this: Richard Branson did not get his degree, and he became a successful entrepreneur despite that.

Elon Musk, on the other hand, got his degree. At this moment, he doesnt seem like the most successful entrepreneur, does he? He became a billionaire, but he also made serious mistakes that proper education shouldve prevented. Yes; were talking about the online speculation that led to fraud charges.

Are these two examples enough for us to claim that business education is unnecessary? Of course not! Richard Branson did not become successful because he dropped out of college. Elon Musk didnt make that mistake because he graduated with a bachelor of arts in economics.

These stories were a combination of multiple factors that make education practically irrelevant. So where does this take us on the issue about the need for business education?

Of course, there are some benefits to it. Through writing projects, for example, the students at business school learn to write persuasively. For an entrepreneur whos going to write tons of business proposals and presentations, thats clearly an important skill to obtain. But do you have to go through years of schooling for it?

Related: Do Your Kids Really Need College?

Is business education efficient?

In 2017, the University of Wisconsin's School of Business announced it was reviewing its business programs. The process could end with the suspension of the MBA program in favor of more specialized degrees that would take less time to complete. That plan was eventually suspended and the MBA program is still available at the school.

But this brings us to a question: If one of the oldest and most reputable MBA programs was at risk of being suspended, doesnt that mean theres something really wrong with the business education in this country?

This is what Anne P. Massey, dean of Wisconsin School of Business, said: We will move forward with discussions on how to grow the undergraduate program and expand the graduate portfolio while simultaneously strengthening the full-time MBA experience.

There are flaws in the current system. The preparation for an MBA degree takes too long and involves too many unnecessary things. Yes; the students have to gain business writing skills and they will have to write several projects to develop those skills. But does that mean that several essays, research papers, case studies, book reports and other types of papers are needed for every single course they take? When they get buried under so many projects, its easy for them to lose the course of direction and give up on the education goals.

The purpose of business education is to train aspiring entrepreneurs and make them ready to face the world of business. They are being taught to work in simulated situations of high pressure. They have to learn about finance, strategy and marketing, so they will be able to start and maintain a successful business.

But is anyone teaching them about self-confidence, risk, curiosity and energy? Unfortunately, thats not the case. Part-time and specialized programs in finances, marketing and accounting can offer even more attention to detail, while leaving the student with space to work on their personal aspects of becoming leaders.

Related: 21 Success Tips for Young and Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Why business school matters.

Business school is not going to teach you what kind of business to start and how to bring it to stardom. It will give you the details on how things work in the business world. It will give you the facts. What you do with those facts is your own business.

The facts are important as long as you know what you need them for. Filling your mind with facts without directing them toward a specific purpose is useless. But when you know exactly what kind of business you want to start, proper education will help you bring that idea to life. According to a global survey that investigated the main reasons for MBA applicants to pursue such a degree, these were the highlights:

Improving career prospects Learning new skills Obtaining a leadership position Building a professional network

These were the top reasons for pursuing an MBA. Nearly two-thirds -- 63.4 percent, to be specific -- of the respondents said that improving career prospects was important for them. These people already have a focus and need this education to support their journey.

Business education may not be necessary for aspiring entrepreneurs, but its certainly useful. If we take Richard Branson, Steve Jobs or other business stars without degrees as examples, we cant say they were ignorant. They got their education; they just didnt go down the traditional road. The traditional way still is effective as long as you know what you want. That being said, the educational system definitely needs improvements. We need shorter, more focused programs that wont break peoples enthusiasm.

Related:

How Useful Is a Business Education for the Aspiring Entrepreneur?

4 Things People Who Didn't Go to College Are Tired of Hearing

How Young Teachers Are Transforming Into Modern Age 'Gurus'



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
U.S. Senate candidate Neal Simon, who is running as an independent, endorsed Maryland's Republican Gov. Larry Hogan for re-election Thursday, citing the popular governor's record of cutting taxes and fees and protecting the Chesapeake Bay.

Simon is challenging Sen. Benjamin Cardin, a Democrat who has represented Maryland in Congress for more than 30 years. In a statement, Simon said Hogan has worked "across the aisle to find common ground" and "stayed true to his promise to govern from the center."

Hogan, who is leading Democratic challenger Ben Jealous by double-digits, has not endorsed anyone in the Senate race. He signed a nominating petition for Simon at the 42nd annual J. Millard Tawes Crab and Clam Bake in Crisfield, Maryland, this summer.

Cardin held a nearly 40-point lead in a Goucher College poll released last month and a 28-point lead in a poll released last week by Gonzales Research & Media Services. He has brought in significantly more money in recent months than his challengers, including Republican Tony Campbell,

Also on the ballot is Libertarian Arvin Vohra, who earned 1 percent in the Goucher Poll and is not accepting donations.

Simon, a financial services executive from Potomac, has said he was inspired to run by a group called Unite America, previously known as the Centrist Project, which believes a few independent senators acting as a bloc could force both parties to the middle instead of their partisan extremes.

At an Oct. 7 debate, Simon dismissed Cardin as a "part of the problem" in Washington, criticizing the veteran politician for voting with his party "97 percent of the time."

Hogan has drawn strong support from independents and many Democrats as he seeks to become the first Republican governor re-elected in Maryland since 1954.

On Thursday, the Democratic state's attorney in Dorchester County, William Jones, endorsed him, joining a list of Democratic officials that includes outgoing state Sen. Jim Brochin (Baltimore County) and the mayors of Bowie, Gaithersburg, and Salisbury.
Sustainability is a hot trend.

In fact, when asset manager BlackRock analyzed the stock market performance of 1,850 companies to track sustainability correlation, it found that the 20 percent of companies that made the biggest cuts to carbon intensity beat the market average by 6 percent. The 20 percent of companies with the lowest cuts to carbon footprint trailed the market by six percent.

Related: You Don't Have to Be Elon Musk to Make a Difference

It's important to note that the companies BlackRock analyzed are large, including mega-brands such as McDonald's, GM and Walmart. These companies are large enough and have enough power over supply chains, that they can make core sustainability changes to strategy without it impacting existing cost and pricing models.

And many of the companies analyzed in this research are only trying to reduce their negative impact or diversify their existing portfolio with sustainable or renewable alternatives. Often, the core products they sell are not environmentally friendly.

What does this mean for emerging, sustainable brands?

And the independent, sustainable business-to-business companies that are helping to green supply chains?

When new brands (often ecommerce) hit their first plateau in growth, it's a logical next step to expand sales by entering new channels -- online marketplaces and/or brick-and-mortar retailers.

Today, 50 percent of online product searches originate on Amazon and Walmart remains the nation's leading retailer, with $495.8 billion in revenue (2017 fiscal year) and U.S. sales reaching $318.5 billion.

When companies begin playing the Amazon and Big Box Retailer game, consumers are no longer propelled to the brand itself. Instead, they are experiencing the brand alongside core competitors. This setting limits a brand's ability to communicate its ethos and sustainability standards. Instead, factors such as price, product reviews, packaging and shelf space are the things consumers see first.

Related: 5 Ways to Fatten Your Bottom Line by Drastically Cutting Energy Costs

Pricing experts suggest that a differentiated company can price goods up to 20 percent higher than the category's average and still compete in a Big Box setting, gain a first page ranking or win the coveted "Buy Box" on Amazon.

But, small to mid-sized eco-friendly companies that move into wholesale or Amazon find that to compete, lowering their costs must become a key part of pricing strategy. These companies lack the scale to lower costs through negotiation, so rethinking the entire supply chain is often part of the equation. It's possible to keep one or two elements of the original eco-focused strategy to maintain a competitive differentiation, but sustainable brands often must cut corners on sustainability to reduce costs and pricing.

At this stage, companies also often take on outside investors to propel upward growth. Many investors also focus on cost cutting, with the hope of seeing an immediate bump to cash flow while positioning the companies to lower price points long-term.

What should companies with a strong commitment to sustainable practices do to grow and thrive?

Data uncovered by Nielsen in its 2015 Global Corporate Sustainability report showed that 66 percent of global consumers report a willingness to pay more for sustainable brands. So, how can green companies benefit from that data?

Based on our work with over 10,000 sustainable companies, ranging from the fastest growing eco-friendly brands to single person Etsy shops, we have four suggestions for how to overcome the pressures of the "low cost at all costs" mentality:

1. Commit to sustainability and innovation: Consider these questions:

Is the brand strong enough yet to stand on its own, without hand-holding the customer experience?

Will the core customer remain loyal if we cut corners on sustainability?

Is rapid growth critical to the company's long-term viability?

If the answer to these questions is "no," lean into actionable sustainability and innovation, not into cost cutting.

Explore new raw materials that amplify your positive impact.

Launch a repair or exchange program that extends product longevity.

Take the time to invest in PR and content development to promote and support these efforts.

Related: Why All Businesses Can Benefit from a Guiding Social or Environmental Purpose

2. Invest in social media and strategic partnerships: Many consumers lean on Amazon when searching for a new product, using customer reviews to influence purchasing decisions. But, those interested in making eco-minded decisions often look to close networks to guide product exploration. Instead of moving into mainstream channels, cutting your costs and narrowing your margin, keep your current channels while investing in marketing you can control through continued expansion of your social media presence, strategic partnerships with other brands and gaining support from influencers.

3. Avoid mainstream marketplaces and retailers, and find eco-focused ones instead: If the time is right for you to work with wholesalers, distributors and/or online marketplaces, work with those committed to promoting sustainable brands.

If, and when, your company is ready to pursue mainstream sales channels, move forward with intention. Calculate the loaded costs of selling different products so you have full transparency of potential margins; don't position price points just to be in accordance with competitors. Consider selling just your top product to gain brand exposure without cutting into your margins across the board. With these channels, you don't own or interact with the customer, so consider re-packaging your product in a way that drives traffic to your social media feeds and website.

Related:

Is 'Low Cost at All Costs' the New Business Mantra? It Doesn't Have to Be.

Here's the Process to Create One of the Best Cups of Coffee I've Ever Had

The Future of Sustainability in Eco-High Tech



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Italian Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini is breaking off from speaking events in northern Italy, where his party will fight a regional election Sunday, to return to Rome and tackle mounting tensions in the populist coalition.

While Italian markets tumbled Friday with the European Union shaping up to reject Italy's 2019 budget, Salvini was embroiled in a spat with his coalition partner, Luigi Di Maio of the Five Star Movement, over tax policy.

Di Maio has accused Salvini's pro-business party, the League, of secretly sweetening a tax amnesty proposal that he'd only grudgingly agreed to in the first place. Salvini has denied any such thing ever happened and is flying back from Trentino near the border with Austria to thrash out the issue at a cabinet meeting in Rome at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

"Our enemies are outside, not inside the government -- let's talk about this as a family," Salvini said in a Facebook Live video. Some Five Star lawmakers are acting as if they were in opposition to the government, he added.

The administration is coming under fire from investors and the EU. With bond yields climbing, the 2019 spending program was attacked by several European leaders at a summit in Brussels this week as the European Commission warned that its budget draft won't fly.

"If one breaks these rules and Italy diverges from Maastricht, then that means Italy is endangering itself and of course endangering others," Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told reporters Friday, referring to the Maastricht Treaty which governs the single currency. "We as the European Union are not prepared to take on this risk."

The spread between Italy's 10-year bonds and similar German maturities reached a five-year high of 341 basis points on Friday after Premier Giuseppe Conte failed to convince his European partners that Italy should be allowed to flout the EU's fiscal rulebook.

Italy was not on the agenda of the EU summit but its EU-skeptic stance on migration and above all its budget defiance came up in all the briefings by leaders. While Conte was arguing Italy's case in one-on-one talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the EU Commission dispatched a letter to Rome saying its spending plans were excessive. It gave the government until Monday to provide an explanation for the "obvious significant deviation" from the rules.

"We all know the situation is delicate, and we have no interest in creating further tensions," EU economics Commissioner Pierre Moscovici told reporters at an event in Rome. "The ball is in the court of the Italian authorities."

Di Maio and Salvini, the two party leaders who control the government's lawmakers, have both ruled out making any changes to the budget as they seek to deliver on election promises including a "citizen's income" for the poor, tax cuts and a lower retirement age.

But they are fighting over the planned tax amnesty.

Di Maio on Wednesday said that someone had changed the language in the government's draft decree to allow Italians to get around the 100,000-euro ($115,000) limit that his party had insisted on. The League had pushed for a ceiling of 1 million euros, according to local press reports, and Di Maio was clearly pointing the finger at Salvini's team.

Conte, the prime minister, said in a Facebook post that debate between the different coalition groups was at times "vibrant" but the government has "proved it is able to work as a team."

Salvini initially refused to change his schedule to attend the meeting but finally agreed, saying at a campaign event that differences should be resolved "as a family." The League leader is rustling up support for an election in Trentino-Alto Adige on Sunday which he hopes to use to his advantage if the League performs well.

- - -

Bloomberg's Kevin Costelloe, Lorenzo Totaro and Andrew Atkinson contributed.
The latest crime statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigations show a strange trend has continued. The more states that legalize cannabis, the more people across the country get arrested for marijuana-related crimes.

According to the FBIs annual Crime in the United States report, released in September, there were 659,700 marijuana arrests in 2017. In 2016, that number was 653,249. Overall, marijuana arrests made up more than 40% of the 1.6 million drug-related arrests in 2017 across the country.

So, why is that happening?

Based on the FBI numbers, arrests for sales and manufacturing are actually down slightly from 2016. However, whats gone up are arrests for possession. About 91% of all the arrests were on possession charges.

Related: 'Microdosing Moms' and 'Divorced Dads' Emerge Among Cannabis Consumers

Counter to Public Opinion

To put the number of marijuana arrests in perspective, there were 518,617 arrests in 2017 for violent crime, far less than those arrested on marijuana-related charges.

Actions by law enforcement run counter to both public support and basic morality, Justin Strekal, the political director for NORML, said in a statement. He pointed out that these arrests are going up in a day and age where 20 percent of the population lives in states which have legalized and nearly every state has some legal protections for medical cannabis or its extract.

Race and economics also play a role in the reaction to drug arrests. Reports have shown that minorities and those in disadvantaged communities are far more likely to get arrested than those who are white and living in middle to upper class neighborhoods.

For example, a recent report by the Southern Poverty Law Center found that black people are three times more likely to get arrested for pot possession in Louisiana.

Related: 7 Interesting Things to Know About Canada's Legalization of Marijuana

Strange Trend

Arrests for marijuana possession and marijuana sales had actually fallen for a decade until 2016. In both 2016 and 2017, arrests went up.

This change comes at a time when nine states have legalized marijuana for recreational use and 30 have legalized medical marijuana. Two more states are considering legalizing adult-use marijuana on the November 2018 ballot (Michigan and North Dakota).

Voters in Utah and Missouri are considering legalizing medical marijuana.

However, the federal government still lists marijuana as a Schedule I illegal drug that has no medical benefit. Many states still completely prohibit the possession or use of marijuana.

The region with the biggest percentage of drug arrests involving marijuana is the Midwest where more than 53 percent of all drug arrests in 2017 involved marijuana. In the Northeast, the number was 49.6 percent, while in the South it was 48.7 percent.

The only region with significantly low marijuana arrests was the West, where many states have legalized both adult-use and medical marijuana. Only 15 percent of all drug-related arrests involved marijuana.

Follow dispensaries.com on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest cannabis news.

Related:

More States Have Made Marijuana Legal, So Why Are More People Getting Arrested?

'Microdosing Moms' and 'Divorced Dads' Emerge Among Cannabis Consumers

Here's Why the DEA Re-Scheduling Just One Cannabis-Based Drug Is a Very Big Deal



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The Forgotten: How the People of One Pennsylvania County Elected Donald Trump and Changed America

By Ben Bradlee Jr.

Little, Brown. 295 pp. $28

---

A month after the 2016 election, Ben Bradlee Jr. began interviewing voters in Luzerne County, Pa., where Donald Trump won 77 percent of the vote. The county, a working-class Democratic stronghold, hadn't voted for a Republican president since 1988. Pennsylvania was one of three historically Democratic Rust Belt states that unexpectedly swung the election to Trump. By July 2018, Bradlee, a longtime reporter and editor for the Boston Globe, had talked to nearly 100 voters, most of whom felt that government and the Democratic Party had forgotten them. They had.

Among the flood of books explaining how we got Trump, "The Forgotten" serves as an unintended companion volume to Thomas Frank's "Listen Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People?" Bradlee focuses on the impact of the growing income gap. If we ignore the taxes the government collects and benefits it distributes, from the middle of the Great Depression through 1980, the top 10 percent of Americans received 30 percent of the nation's income growth, and the other 90 percent took in 70 percent of it. But from 1997 to the present, the top 10 percent took in all of the U.S. income growth, and the bottom 90 percent got none. This shift occurred partly under the watch of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and Trump surged into the void claiming leadership of what he called "the forgotten people," Bradlee writes. "Trump connected strongly to his aggrieved constituency," and nowhere more than in Luzerne County. Trump won the general vote in part because he captured Pennsylvania, with strong support in its northeastern corner. And within that region, Luzerne County led the way.

"It is not a stretch to say," Bradlee writes, "that this single county won Trump Pennsylvania - and perhaps the presidency."

Hazleton, the second-largest city in Luzerne, was once the site of fierce struggles to ban child labor in dangerous coal mines. In 1897, 19 striking miners were killed and 32 injured - an eruption that led to the birth of the United Mine Workers Union. Today, coal in Luzerne County is gone, and much of the manufacturing that replaced it is gone, too. Many young people have vanished, leaving behind older, more conservative voters. The young who remain work low-wage jobs with warehouse businesses such as Amazon, Cargill and American Eagle. The jobs are attractive to people coming from even poorer places. In 2000, only 5 percent of Hazelton's population was Hispanic, coming mainly from the Dominican Republic. Today they make up 52 percent of the population. County per-capita incomes are low, averaging $25,000, about $4,500 lower than the state average. If this weren't enough, the opioid crisis in Luzerne County accounted for 154 fatal drug overdoses in 2017 - a rate four times higher than in New York City.

During the 2016 campaign Hillary Clinton seemed deaf to the hardships of Hazleton. Residents wanted realistic hope, but what they got from the Democratic Party was suggested by its choice of a campaign theme song - the cheery Pharrell Williams tune "Happy" from the soundtrack of the animated film "Despicable Me 2."

Clinton lost women like hairdresser Donna Kowalczyk, a crime-fighting activist whose mother worked in cigar and sewing factories. Her father was a disabled alcoholic, and her husband maintained the grounds of a local university. "I used to be the most liberal person you could imagine, fighting for everyone else's rights," she told Bradlee. Her neighborhood fell under the blight of drug dealers, car thieves and prostitutes. This lifelong Democrat was now very unhappy. She "switched parties to vote for Donald Trump," Bradlee writes.

Brian Langan, a recently retired detective with the Pennsylvania State Police, also a born Democrat, had already turned right to vote for Ronald Reagan in 1980. In the 2016 election, he didn't believe that either party had much to offer. He told Bradlee: "I thought, (BEGIN ITAL)Washington is broke, and I need someone to go down there with a sledgehammer(END ITAL). That was Donald Trump."

Curiously, Trump also drove a wedge between one conservative couple. Jess Harker was a nurse born into a pro-union Democratic household. But when she married Ray Harker, Bradlee writes, "he served as both her religious and political mentor," and Jess became an evangelical Christian Republican. When Trump emerged as the GOP nominee, she "went all-in for Trump." But to her husband, Trump "is a satanic fraud." In 2016 Jess voted for Trump, and Ray cast a defiant vote for Clinton. He now tunes in to Rachel Maddow's show on MSNBC and calls his wife a "Trump bot." Assessing Trump's impact on their relationship, Jess told Bradlee that " 'strain' is too pleasant a word to describe what this has done to our marriage. It has torn, ripped at, and tried to squash anything we built. We were, and still can be, in serious trouble if we talk about Trump." The couple is in counseling.

"The Forgotten" reveals the political impact not so much of poverty as of decline - and not simply decline in wages but in well-being and self-respect, especially among white blue-collar men. Research shows that these men have also become more socially isolated, less likely to go to church and to marry. They experience what Princeton professors Angus Deaton and Anne Case identify as "deaths of despair" from suicide, drugs and alcohol at a greater level than blacks and Hispanics of the same age. Along with their loss of self-respect has come a loss of faith that government run by either mainstream party could help them recover it. This is not a big-thesis book, nor a deep dive into new facts or ideas. But whatever the Russians did or the Koch brothers funded, this searing portrait shines a light on the disheartened voters the Democratic Party forgot.

---

Hochschild's latest book is "Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right."
The Diocese of Springfield is responding to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Cook County accusing all of the Catholic dioceses in Illinois of failing to acknowledge the emotional and physical harm and suffering of victims of abuse by clergy and seeking to hide claims of abuse in secrecy and protect the abusers, saying the claims are false.

A case specifically mentioned in the announcement of the legal action involving the Diocese of Springfield was thoroughly investigated and reported to civil authorities, according to the statement, and details of the complaint were shared with then-Sangamon County States Attorney John Schmidt.
Attorney General Lisa Madigan has issued a statement in response to a federal judges ruling rejecting a challenge to the Borrower Defense Rule that was created to protect students whose schools close abruptly before they can obtain a degree.

The ruling in the case California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools v. DeVos follows a decision by Judge Randolph Moss last month in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., calling Education Secretary Betsy DeVos efforts to dismantle the federal protections for students affected by for-profit schools unlawful, arbitrary and capricious and procedurally invalid.
Cocaine, heroin popular among specific groups in Patong, police play down claim

PHUKET: Cocaine and heroin use is on the rise among specific groups of people in Patong according to newly appointed Phuket Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai, who is also President of Phuket Provincial Drug Information Surveillance.

crimedrugspolicepatong

By The Phuket News

Friday 19 October 2018, 12:02PM

Newly appointed Phuket Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai. Photo: Pr Dept

However, the chief of the Patong Police has played down V/Gov Sopojs claim saying there is no cocaine epidemic in the area.

V/Gov Supojs revelation came during a drug suppression meeting held at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Oct 18) with Chief of the Defence Division of the Phuket Provincial Office Siripong Leeprasit and related officials also in attendance.

V/Gov Supoj said, The price of drugs is continuing to decrease due to larger amounts of drugs being smuggled into Phuket. The increase in drugs is due to an increase in demand, he said..

Recent police statistics on drug arrests confirms this information, he added.

We have also found that there is an increase in use of heroin and cocaine among specific group of people in the Patong area.

In addition, methamphetamine (ya bah) and crystal meth (ya ice) is continuing to be distributed across the island.

Kratom is the most prevalent drug in Phuket and cannabis continues to be used by tourists and teenagers, he said.

I have ordered relevant officials to investigate these facts to immediately enforce the law, he added.

Speaking to The Phuket News yesterday, Patong Police Chief Col Anotai Jindamanee said confidently, There is no truth about a cocaine epidemic in the Patong area and I can confirm that Patong is not the point for distributing drugs.

Most of those arrested for drug crimes in Patong have told me that the drugs have come from other places but they use it here, he said.

It is mostly foreigners who use cocaine and it is not easy to find on the market.

Meanwhile, heroin arrests are less this year compared to last year.

We work hard to suppress drug use within the Patong community, he added.
Phuket Robinson launches Lingerie Sharing project

PHUKET: Robsinson department store in Phuket Town this week launched its Lingerie Sharing campaign to raise funds to buy undergarments for women inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison.

health

By The Phuket News

Friday 19 October 2018, 04:19PM

The Thai Ministry of Public Health marks every October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Image: MoPH

Chutiwan Boonsup, a registered nurse who is the resident expert on chemotherapy at Vachira Phuket Hospital, spoake at the event. Photo: PR Dept

The Lingerie Sharing campaign was launched on Wednesday (Oct 17). Photo: PR Dept

Phornrat Suksawat, Assistant Manager of Phuket Robinson Ocean department store in Phuket Town, launched the campaign on Wednesday (Oct 17).

Joining Ms Phornrat were Phuket Provincial Prison Director Soontorn Dechraksa and Chutiwan Boonsup, a registered nurse who is the resident expert on chemotherapy at Vachira Phuket Hospital.

The Lingerie Sharing campaign runs from Oct 17 to Nov 11, Ms Phornrat explained.

The project is held to share good things and to care for the hygiene and health of women inmates at the prisons through the country, she said.

The Lingerie Sharing campaign involves all 47 Robinson branches throughout the country, she added.

For every B1,000 a customer spends on lingerie at any Robinson department store, Central will donate B50 to go towards buying female prisoners one new item of underwear, Ms Phornrat said.

Customers may make separate donations of B50 as well, she added.

The campaign is being held in conjunction with the Ministry of Public Health Breast Cancer Awareness Month, held every October. (See here.)

Robinson every October joins the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, and this year started their efforts on Oct 3 with Bra Day, Ms Phornrat noted.

The aim is to motivate women to care for their own health and reduce the risk of breast cancer, she said.

The activities on Oct 3 included a small talk on How to live free from breast cancer and invited participants to sew pellets into sample artificial breasts to highlight what breast cancer patients have implanted.

The low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) pellets are surgically inserted into breast implants that are used to reconstruct the breast after removal of a tumour.

The LLDPE plastic is free of chemicals that are harmful to the body and does not cause skin irritation. It is grade-certified plastic used in food packaging, Jidapat Worasitanon, a Medical Services Consultant at the Phuket Provincial Hospital in Rassada, explained at a breast cancer awareness event in Phuket in December last year. (See story here.)

There are no sharp edges and the plastic material is both soft and firm. It is suitable to be put into a breast as a substitute for the missing weight in the breast of a breast cancer survivor, in order to instil them with the same confidence, she added.

The Phuket News notes that Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket also answers the call to help female prisoners with its annual charity project for women inmates, calling for donations of new  and second-hand  bras to donate to women inmates at Phuket Provincial Prison. (See previous story here.)

Phuket Provincial Prison Director Soontorn confirmed to The Phuket News today (Oct 19) that there are currently 235 female prisoners incarcerated at Phuket Provincial Prison.
The Nai Harn elevates Phukets culinary scene with Prime @ Rock Salt

The Nai Harn, Phukets only member of Leading Hotels of the World, is once again raising the bar on island gastronomy with the launch of Prime @ Rock Salt, a new rooftop venue that promises exclusive dining experiences with spectacular views of the beach and sea.



By The Phuket News

Friday 19 October 2018, 01:02PM

Prime is perched on top of Rock Salt, The Nai Harns popular beachfront restaurant. Photo: Supplied

Perched on top of Rock Salt, The Nai Harns popular beachfront restaurant, Prime is an exclusive eatery with just 20 seats. This intimate size allows the chefs to create highly personalised dining experiences, including serene sunset dinners and private events for small groups.

Diners will be dazzled by dramatic live cooking experiences, with an open kitchen that features a custom-built wood-fired oven and Santa Maria-style barbecue grill. This allows Executive Chef Mark Jones and his team to roast, smoke or chargrill at temperatures of up to 700 degrees Celsius.

Prime @ Rock Salt is a new dining destination for Phuket and you could not ask for a better setting. The rooftop at Rock Salt affords spectacular sea views, especially at sunset and later when the stars fill the night sky, said Frank Grassmann, General Manager of The Nai Harn.

Combining this stunning setting with an exceptional menu, Prime is set to become the ultimate setting for unforgettable evenings, including romantic dinners and exclusive events, he added.

From custom-built kitchens to premium produce, everything about Prime@Rocksalt is focused on creating fantastic flavours. The appetizers feature some of the finest imported ingredients from around the world, including Spanish octopus, French goats cheese, Scottish salmon and Cornish mackerel, all expertly prepared in innovative ways that showcase the sublime flavours. Diners can also indulge in an assortment of house-cured signature cold cuts presented with a choice of pickles, condiments and freshly-baked breads.

For main course, outstanding cuts of meat and fresh seafood take centre stage, all cooked to perfection on Primes custom-built grills or baked in ovens to seal in the flavour.

Highlights include The Nai Harns homemade smoked chorizo sausage fired in a furnace, succulent KlongPhai chicken, masala marinated monkish tails from Brittany, and yoghurt-marinated Bultarra lamb cooked sous-vide and finished in a wood-fired oven.

Prime also serves a selection of world-class steaks from Australias Rangers Valley, which is famous for producing the most incredible marbled Black Angus and Wagyu beef from grain-fed cattle in New South Wales. Diners can choose from 400-day grain-fed Diamantina Wagyu flank steak or 360-day Wagyu rib-eye steak, perfectly chargrilled and served with a bone marrow and confit onion bread pudding, asparagus and red wine jus.

For an intimate yet extravagant feast, couples can share an exquisite 270-day Black Onyx Angus cote de boeuf, cooked over flames and oak chips, or indulge in barbecued glazed short ribs, slow-cooked for 48 hours then finished in the wood-fired oven. An extensive selection of grapes juices  all of them hand-picked by global critic James Suckling  provides the ideal accompaniment to every meal.

Welcoming diners from November 2018, Prime@Rocksalt will add a new dimension to the dining options at The Nai Harn, complementing existing venues such as the beachfront Rock Salt restaurant; the stylish, seaview COSMO Restaurant and Bar; and Han-Sha  Phukets only rooftop, oceanview sushi and sashimi bar.

With its modest size, stunning sea views and mouth-watering menu, Prime@Rocksalt is set to elevate Phukets culinary scene to impressive new heights. The new restaurant will begin welcoming diners from the end of November 2018.

For more information on dining at The Nai Harn click here.
Warrants sought T. Denny Sanford's email and data records

The Argus Leader and ProPublica went to court to win the release of public information.
LANSDALE  The latest winner of Lansdales Business of the Month award is one that has breathed new life into a multi-generation family business.

Councilman Steve Malagari gave the monthly award to BZ Orthodontics and owner Brian Zebrick for continuing a long legacy of being part of the community.

They want to use their position in the community, and their access to hundreds of families, to encourage everybody to give back, and continue to help Lansdale be a better place, Malagari said.

Located at 456 E. Hancock Street, BZ Orthodontics was originally established in 1961 by Leon Strohecker as Strohecker Orthodontics, and was operated by that family until 2017, when they retired and turned the practice over to Zebrick. The owner himself was unable to attend councils Oct. 18 meeting to accept the award in person, and several employees who attended said the owner was away on his honeymoon and thanked council on his behalf.

Since that shift, Malagari told council Wednesday night, Zebrick has continued to provide high quality service, along with their expert orthodontics.

As an orthodontic specialist, Dr. Zebrick offers Invisalign clear aligners, clear braces, and traditional metal braces, for patients of all ages, Malagari said, while showing slides of customers showing off their new smiles.

Zebrick himself is originally from Montgomery County, lived in Florida as a teen, then completed dental school at the University of Maryland and an orthodontic residency at Temple University, Malagari said. Since taking over the practice in March 2017, the company and its employees have worked to keep providing high quality dental care as conveniently as possible.

I asked them, How do you like doing business in the borough of Lansdale? And their response was, Its very gratifying to be part of the community as a whole, and the small business community in Lansdale. Its very rewarding to see our patients out in the community, and the change we can make in their lives,' Malagari said.

Malagari said he first took note of the business when walking along Hancock Street, to and from the nearby SEPTA station, and saw an array of solar panels set up to the rear of the office. When he asked about the solar system, Malagari said, he was told its just one way the company tries to be as green as possible.

The response was, We always try to reduce our footprint on the environment as much as possible. We use solar energy, the plastic bags we give our patients are biodegradable,' he said, and adult patients are given reusable tote bags they can use for shopping elsewhere.

BZ employees also take part in borough events, and organize donation drives each month for different local charities: in August and September they contributed to the North Penn School Districts Build a Bag campaign to assemble backpacks for kids in need, and in October are partnering with Laurel House to raise awareness of domestic violence, and working with Home at Last Dog Rescue to find new forever homes for pets.

Next month, Malagari said, BZ will collect food to donate to Manna on Main Street, and in December theyll organize a Toys for Tots drive to help needy families give gifts for the holidays.

They pride themselves on giving all of their patients the best experience, by treating them like family, and making their orthodontic experience as fun, and as comfortable, as possible, Malagari said.

Their larger goal is to have a greater impact in the community than just producing beautiful smiles, he said.

For more information on BZ Orthodontics, call 215-855-7717, visit www.BZortho.com or search for BZ Orthodontics on Facebook.
Yes. Just one day after making the green chesse legal, Canada is facing nationwide shortages, and it's unclear when it will end.



It seems Canadian marijuana suppliers grossly misjudged how much their people love the wacky tobaccy.



They knew the demand was going to be ginormous - online stores and physical dispensaries were stocked to the brim with everything from big ol' oz, to bongos to conveniently prerolled doinks. But prep aside, it just wasn't enough.



Canadians waited outside stores (and online) for hours on end to get their grubby hands on their first legal blaze only to be turned away when the stores had run out of supply.



Vice reports that one store even ran out of weed at precisely 4.20pm. Oh, how the bong lords laugh.



"I'm a little shocked that I sold out so fast, and also very upset that I don't have product for everybody, Thomas Clarke, who runs THC Distribution in Portugal Cove-St Philips, told the CBC. I'm letting down a lot of people here and I was assured that if I paid for the cannabis I would receive it."



Jesus. Whaddaya reckon would happen in NZ if the day we legalized weed, we ran out?



It's be like a zombie apocalypse. Only with smelly, barred up stoners...



Read the full story about Canada's unfortunate dak supply here.
Holy hecka. Villainy is packing a punch on their new tune IFXS and we're bloody loving it.

The beat is neck-spraining good, simultaneously chaotic and strangely melodic.

With heated lyrics like; "I fucked a snake with a rake and a motherfucking blade," it may sound like the track has come from a venomous place. Frontman Neill Fraser reveals the truth, which is a little less intense.

It started as just a bass lick that James had made; then he started yelling about fucking a snake.



The band were touring in Australia over a year ago when the instrumental came to life.

The boys revisited the tune a few months ago while piecing together album ideas.

"We tend to just throw shit at the wall and see where it goes," Neill explains.

On the track's meaning, guitarist Thom Watt's adds: "It's just about wanting to spend time with your mates."

Fucking the moon with a spoon?

Sounds like "spending time with your mates" is a real good time for Villainy.

"Alternatively, you could say I holed up in an attic on a long weekend and poured my heart out," jokes Neill,

"There really wasn't any amazing inspiration other than wanting to do something off the cuff."

Well lads, you've certainly achieved that.

We're all about the music video too. Filmed at Food City in Northcote, Villainy sit with an astronomical number of gummy worms - an obvious tie-in to the snake in the song. While Neill is paradoxically chill in his vocal delivery, the rest of the band go ham on the worms.



And now time for obviously the most important question of all here; where in the shit do you get that many gummy worms?

"We cleared out every K-Mart and Warehouse. Unfortunately, Food City couldn't supply our demand."

Thom even picked up 6kgs of gummy worms off some dude on the side of the motorway.



No really.

Like a drug deal, only with candy.

Oi. Not that kind of candy.

"A Hillsborough snake meet," Neill clarifies.

How f*cking good? Villainy, out there doing it.

This is just the Villainy fix we needed while waiting for their new album. While the band won't reveal a date yet, it's coming. We will keep you posted as details emerge.



Watch the IFXS video above or stream on Spotify here.




There is a social revolution quietly underway in Great Britain, with significant implications for the worlds leading economies.

So far, the radical changes likely in store for British capitalism, in the very country that invented it, have been obscured by the drama of Brexit, Britains pending divorce from the European Union (EU).

The U.K. Labour Party, which is likely to take power in Britain next year, is unique in the advanced economies in its aggressive promotion of measures that will end the grotesque unfairness within our society, as Labours popular shadow finance minister, John McDonnell, describes the growing gap between rich and poor.

As strongman governments have taken power in Poland, Hungary and most recently Austria, U.K. Labour is also unusual in channeling populist discontent in a constructive way, absent scapegoating of immigrants and demonization of business.

Labour pledges a requirement that all private-sector U.K. firms with workforces larger than 250 employees contribute a portion of their profits to Inclusive Ownership Funds.

The funds would be held in trust on behalf of the firms employees. The money would be used to accumulate shares in the business, from which dividends could be paid directly to employees, increasing their household income and consumer spending power.

As those shares grew in number, to a maximum of 10 per cent of total shares outstanding, the employees elected trustees would exert greater influence in the stewardship of the business.

Labour also wants to see one-third of board directorships held by rank and file employees.

Together, those measures would help force an irreversible shift in wealth and power in favour of working people, says McDonnell.

Labour also promises to expand free childcare, in a move toward universal daycare. And it seeks to re-nationalize several former state enterprises, notably water utilities, returning the provision of a wide swath of essential services to public ownership and control.

A variation on those measures came close to bringing Labour to power in last years snap general election. While they have been in development for the past two years, and were unveiled in full only last month at Labours annual policy conference, the daring reforms keep faith with Labours call in the 1980s for an irreversible shift of power and wealth to working people.

The U.K. electorate wasnt ready for that radical agenda then, at the height of the Margaret Thatcher era of underfunding social services and privatizing state assets. That was before automation and globalization trapped millions of workers in low-wage ghettos.

Such is Labours resolve in acting on its reform agenda that McDonnell and his boss, party leader Jeremy Corbyn, vow to introduce the needed legislation in Labours first year in power.

The inevitable business backlash to the Labour economic-justice agenda  the most practical and comprehensive attack on income inequality yet advanced among advanced economies  has been surprisingly tame.

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the U.K.s leading business lobby, has simply called on Labour to consult more extensively with business before implementing its reform agenda, or risk measures that crack the foundations of this countrys prosperity.

But the consensus of U.K. political observers is that Labours proposed reforms are practical and have given Labour a winning campaign platform, in contrast to the partys muddled position on Brexit.

Then there are the precedents.

As PM in the 1980s, Thatcher proposed an employee share-ownership scheme that differs from Labours current proposal only in that Thatcher would allow employees to sell their shares. In Labours ownership funds, shares would be held by a trust, not directly by employees, ensuring that firms become and remain genuinely influenced by employee ownership.

Theresa May, current prime minister and leader of the Conservatives, embraced employee-held corporate directorships until business lobbies dissuaded her from it.

But McDonnell and Corbyn are adamant that employees with a greater stake in a business will yield a reduction in turnover and absenteeism, boost morale, and increase the innovative prowess of U.K. industry, while improving a productivity growth rate in which both the U.K. and Canada are laggards.

They have the backing of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a U.K. think tank. In a widely discussed report last month, the IPPR insisted on the urgent need for a new capitalism model that gives more people a share of capital and spread[s] economic power and control in the economy by expanding the decision rights of employees in the management of companies.

Germanys large commercial enterprises have for decades been guided by two boards of directors, one dominated by management, the other by employee and community reps. The two boards have equal power in the stewardship of the enterprise.

As to re-nationalization, McDonnell is met with thunderous applause in speaking of water utility CEOs who will have to reapply for their jobs at vastly lower pay. Polls show that a stunning 80 per cent of Britons favour re-nationalization.

Excessive executive pay encourages the short-term profit-seeking among corporate CEOs that triggered the 2008 Wall Street meltdown and resulting Great Recession. And in private hands, utilities have not provided more affordable and reliable services. Nor has a notoriously dysfunctional British Rail.

Labour has calculated that Britons are now eager for change. Decades of wage stagnation have alienated not only Britains working class but its shrinking middle class  worrisome conditions well known in Canada.

Eight years of fiscal austerity  the misguided Conservative response to the Great Recession  have weakened the social safety net, and imperiled a National Health Service as beloved to Britons as Medicare is to Canadians.

Canadas poverty rate of approximately 13 per cent is intolerable. The U.K. poverty rate is close to 22 per cent. Many countries have smaller populations than the 14.4 million Britons living in poverty, 4.5 million of them children. A critical shortage of social housing has 128,000 British children living homeless or in temporary accommodations. An estimated 140 more U.K. families become homeless each day.

In the depths of Britains post-Second World War malaise, the U.K. invented the universal health care that every industrialized country apart from the U.S has since adopted.

As the worlds sixth-largest economy, the U.K. will retain global influence within or outside the EU in showcasing a reinvention of capitalism that more broadly benefits the people. The alternative to that model, our current gradualism in confronting a socially corrosive income and wealth gap, will someday afflict the comfortable.

Upheavals spanning the Russian food riots of 1917 to the sorry outcomes of the 2016 Brexit referendum and the ascension of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency are proof that the patience of those great many people struggling with deprivation is not inexhaustible.

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Four in 10 Canadians say they have experienced aggressive or misleading marketing for products and services including TV, phone and home internet, according to a recent survey.

Its a finding thats sure to come up when the CRTC launches a hearing next week into the telecom sales practices by the countrys communciations giants.

Im maybe a little shocked at how many people say theyve had a problem, said John Lawford, executive director of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, referring to an Ipsos poll conducted for the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission and released in advance of the weeklong public hearing starting in Gatineau, Que. on Monday.

Its a compelling statement of peoples complete and utter dismay with the way telecom and TV is sold to them.

Ipsos gathered 1,603 results from an online survey conducted between Aug. 27 and Sept. 9 along with 7,075 responses from a public poll on the CRTCs website and a survey available through the CRTCs toll-free line. Ipsos also conducted studies targeting groups most likely to be affected by aggressive sales techniques including seniors, people living with a disability and those whose first language is neither English nor French.

Of the 40 per cent of respondents who said they experienced aggressive or misleading telecom sales tactics, the majority say it occurred within the last year. More than 30 per cent said that sales representatives provided false details about telecom products or services, while 28 per cent said they received rebate or discount offers where specific terms were not disclosed before a purchase was made.

Fifty-five per cent said sales reps attempted to push products or services they were not interested in, while 35 per cent said technical support staff promoted sales. Seventy-four per cent of respondents said they want the CRTC, the telecom watchdog, to specifically address these concerns, while 84 per cent said theyd support a mandatory code of conduct for telecom sales.

Seventy-seven per cent of respondents said they believe telecom companies engage in aggressive or misleading sales practices to pressure more vulnerable people into accepting products or services they do not need.

Rogers and Bell/Aliant customers were more likely to report having experienced unsavoury telecom sales practices, either overall or in regards to the specific types of practices presented, according to the study.

Videotron customers were more likely to report that theyve experienced sales representatives attempting to sell products or services they didnt want. Videotron customers were also more likely to report their unsavoury experiences had taken place within the past year.

Both the public research and the hearings follow a period of formal public comment with submissions hosted on the CRTCs website. Telecom service providers, organizations and individuals had until Aug. 31 to file their comments. Most of the 1,407 responses were from individuals, with many complaining about issues including door-to-door sales and poor customer service.

Service providers said in their submissions that aggressive or misleading sales practices are not acceptable and that they are bolstering training and other measures to curtail any improper conduct.

They also suggest such practices are isolated instances. Bell submitted that just 0.05 per cent of its customer calls were escalated due to complaints about sales issues, while Rogers reported an even smaller percentage.

Rogers, Telus and Shaw each said existing statutes and codes, including the Competition Act and the code of conduct for wireless providers, give sufficient protection and recourse for consumers.

Rogers argued that some complaints are an offshoot of burgeoning product selection in the telecom sector. Given the choices available to consumers, there may occasionally be some miscommunications or misunderstandings, Rogers said in its submission.

Next weeks hearings will include appearances from all the major telecom providers along with public advocacy groups and individual consumers and will help inform a CRTC report that must be filed to the federal government by the end of February, said a spokesperson for the commission.

She said the aim is to consider the possible use of aggressive and misleading sales practices by the large providers, as well as existing and new remedies. Ottawa has the power to change rules through Telecommunications Act amendments should improper sales practices be deemed widespread and systemic.

Alternatively, the federal Liberals could ask the CRTC to draft a recommendation for new rules, a process that might involve another period of public comment.

It would make for a slow pace of change as has been the case with reviews of possible mis-selling to consumers by Canadas big banks. Still, major telecom providers appear to be anticipating that some concrete measures will emerge.

It is clear from many of the interventions filed that each of the major carriers continues to face challenges in ensuring that customers are well-served and provided with complete and accurate information before a sale is completed, Bell Canada said in its submission to the CRTC.

Telus, with the lowest churn or customer defection level in the industry, said the CRTC should implement a code of conduct that allows consumers to seek restitution from the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre, in its submission, called for an outright ban on unsolicited telecom door-to-door sales, as Ontario has done with most heating, air and water services.

The CRTCs inquiry was requested by the Governor-in-Council after a series of media reports drawn from interviews with consumers and Bell and Rogers employees detailed high-pressure tactics and inadequate or misleading disclosure by telecom sales representatives.

The hearing will be conducted before a full CRTC panel led by chair Ian Scott and webcast on the CPAC cable channel, while Canadians are invited to participate via Twitter using the hashtag #CRTCforum.

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CALGARYA recent investigation into Alberta Health Services criticized the organizations failure to properly protect against the largest breach in its history in terms of people affected and the breachs duration.

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta found AHS did not meet its duties under the provinces Health Information Act to protect health information. A former AHS employee working at Alberta Hospital Edmonton accessed the health information of more than 12,000 people between 2004 and 2015.

The offices investigation determined that AHS failed to ensure this employee was aware of and adhered to safeguards put in place to protect this information.

This report should be a wake-up call for anyone responsible for protecting Albertans health information, alerting them to the potential consequences if they fail in their duty to implement and maintain reasonable safeguards to protect health information, said Privacy Commissioner Jill Clayton in the report.

AHS informed the public of the breach in September 2016. The organization also notified the individuals affected by the breach that their information had been accessed.

The former employee improperly accessed the information through Alberta Netcare, the provincial electronic health record. The investigation found concerns about the former employees use of Netcare was raised by co-workers four times between March 2014 and July 2015.

AHS failed to take reasonable steps when it did not fully investigate these issues when they arose, Clayton said in the report. Without the persistence of the employees former co-workers, who repeatedly brought concerns forward, the employees unauthorized use of Netcare might well be ongoing to this day.

Clayton said in her report that shes considering the next steps, which could include an overall review of Netcare governance and safeguards.

On Aug. 31, amendments made to the Health Information Act came into force, introducing a fine of at least $200,000 for anyone failing to take reasonable steps to maintain safeguards against anticipated threats to health information security.

After AHS notified the public, the privacy office received 30 written complaints from people affected by the breach who wanted to know why their information had been accessed and why these actions had gone undetected for so long.

The reports recommendations include a review of privacy training across AHS, a review of the adequacy by which health information or policy compliance issues are investigated, a review of the approach used to audit employee access and use of Netcare, and an examination of AHS to ensure it can prevent unauthorized use of Netcare.

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Its striking that it took a Hungarian refugee to showcase the best of Canada through publishing some of its finest books. But Anna Porter suggests that, as an outsider, she could see how writers and artists grapple with the vastness of our country and their place within it.

Porter, who fled Budapest with her mother and arrived in Canada half a century ago, is the renowned publisher who began her career at McClelland and Stewart, then co-founded Key Porter Books. As her hefty 480-page memoir proves, theres hardly a prominent Canadian she didnt know, promote, have drinks with and is now writing about.

In Other Words: How I Fell in Love with Canada One Book at a Time tells the inside story of Canadas golden age of publishing, starting amid the simmering nationalism of the late 60s. Thats when our country began to fall in love with itself, creators were larger than life and books were not yet saleable units in big-box stores.

At its heart was Porter, who wasnt much more than a proofreader when Jack McClelland hired her. But she was sharp and confident and thrilled to get paid for reading. From her first major blunder  she approved a book cover with author Ted Allans surname misspelled  she was soon working with luminaries such as Margaret Laurence, Mordecai Richler and Harold Town. A treasure trove of novels, art books and Canadiana ensued.

In Other Words is less about Porter than the writers, illustrators and photographers she worked with. Gossipy but never mean, she reveals that Sylvia Fraser leapt out of a cake at Irving Laytons birthday party, and the naturally shy Farley Mowat crawled down a dinner table in his traditional kilt  with no underpants. Pierre Berton awkwardly flirted with Porter, Margaret Atwood read her palm, Earle Birney wrote her a poem, and Margaret Trudeau would visit with her boys in tow. In Porters book, convicted criminal Conrad Black comes off a hero, poet Milton Acorn a bum, McClelland himself a brilliant visionary but ultimately a broken man.

Clearly, Porter has a special fondness for all of them and the works they created. Publishing may not be a very profitable business, she writes, but where else can you spend time with such extraordinary people?

In Other Words shows that our creators are just as talented, flamboyant and eccentric as anybodys. For lovers of Canadian literature, this book is entertaining reading. For industry insiders, its essential.
OTTAWAThe federal government has no intention of sending anyone to a major investment conference in Saudi Arabia next week at a time when Riyadh is the target of global outrage  and one source insists Ottawa never had plans to dispatch a delegation.

Cabinet ministers, federal officials and embassy staff will skip the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, which is sometimes referred to as Davos in the Desert, a senior government insider said Thursday.

Last year, then-natural resources minister Jim Carr attended the inaugural edition of the summit.

This years event comes as Saudi Arabia faces intense global pressure following the disappearance and apparent death of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and U.S. resident who has written critically of the Saudi regime.

In recent days, key international figures have announced theyve cancelled plans to attend the Saudi summit. They include top business executives, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, European cabinet ministers, International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

On the bilateral front, Canadas relationship with Saudi Arabia has deteriorated significantly since the summer.

Read more:

Trump concedes Khashoggi likely dead, threatens consequences

U.S. pulls out of Saudi meeting amid Khashoggi controversy

Trumps Saudi bet has become much riskier

In August, Riyadh suspended diplomatic ties with Canada and expelled the Canadian ambassador after Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland criticized the regime on Twitter for its arrest of social activists.

The Canadian official, speaking on condition of anonymity Thursday, declined to draw a direct link to recent events when asked why Canadians were skipping the summit  they said Canada is just not going.

On Thursday in the House of Commons, Freeland called Khashoggis disappearance deeply troubling as she was pressed by opposition MPs to explain why the government is honouring a multibillion-dollar arms contract with a Saudi regime accused of human rights violations and war crimes.

Canada has said this with a very strong voice. Thats the message I transmitted to Saudi Arabias foreign affairs minister, Freeland said in reference to the Khashoggi case.

Ive also discussed this subject with my counterparts in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. We join our partners in calling for a thorough investigation and accountability for this act.

In response to another question on Saudi Arabia, she said: Canadas position on human rights in general, very much including in Saudi Arabia, is clear and firm.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that, during their recent conversation, the Saudi king firmly denied allegations that he or his crown prince had any knowledge of or role in the disappearance of Khashoggi, who was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

With files from The Associated Press

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JACKMAN, MAINEU.S. Border Patrol agents have arrested a Canadian citizen who they say illegally entered the U.S. and hunted moose.

The Bangor Daily News reports the person was arrested Tuesday near the St. Zacharie Port of Entry.

The Canadian is facing a federal charge of illegal entry to the U.S. and state charges of hunting moose out of season and hunting moose without a permit.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not disclose the persons name, gender or their hometown in Canada.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Jackman Station and a state game warden assisted in the arrest.
EDMONTONThe smell of weed wafting in the air Wednesday didnt just signal celebration, it was also sigh of relief for Jennae Matzner.

Matzner, 20, is a casual cannabis user who pegs her consumption at once or twice a week. She said shes experienced discrimination from acquaintances at school after they realize she smokes.

They just stuck up their noses and wouldnt talk to me that day because they thought I was a different person, she said. I know a lot of people associate smoking weed with being stupid.

On Wednesday, the federal governments Cannabis Act ended almost a century-long prohibition of the substance, finally allowing adults to legally buy, grow, and consume recreational marijuana.

For many Canadians, the move opens the door on drug use that was once kept in the closet, or at least the shadows.

Matzner, a University of Alberta student studying at the Augustana Campus in Camrose, travelled to Edmonton for legalization day to stand in line at Numo Cannabis, a shop in the citys Alberta Avenue neighbourhood. She used to rely on her friends for a toke, but now she can finally buy her own.

Now studying psychology in her third year, she said she first tried cannabis in her teens, and came back to it in her first year of university after experiencing anxiety and insomnia, finding it helped her relax and get some sleep.

Complicating Matzners situation is that shes more than an academic. As a vice-president with the Augustana Students Association, shes an elected advocate for her colleagues on campus, and held to a higher standard than her peers.

I dont want to be public about it, Matzner said of her cannabis use. Im worried because I am in front of a large audience of students. They hold me accountable for a lot of my actions because  theyre looking to you to lead.

Geraint Osborne, a sociology professor at the University of Alberta who studies recreational cannabis use, said the federal governments landmark bill is one of the final steps to normalizing the drug and removing the stigma around it.

According to Statistics Canadas latest national cannabis survey, 4.5 million Canadians aged 15 and older (or 15 per cent) said they had used cannabis in the last three months.

In a 2017 study that asked recreational users, particularly white-collar workers and graduate students, for their perspectives on legalization, Osborne found that the vast majority of respondents were in favour of legalization, in part because of the stigma associated with cannabis use.

But that doesnt mean the old attitudes have gone up in smoke.

Theyre quite secretive about their use because of the stigma thats attached to it, Osborne said. A lot of people have the old stoner stereotypes in mind when theyre thinking of your average cannabis user.

Citing the portrayal of cannabis users popularized by comedy duo Cheech & Chong in the 1970s, he said that many people still view smokers as messy, lazy, unemployed, and unambitious. But the stigma could be traced even further back, Osborne said, to the 1930s and Reefer Madness, an anti-cannabis propaganda film that placed the plant at the edge of a slippery slope to addiction, criminal behaviour and life-shattering consequences.

That perception of pot and its users, which persists today, has had a hand in causing some smokers to feel like they need to closet their consumption, and disclose it only to a select and trusted few.

They wait until people get to know them really well before they reveal it, so that people dont just focus in on the cannabis use and recognize that these are people who hold down jobs, volunteer in their community, raise kids, and are law-abiding in all other ways, Osborne said.

But in the months leading up to legalization, Matzner has noticed a positive shift in attitudes toward the substance and the people who use it. And although shes not sure if she will ever be completely comfortable smoking in public, she at least feels at ease talking to her family about it  something she has avoided in the past.

Weve grown up our whole lives thinking that its this bad drug, she said. And (as) its become more accepted, Ive been able to talk to my mom about it, and have comfortable conversations.

Legalization, Osborne said, is one of the keys to eliminating attitudes that cause users to withdraw, as well as the hazards that come with closeted use.

If people are ashamed to be seen purchasing product in public, theyre not going to rely on legal outlets, he said. Thats defeating one of the main aims of legalization, which is to get a regulated product out there that people can buy and consume safely.

Recreational cannabis has only been legal since Wednesday, and the stigma wont disappear overnight. Rather, it will take a more concerted effort from all rungs of society, Osborne said.

Hopefully prominent Canadians, respected Canadians, who use will come forward and talk about their use, and how theyve integrated it into their daily lives. Thats a move toward a full normalization of cannabis in society.

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CALGARYThe union that represents Calgary police officers is challenging the Calgary Police Service policy that bans officers from consuming cannabis, even off the job.

Calgary Police Association president Les Kaminski said the union filed a policy grievance Wednesday, as soon as the rule came into effect when cannabis became legal across Canada.

Kaminski said Thursday that the CPA takes issue with the fact that the policy covers what officers are allowed to do on their own time with a legal substance. He also said there is a stipulation in the policy that appears to circumvent what the Criminal Code says about when a drug test is lawful.

There are already provisions in the Criminal Code that allow for testing when all of the subjective and objective criteria are met, Kaminski said. The way this policy is referenced, it tries to supersede what the Criminal Code allows, and thats not kosher.

A CPS spokesperson confirmed that the service had received the unions letter, but said CPS couldnt comment on the specifics of the grievance because they were still reviewing it.

Under the services HR policy, CPS members who carry firearms and are capable of being operationally deployed, or sent to respond to a scene, cant partake in recreational cannabis in any form at any time.

Read more:

Calgary police to ban recreational cannabis use for officers  even off-duty

Police officers decry offensive restrictions on off-duty cannabis use

Toronto police officers cant use cannabis within 28 days of working

Supt. Darren Leggatt, the leader of the Calgary Police Service cannabis legalization project, said in September that because the service doesnt have enough information about how long cannabis impairment can last, they landed on a blanket ban.

Policing is considered safety-sensitive work, and Leggatt said that uncertainty about public safety if officers use cannabis on off-duty time drove the CPS policy.

He added at the time that drug testing wont be a part of the policy, but Kaminski said there is language that points to testing.

In Toronto, police are banned from using cannabis within 28 days of duty, a rule the union for officers in that city said it does not support and criticized as arbitrary.

But in cities like Vancouver and Ottawa, police have taken the approach of requiring officers to report fit for duty rather than issuing specific guidelines about how long police should abstain from cannabis before going to work.

Kaminski said unions have discussed this issue nationally, and they think the fit-for-duty standard is more appropriate.

One thing I dont understand is how the chiefs had a whole year  we know theyve met time and time again  and they still couldnt come out with policy that is homogeneous across the board, Kaminski said.

Our members know they have to arrive fit for duty. Its no different with any other intoxicant, he said. Theres policy that exists with alcohol saying, You cant come to work drunk. And then this new substance comes into play and suddenly all these new rules fall in.

A policy grievance means the union is taking initiative to challenge the policy, instead of filing a grievance on behalf of a specific officer.

Kaminski said CPS has already been in contact with the union to arrange a meeting, and hes hoping to start a productive conversation.

Im hopeful we can get some of these things resolved and maybe even withdraw the grievance. Well see how it plays out.

Calgary police have said they will be evaluating the policy and are open to changing it in the future. Kaminski said he thinks police services across the country will continue to grapple with this issue as the new era of legalization moves ahead.

I wish CPS had taken more of a leadership role instead of taking the hard line on zero consumption.

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PORT ALBERNI, B.C.The managers of two pot shops on Vancouver Island where police seized thousands of dollars worth of marijuana say the British Columbia government failed them by only approving one store in the province before legalization as raids were reported on both ends of the country.

The RCMP say they entered the Port Alberni Cannabis Club at around 11 a.m. Wednesday, before visiting Leaf Compassion Cannabis Dispensary around 2 p.m., and found both stores were open without provincial licences.

Police gave the store no warning in the weeks or days before the raid, said general manager Christine Jarvis, and she blamed the province for not approving her licence application in time for legalization on Wednesday.

I feel violated. They had enough time to do this, she said, adding its been three years since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signalled his intention to legalize marijuana.

Eric Vesaranta, general manager of Leaf Compassion Cannabis Dispensary, said the Mounties left the store practically empty. He intends to dispute his $575 ticket.

Its literally all the governments fault with not having applications ready on time, he said. Everybody filled them out in time, but the government didnt give them back in time for legalization.

Read more:

Its like the gold rush, some pot shops to stay open despite threat of prosecution

On the other side of the country, a dispensary in St. Johns was raided Thursday by police and inspectors from the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corp.

At this point, all I can say is that a warrant was executed early this evening at that location, said Greg Gill of the liquor corporation, declining to comment on possible charges.

Police and liquor inspectors had cleared the downtown dispensary by 10 p.m. local time, after bagging and tagging everything inside.

Officers seized cannabis products from both locations in Port Alberni, B.C., and issued the owners violation tickets for the unlawful sale of marijuana, the RCMP said in a statement.

In accordance with the new legislation and regulations, cannabis is to be sold exclusively at government-run stores, licensed private retailers, and the B.C. governments online store, the statement said.

While the legal recreational use of cannabis may be new, the enforcement of laws around the illegal production, distribution and consumption of cannabis is not.

Its unclear whether the raids in B.C. were the first in Canada after marijuana was legalized.

Sgt. Janelle Shoihet said she was not aware of any other raids by the Mounties in British Columbia. The RCMPs national headquarters said it could not provide a response Thursday on whether thered been other similar enforcement by the Mounties in other parts of Canada.

The federal government gave the provinces and territories the authority to license retail stores ahead of marijuana becoming legal on Wednesday. At this point, B.C. only has one licensed location  a government-run store in Kamloops in B.C.s Interior  and an online store.

Both the Port Alberni Cannabis Club and Leaf Compassion Cannabis Dispensary hold municipal business licences and paid a $7,500 fee as part of their application for provincial licences.

Jarvis said the Mounties seized everything that was visible in the store, totalling about $10,000 worth of product, and issued her a $575 ticket.

Her customers are primarily older medical users who come for edibles, concentrates and other products that keep them off pain relievers and sleeping pills, she said.

We have no access to get to Kamloops. Wed have to take a ferry and everything. Online, you have to have a credit card and wait two to four days shipping, she said.

Its unreasonable to ask anyone in smaller towns to even bother trying to go that route. So now, they cant even get it.

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth advised illicit dispensaries to shut down before Wednesday and wait to receive provincial approval. The province did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

On Wednesday, he said part of the delay in opening stores was because of the provinces promise that local governments will get to make the final decision about pot outlets in their communities. Many municipalities are waiting for Saturdays local elections before proceeding, he added.

A Ministry of Attorney General spokesperson said Thursday that legislation prevented the province from issuing a retail store licence until federal legalization came into force, but he did not elaborate on which legislation the province was referring to.

Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick each had 20 stores open on Wednesday, while Alberta had 17.

Vesaranta said his store serves scores of medical users who consider marijuana to be akin to their prescription medication.

People are coming in here like, Where do I go now? ... Theyre like, I havent been to a black market dealer for two or three years, he said.

It leaves them with nowhere to get medicine.

There are 186 paid applications being processed in the province, including 73 that have been sent to municipal governments for final approval.

Earlier this week, Vancouver Chief Const. Adam Palmer, who is also president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, said raids of unlicensed pot shops on Day 1 of legalization were highly unlikely. He said police would take a common-sense, pragmatic approach.

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So theyre out of the gate. But which brands are going to dominate in the great cannabis race?

And how will they push their branding message while staying in line with the promotional limitations of federal regulations?

Theres a misperception that because of federal guidelines, cannabis companies will uniformly hew to a pharmaceutical or antiseptic look and that you, the consumer, wont see much messaging in the public sphere.

But the billboard advertisement that appeared on Lake Shore Blvd. E., in advance of Oct. 17 sent a clear message that at least one company was thinking differently. The tricoloured billboard was divided vertically into three colours: gold, red and black. Each panel bore the sleek symbol of a flame. Each bore one word: Fireside. And each bore the momentous date: 10 17 18.

Another popped up above the Belfast Love pub on King St. W. Single-colour panels showed up at Jane and Steeles. And in snowy Alberta. And on the 401.

It was classically smart advertising: enticing, anticipatory, curious, attention-getting.

Fireside cannabis is marketed as a premium, small-batch product from Vivo Cannabis Inc., headquartered in Napanee, Ont. Vivo has supply agreements in Ontario and the western provinces. On Weed-nesday, Fireside Red (mid-range potency level) and Fireside Black (high THC potency) went on sale on the Ontario Cannabis Stores website in two sizes, the smaller of which, at a single gram priced at $13.15, sold out.

The corporate story of Vivo is multi-faceted: in August it purchased Canna Farms in Hope, B.C. That acquisition brought with it reputation  Canna was the first licensed producer in B.C.  such distinctive strains as Tangerine Dream and Girl Scout Cookies, and a deal with British Columbia Distribution Brands. Vivo was already in the field of medical cannabis, through Beacon Medical, and intends to capitalize on health and wellness applications through its Lumina brand, a future that lies some ways away.

But were getting ahead of ourselves.

Readying for Oct. 17 was some kind of craziness. Industries usually evolve in a much more disciplined way where you have an opportunity to come up the learning curve, but in this case it was just a mad rush to the starting line, says Vivo chief executive officer Barry Fishman, who found himself gluing stickers to product. I dont know if the public realizes the phenomenal impact of having an entire market open up on one day.

So here we are at the beginning. There will be losers. Vivo would prefer not to be one of them. So how to gain an advantage? Marketing is one piece. We wanted people to be aware of Fireside because of all these brands coming out of nowhere, Fishman says.

The challenge of creating the messaging around the new brand offering fell to chief marketing officer Sung Kang, who spent more than a decade in food (General Mills), beverage (Labatt) and pharma (Novartis) before arriving at Vivo.

We worked really hard to create a brand that had a great emotional story to tell, one that people can really relate to and feel in sync with, Kang says.

The objective was to sidestep pot smoking cliches while embracing the social connectivity of passing around a joint. The campfire hit the right notes: it brings people together, its relaxing and, as Kang says, in the circle glow of flannel-shirted people the stories inevitably start coming out. You just feel so safe, you just feel so relaxed. And you usually dont do that with the people you dont like. You do that with people you like the most.

So the focus became creating a brand that brings out the same emotion as the campfire. Its such an easy communication, Kang says. People just instantly get it.

At the same time, the look of the brand had to strike notes of modernity and urbanity. The modern sans serif font and the simplified flame icon speak to that.

And those limitations on product promotion? We used to work on billboards for alcohol where you had a really cute headline, you have some sort of image that supported the headline, and the agency had a really tough time making a line that was funny or captivating or breakthrough  It just ends up being a big jumbled mess. Theyre ineffective because marketers insist on trying to communicate too much in them.

It is so refreshing to say Im not allowed to do anything but put my brand up there, Kang says counterintuitively of the pot challenge.

Heres a disappointment: Vivo didnt get Fireside Gold shipped to the OCS on time. In that Vivo is in good company. Even some of the biggest players stumbled with their listings. But this is just the beginning. As Kang says, as the market increases, cannabis companies will slice increasingly distinctive segments. Think of craft beers and what Kang calls the sub-tribes of drinkers who like sours versus IPAs versus stouts.

Thats tomorrows story. If Fireside catches on, it presents obvious edibles opportunities. Of course the company has already thought of pot-infused smores.

Will the brand catch fire? We wont know the answer to that until the dust settles and we see which brands resonate and which fall by the wayside, Kang says. I might be a brand guy, but at the end of the day brands are only as good as the products that are under it. We have a big belief in that product quality.

The branding itself proves that even in a tightly regulated market, a clever marketer can create a distinctive esthetic.
Waterfront Toronto and members of a group of tech, data and privacy experts advising the corporation on Sidewalk Labs proposal for a data-driven neighbourhood on the east waterfront want a master plan for the project delayed.

Members of the digital strategy advisory panel and Waterfront Toronto met Thursday with Sidewalk Labs to discuss a set of proposals released by the U.S.-based firm Monday afternoon. The proposals outline strategies for handling privacy, and the collection, control, and access to data that would be collected from a smart-city neighbourhood Sidewalk Labs wants to build on a 12-acre site near Parliament St. and Lake Shore Blvd. E. called Quayside.

The issue of collecting data concerning residents and visitors to the neighbourhood has been a controversial one. In the new proposals, Sidewalk Labs has pledged not to control the data collected at the site and is calling for a special civic data trust to do so based on responsible data use guidelines.

But some members of the committee advising Waterfront Toronto threatened to resign this week, saying Sidewalk Labs proposals dont go far enough.

There was no talk of resignations after Thursdays meeting. Instead, there was a general call for both further meetings to discuss the proposals and a delay of the draft master plan Sidewalk Labs was hoping to deliver early next year. The panel members said more time is needed to grapple with the myriad issues and questions raised by the data issue.

We need to push it back, panel member Andrew Clement, professor emeritus in the University of Torontos faculty of information, said during the meeting, adding that time is needed to develop a data governance framework that can inform the master plan.

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We need to have the time to do this properly, he said.

Clement said he wants to know how data collection will impact individuals at Quayside as well as the broader community.

Will all public spaces (there) be subject to video surveillance? he asked.

The meeting heard that a lot of the specifics around how data will be used in real-time scenarios at Quayside are still being worked out.

Sidewalk Labs officials apologized for the delay in getting the proposals to the digital panel.

Some of this (was) just taking more time for us than we hoped, and we are sharing our progress as we go, spokesperson Micah Lasher said.

Have your say:

Waterfront Toronto, which owns the land in question and is overseeing the project, is mulling over the digital governance proposals and also calling for a delay of the draft master plan, Kristina Verner, vice-president, innovation, sustainability and prosperity for Waterfront Toronto, told the meeting, held in the corporations boardroom.

Waterfront Toronto will have the final evaluation over the Quayside project and nothing will proceed without the corporations approval, Verner said.

We are currently re-examining the timeline for receiving the (draft master plan) to ensure there is appropriate time for the (digital advisory panel) and others to review the whole proposal and engage in meaningful public consultation, Verner told the meeting.

Michael Geist, chair of the panel and Canada research chair in internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa, kicked off the meeting criticizing the time the panel had to digest Sidewalk Labs digital governance proposals this week.

Im not convinced that the initial proposals, tabled about 72 hours ago, meet the vast majority of privacy and data concerns that have been (expressed about Quayside), he said.

Part of the frustration is that the panel hasnt been able to engage in substantive review and provide real feedback and advice, around data, he added.

But after the meeting he struck a more conciliatory tone.

It was a really positive meeting. I think going in there has been a lot of controversy associated with this project, and I think a lot of questions whether a panel like this could provide real value and help influence some of these policy issues. I came away feeling that the door is open to that now, he said in an interview.

He said timelines around the master plan were a bit aggressive given the many questions around data governance.

The meeting heard that civic labs  forums for detailed explanations of topics pertaining to the Quayside project such as digital governance, cyber ethics, privacy and intellectual property  will be held next month, and those meetings will inform public round tables scheduled for December. The roundtable discussions will feed into the master plan.

Craig Nevill-Manning, one of Sidewalk Labs lead engineers, told the meeting that the firms main goals for Quayside arent centred on data or digital technology, but instead increased mobility for residents  there are plans for automated cars to serve the neighbourhood  climate sustainability and improved building design.

Lasher said he couldnt immediately say after the meeting what the calls for the delay in the drafting of the master plan mean for the projects timetable.

I think we recognize there is a lot of work to be done here, a lot for Sidewalk Labs, Waterfront Toronto, and the public to work through and we have to make sure thats done right. Thats more important than any timetable, he said in an interview.

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Its a daunting task now being undertaken by a team of officers, brought together to transform missing persons investigations in a city that has become all too familiar with tragic disappearances.

At work on the sixth floor of Toronto Police headquarters are four detective constables, together reviewing thousands of missing persons files  the bulk dating back to the 1990s, the oldest to 1953. They are digitizing the cases and looking for ways to advance them through modern techniques. The goal is to update each one by locating the person, or confirming theyre still missing.

Its a mountainous challenge, said Det. Mary Vruna, a veteran homicide and sex crimes investigator now overseeing the daily operations of the Toronto police missing persons unit, which officially launched in July.

But we have to do this, said her fellow unit leader Det. Sgt. Stacy Gallant, in order to ensure that weve accounted for all the missing people.

That detailed accounting was promised by Toronto police chief Mark Saunders in March when he announced the unit amid urgent criticism over the forces handling of high-profile disappearances, many centred in the citys Gay Village.

The arrest of alleged killer Bruce McArthur  accused in the deaths of eight men, all with ties to the Village  has amplified concerns about previous probes of the mens disappearances, and whether an alleged killer could have been stopped sooner.

Three of the men now alleged to be among McArthurs victims were the subjects of a special police probe into their disappearances between 2012 and 2014  but the project ended with no arrests.

Its alleged McArthur went on to kill five more men after it did.

Other recent cases  including the handling of homicide victim Tess Richeys disappearance  have also raised serious questions ... that concern the community and me, Saunders acknowledged in a statement earlier this year.

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Richeys body was discovered by her mother, who travelled from North Bay in a desperate search for her daughter, in November, four days after she was reported missing. Two officers are now charged with police misconduct for allegedly failing to properly investigate her disappearance.

Varina Richey, Tess Richeys sister, told the Star this week it was shocking Toronto didnt already have a dedicated missing persons unit, but its also better late than never. When her sister went missing, they knew something was wrong, but it felt like our cries went unheard.

The review of historic cases is just one aspect of the units work  its creation marks a new approach to the investigation of missing persons cases, establishing a central hub overseeing the estimated 4,200 cases in Toronto each year.

Individual investigations will still be conducted by front-line officers within the citys 17 divisions, but the unit  comprising Vruna, Gallant, four detective constables and an analyst  will review every case as it unfolds. They will ensure new protocols are followed and, if necessary, become involved in a disappearance that requires deeper investigation.

The new regime is intended to tear down silos between detachments, enabling police to quickly identify broader trends and detect patterns.

We will basically be looking at the city from above, said Gallant, who will head the unit while overseeing the cold case unit. We can see where all the missing people were, and are ... Well be able to pull that together and see, in short order, You know what, we might have a problem here.

Before, there was really no way to notice that, he said.

Standardization is a priority. The unit is developing a detailed checklist, something Vruna calls a fail-safe, to ensure every missing persons case is catalogued and approached in the same way in the crucial early hours. The list will collect as much information as possible to determine, for example, whether there is anything suspicious about the disappearance  including specifics about the person, their lifestyle and social factors, when available.

The report is two-tiered, meaning a supervisor will have to sign off on it, something Gallant says brings a new level of accountability to the initial investigative phase.

The unit will also serve as a resource to officers probing a missing person, housing the expertise on who to call to find out, for example, if the individual was in hospital or on social assistance.

We will make sure that, from the beginning, its done consistently, said Staff Supt. Myron Demkiw, who oversees Toronto polices detective operations. If its not resolved in a timely manner, then we have the ability to ramp up our response as the evidence presents and makes necessary.

The issue of unidentified human remains continues to be a significant challenge. Toronto has 63 sets of unidentified human remains dating back to the 1950s; officers are searching for matches with the newly formed National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains.

New procedures are being established around the collection of DNA, including how the unit will work with the national centre. Officers are now more likely to immediately collect DNA  a hairbrush or ball cap, for instance, that could help identify someone in a worst-case scenario where a body is later found.

Hopefully we never need it, said Gallant.

A central hub for missing persons can ease communication with other jurisdictions, too. For example, if a body discovered elsewhere in the province is found with a TTC pass  indicating the individual may be from Toronto  theres now one point of contact within Toronto police. Before, an officer would have had to call various divisions inquiring about any missing persons cases.

As the units protocol around how to investigate missing persons cases continues to develop, Gallant and Vruna stressed the importance of new police powers outlined in the Missing Persons Act, passed by the previous Liberal government but not yet in effect. The new law would allow police probing a missing persons case to obtain judicial orders for access to critical information, such as phone records or financial information. Currently, investigators can only see such records if a crime is suspected, a roadblock slowing down a probe when someone could be in danger.

The act is part of Bill 175, the omnibus policing legislation passed earlier this year that Premier Doug Ford has promised to fix. His government has stalled one part of a bill concerning police oversight.

A spokesperson for Michael Tibollo, Ontarios minister of community safety and correctional services, said in a statement Thursday he has already instructed his staff to begin the work on developing the necessary regulations to bring the Missing Persons Act to life. He did not provide a timeline.

The creation of the missing persons unit is a welcome development to those concerned about police response to past disappearances. But why Toronto  unlike other police services including Vancouver and Ottawa  didnt already have one is still a constant concern, said Haran Vijayanathan, executive director of the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP).

Vijayanathan said its tragic eight men  many of whom were marginalized and racialized  had to die to demonstrate that change was desperately needed. Police are responding positively to the pressure theyve been under, he said, but you cant ignore the fact that this was an international case and the TPS, specifically, was under the microscope.

Those behind the new unit say its creation had been suggested before the high-profile disappearances and McArthurs arrest, though in 2018 of course, the conversation around that gained some greater traction and urgency, said Demkiw.

Obviously theres a lot of media play on missing people right now and pressure to do things and weve recognized the need to step up our game, globally, and making sure that everything is done properly, said Gallant.

Many of the concerns raised about prior missing persons investigations centred on the issue of systemic bias and discrimination, including against members of the LGBTQ community or other marginalized groups, including homeless or racialized individuals.

In response, the Toronto police board commissioned an independent review, led by former Ontario Court of Appeal judge Gloria Epstein, examining how Toronto police handled missing persons cases. That includes the men now alleged to be among McArthurs victims, and it will examine whether the probes could have been tainted by systemic bias or discrimination, Epstein said in a speech to the board this summer.

A spokesperson for the review this week told the Star it has begun collecting relevant documents relating to its mandate and is working to form an advisory group to help facilitate extensive outreach to the community.

Community feedback has helped inform the direction of the missing persons unit, said Vruna, and will continue to do so as the unit evolves.

We are listening to the criticism, she said, and were going to learn from previous criticism on how to do things better.

Varina Richey said a dedicated missing persons unit may have been able to find her 22-year-old sister sooner  and saved her mother from the horrific discovery that will be forever seared in her mind and her nightmares.

Kalen Schlatter, 21, is accused of first-degree murder in the death of Tess Richey, who was reported missing on Nov. 25. Her body was found by her mother four days later, in a stairwell not far from where she was last seen.

I hope no family ever needs to use that unit, Varina Richey said, but realistically, it will hopefully help a lot of people in their most desperate time.
A Toronto man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for pumping six bullets into the back of an unarmed teenager as he walked away from a brief skirmish outside a Tim Hortons near Yonge and Bloor Sts.

Rot in hell, Kelly Whetter called out to Bradley Cheveldayoff as he was led out of a downtown courtroom Friday.

A jury found the 24-year-old not guilty of second-degree murder but convicted him of manslaughter in the April 13, 2016 death of Gabriel Nikov, Whetters only child. He was 18.

The prosecution was asking that a sentence of 18-19 years be imposed. The defence argued an appropriate range would be eight to 12 years.

Superior Court Justice Suhail Akhtar said he decided on a sentence of 16 years, less four years for time spent in pre-trial custody, after considering Cheveldayoffs uneviable criminal record and bleak prospects for rehabilitation.

His criminal activity, violent offences in a relatively short span of time, and offences committed on bail show his disregard for the legal process, Akhtar wrote in an 11-page ruling.

The fact that Mr. Cheveldayoff was carrying a loaded gun whilst prohibited by a court order further demonstrates a lack of desire to change his ways and divert himself from a life of crime.

The judge cited several examples from his rap sheet, including two knife-point robberies on strangers. In 2013, Cheveldayoff slashed a youth across the face on a crowded subway platfrom for refusing to give up his mobile phone. The victim required 22 stitches.

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Akthar said that he also took into account several mitigating features including Cheveldayoffs attempt to plead guilty at the start of the trial to manslaughter, rejected by the Crown, and his disruptive and dysfunctional childhood.

While the judge wrote he accepted that the jury found the Crown had failed to disprove provocation, the case is close to murder.

There is a large disconnect, not found in the other cases put before me, between the scuffle and the shooting of an unarmed man who was walking away from Mr. Cheveldayoff when it seemed that hostilities had ended.

Outside the downtown courthouse, Whetter said her disappointment with the jurys verdict now extends to the sentence, which she considers too lenient. But she acknowledged that not even life would reduce the pain of losing Gabe.

Nothing thing brings him back, she said, adding a longer sentence would do more to protect the public.

Whetter said she has tried to compose herself throughout the court process, but Friday felt the need to let it out, referring to her parting words to Cheveldayoff.

She noted he was already on a lifetime weapons possession ban when he shot and killed her son.

He had a loaded semi-automatic handgun in his pocket at Yonge and Bloor. Somebody was going to be hurt, and it was just my son, but it could have been many more people.

Whetter has started grassroots group that attempts to divert youth from violence.

We have to just really get deep into the roots of why these young people  are picking up guns.
As the Oct. 22 municipal election nears, we look at some of the most pressing challenges facing Toronto, what voters think, and how mayoral candidates propose to tackle them.

The Issue: Traffic congestion continues to worsen, and while public transit is under construction, new lines alone may not be enough to rein in the citys gridlock problem.

Troy Burtch has a word to describe his daily commute: atrocious.

The 36-year-old communications manager lives with his wife and children near Woodbine and Danforth Aves. in the citys east end, and works at an Etobicoke brewery in the southwest.

Normally the drive to and from work via the Gardiner Expressway would be long, but lately hes also been ferrying his 14-month-old daughter to and from daycare in midtown. The detour is made worse by extensive construction for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, which will continue for at least another three years. The result is Burtch now spends about three gruelling hours a day in his car.

Every day is like, weve got to do this slog again, all the way up and all the way back, he says.

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Burtch finds ways to cope  good podcasts are a blessing  but the long hours behind the wheel are taking a toll on his quality of life.

A lot of times its, Aw come on buddy, move! Lets go, lets go!  he says, describing his mindset while hes on the road.

Burtch says he knows his arduous commute is partly his own making, the result of the choices hes made about where to live and where to work. But his family has made a home in the east end for almost a decade, and his wife works downtown, so even if they moved closer to his job she would still have a significant commute. And with young children and a career that requires him to drive, giving up the car doesnt seem an option.

He supports building more public transit, and likes the Woodbine bike lanes. He understands why some people want to tear down the eastern end of the Gardiner Expressway, even though it would add time to his commute.

Hes just one of thousands of Toronto residents who spend a significant portion of their lives on the road, feeling captive to the citys snarling traffic congestion.

Ive come to appreciate and understand its a necessity for where I live, he says. You gotta do what you gotta do to survive.

Traffic in Toronto is notoriously bad. A recent analysis from a U.K.-based comparison site concluded the city has the worst commutes in North America. The Toronto Region Board of Trades estimate that gridlock costs the region $6 billion a year in lost productivity is one of the most oft-cited statistics about life in Canadas biggest city.

The problem is only likely to get worse. The Ontario Finance Ministry estimates the Greater Toronto Area will grow by an average of 116,000 people a year until 2041, bringing its population to almost 9.7 million.

A Forum Research poll conducted this month found 72 per cent of voters believe traffic has gotten worse in the past four years, with 49 per cent saying its gotten much worse.

Residents were split on the primary cause, with roughly one-fifth each blaming gridlock on a lack of adequate public transit, poor city planning, and simply too many drivers. Seventeen per cent blamed construction.

There was general consensus on one strategy to alleviate congestion; 73 per cent of respondents agreed building more public transit would help reduce traffic.

However, support was weak for policy options other cities have employed to tackle gridlock. Only 38 per cent thought a congestion charge on downtown roads would help, while 46 per cent said it wouldnt. Just one-third backed road tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway, while 55 per cent didnt agree tolls are a solution.

Those attitudes are reflected in the campaigns of the leading mayoral candidates. Mayor John Tory and challenger Jennifer Keesmaat have both emphasized the need to invest heavily in transit, but neither has proposed congestion charges or road tolls this election.

The omission is striking because both Tory and Keesmaat previously supported the idea of road pricing.

Tory was left fuming in early 2017 when the Ontario Liberal government at the time squashed a council-approved plan to toll city-owned highways. Then-premier Kathleen Wynne initially signalled support for the idea, only to reverse course under pressure from Liberal MPPs in suburban municipalities whose residents objected to paying tolls to Torontos government.

Keesmaat, who was the citys chief planner at the time, called the provinces decision to scuttle road pricing disheartening and in a January 2017 interview described tolls as a really good fit with our larger public policy objectives.

A spokesperson for Torys campaign explained the absence of road pricing from his re-election platform this week by noting the idea has been rejected by the three main parties in the provincial government, which would have to pass legislation to enable the city to institute tolls.

The mayor knows that the primary way to ease congestion is by building our transit network plan. That is why we, for the first time ever, approved a citywide transit network plan so we are building multiple projects at the same time like SmartTrack, the relief line and the Scarborough subway extension, wrote Keerthana Kamalvasan in an email.

She said Tory has spent a lot of his time as mayor focused on getting transit built and tackling congestion, including by pursuing short-term measures like attempting to speed up construction, piloting smart traffic signals, and deploying traffic constables to manage busy intersections.

Beth Clarkson, a spokesperson for Keesmaats campaign, didnt answer directly when asked why she hasnt proposed road pricing this election, but said Keesmaat is committed to policy that doesnt worsen Torontos existing affordability crisis.

Clarkson said Keesmaat has a 30-year plan to dramatically expand Torontos transit network, including a disputed proposal to build the relief line by 2028, three years earlier than currently scheduled. She said Keesmaat would also implement housing policies that would (put) people closer to the things they need so that they have to travel less, including affordable housing and rent-to-own plans that would allow residents to live nearer to downtown.

According to Matti Siemiatycki, an associate professor at the University of Torontos geography and planning department, not debating road pricing means that Torontos leaders are missing half the conversation when it comes to addressing congestion.

You cant build your way out of a congestion problem. You really have to plan your way out, he said.

Siemiatycki said new transit lines are key, but to have a decisive impact governments also need to induce residents to change travel behaviour.

Other regions have expanded their transit networks, have expanded their mobility options, and also at the same time have brought in road pricing. Because that provides the incentive for people to carpool, or further incentive to take public transit, and it creates a revenue stream that can be used to build new lines or even lower fares.

No matter who wins Mondays election, for the next four years its likely any discussion of road tolls in Toronto will be strictly academic. While Wynne briefly entertained the idea, newly elected PC Premier Doug Ford has already slammed the door.

There are no circumstances our government would ever give the City of Toronto the authority to impose toll taxes on municipal highways, Fords spokesperson said in an email.

The Forum poll was conducted Oct. 9 and 10 using an interactive voice response telephone survey of 1,206 randomly selected Toronto voters. Its considered accurate plus or minus three percentage points, 19 times of 20.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering transportation. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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ORANGE COUNTY, CALIF.Cindy Hopkins grimaces a little when she talks about the president she voted for.

Hopkins is a Republican-leaning fiscal conservative, a corporate vice-president of human resources in one of Californias wealthiest cities. She likes what Donald Trump has done on the economy.

But his personality pains and worries her, and she doesnt know if shed vote for him again. More importantly, she doesnt know which party shell choose in the congressional midterms in November.

Being a human resources person, I would just handle things really differently, Hopkins, 51, said last week at a mall in Mission Viejo, about an hour southeast of Los Angeles. Hes doing some good things. But personally, as a mom to a son, his knee-jerk reactions and ego scare me. From a standpoint of: I dont want my boy in war next year. And I feel like it could go there.

California is ignored in presidential elections, a sure Democratic win since 1992. In the 2018 election, it is a battleground that could decide who controls the House of Representatives  in part because Democrats there are exceptionally motivated, in part because Trump has caused some of the educated white women who usually vote Republican to waver.

The Democrats are unified, a slice of Republicans are abandoning ship and crossing party lines, and independents are voting for Democrats by big margins, said Ben Tulchin, a Democratic pollster in California.

Democrats need to gain 23 seats to win back control of the House. California gives them the most opportunities: there are seven seats in the state, including Hopkinss, where Hillary Clinton beat Trump in 2016 but where the local Republican simultaneously managed to beat the local Democrat.

Four of those seven include parts of coastal Orange County, a famous bastion of conservatism. So Democrats road to victory runs not only through the diners of forlorn midwestern factory towns but the food court Hopkins was visiting, just down the hall from a Nordstrom and 15 minutes from Laguna Beach.

Its fun to have Orange County be the new Ohio, the new battleground. And were ready for it, said Fred Whitaker, chairman of the Orange County Republican Party.

Even as Democrats have dominated in California at the presidential level, Orange County and other high-income suburbs around Los Angeles have reliably chosen Republicans for Congress. Whitaker conceded that weve never had a challenge as tight as this before. But he declared that Democrats are not going to win a single one.

Weve been working these seats for 35-plus years, he said.

These, however, are no longer the suburbs of old. Orange County, known in some quarters as the home of the overwhelmingly white Real Housewives of Orange County, is now more than 53 per cent Hispanic or Asian, up 20 percentage points from the early 1990s.

At the upscale Shops at Mission Viejo, multiple voters, women and men, expressed unyielding support for Trump and for his party. But there were also signs of trouble for Republicans, particularly among women.

I am just done with anyone that has been supportive of Trump or any of his values, said Marsha Finnerty, a retiree of Mexican descent who said she has sometimes voted Republican but would now start to cry if she talked about Trumps separations at the border. Weve had too many family members affected by a lot of the Republican values, and Im done with it.

Helen Musurlian, a stay-at-home mother sitting at a table a few metres away, said she was undecided. She said her vote would be about local candidates much more than the president, but that she cant stand him.

Hes mean, hes a bully, hes a narcissist. We dont like him at all. Hes all about himself, said Musurlian, 48.

Local voters face stark choices. In the 25th district north of Los Angeles, home of Ronald Reagans presidential library, the Democrat is 31-year-old Katie Hill, who ran a non-profit providing services to homeless people and who identifies as bisexual. She is challenging incumbent Republican Steve Knight, 51, an army veteran and former LAPD cop who boasts of his time on a controversial gang unit called Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums.

Hill is running as an unthreatening moderate  the first issue listed on her website is safety and security, and it identifies her as the daughter of a police officer  but one who will stand up to the president. Canvassing for Hill on Saturday in a diverse subdivision of spacious cookie-cutter houses, volunteer Nicholas Kraft, 28, told homeowners over and over that Knight votes with Trump 98 per cent of the time.

Knight won by six percentage points in 2016. But Clinton beat Trump in the district by seven percentage points. Seeing a rare opening, Democrats have lavished Hill with a staggering $6.3 million in donations, triple what Knight has raised.

I think most Democrats out here, in the last one, didnt think there was any chance that we could ever get a Democrat in there, Hill said in a brief encounter at a Tex-Mex restaurant beside one of her campaign offices. I think that also: Trump happened. And people are like, We have to do something. And weve seen real threats to some of the most basic things that we took for granted, right? Health care, womens rights, so many other things. Theres just been an awakening of people knowing that their vote matters.

In the 45th district, where Mission Viejo is located, the divide is more about ideology than personal identity. Democratic challenger Katie Porter, a bankruptcy law professor and a Wall Street-criticizing protege of progressive senator and former professor Elizabeth Warren, is trying to unseat Republican incumbent Mimi Walters, a former investment banker.

Republicans are trying to get voters to focus on the beliefs of local Democrats rather than the president. Their attack ads seek to paint Hill (liberal Katie Hill) and Porter (extreme Katie Porter) as too left-wing for their communities.

Theyre focusing on the seats that Hillary Clinton won in the presidential. What they forget, Whitaker said of Democrats, is that theres a reason the individual members of Congress were able to retain their seats. And that is because they reflect the districts. Tulchin, though, said, Fundamentally, this election is about Trump. The president dominates the news and the public mind, he said; Katie Porter does not do that.

The national-versus-local debate played out at one door in Hills district. Financial counsellor Michael Andari, 56, said he usually votes for Democrats but has become uneasy about Hill after hearing from commercials and flyers that she wants to raise taxes.

Kraft challenged him on that claim, then pivoted to safer ground.

I assume if you vote Democrat, youre not a huge Trump supporter, Kraft said.

Of course not, Andari said. Hes been a disaster.

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WASHINGTONU.S.President Donald Trump acknowledged Thursday it certainly looks as though missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened very severe consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him. His warning came as the administration toughened its response to a disappearance that has sparked global outrage.

Before Trump spoke, the administration announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had pulled out of a major upcoming Saudi investment conference and a U.S. official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader is at stake.

Pompeo said the Saudis should be given a few more days to finish and make public a credible investigation before the U.S. decides how or if to respond. Trumps comments, however, signalled an urgency in completing the probe into the disappearance of the journalist, last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

The messaging underscored the administrations concern about the effect the case could have on relations with a close and valuable strategic partner. Increasingly upset U.S. lawmakers are condemning the Saudis and questioning the seriousness with which Trump and his top aides are taking the matter, while Trump has emphasized the billions of dollars in weapons the Saudis purchase from the United States.

Turkish reports say Khashoggi, who had written columns critical of the Saudi government for The Washington Post over the past year while he lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S., was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to the writer.

Trump, who has insisted that more facts must be known before making assumptions, did not say on what he based his latest statement about the writers likely demise.

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We need to provide a platform for Arab voices, Jamal Khashoggi wrote in final column before disappearance

Asked if Khashoggi was dead, he said, It certainly looks that way. ... Very sad.

Asked what consequence Saudi leaders would face if they are found to be responsible, he replied: It will have to be very severe. Its bad, bad stuff. But well see what happens.

Vice-President Mike Pence said earlier in Colorado that the world deserves answers about what happened to Khashoggi, and those who are responsible need to be held to account.

In Istanbul, a leaked surveillance photo showed a man who has been a member of the crown princes entourage during trips abroad walking into the Saudi Consulate just before Khashoggi vanished there  timing that drew the kingdoms heir-apparent closer to the columnists apparent demise.

Turkish officials say Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb flew into Istanbul on a private jet along with an autopsy expert Oct. 2 and left that night.

In Washington, Pompeo, who was just back from talks with Saudi and Turkish leaders, said of the investigations in Istanbul:

I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how, or if, the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi.

Although Pompeo suggested the U.S. could wait longer for results, an official familiar with his meetings in Riyadh and Ankara said the secretary had been blunt about the need to wrap the probe up quickly.

The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the private meetings and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Pompeo told the crown prince that time is short. The official added Pompeo had warned him that it would be very difficult for you to be a credible king without a credible investigation. The prince is next in line for the throne held by his aged father King Salman.

Shortly after Trump and Pompeo met at the White House, Mnuchin announced that after consulting the president and his top diplomat I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis had hoped to use the forum, billed as Davos in the Desert, to boost their global image. But a number of European finance ministers and many top business executives have pulled out as international pressure on Riyadh has intensified over Khashoggi.

Pompeo said that whatever response the administration might decide on would take into account the importance of the long-standing U.S.-Saudi partnership. He said, Theyre an important strategic ally of the United States, and we need to be mindful of that.

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WASHINGTONAn official in the Trump administration privately referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as that little punk kid running Canada, another Trump official said at an event on Wednesday.

Larry Kudlow, Trumps chief economic adviser, recounted the story at an invitation-only dinner hosted by the American Spectator, a conservative magazine.

According to the Washington Examiner, which was in attendance, Kudlow said that one of his friends in the White House, who will go unnamed, said they were pleased they had managed to come to a trade agreement with Canada  despite Trudeau.

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 We didnt walk away. We didnt end it. We made a deal. Alright? Spite that little punk kid running Canada, we still made it,  Kudlow said, the Examiner reported. And Ive had some wonderful run-ins with him.

Trudeaus office declined to comment on Kudlows remarks.

Trump and his aides, including Kudlow, had hurled public insults at Trudeau during the contentious negotiations on the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

But the presidents language brightened two weeks ago when they announced their deal, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Trump called Trudeau a good person who is doing a good job, and he declared that the bilateral tensions had ended.

Read more:

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As 2017 drew to a close, House Speaker Paul Ryan, urged Americans to have more children. To keep the country great, he said, were going to need more people.

I did my part, the father of three declared.

Ryans remarks drew eye rolls at the time, but as new data about the countrys collapsing fertility rates has emerged, concern has deepened over whats causing the changes, whether it constitutes a crisis that will fundamentally change the demographic trajectory of the country  and what we should do about it.

Women are now having fewer babies and at older ages than in the past three decades, a change that the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions National Center for Health Statistics reported this year, and which was confirmed this week with the release of additional data that shows that the trend holds across races and for both urban and rural areas.

The CDC said Wednesday that the total fertility rate  a theoretical figure that estimates the number of births a woman will have in her lifetime  fell by 18 per cent from 2007 to 2017 in large metropolitan areas, 16 per cent in smaller metro areas and 12 per cent in rural areas. A similar downward trend holds for white, black and Hispanic women.

Fertility and birth rates are among the most closely monitored indicators of a countrys economic health. When too high, a surging youth population might be unable to find work and become susceptible to unrest. When too low, economies can rapidly contract, and a small working-age population has to support a large retired population. While the United States is somewhat more buffered due to its high levels of immigration, the decline in fertility rates has been going on so long that if things continue, demographers say, the country may face an extreme population imbalance in the future.

Theories  social, economic, scientific, environmental  about why fertility is falling so sharply in the United States abound. Many agree that cultural shifts, such as women getting married later and focusing on education or work, play a big role. But theres considerable debate, some of it more political than evidence-based, about other possible causes.

Economist Lyman Stone has blamed the United States less-than-generous parental leave and pay policies. Human Life International, a missionary group, blames pro-abortion population control groups like Planned Parenthood. Fox News host Tucker Carlson claims it has to do with immigration, arguing that immigrants drive wages down, which hurts the attractiveness of men as potential spouses  thus reducing fertility.

Some have even wondered whether the decline might be influenced by sperm quality. Recent medical journal publications have indicated that exposure to pollutants might be harming reproductive health, including the motility and quantity of sperm, which could delay child-bearing and overall fertility.

The University of Pennsylvanias Hans-Peter Kohler, who studies fertility and birth rates, said the answers may be elusive for some time. He said the data indicated that many of the shifts affecting fertility are occurring in the transition to adulthood. The biggest recent drops in birth rate have been among teenagers as well as people in their 20s. In 2016, the teen birth rate hit at an all-time low after peaking in 1991.

The declining total fertility rates are children not born in the moment, but the hope is that they are delayed, not foregone, Kohler said. The exact details we wont know until the young adults who are currently delaying having children are in their 30s or 40s.

William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution, said that what struck him about the new report is the figures on Hispanic women, who have traditionally had high fertility rates. From 2007 to 2017, Hispanic women experienced a 26 per cent drop in fertility rates in rural areas, a 29 per cent drop in smaller metro areas and a 30 per cent decline in large metro areas.

He said the fertility rates for Hispanic women in urban areas are now below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman, which would keep the population stable.

They may be following the same pattern as the rest of the population, Frey said, an important finding that should figure into the debate over immigration.

John Rowe, a professor of health policy and aging at Columbias Mailman School of Public Health, predicts that fertility rates will drop even lower in the coming years. While the country should be ready to deal with the impact on Social Security and the workforce, theres no reason to panic, he said. Other wealthy countries such as Japan and Germany are grappling with low fertility rates, and theres a lot to learn about how they have managed their smaller workforce to maintain high productivity.

The emphasis should not just be on the number of people but their productivity. So we have to invest in education to enhance the productivity of younger individuals to compensate for reduction in numbers, Rowe said.

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ANNAPOLIS, MD.The editor of a Maryland newspaper where five people were killed in a mass shooting in June has won the Benjamin C. Bradlee Editor of the Year Award.

The National Press Foundation announced the award Friday to Rick Hutzell, editor of Capital Gazette Communications in Annapolis, Maryland.

We saw courage in the face of unimaginable tragedy in the Capital Gazette editor and his staff, NPF judges said in announcing the award. As pledged, they put out a damn paper the next day, and every day since in service to their community. It underscores the importance of local newspapers and the unbreakable bond with their communities.

Hutzell said while the award may have his name on it, his staff and colleagues at the Capital Gazette and Baltimore Sun Media Group earned it.

I did not put the paper out. We put the paper out, together, Hutzell said.

Hutzell will be honoured at NPFs annual journalism awards dinner in February. The award was established in 1984 to recognize imagination, professional skill, ethics and an ability to motivate staff. The National Press Foundation is an independent non-profit that is run by and for journalists.

The man charged in the shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom had a history of harassing the newspapers journalists. Five of the newspapers employees  John McNamara, Wendi Winters, Rebecca Smith, Gerald Fischman and Rob Hiaasen  were killed in the June 28 attack.
WASHINGTONHard-line Republicans and conservative commentators are mounting a dark whisper campaign against Jamal Khashoggi that is designed to protect U.S. President Donald Trump from criticism of his handling of the dissident journalists alleged murder by Saudi Arabia operatives  and support Trumps continued aversion to a forceful response to the oil-rich desert kingdom.

In recent days, a cadre of conservative House Republicans allied with Trump has been privately exchanging articles from right-wing outlets that fuel suspicion of Khashoggi, highlighting his association with the Muslim Brotherhood in his youth and raising conspiratorial questions about his work decades ago as an embedded reporter covering Osama bin Laden, according to four GOP officials involved in the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly.

Those aspersions  which many lawmakers have been wary of stating publicly because of the political risks of doing so  have begun to flare into public view as conservative media outlets have amplified the claims, which are aimed in part at protecting Trump as he works to preserve the U.S.-Saudi relationship and avoid confronting the Saudis on human rights.

Trumps remarks about reporters amid the Khashoggi fallout have inflamed existing tensions between his allies and the media. At a Thursday rally in Montana, Trump openly praised Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter in his bid for Congress last year.

Any guy that can do a body slam, hes my kind of  hes my guy, Trump said.

Hours earlier, prominent conservative television personalities were making insinuations about Khashoggis background.

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Khashoggi was tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner asserted on Thursdays highly rated Outnumbered show. I just put it out there because it is in the constellation of things that are being talked about. Faulkner then dismissed another guest who called her claim iffy.

The message was echoed on the campaign trail. Virginia Republican Corey Stewart, who is challenging Democractic Sen. Tim Kaine, told a local radio program Thursday that Khashoggi was not a good guy himself.

While Khashoggi was once sympathetic to Islamist movements, he moved toward a more liberal, secular point of view, according to experts on the Middle East who have tracked his career. Khashoggi knew bin Laden in the 1980s and 1990s during the civil war in Afghanistan, but his interactions with bin Laden were as a journalist with a point of view who was working with a prized source.

Nevertheless, the smears have escalated. Donald Trump Jr., the presidents eldest son and key political booster, shared a tweet last week with his millions of followers that included a line that Khashoggi was tooling around Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden in the 1980s, even though the context was a feature story on bin Ladens activities.

A Tuesday broadcast of CR-TV, a conservative online outlet founded by popular talk-radio host Mark Levin, labelled Khashoggi a longtime friend of terrorists and claimed without evidence that Trump was the victim of an insane media conspiracy to tarnish him. The broadcast has been viewed more than 12,000 times.

A story in far-right FrontPage magazine casts Khashoggi as a cynical and manipulative apologist for Islamic terrorism, not the mythical martyred dissident whose disappearance the media has spent the worst part of a week raving about, and features a garish cartoon of bin Laden and Khashoggi with their arms around each other.

The conservative push comes as Saudi government supporters on Twitter have sought in a propaganda campaign to denigrate Khashoggi as a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement once tolerated but now outlawed in Saudi Arabia as a terrorist organization.

Trump wants to take a soft line so Trump supporters are finding excuses for him to take it, said William Kristol, a conservative Trump critic. One of those excuses is attacking the person who was murdered.

Several Trump administration aides are aware of the Khashoggi attacks circulating on Capitol Hill and in conservative media, the GOP officials said, adding that aides are being careful to not encourage the disparagement but are also doing little to contest it.

The GOP officials declined to share the names of the lawmakers and others who are circulating information critical of Khashoggi because they said doing so would risk exposing them as sources.

Fred Hiatt, The Washington Posts editorial page editor who published Khashoggis work, sharply criticized the false and distorted claims about Khashoggi, who is feared to have been killed and dismembered by Saudi operatives.

As anyone knows who knew Jamal  or read his columns  he was dedicated to the values of free speech and open debate. He went into exile to promote those values, and now he may even have lost his life for his dogged determination in their defence, Hiatt said in a statement. It may not be surprising that some Saudi-inspired trolls are now trying to distract us from the crime by smearing Jamal. It may not even be surprising to see a few Americans joining in. But in both cases it is reprehensible.

Trump said Thursday it appears Khashoggi is dead and warned that his administration could consider very severe measures against Saudi Arabia, which is conducting its own self-investigation. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also announced that he would not attend the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia next week, delivering the Trump administrations first formal rebuke of Saudis royal family.

The president is concerned. He believes the relationship is important, so do I, but he also understands hes a leader on the world stage and everybody is watching and he is very concerned, said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who met with Trump on Thursday.

Trump, whose grip on his party remains strong less than three weeks before the midterm elections, has seen his cautious approach to Saudi Arabia bolstered not only by the maligning of Khashoggi, but also by a conservative media infrastructure that is generally wary of the media and establishment Republicans. As criticism of Trump grows, powerful players in that orbit have stood by the president.

Donald Trump is keeping his eye on the ball, keeping his eye on the geopolitical ball, the national security ball. Hes not going to get sidetracked by what happened to a journalist, maybe, in the consulate there. Hes not giving cover to anybody, syndicated talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh said Tuesday.

For those who are screaming blood for the Saudis  look, these people are key allies, evangelical leader Pat Robertson said this week. Weve got an arms deal that everybody wanted a piece of ... Itll be a lot of jobs, a lot of money come to our coffers. Its not something you want to blow up willy-nilly.

Some Republicans on Capitol Hill, on the other hand, are discussing the possibility of legislative action against Saudi Arabia or other ways to lessen U.S. support.

Intelligence community officials this week have been providing continuous briefings on the investigation into Khashoggis disappearance to the intelligence committees, whose members enjoy special clearance to view and hear sensitive information.

But in both the House and Senate, lawmakers without such clearance, including the leading Republicans on foreign policy matters, have grown frustrated with what many see as a deliberate attempt by the Trump administration to slow-walk responses to congressional requests for information about Khashoggis disappearance, or in some cases ignore lawmakers questions outright.

Republican Sen. Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, have taken the step of invoking the Global Magnitsky Act to force Trump to report to Congress on whether people should be sanctioned over Khashoggis alleged death, including Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Yet there has been little confidence among senators that Trump will suddenly feel pressure to sanction high-ranking Saudi officials or take other strong punitive measures.

In the House, a perceived lack of co-operation from the White House on Khashoggi has compelled some Republicans to take new interest in a bill to invoke the War Powers Resolution to curtail U.S. military support for the Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemens civil war. But the legislation has not secured the support of leading Republicans on foreign policy.

Last year, the House voted 366 to 30 to approve a non-binding resolution stating that the United States support for the Saudi-led coalition had not been congressionally authorized  an effort that did not rattle the administration, which continued to build its relationships with Saudi royalty.

Earlier this year, the Senate failed to enact legislation that would have curtailed U.S. support for the Saudi war effort, after appeals from Saudi officials and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis not to pass the measure.

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TECUN UMAN, GUATEMALAMigrants travelling in a mass caravan burst through a Guatemalan border fence and streamed by the thousands toward Mexican territory on Friday, defying Mexican authorities entreaties for an orderly crossing and U.S. President Donald Trumps threats of retaliation.

On the Mexican side of a border bridge, they were met by a phalanx of police with riot shields. About 50 managed to push their way through before officers unleashed pepper spray and the rest retreated.

The gates were closed again, and police used a loudspeaker to address the masses, saying, We need you to stop the aggression.

Mexican federal police chief Manelich Castilla, speaking from the border town of Ciudad Hidalgo, told Foro TV that his forces achieved their main objective of preventing a violent breach by the 3,000-plus migrants. In a separate interview with Milenio television, he accused people not part of the caravan of attacking police with firecrackers and rocks.

It will be under the conditions that have been said since the start, Castilla said. Orderly, with established procedures, never through violence or force as a group of people attempted.

The chaos calmed somewhat as migrants formed lines in a mass of humanity stretching across the bridge. Some returned to the Guatemalan side to buy water and food.

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But others, tired of waiting, jumped off the bridge into the Suchiate River. Migrants organized a rope brigade to ford its muddy waters, and some floated across on rafts operated by local residents who usually charge a dollar or two to make the crossing.

Cristian, a 34-year-old cellphone repairman from San Pedro Sula, said he left Honduras because gang members had demanded protection payments of $83 a month, a fifth of his income. It was already hard enough to support his four daughters on the $450 he makes, so he closed his small business instead.

Cristian, who declined to give his last name because the gangsters had threatened him, estimated that about 30 per cent of the migrants want to apply for refugee status in Mexico, while the rest want to reach the United States.

I want to get to the States to contribute to that country, Cristian said, to do any kind of work, picking up garbage.

Police and immigration agents let small groups of 10, 20, 30 people through the gates if they wanted to apply for refugee status. Once they file a claim, they can go to a shelter to spend the night.

Eric Lagos Rodriguez from Tegucigalpa, the Honduran capital, and his family turned themselves over to authorities to apply.

We couldnt go on like this, Lagos said, were travelling with six children.

As dusk neared, police were relieved by fresh officers and reformed ranks. Migrants continued to hang on the gates, yelling there are children here and we are hungry. Back on the Guatemalan side, some people set up tarp shelters.

Earlier in the day, thousands of migrants, some waving Honduran flags and carrying umbrellas to protect against the sun, arrived at the Guatemalan side of the river, noisily demanding they be allowed to cross.

One way or another, we will pass, they chanted, climbing atop U.S.-donated military jeeps parked at the scene. Young men tugged on the fence, finally tearing it down, prompting the huge crowd of men, women and children to rush past and over the bridge.

Edwin Santos of San Pedro Sula was one of the first to race by, clutching the hands of his father and wife.

We are going to the United States! he shouted. Nobody is going to stop us!

Acner Adolfo Rodriguez, 30, one of the last through, said he hoped to find work and a better life far from the widespread poverty and gang violence in Honduras, one of the worlds deadliest countries.

May Trumps heart be touched so he lets us through, Rodriguez said.

The U.S. president has made it clear to Mexico that he is monitoring its response. On Thursday he threatened to close the U.S. border if Mexico didnt stop the caravan. Later that day he tweeted a video of Mexican federal police deploying at the Guatemalan border and wrote: Thank you Mexico, we look forward to working with you!

Mexican officials said those with passports and valid visas  only a tiny minority of those trying to cross  would be let in immediately.

Migrants who want to apply for refuge in Mexico were welcome to do so, they said, but any who decide to cross illegally and are caught will be detained and deported.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Friday with President Enrique Pena Nieto and Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray in Mexico City, with the caravan high on the agenda.

At a news conference with Videgaray, Pompeo called illegal migration a crisis and emphasized the importance of stopping this flow before it reaches the U.S. border, while also acknowledging Mexicos right to handle the crisis in a sovereign fashion.

Mexico will make its decision, Pompeo said. Its leaders and its people will decide the best way to achieve what I believe are our shared objectives.

At Mexico Citys airport before leaving, Pompeo said four Mexican federal police officers had been injured in the border standoff and expressed his sympathy.

On Thursday, Videgaray asked the U.N. for help processing what Mexico expects to be a large number of asylum requests.

But Jose Porfirio Orellana, a 47-year-old farmer from Yoro province in Honduras, said he has his sights set on the United States due to woeful economic conditions in his country.

There is nothing there, Orellana said.

Migrants have banded together to travel en masse regularly in recent years, but this caravan was unusual for its huge size, said Victor Clark Alfaro, a Latin American studies professor at San Diego State University. By comparison, a caravan in April that also attracted Trumps ire numbered about 1,000.

It grabs ones attention that the number of people in these kinds of caravans is on the rise, Clark Alfaro said. It is migration of a different dimension.

Elizabeth Oglesby, a professor at the University of Arizonas Center for Latin American Studies, said people join caravans like this because its a way to make the journey in a relatively safe manner and avoid having to pay thousands of dollars to smugglers. She disputed Pompeos assertion that that there is a crisis of migration.

The border is not in crisis. This is not a migration crisis. ... Yes, we are seeing some spikes in Central Americans crossing the border, but overall migration is at a 40-year low, Oglesby said.

Speaking on the Televisa network, Videgaray did not seem concerned about Trumps threat to close the U.S.-Mexico border, saying it had to be viewed in light of the hotly contested U.S. midterm elections, in which Trump has made border security a major campaign issue.

Videgaray noted that 1 million people transit the border legally every day, and about $1 million in commerce crosses every minute.

Before taking decisions of that kind, Videgaray said, there would be many people in the United States ... who would consider the consequences.

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PANAMA CITY, PANAMAU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he warned President Juan Carlos Varela of Panama about doing business with China.

Pompeo criticized Chinese state-owned enterprises that engage in predatory economic activity.

As his plane left Panama City, Pompeo recounted his talks with Varela and local journalists.

Clearly concerned that Panama could become a beachhead for growing Chinese economic influence in the Western Hemisphere, he emphasized that Panamanians should be cautious when considering business ties with China.

Pompeo said he intended to tell the entire region that when China comes calling, its not always to the good of your citizens.

Countries, he warned, must watch out for Chinese companies that show up with deals that seem too good to be true.

His warning Thursday came more than a year after Panama cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan  which China views as a part of its territory  in favour of establishing ties with Beijing.

Pompeo visited Panama City for an afternoon, stopping at the presidential palace to meet with Varela before going to the U.S. Embassy to address employees there.

Pompeo told reporters on his plane he had discussed a range of issues with Panamanian leaders, from economic ties to counternarcotics, and that China was one of the priorities.

The importance isnt that China is out competing in the world, he said.

We welcome that. Its when state-owned enterprises show up in a way that is clearly not transparent, clearly not market-driven and designed not to benefit the people of Panama, but rather to benefit the Chinese government.

Read more:

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Those are the kind of things we think are both inappropriate and not good for the people of Panama or any other country where China is engaged in this kind of predatory economic activity.

Pompeo declined to cite specific projects he considered questionable.

Pompeos warning was one of the clearest expressions yet by a senior U.S. official of growing anxiety in Washington over Chinas global economic activities, especially involving loans and infrastructure projects.

China is the second-biggest user of the Panama Canal, after the United States.

Chinese companies are working on a range of infrastructure projects in Panama, including ports.

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ISTANBULSaudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a fistfight in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, the kingdom claimed early Saturday, admitting that the writer had been slain at its diplomatic post for the first time. Authorities said 18 Saudi suspects were in custody for his slaying and intelligence officials had been fired.

The overnight announcements in Saudi state media came more than two weeks after Khashoggi, 59, entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul for paperwork required to marry his Turkish fiancee, and never came out. Since his disappearance, the kingdom had rejected Turkish fears he was killed and dismembered there as baseless, but growing international pressure and comments by U.S. officials up to U.S. President Donald Trump appears to have forced the kingdom to acknowledge the slaying.

While it fired officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom stopped short of implicating the heir-apparent of the worlds largest oil exporter. King Salman, his father, appointed him to lead a committee that will restructure the kingdoms intelligence services after Khashoggis slaying. No major decisions in Saudi Arabia are made outside of the ultraconservative kingdoms ruling Al Saud family.

It also offered a far different version of events than those given by Turkish officials, who have said an assassination squad from the kingdom including an official from Prince Mohammeds entourage and an autopsy expert flew in ahead of time and laid in wait for Khashoggi at the consulate. Beyond its statements attributed to anonymous officials, Saudi Arabia offered no evidence to support its claims.

In a statement Friday night, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the U.S. will closely follow international investigations into Khashoggis death and will advocate for justice that is timely, transparent and in accordance with all due process.

Trump meanwhile called the Saudi announcement a good first step, but said what happened Khashoggi was unacceptable.

Read more:

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The announcements came in a flurry of statements carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency early Saturday morning.

Preliminary investigations conducted by the Public Prosecution showed that the suspects had travelled to Istanbul to meet with the citizen Jamal Khashoggi as there were indications of the possibility of his returning back to the country, the statement read, though theres been no indication Khashoggi had immediate plans to return to the kingdom. Discussions took place with the citizen Jamal Khashoggi during his presence in the consulate of the kingdom in Istanbul by the suspects (that) did not go as required and developed in a negative way, leading to a fistfight. . The brawl led to his death and their attempt to conceal and hide what happened.

The Saudi statements did not identify the 18 Saudis being held by authorities and gave no explanation how 18 people could be involved in one fistfight. Nor did the statements explain what happened to Khashoggis body after his death.

The kingdom expresses its deep regret at the painful developments that have taken place and stresses the commitment of the authorities in the kingdom to bring the facts to the public opinion, to hold all those involved accountable and bring them to justice, the statement said.

The kingdom at the same time announced the firing of four top intelligence officials, including Maj. Gen. Ahmed bin Hassan Assiri, a one-time spokesman for the Saudi militarys campaign in Yemen who later became a confidant of Prince Mohammed. Separately fired was Saud Qahtani, a powerful adviser to Prince Mohammed who led Saudi efforts to isolate Qatar amid a boycott of the country by the kingdom and three other Arab nations as part of a political dispute.

On Twitter, where Qahtani had launched vitriolic attacks against those he saw as the kingdoms enemies, he thanked the Saudi government for the great opportunity they gave me to serve my country all those years

I will remain a loyal servant to my country for all times, he wrote.

Assiri had no immediate comment.

On Wednesday, the Turkish pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak, citing what it described as an audio recording of Khashoggis slaying, said the squad immediately accosted the journalist after he entered the consulate, cutting off his fingers and later decapitating him. On Thursday, a leaked surveillance photo put Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb, a member of Prince Mohammeds entourage on trips to the U.S., France and Spain this year, at the consulate just ahead of Khashoggis arrival.

Turkish crime scene investigators this week searched the Saudi Consulate building in Istanbul and the nearby residence of the Saudi consul general, and came out carrying bags and boxes. On Friday, investigators questioned staff and explored whether his remains could have been dumped outside Istanbul after his suspected killing, Turkish media and a security official said.

Khashoggi, a prominent journalist and royal court insider for decades in Saudi Arabia, had written columns for the Washington Post critical of Prince Mohammed and the kingdoms direction while living in self-imposed exile in the U.S.

Trump has said that the consequences for the Saudis will have to be very severe if they are found to have killed him, but has insisted that more facts must be known before making any judgments. He had dispatched U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this week to both Saudi Arabia and Turkey to speak to officials on the case.

The president has made close ties to the kingdom a priority since taking office. Trump made his first overseas trip as president to Saudi Arabia and has touted his arms sales to the kingdom. Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, responsible for a coming peace proposal for Israel and the Palestinians, also has forged a close relationship with Prince Mohammed.

Trumps previous warnings over the case drew an angry response Sunday from Saudi Arabia and its state-linked media, including a suggestion that Riyadh could wield its oil production as a weapon. The U.S. president wants King Salman and OPEC to boost production to drive down high oil prices, caused in part by the coming re-imposition of oil sanctions on Iran in November.

Its unclear whether the Saudi announcement will be enough to staunch the criticism the kingdom faces from lawmakers in the U.S., its most-crucial ally. California Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, called the Saudi Arabias claim that Khashoggi was killed while brawling with a team of more than a dozen dispatched from Saudi Arabia is not credible.

He he was fighting for his life with people sent to capture or kill him, Schiff said.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who earlier this week said in a televised interview that Prince Mohammed has got to go, added: To say that I am skeptical of the new Saudi narrative about Mr. Khashoggi is an understatement.

Human rights groups like Amnesty International separately have been calling for a United Nations investigation into Khashoggis killing.

All along we were concerned about a whitewash, or an investigation by the entity suspected of involvement itself, Amnestys Rawya Rageh said Saturday. The impartiality of a Saudi investigation would remain in question.

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CEOs urge rescue of basic income plan, Oct. 18

Truly a welcome ray of light in bleak times!

Thanks for giving a voice to these young entrepreneurs on your front page, above the fold!!

Its about time that CEOs leading in the business community are brave enough to speak out for social and economic justice for those who need financial and moral support.

The example of these two young men, who know what its like to live in poverty, is encouraging to all of us, regardless of age or income. Now let Doug Ford, who claims to be for the people, take this letter and run with it.

This three-year Basic Income Pilot Project shows compassion and hope for the future of Ontario citizens. It must continue for the benefit of all.

Della Golland, Toronto

The basic income project was insupportable. First, it was grossly unequal, servicing a few small communities when the vast majority of poor Ontarians received nothing.

Secondly, while a pilot project may have been affordable in the eyes of Liberals, it nevertheless added to the deficit that the Wynne government passed along to the Progressive Conservative government. When a family piles up debt, it must stop some expenses. So must Ontario.

Charles Hooker, East Garafraxa, Ont.

My joy soared this morning when I read about the 100 CEOS who were appealing to Premier Ford to reverse his decision to scrap this project. The premier for the people has been outed. He is not for the people but for the 1 per cent of our society of which he is a member.

Aline Revoy, Pickering

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Jeff Spicoli, Cheech and Chong, Harold and Kumar, Jay and Silent Bob, and everyone on Trailer Park Boys: these are the kinds of characters who come to mind when we hear the word stoner. Most are men, most have tie-dye and/or sweat pants in their wardrobes, and none could reasonably be described as upstanding citizens. But all of this will cease to matter in a few decades because we  adults who came of age when cannabis was illegal  are, as of this week, officially over the hill, and with us, our frame of reference.

Whats so remarkable about Oct. 17, the official legalization of cannabis, isnt merely that Ottawa plans to pardon people convicted of simple pot possession, or that Canadians can now carry a personal stash of weed with them on domestic flights  nor even that government-operated stores are selling products called Bali Kush and Lemon Skunk.

Whats remarkable about the legalization of cannabis in this country is that our assumptions about what a regular pot user looks like and how they behave are going to change dramatically. With the hurried commercialization of cannabis and the substances transformation from gateway drug to wellness drug, the stoner of our imagination will transform too: from hopeless, hungry slacker to health-conscious, law-abiding citizen.

Of course stereotypes will persist  and Black and Indigenous Canadians will likely suffer the consequences of these stereotypes in greater numbers than white people (even though, paradoxically, most of the stoner icons in North American pop culture are white). But the generation that comes of age with legal weed will be exposed to a vast spread of cannabis users from grandparents who apply CBD oil to alleviate arthritis pain to social media wellness gurus who promote the healing effects of cannabis body sprays to parents who smoke the occasional joint not secretly in the garage after midnight, but in plain view before dinner as if sipping a glass of wine.

According to a recent Ipsos poll about cannabis use in Canada, 26 per cent of parents say they use the substance and 80 per cent of those who do use it, do so regularly. It would be very surprising if legalization didnt compel at least some of these parents to indulge out in the open in front of their kids, if only to render the drug forever uncool.

Read more:

Marijuanas first legal day is surprisingly mellow

How much will cannabis cost you? Heres a breakdown by province

Advocates say black market will thrive until small pot growers and sellers are included

Speaking of uncool, legalization means that when the journalists of the future (provided they exist) think about marijuana, their minds wont immediately go to Seth Rogen and Snoop Dogg, but very likely to the sterile website of the Ontario Cannabis Store where pot appears packaged and labelled like blood pressure medication. This will probably put an end to the trend on wild display in our own media this month of breathless cannabis coverage in which stories on legal weed are accompanied by photos of bearded guys hitting gigantic bongs and blunts  the kinds of things you might see at a 420 festival, but probably not in the living room of the average Canadian pot user.

Media coverage and government outreach leading up to legalization was so intensely earnest  a.k.a. so perfectly Canadian  nobody would fault a foreigner for assuming that Oct. 17 didnt mark the dawn of legal cannabis but rather the date on which all Canadians unanimously smoked weed for the very first time.

Take this Oct. 16 announcement from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Facebook page as a prime example:

If #cannabis is on your agenda for later, may we suggest buying some snacks BEFORE consumption so you dont need to track down a Designated Driver for a munchie run at 2am! If youre planning on enjoying some (LEGAL) plant based products *cough cough* tonight at the stroke of midnight, please do so responsibly and dont drive high! Weed will be legal forever as of 12:01am so pace yourselves & respect the rules.

Lucky for Canadian authorities, the stroke of midnight has come and gone since legalization and all appear to have paced themselves just fine. No one (to my knowledge) has died yet as a result of marijuana. The only thing dying, slowly but steadily, are dated stereotypes about the kinds of people who use it.
OTTAWANow that marijuana legalization is out of the way, a new poll suggests the Liberal governments next big drug policy  the possible creation of national pharmacare  is not a top health-care priority for Canadian voters.

Between July 27 and Aug. 3, Pollara Strategic Insights surveyed 4,173 adults across the country. The online survey found that, while 84 per cent of respondents support the creation of a national universal prescription drug coverage program to ensure all Canadians access to medicine they need, only 5 per cent ranked such a program as their first or second health-care priority. Another 9 per cent put medication/prescriptions in their top two priorities.

Meanwhile, 21 per cent identified senior care and the aging population in their top two, followed by 18 per cent who prioritized wait times and faster access to health care.

Pollara chief strategist Don Guy, a former Liberal operative at Queens Park, said the research shows Canadians are not preoccupied with national pharmacare.

It is not by any stretch of the imagination a top-of-mind priority, he said.

The Pollara survey was funded by the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada, a group that represents 6,500 pharmacies across the country. According to Pollara, online samples arent officially assigned margins of error, but as a guideline for this poll, it provides a margin of error of +/- 1.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Earlier this year, the Liberal government created an advisory committee chaired by former Ontario health minister Eric Hoskins to study and recommend options for the creation of a national pharmacare program by the spring of 2019. Two months later, Parliaments Standing Committee on Health recommended that Canada create a universal single-payer program to cover prescription drugs.

But Finance Minister Bill Morneau had already tempered expectations. The day after announcing the pharmacare committee, Morneau told reporters that the government wants to create program that deals with the gaps in coverage but doesnt throw out the system that we currently have.

Read more:

Opinion | Thomas Walkom: Universal pharmacare the right perscription for Canada

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Bill Morneau downplays a universal pharmacare program

New Democrat MPs seized the statement as evidence the Liberals werent serious about pharmacare and have called for the creation of a universal, single-payer drug program.

Pollaras survey suggests a minority of Canadians is sold on the idea. Asked to choose between four options for pharmacare, 30 per cent of respondents said they prefer a universal program that covers all Canadians and replaces existing public and private insurance plans.

The remaining 70 per cent chose other options that included: a government plan for drugs not covered by private insurance and for people with no coverage at all (35 per cent); public coverage only for those without existing insurance (20 per cent); and a pharmacare program that focuses only on Canadians facing extreme circumstances like the need for expensive drugs to treat rare diseases (15 per cent).

When asked to define the term universality, 62 per cent of respondents said it means everyone receives the same kind and quality of care, while 55 per cent said it means everyone has access to the same health services. Only 25 per cent said it means the government pays for health services, and 23 per cent said it means no one can buy their way to better or faster health care.

Canada currently has a patchwork of prescription drug programs through private and public insurance coverage. According to the Conference Board of Canada, 95 per cent of Canadians have some form of drug coverage.

At the same time, overall drug spending in Canada has skyrocketed from $2.6 billion in 1985 to $33.8 billion last year, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

A study published this year in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that almost 1 million Canadians cut back on food and heat spending to afford their medication, while nearly 2 million people have reported not being able to afford at least one of their prescribed drugs in the past year.
There is something undeniably satisfying about blocking a troublesome person on Twitter. One click, and the noise is over.

But that simple act, if carried out by a government official, could end up being unconstitutional in Canada if a newly launched court challenge is successful against Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson.

Three Ottawa residents formally launched a case against Watson this week, arguing that he is violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms when he blocks users on Twitter.

Heres how its worded in the application filed this week with Ontario Superior Court:

Watsons Twitter account is a public digital space where individuals can express and disseminate their views on public matters, and his blocking of citizens access to his account infringes their right to freedom of expression as protected by subsection 2(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

This isnt a frivolous case. The complainants are serious people: Dylan Penner works with the Council of Canadians, James Hutt is with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and Emilie Taman is a lawyer, professor and former NDP candidate, as well as being the daughter of former Supreme Court of Canada justice Louise Arbour.

Read more:

Opinion | Politicians, agencies have no right to block critical social media comments

Test case challenges a politicians right to block people from Twitter account

Editorial | Privacy laws should apply to everyone, including political parties

Their lawyer is Paul Champ and I talked to him briefly this week after he filed the application. Yes, its true, Champ said  politicians dont have any constitutional obligations to listen to citizens in Canada, with some notable, if limited exceptions seen in recent court cases about Indigenous rights.

But the Charter does give us rights to speak, and like it or not, a lot of that dialogue between the government and the governed is taking place on Twitter.

What do you think?

We probably have Donald Trump to thank for that. As it happens, the president was also found in violation of the U.S. Constitution earlier this year for his habit of blocking people on Twitter. (The Stars Daniel Dale enjoys the distinction of being one of those who Trump has blocked, it should be noted, though he wasnt part of that case.) While that U.S. court decision doesnt count as a legal precedent here, its a powerful example.

A couple of years ago, I was predicting that Twitter would fade away as a social medium in politics, merely because I was hearing so many people in politics talk of their fatigue or annoyance with it. But the ascent of Trump and his style of politics has turned it into the perfect channel for the distemper of our times  a place for polarized political rivals to yell past each other with personal insults and tribal rallying cries.

Its a bit uncomfortable to see that kind of debate elevated to the realm of cherished constitutional rights, in the United States or Canada, but here we are.

Watson, in his defence, has said his Twitter account is personal and that he has the right to block people on social media in the same way that he has the right to walk away in public from those exercising their free speech too aggressively.

I dont know about that first part. In this day and age, can politicians or any person, really, neatly divide their social-media lives into separate, public/private categories? During the recent tornado in Ottawa, for instance, Watson was tweeting out important public notices about the recovery and rescue efforts.

But many of us can have some sympathy for the Ottawa mayors views about having the right to walk away from pointless interactions. I do a lot of blocking on Twitter and dont feel badly about it  though this case does have me thinking.

One of the unfortunate side effects of seeing citizens as consumers is this whole idea that customers are always right. That may be a good strategy for running a business, but its simply not true that in a democracy, citizens are always correct. Some people trying to elbow their way into the public square are just plain wrong  climate-change deniers, white supremacists, or any of those folks who try to trade on the idea that saying a blatantly wrong fact publicly makes it true.

The citizens involved in the case against Mayor Watson dont fall into this category; as mentioned, they are serious people. But if they are successful in making Twitter access a constitutional right, are we somehow cheapening the idea of what counts for public/political debate in 2018?

The Ottawa complainants make a good case in their application that Twitter has become a public-information channel and politicians have no more right to block citizens from that sphere than they do in other realms. You dont see mayors, except in rare circumstances, being allowed to stop people from walking into city hall or cutting them from municipal mailing lists.

Im guessing, inexpertly, though, that the Ottawa case might be stronger if the complainants can argue that Watson is giving information exclusively through Twitter that he isnt giving through other channels  that it is, as Trump has more or less rendered it, an official, stand-alone medium.

However, Twitter does give another option  muting. When you mute someone, you dont see their Tweets, but they can still see what you are posting.

That sounds just about perfect for politics these days  the right to speak, but no obligation to listen. Very 2018. For what its worth, the Ottawa complainants say theyd be fine if Watson merely muted them on Twitter.

When I set out to write this column this week, I asked around about whether any of the political parties had policies for blocking on Twitter. The prime ministers account, @JustinTrudeau, does not block any users, PMO spokesman Cameron Ahmad told me, but some ministers may block in the case of bots, abusive or threatening language. The New Democrats, including leader Jagmeet Singh, have an informal policy of discouraging blocking, I was told. No one for the Conservatives got back to me by deadline. However, I have seen people complaining about various MPs in that caucus blocking critics on Twitter  Michelle Rempel is reportedly an enthusiastic blocker  so I assume no prohibition on blocking exists for the official Opposition.

That could all change if this interesting challenge with the Ottawa mayor goes ahead and suddenly Twitter access is deemed a Charter right. A court date has already been set for the end of January and many of us will be keenly watching.

Susan Delacourt is the Stars Ottawa bureau chief and a columnist covering national politics. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt

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MONTREALIn the wake of the election earlier this month of a Coalition Avenir Quebec government, Parliament Hill insiders and Quebec watchers have been scrambling to figure out how the new dynamics will play out in next years federal vote.

It is testimony to the uncertainty that attends the arrival of an unknown untested quantity in power in Quebec that so far every major federal political family has found a silver lining in the vote.

Andrew Scheers Conservatives are hoping the new premier will turn out to be a kindred right-of-centre spirit liable to pick fights with Justin Trudeau and in the process level the Quebec playing field in their favor in time for next falls vote.

The Liberals, on the contrary, see Premier Francois Legault as pro-carbon pricing cat about to be set loose among the conservative provincial pigeons.

The New Democrats are looking to the sharp increase in the vote and the seat count of the left-wing Quebec Solidaire to chart a path of their own to salvation next year.

But if one were to draw just one conclusion from the swearing-in this week of Quebecs CAQ cabinet, it is that Legaults government will not be easily pigeonholed.

Read more:

With a federal election a year out, where are the parties at?

Opinion | Chantal Hebert: Eight things to be learned from the Quebec election

Francois Legaults Coalition Avenir Quebec gets majority in stunning election win

Here are some highlights from Thursdays ceremony:

There is a reason why Quebecs new ruling party is called a coalition and it was very much in evidence at the swearing-in.

Legaults team includes people who hail from a variety of sections of the provinces political spectrum.

Former well-connected insiders from the Bloc and the Parti Quebecois, the federal and provincial Liberals as well as Stephen Harpers recent Conservative team all cohabit under its tent.

If anything the diverse political backgrounds of so many key CAQ players makes it highly unlikely that Legaults government will want to pick a dog in the upcoming federal fight.

Like Trudeaus federal cabinet, the CAQs ministerial line-up is gender-balanced. In contrast with the prime minister, Legault handpicked most of the candidates who ran under his party banner. His line-up featured a high number of women.

No one would describe the CAQ as it stands today  as a party with a strong grassroots culture. But the upside is that when it came to crafting a cabinet, Legault suffered from an embarrassment of riches and not just on the gender parity front.

The CAQs relative surplus of talent is offset by a deficit of government experience. Besides Legault, only one junior minister has ever held a portfolio.

Legault is not the first premier to come to power with a very green team. The Ontario NDP under Bob Rae in 1990 and, more recently, the Alberta New Democrats faced a similar predicament. That did cause both some growing pains. Time will tell whether Legaults government will be similarly affected.

The millennial generation is entering the CAQ government through the front door. Genevieve Guilbault  Legaults deputy premier  is 35 years old.

Simon Jolin-Barrette who will be doing triple duty as government house leader and minister in charge of implementing the partys contentious immigration and securalism policies is 32 years old

Parliament Hill may see a lot of justice minister Sonia LeBel over the coming months and years. She has been designated as the cabinets Ottawa/Quebec go-between. If she looks familiar, it is because she was the lead prosecutor at Quebecs recent public corruption inquiry.

LeBel has also been tasked with drafting a bill to move Quebec to a more proportional system in time for the next provincial vote. On Thursday, Legault reiterated his commitment to translate the pre-election pledge he co-signed with two of the three opposition parties into legislation within his first year in office.

The electoral reform debate will be alive and well in Trudeaus home-province at the time of next falls federal campaign. It will make it harder for the prime minister to bury his broken signature promise under a host of new commitments.

It is rare for an incoming premier  especially one vested with a governing majority  to take time in his first address to highlight a major shortcoming of his election platform. On Thursday, Legault said his party should have done more homework on the environment.

He promised the CAQ would implement a robust climate-change policy. In Quebec at least, a more conservative government does not mean one that rejects the notion of carbon pricing.

A word in closing: this is the second time a Trudeau is in power federally at a time when a new party comes to government in Quebec. But the similarities stop there for Justin Trudeau is bound to get along better with Legault than his father did with PQ founder Rene Levesque. And that too is a sign that the times have changed.

Chantal Hebert is a columnist based in Ottawa covering politics. Follow her on Twitter: @ChantalHbert

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VANCOUVERAs the sun set in British Columbia on the first day of cannabis legalization, its business as usual for Vancouverites  though confusion remains for some consumers trying to access pot legally.

Roman David, 24, has been smoking marijuana in the city for three years.

Its just another Wednesday, David said in an afternoon interview. Honestly, I havent noticed any difference transitioning into weed being officially legal. But its still very early.

Though legalization took too long for Vancouver, David said its a step in the right direction. As a member of an East Vancouver dispensary, he had a lot of questions regarding the difference in pricing between the government and private retail stores.

So far, Ive been told, its too early to tell, he said. Its a real grey area.

Stephanie Willis frequents dispensaries to purchase medicinal marijuana. While she supported legalization, Willis was uncertain how and where she would purchase pot. Her local dispensary shut down, and she worries about protecting her privacy if she goes with online deliveries.

I know theres going to be new rules, Willis said. I just really hope these places dont close down though.

On the eve of legalization, the Star reported on the ground where many customers and employees expressed genuine confusion about the ramifications of purchasing from the many dispensaries that remain open.

The new cannabis rules explicitly prohibit both the unlicensed distribution of cannabis and the distribution of cannabis obtained from unauthorized sources  which in British Columbia is any source outside the provincial government.

In Vancouver, many private dispensaries  there are more than 100  have opted to stay open. Its highly unlikely that Vancouver police will crack down on dispensaries in the days immediately following legalization, according to police board chief Adam Palmer.

Like many other consumers, advocates and entrepreneurs who spoke with StarMetro, David and Willis are adopting a wait-and-see approach.

Canada is the first G7 nation to legalize cannabis, and while celebrations erupted across the country, the west coast experienced subdued resignation.

There were dozens of celebratory events organized in almost every province; yet the highlight in Vancouver was a protest co-ordinated by long-time cannabis activists at the Vancouver Art Gallery who argued the new regulations dont go far enough.

Cannabis advocate Daron Drutter said the federal regulations on marijuana have simply functioned as prohibition in British Columbia.

Prohibition is the control or restriction of a substance. And thats not ending, Drutter explained, noting the laws will cut out small growers and businesses and penalize with stiffer sentences. We wanted decriminalization.

The turnout was small, with members of the media outnumbering the crowd and passersby barely glancing at the commotion.

But at times the debate was heated. Several groups made an appearance to voice their own concerns with legalization, and none of them supported decriminalizing marijuana despite the calls from activists.

Joyce Johnson is a retired child psychologist who lives in White Rock, a suburb roughly 40 minutes from the downtown core.

Im here because I believe in protecting children, Johnson said. I have grandchildren in elementary school  I believe that it puts our children in danger; their brains have not fully developed or their reasoning. There is proof that it does affect the brain of a developing child.

At one point, Johnson was involved in a shouting match with a cannabis advocate who disagreed with her views. In the background, two people yelled, Were here, were high, get used to it.

Meanwhile, a second group gathered to oppose legalization, citing health and safety concerns for minors, while a third group expressed worry about clean air and second-hand smoke.

Luke D. Niforatos is the senior policy adviser for Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), a company based in the United States dedicated to preventing another big tobacco.

Niforatos, along with SAM Canada, was at the protest to hold this industry accountable. He lived in Colorado and witnessed the legalization process firsthand.

The day of legalization, big marijuana moved in and they started to make billions of dollars at the expense of public health, he said, citing an increase in fatalities from marijuana impairment as well as the marketing of edibles to children. Canada rushed into this, and its very concerning.

Niforatos is also adopting a wait-and-see approach.

We came to educate people on what to expect, he said. This industry has billions of dollars to blanket any message. But if we gather together, then thats how we can hold them accountable.

With files from Perrin Grauer

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VANCOUVERThe president of B.C.s top labour body will step down in November, meaning potential candidates will put their names forward for the top job at a time when the labour movement has the ear of the provincial government and a broad range of legislative and regulatory changes to demand.

Irene Lanzinger, 63, used to lead the B.C. Teachers Federation, and has been president of the B.C. Federation of Labour since 2014. She was secretary-treasurer of the federation before being elected president.

The B.C. Federation of Labour represents 500,000 unionized workers through affiliated unions, and has in its mandate to advocate for rights of all working people.

She announced Thursday she would not seek reelection at the federations November convention for a two-year term.

I have had the great good fortune of doing work that I believed in all my life, Lanzinger said of her career in teaching and labour organizing.

She said shell go into a period of semi-retirement after she steps out of the presidents chair. She said shell look for opportunities to stay involved in the movement  particularly on projects to do with issues close to her heart, like climate change.

B.C. union leaders praised Lanzingers leadership Thursday, and said they look forward to what is to come.

What cant be overlooked is the fact that Irene was the first woman president of the B.C. Federation of Labour, said Stephanie Smith, president of the B.C. Government and Service Employees Union, the largest affiliate of the federation.

Smith said Lanzingers example helped increase the recognition of womens role in the movement.

Lanzinger said she hopes one of the things shes accomplished is to inspire more women to enter leadership roles  in labour and beyond.

Theres a woman running for office in the lower mainland who said Im running because you told me to, Irene, she recalled.

She said she imparts the advice to women: If you want to do something, do it. Dont wait to be ready. Because men dont wait to be ready.

Lanzinger said the labour movement in B.C. still has a long way to go to encourage diversity in its leadership ranks. The November convention will be one test of the labour movements priorities in selecting a leader.

Each affiliate union of the B.C. Federation of Labour will send delegates to a convention where the new president and executive will be elected.

The number of delegates each union gets to send to the convention is based on their membership size. Members of BCGEU, Canadian Union of Public Employees B.C., The B.C. Teachers Federation, and the Hospital Employees Union, together comprise almost half the federations membership.

Glen Hansman, president of the B.C. Teachers Federation, said labour leaders have already been talking about who may become Lanzingers successor. Although no one Thursday announced an intention to run, he said he anticipates the movement will be united after Lanzinger steps down.

Smith also said the goal really is to have a unified, strong labour movement.

Whoever becomes the new president of the federation will come in at a strategically important time for B.C.s labour movement. After more than a decade governed by the B.C. Liberals, the province now has an NDP government which is more closely aligned with the federations priorities.

Top of the list for Lanzinger is legislative reform to the provincial Labour Code and the Employment Standards Act, advocating for more robust workers protections from injury, and amped-up training for the next generation of workers.

Hansman said those priorities  which include all workers rather than only those who are unionized  epitomize Lanzingers tenure as president. He referred to the $15 minimum wage campaign, and the federations advocacy for employment standards and farm workers as examples.

Defending the rights of workers who dont necessarily belong to a union, he said, That is Irenes gift.

The $15 minimum wage campaign  which the provincial government has committed to making a reality  is a particular point of pride for Lanzinger, too.

For me it is symbolic of a federation of labour that looks beyond unionized workers, she said. We have to attach ourselves to bigger and broader social movements.

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SPRINGFIELD  A new support and accountability system will soon launch across Illinois, designed to specifically tap into an individual schools capacity for development, to ultimately improve learning.

ISBE believes there is tremendous talent in every school, but its about getting resources they need to make those improvements, said Jackie Matthews, Illinois State Board of Education spokesperson.

With data compiled by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), every school will get a designation that depicts how well a school is serving all of its students, based on multiple measures of performance. Based on the designation, a school may receive additional, monetary assistance through the support system entitled IL-EMPOWER, according to Matthews.

Collaboration and the power of choice are key, and newly emphasized through the support systems specialized, school-level approach instead of a broader, district-level approach.

We have worked on this for about three years, she said. It all started with a federal law in 2015 that returned flexibility in accountability back to the state. We are still under federal parameters, but every state had the opportunity to create a system in line with what our educators feel is most important and what we think can best benefit our schools.

The system measures the strengths of a specific student body, to provide necessary resources unique to the scope of that school.

The new support system is very much student led, said Matthews. Its really about school leading the way and driving the way based on their own needs.

It will be up to the school to take advantage and build upon own capacity, as ISBE will provide the school resources such as a school support manager  a former school or district leader, access to additional learning partners, and tools to conduct assessments and work plans.

The group took part in extensive research of its market, including hosting listening tours, workshops and webinars, and also gathered input from advocacy groups, the governors office, and community members. The piloted system is ready to launch in full, statewide on Wednesday, Oct. 31, to coincide with the statewide release of ISBEs school report cards.

Then schools will be able to immediately take advantage of the opportunity once designations are made, by filling out grant applications for additional federal funding. Matthews said funding can range from a minimum of $15,000 up to $100,000 at the school level.

Thats an important shift in the system, she said. It used to be that accountability happened at the district level, but the new system allows us to get even closer to the student.

Its a totally new way of evaluating school quality and support, said Matthews. People can look forward to the new data points and other features this year, too.

Previews of report cards were recently released to school districts, including Riverbend schools, as a yearly practice designed to work through any technical issues in preparation of the final product. The tentative report cards, released this year on Oct. 15, allow schools to preview the information before final report cards go live on Oct. 31, the same date every year.

Its a quality check in partnership with school districts, to ensure everything went well.

Reach reporter Brittany Johnson at 618-208-6460.
ALTON  State Senator William Haine is retiring from the Illinois Senate at the end of this year and is preparing to leave office: quite literally, he is packing his personal belongings and furniture to move them out of his Henry Street district office in Alton.

Next Wednesday, Oct. 24, movers will arrive to load up 16 years worth of memories, awards, papers and his office furniture to take them to his home. The Senator is inviting area media outlets to stop in and talk with him about his time in the Senate and what leaving office will mean for him and the district.

I am so humbled to have served the 56th District since 2002 and, of course have mixed emotions about leaving office, Haine said. I am proud of what Ive accomplished and look forward to what our future senator will do for the district.

Haine will officially leave office Jan. 8, 2019 on the last day of the 100th Session of the General Assembly; he will continue to meet with constituents and operate from his Henry Street suite until then.

I think taking this step of moving my desk and belongings out of this building for the first time since January, 2003 will help my colleagues, friends in the district and I prepare for my transition out of the elected office of State Senator in January.

The desk and some of the other furniture has been with Senator Haine for the last 40 years. He purchased the desk and credenza in Wood River when he went into the law business with Attorney Randy Bono, later Judge Bono. He also used the furniture when he was States Attorney and then when he opened his legislative office in Alton in the Honke Building.

The Honke family has been very generous and has been great landlords, Haine said. It is a great place to have an office near the bridge and Route 3, as well as Route 143. It is easily accessible to all parts of my District.

The former Madison County States Attorney has focused much of his work in the senate on criminal law, insurance, the judiciary and veterans affairs. Sen. Haine and his wife Anna have seven children and at last count, 33 grandchildren. Many lawmakers who retire from office speak of looking forward to spending time with family, and in Sen. Haines case that will be a likely full-time endeavor.
EDWARDSVILLE  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is implementing a 100 percent online MBA program, offering the same academic excellence as on-campus instruction, delivered in an accelerated, online format.

The SIUE School of Business has a long history of providing high-quality business education in formats that are convenient for working professionals, said School of Business Dean Timothy Schoenecker, PhD. While we have been offering business courses online for quite some time, we are excited to launch this AACSB-accredited, fully online program in January. We believe this is a great option for students that want to further their business education, but cant travel to our campus.

The SIUE online Master of Business Administration program can be completed in as few as 12 months at an affordable tuition price of $17,269. It is designed to engage students in a supportive, intellectually rich learning environment with the goal of enhancing their professional achievement.

Students may choose from a general MBA or high-demand specializations in management, management information systems or business analytics to prepare for higher-level roles as business management professionals and leaders.

Initial online MBA classes start on Jan. 19, 2019, with enrollment available now at online.siue.edu.

The SIUE School of Business 36-credit hour online MBA is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). It features several other benefits for students, including 100 percent online course work, six start dates per year, and no foundation courses required for students without an undergraduate degree in business.

When developing the dynamic MBA curriculum, SIUE worked closely with the regions top business professionals to bring theoretical knowledge and real-world experience to this rigorous online program. Many of those same leaders serve on the SIUE advisory board, as do alumni who ensure the course work is relevant, up-to-date and tailored to real business needs.

SIUE is a student-centered educational community dedicated to communicating, expanding and integrating knowledge. In a spirit of collaboration enriched by diverse ideas, our comprehensive and unique array of undergraduate and graduate programs develops professionals, scholars and leaders who shape a changing world. The SIUE School of Business offers a wide range of programs to meet professional, educational and personal goals.

SIUEs School of Business and the accountancy programs are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International, representing the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide. The Princeton Review lists SIUE as one of the top 294 business schools in the U.S. for the 11th-consecutive year. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in accounting, computer management and information systems, economics, finance, management and marketing. More than 20,000 alumni have earned degrees from the SIUE School of Business.
EDWARDSVILLE  House Speaker Paul Ryan, (R-Wis.) on Tuesday will meet with employees and tour World Wide Technology in Edwardsville.

Ryan, alongside Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Bunker Hill), will highlight how tax reform is growing our economy at a historic rate and allowing companies to create jobs and invest in their workforce, according to a press release issued by Davis office Friday afternoon.

Ryan is stumping for Davis in a closely contested primary election battle with Democratic challenger Betsy Dirksen Londrigan for a critical 13th Congressional U.S. House seat.

It will be the fourth time in recent campaigning that a top Republican has visited the district in support of Davis. This summer, President Donald Trump held a rally at Granite City U.S. Steel. Just weeks later, the presidents daughter/advisor Ivanka Trump co-hosted a workforce roundtable with Davis at Lewis & Clark Community College. Last week, Vice President Mike Pence appeared at fundraisers for Davis in Springfield and Belleville.
The summit is designed to give participants a better idea of the services PADS Lake County provides and the types of clients it serves as well as to gather feedback during small group sessions on how it can do better and identify opportunities for collaboration, PADS Lake County Executive Director Joel Williams said.
WINCHESTER  State. Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer took a seat Thursday in a room packed full of members of the public who were hanging on his every word and asked a question of his audience:

Who is in charge in a court?

One audience members hand shot up.

The person that stands on like  the little stage, she answered.

Whats that person called, Davidsmeyer asked.

A judge, someone called out.

Davidsmeyer nodded and went on to explain to students at Winchester Elementary School that hes one of the people who help make the laws that the police and the courts enforce. He then read the book The Wonky Donkey to the class.

The representatives visit was part of the Illinois Principals Associations Principal for a Day program that puts legislators inside local schools to interact with staff and students in a way they might not be able to otherwise.

This gives us an opportunity to spend a day in a school and talk to kids and see whats going on, Davidsmeyer said. I love it  I see what the teachers work with, I hear about what kids go through and the kind of lives they have outside of school, which is also a struggle for teachers and administrators. I learn it all.

Plus, he added, I get a great lunch.

On the itinerary for Davidsmeyer was story time, art, recess duty and enjoying a little of the schools cuisine  in this case toasted ravioli, salad, fruit and chocolate milk  with students. He said students were genuinely interested in hearing about what he does on a daily basis and noted that one of the biggest requests from students was for faster internet in their rural area.

The day also included meeting with staff and teachers to hear their concerns. Winchester Elementary School Principal Andy Stumpf explained that the program doesnt just provide a great learning experience for students. Its actually a great learning experience for all involved.

No disrespect to any of our politicians, but many of our politicians dont have a background in education, Stumpf said. They havent been a teacher, or administrator, or a cook, or a bus driver. By having them come in the school, they get to see first-hand some of the great things that are happening and some of the things were struggling with.

Sometimes political decisions have a great impact on what we do here in the school, whether they intend for it to or not. So we can show them some of the things that we like, moving forward, or some of the things we need help with to provide our students with a better education.

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.
The Oracle Challenger III biplane, with its specialized wings, propeller and tail, lives up to its name.

It took pilot Sean D. Tucker two years and more than 1,000 flights to master the Challengers controls. This after Tucker already had clocked decades of professional aerobatic flying.

Now the wings become my arms, Tucker said.

The days of Tucker and the Challenger front-flipping, back-flipping and tumbling through the skies, however, are coming to an end.

Tucker will perform his last solo act in the Challenger this weekend at the Wings Over Houston Airshow at Ellington Field. Tucker, based in California, will go on to lead a four-plane aerobatic team, while the bright red Challenger will permanently land at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in a new general aviation exhibit opening in 2021.

I only get one more year to fly this girl and I get to deliver it to the Smithsonian, Tucker said.

The museums recognition marks the latest achievement in the pilots storied 42-year career.

He performed in his first airshow in 1976, was named one of the 25 Living Legends of Flight by the National Air and Space Museum in 2003, and was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2008, among numerous other awards.

During his last trip to Houston in 2016, Tucker received the Lloyd P. Nolen Lifetime Achievement in Aviation Award, one of the highest honors in the industry.

Sean is an icon, said Don Johnson, chairman of the board of Houstons airshow.

The Challenger, designed per his specifications, has taken Tucker into the clouds for the last eight years, three times a day weather permitting. He has invested near $600,000 into the biplanes construction and maintenance. It is one of the only aerobatic flying machines with eight ailerons, or hinged surfaces that control for lateral balance. This allows Tucker to make precise movements including his signature Triple Ribbon Cut, where he flies the plane 20 feet off the ground at 210 miles per hour to cut three sets of ribbons attached to poles.

Its an evolution of what Ive always wanted in an airplane over the last 40 years, he said.

To have his plane in the forthcoming Thomas W. Haas We All Fly Smithsonian exhibit means Tucker will be able to do what he loves almost more than flying: inspiring the next generation of pilots.

Getting into the aviation industry is becoming more expensive each year, Tucker said. And sources of inspiration are becoming harder to come by.

Unfortunately, the world of general aviation has contracted, especially after 9/11, he said.

Gone are the days when kids could sit on the grass near an airport and watch the planes take off like Tucker used to do with his siblings. Airports now are tightly restricted areas, leaving airshows as one of the remaining options for those eager to see the art of flight up close.

Tuckers interest in getting younger generations airborne is not just a personal goal.

Earlier this year, Boeing projected there would be a demand for more than 790,000 pilots over the next 20 years, or double the current workforce.

Organizations like the Commemorative Air Force, which puts on the Houston airshow, have tried to address this demand by offering scholarships to college students pursuing a career in aviation, and ensuring children have access to pilots like Tucker at big events, said Johnson of the Houston airshows board.

Airshow flying is just such a powerful emotion for the performer, Tucker said, Youre sharing your passion of the third dimension with people on the ground.

ileana.najarro@chron.com

twitter.com/IleanaNajarro
If you saw your property tax bills go up this summer, you might be a Metro East homeowner.

In Madison County, the average effective property tax rate jumped 3 percent between 2016 and 2017. That jump puts the effective Madison County property tax rate at nearly double the national average. The solution for many residents, unfortunately, has been to abandon the state. Those who stick around often feel like they have nowhere to turn for relief.

Thats about to change.

Residents of Alton, one of Madisons northernmost communities, will have a rare opportunity this year to potentially reduce their property tax burden by eliminating a costly  and unnecessary  layer of local government. Included on Altonites ballots in November will be a referendum question asking residents whether to dissolve Alton Township and have the city absorb its functions.

The city and the township of Alton share identical borders, one layered on top of the other. But the two are governed by separate, duplicative administrative bodies formulating their own separate budgets, which include overhead costs, payroll salaries, benefits and more. Both levy property taxes to fund their budgets.

Simply put: Duplicative government translates to duplicative taxpayer costs.

One of the key drivers of these heavy property tax costs is the sheer volume of local government across the state. At 7,000 individual governing units, Illinois contains more layers of government than any other state in the country. More than 1,400 are townships.

The average Illinoisan lives under six of those layers. Alton residents, however, find themselves taxed by seven layers of local government. By simply dissolving Alton Township, voters would trim their government bloat down to the state average, taking an important first step toward relief.

In 2016, officials voted to dissolve Belleville Township  whose borders also directly overlapped with the citys  and deliver the townships responsibilities themselves. Two years prior, upstate voters in the city of Evanston abolished Evanston Township. We thought we could provide the same or better services while saving the taxpayers money, former Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl said at the time.

According to Township Officials of Illinois, townships provide three services: property assessment, road maintenance and general assistance for low-income residents. Alton taxpayers pay nearly $1 million annually for township government, according to township budget records. Do the services merit the price tag? One way to discern this is by looking at home values. Across the Metro East, property taxes have proceeded to outgrow home values by an average of 127 percent, suggesting residents are paying for more than theyre getting in return.

In addition to being costly and duplicative, townships harbor a surprising pattern of corruption and abuse.

Residents can look upstate to McHenry County, where earlier this year, three separate townships were simultaneously under investigation by the county states attorney. All three townships had been accused of spending public funds, in one case charging taxpayers for items such as womens clothing, alcohol and trips to Disneyland.

The findings of one of those investigations led the states attorney to conclude that townships are a deeply flawed form of government, and hotbeds of incompetence, guile and impropriety. And because these outdated government entities fly under the radar, their relative obscurity too often provides cover for waste and abuse.

Metro East residents have already seen what consolidating unnecessary townships can look like. When Belleville consolidated Belleville Townships services with the city, officials greeted taxpayers with $260,000 in projected annual savings.

Come November, Alton residents will have a choice that all Metro East taxpayers should demand they be given: Just how much government they need to pay for.

Vincent Caruso is a writer with the Illinois Policy Institute, a Chicago-based think tank that promotes smaller government and free market principles.
To the editor:

President Donald Trump has changed the Republican Party radically during the 21st century.

President Trump, a businessman, has changed the Republican Party on the tariffs equation. President Trump is defeating the New World Order in bringing the American jobs back with low corporate tax rates.

President Trump for God has helped the U.S. Christians more than any other president. President Trump for God is declaring Jerusalem eternal capital of Israel  fulfilling Bible prophecy.

The Democrats are making a big mistake in going more left in the left commie socialist agenda. The Christian American citizens will not vote for this, for they are law-abiding, Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution believers.

Their second mistake is letting ex-president Barack Obama be the face of the Democrat Commie Socialist Party, for it will lose them the 2018 election. President Obama divided the United States in half in eight years and destroyed the nation. President Obama divided gays against straights, Christians against Muslims, illegal aliens against American citizens, and blacks against policemen with his agenda that destroyed America.

This will make more law-abiding Christians, American citizens, vote for the Trump put-America-first agenda.

President Trump for God sounds in the U.S. White House, then the trumpet of God sounds, then Jesus the savior and messiah returns.

George Culley

Pinckneyville
TheSenior Program Management Specialist (HIV/AIDS Prevention) provides overallstrategic and technical leadership and guidance to USG inter-agency partners,development partners, all levels of government, private sector and civilsociety organizations in support of the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDSRelief (PEPFAR) partnership between the United States Government (USG) and theGovernment of Uganda (GoU). The incumbent serves as a mid-level manager withinUSAID/Ugandas Office of Health and HIV. HIV prevention plays a pivotal role inthe USGs and GOUs HIV/AIDS response and is even more critical as we pursuethe global goal of 90-90-90  that is 90% of Ugandans living with HTV areidentified, 90% of those identified are enrolled on ART, and 90% of those havesustained viral suppression as well as the PEPFAR goal of HTV/AIDS epidemiccontrol by 2020. In this context, the HIV/AIDS and TB Team requires a highlyexperienced HTV Prevention Specialist to provide strategic and technicaldirection to this $188+ million, technically complex, cross-cutting portfolio.The incumbent serves as the teams leader on HIV/AIDS prevention issues,identifying opportunities for USG engagement in HIV/AIDS prevention programmingand for effective collaboration and coordination with the GoU and otherdevelopment partners. S/he will work across the Health and HTV Office and otheroffices in the Mission to support a coordinated, strategic approach to HIVprevention programming. The incumbent will have at
In Uganda,considerable amounts of natural resources, most prominently oil and preciousminerals have been discovered over the last 10 years. These discoveries haveled to investments in the economy and bring opportunities to elevate Uganda toa middle-income economy. Yet to exploit these resources and to maximize localbenefits, Uganda will need qualified workers, craftsmen and technicians as wellas local companies prepared for upcoming contracting opportunities. Based on anindustry assessment, E4D/SOGA focusses on supporting vocational traininginstitutes, to offer market relevant training and build a pool of internationallycertified workers demanded by industry. At the same time, local suppliersreceive support to improve their businesses and prepare towards successfullybidding for international contracts.
Karlie Kloss has married Joshua Kushner.

The 26-year-old model took to Instagram and Twitter to confirm the pair have wed by sharing a picture from their big day, which features her in a white lace Dior wedding dress while holding a bouquet, and the 33-year-old businessman looking dapper in a black suit.

She simply captioned the snap: "10.18.2018" The couple held a Jewish ceremony in New York with less than 80 people in attendance, and they are expected to have a larger event for friends and family next year.

A friend who attended told PEOPLE: "The wedding was intimate and moving. The couple were beaming with happiness." The former Victoria's Secret Angel and the entrepreneur - who met at a dinner party in 2012 - announced their engagement in July, weeks after Joshua had popped the question in the Big Apple.

Expand Close Joshua Kushner and Karlie Kloss on their wedding day. Picture: Instagram / Facebook

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Whatsapp Joshua Kushner and Karlie Kloss on their wedding day. Picture: Instagram

A source said at the time: "They're both overjoyed and happily celebrating. Their hearts are full and they're excited to build their future together."

Karlie recently admitted she took inspiration from the Duchess of Sussex, who wed Prince Harry earlier this year, when picking out her wedding gown.

She said: "She looked gorgeous on her wedding day. I feel it's a day what you want to just feel happy, beautiful, and not stressed. I think what makes someone most beautiful, especially on their wedding day, is when that glow comes from the inside.

"I'm still kind of enjoying the engagement bliss, but I'm definitely somebody who opts for 'less is more' when it comes to beauty. I love a strong lip or a strong eye, but I would want to keep it more natural.

For hair, an updo is pretty logical. Get it out the way, so you can dance and have a good time."
We are in constant contact with the Mundelein Police Department regarding this incident. The police view the post as a general threat, and not a specific one, as the origin of the social media message could be from another state or country, school officials wrote in the schools website.
This years Man Booker Prize goes to Milkman by the Irish author Anna Burns. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Anna Burns had previously published two novels, No Bones and Little Constructions, which had received huge critical acclaim. Set in an unnamed city of Northern Ireland, most probably Belfast, Milkman evokes the strife torn atmosphere of the period known as The Troubles in 1970s which had spilled over into 1990s also, the key issue being the disagreement between Catholics and Protestants about the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. It tells the story of the 18-year old unnamed narrator who navigates through the tension and turmoil that characterise the period. Though restricted in space and time, the novels scope manages to transcend the limits.

Milkman is an experimental novel par excellence. This first person, stream of conscience narrative has achieved a unique distinction by its overall consistency of style and approach. Curiously everything in the novel is unnamed. The characters are referred to in various devious ways. The narrator refers to herself as the  middle sister. Her mother is Ma and her father, Da. The very start of the novel baffles the reader. The first sentence reads: The day Somebody McSomebody put a gun to my breast and called me a cat and threatened to shoot me was the same day the milkman died. (p.1) The details about the eponymous character are also intriguing, as Milkman does not refer to any real milkman: I didnt know whose milkman he was. He wasnt our milkman. I dont think he was anybodys. He didnt take milk orders. There was no milk about him. He didnt ever deliver milk (p.2)

Belfast background

It is not for the sake of stylistic experiment that this novel could be called experimental. The authors stylistic options go hand in hand with her attempt to highlight the day-to-day obsessions, precautions and preoccupations of her country. Bomb scare looms large in the background. At first the explosion had puzzled everybody. What was the point? There was no point. Why plant a bomb, said all the parties in a dead, creepy, grey place that everybody knew was dead? (p.82). Holocaust is also mentioned: Of course the whole household knew that the Holocaust and the world wars and animals eating other animals, all those anaesthetics which also included our political problems (p.87) In order to cope with the precarious social surroundings, the eighteen-year old narrator has got into the habit of walking along the street reading a nineteenth century novel (she doesnt like twentieth century ones!),shunning all unwanted attention. Despite all the precautions, she gets noticed by a dangerous stalker known in the area as Milkman. This creepy 41-year-old married man is the real source of trouble. Rumour industry takes hold of the situation focusing everybodys attention on the girl, until finally the Milkman dies.

The subject of this novel that describes a particular situation in a particular country, at a particular historical moment slowly becomes a subject of universal interest. The story of the narrators attempt to keep off the world events and her inability to do so sounds allegorical. It puts us in mind of John Donne: Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee." In this novel where nothing really happens except the infernal rounds of gossip and rumor-mongering, a series of debates and discussions takes place about the world situation and human life into it. At the beginning of the chapter 3, the narrator describes her adult evening French class. The teacher was reading from a French book to get us used to what authentic French sounded like. This was a literary passage about the sky. One of the students interrupts her. Im confused, he said. Is that passage about the sky? If it is about the sky then why doesnt the writer just say so when all he needs to say is that the sky is blue? But the teacher makes the students go to the window and see the sky for themselves. The disturbed students discover that the sky is pink, lemon, mauve and orange-red! Like the teacher in the story, the author of the book would have us confront a world that has no definite color or contour.

The book is studded also with strange and serious comments on life. One could hear Ma saying: Youve got to take the rough with the smooth, get on with life, pull yourself together, be respected.  (p.85). The narrator herself comments on his fathers attitude to life and concludes: yet most people I knew werent happy. Neither in this workaday world, in this little human-being world, did we spend time counting blessings and eschewing the relative in favour of the eternal.(p.88)

The challenging day-to-day life led by the people involved in a conflicted city is also highlighted in the novel: There was no getting away from views and of course, the problem was these views between the areas, between one side and the other, were not just the same. It was that each was intolerant of the other to the extent that highly volatile, built-up contentions periodically would result from them; the reason why too, if you didnt want to get into that explosive upsurge despite your view which you couldnt help having, you had to have manners and exercise politeness to overcome, or at any rate balance out, the violence, the hatred and the blaming  for how to live otherwise? This was not schizophrenia. This was living otherwise. This was underneath the trauma and the darkness a normality trying to happen. (p.112)

The great Ghanaian-American philosopher and novelist, the Chair of judges, Kwame Anthony Appiah has rightly said: Burns draws on the experience of Northern Ireland during the Troubles to portray a world that allows individuals to abuse the power granted by a community to those who resist the state on their behalf. Yet this is never a novel about just one place or time. The local is in service to an exploration of the universal experience of societies in crisis.

Incidentally, with all its feminist streaks and focus on the harassment a girl is subjected to, the novel will certainly vindicate the claims of the Me Too which gathers momentum all over the world.

Overall, Anna Burns challenging new novel provides a rich and rewarding experience in reading.

The writer is former dean, school of humanities, and Head of Dept of French, Pondicherry University
Devashish Makhijas 2016 short film, Taandav, is the story of a young cop who loses his job after an outrageous public dance that is recorded and uploaded on YouTube. Shame and humiliation follow. But in the process, the cop (played by Manoj Bajpayee) is set free and is ready to navigate life in a different manner.

The 11-minute film, with a superlative performance from Bajpayee, broke the internet the moment it released. As Makhija says, the film was a way to find space for a feature film, Bhonsle, that had been in the making since 2010, but could not be made due to many reasons, mostly financial. It has now. And the word about the film is only picking up. Bhonsle screened at the Busan Film Festival earlier this month, and will be premiering in India at the 20th JIO MAMI Mumbai Film Festival in the India Story section.

It is a story set in tumultuous Mumbai, at a time when scheming Maharashtrian politicians use violence to rid the state of Bihari migrants. Terminally ill Bhonsle, a cop again played by Bajpayee, is retired against his will. Thrown out of gear, he finds himself forging an unlikely companionship with a 23 year-old Bihari girl and her little brother, in the mostly Marathi slum. Harassed for being outsiders by the boorish local political goon Vilasrao, they turn to Bhonsle. It gives him one last battle worth fighting for, but it might just be too late.

Makhija, a man of many talents, started his film journey as a research associate and assistant director on Black Friday. He made his directorial debut in 2013 with the Hindi-Oriya film, Oonga, about a young adivasi boys fascination with Rama, followed by last years Ajji  a heart-breaking revenge drama that unfolds after an unfortunate rape. Makhija has also had a solo art show, Occupying Silence; written Tulikas bestselling childrens books When Ali Became Bajrangbali and Why Paploo Was Perplexed; and a Harper-Collins collection of short storiesForgetting. He has a book of poems, Disengaged, coming out too.

He talks to THE WEEK about the idea behind Bhonsle and its subsequent journey, the recurring elements in his films, how he draws a lot from his personal life for the work he creates and why confusion has been a blessing in disguise for him.

I belong to Bihar and I have closely been a witness to Maharashtrians being conflicted about the entire immigration issue. What was the trigger for you to make the film?

It was actually watching a lot of such episodes, back in 2006-07. It was going a little crazy. Then, it seemed like a situation that was unique to Mumbai, but over the last 10 years I have noticed how the same insider-outsider; the [talk about] you are an immigrant, you dont belong here is happening across the world. Suddenly, it felt like a very useful metaphor to tell a story that is troubling the whole world today, not just delegates to Mumbai alone.

But did it personally affect you in anyway? If you can talk about the research

It did. Not very directly, but around then I was actively involved with activists and I was working for the rights of the adivasis, in and out of Mumbai. A lot of times that we had gone to police for something or the other, they would not talk to us in Hindi or English. Everything that we said, we got a Marathi response. At the time, either Shiv Sena or MNS (Maharashtra Navnirvan Sena) had told the Mumbai police to speak only in Marathi. If you have to live in Mumbai, you better learn Marathi and that was disconcerting because anything like this is basically anti-constitutional. Constitution tells you that you can reside in any part of the country. But when you are not from that place, it makes you wonder if you should be here. It was just an internal conflict that pushed me to think about the issues that are relevant, like there are too many people in Mumbai, there isnt enough water to go ground. Is it a genuine problem then? Should we not be here? It becomes very conflictingthinking that it is anti-constitutional, but you are seeing a point in it. There are too many people vying for the same thing. Do the people who lived here first have the first right to it? Theres no clear answer to these questions. That is what I wanted to explore.

A scene from Bhonsle

By the end of this journey, were you able to find any answer?

No, how can you find answers to [these questions]. Even in Calcutta, where I come from, when I was young, the Bangaladeshi refugees coming there was a huge problem. Most of the people from Bangladesh, looking for opportunities, would come to Calcutta and the then CPI(M) government would allow them to build slums because that was an easy vote bank. There was a time in the 80s when I think over 30 per cent of the population was Bangladeshi refugees, and almost none of them had voter ID cards. Again, you start wondering if they are outsiders and should they not be here? I remember as a kid sharing the thought with my parents who were both Sindhis from Pakistan and had come to India during Partition. Just because we were here before the Bangladeshi refugees, are we more entitled. Where do you start drawing that line. And how far do you trace this back to understand the insider-outsider concept (laughs). There are no easy answers.

What were the difficulties in making of the film?

Firstly, films like theseAjji or Bhonslethe system, the market, distributors, the audience, they do not really want it. You are already up against odds because you are making a film which is not really wanted. There is no need for this film. you want to make it, therefore you are making it. It is also a huge risk. You are not sure whether it will ever release. You do not know if the producers will ever make the money back. Then you start recalibrating your film at every step to make it easier for the producer. Keeping all that in mind, I brought down the shoot of the film from 40 days to 26 days.

During Ajji, you had mentioned that the films subject took a toll on your health in order to understand a womans pain. Were there similar experiences during the shooting of Bhonsle too?

As a storyteller, I dip into my life a lot. So even if the story of this film, like Ajji is not my own. Even in Bhonsle, this man [the lead character] is a Marathi policeman. I dont have a first hand experience of either being a woman or a policeman, but the fact that he has lost his job and now he has to live a life that he did not choosebeing in the house and doing domestic chores and trying to come to terms at 60 that he may not have his duty ever again. Theres been a recalibration of his dreams and that starts killing him on the inside. I borrowed from my father. My mother passed away before I came to Mumbai and my father has been living alone in Calcutta for almost 16 years now. He used to run a sari shop. But nobody buys saris anymore. So about six-seven years back, I took him out of the shop, which too was not our own but rented. And I have seen him decline since then because he just lost any reason to live. That routine had kept him sane. I gave a lot of that to Bhonsle. The minute you take a lonely persons routine away, the person doesnt feel useful. During the making of the film, my father fell very sick and it was quite spooky, which would happen since I was borrowing so directly from my life. I knew it would effect the elements in my life also.

There are some recurring themes in your filmsthe treatment of the lesser-privileged, the lonelinesswhich I think came out really well in the short film, Taandav. Was it intentional to tap into these aspects of life?

I had recently given a talk on Voicing The Voiceless, organised by Junoon. We call ourselves mainstream, we are in the cities, we have television, we have got an education. We are being heard. But the people who are on the margins of the mainstream never really get a chance to be really heard. Forget the judiciary or the legislature or police, they dont have a chance to be heard by the major chunk of the rest of the society. Most of the time when I am talking to my peers about the things that an adivasi is going through or a Dalit is going through, they feel that I am being a little too dramatic. That it cant be so bad. But they feel so because they havent been exposed to how tragic their daily lives can be.

After Ajji, I had n number of people telling me that I made Dhavale too much like a monster. That he is too evil. It isnt like that in real life. And in this year when a kid got raped and people read about how brutal that rape was, I had two dozen people call me and tell me, Boss, this is exactly like Dhavale. When you dont know how bad it can be, of course it will be too dramatic. I took it upon myself to keep putting these themes in my films. People need to be exposed to it and we dont get enough of it in mainstream discourse. We are constantly buffered. We are constantly being exposed to Dabangg kind of films or romantic comedies where the narrative is escapist. You need that when you go to the movies and spend Rs 500. But you get so much of escape that you start losing any sort of hold on reality. I know it is going to be difficult for me. Most people throughout their lifetime are not going to watch my films, but someone has to keep putting some reality out there. Otherwise, we will be so delusional.

Scene from Ajji

And the loneliness

Loneliness is something common to a lot of us, especially the migrants to a city. We face it to a very deep level. But a lot of us do not voice it or admit it or explore it. Again, I dip into my own experiences. After losing my mother, the most creative soul of our family, I immediately moved to Mumbai. She used to push me to follow my dreams because hers was not fulfilled. Leaving my life and leaving everything I knew set me free, but there was perpetual loneliness, too. I used to try and fight it. I was working with Yash Raj Films for a few years. And I felt I was lying to myself. It was not my voice. I wanted to tap into my feelings in my stories. Those themes became very recurring as they are deep-seated. I also find it very universal. A lot of people think that it is not universal because they do not admit their deepest fears.

What has the journey of Bhonsle been like?

My co-writer, Mirat (Trivedi) came to me with the story idea in 2010. He was a banker, he left banking and came to me through Sharanya (Rajgopal), the third writer. I told him it is not going to be easy. But then I heard his idea and connected with it because of my father. I appropriated it and started feeding a lot of my fathers motifs into the story. The film was to be made in 2011, it did not. Then in 2013, again it did not. in 2014, I took the script to Manoj (Bajpayee). He reverted within 12 hours saying he wants to do it. He proposed to be a co-producer, too. He said it is the film he has been waiting for. In 2014, we began. There were a couple of producers on it. The casting began but failed before culmination. Since then, he and I have been together and fighting to make this film. So, we made Taandav to prove to the world that such a film can be made and can be good too. Last year, while I was doing the post on Ajji, my casting director, Casting Bay, got me the little boy and girl we were looking for.

You too have had a very interesting journey  journalism to advertising to filmmaking, writing books and what not.

Confusion!

It is surely more than that. How do you look back at the journey now that there is much recognition for the work you do?

I am grateful. A lot of my team members on most of my films are first timers. The more confusion I see in people, the more encouraged I am. The confusion leads to the art. I celebrate it. When I look back, I am grateful that I had that confused trajectory. Because of it, I ended up doing a lot of things I would not have otherwise chosen to do. And a lot of those find a way to my films.
Malayalam actor Dileep, accused in the controversial actress abduction and assault case, has formally resigned from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). It was confirmed by AMMA president Mohanlal at a press meet in Kochi on Friday.

Mohanlal said that the AMMA leadership had sought the resignation from the actor. Mohanlal added that he was upset he had become the target of the protest. Mohanlal also said that a committee has been formed within AMMA to address the grievances of woman members. He added that the actresses who resigned can return to the organisation, and that procedural norms would have to be followed.

In a press conference on October 13, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) had heavily criticised the AMMA leadership. 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. 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.
The adage that failures can teach many lessons seems quite...
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday disapproved of the posters put up outside his residence and the party office a day ago, depicting him as Lord Ram and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as demon king Ravana.



Former Deputy Chief Minister Yadav, however, urged the chief minister to introspect as to why "there is so much public anger against him and which are the promises he did not keep".



Sharing a news report about the posters put up by a junior party functionary, the RJD heir apparent said in a Tweet that he did not endorse this.



"But Nitish too should spare a thought as to why the people are so angry with him. He must pay heed to his 'inner voice' and introspect as to which are the promises he has not kept. He must ponder over the public outrage," said Yadav, the leader of the Opposition in the state assembly.



Yadav's "inner voice" remark was an apparent dig at the chief minister's stance of resigning last year after corruption cases had surfaced against the RJD leader, triggering demands of his removal.



Kumar had then said he was putting in his papers in accordance with his "inner voice" but formed a new government within less than 24 hours after forging an alliance with the BJP which was in the opposition till then.



The RJD has been vehemently criticising Kumar ever since, accusing him of negating the 2015 assembly polls mandate, which the Grand Alliance of RJD and JD(U) had won handsomely.



An RJD spokesman had said Wednesday that the posters were not put up as per directions of any senior leader but by "over enthusiastic workers" who were enraged over the betrayal of mandate by Kumar last year.



He had also insisted that depiction of Kumar as ten-headed Ravana was not a personal attack on him but was to criticise his government which, he said, has failed on all fronts.



A controversy erupted here Wednesday over the posters put up by an RJD leader.



Besides attracting criticism from the ruling JD(U), which Kumar heads, the posters were also disapproved of by the RJD ally Congress.


The creche has been there forever, at least since I was a kid, Weppler said. The menorah came probably somewhere between six and eight years ago. A high school student who was a resident asked if she could put up a menorah and we said, Absolutely, were an inclusive community.
The Pune police on Friday, detained activist Trupti Desai, ahead of her proposed meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Shirdi. Modi is scheduled to visit Maharashtra's popular temple town of Shirdi, to participate in functions marking the conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Samadhi centenary programme organised by the Sai temple trust.

According to reports, Desai had written a letter to the Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police, seeking permission to meet Modi at Shirdi to discuss the recent Supreme Court verdict on Sabarimala. Desai had threatened to intercept the Prime Ministers convoy if she wasnt given permission. Desai told ANI, The police was already here this morning as we were about to leave for Shirdi. It is wrong. It is our Constitutional right to protest. We are being stopped at home only. It is an attempt to suppress our voice.

The Supreme Court recently lifted the ban on entry of women of menstrual age into Kerala's Sabarimala temple. Desai who had hailed the apex courts verdict, said she intended on visiting the temple in Kerala this season. She had said that she was receiving death threats on social media after she announced her decision to visit the shrine.

As the Lord Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala opened for the the five-day monthly poojas for the Malayalam month of Thulam on Wednesday evening, protests intensified against the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all age groups to enter the hill shrine.

Nilakkal and Pamba, the two major base camps of Sabarimala pilgrimage, witnessed violent protests after the agitators pelted stones at police personnel and vehicles, including state transport buses carrying devotees. In the wake of the intensifying protests, Pathanamthitta district administration has imposed Section 144 at Elavunkal, Nilakkal, Pamba and Sannidhanam (temple complex and its premises) on Thursday.

-inputs from PTI
With the countdown to the inauguration of world's tallest statueStatue of Unityin Gujarat on October 31 having begun, the controversy over the manner in which the statue has come up and the issue of allegedly ignoring rights of local tribals have intensified.

A two-pronged attack on the BJP government in Gujarat and Prime Minister Narendra Modi came on Friday, on the day the party flagged off the Ekta Yatra from Bardoli.

If former Gujarat chief minister Suresh Mehta, under the aegis of Rashtra Manch (Gujarat), alleged that the statue of Sardar Patel was politically motivated with an eye on 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress leaders urged the BJP to also keep at the statue site the details of the history as to why Patel had banned the RSS. Earlier in the day, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had alleged that the Gandhi family had always ignored Patel.

The 182-metre tall statue is coming up at Kevadia Colony, three kilometres away from Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) dam site, at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore.

Without naming Modi, Mehta, at a press conference attended by local tribals, too, alleged that the statue was built only for Modi's personal ambitions. Citing several instances of how the SSP had helped the BJP in the assembly elections in Gujarat and 2014 Lok Sabha election, Mehta also gave out details about how the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited diverted funds from the project.

Mehta also remarked that the CAG in its report had observed that it was inappropriate for the public sector undertakings to give funds for the statue. The CAG had also noted that building of the statue did not fall in the CSR activity of the public sector oil companies that donated money.

Mehta reminded the BJP how it had reacted to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's remarks that the statue was Chinese made. The former chief minister said that L&T had given the sub-contract to a Chinese firm and the state government had said that it had no control over whom the L&T gives contract to.

Meanwhile, local tribals, who have been demanding Narmada waters and land for the land that has gone for the project, have given a call for hartal in the entire tribal belt from Ambaji in north Gujarat to Umargaon in south Gujarat to protest against the state government's alleged failure to protect the culture and other interests of the tribals.

In an open letter to Modi, the tribals have said that he is not welcome to the state for the inauguration of the statue. The tribals alleged that the BJP was giving false promises to the tribals and they have not got benefit of the Narmada waters for which their parents had sacrificed their land.

Tribal rights activist Laxman Musafir said that around 70 villages are being affected by the Statue of Unity, Shresth Bharat Bhavan and other amenities that are to come up in the area.

Another social activist, Dr Praful Tadvi, alleged that the statue would be disastrous for the tribals. Tadvi, a tribal, said that in the tribal areas the education ratio is very poor. Business is being done in the name of Sardar Patel, he said.

Meanwhile, the Ekta Yatra of the BJP, aimed at spreading the message of unity and the efforts made by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is expected to go to 10,000 villages of the state. In the first phase, the yatra will cover over 5,000 villages.
A Pakistani-origin radical Islamist preacher was freed from a UK jail on Friday after serving less than half of his five-and-a-half-year sentence for inviting support to the Islamic State terror group.

Anjem Choudary, 51, was released for his reported "good behaviour" under very strict licence conditions from the high-security Belmarsh prison in south London.

Under around 25 strict conditions imposed on him include having to stay at a monitored probation hostel over the next few months, not being allowed to leave London and not being allowed to interact with the media or preach to young people.

Any mosque he would wish to attend would have to be vetted by security officials and he will remain under surveillance as part of efforts to ensure he is not allowed to radicalise others.

The Metropolitan Police and MI5 intelligence service are expected to be among a host of agencies involved in monitoring him in the community, under surveillance plans that will remain in place until the end of his sentencing period of five-and-a-half years.

Some of Choudary's other strict conditions cover electronic tagging; a night-time curfew; requirements to stay within a set area; a ban on contacting individuals who he knows or believes to have been charged with or convicted of extremist-related offences without prior approval; and restrictions relating to the internet use and mobile device ownership.

Any breach of licence conditions can result in immediate return to custody.

UK-born Anjem Choudary was jailed at the Old Bailey court in London in September 2016 for radical preaching and urging Muslims to support the terrorist group ISIS.

The so-called "hate preacher" was reportedly being held in a "separation centre" at Her Majesty's Prison (HMP) Frankland in County Durham.

Choudary, who led the Islamist group Al Muhajiroun until it was proscribed by the government in 2010, was accused of pledging an oath of allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Holroyde described Choudary as "dangerous" and "more calculating" than his fellow Islamist Mohammed Rahman, who was also jailed for five-and-a-half years for supporting Islamic State (ISIS).

"You show no remorse at all for anything you have said or done, and I have no doubt you will continue to communicate your message whenever you can," said Holroyde.

Among Choudary's many UK followers was Indian-origin ISIS fighter Siddhartha Dhar, dubbed as "Jihadi Sid" by the UK media, who went on to become one of the senior commanders of the terror group in Syria.

The British Hindu, who converted to Islam and adopted the name Abu Rumaysah, had skipped police bail in the UK to travel to Syria with his wife and young children in 2014.
Mumbai, Oct 19 (PTI) Casting director Mukesh Chhabra, who was all set to make his directorial debut with the Hindi remake of "The Fault in our Stars", has been suspended from the film over sexual harassment allegations by multiple women.

In a statement released Friday, the production house, Fox Star Studios, said till the time Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company concludes its inquiry into the allegations, the director remains suspended.

"As a responsible organisation, Star India takes any allegation of sexual harassment of women at workplace very seriously, hence, Fox Star Studios has suspended the services of Mukesh Chabbra, the director of our film, 'Kizzie Aur Manny', which is under production, till the internal complaints committee (ICC) of M-s Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company concludes its inquiry into the allegation," the statement read.

"Kizzie Aur Manny" stars Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Singh.

In a report published on Mid-Day, four aspiring actors accused Chhabra and another casting director Vicky Sidana of harassing them during audition process. Chhabra had earlier 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 "Gangs of Wasseypur", Dangal", "Rockstar", "Shahid" and "Kai Po Che!" among others. PTI JUR SHD
(Eds: Combining Trump and Pompeo stories )

Washington, Oct 19 (PTI) US President Donald Trump has said it "certainly looks" like Jamal Khashoggi is dead and threatened "very severe" consequences if Saudi Arabia is found to have murdered him, toughening his response to the disappearance of the dissident journalist that has sparked global outrage.

Trump's remarks came after he was briefed on the investigation by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo who returned from trips to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Khashoggi, 60, who has not been seen since October 2 when he entered Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, is feared to have been killed inside the mission.

The incident has resulted in global outrage, more so in the US where he lived as a legal permanent resident and worked for 'The Washington Post'.

"It certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad. Certainly, looks that way," Trump told reporters at Joint Air Force base Andrews on Thursday before leaving for Montana for a campaign rally.

Turkish investigators have told local as well as US media that Khashoggi was brutally killed inside the consulate.

Asked what consequence Saudi leaders would face if they are found to be responsible, Trump replied: "It will have to be very severe. It's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens".

"We are waiting for some investigations, and waiting for the results. We will have them very soon, and I think we'll be making a statement, a very strong statement. But we're waiting for the results of about three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon," he said.

During his meeting with Trump, Pompeo suggested that Saudi Arabia be given some more time to complete the probe.

"We've made clear to them that we take this matter with respect to Mr Khashoggi very seriously. They've made clear to me they, too, understand the serious nature of the disappearance of Mr Khashoggi," Pompeo said.

He said the Saudi leadership had assured him that they will conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

"I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that, so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts. At which point we can make decisions about how or if the US should respond to the incident surrounding Khashoggi," he said.

Pompeo's spokesperson said he had neither heard a tape nor seen a transcript related to the disappearance of Khashoggi.

The statement came after ABC News claimed that Pompeo had heard the alleged audio recording during his meeting with the Turkish officials in Ankara.

"Secretary Pompeo has neither heard a tape nor has he seen a transcript related to Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance," State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said.

A day earlier, Pompeo refused to answer questions on the issue.

"I don't have anything to say about that," he said.

Hours after his meeting with Pompeo, Trump told the New York Times in an interview that Khashoggi was assassinated, as per multiple intelligence sources.

"This one has caught the imagination of the world, unfortunately. It's not a positive. Not a positive," Trump said.

"Unless the miracle of all miracles happens, I would acknowledge that he's dead. That's based on everything  intelligence coming from every side," he told the daily.

He reiterated the same to reporters' moments later.

Meanwhile, several lawmakers led by Congressman Jim McGovern introduced a legislation in the House to prohibit all US arms sales to Saudi Arabia until Secretary of State determines that the Saudi regime is not responsible for the disappearance or death of Khashoggi.

If the Saudi government is found to be culpable in Khashoggi's disappearance, the legislation prohibits all US military aid and sales to Saudi Arabia until the Congress passes a resolution approving such sales.

In a related development, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Reporters Without Borders on Thursday urged Turkey to urgently ask UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a UN investigation into the possible extrajudicial execution of Khashoggi. PTI LKJ MRJ AKJ MRJ
New Delhi, Oct 19 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 1730 hours:



FGN15 SINGAPORE-SITHARAMAN

Sitharaman holds bilateral talks with her US, ASEAN counterparts in Singapore

Singapore: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday held a series of bilateral meetings with her counterparts from ASEAN nations and US Defence Secretary James Mattis on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meet here.By Gurdip Singh



FGN14 CHINA-LD ECONOMY

China's third quarter GDP growth slowest in nine years

Beijing: China's economy grew at 6.5 per cent in the third quarter, posting slowest growth in nine years, amid intensifying trade war with the US and the mounting local governments debt which rose to USD 2.58 trillion. By K J M Varma



FGN13 PAK-IMRAN-SAUDI

Pakistan's PM Imran Khan to attend Saudi investment conference

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan will attend a high-profile investment conference in Saudi Arabia next week, Pakistan Foreign Office announced Friday, amid a string of cancellations from top global business leaders over the mysterious disappearance of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.By Sajjad Hussain.





FGN11 PAK-FATF-TERROR

FATF team finalises report with recommendations for de-listing Pak from grey list in Sep'19: Report

Islamabad: After an on-site assessment of the steps taken by Pakistan to curb terror financing and money laundering, a visiting Financial Action Task Force (FATF) team has finalised a report with 40 recommendations for de-listing Islamabad from its grey list from September next year, according to a media report Friday. By Sajjad Hussain



FGN10 US-LD KHASHOGGI

Trump says "certainly looks" Khashoggi is dead, Pompeo denies hearing audio tape

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said it "certainly looks" like Jamal Khashoggi is dead and threatened "very severe" consequences if Saudi Arabia is found to have murdered him, toughening his response to the disappearance of the dissident journalist that has sparked global outrage.



FGN6 US-INDIANS-CITIZENSHIP

50,000 Indians took US citizenship in 2017: official report

Washington: Over 50,000 Indians were granted the American citizenship in 2017, four thousand more than the previous year, according to the latest official report. By Lalit K Jha



FGN12 AFGHAN-KAHDAHAR-POLL

Afghanistan delays elections in Kandahar after Taliban attack

Kabul: Afghanistan postponed legislative elections in Kandahar province on Friday, after a Taliban-claimed attack on a US-Afghan security meeting killed a powerful police chief and threatened stability across the south. (AFP)

RUP

RUP
New Delhi, Oct 19 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours:





FGN17 PAK-INDIA-S400

India's decision to buy S-400 missile system will further destabilise region: Pak

Islamabad: Pakistan said on Friday that India's decision to buy S-400 missile defence system from Russia will further destabilise stability in the region and renewed the arms race.By Sajjad Hussain





FGN15 SINGAPORE-SITHARAMAN

Sitharaman holds bilateral talks with her US, ASEAN counterparts in Singapore

Singapore: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday held a series of bilateral meetings with her counterparts from ASEAN nations and US Defence Secretary James Mattis on the sidelines of ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meet here.By Gurdip Singh





FGN18 CHINA-2NDLD CORRUPTION

China's former internet tsar pleads guilty to accepting USD 4.6 million in bribes

Beijing: China's former internet tsar Lu Wei on Friday pleaded guilty to accepting USD 4.6 million in bribes as the ruling Communist party initiated action against several officials for graft. By K J M Varma





FGN14 CHINA-LD ECONOMY

China's third quarter GDP growth slowest in nine years

Beijing: China's economy grew at 6.5 per cent in the third quarter, posting slowest growth in nine years, amid intensifying trade war with the US and the mounting local governments debt which rose to USD 2.58 trillion. By K J M Varma





FGN13 PAK-IMRAN-SAUDI

Pakistan's PM Imran Khan to attend Saudi investment conference

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan will attend a high-profile investment conference in Saudi Arabia next week, Pakistan Foreign Office announced Friday, amid a string of cancellations from top global business leaders over the mysterious disappearance of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.By Sajjad Hussain.





FGN11 PAK-FATF-TERROR

FATF team finalises report with recommendations for de-listing Pak from grey list in Sep'19: Report

Islamabad: After an on-site assessment of the steps taken by Pakistan to curb terror financing and money laundering, a visiting Financial Action Task Force (FATF) team has finalised a report with 40 recommendations for de-listing Islamabad from its grey list from September next year, according to a media report Friday. By Sajjad Hussain





FGN10 US-LD KHASHOGGI

Trump says "certainly looks" Khashoggi is dead, Pompeo denies hearing audio tape

Washington: US President Donald Trump has said it "certainly looks" like Jamal Khashoggi is dead and threatened "very severe" consequences if Saudi Arabia is found to have murdered him, toughening his response to the disappearance of the dissident journalist that has sparked global outrage.





FGN6 US-INDIANS-CITIZENSHIP

50,000 Indians took US citizenship in 2017: official report

Washington: Over 50,000 Indians were granted the American citizenship in 2017, four thousand more than the previous year, according to the latest official report. By Lalit K Jha





FGN12 AFGHAN-KAHDAHAR-POLL

Afghanistan delays elections in Kandahar after Taliban attack

Kabul: Afghanistan postponed legislative elections in Kandahar province on Friday, after a Taliban-claimed attack on a US-Afghan security meeting killed a powerful police chief and threatened stability across the south. (AFP)





FGN19 FACEBOOK-BRITAIN

Facebook hires British ex-deputy PM as global affairs head

London: British former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, a leading anti-Brexit advocate, said on Friday he would be starting a job at Facebook, as the US giant faces up to regulatory pressures. RUP

RUP
Roger Bear explains the history of the "Pioneer Family Memorial" sculpture to people participating in the 2016 art treasure hunt that's part of the annual Art Harvest in downtown Elgin. This year the event will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 27. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News)
Riyadh, Oct 20 (AFP) Saudi Arabia on Saturday admitted that dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been killed inside its consulate in Istanbul, state media reported.

"The discussions between Jamal Khashoggi and those he met at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul... devolved into a fistfight, leading to his death," the Saudi Press Agency said, citing the public prosecutor. (AFP) CPS
Saudi state-run news agency says "the kingdom expresses its deep regret" over the slaying of Khashoggi. (AP) CPS
New Delhi, Oct 19 (PTI) Arrows were fired to set the effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakarna ablaze at the Parade Ground here Friday, at an event attended by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi among a host of other dignitaries.

The burning of the giant effigies, signifying the triumph of good over evil, was organised by the Luv Kush Ram Leela Committee.

PM Modi, President Kovind applied 'tilak' on the forehead of participants playing the role of Ram, Sita and Lakshman at the stage amid chants of Jai Shree Ram by the audience.

Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari also attended the celebrations.

Speaking at the event , Kovind said the festival gives inspiration to lead a honest life.

"I want to congratulate the people of the country on the occasion of Vijaydashmi.

Vijaydashmi marks the victory of good over evil. The festival encourages good practices in their lives," he said.

"One should take care that during celebrations we should be careful that it does not cause inconvenience to others and cause pollution," he said.

He advocated for cleaner environment and women empowerment in his speech. PTI BUN UZM UZM ABH

ABH
Muzaffarnagar (UP),Oct 19 (PTI) A local court has given seven years of imprisonment to Ravi Kashyap and Naushad for stealing mobile phones in train here Thursday.

A fine of Rs 5,500 was also imposed on each of them by Additional district sessions judge Om Veer Singh.

The railway police investigated the case and recovered stolen mobiles from the convicts.

The case of mobile stealing was brought to notice when a passenger on Amritsar-Delhi train complained about his phone being stolen from Muzaffarnagar railway station in November last year. PTI CORR MZ MZ SMN

SMN
Tax avoidance is costing countries around the world 190billion a year and a crackdown is desperately needed, a top economic group has warned.

Figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which represents the world's major economies, will pile pressure on efforts to stop giant corporations from shifting profits into tax havens.

And they come as the European Union prepares to launch a tax raid on foreign tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon so they are forced to pay their fair share.

Earlier this month it was revealed that Facebook paid just 15.8m of UK corporation tax last year, despite revenues of 1.3bn

In Britain, Chancellor Philip Hammond has threatened to impose a tax on tech firms unless international action is taken.

Pascal Saint-Amans, head of tax at the OECD, said: 'Around 190billion a year of tax is lost through tax avoidance. This is a really conservative figure, so it's probably bigger.'

A string of major foreign firms have been accused of paying too little tax in Britain. Earlier this month it was revealed that Facebook paid just 15.8million of UK corporation tax last year, despite revenues of 1.3billion.

Meanwhile, US food firm Mondelez  the owner of Cadbury  has paid no net tax through its main UK arm since 2010.

And Amazon's warehouse arm Amazon UK Services paid only 4.5million of corporation tax in its most recent financial year.

1,000 jobs at Amazon Amazon is to open a new office in Manchester as part of plans to create more than 1,000 research and development jobs in the UK. The new site, in the city's Hanover Building, is set to house 600 highly skilled workers focusing on software development, machine learning and R&D. As part of a recruitment drive, the online giant will also beef up numbers at its 'development centres' in Edinburgh and Cambridge, with the cities seeing 250 and 180 jobs created respectively. Doug Gurr, Amazon's UK country manager, said: 'With the UK taking a leading role in our global innovation, we are delighted to announce plans to create capacity for over 1,000 new highly skilled roles across the country. 'These are Silicon Valley jobs in Britain, and further cement our long-term commitment to the UK.' Amazon said that since 2010 it has invested more than 9.3bn in the UK, and is on course to grow to 27,500 employees.

The internet shopping giant has also come under fire over its business rates bill. Amazon pays just 14million in rates for its 14 giant warehouses in England and Wales  far lower bills than many smaller companies that are struggling to survive on the High Street.

Saint-Amans said that the EU or UK will not be able to solve the problem on their own. Instead, he said global tax rules must be changed to prevent tech firms from dodging taxes.

The OECD tried to take action three years ago but its efforts have since stalled. Saint-Amans said: 'We've not delivered as much as we expected to, because the US at that time was opposed to any form of solution.

That's why a number of countries were very frustrated and said, 'Well, if you can't reach a deal at the OECD then let's do something immediately.'

But you need all the countries in the world, starting with the US, to agree on a set of rules that would allow you to tax without a physical presence.'

An Amazon spokesman said its total business rates bill is much higher than 14million once other offices are taken into account  but it refused to say what the figure was.

A spokesman said: 'Amazon pays tens of millions of pounds more in business rates in England and Wales than suggested by the research, and our business rates bill has increased significantly in 2018, including an overall increase at the 14 sites mentioned.'

Earlier this week the OECD named and shamed 21 countries which offer so-called golden passport schemes that are damaging efforts to stop tax evasion.

These nations  which include Malta and Cyprus inside the EU  allow the ultra-rich to buy a passport with an investment into the country, even if they have never lived there.

This gives them access to the nation's financial system and may help criminals shift dirty money into mainstream banks.

Other countries, including the US and UK, also let wealthy people buy citizenship through a substantial investment, but their schemes are not deemed to be problematic by the OECD because of stricter rules.
Norridge Detective Sgt. Brian Loughran said dispatchers had received numerous 911 calls from customers and employees at the store, alerting them to the robbery. The men, wearing hoodies pulled tightly over their faces, took several electronic items used as display models from their security cables as well as a bag a patron was holding, Loughran said. They then ran off, heading north on Cumberland Avenue, Loughran added.
Royal Dutch Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company worldwide. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. The company also markets and trades natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, electricity, carbon-emission rights; and markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels. In addition, it trades in and refines crude oil and other feed stocks, such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen, and sulphur; produces and sells petrochemicals for industrial use; and manages oil sands activities. Further, the company produces base chemicals comprising ethylene, propylene, and aromatics, as well as intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, propylene oxide, solvents, detergent alcohols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. Royal Dutch Shell plc was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.

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iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF's stock was trading at $49.50 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, FLOT stock has increased by 2.6% and is now trading at $50.78.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in Asia, Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; And Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment provides mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, group retirement and savings products, and institutional asset management services through agents and brokers affiliated with the company, securities brokerage firms, and financial advisors pension plan consultants and banks. The Insurance and Annuity Products segment offers deposit and credit products; individual life, and individual and group long-term care insurance; and guaranteed and partially guaranteed annuity products through insurance agents, brokers, banks, financial planners, and direct marketing. The Corporate and Other segment is involved in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses; and run-off reinsurance operations, including variable annuities, and accident and health. It also manages timberland and agricultural portfolios; and engages in insurance agency, portfolio and mutual fund management, mutual fund dealer, life and financial reinsurance, and fund management businesses. Additionally, the company holds and manages oil and gas properties; holds oil and gas royalties, and foreign bonds and equities; and provides investment management, counseling, advisory, and dealer services. Manulife Financial Corporation was incorporated in 1887 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Hammond police distributed a sketch of a suspect from the homicides, and Farmer went to Daytona Beach, Fla., the indictment states. While driving back to Northwest Indiana, Farmer told Witness 1 that he was afraid that he had dropped his sunglasses at the scene of the crime, and he asked Witness 1 to provide a false alibi by telling the police that she was with him at a different location during the time of the murders, according to the indictment.
Shirley Heinze Land Trust will host a Partnership Luncheon for its conservation partners and the general public at noon Nov. 2 at Sand Creek Country Club, 1001 Sand Creek Drive South, Chesterton. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m. Sarah Coulter, executive director of the Calumet Collaborative, will be the keynote speaker. She will speak about the organizations work with Shirley Heinze Land Trust and other partners to advance conservation projects in the region. Heinze Trust Executive Director Kristopher Krouse will speak about the organizations efforts to advance land conservation and public access on the East Branch of the Little Calumet River, for which Shirley Heinze Land Trust was recently awarded the 2018 Indiana Governors Environmental Excellence Award for Land Use/Conservation. Also on the agenda is the presentation of this years Bringing Nature Home Awards, which recognizes local landscaping projects that incorporate native plants. More information about the award program is at http://www.heinzetrust.org/bringing-nature-home.html. Tickets and table sponsorships are at www.heinzetrust.org, or with Bonnie Hawksworth at 219-242-8558 or bhawksworth@heinzetrust.org. Registration deadline is Oct. 31.
This particular tour is unlike all previous walks, in that we will observe personalized symbols that families chose to engrave on various type of surfaces to memorialize their loved ones, said Ruth Mores, H.H.S. vice president and tour guide, as she greeted visitors. Some of the oldest stones have lost their messages due to the passage of time and weather conditions  while others continue to offer glimpses of past lives lost but not forgotten.
Schoharie

The National Transportation Safety Board is getting some access to the limousine involved in the Oct. 6 crash in Schoharie that killed 20 people as it conducts its investigation, officials said Friday. The Associated Press reported Thursday that an ongoing criminal investigation had prevented the agency from conducting its own full examination of the vehicle.

"NTSB on the ground was granted limited access to the limo," U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer told the Times Union Friday afternoon. "The DA has her job to do. The NTSB has its job to do. They're doing it well.

"Everyone is on board," he added.

The vehicle is in State Police possession after Nauman Hussain, the operator of the company that owns the vehicle, Wilton-based Prestige Limo, was charged with criminally negligent homicide.

"We're working with local officials to get the information we need, both for their criminal investigation and our safety investigation," said NTSB spokesman Eric Weiss. NTSB investigators remain in New York as the investigations continue.

And while a preliminary report is expected "in the next few weeks," the investigation could continue for a year or two, Weiss said.

Schumer said he wants safety recommendations that the NTSB issues following such crashes to come "sooner rather than later." But that likely will require investigators to look thoroughly at the vehicle.

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Meanwhile, the State Police announced Friday that all 20 victims  17 passengers celebrating a 30th birthday, the limousine driver, and two pedestrians outside the Apple Barrel store where the vehicle crashed  died of multiple severe traumatic blunt force injuries.

The group was en route to Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown when the limousine ran through a stop sign, across the Apple Barrel's parking lot and crashed into a ravine.

While the NTSB typically takes charge of aviation crash investigations, the complexity of this probe, and the criminal case involved, brought other parties into the case.

The NTSB should get "hands-on" access in the next few weeks, State Police spokesman Beau Duffy told the Associated Press.
Colonie

Balloons, accordion music and people in chicken costumes greeted passengers at Albany International Airport Friday morning as the Capital Region's first Chick-fil-a opened just inside the airport's security checkpoint.

The eatery was already doing plenty of business as officials cut a ribbon marking Chick-fil-a's arrival.

Its location beyond the security checkpoint means that would-be customers will have to buy a plane ticket in order to eat there.

Or, they could apply there for a job.

Chick-fil-a hired more than 70 people to fill its job openings, according to the Albany County Airport Authority. The franchise is being operated by St. Louis-based OHM Concessions Group.

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While Chick-fil-a's chicken sandwiches, chicken nuggets, milkshakes and breakfast items all have their fans, public comments by its chief operating officer six years ago opposing same-sex marriage have continued to draw criticism.

Chick-fil-a stores also are closed on Sundays.

But that shouldn't be a problem, according to airport authority Chairman Rev. Kenneth Doyle. The Catholic priest said he could offer ideas on other places to visit on Sundays.
(State Police photo)

WINDHAM  A Herkimer County man was arrested after police tracked his car following an armed robbery report at an NBT Bank branch in Greene County, State Police said Friday.

At 2:10 p.m. Thursday, State Police, Greene County deputies and Windham Town Police converged on the Route 296, Windham branch. A lone man with a handgun forcibly stole U.S. currency and fled in a Chevrolet Impala. Police tracked the car through the towns of Ashland and Prattsville, then Delaware County, Schoharie County and eventually to Herkimer County.
Now cemented shut, this underground tunnel once siphoned blue-collar employees between the GE's sprawling River Road main plant downtown and what was then Kruesi Avenue, where many enjoyed a cold beer after work at one of the bars that lined the block.

The tunnel and three pedestrian bridges that span Route 890 and Edison Avenue are vestiges of more prosperous times when the energy manufacturing giant with the iconic GE sign boasted upwards of 40,000 employees during World War II and was recognized globally for its ingenuity. Schenectady became known as "The City that Lights and Hauls the World" thanks to GE and the American Locomotive Company.

Today, GE is down to roughly 4,000 employees in Schenectady.

The conglomerate recently fired CEO John Flannery after 14 months in that post and replaced him with Larry Culp.

Todd Alhart, a GE spokesman, said in a statement that "GE is proud of its innovation legacy and heritage in the Capital Region."

"We have launched a number of products in wind generation and energy storage and continue to set new records in power plant efficiency to meet the needs of a rapidly changing energy landscape," he said, adding that many of the fundamental technologies supporting these platforms were developed at GE's Global Research Center in neighboring Niskayuna. "GE is a 126-year-old company that through all its ebbs and flows, has always found ways to adapt and thrive."

Adapt and thrive  for the city of Schenectady, that meant not totally relying on GE. City leaders had the foresight in the 1960s to start heading in that direction. Chris Hunter, vice president of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of Innovation and Science (miSci) said Schenectady county leaders in 1960 started a program that was designed to attract new businesses and reduce their reliance on GE and Alco. Many development programs were established in the ensuing years, with the latest being Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority, the county's main redevelopment arm.

The city now is seeing significant results of those 50 years of development programs, business owners and elected officials say.

Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy is among those who point to the revitalized downtown with a variety of restaurants and a casino with a residential-retail waterfront building project on the former Alco site as proof that the city has rebounded from GE's downsizing and the closing of many retail stores downtown.

"We've diversified the base here so that it's again not relying on GE," said McCarthy. "It's still a significant employer, but if you look at the total workforce within Schenectady or the Capital Region, it represents a small portion, so these incremental adjustments that GE is making now they don't have the dramatic impact they had 15 or 20 years ago."

GE's heydey

The rise and fall - and what many see as the rise again of the city of Schenectady - started with a city within a city.

"The plant was almost like a city in itself," said Hunter, adding that the roughly 316-acre facility had an employee store, hospital, fire and police department.

Another 320 acres of GE property are located in neighboring Rotterdam. The GE Global Research campus in Niskayuna sits on about 550 acres.

Albert P. Jurczynski, who grew up on Wylie Street in Schenectady's Hamilton Hill neighborhood not far from the plant and was later elected mayor in 1996 after serving three terms on the City Council, recalls GE's heyday well.

His father and two older brothers all retired from GE.

"I can remember when the GE whistle would go off and you would have droves of GE employees that would walk down Erie Boulevard and go into the downtown for their lunch hour," said Jurczynski. "There'd be so much traffic that they would actually have to utilize these pedestrian bridges to bring them over the traffic."

In those days, Jurczynksi, now 62, said it wasn't uncommon for the parking lot at GE, which he recalled extended near the edge of Route 890, to be filled with cars.

On the business side, Hunter said GE was both a major manufacturing facility churning out everything from medium- and large-size motors to large steam turbine generators and gas turbines.

The plant was also a "product incubator" where refrigerators, televisions and radios were developed and then assembled or produced in other places, Hunter said.

And business was so good that GE took over most of the Alco buildings on Erie Boulevard  now home to the Rivers Casino & Resort at Mohawk Harbor complex  when it closed in 1968.

GE at one point was so invested in Schenectady that a group of executives bought property from Union College in 1900 and created the GE Realty Plot neighborhood for company executives and engineers to live.

Slashed workforce

But over several decades, GE steadily slashed its workforce in Schenectady, shuttered some of the buildings and drastically reduced its portfolio. These business decisions forced city and county leaders and development officials to plan for a future where the city's biggest taxpayer was curtailing its operations and in some cases moving them out of state.

In 2009, GE and Metroplex, negotiated a payment in lieu of taxes agreement to set the city portion of the main campus at an assessment of $65 million for 10 years starting in 2010. There's also a PILOT deal in place at the Rotterdam site.

At its peak during the World War II era, GE had an "artificial high" of about 45,000 employees in Schenectady, Hunter said.

Those numbers gradually started to dwindle through the 1970s and accelerated during the time from 1981 to 2001 when Jack Welch served as GE chairman and CEO.

Welch was brought in by the board of directors with a mandate to change the company culture and help GE reinvent itself to better deal with overseas competition, said Hunter.

It was a continuation of a business philosophy GE had adopted in the 1950s to make it less dependent on any one manufacturing plant.

While conceding that Welch "did great things with the GE company," Jurczynski said his strategy was hard on the Electric City.

"Back in the mid-80s, GE was downsizing big time in Schenectady, shipping jobs off to Greenville, South Carolina," said the former mayor. "They were announcing layoffs of like 1,200, 1,500, and it wasn't just a onetime shot, it was like every other month."

He surmised that Schenectady's reputation of being a strong union town didn't sit well with Welch and other GE bosses.

"When he got done, the buildings were standing and the people were all gone," said Jurczynski.

Gear up for tomorrow

In 1960 Schenectady county leaders started a Gear Up for Tomorrow Schenectady (GUTS) program that was designed to attract new businesses and reduce their reliance on GE and Alco, Hunter said.

At the same time, the federal government was offering grants aimed at urban renewal and redevelopment, he added.

"A lot of the earliest ideas centered around 'Let's take something like a suburban shopping mall and let's plop it in downtown,'" he said. "There was even a plan in the early '70s to demolish Proctors and build a shopping mall in its place and they would have had an elevated walkway going across State Street from the Proctors side to the Center City side."

Ultimately it was the benevolence of a business magnate that changed the fortunes of downtown Schenectady.

Neil Golub, whose family runs Price Chopper, said "a good part of GE's decision to move away from Schenectady was a result of the labor strife."

But other factors sucked the life out of Schenectady's downtown, which was rife with abandoned and vacant buildings that could be acquired on the cheap.

Jurczyski acknowledged that "downtown looks great now but it's a different downtown," reeling off names of retail stores like Wallace's, W. T. Grant, Woolworth and Kresge that are now all gone but used to be staples of downtown.

"There was definitely an impact from GE but you also had people moving out to the suburbs and just as people are moving out to the suburbs, they built the bypass, Interstate 890, to take people around the city," said Hunter.

Golub recalled how his father decided in the late 1980s to put up $1 million of his money in hopes of bringing people and businesses back downtown and "help Schenectady get back on track" with a more strategic development plan.

The late Bill Golub urged his son in the early 1990s to work with then-Union College president Roger Hull on what became known as Schenectady 2000.

"It was a dying community, particularly the downtown," said Neil Golub, adding that people flocked to shopping malls instead of patronizing businesses downtown. "The goal was to come up with something that would create a renaissance in Schenectady with a funding source by the year 2000."

Those efforts led to the creation of Metroplex.

"Everyone is trying to keep GE here, which is certainly understandable, but a lot's happening and that's where Metroplex comes into play where different businesses come in, but it's a hard thing to do to try and replace GE," said Hull, who resides in the GE Realty Plot and has made two unsuccessful bids for mayor. "It's great to have the restaurants and to have the activity we have downtown, that's wonderful and I support it, but that doesn't really deal with 6,000 jobs that have evaporated."

Investing in the city

Restaurateur Bobby Mallozzi, whose family owns Johnny's and Villa Italia in the heart of downtown Schenectady, echoed the mayor's sentiment.

"Schenectady is a very resilient city and very adaptive and they've done an amazing job recovering from what's been a very challenging post-GE boon Schenectady," he said. "I think that we're fortunate enough to have prominent business people who continue to invest and reinvest in the city, so I look forward to the future of Schenectady with great optimism, whether GE has challenges or not."

Restaurateur Angelo Mazzone has a different take on the job losses at GE.

He recalled that about 20 years ago Mazzone Hospitality, which owns Aperitivo Bistro restaurant in downtown Schenectady, did a tremendous amount of business with GE, most of which since then has dried up.

"They used all our facilities, we did catering for them, it was just a whole different company back then than it is now," he said. "They've cut back on everything and they're not even part of the community as far as I'm concerned. "

Despite that, Mazzone, who also owns the Glen Sanders Mansion in Scotia, said as a businessman himself he understands that certain decisions GE has made are to ensure the business survives.

Jurczynski recalled in the early 1980s that GE used to hold an annual breakfast that attracted hundreds of people in the business world and community who wanted to hear the company's plans for the upcoming year. Jurczynski said the event was eventually discontinued.

"They're just not as engaged with Schenectady as they used to be," he said.

As with most manufacturing plants, the possible impact of certain chemicals on the environment leads to debates about if a company should be held liable for pollutants even after it donates or sells that property.

Hull said the GE tract is a "prime piece of real estate" that the city or another company could redevelop.

"I believe that GE is willing to clean up that property to any standard the state wants in exchange for a hold harmless letter," said Hull, adding he feels that way because the state signed off on the chemicals GE used at the plant.

The New York state Department of Environmental Conservation said the GE facility has chemical bulk storage tanks registered with DEC, which are routinely inspected to ensure they comply with state regulations.

DEC spokeswoman Erica Ringewald said the state agency is "strictly overseeing the cleanup of this site under the State Superfund Program to protect public health and the environment."

The DEC expects the cleanup to be done in 2019 after which it will reassess the site's Superfund status.

DEC has not received any recent complaints regarding the site.

Despite the ups and downs, McCarthy said his administration is committed to maintaining a healthy business relationship with GE.

He noted that the city provides fire and emergency medical services to the sprawling facility and that GE has played an instrumental role lending its expertise and professional experts in the city's ongoing efforts to become a "smart city."

"I want to continue working with GE to make sure that facility is globally competitive," said McCarthy. "These are cyclical trends that have happened many times before in the history of GE and other major corporations."

Neil Golub agrees.

"Schenectady can stand on its own two feet," said Golub.
Rosslyn, Va.

Speaking last month at a Washington think tank, Rushan Abbas relayed tales of suffering she had heard about China's repression of ethnic Uighur Muslims  including the detention of members of her husband's family in a widespread system of mass internment camps.

Within six days, Abbas' ailing sister and elderly aunt disappeared from their homes in northwest China. No family members or neighbors have heard from them in more than a month.

Abbas is an American citizen and a resident of Virginia; her sister has two daughters who both live in the United States. They all assume the women are being detained in the camps, which Western analysts estimate hold up to 1 million people.

Abbas said they had fallen victim to the persecution against which she had been campaigning  and because of her.

"I'm exercising my rights under the U.S. Constitution as an American citizen," Abbas, a business consultant, said from her 12th-floor office in Rosslyn, Virginia, overlooking the Key Bridge and Potomac River. "They shouldn't punish my family members for this."

"I hope the Chinese ambassador here reads this," she added, wiping away tears. "I will not stop. I will be everywhere and speak on this at every event from now on."

Abbas, 50, is among a growing number of Uighur Americans who have had family members detained by Chinese police and placed in the anti-Islam camp system that is spread across the northwest region of Xinjiang. Chinese officials describe the internment as "transformation through education" and "vocational education."

The Washington area has the largest population of Uighurs in the United States, so stories like that of Abbas are now common here. Chinese officers aim to silence Uighurs abroad by detaining their family members.

But that tactic is backfiring. Although some Uighurs abroad are afraid to speak out for fear that relatives in Xinjiang will be detained, Abbas said, there are ones like her who are more willing to voice their outrage.

Those in Washington could sway U.S. policy toward China at a time when officials are debating a much tougher stand on defending Uighurs. Some like Abbas have acquaintances at think tanks, including at the conservative Hudson Institute where she spoke on Sept. 5, and in Congress and the White House. Abbas has also spoken to staffers at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which is led by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J.

"Harassing the relatives of U.S. citizens is what Chairman Mao used to call dropping a rock on your own feet," said Michael Pillsbury, director for Chinese strategy at the Hudson Institute, noting that repression of Uighurs would also erode relations between China and Muslim nations.

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This month, a daughter of Abbas' detained sister wrote to Rubio about her mother's plight. The daughter, an American citizen, lives in Florida, Rubio's home state.

The other daughter, a legal permanent resident, lives in Maryland. Their mother, Gulshan Abbas, 56, has severe health problems.

Asked for comment about issues facing Uighur Americans, Rubio said, "The long arm of the Chinese government's domestic repression directly impacts the broader Uighur diaspora community, including in the United States."

"This is unacceptable, and it takes tremendous courage for these individuals to even come forward given the growing number of reports of Chinese government harassment, intimidation and threats aimed at the Chinese, Uighur and Tibetan diaspora communities living in the United States," Rubio added.

Rubio is pushing legislation to compel the United States to take action on behalf of Uighurs. It says the FBI and other government agencies "should track and take steps to hold accountable" Chinese officials who harass or threaten people from China who are American citizens or living or studying here, including Uighurs.

Separately, officials at the White House and State and Treasury Departments are discussing imposing economic sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act on Chinese officials who are involved in repression of Uighurs.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has spoken about the plight of the Uighurs and the harassment of Uighur Americans. In April, the State Department's chief spokeswoman met with Gulchehra Hoja, a Uighur American journalist for Radio Free Asia who said two dozen of her family members had been detained in Xinjiang. Hoja testified in July at the congressional commission.

In a China policy speech this month, Vice President Mike Pence denounced China's attempts to shape public opinion in the United States through coercion and other means.
NORTH GREENBUSH  The incumbent touted his bipartisanship. The challenger, his outside perspective.

The main rivals for the tight and much-watched 19th Congressional District race squared off for the fourth time on stage in a debate or forum setting, this one at the WMHT studios in Troy for an hour-long televised debate.

Health care and taxes dominated the remarks from Republican incumbent John Faso and Democratic challenger Antonio Delgado. It also touched on immigration, trade, foreign policy, environmental issues, and civility.

Faso touted his experience in Congress and record of bipartisanship, which he repeatedly said had earned him the distinction of being the 18th most bipartisan member of Congress, as ranked by the Lugar Center Bipartisan Index.

Delgado argued that he could bring a valuable outside perspective to Washington, D.C., as someone who grew up middle class in Schenectady and went on to attend Harvard Law School and become a Rhodes scholar. His rejection of contributions from corporate interests, Delgado said, enables him to pursue policies on health care, education, gun control, and environmental issues that are reflective of the residents of the district.

"What we need is fresh faces, new voices, with diverse backgrounds, who understand the value of opportunity, who understand the value of a public school education," Delgado said.

The candidates in the Nov. 6 election addressed the controversial attack ad, paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee, which put the Delgado in a hoodie and labeled him a "big-city rapper," using lyrics from a hip hop album he produced in 2007 to paint him as misogynistic and un-American. The ad was widely condemned as "racist."

"The ads are unfortunate and they speak to a climate right now that is divisive and ugly," Delgado said.

Faso tried to distance himself from the ads, saying he was not behind them, but noted they were "provocative" like Delgado's lyrics. "I reject racism in all its forms," he said.

Voters in the district have been bombarded with ad campaigns with conflicting messages on the candidates' positions on health care, and Delgado and Faso both tried to set the record straight during the Friday event.

Faso defended himself against the charge that his 2017 vote in favor of the American Health Care Act, which passed the House but died in the U.S. Senate, would have gutted coverage for pre-existing conditions in New York.

AHCA keeps the requirement that people with pre-existing conditions must be offered health insurance but eliminates Obamacare's rules capping surcharges for people who are recently uninsured, and would allow states to obtain waivers to some requirements of the Affordable Care Act. State policies would have shielded New York voters from these changes, Delgado acknowledged.

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"The only preexisting condition here, is Mr. Delgado's insistence on distorting my position -- that's his preexisting condition," Faso said.

Delgado denied the accusation that he supported a single-payer health care system, an ambitious and expensive overhaul of the nation's healthcare system favored by many prominent congressional Democrats, clarifying that he supported a "public option," which would allow the uninsured to opt-in to Medicare.

The issue of residency came up, predictably, with Faso pointing out that Delgado spend his adult life in New York City, moving to the district to run for office. Delgado shot back that Faso was born on Long Island.

"I really wanted to be born upstate, but my mother insisted I having me on Long Island," Faso said, eliciting laughs from the audience.

The expansive 19th Congressional District is closely divided between Democrats, Republicans and independents, making the race one of the most watched  and most expensive  in the nation. There are two other candidates in the race, independent Diane Neal and Steve Greenfield on the Green Party line.

A Democrat has not held the seat since 2010, but recent polls suggest the candidates are in a virtual dead heat.

The debate was presented by "New York Now," the award-winning co-production of WMHT and the Times Union.
COLONIE - A Chinese General Electric employee living in Colonie has friends in the Capital Region who have been told recently to "go back to your country"  the same experience he had while driving in Ohio four years ago.

The employee, who asked that his name be withheld to protect his privacy, was one of a half dozen who shared their experiences with the New York state Human Rights Commissioner Helene Diane Foster at a Know Your Rights forum Thursday evening. The leaders of five Asian-American community organizations from China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal attended the event at the Chinese Community Center in Latham.

"In New York state, we are serious about addressing discrimination," Foster told the crowd of around 50 people before turning to the Chinese man who had shared his story. "We are serious about making it such that someone like yourself, who only came here nine years ago, should be able to feel as welcome and enjoy the liberties as someone who's been here longer, or someone who hasn't been here longer but is just of a different hue."

The state's Commission on Human Rights reached out to the Albany chapter of national civic organization Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs (APAPA) to plan the event, which was sponsored by another Asian-American group, the Civic Leadership Forum.

APAPA has around 110 members at its Albany chapter, according to President HP Wang. He said there are many more in the Capital Region who don't know their rights  and that's why he was so excited to learn about the commission.

"Most of the Asian community members in the Capital District are immigrants. They do not understand the law. Most people didn't know the existence of the human rights division, including me," Wang said.

During an hour-long talk, Foster educated the group about the state's Commission on Human Rights, which protects New Yorkers' rights in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations. The commission investigates complaints based on disabilities, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, race, color, national origin, marital status, and whether a victim is a convict or a domestic violence survivor.

The regional director of the state Commission on Human Rights office in Albany, Victor Deamelia, told the Times Union most of the complaints filed in the Capital Region are for disability discrimination.

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Cases take up to six months for a conclusion after being filed. If discrimination is found, the commission can work with State Police to prosecute cases.

After Foster's talk, a half dozen attendees shared stories and asked questions. Multiple people brought up the fear of repercussions, like losing a job for speaking out. Foster said that even if the original complaint proves to not be discrimination, another complaint could be filed for retaliation.

After the event, the Chinese man who shared his story about being told to go back to his country told the Times Union he was empowered about how to respond to discrimination.

"Fighting doesn't do any good, but I don't want to be treated as a minority to be taken advantage of. I heard from the commissioner and if it happens again I will say, how dare you say that, my ancestors suffered to build a railroad for this country, and I'm paying taxes and I'm doing research to help this country move forward," he said. "This definitely helped."
WILL WALDRON

Last year, Hilltowns residents raised $16,000 to support Puerto Ricans on the island of Vieques struggling to survive the impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Maria. On Nov. 3, islanders are thanking upstate New Yorkers with a concert.

Los Victones, a premier blues band from Vieques, will headline a musical celebration of thanks at Conkling Town Hall, Rensselaerville on Nov. 3 between 6 and 9 p.m. The group will perform with special guest from Nashville, R&B songwriter and recording artist Tracy Nelson.
Im disappointed, most of the community is disappointed, but it still has the city council to go through, so hopefully we can still prevent this. Theres just too many issues. For me, it comes down to is there really a need for another subdivision in Valparaiso?, Wertz said. Everyone wants to come to Valpo now because of what we are. We dont want to be Chicago, we want to keep the trees.
The Northeastern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross said its volunteers provided immediate emergency aid to 13 people after two fires Thursday morning in the Capital Region.

The first fire was on Sixth Avenue in Troy where the Red Cross helped five adults and three children, ages 1, 2, and 3.
TROY  Economic growth in southern Rensselaer County and rising sales tax revenues, will mean no tax hike to pay for a proposed $346.7 million budget, even though spending would rise by 1.9 percent, County Executive Steven McLaughlin said Friday.

Looking beyond his first budget as county executive, McLaughlin said his administration will work to develop a new government center while partnering with the city of Troy, and deliver on a campaign promise to build a new fire training center in North Greenbush.

The 2019 budget proposed is introduced at a unique time in our countys history. We are now seeing tremendous opportunities for growth and renewal in Rensselaer County, with projects that have the opportunity to dramatically strengthen our economy and provide opportunities for future generations, McLaughlin said.

The proposed budget maintains the tax levy at $64.4 million for 2019, the same as in 2018. The average tax rate will be $5.69 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The actual tax rate in each town and city varies according to how close to market rate values properties are assessed. The county tax rates range from a low $5.91 per $1,000 in Troy to a high of $66.99 per $1,000 in Grafton.

McLaughlin delivered his 30-minute-long budget talk in the County Legislature chambers on the third floor of the county office building at 1600 Seventh Ave. that he wants to see torn down for redevelopment.

McLaughlin said it was too early in the process to place any portion of the hunt for a new government site in the 2019 budget. He said he hopes to move at full speed on the proposal next year, with preliminary work starting in the last few months of 2018. He envisions securing shared services funding from the state to develop a joint county-city government building. The current county building could be the site of apartments and commercial investment.

The fire training center also is not included in the proposed budget, which now goes to the County Legislature for review. McLaughlin said he anticipates the county taking advantage of its bond rating to secure financing for a new center.

Plans are for replacement of the training tower in 2019 with estimates for costs to be under way in the coming months, the county executive said, adding money is available from previous budgets to help with the project.

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The county has seen economic growth spurred by the expansion of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in East Greenbush and the proposal by Amazon to build a warehouse in Schodack. McLaughlin said the warehouse project shows the potential for encouraging more growth along Route 9 in Schodack.

The county also enjoyed a 6 percent growth in sales tax revenues in 2018, McLaughlin said. The proposed budget projects a 5 percent growth in sales tax income.

Minority Leader Peter Grimm, D-Troy, said the county is reaping the benefits from efforts begun years ago. Growth can take decades to develop, Grimm said, noting how redevelopment efforts in Troy begun 30 years ago started to blossom over the last decade into the citys renaissance.

I was happy to see him recognize the type of growth in the direction the county has been going in. The corridors through North Greenbush and elsewhere are direct results of how people look at Rensselaer County now, Grimm said.

County Legislature Chairman Michael Stammel, R-Rensselaer, said, We will continue to work with the executive on this budget to achieve more cost savings.
Washington

President Donald Trump acknowledged Thursday it "certainly looks" as though missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened "very severe" consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him. His warning came as the administration toughened its response to a disappearance that has sparked global outrage.

Before Trump spoke, the administration announced that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had pulled out of a major upcoming Saudi investment conference and a U.S. official said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader is at stake.

Pompeo said the Saudis should be given a few more days to finish and make public a credible investigation before the U.S. decides "how or if" to respond. Trump's comments, however, signaled an urgency in completing the probe into the disappearance of the journalist, last seen entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

The messaging underscored the administration's concern about the effect the case could have on relations with a close and valuable strategic partner. Increasingly upset U.S. lawmakers are condemning the Saudis and questioning the seriousness with which Trump and his top aides are taking the matter, while Trump has emphasized the billions of dollars in weapons the Saudis purchase from the United States.

Turkish reports say Khashoggi, who had written columns critical of the Saudi government for The Washington Post over the past year while he lived in self-imposed exile in the U.S., was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to the writer.

Trump, who has insisted that more facts must be known before making assumptions, did not say on what he based his latest statement about the writer's likely demise.

Asked if Khashoggi was dead, he said, "It certainly looks that way. ... Very sad."

Asked what consequence Saudi leaders would face if they are found to be responsible, he replied: "It will have to be very severe. It's bad, bad stuff. But we'll see what happens."

Vice President Mike Pence said earlier in Colorado that "the world deserves answers" about what happened to Khashoggi, "and those who are responsible need to be held to account."

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In Istanbul, a leaked surveillance photo showed a man who has been a member of the crown prince's entourage during trips abroad walking into the Saudi Consulate just before Khashoggi vanished there  timing that drew the kingdom's heir-apparent closer to the columnist's apparent demise.

Turkish officials say Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb flew into Istanbul on a private jet along with an "autopsy expert" Oct. 2 and left that night.

In Washington, Pompeo, who was just back from talks with Saudi and Turkish leaders, said of the investigations in Istanbul:

"I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how, or if, the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

Although Pompeo suggested the U.S. could wait longer for results, an official familiar with his meetings in Riyadh and Ankara said the secretary had been blunt about the need to wrap the probe up quickly.
Casual chats have turned into conversational landmines. What to say. What not to say. How deeply should we share our feelings with others, not to mention our opinions with strangers? It has become so easy  too easy  to make casual enemies in our society. Not people you actually hate with a passion, but people you instinctively avoid with a shrug.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD today launched the new 22.2 million BEACON Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre at the 5.75 million National Bioeconomy Campus in Lisheen, Co. Tipperary. The event also saw the launch of the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation (IBF), as part of the inaugural Bioeconomy Ireland Day, which aims to engage industry, the farming community, Government and wider society in the bioeconomy. The bioeconomy brings together the development of new ideas, processes and technologies to sustainably use our natural resources, create jobs and stimulate rural development.



Minister Creed also announced the initiation of a Bioeconomy Public-Private Network, as part of the national bioeconomy policy statement implementation, to establish a network of representatives from industry, research, society and relevant public bodies to inform the future development of the Irish bioeconomy. With the bioeconomy already accounting for 8% of the EUs workforce, bio-based industries could create up to 1 million green jobs by 2030, especially in rural and coastal areas.



The BEACON Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre funded by Science Foundation Ireland through the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, and Industry, includes partnerships with five research institutions and an initial 10 industry partners. The Centre will connect Irelands key bioeconomy sectors with fundamental and applied research excellence and innovation infrastructure, using a multi-disciplinary perspective to solve the key challenges for a robust bioeconomy: technology and sustainability.



Speaking about the inaugural Bioeconomy Ireland Day, An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD said: In March of this year, Government published the National Policy Statement on the Bioeconomy, setting out our ambition for Ireland to be a global leader in this sector. We want to integrate sustainable economic development into our economic model as we transition to a low carbon economy.





The BEACON SFI Research Centre at Lisheen was packed for the inaugural Bioeconomy Day.

"A number of Irish based companies have already recognised the potential of the bioeconomy and are developing commercial opportunities in this area. The Government is committed to building on this and alongside the National Policy Statement, the last year has seen major investments in the sector including in the BEACON SFI Research Centre and the Lisheen campus. I look forward to the first progress report from the Bioeconomy Implementation Group early next year.



Biorefining technologies based on renewable biological resources are essential for a carbon-neutral future. The BEACON SFI Research Centre, along with the IBF and ongoing government bioeconomy actions, will address significant challenges and opportunities for major sectors of the Irish and global bioeconomy, including dairy, horticulture, forestry, fisheries, marine biodiscovery, food waste and municipal solid biowaste.



Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, TD said: The bioeconomy will play a crucial role in supporting future economic development and employment, as well as providing a path towards reducing carbon emissions and our dependence on fossil resources. The conversion of biological resources into sustainable and circular food, feed and bio-based products presents numerous benefits and opportunities to Ireland. It means that our farmers, fishers and foresters will in the future not only be partners with food companies, but also potentially with chemical, textile and construction industries. The agri-food sector has strong innovation potential to support Irelands transition to a more integrated sustainable, circular, low carbon economy, with economic, social and environmental benefits for rural Ireland.



Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Richard Bruton, TD, said: Climate change is a serious global and local issue, requiring unified and sustained action to ensure low carbon growth and resource efficiency. The bioeconomy reduces emissions and our dependence on fossil resources as well as contributing to the EU target of restoring at least 15% of degraded ecosystems by 2020. Ireland has remarkable potential as a location for a globally significant circular bioeconomy and will play a leading role in tackling one of the greatest global challenges we face.



Prof Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government of Ireland said:The modern world is dependent upon finite fossil resources to produce everyday consumable items and the agri-food and marine sectors produce high volumes of residues and waste during food production. Research from the BEACON SFI Research Centre will convert these residues to higher value products such as food, feed, chemicals, construction materials, energy and fuels, addressing multiple scientific, technological and social challenges. Government investment through the SFI Research Centres continues to deliver significant economic and societal impact to Ireland with transformative innovation.



Dr Brian Kelly from the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation said: The IBF provides an infrastructure to enable potential collaborators to interact in order to establish new value chains. Our Enterprise Ireland funded pilot-scale processing facility in Lisheen provides the national ecosystem with an opportunity to accelerate ideas (from academics and businesses) to the market, helping to de-risk new technologies, attract further investment and build international links.



Prof Kevin OConnor, Director of the BEACON Bioeconomy SFI Research Centre said: BEACON, through research and innovation, is creating knowledge and high value products from Irelands natural resources. This will inform the evolution of the Irish bioeconomy and create new opportunities for Irish industry. Research excellence is critical to maximising the opportunity for Irish society and enabling Irish Industry to diversify and enter new growing global markets. Given that our natural resources are predominantly rurally based, BEACON can help to create vibrant sustainable rural communities. BEACON will provide the knowledge, technologies, and highly educated graduates to support the realisation of Irelands bioeconomy opportunity.
Tipperary Fire and Rescue Service had reason to celebrate recently as it was recognised at the recent National Safety Awards receiving the top award for its Safety Management System.

These National awards, which are jointly organised by the National Irish Safety Organisation, NISO, and the Northern Ireland Safety Group honour those that have visibly excelled in their pursuit of workplace safety. The award reinforces the status of Tipperary Fire & Rescue Service as safety leaders within the Country. They have in past won the best New Entrant award in 2013 and the Best Public Service for the last four years running. Achieving the Supreme Award represents a whole new level and has been achieved on the back of some very hard work by all involved.

Councillor Mattie Ryan, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council was presented with the award by Deputy Pat Breen, Minister of State for Trade, Employment, Business, EU Digital Single Market and Data Protection at the ceremony in Killarney. Speaking after the awards, Councillor Ryan said: The safety and management award we are celebrating here today is another step in improving the overall standard of our safety performance and provide both service providers and the public with independent assurance of a high quality service. I would like to congratulate all involved in Tipperary County Council on this achievement.

Chief Executive Joe MacGrath also congratulated the Chief Fire Officer and members of the Tipperary Fire Service on this historic achievement. "This is a significant achievement, not alone for the Fire Services but also for the entire organisation, and shows what can be achieved in health and safety through persistent hard work and dedication. In particular, the award signifies a very strong commitment to the safety of all in the Fire Services and the deep sense of pride and gratitude we all have for the work that is done every day in helping others".

Dave Carroll, Chief Fire Officer, Tipperary Fire and Rescue Services explained: Our occupational health and safety management system paves the way for the best possible working conditions in our Service. I am delighted that our commitment in this area has been recognised with this award and Id like to congratulate our Health and Safety Committee and all the members of our service for making this possible. I want to acknowledge that it is only by everybody engaging in the health and safety procedures and the culture that we set that we are able to achieve these awards. In winning this award we join an elite club of former winners which brings with it a challenge to not only retain but to further improve on our safety record".
Sinn Fein's Cllr David Doran called at the last Health Forum meeting in Galway for Nenagh's A&E to to be reopened.

The call was supported and passed unanimously.

Cllr Doran said that the closure of the unit had proven to be a monumental mistake, and, in his opinion was costing lives and adding to the mayhem that is a daily nightmare for patients and staff alike in Limerick Regional Hospital.

He said that he was delighted that as a result of the motion the forum had requested to meet the Health Minister to discuss the issue.

I am determined that the re opening of the Nenagh A&E will be firmly back on the political agenda because I genuinely believe that this will ease the pressure on Limerick Hospital and potentially save lives, he said.

Cllr Doran described it as a crazy situation where ambulances rush past a closed A&E in Nenagh to an already overcrowded hospital 30 miles away, and he would be making that point to the Health Minister whenever he agrees to meet the forum.
A spate of break-ins and thefts to a number of unoccupied vehicles in the Nenagh Garda District has led to a warning for motorists to be vigilant.

A Garda spokesman said vehicles parked outside churches and graveyards have been targeted.

He said owners should not leave property visible in their vehicles.

Property was stolen in a break-in to a car parked at Kickham Street on Thursday night last.

An attempted break-in to a car parked at Doonane, Toor, Newport, was made in recent days. The window of the vehicle was damaged.

A motorist suspected of drink driving was arrested on Wednesday of last week at Knockalton Upper after they were stopped at a checkpoint.

Another motorist was arrested on suspicion of a similar offence at Dromin Road in Nenagh on Sunday last

An arrest for drink driving was made on the same day in Roscrea.

A quantity of cannabis was seized following a search of an individaul on the Borrisokane road in Nenagh on Thursday last.

A business premises in Newport was damaged by youths on Thursday last and Gardai are also investigating a theft from a vehicle parked at Mulcair Manor in the town in recent days.

A male was arrested for an alleged breach of public order at Main Street, Roscrea, on Saturday evening last.

Gardai are investigating an incident in which a car failed to stop for them at Benedine, Nenagh.
October 16, 2018





Cloud computing has become inescapable in our lives. Whether for professional or personal use, all of us utilize the cloud in some way. As well as allowing employees to connect to business networks remotely using cloud technology, many businesses also require their workers to use a virtual private network (VPN) to connect to their networks. These two technologies go hand in hand. In fact, they are often confused with one another.







What Is a VPN?

A VPN is a piece of software that creates an encrypted communications tunnel between your device and a VPN server. Any data exchanged between your device and the VPN server will be secure and encrypted. This way the VPN server acts as a safe access point to the internet for your device.

Many individuals use VPNs, especially those who regularly connect to the internet through public Wi-Fi networks, as a way of giving themselves more privacy and anonymity online. Businesses use VPNs to ensure that any data exchanged between their network and employees is encrypted and cannot be snooped on.

Of course, many people use public Wi-Fi networks for accessing their work networks remotely. In such case using a VPN benefits them personally, as well as the corporate network they are connecting to.

Many businesses keep their most sensitive databases off-limits to anyone connecting from outside their internal firewall. Putting a VPN server between the users and the network means that remote workers can connect to the VPN server, and from there, join the internal network.

With cybercrime rates at an all-time high, and most public Wi-Fi hotspots offering nothing in the way of protection or encryption, using a VPN makes more sense than ever. This is a basic yet effective preventative measure that keeps individuals and networks safe from a variety of different threats.

There are numerous VPN providers out there, depending on your individual needs. For example, some VPNs focus on maximizing user privacy whereas others are designed to offer optimal performance for gamers. There is no single VPN service that serves all the users best. Thus, you will need to do a research based on your requirements and hardware setup.

Cloud Computing

Perhaps, more people will be familiar with cloud computing rather than with VPNs. Cloud computing allows computers and networks to share resources by facilitating remote access of machines and servers. The most familiar application of cloud computing is in the form of storage. Smartphones offer cloud storage of photos and other data, while many people again utilize cloud storage in their professional lives.

As well as acting as a remote storage device, cloud computing can also be used to offload intensive tasks. With a VPN, when the user wishes to access the internet, they send a request to the VPN server. The server then fulfills the request and returns the result to the user. This means that, while the user has the same experience of loading a website like anyone else, the device they are browsing with doesnt interact directly with the website.

Similarly, a user can send a request to a cloud computer, asking it to perform a particularly difficult task. The cloud computer can then carry out this task and return the result to the user. Again, the user will have the same experience (in most cases) as if they had executed the task locally.

In this way, cloud computing can make both storage volumes and computing power that would otherwise be out of reach available to the average user. This often means providing access to resources that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive. This is a large part of the reason why cloud computing has proven to be so revolutionary. As security is such a prominent concern for cloud service providers, the cloud often represents the most secure way businesses can store sensitive data and access various applications.

As well as making otherwise expensive hardware and infrastructure available to smaller businesses through a pay-as-you-go model, cloud-based applications also offer the possibility to work with a wide range of different apps.

Conclusions

Online privacy and security are the issues lots of people didnt take seriously until quite recently. However, we have witnessed many high-profile data breaches in recent years that show the lengths cybercriminals are willing to go to in pursuit of peoples personal data. Both businesses and individuals can benefit greatly from the use of a VPN to enhance their privacy. If your business isnt currently using a VPN, you should definitely consider it.
[October 18, 2018] Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Commits $100 Million to Infection Research

The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced today that it will commit at least $100 million over the next five years as part of a sweeping effort to address the chronic and intractable infections that are a hallmark of cystic fibrosis (CF). The Infection Research Initiative is a comprehensive approach to improve outcomes associated with infections through enhanced detection, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. "Infection is a leading cause of loss of lung function among patients with CF and, as a result, frequent and long-term use of anti-infectives is often a necessary burden of managing the disease. Even with the introduction of highly effective disease modifying therapies, we estimate that approximately half of the CF population may continue to require improved anti-infective treatments in 20 years," said William R. Skach, M.D., senior vice president of research affairs for the CF Foundation. "A comprehensive approach is needed to make meaningful progress against this complex challenge, and we have set out a bold agenda in research and drug development to drive advances that will help enable people with CF to live full and healthy lives." Preston W. Campbell, III, M.D., president and CEO of the CF Foundation added, "Advances in care have drastically increased both life expectancy and quality of life for people with CF-today, many people in our community are reaching milestones we never thought possible. Through this initiative, we are committed to transforming diagnosis and treatment of infections just as we have done in other areas of CF care." Dr. Skach announced the initiative at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference in Denver to an audience of more than 5,000 leaders in CF research and care. The effortmore than doubles the Foundation's previous investment in this area over the last five years.



Widespread problem, significant burden of disease Infections take a significant physical and mental toll on people with CF and remain a top concern of both patients and clinicians. People with CF who have chronic infections are at greater risk for worsening lung disease and death. Many individuals also suffer severe side effects from long-term antibiotic use, such as hearing loss, and are at increased risk of developing antibiotic resistant infections.

The vast majority of people with CF experience complications from infections with microorganisms (such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi). Along with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) (44.6 percent prevalence), other challenging bacteria can include Achromobacter (5.8 percent prevalence), Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) (2.4 percent prevalence), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (25 percent prevalence). Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections are also becoming increasingly common in people with CF and can be associated with rapid decline in lung function. A far-reaching approach The Infection Research Initiative will take a broad approach to advancing research into CF-related microorganisms, including: Identifying new ways to detect microorganisms and diagnose infections;

Enhancing understanding of CF microorganisms and how they are acquired;

Supporting the development of safe and effective treatments, including antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals;

Optimizing current treatments to improve outcomes and minimize treatment burden;

Evaluating the impact of long-term or frequent, intermittent antimicrobial use; and

Understanding how infections are influenced by disease-modifying treatments. The effort builds on a significant body of work that is already underway: In 2017, the Foundation awarded $17.3 million in funding across more than 120 different projects, including more than 10 discovery and development programs with industry. About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world's leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The Foundation funds more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support. Based in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation also supports and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease. The CF Foundation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization. For more information, visit www.cff.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181018005810/en/

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[October 18, 2018] LG Chem Supports Start-ups with New and Exciting Battery Technology

LG Chem hosts 'The Battery Challenge', its first open innovation contest for start-ups with new battery technologies

LG Chem will offer more than $1.9M in funding to 8 selected start-up companies

The finalists will enter partnership with LG Chem to develop joint technology and have access to commercialization opportunities in the future. SEOUL, South Korea, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Chem, South Korea's leading manufacturer of advanced lithium-ion batteries, runs its first open innovation contest 'The Battery Challenge' to support start-ups specializing in new battery technology to strengthen its competitiveness in the industry. LG Chem is accepting applications until November 2nd. The fields of application are separated into four categories: 'battery material', 'battery management and control', 'design, manufacturing and processing' and 'recycle and regeneration'. Start-ups can apply and receive detailed information through the official website. (https://batterychallenge.co/). The company asks all participants to submit their technology descriptions and business plans, which will then be carefully analyzed and evaluated to pick the top eight. Applications are encouraged to focus on technology and innovation in the battery sector. The selected companies will then be invited to 'Demo Day' in Silicon Valley, USA, around February of next year to present their business plans. The finalists will be selected through the holistic evaluation of each business plan and presentation, taking into account each start-up's feasibility and marketability in the sector. LG Chem provides an opportunity to receive more than $1.9M in funding through a formal partnership agreement and will also continue togrow related technologies through joint research projects.



Strengthening technological competitiveness through open innovation. LG Chem's goal is to discover innovative technologies and enhance competitiveness through active open innovation.

In June of this year, the company hosted the 'Global Innovation Contest (GIC)' in an effort to promote technical cooperation between LG Chem and academia. Prominent universities and research institutes from around the world took part, particularly those working on innovative technologies in five promising business areas: energy, environment, functional materials, biotechnology and platform technology. LG Chem's ongoing effort to innovate is one of the many reasons why the company is now a leader in the battery industry. LG Chem has achieved numerous milestones since entering new business fields such as automobile batteries, ESS batteries and small batteries. The automotive battery business has secured global customers with its advanced technology and has exceeded 60 trillion won (approx. $ 53.263 billion) in order backlog by the end of the first half of 2018. On top of winning the 'ees Award' two years in a row at one of the world's largest ESS exhibitions 'ees Europe', 2016 & 2017, LG Chem also took home America's Brad Roberts Award in 2017. This is awarded by the Energy Storage Association (ESA) to honor the largest contributors to the development of the North American ESS industry each year. LG Chem's ESS battery is widely recognized in the industry as a leading innovative technology. In addition, LG Chem has recently achieved remarkable growth in various business fields such as IT, where the launch of low-cobalt batteries for notebook computers in the small-sized battery business proved to be a great success. The company has achieved outstanding results in the battery business thanks to its top-of-the-line battery technology. LG Chem's battery manufacturing method 'Lamination & Stacking' technology stacks electrodes and separator layers. This method increases energy density by maximizing the internal space efficiency of electric vehicles, ESS, smart phones and so on. In March of this year, LG Chem received the LG Research & Development Prize for 'Free Form Battery,' which utilizes this technology to realize the maximum capacity in the limited space found inside a smartphone. LG Chem plans to focus on R&D investment in the field of innovative batteries, which can far exceed the limits of conventional batteries, such as investment in high capacity electric cars, small batteries and high power ESS batteries with low cobalt content. Furthermore, the company will continue to strengthen its R&D in various areas, such as innovative batteries, through the active search and support for inspiring start-ups with innovative battery technologies. About LG Chem

LG Chem is one of the world's largest lithium-ion battery manufacturers with a market-leading position in advanced batteries for grid-scale, residential storage and automotive applications. Our advanced lithium ion battery technology is the product of 23 years of experience in the development and production of mobile batteries and large format batteries for automotive and energy storage systems (ESS). LG Chem's commitment to technology leadership coupled with efficient and high-quality manufacturing processes produces batteries that exhibit the highest levels of safety, performance and reliability. For more information, please visit http://www.lgchem.com/global/main. SOURCE LG Chem

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That year, she ended up giving out 500 turkeys to hungry families across Northwest Indiana. It took more than 500 volunteers, but together they did it, even raising enough money to also give each family $5. The next year, they matched their inaugural effort. In 2011, they upped the challenge to include two of every side item, totaling 1,000 items plus 500 turkeys.
[October 18, 2018] thyssenkrupp Elevator rolls out HoloLinc - world's first Industry 4.0 solution to transform measurement and delivery in the stairlift industry

Digitization becomes everyday business, tangible and productive: thyssenkrupp Elevator equips 120 sales executives in ten countries with a special toolkit including mixed-reality technology and Microsoft HoloLens

Revolutionary new HoloLinc technology developed by thyssenkrupp Elevator and Z u hlke uses Microsoft HoloLens to directly interact with customers

hlke uses Microsoft HoloLens to directly interact with customers Digitized engineering to make the process between measurement and delivery four times quicker SINGAPORE, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- thyssenkrupp Elevator is responding to the challenges of delivering customized mobility solutions by launching HoloLinc, a first of its kind, fully digitalized sales process for the stairlift industry. Developed in partnership with Zuhlke and Microsoft, HoloLinc will be used by 120 sales representatives to significantly speed up the process, from measurement to delivery. Sales executives will receive a HoloLinc toolkit, comprising of Microsoft HoloLens, a tablet, portable printer, as well as other technical accessories. After a pilot in the Netherlands with more than 300 successful installations to date, the solution is being rolled out in October in the UK, Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, and France, with Norway and Japan to follow next year. The global roll-out marks a significant milestone in mass industrial innovation and brings together the expertise of leading companies. thyssenkrupp Elevator, Zuhlke and Microsoft have collaborated to make this technology the new industry standard. As the first real example of mixed-reality to be applied in large-scale field services, HoloLinc delivers a completely new experience in engineering-to-order. Delivery times up to four times quicker The combination of mixed-reality and a cloud-based configurator allows for significantly accelerated delivery times as well as for an unparalleled customer experience. With the help of digital twins, customers will be able to see exactly what the product will look like in their own home and customize it to their specific requirements. They will also enjoy a much smoother, hassle-free and shorter ordering process -- what usually takes around 40 to 70 days will now be reduced to just 14 days: making it up to four times quicker. In a market where clients have an urgent need for mobility solutions, the radically shortened process has a serious impact. "The need for a stairlift can arise very suddenly. The customer may be in distress -- and if we can deliver a solution quickly, this can provide enormous relief and comfort to enhance a customer's quality of life. From this point of view, it's an emotional matter, too," explains Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO thyssenkrupp Elevator. HoloLinc transforms the way space is digitized HoloLinc enables a true transformation in the way space is measured and digitized, that allows sales executives to immediately trigger production. The accurate measurement during the first visit allows thyssenkrupp Elevator to factor in individual user ergonomics, and obstacles unique to that user's home. The data captured is sent to Microsoft's cloud platform Azure and is then used to configure the most suitable stairlift for the customer. This can be visualized, configured to customized preferences, as wll as priced and quoted, in near real time. This ensures that the complete ordering process is done in a matter of hours.



By leveraging the HoloLinc solution, the innovation service provider Zuhlke opens up a new dimension: For the first time it is possible to use Microsoft HoloLens as a measuring instrument with maximum precision. The digital data processing eliminates the risk of human error when measuring and forwarding the determined values. Great example of cross-industry innovation

Fabrizio Ferrandina, CEO of the Zuhlke Group explains: "Thanks to the good cooperation with thyssenkrupp and our joint agile development, we could transform this vision into a solution within only nine months. With HoloLinc, we push mixed reality to the next level. However, this is just the beginning and we have a lot of ideas, how to go even further." "Choosing trusted and powerful partners is a critical success factor for companies aiming to digitally transform their businesses. With HoloLinc thyssenkrupp Elevator has truly created a best practice for an end-to-end digital transformation story empowered by Microsoft's cloud platform: They have built a digital value chain optimizing production and service processes and providing customers in their homes with the best possible sales experience at the same time," says Thorsten Herrmann, General Manager Microsoft Germany. By harnessing the power of IoT with solutions like HoloLinc, thyssenkrupp Elevator is able to step further into the digital era and transform the way it delivers mobility solutions. The quicker communication between sales executives, backend, and manufacturing teams through the immediate ERP integration between configuration, customer purchase, and production is a big leap forward as is the usage of mixed reality technology at a time when Industry 4.0 and VR mostly are visions of the (near) future. This is digital transformation in the most tangible and productive fashion -- and it happens right now. Press images

Press images of our new application are available for download here , general images of our chairlifts can be found here . (credit: thyssenkrupp Elevator). If you are interested in how our sales executives did the measuring before they got equipped with HoloLens, you can get an impression here . Press videos

Video material for press use can be taken from these files (German and English) . Please let us know the timestamps of the sequences needed, and we are happy to help. Blog

http://www.urban-hub.com/technology/deane-simpson-planning-buildings-for-older-people/ About us:

thyssenkrupp Elevator

thyssenkrupp Elevator brings together the Group's global activities in passenger transportation systems. With sales of EUR 7.7 billion in fiscal 2016/2017 and customers in 150 countries, thyssenkrupp Elevator built its position as one of the world's leading elevator companies from scratch in a mere 40 years' time applying thyssenkrupp unique engineering capabilities. With more than 50,000 highly skilled employees, the company offers smart and innovative products and services designed to meet customers' individual requirements. The portfolio includes passenger and freight elevators, escalators and moving walks, passenger boarding bridges, stair and platform lifts as well as tailored service solutions for all products. Over 1,000 locations around the world provide an extensive sales and service network to guarantee closeness to customers. thyssenkrupp thyssenkrupp is a diversified industrial group with a growing share of capital goods and service businesses and traditional strengths in materials. Over 158,000 employees in 79 countries work with passion and technological know-how to develop high-quality products and intelligent industrial processes and services for sustainable progress. Their skills and commitment are the basis of our success. In fiscal year 2016/2017 thyssenkrupp generated sales of EUR 41.5 billion. Together with our customers we develop competitive solutions for current and future challenges in their respective industries. With our engineering expertise we enable our customers to gain an edge in the global market and manufacture innovative products in a cost- and resource-friendly way. Our technologies and innovations are the key to meeting diverse customer and market requirements around the world, growing on the markets of the future, and generating strong and stable earnings, cash flows and value growth. Zuhlke Group Zuhlke is a service provider for innovation projects. By combining both business and technology expertise, the company creates solutions that satisfy its' customers. Zuhlke develops financially successful products, services and business models for today's digital world - from coming up with the initial idea through to the implementation and operation. This is achieved by drawing on the experience of over 1000 in-house experts and of more than 10,000 successful projects. The Zuhlke Group has local teams in Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Hongkong, Serbia, Switzerland, Singapore and the United Kingdom. In 2017, Zuhlke generated EUR 138 million in revenue. Press contact Dr. Jasmin Fischer

Head of Media Relations

thyssenkrupp Elevator AG

Tel: +49 201 844-563054

E-Mail: jasmin.fischer@thyssenkrupp.com

Web: www.thyssenkrupp-elevator.com

www.urban-hub.com SOURCE thyssenkrupp

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[October 18, 2018] OnApp v6.0 Makes Cloud Faster, Easier and More Profitable for Telcos, MSPs and Their Customers

LONDON, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- OnApp has launched version v6.0 of the OnApp cloud management platform. More information and demos are available at https://onapp.com/v6. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/594962/OnApp_Logo.jpg )

OnApp v6.0 includes the new version of OnApp Accelerator, which delivers up to a 100% performance improvement for websites hosted in OnApp clouds. It also introduces Buckets, a combined Role-Based Access Control and billing engine that gives cloud service providers total flexibility in how they package and price their cloud services; new Software-Defined Networking capabilities; enhanced cloud workload import capabilities; enhanced notifications and cloud automation features; support for VMware vCenter; and improve export for usage data, to simplify integration with Business and Operational Support Systems.



"OnApp makes cloud easy for Telcos, MSPs and other service providers who have struggled to make cloud profitable - either because of the cost and complexity of building and managing their own open source clouds, or because of the commercial limitations of reselling hyperscale clouds like AWS," said Tim Meredith, OnApp's Chief Commercial Officer. "The new version of OnApp makes it even easier to build a cloud with OnApp, integrate cloud billing models with your existing billing systems and processes, and get to market fast with your own accelerated cloud services." OnApp v6.0 includes the new version of OnApp's patented website acceleration technology. OnApp Accelerator delivers up to a 100% performance improvement for websites hosted in OnApp clouds, by automatically optimizing web content and distributing it to 20 locations on a global Content Delivery Network (CDN) managed by OnApp.

"We believe everyone should have great web performance - and with OnApp you get that for free," said Ditlev Bredahl, OnApp CEO. "Our patented Accelerator technology makes websites up to twice as fast with zero effort. If your business depends on your website, you don't need to know how to set up a CDN, and don't have to pay extra for a CDN service - you just need to host your site with an OnApp cloud provider. OnApp Accelerator is a great value-add for service providers and helps make their customers' e-commerce sites more profitable too. For customers who have more complex content delivery needs, like streaming video, we still offer a fully customizable CDN platform - but for the vast majority of website owners, Accelerator finally democratizes website performance." For the full text of this press release, visit https://onapp.com/v6. SOURCE OnApp

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[October 19, 2018] New Partnership Aims to Make Payments More Sustainable

For many years, the idea of going green in payments has been limited to linking purchases and accounts with donations to environmental causes and carbon offsets. These programs have had an impact in terms of awareness and raising much-needed funds. Now, there's an opportunity to put these efforts into action across a broader part of the payments industry. Today, Mastercard and card manufacturers Gemalto (News - Alert) , Giesecke+Devrient and IDEMIA launched the Greener Payments Partnership to establish environmental best practices and reduce first-use PVC plastic in card manufacturing. Roughly six billion plastic payment cards are made each year, according to The Nilson Report. While Mastercard analysis shows that this is less than 0.015 percent of the volume of plastic manufactured each year, there is room to improve that through the use of alternative materials. "Consumers are increasingly moving from cash to card as they look for greater security and sustainability," commented Ajay Bhalla, president, cyber and intelligence solutions, Mastercard. "This partnership will help us and our industry reduce first-use plastic in cards. Together, we can build on recent research and tests and drive adoption of environmentally friendly materials on a larger scale." Research and analysis into recyclable, bio-sourced and bio-degradable materials is already underway and now included in this remit. The partnership commits to accelerating that research with the goal of delivering globally available solutions to reduce first-use PVC plastic in card manufacturing in a matter of years. "Responsible use of natural resources and protection of our climate and environment are core elements of G+D's Corporate Responsibility policy. We are committed to ensuring that our entire value chain is sustainable and to continuously reducing our ecological footprint. As a participant of the Greener Payment Partnership we work on the standardization of bio-sourced materials in payment cards. It is the way to step forward to an earth-friendly solution, reducing petroleum based materials," says Gabrielle Bugat, Head of the Financial Services Division at Giesecke+Devrient Mobile Security. The group will also ensure best practices around how materials are evaluated, including environmental impact benefits and the ability to meet increasing consumer concerns around the impact of plastic globally. "It's no secret that we all need to change the way we live and consume to reduce the impact we're having on our planet. For IDEMIA, it's essential as an industrial leader to effect change for the better and play our part to reduce, for instance, our reliance on plastic," said Pierre Barrial, executive vice president for financial institutions activities at IDEMIA. "We're delighted to partner with Mastercard to deliver viable, environmentally friendly alternatives that bring positive change to the industry as a whole." "Environmental-friendly products are now a priority for all stakeholders in the payment eco-system," says Sylvie Gibert, senior vice president of payment cards, Gemalto. "We are committed to supporting this partnership formed by Mastercard, and we have already adopted sustainable practices in our banking card business. This initiative comes at a time where we see a growing interest from the banks for greener cards." A Track Record of Sustainability In 2016, Mastercard partnered with the Finnish Bank of Aland, WWF Finland, KPMG and Gemalto to create a credit card made of renewable and biodegradable materials. This program also provides consumers with suggestions on how they can reduce their carbon footprint and suggests ways they can reduce their impact. The Green Payments Partnership is just one f the ways Mastercard is looking to encourage more sustainable practices within and outside of the company. The company became the first payments player recognized by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for committing to 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 in support of the goals of the Paris Agreement and is one of only 150 publicly traded companies listed in the Down Jones Sustainability North America Index. In addition, Mastercard has achieved 100 percent renewable energy across its global operations. This comes as the company has diverted 100 percent of its electronic waste and 62 percent of its global waste from landfills.



For additional information about Mastercard's sustainability efforts, please visit http://sustainability.mastercard.com/mastercard-corporate-sustainability-report-2017/. About Mastercard

Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. Our global payments processing network connects consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. Mastercard products and solutions make everyday commerce activities - such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances - easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @MastercardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau. About Gemalto Gemalto is the global leader in digital security, with 2017 annual revenues of 3 billion and customers in over 180 countries. We bring trust to an increasingly connected world. From secure software to biometrics and encryption, our technologies and services enable businesses and governments to authenticate identities and protect data so they stay safe and enable services in personal devices, connected objects, the cloud and in between. Gemalto's solutions are at the heart of modern life, from payment to enterprise security and the internet of things. We authenticate people, transactions and objects, encrypt data and create value for software - enabling our clients to deliver secure digital services for billions of individuals and things. Our 15,000 employees operate out of 112 offices, 43 personalization and data centers, and 30 research and software development centers located in 48 countries. www.gemalto.com About G+D Mobile Security G+D Mobile Security is a global mobile security technology company headquartered in Munich, Germany. The company is part of the Giesecke+Devrient group. G+D Mobile Security has a workforce of 5,700 employees and generated sales of approximately EUR 812 m in the 2017 fiscal year. More than 40 sales and partner offices as well as 20+ certified production and personalization sites and data centers ensure customer proximity worldwide. G+D Mobile Security manages and secures billions of digital identities throughout their entire life cycle. Our products and solutions are used by commercial banks, mobile network operators, car and mobile device manufacturers, business enterprises, transit authorities and health insurances and their customers every day to secure payment, communication and device-to-device interaction. G+D Mobile Security is a technology leader in its markets and holds a strong competitive position. For more information, please visit: https://www.gi-de.com/de/de/mobile-security About IDEMIA OT-Morpho is now IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity for an increasingly digital world, with the ambition to empower citizens and consumers alike to interact, pay, connect, travel and vote in ways that are now possible in a connected environment. Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect this asset, whether for individuals or for objects. We ensure privacy and trust as well as guarantee secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. OT (Oberthur Technologies) and Safran Identity & Security (Morpho) have joined forces to form IDEMIA. With close to $3 billion in revenues and 14,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries. For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IdemiaGroup on Twitter View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181018005940/en/

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[October 19, 2018] Transport and Logistics Sector Emerges as Leader in APAC IoT Technologies Adoption and Spend, says Frost & Sullivan

SINGAPORE, Oct. 19, 2018 /CNW/ -- Internet of Things (IoT) is in the early stages of growth, with many organizations implementing and testing proofs of concepts. In particular, government agencies are taking the lead in the region by deploying IoT solutions to address immediate concerns about public safety, border control, tracking, and traffic management, as well as to improve basic access to healthcare, education, and other social programs. Although there is a high level of interest in leveraging IoT technologies by many in the industry, there are several factors that are slowing the adoption of the technology, including the realization that IoT is about managing and extracting value from dataan area where many organizations are still grappling. "While IoT has the potential to optimize efficiency for many companies, many managers remain unsure of its return of investment and how the technology can be incorporated and integrated into business processes," said Ajay Sunder, Vice President, Information & Communication Technologies. "However, for organizations that have already embarked on their journey, many have indicated that they have seen improvement in their financial, business process efficiency, employee productivity, and customer metrics." Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Asia-Pacific Internet of Things Market, 2018, provides a detailed analysis of the advancement of IoT technologies within the APAC region, including key adoption drivers and restraints. Growth opportunities, emerging trends, and emerging use cases are also reviewed. For further information on this analyis, please visit: http://frost.ly/2v4



The APAC IoT market is expected to reach US$95.7 billion by 2022, led by the transport and logistics sector, both in IoT adoption and spending. Other emerging growth opportunities include: Manufacturing plants: IoT-enabled predictive maintenance reduces equipment failure, improving employee productivity and a plant's ability to meet productivity targets.

IoT-enabled predictive maintenance reduces equipment failure, improving employee productivity and a plant's ability to meet productivity targets. Fleet operations : Telematics provide operators with the means to track and trace locations of their trucks, mileage, and fuel utilization, all of which help overcome the challenges of employee safety, pilferage of goods, and improved customer service.

: Telematics provide operators with the means to track and trace locations of their trucks, mileage, and fuel utilization, all of which help overcome the challenges of employee safety, pilferage of goods, and improved customer service. Brick-and-mortar retailers: Applicable IoT technologies, including RFID, AR, and tracking footfall patterns, can help retailers compete with ecommerce companies by offering better customer experiences and tools to analyze their behavioral patterns inside the store. Asia-Pacific Internet of Things Market, 2018 is part of Frost & Sullivan's Information & Communication Technologies Growth Partnership Service program.

About Frost & Sullivan For over five decades, Frost & Sullivan has become world-renowned for its role in helping investors, corporate leaders and governments navigate economic changes and identify disruptive technologies, Mega Trends, new business models and companies to action, resulting in a continuous flow of growth opportunities to drive future success. Contact us: Start the discussion. Asia-Pacific Internet of Things Market, 2018

P92C-67 Media Contact Melissa Tan

Corporate Communications  Asia Pacific

P: +65 6890 0926

F: +65 6890 0999

E: melissa.tan@frost.com http://www.frost.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/transport-and-logistics-sector-emerges-as-leader-in-apac-iot-technologies-adoption-and-spend-says-frost--sullivan-300734167.html SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

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[October 19, 2018] PERSUIT partners with Fortune 10 company to disrupt legal spend and billing

Growing list of corporates includes Walmart, 3M, Microsoft embracing PERSUIT's Alternative Fee Arrangements Platform MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- PERSUIT, the creator of a groundbreaking AFA platform for legal services, today announced that it has agreed on a multi-year partnership with a Fortune 10 global energy leader. The deal means that the Fortune 10 company will use PERSUIT's cloud-based platform to source all of its engagements with outside legal counsel. PERSUIT's platform will be rolled out to the company's entire global legal team and joins the likes of Walmart, Microsoft, 3M, Gilead and Wabash National in their selection of PERSUIT. This latest agreement continues the assault on the status quo in legal purchasing, by addressing corporate legal departments' highest priority: controlling outside counsel costs. Designed specifically for legal engagements, PERSUIT centralizes the entire RFP process, making it vastly easier to send, respond to, and compare proposals. The most dramatic efficiencies come via PERSUIT's reverse auction format, in which law firms submit transparent bids on legal projects. The competitive bidding process typically last an hour,and delivers savings that dwarf efficiencies gained from e-billing and matter management software. PERSUIT also offers important advantages for responding firms, which can share the RFP internally and collaborate on the platform before responding.



"We could not be prouder to partner with the industry-leading in-house legal teams that have chosen PERSUIT," said Jim Delkousis, the founder and CEO of PERSUIT. "There has been a lot of talk in the legal industry for a long time about the move away from hourly billing to AFAs. We have focused on delivering a product which makes it easy for corporate legal departments to solicit certain competitive and easy-to-compare bids for their external legal work. The decision by our clients to choose PERSUIT is a strong validation of that effort." "A number of our clients rely on RFPs to secure outside counsel, and they experience a lot of pain with the process -- inevitably involving a lot of email traffic, spreadsheets, and manual work," said Jim. "Our most recent success followed a client's global RFP process in search of an AFA platform before choosing PERSUIT, confirming our best of breed market position."

"We recently saw massive disparity among bids, where one RFP demonstrated an astounding 700 per cent differential in legal costs -- meaning one law firm bid seven times higher than its counterpart. In another case, there was close to a $5M 'spread' between the highest and lowest priced firm bids, with the winning bid more than $3.5M lower than the highest bidder," said Jim. "PERSUIT has a clear vision: a single platform for in-house legal teams to manage all outside counsel engagements, globally," added Jim. "Our partnerships with our clients will only get stronger over time, as we scale AFAs and amass pricing data that will inform future outside counsel engagements." About PERSUIT PERSUIT is a technology company founded in 2016, established to deliver transparency and true market pricing in legal services for the benefit of Fortune 500 in-house legal teams. Learn more at www.persuit.com Media contact: Michael Zappone: Nominis Consulting, Phone: + 61 438 004 959, Email: michael@nominis.me

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[October 19, 2018] Oxurion NV Business Update - Q3 2018

Shareholders' Approval and Launch of Oxurion NV as new Company Name First patient enrolled in Phase 1 study evaluating THR-687, a Novel Pan-RGD Integrin Antagonist, for Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) First Patient enrolled in Phase 2 Clinical Study Evaluating THR-317 (anti-PlGF) for treatment of Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1) End Q3 2018 cash position 95.1 million Highlights Following shareholders' approval on September 3, ThromboGenics NV was rebranded Oxurion NV. The new name Oxurion better reflects the Company's ambition to deliver best in class therapies for back of the eye disorders. The decision to rebrand coincides with the company reaching important milestones with its innovative diabetic eye disease pipeline, and the start of additional clinical studies. First patient enrolled in Phase 1 clinical study evaluating THR-687, a novel pan-RGD integrin antagonist, for the treatment of DME



First patient enrolled in Phase 2 clinical study evaluating THR-317 (anti-PlGF) for the treatment of Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1)



Oxurion NV presented further scientific findings at EURETINA supporting therapeutic potential of THR-317 and THR-687 as promising new therapies for Diabetic Eye Disease



Cash and investments were 95.1 million as of the end of September 2018, compared with 101.4 million at the end of June 2018 Leuven, Belgium, 19 October 2018 - Oxurion NV (Euronext Brussels: OXUR - formerly known as ThromboGenics), a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments to preserve vision in patients with diseases affecting the back of the eye, today issues a business update for the three-month period ending 30 September 2018.

Oxurion is developing a competitive pipeline of disease modifying drug candidates for diabetic eye disease, particularly diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME). The Oxurion pipeline consists of products with different modes of action, and includes: THR-317 - a PIGF (human placental growth factor) neutralizing monoclonal antibody, is in a Phase 2 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of intravitreal THR-317 when administered in combination with ranibizumab (Lucentis), for the treatment of DME. In addition, THR-317 is being evaluated in a Phase 2 study for the treatment of Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1). MacTel 1 is a rare disease that affects the macula and can lead to vision loss. THR-149 - a plasma kallikrein inhibitor being developed for the treatment of DME. THR-149 is in a Phase 1 open-label, multicenter, dose escalation study THR-687 - a small molecule integrin antagonist being developed to treat a broad range of patients with diabetic eye disease. THR-687 entered the clinic in September 2018. Patrik De Haes, MD, CEO of Oxurion nv, commented: "This past quarter will be marked by the introduction of our new company name as we continue to make excellent progress in advancing our novel drug candidates in the clinic to treat diabetic eye disease. We began the clinical development of THR-687 as planned, and we started a new Phase 2 study evaluating THR-317 for the treatment of Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1). Earlier in the year we already announced the start of a Phase 2 study of THR-317 in combination with ranibizumab (Lucentis) and a Phase I study with THR-149, both which are being developed for the treatment of DME. We look forward to the continued clinical advancement of our industry leading pipeline and expect to present initial clinical data in the second half of 2019. Progressing Pipeline of Novel Medicines Targeting Diabetic Eye Disease According to the International Diabetes Federation, the number of adults with diabetes worldwide is estimated at over 400 million and is expected to increase to over 640 million by 2040.

Diabetic eye disease is caused by hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels) associated with diabetes. If left unchecked hyperglycemia causes damage to the capillaries in the back of the eye (retina) and can result in vision loss and subsequently, blindness. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of vision loss among working-age adults, affecting over a third of all people wit diabetes. DR progresses from mild, non-proliferative to more severe or even proliferative stages.



Diabetic macular edema (DME) is an accumulation of fluid in the macula which can occur at any stage of diabetic retinopathy (DR). DME represents an area of unmet medical need; the current standard of care treatment with anti-VEGFs has been shown in some cases to result in suboptimal responses in patients. THR-317-002 - a Phase 2 study evaluating an anti-PIGF antibody for treatment of DME

THR-317 (anti-PlGF) is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the receptor-binding site of human placental growth factor (PlGF) being developed for the treatment of DME. The first patient was recruited in a Phase 2 study evaluating the efficacy and safety of intravitreal THR-317 administered in combination with ranibizumab (Lucentis), for the treatment of DME in April. Initial results from this Phase 2 clinical study are anticipated for the second half of 2019. Initiation of the Phase 2 trial followed Oxurion's announcement of Day 90 topline clinical data from the Phase 1/2 study evaluating THR-317 for DME. These data were reinforced by Day 150 topline clinical data that were announced in July. At the Euretina International Congress in Vienna (Austria) in September, Oxurion gave a presentation on Anti-inflammatory effects of the PlGF neutralizing antibody THR-317 in patients with diabetic macular edema, providing further scientific findings supporting therapeutic potential of THR-317 as a promising new therapy for Diabetic Eye Disease. THR-317-003 - a Phase 2 study evaluating an anti-PIGF antibody for treatment of MacTel1 In September, Oxurion announced the start of a Phase 2 open-label multi-center study evaluating the efficacy and safety of intravitreal THR-317 for the treatment of Macular Telangiectasia Type 1 (MacTel 1). MacTel 1 is a rare disease that affects the macula and can lead to vision loss. There is currently no cure or effective treatment for MacTel 1. This Phase 2 study plans to enroll 10 patients with macular edema caused by MacTel 1, who will each receive three 8mg intravitreal THR-317 injections over a period of 2 months. Efficacy and safety of the therapy will be assessed via functional and anatomic endpoints. Initial results from this clinical study are anticipated towards the end of the second half of 2019. THR-149-001 - a Phase 1 study evaluating a plasma kallikrein inhibitor for treatment of DME Plasma kallikrein for the treatment of DME acts through inhibition of the Plasma Kallikrein-Kinin (PKaI-kinin) System. Activation of the PKal-kinin system induces retinal vascular permeability, inflammation and angiogenesis. Based on literature data, patients with DME have elevated levels of plasma kallikrein, and therefore a plasma kallikrein inhibitor may be appropriate for the treatment of these patients. In May, Oxurion initiated a Phase 1 clinical study evaluating the safety of a single intravitreal injection of escalating dose levels of THR-149 in patients with DME. Approximately 18 patients will be enrolled, with initial results anticipated around the end of the second half of 2019. THR-687-001 - a Phase 1 study evaluating an integrin antagonist for the treatment of DME Oxurion is developing THR-687, a novel pan-RGD integrin antagonist, to preserve vision of a broad range of patients with diabetic eye disease. In September, THR-687 entered the clinic in a Phase 1 open-label, multicenter, dose escalation study evaluating the safety of a single intravitreal injection of THR-687 for the treatment of patients with diabetic macula edema (DME). A maximum of 18 patients will be enrolled, with initial results anticipated by the end of the second half of 2019. During the Euretina International Congress in Vienna (Austria) in September, preclinical data were presented supporting the therapeutic potential of THR-687 as a novel treatment for sight-threatening DR. Oncurious Update - TB-403 for Pediatric Brain Cancers Recruitment is on-going in a Phase 1/2a study with TB-403, a humanized monoclonal antibody against placental growth factor (PlGF), in the US. PlGF is expressed in several types of cancer, including medulloblastoma. High expression of the PlGF receptor neuropilin 1 has been shown to correlate with poor overall survival. The study aims to recruit 27 patients with Relapsed or Refractory Medulloblastoma. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of TB-403 at the maximum tolerated dose in pediatric subjects with relapsed or refractory Medulloblastoma.

Evaluation of the 3rd (out of 4) dose level is currently running towards its endpoint. For recruiting patients, Oncurious is partnering with Beat Childhood Cancer. Initial data anticipated for around mid 2019. TB-403 is being developed by Oncurious in conjunction with BioInvent International. Financial Update Oxurion had, at the end of September 2018, 95.1 million in cash and investments. This compares with 101.4 million as of the end of June 2018. END For further information please contact: Oxurion NV

Wouter Piepers,

Global Head of Corp Coms & Investor relations

Tel: +32 16 75 13 10 / +32 478 33 56 32

wouter.piepers@oxurion.com EU - Citigate Dewe Rogerson

David Dible / Sylvie Berrebi

Tel: +44 20 7638 9571

oxurion@citigatedewerogerson.com US - LifeSci Public Relations

Alison Chen

Tel: +1 646-876-4932

achen@lifescipublicrelations.com

About Oxurion Oxurion (Euronext Brussels: OXUR) is a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments to preserve vision in patients with diseases affecting the back of the eye. The company has built a diverse portfolio of disease-modifying therapies, including treatments for diabetic eye disease, a leading cause of blindness in people of working age worldwide. Oxurion's clinical pipeline consists of THR-317, a PlGF inhibitor, for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME); THR-149, a plasma kallikrein inhibitor for the treatment of DME; and THR-687, a pan-RGD integrin antagonist for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy and DME. Further new drug candidates are currently being assessed and developed for the treatment of diabetic eye disease. Oxurion owns the global rights to JETREA (ocriplasmin), the only pharmacological vitreolysis drug approved for the treatment of symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion (in the U.S.) and vitreomacular traction (outside the U.S.). Oxurion is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and is listed on the Euronext Brussels exchange under the symbol OXUR. In the US, Oxurion NV operates ThromboGenics inc. as a subsidiary company. More information is available at www.oxurion.com Important information about forward-looking statements Certain statements in this press release may be considered "forward-looking". Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, and, accordingly, entail and are influenced by various risks and uncertainties. The Company therefore cannot provide any assurance that such forward-looking statements will materialize and does not assume an obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason. Additional information concerning risks and uncertainties affecting the business and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement is contained in the Company's Annual Report. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities or assets of Oxurion in any jurisdiction. No securities of Oxurion may be offered or sold within the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or in compliance with an exemption therefrom, and in accordance with any applicable U.S. state securities laws.

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[October 19, 2018] Daiichi Sankyo Europe launches mycancertherapy.eu at ESMO 2018





New video-based website on cancer answers most frequently asked patient questions and simplifies medical jargon in 16 (EU & minority) different languages.



- Website in 16 different languages aims to support cancer patients with a better understanding of their treatment journey by providing key information on the main aspects of cancer treatment in major and minority languages of Europe.



- In multiple short videos, leading HCPs explain in easy-to-understand language topics that are beneficial to most patients with cancer. MUNICH, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo Europe launches the new video information portal mycancertherapy.eu at the ESMO (European Society for Medical Oncology) 2018 Congress. The online resource tool aims to help patients overcome barriers in understanding their cancer therapy journey, often due to medical jargon, foreign language and a sense of being overwhelmed after a cancer diagnosis. In multiple short videos, leading HCPs answer the most frequently asked patient questions on the main aspects of cancer treatment, including side effects, types of treatment and impact on daily life in their native tongue. The website is complemented with a list of frequently asked questions about what to expect, how to prepare and what to do when diagnosed with cancer and also includes a glossary that provides definitions for various cancer-related terms. The result is an information-rich platform in the main European languages (English, German, Dutch, French, Spanish and Italian) and the most frequently spoken minority languages in these countries (Turkish, Polish, Romanian, Serbo-Croatian, Russian, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic and Berber). This is a very unique approach as no such comprehensive tool is yet available in Europe. Cancer terminology explained in easy-to-understand language

"We paid a lot of attention to the fact that all videos and information use easy-to-understand language because many patients experience difficulties understanding, comprehending and remembering details of their chemotherapy during their first consultation", says Dr. Ajoeb Baridi, Regional Medical Advisor at Daiichi Sankyo UK and head behind the whole project. "This may be due to lack of language proficiency and medical jargon or the initial shock of having cancer". Topicsinclude answers to questions like "when is my diarrhoea too frequent and severe", "when should I contact my oncologists in the case of nausea" or "what helps to build energy levels to fight fatigue".



Why oncologist and haematologist supported our project

"I decided to support this project because I really think it is helpful for patients and families whose lives are crossed by a cancer", says Dr. Chiara Frairia from the University Hospital in Turin (Italy) who has helped record some of the videos. "Patients and families will find a verified website, filled with information that are shared and checked by expert physicians from the onco-haematological field. The website is useful for people of many different languages as it addresses the majority of questions linked to the diagnosis of cancer and its treatment". "Compared to a doctor's appointment or phone consultation, the great advantage of this website is that patients can receive an answer to a question at exactly the time when it arises", says Dr. Miguel Gil from the University Hospital in Barcelona (Spain). He is the speaker for the Spanish language videos and supported the project also to help take pressure off physicians who spend a lot of time on patient education. Of course the tool is not intended to replace or reduce the time spent visiting a doctor or oncology nurse. "The face-to-face contact remains the most important aspect in a doctor patient relationship. But if the website helps to reduce questions and anxieties so that consultation will be used more effectively, I would consider this a great result".

"I was very excited and definitely wanted to support the project as soon as I heard about it", says Prof Nicolai Maass, Director of the University Women's Hospital on the Kiel campus (Germany). The clinic has a centre that specialises in breast and genital cancer. "Every year, approximately 74,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in Germany. It is particularly important that every woman who is confronted with this diagnosis receives the best information, therapy and medical as well as psychological care during and after her treatment", explains Maass. "The new mycancertherapy website supports us physicians in patient education. It enables patients to have the most important information about cancer explained to them by experts at home  in simple language and, if necessary, in their own mother tongue." Website will be launched in eight countries

The website will be launched in eight countries (UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands) with patients having access to all 16 languages. It highlights Daiichi Sankyo's commitment to oncology and to push beyond the boundaries of science, delivering services that make a real difference to patients' lives: www.mycancertherapy.eu About Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. With over 100 years of scientific expertise and a presence in more than 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo and its 15,000 employees around the world draw upon a rich legacy of innovation and a robust pipeline of promising new medicines to help people. In addition to a strong portfolio of medicines for hypertension and thrombotic disorders, under the Group's 2025 Vision to become a "Global Pharma Innovator with Competitive Advantage in Oncology," Daiichi Sankyo research and development is primarily focused on bringing forth novel therapies in oncology, including immuno-oncology, with additional focus on new horizon areas, such as pain management, neurodegenerative diseases, heart and kidney diseases, and other rare diseases. For more information, please visit: www.daiichi-sankyo.eu. Press Contact:

Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH

Simone Dowe

Zielstattstr. 48

81379 Munich  Germany

Phone +49 89 7808437

press@daiichi-sankyo.eu

www.daiichi-sankyo.eu October 2018 Job Code: ONP/18/0025







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[October 19, 2018] TUV Rheinland IoT Excellence Center Grand Opening

SHENZHEN, China, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TUV Rheinland, a global leader for independent inspection services, unveiled the plaque for its Internet-of-Things (IoT) Excellence Center in Longhua, Shenzhen to mark its official opening. Top executives including Dr. Michael Fubi, Chairman of the Executive Board of Management of TUV Rheinland AG, Holger Kunz, Executive Vice President Products of TUV Rheinland AG, Yushun Wong, Executive Vice President TUV Rheinland Greater China, and Lili Hu, Managing Director, TUV Rheinland Shenzhen, were on hand for the formal launch of the center. Zhang Feimeng, Deputy Director-General of Invest Shenzhen and Martin Fleischer, Consul General, German Consulate General in Guangzhou, were invited to speak at the ceremony. Industry standards are yet to be developed and improved The rapid development and continued evolution of the Internet of Things means "everything is connected". At the same time, there is still a lack of mature business models, and industry standards are yet to be developed and improved. The situation with network and information security is now becoming increasingly challenging. TUV Rheinland has risen to the challenge, drawing upon its own global service network, as well as industry-leading technology, personnel, and standards, to initiate the Shenzhen IoT Excellence Center project last November. After nearly one year of planning and construction, the Excellence Center has ow been officially opened. The new facility provides one-stop testing and certification services for the appliance, audio and video equipment, IT equipment, battery, lighting fixture, toy, and medical device industries. EMC testing is part of the center's testing capabilities, including short-range wireless devices such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, zigbee and Tread; long-range wireless devices such as 2G/3G/4G and 5G communication technologies; low-power wide-area networking such as Lo-Ra and SIGFOX; as well as interoperability and protocol-testing systems for wireless charging and antenna performance.



Milestone in TUV Rheinland's global wireless strategy 2020 "The TUV Rheinland IoT Excellence Center represents a milestone in TUV Rheinland's global wireless strategy 2020," said Dr. Fubi. "The cyber security market has reached an inflection point. Industry standards still need to be developed and improved. Innovation is not only the engine of Shenzhen's economic development, but also an important strategy of TUV Rheinland. Innovation is the key for TUV Rheinland in continuing to actively connect with the latest technologies to provide customers in every industry with even more comprehensive products and services, and to provide safe and sustainable solutions for human, environmental, and technological progress."

Supporting the development of Chinese enterprises In the future, the Center will provide customers in the Shenzhen and throughout the Southern China regions with testing, inspection and certification services of even higher quality, efficiency, and standards. At the same time, TUV Rheinland is leveraging its global network to support the development of Chinese enterprises in conjunction with other IoT Excellence Centers in Asia, Europe, and America, to facilitate for sustainable socioeconomic and foreign trade development and to bring about even greater innovation in the IoT industry chain. About TUV Rheinland TUV Rheinland is one of the world's leading independent testing service providers with 145 years of tradition. Employing over 20,000 people around the globe, TUV Rheinland generates an annual turnover of almost 2 billion euros. The independent experts stand for the quality and safety of people, technology and the environment in almost all areas of business and life. TUV Rheinland inspects technical facilities, products and services, accompanies projects, processes and information security for companies. The experts train people in numerous professions and industries. TUV Rheinland has a global network of recognized laboratories, testing centers and training centers at its disposal for this purpose. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact for greater sustainability and against corruption. Website: http://www.tuv.com SOURCE TUV Rheinland

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Xerox Plans Live Audio Webcast to Discuss Third-Quarter Results

Xerox (NYSE: XRX) will host a live audio webcast with online presentation slides at 8 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 23, to discuss the company's 2018 third-quarter results. A news release containing this information will be issued earlier that day at 6:30 a.m. ET.







WHEN: 8 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018 WHAT: Review of Xerox's 2018 third-quarter results WHO: John Visentin, vice chairman and chief executive officer, Xerox Bill Osbourn, Jr., chief financial officer, Xerox AUDIO WEBCAST: https://edge.media-server.com/m6/p/f7797o3i or https://www.news.xerox.com/investors

About Xerox

Xerox Corporation is a technology leader that innovates the way the world communicates, connects and works. We understand what's at the heart of sharing information - and all of the forms it can take. We embrace the integration of paper and digital, the increasing requirement for mobility, and the need for seamless integration between work and personal worlds. Every day, our innovative print technologies and intelligent work solutions help people communicate and work better. Discover more at www.xerox.com and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @Xerox.

Note: To receive RSS news feeds, visit https://www.news.xerox.com. For open commentary, industry perspectives and views, visit http://twitter.com/xerox, http://connect.blogs.xerox.com, http://www.facebook.com/XeroxCorp, https://www.instagram.com/xerox/, http://www.linkedin.com/company/xerox, http://www.youtube.com/XeroxCorp.

Xerox and Xerox and Design are trademarks of Xerox in the United States and/or other countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005089/en/
[October 19, 2018] Arthur Bavelas, CEO of Bavelas Group Joins Muirfield Advisory Board

BOSTON, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Muirfield Investment Partners announced the addition of Arthur Bavelas, CEO of Bavelas Group LLC, to their advisory board. Mr. Bavelas joins an impressive list of individuals spanning technology and financial services fields, including Gari Singh, John D'Agostino, and Manie Eagar. As a professional family office investor, Mr. Bavelas will help ensure that the investor is central to all of Muirfield's innovative blockchain solutions for private equity. About Arthur Bavelas As an entrepreneur, author, and family office investor, Arthur Bavelas is a pioneer in developing one of the first private opportunity peer review networks for investors within the family office community. He founded Family Office Insights in 1998 to provide meaningful access and engagement for active, socially conscious entrepreneurs and wealth managers. Mr. Bavelas draws upon his own experience founding, building and exiting a successful technology startup to evaluate opportunities spanning technology, market access, and impact investing. He frequently speaks about wealth preservation and legacy investing. His written work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg , and Investment Advisor.



About Muirfield Investment Partners Headquartered in Boston, MA, Muirfield Investment Partners is an opportunistic private equity real estate firm composed of forward-thinking real estate investors leading the effort to reinvent and improve private equity investing through the use of blockchain technology. Muirfield's proprietary investment vehicles aim to solve key structural issues with traditional private equity funds, offer investors liquidity, and improve alignment with their investment managers. These innovative solutions are accessible to investors of all sizes and geographic locations.

Mr. Bavelas will provide Muirfield investor-centric insights as they create new blockchain solutions for private equity investing. Thomas Zaccagnino, founder of Muirfield Investment Partners, stated: "We are pleased to welcome Arthur to our advisory roster and to have his investor-first perspective. The 27-year success of Bavelas Group LLC and Family Office Insights speaks volumes to Arthur's ability to manage capital and investor relationships effectively. I have been impressed by Arthur's thought leadership across the entire capital management space and look forward to having his voice on the company's board." Mr. Bavelas is eager to help Muirfield create positive change and innovation across an industry known for its legacy solutions. In joining Muirfield as an advisor, Mr. Bavelas stated: "The idea of blockchain elicited a lot of excitement among investors, but Muirfield's solutions promise to harness its potential and drive a viable solution to market. I am impressed by Muirfield's commitment to disrupting the status quo to better serve their investors, and I look forward to helping them launch this new era of blockchain-based investment products." Contact:

Marcello Menjivar

marcello@vermamedia.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arthur-bavelas-ceo-of-bavelas-group-joins-muirfield-advisory-board-300734089.html SOURCE Muirfield Investment Partners

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Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar is a California-based chain looking to debut its first location in Illinois. Its slated to open in the far northern portion of Mellody Farm along Milwaukee Avenue in a 9,269-square-foot building that can seat 152 people. The restaurant allows patrons to bring dogs onto the large patio area.
[October 19, 2018] Analyzing competitive market forces with the help of Infiniti Research's competitor analysis

Infiniti Research, a global market and strategic intelligence solutions provider, has announced the completion of their latest competitor analysis for a private equity firm. The client, one of the leading private equity firms in North America wanted to study the competitor's customers and identify potential investment opportunities based on the insights. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005163/en/ Competitor Analysis for a Private Equity Firm in North America - A Success Story by Infiniti Research. (Graphic: Business Wire) One of the best ways to determine a brand's competitive advantage is through a well-defined competitor analysis template. It can prove to be highly advantageous for companies to develop a brand voice that stands out amongst other businesses in the same marketplace while maintaining customer loyalty. Request a free proposal to know more about our competitor analysis for private equity firms.



According to the experts at Infiniti, "A competitor analysis deals with an in-depth review of a wide range of market data and its interpretation that reveals your competitors' strategies and tactics, as well as their strengths and weaknesses in comparison to your own products or services." Request more information to know more about our engagement models and pricing plans.

Infiniti's competitor analysis helped the private equity firm gain a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their competitors. The solution helped the company accomplish their main objectives while keeping track of their competitor's developments. This competitor analysis provided benefits that helped the client to: Analyzed the competitive market forces

Identify potential investment opportunities

For a free consultation with our analysts, Get in touch This competitor analysis provided predictive insights on: Analyzing competitor's offerings

Developing competitive marketing strategies to win potential customers

To read more about the scope of our engagement and pricing plans, Request a free proposal About Infiniti Research Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more about our engagement policies and pricing plans, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-us View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005163/en/

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[October 19, 2018] Chinese embroidery: depicting the world through stitches

BEIJING, Oct. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on Chinese embroidery: Recently, certain pictures went viral online in China. Those works were once exhibited during the 28th General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in 2012. They didn't receive much attention until viewers found they were not HD photos taken by space telescopes, but embroidery containing numerous different stitches. Chinese embroidery is a traditional craft dating back two or even three millennia. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC), a custom prevailed of embellishing clothes with embroidery. The craft grew steadily and flourished during the Tang and Song dynasties (7th to 13th centuries). Today, artists are able to use dozens of stitches to make beautiful embroidery. With threads in various colors, a single piece of embroidery may be crafted utilizing hundreds of shades. The embroidery works with the theme of "Starry Sky & Universe" were woven using over a hundred types of threads in different thickness. It took the embroiderer more than 700 days to depict the three-dimensional nebulae with a harmonious color dynamic. It is said NASA officials marveled at their exquisiteness, so that they offered to buy the works several times. Actually, this is not the first time Chinese embroidery has amazed a foreign audience. Early in the Qing Dynasty, "The Portrait of Italian Empress Elena," an embroidery created by famous Chinese embroiderer Shen Shou was presented as a gift to Italy, impressing both the Italian rulers and people. Later, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, former French President Georges Pompidou, the King of Camboda Norodom Sihanouk and other foreign celebrities all received delicate Chinese embroidery gifts.



Thanks to increasing exchanges between China and other countries and the development of skills, patterns of Western oil paintings and sketches as well as the images of scientific experiments can also now be seen in the embroidery being produced in modern China. Embroidery epitomizes Chinese people's craftmanship and artistic sensitivity. Its development is partly based on silk production, which started quite early in ancient China. Chinese painting, which values delicacy and subtlety, also offers many fine patterns to the embroiderer, such as mountains, rivers, pavilions, Buddhas, human figures, flowers and birds. This embodies the interconnection of various aspects of Chinese culture.

More importantly, as China opens wider to the outside world, the collision and integration of Chinese and Western cultures grows rapidly. This has opened up more opportunities and prospects for the inheritance of traditional Chinese crafts, and helped China's intangible cultural heritage maintain long-lasting vitality. China Mosaic

http://www.china.org.cn/video/node_7230027.htm Chinese embroidery: depicting the world through stitches

http://www.china.org.cn/video/2018-10/19/content_66968169.htm About China.org.cn Founded in 2000, China Internet Information Center (China.org.cn/China.com.cn) is a key state news website under the auspices of the State Council Information Office, and is managed by China International Publishing Group. We provide round-the-clock news service in ten languages. With users from more than 200 countries and regions, we have become China's leading multi-lingual news outlet introducing the country to the outside world.

We are one of the country's authoritative outlets for government press releases and are authorized to cover various major events. "Live Webcast" is our online webcasting service to present State Council Information Office press conferences in both Chinese and English languages. We are reputed for timely and accurate delivery of news and information, and wide interactions with audiences. In addition, we are authorized to publish and live broadcast major events and press conferences of ministries, local government agencies and institutions as well as enterprises.

In the era of mobile internet, we endeavor to create an array of products for mobile devices headed by the multilingual WAP platform and the mobile APP. We also use Chinese and international social media to publish information for different user groups.

In the future, CIIC will continue to offer authoritative information about China, tell China's stories, voice China's opinions, and introduce a vivid, panoramic and multicultural China to the world through multi-language, multi-media and multi-platforms. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chinese-embroidery-depicting-the-world-through-stitches-300734264.html SOURCE china.org.cn

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[October 19, 2018] CAI Awards Education4Kids Grants to Nine Pennsylvania Organizations

Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI) is pleased to announce the awarding of nine Education4Kids grants to nonprofit organizations totaling over $300,000 for their 2018-2019 school year through CAI's community service initiative CAI Cares - Education4Kids. Through this program, CAI makes funds available to qualified education partners in support of their efforts to provide underserved youth with a high quality, student-centric education. The following organizations received awards: Boys and Girls Club of Allentown, Allentown, PA; Boys and Girls Club of Easton, Easton, PA; Boys and Girls Club of Western PA, Pittsburgh, PA; Holy Infancy School, Bethlehem, PA; the Joshua Group, Harrisburg, PA; St. Jerome Regional School, Tamaqua, PA; St. John Vianney Regional School, Allentown, PA, St. Stephens Episcopal School, Harrisburg, PA; and St. Thomas More School Allentown, PA.



The funds for these awards are for annual subscription fees for Istation Reading, Lexia Core5 Reading and/or Dreambox Math programs, a STEM lab, computer hardware and associated accessories, and scholarships to children in need. Part of CAI's business mission is to use financial and human resources to positively impact local communities and children through program funding, and volunteer work. About CAI

Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI) is a $500 million privately-held global Information Technology (IT) application management and outsourcing corporation based in Allentown, PA. The company is focused on the development of service models that leverage defined processes and performance metrics in order to maximize visibility, control, and productivity. Established in 1981, the company is comprised of more than 4,000 Associates worldwide with offices throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Company core competencies include industry based innovation services and software solutions including Intelligent Automation, metrics and SLA-based Application Support and Development, Managed IT Staffing Solutions, Service Desk Outsourcing, Quality & Testing Services and IT Consulting. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005031/en/

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[October 19, 2018] Government of Canada invests in clean technology for the mining industry

Quebec-based Alliance Magnesium to recycle tailings and produce valuable metal DANVILLE, QC, Oct. 19, 2018 /CNW/ - Across Canada, companies on the leading edge of innovation and job creation are advancing clean technologies in all sectors of the economy and finding new ways to solve the world's environmental challenges. That's good for everyone as clean technologies not only lead to well-paying jobs that support the Canadian economy but also help Canada meet its climate change goals. Today, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and Member of Parliament for ComptonStanstead, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced an investment of $12 million in Alliance Magnesium (AMI). The funding is being provided by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), which works with Canadian companies to bring clean technologies to market. Building on the success of its pilot plant in Quebec, Alliance Magnesium will use the STDC funding to support the second phase of demonstrating its clean magnesium production technology. The company's innovative process recycles tailings from mining activity to produce magnesium metal. As the demand for magnesium metal increases in areas such as automotive manufacturing, today's investment will help ensure Alliance Magnesium is well positioned to become a global leader in clean technology solutions for the mining sector, which will create well-paying jobs, support the Canadian economy and help Canada meet its climate change goals. The investment announced today aligns with recommendations received from industry leaders, as outlined in the Clean Technology Economic Strategy Table's report, to address gaps in scal-up financing that will accelerate the growth of Canadian clean technology companies. Investments in clean technology are also part of the Government of Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy that is positioning Canada to be a global centre for innovation, creating good middle-class jobs right across the country.



Quotes "Asbestos production is banned in Canada. However, investments such as the one in Alliance Magnesium are key to Canada's transition to a greener economy. The federal government's support for the company's production of magnesium from asbestos tailings will contribute to regional economic diversification efforts in the RCM des Sources and will benefit its residents."

 The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development

"Our government wants to make sure Canadians are in the best possible position to scale up technologies and capture the growing clean technology market. Investments in clean technology will help address the world's biggest environmental problems while creating more jobs."

 The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development "Alliance Magnesium's progressas it scales its successful pilot plantis a great example of how a Canadian company is developing a globally competitive clean technology solution for the mining sector."

 Leah Lawrence, President and CEO, Sustainable Development Technology Canada "We are very happy to receive this major financial contribution from the federal government. It shows that the government recognizes the value of AMI's work in developing green technologies and reducing GHGs in the transportation and light metal alloy industries. Not only does our reclamation of mining waste technology have the potential to generate international interest but it also complies fully with sustainable development, environmental protection and population health and safety policies."

 Dr. Joel Fournier, President, Alliance Magnesium Quick facts Today's investment in Alliance Magnesium will create 70 direct jobs.

Sustainable Development Technology Canada helps Canadian entrepreneurs develop and demonstrate new environmental technologies that address climate change, clean air, clean water and clean soil challenges.

In Budget 2017, the Government provided over $2.3 billion to help clean technology firms grow and expand.

to help clean technology firms grow and expand. This includes $400 million to recapitalize Sustainable Development Technology Canada's SD Tech Fund, which supports the development and demonstration of early-stage clean technology projects, and nearly $1.4 billion in new financing through the Business Development Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada.

to recapitalize Sustainable Development Technology Canada's SD Tech Fund, which supports the development and demonstration of early-stage clean technology projects, and nearly in new financing through the Business Development Bank of and Export Development Canada. Experts expect the global clean technology market to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2022. Associated links Report from Canada's Economic Strategy Tables: The Innovation and Competitiveness Imperative Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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[October 19, 2018] Empower Clinics and Inolife R&D Announce Letter of Intent for US Distribution Agreement for Needle-free Treatments

Empower Clinics Inc. (OTC: EPWCF) (CSE: EPW) (FRA: 8EC), a leading owner and operator of medical cannabis and wellness clinics in the US, today announced that it has signed a letter of intent for a national distribution agreement with Inolife R&D, an emerging specialty medical device company. Under the agreement, Empower Clinics will make Inolife's pioneering needle-free injection devices available to patients at Empower's 15 clinics in Oregon, Washington, and Illinois. Inolife developed its Inojex 30 and Nanojex devices to be easy-to-use, safe, pain-free, and more efficient in delivering treatment to patients than is possible with traditional needle-based injections. The needle-free category has experienced sustained double-digit growth during the past five years. "As we continue striving to offer the most efficient and effective ways to deliver treatment to patients, we're very pleased to be working with a proven leader in Inolife," said Craig Snyder, Empower CEO. "We are closely aligned with Inolife in terms of providing quality and results-focused care and look forward to working with them." "With 15 clinics in three states, 25,000 active patients and 120,000 historic patients, Empower has a significant and growing footprint and we are excited to further our distribution by working together," said Michael Wright, President & Chief Executive Officer of Inolife. "We look forward to providing Empower and its patients with access to new and very effective methods of administering treatment." Empower also announced that it has granted an aggregate of 450,000 stock options, subject to approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange. 200,000 of such options vest immediately, are exercisable at CDN $0.26 per common share, will expire on May 25, 2023 and are otherwise governed by the terms and conditions of the company's stock option plan. The remaining 250,000 options vest in 62,500 tranches on January 22, 2019, April 22, 2019, July 22, 2019 and October 22, 2019, are exercisable at CDN $0.6 per common share, will expire on October 22, 2023 and are otherwise governed by the terms and conditions of the company's stock option plan Following the grant of the options, the company has a total of 7,600,000 stock options outstanding representing approximately 10% of the outstanding common shares of the company.



Empower intends to complete a non-brokered private placement 312,903 units (the "Units") at an issuance price of CDN $0.31 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of CDN $97,000. Each Unit consists of one common share and one warrant to purchase common shares at an exercise price of CDN $0.36 for one year from the date of issuance. The Units issued pursuant to this private placement will be subject to a hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance. Empower will also issue 517,132 Units, 1,204,851 common shares (at a deemed issuance price of $0.2325 per share) and 423,076 common shares (at a deemed issuance price of $0.26 per share) to settle $550,442 in outstanding commitments of the company. ABOUT INOLIFE R&D INC./INOLIFE SCIENCES CORPORATION

Inolife R&D Inc. is an emerging specialty medical device company focused on developing and commercializing novel drug delivery technologies. Inolife commercializes patented and FDA-cleared needle-free injection devices. The company was founded to take advantage of novel techniques of the liquid jet and ballistics-based epidermal drug injection that improve patients' quality of life by making medicines easier to administer, work better, and remove the anxiety and inconvenience associated with hypodermic needle injections. For more information about Inolife and its products please visit www.inolifesciences.com. ABOUT EMPOWER Empower is a leading owner and operator of medical cannabis and wellness clinics, as well as a developer of medical products in the US, focused on enabling individuals to improve and protect their health. The company provides treatment solutions through its physician-staffed clinics that are focused on education, data, and efficacy. Empower is a recognized leader and the first choice for patients seeking quality experience and improved health. For further information about Empower please see the Company's website at empowerclinics.com. Certain statements included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements"), including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "may", "should" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. Forward-looking information contained in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the issuance and closing of the private placement of securities and the shares for debt transaction and the future growth plans of the Company. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current expectations regarding future results or events and are therefore based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor the Frankfurt Stock Exchange accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005476/en/

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[October 19, 2018] Green Dot to Announce Third Quarter 2018 Results on November 7th

Green Dot Corporation (NYSE: GDOT) today announced that it will host a conference call to discuss third quarter 2018 financial results on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 at 5:00pm ET. A press release with third quarter 2018 financial results will be issued after the market closes that same day. The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing (888) 348-8307, or for international callers (412) 902-4242. A replay will be available approximately two hours after the call concludes and can be accessed by dialing (844) 512-2921, or for international callers (412) 317-6671, and entering the conference ID 10125496. The replay will be available through Wednesday, November 14, 2018. The call will be webcast live from the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.greendot.com/.



About Green Dot Green Dot Corporation, [NYSE:GDOT], is a financial technology leader and bank holding company with a mission to power the banking industry's branchless future. Enabled by propriety technology and Green Dot's wholly-owned commercial bank charter, Green Dot's "Banking as a Service" platform is used by a growing list of America's most prominent consumer and technology companies to design and deploy their own bespoke banking solutions to their customers and partners; while Green Dot uses that same integrated technology and banking platform to design and deploy its own leading collection of banking and financial services products directly to consumers through one of the largest retail banking distribution platforms in America. Green Dot products are marketed under brand names such as Green Dot, GoBank, MoneyPak, AccountNow, RushCard and RapidPay, and can be acquired through more than 100,000 retailers nationwide, thousands of corporate paycard partners, several "direct-2-consumer" branded websites, thousands of tax return preparation offices and accounting firms, thousands of neighborhood check cashing locations and both of the leading app stores. Green Dot Corporation is headquartered in Pasadena, California, with additional facilities throughout the United States and in Shanghai, China.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005487/en/

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[October 19, 2018] Mississippi Homeownership to Get $2.75 Million Boost

Wells Fargo (News - Alert) & Company (NYSE:WFC), NeighborWorks America and its network member, Hope Enterprise Corporation (HOPE), today announced the NeighborhoodLIFT program will launch for all 82 counties in the state of Mississippi with a $2.75 million commitment by Wells Fargo to boost homeownership. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005033/en/ Governor Phil Bryant today joined Wells Fargo, NeighborWorks America, and Hope Enterprise Corporation to announce the NeighborhoodLIFT program for the state of Mississippi that will offer homebuyer education and down payment assistance grants as a result of a $2.75 million commitment by Wells Fargo. NeighborhoodLIFT for Mississippi is the 64th LIFT program launch that has created more than 18,600 homeowners since 2012 representing lower- and moderate-income households. (Graphic: Business Wire) "This commitment by Wells Fargo to expand NeighborhoodLIFT to the state of Mississippi will make a meaningful difference for many families," said Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant. "More Mississippians will live the American dream of homeownership through this program, and I am thankful to Wells Fargo, NeighborWorks and HOPE for working together to expand it in our state." The 2018 Mississippi NeighborhoodLIFT program follows statewide programs in New Mexico, South Dakota and Idaho. Overall, Wells Fargo has conducted 63 LIFT program events in the U.S. since 2012 that have created nearly 18,600 homeowners. Grants available for reservation starting Oct. 29 The Wells Fargo Mississippi NeighborhoodLIFT program will begin offering $7,500 down payment assistance grants on Monday, Oct. 29, to eligible homebuyers. To learn more about the eligibility requirements, visit www.wellsfargo.com/lift or call 866-858-2151. Participating homebuyers can obtain mortgage financing from any participating lender, and HOPE will determine eligibility and administer the down payment assistance grants.



"The NeighborhoodLIFT program is another example of our commitment to Mississippi and our efforts to build better communities through sustainable homeownership," said Chris Tracy, Wells Fargo Mississippi and Alabama Coast Region Bank President. "The program will help hardworking families and individuals get on the path to achieve successful and sustainable homeownership." To be eligible, annual incomes must not exceed 80 percent of the local area median income in the county where the home is being purchased. In addition, there are special parameters for veterans and service members, teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians who may reserve $10,000 down payment assistance grants within eligibility requirements including earning up to 100 percent of the area median income.

"This innovative public-private collaboration will create about 265 more homeowners in Mississippi," said Donald Phoenix, regional vice president, Southern region, NeighborWorks America. "The required homebuyer education classes provided by certified professionals better prepare NeighborhoodLIFT homebuyers to achieve their goal of sustainable homeownership." Approved homebuyers must be approved for home financing with an eligible lender and be in contract to purchase a home in Mississippi. To reserve the full grant amount, participants buying a primary residence with the NeighborhoodLIFT program must commit to live in the home for five years. "The NeighborhoodLIFT program will provide homebuyer education and down payment assistance to help families achieve the dream of homeownership," said Bill Bynum, chief executive officer of Hope Enterprise Corporation. "We are excited to team up with Wells Fargo and NeighborWorks America to make this opportunity available for so many deserving families." Since February 2012, LIFT programs have helped create more than 18,600 homeowners in 63 communities. A video about the NeighborhoodLIFT program is posted on Wells Fargo Stories. About Hope Enterprise Corporation and NeighborWorks America Hope Enterprise Corporation, one of the nation's leading community development financial institutions, is a chartered member of NeighborWorks America, a national organization that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities. NeighborWorks America supports a network of more than 245 nonprofits, located in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Visit https://hopecu.org, or http://www.neighborworks.org/ to learn more. About Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo's vision is to satisfy our customers' financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,950 locations, 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 37 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 262,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 26 on Fortune's 2018 rankings of America's largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005033/en/

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[October 19, 2018] Piper Jaffray Companies to Hold Management Conference Call to Discuss 2018 Third Quarter Results

Piper Jaffray Companies (NYSE: PJC) will release its 2018 third quarter financial results prior to the opening of the market on Friday, October 26, 2018. The company will also hold a conference call to review the financial results at 9 a.m. ET (8 a.m. CT) that same day. Chad Abraham, chief executive officer; Debbra Schoneman, president; and Tim Carter, chief financial officer, will host the call. The earnings release will be available on October 26, 2018 at the firm's website at www.piperjaffray.com. The call can be accessed via webcast or by dialing 888-810-0209 (domestic) or 706-902-1361 (international) and referencing reservation number: 1699548. Callers should dial in at least 15 minutes prior to the call time. A replay of the conference call will be available for two weeks beginning at approximately noon ET on October 26, 2018 at te same web address or by calling 855-859-2056 and referencing reservation number: 1699548.



ABOUT PIPER JAFFRAY Piper Jaffray Companies (NYSE: PJC) is a leading investment bank and asset management firm. Securities brokerage and investment banking services are offered in the U.S. through Piper Jaffray & Co., member SIPC and FINRA; in Europe through Piper Jaffray Ltd., authorized and regulated by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority; and in Hong Kong through Piper Jaffray Hong Kong Limited, authorized and regulated by the Securities and Futures Commission. Asset management products and services are offered through five separate investment advisory affiliates?U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC (News - Alert) ) registered Advisory Research, Inc., Piper Jaffray Investment Management LLC, PJC Capital Partners LLC and Piper Jaffray & Co., and Guernsey-based Parallel General Partners Limited, authorized and regulated by the Guernsey Financial Services Commission.

Follow Piper Jaffray: LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter Since 1895. Member SIPC and NYSE.  2018 Piper Jaffray Companies, 800 Nicollet Mall, Suite 1000, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55402-7036 View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005523/en/

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[October 19, 2018] CPI Aero Announces Closing of Public Offering of Common Stock

EDGEWOOD, N.Y., Oct. 19, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CPI Aerostructures, Inc. (CPI Aero) (NYSE American: CVU) today announced the closing of its underwritten public offering of 2,760,000 shares of its common stock, including 360,000 shares pursuant to the underwriters full exercise of their over-allotment option, at a public offering price of $6.25 per share.

CPI Aeros net proceeds from the offering, after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and other offering expenses, were approximately $16.10 million. CPI Aero anticipates using the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital expenditures, debt repayment, or strategic acquisitions. Canaccord Genuity LLC acted as the sole bookrunning manager of the offering. B. Riley FBR, Inc. acted as the co-manager of the offering. The shares were offered and sold pursuant to a shelf registration statement (File No. 333-220090) declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 2, 2017, and the final prospectus filed on October 17, 2018 in connection therewith. Copies of the prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus relating to the ofering may be obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov, or from Canaccord Genuity LLC, 99 High Street, Suite 1200, Boston, MA 02110, Attn: Syndicate Department, by telephone at (617) 371-3900 or by e-mail at prospectus@canaccordgenuity.com.



About CPI Aero

CPI Aero is a U.S. manufacturer of structural assemblies for fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and airborne Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance pod systems in both the commercial aerospace and national security markets. Within the global aerostructure supply chain, CPI Aero is either a Tier 1 supplier to aircraft OEMs or a Tier 2 subcontractor to major Tier 1 manufacturers. CPI also is a prime contractor to the U.S. Department of Defense, primarily the Air Force. In conjunction with its assembly operations, CPI Aero provides engineering, program management, supply chain management, and MRO services. CPI Aero is included in the Russell Microcap Index. Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, each of which speaks only as of the date made. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties which are disclosed in CPI Aeros SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017, and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2018, and in the preliminary and final prospectus supplements related to the public offering filed with the SEC. These risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated or projected.

CPI Aero is a registered trademark of CPI Aerostructures, Inc. For more information, visit www.cpiaero.com, and follow us on Twitter @CPIAERO. Contact: Vincent Palazzolo

Chief Financial Officer

CPI Aero

(631) 586-5200

www.cpiaero.com Investor Relations Counsel:

LHA Investor Relations

Sanjay M. Hurry

(212) 838-3777

cpiaero@lhai.com

www.lhai.com

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KSEE24, Your Local Election Headquarters, Announces Series of California Debates

Fresno's NBC television affiliate will be the broadcast home to two (2) upcoming Congressional Debates on Thursday, October 25 and Tuesday, October 30, 2018.

Evan Onstot, KSEE24 anchor and host of 'Sunday Morning Matters' weekly political program will be the moderator; he has moderated several congressional, assembly & mayoral debates in the recent past as well as a Gubernatorial Primary debate earlier this year. "It's an honor to moderate debates of this importance to our community," Evan commented. "It also exemplifies KSEE24's year-round political commitment to our viewers. I'm looking forward to giving the candidates the chance to separate themselves on issues that matter most."

Details are as follows:







October 25, 2018 7:00-8:00pm CA (News - Alert) 21st District Congressional Debate Congressman David Valadao [R] vs T.J. Cox (News - Alert) [D] October 30, 2018 7:00-8:00pm CA 16th District Congressional Debate Congressman Jim Costa [D] vs Elizabeth Heng [R]

"We expect that this debate will allow candidates to share their vision for the future of their respective districts and to discuss substantive issues affecting their potential constituents," stated KSEE24's Vice President & General Manager, Matthew Rosenfeld.

In addition to watching the debates on KSEE24 television, viewers can watch a live stream of the debates on the YourCentralValley.com website or app from any PC, tablet or smartphone.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181019005594/en/
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

A new web security paper via ArXiv has revealed details about a little known TLS tracking technique that companies can use to track users across the web.

TLS Tracking Across the Web

Most users know that they can be tracked via cookies, which is why some delete them or use their browsers own private modes, which dont store session cookies. However, over the past few years, due to browsers continuing to implement advanced new features, new tracking capabilities have appeared, such as browser fingerprinting and now TLS tracking too.

When a TLS connection is made between the users computer and the visited websites server, some encryption-related information is exchanged, which can be reused the next time the same visitor comes to the site. Because this information is unique to that user, the service provider or a third-party tracker can recognize and then track the user across the web.

The Hamburg University researchers also revealed that the default lifetime for TLS session resumption in most browsers is up to eight days. What this means in practice is that two-thirds of the internet users can be tracked permanently through these TLS sessions.

The danger is associated mostly with third-party trackers, such as Google, that interact with users via many host names. The researchers noted that Googles tracking service is present on 80 percent of the sites on Alexa's top one million sites list.

The researchers also warned that in the case of 0-RTT (zero-round trip) resumptions when using TLS 1.3, forward secrecy can not be supported, thus also reducing the communications security.

Countermeasures Against TLS Tracking

The best way to fight against this form of TLS tracking is to pressure browsers to disable it completely (especially for third-party tracking services) or at least allow users to disable it manually. The Tor browser is one of the browsers that disables TLS tracking by default.

Based on the empirical evidence the researchers have gathered, they recommended that the TLS session resumption lifetime should be at most 10 minutes, not seven days as its currently recommended for the latest version of TLS (1.3).
KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- A 12-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital after she was hit in what's known to be a problem area in Waldo. It happened on Wednesday night on E. 89th Street, near Oak Street. The woman who was driving down 89th stopped immediately after she hit the girl.
Local Big Pharma Consequences

Kansas City physician sentenced for illegally reselling, prescribing hormones, steroids ST. LOUIS, MO (KCTV) - Dr. John C. Verstraete, a 55-year-old from Kansas City, Kansas, was sentenced to 12 months in prison on Thursday for health care fraud and illegal prescription of drugs. Verstraete appeared before a judge who accepted his plea to healthcare fraud and distribution of controlled substances outside the scope of legitimate medical practice in April.

Suburban Car Crime Spree

Thieves target local car dealerships around metro KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Police are investigating a string of car thefts at dealerships across the metro that have led to at least 11 cars being stolen over the last two weeks. The first incident was reported on Oct. 3 at U.S. Fleet Sales and Lease in Blue Springs.

Courthouse Lawyers Upheld

Jackson County judge declines to vacate murder conviction, finds prosecutors acted properly JACKSON COUNTY, MO (KCTV) -- A Jackson County judge has ruled that Jackson County prosecutors did not mislead or hide key evidence from defense attorneys, contrary to what a murder defendant alleged in a motion to vacate his conviction.

Tragic Murder Testimony

After teen's guilty plea, Lee's Summit mom says she'll never be over daughter's murder KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- One metro teenager waived his right to a trial and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Tuesday. It's been three years since prosecutors said Joshua Trigg and Trevon Henry, who were ages 13 and 14 at the time, stabbed Tanya Chamberlain at a car wash in Lee's Summit.

Deets On Judging Locals

Seg. 1: Voting In Judicial Retention Elections. Seg. 2: Kansas City's Only Pay-What-You-Can Cafe. The confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the shift to a more conservative court, has shown that persons picked to serve on the bench matter. This holds true at the state level too. But unlike the federal courts, judges who serve in the Kansas or Missouri state courts are required to stand for retention.

Hard Time For Kansas City Smack

KC man sentenced to 15 years for heroin conspiracy, illegal firearm KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- A Kansas City, Missouri man was sentenced in federal court on Thursday for his role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and for illegally possessing a firearm. Sidney A. Williams, 65, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to 15 years and eight months in federal prison without parole.

The Big Kansas City Search

Volunteers lead effort to help locate missing people KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Hundreds of volunteers are canvassing the Kansas City metro to raise awareness about missing people. They are handing out pamphlets filled with the names and pictures of more than 30 missing people, mostly youth and mostly girls.

Quick glimpse at some of the top Kansas City metro crime news today:And this is thefor right now . . .
Something Winter This Way Comes

Kansas City likely to see milder than average winter, NOAA says The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is out with its winter outlook, and if you don't like the cold, this forecast is for you. NOAA said the Midwest, including all of Kansas and many parts of Missouri, will likely see warmer than normal temperatures. Winter precipitation is expected to be average.

Local Facebook Slap Fight

Former Missouri mayor sues his own city over free speech | The Kansas City Star An alderman in the Jackson County community of Greenwood is suing the city and mayor for allegedly violating his free-speech rights, in part by deleting his comments on the city's public Facebook page. Marvin Megee, himself a former Greenwood mayor, also alleges in a federal lawsuit that Mayor Levi Weaver last April removed a homemade sign Megee had lawfully planted near a voting place during municipal elections.

Traffic Trouble Tonight

TRAFFIC ALERT: I-435 NB closed near NE 96th due to crash with fatality I-435 northbound is closed and major backups have been reported past NE 96th Street after a serious crash involving a semi truck. That incident happened before 6 p.m. in the northbound lanes of I-435 between NE 96th Street and NE 108th Street. Police are on scene working to direct some traffic through the median.

Rock Chalk La Migra Talk

Kobach And Yoder Take Diverging Paths On Immigration In Tight Kansas Races At a campaign rally in Topeka earlier this month, the tough talk on immigration from Republican gubernatorial nominee Kris Kobach was a crowd pleaser. "We've worked on a number of things, but the most important is stopping illegal immigration," Kobach said to a cheering audience.

Show-Me Po'Folk Voters

Nearly 800,000 Missourians live in poverty, housing advocacy group report says More than half of Missouri's poorest residents are paying more than half of their yearly income in rent. Non-profit leaders at two Missouri organizations say this level of rent burden prevents families from being able to afford other basic necessities, such as food and health insurance.

Sweet KC Booze Collabo

Christopher Elbow, Torn Label Brewing collaborate on new beer - Kansas City Business Journal A trip to Honduras inspired a Kansas City brewer's latest release, a beer made in collaboration with Christopher Elbow Chocolates. Torn Label Brewing Co.'s new beer is called 18 Rabbits Imperial Stout, and it's a limited release expected to be available Nov. 16. The beer is part of Torn Label's Artists Series.

Make Or Break For Kansas City

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Cincinnati Bengals: Who has the edge? After a thrilling offensive showdown against the New England Patriots last Sunday night, the Chiefs are back in primetime again this Sunday in what should be another entertaining game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals come into the game at 4-2 after a heartbreaking 28-21 loss to Pittsburgh in Week 6.

A look at publishing during the social media era . . .Closer to home, here's a glimpse of some of the top Kansas City news for tonight . . .And this is thefor right now . . .
2019 Lexus UX 250h Custom

This study will make you see the pint-sized UX in a different light
The Canadian Airports Council today welcomed a motion tabled in the House of Commons recently to initiate parliamentary study of flight training in Canada, as a result of concerns by communities and their airports on the impact of a worldwide pilot shortage on regional air routes.

The Canadian Airports Council today welcomed a motion tabled in the House of Commons recently to initiate parliamentary study of flight training in Canada, as a result of concerns by communities and their airports on the impact of a worldwide pilot shortage on regional air routes.

Canadas airports support the motion your colleague, Stephen Fuhr of Kelowna-Lake Country, tabled on flight training earlier this week, said CAC President Daniel-Robert Gooch, in remarks to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport. The pilot shortage is an industry concern already being felt in regional air service and a study by you on this would be welcome.

Canada faces a shortfall of about 3,000 pilots over the next seven years but some regional air carriers are finding it a challenge attract and retain qualified pilots. As a result, there has been an increase in the cancellation of regional flights in some parts of Canada due to crew shortages  a tremendous reliability concern for travellers and communities that rely on these services.

When travellers see frequent cancellations on a particular air route, this creates concerns about the reliability of a particular service. If travellers choose to drive to their destination or to an alternate airport instead, the community may lose the service altogether. said CAC Chair Sam Samaddar, who is also airport director at Kelowna International Airport. Canadas flight training schools, which are among the best in the world, are busy marketing their services but there are barriers to growing the student base and retaining more of these pilots here in Canada.

Of the 1,200 students at Canadas flight schools, about 40 per cent are foreign students who typically go home after their studies. Making it easier for them to stay and work would help, as would more financial support to Canadians entering the expensive pathway to becoming a commercial pilot, which can cost $75,000 to $150,000.

Meanwhile, demand for air travel in Canada is booming with 5 per cent growth in traveller volumes over the first eight months of the year, and even stronger growth of 6-8 per cent in U.S. and overseas markets. In his remarks to the House Transport Committee, Mr. Gooch also spoke to the strain this growth is putting on government services, like security screening and border services, and the need for continued investments on ground access to airports, such as light rail and road links.

Daily News Delivery Join your colleagues and stay up to date on the latest Travel industry news and trends. Subscribe

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Royal Thai celebrate the 15 year in business with all his customers.



(TRAVPR.COM) NORTH HOLLAND - October 19th, 2018

R. Sharma feel proud to announce the 15th anniversary in this year. He said, "It's an exciting time for us. We feels honored to receive positive feedback and appreciation from our customers. Our goal is to provide the great experience to our customer and make them happy."

Royal Thai is a family restaurant and famous for thai food in Amsterdam.They provide the great thai food and quality service to their customer in friendly manner. They provide the dishes which are customized according to the customer needs. They provide the best service and prices which are unmatchable.

Royal Thai make the dishes with fresh and high-quality ingredients. They provide the comfort zone to their customer because they never want to disappoint any customer regarding services as well as food.

Important announcement on this Celebration :

Royal Thai want to celebrate 15-year Anniversary with every customer. So In this special occasion the website announced a special discount for their customers.

In this offer they provide the flat 15% instant discount on every order. To avail this offers they introduce the special vouches and this vouches will send to your email account by them. You can check the detail information about this offer from the website. This offer is applicable on the final bill. These vouches are valid for six months.

Enjoy the meal with your family and friends and join the Royal Thai on this occasion and celebrate 15 years of success.

###
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pardeepdhull@gmail.com

New Delhi, October 19

Shares of Reliance Industries on Friday ended over 4 per cent down, wiping out Rs 29,945 crore from its market valuation, despite the company reporting its highest ever quarterly net profit in the July-September quarter.

The blue chip stock plunged 6.59 per cent to Rs 1,073.15 in intra-day trade on BSE. Later, it closed the day at Rs 1,101.65, a fall of 4.11 per cent.

At NSE, shares of the company settled 4.42 per cent lower at Rs 1,100.30.

Due to the plunge in the stock price, the companys market valuation declined Rs 29,944.97 crore to Rs 6,98,278.03 crore on BSE.

In terms of equity volume, 14.61 lakh shares of the company were traded on BSE and over 2 crore shares changed hands at NSE during the day.

The stock was the biggest drag for the BSE benchmark index, which slumped 463.95 points to close at 34,315.63.

Reliance Industries on Wednesday reported its highest-ever quarterly net profit of Rs 9,516 crore in July-September as record earnings from petrochemical business and bumper earnings from retail business and telecom arm made up for a decline in refinery margins.

The operator of the worlds largest oil refining complex, however, saw pre-tax earnings from the business decline for the second quarter in a row. It fell 19.6 per cent to Rs 5,322 crore as margins dipped. In the first quarter the pre-tax earnings had fallen 16.8 per cent.

It earned USD 9.5 on turning every barrel of crude oil into fuel as compared to a gross refining margin of USD 12 per barrel. The GRM was also lower than USD 10.5 per barrel earning in first quarter. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Dubai, October 19

A Western boycott of a major business conference in Riyadh next week suggests rising political risks in Saudi Arabia could harm its ambitions to attract foreign capital and diversify its economy away from oil.

Rather than whipping up interest in Saudi investment opportunities, the event risks becoming a public relations debacle because of the disappearance of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, company executives and analysts say.

Turkish officials have said Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia denies this.

More than 24 top officials and executives from the US and Europe, including US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the chief executives of JP Morgan Chase and HSBC, have cancelled plans to attend the Future Investment Initiative due to unease over the Khashoggi affair.

That may not prevent the event from proceeding  over 150 speakers from more than 140 organisations originally signed up, organisers said. But it deprives the conference of much of its star power. As Western companies fret over the risk to their reputations of doing deals and possible exposure to any sanctions imposed over the Khashoggi case, they are likely to put much new business in Saudi Arabia on hold for now.

The freeze may apply to both new Western contracts or investments in Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi governments programme of buying corporate assets abroad through its $250 billion Public Investment Fund. Companies in China and Japan have shown little or no sign of withdrawing from the event, so US and European firms may lose out on business if they stay cool towards Riyadh for too long.

US President Donald Trump has said he wants to protect Washingtons security cooperation with Saudi Arabia. He raised the possibility that rogue killers murdered Khashoggi, a theory which could absolve Saudi leaders from responsibility.  Reuters
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 19

The 210-foot-tall effigy of Ravana was consigned to the flames by Haryana Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya through a remote at Shalimar Ground in Sector 5 here this evening.

Thousands of people not only from the city but also from Chandigarh, Mohali, Zirakpur, Mani Majra and Baddi had come here to witness the tallest effigy of the country going up in the flames.

A huge traffic jam was witnessed for about three hours after the Ravanas effigy went up in flames. The police had to face a tough time controlling the traffic as a large number of people had also come to witness six effigies going up in flames at the Parade Ground in Sector 5 here.

Haryana Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya, while congratulating the people of Panchkula on Dasehra, lauded the organisers for making proper arrangements for the function. He also honoured Tejinder Chauhan, a resident of Barara near Ambala, who had made the tallest effigy.

Vishnu Goel, chairman, Shri Mata Mansa Devi Dasehra and Development Committee, said the festival was organised on the lines of Kullu Dasehra. Cultural programmes were organised for five days for the first time here.

He said besides police, private security guards and bouncers were deployed to manage the crowd around the effigy at the ground.

Six effigies, including that of crime against women, stay away from diseases by adopting hygiene and wipe out drug menace, were set on fire at the Sector 5 parade ground. The festival at the parade ground was organised by Hindu Dharam Sabha Shri Ram Temple, Sector 2. Haryana DGP BS Sandhu was the chief guest on the occasion.

Ambala Member of Parliament (MP) Rattan Lal Kataria offered Rs 11 lakh to the club for organising the event.

Delhis renowned 80-member Ram Lakhan Band was also the main attraction during the Dasehra festival.

Guv lauds organisers

Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya, while congratulating the people of Panchkula on Dasehra, lauded the organisers for making proper arrangements for the function. He also honoured Tejinder Chauhan, a resident of Barara near Ambala, who had made the tallest effigy.

Traffic snarls in Pkula

A huge traffic jam was witnessed for about three hours after the Ravanas effigy went up in flames. The police had to face a tough time controlling the traffic as a large number of people had also come to witness six effigies going up in flames at the Parade Ground in Sector 5 here.

.
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, October 18

Commuters in the region are a harried lot as the Haryana Roadways employees continued their strike for the third day against hiring buses from private operators under the kilometre scheme here on Thursday.

Only skeletal services operated from Chandigarh and Panchkula bus terminals, as 20 per cent of the total buses left for long-routes this morning. Protesting members of the roadways union raised slogans against the department as well as the state government for not fulfilling their long-pending demands.

The most affected were the office-goers and students as auto-rickshaws charged high rates from those travelling from Zirakpur and Chandigarh from Panchkula.

Meanwhile, hundreds of members of five other unions  Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh, Akhil Bhartiya Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Sabha, Retired Karamchari Sangh and HSVP workers  joined the protestors.

Addressing the protestors, Vijender Singh, Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh president, said even though the roadways employees strike had entered the third day, there was no response from the government. He said the state government had hired 720 private buses to ignore its own employees and this would not be tolerated at any cost.

He said the state government had forced the roadways employees to go on a strike and the employees did not want to harass the public. He said instead meeting the protestors, the state government was trying to crush the strike by booking employees under the ESMA. He said now the clerical and other staffs of the roadways department had also joined the strike.
vinaymishra188@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 18

A Sub-Inspector (SI) of the Chandigarh Police has been booked on a charge of raping a Mumbai-based model, who came in contact with the cop earlier this year after she had filed a cheating complaint against a city youth. A case has been registered against SI Naveen Kumar at the Sector 31 police station.

UT SSP Nilambari Jagdale confirmed that the SI had been booked in a rape case.

Earlier this year, the victim had submitted a complaint to the UT police alleging that a city resident had fraudulently withdrawn Rs 12 lakh from her account. The complaint was marked to the cyber cell of the UT police for investigation. SI Naveen Kumar, who was then posted in the cyber cell, investigated the complaint following which a case was registered against the suspect, Rahul, a resident of Dhanas. Rahul had approached the victim through Facebook on the pretext of providing her modelling assignments and later allegedly duped her of Rs 12 lakh.

Police sources said since SI Naveen was investigating the case, he became friends with the victim after which she was allegedly raped.

The victim recently submitted a complaint against the SI to the UT police following which the police probed the matter and registered a case against him. Naveen is yet to be arrested.

Was IO of Bitcoin scam

SI Naveen Kumar, who was the investigating officer of the multi-crore Bitcoin scam, was transferred from the cyber cell to the Police Lines, Sector 26, in July this year. Though the Police Department had stated that the transfers were made on administrative grounds, sources said there was a complaint against Naveen following which he was transferred.
Naeem Akhtar

Naeem Akhtar

Former Minister, J&K

With exceptions, elections in Jammu and Kashmir have historically remained a part of the problem rather than leading to peace and resolution. Polls to panchayats and urban local bodies have been a class apart even in Kashmir's very own banana republic election lore. Even their periodicity can be counted not in constitutional terms, but as being associated with generations.

In 2000, Farooq Abdullah, enjoying an unprecedented majority in the Assembly, was enthused to hold panchayat elections after many decades.

Once on a visit to my village, out of curiosity, I enquired from the folks there who the Sarpanch was. To my amusement, it was a person who had the least suitable qualifications for being a village head. Persisting with my query, I expressed the desire to meet him at his home. But I was told that he was working in the city. Working as what? "Jinab, the Sarpanch is working as a cook at the residence of the MLC."

The MLC was a dreaded police constable-turned-militant-turned renegade who was rewarded by Farooq with the membership of the Upper House of the state legislature after having been accused of the worst kind of atrocities, including murders. The instance illustrates the kind of results generated by electoral exercises sans people's involvement in a conflict area.

Eighteen years down the line, the BJP, by electing itself to urban local bodies, has brought Kashmir to a worse situation, where, unfortunately, the amusement element of yore is missing. It actually is leading to a head-on collision of residents with the state.

The BJP leaders have announced that their party will have its own Mayor in Srinagar even as its only local ally, Sajjad Ghani Lone, has made a similar claim. In public perception, there is hardly any distinguishing line between the two and to that extent, both could be correct. Governor Malik, even before the polls, created a furore by indicating the possible Mayor who he claimed "with his foreign education could give the main political stakeholders in the state, the PDP and NC, a run for their money." The two parties, in fact, between them account for a majority in the state legislature.

While the BJP can claim to have swept the local polls, one wishes democracy in Kashmir was about numbers, as elsewhere. It may celebrate its councils in places like Shopian, the epicentre of armed insurgency with all non-resident corporators living at a minimum distance of 300 km, what will it achieve in restoring peace in the state? Consider these statistics to understand the sham that goes on in the name of empowerment of citizens.

Out of 10,50,000 voters in the Kashmir valley, just 43,091 used their franchise. Out of 40 urban local bodies, no polling was held in 27. It converts into 412 out of 598 wards going without polling. In 181 wards, there was no contestant, whereas in 231 wards there was just one contestant each, who were obviously declared victorious uncontested and would be representatives of the BJP, rather than any voters.

There are stories galore about money going into inducing candidates to file nominations and voters being brought to polling stations. Some victories are believed to be the result of polling just five votes in all between the victor and the vanquished.

The crisis in Kashmir right now is not about the statistics of participation. It is all about the credibility of institutions and the ability of the country to accommodate the aspirations of a people with all their cultural, social and religious identity which they feel is threatened more than ever before and is just one push away from coming to a shove. It is also about brazenly purchasing the loyalties of a few against the will of the masses.

And it was not at all difficult for Prime Minister Modi to build on the atmosphere that his predecessor Vajpayee had created 16 years ago to retrieve the democratic system in the state and invest it with not just credibility and respectability but also an unmistakable potential to generate permanent peace in the state as a respectable and distinct part of the union.

But, unfortunately, his government, too, is now reduced to the earlier Congress' sloganeering: "Kashmir is our integral part and no power on earth can snatch it from us", as the Home Minister recently reiterated. No Kashmiri, in fact, has any doubt about that.

It is ironical that the belief in Kashmir that 'it is Delhi that makes and breaks governments in J&K' has been revived during the tenure of a strong non-Congress government.

Morarji Desai was the first PM to deliver a free and fair election to the state, even though it meant Sheikh Abdullah sweeping the polls, though Desai was never a fan of the Sheikh. Like Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, in his quest to own Kashmir, bludgeoned Farooq into a disastrous coalition that became the nemesis of the heaven on earth.

The retrieval came in 2002 when another non-Congress PM, Vajpayee, kept his commitment and the NC chief-ministerial candidate and party president Omar Abdullah was trounced in the constituency held by his father and mighty grandfather. Lacing this fundamental intervention that gave Kashmir the first taste of the value of vote, with diplomatic and political push, the state got transformed in no time.

Unfortunately for him, for the country and for Kashmir, Modi chose to be in the league of Congress prime ministers rather than be his own man or be one with Vajpayee and Morarji Desai, his fellow Gujarati. The elections have lost, at least for some time, the power of being an instrument of change; for better, though certainly not for worse.

The government may claim credit for the elections being free and fair. But in public perception, they were 'paid and feared' elections, an addition to the local lore.
sanjiv@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 18

Commuters of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) can now use the Delhi Metro card for travelling in DTC and cluster buses in the city. The Cabinet today approved 10 per cent discount in the fares on usage of the Delhi Metro card for travelling in the DTC and cluster buses through electronic ticketing machines (ETMs).

The decision has been taken to encourage more and more people to opt for public transport, thus contributing towards a clean environment.

On an average, 30 lakh passengers use the services of stage carriage buses (DTC 3882 and cluster 1679). However, the use of Metro card in realising the fares through ETMs will save expenditure on account of printing of tickets of different denominations, stocking the tickets at central place and on their distributions to various depots, etc.

As per the government, saving of human resources and space at depot level are other benefits. The conductors of the buses will not be required to handle the different denominations block of tickets and cash.

In such scenario, the conductors may concentrate more on checking ticketless travelling. At the time of close of the duty, the conductor and the cashier at depot level may maintain and check the operational details more effectively and quickly.

The DTC is presently getting support from government in the form of grant-in-aid and subsidy component on passes. Similarly, the Delhi government is bearing the viability gap to meet the deficit between the actual payment which is being made to the concessionaire and revenue (mainly by the fare collection).
shalender@tribune.com

Sushil Manav & Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Gurugram, October 18

A split in the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) seems imminent. Amid a clamour for Hisar MP Dushyant Chautalas expulsion at the partys working committee meeting in Gurugram on Thursday, party patriarch Om Prakash Chautala reportedly told the leaders that he would take a call on October 25, stressing the report of the disciplinary committee was a must.

Anyone who threatens the party will find me standing against him. I am not a father or a grandfather when I adorn this pagri (turban) of party supremo, he is reported to have assured the leaders.

Both Dushyant and his younger brother Digvijay have been rather defiant ever since they were sent a notice and suspended on October 11 for anti-party activities in the wake of the ruckus at the partys Samman Rally at Gohana, which, party leaders allege, was engineered by both the brothers.

Chautalas furlough from the Tihar Central Jail, where he is serving sentence in the JBT recruitment scam, came to an end on Thursday. He will be out for a day for a medical check-up on October 25. It is then that he is expected to take a decision on the issue.

All eyes are now on Dushyants father Ajay Singh, serving imprisonment with his father, who is likely to be out on parole on Friday. It would be interesting to watch as to what would be his political move. Sources said the Chautala-Dushyant meeting, where other family members were present too, ended abruptly with Dushyant making a hasty exit as soon as his uncle Abhay Singh, with whom he has a family feud, arrived there.

Dushyant, who met Chautala on Thursday morning at the latters 11-Meena Bagh residence in Delhi, wrote to INLD office secretary Nachhatar Singh Malhan the second time, seeking 15 more days to reply to the party notice. He had earlier in a letter dated October 14 sought proof of the charges against him. Every day, I am mindful and proud to represent the passion, strength and integrity of the INLD. I understand it as my responsibility to make a positive impact in community. On the personal level, let me repeat that I have every intention to remain a part of the INLD family and I am extremely excited about the positive future of the party headed by our Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala ji (sic), read Dushyants letter.

The party's October 11 notice to Dushyant had accused him of gross indiscipline and hooliganism during the birthday celebrations of the late Chaudhary Devi Lal and of causing disaffection within the party and conspiring with forces inimical to the INLD".
Further detailed tax reduction policies will be issued soon to support employment and strengthen economic growth momentum, ensuring the annual goal of reducing more than 1.29 trillion yuan ($187 billion) in taxes and fees for both corporates and households, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday.

The ministry plans to issue specific guidance to improve policies for export tax rebates. In addition, details of special expense deductions for individual income tax are being studied, said Yuan Haiyao, deputy head of the ministry's Department of Tax and Policy.

"We are studying further cuts to taxation and the greater reduction of administrative fees, to lower corporates' costs and stimulate market vitality," he said.

During the national tax cut campaign, the Chinese government's fiscal revenue growth decelerated to 2 percent in September, the slowest pace this year, in a move to ease the burden on corporates and offset external headwinds, according to data issued by the ministry on Thursday.

Last month, fiscal revenue reached 1.3 trillion yuan, compared with 1.1 trillion yuan in August. But the year-on-year growth rate slipped by 2 percentage points within a month, the ministry reported at a news conference.

The expansion of tax income also retreated to the year's slowest pace in September, down to 6 percent from 6.7 percent in August, as the previously issued tax reduction policies, especially for value-added taxes, have started to take effect.

The Chinese economy has seen some changes recently based on stable foundations, in the face of some new issues and challenges, along with notable changes in the external environment, according to ministry official Yuan.

Under the circumstances, "many market players are expecting further and stronger measures to reduce taxes and administrative fees", he added.

In terms of fiscal expenditure, it increased by 11.7 percent year-on-year in September to 2.26 trillion yuan, compared with a growth rate of 3.3 percent in August. The total fiscal spending during the first three quarters accounted for 77.8 percent of the annual budget, according to the ministry.

Faster growth in government expenditure is a "counter-cyclical factor" to ensure economic stability, acting as a cushion to offset downside risks, said Ming Ming, an analyst with CITIC Securities.

"Fiscal policy may not be constrained by the pressure of fiscal balance or the standard of fiscal deficit, which means bond issuance is necessary when it is required (by the economic situation)," said Ming.

During the first three quarters, local governments issued 1.25 trillion yuan of special-purpose bonds to support infrastructure construction, accounting for 92.4 percent of the annual quota. Outstanding local government debt increased to 18.26 trillion yuan by the end of September, said the ministry.
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

New Delhi, October 19

The Himachal Pradesh government plans to float a tender for purchasing 220 electric buses within a fortnight for Shimla and Dharamsala, a senior official said Friday.

"We are planning to float tender for 220 electric buses within fortnight for Shimla and Dharamsala smartcity," Himachal Road Transport Corporation Chief General Manager H K Gupta told PTI.

The state has been actively working to reduce pollution and started procuring electric buses to cut down vehicular emission, Gupta noted.

Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) last week awarded a contract worth Rs 23 crore to Foton-PMI for procuring 30 electric buses that will ply in Shimla for public transport.

"Seven bidders participated in the pre-bid process out of which four were shortlisted including Foton PMI, Ashok Leyland and Olectra Greentech. Foton PMI emerged as the lowest bidder. As per the tender condition they have to supply buses to us in 4-6 months. People in Shimla will have access to these pollution free buses within six months," Gupta said.

HRTC has procured buses under central government funded scheme where the Centre will bear 60 per cent of the cost.

PMI and China-based Beiqi Foton Motors have partnered for the marketing and sales of buses in India.

"FOTON-PMI electric buses equipped with advanced technology from FOTON are fast charging buses and can withstand heavy ridership and steep hills of Himachal Pradesh," PMI Electri Managing Director Satish Jain said.

FOTON-PMI quoted a price of Rs 76.97 lakh per bus including GST. The company claims that bus can be charged completely in about half an hour.

"We are using fast charger and lithium manganese oxide battery which is highly advanced. The battery can be charged in about half an hour that will enable bus to cover distance of 150 km," PMI Electro Mobility Executive Director Aman Garg said. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

New Delhi, October 19

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders paid their last respects to party veteran ND Tiwari who passed away here after a prolonged illness.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress leaders Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad also paid their homage to the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand at his residence.

Tiwari, who was undergoing treatment at Max Super Speciality Hospital, breathed his last at 2.50 pm Thursday after he suffered a heart attack, hours after he turned 93.

He was admitted to the hospital in September last year after suffering a brain stroke. A team of doctors had been monitoring his condition.

In a statement, Max Healthcare had said, Tiwari was admitted at Max hospital, Saket for several months and was undergoing treatment for complications related to a brain stroke. He breathed his last at 2.50 pm today (Thursday).

His body will be taken to Lucknow Saturday afternoon and will be kept at the Vidhan Bhawan from 1 pm to 3 pm for people to pay their last respects, an official release issued here on Friday said.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his ministerial colleagues will receive the mortal remains at the airport, it said.

Tiwari, who was considered close to Indira Gandhi, had served as a Union minister in several Congress-led governments. He had the unique distinction of having served as the chief minister of two states, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where his native place is located.  PTI
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 18

Two suspected militants were killed and a policeman was injured in a brief shootout in north Kashmirs Baramulla district on Friday.

The two were killed at Kralhar Baramulla along the Srinagar-Baramulla highway when an SUV they were travelling in was asked to stop at a naka, police spokesman said

The militants fired upon the police party and in the exchange of fire both the militants were killed. One AK rifle, two Chinese pistols and ammunition was recovered, he said.

Police said both the slain militants were Pakistani nationals and were associated with Jaish-e-Mohammed.

SSP Baramulla said the two were operating under code names of Faizan and Wahab.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 19

The Army on Friday claimed to have foiled an infiltration bid by killing three unidentified militants along the Line of Control in north Kashmirs Baramulla district.

The Army said the operation in Boniyar sector is still under way for the second consecutive day.

Three militants have been killed and four AK rifles and a same number of haversacks have been recovered, an Army official said, adding that the operation is in progress. The officer said there is a possibility that one or two militants might still be hiding in the dense forest.

The identity and group affiliation of the slain militants could not be established immediately.

The operation was launched by the Army on Thursday morning when they noticed a suspected movement close to the LoC near Tourna, Boniyar sector, nearly 100 km from Srinagar. There was an intermittent exchange of fire between a group of militants and the Army the entire day.
editorial@tribune.com

Majid Jahangir & Suhail A Shah

Tribune News Service

Srinagar/Anantnag, Oct 19

Security forces killed five militants in two operations in north Kashmir even as nine Army men, including a Major, were injured in an IED blast in south Kashmir.

Three unidentified militants were killed in a counter-infiltration operation along the Line of Control in Baramulla district. The operation began on Thursday morning when the Army noticed suspected movement close to the LoC near Tourna in the Boniyar sector, around 100 km from Srinagar.

Challenged, the terrorists opened fire and the ensuing gunfight continued till late last evening. Three bodies were recovered from the dense forest area this morning, a defence official said. Four AK rifles, some haversacks and warlike stores have also been recovered.

The combing operation was still underway in the area, he added.

The identity and affiliation of the slain militants could not be established immediately.

In a separate incident, two Pakistani militants affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed at Kralhar on the outskirts of Baramulla town.

Baramulla SSP Imtiyaz Husain said the militants, operating under code names Faizan and Wahab, were travelling in a Scorpio vehicle towards Baramulla when they were signalled to stop at a check-point. Both terrorists were killed in a brief gunfight while a policeman suffered minor injuries, Husain said. The Scorpio driver has been arrested and the vehicle impounded.

During searches, an AK rifle, an AK magazine, a UBGL, two Chinese pistols and some ammunition were seized.

Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said when the security men asked for the card from one person, he took out a pistol and fired at police and CRPF men.

He was killed in retaliatory action while the second one fled while firing. He was chased and killed later, Dilbag said.

A news portal quoted Jaish-e-Mohammad spokesman as having said that the two militants killed in Baramulla shootout were on a special mission. He, however, did not reveal the mission details.

In another incident, nine Army men, including a Major, were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in south Kashmirs Pulwama district. The massive blast occurred around 9.15 pm on Thursday at Trichal village on the outskirts of Pulwama town.

A Casper vehicle of the 55 Rashtriya Rifles hit a landmine. The blast was followed by intense firing by militants, a senior police officer said. A Major and eight soldiers sustained injuries in the blast. Militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Villagers alleged Army personnel went berserk after the blast and thrashed locals, injuring 15 civilians, seven of them women. They alleged their houses were also vandalised.

The DGP said the police were yet to receive any formal complaint in that regard. If there is any such complaint, we will look into it, he said.

Defence spokesperson Rajesh Kalia said the facts were being ascertained regarding the incident.

Pregnant woman killed in militant attack

A pregnant woman was killed in south Kashmirs Pulwama district after militants targeted an Army camp on Friday evening, officials said. Superintendent of Police Chandan Kohli said the militants fired two UBGL grenades and also opened fire at the camp at Shadimarg, Pulwama. Firdousa, daughter of Khursheed Ahmed Sheikh of Qasbayar, Shadimarg, received a bullet injury in the exchange of fire. She was taken to Rajpora hospital, from there she was referred to District Hospital, Pulwama, where she succumbed, he said. The doctors said the slain woman was five months pregnant. TNS
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Our Correspondent

Anantnag, October 19

An army major and eight jawans were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in south Kashmirs Pulwama district late on Thursday, officials said.

An army Casper vehicle was targeted with an IED blast and was followed by firing by the militants at Trichal village at around 9.15 pm.

The blast left nine soldiers injured, a police officer said.

Soon after the attack, the area was cordoned off and searches were conducted by security forces to trace the militants.

The Casper vehicle which came under attack belonged to 55 RR of the Army and was targeted on the Lassipora-Pulwama road.
editorial@tribune.com

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, October 19

The authorities in Kashmir have beefed up security around the counting centres of 10 districts for the counting of 30,739 votes, polled in the four phases of the urban local bodies elections, on Saturday.

The Chief Electoral Office has decentralised the election process in Kashmir and the counting of votes will take place in the respective district headquarters.

The election authorities have established 20 halls at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre in Srinagar for the counting of 18,482 votes polled in the 74 wards of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). Eight candidates have won unopposed from the SMC.

A total of 19,550 votes of the 6,12,122 were polled in central Kashmirs Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam districts. The counting of votes in Ganderbal and Budgam will take place in the respective district headquarters.

Similarly, the counting of 1,0529 votes polled out of 65,146 in north Kashmirs three districts  Kupwara, Baramulla, and Bandipora  will be held at the respective district headquarters.

The central Kashmir districts recorded a voter turnout of 5.1 per cent while as the north Kashmir districts recorded 16.2 per cent voter turnout.

The violence-hit south Kashmir recorded the lowest turnout of 1.6 per cent as only 660 votes were polled out of 40,004 in the 20 municipalities spread over four districts. The authorities have put in adequate security arrangements in the district headquarters of south Kashmir for counting.

The municipal polls were held in four phases in Kashmir on October 8, 10, 13 and 16. Due to militant threats and poll boycott by separatists and Kashmirs two major mainstream political parties  National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party  the voter turnout in the elections was low. Only 4.3 per cent voting was recorded in the 10 districts of Kashmir.

The municipal elections are being held for the first time since 2005 when the voter turnout was 48 per cent. In the past seven decades, the municipal elections were held only four times. The elections of 2005 took place after 27 years.

In a house of 68, the National Conference (NC) had bagged a comfortable majority in the 2005 elections by bagging 41 seats, thus retaining its hold in the area. The PDP had managed 17 seats while the Congress had taken only six seats. Senior NC leader Ghulam Mustafa Bhat was elected the first-ever mayor of the SMC.

Due to the boycott by the NC and the PDP, the BJP and its ally Peoples Conference is likely to win the maximum number of seats in the municipal elections.

Peoples Conference president Sajad Lone on Thursday hinted that the Srinagar mayor would be from his party.

All set inshallah to have the first mayor from the Peoples Conference. Expecting very good results. Time to give Srinagar what it deserves. A set of hardworking people who work there on the ground, Lone wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

Lone, who is a legislator from north Kashmirs Handwara constituency, also hoped to win from other municipalities of north Kashmir.

And the PC is all set to take over urban bodies in Kupwara, Handwara, Langet, Sumbal, Pattan, among others. Let us hope we are able to contribute to planned urbanisation which I believe is the future, he tweeted.

Process decentralised
editorial@tribune.com

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 19

The unrest in Kashmir has cast a dark shadow over higher education in Ladakh as the enrolment in all five degree colleges of the region, affiliated with the University of Kashmir (KU), has dipped due to delay in evaluation of answer sheets and declaration of results.

Ironically, it takes Ladakhi students almost four and a half years to complete the three-year undergraduate degree programme because results are not being declared in time.

Consequently, academicians claim that Ladakhi students do not prefer to take admissions in degree colleges of the region, instead they go to Jammu, Chandigarh or Delhi.

Furthermore, the KU campuses in Kargil and Leh are not administratively empowered enough to resolve the issues of Ladakhi students.

This causes financial loss to them and wastes their time.

The academic calendar of the KU does not suit the climatic conditions of the Ladakh region and many times students are forced to appear for exams in -20C. Besides, the results are not declared in time which is causing a great academic loss to our students, said Nasir Shabani, a senior professor in the commerce department at Government Degree College (GDC), Kargil.

As per the UGC guidelines, the results should be declared within 35 days of the last exam, but are delayed by almost five or six months in Ladakh, Shabani said. He said: The enrolment of the GDC Kargil, which was the highest in Ladakh, has fallen. About three years ago, we had over 2,500 students which has now reduced to 1,400.

Prof Deskyong Namgyal, principal, GDC, Leh, said, Unfortunately, our students are paying for disturbance in Kashmir which is affecting their enrolment.

The Chief Executive Councillor, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Kargil, Feroz Ahmad Khan, recently met KU Vice Chancellor Prof Talat Ahmed and discussed issues being faced by Kargil students.
traineesubeditor@tribuneindia.com

Mumbai, October 19

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan has revealed he will be paying off loans of over 850 farmers from UP.

The 76-year-old actor said he previously helped over 350 farmers from Maharashtra by clearing their loans.

It has been most-satisfying experience to give some to our countrymen who sacrificed their lives for us. Forty-four families diversified into 112 entities were given out in my small way from Maharashtra. More needs to be done for other parts of the country too. It shall be done.

Over 350 farmers loans that were difficult to pay off, and to prevent them from committing suicide, were paid off some days back... Earlier, farmer loans from Andhra, Vidarbha had been done... Now, 850 farmers from UP have been identified and their loans amounting to over Rs 5.5 cr shall be taken care of, he wrote on his blog.  PTI
KM Sheshagiri

KM Sheshagiri

TWO incidents serve as a backdrop to this piece. The first one dates to the 1980s. Astronomy was a childhood hobby, and I was a member of the Association of Bangalore Amateur Astronomers. One evening, after a lecture on star formation, I glimpsed through a telescope the Crab Nebula at the centre of a rapidly rotating pulsar  what remains of a large star when it has run out of fuel to burn brightly. The squeeze of gravity compresses matter into a very dense state, so much so that even a teaspoon of this matter can weigh tonnes! When I asked my teacher about it the next day, he looked blank.

Twenty-seven years later, in J&K, I was supporting the Autonomous Hill Development Council of Kargil district to improve the quality of schools. We did a baseline survey which showed that on an average, children asked only one and a half factual questions per class. Teachers asked two questions per class, and not the ones which would generate discussion or enquiry  an indicator of what happens inside our classrooms.

Teachers cant know everything, but shouldnt they be curious if they are to fire up young minds? Schools are meant to nurture various kinds of human abilities. Curiosity needs to be carefully nurture in this increasingly uncertain and rapidly transforming world in which humanitys survival is at stake. It will enable children to ask, why are things the way they are? What do they mean for us? What can we do? For this, teaching needs an overhaul, going beyond exams. If we can understand motivation, it will help us better prepare teachers for 21st century challenges.

Frequent testing and assessment kill teaching practices that nurture curiosity. We are trapped in a quantitative paradigm where learning outcomes have become more important than what these can actually do. Questions about the purpose of education are sidestepped because everyone wants results. Critical aspects are glossed over because they cannot be easily measured.

These days, bureaucrats showcase digital systems designed to monitor the learning outcomes. In this Orwellian approach, imagine a District Collector calling up hundreds of teachers to warn them to improve the scores as he is able to see them on his dashboard, far away from their schools  the danger of employing technology in education mindlessly!

Ranking leads to manipulation of results. This obsession translates to teaching to the test; children are exposed to the same or similar test items that they will be asked later under the garb of a learning survey.

The second thing we need to do is reduce exam anxiety. Passing an exam is the end-all of school education. Can schools then be seen as nurturers of curiosity?

The agenda of making school truly a place for the curious child has been hijacked. Sadly, we are doing everything else in the name of education.
Investor excitement over the much-anticipated plan to connect London and Shanghai's stock markets gathered pace again on Thursday as HSBC grabbed headlines for potentially becoming the new scheme's first offering.

First reported through an article in the Financial Times, the news was interpreted by analysts as an encouraging sign that preparation for the planned Shanghai-London Stock Connect is well on track for its planned opening by the end of this year.

While HSBC has declined to comment, it did not deny the FT story. The bank further said through a statement that it is currently "studying the proposed framework for the listing under the Shanghai London Stock Connect".

The FT revealed through an unnamed source that HSBC has been hoping to offer its shares to Chinese buyers since 2007, but its original plans faced critical challenges and were eventually dropped.

Under the framework of the Shanghai-London Stock Connect, a London-listed company such as HSBC could make its shares available to Chinese investors through the issuance of Chinese Depositary Receipts, or CDRs, a special instrument that trades like regular shares of stock.

While HSBC cannot raise new capital through issuing CDRs, if its CDRs are highly sought after by Chinese investors, that can have a positive impact on its share price in London.

In the other direction, global investors with accounts at London Stock Connect can access Chinese companies, by purchasing their Global Depositary Receipts, or GDRs, issued through the Shanghai end.

In addition to growing trading volumes, issuers of CDRs and GDRs can also benefit from the branding and marketing impact, said Jason Lui, head of Asia Pacific equity derivative strategy at BNP Paribas. "China is fast becoming the biggest consumption market for many international companies," said Lui.

The progress of the Shanghai-London Stock Connect rides on a trend of international investors growing their asset allocation to Chinese stock, especially as the United States index provider MSCI included China-listed A-shares in its flagship Emerging Markets index earlier this year.

Global funds tracking this index had already started to buy more Chinese shares, mostly through a similar scheme that connects Shanghai's stock market with that of Hong Kong. The London connect, which allows investors to trade in the London market time zone, could provide further convenience for many UK and European funds.

Jan Dehn, head of research at Ashmore Investment Management, said he expects that many international investors would look to buy Chinese shares through the connect, despite the short term volatility some Chinese stocks have suffered in recent times resulting from China-US trade frictions.

"Today, the opportunity in China, which has been good for some time, looks extra juicy due to this short-term volatility. China is entering bond indices and China's weight in stock indices will continue to go up," said Dehn.

"China continues to focus on developing and improving its (financial) market infrastructure and the stock connect is a great example. If markets pull back in the short-term (amid trade frictions), investors should pounce to take advantage of the excellent entry point," Dehn said.

China's stock market is currently the third-largest globally, but the percentage of stocks held by foreign investors has for years stayed around the 2 percent mark. Analysts believe the MSCI index inclusion effect will gradually drive more funds into Chinese stocks over the next few years.
editorial@tribune.com

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 19

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azads statement that invitations to him from his Hindu colleagues has sharply dropped since Narendra Modi government came to power has discomfited the Samajwadi Party  a likely member of proposed Mahagathbandhan against the BJP for the 2019 General Election in UP.

The SP, which is a major force in UP besides the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), sees it as anti-thesis to it plans to woo the Hindus to increase its base to checkmate the BJP in the state. Azad is leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha and a high-profile Congress leader. The SP apprehends that his statement will be seen as expression of doubt against the Hindus, and possible ruffling of feathers among them.

The BJP has already latched on it saying it was another attempt by Congress to demean and demoralise Hindus. SP national vice president Kiranmoy Nanda said: The Congress is not my partys ally. Ask him (Azad) about his statement.

At a function in AMU, Azad on Thursday reportedly attributed drop in the invitations to apprehension of the negative impact on voters if he campaigned. Around 95 per cent of those who used to call me were Hindu brothers and leaders and just 5 per cent Muslims. But the last four years, I have observed that the figure of 95 has dropped to just 20 per cent, Azad had said.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Imphal, October 19

Miscreants triggered a powerful blast at a market place in Manipurs Kangpokpi district, a few hours before Chief Minister N Biren Singhs scheduled visit there, police said on Friday.

The blast took place near the post office at Kangpokpi Bazaar, under the jurisdiction of Kangpokpi police station, shortly after Thursday midnight, the police said.

The blast occurred at around 1.10 am and there was no report of any casualty, a senior police officer told PTI, adding, that two cars were damaged in the incident.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh was supposed to visit a place near Kangpokpi Bazaar on Friday to lay the foundation stone for construction of a womens market, and a transit accommodation for doctors and teachers, officials said.

The Chief Ministers programme was scheduled to start from 10 am on Friday and it was not postponed due to the blast, they said.

Located around 45 km from the state capital Imphal, the site of the blast is hardly a km from where the CM and Social Welfare Minister Nemcha attended the programme on Friday, the officials said.

Meanwhile, the state police had stepped up security to ensure that such violent activities did not happen, the police officer said.

An investigation had been initiated, the police officer added. PTI
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Tribune Web Desk

Chandigarh, October 19

House of the woman activist, Rehana Fathima, who made an attempt to go to Sabarimala temple, which traditionally bars the entry of women of menstrual age, was allegedly vandalised in Kochi.

Police also visited the house after it was vandalised.

I don't know what happened to my children. My life is also in danger. But they (police) have said that they will provide protection. That is why I am going back, said Rehana.

She said, People, not the devotees, who want to disrupt peace didn't allow us to enter. I want to know what was the reason. Tell me, in which way one needs to be a devotee. You tell me that first and then I will tell you if I'm a devotee or not.

On her way back, she also said, "Thank you for supporting us. We're feeling proud. You've seen what dangerous situation we faced. 

Two women-- journalist Kavitha Jakkal and Rehana Fatima-- who were en route to the Sabarimala Temple had to return after the temple head priest Kandararu Rajeevaru threatened to shut down the temple if they attempted to force their way in.

As per reports, tempers cooled down after Jakkal and Fatima who had almost made it to the Lord Ayyappa shrine agreed to give up their journey.

Two days after the Sabarimala Temple in Kerala opened its doors for the first time for women in the 10-50 years age group as per the Supreme Court verdict pronounced on September 28, no woman of menstrual age have yet been able to visit the shrine because of continuous protests.

Earlier in the day, a number of devotees had gathered to block the entry of women trekking up to the hill shrine.

Places around the temple such as Pamba, Nilakkal, Sannidhanam and Elavungal have witnessed the majority of the violent protests since the doors of the shrine reopened on Wednesday. Protestors had allegedly vandalised a bus carrying journalists and other passengers at Laka near the Nilakkal base camp. The police were forced to lathi-charge the protestors as they resorted to stone pelting.

Elderly women were seen entering the temple on Wednesday evening, but women between 10 to 50 years of age refrained from visiting the shrine for the sake of their own safety.

Owing to the protests and violence, Section 144 (prohibiting assembly of more than four people) has been imposed in Pamba, Nilakkal and Elavungal.

The temple opened on Wednesday at 5 pm, and it will close on October 22.
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

New Delhi, October 19

The Centre has asked the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to tighten security in view of the continuing protests against the Supreme Court order allowing entry of women of all age groups to the Sabarimala temple.

In an advisory, the Union Home Ministry also asked the three states to closely monitor the dissemination of various adverse messages through social media and the Internet services.

All necessary precautionary measures may be taken to maintain law and order and appropriate security arrangements may be made to prevent any untoward incident, the advisory, sent by the internal security division of the home ministry, said.

The advisory said appropriate prohibitory orders be issued and a close watch may be kept on dissemination of adverse information through social media and internet services, to ensure that no breach of law and order takes place.

It also referred to campaigns of certain civil and womens rights activists, Left parties and fronts and pro-Left wing extremism groups in favour of womens entry into the shrine and actively using women to do so.

While opposing groups and activists have threatened that they would not allow entry of women inside the shrine, Hindu outfits plan to organise protest programmes against apex court order, it said.

Separately, Ayyappa devotees, Hindu outfits and certain caste-based outfits have been organising state-wide protest against the Supreme Court order. Participation in these protests has ranged from 50-3000, including participation of sizeable number of women.

Hindu outfits have also organised a few protest programme in neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the advisory said.

The Supreme Court has recently allowed women of the menstrual age group to visit Sabarimala Temple of Lord Ayyappa leading to the protests.

Two women reached the hilltop on Friday but had to return before reaching the sanctum sanctorum following massive protests by Lord Ayyappa devotees.

A large number of devotees blocked the young women and police team escorting them at Valiya Nadappandhal, the queue complex located a few metres away from the holy pathinettam padi (the 18 sacred steps), leading to the sanctum sanctorum. PTI
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 19

Sikh bodies have welcomed the decision of Pennsylvania's General Assembly to recognise the November 1984 violence as Sikh Genocide. The non controversial resolution was submitted by Republican representatives Alex Charlton and Jamie Santora under rule 35.

The resolution stated that the Sikh genocide began on November 1, 1984, after the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi in Delhi. It further says that the Sikh genocide lasted three days and over 30,000 Sikhs were brutally murdered.

The move has been hailed by the American Sikh Caucas committee and Sikh coordinator committee of East Coast. The Sikh bodies expressed their gratitude to Charlton and Santora and to members of General Assembly for passing the resolution.

Dr. Pritpal Singh and Harpreet Singh of Sikh caucus committee and Himmat Singh and Harjinder Singh of Sikh coordinator committee urged that other state assemblies to recognize the anti-Sikh violence happened in India in November 1984, as Sikh genocide. Kewal Singh, Narinder Singh and the Sikh Sangat of the Pennsylvania Gurdwaras helped to mobilize the support, said a statement from the Sikh organisations.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Shirdi, October 19

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday accused the previous Congress-led government of not being serious about poverty alleviation and working only to promote the name of a particular family.

Addressing an event at the famous temple town of Shirdi in Maharashtras Ahmednagar district after offering prayers at the Saibaba temple, Modi said there was a need to defeat divisive forces for all inclusive development.

He sought to highlight the difference between his and the previous governments, saying the current dispensation was working faster for providing shelter to the poor.

The previous (UPA) government built only 25 lakh houses for the poor in the last four years of its rule, while the present NDA government has created 1.25 crore houses in its four-year tenure, Modi said.

He reiterated his governments aim to ensure that all the homeless get shelter by 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of Independence.

Modi interacted with some beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) from different parts of Maharashtra through video-conferencing and also symbolically handed over keys of houses to some.

In the last four years, the government has made serious efforts to provide proper houses to the poor living in shanties, Modi said.

Efforts were made in the past too. But unfortunately, their sole objective was to promote the name of a particular family, instead of empowering the poor by providing shelter to them. Their aim was to create a vote-bank, he alleged, without naming anyone.

Modi said the previous government would take 18 months to build a house, while the NDA government was doing it in less than 12 months.

Had the same (UPA) government been in power now, it would have taken 20 years to build these (1.25 crore) houses and you would have to wait 20 years to get the houses, he said attacking the previous Manmohan Singh-led government.

Besides reducing the time taken for constructing a house, the government has also increased its size as well as the monetary assistance from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.20 lakh (for each house), the prime minister said.

The beneficiaries are chosen in a transparent manner and the subsidy is directly transferred to the bank account of the beneficiaries, he said.

People and resources are the same, but since our government has a clean intention of welfare of the poor, the results are also faster, he said.

Modi also talked about the Centres Ayushman Bharat healthcare scheme (also known as Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana), saying that one lakh people were benefited within a month of its launch. The average claim made by each beneficiary was Rs 20,000, he added.

He said under Ayushman Bharat, 50 crore poor people would get free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh per year for serious ailments.

Modern medical infrastructure is coming up in tier two and tier three cities and it is also an employment opportunity for the youth, he noted.

Observing that Maharashtra has reported deficient rainfall this year, Modi assured that the Centre would provide assistance to the state through the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme.

The Prime Minister also lauded the state governments Jalyukt Shivar Yojana a water conservation scheme, saying that it helped 16,000 villages.

Modi said his government was focusing on development of tourism in places like Shirdi, Ajanta and Ellora (in Aurangabad district).

Noting that Maharashtra had produced social reformers who propagated social harmony, Modi called for the need to defeat divisive forces for all inclusive development.

Interacting with the PMAY beneficiaries from Nandurbar, Amravati, Solapur, Nagpur, Latur, Thane and Satara, Modi said the happiness on their faces gave him immense joy and energy to work harder.

Speaking to the beneficiaries mostly in Marathi, Modi said the PMAY was an effort to fight poverty and urged them to empower themselves and the next generation through education. The e-griha pravesh of 40,000 PMAY beneficiaries was held.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that like in 2015, this year too the Centre will support the states scarcity relief measures. This year, the state has received only 77 per cent rainfall of the average rain, he said.

Before the event, Modi offered prayers at the Saibaba temple and took part in an event marking conclusion of the year-long Saibaba Mahasamadhi centenary programme organised by the Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust. According to devotees, Sai Baba took Mahasamadhi or left the mortal form on the day of Dussehra or Vijayadashami in 1918.

On the occasion, the PM also released a silver coin to commemorate Saibaba Mahasamadhi centenary year celebrations.

He also performed the ground breaking ceremony (bhumi pujan) for various projects worth Rs 485.54 crore. They include a 10 MW solar power system, anew darshan queue shelter worth Rs 112.41 crore and Sai Knowledge (Sai Srushti, planetarium and wax museum over 8.20 hectare costing Rs 166.39 crore).

In his message written in the visitors book after offering prayers at the temple, Modi said, I felt immense peace after darshan of Saibaba. His message of faith and patience is one which inspires the entire humanity. The PM said that in Shirdi, one gets to witness the spirit of equality of all religions and people from all faiths bow before Saibaba.

I bow before Saibabas feet with the wish that all devotees of Saibaba get his blessings and achieve happiness and peace, Modi wrote in Hindi. PTI


editorial@tribune.com

Bikaner, October 19

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday celebrated Dasehra with BSF jawans and performed shastra puja in this forward post along the India-Pakistan border.

This was for the first time that a senior Union minister conducted the shastra puja (worship of weapons) on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami along Indias border with Pakistan.

The Home Minister, who arrived at the frontier headquarters of the Border Security Force (BSF) here on Thursday evening, celebrated Dasehra with jawans. Shastra puja is part of Dasehra celebrations.

Addressing the BSF personnel, Singh praised the multi-dimensional role of the BSF in guarding the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders, maintaining law and order in internal disturbances and tackling the Left Wing Extremism.

Referring to the regular firing from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said Pakistan, despite being a neighbour, never exercised good neighbourly behaviour and instead sponsored terrorism. He said the terrorists infiltrating into Indian territory were coming from Pakistan only. There is proper coordination among our Army, police and paramilitary forces to fight against them, Singh said.

The Home Minister said that recently launched smart fence pilot project, which entails deploying laser-activated fences and technology-enabled barriers to plug vulnerable gaps along borders, would help the border guarding forces in maintaining peace in forward areas.

The project was launched along India-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir and would be implemented along the India-Bangla border in Dhubri, Assam, next month, Singh said. During the two-day visit, the Home Minister interacted with the family members of the BSF personnel and attended a feast with the jawans, another official said. Later, he reviewed the situation on the border and assessed the progress in various infrastructure projects.  PTI
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 19

Amid demand of his removal, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh on Thursday expressed his desire to quit.

In a statement written in Punjabi and issued through his personal assistant Satinderpal Singh late evening did not carry his signatures.

However, his PA told that the news reports were misleading as of now as the Jathedar is yet to submit his resignation officially.

Jathedar had expressed his wish to quit due to his ill health and this statement was forwarded to the media late on Thursday evening. The Jathedar may submit the resignation with the requisite official wording to the SGPC president on Friday, he said.

The SGPC's secretary and spokesperson Diljit Singh Bedi said his resignation was not received as yet.

"As and when we receive it, we will take the move accordingly. At this juncture, we have no official intimation regarding it and no resignation has been received," he said.

The Jathedar remained incognito after issuing his statement in which he had cited health reasons and his advancing age, which do not allow him to continue.

He has asked the SGPC president and executive to find a better replacement and that he should be allowed to step down.

The Jathedar also sought apology from the Sikh Panth in the flip-flop decision of exonerating Dera Sacha Sauda cult Gurmeet Ram Rahim for imitating Guru Gobind Singh.

 The decision of pardoning Dera head was withdrawn while taking into account the sentiments of the Panth. As per Gurbani, to err is human. While performing sewa for a decade on this position, I might have committed mistakes, for which I seek apology from the Panth, he stated.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh faced severe criticism for pardoning Dera Sacha Sauda in blasphemy case in September 2015. Though he had revoked the exoneration, but he had to face massive backlash from the community.

After the Justice Ranjit Singh commission report on sacrilege was tabled in Vidhan Sabha, the issue again took a centre stage as the report pointed towards the alleged role of Badals in persuading the Jathedar to pardon Dera head.

Ironically, a few hours before offering his resignation, he had categorically stated in person that he had no plans to quit on his own.

Now, what prompted him to take such a move in a harried manner has surprised everyone. One school of thought was that his move to extend solidarity to the call of All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) of Punjab Bandh on November 1.

Giani Gurbachan Singh had appealed the community to support the cause.

The existing governments have failed to bring justice to the victims and the kin of 84 anti-Sikh riots, sacrilege instances and Sikhs who have been behind bars despite completing their sentence. It was mandatory for the SGPC, the DSGMC, SAD, AAP, Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Damdami Taksal, and other organisations of farmers, students and employees should unite on one platform to raise voice and make November 1 Punjab bandh call a success to wake up the governments from deep slumber, he said.

Opposing the November 84 Sikh genocide, series of sacrilege instances at Jawahar Singhwala, Barghari and Behbal Kalan shoot out that resulted in claiming the lives of two innocent protestors and Sikh political prisoners languishing in jails, the AISSFs activists Karnail Singh Peermohammad and Manjit Singh Bhoma has given a call for Punjab bandh.

Boma said the support to bandh call went against him and he must have been pressurised to quit.
gspannu7@gmail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 19

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday announced all possible assistance by the Centre to Punjab as a large number of Dussehra revellers standing across railway tracks were mowed down by a passing train near Amritsar.

Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured, Singh tweeted soon after the incident.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was extremely saddened by Amritsar train accident. He asked officials to provide immediate assistance.

Congress chief Rahul Gandhi asked state government, party workers to provide immediate relief at Amritsar train accident site.

Railways is conducting immediate relief, rescue ops, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said.

Shocked to hear about the tragedy on rail tracks in Amritsar, Punjab. Understand Indian Railways and local authorities are taking steps to help affected people. Heartfelt condolences to bereaved families #PresidentKovind  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) October 19, 2018

Extremely saddened by the train accident in Amritsar. The tragedy is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and I pray that the injured recover quickly. Have asked officials to provide immediate assistance that is required.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 19, 2018

The train accident in Punjab in which over 50 people have died is shocking. I urge the state government & Congress workers to provide immediate relief at the accident site. My condolences to the families of those who have died. I pray that the injured make a speedy recovery.  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) October 19, 2018

Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dussehra festivities in Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured.    (@rajnathsingh) October 19, 2018

Shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic train incident that occurred in Amritsar. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly. Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations.  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) October 19, 2018

The home minister said he has spoken to home secretary and DGP of Punjab regarding the accident and they are rushing to the spot.

Centre is ready to provide all possible assistance to the state at this hour of grief, he said.

The train was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar when the incident occurred at Joda Phatak.

At least 300 people were at the spot watching Ravana dahan at a ground near the tracks.

Sub Divisional Magistrate Amritsar I Rajesh Sharma said More than 50 bodies have been found and at least 50 injured have been admitted to a government hospital.

The officials said the toll may rise.  With PTI
editorial@tribune.com

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 19

Heart-rending scenes were witnessed in the Jora Phatak area as human limbs were seen scattered in half a kilometre stretch after a number of people watching the burning of effigies during Dasehra festivities were mowed down by the Jalandhar-Amritsar diesel multiple unit (DMU) here on Friday evening.

Sandeep Singh, a young eyewitness to the incident, said he was standing on the wall of the Dhobi Ghat ground where Dasehra festivities were going on. He said as the effigies were set afire, I closed my ears with my hands and turned my back only to see the train mowing down the onlookers who were standing on the railway track.

I was shocked. Soon bodies and limbs were scattered along the train track. People rushed towards the track to help the victims and rush them to hospitals. The casualties could be much more than the officials are declaring, he said.

He said the Amritsar-Howrah train had just passed through the track and people had shifted to another track. However, within minutes the DMU also reached. But due to bursting of crackers, people could not hear the train horn and got mowed down by the train, he added. I have never seen such a horrific accident, he pointed out.

Another eyewitness Sudhir Arora said it was a major lapse on the part of the organisers of the programme as they set the effigies afire very late in the evening, which was the major cause of the tragic accident.

People search desperately for kin

People were seen searching for their family members even after an hour of the accident. They were seen puzzled whether to look for them at the spot or go to hospitals where they were rushed after the tragedy. They did not know which hospital the victims had been taken to. Rudal, a migrant labourer from Uttar Pradesh, was looking for his brother Brij Bhan (20). We live in the Majitha Road area. My brother along with his four friends had come to watch Dasehra festivities. One of his friends suffered minor injuries. I am still searching for my brother. Where should I look for him? asked Rudal.

What they said

Pained beyond words at the loss of precious lives due to a train tragedy during Dasehra festivities in Punjab. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased and prayers with the injured.  Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister

Extremely sad news about a major train accident near Amritsar. I appeal to all our volunteers in the area to help authorities in the relief work and provide whatever help we can in this moment of crisis.  Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi CM

Ive spoken to the DGP and the administration to provide support and assistance in this hour of tragedy. I express condolences to the families. VP Singh Badnore, Punjab Governor

I appeal to SAD workers to help in taking people to hospitals and in giving food and shelter to them. The SGPC will provide free medical aid at Guru Ram Dass Hospital.  Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD president

My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims. I pray for the injured to recover quickly. The Railways is conducting immediate relief and rescue operations. Piyush Goyal, Railway Minister

I urge the state government to provide immediate relief. My condolences to the families of those who have died. I pray that the injured make a speedy recovery.  Rahul Gandhi, Congress president
According to Jiang Xiangyang, vice president of MKT & Solution Dept. V at ZTE Corporation, countries along the Belt and Road should enjoy shared benefits not only from infrastructure construction, but from overall research achievements.



"ZTE puts 10 percent of its annual revenue into research and development, and the proportion even reached 12 percent last year. Besides, China has a complete industrial chain, making possible the wide application of those research results," he explained.



"Such experience is worthy of being shared across the globe, and the countries along the Belt and Road in particular."



Jiang Xiangyang, vice president of MKT & Solution Dept. V at ZTE Corporation, during an interview in Istanbul, Turkey, Sept. 19, 2018. [Photo by Wang Wei/China.org.cn]

Job opportunities shared

After their entry to the Turkish market, Chinese enterprises have also greatly boosted local employment.



According to Jiang, among the 2,200 employees in ZTE Istanbul Telecommunication, 30 are Chinese and the remaining 2,170 are Turkish. In spite of some cultural shock, they tend to seek common ground while reserving differences, and show respect and understanding for each other. "Cultural and heart-to-heart communication will make more sense than businesses and benefits," he said.



ICBC Turkey, the first Chinese financial institution to operate in the country, also shows its great strength to retain local staff in spite of tough business operations involved in acquiring a majority share in Tekstilbank in May 2015.



"No cuts in branches, no layoffs. Based on this principle, ICBC Turkey has succeeded in overcoming difficulties by operational transformations and with better service quality and greater efficiency," Li Jinhong, deputy general manager of ICBC Turkey, said proudly.



"This move helps win the hearts and minds of local employees, and has since been widely praised by local society," said Li, adding that the bank has done a great work in shouldering its responsibility to ensure employment and social stability in Turkey.
editorial@tribune.com

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 19

German Singh (23), who was arrested in Rajasthan on Thursday, has told the Patiala police that he had planned to assassinate Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, holding the latter responsible for the Behbal Kalan police firing incident in which two Sikh protesters were killed.

Sources said German Singh had asked Amrat Singh, Gurjant and Karan Singh  who were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh Police recently  to arrange an INSAS rifle and other weapons, which were to be used during the SAD rally here on October 7.

The actual target was not former CM Parkash Singh Badal, as claimed by the trio during an interrogation by the UP cops, the sources said.

German Singh reportedly said he had told Amrat and the others that he would keep an eye on the former CM at the rally, even though his aim was to fire at Sukhbir.

The youth was the mastermind of a recent arms robbery in Uttar Pradeshs Shamli district. His three accomplices had looted two rifles and ammunition from a police check post after injuring two cops.

A source in the intelligence wing said the interrogation revealed that German Singh, a Class XII passout, was in touch with Kashmiri separatists on Facebook. He was also chatting with a Pakistan-based man. It is yet to be ascertained whether this conversation was linked to the plan pertaining to the SAD rally, the source added.

A senior officer said German Singh and his accomplices could not execute the plan as they failed to transport the weapons from UP to Punjab. We were on the alert after the weapon robbery. German had hid the arms and had himself left for Punjab, the UP Police said.

The Patiala police procured German Singhs police remand till October 23 after he was brought here in the wee hours of Friday and presented before the duty magistrate.

Meanwhile, the Shamli police have arrested Karam Singh, a co-accused in the weapon robbery case.
shalender@tribune.com

Tribune News service

Chandigarh/Ropar, October 18

Punjab Health Minister Brahm Mohindra on Thursday ordered a crackdown on illegal drug de-addiction centres across the state even as he marked a departmental inquiry against the Ropar Civil Surgeon and the SMO, Chamkaur Sahib, for alleged dereliction of duty.

An unlicensed de-addiction centre was being run on the premises of Jand Sahib Sikh Academy, Ropar, with 195 inmates who were subjected to inhuman treatment. The district health authorities will be brought to book for their negligence and failure to comply with the established protocol, the minister warned in a demi-official letter to all civil surgeons.

As per the government instructions issued on January 1 and March 3, the civil surgeons were required to visit private de-addiction centres and nursing homes and furnish reports every Friday.

It is learnt that the owner of the illegal de-addiction centre in Ropar, where addicts were allegedly sodomised and thrashed, was in the process of opening a Rs 4 crore fast food outlet of a multi-national company.

Giving further details on the inhuman treatment of the inmates, the Ropar police said one of the addicts was confined to a toilet for a month. Another was sexually assaulted with an iron bar. Swapan Sharma, SSP, and DSP Navreet Singh Virk said the accused owner, Khushwinder Singh led a luxurious life and was trying to diversify his operations.

Police officials claimed the accused had told them that he was in the process of handing over the management of the rehab centre to certain persons and opening a food outlet on the highway. The police are investigating his bank details and other assets.
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Beijing, October 19

China is planning to launch its own artificial moon by 2020 to replace streetlamps and lower electricity costs in urban areas, state media reported Friday.

Chengdu, a city in southwestern Sichuan province, is developing illumination satellites which will shine in tandem with the real moon, but are eight times brighter, according to China Daily.

The first man-made moon will be launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan, with three more to follow in 2022 if the first test goes well, said Wu Chunfeng, head of Tian Fu New Area Science Society, the organization responsible for the project.

Though the first launch will be experimental, the 2022 satellites will be the real deal with great civic and commercial potential, he said in an interview with China Daily.

By reflecting light from the sun, the satellites could replace streetlamps in urban areas, saving an estimated 1.2 billion yuan (USD 170 million) a year in electricity costs for Chengdu, if the man-made moons illuminate an area of 50 square kilometers.

The extraterrestrial source of light could also help rescue efforts in disaster zones during blackouts, he added.

AFP was not able to contact Wu nor the Tian Fu New Area Science Society to confirm the reports.

As Chinas space programme races to catch up with that of the United States and Russia, a number of ambitious projects are in the pipeline, including the Change-4 lunar probe - named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology - which aims to launch later this year. If it succeeds, it will be the first rover to explore the dark side of the moon.

China is not the first country to try beaming sunlight back to Earth. In the 1990s, Russian scientists reportedly used giant mirrors to reflect light from space in an experimental project called Znamya or Banner.

Chengdus artificial moon project was announced by Wu at an innovation and entrepreneurship conference in Chengdu on October 10.

In addition to Tian Fu New Area Science Society, other universities and institutes, including the Harbin Institute of Technology and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, are involved in developing Chengdus illumination satellites.  AFP
traineesubeditor@tribuneindia.com

San Francisco, October 19

In line with its efforts to prevent misuse of its platform during elections, Facebook has set up a War Room to reduce the spread of potentially harmful content.

Facebook faced flak for not doing enough to prevent spread of misinformation by Russia-linked accounts during the 2016 US presidential election. The social networking giant has rolled out several initiatives to fight fake news and bring more transparency and accountability in its advertising since then.

The launch of the first War Room at its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, is part of the social network's new initiatives to fight election interference on its platform.

Although Facebook opened the doors of the War Room ahead of the general elections in Brazil and mid-term elections in the US, it revealed the details only this week.

The goal behind setting up the War Room was to get the right subject-matter experts from across the company in one place so they can address potential problems identified by its technology in real time and respond quickly.

"The War Room has over two dozen experts from across the company  including from our threat intelligence, data science, software engineering, research, community operations and legal teams," Samidh Chakrabarti, Facebook's Director of Product Management, Civic Engagement, said in a statement on Thursday.

"These employees represent and are supported by the more than 20,000 people working on safety and security across Facebook," Chakrabarti added.

Facebook said its dashboards offer real-time monitoring on key elections issues, such as efforts to prevent people from voting, increases in spam, potential foreign interference, or reports of content that violates our policies.

The War Room team also monitors news coverage and election-related activity across other social networks and traditional media in order to identify what type of content may go viral.

These preparations helped a lot during the first round of Brazil's presidential elections, Facebook claimed.

The social networking giant said its technology detected a false post claiming that Brazil's Election Day had been moved from October 7 to October 8 due to national protests.

While untrue, that message began to go viral. But the team quickly detected the problem, determined that the post violated Facebook's policies, and removed it in under an hour.

"And within two hours, we'd removed other versions of the same fake news post," Chakrabarti said.

The team in the War Room, Facebook said, also helped quickly remove hate speech posts that were designed to whip up violence against people from northeast Brazil after the first round of election results were called.

"The work we are doing in the War Room builds on almost two years of hard work and significant investments, in both people and technology, to improve security on Facebook, including during elections," Chakrabarti said.

Earlier this month Facebook said that it was planning to set up a task force comprising "hundreds of people" ahead of the 2019 general elections in India.

"With the 2019 elections coming, we are pulling together a group of specialists to work together with political parties," Richard Allan, Facebook's Vice President for Global Policy Solutions, told the media in New Delhi.

Facebook has also set a goal of bringing a transparency feature for political ads  now available in the US and Brazil  to India by March next year, Allan informed.

With the new ad architecture in place, people would be able to see who paid for a particular political ad.  IANS.
laxmi@tribune.com

MELBOURNE: Prince Harry embraces a fan during a public walk in Melbourne on Thursday. Thousands of royal fans waited in the rain to get a glimpse of Prince Harry and his pregnant wife Meghan, with some overwhelmed by the experience. AFP

British police tell websites to patrol sex trafficking

London: The British police on Thursday challenged web companies to better patrol the online sex trade after announcing dozens of arrests and the rescue of at least 90 suspected slaves in a crackdown. From Britain and the US to the Philippines and India, people are being trafficked online in ever greater numbers, mainly via social media and advertising sites, campaigners say. Thousands of adverts for sexual services are posted online every month in Britain-where it is legal to buy and sell sex but soliciting is banned. Reuters

Myanmar Buddhist temple now a nirvana for snakes

Yangon: Crossing a bridge to the middle of a lake in Myanmar's Yangon region, pilgrims arrive at a temple to pin their hopes on the pythons slinking across the temple's floors and draped across windows. "People come here because they believe their prayers will be fulfilled when they ask for something," said Sandar Thiri, a nun residing at the Baungdawgyoke pagoda-dubbed the "snake temple". "The rule is people can only ask for one thing, not many," she said. "Don't be greedy." With snakes curled up next to meditating monks, image is reminiscent of a story in Buddhist mythology when Buddha sat under a tree to meditate. AFP

Londons black cabs soon on Paris streets

London: London's black cabs will be seen on the streets of Paris next year as the company that makes them begins selling its wares in the City of Light. London Electric Vehicle Co., which makes plug-in electric taxis that look like traditional black cabs, has put about 600 vehicles on the streets of London and has already expanded to Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg and Oslo. The move into Paris comes as Mayor Anne Hidalgo aggressively works to improve air quality in the city. CEO Chris Gubbey says London Electric Vehicle wants to provide new options for drivers given the pollution in French cities. AP
traineesubeditor@tribuneindia.com

Washington, October 19

US President Donald Trump has praised Montana Republican Representative Greg Gianforte for assaulting a reporter during his campaign last May and called him "my guy".

"Any guy who can do a body slam ... he's my guy," Trump said at a Montana rally on Thursday night and made a gesture mimicking a body slam, according to CNN.

"I shouldn't say this," but "there's nothing to be embarrassed about," the President said amid laughter and applause from the crowd.

Gianforte pleaded guilty to misdemeanour assault in June 2017 after he was convicted of "body slamming" The Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs.

A judge sentenced him to a 180-day deferred sentence, 40 hours of community service, 20 hours of anger management and a $300 fine along with a $85 court fee.

Trump said he found out about Gianforte assaulting a reporter when he was travelling in Rome and said initially he was concerned it would hurt the Republican in the election.

"Then I said, well wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him. And it did." He called Gianforte, "one of the most respected people in Congress" and a "tough cookie".

Gianforte won the election the next day and apologized to Jacobs during his acceptance speech.

Guardian US editor John Mulholland slammed Trump's joke, saying: "To celebrate an attack on a journalist who was simply doing his job is an attack on the First Amendment by someone who has taken an oath to defend it."  IANS.
Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the fifth annual conference of the Taihu World Cultural Forum which opened in Beijing on Thursday.

The conference, themed "Dialogue of Civilizations: Building a Community With a Shared Future for Humanity," should help improve understanding, accumulate consensus, deepen cooperation and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, Xi said in the letter.

The exchange and mutual learning among civilizations has been a key impetus for civilization advancement of mankind as well as world peace and development, he said.

"China is willing to work with international community for mutual respect and harmonious co-existence among different civilizations," Xi said.

"Learning from one another among civilizations should play a constructive part in building a community with a shared future for humanity. All sides should share development opportunities and cope with challenges together for a better world," he said.
Sponsored: Ministry of Planning

In previous articles weve covered a few of the most significant issues facing the environment today and how our Government is addressing these. A large part of our, and indeed many other countries, strategy to do this involves being part of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and a crucial factor for the successful implementation of MEAs is our youth.

More here
TWO men who faked their kidnappings were on Thursday sentenced to 30 days in prison.

Jonathan Ramcharan, 24 of Gasparillo, sent a message to his mother for a $100,000 ransom after he found himself in financial difficulty. He admitted he also scraped part of his body to make his story seem real.

Kevin Ramroop, 22 of Tarouba, thought his kidnapping for ransom would lead to him rekindling with his ex-girlfriend. He asked that $60,000 be handed over for his safe return.

Both men who were charged with wasteful employment of the police, had sent messages to relatives on Wednesday.

Police prosecutor Sgt Krishna Bedassie told the court that at 11.14 a.m. on Wednesday Ramcharans mother Asha Lessey Ramcharan was at their Gasparillo home when she received a text message from her sons phone that he had been kidnapped. A second message made a ransom demand of $100,000. She made a report to the police. Several officers went to different locations, including Carlton Centre, San Fernando where they viewed camera footage.

When officers met Ramcharan the following day, he told them he had not been kidnapped. I left Carlton Centre and took a black taxi to Port of Spain. When I sent the message to my mother, I was a passenger in a taxi. I had some money problems so I could explain why I did it.

When asked about his minor injuries, he said, I wanted to make my story seem real so I scraped myself up with keys from my mothers car. He said he threw these and the cell phone away in Port of Spain but was unsure of the exact location as I dont know town.

Ramcharan was charged by constable Gervais.

Defence attorney Subhas Panday said the father of one who had no previous convictions, had lost his job and was depressed. The attorney said he had borrowed money from a lady whom he repaid but accused him of still owing her. He said Ramcharan was being followed by men sent by her. On that day they were demanding money from him and he was so ashamed and frightened, he didnt tell anyone  It was an act of stupidity on his part.

In Ramroops case, the court heard that he sent a message on social media from his Facebook account to his sister Alana Rose Phillip, telling her that he had been kidnapped. A ransom demand of 60,000 was made.

Officers conducting interviews and recorded statements. They received a message and went to Reform Road Gasparillo where they saw Ramroop standing at the side of the road with his hands tied and mud on his hands and feet.

He later told corporal Mohammed, Officer today I get a video of my ex-girlfriend and that trip me off and I send a message to Alana on Facebook. I really didnt get kidnapped ... Officer, I sorry for faking my kidnapping  That tabanca really get me dotish. I didnt expect it to reach so far. I really shame now.

He was charged by corporal Shaun Mohammed.

Defence attorney Dane Halls said his client who had no previous convictions, was unemployed and lived with is carpenter father and his mother who is a domestic worker. He said Ramroop regularly attended church and although he was on the verge of taking his life over the situation, his biblical teachings made him change his mind.

He said the message was sent to his sister in the hope that it would have been forwarded to the ex-girlfriend and led to them rekindling their relationship. Instead, his sister went to their parents. It wasnt a good plan  The whole thing went awry, Halls said.

He asked the court to treat with this jilted lover as lenient as possible.

In both instances Magistrate Kerri-Anne Byer spoke of the strain such actions put on the polices resources. A battery of police need to come together to solve such a crime. She also said that it affects family members and the society and made reference to a recent kidnapping in San Fernando which she said had the entire country on edge wondering what could happen.

In both instances, she started with a sentence of five months. After considering factors pertaining to the men and the case, she sentenced each to 30 days hard labour.
A drone safely landed on the morning of Oct. 17 at Badaling Airport, after navigating a cruise alongside the Guishui River in northwestern Beijing's Yanqing district. This test flight marked the first successful demonstration application of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in the area, as Yanqing prepares to build the first drone theme town in Beijing.

The core area of the drone theme town is located in Zhongguancun Yanqing Park, with a planned area of 150 mu (10 hectares). A whole industrial chain of UAV including R&D, testing and demonstration applications will be deployed to provide technological support to the upcoming Beijing Expo 2019 and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Chen Ruixia, deputy director of the Yanqing Committee of Economic and Information Technology, said that two companies have set up offices in town.

During the test flight, the drone flew to a height of 200 meters and cruised on the banks of Guishui River at a speed of 100 kilometers per hour. The airborne camera system offers a real time panoramic view in the 30-kilometer range, and the 30 times HD magnifier can quickly lock on specific objects and people, with main characteristics of the targets clearly identifiable. "The drone has a 1.5-hour battery life and can withstand moderate gale of 50-62 kilometers per hour. It can also work in the rain and snow," said Shi Shengqing, deputy general manager of Beijing Yuandu Internet Technology Co., which provided technical support for the test flight.

According to Chen, UAV technology will play an important role in supporting security work, monitoring weather changes, reporting earthquakes, mud slides and other emergencies during the Beijing World Expo and the Beijing Winter Olympics.

In order to promote high-quality development of the drone town and to provide brainpower and resource support to the UAV industry, the Yanqing district government invited 11 industry experts to form an expert advisory committee. Yanqing will feature its UAV industry in three aspects: a drone flight test base, a drone theme town and integrated drills for UAVs, and cultivate a group of R&D and manufacturing enterprises.




Buc - You can take the George Washington Bridge (I-95), Lincoln Tunnel or Holland Tunnel. Because it's all highway driving, the George Washington Bridge may be your fastest option even though it's the furthest away of all 3. It's still a good 45 - 60 minutes additional travel time though.

Once you enter NJ, the only precaution I would take is to stay on the NJ Turnpike all the way to Exit 1. Exit 6 is signed to keep you on I-95. However, there's a cashless toll after you cross the bridge into Pennsylvania. By remaining on the NJ Turnpike to Exit 1, you will cross the Delaware Memorial Bridge and you can pay the toll there with cash. After that toll, the highway takes you directly to I-95 anyway. Since this is often the fastest route, your GPS will mostly likely take you this way anyway.

All other tolls on your route have cash payment options. Look for 'Full Service' or 'Cash' signs at the toll lanes when you travel.

Note - on your return trip, you can follow I-95 signs the whole way as the cashless toll I mentioned is an one-way toll into PA only, and won't affect your trip going North. But again, the full length of the NJ Turnpike will probably be your fastest option.

Another note: I don't believe GPSs can be programmed to avoid cashless tolls. You can program it to avoid tolls altogether though.
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Hi , I am planning to visit vietnam this November. I wanted to cover Ha Gigang & Ban Gigac Falls in 3 days.

Take Night Bus to Ha Gigang ( ) . I do see buses starting from Hanoi in Night. is it safe to travel in the night time ? What are all issues we face when we travel night ?

Day 1 - Take bike rent and cover the places in the Ha Gigang , Stay in Ha Gigang

Day2 - Spend some more time in the Ha Giang and take Bus in noon and reach Cao Bang (stay)

Day3 - Cao Bang to Ban Gigac Falls (Bike Rental or Bus). Reach Back to Cao Bang, Take Night Bus to Hanoi .

I couldn't find buses from Ha Gigang to Cao Bang in baolau. Is there any other sites or references where i can book the bus tickets for Ha Gigang to Cao Bang and Cao Bang to Hanoi.

Is trustable ? They have few options to book buses from Hanoi to Bang Gigac ?
Hi David,

You dont mention your nationality which can have a bearing on the visa situation. If European, US, Aussie,Canadian you should be ok with visas on arrival for Thailand and Cambodia but check out the Top Questions for Vietnam, Top right for info on Vietnam visas. Most likely an e visa will be ok.

For Malaria advice, check with your GP or travel doc but here is a link to the U.K. NHS website Malaria map which show most of the areas in Vietnam not requiring Malaria prophylaxis. Do spray completely and regularly with deep as Malaria is not the only mozzie borne disease.

We have travelled s3veral times through the delta, usually from Vietnam to Cambodia via Chau Doc. We usually use a combination of boats and buses. It is pretty straightforward and a great way to see the sights. Several posts with details and photos of our time travelling through the delta are on our blog @

Just one observation. I would strongly recommend extending your time in Vietnam and reducing the 21 days in Thailand. At least spend a few days in Hanoi and the north. You wont regret it!

Happy travels.
We've just returned today from Japan and did 15 nights. Similar length. We concentrated on rural. We filled 4 nights in Takayama, 4 nights in Kyoto, 1 in Ine-cho (prob our most liked place), 2 in Miyajima.

It looks ok to me. If you are at Takayama, research Shirakawago and Shinhotaka ropeway. We did both. And recommend both. We hired a car as we also visited waterfalls, etc.

Consider travel time and sufficient time between trains. Big stations we allowed a minimum of 25 mins-time to grab lunch to eat on the train.

Rural:. Takayama is a small city circa 90,000 so it quickly turns rural. Consider a fishing village/funaya experience. Ine-cho is where we went. That's also because of Amanohashidate.

Edited: 3 years ago
My friends and I will be doing a 3 week trip in Japan and will be traveling from Tokyo to Hiroshima hitting up Osaka and Kyoto along the way. I know which trains to take but when when I look at the JapanRail website I cant figure out which pass to get since none of them seem to cover all the way from Tokyo to Hiroshima. I thought there was a nation wide one? Expensive yes but with the amount of travel we would be doing between cities it would almost pay for itself and with traveling through the cities we figure it'll be worth it even if we also have pay for other lines as well.

But now I cant find it? While on the JR pass website There is only one option of pas to buy and I think thats around the price of the all over JR pass I saw a while back but I cant find any information on that and have not gotten any response yet from when I emailed them.

Im just super scared to buy the wrong passes for my group and cost us big time once we are there. Dose anyone know it the passes from the jr pass does cover all the way to Hiroshima?
Hello,

We will be travelling to Japan third week of Nov with Kids (11 and 6).

Plan is to land in Tokyo and leave from Osaka. We would like to experience Japan culture and see fall colors. We are fairly active; looking for places to see each day which would have temples/shrines for half-day and make the kids happy for the other half (arcades, sumo, samurais etc).

This is tentative plan. Please provide feedback on below and anything else we should add/remove - couldnt find a sumo match during the time we r there (nov17-25) - not sure if I was looking correctly.

Day1: Land in Narita noon. Lunch, relax, go to Akihabara

Day2: Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi Koen, Takeshita Dori, (Lunch); Afternoon- Shibuya Crossing; Robot restaurant

Day3: Tsukiji Fish Market, Old Town, Sensoji, (Lunch), Ueno Park ; what else?

Day4 am: Take train to Hakone; spend night here

Day5 noon: Head to Kyoto

Day6: Kinkaku-ji and Gingaku-ji (the Golden and Silver Pavilions), Nanzen-ji and the Yasaka five-story pagoda (Lunch) then Arashiyama. the Philosophers Path , Kiyomizu for sunset.

Day7: Gates and Geishas: Fushimi Inari Taisha; Nino Castle; Gion for Giesha

Day8: Morning: Samurai private session or samurai/ninja museum; Late pm flight out of Osaka

Should we take a private tour for any of the cities?

Thanks

AR
That is some itinerary with many flights. A lot of travelling. Has your travel been to any of these places? You really need to look at the logistics. These island nations are not on direct routes with each other. Does the 13000 cover any accommodation?

All the places mentioned are safe.

17 to 18 days of which, several will be spent travelling so realistically you would have maybe 2 weeks actual holiday. With respect it is easy to think you can fly here or there which you can but large distances and connecting flights need to be considered, you don't want to spend you holiday in the air. It is tiring too.

I would go to Fiji and if you want to go somewhere else Australia or New Zealand. Though you lose another day travelling.

There are small ship cruises in Fiji around the Yasawa Islands with Blue Lagoon or Captain Cook cruises companys. These cruise through the islands stopping along the way to swim and visit villages. Various duration times 4 or 7 days are popular. Stay at an island or two in the Mamanuca Group for the the rest of the time.

There are many lovely resorts. Personally prefer less family oriented resorts.

Matamanoa, Tokoriki, Tropica or Navini which you have to book direct with but worth considering as it offers a lot inclusive including village visits,island hopping and more. On the main Island Yutule resort on beautiful Natadola beach or nearby Intercontinental Hotel. Staying part of the time on the main island gives you the chance to do some sightseeing.

I would just go to one country.

Probably fly the most direct route maybe via Hong Kong from London.

Edited: 3 years ago
Not so, in 2017 they only had one reported case in Fiji and as far as I am away none in 2018.

Prince Harry and Megan are still travelling to Fiji after getting doctors clearence.

I suppose it depends where you are travelling to. Most of the off sure islands should be fine.

PS the warning for Pregnant women is to do with the effect the viris has on the baby before it is born causing issues latter. I suggest you Google it.
A 10-member delegation led by Diptiman Das, Chairman & MD, Educational Consultants of India (EdCIL), a Government of India public sector undertaking, is in China from Oct. 13-21, 2018 to promote Study in India programme.





Study in India programme is a unique initiative of Government of India to encourage various foreign students to join in some of the top educational institutions in India.





Other members of the delegation include representatives from IIT, Bhubaneswar; SRM, Chennai; SSN, Tamil Nadu; CV Raman College of Engineering; and KIIT, Bhubaneswar.





Embassy of India in Beijing along with EdCIL, organized a conference on Study in India in Beijing on Oct. 15, 2018.





Welcoming the delegation Dr. Acquino Vimal, DCM, Embassy of India, Beijing, introduced Study in India programme as well as mentioned above the facilitation which was being provided by EdCIL to foreign students to join some of the world class higher educational institutions in India.





EdCIL Chairman Das in his presentation informed about 17 Indian institutions where preference will be given to Chinese students to secure admission. These were in the field of Engineering, IT, Management, English, Yoga and some short-term courses.





Various Chinese educational consultants as well as representatives of Chinese educational agents attended the conference. EdCIL also held similar event in Dalian on Oct. 17. They also met select Chinese universities and educational consultants at Wuhan on October 18 and Shanghai on October 19. The EdCIL delegation is also participating in the WEBA Education Fair, where it will be making presentations on Study in India programme to parents and students.





EdCIL will provide one-stop solution for all international students under the Study in India programme. They have partnered with premier Indian institutions like IITs, IIMs, NITs and other premier private institutions (selected on the basis of NIRF ranking and NAAC score).





More details on Study in India programme is available on www.studyinindia.gov.in.
Hi! This will be our 2nd time in Japan. We are booked from Dec 22-Jan 5. Entry and exit point is Nagoya. We don't want to ski (risky for us). Reading several travel posts about how busy the traffic in trains and airports during the new year holidays, we are having a hard time finalizing our itinerary. We are spending christmas in sapporo. Initially, our plan is to go down in Tokyo on the 29th of Dec however we thought of extending it in Hokkaido region for new year. Now we are torn on what will be ou final itinerary. Appreciate all your inputs below.

Dec 22 - 8pm eta Nagoya

Dec 23 - Shirakawago day tour

Dec 24 - 3pm eta Sapporo (booked via JAL)

Dec 25 - hokkaido village

Dec 26 - Otaru

Dec 27 - Sapporo city tour

Dec 28 - Asahiyama zoo

Dec 29 -Sapporo to Noboribetsu via train and spend overnight (is this train route also busy?)

Dec 30 - Noboribetsu to Hakodate via train and will spend until new year (is this ok? Train route not so busy?

Dec 31 - hakodate million dollar view

Jan 1 - hiroshima (how to go to hiroshima that not so uncomfortable? Fly hakodate to osaka then train to hiroshima or train back to sapporo then fly directly to hiroshima?)

Jan 2 - mitsuyama

Jan 3 - hiroshima train to nagoya (is this crowded?)

Jan 4 - post town (tsumago and magome)

Jan 4 - nagoya city tour then fly back home etd 8pm

Given the iti above, how can we make our travel comfortable? Afraid of what i read that new year is the most busy period however we really would like to spend christmas and new year in Japan.

Places of interest: nature, sightseeing
Felix Odiwuor, famously known as Mzee Jalango, is one of Kenya's most famous comedians who also doubles up as an emcee. This witty and funny radio host was born and raised in Homa Bay County in the western region of this great nation. Even though Jalango age remains a mystery, one of the tell-tale detail about him that features prominently is his leopard print shirt and his green suit. Want to learn more about him? Go through this five minute read to learn about his life, struggles and the inspiring story behind his rise to prominence.

Jalang'o might be your favorite comedian, but his rise to fame was not a walk in the park. Like most celebrities, he rose from the lowest socio-economic cadre to the top creme of the society. His, is a story of determination and the fruits it begets.

Jalango profile

Born: Homa bay town

Origin: Kenyan

Marital status: Divorced

Occupation: Comedian/emcee/Radio Presenter

Facebook:

YouTube: JALANG'O OFFICIAL

Twitter: @JalangoMwenyewe

Jalango biography

This widely known comedian was born and raised in Homa Bay County. He hails from a very humble background where his parents were just native farmers who would work hard every day to provide for their basic needs. At the worst of moments, some of the basic needs were hard to come by. Their family went through numerous hardships, and in some instances, the most basic need, food was considered a luxury.

Felix Odiwuor began his primary education in Homa Bay Lake Primary School which was a long distance from his home. He would wake up very early in the morning and walk the entire distance for him to catch up with the school programs. For a period of eight years in primary school, Jalango would walk barefooted, trodding in the morning dew and on the heated ground with the scorching sun overhead.

At times, the renowned radio presenter would go back home for lunch only to find that there was no food to put in his stomach. Like any other determined pupil, Jalango would drink water and get back to school. Despite all the struggles and miseries, he did not lose hope in life.

Jalango, apart from the numerous businesses he has ventured into, has worked in various radio stations. He has been a co-host in one of the biggest radio breakfast shows in this nation.

He made his first radio presentation in Kiss 100, and after that, he moved to Radio Maisha, the best-ranked radio station in this country. Jalango later moved to hot 96 FM where he was hosting one of the biggest shows together with one of the most celebrated television personalities bar none, Jeff Koinange. Jalango has now moved to Milele FM where he is expected to host a show with his former workmate Alex Mwakideu.

Jalango became famous after his first appearance in the Papa Shirandula show on citizen TV. It was a plan for him and Otoyo to appear in a single scene where they were to be the relatives of Wilbroda- Papa Shirandulas wife. They were to attend their sisters wedding ceremony and represent other relatives from Ugenya- Wilbrodas rural home. Since this was the only scene they were to perform, they did their best until they were incorporated in the other skits.

Jalango education

After successful completion of his 0 level educations at Homa Bay Lake Primary school, Jalango managed to score 427 marks out of possible 500 marks. Despite all the challenges that he faced during his primary education, Jalango kept aiming higher by digging deep into his books. Since hard work rarely goes unpaid, he managed to get a chance in Maseno School which is one of the top performing national schools in Kenya.

After an exemplary performance, problems didnt stop coming his way. As the reporting dates were approaching, his father worked through thick and thin to raise his school fee which was way higher compared to the local secondary schools. They had to call relatives and friends to organize a fundraising to help his father raise the fee.

One week later, after getting the entire amount, Jalango and his father traveled to Maseno School almost 200 kilometers from Homa Bay. Things, however, never went as planned. Upon reaching the school they found that his position had been given to another student because they were one week past the due date.

It was a disappointment to the family who did all they could for their son to get admitted into such a good performing school. Jalango was stranded with his metallic box on his hands fully dressed in Maseno School uniform. They didnt know their next move but only left with an option of trying local schools around their village.

This time round they were lucky enough to get a chance at Bar Kanyango Secondary School in Siaya County. Jalango was admitted here, but he could still put on the Maseno School uniform since his father had no extra money to buy him a new uniform. School fee became another huge challenge at Bar Kanyango Secondary; therefore, he was again transferred to Nyangoma Secondary School that is located in Bondo Constituency where his brother was studying.

Raising the fee for two students was not easy for Jalangos father as one may think. George, his elder brother was forced to drop out of school to give him a chance to continue with his studies. Making this decision was discouraging not only for George but also Jalango.

The father could pay the school fees with anything he had at hand. At times, he would supply the institution with firewood, beans, and maize. Jalango felt embarrassed whenever his father would come to school particularly during the assemblies carrying sacks of maize or beans. His fellow students didnt spare him either. They made fun of his father or him and it pained Jalango dearly.

Jalang'o did not have a luxurious spree at school like other students. He had to survive, and despite all the struggles and embarrassments, he managed to get a C plus in his KCSE exams. This, to him, was equivalent to an A plain in a national school like Maseno. Nyangoma, as a school, had no facilities from learning aids to teachers.

One had to do his research to enable him to understand various aspects like how to carry out the practical tests. Due to the lack of facilities, these students met laboratory apparatus for the first time during their KCSE practical exams which were performed in a neighboring school. Any student here had to toil to get a better result.

Its a norm for students to join colleges and universities after successful completion of secondary education. Jalango noticed that something was wrong; neither his dad nor any other family member ever talked to him about pursuing further education. Out of curiosity, he gained courage and approached his father and asked whether he was going to join a university or a college the same way other students did.

His dad burst out in laughter- something he had never seen him do in all his lifetime- looked at Jalango straight in the eye and asked him to imagine how he had struggled to pay his secondary school fees. It was unfortunate for him since he could not join any institution of higher learning the same way his colleagues were doing. Jalango was heartbroken because he could not continue with his studies.

Jalango career

Jalango begun his career as a fisherman in Homa Bay County. He would go to the lake in the middle of the night, a time when the lake is riddled with mosquitoes, just to find some fish to sell to the business people who awaited by the shore. He did this for a while and later joined Capital Fish Company Limited where he worked as a fishmonger.

This company would buy fish from the local fishermen, process it and pack it for transportation to other parts of the country. He could work tirelessly packing fish into the large coolers used for transportation. This became his daily activity. Even though it was not an easy job, Jalango had no option but to work for long hours despite the small salary.

Later on, he traveled to Nairobi where he was hosted by many relatives. He first stayed with his uncle in the posh Lavington estate. He later went to stay with his uncle in a quarry in Embakasi slums. While staying in Embakasi, he ventured into arts, which he embraced since his childhood.

Life in Nairobi was not a bed of roses for the hardworking Jalango. He would toil every single day to help his uncle put food on the table. He did all types of blue collar jobs that one would ever imagine. He worked at 'mjengo' sites (construction sites), packing of sweets in companies and even car washes. After his daily activities, he would go for theatrical auditions where he was ignored several times. Jalango could not lose hope after all his trials until one day he got a chance for a second cast in an audition in the Kenya National Theatre.

Jalang'o and Alex Mwakideu

Source: Depositphotos

For arts, there is a first cast who comprise of the main actors playing significant roles in the play. Second casts are the substitutes who only get a chance in case of emergencies or absenteeism by the first cast. Jalango played this role for three years, going for rehearsals each day without missing. His uncle Ochieng would support him financially and morally to enable him to succeed in his art.

At the national theater, the established actors would not give a chance to minors like Jalango to get to the stage and perform. One day, the theater group went to perform a Swahili set book known as Mwisho Wa Kosa. This was to take place in a school where other schools converged to watch the skit. Jalango was lucky enough this day to get to the stage and narrate the introduction part of the Swahili play. He took the platform from one of the actors who had gone drinking the other day and could not make it to the stage.

Jalango took the stage, and his fellow actors stood by the windows, others peeping through the curtains waiting for him to spoil the play. Surprisingly, he narrated the Swahili lines fluently and got a deserved recognition from the students as well as the teachers who were his audience. His director was pleased since none from his team had been given such recognition.

After getting experience in acting, Jalang'o started performing vernacular commercial plays in the Kenya National Theatre where various prominent people like Prof. Anyang Nyongo would come and watch. Jalango became motivated by this, and he went ahead to produce his first film entitled Kibrit Olwar Epii. This was an exciting drama which became the talk of the Luo by then.

Jalango does not like being in the comfort zone and working on the same thing over and over. He decided to make something new. His decision came at the right time when Citizen TV had just started airing local plays like Inspecta Mwala, Papa Shirandula, and Tahidi high. Jalango luckily got a chance to act in one of the most popular dramas Papa Shirandula.

While still on Papa Shirandula program, Nyambane had just left kiss 100, and the station had to find someone to replace him on the show hosted by Caroline Mutoko. The advertisement was made, and various applications were received.

Surprisingly, one of the requirements was that any applicant was to be a degree a holder; Jalango out of courage did not lose hope despite him not having any degree. He was interviewed and later was selected for voice testing- and that is how he became a radio presenter.

Sadly, Jalangos father passed on the same day he received his appointment letter for the job at Kiss 100. It was a sad occurrence for him, but his dad had left him a note asking him to take care of his siblings and build a house for his mother. He successfully met his fathers plea, and that has given him a peace of mind to pursue his higher learning in bachelors degree in community development. Pursuing this course will also help him achieve his goals of seeking the parliamentary seat in the next elections.

The same reason that made Jalango leave theater also made him quit kiss 100. He later moved to Radio Maisha years later. By then, Radio Maisha was ranked position 48 among all the radio stations in the country. Jalango together with Alex Mwakideu formed one of the biggest breakfast shows, and through their hard work and determination, Radio Maisha improved from position 48 to position one within a period of three years.

Years later, he headed to Hot 96 FM where he hosted a morning show together with Jeff Koinange. Jalangos day would begin at 3.30 am making it to office by 4.00 am giving him enough time to prepare for the show. He would later move to his company Arena Media and work together with his staff or attend his events as scheduled in his diary. Anyone who might need Arena Media services can reach him through his Twitter account- Jalango Kenya for quality services.

Jalango net worth

Though Jalango's salary remains his best kept secret, his lifestyle shows that he generates a lot of income from the various businesses he has ventured into. Besides doing radio, he owns a company Arena Media which offers different services such as marketing, brand launches and hosting various events with its latest event being the Sauti Kuu foundation where the guest of honor was the retired president of USA Barrack Obama.

He also has various achievements in his rural home. Jalango house which is constructed in his homeland is one of the most expensive investments he has made.

Jalango wealth

Jalango and Jeff Koinange

Source: UGC

Heavy J Baba can be identified by his posh vehicles; he owns a wide variety of heavy machines. He has Range Rover Overfinch and Bentley as some of his expensive cars costing Ksh. 20 million and Ksh. 18 million respectively. He also has a BMW X6 and Land Rover Discovery which are both red.

Jalango family

The multi-talented comedian is a family man who works very hard to provide for his family. Despite him having issues with his wife some time back, Jalango has settled the disputes and is living a happy life. He also has siblings who look up to him. Among his other relatives is uncle Ochieng whom he cannot forget, because of his generosity and kindness. Mr. Ochieng worked so hard to enable Jalango to become who he is now.

Parents

Jalango was raised from a humble background together with his siblings. His father worked so hard to provide them with the basic needs. The celebrated comedian is now left with his mother after the death of his father.

Jalango wife

Is Jalango married? This is a question that you might have asked. With no doubt Mzee Jalas was married to Cheptoek Boyo, a media personality. After some period of living together things did not work out well for them, and they got separated. The two are now co-parenting their only daughter. He is now living happily with his newly married wife and they have been blessed with a beautiful daughter.

Jalango daughter

Jalango is a family man with two daughters Salika and Amani. He spends some of his time with his lovely angels whenever he is not on air. Did you find information about Jalango Biography: Wife, Family, Career & Net worth inspiring?

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Source: Kenya Breaking News Today
Kenya Publishers Association has rubbished claims stating one of its books is out to teach school children how to be gold diggers and materialists.

The organisation stated the public took things out of context and misinterpreted a passage printed on the book.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Kenyans in uproar against ethnically incorrect Kiambu county primary school textbook

Publishers defend recalled grade two textbook, says Kenyans misunderstood illustrations

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Government bows to pressure, to review misleading text books after public outrage

During a press briefing held on Thursday, October 18, the associations chairman Lawrence Njagi insisted the book was child friendly.

According to him, Kenyans just failed to understand the intended message the excerpt was trying to pass.

READ ALSO: Outrage as primary school book with misleading information surfaces online

There is nothing factually wrong with that passage. The passage should be looked at in the eyes of the child not in the eyes of the politician or us the grown-ups, he said.

The passage in question was previously described by netizens as disgusting and insensitive as some parents claimed it taught their children how to worship and idolise their political leaders.

According to some worried Kenyans, the book veered from education ethics and suggested the only way to succeed is through amassing a crazy amount of wealth.

Scheming through the excerpt, one could notice the passage spoke of a fictional leader who landed on a school compound in a chopper.

Children then ran out to greet him and his wife emerges with her fingers covered in golden rings.

READ ALSO: Picha za mazishi ya Sharon Otieno nyumbani kwa babu yake Homa Bay

Following mounting pressure and criticism on quality of new curriculum books, the Jomo Kenyatta Foundation (JKF) announced a recall of its Grade Two English textbook.

"We have recalled, and we are still recalling the books as we continue printing a revised edition, said Foundation's corporate's affairs officer Janet Ngina Nzuki.

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- The MPs drawn from South Nyanza said a referendum aimed at creating more political positions was unnecessary

- South Mugirango MP Silvanus Osoro said those pushing for a referendum had not indicated explicit reasons for amendment

- According to the MP, the current Constitution promulgated in 2010 was not yet fully implemented

- They pledged to support Ruto's 2022 presidential bid

Deputy President William Ruto's opposition to the referendum inclined towards creating more political positions has received a boost after a group of MPs from Kisii threw their weight behind him.

The legislators said the current Constitution had already burdened Kenyans with a huge wage bill and amending the supreme law to create other offices was illogical.

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READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

Deputy President Willaim Ruto begged to be left out of the referendum debate saying he was busy implementing government pledges. Photo: William Ruto/Twitter.

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Family of driver who took Uhuru to school wants to meet him, deliver his last message

Speaking in Suneka Catholic Church, Kisii county on Thursday, October 18, the MPs said Kenyans were fresh from an electioneering season and were not ready to indulge in another politically charged season.

South Mugirango MP Silvanus Osoro questioned the logic of amending the current supreme law which was promulgated in 2010 before it was even fully implemented, saying amendment calls were ill advised.

We must stop this debate about referendum and focus our energies on development. Looking at the state of affairs, some people are calling for change of constitution to create positions for some individuals. We are not ready for that, said Osoro.

Kitutu Chache MP Richard Onyonka said it would be wise for Kenyans to be told exactly what was the motive for amending the Constitution was before any leader could begin to campaign for the plebiscite.

The Members of Parliament and other leaders from Kisii said they would support DP William Ruto's 2022 bid. Photo: William Ruto/Twitter.

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: Bobi Wine's controversial concert to take place after organisers agree with stadium management

We have heard some people calling for change of the Constitution but sadly they have not told us what is wrong with the current one. That urgent problem which demands for such an urgent amendment," Onyonka said.

Other leaders who backed Ruto's call were MPs Oroo Oyioka (Bonchari), Zadock Ogutu (Bomachoge Borabu), Ezekiel Machogu (Nyaribari Masaba), Alpha Ondieki (Bomachoge Chache), Innocent Obiri (Bobasi), Dan Wanyama (Webuye West) and Kisii deputy governor Joash Maangi.

Ruto said time for politics was over and he was more focused on implementing pledges they made to the electorate when seeking votes.

We are now implementing the pledges we made to Kenyans. This is why we are here with leaders from different political backgrounds working together on matters of development, said Ruto.

The MPs said the Abagusii community would support the DP's 2022 presidential bid.

As leaders from the Abagusii community, we want to make it clear we will support William Ruto for presidency in 20322. No one can gag us from talking about 2022, Osoro added.

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Top 5 Facts About Uhuru Kenyatta - Raila Odinga Pact - On Tuko TV

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- The Nairobi mourners are set to arrive in Homa Bay on Friday, October 19, morning

- The funeral may be politically charged as other politicians are set to attend

- Some social media users bashed her for the flag-off saying it was not a priority

Nairobi Women Representative Esther Passaris has flagged-off a bus full of mourners bound for Homabay County for the burial of slain Sharon Otieno.

The body of Sharon was on Thursday, October 18, released from a Homa Bay morgue and transported to her Magere home for burial which is set for Friday, October 19.

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READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

The flag-off was presided over by Esther Passaris in Nairobi CBD. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: My daughter loved Governor Obado a lot but he betrayed her - Sharon Otieno's mother

Sharon was on the evening of Monday, September 3, discovered in a thicket near Oyugi's where she was dumped after a brutal murder.

Emotions ran high as her body arrived at her home which was thronged with mourners.

READ ALSO: The real killers of Sharon Otieno were to be killed too - Police

Her mother, Melida Auma, who was overwhelmed by tears, passed out for a moment as relatives comforted her.

The decision by Passaris to sponsor mourners to the funeral, however, caused mixed reaction among social media users.

Among those who reacted faulted her stating the funds channeled to the event would have otherwise been injected into helping street urchins in memory of the Rongo University student.

READ ALSO: Governor Obado's personal assistant speaks out on what transpired day Sharon went missing

Some, however, congratulated her for the move, branding her a real defender of rights of women.

The legislator is among charged leaders who strongly condemned the murder of Sharon and her unborn baby.

READ ALSO: Governor Okoth Obado arrested, grilled for a second time over Sharon's murder

Migori Governor Okoth Obado, has since been charged with the murder of the student and her unborn seven-month fetus, a count which he denied.

Obado was linked to the crime after it emerged that he was responsible for Sharon's pregnancy following DNA results.

His Personal Assistant (PA) Michael Oyamo, was also charged with the same count. He was accused of handing the woman to her abductors and killers.

Some have congratulated her for the move, branding her a real defender of rights of women. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

Another suspect, Caspal Obiero, was also charged alongside Obado and Oyamo.

The trio are still being held in custody as detectives intensify investigations into the matter.

The burial ceremony is expected to be charged politically as leaders and activists who have been speaking tough on the issue are set to attend.

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Migori Residents Demand The Release of Okoth Obado | Tuko TV.

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Have you always wondered why many Kenyan establishments are rushing to be certified as Halal compliant? Well you can now find out what Halal is all about this weekend.

The Kenya Bureau of Halal Certification (KBHC) will on Saturday, October 20, and Sunday, October 21, host a Halal exhibition meant to provide opportunities for Halal certified companies to showcase their products and services.

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READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

The halal exhibition meant to provide opportunities for halal certified companies to showcase their products and services. Photo: Kionjo.com.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: President Uhuru Kenyatta to lead delegation of horticultural farmers to China

The exhibition under the theme Know Your Options, will be held at the Sarit Centre and will provide an opportunity for Muslims and non Muslims to understand more about the Halal industry and certification.

The exhibition is an opportunity for Kenyans to interact and understand more about certification with halal certified companies showcasing their products as well as provide a networking platform among the various players in the Halal industry,

With the growing interest in Halal industry in the country, the exhibition will serve as a platform for creating further awareness on the importance of Halal and create more understanding on the concept of halal as an emerging economic potential, said KBHC CEO Fauz Qureishi.

According to a Report by Farrelly and Mitchell  Food and Agribusiness Specialists, the Halal economy is estimated to touch KSh 646 trillion mark by 2018 against the KSh 322 trillion reported in 2012.

Though the statistics on the size of Halal economy in the country remains scanty, efforts are being done to tap into the multi trillion sector.

Food in Islam should always be halal. Photo: Universal Life.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Access your favourite news site TUKO.co.ke instantly in 3 simple steps

The KBHC became the first Muslim organisation in the country to receive the ISO 9001 quality management system certification mark in 2015.

A member of the World Halal Council, KBHC was founded in 2006 with its operations now transcending the countrys borders and it has been involved in certification procedures in Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Chad.

According the organisation, more than 140 companies and organisations which include food producers, manufacturers and processors, agri-chemical, abattoirs and service providers in the hospitality industry have been certified as Halal.

The exhibition will also see Shariah compliant financial institutions join the other certified organisations to educate the public on why the Halal industry cannot be neglected.

The global Halal economy is estimated to grow as Kenya reinforces its position in the economy through Halal compliant goods and services.

This year's exhibition follows another Expo  Halal Expo, which was hosted in 2016 and 2017 at the Sarit Centre, Nairobi.

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- The pastor is said to be preparing to hold a third pre-wedding in just a few months

- He had two of the pre-weddings with his ex-fiance in two different states

- The fundraisers for the pre-weddings were held in different states all together

- He will hold the third pre-wedding with his current fiance in November 10, 2018

- Kenyans in diaspora, however, think he is on a mission to fleece them money

A Kenyan pastor living in the United States has become the centre of online debate after Kenyans in the diaspora accused him of scamming them by holding three pre-weddings in succession.

The pastor identified as Stanley Mwea is said to have had two pre-weddings in different states with his previous fiance, Susan Kangethe, whom he broke-up with just before their wedding.

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READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

The pastor identified as Stanley Mwea, is said to have had two pre-weddings in different cities with his previous fiance. Photo: KSN

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: President Uhuru Kenyatta to lead delegation of horticultural farmers to China

He is now set to have the third pre-wedding with his current fiance, Serah Ndirangu, who is also a pastor, in Washington on Saturday, November 10.

What shocked many Kenyans living abroad is the succession with which the pre-weddings had been held and the fact that they had been talked into making contributions towards the same.

READ ALSO: Body of Rongo University student found near river after going missing

He is now set to have the third pre-wedding with his current fiance Serah Ndirangu on Saturday, November 10. Photo: KSN.

Source: UGC

The first pre-weddings with the intentions of marrying Kangethe were held at Maryland and Massacheuts states while the fundraisers to sponsor them were held in Baltimore and Boston respectively

Kenyans are now crying foul claiming the pastor is on a mission to fleece them their hard earned money in the pretense of having pre-weddings.

READ ALSO: Sharon Otienos mother faints as Obados slain lovers remains arrive home for burial

The pastors fiancee, however, defended their scheduled pre-wedding and a wedding thereafter in December 2018 while cautioning people to stop casting aspersions.

She said the event will take off despite the criticisms from Kenyans whom she claimed were just detractors.

READ ALSO: KBC staff down tools again following six months without pay

Why do people like poking their noses in other peoples affairs?, she posed

We really do not care what they are saying this is our life and nobody is being forced to contribute a penny, our pre- wedding will take place on November 10, 2018 come rain or sunshine,  the bride to be added.

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Shosh Cecilia: Ladies Stop Dating Sponsors | Tuko TV

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- Dealers were asked to expedite shipment of the substance from other countries

- The stores selling bhang were characterised with long queues of people waiting to buy it

- The shortage of the drug came barely two days after recreational use of cannabis was legalised in the country

- The legalisation was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who said he was keeping his campaign promise

- Canada became the second country to allow the use of the substance for recreational use

Just two days after Canada legalised recreational use of cannabis, fears of the supply market having not been ready to meet the demand have been confirmed after the substance run out of stock.

Marijuana retailers across Canada have reportedly been experiencing shortages or running out of stock entirely as the stores are characterised with long queues

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READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

Marijuana retailers across Canada have reportedly been experiencing shortages.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Jubilee Insurance suspends medical cover for IEBC staff over unpaid premiums

Reports by ABS indicated provincial regulators were pushing cannabis producers to expedite shipments of the drug.

Customers attempting to purchase the drug from online stores also reportedly experienced hold-ups as multiple websites suffered glitches due to the high volume of traffic.

"I'm a little shocked that I sold out so fast, and also very upset that I don't have product for everybody, Thomas Clarke, who runs THC Distribution in Portugal Cove-St Philips was quoted by ABS

READ ALSO: Over 50 warehouses built on airport land to be demolished before maiden direct flight to US

I'm letting down a lot of people here and I was assured that if I paid for the cannabis I would receive it," he added.

The situation, however, was not the most surprising, as a shortage was forecast by those who were monitoring the industry before its legalisation.

In a study released earlier in October 2018, researchers at the University of Waterloo and the C.D. Howe Institute found while Canada could supply around 210 tons of the stuff, the demand would be around 610 tonnes.

READ ALSO: US based Kenyan pastor holds three pre-weddings with two different women

The legalisation of cannabis in Canada was announced in a tweet by the country's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, actualising his 2015 election promise.

"We are not legalising cannabis because we think it'is good for our health. We are doing it because we know it's not good for our children," Trudeau said.

It has, however, reported that concerns remain, including the readiness of police to tackle drug impaired driving.

READ ALSO: President Uhuru Kenyatta to lead delegation of horticultural farmers to China

Prior reports by TUKO.co.ke indicated a number of legislators led by Kibera Member of Parliament Ken Okoth have been calling for the legalisation of the substance here in Kenya,

Okoth tabled a bill to have the substance legalised in the country for medicinal purposes and was backed by Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odingas son, Raila Junior.

Junior claimed the substance could be used by cancer and HIV/AIDS patients while arguing it could be used to boost the patient's appetite while undergoing treatment.

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Joseph Irungu and Jacque Maribe in court over the murder of Monica Kimani Tuko TV

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China's space industry is preparing to launch the world's first artificial moon to help with urban illumination at night, a leading scientist said.





China plans to put an artificial moon in orbit above Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan by 2020. If the launch proves successful, three more such objects will be launched in 2022, Wu Chunfeng, head of Tian Fu New Area Science Society in Chengdu, told China Daily in an exclusive interview on Thursday.





The artificial moon will have a reflective coating that can deflect sunlight back to Earth, similar to how the moon shines, he said.





The man-made moon is essentially an illumination satellite designed to complement the moon at night, though it is predicted to be eight times brighter, the scientist added.





This is due to the object's planned orbit about 500 kilometers above Earthmuch closer than the 380,000-km distance to the moon, Wu said.





"But this is not enough to light up the entire night sky," he said. "Its expected brightness, in the eyes of humans, is around one-fifth of normal streetlights."





The location and brightness of the light beam can be changed, and its coverage accuracy can fall within a few dozen meters, he said.





The artificial moon might replace some streetlights in the urban area, thus conserving energy.





Wu estimated Chengdu could save around 1.2 billion ($174 million) yuan in electricity annually if the artificial moon illuminated 50 sq km of the city.





Meanwhile, the extra light can shine into disaster zones during blackouts, thus aiding relief and rescue efforts, he added.





The mirrors can be adjusted for luminosity, and can be completely turned off when needed. However, less light from the satellite will reach the ground if the sky is overcast.





"The first moon will be mostly experimental, but the three moons in 2022 will be the real deal with great civic and commercial potential," Wu said.





The three new man-made moons can take turns reflecting sunlight as they will not always be in the best position relative to the sun, and together they can illuminate an area of around 3,600 to 6,400 sq km on Earth for 24 hours if desired, he said.





Wu said several notable universities and institutes, including Harbin Institute of Technology and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, have evaluated the man-made moon project and given it their approval for trial and demonstration.





Despite the approval, Wu was quick to point out some criticism of the project, including fear of detrimental physiological consequences for people and animals, in which the absence of regular alternations between night and day would disrupt various metabolic patterns, including sleep.





"We will only conduct our tests in an uninhabited desert, so our light beams will not interfere with any people or Earth-based space observation equipment," he said. "When the satellite is in operation, people will see only a bright star above, and not a giant moon as imagined."





However, Wu stressed that much work still needs to be done, both in terms of scientific feasibility and business models, to tap into the full potential of China's artificial moons.





He said China, Russia, the United States, Japan and European countries are all looking to capitalize on harnessing energy from space, and reflecting mirrors have been in the discussion for some time.





In 1999, Russia tried sending a 25-meter diameter space mirror, under the project named Banner, into space. The project aimed to redirect sunlight onto Russian cities, but the space mirror misfired at launch and the entire project was soon canceled due to budget issues, according to the New York Times.
- The officers managed to kill one member of a four man gang which was robbing residents of Kayole

- Two officers were injured in the exchange of fire which ensued after the public notified authorities

- Police recovered one gun from the killed suspect in the incident while the thugs carted away the injured officer's pistol

- Nairobi Police Commander Joseph Ole Tito said they had launched a manhunt for the remaining three gang members to recover the stolen weapon

Police in Nairobi have launched a manhunt for a gang of three suspected robbers who shot and injured two officers and thereafter stole a gun from one of them.

The officers from Kayole police station were on night patrol on Thursday, October 18, when they received calls from the public about a gang of four men was terrorising locals.

READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

READ ALSO: KBC staff down tools again following six months without pay

In a police report seen by TUKO.co.ke on Friday, October 19, the officers sustained head and hand injuries.

Nairobi Police Commander Joseph ole Tito confirmed the incident indicating one thug was shot dead and a gun with 18 rounds of ammunition recovered from him

"The robbers shot and seriously injured two police officers before robbing one of them of a Jericho pistol. The officers managed to shoot one of them dead and recovered a SIG-sauer pistol, two magazines and a total of 18 rounds of ammunition," Tito said.

According to the police boss, the four men were robbing residents in Kayole North near the dumpsite.

The thugs stole one gun from one of the injured police officers. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Canadian stores run out cannabis days after legalisation of drug

"The officers received information about the criminals and went to the scene. A shootout ensued on their arrival and one officer was shot on the head with the other on the hand. It was not immediately established how the injured officer's pistol loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition was stolen by the robbers," the report indicated.

Tito said a joint team of police officers from different units launched an operation in Kayole to nab the culprits.

He stated the police would not rest until they hunt down the suspects and recover the stolen firearm, saying no one should imagine they can attack officers in their line of duty and go scot free.

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- The widow's son, Bryan Yusuf, posted on his Twitter account about the family's predicament

- He shared photos of the house and asked those interested in purchasing it to contact him

- The four bedroom house is situated in Athi River

- According to Yusuf, they have exhausted family resources and funds collection avenues

- The post elicited emotions of sympathy among Kenyans who urged one another to support the family

Desperate situations call for desperate measures and this is exactly what the family of Bryan Yusuf is going through after they lost their patriarch.

Bryan's mother who is also widow of the late Yusuf Osman who succumbed to a chronic illness after a long battle is contemplating selling her family house to raise over KSh 5.8 unpaid medical bills and get the body of her husband for burial.

READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

The house which Bryan Yusuf's mother has put up for sale to settle pending KSh 6 million medical bill for deceased husband. Photo: Bryan Yusuf/Twitter.

Source: Twitter

READ ALSO: US based Kenyan pastor holds three pre-weddings with two different women

In a tweet seen by TUKO.co.ke on Friday, October 19, Bryan posted photos of the four bedroom house situated in Athi River which he said his mother was seeking a buyer for.

"My mum is selling her house in Athi River to pay my late dad's hospital bills. Offers are invited. Direct message me for details," read part of the tweet by Bryan.

READ ALSO: KBC staff down tools again following six months without pay

Concerned Kenyans including politicians, however, urged Bryan who said they had no other means to reconsider the move, of disposing their home and even pledged to help raise funds to aid the family clear the huge arrears.

"We've paid off a huge chunk of the bill and the outstanding amount is KSh 5.8 million. Pay bill Number is 952510 in the name of Yusuf Kathuli Medical Fund," explained Yusuf who said they had exhausted family resources in attempts to pay the initial medical bills.

Bryan Yusuf said his family had exhausted all other means of raising funds to clear the hospital bill pushing his mother to consider selling her house. Photo: Bryan Yusuf/Twitter.

Source: Twitter

Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo and Nairobi Women Representative Esther Passaris asked Bryan to tell his mother not to sell the house first, offering to help the family explore other means of raising the money.

The former Kiambu county chief pledged KSh 100,000 and called on his 153,000 followers to contribute KSh 30 to the medical bill aid account to reduce the deficit.

READ ALSO: Kenyas unsung heroes who have given Mashujaa Day its true meaning in 2017/2018

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- Police Constable Joash Ombati was guarding a bank when he saw thieves escape after robbing man

- He took a taxi and chased the car while shooting in the air to stop the thieves

- The thieves surrendered and KSh 400,000 was recovered

- Kenyans called on the government to recognise his dedication and reward him

Administration Police Constable Joash Ombati has wowed many Kenyans with his action of bravery and dedication to service after he managed to corner criminals who were on the run after committing a crime.

In a viral video on social media platforms, Ombati is seen firing in the air before arresting two suspects who violently robbed a man and threw him out of the car.

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READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

Joash Ombati chased and arrested thieves who had robbed and thrown a client out of their car. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Armed robbers shoot and injure two police officers in Kayole, steal gun

The father of two who was guarding a bank nearby saw the robbers take off in a car after throwing off the man and took a taxi to chase after them.

The 34-year-old shot in the air forcing the thieves to surrender before he handcuffed them as the public watched with many urging him to shoot dead the suspects.

Kenyans online called on the president and the Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i to award the police officer for his dedication to service.

READ ALSO: US based Kenyan pastor holds three pre-weddings with two different women

READ ALSO: Kenyas unsung heroes who have given Mashujaa Day its true meaning in 2017 and 2018

Many Kenyans argued for the officer to be recognised in the coming Mashujaa Day celebrations on Saturday, October 20.

READ ALSO: Body of Rongo University student found near river after going missing

On their side, the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) asked Kenyans to nominate the officer for an award.

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- Aisha and Msambweni Dori appeared before disciplinary committee on Friday, October 19

- The two had rubbished summons by the party vowing never to appear

- Edwin Sifuna, the ODM Secretary General, said their refusal to appear would ignite a process to kick them out

- Jumwa and Dori were summoned in September 2018 for acting in a manner perceived to be disrespectful to the party and leader Raila Odinga

- Kenyans mocked the two legislators for appearing before the committee after chest thumping they were unshaken and would not honour summons

Two Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) rebel MPs from the Coast have finally eaten humble pie and appeared before party's disciplinary committee.

Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa and her Msambweni counterpart Suleiman Dori who were summoned to appear before the committee in September 2018 to answer to queries of disloyalty had vowed never to honour the summons.

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READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

Rebel Coast ODM MPs Aisha Jumwa of malindi and her Msambweni counterpart Suleiman Dori appear before party's disciplinary committee. Photo: ODM/Twitter

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: State House awards flight tickets to two youths for the inaugural Nairobi-New York flight

In a tweet by ODM party seen by TUKO.co.ke on Friday, October 19, the two legislators who risked being kicked out showed up before the panel.

An outspoken Jumwa who jumped ship from being Opposition leader Raila Odinga loyal ally to back Deputy President William Ruto's 2022 presidential bid had mocked the party leadership for summoning her, saying she would never present herself to answer to queries raised.

READ ALSO: Desperate widow puts up house for sale to clear deceased husbands KSh 6 million medical bill

Party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, however, reiterated the MPs had no option other than present themselves to explain their side of the story or the executive council would commence procedure of expelling them.

Jumwa and Dori were summoned and asked to show cause why they should not be punished for repeatedly acting in ways deemed to be disrespectful to their party and leader Raila.

It was not clear what the two legislators accompanied by lawyer Kioko Kilukumi said in defence of accusations facing them, but their presence at the party's headquarters subjected them to mockery by Kenyans.

READ ALSO: Rongo University students disrupt burial of Sharon Otieno

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Source: Kenya Breaking News Today
- Job Murambi is reported to have stolen the chemical from the school's laboratory

- He then used it to prepare a potent drink in a house near the school

- Murambi was later found unconscious in bed by his father

- The Form Four student was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital

A student set to sit for the Kenya Certificate Secondary Examinations (KCSE) candidate in Trans-Nzoia County has died after allegedly consuming ethanol.

The 21-year-old Job Murambi, was a student at Meso Mixed Day Secondary in Kiminini constituency.

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READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

The deceased and three other students are reported to have sneaked out of school some chemicals after a chemistry practical.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Desperate widow puts up house for sale to clear deceased husbands KSh 6 million medical bill

According to the Standard, the incident was confirmed by Kitale OCS Daniel Kadei who said investigations had been launched to establish what caused the KCSE candidate's death.

The deceaseds father, Martin Wafula, said his son was found in bed unconscious on the morning of Wednesday, October 17,and rushed to hospital.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at Kiminini Cottage Hospital where he had been rushed for treatment.

READ ALSO: Kenyas unsung heroes who have given Mashujaa Day its true meaning in 2017 and 2018

The deceased and three other students are reported to have sneaked some chemicals out of school after a Chemistry practical.

They are said to have later prepared a drink from the chemical and diluted it with hot water in a house near the school.

The incident happened barely five days before the KCSE examination practicals begin on October 22, 2018, and end on November 1, 2018

READ ALSO: Kenyans celebrate brave police officer who single-handedly overpowered thugs in Nairobi

The practicals include French (oral and braille), German (oral), Arabic (oral), Kenyan Sign Language (practical signing skills), music (practical) and Home Science (foods and nutrition).

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Kenya's Former Gangsters Now Cleaning Nairobi City - Kenya Untold Stories | Tuko TV

Source: Breaking News
- A local private doctor said the disease can be treated through surgery

- Doctor Morris Buni said most of the affected people live near rivers

- Some men said they have been suffering for over seven years

Alarm has been raised over rising cases of scrotal hydrocele among men in Kilifi County which is as a result of a fluid filled sac around testicles and swelling of the scrotum.

Statics indicated that about 10% of men living in a particular constituency in Kilifi County are said to be suffering from the disease caused by mosquito bite.

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In Magarini and Malindi constituencies, it is reported that residents living along the Sabaki River are most affected.

READ ALSO: Governor Anne Waiguru leaves Kirinyaga residents in ecstasy as she pulls delicate dance moves

An elderly Kilifi man seeks medical attenton during a medical camp in the county. Photo: Onesmus Baraka

Source: Original

READ ALSO: Wanafunzi wa chuo kikuu cha Rongo wazua rabsha wakati wa mazishi ya Sharon Otieno

According to Antony Kazungu, one of the residents from Bomani village in Magarini, he has been suffering from the disease for the last seven years without getting medication.

I was diagnosed with scrotal hydrocele seven years ago and from that time, I have never stepped in any hospital to get medication, said Kazungu.

Throughout those seven years, I have never been able to have sex with my wife, just imagine how my wife is feeling over this issue, he added.

Kazungu said despite his efforts in seeking medical attention, his status had never changed adding that coming from a less fortune family has been the greatest challenge.

READ ALSO: Kenyans celebrate brave police officer who single-handedly overpowered thugs in Nairobi

I have been lying on bed without any help, we have three kids and all my efforts to get assistance has been futile, he said.

Morris Buni, a private doctor in Malindi, said the disease has been mostly reported in areas bordering water sources.

Doctor Morris Buni who said the disease can be cured through surgery. Photo: Onesmus Baraka.

Source: Original

He said that once one is diagnosed with scrotal hydrocele, a surgery can be conducted to remove the fluid inside the testicles.

READ ALSO: Desperate widow puts up house for sale to clear deceased husbands KSh 6 million medical bill

This disease mostly affects residents living near water sources and Magarini and Malindi constituencies register high figures," said Buni.

One can be treated through surgery of which 30% of them are normally conducted at the Malindi District Hospital, he added.

Earlier, chief officer for Health in Kilifi County, Bilalai Mazoya, said more than 715 men in Malindi and Magarini suffer from scrotal hydrocele while Magarini constituency leads with 154 cases.

Stroy by Onesmus Baraka, Correspondent.

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Kenya's Former Gangsters Now Cleaning Nairobi City - Kenya Untold Stories/TUKO TV

Source: Tuko News
- Jennings Orlando Odhiambo was arrested in Nairobi on Thursday, October 18

- Odhiambo is a constable in the elite Recce squad police unit

- The officer attached to the US Embassy was arraigned in a Kiambu court and will be detained for 14 days

- He was suspected to be in the company of Joseph Irungu, the first suspect in the murder of the businesswoman

- A suspect turned witness, Brian Kassaine, was released after giving police vital information which led to search of third suspect after Irungu and TV anchor Jacque Maribe's arrest

Police in Nairobi have arrested their Recce Squad counterpart linked to the murder of 29-year-old businesswoman Monica Nyawira Kimani.

Jennings Odhiambo, the third suspect in the gruesome killing of Kimani, alongside Citizen TV news anchor Jacque Maribe and her fiancee Joseph Irungu alias Jowie, was on the run for close to a month.

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READ ALSO: Jacque Maribe amtaja Mike Sonko katika kesi ya mauaji ya Monica Kimani

Jennings Odhiambo pose for photo with TV news anchor Jacque Maribe's fiance and first suspect in murder of Monica Kimani Joseph Irungu. Odhiambo has been arrested in connection with murder. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: 20-year-old Muranga man goes berserk, hacks 2 grandfathers to death

A report by Citizen seen by TUKO.co.ke, on Friday, October 19, indicated Odhiambo was arrested in Nairobi on Thursday, October 18, and detained at Muthaiga police station where he was grilled over the murder.

"He is a police constable in the Recce elite squad and was until his arrest attached to the US Embassy," a source from Directorate of Criminal Investigations indicated.

The source added detectives probing him had searched his house in Recce's headquarters in Ruiru.

He was then arraigned before a Kiambu court where Resident Magistrate Justus Kituku granted the detectives permission to detain him for 14 days to complete investigations.

Jennings Odhiambo is serves under the Recce Elite Squad and was attached to the US Embassy. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Rebel Coast ODM MPs Aisha Jumwa and Suleiman Dori finally appear before disciplinary committee

"Orders to detain the accused person are hereby granted. The investigating officer is ordered to present him to court on Friday, November 2," the magistrate ruled.

Brian Kassaine, a suspect turned witness and neighbour to Maribe initially told police Irungu tried to burn clothes using air freshener cans with sources privy to the probe hinting he had opened up about the third suspect to the detectives to warrant his release from custody.

Police said the suspect (Odhiambo) who had allegedly traveled to Mombasa to seek supernatural protection was vital in the matter because he could help in getting Monica's car and door keys alongside the weapon used to cut her throat.

He is alleged to have have been with Irungu, the first accused suspect in the murder, on the night of Thursday, September 20, when the businesswoman was killed was killed.

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Kenya News Today: Joseph Irungu and Jacque Maribe in court over the murder of Monica Kimani /Tuko TV

Source: Tuko
Thousands of mourners including political leaders gathered at Magare village in Homa Bay County for the burial ceremony of slain Rongo University student, Sharon Otieno.

Hundreds of mourners and political leaders gathered to pay their last respect to Sharon and console the family.

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READ ALSO: Jacque Maribe amtaja Mike Sonko katika kesi ya mauaji ya Monica Kimani

The mourners lined up to view the body of Sharon as other made prayers for the deceased. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Esther Passaris sponsors Nairobians to attend Sharon Otieno burial in Homa Bay

The burial was brought to standstill when Rongo University students stormed the ceremony wailing and shouting Justice for Sharon. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma thanked journalists for their role in publicising and advocating for justice for the slain student who was Migori governor Okoth Obado's lover.

Security officers were deployed to secure the mourners and ensure a peace prevailed in the village. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

READ ALSO: Recce officer attached to US Embassy arrested in connection with Monica Kimani's murder

"I thank DPP Noordin Haji for having assembled the strongest team to prosecute the case of Sharon. It was a proper decision that the case be taken to Nairobi because the local courts could not have adjudicated this matter with Sharon's ghost being around here," said Kaluma.

Sharon's mother Melida Auma Otieno was calmly seated next to his husband Douglas Otieno as the ceremony proceeded. Photo: UGC

Source: Facebook

Her body was found dumped in a forest with stab wounds following a kidnapping ordeal.

Obado and other suspects are in remand in connection to Sharon's murder who was seven moths pregnant with the governor's child.

Many who spoke in the burial demanded for justice for the slain lady and culprits be brought to book. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: How young single mother overcame Rheumatic heart condition to help others

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Kenya's Former Gangsters Now Cleaning Nairobi City - Kenya Untold Stories | Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke
An amber fossil discovered in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region suggests that rainforest was present in central Tibet more than 40 million years ago.

The research, jointly conducted by an international team of scientists from China, Britain and India, was recently published in Palaeoworld.

Wang Bo, one of the researchers from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, said that the amber fossil was discovered in the Lunpola basin in Tibet and derived from dipterocarp trees, which are today only found in Asian rainforest.

The scientists concluded that Tibet had a different geographical environment over 40 million years ago.

Based on previous research and biostratigraphy studies, they believe a tropical or subtropical rainforest with an altitude of less than 1,300 meters was once present in central Tibet.

However, an obvious uplift on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau occurred around 25 million years ago. Plants such as pine and cypress, which can adapt to dry and cold weather, have started gradually growing there.
From midnight, the State of Emergency, inclusive of the 10pm to 5 am curfew shall come to an end.
The United States is a reliable partner of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine on the path of development of the law enforcement system.

"The United States is a reliable partner of the Interior Ministry of Ukraine on the path of development of the law enforcement system. We fruitfully cooperate in all the areas. The National Guard of Ukraine conducts joint exercises with the California National Guard, particularly in matters of countering radiochemical and nuclear threats. American experts help in training of patrol police officers and KORD special forces," Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said during a meeting in Kyiv with Kirsten Madison, the Assistant Secretary of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, the Ministrys press service reports.

As noted, the parties discussed the possibility of involvement of the American colleagues in new joint projects.

"We are interested in the experience of the United States in the fight against corruption and economic crime, in the introduction of equal opportunities policy in the law enforcement agencies as well as in countering the illicit drug trafficking," Avakov added.

In turn, Madison praised the successful process of reforming of Ukrainian law enforcement system and pledged support from the US.

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The Verkhovna Rada has adopted at first reading the bill on Ukraine's state budget for 2019.

A total of 240 MPs voted for the approval of a respective bill, No. 9000, at a plenary meeting of parliament on Thursday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

According to the document, the revenues of the consolidated budget in 2019, taking into account current budget execution, changes in the tax and budget legislation, are projected at UAH 1.293 trillion. The revenues of the general fund of the consolidated budget for 2019 are projected at UAH 1.175 trillion. The projected revenues of the consolidated budget for 2019 grow by UAH 130.5 billion, or 11.2%, compared to 2018, including the revenues of the general fund by UAH 110.3 billion, or 10.4%, and the revenues of the special fund by UAH 20.2 billion, or 20.7%.

The general fund of the state budget in 2019 is to be financed at the expense of state internal and external borrowing.

Government borrowing for 2019 is projected at UAH 324.764 billion, which is UAH 109.803 billion more than planned for 2018, including external borrowing - UAH 122.745 billion, or UAH 31.542 billion more than planned for 2018, and internal borrowing - UAH 202.019 billion, or UAH 78.261 billion more than planned for 2018. Thus, external borrowing in 2019 will amount to 37.8% of total receipts and internal borrowing to 62.2%.

UAH 145.205 billion is to be paid to service public debt in 2019, which is UAH 15.005 billion more than projected for 2018.

The servicing of domestic state debt is expected to reach UAH 88.98 billion in 2019. The servicing of foreign state debt for 2019 is projected at UAH 56.44 billion. Total state debt payments to be made in 2019 at the expense of the state budget are estimated at UAH 417.452 billion, of which 57.3%, or UAH 239.245 billion, is domestic debt payments and 42.7%, or UAH 178.207 billion, is foreign debt payments.

According to calculations, the total amount of public debt, calculated in national currency, will be UAH 2.06 trillion, or 52.2% of GDP. Publicly guaranteed debt, calculated in national currency, will amount to UAH 388.63 billion. Public and publicly guaranteed debt will make up 62% of GDP.

According to the bill, the living wage per person per month is set at UAH 1,853 from January 1, 2019, UAH 1,936 from July 1, and UAH 2,027 from December 1.

The resolution instructs the government to prepare the draft law on Ukraine's state budget for 2019 for second reading in accordance with the budget conclusions of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and submit it for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada within a two-week period from the date of entry into force of this resolution.

op
The number of airports in Ukraine should grow up to 50.

"I believe in digital infrastructure, I believe in 50 airports in Ukraine, in electric public transport, modern railways, developed river [transport] and a single transport network with the EU countries," Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan said at the Kyiv International Economic Forum, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The minister reminded that the Government of Ukraine had already approved the National Transport Strategy until 2030. "You may not believe. But if these plans are not implemented, we will have no future. We will never be able to catch up with the progressive world that moves away from us every minute," he noted.

Omelyan urged to stop talking about enormous potential of Ukraine and finally start to unlock it in practice.

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The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would allow U.S. airlines and partner-companies to resume flights at three Ukrainian airports and over some parts of the Black Sea, citing improved safety and security in parts of Ukraine.

Reuters News Agency reported this on October 18.

The air safety agency said it would allow takeoffs and landings at Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia international airports in Ukraine, saying operations could be conducted with minimal additional risk, reads the report.

At the same time, the FAA said it would keep prohibitions on flights over Crimea and some parts of Ukraine.

Earlier, the FAA recommended U.S. airlines to suspend flights over Crimea and the conflict zone of Ukraine in April 2014 and expanded prohibitions after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down while it flew over eastern Ukraine.

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Ukraine and the European Investment Bank (EIB) plan to intensify cooperation in various fields, in particular, innovation, education and infrastructure, and the country can count on EIB investment.

This issue was discussed at a meeting between Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and EIB Vice-President Vazil Hudak, according to the press service of the Ukrainian government.

"Ukraine and the European Investment Bank, one of the main financial partners of the state, have discussed opportunities for enhancing cooperation through already approved cooperation projects and projects in the sphere of innovation development, educational space, energy modernization, and decentralization. As of October, the portfolio of the bank's projects in Ukraine includes 18 projects for a total of 5.67 billion euros. A range of project areas is from the reconstruction of towns in the east and the development of small and medium-sized businesses to improving road safety," the report says.

It notes that the parties, among other things, discussed the possibility of systematic cooperation with municipalities in the segment of transport networks development.

"We will be glad to expand cooperation and maintain communication at the level of the bank-government-municipality," Groysman said.

The premier said that Ukraine is now overcoming serious economic and geopolitical challenges and implementing serious reforms, so the set of financial instruments offered by the European Investment Bank is useful.

Groysman informed Hudak about the current situation in Ukraine. He highlighted the priorities of the government, among them economic growth, the continuation of decentralization, reform in education, healthcare, the start of serious privatization, and approval of a draft state budget that will help preserve economic stability during the election process.

Hudak, in turn, said the EIB was really impressed with how much the government has done in Ukraine. He said the EIB was pleased to hear that Ukraine wants to become more innovative, more technological and the EIB is always ready to help the country.

He said the bank has an increased budget for projects in the Eastern Partnership countries, and Ukraine can count on these resources amounting to hundreds of millions of euros a year.

The parties agreed to institutionalize existing cooperation projects with the European Investment Bank and issue a joint roadmap for implementing initiatives.

The prime minister thanked for the proposal and stressed that Ukraine's economy would grow. "We need investments, so we will open up opportunities," Groysman said.

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Trade between Ukraine and Germany rose by 15% this year, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has reported on his Facebook page.

"I met with a delegation of state secretaries of the German ministries. It is pleasant that the working visits of German colleagues to Ukraine are systematic. The trade between Ukraine and Germany this year has increased by 15%," Groysman wrote.

According to him, German investment in the Ukrainian economy is also increasing.

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The joint commission on the implementation of the free trade agreement between Ukraine and Canada will hold its first meeting on Friday, October 19.

According to an Ukrinform correspondent, the Ukrainian delegation in Ottawa is headed by First Deputy Prime Minister Stepan Kubiv.

The purpose of the commission's work is to analyze the success of the free trade agreement between Canada and Ukraine a year after its entry into force and work out proposals for the further development of economic cooperation between the two countries.

The need for the creation of the commission was defined in the text of the free trade agreement, which was signed by Kubiv and then Minister of International Trade of Canada Chrystia Freeland in July 2016. According to the document, representatives of the two states had to meet to assess the effectiveness of the agreement a year after its entry into force.

The parties still have to outline their negotiating positions. However, Ukraine has already proposed extending the effect of the agreement to investment and services not covered by the current treaty.

The free trade agreement between Canada and Ukraine came into force on August 1 last year. Canada then immediately lifted 98% of customs duties on Ukrainian goods. At the same time, 72% of customs duties were immediately canceled for Canadian goods in the Ukrainian market, and within seven years duty-free exports should grow to 98%. The agreement also mutually opens up public procurement markets. Certain sections of the document protect electronic commerce and intellectual property.

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U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker has said that President Donald Trump's administration will continue to increase pressure on Russia, primarily by imposing new sanctions every month or two months.

He said this at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington on Thursday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We've tried to increase the pressure we're putting on Russia in order to get them to negotiate towards a solution [to the conflict in eastern Ukraine]. That includes keeping sanctions in place in the U.S. and increasing those sanctions periodically over time," Volker said.

This is a track the U.S. has been on during the course of the Trump administration and will continue to be on, he added.

"You'll see additional sanctions come into play every month or two months or so as we've seen," Volker said.

He also said that Washington was working on this issue with European partners. "The European Union has shown tremendous resilience and strength in keeping this in place [sanctions against Russia]," the U.S. diplomat said.

Following Russia's annexation of Crimea, the United States introduced the first package of sanctions against Russia, and in April 2018, Washington imposed new sanctions on Russian businessmen and officials, as well as financial institutions and companies associated with the Kremlin. It is one of the most powerful packages of sanctions against Russia, including due to its aggression against Ukraine. The restrictions were imposed in pursuance of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) approved in August last year.

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It is planned to open a consulate of Ukraine in Antalya by the end of 2018 as increasing number of Ukrainians travel to Turkey.

"The sixth meeting of the Ukraine-Turkey Interdepartmental Commission on Tourism dedicated to the development of relations between the two countries in the tourism sector was held. According to the data of the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC), the direct contribution of tourism to Ukraine's GDP totaled UAH 39.6 billion (1.5% of GDP) in 2017, while the total contribution was UAH 147.2 billion (5.7% of Ukraines GDP)," the press service of the Economic Development and Trade Ministry of Ukraine reports, referring to Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister Mykhailo Tytarchuk.

It is noted that Tytarchuk and Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister of Turkey, Omer Arisoy discussed the opening of Ukrainian consulate in Antalya by the end of the year and agreed on the possibility of launching direct flights from Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Kyiv to the resort cities of Turkey.

According to Ukraines Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister, Ukrainians are among the three largest groups of foreign tourists who have visited Turkey this year.

Turkey is a really important tourist destination for our citizens, just like Ukraine is gradually becoming more attractive for Turkish citizens, Tytarchuk said.

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Ukrainian activist Volodymyr Balukh has been convoyed to the Kerch penal colony in the occupied Crimea.

Radio Libertys Crimea.Realities project announced this on October 18 with reference to Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People Akhtem Chiygoz.

Earlier it became known that Balukh had decided to temporarily stop his hunger strike. According to lawyer Dmitry Dinze, Balukh was suspected ulcer or pancreatitis after more than 200 days of hunger strike.

The Kremlin-controlled Supreme Court of Crimea partially mitigated the verdict in case of Balukh having sentenced him to 4 years and 11 months in prison and a fine of RUR 10,000.

The Federal Security Service of Russia detained Volodymyr Balukh on December 8, 2016. The FSB officers claimed that they had found 90 cartridges and several TNT blocks in the attic of his house. Balukh's defense team and human rights defenders say that he is a victim of repression for his pro-Ukrainian position  Ukraine's flag in the courtyard of his home.

Volodymyr Balukh went on a hunger strike on March 19, 2018.

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Ukraine's Embassy in the United States has expressed condolences to the family of U.S. pilot Seth "Jethro" Nehring, who died in a plane crash during the Clear Sky 2018 exercise in Ukraine on October 16, and thanked the United States for supporting the Ukrainian army.

"Ambassador Valeriy Chaly and diplomats from Ukraine's Embassy in the United States extended their deepest condolences to the families and friends of the deceased pilots - a serviceman of the Ukrainian Air Force and a serviceman of the California Air National Guard, who died in a tragic accident of the Ukrainian Su-27 fighter at the international air exercise Clear Sky 2018," the embassy said in a statement on Thursday, October 18.

The embassy stressed that Ukraine and the U.S. are now interacting to investigate the causes of this tragedy.

"We are grateful to the United States of America for the unwavering support of Ukraine and the significant assistance of the Ukrainian army in raising the level of training of our military," the statement reads.

At the same time, according to the report, conducting such large-scale military exercises in Ukraine with the participation of NATO member states is "a powerful tool in strengthening international security in the region and in the world, as well as in a common resistance to Russian aggression."

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By the end of 2018, the capital of Ukraine expects an increase in number of tourists from Asian countries by 15-20% compared to last year.

"Kyiv is a city familiar to European tourists but it still remains exotic for many tourists from Asian countries. With the growth of financial possibilities of tourists from Asia, they show increasing interest in the European direction, and we have something to offer. Visit statistics also show that the EUs initiatives of attraction of Asian tourists yield results, but these tourists are gradually shifting their routes to Central and Eastern Europe, Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration, Vyacheslav Nepop commented.

The tourism department of the Kyiv City State Administration already takes measures to adapt Ukrainian cities to receiving tourists from Asia, including visa liberalization, availability of information in the languages of Asian countries, possibility of paying with cards of national payment systems, teaching tourism industry workers to take into account national and cultural peculiarities of tourists from Asia.

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The Justice Ministry of Ukraine follows closely the case of political prisoner, journalist Roman Sushchenko and informs the European Court of Human Rights about every step of Russia.

We write down every Russias step and inform the ECHR about what is happening. For example, about why he [Roman Sushchenko] stays in Moscow, where he is convoyed to, for what purpose, what conditions he stays in, Ukrainian Deputy Justice Minister - Commissioner for the European Court of Human Rights, Ivan Lishchyna said in a commentary to an Ukrinform correspondent.

According to him, as soon as the Justice Ministry receives a document on the verdict in the case of Sushchenko, it will be sent to the ECHR as an annex to the interstate lawsuit of Ukraine against Russia over 71 Ukrainian political prisoners.

Lishchyna explained that filing a relevant lawsuit to the ECHR actually meant transition to the level of legal evidence. We have presented evidence, we say that they are not just individuals accused of various criminal offenses, they are actually political prisoners, who are persecuted for political reasons, the deputy minister noted.

As reported, on August 10, 2018, Ukraine filed a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights against Russia over the violation of rights of Ukrainian political prisoners. The lawsuit describes violations of rights of 71 political prisoners held by Russia.

As reported, Ukrinform Paris-based correspondent Roman Sushchenko was illegally detained on September 30, 2016 in Moscow, where he arrived on a private trip.

On October 7, 2016, he was charged with "espionage." Russia's FSB claimed that Sushchenko is a member of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The latter denied this allegation.

On June 4, 2018, the Moscow City Court sentenced Sushchenko to 12 years in a high-security penal colony. The Supreme Court of Russia upheld the verdict on September 12.

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France is closely monitoring the situation with Roman Sushchenko, an Ukrinform journalist illegally convicted in Russia, and together with the Ukrainian side it will make efforts to free him.

French Ambassador to Ukraine Isabelle Dumont said this in a comment to Ukrinform on Friday, October 19.

"France is very closely monitoring the situation with Roman Sushchenko. I can assure you that we will continue to do so. The agency in which he worked, and the Ukrainian authorities, I think, will also act in this area, and our efforts will be joint. France will remain close to its Ukrainian colleagues in the work aimed at freeing Sushchenko," Dumont said.

When asked how Russia can be influenced so that it does not postpone the issue of the release of Ukrainian political prisoners before elections in Ukraine, the diplomat noted that "negotiations and exchange of views on this issue are ongoing."

On June 4, 2018, the Moscow City Court sentenced Sushchenko to 12 years of imprisonment on trumped-up charges of espionage.

On September 12, the Russian Supreme Court upheld the verdict as "legal."

On October 8, it was reported that Sushchenko had been sent to a penal colony.

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In addition, Russian military leadership said special forces groups have already being trained on the ground, namely on the basis of the New Athos Monastery in Abkhazia, for the implementation of these plans.

Dmytro Tymchuk, coordinator of Ukraine-based Information Resistance (IR) OSINT community, has said Russia is mulling to use the religious factor to destabilize the situation in Ukraine.

"According to IR, at a meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation on October 12, during the discussion of further prospects for the functioning of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine (following the decision of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church), Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the leadership of the security agencies of the Russian Federation to 'ensure the security of our metropolitans' by sending special forces groups of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (GRU) under wraps in the most important monasteries of the so-called 'Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate' ('UOC-MP')," Tymchuk wrote on Facebook on October 19.

Read alsoOrthodox church split just tip of Putin's crumbling "soft power" in Ukraine

"In turn, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said the General Staff of the Armed Forces had already worked out plans for direct entry of mobile battle groups into the territory of Ukraine (under wraps) to defend the Kyiv-Pechersk and Sviatohirsk lavras. According to them, these religious objects are the first to 'come under attacks' by 'radical and armed militant nationalists,' which 'will threaten the lives of bishops and leaders' of the so-called 'UOC-MP,'" he said.

In addition, Russian military leadership said special forces groups have already being trained on the ground, namely on the basis of the New Athos Monastery in Abkhazia, for the implementation of these plans.

"Thus, the operation to destabilize the situation in Ukraine with the use of the religious factor has actually been developed at the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation," Tymchuk added.
According to the archbishop, all issues regarding the Ukrainian lavras should be resolved only within the Ukrainian legislation.

Press secretary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP), Archbishop Yevstratiy (Zorya) says the Ukrainian Orthodox monasteries, namely the Kyiv-Pechersk, Pochayiv and Sviatohirsk lavras, should belong to the Ukrainian church.

Read alsoRussia mulling to use religious factor to destabilize situation in Ukraine  analyst

"As for the lavras, they are in state ownership and are only handed over to the monasteries of the Moscow Patriarchate for use. Our principled position is that these Ukrainian shrines will belong to the Ukrainian church through history, like the shrines in Russia, Romania, etc.," he told the Ukrainian news outlet Glavred on October 19.

However, according to the archbishop, it is still premature to make predictions on property belonging of the lavras.

"It's too early to predict how it will happen. Most likely, by voluntary decision of the majority of monks of these monasteries. But one thing can be argued now with accuracy and full responsibility: this process will be without violence and won't lead to any negative consequences for the church and Ukraine. Perhaps this will happen in a year, three, five or 10 years. In fact, it's not so important. The main thing is that everyone is aware of the inevitability of this move completion and the need to respect non-violence principles," he said.
First of all, the manager will act in the interests of the company that pays him.

Deputy Minister of Information Policy Dmytro Zolotukhin has said Facebook opened a vacancy of the manager responsible for the public policy in Ukraine.

Read alsoFacebook security breach allowed hackers to control accounts of up to 50 mln users  media

"This is a significant event for us, especially in the light of the events that pushed the Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine to strengthen cooperation with the Facebook office. Now we will have a person responsible for the public policy of the largest social network in Ukraine," he wrote on Facebook.

Zolotukhin noted first of all the manager would act in the interests of the company that pays him.

"However, on the other hand, it will save us from suspicion of who is really solving conflict situations regarding Ukrainian users. This is not a victory, but a very significant step toward protecting the interests of Ukrainian Facebook users," he said.
The church said it would not restore relations with Constantinople until it "ceased its lawlessness."

The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia has announced the cessation of eucharistic communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople due to the intention of the latter to grant the autocephaly to the Ukrainian church.

Read alsoMajority of Ukrainians support autocephaly of Ukrainian church  poll

"We inform our clergy and believers that the eucharistic communion with Constantinople is currently impossible, both for the bishops and the clergy, and for the laity," reads the statement.

The church said it would not restore relations with Constantinople until it "ceased its lawlessness."

The Synod emphasized the clergy of the Russian Church cannot now serve in any parish of the Church of Constantinople or invite the clergy of the latter to serve in Russian churches.

"In addition, the laity are not allowed to take communion in the churches of the Constantinople Patriarchate. We also inform the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia will not participate in any theological church meetings, as well as in dialogues, including regional assemblies of canonical bishops that are headed (or whose co-chairmen are) bishops and priests of the Church of Constantinople," it added.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on October 15, the Russian Orthodox Church issued a statement announcing a break-up in ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The move follows the statement by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to proceed to granting autocephaly to the Church of Ukraine, reinstate heads of the UOC-KP and UAOC  Filaret and Makariy  in their canonical status, as well as abolish the legal binding of the Synod's Letter of 1686, thus taking the Kyiv Metropolis from under Moscow's canonical jurisdiction.
There is no official confirmation from the Russian authorities and Balukh's lawyers yet.

Deputy Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people Akhtem Chiygoz says Ukrainian activist Volodymyr Balukh has already been convoyed to the Kerch colony.

There is no official confirmation from the Russian authorities and Balukh's lawyers yet, RFE/RL's Krym.Realii media project said.

Read alsoBalukh to be convoyed to Kerch colony  Chiygoz

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Crimean court on July 5 sentenced Ukrainian political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh to an extra five-year term in a penal colony and a RUB 10,000 fine in the second criminal case opened against him. That second case was based on claims by Valeriy Tkachenko, the head of a detention center in the village of Rozdolne, who stated Balukh had allegedly assaulted him, while the prisoner and his defense insisted that it was Tkachenko who had in fact attacked the defendant.

Balukh was detained by Russia's FSB Federal Security Service on December 8, 2016. FSB operatives claimed that they had allegedly found 90 ammunition rounds and several TNT explosives in his attic.

On March 14, 2018, the Kremlin-controlled "Supreme Court of Crimea" reviewed Balukh's original verdict and sentenced him to three years and five months in a penal colony settlement and a RUB 10,000 fine.

On March 19, Balukh said he would go on hunger strike in response to the verdict. Balukh's defense and human rights activists assert that he is a victim of repression over his public pro-Ukrainian position.

Recently, Chiygoz reported that Balukh who was kept in a Simferopol detention center had badly been beaten by the guards and faced death threats.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that evidence of the attack on Balukh would be transferred to courts.

On October 9, Balukh announced he had suspended his hunger strike during the transfer from the peninsula to a Russian-based colony.
Relatives, friends, and colleagues of the victims, along with regional and city authorities as well as thousands of local residents came to the square with flowers.

Authorities in the city of Kerch in Russia-annexed Crimea have beefed up security in the central square, where local residents bid farewell to the victims of a shooting rampage at a technical school that claimed 21 lives.

Members of the security services checked bags and belongings of people gathering at the site, where several central streets were blocked to make it possible for city residents to honor the victims on October 19, RFE/RL wrote.

Relatives, friends, and colleagues of the victims, along with regional and city authorities as well as thousands of local residents came to the square with flowers. Emergency Situations Ministry officers brought 17 coffins to the site.

Read alsoAll victims of Crimea shooting rampage identified  media

The Russia-imposed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said at the ceremony that "Crimea's modern history will now be divided into two parts, the life before October 17 and the life after October 17," and called on the relatives and friends of the victims to move on.

He then put flowers on every coffin and talked to the relatives of the victims personally.

An Orthodox priest then officiated the burial mass, reading each victim's name aloud.

Local authorities said earlier that while the majority of the victims will be buried in Kerch, some will be buried in their native regions, namely four victims will be buried in Russia's Krasnodar region and one in the Chelyabinsk region.

One victim, a Muslim, was buried on October 18 in Kerch, in accordance with Islamic traditions.

Russian authorities said earlier that an 18-year-old student of the college, Vladislav Roslyakov, gunned down 20 people at the vocational school before killing himself on October 17.

The Investigative Committee said that the shooting spree started right after a handmade explosive device detonated inside the college, wounding dozens of people, mainly students.

Crimean authorities said that investigators are looking for possible accomplices.

The local Health Ministry said on October 19 that 43 wounded people remain hospitalized, of whom 23 are being treated in various Russian regions.
Both pilots onboard the aircraft, Ukrainian and U.S. nationals, were killed in the incident.

The investigation is looking into four versions of what has caused the recent crash of a Su-27 flanker jet in Ukraine's Vinnytsia region, among them the human factor, technical malfunction, poor fuel, and weather conditions, that's according to Anatoly Matios, a top military prosecutor.

Four main versions are being worked out: the human factor midflight, technical malfunction of the aircraft, possible fueling of the aircraft with poor-quality fuel, or weather conditions that led to the catastrophe, Matios told 112 TV channel.

According to the chief military prosecutor, in July, the aircraft underwent a major overhaul along with full modernization.

Matios noted that from the moment of the repair, the aircraft saw only 20 flight hours, while its life service was extended for another 12 years.

Read alsoUkraine's Su-27 crash: Clear Sky-2018 drills to continue

We have interrogated multiple witnesses, he added, noting that the crash scene had been thoroughly inspected.

We collected human remains, scattered almost a kilometer across the area. The plane nosed down almost 1.5 meters deep into the ground, he noted.

The information is now being recovered from a flight recorder, the official said.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on October 16, at about 17:00, a Su-27 military jet crashed near the village of Ulanov, Vinnytsia region, between settlements of Berdychiv and Khmilnyk.

Both pilots  a Ukrainian Air Force pilot, and an officer of the U.S. National Guard - were killed in the crash.
There have been no Ukrainian army casualties in the past day.

Russian-led forces mounted 16 attacks on Ukrainian troops in Donbas, eastern Ukraine, in the last 24 hours.

"No casualties among Ukrainian troops have been reported in the past day. According to intelligence reports, two occupiers were killed and another four were wounded," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation said in an update on Facebook as of 07:00 Kyiv time on October 19, 2018.

Read alsoJFO: Ukraine reports two WIA's in Donbas in past 24 hours

Russian occupation forces opened aimed fire from grenade launchers of various systems, heavy machine guns and small arms to attack the defenders of the villages of Krymske, Luhanske, Nevelske, Novomykhailivka, Stepne, Chermalyk, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane, and Lebedynske.

In addition, the enemy resorted to 120mm mortars to shell the Ukrainian fortified position near Novomykhailivka, while those near Chermalyk came under fire from 82mm mortars. Moreover, the Ukrainian defenders of Lebedynske were attacked with the use of anti-tank guided missiles.

"Since Friday midnight, Russian-led forces have mounted three attacks on the Ukrainian positions near the town of Avdiyivka, and the villages of Hnutove and Vodiane, using grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms. No heavy weapons have been used. One Ukrainian soldier was wounded," reads the report.
The invaders opened fire 10 times at the positions of Ukraine's Joint Forces on Friday, October 19. One Ukrainian soldier was injured in the shelling, as reported by the Joint Forces Operation Staff.

It is noted that ceasefire violatons by Russian occupation forces included three instances of the use of weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements.

The enemy opened aimed fire from mortars, grenade launchers of various types, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms. The enemy was most active near Avdiyivka, where they employed a UAV to spot fire, the report says.

Read alsoRussia determined to "continue Donbas war": Volker

In general, the Russian occupation forces shelled Ukrainian positions in the settlements of Krymske, Troyitske, Avdiyivka, Hnutove, and Lebedynske.

As a result of the shelling in the Donetsk direction, one Ukrainian soldier was injured.

The HQ noted that when a threat arose to the life and health of the military, the command orderd to return fire.

The situation in the JFO zone remains under control.
The Church of Greece could also be shaken, as a number of Greek clergymen may support Moscow against Bartholomew.

Russia's effort to keep Ukraine under its thumb prompted a revolution in 2014 and a war that has claimed more than 10,000 lives.

It also prompted, on Monday, what may be one of the most serious splits in Christendom since the Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople in 1054 and the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago. This new crisis has deep historical roots, and could shape religious and secular ties among many countries for years to come, Nikos Konstandaras, a columnist at the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, wrote in an article for the New York Times.

"Here's what happened: The Church of Russia announced this week that it was breaking ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which has primacy in Orthodoxy and which has decided to give autonomy to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This decision stems directly from Moscow's annexation of Crimea and its support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, although Ukrainians had long been unhappy about their church remaining subordinate to Russia's, as it had been since 1686. This year, their president, Parliament and religious leaders petitioned the leader of the Constantinople Patriarchate, Bartholomew, to grant their church independence  or autocephaly, as it is known in the church," he said.

Read alsoKyiv Patriarchate says Ukrainian Orthodox lavras should belong to Ukrainian church

These developments will have serious implications within Ukraine. Its mostly Orthodox population is divided among three main churches; the newly independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate would gain influence and most likely seek to take over houses of worship and other property from the church under Moscow's jurisdiction, which, until now, was the largest in Ukraine and the only one recognized by other churches.

This will further strain relations between Ukraine and Russia. Also, the break in relations between Moscow and the Ecumenical Patriarchate could weaken the latter if other Orthodox churches follow Russia in rejecting Constantinople's primacy. The shock waves would affect relations between churches that find themselves on either side of the divide, forcing them, too, to sever ties. The churches of Poland, Serbia and Antioch (Syria) have already come out on Russia's side.

The Church of Greece could also be shaken, as a number of Greek clergymen may support Moscow against Bartholomew. Russian claims to leadership of the Orthodox Christians have appealed to many since Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 and the patriarchs became subordinate to Muslim sultans. Furthermore, the Ecumenical Patriarchate's dialogue with other faiths, including the Roman Catholic Church, is deeply unpopular with hard-line Orthodox priests and monks.

Many monks in northern Greece's self-governing monastic community of Mount Athos  regarded as the jewel in the Ecumenical Patriarchate's crown  have pro-Russian tendencies. President Vladimir Putin has emphasized his nation's interest in Athos, and has visited it twice. One of Athos's 20 monasteries, Agios Panteleimon, is home to some 60 Ukrainian and Russian monks, with a Russian abbot.

There was no immediate response from Mount Athos following the break in ties between Moscow and Constantinople, but having to choose sides would be a problem for many monks. A representative of the Moscow church has said that Russian pilgrims to Mount Athos will not be able to receive communion there.

Greece and Russia, traditional friends, have already found themselves at odds on the political level, with Athens expelling Russian diplomats in July for trying to influence public opinion against an agreement with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia under which Greece's small neighbor would be renamed Northern Macedonia.

The Macedonian Orthodox Church, which broke away from the Church of Serbia in 1967 and is not in communion with any church, has appealed to Constantinople for independent status as the Archdiocese of Ohrid. The outcome of the appeal could depend on whether the agreement between Greece and Macedonia regarding the name is ratified by both countries. This, in turn, could complicate things further with Russia and other churches opposed to Ohrid's autonomy.

As in most schisms in Christianity's history, this one is determined as much by realpolitik and national interests as by dogma. Canonical issues can determine political behavior, while politics often dictate church developments. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is asserting its ancient right to grant autonomy to churches and to judge issues of church law. Constantinople was established by the Emperor Constantine in 330 and, as the "New Rome," it came just after Rome in seniority. The schism in 1054 left Constantinople the primary church in the East. It is these rights of primacy that the Ecumenical Patriarchate is determined to defend, despite its very reduced circumstances following the city's fall to the Ottomans and the withering of its own flock in Turkey, the author said.

Read alsoRussia mulling to use religious factor to destabilize situation in Ukraine  analyst

Russia wants to project its leadership of the Orthodox world as the "Third Rome," a role it took upon itself after breaking away from Constantinople in 1448, when its leadership disagreed with efforts to unite East and West Christendom. After 1453, many Orthodox, including the Greeks, looked to Russia for salvation from the Turks.

But today Ukraine is forging a separate identity after centuries of Russian domination, strengthening ties with the European Union and the United States. Ukraine's president, Petro Poroshenko, greeted the Ecumenical Patriarchate's announcement of its decision on Oct. 11 with fighting words.

"This is the collapse of Moscow's centuries-old claims for global domination as the Third Rome," he said. "The independence of our church is part of our pro-European and pro-Ukrainian policies that we have been consistently pursuing."

On Oct. 12, Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, charged that the Ecumenical Patriarchate's decision was a "provocation" backed by the United States. On the same day, Mr. Putin discussed the issue at his Security Council. Patriarch Kirill, the leader of the Church of Russia, is a close ally of Mr. Putin's and has taken a hard line on Ukraine for years. On Monday, the governing body of the Russian Church, the Holy Synod, decided to break off relations with Constantinople.

Metropolitan Hilarion, head of the Russian church's external relations, stressed that Moscow would not abide by any decisions taken by the Ecumenical Patriarchate regarding the Ukrainian Church. "All these decisions are unlawful and canonically void," he said. "The Russian Orthodox Church does not recognize these decisions and will not follow them." He called on the Ecumenical Patriarchate to change its decision.

This is unlikely, as Bartholomew has long seen the Russian church as trying to undermine his authority. Patriarch Kirill stayed away from a Holy and Great Council hosted by Bartholomew on Crete in 2016, a meeting of all Orthodox church leaders aimed at promoting unity, which had been 55 years in the making. The patriarchs of Bulgaria, Georgia and Antioch also did not attend.

Turkey, which has enjoyed good ties lately with both Russia and Ukraine, has stayed out of the issue so far.

As for the United States, it has stressed its support for both Ukraine and Bartholomew. "The United States respects the ability of Ukraine's Orthodox religious leaders and followers to pursue autocephaly according to their beliefs," said a State Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, in September. "We respect the ecumenical patriarch as a voice of religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue."

Bartholomew needs American support. He is considered the spiritual head of the world's Orthodox Christians and "first among equals" of the 14 church leaders. Also, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America falls under Constantinople's direct jurisdiction.

Losing the Church of Russia, and any that might follow its lead, would be a serious blow to the Ecumenical Patriarchate. In church time, 1721 is not so long ago  that's when Peter the Great abolished the Russian patriarchate, appointing a Holy Synod instead. Nor is 1918, when several decades of persecution of Russian, Ukrainian and other Christians began.

The feeling at the Patriarchate, in a run-down part of Istanbul, is that things must be done correctly and when the time is right. In nearly 2,000 years, the Church of Constantinople has seen several empires rise and fall, but has remained standing  chiefly by defending its historical role and responsibility, despite the temporal cost.
In recent months the U.S. under President Donald Trump has slapped sanctions on Beijing and kicked off a trade war. That has helped solidify the Russia-China relationship.

Fresh from offering a China-scale $25 billion loan to Egypt, Russia's President Vladimir Putin was unusually relaxed and non-combative at an annual gathering of foreign and Russian analysts in Sochi.

Cracking jokes and avoiding the angry diatribes against the West that have peppered his talks with the Valdai Club in recent years, Putin on Thursday suggested Russia can afford to wait on hot-button topics  conflicts in Ukraine and Syria to U.S. sanctions  until events change in its favor, Bloomberg reported.

A better relationship with Ukraine might come after elections and a new government in Kyiv next year, Putin said. Progress with Washington could come after next month's midterm polls, or once the next presidential vote is held in 2020, he said. Greater use of alternatives to the U.S. dollar, which would reduce the ability of the U.S. to squeeze Russia's economy, would come in time, he added.

Read alsoRussia determined to "continue Donbas war": Volker

"There's an old joke: How do you relax?" Putin said, as he argued that Russia is not in the business of raising geopolitical temperatures. "Don't get tense."

Council on Foreign and Defense Policy Chairman Fyodor Lukyanov, who moderated Putin's question and answer session, described Russia as being in "don't touch'' mode. Interviewed beforehand, Lukyanov described Russia as uncertain of how the political landscape will change over the next few years. It was for now "hesitant to touch the status quo,'' he said, after a period of intense activism from Ukraine to Syria.

Putin's opinion poll ratings have been suppressed by a deteriorating economy, as well as protests over reforms to extend the number of years for which Russians must work before retiring. So his performance Thursday may reflect bravado, or even a degree of exhaustion after years of stalemate with the West.

"There was no energy'' in Putin's two-hour-plus session, said Ivan Krastev, a Valdai Club regular and chairman of the Centre for Liberal Strategies, a Bulgarian think tank. At the same time, there was also an underlying confidence, perhaps drawn from China's growing support, he said. "Now he's got company.''

In recent months the U.S. under President Donald Trump has slapped sanctions on Beijing and kicked off a trade war. That has helped solidify the Russia-China relationship (and created a thaw between China and Japan, another country in Trump's sights on trade), while lessening Moscow's isolation in its battles with Washington.
October 19 2018

Scottish Borders Council has cleared the way to demolish a failed Galashiels housing estate in order to progress plans for 115 new homes.

Waverley Housing have advanced plans to regenerate the Upper Langlee area of the town but have been delayed by a handful of homeowners who have now been bought out by the council.

The phased development has been conceived by Camerons, working in partnership with Ark Consultancy, as a complete fresh start for the area - retaining only the Beech Avenue name.

In a statement Camerons director Gavin Yuill wrote: The masterplan that we have been developing in collaboration with Waverly Housing and Ark Consultancy centres on the transformation of Upper Langlee; it responds to the communitys negative feelings towards the sites northern edge, Beech Avenue, whilst retaining all the positive aspects of the site, in terms of aspect and green spaces.

The plan allows for a mix of new build, and retained properties, with the house type balance favouring houses, rather than flats; again reflecting the community desires for the regenerated estate, and the housing data produced by Ark.

Residents have praised the views, community and amenities of Upper Langlees while criticising the external appearance of buildings following a succession of public consultations.
The Russian government is considering various options to ensure the withdrawal of the GAZ Group (part of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska business empire) the US sanctions blacklist, including with the participation of the state and other companies, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said Friday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) The Russian government is considering various options to ensure the withdrawal of the GAZ Group (part of Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska business empire) the US sanctions blacklist, including with the participation of the state and other companies, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said Friday.

The United States extended earlier on Friday the deadline for businesses to divest or transfer debt holdings from Russia's sanctioned GAZ Group until December 12.

"We are considering various options, including with the participation of the state, and with the participation of other potential buyers, because we are talking about saving tens of thousands of jobs. The Russian government, like the government of any other country, cannot remain inactive on ensuring employment of citizens ," Kozak told reporters.

Kozak acknowledged the fact that Russia was in talks with Germany's Volkswagen concern on the potential purchase of a stake in GAZ.

"There was such a dialogue, but so far no decision has been made," he said.

He added that he discussed the issue of GAZ Group restructuring with US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman earlier in the day.

On April 6, the United States imposed new sanctions against Russia, affecting a number of key businessmen and companies controlled by them. Billionaire Deripaska and his En+ Group, GAZ, Basic Element and Rusal were among the companies and individuals included on the list.
(@FahadShabbir)

Austrian Ambassador Dr Brigtta Blaha called on Acting Governor Punjab Chudhary Pervaiz Elahi and discussed regional peace bilateral relations during a meeting at the Governor's House, here on Thursday.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2018 ) :Austrian Ambassador Dr Brigtta Blaha called on Acting Governor Punjab Chudhary Pervaiz Elahi and discussed regional peace bilateral relations during a meeting at the Governor's House, here on Thursday.

Austrian Honorary Consul General (CG) in Lahore Sarmad Amin was also present during the meeting.

The Acting Governor Punjab, speaking on the occasion, said the friendly relations with Austria would be further strengthened, adding that Pakistan would hire services of Austrian experts in the energy and technical education sectors.

He said the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Austria would be enhanced.

Pervaiz Elahi said Pakistan was a peace-loving country, adding that Punjab offered vast opportunities of investment. He also talked his initiatives in health, education and agriculture sectors during his tenure as Chief Minister Punjab.

Austrian Envoy Dr Brigtta said Austria wished to see Pakistan strong and economically stable, and assured of maximum support of her government in the energy and techinal education sectors.
(@FahadShabbir)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2018 ) :Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman Prof Dr Qibla Ayyaz Thursday called on Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem.

Dr Qibla Ayaz presented the annual reports of Islamic Ideology Council for the years 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 to the Law Minister.

He told the minister that he considered Constitution of 1973 vital for Pakistan and Objectives Resolution resulted in the formation of an Islamic order for the country. Since 1973 no such law has been passed in Pakistan, which was repugnant to islam, he added.

Dr Farogh Naseem thanked the CII chairman and told him that Pakistanis had the disposition to follow the rule of law.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Oct, 2018 ) :The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued the polling scheme for the second round of by-election scheduled for Sunday.

A total of 858,866 male and female voters will be eligible to cast their ballots in the October 21 by-polls for the National Assembly constituency of NA-247 Karachi and the provincial assembly seats PS-111 Karachi and PK-71 Peshawar.

The time for campaigning for the by-polls will end at 12 midnight on Friday. Candidates will not be allowed to hold rallies, corner meetings or conduct door-to-door campaign after the deadline, while violators will be served with jail terms and fine, according to the ECP.

The three seats were vacated after the candidates elected on them in the July 25 general election tendered their resignations. All three of the winners belonged to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

Arif Alvi, who was elected from NA-247, resigned after being elected the country's president. Imran Ismail, who had won from PS-111 (Karachi South), gave up his seat after being appointed as the Sindh governor, while Shah Farman resigned from PS-71 Peshawar after being named the govenor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf leader Naeem ul Haq has said that PTI government was committed to establishing peace in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and uplift of the people.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Pakistan Tehrik e Insaf leader Naeem ul Haq has said that PTI government was committed to establishing peace in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) and uplift of the people.

Talking to Radio Pakistan, he said that development work was not possible in FATA due to war like conditions. The PTI-led government was committed to develop FATA at par with the rest of the country.

The government will continue its efforts to streamline FATA and provide opportunities to the people of Tribal belt, he added. He said that government was according priority to provide job opportunities to youth and make congenial atmosphere for foreign investment with an aim to expedite economic activities in FATA.

PTI MNA from FATA Jawad Hussain also said that communication infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, badly destroyed owing to counter-terrorism operation in FATA.

Normalization of routine life and development works in FATA was a key priority of the incumbent government, he added.

He said that government wanted to expedite economic activities in FATA for economic revival and same laws will be implementable in FATA after its merger with KP.

He said that government should take measure to strengthen Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Management. Pakistan Army secured FATA by offering unparallel sacrifices. Although, Pakistan was passing through economic crisis, yet people of FATA have reposed full confidence in the incumbent government, he added.
(@rukhshanmir)

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore on Thursday filed a reference against former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Ahad Khan Cheema for possessing assets worth Rs 600 million beyond his known sources of income.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2018 ) :The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Lahore on Thursday filed a reference against former Lahore Development Authority (LDA) Director General Ahad Khan Cheema for possessing assets worth Rs 600 million beyond his known sources of income.

The NAB submitted that Ahad Cheema had assets worth Rs 600 million, which were beyond his known sources of income.

The officer failed to satisfy the bureau regarding his assets, it added.

Accountability Court Judge Syed Najamul Hassan will conduct proceedings on the reference on October 31.

NAB had already filed a reference against Cheema and five others over their alleged role in Ashiana-i-Iqbal Housing Scheme scam.

According to the reference, Ahad Cheema caused a loss of Rs 660 million to the national exchequer in the Ashiana scam.

The project cost increased to Rs 3.4 billion, while 61,000 people, who had applied for plots in the project suffered.

Cheema was arrested in February over charges of misusing his authority and, with criminal intent, processing and awarding Ashiana-i-lqbal project contract worth Rs 14 billion to Lahore Casa Developers, a joint venture firm that was ineligible for the same. Cheema allegedly received illegalgratification in the form of 32 kanals of land.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2018 ) :Federal Health Minister Aamer Kiani has been elected as member of the prestigious Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) board.

The election was held during 65th WHO Regional Committee Meeting in Khartoum-Sudan, said a press release issued here on Thursday.

The election of health minister is a great honour for Pakistan and recognition of its role in global health at the International level. GAVI board is a high powered body which deliberates, discusses and decides about global policies on vaccination and its apparatus.

The country's elevation to the position is reflective of growing confidence of the international health fraternity in the country's health leadership.

Pakistan was also elected as Member of "pricing and marketing committee" an important subcommittee of the board.

The GAVI Board is the supreme governing body of the Vaccine Alliance. Functions of the Board includes setting of policies and strategies for GAVI and amending its by-laws and other internal guidelines and procedures necessary for the administration and management of the Vaccine Alliance.

The GAVI Board is also responsible for strategic direction and policy-making. The Board also oversees the operations of the Vaccine Alliance and monitors programme implementation.

With membership drawn from a range of partner organizations, as well as experts from the public and private sector, the GAVI Board provides a forum for balanced strategic decision making, innovation and partner collaboration.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Islamabad Police have established a cell to resolve the problems of Overseas Pakistanis on immediate basis.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Islamabad Police have established a cell to resolve the problems of Overseas Pakistanis on immediate basis. The cell has been established at office of Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) who would himself review the issues and to direct steps for their immediate resolution within 24 hours.

SSP (Operations) Syed Muhammad Amin Bukhari said that his doors are always open for the citizens who may visit at his office to lodge their issues. He said that grievances of the people would be immediately addressed who may visit him in case of illegal occupation on their land, misbehavior of policemen, violation of merit by policemen during professional duties and investigation process and delay in registration of complaints.

He has also directed all police officials to address the complaints of the citizens and fix timings to meet with the people. He said that indecent attitude of policemen with citizens would not be tolerated and strict disciplinary action to be taken against them.

The SSP (Operations) said that Islamabad police is a professional force and it would be made role model for other law enforcement agencies.
The Punjab Assembly (PA) Friday continued general discussion on annual budget 2018-19.

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :The Punjab Assembly (PA) Friday continued general discussion on annual budget 2018-19.

Six lawmakers including provincial ministers Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan and Muhammad Basharat Raja and Mumtaz Ali of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Dr Muhammad Afzal and Uzma Kardar participated in the debate.

Two newly-elected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers, Syed Sumsam Bokhari and Zohra Batool, took oath as members of the Punjab Assembly. Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari administered the oath to the new members.

On Friday, the second sitting of the third (budget) session of the current assembly commenced an hour and 40 minutes late of its schedule, with Deputy Speaker Sardar Dost Muhammad Mazari in the chair.

Finance Minister Makhdoom Hashim Jawan Bakht remained present in the house to note down members' proposals for their inclusion in the budget suggestions.

Taking part in the budget discussion, treasury members were all praise for the government for presenting a people-friendly budget in tough circumstances.

They said that the allocations made in the budget would be fairly utilised on welfare of masses. They condemned opposition for not taking part in the budget and indulging in undue protests.

They urged the opposition leader to come in the house and present positive proposals for finalising the budget.

Opposition leader in the PA, Hamza Shahbaz, did not attend the sitting as a token of protest against suspension of assembly membership of six PML-N lawmakers, as they were found guilty of damaging belongings of the House during the budget speech.

Earlier, as the session started, a PML-N lawmaker Mian Tahir Jamil pointed out quorum, but it was found complete on head count.

On the second instance, the same opposition lawmaker again identified the quorum and the chair ordered for ringing bells for five minutes and the treasury fetched the required strength in the house. However, the chair adjourned the House to meet again on Oct 22, 2018 at 2pm.
Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony is still awaiting the Saudi government's reply regarding exemption of SAR 2,000 additional fee imposed on multiple time Umrah performers.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony is still awaiting the Saudi government's reply regarding exemption of SAR 2,000 additional fee imposed on multiple time Umrah performers.

A spokesman of the Ministry said in a statement on Friday that the ministry had not yet received the formal information about the exemption of additional Umrah fee to second timers.

The Saudi government had imposed SAR 2,000 on all Pakistani multiple Umrah pilgrims.

The main aim of Saudi authorities was to minimize the rush of pilgrims besides improving facilities to Umrah pilgrims.

Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri had pursued the case of Pakistani pilgrims before Saudi ambassador.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had also taken up the issue with Saudi Crown Prince Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to exempt Pakistani Umrah Zaireen from additional fee.

Saudi Prince had assured sympathetic consideration of the issue.

He said the news of granting exemption to multiple Umrah performers was being reported by some news papers and social media, which has not yet confirmed by the Saudi authorities.

He said as soon the news of grant of exemption by Saudi authorities to multiple Umrah performers was confirmed, the ministry would share it with the media immediately through social media and upload it at its website.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) here on Friday signed a contract worth Rs 4.90 billion with M/s China Gansu International Corporation for Economic and Technical Cooperation (CGICOP) for construction of Project Colony and Infrastructure (PCI-01R), one of the components of Dasu Hydropower Project.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :The Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) here on Friday signed a contract worth Rs 4.90 billion with M/s China Gansu International Corporation for Economic and Technical Cooperation (CGICOP) for construction of Project Colony and Infrastructure (PCI-01R), one of the components of Dasu Hydropower Project.

General Manager/Project Director Dasu Hydropower Project, Javed Akhtar and CGICOP Principal Officer Mr. Guan Wei signed the agreement on behalf of their organizations in a ceremony. Dasu Hydropower Project Management, representatives of the Project Consultants and CGICOP were also present on the occasion, said a press release.

The contract includes construction of Project Colony and Infrastructure including road network, distribution network for water supply and water treatment works, sewerage system network, waste water treatment works, electrification of colony, boundary wall and permanent security watch towers. The contract is scheduled to be completed in about two years.

Dasu Hydropower Project will be completed in two stages. The World Bank is partially providing funds for construction of the Stage-1 of Dasu Hydropower Project.

On completion in five years as per PC-I, Stage-1 of the project will contribute more than 12 billion units per annum. The Stage-II, after its completion will also provide another 9 billion units to the National Grid every year. The construction work on Main Civil Works of Stage-1 has been commenced in 2017. In addition, the construction work on eight different contracts relating to preparatory works in the area is also underway. These preparatory works include construction of right bank access roads, relocation of Karakoram Highway (KKH), construction of transmission line and grid station to provide electricity from Dubair Khwar Hydel Power Station to the site for implementing the project and resettlement sites for affectees.

The project being constructed by WAPDA on River Indus 7km upstream of Dasu Town in Kohistan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, is a vital development project not only for the Country but also for KP Province, as the project will stabilize the economy of Pakistan by providing low-cost hydel electricity besides triggering a new era of socio-economic development in the far flung areas of KP Province.
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Thousands of Bangladeshi music fans gathered in the capital on Friday to mourn the sudden death of one of the country's most famous rock stars.

Dhaka, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Thousands of Bangladeshi music fans gathered in the capital on Friday to mourn the sudden death of one of the country's most famous rock stars.

Ayub Bachchu, widely known as AB among his fans, started his music career in 1978 and was one of the pioneers of the celebrated underground rock music scene in Bangladesh.

The 57-year-old was also credited with introducing the blues music genre to Bangladeshi audiences and created several smash-hit rock tracks with his band love Runs Blind.

He was declared dead at a Dhaka hospital after a cardiac arrest on Thursday.
(@FahadShabbir)

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is ready to back the idea of creating and developing an online university, which would teach students remotely using information technologies.

GRODNO, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is ready to back the idea of creating and developing an online university, which would teach students remotely using information technologies.

The head of state made the statement as he talked to students of Grodno universities on 19 October, BelTA has learned.

Alexander Lukashenko said: "I am ready to support it. We are participants of the CIS online university.

I think two Belarusian universities participate in it for now." Online universities are designed to teach students remotely using resources of several universities.

In his words, pooling resources of several universities of the CIS states has been done before. "We already have experience like that.

It is a return of the past after the ties were broken. There is nothing wrong with it," noted the Belarusian leader.

Speaking about the remote education of students in such a university, Alexander Lukashenko noted it is unavoidable. "We are now heavily investing in IT. We are switching everything to digital technologies.

Why can't we talk and get education remotely in some other university? I don't see problems with that," said the president.

During the meeting it was noted that such practice had already been implemented in Belarus. For instance,the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno has signed an online education agreement with a highereducation institution in Baranovichi. Remote education methods are being mastered among other things.
(@rukhshanmir)

Belgium, which will become a temporary member of the UN Security Council in 2019, is ready to cooperate with Russia, a permanent a member of the council, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Friday.

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) Belgium, which will become a temporary member of the UN Security Council in 2019, is ready to cooperate with Russia, a permanent a member of the council, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Michel met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in the Belgian capital.

"Belgium will become a non-permanent member of the Security Council starting in January, 2019. So there is an opportunity to closely cooperate with all members of the Security Council, in particular, with Russia on a daily basis. We will have regular consultations, in particular, a delegation will visit Russia in the near future to discuss how we will build our cooperation in the Security Council," Michel said.

Speaking about the EU-imposed sanctions on Russia, the Belgian prime minister noted that restrictions were not an ultimate goal for the bloc.

"Sanctions are not a goal in itself. They should be accompanied by political dialogue, including at the highest level. Even when it comes to topics on which we do not instantly agree, we express different points of view, [dialogue] is the best way to avoid escalation, which will lead to a lower level of security. So dialogue is the way to help us reduce tensions," Michel said.

Relations between Russia and the European Union soured over the 2014 crisis in Ukraine when the bloc imposed economic sanctions on Moscow. Russia denied a role in the armed conflict in Ukraine's east and retaliated by imposing food embargo on EU states.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Bulgarian prosecutors on Friday indicted a man accused of the murder of a television journalist and the court hearing the case ordered him to remain in custody pending trial.

Sofia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Bulgarian prosecutors on Friday indicted a man accused of the murder of a television journalist and the court hearing the case ordered him to remain in custody pending trial.

Severin Krasimirov, 20, was handcuffed and under heavy guard when he appeared before the regional court in the northern town of Ruse.

He told journalists that he had approached journalist Viktoria Marinova and hit her in the face.

"Yes, I am guilty. I am sorry, I can't believe I did this," he said.

Prosecutors called for him to be tried for Marinova's murder.

According to media reports, he had already admitted that to police in Germany where he was arrested.

But he said he had not known that Marinova had died.

If convicted, Krasimirov faces a possible life sentence for the murder.

The body of the 30-year-old television presenter was found near a jogging path along the Danube in Ruse on October 6.

Authorities said she died from blows to the head and suffocation.

The case shocked Bulgaria and drew strong international condemnation as observers suspected a possible connection between the crime and Marinova's work.

However investigators found no evidence to support this theory.
(@FahadShabbir)

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and French President Emmanuel Macron have discussed the development of the Chinese-French trade and investment cooperation, also voicing their readiness to support high-level bilateral contacts, on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Brussels, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and French President Emmanuel Macron have discussed the development of the Chinese-French trade and investment cooperation, also voicing their readiness to support high-level bilateral contacts, on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Brussels, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"China is ready to work together with the French side, to plan the next step of our high-level bilateral contacts, and to promote long-term, healthy and stable development of the Chinese-French relations," Li was quoted as saying in the statement.

The premier also emphasized China's commitment to enhancing "mutual frankness" in its relations with France, and to promote continuous balanced growth of trade and investment.

"Just as always, China intends to support the unity, stability and prosperity of the European Union. As the current international situation is rather difficult and complex, we are ready to cooperate with France and the European Union on protecting multilateralism and free trade," Li noted.

Macron, in response, voiced his side's commitment to maintaining high-level contacts with China. He said that a road map for further steps in trade and investment cooperation should be created as soon as possible, emphasizing France's willingness to actively promote trade and investment between the two countries' companies.

"France hopes for further deepening of the two countries' business cooperation in various spheres, including nuclear technologies and agriculture, and it also hopes that mutually beneficial results will be reached. The French side firmly supports multilateralism, and is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with France on the World Trade Organization reform, on the climate change, and on other issues," the French president said.

The ASEM forum, uniting 51 European and Asian nations, started in Brussels on Thursday and will last through Friday.
Chinese development and the impressive results of the Belt and Road Initiative are continuously attracting European interest. This makes the 2018 Brussels Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), being attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, as perhaps more important than previous ones.

It offers an opportunity for the EU to demonstrate to its Asian partners that it is able to promote its own specific policy for mutually-beneficial cooperation, called the EU-Asia connectivity strategy.

It acknowledges the role of China in contributing to the growth of Asian GDP, and, to a smaller extent, Europe. Now, however, it wants to create better conditions for working together.

For example, European policy-makers have introduced a screening mechanism for Chinese investments that focuses on alleged security dangers. They are also demanding more investment and acquisition opportunities for European companies in Asia, creating what they call a "level playing field."

In that regard, Li's presence in Brussels is meaningful. He is finding a new opportunity to explain the very nature of the Belt and Road Initiative and appease rising concerns that have been articulated in recent European Commission documents.

To start with, the Belt and Road Initiative has to be understood as an inclusive project. Although China's contribution to connectivity takes the lion's share, the participation of other countries is highly encouraged. That is not a Chinese political cliche but the reality.

To better understand this, here is a simple example. Several train services are connecting Chinese cities with European ones. Although they reach Europe almost full with commodities, they return home half-empty, even though China is seeking to import more products from Europe and other regions.

President Xi Jinping set specific targets concerning this in his keynote speech during the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in May 2017. It is now the turn of European member states to refresh their export strategies and find new destination markets within China and beyond  after all, before reaching Chinese markets, trains have to pass through countries such as Russia and Kazakhstan.

Additionally, the level playing field demanded by the EU does not cause frustration in Beijing. Actually, it's in line with the opening-up and reform phase that China is gradually and systematically undergoing.

With the passage of time, more foreign companies are able to further invest in China and even increase their ownership shares in some sectors of the economy. This had been unthinkable a few years ago, but not any longer.

One of the problems in Europe is knowledge of Chinese affairs is limited and remains Westernized. If more attention is paid to the Chinese policies themselves, useful insights are offered.

It is not always easy for China and the EU to find common ground on investment projects and acquisitions. This is not surprising, nor is it necessarily worrying. Business interests are often contradictory as enterprises aim at increasing their profits. The theme goes beyond China and the EU as enterprises of different nationality compete to win new contracts.

What perhaps matters more is that connectivity should generally be seen as a mutual goal. Prosperity in the Asia-Europe region does not constitute the privilege of a single player. It is a shared good.

In fostering connectivity between Asia and Europe, China has already employed its own narrative that has been largely successful. Europe's response  although belated and formulated as a needed response rather than as an original plan  is welcome.

China not only encourages the participation of other countries but is aware it cannot work alone and, indeed, does not want to do so. It already has a constructive experience in the region by complementing the Belt and Road Initiative with projects such as the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union. Despite the conventional wisdom in the West, the BRI and the Eurasian Economic Union intersect in several fields.

All in all, with his participation in the 2018 ASEM, Li Keqiang is sending a clear message for closer economic collaboration and respect for multilateralism.

Of course, the insistence on multilateralism does not mean bilateral ties are less significant. Li also arranged meetings with the leaders of the Netherlands and Belgium in Amsterdam and Brussels respectively. Both these countries envision additional benefits by participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, and this is yet another indication that China is not as isolated as its critics say.

George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:





http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm





Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Comoros President Azali Assoumani offered rebels on Anjouan island an amnesty to surrender weapons, aiming to end a week of violence between security forces and insurgent fighters, according to documents seen Friday.

Mutsamudu, Comoros, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Comoros President Azali Assoumani offered rebels on Anjouan island an amnesty to surrender weapons, aiming to end a week of violence between security forces and insurgent fighters, according to documents seen Friday.

"(Assoumani) is willing to offer immunity to any civilian who surrenders their weapon to military authorities," said the deal signed by the central government and the opposition-controlled Anjouan administration.
Comoros president offered rebels on Anjouan island an amnesty to surrender weapons under a deal with opposition leaders to end four-days of violence between troops and insurgents, according to documents seen Friday.

Mutsamudu, Comoros, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Comoros president offered rebels on Anjouan island an amnesty to surrender weapons under a deal with opposition leaders to end four-days of violence between troops and insurgents, according to documents seen Friday.

"(President Azali Assoumani) is willing to offer immunity to any civilian who surrenders their weapon to military authorities," said the deal signed by the central government and the opposition-controlled Anjouan administration.

The government has sent in reinforcements to quell the unrest, which follows months of tension over Assoumani's attempts to extend term limits through planned constitutional changes that could see him rule for 11 more years.

Assoumani won a referendum in July allowing him to scrap the rotation of the presidency between the country's three main islands after one term. Anjouan had been next in line.
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Cyprus turned down appeals from the country's ailing airline Cobalt for more time to find investors as it withdrew the carrier's operating licence, officials said Friday.

Nicosia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Cyprus turned down appeals from the country's ailing airline Cobalt for more time to find investors as it withdrew the carrier's operating licence, officials said Friday.

"We wanted more time, but our licence was revoked," Cobalt's chairman Grigoris Diakos told state radio, a day after the carrier's sudden collapse.

"We asked for a suspension (of the licence), we needed two months to find a strategic investor after the Chinese investor pulled out," he added.

Diakos said there were "one or two serious proposals" from potential investors.

But the Cyprus Air Transport Licensing Authority (ATLA) decided to revoke the licence, senior transport ministry official Alecos Michaelides said.

A temporary suspension was ruled out because there was no sign of a solid rescue plan.

"A company that is constantly posting losses, and especially losses of around 30 million (Euros, or $34 million) a year over a three-year period, cannot survive," Michaelides told ANT1 television.

He said the strategic Chinese investors were estimated to have ploughed in $114 million, but losses had continued unabated.

Although the airline's licence has been revoked, it can reapply to resume operations once it finds the necessary financing, the government said, although it could also face legal action.

Cobalt Air ceased all operations at Wednesday midnight and entered an administration process, after only two years and three months of operations.

Transport Minister Vassiliki Anastassiadou has said $2.3 million have allocated for the repatriation of thousands of passengers left stranded by Cobalt's collapse.

Cyprus said it will pay to ensure hundreds of Cobalt passengers stranded on the holiday island can return home safely.

Cobalt was launched in 2016, filling the void to become the Mediterranean island's biggest airline after state-owned Cyprus Airways went bankrupt in January 2015.
Arif Naqvi, founder of the embattled private equity firm Abraaj, who is now facing corruption allegations, offered a $20 million payment to businessman Navaid Malik to sell its stake in Pakistan-based K-Electric Ltd through the assistance of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Shehbaz, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) claimed in a lengthy investigative report.

NEW YORK, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2018 ) :Arif Naqvi, founder of the embattled private equity firm Abraaj, who is now facing corruption allegations, offered a $20 million payment to businessman Navaid Malik to sell its stake in Pakistan-based K-Electric Ltd through the assistance of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Shehbaz, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) claimed in a lengthy investigative report.

Citing the Dubai-based firm's emails and 'people familiar with the situation', the report said Naqvi, a Pakistani businessman, needed Sharifs' "cooperation" as the Pakistan government owns a stake in K-Electric, which supplies electricity to Karachi, and its approval would be required for the sale to go through.

Shehbaz Sharif, the former Punjab chief minister who now heads PML-N, was 'willing to give a strong endorsement' of the deal to Chinese bidders, Malik said, according to the newspaper report, which cited a October 2015 email to Naqvi from Abraaj partner Omar Lodhi. Malik said it was "important for him to share every detail with the brothers and get their blessings as well as their instructions as to how this money should be distributed,"such as "a portion to charity"or "a portion to the election fund kitty," Lodhi reportedly wrote in the email.

When Naqvi emailed Lodhi about the $20 million contract for Malik in June 2016, he wrote, according to WSJ, "This document is explosive in the wrong hands." Abraaj and K-Electric shouldn't be named in the document, he wrote: "Keep it generic.

" "Noted," Lodhi responded, according to WSJ, which said Malik didn't respond to requests for comment.

In a report documenting Abraaj's fall, the newspaper said it began in February when an article from WSJ reported that investors were questioning the use of their investments destined for company's healthcare fund. Naqvi set up a healthcare fund by securing commitments from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other Western Institutions. The fund's investments include Islamabad Diagnostic Centre in Pakistan and hospital chain Quality Care India.

The article claims that, "documents from liquidators, auditors and investors show that Abraaj moved investor money meant for hospitals and companies into accounts that paid its own expenses, salaries and loans. Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi denies any wrongdoing and says the transfers were appropriate." The article which pointed out some of the known details of the fund's collapse include using investor's money to pay for its own expenses, borrowing money against its own stakes in its funds and a highly unstable business model. The article alleges that, "Abraaj has defaulted on more than $1 billion of debt." Meanwhile, Arif Naqvi has denied media reports that he was involved in corruption surrounding the sale of the embattled private equity funds stake in Pakistans K-Electric and again denied any misuse or appropriation of Abraaj funds.
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Four French marines were injured in an accident involving a helicopter on an assault ship in the North Sea, the armed forces said Friday.

Paris, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Four French marines were injured in an accident involving a helicopter on an assault ship in the North Sea, the armed forces said Friday.

The accident took place about 70 nautical miles (about 130 kilometres) off the coast of Dunkirk on Wednesday night, when the combat helicopter attempted to take off from the Dixmude ship for a training flight, the military said in a statement on Twitter, without giving details.

The helicopter's crew escaped unharmed but four navy members working on the flight deck were injured, one seriously.

The seriously injured member was initially treated in the ship's hospital before being evacuated to a military hospital, the statement said, adding that the cause of the accident was being investigated.
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BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) The Bundestag, the German parliament, on Thursday voted to prolong the involvement of the Federal Defense Forces, or the Bundeswehr, in the activities of the international US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State terror group (IS, banned in Russia) in Iraq and Syria until October 31, 2019, local media reported on Thursday.

In early October, the German government has announced that it had approved the prolongation of the Bundeswehr's mission as part of the coalition.

The German military's activities there include reconnaissance, air refueling, provision of personnel, participation in the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS), as well as training Iraqi servicemen.

German military instructors have been deployed in Iraq since 2014. The mission includes around 800 personnel.
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Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban will back a German MEP who once favoured EU legal action against Hungary as a candidate to succeed EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, a cabinet chief said Thursday.

Budapest, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2018 ) :Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban will back a German MEP who once favoured EU legal action against Hungary as a candidate to succeed EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, a cabinet chief said Thursday.

His choice, German conservative Manfred Weber, is head of the centre-right European People's Party in the European Parliament. Orban's populist right-wing Fidesz party is also a member.

Weber is vying with fellow EPP MEP, former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, to be nominated as the party's "Spitzenkandidat" or "lead candidate" in the race for the EU Commission's top job when Juncker steps down next year.

Even though Weber -- who enjoys German Chancellor Angela Merkel's support -- voted in favour of the EU taking action against Budapest for undermining the bloc's values, Orban would choose the German MEP, cabinet chief Antal Rogan said.

Orban would "definitely support the Bavarian politician from the EPP's Christian democratic wing, rather than (Stubb), who belongs to the EPP's liberal wing," MTI news agency quoted Rogan as saying.

The EPP is scheduled to select its candidate at a party congress in Helsinki next month.

Under the "Spitzenkandidat" system, the largest party in the European Parliament after elections nominates its contenders for the post.

Juncker, the former Luxembourg premier, has been dogged by health concerns and is scheduled to step down in the middle of next year after a term marked by a series of crises, including a huge influx of refugees, soaring debt and Brexit.

Orban, who is fiercely anti-immigration, says he is building a "Christian democracy" in Hungary, but has often clashed with Brussels over migration policy and human rights issues.
Russia's Investigative Committee said Friday it had opened a criminal investigation into an explosion at a fireworks factory outside St. Petersburg that killed at least one person.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) Russia's Investigative Committee said Friday it had opened a criminal investigation into an explosion at a fireworks factory outside St. Petersburg that killed at least one person.

"A criminal case has been opened over the violation of safety rules at explosion-prone facilities, which resulted in the death of a person by negligence," the committee said in a statement.

"One worker died in the explosion, another five people were taken to hospital, two of them are in a serious condition," the statement said.

The explosion occurred earlier in the day at the Avangard fireworks factory in the Gatchina district of the Leningrad region. According to earlier reports by local emergencies services, the entire four-floor building collapsed and at least two people were killed, while several others could still be under the rubble.
TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) Senior officials from Japanese and North Korean intelligence agencies held a secret meeting in Mongolia on October 6-8, media reported on Friday.

The Japanese side had been was represented at the talks in Ulaanbaatar by Shigeru Kitamura, the head of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, and a close associate of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Kyodo news agency reported, citing informed sources.

North Korea, in its turn, dispatched a group including a senior figure from the United Front Department of the Workers' Party, according to the outlet.

"I heard they discussed how the abduction issue should be solved between Japan and North Korea," a Japanese senior government official told the agency, admitting that the meeting in the Mongolian capital took place.

According to the agency, North Korea had unofficially notified Japan that Minoru Tanaka, one of 17 nationals, believed that Tokyo to have been abducted by Pyongyang decades ago, had actually entered North Korea. Kitamura might have covered the issue of whereabouts of Tanaka and other abductees during the talks in Mongolia, the outlet suggested.

Kyodo noted that the meeting between Japanese and North Korean intelligence officials has been the first talks of this kind in around three months following Kitamura's meeting with Kim Song Hye, the head of the United Front Department's tactical office in Vietnam in mid-July.
(@FahadShabbir)

WikiLeaks whistleblowing organization said Friday that lawyer Baltasar Garzon arrived in Ecuador to file a lawsuit over the "isolation and gagging" of Julian Assange, the organization founder, who has been staying in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for years.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) WikiLeaks whistleblowing organization said Friday that lawyer Baltasar Garzon arrived in Ecuador to file a lawsuit over the "isolation and gagging" of Julian Assange, the organization founder, who has been staying in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for years.

Earlier in the day, Sky news broadcaster reported that Assange's legal team would challenge Ecuadorian authorities that granted him asylum over the WikiLeaks founder's lack of access to the outside world and other issues with his stay in the embassy.

"WikiLeaks' lawyer Judge Baltasar Garzon arrives in Ecuador to file case today over @JulianAssange's isolation and gagging. Hearing next week," the organization said on Twitter.
Water diversion project channels 4B cubic meters of water to Beijing

As of 21:48 on Oct. 18, a total of 4 billion cubic meters of water has been transferred to Beijing from the Danjiangkou Reservoir in central China's Hubei province, and this source of stable-quality water has benefitted more than 12 million Beijing residents, according to the Beijing Office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Construction Committee.

Miyun Reservoir in northern Beijing. [File photo]







A record amount of water transferred to Beijing

The Central Route (Phase I) of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project was completed on Dec. 12, 2014. On the 27th of that month, water from the Danjiangkou Reservoir entered Beijing. Once the project started operation, the Beijing Office standardized and refined management approaches to guarantee its steadily improving performance.

From the end of 2014, the diversion project has operated safely in Beijing for 1,392 consecutive days, and the maximum capacity of water entering the city reached 3.71 million cubic meters a day.

The water supply has been stable, and the project has achieved the desired results. The total water supply from the project was recorded as 703 million cubic meters in 2014-15, followed by 1.11 billion cubic meters in 2015-16 and 1.03 billion cubic meters in 2016-17. As of Oct. 4 this year, the water supply reached a yearly record-breaking 1.11 billion cubic meters.

Based on the current volume of water flow, by Oct. 31, the amount of water transferred will exceed 1.2 billion cubic meters this year.

70 percent of transferred water for household use

Following the guidelines on overall planning of water consumption and control, the Beijing municipal government proposed a refined management scheme to make the most of the diversion project. The government advocates saving water, controlling pollution, and protecting the environment instead of totally relying on the project, and stresses the necessity for metering, tracking and monitoring in the whole water diversion process.

Supplying water for domestic use is the priority of the diversion project. Among the 4 billion cubic meters of water transferred to Beijing, 2.67 billion cubic meters was directed to water works, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the total amount.

The rest of the water was to serve the strategic reserve purpose. A total of 1.01 billion cubic meters of water was delivered to the reservoirs in suburban areas of Beijing, or stored as emergency water sources, while the last 322 million cubic meters was used to replenish the rivers and lakes in central Beijing, ensuring water supply in the capital.

Stable quality wins positive feedback

According to the Beijing Office of the project, the 4 billion cubic meters of transferred water greatly increased the total amount of water resources in Beijing, ensured the security of urban water supply, and improved water conditions for urban residents. It also led to a valuable water conservation period for the city.

Water from the diversion project shows stable quality and enjoys positive feedbacks from the urban residents of Beijing, who describe the water as containing less scale and presenting a slightly sweet flavor. The municipal government launched a project to replace the outdated water supplying facilities to benefit more than 1 million residents. Water supply infrastructure, such as the Shijingshan Water Works, the Yizhuang Water Works, and the Daxing International Airport Water Works, will further expand the impact of the water diversion project.

Through the gradual shutdown of privately-excavated wells, Beijing effectively promoted the conservation and restoration of underground water resources, and curbed the declining trend of underground water levels and the formation of funnel areas. By the end of September, the depth of underground water had increased 2.12 meters, compared with the same time last year.

Auxiliary projects to secure water supply in Beijing

Beijing built a prototype network to ensure the flow of the water transferred from the water diversion project, as well as a water supply loop line along the West 4th Ring Road and the East, South and North 5th Ring Roads. Together with the East-West water supply branch lines and the Miyun Reservoir, the loop line will help secure water supply in Beijing.

The Beijing Urban Master Plan (2016-2035) mandates that "by 2020, the per capita water resources of Beijing will increase to about 185 cubic meters, and by 2035, about 220 cubic meters." To realize this, the Beijing Office of the water diversion project is vigorously promoting the construction of key projects, such as the Daxing branch line and the Hexi branch line.

As an auxiliary project to the water diversion project, the Daxing branch line can be connected to the auxiliary project in neighboring Hebei province. Once completed, the Daxing branch line will not only serve the water demand in the Daxing International Airport area, but also integrate into the water supply network of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, further enhancing water supply safety in the region.




(@FahadShabbir)

A Maldivian court overturned the 19-month jail term of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Thursday, a month after the former president's estranged half-brother and jailer suffered a shock election drubbing.

Colombo, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2018 ) :A Maldivian court overturned the 19-month jail term of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Thursday, a month after the former president's estranged half-brother and jailer suffered a shock election drubbing.

Gayoom, 80, ruled the largely island nation for 30 straight years until he was defeated at the country's first multi-party elections in 2008.

He was arrested in February and accused of participating in an alleged coup during a crackdown on rivals of strongman President Abdulla Yameen, in charges his family and observers said were politically-motivated.

Gayoom was granted bail at the end of September, a week after Yameen lost national elections that had been skewed heavily in his favour.

On Thursday a court in the capital Male quashed Gayoom's conviction for obstruction of justice -- a charge that arose when he refuse to hand over his mobile phone to police.

Gayoom is one of many political opponents and dissidents who were jailed or forced into exile during Yameen's strongman rule.

Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically-elected president, was convicted on a terrorism charge and sentenced to 13 years in prison in 2015 after a trial characterised by Amnesty International as a "travesty of justice".

He obtained prison leave in 2016 to travel to London for medical treatment and has remained abroad since.
(@FahadShabbir)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2018) The 12th Asian Defense Minister Meeting (ADMM)  talks between top defense officials from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)  as well as the fifth meeting of the ADMM-Plus broader group will begin in Singapore on Thursday.

The ADMM-Plus meeting will include ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners, such as China, India, Russia and the United States, among others. It has been designed to improve regional security and efforts to fight terrorism.

The talks will conclude on Saturday and will also include the ceremony for the handing over the ADMM chairmanship from Singapore to Thailand.

ASEAN comprises 10 Southeast Asian countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Friday received Russian president's special envoy to the Middle East and North Africa Mikhail Bogdanov in the capital of Asmara for talks on a broad range of issues, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki on Friday received Russian president's special envoy to the middle East and North Africa Mikhail Bogdanov in the capital of Asmara for talks on a broad range of issues, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"They discussed a range of issues related to promoting a mutually beneficial trade, economic and humanitarian Russian-Eritrean cooperation, focusing on ways of advancing promising joint projects pertaining to extraction of mineral resources, finances, education," the ministry said.

It was agreed that the two countries would deepen their political dialogue on global issues and work together on tearing down barriers to dialogue between Eritrea and its neighbors in the Horn of Africa.

The Red Sea nation in eastern Africa broke away from Ethiopia after a UN-overseen independence referendum in 1993, but the bloody struggle over disputed land continued until 2000, killing around 80,000 people. A peace accord was signed last month in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
TASHKENT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday arrived for an official visit to Uzbekistan where he will meet with his counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The two presidents are expected to sign various bilateral agreements as a result of their talks.

Moreover, Putin and Mirziyoyev will attend the plenary session of a Russia-Uzbekistan forum of inter-regional cooperation devoted to agriculture. The presidents will also participate in the ceremony of the launch of the construction of the Uzbek first nuclear power plant (NPP) via video link-up.
Uzbekistan and Russia signed business deals worth more than $27 billion on Friday as Russian President Vladimir Putin paid his first state visit to the former Soviet republic since long-ruling leader Islam Karimov died in 2016.

Tashkent, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :Uzbekistan and Russia signed business deals worth more than $27 billion on Friday as Russian President Vladimir Putin paid his first state visit to the former Soviet republic since long-ruling leader islam Karimov died in 2016.

"Uzbekistan is our loyal ally and our strategic partner... We will do all we can to strengthen our cooperation," Putin said while meeting Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev in the capital Tashkent.

"Dear Russian friends, welcome to Uzbekistan!" read huge billboards along the main roads of Tashkent where Russian and Uzbek flags flew side by side.

At a business forum running parallel to talks between the pair, delegations representing the two sides on Friday signed deals worth $27.

1 billion, according to the Uzbek economy ministry.

Bilateral trade between the two countries jumped by more than a third year-on-year to $3.7 billion in 2017 as Uzbekistan shakes off nearly three decades of economic isolation under Karimov's rule.

Karimov, who died of a reported stroke in 2016, maintained generally good relations with Moscow but was wary of the Kremlin's influence over Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region.

Mirziyoyev, who served as Karimov's prime minister for 13 years, has publicly honoured his memory and kept the authoritarian regime intact while also reversing some of his predecessor's most controversial policies.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells will travel to Bangladesh this month to visit refugee camps that shelter nearly one million Rohingya, the US Department of State said in a news release on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells will travel to Bangladesh this month to visit refugee camps that shelter nearly one million Rohingya, the US Department of State said in a news release on Friday.

"On October 21, Wells will travel to Cox's Bazar to visit refugee camps sheltering nearly one million Rohingya, most of whom fled Burma in the wake of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the Burmese military in Rakhine State," the release said.

In addition to visiting the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Wells will also meet with senior Bangladeshi officials in Dhaka to discuss the strengthening of the US-Bangladesh partnership, the release said.

Moreover, Wells will also discuss with Bangladeshi officials collaboration on building a prosperous, secure and interconnected Indo-Pacific region, the release added.

Wells will leave for Bangladesh on Saturday and will end her trip on Tuesday, according to the release.
(@rukhshanmir)

At least three members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara, were killed or injured in Iraq's north on Thursday as a result of an air operation carried out by the Turkish forces, local media reported.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2018) At least three members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara, were killed or injured in Iraq's north on Thursday as a result of an air operation carried out by the Turkish forces, local media reported.

According to the Anadolu news agency, citing the Turkish military, the militants were preparing attacks on the Turkish bases in Iraq's Metina region.

Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK collapsed over a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by the PKK members.

The Turkish forces are involved in anti-PKK raids across the country and in northern Iraq.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The Turkish security forces have killed, captured or forced to surrender at least 33 militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) across Turkey and in the north of Iraq over the past week, local media reported on Friday, citing the country's General Staff.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) The Turkish security forces have killed, captured or forced to surrender at least 33 militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) across Turkey and in the north of Iraq over the past week, local media reported on Friday, citing the country's General Staff.

The General Staff said via its official Twitter account that the security forces had carried out raids on October 12-18 and destroyed 16 shelters and depots used by militants, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The security forces also neutralized four PKK militants, who were preparing attacks against Turkish military bases, in northern Iraq during air operations on Thursday, the General Staff said, according to the news outlet.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey. The two sides have been engaged in an armed conflict since 1984 over Kurds' aspiration to achieve autonomy. In 2013, the PKK and Ankara signed a ceasefire agreement, however, it collapsed just two years later over a number of terror attacks allegedly committed by the militants. The Turkish security forces carry out regular anti-PKK raids across the country and conduct airstrikes against the group in Iraq.
(@rukhshanmir)

The United Nations is providing humanitarian aid to North Korea and will continue to do so, even as the US blocks American aid workers from traveling to the communist nation, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) The United Nations is providing humanitarian aid to North Korea and will continue to do so, even as the US blocks American aid workers from traveling to the communist nation, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday.

"The UN system continues to work in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea [North Korea] to alleviate the humanitarian situation there," Dujarric stated. "We're obviously concerned about the underfunding of our own work. I'll leave it at that."

Dujarric's statement came when asked to comment on a US decision to cut off humanitarian aid to Pyongyang.

Since September, the State Department has refused to grant special permission for American aid workers to travel to North Korea, US media reported last week.

The UN World food Program (WFP) has appealed this year for more than $50 million for North Korea, where the WFP estimates 10 million people are undernourished.

Some donors and companies, including shipping companies, have been reluctant to fund or to get involved in aid programs for North Korea due to US and UN sanctions, WFP officials said.
The United Nations has asked the government of Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate the commander of the nation's peacekeeping contingent in Mali due to recently received information on human rights abuses, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) The United Nations has asked the government of Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate the commander of the nation's peacekeeping contingent in Mali due to recently received information on human rights abuses, United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday.

"Following a review of the human rights background of the commander of the Sri Lankan contingent deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, the [UN] secretariat has requested that the government of the Democratic Socialist Government of Sri Lanka to immediately repatriate him to Sri Lanka," Dujarric said, without naming the commander.

"He will be leaving immediately. We'll find out if he's physically there, but it won't be long if he is."

Dujarric explained that decision to dismiss the commander was based on recently received information.

In July, the Observer reported that senior Sri Lankan officers accused of war crimes against Tamil rebels in 2009, the final phase of the Tamil insurgency, have been deployed to UN operations in Mali, Lebanon, Darfur and South Sudan.

The newspaper based its article on a confidential 41-page report by the South-Africa based International Truth and Justice Project.

Published reports have identified the commander as Lt. Col. Kalana Amunupure.
 Flash

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia shall be given "a few more days" on its probe of the disappearance of a journalist.





Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he has decided to cancel his coming trip to the kingdom after meeting with Pompeo.





Speaking to reporters at the White House, Pompeo said he had briefed President Donald Trump about his just-concluded visit to Saudi Arabia and Turkey.





Pompeo said Washington will wait for the outcome of the investigation into the missing Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabia and Turkey before deciding the U.S. response.





"I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so we can get a complete understanding...," Pompeo said.





The U.S. top diplomat added that the Saudi side had said they would conduct a "complete, thorough investigation of all the facts" related to Khashoggi's disappearance, "and that they will do so in a timely fashion."





He also said it is important to remember that Saudi Arabia is a long strategic partner of the United States throughout the process.





He added that the Turkish leadership has assured him that the country is conducting its own investigation and will share the results with the United States and Saudi Arabia.





However, he declined to answer more specific questions about what exactly happened to Khashoggi, only saying that "I'm going to allow the process to move forward."





As more and more evident and accusations suggesting Saudi's involvement in the case emerged, Mnuchin tweeted later that he had just met with Trump and Pompeo.





"We have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia," he noted.





Also on Thursday, U.S. Republican Senator Marco Rubio tweeted that the United States "must not accept a strategic alliance with #SaudiArabia which requires our silence when they butcher a political critic."





Several Republican heavyweights have urged Trump to reconsider the U.S. military sales to Saudi Arabia over the case.





The case of Khashoggi, a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has become a major source of tension between Saudi Arabia and the West.





Khashoggi has been missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Unconfirmed reports said that Khashoggi was likely killed inside the compound, a claim denied by Saudi officials as "baseless."
The United Nations specialized agency which coordinates the global postal system, has expressed "regret" over the withdrawal by the United States from the world body's membership .

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Oct, 2018 ) :The United Nations specialized agency which coordinates the global postal system, has expressed "regret" over the withdrawal by the United States from the world body's membership .

In a statement on Thursday, Pascal Clivaz, the Deputy Director General of the UN Universal Postal Union (UPU), established in the 19th Century, recalled the "tremendous and positive contribution" made by the US.

"It is, therefore, regrettable that the US has taken this step. We, however, respect the decision because we believe it was taken after careful consideration and reflection," he said.

According to UPU, the official notification on Wednesday, from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said that the withdrawal "shall be effective one year after the day on which [the UPU receives] this notice." Media reports stated that the US has decided to withdraw on the grounds that international mailing rates set by the UPU, in the view of the US, give an unfair advantage in particular, to China. The Union sets shipping rates for overseas mail, at a lower rate for developing countries, than developed nations.

Further in the statement, Clivaz said that UPU Director General Bishar A. Hussein will be seeking to meet with US officials to further discuss the matter, and expressed hope that, "through discussion and a constructive dialogue, we can help to resolve this issue to everyone's satisfaction." "The decision of the United States of America to withdraw from the UPU treaties is a serious one, but I believe, with the support of other members, we can resolve the matter amicably. We will, therefore, continue to seek a constructive dialogue and to try to resolve this situation, while also upholding the UPU Constitution." He added that UPU remains committed to support international collaboration in the postal sector.

"This means ensuring that, by working with all 192 member countries, the UPU treaties best serve everyone, including the US." Established in 1874, UPU is the Primary global forum for cooperation between postal systems. It works with its member countries to bring postal services to everyone on the planet. The second oldest international organization worldwide, UPU became a UN specialized agency in 1948.
The United States has extended until December 12 the deadline for businesses to divest or transfer debt holdings from Russia's sanctioned GAZ Group, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a new notice on its website on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) The United States has extended until December 12 the deadline for businesses to divest or transfer debt holdings from Russia's sanctioned GAZ Group, the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said in a new notice on its website on Friday.

"All transactions and activities otherwise prohibited by the Ukraine Related Sanctions Regulations... involving GAZ Group or any other entity in which GAZ Group owns, directly or indirectly, a 50 percent or greater interest and that were in effect prior to April 6, 2018, are authorized through 12:01 a.m. eastern standard time, December 12, 2018," the Treasury Department said.
(@rukhshanmir)

The United States is putting pressure upon the opposition in Macedonia to draw the country into NATO, such intervention is unacceptable, the Russian Foreign

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th October, 2018) The United States is putting pressure upon the opposition in Macedonia to draw the country into NATO, such intervention is unacceptable, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

"Many calls not to miss the 'historic chance' from across the ocean and pledges of various bonuses for the right choice literally came down on opposition lawmakers... Gross interference by the US and the EU in the internal affairs of Skopje continues. Its level has already gone beyond all thinkable limits. For the goal - to drag Macedonia into NATO - must be achieved at any cost," the ministry said.
(@FahadShabbir)

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted on Friday an increase in bilateral trade with its key trading partner Russia and said that he expected Russia-Uzbekistan trade to reach $10 billion in the coming years

TASHKENT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted on Friday an increase in bilateral trade with its key trading partner Russia and said that he expected Russia-Uzbekistan trade to reach $10 billion in the coming years.

Earlier in the day, Mirziyoyev had talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the country's capital of Tashkent, where the first Uzbek-Russian interregional forum is being held.

"Trade has increased by 30 percent since the beginning of the year. This year, we expect bilateral trade to amount to $6 billion and to reach $10 billion in the coming years," the Uzbek president said.

Mirziyoyev also noted that Russia was Uzbekistan's major trading partner and expressed gratitude for Moscow's opening the so-called green corridor for vegetable and fruit exports from Uzbekistan to Russia.

"We agreed to extend this practice to other [Uzbek] goods, including textile," the Uzbek president added.

According to Mirziyoyev, the Russian investment into the Uzbek economy currently exceeds $8.5 billion and a new series of agreements with leading Russian companies and banks worth around $25 billion have been prepared.

The two sides have been discussing the establishment of the "green corridor" for textile goods since 2017. The "green corridor" arrangement is aimed at increasing the amount of goods imported into a country owing to facilitated customs arrangements and improved logistics.

Between January and August, Russia-Uzbekistan trade amounted to $2.7 billion, marking an over $600-million increase compared to the same period of 2017, with Russia exporting over $2 billion worth of goods to Uzbekistan and imports into Russia reaching $705 million, according to the Russian Federal Customs Service.
A remote interaction between a console surgeon (CS) and a bedside surgeon (BS) makes the role of the latter critical. No conclusive data are reported about the length of the learning curve of a BS.

To highlight the role of a BS during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) and to analyze the effect of the learning curve of a BS on intra- and postoperative outcomes.

From June 2013 to September 2016, 129 RARPs were performed by one expert CS (>1000 RARPs) and two BSs (residents). According to the learning curve of the BS, the patients were divided into three groups: group 1 (first 20 procedures), group 2 (21-40 procedures), and group 3 (>40 procedures).

Preoperative variables, pathological data, operating time (OT), blood loss (BL), number of lymph nodes excised (LE), length of hospital stay (LHS), and time to catheter removal (CR) were analyzed. Linear/logistic regression analyses tested the impact of BS experience on surgical outcomes. T test and chi-square test compared the outcomes of the two BSs.

Perfect interaction between CSs and BSs are requested to obtain the optimal exposure and avoid any conflict. On the linear regression model, BS learning curve was not related to OT, BL, LHS, and CR, but was related to LE (r2=0.09; p=0.03). On multivariate analyses, no correlation between BS experience and OT, BL, LHS, CR, LE, margin status, and complications (all p>0.05) was found. Comparing the two BSs, no difference was found for the abovementioned outcomes in the first 40 surgeries (all p>0.05). Study limitations include the limited cohort of patients and its retrospective nature.

In this study, BS learning curve does not appear to influence the surgical outcomes; good experience of the CS was probably the explanation.

In our experience, it is the primary surgeon who dictates the perioperative outcomes during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy.

European urology focus. 2018 Oct 10 [Epub ahead of print]

Giancarlo Albo, Elisa De Lorenzis, Andrea Gallioli, Luca Boeri, Stefano P Zanetti, Fabrizio Longo, Bernardo Rocco, Emanuele Montanari

Department of Urology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Italy. Electronic address: ., Department of Urology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30316824
Florida has become a haven for invasive species in the United States, but perhaps the most well-known of the states alien residents is the Burmese python. These giant snakes, native to Southeast Asia, have become well-established over the past few decades and even flourish in their new environment.

In Burmese pythons, we observed the rapid establishment and expansion of an invasive population in Florida, which is quite ecologically distinct from Southeast Asia and likely imposes significant ecological selection on the invasive Burmese python population, said Todd Castoe, biology professor at The University of Texas at Arlington and director of the Castoe Lab. This situation had all of the hallmarks of a system where rapid adaptation could occur, so we were excited to test for this possibility using cutting-edge genomic approaches.

Researchers with Burmese pythons in Florida.

The researchers originally set out to determine whether pythons could have adapted to an extreme Florida freeze event in 2010. They generated data for dozens of samples before and after the freeze event. By scanning regions of the Burmese python genome, they identified parts of the genome that changed significantly between the two time periods, providing clear evidence of evolution occurring over a very short time scale in this population.

The 2010 Florida freeze event led to a 40 percent to 90 percent documented field mortality in invasive Burmese pythons, so if evolution and adaptation were to be occurring, we knew we should see it over this time period that imposed a very strong bottleneck of selection, Castoe said.

We employed a technique commonly referred to as a genome scan, which identifies regions of the genome that appear to be under strong natural selection, which could contain genes important in adaptation that may have allowed a subset of this population to survive these freeze events, he added.

The researchers expected to find genes in these regions that are important for potential adaptation to cold, but as they further scrutinized the data, a different signal began to emerge that told a broader story about adaptation in this invasive population.

We kept seeing evidence of adaptation in genes related to cell division, organ growth and tissue development, which admittedly puzzled us at first. However, it eventually occurred to us that there was a connection with a parallel project in the lab that uses Burmese pythons as a model system for understanding regenerative organ growth, where tissues are downregulated when fasting and then regenerated in cyclical patterns corresponding with feeding cycles of most pythons. We began to wonder whether the signal we were seeing in the genome of Florida Burmese pythons was linked to adaptation in how they regenerated organ systems based on their feeding ecology, said Daren Card, a recently graduated doctoral student in the Castoe Lab who worked on this project for his dissertation.

Armed with a working hypothesis that invasive Burmese pythons may be adapting to more regular feeding opportunities in Florida, the researchers gathered further ecological, functional genomic and morphological data to understand the frequency at which pythons are feeding and whether there are physiological changes consistent with more regular feeding.

These additional analyses showed that Burmese pythons in Florida are constantly feeding and that tissue morphological and gene expression patterns support a more up-regulated physiological state in fasted pythons  Florida pythons appear to have adapted to regulating their digestive physiology to more efficiently eat prey constantly. This is alarming because these snakes have already been shown to have major negative impacts on endemic mammalian and bird populations in South Florida, including Everglades National Park, and our data was suggesting that, through rapid adaptation, they are only getting better at being an effective invasive predator, Card added.

UTA biology chair Clay Clark congratulated the team on this work, which provides tangible evidence that evolution can occur extremely rapidly in natural populations, and that such rapid evolution can result in major changes in very complex traits that impact the physiology and ecology of vertebrates.

These results provide an unprecedented perspective at how quickly a vertebrate population can evolve, while also providing new links between genomic adaptation and complex physiological change related to the ecological impacts of invasive species, Clark said. It is particularly important work given UTAs strategic focus on global environmental impact.

Card recently graduated with a doctorate in Quantitative Biology from UTA, and received a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship to work at Harvard University with Scott Edwards, a U.S. National Academy of Sciences member.
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 Flash

China and Cambodia are ready to expand cooperation in areas including trade and investment, the two countries' leaders said Thursday.





The message was sent from a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.





China is ready to continue consolidating traditional friendship with Cambodia and deepening cooperation with the country in various areas, so as to bring more real benefits to the people of both countries, Li said.





Li is in Brussels for a working visit to Belgium and the 12th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit.





China will, as always, support the Cambodian people in following a development path in line with their national conditions, and support Cambodia's efforts to maintain stability, develop economy and improve people's livelihood, Li said.





The premier called upon the two countries to enhance synergy of their development strategies and expand bilateral trade.





China is willing to continue importing Cambodia's competitive agricultural products, and encourage competent Chinese companies to make investments in Cambodia, so as to achieve win-win results, he said.





The premier also expressed China's support for Cambodia in hosting the next ASEM summit.





For his part, Hun Sen said Li's visit to Cambodia and co-chairing of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) leaders' meeting earlier this year had injected new impetus into Cambodia-China relations and the LMC.





Cambodia is willing to work with China to firmly support each other and enhance coordination in international and regional affairs, said Hun Sen.





The prime minister said his country is also willing to expand practical cooperation with China in economy, trade and agriculture, adding that Chinese companies are welcome to make investments in Cambodia.





With regard to the next ASEM summit, Hun Sen said Cambodia will enhance communication and coordination with China.
The Church in the Kingdom of Lesotho is aware of the urgent need to do more for young migrants, most of whom go to South Africa, in search of jobs.

Paul Samasumo  Vatican City

Kingdom of Lesothos Bishop of Qacha's Nek Diocese, Joseph Mopeli Sephamola O.M.I., attending the Synod of Bishops for young people in the Vatican, has said that the Church in his country is much inspired by Pope Francis vision in bringing Bishops to a Synod for Young People in the Vatican.

God is eternally young

This is my first synod experience. I do not know about previous Synods... All in all, I realise that the (Bishops) are aware that youth are not the Church of tomorrow, but they are the Church of today. In (Lesotho) we are inspired by what the Holy Father said, that God is eternally young and that the youth are here; this is their Church. Bishop Sephamola said in an interview with Vatican News.

According to Bishop Sephamola, God being eternally young means that he has all the youthful qualities of energy and vitality, which the Church needs in order to renew itself and its pastoral ministry towards young people.

A new pastoral ministry for young people in the diaspora

The Bishops of Lesotho are aware that they need to do more to accompany young people particularly young migrants, most of whom go to South Africa in search of jobs.

We need to do more for young migrants who go to South Africa and sometimes get lost there. Most times even as they go to South Africa, it is not all of them who get jobs. We need to do more (for them). We need as a Church to come up with strategies and pastoral programmes that work for them, the prelate from the Kingdom of Lesotho said.

The political situation of Lesotho is promising

Asked about the political situation in Lesotho, Bishop Sephamola said he was optimistic that tensions of the past would not be repeated.

Politically, the situation in Lesotho is promising in the sense that member (countries) of the SADCC community have insisted upon political reforms. It took some time before the reforms could take off. The programme of reform has now started, and that is promising, Bishop Sephamola said.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has urged the mountain-locked Kingdom to implement political reforms and engage in national dialogue with the view to ease tensions that led to an attempted coup in 2014,

South Africas President Cyril Ramaphosa has led efforts prodding political players towards a constitutional review process as well the security and public sector reform. Other reforms are to do with parliament and the judicial sector.
Synod Father and Auxiliary Bishop of Montreal, Canada  Thomas Dowd  talks about the need to formulate new methods of engagement to involve young people.

By Linda Bordoni

The challenges posed by Part three of the Synod of Bishops on Young People are coming to the fore as small groups discuss issues and draw up reports to be presented to those charged with writing the Synods final document.

Thomas Dowd, the Auxiliary Bishop of Montreal in Canada, told Vatican News that that in his group members are trying to find a model that will allow the Church to move forward pro-actively and efficiently

He also talks about the focus of his own intervention and about how the Catechesis needs to find new methods with which to engage young people.

Listen to the interview with Bishop Thomas Dowd

Bishop Thomas Dowd speaks of how his lively English-speaking group is currently focused on elaborating the input and information received so far and trying to find a model that will allow the Church to move forward pro-actively  not just with bullet points and suggestions, but how do we change our method so we become more active on these and on other issues?.

Accountability and the importance of the post Synodal process

Bishop Dowd explains that the Synod is going to provide recommendations to the Pope, and he will take them and work with his close advisers to produce something for the Universal Church. But, he stresses, very important is the level of implementation that has to happen in every country, every diocese, every parish.

That is often where the rubber meets the road: how are we going to provide orientations that will also have some level of accountability for follow-up he says.

He points out that the theme of accountability is an important one in many fields including the one that pertains to a style of leadership.

Sifting through and putting the important issues into order

Bishop Dowd says that now that so many important issues have been brought to the table, participants are engaging in very free discussions in order to be able to sift through and order the issues and addressing them together.

On the need to renew the Catechesis

Bishop Dowd reveals that the topic of his own intervention focused on Catechesis as it has been his experience that in his context, the post Vatican II Catechesis has largely failed.

He explains that there was an attempt to renew Catechesis and engage in a different form of Catechesis, but he says that a lot of it lacked content or fell short of demonstrating how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

We would still wind up getting a lot of content but we didnt have the sort of model on the box: like if you are making a puzzle you have to see what image you are working towards and what image is emerging in order to stay engaged, he says.

He says he believes there is a method to learning as much as there is a content to learning and our Catechesis needs to include that method.

I hear from other Bishops, he says, that there is a failure of Catechesis, that things are not sticking, that kids are going to Catholic Schools and then they are graduating from the Catholic Church, not just from school.

Bishop Dowd also speaks of what for him the basic questions are and of how to make sure a lot of issues fall into place when teaching Catechism.

And, regarding the need for a new Catechism, he asks the question: will it attract young people? Will it keep them in place?

Because, he says, Its not a marketing question! Its a question of how are we going to express the deep questions in their heart? How are we going to help them find answers? 

If we want to journey with people on their quest, Bishop Dowd concludes, addressing their questions has to be part of it!
The sad reality of migrant youth and their families and how the Church should use the digital world was the focus of the daily Synod of Bishops on Youth, the Faith and Vocational Discernment press briefing.

By Russell Pollitt, SJ

The mental health of migrants

Ms Yadira Vieyra from the USA is a young auditor at the Synod. She works alongside psychologists and other professionals with migrants. She says that many migrant families suffer from anxiety, distress and depression. This is often linked to violence. At the Synod she is trying to motivate the Church to take the mental health of migrants in the USA and other parts of the world seriously. The Church, she said, cannot minister to youth without ministering to their families too.

Ms Vieyra also addressed the issue of the role of women saying that she thought that it was unfortunate religious sisters were not able to vote at the Synod. Women can make interventions in the assembly but cannot vote. She said that women have a very important role and that they invest in the spiritual development of Church members.

Commenting on the issue of youth who identify as LGBTI, Ms Vieyra said that it is a challenge to minister to a group that feels attacked by the Church. She says that LGBTI Catholics often received poor pastoral care and feel the Church does not want them. This is not true for most Catholics, she said

As a newlywed, Ms Vieyra added that she thought that the accompaniment before marriage was good but feels that there needs to be a serious look at how young people are accompanied after marriage by the Church.

She said that the Synod has been a positive experience  some bishops have been willing to listen, learn and change. Others, she says, still need to be convinced about this.

Martyrdom

Maronite Bishop Joseph Naffah says that the reality of the Middle East has been discussed. He said that young people are not afraid to witness to their faith even in the face of martyrdom. He said that the Church is one of hope and so considers this struggle an opportunity to bear witness to the faith.

Ministering in the digital realm

Bishop Naffah went on to speak about ministering in the digital realm. He explained how he ran a project in Arabic to keep in contact with young people online. The project is focused on catechism, a kind of religious science institute online, he said. There are 550 students in different parts of the world engaged in this including young people in prison. He said that he was particularly moved by a young person who is paralysed and can only move his thumbs. Before this initiative the world, for this youngster, was limited to his bed but now he is in touch with the whole world. The Bishop said that there have also been some conversions through this project.

He expressed concern about many websites claiming they carry Catholic content but do not accurately reflect Catholic teaching. He proposed a special office in the Vatican that would check these pages and then certify them as sites that do reflect the position of the Catholic Church.

Bishop Emmanuel Kofi Fianu from Ghana also spoke about the use of the digital world. He said that his particular interest was in getting the Word of God to young people. He said that it was important for the Church to provide more digital platforms on the Word of God as this would not only educate young people but help them become evangelisers.

Fr Valdir Jose Castro, the Superior General of the Society of St Paul, says that he too focused on communication when taking part in discussions at the Synod. How the Church lives in the digital world is a key question. He said that the Church has not been idle but there is still much that needs to be done. The world wide web is a web of humanity and the Church must assist young people to become the protagonists of evangelisation in that space. He says that young people know the language and the grammar of the world of social media and so they are crucial in assisting the Church to reach out and open the doors.
The Vatican Secretary of State says a visit to North Korea would require serious preparation and consideration. But it could also "give support to the process of peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula".

By Vatican News

Speaking to journalists during a book launch in Rome, the Cardinal Secretary of State confirmed that Pope Francis has expressed his openness to going to Pyongyang.

An expression of interest

What has already been published in the press is true, said Cardinal Parolin: namely, that the President of South Korea (when he was received in the Vatican on October 18) told the Pope that the North Korean President had expressed interest in having the Holy Father visit Pyongyang. And the Pope has said he would be open to such an invitation.

Asked if the Holy See was already at work to prepare such a visit, the Cardinal replied: No. We have to wait a little now in order to formalize things more. He described this as a first step in the form of a verbal expression of interest.



Conditions and contributions

Cardinal Parolin went on to say that, once we begin to think seriously about the possibility of this trip, certain conditions will have to be examined before it can happen. While Korean sources have already confirmed the Popes willingness to go, the Vatican Secretary of State insists that a trip of this kind needs serious preparation.
Jerusalem has been a painful issue in the Israeli-Palestinian discord and conflict. (AFP or licensors)

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy Sees Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York on October 18 addressed a UN Security Council debate on the Middle East and the Palestinian question.

By Robin Gomes

The Holy See has reiterated its unwavering support for a fair, durable and early solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, through the resumption of negotiations aimed at reaching a Two-State solution, with Israel and a Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security within internationally-recognized borders.

Archbishop Bernardito Auza, the Holy Sees Permanent Observer to the United Nations in New York made the call in an address on Thursday to a UN Security Council debate on the situation in the Middle East and the Palestinian question.

Legitimate aspirations of both peoples

While expressing grave concern over facts on the ground, the Vatican diplomat called on both sides to demonstrate wisdom, responsibility and the political will to reach a historic peace agreement that would meet the legitimate aspirations of both peoples.

Persevering dialogue based on good will , he said, must replace inflammatory rhetoric, violence and conflict. Innocent civilians must never be the target of terror or overwhelming military actions, he stressed.

Noting that states in and outside the Middle East have exacerbated the Israeli-Palestinian discord and the intra-Palestinian divisions for their own interests, Arch. Auza urged these states to rather facilitate and sustain the peace process.

"Status quo" for Jerusalem status

The status of Jerusalem has been a painful issue between Israel and the Palestinians. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future independent state, whereas Israel has declared the whole city to be its united and eternal capital.

At the UN, Arch. Auza reiterated the Holy Sees support for the historic status quo of Jerusalem, in line with UN resolutions, rejecting any unilateral measure aimed at changing it.

He asserted the Holy Sees stand that the Holy City be a place of convergence and peace and that the followers of the three monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam be guaranteed free and unhindered access to the Holy Places.

Palestinian refugees

The Holy See official also expressed serious concern over the dire humanitarian situation of Palestine refugees. Arch. Auza urged that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), that is providing some 5.6 million Palestine refugees with the most basic human needs, be allowed to function fully in order to prevent the situation from worsening.
Mexico is asking the United Nations for help about the Honduran Caravan, which is knocking on its door for access, in order to continue its journey to the US Border.

By James Blears

US President Donald Trump has issued a warning he`ll use the Military to seal the US Border should the Honduran Caravan of would be migrants cross over into Mexico. He`s threatening to cut all aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Fully aware that the recently renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement is at imminent risk, Mexican Authorities have insisted that those wanting to arrive in Mexico must have the relevant documentation including passports. They`re also requesting the help of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees to access asylum cases, to insure that human rights are fully respected according to international law.

President Trump has tweeted a message of thanks to the Mexican Government and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who`s due in Mexico today (Friday) for discussions about the crisis has also welcomed this move.

It now seems unlikely the Caravan who`s numbers have increased to more that four thousand, will be allowed to enter Mexico.
 Flash

Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe agreed with the United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Thursday to control risks and deepen mutual trust so as to make the relations between the two militaries a stabilizer for the China-U.S. relationship.





Wei and Mattis both arrived in the city-state to take part in the 5th ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus and Other Sideline Events scheduled from Thursday to Saturday, and the Chinese side echoed the U.S. suggestion for a bilateral meeting.





According to the Chinese official, promoting cooperation for win-win development is the only choice for a lasting relationship between Beijing and Washington, enhancing mutual trust is the best cohesive force for strengthening the exchanges of the two armies, and respect and toleration are the rightful means of addressing differences and problems.





Wei Fenghe noted that China stands firm on principles guiding issues of Taiwan and the South China Sea, and that the Chinese military take unswerving stance on safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development.





Mattis said that differences lie between the United States and China, but they do not necessarily mean confrontation, nor does competition mean hostility.





The U.S. side is devoted to promoting the relations between the U.S. and Chinese militaries, and hopes to further enhance exchanges between the two militaries at all levels, and take good advantage of the mutual trust and cooperation mechanism, so as to push the relations between the two militaries ahead on a right track.




EU's High representative for foreign affairs and security policy Federica Mogherini answers journalists' questions at the European Council in Brussels. (JOHN THYS/AFP)

European leaders sought to build support from Asia on Thursday (Oct 18) in defence of free trade and the fight against climate change, to counter the growing protectionism of President Donald Trump's America.

The 28 EU states were joined at a summit in Brussels by more than 20 Asian leaders including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Japan's Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is also attending, despite tensions over Moscow's alleged cyber attacks on international institutions and European democracy.

Amid bitter tariff disputes with Washington, the leaders are expected to use the two days of talks to give their backing to the global trading system based on the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

"To those who prefer quick fixes without clear rules I say it's not worth it. A world without rules is by definition a world of chaos," EU Council President Donald Tusk said as he opened the summit.

EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini insisted as she arrived for the summit that it was not an "anti-Trump" meeting, before enumerating most of the current areas of difference between Europe and the United States.

"We don't organise meetings against anyone," she said.

"We have our agenda, it's a very clear agenda that supports multilateralism, starting from the UN system, climate change action, trade - free and fair - non-proliferation and international agreements that support the non-proliferation global architecture."

After a gala dinner on Thursday evening, the leaders head into talks on Friday, while Singapore and Vietnam are expected to sign trade deals with the EU on the sidelines of the event.

Korean detente will also be on the agenda, with senior EU officials to hold talks with Moon, who earlier this week said world powers needed to reassure the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that he had taken the right decision in committing to scrap his nuclear weapons programme.

The EU will also seek to shore up support for the beleaguered Iran nuclear deal, which suffered a hammer blow when the US pulled out earlier this year and reimposed sanctions on Iran - despite the desperate pleas of European allies.

Brussels is seeking to beef up its role in international diplomacy, answering a call by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker for the EU to develop a more muscular foreign policy to match its economic clout.

The leaders will discuss the EU's new "Asia connectivity strategy", which aims to improve transport, digital and energy links between the two continents while promoting environmental and labour standards.

TRADE WAR

Brussels insists the scheme is not a response to any other player, but many observers see it as a direct riposte to Beijing's vast "Belt and Road" trade infrastructure project.

The summit comes amid renewed tensions between the US and EU, a day after top American officials slammed the bloc for stalling trade talks, putting a transatlantic trade truce under pressure.

After a trade war looked to be brewing over metals tariffs, Trump and Juncker pledged in June to hold off from further tit-for-tat measures and to work towards scrapping customs duties on all goods.

The deal was hailed as a breakthrough but on Wednesday US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross hit out at EU officials.

Asked if EU-Asian cooperation was particularly important in the context of the current trade disputes, Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said: "Of course - that's the reason why we should come closer together."

Washington is also locked in a trade war with China, rolling out billions of dollars in tariffs in a bid to reduce its trade deficit and to rein in what the US says are unacceptable Chinese commercial practices.

Ahead of the summit, Zhang Jun, the Chinese assistant minister of foreign affairs, said there was consensus between Europe and Asia on the need to protect multilateralism.

"Especially in protecting the international order of trade organisations that abide by international norms and laws," Zhang said.

"This is the focus of cooperation between Asia and Europe, as well as China and Europe."

But any European desire to build a united front with Asian powers will be tempered by grave concerns about numerous human rights issues in countries across Asia.

The EU has warned Cambodia and Myanmar that they could face losing preferential trading privileges with the bloc over election irregularities and the Rohingya crisis, respectively.

In addition to numerous long-standing rights complaints about China, the EU added its voice last week to a chorus of condemnation of the decision to expel a leading British journalist from Hong Kong.
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

Voluntary social insurance regulations, which took effect in 2008, provide insurance for many low-income farmers and informal-sector workers.

If participants pay social insurance premiums for at least 20 years, men over 60 and women over 55 will be entitled to pension payments after they retire.

As of the end of last year, the country had 221,000 holders of voluntary social insurance cards.

The Government targets having more participants, including 23 million people who work in agriculture and nearly 14 million labourers in the informal sector.

Although the programme provides coverage to societys most vulnerable groups, many intended beneficiaries are unable to participate or know little about the benefits.

Nguyen Van Chin, a farmer in HCM Citys Nha Be district, said that he would have to spend 700,000 VND of his monthly income of 5 million VND (220 USD).

My family doesnt even have enough money to buy food, he said.

Nguyen Thi Thuy, 50, also a farmer, said she heard about the programme last year, but was unsure about its benefits.

Thuy earns between 4 million VND and 5 million VND a month from her job of three years.

The money is barely enough to keep her family afloat, so setting money aside to buy insurance for a pension is a luxury.

I know buying this insurance would be good when I can no longer work," she said. "But will I have the money to buy food for my children tomorrow? How can I think about 20 years from now?"

A lack of awareness and a paucity of clear information and understanding about the scheme are barriers that the Government is trying to overcome.

Unlike Thuy, Pham Thi Lan Anh, 48, who has a high income as a hairdresser, is unsure whether she is eligible to take part in voluntary social insurance.

Many people believe that formal compulsory social insurance is the only available programme.

"I would have to pay insurance fees for 20 years before I become eligible for the retirement allowance, so I would be 68. Should I pay fees for five or 10 years at one time? Can I meet the requirement in only seven years, and then receive a pension? she asked.

"I know there are different rates that payers can choose from, with the lowest rate equal to the minimum wage for one month and the highest rate equivalent to the minimum wage for 20 months, but I have no idea how much the insurer will pay us after 20 years, or where I can go to pay the insurance fees," she said.

Duong Thi Thanh Thuy, a representative of the Vietnam Social Security agency in HCM City, said that farmers and informal workers could pay for voluntary social insurance in increments of three months, six months, a year, or 10 years.

Beginning this year, low-income farmers and informal workers now receive a 10 to 30 percent discount from the State when they join voluntary social insurance, according to Thuy.

The benefits of voluntary social insurance are generally not as attractive as compulsory social insurance.

Voluntary insurance offers retirement payments and a one-time payment to the family after the insurance owners death, while compulsory insurance has the same benefits but also includes health care, maternity care, and work accidents or job-related illnesses.

Compulsory social insurance is based on the income of formal workers who pay about 10.5 percent of their monthly income, while their companies pay about 20 percent.

Voluntary social insurance is based on the income level of farmers and informal workers, who contribute 22 percent of their income each month.

Around 5,000 people take part in the voluntary social insurance programme in HCM City, which has a population of nearly 13 million.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the event (Source: VNA)

PM Phuc made the statement in his keynote address at the 16th Asia-Europe Business Forum held in Brussels, Belgium, on October 18. Themed Connectivity-Building Bridges between Europe and Asia, the event attracted over 400 corporate executives and business representatives from the two continents.

The PM hailed Asia and Europe as two bright spots of global economic growth and connectivity, saying that Asia contributed to 6.2 percent of the global economic growth, led by East Asia  Pacific with a 6.6 percent growth last year. The ASEAN launched the Master Plan on Connectivity in 2011 with a focus on infrastructure, institution and human connectivity.

Asia also boasts more than 150 free trade agreements (FTAs), accounting for about 60 percent of the worlds total, he said, adding that the total cargo volume via waters in Asia nears 5 trillion USD each year.

Meanwhile, the European economy is recovering firmly with a 2.4 percent growth, a record in the past 10 years. The negotiations and signing of free trade agreements between the two continents are opening up opportunities for connectivity and development, PM Phuc said.

According to the PM, the Vietnamese National Assembly is planning to ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a deal with high standards and balanced interests during a meeting in November 2018. On October 17, the European Union (EU) adopted the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which he said, marked an important step toward its signing in late 2018 and ratification in the first half of 2019.

At the forum, the Vietnamese leader suggested strengthening connectivity between the governments and businesses and pushing forward public-private partnerships in high-quality infrastructure, digital connectivity, education, health care, energy, agriculture, manufacturing and processing.

He proposed holding regular dialogues between leaders of countries and business communities on the occasion of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to extensively discuss issues of shared concern, as well as stepping activities of the ASEM Economic Ministers Meeting and dialogues between economic ministers and businesses from the two continents.

PM Phuc also suggested actively fostering business-to-business connectivity and realising FTAs between Asian and European economies.

He called on enterprises to enhance their social responsibility for job creation, environmental protection, response to global challenges for sustainable development and prosperity to all citizens.

Briefing the participants about Vietnams situation, the PM said the Vietnamese economy has annually grown by over 6 percent over the past two decades, expanding by 6.81 percent in 2017 and nearly 7 percent in 2018.

Vietnam is now a trustworthy partner of over 200 countries and territories with a total trade making up over 200 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). The countrys trade value hit 425 billion USD in 2017, of which over 334 billion USD was traded in goods with Asian and European nations.

With 16 underway and future FTAs, Vietnam will have free trade ties with nearly 60 countries, making it easier to join the global supply and value chains, PM Phuc stressed.

Vietnam is striving to build a transparent, constructive, action-oriented government in service of the people and businesses, and create a favourable business and investment environment, he said.

The PM said over the past three decades of reform, Vietnam has become a close friend of European partners. Europe is a big foreign investor in Vietnam with a total investment of nearly 25 billion USD and the largest supplier of non-refundable aid of Vietnam. Two-way trade rose five-fold during 2006-2017 to more than 50 billion USD last year.

According to a survey conducted by the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) in Vietnam in March 2018, 90 percent of European firms want to increase investment in Vietnam.

Together with the implementation of the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation, the early signing and ratification of the EVFTA will create a new driving force for trade and investment between Vietnam and the EU, he said.

PM Phuc also expressed his belief that the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) will continue to be a bridge to connect the power of the two economic blocs, thus fuelling global economic growth in the future.
A doctor from Chung-Ang University, the Republic of Korea, is providing health checkups to a local in Quang Ngai. (Photo: VNA)

The event is being held by the heavy industry manufacturer Doosan Vina in Hanh Nhan and Hanh Dung communes of Nghia Hanh district and Binh Khuong, Binh Thanh and Binh Chanh commune of Binh Son district in the province. It is expected to be visited by about 2,350 locals, bringing the total number of people benefiting from the event over the past 10 years to 23,800.

The doctors provide medical examinations and free drugs to the locals who suffer from common diseases like joint diseases, high blood pressure or gastrointestinal disorder. Those with more serious illness will be advised to visit hospitals.

In addition, Chung-Ang University also presented the Quang Ngai Hospital for Children and Women with 1.3 billion VND (55,440 USD) worth of medical equipment.

Doosan Vina and Chung-Ang University have supported the local health sector over the past decade, said Nguyen Dinh Tuyen, Director of the Quang Ngai Hospital for Children and Women. I highly appreciated the efforts of Doosan Vina and Chung-Ang University in social corporate responsibility projects in Quang Ngai, not only in the field of healthcare but also in education and housing, he noted.

On October 15, the Ministry of Health and the provincial Peoples Committee presented certificates of merit to Doosan Vina and Chung-Ang University in recognition of their charitable health care programmes in Vietnam.

The two have so far donated over 1.4 million USD to implement health care projects in Vietnam.
Low Yen Ling, director of Abbott Nutrition Asia-Pacific Research and Development Center in Singapore

Talking about the research of this innovation, Low Yen Ling, director of Abbott Nutrition Asia-Pacific Research and Development Center (ANRD) in Singapore told VIR about the research of this innovation.

The success in fortifying HMO into Similac formula is one of the most breakthrough innovation of Abbott. Could you please share with us what motivated Abbotts scientists to devote to HMO research?

Similac with HMO is the result of over 15 years of research, backed by more than 20 clinical and pre-clinical studies. This is the first time ever that HMO  the nutrient has only been present in breast milk  is successfully fortified into infant formula, supporting a strong immunity and narrow the gap between the immune systems of formula-fed and breast-fed babies.

Abbott scientists are motivated by the desire to use the latest science to help consumers live healthier lives. HMO is a major component in human milk which helps babies to build stronger immunity. Many Abbott scientists are parents ourselves. We understand that all parents want their children to be healthy. In pursuing HMO research and achieving the scientific breakthrough to incorporate HMO into formula milk, we can help more children build stronger immunity and be healthier. This brings a great sense of fulfilment to Abbott scientists both as scientists and as parents.

How does the successful addition of HMO in infant formula make a breakthrough in nutrition industry?

Breastfeeding is the gold standard of nutrition for infants and young children and all parents want to know that their child is getting the nutrients they need to grow and thrive healthily.

The discovery of HMOs, a major component in human milk which helps babies build stronger immunity represents one of the biggest scientific discoveries in infant nutrition of the last decade. Abbott is the first to introduce HMO to our formula in the world and in Vietnam. New understanding and scientific developments enabled us to harness the power of 2-FL HMO by adding it to our infant formula to help support a baby's immune system, narrowing multiple gaps in immune function between formula fed and breast milk fed babies. This exciting discovery is just the beginning of our understanding of how to help support a lifetime of good nutrition and health.

Abbott is the first to introduce HMO to our formula in the world and in Vietnam

We know that many researches related to HMO and Similac with HMO have been conducted at Abbott R&D center. How many researches has the centre done since its establishment in total?

ANRD is Abbotts largest nutrition R&D facility outside of the U.S and the first in Asia, focusing on creating science-based nutritional products for people at every stage of life in Asia, including Vietnam.

Abbotts nutrition R&D center has published more than 500 research papers on various topics ranging from pediatric nutrition to elderly nutrition. Our R&D center has also developed many products which have been launched to market. The most recent examples are the new Similac HMO formula and the new Ensure Gold with HMB which have been launched in Vietnam this year.

What are the next topics to research that ANRD scientists are focusing on?

Pediatric nutrition trend is always about giving babies the best nutrition as a foundation for their development, a good start in life. Since the first day of Similacs journey we have always been striving to bring innovation to our formula, giving babies the nutrition they need to thrive. Over time we have had many breakthrough innovations in research on bringing science-based nutrition to our formula.

Our latest formula with 2-FL HMO is one of them. We will continue to work on incorporating the latest science-based ingredients to add to our products such as Similac and Pediasure to help children live healthier lives. We will also continue to work on research to help older adults live healthier lives through incorporating new science-based ingredients in Ensure and Glucerna. Our latest Ensure with HMB is one example.

As a scientist, what is your advice for moms on choosing nutritional products?

When it comes to babys nutrition, breastfeeding is the gold standard to nourish your infant. It helps increase your babys immune system and reduce infection significantly. Nutrition in breast milk also gives babies the best nutrition for their development at the early stage of life, it includes natural vitamin E, lutein, DHA, nucleotides and HMO.

In cases where formula is needed, the best advice is for the mother to choose a formula backed by strong scientific research and has been tested in clinical trials and clinically proven to be safe and deliver health benefits to their babies.
South Korean investors are shifting their focus in Vietnam from direct investment to M&A deals, Photo: Le Toan

South Koreas eagerness to directly invest in Vietnam is nothing new. However, the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) wave between Korean and Vietnamese businesses only emerged in recent years, and is now growing from strength to strength.

In just the last month, two major partnerships have been cemented. ASAM Asset Management bought VND200 billion ($8.85 million) of convertible bonds from Vietnamese textile manufacturer TNG Investment and Trading JSC. The new capital from ASAM will help TNG improve its financial health, invest more heavily in assembly lines, and seek customers shifting their production base away from China. According to industry insiders, ASAM has only been in Vietnam for five months, and this is the first major deal from the investor.

It took us only 10 weeks to negotiate and finalise the deal with ASAM, who believe that we can grow by 20 per cent per year despite our own forecasts of only 10 per cent. The money will reach our account in October and we will carry out expansions immediately, said Nguyen Van Thoi, chairman of TNG.

A week earlier, South Korean conglomerate SK Group spent $470 million on a 9.5 per cent stake in Masan Corporation, a diversified group in Vietnam with operations in consumer goods, mining, and chemical processing. SK also pledged to become Masans strategic partner, with a view to pursuing joint business activities in Vietnam and expanding to nearby markets together.

It is clear that partnering with SK will be a tremendous advantage for Masan. SK is South Koreas third largest business group behind Samsung and Hyundai, and it is planning to synergise activities with ASEAN companies. A notable example is ride-hailing firm Grab, which also received strategic investment from SK in April. The two partners are rolling out plans to combine SKs mobile technology, map services, and electric vehicle battery with Grabs ride-hailing platform.

In August, Hanwha Asset Management paid $400 million for 84 million preferential shares in Vingroup. The sale came after Hanwhas unsuccessful attempt to join the $13.5 billion public debut of Vinhomes, the property arm of Vingroup, back in May.

The recent deals of ASAM, SK, and Hanwha in Vietnam are just three of the many M&As between South Korean and Vietnamese companies since 2017. The financial industry has received the greatest interest, with investors such as KIM Asset Management, Lotte Card, and KB Financial pouring big money into Vietnams Viet Capital Securities, Techcombank, and Maritime Securities. Samsung Securities also teamed up with Dragon Capital, the longest-running fund manager in Vietnam.

At the recent Vietnam M&A Forum 2018, South Koreas latest investment wave to Vietnam was highlighted by industry experts. Most agreed that investors are spurred by the New Southern Policy proposed by South Korean President Moon Chae-in earlier this year for closer collaboration with ASEAN members. As growth inside South Korea continues to slow down and geo-political concerns sever business ties with China, South Korean businesses are looking for new opportunities further south, particularly in fast-growing Vietnam.

However, unlike in previous years, when South Korean investors poured direct capital into labour-intensive sectors such as textile, they now prefer to partner up with Vietnamese businesses in M&A deals.

Jiun Park, deputy director of the Global M&A Facilitation Centre at the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, said that the attention is now on Vietnams growing domestic market. An increasing number of South Korean small- and medium-sized companies are keen on Vietnam. South Korean investors put in $300 million of M&A capital in Vietnam last year, and $200 million in the first half of 2018, said Park, adding that Vietnam is an important base for South Korean investors to venture into Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.

Other experts noted that South Korean investors are often quick to make investment decisions and willing to transfer technology to Vietnamese partners. Young-sup Joo, former Minister of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Startups in South Korea, said that this is a win-win situation, as the South Korean partner can offer hi-tech solutions, while the Vietnamese partner can leverage its strong domestic network and existing market share.
Vietcombank - illustration photo

During the latest quarterly report, a number of Vietnamese lenders have posted rosy results. Vietcombank revealed that it earned VND11 trillion ($472.5 million) of pre-tax profits in the first nine months of 2018, doubling the year-on-year figure. The banks target for the entire year is VND13 trillion ($558.5 million) of pre-tax earnings, meaning that the state-owned lender is edging very close to its goal.

The nine-month result for TPBank came out at VND1.61 trillion ($69.1 million), also doubling last years figure and achieving 75 per cent of its 2018 target. A representative noted: TPBank is confident of meeting our goals this year, on the back of very strong business activities.

Oriental Commercial Bank, although it has not yet disclosed its latest results, is also positive that 2018 income will exceed its original target.

Last month, the statistics office of the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) reported that 72 per cent of commercial banks saw a rise in their third-quarter earnings, and among those almost 16 per cent saw a significant improvement. More than 80 per cent of the surveyed banks were also optimistic about their fourth-quarter business results, and 30 per cent even expected a tremendous hike in earnings. Most banks are expanding their business and looking to hire more employees.

The optimism shows that after the SBV reined in credit growth to prevent a market bubble, Vietnamese banks have found innovative methods of making money. Vietcombank, for example, has almost reached the credit limit this year so the bank is pushing non-interest income activities including foreign exchange and account and transaction fees. Various other banks are pushing bancassurance, a long-term partnership between a lender and an insurance company.

In August, 14 Vietnamese banks received credit rating upgrades by international rating agency Moodys, underpinned by the countrys higher sovereign credit scores. The upgrades are important for Vietnamese banks in order to attract foreign investors, who often consult Moodys ratings when making investment decisions.

Investors have already taken notice. Earlier this year, Techcombank carried out an historic $922-million initial public offering, attracting major buyers such as the government of Singapore. Prior to this public sale, American investment giant Warburg Pincus had already poured $370 million into a private transaction. In 2017, the public debuts of HDBank and VPBank were also highly popular with investors. Meanwhile, TPBank attracted $40 million from Finlands PYN Elite Fund, which already had a presence in Vietnam but had never previously invested in a Vietnamese bank.

Analysts at market research firm Stoxplus noted that Vietnamese bank stocks have indeed regained their appeal in the eyes of investors. Stocks of financial institutions have gone up 22 per cent from earlier this year, and each share is expected to give investors 29.9 per cent more earnings by the end of 2018.

The analyst added that several banks have tried to diversify their income sources, from signing bancassurance deals to expanding consumer loans programmes.

Thanks to improved financial efficiency, progress made in bad debt resolution, effective digitisation, and thriving bancassurance partnerships, bank stocks have become attractive again, said Stoxplus.

Viet Dragon Securities went one step further and said that this year is an unhappy one for bank investors around the world, except for those who poured money into Vietnamese lenders. The research team pointed out low return-on-equity levels at US and European banks and highlighted strong growth rates at Vietnamese lenders.

However, it is not straightforward for Vietnamese banks to bring in big money from strategic investors overseas, especially state-owned lenders such as Vietcombank or VietinBank. For instance, the strategic deal between the government of Singapore and Vietcombank has been on hold since 2016 despite an agreement having been signed. Pricing disagreements, corporate governance issues, and the existing foreign ownership cap are some of the biggest roadblocks for banks.

Experts such as Eric Sidgwick, Vietnams country director at Asia Development Bank, believe that it is urgent for Vietnamese banks to raise capital because the deadline for application for Basel II regulation accords is drawing near, and many banks are still struggling with the capital adequacy ratio.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has called on the European Union not to suspend Cambodia from a preferential trading scheme during a meeting between European and Asian business leaders.

The Cambodian prime minister made the comments during the ASEAN-Europe Business council meeting in Brussels on Thursday.

The EU is considering suspending Cambodia from its Everything But Arms (EBA) trading regime, which grants Cambodia tariff-free access to European markets, over violations of human rights and anti-democratic practices.

Hun Sen wrote on his Facebook page that if the EU removes Cambodia from the scheme it would be abandoning its hard work in Cambodia. So lets not let the EU decide what is going to be done and listen to the views of the European business community, he wrote.

He added that if Cambodia was withdrawn from the scheme it would not punish EU investors.

Martin Hayes, the head of the EU-ASEAN Business Council, was quoted as saying that the removal of Cambodia from the scheme would negatively affect EU businesses.

Hun Sen is due to attend the Asia-Europe Meeting this week on the invitation of Donald Tusk, the president of the Council of Europe.

Supporters of Hun Sen gathered in Brussels this week to urge the EU not to remove Cambodia from the EBA scheme.

Top Setha, one of the pro-Hun Sen demonstrators from Germany, said: "If the EU puts pressure on Cambodia, the pressure will not only be on the Cambodian leadership, it's all about the Cambodian people."

Close to one million workers rely on textile exports from Cambodia, a large portion of which are destined for EU markets. Industry representatives have raised concerns that the move could make Cambodia less competitive and drive businesses away.
 Flash

European Union (EU) leaders met on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss faltering progress in Brexit talks, ongoing immigration concerns, and internal security issues.





The leaders largely confirmed and reinforced goals set forth in the conclusions of the June 2018 summit.





The ticking clock on Brexit negotiations, however, led the topic to dominate discussion around the European Summit, while leaders tried to maintain steady progress on the migration issue and improve internal security in a climate where cyber security continues to grow as an international concern.





EU stands tough on Brexit





Two days before the European Summit, Brexit talks seemed to have reached a standstill. The EU's insistence on a fail-safe for the issue of the Northern Irish border appeared to leave British Prime Minister Theresa May without negotiating options.





No proposal seems to have been tabled that would respect the Good Friday Agreements which ban a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland without either running afoul of hardliners in May's governing coalition or of the European demand for a backstop.





European Council President Donald Tusk said he had little cause for optimism Tuesday, and that the UK needed to come up with "creative solutions" to make progress, but that he would ask Theresa May for "concrete proposals" at the Summit.





News broke, meanwhile, from both France and Germany, confirming Wednesday that both countries were preparing for a "no-deal" scenario.





If the need for solutions was high, the British prime minister's Wednesday evening presentation to European leaders did not impress, with European Parliament President Antonio Tajani saying he "did not perceive anything substantially new in content".





The joint position published by the Summit at the conclusion of its Brexit talks only confirmed the bloc's "full confidence in Michel Barnier", the EU lead negotiator, and noted that "not enough progress has been achieved" in talks.





Barnier himself said Wednesday that "we need time, we need much time, much more time", to make progress over the Brexit divorce terms.





Hints that more time would be available did come out of the Summit, however, as Theresa May indicated that she would be willing to consider an extension of the proposed transition period, with British and European commentators speculating on it being extended to a full three years, instead of the original 21-month proposal.





While European leaders gave indications they would be willing to consider an extended transition period, the topic did not make it into the official joint position of the Summit, and critics argued the move would do nothing to address the still-unresolved issue of the Northern Irish border.





More cooperation needed to stem migration flows





European leaders also tackled the topic of migration on Thursday, an issue that has troubled the EU since 2015 when a million migrants arrived on the continent fleeing conflict and other disruptions in their home countries.





The Summit joint position did note that, according to their data, illegal border crossings into the EU had been reduced by 95 percent since its 2015 peak.





The Summit called for increased cooperation with both countries of origin and transit, focusing particularly on North African countries.





"We noted in particular the need to closely watch the situation in the Western Mediterranean, and in this context, to strengthen our cooperation with Morocco, as recommended by (Spanish) Prime Minister (Pedro) Sanchez," said Tusk in a press conference after the summit.





Attention was also given to stopping migrant smugglers, with a fight to increase coordination with non-EU countries, the creation of a joint task force at Europol's European Migrant Smuggling Center, and better monitoring and disruption of online communications by smugglers.





A series of recent European Commission proposals on migrant returns, a European asylum agency, and the European border and coast guard were flagged by European leaders as issues the European Parliament and European Council should examine with priority.





The leaders also urged Austria, which currently holds the Presidency of the European Council, to continue efforts to develop reform proposals for the European asylum system, currently regulated by the rules known as the Dublin III Regulation.





Cyber security concerns grow





Internal security also made the agenda, with leaders particularly concerned after recent cyber attacks against the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague.





In response, along with other modes of reinforcing cooperation across the EU, leaders called for further strengthening of the EU's deterrence, resilience and response to hybrid, cyber as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.





"In this context, we ask ministers to work on a sanctions regime that will be specific to cyber attacks. Such a regime should help to protect our citizens, companies and institutions from all sorts of cyber security threats," said Tusk in his remarks after the Summit.





The European Council also stressed the need for a wide range of measures to build stronger cyber security, prevent and respond to radicalization and terrorism, face challenges presented by technological developments, and increase crisis management capacity.





Ahead of 2019 European elections, leaders also called for a speedy follow-up on European Commission proposals to combat disinformation, pushing for an action plan for a coordinated EU response to be presented by December 2018.
The head of Prime Minister Hun Sens bodyguard unit has been appointed to a team tasked with stopping protests outside of Hun Sens mansion in central Phnom Penh.

The decision comes amid a series of planned protests by land rights advocates and communities affected by land grabbing.

Hing Bun Hieng, the head of the bodyguard unit, who was placed on a US sanctions list earlier this year, will coordinate with 22 police commanders and local government officials.

The directive described the motivation of the order as a duty to prevent provocation from opportunists who take advantage of protesters.

VOA Khmer could not reach Bun Hieng for comment.

Am Sam Ath, head of investigations at local rights group Licadho, said he was concerned that the majority of the members of the new working group were from the armed forces and police.

We see it in a sense that firstly, it is for receiving complaints and resolving the disputes as stated [in the statement] to prevent many people protesting. What does this mean? It means that if there's such prevention, the possibility of a crackdown is inevitable. I think that this is not good, he said.

If we look at the most of the members of the task group, most of them are generals. So is the aim of the task force to help solve the issue or prevent protests from happening?

The bodyguard unit has been at the center of allegations of human rights abuses in Cambodia, including numerous assaults on protesters and opposition politicians.
Five Khmer Rouge survivors and performers will share their personal journeys of reviving the Cambodian arts scene through a series of performances in six US cities.

The performances, titled Heartstrings and organized by Cambodian NGO Cambodian Living Arts (CLA), will take place over three weeks from October 25 as part of the Arts4Peace tour.

Samnang Heng, CLAs program coordinator, said the tour aims to tell Cambodian stories from the lives of the five artists.

The Arts4Peace tour tells the personal stories of musicians and artists who had a career in arts before, during and after the Khmer Rouge, she said. We want to show how their lives up until now have been changed through arts, music and culture.

In 2013, two of the featured artists, CLA founder Arn Chorn-Pond and artist Thorn Seyma, co-founded an independent mobile music project, Khmer Magic Music Bus, which was later integrated as one of the main programs at CLA, with the goal to help Cambodian master musicians and their students return traditional music performance and education to the people of rural Cambodia, one village at a time.

Heng said that the Arts4Peace tour will replicate the Khmer Magic Music Bus experience in the US towns of Putney, VT, Boston, MA, Hartford, CT, Greenwich, CT, Washington, D.C., and New York.

The bus that takes the five artists and teams to perform from one location to another in the US will have the same signs and decorations as the one we use in Cambodia, Heng said. We want to show audiences in America that this is the same Khmer Magic Music Bus experience that Cambodian Living Arts delivers across Cambodia.

Cambodian Living Arts was founded in 1998 to help masters of traditional Cambodian instruments who survived the Khmer Rouge regime, and encourage young students to learn their craft.

Chorn-Pond believes that the arts can heal and transform people and societies. In a 2012 interview with VOA, Chorn-Pond said that he lost his family to the Khmer Rouge genocide and used arts and music to heal.

Music saved my life in the first place," he said. "Thats why music's coming back to my life again and I'm using it to the fullest, not only to just play but to pass down this culture that's dying, to the next generation.

Heng explained that the Arts4Peace tour embodies Chorn-Ponds belief and celebrates the 20th anniversary of CLA working to transform Cambodias troubled past through the arts.

We want to show our Cambodian-American and American audiences that despite going through wars and tragedies, Cambodia has a new face today. Weve built peace, especially peace of mind through the arts, music and culture.

This is what we [CLA] are trying to achieve, and this is our contribution to the development of Cambodia.
President Donald Trump suggested without evidence Thursday that Democrats or their allies are supporting a caravan of Central American migrants who are traveling north aiming to enter the United States.

Addressing thousands of supporters at a campaign rally in Montana, Trump said immigration is now one of the leading issues in the 2018 midterms, and he accused Democrats of supporting the migrants because they figure everybody coming in is going to vote Democrat.

The comments mark the injection of one of Trumps signature 2016 campaign themes back into national conversation as he looks to boost Republican turnout to maintain their congressional majorities in 2018.

Perhaps no issue was more identifiable with Trumps last campaign than immigration, particularly his much-vaunted  and still-unfulfilled  promise to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. For Trump, those pledges are still rallying cries for his supporters, who cheered his call for construction of a wall and booed mentions of Democratic opposition to his hard-line policies.

Unfounded allegation

A lot of moneys been passing through people to come up and try to get to the border by Election Day because they think thats a negative for us, Trump said. No. 1, theyre being stopped, and No. 2, regardless, thats our issue.

He added: They wanted that caravan and there are those that say that caravan didnt just happen. It didnt just happen.

Trump appeared to be referring to an unfounded allegation promoted by ally Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. The Republican lawmaker tweeted a video Wednesday of men handing out money to people standing in line. He claimed the video showed people being paid in Honduras to join a caravan and storm the border (at) election time. Trump on Thursday tweeted the same video, writing, Can you believe this, and what Democrats are allowing to be done to our Country?

Correction issued

After questions about the videos origin, Gaetz posted a correction later Thursday on Twitter, saying, This video was provided to me by a Honduran government official. Thus, I believed it to be from Honduras.

Neither Republican provided evidence of his claim that the people were being paid to join a caravan.

About 3,000 Hondurans are in a migrant caravan passing through Guatemala trying to reach the United States. Mexicos government says migrants with proper documents can enter Mexico and those who dont either have to apply for refugee status or face deportation.

On Thursday, Trump threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border if authorities there fail to stop them.

Trump criticizes Tester

Trump was in Montana to boost GOP Senate candidate Matt Rosendale, who is running against Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, whom the president said has been a disaster for Montana.

The president blames Tester for the backlash against former White House doctor Adm. Ronny Jackson, whom the president had tapped to serve as Veterans Affairs secretary. Jackson was forced to withdraw after facing ethics allegations, including claims that he got drunk and wrecked a government vehicle at a Secret Service going-away party. Tester had released a list of allegations against Jackson that was compiled by the Democratic staff of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

He was attacked so viciously, so violently by Jon Tester, Trump said. Thats really why Im here.

He also criticized Testers opposition to the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of decades-old sexual assault. Kavanaugh denied the allegations.

Praise for body slam candidate

Trump also praised Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte, who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault last year after attacking a reporter in 2017.

Any guy that can do a body slam, hes my kind of guy, Trump said. Hes a great guy, tough cookie.

Trump accused Democrats of engaging in a heartless campaign to sink Kavanaughs confirmation, saying voters will remember how he was treated at the polls.

This will be an election of Kavanaugh, the caravan, law and order, and common sense, Trump said.
A Brazilian presidential candidate on Thursday accused his far-right adversary of illegal campaign practices for allegedly allowing friendly businessmen to secretly pay to spread slanderous messages.

The accusations by left-leaning Fernando Haddad followed a report published by the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo saying businessmen linked to Congressman Jair Bolsonaro allegedly bankrolled the spread of fake news on the WhatsApp messaging service to benefit his candidacy. The article said a blast message campaign was planned for the week before the Oct. 28 runoff.

In a series of tweets, Bolsonaro, who is the front-runner in opinion polls, said any support of businessmen was voluntary. Gustavo Bebbiano, the chairman of Bolsonaro's Social Liberal Party, denied receiving illegal donations.

"Every donation made until this day, no matter if it is our party or our candidate's campaign, comes from resources donated to our platform, accordingly with legislation,'' Bebbiano said.

No names revealed

Haddad, who was handpicked by jailed former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said he had leads for the federal police to follow, but did not reveal names. He later asked Brazil's top court to start an investigation, and he said he might take the case to the Organization of American States.

"There has been a criminal organization of businessmen that used illegal campaign financing to promote this candidacy and tamper with the election in the first round [on Oct. 7]. And they want to do it again in the runoff,'' Haddad said. "We estimate that hundreds of thousands of messages, all fake, were sent to voters to suggest they vote for my rival.''

Paying for the blast-messaging, if true, could be a violation of Brazil's campaign finance laws since companies are barred from giving money to candidates, electoral lawyer Erick Pereira said.

"But there is still need for robust evidence, which is not here at this moment,'' Pereira added.

The Folha article mentioned businessman Luciano Hang, who owns the Havan department store, as one of the contributors. It also mentioned a handful of marketing companies that allegedly received money to do the blast messaging.

Lawsuit promised

In an emailed statement, the Havan chain said the newspaper "published fake news with a clear ideological slant,'' adding it would sue over the article.

At Yacows, an internet marketing service mentioned in the article, a person answered the phone and said there would be no comment because the company had not engaged in spreading messages.

The other companies mentioned in the article didn't answer their phones Thursday afternoon.

In his tweet, Bolsonaro said Haddad's campaign was trying to change the subject.

"The Workers' Party is not being affected by fake news, it is affected by the truth,'' Bolsonaro wrote. ``They stole the population's money, were arrested, confronted the judiciary, disrespected families and made the country sink into violence and chaos.''

On Thursday, a Datafolha poll said Bolsonaro was holding a comfortable advantage over Haddad, with 59 percent support against his adversary's 41 percent. The polling firm said it interviewed 9,137 voters Wednesday and Thursday and the poll had a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, once said he feared, "I am going to die without accomplishing what I have in mind." As evidence mounts linking him to the suspected murder of Saudi journalist and dissident Jamal Khashoggi, who vanished two weeks ago in his country's consulate in Istanbul, that fear may turn into prophecy.

With a growing list of big businesses and governments withdrawing in protest from a much-trumpeted investment conference set for next week in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, analysts say Crown Prince Mohammed's pledge to usher in a new Saudi Arabia and to drag the conservative kingdom into the modern age looks to be in serious jeopardy.

Next week's investment conference, "The Future Investment Initiative," is being hosted by the crown prince, whom many suspect ordered Khashoggi's killing. Billed as "Davos in the Desert," the conference is meant to showcase the crown prince's reform plans for economic and social modernization, called Vision 2030. It aims to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil and provide new jobs in sectors unrelated to fossil fuel, upon which the kingdom's wealth has been based.

The crown prince's project to update the kingdom, diversify its oil-based economy and slacken Saudi Arabia's Wahhabist underpinnings is dependent on foreign backing and investment; but, a growing boycott of the conference by Western firms is being seen as a substantial blow to the prince's agenda. And a long-term boycott of the kingdom could derail Vision 2030  risking his own power by giving rivals within the royal family the opportunity to oust him.

Some major companies, including Pepsi and EDF, say they still plan to attend, despite mounting pressure for a boycott. British defense firm BAE Systems and Arm, a microchip company, are facing calls from opposition politicians and rights activists to pull out. German consultancy firm Roland Berger, a co-sponsor of the three-day event, says it is reviewing its position.

More than 30 high-profile delegations have dropped out since Khashoggi disappeared. Goldman Sachs says none of its executives will be there. The banking giant HSBC, Uber and the International Monetary Fund are all shunning the conference. The CEOs of JP Morgan Chase & Co, Blackstone Group, BlackRock and the chairman of Ford also have pulled out of the event.

More are expected to follow  especially in the wake of Thursday's announcements that U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Britain's international trade secretary, Liam Fox, won't be attending.

"This incident is unacceptable and clearly they [the Saudis] have to answer questions specifically regarding this incident," Goldman CEO David Solomon told CNBC. "How they answer those questions and how more information becomes apparent will have an impact on how we all interact."

Goldman was recently hired by the Saudis' main sovereign wealth fund to advise on the sale of its majority stake in Saudi petrochemicals giant Saudi Basic Industries, according to Reuters.

British lawmaker Angus MacNeil, the chairman of an international trade committee in the House of Commons, also has urged other British companies to boycott the event. "The behavior of Saudi Arabia is utterly beyond the pale. They cannot operate with such savage impunity."

The boycott suggests there could be long-term damage to the crown prince's reform project, even if Western governments refrain from imposing sanctions on Saudi Arabia for the suspected murder in the consulate, analysts say. He and Saudi Arabia may be too toxic for well-known brands and global businesses to work with in the wake of what befell Khashoggi.

Trump's response

Turkish officials say 15 Saudi assassins flew in from Riyadh, cut off Khashoggi's fingers, decapitated him and dismembered his body shortly after he arrived at the consulate two weeks ago to collect divorce documents enabling him to marry his fiancee. Saudi officials deny he was killed, but have yet to explain his disappearance.

Some are wondering whether the kingdom's 82-year-old monarch, the ailing King Salman, may be forced to replace the crown prince as Saudi's day-to-day ruler, if the international outrage over the suspected killing risks causing a major rupture between the kingdom and the U.S. and Europe.

"There is no doubt that the disappearance and likely death of Jamal Khashoggi will now damage Saudi Arabia's relations with the U.S. and Europe, should Riyadh be found responsible," said Neil Quilliam, an analyst at Britain's Chatham House. The crown prince's fate could be determined by the scale of the damage.

So far, aside from expressing outrage Thursday about Khashoggi's disappearance, President Donald Trump acknowledged for the first time the likelihood Khashoggi was dead, saying it "certainly looks" as if he is  Western governments have been cautious about saying what they might do in response.

Trump promised "very severe" consequences if it is proven the Saudis killed him. The U.S. and other Western governments say they want to reserve judgment until Saudi Arabia and the Turks have completed their respective investigations.

Other possible suspects

The pause, some friends of Khashoggi complain, appears designed to give Riyadh an opportunity to fashion a narrative that points the finger away from the crown prince, possibly to offer a story that the suspected killing was a rogue intelligence operation gone wrong and was aimed at abducting Khashoggi rather than killing him.

The New York Times reported Thursday that Saudi authorities are considering blaming Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri, a high-ranking intelligence official, for the killing of Khashoggi in a bid to deflect blame from the crown prince, whom U.S. intelligence officials say they increasingly are convinced did order the murder. Other possible fall guys have been reported by other media outlets.

That may not be sufficient to calm the international outcry. Nor may it be enough to persuade major international brands to continue to do business with Saudi Arabia while Mohammed bin Salman remains crown prince. Billionaire businessman Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, already has frozen business links with the kingdom and halted discussions with the Saudis over investment in its space projects.

Branson has said if the allegations prove true about the suspected Khashoggi killing, it "would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi government."

Other British business executives have told VOA they harbored concerns about the crown prince before Khashoggi disappeared, mentioning their worries about what they see as his impulsive nature, his crackdown on dissidents in the kingdom and the aggressive foreign policy methods he has employed in the Gulf, including the bombing of civilians in Yemen.

They say in the past they were ready to push aside their worries. Now it will be harder to do so. "Khashoggi's disappearance brings home the rogue personality of the crown prince," said a British CEO, who asked not to be named.
Thousands of people protested across Haiti Wednesday in sweeping anti-corruption protests that coincided with a national holiday honoring one of the heroes of the country's independence, Jean Jacques Dessalines. Police opened fire on demonstrators, killing at least one person and injuring several others, as they threw rocks and set fire to tires.
Haitian President Jovenel Moise has reiterated his commitment to rooting out corruption.

Responding to protester demands to tell us where the PetroCaribe money is Moise tweeted Thursday that his administration would investigate the allegations of misuse of funds and would hold all those responsible accountable.

No one will escape justice. Its a moral and judicial duty, he said.

The presidents press secretary Eddy Jackson Alexis told reporters Moise had officially notified all government officials involved in the PetroCaribe agreement that they were to make themselves available to respond to a judicial inquiry.

Thousands of protesters who took to the streets nationwide Wednesday were demanding transparency from the government regarding the alleged misuse of $3.8 billion.

The money, due to Haiti under the PetroCaribe oil alliances signed between Venezuela and Caribbean nations beginning in June 2005, had been earmarked for infrastructure and social and economic projects.

Audit done, unclear results

Several audits have been done, with the results either failing to provide clear answers as to where the PetroCaribe funds went, or showing that much of the revenue has been mismanaged, including being spent on construction projects that were not completed.

Meanwhile, National Police spokesman Michel-Ange Louis-Jeune spoke with reporters about the toll of the protests on civilians and law enforcement.

Two people died of bullet wounds in the West Department, he said, but did not specify who shot them. Eleven policemen were injured when protesters pelted them with rocks. In addition, the police force lost seven vehicles to fire and two others were damaged by flying rocks.

But some municipal officials have reported higher injury and death tolls. Frantz Ulysse, Saint-Marcs deputy mayor, reported 14 injuries when police fired to clear a roadblock on a highway the presidential motorcade was traveling on to attend a ceremony commemorating the 212th anniversary of the death of revolutionary hero, Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Ulysse said of 10 people who were hit by bullets, three are in critical condition.

Police crack down

According to the spokesman, the PNH (Police Nationale dHaiti), widely criticized in July for failing to stop looters who ransacked businesses and gas stations, accomplished its mission this time around. Louis-Jeune said police thwarted a plot to loot two markets during the protests, but declined to identify the targeted businesses.

We arrested several individuals who were on motorcycles, with gas cans in hand and who were unable to explain why they had these cans and what they planned to do with them, he said. Illegal weapons were also seized from several individuals.

President Moise congratulated the police force on a job well done.


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.

Rohingya deportations

The first deportations of Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar has rattled those who remain in the camps in India's Haryana state. The government in New Delhi plans to repatriate thousands more, raising questions about sending those who fled violence and persecution back to a country that the United Nations recently assessed is not safe enough for them. Some of the refugees in India say they left the first camps in neighboring Bangladesh where they sought safety because of deplorable conditions, and U.N. officials this week agreed that the situation in Coxs Bazar can be dangerous, especially for women.

Pakistans border wall

A wall being built along the countrys border with Afghanistan triggered clashes between security forces on both sides this week. Pakistan says the barrier is to stop the flow of terrorists, while Kabul rejects the very premise of the fence, as well as the boundary line where its being erected.

DACA and the midterms

Deep divides along party lines across the U.S. will come to a head with the midterm elections next month, and one of the groups paying close attention to the outcome is DACA recipients  those undocumented immigrants who came to the country as children but gained a semi-legal status under former President Barack Obama. A win for Democrats could buy them more time, after President Donald Trump attempted to end the policy and Congress failed to pass any law protecting them. This week, the U.S. Justice Department warned an appellate court handling a lawsuit over the policys termination that if there is no decision by the end of October, the federal agency would take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Northward bound

Thousands of migrants are walking together from Honduras, aiming for the U.S. border. But first they have to make it across the Guatemala-Mexico border  and Trump has warned that he will militarize and shut down the southern U.S. frontier if Mexico does not stop the group.

WATCH: Honduran Migrant Caravan Marches Toward Mexico
A gap is growing between Washington and Seoul over an inter-Korean military pact that Washington worries might weaken South Korea's defenses against a North Korea attack.

South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed discontent when she spoke to him after Seoul outlined plans to sign a military agreement with Pyongyang at the third inter-Korean summit in September.

Pompeo's concern over Seoul's military agreement with Pyongyang comes as relations cool between South Korea and the United States. The growing distance is the result of inter-Korean ties that seem to be getting warmer and faster than the North is making progress in denuclearization.

US, South Korea Again Call Off Major Drill The United States and South Korea have suspended another major military exercise in a continued push for diplomacy, the Pentagon said Friday.

According to Bruce Bechtol, a retired Marine and former intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency, who researches North Korea's military at Angelo State University in Texas, Seoul made concessions in the military deal, while Pyongyang gave up very little.

"(South Korean) President Moon (Jae-in) is rushing into a lot of moves before the North Koreans actually make their own reciprocal moves," Bechtol said. "And I think that that's dangerous."

The agreement includes setting up a no-fly zone, as well as maritime and ground buffer zones around the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the area that divides the two Koreas. The two also agreed to stop military drills targeting each other near the military demarcation line that runs within the DMZ.

In an effort to create "a peace zone" along the heavily fortified border near the DMZ, Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to clear landmines near the area. The process began Oct. 1.

The United Nations Command (UNC), led by the U.S., oversees the 2.4-kilometer-wide DMZ.

The commander of the U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK) serves as the commander in chief of the UNC and the Combined Forces Command (CFC). South Korea and U.S. forces operate jointly under the CFC to defend the southern half of the Korean Peninsula.

The UNC said in a statement that it had "reviewed and verified the mine clearance work" and added that it "will continue to work closely" with the two Koreas "to synchronize implementation efforts on the way ahead."

Experts worry the agreement could make it harder for South Korean and U.S. forces to fend off a North Korean attack.

Frank Aum, who served as the senior adviser of North Korea in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and is currently a senior expert on North Korea at the U.S. Institute of Peace, is concerned a no-fly zone will blindfold the U.S. and South Korean forces that monitor North Korean activities in the DMZ.

"The scope of the no-fly zone could weaken the alliance's ability to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations, as well as access U.S. bases within the zones," Aum said.

Suspending military drills near the military demarcation line will curtail the ability of South Korean and U.S. forces to guard against potential North Korean aggression, according to David Maxwell, a former Special Forces colonel who served on the UNC, CFC and USFK, and is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

"The inability to train, to include live fire training in the vicinity of the DMZ will reduce (the CFC's) readiness to defeat North Korean artillery that (could) initiate hostilities," Maxwell said.

Bechtol said South Korea will become vulnerable to a potential North Korean attack when landmines and guard posts are removed in the DMZ area, which were set up to stall North Korean forces from advancing to the South.

"These are all things that can give the South Korean army early warning and stop an attack if it actually occurs," Bechtol said.

Demining the DMZ, according to Maxwell, gives North Korea a strategic advantage for mounting an offensive.

"The removal of mines in the three major attack corridors, Kaesong-Munsan, Chorwon and the East Coast, provides an advantage to the North, should it choose to attack," he said.

Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the RAND Corp., said creating a 10-kilometer-wide ground buffer zone and removing guard posts in the DMZ will open a route for the North to undermine Seoul's defenses, as well as its domestic activities.

"If the Demilitarized Zone becomes an open port of access into South Korea, they could be funneling all kinds of agents into the South who would do anything from collection of information to sabotage activities," Bennett said.

"The North has always made the invasion of the South a priority and also subversion of the South a priority. And so a failure to control the border area makes major risks in terms of kinds of actions that the North Koreans could do," Bennett added.

Despite the concerns, General B.B. Bell, commander of the CFC from 2006 to 2008, thinks the alliance bound by the Mutual Defense Treaty, signed between the U.S. and South Korea at the end of the Korean War in 1953, secures Seoul's defense.

"So, that serves (sends) a significant message to any aggressor, including North Korea," Bell said. "And no matter how many steps are taken to reduce tensions by ratcheting down military activities, no matter what happens, that alliance guarantees that should the North attempt some type of military adventurism to either provoke or seriously threaten (South Korea), the United States will go to war with the North with our ally South Korea. Period."

Bell thinks the U.S. and South Korea should maintain readiness, while demanding North Korea remove its conventional offensive capabilities, including its artillery and forward deployed forces directed against the South.

On Tuesday, officers from the UNC and the two Koreas met for the first time since the two Koreas signed the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) and discussed disarming the border village of Panmunjom, also known as the Joint Security Area within the DMZ, as the two Koreas agreed in the inter-Korean pact.

U.S. General Vincent Brooks, who leads the UNC and commands the USFK, said, "I am encouraged by this productive, trilateral dialogue."

The UNC and the two Koreas agreed to continue trilateral military meetings, according to a press release from the USFK, which said "Topics for future meetings will likely include implementing details of such matters as removing guard posts, reducing security personnel, and adjusting surveillance equipment."

U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo, interviewed Friday in Mexico City by VOA contributor Greta Van Susteren, said a second meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is being planned.

"I'm not prepared to tell you when it's going to be, as the date has not yet been set, but the president's committed to doing that," Pompeo said. "We're working on finding dates and times and places that will work for each of the two leaders. I'm very hopeful we'll have senior leader meetings here in the next week and a half or so between myself and my counterpart to continue this discussion."

Pompeo said Kim told him, during their meeting two weeks ago, that "he stands by the commitment he made to President Trump in Singapore on June 12th" for denuclearization.

Trump and Kim met in Singapore in June, and officials have been working on a second summit since then, the official said.

Later Friday, however, Reuters news agency quoted a senior administration official as saying the next summit between the two leaders would not occur until "sometime after the first of the year."

Fern Robinson contributed to this report.
Parliamentary elections in Kandahar province in Southern Afghanistan will be postponed for a week due to the situation arising from the killing of influential commander General Abdul Raziq, according to Haroon Chakhansuri, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani.



Elections across the rest of the country are scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 20.



The attack Thursday that killed Raziq was aimed at him and General Scott Miller, the commander of United States and NATO forces in Afghanistan, according to a Taliban statement claiming responsibility.



The U.S. commander, who was unharmed in the attack, refuted that claim.



"My assessment is that I was not the target. It was a very closed, confined space," said Miller in an interview with Afghan channel Tolo News Friday as he walked the streets of Kabul and checked on Afghan security forces' election readiness.

"What happened down there was an attack on the security forces. But I'll tell you that we'll remain with the security forces," he added.



Miller was in Kandahar for high level meetings with provincial officials on the upcoming elections.



In a brief message Thursday evening, President Ghani promised the situation in the province would soon return to normal.

Rehmatullah Atrafi, security officer in charge for Kandahar province, said Raziq's youngest brother, Tadeen Khan Achakzai, has been appointed as the new police chief in Kandahar, on special orders from the president.



However, the death of what many called one of the most powerful and influential men in Southern Afghanistan is likely to change both the political and security makeup of the region.



"It's going to have a significant impact on the whole security balance in southern Afghanistan, but particularly Kandahar," said Mushtaq Rahim, an independent political analyst based in Kabul. "He was able to maintain the security presence of the Afghan government on the outskirts of the city and even in faraway areas."



Raziq was known as the man who had kept Taliban at bay in Kandahar, in a country where the insurgency seems to be slowly gaining ground elsewhere.



A New York Times story in 2014 called him the man who "put fear in Taliban and their enemies."

Locals regarded him as larger than life, and as someone who had brought a semblance of stability to their lives. Human rights activists on the other hand, often accused him of abuses.



The United Nations Committee against Torture in a report last year noted "numerous and credible allegations" that Raziq was "widely suspected of complicity, if not of personal implication, in severe human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings and  secret detention centers." The committee called for Raziq and other Afghans involved in such practices to be duly prosecuted and punished.



However, his gains against the Taliban kept him in the good books of American commanders who often worked closely with him.



"Today I lost a great friend LTG Raziq. We had served together for many years. Afghanistan lost a patriot, my condolences to the people of Afghanistan. The good he did for Afghanistan and the Afghan people cannot be undone," Miller tweeted from the account of Resolute Support, NATO's mission in Afghanistan.



Raziq had survived multiple attacks on his life from Taliban. His killing is the latest in an election season already marred by bloodshed. Ten candidates have been killed since the start of the nomination period in late May, along with dozens of their supporters. The Taliban announced they would derail the election process by any means possible.



Even though the insurgency has called on its followers to safeguard civilian lives, it has simultaneously encouraged them to attack schools that will become polling stations, or any election related activity.



The United Nations Mission in Afghanistan has called on the Taliban to respect civilian life and fulfill their commitments under international law. "Civilians working in or attending polling stations cannot under any circumstances be regarded as military targets," a UNAMA statement said.



U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass said the Taliban have repeatedly announced that they want to avoid civilian casualties and that it was time to demonstrate their seriousness.



"Elections are a central piece of what civilians in a democratic society participate in and they should be able to do so without fear of violence or intimidation or disruption," he said while addressing a group of Afghan journalists.
 Flash

Prosecutors and the family of missing Chinese visiting scholar Zhang Yingying requested the U.S. Illinois state judge not to change trial place for her alleged kidnapper and killer, Brendt Christensen, local media reported on Thursday.





Last month, Christensen's lawyers asked that the trial be moved to Peoria, from Urbana where the the crime occurred. They cited extensive media coverage, negative online comments and a poll showing 76.5 percent of respondents in the Urbana area were familiar with the case, more than 59 percent of respondents in the Peoria area.





According to News Gazette, prosecutors filed court motions this week, providing a statement from the family of Zhang Yingying, the Chinese lady last seen on June 9, 2017, entering Christensen's car near a bus stop on campus at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).





After three weeks, police arrested the 28-year-old Christensen, a former UIUC doctoral student, charging him with kidnapping, torturing and killing Zhang.





"We strongly hope the venue of the case against her alleged killer remains in the federal court in Urbana," the family said. "This would be most convenient for us, provide us with the most emotional support, and keep us close to the place our daughter was last seen alive."





"While we understand that Peoria is a nice place, it would not be able to provide us with the support we have received in Urbana-Champaign," the family wrote.





Prosecutors also argued that a trial in Peoria would be inconvenient for witnesses, most of whom live in Urbana-Champaign area.





"This is likely to be a lengthy trial, and forcing all of the witnesses to travel and wait to testify while far from home will cause inconvenience for all of them, and significant additional expense for the government," US Attorney John Childress wrote.





The trial for Christensen is set for April 2, 2019. He will face the death penalty if found guilty of kidnapping resulting in death.
International aid is pouring into the Indonesian island of Sulawesi for tens of thousands of earthquake and tsunami survivors. Three weeks after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck, the government estimates more than 87,000 people remain homeless and thousands more are living in poor, makeshift settlements.

Aid agencies are racing against time to get relief to survivors before the monsoon season sets in next month. The Sulawesi disaster is estimated to have killed more than 2,000 people, with at least 680 still missing. The government says around 68,000 houses are damaged.

The U.N. refugee agency delivered 435 emergency tents Friday for distribution to families made homeless by the earthquake and tsunami. The agency says that will provide shelter to around 6,500 of the most vulnerable. It says more emergency tents, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and solar lamps will be delivered in the coming weeks.

UNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley says aid workers went to Palu, the epicenter of the quake in central Sulawesi, this past week to coordinate relief activities with local government officials.

Our staff described the effects of the earthquake and tsunami as beyond imagination and devastating. Communities have seen their houses, schools and hospitals reduced to rubble. Entire villages have been decimated. Many people have not only lost their homes, but the land on which [they] once stood, said he.

Yaxley says many survivors are too traumatized to face returning to what is left of their homes.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is providing 215 tons of relief items, including tents, tarpaulins, blankets and safe drinking water to the survivors. The Indonesian Red Cross will distribute the aid to 160,000 people affected by the disaster.

World Food Program staff is helping the Indonesian government expedite, manage, store and distribute to the survivors on Sulawesi the massive quantities of aid arriving at the airport of Balikpapan on the neighboring island of Borneo.
The presidents of Honduras and Guatemala are set to meet Saturday to implement a strategy to return a caravan of thousands of migrants to Honduras after U.S. President Donald Trump warned the convoy must be stopped before it reaches the U.S.

A standoff between the migrants and Mexican police continued as they settled on a bridge separating Guatemala and Mexico, with some clinging to the closed border gate crying "there are children here."

The migrants broke through the fence Friday, running into a wall of police in Mexico, whose government has promised the U.S. will confront the caravan.

Mexican television footage showed hundreds of migrants streaming onto the bridge and being met on the other side by a line of Mexican police in riot gear.

Witnesses say some of the migrants threw rocks and other objects at Mexican security forces, who used pepper spray to force the migrants to retreat.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said Friday night in a nationally televised address that, "Mexico does not permit and will not permit entry into its territory in an irregular fashion, much less in a violent fashion."

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez posted on Twitter late Friday that he and his Guatemalan counterpart, Jimmy Morales, have asked for clearance to send civil protection personnel to help the Hondurans at the border, and is looking for ways to return the migrants to Honduras, where their march began.

"I also asked authorization to hire ground transportation for anyone who wants to return and an air bridge for special cases of women, children, the elderly and the sick," Hernandez tweeted.

The caravan has angered Trump and his top diplomat, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who met in Mexico City Friday with his Mexican counterpart, Luis Videgaray, who vowed to meet the "challenge" of the caravan.

Pompeo told VOA Contributor Greta Van Susteren Friday that Mexican officials want to create a situation where migrants understand that it is not fruitful to transit though Mexico into the United States.

WATCH: Pompeo on Migrants Heading to US-Mexico Border

He said the caravan is not organic and is being underwritten by political opponents of the Honduran leadership. This is not just a group of people who happen to wander together into a big group, he said.

The caravan of nearly 3,000 people left San Pedro Sula in Honduras late last week, making its way through Guatemala's muddy jungle and residential streets to reach Mexico and hoping eventually to reach the United States.

On Thursday, Trump threatened to send the military to close the southern U.S. border unless Mexico stops what he calls an "onslaught" of Central American migrants. Trump claims there are criminals among the migrants and is urging Mexico "in the strongest terms" to stop them.

"The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me as President than Trade or the USMCA (US Mexico Canada Agreement)," Trump tweeted Thursday.

"He's making a political calculation," said Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico's incoming foreign minister, about Trump's posting on Twitter, in a reference to U.S. mid-term elections in November. Ebrard said in a local radio interview Trump's comments were "predictable."

While Trump has threatened to deploy the military to the border, Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis said Thursday the "Department of Defense has not been tasked to provide additional support."

Mexican officials say they will not let the migrants enter as one large group. Instead, individuals must show a passport or visa to cross the border, or apply for refugee status.

Mexico's government has sought assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to help process migrants claiming refugee status, which could help it to disperse the caravan.

Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Videgaray said in an interview with the Televisa network that those who want to apply for refuge in Mexico will be welcome to do so if they have a vulnerable situation in their country of origin.

The Mexican government has said any migrant who decides to cross illegally will be detained and deported.

Honduras is one of the most violent nations in the world, partly because of gangs and drugs.

Many of those trying to get to the U.S. want to escape violence and poverty.

VOA's Wayne Lee and Fern Robinson contributed to this story.
Pakistan has criticized and downplayed rival India's acquisition of the Russian-made S-400 Triumph air defense system, claiming Islamabad can counter the threat.

New Delhi recently signed a $5.4 billion deal with Moscow to purchase what experts believe is the most modern ballistic missile defense (BMS) system available. India has said it needs the missile system that provides high-altitude protection from incoming missiles to bolster its defenses against China and Pakistan.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, in an official reaction to the pact Friday, warned the purchase of the system will "further destabilize strategic stability" and lead to a "renewed" arms race in South Asia.

The Russian weapon system, according to reports, can simultaneously engage and destroy 36 targets, including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and ballistic as well as cruise missiles within 400 kilometers at an altitude of 30 kilometers.

"Pakistan remains fully confident of its ability to address threats from any kind of destabilizing weapon system," the ministry noted, without further explanation.

In January 2017, Islamabad announced the successful flight testing of a surface-to-surface "Ababeel" ballistic missile that it said was capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads to hit targets with "high precision" as far as 2,200 kilometers, "defeating the enemy's hostile radars."

U.S. and Western critics maintain that Pakistan has the fastest-growing nuclear arsenal in the world, assertions Islamabad dismisses as "misleading."

The Trump administration on Wednesday reiterated persistent U.S. concerns about Pakistan's development of long- and short-range missile launch capabilities and its growing nuclear stockpile.

"Specifically, we've expressed concern about the increased security challenges that accompany growing stockpiles, particularly battlefield nuclear weapons, as they pose a greater risk from theft and misuse," State Department Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Henry Ensher told a seminar at the Wilson Center, a Washington-based research institution.

"These weapons also increase the risk that a conventional conflict between India and Pakistan could escalate to use of nuclear weapons," Ensher said.

Pakistani officials dismiss safety-related concerns about the nation's nuclear weapons and cite close defense and nuclear cooperation between the United States and India for reinforcing its nuclear-deterrence capabilities.

Islamabad says its short-range battlefield nuclear weapons are aimed at deterring New Delhi from taking advantage of its massive military power to inflict a surprise limited conventional war on Pakistan.

Possible sanctions

New Delhi is hoping for a waiver from the United States, which passed a law last year placing automatic sanctions on countries dealing with Russia's defense and intelligence sectors.

With an eye on China, New Delhi and Washington have been building a closer partnership. U.S. officials, however, have said there is no guarantee for such a waiver and urged India not to enter into transactions with Russia.

Last month, Washington imposed sanctions on China's military for its purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia.



Russia's sale of S-400 missiles to India comes as relations between Moscow and Islamabad have significantly improved in areas that include defense, political and economic fields.



Pakistan will host another round of annual joint military drills with Russia starting Sunday.



India and Pakistan have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947 and military clashes along their disputed Kashmir border have lately become routine, raising concerns another war between the two countries could escalate into nuclear exchanges.
The Trump administration is under increased pressure to obtain Saudi Arabia's explanation of the disappearance of Saudi-born journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey two weeks ago. Turkish investigators say they have evidence the journalist was killed at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Saudi officials deny that but have yet to explain Khashoggi's disappearance. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports, U.S. President Donald Trump has come under criticism for what is seen as a tepid response to the incident.
A radical Islamic preacher was released Friday from a British prison after serving less than half of a 5-1/2-year prison sentence for encouraging support for the Islamic State group.

Anjem Choudary, 51, left the high security Belmarsh prison in southeast London but will be subject to strict supervision. Prime Minister Theresa May says authorities are equipped to supervise Choudary.

Choudary, from Ilford in east London, is expected to wear an electronic tag, face a nighttime curfew and be barred from contacting anyone who has been charged with extremist-related offenses unless he receives prior approval from authorities. He qualified for early release because of time served before his conviction.

In addition, Choudary's name has been added to a U.N. sanctions list, which means the government can freeze his assets and bar him from traveling.

Choudary has been one of the most high-profile faces of radical Islam in Britain for years, leading groups under names including al-Muhajiroun, Islam4UK and Muslims Against Crusades.

Several people who attended Choudary's rallies and events have been convicted of violent attacks, including the two al-Qaida-inspired killers who ran over British soldier Lee Rigby and stabbed him to death in 2013.

Until he was charged under the Terrorism Act, the firebrand preacher gained attention for headline-grabbing activities that provoked outrage but stayed on the right side of the law. They included protesting outside the U.S. Embassy on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and burning memorial poppies on Britain's annual Remembrance Day honoring slain service members.

But he ran into trouble in 2014 after his name appeared on an oath circulating online that declared the legitimacy of the "proclaimed Islamic Caliphate State." Choudary said the oath was made without his knowledge.

A former head of counter-terror policing, Mark Rowley, told the BBC that while Choudary was a "significant arrest," it would be prudent not to overstate his significance.

"At the end of the day, he is a pathetic groomer of others," Rowley said. "That is what he has done in the past. He is not some sort of evil genius we all need to be afraid of."
The U.S. Interior Departments watchdog agency has said in a report that sending a security detail to protect Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his wife on a vacation to Turkey and Greece had cost taxpayers more than $25,000, the Washington Post reported Thursday.

The report published by the Post also said Zinke allowed his wife to travel with him in government vehicles in violation of department policy.

Others investigated

The report follows ethics investigations into several Trump administration officials, including Scott Pruitt, who stepped down as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency in July, and Tom Price, who resigned as health and human services secretary in September 2017.

Zinke said he did not ask his security detail to travel with him during the August 2017 vacation to Turkey and Greece, and the decision was made by the U.S. Park Police supervisor, the Interior Departments Office of Inspector General said in the report.

The report said other officials in the department approved Zinkes wife, Lolita, riding with him in government vehicles. It said that when Zinke was asked whether he knew the practice violated department policy, the secretary said it was consistent with government travel regulations.

The report listed several instances of official travel in which Zinke was accompanied by his wife and he reimbursed the government for her expenses.

Making wife a volunteer

It said Zinke had asked department employees to research whether his wife could be made an official Interior Department volunteer. He denied his intention in making the request was to enable his wife to travel with him in an official capacity.

Ultimately, the employees advised him that making her a volunteer could be perceived negatively, and she did not become one, the report said.

The Interior Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The departments Office of Inspector General has also said it was investigating Zinke over the use of chartered flights and a Montana real estate deal.
Mass street demonstrations are expected Saturday in Taiwan over growing anger against perceived bullying by its militarily and economically more powerful rival, China.

The advocacy group Formosa Alliance predicts tens of thousands of people will gather for its demonstration in central Taipei. Some protesters are expected to push the Taiwan government for more action on China. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party is organizing its own demonstration in southern Taiwan, a party spokesman said.

China claims sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan and insists the island will someday fall under its flag. They have been separately ruled since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s. But Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen rejects Beijings precondition for any dialogue, specifically the acknowledgement that both sides belong to a single China, thus freezing talks since Tsai took office in 2016.

China has followed up over the past two years with military exercises near Taiwan, a cut in tourism to the island and, officials in Taiwan believe, payments for five countries to recognize Beijing diplomatically instead of Taipei.

These situations make Taiwanese people feel they need to stand up and say no to China, alliance spokesman Kenny Chung said.

Saturday demonstrations

Formosa Alliance advocates an eventual voter referendum on Taiwans constitutional independence from China, which would be more than todays de facto autonomy as well as a red line for Beijing. The action group calls the current referendum law restrictive.

The alliance also wants the government in Taipei to use Taiwan rather than terms more agreeable to Beijing on its masthead in international organizations.

Taiwans ruling party, which also leans toward greater Taiwan autonomy, will hold its demonstration with the slogan oppose annexation, protect Taiwan.

Some of the first groups protesters will probably vent at China over bullying, while others will ask that Tsais government ensure that relations at least do not worsen, said Huang Kwei-bo, vice dean of the international affairs college at National Chengchi University in Taipei.

As the days slowly pass and after more information comes out, there is no shortage of people who slowly awaken and realize that this matter isnt so simple, Huang said.

Most Taiwan protests are peaceful, but some turned violent in 2008 when Chinese officials visited the island for talks.

Burning issues

Taiwanese are particularly angry about the loss of diplomatic allies to China since 2016, said George Hou, mass communications lecturer at I-Shou University in Taiwan.

In recent years, Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Panama and Sao Tome and Principe have switched sides to China. Taiwans foreign ministry says China offered those countries money to switch sides.

China has further rattled Taiwan by passing its aircraft carrier through the 160 kilometer-wide strait that separates them and flying military planes just outside Taiwans air defense identification zone.

Since 2016, China has also cut back on tourism to Taiwan that reached a peak of 3.4 million trips in 2015. That change shows that China can feed an appetite and then strangle your neck when unhappy, Hou said.

I think people over around age 30 are actually clear about todays relations between Taiwan and China, Hou said. I think theyre unwilling to sell out their own countrys sovereignty to fill their stomachs. Theres no meaning in that.

The two sides signed more than 20 deals under Taiwans previous president, Ma Ying-jeou, from 2008 to 2016 as Mas government agreed to the one-China dialogue condition. But many Taiwanese felt he edged dangerously close to China.

China reaction

China will bristle at the Saturday demonstrations, analysts expect, and they might accuse protesters of stirring up anti-Beijing sentiment ahead of Taiwans midterm local elections. Voters on Nov. 24 will pick mayors and county magistrates, some backed by a party that takes a more conciliatory view toward Beijing.

But Beijing might stand back to avoid perceptions that it is trying to influence the elections. It will probably say little unless the demonstrations take an unexpected turn, said Gratiana Jung, senior political researcher with the Yuanta-Polaris Research Institute think tank in Taipei.

Demonstration organizers might not see as many people as they hope, Jung added. Even though younger Taiwanese dont like Chinas actions, she said, a lot are more focused on quality of life than politics.

If Taiwans economy doesnt change too soon, a lot of young people will leave, but they wont necessarily go to mainland China, they might go to countries in Southeast Asia, Jung said. Their priority is survival. When you talk policy thats what its about.
A fire that ignited in an underground natural gas storage area in the San Francisco Bay Area prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents, as Chevron emergency crews worked Thursday to purge gas from a pipeline and prevent an explosion, officials said.

The evacuation order was issued late Wednesday for about 1,400 homes near the pipeline in Bay Point after the fire started. About 4,000 people were affected and were still not allowed to return home by midday Thursday.

Workers spent the night purging natural gas from the pipeline and were injecting nitrogen "which will extinguish the fire" burning in the underground vault, Chevron spokesman Cary Wages told reporters.

The underground fire began inside a Chevron natural gas pipeline vault, where workers access pipeline valves, about an hour after a fire crew had been called to the area and extinguished a nearby grass fire, said Terence Carey, an assistant fire chief for the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.

It was not clear if the grass fire caused the fire inside the pipeline vault. Chevron officials did not respond to repeated questions sent by email asking for details on gas disruptions to the area and how many people would be affected.

Carey said officials realized very quickly Wednesday night "that there was a high probability of danger" and issued an evacuation order for homes within a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) of the pipeline. Officials went door-to-door to tell people to leave their homes in the suburban area about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of San Francisco.

KTVU-TV reported that many people slept in their parked cars at a light rail station while others parked and slept in outdoor parking lots. Evacuation centers were opened Thursday.

Officials said they would not lift the evacuation order until the underground fire was extinguished and it was safe for fire officials to examine the area.

In 2010, a Pacific Gas & Electric Co, natural gas pipeline exploded in San Bruno, south of San Francisco, killing eight people and destroying 38 homes. The utility was subsequently convicted by a federal court for violating pipeline safety regulations and fined $1.6 billion.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports thousands of people hit by a devastating cyclone on the southeastern coast of Yemen earlier this week are in need of emergency aid.

Tropical Cyclone Luban made landfall on Sunday, ushering in three days of heavy rainfall and flooding. Local authorities report three people have lost their lives and more than 100 have been injured.

A United Nations Rapid Response team, which has carried out an initial assessment of the affected area, has found extensive damage to property and livelihoods. It is particularly concerned that continuing rains in Al Mahara, the most affected governorate, could trigger more flooding, further worsening conditions for the survivors.

OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke says people in more than 3,000 households have been made homeless by the cyclone and subsequent flooding. He says it is likely the number of known displaced persons will increase once the Rapid Response team is able to carry out a more comprehensive assessment of the disaster area.

The flood damage is still preventing road access to many affected people in several coastal districts. And the main bridge that connects Al Maharah governorate and Hadramaut governorate has been seriously damaged. Humanitarian partners are working on finding alternative access roads from Al Mukalla west of the worst affected area, he said.

Laerke says members of some 550 households are being sheltered temporarily in schools, and a mobile clinic has been set up. He says Saudi Arabia has sent two planes with 440 food baskets and more food is being sent on trucks from across the Saudi border.

The storm touched down far from the frontlines as most of the fighting in Yemen is going on in the heavily populated western part of the country. Yemens civil war escalated when Saudi Arabia, which backs the government, began an intensive bombing campaign against the Houthi rebels in March 2015.

The United Nations reports the conflict has killed or wounded more than 16,000 civilians and pushed more than 8 million people to the brink of famine. The U.N. calls Yemen the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.
Libyan tribesmen staged a demonstration at the eastern oil port of Hariga on Thursday in protest against the appointment of a government minister, a leading member of the tribe said.

It was not clear whether oil exports from the port, located in Tobruk near the Egyptian border, had been affected.

A spokesman for port operator AGOCO, part of state oil firm NOC, declined to comment.

"We are at the port's gate. No car can enter or leave the port," a member of the powerful Obeidat tribe, told Reuters, asking not to be identified.

He said tribesmen were protesting a decision by the internationally recognized government in Tripoli to appoint Ali Essawi as economy minister.

Hariga lies in eastern Libya, run by a rival administration.

Libyan prosecutors had in 2011 named Essawi as the main suspect in the killing of Abdel Fattah Younes, a former top rebel commander during the uprising against Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Younes belonged to the Obeidat tribe.

A Libyan court in 2012 had dropped the case against Essawi and other suspects. But he re-entered the spotlight when Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj appointed him as economy minister this month.

Khalifa Haftar, a top commander whose troops control the east, this week ordered a new investigation into the killing of Younes. His killing had caused deep rifts in the rebel camp, which later took over the oil-producing country.

Younes was for years part of Gadhafi's inner circle. He defected at the start of the uprising in February 2011 and became the military chief of the rebellion, a move opposed by other rebels who had suffered under the old regime.

The circumstances of his killing remain murky, but it is known that he was slain in July 2011 after rebel leaders summoned him back from the front line to Benghazi, cradle of the uprising.
 Flash

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it seems that the missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and the United States will make a "very strong" statement about his case.





When asked by the media whether he believed Khashoggi is dead, Trump said that "it certainly looks that way to me. It's very sad. Certainly looks that way."





Trump said the possible consequences for the Saudi side, if it is confirmed behind Khashoggi's death, "will have to be very severe."





"But we're waiting for the results of about three different investigations, and we should be able to get to the bottom fairly soon," he said.





Earlier on the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefed Trump about his just-concluded tour to Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The top U.S. diplomat said that Saudi Arabia shall be given "a few more days" on its probe of the disappearance of Khashoggi.





Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said after meeting with Trump and Pompeo that he has decided to cancel his coming trip to the kingdom for a major trade conference.





The case of Khashoggi, a journalist and columnist for The Washington Post, has become a major source of tension between Saudi Arabia and the West.





Khashoggi has been missing since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Unconfirmed reports said that Khashoggi was likely killed inside the compound, a claim denied by Saudi officials as "baseless."
A gleaming new $3.2 billion railway cuts in half the travel time from Kenyas capital, Nairobi, to the coast. Major investments in transportation, energy and maritime infrastructure are turning Pakistan into a major economic corridor. A new industrial zone in Thailand boasts solar, rubber and industrial manufacturing plants and is slated to host 500 companies by 2021.

All are parts of Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, featuring billions of dollars in infrastructure investment across Asia, Africa and the Pacific. The global impact is forcing the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to rethink elements of its plan to cut back on foreign assistance under an America First strategy.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, interviewed Friday in Mexico City by VOA contributor Greta van Susteren, said Chinese foreign investment will not overwhelm the U.S.

"We don't have any problem with Chinese commercial investment. That's their right to go compete in the world," he said. "I'm convinced that if we compete with them all over the world we'll do incredibly well."

When very senior people in the administration traveled abroad and saw that China was eating our lunch, they thought to themselves, 'We have to do something,'  said Daniel Runde, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.

And in a number of quiet moves affecting private investment, humanitarian aid and womens empowerment abroad, the administration and the U.S. Congress have been doing just that.

Major policy reversal

In what is being seen as a major policy reversal, Trump this month signed the so-called BUILD Act, described by the nonpartisan CSIS as "the most important piece of U.S. soft power legislation in more than a decade."

The new law merges and boosts agencies and programs that had once been targeted for deep budget cuts, creating a new entity tasked with providing loans, political-risk insurance and equity stakes to U.S. firms investing in developing countries, from Afghanistan to Zambia.

The agency will be known as the U.S. International Development Finance Corp., or USIDFC, and have a $60 billion budget. It will absorb the existing Overseas Private Investment Corp. (OPIC) and more than double that agencys current budget of $29 billion.

The USIDFC is a much-needed instrument of commercial diplomacy that the U.S. has been sorely lacking, said Witney Schneidman, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs, in a recent blog post for the Brookings Institution.

In a follow-up phone interview, Schneidman said he thought the new agency would help "get U.S. companies interested in Africa on its own merit. ... It does put the U.S. on level with the Chinese by matching Beijings policy of making equity investments in companies seeking to do business overseas.

Dwarfed by China

Even at $60 billion, the new U.S. program will be dwarfed by Chinese investments in Asia and Africa. But Brookings analyst George Ingram said its impact can be magnified by partnering with other international lending organizations.

The French, the British, the Scandinavians  they all have similar organizations," Ingram said. "And now that the [USIDFC] has equity authority, this new entity will be able to be a much more effective partner than OPIC could be.

The BUILD Act has its critics, especially among free-market conservatives who believe the government should not get involved in private business decisions.

"The idea of equity participation was kind of sold politically that it was going to be the U.S. responding to Chinas One Belt, One Road [initiative] and yet there was no mention of China in the legislation at all, James M. Roberts, an editor for the Washington-based Heritage Foundations annual Index of Economic Freedom, told VOA in an interview.

By ensuring equity stakes, that means the government is going to be a shareholder in foreign companies, added Roberts, who has listed a potential for cronyism and misallocation of capital among his concerns.

Advocates of the plan include Mark Green, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development, whose Development Credit Authority is being folded into the USIDFC. By encouraging U.S. private investment abroad, he has said, the new enterprise will spur economic growth in less developed countries and advance the foreign policy interests of the United States.

Interviewed last week for VOAs Plugged In With Greta Van Susteren, Green, a former Republican congressman who later served as ambassador to Tanzania, said theres a fundamental difference between U.S. and Chinese approaches to development abroad.

China favors loans that can include unsustainable financing that mortgages a countrys future, he said. In contrast, USAID expects recipients to implement reforms.

We ask them to respect certain rights and values. What we want for them is to become eventual trading partners, but equal partners, Green added.

Other measures

The Trump administration has demonstrated a renewed openness to international aid in other ways as well, including a recent five-year extension to an anti-hunger measure known as the Global Food Security Act. It supports USAID programs such as the Feed the Future initiative, which partners with governments, NGOs, private enterprise and others "to strengthen agricultural markets and then entire food systems," said Beth Dunford, who oversees the initiative.

Pending in Congress, meanwhile, is the Womens Entrepreneurship and Economic Empowerment Act, aimed at improving womens access to economic participation and opportunity.

It calls for supporting womens property and inheritance rights and ending gender-based violence. It also requires that USAID integrate efforts to empower women in all of its programs, and it broadens support for women-run small- and medium-size businesses.

The bill, which enjoys bipartisan backing, is being promoted by first daughter Ivanka Trump. She tweeted her thanks this week to four U.S. senators for advancing the bill.

Womens economic empowerment doesnt always get a lot of attention in Congress, so this bill is something were quite excited about, said Nicole Ellis, who manages policy communications for the international relief agency CARE.

Gayatri Patel, CARE's senior policy advocate, said the agency is working closely with legislators, noting they want "practical recommendations and approaches."

That might include endorsing approaches such as the CARE Village Savings and Loan Association program that CARE started in Niger in 1991.

"You get women in a community to save, they give each other loans," Patel said. It's really an entry point for women for more formal economic endeavors  to start businesses or pay for their children's education, to connect with the market and mentor or be mentored by others in the community.

The goal, she said, is to encourage aid that has "a catalytic effect on women, their families and their communities."
Turkish prosecutors investigating the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi questioned Turkish employees of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Friday, widening the hunt for clues in a case straining Riyadh's alliance with Western powers.

Khashoggi went missing more than two weeks ago after entering the consulate to obtain documents in relation to a forthcoming marriage. Turkish officials believe he was killed in the building on October 2, but Riyadh has denied the allegations.

In an expanding quest for evidence, police searched a forest on Istanbul's outskirts and a city near the Sea of Marmara for Khashoggi's remains, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters, after tracking the routes of cars that left the Saudi consulate and the consul's residence on the day he vanished.

Investigators have recovered samples from searches of both buildings which it will analyze for traces of Khashoggi's DNA.

State-run Anadolu news agency said the Turkish prosecutor's office had taken testimonies by 20 consulate employees, and 25 more people including foreign nationals would be questioned as part of the investigation.

The consulate employees questioned as witnesses included accountants, technicians and a driver, Anadolu said. The investigation is being carried out by the prosecutor's terrorism and organized crime bureau, it added.

Turkey said on Friday it had not shared audio recordings purportedly documenting Khashoggi's murder inside the consulate, dismissing reports it had passed them to the United States.

Turkish pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak has published what it said were details from the audio, including that his torturers severed Khashoggi's fingers during an interrogation and later beheaded and dismembered him.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara had not shared information with any country, adding, "We will share the results that emerge transparently with the whole world."

The disappearance and presumed death of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, has caused an international outcry and strained relations between Saudi Arabia and Western allies.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has painted himself as the face of a vibrant new kingdom, diversifying its economy away from oil and introducing some social changes. But other moves have faced criticism, including involvement in the Yemen war, the arrest of women activists, and a diplomatic row with Canada.



King intervenes

Khashoggi's disappearance has tarnished his reputation and deepened questions about his leadership, prompting the king to intervene, five sources with links to the Saudi royal family told Reuters.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and senior ministers from France, Britain and the Netherlands have abandoned plans to attend an October 23-25 investor conference in Riyadh, putting the event in question.

On Friday, the CEOs of Deutsche Bank and ABB, plus Airbus' defense chief and energy historian Daniel Yergin joined a growing list of Western business executives who have pulled out.

But Pakistan's prime minister and a delegation led by Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev plan to participate, while Britain's BAE Systems is sending senior representatives.

A pro-government Turkish daily published preliminary evidence last week from investigators who it said had identified a 15-member Saudi intelligence team that arrived in Istanbul on diplomatic passports hours before Khashoggi disappeared.

One name matches a LinkedIn profile for a forensic expert who has worked at the interior ministry for 20 years. Another matches a former diplomat at the Saudi Embassy in London. Others resemble officers in the Saudi Army and Air Force.

A New York Times report, citing witnesses and other records, linked four suspects to Prince Mohammed's security detail.

Turkish pro-government newspaper Sabah also published time-stamped photos it said showed a man, who appears to travel sometimes with the Saudi crown prince, outside the consulate on the morning Khashoggi disappeared.



"Very serious matter"

U.S. President Donald Trump has appeared unwilling to distance himself too much from the Saudis, citing Riyadh's role in countering Iranian influence in the region and tens of billions of dollars in potential arms deals.

He has said he believes Khashoggi is dead and the U.S. response will likely be "very severe" but he wanted to get to the bottom of what happened. He previously speculated without providing evidence that "rogue killers" could be responsible.

Trump, who has forged closer ties with Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, says Washington has asked Turkey for any audio or video evidence, while Pompeo said Riyadh should be given a few more days to complete its own probe.

U.S. intelligence agencies are increasingly convinced of Prince Mohammed's culpability in the operation against Khashoggi, which they believe resulted in his death, a U.S. government source said.

The foreign ministers of Britain and Germany said on Friday that the allegations regarding Khashoggi would be totally unacceptable if true.

Arab allies have rallied to support Riyadh, with UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash denouncing what he called "attempts to undermine Saudi stability."
Saudi Arabia says preliminary results from its investigation into the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi shows he died in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after a fight with people he met there, state media reported.

A statement from the Saudi public prosecutor carried Saturday by Saudi state TV said 18 Saudi nationals have been arrested so far in connection with Khashoggis death and said royal court adviser Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Ahmed Assiri have been fired from their positions.

WATCH: Saudis Admit the Death of Khashoggi; Crown Prince in Charge of Investigation

The prosecutor said the investigation into Khashoggis death is still underway.

The state-run news agency also said King Salman has also ordered the formation of a ministerial committee headed by the crown prince to restructure the kingdoms intelligence services.

Saturdays comments are the first admission by the Saudi government that Khashoggi died.

Turkish officials had said they believed he was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul after he entered the building Oct. 2 to retrieve paperwork for his upcoming wedding. Saudi Arabia had previously denied the allegations and said Khashoggi had left the building shortly after.

The White House said in a statement that it acknowledges the announcement from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that its investigation into the fate of Jamal Khashoggi is progressing and that it has taken action against the suspects it has identified thus far.

When asked about the Saudi announcement, President Donald Trump told reporters in Arizona, Its a big first step. However, he said, We do have some questions for the Saudis, and added well be working with Congress.

He said that he wants to talk to the Saudi crown prince before the next steps are taken.

When asked whether the Saudis can produce a credible report about the killing of Khashoggi, Trump said, Were involved. Turkey is involved.  This has been a horrible event. It has not gone unnoticed.

Before the Saudi announcement, President Trump told reporters Friday he might consider sanctions against Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of Khashoggi.

WATCH: Pompeo on Probe into Journalist's Disappearance

Earlier Friday, Turkish police said they questioned employees of the Saudi consulate in their ongoing investigation into Khashoggis disappearance. More than a dozen Turkish employees of the Saudi consulate were interviewed, including the consul generals driver, technicians, accountants and telephone operators, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency said.

U.S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed Khashoggis disappearance during an interview Friday with VOA contributor Greta Van Susteren.

Trump has warned there would be very severe consequences if Saudi Arabia is behind the disappearance of the journalist, but Pompeo said, Im not going to get into what those responses might be. Well certainly consider a wide range of potential responses, but I think the important thing to do is that the facts come out.

Pompeo, who traveled to Riyadh earlier this week to speak to King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, told VOA, I made very clear to them that the United States takes this matter very seriously. That we dont approve of extrajudicial killings. That we dont approve of that kind of activity. That its not something consistent with American values, and that it is their responsibility as this incident happened in the consulate.

Its their responsibility to get to the bottom of this, to put the facts out clearly, accurately, completely, transparently, in a way that the whole world can see, Pompeo said. And once weve identified the fact set, then they have the responsibility and the first instance to hold accountable those inside the country that may have been involved in any wrongdoing.

Turkish authorities also denied Friday they have shared with U.S. officials an audio recording of the torture and killing of Khashoggi.

Media reports said Pompeo heard the recording earlier in the week when he visited Turkey. But Pompeo, traveling in Mexico, told reporters, Ive seen no tape. ... Ive heard no tape. Ive seen no transcript.

According to Anadolu, the state-run news agency of the Turkish government, Turkey Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, It is out of the question for us to share this or that information with any country.

Late Friday, some U.S. lawmakers weighed in on the Saudi announcement about Khashoggis fate.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally, tweeted, To say that I am skeptical of the new Saudi narrative about Mr. Khashoggi is an understatement.

Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the U.S. should pursue sanctions against those Saudis involved in the journalists death under the Sergei Magnitsky, which is named after the anti-corruption Russian accountant who died in police custody.

The Global Magnitsky Act doesnt have exceptions for accidents. Even if Khashoggi died because of an altercation, thats no excuse for his murder, Menendez tweeted Friday. This is far from the end and we need to keep up the international pressure.
At least two people were shot to death and as many as 22 were hurt in another day of anti-corruption protests in Haiti.

It was unclear who fired the guns that led to the two fatalities. Authorities said 11 other people were wounded, and a number of policemen were hurt by flying rocks.

Haitians are demanding answers after billions of dollars from a Venezuelan-sponsored oil assistance program disappeared.

Two separate Senate investigations said a number of government officials allegedly embezzled or misused the money, but no one has been charged.

Haitian President Jovenel Moise has said no one will escape justice.

Demonstrators are demanding his resignation, accusing him of standing in the way of a transparent investigation.
A new United Nations report is urging the release of hundreds of people who were abducted in South Sudan amid the conflict between rebel and government forces.

The report  released recently by the U.N. Human Rights Commission  accused the Sudan People's Liberation Army-in Opposition, or SPLA-IO rebels, of abducting 900 people and forcing 24,000 others to flee their homes in Western Equatoria state between April and August. At the time, South Sudan's warring parties were negotiating a revised peace agreement.

The report also accuses government forces of killing civilians and destroying their property. Spokespersons for both sides deny their forces abused civilians.

Elizabeth Throssell is a media officer with the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. She told U.N.-run Radio Miraya the report details multiple cases of violence in Western Equatoria.

"The report focuses on an outsizing violence between April and August this year in between Gbudue and Tambura states in the Western Equatoria region, and it looks at the effects on civilians  the abductions, rape, looting, destruction of property by the SPLA and IO forces  and also refers to some of the attacks carried out by SPLA forces," Throssell said.

The report said three SPLA-IO commanders were involved in the attacks but did not identify them. Throssell said while the U.N. Mission in South Sudan wasn't able to identify the commanders responsible for the violations documented in the report, the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

"That includes the government actively pursuing accountability and conducting a prompt, effective, independent investigation into all the allegations and violations including international human rights," Throssell said.

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Lul Ruai Koang strongly denied that government forces killed civilians or destroyed civilian property in Western Equatoria. He suggested certain rebel groups may be responsible.

"That area is having so many rebel groups, the ones loyal to [former Western Equatoria Gov. Joseph Bangasi] Bakosoro. We had South Sudan Liberation Army initially operating in that area. About three to four groups have been operating in that area, and basically you find them putting on the same uniforms we have," Koang told VOA's South Sudan in Focus program.

SPLA-IO deputy military spokesman Col. Lam Paul Gabriel acknowledges that rebel forces attacked a barracks in Western Equatoria, forcing many civilians to flee, but accused government forces of burning houses, looting property, and raping girls and women.

"They said we attacked villages, but what we are aware of is we only attacked the barracks, military barracks in Nagero. That was in May 2018. We did not attack civilians. We went straight to the barracks. It was after the government had been disturbing us in Nagero," Gabriel told South Sudan in Focus.

He denied his group abducted any civilians in Western Equatoria.

"We are even not able to feed ourselves. How are we going to feed these 900? If we cannot feed 100 soldiers of the SPLA-IO, how are we going to feed the civilians? That is really false," Gabriel said.

Among the recommendations, the report calls for accountability and reinforcement of existing recovery and resilience programs to re-establish access to basic services, particularly medical support for survivors of sexual violence. It also calls for economic alternatives for young men caught up in South Sudan's nearly five-year civil war.

The war in the world's youngest country was the result of a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar. Kiir and Machar recently signed a renewed peace accord.
The United States suspended imports of pork from Poland Thursday because of an outbreak of the highly contagious hog disease African swine fever in that country.

African swine fever has spread rapidly in Eastern Europe and China, the world's largest pork producer, where new cases are appearing and the disease is traveling far distances.

The United States is free of the disease and eager to keep it that way because infections in U.S. herds would likely kill hogs and limit pork exports.

Humans are not susceptible to African swine fever, according to the USDA.

The agency said it was reviewing Poland's export protocols after finding one facility there shipped pork to the United States without following requirements designed to prevent the spread of serious livestock diseases. A second Polish facility is also being reviewed, according to a USDA notice.

The USDA is also working with Customs and Border Protection staff to enhance screening of passenger bags coming from Poland, the notice said. The checks aim to ensure restricted products are not brought into the country.
The United States is pushing back against claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Islamic State terror group is starting to execute hundreds of hostages in Syria, including U.S. and European nationals.

Putin made the claims Thursday during the Valdai forum in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, saying IS had taken 700 people from a displaced persons camp near Deir el-Zour in an area controlled by U.S.-backed forces.

"They have issued ultimatums, specific demands, and warned that if these ultimatums are not met, they will execute 10 people every day," Putin said without elaborating on the demands. "The day before yesterday, they executed 10 people."

US officials are 'skeptical'

U.S. officials said Thursday that while there was an attack on the camp, the rest of the Russian president's claims, which echoed reporting by Russia's TASS news agency, were unsubstantiated.

"We are skeptical of its accuracy," Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Sean Robertson said in a statement to VOA.

"We have no information supporting the large number of hostages alleged by President Putin," Robertson added. "We are also unaware of any U.S. nationals located in that camp."

The Pentagon also rejected Russian allegations that the U.S. and its coalition allies had failed to stem the threat from IS.

"The coalition has liberated more than 99 percent of the territory previously held by ISIS," Robertson said, using another acronym for the terror group.

"Russia, on the other hand, has focused its efforts exclusively on aiding the Syrian regime with limited steps to address the threat posed by ISIS and without regard for the laws of armed conflict, civilian casualties or regime use of chemical weapons," he said.

US 'did not finish their job'

During his appearance in Sochi, Putin told the audience that U.S.-backed forces fighting against IS "did not finish their job."

"There are ISIS members remaining in several places," Putin said. "And they have started to broaden their presence recently."

U.S. military officials have been warning for months that IS remains a potent threat, despite the collapse of its self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

IS fighters still cling to a small slip of land in Syria's Middle Euphrates River Valley, near the towns of Hajin and Abu Kamal.

Progress slowed

U.S. and coalition-backed forces have been battling to oust IS from the area for over a month. But U.S. officials say progress has been slowed by the terror group's extensive use of booby traps, improvised explosive devices and a network of tunnels.

The most recent U.S. intelligence puts the total number of IS fighters at 28,000 to 32,000, roughly split between Iraq and Syria. Of those, up to about 9,000 are believed to be in areas controlled by Russia, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran.
The United States and South Korea have suspended another major military exercise in a continued push for diplomacy, the Pentagon said Friday.

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said the two militaries would suspend their joint air exercise, dubbed Vigilant Ace, in order to give the diplomatic process every opportunity to continue.

The decision was announced following trilateral talks among U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his South Korean and Japanese counterparts. The defense ministers are in Singapore for an Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministers meeting.

The suspension of the air exercise follows a number of U.S. military decisions in the past year aimed at persuading North Korea to negotiate a verifiable path to giving up its nuclear weapons.

Earlier exercises delayed, canceled

The United States and South Korea delayed their first large-scale exercise of the year, Foal Eagle, so it would not clash with the Winter Olympics.

Later they canceled Ulchi-Freedom Guardian, their second large-scale joint exercise that had been scheduled for August.

That cancellation came after an unprecedented June summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore, where Trump announced the U.S. would stop what he called provocative and expensive war games with South Korea.

The U.S. military characterizes its joint exercises on the Korean Peninsula as defensive in nature rather than provocative, a term frequently used by China and North Korea to describe the drills.

James Schoff, with the Washington-based research group the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said on Twitter Friday that the latest suspension will make it difficult to ramp back up military exercises on the peninsula without provocations from North Korea.

He said the move would give Pyongyang an incentive to stay calm, but cautioned that the militaries could not suspend exercises indefinitely.

Training, skills are lost

Retired Lt. Gen. Tom Spoehr, a former deputy commander of U.S. forces in Iraq who now works at the conservative Heritage Foundation, criticized the air drill suspension Friday.

He said the U.S. should not accede to North Korean demands to cancel them unless the north shows more tangible signs of seriousness in seeking peace and stability.

Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at RAND Corp., told VOAs Korean service why the loss of training is important.

So if we cant do the air defense drills in Korea, could the U.S. do them back in the U.S.? Yes, we could, he said. But we wouldnt have the terrain. We wouldnt have our allies there. We wouldnt have the air defense environment we would be operating in. So its a fairly significant loss in terms of the real environment that we would have to operate in a conflict.

Vigilant Ace is an annual exercise that is usually held in December.

Is readiness eroded?

Many smaller-scale military exercises have continued on the peninsula and across the region, but the U.S. general nominated to be the next commander of American forces in South Korea pointed out during his confirmation hearing last month that the major military exercise suspension has caused slight degradation to military readiness on the peninsula.

When asked how many large-scale exercises could be skipped before a significant decline in readiness, Army Gen. Robert Abrams told Senate members it was hard to judge.

Inter-Korean Military Pact Leaves Washington Uneasy A gap is growing between Washington and Seoul over an inter-Korean military pact that Washington worries might weaken South Korea's defenses against a North Korea attack.

Bruce Bechtol, a retired Marine and former intelligence officer, told VOA Korean that its too early to tell the effect of the cancellation on troop readiness.

If you only cancel one or two exercises and then you get back to a regular training schedule, all can be well. But we need to understand a couple of things, he said. First of all, many of those troops that are over there are on a short tour so theyre only there for a year or two at the most.

The other thing is you know troops rotate there for these exercises often is not out of the United States, so it gets them used to using the logistical system to help units that will have to go over there in case theres a contingency or an actual conflict so all those kinds of things come into play when youre talking about doing exercises.

David Maxwell, a former special forces colonel who is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the cancellation does impact readiness.

However, the air forces, particularly the U.S. Military Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps can train in other locations and maintain their technical proficiency. So I expect that both the ROK Air Force and the U.S. military will continue to train and maintain technical proficiency. What is lost is the ability to conduct large-scale air operations, and the complex coordination that takes place in these kinds of exercises, Maxwell told VOAs Korean Service.

Christy Lee of VOAs Korean Service contributed to this report.
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A dissident Vietnamese blogger imprisoned for defaming the country's Communist government is celebrating her first day of freedom on U.S. soil. Marcus Harton reports.
VOA contributor Greta Van Susteren interviewed U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Friday in Mexico City, where Pompeo is traveling.

Greta Van Susteren: Mr. Secretary, nice to see you, sir.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: Greta, its great to be with you.

Q: This is your second trip to Mexico, but why are you here now in Mexico?

Pompeo: So, as the new government makes this transition beginning on Dec. 1, were working diligently to make sure we have a solid foreign policy relationship with them. So were certainly are working with the existing government: Ill see President [Enrique] Pena Nieto in just a few minutes  was with Foreign Secretary [Luis] Videgaray [Caso] this morning. But also working with my new counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, to make sure that the United States and Mexico coordinate across a broader array of issues: security, trade and, of course, migration as well.

WATCH: VOA Interview: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Q: The United States just negotiated a new deal with Mexico and Canada. Let me turn to the issue of the migration. That caravan that is coming up from Guatemala heading to Mexico and then presumably maybe some place else, maybe the United States: Whats Mexico say about that?

Pompeo: So Mexico agrees that it is not constructive to have unlawful migration transit from these Northern Triangle countries through Mexico into the United States. And so part of my mission here today is to coordinate with them in a way that takes these folks, who are often victims  coyotes taking money from these people to transit them through a very difficult transit  kids, children who are put in really bad places, to work with the Mexican government to accomplish President [Donald] Trumps mission, which is to make sure we have American sovereignty and a secure border.

Q: What is Mexicos strategy to stop the caravan?

Pompeo: So were working with the current government. Its their strategy, and we recognize Mexican sovereignty, their right to make the decisions the way they want. Just yesterday they spoke with the U.N., and so theyre going to use all the resources at their disposal to make sure that they treat these people with the dignity and the respect that they deserve  but at the same time create a situation where they understand that it is not fruitful to transit though Mexico into the United States. There are multiple components to this. Weve worked with the incoming government, too, to make sure this is a sustainable model once we achieve our goal.

Q: And then I imagine one of the things to worry about them, you know, the root reason why they are migrating and what is being done by the United States or Mexico, if anything, to sort of deal with the root reason why their leaving their home countries.

Pompeo: So the new Mexican government has a vision for how they will work to create jobs and wealth in the southern part of their country. And we all have a vision to try and create opportunity in Honduras, and El Salvador, and Guatemala, in the northern triangle countries as well. Most all of these people are leaving because of economic opportunity. They just dont have any, and we need to do our best to create an environment where they dont need to transit, not only to the United States or to Mexico or any place else.

Q: "President Trump has said, and I'm sure, I mean I suspect, the Mexican government authorities brought it up with you, is that if [migrants] come up to the United States is that two things: One is that they close the border and consider sending military to the border. Did they bring that up with you?

Pompeo: We talked about a whole wide range of alternatives. Alternatives that the Mexican government could take, that the Northern Triangle countries could take, and certain ones that the United States could take. We are optimistic, we are watching whats taking paces with these caravans, which by the way are not organic, are being created by outside forces and supported by them. And working diligently to make sure these people understand that it is not in their best interest to try and make this trip up to the United States southern border.

Q: Who are the outside forces? What groups?

Pompeo: There are political opponents of the Honduran leadership that are underwriting this. If you take a look at whats going on down there, this is not just a group of people who happen to wonder together into a big group.

Q: Before Mexico, you were in Panama. Why did you stop in Panama?

Pompeo: Longtime partner of the United States. On security, on counternarcotics. Ive known President [Juan Carlos] Varela for some time and I wanted to go back to talk to them about several issues where theres more work to be done between the two countries, including some concerns we have about Chinese investment throughout Central America, and Panama, and in South America and make sure that we understood each other with respect to the wide range of issues where Panama and the United States work together and important economic relationships as well. And I wanted to make sure he understood we want an investment from them and we were looking to build U.S investment in his country as well.

Q: Are you suspicious of the motives of the Chinese investment in Panama?

Pompeo: Yes.

Q: In what way?

Pompeo: Look, weve watched this all around the world. Panama is fortunate, they are a sophisticated country with a real economy and a growing GDP, so theyre in a pretty good place relative to some other countries. But weve watched Chinese predatory activity in countries around the world where they show up with a bunch of money and then put strings on it which put the people in that country in a terrible position, two and five and 10 years down the road. And we think its very important that if the Chinese want to invest, thats great, but it needs to be done in a way that is transparent and open and in the best interest of the people of the country in which they're investing and not tethered to some constraint that the Chinese would place on that country in the event that countrys not able to pay the debt that theyre incurring.



Q: So how do you convince Panama to turn down Chinese money? Is the United States [ready to] sort of step up to the plate and do its own investment?



Pompeo: "[A] country like Panama is pretty straightforward: They want to be a part of Western society. They want to do things by the book, by the rule of law, without the corruption. They want to engage in activity thats beneficial to their own people and have the economic capacity to do so. Theyre not in the position where the poverty in their country drives them to have to take money even under onerous conditions, and so you just talk about how you can help make sure that America will be there to provide alternatives and that other Western countries will be there too to make sure they understand that its in their people's best interest to engage in commercial activity that truly, over the long haul, benefits their own people.



Q: Well, it certainly seems like Chinas getting a bigger footprint there, especially when the fact that about a year ago Panama recognized China and not Taiwan. It seems that China certainly is moving into that area.



Pompeo: Yeah, China is intent on that. And again, we dont have any problem with Chinese commercial investment. Thats their right to go compete in the world. Im convinced that if we compete with them all over the world, well do incredibly well. But what we cant accept and what we need to make sure every country understands [is] that when they show up and it looks too good to be true, it almost certainly is.

Q: And have you brought that up with China about their trading in the West but operating in Panama?



Pompeo: I dont know that Ive brought up Panama in particular, but Ive certainly brought up what we view as commercial practices, whether state-owned enterprises that are inconsistent with good behavior around the world.

Q: Venezuela is also an issue in this hemisphere, its a failed state [with] President [Nicolas] Maduro, it doesnt look like its getting any better. Whats the U.S. strategy, if any, with Venezuela?



Pompeo: Weve been very consistent. We have urged the people of Venezuela to restore democracy to their own country, and youve seen the sanctions that weve put in place. Not only against the country, which sometimes have an adverse impact on the people of Venezuela, but also against the Venezuelan leadership and those people who are pressing their own citizens.

"And another reason for my visit to this part of the world is to urge the countries of OAS [Organization of American States] and of the region to ensure that we have a coordinated set of policies. A common understanding of, frankly, the Lima Group and other organizations have done really good work to put pressure on the Maduro regime and to try and create opportunity for those in Venezuela who want the restoration of democracy. This is a nation with enormous economic capacity, the ability to have real wealth. And what they need to do then is the rule of law and democracy, and we are continuing to work with the Venezuelan people to assist them in achieving that.



Q: Coincidentally, I was at the border of Venezuela. I was in Colombia a few days ago and it looks pretty bleak. People were parading. ...



Pompeo: Stuff, lots of migration there as well.



Q: And with no hope, they tell me stories about the hope  the industry has collapsed, to the extent its all been nationalized, but they dont have groceries on the shelves. Its just getting worse there, and Cuba has moved in there.



Pompeo: We are searching for a solution which will deliver democracy to Venezuela and then it can go back to being a country with the things that you described, simple accommodations for their people. Its the Maduro regime that has inflicted this set of horrible living conditions on the people of Venezuela and it will ultimately be the people of Venezuela that fix it.

Q: Can/will the U.S., or do you anticipate the U.S. will increase sanctions in Venezuela?



Pompeo: Were pretty consistent at our pattern of identifying sanctions that we think will deliver on the democratic outcome and so I, well, I dont want to tell you what well do tomorrow. Im confident we find other places where we think we can exert pressure in a way that will convince Maduro that this isnt gonna work, that hes not gonna get to retain power forever and that oppressing his people in the way youve just described is inhumane and inappropriate and not what real leaders do. And so were hoping this transition led by the Venezuelan people will take place, and Im confident that we will find other places where sanctions will be appropriate.



Q: You use the term 'transition.' Is that sort of, uh, is that a word for coup? I mean, do you expect Maduro not to be in power?

Pompeo: I expect the Venezuelan people to restore democracy to their country. If they happen to choose Maduro  well, you know, the Venezuelan people get to choose. As you described the horrors that Maduro has inflicted on his people, that seems unlikely to me.

Q: Have you filed the litigation with Citgo, which is 90 percent of the income to the government of Venezuela is from their oil, from Citgo and now theres a question of whats going to happen with Citgo, which will only add increased financial pressure on Venezuela. Are you following that at all?

Pompeo: I am. Thats a very complicated issue ... were, Treasury and State Department, are both following this very, very closely, and were constantly re-evaluating our approach to all of the economic issues surrounding Venezuela.

Q: This is not your first trip this week. You were also over in the Middle East. You were in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. How do you describe currently the importance of Saudi Arabia to the United States?

Pompeo: They have been a strategic ally of ours since the early 1930s and recently have been even more important. They have assisted us in pushing back against the worlds largest state sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran. Theyve been a great counterterrorism partner during our administration. We have economic ties with them that are deep and important, a broad spectrum of strategic relationships between the United States and Saudi Arabia."

Q: If the investigator turns out, if the investigation thats on going that the Crown Prince [Mohammed bin Salman] or the King [Salman] had deeper involvement thats being suspect or people are saying in the media that its determined to be that. What can the United States do or what should it do in light of the fact of its strategic importance?

Pompeo: Well, the president has said that itll have to be some response in the event that the fact turns out the way that you hypothesized that they will turn out. Im not going to get into what those responses might be. Well certainly consider a wide range of potential responses, but I think the important thing to do is that the facts come out.

"When I traveled to Saudi Arabia, I met with the king, I met with the rown prince at great length. I met with Foreign Minister Adel el-Jubeir, and I made it very clear to them that the United States takes this matter very seriously. That we dont approve of extrajudicial killings. That we dont approve of that kind of activity. That its not something consistent with American values, and that it is their responsibility as this incident happened in the consulate.

"Its their responsibility to get to the bottom of this, to put the facts out clearly, accurately, completely, transparently, in a way that the whole world can see. And once weve identified the fact set, then they have the responsibility and the first instance to hold accountable those inside the country that may have been involved in any wrong doing.

Q: Alright, Turkeys been at odds with Saudi Arabia. This certainly has put them at greater odds in light of whats happened. Whats the strategic importance of Turkey to the United States?

Pompeo: So my second stop this week was in Ankara. I met with President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan and my counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu. We have deep relationships. Theyre a NATO ally. We have had challenges with them. They had held Pastor [Andrew] Brunson. They still continue to detain three locally employed people who were at our embassy there, so theres still many challenges in this relationship, but they sit at an incredibly important place and they always will: the bridge between Europe and the Middle East.

"And as a member of NATO, we need to work to continue to improve that relationship so that we can work together to achieve the ends of NATO and ends in places where Turkey and the United States have overlapping interests, including the challenges that are in Syria today. I think there are real places where we can work with Turkey in Syria to get better outcomes for the Syrian people.

Q: Its incredibly complicated, isnt it?

Pompeo: It is complicated.

Q: "Completely complicated. All right, North Korea: You were recently over in that region and it was announced that some military exercises with South Korea are going to be postponed, ones that were scheduled for December. Do you anticipate a meeting between Kim Jong Un and President Trump in the very near future?

Pompeo: I do.

Q: How do you define very near future?

Pompeo: Im not prepared to tell you when its going to be, as the date has not yet been set, but the presidents committed to doing that. Were working on finding dates and times and places that will work for each of the two leaders. Im very hopeful well have senior leader meetings here in the next week and a half or so between myself and my counterpart to continue this discussion so that when the two of them get together theres real opportunity to make another big step forward on denuclearization.

"Chairman Kim reiterated when I was with him, I guess it's two weeks ago, his commitment to that. That he stands by the commitment he made to President Trump in Singapore on June 12, and we intend to do everything we can to make sure that he delivers on that so that we can come to a day where the people of North Korea will indeed have a brighter future. President Trump is determined to help North Korea achieve that.

Q: What surprised you the most about the negotiations with Kim Jong Un?

Pompeo: Ah, goodness, Im not sure much has surprised me. In the sense of this is very difficult. For decades, North Korea has depended on their nuclear arsenal, or the promise thereof, as their linchpin for their security. And, so, to make that transition decision  to make that strategic decision that Chairman Kim tells us he has made that says we no longer need our nuclear arsenal for our country to be successful  is a very difficult challenge for a North Korean leader. I am very happy that he has made this decision, but to execute on that is complex and will take time. And so long as we can continue to make process  progress  and not have missiles being fired and nuclear tests being conducted to perfect their program even further, then I think its all to the good.

Q: One last question. Whats a better job: director of CIA or secretary of state?

Pompeo: Thats the only question Im not going to answer, Greta. They are both great jobs.

Q: Which one do you get more sleep with?

Pompeo: Its an incredible privilege to have the chance to do each of those two.

Q: Which do you get more sleep with?

Pompeo: I think I got a little more sleep in the previous one.

Q: Thank you, Mr. Secretary.

Pompeo: Thank you, Greta.
A panel of water experts have warned that the World Bank's promotion of a major dam in Laos, which they say failed to deliver on basic promises, has fueled the country's development of shoddy hydropower projects with catastrophic consequences.

In July, an auxiliary dam at the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy hydropower complex in southern Laos burst, displacing thousands and officially killing at least 40 people, though many believe the real toll to be much higher.



The Laos government has conceded shoddy construction played a role in the collapse  a failing, a panelist at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Thursday said, stemmed from corruption and mismanagement across the entire hydro-power sector in Laos.



Bruce Shoemaker, who began surveys to assess impacts of the Nam Theun 2 (NT2) dam before construction began some 13 years ago, said the World Bank had created a sustainable hydro-power myth through its promotion and financing of the project.



"And that fueled this whole kind of industry revival and really fueled the private sector rush in Laos for hydropower," he said.

The $1.3-billion dam, which also received funding from the Asian Development Bank and commenced operation in 2010, exports 90 percent of its power to Thailand.



Though an international panel of experts employed to monitor NT2 had consistently reported serious flaws in measures designed to funnel those profits back into poverty alleviation and conservation, the bank had continued to promote it as a hydro-power project that was done properly, Shoemaker said.



For instance, he said, in a conservation zone financed by the dam and endorsed by the Wildlife Conservation Fund, a massive trade in the illegal logging of luxury rosewood emerged that saw paths cut for patrol teams expanded into roads for extraction.



"The leading member of the panel of experts actually by 2014 after having been a big supporter of it called Nam Theun 2 his final disappointment' and said it had all been a bad mistake," said Shoemaker.



Some 6,000 indigenous villages were forced into resettlement while more than 100,000 people downstream suffered dramatic decreases in wild fish catches and other problems such as increased flooding, he added.



Laos government officials have not responded to VOA inquires for this story while World Bank staff overseeing the Nam Theun 2 project said they could not reply on short notice.



In July, a panel of experts called for the closure of NT2's resettlement period.



They concluded that necessary conditions for closure had been met though in their previous report they had found "that it cannot be confidently said that the conditions for overall sustainability of livelihoods have been achieved"  findings their stakeholders had not been pleased with.

"The POE [Panel of Experts] has confidence that the project is on the road to overall sustainability. It is not there yet. The solemn additional undertakings by all stakeholders to maintain their support in the years ahead provide evidence of a renewed commitment to the ultimate goal of sustainability by all parties, the final report noted.



Shoemaker is co-editor of the recently published book Dead in the Water: Global Lessons from the World Bank's Model Hydropower Project in Laos.



He questioned why, after going cold on hydro-power in the 1990's amid a flurry of criticism and opposition to projects, the World Bank began promoting the technology as sustainable in the 2000s with the 2005 Nam Theun 2 as something of a centerpiece.



Shoemaker was joined by community advocacy groups and water resource watchdogs.

Niwat Roykaew, head of northern Thai people's network Rak Chian Khong Group and a plaintiff in two lawsuits against upstream dams, said he has watched the Mekong undergo drastic changes that have seriously damaged food security.



"I think if it continue like this without stopping these activities there will be no more river soon, it's not sustainable," he said.



About 140 dams are planned to be built in the Lower Mekong basin, including two on the mainstream of the river in Laos that are under construction and two in advanced preparation or planning.



After the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy collapse made headlines around the world, Laos announced all new proposed dams would be halted pending a review of all existing hydropower facilities.



Yet the day after this announcement, it initiated the prior consultation process on a new, highly controversial Mekong mainstream project  the Pak Lay dam.



This came despite the fact that major question marks had been raised over the viability of its large hydro-power ambitions when Thailand delayed signing a power purchase agreement on another Mekong mainstream dam  the Pak Beng  earlier this year.



Premrudee Daorung, coordinator of the Lao Dam Investment Monitor, which was established in the wake of the Xe Pian Xe Namnoy collapse, said if Laos continued with its dam business as usual, people should be prepared for disastrous impacts.



"The question is if the Laos government is not ... learning from Xe Pian Xe Namnoy what to do with their direction to develop large scale hydro power dams, when will they learn?" she asked.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has filed a lawsuit in Ecuador against new terms of asylum in the Andean country's London embassy that require him to pay for medical bills and phone calls and clean up after his pet cat, his lawyer said on Friday.

Ecuador this month created the new protocol governing his stay at the embassy. Lawyer Baltasar Garzon told a press conference in Quito that the rules were drawn up without consulting the Australian national, who has sued Foreign Minister Jose Valencia in a Quito court to have them changed.

Assange has not had access to the internet since it was cut off in March, Garzon added, despite a WikiLeaks statement this week that it had been restored.

"He has been held in inhuman conditions for more than six years," Garzon said. "Even people who are imprisoned have phone calls paid for by the state," he added, describing the obligations regarding the cat as "denigrating."

Garzon said Valencia was named in the lawsuit because he serves as the intermediary between Assange and the Ecuadorean government.

Valencia said the government "will respond in an appropriate manner."

"The protocol is in line with international standards and Ecuadorean law," he told reporters in the Ecuadorean city of Daule on Friday.

Assange's stay has become an increasing annoyance for Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno, who has said the asylum cannot be eternal but has been reluctant to push him out of the embassy on concern for his human rights.

Assange believes he would be handed over to the United States to face prosecution over WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents.

Former Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa in 2012 granted Assange asylum as he sought to avoid extradition to Sweden for interrogation on alleged sexual assault crimes.

Sweden later dropped its investigation of Assange, but Britain says he will be arrested for violating the terms of his bail if he leaves the embassy.

Ecuador in 2017 gave Assange citizenship and named him to a diplomatic post in Russia, but rescinded the latter after Britain refused to give him diplomatic immunity, according to an Ecuadorean government document seen by Reuters.
A women-to-women investment fund is coming to Britain next month to boost financing for female-owned businesses, its founder said Thursday, as efforts grow to close the gender investing gap.

SheEO has lent more than $2 million to 32 female social entrepreneurs in the United States, Canada and New Zealand to grow their businesses since 2015 in an attempt to address a global gender investment gap.

Most of the people writing checks and investing are men, founder Vicki Saunders told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. SheEO wants to fund female innovators with great ideas to create stronger communities and a better world.

Support for female entrepreneurs

It is the latest venture to support female entrepreneurs around the world, who often face more obstacles than men, including a lack of access to finance, business networks, international markets and role models.

Three out of 10 U.S. businesses are owned by women but they only receive $1 in investment for every $23 that goes to male-led businesses, the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee found in 2014.

A Goldman Sachs-World Bank Group partnership to provide capital to women entrepreneurs in emerging markets reached $1 billion in investments in May.

How it works

SheEO brings together 500 women each year who contribute $1,100 each, which they pool and lend, interest-free, to five women-led businesses of their choice.

The loans are paid back over five years and then loaned out again, creating a perpetual fund that SheEO hopes will grow to $1 billion, with 1 million investors supporting 10,000 women-led ventures.

More than 300 women in Britain wrote to SheEO asking it to launch there, Saunders said ahead of a visit to London where she hopes that 500 female investors will come on board.

Workplace gender equality is in the spotlight in Britain, where just 6 percent of the biggest publicly listed companies are headed by women and pay disparities were revealed at major institutions last year.

Twenty One Toys founder Ilana Ben-Ari, one of the first to get SheEO funding in 2015, said it changed her business, enabling her to push ahead with production and hire staff to help with a stressful workload. Her revenue has now doubled.

It was easy to get my foot in the door and have a meeting but it was near impossible to have a serious conversation about my business, she said, describing her efforts to get financing from venture capitalists. Halfway through that meeting you find out  this isnt a meeting, this is a date.
A new documentary on massacres by Zimbabwe's military has led to harsh exchanges as the 1980s killings challenge a new president who preaches unity but refuses to apologize for his alleged role in one of the country's deepest wounds.

The screening in the capital, Harare, would have been almost impossible under former leader Robert Mugabe, who led the country for 37 years and resigned following military intervention in November.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a longtime Mugabe loyalist and enforcer who succeeded him, has tolerated documentaries and plays critical of the government amid promises of a "flowering of democracy."

But none has taken such direct aim at Mnangagwa as the new documentary on the army operation he supported as state security minister between 1983 and 1987. Gukurahundi Genocide: 36 Years Later is named after that campaign.

During Operation Gukurahundi  "the early rains that blow away the chaff" in the local Shona language  a North Korean-trained brigade rampaged through the southwestern provinces of Matabeleland, leaving 10,000 to 20,000 civilians dead. That's according to a 1997 report by the Catholic Commission on Peace and Justice that drew on more than 1,000 interviews and is seen as the most authoritative account.

Like his predecessor, Mnangagwa has refused to apologize but said he will accept recommendations of a national peace and reconciliation commission conducting public hearings on the atrocities.

"Authorities are not comfortable with this subject," producer Zenzele Ndebele told the screening crowd on Wednesday night.

"Most people involved in Gukurahundi are now in power. This makes them uncomfortable," added Ndebele, who said he was summoned by police before being allowed to screen the documentary in September in Bulawayo, a city where many of the atrocities occurred.

Witness accounts

The documentary highlights Mnangagwa's alleged role and features interviews with villagers, former top military officials and politicians narrating how they were tortured and jailed for belonging to an ethnic group accused of harboring anti-government rebels.

Some say Mugabe used the military campaign to stamp out support for the rebels. Others saw the massacres as an attempt by Mugabe to weaken any opposition to his stated aim of a one-party state.

Villagers recount being kept in camps and forced to dig graves for mass burials. Girls were raped and husbands forced to watch as soldiers raped their wives, witnesses say in the hourlong documentary.

"Since I was pregnant I was spared," one elderly woman says.

Another woman says her husband divorced her because he could not stand sharing her with soldiers.

Lingering tensions

Although the 94-year-old Mugabe now lives quietly in the capital, the atrocities remain a fresh scar. At the screening in Harare, the simmering tensions showed.

"It was biased, this is vendetta journalism," 26-year-old Lonias Rozvimajoni said afterward. He described witnesses as "bogus" and the documentary as "fiction," to a chorus of support from some. They said the timing of the documentary's release was meant to tarnish Mnangagwa's presidency.

Others shouted back, defending the work.

"You are hired guns," barked Ibbo Mandaza, an academic who runs a nongovernmental organization that hosted the screening, referring to the seemingly pro-government youths.

"Gukurahundi happened. I was in government at the time, I witnessed it," said Mandaza, who had been a ruling party official.

He abruptly ended the session, although the heated exchanges continued over tea and biscuits in the courtyard.

"Maybe it will take them to become victims to understand," Dumisani Mpofu, who worked on the documentary as a researcher, told The Associated Press.
Asked Thursday by reporters whether Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was dead, U.S. President Donald Trump responded it "certainly looks" as if he is and that is "very sad."

There will be "very severe" consequences if the Saudis killed him, promised Trump, speaking on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One.

Trump's administration is willing to give Saudi Arabia a bit more time to finish its investigation into Turkish allegations that agents from the kingdom killed Khashoggi inside Riyadh's consulate in Istanbul.

WATCH: Pressure Mounts on Trump to Confront Saudis on Khashoggi

More time

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, after meeting with Saudi and Turkish leaders this week, briefed Trump at the White House earlier Thursday, telling him to give Saudi Arabia a few more days to complete its investigation of the disappearance of the writer, who lived in the U.S. state of Virginia.

After the U.S. assesses the Saudi report, Pompeo said, "the United States will determine what the appropriate response might be."

Pompeo said there were "a lot of stories out there about what has happened" to Khashoggi, but he declined to speculate on the outcome of investigations in Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The top U.S. diplomat said he believed "a complete picture will emerge" from the probes.

Pompeo said he told Saudi King Salman and the country's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that the U.S. was taking Khashoggi's fate "very seriously," but also noted that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have had a "strategic alliance" for decades.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he was dropping out of next week's Saudi investment conference in Riyadh. The conference is designed to showcase the crown prince's effort to diversify the Saudi economy beyond its role as the world's leading oil exporter. Numerous Western corporate chieftains had already pulled out of the three-day gathering as Saudi Arabia struggles to answer questions about Khashoggi's fate.

Pompeo's discussion with Trump came as Turkish investigators carried out a new search of the consulate, their second this week, and completed a nine-hour search of the nearby residence of the Saudi consul to Istanbul, Mohammad al-Otaibi, who abruptly returned to Riyadh on Tuesday.

Results to be released

Saudi Arabia has denied knowledge of Khashoggi's disappearance. Pompeo said as he left Riyadh that the Saudi leaders did not want to discuss any facts of the case while they carried out their investigation. They have promised to release results to the public.

After meeting with the Saudi leaders, Pompeo flew to the Turkish capital, Ankara, to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Pro-government Turkish media have published investigators' claims that the Saudi agents cut off Khashoggi's fingers, decapitated him and then dismembered his body shortly after he arrived at the consulate Oct. 2 to pick up documents so he could marry his fiancee, Turkish national Hatice Cengiz. She waited in vain outside for Khashoggi's return. Khashoggi has not been seen since.

The pro-government newspaper Sabah identified Saudi security official Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb as the leader of what it said was a 15-member "assassination team" that flew into Istanbul to carry out the execution of Khashoggi.

Khashoggi had been living in self-imposed exile in the United States while writing columns for The Washington Post that criticized the crown prince and the Saudi involvement in the war in Yemen.

On surveillance tapes

The Turkish newspaper said Mutreb, who has been photographed near the crown prince on his foreign travels this year, was spotted on surveillance tapes entering the consulate more than three hours before Khashoggi arrived, then later the same day outside the consul's residence and then again in the evening at the airport as he left Turkey.

Meanwhile, the Post published what it said it thought would be Khashoggi's last column, one in which he decried the lack of freedom of the press in the Arab world.

"The Arab world is facing its own version of an Iron Curtain, imposed not by external actors but through domestic forces vying for power," he wrote.

"The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events. More important, we need to provide a platform for Arab voices," Khashoggi said.

Trump said Wednesday that he wanted audio and video intelligence from Turkey, "if it exists," while saying it "probably does."

Trump's demand came as he expressed support for Saudi Arabia, a longtime U.S. ally, and said he expected its investigation into Khashoggi's disappearance would be completed by the end of the week.

Ken Bredemeier, Chris Hannas and State Department correspondent Nike Ching contributed to this report.
We know how the opioid crisis is impacting North Alabama families. We wanted to look at the littlest victims, babies being born drug dependent and what it takes to help them heal.

"Through the years, it's definitely been higher than previously," said Doctor Stephanie Israel, a pediatrician at Huntsville Hospital. Doctor Israel works in the neonatal unit at Huntsville's Women and Children facility, treating babies born drug dependent.

"Actually, a lot of the babies born to mom's dependent on drugs are someone who's on a maintenance dose of something like methadone, due to having been hooked on something early in their life," said Israel. Babies born addicted are treated with medications, but there is another important aspect of their recovery.

"They need swaddling, they need physical touch, they need a lot of support and time," said Israel.

That's where cuddlers come in. Cuddlers are volunteers who go through extensive training to be able to provide hands-on support to the babies, which is so important in a babies recovery.

"They sing to them, they read to them. So, the babies are exposed to all of that, it can really just help their development," added Israel. After the babies finish treatment, Doctor Israel said the goal is to get them back with their parents. However, in some cases that doesn't happen.

"Sometimes they do get placed into foster care, sometimes they do get adopted." said Israel.

Babies born dependent are often treated outside the NICU. Doctors say it usually takes around three weeks to ween a baby off their drug dependence. The long-term effects for babies born drug dependent can be minor to severe, including developmental and educational delays.

The cuddler volunteer program requires an application and previous hospital volunteer hours to be considered. For more information on volunteer opportunities at Huntsville Hospital, visit https://www.huntsvillehospital.org/volunteer.
A group of Tennessee Valley veterans are being recognized for their service and sacrifice with a free flight to the nation's capital.

Forever Young Senior Veterans sponsored a group of four Alabama veterans from both the Vietnam War and World War II for a four-day trip to Washington D.C. They will be joined by a few dozen other veterans from Tennessee.

"When you get a group of veterans together, it's like brotherhood again," a veteran, Sherwin Callander said on Wednesday.

Callander started forging that brotherhood more than 70 years ago when he enlisted in the Navy back in 1939.

The 98-year-old World War II veteran fought during the Battle of Normandy on D-Day and was also stationed at Pearl Harbor during the war. He was one day's journey away from being there during the bombing.

"The next day we pulled in, and I had to help clean up the mess and bury some of the dead and everything. That was an awful sight," Callander said.

On Friday, he and the other veterans took off for Washington D.C. on a free trip as a way to thank them for their sacrifice.

"That's really what we fought for, is D.C. and our country and a lot of us have never seen it all," Callendar said.

Callendar's granddaughter, Elaine Oakes, said with the 75th anniversary of D-Day coming up next year, it's especially important to bring World War II veterans on trips like these.

"There's a big push right now to honor them before we lose them," Oakes said.

Vietnam veteran, Tom McKinney, said beyond visiting the Vietnam memorial and searching for the names of some of his fallen brothers, spending time with the Greatest Generation is what he's most excited about.

"I want to learn from them, I want to hear their stories, I want to develop that camaraderie with those people while we have them," McKinney said.

To date, Forever Young Senior Veterans has sponsored similar trips for more than 2,200 veterans in Tennessee and Alabama. This group of veterans will return to the Tennessee Valley on Wednesday.
One Shoals family is among the dozens from north Alabama heading to the panhandle to help.

The Thomas family took it upon themselves to raise donations, and the people of the Shoals came out in full force and helped them raise close to $45,000 worth of supplies to bring to the people devastated by Hurricane Michael.

Bill Thomas and his family were in the panhandle as Hurricane Michael ripped through. On their way back to north Alabama, Thomass 8-year-old son, Colton, turned to him and said, 'dad we have to help,' and that's exactly what they are doing.

"I don't want those people to suffer," Colton Thomas said. "I told him we need to go help these people. They have no home. They've been hit by a hurricane."

WAAY 31 caught up with the Thomas family about an hour outside of Panama City with a U-Haul and trailer completely loaded down with diapers, wipes, formula, baby food, tents, water and other necessities.

"I've always known our community was a wonderful community," Bill Thomas said. "I've lived there my whole life, but to see the outpouring of love and support that everybody came out."

Thomas said this is just one of many trips the family will be taking to Florida. They will be working with about three churches to deliver the donations.

"It's amazing. We thank them and appreciate them so much. We couldn't do this and wouldn't have power and food without them for sure," Kristie Bozeman, who donated supplies, said.
Huntsville Police said Friday that they have found the owner of am assault rifle that was used in an accidental shooting that killed a 17-year-old boy.

The shooting happened at the Magnolia Place Apartments on the corner of Winchester Road and Meridian Street in north Huntsville.

According to Huntsville Police Department, the case is being sent to the Madison County District Attorney's office and will be presented to a grand jury.

The shooting was ruled accidental, however, the grand jury will receive all the evidence and determine if anyone involved should be charged.

One neighbor who didn't want to be identified said he still has questions as to why the two teens had the gun.

"It definitely shouldn't have been left at someone else's house with children that young," the neighbor said.

The Huntsville Police Department said Friday that the rifle was not secured.

"People that have guns, it needs to be locked up and secured at all times," Sgt. Tony Mcelyea said.

The gun had been left at the apartment and that's how it got into the hands of the victim's 15-year-old brother. The owner has been contacted, but his name hasn't been released.

According to police, the teens' mother told investigators she didn't know the gun was in the house.

WAAY 31 reached out to the U.S. attorney for the northern district of Alabama to find out if his office was looking into the case. He said he could not comment about it at this time.
Romans to hold #Romadicebasta sit-in at Campidoglio on 27 October.

A demonstration under the banner Roma dice basta ("Rome says enough") is scheduled at Piazza del Campidoglio, the seat of Rome's city hall, at 10.30 on Saturday 27 October.

The non-political protest, which is open to "all citizens, associations, committees, districts and ages", has been organised by six Roman women whose professions range from architects and art historians to journalists and researchers.

The campaign is designed to highlight the current poor state of the capital, as underlined in a video featuring scenes of wild boar rampaging through uncollected rubbish, flooded streets caused by blocked drains, and a city bus in flames in central Rome.

Organisers insist that they will keep the movement from being hijacked by political parties however many of their supporters point the finger of blame for Rome's sorry state at the populist Movimento 5 Stelle administration of Virginia Raggi, mayor of the capital for more than two years.

#Romadicebasta, described as an "informal, democratic and progessive" campaign, is seen as a backlash against the shortcomings of the city's administration in sectors such as rubbish collection, the maintenance of roads and parks, and the public transport system. More details can be found on the Facebook page Tutti per Roma. Roma per tutti.
Parisian subway, transvestites, Sicilian landscapes: the photographs of Lisetta Carmi on display in Rome exhibition.

. The Museo di Roma in Trastevere hosts Rome's first public dedicated to the celebrated Italian photographer Lisetta Carmi.In addition to her best known works, the 150 images on display include three very different themes: the Parisian subway, transvestites, and Sicilian landscapes.

For details see museum website.
A disruption in the sale of arms would cause short-term pain for the defense industry, but those sales remain a small fraction of their revenue and pale in comparison to what they sell to the Pentagon. For now, instead of worrying about the potential for lost revenue, the industry is waiting for the situation to cool down, analysts said. In a statement, the Aerospace Industries Association, a trade group, said that they will continue to support U.S. national security and foreign policy goals, and our companies will continue to look to the government for direction on how best to support those goals.
Mnuchin did not give a reason for pulling out of the conference, but he was under growing pressure from congressional Republicans not to attend as it could have been seen as a sign the Trump administration was not concerned about the alleged killing. He joins an exodus of government officials and corporate titans who have announced their withdrawal from the summit, including Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, Bill Ford of Ford Motor Co. and AOL founder Steve Case. Fox Business also announced its departure after Mnuchins announcement Thursday.
JPMorgan Chase plans to open a campus in Palo Alto, Calif., as part of the bank's efforts to attract more Silicon Valley talent. The campus, scheduled to break ground early next year and open in 2020, will have more than 1,000 employees, JPMorgan said in a statement Friday. The new financial-technology offices will make it easier for workers across business lines to host events and collaborate on new products, the company said. JPMorgan has been moving further into financial tech. Last year, it acquired the start-up WePay to help its 4 million small-business clients accept payments faster.
Meanwhile, regular presenting organizations have long used competitions as a way to develop and further their own missions. The Metropolitan Operas national council auditions have for decades helped maintain grass-roots support around the country, with 42 district and 12 regional chapters. On the other end of the scale, the small Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, a conductorless ensemble in Los Angeles, started a competition for performers as a way to spark interesting programming: Its open to anyone, anywhere, on any instrument, playing a piece of their choice written for soloist and orchestra. We wanted to open it up to people we didnt know, says Benjamin Mitchell, Kaleidoscopes president. For their first competition this year, they got nearly 2,000 video applications from 88 countries. Six finalists traveled to Los Angeles for the final round, and the three winners all received a cash prize of $5,000 and will perform with the orchestra this season. The first, on Oct. 27, is Ekaterina Skliar, who will play a concerto by Joseph Tamarin written for the domra, a Russian folk instrument  an instrument Mitchell says hed never heard of before the competition. She just knocked our socks off, Mitchell says.
Some of the small plates leave big impressions. Gyoza stuffed with ground pork, garlic and ginger are as good for the dumplings as the hot broth, redolent of soy sauce and truffles, in which theyre presented. Tempura shrimp in a curtain of mayonnaise flavored with chile sauce are easy to dispatch, too. Of course theres tuna poke. Namas bowl includes bright cubes of tuna, shimmering flying fish roe and a creamy edamame puree, the combo dusted with crisp tempura crumbs. On the other hand, sliced Japanese cucumber topped with chile threads, a ringer for saffron, is more fun to see than to eat. The appetizer feels austere compared with other cucumber salads around town.
Your aunt and uncle are offering you many reasons to call: to thank them for the gifts they are sending. Then you can call at other times, to say, I just used that pie plate you gave me, and it made me think of you. Do you have time to catch up? or, Christmas is coming and I just got out my decorations. Im going to send you a picture of our tree... On your calls, gossip, share information about your life and ask them theirs and other family members.
Organizers have made some contemporary concessions, including an option for gluten-free waffles. But other traditions are sacred. Weve talked about some things and then said thats really not Swedish, so we shouldnt do that, said Bob Blair, who oversees the dozens of volunteers ladling out pancake batter (up to 15 circles at a time on the five griddles in use) and pouring kaffe (coffee) and apelsinjuice (orange juice). Some people said, Wed like some eggs. No, were not going to do that.
Carving through the least-populated areas of the state, the trail is also remote  but thats part of its appeal. Wildlife biologist and thru-hiker Sage Clegg , the first person to hike the trail end-to-end, said she really only saw other people when she went into a nearby town to resupply. Because shes witnessed hikers clogging the Pacific Crest and Appalachian trails  in whats known in the hiking community as the Wild effect, in reference to the popular book-turned-movie  she appreciated the contrast. I love a lonely trail, she said. It helps me be able to interact with the natural world as if it were something that I could actually communicate with.
She stopped her car, got out and confronted the men as they sat in a Honda Fit, according to a letter from police sent to residents on a neighborhood email list. The man in the passenger seat then left the Honda, got into the womans car and drove off. Witnesses said the boy who was sitting in the back seat was not clearly visible from outside.
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An Army veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he received two awards of the Bronze Star Medal and three awards of the Purple Heart. In Congress he held seats on the Appropriations and Foreign Affairs committees and accumulated a solidly liberal voting record. He was an early supporter of then-Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-Mass.) in his bid for the presidency in 1960 and was mentioned as a possible vice-presidential running mate for President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
Until we figure out if this is an infection or if this is an autoimmune process, until we figure out how to prevent it, then the effort to bring awareness to it and develop timely interventions is appropriate even if it is 1 in a million, said Cristina L. Sadowsky, the centers clinical director.
Manafort, 69, was rolled into court in a wheelchair with his right foot in only a sock. His attorney Kevin Downing said in court there are significant issues with Mr. Manaforts health right now that have to do with his confinement. Downing didnt specify the ailment and later declined to take questions outside the courthouse.
The first officer who arrived saw a man walking away from the townhouse and waving his arms, according to body-worn camera footage released by the police. The officer saw two people atop the front steps to the townhouse next to an open front door: Natera Perez and his ex-girlfriend. The officer pulled a yellow Taser and pointed it at Natera Perez as he approached.
I said, all right, I need to just put all of this out there so people can see what people will try to smear me with, Carter said, his boyish face topped by a thatch of red hair. Let people know about it now on my terms so they can see that Im a normal person with a messy life like everyone else.
Brat and Riggleman will not attend the McAdams events, but they will meet up with the vice president afterward for a roundtable discussion with local business people. The topic of that meeting will be tax reform. The meeting will not be open to the public or media.
It is an uphill battle, but I think she will win because she is in reality the hardest-working person I have ever known, said Bobbie Kilberg, a donor and veteran of three GOP presidential administrations. She is totally in tune with and responsive to the district, and that will overcome the unpopularity of President Trump.
Anversas laboratory did the foundational work in this field and provided cells for a previous clinical trial that is cited as part of the supporting evidence for the current trial. However, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute does not consider the trial to be based on Anversas work, according to Denis Buxton, director of the Basic and Early Translational Research program at the institute. Buxton said that the trial is instead based on an idea that grew out of Anversas original work  that the cells secrete various molecules that help regenerate muscle tissue, although he said it was not a well-characterized effect at the moment.
David Hughes and John Zalsman were charged with obstruction of justice in connection to the death of Caleb Schwab, who was killed on the Verruckt slide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City. The raft Caleb was riding in went airborne, slamming him into a metal pole. Two women on the raft also were injured.
Germany extradites suspect in Bulgarian reporter's slaying: German authorities said the suspect in the rape and slaying of a Bulgarian journalist has been extradited. Prosecutors said the 21-year-old suspect, apprehended Oct. 9 near Hamburg, told them he hadn't meant to kill Viktoria Marinova. He denied raping and robbing her. Prosecutors say he confessed to being under the influence of alcohol and drugs when he got into an argument with a woman 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."
The neighborhood of some 70 homes is now well-integrated, but a core of the original black residents remains. Among them is Pat Tyson, 76, a retired State Department employee. The bridge, she said at the centennial event, has been a path of struggle, of courage, of confidence and love. In life we have to work together. Even as the tracks divided the communities, she added, The bridge brought us together.
Arizonans who are voting  early voting began on Oct. 10  in the retention election should contemplate the recent spectacle involving the U.S. Supreme Court. The court has been sucked into the vortex of todays bilious politics by a confirmation process that is not the courts fault. But two days after Brett M. Kavanaugh was sworn in as a justice elsewhere, all nine justices made matters worse by allowing themselves to be props at a White House event  an end-zone dance masquerading as a civic liturgy  in which the president, with his knack for vulgarity and his eye on next months elections, issued a faux apology to Kavanaugh on behalf of no one in particular, but for the obvious purpose of making his base salivate for partisan score-settling. Might all the justices finally recognize how inappropriate it is for them to attend the annual political pep rally that presidents of both parties have made of the State of the Union address?
JPMorgan Chase does not stand alone. McDonalds, which declares as part of its corporate responsibility Human rights are universal rights that are intrinsic to every human being; they include the right to equality and freedom from discrimination, bows to Saudi customs and maintains sections in its restaurants for men only and separate sections exclusively reserved for families (women and children); single, unrelated men and women cant sit together and eat a Big Mac. Mickey Ds devotion to the crown prince prompted the Saudi Arabian franchise of the fast-food giant to take out a full page ad in June 2017 that read: We renew our allegiance and obedience for his royal highness, the servant of the two holy mosques, King Salman the son of Abdul Aziz Al Saud. And we support Amir Mohammed bin Salman, his son, to become Minister of Defence and Prime Minister and to be nominated as successor. God give him wisdom and equip him to rule his kingdom. With peace and prosperity, McDonalds.
Many argue that the United States cant afford to break ties with Saudi Arabia. The United States has invested too much in the Saudi alliance to give it up now, the argument goes. If you owe the bank $1,000, the bank owns you, but if you owe the bank $1 million, you own the bank. The Saudis think they have us where they want us. MBS would love the Washington debate to be between those who want to end the alliance altogether and those who want to give them a pass  since he is sure that Americans will always end up choosing the latter.
A good example of how the environment has changed is the case of female activists who had long sought the right to drive, and to change the guardianship system, which gives men the authority to make critical decisions on behalf of their female relatives. For years, the women had carefully pushed for change while staying largely within bounds the government could accept. But the new crown prince could not tolerate their voices. He granted women the right to drive  and then punished those who had worked for that reform. In May, 11 of them were arrested. Several remain in jail, accused of serious crimes that could bring long prison sentences, including suspicious contact with foreign parties and undermining the security and stability of the state. They have been vilified in the media; a pro-government Twitter account posted images of those arrested with the word traitor splattered in red across their faces, Human Rights Watch reported.
MBS, as the crown prince is widely known, is the first of his very numerous generation (Saud had at least 22 wives) to wield the power of the crown; his father, King Salman, is 82 and partially disabled by Alzheimers disease. A young tyrant in a big hurry, MBS elbowed aside an older cousin last year, confining him to house arrest, and also set about jailing his rivals, torturing his critics, silencing dissenters, and creating a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions in neighboring Yemen. Khashoggis murder, for all its alleged grisly sadism, seems right in character.
We may not have gotten the funding, but we have influenced the debate. We addressed the legal sufficiency review that enhanced the validity of the legislation. As a result, we felt it more beneficial for the Incarceration to Incorporation Entrepreneurship Program to start while a citizen is incarcerated and have it continue after release. Our advocacy led to $198,000 in additional funding transferred to the Aspire Program, which also works with returning citizens, in fiscal 2019 from the Committee on Business and Economic Development.
Critics of employing the words "cheese" and "milk" to describe plant-based products would maintain they are simply defending the traditional understanding of what those terms mean. Tell that to Benjamin Franklin. In 1770, according to Smithsonian.com, Franklin sent to America from London a few dried beans that he said were used by the Chinese to make "a cheese." The beans were almost certainly soy, the magazine said in March, and "cheese" was likely the translation of what a Spanish traveler to China, according to Franklin, had described seeing: "tau-fu." (Francis Bacon was nearly a century and a half ahead of Franklin in describing nondairy milk, writing in 1626 that "there be plants, that have a Milk in them when they are Cut.")
And yet, the validation of a Harvard degree matters. For those without wealth or family connections  often the case among immigrant groups and minorities  the Ivy League stamp can feel like one of the only surefire paths to success. The fact that someones future can be determined by so quixotic a decision as college admission suggests that there are bigger questions to be addressed  ones in which race plays an important role. Maybe we should be focusing on creating more paths, not fighting so hard over the few we have.
I spoke recently with one of the most senior U.S. intelligence officials, who told me that many leaders in his community think were on the verge of a deepfakes perfect storm. The storm has three critical ingredients: First, this new technology is staggering in its disruptive potential yet relatively simple and cheap to produce. Second, our enemies are eager to undermine us. With the collapse of the Russian economy, Putin is trying to maintain unity at home by finding a common enemy abroad. He has little to lose and lots to gain  its far easier to weaken U.S. domestic support for NATO than to actually fight NATO head-on. Russia hasnt mastered these information operations yet, but China is running scout-team offense behind every play. China will eventually be incredibly good at this, and we are not ready.
Shed heard  from friends, from the news  that the Trump administration might kick her out of the country if her family used any anti-poverty benefits. It didnt matter that her baby (like her older daughter, and her husband) is a U.S. citizen, legally entitled to such services. Maria feared that any help she sought for her children might threaten her own ability to stay here.
First, list prices for drugs are misleading and possibly useless. The actual price that Americans pay is almost always much lower. For instance, a friend of mine with metastatic prostate cancer was prescribed Johnson & Johnsons Zytiga, with a list price of about $12,500 per month. Shopping around the Internet, patients can find the drug for about $10,500 per month, and with insurance, many pay as little as $2,500 per month. But because my friend has generous insurance for this particular class of drugs, he only pays $50 per month (though J&J will still make more than $10,000 per month, because the insurance company picks up the tab and raises premiums to do so). Just putting the list price out there is likely to confuse people about what they will actually pay.
We spend a lot of time talking about diversity and inclusion and a lot of time focusing on the right language to use. U.S. companies spend about $8 billion every year on diversity and inclusion training. But despite all this talk and all this money, there has been little real change. We know that abuses of power and toxic cultures are alarmingly prevalent  in churches, gymnasiums, schools, offices and conference rooms throughout the country. We know that sexual misconduct is all too common and that too many who know about it say nothing or cover it up for too long. While the news is always shocking, none of it is new  although perhaps it is finally getting more attention.
The president must apply pressure on the Saudis to find a viable replacement to MBS or watch this U.S. ally become an international pariah. Replacing the crown prince would serve the interests of the Saudis, the Americans and the world. The geopolitical stakes are high. The United States can do without Saudi oil, but the kingdoms sandy real estate is a vital asset for Americas spying capabilities across that volatile region. Its air space is perfectly suited for both defending Israel and striking Iran. Until last week, the morally challenging Saudi-U.S. alliance was a deal with the devil that both Democratic and Republican presidents were willing to make in the name of regional security. But as they say in the Florida Panhandle, that dog wont hunt anymore.
Poliquin is part of an elaborate attempt at a midterm hoax: Republicans convincing the public that they did not try to repeal Obamacare and its preexisting-conditions protections, and that they would again not do so if reelected.
This far into the administration, it is folly to expect some version of presidential Trump to emerge. Indeed, just two days before Horseface, there was Trump on 60 Minutes, behaving in a way that is more subtle but also more chilling. At one point in the interview, Lesley Stahl recounts Christine Blasey Fords searing testimony about the indelible laughter of Brett M. Kavanaugh and his friend. Trump shrugs it off, literally. His shoulders rise. He tilts his head in one direction, then another. Okay fine, he says. Whatever.
You might remember these vanishing icons simply as places to buy things, whether a Craftsman tool to upgrade your home or an Hermes scarf to upgrade your suit. But I think of them as a singular kind of American culture  small cities, almost, with distinct social hierarchies and gossiping neighbors and dream chasers. I spent my department store years in Ann Arbor at Jacobsons, a chain mainly in Michigan, Ohio and Florida that was akin to Nordstrom. The store manager was like the mayor; everyone perked up when he strolled through, surveying his domain, bending to pick up bits of invisible fluff from the carpet. Department managers often had college degrees, and earned salaries and perks that made them the stores upper middle class. Buyers from the designer section were the people who took the vacations you yearned for  they made glamorous trips to New York and Europe, coming back with look books and fabric swatches, letting us lower-ranking employees see the colors that would be popular next season. Young career men and women on the selling floors outfitted themselves in the latest fashions months before anyone else, at a generous discount, and showed off the styles after work, often spending large chunks of their paychecks to become walking advertisements for the store at nearby clubs. We didnt have to wonder how new fashions would look on our customers: Smiling models regularly strolled through the store, bearing a printed card with the designers name and pausing for inspection.
I am still someone who gets very excited about Halloween, Haley said, but in this toxic environment, even this causes political arguments. Bernie Sanders wants free candy for everyone. Mitch McConnell calls it a typical Democrat giveaway program. The president says its going to be the best Halloween ever  nothing like it ever before, huge!
Allies of Trump and Testers Republican challenger, Matt Rosendale, say Testers role in the Jackson controversy could tarnish the Democrats reputation in a state that has one of the highest per capita rate of veterans in the United States. But Tester and Democrats have argued that the fracas wouldnt hurt the senator politically because he was standing up against a nominee who on paper did not have the qualifications to lead a sprawling agency like VA.
Experts said the White House is straining under the same political dilemma that past administrations encountered in trying to manage the massive U.S. immigration system despite Congresss inability to strike a comprehensive legislative reform package. Trump is hitting the limits of what he is legally able to do through executive authority, they said, and the United States has relatively few tools to deal with the gang violence, poverty and hunger propelling a mass exodus of Central American migrant families over the past five years.